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Ch. 4 ~ Ch. 6
Chapter Summary: Dalton made it back to the mansion, but he got stuck in the passage because of Spike and Buffy's joining, then claiming. Spike took in a lot of blood from the bags and convinced Buffy to feed from him directly. That led to the mating and claiming. Now they are resting and lots of thoughts are going through Buffy's head. Spike said they have a lot to talk about when they wake up, and he's right. There is much left for our new Mates to discover, including a family.
**Warning: F/M/M only in the sense of Spike and Buffy taking and sharing blood with another male vampire that gets him excited.***
Author's Note: Sorry that we don't quite cover the things I intended to cover for this chapter. The writing bug hit me right after I finished Chapter 3, and I only ended up covering one or 2 events that I originally intended to. Hopefully Chapter 5 will cover more on the Slayer demon and the meet up with the Scoobies. I can't promise it though as this story is really writing itself into a lot more when I start to put pen to paper.
(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.
A blissful Buffy rested in her lover's arms. A few weeks ago Spike was her enemy and Angel was her ally. Angel was the idealistic first love, and Spike was the epitome of evil. Angel was her guide and protector while Spike plotted his moves to destroy her.
Now Angelus was her enemy, and she loathed the thought of him. Buffy felt and heard Spike growl in his slumber. 'I wonder if he knows what I'm thinking about?' She was still paying for her mistake with Angelus and the Judge. She should have killed him then. Angelus was more demented, heartless and evil than Spike would ever be. Her connection to him told her enough about Spike to know that. Angelus taunted her family and friends. He went behind her back to get to those around her. Spike always faced her in a "fair" fight. He didn't play head games. Spike was all fists and fangs.
Somehow she just knew Angelus would have relished killing each one of her friends and family to make her suffer by being last. That is if those ghosts hadn't gotten in the way. It pushed him too far over the edge, and now he would be the one paying for his mistake. She remembered Dru's screamed warning to Angelus right before he bit her. They crazy woman might not have been so crazy after all. Dru seemed to know what would happen. Because of Angelus' actions, Spike turned her. She was stronger than before. Her senses were heightened, and her childlike ideals were replaced with centuries of power and knowledge from the source of the First Slayer.
'Yes he will pay dearly.' Buffy thought to herself. Many images flashed through her mind each time she sampled Spike's blood. When he started the claim, the images became even more vivid. With the plunging of her fangs into his neck she shared in the pains he suffered lately and in the past at the hands of Angelus, Darla and Dru. It was one of the many reasons that spurned her inner Slayer to repeat and complete the claim.
Buffy's mate had been chosen, and no one was taking him away from her or treating him like that ever again. Her Slayer knew that he was strong and intelligent. The connection she felt to the demon and the humanity within him was strong as well. She would see that he was treated like a Master Vampire should be treated. She would make sure that he was treated also like a man.
'Giles is so not going to like this.' Buffy cringed at the chastisement she was sure to receive from her Watcher. She sighed inwardly. 'Since I don't want to kill anyone, does that mean I kept my soul? If I did, how will I get Giles to believe me? Will he stake me on sight?'
Spike's arms tightened around Buffy. Even in his resting state he was attuned to her thoughts and emotions. The claim was strengthening the longer their shared blood flowed through their supernatural bodies. It was likely that any additional sharing of blood would strengthen the bond. The warmth of her essence touched him when her hand was placed over his unbeating heart during the claim. He felt the pull of his humanity become stronger, and his dreams reflected that.
Buffy smirked to herself. 'So protective. So cherished.' It made her very happy to feel the security and love of his embrace. 'Is it love?' She questioned herself and then nodded in affirmation. 'Whatever name he wants to give to it, I felt the bond to him. It is there. It's beyond a normal explanation of love.' She caressed her hand over Spike's. She still had a duty to fulfill as the Slayer, but now she would take much more pleasure in watching Angelus fall and pay for everything he'd done to her Mate and others. She hoped that Spike would respect her duty and not make himself one of her duties to perform.
So lost in her thoughts and the euphoria of her joining with Spike, Buffy was only now starting to sense the presence of another nearby. Her senses were full of Spike's scent and that of their combined arousals. She couldn't make out all of the specifics of the presence, but her instincts told her it was a male vampire.
Buffy tried to remain calm. Had their passions caught the attention of others? It didn't feel like Angelus; not very old or as dominant. She wouldn't call the presence completely weak, but he was no challenge for her skills. He seemed submissive in nature like a servant. Still it unnerved her that someone got this close to her without her notice. She slowly slid out of Spike's embrace. There was no sense in waking Spike or alerting the intruder of her knowledge about his presence.
Casually Buffy stretched to her full height. She arched her back and extended first her legs and then her arms out in front of her alternately. She hoped the stretching, in her naked state, distracted any attention to her search for his position. She allowed her senses to pinpoint him directly.
With the grace and poise of a predator sneaking up on the kill, Buffy reached over to the headboard of the bed. 'Why would a vampire have a wood headboard? Isn't that dangerous?' In a flash of movement she snapped a wooden bar from the bed, dashed to the opening in the wall, threw open the door and pulled the vampire behind it up by the collar of his shirt.
Spike jumped up out of bed. The surge of adrenaline from his mate, and the fear of Dalton's scent, took him abruptly from his slumber. He ran to Buffy's side and grabbed the hand holding her makeshift stake. He only had fractions of a second to act. He took the stake from her hand.
Buffy turned to her Sire and growled. "He was spying on us, Sire." In full game face, violet eyes glowing, she faced the now whimpering vampire once again. She placed her hands on her hips and her feet were slightly apart in a definitive stance of dominance and power. "He shouldn't be dusted for it?"
Dalton fell to his knees before Spike and Buffy. "I mean you no harm, Mistress." He bent over and placed his head on her feet. "I am but a humble and loyal servant of Master Spike." He turned his head to look up at Spike for his support leaving his cheek on Buffy's feet.
Spike quirked his scarred brow. 'Now that was slightly unexpected. He knows that Buffy is my Childe, but he readily accepts her as his Mistress? I know he saw the claim, but he is more dedicated to me than I thought.' He bent down to place two fingers under Dalton's chin. "This is Dalton. He has been a loyal minion from before and after Angelus' reign in Sunnydale." Spike directed Dalton up from the ground to stand in front of him. He looked at Buffy for her reaction.
Buffy watched everything with curiosity. Every move seemed like a ceremony of offering and acceptance. She felt a kinship towards this vampire. His words seemed genuine, not merely a display of false humility. She accepted his plea. She turned to Spike and nodded her acknowledgement of acceptance. He seemed to be unaffected by this man's presence. She would trust him too.
Spike smiled. 'Damn, she's glorious. So young, and yet she already holds herself like a queen.' He pulled Buffy to him to kiss her deeply. Their tongues mingled and danced
Dalton's mouth opened wide. Their bodies glowed with a golden aura in their passion. It was entrancing to watch.
Buffy and Spike pulled away from each other, panting. Though they did not need breath, their passions fueled instinctual reactions of gasping. They became lost in each other's gaze until a clearing throat brought them back to the here and now.
"Master." Dalton cleared his throat. "Forgive my intrusion on your time, but I have news."
Spike, still holding Buffy in his arms, moved back to the bed. He sat down on the edge of it along the one side. "Go on. Did everything go all right with the Watcher? I see you are still alive."
Buffy nestled her head against Spike's shoulders. Her nakedness wasn't a concern to her right now. No one in the room appeared fazed by her state of undress. So, she made no attempt to cover herself. She felt no shame in her natural state. Her attention perked up at the mention of her Watcher. 'What business would Spike have with him? Did he tell Giles about me?'
Spike felt the concern and questions from his Mate. He stroked his fingers through Buffy's hair in a soothing fashion. He nodded for Dalton to begin.
"They were most upset, as you could imagine, Master." Dalton wrung his hands together in front of him. "I did almost end up dust. They weren't even going to give me a reprieve with the little white flag you mentioned."
Buffy snorted. The image of a vampire walking into the school library with a white flag of surrender up was hilarious. Dalton had more guts than she originally gave him credit for. She could well imagine the looks on her friend's faces.
Spike and Dalton turned their attention to Buffy. "Something amuses you, pet?"
"Um, yeah." Buffy smirked. "Cute mental image there of the surrender flag."
Dalton was offended. "Maybe it would have been funny if I wasn't scared for my very life." He spoke in anger. "They wanted to kill me!"
Spike growled in displeasure at Dalton. His eyes narrowed into thin blue slits as he gazed at the vampire.
"My apologies, Mistress." Dalton quickly hung his head in a show of repentance and submission. "I felt insulted and belittled, but that is your right to do." What was it with him? Did everyone love to make fun of him?
Buffy tilted her head to the side in a bit of confusion. "I did not mean to insult you, Dalton. I do not want to diminish anyone that is helping us." She mimicked Spike's earlier motion by placing two fingers under Dalton's chin and raising his eyes to meet hers. "My humor and way of talking isn't always understood by all. I'm sure it must seem strange to you."
"I'm sorry, Mistress." Dalton smiled warmly. Things were always touchy around Master Spike and Drusilla. If Drusilla even cried that she didn't like a minion they were dusted. He was happy to see that this Mistress was not so temperamental. "I shall endeavor to understand better, Mistress and not take offense so easily."
Spike plopped back onto the bed, resting on his elbows. Each display was new territory for him even as it was the same in so many ways. He hoped that he would have an eternity to spend with his Childe and Mate to learn all there was to know about her. Hopefully they would also discover more about themselves together that they didn't know existed either.
"The Watcher was most distressed over the turn of events. The mere mention of Angelus' name ..." Dalton was interrupted by an angry growl from Buffy. He hastened to continue. "Sent him into quite a fit. He did not react all that much better to yours, Master, but then again he knows that you turned his Slayer."
Spike nodded. "Didn't expect the git to be too pleased about it."
"I gave them the book and the note." Dalton continued. "The children were all embracing each other and weeping while the Watcher stared out in shock and loss."
Buffy's heart may not be beating, but it broke at the thought of her friends in pain. She looked at Spike in plea. "Will I be able to see them?"
"Yes, luv." Spike drew Buffy down into his arms. He kissed her forehead. "The letter I sent with Dalton asked the Watcher to meet us at a specific place tomorrow." He looked up at Dalton. "Did he say he would accept?"
"He didn't say specifically if he would or not." Dalton sighed. It was rare to see such gentle forms of affection between vampires, and it made him feel privileged to be a witness to it. The fact that Spike was a Master Vampire made it even more rare to let a minion see such an openness of emotion. "The last I saw he was heading to read the book. We can only hope that he will see the truth in a Watcher's own words."
"Tomorrow?" Buffy questioned. "What will we do until then? My mom must be worried sick about me."
"We have to stay here for now, pet. I have incense and other things working to cover your scent. Angelus has to believe that you are dead." Spike sighed.
"Well he'd be half right." Buffy huffed sarcastically like a spoiled teenager.
"None of that." Spike chastised. "We aren't going to get into the life and death thing again are we?"
Buffy sighed. "Not right now, but I have a hell of a lot of questions for you Spike. You said we'd talk."
'There's that feisty Slayer I adore.' Spike nodded. "That I did." He turned to Dalton again. "I need more blood bags, Dalton. See if you can get them past the poofter and the bitch without too much fanfare. If you have to, tell him that some of the blood bags he gave me were tainted or something."
"Yes, Master." Dalton turned to go, but then he stopped and faced the pair on the bed again. "Master?"
"Yes, Dalton?" Spike queried.
"I must tell you that I witnessed your claim, Master." Dalton moved to his knees at the side of the bed. "I did not wish to intrude, but I could not help myself. I was riveted to watch you both."
Buffy gasped in shock. Spike wasn't surprised in the least. "I know." He answered. Buffy pinched Spike's upper arm hard. Her human delicacy was appalled that someone watched her have sex with Spike. Her Slayer side became aroused at the thought of someone witnessing their coupling.
"Ow." Spike snapped back in more playfulness than pain. "He was not interfering, and it is a treat for a minion to be allowed to witness such things." He tried to explain the situation to Buffy.
"You knew?" Dalton questioned. He was actually relieved to know that his Master was aware of his presence. It made his concerns lessen and his respect for him grow because if Spike knew that Dalton was there then his Master had truly given him a willing gift.
"Yes, I happened to look up from between my beloved's thighs when the door opened partway." Spike grinned. He was delighting in the bit of warmth in Buffy's cheeks. 'Still need to figure out the whole warmth thing.' He thought.
"Thank you, Master." Dalton sighed in relief. "It was a thrilling thing to witness, like nothing I've ever seen before." He remembered back to what he'd seen. "There was a misty light above each of you that swirled into a golden light that entered you both when the claim was complete. I never knew that would happen."
"Neither did I." Spike's brow raised in curiosity. He turned to face Buffy. "I've never claimed anyone, pet. It never did that when Angelus claimed Dru after he returned." He shrugged. "Maybe it was because he'd claimed her before, and he was just renewing it. I don't know."
"Maybe it's different because I was the Slayer." Buffy pressed her hand flatly over his heart. Her fingers tingled at the memory of the warmth that surged between them during the claiming.
"You are the Slayer, present tense, luv." Spike cupped Buffy's cheek. Their lives were becoming a myriad of more questions without answers yet. "We'll have to ask the Watcher about it."
"I'm sure Giles will love doing the research on that one. I can hear that phone call now." Buffy laughed. She held an imaginary phone to her ear. She cleared her throat and spoke in a horrid impression of her British Watcher. "Yes, I'd like to find out about this mist that covered my now vamped Slayer and her Master Vampire mate when they claimed each other." She practically rolled on the bed in laughter. "The Council will love that one."
Spike snorted. "Very amusing pet, but we aren't calling the Council of Wankers for anything. They would have destroyed the book I found because it didn't fit into their "all vampires are evil" ideal." He grew slightly fearful. He knew what happened to the other Slayers. He was determined that would not happen to Buffy. "They're certainly not going to help us now."
"You are so going to tell me what's in that book later." Buffy glanced across to Dalton who was still on his knees. He seemed to be waiting patiently for something. "Is there something else, Dalton?"
Dalton nodded slowly. "I know that you are newly risen, Mistress, but I have no doubts that you are Master's true Mistress." He looked over at Spike and then back to Buffy. "I wish to pledge my loyalty and all familial rights to you both. I ask that you and Master Spike accept me into your kinship, and I would give my blood as offering proof of that." He turned his head to the side. He was a vampire without a Sire. He belonged truly to no one, and no one truly cared for him before except Master Spike.
Buffy sat up on the edge of the bed. Spike followed her. She looked at him for guidance. Spike pointed at Dalton's neck. "You must drink first." He hoped that she wouldn't be too freaked out by the request. He liked Dalton. He felt a kinship already to the bookish vampire, and he had a desire to keep him as family.
Buffy leaned forward. She kissed Dalton's neck softly where a beating jugular would be if he were a breathing human. She worried the vein with her human teeth, bringing it more visible to the surface. How she knew to do that, she didn't stop to contemplate. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the Slayer within her. She was gradually realizing that the Slayer within was the source of her vampiric power. Her fangs sliced neatly into Dalton's skin.
Dalton tensed at the prickles of pain in his neck. He then sighed out in the pleasure of it. He opened his eyes to look at Spike. Spike knew what Dalton was feeling. Such an act brought pleasure to vampires. Spike could see Dalton seeking his Master's approval to enjoy the pleasure that Buffy was giving him. Spike nodded his affirmation and shifted into his demonic visage as well.
Buffy suckled Dalton's blood into her mouth. She felt the truth of his vows written in the cells of his own blood. She growled low into the connection, awash with the delights of the new joining. It was different than her claim with Spike, but there was a rightness about it anyways.
Spike moved around behind Dalton. He lifted Dalton's head up straight. "Though not my Childe by birth, you are now my kin by blood. Serve true and you will be rewarded. Betray us, and punishment will be swift and deadly. You belong to us." He reared his head back before he plunged his fangs deeply into Dalton's neck on the opposite side of where Buffy was still drinking. He picked up Buffy's arm and put it with his in front of Dalton's mouth.
Dalton felt himself quiver in weakness and excitement. He opened his eyes to see the proffered wrists. He bit into Buffy's first, pulling two strong streams into his mouth. He followed it with a bite to Spike's wrist. He repeated the two pulls of Spike's blood. He then retracted his fangs to lick both of their wounds, sealing them. For the first time since his Sire had been killed, he felt whole again. He belonged to a family, and he knew this one would treat him right.
Though Spike was a descendant of the Aurelius line, Buffy was only partially so. By completing this bond with Buffy and Spike acting as head of the family, they created a new one. This family consisted of the Aurelius bond and the Slayer bond. No one would be able to tell that Dalton was now a part of Spike and Buffy's family unless they knew exactly what the new scent was. Dalton not being Sired directly by anyone of the Aurelius line also helped to mask the Aurelian scent. Angelus and Dru would be unaware of the new addition.
Buffy and Spike removed their fangs from Dalton's neck with a feral growl of delight when they both felt him crest over into orgasm. They licked the wounds on his neck closed before they attacked each other in a whirl of claws and fangs.
Spike buried his cock into Buffy's wet quim simultaneously as his fangs sunk into her neck over his claiming marks. He pumped his hips forward in a fury of movement that no human could reproduce for any length of time.
Buffy clutched and clawed at any part of Spike's body she could reach. To muffle her screams she buried her fangs into Spike's neck and drank of his precious blood. Her back scraped across the floor. Each powerful thrust from her Mate drove her more wildly into ecstasy.
Dalton rested his back against the bed. His eyes were glazed over in pleasure whiels he watched his Master and Mistress mate again, reaffirming themselves to each other. Their bodies had a golden aura around them once more.
Spike and Buffy reached their peaks at a frantic pace. Both of them tightened around each other and collapsed together. Their heads ripped away from the others neck with a forceful "Mine" followed by "Yours" from each of them. There was a surge in the golden light, and both of their bodies arched when it pulsed brightly and entered them both. Both sated for the time being they fell asleep right there on the floor.
Dalton stood up on shaky legs. He stumbled over to the shower of Master Spike's suite. The Slayer's scent was all over him now. He couldn't go out into the rest of the mansion without giving her existence away. He stepped into a steamy shower, washing hard with herbal soaps to remove her scent. After he dried off he splashed a bit of an old bottle of cologne on himself that he found next to the sink. He quietly slinked across the room and exited Spike's suite. He made sure the door locked behind him. This would not be a good time for his Master and Mistress to be disturbed.
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Chapter Summary: Spike and Buffy have started to "create" their own family bonds. They started with Dalton, who has offered his unconditional loyalty to Buffy and Spike. He's on a mission to secure more blood for the pair. Buffy and Spike have much to talk about now. Can they keep their hands and fangs off each other to talk? Will they go meet the Scoobies? Will the Scoobies be there? Will Giles believe the book that Spike gave him? Will we find out just what kind of demon turned our Slayer into the being she is now? Will they be able to stay hidden from Angelus until the're ready? That's for this chapter to discover.
**WARNING: Although not graphic in description, this chapter does include mention of abuse or torture as a part of Angelus' initiation for new fledglings. It is near the beginning if you need to skim down, but like I said I'm not very graphic about it. It's just enough to let you know that not so nice things are happening.**
Author's Note: As with the history of Charmand and Antoinette, the mythology here for the Slayer demon is based on various lores (some from vague references in BtVS) and my own original ideas
(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.
Dalton scurried around the mansion for all that he needed to complete the task from his Master. He tried to blend into the background amidst the flurry of preparations for the end of another night. Most of the minions paid no heed to him on any given day anyway. This made his task much easy to carry out. So long as Angelus and Drusilla didn't return, that is. Angelus and Dru were still out on their hunt, but dawn was quickly approaching. They would be back soon. Right when he thought his good luck was holding, Angelus' voice bellowed across the main room.
Drusilla sauntered alongside Angelus. She rolled her eyes while Angelus regaled a couple newly risen minions with his story about Buffy's death. 'Silly daddy.' She loved Angelus with all of her demented being, but she was mad at him for not listening to her last night. The pixies were quite upset too. They refused to speak to her today because of him.
"It was a beautiful sight." Angelus laughed with deviant glee. "I wish I could have seen their faces when they found her in the morning." He puffed his chest out. He looked like an imitation of a cock-a-doodling rooster. 'I can't wait to rub this is Spike's face. He killed two Slayers, but I killed the Slayer he never could.'
"She might not be dead, Daddy." Dru piped in. The balance of power had not changed heavily in their favor yet. She still felt the heavy pull against her of their demise.
Angelus growled angrily at Dru. She tried his patience at times, and he was not going to be questioned by his Childe in front of the minions. He backed her against the wall. "She was dead long before morning. The Slayer was barely alive when I left her." He sneered. "If she lasted 10 minutes, it would be a miracle. No one could have saved her in time."
"Yes, Daddy." Dru knew this battle was lost before it began. Her actions may have been submissive, but inside her anger at him boiled. Nothing was going to sway him from his delusions. She threw her hands up in the air muttering as she walked away. "Miss Edith says no tea and cake for Daddy today. He's been a bad boy."
Angelus shook his head back and forth. 'If she wasn't such a wicked killer and luscious fuck, she wouldn't be worth putting up with her craziness.' He surveyed the minions in the room. 'Still, I'll have to pummel her into the bed today to make up for it. That will get her to forget her anger.' He kicked the two new fledglings into the middle of the room.
Angelus laughed as the new minions faltered. His sadistic grin grew when the other minions started their initiation rights into the clan. "Isn't the violence a wonderful sight?" He said loud enough to be heard. This spurned the group to greater acts of violation and abuse. He didn't stop the display. He knew part of it was for his benefit. The older minions wanted Angelus to see who was the most evil of them to curry his favor. 'If they survive, they are worth keeping. If not at least the others had their fun.' He noted the actions of several key minions. 'Excellent.'
Dalton shivered in disgust from his vantage point on the opposite side of the room. 'Barbaric.' The whole sight sickened him. These types of displays were one reason that humans thought vampires were all evil and cruel. He wanted no part in the perverseness of Angelus' form of initiation. His frown deepened with each tear of clothing, claw or fang wound created, and other abuses pounded into the fledglings bodies.
Dalton had to get out of this room and back to Master Spike's suite before the scene made him physically ill. Angelus already discarded him as a weak vampire. He wouldn't be expected to participate in the initiation. If it wasn't for his knowledge of ancient texts and languages he would probably be dust, but he refused to give Angelus any pleasure by showing his distress more outwardly.
Angelus circled the room. "Good boy." He praised a minion who dug his claws into one of the fledgling's back. The fledgling screamed out his anguish. The new minion felt the claws cut through his skin and streak his back with blood and tortured flesh.
Dalton groaned out loud. His luck took a more serious downwards turn. Angelus seemed to have stopped his circling in front of the corridor that led to Spike's living area of the mansion. 'How can I sneak by with him standing right there?' He mustered up as much courage as he could and stepped towards the corridor. 'Remain calm, and try to ignore Angelus. You are insignificant to him. Maybe he won't notice you.'
Angelus clapped his hands in sadistic joy. The two fledglings already survived more than he thought they would. He would need strong fighters to bring this town into line. He noticed Dalton coming closer to him with a crate in his hand. 'If that stupid Sire of his did this instead of coddling him, that insipid vampire never would have made it. I don't know why I keep him around, and what is that smell?'
Dalton froze in his tracks. Angelus had stepped directly into his path to stop him. He did his best not to shake, but he couldn't hold back a tremble of fear at being caught. 'What was it that Master Spike said to say? Oh yes, the blood was tainted.' He stood there and waited for Angelus' question that never came.
Angelus threw his head back and laughed. "You worthless vampire." He spat at Dalton. The scent of fear emanating from the bookworm fueled his lust for power to greater heights.
"Yes, Master Angelus." Dalton lowered his gaze. His trembling body served to add to his appearance of being a weakling. He hated calling him that. In his mind, Angelus was nothing more than a disgusting creature. He had a true Master now, and his name was Spike. "I am fortunate that you allow me to live under your protection, Master." His demon fought with Dalton to fight back, but he reined him in. He was a man of many talents that he never showed because as a man he abhored violence. The time for them would come later. Master Spike needed a link to those outside of his room. He needed to keep himself under wraps for his Master and Mistress' sakes. "I am grateful."
Angelus growled. This sorry excuse for a vamp was no challenge to his dominance of the clan. It disgusted him to waste his time on a nothing. "As you should be. You offend me with your presence." He sniffed the air around Dalton again. "You also offend me with your scent." He moved away from him a couple steps. "I know you like those fluffy colognes, but that crap you have on smells like something Spike wore a time or two."
'Uh oh. I thought the cologne was from a previous human occupant.' Dalton cringed inwardly. 'How stupid of me not to recognize the scent in my haste. I'm in trouble now.' He clutched the crate's handles tighter.
Angelus shook his head. Spike was the last being he wanted to have on his mind right now. He shook the memory of his scent away. "Throw the rest of the bottle out." He waved to Dalton to go wherever he was headed. He couldn't stand the smelly vampire's presence any longer. "If I smell that on you again, Professor, your heart will meet fresh air from outside your body. Understood?"
"Yes, Master Angelus." Dalton hurried down the corridor. He didn't stop to rest until he reached the top of the stairs at the end of the corridor. If his heart could beat it would be pulsing in double time. He checked behind him to see if anyone followed him. As he suspected, no one had. They were all too busy with the torture in the main area and vying for Angelus' favor. He leaned up against the closed door trying to gain his wits about him again before entering his Master's chamber.
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Buffy sat up straight abruptly. She pushed away from Spike. "Dalton!" She said with concern and agitation.
"What is it, luv?" Spike questioned. He had been dreaming peacefully of times gone by and future possibilities. He rubbed his eyes. Being awakened so quickly disturbed him. He had been so content that he was having trouble wiping the sleep from his brain.
"Can you not feel it?" Buffy stood up and stalked to the door. "Something is wrong with Dalton. He's scared."
Spike woke much more quickly with each step Buffy took across the floor. "No! Pet, you can't go out there." He jumped up to catch her. He grabbed for her hand to keep her from opening the door and leaving.
"But he needs us. I must protect him." Buffy pulled away from Spike's grasp.
Spike wasn't prepared for her strength. He fell to the floor after her hand was wrenched from his. He pushed himself up in time to see Buffy opening the door. "CHILDE!" He called out in a firm and commanding voice. "STOP!"
Buffy stopped immediately with the door half opened. She couldn't move, and it frightened her. She tried to move her muscles or turn around, but instead she was frozen in place. She felt lost and confused, defenseless. So, she started crying.
The door caved in the rest of the way with Dalton's weight, which had been resting against the door. He fell at Buffy's feet. "Thank you, Mistress." He looked up at her face and then over to his Master's. "Is something wrong, Master?"
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The first rays of the sunrise filtered through the windows of the high school library. One lone man sat at a desk in his office amidst various books and scrolls. His brow furrowed in concentration with each new revelation. He removed his glasses, dropped them to the desk, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut. "Dear Lord."
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Joyce Summers moved about the home on 1630 Revello Drive. Out of habit she opened the door to Buffy's bedroom to wake her up for school. She sighed at the realization that her daughter wasn't home, yet again. 'At least she's with Willow.' She started to leave the bedroom when a book caught her notice.
Joyce walked over to Buffy's dresser. A box of tissues sat next to the book with several crumpled ones on the dresser top. 'Was Buffy crying?' Concerned for her daughter's well being, she turned the book over to confirm what she suspected. This book was Buffy's diary. 'She never leaves it out. She must have been really upset.'
Joyce was torn between reading the diary and putting it back down. 'If she's that upset, I want to be able to help her.' She sat down on Buffy's bed with the book. 'She gets more distant every day. I feel like I don't even known my own daughter. Maybe this will help me to understand.'
Though a part of her conscience was screaming at her to put the book away, Joyce's motherly snoopiness and concern beat that part down. She opened the cover to read the first entry.
Entry #1 This has to be the worse day of my life. I so cannot believe the creepiness of it all, and could that guy be any more fashion challenged? Merrick, what kind of name is that?
Joyce kept reading from one entry to another. Her face shifted through more emotions than anyone could track. She dropped the book several times in fright and shock only to force herself to continue reading.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sire?" Buffy's voice cracked through her tears. She didn't understand what was happening to her. She felt Spike's anger and also his fear that she was walking out the door. She couldn't even turn to face him.
Spike stood back up. He motioned for Dalton to finish coming in. He pointed him towards the other crate of blood bags and instructed him with a nod of his head to sit in one of the room's chairs.
Dalton shut the door, nodded and proceeded to do exactly as Spike indicated. He was befuddled about what was going on. Had those been tears in his Mistress' eyes?
Spike stepped up behind Buffy. With a hand on each of her upper arms near her shoulders he turned her to face him. "Come here, Childe." His voice echoed the concern and tenderness that he felt for his Mate.
Buffy's arms relaxed, then quickly wrapped around Spike's body. "Oh my god, Spike." She shivered in his embrace. "What happened? I couldn't move." A pair of frightened child-like eyes gazed up at him.
"I had to stop you, Childe." Spike cupped the back of her head with his hand. He purred softly to soothe and calm her. "I did it without even thinking that it was my Sire voice I used."
"Sire voice?" Buffy had a feeling she wasn't going to like his explanation for this one. Anything that could make her not move even when she wanted to was not good.
'She's going to be brassed off.' Spike sighed. "It is one of the many things that I needed to tell you about." He looked over at Dalton.
Buffy lifted a brow, but she calmed down some as Spike kissed and licked away her tears in a show of nurturing.
"Let's see what Dalton has to say, and then you and I can have that talk." Spike licked all traces of the salty fluid from Buffy's cheeks then kissed her forehead.
"All right." Something told Buffy to bite her tongue for now. She wanted to demand him to tell her, but that didn't feel like the right thing to do to her Sire in front of Dalton.
Spike relaxed a little. He may be Buffy's mate, but he was also her Sire. Sometimes those responsibilities had to come before the other. He couldn't risk her doing something so rash. The thought of losing her already scared him more than he cared to admit.
Dalton watched his Master and Mistress from a chair near the covered window. The sunlight would kill him in an instant, but the heat that radiated off the deep velvet drapes reminded him of a time when he could walk in the sun. When he felt that Spike and Buffy were waiting for him to speak, he stood up to walk over to them.
"Drusilla seemed quite a bit upset at Angelus tonight." Dalton began. His Mistress's eyes flashed violet, and her teeth elongated into fangs.
Spike caressed Buffy's cheek in assurance. He felt the change in her. It was likely that the names of Angelus and Drusilla would affect both of them for a while to come even if they didn't want them to. He wasn't sure whom Buffy was growling over more, Angelus or Drusilla.
"She stormed away to their quarters before I even came up here." Dalton smirked at the thought that Angelus might be losing his Dark Princess as well as already having lost Spike. "He brought in a couple new minions, and of course threw them to the wolves." He shook his head in disgust once more.
"Bastard. I know what his kinds of initiations can be." Although no minions swarmed around him at his turning, Spike had felt the cruelty of Angelus' introduction into the vampire world. He tightened his hold on Buffy.
Buffy looked up at her Sire and Mate. She rubbed her cheek against his arm in a comforting fashion. She purred softly to show her support and affection.
"Other than that, everything seems to be moving along as it usually does."
"Thank you, Dalton." Spike ran his fingers through his bleached waves. "Go get some rest."
Dalton headed for the door. Spike stopped him before he could leave. "We're going to meet with the Watcher tonight. I have more plans, but they all depend on his reaction. Don't come by until late tonight if you can manage."
"Yes, Master. I'll do my best." Dalton turned back to the door. "I have a feeling that I'll be the designated fledgling sitter." He stepped out into the hall. He shut the door quietly behind him.
The echo of the door shutting reverberated through the otherwise silent room. Spike stretched his hand in the direction of the bed. He stood at the end of it, not ready to sit down yet.
Buffy curled her legs underneath her when she sat. Her back rested against the headboard. She gave Spike her full attention. Good or bad news he was her Mate and Sire now. That meant he had to take care of her. Right?
'Might as well get the worst of it out first. Maybe the rest of it will be easier to accept then.' Spike paced the width of the bed and back. "IFirst off, want you to know that I won't be exercising all of my Sire's rights. I hadn't intended on using the one I used today in the first place."
Buffy nodded. "All right. What is to stop you from using all of your "rights" on me like you did with the voice though?"
"A Sire may use his voice in a certain tone or intent behind the words to force their Childe to obey. A Childe is unable to resist these commands."
"Like I wasn't able to move once you said stop?" Buffy nibbled on her lower lip. He could make her do anything he wanted?
Spike watched the nervousness and worry cover Buffy's face before it could disappear. "I had to stop you from exposing yourself to anyone, possibly Angelus." He sat down at the end of the bed. "I made a desperate plea that any lover would, but by being your Sire it forced you to stop."
"What if we were in the middle of having sex and you yelled for me to spread it and take it hard when I didn't want to?" Buffy doubted that she would ever want to refuse Spike's advances, but she needed to know she had the choice of stopping him. "Would I have to lie there and take it in pain without my consent?"
"No! Never!" Spike wanted to pull her to him to comfort Buffy, but it was best if they kept their distance at the moment. It sickened him to think about taking Buffy by force. Even his demon, having now sampled her complete and utter submission, wasn't willing to force his Mate sexually. "That is one Sire right I will NOT incite. I want you to come to my bed freely, Buffy."
Buffy relaxed a little. She knew sex was often used as a show of dominance over another vampire. She remembered reading about it in one of Giles' books. Spike didn't say that he couldn't do it, but he did say that he wouldn't. That would have to be enough for now. She hoped they would never have to have a discussion about that again.
"That doesn't mean things might not be rough at times. You might find that you enjoy certain pleasures that you haven't tried before." Spike's eyes were full of truth and honesty in the words he uttered. "But I will never force myself upon you. I've been subjected to that many times, and you shouldn't ever have to feel like I did."
The warmth in Buffy's cheeks rose. "I was only with Angel once, and we all know how that turned out." She sighed. "You are my only real and lasting experience." She soothed any ruffled feathers with her next statement. "You are all that I will ever want or need. Please tell me more about Sires and their Childer."
"Pet …" Spike scooted a little closer to Buffy's position. His anger at another touching Buffy only lasted a moment. Angel was in the past, and she chose Spike to be her Mate. That was all that mattered to him; man and demon. "Most Sires want to mold and shape their minions and Childer into the perfect demon. They try to force them to be who they want them to be and not who they really are." He tried to explain the most common directives for a Sire. "A strong Childe is a reflection on their Sire."
"You don't want to teach me things?" Buffy misunderstood what he was trying to say to her. 'He has almost 200 years of experience in the world. I could learn so much more from him, avoid so many mistakes.'
Spike jerked his head up. He heard Buffy's thoughts clearly in his own mind. "What was that, pet?"
"I asked you if you didn't want to teach me anything." Buffy repeated.
"No the part about my experience in the world."
Buffy looked at him puzzled. 'I didn't say anything about his experience out loud. How did he know?'
"Because I bloody well heard your thoughts, pet." Spike answered Buffy's thoughts out loud this time.
"Oh my!" Buffy slapped her hands to her mouth in shock. "That is just freaky."
'Tell me about it.' Spike grinned widely, letting a natural conversation carry itself mentally. 'I've heard about telepathy between mates, but it is highly rare.' He finished out loud. "It only occurs in the strongest of claims."
Buffy nodded. She heard both his thoughts and his vocal words with the same inflection and tone that he used vocally. "That is going to take some getting used to. How ever will I keep secrets from you?" She winked.
Spike beamed. He crawled up the bed and laid next to Buffy. This allowed her the higher position, since she was sitting up and he was laying down. He wanted to make her more at ease, help her to feel that she had more control. "It is wonderful though." He needed her to feel secure that he considered her his equal and not beneath him.
"Why?" Buffy questioned.
"Because, pet. It means that we have a strong bond." Spike was nearly giddy inside. "Our claims are mutually shared in mind and body. Our demons agree with our physical forms and emotions. We are more in synch than a normal mated pair ever would be."
"You mean it shows that what we did was right, and not just some awakening vampire sex thing?" Buffy thought about all the times she faced Spike in battle. There was something that always drew her to him like a moth to the flame. She had known he was forbidden, even more than Angel, but a part of her wanted him even then. Now it seemed that he was who she was meant to be with in the first place.
"Exactly. If it was a forced or haphazard claim, we wouldn't be able to read each other's minds." Spike rested his head in Buffy's lap. He caressed the top of her leg with his fingertips. "That crazy little Slayer of yours likes the "Big Bad"." He teased.
"Don't go getting a big head about it, Spike." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Your ego doesn't need any more stroking."
"But I thought you liked my big head." Spike tucked his tongue along the roof of his mouth with the tip pressed against the back of his top teeth. He smirked up at Buffy. "And I'm all for any stroking you want to do to me, pet."
Buffy playfully slapped Spike's upper chest. "Good grief. You really are horrible." She bantered in play.
"You're right, and you know you love it." Spike turned his face back into her lap. He kissed her inner thigh, trailing his tongue in circles along her femoral artery.
"Oh gosh." Buffy closed her eyes and shivered. "If you don't stop that, we're never going to get to the story about the book." She pushed Spike's head further down her legs and away from the place she would rather he be. "I need to know what is going on before we meet Giles."
Spike pouted like a child who just lost his favorite toy. "You're right, but it's more fun to tease you."
Buffy waggled a finger at him. In her best Drusilla voice she continued, "Be a good boy Willie or no tea and cake for you."
Spike raised a brow. He should be upset, but instead he just laughed. "That was bloody horrible, luv. Don't do it again, and never call me Willie." He shook his head back and forth. "Leave the crazies to the crazy woman."
Buffy smiled. She loved to hear Spike laugh. "Speaking of the bitch … Are she and Angelus able to hear each other's thoughts? I'm assuming he's claimed her."
Spike thought about that for a few minutes. "I don't think they can." He pondered it further. "I've never seen any indication that they could." A deviant and self-satisfying smirk grew. "How perfect that the "ideal" vampire couple aren't truly made for each other." He huffed. "Serves them both right."
Buffy seemed comforted that Spike wasn't upset about Dru and Angelus. "It's their loss." She leaned over to cup Spike's face in her hands. She bent down and kissed him tenderly. She sat back up. "Now the book … make with the splaining please."
Dalton might not be able to understand Buffy's terms, but Spike was rapidly catching on to the California bred girl's slang. It still baffled him that the English language was so decimated, but he'd work on that later. Her slang was a part of the attitude that he loved.
"First, I want to clarify what I meant earlier." He laid on his back, draped over Buffy's legs. "I will teach you a lot of things, but I'm not going to try and change who you really are. If I wanted a mindless clone, I wouldn't have turned you. You are so much more than that."
"Oh, nice with the sweet talk." Buffy licked her lips in contemplation over all the different ways she could reward Spike's compliments.
Spike closed his eyes and groaned. "Cor, pet. Don't think about that kind of thing." He slapped at the hard length of his cock. "Down boy." He flipped over on the bed to crush his member beneath him. It ached with need for relief.
Buffy giggled. "Oops. Sorry, Spike."
"Now then. Let me tell you a story about a vampire named Charmand, and the Slayer he fell in love with named Antoinette."
Buffy sat back against the headboard again. She listened to Spike unravel the mysteries of a Slayer who found love with a Master Vampire in the 1600's. She asked different questions along the way to make sure she understood what he was saying. She was always rewarded with Spike's patience and understanding.
Spike followed Buffy's thoughts and emotions while he told the story. He gauged her reactions to certain parts, and he was delighted to find her acceptance instead of her denial. When he finished his story, Buffy had a decidedly angry frown on her face and tears on her cheeks.
"So because the Council kept hounding them, and they had to stay in hiding, they both ended up dying?"
"I'm afraid so, pet." Spike nodded. "Even with the best second in command, you can not replace a Master Vampire's influence over a clan." He explained some of the inner workings of nests, families and clans. "Especially with the seemingly unnatural order of things in Charmand's domain, it would take a firm hand to keep any new vampires in line. Old vampires might even slip to the old ways causing even more havoc."
"The hierarchy seems very strict in its chain of command." Buffy pondered what would happen when Angelus was killed. Dru would surely have to be dusted as well. Would that make Spike in charge of the Aurelius family line?
"Actually it would, pet." Spike answered her unspoken thoughts. "The Master and Darla are already gone. If Angelus and Dru were also dusted, I am the next in line."
Buffy blinked. 'I could be mated to the new Master of Sunnydale?' She gulped anxiously.
"Don't worry pet, I have no intentions of following in Peaches or great-great grand daddy's ugly footsteps." Spike reassured her. "I don't know what will happen once they are gone. We'll have to figure that out when we get there. No sense in putting the card before the whole fricking corral of horses." He knew that most of the minions would have to be staked. There was no way Buffy could allow them to go on killing. He was fairly sure that Dalton would suffer through any chance that was asked of him. He didn't want to lose his book loving comrade.
Buffy chuckled at the analogy. "Why do you think the Slayers kept their souls? If a vampire demon joins us at death, how can it survive with the soul?"
"That is one place where your Council of Wankers are spinning their wheels in the wrong direction on." Spike sat up next to Buffy. He wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer. "Where do you think your slaying abilities come from?"
Buffy shrugged. "It's always been explained as just some mystical force that passes from slayer to slayer, generation to generation."
"Why do you think Slayers are able to sense vampires so well? Could it be that you recognize "one of your own"?"
"One of my own? You don't mean that the First Slayer was a vampire, do you?" Buffy's eyes widened in worry and disbelief.
"Not what I said, pet." Spike stopped to think of the best way to phrase his thoughts on slayer abilities. Louis, the Watcher from the 1600's seemed to agree with his notations in the journal. "When anyone is turned, it is the demon that joins with the human to create the new being. For most that means a vampiric demon enters them and tries to take over everything. For some, the majority goes to the demon, but enough of the human side remains for it to be noticeable. That makes us seem more human that others."
Buffy nodded and listened with avid interest.
"A Slayer is different because she already has a type of demon inside of her." Spike waited for the gasp that he knew would come from Buffy. He pressed a finger to her lips to tell her to allow him to continue to explain. "Slayer abilities rival a regular vampire's in strength, sense, stamina, and speed. I feel, as did Louis, that the First Slayer was created by a merging of a vampire like demon with a human female."
"Merging? So no bitey, just possession of the evil kind?"
"Something like that, yes, but less with the evi. The woman was strong enough in her humanity that it overrode the baser instincts of the demon that inhabited her. When she died, the essence of the Slayer herself and her demon was passed on to the next Chosen One." Spike laid everything out in detail. "You don't have a vampire demon inside you, luv. I believe that when I turned you it allowed your Slayer demon to show it's more vampiric qualities, but you are still different from other vampires. Did you know you have violet eyes when you morph?"
"I do?" Buffy perked up at that thought. "No golden?"
"No golden. You have softer ridges on your forehead, and your eyes are a beautiful violet color. You are so beautiful; human and vampire." Spike adjusted himself against Buffy. He didn't want to get too far off the course of their discussion.
"And of course I can't even look at myself in a mirror to see how pretty I am." Buffy teased
Spike laughed lightly. He loved the written word, and he thrived on new knowledge. It was a pleasure to share his knowledge with Buffy. "Even if a Slayer isn't turned the demon becomes stronger the older the Slayer gets, but most slayers don't live past 18 anyways. So, it isn't given a chance to take a firmer root. Those slayers who did survive past 18 seemed to disappear or have strange accidents along the way."
Spike shook his head back and forth. "I tracked a couple slayers in the 1940's and mid 1950's. Both of them were 20 years old when they died, and it wasn't a demon that killed them. Their deaths were listed as natural causes. Natural causes won't kill a Slayer. I think it was the Council."
"Why would the Council want to kill its own Slayer?" Buffy was appalled at the accusation. Sure, she didn't like the bunch of bureaucrats, but it wasn't their fault she was called. She couldn't hate them for that. She felt they should be giving her and Giles more support though.
"Because as the demon grows stronger, their Slayer was changed from a malleable child into a stronger woman with her own mind and ideals." Spike rubbed a hand down Buffy's arm. "Things stopped being so black and white. By that time she would have seen more about vampires than just what the Council wanted her to see. They couldn't afford that. So, they removed the threat."
"You don't think Giles would be plotting with them to have me killed if they aren't happy with me after next year, do you?" Buffy worried her bottom lip with her human teeth.
"Somehow I doubt it. Rupert Giles wasn't always the man you see now. I've heard tales about his younger days." Spike grinned in admiration. When he arrived in Sunnydale he did his own bit of research on the Watcher. Ripper's younger days were a treat to read. "He seems to care greatly for you, and not just as a Slayer. He's bit more of a rebel. If he believes us, he'll stay by you."
"I hope he believe us." Buffy sighed. "My mother is going to freak. I have to tell her something now. I never told her I was the Slayer. What will she think now when I tell her I'm kind of a vampire? She won't understand why I need to take night classes now instead of going to a regular high school."
"She's your Mum, Buffy. She'll understand." Spike caressed Buffy's face in long repeated strokes. "We need to take it one step at a time. First your Watcher, then your Mom or your friends. We have to be careful. Angelus must believe that you are dead."
Buffy nodded and yawned. "First we sleep." She yawned again. "It's strange, but I can feel the sun. It is pushing me to rest."
"Yes, it is time to rest. In time you will be able to completely fight the urge if you have to." Spike pulled Buffy with him as he laid out flat on the bed. "You already have an amazing amount of control. I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you, Sire." Buffy yawned and her eyes drooped closed. She snuggled against Spike and rested her cheek on his chest. She purred her contentment, which was echoed by Spike's won purr of delight. The two of them drifted off into a peaceful slumber where their dreams intermingled together, showing them another level of connection to each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dru ranted while she paced the floor of their bedroom. "She is alive. The pixies are warning me about her." She turned to Angelus in a huff. "I warned you not to try and kill her. Bad Daddy." She growled.
"That is ridiculous, Dru. We had the same argument this morning." Angelus stalked over to Dru. He grabbed her arms and squeezed them hard. "I'm telling you that she is dead. No one could have survived that."
Dru mewled and bounced in place. "Please, Daddy. I don't want to go poof." She half-heartedly clawed at Angelus' chest. "She is like a hurricane wind; all blowing but not being seen. Only the crushed houses are left. We will be her crushed houses."
"I'm going to settle this once and for all." Angelus growled. He pushed Dru onto the bed. "I'm going to that little brat's house, and I will look for her. If I can't find out about her there, I'll torture every single one of her friends until I get my answer. Will that satisfy you?"
Dru nodded. The pixies didn't lie to her. Daddy was going to be mad when he found a living Slayer. "Yes, Daddy."
"Fine." Angelus kicked the bedpost. "Stay in here tonight. You are NOT to go out until I return." He ordered, knowing that his Childe would have to obey his command. He threw open the door and slammed it behind him. He needed to vent some frustrations before the sun set.
Dru whimpered. She pulled Miss Edith off the nightstand. She clutched the doll to her like a lifeline, rocking back and forth with it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"My baby ..." Joyce Summers wept over the opened diary. She reread it at least 5 times, and it never got better. She laid down on Buffy's bed and grabbed Mister Gordo into her arms. "My poor baby." The diary dropped to the floor half underneath the bed where it would remain long after Joyce cried herself to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shortly after sunset Angelus climbed the tree next to Buffy's room. When he reached the top he saw a large form on Buffy's bed. He realized fairly quickly that the form was Joyce Summers, Buffy's mom. 'Excellent.' He thought. He could see the tracks of make-up smeared down the woman's face to indicate that she had been crying.
'Buffy is dead. Crazy Dru doesn't know what she's talking about.' Angelus was satisfied that he had nothing more to worry about where the Slayer was concerned. He jumped down from the tree. He proceeded to head off into the new night with a bounce in his step. "This town will be mine, and none of her little friends are going to be able to stop me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm scared Spike." Buffy sat in front of Spike on their bed. Freshly showered, fed, and fully rested, Spike was brushing her hair for her now.
"I can't promise that it will be all right, pet, but I will be there no matter what." Spike tried to comfort his Childe. She needed the words of encouragement, and he worked to relax her with every stroke of the brush.
Buffy closed her eyes and purred. Every pull down the length of her long blonde hair felt like heaven. Her body tingled and relaxed. How could something so mundane seem so erotic to her? "I swear you could make anything seem sensual, Spike."
Spike chuckled. "Like this, do you?" He teased. He set the brush to the side and pulled Buffy back against his chest.
Buffy relished the feeling of his hard chest against her back. When he wrapped his arms around her she curled her hands and arms around his. "Thank you, Spike."
"For what, kitten?" Spike asked. He caressed the side of his face into her golden tresses. He inhaled her wonderful scent and committed it to memory.
"For saving me." Buffy turned in Spike's arms. "Even if they don't accept me, I know that you truly did save me that night. Thank you."
Spike kissed Buffy passionately pouring all of the emotions he was feeling into it. They stayed there for at least 15 minutes kissing non-stop. Neither needed to breathe, and they were using that to their full advantage. When they broke apart, both were panting.
"I would rather stay here all night making love to you, but we do have to meet your Watcher."
Buffy nodded. "All right." She hopped off the bed reluctantly. "Let's go."
"We'll take the same passage you pulled Dalton from." Spike pressed his hand into the right stone to release the locking mechanism. "Keep your senses sharp. We don't want to run into anyone out there who could give us away."
Buffy stretched her hand out to clasp Spike's in hers. Spike looked down at their joint hands and smiled. "Time to get this show on the road." They both stepped into the dark passage and vamped out. Once the door was secure again, they headed out to meet Giles.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Giles paced back and forth in what used to be the living room of an abandoned house. Earlier in the afternoon he'd convinced the rest of the group that it would be best for him to arrive at this meeting alone. All of them had protested for one reason or another. Mostly they all wanted to see Buffy, but they were also worried that it was a trap for Giles.
Giles explained to them that the less attention that was brought to the meeting, the better off they'd all be. He didn't fully trust Spike, but after all he'd read he was fairly certain he could trust Buffy. He would know once he saw her. He had a stake, a cross and some holy water readily accessible if he was wrong.
Giles looked at his watch again. It was two hours past sunset already. 'Where are they? Spike said to meet here one hour after sunset. I hope nothing has happened to them.' He sighed audibly. His head jerked to the side at the sound of light footsteps, barely noticeable to most people. He spent too much time around the unnatural and demonic to not be more aware of his surroundings that others would usually be. "Who's there?"
"Giles?" Buffy tentatively stepped further into the home. Her shadow moved along the way until her body was hit in full by the moonlight.
"Buffy?" Giles lit the lantern next to him to get a better look at her.
"Oh Giles!" Buffy ran towards Giles with her arms outstretched. In the two years Giles had been her Watcher, he already felt like more of a father to her than her biological one. She needed to know that he still loved her.
Giles took three steps back when Buffy rushed him. His instincts told him to run. It was only his devotion to Buffy that stopped him from running out of the house right then and there.
Buffy's arms dropped to her sides. "Oh God, Giles." Her disappointment was evident in her whole stature and expression. She turned away from Giles' rejection and into the arms of the bleached blonde vampire who stepped up to hold her.
"Nice move, Watcher." Spike growled. "Break the girl's heart, why don't you." He rubbed circles on Buffy's back. He dipped two fingers under her chin to bring her head up. He kissed her forehead.
Giles stared at the scene with wonder and innate curiosity. Last night he read everything the Council had on William the Bloody. Nothing spoke of any form of kindness that would be shown like the display he was witnessing. This was a ruthless and relentless killer. He slowly lifted one arm out towards Buffy. "I'm sorry, Buffy."
Buffy turned to face her Watcher again. She sniffled. "You don't believe the books, do you?" Her life was crazy enough already. Was she going to be alienated by her friends and family too?
"You have to admit it was quite a far fetched story at first glance." Giles looked up at Spike. He kept his gaze on the Master Vampire as he approached both of them. He noticed how protective the vampire was of his Slayer. He had no intention of becoming the Master Vampire's evening snack by moving too quickly. Tentatively he placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "It goes against everything I've ever been taught."
Spike snorted. "And of course you can always believe everything that your teacher teaches, right? Never question anything for yourself?" He was more than perturbed that the Council kept any information hidden that went against their status quo. "Those wankers wouldn't know the full truth about vampires and slayers if it bit them in the arse."
"Be that as it may, the information has been proven accurate most of the time." Giles countered in the soft argument between the two of them. Buffy switched her gaze from Giles to Spike depending on who was talking at the time.
"Bloody stuffed shirts." Spike chastised. "Completely closed minded bunch. Are we adding you to that count, Watcher?"
Buffy's eyes echoed the hopefulness that she wanted to find in Giles' answer. She waited anxiously for him to speak again.
"As incredulous as some of the evidence is ..." Giles' voice trailed off for him to take a deep breath. "I'm inclined to believe it is true. The brief additional research I was able to do supports the book in vague references."
Buffy and Spike both let out unnecessary breaths that they didn't realize they were holding. Their body language relaxed, and Buffy jumped into Giles arms to give him a big bear hug.
"Buffy!" Giles squeaked. "Breathe ... Need to breathe."
"Oops. Sorry Giles." Buffy let go. Although her cheeks didn't color, slight warmth did travel to her cheeks in place of a blush.
"You seem even stronger than I remember." Giles removed his glasses to clean them. "You are able to morph into a vampiric face, correct?" He watched with fascination while Buffy morphed out.
Buffy opened her mouth and tilted it back to show him her fangs. She lowered her head to stare at him, showing off her violet eyes. She pointed to them. "Much prettier than the normal gold. Well, so I'm told. No reflection. Which if I may say is going to make getting ready to go out much more difficult, and what about my make-up? I'm going to be Miss Pale Face." She shrugged.
Giles stifled a chuckle. 'That is definitely my Buffy. No doubt of it now. Only she would worry about something so trivial after being turned.'
"I'll make sure you never go out with a smudge of dirt on your face, pet." Spike playfully swiped the tip of his finger down the end of Buffy's nose. "You don't need to worry about any make-up either. You are beautiful just as you are."
"Awww, Spike." Buffy nestled herself into Spike's arms, pressing her face against his chest. She purred softly in delight. "You can do my hair any day too, Mate. It felt so wonderful earlier."
Giles found himself lost in the moment of tenderness between his charge and the Master Vampire. He mentally made notes for his journals. His thoughts derailed upon hearing the last words from Buffy's lips. "Mate? You claimed her?"
"Didn't intend to, but it happened." Spike's arms tightened around Buffy protectively. Nothing was going to keep her from him. Especially not after the revelation of a deeper bond. They were made for each other. If he had a soul, which her seriously wondered about at this point, they would be soulmates.
"We need to talk to you about some of the before and after effects too." Buffy rested her cheek against Spike's chest. She was able to look at Giles off to the side. "I'm fine with it Giles." She continued as Giles' facial expression turned into a more confused one. "My little inner Slayer even wanted this. She's the one that knew what to do. Not me."
"Slayer? So, the part that made you a slayer still resides in you?" Giles grabbed a notebook out of his inner jacket pocket. He had to write some of this down.
A large wooden cross poked out the lower inner pocket of Giles' jacket. Spike jumped back on instinct taking Buffy with him. Buffy looked up at Spike in confusion. "What's wrong?" Spike pointed to the cross. "Those things make me bloody uncomfortable even to be around."
Buffy tilted her head to the side to get a better look. She walked up to Giles and opened the jacket up. Her gaze wandered down to the cross in Giles' pocket. "I don't feel uncomfortable." She softly uttered. Her curiosity got the better of her. She reached down, dipped her hand in the pocket, and brought out the cross. Nothing sizzled or burned. She didn't even flinch. She held up the cross to examine it like a young child would a caterpillar on a stick. She twirled it around in her palm.
"Good heavens."
"Bloody hell."
"Cool!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Summary: Spike and Buffy made it out of the mansion to meet Giles in an abandoned house. At first Giles was more skeptical of Buffy, but the longer he talked to her the more he saw the spark of his young charge in the new being before him. A cross in Giles' pocket intrigued Buffy, and she picked it up. She isn't burning from it. What other differences are there? Will Giles and Spike be able to collaborate their respective knowledge's, or will Giles get a superiority complex? How are they going to keep Buffy off of Angelus' radar? Will Joyce track down Giles to get information from him?
Author's Note: As with the history of Charmand and Antoinette, the mythology here for the Slayer demon is based on various lores (some from vague references in BtVS) and my own original ideas
(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.
Buffy tossed the cross in the air and caught it again. She was unaware of the perplexed looks on the faces of her Watcher and her Mate.
'Uh, pet?' Spike stepped up behind Buffy. He held her arm still. 'Give the Watcher his cross.' He turned her around to face him. He forced himself not to shrink away from the cross in her hand. 'You're making me nervous, pet.'
Buffy sighed. "All right, Spike." She answered out loud without even realizing that she was the only one who heard him speak. "Taking away all my fun." She handed the cross back to Giles. She crossed her arms in front of Spike. Her lower lip pushed out in a pout.
Spike groaned. 'You really don't fight fair, luv.' With the tip of his finger, Spike pushed Buffy's lip back up and together. "Can't resist it when you pout."
"Then don't resist, Spikey." Buffy teased.
Giles tucked the cross back into his pocket. For each question answered another one formed on the tip of his tongue. His gaze faltered between Buffy and Spike. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Spike never spoke, but you seemed to know what he wanted you to do?"
"Oops. We did it again, didn't we?" From the perplexed look on Giles' face she realized she reacted to Spike's thoughts and not his physical voice. 'This is going to take some getting used to. I don't even think about whether you are speaking out loud or not.'
"Yes, we did luv." Spike nodded to Buffy and answered her thoughts with his own. 'It will be very helpful and quicker for us to communicate privately at times. We'll have to actively try to keep ourselves talking in other's company when relevant.' The cross tucked away, Spike felt free to curl his arms around Buffy again.
"Is telepathy a common result of the Sire/Childe bond?" Giles asked in genuine curiosity. Nothing in his previous research indicated telepathy as a common vampiric trait. Were his books missing this information as well?
"It's deeper than that, Watcher. Nothing common about it." Spike responded in annoyance. He felt insulted that Giles would think something so extraordinary was a common occurrence.
Buffy twisted the fingers of her hand with one of Spike's. "It is a result of our mutual claim." Both of these men were dominant and strong in their individual beliefs. She was quickly learning that Spike's failure to kill her before wasn't due to him being ignorant. Something stronger had always been at work between them that wouldn't allow one to kill the other. He might be impatient, but he was smart.
"Even then it is rare for the bond to be strong enough to form the telepathic connection. Especially in a claim so recently established." Spike added. He needed to impart the knowledge to Giles that the bond was a stronger, more unbreakable, bond than even normal claims. He hoped the Watcher would get the hint that nothing Giles did would break their claim.
"Fascinating." Giles adjusted his glasses on his face. 'Is he actually threatening me?' He eyed the Master Vampire carefully. Everything about Spike's stance echoed the power flowing under the surface.
"I hope you think so after we lay it all out for you." Spike chirped. "Buffy says you love to research. We've got plenty to look up." He picked at his flaking black nail polish on one hand. "Buffy and I have already experienced a lot that I didn't know would happen either as her Sire or her Mate."
"I'm afraid that the Council doesn't have many articles on vampire claims." Giles sighed. Where would he get the information he needed? "I can't stop the Council from finding out about Buffy's death either." This was a part he hated. The Council would more than likely hunt Buffy down if they found out she was turned. "When the new Slayer is activated they will know. We will simply have to keep Buffy's existence a secret."
"I don't think we have to worry about the wankers knowing she died." Spike pressed his lips against the back of Buffy's head in a kiss. "She isn't on the Slayer radar anymore."
"Of course she's not." Giles replied. He seemed flustered with what he assumed was Spike's lack of care in his attitude towards the Council. "Which is why we have a problem. Her physical death will not go unnoticed by them." His jaw clenched in a growing bout of anger. "I know you don't respect their establishment, but you can't blindly disregard them as completely impotent."
"You're not understanding me, Watcher." Spike ground the title out through clenching teeth like a curse. "She was dead to them a long time ago."
"Make some sense, Spike." Old habits died hard. Giles was ready to defend the Council and his own standing in the demon intelligence community. He knew what he was talking about. Spike couldn't possibly hold such knowledge. "Talking to you is like reading a sodding prophecy, Spike."
"I hate prophecies." Buffy shivered. "Buffy and prophecies are two very un-mixy things." She sighed. "The last time I ..." Her head snapped up and her gaze met Spike's in understanding.
"Died." Spike finished Buffy's sentence for her. "The Master drank from you last year, and you drowned in his lair."
"Yes, but Xander revived me." It unnerved Buffy that Spike knew so much about her past. She hardly knew anything about his except what the Council put into their books.
"Get any strange jingles on the phone from the Council then, Watcher?" Although Spike spoke to Giles, his eyes never left Buffy's.
"Not really." Giles thought back to what happened the year before. Usually his mind could snatch up the smallest of details into his active memory. So much transpired between this year and the last. It made it hard to sort it all into a mental timeline he could remember.
"Are you saying that the Slayer died, and the Council didn't know about it?" Spike raised an intrigued brow.
"Wait." Giles brought his index finger up to his lip. "Quentin Travers did call me late that night after the Master was killed." He forced himself to remember the conversation as best as possible. "He asked me how things were going, and if Buffy was all right."
Spike nodded. He could practically see a growing light bulb trying to force itself on over the Watcher's head.
"I told him about the Master's death, but I didn't say anything about Buffy's brief death." Giles continued. "I felt it unnecessary to tell him since she was alive again. He didn't question me further after that."
"So, it would seem that the Council knew Buffy died that night." Spike countered.
"It would seem so. That would also mean that they knew about Kendra being called." Giles' frowned. "They didn't tell me about her until Kendra showed up in Sunnydale."
"That's right, Giles." Buffy leaned back against Spike's chest. "Kendra didn't seem to know about me either. She believed she was the only Slayer."
"Strange." Giles tapped his index finger against his jaw. "It was foolish to keep that information from us. We could have found comfort in knowing that we had another strong ally at our disposal."
"Unless the Council didn't want you to know about the other Slayer for a reason." Spike interrupted.
"What would the purpose be in that?"
"I think they thought the Chosen line had moved on to the new Slayer. So, they watched Sunnydale, Buffy, and you to see what would happen. When it seemed that all was still well, they left Kendra where she was to train more in case Buffy stopped being "useful" because the Chosen line no longer flowed through her veins even though the Slayer was still present." Spike started his hypothesis softly. "They had the bonus of a more dispensable Slayer here on the Hellmouth when Buffy lived. I'll bet they even made you send in your reports more frequently."
"Yes, but that isn't unusual."
"It makes sense if you realize that they needed those reports because she wasn't on their "radar" anymore." Spike kept his tone even. "Without your reports and whatever person they sent here to watch you both, they wouldn't know anything about Buffy anymore."
"What makes you think you know so much about this? You haven't dedicated years of your life studying under the most knowledgeable people in this field." Giles was furious at the thought that the Council would be watching him and his charge. The whole idea was preposterous, and he was tired of Spike's know-it-all attitude.
"Guys, this is hardly the time for a display of mine's bigger than yours." Buffy straightened up. She was sure that Spike wanted to start pummeling Giles, and she couldn't allow that. "I'm a bit curious to hear what he has to say."
"Of course you would." Giles snorted. "You're now his little puppet. He can control everything about his Childe." In his anger he used the word with disgust and loathing. He lashed out at the most tender spot in the vampire's armor.
"You bastard!" Spike cursed Giles. "What I can do, and what I will do are two different things."
"Who is to say that you aren't controlling her? You can't prove it." Giles advanced a step closer to Spike and Buffy. "She could be your little yes man now."
'Uh oh.' Buffy held up one hand against Giles' chest and the other against Spike's. This situation was getting uglier by the moment. Who needed Angelus to come after them? They were going to kill each other instead.
"You're right, Mate." Spike wanted to wipe the satisfied smirk away from Giles' face with his fist. He chose instead to wipe it away with something much stronger ... the truth. "But you, Sir, are a rude man. Not all vampires are vagrants and imbeciles. Some can be very nice chaps like Dalton."
Giles smirk disappeared immediately when Spike's normal accent shifted into a much more cultured and upper class one. He stared at the vampire as if he'd grown two horns.
'Love the accent, Spike.' Buffy purred. There was something raw about the coarseness of his usual accent. The refined one caressed over her in a sultry manner too, more romantic then feral. She loved them both for different reasons. 'You'll have to tell me the story behind where you got that one from.'
Spike winked at Buffy. "I've spent almost a century in the pursuit and study of Slayers. I used that information to kill two of them. Now I'm using that information to save the one that is mine." He adjusted imaginary spectacles. "I can speak several languages including: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Fyarl, Russian, and Aramaic. I can read more languages, among them several demonic and ancient texts."
"But ... But ..." Giles was reduced to stutters of disbelief. The accent seemed natural to Spike, and it spoke of a refinement and education that he never attributed to the vampire. The Council wrote that William the Bloody was an uneducated ruffian from the dregs of society even before being turned.
Spike switched back to his deep and rough lower class street accent. "We don't all forget where we came from or what we knew. Some of us still learn even after we're turned, Watcher."
Giles was well past the lens cleaning stage. It wasn't until now that he removed his glasses to clean them though. He had been frozen in place while the change came over Spike. "I expect you picked that up over the decades by spending time in London." He accused. "You can't expect me to believe you had any culture in your life before you were turned. You were no more than a street thug."
Spike growled, brushed past Buffy and slammed Giles into a wall. "Pay attention Watcher because I won't do or say this again." He ripped Giles' glasses from his hands. "If you aren't a help to us, you won't exist any more. So listen up."
Giles' heart raced. He gasped for breath, but he remained firm in his spot. He may not believe Spike, but he wasn't in a position to upset the vampire further. If crosses didn't hurt Buffy, it was possible that Holy Water would be useless as well. Spike could just have Buffy finish him off if he pushed it any further.
Buffy felt torn between protecting Giles and kicking him. She felt the anger and frustration coming off her Mate in waves. It radiated through her entire being. She wanted to comfort Spike, or argue with Giles, but she sensed that this was something Spike needed to handle on his own.
Spike stepped back from Giles. He stood next to Buffy again. Taking in a deep breath he didn't need, he slipped the glasses on his face. "Allow me to introduce you to the man your Council thinks it knows." He mussed up his slicked back hair into a mass of fairly unruly waves and curls. He pulled the glasses a bit lower on his nose before looking first down at Buffy and then back up to Giles.
Buffy's knees went weak at the penetrating gaze Spike gave her before he looked back at Giles. 'Damn, but that's not fair.' She clutched the back of a chair to keep her balance. 'Your hair is so much sexier like that. I never thought those glasses looked sexy on Giles, but damn you are a hottie.'
'You better not think anything on Giles is sexy, or he is going to be missing it right quick, pet.' Spike suppressed his usual smirk. He didn't want to ruin the effect he needed to portray. "Allow me to introduce myself to you." His accent easily slipped back into the upper crust one from earlier. He bowed at the waist gallantly. "My name is William Andrew Henry Jamison. I was born on October 29th in the year of our Lord and Queen eighteen hundred and fifty-two to Andrew William Charles Jamison and Anne Elizabeth Winters Jamison, Lord and Lady Chesterfield."
"William" shifted nervously from one foot to another, seemingly shy. "My father and sister, Victoria, perished in a plague shortly after I graduated from Oxford in 1876 with my degree. I was forced to resign further literary and philosophical pursuits due to my mother becoming quite ill. I now know that she had TB, but at the time there was no cure or successful treatment. All of our money, what little there was left of it, went to her continued treatment."
Giles itched to start writing in his notebook. He flipped open to an empty page. He looked up at "William" to make sure he wasn't going to get bitten for writing things down, and then started scratching in as much of the details as he could. Something was very familiar to him about that name. He would research it more later.
"The gentry and nobility were being phased out with each passing year. Titles were mainly mere words on paper, but the Jamison name still afforded me invitations to various social gatherings." He clenched his hands into tight fists. This was like reliving all of the anguish and humiliation that he tried to put behind him. "At a particular gathering I allowed my foolish romantic idiocies to overtake good judgment."
Buffy slipped her hands around one of Spike's fists. She rested her head on her arm. She rubbed his clenched hand to work on relaxing him. She could sense the pain each word was causing Spike. She had a feeling that Spike was doing this for her benefit.
Spike knew that they needed Giles' help, and he was willing to suffer his own humiliation to help Buffy. They needed some of the Ripper's past forays into magic to protect them. "After being completely insulted and humiliated in front of a group of my peers, I ran from the party. In a barn I was approached by one of the darkest but most beautiful woman I had ever met. She cajoled and catered to my weaknesses. In my acceptance of what seemed a precious gift of a better life, I allowed her to bite me. She drained my life force into her body, and then brought a strange man to my place on the barn floor to bring "life" back into my body."
"William" moved away from Buffy slowly. He stood directly in front of Giles. "I awoke different, that is for sure. Yet, I was still the same." He paused for his words to take more of an effect on Giles. "Whether it was the fact that my emotions were so full and heightened at the time of my turning, or that somewhere someone thought I was a better man than I was, I retained much of who I was."
Spike removed the borrowed glasses. He slipped them onto Giles' face. "This wasn't acceptable to my Sire, and unless I'd buried that part of myself I would be dead much like Louis explained in his journal of other vampires. So I've let the demon reign, forced the guilt as far back as I could until it was fairly non-existent and became what Angelus desired."
Spike extended his arm out to Buffy. He curled it around her waist. He rested his forehead against the side of her head. "I didn't fit in as a human, but I swore that I would fit in as a vampire." His accent deepened with no evidence of the refinery from moments before. "I succeeded, and my goal was to destroy all that was good and embrace evil. I've never been quite the heartless bastard that Angelus is, but I have earned my place in Hell. No doubt of that."
Buffy gasped. She turned to look at Spike. She cupped his face with her hands. "You don't have to be that vampire anymore, Spike. There is so much more to you than just him." She forced back the tears that threatened to spill. "They Slayer wouldn't have chosen you if she thought you were nothing more than a killer."
"Shhh." Spike placed two fingers over Buffy's lips. "You are all that matters to me now, other than seeing Angelus dead."
Giles closed the notebook and collapsed against the wall. "Good heavens. I had no idea."
Spike kissed Buffy's forehead again then looked at Giles. "It is possible, Watcher. Charmand proved that." He pulled Buffy against his chest, separating her long tresses with his fingers. "I'm evil, but 'm not all evil."
"Do you regret what you did or being turned?" Giles asked.
"Not likely, Watcher." Spike scoffed. He noticed the fearful expression on Giles' face. "I never knew the joy in my 28 mortal years that I've shared with Buffy the last two days. Without being turned, I never would have met her." He hugged Buffy tighter, rocking them by twisting from one side to the other.
There were many unanswered questions that hung in the air between the trio. Buffy looked up at Spike as she realized some almost disturbing things. "Let me get this straight. As a human you were 28 years old when you died?"
Spike nodded.
"Why you dirty old man." Buffy teased. She was only 17 and she would look that way for the rest of her "life". If being a Slayer hadn't already matured her faster, it would seem even worse.
"Oh yes, Childe." Spike playfully taunted Buffy with the term in more ways than one. "Quite pervy actually."
Buffy stuck her tongue out at Spike. With a laughing growl, Spike pushed Buffy against the wall next to Giles. He heaped kisses on Buffy's face, then up and down her neck. "I wouldn't change a thing, you little minx. Young or old, you're what I want." He nipped her collarbone.
Buffy sagged against his body and the wall. She twisted her fingers in Spike's loosened curls. With a jerk she ripped his head from her neck to devour his lips with her own.
Giles shifted around more nervously the further the intimate display progressed. He slid away from the wall and across the room. He couldn't resist penciling in details of the encounter into his notebook for further reflection. He still felt like a "peeping Tom".
Mid-kiss Spike jerked his head away from Buffy's. "Bloody Hell!" He dug into the pockets of his duster frantically.
Buffy dropped down the wall. She watched Spike move in a furious flurry. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Angelus." Spike managed to retrieve a velvet herbal pouch bag. He separated the ties and dumped the pouch's contents on an end table. "We have to hurry." He motioned Giles near.
"We should be running from here." Giles interjected. He briefly scanned the contents on the table.
"No time." Spike moved different pieces, powders and leaves into a specific pattern on the table. "He is going to sense us soon, if he hasn't already." He handed a piece of paper to Giles. "Read this!"
Giles looked over the Latin lines on the page. He raised his brow. "Do you know what this is?"
"Yes. It's our only protection." Spike flicked his lighter until a small flame glowed. "If he finds out she's alive or I can walk, we are done for. We're not ready to face him yet."
Buffy was lost and confused, but if Spike was this scared, she didn't care what he wanted to be done. "Just do it Giles. If he says that it will protect us, I trust him."
"I don't think this is wise." Giles shook his head, but he held the page closer to the lantern. Neither Buffy nor Spike seemed willing to fight Angelus yet. "But I'll do it." He started chanting the Latin phrases.
One stack at a time Spike lit or mixed one set of herbs into another. The stash on the table smoked then a puff of smoke and flame jumped into the air. With the flame still burning, Spike reached in to smear the soot on his hand. He hastily rubbed a wide line across Buffy's forehead, his own and then Giles'. The last of the chant fell from Giles' lips, and all three felt the magic rush through them and then out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angelus strolled through the night along various Sunnydale streets after he found Joyce crying on Buffy's bed. This town was completely his now, and he wanted to explore it further. His travels turned him towards a series of abandoned houses. He scouted out each one for a possible stronghold or additional base of operations. He was tired of all the minions scurrying around the mansion. Some of them needed to find somewhere else to live.
Angelus' head jerked up quickly. "Spike?" He said in confusion. The sense of his Childe's presence was weak, but it still felt like him. There was something else present that he couldn't put his finger on. He was drawn towards one of the abandoned houses on the block. With each step nearer, the sensation became stronger.
One moment Angelus would swear that he heard a heartbeat and smelled the flow of human blood along with his Childe's presence. The next moment it seemed that everything was gone. He leaned up against the house. 'Strange, there is a lit lantern in there. Better check it out.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door to the abandoned house where Giles, Buffy and Spike were standing in rattled. It opened into the entryway, and a dark figure stepped from the moonlight into the shadows.
Buffy, Giles and Spike watched the figure prowl for what was in the house. When the figure emerged into the open area the lantern lit his pale features. Buffy gasped. 'Angelus!'
Spike quickly covered Buffy's mouth with his hand. He wasn't sure just how complete the spell would be. 'Hush pet.' He watched Angelus move scope out the room.
Giles looked down at the table. If Angelus came close enough to them wouldn't he see the evidence of the spell? He was surprised to see an immaculate and unblemished table. He looked over at Spike in question.
Spike took the page from Giles and his pencil. He wrote down, "Cloaking Spell; our own little safety net. Ingredients disappear once the spell is cast."
Giles nodded. He waited for Angelus to discover them. There were too many variables present to mask with a simple cloaking spell. If he had been too hasty in its execution they could be revealed.
Angelus walked towards the table. He almost ran into Buffy, but she slowly turned away before he could touch her. 'Spike, if he finds us.' She shook in Spike's arms. Before seeing him again, Buffy thought she was ready to face Angelus. She was positive she wasn't ready now.
'Just stay calm, pet. The less the spell has to cover, the more effective and longer it will last.' Spike's calming words in Buffy's head were for his own benefit as well as hers. He was able to walk again, but he wasn't in full fighting capacity yet. If Angelus found out Buffy was turned, he would torture her for years until he tired of her. He shuddered to think of the things Angelus would put Buffy through.
Buffy's eyes widened at the images that seeped into her brain. She whimpered.
Spike shook his head at Buffy. 'Not happening, luv. I will stake us both before he could do that.'
Buffy nodded, but her fear and worry increased exponentially with each passing minute.
Angelus lapped the living room for the third time. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary other than the lit lamp. He headed back to the entryway. He opened the door to leave finally.
Angelus closed the door and shrugged. "Angelus my boy, you've been spending too much time with Dru." He laughed at himself. "You're starting to feel things that aren't there too. The lantern was probably left by some homeless human." He practically bounced down the steps to begin his exploration of the area again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh God, that was close." Buffy clutched her chest. She spoke softly, still afraid that Angelus might hear them.
Giles trembled. "I take it back, that was very wise."
Spike snorted. "How gracious of you, Watcher." He then muttered under his breath, "Pillock."
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