Our Next Sin Is Contemplated

Spike opened his eyes and blinked. He guessed he'd fallen asleep. For a minute he couldn't figure out where he was or how he'd gotten there. Then he saw her. Fred was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at him. Nude. Very nude. With her hair falling over her shoulder. She was as still as a statue. Beauty. They were both quite nude.

And he remembered.

"Fred?"

"I could just stare at you all day."

His entire body hardened at her words.

"I affect you?"

"That should be obvious after last night, luv. Affect me? Bloody hell, you consume me."

She ran her fingertips across his abdomen. The muscles tensed even more under her touch. "You're so beautiful, Spike. I can't figure why you'd want me."

"What?"

"Well, I'm nothing special. I don't even have that much experience. I couldn't even remember what to do."

"Shut the hell up!"

She jumped.

"You think I give a shit how much you know? Pet, that's not the point with you and me. The point IS you and me."

"Oh." She smiled.

Fred rose off the bed and grabbed her robe. She put it on. It was so comfortable. Pink terry cloth. She clicked on the radio as she heard Spike putting on his jeans. The song playing ended and the DJ announced the next. Fuel. Fred spun around and looked at Spike with wide eyes.

He'd heard it too. Someone, somewhere was trying to tell them something.

"Come here."

His jeans were hanging open. They weren't buttoned all the way. She walked to him. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his nose against hers lightly. Fred giggled and nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. Spike growled and buried his face in her neck as they began to sway to the beat.

Satan you know where I lie
Gently I go into that good night
All our lives get complicated
Search for pleasures overrated
Never armed our souls
For what the future would hold
When we were innocent

His hand slid under the collar of her robe and pushed it back, baring her shoulder. He kissed his way down her neck, across her collar and to her shoulder. Fred let her head fall back as he moved back to her pulse point. His arms slid to her waist to support her.

"I love the way you taste, pet."

Angels lend me your might
Forfeit all my lives just to get one right
All those colours long since faded
All our smiles all confiscated
Never were we told
We'd be bought and sold
When we were innocent

Fred hopped up and threw her legs around his waist, catching Spike by surprise. She grabbed the sides of his face and started kissing him in hunger. He began kissing back with equal passion as he stumbled back to the bed. His hands were under her for support as her legs tightened around his waist. They fell on the bed laughing.

"I love the way you feel, Spike."

This prayer is for me tonight
This far down that line and still ain't got it right
And while confessions not yet sated
Our next sin is contemplated
Never did we know
What the future would hold
Or that we'd be bought and sold

He pulled her robe open at the waist. She blushed and tried to hide. She turned her head to the side, so he wouldn't see the embarrassment on her face. He held her hands away.

"Look at me, luv."

She did. "Spike, I-"

"Never doubt that you are beautiful to my eyes. Inside and out."

He leaned down and kissed her. She propped on of her legs up around his body. His hand started at the knee and slid down it slowly to rest on her hip.

Fred shivered.

"Am I too cold?"

"Not at all."

We were innocent
Innocent
We were innocent

They never even heard the door open.

"Fred, have you seen... what in the hell?!"

Spike froze. Fred's eyes were the widest he'd ever seen them.

"Peaches, can't you see we're a little busy here."

---

Fred was mortified. She peeked around the corner. She could see the rest of them in the lobby. Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and Gunn. Angel had seen her naked. It was embarrassing. He'd seen her all laid out with Spike lying in her thighs. He wasn't supposed to have seen that. EVER.

Angel looked in her general direction, and she whipped back around the corner. This wouldn't do. It wouldn't do at all.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

Fred jumped. Spike was standing insanely close to her.

"He saw me naked. With you. Under you and I was naked. I had no clothes on. None."

Spike grinned. "So?"

"Well, I didn't intend for that to happen."

"Neither did I, luv." He leaned into her. "We didn't get to finish."

"Spike."

His lips were on her neck. "Yes, Fred?"

"I can't go down there."

"Why not?"

"He'll look at me."

"Fred, luv, Peaches looks at you all the damn time."

"His look will be different."

"You're embarrassed."

"Well. Yes."

He stepped away from her.

"What are you doing? What's wrong?"

"Embarrassed of me?" He bit out.

Fred blinked in shock. "No."

He wouldn't look at her. She rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck.

"No, Spike."

He wasn't playing fair. He knew this. Didn't matter. He was playing for keeps. He had every intention of holding on to this tiny little girl. She made things infinitely more interesting.

He leaned in and kissed her. She held on tight. She didn't even notice that he had slowly manoeuvred the two of them from the security of the corner to the open forum of the landing. Where every person on the lower level could see them locked in embrace.

---

Wesley was chatting about something. He was pacing back and forth with a large text in his arms. Cordelia knew she ought to have been listening, but she was antsy for some odd reason. Her eyes began to wander around the Hyperion lobby. Then she looked up. And gasped.

Gunn turned and followed her eyes. "Holy shit."

"What?" Angel turned. "Oh God. Not again."

Cordelia elbowed him. "Again?"

"What in the bloody hell are the three of you whispering about?" Wesley's eyes were drawn to the landing. "GOOD LORD!"

Fred jumped at the former watcher's outburst. She looked at Spike. Then she looked at the four people in the lobby. Then she ran.

Spike ran after her. "Fred!"

Gunn leaned back in his chair. "Wow."

"Yeah." Cordelia was grinning.

Wesley leaned over Angel. "Are you going to allow that to continue?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Angel, he's a demon. She's an innocent girl."

Gunn grinned. "I'm bettin' she ain't so innocent now."

Angel leaned over to him. "You'd win that bet."

Cordelia elbowed him again. "Alright, deadboy, what do you know?"

"Deadboy?"

"Quit looking like I kicked your puppy and spill."

"I walked in on them this afternoon."

"Oh DAMN." Gunn wiped his hands over his face. He never would have thought it about Fred.

"Walked in on what?" Cordelia had an odd look on her face.

"Them shagging like mad rabbits of course!" Wesley threw up his hands and began to pace.

"Wesley?"

"Hey, English, what's the deal? You ain't happy Fred's making with the love?"

He turned on them. "Don't you see? She's fragile. She's been out of this place for some time now. What if he damages her beyond repair this time?"

"He won't."

They all looked at Angel.

"Can you be sure of that?"

"Yes."

"How? How can you sit there calmly and be so sure he won't hurt her? Even unintentionally."

There was silence in the hotel as Angel just stared at Wesley. He understood the man's concerns. They all had these parental feelings in regards to Fred. She needed to be taken care of. But what the rest of them didn't realize was what he knew. He'd known it for a while.

Spike was the master at taking care of someone he cared about. And the look in his eyes when they were on Fred went way beyond caring.

"Because of the way he watches her."

Angel stood and stalked off.

Cordelia sighed. "I live in LA two years and I could buy a date. Fred's here not even two months and she's having wild vampire sex with Spike."

Gunn and Wesley were just staring at her.

"What?"

"Wild vamp sex?" Gunn arched an eyebrow. "What you been readin', C?"

"None of your business, G."

"You didn't find the Damont Essays in my desk, did you?"

"What?"

"It's a book." Wesley sighed.

"About vamp sex?" Gunn asked wide-eyed.

"Well, yes."

"And you read it?"

"Well, yes."

"Did it have pictures?"

"Well... " Wesley realized what had just happened. "Oh for Christsakes, Gunn."

Cordelia snickered. "No, Wes, I didn't find your naughty vampire sex manual."

"I didn't say I had it!"

Gunn smiled. "Didn't say you didn't either..."

"Oh shut up, the both of you."

Gunn and Cordelia looked at each other grinning.

"We still need to decide about Fred."

"What's there to decide? Angel knows Spike better than any of us."

"But he's a killer."

"Was."

They both looked at Cordelia.

"Call Willow."

"What?"

"You saw the two of them when she was here. Ask her if she'd lay her life in his hands. I'm betting she would. She trusts him."

"You put that much stock in Willow's judgment?"

"Yes I do."

---

"Stop."

Spike had her arm. Fred tugged on it. "Let go."

"No."

"Spike-"

"Fred, I'm sorry. You shouldn't care what they think. You should care about being happy."

"But what if they throw me out?"

"Pet, I keep forgetting you don't know this lot so well. They'll never abandon you. And if they did, I would not."

She turned. "Why?"

He grabbed the sides of her face. "You're so scared. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Just be."

Fred closed her eyes. "Just be."

"You have to risk things, chance things otherwise what have you?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The way I acted."

"Don't be sorry. Just-"

"Be?"

"Yes."

"Well I certainly will try."

"That's my girl." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "That's my girl."

To Be Continued…