A visit to Willie's, a few punches thrown, and Buffy had a pretty good idea where she could find Spike. Stakes at the ready, she moved quietly through the woods to the old private mausoleum. The property had been vacant for decades, something about heirs fighting over an old will. The family crypt was left to crumble and molder on its own, untended by loving family members.

It was a perfect place for a vampire to haunt.

Buffy approached the place all senses alert. It was still daylight, so she didn't have to worry about him leaping out at her from behind a tree. With luck, she would catch him asleep and dispatch him quickly before she had time to think about it. It did no good to remember that he had saved her life just two weeks ago, or that he had probably saved her mother's life last night. No, he was a vicious monster and it was her job to put him down.

The door to the crypt creaked ominously as she pushed it open. Well, no chance of a surprise attack now, she thought. She continued on into the chamber, but was surprised to see no signs of occupancy. If he was here, he was well hidden. Walking down the three steps, she searched with eyes and senses. Nothing. Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned to leave.

He hit her from behind, knocking the stake from her hand as she hit the floor of the crypt. She tried to flip over and dislodge him from her back, but he slammed his fist into her head stunning her. Now he turned her over onto her back and held her hands in a tight grip over her head. His knees and thighs held her body in check and she looked up into his demon visage.

"So, Slayer, you came for our last dance, did you?" His speech was distorted by the fangs; his eyes yellow instead of bright blue. Buffy could not believe that he had disarmed and overpowered her so easily.

"Not much of a dance, Spike." She tried to sound confident. She wasn't sure if she pulled it off. "You snuck up on me. I thought you wanted a real fight."

"Yeah, well, Slayer. That was before you came here to kill me in my sleep."

His eyes mocked her. She felt a blush creep up her face. Why on Earth was she embarrassed because he realized that she had planned a sneak attack? And why wasn't she more scared?

She tried to struggle under him, but that only caused him to tighten his thighs around her until she couldn't breathe anymore. Spots began to dance in front of her eyes until he released the pressure and she was able to draw breath.

"You're a better Slayer than this, pet," he said. "You should've known better than to come here all alone. This is my territory, and I know it better than anyone."

Lowering his head, he breathed in her fragrance, trailing his head up from her shoulder to her ear. A small puff of breath in her ear caused a shiver to flutter down her nerve endings.

"I had hoped to defeat you after a long and bloody fight, but you forfeited that chance when you decided to cheat. Now, I'll kill you for your mistake."

With those words, he lunged for her neck. Buffy felt the bite and cried out in pain. She felt him drawing her life's blood into his mouth, suckling at her neck like an infant at its mother's breast. She tried to struggle, but he was too strong and she was quickly losing strength. Her heart was pounding rapidly, trying desperately to replace the blood he was siphoning from her. Once again, small dots began to float in front of her eyes as she began to lose consciousness. She knew failure, and it was bitter on her tongue.

Suddenly he withdrew his fangs from her neck and sat up. She looked at him through drooping eyelids, confused as to why he had stopped before she was dead. Her heart twisted as she feared she knew what he was going to do and it frightened her more than death had ever done.

"No, please, Spike, no." She hated the pleading tone in her voice, but if it would make him grant her this one request, she would beg for all she was worth. He looked down at her, and then shook off his demon face.

"Don't what, pet? Don't turn you?" he smiled a smug, victorious smile. "You have no say in that you know. I can kill you, I can turn you, I can keep you just weak enough that you can't fight me and feed off of you for days. You belong to me now, Slayer, and you have no say in it."

She looked up at him helplessly. She knew that he was right. She was so weak from loss of blood that she couldn't fight anything he wanted to do to her. She blinked back tears. She would be damned, literally, before she let him see her cry.

He leaned down over her again. She felt his tongue lap at her still bleeding neck. "Sweet," he murmured. She felt another shiver course through her body as he licked her. "Your blood is so very, very sweet. I could drink you for days and days."

Buffy blinked in surprise when he abruptly stood up and walked away from her. She lay there for a moment, stunned by her release. She struggled weakly to sit up, but a wave of dizziness overcame her and she had to lie back down. Then he was there again, bending down and picking her up in his arms. Going to the crypt door, he pulled it open and walked out carrying her. Twilight had come since she entered the crypt and the woods were deep enough that no sunlight threatened him.

"Where?" she began.

"I'm taking you home, Slayer. I'm going to tuck you up all safe and warm in your own little bed."

"Why?" God, now he was confusing her all over again.

"I told you. I'm going to kill you after a fair fight. This tonight was just a little lesson about going into places before you do the proper reconnaissance. I knew you were coming from about a mile away. You're just lucky it was me you were after and not some other vamp. Your blood would be completely drained by now and the rats would be eating your flesh." Buffy shuddered at the word picture he had drawn for her.

She tried not to relax against his body as he carried her, but she was too weak and finally gave up and rested against him. His arms were like steel cables and his chest was hard and unyielding. She could feel the coolness of his skin through his shirt, and it both repulsed and excited her. She wondered if she was losing her mind.

***

True to his word he carried her straight home. He set her down briefly so that she could dig out her house key and open the door, then he swooped her up again and carried her inside. Buffy almost giggled for a second, feeling like a bride being carried over the threshold by her groom. Too much blood loss, she told herself.

He quickly carried her upstairs, paused until she pointed to her bedroom and then continued on until he came to her bed. Once again setting her on her feet, he pulled down the covers and then gently placed her on the bed. He leaned down and removed her shoes, then pulled the sheet and blankets over her. Turning he left the room. Buffy lay where he left her, too weak to move. She felt thirsty, but couldn't find the strength to get up and get some water from the bathroom. She was startled when she felt him re-enter the room.

"Here, Slayer, drink this," he said, holding her head up so that she could drink from the glass he held. She was surprised to find that it was orange juice.

"Did you use to work for the Red Cross?" she asked faintly. She had expected her voice to be strong and mocking. She had failed miserably. "Yeah," he snorted. "Me and the Red Cross work hand in hand. They collect the blood, and I steal it."

She glared at him as best she could, but she continued to drink until the glass was empty. Laying her back down for a minute, he switched glasses. Holding her up again, he placed another glass to her lips. Cool water flowed into her mouth and down her parched throat. She made a slight moan of pleasure. She was so caught up in her own sensations that she failed to notice how her cry had caused a tremor to pass through his body.

As she finished drinking the water, he allowed her to relax into her pillow. "When's your mother due home?" he asked.

"Probably not until after midnight," she answered. "They have a big showing going on tonight, so it'll be late."

He nodded and then looked at the phone on her nightstand. "What's Giles' number," he asked. She looked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

He sighed as if he were dealing with a very slow child. "Because you can't be left here alone, and I'm bloody well not your nursemaid. I'll call Giles and have him come over to tend you. I'm leaving as soon as I get through to him."

Once again, Buffy was surprised at this strange vampire. He could have killed her, but he didn't. He could have left her to fend for herself at the crypt, but he had carried her home and placed her safely in her bed. He could have left her then, alone and thirsty until her mother came home and found her, but instead he had brought her orange juice and water. He could have then left her alone until her mother came home to find her, but he insisted on calling her Watcher instead.

"You're very strange," she told him.

"You don't know the bleedin' half of it," he stated flatly.