Blood of My Blood
Chapter 8

AN: Why are you all so sure that Willow is going to let the cat out of the bag? You have so little faith in her? *puppy dog eyes* And WHYYYYY were you all so disappointed that I spared you my bad smut? Huh? Did you need something to read and laugh at THAT badly? Lol

Thank you to Patti and Ruth for betaing. Also, thank you Zoe and DoS for giving it a read over to soothe the muses.

And my penname has changed to something more original. If you didn’t already know, I’m now Blood Faerie.



******



The bed creaked as Spike rolled over and pulled Buffy close to him upon waking. He nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply with a throaty purr of approval. She shifted and their eyes met, slow smiles forming. His hand rested on her stomach, tracing imaginary patterns.

“Mornin’, kitten,” he said softly, brushing a kiss over her jaw.

She blessed him with a bright smile. “Well, night actually.”

“Of course.” He peered into her eyes with a concerned look. “How’s the arm doin’?”

“It’s healing and I don’t know how I’d survive without the whole slayer thing. Even sped up healing is too long to wait.” She poked out her bottom lip.

He continued to stroke her tummy thoughtfully before speaking again. “Now, pet, don’t get upset with me for suggestin’ it, but I think you should go see your mum. Let her know you’re alive. You need more support than just Willow—an’ me, obviously.”

“She won’t want to see me,” she said sullenly, her smile disappearing quickly.

“She will. Parents an’ kids say stuff they don’t mean all the time when they’re fightin’. She’s still your mum an’ she still loves you. It has to be killin’ her to think that you’re dead.”

Her lip quivered. “What if she tells the others?”

“Bugger them!” He nearly spat with sudden rage at the thought of her supposed friends. “They didn’t care enough to make sure you were alright after the fight an’ they have no say in how you live your life. If they try anythin’, I’ll rip their bloody limbs off an’ beat them with the things.”

“I just...don’t know...” She worried her bottom lip, glancing down where his hand lay on her abdomen still.

“I’ll come with you, you know. I’ll be there for support—if you want me.” His head dipped to recapture her gaze.

“Because, of course I have to show off my new vampire husband with the blindingly white hair,” she finally joked, wrinkling her nose at him. “Oh, she’s going to just love you.”

His lips curled in a cocky smirk. “All the ladies do.”

Buffy smacked him on the chest then rolled over to throw her legs over the side of the bed. Rising to her feet, she let the blanket slide off her body and once her bottom was revealed she gave a teasing little shake. The movement got the expected response and she darted for the safety of the bathroom before her mate could catch her.

Boinking Spike was so counterproductive to getting clean and dressed.

******

Outside 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy stood rooted to the spot, staring up at the house wide eyed. What if her mother didn’t want to see her? Spike laid a hand on her back and she leaned into him, seeking the support and comfort that he offered. She would never have been able to do this without him.

“Come on, pet. The sooner we get this over with, the better,” he said softly into her ear then started pulling her up the front steps. “I just hope she doesn’t assume I’m the one that broke your arm. That woman swings a mean axe.”

“I can’t believe I was ever scared of you,” Buffy muttered as she followed him and when he smirked at her over his shoulder, she added, “Wait...I was never scared of you...like ever.”

“You wound.” He put his free hand over his heart and gave a mock pout.

Both turned away with a bit of eye-rolling to face the door, neither making a move to knock. They stood there for a few moments before Spike made an impatient noise and used their joined hands to knock then hold her to him when she would have stepped back. His eyes snapped to the door in confusion a second before it opened.

It wasn’t Joyce standing there, but a buxom brunette about Buffy’s age. The girl’s eyes went straight past Buffy to narrow in on Spike before she raised her hand to reveal a stake.

“Hey hey! There will be no staking of my mate! And where’s my mom?” Buffy’s eyes were large as she stepped in front of Spike.

“Mate?” The girl’s brow went up; then she shook her head. “And Joyce’s daughter is dead.”

“I am not.” Buffy started to push past this interloper. “Mom!”

Before a fight could break out in the doorway, a soft cry from the stairs brought them all to a halt. Buffy rushed up to help her mom as the older woman collapsed against the banister. The brunette hovered nearby uncomfortably while Spike kept a wary eye on her.

“Th-they said you were...” Joyce had to stop, choking back a pained sound. Her hands came up to cradle her baby’s face. “Are you...one of them now?”

“No, and the others are idiots. They didn’t even come look for me,” Buffy said scornfully. She lifted her bandaged arm. “I was hurt and I stayed to help Spike, who was totally in crazy land. He...he saved me, Mom, and I couldn’t just return the favour by leaving him like that. Not to mention, who knows what he might have done while all with the uber growly.”

“You still couldn’t tell me? Send word to me?”

Buffy bit her lip and glanced to Spike for support. “I didn’t think you...I mean, not after how I left. You said-“

“To hell with what I said!” Both girls looked at Joyce in shock over her outburst, but the woman didn’t notice as she continued. “You’re my daughter, my baby girl! I love you, and thinking that I lost you hurt worse than anything else ever could.”

A smile broke out on Buffy’s face only to quickly be replaced by a pout. “Didn’t take you long to replace me, though.”

“Oh, honey, that’s Faith,” Joyce said as if that explained it all, and then she shook her head. “Giles is in no condition to be taking care of a young woman. Maybe it did help me feel a bit better to take her in, I will admit that, but she needed someone. She still does. I won’t ask you to be friends, but you can at least show her around the....uh, workplace better than the others.”

The girls eyed each other, sizing each other up. Each somewhat resentful of not being quite as special as they had thought.

Faith furrowed her brows then glanced at Spike out of the corner of her eye, lifting a finger towards him.

“First, explain the mate thing, and I might consider trusting you...for Joyce’s sake.”

“I wanted to find a better way to break this to my mom, but okay.” Buffy’s jaw worked then she turned back to her mom. “While I was taking care of Spike, he bit me and claimed me. It was...not exactly planned, because like I said...mayor of Crazy Town. It was some sort of dominance thing—but we’re okay with it now. We talked it out because it can’t be undone, so we figure we’re making the best of it.”

Over the link, Buffy hurriedly added the best she could, //I can’t tell her that we like the arrangement or that we consummated it all over the place. She wouldn’t be able to understand it right now, I think, especially with all we’re throwing at her. We can eventually let on about wanting things this way. So please, please, please don’t take what I’m telling her the wrong way.//

Spike didn’t reply, but winked at her so she knew he wasn’t upset with her version of events. Instead, he stepped forward to extend his hand to his new mother-in-law. How could he, of all people, be mad at her for wanting to take care of her mother? It also went a long way that she was worried about his feelings.

“My name’s William an’ I intend on doin’ right by your girl or I know you’ll be back with that axe, yeah?” He gave Joyce a boyish grin and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

“And a few other things,” she responded with a raised brow and a wicked glint in her eye. She took his hand, giving it a squeeze before releasing it.

“Okay then!” Buffy clasped her hands together. “We’re all good now?”

“Not sure,” Faith said as she continued to eye Spike. “So this mate thing, it’s going to keep him from murdering the innocent?”

“It has so far, hasn’t it?” Buffy returned with her arms crossed. “I’m still the—well, a slayer and I’m not going to give him a free pass just because I wear his mark. He knows this. No matter what some others might have told you, I’m not just vamp bait. The whole Angelus thing...not all my fault since, hello, I didn’t know sleeping with him would do that and afterwards...” She shook her head and pressed her lips tightly. “Not going to happen again. I’m not so stupid and naïve anymore.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Joyce said, putting her arms around Buffy and giving Faith a pointed look. “Now, I was just about to make dinner. Have you eaten yet?”

“No, but I mean, Spike...”

“What’re we havin’?” Spike asked eagerly. He’d been putting up with only blood and fast food for over a month.

======

A couple hours later, Spike and Buffy slipped out of the house with stomachs full of omelets and French toast. Buffy turned back to give her mom a hug, whispering in her ear the address of their new home.

“Feel free to come by and visit,” she said to Joyce as she stepped back. “And if money gets tight again, don’t hesitate to ask me to wheedle it out of Spike. What else does a vampire need it for?”

The women shared a laugh at Spike’s mock annoyance.

Faith stood off to the side, having said little during dinner and apparently not about to join in now either. Buffy turned to her anyway and extended a hand.

“I left my number on the board on the fridge, so call me when you want to do the grand tour thing or when you can get away from Giles enough to do some training once my arm is better.” Buffy looked down at her arm. “Shouldn’t be much longer, slayer healing counting for something at least.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Faith replied a bit distractedly and gave Buffy’s hand a brief shake. As she headed for the stairs, she said over her shoulder, “Maybe we can do the show around tomorrow night.”

“Sure thing,” Buffy answered and turned to Spike. “We should get going now, but oh—one last thing.”

She went back over to her mom and whispered quietly to her. “Willow knows and does some errand type stuff for us. So if you need to send us something, she’s your Pony Express. I guess the others are going to find out now...and probably not be very happy, but I’m glad you and Willow are being supportive. I needed that—we needed that.”

Joyce hugged her tight. “All a mother wants for her child is for them to be safe and happy.”

“Oh, and could you not tell Faith that Willow knew?” Buffy asked worriedly. “I...I don’t want her telling the others and getting Willow into trouble with them.”

“No problem, honey.”

With a few more promises and thanks passed between them, Buffy and Spike finally left Joyce’s company so they could get back to their own home. They made it across the street and down a few houses before stopping, turning towards each other.

“See, that wasn’t at all as bad as you had imagined, yeah?” Spike murmured, smoothing hair back from Buffy’s face. “You did well, pet.”

“I hate it when you’re right...hopefully it won’t be often.” She poked out her bottom lip then sighed. “And, I don’t know what to make of Faith. It’s weird having another slayer around—again. She’s nothing like Kendra, though.”

“Could be a good thing, seein’ as you an’ the other bint didn’t really get on that well. What with her bein’ an uptight twat.” He ignored her disapproving look. “This Faith bird seems a bit more of her own person, like you—not likely to let the Council turn her into some mindless robot.”

“We’ll see how that goes...”

“Speak of the devil,” Spike hissed as he squeezed her hand suddenly, pulling her back into the shadows of a large tree. “I got ten bucks that says I know where she’s runnin’ off to, I do. I doubt it’s to get you a weddin’ gift.”

“So now’s the moment of truth.” Buffy watched Faith run down the street for a moment before looking up at her mate. “We see how they take the news of me not being as dead as they thought and that I apparently still prefer the company of the walking dead.”

“Oi, no more comparin’ me to that wanker.”

“I only gave Faith my number, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to use it to get our address...or find some other way of tracking us down. We need to be ready for them sooner rather than later.” Her face scrunched up in contemplation and Spike swore he saw the wheels moving in her head. “Should we...put up some sort of...protection on the house?”

“As much as I hope for the best, we might do well to get some protection charms on the way home,” he told her thoughtfully.

There was only one shop in town where Spike knew that they could get stuff of the magical persuasion, but it was always well stocked, and he doubted it would be any trouble getting the needed supplies. He tugged her in the direction of the Magic Box so that they could be done quickly. He wasn’t sure how much time they would have or how long it would take to set everything up and he wanted to be ready. He really did hope they wouldn’t need any of the charms, but taking risks with Buffy’s safety and happiness was out of the question.