Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon anyone's rights, only to entertain.

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Chapter 32 - No Choice


Spike plopped down on the couch ignoring the pain his wounds were giving him. It seemed like every demon in Sunnydale was out for them lately. Buffy made her way towards the couch and kneeled down in front of Spike. She gave him a worried look as she took his hands in hers. He had been pushing himself for the past couple of days, taking the brunt of the attacks. Buffy had repeatedly told him to hold off, that she should be fighting beside him and not behind him. But Spike was adamant. It seemed like he was pouring all his frustration into the fight. Or was he trying to protect her from something?

"Spike, we need to have your wounds looked at." She said giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Don’t worry, pet. They'll all be gone by tomorrow or the next day." he said shaking his head.

She gave him a little pout, hoping that that would sway things in her favor. “Maybe but with all of them and your bruises you should at least feed.” she said offering him her wrist.

He looked at her tenderly and gave her a small smile. He bent down and took her wrist in his hands. He pursed his lips on her offered wrist and let his tongue play with the small bump of the vein underneath her skin. He pulled his cheeks in and sucked gently at her wrist. Buffy closed her eyes as she felt goose bumps forming on her arms at his attention. Spike grinned and released her wrist when he heard the subtle moan that escaped her throat.
"No Buffy, I'll be fine though I could use more physical contact."

Buffy gave him stern look. "Stop being so stubborn."

"Well you need to look at your cuts as well, love."

"Slayer healing will kick in."

"Now who's being stubborn?!" he said chuckling. He pulled himself into a sitting position, and gestured for her to sit beside him.

"Is it me, or is there like a big bulls eye painted on my jacket. Because I could have sworn that ever single baddie out there knows exactly where I am and wants a piece of me." She said settling in beside him.

Spike had a rough idea what was going on. His memories of the that one night were still a little hazy but he could pretty much figure out who would have a vendetta on him … or them to be more precise. The Master was back and both he and the Slayer were responsible for Angelus' demise. Maybe Darla convinced the Master that they should be punished. Or could it simply be that the Master had it in for them because he was with the Slayer. The second idea seemed more feasible. He wondered how long they could last like this. This had been going on for almost a week now and there didn't seem to be any rest in sight. He was wary and concerned about Buffy's safety. The days only provided Buffy protection against demons of the night but there were demons that didn't have the same weaknesses as vampires. That was when he was worried the most. During the day he couldn't be with her and at any time when they were not together, something could happen to Buffy.

Buffy leaned against Spike's chest, sighing softly as she let tired muscles relax. "Spike, you need to drink. You need to keep up your strength."

"You'll keep on nagging me woman until I do it huh?"

"Just think of it as your reward for saving me tonight." she said tilting her head up to kiss him.

"Is that all I get pet? One measly kiss? I usually get more loving than that for doing much much less." he said with a grin which proved to be a mistake as a cut on his cheek stung from the movement of facial muscles.

"I don't think you are in a position to do ..."

"When it comes to you love, I'm always in a position." he said licking his lips.

Buffy shook her head then rolled her eyes.

Spike wrapped his arms tightly around her and sighed softly as she nestled her head on the crook of his neck.


**

… a few days later …

“Spike” she cooed against his chest as she settled in his arms.

Spike planted a kiss on her forehead and rested his hands on her hips, absently caressing her skin. He knew that the only reason she stopped kissing him was because she had to catch her breath. Though he was more than happy with the feel of her beside him, his mind was somewhere else.

Buffy noticed the change in his mood and she looked up at him. Spike was staring up at the ceiling, his teeth slightly clenched together. She reached out to caress his face, hoping everything was alright. “Spike, what’s wrong? You’ve been distracted all night.”

Spike looked down to see the concern in her face. “I don’t know how long we can keep this up, pet.”

“But nothing happened today.”

“Only because of Marissa’s glamour spell. Nothing happened because they didn’t couldn’t find us. They’re after you, Buffy. They‘re after us and I have a feeling they won’t stop until they do.”

“I don’t really think we can help that. I’m the Slayer. They’re demons. We’re suppose to fight.“

Spike shook his head. “No Buffy, I mean they ARE after you. And I’m afraid that I might not be strong enough to protect you.”

“As long as we’re together Spike, I know we can do it.”

“But I’m not with you twenty-four hours a day. I can’t be with you twenty-four hours a day.”

“You know I’ll be careful.”

“It’s not just that Buffy. Have you forgotten what I almost did to you last week? There’s a distinct possibility that you might not even be safe with me.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Spike took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Maybe it’s time pet. We have to talk about it. You have to face the fact that there might come a time when you will have to kill me.”

“No. I’m not listening to this.” she said pushing away from him.

“Buffy, you have to. This time you really have to listen. This isn’t me trying to scare you. This is a possibility. I’ve been trying to replay things in my head this past week and all I get is bits and pieces. What I do know with certainty is that the Master is back and he wants you. The demons we’ve been fighting night after night were most probably sent by him. He’s toying with us Buffy. He's bidding his time. And I have this feeling he's using me to get to you. So you have to promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to keep yourself safe. Even if that means staking me, Buffy. You have to promise."

"No. I won't kill you. I can't do that."

"It won't be me Buffy. When the bloodlust takes over, the man you see won't exist and I don't know if I'll be able to forgive myself if I did anything to hurt you."

"We'll face it somehow, Spike."

"But how Buffy? What are we going to do?"

"We can leave Sunnydale. Just you and me. We can disappear."

"Disappear? No matter where we go you'll still be the Slayer and I'll still be a vampire. They'll find us, pet. The Master will not stop. He'll use any means possible. He's set his sights on you and he won't rest until he's done with you.“ Spike ran his fingers through his hair. "And if I recall, the clan exists almost everywhere. We wouldn't be able to find solace any place."

Buffy fell silent. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She snuggled as close as she could against him. "I wish we could just stay here forever. I wish we could stop time and just be like this forever."

"I know love. I know." He said holding her tight against him.


**

Spike could hear her cries but was unable to do anything about it. He cursed himself for not being fast enough, for not being strong enough. But there were just too many of them. They had been ambushed. If he just saw the bloody poisonous sting in time, this wouldn't have been a problem. But the poison worked quickly, slowing his reflexes, blurring his vision. He didn't even know where it came from. With his head cloudy, he was easy prey. Vampires that he felt were kin were on top of him while the others rushed his Slayer. Buffy took some of them to their final deaths but there were too many. He also knew that her concern for him could be dulling her edge. "Bugger." he said weakly as everything went black.

"SPIKE!" Buffy cried out one more time as she saw him fall, pinned beneath a number of vampires. In anger, she dusted the vampire in front and behind her. She was ready to attack the next set of vampires when she heard one of them.

"Slayer! " She looked to see Spike held tightly by two vampires, the one that spoke holding a stake by Spike's chest. "Come with us peacefully and he will remain unharmed."

Buffy hesitated. How could she trust them? What was her assurance that they wouldn't stake him once she gave up. "How can I be sure?"

"He is more important to us alive than dead."

"How do i know you speak the truth?"

"You don't!"

Buffy looked at Spike's limp body and though she could hear him calling her foolish for what she was about to do. She lowered her stake and surrendered.

***
A/N:
Big thank to everyone that has been reading this fic. I know I've taken Buffy and Spike through a hell of a rollercoaster. Intense stuff (at least in my opinion) is coming. Though I'm having some difficulty in finding the perfect ending or if I'm going to keep this going after the "Master arch". Keep the reviews coming guys. It really inspires me to keep on going. Thanks a bunch!