"Hello?" Willow tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder, lighting a candle.

"Was that not the coolest thing that you've ever seen in our entire existence?"

"Hey, Xander. Yea, the sparkage factor was pretty cool."

"Only pretty cool? It was incredible."

"Only Buffy would think of killing the unkillable demon by slamming it into Sunnydale's electrical generators," Willow said haughtily.

"The sparks were awesome! It was like last Tuesday all over again!"

"Xander, you only played with sparklers for the Fourth of July."

"Anya freaked out over the loud fireworks."

"Whatever. So here's the whole problem to Buffy's demon slayage. . ." Willow sighed, moving to the next candle. "It's about 150 degrees outside and Sunnydale's electricity is out. In other words, no air conditioner. That means a hot night."

"Anya and I are going to bathe in ice water. I'm sure there will be orgasms."

< Orgasms, > Willow thought, biting her lip. "Damn. I need one of those."

"So exactly *what* happened with you and Spike last night? Buffy came running back in the house and said we had to leave, cause you and Blondie were talking on the balcony. Except she was blushing, and she was acting like you were doing more than talking."

Willow sighed. "It was wonderful. Oh, Xand, it was so hot out there, and he came up on the balcony, and we took off our clothes -"

"You did *what*?"

"Because it was hot, and he was cool. I was just going to press my body against his. . ."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"Not exactly," Willow said, sighing. She sat down on the couch in her living room. The candles were flickering, casting long shadows along the wall. She watched one, fascinated, as it seemed to move gracefully, like a person would. "He did stuff to me, and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in my bedroom and he was gone."

"Did you go see him today?"

"Yea, right, Xander. What do I say? 'Hey, Spike, thanks for the great oral lesson last night, let's do it again'. You know he doesn't like me, so why should I embarrass myself like that?" She peered at the shadows, amazed at how real that one looked.

"What if he did like you?"

"Xander, why aren't you freaking out? I had oral sex with a vampire. Aren' t you supposed to be all wiggy and rant and rave about how wrong it is, etcetera, etcetera?"

"Willow. I'm sleeping with an ex-demon that's over a thousand years old. I really don't have the right to say anything about you being involved with Spike. He's not a bad guy, really. Sure, he'd kill us if he could, but he can't."

Willow frowned, standing up. She was listening to Xander, but not completely. The shadow was bothering her. She slowly moved towards it. She wrapped the cord to the phone around her hand and sighed. It was already starting to turn into an oven in her house. "Wish I had my personal air conditioner," she murmured.

She reached the shadow and extended her hand. She hit solid wall. Except for the wall had cotton on it, and felt oddly like a chest. She frowned. "What the hell?"

Yellow glowing eyes opened. "Oh shit!" Willow cried, jumping back, dropping the phone. She fell back on her ass and scrambled backwards away from the vampire. < How the hell did a vampire get in my house? >

"WILLOW!" The redhead could hear Xander yelling through the phone. "WILLOW, WHAT'S WRONG?"

"XANDER!" Willow screamed. "HELP! THERE IS A VAMP. . ." She frowned and stopped in midscream as the vampire stepped out of the shadows. Spike was smirking at her, full game face on. He wore a black knit cap, hiding his shock of blond hair. Willow supposed it was to keep him hidden in the shadows. "Spike?"

"WILLOW! I'M GONNA CALL BUFFY!" Xander screamed through the phone.

Spike bent over, picking up the phone. "No need, mate, it's just me."

"Spike?" Xander asked.

"The one and only. I'm here, Willow is fine. . ."

"Let me talk to her," Xander demanded.

Spike passed the phone to the frightened redhead. He smiled, brushing his hand against hers. < Christ, her fear is intoxicating. It is so sweet. >

"Xander," Willow said softly. "I'm ok. He just scared me, that's all." She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves.

"So I don't need to call Buffy?" Xander asked softly.

"No," Willow said, standing up. Spike grabbed her elbow and assisted her. He flashed her a smile. "I'll call you later. You and Anya go have that ice cold bath, have lots of orgasms, you know, all that."

"You too," Xander chuckled.

"Shut up," Willow hissed. She walked back to the phone cradle. "Bye, Xander."

"Bye."

Willow hung up. She kept her back to Spike, ignoring him, concentrating only on the stifling heat in her house, and keeping her heart from bursting out of her chest.

Spike smirked at her back. It was hotter than usual in her house, but as before, he was unaffected by the heat. He pulled his duster off, slinging it over the couch. He watched her as she tried to calm her heartbeat down. He slipped back to his human mask, licking his lips at the thought of her pulse pounding against his mouth. "Pet."

She ignored him, walking through the house. She was giving off the impression she was checking the candles to make sure they were all lit.

Spike watched her try to look busy. He sat on her couch, pulling his boots and socks off. He wiggled his toes in her plush carpet. "Dru and I lived in this apartment, back in the fifties, that had the most wonderful plush carpet, you'd sink in it. It was blood red. . .perfect for hiding the blood that we tended to spill."

Willow stiffened. < Goddess, he's talking about Dru. Am I that boring? Why would I think that he would want to be with me? Why is he here? > "Why are you here?" she asked softly.

Spike noticed she stiffened. < It was the spilling blood remark. Bugger! Why did I think that she might see something in a vampire? Well, hell. If she's gonna freak out about me being one, I might as well be one. > He frowned. "I. . .thought that your air would be out, and wondered if you needed your personal air conditioner."

Willow turned around. She voiced the question that had bugged her all day long: "Spike, how did you get in my house?"

"Oh," he said, matter-of-factly, "last night, I didn't want to leave you naked on the balcony, so I sorta woke you up and you gave me an invite."

"Thank god you aren't evil," she said, walking into the kitchen.

Spike jumped up and followed her. She was beautiful. She wore a tank top and a pair of short shorts, and her hair was up in a ponytail. Her body glistened in the moonlight that streamed through the windows. She was putting the dishes in the dishwasher up. It was obvious she was avoiding him. "I am evil, pet. Don't ever forget that. There would be blood spilling, if it weren't for this chip. I can assure you that if I didn't have this bloody chip, last night I wouldn't have been between your legs." < You wouldn't let me anywhere near you, Red. >

Willow stiffened, ignoring the lust that was beginning to race through her body at the thought of him between her legs again. "Spike, go home."

"Home?" he asked, pulling off his shirt. "You don't need your air conditioner?"

"Spike, I don't need -" she started, spinning around. She stopped, her mouth half open. The candlelight played on his face and his chest. His hair was unruly from the cap, and from pulling his shirt off. A few stray locks of long blond hair fell into his eyes. He pushed the strands away. She cleared her throat, a heat flooding her body. "I don't need you here."

"You don't?" he asked, stepping towards her, as if she were his prey. "You look like you need me here, and you smell like you need me here. . .everyone needs a good shag, pet."

She backed up, cringing as she ran into the counter. She glanced around wildly, trying to find a way out of this predicament. Her body wanted him, but her mind didn't trust him for a minute. Besides. . .the way he was looking at her. . . She was reminded of Spike, pre-chip. She shivered as a blot of fear shot through her body.

"Pet. . ." he said teasingly.

Willow reached behind her and grabbed a butcher knife, holding it up. "I'll stab you if you come any closer."

Spike cocked an eyebrow. His lips curled into a grin. "Aw, pet, you want foreplay?"

Willow blinked in shock. "What?" she whispered. "Foreplay? *This* is foreplay? Knives?"

He laughed, his voice rich and deep. He grabbed her wrist. With his other hand, he plucked the knife out of her hand. He threw it on the counter, smiling as sound of metal against tile clattered in the silent kitchen. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her. There wasn't enough pressure in him holding her hand behind her back, therefore, the pain mechanism didn't go off in his head. She struggled against him, her hand on his chest.

"You just don't know how much struggling gets me ready to shag, luv," Spike whispered into her ear.

She froze. Her eyes closed and she started murmuring to herself.

He grabbed her forearms and pushed her away from him. "Are you doing a spell, witch?"

"Spell?" she asked. "No, I was praying to my Goddess."

"You are scared. Why? You weren't scared last night."

"Last night was different," she said.

"How?"

"Last night, I'd had a couple of drinks. Also, last night, you were Spike. Tonight, you are Master Vampire, Badass who will kill us."

"I still have the chip, pet," he purred. "I can't kill you. If I could, you would be dead right now."

She looked up at him, her face closing down. Her eyes hardened. < Damn it! > he thought. < Wrong thing to say! >

"Get the fuck out of my house," she hissed. She pushed past him and ran through the living room. She stormed upstairs.

Spike chuckled softly, following her. "You want to play, luv? We can play." He sprinted up the stairs, skipping every other one. He knocked on her door. "Luv. . .come out and play with Spike. . .you know you want to. . ."

Willow glanced back at the closed door. < Goddess, > she thought. < I'm going crazy. I have a vampire outside my door, and he wants to play with me. And he's gorgeous, and I'm turning him down? > She closed her eyes and prayed a quick prayer. < Goddess, I don't know what to do. Please, give me a sign. . .do I kick him out, or do I actually let myself be selfish and have some fun? > She opened her eyes. Glancing around the room for her sign, her eyes settled on the picture of her, Xander, and Buffy. Buffy was looking up to the empty space next to her. Willow knew that Angel was standing beside her best friend, only he didn't show up in the picture.

Willow sighed. "That's not too much of a sign." Her eyes strayed to the picture of Oz next to her desk lamp. He was in shadows.

For the first time in a long time, Willow didn't feel the familiar stab of pain in her chest. She always had a hard time looking at the picture of Oz, but now. . . "Hmm. . ." She thought of Spike, and automatically, her mind ran away with her. Her mind danced with visions of him standing naked and proud in front of her, showing her all he had to offer. Him leaning over her; kissing her softly before going to bed. Looking down at him as she pounded into him, claiming him for all she was worth. His game face sliding on as he descended, sinking his fangs into her neck.

Willow whimpered at the thought.

"Pet!" Spike said loudly through the door, interrupting her visions. "Come on, Red! I'm tired of this cat and mouse game! It was fun a few minutes ago, but I just want to shag you now! Come on! I can smell your arousal through the door! I know you want this!"

He stepped back when he heard the door unlock. He waited patiently. She didn't open the door. He reached out and turned the knob. He pushed open the door, peering in cautiously. "Red?"

His eyebrows went up. She was standing at her balcony, wearing a beautiful silk burgundy nightgown. "Red," he purred. "I like this nightgown."

She turned, and smiled. "I thought you would. Should remind you of blood." She fingered the silk.

He crossed the room in swift steps. "How wonderful that would be," he murmured, taking her into his arms, "to kill someone and bathe you in their blood. I could spend hours licking it off of your body, every inch."

She moaned softly, closing her eyes. "I don't care for the blood part, but I like the tongue idea."

"Would you like that?" he whispered, his mouth inches from her ear. "I could run my cold tongue over every inch of your body, watching the goose bumps rise. . ."

"Don't tease, Spike," she hissed. "Just take me."

He pulled her against his body, his lips crashing on hers in a punishing kiss. He forced his tongue into her mouth, barely waiting for her to part her lips in acceptance. He poured all of his frustration and aggression into the kiss, practically ravaging her mouth.

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed away, her chest rising and falling in deep breaths. "Oh, goddess," she whispered, still trying to catch her breath.

He smirked at her. "What's the matter, Red? Can't take it rough?"

She narrowed her eyes at the challenge. She looked up at him. "Oh, Blondie, I can take it rougher than you think I can."

"I doubt you can take anything rough, luv. I wouldn't want to break your fragile body."

She laughed. "Whatever," she said, shoving Spike away. She turned away from him.

"Oh, come on, Red, I was joking! Don't do this, don't be so fick. . ." He frowned. She had turned around, and she was eying him like he was a piece of meat. He fidgeted. For some reason, it made him nervous. It was almost the same look Angelus gave him years ago, before the older vampire would tackle him. . .

Spike's body slammed into the wall as Willow flew at him, throwing her body into his. "Bloody Hell, Red!" he cried, grabbing her arms and looking down at her.

She pressed her body against his, her rock hard cloth covered nipples pressing into his chest. "Don't think I like it rough, eh?" She reached up and grabbed his hair, slamming his head into the wall. She held his head there. She leaned up and kissed him violently, matching his previous kiss with a fierce determination.

Spike moaned deep in his chest, grabbing her hips. He pulled her against him, his tight jeans straining. She was intoxicating, matching his aggression with her own.

She held his head in place with one hand. Her other hand snaked between their bodies, unzipping his pants. She released his bobbing cock.

He thrust into her hand, looking for the friction he needed to explode. He gripped the silk at her hips and pulled it up. He slid his thumbs between her skin and the straps on her panties and pulled. The scrap of silk fell away, leaving Willow naked under the gown.

Spike held on to her naked hips, the silky gown bunched up around his wrists. He spun her around, slamming her against the wall. She pulled out of the kiss with a grunt, shuddering. She took a deep breath, then narrowed her green orbs. The angry eyes settled on Spike. "No," she hissed. "I have control."

A brown eyebrow rose. "Really?" he asked. "Says who?"

She pushed his chest. He was surprised when the force of her shove made him step back. She pushed him! "Pet, when did you get so strong?"

"Small spell of strength I've been working on. I wanted to test it, before I used it on Xander and me. I'm testing it on you." She laughed at the look of uncertainty on his face. "Don't worry, *pet*," she said, emphasizing his nickname for her, "I won't use it, once I'm giving you your surprise for the night."

"Surprise?" he asked, backing up. Willow looked intent on getting him, like a predator. She looked. . .possessed. < Oh, no! Willow is possessed! I gotta get in touch with someone. . .the Watcher! I gotta get him to help unpossess her. . . >

Before he could do anything to try to save her from what he deemed was possession, she grabbed his arms and practically threw him on the bed. < Ok, > Spike thought, reminded of some of his better lovers throughout time, < maybe this isn't so bad. >

Willow jumped on the bed, straddling him. She grabbed his wrists roughly, pushing them to the top of the bed. She reached under the pillow and pulled out a white scarf, tying his hands to the headboard.

Spike's eyes widened. No one took control from him. Ever. The only time he was *ever* tied up was when Angelus was mad at him and taking all his frustrations out on him. He glanced up at his hands and relaxed. < There's no way some wispy piece of silk is going to keep my hands up there. > He yanked his hands, shocked when they didn't move. "Red?"

"Magically enhanced. You can't break free," she grinned.

"Luv, I don't think we should. . ."

"Spike, I'll gag you if you don't shut up."

Spike snapped his mouth shut. He watched as Willow got up and went to the foot of the bed. She grabbed the cuffs of Spike's black jeans and yanked hard. The offending denim flew off his body. Spike hissed softly.

Willow grinned, taking in her soon-to-be lover's naked body. "You are beautiful," she murmured. She walked over to her dresser and opened a drawer. She rifled through the stuff in there.

Spike watched her through lust filled eyes. He was rock hard, ready to play. His eyes grew when she pulled out a dagger. "Red?" He struggled. "Red, what the hell is that?"

"You don't know what a knife is, Spike?" She threw her head back and laughed. She stalked him, walking around the bed. His eyes followed her every move, knowing that tonight, he was the hunted.

"You are possessed, aren't you?"

"Do I look possessed? Am I acting different?"

"Yes," he said. "You are acting different."

"But how do you know who the real Willow Rosenberg is? No one knows. No one bothers to take the time to let me out of the shell you've built around me. But then you wouldn't understand, you didn't meet the vampire me. You didn't see who I was with no inhibitions." She kneeled on the bed beside him. "What was it you told me earlier? That knives were foreplay?"

Spike shivered in anticipation. "Pet. . ."

She ran the flat edge of the knife along his skin. "Do you like to be cut, Spike? Do you like the bloodletting?"

Spike's demon roared. "You know I like bloodletting, pet, its part of being a vampire."

Willow straddled his thighs. She moved her gown so his rock hard cock was standing at attention in front of her. She smiled. "God," she moaned, "it' s so hot. . ." She had opened the French Doors so a hot breeze was wafting through her room. She pulled her gown off and threw it aside.

"Spike," she purred. "Do you want me to cut you?"

He looked up at her, a look of fear and lust in his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. "I do."

Willow traced the flat plane against his skin. With the flick of a wrist, the sharp tip was cutting into his skin.

Spike shivered as she drew a line down his chest. She grinned and leaned over, slowly running her tongue along the cut. Spike shuddered under her touch. < Ok, this is not happening. There is not a human here, running a knife on my body, this just is not happening. . . > "Willow. . ."

She looked at him with surprise. "You said my name."

"D. . .Does it displease you?"

"No," she smiled. "I like it. I like the way your blood tastes too. . ." She ran the knife along his chest again, licking the crimson trail.

The room became silent after Spike's game face emerged. The smell of blood was thick in the air. She was working intently, drawing something in on his skin, stopping only to lean down and drink her work. Spike moaned occasionally, tugging at his bindings. He wanted to pound into her, claim her for eternity. It was at this moment Spike knew the Witch was his.

"There," she smiled. "I like it."

He glanced down. The healing cuts, which weren't deep enough to cause scars, spelled 'RED'. His eyes met hers.

"You are mine," she said quietly. "Not Drucilla's, not Harmony's, not even Angelus'. You are mine."

Spike blinked at her statement. "You are claiming me?"

"Do you want me to bite you to prove to you that you are mine?" she asked.

His lips curled into a grin. "That's how us vamp's do it, pet."

Willow slid up his body, sinking onto his aching cock. He grunted, thrusting into her as deep as he could. She was so wet, having enjoyed the spot of blood from moments before. She started grinding into him, clenching the muscles of her cunt around his dick, holding him there before she impaled herself on him again.

He hissed with pleasure, closing his yellow eyes. "God, Red. . ."

She leaned down, running her tongue along his jugular. She smiled against his skin. "I love you," she murmured softly.

Spike arched off the bed and howled when her blunt teeth sank into his flesh. Somehow, she managed to bite through the tender skin. She eagerly drank a little of his blood. She lapped lazily over the bite.

Spike growled, sinking his fangs into her neck. She cried out, grinding into him. She exploded, clenching around him. He pulled his fangs out of her neck, roaring in the pleasure of his own orgasm.

Spike blinked, trying to organize all the thoughts and feelings he had swirling in his head. < She claimed me. I'm hers now. >

Willow sat up, running her tongue along her R. She smiled at Spike. "Whom do you belong to?" she asked.

"You," he said softly. "I belong to you, Willow."