CHAPTER ELEVEN: TORTURED

Everything was quiet, though she could hear a metallic clinking if she listened hard enough. There was also repetitive dripping coming from behind her. He head felt heavy…her whole body felt heavy come to think of it. Her eyes were shut, she didn’t even think she had the energy to open them if she wanted to.

She could feel another presence in the darkness with her. Even without opening her eyes, she could tell it would be pitch black if she were to open them. She didn’t know who was with her, though she knew it was a vampire.

Her mind tried to sort everything out, but some part of her also didn’t want to wake up to reality. She could tell that such an awakening would be far too painful.

A cold hand suddenly touched her stomach making her jump, startled. Her eyes opened and she tried to move defensively, but she finally realised that her hands were tied above her head, her back against a wall. She could also feel the cold bricks digging into her bare skin and she could tell that the vampire she hated more than any other had taken her clothing.

Her eyes automatically adjusted to the light and she could make out Angelus’ features in the darkness. Holding in a groan she tried to stand up properly instead of letting her weight rest on her shackled wrists.

“You’re awake,” he said quietly. The voice made her shiver with remembrance. It was the mocking tones of Angelus trying to mimic the gentleness of Angel. She had heard it so many times when he had lost his soul.

“You’re an asshole,” she replied.

Her head flew to the side, his flat palm hitting her cheek with a resounding thwack. She tasted blood in her mouth and quickly spat it out, remembering the last time she had swallowed her own blood.

“A Slayer’s blood is a powerful aphrodisiac luv.”

Angelus grinned at her and gripped her chin tightly with one hand, making her eyes meet his in a hateful glare.

“You could have spared yourself the trouble Buff,” he said tauntingly. “It didn’t have to be this way.”

“What way?” she asked, trying to move her jaw out of his painful grip.

He pressed a bruising kiss on her lips, his hand still holding her head in place, making it impossible for her to jerk away from him. She didn’t respond to him in anyway and he eventually pulled back, her blood on his mouth. She could feel the cut on her swollen lips, but was in no position to do anything about the blood dripping down her chin.

“We could’ve been together Buff. You and me, forever. Just the way it was meant to be,” he said. He brought his mouth down to the juncture between her neck and her shoulder, kissing it sensually. His hands ran gently across her stomach, moving up to her breasts.

She closed her eyes, repeating a short mantra over in her head. “Don’t let it get to you, don’t let it get to you, don’t let it get to you.”

He chuckled suddenly as though he could hear her silent motto.

“You remember that night don’t you Buff?” he whispered, his mouth coming up to suck gently at her earlobe, tugging gently.

She breathed in sharply even though she didn’t need to.

“I remember,” she whispered.

She tried to make her voice sound as though she was enjoying the movements of his mouth on her ear.

“You were a terrible lover,” she said, her eyes dancing as she mocked him.

He growled and suddenly sank his teeth into the lobe of her ear, violently pulling out one of her earrings with his fangs. She cried out in pain and glared hatefully at him as he spat the small silver sleeper onto the ground.

“Say that again,” he dared her, his teeth bared.

She moved to say it again but his hands come up to her ear, flicking the lobe. She cried out again, trying to get away from the hand that began squeezing the wound viciously.

He stopped suddenly when he saw tears fill her eyes. He brought his hand away from her ear and up to her face, smearing it with her own blood. He caressed her gently as he had done so many times before, though she had never flinched away from his touch before.

“Don’t cry luv,” he said. At that moment, he sounded so much like Spike that she gave a soft whimper and leant into the comfort of his hand.

He gave a feral grin and brought his lips to her neck, gently kissing the mark that Spike had made. He could tell it was a fresh wound, meaning that his childe had fed off the Slayer sometime that day. The very thought made his blood boil, and once again, something inside of him snapped.

Quickly, his teeth sunk into her skin, the chained girl giving a sharp yelp of pain as he began drinking. He could taste Spike in her blood, could taste the power of Slayer’s blood coursing through her and into his mouth. He swallowed greedily, like a young child suckling from its mother.

He stopped when he felt her pass out from blood loss. With a final glare at the unconscious Slayer, he settled back into the old sofa that resided in the Summers’ basement. He smiled, knowing he had picked the perfect location. No one would ever think to look for her in her own home, especially with Joyce gone away for the week.

~*~

Willow was frantic, moving across the floor of Giles’ apartment like a caged animal. She was wracking her brain, trying to think of places where Angelus would have taken Buffy that no one would think about.

“What about the library? He knows we wouldn’t even think to look there,” she said, looking up hopefully.

Spike shook his head sadly. “It’s too obvious, even for him.”

Xander just sat at the table, his head in his hands. Fear struck through him and he looked up at Giles with tear filled eyes.

“Have you spoken to her mom?” he asked.

Giles shook his head. “She said she was going to be away for the week at an art exhibit. She offered to stay, but Buffy felt it was best if she went ahead as planned. Probably safer for her to be away at the moment.”

Spike nodded his agreement and continued to try and work out where Angelus would have taken his Slayer. He sighed loudly and stood up from the couch.

“We’re no good to her just sitting around here. We need to look for her,” he said.

Giles nodded his agreement. “Quite right. Willow, Xander, I want you two to stick together. No heroics. Especially not against Angelus,” he warned.

He handed them each a cross and stake and opened up the door to his apartment.

“Check the school, just in case. I’ll be at one of the cemeteries if you need me. Make sure you stay together at all times,” he repeated.

The two nodded and walked out, wishing the two Brits ‘good luck’ before closing the door behind them.

Giles opened up a chest at the bottom of the stairs and threw Spike a sword and a stake. He picked up a small battle axe for himself and went to the door.

“I’ll look through the cemeteries, search through the crypts and the like,” Giles said.

Spike nodded and followed the Watcher out the door. “I’ll take the usual demon haunts, beat up Willy, see if he’s heard anything. News spreads fast in Sunnydale.”

Giles nodded and the two went their separate ways, fear gripping each of them. They had both been subjected to Angelus’ cruelty, and neither men wanted the Slayer to have first hand experience of what her first lover was truly capable of.

~*~

She awoke, an acute sense of hunger gripping her stomach. Her head felt light compared to the rest of her body, and she knew that if she wasn’t fed soon, she wouldn’t be awake for much longer.

She could smell blood in the air, her own, her mind whispered quietly to her. The smell was driving her crazy with hunger, and the vampire on the other side of the room knew it.

Angelus chuckled slightly and stood up, enjoying the sight of the Slayer, bound and helpless. He moved towards her and put his hands on her tiny waist. She struggled against him, but his grip just became tighter until she eventually stopped, knowing that he wouldn’t give.

“Hungry?” he asked.

A dim memory came to her. Her Sire had woken her up with the same words only a few days ago. It felt like a life-time had passed since then.

She looked up at him, hatred written clearly in her eyes. He grinned at her, enjoying the look on her face. He pushed his face forward so that their noses bumped against one another. She tried to pull back, but the back of her head found a brick wall stopping her.

“Yes or no Buff. It’s a one time deal, today only,” he said.

Somehow, she knew he wasn’t kidding.

Her eyes closed, knowing that she was defeated. He would break her by using her weaknesses, ones that couldn’t be helped. Her need for blood was one of them.

“Tick tock, tick tock,” he said, looking down at his wrist, even though he wore no watch.

“Yes,” she managed to strangle out. Her mouth was unbearably dry, her throat hurting terribly, both inside and out. She could feel the dry blood on her throat, the two deep puncture wounds on her neck opening if she made any sharp movements.

Angelus grinned at her admission. His hands slid up her back, pushing her body off the wall. He pulled her onto him, grinding his body against hers. She tried to pull away, but he had the advantage of two free hands and of not being weakened by blood loss.

“You didn’t say please,” he whispered cruelly.

She closed her eyes, wondering when this never-ending nightmare would stop. In the forty-eight hours that she had been a vampire, she had been kidnapped twice and drained of her strength, energy and blood.

She didn’t say a word, not wanting to let him win this sadistic game he was trying to make her play. She knew that the second she gave in, he would win the entire battle, and that was something she did not want to happen.

“Come on Buff,” he whispered. His hands ran up her arms, squeezing her wrists. She didn’t even want to know how she had pins and needles seeing as she didn’t technically have circulation, but her arms felt numb under his hands. “Beg me for it.”

She looked up at him, knowing she would regret not asking him for food, knowing her body wouldn’t last very long without it, but also knowing that she would lose the second she said ‘please’.

“You should know I’m not the begging type,” she said.

He growled loudly and stepped away from her. He leered at her and leant his head forward to her ear again, his tongue dancing over the lobe that he had maimed the evening before, reminding her that she couldn’t defend herself against any of his attacks.

“You’ll be begging me before long Buff. I promise you that.”

He stepped back and went to walk up the stairs. He chuckled to himself as he heard her reply.

“You’ll have to stake me before I beg you for anything, you overgrown mosquito.”

He stopped short on the stairs and looked back at her. “When I’m through with you, you’ll beg me to stake you.”

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her alone in the darkness, frightened and starving. She closed her eyes, not willing to admit defeat even though she knew that she was completely and utterly screwed.

CHAPTER TWELVE: BEGGING

Willow and Xander walked through Sunnydale, having thoroughly checked Sunnydale High School. They had even checked the bell tower at the top of the school, only to find absolutely nothing. Xander kicked an empty coke can across the street.

Somehow, they had managed to walk to Buffy’s house without even knowing that they were headed there. Xander stopped suddenly and looked up at Willow. She glanced at him curiously.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He grinned and shook his head in disbelief.

“What’s the one place that we wouldn’t think to look for Buffy?” he asked.

She shook her head, unable to decipher what he was trying to tell her. He turned her around and pointed to the house across the street. The Summers’ residence.

Willow’s eyes went wide. “Oh god, Xander!” she cried. She turned around and hugged him joyfully, not even stopping to think about her actions. He hugged her back quickly and the two of them stepped away from each other and towards the darkened house.

Xander stopped in the driveway and moved a large rock from its place, revealing a key buried beneath some dirt. He turned to Willow suddenly.

“I want you to stay here,” he whispered. “If I don’t come out, you need to find Giles.”

“Xander, he said to stick together,” she said, really not wanting to be left alone in the dark.

“I know,” he told her quickly, “but if something happens in there, it’s no use for both of us to be trapped. If I’m not out in fifteen minutes, then something’s gone wrong okay?”

She hesitated, extremely fearful about letting Xander go into the house alone. Eventually, she nodded her agreement. He put a hand on her arm and gave a brave but petrified smile.

“Good luck,” she whispered as he unlocked the door and quietly went inside.

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Angelus listened from the kitchen as the front door opened quietly. He grimaced, wondering how his brilliant hiding place had so easily been discovered. He had barely even started breaking Buffy properly.

It had only been two and a half hours since he had taken the girl. He smiled, thinking that he had managed to nearly break her so easily. He should have known that under the tough Slayer exterior, she was nothing more than a weak and pathetic child.

Lurking in the shadows, he watched as Xander went quietly up the stairs, stake and cross in his hands. Angelus quickly moved to the staircase, grabbing Xander’s ankle through the wooden bars and yanking him down the stairs.

Xander fell in a heap, surprised by the sudden grip on his foot. He tried to stand but found himself being punched in the jaw. He looked up to see Angelus standing above him.

“I’ve wanted to do this for months,” the demon said, a feral grin on his face. With that, Angelus punched him again and Xander fell into a world of blackness.

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She had never felt hunger like this. The very feeling of it was enough to make her go crazy. She knew that if pushed, she would do just about anything to get fed. Possibly even beg for it.

She heard the door open again, and she tried to steel herself against whatever attack he had for her next.

The sudden smell of blood in the air made her demon spring forth eagerly, the chains rattling as she tried to break free to get to the source of the smell. She couldn’t see very well in the darkness, her demon too weak with thirst to try and even distinguish shape, form or colour.

Angelus stepped in front of her, holding up a warm wrist to her mouth. She could hear the blood pumping in the veins, hear it crying out to her. She could almost taste the power it would give her, the strength it would regenerate.

Her lips moved forward unconsciously, but suddenly her meal was taken away from her. She growled angrily, her eyes glowing yellow as she glared up at the demon who was taunting her.

“Not for you,” he whispered, his lips coming to her cheek. “Not unless you beg me for it.”

She snarled and pouted, if it is possible for a vampire to pout. He just smirked and waved Xander’s wrist in front of her, the proverbial dangling carrot.

She hesitated for a moment, but her demon refused to starve.

“Please,” she whispered, unwilling to offer anything more.

Angelus, however, wasn’t satisfied.

“Angelus please,” she said, her voice soft. She could hardly think straight, the smell of the blood and the sound of the heart pumping was sending her to the brink of insanity.

“Tell me what you need,” he whispered, nipping gently at her neck, making her bleed once more, the added smell sending her senses haywire.

“Blood,” she whispered, desperately craving it. “Please.”

He shook his head, still not satisfied with her begging skills. She closed her eyes, wondering how much more he wanted before he would satisfy her craving. Somehow she knew she would have to say the word ‘beg’ before any amount of blood passed her lips.

“Angelus, please. I need it.”

“Need blood, or need me?” he asked.

“Both,” she admitted quietly.

“What will you do for me if I give you some?” he asked.

She almost groaned, but she just kept her eyes closed, trying to stay unattached to herself. It wasn’t easy when her demon was fighting for dominance when she didn’t have the strength to fight back. The demon won.

“Anything,” she replied.

He growled his approval and threw the wrist in front of her lips, pushing it onto her fangs.

Without thought or hesitation, she bit down into the soft flesh and drank deeply.

~*~

Willow bounced uncomfortably in the spot she was crouching in beside the tree. It had been twenty minutes, but she wanted to give Xander the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was doing a thorough search.

She heard a voice calling her name quietly from behind her. She spun quickly, hoping to see Xander. When she saw Giles, she was both relieved and disappointed.

“Where’s Xander?” the Watcher asked.

She pointed to the house and saw Giles’ face drop.

“Do you know if Buffy’s in there?” he asked.

Willow shrugged. “He told me to go and find you if he didn’t come out in fifteen minutes,” she said.

“I see,” Giles replied, maintaining his exterior look of calm. “How long ago was that?”

“Twenty minutes ago,” she replied.

Giles grimaced and began walking towards the house.

“Be careful,” Willow called.

He nodded and continued on.

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Angelus grinned as the tiny blonde vampire drank at the wrist he held at her mouth. Her eyes were closed as she fed, and he could tell that he was now in a position to make the claim before Spike had a chance. He tore the wrist away from her, a cry coming from Buffy’s mouth as her dinner was cast to the floor in a heap.

He stepped forward and looked down at her, bending his mouth down to hers, licking the blood off from around her mouth. She hadn’t even drank enough to be at a quarter strength, just enough to keep her awake for the next hour or so. She was too weak to fight back or even flinch away at his touch.

“More?” he asked gently, wondering if the girl even knew who she had been biting.

She nodded meekly and he brought his own wrist to her mouth. The claiming bite needed an exchange of their blood, as well as a small ritual. He had yet to work out how he was going to get her to repeat the words, but he would come to that in a minute.

He winced in pleasure filled pain as her fangs ripped into his wrist. He felt her suck deeply and he in turn bent his fangs down to her neck.

“I claim thee as mine,” he whispered against her neck. “Mine for eternity.”

She didn’t even hear the words that he spoke, could only feel her stomach beginning to fill properly. Of course, she was losing blood as quickly as she was gaining it, though her body was having trouble understanding that.

She felt him pull away, gently taking his wrist away from her. She blinked in confusion, trying to get her head to stay in the one spot.

“I need you to say something for me Buff,” he whispered gently. He knew that harsh words wouldn’t get him anywhere while he tried to get her to reciprocate the claim and accept it.

She looked up and nodded, all rational Slayer thoughts completely departed from her mind. She had a taste for blood, and her hunger was making her agreeable to even the worst of acts. Submission to Angelus.

“Thy claim I accept,” he whispered. “Repeat it.”

She went to repeat it, knowing that as soon as she was done, she would be fed. Something kicked inside of her, the words finally registering in her mind. She looked up, her eyes finally focusing. And Angelus knew she was back,

“I’d really rather not,” she said, glaring at him.

Angelus gave a small smirk and before she even knew what was happening, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down to see a small dagger in Angelus’ hands, now covered in her blood. She swallowed in pain, not allowing herself to cry out.

She breathed in sharply, trying to get away from the blade as Angelus made a trail from her navel up to her neck with the tip of the knife. He was slow in his actions, but he was pressing hard enough to leave a broken line of blood on her front.

She bit back a sob, holding in her tears.

“You’re mine Buff,” he said, caressing her skin with the cold metal. “You promised to do anything for me. All you need to do is say a few words for me.”

“I’m never gonna accept your claim,” she told him clearly.

He grinned cruelly and dug his dagger in, making a deep slit on her shoulder. He tore it out and made another and another. The shape of an ‘A’. She gasped at the pain, her body feeling as though it were on fire. She knew that she was close to losing consciousness, something she desperately did not want to lose.

She had pissed him off badly, and that was never a good thing where he was concerned. She didn’t really want to wake up and find his entire name engraved into her.

She heard movement behind him, could see something in the shadows, but the demon in front of her was far too caught up in trying to make her cry out. She whimpered to keep his attention on her, making him grin even more.

He was about to begin to carve ‘n’ next to the ‘A’ but without even sensing anyone else in the room, he felt something sharp enter the centre of his back, piercing his chest. Buffy smiled when she saw the surprised expression on his face, and the subsequent turning to dust. Her body finally relaxed and once more she fell into unconsciousness.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: STAYING

Giles quickly unshackled her hands, catching her and gently placing her onto the couch, swiftly removing his jacket and putting it over the girls shoulders. He raced to Xander’s side, checking for the boys pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it going steadily.

Giles tapped Xander’s face gently, slowly taking him from the darkness. Xander looked up groggily and gave a small smile.

“So much for no heroics,” Giles said gently.

Xander looked a little sheepish and began to unconsciously scratch at his wrist. Giles caught the movement and stopped him from touching it. He gently took Xander’s wrist in his hand, expecting the bite marks. Xander gasped in surprise when he saw the two little dots of blood on his wrist.

“Did Angelus do this?” Giles asked.

Xander tried to think, but really couldn’t tell Giles anything. “I was kinda…unconscious,” he replied. “But…if it was him, I wouldn’t still be alive.”

He looked sadly towards Buffy’s prone form. He breathed in sharply when he saw how still she was. She wasn’t breathing or moving or doing anything to show that she was alive.

“Is she…I mean…she’s not…”

“She’ll be fine,” Giles said, adding a silent ‘I hope’. “I just imagine she’s rather…hungry.”

Xander stood up shakily, leaning on Giles for support. “You want me to go get something from the butcher?”

Giles nodded and Xander quickly went up the stairs, leaving Giles alone with his Slayer.

Giles sat on the couch, lifting her gently and placing her head in his lap. He took Angelus’ dagger and cut a small line on his wrist, not deep enough to cut any of his veins, but enough to make him bleed.

He put his wrist to the girls mouth, the smell bringing her back to reality. She latched onto his wrist gently, her blunt teeth not even vamping into fangs. She suckled at him, not even realising where she was or who was feeding her.

She could feel someone gently stroking her hair, whispering sweet nothings to her. A British voice, her mind told her. But the blood was too warm to be Spike’s. She opened her eyes and focused on the figure above her. She saw Giles and immediately panicked, pushing his wrist away from her mouth.

He held her tightly even as she tried to push him away.

“You’re weak Buffy. You need to eat something,” he said coaxingly.

She shook her head, not even wanting to think about the possibility of hurting her Watcher. “No. Not from you.”

“Yes Buffy, come on. You need your strength,” he whispered.

She shook her head, closing her eyes, trying to ignore the tantalising smell of what he was freely offering her.

“No,” she managed to choke out.

She looked up suddenly as the bottom stair creaked, fearful that somehow Angelus was back to finish what he had started. All she saw, however, was Willow who looked completely shocked to find a naked Buffy laying on Giles lap with Giles’ bleeding wrist near her mouth.

“Giles,” Willow said, panicking at the sight of it.

“Willow, it’s fine. I need you to run upstairs and get some of Buffy’s clothes for her,” he said.

Willow hesitated, wondering if Giles had been turned, but she couldn’t see Angelus anywhere in sight. She turned and went back up the stairs, heading towards Buffy’s room to retrieve her clothes.

Xander had run out of the house like there was something chasing him, a thought that Willow didn’t particularly want to consider. She had only entered the house out of sheer curiousity.

She grabbed a pair of sweats and a tank top for Buffy, not even bothering with underwear. She figured that Buffy would go up and get it when she was strong enough.

Racing back down to the basement, she handed the clothing to Giles who promptly turned an interesting shade of red.

“Uh…perhaps you could uh…assist her with…” he trailed off.

Willow looked at him blankly and finally got the message. Giles gently helped Buffy to sit up, her head beginning to spin. She touched her stomach in an attempt to ease her nausea, but only winced when her hand came in contact with the cuts Angelus had made.

Giles stood up, his own legs a little wobbly. He went to the stairs, looking away from Buffy as Willow quickly helped her to get changed.

The red-head paled considerably when she saw the extent of the cuts and bruises that adorned her friends body. She gave a small gasp at the ‘A’ on Buffy’s shoulder blade.

“Giles, I think we’ll need some antiseptic over here,” Willow called.

Giles nodded, but didn’t dare look over. Not only did he feel it was completely inappropriate, but he didn’t want to see the damage that had been done to his young charge. He didn’t even want to think about the things that Angelus could have done while he had her in his clutches.

“I’d make her scream for me Rupert.”

He headed up the stairs, and quickly grabbed the first aid kit that Mrs Summers kept in the kitchen. Ever since finding out that Buffy was the Slayer, she had kept a good supply of first aid materials. Buffy, however, had only once let her mom see how badly hurt she sometimes was after patrolling.

Joyce had taken to staying up until she knew Buffy was back in the house, unable to sleep while her daughter may be in danger. Buffy had only once come home, still sporting cuts and bruises and Joyce had nearly had a heart attack at the sight of it. Since then, Buffy was in the habit of first going to Giles’ to get cleaned up and then hurrying home.

He went back down the stairs, thankful that Buffy was fully covered once more. He could see that she was shaking, though he wasn’t sure if it was from fear, blood-loss or the cold.

He leant down in front of her, gently reaching his hand up to touch her cheek. She flinched away from him, trying to turn her head. He didn’t force it, knowing she was still confused.

“Uh…maybe we should get her out of here,” Willow suggested.

Giles hesitated but agreed knowing that Willow’s idea was probably for the best.

In one swift movement, she was in his arms and he carried her up to the living room, placing her gently on the couch.

------------------------

Spike saw the whelp running down the main street towards him, something that would have usually have made Spike burst into laughter. He grabbed Xander’s arm, stopping him abruptly.

“Did you find her?” he asked desperately.

Xander nodded, clutching at his chest, trying to regulate his breathing.

“Where?”

“At Buff’s house. Down in the basement,” he said.

“Why are you running?” Spike asked.

“She’s weak. Giles sent me to get blood,” Xander explained.

Spike nodded and the two men took off in opposite directions.

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Spike raced through the door, somewhat surprised that there was no barrier keeping him out. He looked into the living room and felt his heart clench with fear as he saw Buffy lying motionless on the couch. He ran to her, kneeling beside her.

He looked up at her Watcher, fear and panic in his eyes.

“Is she…she’s orright, yeah?” Spike asked, trying to maintain a calm exterior.

Giles nodded and motioned for the blonde vampire to be quiet. He was somewhat startled by how panicked Spike seemed to be over the Slayer’s condition, but, then again, he had been somewhat startled to see Spike taking charge when the Council had tried to take her away.

“She should be fine. I sent Xander to get some blood from the butchers,” Giles explained.

“Yeah, ran into him on the way,” Spike said.

He lifted Buffy up by the shoulders, gently tapping her cheek to make her wake up. She looked at him through sleepy eyes, and managed a small smile. He sat beside her and let her rest her head on his shoulder as he positioned her to sit on his lap.

He gently pulled her mouth close to his neck.

“You need to drink Buffy,” he whispered.

Willow looked on in shock, amazed by how gentle Spike was being with her best friend. She hadn’t really had too much interaction with Spike, but seeing a vampire without a soul being caring and considerate was something that was highly curious.

Buffy mumbled something against Spike’s neck, too tired and too weak to manage any real words.

Spike looked up at Giles frantically.

“Has she been like this the whole time?” he asked.

Giles nodded as he removed his glasses and habitually began cleaning them.

“She uh…I let her uh…I let her have some of my blood but, she…she refused to drink when she was strong enough to see who it was,” he said.

Spike looked at him in awe, shocked that the Watcher had opened up his veins for the vampire that sat in his lap.

“Do you have a knife or something Rupert?” Spike asked. “She’s not with it enough to vamp out.”

Giles handed Angelus’ dagger to Spike who took it without a word. He made a small hole in his neck, wincing at the pain, and gently brought the girls mouth to the bleeding wound.

Without a thought, Buffy latched onto Spike’s neck, sucking at his blood. Giles turned away, not wishing to see his Slayer drinking even though he had watched her drink from him earlier. It somehow made everything seem more real to see her taking blood from Spike.

Willow too looked away, the sight of her best friend feeding from another vampire being far too distasteful to stomach.

Spike fiddled with the dagger in his hands and suddenly stopped twirling it. He looked at it carefully and shot a glance towards Giles.

“Where’s Angelus?” he asked.

“Dust,” Giles replied. He had trouble keeping a note of satisfaction out of his voice, something that Spike didn’t miss.

He nodded, thankful that his Sire had finally been taken out.

“Did he…I mean, do you know if he…” Spike trailed off, not even wanting to think of the word ‘rape’ in regards to Angelus and the Slayer.

Giles shook his head. “I don’t think so. He was attempting to claim her, but…from what I saw, she wouldn’t reciprocate the claim.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief and gently pushed Buffy away from him, laying her down on the couch and watching as she fell asleep in his lap.

“Is she…” Giles trailed off, not entirely sure for how to word his concern.

“She’ll be fine. She’s hungry as anything though. How much blood did she lose?” Spike asked.

Giles stood up and bent down beside his Slayer, moving the edge of her crop top away to let Spike see the letter Angelus had carved into the girls skin. He backed away when he heard Spike growl.

The vampire cradled Buffy’s head gently, tilting it to the side. He felt tears prick his eyes as he took in the angry bite marks on her neck and the still bleeding earlobe that was missing an earring.

Spike looked up at Giles who now sat on the single sofa on the opposite side of the room, Willow standing behind the Watcher, as though he would be able to offer protection if Spike suddenly turned on them.

“The girl’s been a vamp for a day and she’s already been nicked by the Council, and taken by Angelus. Makes you wonder what’s gonna happen next,” Spike said softly.

“I don’t particularly wish to ask this,” Giles began nervously, “but…do you plan on staying with her?”

Spike glared at the Watcher, but his eyes softened as he realised that Giles wasn’t making an accusation, rather he was making sure that his Slayer was going to be well looked after.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Spike assured Giles. “Not without her. She makes life interesting, I’ll give you that.”

He gently stroked the girls hair, hating that he was so worried about her, but knowing he wouldn’t change it for anything in his unlife.

“So, you’ll stay in Sunnydale then?” Giles asked.

Spike placed a gentle kiss on Buffy’s forehead and stared at her even as he answered the Watcher’s question.

“’Til the end of the world.”

END

EPILOGUE: MATED

Spike leant against the headstone, his arms crossed over his chest, an expression of indifference on his face. If you looked at him closely enough though, you could tell that he was a little anxious. He flinched and forced himself to stay calm.

The blonde female vampire that he was watching cried out in pain as a stake was thrust into her heart and she scattered into ashes. The other female blonde that had done the staking looked towards her lover and soon-to-be mate with a satisfied grin.

“That makes nine, right?” she asked.

“Ten,” he replied easily, bending down to kiss her. He was torn between loving and hating watching his Slayer fight. He loved watching on the one hand because it meant that he was ready to shag her minutes later, and hated it for the very same reason. There had been at least fourteen different occasions when they hadn’t even made it out of the cemetery before they’d strewn clothes across the ground.

“Yay me!” she cheered. “You hungry?”

He laughed and swung an arm around her shoulder as they made their way out onto the street.

“For you luv, always,” he replied, winking at her.

She hit him across the chest, but didn’t tell him that she wasn’t thinking exactly the same thing. Spike smirked, wondering whether it was his bad influence on her or because of the demon that now resided within the tiny blonde girl.

“We should check in with Giles before we head home,” she said. “He’ll start worrying soon.”

She checked her new pager that her Watcher had bought for her so that she could tell him she was home safely in case she was caught unawares by the sunrise and saw that Giles hadn’t paged her all evening.

“He worries too bloody much,” Spike grumbled.

“Well at least if we check in, mom’ll make your hot chocolate,” she said.

Spike immediately acquiesced, making Buffy laugh long and loud.

“How’s the nibblet doin’?” Spike asked.

“Spike, we saw her yesterday!” Buffy said. “She’ll still be fine.”

“But still…she’s a cutie,” Spike said. “All blonde hair like you and green eyes like her da.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe that Spike of all people…well, of all vampires anyway, was being clucky over Buffy’s new little sister.

Buffy unlocked the house on Revello Drive and opened the door, she and Spike entering quietly so as not to wake the six-month-old Dawn Summers-Giles.

They checked the kitchen first, unsurprised to find both Giles and Joyce sitting at the counter drinking tea.

“Hey people,” Buffy greeted.

Joyce smiled and pulled out two seats for them, Buffy and Spike taking their regular spots at the island counter.

“How did patrol go?” Giles asked.

“Same as always,” Buffy replied. “Fought some vamps, dusted some vamps, came home for hot chocolate. How’s Dawnie?”

Giles smiled brilliantly at the mention of his daughter. He still had trouble believing that he was a father. It had taken he and Joyce nearly two years to overcome the awkwardness over the ‘band candy’ incident, and after that, they had become friends, then lovers, then husband and wife. When they had discovered that she was pregnant with Giles’ child, neither of them could have been more thrilled.

“She’s doing brilliantly,” Giles gushed. “She’s over that dreaded cold that Xander gave her, so she’s far happier today.”

“Good to hear,” Buffy said.

“Oh and you’re father called,” Joyce added. “He asked why he’d only got an invitation instead of a phone call asking him to give you away.”

Buffy grinned. “Did you tell him it was cos I already have a proper dad?”

Giles smiled fondly at his step-daughter.

“Not exactly,” Joyce said. “Rupert was the one who told him that.”

Spike laughed, wishing he had been there to see that particular confrontation.

“I hope you at least told him that it wasn’t an official service or anything. Just an unofficial spiritual ritual thingy to mate us properly,” Buffy said.

“We explained that you didn’t want to have it in a church,” Giles said. “We thought it best not to tell him that the only reason he was even invited was because we needed seventh person in the circle.”

The other six were Giles, Joyce, Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordy. Hank Summers made seven.

“So he’s coming right?” Buffy asked. “I dunno if I can really just get a stranger to step in for us. It has to be people who at least partially like us.”

Spike stood up and stood behind Buffy placing his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder lightly.

“He loves you, luv,” Spike assured her, beating both Joyce and Giles to saying the same thing.

“We’ll see how observant he is at least,” Giles added. “See if he realises that you don’t look a day over eighteen even though you’re nearly twenty-one.”

“That’s pretty good for a Slayer, huh Giles?” Buffy said. “Although I guess it’s kinda nullified seeing as I’m kinda…”

“Vampy?” Joyce finished.

“As for example.”

“I think in the eyes of all you hold dear, you are still very much the same girl we knew,” Giles said. “And twenty-one is impressive no matter how you look at it.”

The clock struck midnight and Buffy reluctantly stood up, leaning back in Spike’s embrace.

“So, midnight tomorrow, right?” Buffy asked.

Giles nodded.

“Good. Cos I have been waiting for two years for this alignment, so…make sure you’re not late,” Buffy implored.

Giles nodded and looked at the two blonde vampires. “Just make certain you don’t feed at all in the next twenty-four hours. Not even from each other.”

Giles and Joyce both turned blind eyes to the disappointed looks that both Buffy and Spike momentarily allowed to pass over their faces. They walked Buffy and Spike to the door, waving goodbye and turned to walk inside.

“We never did work out what changed him, did we?” Joyce asked.

Giles shook his head.

“Perhaps it was just her. Or fate. Or just because we live on a hellmouth.”

“Maybe he’s always been in love with her,” Joyce said smiling, the romantic within stepping out.

“Perhaps. As long as she is happy, then…it really doesn’t matter, does it?”

END