‘It’s got to get better than this,’ Buffy fumed as she looked over at Riley’s sleeping form next to her. The phrase , "dead weight," sprung to mind. His boyish face was even more boyish in his sleep. Don’t get her wrong. He was masculine, but not in a manly way. Just a handsome boy. A handsome boy who couldn’t offer the forbidden that drew her with a promise of more of what Dracula had shown her. ‘It has just got to be better, and it sure doesn’t fit with getting in touch with my dark side like I want to. Boyish and dark are not mixy. Maybe if he were blonde, ripped muscles, closer to my height, a scarred eyebrow, and an accent. Where the hell did that come from? Granted Captain Peroxide is plenty manly, but really. Bad Buffy.’
Riley was sweet and all, and she was sure that he loved her. She just wasn’t sure if she loved him, which wasn’t fair to him. He was the marrying type, and she wasn’t sure if that would work for her, at least not with him. And the sex? Plain vanilla. No cherry on top. Not even chocolate syrup. Granted she hardly had any experience before Riley. Once with Angel, who treated her like she would break, and once with Parker, who just used her. It was straight missionary position both times. It was pretty much the same with Riley. Buffy knew that there had to be more positions than that. Hell, she had seen more in R rated movies. She was curious, but for some reason couldn’t bring herself to ask Riley to add some variety. Actually, to tell the truth, she couldn’t see herself doing other positions with him. Riley was just…Riley. Born and raised straight as an arrow. She bet Dracula did more positions than missionary.
She thought back over the past few of days.
The first time she had met Dracula, she was in the cemetery using a vampire as a punching bag, thoroughly enjoying herself. She punched him several times and then grabbed his shoulders and kneed him. He got up, and she was on his back.
While they were fighting, a dark fog formed into a pair of eyes, a nose, and then a complete face.
The vampire threw Buffy down. She got up and charged, ducked a punch, punched and then kicking him. She tried to kick again, but he grabbed her lifted her over his head, then threw her down. She got up again, jumped on him with her legs around his neck. He threw her down, but she flipped him over then staked him.
Looking satisfied, Buffy stood and began to stride away. She walked between the gravestones and suddenly stopped, whirling around.
A figure walked towards her. He was very thin, pail, long-haired, and spoke with an accent. “Very impressive hunt. Such power.”
Buffy cocked her head to the side. “That was no hunt. That was just another day on the job.” She watched the man drift closer. “Care to step up for some overtime?”
We’re not going to fight.” The man’s cape flowed behind him as he moved.
“Do you know what a slayer is?” Buffy shook her head. What a head case.
The mystery man smirked. “Do you?”
Intrigued, Buffy looked him over again. “Who are you?”
“I apologize. I assumed you knew. I am Dracula.” He gave her a small bow.
Buffy’s eyes widened, and she looked thrilled. “Get out!”
And that was what she should have done. She should have got the hell out of there. Finally Willow and Xander had showed up, and Dracula left. She did pretty well staying away from Dracula later by deciding to research before going after him again, then telling Riley good night and turning in at home instead of the dorm.
That’s when he came after her again, while she slept. She had suddenly woken up to see Dracula standing at the foot of her bed.
His gaze was intense. “You are magnificent.”
Buffy’s voice was soft, no her usual cocky. “I bet you say that before you bite all the girls.”
Dracula took a step closer to the bed. “No, you are different. Kindred.”
Buffy’s confusion turned to revulsion. “Kindred? Hardly, I…”
“Pull your hair back.” His command was said so softly.
Buffy was surprised but pulled her hair back from her neck. Dracula admired her for a moment.
“This isn’t how I…usually fight.” Buffy looked a little self-conscious and glanced at the window. “You think you can just waft in her with your music video wind and hypno-eyes…”
“I have searched the world over for you. I have yearned for you.” Dracula sat on the bed next to her. “For a creature whose darkness rivals my own.” He put his hand on her chin and moved her head aside. He saw the scar where Angel had bitten her and touched it with his fingertips. “You have been tasted.” He smiled slightly as he trailed his fingers over her cheek.
Buffy was scared by the fact that she didn’t want to pull away. “He was…”
“Unworthy. He let you go.” He looked her in the eyes. “But the embrace…his bite…you remember.”
Buffy’s voice betrayed her uncertainty. “No.”
Dracula caressed her face some more. “Do not fight.” He put his hand behind her neck. “I can feel your hunger.” He leaned down and bit her neck. Buffy gasped but didn’t pull away.
The next morning she thought the encounter had been all a dream until she looked in a mirror. Two puncture marks looked back at in her reflection. She tied a scarf around her neck before going out.
In the end, the scarf did no good. Riley then all of the Scoobies figured it out. She had been mortified, and it had taken her awhile to get away by herself after that. Where she was going, she didn’t want anybody to know about. She never bragged about her visits to Spike.
Buffy threw the door open to Spike’s crypt. He had been standing in front of the refrigerator, and she saw him jump behind it. Even if she hadn’t seen him, she would have heard his impressive use of curse words. His final words were the only ones that didn’t burn her ears.
“Bloody hell, Slayer. Why in the world do you want to singe a bloke so early in the afternoon? And I’m now covered in my lunch. Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of a shirt?”
Buffy took pity on him and shut the door. “I didn’t come here to trade laundry tips. And yes, I know how hard it is. Slayer here…” Buffy felt her words taper off and her mouth dry up as she watched him take his shirt off. With every inch Spike lifted the shirt, more and more of his gorgeous, muscled chest was exposed. Buffy had always assumed Spike was in shape, but seeing it was…awesome. His abs were the definition of ripped. His pecs were perfect. Buffy caught herself before drool ran down her chin. Just in case, she wiped her mouth. ‘Remember Buffy. Spike equals evil undead.’
Spike couldn’t believe it. The slayer was ogling his chest. What was the world coming to? And what a ponce he was. He was getting hot watching her get hot staring at him. “Knock, knock, Slayer.”
Buffy was startled out of her stupor. “Huh?”
Smirking, Spike threw his shirt over his chair. “I wasn’t aware I was so entertaining today.”
Entertaining? Spike watching. She definitely thought he had been an eye full so far. Bad Buffy. “Uh,…no, no. I’m here about…”
“Dracula.” Spike finished for her.
Buffy tilted her head to the side. “How did you know?”
“Saw your worse half yesterday asking about Dracula, and now you today.” Spike smirked. “My week is complete. Completely cocked up, that is.”
To say that she was surprised was an understatement. The fact Spike wasn’t dust was even more surprising. “He did?”
“Yes, the heavy handed git did.” Spike walked up close to her, curious to see her reaction. “So what do you…,” he made a dramatic pause, “…want?” She blushed; the slayer actually blushed. What nasty little thoughts were going through her mind?
Buffy’s thoughts? She was picturing her hands running all over the contours of his chest. Bad, Buffy. Bad, bad, Buffy. This was Spike after all. The evil pain in the ass. “I want to know about him. I especially want to know about thrall. What do you know…?”
Spike rolled his eyes. “About the welching wanker, Dracula? Or did you want me to let you finish that dreary excuse for a question you keep asking me time and again, ‘What do you know…?’”
“Right, tired question.” Buffy had to admit that Spike had a point, not that she would ever tell him. “Right on the Dracula part. What do you know…?”
“Tsk, tsk. We’ve already been there, pet.” If he had blinked he would have missed her small smile. Who would have thought? The slayer staring at him and now wasting a smile on him. “Yes, I know the pansy. Dracula’s an old rival from way back. Owes me eleven pounds. Collect that for me, would you?”
Buffy crossed her arms. “You wish…”
“Ya, I do.” Spike managed to sound sincere without laughing.
“Shut up, Spike.” Buffy fidgeted with the scarf covering up her bite. The last thing she needed was Spike seeing how Dracula marked her.
“Like I told your lap dog, Dracula mostly does gypsy tricks. Turns to smoke, bats, and other such nonsense. But the thrall, that’s another thing. Speaking of which…” Spike reached up and jerked her scarf off. Putting his finger under her chin, he turned her head to examine Dracula’s handy work. “See you’ve already had a session with the bugger.”
Buffy knocked his hand away. “He was just suddenly there, in my bedroom. I wanted to resist but couldn’t. That’s thrall, isn’t it?”
“You got it.” Spike walked away and sat on the sarcophagus. “Dru was a master at it, which meant I had to learn to block her to have any peace.”
“Teach me how.” Buffy’s voice was firm and determined.
It was Spike’s turn to be surprised. He considered for a minute. “For a price.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and put one hand on her hip. “Of course. Should have known. How much this time?”
“I want to help you kill the bastard.”
This was definitely the day for surprises. “Why?” Buffy asked dumfounded.
Nonchalant, Spike shrugged his shoulder. “Owes me eleven pounds. Welched on a bet.”
Buffy was at a loss. Spike wanted to help without being paid. “Uh…okay.”
Spike hopped down off the sarcophagus, rubbing his hands together. “Let me get a new shirt and then we’ll have a little lesson on resisting thrall.”
*****
Spike snuck into the castle without being seen. So what if he was a little late. What was the slayer going to do? Sue him? Well, he was here now. He didn’t think the slayer had been there long anyway. Dracula sounded like he was just warming up, the self-centered git.
Spying Buffy and Dracula in the dining room of the castle, he had known this was going to happen. Typical Drac-operandi. Bite the girl. Then draw girl to his posh digs. Blah, blah, blah. But wait, Spike smirked, this time was going to be different. Dracula underestimated the slayer.
“I knew you’d come.” Dracula started towards Buffy.
“Why? Because I’m under your thrall?” She whipped out Mister Pointy and dropped the dazed expression. “Well, guess again, pal.”
“Put the stake down,” Dracula directed her.
“Okay.” Buffy put it down, then looked at her hand in surprise. Buffy sounded unconvinced. “Right. That…was not…you…I did that. I did that because…I wanted to.” Dracula watched her. “Maybe I should rethink that thrall thing.” She looked around for Spike. He had better show, or she didn’t know what she was going to do.
Dracula slowly walked towards her. “Are you afraid I will bit you? Slayer, that’s why you came.”
“No. Last night…it’s not gonna happen again.”
He cam closer. “Stop me. Stake me.”
I…” Buff took a step backwards and glanced at her stake. “Any minute now.”
“Do you know why you cannot resist?”
“Cause you’re famous?”
Spike started to laugh. Famous. A famous blighter that got off playing with his food. But Buffy shou7ld be stopping the by now. They had gone over and over how to resist the thrall, and he had thought she had it down. Come on, Slayer.
Dracula moved closer while Buffy took another step back. “Because you do not want to.”
Shaking her head, Buffy tried to deny him. “my friends…”
“They’re here. They will not find us. We are along.”
Buffy looked anxious.
Dracula’s gazed delved into her eyes, her thoughts. “Always alone.”
Buffy continued to look anxious.
Talking in a low voice, Dracula circled her., “There is so much I have to teach you. Your history, your power…what your body is capable of…a little taste.”
“What are you…”
“All those years fight us. Your power so near to our own…” He cut his arm with a fingernail until welled up. “…and you’ve never once wanted to know what it is that we fight for?” He held his arm out to Buffy. “Never even a taste?
Spike was ready to come out of hiding. What the bloody hell was going on? The slayer must eight be under Dracula’s thrall or she was a great actress.
Buffy looked conflicted. “If I drink that. “
“I have not drunk enough from you to change. You must be near death to become one of us. And that comes only when you plead for it.”
Her gaze focused on his wrist. “I’m not hungry.”
“No. Your craving goes deeper than that.”
Dracula’s voice dropped to whisper. “You think you know…what you are…what’s to come. You haven’t even begun.”
Buffy looked at his arm, at his face. Took his hand in both of hers and put her mouth on the bloody wrist.
He encouraged her. “Find it. The darkness. Find ;your true nature.”
Buffy’s eyes went wide.
Spike couldn’t believe that the slayer had actually done it. Dracula really hand her in touch with her dark side. Maybe she wasn’t going to make it out of the thrall. Then what?
She suddenly shoved out her hand and pushed Dracula away. He landed on the table and slid across it on his back.
That was gross.” Buffy was back to her old self.
Spike wanted to cheer. He started rooting for the slayer.
She walked forward as Dracula got to his feet.
Dracula tried again, but Spike could tell that the ponce was starting to get nervous.
“You are resisting.”
Buffy confidently walked towards him. “Looks like.”
“Come here. Come to me.” He held out his hand.
“You know, I really think the thrall has gone out of our relationship. But I want to thank you for opening up my eyes a little.”
That’s the slayer he knew and hated, and she had listened to his teaching earlier in the day. She had overcome a master of thrall. Damn, he was a good teacher.
Buffy ran across the room. She barreled into Dracula, and they fell to the floor, rolling. He was on top. They traded punches, and then she grabbed his shirt and flipped him over. Now on top, she punched him a few times. Then he caught her fist and flung her off him.
Dracula growled and turned to smoke. Buffy looked around and saw where the smoke was converging. She ran toward the smoke. She grabbed Mister Pointy off the table as she ran, leapt to the top of the stairs and was there to stake Dracula just as he appear from the smoke. He looked shocked.
Buffy smiled. “How do you like my darkness now?”
Dracula growled, fell down the stars and exploded into dust.
Buffy sauntered down the stairs.
That was Spike’s cue. He met her at the bottom of the stairs. He was armed – with a pickle jar. When the fog started to converge, Spike scooped up the center, and screwed on the lid. “Ha, got ya, you poncy git.”
“But you didn’t get all of the fog.”
“Even better. We have him split up so that he has no way of forming again.” He handed her the jar.
Just then, Rile and Giles rushed in.
Riley went immediately to her. “Buffy! You okay?”
Spike watched Giles stumble in. What had the Watcher been up to?
Giles looked at his slayer. “And Dracula?”
Buffy smiled. “Eurotrashed.” Buffy Giles the jar. “Here’s his holding tank.”
What’s he doing here?”” Riley was immediately suspicious when he caught sight of Spike.
“Oh, he…” Buffy didn’t get a chance to finish. Just as well, since Spike hand slipped away.
“Xander rushed in holding a torch. “Where is he?? Where’s the creep that turned me into his spider-eating man-bitch?”
Buffy looked at one of her best friends that had led her here. “He’s gone.”
*****
Coming back to the present, Buffy looked over at Riley again and rolled her eyes. Darkness. Dracula had told her that darkness was in her. He talked like it was a good thing for a slayer to have darkness as a part of her. And her body. He had implied that he was talking about her body’s sexuality. Dark sexuality. Wonder what that would be like. Maybe, just maybe she would find out what that was all about. A little walk on her wild side.
*****
The next day found Buffy barging into Spike’s crypt.
Spike was shocked at her intrusion. What did she want this time? He sighed and leaned against one of the pillars.
Buffy wrung her hands. “Thanks for the help with Dracula. Where did you run off to?”
That was certainly not anything that Spike could imagine coming out of the slayer’s mouth aimed at him. Something was definitely up. “Looking for some baubles to pawn.”
Walking about the crypt, still wringing her hands, Buffy tried to keep talking. “Find anything?”
Smirking, Spike described some of the items. “There was a ruby ring, a pearl necklace, a sapphire bracelet, an onyx ring and other expensive pretties that the git liked to give his women. Just think. You could have emeralds to sprinkle through your hair when you wanted to dress up.”
Enough of the small talk, Buffy wanted to get this part of her plan over with. “Do you want to have a sling?”
“Huh?” Well, that was a major change in the conversation. Too bad he had no idea what she meant.
“With me?” Buffy appeared to be looking at the ceiling, trying to not blush.
Spike pushed away from the pillar and walked into her view when she looked down. “What are you going on about, slayer?”
“Aren’t you listening?” Buffy was getting frustrated.
“Yeh, but it sounds like gibberish or something?
Buffy started to chicken out, but no. She was determined girl. She was an adult, and she could do this. “Do you want to have a sling with me? You know…you, me, sweaty sheets…”
Spike was astonished. “You mean a ‘fling?’”
TBC
Let me say that I am still working on QPQ. It has just been a little slow going lately.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
First off, let me thank evilawyer and Megan for reading over this and see if it was worth publishing. As you can see, I got the thumbs up from both of them. Let me also thank evilawyer for beta-ing this story