Not Beneath Me - Chapter 3 (Tumors, Snakes, and Dates ... Oh My!)
By MissKitty and Tasha

Chapter Summary: Spike has put enough doubt in Riley's mind already. Where will that lead? Spike seeks out Buffy to comfort her, and we continue through the end of the events in "Shadow".

Author's Note: The first several chapters were jointly written. It will be noted which chapters were joint and which were single by Tasha only. This story was adopted with the permission of Miss Kitty (and at her request). Constructive criticisms are welcome; flaming is not.

(Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed in the Prologue of this story. Thank you ahead of time for reading and accepting or abiding by them.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

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WARNING: This chapter contains bloodplay; in this case it is a vampire biting a human for pain and/or pleasure. It is not overly graphic, but if that scares you, don't read please. It is from an actual scene in the episode "Shadow" on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

Don't worry; Riley is well on his way out the door. I'm just trying to keep things canon for as long as needed. Thank you to all of you who have left feedback. Please let me know if you still like it. If you haven't left a review yet, please do. It really helps me to know if it is being enjoyed. Thanks.

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A lot of things had happened in the last few hours. Buffy had returned from the bathroom to find the doctor was thankfully gone. Checking in with Riley, she found out that her mother was going to be out for at least 6-7 more hours. Brain surgery, even only biopsies, took a longer time to come back into consciousness. There was no way that she could just sit in the waiting room for another 7 hours. She left Dawn in Riley's care to get her to school for at least part of the day while she headed to the Magic Box.

As if things couldn't be worse, they were. After a lecture from Giles and Tara about how doing a magical healing spell for her mother wouldn't be a good idea, she found out that Giles had sold two things to the crazy "demon" lady that kicked Buffy's butt the other day. Willow went on and on about some transmogrification spell, but Buffy couldn't sit still any longer. She had to do something about it. She had to stop Glory.

Buffy tried to stop Glory, whom they only knew as a demon at the time, at the Sunnydale Zoo. After checking out a couple other places, she figured that was the best place to find a lot of reptiles that Glory could use to raise into the tool she needed. Buffy only had the upper hand in the fight for a minute or two before Glory again wiped the floor with her. She watched in horror as a cobra burst from an urn to a dizzying height at Glory's beck and call. Buffy ran away while Glory was distracted. She had to recuperate, ASAP.

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Riley showed up at the Magic Box after spending some time with Dawn. He'd dropped her off at school to pick up her homework. She had strict orders to come to the Magic Box from there. He was furious to find out that Buffy wasn't at the shop but instead off searching for the "demon" on her own.

Xander tried to stop Riley before he barged off. "Buffy needs something she can fight; something she can solve." He looked back to the other's at the table before he turned back to face Riley. They stood near the door out of the shop. "I don't know what kind of action you're looking for. Do you?" His eyes narrowed to watch Riley more closely for a few moments.

Riley was in complete shock. What was Xander trying to insinuate? Xander broke the moment of silence, "Hey, I'm not trying to get ..."

"It's cool." Riley shifted big time from one foot to another. He knew that he was pushing things. He was just worried about where he stood with Buffy. Every minute they spent apart just solidified his worries more.

"You okay?" Xander asked, now concerned.

"Just a little crazed."

"I hear ya." Xander had known Joyce Summers since Buffy moved to Sunnydale. She had always been right there to welcome all of them into her home, especially once she found out the truth of Buffy's calling. The summer that Buffy had headed to LA after sending Angel to Hell, Mrs. Summers had even patrolled with them.

Riley moved to the door. "If she needs me ..." He let the statement hang in the air as he left the shop for somewhere to think.

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Buffy headed back to the hospital to check on her mother. She called Giles on a pay phone to tell him about the snake on the loose as she nursed her wounds. This day was just getting worse and worse. She wished it would just end. Before hanging up she asked Giles not to tell Dawn about her mother yet. She wanted to be there when Dawn found out. It was going to be even harder on the young girl.

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Spike watched Buffy walk away from the phone. He'd been sitting in his crypt when the unmistakable urge to find the Slayer hit him upside the face. It was almost as if he could feel physical pain from her. Seeing her now, he realized that she'd been in a fight. 'Damn it. I should have been there.' He condemned himself for Buffy being hurt. 'Sure genius. You should have been there to go all poof and into dust in the sunlight. Sometimes I wonder if you even use your brain for thinking.' He argued with himself, within.

Buffy inquired about her mother's status. She found out that Joyce was just waking up, and they were moving her to an actual room for now. They directed Buffy to a different area to sit in until Joyce was ready. So lost in her thoughts, Buffy didn't realize when a platinum blond vampire sat down in the seat next to her.

"You okay, Slayer? Looks like you got into a fight with a nasty." Spike looked around to be sure that none of the Scoobies were anywhere around before he placed his hand on Buffy's arm.

"Spike?!?" Buffy turned to Spike. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly without a second thought. She was vulnerable right now, and somehow it just felt right to let him hold her.

Spike's eyes almost bugged out from the strength and surprise of the hug. He curled his arms around Buffy and returned the hug with equal comfort and strength. "There, there, pet." He stroked one hand down the back of her head to her shoulders. "Let it out. I'm here."

Buffy let the tears start to fall. She hadn't felt that she could let go earlier when Riley was there. Being in Spike's arms she felt secure enough to just it loose. Everything was so overwhelming. Her life hadn't been simple in years, but now life was even more complicated. No matter that the body that she clung to was cold, she felt a warmth of comfort surround and envelope her. She felt safe, home.

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Riley sat at a local demon/human bar near downtown Sunnydale. He'd frequented this place enough times, but that was always in search of some HST that he needed to take out. It was odd to just sit and have a drink.

A tall dark haired woman sat down next to Riley. She eyed him with interest, and he couldn't help but to notice her beauty. There was something else about her though. Something told him that this woman wasn't human. He looked briefly down at a cuff he wore just above his watch. He casually moved his arm to her side of the bar and gazed at the temperature listed. 'Hmmm, vampire. I should have known.' He gulped down the last of his shot of alcohol. 'Not dark enough, eh? I wonder just what Buffy sees in these vamps. What makes it so hard to resist being with them?' He determined that it was about time he found out.

After a bit of small talk the brunette led the Vampiress out into the alley. He propositioned her with a deal to have her bite him for a bit of cash. He'd heard about vampires that were willing to do that. He just hoped that she'd agree to it.

It didn't take long for the look of pleasure to cross the Vampiress' face. She kissed and nibbled on Riley's neck with her human teeth. She pulled back to gaze at Riley in her demon face before she buried her face back into his neck and bit down with her fangs.

Riley's face first contorted in pain and a bit of rage. 'This hurts.' Those thoughts quickly gave way to others as he felt his body tingle and arousal swept through him. With each small pull of his blood into her mouth, he felt himself get harder and harder. 'Is this what Buffy felt when Angel bit her?' He briefly closed his eyes when his heart fluttered a bit. 'No wonder she wants it.' He thought to himself, pulled his hand back from the Vampiress' arm and pushed it forward straight into her heart. The look of surprise on the Vampiress' face was mirrored with a steely coldness in Riley's eyes when the demon disappeared in a cloud of dust to reveal the stake in Riley's hand.

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Buffy sat on the left side of her mother's bed when the doctor's informed Joyce of the biopsy results. Spike stood behind Buffy, his hand rested on her shoulder. He had been surprised when Joyce even let him in the room. He knew that she liked him more than Angel. They'd even spent many days sharing stories and conversation over a "cuppa", but she didn't even seem to question his presence here with her daughter.

Buffy hugged her mother tightly. She felt comforted in Spike's presence. She felt him standing so firm behind her, a rock of strength that she needed to draw from right now. She couldn't explain why, but she needed him. She'd felt smothered when Riley was with her earlier. Spike offered support without burying her in him. It was as if he seemed to know just what she needed.

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Spike and Buffy walked to the Magic Box. Joyce, after getting over the shock herself, wanted to talk to Dawn about everything. There was no way that Spike was going to leave Buffy to walk the streets alone. He wasn't afraid that she couldn't handle herself under normal conditions, but he knew she was distracted tonight. He wasn't going to abandon her so that some beastie could have its one good day. He waited outside the shop for Buffy and the Nibblet.

Spike lit up a cigarette while he waited. He'd only gotten two puffs out when a huge snake brushed past him and slammed through the shop's front window. "Buffy!" He yelled and tried to grab the tail but missed. The sound of Dawn's scream chilled him to the bone.

Buffy jumped up, pushed the case off herself, and turned to Giles. "It knows!" She rushed back for the door. Up ahead she saw that Spike was already chasing the creature. She took off after it too.

The snake twisted and turned it's way through Sunnydale's streets. Spike dove for it's tail, getting thwapped about as it bounced him down the street. Giles' car ran right in front of the cobra, slowing it down for just enough time that Buffy caught up with it.

Between Buffy and Spike they choked, punched, and kicked the cobra vessel of Glory's. Spike used the long tail to wrap it around the snake's neck and knot it. Buffy and Spike both pulled on the end of it to increase the pressure. For good measure, Buffy punched the snake's face repeatedly until it was evident that it was more than dead.

Spike had to pull her away from the battered carcass before she completely obliterated it. He had a feeling that the watcher would want to check this one out. He wrapped his arms tightly around Buffy, rocking her back and forth. He whispered soothing words into her ear, trying to calm her.

Giles stood off to the side slack jawed and amazed. This was not something he expected to see in his lifetime. What was Spike doing here anyway, holding Buffy no less? Angel had been one thing, but this was Spike. This was not the normal occurrence for any vampire to do, chipped or not. This scene bore further investigation. Right now they had more pressing matters though: Joyce, Dawn and this snake.

Buffy and Spike hauled as much of the carcass as they could into the back of Giles' car. Giles drove back towards the Magic Box while they walked.

Spike kept his arm around Buffy's shoulders for now. "I think your Watcher just about had a heart attack, pet."

Buffy looked up at him confused before she noticed his arm still around her. "Oh, yeah." She half chuckled. "I'm sure he'll ask me some questions about that one." She didn't even want to think about all of the questions Giles was going to ask her about Spike. She wasn't sure of the answers herself. How could she answer Giles?

Spike had expected Buffy to pull away or vehemently deny that anything happened. He was pleasantly shocked to find her acceptance of his nearness. "I seem to be asking you this a lot lately, but are you okay?" He tucked his hand under her chin so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

Buffy laughed. "That seems to be the question of the day, doesn't it?" She half smiled. "My life just keeps getting more and more complicated."

Spike had no idea how to respond to that. What he really wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and hold her all night. He wanted her to stop hurting because whenever he saw her like that, it hurt him more than he'd care to admit. Instead he asked her, "What are you planning to do tonight aside from kicking snake butt and taking Dawn to see your Mum?"

"Well, I was gonna go back out and kick some demon ass, blow off some steam once we told Dawn the news, and then go home. Why?" Buffy tilted her head to gaze at Spike.

Spike turned to Buffy and dropped his arm. They were in front of the Magic Box now. He could hear a flurry of activity going on inside. "You have dinner yet?"

Buffy shook her head no. Dinner hadn't even been a thought on her mind earlier.

"I know you have a boyfriend and all, and I'm not askin' you on a date or anythin', but do you want to go to dinner somewhere after you take the Nibblet to see your Mum?"

Buffy thought about it. She knew that Dawn was going to want some time alone with her Mom. She also knew that her Mom was going to need a lot of rest tonight. She had a feeling that the doctor's weren't going to let them stay very long.

Spike buried his hands in his duster pockets. He shifted from one foot to another nervously. 'At least she hasn't smacked me yet. You had better be right about this you poofter.' He snarled inwardly at the poet.

With everything that had happened tonight, she really did need someone to talk to it all about. Giles was the only one that knew about Dawn's key status. She needed someone less fatherly to talk to about it. Spike cared for Dawn. She knew that he did. Perhaps it would be safe to tell him about her. Spike could help her protect Dawn. Besides, free food was always a good idea. "All right, but it's not a date."

Spike beamed. "Sure. Right, luv. Not a date." He knew he was being selfish for wanting it to be a date, but he had to give her time. He was happy that she'd even agreed to go out with him anywhere. 'Just go at her pace, little demon. Don't push her too fast.' William knew that Spike was not known for his patience in anything. It had gotten them in a lot of trouble over the years.

"I'll have Xander drive Dawn and I to the hospital." Buffy looked through the broken window into the shop. "He and Willow have been wanting to see Mom too. I'm sure that one of them will be able to take Dawn home when they're all done."

Spike nodded. "Okay." He handed Buffy a piece of paper with a number on it. "Call that number when you're ready for me to pick you up at the hospital." He leaned back and around Buffy to see into the shop. "I don't think the Scoobies would be too happy with my being around." He sucked his cheeks back in before locking gazes with Buffy. "That number is my cell phone."

"Thank you, Spike." Buffy folded the piece of paper and slipped it into her pocket.

"No rush or anything. Your Mum needs you and the Bit." Spike smiled warmly. 'Cor, what this woman does to me.' He felt all tingly inside.

"I'll call you." Buffy stepped away from the door, taking Spike with her. She leaned up, drew his head down closer to hers, and placed a soft kiss to his cheek. "See you later, Spike." With that she broke away from him and headed into the Magic Shop.

'Yes!' Spike inwardly exclaimed. 'Maybe you're not so dumb after all, William.' He smirked. He had to go get his Desoto now. He headed off into the night, cigarette in hand. If someone didn't know him better they'd think he actually had a little bounce in his step. 'I have a date with the lady with the bright golden hair.' He hummed softly to himself, black leather duster flapping with each step, disappearing into the shadows of the dark night.

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(To Be Continued)