Disclaimer: Joss owns the Buffyverse, I only play in it

Special thanks to Bloodytearsoflife for betaing this when no one else would. You are my beta goddess! Thanks to Tasha for the fab review!
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Chapter 2: Visiting Mom

Spike pulled the Desoto in front of 1630 Revello drive and slammed the car into park. With a harsh grunt, he took out a cigarette and lit up, letting tendrils of smoke escape from his mouth and nose.

“Right, here we are then. Dru, you will stay in the car, got it?” he commanded in a hard tone.

There was a whimper from the vampire in the front passenger seat which Spike took as a yes, and kicked the door open. Buffy waited patiently for him to push the driver’s seat back for her. She had learned when they had been living together in LA, as Master Vampire and his human mistress, that this was one of the things he insisted on doing for a lady.

Spike slammed the door shut behind her once she was out.

“What the fucking hell is wrong with you Buffy!” he seethed, his face millimetres from hers.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Sire,” she retorted, “Now let’s go see my mom.”

Spike took the cigarette out of his mouth and flung it to the ground. Grabbing her arm so hard it bruised, he stopped her from moving closer to the house.

“Tell me, now! Or do I have to tie you up again?” he threatened, his eyes glinting.

Buffy’s memory flashed back to what he was referring to. Just before they had broken up in LA, well it was the break up.

“You’d just tell me I’m being a child,” she muttered, tearing her arm from his grasp and rubbing it.

“You are a childe, Buffy, my childe. This testing my authority thing is going to get you in trouble. This is about knowing your place in the family.”

“I thought I did know my place Spike! I’m your Mate, and you aren’t treating me like it. It’s like I’m your kid sister tagging along for the ride.” Buffy felt like stomping her foot in irritation but reined in the impulse, not wanting Spike to hold it above her.

“You’ve been risen for how long?” he questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

“Come off of it, Spike,” she snapped. “Everything changed the moment she walked through the door and you know it. This was supposed to be about us, getting to know one another again, without minions, without friends who disapproved. I didn’t become a vampire so I could have tea parties with Drusilla. I became one to be with you, forever,” she finished with a sigh, her eyes staring into his.

Spike nodded as if he was concentrating on her words. He knew exactly how she felt; he had experienced the same thing when Dru had brought him to Angelus all those years ago.

“She’s my sire, Buffy, I can’t just kick her to the curb,” he began to explain.

Buffy exhaled sadly and nodded. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, it was that he wouldn’t. Not for her.

“Let’s go see your mum then, alright?” he suggested calmly.

The black clad pair walked to the front porch in silence. Buffy stood stoically in front of the door, unmoving.

“Are ya gonna knock on the bloody door or not?” asked Spike, getting just a bit annoyed with his childe.

“She’s in there,” said Buffy in awe. “I can hear her heartbeat.”

Spike nodded. “The most salivating sound in the whole bloody world. Knock on the soddin’ door,” he commanded.

Buffy raised her hand slowly but stopped.

“Sod it,” said her Sire and knocked on the door himself. Loudly.

Buffy turned to look at Spike, her mouth agape.

“Took too long, Goldilocks, got places to go, people to eat.”

The porch light came on.

An unneeded breath hitched in Buffy’s throat as the door opened.

“Buffy?” came her mother’s voice.

Buffy stared for a moment at her mother. “Ya, it’s me.”

“William,” Joyce greeted the vampire standing to her daughter’s right.

Spike could tell that Joyce wasn’t happy about seeing Buffy. Or him for that matter.

“You’ve been with William for the past two days, and you didn’t feel I deserved a phone call?” Joyce asked, her arms crossed, standing in the doorway.

“I should have called,” said Buffy nodding. “I won’t bother you much, Mom. I just came by to let you know that I’m ok.”

“Oh,” Joyce started, pointing a finger at Buffy. “You aren’t getting away with this that easily young lady. You will come in this house right now, and you and I are going to have a talk about respect and just how much you made me worry, again. For all I knew some vampire had gotten it’s teeth into you and you were lying dead somewhere.”

Buffy cast a worried look at Spike, as Joyce moved aside for them to enter the house.
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“When did you get back into town, William?” asked Joyce, handing him a mug of hot chocolate and sitting across from him in the living room.

“’Bout three days ago, found Buffy training in the library and been with her ever since,” said Spike.

Joyce nodded. “And you didn’t think to make her call her worried mother?”

“Guess we were too wrapped up in our reunion,” he laughed. His laughed however was quieted by the harsh look that was on Joyce’s face.

“Do you know how many people you’ve needlessly worried Buffy?” demanded her mother, starting into another rant. “Giles has been out of his mind with worry, Xander too.”

“And Willow?” asked Buffy anxiously.

“You need to see Willow Buffy. I think she’s taken your second disappearance badly. Her mother tells me that she’s been crying a lot.”

“I’ll do that next then,” promised Buffy.

“No, next you will go upstairs and change out of those horrible clothes, and wash your face of all that dark make up. You are grounded young lady. Thank you for bringing her home William,” she said, addressing Spike and standing up to show him out, “ but Buffy and I need to talk.”

“Mom! You don’t understand!” shouted Buffy.

Joyce shook her head. “I understand all too well Buffy, you think that you are old enough to live with your boyfriend and you wanted my blessing, well I don’t give it. Until you are eighteen Buffy you are still my responsibility and you will be staying under my roof.”

Buffy’s words were out of her mouth before she could think. “I’m a vampire mom!”

Joyce’s rage was tempered for a moment as the information slowly sank in.

“Well that’s too bad dear, but you are still grounded. You will go outside for school and that is all. Obviously you don’t need to slay anymore,” she rambled, her brain already on overload.

“Mom! I’m a vampire? School equals daytime equals sunlight equals Buffy go poof in fiery death?” Buffy explained, even though her mom should have fully well known.

“You should have thought about that before you became a vampire dear. I will not let your undead status affect your schooling.”

Buffy shook her head trying to comprehend just what was going on. Her mom was so not getting it. It seemed surreal to her that her mother was trying to ground her when she had been told that her daughter was a vampire. She had to face facts, her mom was cool. Completely oblivious, but cool. Or possibly possessed.

“Mom are you feeling ok?” asked Buffy tentatively.

“No! I’m not feeling okay. My daughter just told me she’s a vampire. How would you feel? I need a drink.” Joyce sat down on the couch, holding her head in her hands.

Spike stood up and headed to the kitchen. Somehow Buffy wasn’t really surprised that he knew where the booze was in her house. Spike came back into the living room with a glass of schnapps for Joyce, setting it down in front of her.

“Are you really a vampire?” she asked after throwing back the shot.

Buffy nodded, then, without warning, she flashed her mother her game face, fangs and bumpies. Her mother gasped.

“So, you’re dead then?”

“Undead,” Buffy clarified.

“Whatever, you died,” Joyce stated, her skin going a shade whiter.

Buffy nodded again.

“A vampire really did get their teeth into you? Was it while you were slaying?” asked Joyce a little afraid of what would come out of her daughter’s mouth.

Buffy looked at Spike silently asking him what to do. She didn’t want to tell her mom that Spike had turned her, who knew what her mom’s reaction would be to that tid bit of information.

Spike saved her from answering.

“Ya, it was while she was slaying Joyce,” Spike supplied.

“Oh, well, you’ve been pardoned from your grounding sentence then,” said a confused Joyce.

“Thanks mom,” said Buffy as she leaned over for a hug.
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“See, I didn’t eat my mom,” flaunted the fledgling childe proudly to her Sire as they headed back to the car, having promised Joyce that they would return before the sun rose. They had vampire things to do.

Spike stopped short of the car. Drusilla was no longer in the Desoto. He exhaled deeply, Drusilla’s scent already disappearing.

“The daft bint has buggered off somewhere again...Find her own way home, no doubt. Let’s go.” He started towards the car again, stopping as Buffy spoke.

“You mean you are just going to let her be all free range Drusilla? Eating people in my neighbourhood? She could eat my mom Spike! We have to find her!” panicked Buffy.

“Thought you wanted her to bugger off Goldilocks?” Spike questioned as he stalked closer to her. “ Have Spike and me time?” he said with a leer, rubbing himself up against her and pushing her against the car.

“Spike... You are trying to distract me...” she whimpered.

He leaned into her ear. “Damn straight I am,” he purred.

“Spike...”

Spike backed off and threw up his hands in a defensive gesture.

“I don’t understand why you care about all these, happy meals on legs...” he started. Turning away from her he started pacing. “Maybe Dru was right, maybe you did come over wrong.”

“No!” she protested, taking his hands and holding them to her breast. “I didn’t!”

“How do you know Buffy? It’s not like you’ve ever been turned before...”

“I can’t be wrong if I still love you...” she whispered, looking into his bluer than blue eyes.

“Maybe that’s one of the first signs.”
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To Buffy, the Bronze was a new experience. The sights and sounds that she had taken in as a Slayer were vastly different from those she was having now, as a vampire. She was giddy as a school girl, her smile was contagious, and made the usually tough Big Bad smile along side her.

“I know I should be way grossed out, but I can smell it Spike, their desire, their fear. Their blood pumping away so yummy and tempting. It’s a buffet!”

“That it is pet,” said her sire, leading her through the masses and up the stairs to the balcony.

Once there, positioning himself behind her, Spike directed her attention to the buffet before them.

“Look at ‘em all, Goldilocks. Their blood pumping away, calling to you. Each one unaware that you are up here picking over the herd. But which one will you pick?”

Buffy briefly looked back at him and smiled.

“That’s easy. Someone who’s here alone, someone who’s ...lonely.”

Buffy scanned the crowd for a moment, her vampire eyes discerning through the darkness better than her Slayer eyes ever could.

“Him!” she declared as she pointed to a skinny looking boy who didn’t seem to have any friends around him. The brunette male was one of the nerds at school that no one seemed to pay any attention to. She was sure that no one would miss him.

“Alright then Goldilocks,” said Spike proudly, “let’s go get you fed.”
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tbc...