Claimed
A/N: Set one week after "Something Blue," only Spike and Buffy managed to claim each other before the spell could end.
XXX
Willow sighed and picked up another donut from the box on the coffee table in Giles' living room. She absentmindedly picked at the sprinkles on top of the donut while she let the giant book in her lap fall to the floor. The front door slammed, startling her out of her revelry and she hastily picked up the book and resumed her studying.
"Agent Harris reporting for duty, Sir!" Xander mocked a salute as he crashed on the couch next to Willow. He picked up her discarded donut and took a large bite. "How goes research?" he asked, shooting out bits of donut as he spoke.
"Xander," Willow said, impatiently as she brushed the crumbs off her book. "This is hopeless! I am a no good, very bad person!" she wailed, slumping against the back of the couch. "There are only two ways that I can find to break a claim and neither of them are very appealing."
"What are they?" Xander asked.
"Either one of Spike's elder's needs to take the claim for themselves-"
“Uh-uh! No bitey from the Angel beast!"
"Or one of them has to die," Willow finished, ignoring Xander's interruption.
"Killing Spike could be arranged."
"Xander! We can't kill him while he's all neutered vamp! That-that's like shooting a defenseless puppy or-or pulling the wings off a fly! I mean, he’s helpless and he never would have claimed her if it wasn’t for my spell, so if we kill Spike it will be my fault and I’ll be no better then a-a murderer of helpless things." Willow chewed on her lower lip.
"I still say he's lying about that chip. I mean, he did manage to bite Buffy," Xander muttered. "Did she say anything about that to you?"
Willow blushed, "Um, only that it, uh, didn't hurt and that's probably why the chip didn't fire."
Xander snorted, "How could getting bit by a vampire not hurt?"
Willow blushed again recalling what Buffy had detailed to her regarding the bite. An inhuman scream from Giles' bathroom interrupted her thoughts causing both Willow and Xander jumped to their feet and dash into the bathroom where Spike lay chained in the bathtub. He had twisted himself onto his side allowing his legs to curl into his stomach, his hands clutched the side of the club foot tub so hard that the porcelain was beginning to crack.
"Oh, goddess! Spike, what's wrong?" Willow dropped to her knees next to the tub.
"Not...me...Slayer," Spike ground out. "Something's...wrong with...Slayer." He let out another cry, his eyes bulging from his head.
"Wait, how would you know if something's wrong with Buffy? She's not even here," Xander said, skeptically.
"It's a side effect of the claim. It allows them to feel each other, like if they're happy, sad, hurt, or in trouble," Willow explained. "Spike, what's wrong with Buffy?"
Spike yanked on his chains in an effort to pull his hands over his stomach. "Stomach," he rasped. "Feels...feels like a...sword...stuck in my stomach." Another wave of pain hit him and Spike closed his eyes, his mouth open in a silent scream as tremors racked his body.
"What do we do?" Xander asked.
"Um, we-we should call Giles."
"Well, hurry, you idiots!" Spike screamed. "My God, and you call yourselves her bleedin’ friends...She's being bloody tortured...and I have to feel it!"
"Keep an eye on him. I'll call Giles," Willow said, jumping to her feet and running down the stairs. She quickly dialed Giles' cell phone number. “Giles, it’s Willow,” she said when he picked up on the sixth ring. “I think there’s something wrong with Buffy. Spike says that he can feel her through the claim and that she’s being tortured. He’s all curled up in pain and he says that he feels like there’s a sword through his stomach…uh-huh…okay, please hurry.” Willow ran back to the bathroom. "Spike, Giles says that sometimes mates can figure out where their mate is located through the claim. I need you to concentrate on where Buffy is right now."
Spike groaned and curled himself tighter into a ball. "Can't tell. Pain is too bad. She's conscious though..." He let out a harsh laugh. “Bloody bint, all she’s thinking about is how uncomfortable she is and how much her stomach hurts…Won’t give me an indication where she is, mostly just sending exasperated thoughts at me.”
“Wow,” Xander said, reverently. “I’m not sure what I’m more impressed with, Buffy’s determination to not let Spike know where she is even though she’s hurt or the fact that Spike knows what the word exasperated means.”
Giles burst in through the bathroom door. "Did you find anything useful?"
Willow shook her head. "Spike thinks she's being tortured."
"It's those army guys!" Spike yelled. "Didn't believe me, but now they got the Slayer. Now you bloody believe me."
"Good lord, Willow we need to do a locator spell. Xander, keep an eye on Spike and let us know if his condition worsens."
Willow followed Giles downstairs to set up the spell while Xander sat on the toilet to watch the writhing vampire.
"Hey, guys!" Buffy said, slamming the door shut behind her.
She was immediately pounced upon by her two best friends and her watcher.
"Buffy, where are you hurt?" Giles asked as Willow yanked Buffy’s shirt up to reveal her stomach.
"What are you talking about? Willow, knock it off!” Buffy shooed her friend’s hands away. “I'm not hurt, why would you think I was hurt?" she asked.
"Spike said that he could feel you being stabbed in the stomach. He said you were being tortured by the commandos," Xander insisted.
Buffy winced and placed a hand on her stomach before marching up the stairs. "SPIKE!" she screamed.
There was some incoherent screaming from the bathroom, but nothing that any of the Scoobies could make out. Finally, Buffy returned to the living room and collapsed on the couch.
"So, you are unhurt then?" Giles asked.
Buffy blushed. "Yes, I am all unhurt girl. Ooh, donuts. Are there any chocolate left?"
"But, Buffy, why would Spike pretend to be in such pain and insist that it came from you if you were fine?" Giles asked.
Buffy shrugged. "Um, he was bored." She crossed her arms over her stomach and pulled her knees up to her chest.
"SLAYER!"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "WHAT!" she yelled back.
"TAKE A BLEEDIN' MYDOL BEFORE I DUST!"
Buffy looked at the bright red faces of Xander and Giles as the both tried to focus their gazes on anything in the room but Buffy. Willow sat down on the couch next to her and Buffy placed her head on her best friend’s shoulder. She stuffed a chunk of chocolate donut in her mouth. “Men,” she muttered.
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