Chapter 16: What happens at night?
With a slightly shaky hand, Spike inserted the key into the lock. He opened the door and felt Buffy slide past him to the room. “Hold on there love.” Buffy looked up into his eyes confused. “You forgot something.” With a wide grin Spike tossed the key into the room. Before she could speak, Spike had her in his arms and carried her over the threshold. “Tradition,” he stated simply. Moving into the small cottage, Spike lightly kicked the door behind him shut. Moving into the room Spike suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Spike looked around the room. “Spike?” Buffy asked as she followed his eyes. Someone must have been in here just before them. Several candles had been lit throughout the room, and rose petals covered every serface including the floor and the bed. The ONE bed. ‘Of course only one bed. We are a happy couple on our honeymoon.’
“Spike it’s all right. We can do this.” Spike almost lost his grip on her. He quickly swung her around, perching her on the bed. “Spike! A little advice. Don’t swing pregnant women around. It makes the room all spinny.”
“Sorry, are you all right? Did I hurt you?” Concerned for her and the baby’s safety, Spike felt her forehead.
“Spike, what are you doing?” Buffy let out an exasperated sigh. “I am pregnant, not feverish.”
“Oh right.” Sheepishly smiling, Spike leaned back on his feet. “Look I didn’t sleep much last night and I know you didn’t really either, so what do you say we get some sleep?” Spike asked as he grabbed her bag and took it into the adjoining bathroom.
“Sleep,” she mumbled to herself, as she followed him. “I was wanting to take a shower before bed. I don’t think I can get a comb through this hair without washing it. Do you want to use the bathroom before I get in?” Keeping her eyes away from him, she began to pull several things from her bag.
“No, why don’t you go ahead.” Without looking back Spike went back to the makshift bedroom. After hearing the shower start, Spike began playing a single person game of musical chairs, moving from one chair to the other. ‘Two days. What are we suppost to do the next two days? I can’t believe I let mother bully me into this. One bed on our wedding night! What was she thinking?” With an exasperated sigh, Spike began blowing out the candles and flipped on a small lamp on the nightstand. Moving into the chest in front of the bed, Spike began rummaging more blankets. He sat the blankets on the bed. ‘Might get chilly,’ he thought before unfolding them on the foot of the bed.
Spike heard the shower turn off. Suddenly he remembered her words. “We can do this.” He remembered the last time those words had left her lips to him. They both had been drunk, but he remembered everything about that night. How Buffy looked under the stars, how she had encouraged his fingers as he helped her pull her panties down her smooth tanned legs. The feel of her heat. Every sigh, every moan, every caress. ‘Did she mean… I mean we did just get married, we should.. shouldn’t we?’ Shaking his head no he moved two of the blankets to the floor. Spike looked up as the bathroom door opened. He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw her.
“Willow insisted I not bring my normal pjs,” she said motioning to the white silk negligee. “I was wondering if I could borrow a pair of boxers or something? I feel quite stupid right now,” she began to ramble on, afraid if she stopped talking the silence would consume her. Their previous night together had been so perfect. They had held each other so closely, touched so openly, gazed into each other’s eyes so adoringly. They had kissed, oh the kissing, deep soulful kisses. Now alone. She didn’t know what to do. They hadn’t really talked about sex. ‘Does he want to?’ She was answered by him jumping up from his pallet in the floor to rummage through his bag.
“Here,” he said as he handed her a pair of his shorts. “I got caught trying to bring extra stuff also.” Blue eyes twinkled as he told her of his mother pulling out any “Unnecessary clothing items.” With a grateful smile she watched as he went into the bathroom. Once inside the safety of the bathroom, Spike resisted the urge to bang his head on the wall. ‘Ah, yes, I am the luckiest bloke on the face of the earth. Married to the hottest woman on the planet, who I might add is about to have my baby, and I can’t even touch her!’ A continuous rant fluttered through his head as he willed away any reaction to seeing her as she came out of the bathroom. Freshly scrubbed skin flushed from the shower, wet hair clinging to her back, and that scrap of silk passed off as a nightgown. Spike was about to jump up and pull her into his arms for a true wedding night when she had started talking about shorts. Spike watched his reflection in the mirror. “She doesn’t want you mate.”
After he brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face, Spike walked back into the bedroom. Buffy had turned out the light already so Spike made his way to his spot on the floor. He was surprised to find his blankets had been moved. “Buffy?” he spoke softly. “Buffy, where are my blankets?”
“I moved them up here. There is no reason to sleep on the floor. We’ll be fine.” She yawned loudly and rolled over onto her side. Spike carefully pulled the blankets back and slid under the covers.
“Goodnight Buffy.”
“Goodnight Spike.”
The newlyweds leaned close to edge on opposite sides of the bed. Two sets of eyes closed in a parody of sleep.