Chapter 4

Willow and Tara lay nestled together on the sofa, blissfully asleep and unaware of the happenings upstairs. A loud crash echoed throughout the room as the front door was flung open wildly.

The girls struggled upright just as a wild eyed Xander charged into the room.

Frantically he fell to his knees and began to scoot around the room searching under every available surface. This in itself was abnormal behavior even for Xander, but given the fact that he was clad only in a pair of pale blue boxers with a pair of large red lips emblazoned across the backside made the situation slightly unreal.

Willow and Tara stared in shocked fascination as the lips quivered and pulsed with his every move.

“Here kitty kitty,” Xander muttered and wiggled some more with a strange light in his eyes.

Willow turned her confused eyes to Tara, a questioning look on her face; Tara just shrugged before turning to stare at Xander again.

Willow cleared her throat, “Ummm Xander?” She jumped slightly as he whirled round to look at them for the first time, “Wha….what are you doing?”

“Spike’s a cat,” he almost shouted, before returning to his task.

“Ahhh I see,” Willow frowned. “Yes, Spike is a cat,” she spoke soothingly, “we kinda knew that already.”

Xander turned to stare at her as though she were an idiot. “Spike is a cat,” he said more forcefully as he began to stand.

“I…I think we’ve already established that Xander,” Tara moved behind Willow as Xander began to walk towards them waving his injured finger before him like a sword.

“Spike is a cat,” Xander seemed triumphant as he jiggled his finger back and forward before them.

“Ok Xander back off, you’re scaring me.” Willow darted her eyes towards the stairs, she was beginning to suspect that Xander was possessed by something nasty. She almost cried with relief when she heard a noise upstairs. Now all she had to do was keep Xander happy until Buffy got downstairs to help her.

“So Xander, Spike’s a cat huh?” Willow cast Tara a furtive glance urging her to play along until Buffy arrived to help them.

“X…Xander why are you so worried about Spike being a cat?” Tara couldn’t help herself; she had to know what the big deal was all about.

Xander seemed relieved that the two girls finally understood. Brandishing his finger at them once again he smiled widely, a strange gleeful look filling his eyes, “He bit me.”

The girls looked at him nonplus

Xander sighed in exasperation, “He bit me; therefore his chip didn’t work, so that means he can bite again, which means Buffy will stake him.”

“Huh?” Willow frowned again, “Xander, why would Buffy stake a cat because he bit you?”

“Because he’s a vampire?” Xander announced proudly.

“Ummm…Xander just because Buffy named the cat after a vampire doesn’t make him a vampire.” Willow tried to reason with her increasingly agitated friend.

“That’s not entirely accurate Red.” A smooth voice sounded on the stairs.

Both girls twisted around to look at the stairs. Spike stood halfway up, his black duster wrapped tightly around his taut body, his bare toes flexing slightly on the carpet beneath them.

‘Where are his boots?’ before Willow could voice her question she noticed a small movement under Spike’s duster, causing it to gap open slightly and reveal a flash of fur beneath. The sound of the front door opening again, made her forget momentarily about Spike as she whirled around to see a flustered Anya burst through the door carrying large leather bound book.

Anya stopped short at the sight of Spike standing on the stairs, a look of disappointment crossing her face. “Oh, Spike you’re back!” she sighed holding the book up. “You won’t be needing this then?”

“I wouldn’t say that luv.” Spike reached inside his duster, pulling out a squirming bundle of fur.

“Spike, why do you have Spike?” Willow’s head was starting to hurt, there was something going on that she knew nothing about. “Hang on that’s not….”

“Buffy?” Anya had moved to stand on the step below Spike and was staring intently into the cat’s, “Let me guess, Klishnar Demon?” She smiled broadly when Spike nodded. “I knew it!” she shouted triumphantly before opening the book to a page she had marked and holding it up for Spike, “See I found it.”

“So you did pet,” he gave Anya a wide smile. “Looks like we’ll still be needin’ it too luv.” He gave Buffy a scratch under her chin, causing loud rumbling purrs to vibrate through her body.

“Ok, can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Willow was frustrated, curious and a little stiff from falling asleep on the couch. Hands on hips she fixed her resolve face firmly on the others about her, “Everyone in the lounge room NOW!”

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the others to make their way into the room; keeping Tara close to her side she directed a stern look at each of them in turn before beginning her questioning.

“Right, I think we’ll start with…” Before she could finish she was interrupted by a sound behind her.

“What’s all the noise about? Is there a new big bad?” Dawn wandered into the room rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Spike!” she squealed excitedly throwing herself onto his lap and hugging him tightly. “Where have you been? We were so worried. We have a new cat. Buffy called him Spike, he’s around here somewhere.” She stopped suddenly looking intently at his duster, “Ummm, Spike…..are you naked under there?”

Spike’s hands shot out as he deposited Dawn on the chair next to him. “Well you see Nib…” if he had still been human Spike was sure that his face would be bright red. All eyes turned towards him, “Yes well, I can explain.”

Willow sighed shaking her head. “Do I even want to know?” she muttered.

Tara rubbed her back soothingly before pulling her down to sit beside her on the sofa. “Perhaps Spike better start first.”

Spike looked up startled, he had been desperately searching the pockets of his duster for a fag. “Yeah, well ok.”

Standing up Spike began to pace around the room, “Ok so here’s what happened, couple of days ago the Slayer and I were patrolling, and we came across this Klishnar Demon and we fought. Then I found some kittens and went to Willies to….” He cast a quick glance at Dawn, “ummm find em nice safe homes. Then went home, went to sleep and woke up as a cat.”

Unconsciously he snuck his hand behind himself, rubbing his backside absently as if to reassure himself he was still tailless. “Nibs here found me, brought me back here and the rest you know.”

“So you were Spike the cat all along?” Dawn questioned, understanding lighting her eyes.

Spike nodded, “Yeah Nibs.” He jumped slightly as something soft and warm began rubbing herself against his legs, glancing down he watched as Buffy nosed her way under the hem of his duster.

Buffy sighed to herself; she was so bored and frustrated. When she had woken up to find Spike standing over her bed in all his naked glory, she had finally decided to abandon all her inhibitions, friends be-damned. Her mother had always told her not to look a gift horse in the mouth, ‘Hmmm mouth.’ Buffy drifted off into a blissful haze as memories of one particular mouth came unbidden to her mind.

Maneuvering under his duster she stared upwards, ‘Ohhh gotta love the feline vision.’ She dug her claws gently into the skin of his calf as she hoisted her body upwards, bringing her face closer to the object of her desire.

Spike hissed softly as he felt the sharp claws pierce his flesh. A feeling of dread washed over him as he remembered the overwhelming urge to play with dangling objects that he had experienced as a cat. Moving abruptly he strode towards the sofa, causing Buffy to tumble out from beneath his duster and across the floor. Grabbing a cushion and holding it protectively across his lap, Spike tried to ignore the pissed off look that Buffy was sending in his direction.

“So what your saying is that somehow this Demon thing turned you into a cat and now you turned back.” Willow went over the facts carefully trying to piece together what had happened. “Do you know how you turned back, and where did this other cat come from?”

Spike looked to Anya for help, “Well don’t rightly know how I turned back, just know I woke up as my normal handsome self.” He curled his tongue against his teeth as he flashed a smirk at the females in the room. “’m guessin’ you’d have to ask the demon bird bout that. She’s been researchin’ it for me.”

He flinched slightly as Buffy jumped onto his lap, working her way under the cushion she began to pad the soft flesh beneath her paws, before curling up and flashing Spike and mischievous look. “An’ the cat is…well the cat is umm Buffy.”

“Huh?” Xander grunted before jumping up and pointing accusingly at Spike, “What did you do dead boy? It’s a spell; you put a spell on Buffy, so you could kill her.” Xander’s bare stomach wobbled like half set Jell-O.

“Listen Stay Puff, I didn’t do anything. One minute Buffy and I were …..” he flinched as a soft paw crept through a gap in his duster, dragging a claw lightly across his flesh as it went, “talking…the slayer and I were just talking and when I turned around she was a cat.”

“Talking huh?” Dawn smirked at the pair, how stupid did they think she was. Glancing at the others she noticed the same knowing look on Tara and Anya’s faces, Willow and Xander however were perfectly content to remain oblivious.

Tara interrupted, “As interesting as I’m sure the ummmm ‘conversation’ was, there’s still the fact that Buffy now seems to be a cat.” She turned her attention to Anya, “Spike said you were researching it for him, how did you know he was the cat in the first place?”

Anya sat forward eager to be in the spotlight and have her hard work recognized, “Well there are a few vengeance demon related enhancements that I have retained since becoming human.” Smoothing her hair down she smiled broadly, “The ability to see a creature’s true nature is one of them. So when Spike came into the shop I knew it was him straight away. Only a few simple questions, and I was able to narrow down the cause to demons. It was just a matter of research then.” She smiled proudly, “It’s also how I know that that…” she pointed to the cat curled contently on Spike’s lap, “is Buffy. Tara you can read auras, you should be able to see what I mean.”

Tara moved to kneel in front of Spike, staring into the pretty hazel eyes of the cat before her. She gasped, “B…Buffy it is you.” She could almost see the blonde Slayer waving hello to her, a wide smile covering her fur covered face.

“But how did Buffy get turned into a cat?” Willow concentrated hard desperately trying to see what the other two could.

Xander threw his arms in the air, “Why are we even discussing this? Evil dead obviously did something to her, we should just stake him and be done with it.”

Anya’s eyes hardened, “Xander sit down.” She pointed to his recently vacated seat, “I am speaking at the moment, and you will sit still and listen to what I have to say.” She thrust an angry finger towards the chair once again, “Not only did you run out on me when we were preparing to have orgasms, but you always ignore anything I have to say. So tonight you will sit and be quiet and wait until I’ve finished, or you will not be getting any orgasms from me for a VERY long time.” Anya huffed in frustration, “NOW SIT!”

Xander dropped to the chair stunned at Anya’s outburst. When she had mentioned to him that she was researching something for Spike, he had questioned her until she had told him everything. He had then run out into the night desperate to save Buffy and the others from the evil vampire cat currently residing in their home. He hadn’t given a second thought to his girlfriend or the fact that they had been preparing for a romantic night in bed at the time. He suddenly found himself very grateful that she no longer had her demon powers, as he was sure he would be currently experiencing something nasty and possible oozing in the area of his genitals.

Anya gave a small nod of approval once he was seated, carefully smoothing her hair once again, she prepared to continue. “As I was saying, after determining that Spike’s change had occurred after contact with a demon, I found a few books that referred to demons with transmogrification abilities. I had it narrowed down to two before Xander insisted on knowing what I was researching for. I brought the book with me in the hopes that Spike could indicate which demon it was.” Leaning forward she opened the book to one of the pages she had marked, “The illustrations are quite detailed. I was leaning towards it being a Klishnar Demon.” She smiled broadly, “I’m so pleased I was correct.”

“So how exactly does this demon change someone?” Dawn stared curiously at the picture before her.

Anya glanced at Spike, as though asking permission to continue

“Your show love,” he waved his hand haphazardly, flinching slightly as Buffy dug her claws into him, annoyed at being jostled.

Anya practically beamed in response, she did so enjoy the attention, if only she could combine being in the spotlight with making money. A speculative look came across her face as one possibility sprang to mind. Sliding a quick look at Xander she sighed when she realised that her boyfriend would probably not share her enthusiasm about that particular idea.

Turning her attention outwards once again she continued her explanation, “Klishnar Demon’s have this special enzyme in their saliva which transforms any living thing it contacts into the first living thing it touches. In Spike’s case he found some kittens, therefore they were the first living things he touched after being exposed, so he became a cat.”

“Oh!” Willow suddenly sat up straighter, “When Buffy came home she said that she’d come across another one of those demons,” she pointed towards the book perched on Anya’s lap. “She must have touched Spike the cat before she had her shower and that’s why she’s now a cat herself.”

Dawn curled up beside Spike absently stroking Buffy, “What I don’t understand is why this demon would spit on them; I mean if you were going to change something you’d want it to happen straight away wouldn’t you? And why would they change them anyway?”

Anya pulled the book closer, peering down at the pages. “I remember reading…..oh here it is. The Klishnar Demon is large but somewhat slow and cumbersome, it has been documented that the saliva the Klishnar secretes has a transmogrification effect on its victims. Most subjects are transformed almost instantly, although it has been noted that the effects are at times delayed with certain species, vampires being one of these. It is believed that the effects of the saliva will diminish after a period of time. It is widely believed that the Klishnar uses this time to capture and remove the victim for latter ingestion.” Anya looked at Spike, “Well that was long-winded.”

Spike smirked back at her, “Watcher musta wrote the thing.”

Xander shot Spike an angry glare, “And who asked you Dead Boy. Anyway it couldn’t have been that stupid demon, because the book says LIVING creature and Captain Peroxide over there is a member of the whole ‘undead’ gang.” He sat back satisfied that the night would soon end in a dusty way for the vampire across from him.

“Well that’s not entirely true Xander.” Anya nervously wiped her hands down her skirt; Xander was not going to like what she had to say next. In fact none of the others gathered in the Summers’ lounge room tonight were going to believe what she had to tell them. Well maybe Dawn.

“What do you mean Anya? It’s commonly documented that the human dies when the vampire demon takes over their body. Hence the whole no soul, or beating heart, the drinking of blood…” Willow began to tick points off on her fingers.

Anya nodded her head in agreement, “Yes that’s partly true, the human soul leaves and the normal human bodily functions cease.” She tilted her head slightly, “But haven’t you ever wondered why a vampire’s hair and nails still grow, slowly I know, but still they grow. Also why do they still bleed when hurt, and in the case of a male, how he gets his penis hammmph.” She frowned at Willow as she slapped her hand across her mouth.

“We get the idea Anya,” Willow glanced at Dawn, “we don’t need ALL the details.”

Understanding lit her eyes, “Ohhh no talk about male genitalia or orgasms in front of the underage child.”

“Hey I’m not a child.”

“No of course not Dawn, you are a young woman reaching the start of your sexual awakening.” She flinched as Willow’s hand started moving towards her mouth again. “WHAT! I was merely stating….oh alright. The reason all these things happen is because a vampire’s heartbeat is so fast that it kind of sends the human body into stasis. That’s why a stake to the heart or a beheading turns them to dust so quickly, the body kinda jerks to a stop. Other methods like sunlight and holy water are like an allergic reaction by the demon, prolonged exposure will eventually cause death though.”

The noise in the room was deafening as each of those gathered tried to either refute or question her comments. Anya glared at those around her, why did they always think she knew nothing; she was over a thousand years old and even if she was a complete idiot she would have picked up a few useful pieces of information over that time. She watched Spike closely, waiting for his reaction to her news; this little tidbit was not common knowledge among vampires either.

Spike flinched as his enhanced hearing was bombarded by the noise in the room, jumping up he growled loudly, “Will you gits shut up, and let the demon bird finish.” He gave them his best menacing scowl, the effect somewhat diminished by the fact that his coat has started to gape open, exposing a large expanse of bare leg leading upwards…. Startled by a soft furry body rubbing against his expose skin, he looked down to see Buffy rubbing herself against him, her eyes fixed greedily upwards. “Oh bloody hell!” he exclaimed as he jerked his duster tightly around him.

Calming himself he moved to stand near Anya, speaking softly, his voice seemed to cut through the noise of the room. “Don’t rightly remember ever hearin’ a heartbeat luv, but there are stories.”

Anya smiled, pleased that Spike was open to the idea. “From what I can recall it has something to do with the fact that it beats so fast that it becomes silent, or something like that.”

Hunkering down in front of her Spike contemplated this piece of information for a moment, “You know when I first rose, I remember a real loud rushing noise in my head and this feelin’ that seemed to take over my whole body. Angelus said it was my bloodlust kickin’ in. Do you think that was my heart kicking back in?”

“Maybe, I don’t know much about it though. I’m sure when Giles returns he would be happy to research it for you.” Anya offered.

“Not sure I fancy the watcher pokin’ and proddin’ and telling me how fascinating it all is, but I’ll think on it.” Turning his attention back to the room he grimaced as he watched the others argue back and forth between themselves, completely oblivious to anything else that may be happening. Dawn lay curled on the lounge watching the scene before her, content to stay on the sideline. Buffy was curled up close by with her head buried beneath a cushion as if trying to block out the din.

Reaching a decision Spike stood and announced loudly, “I’m goin home, you lot are givin’ me a headache.” He strode towards the door. “No wonder the bloody watcher has scotch stashed all over his place,” he muttered to himself.

As he reached the door he turned suddenly, “Bit, make sure you keep an eye on big sis, I’ll be back tomorrow at sunset.” Then in a flurry of black he hurried into the night, swearing softly as he trod on a sharp stick.

Buffy jumped up from her comfortable spot when she heard Spike’s announcement, she ran to the door in time to see it swing shut. Dejectedly she sat quietly staring at the smooth wooden surface. “Great now what am I going to do,’ she looked at the others.

The Scoobies were all so caught up in debating Anya about her revelations that they had completely forgotten about her. Everyone but Dawn that is, her little sister had crawled down onto the floor leaning in close to tickle the soft fur around her ear. “You now Buffy I’ve been doing a bit of math in my head,” she whispered softly. “From what I’ve worked out I think you changed a lot quicker then Spike did, which means you’ll probably change back quicker too.”

Buffy stared at her quizzically.

“Which means you’ll probably change back some time tomorrow. You may want to be at Spike’s when you do, so that you two can finish that…talk…you were having.” Dawn gave her one more pat. “You know the door to my room is open,” she cast a quick glance at the others, “and so’s the window.” She giggled as she saw understanding cross her sister’s face; she’d never realised that a cats face could be so expressive, “Just watch out for Clem.”

Buffy reached up, nuzzling her face against Dawn’s check, purring softly. Then she turned and raced up the stairs into Dawn’s room, out the window and into the night.