*****Chapter 11*****

Giles stared through the glass at the mummified form that was Xander Harris. Bandages covered every inch that the blankets did not. The boy had been placed immediately in critical condition when they’d arrived at the hospital with his charred body in the back of Oz’s van. The burns were extensive. His entire upper body had been singed, down to his waist. The burns ranged from second degree on the torso, to fourth degree at the shoulder blades. Skin had literally slid off below his neck when the orderlies lifted him onto a gurney.

The staff raved that it was a miracle the fire had been put out so quickly. He would probably have lost his facial features if it had continued even a few seconds longer. As it was, he would need reconstructive surgery on his right ear, chest, and certainly the back. When flame thrower tanks explode, the damage is instantaneous. Of course the hospital didn’t know it had been a flame-thrower. The remains of the device had been stripped off before the van arrived at the hospital. It was with ease that Ripper thought up the cover story: a hazing effort by the local college that had gone horribly wrong.

They would need to tell Xander the story when he woke up. He’d been mercifully unconscious or in shock since the explosion. He had released an occasional groan, but Giles doubted that he felt anywhere near the pain he would have if he had been awake.

His parents had been contacted. Xander’s mother was here now. She had stopped crying, and was sitting patiently by his bedside. Her palm rested on his thigh, because the bandages made it impossible for her to hold his hand. She would need to leave soon, due to ICU regulations. She’d be behind the glass with the rest of them. Mr. Harris was unavailable. He was busy working. When he got off, he’d come over. Neither doubted Giles’s story, not with so many witnesses.

Said witnesses were on benches in the waiting room, down the hall. Giles could just see them from his position. Oz as always was stoic and solid. A good support for everyone else, now that the other constant in the group of amateur slayers was lying in the glass room. Explaining the crossbow bolt in his arm had been simple. It was just an accident that happened while he was target shooting. No police report would be filed.

Next to him dozed Willow. She had been suffering from a migraine and spontaneous nose-bleeds since her display in the Mansion. It was nothing Giles had seen since Amy Madison’s mother and her black-eyed curse casting. Willow was obviously much more powerful than anyone had suspected. He would begin working on her control and training immediately. That much raw strength needed focus.

Cordelia was often compared to a queen by the children because of her self-important attitude. The comparison seemed accurate to Giles now because of her grace in this harrowing situation. She had fought well, dusting minions without showing fear. She had been determined to see the mission through. When Xander fell, she was shocked, but did not break formation. Someone witnessing the event might have thought her callous and unfeeling. It wasn’t so. She was merely restraining her sorrow for the appropriate moment. Not until after she had heard the news of Xander’s condition, and comforted Mrs. Harris to the best of her ability, had she allowed her tears to fall. At the moment, she was sobbing with quiet dignity in Joyce’s embrace.

Joyce was a fierce woman when crossed. Ripper himself feared to anger her, especially now that she knew how to use a crossbow. He was glad that she’d had that small bit of vengeance this morning against Drusilla. It was fitting that Joyce have the chance to destroy one of her daughter’s oppressors with her own hands.

They had all performed admirably. And yet if Drusilla were to be believed, Buffy was still in the clutches of the Order Aurelius.

Spike. William the Bloody. He had taken Buffy out of the Mansion, apparently without Angelus’s knowledge. It must have happened the previous night, sometime after the orgy. That would explain Angelus’s absence during the raid. His prize had been taken, and he wanted it back.

Giles searched his mind to decide what Spike would want with Buffy. It was obvious that she was a choice trophy. Maybe he still wanted the honor of causing the final death of the slayer. Either way, Buffy was still suffering life as a vampire.

They needed to kill Angelus. They needed to find Spike and probably kill him. God only knew what they needed to do with Buffy.
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Buffy loved this bathroom. It was clean and brightly lit by incandescent bulbs. She had never liked fluorescent lighting because it seemed so institutional. The tiles covering the floor and the walls up to waist height formed a black and white square pattern. The walls were painted red. The cabinets under the sink were white, and the fixtures were silver. The room had a separate shower stall and one of those big tubs with the water jets. She’d have to try that sometime.

It wasn’t well equipped. There was some soap, and surprisingly vanilla shampoo. Probably her Sire’s doing. She desperately wanted to wax her legs, because even a vampire’s hair grew out in a week. Oh well. At least she was clean and dressed in new clothes.

She laid her robe across the edge of the tub and went back into the bedroom. Its supplies were equally sparse. The floor was wooden, with a warm brown varnish on it. The room was large, almost twenty feet on each side, but it contained only three pieces of furniture: a sturdy king-sized four-poster made of a deep cherry colored wood, a matching dresser, and a matching desk. It wasn’t much, but it was a good start for their room. Theirs. That sounded nice.

Spike was sitting on the bed when she emerged from the bathroom. She felt almost human again. Well, not human. She felt like herself again; she just wasn’t completely certain what ‘herself’ meant now. It was one of the things she knew she would be discovering in this new home.

Home. She stared into space, not noticing when Spike came to stand beside her. Home last week was with her mom and her friends and her Watcher. Now home was her Sire. Buffy sighed sadly. She’d lost them by being turned. True, they weren’t completely beyond her reach. She would probably get in touch with them, find out what had been going on since her death, and learn how to be friends again. But there was a fundamental gulf between them and her created by her vampirism.

They were accustomed to fighting against vampires. Vampires were evil, unless they had a soul. Jesse and Angelus (she didn’t believe that she’d ever see him as Angel again) were the proof. Buffy had a soul, at least she was pretty sure she did, but her Sire did not. Her friends would see her Sire as something to be killed, someone to save her from. Buffy saw her Sire as her rescuer, as her friend, and as her companion. He was her family too. It would hurt as much to lose him as it would to lose one of her human family; no, it would hurt even more because of their bond.

She would learn about such things soon. Her friends would finish high school, and then go to college or get jobs. They’d get married and have kids. Buffy, on the other hand, was going to learn how to be a vampire. She would know the most intimate secrets of her kind; things that she could never share with a human. Not because she didn’t want to be open and honest, but because they couldn’t understand what she was talking about without experiencing it themselves.

Then there was the question of immortality. As a slayer, she had always known that she would die before her friends, and she had. But she was also going to outlive them by decades, as long as she didn’t lose a fight. And hey, former slayer with extra vampy strength, not likely to lose. She might live for centuries to come. They would not be there with her. Her Sire would.

She realized he was beside her. Not touching her, but still a reassuring presence. She looked up at him. He had his head tilted to the side, a look of curiosity and mild concern on his face. She was quick to answer his unspoken question. “I was thinking how separate I am from them now. Mom, Giles, Xander, Willow, and everybody. I can’t ever really be at home with them again. Because I’m already home here.”

Spike wrapped one arm around her back and the other around her waist to draw her close, so that her head rested on his shoulder. She toyed idly with the red over shirt he was wearing. “I’m glad you can say that, kitten. I was scared you’d try to deny it, try to go back to them. But like I said, you’re a smart girl.”

“It’d be silly, trying to hold on. It wouldn’t work.”

“Doesn’t mean it hasn’t been tried.” She looked at him questioningly. “Vampires trying to hang on to what they used to have. I did.” He sighed. “But that’s a story for another time.”

A low rumble from inside him met Buffy’s ears. She giggled. “I think your stomach is trying to tell us something.” She pulled away enough to look into his face.

“Then let’s get downstairs and do something about it.” He dropped his arms from her body, but took hold of her hand, so that he could lead her.

A little side corridor led to the stairs out of the loft. They were wooden, with no railing on the drop off side. Except for the little part hidden by the loft walls, the whole stairway could be seen from the rooms below. Buffy walked on the outside edge, and peered down at the front door and the living room. The entryway had black slate tile that ran past the foot of the stairs into another room, while the living room had the same wooden flooring as the loft. The living room had a large stone fireplace, but there wasn’t a single piece of furniture in it. All the walls except those in the bathroom were white. Another set of stairs right next to the ones she was on ran down from the living room to the basement.

Buffy watched Spike walk as they descended. His movements were slow and cautious. He didn’t shake, but he lacked that powerful stride he’d had when he first came to Sunnydale. It was going to take a few minutes for him to get down to the first floor. She had assumed last night that staying in the wheelchair was a way to trick Angelus. It was, in part, but it was obvious that he was far from well. He probably liked the climb to the loft room, because it proved he was making progress. “Sire, how long have you been walking?”

“Started the day before you arrived at the Mansion, after the minions were finally able to bring me some decent blood.”

“When I first saw you at the Mansion, while Angelus and Dru were…” She trailed off. The memory was raw enough for both of them without reliving it now. “I thought you looked like you hadn’t fed in weeks.”

He sighed. “Fairly true. The minions you’re about to meet smuggled a little animal blood in when they could get away with it. Some old human stuff from the hospital too. Angelus wanted to keep me weak, never did like competition you see, so he forbid anyone to bring me food. Most of the minions at the Mansion obeyed him, ‘cause he’s the highest in our bloodline left in Sunnydale.”

Buffy frowned. “But what about Dru? You’re her childe.” She couldn’t believe that Dru would be so cruel as to leave him hungry. He loved her. But then of course, she was also cheating on him at the same time.

He smiled ruefully. “Dru. Poor thing didn’t usually know what day it was. Didn’t bring me much blood before Angelus showed up. Brought me a puppy once. Couldn’t bring myself to eat it. Had Chris take it away. She barely made decisions on her own. If Daddy said something, it was law. She obeyed him like no other. He made her. Tortured her into insanity.”

Buffy shivered. “He killed her family, didn’t he?” Spike nodded. “Will he try to kill my mom and Giles?”

No use trying to deny it. “Yes, luv, he will. And us. But we’re safe here for a while. And they can take care of themselves. I had the minions check ‘em out this last week, see what they’d been doing. They were training up, even your mum. She takes to slayin’ like a vamp to blood, they said. Right good shot with her crossbow.”

Buffy smiled. “I always thought Mom would’ve been a good slayer. Especially after she hit you with that axe.”

He looked at her in mock outrage. “Now that bloody hurt! ‘Course I’m kinda glad I didn’t get to kill you. Like havin’ you here with me.” She stared at him in surprise. He looked away, berating himself for being such a sentimental poof.

He looked so shy! Like he’d just told her he had a crush on her. He really had though, hadn’t he? She looked down at the steps. “I like being here with you, too.” She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. It was his turn to be surprised. He smiled warmly. Buffy felt like blushing. She decided to change the subject. “So who’s with my mom? Giles?”

“Watcher’s been the one in charge. Scary bloke he is, for a human.”

“He used to be into a bunch of black magic and demon possession stuff in like the 70’s. You remember Halloween? That was done by one of his old buddies.”

“That was a fun night.” She glowered at him in disapproval. He smirked. “Well, fun for me. There’s a dark headed whelp they call Xander, quite the shot himself. Takes after the Watcher. Little red-headed witch, too. Been levitating stakes. Witch had got herself a short little werewolf, just about her size. Another girl, brown hair. Cheerleader, apparently.”

“Cordelia?!” Buffy laughed. “Cordelia as a warrior. You know, in some twisted way that makes sense to me. Crazy. So what are they getting ready for?”

Spike didn’t answer immediately. “This morning.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“They raided the Mansion, trying to take out Angelus. They figure you were vamped, want some revenge for that.” He wasn’t about to tell her that the Watcher planned on putting her down if he found her.

“Did they succeed?” She asked earnestly. “Did they get him?”

“No. Not him.” His voice choked a little.

Buffy understood. Her eyes teared up. “Oh Sire.” They’d reached the bottom of the stairs by now. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, trying to offer a little comfort. He leaned into her a bit, and she took on some of his weight as he returned the hug. She was already very attached to him. Her Sire. If she lost him she didn’t know what she’d do. He’d known Dru for more than a hundred years. They’d been lovers almost all that time. The loss must have been hard on him.

Spike sighed. “It’s okay pet. She’ll be happier now.” He pulled away. “Come on luv. Time for you to meet the others.”

He led her to the left along the slate tile, into a dining room. There was a single man sitting on the left side of a long mission style dining table. He appeared to be about twenty-five. He was slim and wiry looking. His hair was an unnaturally bright orange, like a popsicle. It stood straight up on top of his head, and bushed out slightly over his ears. His ears were a little pointed, if she looked closely. He had a thin neck, and a pointed chin. His eyes were a very light green, almost a yellow. She sniffed the air. Two weeks ago she wouldn’t have thought anything about him if she saw him on the street. He looked human. But he didn’t smell like it. She edged a little nearer to Spike.

Spike noticed her wariness, pleased by her caution. So she could smell that he wasn’t what he looked like? Good for her. The half-B’aste had noticed them and now stood respectfully beside the table. “Buffy, this is Nara-ste Morlan James.” The man smiled warmly. “He is our servant.”

Buffy watched as the odd man continued to smile and walked over toward her. He extended his hand and she shook it. He had a heartbeat, and he didn’t smell bad, just different. She unconsciously cocked her head to the side. “You aren’t human. And you’re not a vampire.”

“No, I wouldn’t be much use if I were a vampire. I’m half-human, half-B’aste.”

Buffy felt her eyes widen. “I didn’t know there were half-demons, Mr., um…” She was embarrassed, but he had a really long name.

He smiled benevolently again. “Call me Morrie. Half-demons are more common than people realize. We just hide better than the real thing. My mother Nara is the leader of the B’aste in Sunnydale. We’re a kind of merchant demon. We help demons and humans interact successfully when we can. And we help our allies.” He cast a look at Spike.

Spike saw Buffy’s confusion. “I did a few favors for Nara when I first came to Sunnydale. Morrie’s living here so that other vampires would need an invite from him if they wanted to get in. And he works a little mojo; enough to keep locator spells from finding us. We’ll probably put up a few more wards in the next couple of days, to give us an idea when Angelus is about.” Buffy nodded in understanding.

“I’m also the one who buys blood and furniture. Using Master Spike’s money, of course.”

“You have money?”

“Sure pet. Managed to save a little in the last century or so. Enough to get me around the world, and get me things I need.”

“Where do you bank? I mean, aren’t they suspicious that you look like a fifth your age?”

“There are demon banks. Fair number of them run by the B’aste, actually.”

“Oh.” Buffy’s head was beginning to spin. Well, she wanted to learn, might as well get used to it. And this was only the first day. She heard Spike give a command to Morrie to fetch the minions. Apparently they lived downstairs. Spike maneuvered her to a seat near the head of the table. She insisted that he go get himself some blood when his stomach complained loudly again. She really needed to start drinking the bagged stuff. He needed time to heal, and feeding her just cut down on the reserves he had to heal with. She felt a little disappointed at the thought that she wasn’t going to get to drink from him for a while. She really liked it.

So Spike was rich. He had to have more than a little if he was able to get this place on such short notice. It wasn’t a Mansion, but it was a lot more than anyone else she knew could afford. He could have gone anywhere in the world once he left Angelus if he wanted to. Why had he stayed here where it was dangerous? The answer flashed into her mind, shocking her. Spike had done it for her. His childe. He knew that she needed to be here. That she wasn’t ready to leave yet. That was one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for her. He didn’t have to do it; he was her Sire, he could have ordered her to go with him, and she would have. He really did care a lot for her.

She cared a lot about him too. And not just because he was now her Yoda. She smiled. Xander had told her about that surreal moment when Spike called Angelus that. She didn’t think Spike’d mind if she borrowed his line.

She heard movement from the front of the house. Someone was coming up from the basement. Five someones. She could separate the sounds of their footsteps in her mind. The first to enter was Morrie. He sat down at his original seat, on the opposite side of the table, but farther down than her from the head chair. She knew instinctively that the place of authority belonged to Spike.

Next to enter was a woman with a firm step. She was about 5’6’’, had shoulder length brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Her oval face looked friendly. Buffy thought she looked thirty. She couldn’t be too much older than that if it was Spike that had made her. The easy stride that followed her belonged to a tall man, at least six feet, broad shoulders, also brown haired but with blue eyes. He was a bit younger, maybe still in his late twenties. They sat on Buffy’s side of the table, the woman one seat down and the man on the other side.

Next came another man, about Spike’s height with straw colored hair. He had green eyes and a fast step. He sat one seat down from Morrie. Last came a boy, about twenty, with sandy hair and brown eyes. He walked slowly, and yawned as he sat down next to the second man.

It was all very precise, as though they knew their places in this small society perfectly. Buffy guessed it was kind of like queens and kings. The important servants sit nearest. Morrie probably got to be closest because he was an ally. He probably got paid. That meant the chief minion was the woman to Buffy’s right. She might be oldest, or just the one Spike liked best. The boy was obviously the youngest, probably turned just before Spike was injured. Buffy was sitting right next to Spike, on his right, without a seat between them. Did that make her queen? Wouldn’t Cordelia be jealous. Except for the whole vampire thing.

Spike returned, carrying two mugs of blood and a coffee carafe that Buffy figured didn’t contain coffee. He set one mug in front of himself, and one in front of her, and filled them both with blood from the carafe. He took a long swallow, and she followed suit. It tasted icky. Especially when the only thing she’d ever drunk was Sire’s blood. Oh well. She’d just have to get used to it.

Spike looked at the demons assembled at the table. All loyal, all his. He felt a sudden sense of belonging. It was an unusual feeling for him. Time to introduce everyone. He placed a hand on Buffy’s shoulder, and addressed the others. “This is my Childe, Buffy. Serve her as you serve me.” Buffy’s eyes widened to saucer stage. Spike knew she’d never had servants before. “Buffy, you can ask anything of these beings and they will give you an honest answer. They will be happy to help you or show you anything. Do you have anything you’d like to ask them now?”

Buffy swallowed. “Could you tell me your names?”

Spike smiled into his blood. “Morrie you know.” He gestured to the minions. “Introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Alexa,” the woman said. “I’m the eldest, and chief minion.”

“You helped with me after…”

Alexa nodded. “Yes. I also got you some clothing and supplies. Is there anything else you need? I’m going out for more supplies tonight.”

“I have a couple of things. A list, actually. You don’t mind?”

Alexa smiled. The Master’s childe was young indeed. “No. I’d be happy to.”

“I’m Jacob.” Alexa’s friend said.

“I’m Chris.” Straw-hair.

“Ryan,” said the young minion sleepily.

Buffy smiled back at them. “It’s very nice to meet you all.” She looked at Spike. “So if I’d like anything I just ask?” He nodded. She took a deep breath. “Okay. Who handles furniture?”

They all laughed, and Morrie raised his hand.
*****
Thanks to everyone who continues to review! I hope you continue to enjoy.
Thanks to Linda, my new Beta.

*****Chapter 12*****

Angelus scowled at the map of Sunnydale taped to the wall of his new lair. The Mansion was no longer safe, certainly not with his limited supply of minion guards. Damn Watcher. Should have taken more precautions after the first attack at the factory. Factory, to Mansion, to an old hotel on the edge of town called the Sunnydale Arms. The dilapidated hellhole was far below his normal living standards; that it was also filled with rats brought to mind unwelcome memories of years spent in alleys, living on the worthless beasts.

The accommodations aggravated his already foul temper. Six nights and six days had passed, not including the night of the ‘banquet’ on which Buffy was stolen from him. Dawn was imminent on the seventh day since the disappearance, and there had yet to be a sign of her. Or of Spike, the little prick. Angelus’s fist crashed into the exposed drywall beside the map. The large round hole it left was one of several that decorated the room. Taking his anger out on the walls had proved to be his only relief during the day. He couldn’t afford to dust anymore minions to take the edge off his displeasure, because he needed the few he had.

It all came down to Spike. Angelus had been trying to decide since the moment Buffy disappeared just how he’d done it. He’d planned and plotted and escaped undetected. He probably had minions assisting him, but it was impossible to know how many were with him, with so many piles of dust in the Mansion. Angelus had been certain that Spike would go to ground in another abandoned building. He’d had the minions searching every night since the disappearance. Now more than three quarters of the map had been crossed off, the buildings in the canvassed having all come up clean.

They examined ever abandoned factory and condemned building. Nothing. The tombs and crypts in the local graveyard. Nothing. The tunnels and caves throughout the city underground. Nothing. Even the mall, the clubs, the slaughter houses, the museums, and the schools were being searched. Still nothing. Angelus had intimidated every source he could find and beaten up Willy once again. He’d offered rewards. He’d come as close as he ever would to begging. And still that little shit of a grandchilde eluded him.

Not a wiff of him, or a sight of his De Soto. The butcher shops had only sold bulk blood to non-vampire demons lately. And all of them paid in cash, no names and no addresses exchanged. Angelus had contacted a local black witch to do a locator spell using what little Spike had left in the Mansion, but without success. Either he was out of range, or he was protected by wards. Spike wasn’t the type to cut and run. Angelus suspected that he was still in town, waiting to strike. But from where, damn it?

Angelus growled at the walls. The thought that Spike was touching what Angelus had rightfully taken was enough to drive him round the bend. He was certain Spike would enjoy that knowledge. The boy had always loved to irritate him. Well, the search wasn’t over yet. There were still plenty of places the boy could be hiding.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the wayward vampires were beyond his reach, so were the humans Buffy had left behind. None of them left their houses at night, and none stayed home alone. They had all been staying with the Slayer’s mother, including Cordelia. Ha. He would have had fun with her if she came his way. He would have enjoyed any of them. Even the boy in the hospital was being protected every night. Sweet little Willow had done some kind of spell on his room to repel demons. Two of his minions had bounced off the barrier as though they’d been disinvited from a public place. Who had guessed Willow was that strong?

Angelus grinned suddenly. Of course, the advantage to all of them living inside the same warded house (oh yes, the Watcher had been very careful), was that all but Xander had been present when Joyce found his home movies. He wished that he could have seen her face. After all, it isn’t every day you watch your daughter kill a human.
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Buffy walked silently down the stair case toward the living room, with a quick glance back at the loft to see if Spike had followed. She had moved slowly out of bed and watched closely to see if he moved. A single twitch and she would have pretended to be asleep, which she normally would have been, since it was almost 7 a.m. They always went to bed around 5 a.m. It wasn’t as though she was breaking a rule by being out of bed, because really there weren’t any restrictions on where she could go or what she could do in this house, but she was still nervous.

She was looking for advice, and the only person she could bring herself to ask was Alexa.

Buffy got on well with all the minions, but she was closest to Alexa. They’d got to talking after she went shopping for Buffy and found out they both liked chocolate, romance novels, and designer labels. The tentative friendship had been cemented when Buffy asked Alexa not to call her ‘Mistress’, at least not when they were alone. Alexa was older both as a human and as a vampire than Buffy. She was obviously very smart, but she never talked down to Buffy. It was kind of like having a friendly older sister. Spike was wonderful, but every once in a while a girl needs girl talk.

It wasn’t just talking, either. When Buffy wasn’t having lessons about vampires and Order Aurelius from Spike, who by the way made it all sound a lot more interesting than Giles ever had, she and Alexa sparred. Buffy had found that she was significantly stronger and faster than she had been two weeks ago. So much so that she accidentally broke one of Alexa’s hands the first day. After that, Alexa stayed behind the brand new punching bag that had been set up in the downstairs living room/gym. The other minions were less daring. They were friendly, but fighting the Slayer, or at least the former Slayer, was too scary.

Buffy would love to be fighting Spike again. None of her other opponents were ever as inventive as Spike. He was kind of like the Wile E. Coyote of vampires, only his plans actually worked. Sometimes. But Spike just wasn’t that steady on his feet yet. Buffy knew that he worked on his coordination whenever she was downstairs with the minions sparring, or in the main living room playing Nintendo, now that they had a T.V. She’d come upstairs early once and he had been doing push-ups with his back toward her. She had left quietly, so as not to disturb him. He was proud. He hated to be seen below par.

He came downstairs for blood when they woke up, and he and Buffy usually did her lessons on the main floor sofa. Buffy had asked Alexa to buy her a notebook so that she could keep track of the symbols and history associated with vampire families. She would take notes on the coffee table, while he stretched his legs out on the couch behind her. Then they’d have a midnight snack with the minions and Morrie in the dining room. They sometimes talked for hours. Later she usually went downstairs to train. He never came with her, probably because it made him self-conscious to watch her fight when he couldn’t. He’d be taking a shower or in bed watching early-morning talk shows when she got upstairs in the morning.

Spike, she had found, was not the brash bad boy he pretended to be. Sure, he was the Big Bad in public and in a fight, but in private, he was more…passive. He liked to laugh and watch cheesy soap operas. He was the only person she knew, other than her mother, who could stand to watch Passions. Spike played a fair share of video games, too. And he read. She’d found a big suitcase full of books, mostly poetry, tucked under the bed once while reaching for a sock that she’d dropped. They were old, worn, paper backs; obviously they’d been read many times. Spike must take them with him everywhere he goes, she decided.

He ate human food, especially marshmallows. The little kind you put in hot chocolate, only he put them in his blood too. There was another odd thing. He hadn’t asked the minions to bring him human blood, or for that matter, a human. It wasn’t as though he wouldn’t eat a human given the chance, she was sure, but he wasn’t overcome with bloodlust because he hadn’t tasted a real artery recently. Neither were the minions. Did they just have that much control, or could they really live like this on a permanent basis?

Buffy didn’t know what all that meant for the salvation of vampires as a whole. All she knew was that Spike was as tender and kind without a soul as Angelus had ever been with one.

And that was her problem. No, not so much problem as…motivation.

Buffy had to admit that she’d always thought Spike was attractive. He had that roguish image, a combination of black leather and danger, but at the same time, he’d come thousands of miles in a vague hope to cure a woman he’d been in love with for over a hundred years. And of course physically he was nothing to sneer at. He had broad shoulders and a thin waist, but not disproportionately so. He was slim but muscular, just above average height. She didn’t feel crushed when he hugged her, and lying next to him at night made her feel safe.

From the first she’d wondered what it would be like to do more than just lay next to him. She hadn’t told anyone, but she’d had her first chance four days ago. They’d gone to bed in the morning as usual. It was easier to fall asleep during the day, though with all the curtains in the house, it didn’t hurt to be awake. Buffy’d awoken around noon, but wasn’t immediately sure what had disturbed her sleep. She was lying under the covers with her back toward Spike’s front. She’d stretched languidly, and come into contact with something hard. At waist level.

Buffy froze. She turned over slowly. Spike was sound asleep, breathing unconsciously as he usually did. He didn’t even realize that he was aroused, so her first thought was relief that he didn’t mean anything by it. It wasn’t like he could help his dreams, after all. Buffy just smiled and watched him sleep. He was so beautiful.

She hadn’t mentioned it to him; she just rolled over and went back to her own dreams. She hadn’t been ready yet. She’d still been kind of in shock from Angelus’s treatment.

Buffy stayed focused on Angelus for the next few nights. She tried to imagine what she could do to prepare for when she faced him again. What she could do to fight him. She had come to the very simple conclusion that it wasn’t the time to worry about it. They didn’t have the strength to fight back, especially considering the number of minions he had. They would have to run if he came their way.

So it was time to wait and learn.

She’d been doing that. With Spike. Buffy found that the more time she spent with Spike, the more she wanted to spend time with him. She’d begun to notice how he cocked his head to the side when he was curious. His smirk was now more appealing than irritating. Accidentally seeing him without his shirt a couple times had been very pleasant. And really it had been kind of flattering that he got hard lying next to her.

It happened again yesterday. She woke after being poked in the back by his erection. This time as she watched him, he let out a low, sensual growl. It touched something in her. She felt herself responding to the sound. She knew it for its possessive, dominant nature. It was the kind of sound a vampire made while having sex. Angelus had done something similar at the Mansion, to remind her of what he could do to her if she disobeyed. From Spike, it sounded more like an invitation than a threat.

She suddenly realized that she was ready to accept it.

She wasn’t really sure how to proceed. Timidly, she had placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t move. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. After a few moments he began to respond. His tongue reached out and played along her lips. She opened her mouth, and it moved inside, exploring. She ran her own tongue along its sides. His tongue pushed up to her palette and began to prod the chevron shaped ridges that line a vampire’s mouth even out of game face. Buffy shivered in pleasure at the sensation.

Her movement must have been enough to awaken Spike, because he pulled back suddenly. He stared at her in confusion. “I woke you.”

Buffy nodded, but smiled. “It’s okay. I…”

“I’m sorry. Go back to sleep, I won’t bother you.” And with that he had turned his back to her, then gone back to sleep himself.

Needless to say, Buffy didn’t fall asleep. Spike ignored Buffy’s attempts to revisit the issue when they got up that evening. She spent all night trying to decide what she’d done wrong. She knew she was inexperienced, but surely one kiss hadn’t turned him off that much. Or, was it that he didn’t feel the same way about her? Maybe he just thought of her as a childe. Maybe he was dreaming about somebody else. That was why she needed to speak with Alexa.
_______________________

Alexa sat with Buffy at the kitchen table, drinking a mug of pig’s blood and trying not to smile. Buffy had related her story with such nervous sincerity. “Why don’t you ask Master Spike about this?”

Buffy stared into the cooling red sludge in her own cup. “I tried. He didn’t want to talk about it.” She sniffed slightly, afraid she might start crying. “What did I do wrong?”

Alexa put her hand over one of Buffy’s. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not that he isn’t interested in you; the Master misunderstood your advances. You must realize Buffy, Master Spike is terrified of doing anything to influence you into intimacy.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because of Angelus. You were originally his childe, and the Master thinks that the only reason you were kissing him was that you thought it was your duty, not because you wanted to.”

“How do I convince him that I want him?”

“I’m not sure Buffy.”

Buffy stared at the table. “You and Jacob are kinda together.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What do you do to…” She felt embarrassed even thinking the question.

“Get him hot?” Alexa watched Buffy’s mouth fall open in surprise. After a moment she nodded sheepishly. “Well I know what Jacob finds special. You have to find something like that for the Master.”

Buffy sat in thought for a few minutes. “Alexa, would you teach me how to do something?”
_______________________

Buffy made her way back into the bedroom. Spike had rolled over onto his back, but he was still sound asleep. Buffy was grateful. She would rather start this without him watching. She chewed her bottom lip nervously as she walked over and pulled the covers off him. She climbed cautiously up onto the mattress and kneeled beside him.

She cast a clandestine glance at the crotch of his drawstring pants, feeling pleasantly naughty. He wasn’t hard, so she figured that had to be the first step in seducing him. He seemed to like being kissed, but she was afraid to wake him and give herself away too early. She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. She lingered, feeling the lean muscle underneath his skin. And the bone. He was still so very thin. She was glad she’d stopped drinking from him.

Her hand moved over to his collar and down onto his chest. She could feel every rib beneath his shirt. Slowly, as if it had a mind of its own, her hand ghosted down across his flat stomach. He stirred, leaning his head back a little and sighed. Buffy felt a temptation to get another look under his shirt. She lifted the edge with both hands, and pushed it up his body to where it bunched under his arms.

He had beautiful abs. She traced the outline of his muscles with the tips of her fingers. They tightened…oh, he was ticklish. She smiled. She would definitely have to use that to get her way sometime. She leaned her head down and kissed his abdomen. He let out a moan. She kissed her way up his torso until she encountered a nipple. After a quick glance at his sleeping face, she put her lips around it and sucked gently. He let out that same low growl.

Buffy looked down his body and saw a bulge forming beneath the drawstring. Ah ha. She sucked a little firmer on the nipple, then moved over to his other and did the same. When she bit down with her blunt teeth, he gave a loud moan and one of his arms reached up lazily as though trying to grab her. She pulled back quickly and waited until the arm settled at his side again.

Deciding that she should start on the main event, Buffy crept lower down on the bed. She straddled his legs, careful not to put any weight on them. She untied the string, accidentally brushing against him through the thin fabric. The bulge swelled noticeably, and he groaned. She would have been blushing if her capillaries still worked. She managed to undo the knot and loosen the waist. She ran a finger inside the band. She had known not to expect underwear. She’d been through all of the walk-in closet’s racks and the dresser’s drawers and there was no sign of any.

Now here was a problem. She needed to get the pants off, and he showed no signs of moving. She bit her tongue, trying to think. After a moment she placed a shaking hand above his poorly hidden erection and stroked it once through the fabric. His hips lifted instantly from the bed, and she pulled his pants down his legs. Getting them around his knees, then his ankles, was much simpler.

That was when Buffy took her first look at a man naked from the waist down.

Her first time with Angelus had been tender and lacking in visuals. At the Mansion, she hadn’t cared to look, and even if she had, the angle the chains held her at wouldn’t have let her. Her only real look at a penis was in a biology text book, and that just didn’t begin to give her the feelings she got now, looking at Spike’s.

Buffy did wear underwear and hers felt really wet.

She supposed it was large. She didn’t really have a history to go by. If they all looked like that she wondered how they fit inside. It was leaning over toward Spike’s stomach. She tilted her head to get a better look. Mentally she was reviewing what Alexa had told her. There was the tip, so that must be the foreskin…

She pushed his knees apart slightly; he seemed to get the idea even though he was asleep, because they moved far enough out of the way for her to kneel in between. Spike wasn’t a natural blonde. She giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth and looked up. He hadn’t moved. She was sure he wouldn’t have found it amusing for her to giggle while looking at his dick.

Okay, here goes. She cupped her right hand around the shaft, barely touching it. So smooth. Alexa said it wouldn’t hurt to use some real pressure, so she tightened her hand around it in a firm grip. Spike’s head shifted. Another moan. Slowly she moved her hand up and down the length, a little faster once she got a rhythm started.

“Buffy…” he whimpered in his sleep. She felt very warm. He was thinking about her!

Okay, now for the hard part. Ugh, bad pun Buffy. She leaned her head forward and kissed the tip, while her hand continued to stroke. There was a little precum there. She licked it off. Salty. She licked her lips, then opened her mouth and edged forward. She closed her quivering lips around the tip and sucked.

Spike gasped and opened his eyes.
*****
Thanks to all the kind readers, please enjoy. Thanks to Linda, my beta.
 

*****Chapter 13*****

He knew he shouldn’t have been dreaming about her. He was supposed to be letting her adjust to life as a vampire without pressuring her into sex. He’d screwed up royally yesterday by getting a hard on while dreaming. Of course Buffy’d noticed. He’d awoken to find her kissing him. She looked so lost and uncertain. Probably thought if she didn’t respond he’d start behaving like Angelus.

Fuck. He didn’t want her trying to appease him. He wanted her to be genuinely interested in being together. Spike needed her to want him for himself, not because he was her Sire.

Maybe it was a bad idea to keep sleeping in the same bed with her. He just figured she would like the comfort. He knew that he did. He hadn’t slept alone for more than a week at a time in the last hundred years. Well, until recently. And even if it was torture, lying next to her, surrounded by her scent and her warmth without touching her, he loved being near her. He wasn’t surprised when he started having dreams involving her and him and no clothing. He tried not to think about her when he closed his eyes every morning, but she was already inside his head.

Things had been going well. She seemed happy and well-adjusted. She was learning rapidly; she was training with Alexa, and she had stopped drinking from him of her own accord. That showed independence, didn’t it? She was healing.

And now she was sitting between his legs with her pretty pink lips around his cock.

At first he thought he was still dreaming. The sensations were too amazing to be real. Then he saw her eyes. It was that same look of uncertainty she’d shown the other night. He stifled the desire to start thrusting up into her mouth and spoke, more calmly than he would have thought possible. “Buffy, stop. I told you, you don’t have to do anything here that you don’t want to. I’m sorry I startled you the other day. It was rude and wrong, I didn’t mean to frighten you into something like this…FUCK!”

Buffy had paused her motions when he woke up, but now she’d heard enough. She had no idea where the sudden confidence came from, but she embraced it. With a roll of her eyes, she moved her lips farther down on his length and sucked hard. Seeing as she now had all those little extra vampy muscles for sucking blood, that was pretty hard. His back arched up off the bed and he started to pant. He continued breathing heavily when he sank back down onto the mattress.

Spike looked at her dazedly. The edge of fear he’d seen was gone. She seemed almost irritated. Had he misread her? Maybe he’d just startled her when he woke up. Could it be that she actually did want to do this? Oh, shit she was bobbing up and down on him. Her hand was stroking the part she couldn’t get in her mouth. His eyes rolled back and his hips thrust up unconsciously. He would love to just lay there and let her go, but even his highly aroused mind knew that answers were needed. “Buffy, please stop for a second…oh fuck…please, luv, talk to me.”

The only thing that worried Buffy was that if she paused she wouldn’t get to finish. She needed to do this, to prove to both of them that she wanted him for real, not just because of some imagined sense of duty. She removed him from her mouth and he groaned at the loss of contact. She continued to slowly stroke him with her hand.

“Pet, why are you doing this?”

Buffy smiled. “To convince you that I want to be with you.”

Spike swallowed nervously. It wasn’t easy to think in a situation like this. “How ex-exactly does that work?”

Buffy’s brow furrowed. “Well, it’s just that this is something I’ve never done for anybody before. Angelus didn’t ask me to, probably cause I would have bitten down as hard as I could and made sure he never had fun in bed again.” She tightened her grip a bit more.

Spike sucked in a deep breath. Her little fingers felt so damn warm. He couldn’t move; he’d cum if he did. “Still a little confused, kitten,” he rasped.

“It’s…I could please you as my Sire just by, you know, rolling over. But this I’m doing this because I want to. For both of us.”

Oh, hell, sweeter words had never been spoken. He could have argued further. It had only been a week; she needed more time. But fuck all if he could string two more words together in protest when she was still pumping away at him. She was right. They needed this. “Okay sweetheart,” he said weakly. She smiled widely at him, like he’d just offered to buy her ice cream. “Whatever you say.”

Buffy faltered when she looked back down at her current project. It was pulsing in her hand, the foreskin tight against the sides, and more liquid had leaked out. Spike was watching her now, his head propped up against his pillow. He looked as fascinated with the process as she was. Buffy stifled a few nervous butterflies and picked up where she left off. She pushed her lips around him again and he sighed. “That’s right luv,…oh Buffy…” he murmured as she pulled him in a little farther.

Buffy moved her mouth up and down on him; even though she couldn’t take him very deep he didn’t seem to mind. She couldn’t remember what she was supposed to do next. Alexa had gone on and on about things you did with your tongue. Who knew a blowjob was so complicated? One thing she did remember: she pushed her tongue into the little slit at the tip and wriggled it around. Spike’s fists clenched in the blankets and yet another moan squeezed its way out of him. Buffy was liking Conscious Spike. The noises and heavy breathing reassured her that she was doing something right.

Spike felt Buffy’s pace speed up slightly and began to tremble. He was holding himself as still as possible so as not to scare her, but it had been so bloody long. “Fuck yes pet, like that…oh…Buffy feels so wonderful. Hot little mouth…bloody hell…” He heard himself continuing the stream of random praise but was helpless to stop it.

Buffy had been using one hand to steady herself on the bed, but decided that maybe it was time for something else. She raised the unoccupied hand to his sac and lifted it. He squirmed. Still sliding her mouth and her right hand up and down along his cock, she began to squeeze his balls gently too. He seemed to like it best when she did it in rhythm with her sucking. At least, he let out that growl she liked so much when she did the actions together.

Spike felt his muscles tensing and the fire building. “Buffy you need to pull back…” She shook her head around his cock and he grimaced, trying to hold off. “I’m gonna cum…Buffy…gonna …AHHH!” She gave a last strong suck and he came.

Even if she couldn’t remember the fancy stuff, Buffy knew what the finish was. So when Spike tried to warn her off she ignored him. She was going to do this part right. She felt his balls clench under her left hand. She braced herself and in a moment she felt the thick fluid shoot out into her mouth in spurts. His hips thrust up wildly, forcing her to pull back, but she didn’t let him out of her mouth.

Spike collapsed back on the bed with his eyes closed. Buffy swallowed. She felt some of the cum leak out of her mouth, to drop down on the sheets. She cradled his cock in her hand as he came down and licked the rest of the fluid off the sides. It was softer now. She let it slide out of her hand and looked up at her Sire, who lay still, breathing deeply.

Spike floated in a haze from the aftershocks of his orgasm. He was aware of Buffy’s movements, then her stillness. Something prompted him to open his eyes; she was being a bit too still. He looked down the bed at her. She was kneeling in the same position with that look of unease back on her face. She was chewing her lip in that characteristic look of uncertainty. His voice sounded gravelly when he spoke, “What’s wrong luv?”

Buffy rubbed her hands together nervously. “Did…did I do okay?”

Spike smiled gently. “Come up here Childe.” Buffy leaned forward on her hands to scoot up the bed. Spike grasped her shoulders and pulled her up beside him, then stretched her out on her back. He propped himself up on his side, with one arm underneath her in a gentle embrace. He kissed her, licking up the remains of his cum from her chin. “You were wonderful Buffy.”

She sighed and snuggled up next to him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do the deep-throating thing, it’s just that I still have trouble not breathing. Alexa said it’ll get better as I practice-”

“Oh, so that’s how you learned this.” She gave him a bashful smile. It was adorable that she was so shy, considering what she’d just done. “Buffy believe me when I say that I enjoyed your first blowjob very, very much.” He caressed her hair and she closed her eyes.

Buffy breathed in the scent of Sire and sex. It had been oppressive at the Mansion. Here it was welcome. She heard a little nagging voice that was still uncertain about what all this meant. “So does this mean I’m your girlfriend?”

Spike laughed a deep rich laugh. She could feel the vibration of it passing through him into her where their bodies touched. “Yes luv, it does, because I certainly don’t want any of the other boys messin’ around with my girl. I love you too much to let you go now.”

Buffy looked up at him, wide eyed and expectant. “Really? You love me?”

“Of course pet. Liked you from the start. Thought you were beautiful that first night in the Bronze, dancing with such grace. Made every bloke in the place hard, you did. And then you were even sexier fighting.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “You’re such a pig Spike.”

“Um-hmm. So what were you thinking when you first saw me? Something perfectly innocent, I’m sure.”

She toyed with the hem of the black shirt he still wore. “Well, I might’ve thought you were kind of cute.”

He drew himself up as much as possible, which wasn’t easy lying down, and retorted, “I’m not cute. I’m sexy.”

Buffy snickered. “Yep.” She rubbed circles against the fabric, not quite able to meet his eyes. “You know, in the Mansion, the night I was supposed to spend with Dru…I asked to spend it with you instead.”

Spike’s eyes widened. He clutched her a little tighter. “I’ll bet Angelus loved that.”

She shook her head. “He was furious. But I didn’t care. I figured he was going to kill me sooner or later, unless I escaped. Why shouldn’t I take a chance to have one of my fantasies come true?”

Spike smirked and ran his tongue along the underside of his teeth. “Ooo, the pious little slayer dreamed about having the Big Bad in her bed.” Then seriously, “Is she happy now, that she’s got her wish?”

Buffy nodded. “Very happy.”

Spike tilted his head forward to whisper in her ear. “Confidentially luv, the Big Bad is very happy you’re here too.”

Buffy frowned. “I don’t…love you yet Spike. Not like that. Not that I can’t, it’s just that I’m not there yet.”

Spike sighed. “I know Buffy. Been a long while since you had a reason to love someone, kitten. I’m patient,” she raised her eyebrows in disbelief, “…when I’m waiting for something I really, truly want. And your love is that to me. I’d rather you be honest with me than say what you don’t mean.”

Buffy raised a hand and ran it through his hair. It curled up under her fingers, soft in spite of the bleach. “You’ve had enough of that.”

Spike averted his eyes. His childe was very perceptive sometimes, much more so than she was given credit for. He bowed his head down and kissed her again, his tongue seeking an invitation into her mouth. She opened slowly and caressed his tongue with her own. They explored each others mouths for a little while, the friction between tongues growing steadily more intense.

Buffy felt something prodding her in the stomach. Something warm and wet washed through her. She looked down to see that Spike was very much recovered from her little experiment earlier. Experiment. Yeesh, she sounded like Willow.

Spike smelled her arousal instantly. He followed her gaze and smiled. “So, did Alexa teach you anything else you want to try?” She averted her gaze, smiling in embarrassment. “That won’t do Buffy. Vampires are never embarrassed in bed.” She giggled, but looked back up at him. “Now, what ideas are rolling around in that sweet little mind?”

“I didn’t ask her about anything else. I wanted you to teach me.”

Spike was touched. She remained so innocent, even after everything that had been done to her in that Mansion. His anger with Angelus flared at that thought, but now was the time for tenderness, so he repressed it. He put both arms around his childe and rolled over onto his back, so that she was pulled on top of him.

Buffy stared down at him in surprise and anticipation. “I’ve never been the one on top before.”

“And you won’t be until you’re a lot less dressed.” He grabbed her tank top by the hem and pulled it quickly over her head, though was careful not to hurt her ears. He stared for several moments in appreciation of the firm little breasts that greeted his eyes.

Buffy shivered under the hungry glare he gave her chest, then gasped when he pulled her forward and sucked one nipple into his mouth. He laved it with his tongue, making her moan. She instinctively leaned forward into his mouth and he greedily took in more of her flesh. She gave an undignified squawk of protest when he released her suddenly, but relented when he latched on to her other breast. She groaned loudly at the heat that was starting down below. “Spike…”

He moved his hands to her breasts and began to pinch the nipples. He caught her mouth and kissed her hard. “Off with your clothes luv.”

Buffy barely heard him through the sensations but attempted to comply. She grabbed her pajama bottoms and her underwear together, pushed herself off the bed far enough to get them down her waist then plopped back down onto Spike’s chest so hard that she forced the air out of his lungs. He grabbed onto her remaining clothes, marveling out how quickly she was learning to respond, and pulled them off her legs and over his head. She was tossed off balance, falling back over his legs. He was rewarded with a wonderful view of her core.

He put a restraining hand over her thigh. She propped herself up on her elbows, curious to see what he was doing. Spike debated about whether or not to do oral, but thought it might be a bit too much exploration for one day. Instead he used one long finger to prod her clit. She moaned. He circled her clit using that same finger, then slid his thumb slowly inside her. Her response was overwhelming. She squealed at the initial penetration. She pushed herself into his hand and mewled with need, so he pinched her clit between two knuckles as he searched inside her with his thumb. In a few moments she orgasmed.

Spike pumped his hand into her to ease her down. She looked at him with glazed eyes and a smile. He’d have to remember this angle; it worked wonders. He paused briefly to suck some of her juice off his thumb, my she was a sweet little thing, then grasped her around the waist and lifted her into a sitting position. She wobbled, boneless from her orgasm. He waited until she was sensible, then lifted her up off his chest into a squat over his cock. “Take me in your hand Buffy. Show me where to go.” He wanted her to have control here.

She eagerly grabbed hold of him and guided him toward her entrance. She looked at him to see what came next. “Just ease yourself down Buffy, however fast you want.” She braced her knees on either side of his torso and slowly, inch by inch, took him in. She watched his eyes roll back. She knew he wanted to go faster but was resisting for her sake. She watched the last bit of him disappear inside her, then sat a moment on his groin to get used to the stretching.

Tight. So very tight and warm. Those slayers had muscles everywhere. She probably would have made a human explode, just from the pressure she could put on his cock. Spike waited as long as he could. “Are you ready Buffy?” She nodded. “Push yourself up a bit, but not far enough for me to slide out.” She complied with a groan. “Now back down.

She went slowly at first, cautious in this new position. It was difficult to remember that she was the one who had to be moving. But soon she felt the pressure inside her growing. She needed to go faster. Using her legs as leverage she bounced up and down on him in the most consistent rhythm she could manage. Spike encouraged her. “That’s it love. Gonna start thrusting up to meet you now, just keep going.”

He thrust in time with her and she began to whine and whimper. She made such delightful little sounds that he knew he’d never grow tired of causing. He gripped her by the hips to steady her. He could feel the muscles in her little ass clenching so he began to kneed them. She let out a genuine growl of approval, befitting the vampire she was becoming more than the little girl she had been. He saw that her eyes were beginning to glow amber. “Rock forward onto me luv, when you come down. That’s it, give your clit some attention.”

She grabbed his shoulders and held on for support, digging her nails in deep enough to draw blood. She was close, she could feel it. She needed something more. “Spiiiiike…bite me…” She sensed her fangs coming forward of their own accord, itching to sink into her Sire’s neck.

Spike shifted without thought. As their hips impacted he struck her neck, piercing her carotid artery over her siring scar. Rich, thick blood laced with slayer essence flowed into his mouth. She screamed and her internal muscles clenched around him. She bit convulsively at his neck, relishing the taste when she struck blood. He roared into her neck as he came, bucking up into her wildly.

They collapsed back on the bed, Buffy draped over Spike, unable to move. Their panting slowed, and she felt Spike lick the wound on her neck until it closed. She forced her tongue, possibly the only part of her body that wasn’t numb, out of her mouth to close her bite.

Just before she fell asleep, Buffy heard Spike whisper in her ear, “Thus endeth the lesson, luv.”
*****
Yes, I know, I was mean last chapter. But I couldn’t find anywhere else to stop, and I had homework. Thanks for not hating me too much.

Thanks for reading. Thanks Linda.
*****Chapter 14*****

Alexa was in a fantastic mood. She hadn’t gotten much sleep this morning after Buffy left the dining room to try her new trick. Alexa had been worried that the Master would not appreciate her interference in his business with his Childe. Master Spike could be temperamental, and even though he obviously loved the fledgling, he might accidentally hurt her feelings. It required a lot of courage for a girl to give her first blow-job, so he’d probably scar Buffy more deeply by rejection than by allowing her to continue. Alexa smiled. Judging by the sounds that made their way to the ground floor, Buffy’s efforts had been well received. Not that she’d been eavesdropping. It wasn’t her fault that the Master and Mistress made such…enthusiastic sounds.

When Alexa got back to her room, she’d woken Jacob for a little fun of their own in celebration of the new couple. Jacob cautioned her that if the Master found out what assistance she rendered, he might disapprove. Alexa doubted the Master would object to her slight assistance in causing him pleasure, but she had the perfect defense if he did. After all, he did tell Buffy that she could ask the minions anything.

Alexa stood in the kitchen drinking a fresh mug of blood with Jacob while she mused. Suddenly they heard a rattle of keys at the front door. They walked to the living room, arriving in time to see their half-B’aste ally locking the door behind him. Morrie dropped the bag containing his ceremonial robes by the sofa and sank down on one of the cushions. He opened his eyes when he heard movement off to the side. Alexa and Jacob had come to investigate his less than stealthy entrance.

Alexa sat down beside him on the sofa, and Jacob took the chair opposite them. Alexa took in Morrie’s appearance. He smelled of dozens of different demons, alcohol, and veal. His right tennis shoe was untied and his shirt was on backwards, though she didn’t think he cared. He looked like he was about to slide off the sofa from exhaustion. “So I take it you had fun at the feast?”

Morrie laughed and nodded. The Rites of Jeura was a twice-yearly ceremony held at Bale-ste Nara Kier’s court that celebrated the successes of the B’aste for the last six months. In other words, it was a chance for everybody and their business partners to eat too much and get drunk together. It was a seven-hour blast that Morrie thoroughly enjoyed, but as the Matriarch’s kit, he had duties to perform. “Oh, you know. There was the usual hand-shaking. Talking with Mother’s friends about how much I’ve grown, how they knew me when I was only knee-high to a Labdmar, and yada, yada, yada.

“Then there was the dance. We spent four hours alone on traditional dances. And I had to dance with every single eligible bachelorette - multiple times - because I’m the last eligible kit of the Matriarch.”

Jacob snorted. “Oh, yes, lovely demons throwing themselves at you. I feel your pain.” Alexa shot him a dark look. “Not that I would want that to happen to me because I’m perfectly happy with my own thoroughly gorgeous love.” She smiled in approval at his save.

Alexa turned back to Morrie. “Any discussion of Master Spike and Mistress Buffy?”

“Plenty. Everyone asked about them. Angelus has been searching for his AWOL childer, and that has everybody interested in all the juicy details of their escape, their life together, and their future plans. And they all know I’m in Master Spike’s employ. Are they up yet? I have some news they need to hear.” Morrie rubbed his eyes, willing them to stay open.

Alexa grinned. “I’ll go check, but it shouldn’t be much longer. They were up a little later than usual. Doing some deep thinking, if you get my meaning.”

Morrie smirked. “Finally. They’ve been mooning at each other all week.”
_______________________________

Buffy sighed contentedly. It was good to wake up with the person you fell asleep with. Big confidence booster. She nuzzled the firm chest that pillowed her head, eliciting a soft purr from the vampire beneath her. She smiled. Vampire purring was not something mentioned in Giles’ books. It pleased her that she could make Spike do something as innocent and playful as purr. And it was damn sexy.

She sat up slightly. She was still straddling his hips. Hmm. Now whatever could they do this morning… Buffy ran her hands over his hips in light strokes, then leaned her head down to kiss his collar. Spike moaned and opened his eyes. Buffy smiled widely. “Good morning.”

Spike grinned. “Good morning Goldilocks.” He pulled himself into a sitting position against the bed frame with Buffy in his lap. He put his hands on her shoulders and brought her forward for a tender kiss. She kissed back with ardor and wriggled her hips against his. He let out a groan. “Better stop that.”

Buffy pouted at him. “Why? I mean, not real experienced here, but I think you kinda like this.” She put a hand between her legs and prodded the hardening flesh beneath her.

Spike growled softly. He grabbed her searching hand and pulled it up to rest on his shoulder. “’Cause you’re gonna make a mess and I’d be the only one that had fun.”

“But I wanna play.” She began to nibble at his neck around the bite she’d placed there the night before. Spike licked his lips and began to kiss her cheek while she continued at his neck.

There was a knock at the door. Buffy stilled. She looked to her Sire who grimaced. “Who is it?”

“Alexa, Master,” a disembodied voice replied.

Spike shifted Buffy off his lap and onto the bed beside him. She put her head on his shoulder while one of her hands began to explore his chest. “What’s wrong Alexa?”

“Morrie has news of Angelus that he feels you should hear.”

Spike felt Buffy stiffen at the sound of that name. He rubbed her arm to reassure her. “Okay, we’ll be down in about twenty minutes.”

“Yes, Master.” Buffy and Spike heard the retreating footsteps of the minion.

Buffy frowned. “He’s always there to ruin things.”

Spike looked at his anxious childe. He caught her chin and held it so that she would look him in the eyes. “He won’t be after we dust him.”
__________________________________________

Buffy found herself downstairs in the dining room an hour later, wishing that she could just restart the day. Maybe if she could wake up again in Spike’s arms, she wouldn’t feel so nervous about what was coming next.

After Alexa left, they’d gotten out of bed for a quick shower together. Not the kind of shower you’re supposed to be able to have with your boyfriend, though. Just a quick scrub to get the sex smell off. Buffy figured the minions already knew what went on last night, but she didn’t want to advertise it and neither did Spike. It was something special and private between the two of them, in defiance of what they escaped when they left the Mansion. To Buffy, it was a promise of what would be theirs in the future, if they succeeded. When they succeeded.

Buffy saw that the minions were assembled when they made it down to the table. Mugs of blood were waiting for her and Spike. They drank while listening to Morrie detail Angelus’s search for them during the past few days. He’d been looking in trashy places that were typical hideouts for vampires. He must not have counted on her Sire finding a house of his own. But she knew he’d figure it out soon. Then he’d find listings for houses bought recently in Sunnydale. He’d find them. He’d kill her Sire and burn down her home.

Buffy felt a surge of anger, not fear as she would have expected. She was furious at the thought that he might try to capture her again, but she wasn’t afraid of what he’d do. There was no pain Angelus could cause her that she hadn’t already felt. He’d killed her, ripping Buffy away from her family and loved ones as surely as if he’d killed them instead. He had tortured her and tormented her Sire. He’d forced her to kill. And now he was going to kill her? Ha. The Angel of Death was slipping.

She felt no guilt about the little boy. He was going to die. His death was ordered the minute he was captured. She had just made it faster than it would have been if another vampire had done it.

“We need to find him and dust him before he finds us. This needs to end.” Buffy was glad that she sounded as determined as she was. She saw Spike looking at her. He looked proud. She gave him a little half smile, which he returned.

Spike nodded, glad that she was involving herself. There was another little bit of that independence he relished. She was becoming more and more like the slayer he knew she could be. “You’re right kitten. But our problem is numbers. He won’t ever be on his own, and we don’t have enough people to take on him and his minions.”

Morrie looked around the table at the assembled demons. “The B’aste as a whole aren’t sufficiently trained to fight. The rest of the demons in this town are afraid of opposing him. Many of them support Master Spike in theory, but they aren’t willing to risk their necks against a monster like Angelus.”

Buffy swallowed nervously. “Then we need people who are willing. People who hate him as much as we do.” She knew exactly where to find them.
____________________________________

Rupert Giles stared out the window as he drank his tea. He found himself doing it often. He was waiting for something he couldn’t describe. This week had passed quickly and without incident. He knew that Angelus’s spies watched them, but he kept the children and Joyce inside the house and together. There had been no attacks. And still he knew that this was the calm before the storm. It couldn’t end here.

They all knew it. Joyce went to the gallery every day and continued to practice with her crossbow every night. Cordelia, Willow, and Oz went to school and to visit Xander in the hospital. They came back to the Summers’ house and did their homework. At the same time, they kept the weapons clean and sharp.

Even Xander seemed to sense something. He’d awoken three days ago surrounded by his friends and parents. He’d smiled and tried to keep everyone’s spirits high. Imagine, a boy burned from head to knee still having the presence of mind to joke with his loved ones. Courageous, without a doubt. He waved aside tears, the apologies of the Scoobies, and their self-recriminations. Ripper and Xander both knew that to some extent each of the other children and Joyce felt responsible for what had happened, because they’d all had a hand in the raid.

Foolishness of course. Giles had never apologized and Xander wouldn’t have accepted it if he had. They had all known the risks. Xander, for one, had no regrets except that he wouldn’t get a chance to be in the final battle against Angelus.

Angelus. He had sent them a little message that fateful night; one which fortunately only Joyce and he had seen. Joyce had found it the next evening, wedged next to the front door. A video tape, starring Buffy. It was a short clip, probably copied from a longer original of which Angelus was immensely proud. It opened with the former slayer cradling a small child in her lap. She then lifted him up and broke his neck. The clip ended as the crowd of vampires around her applauded.

Giles had resigned himself when Buffy first disappeared to the possibility of having to kill her. It seemed a more likely necessity now, having witnessed her embracing her vampire nature in spite of her soul.

His heart tried to tell him about extenuating circumstances. The shortness of the film itself suggested that what came before on the tape would have compromised the brutality of the images. Angelus no doubt forced the scenario on her.

But did it really matter? A slayer’s one and only job was to protect the innocent. To stand between them and the creatures of the night. If Buffy had still possessed the same morals she had on the night she left for that last patrol, she would never have killed that child. If he was marked to die, it could have been at someone else’s hand. Hers would have remained clean.

The telephone rang. He reached over and answered it. “Summers residence.”

Buffy hesitated a moment, standing beside the pay phone. Spike put a supporting hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath. This was her idea, she’d see it through. “Hello Giles.”

Giles dropped his tea. The china shattered, the shards flying everywhere.
*****
Thanks for reading. I know this is a short transitional chapter, but I’m about to leave town for the week and I don’t have the time to write more. The finish is only four or five chapters away. Thanks for sticking with me! More next week. Thanks to Linda, my beta.

Descriptive torture warnings

*****Chapter 15*****

Joyce looked around the mall. The last time she could remember being here had been with Buffy. They’d been shopping and Buffy was supposed to pick up a dress for Joyce before the shop closed. She hadn’t done it. Joyce recalled being furious at the time. She’d mentioned the incident to Rupert on the drive here. He said that Buffy’d been fighting a vampire in the mall parking garage instead of running the errand. Irony seemed to haunt them these days; now, they were going to the mall to meet her daughter the vampire.

Joyce had been pouring herself a cup of tea when she heard Rupert’s glass shatter in the living room. She rushed in from the kitchen to see the watcher looking pale and clutching the arm of the sofa beside him for support. He’d stared at her with steely eyes, then murmured an agreement into the phone. Joyce couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but she felt her heart skip a beat when Rupert asked the person on the end of the line, “Would you like your mother to come with me?”

It was Buffy. Her Buffy had finally contacted them. She was alive…no, not alive. As alive as a vampire can be. But that had to mean something. Did Buffy need them to come rescue her? No. Was she coming to them? No. She wanted them to meet her on neutral ground to discuss fighting Angelus. Rupert had hung up the phone shortly afterwards. Buffy hadn’t asked to speak with her mother.

After nearly two weeks without a sight of her little girl, Joyce found herself at a loss. She had no idea what she could possibly say to Buffy. Her daughter had been tortured for days by what was arguably the most evil demon ever to exist alongside humans. Then she’d escaped with William the Bloody, the grandchilde of Angelus. She’d been hiding with him for a week, heaven only knew where and why.

Dr. Spock had never envisioned this scenario when writing instructional material for parents.

Had Buffy been kidnapped from her kidnapper? If she was a prisoner, was this some horrible trap? If so, why meet at the mall, where hundreds of people were present to witness this reunion, and armed security personnel prevented anyone from entering with visible weapons? Hundreds of questions whirled around inside Joyce. She desperately needed answers and at the same time all she wanted was one more chance to hold her baby. To say ‘I love you.’

Was Buffy still her daughter? Or was it like the Watchers’ Diaries said? A demon was wearing Buffy’s face, soul or no.

Joyce and Rupert were walking toward the food court. That was where they had been told to wait. They reached the sea of little white tables and chairs. Rupert pulled a chair out for her automatically and she sat down. She glanced at Buffy’s Watcher. He remained stiff and alert, even when he sat down beside her. Joyce could tell that Rupert did not believe for a moment that this was an above board meeting. He believed that Buffy had been tainted in her turning, even though she had a soul. It was his only explanation for that video Angelus had sent them.

It had been addressed to Joyce Summers. Giles brought it in while the children were at the hospital visiting Xander. After pulling the tape from the package she put it immediately into the VCR. She’d shrieked when Buffy appeared on screen. Buffy in torn clothing and covered in blood. She could hear Angelus in the background for a fraction of a second. Then Buffy shifted. She was holding a small boy. As Joyce watched, Buffy put a hand on either side of his head and twisted it sharply.

They hadn’t told the children. They were still assuming they’d never see Buffy again; Xander, Willow, Oz, and Cordelia didn’t need to remember Buffy like that. Joyce wished she could have been spared the sight too. But she didn’t need an explanation to that. It was too surreal to really touch her. Just one of the many things that had happened because of Angelus. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t her daughter’s fault.

Joyce tapped her fingers nervously on the table. The children were at home waiting as patiently as possible. If this was indeed a trap, Joyce and Rupert didn’t want them involved. Mother and Watcher had come alone, armed with a few stakes and their fears. Suddenly she saw Rupert stiffen out of the corner of her eye. She slowly turned to look in the direction he faced.

She was thinner than Joyce remembered. A little paler. A little aged around the eyes. She was clean and well-dressed; there was no reminder of the girl in that video. Beside her walked Spike. If Buffy was thin, he was gaunt. But he still exuded that confidence Joyce remembered from the Parent/Teacher Night. The two vampires were holding hands, Joyce noticed. Or, really, Buffy was clutching his hand so tightly that what blood there was in it normally had been forced out, leaving it even paler than the rest of his skin.

They had stopped walking. Spike and Buffy were standing about five feet away. Five feet. That’s all the space that separated Joyce from her daughter. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Buffy’s face. She felt a few tears slide out of her eyes; Buffy’s green eyes were also moist. She heard Buffy mumble a quiet word. “Mommy?”

Joyce smiled as more tears escaped. “Yes sweety.” In an instant her arms were filled with her baby. Joyce was almost knocked over by the force with which Buffy leaped into her embrace. The two women cried without concern for anything else. Joyce murmured comforting words into Buffy’s ears. “It’s okay baby. Mommy’s got you. Oh, I missed you so much sweetheart…”
_____________________________________

Spike had been nervous about meeting them in the mall. He felt exposed here, but it was the best option he could think of for the conference. They could run if there was trouble and the minions were stationed clandestinely around the food court, but that didn’t lessen his trepidation. Part of the worry was over Buffy’s first exposure to so many hearts all beating in the same place. She was still a fledgling vampire, souled or not, and the call of that much blood was powerful. They’d walked around together for the last hour so that she could get used to the overwhelming sensations of sight and sound that a mall affords a vampire.

The Watcher was his biggest worry. He had been willing to kill Buffy before rather than let her live a prisoner; would he still consider her a prisoner? Did it matter? Weren’t all vampires equally worthy of death?

He could sense Buffy’s growing nervousness as the time for the meeting drew near. She was petrified by the idea that they would reject her. Or that even if they still loved her, they would try to take her away from her Sire. Her boyfriend, as she so innocently put it. Spike hadn’t addressed her fears directly. He couldn’t pretend they weren’t real possibilities. All he could do was stand beside her. Nothing would keep him from doing that.

He’d led her to the food court in silence when the time came. He’d seen the Watcher and Buffy’s mum from a distance. Mrs. Summers seemed lost in her own thoughts while the Watcher searched for danger. Spike looked for Alexa, who had positioned herself by the Chinese restaurant. She gave him a thumbs-up; good, the humans were alone. They approached slowly, giving the Watcher plenty of time to spot them. Spike saw the calculating cool in his face. He was suspicious.

Spike had warned Buffy to stay nearby, in case of trouble. She’d looked at him quizzically, but nodded. She trusted her Sire. But then she’d seen her mum and Spike felt her control slide. She was still so much a little girl that needed her mother. Buffy darted forward with the full use of her vampiric speed, nearly tackling the poor woman. They both began to sob and clutch at each other.

When Buffy leapt for her mum, Spike saw the Watcher flinch as his hand reached inside his coat. Spike tensed, prepared to kill the man if he pulled the stake Spike suspected was hidden beneath the tweed. The Watcher seemed to realize that Buffy wasn’t hurting her mum and let his hand reemerge empty from his inside pocket. As if he sensed Spike’s scrutiny, the man turned his head to face the vampire. His eyes were cold and intense. Spike returned his stare with all the predatory force he could put into a gaze. The Watcher looked away, but Spike was fairly certain he’d gotten the message. Buffy was not to be harmed.

Buffy and Joyce remained oblivious to the silent communication between Giles and Spike. After a little while Buffy raised her head to look at her mother. She sniffled, “I’m sorry Mommy.”

“For what baby? You haven’t done anything wrong.” Joyce cupped the side of Buffy’s face, then stroked her hair as she had when Buffy was little.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was the Slayer. I’m sorry I didn’t come home-” Fresh tears burst out.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay. It’s not like you never tried. I’m sorry I made things so hard for you…”

Spike listened as his childe resolved things with her mother. He was glad Mrs. Summers was so understanding. She was a strong woman though and fiercely protective of her daughter. She reminded him a little of his own mum. She could help them win over the Watcher if she believed them. Lost in his thoughts, Spike was startled to hear Buffy call his name. He turned to see her standing beside her mother, both of them looking his direction. Buffy looked to her mother and said, “Mom this is Spike. He’s my Sire.”

Spike stood up a little straighter and extended his hand warily. “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Summers.”

Joyce stared at the vampire, puzzled. He seemed nice enough, in spite of the bad boy image. Not exactly the kind of man, er, vampire that a mother wanted her daughter to bring home, but she knew instinctively that he wasn’t going to harm Buffy. Something about the way he always kept one eye trained on her. He was almost as protective of Buffy as Joyce was. She took his hand and they shared a firm handshake.

“Nice to see you again Spike. Of course, I didn’t get a very good look at you when I hit you with that axe.” He grinned sheepishly and looked at the ground. A bashful vampire. How odd. “And Spike?” He raised his head to meet her eyes. “I still have an axe.” His smile faded slightly to a bemused grin. He gave a nod of understanding.

“How is it that you are Buffy’s Sire?” Giles spoke for the first time. “I was certain that Angelus turned her.”

Joyce saw Buffy frown. Her daughter hesitantly moved away from her to stand closer to Spike. Spike was considerably shorter than Rupert, but he showed no signs of being intimidated by either the Watcher’s height or manner. He spoke calmly. “He did turn her. But he then rescinded his claim as her sire. I adopted the position.”

“I’ve not heard of that particular aspect of the Sire/Childe relationship before. Is it common for a sire to…”

“Orphan a childe? No. It’s sadistic. A childe needs its sire. It has few instincts or survival skills as a fledgling. Combine that with the inherent need for the sire’s approval and the child is completely dependent on its sire. Abandoned childer usually dust themselves rather than go on without a sire.”

“Ah, so you saved Buffy from this terrible fate out of the evilness of your heart?”

Spike sighed. “She’s been through enough. I’ve got to much respect for her to let my best enemy go out like that. Nobody deserves to be cast out by that bastard.”

Giles snorted. “Forgive me, but I find it difficult to place William the Bloody’s motives along such altruistic lines. Surely you considered the benefits of having a former slayer as your childe. She’s a powerful weapon to use against your enemies. And then she’s not bad looking, either, now that Drusilla’s dust.”

Buffy saw Spike’s jaw tick during Giles’s speech despite his apparent calm. She could sense his anger at Angelus for abandoning her and his rage at Giles for questioning Spike’s motives. She wasn’t exactly happy herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. It was too early to get this angry. They still hadn’t talked about teaming up against Angelus. He turned to stare at her, his blue eyes stormy and threatening to turn gold. She kept her hand there until she felt his demon face ease back farther below the surface. She walked slowly toward Giles, then waited for him to look at her. His cold eyes stared into hers.

Then she slapped him.

Not as hard as she could have. Not hard enough to break bones. But more than hard enough to get his attention. His glasses were knocked loose, falling to the floor. He stared back at her in shock. Buffy put her resolve face firmly forward. “Hello Giles. You’re my Watcher and I love you. But you have no right to speak to me or my sire like that.” She faltered. “I…I’m sorry I hit you.” Buffy backed away from the stunned Watcher, coming to rest beside her shocked sire.

Joyce watched the exchange angrily. She had never seen Rupert so blatantly judgmental. But then she did sometimes forget that he was a watcher. His views on vampires were taught in an academy. She was stumbling through based on a few books and personal experience. Rupert automatically assumed deception on the part of a vampire because he couldn’t allow himself to believe the subtle signs that continually passed between Spike and Buffy.

What he said about the rights of a sire over his childe was true in reference to sex. God, how she wanted to avoid thinking about her daughter in that way. But what Spike and Buffy had didn’t seem to a novice like her to be strictly a Sire/Childe relationship. Spike seemed to be almost in awe of Buffy for the way she had just stood up for them. And Buffy was being very possessive of Spike. It had all the earmarks of a genuine romance. Joyce’s romantic sensibility warred with her fears. Buffy was well on her way to being an adult and her mother felt a few more tears threaten to escape at that thought.

“Maybe we should sit down and talk quietly for a while. Give all our tempers time to cool.” Joyce kept her voice kind and conciliatory, but firm. “Rupert, come sit by me. Buffy, Spike, please sit down.” She gestured to the two chairs on the other side of the spindly table.

“Thanks Mrs. Summers.” Spike went to the opposite side of the table and pulled Buffy’s chair out for her. She smiled at him nervously and sat down. Spike quickly took the seat beside her. They watched Giles bend down and pick up his glasses before sitting. He removed a cloth from his pocket and began to polish them.

She smiled at the vampire. “You can call me Joyce, Spike. Now. Why did the two of you invite us here?”

Spike waited a few moments to see if Buffy wanted to answer, but she remained silent. She still seemed a little shocked by the fact that she had slapped her Watcher. Not that the git didn’t deserve it. “We want to talk to you about pooling forces against Angelus. On our own we don’t have a chance of defeating him, but together we can work out something.”

“Isn’t that diplomatic of you?” Giles snarked.

Spike’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve had about enough out of you Watcher. We haven’t done anything to you.”

“You’ve tried to kill us.” Ripper replied, anger coloring his voice again.

Spike nodded, but continued to scowl at the man across from him. “In the past. Listen, I don’t care if you like me or believe me. But bloody hell, if you don’t trust me you ought to at least trust your slayer.”

“How can I after her behavior today and seeing that video…” He trailed off.

Buffy shivered. “What video?” She asked timidly. And then he told her. She listened as her watcher detailed the finding and watching of Angelus’s little present. Buffy watched her mother and her Watcher during the retelling. She was glad her friends didn’t know about it; they would have enough trouble looking at her as it was. Her mom was sad but seemed sympathetic. Giles was worse. Much, much, worse. She could feel his disappointment. She could feel his contempt. She could feel his distaste. And it made her angry.

Spike held onto the edge of the table in front of him. He concentrated on keeping it in front of him. Not throwing it out of the way to get to that snide, superior bastard sitting in front of him. Not leaping up to go hunt down Angelus. He focused on his childe. She was deceptively quiet. He could smell her fury at the way the man spoke to her. If either of them was going to burst, it was going to be her. Her voice did not shake as she spoke. “So, Giles, do you want to hear my side of that story?”

“Oh I can guess. Angelus was going to kill the boy anyway, so it didn’t really matter. It probably saved the both of you some pain.” Giles leaned across the table and spoke sincerely, trying to remember that she’d been through so much conflict in the past weeks. “But that doesn’t mean it was the responsible and correct thing to do, Buffy. You didn’t have to give in like that. It may have seemed like it at the time, but an objective judge-”

Buffy rocketed to her feet and planned her hands on the table in front of her. “Objective judge? Is that you Giles? You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. You weren’t there. You didn’t get chained to a wall for a day in ripped clothing so that minions could leer and spit at you. You weren’t there when my first sire offered to forgive me for being rebellious if I would kill for him. You didn’t watch him rape and torture the people that came before that little boy.

“Do you want to know what happen to the kid that died before him? He was about seven. After he molested him until he bled, Angelus stripped off all his clothes. Then he ripped off the kid’s toes, one at a time. Then his fingers. Then his feet at the ankles, then his hands at the wrist. And on and on until finally he dug his fingers in around that seven-year-old kid’s spine and ripped it in half.

“Responsible. You’re right, I didn’t want to be responsible. Not for seeing the same thing happen to the rest of those children. I’m glad I did something that you find so irresponsible and wrong. I killed him and I’d do it again. Who are you to judge Giles? You helped kill one of your best friends when you were a kid so that you could get off magic! You have no right to speak to me like that.”

Buffy jumped when she felt Spike’s hand on her shoulder. He was standing beside her and pulled her into a loose hug. She accepted it but didn’t reciprocate, too worked up to be tender. But she was grateful. After a few moments she slid back down into her seat.

Spike looked at the stunned Watcher. Buffy had certainly give him something to chew on. Spike didn’t envy him the tongue lashing he was going to get from Joyce on the ride home. His childe’s mum looked ready to explode at the man for his audacity. Hell, if Angelus were here he was pretty sure she’d do the dismemberment trick on him barehanded. “Maybe we should call it an evening. Let things settle a bit.” He looked to Joyce for confirmation.

Joyce shook her head. “We need to talk about Angelus. We’ve been a bit too distracted.” She shot a dark look at Giles. “But maybe you’re right Spike: we do need a break. And I think all of us should be involved in this discussion. Why don’t you two come to the house tonight, around nine, and we’ll talk. It’ll give me time to get everyone ready.”

Spike looked at Buffy for confirmation. She nodded. “We’ll see you then. Thank you Joyce.”

Joyce walked around the table to share a last kiss and hug with Buffy. She then turned to the Watcher across the table. “Rupert. Let’s go.”

Giles stood and followed Mrs. Summers after one last glance at the blonde couple by the table. He didn’t notice the young woman with brown hair walking toward him until she collided with him. He was thrown off balance and ran into a kiosk of cell phones. She looked at him unapologetically and said with a cheeky voice, “I’m sorry.” She then walked toward the food court behind him. Giles straightened his jacket and continued walking.

Spike snickered as Alexa approached. She’d almost knocked the old man to the floor. He saw the other minions closing in as well. “I take it you heard the conversation.”

“The entire food court heard the conversation, Master. Several people at tables near you left in fright after it started.” A seething Alexa came to stand beside their table. Jacob, Chris, and Ryan nodded in agreement with her statement.

Spike sat down again and turned his chair to face Buffy. She was trembling as her adrenaline waned. He clasped her hands in his own and massaged the backs of them with his thumbs. He could hear the repressed tears in her voice when she spoke. “He hates me. Mom still loves me but Giles can’t stand to look at me.”

Spike sighed and shook his head. “He doesn’t hate you pet. He’s just confused. He still loves you. He wouldn’t have been so mad about what Angelus made you do if he didn’t.”

She sniffed. “You really think so?”

“Yes.” Spike looked at his poor, drained girl. She seemed to have wilted in the last few minutes. This day had been hard for her, but he couldn’t have been more proud of her strength. He told her as much. She smiled. Then he pulled her up and put an arm around her to lead her to the exit. He hoped she could get a little sleep before tonight’s meeting.
*****
Hello again. Thank you for all the kind reviews of last chapter, and thank you for continuing to read. Just a few more chapters left to go. Thanks Linda.

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