Disclaimer: Ya, I know, not mine.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing this story!
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Chapter 8: Unexpected News

Buffy put down the phone with a thump.

Valery wants Dawn back, probably to hurt me, cause I didn’t protect her. Grrr, Buffy thought to herself. Buffy rolled over to hug Spike, to make her demon go away. Inadvertently she noticed the clock. 2:30 pm. Dawn would be home from school soon followed by Andrew who had gotten himself a job at an electronics store.

Buffy bolted out of bed, threw on some clothes and tore around the room, gathering laundry.

“Crap, crap, crap,” said Buffy under her breath.

“The niblet’s not going to mind if the place is a bit mussed, luv.”

Buffy found him some clean clothes and threw them at him.

“Spike, get dressed. No way am I going to let you parade around here in the nude. And while you are at it make the bed.”

Buffy hurried out of the apartment with laundry. Her laundry had been sitting in the washing machines now for ages, probably someone had tossed the whole wet pile on the floor by now.

All was quiet in the laundry room, no piles of wet clothes. Buffy took wet clothes and put them in the dryer, and added her new basket of clothes to the washing machine.

Buffy took two steps at a time to get back up to her second floor apartment. She had reached the lobby and was facing the apartment’s main door when someone entered. Faith.

Buffy stood with her mouth open for a moment.

“F..Faith,” Buffy stammered.

“B”
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“So were ya gonna tell me B? Were ya gonna tell any of us?” Faith said, hands on her hips in the middle of Buffy’s cramped apartment.

“Look, I didn’t know what was going to happen, I just did like I was told, my family was being stalked, Faith. They were gonna be killed.”

“Not the way I heard it”

“What did you hear?”

“That everyone’s favourite witch decided to put this back the way it was in the beginning, so you could live for centuries.”

“Excuse me, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard today, wait no, second most ridiculous thing. But it’s right up there. Again with the Huh? Willow did nothing, just helped the watcher shadow caster guys along so they wouldn't kill anyone. It was gonna happen anyway, Giles and her...they thought it’d be better if my dad and sister didn’t die.”

“So you don’t care at all about the semi immortal part?”

“Again...large helping of Huh? Immortal?”

“That’s right, you’ve started the whole slayer legacy thing again. One girl chosen in all the world crap...remember? Like it or not you have started this thing again. From what I hear you’re gonna do everything the first slayer did, live for centuries. I just hope you are ok with that cause damn I wouldn’t be.”

“Hold on, back up. I’m so totally not with you on the live for centuries bit. How do you know all this?”

“Pillow talk. Wood’s been telling me all sorts of slayer stuff. Things the watcher who raised him told him. About the first slayer. He knew what was happening when I...when my powers were taken. Told me what would happen.”

“What did he say about the first slayer?”

“A demon possessed her, she was primitive and violent. Used sex as a weapon, abandoned her bastards, lived for centuries, never aging until one of her descendants killed her.”

Buffy sat on Dawn’s bed staring at the floor.

“It’s nasty, but I might as well let you know, seems fitting, taking our powers away from us, look what you have to live with, not that I’m not grateful. It’s you and not me.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t think they would have considered me potential material anymore. I’m knocked up.”

“Congratulations,” said Buffy dimly.

“Don’t get too excited and all.”

“Considering I’ve just been told life as I know it is over for me, that’s all you’re going to get Faith. Did you expect instant baby shower?”

“Na, it’s cool, totally get it. I mean if it was me, I’d be wigged for sure.”

“Faith...”

“Ya B?”

“Why are you in Cleveland?”

“Visiting my grandmother’s grave,” said Faith seriously. “Don’t think it’s all because of you that I'm here. I’m not mad B, can’t be mad at you anymore, mostly I pity you. Look me up if you are ever in the big apple.”

Faith walked out of the apartment.

Buffy tried to stand up but ended up collapsing on the floor in a heap.

“Spike?” she cried.
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When Dawn arrived home she could tell that Buffy had done not one thing all day. She heard sobbing from her sister’s room and went to investigate. The door was open. Spike lay on the bed holding Buffy as she sobbed.

Dawn knelt beside her sister next to the bed.

“Buffy? What’s wrong?”

“Sis just got some unexpected news from the Faith bint,” said Spike.

Here Buffy started sobbing louder.

“Nib, need you to ring the watcher. Need all the info you can get on the First Slayer, Pronto.”

Dawn stood up and smiled. Yes, this was going to help Buffy. Never any good at the mushy stuff. Family trait I suppose. Whatever was bothering her, glad she wasn’t keeping it in.

Dawn did get on the phone to England, but only after she helped herself to food.

It was only after she had hung up the phone that Spike left Buffy’s side and felt his way out into the kitchen.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on? or am I going to have to guess,” asked Dawn.

Spike was feeling around in the fridge for something.

“Let me do that,” said Dawn grabbing the nearest bag of blood and putting some in a mug. “Are you going to tell me or not?”

Spike relented. Buffy had safely cried herself to sleep. He could tell the story in peace. He imagined Dawn’s eyes grow wider and wider as he told the facts, that Faith had been there, that she believed Buffy would become exactly like the first slayer, that she was a demon and that she would live for centuries.

“It’s not the living for centuries that she’s afraid of pet, its the demon you know about the first slayer, she’d afraid it will take her over. She’s had dreams, you know, about her, how wild she was, how crazy. Buffy’s just afraid of that happening to her too.”

“That’s why we need the info about the first slayer, right? Was Faith mad, like Kennedy was? About not being a slayer anymore?”

“No, got a bun in the oven that one.”
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Buffy awoke with a start. Everything was dark around her. She was alone in her bed. She had to move, had to fidget. She padded out into the living room. Dawn was asleep, Andrew was curled in a ball on the floor at the other end of the room. Quietly she grabbed a stake from her weapons trunk, found her shoes and was out the door.

Something, someone caught her hand as she left the building.

“Out for a patrol Slayer?” he asked, a cigarette hanging from his lip.

“Felt fidget-y, gotta move.”

“Don’t go near Gable Slayer, he’s mine.”

“Is that an order? Since when do you order me around?”

“Since he hurt me, I get to hurt him.”

“What makes you think I’ll go after him now?”

“That gleam in your eye that says I want to stake something.”

“Stake something, Spike, not kill someone. Besides when did you get to see again?” she looked up at him for the first time. He wasn’t wearing the bandages over his eyes.

“Since Dawn fixed me the last of the bag of slayer blood. Can see out of my left eye now.”

Buffy looked up into his face. The left side was not as noticeably scarred and that eye was Blue and piercing as ever, but his right side of his face was still very scarred and his eye was still swollen shut.

“I’m just all medicine-y” she said sitting down on the step.

“With none of the after taste,” he joked.

“Did you tell Dawn?”

“Uh huh, couldn’t help but notice her big sis sobbing like a baby when she got home from school.”

“Spike...What’s going to happen to me?” she asked looking at him, tears in her eyes.

“Not a thing pet,” he said sitting down and gathering her in his arms. “Not a bloody thing.”

“How can you say that? You heard what Faith said to me.”

“Makes no difference either way. You are still beautiful shining walk in the light Buffy, you will still fight demons and vampires, save the earth from apocalypse, just like you did before.”

“But now I’ll have to fight the demon inside of me too. What if I can’t? What if I’m not strong enough?”

“Bull shit! Not strong enough? You are the strongest being I know. You’ll fight that demon and deal with it everyday cause you have to, because you have people you care about, like Dawn, who need you. The demon can be fought pet.”

“You do it everyday, fight the demon inside you. I guess I’ve become a lot more like you than I had thought I would. What with the dead and now the demon. Maybe I should get me a cool leather coat and bleach my hair, take up smoking and start wearing black all the time.”

He laughed. “Leather you pull off quite nicely, hair looks fine the way it is.”

“Thought you said my hair was stupid?”

“Smoking, bad habit, costly too. Wearing black, very slimming, but you are too damn skinny to begin with.”

“Funny Spike.”

Spike flicked his cigarette out on to the sidewalk.

“Spike, I’m scared,” said Buffy timidly, “The first slayer was crazy, psycho, demon gal. I don’t want to be like that.”

“You aren’t now, the demon went inside you days ago. What makes you think you’ll start actin’ like she did?”

“What if it takes a while? New house and all, time to redecorate, before the crazy starts seeping through. What if I start hurting people?”

“You won’t luv, It’s not in you.”

“I hurt you.”

“I let you hurt me. Sucker for punishment I am.”

“Not not true. I was cruel, no one deserves that.”

“You needed time to work things out after you came back.”

“I was cruel before I died.”

“It’s in the past luv”

“Do you forgive me?”

“Ya, I do, have done, long time ago.”

Spike stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. “Patrol?”

Buffy nodded.

They walked in silence to a cemetery north of her apartment. He held her hand.

“Tell me about you, before you met Drusilla,” she asked, keeping her eyes on the ground.

“You don’t want to hear that luv, Boring. Dull. Born, lived a bit, died. Not much to tell.”

“What was it like? Was it like that book we listened to together a couple of days ago? Pride and Prejudice? Were the girls witty and talented? Did you ever meet the King? Did you hunt birds on your manor?” she giggled.

Spike laughed. “I was no freakin’ Mr Darcy if that’s what you are after. Was a stupid git, did stupid things and was unhappy for a good long time. It’s best not to think on it too long love.”

“No fair,” she stomped her foot, “Why are you so afraid to tell me?”

“Not afraid luv, don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“I wouldn’t be.”

“No, you’ve got a bit of a romantic notion about he past, fancy dresses and chivalrous men. Jane Austen didn’t write about me love. Dead long before I was born.”

“When were you born?”

“Nope, not important. William is dead, no use celebrating his birthday”

“When were you turned then?”

“Why is it important?”

“Just want to know Spike. You know a hell of a lot about me.”

“I bloody don’t need to have William the Bloody: the official biography published for all to hear. Once the questions start there’s no end to them. William is dead, RIP. Anything you need to know abut me you already know, from those bloody council diaries and from what you’ve seen me do.”

“Spike...”

“Leave it. Past is past. All we have is the present.”

“No,” she said stopping. “Not true,” she looked up at his blue eyes. “I live in the present Spike, but I’ve been told I may live for a good long time. I have a future now, I’m gonna get paid by the council, you are going to be in my future Spike.”

Buffy leaned in and kissed him.

“I love you Spike, someday you’ll tell me all the dirty details. I won’t runaway from it you know.”

Her lips inched forward and they kissed again, his hands moving over her back and shoulders.

“Buffy...” he whispered between kisses.

He pushed her up against a mail box, running his hands over her body, inching up her legs. Buffy linked her hands around his neck using him as leverage to wrap her legs around him. All of a sudden the mail box gave way. The pair fell hard against the metal with a thud.

“Oof,” said Buffy. “I guess we had better do this somewhere else.”

Buffy rose and tugged his hand, pulling him into the cemetery and into the nearest crypt. Buffy and Spike fell into each other’s embrace. Buffy let her lips pepper Spike’s face with tiny kisses as he kissed her neck. His hands worked down her body until they reached her waist. With a flick of his fingers Spike undid the top bottom of her jeans and slid down the zipper slowly and carefully. He wanted it slow, she wanted it fast. Buffy bit down on his lip, not enough to draw blood, but enough to let him know she wanted his hard. Buffy’s hands pulled open the vampire’s jeans and pushed them down hard. Spike's cock sprang forth indicating his eagerness for her. She clasped her hand around his cock and pulled it towards her violently.

Spike gave an involuntary grunt. He yanked her hands away from his more sensitive parts and pushed down her jeans to the floor. He plunged two fingers into her wet recesses and began to stoke her clit with his thumb. Buffy grabbed his hair and pulled him to the floor.

“Fuck me, you Big Bad Vampire,” she growled.

He smirked at her.

“God I love you Buffy.”

He position himself over and thrust inside her all at once. Buffy gasped then started rocking against him hard and fast. She raked her nails along his back, leaving red marks on his pale skin. Her teeth attacked his shoulders and neck.

“Bite me Spike,” she said suddenly.

He stopped and she was unprepared for it.

She looked deep into his questioning eyes and repeated, “I want you to bite me.”

“No“ he said, but his body lied. He was not disgusted by the idea, he was still hard and possibly even closer than before at the suggestion.

“Please,” she begged.

“No,” he shook his head and pulled out. He sat down on the floor a little ways away from her.

Buffy looked down at his erect cock to make sure that her body hadn't deceived her.

“I want you too,” she whispered. This hadn‘t gone like she had planned.

“You don‘t know what you want“

“I don‘t? I want you Spike,” she said crawling towards him. “I want every part of you, man and demon. William and Spike.”

He smiled at that, but the smile was short lived.

“And you think that another scar on your neck will pull that off?”

“No, not a scar, Spike a reminder“ Buffy pulled off her sweater, exposing a pink lace bra. “See this?” she said pointing to the car on her neck, “All my slayer healing powers and I have this scar bitten my the master, then by Angel, then Dracula, all of whom mean nothing to me, next to you. I need this to be your scar Spike. I need you to bite me.”

“Fine, whatever, just can‘t do it like this, not during sex.”

“Why not?”

“It‘s not right, yet.”

“’Splainy?”

“Later.”

“No, now“

Spike sighed and pulled his pants on and stood up.

“Vampires only bit to feed, to kill, to mark or claim, Buffy.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what a claim is,” He said bitterly reaching for his cigarettes.

“I’m not a complete moron, but Dracula didn’t claim me.”

“No, didn’t do it during sex, did he? He marked you pet, means you belong to him. ‘Sides you fought him, the tosser probably thought you were too much bother to try to turn.”

“I fought him,” she smiled, “I don’t want to fight you.”

“That’s why we can’t do this now. Sex, it’s just too bloody intimate. I’d claim you and you’d resent it and me while you’re at it. Not bloody giving you another reason to do that if I can help it.” He sighed again, “ You aren’t ready for that.”

“Again with the huh? Confusing much Spike.”

Suddenly he was in a bad mood.

“Let me put this in a way that your Valley girl brain will understand, ya? Do you want me floating around in your head? Slipping into your dreams? I’d be with you all the bloody time and you won’t ever be able to tell me to bugger off.”

“Oh,” she said quietly, pulling her sweater on and fixing her pants. “Sorry.”

“No, pet, nothing to be bloody sorry for?”

“I need to go kill something,” she said absently.

“Fine, I’m going to be dead for a while, sleep.” He pulled back the stone on one of the sarcophagi in the crypt, chucked out the bones of ‘Walter Madison 1820-1850’ on to the floor and settled in.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Goodnight Spike,” she said solemnly as she exited the crypt.
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Buffy’s patrol proved fruitless. No vamps to slay, no demons to fight. The lack of activity proved to Buffy that she had far too much on her mind, Spike in particular.

Why wouldn’t he bite her? Sure there was the claim thing, but wouldn’t he want to claim her. He’d probably just say he has too much bloody respect for her to claim her when she wasn’t ready. Or maybe he’s not ready?

Spike loved her. She knew that much. But Spike was different, like he was a punk with Victorian morals sorta. He’d probably want to ask Giles’ permission before claiming her or some stupid thing.

God, that was it! The Victorian thing, product of his childhood and all that crap. No matter what he’s done, who he’s killed he’s still William what ever his last name was. Victorian momma’s boy, the soul made it worse.

or I’m completely out to lunch.

I love him.

Why should I want him to claim me? If I’m going to live forever, should I find someone who will stay with until, what did Faith say? ‘Her descendants killed her?’ Guess I won't be dying if I can’t have descendants. Two demons roaming the earth killing other demons. Good times.

Buffy padded her way back to her apartment contemplating what it was like for Spike to be raised in the 1800’s. Always covered from head to toe, no shorts, no peroxide. Buffy prepared herself an herbal tea that Willow had left behind and wondered what his real hair colour was. Wondered if he had job or was a gentleman like Mr Darcy.

Buffy silently showered and made her way into her bed, wondering if he used chamber pots and had to take baths instead of showers, if he had brothers and sisters.

Her last thoughts before slipping off to sleep was a wish to have been able to see what he was like when he was human.
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tbc...