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Title: Bonds

Author: Adora_Vampiress

Rating: PG-13 (I think. For language)

Disclaimer: The characters from the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer or Angel: The Series are not mine (boohoohoo). They all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy and lots of other people, me excluded. I only use them to make Siobhan and Clare happy J

Feedback: yes please! But be gentle, it’s my first fic! Email me at Adora_Vampiress@hotmail.com

Dedicated to: Siobhan, who set the challenge.

Distribution: If you’d like to have it, email me and ask for it!

Summary: This is my answer to a challenge set by Siobhan. The challenge is this:

Must include

Spike/Buffy not necessarily in a romantic way but preferably
Spoilers must not go past Listening To Fear and The Trials
Buffy finding out about Spike stealing her ahem clothing from her room
Joyce being slightly better - as in Buffy can leave her side but she's still sick
Buffy walking in on Spike talking to the dummy of her
Must include some of these

A teddy to cheer someone up
A rose
Buffy and Spike slaying together
A book
Some kind of bonding between Buffy and Spike
Note: thought’s are written in between a pair of these: >thoughts<

<><><>

>I can’t believe you’re lying here like this.

So peaceful when you’re asleep.

As if you’re going to wake up all healthy tomorrow.

As if you’re going to stand next to my bed and wake me up for school.

Just like you always have.

As if…<

"Hey Buffy."

"Willow, hi." Buffy quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, not realizing she was smearing her mascara all over her face.

"Oh my God, Buffy! Are you okay?" Willow quickly walked over and sat down on the arm rest of Buffy’s chair. She put her arm around Buffy’s trembling shoulders and squeezed lightly.

"Is she… worse?"

Buffy sniffed and wiped her nose, then took a tissue out of the box that stood next to her, on her mothers night stand.

"No, no, it’s not that. Actually, she is doing a little better now. It’s just… seeing her like this… it’s so hard, you know?"

Tears were streaming down Buffy’s face again, but this time she let them run.

"She looks like my mom, but she isn’t. My mom is happy and busy and… alive."

Willow held Buffy closer and stroked the sobbing girls’ back, but said nothing. The two girls sat in silence for a while, staring at the sleeping woman in the hospital bed. Then Buffy turned her head to Willow.

"Why are you here at this time of night anyway? Did you come all by yourself?"

"No, Xander and Giles walked me here. They had to go to the magic shop, Giles needed some supplies. They said they’d pick us up at ten. That is….if you are able to leave your mom. Giles said something about a new group of vampires. But if you’d rather stay here, I’m sure we can handle things ourselves for once."

Buffy looked at her mother.

"I can’t do anything for her now. I’ll come with you."

"Okay, but we still have some time. We can stay here till then."

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks Will."

"Oh, that’s okay. But er…I came here to give you this."

Willow reached for her bag, and took out a package wrapped in Winnie the Pooh-paper. She held it out to Buffy.

"It’s from Giles and Xander and Anya and Tara and me. It’s a cheering-up-present. Sorry about the paper, I didn’t have anything else."

Buffy smiled through her tears.

"Thanks. What is it?"

She shook the gift, but didn’t hear anything.

"Just open it."

Quickly, Buffy tore the paper. With wide eyes and a big grin on her face she held up the teddy bear she had been given.

"Thanks Will."

"Don’t thank just me. We all chipped in."

"I’ll thank the others later."

"So, what are you going to call it?"

"Ehm… I don’t know. I’ll think about it on the way to Giles’s. I’ll go freshen up a little and then we should go downstairs. I bet Giles and Xander are already waiting for us outside."

End of part one

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2

<><><>

"Another double O-neg and a bottle of whiskey."

"Spike, you've already had twelve O-negs, all double, and this is your sixth bottle of whiskey. I personally don't care if you drink until you're unconscious, but don't you think you've had enough?"

"Another double O-neg and a bottle of whiskey... NOW!" Spike growled low in his throat. "And stop the social workers' talk. Go Florence Nightingale someone else, before I rip youre throat out."

Willy shrugged.

"Fine, whatever." He put the order in front of Spike and left.

Spike threw the O-neg inside, threw some money on the counter and left, carrying the bottle of whiskey nonchalantly under his arm. Outside, he opened the bottle and put it to his mouth.

Before he had tasted one drop, someone bumped into him and caused him to drop the bottle.

"You're going to pay for that... with youre life" he snarled, showing his game face.

"You want me to pay? I'll pay you alright!"

Before he recognised the voice he felt a sharp pain in the center of his face.

He let go of the girl and grabbed his nose instead.

"Shit! You bitch!"

He looked up.

"Oh no, not you, not again!" he grunted angrily, jaw clenched.

"Spike, it's always a pleasure seeing you" Buffy sneered.

"What are you doing here Slayer?"

"I got word there is a new group of vampires on the block. I thought I'd go find them and welcome them to the neighbourhood."

"Thanks, I'll tell the others you stopped by" a dark voice said.

Both Buffy and Spike jerked their heads to see who was talking.

On the other end of the short alley they distinguished a figure standing in the shadows. The figure was most definately a man, and a tall one at that. As Buffy observed him she could feel his eyes run over her body and a shiver ran down her spine before she could control it.

"And who are you?" she asked, seemingly calm, but already mentally checking her pockets for stakes.

The giant slowly stepped into the light, revealing his demonic visage. His eyes were staring mockingly into hers as he said:

"I am known as Darius, the Master of Masters. And this..." he gestured around to reveal five more vampires, all tall and violent-looking like gladiators "... this is my family."

"I thought you looked familiar" Spike announced. "I remember now. I had the pleasure of er... seducing your lover of that moment when you were in Germany, fighting alongside Hitler. What was her name again?"

He grinned.

"Oh yeah, that's right, Evelynne. It's a pity she talked so much. I couldn't stand that, so you see I had no choice but to seperate her head from the rest of that beautiful body of hers."

"You bastard" Darius scowled. "You and the little girl are going to pay for this."

Spike chuckled and cocked his head at Buffy.

"Now why do they always say that?"

Buffy shrugged.

"Maybe it's that time of the month again? That always makes me grumpy and no fun to be around."

"It must be the time of the month all year round for you then."

"Are the two of you going to chat or fight?" Darius grumbled.

Spike and Buffy looked at eachother, raising their eyebrows and charged. Before they reached Darius and his gang, Buffy quickly gave Spike a stake. The next moment she slammed her fist into the head of one of Darius' minions. As she pulled out a stake and kicked the vampire in the stomach she could see that Spike had already dusted one of the other vampires.

"Come on Slayer, what's taking you so long?" he grinned.

Buffy staked the vampire right in front of her and turned around just in time to let another vampire impale himself on the stake she was holding in her outstretched hand.

"I'm way ahead ahead of you, Spikey-boy" she answered.

"You may be now, but not for long."

Spike had to duck to avoid being hit in the face. He kicked the feet away from under his opponent and staked him with a quick move.

"I'm back in the game babe."

He looked around.

"Hey, where's the fifth minion?"

The answer came when he heard something behind him. As he turned around he prepared to fight, but in his hurry to be the first to stake the vampire, he failed to see the bow the minion had in his hand. With a soft whizzing an arrow slashed into Spikes chest, about three inches under his heart. Spike cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

"Spike!" Buffy screamed.

"Just kill him" Spike groaned as he tried to pull the arrow out. "Damn, the damn thing's stuck!"

Buffy could barely jump away when an arrow came her way. She took a brick off the ground and threw it at the vampire. It landed on the bow, which fell on the ground and broke. With a quick move she threw a stake at the vampire and it hit him right in the heart.

When Buffy turned around to help Spike up she heard someone clap.

"That was a nice show Slayer" Darius said amused. "But now it's time for the real work."

"Finally."

Spike crawled up, the arrow still sticking out of his chest. The wound kept on bleeding and Spike was swaying a bit, but he still had a smirk on his face.

"You're dust, old D."

"We'll see about that."

Darius made a quick gesture with his hand. The next moment a pile of boxes and trash cans collapsed on top of Spike.Darius laughed evilly.

"One down, one to go."

Buffy didn't wait for him to finish his words, but attacked Darius instead. She planted her boot in his face. Darius collapsed and fell to the ground. However, before Buffy could make her next move she felt she was being thrown back by an invisible force. She landed on her back with a loud thump and gasped for breath. With wide eyes she watched as Darius unsheathed a katana, running towards her. At the last moment she rolled away from the sword, which landed next to her. She scrambled up and turned around, only to see Darius grinning menacingly, slowly coming closer. Buffy slowly walked backwards until she felt something hard and cold behind her. She turned her head to see.

A wall.

On her left: another wall.

On her right: a huge pile of junk.

In front of her: Darius.

"Do you have any last words, little one?"

"Yeah, see you in Hell, bastard."

The next moment, Darius was dust and Buffy was looking into Spikes grinning face.

"Hi there, Slayer."

"Spike."

It sounded surprised.

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but almost lost his balance instead.

"Is the arrow still in you?"

He nodded."

We have to get it out."

"It's stuck. It can't be pulled out. You'll have to push it through."

Buffy checked Spikes back. He was right, if she would pull the arrow out she would only tear more of his flesh.

"I need to get some tools to get it through in one time. Besides, I'll have to check you for splinters."

She put her arm around his back and let Spike lean on her all the way home. There, she took the tool box her mom had bought a few months before and opened it. She took a saw and rubber-headed hammer.

"Sit down."

Spike sat down on a kitchen chair.

"Isn't your mother home?" he asked.

Buffy swallowed heavily.

"She's in hospital. Brain tumor." She started sawing off the feathers of the arrow.

"I'm sorry."

Buffy looked up.

"Yeah, so am I."

"Isn't there anything they can do?"

Buffy put the saw aside and took the hammer.

"No, nothing. Okay, hang on, this will hurt."

She took the arrow in one hand and lifted the hammer. With a quick move she hit the arrow right through Spikes chest. Spike screamed and cursed.

"Sorry about that."

"There was no other way."

"No, I guess not."

Buffy started putting things back into the tool box.

"You know what the worst thing is?" she asked.

"Not being able to do anything" Spike answered. "I've been there. A long time ago, but I've been there. My mum was lethally ill. No one knew what it was at the time. Turned out to be malaria. I took care of her all the time. But she still died in the end. Maybe it was for the best. If she would have lived she would have seen me change. And then I'd probably have killed her myself. Might as well have been dead before that."

He got up and put on his duster.

"I'd better go."

Buffy stopped him at the door.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, pet. And thanks for the stake."

"I didn't mean that. I meant: thanks for the talk."

Maybe she was wrong, but she thought she saw his eyes soften as he whispered:

"Anytime, Slayer, anytime."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part three
<><><>

"Mom, I’m going to school now!"

No answer.

>How could I forget? She’s not there.<

Buffy got out of the house and started walking. It was a bright day. Finally a day that made the town worthy of its name. Buffy smiled at the kids who were playing on the pavement.

"Hi guys, having fun?"

"Yes miss!" a young girl with two black ponytails, one on each side of her heas, answered. Buffy smiled.

>Miss. I must be getting really old. I’m practically ancient in their eyes.<

*****

He was lying in his bed As he woke up, he saw the sun was shining. He rubbed his eyes and looked a little better. That wasn't the sun! It was only a wallpainting. He got up to examine it from close by.

Quite a work of art. He could feel the wind in his hair, he could hear the children laugh, see the birds fly, hear the fish splatter around in the pond.

Suddenly he heard a voice.

"Hi guys, having fun?"

Who was that? It was a girl's voice. Did the lady in the picture move? No, she was standing still.

>She's in a painting for Christ's sake. She can't move.<

He turned around and walked to the sink.

>A sink. Here? In the sewers?<

*****

She walked out of the street and turned right. She saw Willow a bit further.

"Hey Will, wait up!"

Willow didn’t seem to hear.

"Hey Will! Are you still sleeping?"

Buffy started to run. Every time she thought she had reached Willow she looked up, only to find her walking further down the street than she had expected, walking slowly, but still faster than Buffy herself was walking.

"Willow! Wait!"

Buffy was exhausted. How did her best friend walk so fast? Suddenly she heard a man’s voice.

"Buffy, I’m glad to see you. I have something of the utmost importance to tell you."

She looked around to see Giles, who was sitting on the desk in his library.

"How did I get here?" she asked confused.

Giles looked questioningly.

"your mother brought you here, why?"

"That’s impossible, my mom is in hospital."

"No she isn’t, I talked to her just a minute ago. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine." It came out a bit too quick.

"What’s the emergency Giles?"

"we’re out of jelly donuts. You ate them again, didn’t you? Well, never mind about that now. Just get me some new ones."

"But…"

"Don’t argue with me, just get them."

Buffy turned on her heels, steaming mad. She started walking, not seeing where she went.

"How dare he order me around like that! I didn’t eat his stupid donuts and I’m not going to get him any new ones!"

*****

He walked into the living room. He saw a low table and two stone benches. He sat down on the nearest one.

>Not at all uncomfortable.<

He looked up and gasped.

"Buffy."

*****

She stood still with a start and looked around. Who was calling for her now?

"Buffy."

It sounded faint. It was a man’s voice, that was for sure. Not Giles’s. It wasn’t a voice she knew.

She started to follow the sound.

*****

He saw a dummy. It was a blond girl. He decided to call her Buffy. Her eyes were closed. He put some batteries in her back.

"Wake up Buffy."

*****

"Wake up Buffy."

Was that it? Was this all a dream? She pinched herself.

"Ow."

>Not a dream then. But what is it?<

She tried to track the sound down.

*****

The dummy opened her eyes.

" Ah, you're awake. Would you like some breakfast?"

>Since when did I become so civil?<

Oh, what the heck. This could be fun.

He forced the dummy to stand upright. Then, he walked away from it.

"I'm here, just follow the sound."

The dummy started to move, slowly but steadily. As soon as he stopped taling, the movements stopped.

"What's taking you so long?"

No answer.

>Of course. I have to keep talking.<

"Okay, so how was your day, love?"

He walked into the kitchen.

"Here, I'm over here."

He looked around.

"I got you pancakes with apple, your favourite" he sang.

*****

"Ah, you're awake. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure, but where are you?" Buffy got impatient.

"I'm here, just follow the sound."

She did as she was told. She left school and looked around. Where to now?

"What's taking you so long?"

The voice came from the left. It sounded friendly.

"Sorry, you have to keep talking, otherwise I can't track you down" Buffy apologized.

"Okay, so how was your day, love?"

"Weird."

She was walking in the middel of the road now. Cars seemed to avoid her with no apparent difficulty.

"Where to now?"

"Here, I'm over here."

She looked down.

"Into the sewers?"

"I got you pancakes with apple, your favourite" the male voice sang.

I'm coming."

She jumped into a hole in the road. As she landed she looked around.

"Wow."

The walls of the tunnel she was in had been painted. She could see a landscape like there could be above the ground. Flowers, trees, birds in the sky, the sun shining bright. A pond with fish. They looked s if they were real.

*****

He had entered the bedroom again.

"Do you like my humble abode?"

Silence.

"I'm quite happy with it myself. It's a bit dusty, but I do have a nice view."

Suddenly, he couldn't stand the dummy anymore.

"Why don't you go on to the living room? I'll be right with you."

*****

"Do you like my humble abode?"

The voice had now changed to one somewhat familiar. She didn't recognise it yet, though. It came from behind her.

She turned around.

No one to be seen.

"Yes, I like it" she said to the darkness.

"I'm quite happy with it myself. It's a bit dusty, but I do have a nice view."

"You certainly do. Very… real."

"Why don't you go on to the living room? I'll be right with you."

"Okay."

Buffy saw a red curtain, which moved as if there was someone behind it. She walked over and pushed it aside. She saw a low table and two stone benches with cushions on them. She sat down on the one closest to her.

>Not at all uncomfortable.<

She looked around. More wallpaintings. She saw faces and eyes and hair, and somehow, all of them looked strangely familiar.

"Who's the person on the wall?"

*****

He joined her a couple of minutes later. Alone wasn't so much fun. He looked at the wallpainting of Buffy.

"She's someone very special, don't you think Buffy?" He looked at the dummy. It was staring blankly at the wall.

"She's you."

He picked the doll up and went to the door. He opened it and walked into the room without looking what was in it. He placed the dummy against the wall,then sat down on his knees opposite her.

He mumbled something, inaudible even to himself.

*****

"She's someone very special, don't you think Buffy?" the voice said mysteriously. "She's you."

"What?"

She looked around again, examined the wall from a bigger distance, and realised the voice was right. It was her. Her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her teeth, her hair.

"Why am I here?"

The answer was inaudible.

"What?"

She walked toward a door. That's where the sound was coming from. As she opened it a crack, she saw a man in a leather coat. She couldn't see his face, but his hair was blond. The man was sitting on his knees in front of what could only be described as a dummy.

*****

"I pray for you every day, Slayer. For you and your mum. You deserve something be''er than to see her die. You deserve something better. Someone better. You deserve me."

Was he really saying this? To a dummy?

*****

"I pray for you every day, Slayer. For you and your mum. You deserve something be''er than to see her die. You deserve something better. Someone better. You deserve me."

That was when she recognised the voice.

She opened the door wide and walked up to the man. She stood still beside him.

"Spike?" she askd. "What are you doing?"

He didn't look up, but kept looking at the dummy.

"What is this? Is this a joke?"

"You deserve me."

*****

"You deserve me." He looked at the dummy. Suddenly it changed. It got thinner and smaller and less stiff. He gasped. The dummy was Buffy.

*****

He wasn't talking to her, he was talking to the dummy.

She turned her head and gasped.

The dummy looked exactly like her.

Buffy screamed as she woke with a start. She looked around. She was in her own room. Noone else to be seen. Spikes words still rang in her ears.

"Oh God, what a dream."

*****

"Argh!!!"

He sat up straight, eyes wide.

>This can't be true, where am I?<

He looked around. Everything was dark. He could smell a corpse nearby.

"Oh God, what a dream."

----------------------------------

Part 4

<><><>

"Hi mom, how are you feeling today?" Buffy said as she put a rose in the vase that stood on the table next to Joyce's bed.

"Not too well," Joyce replied. "I'm very tired."

Buffy wrinkled her nose in concern.

"Don't worry, it's just been a busy day, with lots of people visiting. I'm sure I'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Joyce tried to comfort her.

"Hmm," Buffu looked unconvinced.

"Really. Rest will fix me up totally. Trust me." It sounded firm.

"Okay, if you say so."

"Thanks for the rose. It's really beautiful," Joyce changed the subject.

"I'm glad you like it. Willow helped me pick it out after school."

"How are things going at school?" Joyce asked interestedly.

"Oh, it's going okay." The answer came a bit too quickly.

"Buffy... are you lying to me?" Joyce said in a slightly threatening tone of voice.

Buffy forced herself to look straight into her mother's eyes.

"Everything is alright. Promise."

Joyce's face cleared.

"Okay, I'm glad to hear it. I've been worrying about you."

Buffy sat down on her mother's bed and leaned back against Joyce.

"And I about you," she whispered hoarsly.

"How's the slaying going?" Joyce wanted to know as she put her arms around her daughter.

"Oh, it's going quite alright. It's the only thing that can keep me from worrying about you too much."

A knock on the door disturbed their conversation. It was the head nurse.

"I'm sorry, but you have to go home now. Your mother had a busy day, she needs to rest."

Buffy kissed her mom and smiled.

"Sleep well. I'll come back tomorrow to see how you are doing."

"Okay," Joyce answered. "Sleep well yourself."

Buffy nodded and waved from outside the door.

As she waved at the nurses, Buffy pulled her coat a little tighter. She hated lying to her mom. But somehow she felt she had to. It was bad enough that her mom was in hospital and wouldn't come out of it anymore. Buffy didn't want her worrying about her as well. No, she'd done the right thing in not telling her mom about school.

She had been a wreck at school that day. She hadn't slept well at all that night. Not after that dream, that woke her up, sweating and screaming. She hadn't slept after that. She couldn't stop thinking about that dream. It was just too weird. Why on earth would Spike have a dummy that looked like her? He hated her guts, didn't he? But still, the dream just wouldn't let her go. She had gone over every detail a million times in her head. In the end she had just dismissed it as a crazy dream, nothing more. But still she didn't feel comfortable about it. What if the dream did mean something? She was quite sure Spike hated her guts, as she hated his, but she still wasn't positively sure. After all, he had actually listened to her when she had told him about her mom, and he had even tried to comfort her.

>It can't be true, it can't be. Spike could never love me... right?<

With these thoughts in her head she reached her home. She walked in and closed the door without a sound. As she slowly walked upstairs she decided to take a nice, long, warm bath and to get some sleep after that. She opened the door to her bedroom to get her pyjama's, but stopped with a start when she saw a man in a long leather coat standing near her closet, bent over one of the drawers.

>Oh my god! My underwear-drawer!<

She quickly took a stake out of her pocket and dropped her bag. Then she said:

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

>Oh, get out of my head!<

It was of no use. The more he growled and begged her to go away, the more he thought about her.

Spike growled and got out of bed. He walked to the door to see whether it was dark or not. He wanted to get out of his crypt. Wanted to get his dream out of his head. As he put on his duster and dashed out into the pale moonlight

the thoughts of the dream came back.

>You blithering idiot! Why are you even worrying about this? It's not as if you would ever do such a thing! Buy a dummy that looks like the Slayer and talk to it as if it were the real thing. Ha, never.<

But still, he couldn't let go.

He walked and walked, not knowing where he was going. When he finally lifted his eyes from the ground he had been staring at, he realized he had ended up in front of the Slayer's house. For a moment he stood there in doubt, not knowing whether to go in or walk away. The next moment he was up the wall, climbing towards Buffy's bedroom window.

>Never locks her window, does she? Tsk, tsk, not very smart. Not for a Slayer.<

He got inside and looked around. No need to switch on the lights, he could see enough by the light of the moon.

Buffy's bed wasn't made. In fact, it was a big mess. There were clothes lying on it, and also books. One of those books was quite big, and the cover was red leather with a golden line on it. He walked towards it and picked it up.

As he started to leaf through it, he realized it was a photo-album. He sat down on the bed, giving some of the pictures a closer look. Ah, there was a picture of the Slayer and her friends. Giles looked into the camera a bit awkwardly, as if he wasn't feeling comfortable among the youngsters.

>Probably used his camera. Afraid they would break it, I'm sure.<

Droopy-boy looked very happy, and Spike knew exactly why when he saw that his arm was around Buffy's shoulders. He softly growled. It was a very good thing for the boy that he had met that ex-demon. He wouldn't have lived if he would have kept drooling after the Slayer. Not wanting to think of it anymore, Spike quickly turned the page.

The next picture had Willow and Buffy in it. It was a sunny day, most probably late summer, and Buffy and Willow were eating icecreams. They had short flowery dresses on, and seemed to be flirting with the camera. He took the edge of the photograph between his fingers, ready to rip it out of the photo-album, but immediately the dream came back. He let go and went on to look at the next picture, the last one in the book.

It was a photograph of the Slayer and her mom. They looked very happy, Joyce standing behind Buffy, her arms wrapped around her daughter, her face cheek to cheek with Buffy's.

>When was this picture taken? I don't remember this.<

He threw the photo album aside and looked around. Without knowing what he was looking for, he started to rummage through Buffy's clothes. He opened a drawer and grinned. He took a shiny object out of it, and held it up in the moonlight.

>Oo, sexy! Very nice indeed, Slayer. Never thought you would wear thongs.<

He dropped the silk piece of underwear and grabbed a new one. It was red and had red roses embroidered on it. He was about to put it in his pocket when he heard a voice say:

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She watched as he swayed around, hiding something behind his back.

"Oh, hi Slayer, didn't hear you come in. I ws a bit busy inspecting your err... undergarments. Nice choice of knickers, I must say. But you could wash them a bit better, they smell awful."

"Thanks for the tip. Now get out before I stake you."

"Oh, why?" He looked at her with a smirk on his face. "It was just getting interesting."

He looked her up and down slowly, and had very much trouble hiding a smile when he saw her squirm.

"So, which set are you wearing today, Slayer? Something everyday, white and big, or something with only a bit of fabric and lots of lace?"

Buffy flushed and glared, but said nothing.

"From your reaction, I guess it's sexy. Hmm... I'd love to see that. Feel like..."

"Shut up Spike!" Buffy interrupted him, not wanting to hear what he no doubt would propose.

"That's a pity," the vampire shrugged. He looked around, slowly lifting his hand to his pocket, trying to put the red underwear in his pocket.

Buffy opened her door, and put a stake to Spike's heart.

"Leave. Now. And leave my underwear here." She held out her hand.

The peroxide-blonde vampire cursed under his breath, throwing the red underpants in Buffy's opened hand, dashing out of the door without a word.

Buffy slammed the door shut and walked towards her window. She could see a shadow walk out of the street. As soon as he was around the corner, she turned back and looked at the piece of silk in her hand. She couldn't help the tears streaming down her face, as she tried frantically to stop laughing.

>Thanks Spike, for giving me the best day I've had in weeks.<

The End