Buffy ran hard from the spot where Spike had just bitten her. She ran hard, focused only on getting away from him. For a while she didn’t feel anything but the sting on her face from the cool night breeze. However after the first mile her muscles began to protest and her lungs strained with the effort of sustaining her pace but she took no notice, and ran to her house in a full panic.

She reached her house and scaled the tree to shoot inside her bedroom window. Without even removing her boots or jacket she fell face first onto her bed. Everything that had been going on recently, the SAT’s, Angel’s return from Hell and her friends animosity towards him, Faith popping in and out without warning, and now to cap it all off, Spike!

His presence itself was a big enough problem Now - oh god what was going on?!? He had beaten her, captured her and held her immobile, helpless. He had bitten her, had buried his fangs in her neck. By all rights she should be dead now. So why was she still alive? Why did he let her go when she asked?

Even more disturbing had been her bodies reaction to him. Her face lit up as the blood rushed to her cheeks with the memory. She had gotten off on his bite! She hoped with all her being that he had not noticed, but knowing her luck it wasn’t likely. And after, she had tried to get away. Why had she obeyed him when he told her to stop? Why didn’t she fight harder; say “screw you” and broken his nose with the back of her skull? Why did she obey him without question?

And now, since she had pulled away from him in the graveyard, it seemed as though something inside of her was missing. She felt incomplete, as if part of her was somewhere else. Not gone forever, just misplaced. She hadn’t felt like this when she had been in his arms. She felt her body protest, felt it need him, his touch. She needed it more than anything else she had felt before, even when she had been with Angel the year before. Nothing could compare.

And to him? To Spike?!?

Finally overcome by the emotional flood she broke down, the tears spilling from her eyes and dampening the pillow beneath her. When the tears finally slowed she fell into sleep, overwhelmed by both the physical toil of running the mile and a half to her house, and the emotional strain that she had been carrying.

*****

Walking into school then next day Buffy felt even worse. The gloomy weather mirrored her mood as the dark clouds above her head threatened rain. It was as if the gods themselves were also angered from the previous nights events. She had woken up that morning gloomy and the dreary sky was almost a relief.

She had awoken to find that the encounter the night before had not been a dream as she hespeesperately hoped it would be. Her clothes were pressing painfully against her body, having never been meant for sleep wear. The marks on her neck remained, and though they had closed there was a mark there none the less. The skin was red and raised up, and the marks stood out in stark contrast to her tanned neck. It had taken quite a while to cover that up, and even now the marks remained visible, if only less so.

And to top it all off, the feeling from the night before had not gone away as she had hoped it would. She still acutely felt the need for the British vamp as acutely as last night, if not more so. What had he done to her? Why did she have to crave HIM so?

This sour disposition stayed with her as she walked into school and headed through the aged oak of the library double doors. She pushed through, coming to face the worried countenances of her friends and anxious Watcher.

Worry covered the faces of three people at the table. One face remained impassive with the other remaining just studied her nails. The slayer had not checked in the night before and it had worried them. Now their fears were only slightly alleviated as she seemed to be dragging in her own personal dark cloud and the ominous marks on her neck.

Willow was the first to speak up, “Buffy, there you are. Are you okay?”

Buffy looked up and saw the worry in her friend’s eyes, “Not so much this morning Wills.” She looked over to where her Watcher and Xander still sat, identical worried masks on beside the two indifferent ones, “Last night some vamp beat me. We fought, he won, and he bit me.”

The faces of Xander and Willow became even deeper coated in worry, while Cordelia finally took notice as her expression became one of fear, “You aren’t a vampire, are you? Please don’t tell me you are, cause - Oh god, help!” She jumped up and put Giles between herself and the Slayer.

“That’s the thing, he pulled outer ter only a short while. He didn’t even attempt to drain me. “ She resisted the urge to laugh as Cordelia came out from behind Giles and sat regally in the chair next to Xander, examining her nails as if nothing had happened.

Willow turned to face a perplexed libra, “G, “Giles, why would they do that?”

Xander broke in, “Yeah, I would think any vamp would be thrilled to have a Slayer under his belt.”

Giles seemed to snap out of a daze, taking off his glasses as he began to pace restlessly, “I’m not sure. Vampires never hesitate to kill a victim, they are ruthless killers. That this one did is unheard of.”

“If I may,” Oz spoke up. “Maybe killing the Slayer wasn’t his objective. Perhaps it was more of a power thing.”

Giles continued pacing, gesturing with his hands, moving his glasses back and forth, “Yes I suppose that is a possibility. Many vampiric rituals deal with issues of dominance and blood. To do that, to show superiority over a Slayer, would be a great status symbol.”

“So in other words he just wants to show off and have her alive to prove it?”

Giles looked at the teen exasperated, “Yes, Xander, if you must simplify it so.” Giles replaced his glasses and turned back to his Slayer, “I’ll stay here and research certain rituals involving vampire bites. Is there anything else you can tell us?”

Buffy thought a bit, “Yeah, he said some words too. They weren’t in English, so I couldn’t understand.”

“Thank you, that will be most helpful. I’ll stay here tonight and look into that. Would you recognize the vampire who bit you?”

Buffy shifted uncomfortably suddenly finding the pattern on the carpet very interesting, a move that went unnoticed by her Watcher, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I could.” She really hoped that he wouldn’t make her tell him it was Spike, it would first send him into a fit about why she hadn’t said something before. Add to that the research he’d make her do, trying to figure out why Spike, the slayer of Slayers, would behave that way. And to top it off, the over protectiveness that would emerge with the revelation of Spike’s identity.

Xander stood up, “Maybe I should patrol with you, just in case.”

Buffy scrambled her mind to come up with a good excuse. “No that’s okay. I’ve got Angel with me, I’ll be ok.”

Willow grabbed her best friend’s arm, “Oh, what did Angel say when he saw those?”

Buffy looked sheepishly at the redhead, “I haven’t told him yet. I haven’t seen his since I got bitten.”

***********



The day passed and with it the rains. They swept over the ground, washing the earth like teardrops from heaven. It settled on the ground, softening the earth. It stuck to the grass, who held the captive droplets as testament to the sin of the heavens.

Now the clouds had passed and the sky was clear, like a curtain drawn back. The half moon looked down on the world, kept company by the numerous stars. They shed their clear light down upon the world, making it so the marble seemed to glow.

The smell of the damp grass filled the air, masking the scent of death that lingered in the moonlit cemetery. The smell wafted up to the slayer, who sat on a monument nervously fidgeting. She did not notice the freshness of the air; her anxiety controlled her.

Angel was going to meet her here tonight. Her friends had called him and made sure that he knew to come. Buffy had begged them no to tell him about the bite yet, claiming that she really wanted to tell him about the incident herself.

In truth she was putting it off. She knew that he would overreact when he saw it. From what she had heard of vampire rituals and their habits from Giles’ attempts to educate her, bites were a big deal in their lives and were not only something used to feed.

But there was more beyond just the bite. It was the fact that this was Spike’s bite. She had heard that each vamp had his own distinctive bite like any human that could be recognized. After spending so much time with him Angel might recognize the pattern. She hoped he didn’t look that close.

Angel wove through the tombstones to where he would meet Buffy. Willow had called him this morning and told him that it was necessary that he patrol with the Slayer. The thought that she had been in danger had brought his heart to his throat, but Willow would not divulge any information. She had said that Buffy would enlighten him upon his arrival as to the urgency.

He came to the clearing where she sat basked in moonlight like a Grecian goddess. She was so beautiful he felt unclean, as if he was unworthy of her love. He would worship her if he had a chance, give her what he wanted, what she deservee woe would find a way, if it took him to the ends of the earth.

Suddenly his demon jumped up, something was wrong here. He took a step closer and let her scent waft over to him. His demon raged. Her scent had changed, become laced with a warning to any other vamp. The marks on her neck seemed to stand out brighter than any neon sign ever could.

Buffy looked up to see Angel looming over her, a strange look in his face. He was fighting back rage, she had never seen this look directed in her direction before, only at those who had tried to hurt her. Like the frat boys the year before, this was not a look she wanted aimed at her.


He knew, the mark on her neck told him what had happened. At that moment he felt like he needed to kill something, which he damn well was going to do. He had touched her! She was his! How dare he touch her! Not for the first time he wished with both his soul and his demon that he had placed his mark on her when he had the chance.

Buffy saw that his fists were clenched and he seemed to be fighting with himself. He spoke up in a deadly soft voice, “When did he claim you?”

Buffy couldn’t look at his face, it was too frightening, “Last night. We fought, but he was too strong. He beat me.”

Angel was silent for a moment, “How long has he been in town.”

Now was the moment of truth, she knew she was in trouble. She wasn’t used to lying to Angel and she wasn’t going to start now though, “A couple days, at least four.”

“FOUR DAYS!?! He’s been here for FOUR DAYS and you haven’t told anyone yet?! Why didn’t you tell me heome ome back? Why did you hide it? Buffy?” He was so upset, he was so hurt. woulwould she keep this from him?

Buffy finally dared to look up at him and immediately wished she hadn’t. His face was a confliction of anger and despair all in one. He looked like he would tear something’s head off and at the same time he looked like he wanted to cry.

She couldn’t stand to see him cry. She would do anything to make him happy. She rose to her feet and moved to put her arms around him only to have him move away from her. Tears welled up in her eyes, why had he drawn away from her?

Angel saw the tears in her eyes. He wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and make it all go away. But he couldn’t. Those marks on her neck, he knew what they meant. He couldn’t touch her. “Buffy, I’m so sorry. I can’t: that bite, he claimed you. I can’t touch you at all without his permission or without challenging him face to face.”

“You have to have Spike’s permission to HUG me?!?”

Angel looked down, “Yeah, pretty much.”

Buffy sat back on the tombstone and let her head fall into her hands. Then another thing came to Angel belatedly, “Do your friends know?”

“Know what?”

“Know that Spike is back.”

She shook her head, “No, I haven’t told them. I didn’t want to worry them at first, and now when they find out that I knew and didn’t tell them, oh god they are gonna be so angry with me!”

Angel sighed, “Buffy, we all care about you. We get to worry about you. If Xander knew that the Mummy Girl was back and didn’t tell you, what would you think?”

“But that’s different! I’m the slayer!”

“And we still care about you.”

She sniffed and looked back up at him. “Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you tell me what’s going on with me?”

Angel looked down at her with sorrow. How could Spike get this and he didn’t? What had Spike done to deserve her? “I’m sorry, I could but it’s really not my place to tell you.”

“No, it’s mine.”