Chapter 16 - Collisions

One bleached, leather-clad vampire currently not killing her.

“Spike?” she ventured.

“Yeah. Sorry, love.”

He paused for a moment, and suddenly his normal face was back.

She frowned in the darkness and then squinted. “Okay, that’s just freaky.”

Spike shrugged. He let go of her arm, though his hand lingered.

“Another vampire thing?”

“Yeah.”

Spike hesitated, and then he put his other hand on her shoulder.

Buffy straightened her shirt slightly, feeling overwhelmed with what had just happened. Mostly, she felt a sudden relief.

“You said no one would be after me,” she said, relaxing and leaning halfway into him.

His hand skimmed over her back. “Those blokes are different. Nothin’ about your daddy’s money.”

She pulled back and looked up. “Then why did they want me? Why are they calling me slayer?” she choked. “I don’t even know what that is! Those were vampires! Vampires are after me now! I don’t understand.”

“We’ll figure it out, yeah?” Spike gave her arms a little squeeze. “Let’s get you home.”

“I don’t want to,” she said sullenly.

He sighed. “Fine, come with me.”

“Okay,” Buffy said slowly. She hadn’t really expected that.

“Let’s just go before these wankers wake up. I don’t carry stakes.”

She wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she nodded.

They walked in silence, Buffy close beside Spike as he cut through the back streets. Once, her hand brushed his as he paused and she stopped short next to him. He didn’t seem to mind when, after that, she kept a loose grip on the sleeve of his coat.

After a few blocks, they arrived at the corner where Spike had his motorcycle parked.

He got on and looked at her expectantly.

Buffy paused, feeling like she should say something. “Thank you, by the way.”

Spike glanced away for a second, his shoulders moving in a barely visible shrug. “Was nothing.”

“If you hadn’t been there, I—”

“Hey now, none o’ that,” he said, looking at her squarely again. “Good that I was, right?”

She suddenly realized how unlikely it was that he had appeared just in time to save her. “Why were you there?” she asked. When he didn’t immediately answer, Buffy continued. “Are you following me?”

“Maybe.”

“Why?”

“Are you comin’ or not?”

She knew she was. “This isn’t over,” she said, as she got on the motorcycle behind him. The bike came to life, and Buffy held on to Spike, burying her face in the cool leather as they drove away.

-----

Buffy was somewhat surprised when they stopped in front of an apartment building. Spike cut the engine of the motorcycle, and then led her down the cement stairs that went below street level. He unlocked a door and held it open for her.

She hadn’t really expected Spike to take her home with him, despite his ‘come with me.’ She wasn’t sure where she thought they would end up. Driving, maybe. Somewhere else that was open late.

Also, for some reason, it never occurred to Buffy that Spike actually lived somewhere, especially not after finding out about the vampire thing.

But she wasn’t disappointed, either. This meant she would have a chance to really talk to him.

Spike closed the door behind her and flicked the lights on, revealing a one-room efficiency apartment. There was a linoleum-tiled corner with cabinets and a fridge that served as the kitchen, and a TV and couch opposite. A bed was in one corner and a bathroom cut into the other. It was Spartan but tidy, and Buffy thought it fit him. Though why someone who had just been paid nearly twenty thousand dollars was living here was beyond her.

“Like to keep a low profile,” he said, guessing her train of thought. “Never know when you’ll need to pick up and leave.”

“Oh. Right.”

Spike shrugged off his coat, tossing it over the back of the couch.

Buffy glanced around uncertainly. “So you were following me, right?” she asked. “Not that I don’t appreciate the rescue, but you couldn’t have been there that fast unless you were already there.”

“Yeah, I was.”

“What happened to not seeing each other again? I don’t get to see you but you see a ton of me?”

He turned to face her. “Not like I planned to trail you around town.”

“Trail? Have you turned stalker guy? Are you stalking me?”

“Stalkin’ generally works best when the other person doesn’t want to see you.”

Buffy shrugged and looked at the ceiling. He had a point. If she’d noticed him, she probably would have invited him over. “So, what then?”

“Made sure nothin’ happened, didn’t I?”

It also probably wasn’t stalking if they saved your life. “You knew about the vampires,” she realized.

“I thought I felt somethin’—heard somethin’ one night about the Slayer. But didn’t know. Was also makin’ sure no one else stepped up cause of the money.”

“What’s a slayer?”

Spike sighed. “A Slayer’s a girl with powers who fights vampires and demons.”

“Well, I’m not one.”

“Those vamps in the alley seemed to think so.” His gaze lingered on her as he tilted his head. “You don’t feel like one, though, and didn’t taste like one.” He paused. “Maybe you don't know your own strength. Hit me.”

“What?”

“One good swing. Give it your all.”

“Spike, I’m not hitting you.”

“It’s not like you’re probably gonna hurt me. C’mon now, have a go. Hard as you can.”

Clenching her teeth, Buffy drew back her arm and prepared to strike, but Spike stopped her.

“First, keep your eyes open. Second, none of that girly slappin’ crap. A punch. Right here to the shoulder.”

“Okay…” Buffy made a fist and hit him for all she was worth. And cringed. “That hurt!” She cradled her hand. “What, are you made of stone?”

Spike regarded her, and she heard him chuckle.

“It’s not funny!”

“Was a good try,” he said unconvincingly.

“If this is supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.” She stretched her fingers. “So, definitely a non-Slayery Buffy here.”

“You don’t work out much, do you, pet?”

She looked back at him. “I do crunches and pilates every week. Why?”

“Cause you punch like a girl.”

“I do not!”

“Hate to state the obvious, but you are a girl.”

Buffy scowled slightly. “God, I hate this. I’m just pathetic little Buffy, the eternal victim.” Then she quickly looked back up. “Hey, you’re like Mr. Street Fighter guy, why don’t you show me something?”

“Not much you could do is gonna be of use against vamps. Though the cross thing is true.”

“Right. Vampires don’t like crosses. But I still want to know some moves.”

“Why?” he asked, in a voice suspiciously close to a whine.

“It’s L.A. I could get mugged. Heck, right now I’d welcome a nice, normal mugging.”

Spike was looking at her with a blank expression.

“What if you’re not around next time? Don’t you want me to be able to defend myself?”

“Take one o’ those self-defense classes,” he suggested.

“No. I want to know some dirty moves, and I want you to show me.”

“Fine,” he finally said. “C’mere.”

Spike moved to stand in the center of the room, and Buffy followed.

His expression turned stern. “But you’re not gonna fight a vamp with these, understand? You see a vampire, you run.”

She nodded.

Then he smirked slightly. “And you do know that if someone grabs your purse, you just give it?”

“Well, duh. Let’s assume they want more than my purse.”

“Right.”

Spike studied her a moment, and then he moved. Suddenly he was behind her, one arm around her waist and the other around her neck. “So what do you do now?” he said in her ear.

Then he relaxed his grip a little.

“You tell me,” she said.

“Bring your heel down on his foot, hard. Elbow him if you can. The elbow’s a strong point. If you have leverage on your head, lean forward and crack him in the face, same time as you stomp. It’ll hurt, but it’ll hurt him more.”

Buffy went through the moves in slow motion. She was still pulled tightly against him.

“C’mon, pet, hard as you can.”

“No face cracking.”

“You’re not gonna—”

“Not worried about you,” she said, simultaneously stomping and elbowing.

Spike wasn’t ready for it. His hold on her faltered a bit. “Good, that. Now—again, when I’m payin’ attention.”

She complied.

“Once more. Right. Now—” Spike stepped to the side and grabbed one of her arms, “—if you’re at close range, elbowin’ is good. Gotta put your full weight behind it, though.”

He let go and stood beside her. “Say if you had me by this arm or shoulder, then I’d do this,” he said, slowly shifting his weight and twisting. “Also, kickin’ in the shins. It hurts, and it’s a low enough kick that you don’t lose your balance.”

Buffy twisted around, mimicking him. “That’s hardly a dirty fighting move.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Poke him in the eye. Hard as you can. Or a solid jab to the neck. Right here, just above the collarbone.” Spike touched a spot on her neck with his finger. “Punch if nothing else, but two fingers works best. Gotta be quick about it. Never let him see what you’re gonna do.”

“Right. Okay.”

Then Spike moved directly in front of her and placed his hands gently on her neck. He squeezed slightly. “Now, what would you do?”

Buffy’s hands automatically went to his.

“Wrong.” He shook his head. “You’re not gonna stop him from chokin’ you by squeezin’ back. Your hands are free—use them. Go for the face. Or try and hit out the elbows. Hit the joint as hard as you can. No, harder. Kick the shins too.”

Buffy did it again.

“There, that one might’ve done it.”

“You mean if you were normal?” she asked as he let go.

“Somethin’ like that. Also, like that, any time their hands are occupied, you can kick and aim for the important bits.”

“Why with the occupied?”

Spike stepped back slightly. “Try it.”

“You are joking, right?”

“You won’t touch me,” he said, a smirk on his lips.

“Confident much?”

“Vampire. Strong, fast, all of that?”

“Arrogant?”

“Just bloody do it.”

Buffy aimed a kick at his crotch, only to have her leg caught in midair. “No one but you’s gonna be able to do that,” she complained, struggling to keep her balance.

“If they know what they’re about, they are; they’ll be expectin’ it. Especially if you’re slow and they see it coming. If you’re close enough, give them a good knee, which is gonna hurt more unless you really know how to kick. Cause as of now, they’ve got you where they want you.”

“Which is?”

He pulled her leg, and suddenly she was on the floor with him crouching above her. Spike wasn’t touching her in any way, but she felt pinned nonetheless. He grinned.

Buffy felt, rather than saw, that he was about to get up, and she touched his arm. His eyes locked on hers, first in question, then suddenly something else.

She wasn’t sure which one of them made the first move, but the next instant their lips were locked together and the distance between their bodies had vanished. One of his hands moved around the back of her head to pull her closer, while the other slid up her side. Buffy shifted one of her legs and pressed against him.

Spike suddenly stood, pulling her up with him. She frowned at the lack of contact, before he was on her again, grasping, touching…

“What are we doing?” she breathed after a moment.

He paused and looked at her seriously. “You wanna stop, love?”

She shook her head.

Buffy brought her mouth back to his, balancing on one foot as she wrapped a leg halfway around his waist. She couldn’t get enough of the feeling of his body against hers. It had all happened so fast, but she was desperate for it to keep happening.

They were a tangle of limbs as they kissed and pulled at each other’s clothing, moving instinctively toward the bed. Moments later Buffy was on her back, her panties the only thing separating her from Spike.

“Wait,” she said, sitting halfway up. “We need—um, some protection…” Buffy trailed off uncomfortably.

Spike brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You can’t get pregnant. Can’t get anything.”

“Don’t all the boys say that?”

“Not won’t,” he emphasized. “Can’t.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “Is that a vampire thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Well, okay.”

There was an awkward silence, and Buffy was afraid she had completely ruined the moment.

But then he was kissing her again, one hand slipping up her stomach to cup her breasts as she fell back onto the mattress. The other was working her panties down, and Buffy wiggled them off herself after he pulled them to her knees. A moment later, she felt him position himself between her thighs. He paused, and Buffy realized he was waiting for permission. With a breathless nod, she answered, and he pushed in.

Buffy gasped at the sudden fullness, and she looked into his eyes as she waited for her body to adjust from pressure to pleasure.

Spike was staring at her in a way she couldn’t describe. It was so intense, so raw, it seemed like he was bleeding into her. It was the look from the kitchen, she realized, only different.

His lips parted slightly, and a whispered “Buffy” escaped.

After a moment, Spike tilted his head to bring his lips to hers, and he slowly began to move. Buffy wrapped her arm around his shoulder as he found a rhythm, moving her legs slightly and rocking against him. Oh, God.

It was good. Incredibly good. Honestly, she hadn’t known what to expect, what with him being a vampire. His body was cool against hers, but his touch was electric, and she soon forgot about the difference.

His hand glided over her breasts as he kissed her, and then his arm slid down her body to grip the back of her thigh. He was moving faster inside her, hitting a bit deeper every time.

She arched against him, and Spike’s lips left hers as he started working his way down her jaw line to her neck. But the kisses were gone; he was sucking and nipping. Buffy tensed slightly. Umm, vampire at your neck.

But Spike only sucked and gnawed at her flesh, doing nothing more than any guy trying to give her an ambitious hickey would. Grasping at the back of his head, Buffy let the sensations carry her as she wrapped her legs around his hips. He groaned as she constricted around him.

She was quickly deciding that while this had been far from slow and romantic, there was something to be said for spontaneous and intense. That, and the fact that Spike definitely knew what he was doing. As his thrusts came harder and faster, she felt the pressure building inside her.

Moments later, her muscles clenched and she cried out, her head rolling back as she came. Spike bit at her exposed neck, grabbing her thigh as he pushed himself into her as far as he could go. His body quickly shuddered in turn as he followed her over.

Spike collapsed on top of her for a moment, his head falling next to hers on the bed. “God, Buffy, you’re perfect,” she heard him breathe. His body continued to move slightly against hers as he came down.

Then Spike pushed his weight off her, holding their position a minute more before he slipped out of her. He rolled onto his back and gathered her to him in a tight embrace, pulling a blanket over both of them.