Blood Warms the Heart
Chapters 11-21
Written by: TaniTKD
Author's Website
Summary: What if Buffy reacted differently when Spike flashed his game face during
the Bronze scene of Fool For Love? This Buffy responds to his demon.
Warning-bloodplay. Spoilers up to FFL then AU.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
(The Series) and all of it's characters belong to Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: tanitkd@yahoo.com
Chapter 15
Spike's house
It was almost noon before Spike and Buffy woke up and found their way downstairs. To their surprise, they found Giles still asleep in the living room. They quietly padded into the kitchen, hand in hand. This is MY kitchen, Buffy thought to herself. This was so cool!
Looking into the refrigerator, Spike yelped, "That tosser drank all my beer!"
"What, you were going to have beer for breakfast? Can I say EWW?" Buffy replied.
"That's not that point, Slayer." he told her.
"Yes, and you've NEVER drank all of his alcohol, now have you?" Buffy pointed out. Spike got a big grin on his face and sauntered over to toss her up on top of one of the counters, standing in between her legs. She was wearing her leather pants from the night before, and Spike's T-shirt. He had his jeans on, the top button unbuttoned, and his chest was bare. Buffy ran her hands over the smooth pale cool expanse of his torso, and wrapped her legs around his waist tugging him closer. God he was hot. Well, not hot hot, but hottie hot. She couldn't believe she'd been able to keep her hands off of him for as long as she had.
Spike had his hands on her hips, and he ground his mouth against hers. "You should know by now that sarcastic mouth of yours gets my motor revving, slayer" he purred against her, nipping at her bottom lip.
"Oh god lord, do you two HAVE to keep doing that?" Giles announced bitterly, trudging into the kitchen. His hair was all mussed, and he had waffle face from the sofa pillow. "Please tell me you have tea here." He begged.
"You're in luck, Rupert." Spike regretfully untangled himself from Buffy and went over to open a cupboard. He threw the tea at Giles, and took out a tea pot from under the counter. At Buffy's amused look, Spike complained, "What? I'm British."
"Yes, and I see you drinking tea all the time." Was Buffy's response. Spike just smirked at her. It used to piss her off when he did that, now it made her feel like she was melting. Bastard, probably knew it too. No, he had to. She could smell her sudden burst of arousal when he smirked like that. she knew he had to be aware of how she reacted to it. God she loved him. Every perfect square inch of him. Focus Buffy. We have work to do here, by gum.
"So, what's the haps for today, Giles?" she asked, as Spike backed up into her where she still sat on the counter. She slid her hands around to loop her thumbs through his belt loop in front, and rested her chin on his shoulder. She inhaled the scent of him deeply. Maybe this smelly thing wasn't so bad.
"Well, we have to talk about our discussion last night," Giles said to Buffy
meaningfully. "And we have to talk to Willow and Xander. Maybe we can arrange to meet them here."
"Do you think that's safe? Don't you think they will be watching them?" Buffy asked.
"Well, maybe we can do a quick cloaking spell, then sneak them through the sewers. I can handle that little bit of magic. Oh wait, I don't have any supplies here. Willow can handle it on her end. Then perhaps Spike, you could meet them and lead them here?" Giles suggested.
"If you think it's safe enough. Don't fancy leading the enemy straight to my house,
you know." Spike told him, letting Giles know he was being allowed to call the shots. For now, anyway. "I think we need to get a back up plan worked out, just in case the wankers come storming in here."
"What would you suggest?" Giles asked, knowing that Spike had a valid point, but not wanting to concede that the vampire had been using his brain while Giles had not.
"Let's just say, if we're sussed out, we can expect a huge bloody deal. It's not going to give us a lot of maneuvering room, if what you tell us about the Council's resources is true. I'm thinking maybe I should go have myself a chat with the Initiative bint." Spike revealed.
Giles pondered this. Interesting plan. Maybe Maggie could help clear up some of the other questions they were dealing with. "Right then. We'll consider that. We need to discuss something else first." he told him, brewing his tea and pouring it into one of the mismatched coffee mugs he found in the cupboard.
Walking back into the living room, carrying his tea, Giles gestured for them to follow.
Giles watched with a pained look as Spike pulled Buffy down to cuddle in his lap, wrapping his arms around her. The looks and little sighs these two gave each other were getting to be too much for Giles. He could feel the sparks ignite just being around each other. He didn't know if he even wanted to find out if they were being manipulated by other beings. He hoped for their sake that wasn't the case, even he could see that Buffy was truly happy. He didn't think he'd ever seen her glowing like this. Certainly never with Angel or Riley. And Spike was turning out to be somewhat of a surprise. He wasn't quite the annoying bastard Giles had always assumed he was. Well, he was still annoying, no getting around that. But he was truly devoted to Buffy, and he had bought a house for her. And not just any house either. The perfect house. This was Buffy's type of house; old, romantic, but perfectly functional. Kind of like Spike. Good, lord, I didn't just think that, did I? Giles asked himself frantically. Must be the lack of sleep.
"So, what are we here to talk about, Rupes?" Spike asked.
Giles looked at Buffy, and indicated he wanted her to start. "Fine, fine, I will." She turned to face Spike. "Last night I had a Slayer dream."
"Bloody hell, why didn't you wake me up?" Spike asked her, concerned. He knew how those dreams tended to upset Buffy.
"Because it was kinda about you. And it had me kinda freaked out, that's why" Buffy tried to explain. "So I came down here to talk to Giles about it."
Spike looked a bit put out that he was the last one to know. "AND? What did the great Watcher have to say?" Buffy looked helplessly at Giles.
Giles cleared his throat, and announced, "It would appear, Spike, that the demon used to create the First Slayer is now inhabiting your body."
Spike just looked at him. "Was it a vampire demon then?"
Giles shook his head. "No, that much I do know."
"That doesn't make a lick of sense, Rupert. I'm a vampire, remember? Have to have that demon, otherwise I wouldn't be a bloodsucker, now would I?"
"We think that you may have two demons present inside you. The First Slayer's demon and your vampire demon." Giles told him.
Spike just looked at him like he was insane. "I think I'd know if I had two demons in me."
Buffy told him, "Spike, I SAW the demon enter you when Dru turned you in that alley. I saw the torn up papers littering the ground, I saw your tears. I saw Dru drain you then turn you. Then I saw the Infoofoo's demon enter you."
"Then what?"
"Well, then I woke up. Freaked the shit out of me." Buffy admitted. "Doesn't it make sense though? Why you aren't like any other vampire? Why you have such a capacity for feeling? Why you can see people's emotions for what they really are? That isn't the work of a vampire demon. Were you like that as William?"
"The feeling part, yeah. The reading people, no. If anything, it was just the opposite. So why don't I feel the other demon?" Spike asked.
"Only one demon can be dominate at a time. We're not sure if it's two separate ones, or if they merged. We would have to do something like hypnosis, which could prove to be dangerous. Can't guarantee we wouldn't be unleashing something better dominated by your vampiric demon." Giles informed them.
"Yeah, this demon WAS nasty. I saw it all, Spike. The whole thing. When they made that first slayer, they were totally clueless. They unleashed this demon on her, and it almost consumed her." Buffy explained.
"She almost did a Linda Blair, did she?" Spike asked.
Buffy gave him a brilliant smile. "That she did. But then I think the demon fell in love with her or something, couldn't quite figure that one. When she died, the demon was released, waiting for it's 'destiny.' And you, my oh so very sexy vampire, were it's destiny." She told him, giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"So now we just have to figure out what all this means, right?" he asked.
"Buffy told me about your, uh, blood sharing," Giles managed to say it without a truly distasteful look on his face. "I think this is somehow significant. You're mixing your blood together, and it sounds like you are being compelled to do that, am I right?"
"That's pretty much the way I feel. I have a lot of practice keeping control of my bloodlust, and this goes FAR beyond that." Spike explained.
"Please!" Giles held up his hand. "For all that is holy in this world, spare me the details."
Spike smirked at him. Now he had a new way to torture Buffy's watcher, always nice to find things like that out. Never knew when they would come in handy.
"Ok, so what is the plan then?" Spike asked.
"I think it might be a good idea to see if we can get Maggie Walsh in on this. If you are sure you can trust her. She has access to testing facilities that can test for demonic presences. I'm surprised she didn't run anything like that on you already." Giles told him.
"Probably because she already KNEW I was a vampire. Not much else I could be. Mostly, she just wanted to get into my head, literally. I'm pretty confident she can be trusted, it's that ole sense of reading people kicking in." he replied. "For some reason, she seems interested in the Big Bad here."
"Ok then, here is what we're going to do. Spike,do think you can sneak in to see her?" At his nod, he added "Right then. I'll give Xander and Willow a ring. We'll arrange a time for them to be ready, and then you meet them at the sewer entrance, after Willow has done a quick cloaking spell. All we need is a few minutes, anything longer than that, and a counter spell will probably be utilized. We just need to buy time to get them into the tunnels. We're going to have to do some type of camouflaging spell for this location as well. The sooner we can get to that, the safer we will be." Giles told them. "I don't think they will have been able to do a locater spell yet, but we need to get it taken of. I have been completely remiss in that." Giles admitted.
"Well, let's just hope it doesn't turn around and bite us in the ass." Buffy stated.
"Quite right." Giles replied.
Spike stood up, standing Buffy on her feet. "Come on, let's get ready so we can go see Maggie."
"I'm coming?"
"Well, yah. Think we'd have better luck convincing her if we're both there. Let's just hope she doesn't stick us in a cell and experiment on us." he replied. At her aghast look, he added, " Don't worry. i am sure Maggie is being straight with us."
They went upstairs, and Buffy got herself cleaned up as best she could. She was pleased to note that Spike had several changes of clothing here, and had a washer and dryer. Not that her garments were machine washable, but she could make do with some of Spike's stuff. She tucked a black T-shirt into her leather pants, and used the cosmetics she had in her purse. Putting her hair up in a pony tail, she was ready.
She joined Spike in the bedroom. He had gotten dressed, and was waiting for her.
"So, do you think this thing we're feeling for each other is real?" he asked her, getting to the heart of something she herself feared.
"I have to say yes, Spike. It may be influenced by outside factors, but the basic feelings are our own." Buffy said. As she spoke the words, she felt them to be true.
Spike grinned at her and pulled her to him. "That's what I'm thinking to. Glad to know such great minds think alike here." He told her, kissing her. He groaned when he heard Giles yell at them from downstairs.
"Bloody watcher. Always interrupting." He grumbled.
"Well, we do have some serious shit going on. Think that may have something to do with it." Buffy told him.
"Yah yah." He replied, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the stairs. "Let's just go get this over with.
Chapter 16
Buffy followed Spike through the sewers towards the college, thankful for her new enhanced vision. How he knew where he was going with all the turns and twists, Buffy didn't know. But she assumed that when one must rely on the sewers for the primary way of travel during the day, you would get to know your way around pretty well.
Spike led her through an entrance in the basement of the psychology department of the college. Again, how he knew this was here, she didn't know. As if reading her mind, which he probably was, he said with an impish grin, "I stole a map."
"You're a pretty tricky guy, y'no that?" She teased.
"Don't ya know it." He grinned back at her, leading her through the basement and towards a set of stairs that led to the main part of the building. Spike pulled a baseball hat out of his back pocket and slapped it on his head.
At Buffy's questioning look, he said "If your Council of Wankers is looking for us, don't want to make it too easy for them to find us, y'no."
Buffy nodded her understanding. "You're right, your head is kind of like a homing beacon."
"Hey, watch it, Slayer. Be nice." Spike reminded her, as Buffy pinched his ass teasingly.
"How do you know where Maggie is going to be?" Buffy asked.
"I know her schedule. She sticks to a pretty strict one, not much variation" he told her. "She should just be finishing teaching a class, then has office hours on campus for an hour."
"So what are we gonna do?" she asked, as they came to her locked office door. She watched with amusement as Spike picked the lock easily and let himself in. He held the door for her as she walked past him and then shut it, flicking the lock back on.
"We're going to wait for her, of course." He replied, settling himself in her chair and propping his feet up on her desk. "C'mere." he ordered, as Buffy crossed the room and threw herself in his lap. They just sat like that, snuggling, enjoying the feeling of being close to the other.
Just as Spike had predicted, at exactly 1000 hours, they heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock and the door knob turned. Buffy leapt out of Spike's lap, the thought of being caught snuggling by Professor Walsh in her chair seemed a bit...tacky.
Maggie Walsh' walked through the door of her office and did not appear startled to see the peroxide blonde vampire lounging in her chair. She was, however, intrigued to see Buffy with him.
"Prompt as always, Professor." Spike drawled, smirking at her. Buffy rolled her eyes, she could tell by his tone that this was Spike at his most obnoxious and she was amazed Maggie Walsh put up with it. It used to annoy the shit out of her when he'd act like that with her, and usually resulted in many a punch being thrown in the smirking vampire's direction.
"Hello Spike, Buffy. Did you come to check up on me? To see if I took care of your little ... problem?" Maggie asked, crossing the room to her desk and shoving Spike out of the chair. She sat herself down and gestured for Spike and Buffy to take the two seats on the opposite side. Spike went to the door and locked it again, not wanting to be interrupted, than went and threw himself in one of the other chairs. Buffy attempted to sit in the other one only to have strong arms snatch her away and brought her down to settle her in his lap. She gave him a seething look, but made herself comfortable as his arms wrapped around her.
Maggie watched this by-play with amusement. They really were....cute together. "Riley should be leaving town as of 1600 hours today."
"Good to hear, but that's not what this little visit is for." Spike informed her.
Maggie tilted her head and looked quizzically at the vampire. "And what is?" she asked.
"We got ourselves a bit of a problem, and we hoping you could help us out, if things got a bit ugly." Spike replied.
"Tell me about it." Maggie said, leaning back in her chair, interest piqued.
"Well, it has the potential to get pretty nasty." Spike announced.
"Jesus Spike, stop making with the cryptic and just tell her." Buffy commanded. Spike narrowed his eyes at her, which earned him another long suffering eye roll.
"Fine, Slayer, I will. What do you know about the Watcher's Council?" Spike asked Maggie.
Maggie thought for a second. "Well, not too much actually. Riley filled me in a bit and I tried to access some information on them but it was difficult going. And being able to keep information from the military, well, let's just say that is pretty hard to do." Maggie replied.
"Right. The Council of Wankers are a nasty bunch of buggars. They are pretty powerful, have a lot of resources. There has been some stuff going on between me and the slayer here, and her Watcher has been looking into it." He explained, getting up to pace the room. Buffy could feel his agitation coming through the claim, and she tried to will some calming thoughts to him.
Maggie watched as Spike started pacing, then stopped and closed his eyes. He turned to Buffy and said "Thanks slayer."
"Don't mention it. You were bugging me." Buffy replied, giving him a warm smile.
Maggie didn't know what was going on, but she could tell it was going to get pretty interesting. "So how do you need my help?"
Spike turned back to her and replied, "The great Watcher informed the Council of the.. uh.. special circumstances that were developing between me and their slayer. He needed access to their records and archives to figure out what is going on. Let's just say the Wankers, Council of, didn't jump and extend him an invitation to rush right over to England."
"They've sent a retrieval team to capture us." Buffy announced.
"And that's where you need my help?" Maggie asked. The two blondes both nodded. "Why are you trusting me to help you? It's not like I can't have an ulterior
motives myself, you know."
Spike answered that question. "Put it this way, I'd much rather deal with whatever shit you might dish out than be in the clutches of the Council. At least I know you keep your word." He told her seriously.
"The Council is major scary, they couldn't give you a straight answer if they tried. And their retrieval team? Top notch. I barely escaped them when I was body snatched by the other slayer, Faith." Buffy added.
Maggie had heard about that. She informed them she needed the whole story of why the council was after them before she could make any kind of decision.
Buffy and Spike looked at each other, and again, Maggie was getting the feeling that they were communicating with each other without speaking. They turned to face her simultaneously and began the strange tale.
Fifteen minutes later, Maggie's interest was more than piqued, it was downright dancing up and down with joy. "So, you need me to test you to check for multiple demonic presences?" Maggie asked Spike.
He nodded. "Can it be done without letting anyone else in on it?" Spike asked.
"Yes, I can run the tests myself. If, however, we isolate more than one demonic presence, I will need help to identify them." Maggie informed them. "But, I do have someone in my lab that I trust."
"What if the demon merged with Spike's vampiric demon?" Buffy asked.
"We should still get an abnormal reading, if that is the case." Maggie assured her. "Do you want to get that started now?" Spike nodded and Maggie told them she needed to go get the supplies to take the samples and left the office. She returned fifteen minutes later with multiple blood tubes and a vacutainer to draw the necessary blood.
Buffy watched as Professor Walsh tied the tourniquet and inserted the needle, filling the tubes in rapid succession. "If his blood isn't flowing, why do vampires veins pop up?" Buffy asked.
"Just one of those things, luv. Kind of like how other parts of my anatomy produce stuff even though I'm technically dead, if you get my drift, luv." He replied giving her a wicked smile.
"I have wondered about that. How can dead guys produce semen? I know the little bastards aren't alive, but still." Buffy wondered out loud. Maggie looked at her in amusement.
"Let's ask the scientist, shall we?" Spike drawled, giving a pointed look towards Maggie.
"Sorry, not my area of expertise." She replied.
"Oh, it's Buffy's, that's for sure." Spike announced wickedly.
"SPIKE!! I so cannot believe you just said that!!" Buffy exclaimed with a horrified look on her face. She glanced towards her former professor and her embarrassment eased a bit when she saw the amused look on Maggie's face. "I am so going to kick your ass later for that one." Buffy threatened.
Spike didn't reply, just gave her another evil smile, as Maggie finished up. She picked the tubes up and got to her feet. "I'll run these in a bit. I should have some answers for you later today. Let me give you my pager number in case you need it." She told them, writing her number on a piece of paper and handing it to Spike who shoved it in his pocket.
Buffy's cell phone rang, and it was Giles telling them that Xander and Willow were ready to be met. They told Maggie this, and she informed them that if they ran into any complications, to head to her office at the Initiative, and to not let anybody see them They both relaxed visibly when they realized they had someplace safe to run to.
"We appreciate this, Maggie, really." Spike told her sincerely.
"I hope you wont need my help in this matter, but if you do, I'll do what I can to keep you away from the Council. I'm not sure how far I'm going to have to go here, but it may get pretty intense if I'm going to be able to use the military to back me up. You may even have to go so far as to pretend to be prisoners here, lock you guys up for your own protection." Maggie told them.
"I'm not sure how that will work. Maybe for Spike, but they'll probably barge in saying I'm their slayer, and they have the right to take me." Buffy said.
"But you're not their slayer, luv. You don't work for the Council, remember?" Spike replied.
"Hey, you know that, and I know that, but do you think the Council will remember that? Hell no." Buffy explained.
"Well, we'll just have to see what our options are. I need to do some research into this, see what I can do. I have your numbers, and you have my pager number. Like I said, anything happens, head for my office and type in a 99 in my pager." Maggie instructed. Spike surprised her by going over to her and giving her a quick hug.
"Thanks. We appreciate this." He told her.
"Oh, I appreciate it too. You have no idea how fascinating this is to me." Maggie admitted. "I get some good research material out of this."
Buffy added her thanks, and Maggie watched as the slayer and vampire slipped out of her office. She left her office, locking it behind her, and took the samples to the lab in the Initiative. She couldn't wait to get going on this. If what they had told her was in fact true, the implications were astounding. And Maggie realized that THIS is why she had gone into paranormal psychology and genetics, not to stick behavior modification software in the brains of demons. Eagerly, she got to work in the lab.
SEWERS
Buffy and Spike once again made their way through the sewers, reaching the designated sewer entrance in record time. Both knew that there was a cloaking spell at work, and didn't want to dare mess it up by taking too long.
Willow gave a startled jump when Spike banged the manhole cover up in the middle of the street. Even though she knew her cloaking spell was working, she felt very conspicuous standing in the middle of the street waiting to go down into the tunnels. Xander grabbed the cover from Spike and allowed Willow to climb down the ladder first, following closely behind. A sliver of light was shining through the holes of the cover, offering a small amount of illumination.
Willow startled again at the sight of spike in game face, but he was ignoring them. She turned to Buffy and gasped. "Yo ... Your eyes, Buffy?" she stuttered.
Xander whipped his gaze around to look at her, and exclaimed "What the hell?"
Buffy looked unaffected, and said "Oh, are they yellow? They do that now when Spike goes game face. It's kinda cool, I can totally see in the dark now."
Xander just stared, getting a pissed look on his face. Buffy cut him off before he could even begin, "Xander, don't even start your shit. This is the way things are, deal with it. I am, happily. Got it?"
At her tone, Xander knew better than to argue. He nodded sullenly.
"Come on people, don't have all bleedin' day." Spike grumbled, grabbing Buffy's hand and leading her through the tunnel. She made him stop when she realized her friends were having difficulty seeing in the dark, and she went back and grabbed Willow's hand. Hands entwined, the foursome passed through the tunnels.
"Where are we going? Giles wouldn't say." Willow whispered.
"My house." Buffy replied.
"Your house? Isn't that like, the first place they will look?" the redhead asked in confusion.
"No, not that house. My new house. Spike bought me house." Buffy informed her.
"Huh? He did what?" Xander asked, sure he had heard wrong.
"He bought me a house." Buffy replied slowly.
"You have money?" Xander asked the vampire in astonishment.
"Tons." he smirked.
"Then what the hell were you doing mooching off of all of us?" Xander exclaimed.
"Trying to annoy you, of course. Did it work?" Spike answered.
Xander just shook his head in disbelief, and glared at the vampire. This was just getting weirder and weirder. Finally they came to their stop, and Willow quickly set up another cloaking spell so they could exit the sewers and go into the house undetected.
"What kind of a spell are you going to do to protect the house? I bet they did a locator spell or something by now." Buffy asked.
"I thought I'd do something like when Spike got tagged by that tracing dart." Willow replied, gathering up her supplies once again.
"Oh yeah, that should totally work." Buffy responded. They exited the tunnels quickly, Spike grabbing the blanket he had left at the bottom, and they ran into the house.
Giles was waiting for them at the doorway. "Oh, thank god. I've been a nervous wreck." He admitted.
"We're home before curfew, dad," Buffy joked, shutting the front door and helping Spike put out the flames that had erupted on his blanket.
Willow and Xander looked around the house with awe. "This is... wow.. " Was all Willow could find herself saying.
Even Xander looked somewhat impressed, trying desperately not to show it. "Nice digs."
"Come on, let's go in the living room, we need to get that spell going Wills." Buffy said.
"Ah man, does this mean I'm going to have bad hair again?" Xander whined.
"I'd venture a yes." Giles commented.
"What's this about bad hair?" Buffy asked, having missed the spell previously. She had been training at the Initiative when Spike had come to Giles for help.
"Oh, we're big time bad hair." Xander told her. "It was pretty scary."
"Will this work for mystical tracers as well?" Giles inquired.
"It should. Luckily I'm a bit more powerful now, and can do the whole house." Willow said, setting up the spell. She started chanting and a few minutes later, they could feel the house become ionized. Much to their delight, their hair wasn't as startling as previously when Willow had performed it when they had removed the tracer from Spike's back.
"I think we lucked out because such a huge area got rearranged," Willow commented. They all gave a sigh of relief, feeling a little safer. "I'll keep up a cloaking spell also, just to be on the safe side."
"Did you bring the provisions I asked you for?" Giles asked.
They both had been carrying big backpacks, and Xander went to his and extracted a big bottle of brandy. "Oh bless you." Giles nearly wept, taking the bottle from the boy's hand and removed himself to the kitchen.
"Don't you go getting pissed drunk, Rupert. Now's not the time." Spike shouted at him.
"I just need a little to steady my nerves, you prat." Giles yelled back.
"Ok, so what the plan?" Xander asked.
Chapter 17
SPIKE AND BUFFY'S HOUSE
They all gathered in the living room, Buffy gratefully grabbing the snacks that Willow had brought. Food had been something seriously lacking since the previous night, and Buffy scarfed in wild abandon.
Her stomach finally sated, she leaned back against Spike's chest and announced, "Ok, so so much better."
The rest of the gang had been waiting for Buffy to finish inhaling her food to begin the meeting, so now they all turned their attention towards her.
"Maybe we could begin by you telling us how things went at the Initiative?" Giles asked.
"It went pretty good. Maggie seemed way excited about doing the tests, she already drew the blood and was on her way to the lab to run them when we left." Buffy answered.
"That's good news. Again, are you sure we can trust her?" Giles questioned.
"Like I told Mags, I'd rather be inflicted with her shit than be in the council's clutches. I can't say 100% that she is on the level, but I think we run a far greater chance of staying out of the Wankers grasp with her on our side." Spike replied, drawing his finger lazily up and down Buffy's arm. Luckily, Willow had also brought Buffy some different clothes to change into, so she had changed out of Spike's t-shirt into a tanktop and jeans.
"I agree with Spike. She already said to meet her in her office at the Initiative if something happens, we have her pager number and everything." Buffy added. "I think the Council would be hard pressed to find their way into the Initiative."
"I think the first order of business should be to get a battle plan if we are discovered." Giles announced.
"Good thinking." Xander said. "How are we doing on the weapon frontage?"
Buffy looked at Spike in question, and he just smirked. "Don't worry, got it covered."
"Well, show us, Mr Cloak and Dagger Man. I'd like to be able to make a hasty exit if things decide to become nasty." Buffy told her mate.
"God I don't know why I put up with your shit." He grumbled, shoving her off of his lap. "Come on." He ordered and the Scooby gang got up and followed the blonde vampire into the entry way. He opened the front closet and it was neatly arranged top to bottom with every type of weapon they could possibly need. "Voila."
"Sweet fancy jesus, would ya get a load of that." Xander announced.
At the looks Spike was getting, he said "What! I've been collecting. Been around for over a hundred years, guy has to have a hobby, you know."
"Where did you have all these?" Buffy asked, eyes gleaming at the sight of this
many weapons. She was like a kid in a candy store.
"Storage. What, you thought I'd be keeping 'em in my crypt? Not bloody likely." He
replied, eyeing his collection proudly. "They were the first things I moved in here."
Spike watched in amusement as Buffy started pulling out weapons. She found a 22 caliber pistol on one of the shelves and stuck it in the waistband of her borrowed jeans. In answer to Spike's raised eyebrow, she informed him "What, you think I don't know how to use a modern weapon? I so totally do. I just usually prefer weapons that can slice and dice."
They each grabbed something to carry on their person and went back into the living room.
"Ok, so what is the plan with this Travers guy?" Xander asked.
Without a pause, Buffy announced, "We have to kill him."
Spike looked over at her proudly, Xander and Willow were searching her face for some sign that she was joking and Giles pondered this revelation.
"Uh, Buffy, .... he's human." Willow announced.
"I know that. But we don't have a choice. If Spike and I are EVER going to safe from the Council, Travers has to die." Buffy explained, her tone serious.
Xander turned aghast eyes to Giles. "Giles, please..."
"Buffy is right." Giles interrupted Xander to declare. "They will not be safe as long as Travers is alive. He has gotten himself to a level of invincibility in the Council, none of the other council members would dare cross him. His word goes."
Buffy nodded her understanding, and Spike felt a sharp thrill spark through him. To hunt, once more. He felt his mouth turn up in a huge grin, and looked towards Buffy. A flicker of power shot through them, and their eyes burned yellow for just a second. Buffy felt it too, the anticipation of the hunt. She returned his feral grin.
The others were staring at this display. It unnerved them to hear Buffy talk so
casually about killing a human being, but then to witness this exchange between the two blondes was well, disturbing.
Heaving a big sigh, Xander asked again, "So what's the plan then?"
Spike and Buffy had not taken their eyes off each other, and they answered almost in concert "We're going hunting."
------------
ELSEWHERE IN SUNNYDALE
In a different part of Sunnydale, Quentin Travers sat in a car while members of his team were searching for the missing vampire and slayer, as well as her now missing friends.
"I thought you had men watching the houses." Travers snapped into the phone. He didn't like the reply that he was getting. According to the report, one minute the wicca and the boy were in the house, the next they were gone. Nobody saw them leave, and they had some extensive surveillance equipment on the house.
"I believe we can thank the young witch for their disappearance." Travers announced. "They must be using some type of cloaking spell, I want someone who can track mystical disturbances in the air and I want them now. Is that understood?" He ordered into the phone. He hung up without saying good-bye
Quentin Travers was not in a good mood. He wanted his renegade slayer and William the Bloody caught, and on their way back to England for testing. He badly wanted access to the demon that was used create the First Slayer. If he could harness the demon, he wouldn't have to deal with spoiled little brats like Buffy Summers, who up and quit the Council because they don't get their way. He could create his own slayers, and have control of them right from the start. Travers had delusions of an army of slayers, all answering to his command. If he could gain control of this demon, there was no end to the girls he could make into slayers. It didn't even cross Travers mind that he would be infecting innocent girls with an unknown demonic aspect. That wasn't something he would be concerned about. This is something he had dreamed of since he first came across the translation of the scrolls written by the mystic of the Council of Elders that created the first slayer. The mystic had prophesied that the demon would return in another, one who is immortal, to be reunited with his slayer. This had been foreseen, in the dawn of a new millennium. Travers had been sure it had been about Angel, but was bitterly disappointed how that ended. He had desperately hoped it wasn't prophesied to happen in a different millennium. When he had received the phone call from Rupert Giles, he knew it was happening.
But he needed to find that damn vampire first. He sneered, thinking of his slayer being claimed by William the Bloody. Once a vampire who's name was legendary in the Council for his brutality and his penchant for killing slayers. Now he was nothing but a chipped, pet vampire. Once he killed slayers, now he helped them. He was a pathetic excuse for a previous killer. Except for the fact that he possessed the First Slayer's demon, who was the last of it's kind.
His phone rang ten minutes later, and when he answered it, he grinned in anticipation A large source of mystical energy had been sensed in a neighborhood on the other side of Sunnydale. He told his driver where to take him, and the car pulled away from the curb and headed to an older section of Sunnydale. He had quite a sizable team meeting him at the location. Travers knew the vampire couldn't fight back, so he just really had to worry about the slayer. Rupert and her little friend would probably offer token resistance, but he wasn't too worried in getting them under containment. On second thought, he changed the orders he gave his teams to "shoot to kill" everyone but the slayer and the vampire. Might as well tie up loose ends, he thought.
BUFFY AND SPIKE'S HOUSE
Buffy and Spike both snapped their heads up at almost the time. "I hear them, they're coming." Spike said, changing into game face to enhance his senses. The Scoobies watched in amazement as Buffy's eyes flashed the same amber yellow as Spike's, as she cocked her head to the side.
"He's right. They're coming. I hear a shitload of cars headed this way. Unless it's a funeral procession, it's gotta be them. They're not being very stealthy." Buffy announced, getting up and going to the weapons closet. it barely penetrated that she had a CLOSET full of weapons now, not just a chest. Oh, she was so going to be kicking some major ass for making her miss her new house bonding time. Her eyes were still blazing yellow, and she felt her senses enhancing the longer Spike stayed in game face.
The others were right behind her, grabbing weapons. "Dont' weigh yourself down, we're gonna have to haul some major ass to get to the Initiative. Spike's not going to be able to really help us until we get to the tunnels, he's got the sunlight issue to deal with." Buffy announced, loading herself up.
Continuing to give orders, she said, "Here's the plan. Well, it's not really a plan. We're gonna try to get to the tunnels and get to the Initiative. Anyone got any problems with that? Ok good. Spike and I have the benefit of being able to see without needing any light, so that's good. But it means you guys are going to have to follow blindly, and quickly. Wills, Xander, I'll be your guide. Spike, you'll be taking Giles. Got it?" Buffy asked, looking around. She got nods all around, and exchanged a quick kiss with Spike and they were ready to go.
The cars were making their way slowly down the street, and the cloaking spell was still in place, but Willow could feel a counter spell pushing against her magic. She told Buffy this.
"We gotta jam, guys. Spike, ready?" Buffy asked, throwing him a blanket. He put it over his head, keeping a light sword in one hand.
Like the organized team that they were, they flew out the door, weapons in hand, and bolted for the man hole cover that was just in front of the house. The first of the cars was just half way down the street when Willow felt her spells lifted, and she yelled
"Guys, cloaking spell is gone. We're out in the open."
Not bothering to acknowledge, they threw the man hole cover off and hurled themselves into the tunnel. They could hear shouts and car doors slamming, and Spike began leading the way, after placing Giles's hands on his arm.
Willow and Xander were either side of Buffy, gripping her hands tightly. It was pitch black in the tunnels, at least for them. These particular set of sewer tunnels were not in use anymore, so there was no lighting. Thanks to the enhanced senses, Buffy didn't have a problem navigating her way though, and luckily Willow and Xander were moving quickly, trusting her.
"At least it's not the blind leading the blind here," Xander couldn't help but whisper. Buffy's freaky eyes had given him the wiggins earlier, but now he was truly thankful his friend was sporting yellow eyeballs.
Spike was taking them through tunnel after tunnel, not taking the straight way there. These sewers were like a maze, all of the tunnels looked the same, and he was hoping to confuse anyone who might be trying to follow them. Plus, they didn't know what kind of tracking devices they would have, and a lot of the tunnels wound up as dead ends. Willow was not able to do any magic to help along the way, and she sensed that was a good thing. She had a feeling her mystical energy had been sensed, that's how they had been found out.
They came across one team on the way, and Spike and Buffy pushed the others against the wall, telling them to get down. The Council team had lanterns, so the Scoobies were able to witness the awesome battle the two put on. If Giles thought they fought well together before, it was nothing compared to what he was seeing now. The pure savagery that his slayer was displaying was a bit worrisome, but between the vampire and slayer, they made short work of the 8 Council men. Obviously, Buffy no longer had any problems taking a human life, although this was somewhat of a kill or be killed situation. Giles also theorized that if Buffy was experiencing Spike's enhanced senses when he was in game face, she was probably experiencing the vampiric feral hunting urges, hopefully to a point. She had said she had been feeling primal, and she was definitely exhibiting those signs. These men had obviously not considered Spike to be a threat, so Travers must not be aware that his chip didn't work. Luckily, Spike had not used his fangs to kill any of them, so hopefully that could be their wild card, if it came to that.
Buffy and Spike turned to grin at each other, and Spike said "That was fun." Buffy just nodded, it had been fun. She could feel her attitude towards slaying changing, she was starting to look at it more from Spike's point of view. She was relishing the kill. Oh bad Buffy, those were humans. Better keep your head, don't want to go all Faith here.
Buffy turned to look at Giles, and noted the slightly worried look in his eyes. "Don't worry, not going all renegade here, ok Giles? I promise." She assured him. Spike put out the lantern, plunging them once again in darkness, and they resumed their quest.
They made it to the Initiative without further mishap, and Spike showed them the venting shaft that he used to make his way into compound. Again, blanketed in darkness, Spike took the lead with Giles, with Buffy, Willow and Xander following. The shaft twisted around for a distance, until Spike stopped at a section of large venting. He removed it and jumped down into the room, helping Giles down next. The others quickly followed, and looked around. They were in Maggie's office inside the Initiative, a collective sigh of relief was heard. Buffy went to Maggie's phone and paged her number, typing in 99. She didn't want to use her cell phone in case the Council had a way of tracking it.
Five minutes later, they heard the door to the office being unlocked, and Maggie came through it. She seemed surprised to see Willow, not quite realizing her close friendship with Buffy. Maggie was introduced to Xander, and reintroduced to Giles.
"So, I take it you were found out?" Maggie asked, eyeing all the weapons that the group carried. "Boy, you guys really arm yourselves."
"Everybody can't carry a tazer, y'no." Spike replied. "The Council of Wankers sussed us out. Not sure how."
"Uh, I think I do. I think they had someone sensing my spells, I think that's why they were driving down the street so slowly. They were trying to pinpoint which house was giving off all the mystical energy." Willow explained. "I felt my spells being countered just as we were leaving the house."
"Spells?" Maggie asked.
"Don't get excited, Mags. Red's a witch, and no you can't experiment on her." Spike smirked. "You can do whatever you want to the boy though." he added.
"Oh that hurts." Xander told Spike, who just grinned.
"Do you think anyone was able to follow you here?" Maggie asked, going over to sit in her chair. She was trying to figure out what to do with this group.
"Don't think so. Never know with those Wankers." Spike replied. "So, did you get to do those labs tests to determine just what the hell I am?"
Chapter 18
They watched as Maggie's eyes grew bright with barely contained enthusiasm. "Oh yes, I did. The results were quite interesting, really."
"Well, what did it show?" Spike questioned a bit impatiently.
"I only had time to run the first part of the testing, and it showed what you had suspected. There is the presence of another demon in your demonic make up. Without extensive testing on this, I can only say that it appears to be merged with your vampiric demon. I have not been able to begin identifying the other demon, but the markers I was getting were quite intriguing." Maggie explained.
Spike was silent, as he absorbed this information. The knowledge that he wasn't JUST a vampire didn't come as too big of a surprise, but what else was he? Suddenly he started grinning, as a thought struck him. At the baffled looks he got, he tried to explain.
"Oh come on, it's a bit funny, is all. I think I'm part slayer, since the demon was used to create the First Slayer. No wait, I am BETTER than I thought! Hot damn, I'm like this superhero! I've got this cool slayer demon AND my charismatic vampire demon! Not to mention whatever Buffy is throwing my way!" Spike said with glee.
"Yeah, and let's not forget William the Bloody Awful Poet thrown in that mix," Buffy added in a sarcastic tone.
Spike glowered at her, warning her to keep her mouth shut. She smirked at him and blew him a kiss.
"Bloody awful what?" Xander asked.
"Don't you dare do it Slayer" Spike growled in warning.
Ignoring him, she launched into her explanation. "That's how WILLIAM over there got his name, he got it before he was turned. They called him the Bloody Awful Poet."
Spike snarled and leapt for Buffy to shut her up, but she evaded him, laughing. "See if I ever share any personal information with you again, you stupid cow." He growled.
"Oh please, you so needed to be taken down a few notches." Buffy informed him, as Spike continued his efforts to grab her.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Giles yelled. Both blondes stopped, and stared at him. "If you haven't remembered, we are being chased by the Council. I would appreciate it if you two could refrain from your juvenile antics for the time being." He lectured.
Spike smirked. "Yeah Slayer, stop being so juvenile." Buffy narrowed her eyes at him, and concentrated hard, sending images of them having passionate sex through the claim. Buffy watched with satisfaction as Spike gave a slight shiver and glared at her.
"That was COLD slayer." Spike growled, glaring at her. Buffy noted with satisfaction that he had to wrap his duster around his body to camouflage his body's reaction to her images.
"What did she do?" Xander asked, confused. He had been watching this by-play, and he hadn't seen Buffy do anything.
"Nothing." They both answered at the same time, then smirked at each other, tension dissolved.
Giles gave a long suffering sigh, and caught Maggie's eye. She seemed to be amused by these antics. "Those two are going to be the death of me." He informed her.
"Oh, I don't know. He kind of grows on you." Maggie replied.
"Unfortunately." Was his reply, not really wanting to agree. Turning to the others, he said "All right, now what?"
"Well, I believe we're safe for the moment. Maggie, if the Council does track us here, how safe are we?" Buffy asked.
"I am in command of this compound, but obviously I have people that I report to in Washington. They give me a lot of leeway, due to the nature of this assignment and if the Council tries anything illegal, my men are prepared to defend themselves against an attack. In an official capacity, Hostile 17 is under the government's protection, and therefor we will not let him be subjected to capture by the Council. With Spike, I have legal means to back me up in Washington. As far as the rest of you, if things get intense, I don't really have the legal standing to order the Council to stand down." Maggie began to explain.
"So what we can do is this. If the Council comes here, the best I can do is hide everyone except Spike. You, I will probably have to claim you are prisoner here, for your own protection."
The others absorbed this information, and nodded. "Right. If the Wankers track us here, it's because they've followed our trail here. It would be feasible to say that I was trying to break in here and I was recaptured." Spike said.
Maggie nodded. "I'm afraid that's really the only way I can legally work this. However, if we're going to make this legit, I'm going to have to arrange to have Spike really 'captured', so this story will play out with my men. Buffy, I could try to arrange capture for you, but I don't know the legal standing I would have against the Council, if they are as powerful as you say. Spike, we'd have to keep you in one of the containment cells, but I assure you that you will not be treated like last time."
Buffy had a thankful look on her face. "I don't want to jeopardize your position here, Maggie. I realize you are putting yourself out just by helping us to begin with, and I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. As much as I don't want to be separated from Spike, I think this is probably the best idea. Where will you be able to hide us?" Buffy asked.
"I have secure quarters in the lab, we can move there. I'm eager to get back to work on Spike's blood specimens. I have already dismissed all the other lab technicians for today, only Dr. Rhu remains. He is our top demon geneticist, and I trust him explicitly." Maggie replied. "There are cameras pretty much everywhere, Spike do you think you can find your way through the venting to the lab?"
"Not a problem," He smirked.
"Good. Now I know after this is over where we need to work on our security. Lead the others to the lab, then go back to where you entered the compound. I am going to have you captured there." Maggie explained.
"And what am I supposed to have done?" Spike asked. "I don't think the Wankers know my chip doesn't work, and I'd kinda like to keep it that way."
"Well, I think you'll be captured trying to kidnap me, to blackmail the Initiative into removing your chip so that you can help your girlfriend fight against the humans. How does that sound?" Maggie suggested.
Spike, Buffy and Giles pondered this. "I think that sounds feasible." Giles admitted.
"We'll keep you in containment for 24 hours, than if there is no threat, you can return to the others. What was your plan to eliminate this threat permanently?" Maggie asked.
"We have to take him out." Buffy announced matter of factly. Xander groaned, Willow's eyes bugged out and all Giles could do was clear his throat as they waited for Maggie's reaction to that statement.
"Him meaning who?" she asked, her face unreadable.
"Quentin Travers, the head of the council." Giles answered, taking off his glasses. "I'm afraid he's risen to a position of invincibility in the Council. He's become a force to be reckoned with, his ethics are highly questionable and he has a huge amount of resources at his disposal. I'm afraid Buffy is correct, the only way to take care of this problem permanently, is to remove Quentin Travers from the equation."
Maggie thought about this revelation for a moment, her mind spinning over the implications of this. Obviously, as head of a secret government organization, she was not a stranger to having to deal with threats in the manner suggested by this group in front of her. A thought came to her, and she mulled it over in her mind for a moment before mentioning it.
Decision made, she said "There is another solution that I may be able to offer. As you know, the purpose of this organization is to test behavior modification software on demons. However, Dr. Rhu and I have been needing, shall we say, a guinea pig to test some experimentational behavior modification software that was designed for human use."
Spike burst out laughing, clapping his hands in glee. "Oh, I love it! Let's chip the bastard! Mags, I gotta hand it to ya, you're top notch."
Maggie found herself slightly embarrassed at the vampire's compliment. "Yes, well.. ok. This chip would work similarly to the one we placed in you, Spike. Any evil intent would get him zapped. However, we will need to do more than that, so it's a bit riskier. We're going to have to tap into his memory banks and basically alter recent memory from his brain. Any attempt to access those memories will also result in getting him zapped. This would be for the Initiative's benefit, as well as for your protection." She explained.
Maggie glanced over to see Giles looking at her with respect. She glanced away a bit uncomfortably.
"How were you planning to test this new chip out, Mags?" Spike asked.
"That's classified." She retorted with a secretive smile.
"So in translation, this works out pretty well for your end, doesn't it?" Spike asked.
Maggie did nod in confirmation. "Like I said, we've been needing a guinea pig."
"Right then. Maybe when we get me all captured like, we can get Red to do a bit of mojo, which should lead those bastards straight here. The good doctor here can invite one Quentin Travers inside, minus his armies, and we'll do a bit of the ole double cross. There shouldn't be any reason for Travers to think that I'm in tight with the sods who chipped me, yes I'm thinkin there's going to be a little bit of fun to be had here!" Spike said enthusiastically.
"Well, let's quit the yapping and get on with the plan." Xander complained, needing to get the action started.
"Xander!" Willow exclaimed.
"No, he's right. It won't work if we don't get the players in place before they show up at the door." Maggie said. "Go take them to the lab, I'll meet you there. Dr Rhu is already somewhat aware of the delicate situation we have here. Avoid the cameras at all cost. I've taken care of the one in the lab already, one good thing about being the boss, nobody dares questions your orders."
They smiled at her, and Spike went to the venting and opened it back up, and helped the others inside. He lead them around the compound to the lab. He was thankful he had spent as much time as he had learning his way around this place. Spike figured it might come in handy someday to get himself dechipped, he sure hadn't anticipated this.
When they got to the lab, he threw the door to the venting open, and a small Asian man in a white coat gave a sharp yelp as he whirled around to face the intruders.
"Whoops, sorry mate." Spike said, helping the others through the door.
"Hostile 17, I presume?" the man asked, recovering quickly. He eyed the vampire
with interest.
"Usually go by the name Spike, Doc." Spike replied, pulling Buffy to his side.
The lab opened and they all tensed as Maggie walked through the doors. "Oh, you're here. I'll let you make your own introductions later. Alan, they are going to be staying in my quarters, Spike is going to be placed in a containment cell, and we'll be bringing you a test subject for our pet project." Maggie announced.
The doctor's face lit up with anticipation. "Really?"
"Yes, really, get it set up. I'll let you know when we're ready to go." she ordered as the other doctor nodded.
"Get going, Spike, I'll meet you at the entrance." Maggie told the vampire, who gave her a quick salute, kissed Buffy and disappeared through the vent.
Chapter 19
Spike quickly made his way around the compound, wondering how exactly Maggie was going to stage this "kidnapping." He knew there weren't any cameras in the storage room where they entered the compound, so her plans for a dramatic rescue was a mystery to him.
He exited the vent, and looked around nervously. He was in a large storage room underneath the Initiative. It had a well hidden sewer access, but even so, Spike was anxious to get away from this spot. He felt particularly vulnerable, and his body tensed when he heard footsteps approaching. He sniffed the air, and could smell Maggie's scent wafting closer. He could hear her talking to someone on a two way radio.
She entered the room, appearing unaware of his presence, pretending to retrieve some supplies from the storage room. Maggie still had the radio to her mouth, and Spike figured this was how she was going to alert her men of her alleged kidnapping.
Spike stealthily came behind her and grabbed her, growling "drop the radio and I won't kill you." He saw that she had the transmit button pushed when he made his threat, and smirked.
"Hostile 17" Maggie announced calmly, before he knocked the radio out of her hands, seeing she had set it on open mic.
"Well, well well. Lookee what we have here. Just the bint I was hoping to find. Professor Walsh, I do believe you are going to help me with a little problem. See, my girlfriend is being chased by a particularly nasty group of humans, and well, I can't hurt humans thanks to you wankers. Do you see where this is going?" Spike drawled, pretending to hold Maggie's hands behind her back.
"Whatever you are planning, I can assure you that you won't get away with it." Maggie said.
"Oh, I think I will. My girlfriend is so much more important than a bit of pain in my head, I will gladly kill you and think nothing of it. Well, my head might, of course. So this is what you are going to do. You are going to arrange to have this chip removed, and I won't kill you." Spike growled, managing to sound his cocky yet menacing self.
Before Maggie could reply, the doors to the room burst open and a flood of military soldiers poured into the room. Spike held Maggie in front of him as a shield, he didn't really fancy getting tazed out of this.
"If you shoot me, you shoot her." He threatened.
"I tell you what, you go with us without any trouble, and we'll discuss your chip." Maggie told him.
"And I should trust you because....?" Spike asked.
"You shouldn't. But what are your options here? If you kill me, you're dead before my body hits the floor. You try to escape, you'll just be tazed and then you'd just wish you were dead. And you can kiss any thoughts of helping your girlfriend good-bye. You really didn't give this a lot of thought, did you?" Maggie taunted.
"Shut up." Spike growled, pretending to become agitated.
"What happens if I come with you?" he asked.
"We've got a containment cell with your name on it, and like I said, we'll discuss the chip." she replied.
"What about Buffy?" Spike asked.
"That's your problem. You should have thought of that before you barged in here like you did. Those are your choices, the only way you have a chance of surviving your stupidity is to surrender." Maggie informed the vampire, who scowled.
He shoved her roughly away. "Fine." A dozen Tazer weapons were trained on him, and he was just waiting to be stuck by bolts of electricity. Apparently, the men were waiting for Maggie's orders. "What are we waiting for? Don't have all day here. We have a chipectomy to discuss." Spike announced.
To one of her men, Maggie ordered "Cuff him." Spike let himself be handcuffed, and was roughly pushed forward towards the door.
"You better not double-cross me, you bitch." Spike snarled, turning back to look at Maggie.
Maggie gave a short laugh and said "Oh, you really are lacking some brains, aren't you Hostile 17? You see, we've been hoping to get a hold of you for quite some time. But alas, you had the slayer protecting you. We knew we couldn't just have you disappear without questions being thrown in our direction."
Spike was pushed roughly into the hallway, into the range of cameras, and he made a big show of glowering at Maggie Walsh.
"But now, look at you. You walk right into our hands. You see, Hostile 17, you are the only demon who has survived the chip implantation for longer than a month. And since we're just really curious by nature, we'd like to take this opportunity to find out WHY you have survived when so many of your fellow demons have perished. I'd like to thank you for giving us this chance. You don't mind going under the knife again, do you?" Maggie finished, giving Spike a chilling smile.
Fear shot through Spike, was she in on the whole thing? Maggie gave a quick wink in his direction and his body practically sagged in relief. Holy shit, she was good. She had practically had him pissing in his pants. Well, if he still pissed, anyway.
Without any further delay, they marched through the compound toward the containment area. Spike played his part, yelling insults and making token efforts to get away. They came to the cells where Spike had hoped he would never again be, and he was pushed unceremoniously inside. He gave one token bang on the glass doors for appearances sake, getting zapped in the process, than threw himself down in the corner to sulk.
Maggie picked up the phone and called the lab and informed Dr. Rhu that Hostile 17 had been recaptured and would be awaiting further testing. This whole scenario, given solely for the benefit for her men, seemed completely legitimate. In fact, Spike really had been one of the only surviving demons who had been chipped, and Maggie was eager to find out if it had something to with his 'other demon.' The chip placed in Spike's head was designed specifically for vampires, but all the other test subjects self terminated before a month's time. The scientist inside Maggie was screaming for answers, and she made her way to the lab to see if any of the tests that they had run were back. Surprisingly, it wasn't her life's work that she wanted answers to, it was this new and strange demon inside of Spike.
She gave one last glance at Spike and gave him a tiny smile and imperceptible nod for reassurance, than left the containment area. She had long since grown used to the yelling and screaming she encountered when she entered the area, and today was no exception. Maggie hoped she could get Spike out of there quickly, for his sake.
LAB
When Dr. Rhu hung up the phone, he announced to Giles that Spike had been contained, and Maggie was on her way back. He was frantically working the machines, trying to come up with some answers to the puzzle of Spike's demon. The more results he got, the more perplexed he became.
Xander and Buffy had gone to Maggie's quarters, not wanting to get into the scientist's way. Giles and Willow stayed on and watched, sometimes helping the man. Willow was in awe of the completely state of the art laboratory she was in. They were able to run test in minutes that would take other labs days. Perks of being a secret military organization, she figured.
Maggie came marching in, "So, what do we have?" She asked Dr. Rhu.
"It's fascinating." Was the distracted reply she got, the man's face was glued to the eyepieces of a microscope. Maggie went to one of the machines and ripped the results off. She also got a distracted look on her face as she tried to decipher the results.
"Are these correct?" She asked.
"Double checked them." Dr Rhu answered.
"What is it?" Giles asked.
Maggie didn't answer as she walked over to the microscope that Dr. Rhu had just moved away from, indicating that she should take a look.
"It's replicating itself." She said.
"And that's not all." Dr. Rhu told her. He handed her the complete blood count he had ran on Spike's blood.
Maggie looked it over, noting the extremely high levels of white blood cells present. "This doesn't make sense." She said, with a confused look on her face.
Dr. Rhu nodded his head. "I know." To Giles and Willow, he explained, "Vampires are technically dead, they produce no bone marrow. We should not be seeing any presence of red or white blood cells activity. The majority of their organs become non viable, whatever healing properties that may take place are caused by the demon, which is what gives the undead body immortality."
Giles looked confused as well. "What about ingested blood? He and my slayer have been..... exchanging blood." He announced, unable to keep the look of utter distaste off of his face.
"It wouldn't make a difference, it wouldn't cause his bone marrow to be producing stem cells, especially at this high level. Usually, in a normal human being, if we saw levels like this, we would be looking at some sort of Leukemia." Dr. Rhu explained.
Buffy and Xander came into the room, and were listening to this discussion.
"So what's the what?" Buffy asked.
"Well, the samples we have collected and run have shown some startling results. We have isolated the abnormal presence and have done some testing on it. What we find most odd, is it's self replicating capabilities. Add that to 60,000 WBC count, that should be 0 or around there, and we are pointing in the direction of...." Dr Rhu started to explain only to be interrupted by Buffy.
"Uh, not understanding the Scully routine. Can you just say it plain English?." She requested.
"Well, it appears that the demon has virus like components." Maggie finally said.
"Huh?" Buffy said, her eyes dazed. "Spike's a virus?"
"No, we're saying that the demon is exhibiting virus like characteristics." Dr. Rhu replied.
"But I thought viruses were dead, they needed a host cell." Willow injected.
"Well, I'm beginning to form a hypothesis that the demon was one big host cell for the virus." Dr. Rhu admitted.
"But how would that create the first slayer?" Xander asked, confused.
Giles began this explanation. "Well, we know that the first slayer was a normal girl infected with an unknown demon. If it was indeed some sort of demonic mutant virus, it would enter the body and start working on the body's cells. Thus denaturing the body's DNA, changing the genetic code for future generations."
"Like cancer?" Buffy asked.
"Not really." Dr. Rhu answered. "The presence of the leukocytes indicates an infection of some sort. You don't normally see that in cancer, unless it's of the lymphatic system. "
"Oh. Anyone else like totally confused here?" Buffy asked, knowing Xander would be raising his hand in agreement, which he did not fail to disappoint.
"So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Was Buffy's next question.
"Not knowing the specifics of this demon and the virus it carried into the first slayer, it's really hard to say for sure. It may explain why Travers is so gung ho on capturing you two, if he had knowledge of this from the beginning." Maggie said.
"How could he know about that?" Xander asked.
"Hello? How many prophecies have we dealt with here? Maybe Travers knows a little bit more than he let on to Giles." Buffy said. "There's always some damn cryptic bullshit floating around some place."
"Quite right. Besides, I didn't tell him the details about you and Spike, I just requested permission to look through the archives. But why would Travers want to get his hands on this demon virus?" Giles asked.
"Because it's self replicating. he could isolate it and introduce the demon virus into anyone he wants. The possibilities are endless." Dr. Rhu stated.
"Good lord, he could create a whole new slayer race." Giles announced.
"One thing we do know for certain, we have never seen anything like this. We have access to information on basically every kind of known demon from multiple sources, and this is beyond anything we have information on." Dr. Rhu said.
Giles thought back to his conversation with Quentin Travers when he called to inquire if he could search the archives for information pertaining to the First Slayer. Travers immediately asked if this had anything to do with the current slayer. Then he casually asked if she was involved with anyone at the moment, saying he'd heard rumors she'd been spending time with William the Bloody. Giles felt compelled to answer somewhat truthfully, that the two were "dating." He sure wasn't about to let Travers know about the claiming and the other things going on. But it had seemed an odd avenue of questioning at the time, and now with this current evidence, Giles was afraid it pointed to the fact that Travers did indeed have prior knowledge of this demon.
"Buffy, do you remember anything from your dreams that could help us here?" Giles questioned.
Buffy appeared to be thinking hard before replying, "Well, it felt like the demon was pretty old, even at that time. The girl was normal when she was merged with the demon, it seemed to take her over. It changed everything inside of her. The demon felt evil, but I think it merged with part of her soul also, and then the demon also changed because of that. When the slayer died, it felt different. It appeared as a dark misty thing, and when Drusilla drew her fangs out of Spike, it entered him."
"Right, that would make sense. It would require a living host to be able to change the genetic material. If the subject was dead, it could remain dormant. But it was enough to keep his immune system activated all these years. This is truly fascinating." Maggie said, in awe.
"Are we talking about a demon or a virus here? I'm confused." Xander asked.
"I believe we are talking a demon with an ancient viral counterpart. The fact that the demon wasn't corporeal to begin with also leads us to ask other questions." Dr Rhu said.
"Which my brain SO cannot handle right now." Buffy announced. "What about the second part of this plan?"
Maggie nodded. "You're right, we do need to get going on that plan. Willow, I think you should do your magic in the psychology department above us. Perhaps in the basement?"
Willow nodded. "I can do that. But if the Council guys come, how are you gonna get hold of them?"
"Don't worry, i can manage that part. The basement is technically considered part of the compound, although we don't have surveillance on it on a permanent basis. I believe we shall be turning the cameras on after you do your spell." Maggie replied.
"Ok. I thought I'd do another cloaking spell, I have the things with me and I'm pretty sure it was what was sensed last time." Willow said.
"Buffy, do you think you can make your way through the vents back to the tunnels?
The basement is the next entrance over. I know you'll be a bit exposed for a brief time, but I will give you another micro cam so we can maintain visual and audio contact. I'll send some men after you if you're detained by the Council." Maggie explained.
Buffy nodded, "I'm pretty sure I can get us there. "
"Oh, one more thing, I'd like permission to draw your blood also and see if your lab work will offer us any answers to this puzzle." Maggie asked.
"Sure." Buffy replied, and Maggie quickly drew multiple tubes from her arm. Buffy was interested to see if she and Spike were "sharing" anything.
"Ready to go Wills?" Buffy asked when Maggie was finished. The redhead nodded, and Buffy loaded herself up with weapons and they headed for the venting door. Xander and Giles stayed behind, knowing it was safer for them to stay split up.
Buffy had no problem navigating her way through the air conditioning vents without Spike's guidance, and the flashlight definitely helped since she didn't have Spike in game face to enhance her vision. She tried thinking of an image of her going though the vents into the basement to pass through the claim to Spike, and was rewarded by an image of Spike in a sterile white cell with a glass door. She felt his loneliness and his anxiety at being back in a containment cell, even if it wasn't for real this time. She thought back an image of them sitting on their new porch holding hands after this was all over, and she felt his gratitude at the cheerful thought.
A little while later, Willow looked over to notice her friend smiling. "What are you smiling at?" she asked.
"Oh, Spike. He's sending images into my head and let me tell you, the guy's got one hell of an imagination." Buffy explained.
"What do you mean?" Willow asked, a bit confused.
"We can kind of send mental images back and forth. I can't read his thoughts or anything, but I can feel his feelings if they are intense. I think he's entertaining himself by thinking of these totally wacky images to put in my head. I've been kinda keeping him advised of where we are going." Buffy explained.
"OH. Wow." Was all Willow could say.
"Yeah, he is kinda wow." Buffy said dreamily. They came to the end of the vent tunnel, and quickly made their way into the sewer tunnel. Buffy turned off the flashlight, and Willow saw that Buffy's eyes were yellow. At the Wicca's confused look, Buffy whispered "I kinda imagined him gameface, and I think he got the hint."
As Maggie had told them, the entrance to the basement was the next one over. They did not meet anyone along the way, and Willow quickly set up the spell and performed it. Buffy could feel the magic zinging through the air, as they hastily dashed back into the tunnels and hauled ass to get back to the Initiative. They had left haphazard supplies lying around the basement so it would appear they had made a quick get away. Not knowing how far away any of the Council teams were, they didn't want to get caught before they had a chance to get ahold of Quentin Travers.
They made their way back into the air conditioning vents behind the walls of the Initiative and quickly made their way back to the lab.
When the pushed through the vents, Xander announced "Oh great, Buffy's sporting the weird yellow eyeballs again."
Giles looked at her in shock. "I thought you said that only happens when Spike is in game face?"
"It does. I am pretty convinced he's in game face right now, I kinda let him know that I needed my superwoman vision." Buffy explained, as her eyes quickly flashed back to their normal vivid hazel green color. "Well, now he's not Mr. Forehead."
"How did you let him know that?" Giles asked, confusion evident on his face.
"They can send mental pictures to each other, kinda like You've Got Pictures." Willow explained excitedly.
"Extraordinary." Giles exclaimed.
"Yeah well. It can kind of be a pain in the ass, you all know how warped Spike is." Buffy announced.
"How did your little recon mission go?" Xander asked.
"No problem." Willow replied.
"I think that's my cue to take myself topside. If the Council comes snooping
around, it would be a good idea if I'm there to see them." Maggie said. She handed a two way radio to Giles and told him to keep it on the frequency it was programmed on.
"So now what?" Xander asked.
"Now we wait." Giles said, watching as Maggie left the lab.
Chapter 20
When Maggie Walsh reached the Psychology department, she was found it pretty much empty due to the late hour. There were a few night classes in session right now, but those had just started and wouldn't be letting out for a few hours. That would make it that much easier to spot anything out of place, she knew.
She settled herself into her office with the door open, observing the surveillance of the basement on her hand held monitor. Maggie didn't want to involve her men if she didn't have to, she was hoping to do this quietly. She knew if Travers had to be taken by force, they would most likely have to deal with his men, and she didn't want the death toll to be that high.
Why she was putting herself out like this, she didn't really know. What Maggie did know is that for once, something truly had her fascinated and after working so long in the military, her emotions had become hardened out of necessity. She found herself drawn to Spike and Buffy, and she was eager to see where this went for them.
And now, with the possible threat of the Council taking control of the virus, she could honestly say it was her duty and job to see that they did not get their hands on Spike.
Then Maggie found herself at a crossroad, of sorts. The possibilities that arose due to the nature of the demon virus would be of extreme interest to the military, who were always on the lookout for the means to create that SuperSoldier. But, if Maggie pursued that avenue, she would be no better than Travers. Spike's life would become forfeit. Maggie knew how the military worked, she knew that they would never allow Spike to live a normal life while they experimented with his demon components. They would have him locked up, drugged and treat him no better than the Initiative had treated him the first time he had been captured.
With a sigh, Maggie tossed these thoughts around in her head. She came to the realization that there really was no decision to be made. Spike wasn't JUST a demon anymore, he was something more. Like Buffy, he had been chosen. Maggie believed there had to be a reason for that, and she wanted to be able to help find out what that reason was.
Feeling relieved at having come to such an obviously easy conclusion, Maggie shifted her attention back to the portable monitor. She smiled when she saw a few men dressed in black enter the basement. After they had searched it, an older man with a dignified air arrived. That had to be Travers. Show time.
She quickly went down to the basement, and prepared herself for the confrontation. As she reached the bottom of the steps, she found five rifles trained on her.
"What is going on?" Maggie demanded, adding just a hint of fright for authenticity.
"May I inquire who you are?" the man she had identified as Travers spoke, in a cultured British accent, similar to Buffy's Watcher, but this one held no warmth.
"I'm Maggie Walsh. I'm the head of the psychology department." She replied. At his
blank look, she said "The psychology department of UC Sunnydale, that you are now standing in the basement of? Now what are you doing here? This area is off limits to anyone but authorized personnel."
Travers indicated for his team to stand down, and Maggie felt a sense of relief to no longer have weapons trained on her. "My apologies, Mrs. Walsh."
"That's Professor Walsh." She snapped, already irritated at his high handed manner.
"Right, Professor Walsh. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you here. We work for the government, and we've tracked some potentially dangerous suspects to this location." Travers lied. "And may I inquire how you knew we were down here?" Travers added.
Maggie gave him a chilling smile. "The government? Interesting. And are you the head of this group?" She asked, not answering his question.
"I am. Quentin Travers." He replied, tipping his head slightly at her.
"Well, Mr. Travers. I believe we need to talk. Would you be so kind as to come to my office?" She requested, not giving him a chance to answer as she turned and started walking up the stairs. "Oh, and that request was for you alone, Mr. Travers. Your boys can wait elsewhere."
Intrigued, Quentin Travers followed her up the stairs and into her office. Maggie shut and locked the door behind them.
"What is this about?" Travers demanded.
"This is about your lying, Mr. Travers." Maggie replied. "I know you don't work for the government."
"Oh? And how may I ask, do you know that?" Quentin asked in a smug tone that made Maggie want to slap him.
"Because I work for the government, Mr. Travers. So again, I will ask, what were you doing in my basement?" Maggie asked, turning on her computer monitor and bringing up the live feed from all the cameras in the Initiative.
Travers looked at this woman in front of him. He knew there was the group in town, the Initiative, who was responsible for Spike's chip as well as other things. The Council had been hard pressed to get any information on their location. He knew Buffy had dated one of the soldier's, but it hadn't seemed important enough to capture him and interrogate him on the operation. Now Travers wished they had taken the time.
"I take it you work with the Initiative?" Travers gambled.
"I don't work with them, I'm in charge of it." Maggie replied.
Interesting. A woman in charge of an operation like that. Perhaps she could be of some assistance here, Travers thought.
"Then perhaps you have heard of the Slayer?" Quentin asked.
"I know of her. She was in one of my classes last year and one of my men used to date her." Maggie replied somewhat honestly.
"Well, I'm head of the Council of Watchers who Buffy Summers works for." Travers explained.
Maggie noted he had conveniently forgotten the part where Buffy had quit the council. "And that explains what you were doing in my basement, how?"
"I'm afraid she has gone renegade, like our other Slayer, Faith. She has
aligned herself with an evil vampire, and I'm afraid he's done something to her. She killed a bunch of my men earlier today." Travers lied smoothly.
"This evil vampire wouldn't happen to be one that we previously chipped, would it?" Maggie asked.
Travers face became guarded. "I believe he was chipped, yes."
"My my, this is interesting. You see, we recaptured Hostile 17 earlier today. He broke into our compound and tried to kidnap me, wanting us to remove his chip so he could help his girlfriend fight some men that were after her. I'm assuming that is you." Maggie said.
Travers nodded. "So where is ... Hostile 17, you call him?"
"Yes, We have him in our containment area. We were happy to have him back, he's the only vampire who has survived our chipping process. I'm sure you can appreciate that." Maggie told him.
"yes, well. Is it possible for me to see him?" Travers asked, trying to contain his excitement.
Maggie turned the monitor around, which showed Spike sitting in the corner of his cell, sulking. He threw occasional glares towards the camera, but generally exuded an air of being truly pissed off.
"There he is." Maggie announced.
"Yes, of course. I mean in person. I wish to speak with him, and see if he has any information regarding my slayer."
"This is a highly classified military establishment, Mr. Travers. I can't just let anybody walk in." Maggie explained.
"I can assure you that I have a high security clearance, if you were to check. It really is important that I speak with Willi....uh, Hostile 17." Travers insisted.
Maggie pretended to ponder this. "All right. But I can only allow you inside, do you have a problem with that?"
Travers shook his head, smiling. Maggie gave a short nod and stood up and went to the wall behind her desk. This was an entrance that she didn't use that often, not wanting to risk being caught leaving her office when no one saw her enter. She usually tried to take the usual way down.
Maggie pushed a spot on the wall and a door revealed itself, opening up. "Come along, Mr. Travers." She insisted, not wanting to give him time to notify his men he was going elsewhere. She would have him searched when they reached the base.
Placing her eye to the scanner for a retinal scan, the door to the elevator closed and they headed down. Travers had an intrigued look on his face.
"I have to say, I am impressed. We were unable to collect much information on your operation." Travers told her.
"Likewise, Mr. Travers." Maggie replied.
The elevator stopped, opened and Maggie and her companion stepped through the door. There was a metal detector a few steps away from the elevator doors, and Maggie told Quentin that she had to insist on him going through it. One of her men came to assist her in this matter, and Quentin was relieved of his weapon and his communication device.
Surprised that he wasn't smelling a set up, Maggie led him to the containment area. Loud, crude shouts were flung at her, but she ignored them. Quentin looked around in amazement.
"This is quite a place you have here." He told her.
"I know." She replied, leading him to the last cell on the left hand side.
Spike had his eyes closed, but he could sense Maggie's approach. He opened them and grinned evilly, closing his eyes briefly to send a mental image of Maggie's sidekick to Buffy.
"Hostile 17, you have a visitor." Maggie snidely informed him.
Not bothering to get up, Spike smirked. "Well, well. Lookee here. If it isn't the great Head Wanker himself."
"Quite a predicament you've gotten yourself into, William." Travers replied.
Spike gave what appeared to be a nonchalant shrug. "Well, you know me. Always too quick to follow my blood, forget to think things through to the end. What the hell do you want, Travers?"
Ignoring the vampire, Travers gave a quick glance to Maggie and signaled that he wanted to speak to her in private. "Have you done any kind of a work up on him yet?"
Maggie shook her head. "No, he hasn't been here that long. We wanted to wait until we got ourselves set up for our exploratory surgery."
"And when is that going to be?" Travers asked, trying to figure out how he was going to work getting William the Bloody out of this secure facility.
Maggie got on the phone and pretended to call the lab. "They're ready for him now, actually."
"Is it possible for me to attend the procedure? I'm hoping he'll be more apt to answer my questions if you're probing around his brain." Travers replied.
Maggie gave an evil smile and said "Let's consult the patient on this matter, shall we?" They walked back over to Spike's cell and Maggie taunted, "Hostile 17, you don't mind if Mr. Travers here witnesses your exploratory surgery, do you?"
At the sudden flurry of shouted insults and Spike throwing himself against the door, Maggie grinned again at Quentin and replied, "Oh, I think that is more than all right."
Thinking he had found an ally, Travers allowed himself a rare smile in her direction. Maggie directed a few of the men to contain Hostile 17 and she would take him to the lab, grabbing one of the taser guns. She was glad she had remembered to dismiss any of the men who were friendly with Riley Finn, they might have easily figured this for the sham that it was.
Spike didn't make it to easy for them to restrain him on the gurney, and they used excessive force remembering his prior escape while being loaded on a gurney. He continued calling Maggie and Travers inventive names that Maggie was finding hard pressed to not laugh at. He really was entertaining.
She went to the head of the gurney, and dismissed the men for the evening. They would be on a skeleton crew, something that Maggie hoped wouldn't turn around and bite her in the ass. But she figured the less men around to question her, the better. They also knew better than to interrupt proceedings in the laboratory, where the "special cases" got taken.
Quentin helped her guide the gurney as they moved through several hallways. his mind was spinning trying to figure out how to get Spike out of here. An idea came to him, and he waited until they had passed through the laboratory doors. Travers only saw one other person in the lab, an Asian man in a white coat.
Maggie locked the gurney wheels in one of the procedure rooms, and ignoring Spike's ever present insults, turned and walked out the door to go talk to the other doctor.
Travers took that opportunity to put his plan in motion. He quickly unbuckled the restraints that held Spike to the gurney, hoping that the vampire would go after the Initiative people and make his escape, feeling safe in the knowledge that Spike was chipped and couldn't kill him.
But Spike didn't do any of the anticipated reactions. He bounced gleefully off the gurney, doing exaggerated stretches. "Thanks mate." He said, stretching his arms over his head, hands clasped.
Quentin watched in confusion as the vampire started doing side beds, What the hell? He was supposed to get himself out of here again, what was he doing? He glanced nervously towards the door, and his eyes opened wide in shock to see Maggie standing in the doorway, with the taser gun pointing not at the vampire, but at HIM.
"The Wanker let me go, Mags," Spike said unnecessarily, crossing the room giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek for show as he passed, intent on going to find his girl.
"What the HELL is this?" Travers roared. He heard an excited squeal erupt from the room in front of him.
Spike returned to the doorway, with a slayer riding on his back her, arms wrapped
around him, kissing his neck ferociously. She looked at him over Spike's shoulder and said "This is you being a dumb shit."
"Now, now, Slayer. Be nice to the man. It's not every day the great Head Wanker gets taken for a fool." Spike chastised, letting Buffy go, as she slid to the floor.
Travers mind was spinning, he had walked right into their trap. He watched as Rupert Giles, the boy that helped the slayer, and the Wicca piled into the room. He had to hand it to them, this was a quality double cross.
"So now what?" Travers pretended to take on a bored and unaffected attitude.
"Well, now is when you tell us what you know." Buffy said, going over to Travers and before he could even bring his arms up to block her, she had smashed her fist into his nose.
He fell to his knees, clutching his nose, the pain intense.
"Oh sweetie, why do you always have to resort to violence to solve your problems?" Spike asked her in a mock chastising tone.
"So asks William the Bloody, Scourge of Europe." Buffy replied, going to her vampire and giving him a pent up passion filled kiss.
"Guys, focus." Xander interrupted. "Let's get the bad guy restrained before you two make with the smoochies."
Buffy shrugged. "Fine." She went over to Travers, who tried to fight her off without success, and flung him on the gurney Spike had just vacated, restraining him. His nose was pouring blood, and Spike made a big show of sniffing the air and coming to his side, bending down and inhaling deeply.
"Travers, you gotta see this." Xander told him, as Spike changed into game face, and Buffy's eyes turned yellow at the same time. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Chapter 21
"What are you planning to do to me?" Travers demanded, starting to become fearful.
Buffy took a whiff, and says "Boy, that fear sure smells good on you."
Spike beamed at her proudly, "That's my girl. You should see how much better that fear makes the blood taste." He informed her.
Buffy got a disgusted look on her face. "Blech. How about I just scare the crap out of you, then I'll take a drink?" She pondered.
"I'll have to take that under consideration. For later." Spike said meaningfully, with a wicked gleam in his eye.
Giles came into the room and stood by the gurney. "Welcome, Quentin. It's a pleasure to see you again." He said in a deceptively pleasant tone. "We'd appreciate some answers to a few choice questions, if you don't mind."
"I won't be telling you anything." Travers replied, eyes narrowed.
"I was afraid of that. Spike, would you care to give our good Mr. Travers here a small demonstration of the fact that your chip is no longer functioning?" Giles turned to the blonde vampire and smirked.
Spike gave a cruel smile and said "Why, I'd be delighted, Rupert." Quickly changing into game face, he strode towards the bed.
Buffy grabbed his arm, eyes yellow and jealous. "No way. Those fangs belong to me, you jackass. You don't go putting them in anyone else, you understand?"
Spike gave a nonchalant shrug, and without a moment's hesitation, tipped his head towards Buffy's neck, and bit down.
Ignoring the startled gasps, Buffy closed her eyes in delight and sagged against him. He took a few quick pulls, savoring the sensation of her blood pouring down his throat and slipped his fangs out. He looked up cockily to gauge the reactions.
"Oh Holy Frijoles, you've two have got to knock that shit off! There is only so much of that freaky crap that I can take, you know!" Xander exclaimed, who actually appreciated the bold statement that act had made to the man strapped to the gurney. It was so....wicked.
But his comments were mirrored on the everyone's faces, except Travers who had a look of fear and disgust present on his features.
Giles took his glasses off, and gave him an evil smile. "As you can see, Spike and Buffy are playing by different rules these days. He's not quite just a vampire anymore and she's not quite just a slayer. And I think that you know a little something about this, don't you?"
"I'm not telling you anything." Travers insisted on.
Giles turned to Maggie. "Do you have something of a chemical persuasion that might help our dear Mr. Travers reconsider?"
Maggie smiled, and nodded. She came back with a vial, and efficiently started an IV on their prisoner, minus the tubing and IV bag. She withdrew some of the contents of the vial into a syringe and injected it into the port at the end of the saline lock, flushing it through with a syringe filled with saline.
"Your truth drugs won't work on me." Travers insisted.
"Good thing it's not a truth serum, then." She replied.
"What is it?" Giles inquired.
"Versed. It a medication that causes amnesia. The patient basically remains conscious but is unable to remember anything during the time he was under the influence." She said quietly, so their prisoner couldn't overhear.
They could tell by the slight drooping of his eyelids that the medication was beginning to work. Maggie hoped it would loosen up his tongue enough so they could get on with the next part of the plans for this man.
"Why do you Buffy?" Giles asked, seeing if Travers would answer.
"Don't want Buffy. Little spoiled brat of a slayer." Travers answered, Spike snorted and Buffy sent him a deadly look.
"Who did you come here to retrieve then?" Giles then asked. Travers seemed to be in a daze, the Versed was working just like Maggie had hoped it would.
"Wanted the vampire." Came the reply.
"Why?"
"Wanted his demon."
"His vampire demon?" Giles asked, testing him.
"No, the other one."
"How do you know about the other one?" Giles questioned.
"Prophecy."
Buffy muttered a few choice swear words and stomped out of the room. It HAD to be a god damn prophecy. God forbid she be truly happy for the first time in her freakin life without some meddling higher powers screwing with it. She had an image flash in her mind of a paper heart with "I love you Buffy" written on it, and she smiled. Knowing that Spike was trying to cheer her up, she let herself be drawn back into the room. He could be so cute sometimes.
She went to his side and slid her hand in his, squeezing lightly. Spike looked down at her, and even she could see the love she saw there was not manufactured. But then she thought of Willow's spell, and THOSE manufactured feelings, and became confused again. Spike let his feelings of love for her surround her, and she felt herself relaxing. Ok. Even if this WAS manufactured love, they'd deal. She wasn't giving him up without a fight.
Luckily, she had not missed any of the interrogation, as Giles seemed to have waited for her return. He gave her an encouraging smile, knowing what was going through her mind. Giles then turned his focus on the slightly blank staring man lying in front of him.
"Tell us about this prophecy." He demanded.
"Have a scroll. At the Council. A mystic of the Council of Elders who made the First Slayer foresaw the return of the demon in one who is immortal to be reunited with his slayer in the dawn of a new millennium." Travers replied, his tone flat.
"So why did you want Spike?"
"He is the new carrier of the demon. I want control of it, I intend to make more slayers. Slayers who don't go against my authority, who don't wind up in jail or quit the council. I want a new race of slayers." Travers replied a bit diabolically.
"Does anyone else know anything about this?" Giles asked.
"No, just me. I translated it myself." Travers responded.
"What else did the prophecy state?"
"Nothing else, that's it."
Buffy and Spike turned to look at each other in confusion. Nothing else? What the hell kind of prophecy was that, that didn't predict some ass shit? Unheard of, couldn't be that easy. In clarification, Buffy asked "So it just said that the demon would be reunited once again with his slayer?"
"That's it." Travers replied.
"So you are not trying to manipulate this prophecy in any way? You just want control of the demon?" Giles asked.
"I just want control of the demon." Was the final reply.
At that, Buffy's heart lifted. Ok, there HAD been a prophecy, but they had already fulfilled it. Well, more or less. The demon and the slayer were reunited inside them, and that power they transferred back and forth was them. The ancient ones.
She turned a hugely smiling face to Spike, who answered with one of his own. He grabbed her in his arms and held on tight, burying his face in her hair.
"Ok, we may be a little manufactured here, with Infoofoo and Virus demon playing matchmaker, but I think our feelings are legit here!" Buffy said excitedly. She watched as a confused look came over her love's face.
"Virus demon?" Spike asked.
"LONG story, oh vampire of mine. I'll fill you in a bit. First, I think Maggie has a guinea pig she needs to be taking care of, dontcha Maggie?" Buffy asked.
Maggie greeted this statement with a smile of her own. "We'll take over from here," she said, as the others left the room except for Dr. Rhu. Before they left, they expressed their profound gratefulness and appreciation to Dr. Rhu and Maggie, who waved them off so that they could get started with their experimentation.
Grinning, Buffy pulled Spike into the other room and launched herself into his arms.
"Christ Slayer, if I was a normal person, I'd be dead right now." Spike grumbled, trying to get Buffy to loosen her arms. She did so reluctantly, informing him that he already was dead.
Before Maggie and Dr. Rhu started the procedure, she had Travers notify his men that he had reached a satisfactory conclusion of this event, and their presence was no longer required, and to return to England. Travers surprised her by following the command without hesitation. She'd have to remember using Versed in the future, it had worked like a charm on the good head Council asswipe.
Knowing that they were free to go home was a heartwarming feeling. Suddenly Buffy panicked, in all of this, she had forgotten all about Dawn and her mom, and desperately hoped that the council had left them alone.
At Spike's urging, they raced to her house to find Joyce and Dawn watching TV. Her mom hadn't even realized they had been "missing," assuming that she was with Spike in their "new" house.
Xander left them there, informing them that Anya was due back from her out of
town trip any moment, and Willow and Giles excused themselves to take themselves home. Joyce had been advised of the new house, and was not surprised when she was informed that Buffy would be staying over there that night.
An hour later, they arrived at their new threshold. Buffy looked up with love shining in her eyes at this vampire in next to her, and reveled in the knowledge that he was hers. For once in her life, she was truly and completely happy.
It almost seemed a let down that there was no dire problem to resolve as a result of their union, but Buffy, for one, knew that it was never too late for a dire to arise. She allowed her goofy mate to carry her over the threshold, and they spent the rest of the night in bed. It felt wonderful knowing the whole story, knowing that this wasn't a truly tainted love. They both trusted their feelings as being their true ones. A lot had happened in the last 24 hours, and their relationship had changed in a monumental way. They both felt better understanding what it was that was happening inside them.
The next day, Maggie called and informed them that the operation was a smashing success. They had tapped into Travers memory banks and basically scrambled them. Any attempt he would make to unscramble his brains would result in a non identifiable headache. It was brilliant, and the Council Head had already lost credibility with in the council for his new odd behavior over the telephone. It would not be long before he was completely removed from power, and eliminated. Nobody else knew of the strange prophecy, and Maggie was still running tests to determine the exact origin of things. But to Spike and Buffy, it didn't matter who or what they were or weren't, as long as they had each other.
They spent the next few weeks getting their house set up, and when it was all furnished, they threw a big house warming party. Maggie came and wound up snogging with Giles all evening, after the alcohol had flown a little too plentifuly. Angel came and even managed to have fun for once. The scoobies had accepted this odd relationship between Spike and Buffy, even Xander, and their new house became the new Scooby Central.
After the party was over and the last of the guests had left, the slayer and her vampire headed up to their newly redecorated bedroom with their new industrial strength bed, and they shagged until dawn, falling asleep in each others arms. Buffy, Spike, Infoofoo and Virus Demon all happy and content, and completely and totally in love.
THE END
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