Banner by Golden Buffy

Animal I Have Become
By Blood Faerie
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Sexual situations, Adult language
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS. I just like to play with the characters.


Author's Notes: One of my betas suggested I do some writing to help practice and hone my skill. I’m very lucky to have such a great beta that actually cares to help me get better *bear hug* So, let’s get to me improving! Tell me what you think!

Thank you Golden Buffy for your lovely banner and help with the title. Thank you to Ruth for betaing and taking me to finally see James live! And thank you to Dreams of Spike for suggesting this and working her wonderful beta magic on it.

******


Buffy nearly bypassed the zoo on her usual patrol route that she had gradually established in this new town, Sunnydale. There wasn’t any reason to check the zoo really. She had never heard of such a place being a den of demonic activity, but as she was moving on to the next area, a tingling at the back of her neck startled her. She turned around just in time to see two figures go over the wall into the zoo.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath and hurried to go after them. “Though, if the undead of Sunnydale’s suddenly decided to go animal, why stop them?”

After pulling herself up by her hands so she could peer over the top and make sure the coast was clear, she flipped over to land in a crouch on the other side.

Now was the perfect time to practice the art of trailing them without them sensing her.

Giles said she was getting better—kinda.

There they were.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted them and took off, moving from hiding spot to hiding spot until she caught up with them outside the new hyena house. The exhibit hadn’t even opened yet and already it was surrounded by tape and signs proclaiming it off limits.

“I didn’t think vamps did educational field trips,” Buffy quipped as she stepped out of the shadows to get their attention, pulling her stake out from behind her. “I mean, technically you’re brain dead and all.”

“Slayer,” the first one hissed as they both turned to face her.

“Way to prove my point, Mr. State-the-Obvious.” She rolled her eyes.

The vampires didn’t seem all that amused with her insults and charged her. The fight was on. She had taken on more than this before and they seemed to be very young—fledglings, most likely. This made it even odder for them to randomly be in the zoo, actually, unless they were working for someone else. She would have to get Giles on that when she did the whole debriefing thing they did after patrol.

Brushing her hands off on her jeans after the last of the dust settled, Buffy started to go back the way she had come, but stopped as she picked up some really odd noises coming from the hyena house. Curiosity got the better of her and she went back to investigate. Maybe there were more baddies lurking about; perhaps those two vampires had been meeting someone here?

She should go check it out. Definitely.

Inside, there was a strange symbol painted on the floor. She walked around it, scuffing her shoe in the red paint to make sure it was just paint.

Chattering from behind her, though, drew her attention to the pen at the far side of the room. There were faux caves carved into the walls that were made to look like natural rock formations. A railing went across the front with the information plaque. She gave the sign a brief glance as she went to look past the railing at the animals. Their noises must have been what she had heard outside.

Buffy started turning to walk back out, noting the symbol so she could describe it to Giles later. Maybe it was some sort of tribal decoration that the zoo put there purposefully so the hyena house looked authentic or something. Dark shapes took her attention back to the pen and she strained to see the animals again.

Then in the shadows of one of the caves, two yellow orbs appeared. They were instantly mirrored in the slayer’s eyes.

******

The next day at school, Buffy arrived late—as in she missed all of the first period. This was because she slept in, having growled at her mother when Joyce came to wake her up. The poor woman chalked it up to teenage hormones...and maybe PMS?

Willow looked up and raised a brow at the sight of her usually fashionable friend. Today, Buffy had forgone her usual cute teenage garb and light make-up in favor of lethally tight, leather pants and a torn red tank under a black, netted top. Her eyes were ringed in smoky eyeliner and her lips were a bright red. Then, to complete the whole image, she wore stiletto boots and her hair teased into a poofy ponytail thing.

“Uhm, trying a new look today?” Willow said with her nose wrinkled as soon as the other girl sat down. “You missed first period, but I took notes like usual, so you can just borrow them.”

“Sure,” Buffy said off-handedly and leaned over to sniff at Willow.

“Oh my god, look what the skank dragged in,” Cordelia exclaimed as she walked into class. She paused with her Cordettes behind her and put a hand to her hip as she quipped, “Guess tomorrow you should go back to your mommy dressing you.”

“Oh, so you got to use the brain cell today,” Buffy commented dryly.

“Huh?”

“The brain cell you all share. Though, judging by that response, I guess you just lost your privileges.” The giggle that followed was a bit unsettling.

Cordelia opened her mouth to deliver an angry retort, but the teacher walked in at just that moment and the students all quickly dropped into their seats. They opened their books diligently and prepared for the day’s lecture. That didn’t keep the Cordettes from continuously shooting nasty looks toward the new and improved Buffy.

After class ended, Willow hurried after her blonde friend so she could get some answers. She was worried about the cause of this wonky behaviour. Had something gone wrong on patrol? This was the Hellmouth, after all, and strange things seemed to happen daily.

“Are you okay?” she inquired of Buffy tentatively, not sure if she’d get the same treatment as Cordelia if she triggered a mood change—not that it hadn’t been fun seeing Queen C put in her place.

“Better than ever.” Buffy gave her a sly smile accompanied by that odd giggle again, and then tossed her ponytail as she continued down the hall.

Willow stood there flummoxed, trying to decide if she should go say something to Giles about this. The idea of possibly getting Buffy in trouble bothered her, though, and she figured that maybe she should wait and watch a bit more. It was possible she was just being a worry wart, as usual.

Then, from down the hall she heard a surprised yelp, followed by a crash. Thinking maybe she hadn’t been worrying over nothing after all, the little redhead skittered off to see what had happened. She let out a gasp when she came upon Buffy holding Xander up by his collar, leaning right into his face.

“What are you doing?” Willow demanded hastily, glancing around nervously at the gathering crowd.

“Little man got a bit touchy without my permission,” Buffy replied darkly, sniffing again. She apparently didn’t like what she smelled and pulled a face before dropping the boy to the ground.

Taking a tentative step forward, Willow suggested, “How about we go see Mr. Giles? He really does like us checking in...a lot.”

Sparkling emerald eyes narrowed for a moment and the slayer cocked her head. Then her lips stretched in a thin smile and Miss Rosenberg realized that her friend might be on to her.

“How about...you just relax,” Buffy said then stepped over Xander to leave. “I think I’m going to go find somewhere to just unwind after all this,” she motioned around with a wave of her hand, “whatever.”

Willow helped Xander to his feet while the students dispersed to head to their respective classes. The two longtime friends shared a weighty look before heading off to the library to share their concerns with Giles. They only hoped that Buffy didn’t get herself into too much trouble while they figured out how to fix this. Neither of them were capable of being babysitter to a slayer, though.

******

The grumbling of Buffy’s stomach is what woke her from her nap. In a little alcove outside, she had curled up under some bushes in the shade where she could be nice and warm without burning. Also, it provided cover from anyone spotting her while she was vulnerable.

She still wasn’t quite sure why she hadn’t just gone home. It probably was a combination of the effort it would take to evade anyone seeing her scale the fence and the thought of her mother possibly coming home early. But then, she could go somewhere besides home. There was a whole big Sunnydale she could wander in search of fun until it was safe to head to her house.

First, she needed food. Now.

Her nose twitched as it picked up some tasty prey. Her stomach growled in agreement, so she stood and brushed herself off then prowled back inside the school. The scent led her down the hall only a few rooms where she could make out the sounds of the animal to become her lunch.

It was as if the little piglet could sense that danger was just on the other side of the door. The smell of fear that reached Buffy’s nose only served to excite her and make her salivate in anticipation.

After swiping the pig from its cage, she was on her way back out the door when her exit was suddenly blocked. Xander looked down at the squirming bundle then back up to her face, arching a brow at the discovery he had made. Willow and he had told Giles about Buffy; then, while the bookish people had done their research thing, he had volunteered to go looking for their wayward friend—if she was still on campus.

“So, Buffster, going on a field trip with the mascot?” he asked mildly.

“Oh. Yeah. A real fun trip,” Buffy said with a little sneer. This oaf actually thought he was going to get in her way?

“Something tells me you didn’t get the required forms signed first.”

“I think my vampire ate them.” She took a couple steps forward, hoping he got the hint and saved her the effort of having to physically make him move. When he didn’t do the smart thing like she expected, she growled lowly, “I’d move, runt, unless you want to become the second course.”

His eyes went wide at her warning. Manhandling him in the hall was one thing, but actually threatening to eat him was something totally different. Holding up his hands defensively, he quickly shuffled out of her way and watched as she darted out the door.

They would just have to find her later. Hopefully, she would go home or to one of her usual hangouts. For now, he needed to get back to the others to update them on the latest weirdness that was New Buffy.

******

Outside, Buffy headed for a safe place to eat her prey. After her encounter with the twerp, she supposed he was going to go get the cavalry, so she better lie low for a bit. It even crossed her mind that she should skip town for awhile, go take a break from all this slayer duty stuff. She certainly deserved it after the things she had been through. Running away was the only way she was going to get a vacation.

She stopped and eyed a manhole cover, giving it some consideration before kneeling to pop it open. She paused to replace the disc over the entrance then hopped down into the muck. Not far from where she descended, she crouched down to tear into her prize.

So deep in relishing her slaughter was she, that she missed the familiar tingles and then the plodding of boots through the waste. That was, until said boots planted themselves in front of her and her eyes began traveling up their owner’s body.

And what a body it was.

Azure eyes twinkled with a healthy dose of mirth as Spike took in the sight of the slayer, her mouth smeared with blood. Not exactly how he had expected to find the chit, but way more amusing. She wasn’t a vampire or demon as far as he could tell, so there had to be one hell of a story behind this. Not that he should care to get the story when he was being given his third slayer on a silver platter.

“Hey there, cutie,” he finally said when he noticed her watching him intently. “Didn’t fancy runnin’ into the slayer down in the sewers.”

“Vampire,” she growled softly and dropped the remains of her meal. She didn’t bother wiping her mouth clean before standing to face him. “Didn’t think you guys got around much during the day. I guess we were both wrong.”

“What can I say, luv? I’ve never been a normal vampire.” He clapped his hands together and smirked at her. “But since we find ourselves here together, how about we have ourselves a bit of a rough an’ tumble?”

Her brow went up slowly then she looked him over again. Hmm, he was a lot better than anything else she had seen back at school...or ever. “Rough and tumble” had to mean what she thought it did, right? It just had to be, with that leer on his face. It made it quite obvious what he was thinking and now her brain was following right after him.

“I hadn’t considered choosing a vampire,” she told him as she stepped up closer. He was studying her with a guarded expression as she leaned in close. “But from where I’m standing, you’re a million times better than any of the choices I had back there.”

“Come again?” He looked highly puzzled at her response. It really made him wonder what had happened to the slayer. Especially when she leaned in even closer to take a long, deep pull of his scent. “Almost afraid to ask, pet, but choose me for what?”

“To be my mate, of course,” she said, giving him a look like he was denser than rock. Her eyes then drifted downward. “Not that you’ll be able to give me pups, but you’ll be a much better match for me than any human.”

“M-m-mate?” He tilted his head and blinked at her as if he had suddenly gone deaf. Surely he was hearing things!

“Yeah. Mate.” She rolled her eyes and started to turn away, not really liking his reaction to her offer. Not just anyone was worthy of being her mate. So she couldn’t help tossing a barb his way. “But maybe I was wrong and you’re just some lost minion.”

His eyes flashed golden at the insult. Him, a minion? Piss that!

“You’re either really brave or really stupid, slayer,” he spat angrily as he lunged forward to grab for her arm. “Have you ever heard of William the Bloody?”

“Isn’t he one of those spandex-wearing wrestlers?” She waggled her brows at him then tugged her arm free, brushing herself off.

He backed her toward the wall, growling, “No, he’s not some nancy-boy wrestler. I’m William the Bloody. Spike. Slayer of Slayers.”

“Catchy,” she said, not at all intimidated. “Well, I’m Buffy. The slayer. Glad we got that out of the way, because we need to know what names to scream.”

Spike’s nostrils flared at the imagery her suggestion had called up. Then he shook his head, annoyed at himself for being so easily distracted. Sure, there was nothing wrong with taking her up on her offer of a good shag—but he had to keep reminding himself that this was also giving him the perfect opportunity to bag his third slayer. Her guard would be down and she would be vulnerable.

Then he tilted his head to the side and gave her another once over as he considered another possibility.

Keeping her.

Maybe it was a rebound sort of thing that had him thinking that way. Totally crazy idea, it was. Keeping her. Well, as a pet, of course...what else?

Was it so odd for him to be considering this after Drusilla, his dark princess, up and left him after over a century of devotion to her? Hell if he knew. Maybe a bit of a rough and tumble type therapy was just what he needed, though.

So, maybe a part of him always knew that Dru wasn’t quite as committed to him as he was to her, but some gratitude for the years of care would have been appreciated...some little bit of recognition for all he had done for the ungrateful bitch.

All he knew was that he definitely wasn’t going to be anyone’s lapdog again...and definitely not to the Slayer.

His eyes suddenly hardened and he grabbed Buffy by her upper arm, dragging her close.

“We’re doin’ this on my terms, got it?” he demanded harshly. “You might’ve chosen me as the bloke for the job, but I don’t perform like a bloody poodle, Slayer.”

She let her eyes travel over him for a moment before she leaned in toward him, unaffected by his ruthless tone. “Even better.”

A low growl began to rumble in Spike’s chest moments before he abruptly tossed her over his shoulder. She let out an oomph as the move knocked the air out of her lungs. By the time she had regained her bearings, he was already moving swiftly down the tunnels toward some destination he obviously had in mind for their little rendezvous.

******

Buffy’s eyes were locked on the back of the vampire as he hurried through the sewers. It’s not like she had any choice; it was either that or the sewage. She wanted to see more, though. How could she appreciate his male derriere with that big duster in the way—no matter how sexy said duster may be? Unable to resist any longer, her mischievous hands balled in the soft leather and lifted to bare the current object of her obsession.

A vampire was much too smooth to falter even a fraction of a second, right? So she must have imagined the little jolt. There was one way to test that, though.

Shifting the material to one hand, she left the other deftly slide into the back of his jeans while she caught her tongue between her teeth. Oh yeah, he definitely missed a step that time. She gave a nice squeeze and nearly found herself in the mucky water before he regained his hold on her.

“Slayer! You can at least wait ‘til we get some place a bit more appropriate. I don’t fancy takin’ you right here in the soddin’ filth,” he told her, his fingers digging roughly into her legs. Then he quickly added, “The smell is hell to get out...’specially with my keen senses.”

He rolled his eyes at his slip. Like he actually cared where he fucked the dizzy bint. It was only the thought of the sewage ruining his duster that had him hurrying to find them a better place to hole up. Yup, that was all there was to it.

The sewers of Sunnydale were new to Spike, so he just went back the way he had come, taking the sewer entrance to the basement of the local magic shop. He had been there for a nice meal and looking at some options for either getting Dru back or getting back at her. Magic always made him leery, though, and a full stomach brought him back to his senses about that.

He may have just found something better, anyway.

A pet. Yes, a pet.

Only a pet.

“The magic shop?” Buffy questioned when she saw where he had taken her. “Kinky.”

“Not really. I hate magic,” he responded, finally dropping her back onto her feet. “I was a wee bit drunk when I stumbled in, but eatin’ the shopkeeper helped.”

At the mention of the dead shopkeeper, Buffy lifted her nose and started sniffing the air. She followed the scent of death around the counter to the body, lying there empty of blood among broken merchandise. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips as she knelt beside him, hand reaching out to prod at the neck wound while doing her insane little giggle.

Just as she went to lift her fingers toward her face, Spike stepped forward to grasp her wrist.

“As bleedin’ hot as it is to see you with blood smeared all over your gorgeous face, scavengin’ my last meal is somehow...very odd,” he said, pulling her back up. “An’ we’ve got plans, you an’ me.”

Her lip poked out in a little pout. “Promise to feed me afterwards?”

“Look at that lip,” he growled and started drawing her toward the back room with his arms around her. “I’ll feed you, pet, but only if you’re willin’ to make it square with me.”

“You want a taste of slaaayer blood, eh?” She flashed a smile full of teeth, giggling. “We must have very tasty blood. Is it loads better than normal blood, Spikey?”

“Loads,” he confirmed with a nod. “An’ quite the aphrodisiac from what I recall.”

“Really?” she purred. Inside the back room, she twisted from his grasp and went to sit on the table, pushing the various items to the floor. Her fingers traced the edge of her top, framing her newly found cleavage. “Then maybe you should eat before we get going.”

His nostrils flared and he was on her in an instant. Before she had even realized he had shifted into game face, his fangs were slicing into her neck while his hands gripped her arms tightly. She groaned at the surprising waves of pleasure that his bite caused her. It made the animal inside howl and she almost thought she heard an answering growl from his demon.

After a moment of relishing the sensation, she began tearing at his clothes. He lifted his head to give her a look and dropped his duster from his shoulders before she ruined his prized possession. That didn’t even slow her down as she jerked at his shirt and tore it to shreds when he didn’t move fast enough for her liking.

“Bloody hell, woman,” he hissed and took a step back, swatting at her hands when they simply moved on to his pants. “The way you’re goin’ ‘bout this, I’m worried you’ll tear off my bits in your eagerness.”

“Awwww...” Her bottom lip poked out, head tilting slightly as she leaned back on her hands. Then she realized that if he was going to keep her from taking his clothes off, then she could focus her efforts on undressing herself.

Her top went flying in one direction and her boots in another. She shimmied around on top of the desk then flung her pants in the air. That was all there was to her outfit—no underwear in sight.

“Impatient lil’ bird, aren’t we?” he commented with amusement, eyeing her naked form lying out on display for him. His tongue slid over one of his fangs in the most delectable of ways.

“I know what I want and I want it now,” she told him with an imperious toss of her ponytail. “I don’t know why you keep stalling; do you have performance issues?”

“Shut your gob!” He leaned in close, waving his finger under her upturned nose. “You just get ready for the fuckin’ of your life, little girl.”

“Well, considering I’m a virgin, that’s going to be an easy contest there.” Her mossy eyes danced with mirth. God, but he was ten times as sexy when he was riled up. She definitely needed to get him good and worked up, and not just in the horny sense.

She had always heard that angry fucks were awesome.

“So don’t worry if you’re bluffing and really bad at it. I won’t know the difference.”

Spike practically howled at the implied insult, tightening his hold on her. There were definitely going to be bruises. How dare the little twat imply that he wasn’t any good in the sack!

“Get ready to be ruined for any other man.” Then he narrowed his eyes as her words sank in. “Soddin’ virgin? Bloody hell, you expect me to believe that with this slag act?”

She pouted slightly, more at all the British-y words he was using than because she actually understood their meaning. One of them was probably an insult. “I guess you’ll find out for sure soon enough, right?”

“Right,” he echoed.

He looked her up and down again, wondering why this changed anything. Hello, big, bad vampire—what did he care if he tore away her virginity? What did he care about being gentle because it was her first time?

Damned William—he thought he had buried the milksop deep enough.

“What are you waiting for?” Buffy demanded impatiently. “Naked girl. Right in front of you. Aching to be pounced and everything.”

Growling at the infuriating bint, he grabbed her by her hair and arched her back as he bent over her. He dipped his face to her neck to inhale her scent before dragging his fangs over the sensitive skin there. Her little gasps were music to his ears and broke his last restraint so that he finally bit down, taking great pulls of her blood. It was by far the most delicious he had ever downed.

At the first taste of her blood, the decision was cemented in his mind. He was definitely keeping her. Now, all there was to decide was if he cared what spell she might be under and if he should do something about it—whether it was breaking it or making sure it was permanent.

Buffy thought he had taken enough after a few more minutes, but the vampire seemed to have drifted off into some other world. This couldn’t continue until she was sapped of everything.

What the hell...?

Annoyed, she braced a foot against him and shoved—hard.

Spike fell against the opposite wall, looking startled for a moment then snarling before charging at her. He held her pinned to the table with his body above hers. His face was nearly pressed into her own, still in its demonic visage.

“I told you; we do this my way,” he ground out.

“I hope your way doesn’t involve zoning out and draining me dry.” She returned his gaze, unshaken. “Maybe I was wrong to pick you as a mate if you’re going to fall asleep on top of me.”

“Fine. You want me to hurry, do you?” he demanded, hands trembling from pent up emotion.

Damned William protested to doing any of this hastily, but he seemed outnumbered by the slayer and his demon who had reached the breaking point. She wanted a vampire mate. She wanted him to hurry. So she was going to get just what she asked for—and learn to be careful what she wished for in the future.

There was no warning before he suddenly thrust into her, tearing away her virginity. Her scream rang in his ears as her nails scored his skin. His nostrils flared as the scent of his own blood reached him as well as the fainter scent of hers.

“Aw, baby, not what you expected?” he taunted and curled his tongue behind his teeth. “Didn’t think you’d be this full?”

Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, knowing he was purposefully baiting her—as usual, it seemed. She had her own come back for that, though, not the least bit willing to let him have the upper hand. “Yeah, ‘cause it didn’t look that big to me.”

“Oh-ho!” he scoffed with a bark of laughter. “How would you know, ‘lil virgin slayer of mine?”

“That only means I haven’t stuck one in my pussy,” she said with the slightly deranged giggle that was starting to grate his nerves. It pushed him toward wanting to break the spell once they had this out and she was his. “Doesn’t mean I’ve never seen one before...or done other things.”

“An’ just what ‘other things’ have you been doin’?” He had to admit; his interest was piqued.

Figuring she had enough time to adjust, he started to withdraw and she gave a little mewl of protest. That gave him quite the unneeded ego boost, causing him to chuckle. Her eyes were heavy with lust, begging him to finish what he started. Ever the gentleman, he thrust home again.

“Oh gawd,” she gasped and this time he quickly pinned her wrists before she could claw him.

Spike began moving in long strokes designed to drive her crazy. It was driving him insane as well—the heat of her core burning him right up. It was like nothing he had ever felt before...but then, he hadn’t felt many before. Only Dru, and she was as cold as death—pardon the pun.

Soon, he couldn’t hold back and was quickening his pace. The sweet sounds she made were music to his ears, urging him on as he thrust harder and harder. When her head fell back, his eyes zeroed in on the pulse pounding away in her exposed neck. He practically salivated at the idea of getting another taste of her and that’s just what he’d get when he made her his.

“Baby,” he began, trying to get her attention again, “I’m goin’ to make you my mate right proper in a second an’ when I do, you’ve got to return my claim, okay? You want to keep me as your mate, yeah?”

She nodded weakly. “Yeah. Now more with the boinking.”

He chuckled and did just that.

******

In the library, the Scoobies were still trying to figure out what exactly they were dealing with. Most likely, Buffy was possessed, based on the behaviour that Xander and Willow had witnessed. But without knowing by what and how, they had no idea what they could do about it.

Willow anxiously twisted her hands, glancing toward the doors now and then. The more time they spent trying to figure this out, the more time Buffy was out there doing all sorts of bad. Her friend could be anywhere, even on her way out of town.

“Okay, does any of us have any clue where she did her patrolling last night? That might lead us to some idea of what might have happened to her,” Giles said, pinching the bridge of his nose while taking a break from flipping through yet another book on demonic possession.

“I thought she patrolled the same route every night,” Willow responded, sharing a bewildered look with Xander.

“Well, yes, that is generally the idea, but with Buffy I have come to expect the unexpected. Also, even if she sticks to routes, there is no telling if she might have spotted a demon or some such thing and then followed it somewhere.” He closed the book with a heavy sigh. “Perhaps we should turn our attention to finding her. For all we know, she may answer our questions quite freely. From what you have described to me, she does not seem to have many inhibitions right now.”

“Any ideas where she might be?” Xander asked them both.

They hadn’t really known the girl that long, even if they had already formed strong bonds. The first thing they had done was to call Buffy’s house, but she wasn’t there. Besides the Bronze and school, they didn’t know where else their friend would be.

“The bird’s at my place,” interjected a voice from the doorway and all three spun, startled that they hadn’t noticed someone enter. “She’s restin’ after I gave her quite the work out.”

Giles’ hand immediately went for his cross, but Spike shook his head and snorted in derision.

“I came to bloody help you get this...whatever it is off her,” Spike said, patting the front of his duster until he found his pack of cigarettes. He took one out and let it dangle from his lips while he waited for the watcher to ease up, seeing as he wasn’t there to eat them. Taking the stick from his lips, he continued, “The forceful stuff, I just love, but that giggle thing she does is workin’ my last soddin’ nerve. You heard it?”

The two teenagers gave a slow nod, still processing the whole ‘vampire in the library’ thing. Then Xander quickly snapped out of it, frowning as everything Spike said sunk in to his thick skull.

“What do you mean by you gave her a ‘work out’?” he demanded frantically.

Spike just looked at him and waggled his brows, which caused Willow to gasp and Xander to sputter. The vampire didn’t seem much fazed when Xander started taking angry steps in his direction, but Giles blocked the boy’s way.

“You think you can help us get to the bottom of whatever has happened to Buffy?” Giles asked Spike carefully, though he was itching to question this vampire on who he was and what he was doing in Sunnydale, if only for the sake of his journal.

Alas, at the moment he was far more concerned with his slayer.

“And after we get her back to normal, what then?”

“That will be up to me an’ her, seein’ as we’re mates. If you’re worried I’ll use you to do the dirty work then eat you, well I don’t rightly think she’ll stand for that, so no worries, mates.” Spike gave them a smirk then shrugged. “I’m no one’s whipped puppy, but I don’t fancy havin’ a pissed off mate on my hands, so we’ll just have to make ourselves some compromises—which I’m sure will include me not eatin’ her chums.”

“Mates?” Willow blinked.

“Giles, what does he mean they’re mates?” Xander forgot his need to hit Spike in lieu of questioning the librarian about what exactly was going on.

“It means this vampire has most likely put a claim on Buffy,” the watcher said tiredly, taking his glasses off and turning towards the table. His shoulders were sagging under the weight of everything that he had just learned. “It is the sort of thing a vampire does as humans would when they want to marry someone, but of course it is not something you can rectify as simply as a divorce. A claim is permanent.”

“Why would a vampire want to marry a slayer?” This was still making no sense to the little redhead.

Hooking his thumbs in his jeans and splaying his fingers over the front, Spike rocked on his heels and curled his tongue behind his teeth before answering, “I’ll tell you after we break the spell, luv.”

Her face turned as red as her hair and she quickly looked away. No doubt, he was not going to answer the question in the way she meant when she posed it. She started to open her mouth to stutter out a retort on what she had really wanted to know.

Of course, at that moment Xander remembered his burning need to foolishly take on the vampire to defend his friend’s honour. Willow closed her mouth as she grabbed for his arm to stop him before he got himself hurt. Spike only said his relationship with Buffy kept him from eating them. Decking an irate teenage boy he could probably talk his way out of, saying Xander started it.

“I think we should turn our attentions back to breaking whatever spell has been put on Buffy,” Giles quickly interjected to bring order to the small group—for the time being, at least. He turned to the vampire. “Do you have anything that is helpful to our dilemma?”

“Just before I walked in, you were askin’ ‘bout where she was last night, yeah?” Spike said after taking a puff on his cigarette. “Besides the usual scents of cemeteries an’ dirty alleys, I got a whiff of what I assume is the zoo. Bloody well the only place where you’d have hyenas, far as I can tell.”

“That has to be a clue to what happened to her.” The older man shook his head and looked at the clock before walking towards where they kept the weapons. “That is not a place she normally patrols—not a hot spot of vampire or demon activity usually. She must have followed something there. Either way, it is as good any place to start looking for answers.”

Even as uncomfortable with the vampire’s presence as they were, all three still looked a bit startled when Spike began to simply leave without any further word. Willow took a few steps forward before nervously calling after him.

“Uh, aren’t you going to come with us?” she asked.

“I have to go check on her an’ you all’ve got everythin’ in hand from where I’m standin’.” He dropped the cigarette butt and ground it out with his boot. “If the zoo thing doesn’t pan out, I’ll return an’ we’ll do some more thinkin’ on it.”

“H-how will you know...if we find anything, I mean?”

“Well, I expect she’ll suddenly stop actin’ like a possessed bunny in heat an’ I’ll know you did your thing,” he said with amusement. “If nothin’s changed by tomorrow, then it obviously wasn’t the place.”

“You think Buffy’s going to be happy you did the bitey, claim-y thing on her when she gets back to herself?” She wrinkled her nose slightly.

Spike paused for a moment, thinking, then shook his head and laughed. “Probably not. Bye, Red.”

Willow watched him go with a worried look, knowing that for better or worse, things were going to be very different from now on.


La Fin.