"Spike?" she asked the glass door.

"Decent," she heard.

"There's a mission impossible." She stepped inside.

Spike grinned up at her, a lollipop stuck between his teeth.

He was lying on his back, feet at the headboard, neck curled over the end of the bed, remote control in hand. "She gone?"

She glanced at the TV and sat beside him. "Yeah, finally."

"Aw. What's the matter, you miss me, kitten?"

"It was agony," she said, extra-sarcastic.

"S'okay, sweetness." He rubbed her arm. "We're together now."

She shook her head, smiling. "Where'd you get that?"

"What, this?" He took out his purple lolly and pointed. "Found it in the top drawer. Whole assortment of 'em."

Buffy got up and opened the bureau's top drawer. Sure enough, there was a bowl of candy, nestled beside Spike's underwear, wallet and huh, a strip of condoms. Interesting.

She took out a Cherry Charms and unwrapped it. "I cut the roof of my mouth on one of these once. It bled for like, three days." She stuck it in her mouth.

"Mm. That's what I like about you."

"Accident-prone?"

He shook his head. "No fear."

"Are you kidding?" She sat down on the bed. "I have tons of fear. Miles. Just not about mincing myself on a lollipop."

He stared at her candy-coated lips, and refocused on her eyes. "What about, then?"

"Oh, you know." She shrugged. "Life stuff. The future. The usual."

He scoffed and said, mouth full, "Please! You got nothing but expensive cars and day spas and rich husbands in your future."

She pulled out her lollipop. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Acting like because I have money, my life is perfect. It's not."

"Alright, maybe it's not. But you," he turned onto his stomach, "have bugger-all to be scared of! Take away Daddy's money and you've still got it all." He crunched into his lollipop, bit everything off the stick and chewed on the bubblegum.

She watched him fling the stick into the garbage can, then lay down on the bed, aping his position. "Define 'it all'."

"Strong, smart, gorgeous, witty. Oh, and stubborn as hell. Do I need to go on?"

She exhaled a chuckle, secretly stuck on gorgeous.

He took her hand, gazed at it as he rubbed it softly. "You're gonna have the world by the shorthairs, Buffy. Whatever you decide to do."

"I don't know about that."

He smiled at her with those clear blue eyes. "I do."

She smiled and put the lolly back in her mouth. "Well, you're all psychotic and stuff."

He nodded. "There's that, yeah."

She spun the lollipop, pulled it out and asked, "Wanna go to a movie?"

* * *

"What happened to that toad guy from the last one?" she whispered to him.

"Uh... he got electrocuted by whats-her-name."

"Oh. Right." Buffy grabbed a handful of popcorn, and Spike caught her wrist, brought it to his mouth, stuck out his loooong tongue and adhered its very pointy tip to one piece.

Watching him chew it, she chuckled. "Toad tongue."

"What's 'at?"

She whispered in his ear, "Toad. Tongue. You."

His eyes closed, head tilted toward her slightly and he muttered, "Show you what sort of tongue I have."

"What?"

"Nothing," he shrugged innocently.

"No, really, what'd you--"

"Shhh!" someone hissed behind them.

They made the face of children caught laughing in church, and turned their attention back to the movie.

Things happened onscreen. Action. Romance. Character development. Spike fidgeted in his seat, thinking only of all the places he could put his tongue and how loud he could make her scream. Movie. There's a movie on. Watch it. You're not on a bloody date.

Or are you?

He leaned toward her.

"Mmm, Wolverine." She nodded in appreciation at the screen. "Hot."

"Pfft. What's he got that I haven't?"

"Um, claws? And a massively sexy growl."

Without another word, he pressed his lips against her ear, and mmmmmrrrrrrhhhhhhed.

Buffy gasped, mouth open, and whimpered. Her legs? Instant Jell-o. Her panties? Instant Slip-and-Slide.

Spike grinned, dug into the popcorn bowl in her lap, and sat back in his chair, eyes on the screen as he popped a handful into his mouth and crunched loudly.

Holy fucking god. Buffy tried to even out her breath, feel her limbs again. This isn't good. This isn't good at all.

It was impossible for her to concentrate on the rest of the movie. All she could focus on was how close he was to her side, and how rapidly her heart beat when he murmured his commentary or reached between her legs for popcorn.

* * *

Home. Home. Thank god.

Buffy barely looked at him when she said goodnight.

"Yeah, it's been--"

She shut the car door, hurried inside.

"...fun," Spike finished, and shook his head.

With a sigh, he patted his chest for a cig and smoked it in the car, watching her lights go on and off.