TITLE: “One Thing Leads to Another”

AUTHOR: Alessandra “Pamela”

EMAIL: destructo-girl@...

RATING: NC17 overall

DISTRIBUTION:  My sites… anyone else, just ask.

FEEDBACK:  I would love it if you were so inclined. :)

SPOILERS:  This takes place after “The Gift” except Buffy didn’t die.

SUMMARY:  Buffy and Graham run into each other and find out they get along *really* well.  But will their loyalty to Riley keep them apart?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” characters or situations (I will even give my story ideas to Joss in exchange for a day on the set).  I am borrowing them, without permission, and I mean no harm to them.  They all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and Warner Brothers.  I wrote this purely for entertainment and not at all for profit.

NOTE: This has not been beta read, so please excuse any mistakes.  As soon as I can get a beta'd version, I will post it on my site.  I just wanted to be able to post this fic regularly, so people wouldn't forget about it!

***

“Buffy, you don’t need to walk me across the street,” Dawn sighed as she grabbed her backpack and walked to the door.

“Mom always did and I don’t want Melinda’s mother thinking I am some sort of a…. bad guardian.”

“Mom went over and talked about boring stuff with Mrs. Roberts.  You have nothing in common with her.”

“She’ll think I’m irresponsible.”

“You’re on crutches, you have a great excuse,” Dawn countered, “And we’re going to look totally bizarre.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “You act like I have three eyeballs.  Come on!”

Her sister sighed, but opened the door, with Buffy following closely.  It had been four days since her accident and she was absolutely tired of the couch and had been all over the house on her crutches all day.  She’d never admit it to Dawn, but now she was rather tired and planned on taking a nap as soon as she left Dawn at Melinda’s for a slumber party.

When Mrs. Roberts answered the door, Dawn greeted her before unenthusiastically announcing that her sister had come along.  She’d soon gone upstairs to be with the other girls, leaving Buffy alone to be doted on by the older woman.

She made it clear that she already felt just terrible about the girls being without their mother… and to add Buffy’s accident to it… she was just amazed Buffy could put on such a brave face.  The woman meant well, but Buffy couldn’t take much of that before using her nap as an excuse to go home.

She didn’t lie, though, because as soon as Buffy made her tedious climb back up the stairs – since she refused to get back on the couch – she climbed on the bed and conked out.  When she awoke, several hours had passed and it was dark out.  She managed to make herself a TV dinner and sat down on the couch to eat it.

After spending the next few hours vegging out watching television, there was a knock at the door.  Buffy frowned, since it was kind of late, but climbed up to get it.  She found Graham standing on her porch, still in uniform.

“Hi,” she smiled, “I didn’t think you were coming by tonight.”

“Well, I remembered Dawn telling me about her sleepover, so I figured you could use some company,” Graham replied, walking into the house and shutting the door behind him before giving Buffy a gentle kiss.  “And I come bearing gifts.”

Buffy grinned as she saw him hold up a box.  “Is that what I think it is?”

“If you think it’s a Triple Chocolate Chip cheesecake, then you’re right.”

“Oh my, you must have been sent from Heaven,” she sighed.

“Are you talking about me or the cake?” he joked.

“Wanna sit in the living room?  I can go get plates and silverware.”

“How about *you* sit down while *I* get the silverware?” Graham suggested.

“Fine,” she sighed before heading back into the living room.

A moment later, Graham sat beside her on the couch and cut them both slices of the cake.  For a while, they were content just so sit beside each other and eat while watching Maury Povich.  The episode was about teenage girls that were completely out of control.

“Can you see Dawn and I ending up like that?”

“No, I think you like your privacy too much,” Graham replied.

“I meant, can you see Dawn becoming a total slut and doing drugs and stealing and all that because she has no father and *I* am the closest thing she has to a mother?”

“No, not at all.”

“But don’t you think her chances of being screwed up are pretty good?”

Graham thought a moment before replying.  “Not really… I think that what happened to her could cause her to have problems, but I also think she has a great role model in you and that you won’t allow her to let the things that have happened cause her to be a bad kid.”

“You think we can actually control it?” Buffy asked him.

“Well, I think there are instances where a parent can’t do anything to stop their child from becoming… messed up.  However, Dawn had a good start and we know how great she can be… so we know she is capable of not being bad,” he explained.  “I don’t think that just because something happens to you, you have to end up dysfunctional.  We’re all made either good or bad.  Like me… I had no father.  I could have ended up hating women or shooting up my school according to what the studies say.  But I’m not like that.  I think I could probably even get away with being a selfish jerk, using women and all that… because I lost my mom and my dad was like that, so life just done me wrong… but I have good in me.”

Buffy smiled and tenderly traced her finger over his jaw.  “Yeah, you do.”

Graham leaned over and soon the two were kissing and touching each other all over.  Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers and whispered, “Do you want to go upstairs?  I know you’re still hurting, so you may not want to, but we can be careful.”

Buffy smiled and nodded slightly, “I’d like that.”

Instead of letting her struggle with the crutches, Graham stood and lifted Buffy up, carrying her bridegroom style up the stairs.  “Is Dawn coming home in the morning?”

“No, she has to get up early and go to her drama class.  One of the other girls there is in the class too, so her mom is driving them since I can’t,” Buffy exclaimed.

“Good… then I can stay the night,” he replied, smiling down at her.

Buffy returned the smile before lifting her head and kissing him once again.  Finally, they reached her room and Graham was laying her on the bed.  He climbed on beside her, lying on the opposite side of her wounded ankle so as not to cause her any pain.  His hand moved to the side of her face, turning her towards him a bit before dipping his head down to kiss her slowly.  Buffy melted into the kiss, her fingers finding their way into his short hair as she arched her back.

Their need for one another grew stronger as hands explored flesh, pulling garments off each other, caressing, stroking… until both were nude and Graham was on top of Buffy, still mindful of her ankle.  Buffy carefully spread her legs, knowing if she moved her ankle the wrong way, she’d be *so* out of the mood.

Graham slid inside her with painful slowness before pulling back and thrusting inside her, again unhurried.  As they set a decidedly leisurely pace, their mouths melded together, tongues imitating the actions of their lower bodies.

Feeling his climax approaching, Graham reached between their bodies and lightly stroked her distended nubbin.  Less than a moment later, Buffy was crying out and arching her back as orgasm slammed through her.  Graham allowed the enhanced pleasure of her strong muscles squeezing him to bring him over the edge as well, moaning her name as he spilled his seed deep inside her.

***

“Buffy?”

“Hmm?” she replied, cracking her eyes open and finding Graham peering down at her in the dim light.

He smiled, “Hey…. I was wondering if maybe I should go now?  Dawn may see my car when she goes to class and could get curious… we could tell her I just came over early, but I’d rather not arouse her suspicions.”

Buffy nodded quickly, “You’re right.  Besides, knowing Dawn, she could come over here before she leaves.”

“Okay… it’s only six-thirty, but if I go now, we can be sure she doesn’t see me,” he said, climbing out of the bed and pulling on his boxers.

Buffy sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, “That would be the best thing to do.”

“And then later, I’ll come back and pick you up.  We can go run your errands.”

“That would be great,” she forced herself to smile.  “Thank you.”

“Sure,” Graham replied, pulling his shirt over his head before he walked back to the bed to bend down and give her a kiss.  “I’ll call you later.  Go back to sleep.”

“I will… bye,” she called after him.

Buffy lay back against the pillows, listening to his footfalls on the stairs followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing.  She stared at the ceiling for a long while until tears blurred her vision. 

Why did she do this?  Why did she act like she was fine having casual sex with Graham when it was tearing her apart?  She didn’t like having to sneak around and lie.  She wanted to be able to tell her sister about the guy she was seeing and have him there to go out on dates when she wanted romance, to hold her in the mornings with the sun shining down on them… she wanted love.

As she drifted back off to sleep, Buffy wondered what she had done in a past life to have such crappy luck with men.  First Angel, who loved and accepted all of her, and she in turn loved with her whole heart…. but that love lead to soul loss and death.  The Riley, who was so wonderful, so perfect… but he couldn’t deal with her being the slayer.  And now Graham… sensitive, generous, kind…. and not at all interested in her for anything besides sex…. and possibly friendship.

***

“God, this is a hassle.  Remind me not to get in another wreck,” Buffy half-joked as she struggled to sit down in the passenger seat of the mustang.

Graham stood and held open the door for her, having learned the hard way earlier that morning that she didn’t want any help.

“At least now it’s all taken care of.  We’ll get the last of the information about the accident to the insurance company and they can do whatever they have to do to get you a check.”

“Good… I can tell my ankle is getting better.  I want to be able to buy a new car as soon as possible.  I hate having to bug other people for rides.”

“I really don’t mind,” he insisted, shutting the door as she was settled in her seat.  He walked around the car and climbed in the driver’s side, before asking, “Did you ever check and see if your insurance covers a car rental?  Then you don’t have to worry about it.”

“It doesn’t matter.  The youngest you can be to rent a car is twenty-one,” she sighed.

“I didn’t even realize that,” he tried to sound sad for her, but truthfully, it kind of pleased him.  He knew it was shameful… but it was nice being able to spend time with her as he drove her around.

“Yeah, it sucks, but what are you going to do?”  Buffy looked at him as he started the engine, “How much do you think they’ll give me?”

Graham shrugged, “When I called your insurance company last Friday, they told me that the other guy’s company would have to go to the junk yard and look at the jeep, then factor in the Blue Book price and the condition of the car prior to the accident to give you a check.”

“I hope I get a lot.  My parents bought it just before they separated and it was pretty expensive, so even though it was six years old, I should still get enough to at least have a big down payment on another car, right?”

“I’m sure it will be fine.  Plus, you have your savings, right?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “But I’m not sure my savings can handle a new car right now.  I’ll have to call Mr. Boyd.”

“Sounds smart to me,” he agreed, feeling really guilty for actually taking pleasure in Buffy’s misfortune… even if it wasn’t a *lot* of pleasure.  She had a sister and house to take car of and now no vehicle and he was enjoying the fact that she was relying on him for transportation?

***

“Hey, I just realized that it’s almost one.  Do you need me to pick Dawn up from her class?”  Graham asked as he came into the living room after using Buffy’s bathroom.

She looked up at him and smiled, “That’s okay, Mary’s mother Polly – the one who drove her this morning – told me she will be happy to take Dawn to and from there until I get another car.”

“That’s very nice of her,” he commented, sitting beside her on the couch.

“I’ll say… I’m going to have to be the one to take Mary and Dawn to class and the mall… and the movies… everywhere… when it’s inconvenient for Polly for the next month,” she joked.

“What’s this?” he asked, gesturing to the paper resting in Buffy’s lap.

“I figured I should check out the prices of used cars.  I have no idea how much I am getting, but when I get the check, I will know whether or not to be happy or depressed.  Unfortunately, I’m not trusting myself here… I know nothing about cars.  I’ll probably get ripped off.”

“Well, you trust me, right?  I have some idea of the good cars and I can do research.  I’ll check stuff out for you.”

Buffy smiled, “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course,” Graham grinned, leaning over so their lips were less than an inch apart.  “You’re a great kisser.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmm-hmm… how long do you think we’ll have until Dawn gets home?”

“Probably only fifteen minutes,” she replied, “But I suppose we can make do with the time we have…”

“I suppose…” he agreed, before covering her mouth with his own.  He wished he could take her upstairs… or even just strip her right there on the couch… and love her like there was no tomorrow… but it looked like he would have to settle for making out and some heavy petting.

All her earlier thoughts about how crappy this affair was making her feel when she was all alone flew out of her mind when Graham’s talented hands and lips worked their magic on her.  How could anything that felt so good be bad?

***

“Hi!” Dawn greeted cheerfully as she opened the front door and found Graham standing on the porch.

“Hey Dawn, how’s it going?”

“Not too good.  Buffy’s being weird… maybe you can fix her,” she said, stepping aside to allow him in.

Graham frowned, “Weird how?”

“Well, for one thing, she decided to quit using the crutches today so she is hobbling all over the place and I don’t think that’s helping.  Plus, she’s being really quiet and stuff… I know she is thinking about something bad, but of course she won’t tell me.”

“Where is she?”

“Kitchen.  Have fun!”

He sighed before heading through the house to the kitchen, finding Buffy standing in front of the sink.  She appeared to be washing dishes, but was currently staring out the window instead.

“Buffy?”

Startled, Buffy whirled around, hurting her ankle in the process.  She grimaced, but didn’t lose her balance.

“Why aren’t you on your crutches?”

“I’m healing, I can tell… and I’m sick of those things.  Give me another day and I will be fine.”

Graham rolled his eyes, but knew it wouldn’t do him any good to try and persuade her otherwise.  “Is something wrong?”

Buffy narrowed her eyes, “Why would you ask that?”

“Because Dawn is quite sure you have something on your mind.”

She sighed, “I should have known she would be able to tell.”

“So what is it?”

Buffy rinsed the soap off the plate and set it in the rack before limping over to the table and sitting down, gesturing for Graham to do the same.

“Mr. Boyd came over today and we went over the finances.  Apparently he has been trying to avoid giving me bad news until I’ve had some time to mourn my mother.”

“You have financial problems too?”

She laughed humorlessly, “Of course… it’s one thing after another.”

“Did you just overestimate how much you had?”

Buffy shook her head and took a deep breath, “Mom had us set up pretty well.  She had life insurance and all that… but the hospital bills were killer and wiped a lot of that out.  We still have some savings, plus I’ll get social security for Dawn until she is eighteen… but with the house and our little habit where we like to eat… I don’t have the money to be buying a car.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked, not bothering to try and suggest the check she got would cover the cost of an entire car.

She shrugged, “Get a job?”

“I guess that’s your only option.  I wish there was something else, Buffy.”

She smiled, “It’s not like working for a living is such an amazing hardship.  I hear a lot of people have been trying it!”

“Any ideas on where you will work?”

“No… maybe retail or waitressing… first I need to worry about my damn ankle healing.”

“Good idea,” he said, “And, you know, I have some money saved…”

“No!  Absolutely not.  Look, we don’t have money to go on like we are for the rest of our lives, but Dawn and I are fine.  And even though I am going to have to earn some money for a new car, I can use the check for a down payment… we’re going to eat, get a new car, I’m going to work.. everything will work out,” she assured him.

Graham grinned, “Isn’t it supposed to be *me* telling *you* that?”

“Nah, I’m self reliant.”

“You certainly are,” he nodded, feeling a renewed sense if admiration for her strength.

“But I do have to admit that before you came in here, I was full of worries and all that… so talking to you made me feel better,” Buffy told him honestly.

Graham beamed; it felt good to help her.  And to be the one she could open up to, confide in… and help her work through her problems… that was pretty important.  Unfortunately, whenever his thoughts drifted off in that direction, Riley soon entered his mind…. and he was reminded that what he really wanted, he could never have.

***

“Come on, Spike, one more game!” Dawn grinned, after beating the pants off the vampire at their last round of rummy.

Spike shook his head, “You have to get up early tomorrow for your class.”

She rolled her eyes, “I promise not to tell Buffy that you let me stay up late.”

“You think I’m just making you behave to impress your sister?!”

“Well… yeah.”

“I’m not!” he frowned, “Now go to bed.”

Dawn sighed and rose, “Fine… night Spike.”

“Goodnight, Niblet,” Spike called after her as the girl headed up the stairs.  He spent the next ten minutes cleaning up the mess left over from their card game and snacks.  Buffy was supposed to make it a short night and would be home soon.  He would have preferred to be out patrolling with her, especially since she wasn’t back to full health yet, but she had asked him to stay with Dawn… and there was no way he would deny her that.  After all, for her to trust him with the care of her sister… he chose to be flattered.

Spike went into the kitchen, washing the few dishes that were in the sink before he restlessly did a once-over of the entire downstairs.  Finding that there was nothing to do, he sighed and sat down on the couch.  Perhaps there was something on the telly.

There was a time when this would have been a prime opportunity for him to go explore the Slayer’s bedroom, steal her knickers and read her diary… but things had changed.  For one thing, there was the whole part about where he had to be serious and respectful in order to win her over.  If she caught him in her room, she would kick his ass.

Hearing the key in the lock, Spike looked to the foyer and saw Buffy enter the house.  “Hey.”

“Hi,” she smiled, walking into the room with only a very slight limp.

“How’d it go, Luv?”

“Fine… uneventful.  You vampires sure hate a Sunnydale summer, don’t you?”

Spike chuckled, “Only those of us who have nothing that makes us want to stick around.”

“Well, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the break,” Buffy told him, sitting down in a chair.  “So how did things go tonight?”

“Great, Dawn and I had some hot cocoa and popcorn, watched some TV and played cards.”

“She loves to play rummy,” she said, “I don’t know how, so it’s always a special treat for her to play with you.”

Spike shrugged, not quite used to getting compliments from Buffy.  “I like to play it.”

“Well, I really appreciate you staying with her.  I know babysitting isn’t exactly your thing.”

“I don’t mind,” he replied, feeling a bit awkward.  “So… Dawn says you should get the check soon for your car.  That’s good.”

“Yeah, it will be nice to be mobile soon.  *I* can handle a purely pedestrian life, for the most part, but it’s hard with Dawn.  I’ve been relying on other people to give her rides to class.”

“Y-you know.. if you ever want to, my car is yours.”

A smile spread on Buffy’s face, “Spike, you love the DeSoto!  You’d really let me borrow it?  That’s sweet.”

Spike was glad he was unable to blush as he shyly averted his eyes from Buffy’s.  Shrugging again, he replied, “Well, it’s a standing offer.”

“Thank you,” Buffy responded quietly.

“Uh.. I’d better go.  Got things to do and all that.”  He stood up and grabbed his duster.

“Right,” she stood and followed.  “Well, thanks again… for everything.”

“Sure... I’ll see you soon, Pet.”

Buffy sighed tiredly, locking the door behind him.  A few months earlier, she’d never imagined she would have to deal with a vampire in love with her while having feelings for her ex’s best friend that she was having a sex-based relationship with him.  Only a freak like her could have such a bizarre love life.

TBC...