Chapter Thirteen
True to his word, Buffy saw no trace of Spike over the next two weeks. She resolutely pushed any thoughts of the blond vampire out of her mind as she worked on getting her things together to go back to school. She continued to put Riley off when he tried to initiate sex, but she was rapidly running out of excuses not to be alone with him.
Fortunately, with Giles returning from England, she could plead time needed for training with her Watcher and bringing him up to date on the summer’s lack of hellmouth activity. She assured Riley that the things she and Giles had to go over wouldn’t interest him at all and promised to spend more time with him when they were all caught up.
If Giles was curious about her sudden willingness to give up her time in the evenings to discuss Slayer things with him, he was able to hide it. Over four years with this slayer had given him some insight and he knew she was struggling with something. When she finally worked up her courage to tell him about Spike’s help, she was astonished that the older man just nodded his head at the news.
“Giles? It‘s Spike. I spent the summer patrolling with Spike. Why aren’t you more wigged out by this?”
“I am not ‘wigged out’, Buffy, because I have been hoping for something like this.”
He was busy polishing his glasses and completely missed Buffy’s shocked look.
“It has occurred to me that the chip would allow Spike to seek redemption for his past if he was so inclined. While Angel is the first vampire to be cursed with a soul, he is not the first one to help a Slayer or to fight evil.”
“Huh?” Buffy’s mouth fell open. “You never told me...”
“I wanted to reread some of the older Watcher’s Diaries to refresh my memory before I said anything. Now that I have done so, I am convinced that Spike’s getting the chip may have been orchestrated by the Powers That Be. He is being given an opportunity to redeem himself. It will be quite interesting to see what he make of it.”
“So, you’re okay with me spending so much time with him this summer?” she asked in disbelief.
“Well, yes, of course I am. I’m delighted that you had someone that powerful to assist you. I am anxious to speak with him as to what caused him to change his mind about helping us in our fight against evil. I don’t suppose you have any idea what it is, do you?”
Frantically Buffy sought for an answer that didn’t involve biting and sex. “Umm, I think maybe he was just bored and looking for some violence.”
Her Watcher seemed slightly disappointed, but shrugged and said, “Well, then, we’ll just have to see how it develops, won’t we? When will you see him again?” he asked, changing the subject slightly.
“Uh, I don’t...I mean with Riley back and...Why don’t you just stop by his crypt some afternoon? He’s usually awake by then.”
“I take it your babbling means that Riley is not as pleased about your having Spike’s assistance as I might be?” her watcher guessed shrewdly.
“You might say that,” she grimaced. “Spike is...staying away...for a while. If I need him for something, he’ll help me, but we’re taking a...a break from patrolling together for awhile.”
Giles stared at her flushed face for a minute, then said in a mild tone of voice, “All right, Buffy. I will contact him myself and see what explanation he has for helping you all summer. And perhaps, why he is no longer doing so,” he added, shooting her a suspicious look.
Deciding she’d said all she needed to about Spike for the time being, Buffy hastily told Giles “good-night” and went out to patrol. Things were still very slow around the cemeteries, and Buffy was fairly sure that a certain blond vampire was at least partially responsible for the lack of things to slay. Every once in a while, she was sure she could sense him nearby, but when she would turn to try to find him, the sensation would go away immediately.
Once again, she found only one fledgling to slay and after a cursory stroll around town, she headed home for another night of wishing she wasn’t alone in her bed. She found herself looking forward to getting back into the dorm, where sleeping alone would be a choice, not something imposed by her mother’s sleeping in the next bedroom.
So far, her mother hadn’t brought up the subject of Spike’s clothes in the laundry basket or Buffy’s slip of the tongue the first night she was back. She did look at Buffy curiously when the Slayer started going out on patrol by herself, but wisely decided not to say anything. When Riley showed up at the house to help Buffy move back to the dorm, her mother was careful not to bring up Spike’s name or mention his help during the summer.
Once Buffy and Riley had moved her stuff into her small room in the dorm, she began unpacking and finding places for things. With Willow wanting to room with Tara, and Buffy’s unpleasant experience with her first roommate, not to mention the unusual hours her Slayer duties required, a private room had seemed like a good idea to her and she had a small corner one to herself.
When Riley began dropping strong hints about how they should “break in” the new room, it suddenly didn’t seem like quite such a good plan. She knew the time had come to either admit she didn’t want him anymore or try to pick up their relationship where they’d left off in June. She looked at him thoughtfully and almost giggled at his hopeful smile.
(He really has been very patient and sweet. I should do this. Get back into the swing of things with my real boyfriend.)
Resolutely pushing all thoughts of piercing blue eyes, soft cool lips and a lean muscular body away, she smiled back at him and allowed him to pull her to the newly made bed. Even though he felt too warm to her touch, she forced herself to respond to his eager kisses and whispered endearments. As soon as her clothes were off and he’d dropped his on the floor, he moved to cover her tiny body with his.
While Riley grunted and puffed on top of her, Buffy tried her best to enjoy what she had previously found to be perfectly pleasant love-making. But she couldn’t help making comparisons between the big man working away on her body without, apparently, any idea what he was doing, and the blond vampire who could make her nerve endings sing with just a touch of his cool fingers. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she used her Slayer strength to flip them over so that she was on top of him, looking down into his surprised face.
“What are you doing?” he asked, sounding almost petulant. She belatedly remembered that he didn’t like being reminded of how strong she was and she ducked her head in apology.
“I’m sorry, Riley. I just thought we could try something a little different...but if you don’t want to...”
“No, it’s fine. It just surprised me, that’s all. You could have just asked me, you know.”
She suppressed a sign and agreed sweetly, “I’ll remember that next time. I promise.”
Buffy began to move up and down on him, squeezing gently as she did so and rubbing her clit on his pubic bone every time she came down. She got a rhythm going and, without realizing what she was doing, began to move on him as vigorously and uninhibitedly as she did on Spike. In no time she was reaching the point where a little attention from him would send her over the edge and she increased her pace, clenching around him as she did.
She was so caught up in her own building orgasm that she didn’t notice that Riley was writhing beneath her and gasping her name. When he grabbed her hips and stopped her motion, it took a few seconds for her to realize what had happened.
“Wha—?” she looked at him through lust-filled eyes, surprised to see him looking less than pleased.
“Buffy, you’re hurting me!” he gritted out through clenched teeth. She could feel his cock deflating inside her as he tried to push her off.
“Oh, Riley! Oh my god. I am so sorry! I never – I didn’t mean to—oh my god!”
Babbling apologies, she quickly moved off him and looked to see if he was permanently damaged.
“I’m sorry, baby. I really am. I don’t know what...I’ve never done that before, have I? You would have told me, wouldn’t you? Oh my god.”
He looked up at her and smiled ruefully. “It’s okay, Buffy. Just shows how much you missed me, I guess. I’ve never seen you that passionate before. I think I might like it – once I recover, that is.”
Blushing furiously, Buffy continued to fuss over him and apologize until he finally stopped her with another kiss.
“It’s all right. I promise. I didn’t realize that Slayer strength extended to every muscle in your body. Now that I know, I can warn you to ease off before you cripple me. We’ll be fine.”
Buffy tried to look pleased that he was taking it so well; although she didn’t care much for the idea of being asked to “ease off”. She asked Riley if she could make it up to him by kissing it better and he readily agreed, settling himself back on the pillows to be serviced. Struggling not to roll her eyes at his smug look, she bent to her task and skillfully brought him to throbbing erectness before he insisted she stop and let him enter her again.
Lying down on her back, Buffy prepared to continue her interrupted orgasm, only to find herself left wanting as Riley quickly got his release and pulled out of her.
“Wow,” he said breathlessly, “I should go away more often if that’s the effect it has on you.”
He kissed her tenderly and pulled her into his arms, completely oblivious to her lack of fulfillment and fully expecting to spend the night sleeping in her bed. Buffy tried her best to enjoy being held and cuddled for the first time in weeks, but nothing felt right.
He felt hot, too warm for comfort. And he took up the whole bed with his large body. Sunnydale U did not provide double beds in their tiny little rooms and the twin bed just was not large enough for two people when one was almost bigger than the bed itself. When she added that to the way her body was complaining about the sexual tension left over from the interrupted orgasm, there was no way Buffy could remain where she was.
She slipped quietly out of the bed, noting briefly that Riley neither noticed nor cared that she wasn’t there anymore. She couldn’t suppress the guilty memory of how, no matter how deeply asleep he was, Spike always reacted to the loss of her warmth and reached for her when she tried to move.
(I guess I shouldn’t be sorry Riley isn’t like that. If he was, I wouldn’t be able to leave.)
As she had that thought, she realized that leaving was exactly what she intended to do. She thought briefly about going to the, hopefully deserted, bathrooms and providing her own release, but discarded that idea in favor of going out and killing something.
She quietly slipped into her clothes and left the soldier snoring in her bed as she went out into the welcoming night.
Chapter Fourteen
Spike was prowling through Sunnydale’s cemeteries, as he’d done every night since he’d left Buffy alone in her room. He’d done his best to keep the claim completely damped down, both so as not to burden her with his emotions, as well as to spare himself any possible feedback from her relationship with the ex-commando. For the first few days, he’d stayed as drunk as possible – using the alcohol to dull his senses and the pain; pain which varied from a steady ache at her absence from his life to a fierce, heart-rending stab when his disobedient imagination insisted on picturing what she might be doing with Riley.
As the first week went on, he’d felt a lessening of the pull between them and knew that he was doing the right thing. If he just stayed away from her, the claim would fade until there was nothing left of it. As painful as he was finding it not seeing her every day, to not be there when she went to sleep or when she awoke, he fought down his demon’s demands and kept out of her orbit. He couldn’t stop himself from shadowing her occasionally, just to see her and know she was all right, but he faded back into the shadows any time it seemed as though she was sensing him and he hoped she didn’t know he was doing it.
His plan was to give it a good three weeks or more before he approached her again, but the surprise visit from her watcher and his request that Spike continue to help Buffy had thrown the vampire into a whirl of conflicting desires. He disregarded Giles’ probing questions about his motives for working with Buffy, handling any suggestion that he was seeking redemption with a “That’s for the bloody great poof to worry about. I just needed a spot of violence, that’s all.”
On the one hand, he wanted to keep his promise to the Slayer to stay away until they were sure the claim had faded completely. On the other, the fact that the man didn’t object to his helping her was one less obstacle to their continuation of the summer’s activities. He didn’t delude himself that the watcher would be as welcoming if he knew of or suspected their more private activities, but just to know he didn’t object to the vampire’s help was a relief.
For the first time since they’d parted, he allowed himself to actively seek her out, going from one cemetery to another until he heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight.
It was only a little after midnight, and Buffy was hoping that Spike hadn’t had time to get to every cemetery in Sunnydale yet. The need to have a challenging fight and kill something was overwhelming and she vowed she would stake him if he hadn’t left her anything to kill.
(Oooh, this probably comes under the heading of ‘be careful what you wish for’) she thought, just before she waded into the gang of vampires she caught stopping cars and pulling the occupants out. Once the surprised vamps got over their initial shock at being attacked by a small blonde woman – and after she’d turned three of them into dust particles – they regrouped and began to surround the small Slayer. They clearly intended to overwhelm her with sheer numbers.
Since she hadn’t quite worked off the tension she’d felt when she left her room, Buffy discarded the idea of running away and centered herself for a good fight. As the snarling vamps closed in on her, she flipped herself into the air and over the heads of the two approaching her from behind. She quickly staked one through the back, while she kicked the other into the closest attacker. She whirled and spun, dusting another one as she crippled two more with well-placed kicks to their knees.
In spite of the built up energy she brought to the fight, as well as her own innate abilities, the sheer number of her opponents was beginning to be a factor and she knew she was tiring. Just as the beginning tendrils of fear began to spread through her body, she saw a flash of bright hair and black leather and the vamp in front of her was flying backwards propelled by a well-placed Doc Martin boot.
Without any conversation, they fell back into the rhythm they knew so well, and Buffy’s strength was renewed as the pleasure of fighting beside Spike gave her another shot of adrenaline. Working together, it took them only a few minutes to reduce the number of foes to a very workable four remaining vampires and Buffy was able to take her time and work out her frustration on the large vampire in front of her. She briefly noted that he was wearing camouflage and wondered if he’d been a commando before he was turned.
As she punched and kicked her opponent, telling herself she was not being more aggressive simply because he reminded her of Riley, she saw that Spike had finished off two of the remaining vampires, allowing the last one to run away while he leaned against a light pole to watch her. He lit a cigarette and basked in the sheer joy of watching her fight.
A loud, “Buffy!” startled all three of them, and she quickly staked her distracted opponent before turning to see Riley running toward her. He stalked right past the Slayer and loomed over the smirking blond vampire exhaling smoke in his face.
“Is this how you ‘watched her back’ all summer?” he demanded, poking the smaller man in the chest. “She fights while you have a cigarette?”
He whirled on a completely bewildered Buffy and asked incredulously, “Is this what you call ‘helping you?’”
Before Spike’s low growl could escalate into something that would give him a major headache, Buffy stepped up to Riley and said tightly, “I didn’t need help at that particular moment, Riley. It was only one vamp and I was winning. Spike knows that. He doesn’t help me if I don’t need it.” (Like you do,) she added silently.
“Then why is he even here? If you don’t need help with one vampire, then you don’t need him.”
“There were a few more than that when we started, you stupid git,” Spike growled, straightening up and rolling his shoulders.
The big man looked at Buffy for confirmation and when she nodded and said, “He’s right, Riley. I was way outnumbered and getting a little tired when he—“
“What the hell were you even doing out tonight? And by yourself? Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have gone with you.”
Buffy didn’t need the claim to know what Riley’s words were doing to the vampire. She saw the pain flash across his face before he closed it down. Except for the slight twitch she could see in his jaw, you would have thought he was completely bored by the conversation, but she knew he’d correctly interpreted Riley’s words.
They’d yet to be close enough for Spike to really scent her, but now that the excitement of the fight was over and she moved closer, he could smell the man all over her. He could also still smell her arousal, which he attributed to the adrenaline-pumping fight she’d just finished. He was shocked when she glared at her boy friend and muttered, “I didn’t want you with me. I needed to work off some excess energy by myself.”
(Don’t tell me the selfish bastard didn’t get her off before he went to sleep on her!)
He was torn between righteous indignation that Buffy hadn’t been treated the way she should be, and delight that her boy friend was falling down on the job. He remained as still as he could, waiting to see if the Slayer was going to go back with the still fuming man. He had to smother a grin when she waved off Riley’s suggestion that they go back and “work on that energy problem.”
Apparently forgetting Spike’s presence, he tried to pull her into an embrace, whispering that he was completely recovered and ready to “go again”. The vampire was dying to know what he was recovered from, but knew he’d be inviting a stake from one or the other of them if he asked.
Riley’ face darkened when she moved away from him and told him to go on home, that she wasn’t finished patrolling. When he offered to stay and patrol with her, she dismissed the idea with a shrug, saying, “That’s okay, Riley. Now that Spike’s here, he can finish up with me. You go get some sleep.”
Buffy’s back was to them and she missed the thunderous look Riley sent toward the vampire. Spike kept his face impassive as he met the big man’s scowl with eyes of cold blue ice.
He knew if the larger man charged him there would be little he could do except try to get out of the way, but he refused to let that knowledge show in his face. For a tense few seconds it looked as though Riley was seriously considering attacking the vampire; then his expression changed from rage to one of calculation and he turned away.
He took a deep breath and asked Buffy coolly, “How long do you think you’ll be, baby?”
She blinked at his abrupt change of attitude, but accepted what she though was an olive branch, saying, “Oh, I don’ t know. I’m still pretty jumpy. You should probably go on to your own room, rather than wait for me to get back. I’ll call you in the morning, ‘K?”
“Fine,” he agreed smoothly. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Let’s have a goodnight kiss then,” he added, pulling her to his chest and leaning down.
She pecked him quickly on the lips and backed up before he could turn it into anything more, telling him again, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The two blonds stood in uncomfortable silence for several minutes after Riley had marched off toward the campus, neither one quite sure what to say. Spike wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss the taste of the other man off her lips, but he hesitated, not sure where he stood with her. Clearly she was sleeping with the ex-commando, and for all Spike knew she had decided the whole summer was a mistake.
Buffy was not sure how to read the closed expression on the vampire’s face, so she resisted the urge to get closer to him. She also remembered how sensitive his nose was and knew he would be able to tell she had just been having sex with someone else.
As usual, it was the vampire who couldn’t stand the silence any longer and he finally asked, “So, how’ve you been then, Slayer. All back at school?”
She started walking toward the nearest cemetery, knowing he would fall in beside her.
“Yes, I just moved all my stuff in today.” She sent him a sideways look as she added, “I have a room to myself this year. No roommate.”
“That so, pet?” he said noncommittally. “Didn’t sound that way to me. Seems like you had one tonight. Even if he did leave you with ‘excess energy’.”
When she visibly flinched, he almost regretted saying it, but the solid ball of pain under his breastbone wouldn’t let him.
“That...that wasn’t very nice, Spike,” she said softly.
“Yeah, well. Vampire. Evil.” He smothered the urge to drop to his knees and apologize.
“Guess I forgot there for a minute,” she responded, then was silent again until he asked quietly, “Why WERE you out by yourself so late, pet?”
He sensed rather than saw her flush and she stammered as she tried to answer.
“I...I just couldn’t sleep...and I was...restless...so I just decided to go kill something.”
“Uh, huh,”
“What, uh huh? Don’t you believe me?”
“Oh, I believe you pet. Just wonderin’ how somebody who’d just been shaggin’ her boy friend wouldn’t want to cuddle up and nap, that’s all.”
His tone of voice left no doubt that he knew exactly why she was restless and she responded with a curt, “Go to Hell, Spike.”
“Got that memo, pet. Pretty sure it’s a done deal.”
Buffy stopped and sat on a tombstone, sighing in exasperation.
“I guess I should go back...Everybody’s going to be home tomorrow and we’re meeting at the Magic Box in the morning.”
“Yeah, so I heard.”
She looked up at him with surprise, “You did? From who?”
“Your watcher paid me a visit the other day, Wants me to be an honorary Scoobie or somethin’. Told him I’d come by but wasn’t makin’ him any promises.”
“I’m glad he came over. I wasn’t sure he was going to. He expected me to ask you...and I really didn’t want to go into why we were staying away from each other,” she said wryly. “It was so cool that he wasn’t wigged by our patrolling together. I really didn’t want to spoil it by telling him that wasn’t all we’d been doing all summer.”
The vampire gave her a small grin. “And my unbeating and unstaked heart thanks you for that, love.”
She grinned back at him and just like that, they were back to the comfortable camaraderie they’d enjoyed before their enforced separation. They strolled through the remaining cemeteries, staking a fledgling and having a good fight with another Faryl demon before Buffy began to yawn and had to admit it was time to go.
“So,” she said as casually as she could with her heart pounding so hard she was sure she could hear it, never mind the vampire. “Do you think the claim is all gone? Are you safe to be around now?”
“I’m never safe to be around, pet,” he growled as he moved closer to her. “And don’t you forget it.”
She just rolled her eyes and reached up to stroke his cheek, causing him to close his eyes and lean into her hand, purring. He stiffened indignantly when she giggled at him, but allowed a small smile to curl his lips as he kissed her warm palm.
A bolt of pure lust shot through the Slayer’s body and she gasped in surprise. “Okay...” she said in a shaky voice, “maybe not.”
The vampire smirked at her and put his hands in his pockets. He did his best to look relaxed and cool, but inside he was fighting to keep his hands from reaching for her.
“Does that mean it’s still there?” she asked in a small voice. “Cause I was really, sort of hoping...”
“It’s gone, love,” he said almost sadly. “I can’t feel you anymore – and I haven’t been hidin’ my feelings from you for several days, so if you have to ask me, that means it’s gone.” He touched her chin and tilted her head to one side. “And if I didn’t know where to look for the marks, I’d never know they were there.”
“Well, good then,” she said dubiously. “So you can come to the Scoobie meeting tomorrow without me having to worry about somebody staking you?”
“Guess so. At least not for anything I’ve done to you. You never know about the whelp – he always wants to stake me.”
Buffy laughed with him and shook her head. “With Giles all on this ‘Spike’s gonna be redeemed’ kick, l don’t think Xander will get much support there.”
“So…” She looked at the ground and shuffled her feet nervously.
“Yeah,” he agreed, resolutely keeping his hands in his pockets.
(I’m NOT gonna touch her when she reeks of that pillock’s spendin’s. She could beg me and I wouldn’t touch her.)
“I’m just gonna head back to the dorm, now.” She peered at him from under her eyebrows. “You could...I mean, if you want to...”
“You askin’ me to walk you home, pet?” he asked coolly.
Her pride kicked in and she tossed her head haughtily, “No, of course not. I can walk myself home. I just thought you might want to know—“
“Cause that’s all I’d be doin’, Slayer,” he said flatly. “I’ll walk you back, because I haven’t seen you for so long and I want to spend some time with you. But that’s it. Don’t be thinkin’ I’m going be makin’ up for soldier boy’s shortcomin’s. Not tonight.”
Anger flared in her eyes as she glared at him. “I never asked you to, you arrogant pig! I just thought you might want to know which room I was in. Obviously, I was wrong. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
With a final toss of her hair, she turned and began marching off as fast as her Slayer feet could carry her with dignity. Embarrassed tears were threatening to leak from her eyes as she realized that she actually HAD been thinking that Spike might be willing to finish what Riley started.
(Oh my god. What kind of slut does that make me? Two men in one night? And treating someone who loves me like he was my own personal vibrator to use whenever I need it?)
She groaned softly and slowed down as she realized Spike wasn’t making any attempt to follow her. Refusing to look back to see if he was watching her walk away, she continued toward the campus, her head hanging down as she continued to scold herself for her behavior.
As she approached the dorm, she thought she felt Spike and turned around to look for him. She had just established where she thought he was and was starting to walk toward that spot, when the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come. She turned back around, shrugging away her disappointment, only to see Riley just emerging from the shadows near the door.
“Riley? I thought you went home. What are you doing here? And why were you in the bushes?”
“I was just waiting for you to come back, Buffy,” he lied smoothly. “I thought I heard something in the shadows and went to check it out.”
“Why were you waiting for me?”
“Because I want to spend some time with my girl friend who I haven’t seen all summer. Is that a problem, Buffy?”
She sighed heavily, “No, of course not. It’s just...it’s late and I was really looking forward to getting some sleep tonight. We have a Scoobie meeting in the morning and—“
“No problem. I’ll just make sure you’re awake early and I’ll go with you to the meeting.” As he spoke, he took her arm and smiled at her warmly, steering her toward the door to the dorm.
Buffy looked around anxiously before they went in the building, not sure if she’d felt something out there or not. Riley waited patiently, holding the door open while she looked around the quad.
“Is there something out there, honey? A vampire maybe?”
She shot him a suspicious look, but Riley’s face was the picture of innocence and concern.
(Way to be paranoid, Buffy. It probably wasn’t Spike; and even if it was, there’s no reason for Riley to think so.)
Casting one last look over her shoulder, she moved reluctantly toward the open door, mumbling, “Might have been, I couldn’t be sure. And I’m too tired to go hunting now. I’ll just have to hope everybody stays in the dorms till morning.”
The morning’s news shows had the same lead story. Vandals had gone through several of Sunnydale’s cemeteries, destroying granite tombstones, monuments and statues. The authorities were sure it was a gang high on PCP as there was no way a normal human could have moved some of the objects that had been thrown around.
In a crypt in one of the cemeteries, a good-looking blond vampire was passed out on top of a sarcophagus, both hands torn and bleeding onto the dirty floor.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I guess this is where I should put a Buffy/other warning for people who need one. It's not like it isn't clear that she hasn't broken up with Riley yet, so there is going to be some intereaction...