CHAPTER FOUR



She found her former watcher in the dining room and quickly joined him.  One look at her beaming face told Giles something important had happened.



“So, he’s awake then?” he asked with a gentle smile.



“Awake, alive and he still loves me!”



Giles gaped at her.  “You doubted that? After all these years?”



“Well, he did stay away from me all last year.  There has to be a reason for that and I just assumed.....”



“Buffy, I may not be the expert on William the Bloody that I used to think I was, but I think I know him well enough to say that whatever the reason might be, his not loving you would never have been it.”



Buffy blushed and shrugged,  “You know me – all self-involved person. It just never occurred to me that it might not have anything to do with me.  That it might have been a...”



“An apocalypse?” the older man asked kindly.



“Uh, yeah.  Kinda overlooked that possibility, I guess.”  She smiled ruefully, then perked up and asked,  “So, you want to come back with me to see the wonder boy?”



“If you think he’s up for guests, yes I would.  A vampire who becomes human.  I need to know the details, consult the prophecies.....” he was clearly going to be in research heaven for quite awhile.





They arrived on the third floor to hear a loud British voice insisting that he, “don’t need any soddin’ wheelchair. Stop treating me like a bleedin’ poofter!”



Buffy came around the corner and fixed Spike with a chilling glare. “You do whatever you’re told to, mister.  Don’t you even think about doing anything that might make you sick again!”



Spike’s complaining subsided to inaudible grumbles and he shot a returning glare at Buffy.  “I’m fine,” he growled.  “I don’t see why they didn’t let me walk up here.”



“Well, for starters,” Buffy grinned at him as he climbed out of the wheelchair and into the bed, “it’s possible they didn’t want the entire hospital to see your bony, white ass.  Cute as it is,” she hastened to add when he threw her a thunderous scowl and grabbed the back of his gown.



While he hated to admit it, the testing that he’d been through all morning had exhausted him and he was actually grateful for the ride back.  He leaned back on his pillows and closed his eyes briefly.  When Buffy recognized the effort he was making to keep his eyes open, she dropped her teasing and caressed his cheek with her hand. 



“You’re not going to get your strength back in a day,” she whispered.  “Quit trying to be a hero and rest.  For me? Please?” she added when he frowned and tried to sit up.



“Well, OK, but just because you asked me to......” his voice trailed off as he drifted back into an exhausted sleep.



Buffy looked at the nurse for reassurance when his eyes went shut and he appeared to be unconscious again.  She smiled at the worried slayer and said softly, “He’s been through a lot in the last few hours.  He actually held up much better than anyone expected him to.  We were all amazed at how strong he is.”



Giles had entered the room in time to hear the nurse’s statement and he frowned speculatively at the inert man in the bed.



“You say he was stronger than normal?” he asked her.  Buffy rolled her eyes as she saw the former Watcher go into research mode. 



Before the nurse could answer him, the doctor entered the room and asked to speak with Buffy. He nodded his head when she asked if Giles could come also and they stepped out into the hall.  Gesturing at some chairs in the small lobby, the doctor requested that they sit down and said without preamble, “Mr. Sinclair is exceptionally strong for someone who has been comatose and bed ridden for as long as he has.  It is really unheard of for someone to regain use of his or her muscles as quickly as he seems to have done.  Was he some kind of professional athlete or endurance sport enthusiast before he was injured?”



Buffy was extremely grateful that she had asked Giles to come along as she knew she was wearing her “deer in the headlights” expression again.  (How do I explain that he was a master vampire with superhuman strength?).  Fortunately, Giles was quicker on his feet and answered smoothly. “He was an exceptionally strong and fit man,” he said without blinking. “I would guess his ability to regain strength quickly is a tribute to your fine physical therapy department and to Buffy’s extra work over the past month.”  He gazed blandly at the puzzled doctor and smiled an open and honest smile.



(Ok, Giles.  We will be discussing this new-found ability to lie at the drop of a hat.  Must be a Council thing.)



The doctor frowned for a moment, but realized he wasn’t going to get any more of an explanation from either of them.  He eyed the tiny blond woman for a second, remembering the time he had walked into the room when she was giving Spike a bath to see her effortlessly holding the much larger man up with one hand.  He hadn’t asked about what he’d seen as she quickly put both arms around her patient when she saw the doctor watching her.  He’d convinced himself that he must not have seen what he thought he saw and didn’t pursue it at the time.  Now he was wishing he could take her to the lab and see how her strength stacked up against what would be expected of a woman her size.



He shook his head at himself and came back to the current situation.

“Normally, I would expect to have someone like Mr. Sinclair here in rehab and physical therapy for at least a month before he was allowed to go home.  However, his progress since he woke up this morning is amazing and if he has no relapses, I am anticipating-“  He broke off as Buffy interrupted him eagerly,

“You mean, he can come home with me?  Now?”



Giles cleared his throat and interjected, “ I am sure he doesn’t not mean now, Buffy.  And even if he did, we are not set up to deal with a recovering coma patient at the moment.”



The doctor shot him a grateful look and continued, “Yes, quite right.  I do think, if he continues to progress well, that you could probably take him home by the end of the week.  Of course, there will be more physical therapy to do at home and you cannot expect him to be able to return to his normal pursuits....” he paused to see if they were going to share what those normal pursuits might be, then sighed and continued, “for some time.  But he will have no trouble with normal daily activities.”



After spending more time reviewing the tests he had run on Spike and the results, the doctor sent Giles and Buffy to the physical therapy department for a run-down on what to expect for the next few days. It all took longer than expected and Buffy was literally bouncing up and down with impatience as they walked back to Spike’s room.   She couldn’t wait to get him out of the hospital and away from everyone except her.  Giles looked at her in alarm as they approached Spike’s room and he thought he heard her actually growl.  When they got to the door, he could see why. 



Spike’s eyes were open again and he was bestowing his unique brand of British charm on a bevy of young, female hospital employees who had heard that he was awake and come to see him.  He had one cute red head fussing with his pillows, another girl smoothing his sheets and a third offering to hold a glass of water for him. Two others were just standing by the bed smiling coyly and trying not to noticeable ogle the now awake and flirting man.



Buffy’s arrival sent him immediately into “busted boy friend” mode as he lowered his eyes and ran a hand across the back of his neck nervously.  His abrupt transition from smooth charmer to guilty little boy was the only thing that kept Buffy from testing how strong his nose was.  Trying very hard to pretend he hadn’t been flirting with the girls, he watched from under lowered eyelashes as Buffy visibly restrained her obvious violent urges. 



Giles hid a smile as he got between the slayer and the suddenly subdued girls.  He tried to get them out of the room quickly without appearing to be pushing them out the door.  Since one look at Buffy’s face told them she was not amused at finding her fiancée’s fan club had returned while she was out and those that remembered or knew about her violent reaction to his being touched before began edging toward the door.  The bravest offered tiny waves to Spike as they hurried out of the room, but he was smart enough not to acknowledge them at all.



He continued to keep his gaze focused on the bedding, just sneaking an occasional peek at Buffy to see if she was still mad.  Her obvious jealousy made his heart sing, but the furious look on her face caused him to hope she remembered that he was now mortal and not physically well. 



Standing beside the bed with her hands clenched into fists that she made no attempt to hide, Buffy glared at the ex-vampire and snarled, “What the hell did you think you were doing?”



Spike looked at Giles as if for help, but the older man just grinned and shook his head.  He watched Spike stammer out explanations for the girls’ continued presence in his room for several minutes before he took pity on the ex-vampire and interrupted to ask,  “Buffy, why don’t you go get us something to eat while I talk to Spike for a while about ........well, about whatever this is about?”



“Uh, no, watcher.  I think Buffy needs to stay here for a while yet.  Don’t you think?” he asked, rolling his eyes toward the door as a reminder that the ejected females probably hadn’t got very far away yet.



Giles took another look at Buffy’s tense shoulders and clenched fists and agreed quickly that she probably ought to “stay here and see if Spike needs anything while I go find us some dinner.”



After he left the room, there was a tense silence broken only by the sound of Buffy’s heavy breathing.  Finally, Spike couldn’t stand it any longer and he sighed as he patted the bed beside him and ventured, “Buffy? Love?  I’m sorry. I was just – “



“I know what you were ‘just’, “ she growled, then found to her surprise that she had tears springing to her eyes.  She still stood rigidly beside the bed, refusing to soften her look, even as the tears began to trickle down her face.



“Ah, sweetheart, don’t, please.  You know all those silly bints put together aren’t worth as much to me as one hair on your head.  Come on, love. It’s not like you to get upset about me flirtin’ with other birds.  You used to laugh at me for it.” Even as he said it, he remembered how angry she had been with him when the First had sent him out killing.  At the time he had accused her of being jealous, but then came to realize that she was worried that he’d been killing again.  Now he wasn’t so sure that his first instincts hadn’t been correct.



“You used to not have been dead and ......not with me.....for more than a year.”  Despite herself, she sniffled and edged closer to his reaching arms. When she felt his warm hands rubbing her upper arms soothingly, she gave up and came into his embrace, burying her head in his chest.  “I just haven’t had you for so long.....and....and I don’t know why you didn’t tell me you were back....and maybe you don’t love me anymore...and....” she choked off as he clutched her so hard she almost couldn’t breathe.



“I will always love you. I never stopped loving you and I never will.  It’s all about you, Buffy. Always has been and always will be.”  He stroked her silky hair and inhaled the scent of her herbal shampoo as he pushed his nose into her neck and began planting light kisses along her throat.



By the time Giles got back to the room, Buffy was snuggled up into his side and they were relaxed and smiling at each other again.  The watcher breathed a sign of relief and sat down tiredly.



“Well, Spike, are you ready to talk about what happened to you?”



“Don’t bloody well know what happened to me, Rupert.  One minute I’m trying to fight all the demons of hell – and losin’ I might add – and then I’m lying in a bed all warm and breathing but not able to move or talk.  Course the only one who could tell when I was awake was Blue.....” he paused as he felt Buffy stiffen against his side.  “Oh, c’mon, Slayer.  Helluva warrior, but not really my type.  Still, guess I have her to thank for being here.”  When he paused, Giles nodded his head and told him what they knew of the end of the battle and its aftermath.



Buffy smothered the jealousy that once again threatened to spoil their reunion and listened quietly as Spike answered the questions Giles asked him and filled in the gaps in the Council’s information. 



When it became obvious that Spike was tiring, Buffy cut Giles off and told him he’d have to wait to finish his “research” until Spike was in better shape.  He reluctantly agreed that Spike needed to rest and left them curled up on the bed as he went back to the hotel to make arrangements for Spike’s arrival.



Around 3:00 in the morning, Buffy awoke suddenly with her Slayer senses tingling again.   Her abrupt movement awoke Spike and he too sat up, asking her what was wrong.  Before she could answer, Illyria stepped into the room and approached the bed.  Buffy struggled to maintain a calm, detached demeanor as Spike’s face lit up and he greeted his friend.



“Hey, Blue,” he said softly,  “Want to thank you for.......for everything. I know I wouldn’t have made it if-“



“It was.......important.....to me,” she said slowly.  “You are a good fighter and....Wesley liked you,” she finished quickly.  She cocked her head slightly and looked at Buffy,  “Is this the one you cry about when you sleep?  She is very protective of you.   Does she not know what kind of fighter you are?”



Spike smiled and came close to giving the first smirk Buffy had seen since he awoke.  “Yeah, she knows, pet.  But I think you make her nervous.”  Buffy huffed in indignation and he hugged her with one arm to show he was kidding.



Illyria studied them for a moment, then said without emotion, “I think you do not need me any more.   You are able to care for yourself, and you have this small person to help you fight.  I will leave now.”



Spike stretched out a hand and asked her to wait.  He let go of Buffy and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so that he was facing the fallen god.  “Where will you go?” he asked with concern. 



“I do not know.” She replied.  “But I do not wish to stay here in this place.  It is too....There are.....” she stopped at a loss to explain.



“Too many memories, luv?  Unhappy memories?”



“I do not know.  Perhaps.  I just know I need to leave.  There will be things to kill in other places.”



“That there will, Blue. That there will.”  He reached out again and took her hand, squeezing it gently. 



“I wish to lie to you now,” she said without looking at him.  For just a few seconds, Illyria faded into Fred and, ignoring Buffy’s gasp, Spike pulled her down and kissed her cheek. “You take care of yourself, luv.”  Illyria/Fred nodded, then returned to her normal appearance.



As the other being turned to leave the room, Buffy jumped off the bed and got between her and the door.  Their eyes met for a full minute as they wordlessly studied each other.  Finally, Buffy said softly, “Thank you” and without replying Illyria nodded once and continued out the door.
 

CHAPTER FIVE

Spike’s move into the Hyperion was not without drama as the few Slayers who knew him from Sunnydale pushed to the front to see for themselves that he was not only not dust, but alive.  He greeted the ones he remembered by name and nodded at the others.  When Buffy turned her back to talk to Giles for a minute, he gave them all his trademark smirk and a wink before quickly turning back to her.  She frowned suspiciously at the giggles following Spike’s introduction to the new slayers, but he just beamed at her innocently and she finally rolled her eyes and pulled him toward the stairs.

He paused at the bottom of the long staircase, then shrugged and started walking up, taking the stairs two at a time just as he had done when he was a vampire.  Giles watched him glide up the stairs effortlessly, a small frown creasing his forehead.

“Watcha lookin’ at Watcherman?” asked one of the newer slayers whose eyes were also following the blond man’s progress.

“I’m not at all sure......” Giles answered her without actually looking at her. He turned away and went toward the office where he kept his research materials with a thoughtful look on his face.

While those in the lobby were watching Spike’s athletic movement up the staircase, Buffy was frowning at the look on concentration on his face and the circles she could see under his eyes.

“We’ll take the elevator from here,” she said abruptly as they reached the upper lobby.  Without looking at him again, she took his hand and pulled him toward the bank of elevators.

Spike didn’t say anything until they were on the elevator and moving upward, then he sagged against the side and let out his breath.

“Thanks, pet,” he smiled at her.  “Guess I’m more knackered than I thought I’d be.”

Buffy slipped into his reaching arms and looked up at him with a trace of fear in her eyes.

“You need to take it easy, Spike.  Stop trying to show off and just allow yourself to heal and get better.  If something happens to you again.......” she shuddered and buried her head in his chest.

“Relax, love, I’ll be fine.  Just got a little carried away with how good I felt and how much progress I’ve made this week.  Little rest and I’ll be rarin’ to go again.”

“Yeah, about that progress......did you know the whole hospital staff thinks you’re some kind of superman?”

“You sayin’ I’m not, Slayer?”

She slapped him lightly on the chest when he raised his eyebrow and smirked at her.

Do you think you still have your vampiric powers?”

“Dunno.  I can’t go into game face – tried that already, and my hearing is good, I guess, but not what it was.  I definitely don’t feel like the weak nancy-boy I was before I was turned, though.  Wanna try something when we get to the room.  Just to see.....”

The elevator door opened and they walked slowly toward the room that had been set up for Spike to stay in while he recovered.  As he walked in the door and saw the size of the suite, his eyebrows went up. 

“All for me?” he asked her in amazement.  The set of rooms contained a large open area covered in a well-padded oriental rug and a few comfortable chairs.  “Not much furniture, is it?”

Buffy rolled her eyes at him and pointed to the exercise equipment lined up along the wall.  “It’s not for furniture, you moron.  This is your gym.  You’re – WE’RE – going to work here everyday until you are healthy.”

“An’ where do I sleep?” he asked, looking around the room.  “Under the rug?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he grabbed her around the waist. 

“Maybe later,” she promised, leaning into him for a minute.  Then she shook herself and pushed away, leading him into the adjoining bedroom and watching him admire the large four-poster bed.  It had a thick mattress and was made up with crimson sheets and with a black bedspread that was already turned down.

“Now that’s more like it!” he said appreciatively as he approached the bed. He sat down and patted the space beside him.  “This is much better than that skinny little hospital bed.  Care to try it out, love?”

Buffy looked down uncomfortably for a second, then peered up at him from behind her hair.

“Do you think we....I mean, are you.....maybe we should wait?”

“Wait for what?  Anyway, we already have, if I remember correctly.  Just cause I couldn’t participate doesn’t mean I wasn’t there, love.”  He pulled her toward him and into his lap.  She allowed him to cuddle her but continued to look down and refused to meet his eyes.

“About that.....” she started, then stopped.  He tipped her face up and was surprised to see her eyes brimming with tears.

“What’s wrong, Buffy?” he asked quietly while a large ball of ice formed in his chest.  “Are you having second thoughts about........us.....me?”

“Oh, no!  My god, no!”  Her eyes flew to his and she began to cry in earnest.  “No.  No second thoughts.  I just – I’m sorry for what I did in the hospital, that’s all.   I swore to myself if I got you back I’d treat you better and then I-“

She glared at him indignantly when he began laughing and she struggled to pull away from him.  Spike just clutched her tighter and buried his face in her neck, kissing his way up from her throat to her face, still laughing, as much from relief as anything else.

“I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to laugh at you.  But c’mon – this is me.  You thought I’d be mad at you for shagging me? Forgot who I was so quickly, did you?”

“No, but .....You weren’t awake and I was just.....using you.....again,” she said so softly he almost couldn’t hear her.  “I used your body and it was too much like before when I......” she started to sniffle again and looked up at him tearfully.  “I’m sorry, Spike.”

When he realized how serious she was, he stopped laughing and held her face in both hands while he looked into her eyes.

“Buffy, it was nothing like before.  That never even crossed my mind.  I was awake and I could feel everything you did and I could hear everything you said to me.  I’m sorry you couldn’t hear what I was saying back to you in my mind.  Trust me love,  ‘stop, don’t do this’ was never a part of it!  You have my permission to use my body whenever and however you like – just so you tell me you love me while you’re doin’ it.”

“I DO love you, you know,” she said softly, staring into those brilliant blue eyes she never expected to see again.  “And I loved you the first time I said it. It broke my heart that you didn’t believe me.”

“I believed you, sweetheart,” he said stoking her cheek with his thumb. “I just wanted to be sure you got out of there.  Wasn’t the time for long relationship conversations. I knew you loved me when you started trusting me again; when you let me love you without trying to pretend I didn’t.  When you believed in me.  I died a happy man, Buffy.  I promise you.  I’m sorry that it hurt you.  That was never my intent.”

They remained silent for several minutes; Buffy enjoying the feeling of being held in his arms again and Spike losing himself in her scent and the warmth of her body in his arms.  His head gradually fell forward and Buffy realized that he was falling asleep sitting up.  She got off his lap, gently pushing away his arms, touching his protesting mouth with her fingertips as she pushed him down on the bed and pulled his legs up.  She took off his shoes and pulled the bedspread up over his body.

He tried to tell her not to leave, but the exhaustion he’d been trying to hide all day was too much and he fell asleep before he could say anything.  Buffy watched him sleep; pushing a stray curl of his forehead then leaned in to kiss his lips softly.  “I love you, Spike.  I’ll be back soon.”    She turned off the light and went back downstairs to Giles’ office.

The ex watcher looked up when she came in and plopped into a chair. “How is he?” he asked with genuine concern.

“Not as strong as he thinks he is – or as he would like us to think he is,” she amended, “but it’s still pretty amazing according to the doctors.  I was afraid for awhile they were going to keep him there just to keep running tests on him.”

“Did you talk to him about it?” he inquired.

“Just a little.  He says he’s not a vamp anymore.  No wrinklies, no fangs, no see-in-dark eyes – but he also feels much stronger than he was when he was human before.  I don’t know.  Maybe.......I don’t know.  What do you think?” She looked at her former watcher with genuine curiosity.

“I’ve consulted all the references I could think of, but I haven’t come up with much of anything.  As usual, when we’re talking about Spike, we’re talking about someone entirely unique.  Only vampire to be chipped, obviously.  Only one without a soul to work with and protect humans. Only one to seek a soul......the list goes on.”

“Only one to love a Slayer,” Buffy added in a quiet voice.

“Ummm, actually......he isn’t so unique there,” Giles mumbled, not looking at her.

“What! This has happened before?  When?  Who?  Why didn’t you tell me?” Buffy’s voice was rising as she thought of more questions.

“I looked into it when you were.....dating.....Angel.  I found just enough references to whet my curiosity, but I didn’t get the books I needed until fairly recently.  It seems Wesley left his reference books here when he moved into the Wolfram and Hart offices and he had what I needed.”

“So, this HAS happened before.”  Buffy didn’t know whether to be grateful that it proved it was possible, or angry that she and Spike were not as unique as she thought they were.

“Well, not precisely this, obviously.  But, yes, vampires have fallen in love with slayers before – and vice-versa.”  Giles paused and polished his glasses.  “I can’t say that it seems to end very well –ever.”

Buffy raised an eyebrow in question.  When Giles didn’t respond she prodded him, “and that would be because....?”

He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, then blurted out, “The Council usually kills one or both of them.”

“The Council,” she growled.  “Well, no surprise there I guess.  I can understand why they would kill the vampires – but why the slayers?”

“Buffy, this is by no means a common occurrence.  The records only reflect 5 or 6 times in the last several centuries.  When you consider how many slayers there would have been over that kind of time frame, you realize how rare it is.  And, you are correct.  In most cases the vampire is destroyed and the slayer continues to slay until she is killed.”

Buffy was giving him her cough-it-up face and he sighed as he added, “Which generally happened within a very short span of time.  One must assume that they were....distracted....and became careless.”

“So what about the ones the Council killed?” she asked quietly.

“It was just one, that I have found anyway.  There was a slayer very early on that disappeared with her vampire lover and they managed to live together for many years.  However, with the slayer still alive and active, no other slayer could be called and the Council decided it was too dangerous to allow that situation to occur again. The next time it happened, they hunted the couple down and killed them both.”

“The one who got away and lived with her....lover, why didn’t they find her?”

“I believe they expected her to meet an early end as is usually the case with slayers, and by the time they realized that she was staying alive longer than usual, they couldn’t locate them.  This was before the days of surveillance equipment, jet planes, instant  communication -  all the things that make it hard to disappear nowadays.”

“So, she just stopped slaying? And lived happily ever after?” Buffy asked in disbelief.  She could not imagine how someone could just decide not to slay any more.

“No, one must assume she continued to fight the forces of evil.  But apparently she did it on her own, without Council back up or input.  The Council had no idea where she was or what she was doing-“

“And that’s just not right!” Buffy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

“In all fairness, Buffy....” he began.

“Don’t use the words ‘Council’ and ‘fairness’ in the same sentence to me,” she huffed.  “So after that, they just killed both the vampires and their own slayers?  Just so they could have something they could control.  Typical!”

Giles cleared his throat and admitted,  “Yes, so it would seem. So you see, you actually were very fortunate.  They knew Angel had a soul and was somehow connected to the Powers That Be, so they didn’t interfere there.  And – I don’t believe they knew about Spike until it was too late.....”

“Or they would have killed us too,” she said flatly.

“Yes, I suspect so.  They would have tried, anyway,” he said with a small smile.

Buffy perked up and chirped, “Yeah, Spike and I don’t do the whole get-dead-and-stay-there thing very well, do we?”

“No, you don’t.  For which we are all very grateful.”  Buffy smiled back at him, choosing to assume he was including Spike in that gratitude.  Good humor re-established, she accompanied Giles to the dining room for the evening meal.

Buffy ate a quick dinner with the other slayers, then fixed a plate for Spike and went back upstairs.  She entered the room quietly and set the plate down on a table.  She approached the bed slowly, stopping to admire the peaceful face resting on the pillows. 

She slipped off her shoes and slid into the bed beside him, curling into his side and pulling his arm around her waist.  A contented sigh came from his lips and he pulled her closer.  She thought he was still asleep, but the soft lips on her ear lobe soon disabused her of that notion.  Turning over carefully, she put her own lips in front of his mouth and gently touched it with her tongue. 

“If you want something to nibble on, I’ve got a better idea...”

“Do you now?” he breathed as he pulled her lower lip into his mouth and bit it gently.  “And what would that be?”  As he spoke, their mouths melted together and they were lost in a kiss that had an underlying tenderness that was new to both of them.

For a long time they were content to lie together indulging in long, deep kisses that left them both more shaken than they cared to admit.  As they took a longer break to breathe, Buffy watched his soft blue eyes change and darken with desire. Suddenly the kisses weren’t enough for either one of them and they began pulling on each other’s clothing. 

Spike tried to have his hands everywhere on her body at once. Where he couldn’t put his hands, he was kissing or licking, breathing in her scent and surrounding himself with the essence of Buffy.

“My love, my goddess, I want to feel you.  Want to taste you.  It’s been too long.....Need you....”

Buffy’s skin felt like it was on fire.  Everywhere he touched with his hands or his mouth, he left her skin singing and full of heat.   When he slid his fingers into the waistband of her pants, she moaned in need.  Her whole body throbbed with want. She was desperate to feel him on her, in her, over her. She kicked frantically as he slid her jeans and underwear down her legs, pushing them off with her feet.  With her help, his own pants soon joined hers on the floor.

  Spike slid down her body, kissing his way toward his favorite place. Buffy moaned when his mouth found her and gasped his name as his tongue circled her aching nubbin.  In only a few seconds he brought her to the edge of release and when he bit down gently, she muffled her scream in the pillow, shuddering with the force of her orgasm.  His kisses and murmured endearments never stopped while she recovered and regained her ability to speak.

“Your turn,” she said as she tried to slide down his body, but Spike stopped her and pulled her up to his chest.

“Not now, love.  I need to be in you.  Need to feel you all around me, squeezing me, loving me....”

He pushed her knees apart and poised himself at her entrance.

“Tell me you love, Buffy.  Say it for me again,” he begged.

Buffy looked into the adoring eyes that had made her so uncomfortable before, and said softly as she stared back at him,  “I love you, Spike.  I will always love you.”

The trembling man had tears in his eyes as he slid into her eager body.  With matching sighs, they lay still, basking in the sensation of being connected again.

It wasn’t long though before they began slow, easy movements that gradually built to more urgent and forceful thrusts.  Soon they were pounding together, Spike trying to bury himself in her tight warmth, Buffy with her heels digging into his back, pulling him in deeper with every thrust. It briefly crossed her mind to worry if she was hurting her newly human lover, but his enthusiastic participation made that seem unlikely and she abandoned herself to sensation and need. 

When her little gasps turned into keening whimpers and he knew she was reaching her climax, he allowed himself to find his own release and chanted her name over and over as he felt himself filling her.  They shuddered together for minutes; aftershocks from the orgasms continuing to pulse through their bodies. 

Spike was so still once his breathing had come back to normal, that Buffy began to worry that perhaps she had injured him.  When she asked him gently if he was all right, he replied with a smile and a squeeze that he was fine, “Just a bit knackered, love.  Been awhile, you know?”

“Yeah,” she said softly, “I know.  Me too.”

She pulled the bedding up over their entwined bodies and drifted off to sleep, wrapped in his arms and her head on his chest.
 

Chapter Six


During the night, Buffy got up to use the bathroom, which was across the larger room from the bed.  As she came back toward the bedroom, she thought she heard Spike talking to someone and she stopped to grab a shirt off a chair before she entered their bedroom.  She froze at the sight that greeted her eyes.

Standing near the door and holding a terrified younger Slayer by the neck, was a swaying brunette in a long white dress.  Her long nails had already pierced the girl’s throat and blood was slowly trickling down onto her shirt.

“Stay back, Slayer,” she hissed at Buffy.  “I’m not here to kill the new Slayers.  I just want to take my sweet William with me.  Something terrible has happened to him and I need to fix him.”

“Dru, pet,  nothing terrible has happened to me.  I’m just human again, is all.  It’s alright, though.  I don’t mind.  You don’t need to hurt the girl.  It wasn’t her fault.”  Spike tried his best soothing voice on the vampire, hoping she would be more interested in him than the young slayer whose life she was so close to taking.

Buffy glared at the crazy vampire, but knew she was too far away to prevent her from killing the girl if she decided to do it.  She felt a cold sweat start as she realized that human Spike was even more vulnerable than the young, but strong and well-trained slayer.  She knew without thinking exactly what Drusilla meant by, “fix him.”

She ground her teeth in frustration and began to sidle toward Spike only to stop when the vampire hissed again and lifted the girl off the ground, causing her nails to push even more into her flesh.

“Dru. Pet.  Princess.  Let the girl go and let’s you and I talk about this, yeah?”

In a singsong voice Dru began to chant about “too many Slayers, Slayers everywhere.  This whole building smells like Slayers. Too many Slayers.  Princess needs to leave here, William.  I need to get my Spike and take him away from this awful place.”

As she spoke, she was gliding toward the man beside the bed.  Spike had a sheet held up in front of him, but as Dru got closer he dropped it to his side and took a relaxed, but balanced stance.

When Buffy realized he was planning to fight Dru for the girl, she choked out a strangled, “No!” and started toward him again.  Spike held up his hand to stop her and said quietly, “It’s OK, love. Leave it.”

“But you can’t......you’re not......” Buffy tried to fight down the panic she was feeling as she saw the vampire getting closer and licking her lips.

“That’s my sweet William.  William knows what he wants.  He wants to be with his princess.  Not here with all the nasty Slayers.  Princess is going to fix him.” As she finished speaking, she threw the bleeding slayer to one side and pounced on Spike, reaching for his neck with her now prominent fangs.

Buffy screamed and sprinted across the room, knowing in her heart that she would be too late to prevent the bite, but vowing to stop the vampire from turning Spike again.  To her amazement, Spike easily slipped out of the way of Dru’s fangs and with a flick of his arm sent her spinning across the floor. When she leaped back at him, he caught her in mid-air with his fist and sent her crashing against the wall.

As Buffy reached him and stepped between him and the snarling vampire, she watched as an expression of horror came over Drusilla’s face.

“Slayer!” she moaned.  “A Slayer.”

“Uh, actually, there are quite a few of us here, Dru,” Buffy growled at her. “You might have considered that before you came in here looking for Spike, you crazy bitch.”

The horrified vampire never took her eyes off Spike as she ignored Buffy and the other girl to repeat over and over,  “A Slayer.  A Slayer.  Everything smells like Slayers.  Too many Slayers.”

“What are you on about, Dru?” Spike asked angrily.  “You know she’s a Slayer, has been since long before we ever saw her.”

“Not her,” the vampire whimpered.  “Spike. My Spike is a Slayer.”

With a loud wail, the psychotic vampire turned and ran to the window.  With one last look back at Spike, she uttered another wail and threw herself out the window.

Buffy and Spike ran to the window and looked down, but it was too dark to see if there was a body below. Spike pulled on his pants and boots and picked up a stake.

“You’re going after her,” Buffy said flatly.  It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

“I’m going to finish this.”  

“I’m coming with you,” she said firmly as she pulled on her jeans.  As they left the room, Giles and some of the other girls were running up the hall, responding to the noise.

“Charlene is hurt,” Buffy threw over her shoulder.  “We’re going outside to find Dru.”

When they ran out the back door of the hotel, they found a trail of blood leading away from the hotel and into an alley.  Buffy tried to step in front of Spike and suggested, “Let me go first.  You might not get lucky again.”

“Wasn’t luck, pet.  Knew what I was doing and just did it.  Knew I could take her, even as tired and unfit as I am, I knew I was stronger and faster.”

Buffy had to admit that there had been no trace of hesitation or weakness in Spike’s fight with the deadly vampire, but she still couldn’t stop worrying.

“OK, then. We’ll go together, but if she touches you......”

He stopped and turned to face her, taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes.  “Do you believe I love you? Do you trust me?”

“Of course, I do,” she said in bewilderment.  “What has tha-“

“Then let me do this, love.  Let me make this decision.”

Buffy nodded silently and moved back behind him as he entered the alley. Without vampire eyesight and scent, it was difficult for them to see where the trail led, but the sound of moaning told them where the injured vampire was hiding. 

Buffy drew in her breath sharply when she caught sight of the broken body huddled by the wall.  Both of Dru’s legs were obviously broken, one arm dangled uselessly at her side and the other clutched her ribs as though trying to hold them together.  She raised her battered face to them and, never taking her eyes off Spike’s, she said clearly, “Let my Spike do it, Slayer. No one but my sweet Spike can slay his dark princess. “  She lifted her chin and put her back against the wall, exposing her heart to him.


Buffy could feel Spike trembling beside her and she touched his back softly, just to let him know she supported him whatever he decided.

He approached the apparently lucid vampire and squatted down in front of her. 

“Dru,” he said softly, “do you have anyone with you?  Anyone who can help you?”

She raised a trembling hand to his cheek and instead of answering him, she whispered almost to herself,  “My sweet William, my wonderful Spike.  He doesn’t love me anymore. He loves the Slayer.  He loves the Slayer so much, he became like her.  Spike the Slayer,” she finished with an eerie giggle.  “My bad dog is a Slayer.  Are you going to slay me, sweet William?  Are you going to slay your princess?  The stars want to know.  What will you do, Spike-the-Slayer?” she finished in a singsong voice.

There was a slight noise deeper in the alley and Spike and Buffy both whirled toward it.  A pack of five vampires moved slowly toward the two blond humans, spreading out so as to be able to rush them from several directions. Spike looked them over carefully, then spoke to the one he determined to be the most intelligent.

“If you’ll take her out of here and out of the country, I’ll let you leave.  If any of you come back, or let her come back.....”

The dark-haired minion frowned and snarled as he tried to decide what to do.  He looked at Dru, who was singing to herself as she leaned against the brick wall, and shook his head.  “She said we were coming her to get her ‘sweet William’.  Who the hell are you and why are you giving orders?”  he growled.

“I’m William,” Spike said coldly, “and I’m givin’ orders because I can.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” the minion growled.  “She’s my sire, you’re just another potential minion.”

Spike rolled his eyes and gestured as Dru.  “ I’m runnin’ out of patience here.  Are you going to take care of her or not?”

“You’re not coming with us?”

Buffy’s fists were clenched so tightly she was digging her nails into her own palms.  The effort she was making to let Spike handle the situation was about to be too much for her.  Every instinct was telling her to dust Dru and the minions, but she had promised to trust him.

“No,” he said with a sigh,  “I’m not comin’ with you.  But I – we,” he added, with a glance over his shoulder at Buffy, “we won’t stop you from taking her.  She’s going to need blood to heal and you’ll need to –“

“I see plenty of nice warm blood right here,” the vampire interrupted.  “What say we just take yours and your girl friend’s there?” he gestured toward Buffy with his chin.  He frowned a little in surprise when instead of shrinking behind Spike in fear, the small woman stepped up beside him and glared at him.

“Why don’t you come and try it?” Buffy offered sweetly as she stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders.

“Buffy, love, please....you promised.”  Spike gave the minion one more chance to take Dru out without a fight, as he touched Buffy’s arm gently.

He turned toward the advancing vampire and said in what he hoped was a reasonable tone, “Look, you stupid git,  I’m offering you a free pass here.  You’re standin’ beside a building full of slayers – and talking about eatin’ the strongest one ever.  Am I gettin’ through to you at all?”

The minion frowned in concentration, his capacity for independent thought stretched to its limits by the unique situation.  He knew his duty was to his sire, who obviously needed his help to escape.  But the warm blood he could hear rushing through the veins of the two live bodies in front of him was pulling strongly and the other minions were restlessly waiting for the signal to pounce.

He looked at Dru for guidance, but she was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and singing to herself.  The vampire congratulated himself on finding a perfect compromise as he leapt at Spike and shoved him toward his sire.

“Here he is!” he shouted.  “Take what you need from him.”  As Drusilla abruptly regained her clarity and pulled Spike into her arms, the other vampires rushed Buffy, preventing her from going to Spike’s aid. Even with one arm broken, the older vampire was strong enough to pull Spike into biting range.

Frantic with worry and furious at being surprised, Buffy made short work of the first two minions to reach her.  She scooped up the stake Spike had dropped, and with one in each hand, she drove the other three back away from the two former lovers on the ground.  With a quick flip she was over the minion leader and drove her stake through his back.  The sight of his dust joining the other two was enough for the remaining fledglings and they turned and ran out of the alley.

Buffy whirled to look at Spike and Drusilla and moaned as she saw the vampire’s mouth on Spike’s neck.  As she watched in horror, she saw that Spike had his hands around Drusilla’s face and, while his expression was tender, he was gradually forcing her head back and away from his throat.  Her eyes were golden and her fangs were snapping as she tried to twist away from his grip. 

However, he continued to hold her head in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes as he said sadly, “I’m sorry, my dark princess.”  Before either Dru or Buffy could realize what he was about, he twisted the vampire’s head until her neck snapped.  He held out his hand silently and Buffy passed him a stake.  With tears in his eyes, he kissed the dark, lolling head in front of him and drove the stake through her heart. 

Buffy took a hesitant step toward him and reached out to touch his back gently.  There was no response from the still figure sitting on the ground.  As the dust surrounding him drifted away, he moved to lean his back against the wall and drop his head onto his knees.

Buffy watched his dejected figure for as long as she could stand it, then slid down beside him and leaned her head against the wall.  She waited patiently for several minutes, giving him time to absorb what had happened.  Finally, the aching in her heart was too much and she pulled him into her arms, murmuring, “I’m so sorry, William.   I know how much that hurt.”

She held him gently, rubbing small circles on his back and kissing his bowed head.  She could feel his tears making her shirt wet, but there was no sobbing and no sign of the anger she expected.  After a few minutes, he raised his head to look at her with wet, but accepting eyes.

“It’s what we do, yeah?” he said softly.  “We kill evil – even when we love it.”

She knew he was referring to the time she sent Angelus/Angel to hell to save the world.

“Yes, my love,” she replied, “It’s what we do.”

The End