Title : Sunnydale
Author: Laura Smith
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: ABH
Disclaimer: All characters and the concept of "BtVS" belong to Joss Whedon
and other people who are not me. No infringement is intended.
Feedback: I'd love to know what you think! Let me know. Feedback is
encouraged and appreciated!
"Shit." You bend over to pick up the books you've just managed to drop and sigh. Things are just determined to go the opposite of the way you want them to. Your flight was delayed. Your luggage was open and your clothes are probably landing somewhere in the South Seas about now. Your lecture was postponed. Your hotel would put a prison to shame and you've lost your address book.
Not that it matters. You'd never have the courage to call him up. You'd shared an amazing night, you freely admitted that. But that's all you'd shared. He'd very obviously wanted to distance himself from the event, as you haven't heard from him since. Even Willow, who was so good about keeping in touch, seemed to have disappeared off the 'net.
Straightening the heavy stack, you gather them to you and stand. And come face to face with a vampire.
"Shit."
You're a smart woman. You're reasonable. You're capable. So, you do exactly what any other woman of your qualities would do at a time like this. You scream.
And get a nice mouthful of dust.
Spitting it out, you can't help but stare at the young girl in front of you. She's small but obviously strong and she's wielding a wooden stake like a weapon. Which, if your vampire lore is true, it is. "You okay?"
"I think so. They don't taste very good."
She makes a face and you laugh. "You live around here? I can walk you home."
"I'm staying at the Rose Hill Inn."
She crinkles up her nose. "Why?"
"My job is paying for it. I don't get much say in the accommodations." You shrug and shift the books in your arms. "Thank you. I guess you saved my life."
"Why are you not wigged by this?" She seems surprised, and you guess you can't blame her.
"I study this for a living. Not just vampires, but other things that go bump in the night." You smile weakly. "And I haven't quite process…ed…it."
***
You awaken from your faint in the most awkward position you think you've ever been in. You're in a fireman's hold over the blonde girl's shoulders. You hate being upside down. "Um…"
"Buffy."
"Buffy. Nice to meet you. Could you put me down?"
"Soon."
"Now would be better." You try to struggle, but the grip she has on your legs is like iron. You sigh and try to relax. "Or soon is good."
"We're almost there."
"There being?"
She pushes open a door and walks through, probably not realizing it's going to swing back and smack you in the head.
"Ow."
"Sorry," she winces. She stops and slowly sets you down, making sure to keep your skirt below your knees instead of letting it ride up your body as you slide back over hers. You blink rapidly as the blood leaves your head. She's blushing and smiling. "Hey everybody. Look what I found. Can I keep her?"
You turn slowly and stare at the strange group. A werewolf is locked in a cage. There's a petite redhead at a computer, a boy sitting cross-legged on the table eating something, a young dark haired man in a tie sits opposite the red head and a dark haired girl is gazing at him adoringly. "Hi."
"And who would this be, Buffy?"
"She got attacked by a vamp. I saved her."
He opens his mouth to speak but stops at the sound of a throat being cleared behind me. You turn around, as does your rescuer. Your heart stops for a long moment. "Hello, Rupert."
***
After a long pause, Rupert manages to fumble his way through the introductions. You're pleased to finally meet Willow, but the shock of seeing him, and seeing him so obviously embarrassed, takes some of the joy out of it. You feel your chest tighten and know that you're going to make a fool out of yourself any moment.
"Well, it was very nice to meet you all finally. Willow's talked so much about you. And Buffy, thank you again for saving my life." You pick my books off the library table and manage a trembling smile. "But I really have to get back to the hotel now, so if I could use the phone to call a cab?"
"I'll drive you," Rupert offers.
"No. No, that's very unnecessary. I can take a cab and be done with it. It's obvious that you have work to do here and I would be interrupting." You protest, but it doesn't stop him from taking the books from your arms. You're tempted to tighten your grip and make it a struggle for him, but you can't bear to see him lose face in front of the others. So you hold them loosely as he takes them, brushing the swell of you breast with his fingers as he does. Your heart speeds up and you struggle to maintain your equilibrium and not fall into his arms.
"Shall we?"
You nod and allow him to lead you out of the library. You pause to wave at the group, trying to ignore their smirks. He leads you to a beaten down contraption he's probably inordinately proud of and opens the passenger door. You climb in and take the books from his hands, smiling a little at his chivalry. Reaching across the car, you unlock his door.
He smiles and climbs in. He starts the car but makes no effort to put it into gear. "It's very nice to see you again."
You look over at him, sighing when you realize he's staring out the front windshield. "Nice." You nod and stare in the same direction "I'm at the Rose Hill Inn. You can just take me there and that would be nice."
"I'm sorry I didn't write…or call."
"Or allow Willow to email me?"
You hadn't meant to say that. He glances quickly at you, his surprise evident. "I would never not allow her to do such a thing. She's…" he blushes, struggling to continue. "She and Buffy are very protective of me. When I came back and seemed…out of sorts, she probably assumed it had not gone well."
"Out of sorts?" You ask.
"I missed you."
You shake your head. "I could tell. I'm at the Rose Hill Inn."
He puts the car into gear and starts driving. You want to say something to alleviate the horrible strain between you, but you can't seem to think of the right words or even if you should say them. What good would it do you? Another night of amazing passion followed by several months of hell? You've both been there and done that.
And you don't think you could do it again.
He pulls up beside the hotel and you both cringe at the sight of it. It's not exactly the Hilton. Hell, it's not exactly Motel 6. "I can't let you stay here."
"You don't have a choice." You open the door and climb out of the car, books clutched firmly in your hand. Bending over, you peek inside the car and smile at him, hoping the deep sadness you're feeling doesn't show through. "Thanks for the ride. It was…nice. Seeing you again." You pull away and slam the door, needing to be away from him.
You hear his door slam behind you and curse silently. You should have known better. You should have stayed out of Sunnydale. You should have said no when they asked you to lecture. You stop and stare at the undead creature in front of you. This is getting to be a bad habit tonight. But at least you're not gibbering in fear.
"So, what do I do now?" You ask softly.
Rupert steps up beside you, cross in hand. "Panic, I'm afraid."
You look over your shoulder at the gathering of vampires that have surrounded you. "Panic it is."
***
Once the blindfold is removed, you look around the room for exits. Nothing. There doesn't even appear to be a door, although you know there must logically be one. "So, what happens now?"
"I imagine they'll notify Buffy somehow and she'll come and save us."
"Isn't that asking a lot of a high school student? I mean, I ask my college students to read 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' in a week and I get nothing." You're trying to joke, but it doesn't seem to be working.
"She's the Slayer. She'll come."
"She's the…Slayer?" You shake your head, trying to sort out what you've known to be myth with what is rapidly becoming truth. "The Vampire Slayer? The one girl in all the world…"
He takes over where you leave off then proceeds to tell you all about Buffy, himself and the rest of the group you'd met in the library. It all sounds incredible and unbelievable. But your job is believing in unbelievable things, so you shrug.
"I see. So, you're the Watcher. You train and guide her."
"I was, yes."
"That's why you needed the books I had?"
"Yes."
You swallow, bracing yourself to ask the next question. "And me? Was I part of something to do with this?"
Horror filled green eyes turn to stare at you. "Gods, no. You were just…"
Just. The one word a man should never use when describing a woman. "Never mind. I'd rather not know what I was just." You manage to get to your feet and wander around the small room. Your wandering quickly degrades into pacing, which wouldn't be so bad if he weren't smirking at you. "What?"
"We're are so much alike, it's not funny."
"Apparently you think it is."
He stands and walks over to you. Wrapping his arms around you from behind, you're reminded of the short moment out of time you shared on the Space Needle. "I'm sorry that I seemed to ignore you, Love. I was trying to sort a few things out."
"Such…such as?" You don't want to ask, but you can't help yourself.
"There was a woman…a long time ago. Put in jeopardy because of her romance with me. More than put into jeopardy, she was killed by a vampire. I wasn't sure I could subject someone else that I felt I could care for to that." His breath is soft against your earlobe as he nibbles lightly. "Of course, you had to come here and put yourself in danger without my help."
Your knees are weak, but no weaker than your voice. "I'm a self-sufficient kind of girl."
"You're no girl, Love." He turns you around and smiles down into your eyes. "You're quite a woman." His hand strokes your cheek, as soft as a butterfly wing and you can't help but lean into his touch. You want to kiss him. You want to lose yourself in him the way you did that night.
The memories come unbidden, as they always do. You've spent the past few months surviving on the memories of him kissing you, holding you, loving you. And you want to surrender to them now and make new ones with him.
But not here. And not like this. You step away from his hand and go to sit in a corner of the room. "So, how long do you think we have until Buffy saves the day?"
He sighs and you wonder if it's from regret or relief. "Not long at all."
***
"Not long at all?" You smirk as you look at your watch. It's been three days. You're due back in Seattle tomorrow and you've already missed your lecture. If you're not careful, you're going to start hoping the vampires kill you since you're going to be out of a job. "Are you sure they like you? Maybe they don't like you, so this is their way of getting rid of you."
"Shut up." He glares at you and you realize that being locked in a room with each other for three days isn't the best idea for a second date. "I'm sorry," he admits after a moment.
"It's okay. I deserved it." You've never looked worse, you decide. Not that you can see yourself. The vampires have turned off the lights and only come once a day to let you go to the bathroom. They've provided some water at least, but no food. "I'm sorry. This wasn't exactly how I expected my week in California to go. I was thinking lecture, maybe some Disneyland."
"Disneyland? You're brave," he smiles.
"This from a man who deals with vampires every night?" You laugh and are glad to see him relax. For the first time in three days, he sinks down on the ground beside you. You've both been very good about staying away from each other, just to make sure there are no deaths between you.
"Vampires are predictable. Children…aren't." He reaches over and takes your hand and the rush of emotion comes back. Damn. You'd almost forgotten how much you want him. Almost.
"You don't like children?"
Rupert shrugs sadly. "Not much call to like them. I don't plan on having any." He manages a smile and your heart hurts. You can see how much he wants one in his eyes. "Buffy and the rest are like my children. Buffy especially."
"Not the same." You shake your head. "Trust me on this one."
"You have…children?" He seems surprised and you can't help but laugh.
"No. But I know the difference between having them and being around them, even helping to raise them. They're there because they like you and, in Buffy's case because she has to be. Real children are there simply because they have to be." You sigh. "And perhaps, if we try really hard, we can be even more depressing."
He squeezes your hand and places a kiss on your forehead. "Sorry."
"What happens now?"
His eyes dance with a dangerous glint and you realize how your comment may have been taken. A warm blush suffuses your skin and you duck your head. He lifts your chin, not allowing you to look away. "Buffy and the others will come, I promise. The first night, they probably assumed I…stayed with you. So there was a period of time they weren't looking."
"Do you often spend the night with visiting women you escort home?" Leading questions. How you love them.
"I spend a lot of nights in the library researching. I spend a lot of days in the library researching. I spend almost no time at home and even less…spending the night."
"Oh." There's no mistaking what he's telling you. He's telling you what his life is like because he knows you're interested. He's warning you that you'll come second, at best. He's warning you that you're making a big mistake.
He's warning you, but you're not listening. You lean forward and press your lips to his. It's just a soft, chaste kiss, but you both know what's behind it. You both know that you're telling him that if he wants you to accept all of that, you will.
Because as silly as it seems, you've fallen in love with him.
He lets out a soft sigh and pulls you onto his lap, parting your lips with his tongue. It dips into the warm recess of your mouth and begins exploring, making your insides liquefy. You wrap your arms around him, pulling him more tightly to you, pressing your breasts against his chest.
His hand tangles in your hair, tilting your head so that he can easily trail kisses across your jawbone and down your neck. You can't stop the small whimper that escapes you as he licks the hollow beneath your ear and nibbles your earlobe. His breath is warm in your ear as he whispers your name like a prayer.
You turn your head to meet his lips again; needing to taste him, when the door bursts open and light fills the small room. You scramble off his lap and try to look innocent.
"Hey guys." Buffy's voice is easily recognizable. She snaps off the flashlight and you try to adjust your eyes. "Did you miss us?"
Rupert gets to his feet and helps you to yours. "About bloody time."
"Really? And here I thought I came in at an inconvenient moment." She giggles. "I found 'em you guys." She leads the way back to the rest of the group and you dodge several piles of dust. Nobody else seems to notice and you can't help but wonder what else these…children, for lack of a better word, have seen.
You reach the group and receive hugs and sly winks. Well, a sly wink. From Xander. Willow's conversations online are beginning to make much more sense. "So, how are you liking your trip to Sunnydale so far?" Willow asks softly, just a hint of a giggle in her voice. "Oh. And this is Oz. My boyfriend."
"The werewolf." You nod and shake his hand. "Hi."
"Hi."
"Well, I appreciate the save, more than you'll ever know. But I have to get to my hotel. I have to shower and pack what little I have and get ready to leave." You sigh, hoping you don't sound ungrateful or, closer to the truth, sad. "It was nice meeting all of you, and I don't suppose there's anywhere to call a cab from around here?"
You finally notice your surroundings and realize you're in the woods. "No, but I have a van. We can provide liftage."
You nod, knowing that the nice, easy escape from Rupert and his charges is not going to be quite so nice and easy as you thought. And now, you were going to have to deal with the kiss. The kiss you'd sworn wouldn't happen.
***
You climb out of the van, bidding everyone farewell. Buffy and Rupert exit the van as well, him to get his car, her as escort. "You shouldn't walk around after dark," she notes. "So, you leave tomorrow?"
Her voice carries back to Rupert's car and I know exactly what she's trying to do. I know I should stop her, but the taste and feel of him is addictive. "Yes. Early."
"Do you think you'll come back? To visit maybe?"
"I don't know. I'm pretty busy most of the year. Lectures, classes…"
"You could do another lecture…"
"Not if this one goes on record." You shrug and lower your voice. "Thanks Buffy, but it's okay. You don't have to play matchmaker."
"You don't know Giles very well."
"He does all right on his own, I promise."
She blushes. "Too much info. Here's your room. I'll maybe see you again?"
"Maybe. Thank you Buffy."
"My pleasure."
You unlock the door and step inside the room, wondering which is dirtier, you or it. You stand in the doorway for a long moment, until you hear him behind you. Your heart speeds up and you look over your shoulder. "Yes?"
"Are you hungry?"
You hadn't been until he'd said the words. You nod.
"Gather your things. You're not staying here tonight. We'll have dinner and I'll let you use my shower."
"That would be nice."
"And we'll see where we go from there. Agreed?"
You almost laugh at his business-like manner. "Agreed." You walk in and gather the few things you have scattered around the room. Tossing them in your open suitcase, you turn to him and smile. "Okay."
"That's it?"
"Let's just say, we have the same luck with luggage."
He laughs and the ride to his apartment is shared in companionable silence. He shows you the bathroom and offers his robe so that you can shower. "I noticed you didn't have many…clothes. I don't have a spare robe, but you're welcome to use mine." He looks down at his own filthy form. "But you're not allowed to use all the hot water."
***
You step into the spray and let it cascade down your body. It's such a relief to be warm and closer to clean. But, as much as you want to luxuriate in it, you immediately start to clean up, not knowing how long his hot water supply will last.
You pour a little of his shampoo into your hands, thinking you should buy the same brand even though, on you, it won't smell like Rupert. You start to massage it in when you feel a cold breeze followed by warm hands joining yours in your hair.
You pull your hands away, letting him massage your scalp with tender hands. You moan softly as he moves them down to your neck and shoulders, sending a soapy trail down your spine. "California," he whispers in your ear, "Is in the middle of a drought. I thought I should do my part to conserve water."
"An excellent idea," you nod, turning around so that you can face him. He's shivering a little, standing outside the range of the spray, so you take a step back, letting the shampoo run down your face as the water beats down on you. You pull him with you, watching as he arches like a cat, letting the water wash away the past three days.
Taking the soap from the shelf it sits on, you lather up your hands and a washcloth then push your body flush against his. For the moment, you ignore the hard press of his increasing erection in order to rub the cloth all over him. Starting with his broad shoulders, you move down his arms, over his chest, and down the outside of his legs.
Rupert makes quiet noises of appreciation, promising to return the favor when you're finished with him. You wonder vaguely if you ever plan on finishing with him. Turning him around, you scrub his back and the firm curve of his ass. This time, you move the cloth over the insides of his legs, trying very carefully not to rub anything too…delicate.
"All clean," you offer.
"You missed a spot." He turns around to face you, his eyes glinting with promise.
"I did?" Ah, shy innocence. You are quite the actress.
"Mmm." He takes the cloth from you and guides your hands down to his cock. "Right there."
Taking the soap again, you lather up your hands until they're good and soapy. Setting the bar aside, you kneel before him, not even noticing the water anymore and run your hands down his shaft until it's covered in lather. Licking the exposed tip with your tongue, you smile as his body surges forward.
You put your hands to work, moving along the length of him, the lather getting richer and fuller. He's hanging onto the door of the stall as well as the towel bar that lines the back of it as you bring him closer and closer to orgasm. You can feel the movement of blood and semen beneath your hand as you play with him, know by watching his eyes when he's getting close.
Sensing that it won't be long, you pull back, releasing him. He glares at you in frustration, but you simply smile. "All clean." Standing carefully, you take his hand and lead him under the spray. "Time to wet you down."
You rub your hands along his skin, smoothing the soap away. He catches them and pulls you to him, his mouth finding yours. You want to giggle at the water streaming over you like something out of a romance movie, but the heat of his kiss is too involving.
You feel his arms around you then the soft brush of the washcloth against your skin. His hands are firm as they move it in small circles, soothing away any aches or soreness from your days in captivity. You arch against him, pressing your body tightly to his. He drops the cloth, rubbing your soapy skin with his hands instead.
His fingers dig a little harder, massaging the muscles of your back before they slip down to caress the soft curve of your bottom. He squeezes lightly and you jump. "Rupert," you warn.
"What?" he asks, his lips grazing your ear.
You shiver as the sensations travel down your spine. He moves his hands up to your shoulders and moves you away from him. You tilt your head, your curiousity getting the better of you. He simply smiles and lets his fingers trail down over your shoulders to the swell of your breasts.
Your body responds, your nipples tightening even more. Your chest is rising and falling rapidly, the heat of the shower adding to the weak feeling in your knees.
You moan softly, burying your face against his chest, wrapping your arms around him in return. You feel so safe in his arms. "Love?"
"Yes Rupert?" Your voice seems drowsy, filled with passion.
"I know I promised dinner, but I've only got a bit of energy left. What say we leave the food till breakfast?"
Even knowing the answer, you still look up into his glorious green eyes. "And what do you proposed to do with your energy then?"
He switches off the water. "I thought I could dry you off." He grabs the towel you draped over the shower door. "Take you to bed." He wraps it around you, rubbing your arms through the soft material. "And tuck you in."
"Tuck me in?"
He grins mischievously, and you're lost. "Well, tuck you into bed. And tuck me into you."