Joyce was checking the lasagna in the oven and she couldn’t help but think how her life had changed so much over the past four months. In actuality it had changed some time before that, though the exact date was anyone’s guess, four months was a good marker though that was when the headaches got so bad she was forced to the doctor. Not a good thing for a single mother of not one college age daughter, but one college age daughter and one daughter who was just recently a full-fledged teenager. She now knew the teenager wasn’t hers the way most people believed but at the same time in every way that mattered she would always be her pumpkin belly.


One week after the first visit to the doctor she was in the hospital for tests. Her eldest Buffy, The Slayer, truly was a rock at this time always there for her mother and sister Dawn. Buffy’s boyfriend Riley expected Buffy to lean on him and let him be her manly protector, he could not understand why Buffy resisted this and resented her strength and independence. Riley didn’t see that Buffy couldn’t allow anyone to see her weakness or she would lose what little control she was able to maintain. The night she went in for the tests was when things began to change rapidly for Joyce………………..

Rupert drove her to the hospital as part of his watcher duties taking care of Buffy and her family by extension, or so she thought. After he helped her settle in her room he told her the truth which shocked her he was there for her, not the Slayer, the Slayer’s sister, who she would later discover was a mystical dimensional key, not the Slayer’s mother, but for Joyce the woman. Rupert told her how he had begun to fall for her before the awful band candy incident, (ok the sex was not a completely awful side effect of behaving like a teenager…………..who was she kidding Ripper was a great lay), after the shameful way he behaved he felt self conscious around her and stayed away so as not to embarrass her girls.


He told her how every relationship since, and there had been only a few, and none of those serious had been compared to her and the friendship they had, the one they abandoned due to their mutual embarrassment. He said it was wrong for him to give up from fear of something more developing and then losing her as he had Jenny and that he would very much like to build on what they had and see where things would lead.

Joyce remembered how she laughed then reminding him that she may have a fatal condition and didn’t he think the chances of losing her now where even greater, why let himself in for that kind of pain, she cared too much for him to know she caused him that.

That’s when he said, “Joyce, I know that I may lose you but we, and I place the bulk of the blame on myself…no don’t say anything I should have pursued you despite our embarrassment. We have lost valuable years, which we shall never get back, more than years we have lost months, weeks, days, and moments. We shall never know the joys and sorrows, pleasure and pain, comfort and hurt, agony and ecstasy; we could have shared, what we have missed due to fear and embarrassment. If I lose you now I want to know at least I tried to make something of what is growing between us. Before you say anything, no I absolutely am not doing this to be able to take care of Buffy and Dawn if the worst happens and you should die THAT…. I…. WILL…. DO… no matter what response you make. I want to do this for us so that we can steal whatever happiness we are allowed if it be one day or thousands.”


What could she say to that, I mean really a man who values moments more than years, counts joys AND sorrows as something missed, and who no matter what will take care of her girls and yet just wants to make her happy. She might not want to cause him pain but she wasn’t stupid. “Rupert,” she had responded, “I would be honored to see where things go between us and I am a very lucky woman to have a man like you by my side.”

They then shared their first true kiss, one not caused by a magical drug he leaned over her in the bed and brushed his lips against hers it was gentle and yet at the same time demanding. Yep, great kisser just like she remembered.


They told the girls their decision the day she returned home surprisingly both took it well with Buffy giving her a smirk, which had Rupert rolling his eyes and saying stop that you look like a certain bleached vampire. Dawn just laughed at that and Buffy began to open and close her mouth like a bass out of water then she too laughed as did Joyce and Rupert, Riley who was there as well looked hurt by Rupert’s comparison and the subsequent laughter and stormed out of the house.


Dawn being Dawn summed up what they all felt, “Gesh, Buffy sometimes your boyfriend has no sense of humor.”

“He’s just sensitive about Spike since he had the chip in his heart removed,” Buffy defended than got up to follow him.

“I was actually being nice. None of her boyfriends have ever had a sense of humor.” With that Dawn stormed upstairs to her room.

Joyce and Rupert looked at each other then in unison said, “Kids,” they then broke out into laughter and enjoyed the rest of the day sitting on the couch together. The tests came back and she did have a brain tumor.

Before the surgery, insanity set in that is when she realized that Dawn was not truly hers. When she came out of the antistitic she confronted both Buffy and Rupert. They were honest with her then and while she was upset she understood their reasons for not telling her and forgave them both though Rupert she did make promise to take her to a very expensive restaurant as his penance. That night was when things began to fall apart for her daughter, though Joyce did not know it at the time.

Riley came over and they spent the night together. Riley left her bed in the middle of the night; he did not know he had someone following him to the vamp whorehouse. None of them had known about Spike’s obsession with Buffy at that time. The next night Spike came to Buffy and showed her what her “normal” boyfriend was doing, allowing himself to be used as a chew toy for vamp whores while they jerked him off. He actually paid them to bite him!!!!!!!!!!

Buffy handled it the way she always did as The Slayer she burned the whorehouse down. The day after that she came crying to Joyce and told her what happened including Riley’s nauseating ultimatum, Xander’s ridiculous speech, and her own frantic chase after a man not worthy of her baby girl. (No Dawn was her baby...right) Joyce had never been so glad that Spike liked to intervene in their lives sometimes, but she held her daughter while she mourned the loss of normal from her life more than the loss of Riley.

By the end of the next week Rupert paid up on his promise of dinner at an expensive restaurant where he proposed. They were married late afternoon on the following Friday neither wanting to wait any longer. The ceremony was at the Courthouse with Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike (at her request), and of course Buffy and Dawn in attendance.

The honeymoon was short just a weekend at a quaint Bed and Breakfast Spike found for them between Sunnydale and LA, he joked he had all day to look on the internet for them and as his wedding gift he was paying and no he didn’t kill or rob anyone for the money so they could accept without guilt.

Joyce would never forget her wedding night. They arrived at The Inn as it was called simple name yet it was exquisite. The Inn was nestled between the mountains and the ocean. They were welcomed as royalty by the owners Jon and Ellen Wilkerson.


Their room had a king size four poster bed, fireplace, hot tub, refrigerator (fully stoked so they didn’t have to leave the room), and floor to ceiling windows which wrapped around two walls of the room giving them a view of both the ocean and mountains and yet they were informed the windows were tinted so that even without curtains no one could see in and no ultra violet light could come into the room. After their host left Rupert ever the Watcher had said the windows would be good for Spike because with the tint he could actually stand in the sun and not be hurt and wondered at the coincidence.


Joyce went up behind him and kissed his neck right under his ear whispering. “How about the Watcher takes tonight off.”

“Ok but just to warn you, dear wife, you are about to be soundly made love to.” He then turned in her arms and kissed her.

“Promises, promises.” She had responded between heated kisses where their tongues had done an intimate dance. “Have I ever let you down?” he said as he slowly striped first his jacket then hers from their bodies.

“Not yet” slowly their shirts followed the jackets to the floor, then both their pants.

While they were undressing they never stopped kissing. He stood back from her looked at her with an adoration she never remembered seeing on Hank’s face and then leaned in and kissed her again. She began to get nervous she had not been with a man, well since Rupert and tonight she didn’t have candy to blame anything on. She started to voice her fears when he started kissing her again and said in between. “No more talking, except maybe a yes, right there, or oh yes, every now and again.”

Joyce couldn’t help it she started to laugh he smiled, scooped her up, carried her over to the bed and deposited her there. That’s when she stopped thinking all together because he removed her bra and started to suckle at first one than the other breast. He hadn’t done that on the police car, bastard… how dare he keep this from her. So wrapped up in the heavenly feel of his mouth she didn’t notice that he had rid them both of their underwear until she felt his hard penis against her thigh and his hand between her legs.

She spread her legs further to accommodate him, he had looked up from nursing at her bosom and stared into her eyes as he slowly entered her long unused passage stretching her around him. “YESSSSSS” they had said in unison then together they laughed remembering his words from earlier.

They stopped laughing when he slowly, leisurely pulled almost all the way out of her and then pushed back in smiling lovingly at her the entire time. The rise to their mutual orgasms had been slow, steady and wonderful.

After they had both exploded he slid further into her, grabbed her rear and turned them on their sides he then took one nipple in his mouth and again began to suck.

She had thrown her head back and moaned, then jerked forward staring at him in shock as she felt him begin to harden inside her again. Somehow he managed to talk around her breast, “Your mine now and I plan on having you until neither of us can walk straight while we don’t have to worry about being interrupted or overheard.” She had laughed again then until he started their next climb to bliss.

Rupert had been true to his word and since they did not have to leave the room they had both been more than sated and learned just what the other liked. She knew him better sexually after their first weekend of marriage than she did Hank after their 17 years; she had already known him emotionally better than her ex. Throughout the weekend he would also say things to make her laugh and she was truly happy for the first time since she found out about her daughter’s calling.

Then as they were checking out something strange happened. They were alone with the owners at the front desk, as this was off season, when a young man approached them and gave them a medium size painting, “I never did get a chance to give this to Spike can you please pass it along.”

Joyce had stared at the painting in awe, “This is by Robert Wilkerson he is one of the hottest artist on the west coast right now, one of his works this size is very expensive.”

“Not for me, just the paint and canvas. I’m Robert nice to meet both of you Mr. and Mrs. Giles. You must mean a lot to Spike the way he asked my parents to make sure your stay was perfect.”


Looking over at Rupert, Joyce saw her husband shift from playful, attentive, incredible lover to Watcher in the blink of an eye. He turned to their host and inquired, “How is it that you know Spike well enough so that your son would give him such a gift. He led us to believe he found your establishment on the Internet and paid in advance for the room?”

At that their hosts laughed. Then Jon said, “You’re serious aren’t you?” when they nodded he began. “Ellen and I first bought this place years ago, Robert was just a baby. We were here for about a month barely getting by when Spike first checked in Ellen had Robert in a carrier behind the counter that night and of course Spike loving kids the way he does came around the counter to coo and make faces at him. He checked in for what was supposed to be three days saying his girlfriend was in need of some space and so was he.”

“I am so happy is no longer with that maniac. Any woman who could treat him that poorly deserves a painful death.” Ellen interrupted.

“Anyway,” Jon continued, “It ended up being more like a couple of weeks, he would actually come down and eat dinner with us saying he had a sun allergy so he would it be ok to have dinner be his breakfast he would even eat breakfast food then as for him it was breakfast. We needed the money so of course we agreed but soon he had wormed his way into our hearts and we found ourselves looking forward to the surprisingly intelligent conversations we shared.

Then one night we found out his true nature, a group of demons came in just as he was coming down for dinner. They went to grab Robert who Ellen was holding behind the counter saying they needed a boy of his age for a ritual. Spike growled at them and then we saw his true face he told the demons to leave his humans alone if they wanted to keep on drawing breath. The demons than asked who he thought he was he smiled at them and said, ‘Have lots of names you can call me Spike though.’ The demons all stepped back then the leader scoffed, ‘Yeah, right William the Bloody, Slayer of Slayers is staying at a B & B on holiday.’ The demons laughed Spike shrugged said ‘Your funeral,’ and proceeded to kill them all.

Ellen and I were in shock this gentle man we thought we knew was some sort of demon himself and with the whole sun allergy thing we both assumed he was a vampire. He was smiling at his victory, when he saw our shocked faces, he looked down at the demons at his feet and back at us with those eyes of his that can be so expressive and said sadly that he would bury the bodies and asked for one more days rest before he was out of our lives for good with the next sunset.

Ellen was the first to react walking around the counter and giving him a hug with Robert still in her arms, crying and thanking him for saving our son and us. I then pulled Ellen away and could tell he was not expecting me to also embrace him. He asked why we weren’t afraid, didn’t we know that he was a vicious killer and could suck us dry at any time. I answered that by stating the facts, if he had wanted us dead it would have already happened. We helped him bury the bodies apparently it had to be done a specific way and he stayed a few more days before moving on when he left we told him, his money would never be any good here and he would always be part of our family.


Shortly after that is when our business began to pick up and one night two of our guests got into a scuffle broken up a third and we realized that all three were demons. The one who broke up the fight explained to us that word had gone through the demon community that this was a nice place and they would be accepted here but if anyone harmed or by their actions caused harm to the human owners than they would answer to Spike.

We know we sometimes have vampires and other demons as guests here but they know better than to harm us or kill anyone in town or they would answer to Spike, heck most of our staff are vampires which also helps with protection from other demons and we know they feed in town but actually the crime rate is very low because they like to help keep everyone alive and healthy to give them more of a selection to feed from. They all use a thrall so no one remembers their donation to help sustain the vampires; they never even take enough from one person that, the person would even feel dizzy.

Spike’s been by a few times over the years always it seems at a time when we need his help in one way or another as a matter of fact four years ago when Robert first started painting the three of us were always arguing about it Ellen and I thought he could do so much more with his life. Spike was here and overheard one of the arguments he stepped in and reminded us of how he saved Robert’s life, Ellen and I just knew an I didn’t do it so you could waste your life painting was coming, instead we were shocked to hear. ‘Why are the two of you robbing him of a chance to enjoy his career as you enjoy yours? How about a compromise a period of five years Robert devotes full time to painting

if nothing happens then he looks into doing something else.’” “That’s when I promised him a painting after he left that wacko girlfriend of his I just knew she would destroy it if I gave it to him while they were together.”

“Well,” Jon concluded. “You obviously know how Robert’s career turned out. As for Spike he keeps in contact through occasional letters telling us all about his life and the people in it. I am glad the surgery was a success Joyce.”

Joyce remembers how her and Rupert where shocked by this story and she broke the uncomfortable silence the best way she knew how, “So no one who likes Spike also liked Dru. You would have thought he would have got the hint.”

Everyone laughed at that and they left to return to their girls. Right as they were getting ready to drive off Rupert said he left something inside and went back in Joyce wasn’t sure he was being completely honest so when they had gone down the road about ten miles she said, “You didn’t forget anything did you?”

“No I didn’t. I was unsure how to bring this up so I am glad you did I will tell you what I told them Spike can not know we were told of his past with the Wilkerons. You see Joyce; I am beginning to think he may be the one I have been looking for my entire life, the one my family swore to help protect knowing what he means to the world. I could tell you more as you are now family but, the thing is it would be cruel of me to do so, you see if he is who I am beginning to believe he is than there is much difficulty in store for him and those around him but it is only difficulty the main thing in store for him is joy, and some things that he could have never dared hope for, which will not only bring him happiness but others as well. Including in all honesty us, I am dreaming about this and will be very disappointed if it is not so, but to dangle the possibility in front of anyone else right now, be that you, or him would be cruel beyond measure. Just pray that I am right and he is the one.”

“Ok I trust you.”

When they reached home they heard about the disaster that had been Saturday night. Everyone had come over to watch movies when Buffy and Dawn got into a huge fight everyone thought Dawn was just locked in her room.

Actually she had snuck out a window. Spike had found her walking away from the house and together they had gone to the Magic Box and uncovered the truth about what she really was. She then snuck away from Spike, once he realized what happened he had called Buffy. She found her sister at the hospital and there was some sort of confrontation with Glory. In the end Glory had disappeared to wherever it is she goes and Buffy had convinced Dawn that no matter her origins she was her sister and loved by her and everyone in her life.

Rupert and Joyce could only agree with this and do their best to show the girl how much they loved her. That evening Rupert had disappeared for a few hours only to come home right before Dawn went to bed.

“Yeah, you sure care as soon as I find out what I really am, you don’t have to pretend to want to be around me anymore.” Dawn had wailed.

“No I just had to get my diaries which were left out put in order and see what exactly was missing from the Store.”

“We didn’t take anything and only looked in the diaries for this year”

“The fact that you read my private diaries for any time is enough of an invasion to cause me grave concern.”

“What was I supposed to do everyone was acting all weird
around me, except Spike, and no one would tell me anything?”

“I suppose telling you by the way Dawn you have to be careful going out because you know this key Glory is looking for there were these monks who took it and made it into you so we can’t let her know or she’ll kill you and end the world at the same time.”

This is one of those times when Buffy surprised everyone with her wisdom, “Hey I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t we have a family dinner night? You know where no matter what is going on we, just the family, no Scoobys get together and have dinner and I don’t know talk. You know the thing where words come out of your mouth with out spit joining it and there is no glasses polishing or veins throbbing in peoples foreheads.”

The other three had just turned and looked at her like she had three heads. “It was just a thought.”

Dawn smiled, “I like the idea. It sounds so normal.”

With that it was quickly agreed and the next evening was the first “family dinner” night. It turned into a wonderful evening and gave all of them just what they needed.

The Thursday after the next family dinner night was another terrifying one for her family. Buffy had been out slaying with Spike watching her back as had become their custom when some demons attacked they handled it like always but apparently someone watching saw something more between Buffy and Spike. Glory’s goons grabbed him that night; they thought he was the key because of how she protected him. They found out when Dawn went over the next day to Spike’s crypt for his help with a paper on the Boxer Rebellion and found it in shambles. In the time between their honeymoon and then Glory’s lair was uncovered.

Carefully Buffy and Rupert put together a rescue operation because of course Spike couldn’t be trusted not to say anything to Glory about who the key was. From what she was told they were wrong, Spike did not say anything to Glory as a matter of fact he taunted her and was tortured for his silence.

He was helped back to his crypt and later in the evening Anya went to see him she had been sent on a mission to see why he did not say anything and find out if he was just holding out for maybe help removing the chip in his head or being Glory’s number one henchmen. With her bluntness and ex vengeance demon status they had developed a unique friendship and everyone knew he would tell her the truth. She relayed only enough information to say he would never do anything to hurt Dawn he cares too much for her and her family to want to see any of them hurt.

When Xander tried to press for more details she turned on him, “Alexander Harris, you saw him. Saw how bloodied and beaten he was. If he were as much of a bastard as you want him to be he would not have put up with half that torture before turning on Dawn. To be any more specific in the reasons he gave me would be a violation of his trust and I am not prepared to do that. Despite what you may wish to see he has a good heart and is a good being. He just happens to have a demon in his body. To tell you the truth with my experience he is a better person than many humans both male and female I have seen in my entire 1100 years.” That was the end of that discussion.

That Monday night about ten minutes before they were sitting down for dinner there was a knock at the door. Dawn answered it. “Spike,” she squealed, “oh my gosh you look horrible. What are you doing out of bed.”

They heard him chuckle and saw Buffy take off for the living room anger and concern in her eyes.

“Thought I’d come get big sis for a patrol tonight.”

“Well, it’s family dinner night Spike.” Buffy bit out. “Dawn’s right you should still be in bed you’d get us both killed if you patrolled with me tonight. Go home and go back to bed, before I drag you there myself.”

“If you want to get me into a bed all you have to do is ask.” He had responded suggestively.

Buffy turned red and rolled her eyes. Giles then surprised everyone with what he said. “Since you’re here Spike why don’t you join us for dinner? I know you are not family, but you’re not a Scooby either and after what you did for Dawn I think we can welcome you to our table this evening.”

“Sure I won’t be intruding”

“Not at all.”

The look of joy at being accepted which crossed his face so fast that Joyce didn’t even know if anyone else noticed melted her heart even more for this vampire. He did join them that evening and each of the next three, those invitations being given by first Dawn, then herself, and finally Buffy. The next week he just showed up but they had a place already set for him. Rupert enjoyed having another Englishman around to talk to and Dawn was just glad to have her friend there. Buffy was still not sure what she felt but would often blush for no reason around him.

That’s when it happened it was a Thursday again, Buffy came running home told her Spike was a sick bastard and that she and Dawn should stay away from him. When Joyce asked what she meant she told her, “Mom he thinks he’s in love with me. You know what he has in the basement of his crypt a shrine to me it was like one of those sick horror movies you know with the pictures covering a wall and articles of my clothes. Like the blue sweater I keep accusing Dawn of having. Remind me to apologize to her for that. It was disgusting, pictures of me all over some on the walls some in a box. You know what his explanation was he was sorry he was taking it down. He had all those things because he thought it was the closest he could get to me and that was what he would have to settle for. That’s when I asked how long this sick obsession of his had been going on he just said awhile. Remember Riley mom, Spike admitted he had been standing outside watching the house when Riley left me that night and followed him. Said he was curious what a man who had just “had” such a beautiful woman could possible find so interesting that he would leave that woman’s bed. Can you believe that? He said he was sorry and didn’t mean to frighten me planned on telling me how he felt after he finished dismantling the shrine was going to confess everything when he brought the box by to return everything he stole tomorrow. How convenient he was going to tell me tomorrow.”

Joyce remembers looking at her daughter and seeing the emotions on her face many she knew Buffy would never admit to. She looked at her daughter, took her in her arms, and quietly said, “What if he was telling the truth.”

Buffy pulled away startled, stared at her mother in shock and ran upstairs to her room locking the door behind her. Buffy was gone to school the next day before Joyce even got up to go to the gallery. So Joyce had made the decision that saved her life, she decided to go to Spike’s crypt to talk to him. When she got there she went to the lower level and saw him in the corner putting a lid on a box he looked up when he heard her, “Oh you’ll save me a trip. Sure you know what’s in here why don’t you take it with you.” “Where you really planning on bringing that by today?”

“Today or tomorrow.”

“I believe you, Spike.” He looked up at her hopefully then she saw the look in his eyes change followed by his whole face as his features assumed his demon mask. The next few seconds was the only time she ever remembers being afraid of Spike; he charged her threw her over his shoulders and began to run through the sewers.

She was shocked and didn’t know what to say, she was beginning to feel a little dizzy and knows she heard him repeating something over and over but could not tell what. That was when she realized there was something wrong with her; he burst into the basement of the hospital and up the stairs to the emergency ward. Once there he started screaming for help then everything went black………….

“MOM, what are you doing out of bed!” Dawn was yelling at her from the doorway of the kitchen; which brought her out of her reminiscing and firmly back to the lasagna in the oven.

“I am a grown woman and quite capable of checking on dinner.”

“Yes my love.” Rupert said ganging up on her, “But if you’ll recall that is Spike’s and my job tonight not yours and the advantage to having a vampire as a cooking companion is nothing will ever burn with the sensitive nose. Now go sit on the couch and relax with our daughters.” While he had been talking Rupert moved in to the kitchen so he was beside her and gently pushed her toward the living room.

On the way to relax on the couch with her daughters she passed a smirking Spike. Yes her life had truly changed over the last four months and she wondered how much more was to come...

Rupert Giles watched his wife pass Spike on her way to the living room to join Buffy and Dawn to watch TV and marveled at the turn of events his life had recently taken. He was now even sorrier he had not perused Joyce after the whole band candy spell knowing the years of her companionship and love he had denied himself. With a slight smirk he also thought about all the mind-blowing sex he had missed, his wife after all was incredible in bed. Spike checked the oven said all was well and then the two men began to put together a salad in companionable silence both lost in their own musings and realizing this was a night for introspection…

Giles remembered the night he took Joyce to the hospital and asked for entrance back into her life. He remembered her easy acceptance of him and was grateful he had spent those two hours practicing that speech he gave her as it had obviously worked. The first kiss they shared had been wonderful and he began counting the days until he could ask her to be his wife and then have access to those kisses any time he wanted; not to mention be able to suckle her exquisite breasts he didn’t get to do that on the police car and it was one of his favorite parts of sex. He was also told he was rather good at it something his wife would later confirm after their honeymoon telling him how angry she was he had not done that for her on the police car.

After Joyce had come out of her surgery the first thing she did was confront him and Buffy about Dawn’s true nature. They had told her how they chose to keep it from everyone because the fewer people who knew the safer it was for Dawn. They had not told her because they had not found out until after she had visited the doctor and did not want to add one more thing to worry about. Joyce had graciously forgiven them both though she told him she would require a dinner at an expensive restaurant as his punishment. He had agreed knowing that was the night he would propose to her. Riley had come by then and paid his respects after he left for his romantic evening with Buffy, Giles will never forget the conversation with Joyce. “Is it just me or do you feel like he can never give her what she truly wants or needs? He just seems too I don’t know how to describe it just too something for her.”

Giles had decided it was time to be completely honest with Joyce about her daughter. “Joyce, I’m going to tell you something you may not like hearing and which I don’t like saying. You know your daughter is The Slayer fighting darkness and evil every night. What you do not know is that the Slayer was actually created by the use of dark magic in order to be a warrior of light to keep the balance between good and evil. This darkness lives within every Slayer, most have never lived long enough to discover this duel nature, those who have either embraced it as Faith did and then had to be eliminated or gave up the fight for good and allowed themselves to be killed. Some, however did neither they are the ones that lived long lives; they found lovers who would give them outlets for the darker side of their natures. Buffy I think is beginning to discover her darker side and looking for that outlet.”

“Rupert are you saying what I think you are that those Slayers began to have an interest in unusual sex?”

“Unusual is a polite way of putting it Joyce. They became interested in very kinky sex with wanting to, and this is the strange part, most chose to play the submissive role in the bedroom. From the accounts I have read they wanted to give up all control and have a certain amount of pain inflected by their lovers.”

“Is that really so hard to believe they have to be in charge and in control in every other part of their life or people die. They have a high tolerance for pain why not give some of the control over to the one person you trust above all others. You know that they will never take it too far and never truly hurt you. Not that I would be interested in anything like that, but I guess I can understand. That being said you’re saying I’m right Riley can’t give her what she needs?”

“Yes, you’re right. I frankly see only one individual in her life at the moment that may be able to provide her with that and I chose not to bring that up to her.”

“Spike can’t physically cause her pain with the chip. That is who you are talking about?”

“You can tell no one else this but I believe he has had the chip out for some time now.” At her confused look he continued. “I was out walking one night several weeks ago and saw him stop a mugging he did quite a bit of damage to the muggers. He did not kill them however, just threatened to do so if they should try anything like that in ‘his’ town again. I then followed him the rest of the night he killed a few demons and stopped by Willy’s before returning to his crypt just before sunrise. The next day he came by the Magic Box and I asked him what he would do if he ever had the chip removed he said he would do nothing to force the Slayer to try and kill him. The next night I followed him again and he prevented another mugging he looked like he was going to kill this one then started cursing about how he wasn’t going to rape her and how he had really been looking forward to a snack, he then let the man go with a threat. I think he is the one killing the rapists in town. I certainly will not stop him from doing that especially since from my observations those are the only criminals he kills for the most part he still uses pig’s blood.”

“I actually hope you’re right I know he won’t hurt anyone anymore he has changed so much. I wouldn’t mind them being together though he does love her even though I don’t think he even realizes how much. I just hope that Buffy finds what she needs from someone who will cherish her and give her not only what the Slayer needs but what my little girl needs.”

With that the conversation had turned to other subjects and they had talked well into the night.

When Riley’s pension for vamp whores was brought to light Giles began to reevaluate him being able to give Buffy the darkness she needed then realized he couldn’t as for him it had all been about being dominated. Giles was just glad he was gone from Buffy’s life. When Giles had found out about Dawn being the key was when he first began to examine Spike wondering if he was the one, something Giles was now almost convinced of, especially after his behavior towards the criminals of Sunnydale. The ones he let go with a threat and the ones he killed without equivocation. He knew however, that he would still need to wait it out and see. Buffy being available was another step to him being proven right about the bleached vampire.

His honeymoon with Joyce and the story the Wilkerson’s told fit in perfectly with his growing belief of who Spike truly was and what he meant to the world. When he and Joyce had returned he was horrified to hear Dawn now knew the truth, while on one hand it would make things easier if he proved correct about Spike on the other, had she or Spike seen the diaries with his musings on this? They were kept in a different location than his other diaries but he had to be sure, that’s why he left for the shop that night. He was overjoyed to see those books undisturbed if all was as he was now coming to believe then Spike, Buffy, and Dawn must not suspect anything only then could things unfold to give them all the joy they deserved and he desperately wanted that for his family.

Buffy’s family dinner suggestion had saved him from almost saying something when he arrived home and was attacked by Dawn. Besides it really was a great idea and he looked forward to those times. When Spike was captured by Glory he had to go along with the he can’t be trusted reason to free him as he could allow no one to know how he now believed in Spike’s better nature. Not to mention his belief that Spike would have an innate knowledge and desire to protect Dawn with his unlife. He knew what Anya had likely not told them that Spike was in love with Buffy and was glad she shut everyone down the way she did. When Spike had come by for Monday night patrol he had jumped at the chance to begin to include Spike in what should be his as well. Then when the ladies in his family invited him the next three weeks they had just set a place for him the fourth when he showed up and they realized to their horror no one had invited him again and apologized for the oversight. That was the night of the discussion that real men, not chefs did not know how to cook Spike and Giles took immediate offence and declared they would be cooking the next family dinner.

When Giles found out about the shrine he was at a loss how could he bullock it up like that, Giles even had Buffy studying vampire mating rituals, what was Spike thinking. Then the next day at the Magic Box he got the call. The familiar voice on the other end said three words before he hung up which sent terror to Giles heart and him running out of the store. “Watcher, Joyce hospital.”

He had arrived at the hospital in record time and went straight to the emergency room where he saw Spike waiting, he saw the doctor approaching him. “Mr. Giles?”

“Actually that would be me.”

“Oh, ok your wife is going to be fine she had the beginnings of a brain aneurism caused by the surgery thankfully she was here with this gentleman yelling for help when it hit so we were able to save her if she had been anywhere else she would have died. She is still unconscious and we will need to keep her at least overnight we will let you know once we have her settled in a room.” With that the doctor turned and walked off.

“Glad Joyce is going to be ok I’ll just leave now.” Spike had said quietly.

“Wait!” When Spike stopped Giles had continued, “What was she doing with you?”

“Came over to talk, she actually believes me. I know no one else will but she does and I’ll take that for now.” Giles noted the determination in this quiet statement as though the Vampire was determined to make everyone else believe him as well.

“How did you come to be here when the aneurism hit?” The Watcher in Giles had to understand this.

“Well after she said she believed me I smelled blood and realized it was coming from her head. I’d read about some of the complications from brain surgery and knew I had to get her here as soon as possible. Think I scared her, just put on my demon face to be able to see better in the sewers, threw her over my shoulder and ran.”

“Spike, about the shrine I believe you too.” Giles had received a shocked and hopeful look at this statement then came the questions.

“You do? Why?”

“Several reasons the main one being if you were not dismantling the shrine as you claimed there would have been no pictures in the box they all would have still been on the wall.” He decided to go with the obvious reason not the ones he could not yet elaborate on.

“Buffy will never believe me though.”

“Give her time she’s stubborn.”

“No, she’s scared. Every bloke who ever claimed to love her took off at the first sign of rough waters. She’s afraid if she lets me in and opens up I’ll do the same. I love her with every fiber of my being but sometimes she is an idiot. If I was gonna leave her would have done it a long time ago and it’s not just the chip that’s keeping me here either…” Spike paused and looked like he was debating something then he made the statement he expected to shock Giles. “Would it surprise you to know I’ve had it out since right after Captain Cardboard got his removed? Only killed four people since then all of who were about to rape someone.”

He knew it, out loud he answered honestly though more subdued than he felt. “That’s longer than I had suspected but it doesn’t surprise me. I suspected you were the one killing the rapists when I followed you a couple of weeks ago saw you break up a couple of robberies one you began to get excited about then said ‘Bloody hell you weren’t gonna rape her,’ then you shifted into your game face and warned them not to try something like that again. I had seen you the night before as well and knew I could now believe what you said about not doing anything to make Buffy have to kill you in answer to my question earlier that day.”

Giles smiled at Spike’s shocked reaction. Then the vampire spoke softly, “Don’t want to put her through that would never do that to her. Make her kill someone she cares about. Know she does otherwise she wouldn’t be so scared to let me close.”

The nurse then came and told him Joyce’s room number and he asked Spike to join him. Joyce was just waking up when they arrived and Giles ran to her and gave her a gentle kiss. She looked at Spike and said, “I guess I owe you my life, thank you.”

“What do you mean?” This came from Dawn as she and Buffy had just arrived.

Giles told the girls what happened and Dawn was going over to give Spike a hug when the doctor came in. He looked at Spike and scowled; “Only family is allowed to visit on this ward.”

Buffy then spoke up and shocked everyone in the room. “He’s my boyfriend doesn’t that count.” She then walked across the room and gave Spike a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Oh my apologies Mrs. Jackson.” With that they laughed and informed the doctor he had the wrong room.

After the flustered doctor left Dawn turned to Buffy, “You mean it or were you just trying to get rid of that guy.”

Buffy had looked up at Spike, “I’d like to try, I believe you and I believe in you. Maybe it’s time for me to stop being scared.” Spike had leaned down to kiss her then and Dawn squealed and ran over to embrace them both. Giles looked at them and then at his wife who was looking on smiling….

“Rupes time to get the food out,” Spike drew him back to the present and Giles went to the drawer to pull the hot pads to remove dinner from the oven……

As Rupert removed dinner from the oven Spike turned his attention to the marshmallow, walnut, chocolate chunk brownies. He couldn’t help but smile who would have thought he would be in the Slayer’s kitchen helping her Watcher/Stepfather cook dinner for “family dinner night” a few short months ago…

Buffy came to him to find out how he had killed the two Slayers, he told her lies about when he was human and the truth about all Slayers eventually having a death wish. He had tried to kiss her that night and she pushed him away said he was “beneath her,” just like that bitch Cecily and …someone else…maybe it was always on the edge of his memory. Oh well he remembers his rage at Buffy he needed to kill her but not with his fangs (which he could use because he had his chip removed right after Captain Cardboard had his out) that was too good, too honorable a death for her, he was going to use a shotgun.

Before he left he told Harmony to get out if she was there when he got back she would be dust in the wind. He had not wanted to hear her whiney voice anymore and was tired of trying to pretend she was the woman he loved. Just because she was blond and went to school with Buffy did not mean they were anything alike and he was tired of a cheap substitute. When he arrived at the Summer’s house he saw a dejected Slayer sitting on the back porch and knew the problem had nothing to do with demons or Slayer issues those she could handle tonight she looked defeated.

When she looked up at him, he knew he couldn’t kill her and just sat down beside her. She had leaned her head on his shoulder then, Spike didn’t know what was wrong but knew a woman in need of a shoulder to lean on when he saw one so he just sat there and let her lean on him until she got up to go inside. She seemed to feel better and as she was about to disappear into the house whispered a quit thank you.

He found out about Joyce a few days later, at the same time he found out that Joyce and the Watcher had finally decided to stop beating about the bush and get on with it already. The night after Joyce’s surgery he was at his usual post holding up the tree in the Summer’s front yard. He had heard his Slayer and her solider boy go at it and almost wept when he heard her cries of pleasure.

He was just snuffing out his fag and getting ready to go home to a bag of blood and some Jack Daniels when he saw the boy exit the front door. He thought bloody hell, the bastard was just inside the most perfect woman to ever walk the earth and he’s leaving. Spike knew he had to follow him, when Iowa went to an abounded building Spike knew as a whorehouse he followed him inside just to be sure. Spike heard him being greeted and saw him go into an upstairs room and begin to be sucked on and jerked off. He had not known whether to vomit or jump for joy at the sight but knew Buffy had to know.

He had just climbed the tree outside Buffy’s window and was getting ready to knock on it when he noticed that Buffy was writhing around on the bed. He had pushed himself back into the shadows of the tree and watched as Buffy continued to pleasure herself. She had her head thrown back in the pillows, with one hand she was twisting and pulling on the nipple of her breast with the other she held a vibrator, one of those with a clitoral stimulator where the shaft rotated, which he could hear going at a high rate and was thrusting it in and out of her pussy with such force and speed that he knew no mortal man could have duplicated.

He could have though, if she let him, maybe he should offer; no she would stake him for that. Reaching down to adjust his growing hard on he continued to watch as she thrust the vibrator in and out of herself and then she came screaming “AHHHHHHHH……………YES….. FUCK…………. YES” she hadn’t cum that hard for solider boy, he smiled. Then he saw the thing that almost had him coming in his pants and falling from the tree; Buffy had turned off the vibrator she reached into a box under the bed and put her toy away. She then pulled out a butt plug with a long handle, he’d never seen a hot pink one before, she slid it in into her wet channel and twirled it around a few times, then she twisted around and began to shove it and out of her ass.

While she was fucking her own ass he heard her panting, “One day I’d like this to be a real cock. Ahhhh……” Spike couldn’t believe his ears he remembered her offering him her virgin ass when they were ‘engaged’ but assumed Riley had beat his and every other cock there. Realizing her ass was still virgin he released his throbbing shaft from his jeans and just let it enjoy the night air afraid to do anything else for fear she would notice and stake him or worse stop what she was doing. He turned his full attention back to his moaning goddess who was stroking her clit while fucking her own ass, she came again shuddering.


Spike watched as she replaced the plug in the toy box and then pulled out a nine inch dildo about an inch thick, shoved it in her pussy, moaned softly and closed her eyes for sleep. Spike couldn’t believe it the Slayer was going to sleep with that inside her!!!!!!! He had never wanted to be a piece of plastic before but what he wouldn’t give to replace that dildo with his own painfully hard cock. He had to get a look in that box and see what other goodies she hid there.

Knowing there was no way solider boy was still at the whorehouse, not to mention in his condition one look at him and the Slayer would stake him, he swung out of the tree planning on taking the Slayer to see Riley’s cheating tomorrow night. When he reached the base of the tree he stroked himself a few times and came with an intensity he had not experienced in some time, as he tucked himself back in his pants he stared at the base of the tree, and smirked at his cum there wondering if anyone would notice tomorrow.

The next evening he did two things first he made sure the solider was going to be at the whorehouse which when he heard boring boy tell his mates he would be at Buffy’s he knew this would be his chance. He went to the Slayer’s house just to be sure the boy did not show up there, Spike listened as Buffy got ready for bed and considered out loud using her toys deciding not to in case Riley came by. When he was sure that the solider would not be by and the whorehouse was open for business he entered the Slayer’s bedroom she was covered by a thin sheet and he waited for her to notice him, he was thinking about how best to wake her when she sat up in bed reaching for a stake. “You know you risk all your parts when you come her like this don’t you.”

“Yeah well got something to...are you naked under there?” He knew she was sleeping nude, knew what she looked like under the sheet too but as he made the statement he tried to not so subtlety sneak a peak. After all he did want another look besides the best way to keep her from knowing about the free show he had last night was to make her think he hadn’t seen it before. Best defense, a good offense and all that.

Oh, wait she was glaring at him time to get on with what he came for. “You need to see something get dressed I’ll wait downstairs.”

When they got to the whorehouse he took Buffy upstairs and opened the door where her “boyfriend” was holed up. Spike stood back and watched as the emotions passed over the perfect face of his love, horror, confusion, betrayal, disgust, hurt, and then the one that broke his heart and made him wish he had not brought her here, humiliation. She turned and ran from the building Spike went to follow then realized he would not be welcome, that he would somehow be blamed for Riley’s shortcomings.

Spike watched as the solider followed Buffy and tried to talk to her, he hoped that Buffy would know she was worth more than this idiot.

The next day the bastard came by his crypt, staked him before he even had time to register the deadly weapon. Wait a tick he wasn’t dust, huh. That’s when the boy explained it was plastic. Spike admitted to the jackass yes he loved Buffy. He then said some cruel things about being lucky because he knew she would never be his but how horrible it must be to be inside her and know she was not really there, not that he believed Buffy would be so shallow. But solider boy seemed to buy it and after how he made Buffy feel Spike could smile at the torture.

Part of him wanted to rip Riley’s dick off and shove it down his throat but then everyone would know Spike’s chip was out and he could not be close to Buffy. So he exercised more self-control than anyone including he knew he had.

Spike avoided the Slayer and her friends the next few days figuring she would need to work this out on her own and again knowing he would be blamed somehow. He was out patrolling one night hoping to find some rapist he could eat, those blokes he knew no one would miss and fighting the odd demon for sport, when he ran into her again.

“Hey what ya doing?” she had asked.

“Figured you’d need to be working things out with your sweetie bear, so I’d patrol for you.” He had responded bitterly.

“Riley left. He went back to the army. Flew away in a helicopter I tried to stop him but was too late.”

“Why?”

“I guess I ran too slow.”

“No, not why were you too late why did you try to stop him?” She had just shrugged in answer. “Was his apology that fantastic, I’m sorry by the way I’m going back to the army?” She mumbled something even he couldn’t hear. “What was that I didn’t hear you?’

“I said he didn’t exactly apologize.” Spike just stared at her at this statement. “What it’s not like I’m going to do any better. He knew who I was and was willing to put up with it. And… and he loved me and treated me nice and didn’t care that I was stronger than him and loved me. So there.”

Spike didn’t care if he got staked he could not let that inane little rant stand. “He loved you?”

“Yes” was her firm reply.

“That was a rhetorical question you stupid bint. How can you say he loved you? He cheated on you. Not only did he cheat on you, he cheated on you with creatures it is your scared duty to kill. He let himself be a chew toy for a whore who could have killed him or turned him at any moment. He put himself, you, your mum, and the bit in danger.” No reply. “That’s a question I do want an answer to.”

“He said he wanted to know what I saw in vampires with letting Angel and Dracula bite me. Said that I didn’t need him and they did and he wanted to feel needed.”

“First, you let Angel bite you to save his life not get off; and Dracula forced you to do it. Second it was not your job to make him feel needed. You say he accepted your strength yet he wanted you to make him feel needed. Did he ever make you feel needed? Needed in the I would do anything just to be in your presence for another second way? The I’m drowning in you, you’re all I think about way?” She looked at him and he saw her fighting back tears as she said.

“No one has or will ever need me like that I just don’t inspire those feelings.” She then appeared to find something on the ground very interesting and Spike could smell her tears in the air.

Spike reached under her chin and lifted her head gently. “Everyone has someone like that. You just need to find yours. You are special and unique and a gift, don’t let anyone tell you different.” He then bent his head and kissed her gently on the lips, he pulled away before she could feel his growing erection or he was tempted to deepen the kiss beyond a gentle touch. This was not about sating his desire or taking advantage of her when she was vulnerable this was about her knowing how special she was. “Never doubt what an incredible woman you are.” With that Spike turned and went back to his crypt for another night with his hand and Jack Daniels.

The next few nights Spike would run into Buffy in the cemetery and they would patrol for a bit and talk. It was getting to be a good unlife for him. On the third night Buffy passed along Joyce’s invitation to the wedding, which Spike wouldn’t have missed for the world.

“Where are they going for the honeymoon and for how long?” he had asked.

“They are just gonna stay at the Sunnydale Hotel for the weekend.”


“I can understand only a weekend but they need to get out of town if they expect any privacy. A man needs privacy if he plans on making his bride scream.” He had retorted wiggling his eyebrows.

“Ewwwwwwwww sooo not the picture I want of my mom and Giles. I have a hard enough time with the police car.”

“What police car?”

“That’s right you wouldn’t know. Remember Ethan Raines?” Spike nodded and Buffy continued. “Well in between Halloween and turning Giles into a demon he was in Sunnydale two other times the first doesn’t matter but on the second he was working for the mayor, he put a spell on some candy which was being sold to raise money for new band uniforms. The ‘Band Candy’ turned all the adults into their teenage selves so that the mayor could kidnap all the babies from the hospital for a sacrifice. Under the influence of the ‘Band Candy’ mom and Giles happened to be together and apparently they would have gotten along very well as teenagers.”

“Still not getting the whole police car part, pet.”

“I’m getting there; anyhow a few months later I fell under the influence of a mind reading demon and could not stop myself from hearing everyone’s thoughts. The thing my mom was most afraid I’d find out, so of course that was what she was thinking, was that her and Giles had sex…on a police car…twice under the influence of the ‘Band Candy’.” By this point Spike was laughing so hard he was fighting back tears.

“I guess that explains what took them so long to get where they both wanted to be, embarrassment. That should never stand in the way of going for something which could be special.” Buffy smiled and nodded at this statement. Meanwhile Spike realized who he could call to arrange something for Joyce she was worth it. When he told Buffy what he had arranged the day before the wedding of course the question of how he found the place and how he paid for it came up. He implied he found it on the Internet and promised the money he used was not gotten immorally so not to worry. He knew Joyce’s faith in him was the only reason his gift was accepted.

The Friday night after the wedding he snuck into the tree again he just wanted to watch her sleep. He got a lot more. Buffy entered her bedroom and took off her robe she was nude and facing the window. He just stared as she walked toward him not sure whether she saw him or not. Then she began to talk to herself as she had the other night. “It’s been awhile. Tonight I think I need a little release.” She pulled her toy box out from under the bed and dumped the contents on her bed.

The first thing she picked up was a set of handcuffs, “Really want to use these someday…need someone to cuff me first though.” Ohh Spike thought a running commentary. Then she picked up a riding crop, “Need another person,” a feather, “Another person,” blindfold, “another person,” paddle, “another person,” ball gag, “another person.” Spike was so hard he had to open his jeans and free his throbbing shaft to the night air, he’d be her other person on either end of those things.

From her first remark though he knew her desire was for someone else to be the one wielding the crop, feather and paddle and putting the cuffs, blindfold and gag on her. Made sense her having to be so in control in the rest of her life she needed to be dominated by someone she could trust. As she was examining the toys to be used with someone else she put them away.

“Now for the ones I bought I can actually use.” She picked up a devise Spike recognized as a clitoral stimulator with varying speeds he remembered using that on Dru. Buffy shook her head and put that away the nine inch dildo she had slept around was laid on the nightstand. She then picked up that hot pink butt plug, “Not in the mood tonight, I still want the real thing.” She put that back in the box along with about three others of varying sizes; Spike didn’t know how much more he could take before he spontaneously combusted but a sunrise could not have moved him at this point. By this time she had moved through her collection of about six or seven different vibrators and was debating between two. She made her decision put the losing vibe away and replaced the box under the bed.


The winner she turned on briefly and she watched the stimulator vibrate and the shaft with beads in it rotate, she then arranged her pillows on the bed and leaned on them. She turned the tool back on, turned it all the way up and began to move it toward her now moist entrance, as she began to impale herself on the shaft Spike’s mouth was watering for a taste of the arousal he could smell through the window and his cock was weeping drops of pre cum. She began to moan as she fucked herself and Spike found himself stroking his shaft in time with her thrusts panting quietly while his Slayer moaned and squirmed on the bed before him. He came at the same time she screamed her release to the world. Spike watched as she tossed the vibe in the box smiling, then took the dildo off the nightstand inserted it into her lovely pussy, pulled the sheet over herself and closed her eyes.

He quickly put himself away and sprinted toward home before he did something to get himself dusty like knock on the window and ask to replace the piece of plastic and help her use ALL her other toys. By the time he arrived home, he had replayed the scene in his head so often that he couldn’t wait to get to his bedroom he just dropped his pants and jerked off right in the middle of the living room.

The next night he was returning to the tree in hopes of a repeat performance when he saw Dawn climb out a window and begin to walk away from the house. His lust was immediately replaced with concern for his bit; he couldn’t let her be out alone in Sunnyhell at night she might get hurt. He ran ahead of her so he could ‘accidentally’ run into her at the corner.

“What are you doing bit? Big sis know you’re out all by your lonesome?” He had inquired.

“No and if you make me go back I’ll just sneak out again.” She hissed.

Ok he thought have to play this just right. “Not gonna take you back what’s wrong?”

“I’m tired of being treated like….I don’t know just everyone has been weird around me lately stopping talking when I enter a room and all kinds of other strangeness, I figured if I went to the Magic Box I could look at Giles diaries and see what was going on; he writes everything in them. You’re not going to be able to stop me either.”

He knew she would do this no matter what once she put her mind to something she never let it go, guess she got that from him……….wait where had that come from, never mind he had to make sure she was safe. “Well bit, if you’re gonna hit the store you’ll need a pick man.”

“Huh, what’s a pick man?”

“Someone to pick the lock. Unless you think you can do it.”

“Oh, well in that case you can come with.”

Once they were at the Magic Box, Spike had easily picked the lock and ushered Dawn inside. They found the Watcher’s diaries and only pulled the ones for this year. They split them up and began to read. Dawn came upon an entry about the same time her mother went in the hospital she did not want to read the details of how they got together so she asked Spike to read it out loud skipping the sections on her mother. Spike began, “You don’t want to know, don’t want to know. Oh here we go this looks interesting….’I should have recorded this earlier but was debating even adding it to my journals. About two weeks ago my Slayer found out where the monks hid the key from Glory. As I have mentioned the key is mystical energy, which can be used to open the fabric between dimensions. At any rate the monks found the best way to protect the key was to change its form so they sent it to the Slayer…’” At this point Spike had to turn the page both he and Dawn were on edge to hear the conclusion of the sentence so he did not read ahead before he read out loud as he should….”’in the form of a sister.’” Shit.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” Dawn screamed, “I’m not real, I’m not real.”

“Shhhh,” Spike reached for her to try and calm her down and she began to pull away, “How can you want to have anything to with me I’m a freak?”

“It’s ok morsel.” He tried to reach for her and again she pulled away.

“HOW CAN IT BE OK I’M NOT REAL!”

“Yes you are. Listen why don’t you take a minute go throw some water on your face and we’ll go home, talk with Big sis about it.” Spike held his unneeded breath hoping she would agree so they could go get this worked out. Dawn nodded and headed for the bathroom in the training room. As soon as the door was closed Spike lost it he threw the diary he realized he still held in his hand across the room. That bitch how could she keep this from him about THEIR girl…what wait, well she was their girl he loved her as much as Buffy and the others and apparently had as much of a actual connection to her as they did. Ok back to the rant how could she not have told him, he would have helped would have made sure she was safe, would have been able to prevent her from finding out like this! Ok deep breath relax….it’s quiet….I can’t hear her heartbeat……don’t smell blood good….but she’s gone. He went over to the phone and dialed the Summer’s residence. “Hello”

Just who he wanted to answer, “Whelp put the Slayer on.”

“Spike, listen bleach boy, now’s not a good time Buffy’s having fun with her friends and...”

“SHUT UP AND PUT THE SLAYER ON THIS IS IMPORTANT YOU SELF RIGHTOUS ASS.”

“Whatever…hey Buffy its deadboy jr and he’s being a jerk…can I hang up on him.”

Spike heard Buffy in the back round “No thanks Xander I got it in the kitchen.”

“Spike we were having movie night what do you want.” She had asked shortly.

“She knows.” He ground out.

“What are you talking about? Who knows what?” He could tell she was worried, good.

“Dawn knows. No she is not upstairs sulking in her room, she snuck out. I found her and went with her. She dragged me to the Magic Box determined to find out why everyone was treating her weird. We went through the Watcher’s diaries. She knows. I tried to calm her down and take her home but while I thought she was calming down in the bathroom she snuck out I don’t know where she is I’ll start looking as soon as I hang up but figured you should know.” Spike hung up the phone, locked the door to the shop, and walked out.

When he got outside he took a deep breath of night air so he could try to pick up on Dawn’s scent. He found it and began to follow. He just reached the hospital and could tell she was inside when Buffy arrived with Xander and Willow in tow.

“What are you doing here bleached boy?”

Spike just ignored the whelp and said to Buffy, “She’s inside I can smell her.”

“Yeah well maybe….”

“Xander stop.” Buffy interrupted him, “Spike’s just trying to help.” Spike could tell that annoyed the boy and were he not so worried for Dawn he would have been jumping for joy. “Thank you Spike. One of the interns, who helped take care of mom called and said she was here. I think we can take it from here.”

At first Spike was hurt she was trying to shut him out, again, and then he saw the pleading look in her eyes. She wanted his help but knew the other two would have something to say and did not want another fight on her hands. So he nodded said good luck and walked away. He went straight to the house climbed in her bedroom window, sat down on the bed leaning against the headboard and waited for them to get home.

It was some time later he heard them arrive home. Buffy and Dawn said quiet goodbyes to Xander and Willow and then he heard them come upstairs. “I’m sorry I ruined your night.” Dawn had said.

“Hey, what are little sisters for if not to be pains in the butt to their big sisters.” They had both laughed at that. Then he heard Buffy say to Dawn gently, “I don’t care how you came to be you are my blood and I love you with all I am. You are special and unique and a gift, never doubt what an incredible girl you are.” Hey that sounded familiar Spike smirked to himself then he heard Dawn whisper a thank you and say goodnight with what he could tell was a hug.

After a few minutes he heard the water running in the shower. Some time later Buffy opened the door she was wearing sweat pants, a tank top, and her hair was wet. She did not even look at him just walked over to the closet pulled out a heavy blanket then walked to the window to see that it was securely covered. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.

She walked over to the bed and sat down at the foot facing him. “Thank you for everything tonight…can you stay I just kinda need someone to hold me right now.” Then she looked at him for the first time since she entered the room and he knew he could not deny her if his unlife depended on it, so he stood up, removed his duster, kicked off his boots and laid back down on the bed with his arms out to her. She crawled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

That’s when he finally spoke, “I could have stopped this from happening like that if I’d known.”

“I know.”

“She was going to find out but it could have been done better.”

“I know.”

“You might want to do something to get her to feel part of a real family now like a family night once a week just you, her, Joyce and Rupert NO Scoobys.”

“Spike,”

“Yes”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

“Ok Slayer.”

With that they had both closed their eyes and gone to sleep.

The next morning Spike awoke and wondered why the smell of Buffy was so strong in his crypt. Then he felt her snuggle closer into his chest and remembered where he was. He looked down at the golden goddess in his arms and smiled he had slept with her ok they were still fully clothed but still it was more than he could have ever dreamed.

He was just brushing a lock of her hair off her face when the door burst open, “Hey Buffy….SPIKE!!!!” Dawn stopped mid sentence and just stared.

“Dawn what are you doing in my room?” A very tired Buffy had asked as she snuggled closer into his embrace.

He had dusted and someone got things mixed up and he was in heaven he just knew this wasn’t happening.

Dawn for her part smiled shook her head and came over to sit on the side of the bed. “I just came to see what you wanted to do for breakfast or brunch before mom and Giles got home. What’s Spike doing in your bed?”

Damn now the Slayer would really realize who was holding her and bolt.

She didn’t though, “Mr. Silent in the Mornings, here was worried about you last night after you snuck out on him and came to make sure you were ok. I, after being so worried about you when he told me you disappeared… by yourself… at night… in Sunnydale…even after we send Glory to hell, you don’t do that in this town waaay too dangerous… needed someone to hold me last night. Spike agreed to and then scolded me for not telling him about everything.”

“Ay, I don’t scold I was jus sayn.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever.” That’s when three loudly growling stomachs interrupted them. They stared at each other and began laughing.

“Well obviously we all need to eat. What time is it?” Buffy had been the first to stop laughing.

“About 11:30.” Dawn replied.

“No wonder we’re so hungry. How about we fix breakfast here I may not be able to do much but I make mean scrambled eggs with cheese.” Buffy had said sitting up leaving Spike’s arms feeling like a part of him was missing.

“I can do the pancakes…as long as you have the ingredients.” Spike had toned in trying to shake the emptiness. Both of his girls looked at him and stared before nodding.

Dawn then whined. “I guess I can’t do anything, never really learned to do anything.”

“Dawn, stop it you are real and you do know how to do things. First you can take a quick shower and get dressed. Then come downstairs and set the table, pour the drinks and heat up the blood mom has in the back of the fridge for when Spike comes by.”

Dawn had brightened at that, then the teenager kicked in she rolled her eyes and said an exasperated, “Yes mother.” Before scooting off to the bathroom.

As they went downstairs, several things hit Spike about the early morning scene. First that Joyce would have blood in the fridge for him. Second that they both included him so easily. Third how the bit referring to Buffy even if it was a joke as ‘mother’ had seemed so right. Finally he could have sworn for a brief moment when she first woke he had smelled Buffy’s faint arousal.

Buffy finished the eggs at the same time Dawn came down. Buffy put the eggs in the oven as Spike was still working on the pancakes said she’d be back down in a minute and went upstairs to get dressed. When Buffy came down a few minutes later in a pair of jeans and t-shirt they were ready to sit down for brunch she mentioned calling the others and begging off on the movie that had been planed. They ate, laughed and generally enjoyed just being together.


Spike had left just before the happy couple was due home figuring that when they first arrived family time would be in order. He had felt strangely cheated about not being able to stay it shouldn’t matter to him… right. When he got back to his crypt he had taken off his shirt and inhaled Buffy’s lingering sent. He had changed clothes and knowing it had not been done in a few days did a quick patrol. Why since he had the chip out he felt a compulsion to protect the Hellmouth he was still trying to figure, except maybe to help Buffy.

He got home that night striped and climbed into bed nude as always but despite the freedom from cloths he was far more comfortable last night with Buffy in his arms. The next day he awoke at about 1pm from what the clock said. He still had a couple hours before Passions. He reached over beside his bed and picked up the shirt he wore two nights ago when Buffy had slept in his arms. He could still smell her in the fabric and it instantly made him hard.

He groaned and tossed the sheet aside, he began to slowly stroke his cock, picturing it going in and out of her pussy as the vibrators she used did. As he was stroking himself he congratulated himself on his imagination as he could smell not just her but her arousal around him, he stroked harder and faster until he came releasing long spurts into the air which fell back onto his stomach and chest. Panting for unneeded breath he slowly came down from his high, slipped out of bed and went to take a shower so he could watch his afternoon shows.

The next night he ran into Buffy on patrol she had thanked him for the family diner night suggestion said everyone had liked the idea. Didn’t tell him when it was though and was she blushing. Must have been his imagination. They talked on the patrol and fell into their usual comfortable pattern. After they went their separate ways that night he circled around to follow her home. He climbed into the tree again and saw she must be in the mood tonight as she was already deep into her masturbation. She had finished with a shudder and he came with her his seed coating the tree branch.

He was tucking himself away when he saw her reach for that damned lucky dildo again only this time she looked at it shook her head, and shrugged, before putting it inside.

When he awoke Wednesday at 1pm he had felt the need to jerk off as he did he could have sworn he smelled Buffy’s arousal again. They meet and patrolled that night when he followed her home she just went to sleep, the next night however she gave him another incredible show, and of course remembering it when he awoke Friday he had to jerk off imagining smelling her as with the other two times he had done this recently.

He did not see Buffy until the next Tuesday and again after patrol he followed her home and enjoyed a mutual, although she didn’t know it wank; followed of course by his afternoon after solitary wank. He realized the pattern and did not bother to follow her the next night knowing he would not miss Thursday for anything. Sure enough Thursday was worth following her home. He was smiling when he arrived back at his crypt when these things jumped him they struggled but one of them hit him over the head and knocked him out.

When Spike woke up, it was with a throbbing in his head and soreness in his arms. He realized he was hanging from the ceiling in Glory’s apartment and she had already decided to hit him a few times judging by the other aches he was beginning to notice.

“Good, finally awake I see. “ She had said. “These idiots,” she snarled toward her cowering minions, “thought you were the key. I mean really the key is something innocent new to this world not a stupid vampire.”

“But mistress the Slayer was protecting him.”

“Hey, we were protecting each other it's what you do when you patrol together.” He had interrupted.

“Yeah you idiot…wait you patrol with her… you help her don’t you?” Spike could almost see the wheels turning in her vicious head. He knew he was in trouble now. Of course he didn’t answer her he just stared. “Well since you know her so well I am sure you know who the key is, tell me!!!” she demanded followed by a blow across the face that had Spike seeing stars. Then she continued hitting him although not with quit as much force as the first blow but hard enough to let him know she could take him apart a little at a time while making him suffer.

He would dust before he did anything to hurt either Buffy or Dawn but he had to figure away out of this situation so he could get back to his girls. That’s when the idea occurred to him go along with the bint at least a little then…yes it could work he knew how to make a woman angry.

“Alright, alright….I’ll talk…just give me a glass of water first.” For his plan to work he needed to get her as annoyed as possible and he also needed a few seconds to prepare himself for what he knew would be the result at least he hoped it would be the result.

Glory came over and gave him the water tipping it down his throat gently, she was smiling, ”There is that better.” As she said this she smashed the glass into the side of his face, “NOW TALK, WHO IS MY KEY!”

“Ok…it’s that guy…what’s his name….”

“Yes….”

“On the telly, that game show in the morning with all the girls….Bob something…”

“Bob Barker?” The pox marked smelly minions finished for him all excited they figured it out, what idiots; bint really did need to get better help

“Bob Barker?!” Glory shrieked. Spike smirked as best he could with a face that resembled hamburger.

“Yes, yes, we’ll go get him for you oh Glorious One.” Her minions were jumping up and down with glee.

She on the other had glared at them, “The key is new to this world Bob Barker has been around for ages you simpletons!!!” She turned to Spike, “You think you’re so funny? I could snap you like a twig if I didn’t think you would tell me what I want to know I would.”

Ok now for the big escape he hoped. “Yeah right not like you’ve done much damage so far. I ain’t afraid of you. I’ve had rashes more intimidating than you. ‘Sides you think you could beat the Slayer she’ll wipe the floor with your cheap dye job ass and then send you to hell and unlike you she’ll look stunning doin’ it.” Spike could tell she was vein might as well hit her there for good measure. “Look at you, you think you look good I mean really whoever told you how to dress they were sorely mistaken. Probably these idiots I mean your taste is no better than theirs and they look and smell better.”

The Hell God went crazy she began to hit him mercilessly he had begun to sway back and forth on the chains with each swing towards her resulting in a vicious blow which had him swinging the other direction. On one swing she hit him with such force that he was propelled back wrenching his hands from the chains and crashing through the front door into the hall and was only stopped by the wall between the elevators. The door was made in such a way that it swung back closed. He had groaned and thought well I guess that worked as he hit the down button on the elevator the door opened and he stumbled in hitting the button for the lobby.

Spike had no idea how he would make it out of the building much less home in the condition he was in but just wanted to reach the ground floor first, When he staggered off the lift he fell at the blond witch’s feet he looked up and saw the rest of the Scooby gang come in and just in time as the minions came down the stairs and had the Slayer and her pals not been there he would have been back in Glory’s grasp. He barely remembers the Whelp and Watcher helping him back to his crypt and leaving him there.

The next thing he remembered was Anya coming in with some fresh blood from Willie’s good stuff too he could smell it; she came over to him and helped him sit up to drink. They had developed a unique friendship based on being outsiders and both of their tendencies to be too blunt for many people. “I know you didn’t just come by to bring the blood, ‘preciate it though.”

“You’re right I was sent to bring the blood and find out why you didn’t just tell Glory, Dawn was the key. You would still be handsome if you had.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

“One if you had you wouldn’t look like someone who vengeance was taken on. Two when we figured that Glory had you Tara was actually on her way to keep an eye on Glory’s for the night. She snuck in and was watching magically, not that she could have helped you she’s not that strong, anyway she and Willow working together let the rest of us see and hear exactly what was happening. I can’t believe you taunted her like that.”

“Figured she’d get mad enough to send be flying through the door, didn’t stop to think about not being able to walk once I got through it.”

“Spike, this is Anya I know someone avoiding a question and you are, so why didn’t you just save yourself the pain and tell her the truth.”

“I’ll tell you but you can’t tell them don’t care what you make up just can’t tell, promise me.”

“Alright although it might make them treat you better. I swear on the possibility of getting my powers back they won’t find out what you say from me, but if you ever decide to tell them I will say I already knew.”

“I’d dust for them. I love them.” He stated simply and with such quiet passion that there was no doubt of its truth.

“Who are them?”

“Buffy and Dawn…in different ways of course. Buffy she reminds me of all of those sappy love poems I used to write and every love story I ever heard I would rather dust than cause her pain. I would do anything just to be within sight of her for another second. Dawn,” He sighed and then winced at the pain it caused, “Dawn brings out all my protective instincts it’s like she’s mine. Like she is my blood, not in my blood like Buffy, but a part of me. I see her and see hope for the future. Know I want to show her things and protect her, its like she’s my little girl and I have to protect her. A little pain is a small price to pay to keep them safe and happy.”

Anya got up to leave, “I’ll tell them you would never do anything to cause Dawn pain. I’ll be back this evening with some more good blood to help you heal.”

That night it had been Glenda who came by with blood not Anya, the witch had said Anya had to work. Over the next couple days all of the Scoobys took turns coming by to visit him and bring him blood to help him heal. Dawn did not come by as no one including Spike wanted her to see how badly he was hurt. That Monday he had gone by the Summer’s house to see Dawn as he was looking much better, besides he wanted to spend time with Buffy so he was going to say that he wanted to patrol with her.

When he arrived the greeting he received shocked him, and once he realized what he was intruding on went to leave, it was his idea after all. Then the WATCHER invited him to stay and with the look on Dawn’s face how could he not. Over the next couple of weeks a pattern was developed he would come over on Monday’s invited by one of the ladies, Tuesday night after patrol he would follow Buffy home and watch from her tree as she pleasured herself. Wednesday he would awake and jerk himself off in the evening patrol with Buffy then home. Thursday patrol, watch Buffy from the tree, Friday jerk off then patrol, on the weekends he found himself spending time with Buffy and the Scoobys he actually was beginning to enjoy their company, even the Whelps. As a matter of fact he and the boy were actually developing a tentative friendship based on being the only two males in the group.

Then it happened it was the week they forgot to invite him for dinner Monday he showed up and they were all embarrassed no one had invited him, they had his place set and were beginning to wonder where he was, that Wednesday during patrol Buffy and he had started talking about horror movies and thrillers. “You know the ones that get to me are stalker ones where the guy or girl builds a shrine to the person they are obsessed with.”

“Yeah know what you mean that’s weird.” Shit, he had forgotten about the shrine he had to Buffy he had not even looked at it since the wedding he’d been spending so much time with her he didn’t need to. When he got back to his crypt that night he pulled aside the screen he had shielding the shrine and just stared at it this wasn’t her she was so much more real and beautiful, this was a sick twisting of who she was. He knew he could not simply take it down he had to confess to her it had existed and tell her the reason for it, maybe then she would forgive him and they could have a real relationship. Part way through dismantling the shrine he realized how tired he was and decided to go to bed he would finish in the morning and take the box over to her on Friday that way he would have the weekend to try and make it up to her. With this thought he went to bed.

The next afternoon he awoke and went to take a shower when he got out and reentered his bedroom his blood turned cold at the sight that greeted him…Buffy was standing in his bedroom staring at the partially dismantled shrine…. “I can explain.”

“You can explain...You can explain!! HOW?! Last night we were talking about how this sort of thing wigs me out and what you come home and build one to wig me out? Show me you’re still the Big Bad?! Well explain?”

“It’s not like that,” he sighed, “I was taking it down. Was gonna put everything in a box bring it by and tell you about it tomorrow. I love you, so much I feel like I’m drowning in you. At the time I built this I didn’t think you’d ever let me close. I thought this was all I could ever have. When we started to get close after Cardboard left I forgot it was here I didn’t need it, I had the real thing. When we talked last night and you mentioned how these things upset you was the first time I even thought about it for weeks. I realized how poor a substitute it was for you, for being in your life, like I have had the last few weeks and was gonna tell you everything. Figured even if you would have nothing to do with me I couldn’t have it here anymore knowing how good the real thing was and how much it would upset you.”

“How convenient you were going to tell me tomorrow. Wait how long has the obsession been going on?” He shrugged. “HOW LONG?”

“Awhile”

“Before Riley left?” He looked away and knew he had given her the answer.

“You were outside the night after mom’s surgery. You followed him when he left that’s how you knew about the whorehouse?”

“Yea, had to know what a bloke who had just had such a beautiful woman could find interesting enough to leave her bed.”

“Did you come back to the house that night? Oh, God I thought I felt a tingle while I was…and…Oh, God… have you been watching me??”

Spike simply nodded. “How could you? Just stay away from me, my friends, and family, Spike I can never trust you again.” With that she turned and walked out of his crypt. He had fallen to his knees and cried like a lost child what had he done.

He had cried most of the night, before finally putting himself together. He had just finished dismantling the damned shrine when Joyce came by he could give her the box and then figure out his next move he knew he could never leave he still had to be close to Buffy and be there to protect Dawn. When Joyce had said she believed him he thought he would pass out from the joy, then he smelled it… blood and it was coming from her head.

He had read about complications from brain surgery causing bleeding in the brain and death so he didn’t think just reacted, he saw the fear on her face as he shifted and charged towards her but knew he didn’t have time to explain as he was running in the sewers his only thought was to get her to the hospital he kept repeating over and over, “Don’t let her die, don’t let her die.” When he got to the hospital he began yelling for help they looked at him strangely and one of the doctors came over to calm him down when Joyce passed out in his arms. “She just had brain surgery.”

He had told the doctor who said “Crap,” he looked at Joyce, began to perform CPR and yelled instructions to the staff, they had taken her away then and he knew all he could do was wait. He had then called the Watcher at the Magic Shop and left a message on the answering machine at the house.

When Rupert arrived and they found out Joyce was going to be ok Spike started to leave when Rupert stopped him, deciding the time to hide anything was past and told the Watcher the chip was gone to say he was shocked at the fact that he had already known and also believed him about loving Buffy and the shrine would have been an understatement. When Buffy had said what she said to the doctor he was again shocked but from what she said he also knew she had overheard his conversation with Rupert. When he kissed her it had taken every ounce of self-control he had not to push her against a wall and ravage her. When Dawn came over and hugged them both he returned the hug marveling at the rightness of having both his girls in his arms.

The doctor came in and sent the three of them to the cafeteria saying he needed to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Giles alone. Buffy asked him to stay close enough to hear and then tell them what was said which he agreed to do. The doctor had first asked if their marriage was real or one for the purposes of a green card. After being assured they were truly married he gave his reason for the question it seems that the chemicals released in the brain during a woman’s orgasm would help keep the blood flow even and that one of his prescriptions for when Joyce was to go home would be within the first 24 hours a minimum of ten orgasms followed by at least one in the morning and one in the evening for the next two weeks. He said if their marriage had not been real he would have prescribed a drug that had the same chemicals but that the naturally occurring ones were always better.


The doctor had then asked if he should prescribe the drug anyhow, Spike found himself very proud of his fellow Englishmen’s response. “I almost lose my beautiful, sexy wife, and am told not only can she come home tomorrow but in order to keep her healthy I have to make love to her until she is satisfied. And that I have to do it repeatedly, that is indeed a hardship; you do realize of course that is every man’s dream. Keep your drug we’ll go with the natural means.” Spike had then gone to the cafeteria and told the girls the doctor had just wanted to go over Joyce’s treatment when she got home no need to tell the girls about their parent’s sex life that was something private.

The girls told him about the father daughter dance at Dawn’s school on Saturday and how Joyce was going to chaperone. Now with her just coming home tomorrow their night would not be able to continue so they had come up with an alternate plan, which involved him. Buffy would take Joyce’s place and he would take Rupert’s as they knew he would be needed to see to Joyce, he smirked as he thought just how Rupert would be seeing to his wife.

When they returned to the room Dawn had huffed, “I don’t know why the doctor kicked us out, we made Spike stay and listen he told us the doctor had just gone over mom’s treatment when she got home.”

Joyce and Rupert had seemed shocked for a moment then Joyce calmly said, “Some doctors are like that they figure if too many people know they may hear different things and problems could occur.” A short time later Giles said he needed Spike’s help with something and left the girls with their mother ensuring them they would return shortly.

“Since you overheard the doctor’s prescription for Joyce, thank you for not being more specific with the girls by the way, I think I may need some mechanical help at least for tomorrow if you know what I mean.” He had said nervously.

“Well I did have to point out a police car outside to get Buffy to stop asking questions.”

“How?” Was all the shocked Watcher could manage.

“Buffy told me before the wedding when I mentioned you and Joyce needed privacy on your honeymoon. Relax Rupes; I haven’t told anyone and I know a place that has just what you need for your wife.”

Spike had taken him to a sex shop downtown and as they were looking at the selection trying to ascertain what would be best for Rupert to use on Joyce, came the statement from Rupert that had shocked Spike, not its content but the source from which it was coming. “There is no gentle or subtle way to put this, I’m only going to say it once, and I will deny I ever said it if asked. The first slayer was created using dark magics those are still inside every Slayer when one reaches Buffy’s age they search for a way to embrace it or find a way to die to avoid doing so. The only way throughout history one has been able to embrace it, stay alive, and still fulfill her calling is for her lover to dominate her in the privacy of their bedroom. As I said Buffy is getting to the point where she will need that when you begin that phase of your relationship make sure she gets it.” Then Rupert had made his selection and went to purchase the toys……

“Yum, brownies.” This came from his ladylove as she wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed him below the ear.

“Yes luv, just give me a minute to put them in the oven then I think we’re ready to sit down right Rupert.” Spike replied back to the present.

“Right and a fine job I think we did if I do say so.” Came the reply, they then gathered the salad and lasagna and went into the dinning room. Unlife was very good to Spike these days………….

Buffy looked up as her mother and sister came into the room and sat down on the couch next to her. She looked pointedly at her mother and said,”They’re right you know you need to relax.” At this Joyce rolled her eyes and started watching T.V. with her girls. Buffy smiled as she thought about the changes in her life and how a few months ago she would have never been here with this assortment of people for a family dinner. Her mom yes, but her sister who was in actually a mystical key had not existed for very long they figured about 5 or 6 months, her watcher was now her stepfather, and her boyfriend was not the safe ‘normal’ guy from Iowa but instead the bleached blond vampire who had been the thorn in her side and deepest secret crush since she first saw him. No things were vastly different from just a short time ago and she can even remember when they begun to change…………..

The vampire had almost killed her with her own stake, she had to know what she had done wrong. Riley had patched her up and said maybe he should go with her on patrols to watch her back. Thankfully she was prevented from answering that by Dawn bursting into her room, seeing the bandages, and threatening to tell mom. Riley patrolling with her would surely get her killed worrying about keeping him safe. She needed him safe, stable, normal, boring no wait not boring, alive you know with a heartbeat. She went to Giles and tried to find out how other slayers had been killed he said he had no real information as the watchers never seemed to write a full report it was probably too painful for them he had said. Buffy had to know so she decided to go to the only expert she knew on slayers’ deaths, the vampire who had killed two of them.

At the Bronze Spike had gone on about how he was always bad even when he was human, yet Buffy found she did not quite believe that. He had also said all slayers had a death wish and that he just happened to be the vamp there to find the two he did. She had wondered why he had been there, why as he admitted he was compelled to seek them out. Was it just as he said a challenge or was it something more? She knew he had wanted to kill her when he first came to Sunnydale, yet neither of them had tried too hard it’s like they didn’t really want each other dead, like they had another purpose to fulfill together, a destiny neither knew or understood yet.

During all of her contemplation he had continued talking and they had moved outside. She noticed he was leaning in to kiss her and she pushed him away and began to say hurtful things she couldn’t let him know she wanted his lips on hers she had a normal boyfriend. She had said the most hurtful thing she could think of, “You’re beneath me Spike.” She quickly turned and walked away an image of Spike naked beneath her as she rode him came to her mind. Bad Buffy.

By the time she got home Giles was waiting in her living room and her mother was upstairs packing to go to the hospital for overnight tests. Giles was going to give her a ride. Dawn was already asleep so when mom and Giles left she had just gone to sit on the back porch. She couldn’t lose her mom any more than she could Dawn. She had to protect them both, but how did she protect her mom from something inside her body, that’s when she felt him, she looked up and he was staring at her with a shotgun in his hand but he didn’t look ready to use it instead he came over and sat next to her on the porch step.

She just leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat that way for a long time. He didn’t try to find out what was wrong, didn’t offer false words of comfort didn’t do anything except let her lean on his shoulder and take what she needed from him. He was perfect for her that night, when she finally got up to go inside she realized she felt she could face what lay ahead now and whispered thank you to him so softly had he not been a vampire he would not have heard.

The next day Riley had come to the hospital while they were waiting for the test results and asked why she hadn’t called him he would have been there for her. Great just what she needed a guilt trip on top of everything else. She mumbled an I’m sorry and wrapped her arms around his middle he returned her embrace and she found herself wishing the body she was pressed against was cooler and not as tall.

As her mother grew worse before the surgery Riley kept trying to get her to lean on him. Didn’t he understand if she did that she would fall apart and not be able to protect Dawn? Spike, she would catch patrolling for her and when she confronted him his response would always be the same, “Just up for a spot of violence tonight.” He never brought up her mom, never pushed her there, just let her forget and be the slayer with a, formally evil now just annoying, vampire fighting by her side.

The night after her mother’s surgery she arranged for Dawn to stay with Xander and Anya maybe a night of romance would fix things with her and Riley. She had thought the evening went well the only bad thing was when Riley first arrived he said he may have to leave before she woke up, since he told her in advance she could deal with that. They had danced and kissed, then had sex it was slow and gentle and she had a nice quit orgasm, then they had both gone to sleep.

When she woke up a little later he was gone. “Damn need another orgasm to sleep.” She frowned slightly at herself never understanding her need to give a running commentary to herself when she masturbated but knew it helped her get off. She threw back the blankets and reached under the bed to her toy box. From that she extracted one of her favorite vibrators and turned it on the highest speed for both the shaft rotation and clitoral stimulator.

As she began to shove the vibrator in and out of her cunt and twist her nipples she began to imagine it was not her screwing herself silly on an electronic device but a certain someone pounding into her with super human force. As she was imagining she could almost feel the tingle in the pit of her stomach telling her Spike was nearby, that was new to her fantasies but it made things more intense so she pounded harder and harder until she came screaming so loud she thought she may wake the neighbors.

She quickly dropped the vibrator into the box and pulled out the butt plug with the handle so that she could fuck her own ass she needed that tonight, she still didn’t know what a real cock would feel like there and made a comment about it feeling her passion rise a notch. She was stroking her clit in time with the butt plug and came with a shudder.

She then pulled out her sleeping dildo and put it in, she wished she could sleep with an actual cock in her not this cheap plastic substitute. The one time she mentioned it to Riley he had been shocked, “Buffy don’t you know a guy is very aroused in the morning? You could find it painful and I might start to move before you’re awake because of how turned on I would be.”

She had just put on a shy smile and said, “Oh I didn’t realize.” What she really thought at the time was of course I know that you stupid prick a little pain and waking up getting fucked is what I wanted. She was also upset because it proved she could not mention any of her darker fantasies to him. Oh well this would have to do, it was just slightly larger than Riley, about the same size as Angel from what she remembered and much larger than Parker so to her it was a good size and felt nice.

The next night Riley said he may be able to come by but he wasn’t sure. So when she went to bed she debated but decided against using her toys. She had just drifted to sleep when she felt a presence she awoke quickly reaching for a stake, oh just Spike. “You know you risk all your parts when you come here like this don’t you.”

“Yeah well got something to...are you naked under there?” He then began to try and look down her sheet. Her thoughts quickly went down the path of letting him see and touch her then she pulled herself back she had a normal boyfriend after all and glared at him. He stopped trying to sneak a peak and said, “You need to see something get dressed I’ll wait downstairs.” With that he left her room. Why had him giving up so easily bothered her.

She had put on a sweat suit and Spike led her to a run down building there were not just people inside, but vamps. When they opened the door she looked around and witnessed people getting bitten but they appeared to be enjoying the experience. She looked at Spike ready to start slaying when he said, “Not here for any of this you need to come with me.”

Ok follow him don’t think of the double meaning there you have a normal boyfriend. She kept repeating the mantra as Spike opened an upstairs door for her to look into, or not so normal boyfriend there was Riley with a vampire sucking on his forearm and jerking on his cock. Then she heard him encourage her by saying, “Harder.” She looked on in horror wondering if he meant bite him harder or pull his dick harder then other emotions began to flood her system confusion, betrayal, disgust, hurt, and finally humiliation could she keep no man interested in her.


She turned and ran from the building wanting to put as much distance between herself and her not so normal boyfriend as possible. She had just reached outside when he caught her and turned her around, “Buffy let me explain.”

“Just stay away from me right now Riley.” She had responded and then easily pulled away from him and took off into the night. She ran home threw herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep what was wrong with her why did no man really want her.

The next day Buffy awoke angry. She went to Giles apartment Anya, Willow and Tara were there looking for more information on Glory. She asked Giles if he knew about the whorehouse he said no but that he was not surprised. Anya said it was actually very common, the only ones as upset as her in the room where Tara and Willow. She convinced everyone to go to the building with her they found it was empty she couldn’t let it go she saw an old camp stove against the window and smashed it into the floor setting the place ablaze as they left. Everyone wisely decided to let Buffy go off by herself, sensing she needed time alone.

She ended up back at the Magic Box beating on the heavy bag in the training room. She didn’t know how long she was there but when she heard someone behind her and looked up it was dark outside.

“Hey” was Riley’s way of greeting.

“What do you want?” She replied continuing her workout.

“Look at me.” He demanded

“I can’t right now.”

“Fine, then hit me do something” he said placing himself between her and the bag. Buffy turned and went to the practice dummy to continue beating something.

“You really don’t want me to do that.”

“Of course not that would mean you actually cared.” He replied bitterly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean I wasn’t the one getting suck jobs from two bit whores!”

No answer. “Why Riley just tell me why?”

“At first because I wanted to know what you saw in it, you let Angel and Dracula bite you I wanted to know the attraction. Then it was because they needed me, unlike you.”

“Angel was dying and I had no choice with Dracula, and as far as them needing you all they care about is the fresh blood.”

“Well it didn’t feel that way; they were always with me completely not holding anything back.”

“Unlike me right. Well let me tell you something I gave you everything I could give my heart, body, and soul. I have given you more than anyone else and you repay me by cheating.”

“It never felt that way. Listen maybe we can work this out but I have to know if we have a chance tonight. The military want me back and there is a helicopter leaving at midnight if we can’t do this than I am going to be on it.”

“That’s it forgive me or I’m leaving this is big Riley I need time.”

“You have until midnight, the helo is leaving from the park.” with that he turned and left the room.

Buffy spent the next several hours just walking around the city deep in thought. So much so that she did not notice the group of vampires until they had surrounded her. The leader spoke up, “Bad move burning down my place Slayer.”

“You really don’t want to do this.” She stated flatly.

That’s when they lunged at her. Ok so they chose to engage a pissed off slayer their funeral. She began to kick and punch spinning and connecting with them in turn. She had staked all but one and was going to give her a chance to run when she saw it was the whore who was sucking on Riley last night. Well she couldn’t kill him, his slut would do the vamp turned to run and Buffy threw the stake she had in her hand through her retreating back turning her to dust.

Xander came out of the shadows. "Hey, Buff I was going to offer you a hand then you grew an extra couple.”

“I had some frustration to vent. I really need to be alone now.”

“Yeah, well I just wanted to see if you needed someone to talk to.”

“You don’t know what’s going on.”

“Oh, so you and Riley aren’t imploding.”

“How did you know?”

“It’s not so hard to see.”

“He’s going back to the military tonight.”

“Are you going to let him?”

“He was cheating on me Xander. He was paying vampires to bite and jerk him off!!!”

Xander looked shocked, then spoke again, “Ok, but do you love him?”

“Didn’t you hear me he was cheating on me?”

“Yeah but if you think that maybe you can love him not just a casual love but an all consuming, gut wrenching painful, incredible, one of a kind love if you even think you can have that with him why are you letting him go?”

She just stared at him at that point confused and afraid was she losing her only chance at a normal healthy relationship.

He must have read her face because he just said, “Run.”

Before she knew what she was doing she took off at top speed toward the park she had to stop him. She couldn’t fail this time it was her only hope of a normal life. She ran through the park and started over the small bridge as the helicopter took off she tried to yell but he couldn’t hear her. Buffy numbly turned around and walked back home. The next day she went to the hospital and told her mother about everything mom just held her and let her cry. Giles was shocked but said nothing, and Dawn just said he never had been good enough for her.

A few days later she ran into Spike while on patrol. Just perfect she thought I’m sure he’ll love rubbing my face in this oh well best get it over with. “Hey what ya doing?” she asked hoping he would just answer and not say anything else.

“Figured you’d need to be working things out with your sweetie bear, so I’d patrol for you.” He had responded...was that bitterness she heard in his voice.

“Riley left. He went back to the army. Flew away in a helicopter I tried to stop him but was too late.” She was surprised how little saying it out loud actually affected her.

“Why?”

“I guess I ran too slow.”

“No, not why were you too late why did you try to stop him?” She had just shrugged in answer. “Was his apology that fantastic, I’m sorry by the way I’m going back to the army?” Buffy mumbled something she knew he couldn’t hear and hoped he’d just drop it. “What was that I didn’t hear you?” ok persistent as always.

“I said he didn’t exactly apologize.” Spike just stared at her at this statement. “What it’s not like I’m going to do any better. He knew who I was and was willing to put up with it. And… and he loved me and treated me nice and didn’t care that I was stronger than him and loved me. So there.” That sounded weak even to her ears.

“He loved you?”

“Yes” no need to let him know her doubts.

“That was a rhetorical question you stupid bint. How can you say he loved you? He cheated on you. Not only did he cheat on you he cheated on you with creatures it is your scared duty to kill. He let himself be a chew toy for a whore who could have killed or turned him at any moment. He put himself, you, your mum, and the bit in danger.” How did he always see through her and put everything into perspective. Not that she’d ever admit that to him. “That’s a question I do want an answer to.”

“He said he wanted to know what I saw in vampires with letting Angel and Dracula bite me. Said that I didn’t need him and they did and he wanted to feel needed.” Looking back she wondered how she had bought that.

“First, you let Angel bite you to save his life not get off; and Drac forced you to do it. Second it was not your job to make him feel needed. You say he accepted your strength yet he wanted you to make him feel needed. Did he ever make you feel needed? Needed in the I would do anything just to be in your presence for another second way? The I’m drowning in you, you’re all I think about way?” She looked at him and felt tears in her eyes no one would ever love her that much.

“No one has or will ever need me like that I just don’t inspire those feelings.” She then looked down trying to get her composure back and stop the tears, which had begun to fall.

Spike reached under her chin and lifted her head gently. “Everyone has someone like that. You just need to find yours. You are special and unique and a gift, don’t let anyone tell you different.” He then bent his head and kissed her gently on the lips, he pulled away too soon she was just beginning to enjoy it. “Never doubt what an incredible woman you are.” With that Spike turned and walked away she felt better and yet cheated.

The next few nights she ran into Spike on patrol but he never tried to kiss her again. I guess he was trying to cheer me up she had thought bitterly. When she told him about the wedding was the first time she laughed since Riley left. There was just something soo funny about the ‘Big Bad’ doubled over in laughter, at the police car incident, that she had to join him.

The day before the wedding he came to her, “I’ve got a special pressie for Joyce and Rupert.”

“What?” she was wary, he was practically bouncing on his toes with excitement while he spoke.

“I found a Bed & Breakfast not far from here where they can honeymoon. I’ve already taken care of everything all they have to do is show up don’t even have to pay for anything.”

“How are you paying for this and how did you find this place?”

“Got nothing better to do all day than look on the internet or watch TV; as for the dosh to pay I didn’t get it any illegal or immoral way you have my word.”

Strangely she believed him. “Ok let me talk to mom and Giles. I’ll let you know.”

Buffy was surprised how easy they both were to convince her mother believed Spike right away and if she was not mistaken Giles just put up a token resistance. When the rest of the gang found out there were problems, Dawn of course was great.

Anya was all, “it is very generous of Spike to give them such an expensive present.”

Willow and Tara both said they didn’t know what to think and that it was the bride and grooms’ decision.

Xander didn’t believe the money could have been gotten legally and thought it would be wrong to accept.

Joyce had squashed all objections though saying, “This is my wedding I almost died this year and I am accepting Spikes generous gift.” Her tone effectively silencing Xander.

The weekend of the wedding was all planed that night Dawn had arranged to stay with Janice so she would have the house to herself. Saturday night would be just Dawn, Willow, Xander and her, a core Scooby night and Dawn. Sunday everyone was going to the movies and then back home to await the newlyweds.

Friday night Buffy took a long hot bath, she combed her hair and as she turned to put on the sweat pants and light shirt she had brought in the bathroom with her to wear as pajamas but thought better of it she was after all alone in the house why not enjoy the privacy. She put on her thick terry robe over her nude body and went to her bedroom when she entered she felt tingles in her stomach but decided it was just in anticipation of what she was going to do so she took off her robe facing the window.

Then Buffy began to talk to herself as she walked toward her bed. “It’s been awhile. Tonight I think I need a little release.” She pulled her toy box out from under the bed and dumped the contents out. The first thing she picked up was a set of handcuffs, “Really want to use these someday…need someone to cuff me first though.” She only slightly tried to fight off the image of a bleached blond with deep blue eyes securing her to the headboard with them. Then she picked up a riding crop, “Need another person,” such long fingers for an average size man err…vampire wrapped around the handle, a feather tickler, “Another person,” going over her body while he gave a patented smirk, blindfold, “another person,” only being able to hear a sexy British accent, paddle, “another person,” muscles rippling while he spanked her ass, ball gag, “another person,” trying to scram around it as he plowed into her bringing her to one orgasm after another. As she was examining the toys to be used with someone else she put them away. “Now for the ones I bought I can actually use.” She picked up her clit stimulator with varying speeds she shook her head and put that away her sleeping dildo she laid on the nightstand. She then picked up her hot pink butt plug, “Not in the mood tonight, I still want the real thing.” A picture of Spike pounding into her ass while she fingered her clit came to mind as she put it back in the box along with three others of varying sizes.

She then moved through her collection of vibrators and was debating between two. She made her decision put the losing vibe away and replaced the box under the bed. The winner she turned on briefly and she watched the stimulator vibrate and the beaded shaft rotate she then arranged her pillows against the headboard and leaned on them. She turned the tool back on, all the way up and began to move it toward her now moist entrance; she began to impale herself on the shaft moaning wishing it was a pale cool cock instead. She continued to fuck herself pushing the vibrator in and out as fast as she could after she screamed her release she tossed the vibe in the box smiling, thinking I’ll clean it tomorrow like always, then she took the dildo off the nightstand inserted it, pulled the sheet over herself and closed her eyes.

The next night Willow and Xander arrived before sunset they were all laughing and debating on a movie when Dawn arrived home from Janice’s. Willow and Xander did not realize they acted different around Dawn as though they were afraid she would find something out. Dawn however, had begun to notice, as it had been going on for a while, so she confronted them. “Why do you act different around me lately?”

Both of them just giggled nervously and said they didn’t’. “Don’t lie, spill.”

Buffy was going to put an end to this before they blew everything, Dawn didn’t know who she was and if she had anything to say she would never know she was anything more than her sister. “Dawn, you need to apologize to Xander and Willow we do not treat guests that way.”

“They’re not guests, besides they’re lying to ME!!!”

“Dawn stop screeching and apologize NOW!”

“AND IF I DON’T?”

“MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST GO TO YOUR ROOM THEN!”

“FINE! BUT I WILL FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON.”

“YOU CAN COME OUT WHEN YOU APOLIGIZE AND START BEHAVING.”

“WHATEVER!” With that Dawn stomped up the stairs and slammed her door.

Buffy turned on Willow and Xander, “You two have to stop treating her different she is just the same as you remember.”

“But, Buffy those aren’t real memories.” Xander whined.

“What difference does that make now she is who she is. We need to treat her the same as always it’s the only way to protect her and let her have a normal life.”

“Yeah, but….”

“Xander, Buffy’s right,” Willow interrupted, “no matter how uncomfortable we may be Dawn would be even more so if she found out. We have to treat her like always for her sake.”

“Ok should we go get her?” He asked.

“No. We would not have gone after her any other time we need to let her sulk.” Buffy said. They then went on with their night and watched the first movie of the evening. After that was over Buffy and Willow went into the kitchen to start making dinner snacks for the next movie.

Buffy decided to extend an olive branch to Dawn at this point and shouted up the stairs. “Dawn, we’re getting ready for movie two and snacks why don’t you come join us.”

Buffy heard the phone ring and Xander answer with, “Spike, listen bleach boy, now’s not a good time Buffy’s having fun with her friends and...” he paused suddenly, “Whatever…hey Buffy its deadboy jr and he’s being a jerk…can I hang up on him.”

She didn’t know why but she felt she needed to talk to him so she said, “No thanks Xander I got it in the kitchen... Spike we were having movie night what do you want?” She had asked curtly.

“She knows.” Spike ground out on the other end of the line.

“What are you talking about? Who knows what?” Please don’t let him be talking about Dawn she’s sulking in her room.

“Dawn knows. No she is not upstairs sulking in her room, she snuck out. I found her and went with her. She dragged me to the Magic Box determined to find out why everyone was treating her weird. We went through the Watcher’s diaries. She knows. I tried to calm her down and take her home but while I thought she was calming down in the bathroom she snuck out I don’t know where she is I’ll start looking as soon as I hang up but figured you should know.”

Buffy stared at the phone then dropped it and ran upstairs to Dawn’s room she had to see for herself. “Oh God no!” She had to keep it together and start looking for her sister.

“What’s wrong?” Xander and Willow asked in unison.

“Dawn knows, she snuck out, went with Spike to the Magic Shop, broke in and found Giles diaries. He doesn’t know where she is now she snuck away from him we need to start looking for her now.” Just as they were getting ready to go out the front door the phone rang again she ran to it hoping Dawn was calling her to come get her. It was Ben the nice intern who helped her mom during her surgery. “Hi Ben, look now is not a good time.”

“I know, your sister is here and I thought you would want to know.”

“Oh, thank goodness can you keep her there I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She hung up the phone, “she’s at the hospital let’s go.”

When they arrived at the hospital they saw Spike standing there. Xander of course started immediately, “What are you doing here bleached boy?”

Spike ignored him and said to Buffy, “She’s inside I can smell her.”

“Yeah well maybe….”

“Xander stop.” Buffy interrupted him, “Spike’s just trying to help.” She turned to Spike and said, “Thank you Spike. One of the interns, who helped take care of mom called and said she was here. I think we can take it from here.” She wanted him to stay but knew it would be trouble with Xander and didn’t have the energy to deal with that and the problems she knew she was about to have with Dawn. Buffy hoped he could read this in her eyes at first he seemed hurt than he seemed to understand. Before turning to walk away he whispered to her, “Good Luck.”

They went into the hospital and made their way to the employee locker room where they were told Ben was, what they saw turned Buffy’s blood cold. Dawn was cowering in a corner staring at Glory who was threatening her, trying to find out where the key was. “Get the hell away from my sister!” Buffy had shouted.

“I think I may have finally found what I need to get you to talk” the Hell God had said as she reached for Dawn. Buffy rushed at her pushing her in the corner, Xander went to shield Dawn, and Willow began to cast a spell. None of it was needed it turned out all the noise they made brought the attention of the hospital staff and several security officers came running.

Glory looked at them and said, “You’re lucky I don’t want extra attention right now.” She then fought her way past the security guards who followed her down the hall Buffy had been cut and everyone was concerned about her she told the others she would be ok and asked them to wait outside while she talked to Dawn.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dawn had accused.

“Doesn’t make any difference.”

“How can you say that I’m not real?!”

“To me you are.” Then Buffy noticed that Dawn was bleeding too so she reached forward and grabbed her wounded arm, holding it next to her own wound. “You may not have come into this world by the usual means but you see this blood it’s just like mine Summers’ blood. You are my sister and I love you with everything I have. Mom loves you, Giles loves you, Willow and Xander love you, and Spike loves you too. Never doubt any of us or our love for you.” At that Dawn had cried while Buffy just held and rocked her. When Willow and Xander came back they helped them clean their wounds and bandage up they then drove them home promising to come by tomorrow around 2pm for a movie out with everyone as planned.

They went upstairs Buffy felt the tingle in her stomach that told her Spike was near she smiled to herself knowing he had come by to make sure Dawn was ok. As they were going to bed Dawn turned to her and apologized for being a pain Buffy told her what else are little sisters for then she repeated part of Spike’s speech to her after her break up with Riley remembering how good it had made her feel. Dawn smiled, gave her a hug and went to bed.

Buffy was not ready to face Spike yet and decided to take a shower. While in the shower she thought about the vampire waiting in her room and smiled wishing she could ask him to wash her back among other things. She quickly brought her thoughts back under control he didn’t feel that way about her or else he would not have stopped kissing her that night he gave her the speech she just repeated to Dawn.

She finished her shower and put on the sweat pants and tank top from last night and walked across the hall to her room. She didn’t look at Spike, though she knew he was lying on her bed. She pulled her heavy blanket from the closet and secured it over the window she didn’t want to wake up next to a pile of dust if he agreed to stay. She went to the foot of her bed and even without looking up could tell he was looking at her with a raised eyebrow she sighed and said, “Thank you for everything tonight…can you stay I just kinda need someone to hold me right now.” Then she looked at him for the first time since she entered the room. He stood up, removed his duster, kicked off his boots and laid back down on the bed with his arms out to her. Buffy crawled into his embrace and pillowed her head on his shoulder.

That’s when he finally spoke, “I could have stopped this from happening like that if I’d known.”

“I know.”

“She was going to find out but it could have been done better.”

“I know.”

“You might want to do something to get her to feel part of a real family now like a family night once a week just you, her, Joyce and Rupert NO Scoobys.”

“Spike.”

“Yes”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

“Ok Slayer.” With that they had both closed their eyes went to sleep.

The next morning Buffy awoke and wondered why her pillow was so firm and she felt so comfortably surrounded by muscle then she remembered Spike had stayed and snuggled into his chest trying to fight the arousal she felt at waking in his arms. She felt Spike brushing a lock of her hair off her face when the door burst open, “Hey Buffy….SPIKE!!!!” Dawn stopped mid sentence and just stared.

“Dawn what are you doing in my room?” Buffy asked as she snuggled deeper into Spike’s embrace.

Dawn for her part smiled shook her head and came over to sit on the side of the bed. “I just came to see what you wanted to do for breakfast or brunch before mom and Giles got home. What’s Spike doing in your bed?”

She snuggled closer and said, “Mr. Silent in the Mornings, here was worried about you last night after you snuck out on him and came to make sure you were ok. I, after being so worried about you when he told me you disappeared, by yourself, at night, in Sunnydale…even after we send Glory to hell, you don’t do that in this town waaay too dangerous… needed someone to hold me last night. Spike agreed to and then scolded me for not telling him about everything.”

“Ay, I don’t scold I was jus sayn.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever.” That’s when three stomachs giving loud growls interrupted
them. They had stared at each other and begun laughing.

“Well obviously we all need to eat. What time is it?” Buffy had been the first to stop laughing.

“About 11:30.” Dawn replied.

“No wonder we’re so hungry. How about we fix breakfast here I may not be able to do much but I make mean scrambled eggs with cheese.” Buffy had said sitting up and suddenly feeling incomplete no longer being in Spike’s strong arms.

“I can do the pancakes…as long as you have the ingredients.” Spike had toned in. Both girls looked at him and stared before nodding.

Dawn then whined. “I guess I can’t do anything, never really learned to do anything.”

“Dawn, stop it you are real and you do know how to do things. First you can take a quick shower and get dressed. Then come downstairs and set the table, pour the drinks and heat up the blood mom has in the back of the fridge for when Spike comes by.”

Dawn had brightened at that, then the teenager kicked in she rolled her eyes and said an exasperated, “Yes mother.” Before scooting off to the bathroom. Buffy wondered why it felt so right to hear Dawn call her that.

Buffy just finished the eggs when Dawn came down. Buffy put the eggs in the oven as Spike was still working on the pancakes said she’d be back down in a minute. When Buffy got upstairs she quickly went to the phone in her room and called Xander before he left his apartment. “Hi!” Xander had greeted.

“Hey, Xan I’m glad I caught you before you left, I’m not sure you coming over would be good idea I think Dawn and I need some sister time today you know.” She couldn’t very well say she was looking forward to an afternoon with just Dawn and Spike like a real family could she.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes can you call Willow and Tara?” She had asked.

“Of course. Is it ok if we just go to the movie without you?”

“Sure.” She said trying to hold in her enthusiasm, they said goodbye, got dressed and she went downstairs.

When she got downstairs she smiled at Dawn and Spike, they ate, laughed and generally enjoyed just being together like a real family Buffy could not remember when she had been so happy. Spike had left just before Mom and Giles were due home, saying when they arrived it should be family time Buffy couldn’t help wishing he considered himself part of the family.

Things did not go well when Mom and Giles arrived both told Dawn she should never doubt their feelings then Giles took off for the Magic Box. He got home just before Dawn was supposed to go to bed when the fight broke out. Just as things were getting out of hand she remembered Spike’s suggestion of a family night and brought it up at first it looked like no one wanted to do it, then they all said it was a great idea and agreed Monday night would be best as that was the slowest night at both the Magic Box and the gallery. She decided to go over and thank Spike for the idea after classes tomorrow.

It was raining so Buffy used the sewers to get to the lower level of his crypt. As she approached the entrance she stopped and stared he was lying in bed and it looked like he was smelling something a shirt maybe.

Then she noticed the sheet begin to form a tent over his crotch. She really should let him know she was here just as she was ready to call out he threw the sheet off himself and she stopped. All the moisture in her body seemed to have relocated to inside her panties so she wet her lips and just stared at the perfection that was Spike naked and hard.

He licked his hands and slowly began to stroke his magnificent cock with one while with the other he fondled his balls. Buffy was transfixed his cock was at least 11 inches long and a good 3 inches thick. Wow and all these years she thought he was somehow faking his endowment now she wondered how he had kept all that so well hidden in his tight jeans.

By now he was pulling faster and harder on his dick and Buffy was wishing it could be her pleasuring him. As he speed up he began to moan, “Yeah baby…ughh. …just like that ……… ahh……….so tight……….ummm…you feel so good………….” He was imagining he was with someone, probably Drusilla she thought bitterly but decided to enjoy the show pretending he was thinking of her.

That’s when he roared his final release she stood transfixed as streams of white cum shot a good foot in the air when she had done that to Riley once he barely got an inch away from the tip. She wondered what it would feel like to have that powerful a jet of semen flooding her mouth, cunt or ass. With those thoughts she turned and ran home knowing the house would be empty she ran to her room and pulled her largest vibrator from her box and masturbated replaying the scene she had just witnessed. She came so hard she almost passed out and had just enough time to put herself in order before everyone got home.

The first family diner went great although Buffy couldn’t help feeling something was missing. She ran into Spike Tuesday on patrol and while hopeing she wasn’t too red trying not to think of him naked, thanked him for the family night idea saying how everyone had really liked it. She admitted not giving him credit for the suggestion and he said it was ok he was just glad they did it. She almost told him when it was then decided against it.

They enjoyed the usual night of killing demons and talking then went their separate ways. As soon as Buffy got to her room she striped out of her patrol clothes and went to the bed reaching for her toy box as she was in the middle of thrusting one of her favorite vibes in and out of herself she could have sworn she felt Spike’s presence so she speed up her movements.

After she came with a shudder she replaced the vibrator back in the box and reached for her sleeping dildo she looked at it this time and wondered what it would be like to have Spike inside her while she slept she couldn’t help the unfavorable comparison and thought about upgrading. She shook her head and shrugged never gonna have the real thing he doesn’t think of you that way or he would have made a move by now. She interested the dildo and went to sleep.

The next day she couldn’t help but sneak into Spike’s crypt when he should be waking about 1pm and sure enough he was again pulling on his magnificent dick she was mesmerized and waited…he shot his load just as high in the air. She had begun to talk herself into believing she was imaging the distance and apparent force. Again she ran home to her empty house for an intense session of her own.

That night when they patrolled they talked and joked as usual when she went home she was too tired from earlier and the slaying to do anything but go to sleep. When she went to his crypt the next day she was disappointed that he just got out of bed and went to take a shower. That night when she got home after patrol with him she just had to bring herself off and she again was sure she had felt him almost from the beginning, which of course made it more intense. The next day she snuck to his crypt and was rewarded by seeing him jerk off. She then of course ran home to find her own release.

She didn’t see him again until Tuesday and of course masturbated when she got home feeling him. Wednesday she arrived at his crypt to see him pulling his cock and realized a pattern she did not bother sneaking to his crypt Thursday but knew Friday would be great except when she arrived on Friday not only was he not jerking off and thinking of her the night before (this was her favorite fantasy while watching him) his bed did not even look slept in she wondered if she should be worried then just got angry thinking he had found someone to shove his shaft into.

When Dawn came running home that afternoon she realized she should have been worried, Dawn said Spike was going to help her with a report on the Boxer Rebellion I mean how many other students got a first person account and his crypt looked as though a hurricane hit it. When everyone arrived at the crypt they agreed with Dawn’s assessment than Anya found a piece of robe from one of Glory’s minions.

Xander was quick with the we have to get to him before he tells her who Dawn is, Buffy did not believe this for a second but figured it was the best way to get everyone’s help so she went with it. They had contacted Tara who was on Glory watch that night and had her sneak a little closer and do a little spell so that they could make sure Dawn would not be betrayed.

With Tara and Willow working together they were able to amplify the spell so that everyone could see and hear what was happening. Everyone was shocked at the abuse Spike took to protect Dawn and sped their pace in case he was unable to hold out; they got there just as he had fallen out of the elevator and landed at Tara’s feet, they fought off the minions and Xander and Giles helped Spike home.

They sent Anya to find out why he had not told Glory the truth and when she came back everyone was willing to just let it go except Xander, Anya then put an end to his nonsense though and they began to set a schedule to go take Spike fresh blood to help him heal. Over the weekend they all took turns looking in on him except Dawn everyone agreed she did not need to see his beaten body. Then on Monday as they were getting ready for diner the doorbell rang Dawn answered, “Spike,” she squealed, “oh my gosh you look horrible. What are you doing out of bed.”

Buffy heard him chuckle and took off for the living room not sure if she was more angry or concerned he was out of bed so soon. “Thought I’d come get big sis for a patrol tonight.”

“Well, it’s family dinner night Spike.” Buffy bit out. “Dawn’s right you should still be in bed you’d get us both killed if you patrolled with me tonight. Go home and go back to bed, before I drag you there myself.” To rest and recover not ravish.

“If you want to get me to bed all you have to do is ask.” He responded was that an eyebrow wiggle hard to tell with the damage still evident on his face.

Buffy turned red and rolled her eyes. Giles then surprised everyone by inviting Spike to stay, over the next few weeks the pattern was established for Buffy, Monday family dinner including Spike, Tuesday patrol with Spike and masturbate thinking about Spike, Wednesday watch Spike jerk off run home and masturbate patrol bed, Thursday patrol think about Spike and masturbate Friday watch him run home and wish. The weekends were spent with her friends and were beginning to include Spike, Xander and he were even forming a grudging friendship based on the need to counteract all the estrogen that surrounded them.

Then everything turned upside down it was the week they forgot to invite him to dinner they had that conversation about horror movies and she realized she was a hypocrite she secretly watched Spike twice a week. She decided to go over the next day and tell him the truth about her activities as well as her growing feelings for him. She knew she wouldn’t interrupt anything it was after all Thursday, when she called out she heard the water running downstairs and decided to go and wait for him when she arrived on the lower level she froze.

There in front of her appeared to be a shrine to her with pictures, drawings, and the blue sweater she kept accusing Dawn of taking. The drawings were magnificent but weren’t of her she was not that beautiful, wait is this how he saw her was he that much in awe of her. No that’s impossible no one feels like that for her. She thought back to the speech when Riley left did he care for her like that, no everyone left her.

When he came out of the shower and saw her standing there she saw the panic in his eyes and attacked it was her best defense. When he said he loved her she almost backed down and threw her arms around him but if she did that he would leave just like the rest of them. When he admitted he had been watching her she had been both thrilled and appalled she told him she couldn’t trust him and left.

While she was walking home she realized she was doing the same thing to him maybe she should give him a chance it did look like he was taking it down…or putting it up, no, men did not treat her or think of her as Spike was saying he did they just didn’t. When her mom had taken his side she ran to her room and cried mostly from the thought that mom was right and Spike was being honest with her but she couldn’t let herself be hurt like that again she wasn’t strong enough for that.

Buffy got home the next day and heard Spike’s voice on the answering machine, “Joyce is in the hospital you better come.”

She called Xander to have him pick up Dawn at school and headed to the hospital. Buffy got there in time to hear the entire conversation between Giles and Spike and realized Spike was right, as always, she was scared. Dawn and Xander came in just then so she thanked Xander told him mom was going to be ok from what she knew but that the ward was family only so could he let everyone else know while she and Dawn went to see their mother he said sure.

When they walked in the room mom was just thanking Spike, after Giles told them what happened Dawn started over to him then that annoying doctor came in, well no time like the present Buffy thought. “He’s my boyfriend, doesn’t that count.” She had said, that felt so right, so did the kiss.

Buffy knew she told him with her word choice when Dawn asked if she was serious that she had eavesdropped. The real doctor then came and shooed them away they had Spike do some listening while they went to the cafeteria. “So much for a normal school dance for me.” Dawn had sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, tomorrow is the father-daughter dance at school Giles was going to take me. Mom was going to chaperone and we were going to do a whole day to remember on Sunday, guess that’s out now.”

Buffy suddenly got an inspiration, “I’ve got a better idea why don’t I chaperone, and we talk Spike into stepping in for Giles, you’ll have the sexiest dad there. Then the three of us can spend Sunday together.”

“OK soo not how I think of Spike but it sounds good think he’ll go for it?”

“In a second.” She laughed they continued to talk and plan til Spike got there.

He was being evasive about what the doctor said Buffy was about to press him further when he pointed out the window and said very pointedly, “Look at that nice police car think it’s new.”

Dawn had stared at him, said, “I don’t know.” And continued talking Buffy immediately decided she didn’t want to know the doctors prescription.

After Giles and Spike came back from wherever they had gone Dawn and Buffy went home. Buffy knew she couldn’t leave Dawn so she and Spike had said their goodbyes at the hospital. When she went to bed she felt that familiar tingle and decided to give her new beau a good show.

She could tell he enjoyed it when she heard the splatter on the window but he had gone knowing like her their first time would not be quiet and would require at least 24hours of private time. The next evening during the dance she admitted to Spike he had not been the only one watching over the past several weeks he had just smirked and asked if she had liked what she saw. “Do you remember the night I shook my head and shrugged at my sleeping dildo?”

“Is that what you call that damned lucky piece of plastic? And yes I do.”

“Yes that’s what I call it and I was comparing it to you. It did not compare favorably.” He smirked leaned in and said good. That had been a good night they had laughed and talked and danced all three of them. Then instead of taking them back to his crypt or their house he took them to a hotel saying Joyce and Rupert needed to be alone and he was going to treat his ladies.

They had all fallen asleep on the king size bed in sweat pants and tank tops. Dawn lay between them and for the first time since she could remember everything felt perfect to Buffy. When they woke the next morning Dawn went to take her shower first and Buffy and Spike just held each other and talked they avoided the subject of sex with Dawn just in the other room. Then after they had taken separate turns in the shower they went to brunch and spent the daylight hours in the hotels game room.

Spike had taken them home and then left she had not seen him again until he showed up tonight ready to help Giles with dinner he had greeted her with a passionate kiss and whispered, “I plan on kissing your other lips soon sweats.” Remembering how hot that made her she got up and went into the kitchen to find her soon to be lover…