Author's Note: This is now officially the longest story I've ever written. Very exciting...well, to me, at least. ~_^

“C’mon, this is silly,” Elizabeth insisted. “Can’t I just—?”

“No,” Spike said vehemently. “Blindfold stays on.”

“But it’s just—” she protested.

“No,” he repeated.

She sighed. “If you walk me into anything, I’m going to kick your ass,” she informed him with a little smile.

He grinned at that as well and held open the door for her as he guided her inside. “Watch the step, luv,” he advised.

She managed to overcome the obstacle and heard the door to Spike’s house shut behind her. “Your mom’s not going to think it’s weird that I’m wandering around your house in a blindfold?” she pointed out.

“Mum’s not here,” he practically purred into her ear. “Spendin’ the weekend up at Cambridge with dad. For Valentine’s Day and all…”

“Does that mean we have the house all to ourselves?” she asked coyly, a falsely innocent expression on her face. “’Cause I don’t know if I can trust you not to ravish me when we’re all alone like this…”

“Better believe you can’t,” he agreed with a little groan, pulling her body up against his.

She let out a little squeak on surprise, worried that she would fall over, but quickly found herself pressed up against the sturdy support of her boyfriend’s well-muscled body. “Mmm,” she murmured contentedly, bringing her hands up to rest on his shoulders, “alone, blind, completely defenseless and at your mercy… I like it.”

He chuckled at the ‘defenseless’ line before leaning in to steal a kiss from her lips. It was just a gentle brush, tender and loving and hinting very much of things to come. “Got somethin’ to show you,” he announced, pulling back from her enticing embrace.

“Does that mean I get to see again?” she asked hopefully.

The only response she got was a quick caress to the cheek before strong hands took hold of her own smaller ones and led her through the house.

Excited anticipation built up in her at the mysterious nature of this liaison. Spike had been very hush-hush about his plans for this weekend, and she’d humored his romantic notions until now. But she was getting really damn curious!

An arm slipped around her waist, bringing her to a halt, and her nerve endings tingled where he touched her. “Can I take the blindfold off yet?” she asked petulantly.

“Here, let me,” he requested.

She felt him nuzzle her hair and then shift to close his teeth over the tie in the handkerchief around her eyes. Her body temperature rose as she was once more reminded of the talent and skill of his mouth.

And then she opened her eyes and…

“Always knew you were a softy at heart,” she teased lightly, touched by the simple romantic dinner he’d set up for them.

“Yeah, well, just don’t tell anyone,” he grumbled, obviously slightly embarrassed.

She gave him a seductive smile in response and drifted over to the small table for two, fingers lightly tracing over the crimson petals of the rose before one of the plates. “For me?” she asked softly.

“Always,” he agreed, his voice a husky whisper.

She picked it up by its long stem, mindful of the thorns. A mischievous gleam in her eyes, she stalked over to him. “Close your eyes,” she requested.

One eyebrow rose in response, but he did as she asked. “You gonna blindfold me now?” he inquired, a hint of the old cheek in his voice.

“Maybe later,” she decided. She held out the rose to his nose, letting him smell the fragrant blossom before she set upon her important task. “You know,” she began, brushing the crimson petals lightly against his forehead, carefully tracing the outline of his face, “I’ve never gotten flowers before.”

“That’s silly,” Spike scoffed. “’ve never met a women more deservin’ of flowers.”

She smiled at that. “You would think so, wouldn’t you?” she agreed. The rose followed the razor’s edge of one cheekbone before mimicking its motions on the other. “But it’s amazing how clueless some guys can be about these sorts of things.”

“I take it you like, then?” he concluded with a smug smile.

“Hmm,” she responded intentionally vaguely. She bypassed his mouth and turned to his throat, finding one throbbing pulse point and circling it lovingly. “And, then, some guys do the obligatory flowers thing,” she went on, “but they don’t add those little romantic gestures that make it extra special.”

“For shame,” Spike joked lightly, eyes still shut tight.

“Things like, say, a house with just the two of us, dinner, candles, mystery and intrigue,” she rambled a bit. “Not to mention that they all suffer from the extreme handicap of not being you.” The rose had descended to the hollow of his throat now and tickled the sensitive flesh there lightly.

“Poor unfortunate blokes,” Spike agreed mock-wistfully.

“Lucky for me,” Elizabeth brought the rose up to kiss his lips, “my man’s absolutely perfect…even when he is a jerk…”

He chuckled at that, and she took advantage of the delightful smile on his face to replace the crimson petals with her lips. This kiss was longer, deeper, and Elizabeth put everything she had into it. She still didn’t know how to tell whether or not she was in love, but this… It was, oh, so wonderful…

Her lips drifted from his after a minute, and he buried his face in her hair, eyes still firmly shut. “Hungry, luv?” he inquired.

“Starving,” she agreed.

“Can I open my eyes now, then?” he asked hopefully.

“Either that or you get an unromantic spoon-feeding,” she teased, stepping away from him.

A lazy, contented smile crossed his face, and he opened his eyes to see her already sitting down. “Humph,” he grumbled under his breath, “din’t even gimme a chance to hold the chair out for you…”

“There’s that lovely, sexy snark,” Elizabeth replied with a fond smile.

He smiled and plucked the cover off of her plate with a flourish.

“Ah, pasta,” she giggled, “the only dish the kitchen-inept college student can make.”

“’ll have you know that ‘m an excellent cook,” he retorted, feathers obviously ruffled.

Elizabeth cast him an incredulous glance as she swirled the first bite of fettuccine up on her fork. “You?” she asked in disbelief. She took a bite. OK, so it was actually good, but…

“Dad raised me on all sorts ‘f horror stories ‘bout living on undercooked brown rice. Made damn sure that I could throw all my favorite dishes together,” he explained.

A surprised expression crossed Elizabeth’s face. “I didn’t know that,” she said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, well, ‘m too lazy to ever cook back at the dorm,” Spike commented, now set upon devouring his meal as quickly as possible. “Bleedin’ microwave even takes too long…”

“I didn’t know that,” she repeated, sounding slightly troubled.

Spike was worried as well. He mentally went over the list of things he could possibly have done to bollocks this up and came up empty. “Yeah?” he pressed.

“I-I just thought that I, well…knew everything about you,” she admitted, biting her lower lip.

The edges of his lips turned up in the hint of a smile, and he reached over to cover her hand with his. “Impossible to know absolutely everythin’ about a person,” he pointed out. “Sure there’s all sorts of random details that’ve just never come up.”

“You think there are things about me that you don’t know, then?” Elizabeth managed a little smile of her own.

“Positive,” he agreed.

“Like what?”

He gave her an annoyed look at her little joke.

She laughed at his expression and turned back to her food.

“You think you’re funny, but you’re not,” he sighed, rolling his eyes heavenwards in search of an ally somewhere.

“I so am, and you so know I am,” she countered. “You know you wanted to laugh, but that cute little badass persona of yours—”

“Cute?!” he exclaimed in absolute horror.

“Kitty-cat,” she resorted to her favored method of teasing/flirting with him.

“Kitty-cat’s got claws.” His eyes narrowed.

“Kitty-cat’s girlfriend kicks his ass every week at practice,” Elizabeth shot back just as gleefully.

“Kitty-cat could take you in a real fight,” he insisted, “with no rules an’ such.”

“Yeah, right.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Kitty-cat’s gonna end up in traction if Kitty-cat doesn’t watch his mouth.”

Spike beamed in response to the death threat. “God, I love you…” he sighed.

She managed a shy smile in response to that. “You are sooo weird…”

“Just makes me all the more sexy,” he agreed with a wink. “All sorts ‘f little quirks to keep you guessin’. Keeps things nice and excitin’.”

She really couldn’t argue with that. She’d grown used to being with him, true, but she didn’t ever think that a life with Spike could become dull. He was dynamic, ever-changing, like the tides of the ocean that shone through in the brilliant blue of his eyes. And every time she’d thought she’d figured him out, some new piece of the puzzle showed up. He was like peeling an onion, except the layers kept going on and on, each one revealing a new facet to this beautiful man. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever run out of layers to peel back, and something about that made her pulse race.

“The answers to the universe written in the swirl of your pasta?” Spike joked lightly, noticing her intense concentration.

She smiled up at him. “You’re an infinite onion,” she informed him with no preamble.

A delighted smile crossed his face at that as he instinctively realized that compliment for what it was. “’S about the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he replied, looking up at her shyly from under long lashes.

“God, I think you’re telepathic or something,” she sighed. “My attempt to thoroughly confuse you has failed.”

“Only with you, ‘Lizabeth,” he assured her with a cheeky grin.

“From sweet to irritating in five seconds flat,” she teased. “Is that a personal best?”

“Possibly,” he agreed, “but you just beat me with your own three seconds.”

She laughed. “God, it’s a miracle we haven’t killed each other yet,” she decided.

“Found somethin’ more fun to do instead,” he said with a leer.

She rolled her eyes. “Food. Eat. Now. Sex later,” she said in a mockingly condescending tone.

“Sure know how to motivate a bloke, doncha?” He dug back into his food with a grin.

“You are such a kid sometimes,” she sighed. “A large, muscular, well-defined, sexy, horny kid…”

He chuckled in response. “You know me too well, pet,” he agreed.

“No…” she began slowly, realizing something, “I don’t.”

He looked up at her in surprise.

“Infinite onion,” she reminded him. “There’s always another layer to be peeled back, more Spike to reveal…”

He gestured to his shirt. “Feel free to peel this layer back anytime you want,” he teased.

She smiled before her expression turned serious once more. “Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know,” she requested. “Something that you think will surprise me.”

Spike blinked at that before nodding. “Good game, pet,” he agreed before pondering the task before him. “’m askin’ you next so you’d better come up with something.”

“I’m no welcher,” she agreed.

He contemplated his fork for a minute before he finally spoke. “Childhood stuff count?” he asked.

She nodded.

“’Round eight I went deaf,” he finished proudly.

She blinked. “You’re not—” she protested.

He rolled his eyes. “Not anymore,” he agreed. “Nasty bugger ‘f an infection. Had surgery and meds an’ everything. Couldn’t hear a damn thing for almost a month. Scariest thing ever happened to me.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re serious?”

“Completely,” he agreed.

“Oh, baby…” she cooed, her expression softening, “I’m sorry.”

“Doesn’t bother me much anymore,” he assured her. “Just a fun fact.”

She made a pouty face. “But you were so cute in all those pictures!” she insisted. “Kids that cute should never hafta go through anything that traumatic…”

He crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. “Was not cute.”

She grinned maliciously. “Were so cute,” she sing-songed. “You had cute curly hair, and cute blue eyes, and those cute little outfits with the suspenders, and—”

“Ah! Stop!” he pleaded, holding his hands over his ears to block out the horror.

“Baby.” She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

Cautiously, he removed his hands from his ears.

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” she persisted, despite his groan of complaint. “It’s kinda a good guarantee, actually. Y’know, in case we ever wanted to…” She blushed horribly when she realized what she was implied.

He looked at her in surprise as well.

“Well, obviously not…I mean, now…by someday…” Her face was a deep, rich purple by now. “Oh god!” she exclaimed, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

A genuine smile lit up his face, making him look more like the cute boy he’d once been with the dimples and the toothy grin. “Are you offerin’ to bear my children, Summers?” he couldn’t help but tease.

“Oh god!” she repeated in despair before sighing. “Well, I mean…I want to someday…just, y’know, a long time from now and…” Nope, still too embarrassed to form a coherent sentence. “Oh god!”

“Oi now, luv,” he said in a gentle, silky voice. “’S all right. ‘ve felt a bit of an urge to sire a brat someday, too.” His cheeks flushed as well. “You’ve always been the mother,” he admitted, his voice losing its usual drawl and sounding more like his father’s polished accent.

Her heart seemed to melt at his admission. It really was the most unusual feeling. “If you want any cooperation, you’d better not ever call our kid a brat again,” she informed him with false sternness.

A smile lit up his face. “Just one?” he inquired.

She nodded. “I liked being an only child. Plus, I don’t know if I could handle two.”

“Liked the only child bit, too,” he agreed. “Although, technically, you’re not one…”

She rolled her eyes at the reference to Dawn. “Yeah, but I didn’t grow up with her. And we didn’t manage to get along until I moved out.”

“So, how often’d you get the question ‘aren’t you lonely without brothers and sisters?’” Spike affected a nasal voice for the question.

Elizabeth laughed. “All the time,” she agreed with a shudder. “Wasn’t that just sooo annoying?”

“Yeah, like not havin’ to put up with annoyin’ siblings whose sole goal in life is to make you as miserable as possible is such a loss,” he agreed.

“They’re all just jealous ‘cause they had to share their mommies and daddies,” Elizabeth added.

“So, one kid then,” Spike decided with a smile. “Boy or girl?”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you,” she exclaimed with a giggle. “You, with the black leather and the bleached hair planning out your dream family like a teenage girl at a sleepover.” Chortles of laughter overtook her at the image of Spike stuck firmly in one of those lame slumber parties she’d had as a kid, curlers in hair and nails being painting while discussing boys and baby names.

He sulked. “You tell anyone and I—”

“What?” she dared him to come up with a good threat.

“—I hold out on the sex,” he finished proudly.

Elizabeth’s eyes widened comically. “Sorry,” she insisted. “It’s just…” The image had her cracking up once more. “Curlers in hair!” she exclaimed, laughing hysterically.

“Not too flatterin’ on you, either,” he retorted.

She snickered a couple more times. “Not sure,” she finally said.

“Pardon?”

“Boy or girl,” she clarified. “I always wanted a girl, but… You were really cute.”

He sighed, resigned to his fate. “This is gonna be the new thing you’re gonna torture me with, innit?”

“Oh, yeah,” she agreed with wicked delight.

With a shake of his head, he got up and walked over to the counter. “Do you mind if I…?” he began hesitantly, gesturing to the bottle of wine there.

“Aren’t you not supposed to drink?” she pointed out.

“One glass ‘f wine on a special occasion?” The way he said it made it all too clear that he wouldn’t drink if she asked him not to.

She bit her lower lip as she pondered something very dangerous. “On one condition,” she agreed. “You have to pour me one, too.”

Spike froze for a moment in stunned silence. “I-I thought you never… Because of…” he stammered slightly in surprise.

“I haven’t,” she whispered softly, approaching him. “But I’m not afraid as long as I’m with you.” She planted a soft kiss just on the edge of his lips. “I trust you…”

Those three words were easily the most lovely he’d ever heard in his life. He didn’t want this moment to end, he was so completely and utterly happy. Better than sex, better than…everything…

“Spikey, wake up,” Elizabeth said with an amused shake of her head.

“Huh?” He blinked and finally took the glass from her. Somehow she’d managed to retrieve the bottle from him and pour two glasses all while he’d been in his stunned stupor.

“To us?” she offered a toast.

“To us,” he agreed in a deep voice, studying her face intently as their two glasses met with a clink.

She watched him as well while she drank of the deep, garnet liquid. “Good stuff,” she commented. “It’s been a long time. I’d forgotten just how much I liked wine.” She finished off the small glass with a flourish. Unaccustomed to the alcohol as she was, she felt slightly giddy in response, but no panic settled in over her as she felt herself losing control. This was Spike. Sweet, sexy Spike who loved her and would never, ever do anything to hurt her.

“My parents always have the best stuff around the house,” he agreed, finishing off his own glass. True to his word, he put the bottle aside. “Care for a dance, luv?” he asked softly, holding out his hand to her.

“If it occurs in your bed, yeah,” she countered with a wink and a giggle.

He gulped. The sight of her so carefree, trusting in him completely, wanting him…

“Come up to bed, luv,” she pleaded softly, catching his hands and pulling him up against her. Her teeth nipped at his throat gently, and she enjoyed the sensations that flooded through her body when they were this close.

He really didn’t have any argument for that. True, he had other plans, but they had the whole weekend, and…

With a frantic intensity to rival their first coupling, the two of them made their way up to Spike’s room despite their entangled kisses and fell to the bed, limbs intertwined. Elizabeth let him pin her down after only a brief mock-struggle for dominance and lay back, thoroughly enjoying the attentions he was bestowing upon her body.

“You taste so sweet,” he whispered, trailing kisses down the skin that was exposed as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. “Like fine wine. Need to taste you. Drunk on you now, Summers…”

She smiled lazily and wound her fingers into his peroxide locks. “Want you,” she agreed. “Need you…”

His tongue reached her navel and played with the depression there, simulating the actions he was soon to take lower down on her body.

She squirmed and writhed beneath him. “Good boyfriend,” she teased lightly. “Learns quickly.”

He gave her a mock scowl before turning to look at her pants. “Now, that’s no good,” he tisked and shook his head at how they prevented him from pleasuring her. “Hafta get you off,” he decided with a little grin, moving to unclasp the top button.

Elizabeth’s hands fumbled at his shirt as well. “Wanna see you,” she insisted. “Wanna be with you…”

Whether it was lust or the bit of alcohol they’d both consumed for the first time in over a year, neither could say. But their actions fumbled more than usual, raising the tension and desire between them to almost feverish levels. Spike’s jeans caught around his boots, and he angrily kicked the whole ensemble across the room while Elizabeth worked at the stubborn clasp of her bra.

Both triumphant in their tasks at the same time, they turned to look at the other, and the world seemed to stop.

“Beautiful…” Spike purred, returning to the bed and slowly crawling up its length to where she lay amidst the pillows.

“Breathtaking…” she agreed, watching the steel of his muscles slide beneath the silk of his skin. So hard and so soft all at once, and she just wanted him now, more…always more…

“I love you,” he whispered raggedly, settling between her spread thighs.

“I-I think I…” she stammered nervously.

“Shh,” he hushed her, “just let it happen, luv…”

She nodded and looked up at him with a little smile. “You’re wonderful,” she said, still amazed at how loving he could be. “Everything about you…” Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into her caress, eyes squeezed shut tight.

His hand ventured into her dark curls, finding her wet and ready for him. He parted her inner lips gently, stroking her and stretching her, determined to make this as pleasurable an experience for her as possible.

She hissed at the feel of his fingers inside her, pulling him down for a kiss as her desire for him continued to increase exponentially. “Spike?” she requested softly, looking up at him with wide sloe eyes.

His forehead leaned in to rest against hers. “Yeah…” he agreed with a slight nod.

Their lips brushed softly before he slowly rotated his lips, so that just his swollen head was within her. The position was almost impossible to hold, the desire to thrust all the way inside her overwhelming. He fought back the instinctual urges, however, despite her needy whimpering.

“Spike?” she repeated, her voice sounding hoarse, desperate.

“We’re gonna savor every second,” he informed her, his own voice strained, “feel every inch. Wanna teach you what lovemakin’s all about…”

Heat suffused her body at the thought. “Yes,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him close. The action caused her breasts to press flat against the planes of his chest.

A delighted sigh escaped both their lips, and he began to push oh-so-slowly within her. Elizabeth could literally feel her internal muscles press into him before they slowly relaxed, stretching and accommodating the large invasion. It was an experience unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was almost like she could feel everything he was experiencing, knew exactly his pleasure, his thoughts, his needs, his desires…

By the time they started moving, they were so intimately joined – body, mind, and soul – that they weren’t even aware of their actions. Pleasure rose, peaked, and fell, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was the union. They were one being, complete at last, whole at last, loved at last.

Spike rolled onto his back, still within her, when the intensity became too much and the world began to fade away.

Vaguely aware that something of cosmic scale had occurred, but too sleepy and satisfied to deal with it at the moment, Elizabeth drifted off into a deep, wonderful sleep.

Her lover’s body still tied to her own rhythms, Spike joined her, finally convinced that the love of his life was really and truly his. Forever.

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