Angel lay on his back, an arm thrown carelessly over his eyes in his big lonely bed like he’d done on thousands of other nights. But this night being alone bothered him. Try as he might, he couldn’t shut out the sounds of the humans that currently resided in his hotel. He could hear Dawn’s heartbeat. It was steady and even, comforting in the darkness. He could hear her small sighs as she shifted position in bed, lost in a dream filled slumber. The sleep of the innocent.
Faith, on the other hand, was restless. Her heartbeat was erratic just like the sounds of her soft footfalls on the carpet as she paced. Evidently, she was having as fitful a sleep as he was. Angel knew about sleepless nights. About terrible things that jostled around in your mind in the middle of the night. Hell, he’d been the cause of most of his own dark thoughts. Part of him wanted to go to her room, offer to talk. But talking might lead to other things. Especially considering the amount of alcohol he’d consumed. It would loosen his tongue and his inhibitions. . .and that was dangerous.
His feelings for Faith were complicated enough without mixing in his attraction to Dawn too. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. Angel closed his eyes again. He was determined to fall asleep. He rolled onto his side and pressed his cheek against the cool cotton. Angel deliberately stiffened and then relaxed his muscles, waiting for the safe oblivion of sleep. He felt himself begin to drift off.
Spike, who had been concealed in the deep shadows in the corner of the room sighed in exasperation. He sat the Ming vase down reluctantly that he’d been holding. It was a pity, really. He’d been looking forward to bashing Peaches over the head with it. He’d even grabbed one of those nancy boy doilies Angel had on the top of his chest of drawers to muffle the noise of the breaking pottery. Nothing would keep him from Dawn’s room. Nothing! Except for a locked door. Smashing it in would have ruined the stealthiness of this operation. The sweetness of the surprise. But it would have been fun.
No, the only path to Dawn was blocked by Angel himself. So, he’d snuck in Angel’s room after the older vampire had fallen asleep the first time and was about to open the door that connected to Dawn’s suite when he’d woken up again. Spike had silently cursed his sire as the older vampire tossed and turned. Luckily, Angel was not quite sober and had been unable to detect his presence.
Spike crossed to the door and opened it quickly, sliding inside Dawn’s room easily. He leaned against the door and feasted his eyes on the vision before him. He’d observed her like this before, only she didn’t know it. Often, when he’d been obsessed with the Slayer and had been lying in wait for her to get back from patrol he used to sneak into Dawn’s room. Something about the girl captured his attention. She confounded him with her mixture of youth, beauty, and ageless wisdom. At the time, he’d thought nothing of it. Put it off as an offshoot of his obsession with Buffy.
On his furtive forays into her room, Spike usually watched her sleep, wondering what she dreamt about. How could she be so unspoiled and untouched while living on the Hellmouth? Once he even laid down on her bed beside her, listening to the soft sound of her breathing and inhaling the scent of lilacs from her pillow. He’d been so bold as to stroke her hair. Almost willing her to wake up and speak to him. Instead, she’d relaxed into his touch and even curled her little fingers around the soft leather of his duster. It had felt so right somehow. So right that he’d flown from her house, Slayer stalking be damned for the evening.
Spike towered over her as she once again lay on a bed. Dawn was no longer a precocious child and he wanted to do much more than just lie beside her. She was so lovely. Heartbreakingly beautiful, to be exact. Dawn lay on her back, glorious chestnut waves fallen like a shadow around her delicate face. A shapely cream colored leg had escaped the warm mass of covers that lay over her. Her arms were still tucked beneath the blanket. Her feminine curves were outlined clearly by the moonlight and the clinging blankets she clutched.
Spike licked his lips as he approached her. A hungry wolf in the hen house. The desire to touch her. . .take her was almost unbearable. Had he ever had such a hard time controlling himself? Spike’s hand shook as he reached out, intending only to touch her satin cheek. He brushed the back of his hand over her face. She sighed and tilted her face up to his slight caress. “Mmm. . .Spike.” She murmured. His hand froze. Then, the wickedest of grins slid over his aquiline features. She’d been dreaming of him? He pounced, using his full strength to pin her down.
Dawn awoke with a scream, which was muffled by Spike’s skillful hand. She glared at him furiously, blue eyes shooting sparks at him. He smiled back enjoying her fury and her struggles. Then Dawn grinned. . .as she brought her escaped leg up against his hip and knocked him off balance.
He lost his grip on her then and she took the opportunity to push him off of her slight form and then flip him over. Then she rested her weight on top of him, deftly pulling a stake from underneath the pillow and pressing it above his heart. “I think you bit off more than you can chew, Spike.”
“I was about to say the same thing to you, luv.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and rolled his hips, making sure she felt every inch of the lean body beneath her.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?”
“Why, I’m visitin you’, nibblet. Trying to be sociable. Thought you might need some company. ” He let his eyes drift down her torso, letting her know exactly what kind of ‘company’ he had in mind. She realized that he was getting quite an eyeful too. She wore an old t-shirt that only came to mid thigh. It was thin in patches and made her skin visible. It wasn’t threadbare in the best places. Spike’s nostrils flared, he really did love unwrapping his presents. He wished he weren’t wearing so many clothes. He was completely dressed in black jeans that had seen better days and his tight black t- shirt, his worn leather duster lay spread around his body.
Dawn blushed, wishing now that she’d worn the new pair of satin pajamas she’d gotten on her last shopping trip instead. “Oh yeah? You always visit people at,” She glanced at the alarm clock by the bed. “Three in the morning?”
“Uh huh.” She noticed that Spike had that sultry look in his eyes. Dangerous. Predatory. The look that made her want to melt into a little puddle at his feet. She pressed the stake against him harder, enjoying their game of cat and mouse. But who was the cat and who was the mouse?
“Be careful, nibblet. You want to give me a splinter?”
“That’s all you’ll be getting from me.” She gave him a smug smile, making sure to graze his skin before removing the stake and moving off him. Spike looked put out. “I was sleeping, Spike. I have to get up early tomorrow.”
“What for?” She was a Slayer for pity’s sake, she should keep vampire hours.
“Angel is teaching me pilates. Then we’ll do aerobics.”
Fabulous, they were going to talk about Peaches again. “Aerobics, eh? Does he wear pink tights?”
“No!”
“Purple?”
“NO!” She pressed the stake back against his chest again.
A pissed off Slayer was no one’s friend. “I’ll be serious now. Put your pointy wooden toys away, please.“ She put it back under her pillow. He grinned before continuing. “The poof bundles you out of bed at some undemonly hour so that the two of you can do some of that poofy stretching?” She nodded solemnly, her mouth twitching the slightest bit. “Sod that! Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow? Have some waffles in bed? Or even read the bloody paper? You’ve earned it, luv.”
“Can’t. I have to be in the best shape possible. Sacred duty. . .yada. . .yada. . . yada.”
“It’s your sacred duty to sweat to the oldies with that git?” She rolled her eyes. He’d convince her sooner or later. If things went well, she’d be lying beside him in the morning. He merely had to get her in an agreeable mood. “Come on, don’t you want to have a little fun? Let’s go to the roof, pet. Take a gander at the stars.”
He looked like a little boy begging for a piece of candy. She started to refuse him yet again when he tilted his head to the side, his lips puffing out the slightest bit. “Please?”
She gave in. “Alright. But only for a little while.”
*********
Angel could have sworn he heard voices next door in Dawn’s room. He strained to hear but couldn’t make out any now. He rubbed his head, maybe he’d dreamed it. “Must be the alcohol.” It had been a very long time since he’d drank so much. His youth had been a blur of tavern wenches and all night benders. Of course, he’d quite a higher tolerance level than he had now.
