TITLE: Just Another Day...
AUTHOR: Ragna (writinggoddess@aol.com)
RATING: FRT
SPOILERS: None
DISTRIBUTION: Sure, just tell me!
DISCLAIMER: I own only the plot and the characters not on BtVS. Everything else is Joss Whedon's and Mutant Enemy's. I do not own "The Raven"...I just admire the hell out of Edgar Allen Poe! Though I love "Annabell Lee" just as much, I actaully remember "The Raven."
FEEDBACK: Wanted. Needed. SEND IT!
AUTHORS NOTES: Another part of the Giles Saga, this is a straight Alex/Spike story...I just couldn't resist! It's sweet, in a way, and naughty too...I'll let those of you with dirty minds (and the ability to write smut) fill in the shower scene. Or, you can just read my version.

***

***

Alex woke up slowly, the sun shining brightly in her face. Sun equaled no Spike. And for some reason, that thought made her incredibly depressed.

She groaned, and sat up in her bed. Last night had been... God, she couldn't even begin to describe it. She wasn't even about to. Suffice to say, wonderful was an understatement. He acted differently around her, more...human, than when he was around anyone else. He said he loved her, and she damn well believed him. But...

Her clock said it was seven am. It had been the alarm that woke her up. That meant, Spike had probably left around...five am. Maybe a little earlier.

No, I don't want to think about this right now. She got up and headed to her bathroom to take a shower. Only when she came back to get her brush did she see the note on the night stand. She opened it, carefully.

It had one word, one question.

"Tonight?"

***

Spike sat around the mansion, his mood alternating between severely depressed to highly agitated. He thought back to the night before, and smiled, though grimly. He felt awful leaving her there, alone. She made him feel so...

He was at a lack of words to describe exactly what she did to him. And just the thought of feeling her warm skin, or kissing her soft lips...

He shook his head. Since the night at the mansion, when they'd figured out a bit about how they felt about each other, him and Alex had been spending more time together. And he enjoyed every minute of it. It was when she wasn't there that he felt empty, soulless.

What does she see in me? That thought had been kicking around in his head since...since she saved him and Dru in Prague. It had been almost six years. Six years of wondering why she hadn't let those townspeople just kill them. He decided, more on a whim than anything else, that she had done it so she could have the favors. But lately, it seemed as though there'd been another reason. One a bit deeper, one that meant more to her.

Maybe, just maybe, she saw past the fact that I'm a bloody demon and...No, it couldn't be. He sat in shock.

"Could it have been love at first sight?" he muttered out loud, to himself.

***

Alex sat in the library, anxiously awaiting that evening. She'd had a surprising gift come during work. A bouquet of blue roses, and only two people knew how much she loved those things. Surprisingly, they weren't from Spike.

"Thanks for the flowers, Uncle Rupert. I can't believe you remembered."

He smiled, and nodded. "I just thought you could use some cheering up, dear."

"Thank you so much. I have the feeling I'll be saying that all day." She set them out on the counter. Since so few people actually came to the library, she wasn't afraid of anything happening to them. She didn't count on Snyder trying to ruin her day.

"Miss Giles?" he asked in the snotty way he usually did. She sighed, and reluctantly made her way to the doors.

"Can I help you?"

"Miss Giles, you do know you're not allowed to wear that attire here at school," he said, motioning to her jeans and tank top, over which she had a flannel.

"Actually, sir, I am. I checked the book you gave me. Nowhere in there does it mention a dress code for teachers, which I assume you consider me, since I do teach that computer class."

He looked taken aback, but only for a moment. "Very well, you've won this battle. However, there is something...personal...I've been meaning to ask you."

The thought of what it could be made her feel physically ill, but she decided the worst that could happen was she'd lose her job and sue for sexual harassment. "What?"

"Are you free this evening?" She heard her uncle choke, slightly, then go back into the office, not doubt listening for her reply.

"No, I'm not. I don't think my...boyfriend would appreciate you coming on to me, by the way." With that she turned and left Snyder by the library doors, and went into the office.

"Did he... The troll really..." Giles started to ask, trying very hard to keep from laughing.

She made a face. "Yuck. He sure did." Then the two of them burst out laughing.

"You know, dear, if he ever did try anything... I'm glad you have Spike around."

Alex looked up in shock. "You're saying you approve?"

"Not exactly, but... He has shown himself to be loyal. To you, at least." A smile crossed his face. "And if he did do anything to the trollish bastard, I might just congratulate him myself."

***

A while after that, the others were busy doing various things, and Alex started to feel lonely. She went into the office and dialed a phone number. Spike picked it up on the first ring. "Yes?"

"Wow. Nice to hear your voice."

"Alex?" Spike asked, surprised. "How'd you get the number, not that I mind."

She laughed. "It's easy when you know how to hack into a computer."

"I forgot about that. Why'd you call?"

"I'm bored, mostly. And I had a weird experience."

Spike took notice of the way she said that. "Weird as in demonic? Or weird as in... non-demonic?"

"Depends on your classification of demonic. The principal here, Snyder... He asked me out."

Spike thought for only a millisecond before he burst out laughing. "I remember the bug eyed little monster. I hope to God you said no."

"No, I accepted," Alex said sarcastically. "Of course I said no! Besides, I would rather be with you, anyway."

"Is that a fact?" Spike said, his ego being majorly boosted.

"Don't let it go to your head. There's a million other things I'd rather do than go out on a date with him. But you're up at the top."

"That's actually rather flattering, love.. If I didn't know better, I'd say you just paid me a rather large compliment."

"Stop the smugness or I'll hang up," she replied laughingly.

"No, I'll stop, I'll stop," he said. It was surprising, how just hearing from her made his day seems so much...better. "I can't wait for tonight."

"Me neither. I mean, it's nice just being near you, and all. And...Well, my uncle sorta approves. I mean, I can see why he doesn't, but I don't care."

"He does?" This was news to him.

"Yeah. I think he's realized I've grown up, and I can really do things for myself. Besides, he knew I'd leave if he tried to do anything."

"You'd give up your life here? For me?"

"Damn right. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I thought... Nevermind."

"What, Spike?"

"I feel the same way. If Dru was still here, and I had to choose between you two, we'd be on our way out of town before she even suspected anything."

"And I'm getting a lovely image of being chased by vampires at that."

Spike laughed, a warm sound. "We probably would have been." His tone turned serious. "But we'd be together."

"Yeah, we would." Alex looked up at the sound of knocking, and nodded as her uncle pointed to his watch, signaling that she could go home. "Listen, I'm on my way home. Anything I should do for tonight?"

"Eat, probably, though there is some human food here. And Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Those words made her feel really warm inside, and she liked that feeling. "I love you too."

***

The rest of the day went by slowly, to the point Spike was about to go insane. He needed her, needed to be near her. The door opened; it was still daylight. He dropped what he was doing, and, with some semblance of calm, walked out to the main hall of the mansion. The dark part.

"Hey," Alex said shyly.

"Shy? You? That's interesting," Spike said, watching her step closer to him.

"Knock it off, okay?" she said, then stopped. "Or I won't take another step."

Spike looked at her, sunlight falling over her, making her seem as though she was glowing slightly. She had changed, he surmised, when she went home. She was wearing a short black skirt and a button down silk shirt. Red, almost the same color as his.

"Come here, love," he said, holding out his hand but keeping it in the shadows. She stepped towards him, and intertwined her hand in his. He pulled her close to him, and looked at her.

"Why do I get the feeling you enjoy looking at me?" she asked, an amused look on her face.

"Probably because I do," he replied, right before kissing her. It was tentative at first, seeing how the other would respond, as soon it grew more passionate, more savage. With quite a bit of work, the two of them continued to kiss as they maneuvered their way to the massive library, Spike leading and Alex following. It was dark in there, on account of the lack of windows, and it was quiet. They were alone, and all was as it should be. They continued to kiss, standing in the middle of the massive collection of books, and soon, both of them remembered Alex needed to breathe.

"Wow," Alex breathed out, her arms around Spike's neck, and his around her waist, pulling her closer.

Spike nodded, with a smile on his face. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that, love?"

"Years of practice, though not as many as you, I suppose," she said laughingly, resting her head on his shoulder and getting as close to him as possible.

"I suppose. You feel so warm," he commented, starting to kiss her neck.

"You're going to make me blush," she said, her ears already turning red and her body getting warmer.

"Looks as though you've already started," he said, continuing to rain kisses along her neck and her jawbone. She closed her eyes and just let him, not stopping him, but not responding, either. "You're enjoying this, love, aren't you?"

"Very much so," she muttered, "and you are too, and you know it."

He laughed a little, and removed his lips from her skin. "Yes, I am. I'd enjoy it more if--" He was cut of by her mouth covering his, her warm, soft lips, caressing his, and he just let her enjoy herself, pulling her as close as possible.

This must be heaven, he thought as he returned her kiss, with as much passion as he had for her. Which was quite a bit.

No, this is just a preview, Alex telepathed, a slightly wicked tone with it. He relaxed and opened his mouth once again, feeling inside her warm mouth with his tongue. He needed that warmth, and he needed it now...

***

"I'm just glad all the vampires are gone," Alex said as she stretched out next to him, naked but warm. She had her head on his chest, and was thinking about how eerie it was just to hear her own heart beating.

"I wouldn't have minded much," Spike said, eliciting a look from Alex. "But I knew you would have, so I made sure they all ended up somewhere else by this morning. I wanted this place all to myself...with the exception of you."

"Of course," she said quietly, running her hand over his bare chest, still surprised at how cold he was. "I would have waited to come, but..."

"I understand. I'm the same way." He stroked her hair, and sighed contentedly, even though he didn't have to. She actually laughed at that. "What's so funny, love?"

"I don't know. The fact that we're so totally different, but, we can be together, and everything just makes sense." She pulled her head up a little, and looked at him. "It's a little scary, though, too."

"Life is scary...at least you have one. Be grateful."

"Yeah, but if you weren't a vampire, we never would have met. And I would probably have died miserable and alone." Alex laughed a little, and reached over for her shirt. Spike intercepted her hand and held it.

"Leaving?" he asked, quietly, almost fearfully.

She shook her head. "No, I'm just cold." He relaxed, and she smiled. "Afraid I was going to?"

He nodded. "Very much so. I don't know why, but... You make me feel different. Needed, loved, and not so alone." He kissed her palm and let go of her hand. Grabbing the shirt, she sat up and put it on, buttoning the buttons as he watched.

"I'm glad," she said when she finished and curled up next to him again. "When you're not around, you're all I can think about."

"I have an idea," he said quietly, standing up and getting dressed. He motioned for Alex to follow him as he walked out of the library, which she did after she finished getting dressed.

They ended up in the garden, and he went over to the roses, finding the perfect one. He took it off the rose bush and handed it to her. "For you, love."

She smiled, and grasped his hand, as he opened a small door that led outside, and up to the bluff overlooking the city. They sat down, and he held her softly, both of them looking out at the town and just being together. All too soon, it was time for her to leave.

"Wait a moment. What day is tomorrow?"

"Friday, April 13th. Why?"

"I knew it was Friday the 13th tomorrow!" Spike frowned, a little. "Alex, love, can you do something for me?"

"What?" she asked a little warily.

"Stay here. For tonight. I promise I'll let you sleep, I swear. I just...tomorrow, will be strange, and I want you here when I wake up. Do you have to work?"

"Nope. Spring break starts tomorrow, so I have a week off. Why?"

Spike looked at her. "That's a bit of good news," he said softly. "Will you?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. What's going to happen?"

"I'm not sure. But Friday the 13ths, especially in April, have never equated to just another day. And Dru had been here for all of them before..."

"I understand. But I get the feeling there's something else."

Spike nodded. "This one will be the hardest. I got turned April the 13th. So that's the worst day for me."

She nodded again, and gingerly touched his face. "Then I'll be here. I promise." And she leaned towards him, kissing him softly, to seal the promise.

***

The first thing off about that day was when Spike woke up. Normally, if he was alone, he slept until nightfall. If Alex was going to be over, he was up by noon. But that day, he woke up right before dawn. When he had been turned. Alex stirred next to him, and he regretted sitting up. He knew it was her vacation, but when she nestled back into the sheets, he relaxed and got up, pulling on his pants as he headed towards the door.

"Now that woke me up," Alex mumbled, sitting up in his bed, pulling the sheet up to her. Spike looked sheepish, and she smiled at him. "At least it wasn't an alarm clock. For that, I am grateful."

"You sure you don't want more sleep?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"I'm up earlier than this, usually, and my body isn't all that used to the concept of sleeping in. It might be, eventually." She grabbed the first piece of clothing in her reach, which happened to be his red shirt. "Mind if I wear it? For now? It's longer than mine."

"This is a new experience," he said, watching her button up the shirt.

"What is?" she asked, concentrating on the buttons.

"Having someone else wear my clothing. You're the first."

"And I'm flattered," she said as she looked up at him. She found her skirt and underwear, and pulled them on. They went towards the kitchen area, and Alex shut all the drapes she could find before they got there. Rummaging a bit, she found mostly inedible food items, and she was starving.

"This is unfair," she said quietly.

"Are you really hungry, or can it wait a bit?" Spike asked, coming up behind her as she opened yet another cabinet.

"I don't want to, but I can wait." But her stomach rumbled, and Spike laughed.

"I don't think so," he responded, and picked up the phone, dialing information. He moved away from Alex so she couldn't hear, and dialed another number, making a request. He set the phone down and walked over to her, where she was scowling.

"I just ordered you something. I remembered what your favorite foods were, I hope."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "Like...what?"

"Well, there's a human, Willy, who helps us. Most of my lackeys are down at his bar, drunker than bloody hell. I told him to keep 'em there, and find someone to bring you some food. Basically, fruit, and cereal, and milk. I know you...you don't eat much in the mornings."

"A-ha!" she said, pulling down a thing of instant coffee. She opened it up, and smiled. "Well, I can have this for now. Aren't you hungry?" she asked, as she set about making a cup of coffee.

Spike shook his head. "One of the weird things that usually happens is that I don't get hungry at all, and I can't force myself to eat. Trust me, I've tried. But the next day, I'm terribly weak."

"Poor you," Alex said, putting the water in a pot to boil. She laughed. "Not exactly how I make it at home, but...it'll do."

"Remind me to get you some food here in case you decide to do this on a regular basis," Spike mused as he embraced Alex from behind.

"And let the food in my home rot? I think not," she said, laughing, and he could feel the vibrations. "But I might do it more often, possibly." She thought about it for a moment. "You could always stay with me, you know. I wouldn't mind."

Spike closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head. "Let me think about it, love. It's not a bad idea, and I could always keep this place, if need be."

They waited like that, quietly and lost in their own thoughts, for a few minutes, but her water began to boil and she had to make her coffee. "Be glad you don't have to drink this stuff," she said, making a bitter face and wishing for her mocha.

"Then why do you drink it?" Spike asked with amusement.

"It wakes me up, dolt," she said as she took another bitter gulp. "That and a shower in the morning."

"Hmmm...that has possibilities," Spike said, smirking.

"I don't want to know what's going on in that head of yours, love," Alex said. She'd gotten used to using that particular endearment around him. And he loved it.

"Well, how about if I show you?" he whispered in her ear after he took the coffee mug out of her hands and placed it on the counter.

Alex smiled. "Then I'd reply, let the fun begin."

***

A lot of the day had been pretty good, really. Spike had been a little rougher than usual with some areas, but basically, he was normal. For him, anyway.

It was about sundown, and he had started to pull back a bit. Luckily, Alex knew this was going to happen, because he'd told her; every time he had a day like today, he basically relived the emotions of the day he was turned. Maybe not the same actions, but still the same emotions. She assumed that it was in the morning he had discovered exactly all that Drusilla had to offer, as their time in the shower had suggested. Not that she didn't enjoy it. Quite the reverse, actually...

Then, about the middle of the afternoon, she assumed he had been sleeping, because that's what he'd been doing until now. She had gone into the library, pulled down a copy of some Edgar Allan Poe poems and stories, and had caught up on her American Gothic writing. In fact, as Spike was emerging from the bedroom, she was trying to commit "The Raven" to memory.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over a many quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..." She trailed off, startled at how much it reminded her of her alternate job as a Watcher.

"As I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door..." she continued, so wrapped up in the poem that she didn't hear Spike come up behind her.

"'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'rapping at my chamber door, only this, and nothing more.'" Spike finished, startling Alex. "Favorite poem, actually. I can recite more, if you'd like to hear it."

Alex nodded, loving the way the old poem sounded with his accent. So Spike paused, and began the poem from the second verse.

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; so that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, "'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door- Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;- This it is, and nothing more.

"Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, "Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; but the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, that I scarce was sure I heard you"- here I opened wide the door;- Darkness there, and nothing more.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; but the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!" This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"- Merely this, and nothing more."

He looked over at Alex, a sheepish grin on his face. "I forgot the rest."

She smiled up at him, and shrugged. "You just made it sound even more beautiful than it already is. I loved it."

He smiled at her, but she understood that his mind was somewhere else, and wasn't all that surprised when he changed faces and lunged at her. She just calmly held up a cross and continued reading. A few moments later, he changed back, and was overcome with remorse.

"Reliving your first kill, I suppose?" she asked calmly, and he nodded. "Is it okay if I try to comfort you?"

"I just tried to kill you, love, and you still want to help?" Alex laughed and went to where he was sitting on the floor.

"Of course I do, Spike," she replied as she held him gently. "I know what to expect, remember? You warned me earlier. About ten or so, you should be getting back to the Spike I know and love."

He just nodded and held her as well, almost as if he was clinging to the last of his humanity. Which he was, in a way. "Dru never would have done this," he said after a bit.

"Never would have done what?"

"Stayed here and gone through everything you have. She used to be with him, and I'd be left alone. And I mean really alone. But at night, she'd be back."

"Him being Angelus?" she asked gently, and got a nod for an answer. "Well, I won't leave. No matter how rough it gets. You have my word."

***

As the hours went by, he changed a few more times, and each time tried to attack Alex. Each time, she held the cross up at him, and he backed away. As it got closer to ten, he got a bit nasty, insulting her, but she took it in stride. At about eleven, Alex couldn't stay awake much longer, but felt that she owed him at least her attention until midnight. Then he'd be normal again, and she could get some sleep.

"Love? Why don't you get some sleep?" Spike suggested, sitting next to her by the chair. She shook her head and pointed to her watch, showing it was only 11:16.

"I'm staying awake until midnight," she said stubbornly, and true to her word, she did. And at 12:01, she promptly fell asleep.

Spike shook his head, as though he was trying to clear out some thoughts. He stood up, remembering everything from that entire day, and looked down at his sleeping lover. Gently, he picked her up, almost as though she was as light as a feather, and carried her to his bed. In that moment, he made up his mind about something.

"Alex? Love? Can I tell you something?" he asked as he set her down on the bed.

"Hmmm?" she replied, not entirely awake, but not asleep, either.

"I decided I'll take you up on your offer. About staying at your home. I'd like to, if you'd let me."

She smiled, and started to fall asleep again. "Good." As she was almost asleep, after Spike was next to her, holding her, she said one more thing.

"I love you, Spike."

As he nestled against her, he whispered, "I love you too, Alexandra." And the day ended for them, becoming just another day.