Several hours and many decanters later, Spike finally managed to consume enough alcohol to pass out drunk at his desk. He’d ranted and raved – his study was testament to his rage. He was also quite sure he’d managed to scare his butler to near death when the man had opened the door to enquire about the noise; he’d flown across the room so fast, slamming the door before the man even had a chance to get his foot in the room.

Since he’d growled that he didn’t want to be disturbed, no one had bothered him as he’d continued to curse the fates for conspiring to send him to the past with the Slayer, the Slayer, of all people. The bloody irony of a vampire being dependent on a vampire Slayer was not lost on him.

So, he’d stormed around the confines of his study, careful to stay away from the curtained windows as he’d paced, until he’d finally slumped into the chair behind his desk, succumbing to the sleep-inducing liquor he’d swallowed.

~*~*~*~*~

He awoke at dusk, bleary-eyed. Cursing himself for sleeping in a stiff chair when he could have been stretched out in a nice bed, Spike stood and yawned as he tried to ease the kinks from his body.

He glanced down at his slovenly attire and chuckled at the fuss his valet would likely make over the state of his dress. He could get used to this; human servants were much better than minions. Blind obedience. Humans had it, minions had to be made to realize it.

Spike crossed his study and opened the door. He needed to get cleaned up. If he guessed correctly, he’d be receiving a visitor shortly: one Mrs. Rothworth, the matronly vampiress. He strode down the hallway towards the stairs that led to the upper rooms, hurried up the stairs, and let himself into the master suite.

He noticed a man standing next to a wardrobe.

“Travis?”

“Yes, m’lord,” the man answered as he turned around.

“Wait, you’re not Travis…”

Spike was confused. They looked the same; although, now that he was able to observe him closer, he saw that this one appeared a little older than his other valet. Right…brothers.

“Yes, I am.”

“Right. Sorry ‘bout that, had a little too much to drink, not quite right in the head at the moment.”

“Of course, m’lord. Your plans for this evening? Should I set out formal attire?”

“Hmmm…” he began, somewhat distractedly. “No, I’m expecting a caller this evening. A Mrs. Rothworth. I’ll be leaving for Arundel Manor directly afterwards.”

“Very good, m’lord.”

Spike took a quick bath, dressed, and made his way back to his study to read over his correspondence while he waited for the soon-to-be Slayer’s chaperone to arrive. He eyed the stack of invitations that lay on his desk with disgust. Apparently, word had spread from the club that he was back in London. He flipped through the elegantly scrawled invites noting the various names and titles and realized there was no way he was going to be able to stay tucked away in the country indefinitely.

There was no help for it, he and the Slayer were going to have to open up the townhouse for the season. He figured he had a week, two tops, before he needed to be back. He scanned the pile of invitations, setting aside the ones he’d have his solicitor confirm attendance – mainly the ones of those ranking higher in title than he. The others could wait.

That finished, he turned his attention to the other papers littering his desk, and he started working his way through those as he waited for his visitor.

~*~*~*~*~

About an hour later, Spike lifted his head at the soft knock on the door.

“A Mrs. Rothworth to see you, m’lord. I’ve had her placed in the drawing room,” the butler announced as he let himself in to the study.

“I’ll be there directly.”

He quickly finished sorting the various piles of papers, leaving detailed instructions about the various business matters he wanted accomplished while he was gone. He just prayed his solicitor would be able to follow his directions in his absence. He also wrote down that he would be back in two weeks time and for the solicitor to present himself when he returned. Spike wanted to take the man’s measure in person to see if he’d be able to fill the role. If not, he’d have to start looking for a new one.

Standing, he made his way towards the vampiress that would be his Slayer’s new chaperone.

~*~*~*~*~

‘Young,’ was the first thought that came to mind as he stepped into the room. Not more than a few decades or so.

Sensing his presence, the older woman stood, dropping into a slight curtsy as he drew near.

“Lord Thornton,” the vampiress greeted him.

“Mrs. Rothworth.”

“I understand you have need of a chaperone.”

“Yes. Lady Summers, my ward. She’s at Arundel Manor right now, but we’ll soon be returning to London for the season. Obligations, and such.”

“Of course,” she murmured.

“I’m returning there this evening. You can follow at a more leisurely pace in my carriage. But, I’ll expect you no later than tomorrow evening. We’ve a lot to get gone in the next two weeks. Will this be a problem?”

“No, m’lord. I’ll make arrangements with staff to be ready to leave at dusk tomorrow evening and should arrive at Arundel Manor later that night.”

“Very good. I’ll leave you to it then. I must be off.”

With another quick curtsy, Mrs. Rothworth left. Spike watched her leave and following in her footsteps shortly thereafter to find the butler. He was traveling by horseback to Arundel Manor and he needed to let the man know of his plans to return in a fortnight.

Before doing this, however, Spike went to his valet and quizzed him on who in his London staff was aware that he was a vampire.

“Just myself, m’lord. Usually, cook and the housekeeper follow where you go. But, if you’re coming back to London for the season, they’ll probably leave beforehand to make sure everything is ready for your return.”

“And the butler?”

“Stevens, m’lord?”

“Yes, Stevens. He’s…he doesn’t know?”

“No, m’lord. Helps maintain the image? Most ‘family’ functions are conducted in the country. Safer that way, I s’pose.”

“Hmmm…very good. I’ll be returning in a fortnight for the Duke of Sevring’s ball. Make sure I’ve got something to wear, hmmm? Oh, and in black. None of those poncy colors that seem to be the rage of late.”

Spike left his valet and found Stevens. He quickly explained what he wanted done in his absence, letting the man know that his cook and housekeeper would probably be descending on the townhouse in the next day or two.

The butler assured him all would be as he demanded, leaving Spike with nothing to do but return to Arundel Manor.

He stepped out front door into the darkened sky and noticed his carriage waiting. Tied to the back was a roan stallion stomping his foot impatiently.

The driver came down from his perch as he noticed his master making his way down the walk.

“Good evening, m’lord.”

Spike untied the stallion and gained his seat. The stallion pranced sideways eager to be off. A few quick hand movements and a slight pressure of his knees quickly cooled the horse’s tantrum. Patting his neck reassuringly, he spoke to the driver.

“I won’t be needing the carriage tonight. Drive round to a Mrs. Rothworth’s residence and inquire as to when she will be ready to leave. You’re to bring her out to Arundel Manor when she is ready.”

“Yes, m’lord. Right away.” The driver affected a quick bow and returned to his seat, clicking the reins to get the horses moving.

Spike spun the stallion around and let him have his head, racing off into the night. The stallion raced along the road in a ground-eating gallop. Spike just kept his eyes peeled on the road, careful to guide the horse around the holes that occasionally dotted the surface. After a while, the restless energy from being cooped up so long now spent, the roan finally settled into a more sedate canter for the remainder of the journey.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike left the winded stallion with a bleary-eyed stable boy, who assured him the stallion would be well cared for. He watched a moment as the boy lead the horse almost twice his size away to cool him out. Whispered praise for the horse’s stamina and such drifted back to him. Turning away, the vampire headed towards the staircase leading to the front door.

He told himself that he was going to leave her be for the night, prove to himself that he could go a day being near her and not touching her. She was his…but that didn’t make her special. She was just a means to an end, or so he repeatedly told himself.

Reclining in his chair in the study, a book open and a glass of blood in his hand, Spike sipped idly as he leafed through the pages. But, his mind wasn’t on the book, or the blood he held…it was the Slayer, her blood as it cascaded down his throat, her body squeezing him tight as he thrust repeatedly into her warmth.

At first, he thought the heartbeat resounding in his ear was his imagination, a lingering of the memories flashing through his mind. Then, the door to his study cracked open, and she stood shyly before him. Her white nightgown covered her completely, but the thin gossamer left nothing to his imagination. Her fingers were playing over his mark as she eyed him uncertainly.

“Come in, pet. Shut the door,” he called just out loud enough for her to hear.

She did as he requested, a relieved smile on her face at his invitation. Her bare feet hurried across the room as she made her way towards him.

He pushed back from the desk, allowing the book to fall from his lap with a soft thud; he held his arms wide so she could sit in his lap. Elizabeth wasted no time in accepting his invitation, crawling onto his lap, and curling her body close to him. Spike wrapped his arms around her as she burrowed closer to him.

“I just woke up, and I could feel you,” she whispered into his neck. One of her hands continued to rub the scar permanently etched upon her neck as if trying to ease the tingling it was causing.

“Sorry ‘bout that, luv. Didn’t realize I was calling you until you were standing here.”

“Did you get all of your business taken care of? Is that why you’re back so soon?” she asked softly. She didn’t care why he was back; she was just glad he was here, and holding her tightly against him.

“Hmmm…what’s that, pet?”

“Your business in London…”

“Ahhh, yes. Well, I guess you could say that. But, I’ll be returning in a fortnight.”

She ignored the feeling that his next absence would cause and bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out her distress. Instead, she just sat in his lap like a small child being comforted. Only, she wasn’t a child and he was far from a father figure…even if he was her guardian.

“I’ll miss you.”

The whispered words shocked both of them. Her, for uttering them when she promised herself she wouldn’t burden him with her budding feelings. Him, because he didn’t realize the effects of the claim would work so quickly.

“Oh, luv, you’ll be coming too. I went to London to see about finding a suitable chaperone for you.”

‘Now where had that come from?’

“Really?” she asked, lifting her head from where it lay nestled against his neck so that she could look at him, see the truth of his words.

“Yes, really.”

In her excitement of being allowed to go with him back to London, her arms laced around his neck to give him a hug. Leaning back, she gave him a quick kiss on his closed lips.

His eyes darkened at her unexpected display of affection. Gripping one of her legs, he turned her so that she straddled his waist – her nightgown pooling up around her hips. Gripping her ass in both hands, he hauled her body close to grind against his cock that was rapidly hardening as desire washed over him. He heard her moan at the contact of her bare flesh against his trousers.

The heady scent of her arousal washed over his senses and he slipped one hand behind her neck to pull her down for a mind-numbing kiss, even as the other went to the fastening of his trousers. He made quick work opening his pants and shoving them down his hips, freeing his straining erection. The soft mewling noises coming from the back of her throat as his tongue ravaged her mouth were driving him to the brink of his control.

Placing a hand on either side of her hips, he lifted her slightly and then lowered her body onto his straining length. Her outer folds parted and he slid home, enveloped by her moist heat. When he was buried as deep as he could go, his arms slid around her back and held her close. Elizabeth’s head fell to his shoulder, as she finally felt complete once more.

They stayed like that for a moment, neither moving…just holding one another, their bodies joined intimately.

Then the demands of the flesh became too great, the desire to move spurring them to action. Spike’s hands returned to her hips to guide her in her movements. Soft groans filled the air as their bodies raced towards completion. He would have taken his time, but the day they’d spent apart had stretched his control to the breaking point. He needed her now…hard, fast. Later, once back in her room, they could take their time.

His fingers fisted in her hair, pulling her head to the side to expose the creamy column of her neck. He licked his lips as his mouth lowered, his human mask sliding away to reveal sharp teeth and a ridged brow. When his fangs pierced her neck, her climax ripped through her body, her inner muscles massaging his cock…urging him to join her in release. His name burst forth from her lips as her body convulsed around him.

He released her hair so that his hand could grip her hip once more. Holding her tight, he pushed himself out of the chair and settled her on the desk in front of him. Over and over, he drove himself into her, each time trying to go a little deeper, reach a little further.

Spike could feel his balls tightening and knew he was going to come soon; he reached down between their joined bodies and used his thumb to circle her clit. She gasped at the contact to her sensitive nubbin. As her second climax washed over her, she could do nothing but ride the waves as her body convulsed around him once more.

He felt the tremors wracking her body as she came again, and Spike couldn’t hold back his own orgasm. Thrusting deep one last time, his cock twitched as it released his spendings deep within her body. With a final shudder, he collapsed on top of her limp form. Carefully he released her neck, licking the new wound closed with his tongue.

When he felt that his legs would finally support him, he slowly eased out of her body and refastened his trousers. He lifted the dazed Slayer off of his desk and onto her feet, allowing her nightgown to settle around her feet. Then, he scooped her up in his arms and made his way to the door, her head tucked under his chin as she dozed in his embrace.

He’d allow her to sleep for a bit then he planned to work on slow. A smile came to his lips at the thought.

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