Chapter 15: The Lady’s with Me

Spike sat uncomfortably in the living room of the Summer’s home.

“Have we met?” Joyce asked.

“Um... you hit me with an axe one time. Remember?” Spike held his hands like he was holding an axe “Uh, 'get the hell away from my daughter.'“

“Oh.” Joyce laughed. “But you weren’t trying to kill her?”

“No, ma’am. It was a put on, to fool the other vamps.”

“And you’ve known my daughter for how long?”

Buffy took that moment to re-enter the living room, fresh from her conversation with her friends.

“I-is Willow all right?” asked Joyce.

“Yeah. She's fine.” Buffy turned to Spike “All right, talk. How are we going to do this?”

“Simple. You let me and Dru skip town, I help you kill Angel.”

“Angel? Your boyfriend?” Joyce asked confused, “Sorry, ex boyfriend”

“Forget about Drusilla. She doesn't walk.”

“Dru’s my sire, Goldilocks, I can’t kill her. It’s the most heinous of crimes a vamp can commit.“

“She killed Kendra.”

“The bint that put me in that soddin’ wheel chair for months? Dru bagged a Slayer?” Spike chuckled “She didn't tell me! Hey, good for her!” Spike looks up at Buffy and loses the smile. “Though not from your perspective, I suppose.”

“Well I wasn’t happy that she almost killed you either, but I didn’t resort to murder! Dru didn’t even suck her blood!“

“So you didn't kill that girl,” sighed Joyce, very relieved.

“Of course not,” said Buffy.

“Did she explode like that man out there?” Joyce questioned.

“She was a Slayer, Mom.”

“Like what you are.”

Buffy smiled and nodded

“Look. This deal works for me one way. Full stop. Me and Dru for Angel,” said Spike seriously.

“Honey, a-are you sure you're a Vampire Slayer?” interjected Joyce, still very confused.

“I'll take her out of the country. You'll never hear from her again, I bloody well hope.”

“You’ll take her out of the country? Will you come back? What if she calls you again? What if she decides to end the world again?“

“Buffy...“

“Fine. Don’t have time to play what if. Get back to the mansion. Make sure Giles is all right.”

“I-I mean, have you tried not being a Slayer?” continued Joyce.

The vampire and the slayer turned to look at Joyce.

“Mom!”

Spike sighed in exasperation. Bloody woman doesn’t get it.

“Be ready to back me up when I make my move. If Giles dies... she dies.”

Spike believed her. Possibly this was the first time that he was actually afraid of what his Goldilocks could do. Spike took Buffy’s hand and pressed it to his lips.

“See you in a bit then love.“ He turned to leave.

Buffy pulled him back for a moment.

“I’m sorry. You usually don’t see this side, you see the whole, ‘guess how fun my week was,‘ part. I do love you,” she whispered.

“I know Goldilocks. And I have seen this side of you before, ended up in the wheel chair remember?”

Spike gave her short kiss on the mouth and headed out the door. Leaving Buffy to deal with her mom.

“It's because you didn't have a strong father figure, isn't it?” continued Joyce once Spike was gone.

“It's just fate, Mom. I'm the Slayer. Accept it.”

“We should call the police.”

“No. We're not calling the police.”

“Well, now that we know that you're innocent, it's...”

“What? You thought I was guilty? Jeez, feelin' the love in this room!”

“No, I didn't think that. It's just... now we have proof.”

“We have my word, Mom. Not proof.”

“Look, I am sure that they will understand.”

“Get them involved, you'll get them killed.”

“Well, you're not gonna hurt them, are you?”

“I'm a Slayer, not a postal worker.”

Joyce picked up the phone only to have Buffy slap the switch hook

“Cops can't fight demons.” Buffy took the phone from her mom “I have to do it.”

“Do what? Buffy, what is happening?”

“Just have another drink,” mutttered Buffy as she turned away from her mother.

Joyce threw her glass, breaking on the floor.

“Don't you talk to me that way! You don't get to just dump something like this on me and pretend it's nothing!”

“I'm sorry, Mom, but I don't have time for this.”

“No! I am tired of 'I don't have time' or-or 'you wouldn't understand.' I am your mother, and you will make time to explain yourself.”

“I told you. I'm a Vampire Slayer.”

“Well, I just don't accept that!”

“Open your eyes, Mom. What do you think has been going on for the past two years? The fights, the weird occurrences. How many times have you washed blood out of my clothing, and you still haven't figured it out?”

“Well, it stops now!”

“No, it doesn't stop! It never stops! Do-do you think I chose to be like this? Do you have any idea how lonely it is, how dangerous? I would love to be upstairs watching TV or gossiping about boys or... God, even studying! But I have to save the world... again.”

“No. This is insane. Buffy, you need help.

“I'm not crazy! What I need is for you to chill. I have to go!”

“No. I am not letting you out of this house.”

“You can't stop me.”

Joyce grabbed her daughter “Oh yes I...”

Buffy shoved her mother back into the island, making her knock over several things. She headed for the door, opened it and stepped out.

“You walk out of this house, don't even think about coming back!”

Buffy stared at her mother. She really means it. Buffy turned and left.
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Spike returned to the mansion, and wheeled himself into the watcher’s torture chamber just in time to hear Angelus call for a chainsaw. Spike snickered a little that the last time Angelus had the pleasure of a good bit o‘torture, it was the days before gas powered appliances where invented.

“Now, now, don't let's lose our temper.” Spike patronized.

“Keep out of it, sit 'n' spin.” threatened the pissed off vamp.

“Look, you cut him up, you'll never get your answers.”

“Since when did you become so level-headed?”

“Right about the time you became so pig-headed.” Spike shot back “You have your way with him, you'll never get to destroy the world. And I don't fancy spending the next month trying to get librarian out of the carpet. There are other ways.”

“Enlighten me,” ordered his grandsire.

“Hmm. Drusilla? Sweetheart?” he called to Dru.

Dru entered the room from behind his chair with a curious look on her face.

“Do you want to play a game?” asked Spike gently.
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Spike watched with a mixture of delight and apprehension as Dru started macking on Buffy’s watcher.

“Blood. Of course. The blood on my hands must be my own. I am the key that will open up the door. My blood. My life. Okay. Kill him.” spouted Angelus intensely pleased with himself.

“Uh, but what if he's lying?” asked Spike before the minions could get to Giles.

“Yeah. Good point. Alright, don't kill him.” Angelus leaned down to eye level with Spike, “You know, I kinda like having you watch my back. It's kinda like old times.”

Spike looked over at Dru who was still swapping spit with the watcher.

“Uh, Drusilla...” Spike tried to get her attention.

“Honey...” Angelus tried too.

“We are finished here, ducks.”

Drusilla stopped and looked back sheepishly at the two other vampires.

“Sorry. I was in the moment.”

Spike rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself.
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Her mom had kicked her out. Angelus was going to end the world and was torturing her watcher. Her boyfriend, newly back from the dead and recently over a fight with her, had just told her he was taking Dru and leaving once this whole thing was over. Willow was in the hospital. Buffy felt like crying. She wanted to be snug in her bed, clutching Mr Gordo, being held by Spike. Xander, who was walking behind her was going to get Giles out. She would take care of the vampires. Even if one of them happened to be her vampire.
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Spike watched with interest as Angelus began the ritual. He really didn’t want the world to end. He was actually starting to wonder if Buffy was going to show up. There was no way that he could take both of them together. He just hoped that she wasn’t backing out on him. She was the slayer, she had to save the world, it was what she did.

Suddenly Spike’s attention was diverted from his poofter of a grandsire to one of the minions, who was crumbling into dust before him. Nasty luck that, decapitation was a bitch.

“Hello Lover” Buffy greeted the room. Spike couldn’t determine exactly to whom she was saying it to. The idea that it wasn’t him... His fists balled at his side.

“I don't have time for you.” Angelus deadpanned.

“You don't have a lot of time left.“

“Coming on kind of strong, don't you think? You're playing some deep odds here. Do you really think you can take us all on?”

“No. I don't.”

With a kind of grin, Spike raised himself up out of his chair, grabbed an andiron and began beating his grandsire with it. Even after Angelus started fighting Buffy, Spike kept pounding away with the iron rod.

“Painful, isn't it?” Spike asked his grandsire, with a look of glee on his face. Served the poofter right, he thought, too bloody over confidant.

Suddenly, though, he is forced to deal with his sire jumping on his back and taking him down to the floor. Rising from the floor, Sire and Childe, faced off..

“I don't want to hurt you, pet,” Spike warned.

Undaunted, Dru grabbed him by the throat and shoved him into the wall. Spike slapped her arm aside and punched her in the face.

“Doesn't mean I won't,” he continued.

Spike looked over at Buffy who was battling one of the minions. Unfortunately, Drusilla, used that moment to use those damned long fingernails of hers, and Spike suddenly found himself sporting four bloody scratches on his cheek. He looked up stunned, only to see a punch flying towards his face.

A blindingly bright light permeated the room. Spike looked up from the floor, to see that Angelus had pulled the sword from the garden gnome.

Dru turned towards the light. “Oh... Here he comes.” she cooed.

Spike rolled his eyes and hit her on the back of the head, incapacitating her. Spike caught his Sire as she slid to the floor.

“Wish there was another way,” he said regretfully to the form lying on the floor.

Digging through his pockets, Spike found the roll of duct tape he was saving for a special occasion and began to wrap Dru’s hands and feet. Finished with his task, Spike looked up to see how Buffy was getting on with Angelus.

“God, he's gonna kill her,” he realised.

Spike looked around for his trusty andiron that he had dropped after knocking Dru unconscious.

Spike walked towards Angelus who had backed Buffy into the wall of the garden, playing with is sword like he was one of the bloody three musketeers. Spike had never seen Buffy more frightened since he had known her.

“Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends... No hope.” taunted Angelus. “Take all that away... and what's left?”

Angelus drew his sword back and was about to thrust the sword at her, when Spike hit him with the andiron, directly on the top of the head, much like he had knocked out Dru. Angelus crumpled to the ground.

“You forgot about something, mate,“ Spike spoke to the body of his grandsire, “the lady is with me.“

Buffy let out a relieved breath.

Spike groaned, “I’m turning into a bloody nancy boy! Did you see that? I hit him like a soddin’ poofter!“

Buffy stood next to him with a smile on her face.

“Thank you,“ she whispered.

Buffy turned and picked up her sword that she had dropped during the course of her fight with Angelus. Then, wandering back over to Angel’s side, she crouched down and stroked his cheek.

“You know, this is all my fault,” she whispered to the body. Buffy stood up and wiped a tear that had begun to trickle down her cheek. Buffy exhaled slightly, and then thrust her sword into Angel’s body.

Buffy crumpled in a heap before his body.

Spike picked up his grandsire’s body, and carried it to Acathla, dropping the body, unceremoniously before the gnome and heading back to Buffy.

By the time he reached her side, she had begun full blown sobbing. Spike gathered her into his arms and let her cry.
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Buffy climbed out of her bedroom window, for what she thought would be the last time. Clutching Mr Gordo and the bag of stuff she had taken from her room, Buffy climbed down the tree and headed over to the black Desoto that was parked in the street.

Buffy opened the door and slid across the seat. She dropped her bag at her feet and curled up against the driver.

Spike smiled down at his Goldilocks and leaned forward to push a tape into the stereo system. Suddenly the car was filled with the sounds of the Sex Pistols. Spike slammed his foot down on the gas.

Spike absently tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. Everything had turned out alright. Buffy was curled up next to him, Dru was tied up in the back seat. He had his Sire and his future childe with him. He didn’t need anything else.
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tbc...
 

Chapter 16: My Summer as a Pet

Buffy walked through the crowd of minions that littered the main floor of the warehouse. She had no idea why exactly Spike needed the minions. Frankly they creeped her out. Always looking like they wanted to make her their next meal. Which they probably did.

This had been the same warehouse that Spike had resided in the last time he was in LA. Not much had changed. Except now there were more minions. Buffy walked back to her room, the one she shared with Spike. They had been in LA now for a month. Dru had taken off soon after they go here, spouting something about dangerous babies and sad daddies and how that would effect Miss Edith’s eating habits. Buffy couldn’t say she was sorry Dru had gone.

Buffy flopped on the four poster bed and kicked her legs up in the air. She hated the minions. It didn’t matter how much Spike told her that they would not hurt her or how much they professed their loyalty to her, now that she was their master’s prize. Cause that’s what they saw her as. A prize. Someday, maybe she would be their mistress, taking Dru’s place, but for now, she was status, she was a trophy.

Spike didn’t treat her like a trophy, really. He let her come and go as she wanted. She enjoyed spending his money on clothes and makeup. She felt kept. He didn’t like her going out at night slaying demons. He was far too overprotective of her. Buffy had suggested getting a job, and maybe getting an actual apartment. That idea was emphatically turned down.

As much as Buffy enjoyed shopping and clubbing, after a month of nothing but, Buffy was bored. She had no friends, except Spike. She never went anywhere she could meet people. When they went out, Spike kept her to himself. She was arm candy. It was kind of like being a housewife, with out a house to clean (cause the minions did that) or kids to look after (cause technically, she was the kid). What did other vampires (not minions) do all day...night to keep them occupied?

Buffy rolled over on the bed and reached out to take a drink out of her water bottle, only to hear Spike enter the room.

“It’s the middle of the day Spike, where have you been?” she nagged.

“Couple of the minions had a disagreement that needed to sorted. It’s all done now.” he said wearily, dropping down beside her on the bed.

“Was it about me?” she asked quietly.

“As usual.” Spike fell back on to the bed and covered his eyes with his hands. “A couple of the older ones, they decided that you needed a ladies maid. The candidates were fighting for the right to brush your hair.”

Buffy broke out into laughter. This hadn’t been what she’d expected. Spike chuckled too. Buffy rolled and covered his body with hers.

“Spike?”

“Ya love?”

“I’m bored.”

“It’s 10 in the morning pet, it’s time to sleep.”

“No, I want to get a job, or take a course, or join a gym or something.”

Spike let his hand drop from his eyes. His eyes searched hers for a moment before answering.

“No”

Buffy slapped her hands down on his chest and pushed herself up off of him.

“Why not? Why do I have to stay in this fucking POS warehouse all day long. Why can I only go out when you want me to? Why can’t I do something? I’m not going to stay here and learn how to knit sweaters for all the minions Spike! I want to go to the beach!”

Buffy paced the room.

Spike watched his Goldilocks walk back and forth. All he wanted to do right now was sleep. He had lied to her, the minions weren’t fighting over being her ladies maid, though he was pretty impressed with himself that she had bought that excuse. It had been the usual fight. One of the minions wanted to drain her. Spike was getting tired of all the challenges to his authority that came popping up because she was alive and a slayer to boot.

But did he want to turn her now? He was almost afraid that she wouldn’t come back the way she was (with the exception of the soul). He didn’t think he could go through another botched turning, like his mother. The problem was, if he didn’t turn her, what was keeping her here with him? He knew that she was suffering from not having her super friends around.

Spike raised himself on his elbows and faced her.

“Alright pet, a warehouse is no place for my Goldilocks, Go out and get yourself an apartment, close by mind you. I’ll furnish it.”

Buffy stopped pacing and looked at her lover.

“Do you mean it?”

“Yes, pet, I mean it.”

Buffy launched herself into his embrace.

“Thank you!” she gushed.

The couple settled down on the bed. Spike quickly nodded off. Buffy on the other hand lay there thinking. It seemed like an easy victory for her. Complain enough and you get what you wanted.
__________________________________________

Buffy supervised the minions bringing her new stuff into her new apartment. Buffy still couldn’t believe that Spike had not only told the minions where her new house was, but that he had them move furniture too. This of course had required her to stand at the entrance for a good fifteen minutes inviting them all in! The Master Vampire had been so infuriating about it too. Said something about the fact that she could do an uninvite spell whenever she wanted anyway.

Her apartment was nice, large square footage, the building had a residents only gym and pool, which Buffy liked. The kitchen was small, but that was ok, cause Buffy and cooking, two worlds that should never collide. She had been eating at restaurants and take out for over a month now, so she could potentially try her hand at something simple. How hard is it to screw up Mac and cheese?

Having a proper kitchen with a fridge, was something new for her. Sure there had been fridges at the warehouse, but she was always afraid to open them, suspecting that a dead body would pop out at her. Spike had made no effort to curb his feeding from people habit he had. Nor had he encouraged his minions to stop the killing either. Buffy would never tell him, but it bothered her, a lot, that she was the slayer and was living under the same roof as a nest of vampires. If the council ever knew, she would be defrocked, or destaked, or whatever they did to Slayers that pissed them off. They would take away her secret decoder ring and slayer handbook, well if she had gotten a handbook to begin with. She was a bad slayer and she knew it.

That was why she had to get out. Buffy knew that she was living on Spike’s good graces. He could turn her whenever he wanted to, she was in enough vulnerable positions when she was around him he could do it and she would never be able to put up a fight.

She wondered often why he hadn’t done it. She certainly wasn’t the easiest creature to live with. The minions were always fighting about how she should be killed, Spike constantly had to reassert his dominance over his clan. But he had promised that he wouldn’t do it until her 19th birthday. And with Spike, a promise was sacred. Unless a loop hole could be found. His betrayal for using Angel to cure Dru’s weakness fluttered through her brain.

Buffy felt her eyes tear up. Remembering Angel always brought the sobbing on. She couldn’t help but blame herself. It was the most horrible birthday ever. She desperately wanted to not care. Was doing a good job of it too, but every once in a while....

Buffy turned her attention to the four minions who were trying to force Spike’s iron, four poster bed into the bed room.

“Hey! You are going to take the door frame off” she yelled.

The minion grumbled. It must really frost his cookies taking orders from his master’s human pet and the slayer too. Buffy chuckled to herself, only to find herself suddenly under an attacking minion. Buffy rolled out from under the bulky vampire and slipped a stake out from its hiding place. In one fluid motion the minion was dust.

“Does anyone have any more problems?” Buffy asked the group. The remaining minions shook their heads. “Good, now move it!”
__________________________________________

Buffy curled up against the cool vampire body that inhabited her bed. July had turned obscenely hot in LA. Along with all the rolling blackouts, she was glad that she had some means to cool herself off.

Buffy rolled away from her sleeping lover and stared at the ceiling. She had missed Independence day this year. She had seen no fireworks, had eaten no apple pie or hotdogs. She hadn’t even realised it was July 4th until one of the minions, who was delivering something for Spike had mentioned it casually, stating that the whole clan was going out to feast on the families gone out to watch the fireworks.

Now he was home, full of other peoples’ blood. Buffy’s stomach heaved. She bolted out of bed and to her bathroom.

She dry heaved over the toilet for a few minutes, cursing herself for not eating today. Buffy looked into the mirror and stared at the gaunt figure in front of her. She had lost a lot of weight since she had arrived in LA. Not once had she even used the stove in her fabulously wonderful apartment.

Buffy turned and looked at her lover through the bathroom doorway. She did love him. But it was doing things to her. She had stopped Slaying, except for errant minions, she had stopped eating, she had stopped enjoying sex.

It was that last thing that Spike had begun to notice. It wasn’t that she was falling out of love with him, she still couldn’t see herself without him, it was a question of what he was versus what she was. She had lived with it for 2 months, and before that, she had turned a blind eye in Sunnydale. Living with the undead made her unworthy to live.

But did she want to die? That was the question. She was killing herself slowly anyway, why not tell Spike to just turn her?

Classic avoido girl took charge and got dressed. She needed to get out of there. She couldn’t look at him. Yes he was a vampire, that she accepted, but this vampire killed people she was suppose to protect, and she hadn’t been doing that much either.
__________________________________________

Buffy walked into a 24 hr diner and ordered a coffee. She smiled at the waitress. She didn’t look happy with the overnight shift she had been dealt.

“You new in the area?” asked the waitress plunking down her coffee. “We mostly get the regulars here, mostly drunks and weirdos at night.”

Buffy guessed she wasn’t considered one of the weirdos. She smiled.

“Ya, I’m new in town, bumming around, living with a friend.”

“Night owl?”

“Very much,” Buffy sipped her coffee. “I hardly ever see the sun anymore.”

“Ya, I know what that’s like. My husband owns this place, I get stuck with the night shift more often than I like, staff’s scared of working late in this neighbourhood.”

“I don’t blame them.” Buffy looked into her coffee. An idea occurred to her. “You looking to hire any more people for the night shift?”
__________________________________________
It was dawn, and after her coffee, Buffy really didn’t have anything to do. She did know that she didn’t want to go back home. She had filled out an application at the diner, and she knew that if Spike found out, there would be yelling. He was probably wondering where she was right now anyway. Buffy stuffed her hands into her pants pockets and trudged off in the direction of home.

If this was what life like a vampire was like, count me out Buffy thought to herself. She already kept vamp hours, there was no tanning, or beaches in vamp world. The only parties Spike had taken her to were ones hosted by other vamps, or where he was looking to pick up dinner. Sure they went clubbing, but that was really an excuse for him to get take out too.

Buffy stretched her hands out in front of her. Her tanned skin was faded and dull. I wonder if he realises I’m unhappy?

Buffy opened the door of her apartment to see Spike standing in the middle of the living room mad as hell. Their eyes met, and she burst into tears.
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“Anne?” asked Helen.

Buffy looked up from punching in a customer’s bill into the cash register. She had been working at the diner for a week, not exactly being honest with Spike.

“Ya?”

“The guy at table five is glaring at you, you’d better get over there ASAP, if you still want any kind of tip.”

Buffy smiled warmly at her boss, and finished printing out the bill. Buffy looked up at table five to see a pair of green eyes staring back at her. Buffy gulped. Quickly depositing the cheque for table three on the table, Buffy approached table five with caution.

“Buffy,” said her newest customer.

“I’m going by my middle name right now.” she said taking out her note pad and pen. “Can I get you anything?”

“Coffee.”

“Right.”

Buffy walked away and to the coffee pot. Returning to her customer with the pot she glanced around the restaurant noting that if he wanted to make a scene, there was only a few people that would hear the yelling.

Buffy poured the caffeinated beverage, waiting for the verbal onslaught.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Sure, cause you answer phone calls.”

“Ok, maybe I haven’t been as available as I should have been. That’s still no excuse. You were in trouble. I could have helped sweetheart.”

Buffy moved to table three and picked up the money that was left, and started wiping down the table.

“Buf...Anne, don’t you ignore me!”

“I’m working here, DAD!”

“I know, look, I’m sorry. I just...you should be home, with your mother, who loves you and your friends, enjoying your summer, not working in a diner during the graveyard shift.”

“I like working here.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I like working here. The people are nice. Quiet...it’s quiet and no one bothers me. That was, until you showed up.”

“Sweetheart, your mother is frantic with worry about you. Your friends miss you. It’s been months, at least call your mother and let her know that you are ok?”

“Why? So she can say that she’s disappointed with me? Or that I’m not the daughter she wanted? I’m too difficult?”

“Buffy, your mother told me about this Slayer business,” her father whispered.

Buffy’s face went pale.

“I don’t pretend to understand it all, but I trust your mother where you are concerned. She tells me that you’ve been in conflict with some very unsavoury characters, no doubt you’ve got reason to feel that no one understands you, we just ask for a chance.”

“Mom had her chance in May. The night she kicked me out of the house.”

“She didn’t mean that Buffy.”

“My. Name. Is. ANNE!”

“Fine, whatever, Anne. It’s late. I’ve got a client meeting tomorrow. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon ok?”

Buffy stared at her father. “How did you get my phone number?” No one had that phone number, except work. The only reason she had a phone was because it was attached to the security system for the building.

“Your mother gave it to me.”

But how did my mom get it?
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Buffy stormed into her apartment. She hadn’t even bothered to change out of her uniform from the diner. What was the point of hiding anymore? Buffy walked into her bedroom and threw her shoe at the sleeping figure on her bed.

“Bloody Hell! What the fuck are you doing!” he yelled.

“You told my mom where I was! My dad showed up at the diner!”

“What the hell are you talking about? What diner? What are you wearing?”

“Come off of it you stupid prick. You knew I was working at the diner, I’m sure you’ve been having minions follow me again. You called my mom. After I specifically told you not to!”

Spike wiped his hand across his face. He was tired. He had only just fallen asleep when she had started chucking footware at him.

“Can we talk about this in the evening?”

“NO! We will talk about it now! Why did you tell my mom? Why did you give her our phone number?”

“Your friend, the red head...”

“Willow?”

“Right, anyway, Red, she went to Willy.”

“Willy”

“Ya, got me a message a week ago from Red, by way of Willy.” Spike was trying hard to stay on topic. The sun was calling him to sleep.

“What was the message?”

“Red, she said that your mum was taking your leaving bad, real bad, started drinkin’. Like your mum, nice lady. I placed a call, let her know that you are ok, healthy, more or less and that you weren’t ready to come home. I didn’t give her our number love.”

“Caller Id Spike, god you are so technologically challenged.”

“Born in the god damn 1850’s, bloody bint” he muttered.

“How did they know where I worked?”

“Might have mentioned it. Came up in conversation. Don’t think we’ll be have our own conversation about that later, just not now, sleep now” he slumped back down onto the pillow.

“Oh no you don’t!” Buffy grabbed his pillow and whacked him with it. “I’m still mad at you, go sleep on the couch!” Buffy continued to pummel him with the pillow.

“God Woman! Leave my corpse alone!” Spike said into the mattress.

“Get out of the bed.”

Spike groaned and raised his head to look at her.

“Get undressed and get in this bed, Buffy” he said in even tone.

Without know why she did, Buffy did as she was told. She dropped Spike’s pillow on his head, and slipped into the bed without further protest.

“Go to sleep Goldilocks.”

Buffy closed her eyes.

“I may not be able to resist the thrall Spike, but I know you are doing it. This doesn’t change anything. I’m gonna stake you in the morning. I’ll probably miss, but it’ll hurt.”

“GO TO SLEEP!”
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Buffy found, when she woke up, that she was tied up. Her arms were chained to the headboard, her legs together. I guess this means no kinky sex then Buffy looked down to see that her bathrobe had been placed over her body, probably to hide all of her distracting flesh.

“Spike!” she screamed.

Spike poked his bleached head around the doorframe. “She’s awake.”

“Why am I tied up? And don’t tell me that it’s for sex, cause I know better. My legs wouldn’t be tied together.”

“Smart cookie aren’t you love. We are going to have ourselves a little chat.”

“And I need to be tied up for that?”

“I don’t want to get staked, or hit with flying shoes. You did promise me a painful botched staking last night.”

“I remember. You thralled me!”

“Well good news there, you fought it, you shouldn’t have been able to speak. Also another reason why you are...” he waved in her direction indicating the chains.

“You thralled me! You bastard!”

“Yes, I put you in thrall. It was past dawn Buffy! A time when big bad vamps should be tucked into bed. Instead I got pelted with shoes...”

“It was only one shoe”

“And yelled at for my trouble.”

“Fine, you wanted this talk...Talk...Explain to me oh big bad, just why you did what you did.”

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about. I think we yelled enough about that last night.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Then what are we going to discuss?” she said over sweetly.

“You aren’t happy. You weren’t happy in the warehouse, so we moved here, now I’ve got to commute...”

“Poor Spikey”

“You weren’t happy here, so you went and got yourself a job. A shit job, but you seem to like it. You still aren’t happy. It’s killing me...“

“Already dead Spike.“

“I just want to know why aren’t you happy? Is...is it me?”

Buffy bucked against her chains. She desperately wanted to hold him.

“NO! I love you. It’s not you. It’s...it’s what you do.”

“What I do?”

“You eat people. I’m the slayer Spike. I’m supposed to protect people from vampires. You can’t change the fact that you drink blood. I can’t change the fact that I’m the slayer. It’s not a job, it’s what I am, Kendra told me that.” Buffy blinked back the tears. “I haven’t exactly been slaying since I got here. I have all this energy, Slayer energy. I’m a pinball machine with Slayer energy pinballs. All my pinballs are stuck inside the plastic Buffy case. I need to slay. God my analogies suck.”

“So you slay. That’s fair. Never said you couldn’t slay pet.”

“God you don’t get it do you? I’m conflicted. Slayer Buffy and Girl Buffy are having out in my heart Spike. I can’t stay here, living off your money and sleeping with you and still be ok with myself. I’m not me anymore.”

Spike stared at her shocked. He had had no idea that it had gotten this bad. Spike collapsed on the side of the bed.

“I’m so sorry,” she continued. “I don’t know how to fix this Spike.” she was crying now.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do, Slayer. I’m a bloody master vampire, I’ve got minions and what not.”

“You don’t even like your minions Spike.”

“Not the point Goldilocks.”

“What is the point? You are a vampire, I’m the slayer. There’s got to be a point where we both had to say that this isn’t working.” said Buffy “It’s got to end.”

“I agree,” Spike stood up and leaned over her.

Buffy squeezed her eyes closed in anticipation of his bite.
__________________________________________

Buffy was walking barefoot on the sand. Her black bikini stood out against the her now pale skin. Looking out into the ocean closed her eyes, feeling her face being warmed by the sun. Tenderly a pair of hands wrap around her waist, brushing up against her belly button ring. Buffy moved to cover the hands with her own. She looked back to see that Spike is leaning over her shoulder, kissing his mark. Gingerly she reached up and stroked his cheek.

“How did you find me here?” she asked.

“A Sire always knows where to find his childe.”

Buffy turned in his embrace.

“But Spike, I’m not a vampire..”

“No?”

Buffy felt something change, and hesitantly she raised her hands to her forehead. There were bumpies. Buffy gasped.

“No! I don’t want to be a vampire! I don’t want to be something I have to kill.”

“Already are pet.”
__________________________________________

Buffy woke from her dream tangled in her sheets. Momentarily situating herself, she reassuringly found that she was in her apartment in LA, not the one Spike had acquired for her, the one she had gotten when she woke up, expecting to be a vampire.

Nothing had shocked herself more that when she woke up that day, she wasn’t a member of the undead. She had spent a good hour just making sure that she wasn’t vampy.

Spike had unchained her, and left. She hadn’t seen him since. It wasn’t difficult as she had moved her stuff out that night, while he was gone. He had left no note, just a deep bite on her neck and a large wad of cash. She hadn’t taken the money.

So now she sat in her dingy apartment, plagued by dreams of him coming back to turn her, hiding from the world she was chosen to protect.
__________________________________________
tbc...


 

Chapter 17: Friends

Buffy remembered the words she had said to that Ken guy, “I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. And you are...?” She had been pretty proud of herself. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, not Anne, not Goldilocks. Buffy. Buffy smiled to herself. It was strange, but that was the moment. The moment that she knew she had to go home, to her mother, to Sunnydale. She had a Hellmouth to protect.

Lily was looking at the folding doors that separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment. Buffy had decided to let her have the apartment. She certainly wouldn’t need it.

“Let me give you the tour.” Buffy walked into the main room and slowly turned to face Lily. “This concludes our tour.”

“It's really nice.”

“All the rent's paid up for the next three weeks.” Buffy turned around to get something out of her dresser. She had been here for little over a week.

“I spoke to Mitch at the diner.” Buffy pulled her diner uniform out of the drawer, “He said you can start on Thursday. He's, uh... he's kind of... repulsive, but, uh, he won't give you a hard time.” Buffy handed the uniform to Lily. “Um... I'll call and check up on you.”

“I'm not... great at taking care of myself.”

“Gets easier. Takes practice.”

Buffy looked down sadly, there was a time not too long ago that she wasn’t good at taking care of herself either.

“Hey... Can I be 'Anne'?” Lily smiled at Buffy.
__________________________________________

Buffy stood outside her house, correction, her mom’s house. She didn’t know if she was welcome anymore. She had planned to spend the night at the mansion, meet her mother in the morning, but something compelled her to get it over with tonight. Buffy knocked at the door.

Fighting the urge to run. Buffy clenched her fists and staid her ground.

When door finally opened, Buffy stood motionless waiting for her mother to do something, to say something. At last her mother moved forward and hugged her. Buffy felt the weight of a thousand worries lift from her shoulders.
__________________________________________

If she ate anything more she was going to explode. Buffy set her fork down and looked at her mother from across the table. She hadn’t even unpacked yet. Her mother had decided that she hadn’t been eating properly and had cooked a five course meal for her.

“Where did you stay....I know in LA, w..were you on the street?” her mother’s voice cracked.

“No, I had an apartment.”

“Was William with you?”

“For a while, we, uh, broke up, a few weeks ago.”

“He was keeping you from coming home?”

“No, he was the one that called you...remember.”

The lapsed into silence once again.

“How...how did you pay for the apartment?”

Buffy searched her mom’s eyes. There was fear there, true fear. That perhaps she had driven her daughter to do something no one should ever have to do.

“You know I worked at the diner. But before that Spike, uh William... he paid for the apartment. You don’t have to worry mom. I didn’t do anything illegal.

Her mom looked relieved at that.
__________________________________________
Buffy walked into her mom’s room.

“Mom...”

Buffy watched her mother physically jump at the sound, and imbed the hammer she was holding into the wall.

“Oh! Buffy.”

Buffy cringed at the sight of the hole in the wall. Her mom turned to face her, pulling the hammer out of the wall.

“Um...”

“Sorry.” Buffy apologized.

“No, no! Don't worry about it. I-I guess I just got used to all the quiet while you were gone. But it's no problem. Uh, look!” said Joyce as she hung the evil looking mask she had been holding on a hook, “It's, uh, Nigerian. We got a very exciting shipment in at the Gallery. I, um, thought I'd hang a few pieces in here. It cheers up the room.”

“It's angry at the room, Mom. It wants the room to suffer.”

“You have no appreciation of primitive art. You going out?”

Buffy looked down at the sweater she was holding in her hands. “Oh. Um... Well, i-if it's okay. I, um... I'd like to find Willow and Xander.”

“Will you be slaying?”

“Only if they give me lip.” Buffy tried joking.

“Uh, can I make you a sandwich or something before you go? You must be starving.”

“I was un-until that four-course snack you served me after dinner.”

“Well, then, um... You know, why don't I drive you? I mean, they could be anywhere.”

“Mom... If you don't want me to go, just say so.”

“No, no. I-I just want to put this whole thing behind us, get back to normal. You go. Have a good time.”

“Okay.” Buffy turned to go, but stopped in the doorway. “Mom? I’m sorry I put you through all that.”
__________________________________________

Finding her friends wasn’t too hard. Finding them in the middle of operation: stake! was a little weird, but after staking the vamp and exchanging tentative greetings, they dragged her to her watcher’s house for confrontational tea. Giles didn’t look to happy to see her. But he invited her in regardless.

“I got in a few hours ago, but I wanted to go see my mom first,” Buffy explained.

“Yes. Yes, of course. How, how did you find her?” asked the watcher.

“Well, I pretty much remembered the address.”

“Ah, eh, I mean, uh...” Giles’ kettle started to whistle. “How are things between you? Ah. Excuse me.” Giles rose from his position and went into the kitchen.

“Hey, so you're not wanted for murder anymore.” added Oz.

“Good. That was such a drag.”

“So where were you? Did you go to Belgium?” asked Xander.

“Why would I go to Belgium?” questioned Buffy, giving her friend an odd look.

“I think the relevant question is why wouldn't you?” Xander grinned and began to giggle “Bel-gium!”

Despite herself, Buffy laughed.

“What about you, Xander? What's up with you?”

“Oh, you know, same old, same old.”

“Hardly,” interjected Cordy.

“Okay, I lied, a whole lot is new.”

“Well, that's good, isn't it? New is good.” offered Buffy.

Buffy turned her attention back to her watcher who was bringing in mugs of tea. She had really missed them all. Buffy thought sadly how Giles would probably not understand what she had been doing all summer. Buffy returned her attention to Xander, who was still talking.

“Cordelia's parents dragged her onto a luxury vacation.”

“I feel for you,” Buffy said sarcastically.

“Here we are then,” said Giles, setting the tray on the coffee table. “Cheer us up.”

Buffy helped herself to a cookie, forgetting that she had eaten the equivalent of four meals since she got home.

“So were you, like, living in a box, or what?” asked Cordelia.

“Well, it's a long story.” she said hoping that that would deter them from asking too many questions.

“So skip the heart warming stuff about kindly old people and saving the farm and get right to the dirt,” ordered Xander.

“Perhaps Buffy could use a little time to adjust before we grill her on her summer activities.” said Giles pouring out the tea.

“What he said.” agreed Buffy, never before so thankful for Giles.

“Fair enough. In fact, you can leave the slaying to us while you settle in. We got you covered,” said Xander.

“I noticed. You guys seem down with the slayage, all tricked out with your walkies and everything.”

“Yeah, but the outfits suck. This whole Rambo thing is so over. I'm thinking more sporty, like Hilfiger maybe,” added Cordelia.

“Still, we were getting good. We dusted nine out of ten.” interjected Willow.

“Six out of ten,” Oz whispered to Willow.

“Six out of ten.”

“Whatever, we were kicking a little undead booty,” said Xander pleased with himself.

“Well, thank you for the offer, but I think I just wanna get back to my normal routine. You know, school, slaying... kid's stuff. In fact, I'm jonesing for a little brainless fun. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Oh, I would, but, uh,” Xander reached his hands around Cordelia’s arm, “I'm kind of tied up.”

“You wish.” Cordelia pushed him away from her.

“Will?”

“Um, tomorrow I...”

“Oh, come on. Friends don't let friends browse alone.”

“Okay. I had some schoolwork, but... I can change my plans.”

“As for school, Buffy, uh, you know you'll have to talk to Principal Snyder before...” Giles trailed off.

“On it. Mom is making an appointment with His Ugliness. I know she can break him.” said Buffy happily.
__________________________________________

It wasn’t as easy as that though. After being practically laughed out of Snyder’s office, Buffy’s mom started talking about a girl’s private school. Completely groan worthy. But her mom was right, she had made some bad choices and she had to live with the consequences of her actions.

Hmmm, bad choices...Spike was a bad choice, that much she was certain about. She still couldn’t believe that he hadn’t killed her, or that he had simply left. She hadn’t wanted him to leave, not really. Buffy went to her room (after burying the dead cat) and got out the picture Angel had drawn her of Spike.

Why did her life have to be so complicated? As much as she wanted to be mad at him for biting her and leaving her, she couldn’t help but want him there right then and now, to comfort her. She felt like a big hole needed to be filled.
__________________________________________
Her mom’s ‘let’s have everyone over for dinner’ sorta turned into ‘let’s have the whole town over for a party.’ It wasn’t what she wanted. Half these people she didn’t even know. Willow was avoiding her, Xander was too busy with Cordelia to talk, and Giles hadn’t shown up yet. Buffy walked to the kitchen in hopes of finding her mom, and some sympathy.

“Having Buffy home, I-I thought it was gonna make it all better, but in some ways, it's almost worse,” came her mother’s voice.

Buffy froze. Her mom didn’t want her here at all. Maybe it would have been better if she had never came back. Buffy turned and headed up the stairs, sniffling. What was the point? Buffy entered her room and looked at her bed sadly. She had to leave, there was no reason for her to stay here, where no one wanted her. Maybe it would have been better had Spike just turned her. Buffy stooped and took her duffle bag out from under her bed. Maybe everyone could get on with their lives if she were to just disappear again. Buffy began to pack.

“You're leaving again?” asked Willow from the doorway.

Buffy gave her friend a quick glance and then turned back to her packing.

“What, you just stopped by for your lint brush and now you're ready to go?” Willow was really upset.

“It's not like anyone will mind.”

“Oh, no. Have a good time. Oh, oh, and don't forget to not write,” Willow said sarcastically.

Buffy couldn’t hold it in anymore. She started sobbing. “Why are you attacking me? I'm trying.”

“Wow, and it looks so much like giving up!”

“I'm just trying to make things easier.”

“For who?”

“You guys were doing just fine without me.”

“We were doing the best we could! It's not like we had a lot of choice in the matter.”

“Sorry that I had to leave, but you don't know what I was going through.”

“Well, I'd like to.”

“You wouldn't understand.”

“Well, maybe I don't need to understand. Maybe I... I just need you to talk to me.”

“How could I talk to you when you were avoiding me?”

“This isn't easy, Buffy! I know you're going through stuff, but... so am I.”

“I know that you were worried about me, but...”

“No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I, um... I'm having all sorts of... I'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a werewolf, a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampires, and I didn't have anyone” Willow began to cry too, “to talk to about all this scary life stuff. And you were my best friend.”

“You have no idea how much I missed you. Everyone. I wanted to call every day.”

“That doesn't matter, Buffy. It doesn't make it okay that you didn't.”

Just to make things even more better for Buffy, her mom walked by her bedroom door and obviously noticed the bag on Buffy’s bed, full of clothes.

“What is this? Is this some sort of a joke?” asked her mom.

Buffy so didn’t need this now, she had to talk to Willow. She had to make her see.

“Mom, please, could you, could you just...”

“No,” her mom interrupted. “I can't just! Buffy, what is this?”

“She was running away again,” supplied Willow.

“No, I wasn't.” Buffy defended her actions, then was unsure about what she wanted to do anymore. “I'm not sure.”

“Well, you better get sure and explain yourself right away! If you think you can just take off any time you feel like...” ranted her mother.

“Stop it! Please! I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing.” Buffy rushed from her room.

Buffy headed straight to the door, only to find Xander and Cordy making out in front of it blocking her way.

“Don't you leave this house, young lady!” shouted her mother.

Buff ignored her, making her way through the living room.

“You know what? That's it.” Joyce ran up behind her daughter and grabbed her hand. “You and I are going to have a talk.”

The music stopped, everyone’s attention was focused on them, shouting in the middle of the living room.

“Mom, please...”

“You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me, or you for that matter, because you put me through the wringer, Buffy. I mean it. And I've had schnapps. Do you have any idea what it's been like?”

“Mom, this isn't the time...”

“You can't imagine months of not knowing. Not knowing whether you're lying dead in a ditch somewhere or, I don't know, living it up...”

“But you told me! You're the one who said I should go. You said if I leave this house, don't come back. You found out who I really was, and you couldn't deal. Don't you remember?”

“Buffy, you didn't give me time. You just dumped this thing on me and you expected me to get it. Well, guess what? Mom's not perfect, okay? I handled it badly. But that doesn't give you the right to punish me by running away.”

“Punish you? I didn't do this to punish you!”

“Well, you did,” interjected Xander, “You should've seen what you put her through.”

“Great. Thanks. Anybody else want to weigh in here?” Buffy looked around the room, “How about you by the dip?”

Jonathon froze in the middle of bringing a chip covered with dip to his mouth and looked around nervously at everyone suddenly staring at him.

“No, thanks. I'm good,” stammered Jonathan.

“You know, maybe you don't want to hear it, Buffy, but taking off like you did was incredibly selfish and stupid,” chastised Xander.

“Okay! Okay. I screwed up. I know this. But you have no idea! You have, you have no idea what happened to me or what I was feeling!” shouted Buffy.

“Did you even try talking to anybody?” continued Xander.

“There was nothing that anybody could do. Okay? I just had to deal with this on my own.”

“Yeah, and you see how well that one worked out. You can't just bury stuff, Buffy. It'll come right back up to get you.”

“As if I even could've gone to you, Xander. You made your feelings about Angel and vampires in general, perfectly clear.”

“Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles,” spat Xander.

Buffy winced.

“Time out, Xander. Put yourself in Buffy's shoes for just a minute. Okay? I'm Buffy, freak of nature, right? Naturally I pick a freak for a boyfriend, and then he turns into Mr. Killing Spree, which is pretty much my fault...” spouted Cordelia.

“Cordy! Get outta my shoes!”

“I'm just trying to help, Buffy.” said Cordelia, afraid of getting ranted at too.

“Buffy, you never...” said Willow trying to intercede.

“Willow, please. I can't take this from you, too.”

“Let her finish! You at least owe her that.” shouted Xander.

“God, Xander! Do you think you could at least stick to annoying me on your own behalf?”

“Fine! You stop acting like an idiot, I'll stop annoying you!”

“Oh, you wanna talk acting like an idiot? Nighthawk?”

“Okay. I'm gonna step in now,” Oz stepped between Xander and Buffy, who looked like they were about to start hitting each other. “Being Referee Guy.”

“No, let them go, Oz. Talking about it isn't helping. We might as well try some violence.” said Willow.

Suddenly a zombie smashed through the window.

“I was being sarcastic!”
__________________________________________
Willow and Buffy were enjoying a Zombie free cup of coffee at the Espresso Pump. This had been the first time Buffy had been able to have girl talk with Willow since she got back to Sunnydale and there were things to be said.

“So, you left with Spike and Drusilla?”

“Well I wasn’t really with Drusilla, she was tied up in the back seat. Spike let her go when we got to LA.”

“And you stayed with him? Like with him, with him?”

“For a while, we‘re over, completely over. I mean there‘s only so long before you realise that hey, your boyfriend eats people, it‘s not something that really goes along with the whole Slayer package.”

“Ya, I can see that. So you are over?”

“Yes,” said Buffy sadly.

“But you still love him.”

“Yes.”

“Well you know, it‘s not all bad, maybe he left to go get himself cursed with a soul. I could curse him with a soul! I‘m getting very good at that sort of thing.”

“Witchy Willow?”

“I mean, I'm not a full-fledged witch. That takes years. I just did a couple pagan blessings and... a teeny glamour to hide a zit.” said Willow.

“Does it scare you?”

“It has. I tried to communicate with the spirit world, and I so wasn't ready for that. It's like being pulled apart inside. Plus I blew the power for our whole block. Big scare.”

“I wish I could've been there with you.”

“Me, too. I really freaked out.”

“I am sorry.”

“It's okay. I understand you having to bail. I can forgive that. Mm, I have to make allowances for what you're going through a-and be a grownup about it.”

Willow looked smugly over at her friend.

“You're really enjoying this whole moral superiority thing, aren't you?”

“It's like a drug!” beamed Willow.

“Fine! Okay. I'm the bad. I can take my lumps... for a while.”

“All right. I'll stop giving you a hard time.” Willow paused for a moment “Runaway.”

“Will!”

Willow giggled, “I'm sorry! Quitter.”

“Whiner.”

“Bailer.”

“Harpy.”

“Delinquent.”

“Tramp.”

“Bad seed.”

“Witch.”

“Freak.”

“Nerd”

“Vamp groupie”
__________________________________________
tbc...

Two more chapters left!
 

Chapter 18: Not the same without him

Buffy sat in the park across the street from Sunnydale high, waiting for her friends. They had promised a picnic. Stupid Snyder Troll man not letting her back on school property. Shoulda let Spike eat him, when I was being all blasé about the eating of people.

“Buffy, banned from campus, but not from our hearts, how are you and what's for lunch?” asked Xander as the group approached.

Oz climbed onto the nearby bench and sat on the backrest, the others kneeled on the blanket that Buffy had laid out and was sitting on.

“Oh, I just threw a few things together.”

“When did you become Martha Stewart?” asked Cordy, impressed.

“First of all, Martha Stewart knows jack about hand-cut prosciutto.” Buffy handed out drinks.

“I don't believe she slays, either,” offered Xander.

“Oh, I hear she can, but she doesn't like to.” answered Oz.

Buffy opened her drink bottle. “Second of all, way too much free time on my hands since I got kicked out of school.”

“Oh, I know they'll let you back in,” declared Willow, taking a drink.

“Don't you and your mom have a meeting with Principal Snyder?” asked Xander.

“We're seeing Snyde-Man tomorrow.”

“Ooo, Scott Hope at eleven o'clock.” gushed Willow.

Buffy turned to look.

“He likes you,” said Willow to Buffy, “He wanted to ask you out last year, but you weren't ready then. But I think you're ready now, or at least in the state of pre-readiness to make conversation, or-or to do that thing with your mouth that boys like.”

Buffy whipped her head around to face Willow.

“Oh! I didn't mean the bad thing with your mouth, I meant that little half-smile thing that you...” Willow turned and glared at her boyfriend, “You're supposed to stop me when I do that.”

Oz grinned and smiled. “I like when you do that.”

Buffy turned to look at Scott again. As he passed her location on the blanket they exchanged greetings earning a big smile from Willow.

“I think that went very well. Don't you think that went very well?” bubbled Willow.

“He didn't try to slit our throats or anything. That's progress.”

“Hey, did you do that little half-smile thing?” Willow asked.

Buffy sighed, “Look, I'm not trying to snare Scott Hope. I just want to get my life back, you know, do normal stuff.”

“Like date?”

“Well...”

“Oh, you wanna date. I saw that half-smile, you little slut.” Xander chucked a little, until Buffy punched him none to gently on the shoulder.

“No, I don’t really feel right about dating right now. Last break up, still very fresh in my mind. All I want to do right now is shop and hang out and go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. You know, I wanna do girlie stuff!”
__________________________________________

Buffy walked the floor of the Bronze. Music was playing and couple littered the dance floor. Buffy noticed Xander and Willow sitting at their usual table eating animal crackers.

“Buffy, les biscuits sont tous manger!“ said Willow with concern.

“Huh?“ Why did Willow always have to speak French in her dreams.

“You had better get on that,“ said Xander.

Buffy turned to walk away only to bump into Angel, who was shirtless.

“Well Buffy? Shouldn’t you fix this?“

“Fix what?“

“Les biscuits! Maudit esprit, tabernac!“ shouted Willow.

“I don’t understand? Did Willow just swear?“

Angel caught Buffy up in his arms and drew her to the dance floor.

“I miss you,” Buffy said sadly.

“Doesn’t seem like it, though I could be mistaken, I don’t see things very well anymore, all that fire and brimstone, it gets in your eyes.”

“I’m sorry,“ she muttered. “I had to.”

“I loved you.”

“I’m so sorry!“

“You sent me to hell”

“You tried to end the world Angel, what did you think was going happen? That we’d sit down and knit sweaters together?“

“Go to hell”

“I’m already there, Angel. I live in hell”

Suddenly Spike was at her side.

“Mine!“ he shouted, clocking Angel in the jaw.

Angel fell to the ground and crumpled to dust before her. Buffy looked down on the ground where Angel had been and reached out, only to be caught up in Spike’s arms.

“You belong to me Goldilocks.”

“I belong to no one.”

Buffy flashed back to another time and place.

They were lying on the beach. They kissed long and passionately before he abruptly thrust inside her causing her to gasp with pleasure. Inside her he could feel her muscles still contracting from her previous orgasm. More abruptly he flipped over so that she lay on top of him. With effort she raised and lowered herself upon him letting him slide up and down inside her, over and over. As he got closer and closer she rode him harder and harder. They rolled again, this time with her nestled beneath him. He pulled out and let his fingers glide over her hot wet pussy, back and forth. His fingers moved brining her closer and closer. Pulling his hand away he slid into her once more, this time slowly, then thrusting hard and fast into her. Reaching the brink, Spike roared and finally slid his fangs into her neck.

“Mine,” Spike said “Forever.”

“Yes..” breathed Buffy, “Please Spike, make me yours.”

“Mine, only mine”

“Yours, forever.”

Buffy looked up into Spike’s eyes.

“You claimed me.“

“I claimed you, you belong to me. My Childe, my mate”

“No.“

“You belong to me, Buffy, Goldilocks.“ Spike moved in and kissed her full on the mouth.

Buffy lost herself in the kiss, until something changed. Opening her eyes she saw that she wasn’t kissing Spike anymore. She was kissing Dru. Buffy pulled back.

“Sweet William belongs to me you know. I made him, everything he has belongs to me. You belong to me, Baby.“ Dru started spinning the two of them in place.

When they finally came to a stop she was being held by Angel again.

“Drusilla belongs to me. Made her the mad lunatic she is now. Everything she made, well you know the drill by now. You belong to me Buffy.“

Angel picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder and headed out of the Bronze. Passing through the doors, he dropped her on the pavement.

Buffy looked up to see that Angel disappeared.

“Poor slayer!“ cooed a woman’s voice.

Buffy turned to see Darla standing under a street light. Darla stalked towards her.

“You see, you wanted into this little family of ours. And now, you are in. How does it feel to know the Slayer of this age is cavorting with the Scourge of Europe? Angel belongs to me. What you did to him, unforgivable. Oh I won’t punish you, much, you belong to me now.“

Darla grabbed Buffy’s hand and dragged her to an alley. Standing her up Darla took an appreciative look at Buffy’s now soiled clothes.

“This will simply not do!“ Darla reached forward and stripped Buffy of her halter and jeans.

Buffy looked down to see that she was now wearing the dress she had worn when she had fought the master.

“Time to meet daddy!“ Darla pointed to something behind Buffy.

Buffy turned.

“I made Darla, so now, you belong to me.“ said the Master.

“Nooooo!“

Buffy woke up with a start. Panting, Buffy tried to calm herself down. Buffy heard a knock at her bedroom door and her mother poked her head into the room.

“Morning, Sunshine! Ready to face the beast?”
__________________________________________
The Beast, Snyder, had been pretty much forced to let her back into school. That was supposed to be great right? Except for all the troll’s conditions, pass make up exams, get a recommendation from a teacher, that wasn’t an English librarian, and talk with a psychologist. Buffy just had to prove to everyone, including herself that she was ready for academic achievement.
__________________________________________

Of course Willow was ecstatic about Buffy being back at school.

“It's so great that you're a schoolgirl again.” said Willow as she and Buffy walked through the swinging doors of the Library.

“Giles say what he wanted? Do you think he's mad?”

Buffy wrinkled her nose at the various herbs that were littering the counter.

“No, I don't think so. I think he just needed to see you. Have you ever noticed, though, when he is mad, but he's too English to say anything, he makes that weird cluck- cluck sound with his tongue?” asked Willow.

Giles suddenly rose up from behind the counter and inspects his various plant things.

“Hi, Giles!” greeted Buffy.

“Oh, hi! Been there long?” asked Willow slightly worried.

“Buffy, good timing. I could use your help. I trust you remember the demon Acathla?”

“Giles, contain yourself. Yes, I'm back in school, but you know how it embarrasses me when you gush so. Let's just skip all that and get straight to work.” said Buffy with a smile on her face.

“Oh, ahhhh... Well, I, um... Well-w... O- o-of course, it's wonderful to have you back, i-i-it goes without saying.”

Buffy raised her eyebrows at that.

“But... You enjoy making me say it, don't you?”

“Okay, Acathla, huh? What are you doing, making him some demon pizza?” Buffy picked up a bundle of some sort of herb, sniffed it and frowned.

Buffy held it up for Willow to sniff too. Willow smiled at the smell though.

“We need to make sure that he remains dormant and that the dimensional vortex is sealed tight. So I'm working on a binding spell.” stated Giles.

“Oh, a spell? Can I help?” asked Willow eagerly.

“Possibly, with the research. It's very sensitive and...”

“Oh! Who's more sensitive than me?”

“...and difficult spell.”

Willow frowned.

“It involves creating a- a-a protective circle around... Well, I don't want to bore you with the details, but, uh, well, there's a litany th-that one has to recite in Aramaic, and it's very specific. So I need to get a few details about your experience of defeating Acathla and Angel.”

Giles started looking for more ingredients to the spell.

“Fire away.” said Buffy

“I've put the time at about, um, 6:17, around, about half an hour after Xander rescued me.”

“Less. More like ten minutes.”

“Oh, was the vortex already open?”

“Barely.”

“I see. And Angel?”

“A big fight, Spike hit Angel on the head, and I shoved the pointing end of my blessed sword through his chest. Acathla sucked him into Hell instead of the world. That's about the it.”

“Yes, well, that, um... should be very helpful. Spike?”

Buffy looked at her watch, in an attempt to avoid. “Oh, no, I have to go take an English makeup exam. They give you credit just for speaking it, right?”

She looked hopefully at Willow and Giles.

“Oh...” Buffy whined, then headed out the door.
__________________________________________
On a high from passing her English make up test, Buffy decided it was time for Bronzing.

Walking to the couch area, drinks in hand, Buffy had to stop and watch the smoochies that Oz and Willow were engaged in. They were so cute together. Buffy sat down in a comfy chair not too far away from the smooching couple.

“Don't let me interrupt.” Buffy smiled.

Willow and Oz looked up from their kissing. Willow sat up and tried to act all innocent. Buffy smiled and handed Oz one of the drinks she had been holding.

“Thanks.”

“Are you...” Willow started, then turned to Oz “Is she all glowy?”

Buffy rolled her eyes

“Yeah, I suspect happiness,” observed Oz.

Buffy smiled, “I passed my English makeup exam, hangin' with my friends. Hello, my life, how I've missed you.”

Buffy looked up to see Scott waling towards them.

“Hi, Scott. What are you doing here?” asked Willow.

Scott smiled, “You told me if I came after 8:00, I could run into Buffy.”

Buffy looked menacingly at her friend.

“Uh, I'm sorry. I'm a bad liar. It's not good for the soul,” said Scott to Buffy, he gestured to his face, “O-o-or the skin, actually. It makes me blotch.”

“Hi, Scott.”

“Hi.”

They remained there in awkward silence for a moment, each trying to think of something to say.

“Don't you love this song?” commented the boy.

“Uh, yeah! Actually, I do.”

“Well, would you like to...” he said indicating the dance floor.

“Dance? Um...” Buffy trailed off. “I don't know. I'm bad with... Well... Thank you for asking, it's just that there...”

“Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna go stand by the dance floor. If you change your mind, you can mosey on over, and then if not, then you don't mosey. No harm, no foul, right?”

“Right.”

Scott walked off. Buffy rolled her eyes and flopped her head back on the chair. Could have you been more spastic?

“Come on, Buffy,” said Willow very disappointed in her friend. “I mean, the guy is charm, a-and normal, which is what you wanted to get back to.”

“Plus bonus points for use of the word 'mosey',” interjected Oz.

“I just don't think I'm ready.”

“What's stopping you?” asked Willow.

Cordelia and Xander walked up.

“Check out Slut-O-Rama and her Disco Dave.” Cordy pointed to the dance floor where a brunette, who was dancing with a guy dressed as Disco Stu. “What was the last thing that guy danced to, K.C. and the Sunshine Band?”

Buffy watched intently. The guy was a vamp.

“I don't think that guy thrives on sunshine.” Buffy put down her drink and started out after them.

Buffy crossed the dance floor only to be intercepted by Scott.

“Hi.”

Buffy stopped short and frowned, “”Hi. Oh, no, I...” She pointed at the door. “I-I have to...”

“Oh. Uh, uh, sorry, my bad.”

“No. I-it's mine. Really, it's mine, but I... I-I-I have to go.”

Buffy entered the alley only to be joined by the others.

“Where'd she go?”

Buffy took a few steps to check out things.

“I bet it's nothing. They're probably just making out.” offered Cordelia.

Buffy came back to the group. But turns back. Suddenly Buffy heard a girl call out in a complaining tone, along with sounds of crashing.

“That's not what making out sounds like, unless I'm doing it wrong,” said Willow.

Buffy rushing in the direction of the noise.

“It's okay, I got it. You're, uh, Buffy, right?” said the girl, fighting off her vamp attacker.

Buffy was taken aback. Considering what she was going to say to this strange girl, the girl was attacked from behind by a vamp too. She snapped her head back and head butted him.

“I'm Faith,” said the girl.

“I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's a new Slayer in town,” said Oz to his girl friend.

The whole group watched on as Faith fought the vamp. Buffy was shocked to say the least, she simply stood there, stake in hand.

Faith reached out and grabbed Buffy’s stake. “Can I borrow that?”

Buffy stared in confusion as Faith dusted the vamp in front of her. Faith turned to face her and handed back the stake.

“Thanks, B. Couldn't have done it without you.”

Faith walked past her and into the Bronze.
__________________________________________
When Buffy returned to the Bronze she found her friends listening attentively to Faith’s stories.

“The whole summer it was, like, the worst heat wave. So it's about a hundred and eighteen degrees and I'm sleeping without a stitch on. And all of a sudden, I hear this screaming from outside. So I go tearing out, stark nude, and this church bus has broke down, and there's these three vamps feasting,”

Buffy sat down, getting acknowledging glances from her friends.

“On half the Baptists in South Boston. So I waste the vamps, and the preacher comes up, and he's hugging me like there's no tomorrow, when all of a sudden, the cops pull up and they arrested us both.”

“Wow. They should film that story and show it every Christmas,” noted Xander.

Cordelia gave him disapproving girlfriend look.

Faith tore into one of the muffins before them on the table.

“God, I could eat a horse. Isn't it crazy how slayin' just always makes you hungry and horny?” observed Faith.

The others all turned their heads to look at Buffy.

“Well... Sometimes I-I crave a non-fat yoghurt afterwards as for the other...not really your business is it?”

“I get it.” said Cordelia with a smile.

Buffy mirrored Faith’s look of confusion.

“Not the horny thing. Yuck! But the two Slayer thing. There was one, and then Buffy died for, like, two minutes, so then Kendra was called, and then when she died, Faith was called.”

“But why were you called here?” Willow asked Faith.

“Well, I wasn't. My Watcher went off to some retreat thing in England, and so I skipped out. I figured this was my chance to meet the infamous Buff and compare notes. So, B, did you really use a rocket launcher one time?”

“Uh, yeah, actually, it's a funny story. There was...”

“So what was the, uh, story about that alligator? You, uh, said something... before.” interrupted Xander.

“Oh, there's this Big Daddy Vampire out of Missouri who used to keep them as pets. So he's got me rasslin' one of 'em, okay? The thing must have been twelve feet long and I'm...” spouted Faith enthusiastically.

“So was this, um, ahem, also naked?” he interrupted again.

“Well, the alligator was.”

Faith and Xander laughed.

“Xander? Find a new theme,” glared Cordelia.

Buffy sighed. Kendra’s replacement seemed to be a fun person. Faith was someone who loved life. Like she used to. As much as Buffy tried, she hadn’t been able to bounce back from her summer of misery.

That’s unfair said a voice in the back of her head. It wasn’t all bad

No it wasn’t all bad. And the truth was, she missed him. A lot. She only wished she knew where he was, so she could talk to him, to make sure he was ok. And ask him why he didn’t turn her. That was the question that most plagued her mind. Why didn’t Spike turn her when he had the chance.

He doesn’t want you anymore said the traitorous voice.

Buffy briefly turned back to the conversation in front of her. Oz was asking Faith about her position on werewolves.

“Hey, as long as you don't go scratchin' at me or humpin' my leg, we're five-by-five, you know?” answered Faith.

“Fair enough,” said the werewolf.

“The vamps, though, they better get their asses to DEFCON ONE, 'cause you and I are gonna have fun, you know, Watcherless and fancy-free.” said Faith pointing to Buffy.

“Watcherless?”

“Didn't yours go to England, too?”
__________________________________________
Faith was getting along with everyone, except her. Willow loved her, Xander was practically drooling every time her saw her, her mom practically wanted Faith to move in with them. And Giles, was impressed, and it took a bit for Giles to get with the impression. Buffy didn’t like it. Faith wanted her life.

That wasn’t such a bad idea. Buffy was tired of it. The slaying wasn’t doing it for her anymore. The constant being pulled into so many directions, she wanted a normal life. She wanted a boyfriend who loved her, a family who respected her for what she was, not people who were critical of every thing she did. She didn’t want to have to save the world anymore.

And now Faith was here, and so eager.

Buffy felt a little guilty about her thoughts. It sure wouldn’t be a happy time for her mom to have her run away again. But she wanted to. She wanted to run away and find Spike. It was awful having this feeling of emptiness that pervaded her whole body. Probably the claim she thought.
__________________________________________
With Faith’s help, she took down Kakistos, and the two of them started getting along well, except for the few mentions of Angel (because Willow had seen fit to tell the story, without the Spike parts) and Scott, whom Faith had just recently decided was drool worthy and couldn’t figure out why Buffy didn’t want anything to do with him.

“So if you aren’t going to jump his bones, can I?” Faith asked.

“Be my guest. He’s unclaimed territory.”

“He’s been making with the moon eyes at you for a good long time, I don’t get why you aren’t interested? I mean, you and Angel, it was a one night stand right? You can’t be so hung up on the guy after you used him and losed him.”

“It’s not Angel, Faith. And could we not talk about this anymore.”
__________________________________________
Spike walked down the deserted road. It hadn’t taken him long to find Dru again. The problem had come when she was still mad at him for the Acathla incident, and the fact that he still hadn’t turned Buffy.

Now here he was in Brazil, trying to make sense of all the thoughts rolling about his head. He still loved Buffy. But it was his being a vampire that was killing her soul. The truth was he didn’t know if he was ready to turn her yet. Oh he could do it, but he liked her full of life, and warm. They were just so incompatible the way they were.

She hadn’t asked him to change his lifestyle at all. She hadn’t given him ultimatums or threats that if he didn’t change she would leave. It was like she had accepted that he wouldn’t, couldn’t change, even for her. But was he willing to change for her?

“My Sweet William has terrible ogres on the brain. What to do about Baby? She never had tea. Bring Baby for tea, Spike,” Dru whispered in his ear.

Spike looked up at his Sire, and blinked.

“Miss Edith knows Baby wants to take tea with her. We’ll have scones!”

She was right of course, except about the whole having tea with dolls bit. He needed to be with Buffy and sort this out. There were only two outcomes for this that he saw, turning her, or killing her, and he didn’t like that option.
__________________________________________
tbc...
 

__________________________________________
Chapter 19: Reunion

Spike arrived in Sunnydale a little worse for wear. Being somewhat nervous about what would happen when he saw Buffy again, he had started drinking in Phoenix and was now pleasantly sloshed. It was a wonder he could drive at all.

Spike ran down the welcome sign to the town for good measure and managed to get to the mansion to sleep it off.

In his drunken haze, he noticed that Acathla had been moved. Probably the watcher’s work. It looked that no one had been in the house since that night, even the minions had left. Spike collapsed on his bed and promptly passed out.
__________________________________________
Buffy had shown her SAT scores to her watcher, in anticipation of ecstatic congratulatory huggage or some such thing...

“Buffy, this is, this is remarkable,” was all he said.

“So is this,” Buffy said indicating the large pile of camping equipment that was cluttering the table in front of her. “Where is this retreat thingy, the Yukon?”

“It's quite nearby, actually. It's, um, it's the clearing at the top of Breaker's Woods. It's the site of some fascinating druidic rituals.”

“Okay, but you're just going for a few days, right? I mean, you're not gonna settle there and grow crops or anything.”

“What? Oh, my gear. No, no, this is, this is basic necessities.”

“Giles, you pack like me.”

“Here,” he said as he handed her back her scores, “I suspect your mother will want to, uh, put it on the refrigerator.”

“Yeah. She saw these scores, and her head spun around and exploded.”

“I-I've been on the Hellmouth too long. That was metaphorical, yes?”

“Yes. She was happy. She started with all this crazy talk about me going to college, maybe someplace else. I know. I know, I said that you were gonna have a goat. Responsibilities and all. I know the drill.”

“She may be right.”

“Yeah, I know, I figured you'd... “ Buffy stopped and looked hard at her watcher. “Okay. Be kind, rewind.”

“With scores like these, Buffy, you could have a first-rate education. I'm, I'm not suggesting that you... ignore your calling, but, um... you need to look to your future. And with Faith here, i-i-it may be that you can move on. For a-a time, at least.”

“Wow.”

“Well, let's, um, let's discuss it when I get back. I-in the meantime, um, I'd like you to continue training while I'm, while I'm gone, and, um, please don't do anything rash.”

“'Anything rash', meaning...”

“You’ve been reckless of late, with your patrolling, you have been taking on too much. Faith is here, you should use her presence to your benefit.”

“Huh.”
__________________________________________
Later that night, after a uneventful patrol her mother decided movie night was an order. Ok, it was probably going to turn out to be ‘let’s talk about your future night’ but still it involved popcorn.

“Carnegie Mellon has a wonderful design curriculum. Oh, and Brown University's history program is... You like history, right?” asked her mom.

“Could we talk about this another time? All day it's been like, 'Congratulations! Go away.'“

“That's not it. It's just you belong at a, a good old-fashioned college with, with keg parties and boys, not here with Hellmouths and vampires.”

“Not really seeing the distinction.”

“Y'know, you're always talking about how you wish you could lead a more normal life. Well, this is your chance!”

“Yeah, it's just not that simple. I have responsibilities.”

“I know, I know, but I spoke with Mr. Giles, and he said... “

“ ...that Faith could be Miss Sunnydale in the Slayer Pageant. I know.”

“It's time to think about your future, Buffy, about your whole life. I mean, honestly, is there anything keeping you here?”

Buffy had to agree with her mom. There was nothing to keep her here at all.
__________________________________________
Spike stocked up on blood. Burglary at the Blood bank was beneath him, it was true, but he had carefully thought his plan out, and Buffy would need lots of blood after she woke up hungry. He would wait and see if she wanted fresh after she woke. He had never heard of anyone turning a slayer before, and he wasn’t sure if her moral compass would pass over with her or not.
__________________________________________
Refusing to stay and listen to the many virtues of countless schools across America, Buffy told her mom she was going to work out, cutting the non movie watching movie night short.

Truth was she liked the idea of leaving Sunnydale, she just didn’t know where she would go, what she would do. Did she even want to go to college?

Buffy turned up the music and started pounding on the heavy bag. It wasn’t long before she was singing along to ‘I wanna be sedated’ and dancing around the room.

That was how Spike found her, in her own little world, so full of life and energy. Spike watched for a while from the stacks for a while before the song ended. Spike was about to join her on the main part of the floor when the next song on her mixed tape started. The Dixie Chicks had started singing ‘Can’t Hurry Love.’ Spike chuckled to himself and he shook his head, she had the most eclectic taste in music he had ever heard.

“I know you are here Spike, I can feel you,” she said as she turned off the music. “Enjoy the show?”

Spike stalked closer to his Goldilocks. Silently he stepped behind her, arms at the ready, if she decided to fight him.

Buffy felt him behind her and turned to stare in his bright blue eyes.

“Did you come to turn me?” she came right to the point.

“Hello Spike, how are you?” he mocked.

“Did you really expect me to just jump into your arms after how we left everything? You nearly drained me and left me!”

“I was right mad at the time luv, you had just done the human break up thing.”

“You’re right, I did. So why are you back?”

Spike looked down at his hands for a moment, then got out a cigarette and lit it.

“Are you going to answer me sometime during this commercial break?”

“Don’t rightly know why I’m here Goldilocks, just couldn’t stay where I was.”

“Spike, don’t lie to me. I know you too well.”

Spike took a puff of smoke and sighed. “Ok, fine, I can’t live with out you alright, so I came to sire you.”

“You can’t live without me?” she whispered.

Spike butted out his cigarette on one of the watcher’s books and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him.

“You broke my heart when you told me we couldn’t be together luv.” Spike rested his chin on the top of her head.

Buffy sniffed. “I didn’t want to, I couldn’t live like that.”

“You weren’t happy.”

“All I ever wanted was for the two of us to be together, it’s the other stuff that got in the way.”

“We can work around the other stuff.”

“Can we? You are still a master vampire, I’m still a Slayer.”

“You don’t have to be a slayer anymore, I’ve heard about this other bint who’s been doing your job.”

“Faith. She’s young and naive.”

“This coming from the 17 year old.”

“I don’t feel 17.”

There was a long pause as they just held each other.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t a good idea Wills, I just don’t think that Magic is the way to solve this,” said Xander as he and Willow walked into the library. “HOLY SHIT!” he jumped as he noticed Spike standing in the middle of the room with Buffy in his arms. “Th...That’s Spike!”

Xander reached over the check out counter and grabbed a cross.

“Back you foul fiend!” said Xander as he thrust the cross into Spike’s face.

“Xander!” Buffy turned around in Spike’s arms and pushed the cross out of Xander’s hand. “Knock it off already.”

“Buff...Please tell me that this is some sort of plan to dust him. This is Spike...the hugging...”

“Xander, calm down” said Willow calmly.

“Calm down? Buffy is hugging Spike!”

“Buffy loves him, Xander...” she whispered, tugging on his arm. “Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

Xander and Willow exited the room.

“Sorry about Xander,” Buffy muttered. She started to pack up her things. “Where are you staying?”

“The mansion.”

“Ok,” she said as she slung her bag on her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
__________________________________________
Buffy and Spike walked into the mansion hand in hand. Buffy had no allusions about what they were going to do here. She would not exit this building alive, she was sure of that, and curiously she was ok with that.

Spike led her to his bedroom, neatly cleaned of all the dust from the summer. Silently she dropped her bag on the floor and laid back on the bed. Spike shed his duster and sat beside her, looking at the floor.

“Buffy...”

“Hold me” she begged.

Spike crawled onto the bed with her and tucked her gently against his body.

“Why can’t we just stay here like this for the rest of eternity?” she asked. “Why do things have to be so hard?”

“If it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be worth doing, Goldilocks.” Spike trailed his fingers down her arms and ended by interlacing his fingers with hers.

“I think you are worth it Spike,” she whispered.

Buffy leaned back to kiss him, lightly on the mouth. Spike didn’t feel the kiss was enough and pressed his lips roughly to hers, tracing her lips with his tongue, finally gaining entrance past her soft lips. Duelling tongues battled for a few moments, before Spike rolled them so that he was on top of her on the bed. His kisses left her mouth and began to trail a path down her neck. He stopped at his marks, giving them a decisive lick and a gentle nibble, before moving on downwards.

Buffy’s eyes rolled back into her head as she felt Spike nibble on his mark. She had missed this, she had missed him, and now she was turning to jello under his talented lips.

Spike brushed his hands over her breasts, still clad in her work out top. With a moan, Buffy sat up and yanked the offending garment off, to give him better access. Buffy guided his head back and sighed when she felt his tongue on her left breast. Spike raised one of hands and began to fondle her other breast tenderly, making the nipple raise to point.

Spike moved lower, kissing along her stomach and down to her shorts. He hooked his thumbs into the waist band and dragged the shorts off with her underwear. Spike tossed the garments aside and resumed his tender administrations.

Buffy gasped as she felt his wet tongue glide over her abs and down towards her navel. Spike gave a kiss to her bellybutton and looked up at his slayer.

“Tease,” she whimpered.

He smirked and crawled back up the length of her body, paying attention to her neglected lips. Buffy moaned as he thrust his tongue back into her mouth.

Buffy’s hands, however were unwilling to let her be the only one who was naked. She popped the button on his jeans and was slowly unzipping him, when she felt his cool fingers seeking their way into her moist depths.

“Mmmm Spike,” she hummed in appreciation of what he was doing with his hand.

Spike watched as she lost herself to the sensations she was feeling. Her hands had stopped trying to disrobe him and were now balled fists, clutching his t shirt. Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed herself frantically against his hand as she got ever closer to cumming.

“That’s right, Goldilocks, cum for me luv,” he purred.

She nearly ripped the shirt from his body as she came.

Buffy laid back, panting, and looked up into Spike’s blue eyes. He brought a wet finger to his mouth and sucked her juices off. With a smile, Buffy reached over and ripped off the tattered shirt from his body and set about peppering his chest with kisses.

Intent on returning the favour, Buffy trailed her kisses down his chest, only to stop at the opening of his jeans. Buffy pulled off his jeans in one smooth stroke and turned her attention to the inside of his thighs. Buffy licked her way up one thigh, then the other before passing her warm wet and eager tongue over his balls. Lovingly she sucked one into her mouth and twirled her tongue around it, then she gave the same attention to the other.

Buffy smiled as Spike started to make noises. Delicately she traced a vein in his cock from base to tip and down again, making sure to breathe heavily on the tip of his now seeping slit. Buffy twirled her tongue back towards the tip, this time taking it into her mouth. Buffy pressed her hands to his hips holding him back from thrusting too harshly into her mouth, while she took him as far as she could without gagging.

“Fuck, Goldilocks, love your hot little mouth,” he moaned.

Buffy moved one hand to fondle his balls.

The feel of her sweet little hand, cupping his balls nearly sent him over the edge, but when she started humming...He growled and came hard, into her hot mouth. Buffy swallowed greedily.

Lifting her head from his groin, and licking her lips to catch the rest of his cum, she straddled him with a large smile on her face.

“Fuck, Goldilocks, I’ve missed your luscious body,” he said putting his hands on her hips holding her in place while she stroked him to hardness again.

Buffy leaned forward and began nibbling on his ear. “I missed you too,” she purred. “Make love to me William,” she asked.

With a growl, Spike flipped them so that she was on the bottom. He slid into her wet centre with ease and began pumping in and out of her in a slow steady rhythm.

“I love you so much,” she whimpered, a single tear rolling down her face.

Spike’s tongue darted out and captured the errant tear. He knew why she was sad. She had accepted that this was the only way they could be together. She was giving up so much so they would be together forever. Spike leaned down and began licking a nibbling his mark again.

“Do it William.”

Spike brought his demon forth and stared into her green eyes for a moment.

“Please, make me like you.”

Spike thrust hard into her warm core a few more times, bringing him to the brink, then leaned down and bit. Her sweet blood rushed into his throat, like it had done so many times before.

“Mine,” he barked, then brought his fangs to the wound again, sucking the life blood out of her.

“Yours,” she acknowledged.

Buffy licked his neck once before biting hard into his neck, drawing blood with her blunt human teeth.

“Mine,” she whispered, feeling her loss of energy as he drained her. She placed her lips over his wound and drank until the darkness took her.

“Yours,” was the last thing she heard.

The end.
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Author’s note: Don’t you hate me? Don’t worry there will be a sequel, to be titled “Present Childe.” I want to thank everyone who was following this story and gave me such wonderful feedback. - Ariel Dawn