She's A Beauty
(Title from The Tubes' song She's a Beauty.)
“I still say that thing is gross and obscene.” Somehow the nibbles Spike was giving her neck were easing her pain, but even so… there were whole worlds of weird involved in what she’d just seen. What he was trying to convince her was just A-OK.
“What? I’ve apologized about all a man can for it… ‘sides, wasn’t my idea to pop her back into bein’ and let her have another go ‘round. Willow an’ the boy watcher thought it’d be a good idea, seein’ that they can’t quite figure what made his Papa-bot tick. Consider it research. ‘s worth a shot,” Spike shrugged in response.
It had just been a confluence of circumstances—that was all. A call to the Watcher’s Council after the run-in with the Roger Wyndham-Pryce and ninja robots had brought Buffy and company running, Buffy straight into Spike’s arms—much to Angel’s chagrin. Aside from the romantic drama, there had been no small amount of concern on the part of the Watchers—both new and old—as to what the robots could mean; Willow’s suggestion of study was only good in theory, as they hadn’t had a specimen left to examine. But then—well, Willow had saved the day. In a manner of speaking.
They’d all been… surprised that Willow had kept the bot’s programming on her laptop, but the opportunity to study its consciousness and possible responses once all the details had been installed in the fresh new electro-Buffy had been too good to pass up, especially since they didn’t know what to make of the android invasion. The Buffybot had been the most advanced technology they’d seen, and thus their best hope; between Willow’s records, Willow herself, and the technicians in the Science Division, it was only a matter of time before Buffybot 2.0 rose from the dust of microchips gone by.
There had, of course, been objections, but when it came down to it, they had no other choice—robot consciousness was robot consciousness, and they needed to study it in action. A quick conference between blonde vampire and witch decided that the bot could serve a second purpose—diverting Angel’s moon-eyes from Buffy herself, and getting him off his broody arse and back into the swing of life. Buffy had objected—strenuously—but then had seen how Angel looked at the bot, the dreamy look in his eyes, and she’d acquiesced, with conditions. That didn’t, however, mean that she was yet all right with the reality of the situation, especially now that she’d seen the situation in all its kissy-faced reality for the first time.
“But… but… it’s the me-bot! Again!” Buffy shuddered indignantly, shoving Spike away. “It’s me, but not, and that’s just… creepy. And not only that, but it’s the me-bot kissing Angel. It’s weird and bad and wrong… I can’t believe you’re OK with this.”
“Oh, come on, Goldilocks… you gotta give the man something. You come here, wavin’ fresh-baked cookies in his face just to slam his hand in the jar… Was enough to make me feel sorry for him. ‘m not sayin’ we should let him keep her ‘round forever, but the bloke needs a proper send-off. ‘Sides, it’s gotten him out of our hair.”
Buffy snorted inelegantly, rolling her eyes at the overdramatic heartsick gestures being made by her lover. “Yeah. ‘Cause you’re all about making Angel feel good.”
“That’s the beauty of the bot!” he answered, grin mischievous as he stalked back towards her. “Now, she’s all about making Angel feel good—least ‘til her batteries wear down and we put her away.”
“I still say it’s creepy.”
“And I still say give the man his life-size sex toy… and more importantly, give me mine.” His arm around her waist reeled her in slowly, and she only played at trying to stay away. The pretense wasn’t going to fool anyone, but it was still a good time.
“Did you at least take out some of the special stuff?”
“The slaying stuff, you mean? Yeah… no need for her to know that lot now, is there?”
“Not the slaying stuff…. The special stuff. You know… the five hours at a stretch, lesson-the-first stuff,” Buffy answered, flushing under the heat of his gaze.
“Oh, that. Yeah. Gave her virgin programming,” he answered off-handedly, clearly mesmerized by the tiny pulse moving just beneath her jaw.
“What?!” If anything, Buffy’s squeak was more indignant than any sound he’d ever heard from her.
“’s what he wants, love… doesn’t wanna know all the nasties dancin’ round that pretty little head… ‘s too real. Dirty little vixen.” He dodged her half-hearted slap and gave her a playful leer as he teased her throat with his fingertips. “I just gave him his bitty Buffy again.”
“OK, still with the ewww. But… you’re sure that all the special stuff that made her like me… you know, the older me… that’s gone?”
“Yup. She’s as priggish and tight-assed as ever you were.”
“For the sake of smoochies, I’m ignoring that.” Buffy groaned as Spike pinched her nipple lightly through her shirt, although she squeezed his erection fairly roughly. She knew that the touch would be considered foreplay more than revenge, but still… it was a gesture. “But don’t think I’m not gonna… OH!... make you pay later.”
“Lookin’ forward to it,” he answered, mouth claiming hers as his hand continued its assault.
Just when the smoochies were getting good, a heated, girlish exclamation from the other room froze both vampire and Slayer in their tracks.
“Oh, Angel! You’re the BIG bad!”
Spike smirked as Buffy muttered, “no, no… it’s all gone, Buffy, I swear,” mockingly under her breath in an appalling interpretation of his accent.
If the first exclamation had caught her off guard, the second left her speechless, wide-eyed and torn between hysterical laughter and exasperated groans.
“Not the biggest bad, though… OH!... Spike was bigger…”
“Very funny, Spike!!!!” The incensed roar from the dark vampire in the other room sent both blondes into fits of giggles, hands covering each other’s mouths as they fought for quiet.
Buffy’s hands holding him against the edge of the desk as he tried to move away were a surprise, and he looked up to meet her amused and aroused eyes. “What?” she asked innocently, thrusting her hips against his and biting her lip as he bucked against her. “She’s not wrong.”
The low chuckle he gave in response sent visible chills down her spine, and he took advantage of the opportunity to tease the tender flesh of the nape of her neck as she turned, pressing her back enticingly to his front. He growled as his hands gripped her hips, holding her ass against him as he thrust forward against her.
Buffy groaned and wiggled, forcing herself to ignore the stereo Buffy moans coming from the other room. “So how ‘bout it, Spike? Wanna show me the biggest bad again? Bet I can scream louder than the bot…”