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91 Circles
 
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A/N: There are some Sideways drabbles on my Livejournal HERE. Also, keep an eye out for the second Interlude, which will take place between this chapter and the previous one. It will be posted separately on this site sometime after Sideways is done.

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Chapter 91 - Circles

The secret to having great sex in the water, Buffy had discovered, was to get started before the tub filled up, and afterward, to use more muscle than movement. And as for Spike not having to breathe, well, that had definite advantages. She had gone to bed very happy, to say the least.

Friday morning was lazy. Well, after the sex it was lazy.

Spike had gone out early and gotten some food, so there was a breakfast of muffins and bagels waiting for her when she went downstairs. They had taken a morning swim, and Spike had been disappointed that she wouldn’t go skinny-dipping. Buffy had firmly said that skinny-dipping was for nighttime, even in a very private yard. But apparently it was private enough for Spike, who pointedly shed all of his clothing before getting in.

As it was, she had gone swimming in her panties and bra, which she had to throw in the dryer afterward. They had mostly lounged around after swimming, watching TV and just enjoying each other’s company.

Cordelia called her around noon, and Buffy took a shower and cleaned up in preparation to go out. She was glad she had makeup in her purse, at least, even though the basic toiletries she’d found had been mostly sufficient.

When she came out of the bathroom, Spike looked like he was settling in for a nap. He was sprawled on the bed and had his shoes off.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” she said. “We’re going out and about, shopping, eating, whatever she wants to do. I need to at least buy something basic, or I’ll be washing my jeans all weekend.”

Spike shifted, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and opened it.

Buffy stared at the bills he held out to her a moment later.

“They’re not gonna bite you,” he said.

She reached out, taking them. But she still held them like she had no idea what to do with them.

“You have seen money before, right?”

“Yes, I’ve seen money,” she replied. “But…I can’t spend your money.”

“Why not?”

“It’s weird or something. I can’t just let you buy me things.”

“Why not?” Spike asked again, looking up at her from the bed. He wasn’t arguing; he was really asking.

“I…don’t know.”

He looked straight into her eyes. “If we were married, what’s mine would be yours, and what’s yours would be mine.”

He’d actually said the M word. Married.

“Nothing wrong with sharing money,” he continued. “We’re gonna be that serious.”

She knew they were going to be that serious. But the only thing Buffy could think of to say was: “But I don’t have any money.”

“Sometime, you will. It’s not about dollars, pet. It’s about life, and we’re gonna share everything. I want to share everything with you.”

“I do, too.” Buffy swallowed. “And…after we get back, I think maybe I should start getting ready to move in. Officially.” She smiled. “And I’ll leave makeup all over the bathroom, and we can argue about who’s going to pay for groceries.”

Spike smiled back. “I’d like that.”

Buffy laughed. She blinked rapidly, happy, but determined that she wasn’t going to ruin her mascara. Then she closed her hand around the bills. “I guess I’ll be taking this.”

“Buy yourself something nice.” He grinned. “Or, if you like, buy me something nice.”

“I suppose I could buy something nice for me that you’d like to look at me in.”

“Even better.”

Buffy started to put the money in her purse. She paused, and then rapidly shuffled through the bills. “Spike, there’s like a thousand dollars here!”

“Yeah? You never spent that much on clothes before?”

She’d spent way over that on clothes before… “That’s not the point. I know what we just said and all, but—”

“Not like you’re gonna be back here for a while,” Spike said. “Make it count.”

“But where did you get it?”

“Places.”

“Uh-huh,” Buffy said slowly, lowering her hand. “So, this is like illegal money.”

“It all goes into the same spot, love. Maybe I spent my illegal money on rent. Maybe that’s the rest of what I got paid from you. I don’t keep it separate.”

“Well, try to keep it separate,” she snapped. Then Buffy took a breath. “I suppose I can’t ask you to get rid of it, but I don’t want you spending it on me. Save it for…later. Or things for just you.”

“All right.” He paused. “I’ve got other money. Perfectly legitimate.”

“Really? From where?”

“Didn’t steal it, didn’t earn it by doin’ anything you wouldn’t like.”

“Then where did you get it?”

Spike folded his hands behind his head and smirked. “I’ll show you sometime.”

That was all he would really say about that. But after being convinced that what she held in her hand wasn’t blood money, Buffy put it in her purse. She had to admit that there was something nice about having money again.

And the shopping trip was suddenly seeming much more fun.

She bought a lot. Cordelia bought more, but Buffy was more than satisfied.

As they’d tried on things, Cordelia had been quick to notice that what Buffy had told her over the phone the last time they’d talked was true.

“You’ve gotten thinner,” she said, as Buffy came out of the dressing room in a slinky, baby blue mini-dress.

Buffy stood in front of the three-way mirror, and Cordelia walked up behind her.

“I might be jealous. Although…” Cordelia reached out, jiggling the straps of the dress. “You’ve lost a cup size. Maybe more.”

Buffy looked down at the low-cut front. “They’re…stable now. No recent change.”

“Hmm.” She peered behind Buffy. “I gotta say, though, your butt looks amazing. I need to show you to my trainer and say, ‘This is what I want.’ What are you doing, anyway?”

“I keep busy.”

“No, seriously.”

Buffy decided that she could tell Cordelia what she’d been doing, as long as she didn’t tell her why she’d been doing it. “Well, I walk a lot. All over town. And I started doing martial arts. One of those classes with, uh, a little bit of everything.”

“Well, you look great. And you sound great. I think Sunnydale agrees with you.” Then a sly smile spread over her lips. “Of course, it could be the company…”

“He doesn’t hurt,” Buffy admitted.

They’d talked about Spike as they shopped, and Buffy filled her in on things that had happened, trying to make their relationship sound normal. She was somewhat astonished as she went on that she didn’t have to work very hard. She talked about Spike and her mother, more about Spike getting a place, about going out and doing things together, and about how they were working toward moving in together.

It wasn’t that far from normal, actually, once you took out the vampire part.

-----

Buffy came back to the house carrying a large number of brightly colored shopping bags. She’d bought lots of different things—clothing, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics. She hadn’t spent all the money, though, and she’d even gotten Spike something.

Spike was watching TV, and he looked up as she came in. After setting the bags down, Buffy walked into the living room.

“You good for now?” she asked. “I’ve got another errand to run.”

“I can come with you.”

“I’m going to see Wesley. Catch up on old times.”

Spike considered. “Yeah, I’m good here.”
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When Buffy walked into the office, Wesley and Fred were both in the front, obviously getting ready to go home for the day.

Fred smiled and did a little wave when she walked in. Wesley just looked shocked. “Buffy.”

“I’m going to be the longest-lived Slayer,” she announced. “There’s a prophecy about me. I make a pact with the forces of darkness, meaning Spike. Spike and I are together. He’s stopped killing for me, he helps me slay vampires, and we’re going to be very happy.”

“I see.”

“We’re having a little vacation, staying at Cordelia’s summerhouse for a few days. We’ve killed Angelus and Drusilla and Darla, and now there’s nothing in Sunnydale but a nice, normal Hellmouth.”

“I see.” Wesley stared blankly at her. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes. If I can forgive Giles for drugging me, then I can forgive you for keeping things from me. And if Giles can get over me being with Spike, then surely you can get over me being with Spike.”

He paused. “Giles performed the Cruciamentum?”

Buffy frowned. “You look surprised.”

“I did, in fact, ask the Council to consider not doing it. It was my condition to them in exchange for making your going to the Hellmouth as appealing as I could. Not that I didn’t think Sunnydale was a good thing, myself.”

“Oh. Well. Thanks for that. I guess they considered it and rejected it, huh? But none of that matters now.” Buffy paused. “And I guess that’s kind of my point. Bridge with the water and whatever. So. You and Fred wanna go for coffee?”

-----
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The next morning, she and Spike went back to his apartment. They packed up everything that would fit in her car. He didn’t care about the furniture, saying he’d leave it for someone else to deal with. As it was, they moved the TV and its stand, a stereo, a bedside table, a lamp and a clock, a rather nice metal trashcan, an extra blanket, and the miscellaneous junk Spike had in the bottom of the closet. Really, she was glad her car had the trunk empty.

When they were finished, all that was left was the bed and the couch. Buffy stood in the empty room. Spike came up behind her.

“All done, pet.”

“Yep.”

He wrapped his arms around her, putting his chin on her shoulder. “Had our first time here.”

She leaned back against him. “Mm-hm.”

“First time sparring, too.”

Buffy snorted. “Those are equally as important?”

“Well, one thing did lead to another.” Spike’s hand slipped up her side. “The absolute last thing I thought I’d be doin’ that night was teachin’ you self-defense moves.” He brought his arm around her neck in a mock hold. “Was fun playin’ with you, though. Catch you and let you go. Catch you and let you go.”

Buffy put her hand on his wrist, barely twisting as she slipped out of the loose hold. She turned, pressing her body tightly to his. “I’d say you caught me,” she said, looking up.

Spike’s arms wound their way around her. “Looks like.” He raised an eyebrow. “How ’bout one for the road?”

Buffy considered. She was getting kind of turned on. But it was also very hot in the apartment. Obviously, there was still no power, and they had just planned on going by long enough to get in, get the stuff, and get out.

She gave him a lopsided smile. “If you can get in and get out. Make it quick.”

Spike grinned, growled, and spun her around. He picked her up and tossed her stomach-down on the bed. She bounced once and reached to undo her pants, pushing them down. Spike crawled on the bed behind her and pulled her up to her knees.

Everything else he did to her was from behind as well.
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Ten minutes later, they were getting into the car. Buffy straightened her bra and turned on the air conditioner. Then she drove Spike to a shabby looking building not that far away where he went in and talked to someone about his not needing the apartment anymore.

They had a small argument in the car about food. Spike was actually in the mood for real food and wanted to go out and eat with her. Buffy said she was hot and sticky and was definitely not going to go sit down in a restaurant for an hour (and hello? she couldn’t even clean up because he didn’t have water at the apartment). But Spike didn’t want to drive through a fast food place. They finally settled on a barbeque restaurant he knew, where she only had to sit in the car for a few minutes while he went in and got them something.

They ate back at the house, and then she took a shower. Spike slipped in with her, which meant that she ended up having to get clean twice, but other than that, Buffy had no complaints.

Cordelia came by in the afternoon and dragged her to the spa and salon. Buffy hadn’t planned on going, but once she was planted in a chair getting a facial and a foot massage, nothing could have dragged her away.

They got the full treatment. Buffy also got an impulse haircut.

Cordelia came inside with her when they got back. “You want anything to drink?” Buffy asked.

“I’m good.”

Buffy took a bottle of water out of the fridge for herself, unscrewing it and gulping down half the contents. When she set the bottle down, Spike was pausing by the kitchen archway, and Cordelia had a funny look on her face.

“You changed your hair,” he said.

“Yeah. Um, you like it?” She’d only gotten a trim and a little layering done. And highlights.

“I do.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Then he continued on his way up the stairs. Buffy turned to Cordelia. “Okay, why do you look like that?”

“Did you see the way he was staring at you?”

“What, just now?”

“Yes, when you were all tilted back chugging that water. He totally paused and was just watching you swallow.”

“Huh,” Buffy said. It was a vampire thing, the neck.

“I had a guy watch me like that when I ate a Popsicle once,” Cordelia said offhandedly.

Buffy snickered. “You’re awful.”

“I wasn’t trying or anything! Besides, it was in high school.” She waved her hand. “Anyway, I’ll let you go so you have time to get ready.”

Buffy walked her to the door and then went upstairs.

Spike was sprawled on the bed, flipping through channels with the remote. “She leave already?”

“Mm-hm.” She paused. “What?”

“Thought you didn’t want to do a bunch of stuff.”

“Well, I know that’s what I said at first. But it’d be weird to stay in her house and not do anything with her. Besides, I like seeing her again. But tomorrow, I fully support plans that involve just the two of us and not leaving the house at all.”

“Drive back tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, we probably should.” Buffy sat down on the bed.

Spike sniffed the air. “You smell like peppermint.”

“I got this great massage. They rubbed oil all over me.”

He smirked. “We could have done that.”

“The point of a massage is to get relaxed, not to get worked up. Anyway, speaking of doing things that are romantic and just the two of us, Cordelia got us reservations at this great fancy place for dinner.”

“Well, then, you’d better go get ready.”

-----

An hour later, Buffy was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Finally done, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Spike wearing the black button up shirt she’d bought him yesterday. He looked nice enough in it and the tight black jeans to get into the restaurant, she thought.

Buffy was wearing a white dress that she had bought. It was strapless and straight and hit just above her knees. She’d put her hair up, leaving a few selective wisps to feather down. A silver chain with a single large rhinestone completed the outfit.

Spike appraised her as she came to stand next to him. “You look good. Really nice.”

“Thank you. Do you really like my hair?”

“I said I did. It’s still long. Got a little more gold in it.” He ran his hand just over the top of her clip. “It looks nice now, too.”

“I figured you’d like my hair better down.”

“Your hair does look better down,” he said. “But your neck looks better with it up.”

Buffy giggled. “That sounds like an unsolvable problem.”

“I’ll just have to suffer through it.” Spike kissed her cheek, and then they were off.

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Buffy slipped out of her dress, draping it over the back of a chair. She took off her panties and wrapped a towel around herself. Then she made her way downstairs and out to the pool. The moon was almost full overhead. At the very edge of the pool, she dropped the towel and slid into the water. Spike was already swimming, slipping back and forth across the pool as he leisurely got closer to her.

They’d had a fun evening. A quiet dinner in a dark restaurant with plush velvet booths, candlelight, and actual violins playing. There had even been a little dancing. Buffy had forgotten how much she enjoyed doing things like that. That used to be her life—social events, fancy dinners, dances, not to mention all day shopping and spa treatments. Not that she had to do those things, but it was nice to revisit them occasionally.

She wasn’t dissatisfied with her life now, but she hadn’t been dissatisfied with it before, either. It had merely changed. And it wasn’t just becoming the Slayer. Her family had changed, her situation had changed, and where she lived had changed. But strangely, she didn’t think she had changed. She’d grown up, maybe, but not changed.

Spike neared her, and Buffy grinned and turned around, slowly moving the other way as he pursued her.

Spike hadn’t changed. He was on pause—would stop being what he was for as long as he was with her. It was unrealistic to expect a few months with her to give him a total shift in how he saw the world. Maybe that shift would come later, inadvertently; maybe it would never come. But she had to be okay if it didn’t. She’d fallen in love with a vampire, and she had known what she was getting into. He had never professed to be anything other than what he was.

While she could ask him to stop doing vampire things, she couldn’t ask him to stop being a vampire. But even if he was never good, he was hers, utterly and completely.

The water rippled, and Buffy felt him come up behind her. Spike wrapped his arms around her, a slow caress of her skin under the water. He ever so slowly pulled her back against him. Her feet lifted off the floor of the pool as he continued to move.

Smiling, she leaned back and let him draw her to deeper water.
 
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