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Chapter 5 – One Step in the Wrong Direction

Angel glanced over at Buffy and Spike curled together in sleep. It had been almost two hundred miles back that Buffy had finally succumbed to sleep again and Spike had settled her against him then another seventy-five miles and he too had drifted off. It had given Angel time to think, to dream, to wonder if he could really go through with his plan.

It had been forty-nine days ago that Spike had stumbled into the mansion again. Only after he had his Grand-childe by the throat and ready to penetrate his heart with a stake did he see the emaciated condition of his body and the excruciating aloneness that dulled the normally vibrant blueness of his eyes and he released him. Weakened physically and emotionally hurt Spike had fallen to his knees crying. He had stumbled through his tale of being taken and the neutering of his nature before he begged softly for food and for solace and sanctuary.

With astonishment Angel had stared down at Spike’s bent head and he felt the almost broken spirit of one of his family and had joined him on the floor. If he had been Angelus the ending would have gone differently. Spike would have been tortured for being weak and then destroyed when he was finally bored with the matter.

The soul though had brought compassion and kindness to the moment and Angel had taken Spike into his arms and given him his throat. It had been a long time since he had allowed anyone that privilege and Spike had almost taken too much in his starved state but it had been what he had needed to heal. For a long time he had held him after he had fed and then the loneliness and need and reminders of a former life had propelled him to take Spike to his bed. At first Spike had given to him in obligation for the protection and after the touches were tenderer than Angelus had ever given him, the sex became a mutual want and the two fell into an easy and comfortable companionship.

Angel’s heart still belonged to Buffy though. It had since he had first seen her when she had first been called and now there was a possibility that they could be together, as mates. Joyce had told him that he was selfish to hold onto her but he knew the life of a Slayer and the normal life that her mother wanted her to have would never be. He had released her though when he saw the hurt and frustration that his lack of being able to make love to her was causing her. If nothing else he wanted her to be able to love and be loved fully and if Buffy agreed she would have it with them.

With a sigh he also knew that any relationship between Buffy and Spike would be volatile but with that intense passion was also the possibility of great devotion. If only they would let their guards down and give the other the chance to show the other what they were capable of. Like now the seeming purity that surrounded them both as they slept was something that neither thought the other was able of achieving. It was him that he was worried about and the ability to handle the jealousy of any relationship that they may have.

His thoughts were pushed aside as he realized it would soon be daylight and Angel took the next exit off the highway. He pulled into the first decent motel that he came across. After parking the car he reached across the seat and gently stroked Spike’s arm.

“Spike, wake up,” he called softly.

They both stirred at his voice and looked at him sleepily while still seeming to be content to be so close together.

“I’m going to go and get us a room. Okay?”

After receiving a nod in return Angel slipped from the car and headed for the office. It took only a few minutes for him to register and receive keys to a room that would have only the morning light. By the time that Spike and he woke later it would give them more mobility.

As he slipped back into the car Buffy sat up and stretched languidly while issuing a loud yawn.

“You can sleep again soon,” he told her and smiled contentedly as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

He pulled the car around and into a space near the room he had paid for. They climbed out of the car and pulled their bags from the trunk. Unwilling to let go of the moment of affection from Buffy, Angel slipped his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled into him, slipping an arm around his waist.

They walked arm in arm to the room while Spike smoldered at being left from the moment. He had conceded and let Buffy in between them and he knew that she was enjoying being able to displace him temporarily from Angel’s affection. When her small hand slipped into his for a moment he stiffened from the totally unexpected gesture but he squeezed it back before releasing it so that he could open the room for them.

“Okay, if I use the bathroom?” Buffy asked as she rummaged in her bag for pajamas and her toothbrush.

Neither of her companions objected and she headed off. A moment of privacy was all she could think of as she stood alone in the room. Being with the other two constantly was already wearing on her. Spike was making her uncomfortable around Angel because she didn’t know how he felt about her anymore. Then there were the unexpected feelings about Spike she was dealing with. Waking up next to him had almost felt natural and that scared her.

Drawing out her time alone she washed her face, brushed her teeth and then her hair. Unable to think of anything else to do she donned her pajamas and returned to the main room. Her footsteps faltered for a moment when she spied Spike sitting on the end of the bed sans shirt and shoes. It made him seem almost human. Like anyone else and not someone she had fought to kill or was now competing with.

His eyes took in the Slayer dressed in the boxer shorts and tank top she called pajamas and wondered if she realized how much she was revealing to them. In the coldness of the air conditioned room her nipples had pebbled and were poking through the thin cotton of her top and when she bent over to stow things in her bag, the shorts rode up revealing the whiteness of her bottom.

Buffy straightened up and turned around catching Spike watching her. “Sorry,” she said as she pulled her shorts down some. She turned to look at Angel and saw the frustration in his eyes. It seemed that she was once again the bad guy for unheedingly exposing herself to them. Embarrassed she quickly she turned from them and crawled into the bed that was still untouched. She curled into a fetal position watching with unseeing eyes whatever show Spike had turned on.

“Will you two sleep all day?” Buffy asked.

Angel didn’t answer right away but instead came over to the bed she was on and sat next to her. His hand brushed back a lock of her hair then his thumb caressed her jaw.

“Most likely. Wake us if you need anything though.” After she nodded her acquiesce he leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.

He moved away and she watched as he removed two mugs from the microwave and handed one to Spike. They both sat on the other bed to drink the remainder of the blood they had gotten earlier. Her eyelids were heavy and she began to drift off but continued to fight it as she was unwilling to concede to the schedule her body was used to.

“Is she asleep?” She heard Angel whisper to Spike and then there was the sound of the two of them moving across the room and then the closing of the bathroom door. Her eyes struggled to open to see if they had both gone in. Then her eyes closed again in resignation that again she had been left out.

Buffy lay in the bed as she listened to the water for the shower running and over its soothing rush she heard cries of pleasure from Spike and growls of possession from Angel. Hatred for the blonde vampire grew as she listened to him receive what was rightfully hers. It should be her in the shower with Angel. It should be her that he made love to and she silently cursed fate for dealing her this hand. A pillow was hugged into her arms as she cried and a corner stuffed into her mouth to silence the sound when they came out of the bathroom. After they both crawled into the other bed to sleep wrapped around each other even more tears fell. Finally out of exhaustion sleep overtook her again and a peaceful unawareness of the early morning.

~~~~~~~~~


It was too comfortable to move from Angel’s arms but the lack of any sound in the room drove Spike to open his eyes and look to the other bed. It was empty. Then he visually searched the rest of the room and found it also empty but he had already known that from the lack of her heartbeat or breathing around him. Carefully he slipped from his lover’s arms to see if he could find a note or anything from the girl. Although he didn’t fully understand why he cared, he needed to reassure himself that Buffy was not in danger.

On the dresser was a cooler that was new and he cautiously opened the lid. He was pleasantly surprised when he found two containers of fresh blood. It seemed that she had been out and picked up a few things. The trash can held some wrappers from the McDonald’s across the street indicating that she had fed herself as well.

“Morning,” Angel said in a raspy morning voice.

“Afternoon is more like it. The Slayer has gone missing.”

“Missing? What do you mean?” Angel was suddenly beside him while looking around the room.

“Calm down. I just meant she’s gone off somewhere. She left us breakfast too. I wonder how she knew where to go.”

“She is a Slayer so she probably did the covert thing. She asked.” Angel grinned at Spike as he reached in to take out one of the containers.

“Funny, I wonder where she is now.” The need to check on her was still gnawing at him as he wandered to the window. He peeked out after making sure the sun wasn’t going to pour in. Their room overlooked the pool and he spotted her lying in one of the chairs by it. “Well, well, Angel, I now see the attraction to the girl.”

“What do you mean?” Angel asked as he hit the button on the microwave. He moved to join Spike by the window when he didn’t receive an answer. Glancing out he saw Buffy lying on a lounge in a bikini. “Oh.” Even he had never seen that much of her at one time and jealousy sparked as he thought of Spike seeing her first much less everyone else that was around.

Without thinking Angel stepped outside and carefully stayed in the shadows of the building until he was across from Buffy. She hadn’t moved at all from the first time that he had seen her.

“Buffy,” he called to her. “Wake up.”

She lifted her head to see who was calling her. “Hey,” she called back to him. She stood and straightened her bathing suit, wrapped a towel around her waist and grabbed her other stuff before walking over to Angel.

There was confusion in his eyes and she played on it as she walked right up to him. She slipped an arm around his middle and lifted her face for a kiss. His hand tangled in her hair as he bent to press his lips against hers. Buffy melted into him as the remembered caress played with her emotions and she returned it with as much fervor as she had in her. She wanted to claim him again for her without having Spike around. But again as usual Angel pulled away from her before things could get too heavy and anger bristled at her.

She walked back to the room without saying anything more to him. Her sandals were kicked off before she rummaged through her bag to get clean clothes and ignoring Spike stomped off to the bathroom to take a shower.

“What did you do to her?”

“Nothing. We kissed and then when I stopped it she got upset.”

Spike handed him a mug and kissed him on the cheek. “She’s frustrated. Plain and simple. Sexual frustration. Jealousy of you and me. And not knowing how to communicate what she is feeling.”

“And when did you become Freud?”

“Don’t have to be. You’re just blind because you love her too much and want to keep her on a pedestal and I see her as she really is.”

“And what’s that?” Angel asked with a warning tone to be careful of what he said.

Spike plopped back down on the bed after setting his breakfast on the table. He grinned at his Sire, “She’s a girl who had to grow up too early. She wants to be a little girl still and has a boyfriend that wants her that way too. But then again she has this woman inside of her that is demanding attention that her boyfriend can’t give her. And it’s making her very bitchy.”

“Whatever,” Angel said as he sat on the bed where Buffy had slept.

They both remained in their thoughts of Buffy while they finished drinking their morning blood. A few minutes later she came out of the bathroom with a towel around her waist and another towel held over her front. Ignoring Angel she sat on the bed next to Spike after handing him a bottle of body lotion.

“I burned my back a little would you put some lotion on it for me.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Her back was red and although her Slayer healing would heal the burn it wouldn’t necessarily heal the dry skin. She had asked Spike to take care of it for her instead of Angel because she wanted him to know the hurt she had felt that morning at being left out. Then there would be the pleasure of having Spike touch her again and he didn’t disappoint.

After receiving permission from Angel to do it, he poured the lotion on his hands and slowly rubbed it into her flesh. The first touch created goose bumps from the coolness of the lotion and his hands. Then as his fingers stroked and caressed every part of her body that was exposed to him from her neck almost all the way to her bottom all she felt was warm.

Buffy wanted to lie down and let him work into every part of her body and she knew she was growing wet with need. She stifled down a moan as his hands massaged her hips, fingers dipping below the towel and she had to fight the urge to lean back against him.

Spike leaned forward so that he could whisper in her ear. “Just say yes and it will all be yours. Every pleasure that I can think of will be given to you.” His mouth closed in on her neck below her ear sucking on it, then lapping at it before pulling back.

With a start she realized it was time for them to know that she was capable of handling herself and wasn’t just waiting to be seduced. She may still be a virgin and the only other person that she had kissed besides Angel in three years was in this room and her former boss back in Daytona but she wasn’t as innocent as she used to be. It was good to have a roommate that was comfortable with her sexuality and didn’t mind sharing the information she had learned.

Buffy turned around and pulled Spike to her. She didn’t even start the kiss with her mouth closed. She went in with lips parted devouring Spike’s mouth with her own with a raw hunger. When she could feel his tension and Angel’s jealousy she pulled away from him and stood.

“Not today. Thanks for the offer though.”

TBC


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