The quiet reassuring beeps of the machines were Willow’s current lifeline; they and the hand she clung to desperately kept her anchored in a world that had suddenly become terrifyingly uncertain. Xander was alternating between blind panic and macho reassurance, neither of which were doing much to calm Willow’s frazzled nerves. The doctors had worked on Giles for hours; he had been given a blood transfusion, and the worried teenagers had been informed that it was now a matter of waiting for him to regain consciousness. The two teenagers had sat with him for the last several hours, Willow stationed diligently by his side, clinging fast to his hand and willing him to open his eyes with her every thought. Xander, unable to stand the tension in the room and not exactly good at waiting, would sit for a while before wandering the halls in search of vending machines or other distractions.
 
Xander didn’t cope well with sick people, and to see Giles lying there looking so completely helpless unnerved him more than he cared to admit. There were certain constants in his life, and he needed them all. Willow would always be his friend. His parents would always suck, big-time. Buffy would always be the Slayer and would protect them from the evil things of this world. And Giles… Giles would always be strong and brave and would always know exactly what to do in every situation. The latter of those certainties had been severely challenged within a single day, with Buffy’s death and Giles’ incapacity, and the resulting effect was that he was left feeling more scared and lost than he could remember feeling in a very long time.
 
*****
 
Buffy had a moment of complete disorientation upon waking, a moment that increased in length once she realised that she was in strange surroundings and curled around a strong male body. What? Where? Then she remembered. An unneeded breath caught in her throat. I’m a vampire… Oh god, I’m a vampire. What am I gonna do? Mommy…  I want my…well, at least I don’t want to kill her. That has to be good, right? But why don’t I? Angel said that all vampires do. She looked down at the man—no, vampire… he was a vampire like her—sleeping peacefully beside her. He was her Sire… well, not technically, but he felt like her Sire, and… wow was he gorgeous. Her eyes ran hungrily over the sharp planes of his face, the long thick eyelashes brushing against his cheek, the curls loosened by sleep that her fingers longed to play with.
 
He had been so good to her, this stranger; he had taken her under his wing, caring for her when she was lost and scared. He had given her his blood, Sire’s blood, when she was hungry and had kept her safe from the sunlight and her own stupidity. She thought guiltily about the fight they’d had and how he had stopped her and put her in her place; but then, afterwards, he had been so gentle with her, tender and caring. It had felt so good going to sleep wrapped around him, just knowing that she was safe and that he would look after her. Being a vampire was so far nothing like she had imagined it would be. The horror stories she had heard from both her Watcher and Angel had her convinced that vampires were pure evil and cared for nothing and no one, that they were completely driven by selfish desires and bloodlust, and yet this vampire had taken her under his wing when he’d had no need to. He could just as easily have killed her, or left her to fend for herself in the harsh and suddenly frightening real world. Instead, he had been kind and loving and protective, and it felt so good just being near him—it felt safe, peaceful even. She didn’t have to fight off uncontrollable urges to go and kill her family and friends; in fact, the only time she had had any loss of control was when she had been so hungry, but Spike had fed her and once she was full she was fine again.
 
Her eyes wandered once more to the blonde vampire in question, eagerly absorbing every detail. He was slim, but in no way skinny; she could see the lines of his muscles under his oh-so-tight t-shirt, and she knew that he was seriously well-built despite his lean frame. His face was gorgeous; when he was awake, it was handsome, but now, when he lay still, relaxed and sleeping, it was simply beautiful. She allowed her eyes to travel lower, taking in the strong abdominals rippling below his shirt, the slim waist, the…
 
Her thoughts were interrupted by a dry chuckle and a warm, molten-chocolate voice still husky from sleep. “See something you like, pet?”
 
With a start, she dragged her eyes away from the very obvious bulge in his jeans and up to the mischievous blue eyes laughing up at her.
 
“I... um…” Buffy faltered, not knowing how to voice the feelings he was stirring in her.
 
“C’mere, pet,” he invited, still chuckling softly. He held his arm out, urging her to him.
 
Buffy hesitated for only a second and then moved to slip into his arms, welcoming his touch as he pulled her close to his body and snuggled her in against his side. His head tilted slightly as he looked at her, almost as though he were trying to solve a puzzle. He smiled gently and reassuringly before slowly leaning in to capture her lips with his. The kiss was beyond chaste, was really just the barest whisper of a touch, but still it sent shocks racing through her body, making her ache for more. Spike’s arm tightened slightly around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, and he took her soft moan as all the encouragement he required to continue.
 
When her tongue tentatively traced his bottom lip, he groaned hungrily and parted his lips to allow her the access that she had silently requested. Her timid explorations were exciting him more than he would have imagined possible, and he responded with gentle explorations of his own in reply. His hands traced her body, stroking her back, tangling in the long golden waves of her hair, reaching down to cup her bum and pull her closer still. He crushed her against him in an effort to ease some of the need in his aching cock. He felt her slight recoil when her body encountered the erection that was straining to break free from the confines of his jeans and broke from her lips to soothe her gently. Pressing his lips against her ear, he murmured softly, “’S alright ,love. Nothing has to happen that you don’t want to. We’ll just take it nice an’ slow.”
 
Buffy moved closer to her proxy sire’s gorgeous body, desperately wanting to show him that she was more than ready and that ‘slow’ was the last thing she was interested in. She hadn’t meant to flinch away; it wasn’t that she didn’t want him, or that she was scared—she just hadn’t expected him to be so… well, big. The feel of it had given her a momentary start, but now that the initial shock was over all she wanted was to get closer to his beautiful body. His lips and hands were working together to send her senses into rapid overload; the gentle slide of his tongue, the soft lips caressing hers, and the long cool fingers tracing fire across her body were combining to drive her insane with need.
 
Spike’s fingers slid below the hem of her shirt, trailing gently over the soft skin of her back before sliding around to the front and slowly easing his way up from her waist to cup one small, soft breast. His thumb flicked gently across her lace-covered nipple, repeating the action once more when she gasped and then moaned with pleasure as she arched her back to press herself more firmly into his hand. He smiled at her reaction to his touch and gently pinched the eager flesh between his thumb and forefinger in reward, eliciting further moans and whimpers of delight from the girl at his side as she pressed ever closer to him. He quickly divested her of her flimsy top and reached down to trace the lacy patterns of her bra with his lips and teeth, his tongue flicking out to tease her aching nipple before catching it in his teeth and squeezing gently before soothing once more with gentle licks. His fingers worked the clasp of the garment, and he slowly lowered the pristine white lace to reveal the soft golden skin of her breasts, the dusky pink areolas puckered tightly as her nipples reached for further contact with her lover’s talented mouth.
 
At her eager response to his caresses, lying on his side Spike drew Buffy’s leg up and over his hip, cupping her bum and stroking the soft curves before pulling her body tighter against his. All the while, his mouth continued to exert wicked torture upon her sensitive nipples. This time, when his straining erection came in contact with her moist centre she didn’t flinch away; instead, she tried to enhance the feeling and tentatively moved against him. The obvious pleasure he derived from her movements, as well as the exquisite sensations they caused in her own aching flesh, encouraged Buffy to bolder experimentation; she ground harder against him, gasping in delight as her clit rubbed against the rough denim covering his incredibly hard cock.
 
She had to touch him, to feel his body. She grasped the hem of his t-shirt and pushed it upwards urgently, her hands desperate to get to the skin below. With a pleased chuckle at her obvious need, Spike released the nipple he had been happily suckling on and pulled his shirt over his head, moaning happily as her hands laid claim to his newly-exposed flesh. His continued attention to her breasts, his hands that were leaving trails of fire wherever they touched, and the pulsing need at her core as she ground herself against her Sire’s erection had Buffy floating somewhere above herself, keening in delight and desperate need. She was lost in a delirious miasma of pleasure that seemed to grow greater, more all-encompassing, by the moment. He closed his blunt human teeth down sharply on the over-sensitised nipple he had been worrying with his tongue, sending her body racing over the edge into wave after wave of blinding orgasm as he worked her body to extend her pleasure. His hips bucked towards her, and he rubbed his hard-on against her as he sought to not only increase her enjoyment but also to ease some of the desperate ache continuing to build in his own body.
 
Her desperate gasps for unneeded breath slowed, and her pleasure glazed eyes focused once more upon his. Spike reached for the zip of her skin-tight pants, his own need building to an unbearable level; he peeled the pants off her, leaving her clad only in a delicate scrap of perfect white lace. He pushed her onto her back and moved down her body to settle between her thighs; reaching out with his tongue, he traced the outline of her outer lips through the thin fabric and gloated as she bucked upwards and began to pant again. The taste and scent of her assaulted his senses and he couldn’t stop the hungry groan that passed his lips, the sound vibrating against her and causing a fresh flood of juices to further soak her panties.
 
With tongue and teeth he launched his attack, driving her rapidly to the brink of orgasm but never quite allowing her over that edge. After what seemed an eternity of torture, he grasped the fabric in his teeth and tore the panties from her body. His face hovered a fraction of an inch from her now-exposed pussy as he breathed deeply, inhaling the rich musky scent of her need before exhaling a long cool breath across her throbbing clit. He reached out to lap tenderly at her, tasting her arousal as his tongue dipped between her folds and then delved eagerly into her depths. Her moans increased in urgency, her body writhing in pleasure under his expert ministrations.
 
Buffy’s fingers entwined in his hair, desperately holding him to her, seeking greater contact as he drove her to the brink of orgasm over and over again, all the while cruelly withholding the final release. Her whimpers reached fever pitch and he finally took pity on her, suckling and nibbling on her throbbing clit as he gently inserted two fingers into her slick passage, seeking out and finding her sweet spot. Her hips rose urgently in time with the thrust of his fingers; when he bit down sharply on her clit with his blunt human teeth, her body exploded, her inner walls clenching and unclenching around his fingers as her hips bucked wildly against him.
 
He marvelled at her responsiveness; the power of her orgasm had almost had him coming in his pants, something he had not done in a bloody long time, thanks ever so! As her tremors quietened, he withdrew his drenched fingers and licked them clean, savouring the taste of her juices before lowering his head to lap gently at the source for a few more moments. Spike rose from his position between her still-faintly quivering thighs to quickly divest himself of his jeans and finally allow his aching cock to spring free. Climbing back onto the sarcophagus, he crawled predatorily up her body to seize her mouth in a searing kiss as he settled between her legs, the head of his cock nestled in the damp curls of her sex. With a slight twist of his hips he brought himself to her entrance and in one quick thrust drove into her depths. Her tight walls closed around his cock and he moaned hungrily as the scent of her maiden’s blood combined with the heady aroma of her come to assail his senses.
 
Buffy felt a moment of exquisite pain as her lover forced his way through the delicate barrier, ripping it away as he filled her completely. Once inside her, he rested for a moment, allowing them both to savour the feel of each other, and her body adjusted rapidly to his sudden invasion. When he began to thrust slowly and deeply within her she quickly took up the rhythm he was setting, meeting him thrust for thrust and delighting in the sensations he was awakening in her. Her hands roamed hungrily over his body as he devoured her mouth with bone-melting kisses.
 
She gasped in surprise when he locked his arms around her body and quickly flipped them over, bringing her to rest on top of him. At his urging she sat straddling him, her hands resting on his chest, his cock embedded deeply within her and his hands grasping her hips firmly, guiding her actions until she caught on and kept the pace and rhythm for herself. Her control of the movement allowed his hands to roam across her body, and he traced her flesh avidly, stroking the soft underside of her breasts and cupping them gently. He worshipped her breasts, taking one in each hand and rubbing his thumbs roughly across her hardened nipples, making her cry and whimper with need. Spike propped himself up on his elbows, driving his cock deeper into Buffy and allowing him to briefly capture her nipple in his mouth with each forward rock of her hips.
 
Her pleasure mounted as her orgasm rapidly approached, and her movements became erratic as she gasped for unneeded breath. Spike dropped his hands once more to her hips to guide her, setting a faster pace and twisting his hips so that he rubbed against her clit with each thrust. Her soft velvet walls fluttered around him, and her eyes glazed over as she became lost in the oblivion of ecstasy. With a ragged whimper she clamped her thighs tightly around his hips, locking him to her as she bucked and moaned above him, her inner walls milking his cock as her orgasm ripped through her.
 
With a last desperate thrust, Spike gasped out “Buffy” as his own pleasure overwhelmed him and shot his seed into her welcoming depths. She collapsed onto his chest, breathing rapidly despite her body’s lack of need. His own breaths echoed hers as he nuzzled tenderly into the golden waves of her hair, wrapping his arms around her and gathering her close while planting gentle kisses on the top of her head and murmuring soft words attesting to her beauty and sweetness. For the first time in a long while, Spike was truly happy, and this tiny girl lying peacefully in his arms was the reason why. He smiled tenderly against her hair and marvelled at how good it felt to be wanted.
 
*****
 
Xander wandered through the halls, avoiding, for as long as possible, having to return to Giles’ room to watch the man lie helplessly in bed. He procrastinated in order to avoid the machines beeping and blinking, to avoid looking on while Willow held desperately to a hand that was supposed to be strong, which was supposed to be protecting them. A hand that instead lay limply in the hand of a terrified fifteen-year-old girl who muttered soft words of encouragement as she tried to remain strong in the face of the fear and grief which threatened to overwhelm her. Without Giles and Buffy, who could shield them from the reality of horrors plucked directly from the mind and given flesh to run loose amid Sunnydale’s terrified citizens?
 
Xander watched the chaos that resulted as doctors, nurses and patients alike succumbed to their worst nightmares. Not everyone was affected, but those who were ran screaming up the halls or cringed in a corner, arms wrapped protectively around themselves as they rocked and whimpered, lost in a nightmare world filled with terrors of their own creation.
 
tbc