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Double Trouble by Sandy
 
Chapter 22
 
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Buffy saw no reason to delay the confrontation with her Watcher so as soon as Wesley walked away she headed towards Giles sparing a glare for Wesley as she passed him. She became aware that Spike was following her and stopped, turning towards him. "Let me handle this, Spike. Okay?"

"It's on my head more than yours, Buffy. I shouldn't have bitten you this morning; I know that. Giles doesn't trust me, and he'll think the same as Angel, that I'm doing it to keep you off-guard so that I can kill you easier. He won't understand, sweetheart."

Buffy looked into the concerned eyes of her lover and smiled softly. Drawing his head down towards her she kissed him slowly and deeply, well aware that all eyes were drawn to them. "Just wait here, honey. I can handle Giles."

Turning back around, she once again walked towards her Watcher. Giles was even more furious and frightened than he had been when he had first learned of their relationship. It had been hard enough for him to accept the fact that Buffy had chosen yet another vampire as her lover, but to be told that she was allowing him to bite her was devastating. It went beyond foolishness. It was suicidal.

"Let's go into your office," Buffy told him quietly when she finally reached him. Giles nodded brusquely and entered the office closing the door after Buffy.

"So what did Wesley tell you?"

"You know exactly what he told me, Buffy. That you are allowing Spike to feed off you when you and he are..." Giles couldn't even finish the sentence. He still tried to blank the thought of Buffy and Spike engaging in sexual relations from his mind.

"Not feed, Giles. He doesn't feed from me. Look." Turning her head and moving aside her jacket collar she showed her Watcher that the bite was already healed with only the tiniest bit of pink showing where the fangs had entered. "He doesn't even mark me. The Master left a scar. Dracula left a scar. Angel left a horrible scar. Spike doesn't." Sighing she straightened her collar again and continued. "What we do is make love, Giles." As he turned away in a gesture of distaste, she latched onto his arm pulling him back around.

"I know you don't like my relationship with Spike, Giles. You've made that abundantly clear. I've also made it clear that I love him and he loves me. We make love. And part of that sometimes - not often - includes biting. I like it. He doesn't hurt me; he doesn't endanger me. And he only does it when I ask him to.

"Giles, please understand." she continued, trying her best to make him see her point of view. "What Spike and I do gives us both pleasure, and I'm never in danger from it. He never takes enough blood to even make me lightheaded. It's a taste. That's all.

"And I like it."

The last was said with emphasis.

Giles looked hopelessly at his Slayer. She would never listen to reason when it came to Spike. She would endanger her life because she was so sure that a soulless demon loved her. And there was absolutely nothing short of staking Spike that Giles could do to prevent it.

Still he tried to reason with her one more time. "Buffy, if he should change in his feelings, then you are leaving yourself open to be killed. Or worse, turned. I've told you over and over that he isn't to be trusted. And now this. It's a dangerous game you play, one that could very well cost you your life. Please, I'm begging you now, end this unnatural relationship, and since you obviously can't bring yourself to perform your duty and slay him, at least send him away."

"No."

"Buffy..."

"No! God, Giles are you even listening to yourself? Every time I go out on patrol, I could be killed, but you don't try to talk me out of it. In fact, you've taught me it's my sacred duty to go out knowing that it's possible that I might die every time I do. And now you're all wigged because you think I'm in danger from Spike, the man who loves me?"

"Buffy, he's not a man. He's..."

"Don't say it, Giles. I know what Spike is much better than you do. Look, I think this conversation has hit a dead end. I told Angel and now I'm going to tell you. What Spike and I do is our business, not anyone else's. So please, just drop this whole thing. I'm in less danger of dying from Spike's love bite than I am of dying from Dengue fever." Glancing out of the office window and spotting Anya coming into the shop, she added, "We have more important matters to worry about right now, like getting Vampire Willow back to where she came from. Okay?" Opening the door to Giles' office she hesitated. Turning her head slightly towards him she said softly, "I hope I don't have to warn you about not attempting to stake Spike." With those final words, she walked out.

Giles stood there alone for a few minutes worried but resigned. He could only hope that in the event Spike did loose control that chip would stop him before things got out of hand. Sighing, he left the office also.

***

As soon as Buffy left Giles' office, a concerned Willow hurried up to her. "Buffy, is everything okay?"

"God, Will, don't tell me you're going to get all preachy on me too," Buffy said with exasperation. "Everything's fine, okay? Spike doesn't hurt me when he bites me. I like it. Get the picture?"

Willow looked shocked at this new information. "Spike bites you? Why?"

Buffy stared in surpirse at her friend and asked, "You don't know? Didn't Xander or Angel or that big mouth Wesley tell you?"

Willow slowly shook her head, eyes wide. "No. Why does Spike bite you?"

Buffy looked faintly embarrassed. "Oh, um, well it's when we, uh, you know," she stammered out.

Willow looked confused for a moment and then eyes widening in understanding, she blushed and said, "Oh! You mean when you and he, uh..."

"Yeah, then."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Willow looked down at the floor for a few seconds and then asked quietly, "Why didn't you ever tell me about this, Buffy? I thought we could tell each other anything."

Buffy looked uncomfortable and then asked her friend, "Do you tell me everything you and Tara do when you're together?"

Willow, surprised by the question, blushed deep crimson, gave a little laugh and said, "Point taken. Guess I don't give too many details. It'd be TMI, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, something like that," Buffy smiled. After an uncomfortable pause she asked quietly, "You wigged out about it?"

"The biting?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know. It could be dangerous, I guess, but I know Spike loves you like crazy and I don't think he'd intentionally do anything to hurt you."

Buffy smiled relieved that at least one of her friends was taking the news so well and nodded agreement. Willow took in a deep breath and asked, "Do you like it? When he bites you, I mean?"

"Oh god, yes!" Buffy exclaimed with a breathy voice and a laugh. "Will, it's amazing."

Just then Giles came out of his office. Glancing over at him, Buffy told her friend, "I promise I'll give you full details later, okay? We need to get rid of Skank Willow first before I just decide to dust her."

Willow smiled and whispered, "I'll hold you to that. I want all the juicy details." Looking into the training room, she saw Tara looking at the young vampire with fascination. Vampire Willow was looking with equal interest at Tara. Deciding that she should join her girlfriend, Willow hurried back into the room leaving an amused Buffy behind.

Buffy watched as Giles walked to the shop door, flipped the sign back to "Closed" and locked the door. Anya looked up in surprise from the cash register she was preparing for the day's sales and said, "Mr. Giles, why did you relock the door? It's time for the shop to be open. If you lock the door we will miss sales."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, Anya," Giles said, "but we have another situation today and your assistance is required."

Anya looked decidedly nervous and said hesitantly, "What situation, Mr. Giles?"

"Come with me please, Anya," he answered walking back to the training room.

Anya followed her employer with a certain reluctance in her step. Buffy waited until she had passed before following. Giles entered the training room and waited for Anya to join him. Anya entered and then halted in her tracks as if hitting an invisible wall. "Oh no," she wailed. "Why is she here? I thought Buffy was going to dust her."

"Yes, well Angel and Wesley decided that it would be best to return her to her own dimension. Buffy has agreed. We need to know what spell you and Willow were using that brought her here in the first place."

Anya felt her whole world dissolving around her. There was no way that the two Watchers would fail to realize that the spell was transdimensional in nature, meant to pull something from another dimension. How could she possibly explain that she was trying to retrieve her "stolen" necklace from another dimension?

Shaking in fear, Anya turned and bolted from the room.
 
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