She twirled around in the dance floor, her hands stretched out, moving sensuously with the music. Suddenly she stopped, her head tilting and her eyebrows scrunching down on her bold eyes. A puzzled expression painted over her features as she scanned her eyes along the crowd. Willow caught her eye
"Buffy, what is it?" she asked cautiously. Buffy kept searching the room, combing through the faces.
"Spike's not here." she said in a confused tone.
"Yeah, so?" Xander piped up.
"It makes me nervous. Even when I can't see him, I can feel him. And he is always at the Bronze when I am...but I can't feel him. He's not here." She peered up at the loft and into the shadows, squinting her eyes against the colorful roving lights over the stage. Xander laughed
"who cares? I mean, you don't care, right, Buffy? Please tell me you don't care!" he smirked, but the worry was evident. Buffy quickly stopped her staring, and turned her focus on her friends
"Naw, I don't care...but I think I am gonna go find out what he is up to..you know, he still is evil." she said, reassuring them. She grabbed her coat with her beautifully manicured hands and wrapped it in her smooth arms. Grinning she gave a little worried wave, and turned..fleeing from the noise to find him.
She walked up to the door of the crypt carefully and quietly..concentrating on any feeling that indicated him. The moment she touched the door she felt him..a warm rushing that ran from the bottom of her spine to her head, making her faint and dizzy. Her blood quivered in her arms, and she breathed deeply, smelling the scent of the night and of the stone of his crypt. Buffy pushed open the door and walked in quietly. Every candle he owned was lit, casting eery golden shadows all over the place. She stood in the middle of the room and turned around slowly, looking for him.
"Spike?" she called out weakly.
"I knew you'd come." a dark accent penetrated the silence. Turning towards its direction she saw his shape slide out of the black of a corner. His head was bent slightly, but his intense eyes were on hers. She studied the gentle curve of his eyebrows above them, and his high cheekbones and strong jaw. The rushing feeling in her head maximized and she felt herself begin to sway.
"I knew that when you didn't feel me at the Bronze you would want to feel me here. I was waiting for you." He kept moving towards her for a moment and then stopped 3 feet in front of her. She felt drowsy and dizzy with the heat of his passion and presence. Absent-mindedly she reached her arms out as she began to collapse towards him. He caught her in his cold strong arms and lifted her to his bed and laid her tiny form ontop of the cool covers. She moaned and looked up at him with her bright eyes. He sat next to her, facing her. She sat up, leaning on her elbows.
"You look like you have something to say." she quietly said to him. He looked down at his hands and then looked back at her. His hand reached out and grasped her little one and pulled it to his chest. She pressed her hand against his cool chest covered by a tight black tee shirt, his cold hand covering hers. Buffy frowned at the strange sensation: there was a light beat pulsating in his chest. She tried to tug her hand away in surprise but he held it firmly. Scrambling to her knees in complete confusion she kneeled in front of him.
"What?? You have a heart beat! But, how? Who? Are you still a vampire? How did this happen?" she whispered desperatly. Spike swallowed and looked into her face, glowing with questions and surrounded by her beautiful hair.
"I'm still a vampire..didn't want to give immortal life up. I went to a witch in another town. Asked her to cast a spell: if my love for the slayer was real, my heart would beat for the rest of my days." his voice dropped to a whisper "but I don't want you until yours beats for me, love." A disbelieving and incredulous expression passed over her face
"A soul?"
He snorted "no soul. I'm still spike. but, the love is real. Buffy, its real." he emphasized, his other hand reaching towards her face, caressing her chin lightly. They hadn't noticed that they were still holding each others hands over his heart. She now looked at their fingers intertwined, and closed her eyes aborbing the feeling of his fingers on her face. Her eyes fluttered open again.
"Real." she repeated again, as it sunk in. She put her free hand on his face, tracing it with all of her fingertips. He sharply drew a breath and closed his eyes at her touch. His body became very still as if he were afriad to scare her off. She felt his heartbeat speed up. Her warm fingers came to his lips, and then she held onto his chin lightly as she pressed her smooth moist lips to his. He responded instantly, kissing her back fully, their tongues intermingled together.