Long Way From Home - Chapter 21

When she came around, she was laying on something warm and could hear a slow heartbeat in her ear. Buffy froze as she felt a hand holding her head against whatever she was sleeping on.

"Morning, Buffy." Mike's voice echoed in her ears and she opened her eyes in panic, only partly thankful when she saw he was nowhere near her.

"Morning." She whispered and tried to look up.

"Try not to wake our sleeping beauty." Mike assisted her by moving her pillows hand off her head.

To which the pillow made a snorting noise then scratched its chest. Sitting up gently, Buffy saw Spike asleep next to her, his head tilted back, lips parted and snoring softly. She smiled at Mike, who laughed and Buffy felt relieved that it wasn't Gary or Oz she had been asleep on.

She walked around the couch and into the kitchen where Mike followed her. Buffy stretched and then flicked the kettle on. Turning she looked out the door to Spike.

"He makes a good pillow." Buffy smiled to herself. "You must have all thought I was such a weakling falling asleep so early."

"Nah, when you dozed off you sent Gary to sleep, at which point our host in there passed to the land of dreaming and I followed suit pretty quickly after him. I have to warn you, when he sleeps he really sleeps, we'll be lucky to have him awake before midday."

Buffy laughed and took two mugs from the cupboard, and busied herself with making coffee. When she was done, she handed one to Mike and smiled.

"He'll be awake before midday." She looked at the clock, it was 8am. "I guarantee he's awake by the time I've showered."

"How do you know? He's a deep sleeper. We've had Christmas's where he hasn't got up before dinner." Mike looked at her and stirred his drink.

"Because I'm here." She smiled confidently and walked off to her room.

Mike stood in the doorway and watched her hips switch as she walked. He could see what his friend saw in her. As she shut the door, Spike shot up and rubbed his hair.

"Kitten?" He looked around the room and frowned inquisitively at Mike.

Damn she's good. Mike thought to himself and sat on the couch next to his friend. "Kittens in the shower."

Spike arched a brow and leapt up off the couch grinning.

"Down boy." Mike laughed as Spike growled and headed for his bedroom.


Buffy heard an impatient knock at the bathroom door, she shut the shower off and wrapped her hair up in a towel. Slipping her bathrobe on, she padded across the floor to stand next to the door. They knocked again and Buffy listened hard to the sound of Spike muttering a string of swear words.

Pulling the door open, she smiled at him, slightly taken aback by his clothing consisting of just his jeans and the predatory look in his eyes. "Come to blow my house down, you big… bad… wolf?"

Spike growled and clenched his jaw as he watched her move back to the mirror. He stretched his hands up above his head and rested them on the top of the doorframe. Buffy turned and looked at him--the position he was standing in had caused every muscle to tense up underneath his smooth creamy skin and it was a fine sight, like Michelangelo's David come to life.

"Done." She walked up to him, but he didn't move out of the way.

As he narrowed his eyes, Buffy felt like he was looking right through her. She shifted her eyes slightly so they came to rest on the scar on his left eyebrow. Raising her fingers, she ran them over it softly and saw him close his eyes dreamily as he leaned into her touch. She felt like she had some kind of power over him.

"Did it hurt?" She sounded distant in thought.

"Like hell." He caught her wrist and smiled mischievously into her eyes then down at her robe. She was getting used to the constant switching of his moods now. "Got any scars under there?"

"Maybe." Feeling a thrill run up her spine at the sight of his eyes hungry for her, she slipped past him and back into her room.


Buffy was applying her lip-gloss and listening to the guys opening their presents, she looked around at the present on her bed. Checking herself over in the mirror, she had gone with jeans and a little black baby doll that had silver script wings on the back and angel written across her chest.

Walking back into the living room carrying the present, she giggled at the sight of them, torn wrapping paper was everywhere and Spike was sticking a shiny ribbon onto Mike's head.

"Your presents here." Mike nodded towards Buffy and Spike snapped his head around to look at her.

"Kittens gone all angelic on me." Spike hopped over the back of the couch and stood in front of her, effectively halting her in mid step. "For me?"

"Nothing big so don't get your hopes up." Buffy smiled as he took the present from her and slid back onto the couch.

"That's what he says to all the girls." Mike grinned and Spike was the only one who didn't laugh.

Everyone crowded around him as he tore the layers of paper off his present, stopping when he reached a hard black case. He flicked the buckles open and took a deep breath. Buffy had moved to sit on the table opposite him and watched for a reaction.

He eased the case open a fraction then shut it again and looked at her, then back at the case. Spike frowned in disbelief as he opened it up fully. Laid out in front of him was a shiny black fender.

"Bloody hell, Buffy. I can't accept this." He looked at her and she just grinned.

"Sure you can, mate, don't be an idiot." Mike patted his shoulder.

"Fender." Oz smiled and nodded in appreciation at Buffy's choice.

"Guy in the store said it was good." She smiled into Spike's eyes as he took it out of the case.

"I can't." He searched her eyes for the reason he was holding several hundreds pounds worth of guitar--her face was warm and her eyes smiled into his, caressing them with her feelings for him.

"My dad would want you to have it. I want you to have it." Her smile turned wicked and Spike caught the bug and grinned back at her.

"Naughty kitten." He arched a brow and ran his fingers along the fret board and purred at the guitar, as he said the last word his eyes flicked to Buffy. "Think I'm in love."

"Do I get a present?" Buffy sat and smiled at him coyly, her mind and heart wondering what exactly he was in love with, the guitar or her?

Spike pulled a box out from his pocket and threw it to her. Watching her intently as she opened it with trembling fingers, he smiled as Buffy's face lit up in a laugh.

"You're silly." She pulled the necklace from the box and looked at it.

Held in front of her was a thin black leather strip with silver letters that spelt out 'kitten' and either side was a little red heart. Spike stood and took it off her and came to stand behind her. He wrapped it around her neck and tied it with a knot, softly brushing his fingers across the nape of her neck as he did so. She shuddered slightly as another thrill coursed up her spine and her insides heated through.

When Buffy bounced to the mirror in her room Spike followed her. Stopping in the doorway he could feel everyone in the living room listening in.

She stood staring at it as she ran her fingers along the letters and smiled at Spike's reflection in the mirror. "Where'd you get it?"

Spike ran his hand around the back of his neck and looked up at her with some embarrassment. "I made it."

"But it's so beautiful." Walking over to him she wrapped him up in a hug. "Thanks."

Spike stood still and let his arms fall around her, holding her gently. When she moved away from him, he only turned his head to watch her as she sat back on the couch, his arms aching for her to return to them.

Review This Story/Chapter!

It only takes a minute to send me feedback, but it makes my whole day. Simply fill in the form below: