Disclaimer: All the recognizable characters belong to Joss Whedon. Just playing with them.
 
Thanks again reviewers!
 
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Chapter 10
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Buffy and Spike got in very late after their honeymoon, and didn’t see Tara and Dawn until the next morning. Buffy went downstairs to see Dawn off to school, leaving Spike in bed in his usual early morning dead-to-the-world state. “How was everything?” Dawn asked as she, Buffy, and Tara shared breakfast.
 
“It was heavenly,” said Buffy. “It was this great little cabin with a Jacuzzi and a fireplace up in the hills. We didn’t want to come back.”
 
“Well, glad that you did,” laughed Tara. “I think we would have missed you after a while.”
 
“Especially when the vampires started stacking up,” joked Dawn. She cleared her place and gathered her things. “See you after school,” she said. Buffy gave her a quick hug, then she was out the door.
 
“So what did you guys do all weekend?” Buffy asked as she and Tara finished their coffee.
 
“Dawn did her homework, we watched a bunch of movies, ordered pizza, the usual,” said Tara. She paused, then added, “Giles came over on Saturday.”
 
Buffy tensed up a bit, but kept her voice calm as she asked, “What did he want?”
 
“He just wanted to talk to you. He ended up asking me and Dawn about how this all happened.”
 
“What did you tell him?”
 
“We told him that you were happy, and that Spike was helping you, and that he shouldn’t worry about you two.”
 
“Did he buy it?” Buffy wondered. She wanted so much to reunite with Giles, but not if it was just going to mean more stress.
 
“I think he felt bad that you were so upset,” Tara said. “And he wants to understand what happened between you and him.”
 
“Guess I should go see him, huh?” said Buffy reluctantly.
 
“I think that would be the best thing,” Tara agreed. “You’ll be less anxious if you just clear the air.”
 
Buffy took a deep breath. Tara was right. I should just get this over with. “Do you know where he’s staying?”
 
Tara got up and went over to the phone. She handed Buffy a scribbled note. “He’s at a hotel until he decides how long he’s staying.” Buffy took the paper and picked up the phone, dialing the number with slightly trembling fingers.
 
“Hello?”
 
“Giles? It’s Buffy.”
 
“Buffy!” said Giles with trepidation. “How… how was your weekend?”
 
“It was good,” she said. “I think we need to talk. Can I come over?”
 
“Of course,” Giles said, relieved that she would at least talk to him.
 
“I’ll see you in about an hour, ok?”
 
“See you then,” he responded. He set down the phone and rubbed his face. He hoped with all his heart that they could find a way to sort this out.
 
Buffy took a shower and went to her room to get dressed. Where are you off to then? Buffy turned to see Spike watching her dress with a faint smile.
 
“I’m going to go talk to Giles,” she said, coming over to give him a good morning kiss. “Wish me luck?”
 
“It’s Giles, love, not a Grathnar demon,” he said. “Give him a chance.”
 
“I’ll try,” said Buffy. Think good thoughts at me, ok?
 
Sure you want that? Spike leered. He remembered their wedding night in vivid detail until she turned scarlet.
 
You keep those thoughts to yourself, mister, Buffy shot back. She smiled at her husband, and added, “You always know how to make me laugh. No one else seems to be able to do that as well as you these days.”
 
“Just give them time, Buffy,” Spike said. “Now go on, and don’t let him upset you.” Buffy kissed him once more and left, as Spike went back to sleep.
 
Tara dropped Buffy off at Giles’ hotel on her way home. “Thanks, Tara,” she said. “And thanks for watching Dawn for us.”
 
“My pleasure,” said Tara. She drove away, leaving Buffy to take a deep breath and walk into the hotel. She made her way up to room 210, and knocked hesitantly on the door.
 
Giles opened the door. “Buffy,” he said. “I… that is… won’t you come in?” He found himself torn between wanting to embrace her and beg her forgiveness and wanting to shake her for taking such a drastic step. He felt she had put him in quite an awkward position. Even though he was no longer her official Watcher, the idea of his Slayer in a mating claim with a notorious vampire set his teeth on edge on general principles. This wasn’t something that would go over well in the Council of Watchers if it ever got back to them. At the same time, he longed to just take her into his arms for the first time since her resurrection and thank all the gods there were for her return. For the moment, he simply stepped back and let her in.
 
“Thanks, Giles,” Buffy said nervously, as she went in and sat down, perched on the edge of an armchair.
 
“Would you like something to drink?” Giles asked, trying to put her at ease.
 
“No thanks, I’m good,” she said. “Tara said you came by this weekend?”
 
“Yes, I did,” he said, putting his own drink down and sitting back. “Buffy, I just want to understand how you could allow this to happen.”
 
“What do you mean, Giles?”
 
“I mean, a mating claim? With the Slayer of Slayers? Whatever were you thinking?”
 
Buffy looked down at the floor. “Giles, I love him. I loved him before the claim, and I love him now that we’re married. Why is this such a problem?”
 
“I understand that he helped you through a very difficult time,” Giles began. “But to join yourself to a vampire, for the rest of your life? Do you really understand the ramifications of that?” Giles struggled to keep his voice calm, but he found himself getting agitated at the very thought that she had once again let herself get involved with one of the creatures she was supposed to be slaying.
 
“Do you know what the claim does, Giles?” Buffy asked, looking into his face. “I mean, have you any idea what it’s really like?”
 
“I know that the books say it conveys certain psychic abilities, and that mated demons often do not survive if one of the pair dies.”
 
“That’s all true,” Buffy said. “But it’s more than that. I know what he’s feeling, as if those feelings were coming from my own brain. We can hear each other’s thoughts, all the time, unless we work at hiding them or we’re too far away. When he’s not in the house, it’s like there’s this static-y place in my head that just buzzes until he’s back in range. When we patrol, we fight like one person. When we’re, um, together,” she blushed, but continued, “It’s like nothing I ever experienced. I can’t give that up, Giles. I won’t.” She stared straight at him with her intense green eyes, firm and unwavering.
 
“But what will you do if he starts killing again?” Giles persisted. “If the chip doesn’t work on you, how soon before it stops working entirely?”
 
“He wouldn’t do that,” Buffy insisted. “He kept me from throttling Willow and Xander when I first came back. He’s been pushing me to come make up with you. He cares about me, and he won’t do anything to make me need to stake him. I know this.”
 
“But are you certain that all this isn’t some sort of reaction on your part? Being dragged back from the dead was a traumatic experience that could have severely clouded your judgment.”
 
“Giles, what do you want from me?” Buffy asked, suddenly sounding tired and miserable. The very thought of having to fight this battle again and again wore her out.
 
Giles’ heart ached as he looked at the small woman before him, pondering the answer to that question. “I want to be certain that you are acting of your own free will,” he said after a long pause. “I want to know that Spike isn’t taking advantage of you, and that you have thought this through. I want to know that you are not forsaking your calling because you’ve tied yourself to a soulless demon.”
 
“That soulless demon was the only one who could see me when I was a ghost, Giles,” she said quietly. “He almost got himself killed trying to help me. He loves me, he takes care of me and Dawn, and he helps me patrol. When we patrol we get the job done in half the time since we can read each other’s thoughts, and I’ve always got someone watching my back. I’m safer now than I’ve ever been since I was called.”
 
Giles felt himself wavering in the face of her arguments. But he found it very hard to stop being a Watcher; the training was just too deeply ingrained. “I just don’t want to have to lose you again because you trusted a vampire,” he said in the end.
 
“Giles, what you see with Spike is what you get. He doesn’t lie, and he’s not going to lose his soul and turn evil, since he has no soul to lose. The only way he would hurt me is if one of you guys dusts him and it kills me too.” Buffy stood up to go. “I really don’t want to fight with you, Giles, but I will not leave Spike, under any circumstances.” She turned to walk out.
 
“Buffy, wait!” said Giles. She turned back and he could see the hurt mixing with the determination in her eyes. He realized he was not going to win this battle, and he would lose her forever if he didn’t back down. Taking a deep breath he said, “Buffy, I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that you are no longer a teenager. I don’t want to cause a permanent rift between us. Can we please just… start over?”
 
His plea touched Buffy. She slowly moved over to stand before him, searching his eyes for any sign of rejection. Then she tentatively stepped in and hugged him. “I missed you, Giles,” she said.
 
“I missed you too, Buffy,” Giles responded. He held her like she was the prodigal returned, and he found himself willing to do almost anything not to lose her again. “I shouldn’t have gone. I hope you can forgive me. And I promise, I’ll try to keep an open mind about all this.”
 
“Thank you,” Buffy whispered. She squeezed him tighter.
 
“Buffy? Can’t breathe,” Giles gasped. Buffy let him go sheepishly. She had been with Spike for so long she forgot her effect on normal humans.
 
“I need to go now, Giles,” Buffy said. “But I promise we’ll keep in touch, ok?”
 
“Until later then,” Giles said. Buffy turned and left, leaving Giles both relieved and concerned. I do hope she knows what she’s doing, he thought, as he leaned against the door and polished his glasses.
 
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Spike was enjoying a mug of blood in front of a soccer match on TV when Buffy got back. “How did it go love?” he asked.
 
She joined him on the couch. “I think I finally got him to understand how I feel. He’s still very much in Watcher mode though. You know ‘sacred duty, soulless demons, blah blah blah’. But you’re right, he’s coming around.”
 
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Did you mention your delicate condition?” he asked.
 
Buffy knit her brows for a moment, “My delicate…? You mean the pregnancy, right?”
 
“Sorry love, the Victorian era phrases never did get purged from the memory banks entirely. Yes, I mean our impending status as parents.”
 
“I, um, well…”she stammered.
 
“Didn’t tell him, did you?” he said, frowning sternly at her.
 
“No,” she said guiltily. “By the time I finally got him to the point of actually grasping that yes, I know what I’m doing, I just seemed the wrong time to bring it up.”
 
“Slayer,” Spike growled. “We can’t keep this in the dark forever, you know.”
 
“I know,” she sighed, leaning on his shoulder. “I’ll tell him soon, I promise.”
 
Spike drew her close, slipping an arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers. They lay there for a while, the soccer game a quiet babble in the background. In a few moments the game ended and Spike clicked off the remote without disturbing their embrace. They sat there a moment, holding hands and enjoying each other’s presence. Then Spike became aware of a new sound. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump. It was a rapid, faint little beat, barely audible even to a vampire, but it was there.
 
What is it? Buffy wondered, noticing a change in her husband’s emotions.
 
The baby. I can hear its heartbeat. The wonder he felt flowed across the link as he put his hand gently on her stomach.
 
Buffy sat up, surprised. “Really? You can hear it already?”
 
“Well, you’re just about two months gone, right? I think your pregnancy book said that most of the organs were up and running by then.”
 
“I guess,” Buffy said, idly rubbing her belly. “Does… does it sound human?”
 
Spike put his head to her belly and listened. “Sounds like any other pregnant woman I’ve ever noticed. No odd scents or anything. Far as I can tell, all’s normal.” Spike sat up and looked at her with concern. “I don’t suppose there is any chance I can convince you to stay home and let me patrol tonight, is there?”
 
“Spike, you have to be on top of me to hear it. I doubt the fledges will be able to hear it yet.”
 
“You are, without a doubt, the most annoyingly stubborn bint on the planet,” Spike growled. “I am going to get some Slayer-proof handcuffs one of these days, if only for your own safety.”
 
“Spike, I know you’re worried, but I’ll be fine,” Buffy assured him. “I’m still in top shape, and I need the exercise anyhow. I’ll be okay. Promise.”
 
“Just don’t want anything to happen to you, pet, that’s all,” Spike said.
 
“Then you’ll just have to follow me on patrol and make sure nothing does,” she said. She pulled Spike into a kiss and for a few hours they managed to forget their troubles.
 
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Dawn came home as usual, right on cue to interrupt the last ten minutes of Passions. “So did they get Timmy out of the well or whatever, Mr. Big Bad?” she teased.
 
“Buffy? Can I eat her yet?” Spike asked in a state of mild annoyance.
 
“I think there was something in the marriage vows about not eating my relatives,” Buffy called from the kitchen. “Although Dawn, if you have enough energy to tease Spike about his TV addictions, then you have enough energy to do the dishes.”
 
“Alright, alright. I’ll leave the vampire to his scary soap opera,” Dawn said. Spike growled slightly, and Dawn decided she had won that round, and left the field of battle to join Buffy in the kitchen.
 
“Grab that dish towel and dry these, would you?” Buffy asked.
 
“Yes, ma’am,” Dawn said. “Do you feel old now that you’re married?”
 
“Do you want to live long enough to experience it for yourself?” Buffy shot back. Buffy knew that Dawn’s sassy teasing was her way of expressing how comfortable she felt with the situation, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying.
 
After a few minutes of working in silence, Dawn said, “Buffy?”
 
“Yeah?”
 
“I’m really sorry that Xander overheard me in the Magic Box. I didn’t mean to give away your secret and cause trouble.” Dawn bit her lip and looked at her sister with contrite eyes.
 
Buffy dried her hands and came over to give her sister a hug. “Xander was in the wrong, not you. Not your fault.” Buffy released her sister and picked up the dishrag again. “I went to see Giles today.”
 
“How did that go?” Dawn asked nervously.
 
“Okay, I guess,” Buffy said, shrugging. “It’s really hard for him to stop acting like a Watcher though. I tried to explain that I’ve been a much better Slayer since I teamed up with a vampire, but it’s hard to get him to see that. I think we’ve managed to make a new start after all was said and done.”
 
“Well, at least he didn’t stake your husband or anything, so that’s something,” Dawn offered.
 
“A big something,” Buffy agreed. Spike came into the kitchen at that point. “Anything I can do here, or should I just snack on the Nibblet and go about my business?”
 
Dawn stuck out her tongue at him, and Buffy said, “I swear, do I have to separate you two? Just because the terms ‘brother-in-law’ and ‘sister-in-law’ now apply doesn’t mean that you should start acting like actual siblings.” And if you have all that extra energy why don’t you take the laundry downstairs and throw in a load? Buffy added silently.
 
Rather conserve my energy for something else, Spike responded with a leer. Buffy rolled her eyes and Spike relented. “I’ll go take the laundry downstairs.”
 
The three of them passed another evening in simple tasks. Buffy made burgers and a salad for dinner, Dawn did homework and asked Spike for some history help. Spike sipped his blood along with an extremely rare burger and watched his wife and her sister chat and laugh together. Love them both so much, he thought to himself.
 
Buffy caught the thought and smiled at him across the table. Feeling’s mutual, lover. Dawn rolled her eyes good naturedly at their silent conversation, mumbled something about manners, and got up to clear her place. “I’m gonna watch a movie, want to join me?” Dawn asked.
 
“I’d like to get patrol done early today. I’m still tired after the long drive back last night,” said Buffy. Not to mention the weekend long sexathon, she added silently.
 
Naughty Slayer, thinking that sort of thing in front of the Nibblet, Spike returned, curling his tongue behind his teeth suggestively. Aloud he said, “Sounds like a plan. Shall we then?”
 
They got up, got their slaying supplies together, and left, with Buffy magically locking the door behind them. They walked down the street holding hands, unaware of a figure down the block. The Kratash demon slipped out from behind a tree, keeping to the shadows and following them from a substantial distance. He had judged the autumn breeze so as to keep himself upwind of the vampire as much as possible.
 
He had been poking around for a few days now, haunting various demon bars and other hangouts, trying to find out about this Slayer. One vampire, heavily in his cups in a seedy dive that made Willy’s look like the Ritz, went into a ten minute tirade about master vampires who were total sellouts, killing their own kind. After sufficient application of whiskey, he was able to pry the name “Spike, or something like that,” out of the drunken vamp. A bit more poking had confirmed Spike, aka William the Bloody, as a vampire seen frequently working together with the Slayer. He was clearly the target of both the grudging respect and the animosity of most of the demonic types in town. He was called a traitor and a sellout, but no one wanted to cross him. He had the reputation of being a ‘vicious son-of-a-bitch’, according to one bitter vampire whore. When one slightly less cautious demon had referred to him in low tones as ‘the Slayer’s pet bloodsucker’, the Kratash decided it was definitely time to find this Slayer.
 
Finding the Slayer proved to be fairly difficult, given the fact that most of those who encountered her ended up as piles of dust. He finally found a demon with a grudge who had furnished the name Buffy Summers. A few minutes with the phone book was enough to find her house, and now he was finally able to trail his quarry.
 
He noted the house, and the magical wards that made it nearly painful for a demon to walk past it. Clearly this Slayer was either a powerful witch, or had friends who were. He watched, fascinated, as the Slayer walked off down the street hand in hand with a Master Vampire, with whom she obviously had a very intimate relationship. He followed them through the cemeteries, always at a distance to avoid being seen. There was no way if he could tell if she was pregnant from that far away, but he could say with authority that they were a couple. About half way through their patrol the Kratash stopped following and headed for a deserted alley. He looked around, and seeing no one, muttered a quick incantation. He shimmered out of existence thinking, Time to let the boss know what I’ve found so far.
 
TBC