Title: The Hunt
author: spikegirl7
e-mail: spikegirl7@hotmail.com
rating: R
Summery: The Fight
Disclaimer: I’m sorry, I’m only borrowing them for
a little while.
Feedback is good for head!A/N I promised myself i would never write a songfic.
But this song was so perfect. Yay for Guns and Roses!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Welcome to the jungle
We got fun 'n' games
We got evrything you want
Honey we know the names
We are the people that can find
Whatever you may need
If you got the money honey
We got your disease

Bright lights, roaring demons, commotion and
chaos. It all filled the arena, swelling until it felt
like a physical thing that would do actual damage
to the structure.

A hidden arena, someplace that most in
Sunnydale didn’t even know about. It was sunken
into the ground beneath the sewers and was
hidden carefully. Only demons knew where it
was. The capacity was huge and all the room was
filled around the stage and the raised dias at one
end. They were all waiting for the fight. For the
contest that would come.

In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees
I wanna watch you bleed

In the center of the ring were the two combatants.
They had come here to this underground for the
one purpose, to compete for the girl who was
now chained on the dias. They were dressed in the ceremonial garb that had been worn for
centuries. They wore pants and boots made from
skins of the demons that had challenged them.
These skins had been conjured specially by the
referee, who was a warlock capable of many
things.

Their chests were bare as were their arms except
for simple metal bands that showed their age and
rank. Spike had five, he was considered a high
ranking demon due to the fact that he had bested
two slayers and was over one hundred years old,
something most vampires never got near. Angel
had four, since he was over two hundred and had
outlived the head of his family in the master, but
one had been taken off due to his tendency to kill
off his kind.

Buffy was chained on the stone dias with special
restrains that she could not break with her
enhanced slayer strength. The chains as well had
been specially conjured for her. It frustrated her
to no end to wear them, but she knew it was
necessary now.

She was dressed, as was custom, in clothes that
Spike had chosen for her. Black leather pants
hugged her legs, hugging her leg to the knee
before flaring out slightly over heavy black
boots. She wore a red halter top that shone in the
light. And she also wore one accessory that she
would never have chosen herself, black arm
warmers. The black lattice covered her hand like
a fingerless glove and extended to her elbows.
She looked punk, but she couldn’t deny it worked
on her.

Welcome to the jungle
We take it day by day
If you want it you're gonna bleed
But it's the price you pay
And you're a very sexy girl
That's very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights
But you won't get them for free
The demon referee stood on the dias as well. He
moved to stand in front of the bound slayer and
he opened his mouth to speak to the assembled
crowd and the combatants below. As he spoke
his voice was magically amplified so that he
could be heard by all above the roaring cheers.

“Friends, we are here today in a ritual that has
been passed down through the ages. This is a
fight, a combat to determine who has claim to
this female.” The roar of the crowd grew in
approval. The claiming of the slayer was a big
deal with them. “I am here to state the rules of
the games. The two combatants will fight for this
female. Once they begin they will not stop
fighting until one of them has been defeated.
When one combatant wins he has the right to kill
his opponant.” The cheers of the crowd became
almost deafening. “This is a choice that is the
victor’s to make.”


The two vampires in the center of the ring waited
for the call that would begin the match. They
heard the crowd and though some amount of
spectators was expected this many were not
typical.

The judge looked down and raise one clawed
hand. The crowd quieted, “May the fight begin.”
The crowd cheered as the claw fell and he
returned to his seat positioned behind the chained
slayer.

In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my serpentine
I, I wanna hear you scream

The two vampires began to circle each other.
Crouched down, ready to spring, they studied
each other looking for an opening. It had been
nearly one hundred years since they had faced off
and their strategies had changed drastically during that time. Their strengths had changed,
their speed had altered, and their style had
adapted to both over time, evolving into what
they did now.

Angel knew that he was the weaker one here. He
couldn’t beat Spike just with sheer strength. He
would need to use his brain if he was going to
win this one. He would have to outsmart the
younger vampire. It was a slim chance, but he
had last known Spike to be an impulsive vamp
with little control of himself.


He wouldn’t wait for Spike to attack. Nor would
he attack fueled only by his rage. He had seen
what that had gotten him before. He moved
forward slightly, faking a punch before drawing
back quickly.

Spike jumped forward at the move from his sire,
moving to punch him in the jaw. Angel saw it
and ducked, rolling the younger vampire off his
back to the other side. Spike fell to the ground
and Angel advanced quickly, punching him as he
got to his feet. Spike’s head snapped to the side
with the blow as his body fell slightly to the side.

Angel felt empowered by his hit. He moved to
punch Spike again but his move was anticipated
as Spike crossed under the older vampire’s arm
as it swung for him, ending up facing the older
vampire’s back.

Welcome to the jungle
It gets worse here evryday
Ya learn ta live like an animal
In the jungle where we play
If you got a hunger for what you see
You'll take it eventually
You can have anything you want
But you better not take it from me

The crowd cheered loudly but it was lost to the
two in the ring. The crowd was caught up by the clash of these two great master vampires. Both
were legends in their own right. This was
something they would be speaking of for years to
come, it was very rare these days that they were
any claims, and even more rare that they were
challenged like this.


Buffy was tense. She hadn’t known that there
were going to be spectators here. If she had been
told she certainly hadn’t heard it. The demons
were causing the slayer inside her to claw at her,
telling her that she was in very grave danger. She
pushed that part of her down as she watched the
fight, she had not been touched or threatened by
any of these demons (except for the second when
the judge put his hand on her ass to feel her up)
and she forced herself to relax somewhat.

She was transfixed by the site of the two males
below her. They were dancing around each other
with unparalleled grace and skill. Angel had got
in the first blow with his cleverness but it was
clear that he was slower than the younger
vampire. They danced now, trading blows as
Angel tried his level best to outwit his opponant,
landing a punch or kick now and then with his
quick thinking. But it was clear, Spike was
landing more of his blows and was dodging
faster than Angel.

In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees
I wanna watch you bleed

Spike had caught onto what Angel was doing.
His sire was counting on him acting impulsively
and rashly. Spike had to give him credit, he had
been known to be quite impulsive. But his time
with Drusilla had curbed that slightly, allowing
his to control himself better.

Well, if Angel wanted to play a game of wits he
supposed he could accommodate the older vamp. He waited as Angel approached him again. He
saw the older vampire draw back his arm slightly
and made a move to dodge, purposely starting
too late and going slightly too slow.

The punch landed and another one came, and
Spike fell to the floor. He had received quite a
few blows that night and the pain he felt wasn’t
all for show as he waited for a moment as Angel
drew near him. He waited as Angel pulled near,
believing that he had done it, had subdued his
childer and the battle was finally won.

And when you're high you never
Ever want to come down, YEAH!

Angel went on one knee and prepared to deliver a
firm blow that would hit Spike in the back of the
neck right below his skull and know him out. In
that instant Spike saw his chance.

Quick as a snake his arm struck out and caught
the older vampire’s knee. He pulled and his sire
was flat on his back. Spike sprang up, bouncing
lightly on his toes as his sire painfully pulled
himself to his feet. His knee had been hurt and it
hurt him. He knew now that he had been duped,
that the fight was truly over. He could barely
stand and there Spike was jumping like a baby
kangaroo.

Spike saw it and so did the crowd the time for the
final blow was near. Angel tried once more for
an offensive strike and Spike moved quickly,
dropping down and sweeping his foot along the
floor and sweeping up the older vampire’s feet
from under him.

You know where you are
You're in the jungle baby
You're gonna die
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees
In the jungleWelcome to the jungle
Feel my, my serpentine

Angel fell to his knees, and it was over. Spike
stood behind him, his hands on Angel’s head,
ready to tear it from his shoulders entirely. The
crowd cheered even louder, the vibrations shook
some of the dust from the ceiling. They all
wanted to see what would happen next.

Whether or not Spike killed him, Spike would be
a legend now. The killer of two slayers, the one
who claimed the third, and had become a master
in his own right. The defeat of his sire was
something that few vampires ever did. They
remained subservient, weaker, their entire
existence. That Spike had escaped it and had
proved it just glorified him more in their eyes.

It didn’t hurt Spike’s case that they hated Angel
either.

In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your knees, knees
In the jungle
Welcome to the jungle
Watch it bring you to your
It's gonna bring you down

Spike looked around and saw Buffy looking
down at him. He had won, they all knew it. She
looked pleadingly down, hoping and entreating
him not to kill his sire. The look of vulnerability
in her eyes touched him. But there was more.

It was that softness, that vulnerability in her eyes
that touched him most. He wouldn’t kill the poof,
and he looked up at her and she knew it. She
smiled and the look of trust in her eyes almost
melted him.

He felt Angel’s muscles tense. He was waiting,
“Do it Spike, it’s your right. Please.”
Spike shoved his sire to the floor and the noise in
the room swelled to an all time high. They knew
he had refused to kill Angel, and to that pleased
them perhaps more than his death would have.
Refusing to kill Angel was a great insult to the
older vamp in the eyes of the demon community.
Spike had dismissed him as a threat and allowed
him to live.


Spike stood over the older vamp who was on all
fours on the floor, “I renounce my right as victor
to kill him, instead letting him live with the
knowledge that he can never take what is mine.
He can never challenge me again. Let him live
with that.” His last words were drowned out by
the roar of approval from the crowd.

Spike jumped up to the dias and the referee gave
him the key, which he used to quickly used to
divest the slayer of her restraints. He scooped her
up in his arms as was customary and carried her
out of the arena through the crowd of cheering
spectators while Angel still lay in the dirt near
tears with sorrow and humiliation.

Ha!
****
 

Chapter 8:

“It was incredible Giles, you should have been
there. All those demons all around cheering and
shouting for him to kill him but he DIDN’T. It was
amazing.”

Giles was furiously taking notes at his desk while
all the scoobies were sitting around and Faith, back
finally from her long trip, was lounging in the
corner while Buffy related the story. This was the
morning after the fight and Buffy had thought that
she ought to report to her watcher before she forgot
what had happened. Then it had turned into story
time with all the scoobies gathered round.

“This is quite amazing. You say the challenge took
place in an arena of some sort? Could you tell me
where?”

She shook her head, “Sorry Giles, Spike made me
promise not to tell. But Spike says there’s one like it
at every hellmouth.”

“Yes, well, I see.” He paused, “But this ritual is
quite extraordinary. The council has nothing like
this challenge ever recorded. I feel proud that I’m
the one to be recording it.”

“Anything for my favorite watcher.”

Giles looked down at his notebook again, “So, you
say that the combatants were wearing?”

“Demon skins, with gold rings around their arms to
show their rank or something.”

“And the set up was?”

“They fought in an area with raised seats around it
and a raised podium.”

“And this podium?”

“Was where I was chained up with the referee guy.”

Giles looked up for a second and Xander’s eyes
were slightly glossed over as he imagined Buffy
chained up a-la Princess Lea, “And these chains,
you were unable to break free you say.”

Buffy nodded, “They were conjured up for me like
all the stuff there. The clothes I was wearing were
the only things they had to go out and buy.”

Willow piped up at this, “Spike bought clothes?”

Buffy turned to look at her friend, “Yeah, he did.
Leather pants too.”

Xander’s eyes glazed over even more. Buffy in
leather. Yum.

“Well damn B, bet you looked hot in that!”

Xander was still off in dreamland, “Yeah, why
didn’t you come see us in that?”

Giles attempted to gain control of the room once
more, like a schoolmaster over a room of unruly
students that wished nothing more than to discuss
the present going-ons of each other, “Let’s please
move on from her attire. Now, what happened,
exactly?”

Buffy had already explained this but she was used to
Giles needing her to repeat the story over and over.
“The referee talked and his voice was magically
amplified,” Giles scribbled furiously at that. “He
told them to begin fighting and sat back down to
watch as Angel and Spike fought. Spike tricked
Angel by pretending he was injured and knocked
out his knees so that he was able to get Angel in a
vulnerable position.”

Giles looked up, “You say that Spike tricked
Angel?” Buffy nodded. “And at the end of the
challenge the victor is allowed to kill the defeated?”

Buffy nodded again, “All the demons around were
cheering for him to rip Angel’s head off but instead
he just threw him to the ground and went over to the
podium and took me out of there.”

Willow looked like that was the most romantic
thing she had ever heard, “Just like Prince
Charming, only, evil and undead.”

“That must have been hot, having two guys fighting
over you.”

Buffy paused for a moment, “I think it was as much
about Spike and Angel’s conflicts as it was about
me. Those two have a lot of history and I think this
had to do more with their past than me. I just think I
was the breaking point where Spike took something
Angel thought was his.”

Giles finished making hurried notes in his book
concerning the fight and referring to the conflict
between the two vampires before he stood up. He
took off his glasses and started polishing them, “I
think that’s enough for right now. I have a
fascinating night tonight in the books concerning
these two. If you would like to help me you could.”

Xander shot up at this, “That’s it? Wow that was
short.”

“Well, we still have research to do. I’d like to know
more about the relationship between those two
when I make my entry.”

Xander stood up and stretched, “So research time. I
guess I’ll go get the sugary supplements.”

Faith and Buffy nodded before Buffy picked up her
jacket and they headed out. They weren’t really
needed there ane their talents weren’t really suited
for the sedentary nature of the library. They were
hunters, they needed the night air and the thrill that
came with the hunt.

Heading out into the night the two of them tried to
widen their perception. They searched out with their
senses for their pray, seeking them out from among
the shadows. If they found one they set into pursuit,
no longer a thing human but more like a cat. Their
muscles moved languidly and smoothly beneath
their skin as they pursued and caught their prey.
They pounced upon it swiftly, killing it before it had
much of a chance to react.

The dust settled around the two of them. Both were
flushed slightly and their breathing was slightly
elevated. However the fight had calmed them both
somewhat, satisfying their immediate need for
violence which pulsed through them as Slayers.

“So B, this Spike gy. What you think.”

They turned and started walking through the bone-
yard, calmly aware and secure in the knowledge of
their power. Buffy pushed her hair behind her ear,
“He’s just, Spike. It’s really weird how he’s just
decided to be a white hat all of a sudden.”

“But he didn’t kill Angel. He must be really hot on
ya’ if he let the guy live.”

“Why you say that?”

“When I came back into town last night I swung by
Willie’s, you know, here what had gone down while
I was away. First thing I hear is about your boy,
Spike.”

Buffy didn’t let her curiosity show too much. She
wasn’t afraid of letting Faith know of her interest
but she didn’t want to sound like a schoolgirl eager
to hear about her crush. Keeping her voice casual
she asked, “What about him?”

“All the demons are talking about that fight he had
with Angel. He’s all they were talking about. It
seems that they all expected him to kill Angel.”

“Any reason?”

Faith shrugged, “Apparently it has to do with the
fact that there was so much bad blood between
them. The demons kept on talking about how the
two of them had been fighting for over a hundred
years.”

Buffy shrugged, she knew about that. She had
inferred that the two of them were not real close the
year before when Spike came to her for help. His
attitude implied that what was happening was not a
first-time occurrence. He acted like a man, not
outraged by a first betrayal, but who had seen one
too many.

Faith continued, “Plus now it seems that Spike is
some sort of legend. They act like he’s the most
amazing thing since sliced bread.”

That surprised Buffy. She had known that Spike
was esteemed, but she didn’t know that it was to
that extent. “Really? That’s...”

Faith smiled, “Cool, huh? I’ve never heard of a
vampire that was treated like that. I’d like to meet
this guy. Hey, B, is he hot?”

“Well...”

She felt it then, he was close by. Her body ached in
that way that had become familiar to her since that
night he had bitten her. She felt the need to run out
to him but she held back. Her mind wavered in her
conviction to not go to him, and she called out to
him, “see for yourself Faith. Spike, come out.”

Faith’s head turned as Spike seemed to melt out of
the shadows. He stood there, an arrogant smirk
upon his face, “Hullo, ladies.”

Buffy tried to look annoyed, but a small smile
played at the corners of her lips. He had earned her
trust when he had chosen not to kill Angel and had
begun to worm his way into her kindness when she
woke up next to him that morning with a headache
and he had tended to her. “How long have you been
listening, Spike?”

He pretended to look shocked, “Why pet, I can’t
believe you! A gentleman would never eavesdrop
on a ladies’ conversation!”

“Yes but whoever accused you of being a
gentleman?”

“I’ll have you know that I was brought up a perfect
English gentleman.”

“Coulda’ fooled me.”

He chuckled lightly, taking a few steps forward to
come closer to the two slayers in the cemetery. “I
was only there a few minutes, honest.”

“So this is William the Bloody. Dang, B, you didn’t
say he was this hot!”

“You must be the new Slayer.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Called about a year ago. Name’s
Faith. I’ve been hearing a lot about you around town
lately.”

“And I’ve heard a good bit about you. Makin’
Sunnydale your home base now?”

Faith shrugged, “It’s a place to hang when I don’t
feel like bein’ anywhere.”

Buffy looked at him, “So, why you out tonight?”

“I wanted to check up on my woman, is that a
crime?”

“Please Spike, there has to be another reason.”

He chuckled, “You know me too well. I’ve come to
issue an invitation. You and the slayer-ettes. All of
you, come over to my house tomorrow night to
watch movies and consume sugar-covered snacks.
All are welcome except for the poofter.”

“What’s the occasion? Why are you inviting us?”

Spike looked down at her, this was the little spitfire
that he had wanted to be with him for all eternity.
He would have her, he knew. “To apologize for
terrorizin’ you last year, to show that I’m acceptin’
of you blokes, and all that rot.” He pause for a
moment, “Plus I got some stuff I’d like to tell you
and the watcher.”

She smiled up at him, “I’ll tell them. I’ll be there at
least.”

Spike turned to Faith, “You comin’ too?”

Buffy looked at her, imploring her to come, “He’s
got a big screen TV. Plasma screen and everything.”

Faith shrugged her shoulders, “How could I resist a
big screen TV. Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Spike looked down at Buffy again, “That’s great,
I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

She smiled up at him, “Yeah.”

He smiled and ran his hand down the side of her
face, cupping it lightly in his palm before running
his thumb along her bottom lip. He pulled back,
turned and melted back into the night.

Chapter 9:

“Yes, gratuitous violence, my favorite. Buffy, hand
over the popcorn.”

The gang had congregated in Spike’s living room in
front of the TV and had selected Total Recall from
the vast selection of movies that were available.
Cordelia had objected, but put to a vote it won out
with Spike, Xander, Oz, Fait, and Buffy voting for
Shwartzenegger while Willow and Cordelia voted
for The Princess Bride and Giles searched for the
scotch.

Now they had all settled in around the giant TV
with a plethora of snack foods and sodas as they
watched Arnold shove the needle that held a chair
arm to the body through a technician’s head. Xander
shoveled popcorn into his mouth as he sat on the
floor by the chair Cordelia had situated herself in,
entranced in the movie. Oz sat in the other armchair
with Willow on his lap while Buffy, Spike and Faith
sat on the couch. Giles was still searching the
kitchen for the scotch.

The gang had gathered here with some trepidation at
coming to the house of a vampire. However when
they had seen the TV the guys had been won over
with that. Cordelia had found herself impressed by
the decorating (although she wouldn’t admit it) and
Willow had been won over by the snacks. Thus they
had all decided to stay and watch movies granted
that the two slayers were there.

So they had settled into the living room and were
watching scenes of gore and bloodshed. Giles
moved into the living room after a while and pulled
a chair over from the dining room to sit next to
Cordelia’s chair as he took in the movie with
distaste. For the next two hours or so they sat and
watched the screen flicker.

Buffy was more content than she had been in days.
The calling ache that had been present since the bite
was soothed by the presence of Spike sitting beside
her holding the popcorn. They were sitting so that
his feet were on the coffee table and her feet were
tucked beneath her and her knees were against his
thighs. The contact soothed her to no end.

Spike’s touch was like magic. His claim made her
burn when they were apart. Though she wouldn’t let
her friends know she needed him around to calm the
storm he had left there. It was probably part of the
claim that he had placed on her but she didn’t care.

Spike’s actions had endeared him to her. She
wanted to believe him. He had spared Angel, and in
the time that she had known him he had always
been true to his word. He had taken care of her
when she woke up in his bed with a terrible
hangover and from what she could tell he hadn’t
taken advantage of her the night before.

And now he was indulging one of her favorite
habits, the watching of violent movies with
inordinately large amounts of junk food.

Spike smiled down at the small girl sitting beside
him. He was here to protect her. He could see that
she had been hurt before and he didn’t want that. He
would tell her and the watcher tonight the cause of
his change. They would know the reason that he had
finally come to see the light.

He had always been attracted to her. Ever since he
saw her dancing that night, her body swaying with
the music. She had exuded innocence like a flower
did its scent.

Spike had been angered when his sire had taken that
from her. The bastard had run off with some of her
innocence that would never be returned. Angelus
had been blessed then that Spike had been confined
to his chair, because Spike’s anger would have
turned destructive otherwise.

But as she sat her beside him now he could still
sense so much innocence in her. She had been hurt,
yes, but not destroyed. She was still young and she
would endure. He would see to it.

As the movie rolled to a close the scoobies stood to
leave. They all thanked Spike for his invitation with
reassurances that they should do it again sometime.
On her way out Willow stopped by Buffy, “Tell me
tomorrow about the rest.” With that she too left
leaving Buffy and Giles in the house with Spike.

Spike moved back to the couch and motioned the
two others to take seats. Buffy move to sit next to
him. Giles hesitated a moment.

Spike noticed, speaking up to reassure the man said,
“Don’t worry watcher. I think it’s about time you
knew what caused this change.”

Giles moved into the room further, “Yes, I had been
wondering about that.”

“You want a pen? This story is one you might want
to remember.”

“No thank you, I’m sure I’ll remember it fine.”

Spike sighed, “Okay, then. It was last summer...

South America

The air was hot and thick. The scent of spices filled
the air, the smell not from any cooking herb but that
of the flowers that bloomed all over. The ground
was a soft red clay that lost its tint slightly in the
dark of the night. Above millions of tiny pinpricks
of light shone down and the moon hung lazily.


The place where they were living was on the
outskirts of a small town. The demons there were
living freely since there were fewer people to hide
from. The people of the village kept to themselves,
not venturing far from their homes.

Spike was out on this night, staring up at the sky.
He pulled smoke from a cigarette into his dead
lungs and blew it out again, watching the cloud
form and then dissolve into the night sky. He was
thinking.

He had taken Dru out of the country. Angelus was
gone and he had her back. This was what he wanted.
Although she was a little distant at times things
were as they should be.

So why was he out here? He had his woman back,
he’d left Sunnydale, and he’d left the slayer to
almost certain death. For some reason he felt
unfulfilled.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts of the
blonde slayer that he had left behind. There was
something about her that made him wish that he had
stayed. She was different.

A sound floated through the air and caught his ear.
This wasn’t the incessant ramblings of his dark
princess. This was something different all together.
He threw his cigarette away, moving to the source
of the sound.

There was a clearing a few feet away. Standing
there in the center was the source of the sound. It
was a tall woman with almost white-blonde hair.
She was singing. It was otherworldly.

She stopped and looked at him and Spike realized
that she couldn’t be human. Her eyes were purple
and seemed to look right through him. They seemed
too old to be human. For the first time as well he
noticed that her ears were slightly pointed. She
smiled lightly, “Hello.”

Her voice was musical, like the chiming of bells. It
floated around him. He stared at her, taking in her
voice and form before replying, “Um, hello.”

She laughed lightly at his awe. It was like wind
chimes, that sound. “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced
myself. I am Tionne. You might say I’m an Angel.”
She shrugged, “Well actually, I’m the Angel.
There’s only one. And I’m her.”

Spike stood there, aghast. He didn’t doubt her for a
second. But why would she come here to see him?
He struggled to find his voice, “Well, I’m Spike.
And I’d like to know what you’re doin’ here.”

“Now that’s a good question, isn’t it. I’m here to
help things along.”

This sounded ominous. Whatever it meant he did
not like the sound of it. “What does that mean?”

Tionne turned and looked for a moment before
finding a rock jutting up from the ground. She
turned back to Spike and sat down on it. Looking up
at him she started, “I’m old. I’ve been here since
before this world came into being and I’ll be here
after it putters out. I have watched ages come and go
and I foresee all that will come and I’ve kept my
nose out of it for quite some time. However this
time I thought I might intervene.”

“Why this time?”

She shrugged, “Didn’t want to for the longest time.
But I’ve finally got fed up with a few things and I’m
putting them to right.”

“Well that sounds all right and proper but where do
I come in?”

She smiled, “As I’ve said, I have foreseen all that
will be. I’ve seen hundreds of possible paths, some
of them in which you die, and none of them satisfies
me. You’re here to right the world.”

Spike really didn’t like the sound of that. That
sounded suspiciously like joining the side of
righteousness and all that rot. That wasn’t so bad in
and of itself, but his sire had done that and he was
no Angel. “You got the wrong vamp here.”

She shook her head, “You mean Angel? Hah!
Please, if I wanted someone like him I’d be
recruiting a neanderthal. Sweet guy, but he’s going
about it all wrong. I think you’re the one for the
job.”

“I’m hard-pressed to deny such a lady, but I don’t
think so.”

“I know what you’re feeling Spike, and this is the
path for you. You’re empty inside. You feel
unfulfilled. You want to go back.”

“How can you know that?”

“I’m omniscient, I told you that. I’m going to give
you what you want, that feeling of completion, of
wholeness. Plus, I’m going to throw in that Slayer
you lust for.”

It couldn’t be that easy. It couldn’t be. “What’s the
catch?”

She shrugged, “No catch. You go and claim your
slayer.”

He looked at her skeptically, “It can’t be that easy.”

She half smiled, “I guess you’re right. You will
have to leave Drusilla, as you know. You’ve been
thinking it for a while, haven’t you?”

He knew she was right. Dru was tiring him. All this
time she had been distant, and it was different than
it used to be. She looked at him now like he was
some criminal, something to be loathed for taking
away her daddy. He had begun to question staying
with her.

She saw the look in his eyes and knew she was
right, “Also, you’ll have to start helping her, the
slayer I mean. Fight the good fight and what not.
And you’ll have to give up hunting.”

He knew there was a catch. Nothing was ever easy.
“That’s a lot to give up. What do I get in return.”

“You will get a feeling of completion. You will
have a warm mate who will be with you forever.
You will get to walk in the sun. You will not be
affected by crosses, stakes, or holy water. You will
not need an invite to enter a house. In short you get
to keep all the perks of fangs and immortality that
come with the whole vamp package but you don’t
have any of the downsides. All this you get with a
new mate.”

Spike looked at her skeptically. This was terribly
tempting. However, “The Slayer’s gonna get old
and die, even if I am around. What then?”

“And this is why I need you.”

“You want me to turn her?”

She shook her head, “No. When the slayer line was
created to fight the forces of evil and protect the
world from the abominations we thought that there
ought to be some... rewards for taking up such a
large burden.”

She paused for a moment, considering how to
continue, “I suppose you hear how no Slayer lives
beyond the age of 25. How the Slayer is always
alone. You know all that rot. Do you know why all
these qualifiers exist?”

Spike shrugged, “Hazard of the job.”

She shook her head, “Not at all. They’re artificially
imposed. All slayers are isolated and trained to be
isolated by their watchers. This gives them little or
no will to live, as you know. So at this point it’s
unlikely that the girl will live long.”

She sighed and continued, telling Spike the reason
why there was no slayer who had lived past twenty-
five. She told him all that he had suspected and was
still somewhat surprised to hear. She finished
relating and looked back up to him.

“You understand now, you have to protect her. In
thousands of years this is the first slayer who’s
come close to realizing her gift, that I gave her.
She’s the strongest in hundreds of years and the first
who’s sought out her gift without knowing what it
was.”

She saw his eyes and smiled. She knew already.
“Thank you.”

Chapter 10:

They sat in Spike’s living room, having just heard
the last of his story. Spike looked to the two of his
guests to gauge their reactions to his story. He knew
there was going to be something to be said now.

Buffy’s eyes were tearing up. It couldn’t be true.
She turned to her watcher, “Is it true, Giles?”

Giles seemed a little flustered, “Well . . . ”

“Is it true? Is it true that the council kills all slayers
once they reach the age of twenty-five? Is it true?”

Giles had the decency to look abashed, “Yes it’s
true.”

Her eyes teared up, “Why?”

Giles drew in breath, “As Spike said, slayers
naturally don’t die, they’re immortal. When the
council came into existence our first priority was to
help the slayers protect the world. We trained them
the best that we knew how. The job of the council
was to keep the slayers alive.” He paused, letting his
words sink in before continuing. “For a while that
was the sole purpose of the council.”

“What changed?”

“It began when the council noticed some of the
slayers that were living longer. Some would grow to
be thirty or forty years old. However they would
seem to be no older than their mid twenties. They
realized that slayers would reach their peak in their
early twenties and would stop aging, as Spike has
already related.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“The council believed that if the slayer knew about
their agelessness, they would question the authority
of the council. They might seek their own way and
deviate from what the council wished. We couldn’t
have that. So, to insure the authority of the council,
we made sure that no slayer would ever come to
know of their own immortality.”

“And the other parts, about the way that vampires
and slayers are closely related?”

Giles nodded, “Another reason we had to hide it.
How could we tell women to kill those beings
which are so closely related to them and the only
creatures with whom they can mate?”

Tears were flowing silently down her face now,
“When were you planning on telling me this? Or
were you? Were you just hoping I would die before
it got time for that?”

“Buffy I-”

Spike stood up, sensing her distress, and knowing
that there was no more information that the watcher
could give them this night. He walked over to the
other man, “I think it’s time you left.”

“Well I. . .”

Buffy was in tears by this point, “Just go, Giles.”

Giles stood up, affronted. He stood up and glared at
the vampire before gathering his coat and leaving
the house, the door slamming behind him.

As the sound reverberated through the house Spike
rushed over and knelt by his woman, drawing her
into his arms. He rocked the weeping woman
gently, hoping that the contact would soothe her.

“How could it be? I trusted him. How could he have
kept that from me?”

Spike’s heart broke for the small girl in his arms. He
really had nothing to offer as comfort. “I’m sorry
pet. I wish it wasn’t so.”

He rocked her gently as her crying died down. He
shifted as her crying died down so that he was
sitting on the couch holding her on his lap. He felt
torn, she had needed to know, but the knowledge
had hurt her so much. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have
told you.”

She shook her head, which was still buried in his
chest, “I’m glad you did. It’s just that I trusted him
so much.” She looked up at him and smiled weakly,
“Thank you for telling me.”

“Of course pet.”

She tried to smile again, “Imagine, I’m gonna live
forever. You’re gonna be stuck with me for the rest
of your un-life.”

He chuckled at her attempts at lightness, “Yeah, luv.
I am at that. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


She sniffled and looked up at him, “Spike, could I
stay here with you tonight?”

“Are you sure that’s wise, luv?”

She nodded, “I want someone to comfort me. Could
you do that?”

His heart melted. How could he refuse her? “Of
course luv, anything you want.”

She sniffled again, “Thanks.” She collected herself,
sniffing lightly and drying her eyes with the back of
her hand, before looking back at him. “So, you
really left Drusilla for me?”

“Well, yeah. As I said, I felt empty after I left. I kept
thinking about you.” The slayer snuggled down into
his arms, listening to him speak. She looked so cute,
he thought. “All that I could think of was how you
looked when you were dancing. I thought about how
intensely you fought. Never been anyone else like
you.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Not at all. Why else do you think the angel chose
you? You’re special. When I thought that you might
have died here by Angelus’ hand, it just didn’t sit
well with me. Don’t know what the world would do
without you in it.”

The slayer sighed, snuggled into his chest. He heard
her breathing deaden as the stress caught up to her.
He decided that he ought to keep talking, since it
seemed to be calming to her. “Do you remember the
first time we met? You were in that club, dancing.
Even then I could feel you, that you were like no
other slayer. You seemed so beautiful and so
powerful out there. And yet at the same time you
seemed so innocent. God how I wanted that
innocence. You have no idea how jealous I was of
anyone who was near you.”

Her breathing was slow and deep now, drifting into
sleep. He looked down at her, “You have no idea,
even back then I was protective of you. I knew that
was wrong but I wanted you. I couldn’t bear the
thought of anyone hurting you.”

The slayer’s breathing was deep and she was most
definitely asleep. He smiled down at her and kissed
the top of her head, pausing to draw in the scent of
her hair. Lifting her up into his arms for the second
time in three days and carried her into his bedroom.
He set her down and then slipped in next to her,
smiling when she turned in her sleep to curl up
against him.

**********

Buffy woke up refreshed and completely content for
the first time in over a week. She was aware of
where she was and who she was with. She knew
why her body was so calm and not screaming out in
protest as it had been doing for the past week.

She shifted closer to the body next to her. The arm
around her waist tightened and she sighed.

“Morning luv.”

“Morning.” She looked up at the vampire next to
her. He was looking at her with half-opened eyes,
still heavy from sleep. “Thank you Spike, for letting
me stay.”

He smiled faintly, still not quite awake. “Anytime.
Now, what do you plan to tell your friends and your
mum?”

“You mean about me spending the night?”

“I was referring to the topic of conversation last
night, but if you prefer. . .”

“Oh, that.” She sighed, “I guess the whole truth.
Especially mom, she ought to know. Although I’m
not sure that they will all believe us.”

“We could ask Tionne to tell them.”

Her head snapped up, “You could do that? I could
meet her? Really?”

He shrugged, “We could request her presence. She
is very busy and I’m not sure she would come. But
yeah, we could.”

“You mean, she might not come if we called her?”

He held her close, “Don’t worry pet, I’m sure you’re
friends will understand and I’m sure they’ll believe
you, even without divine intervention.”

She shook her head, “You don’t know Xander.”

“I think I know enough, pet. He’ll come around. His
first priority is to you, no matter how his methods
may seem otherwise.” He tried to comfort her,
knowing that this would be a sticking point with
her, “Besides, I think he’ll be more angry with your
watcher than he will be ready to believe that I’m
lying arbitrarily.”

She settled down against his chest. He was probably
right anyway. She toyed lightly with the fabric over
his chest. “Spike, I really liked this. I think I would
like to do it again.”

“You mean discovering painful secrets and
alienating more people?”

She glared at him, slapping him lightly. He
chuckled, “I know what you’re talking about luv. I’d
love it if you could stay here more often. We’d have
to talk to your mum though.” At her nervous look
he said, “Don’t worry, luv. Your mum’s a good
lady.”

“She really hated Angel, though. I’m not sure how
she’ll feel about you.”

“Well, having the person her daughter was dating
introduce himself by telling her that he had made
love to her and then try and terrorize her is not the
way to win hearts and minds.” He smiled gently,
“I’m sure that if I stay away from that, she’ll
understand.”

******

A/N: sorry it's short, i ran out of ideas.

Happy holidays!

In one of the buildings in the small downtown of
Sunnydale was the mayor’s office. A building of
neo-classical design, it stood with all the pomp and
dignity that the style had held for a thousand years.
The white marble columns gleamed in the sunlight
while the rest of the building was of red brick and
glass.

In the second story above the imposing stairway
were the offices of Richard Wilkins III, mayor of
Sunnydale and founder as well. He had seen a
hundred years with the town, a hundred years since
he had signed over his soul for a chance at
immortality. He had shook hands with the devil and
had never looked back.

Mayor Wilkins looked to the future. He had no time
for regret. His plans were ambitious to say the least.
He sought and he planned to get.

And at the moment he planned to get his little
yellow golf ball into that damn hole across his
office on a fake green. He set his feet square and
shifted his weight. He leveled the head of his putter
on a line with the small hole and drew back, letting
the club swing forward to contact the ball. The ball
rolled across the floor and skimmed the left side of
the hole, sadistically refusing to go in.

“Oh, gosh darn it. You know, I’d sell my soul for a
decent short game. But I guess it’s a little late for
that, eh?” He laughed, a high pitched annoying
sound.

His assistant next to him stuttered, trying to break in
but fearful of doing so. Over the time that he had
known Wilkins he had seen some horrible things.
He had considered turning over to the other side a
time or two but the things he had seen kept him in
line.

“I know, I know. So, we have a Spike problem,
huh?” He walked over and retrieved his ball.

“He c-c-came into town a week or so ago, according
to sources at Willie’s and other places. He’s taken
up residence at a private house, we’re not sure
where yet.”

“Well, we better find out then. Shouldn’t we?”

Here was about to come some bad news, and the aid
knew it. “W-w-well, it seems that we can’t.”

Wilkins straightened up from his position about to
take another put, “Well why gosh-darn not?”

“It seems as if the place has w-w-wards around it,
preventing any uninvited from looking upon it.”

“Like the home of the order of the Pheonix?”

“Yes s-sir.”

“I love that book.” He bent over again, taking a
good look at the ball he was hoping would go into
the hole this time. “So, we can’t find him at his
home. Do we know what he’s been up to?”

The aid flipped through a notebook he was holding,
“Um, yes. He’s been making quite a stir with the
demon community. Apparently he has participated
in the tournament of Aarok-mar.”

That caught the mayor’s attention, “Aarok-mar, the
challenge tournament. Are you sure?” The aid
nodded. “Who with?”

“Angel.”

“Did he kill him?”

“Umm, no. Apparently it created quite an upset.
They were fighting over the claim on the Slayer and
it was expected that Spike kill Angel. The fact that
he didn’t leaves Angel humiliated and degraded
among the demon community.”

“They were fighting over claim to the Slayer?”

“Yes.”

“Well, this is unexpected. And he didn’t kill
Angel.” The aid shook his head. “Well, this is
unexpected. Claiming a Slayer. The Slayer of
Slayers has claimed a Slayer, how ironic.”

“Umm, sir.”

“I know, we have to deal with the Spike problem.
This thing with the warded house does present a
problem though. And the fact that he has claimed a
slayer.”

“Sir, what does claiming entail, exactly?”

“It means that she is not going to want him hurt.”
He drew back his putter again and let it swing
forward sending the ball towards the hole again. It
missed to the left. “It also means that he is not going
to want her hurt.”

“Sir?”

He retrieved his ball and brought it back, readying
himself for another put in. “We’re going to have to
figure a way to get rid of this problem. This is a
crucial year. We can’t have a loose cannon rock the
boat.” He pulled back his putter and hit the ball. It
sailed across the floor and into the small hole.

“Should I send a committee to deal with the
problem?”

“Yeah, go do that.”

Buffy walked nervously through the halls towards
the twin doors of the library. She had called a
meeting of the Slayerettes to let them know what
was going on. They needed to know what had
happened and know what the score was.

Perhaps meeting in the library had not been the best
idea but it was the only place she could think of that
was reasonably private. They had to hear the truth
and it wasn’t something they could do in a very
public place. So the library had seemed like the only
possible solution.

She pushed open the double doors to see her friends
milling about. Giles was not with them, she
assumed that he was in his office since the library
was not locked. If he was not out here talking to
them they couldn’t know about what had happened.
They also wouldn’t be turned against her by his
Council rhetoric.

Xander and Willow turned to look at her as she
walked in while Cordelia, Oz, and Faith still stayed
off in their own worlds, concerned with their own
issues. Willow smiled, “Hey, Buffy!”

She smiled weakly, “Hey.”

Willow’s face fell slightly, “What’s wrong? Is
something wrong? Can we help? I mean if
something’s wrong we can help. That’s what we’re
here for, to help you.”

“No, everything’s fine. I just gotta talk to you guys.”

Xander looked over at her, “You gonna tell us about
what happened after we left the other night?”

“Yeah.”

Cordelia tossed her head as she filed her nails,
“Why do we have to be here, then. I mean, it was
fun and all but I don’t want to know about what you
do in your personal time.”

“There’s some stuff that Spike told me that I think
that you guys need to know. Something really
important.”

Xander shifted slightly, settling his elbows on his
knees, “He tell you why he’s decided to go all white
hat then?”

“Yeah, but there’s something else too that concerns
your safety.”

“Well, what is it then?”

She drew in breath, “Spike told me and Giles that he
was contacted by an angel called Tionne. She talked
to him and told him that it was his destiny to come
here and to protect me and to be a force for good.
She told him a bunch of stuff about how the world
was in trouble and how I was needed and that if he
helped me he would be happy.”


She paused, drawing in breath. Willow looked at
her, “I’m guessing that that’s not all.”

Buffy shook her head, “The angel said some other
stuff too. Scary stuff.”

“Like what?”

“About the Council.” She stopped for a moment,
steeling herself, “Apparently they’ve been doing
some very bad stuff.”

Faith gave a small snicker, “No kidding, what kind
of stuff?”

“You know how slayers all die young?”

Everyone in the room nodded, Oz spoke up, “Isn’t it
just a hazard of the job?”

She shook her head, “Apparently slayers live
forever. Spike said that the angel told him when
slayers were made she thought there ought to be
some compensation for the girls who were chosen
so she made it so that they stopped aging when they
hit their peaks in their mid-twenties. In this way
they could live forever and never deteriorate with a
mate who would stay with her forever.”

Willow and Xander looked stunned, Faith was
looking at her expectantly, and Oz’s eyebrows were
somewhat higher than usual, “Woah,” Willow felt
like breaking the silence.

“Yeah, woah.”

Xander spoke up, “But if she’s supposed to live
forever with her mate, would that mean that the one
she chooses gets to be immortal too? Cool!”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Slayers are a lot stronger than ordinary people as
you know. Their mates, they have to be just as
strong or stronger. So slayers’ mates are usually
vampires.”

Well that caused quite a stir, she thought. Cordelia’s
head shot around and Oz’s eyebrows actually went
all the way up. Willow’s mouth hung open as was
Xander’s and Faith was smirking.

Buffy continued, “Spike told me that the council
saw this as a threat to the order of things. They
believe that if slayer’s found out reached this stage
that they wouldn’t want to fight by the council’s
rules. They would be hard to control.”

“As if we’re easy to control as is.”

Willow looked at Faith, “You didn’t meet Kendra
though, she was like a machine.”

Buffy spoke up again, “So the council felt
threatened. They decided that to keep control they
would eliminate any possibility of the slayers
finding out. If the slayers don’t die fighting demons
by their twenty-fifth birthday, the council kills
them.”

Faith flew into a rage, “I KNEW IT! I knew there
was something up with those suits! Ever since they
found me they’ve been all over my back trying to
change the way I do things. Trying to take all the
fun out of life. I shoulda’ known they were up to
something like this!”

Xander was sitting there with cold eyes, “Spike told
you this? Why should we believe him? It’s probably
another trick to turn us against each other. I mean
he’s tried to kill us so many times and now he wants
us to believe that Giles, a guy who we’ve always
trusted, is the bad guy?”

Buffy turned to him, “I believe him.”

Xander looked up at her, “Oh really? I’ll bet he’s
making it all up. I bet it’s all lies!”

“It’s not! Giles was there. He confirmed what Spike
said about the council.”

“Oh really? And what about this angel, huh? You
think that’s real too?”

A voice came from the back of the library, “She is.”
Angel walked out from the stacks. “The story about
the angel is true. Tionne does exist.”

“So you’ve seen her too then?”

He nodded, “When I was brought back from hell, I
wasn’t really coherent. But there are a few things I
can remember. One of them was a woman with
purple eyes who called herself Tionne. This is who
Spike is talking about. She’s the angel that controls
much of what goes on in this world.”

“Then why hasn’t she done anything before?”

“She’s quite busy, there’s only one of her. The fact
that she’s shown up now means that something big
must be happening.”

“Well maybe Spike’s making it up, he’s probably
heard all this before.”

Angel shook his head, “Impossible. There’s been no
record of her, and the only people who’ve met her
are for the majority dead by hundreds or thousands
of years.”

“Well I don’t care! I still don’t trust him!” He stood
up a bit and took a few paces before beginning his
tirade anew, “And what about this council thing.”

“Giles confirmed that it was true.”

“So what? They’re the good guys. They run the war
against demons. They’re regular humans who
dedicate they’re lives to the war against evil. They
deserve some respect!”

“But to kill slayers?”

“If that helps in the war I say go ahead! This is war,
and if my time as army guy told me anything it’s
that in war there are always casualties. The way I
see it is that the slayers have to be put down before
they turn traitor by joining with the things they’re
supposed to kill in order to keep the wold safe and
whole.”

Willow tried to break in, “Xander, it’s not right.”

“Look at the world Will. It’s still here, isn’t it? Still
in good shape? It hasn’t been destroyed through all
the times that demons have tried. And the council
has made sure of that. If they’re methods keep the
world rotating then I say stick with what works.”

Everyone in the library was staring at him. Willow
drew away. After a moment a low rumble could be
heard from Angel’s throat, “You’re lucky Spike
isn’t here. As much as I don’t like him I wouldn’t
stop him from tearing out your throat right now
because the only thing that’s stopping me is my
soul. Now get out.”

Xander stood there with the coldest eyes. Faith
looked over to him, “I think you should leave now.”
Xander still didn’t move.

Angel growled, lunging forward and catching the
boy by his collar before dragging him roughly to the
door and throwing him out. Xander flew into the
hall and into the lockers opposite the door. Some
jocks saw the big man throw him into the wall and
snickered lightly before moving on.

As Angel returned Buffy was near tears and Faith
was standing there with empty eyes. No one knew
what to say. Faith finally shook herself out of her
trance enough to go over to Buffy, “Come on, B. I
think you and I need to go take a walk.”

Buffy nodded, being led out the door by the darker
slayer, leaving the rest in the library to digest what
had just happened.

Oz finally broke the silence, “Wow, well that was a
bit of excitement.”

At that point Giles came stumbling out of his office,
bleary-eyed and smelling of alcohol. He was met
with a slew glaring and disgusted eyes. “Oh bloody
hell, did I miss something?”
 

Chapter 13:

Hours later after the sun had set Buffy was out
patrolling the cemeteries. After the meeting in the
library Faith and her had headed towards Buffy’s
home where her mother had just returned from her
buying trip. After relating the events of the past few
days the three women had sat in the living room
eating junk food and watching TV until the sun set
and the two slayers would be able to take out their
aggression elsewhere.

The two slayers had left the house then split up to
vent their own frustrations and muse in solitude.
Buffy had headed into Roanoke Memorial Park as
she started her patrol. She hoped that some vamp
would come up for her to fight.

Surprisingly thought it was pretty quiet out that
night. She only came across one fledgling who put
up only a small fight before he was blowing in the
wind.

Disappointed and still full of energy that she had yet
to find an outlet for she walked through the
cemetery. She was lost in her own contemplation
when she felt a familiar presence behind her. She
stopped, “Come on out, Spike.”

He pulled himself out from behind a tree where he
had been watching her for the moments before she
had called him out. Through their bond he could
sense the tension and anxiety that flowed through
her, and he walked forward and wrapped around her
waist from behind. “What’s wrong luv?”

She sighed, relishing in the calm that his touch
brought her. The claim still had the effect on her
that left her aching for him and his touch. She
sighed, making no move to escape the hold he had
on her, “I told the gang about the council today.”

He sensed some distress from her through the bond
as she mentioned the meeting with her friends that
afternoon. He tightened his arms around her waist,
“I’m guessing that didn’t go too well.”

She shook her head, drawing strength from the form
behind her, “Most of the group was really outraged
when I told them about it. Angel even came out at
the end and verified your story when they tried to
say that you were lying about Tionne.”

Spike grunted, “Gonna hafta’ thank ‘im for that .
Right decent thing for him to do. Now, what do you
mean by most of the gang?”

She leaned back into him, “When I told them most
of them were just appalled at what the council was
doing. But Xander didn’t take it at all like we
thought that he would. He said...” here she broke
down, tears staring to leak from the corners of her
eyes, “he said that the council was right to take such
measures in order to keep control and to keep the
world intact.” She was letting the tears roll freely
down her face now.

Spike turned her around in his arms and drew her
against his chest, letting her cry into his shoulder.
He was shocked, he hadn’t expected this. He had
assumed that the boy’s feelings for the slayer would
come through to outrage at the council at this. He
hadn’t thought that the feelings of jealousy would
manifest themselves this way.

He tightened his arms around her, trying desperately
to bring comfort to the weeping girl in his arms. He
gave out a low grown from his chest, “I’m gonna
kill that boy. Slowly and painfully with lots of
torture.”

Buffy sniffed, “Angel threw him into some lockers
across the hall.”

“Good. Boy needs someone to teach him a few
things and to deal out some pain to his worthless
hide.”

Buffy sniffed again, pulling back slightly to look up
at him, “Spike, we can’t trust him anymore. What
are we going to do?”

“You’re gonna die.”

A vamp had come up behind the two of them as
they had been talking. He was dressed in cargo
pants and an ugly-as-hell jacket over a sea-foam
green shirt.

The slayer rolled her eyes, pulling out of Spike’s
arms and putting her hands on her hips as she faced
down the vampire that had dared to interrupt them
while they were having a moment. “Oh, please. I’ve
heard that line so many times it’s lost all real
meaning. What makes you think you can do any
better than them?”

The vamp smirked, “I got help.”

Vampires began appearing from the woods around
them. They drew themselves into a circle around the
pair in the middle. Finally they all settled down.
There were about ten of them in all. The lead vamp
spoke up, “We were only told to kill Spike here, but
I guess the Slayer will be an added plus.”

Buffy turned back to look at Spike, “Who did you
piss off this time?”

He shrugged, “Dunno luv. Not anyone I know has
enough influence to pull this off though.”

The vamps around them growled, “You should have
never come back Spike, there’s a new boss in town
and they got some stuff goin’ down that you can’t
screw up.”

“Now when have I been known to muck up plans.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “Oh please, Spike.”

Spike looked around, “Sorry folks, but this is my
town again. I’ve come back and I have no intention
of leaving it this time. So you can tell your boss to
piss off unless he wishes to fight me face-to-face
like a real man.”

The vamps around them growled and attacked.
Three of them went for Buffy while five went for
Spike. He managed to duck as one of them swung at
him, catching them and using their momentum to
send him into another two.

Unfortunately one of them managed to get a punch
to his back and he stumbled. He spun around and
received another to the jaw. The next he blocked,
drawing the vamp forward to smash his fish into his
nose, breaking it before digging a stake out and
shoving it into his chest.

The three that had gone down were getting up now
and came at him together. He brought around a
roundhouse to two of them then quickly recovered,
grabbing the third and punching him in the solar
plexus before slamming his knee into his
opponent’s face. The vamp fell to the ground
clutching his face. Spike broke off a tree limb and
staked the vamps coming towards him before he
returned to the one on the ground and shoved the
branch through his chest.

Before he could make another move searing pain
laced through his body. He looked down to see a
crossbow bolt sticking out from his chest while the
remaining vamps disappeared back into the night.

Buffy was finishing up the three vamps that had
come at her when she heard the twang of a
crossbow. She looked over at Spike to see the
crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest. She quickly
dusted the remaining vamp and rushed to his side.

She grabbed his just as he began to fall, bringing
Buffy to her knees. She looked up at the arrow that
looked like it had pierced his heart, “Oh god,
Spike.”

“Pull it out luv, please.”

She looked into his blue eyes and gripped the bolt
sticking out from his chest. She closed her eyes and
pulled, expecting his to explode into dust and
surprised when he didn’t. Instead he howled and
slumped unconscious in her arms.

She threw the arrow aside, shaking his gently,
“Spike? Spike wake up. Please Spike!”

Tears were running down her face again. She had
lost her friend today, she was not going to lose
Spike too. Oh god, please don’t let him dust.

She stood up, wrapping his arm around her
shoulders and her arm around his waist as she
struggled to carry him. She had to get him inside.
She had to get him somewhere safe. She turned to
her house, bearing the heavy male with her, hoping
that he wouldn’t turn to dust from some bit of wood
still left in his heart.

 

Chapter 14:

Buffy struggled under the weight of the unconscious
Spike. She was moving as fast as she could towards
her house but he was heavy and hard to carry. She
had to get him back to her house where he would be
safe from both those out to kill him tonight and
from the nearing rays of the sun.

She rushed to her house where she would be able to
bandage him up. He needed bandages and blood.
Please don’t let him dust, oh God, please. She
hoped that the scent of his blood didn’t attract other
opponents to them.

It was a miracle he hadn’t dusted. Buffy was still
expecting him to deteriorate into dust and scatter to
the wind at any moment. She hoped that he stayed
whole, that he didn’t die.

Oh God, don’t let me lose him now.

She rounded the corner and her house came into
view and she let out a cry of relief. Oh God, please
let him make it. She dragged him up the stairs to her
door and pushed it open, feeling the tension ease
from her body. She was here, he was inside. He
would be safe. She closed the door behind her with
her foot.

The sound of the door closing caught the attention
of Joyce, who had been making herself some snack
in the kitchen. She called out, “Buffy, that you
there?” No answer followed as the Slayer was too
winded to raise her voice to call out and the
condition of the vampire had deafened her to all
else.

Joyce walked out into the living room to see her
daughter, her face streaked with tear tracks, carrying
a man towards the couch and setting him down.
Joyce gasped, recognizing the man. She rushed
forward to help her daughter.

She could see that the man on her couch was
injured. There was a dark stain on his shirt and
blood was caked on his hands and the hands of her
daughter from where she had been carrying him.

Buffy was removing the jacket from Spike and
found her mother’s hands helping her sit him up. As
she pulled off the jacket and threw it aside Joyce
asked, “What happened to him?”

Buffy’s voice almost failed her as she struggled to
answer her mother’s question, “We were fighting
some vamps in the cemetery. They ganged up on
him and shot him with a crossbow bolt. Then he
passed out.”

Joyce was silent. She had puzzled out last year that
this man in front of her was a vampire. After Buffy
had left that night last year she had thought for a
long time over the events of the nigh. She had
assumed, along with other things, that the man she
had seen that night was a vampire.

And she had heard the two girls that afternoon.
They had told her about the meeting in the library
and Joyce had felt for the pain and betrayal that her
daughter must feel.

She had also heard about the vampire her daughter
called Spike. Buffy had told her about the claim,
and about the things Spike had told her. Spike had
in effect given her daughter information that could
save her life and had come to watch out for her
safety. She had been appalled at what she had been
told about the council, and about the response that
her so-called friend had given her out of jealousy.

Now as she watched Buffy remove the bloodied
shirt from the vampire she safely assumed was
Spike she could see the affection for him in her
daughter. Genuine worry and concern shown in
Buffy’s eyes for the man she had carried to safety.

Joyce saw the wound on his chest now that his shirt
was gone. It was a deep hole with red swelling
around it with blood flowing from it. Quickly, she
went into the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit
before rushing into the kitchen and grabbing a knife,
bringing the items to her daughter.

Buffy looked at her mom and gave her a weak smile
in thanks before reaching into the kit before drawing
out the bandages and a towel. Carefully she wiped
the blood off his chest, picking out any remaining
splinters she found in the round wound. After
cleaning him off she placed clean gauze over the
wound and taped it down.

That task completed Joyce cleaned up the bloody
towel and his ruined shirt and took them into the
kitchen where she tossed the towel into the sink
where it wouldn’t stain anything else. She took the
shirt into the laundry room and pulled out a pre-
treater and began to spray it on the stain, hoping to
get rid of some blood before putting it in the
machine.

Buffy looked down at the still-unconscious vampire
laying on her mother’s couch. The immediate
danger was gone, since the wound had been cleaned
and all remaining splinters had been removed. Idly
she stroked his hair, she had been so worried that he
would dust and be lost to her forever. The fact that
he hadn’t surprised her and relieved her. But still he
looked paler than he should.

During the last fight one of the vamps had clawed
her and had managed to cut open her forearm. Spike
needed blood. There was no bagged blood in the
house. And slayer blood would help him heal faster
than pig’s blood. With the knife she had used to cut
the bandages she cut into the healing skin of her arm
and held the bleeding wound to his lips.

For a moment there was nothing from the blonde
vampire. Then came a gentle sucking on her wound.
Buffy could have wept for joy. She held her arm to
his mouth as the pulls at her blood grew stronger.

The sucking on her arm suddenly stopped and his
blue eyes opened. She pulled her arm away and he
wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his
hand, licking the last drops from there as well.
Slowly he sat up, wincing at the pain in his chest.

“I think you should rest, Spike.”

“And I will, just wanna be sitting up while doing
so.” He pulled himself into a seated position,
turning so his legs were on the floor in front of him.
He motioned for Buffy to come up and sit next to
him.

She crawled onto the couch on his uninjured side.
She threw her arms around his neck and pressed
herself to his body, clutching to him as if afraid he
would disappear. He wrapped his arms around her,
drawing her closer to him. “I was so worried about
you, Spike.”

“It’s ok luv.”

She was crying into his shoulder now, her sobs
shaking her body, “I was afraid you were going to
turn to dust right in front of me. I could have sworn
that the arrow hit your heart. Then you passed up
and when I shook you nothing happened. You
wouldn’t wake up and I thought...”

Spike took her face in his hands and brought his
mouth down on hers to quiet her tears and to
reassure her. Her mouth was soft under his. He
tasted the salt on her lips from the tears that had
been rolling down her face.

His kiss was gentle and firm. His kiss was a
reassurance, that he was still there and that he
would always be there. It told her that he was ok.
His kiss was a promise that he would stay with her
and wouldn’t dust any time soon.

He pulled back to look down at the dazed eyes of
his girl. She needed to be reassured, and he was
going to give her that, “I’m not dusting anytime
soon, luv. As long as you’re here in this world I
can’t dust. I would never leave you behind.”

Another tear had escaped her eye as he told her this.
He bent his head down and gently licked it up
before returning his mouth to hers. He licked at her
lips, asking her for entry and she complied, letting
him in. Her tongue came out and danced with his
and she could taste her won tears on him.

This kiss was a bit more forceful than the last one.
He claimed her again with his mouth on hers, his
savagery and possessiveness coming across. He let
her know that she was his and he wanted her more
than anything.

Spike pulled away from their kiss letting his woman
breathe in panting gulps of oxygen. Spike moved
down to her neck, nipping and worrying the skin
there with his blunt human teeth. He moved over his
old mark and licked at it gently.

Buffy felt him at her neck and she knew somehow
what it was he wanted. She tilted her head to the
side, giving him better access to his old mark. She
trusted him there at her neck, and she had given him
a sign of that trust.

Spike growled and let his face shift to the sharp
planes of his demon form. Gently he bit down into
the skin at her neck, reasserting his claim on her. He
took a long pull on her blood and drew back, licking
the wound closed with his rough tongue. He
growled out, “Mine.”

Buffy wasn’t sure exactly why, but his bite was
reassuring to her. The worry she had felt ebbed
away as he drank from her. His bite made her feel
safe, an irony that was not lost on her. As he pulled
away she felt something else and it almost
overwhelmed her, “I can feel you now.”

He nodded, “Second part of the claim, luv. You
willingly let me in, and now I’ve bonded us
together. You’re stuck with me now, no getting
away from it. You’ll always be able to sense me and
I’ll be able to sense you. You never have to be alone
again.”

Buffy was so happy. She jumped at Spike and
wrapped her arms around his neck. Ever since her
father left she had been afraid of people leaving her,
developing into quite a nasty abandonment issue.
Now she had a promise from someone that he never
would. She was overjoyed.

Next