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Future Childe by Ariel Dawn
 
Everyone Lies
 
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Disclaimer: I don’t own Buffy and Spike...sad but true.

Author’s note: Thanks again to all my reviewers. Feedback is very much welcomed! Quotes from the episode Lie to Me. *denotes thought*
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Angel had been avoiding her. True she really didn’t blame him, after what he saw on Halloween. She still had a hard time believing that Angel couldn’t tell that Spike had marked her. Vampires were supposed to have all that extra sensory fabulousness. Thus she concluded that Angel knew, and that he was seriously displeased.

On her way home from a Spike-less patrol Buffy followed a whim and climbed up on the roof of a building. Seeing Sunnydale from above wasn’t something she did every day. From the building Buffy had a nice view of the park across the street. Angel and a girl were talking in the park. Maybe he found himself someone else to fawn over. Buffy could just barely over hear them.

“Who?” asked Angel.

“The girl. The Slayer. Your heart stinks of her. Poor little thing. She has no idea what's in store.”

“This can't go on, Drusilla. It's gotta end.” said Angel.

Drusilla! Spike’s sire. Buffy watched as Dru tilted her head up for a kiss

“Oh, no, my pet. This is just the beginning.” cooed the dark haired Vampire.

Dru walked away smiling at Angel. Buffy stood there for a long time, watching Dru go, then Angel. Dru is beautiful. No wonder Spike was so devoted to her. I so am not jealous, Buffy tried to convince herself.
__________________________________________
Exiting from history class, Buffy, Willow and Xander launched into yet another conversation about Angel. Buffy had been delighted to tell her friends that she saw Angel with someone else. A pretty someone else. Of course she lied about the fact that she didn’t know who the pretty person was.

“Pretty sure she was a vampire. And it seemed like they knew each other. Very friendly,” said Buffy

“Who's friendly?” asked Xander.

“Angel and a girl.” said Willow.

“Willow, do we have to be in total share mode?” chastised Buffy.

“Hey, it's me. If Angel's doing somethin' wrong, I wanna know. 'Cause it gives me a happy!” said Xander smiling.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “He’s not doing anything wrong, Xander. He is free to pursue other girls, if he wants to.”

“But I thought...”

“Angel is not my boyfriend, Xander.”
__________________________________________
That night at the Bronze Xander had convinced her that she needed bronzing. Good friend that he was. And now with her old friend Ford in the mix, who had just popped into Sunnydale, she just had to show him the sights of the town, all two of them. It was good to have a friend from LA here, after all, Willow and Xander had all those grade school stories that she simply did not get.

“Ford! You made it.” greeted Buffy, as she entered the pool table area of the Bronze.

“Wasn't hard to find.” the brunette responded.

“Buffy, Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest, and the, uh, swimsuit competition.” explained Willow.

“Oh, my God, Ford, stop that! The more people you tell, the more people I have to kill.” joked Buffy.

“You can't touch me, Summers. I know all your darkest secrets.” said Ford.

“Care to make a small wager on that?” said Xander.

Buffy smiled. “I'm gonna go get a drink. Ford, try not to talk.” Buffy walked off with a smile on her face.

At the bar, Buffy found Angel, with a drink in his hand no less.

“Hi.”

“Hey! I was hoping you'd show,” greeted Angel. “I think we need to talk.”

“You drink! I mean, drinks. Non-blood things,” avoided Buffy

“There's a lot about me you don't know.”

“I believe that. So. What'd you do last night?” Buffy queried.

“Nothin'.”

“Nothing at all. You ceased to exist?”

“No, I mean I stayed in, read.”

“Oh.”

Buffy headed back over to the pool table, leaving Angel standing by the bar. Angel lied to her, right to her face. What did you expect? said a voice in her head. Pot, Kettle?

“Didn't want that soda after all?” asked Ford.

“Not thirsty.” explained Buffy No, actually was distracted by the brooding Vampire who lies

“Hey, Angel.” greeted Willow looking past Buffy.

Buffy turned to see Angel standing behind her.

“Hi.” said Ford.

“This is Ford. We went to school together in L.A.” said Buffy introducing Ford to Angel.

“Nice to meet you,” said Angel shaking Ford’s hand

“Whoa! Cold hands!” exclaimed Ford.

“You're not wrong,” said Xander.

Buffy gave Xander a look.

“So, you're here visiting Buffy?” asked Angel.

“No, I'm actually here to stay. Just moved down.” explained Ford.

“Hey, Angel? Do you wanna play?” asked Willow, gesturing at the pool table.

“Y'know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight. Um... I'm a little hot. You wanna take a walk?” Buffy asked Ford.

Buffy wasn’t liking the way this conversation was going. And she really didn’t want to remain under Angel’s brooding stare. He wanted to talk to her. Of course she knew what it was going to be about: Spike.

“Um, sure! That'd be nice.” he agreed.

“Okay, then, um... I'll see ya tomorrow.” Buffy said to the rest of the gang.
__________________________________________
See, her first thought had been, must get Ford away from the vampire who thinks he’s my boyfriend and my friends who know about the vampire. This was why she didn’t have friends that didn’t know about the vampires and the slaying. And as it turned out, Ford wasn’t one of those people either. He knew! What was the point of even trying to be secret identity girl when people could figure it out themselves? And on top of that Angel was acting jealous again! Grr.
__________________________________________
Buffy found herself at the 24 IHOP that night after patrol.

“I saw Drusilla the other night. She’s pretty,” said Buffy waiting patiently for her order to reach the table.

“Well, sometimes she just wanders out, can’t be watching her all the time. A bloke has got to eat.”

Buffy chose to ignore that. Buffy had made a conscious decision that if she didn’t see it, it didn’t happen.

“The devoted childe should really look after her. She was with Angel.”

“Stalking him were you?”

“No, I was patrolling, without you by the way.”

“Couldn’t be helped Goldilocks. Not like I‘m really there to help. Just sit and watch the show.”

“What exactly is it that you do that’s so important that you can’t see me every night?”

“Oh I’d see you every night, luv. But someone has a problem with making loud noises when her mother is home.”

Buffy blushed.

“Heard you’ve got a friend in town.”

“Are you stalking me?”

“No, I’m having minions stalk you. Big Bad remember. No one’s going to follow a vamp who is soft on the slayer. I’m supposed to be trying to kill you, remember?”

“I remember. It’s something that looms over me all the time. I’m gonna be turned, I’m gonna kill my friends. It’s not exactly a happy thought. Can’t we have normal relationship type talk?“

“Define a normal relationship pet...“

Buffy sighed. “If you weren’t going to make me your childe, would we still have had a relationship Spike?”

“Probably not.”

“Great, just great. I was just a piece of meat to you,” she said exasperated, throwing her hands in the air.

“You may not like it Goldilocks, but you were, and still are, by the way, just a happy meal with legs. And until the day comes when I decide that I can’t wait anymore, you are still a piece of meat just like the entire population, Slayer powers be damned.”

“I thought you said that other Vampires couldn’t drink from me?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Any vampire with respect for the name of Aurelius, anyone of my minions, will think twice before covering my mark with theirs. But there are vamps out there that don’t care, because they are rival clans or they just are stupid.”

“Oh”

The waitress arrived with their meals.

“What if I decided I didn’t want to be turned?”

Spike practically spat his food out.

“Excuse me?”

“What if I decided I didn’t want to be turned? Would I have to stake you? Or would you just let me go?”

“Buffy...”

“I know you probably haven’t thought much about this. When you first came to Sunnydale, at the beginning of the year, I admit I was lost. The master had killed me. You offered me an escape. I didn’t like that I could die any day by any random demon or vamp. I knew exactly when and who would do it. It was freeing. But now, I’m feeling that I want to live my life. That’s fair right?”

Spike didn’t respond. He just kept looking at her. Buffy reached across the table.

“Spike? I love you, I’m just saying that maybe I want to live a little more of my life before we spend eternity together.”

Spike let a smile pass over his face.

“Yeah, I understand pet. How about we give this conversation a few more years? November third 2000 sound good for you?”

Buffy smiled.

“It’s a date.”
__________________________________________
The next night Buffy had been showing Ford about town when they were ambushed by minions, again. Stupid minions. And Ford said he took one out. Yay Ford. Buffy had been all proud, another one of her friends dusting vamps. Too good to be true though right?

The look on Giles’ face when that minion, the minion that Ford said he staked, stole Giles’ book, priceless. Buffy wished she had had a video camera just for that. The whole minion stealing Giles’ book thing made her have a Spike flash back.

Might have to break into your watcher’s library, have some minions do it. Place bets if they come back or not.

Buffy assured her watcher that she would get the book back for him.

“You still have Moritz‘s Journal on the Scourge of Europe, correct?” asked Giles.

“Oh, ya, I do, it’s at home.”

“How are you getting on with it? Learn anything new?”

Buffy had only looked at the pictures.

“It’s slow going, you know me and books...”
__________________________________________
“You sing the sweetest little song. Won't you sing for me, hmm? Don't you love me anymore?” asked Dru to the dead bird in the cage.

“Dru, pet! I heard a funny thing just now. Lucius tells me that you went out on a hunt the other night.” said Spike coming up behind her.

Why she insisted on keeping animals she wasn’t going to feed or eat for that matter bothered him to no end. They were stinking up the factory. The minions had started to complain.

“My tummy was growly. And you were out.” she explained before going back to talk to the dead bird. “Come on.” she whistled “I'll pout if you don't sing.”

“You, um, meet anyone? Anyone interesting? Like Angel?”

“Angel.”

“Yeah. So...What might you guys have talked about, then? Old times? Childhood pranks? It's a little off, you two so friendly, him being the enemy and all that.”

“I'll give you a seed if you sing.” said Dru to the dead bird

“The bird's dead, Dru. You left it in a cage, and you didn't feed it, and now it's all dead, just like the last one.”

Drusilla started whining.

“Oh, I'm sorry pet. I'm a bad, rude man. I just don't like you goin' out, that's all. You are weak.” Spike took her hand “Would you like a new bird? One that's not dead?”

“This is so cool!” came a voice from behind the pair.

The residual Buffy smell invaded his senses. Spike looked up to see Ford, Buffy’s newest (oldest?) pal standing on some crates.

“I would totally live here.” spouted the teen.

“Do I have anyone on watch here? It's called security, people. Are you all asleep? Or did we finally find a restaurant that delivers?” Spike smiled and approached the idiotic boy.

“I know who you are.”

“Yeah, I know who I am, too. So what?”

“I came looking for you, Spike. You are Spike, right? William the Bloody?”

“You've got a real death wish. It's almost interesting.”

Out of nowhere came minion # 35, blonde hair, but the book she held was all that Spike really cared about. The minion handed him the book, the one he had expressed a desire to borrow from the watcher. Must congratulate Dalton, he won the bet. Spike began to leaf through the book, completely ignoring the boy.

“Oh, this is great. This'll be very useful.” he said then turned back to the boy “So, how did you find me?”

“That doesn't matter. I've got something to offer you. I-I'm pretty sure this is the part where you take out a watch and say I've got thirty seconds to convince you not to kill me?” said Ford smiling “It's traditional.”

“Well,” Spike began, slamming the book and walking over to where the boy stood. “I don't go much for tradition.”

Spike grabs the boy by his ear and lifted him up.

“Wait, love.” interjected Dru

Only with Drusilla’s touch did Spike let go of the boy.

“Well?”

“Oh, c'mon! Say it! It's no fun if you don't say it.” said Ford excitedly.

“What? Oh.” Spike rolled his eyes, “You've got thirty seconds to convince me not to kill you.”

“Yes! See, this is the best! I wanna be like you. A vampire.”

“I've known you for two minutes, and I can't stand you. I don't really feature you livin' forever.” He looked to Dru “Can I eat him now, love?”

Dru shook her head.

“Well, feature this: I'm offering you a trade. You make me a vampire, and I give you the Slayer.”

Spike was intrigued. Goldilocks’ friend was going to sell her out to him, in exchange for being a vamp?
__________________________________________
Buffy was drinking coffee in her kitchen, Motriz’s Journal on the Scourge of Europe open in front of her. She had just finished reading all the gory terrible horrible things that Angel and Darla had done in 1863, when Angel showed up at her door.

“Buffy. May I come in?” the vampire asked.

“Sure. I thought once you were invited you could always just walk in,” she said turning the page.

“I can. I was just being polite.” he said as he closed the door “We need to talk.”

“Do we?” Buffy picked up her coffee and headed for the dining room. This is gonna be about Spike Buffy dreaded this conversation. It had been hanging over them for such a long time.

“It's about your friend Ford. He's not what he seems.”

So not about Spike then... very much of the good. Chicken

“Who is these days?”

“Willow ran him down on the computer.”

“Willow?”

“We found this address, we checked it out with Xander, and it turned out...”

“And Xander? Wow. Everybody's in. It's like a great big exciting conspiracy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about the people I trust. Who's Drusilla?” Caught ya, didn’t I? A ha! “And don't lie to me. I'm tired of it.”

“Some lies are necessary.”

“Don’t I know it. But you know, honesty, not as overrated as most people think.”

“Sometimes the truth is worse. You live long enough, you find that out.”

“I can take it. I can take the truth.”

“Do you love me?”

“What?”

“Do you?”

Oh god, so not the good question. Do I love him. Like a Friend, sure, like a lover, big no.

“I love you. You are my friend Angel, I’d care a lot if you got dusted. I just don't know if I trust you.”

Oooh there could be a ranking scale, placing him slightly below Xander? Maybe above Xander. Angel was kinda like the big brother she never had. Except a Big brother that wanted to mack on you. Ewww, bad visual.

“Maybe you shouldn't do either.”

“Maybe I'm the one who should decide!”

“I did a lot of unconscionable things when I became a vampire. Drusilla was the worst. She was... an obsession of mine. She was pure and sweet and chaste...”

“And you made her a vampire.”

“First I made her insane. Killed everybody she loved. Visited every mental torture on her I could devise. She eventually fled to a convent, and on the day she took her holy orders, I turned her into a demon.”

“Well. I asked for the truth.”

“Ford's part of some society that reveres vampires. Practically worships them. I don't know what he wants from you, but you can't trust him.”

Buffy turned to look at the book before her for a few moments. “Figures“

“Buffy, I saw you with Spike.”

Buffy gulped. “You saw me with...S..Spike?”

“Ya, a few weeks ago, in the cemetery. Look, I don’t blame you, you’ve got to be under his thrall or something. I just know that you have to learn how to fight it.”

“You think I’m being controlled by him? He’s making me do things?”

“Oh God, you don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

“I’ve got to talk to Giles”

“About the thrall?”

“Yes, there is no way you can be an effective slayer while you are under it.”

“You think I’m not doing my job? I am very much doing my job Angel. Giles has me training every day. I spent countless hours fighting vamps and demons in cemeteries. You can’t seriously tell me that I’m not doing my job. The world is still here right? I haven’t missed an apocalypse have I?”

“No.”

“Well then what’s the problem? I slay. I do watcher homework...” Buffy gestured to the book in front of her, “I do school homework, and still have time for minimal social time with friends and shopping. I’ve got an extra five minutes in the morning I could probably take on another sacred duty...I wonder if the tooth fairy has an opening for an apprentice?”

“Now you are being silly.”

“I don’t think so Angel. Thanks for the info about Ford, I don’t think you need to worry about it. I’m fine on my own.”

Buffy picked up her coffee and her book and trudged upstairs to her room. Angel made her so mad sometimes. But her knew about her and Spike, and now he would tell Giles. Buffy laughed a bit. So he thinks I’m under thrall...Well maybe I am. But I don’t feel like I am.
__________________________________________
When Spike arrived at the club, according to the directions given by the boy, the first thing he noticed was Buffy, unconscious on the floor.

“ Take them all. Save the Slayer for me,” he shouted.

It was like going out to a restaurant. IHOP, International house of people.

Spike watched his minions feed. There was no way he was going to actually feed with Buffy in the room. But he was trying to make a good show of it.

Buffy woke from unconsciousness only to find that Ford was wielding a crowbar. She grabbed his arm mid swing and forced him into a cement pillar. Buffy locked eyes with her lover for a few moments before taking a running leap off a couch up to the balcony where she grabbed Drusilla from behind and held a stake to her chest.

“Spike!” shouted Buffy.

She needn’t have said anything because Spike hadn’t stopped looking at her.

Buffy leaned in to Drusilla’s ear “I’m so, very sorry about this,” Buffy whispered.

“Everybody STOP!” shouted Spike.

All around him minions stopped feeding.

“Good idea. Now you let everyone out, or mummy dearest fits in an ashtray.”

“Spike?” said Dru, either legitimately scared or playing the part.

“It's gonna be alright, pet. Let them go!” he shouted at the minions.

“Down the stairs.” Buffy directed Spike.

Buffy pushed Dru ahead of her, still holding the stake ready. Then when they had reached the top of the stairs Buffy paused and looked into his beautiful blue eyes. ‘I Love you,’ she mouthed. Buffy looked at Drusilla and whispered her apologies again, and shoved her down the stairs. Buffy bolted for the door, slamming it behind her.

Outside the door she heard someone slam up against the door. Buffy laughed as she heard Spike ask where the door knob was.

“Spike, when you get out of there, call me!” she laughed.

Buffy turned to go home only to see Angel, Willow and Xander.

“I thought I said I could take care of this myself?” Buffy said to Angel.

“We just wanted to help,” said Willow plaintively.

“It’s taken care of then?” asked Angel sceptically.

“They are contained. Got everyone out, except Ford. Hope he enjoys being a vampire. He won‘t be one long.”
__________________________________________
“Buffy!” said Giles, surprised when he opened his front door. “And the rest of you!” he said as he noticed, Xander, Willow and Angel also lurking. “What brings you here at this hour. Did something happen on patrol? A new demon?”

“No, old demon, new tricks,” said Xander.

“Spike’s got Buffy in thrall,” stated Angel.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “It happened once,” she protested.

“It’s been more than once Buffy,” Angel patronised. “She doesn’t remember, it’s an effect of the thrall.”

Giles moved aside from the doorway and invited the group in.

“H..How long has she been under his thrall?”

“K, I’m right here!” said Buffy raising her hand as she sat down on the couch.

“I don’t know, I started noticing her acting strangely in October, but I wasn’t sure. A couple of weeks ago, I saw something that shocked me. She did something that I know Buffy would never do in her right mind.”

“And just what was that?” Buffy asked, knowing full well what he meant, and how he would never be able to say it without getting flustered.

“You don’t want to know, Buffy.”

Willow gasped. Everyone looked at her surprised. “Sorry, my mind made pictures, not good pictures, or maybe good pictures, depends on how you think about it.”

Buffy smiled at her friend.

“The question is how was Spike able to insinuate his thrall on her so completely. I was under the impression that a thrall of such power required the victim to be bitten,” Giles was busy cleaning his glasses.

“Buffy’s been marked,” stated Angel.

Buffy whipped her head around to face the vampire.

“Good Lord,” muttered Giles.

“Marked? Marked what?” asked Xander.

“She belongs to Spike. He will turn her, or attempt to. The mark makes certain that other Vampires know that she is his,” said Giles, reaching for a book. “The question is, when was she marked?”

“She’s been marked since before I’ve met her,” stated Angel.

“And you are just telling us now?” Giles was livid.

“Spike wasn’t here then.”

“And when he arrived here? You still didn’t feel it prudent to inform me?”

Buffy didn’t want to be there. She wanted to be anywhere but here. And actually it looked like she didn’t need to be there, the conversation was progressing quite nicely without her.

“When did Spike mark you Buffy?” asked Giles.

“Before I was called,” said Buffy sadly. “Look, this thrall thing, it’s not a big deal, just tell me how to fight it. It hasn’t gotten in the way of my slaying, except where Spike is concerned. I saved all those people at the ‘Vampires are cool show me how’ club. Spike was there, now he’s stuck in the warehouse.”

“Buffy you are in serious danger here!”

“I guess that five minutes I have in the morning has just been filled by unthralling me, hasn’t it?”

tbc...
 
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