Chapter Fifteen
“Spike!” Buffy’s cry was part anguish and part anger.
(What the hell did you think you were doing?)
(Puttin’ the already dead bloke in front of the bullet, you
ungrateful bint.)
(I didn’t ask you to take a bullet for me) she growled, fear
fueling her anger.
(Didn’t have to. No way was I gonna watch you get taken out by
somethin’ we both know couldn’t hurt me.)
Aloud, he said, “Relax, Slayer. You know a bullet can’t kill me.”
He examined the hole in his shirt and peered inside to see the hole pouring
borrowed blood down his chest. “Hurts like a bugger, though,” he said, just
before he slid toward the floor, grabbing at the desk for support.
Buffy immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and lowered him
gently the rest of the way down. She looked up at her watcher and best friend,
ignoring for the moment the furious woman Giles was gleefully holding immobile.
“I need something to cut a bullet out,” she demanded.
“Check my ankle, pet. There’s a knife there.” Spike’s voice was
hoarse with the strain of both the pain he was feeling and his attempts to keep
it from bleeding over into his mate. Buffy glared at Maggie as though the older
woman had pulled the trigger herself. Riley, of course, had bolted out the door
as soon as he shot William, using the confusion to put some distance between
himself and the angry Slayer.
Buffy reached down and found the slender knife attached to Spike’s
lower leg and pulled it out. She ripped his shirt off, exposing both his
muscular chest and the still-bleeding hole in it.
“Damn! I liked that shirt,” she muttered as she tried to see
through the blood and gauge how deep the bullet was.
(I can buy another one just like it, if you like it that much,
pet. But I refuse to wear it where anybody but you can see me.)
Ignoring his attempt to distract her, she used the shirt to
blot up the blood so that she could locate the bullet.
(I’m sorry) Buffy sent him quickly, as she probed the wound
with her finger. He nodded at her to continue and went back into vamp face as
the pain brought his demon to the fore. Her searching finger found that the
bullet had lodged in the back of one of his ribs as it went through his body.
“I found it!” she said triumphantly, then sobered. “But I’m
not sure how I’m going to get it out without doing more damage. And you’re
losing a lot of blood.”
Buffy looked at Giles for help and he shrugged, shoving Maggie
down in her chair not at all gently. He pulled the garrote from his unsearched
pocket and placed it around her throat, anchoring it tightly to the back of her
chair. He had Willow get another one from Spike’s pocket and used that to tie
her hands securely.
Looking her directly in the eye, he said in his best Ripper
voice, “If you try to move, you’ll strangle. Is that clear?”
An answering glare was her only response, and he nodded,
turning to Willow.
“If she so much as breathes funny, turn her into a toad,” he
instructed.
Willow made a face and cringed. “Ewww, Giles, you know I hate
frogs and toads! Can’t I make her a kitten or something?”
Maggie listened to the perfectly serious exchange between the
out-of-work librarian and the unassuming, but brilliant, girl with a combination
of fear, shock and an overwhelming urge to learn more about these people.
Wlillow folded her arms across her chest and fixed the woman with her best
resolve-face glare, daring her to think about moving.
Giles knelt down on the floor near Buffy and looked into the
wound.
“I suggest we go in from the back to get that out. With vampire
healing being what it is, it needs to come out before the bone begins to grow
around it.”
Using his ruined shirt as a cushion, Spike lay down on his stomach
and clenched his fists as the Watcher picked up the knife and began to make an
incision in the vampire’s back. Heedless of who else was watching, Buffy pulled
one of Spike’s hands into her lap and began to stroke it gently as her Watcher
cut into Spike’s back and dug the bullet out of the bone.
(I’m sorry, I know we’re hurting you, but it’s for your own good.)
(Bet you say that to all the demons your Watcher carves up for you)
he snarked, fighting the urge to scream as the knife began digging into the bone
around the bullet.
As the bullet was pried loose and popped out onto the floor,
Spike’s control slipped and Buffy gasped when a stab of pain went through her
back.
(Sorry, pet. Slipped there for a minute) Buffy could feel the
weakness from the blood loss slipping up on the vampire and she rubbed his hand
vigorously, ignoring her Watcher’s frown.
“Come on, Spike. Don’t leave us now. We still have to get out of
here,” Buffy pleaded with the almost unconscious vampire.
“He needs blood, Buffy. Human blood.”
Slayer and Watcher turned as one and looked at the suddenly pale
woman sitting behind the desk. They gave her several minutes to contemplate the
obvious answer before Buffy said with a sigh, “The Slayer doesn’t kill humans,
Giles. That’s the first thing Merrick ever taught me.”
The relief on Maggie’s face was visible – and short-lived. While
Buffy turned back to the semi-conscious vampire and gently stroked his light
brown curls, Giles leaned in to the wary woman and whispered, “My Slayer doesn’t
kill humans. Neither I nor the vampire are encumbered with those issues.”
He had to smother a grin at the fear he could feel rolling off the
arrogant professor as she understood his implied threat.
Keeping her back turned to the rest of the people in the room, Buffy
reached a quick decision and used the sharp knife to slash her wrist. She held
the bleeding wrist to Spike’s mouth and whispered, “Drink, Spike. It’s freely
given. Slayer blood, come on, you know you want it.”
Spike’s demon took no time fastening his mouth on the bleeding
wrist and the elixir coming from it. As he swallowed healing draughts of
Buffy’s blood, the demon receded and Spike became conscious of what he was
doing. He groaned as the powerful Slayer blood flowed down his throat and began
the healing process. In spite of his wound, Buffy’s nearness, enhanced by her
blood, had the same effect on him it always did and he shifted uncomfortably
against the rapidly growing bulge in his jeans.
(I could make this a lot more fun, love, if we were just…)
(This is medicinal, Spike! Just drink and get better.)
Buffy was very grateful that no one could hear their thoughts as she blushed,
remembering what happened that last time he drank from her. She closed her eyes
briefly and let the incredibly sensual feeling wash over her. As his swallowing
slowed and came to a halt, Spike ran his tongue over her wrist until the
bleeding had stopped and the edges began to close. He finished with a light
kiss to the wound, then moved Buffy’s hand back to her lap.
(Not that I don’t appreciate it, love, but what was that all about?)
Spike was allowing the feelings engendered by her gift to flow
freely between them and Buffy found herself blushing again as his gratitude and
undisguised lust filled her.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” she replied, trying to ignore his
heated gaze. “And nobody wants to carry your lazy ass.”
The sound of Buffy’s voice brought everyone’s attention back to
the pair on the floor and one look at Spike’s sparkling eyes and almost healed
body had Giles grabbing his Slayer’s arms and turning them over. When he
spotted the newly healed cut on her wrist, he dropped her hand with a growl that
would have done credit to a vampire.
“What the bloody hell are you doing?” He shouted at her.
“Letting William the Bloody drink from you? He might have killed you!”
“No, he wouldn’t,” she answered with a surety that paused the man
in mid-rant. The Slayer and the man who’d been fired from the Council for being
too fond of her stared at each other for a long minute. Spike rose to his feet
and stood behind Buffy, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders.
“You know better than that, Watcher,” he said calmly. “You know
I’d never hurt her.”
“Angel was in love with her, and he almost killed her when she let
him have her blood.”
Spike’s face darkened and his grip tightened on Buffy’s
shoulders. When she winced, he apologized silently and rubbed them gently.
“I told you, I am NOT the bloody great poof. My demon doesn’t
rule me the way his does. I don’t hurt the people I…care about.”
“What’s done is done,” Buffy interrupted. “Now that he’s healthy
again, we need to concentrate on getting out of here.”
She turned to look coldly at Maggie Walsh.
“I’m assuming her…employees…will not want to lose her, so she’s
going to be our ticket out. I’ll handle any fighting we have to do, and Spike
will –“ she turned to look at the vampire.
“Spike will do what needs to be done,” he said enigmatically,
stepping around to stand beside her.
‘Well, don’t get shot again, please.”
(I don’t know, pet. Considerin’ the cure, it might be worth
it…Maybe you could use me as a non-human shield.) His silent laughter told her
she didn’t even need to mention that he was a pig.
“Your blood healed him.” Maggie’s flat, no-nonsense voice brought
everyone’s attention back to her. She was staring at Buffy with undisguised
fascination, and Spike stepped forward growling.
Buffy put a hand on his arm and he stopped, but he never took his
icy blue eyes off the white-coated woman. She temporarily ignored him while she
studied Buffy intently.
“How is it possible that your blood heals? What is the mechanism
for it?”
Spike waved his hand at her face, “Vampire here, ‘case you’ve
forgotten. Lives off blood? Quick healing? Can’t be killed ‘cept for certain
methods? Stop me when I get to somethin’ you don’t already know from your
little party games.”
Maggie turned her attention to him briefly. “You didn’t heal that
quickly when you were fed blood before. When we—“
“When you what?” Buffy’s voice was deadly as she stepped closer
to the woman who seemed so anxious to learn more about her. “What did you do to
him while he was in here?”
Maggie was suddenly reminded of what Buffy had said about hurting
her friends or family and she wondered exactly how strong the Slayer’s
inhibition against killing humans was.
It was Spike’s turn to take her arm and distract her from thoughts
of mayhem.
“She’s our ticket out of here, pet. Let it go.”
With a final glare at the nervous looking woman, Buffy relaxed and
turned around.
“All right, here’s the plan. We use Cruella here as our
hostage/bargaining chip/shield, whatever it takes to get us out of this place.”
She looked at Spike, “Do you remember how you got out the first time?”
He shook his head, saying, “No, but I was on this level and I know
I went out past the cages. There was an opening into some tunnels which led to
the caves outside of town.”
“Let’s go then,” Buffy said, yanking Maggie to her feet.
Chapter Sixteen
Riley had quickly picked up the two men who’d helped him capture
Giles and the others, taking them with him as he raced toward the labs. He
found Graham crawling painfully toward the emergency phone and signaled the
others to help him. One glance at the broken body that was his
second-in-command and he knew that Maggie might have bitten off more than she
could chew this time
After getting the injured men to the infirmary, he called up his
remaining squad members and sent them to guard the exits. He took two men for
himself and headed for the area from which he knew Hostile 17 had escaped
before. He reached the end of the long hall leading up to the tunnel entrance
and pushed the heavy door closed. He gestured to the other men to take up
positions on either side of the hall, while he placed himself in front of the
door, gun at the ready.
Using his radio, he found that the small group of intruders was
working its way from Maggie’s office toward his position. It was clear they
were using Maggie as a hostage, and threatening to decapitate her if anyone got
in the way. Riley knew the technicians they were passing were not going to
interfere in any way that might get Maggie killed and his remaining men were too
scattered around the facility to be of much help. He looked toward the open
door at the far end of the hall and prepared himself for what was about to
happen.
He was surprised when the first person to look out the door at him
was Willow, and even more surprised when she waved her hand and their guns
suddenly became so hot none of them could hold on to them.
He was shaking his burned hand and cursing when he saw William come out
the door and begin walking toward him. A frown creased the big man’s brow. He
was completely thrown that the first two people he saw were the ones he deemed
the least dangerous. He looked back down at his blistered hand and wondered
who else he might have underestimated.
He watched William remove his glasses and carefully place them in the
pocket of what was clearly not his own shirt. Aside from having changed out of
his bloody clothing, there was no sign that the man had just been shot at close
range. Riley frowned again as the unassuming man continued to walk toward him.
There was no sign of blood or any residual effects from the bullet that had
ripped into his body just a short time ago.
“Your sudden courage is admirable, William, but I don’t care how
strong you think you are, there’s no way you can fight the three of us. You’d
best let your cousin handle this herself. If she can,” he added with a smirk.
There was no reply from the other man, just a gradual change in his
demeanor as he strode down the hallway. From the clumsy, insecure wimpiness
they were all used to, he slowly gained a grinning confidence that sent a chill
through the three soldiers. He began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he
moved down the hall, his stride becoming a predatory swagger. The closer he got,
the less he resembled the bumbling William. With only a third of the way to go,
there were gasps from the men on either side as they recognized Hostile 17. As
he watched the now vamped-out Spike stalking toward him, Riley laughed and got
ready for hand-to-hand combat with the chipped vampire.
“I guess now we know why William was so reluctant to fight for
himself,” Riley said confidently. “Are you sure you don’t want to re-think
this, Hostile 17?” he continued as the vampire approached. “You know how it’s
going to end, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah, I know how it’s goin’ to end,” Spike agreed with a feral
grin. “ ‘S goin’ to end with your blood in my throat and your balls in my
hands.”
“Not likely,” the commando growled, rushing the vampire and throwing a
hard right. Spike gave a shout of joy as his head snapped back and he
immediately began to pepper the bigger man with short jabs, backing him up all
the way to the heavy metal door. As the vampire continued to throw punches,
seemingly enjoying the fight more than he was trying to end it quickly, Riley
frowned and gasped out, “But you, you can’t…why…the chip…”
“Oh,” Spike paused and cocked his head. “Were you looking for this?”
He reached in his pocket and took out a small silicone chip, holding it up so
that the other man could see it. He heard the gasps from behind when Buffy and
Giles realized what he was holding, but he never took his eyes off the man in
front of him.
When Riley realized he was facing a fully functional vampire, a
vampire that had every reason to be carrying a very large grudge, he shrank
against the wall. He felt something warm going down his leg as his bladder
accepted what his brain hadn’t yet. He was going to die. And if the look on
the vampire’s face was any clue, it wasn’t going to be quick or easy.
Buffy had followed Spike into the hall, handing Maggie off to Giles
to control with the thin line still around the woman’s throat. She watched with
interest as he seemed to grow taller and more powerful with each step he took
toward the soldiers that had tormented him.
She winced when she saw Spike’s head snap back with Riley’s first
punch and moved forward to take up the slack when he collapsed in pain. She saw
the flurry of retaliatory punches and frowned slightly when he didn’t seem to be
feeling anything. When she saw his hand reach into his pocket and take out the
chip, her blood ran cold.
She heard matching gasps from the three people behind her as the
grinning vampire dropped the chip back into his pocket. Before she could think
about what, if anything, she wanted to do about it, she saw the other two
commandos sliding toward where Spike had gone back to fighting with Riley. They
were each holding wooden stakes as they tried to get around behind the vampire,
and without thinking Buffy leapt the last few remaining feet between herself and
the combatants.
She turned to face the two soldiers, shaking her head and saying,
“Ah, ah. This looks like a fair fight to me, boys. I don’t think you’re
invited.”
She could feel Spike fighting behind her and had a brief flash of
what an unbeatable team they would make if they were working together. Then she
concentrated on proving to the still advancing men that she was serious about
keeping them out of the fight.
It hadn’t occurred to either of the men that the broken comrades
they had found on the floor of the lab were last seen heading for this very same
small blond who was bound to a table and unconscious at the time. They’d
watched, along with everyone else who wasn’t busy, as Maggie tested her for
resistance to heat and cold, but everyone had lost interest when the testing
moved on to the much less interesting, and fully clothed, truth serum
questioning.
With that being all the testing completed at that point, except for
the scuffle in the training room, they really had no idea who or what a Slayer
was and what she could do. Moving confidently, they each approached her, stakes
held at the ready if they needed them for weapons. Buffy let them get within
arm’s reach before she jumped up and kicked them both in the face at the same
time.
Even with bare feet, the heel of a Slayer’s foot was a pretty potent
weapon, and they both dropped to the floor, stunned and in pain. Buffy casually
picked up the stakes and put them in the waistband of her jeans as she turned to
watch Spike and Riley.
There was no way to call what was happening a fight. Even with his
enhancements, the big commando was no match for a fully vamped out, vengeful
master vampire. Without ever touching the man with his fangs or claws, Spike
had reduced him to a bleeding, crying specimen of humanity. He held the larger
man up with one hand while he stood, head cocked to one side, contemplating his
next move. Buffy spoke silently and sarcastically as she watched him ponder
what kind of pain to inflict next.
(As much as I hate to interrupt your good time, we ARE actually
trying to get out of this place. Do what you need to do and lets get going.)
(Do what I need to do? Does that mean I have permission to eat the
stupid git?) His disbelief was obvious.
Buffy’s sigh was audible to everyone, even those who had no idea
there was a conversation going on.
(I’d really rather you didn’t. Not while Giles and Willow are
watching. I’m going to have enough trouble with them knowing that you CAN kill,
without dealing with them seeing that you will.)
(Good point, love.)
Spike’s relief that Buffy did not seem bothered by the news that
he could once again kill humans made him feel magnanimous and he dropped the
mewling soldier on the floor.
“Ok, Scoobies, let’s go. Through here,” he said as he wrenched the
heavy steel door open and held it for them.
Buffy went through first, quickly followed by Willow, Giles and a
very reluctant Maggie Walsh.
“You’ve made your point,” she said as she tried to plant her
feet. “I give you my word that I won’t send anyone after you right away if you
leave me here. That’ll give you plenty of time to get out of our complex and
away from the base.”
“And, you, of course, will just forget you ever saw us…”Giles
scoffed, “as well as the fact that Buffy and Spike have incapacitated your
entire squad of demon hunters…”
He shoved the woman through the door and into the dark tunnel.
Behind him, Spike let the door begin to swing shut. Just before it closed
completely, he reached around the edge and slashed a claw across Riley’s
throat. His demon growled at the waste of good blood as it spurted onto the
tile floor, but he just stepped away and let the door slam behind him.
“Alright, Slayer, let’s get out of this place.”
The tunnels were dimly lit with small bulbs every hundred feet or so
and they were able to move quickly in the direction Spike indicated. The
vampire soon moved up beside Buffy and they walked in the front of the group,
shoulders brushing occasionally as the uneven ground threw them together.
(When were you going to tell me?)
Spike didn’t pretend not to know what she was talking about.
(When I needed to) he replied honestly.
(How long has it been out?) Suspicion and hurt were evident in her
thoughts.
(A while.)
(Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me?)
His heart gave a leap at the direction of the conversation. He’d
expected immediate anger and threats of staking.
(Didn’t think YOU’d trust ME, pet. Wanted to wait ‘til I’d had time
to prove m’self to you. To show you I could control the demon when I needed to.
That we didn’t have to go back to bein’ enemies jus’ cause I could feed again.)
(If you start feeding again, we WILL go back to being enemies, Spike.
I can’t let you go running around eating people!)
(Not even bad people, Slayer? I could stick to murderers, rapists,
wankers like that that nobody’d miss. Or, how about if I don’t drain them?
Maybe just take a little taste every once in a while…you know, jus’ to get the
taste of pig’s blood out of my mouth.)
(You could do that without going after strangers)
He was puzzled for a few seconds until her barely visible blush and
accelerated heartbeat made her meaning clear. Ignoring the startled people
walking behind them, he stopped abruptly and turned her to face him.
(Are you sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’, Slayer?)
(My name’s Buffy. Why can’t you call me Buffy?)
(Don’ change the subject, love. I need to know what you’re sayin’)
(I’m not changing the subject. I need to know that I’m more to you
than another Slayer to conquer. That you aren’t using this…whatever it is
between us…just to get close enough to bite me whenever you want.)
(You’ve been inside me more than once, Buffy. Don’t tell me you don’t
know what you mean to me.)
Oblivious to the staring people around them, who’d all been forced
to stop when the two blond super beings stopped to carry on their obviously very
private conversation, Buffy and Spike faced each other, his intense blue eyes
boring into her suspicious green ones. The Slayer was the one to look away
first, letting her eyes slid away and turning to go.
The vampire growled and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to
meet his gaze again.
(I love you, Buffy Anne Summers. God help me, I love you with
everything I have and am. If that’s not good enough for you…)
She looked back at him, feeling the truth of what he was saying flowing
into her. She was suffused with such overwhelming gratitude for the adoration,
lust and protectiveness that she felt from the vampire that she had to blink
back tears.
(It’s good enough)
(Alright, then)
(Okay)
Their mutual grinning at each other was interrupted by the sound of Giles
loudly clearing his throat as he pointed out the obvious.
“Whatever you two find so important that you must stop our escape to
discuss it - quite rudely, I might add – it is going to have to wait. We need
to get out of here and decide what we are going to do about this harridan I am
forced to walk with.”
The laughter from the Slayer and her vampire echoed off the walls as
they turned and led the way toward safety. Shaking his head at them, Giles
roughly shoved the woman in front of him and set off after the still laughing
pair.
Chapter Seventeen
As they moved quickly toward where the tunnels opened into the caves
surrounding Sunnydale, Buffy and Spike continued to walk side by side. When
their arms brushed against each other again, Spike reached for Buffy’s hand and
entwined their fingers. She hesitated for just a second, then squeezed lightly
and moved a little closer to him.
The vampire hadn’t been sure how she would react to the PDA in front
of her Watcher and best friend, and he let out an unnecessarily held breath when
she didn’t pull away. He allowed his thumb to gently stroke hers as they walked
along together. Behind him, he heard the Watcher’s pulse rate increase when he
saw them, and waited for the reprimand that never came.
Instead, Willow said in a whisper, “Awwww, Giles, Do you see that?”
“Yes, Willow, I do,” he growled back, making no attempt to lower his
voice. His tone promised there would be conversation about what he was seeing
as soon as they were safely back in the world.
Spike glanced at Buffy to see if she’d heard any of it, but she
remained focused on the dim tunnel in front of them and didn’t react at all. He
wanted to bring her hand to his lips and kiss it in appreciation of her
willingness to acknowledge their new relationship, but decided that might push
the watcher past his limits. Buffy’s quick sideways glance and the small smile
on her lips told him she’d sensed the unspoken thought. She squeezed his
fingers lightly and mentally blew him a kiss.
Before Spike could follow up with any more stimulating mental
images, they reached the end of the lighted tunnels and he turned unerringly
into the darkened corridor opening on the left.
“This is the way,” he said confidently, pulling her into the darker
passageway. He quickly vamped out as the dim lights of the tunnels faded into
the solid blackness of the caves. When Willow tripped over somethingf, they
stopped and the vampire looked down, finding a cache of equipment obviously left
by the commandos. Included were several flashlights, some rope, and a couple
of their ubiquitous tasers.
Scooping up the tasers and the flashlights, Willow and Buffy turned
to go on when Giles cleared his throat.
“Have you given any thought to what are we going to do with this
unpleasant woman when we get out of here?” he inquired, jerking his head toward
Maggie. “I believe kidnapping, contrary to what she obviously believes, is
still illegal. No matter how deserving the victim,” he added, glaring at the
equally angry woman.
“Exactly!” she said firmly. “You have no choice but to let me go.
Things will go much better for you if you do,” she added in her best “I’m the
only one capable of making a good decision here” tone of voice.
Her apparent confidence and implied threat rubbed Buffy the wrong
way.
“Do you remember what I told you would happen if you did anything to
hurt my friends or family?” she asked coldly. “I believe you told me I was not
in a position to make threats at the time. It seems to me our positions have
changed, Professor Walsh.”
“I heard you say yourself, you do not kill humans. If you can’t
kill me, you have to let me go. My men will turn this town upside until they
find me.” She spoke confidently, having now figured out that in crisis
situations the Slayer was in charge and she could ignore the growling vampire
and the man holding her arm.
Buffy looked from Giles’ expressionless face to Spike’s icy stare
and shrugged her shoulders.
“No,” she said calmly, “I don’t.”
She tugged on Willow’s sleeve and began to walk away, not looking
back when the older woman began to sputter and argue.
“You cannot leave me with these two conscienceless creatures!
That’s the same thing as killing me yourself!”
“No, it isn’t,” Buffy threw over her shoulder. “It’s Spike’s
decision what to do with you. Giles will stay to make sure there is no torture
involved and that he doesn’t eat you. Anything else is between them.”
The two Brits watched as the flashlights disappeared around a
corner, then looked back at the nervous woman. Spike’s eyes were flashing back
and forth between blue and amber as his demon demanded vengeance for the acts
inflicted on both him and his mate by the human now quaking in front of him.
The Watcher observed him curiously. If he’d been asked a month ago
whether a vampire could control his blood lust, could be around humans that
trusted they were safe with him and not kill them, he would have responded with
a resounding “no”. And if he’d been asked if a demon could love, he would have
laughed bitterly, remembering how Angelus had gone out of his way to torment
Buffy and how he’d killed Jenny.
But he also remembered seeing the pain on Spike’s face as he sat
in his wheelchair and watched Drusilla hanging all over her Sire. And the flash
of compassion and admiration when Giles resisted Angelus’ torture. He knew
Spike had not wanted Angel to free Acathla, and yet he had suggested letting Dru
use her thrall to get the information they needed from Giles rather than let
Angelus continue to torture it from the helpless Watcher.
So, rather than speak, he waited patiently to see which would win
the battle clearly taking place inside the vampire. Would the demon triumph
and snap the woman’s neck in retaliation of what she’d done to him? Or would
the gentle Victorian man Giles now knew resided inside the vampire demonstrate
mercy toward her?
With a loud growl, Spike shook the demon off, and reached for the
ropes left by her soldiers. Without speaking, he trussed her up so that she
could not move, and left her sitting against the wall near the pile of
supplies. He put a lit flashlight at her feet and stood back to stare into her
curious eyes.
“Much as I’d like to rip out your entrails and strangle you with ‘em,”
he growled, “I have to answer to that little girl you were so anxious to know
more about, and I know she wouldn’t like it. So, I’m leavin’ it in God’ hands.
If what’s left of your toy soldiers finds you first, I guess you get away with
your kidnappin’ and torturin’. If one of the nasties that come through these
caves finds you first, you get what you deserve and I don’t have to grovel for
forgiveness tonight.”
Scientific curiosity won out over fear, and she couldn’t resist
asking, “You are clearly a very powerful vampire – the most powerful we’ve ever
tested in here.” She flinched when Spike vamped out at the word “tested”, but
when he remained still, she went on, “Why would a...creature…like yourself be
afraid of a little girl? I know she’s quite strong,” Maggie rushed on before he
could say anything, “and that she kills vampires, but surely one such as you has
nothing to fear from her? Why would you ‘grovel’ to her?”
The vampire stared at her then said flatly, “Killed two Slayers
before this, and fought a couple more.” He felt Giles start beside him and
grinned to himself at the Watcher’s surprise. “Fell in love with this one.” He
turned away to leave, then paused and looked back at the astonished woman,
“And, she can kick my butt 9 times out of 10. Best remember that when you’re
callin’ her a ‘little girl’.”
Laughing at the woman’s insistence that he come back and tell her
more about these other Slayers and about vampires and their relationships, he
strode after Buffy and Willow.
Giles looked at the still-objecting woman and said quietly, “Who
would have thought that William the Bloody would be more compassionate than I
would? You should be very grateful Buffy left the decision in his hands. Mine
would have been less gentle.” He turned away and hurried through the dark
corridor after the vampire.
He caught up with him much quicker than he expected, as it turned
out Buffy and Willow hadn’t gone very far and were waiting around a sharp bend
in the cave tunnel.
“Well?” Buffy was demanding, hands on hips.
Spike explained what he’d done and waited to hear her reaction.
To his surprise, she just nodded and turned away muttering, “You should have
killed that bitch. She’s never going to leave us alone.”
He rolled his eyes and hastened to catch up and take her hand
again. “Feelin’ bloodthirsty, are you, Slayer?”
She sighed and leaned toward him briefly. “No, I’m glad you
didn’t kill her. I’m just afraid she’s going to make more trouble.”
“She has to survive until someone from that place finds her,
first, pet. At worst, she’ll have plenty of time to think about whether or not
she really wants to come after us.”
“And at best?”
“She won’t have time to do much of anythin’,” he said softly.
Buffy nodded and they continued working their way toward the fresh
air Spike could smell ahead of them. Suddenly, he froze and gestured to them to
stop. He cocked his head listening, then went into vamp face and moved forward
cautiously. Buffy fell into step behind him, pulling one of the confiscated
stakes from her waistband.
The small group rounded another corner only to find themselves
facing a vampire stalking angrily toward them.
He stopped when he saw Spike, then looked intently at the
stake-wielding blond behind him.
“Does she have you, or do you have her?” he inquired, looking from
Spike to the small girl beside him.
“Y’might say we have each other,” Spike drawled, dropping his vamp
face. “This isn’t a real good place for a lone vamp,” he offered. “Lot’s of
nasty humans further back that way.” He jerked his head toward the way they had
come. “Bloke could get staked, or worse.”
“They took my mate,” the other vamp snarled. “Worse has already
happened.”
As the humans stared in complete amazement, the other vampire
dropped his game face and they saw tears on his cheeks.
“I know she’s gone. I just thought I’d try to take a few of them
with me before I join her.”
“Don’ know how many we left standin’, mate, but you’re welcome to
what’s left.”
The vampire turned to face the small blond still clutching a
stake, but looking at him with sudden understanding.
“I know I can’t beat you, Slayer, so I’m just asking. Will you
let me go by? Let me meet my end at the hands of the people who took my reason
for living away from me?”
Buffy slowly lowered her hand and nodded her head, unable to
speak for the lump in her throat. The grief the other vampire was carrying was
palpable and she had no doubt he had no intention of ever coming out of the
tunnels. Behind her she could almost feel Giles’ eagerness to get back to his
apartment and add the things he had learned about vampires tonight to his
watcher’s diary.
The other vamp gave a grateful nod and started down the tunnel the
way they had come. Only to be stopped by the older man accompanying the Slayer
and her unusual assortment of friends.
“The woman who runs the place is tied up about a half-mile back. If
you get there before her men find her…” He didn’t finish his sentence, just
stepped back away from the astonished creature and wondered how the Council
would react to one of their former Watchers’ giving directions to a vengeance
seeking vampire. Deciding he didn’t care, he responded to the other’s nod of
thanks and followed his Slayer and her vampire out of the caves.
Chapter Eighteen
Dawn was threatening to break over the horizon when the small
group finally reached the Watcher’s apartment. Giles and Willow staggered
toward the couch, groaning and insisting they were never going to walk anywhere
ever again. Only slightly less tired, Spike threw himself into the easy chair
and automatically opened his arms so that Buffy could sit on his lap and fold
herself into them. For a long time the only sounds to be heard were the soft
snores of the Watcher and the occasional sleepy snort from Willow.
Buffy snuggled into Spike’s chest, enjoying the safe feeling she
always got when his arms were around her. She idly wondered how someone who
set her whole body tingling, could at the same time make it feel so secure and
comfortable.
( ‘S cause you know I’ll never hurt you, love. Even the Slayer
in you knows you’re safe with me, no matter how much your “spidey senses” tell
you you’re cuddlin’ a vampire.)
(Not just any vampire. MY vampire.)
She felt his inward smile.
(Your vampire) he agreed, kissing the top of her head. They soon
joined Giles and Willow in some much-needed restorative sleep.
Which only lasted until Xander and Anya came crashing through the
front door, shouting for Giles or Buffy. They stopped abruptly when the four
drowsy people all raised their heads and blinked at them.
“Xander,” Giles said in his most patient voice, “Is it at all
possible for you to speak in a normal tone of voice? We’ve had quite a long and
eventful night and I feel sure I speak for all of us when I say…what the bloody
hell do you want?”
“We…that is…I…Joyce was worried…and you…no answer on phone…and
couldn’t find Willow…and…Willow, why is Buffy back on the evil undead’s lap?”
“Uh…I guess…cause Giles and I were taking up the whole couch?”
Willow tried bravely.
Xander looked back and forth from between his two closest female
friends, noticing for the first time that Buff was gently stroking the arm that
lightly encircled her body.
“Buffy? You know William is really Spike, right?” His question was
really a plea for denial of what he was seeing.
She sat up with an exaggerated sigh and said, “Xander, Spike and I
are…we’re… together and I need for you to try to be okay with it. Can you do
that for me?”
“What? No! No, I won’t do that for you. You’re my friend and I
won’t have you being taken advantage of by a soulless demon. Without that chip,
he’d have killed us all by now. He’s just trying to get close to you in case he
gets his vampire rocks back and then he’s going to kill you!”
The young man was waving his hands about hysterically as he ranted
at the unfazed girl still curled up on the vampire’s lap. Spike gave him his
best evil leer over Buffy’s head, then doubled over when she drove her elbow
into his stomach.
“Ow, pet! What was that for?” he laughed, rubbing his sore mid
section.
“You know very well what it was for,” she grumbled. “I’m trying to
calm him down and you’re making stupid faces behind me.”
(He’s not gonna calm down, love. He’s jealous. I could be wearin’
wings and a halo and he’d still be mad.)
She rolled her eyes and tried again.
“Xander, I know this is a surprise to you…although I’m not really
sure why…but I’m asking you to understand and to try to accept Spike the way you
would any other boy friend of mine.”
“That is not a boyfriend. That is a mistake. A carry-over from
the spell. An Angel substitute—“
His rant was interrupted by a furious snarl from the vampire,
and only Buffy’s grip on his arms kept him in the chair as he went to leap at
the rapidly retreating boy.
“Stop it! Just stop it, both of you!” Buffy’s voice was
wavering between anger and tears.
“You,” she pointed to Xander, “need to get over yourself. This
is my life and I will have in it whoever I choose. I’m not giving you a hard
time for dating an ex-demon who has killed and maimed thousands of men before we
trapped her here by breaking her talisman.”
“And you,” she turned on the smirking vampire, “you need to stop
going all fangy every time somebody says something you don’t like. You’re going
to hear Angel’s name from time to time. Get used to it.”
Giles sat up with a groan and glared at Xander who was standing
in open-mouthed shock as Buffy’s words sank in.
“I suppose, since we are all here and awake, NOW,” another glare
at the fuming young boy emphasized how angry he was at being awakened so
abruptly, “we may as well get this out of the way.”
He turned to the two powerful blonds occupying his biggest chair
and said in his best Watcher voice, “I presume I’m going to hear that the chip
was removed some time ago and we only learned of it today due to the
circumstances?”
He fixed Buffy with a hard look and added, “And I am assuming
from your reaction today that you did not know about this situation, not that
you decided to keep it from me for some unfathomable reason?”
Spike gave an audible sigh and sat up straighter, still holding
Buffy lightly as though she might slip away if he didn’t maintain contact.
“Got the chip taken out in LA while I was away. It’s been gone
for weeks. Needed to give the Slayer time to find out I could control m’self so
she wouldn’t try to put me down like a rabid dog when she found out. So, no,
she didn’t know about it.”
“Interesting that you could hide that kind of information from
someone who can read your mind,” Giles said. His tone was mild, but his look
was sharp as he watched their reaction for some indication that they were lying,
but all he saw was a guilty shrug from Buffy.
“I…we…it doesn’t work that…I mean, I have to…he has to…” she
gave up trying to explain and just waited for her Watcher to give her some idea
how much he had figured out. He didn’t disappoint.
“Exactly when did you claim my Slayer, Spike?” he asked through
gritted teeth.
Buffy’s guilty start told him his guess was correct and he
groaned inwardly, even as he maintained his steady gaze at the girl he thought
of as a daughter and the vampire he had actually begun to trust. Only the fact
that the vampire so far hadn’t seemed to use the claim in any way except to help
them get Buffy out of the lab, kept him from leaping for the nearest stake.
“It was during the spell, Giles,” Buffy spoke up before Spike
could say anything. She heard Willow’s guilty gasp, and she sent her friend a
reassuring smile before she continued. “And, it wasn’t just him. I claimed
him back.”
The Watcher’s groan this time was audible. “When were you
planning to tell me that you had…bound…” he couldn’t bring himself to say
“mated”, “yourself to a master vampire? Did it not occur to you that this was
information I needed to have?”
Buffy flushed and ducked her head.
“I…we…were going to tell you, but we weren’t sure at first if it
would last. I mean, we haven’t…I mean, we did, but that was the spell and since
then we…”she trailed off and looked at Spike for help.
“Oh, dear Lord.” Gile’s verbal dismay was followed by Xander’s
“What? They what the what?”
Giles turned to glare at Xander and Anya. “You two couldn’t
keep your pants on long enough to keep my Slayer from being claimed by a
vampire? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Anya shrugged and muttered, “We didn’t do anything but give
Buffy and Spike a chance to work out all that sexual tension that’s always there
when they’re in the same room. And, how can it hurt her to be mated to a master
vampire? It seems to me he’s perfect for a slayer – with the super strength and
violent temper and all. They’re made for each other.”
Xander’s face had paled, even though he didn’t really
understand what a claim was. But he had no trouble reading between the lines of
Buffy’s babbling to understand that while he and Anya had been out of the room,
Buffy and Spike had had sex. That much he got.
He was heading toward the chair containing Buffy and the vampire
he was determined to rid the world of, when something of the earlier part of the
conversation percolated to the front of his brain and he slowed, lowering the
stake in his hand.
“There’s no chip? Spike can kill?” There was an edge to his
voice that bordered on hysteria.
One look at the vampire’s cold stare answered his question,
and he retreated behind the Watcher.
“Well, that settles it. She has to kill him now. Giles, why
isn’t she killing him?”
The other people in the room ignored his whining and continued
to stare at the vampire and the increasingly distressed slayer. Spike’s hand
was rhythmically stroking her arm in an attempt to calm his mate. When no one
had anything else to say or ask, Spike addressed Giles directly.
“You know how I feel about her, Watcher. I would never hurt her,
or anyone she cares about,” he added with a significant glare at Xander. “If
she doesn’t want the claim, all she has to do is send me away. I think it will
fade with time if I’m not here and we don’t… if we don’t do anything to renew
it. But it’s Buffy’s choice; not yours and certainly not their’s,” he finished,
waving his hand at the Scoobies, all now standing behind the Watcher.
“Well, that’s that then!” Xander refused to by shushed by Anya
as he self-righteously indicated what Buffy’s clear duty was. “Tell him to get
lost, Buffy.”
Spike waited confidently for Buffy to tell Xander to shut up, but
when she did nothing but cringe against him, her eyes darting back and forth
between her Watcher and her friends, his hand stilled and he dropped his arms.
(So, that’s it, love?) He couldn’t keep the disappointment and
anger from her and didn’t really want to try.
(No! Yes…maybe…I don’t know!) Her voice was a wail in his head
as she looked from her disapproving Watcher and friends to the crushed vampire
on whose lap she was still sitting.
(Well, when you suss it out, you let me know, yeah?) He stood up
and gently deposited her back on the chair.
“What are you doing?” her voice contained a note of panic as he
strode toward the closet where they’d put his clothes and pulled out his leather
coat.
“Spike,” the Watcher’s voice came quietly. “Please wait. I
need…I want to explain something to you.”
The vampire stood by the door, stubbornly refusing to look at
Buffy who was staring at him with eyes from which she refused to let the tears
fall. He tried to put a mental wall between them, but he could feel her despair
and knew she could feel his grief just as strongly.
Giles looked back and forth between Spike and Buffy, sensing
their unhappiness, even as he cursed the day Willow had first played with
magic. He took off his glasses and polished them vigorously.
“Buffy is not the first Slayer to be claimed by a vampire.” He
ignored the startled gasps that greeted his announcement. “It happens.
Sometimes it’s because the vampire wants to control the Slayer, sometimes it’s
because he thinks….well, I don’t know what they’re thinking sometimes.” He gave
a sigh, “And sometimes it’s because they are in love.” He refused to meet
anyone’s eyes as he went on, although he didn’t miss Buffy’s surprised intake of
breath. “The Council considers it a very dangerous situation. If they had any
idea that William the Bloody had claimed a Slayer, they would send a team in to
kill her. Immediately.”
There were gasps around the room as the true danger Buffy could be in
became clear. Spike involuntarily stepped closer to her at the conclusion of
the Watcher’s speech.
“They would kill their own Slayer? What kind of people do you work
for, Watcher?”
“Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? I do not ‘work for’ them anymore
and therefore, fortunately, am not obligated to report to them everything that
Buffy does. However, it would be ingenuous of me to presume that they do not
have their own sources of information in Sunnydale and it is only a question of
time before the change in your…relationship…comes to their attention.”
“So, if I’m not here, there’s no problem, right? No reason for them
to concern themselves with the Slayer guardin’ the Hellmouth for them.”
Spike’s voice was controlled and quiet. Only his eyes gave away
what it cost him to suggest what Buffy could sense was coming.
(No, Spike. Don’t…)
Ignoring everyone else in the room, he turned to her and said
softly, “Not gonna put you in danger, pet.”
“I’m in danger every night of my life,” she said, standing up and
moving closer to him. “They tried to kill me once already. Didn’t work then
and it won’t work now.”
(Don’t leave me.) The Slayer’s silent plea was all the more
powerful for being brief and to the point.
(You think I WANT to go? That I’m not gonna go crazy wondering how
you are, what you’re doin’, if you need me?)
While they carried on their internal exchange, the two would-be
lovers moved closer together until she was wrapped in his arms, the leather coat
half hiding her from the room. Her own arms were around his back. It would be
hard to say who was clutching harder, but there was no question that normal
humans would have been crushed by the forces. Buffy’s head was buried in his
chest as she continued her silent argument. Spikes face was resting on her head
and he inhaled the scent of her hair and skin as he argued back.
(You need some time to figure out what you want to do about us anyway,
love. Give the claim some time and space to calm down and see if you still want
me without that pullin’ on you.)
(Don’t try to tell me what I need. I need you. Here. With me.)
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, then lifted his own and
tilted her chin up.
“Buffy, the Watcher’s right. If the Council of Wankers knew you were
doin’ anything with William the Bloody except staking his—“
Willow had been watching her best friend and the vampire she was
coming to view as a friend, until she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“That’s it!”