Disclaimer: Buffy, Spike and the rest belong to Joss Whedon, lucky guy.
Just a couple more chapters to go!

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About three hours later the carefully arranged living room looked a bit like a cyclone had hit it. The coffee table had been knocked over, a table lamp lay on its side, and clothing was strewn everywhere. They had come to rest on the rug, panting and content.
 
“Did you survive, pet?” Spike chuckled, as Buffy looked at him with half crossed eyes.
 
“I think so. Not sure when my legs will start working again though,” she replied. She turned over and rested her head on his chest. “You make the best pillow,” she sighed contentedly.
 
“Glad to oblige,” he responded. Just then there was a rumbling sound under Buffy’s ear.
 
“Was that your stomach?” she giggled.
 
“Guess so,” he answered. “I haven’t eaten in a while.”
 
“Are we out of blood?”
 
“Yeah. We’ll pick up some tonight after patrol. I’ll survive.”
 
“You can take a sip of Slayer, if you like,” Buffy offered, stroking his chest as she spoke.
 
“I may want to save that for emergencies, love,” he said reluctantly. His demon was screaming Yes! Take her. Slayer… but he forced that part of him down.
 
Buffy noticed a slight change in his voice. “Something wrong, Spike?”
 
Spike hesitated. Then he took a breath and said, “I worry that the demon’s gonna get out of control one of these days. I worry about hurting you.”
 
Buffy sat up and looked at him. “But even when you were wounded, you didn’t drain me or anything. Hardly even feel it.”
 
“I know, love,” Spike said, rising to his elbow to gaze back at her. “But your blood, it’s like a drug to a vamp. Special stuff. I just… don’t want to risk losing control. I don’t think I could live with myself if…” He trailed off, unable to even voice that fear.
 
Buffy kissed him. “I trust you, Spike. I believe you won’t hurt me.” Spike stroked her cheek in silent gratitude. Buffy got to her feet, and held out a hand to Spike. “Come on. After all that, I think we need some dinner and senseless violence.”
 
Spike laughed. “That’s my girl.”
 
Night had fallen, so they got dressed and went out. They grabbed dinner at a small Italian restaurant Spike knew of – “Owner’s a demon, but the man can cook,” he explained. The waiter seemed unreasonably nervous, until Spike quietly explained that the waiter was also a demon, and was justifiably worried about serving dinner to the Slayer. But Buffy smiled and made no sudden moves, and they enjoyed an excellent meal. They stopped at the butcher’s for a pint of blood for Spike, which he drank as they patrolled.
 
“That hit the spot,” said Spike as he finished. He was about to drop the container on the sidewalk when Buffy cleared her throat and pointed at a trash can. Sheepishly, Spike said, “Well, I am evil you know…” before throwing the container out properly.
 
They did their usual route through the cemeteries, enjoying themselves thoroughly. There were a number of fledglings that night, but they barely caused the blond couple to break a sweat. A couple of older vampires with a grudge against Spike tried to ambush them in an alley, but the battle was over almost before it began. Spike found he loved watching her work. Could write a twenty volume book of poetry about the way she moves. She was right – they were perfect partners. A matched set, we are.
 
They finished off the last of the vampires and headed home, stopping for additional supplies for Spike on the way. “I guess I’m going to have to add that to the shopping list from now on,” Buffy commented as they left the butcher again.
 
“Beats having to eat the Nibblet,” said Spike.
 
Buffy elbowed him playfully. “Umm, we didn’t go through all this trouble to bring Dawn home for you to eat. Behave, or you’ll be sleeping in the basement.”
 
“Not much meat on the Nibblet anyhow,” joked Spike.
 
Buffy was silent for a little while. “Spike?” she said thoughtfully.
 
“Yeah?”
 
“Are we… have we gone too fast in all this?” she asked nervously.
 
Spike froze momentarily. Knew it was too good to last. She’s not going to want you around long term.Swallowing his fear, he asked “What do you mean?”
 
“I just… I don’t know,” Buffy said. “The last week I’ve been happier and more secure than I ever felt with any man. But it seems that every time I start to get comfortable in my life, something bad happens. It’s always been like that. Some apocalypse, some close call. I guess this is just me being afraid of getting hurt again,” she finished quietly.
 
Spike stopped and turned to her. He took one of her hands and kissed it tenderly. “Look at me, Slayer.” She obeyed. “I get scared too, ok? I worry that I’m going to do something stupid to fuck this all up. I worry that I’m going to make some wrong bloody call that’s gonna lead you to toss me out on my arse, or feel you have to dust me. But what else can I do? Won’t leave you. Not going to be all noble like the Great Pouf and run off for your own good. All I can do, all we can do is try, one day at a time, to make this work.”
 
She clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder. “I need you Spike. Please don’t let me drive you away. I can be so moody, and so closed off sometimes. Please put up with me,” she pleaded.
 
“You know I will,” Spike reassured her. They continued home in silence. Buffy seemed to still be lost in her thoughts as they walked. Wish I could know what was going on in that head of yours, Slayer. You seem so lost sometimes. The thoughts triggered an echo from his demonic side. We could claim her. Mate with her. She would be ours forever, her feelings laid bare to us, and ours to her. Could he ask that of her? Would she agree to it? Spike didn’t know what the answers were.
 
They reached the house just after midnight. For a moment, Buffy thought What happened? Who was in my house? Then she flushed as she realized that the wreckage of the living room was the fallout of another session of lovemaking with Spike. “I think we’re going to have to tone it down if we don’t want to run out of furniture,” she observed. She started to pick up the scattered parts of the living room, when Spike stopped her.
 
“Leave that for morning, love,” he said quietly. “Come here and sit down. I’ve… I want to talk to you.”
 
Buffy suppressed a moment of panic as she sat on the sofa. He’s going to leave they all leave me I’m too needy and crazy. Her voice quavered a bit as she said, “What is it?”
 
“Nothing bad, love, just relax,” he soothed. He sat down next to her and took her hands. “Do you know anything about claims?”
 
Buffy looked puzzled and shook her head. “N… no. What does that mean?”
 
Spike sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if Rupert taught you anything at all about vampires. A claim is a ritual vampires sometimes undergo. A mating ritual.”
 
“Mating ritual?” Buffy was truly perplexed now. “What do you mean?”
 
“When two vampires claim each other, they tie themselves together forever. They can feel each other’s emotions. Sometimes they can read each other’s minds. They are bound together in a sort of marriage that can only be broken by death.”
 
“Why are you telling me about this?” Buffy asked. Did he do one of these rituals with Drusilla? Does he mean he needs to leave because of some prior claim? Buffy’s brain was a whirl of insecurity and panic.
 
Spike heard her heartbeat quickening and realized he was somehow triggering her panic. “Easy, pet. Not going to do anything you don’t want me to.”
 
“You’re… you’re not going to leave, are you?” she asked shakily.
 
Oh, so that’s what the bint’s worried about. Spike smiled tenderly. “Never. I’ll never leave you.” He took a deep breath and said, “I’m telling you this because I want us to claim each other, if you’re willing.”
 
“Claim each other?” Buffy’s eyes widened. “Can we do that? I mean, I’m not a vampire.”
 
“I think we can, love,” Spike said. “It would come with some benefits. My demon would never be able to hurt you – a demon can’t hurt his mate. We wouldn’t have all this doubt about what the other is feeling. Probably would make fighting easier, being able to sense each other and all that.” He hesitated a moment.
 
“I sense a ‘but’,” Buffy said. She was staring at him intently, her expression quite unreadable.
 
“The downside is that the death of one partner usually means the death of the other,” he said quietly. “It would mean that if something dusts me, I’m not sure what would happen to you. I haven’t seen many mated vampires, for that reason, but the one time I saw one of a pair die, the other one just completely lost the will to live. Stopped eating, and just lay down to greet the sunrise. Don’t know if that’s something you want to sign up for.” He bit his lip and looked into her eyes, waiting for a response.
 
Buffy looked at their joined hands for a moment and swallowed. “Spike…” she began. She was struggling to find words.
 
“Buffy, it’s ok if you want to think about it, or if you don’t want to, it won’t change anything between us…”
 
Her finger touched his lips, silencing the stream of nervous words. “Spike, if something dusted you tomorrow, I would want to lie down and die, even without this claim thing. But are you sure that you want to be stuck with me? Forever? William the Bloody and the Slayer?”
 
“Never been more sure of anything before, in all my days,” Spike said, his gaze never wavering.
 
“Then claim me, Spike,” Buffy said, lifting one hand to cup his cheek. “Make it so I’ll never have to be alone again. I love you, so very much.”
 
Spike’s dead heart leaped with joy at her words. He stood up and took her hand, leading her up to what he had begun to think of as ‘their’ bedroom, just as she had led him up the first time they had made love.
 
He undressed her slowly, reverently, his hands caressing every inch of her as if she were the most precious thing on earth. She returned the favor, pleased to run her hands over his healed chest, his fully restored face. He guided her to the bed and lay down beside her, never ceasing to worship her body. As they kissed, Buffy paused and whispered, “How does this work?”
 
Spike kept kissing down her neck while he said, “I think you’ll know what to do when we get there. Just follow my lead, alright?”
 
“Okay,” she agreed. Spike spent what felt like hours pleasuring her with his fingers and tongue. She gasped and shuddered under his skilled hands until she was practically begging for him to enter her. When he did, it was like a key into a lock. Perfect. He’s perfect for me, like no other. As he thrust into her faster and deeper they locked eyes, concentrating all their senses on the feel, the scent, the sounds of each others’ bodies. As the climax neared Spike’s face shifted, his now yellow eyes never wavering from hers.
 
“Love you, Buffy Summers,” he gasped, his voice thickened by the fangs. Then he bent down and sank his fangs into her neck. After two long sips of her blood he said, “Mine. You’re mine.”
 
“Yours, oh God you know I’m yours,” Buffy responded. And as Spike had assured her, she suddenly realized what she needed to do. She grabbed the back of his head to pull him down, and bit his neck as hard as she could, drawing blood. She swallowed a mouthful, surprised at how natural it seemed, how right the salty taste was. “Mine!” she cried out, as her orgasm crested and her nerves all fired with the most incredible sensation of her life.
 
“Yours. Always. Oh Buffy, oh Christ…” Spike roared as he came, demon and man screaming with ecstasy.
 
They flew together for untold minutes, and they gradually felt a strange meshing of feelings. It took Buffy a moment to figure out that some of the sensations weren’t originating in her head or her body. She felt Spike come, felt the love he had for her, the contentment, the utter joy at finally having his love returned. Spike felt Buffy’s fear of abandonment receding, felt the insecurities that were so deep in her psyche, felt the power of the love she could give. Neither of them had words for what was happening to them.
 
When Buffy came back to herself, they were lying side by side, facing each other, panting as if they had run a marathon. They could do nothing but stare at each other, stunned and awestruck for a long, long time. Finally, Spike spoke up. “How do you feel, Buffy?”
 
“You tell me,” she said. They closed their eyes and probed each other’s feelings. Contentment. Peace. Joy. Love.
 
They opened their eyes again and smiled at each other. “I think we’re on the same page, love,” Spike said, stroking her cheek. “Thank you.”
 
“My pleasure,” she responded. They wrapped their arms around each other, and lay there just drinking in the sensations until they both fell asleep.
 
TBC