New Quid Pro Quo Chapter
Those of you the got a tad bit frustrated with the Spuffy being so slow will really enjoy this chapter.
Thanks so much to megan_peta for beta-ing this chapter.
Quid Pro Quo
Chapter 16
The Ice Melts
‘This was it; this was it.’ That thought ran around and round in her head, never tiring. She could easily read desire in his clear blue eyes. She could have crowed for joy when his eyes slid down to her lips. And that she could feel his arousal pressed against her stomach felt like one of her erotic dreams come true.
Spike watched Buffy lick her lower lip and was so tempted to touch tongue to tongue, lightly nipping the tip of hers. He could practically taste it.
However, with much effort and poor resolution, he rolled her off of him and somehow made it to his feet on shaky legs. Brushing off the dirt that covered his front, he tried to calm his breathing and racing heart, not to mention the erection bulging in the front of his jeans. Turning his back to her seemed the best option.
As Buffy made it to her feet, her smile grew, but then she hid her emotions the best that she could. She didn’t think it would be very good for him to see her gloat. He wanted to kiss her. The signals were screaming at her. Even after his comment about tasting like the Immortal earlier, as disgusted as he acted, she now knew with certainty that he still desired her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.
Time for action, she told herself. His back was to her, but that didn’t matter one bit. She wasn’t going to pass up such a good opportunity. Quickly walking up behind him, she slid her arms around his waist.
Shocked, Spike wasn’t sure what to do. Her arms felt wonderful as they wrapped around him, but that didn’t compare to her body pressed against his back and her head resting between his shoulder blades. A small portion of his brain wanted to push her off. ‘You’re right. Any wanker knew better…Who am I kidding?’ What he wanted to do was turn around and envelop his arms around hers and hold on tight.
Buffy felt him stiffen when she slipped her arms around his waist, but that was ok. She knew better than Mr. Denial that he did want her. When she rested the side of her face on his back, she could hear his heart pounding.
“Thump, thump…thump, thump,” Buffy chanted in a stead rhythm.
With the ice broken, Spike had to laugh. “My heart beat. Surprising, luv?”
Yes! ‘Luv’ again. Buffy squirmed a tad, getting a better hold. “No actually, it sounds…nice. It fits you. You always did feel so passionately about people like Dawn. You had to have some kind of heart back then.” Buffy listened for a moment more. ‘And still me! Please, please, please,’ she pleaded to the Powers That Be.
“I think it does, too, pet.” Spike again wondered at their current position. Feeling her front pressed against his back. He couldn’t help but think how well she fit him, even from behind. All the curves in the right place and all the dips and valleys nestled in the right places. “Thanks for saving me.”
“I couldn’t lose you again, not again.” She rubbed her face against his leather clad back while she ran her hands into the front of his jacket, feeling his chest, and seemingly accidentally across his hardened nipples. She was pleased that he was aroused as she was. Hugging him a little tighter, she slowly swayed left and right, rubbing her chest, her whole body against him.
Oh, he wanted to lay her down on the spot and ravish her, sink into her heat, but his need just seemed to stick in his craw. However, his reasons to resist seemed to be fading in intensity. At this rate, he was going to forget that blighter in Rome’s name. He carefully stepped forward, leaving a few inches between them and with her arms still loosely around him, but he did it in such a way that it wasn’t a rejection.
She felt him start to pull away so she reluctantly loosened her hold on him. She wanted to hold tight, but she knew that wasn’t going to work with him. Before she could even be disappointed in her loss, Spike slowly turned around in her arms, and his lips descended onto hers, an action that was both graceful and completely natural. At first his tongue didn’t seek entrance into her mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to make that next step just yet, a step to a higher familiarity that he had been fighting so very hard. However, he grew less and less content and ran the tip of his tongue along her lips. He tasted a spot and then kissed the same place. He repeated this until Buffy moaned in pent up frustration.
Pulling back and looking at her, he wasn’t quite sure what did it, her beguiling smile or their growing camaraderie, but whatever it was, he capitulated. He gave into his driving desire for this siren, his siren. But the why didn’t matter any more; what was important was the how. Why he didn’t want to be intimate with fading. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand behind her head and pulled her against his length again.
Finally, Buffy had had enough of his teasing. She returned the gesture, reached up and held Spike’s head in place. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and sought entrance into his. With a groan of his own, Spike gave in, and his tongue met hers. To him, she tasted like forbidden fruit, the sweetest of sweet ambrosia. He had surmised that their coming together would be intense, but the actual act blew him away. To her, he tasted like life. He was the center of her universe, and she was finally back in balance. He grounded her.
‘Air,’ Buffy’s body told her. She needed air, but there was no way she wanted it if it meant ending this kiss. Her world was being shaken. Wasn’t the ground trembling? Her tongue dueled with his, becoming familiar with him again, hers battling for more. But air, damn it. Her fuzzy brain finally worked out that she had to have oxygen, or she wouldn’t be able to kiss him again. Whoops, Spike needed air now, too. With great reluctance to say the very least, she pulled back from him. Her eyes immediately sought out his. She had to know how he felt about their renewed intimacy, and Spike’s eyes were always so expressive. Did he enjoy the kiss? Did he regret it? And most of all, did he want to do it again? Actually, his expression looked…stunned, like he hadn’t seen it coming. Buffy chewed her lip. Stunned. Was that good or bad? Well, he was still holding her. That had to be good, didn’t it?
Suddenly, while she was striving to judge his reaction, his lips crashed down on hers again. In any other circumstance, this would be rather comical. Spike’s tongue found easy access between her lips because her jaw was hanging slack from shock. Lips of Spike were on hers again. Yum, Spike’s lips. As the reality of his enthusiastic reaction sunk in, she melted in his arms. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, nor even a moment, she pulled his shirt tail out. Her hands roamed swiftly, desperately all over his smooth back, sometimes using her nails, an impulse due to the intensity of their kiss. She sucked lightly on his tongue, wanting as much as she could get, but she couldn’t help but think the kiss was a poor second to his member inside of her, completing her. But some baby steps.
He pulled back for air again. Spike knew he had lost his tenuous control. No doubt about it. He wanted her, needed her and now he had her in his arms. Spike’s eyes were drawn to where Buffy was worrying her lip. Actually, he should be worrying his, too. He wasn’t quite sure of what all the ramifications of the kiss were, even so far as a relationship between them again, but he didn’t think he regretted the action. No…No, he didn’t regret anything. To kiss her had been a path of coming home. No, no regrets, but he wasn’t sure how fast he wanted to head down that road with her yet again, and he knew he wasn’t ready to open himself up, making himself vulnerable to her again so soon. He’d take it slow…but one more taste couldn’t hurt.
This kiss, he took his time, melding their lips together. Buffy felt hope in this kiss, and she might be wrong, but she thought he felt it, too. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck as if she were going to fall into an abyss if she wasn’t in his arms. She moaned in disappointment when the kissed ended.
When he let go of her completely, Buffy assumed she’d read him wrong, that she had done something wrong. That she didn’t please him anymore. “What…?” But the slight tilt of his lips up took the sting out of the movement. She relaxed a little.
In the next instant, Spike jerked back from Buffy. A whistle shot through him like an arrow. It was Angelus’ whistle, but now it was Angel’s. Angel’s. Spike had to remind himself again. “Angel is paging us. He and Nina must have found the hand print.”
“Let’s go see.” Buffy had a smile plastered on her face, and she desperately wanted to grab hold of his hand. However, she was sure that was pushing things. It was enough to know that he had enjoyed the kisses. And possibly more soon? Oh, yes.
*****
Nina and Angel made their way down the tunnel they were scouting, scanning the walls on both sides. Having stopped to study a particular hieroglyph on her own, Nina trailed behind.
When she couldn’t stand the silence anymore, Nina broached the subject which had been floating in the air between her and her boyfriend, namely Buffy and Spike and their relationship, or lack of. “Angel, I’m worried about them.”
After a quick glance, Angel again focused on the tunnel ahead. “Who?” he absently threw over his shoulder.
“Buffy and Spike, of course.” She wanted to smack him one for being so dense. Then she gave into her desire.
“Omf…No, I meant which one of them.” Giving her a dirty look, Angel rubbed his injured side. “What I meant was which one are you talking about? The vampire or the slayer?”
Nina stopped and tilted her head in thought as she laid her hand on his arm. She stood in front of him just for good measure. “Now that you ask, I’m not sure. I am definitely worried about Spike. Even though he would never admit it, he has such a sensitive side, especially concerning her, and I don’t want to see him hurt. I didn’t know how much until I saw them together. But Buffy? I feel sorry for her.” She got out of his way so that they started walking again. “You can read her face so clearly. She loves him and isn’t trying to hide it.”
Throwing up his hands, Angel paused again and gritted his teeth before speaking again. “But he doesn’t believe her, and you know what? I’m not so sure I do either.”
Nina threw up her hands, imitating her infuriating, hardheaded love. “But why?”
“The truth? You really want the truth?” He stopped and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
Nina eagerly nodded. “Duh! Yeah.”
Putting a hand on his head for a moment like he was trying to get rid of a harsh headache, he tried to explain something he didn’t want to. “You know this, Nina. Alright already. Buffy shouldn’t have been kissing me when she knew Spike would be waiting for her at home. She played him and me.”
“She didn’t mean to…” Nina attempted to defend Buffy, but Angel cut her off.
“No, Nina, I talked to her about this. She may have told herself that she didn’t mean it, but deep down, she knew.” Trying to diffuse and put behind the subject, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “My opinion? She deserves what he serves up.”
His little speech would have more impact if his next step hadn’t spun him around, ending him on his ass. His first thought was he hadn’t said anything that bad for Nina to hit him again.
As he kept spinning, Nina laughed so hard that she didn’t see the spikes coming out of the side walls. Instead she watched Angel, stand, tilt over taking another step and spin on another disk hidden in the dirt on the floor. She laughed harder until one of the sharp pikes slit the shoulder of his leather jacket down to his skin, leaving a red cut.
“Ow. Huh?” Angel’s eyes widened as he finally noticed all the spears pointed at him. Contrary to self-preservation, thinking only of her, Angel practically yelled even though she was only fifteen feet away. “Nina…Nina, don’t take a step this way, not one step.” With his stillness, the floor stopped spinning him.
As he was from her, Nina was terrified for him. “But you’re not spinning anymore.” Lifting up her foot, she was desperate to get him back to her.
“You don’t know if…” As soon as he shifted his weight, the disk start spinning quickly again. “Now we know. Movement triggers the spinning.” He barely dodged a spear aimed at his chest before he stood up and took a few more steps and spins.
“Angel, come back.” Growing desperate, Nina went ahead and took one step forward. “Please.”
“No, you stay there.” Nina gave him a wobbly smile at her very own overly protective vampire but was still worried for him. Angel, though, was ready to move on. “I’m already half way through the pikes, so I’ll go ahead.” Angel matched her smile with what he hoped was his sexiest smile, striving to put her worries to rest. “I won’t get hurt when you are watching over me.”
She started to take another step forward but thought better of it. “But I want to help.” She so wanted to be useful. There had to be something she could do.
He inadvertently shifted his weight and spun but ended up facing her this time. “Nina, you know that I love you. I couldn’t stand it if you’re hurt.” His usual stoic demeanor aside, Angel spoke with feeling, “But I’ve got to see the tunnel beyond this chamber.” Thinking about it again, Nina decided that having faith in Angel was the better path.
Angel whistled sharply again. “What is keeping that boy so long? Just my luck and his hard headedness, he must be ignoring me.” Before he could curse his grandchilde any further, Buffy and Spike came into view. Their responses varied to Angel’s predicament. Buffy was confused but also concerned. Spike, however, came to an abrupt halt next to Nina, greedily taking in the scene. “Bloody hell, Peaches, you’re hurting my ears with those girly whistles for help. ‘Help poor, pitiful me!’” Spike looked like he had hit the Angel teasing pay dirt. “And what’s with the over-grown, pointy tooth picks?”
“Look, brain bucket head…” As soon as he moved, the section of the floor that he was standing on spun which only gained him more ribbing from Spike. “I don’t want to hear it, Spike.”
“Oh no, gelled one, this is the perfect situation for ribbing.” Spike tried to curb his laughter. “Now we go to the judges for their scores. I give you a four.”
With Spike’s levity, Nina relaxed somewhat and joined the fun. “I don’t know, honey. This might really be an up and coming sporting event.” She let Angel’s black look bounce off of her. “I would give you a seven.”
“This isn’t funny…” In his irritation, Angel shifted his weight, spun and fell down. One of the pikes ripped the edge of his pants.
“I give that one a six, but I only give your costume a two. Lacks originality.” Spike held up the appropriate amount of fingers in place of a score card. He was pleased when Buffy joined the impromptu game.
“No, no. That was definitely a six. My score was going to be seven. Compared to Nina’s score of five, I give you an extra point for your tilting, and another point for grace, but then I took one off for getting scratched by the spear.” Buffy laughed as Angel puffed up.
“Grace! Grace? I’m not graceful. Men aren’t called graceful…” Angel sputtered as he carefully stood up.
“Good thing you’re a vampire then. Yep, graceful.” Buffy suspected that Angel would have tried to strangle her if he could stride back to her without spinning out of control.
“That’s it. Ha, ha. Some of us have better things to do.” Angel mumbled under his breath. The sorely teased vampire turned his back to them, and brushed off his clothes. Enough was enough. “I’m going to go down the tunnel and look for the handprint.”
While spinning, it was near impossible ducking and dodging without injury. After only two more jabs from the pikes that made contact and from Spike, he made it to the end. Walking and with a wave, he left to scout the rest of the tunnel, thankfully leaving the ribbing behind. Twenty minutes later, he came back at a jog. “Found it. It’s about a hundred twenty-five yards down.”
TBC
Thanks so much for your reviews. The Spuffy has started rolling…
Thanks so much to megan_peta for beta-ing this chapter.
Quid Pro Quo
Chapter 16
The Ice Melts
‘This was it; this was it.’ That thought ran around and round in her head, never tiring. She could easily read desire in his clear blue eyes. She could have crowed for joy when his eyes slid down to her lips. And that she could feel his arousal pressed against her stomach felt like one of her erotic dreams come true.
Spike watched Buffy lick her lower lip and was so tempted to touch tongue to tongue, lightly nipping the tip of hers. He could practically taste it.
However, with much effort and poor resolution, he rolled her off of him and somehow made it to his feet on shaky legs. Brushing off the dirt that covered his front, he tried to calm his breathing and racing heart, not to mention the erection bulging in the front of his jeans. Turning his back to her seemed the best option.
As Buffy made it to her feet, her smile grew, but then she hid her emotions the best that she could. She didn’t think it would be very good for him to see her gloat. He wanted to kiss her. The signals were screaming at her. Even after his comment about tasting like the Immortal earlier, as disgusted as he acted, she now knew with certainty that he still desired her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.
Time for action, she told herself. His back was to her, but that didn’t matter one bit. She wasn’t going to pass up such a good opportunity. Quickly walking up behind him, she slid her arms around his waist.
Shocked, Spike wasn’t sure what to do. Her arms felt wonderful as they wrapped around him, but that didn’t compare to her body pressed against his back and her head resting between his shoulder blades. A small portion of his brain wanted to push her off. ‘You’re right. Any wanker knew better…Who am I kidding?’ What he wanted to do was turn around and envelop his arms around hers and hold on tight.
Buffy felt him stiffen when she slipped her arms around his waist, but that was ok. She knew better than Mr. Denial that he did want her. When she rested the side of her face on his back, she could hear his heart pounding.
“Thump, thump…thump, thump,” Buffy chanted in a stead rhythm.
With the ice broken, Spike had to laugh. “My heart beat. Surprising, luv?”
Yes! ‘Luv’ again. Buffy squirmed a tad, getting a better hold. “No actually, it sounds…nice. It fits you. You always did feel so passionately about people like Dawn. You had to have some kind of heart back then.” Buffy listened for a moment more. ‘And still me! Please, please, please,’ she pleaded to the Powers That Be.
“I think it does, too, pet.” Spike again wondered at their current position. Feeling her front pressed against his back. He couldn’t help but think how well she fit him, even from behind. All the curves in the right place and all the dips and valleys nestled in the right places. “Thanks for saving me.”
“I couldn’t lose you again, not again.” She rubbed her face against his leather clad back while she ran her hands into the front of his jacket, feeling his chest, and seemingly accidentally across his hardened nipples. She was pleased that he was aroused as she was. Hugging him a little tighter, she slowly swayed left and right, rubbing her chest, her whole body against him.
Oh, he wanted to lay her down on the spot and ravish her, sink into her heat, but his need just seemed to stick in his craw. However, his reasons to resist seemed to be fading in intensity. At this rate, he was going to forget that blighter in Rome’s name. He carefully stepped forward, leaving a few inches between them and with her arms still loosely around him, but he did it in such a way that it wasn’t a rejection.
She felt him start to pull away so she reluctantly loosened her hold on him. She wanted to hold tight, but she knew that wasn’t going to work with him. Before she could even be disappointed in her loss, Spike slowly turned around in her arms, and his lips descended onto hers, an action that was both graceful and completely natural. At first his tongue didn’t seek entrance into her mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to make that next step just yet, a step to a higher familiarity that he had been fighting so very hard. However, he grew less and less content and ran the tip of his tongue along her lips. He tasted a spot and then kissed the same place. He repeated this until Buffy moaned in pent up frustration.
Pulling back and looking at her, he wasn’t quite sure what did it, her beguiling smile or their growing camaraderie, but whatever it was, he capitulated. He gave into his driving desire for this siren, his siren. But the why didn’t matter any more; what was important was the how. Why he didn’t want to be intimate with fading. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand behind her head and pulled her against his length again.
Finally, Buffy had had enough of his teasing. She returned the gesture, reached up and held Spike’s head in place. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and sought entrance into his. With a groan of his own, Spike gave in, and his tongue met hers. To him, she tasted like forbidden fruit, the sweetest of sweet ambrosia. He had surmised that their coming together would be intense, but the actual act blew him away. To her, he tasted like life. He was the center of her universe, and she was finally back in balance. He grounded her.
‘Air,’ Buffy’s body told her. She needed air, but there was no way she wanted it if it meant ending this kiss. Her world was being shaken. Wasn’t the ground trembling? Her tongue dueled with his, becoming familiar with him again, hers battling for more. But air, damn it. Her fuzzy brain finally worked out that she had to have oxygen, or she wouldn’t be able to kiss him again. Whoops, Spike needed air now, too. With great reluctance to say the very least, she pulled back from him. Her eyes immediately sought out his. She had to know how he felt about their renewed intimacy, and Spike’s eyes were always so expressive. Did he enjoy the kiss? Did he regret it? And most of all, did he want to do it again? Actually, his expression looked…stunned, like he hadn’t seen it coming. Buffy chewed her lip. Stunned. Was that good or bad? Well, he was still holding her. That had to be good, didn’t it?
Suddenly, while she was striving to judge his reaction, his lips crashed down on hers again. In any other circumstance, this would be rather comical. Spike’s tongue found easy access between her lips because her jaw was hanging slack from shock. Lips of Spike were on hers again. Yum, Spike’s lips. As the reality of his enthusiastic reaction sunk in, she melted in his arms. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, nor even a moment, she pulled his shirt tail out. Her hands roamed swiftly, desperately all over his smooth back, sometimes using her nails, an impulse due to the intensity of their kiss. She sucked lightly on his tongue, wanting as much as she could get, but she couldn’t help but think the kiss was a poor second to his member inside of her, completing her. But some baby steps.
He pulled back for air again. Spike knew he had lost his tenuous control. No doubt about it. He wanted her, needed her and now he had her in his arms. Spike’s eyes were drawn to where Buffy was worrying her lip. Actually, he should be worrying his, too. He wasn’t quite sure of what all the ramifications of the kiss were, even so far as a relationship between them again, but he didn’t think he regretted the action. No…No, he didn’t regret anything. To kiss her had been a path of coming home. No, no regrets, but he wasn’t sure how fast he wanted to head down that road with her yet again, and he knew he wasn’t ready to open himself up, making himself vulnerable to her again so soon. He’d take it slow…but one more taste couldn’t hurt.
This kiss, he took his time, melding their lips together. Buffy felt hope in this kiss, and she might be wrong, but she thought he felt it, too. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck as if she were going to fall into an abyss if she wasn’t in his arms. She moaned in disappointment when the kissed ended.
When he let go of her completely, Buffy assumed she’d read him wrong, that she had done something wrong. That she didn’t please him anymore. “What…?” But the slight tilt of his lips up took the sting out of the movement. She relaxed a little.
In the next instant, Spike jerked back from Buffy. A whistle shot through him like an arrow. It was Angelus’ whistle, but now it was Angel’s. Angel’s. Spike had to remind himself again. “Angel is paging us. He and Nina must have found the hand print.”
“Let’s go see.” Buffy had a smile plastered on her face, and she desperately wanted to grab hold of his hand. However, she was sure that was pushing things. It was enough to know that he had enjoyed the kisses. And possibly more soon? Oh, yes.
*****
Nina and Angel made their way down the tunnel they were scouting, scanning the walls on both sides. Having stopped to study a particular hieroglyph on her own, Nina trailed behind.
When she couldn’t stand the silence anymore, Nina broached the subject which had been floating in the air between her and her boyfriend, namely Buffy and Spike and their relationship, or lack of. “Angel, I’m worried about them.”
After a quick glance, Angel again focused on the tunnel ahead. “Who?” he absently threw over his shoulder.
“Buffy and Spike, of course.” She wanted to smack him one for being so dense. Then she gave into her desire.
“Omf…No, I meant which one of them.” Giving her a dirty look, Angel rubbed his injured side. “What I meant was which one are you talking about? The vampire or the slayer?”
Nina stopped and tilted her head in thought as she laid her hand on his arm. She stood in front of him just for good measure. “Now that you ask, I’m not sure. I am definitely worried about Spike. Even though he would never admit it, he has such a sensitive side, especially concerning her, and I don’t want to see him hurt. I didn’t know how much until I saw them together. But Buffy? I feel sorry for her.” She got out of his way so that they started walking again. “You can read her face so clearly. She loves him and isn’t trying to hide it.”
Throwing up his hands, Angel paused again and gritted his teeth before speaking again. “But he doesn’t believe her, and you know what? I’m not so sure I do either.”
Nina threw up her hands, imitating her infuriating, hardheaded love. “But why?”
“The truth? You really want the truth?” He stopped and looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
Nina eagerly nodded. “Duh! Yeah.”
Putting a hand on his head for a moment like he was trying to get rid of a harsh headache, he tried to explain something he didn’t want to. “You know this, Nina. Alright already. Buffy shouldn’t have been kissing me when she knew Spike would be waiting for her at home. She played him and me.”
“She didn’t mean to…” Nina attempted to defend Buffy, but Angel cut her off.
“No, Nina, I talked to her about this. She may have told herself that she didn’t mean it, but deep down, she knew.” Trying to diffuse and put behind the subject, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “My opinion? She deserves what he serves up.”
His little speech would have more impact if his next step hadn’t spun him around, ending him on his ass. His first thought was he hadn’t said anything that bad for Nina to hit him again.
As he kept spinning, Nina laughed so hard that she didn’t see the spikes coming out of the side walls. Instead she watched Angel, stand, tilt over taking another step and spin on another disk hidden in the dirt on the floor. She laughed harder until one of the sharp pikes slit the shoulder of his leather jacket down to his skin, leaving a red cut.
“Ow. Huh?” Angel’s eyes widened as he finally noticed all the spears pointed at him. Contrary to self-preservation, thinking only of her, Angel practically yelled even though she was only fifteen feet away. “Nina…Nina, don’t take a step this way, not one step.” With his stillness, the floor stopped spinning him.
As he was from her, Nina was terrified for him. “But you’re not spinning anymore.” Lifting up her foot, she was desperate to get him back to her.
“You don’t know if…” As soon as he shifted his weight, the disk start spinning quickly again. “Now we know. Movement triggers the spinning.” He barely dodged a spear aimed at his chest before he stood up and took a few more steps and spins.
“Angel, come back.” Growing desperate, Nina went ahead and took one step forward. “Please.”
“No, you stay there.” Nina gave him a wobbly smile at her very own overly protective vampire but was still worried for him. Angel, though, was ready to move on. “I’m already half way through the pikes, so I’ll go ahead.” Angel matched her smile with what he hoped was his sexiest smile, striving to put her worries to rest. “I won’t get hurt when you are watching over me.”
She started to take another step forward but thought better of it. “But I want to help.” She so wanted to be useful. There had to be something she could do.
He inadvertently shifted his weight and spun but ended up facing her this time. “Nina, you know that I love you. I couldn’t stand it if you’re hurt.” His usual stoic demeanor aside, Angel spoke with feeling, “But I’ve got to see the tunnel beyond this chamber.” Thinking about it again, Nina decided that having faith in Angel was the better path.
Angel whistled sharply again. “What is keeping that boy so long? Just my luck and his hard headedness, he must be ignoring me.” Before he could curse his grandchilde any further, Buffy and Spike came into view. Their responses varied to Angel’s predicament. Buffy was confused but also concerned. Spike, however, came to an abrupt halt next to Nina, greedily taking in the scene. “Bloody hell, Peaches, you’re hurting my ears with those girly whistles for help. ‘Help poor, pitiful me!’” Spike looked like he had hit the Angel teasing pay dirt. “And what’s with the over-grown, pointy tooth picks?”
“Look, brain bucket head…” As soon as he moved, the section of the floor that he was standing on spun which only gained him more ribbing from Spike. “I don’t want to hear it, Spike.”
“Oh no, gelled one, this is the perfect situation for ribbing.” Spike tried to curb his laughter. “Now we go to the judges for their scores. I give you a four.”
With Spike’s levity, Nina relaxed somewhat and joined the fun. “I don’t know, honey. This might really be an up and coming sporting event.” She let Angel’s black look bounce off of her. “I would give you a seven.”
“This isn’t funny…” In his irritation, Angel shifted his weight, spun and fell down. One of the pikes ripped the edge of his pants.
“I give that one a six, but I only give your costume a two. Lacks originality.” Spike held up the appropriate amount of fingers in place of a score card. He was pleased when Buffy joined the impromptu game.
“No, no. That was definitely a six. My score was going to be seven. Compared to Nina’s score of five, I give you an extra point for your tilting, and another point for grace, but then I took one off for getting scratched by the spear.” Buffy laughed as Angel puffed up.
“Grace! Grace? I’m not graceful. Men aren’t called graceful…” Angel sputtered as he carefully stood up.
“Good thing you’re a vampire then. Yep, graceful.” Buffy suspected that Angel would have tried to strangle her if he could stride back to her without spinning out of control.
“That’s it. Ha, ha. Some of us have better things to do.” Angel mumbled under his breath. The sorely teased vampire turned his back to them, and brushed off his clothes. Enough was enough. “I’m going to go down the tunnel and look for the handprint.”
While spinning, it was near impossible ducking and dodging without injury. After only two more jabs from the pikes that made contact and from Spike, he made it to the end. Walking and with a wave, he left to scout the rest of the tunnel, thankfully leaving the ribbing behind. Twenty minutes later, he came back at a jog. “Found it. It’s about a hundred twenty-five yards down.”
TBC
Thanks so much for your reviews. The Spuffy has started rolling…