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You Mean the World To Me by Brat
 
Two
 
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Chapter Two

Buffy ran as if Satan himself were on her heels. It pretty much felt like it. She ran so hard and so fast, she felt as if she were flying. Her feet never seemed to touch the ground. She could feel the blood on her neck beginning to dry and it was a reminder of what he'd done. Spike, how could you? She kept seeing his face, sweet Spike, caring Spike, fighting by her side Spike. Vicious Spike claiming her? No, no, no. It couldn't be true. The stabbing pain she could now feel in her neck told her otherwise. How could he do something like this? He was always on her side, fighting with her, vowing to always be there for her. Tears marred her vision, now he'd gone and done the unspeakable. He'd bitten her. Claimed her. Chained her to him for all eternity. What had possessed him to do it? Was he unable to control his bloodlust? He'd never had a problem before. His soul...oh god, did he lose his soul?

"Giles! Giles, open up!" She pounded on her High Priest?s door. His place was the only sanctuary she could think of.

The door flew open and Giles stood there in his robe, looking quite shaken and groggy. "Buffy? What is it?" Then he saw her neck and his jaw dropped. He grabbed her hands and led her in quickly, stealing a glance to see if anyone was following.

"Dear God, what happened?" He asked as he went for first aid supplies. "Who got to you? Did you dust it?"

She shook her head and wiped her tears away. "I--I wasn't prepared."

Giles' eyes went wide. "What do you mean you weren't prepared? Just because you don't want to be hunting demons anymore doesn't mean that you shouldn't be prepared."

"It was Spike, Giles." At the look of pure shock on his middle-aged features, Buffy promptly burst into fresh tears. "He bit me. He--he claimed me, Giles."

Giles looked about ready to fall over, "he did--what?"

"Claimed me. Made me his," she spat 'his' out as if it were contaminated.

"What prompted him to do such a thing?"

"He found out about my trip. How I didn't want him to know. How I tried to cut ties with him..."

"You told him?"

"It kind of came out. He freaked on me. He was so angry and hurt...he kissed me and then he...he bit me."

"Did he say the words?"

She nodded glumly, "he said 'mine. You're mine.'"

"Oh Dear God." He pushed her gently into his chair and started to clean the infected area. He apologized when she hissed at him. "He wasn't very gentle."

"There's a gentle way to be bit?"

"Yes, there is. When vampires mate, it can be quite an erotic experience. What Spike did...his anger is apparent by the bite. Did you feel anything at all?"

"I couldn't register anything beyond shock and...sadness."

"Sadness?"

"It's Spike, Giles. Spike, whom befriended me when he should have hated me."

"Well, he had a soul. He knew right from wrong."

"Spike who was there when the Slayer thought I was a demon and wanted to take me out."

"He cares about you."

Buffy glared at him then and moved away from him. "Cares about me? Cares? Does someone do this," she pointed to the wound on her neck, "because they care? No, Giles. He doesn't care about me, not anymore!"

"When a vampire claims a mate, it's not merely about possession. It's about love. Their inner nature, the demon, calls out for it.'

Buffy's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that Spike claimed me because he and his demon love me?"

Giles looked down at the floor, guiltily. "I'm afraid so."

"And you, Giles?" She pointed at him accusingly.

His head shot up, "me what?"

"You don't seem so surprised by this. Did you know about it all this time? Did you want it to happen?"

Giles stood and tried to go to her, but she stepped back. He stood rooted where he was and looked at her, pain evident on his face. "No, I didn't know he would do this. I--I knew, well, suspected at least, of his feelings toward you."

Her eyes widened, "and you kept it from me? All this time, you kept it from me?"

"I never thought he would take it to such extremes. You say he found out about your vacation?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "He interrogated me. You know how he gets when he wants to know something. I let it slip and he was so hurt...so...angry." Her voice trailed off and tears started to roll again at the memory of his deed.

"Despite that, he shouldn't have done it. It is unforgivable. He never even gave you the choice."

"There is a choice when a vampire claims?"


"Yes, always. It's like a ritual for them. It's usually done...in the act of...well, in the act of...um--"

"Sex?"

Giles blushed and took off his glasses to clean them. "Yes, in the act of sex. A vampire claims another vampire--nery ery often is it a human--by biting them and the claim is reciprocated by a bite. It's like a marriage. A stronger marriage than those of humans."

"I know that part. So, then, this claim...can it be reversed? Can it be undone? Is there a spell?"

Giles looked at his spiritual child sadly, "I'm sorry, Buffy. There isn't. A vampire claim is the strongest magic there is. Anything that involves blood is infinitely strong."

"This isn't happening to me. I haven't even been home a week and I've gotten into more trouble than when I was hunting demons. I...he can sense me, he'll know when I'm in trouble and all that, right?"

"Yes, he can sense when you're in trouble. He can sense where you are, when you're close. He can call to you and you will go to him."

"Can he sense that I hate him? Can he sense that?" She asked, her voice whispering hatred and loathing.

"I don't think he needs sense to tell him that," Giles said quietly.

"What am I going to do now? There has to be a way to keep him at bay. A way to keep him away from me. He claimed me, but I never claimed him. The claim can't be so strong without the other side."

"Well, there is a missing link, but it is strong nonetheless. The demon in him will hunt you if you run."

"Are you condoning this, Giles? It sure sounds as if you are!"

He stood up and stalked over to her. He went to touch her, but she flinched and he stopped. "It's like he raped you," Giles muttered.

"That's how it feels, Giles. He took something that didn't belong to him. He attacked me, Giles. And you are acting as if you're conducting a simple science experiment! He tore my flesh, drank my blood and staked his claim on me!"

"Buffy, I do not condone what he did at all! I am in shock of how he could...you know that Spike and I never started out on the right foot with each other. He was quite the vicious monster before his soul, I quite remember warning you of it when you became friends with him. Did you listen to me? No. He proved himself time and again. He stood by you, protected you and your family--me---time and again. I'm in shock that he could do something like this. Did he--did he lose his soul?"

"I didn't ask. He didn't seem any different. It wasn't until after I told him that I didn't want him to know where I was that he..changed."

"What do you want me to do? I'll do anything you ask of me. You know I will."

"I don't know what I want you to do Giles!" She burst out. "I want--I want the claim to be undone and you can't do that!"

Giles hung his head sadly, "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry! I want him to stay away from me. I don't want to see him, I don't want to be his..." she started to sob and sank into Giles' couch. "I want to be normal. I want to be me again. I was so happy in England. I was afraid to come back...I knew the insanity would start all over again...I did miss him, you know? I did. And I didn't want to. I tried so hard not to. I missed him and I tried so hard to shut him completely out. When I saw how hurt he was tonight, I felt so guilty. I wanted to cry for him, with him." She sprang up then, "and then he bit me! He was so vicious and uncaring! He wasn't the Spike I missed and the Spike that I felt so guilty over. He hurt me and I am so angry at myself for caring that I hurt him. I don't want to see him, Giles. Ever. You have to help me. You have to help me fight the claim. There has to be a way. If he calls to me, you can stop me. You can stop him. Please, Giles, please...please."

She sobbed in earnest now her constant plea forming as she was brought into the comfort of Giles' arms. She didn't see that, Giles too, wept.
 
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