Chapter 15:

Interlude:

I watch her every night. Her guardian angel, so to
speak. I stay in the shadows and watch her as she
fights, making sure she’s safe.

I haven’t approached her. Not since I lost her. Lost
her forever. She can never be mine. Not so long as
he lives. She’s lost to me as long as he lives.

But still I watch her. I watch my light, my love, my
life. Even beyond my reach she is my salvation and
my only hope. She is my reason to live, my reason
to be. Her face brought me through hell and restored
my sanity. She is the inspiration for my art.

She is my sun.

I love her. More than the stars, the grass, more than
my own life. I would give anything to see her smile.
Her laugh lights up the night and her smile is that of
an angel.

My angel.

No, not mine. Not anymore. His. His angel.

Why does he get her? I suffer for my sins, I walked
through hell, I have fought the darkness. What do I
get in return? Nothing. Shame. Knocked in the dirt
and my shining star stolen.

He doesn’t repent. He doesn’t suffer. He comes
back and decides that he wants her. He no longer
kills, but he doesn’t regret having killed. He is
rewarded, given the greatest gift of all without
anything in return.

She would have been mine. She should have been
mine. Mine to hold. Mine to love. Mine to cherish.
Mine forever.

I got the call from a monk in Romania. Too late. He
told me that he had anchored down my soul, that I
would be able to enjoy my life again. That I would
never have to worry about hurting those I love ever
again.

But that’s a moot point now. I was going to claim
her myself, once I got the word. I would ask her to
be with me forever. And we could be together, be
happy, like before her seventeenth birthday.


I cherish that memory while I curse it. I remember
how it felt to hold her in my arms. How she looked
at me with such love and trust as I moved inside her
for the first time. I remember how soft her skin was
and the taste of her skin. I remember clear as day the
heaven I found in her arms that night.

That memory burns into me. And I would have
claimed her, brought us together for all time. We
could be happy and content in our own heaven.

But it’s been snatched away now. I can’t even touch
her because of the feelings I harbor towards her. I
could never hold her as a friend, as a brother. She
will always be my heaven.

Even Angelus knew it. He wanted her, and hated
her for it. He wanted the pleasure that came from
her and he would have taken it, turning her and
changing her sun into the dark moon for his
enjoyment. He loved her as well he could in his
dark obsessive way and hated her for the feelings
she stirred.

So now I watch her from the shadows as she makes
her rounds. She moves so gracefully, so softly. I
watch her as she fights on, unknowing of the gifts
she has.

And so I saw her tonight. I saw him come up to her,
and hold her the way I wish I could. I saw the way
she sagged into the arms I hate and envy. I heard
him comfort her as she told him the pain she felt
inside.

And I saw the fight. I saw how they distracted her as
they tried to kill him. I prayed as I watched that they
succeeded, that he would die and free her from him.
Let me have her again. Let me hold her.

And so the crossbow bolt struck his heart, and the
group backed up thinking he would dust,
unknowing of the claim that protected him from
such and easy death. I saw her run to him and pull
the arrow from his chest before he passed out. I
watched her carry him to her home.

I followed her. I watched over her. I fought off those
who were coming for the blood of my childe. I
couldn’t let them hurt her. As much as I hated him
they would kill her to get to him. I could never let
them get her.

As she got to her house I watched through the
window as the two women cared for him. I watched
as they bandaged him. Why does Joyce accept him
so readily? Why does she heal his wounds while she
shuns me? What has he done that makes him worthy
in her eyes?

And I watched as my angel cut her arm to feed him.
I watched as she gave him that precious liquid that
filled her veins. I saw her do that for him.

And she went into his arms. My heart seemed to
break as she threw herself into his arms. I wish
more than anything that it was me who held her as
she cried. I wish it was me who dried her tears. I
wish it was me who she turned to and felt safe.

And he kissed her.

He kissed my angel, my heaven, my paradise. He
took my life from me with that kiss. Once again my
heart ripped in two as I watched him dry her tears
with kisses, kisses I wished I had given her. Kisses I
couldn’t give her. Kisses with a promise, with
desire. And I hate him for it.

And then he completed his claim. She’s his now, in
truth. Never mine. She gave her neck to him, let him
bite her. He has made her his again. And he will
never let her go.

She’s lost to me forever. As long as he lives she will
feel him through that bond. He will always be a part
of her, so long as he walks this earth.

So long as he walks this earth.

Now as I sit here in my home, staring at the fire and
drinking myself into oblivion I find myself thinking
of her. My angel. In the arms of the man I hate the
most.

I want to make her happy. I want to see her smile. I
want to hold her in my arms once more, to feel her
soft skin and the firm muscle. I want her to be mine
once more. To hold, to have, to love and to cherish.

But he has her. He holds her when she cries. He
wipes away her tears. He kisses her fears and
worries away. And he will get to make love to her.

So long as he walks this earth, I cannot have her.

He claims her. She’s his now. The claim he has on
her protects them both. They feel each other. He
will know her feelings. She will know his. I wish I
could be that close to her, to have a part of me with
her always, never alone.

I cannot have her.

I will have her.

My heaven, my angel, my Buffy. I will have her.
She will be mine and we will be happy. We will
find that heaven together once more. I will have my

paradise, I will hold it in my arms once more.

Once he no longer walks this earth.

His claim protects him. It lends him strength. He
will not die by stake and he will be able to stand in
the sun for a few minutes before he burns. If he
mates with her the sun will never burn him.

So how do I remove him from this earth? How do I
take back what is mine? How can I get what I want,
what I need to keep going.

Once he no longer walks this earth, she will be
mine.

My love, you will be mine. We will be together
once more.

I love you Buffy.
 

Chapter 16:

Giles sat in his office, staring through his drunken
haze at the telephone. He’d been in a drunken state
for the past few days since his slayer threw him out
of Spike’s house. Now he sat in a stupor looking at
the phone wondering whether or not to call
someone.

And he knew who to call. He’d call the council.
Yeah, that’s what he’d do. That would show her!
He’d tell the council!

But he’d be betraying Buffy. Buffy, who was like a
daughter to him. He loved Buffy even though she
had found out about the plans of the council. She
was endearing in her own way.

But she’s the one that drove him to drink. She was
the one who knowingly disregarded the council.
She’d doubted him, thrown him out and now put
more trust in a soulless vampire than she did in him.

He’d show her trust! He was a good man! Not
Spike, never Spike.

He picked up the phone, and pushed the numbers he
knew well. He listened to it ring once, twice before
someone picked up. “Hello, this is Mr. Giles. I’d
like to speak with Missster Travers please.”

He waited a moment, “Yesh, I’m quite aware of
that, thank you.” He waited a moment again as the
secretary connected him.

“Hello Mr. Travers! What.... Yes, I am quite drunk,
thank you....Why am I calling, you ask? Well, my
slayer.... Yes, as I said before I know exactly what
time it is over there....”

He leaned back in his chair, spinning around once.
This tangled the cord around him before he realized
it and he turned back. “My slayer... Yes, Buffy,
her.... Yes sir, it’s news about her......No, I’m afraid
it’s bad news today....I WILL NOT WAIT TILL I’M
MORE SOBER!.....Sorry, Quentin.... Okay, I’ll tell
you now....

“She’s been frater- fraternizing with a vampire....
no, not Angel.... Spike.... Yes, that Spike..... He’s
claimed her, he’s told her about the council.... Yes,
she knows about her gift, to some
extent...........You’re welcome Quentin, always a
pleasure.”

He hung up the phone and stared at it for a while.
That’d show her! Now the council would come and
yell at her. He picked up his bottle of scotch and
took a deep swig. A few minutes later he had passed
out on his desk, his drool pooling around him.

****

Buffy walked into the school the next day feeling
much better. The feelings of longing that had filled
her since the first time Spike had bitten her were
gone because of the renewal he had placed on her
last night. She felt whole and complete.

She could still feel him, of course. He was back at
her house, sleeping. Her mom had sun-proofed the
guest room for him, insisting he stay so she could
keep an eye on his wounds, as well as wash the
blood-stained clothes. He had agreed, glad to move
as little as possible with the hole in his chest.

He was sleeping contentedly from what the bond
told her. He must be having some pleasant dreams
too, because he was giving off happy waves from
time to time. And his good mood, even in sleep,
was rubbing off through the bond to her.

She began humming absently as she went to her
locker and deposited the things she would not need
and picking up the stuff for her first period. Shutting
the door she caught Willow walking down the
hallway towards her. She waved to her friend, “Hey,
Wills!”

Willow caught sight of her and ran up to meet her,
“Hey Buffy. You’re in a good mood today. Any
particular reason?”

Buffy smiled and shook her head, “Nope. Just in a
good mood is all.”

Willow looked up at her imploringly, “Are you still
mad at Xander?”

Buffy shrugged, “A little bit, yeah. What he said
was really hurtful, but I’ll get over it. He has his
own issues to deal with and I won’t let him drag me
down into them with him. So let’s just enjoy the
day, okay?”

Willow nodded, “This good mood have anything to
do with Spike, pray tell.”

Buffy blushed, and turned away to hide it. “Maybe.
Sort of.” She deposited her stuff in a desk and sat
down.

Willow plopped herself down in a desk next to hers,
“So, dish girl. It’s share time!”

Another voice came from the seat in front of Buffy,
“Yeah, Buffy, tell us what’s the what.”

Xander had deposited himself in the seat in front of
the slayer. He cleared his throat, “Buffy, I’m sorry
about how I acted the other day. It was uncalled for.
I still don’t like the idea of you and that vampire,
but I still want to be your friend if that’s possible.”

Buffy sighed, “He’s a part of my life now, Xander.
You’ll have to learn to deal. I don’t expect you to
accept it, but don’t bring up your prejudices and
we’ll be ok.”

Xander nodded, looking again at his friend, “I’ll try
Buffy. That’s all I can promise for now.” He looked
between the two of the girls, “So you were about to
dish something before I sat down. What’s stopping
you?”

“Xander, class-“


“-Doesn’t begin for another five minutes. It’s still
only 7:05, the bell doesn’t ring until 7:10 and class
doesn’t really begin until the late bell rings at 7:15.
We have plenty of time. Dish!”

“Alright!” She let her eyes fall, “Last night Spike
was hurt in a fight by some other vamps. He was ok,
and I brought him home and patched him up with
my mom’s help.”

Willow broke in when her friend didn’t proceed any
further, “But I doubt that’s why you’re all good
moody this morning, is it?”

Buffy blushed a light pink as the events came back
to her and she felt another wave of contented
happiness roll through the bond, “Nope, not really.”

“Well then spill girlfriend! What’s with the
happiness and the blushing. Not that there’s
anything wrong with being happy. We like happy
Buffy. You should be happy. It’s your right to be
happy.”

“Yeah, Buff. Share the joy and tell us so we can
revel in it as well.”

Buffy was fidgeting with her nails, “After we
bandaged him up and he regained consciousness he
was really sweet. He told me that he would never
dust and that he would always be there for me. And
then we... he kissed me.”

Willow was almost bouncing in her seat, “Omigod
Buffy that is so sweet and romantic! Was it a good
kiss? I bet it was a good kiss. He’s been around for
so long I bet he can really kiss like anything. Was it
good?”

Buffy smiled, “Yeah, it was. It was sweet and he
was so good at it.”

“And when exactly did he bite you then?” Xander
asked.

Buffy’s head shot up, “So I was right then. Really
Buffy, did you think I wouldn’t notice? It’s there on
your neck, clear as day.” Buffy brought her hand to
her neck.

Willow gasped, “Buffy, he bit you? Are you okay?
Is everything all right.”

Buffy nodded, “Yeah, it is. That’s another reason
for the good mood.”

“How could him biting you serve to put you in a
good mood?”

“It’s the other part of the claiming bite. When he bit
me he stopped the craving and emptiness that I felt
since the first bite. Plus I can feel him now. There’s
this psychic link between us. And the coolest thing
was as he bit me it was as if he was draining all the
worry from me.”

Xander scoffed, “Yeah, I’ll bet it’s part of the
demonic power. Lull their victim into a sense of
security so they don’t fight back.”

“Xander!”

“Can we change the subject? This subject is getting
kind of tense for my liking.”

But Xander wasn’t the only one who had noticed.
Snyder had seen the marks on her neck as well as
she came into the school.

Snyder had long known about her status as the
Slayer. He knew there were good reasons for the
trouble that she caused but that didn’t stop him from
writing her up. He had other plans.

But he had been surprised to see vampire bite marks
on the Slayer as she walked into school this
morning. But it filled him with a sort of glee. He
knew what had been going on through his
connection to the mayor. Those were claiming
marks.

He rushed to his office and told the people working
at the front desk that he had an important call to
make and not to disturb him. He shut the door and
locked it. Walking over to his phone he pushed the
first number on his speed dial.

“Mr. Mayor, I have some interesting news for
you...”

******

Chapter 17:

Buffy was on her way home. School had been a
bitch, as usual, but it couldn’t be helped. It could
also be attributed to the fact that she had been
anxious to get back home. At least she hadn’t come
across Snyder all day. She counted her blessings for
that.

She could feel Spike through the bond. It seemed to
hum almost through her whole body. She felt whole,
for the first time.

He was anxious for her to get home. He was happy
that she was on her way. She could almost see him
in her mind, pacing. She knew he probably wasn’t,
he was probably on her bed playing absently with
something or other but she liked the mental image
pacing-Spike made.

She had filled her mind all day with thoughts about
him. How he was recovering, how her mother was
treating him, if he would need any more blood,
where he would keep his clothes, if she would need
to go by his house to pick some up. Yep, she should
probably do that.

She turned towards his house to get his clothes
before she went home. She sent a message through
the bond of disappointment that she would be kept a
little longer. She felt his irritation lightly come back
through to her.

She couldn’t read his thoughts, and he couldn’t
hers, but they could send feelings to each other. It
had been distracting all day when she would feel
him and his moods. He had chosen one point in the
day to wank off and she had felt that too. That had
been hard to explain why her face was red and she
was panting heavily in the middle of class.

The sun was setting over the horizon as she made
her way over to Spike’s house and the pale orange
glow that had settled over the streets like slow-
flowing molasses disappeared with the final rays of
the sun. Quickly with the sun gone darkness spread
over the land as the sky spread out her blanket of
stars on the world.

She quickened her pace slightly. She knew that soon
there would be all sorts of demons and vampires out
and she didn’t want to deal with slaying stuff right
now. She could if she had to, she supposed, but she
didn’t want to. Plus Spike would get anxious the
longer he was out. Not that she didn’t like an
anxious Spike, but the feeling of him in her head
would be too much.

Her vamp senses had been going haywire all day
long. They had probably been somewhat messed up
when Spike bonded her last night, since she knew
that vamps couldn’t be out during the daytime so it
must be a fluke. Still, she would have to get Spike
to help her with that. She wasn’t able to tell right
now what was Spike and what were other vamps.

As she thought on that a bit of worry crept over her.
Perhaps she should hurry a little more, if she
couldn’t tell if a vamp was near her it could be
dangerous for her to be out after dark.

Spike had obviously sensed her worry because it
was now reflected back at her. She tried to send
some encouragement through to him but she wasn’t
sure if it worked or not. She hoped it did, she didn’t
want him running out here after her if he was still
hurt.

She neared the street that Spike’s house was on. She
rounded the corner and almost sighed in relief as it
came into view. She was almost there now.

Since the sunset, however, she had acquired a tail
that had chosen not to make themselves known.
Young and inexperienced, they were hiding in the
shadows of the streets. Had it not been for her
messed up senses she would have known they were
there already.

But they had known she would not sense them.
They had been told that she would not be at full
potential this evening and had been told to make
good use of the time that they had.

Slowly they followed her, waiting for a while to see
if she noticed them. She didn’t. As she got to a
certain street it seemed that she relaxed greatly and
they knew that she was approaching a safe point.
They knew the time to act was now.

They emerged all around her, scaring her from her
sense of relief. Damn, but she hadn’t sensed these
guys! And there were at least six of them all around
her.

“Guys, this is really not a good night for this. I just
want to be on my way. Could we reschedule?”

One of them growled, “No, this is perfect. You’re
gonna be coming with us now.”

She scoffed, trying to sound sure of themselves,
“Yeah right, what makes you think that’s gonna
happen?”

One of the ones in front of her smiled cruelly, “A
cattle prod.”

Her face twisted in puzzlement before she felt a
shock to her back. Then everything went black as
she faded into unconsciousness.

One of the vampires who had been standing behind
her had held the cattle prod. Now he came forward
and nudged her with his shoe. She didn’t stir. “Do
we kill her now?”

“No, you heard the orders. We’re to bring her in
alive. He said if we killed her that he’d tie us all up
and let us watch the sunrise. Besides, we can’t bite
her anyway. She’s already claimed and bonded, and
we’d get in big trouble if we drank from her now.”

“So, we just bring her in then? You carrying her or
what?”

****

Spike had been pacing anxiously, waiting for Buffy
to return from school. Joyce had been nice and put
thick drapes up through the house so he was able to
move around freely. He was grateful to her for that,
she was a very nice lady.

He wanted Buffy home, now. He had been waiting
all day. The bond between them was new and this
feeling of separation was not good for him. He
wouldn’t be able to go with her until they were
mated so for the time being he was stuck here while
she went out.

During the past few weeks he had grown very
attached to her. He had always known that she was
remarkable but being close to her he was able to see
it more clearly. He thanked the angel that had come
down to him and told him to claim her. He had
someone who was his now, and who would never
leave him.

He had been able to feel her in his head all day. For
a while he had relished that, amusing himself for a
little bit by seeing how embarrassed he could make
her. But now as the sun was setting he was getting
worried as he sensed her unease through the bond.

She was trying to send him more soothing feelings,
but he could tell she was worried. He was worried
too. He had never heard of bonds between slayers
and vampires before, although Tionne had told him
it had happened. He didn’t know how they would
effect each other.

Suddenly he felt a great amount of fear come
through the bond. He straitened up immediately.
She was in trouble. He told himself to calm down,
that she was the slayer and that she could handle
herself. She would be OK.

Then there was nothing. The feeling in his head
stopped and he knew that she had gone
unconscious.

He jumped up, “Bloody Hell!” He grabbed his
jacket and rushed out the door, heading for the one
person who would know what to do. He might not
be the most reliable, but he would have the phone
numbers Spike needed.

Chapter 18:

Spike was pacing the library floor as the Scoobies
sat around warily. Spike had gotten Giles to give
him the phone numbers of the Slayer’s mates, and
he had called them telling them to come over to the
library immediately. He had told them little, only
that his Slayer was in trouble and he might need
their help.

It had been a chore to get the information out of the
watcher. The man had been passed out in his office
and very hung over. Spike could smell stale alcohol
on the man and it almost sickened him. It smelled as
if the man had been bathing in the stuff for almost a
week.

Now the gang had gathered in the library and were
discussing what could have happened to the Slayer
while Spike paced anxiously up and down the
library floor. All were assembled, including
Cordelia, who had yet to utter a single protest.

Faith was there as well. She looked at Spike with
sympathy and occasionally shot angry glares at the
watcher who was holding an ice pack to his head.
She was genuinely worried about the fate of the
only person who had shown any concern for her and
could completely sympathize with the anxiety that
Spike felt.

Cordelia spoke up from her seat as far away from
Xander as she could get, “You know it would help
if you could give us a little more to go on. How do
you even know that she’s in trouble, anyway?” She
had been rather distant from Xander ever since the
last time they had all been in the library together. He
no longer made her feel safe.

Spike growled, “I’d tell you if I knew more. All I
know is that she was out. She was coming home and
it got dark. Then I felt a surge of fear from her and
then nothing. She was knocked out. I won’t know
anything else until she regains consciousness.”

Willow spoke up, “So, what will you do when she
wakes up?”

He growled again. He was anxious, “I’ll know
where she is and in what kind of state.”

“You can tell all that through the claim? What if she
doesn’t wake up?”

His eyes flashed amber, “Don’t even think that!
She’s ok, she’s going to wake up and then I’ll find
her and tear to pieces the person who tried to take
her away from me.”

“I’m wondering how anyone was able to get to B
and knock her out. She’s a great fighter, one of the
best I’ve seen. She might be better even than I am.”

“Someone knew. They knew she couldn’t sense
vampires again yet and they took advantage of it.”

“What do you mean she can’t sense vampires?!?
B’s got the most acute vamp sense I’ve ever heard
of. How could that be on the fritz?”

Spike fell into a chair, “It’s my fault. My claim
threw off her senses. It was still new, she shouldn’t
have been out without me. I knew it would be like
this for a few days.”

Willow wanted desperately to comfort him, “Hey,
don’t be like that. You couldn’t have known that
someone would take advantage of it. I mean, it’s not
your fault.”

“So this is all Buffy’s fault. This is what she gets for
hanging out with monsters like him.”

Spike’s demon came to the forefront as he shot to
his feet. He was going to rip out the boy’s throat this
time, there was nothing stopping him from doing it.

“Now isn’t this an interesting little group meeting
here.”

Xander was saved from the wrath of Spike’s angry
demon by the arrival of a new person in the room
who now stood in the doorway of the library.
Principal Snyder was standing there looking at the
group and at Spike who was in full game face at this
point. And he was not flinching or starting as he
saw Spike’s demon, as if he had expected it.

“Who the bloody fuck are you?”

“You know, I really should report this unauthorized
meeting. And Mr. Giles, I see that you’re out of
your office. Had a bit much to drink, perhaps? I’d
fire you if I could, but as you know, my hands are
tied in that department. Otherwise you would have
been gone a long time ago.”

Spike growled. He didn’t like this man, “You
haven’t answered my question yet. Who are you?”

“Now, now, temper. If you were one of my students
you would be punished for such a show of
insolence. But then again, I don’t teach any
monsters or freaks at this school. At least, not
anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

Willow spoke up, “That’s principal Snyder. Don’t
you remember him?”

“Well I remember you. You ruined my parent-
teacher night last year. I’m happy that I’ve removed
some of the corrupting influences that caused that
from my school.”

Spike lunged at him, pinning him to a wall with one
of his forearms, “What did you do with my girl?”

“Spike, what are you doing?!?”

Spike never let the arm slip from the grip on the
principal, “This worm knows what’s happened to
Buffy. He keeps hinting that she’s not coming back.
Haven’t you been hearing it? And I want to know
where my girl is and this worm knows what’s
happened.”


“Even if I do, what makes you think that I’m going
to tell the likes of you?”

Spike smiled maliciously, “I heard about what
happened to the last principal here. Eaten by wild
dogs, wasn’t he?”

Snyder’s face paled considerably as Spike
continued, “Now those were only wild dogs, after
all. Now have you ever seen what a vampire set on
mauling a person can do? I have. A hundred years
and you learn a few things. Do you know how much
blood there is in a man of your size? How many
bones can be broken before a man collapses from
the pain? I do. Wanna find out?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you anything. I was told to
wait...”

“Well then I suppose I should start breaking things
off. I’ve always wondered if I could remove ribs
from a person who’s still alive without them passing
out.”

“All right. The mayor sent some people out to
collect her. They knew you were back in town and
being friendly with the slayer and they thought the
two of you together would put a hamper in their
plans for this year. So they took advantage of the
new claim and took her.”

“And how, pray tell, did they know about the
claim?”

“I told them. She came into school today with those
marks on her neck and I knew what she had been
doing. It was obvious to anyone who knows what to
look for.”

“And where are they keeping her?”

“Downtown in the mayor’s office. They were going
to keep her out for a while and then wake her up,
letting you know where she is so you would come
down and they would kill you.”

Spike smiled, a cold smile that held no mirth,
“Congratulations. That was the right information.
I’m not going to torture you now.” Snyder breathed
out a sigh of relief.

Spike let go of the man and gripped each side of his
head with each of his hands. With a swift movement
he broke the man’s neck and let the body fall
uselessly to the floor, “That doesn’t mean I’m not
going to kill him for what he did to my girl though.”

He turned around to face the scared, and somewhat
admiring, Scoobies. “You heard what he said, didn’t
you? She’s at the office downtown. Pack up the
supplies, we’re going to get her back. Now.”

Chapter 19:

A/N: the last chapter had some violence that wasn't
too bad. This one is a bit more graphic with the murder.
Consider yourself warned.
*******

Buffy slowly swam to consciousness through the
darkness that enveloped her mind. Her head hurt.
Her back hurt, her whole body hurt. She groaned,
shifting slightly.

A voice spoke up, “Oh you’re awake then. That’s
super!”

She knew that voice. She had never met the person
it belonged to but she had heard it often enough on
TV when her mom would watch the news. She
wasn’t totally out of touch. Slowly she opened her
eyes and there in front of her was Mayor Wilkins
himself.

Buffy became more aware of her surroundings. Her
arms were chained behind her back and her ankles
were tied together. In her mouth was a wadded up
cloth and there was a strip of Duck Tape over her
mouth to hold it all in, acting as an effective gag.

The room was carpeted and the windows were
blocked out. The sun wasn’t up yet outside, she
could tell from the fact that no light came from
behind the blinds. That was good, it meant that she
had only been out a couple of hours.

In the room were a group of vampires, along with
Mr. Trick. They were standing about, as Mr. Trick
idly fingered some of the exotic objects that were
located around the room. There were only about
three others, not a real force just enough to make
sure that she was bound up real well.

In her head she could feel Spike. He was worried
about her. It seemed that her awakening had eased
him some though, she could feel a small thread of
relief flow through the bond to her. And
determination. There was a lot of that. He was
planning something. She thanked God for that.

She glared at the Mayor. He laughed at her look,
and picked up a glass that was sitting on his desk
that was filled with a deep red wine. He took a long
sniff and then raised the glass to his lips and took a
sip of it. “You know there’s nothing better than a
good wine. This is a blend from 1895. I’ve been
saving it myself for a very special occasion. I was
going to drink some at the opening of the new
Youth center next week but I thought this would be
more fitting.”

He raised the glass back up to his lips, “Delicious.
And fitting, to have such a great wine on the night I
get rid of the two greatest obstacles in my path to
greatness: you and your vampire mate.”

Her eyes widened at this. He was going to kill her
and Spike. But then...

“You’re wondering why I haven’t killed you yet.
Well it’s quite simple, little missy. I need you alive
so that your friend Spike will know where you are.
He’ll sense your distress and come to your rescue,
just like all those old fairy tales. Only this one
doesn’t have a happy ending.”

Spike could sense where she was through the bond?
Cool. Oh wait, not cool. He was going to get killed.
Not good. And the Mayor was still talking, “Right
now I bet he’s overcome with joy to know that
you’re not dead. He’s probably at his home rushing
off now to save you. Knowing how much he
distrusts people I’m guessing he’s gonna come
alone so he can seem more the gallant hero. I’m
thinking that I have a good hour or so before he gets
here.”


Buffy realized that indeed, she could sense where
Spike was through the bond. And he was not
at her house. He was a lot closer than that. Less than
a quarter mile, actually. And it didn’t feel as if he
was by himself either. That was comforting.

Wilkins took another drink out of his glass. “This is
excellent. I’d let you have some only you’re too
young. Perhaps I’ll let you have some after Spike
has been taken care of, just so you can get a taste of
this stuff. It seems a shame to go a lifetime, even
one as short as yours, without having a taste of good
wine.”

Something was happening with Spike. There was
more anger being transferred through the bond, and
it seemed as if he was under more physical stress,
too. He must be closer than she had thought.

A light flickered on the Mayor’s phone. He saw it
and pressed it to open the line. “What is it?”

A voice came through the phone, “Sir, it appears we
have a situation.” The voice sounded frightened and
as if the speaker was under a lot of stress himself.

“Well, what is it then. Hurry up, out with it.” He
was slightly annoyed at the interruption of his
enjoyment of a fine glass of good wine.

“Well, it seems that Spike is here a little earlier than
was anticipated, and he’s brought a group with him.
They’ve already killed the guards outside and are on
the way up right now.”

Wilkins released the button for the intercom. “Well,
this is unexpected.” He laughed, “You know, that’s
why I always admired that Spike, he’s so
unpredictable.”

He stood up and walked across the floor to where
the Slayer lay against the wall, “This throws a
wrench in my plans, but it’s nothing that we can’t
fix. Mr. Trick, would you take hold of our Slayer
here?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Mr. Tick came forward
and grasped Buffy’s arm, hauling her into a standing
position. Outside there was a scuffle heard. Spike
was right outside. Trick dragged Buffy to the far
side of the office across from the door and Mayor
Wilkins went behind his desk and sat down.

The door burst open and in came the Scoobies with
Spike in the lead, carrying a crossbow. The
Scoobies were breathing harshly, except for Faith.
The fight up to the office had been less than they
had expected it to be, since they assumed the Mayor
would know that they were on their way. But the
fight had still been hard on those without special
powers.

Spike saw Buffy across the room and his heart
soared. She was ok. He had known it before but
seeing it was a great reassurance to him. He rejoiced
that she was unhurt, mostly, and in one piece.


It did not escape his notice that she was being held
by Mr. Trick. His face, which he had managed to
keep in its human form, changed instantly and he
snarled at the younger vampire.

Mayor Wilkins spoke to the snarling vampire, “Ah,
welcome Mr. Spike. We’re so glad you could make
it. A little earlier than we expected, but no matter.
May I ask how you knew where we were?”

Willow, who was behind Spike, answered him as
the vampire’s sole focus was on Buffy, “Snyder told
us where to find you, um, sir. He walked into the
library and Spike made him tell.”

Wilkins frowned slightly, “Well that’s
disappointing. I thought that he would be able to
handle the responsibility that comes with a job on
the hellmouth. I’ll have to have a talk with him
about that.”

Willow answered again, “Um, too late for that.
Spike killed him.”

“Oh, well that’s just a dog-gone shame. He was
doing a great job with those young people.”

Spike growled. Trick was holding his girl in far too
friendly a manner for him, “Give me back my girl.”

“Ah, see that’s the thing, Mr. Spike. You and your
girl pose a problem, a complication in my plans for
this town. So my thought is to remove potential
problems.”

Mayor Wilkins reached into his desk and drew out a
pistol. Drawing it up he pointed it at Buffy and
pulled back the hammer. The click went through the
office.

“This is a very special gun I have here, Mr. Spike.
It’s not loaded with metal, which I know would be
useless to use on you. These are special bullets.
They’re made of wood and doused in holy water.
Very deadly to vampires. And of course the sheer
force would make them deadly to humans.”

He leaned forward, “Now someone’s going to die
right now, Mr. Spike, and who is up to you. I could
kill her first, making you watch before I kill you.
Or, I could kill you first and agree to keep her alive.
She’d have to be restrained and retrained, mind you,
but she’d be alive.”

Mr Trick spoke up, “Wait a second, that thing’s got
wood in it? And you’re planning on shooting her
while I’m holding her? That’s whack man, that’d
kill me.”

“Oh, Mr Trick, don’t be such a drama queen, it’s all
for the greater good.”

Spike saw an opening, “Shows what you think of
our kind that you’d be willing to sacrifice someone
who’s worked so hard for you just like that. Pretty
nasty if you ask me. But can’t say I can’t admire it.
Great leadership quality. I like that.”


“He’s got a point there. I’ve busted my ass working
for you and you’re gonna kill me so you can get rid
of some broad you don’t really need to kill
anyway?”

“Mr. Trick, don’t be like that. That’s what he wants
you to do, he wants you to get angry with me.”

“So what if he does, he’s got a point. How whacked
are you?”

“Mr. Trick, you will not move or let go of the
Slayer.”

“And get my ass shot with one of them poison
bullets? Forget that.” He let go of the Slayer,
shoving her in the direction of Wilkins and his gun,
using her body as a possible shield for anything that
the Mayor might do.

Spike shot the bolt that was loaded in the crossbow
he held, imbedding it into Mayor Wilkins right
shoulder. Wilkins howled in pain, his arm jerking.
The gun in his hand went off, and the scent of slayer
blood filled the air.

Spike’s face shifted. In a flash he was on the Mayor,
one hand gripping the wrist that had held the gun
and the other on the man’s neck. Spike’s demon
was enraged at the injury done to his mate and he
wanted to take out his anger.

The other vampires in the room had backed off at
the sight of the master vampire now on the Mayor’s
desk. They had heard of, and many had attended, the
challenge fight that had been held beneath the city
streets. They knew of what this vampire could do
when he was challenged. And now the Mayor had
harmed what the demon considered his.

Spike was in a haze of anger. He squeezed on the
wrist in his grip until he felt the bones crunch and
snap and blood flowed over his fingers. He jerked
hard and bone and muscle separated. Tendons tore
and skin came away as the arm was completely
removed from the body.

Giles had pulled Willow against his chest, shielding
her eyes from the gruesome sight. He had done it as
soon as the Mayor had shot Buffy. Xander had
turned away as well, when he saw what Spike had
planned to do. They didn’t fault Spike’s anger. They
even knew that they would have done as much if
they could have. But seeing it done was still
disturbing.

Spike’s hand was still around the man’s neck. He
shifted his grip slightly. He squeezed hard around
the front of the man’s throat, digging his fingers into
Wilkins’ flesh. Then he pulled his hand out fast,
pulling the man’s trachea with him. Blood flowed
over his fingers as the man gasped as he tried to
draw in air as he died of asphyxiation and blood
loss.

Only when Spike heard Wilkins’ heart slow and
stop did he calm down. He looked down at his girl
who was lying on the floor. Luckily she had landed
so she couldn’t see what had happened on the other
side of the desk.

Spike bent down over her and lifted her head in his
bloody hands. He pulled the Duck Tape off her
mouth and she spit out the wadding in her mouth.
He inspected her all over and found where the bullet
had cut into her left biceps as it grazed her when she
fell.

Spike was beyond relieved. He drew her into his
arms, pressing her against his chest. He began
purring quietly as he held her to him. She was going
to be ok now.

“Um, Spike, I’m ok now. I’m gonna be ok, you
don’t have to freak. But could you untie me.”

Spike drew back and crushed his mouth to hers in a
kiss that conveyed the relief and desperation he felt
for her. It was intense and demanding and as he
drew back she was panting for air.

He reached down and tore off the ropes that bound
her ankles. Then he reached around behind her and
tore off the manacles on her wrists. She brought her
wrists around and rubbed them, and when she
looked up he kissed her again.

He stood up, gathering her in his arms. “Spike, I can
walk you know.”

He was carrying her in his arms out the door, “I
know. I just want to hold you for a while. You’re
not leaving my sight again tonight.” He carried her
out the door as the vampires and Scoobies split to
let him pass through. He walked out the building
with the Scoobies following as he walked to his
home.
 

Chapter 20:

Later the group sat around in Spike’s living room
watching TV and eating the food he had in his
cupboards. They were enjoying their traditional
save-the-day-averted-bad-guy party. On the TV was
John Cleese’s informational video How To Irritate
People. They had felt that there was some comedy
needed after the bloody show in the Mayor’s office.

Spike had called Joyce when they had arrived at his
house and told her that Buffy was safe and with him
and would be spending the night over at his home
with her friends where he could watch her. Ever
since then he had not let her leave his sight. There
had been a few moments when he had to but they
were few and he would always look immensely
relieved when she came back. It was amusing for
the other people in the room.

To Buffy herself she wasn’t sure whether to be
amused or annoyed. She understood what he felt, it
was swimming in her mind. But she was all right
and the constant attention was somewhat
suffocating as well. Not to say that it wasn’t nice at
times though.

Buffy knew basically what had happened at
Wilkins’ office. She didn’t know exactly how gory
it had been but she had assumed that Spike had
killed him and brought her out. Willow and Xander
had only said that Spike had killed the Mayor and
Willow had said it was kind of sweet in a gross kind
of way. She hadn’t been able to say more as Giles
had covered her face. Xander was silent on the
subject, and Buffy was surprised that Spike was
letting him stay.

Through most of the night Buffy had not only
stayed in Spike’s vision but most of the time he had
made sure he was touching her. He had held her in
his lap, in his arms, for most of the night. He had
nuzzled her neck and stolen kisses from her during
the movie, assuring himself that she was still there.

Buffy thought that was sweet. She knew what he
was doing. He had been scared and anxious while
she had been gone and he was relieved that she was
back.

Over the course of the evening, however, he had
grown more insistent. He had held her in his lap for
most of the night, nuzzling her neck. His kisses
were becoming more heated and she was sure it was
only the presence of her friends that stopped him at
kissing her.

However the night wore on and her friends got tired.
Faith was the one to suggest they all leave and go
home, noting the two on the sofa and how Spike
was holding and looking at her sister slayer. She
spoke up as the movie ended, suggesting that they
all return home after the hard day. The Scoobies
agreed, all too tired and wrapped up in their own
worries to notice the couple on the couch.

Spike got up and escorted them to the door, Buffy
following behind him. They bid all of them a
goodnight as the Scoobies set out for their own
homes and Buffy almost believed that she saw Faith
pass a wink her way.

Spike was pleased to see them leave. He wanted to
spend some more time with his girl. He had felt a
need to touch her all night, to reassure himself that
she was there with him, safe and sound. Now he
closed the door behind the retreating forms of her
friends and turned to face his girl with a smirk on
his face.

Buffy saw the burn in his eyes and she almost
blushed. She could feel his desire for her in her
mind and she couldn’t deny that she felt something
of the same herself. She had been on his lap, kissing
him all night and had struggled with herself to keep
her rising hormones in check as her friends were
still in the room.

Spike rushed forward, pulling Buffy into his arms
again and pressed his mouth down into hers. He
kissed her with all the pent up desperation and
frustration that he had harbored all night, letting it
flow into her as he kissed her.

He plundered her mouth with his tongue. He
claimed her with his kiss, branded her, and burned
her all at once. He gave her all this and she gave it
back to him. She shared her own passion with him,
letting her tongue dance with his, tasting the musk
of tobacco and alcohol that seemed so masculine.

Their shared bond allowed their feelings to pass
between them. As their arousal grew it passed
between them, feeding on the arousal of the other
and building between them, until the small flame
had blossomed into a raging forest fire.

Spike pulled away from her mouth, letting her gasp
in air. He saw her lips and enflamed he dove back in
for more. He ran his hands down her body as she
grasped the back of his neck while letting her other
hand explore the contours of his back over the black
cotton of his T-shirt.

He reached her ass and squeezed her, pulling her
tighter against him. Through the material of his
pants she felt the hard length pressing against her
pelvis. He lifted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs
around his waist.

Never breaking the contact with her mouth he
turned and headed towards his bedroom. He
continued to pillage her mouth as he carried her
towards his bed. She clung to him as they walked,
holding tightly onto his shoulders with one arm as
she used the other to hold his head to hers, running
her hand through the soft white curls.

He reached his bed and fell onto it with her beneath
him, never breaking contact. He moved his hands
up her sides then propped his weight off her. He
took his mouth from her mouth and moved it down
to her throat and to her ear. He bit it lightly then
licked before blowing a cool jet of air to her,
causing her to give a slight shudder.

He felt her insistent hands at his shirt as she grew
anxious to feel the flesh that was hinted at under the
cotton barrier that divided them. Sitting up he
pulled it over his head, taking the time to undo the
buttons on her shirt, slowly drawing it off her body.
She blushed as the fabric came away and leaving
her bare, trying to cover himself up.

Spike bent back down to her and kissed her gently
on the mouth, moving down to her heaving chest.
He moved her hands aside, “You’re beautiful, luv.”
He kissed the base of her throat and the hollow
between her breasts before drawing one nipple into
his mouth.

The feel of him at her breast felt so good, and
caused her to forget the embarrassment that she had
felt. Her hands once again went to his body as she
held his head to her breasts, moaning as she felt the
sharp tug at her nipple send a shock through her
body.

Spike felt her tension melt away under his mouth.
He smiled, raising one hand to caress and knead the
neglected breast. He pinched the peak into hardness,
and the girl beneath him gasped. He moved back up
to her mouth, kissing her deeply.

Her hands traveled over his body. They skimmed
the smooth planes of his back, feeling the coiled
muscles there. She moved her hands around to his
chest and marveled at the flat smooth expanse of it.
Her hands went to his biceps and felt the hard
muscle that held him above her. The feel of his skin
sent a thrill through her at the strength and beauty of
the male above her.

Spike’s hand left her breast and moved lower,
popping over the button on her jeans before delving
beneath the abrasive fabric and the soft cotton of her
underwear. He drew back as his fingers found her
clit, stroking it hard and rhythmically.

Buffy gasped out as Spike found her clit, “God,
SPIKE!” Her body tensed up and arched off the bed.
Soon she was reaching her brink and she cried out
sharply as she tensed up, her body coming
completely off his bed and her back bending. Spike
found the sight of her enchanting.

Buffy came down from her orgasm and slumped
against the sheets, breathing heavily. Her body was
limp, completely relaxed in the glow that Spike had
put there.

Spike removed his hand from her and stood up,
removing her shoes and pants as well as his own.
He stood there for a moment, looking at her spread
out on the bed in front of him. He was going to take
her now, he knew, and he wanted to see her before
he did.

Buffy saw him standing there and stared at him. She
had never seen a man naked before, since her time
with Angel had been brief. This was the first time
for her and Spike’s body was amazing to her. He
was perfectly sculpted, from the hard planes of his
chest down to his muscular thighs and calves. His
cock stood out proudly from his body, long and
hard. She looked up to see his eyes and she turned
away, blushing.

She had to be the most adorable creature in the
whole world. And she was his. He had claimed her
and bonded her and now he was going to mate her.
He smiled at her as he caught her perusal of his
body, “See anything you like, luv?”

She felt the mattress dip beneath him as he moved
back onto the bed. She looked up again to see him
above her once more. She could feel his arousal and
adoration through the bond they shared and she
knew that he was receiving similar feelings from
her. She reached her arms up and wound them
around his shoulders again. “You bet I do,” she told
him before pulling his mouth down to hers.

Spike began to feel his own need build up. He
nudged his knee between her thighs, urging her to
spread them for him. They fell apart easily, allowing
him to settle his weight between them. He drew his
head from her lips and looked down at her as he
shifted into his demon face, telling her silently what
she was doing and what he planned to do.

She didn’t hesitate. She kissed him again and drew
him down to her throat, moaning as she felt his lips
and tongue caress the skin over her pulse. She felt
his cock nudge at her opening and wrapped her legs
around his hips, urging him to give them both the
union they so craved.

With one thrust Spike buried himself within her
heat. At that moment he buried his fangs in her
neck, laying down his mating bite and completing
their bond. He began thrusting in and out of her
slowly, letting her grow accustomed to his size,
knowing it was only her second time.

She moaned beneath him, arching her hips against
his and pulling him in deeper with her legs around
his waist. He growled from her neck and sped up,
driving into her body fast and hard.

Soon he was driving into her with ferocity. He
angled his thrusts, grinding his pelvic bone to her
clit with each thrust as he held onto her neck with
his teeth. Beneath him she moaned, gasping out
with each thrust he gave her.

He felt the pressure build within him and brought
his hand down to her clit. He stroked her, and she
came with the force of a dam breaking. She
screamed out his name as the pleasure washed over
her and broke behind her eyes. The feeling of her
clasping around him sent him over the head as well,
and he spilled his seed into her.

Around them swirled the forces of their union, the
mating process. As they came it blended their
essences, binding them together even further. It
strengthened their bond and melded their essences
just as their bodies melded.

Both of them came down from their highs and Spike
drew his fangs from her neck, licking the wounds

closed. He pulled out of the limp slayer and rolled
to the side, pulling her so that she was spooned
against his chest.

“Spike?”

“What is it?”

“You’ll still be here when I wake up, right?”

He pulled her tighter to him, “Always luv.”

***
 

Chapter 21:

Angel's POV

I’ve been watching her. It’s like a drug to me
now, I can’t stay away. Like a dying man to
water I am drawn to her. I need to see her, my
heaven and my only love.

I know that she would not want me to follow her
like this. I know that, yet still I persist. I have
been barred by the claim that was laid upon her.
I can only watch from afar, the forbidden Juliet
to my Romeo.

I watched the claim bloom, their bond. I wish I
was him, so bad. She looked so happy when he
bonded himself to her. I felt tears welling when I
saw her smile.

She needs assurance. She needs someone to be
there for her. She needs someone who will never
leave her.

I could have been that for her. I wanted to be
that for her. I want to hold her in my arms each
night, like he will get to. I want to walk in the
park with her and see her laughter.

And now he will be able to. I followed them
again tonight. I followed them to the offices
downtown. I smell the blood as Spike did what I
wanted to do. I could sense the death that came
from the building as he drowned in his own
blood. And for a moment I forgot why I hated
Spike so much and went in to join him, my
family, as I have done countless times before.

But then I smelled it. I could sense it. My heart
tore apart as they mated, as the light of my heart
joined forever to my childe, the head of our
family as the victor of our fight.

They’re mated now. Forever and eternally. The
woman I love and Spike, a younger vampire. He
can walk in the park with her, hold her in the
sun. He can take her out in daytime and protect
her at night.

And my heart breaks.

God, I wish I was him. I wish she was mine. I
wish I could hold her in my arms again, just one
more time.

But I can’t do it. I can’t break them apart so
easily. Bound together forever.

It will take help to break them apart without
hurting her. It will take quite a bit to take her
back. And it breaks my heart at times to think of
a world without him it hurts me more to think of
my unlife without her.

She asks him to hold her. Asks him to be there
for her when she wakes. My heart breaks. I did
that to her.

And now I weep because of the pain I must put
her through again. But it must be done. I can’t
go through my eternity without her.

I look to the window of his house, their house,
and whisper to their sleeping forms, “I love you,
so much.” I leap down and disappear into the
night.

******

As Angel jumped down off the ledge outside his
window Spike opened his eyes. He had sensed
his grandsire following them. He looked down
to his mate asleep in his arms. There would be
some hard times ahead.

Chapter 22:

In London Quentin Travers sat at the head of a
large conference table before his employees and
colleagues. In front of each of them was a stack
of papers detailing what they had come there to
discuss. The mood was very grave. This was a
business they did not enjoy.

Quentin looked around the table, adopting an
aloof air as he spoke, “Fellow council members.
You all have some idea of why we are here
today. It concerns the slayer, a miss Buffy
Summers.”

He flipped through the stack of papers in front
of him before continuing, “As you all know, it is
our job as the Watcher’s council to maintain
balance and to battle the darkness that tries to
creep into our world. In this battle there is no
place for weakness, and some sacrifices must be
made for the integrity and strength of the
movement.

“As you know it is often our unpleasant duty to
cleanse the movement with the death of our
slayers. The girls are on the front lines and are
susceptible to the demon influence that we must
fight. It is our duty to make sure that when the
girls are taken by the evil of the demonic forces
they fight that we free their souls and give them
a rest.

“It has come to my attention that miss Summers
has become contaminated by the demon
influence. She is a good slayer and a strong girl
but I am afraid it is time that we retired her.”

One of the female members spoke up, a woman
in glasses and her blonde hair tied back,
“Excuse me sir, but she is quite young, not even
eighteen yet. What could have happened to her
at such a time to question the integrity of our
proceedings?”

Quentin smiled lightly, “I’m glad you asked,
Ms. Bennet. I know that you are familiar with a
William the Bloody, your thesis on him was
quite brilliant. It seems that he has taken interest
in miss Summers. Now usually his practice
would be to hunt and kill her, leaving our cause
uncontaminated. However this time he has
claimed her, leaving her alive but in his
control.”

A murmur went around the table at this. It was
out of character for William the Bloody to do
such a thing. But if it was true it meant that not
only had the slayer fallen victim to the demonic
element, but that William the Bloody had
become even more potent.

Quentin smiled internally at the noise that filled
the room. He was the only one among them that
knew the whole truth. If the slayers realized
their true potential he would lose control. They
would realize the uselessness of the council and
forsake their teachings.

Quentin had always been a watcher. He believed
in order and discipline. The fight against the
darkness required these things. One did not
dabble in darkness in order to defeat it. Such
was the nature of slayers. They could defeat the
darkness, but they must embrace their own to do
so.

And he simply would not tolerate such. The
move towards order must be kept pure, and to
do that he had to destroy the darkness before the
girls realized that their strength lay in it. And to
do that he must destroy those girls from time to
time.

Quentin spoke up again, as if to pronounce a
sentence, which in a way he was, “In order to
preserve the integrity of our battle we must
eliminate the threats that face us now. It is our
unfortunate duty to eliminate miss Summers and
William the Bloody.”

A general murmur of approval went around the
table. The woman who had spoken before raised
her voice in question, “Sir, we all agree that
action must be taken with those two, but what
should we do about the other slayer, Faith? Is it
safe to leave her there?”

Quentin sighed, “Again, Ms. Bennet, you make
a very good point. The other slayer, Faith, is far
to dangerous and volatile to leave there, it is
true. We are also afraid that this vampire may
have contaminated her as well. It will be
necessary to question her upon arrival. If we
find that she has been contaminated by the
vampire or miss Summers, we shall also have to
deal with her.”

Quentin looked over at Ms. Bennet. She was a
clever woman, and quick thinking. He liked
that. But she was often questioning and might
pose a threat in the future. He’d have to keep a
close eye on that one.

A man down the table raised a question, “Mr.
Travers, do we have a force that is capable of
dealing with a master vampire and two slayers?
This seems to be quite a challenge.”

“Right you are, Mr. Taylor. In fact as many of us
know there is a special force we keep for such
emergencies as this. They are highly trained in
dealing with both slayers and vampires. They
have always been able to deliver results, and
have been told of the situation already. They are
on their way to America as we speak.”

He turned to the papers on the table in front of
him, and pulled to one of the last pages, “Now,
I’m sure all of you are wondering about the next
slayer after miss Summers. If you’ll look in your
packet you’ll find a picture of one Jessica
Gardener, who resides in New York...”
******
 

Chapter 23:

Waking up in his arms had been lovely. She had
not had that experience with Angel before and
found that she enjoyed waking up like that. She
enjoyed the sure solid strength of his body, the
reassurance of his presence as she lay next to
him in his bed the morning after.

But the wonders of the day had not ceased there.
Spike had left the blinds open and the sunlight
was dancing lightly across their skin. When she
realized that he wasn’t bursting into flame she
awoke him, and he had marveled in the sunlight
for the first time in over a hundred years.

They had dressed quickly and he had run
outside, almost giddy. She almost found it
amusing, to see a vampire reacquainting himself
to the world of the daytime. He stared at the
blue sky, the shadows on the grass, the colors all
around him.

An he watched her in the sunlight. Truly, he
thought, this must be the greatest gift of all that
the sunlight can give to me. He gazed at her lit
up in the early morning light, the golden sun just
cresting the horizon, making her seem to glow.
He grasped her in his arms and kissed her, held
this angel he had found in the sunlight.

They had gone to her mother’s in the early hours
and surprised her with his presence. She had
been overjoyed for him, celebrating with him
the joy of his new discovery. She laughed and
smiled with them and when they felt hungry she
made homemade waffles while Spike grabbed
some bagged blood and drank it with relish, as if
also celebrating his still vampiric status.

Of course he had insisted in accompanying her
to school. Nothing else would do. And she
couldn’t say no to him on such a day when he
had just found this new joy. She had agreed, and
they walked along, hand in hand to the high
school.

Spike had needed to check in at the office,
where he was pleased to meet the new principal
Mr. Bates, a tall man with a friendly disposition
who greeted Spike warmly and welcomed him
into the school, giving him a pass after Spike
had explained that he wished to accompany his
girl today as it was a special day for him and he
wanted to spend it with her.

Leaving the office both had decided that Mr.
Bates was a vast improvement over his
predecessors.

Arriving in class together they had stunned
Willow and Xander who had already arrived.
The two had been amazed to see the blonde
vampire at school, standing in the sunlight that
streamed through the windows. Xander
sputtered and stammered while Willow started
babbling incoherently.

Spike had shown the instructor his pass and
taken a seat next to Buffy. In the fifteen minutes
before class started many people had noticed his
presence, not knowing who he was. Many of the
girls had glared jealously at Buffy, who had this
handsome stranger doting on her. The guys were
in awe of this cool older guy who had captured
the most beautiful girl in school.

Classes had passed, with the teachers varying
reactions to the strange man who gave them a
pass to sit in their classrooms. Some of the
teachers scowled at the man they viewed as a
distraction, some smiled, thinking that it was so
cute how he was spending time with Buffy,
others were charmed by his manners and
knowledge. Any way he managed to make it
through the day with little incident.

Going to Giles office had resulted in one
flustered librarian. He had openly gawked at the
vampire who was standing fully in the sunlight.
He had scribbled notes down and had asked
various questions, some of which neither Buffy
nor Spike was willing to answer at the moment.
They had both been smiling when they left.

Until Xander came along.

The only damper on a perfect day was Xander’s
reaction to the two of them together. He had
been making mean looks at Spike all day and
had been sent to the office for hitting him in the
head with a paper football.

Cornering them in the halls after classes let out
he demanded to know why Spike was there, and
why he could walk freely in the sunshine. “Why
the hell is he here?”

“Xander, Spike wanted to come, and I couldn’t
see any reason why I should say no. He has no
evil plots in mind we simply wanted to spend
the day together.”

“You’ve slept with him, haven’t you? That’s
why he’s here, because sleeping with you lets
him walk in sunshine.”

Spike growled, “Watch it, boy.”

“You put us all in danger, letting a vampire run
around a school with unsuspecting kids in it.
Why? Because he slept with you and suddenly
he’s all special. Now there’s a vampire who can
walk and kill in the sunlight because you can’t
keep your legs shut.”

Spike lashed out and punched the young man
across the mouth, sending the young man to the
floor. Xander looked up at him, blood leaking
from a split lip to see Giles and Willow come
down the hall.

“My god, what happened here?”

“This asshole punched me, I told you he was
dangerous.”

“I don’t blame him.” Mr. Bates came out from
behind a corner. “I only managed to catch the
tail end of what you said but it sounds like you
were treating these two most unjustly.”

“Then you saw him punch me. Why don’t you
kick him out!”

Mr. Bates shook his head, “I’m afraid I didn’t
see that, so I have nothing on him. I’m afraid
that I must believe you did that to yourself in
order to get this young man in trouble. However
you were speaking to a visitor in a manner that
doesn’t show that class that we expect from
people at this school. I’m afraid I’m going to ask
you to come early for the next week for
detention.”

Mr. Bates turned away, giving a small smile to
Spike and Buffy before continuing down the
hall. Xander glared at them and pushed himself
up, stomping out of the school.

After that fiasco the two had returned to Buffy’s
home. She had found that he was very helpful as
he gave her tips with her homework and she
found herself finishing it quicker than usual, and
absorbing more of the knowledge than she had
with Willow’s often off-topic tutoring.

They had sat together on the sofa downstairs,
watching television and cuddling while they
waited for Joyce to come home. From time to
time they would exchange kisses that would
linger until they completely forgot about the TV,
stopping only when the chime of the clock told
them that Joyce would soon be there.

Joyce had again been more than happy to come
home to find both her daughter and the man who
had saved her baby waiting for her at home
watching television. She had grown fond of
Spike and even knowing his past she felt
eternally grateful for what he had done for her
daughter, earning her esteem and favor.


The three of them had sat down to dinner, each
throwing smart remarks and Joyce felt more
happy and complete than she had since she had
left her husband. Finally she had a family that
was whole.

Chapter 24:

The old docks were always an area that was
overlooked by the local authorities. It was
known that there were a lot of unexplained
disappearances that centered around there and
that stuff came into the country there that they
didn’t want to know about.

That’s why the ship coming in from Edinburgh
met little resistance coming in. There were no
security checks, no customs guards, no border
patrol. Nothing. The ship slid into port without
even the slightest resistance.

A few men came off the ship and secured it
down. They had been assured that this dock
would be cleared for their use. They did not
intend to stay very long. They had a job to do.

The ship itself was not very large. It was just big
enough to suit the needs of the men who had
brought it. It was hollowed out on the inside, so
they could store the armored vehicle that they
used in their work. It also served as a base for
while they were there. It contained everything
they would need in the stalking of their pray.

They were the elite squad. They had been
contacted by Quentin Travers a few weeks ago
with the assignment. It was not a task that they
were fond of but it was one that was familiar to
them, and as long as Travers ran the council
they would continue to do it.

They had all had experience with hunting
dangerous prey. Before they had been recruited
for the council and their “legitimate” work many
of them had been big game hunters or poachers.
They had tracked and killed many dangerous
beasts, earning them respect and awe among
certain circles.

Since the council had hired them they had killed
nine girls. It didn’t quite sit right with them,
they always had drawn the line before. But
Travers had used very effective methods of
persuasion. They were forced to tell themselves
each time they killed one of those young girls
that what they were doing was the right thing.
That they were making the world safe.

But the pleading and cries of those girls always
pulled at them. Maybe it was time to change
careers...

No. Travers had made it very clear what would
happen if they disobeyed. They would have to
keep quiet and continue their work in silence. It
kept good food on their tables and kept them out
of jail.

It was time to take to the task at hand. They set
up their base and moved out at sunset, taking
with them various thinner weapons. Tonight was
not for the kill, tonight was for stalking out their
prey. They all knew it was better not to engage
until they knew the enemy well.

They spread out, each one covering and area that
they knew the girls to frequent. They knew the
patterns of these girls and knew what they
would tend to do.

They also knew that this girl was special, so it
was best to move with caution. They moved
quietly, silently, hidden. Until one came across
the girl in the park, lying beside a blonde man
who they had been told was her vampire mate.

The man who spotted them sat in to watch. He
gave a silent little sigh, she was so young. Much
younger than the ones he usually saw. She was
so innocent and it reminded him of his own
daughter.

But no, he was sent to do a job. He steeled
himself and watched as the two began to talk.

******

“I’ve always wondered why they call that group
of stars Orion. I don’t see a hunter when you
look at it.”

Spike chuckled, “Neither do I love. What is it
that you do see?”

She pondered it for a moment. They were both
lying on their backs in the grass in the park.
They had decided to end this wonderful day
with some time in the park after most people
had left. It was something that they rarely got to
do to just enjoy the night.

Now she looked up at the stars in question for a
while before speaking up, “A quaHemur demon.
See the bloated body and the spindly little legs?
Definitely a quaHemur.”

Spike looked up, “I can see that.”

She looked over to him, “Spike, this has been
one of the best days yet. Thank you so much.”

He chuckled, “I should be thanking you. It’s not
everyday a bloke like me gets to walk out in the
sunshine. One of the best gifts I’ve gotten in a
long time.”

She sat up slightly to look over at him, “One of
the best?”

He sat up as well, “Are you fishing for
compliments love?”

“Are you referring to me as a gift?”

He chuckled, “Of course. The most precious gift
in the world.” He leaned in and placed a tender
kiss to her lips.

The kiss became more heated as he pressed her
back into the grass. He moved over her,
exploring her mouth with his tongue as he
mapped out her body with his hands. Her hands
wrapped around his neck to hold him closer,
craving more of him.

She pulled back briefly when she felt the cool
air meet her chest, meaning that Spike had
begun to remove her shirt. “Spike I’m not sure
we should do this out here.”

He kissed her gently, “It’s ok kitten. There’s
nothing to be afraid of. It’ll be wonderful, you’ll
see.”

“But what if someone sees us?”

“They’ll just wonder at what a lucky bloke I am
to get a girl like you.” He kissed her again, “I
tell you what, we won’t even remove all our
clothes. We’ll be completely hidden.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He moved to capture her mouth again as his
hand went to her lace-covered breast, kneading
it lightly. She sighed into his mouth, running her
hands down his back and feeling the muscles
that were there.

Her legs spread and he settled himself between
them. His left hand dipped down under her skirt
and pushed aside her panties to find her wet slit.
He slipped one finger inside of her, feeling her
tight hole grip his finger in a vice. His cock,
already hard, swelled further at the feeling.

She moaned at the feeling of his fingers diving
into her. She ran her hands down to grip his ass,
giving it a hard squeeze. He growled and thrust
his hips forward, letting her feel the hardness in
her jeans.

She wanted him. He made her quake the his
fingers inside of her and she wanted to pay him
back somehow. She reached around and
unfastened his buckle. She pulled open the
button and tugged his zipper down before
reaching inside and pulling him out.

His head fell to the crook of her neck with a hiss
as he felt her hot hand engulf his rod. She felt so
good and the pleasure just washed over him as
she stroked him up and down. He kissed and
sucked at her neck so hard he knew it would
leave a mark.

She felt something warm and wet against the tip.
She took it under her thumb and rubbed it
around the head before guiding him to her
throbbing center.

He felt the heat of her meet the head of his cock
and he bucked forward, embedding the head
inside of her. He reached down and grabbed her
wrists, bringing them to the grass beside her
head. He raised himself up to look down at her
as he pushed himself into her.

She looked up at him as he entered her, pushing
her hips up to his with each inward thrust. He
felt so good inside her, and it gave her a sort of
thrill to feel as though she were pinned down
beneath this man.

He bent down to claim her mouth with his,
releasing his grip on her wrists in order to bring
one of his hands between them to caress her clit.
He felt her buck beneath him as he brought her
higher and higher, her legs shaking and her nails
digging into his shoulders through the material
that covered it.

She came hard, her scream captured in his
mouth. It was like water bursting from a dam the
pressure overcame her and flowed out, leaving
her in bliss.

The feeling of her quaking beneath him sent him
over his own peak. He released her mouth and
vamped out, biting into her neck as he came.
The feel of his fangs in her sent her over again
as the world seemed to explode into a haze of
fireworks.

She must have blacked out because the next
thing that she knew her clothes were fixed and
Spike was holding her, grinning down at her as
he held her in his lap, “I told you it’d be
wonderful.”

Interlude:

Angel’s POV:

He spent the day with her in the sun. I’ve heard
them talking about it all night. I’ve heard their
laughter as they speak of their day, of the people
they saw and what they did.

I wonder that they haven’t noticed me following
them. They never do. Or perhaps he does, but
does not thin that I am worth his notice.

How can he think that?!? For a hundred years I
was feared throughout Europe and now my own
childer do not even deign to recognize my
presence.

They talk and they smile. Joyce laughs with
them and I can see that she is happy to have
them both with her. I know that it warms her
heart to feel as if she has a full family again.

I’m cold as I watch. I’m alone and I’m cold. She
never smiled at me that way. I was never
welcomed in. Not even when I was human.

I’ve always been outside, thrown out into the
cold. They say that vampires don’t feel the cold
but we do. Maybe not in the way or the intensity
that humans do but we feel it.

And it seeps into me. He sits there welcomed in
while I’m an exile. Him, soulless and evil and
me on my road to redemption.

Sometimes I wonder if this too is a test. Am I to
see what I want, to have it so close to me, and
yet not be able to have it? Is this cosmic
retribution for the wrongs that I have done?

I follow them as they leave the house. They
seem so caught up in each other that they
become oblivious to all else. I know it’s because
their bond is new but he should know better in
this town.

Because I am not the only one following them
tonight.

Somewhere they have picked up a human
stalker. He stinks of regret and sadness, but
determination and resignation as well. I don’t
know why he would smell thus but since he is
human I leave him alone as we settle in to watch
the couple on the hill.

The two of them are so beautiful together. She
seems so happy and carefree. I hope that through
all time she never loses that.

I watch as they make love this time, on a hill
under the stars. My heart tears apart as I know
that he touches her in ways that no one else will,
that they connect up there on that hill.

As he fixes her clothes and holds her afterwards
I am tempted to rush out, but I know I can’t. I
would be breaking our laws and I cannot do that.
I want to throttle him and hold her, but I can’t.

The man hidden smells of tears now. And for
the first time I notice the stun gun in his hand. I
wonder why a mercenary from the council
would cry like that, but that is an issue for
another time.

Is this the chance that I have waited for? I can’t
challenge Spike, but this man can kill him for
me.

I know the full plan that this man holds and I
know that some deception will be needed but it
will all be worth it. This man and his team can
kill Spike and I can take my mate.

They’ll try and kill her, so we’ll have to flee. I
can have them kill him for me and then take her
someplace far away, where no one could ever
find us. We can be happy for all time, living in
the sunshine.

My girl, we’ll be together soon.

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