Slaindeer Games

By Larilyn

Rating- NC-17 baby

Summary- The morning after Life Serial…the geeks aren’t finished playing their reindeer games. Much Spuffiness ensues.

Notes- Thanks to my Splendiforous beta Alana who is…well…splendiforous.

Disclaimer- Joss owns everything and everyone. I own some dryer lint.

"Breaking and entering? Not the midnight adventure that I had in mind." Buffy protested, "We can’t do this!"

Spike jiggled the lock pick. "So stop me."

Buffy just whimpered in response.

Spike flung the door of the Magic Box open with a flourish, a smug look of pride on his face.

"After you luv." He gestured gallantly.

"We can’t do this," she repeated anxiously as she entered the darkened store.

Spike went straight to the cash register and pried it open. Taking a hand full of bills, he promised, "I’ll put it back."

"And if you lose?"

He assured her, "I won’t."

"And you know this because…?"

Simply, he told her, "I cheat."

Buffy scoffed, "You’re beyond sucky at it."

Stung, "I beg your pardon?"

Buffy explained to Spike like a schoolteacher, "I caught you cheating and I was way drunk."

Spike chuckled at the memory, "I remember. Still, you’re the Slayer with all the super slayer senses. These blokes are human."

"So are they like high rollers from the land of Wayne Newton?" she asked.

"Mobsters." Spike stuffed a wad of cash into his pocket and shut the cash register.

"Sunnydale has mobsters? Seriously?" Then with mild concern, she added, "They don’t whack people do they?"

"Almost never."

"So very reassuring."

***

The poker game, Buffy decided, was even more boring without the whiskey, and not nearly as cute, without the kittens. The location was a bonus, though. A penthouse suite definitely beat the back room of a demon bar. Plus, Spike’s ability to cheat without getting caught was impressive.

"Straight flush gentlemen," he announced as he laid out his cards. As he reached for the pile of chips and cash on the table, one of the mobsters, Buffy thought he said his name was Irving, said, "That’s quite a run of luck you’ve had Mr. Spike."

Spike tossed a smile at Buffy. "Well, if you don’t mind, my good luck charm and I will be taking off now."

Irving, the intrepid mobster, had other ideas. "With all our cash? I don’t think so. Leave your winnings." The four other mobsters pulled guns out of their jacket pockets.

Buffy acidly told the vampire, "You introduce me to the nicest people, Spike."

Irving pulled out a Beretta and held it level with Spike’s head. He repeated, "Leave your winnings on the table."

"A gun?" Spike scoffed, knowing it wouldn’t kill him. Buffy harshly cleared her throat. But it will kill her. "Oh…yeah…sorry luv."

In a blur Spike disarmed Irving and all of his poker-playing cronies. He crumpled the weapons in his hand, or bent the barrels sharply.

Then he stood back and smirked, admiring his handiwork.

In response, the mobsters pulled brass knuckles and other assorted weaponry from their suit pockets.

"Looks like we’re gonna have to fight our way out of this, luv."

"Remind me later to kill you."

The Slayer and the vampire were more than a match for the humans, even armed ones. In minutes, the mobsters that weren’t knocked unconscious were lying moaning on the floor

"Lets just get out of here," Buffy begged. She and Spike turned to leave, sans their winnings when the elevator announced its arrival with a ding. A man stepped off and strode purposefully toward Buffy. Now this guy looks like a mobster. Big, burly, & really, really scary, Buffy thought. To Spike she shot, "You are so gonna get staked."

"Tell me something I haven’t heard before, pet."

"Buffy Summers?" The heavy set, Tony Soprano type asked in a deep, intimidating, voice.

"Yuh huh," she replied timidly.

He smiled at her in the nicest way. "Its an honor miss."

Dumbfounded, "Huh?"

"Boss?" Irving asked, shaking off the fogginess of his Slayer-induced pummeling. "I was just…uh…taking care of the problem. See, Mr. Spike, he…"

"I don’t care what Mr. Spike did. Give the lady her money."

It was Irving’s turn to, "Huh?"

"You know the things that go bump in the night, hiding in the shadows? The things even my people won’t talk about?" he asked his underling.

"They’re…her?"

"No you moron, she’s the one keeping them from eating you." He turned to Buffy with a smile and waited for Irving to hand her the sack of cash. "Enjoy your winnings miss. You have our thanks."

"Thanks…" she stammered, "I mean you’re welcome."

Buffy held the bag of cash as if it was going to fly away, a dizzy smile plastered on her face, as they rode the elevator down from the penthouse.

Spike silently beamed with pride. Nothing in the world like making the girl smile.

Suddenly, Buffy squealed, "I’m rich!"

To his shock, the Slayer threw herself into Spike’s arms, winding her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist attaching herself to him like a limpet.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she giggled. With her cheek pressed against his, he could feel her smile and the tears of joy that slid down her cheeks. "That was so much fun! And amazing! And other good things!"

"Your welcome, luv," he murmured.

She leaned back a little so she could smile at him. Slowly, the smile faded from her face, replaced by something else. Okay compromising position much? Just lower your legs to the floor, Buffy. And…don’t…kiss…him.

Her face blurred away as she leaned in closer to him. Spike could feel her hot breath on his lips. And then, her lips grazed his. Just a feathery touch. And that was not going to be enough for Spike. So he tightened his grip on her and sought her mouth again.

She tasted like cinnamon. And her heat…God!

Buffy moaned as she opened her mouth, inviting in his probing tongue. She lost herself in the way this felt, a blaze of passion that she had never experienced before.

His already secure embrace tightened when Buffy started to undulate her hips against his. The seam of her jeans was rubbing her in just the right spot. She felt the heat building inside her…building…building … and…

Buffy’s eyes snapped open and she quickly removed herself from Spike’s grip. "Bloody hell." He whispered.

The Slayer darted out the elevator as if the hounds of hell were after her.

***

Buffy dumped the contents of the bag on the coffee table.

"Holy mucho deneiros Batman!" Xander whooped as he picked up a bundle of the cash and stroked it.

"We’re rich!" exclaimed Dawn.

Buffy nodded, "Filthy & stinkin." To the assembled Scoobies, she admitted, "You know, I wasn’t sure about having the mob here in Sunnydale, but he was nice."

Anya nodded in agreement, "He is."

Buffy asked the ex-demon, "How do you know him?"

"Oh I’ve had many business dealings with Jimmy the Mole…. He buys catnip from the Magic Box…. for his cat…he stuffs it in old socks and ties off the top…and the cat plays with it for hours and hours, becoming intoxicated from the catnip, I’m told its very amusing."

Giles spoiled the party. "Buffy, we were very concerned. For all we knew you had been killed on patrol. Or...or…"

"Done something illegal?" Willow finished with an accusatory tone.

Buffy insisted, "We didn’t do anything illegal." Spike cleared his throat. "What was illegal?"

"Gambling luv. Not exactly kosher. We’re not in Vegas."

"You really won all this?" Anya asked. With approval, she noted, "Very impressive."

"Thanks… but no… I didn’t win it… exactly. I mean we did… but mostly… Jimmy the Mole gave it to me. For protecting him." Buffy stammered.

Giles was appalled, "This is protection money?"

"No!" She whimpered at Spike, "Help."

He explained, "Consider it a bonus for past service."

Giles was clearly past annoyed and was rounding the corner towards livid, "Spike I could just…"

Buffy protested, "Wait a minute. Spike did a good here. I can pay bills now, and I don’t have to take from my friends."

To Xander, Anya asked, "Were we supposed to give her money? Cuz it’s my money, I earned it."

Anya was promptly shushed by her boyfriend.

Willow told her friend, "You know Buffy, I could probably whip up some cash with magic, or…" Both Tara and Giles looked at Willow with disgust. "What?"

Giles mumbled, "I need a drink." And left the room.

***

From his favorite hiding place in the back yard, Spike watched as Buffy emerged from the back door. Her good mood had been irrevocably ruined. Ought to drain the Watcher and the Witch dry. He stepped out from the shadows and asked, "How mad at me are they?"

She shrugged, "They’ll get over it."

Spike listened as the battle between Giles and Willow raged once again in the kitchen. "You’d think they’d at least keep it down," he mused. "Delicate ears and all."

"At least they’re not mentioning the whole bringing me back from the dead extravaganza. And for that I say thank God for eensy beensy favors."

"Still early. Wanna patrol?"

"Why not?"

As they walked from the backyard toward the front, Spike ventured, "So…I guess I shouldn’t bring up the kissing."

"Probably shouldn’t."

"So the groping would definitely be off limits then?"

"Spike…" she began to scold. On the front porch, the two forlorn figures of Tara & Dawn sat. "They drove you guys out too, huh?"

Tara nodded weakly.

Dawn, trying to be chipper asked, "Patrolling?"

"Better than listening to Giles & Willow argue about magic…again."

They were distracted by the sound of an approaching vehicle. It sounded an awful lot like…

"Hey isn’t that the van from the other night?" The Slayer asked Spike.

"Yeah. And that’s the demon from the other night too."

Sure enough, the red demon toddled up the sidewalk. He stood before them, placed his hands on his hips and declared, "Slayer, so we meet again."

Buffy and Spike took their battle stances. Tara shoved Dawn behind her in a protective gesture. But the demon didn’t strike at them. He just threw some sparkly dust on Buffy and resumed his hands on hips super-power-demon pose and then he threw something down causing a small explosion and a smoke cloud. Without the fog of alcohol, Buffy could see that he hadn’t disappeared, but had simply ran away, toward the van parked down the street.

Buffy hiccuped, "Hunh. That was…?"

"Are you all right, luv?"

"Uh huh. And look!" She admired the dust on her arms, "Glittery."

Tara told her, "I think it was magic. Or something."

Dawnie offered, "I’ll get Willow."

"No," Tara said abruptly. "I’ll look into it. Buffy? Coming?"

"Guess I’m patrolling alone, then?" Spike asked the Slayer.

"I could go," Dawn piped up.

A simultaneous, "No!" burst forth from Tara and Buffy.

Spike placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder and looked at her with the utmost seriousness. "Nibblet. I need you to take care of your sis for me? Can you do that?"

"Please. I’m not five. Don’t treat me like it." The youngest Summers woman and Tara headed into the house.

The vampire turned and walked down the sidewalk. Buffy’s voice stopped him. "Spike?"

He turned back to her. "Yeah, luv?"

She smiled at him. "Good night."

***

"Well?" Warren asked impatiently.

Jonathan sat huddled, naked and wrapped in a blanket in the back of the van as Andrew drove away from Revello Drive. "It’ll kick in in about twelve hours."

"But what did you do to her?"

"I made her allergic to people."

"You gave her hay fever?" Warren asked disappointed.

"No," Jonathan declared proudly, "I made her kinda itchy!"

End Chapter Three