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Chapter Sixteen

“H—Hi, Riley,” Tara stammered as the big ex-soldier stormed into the make-shift research area the Scoobies had set up near the mysterious little room.

“Where are they?” he demanded, glaring around to emphasize his displeasure with being left out of the loop for so many days. “Are they back yet?”

As soon as Giles had reached him in Iowa to say that Buffy was missing due to a mishap at the Initiative, he had promised to come back and offer whatever assistance he could. When, at the conclusion of the conversation, he’d overheard Willow in the background talking about Spike and Buffy’s whereabouts, he demanded Giles tell him the whole story. In less than an hour, he was headed back to Sunnydale, having talked his way onto an army transport plane heading west.

Riley looked around the large, hanger-like area. He vaguely recognized it as one of the experimental rooms, but it had not been part of his operation so he wasn’t really sure what he was seeing. He walked around the room/device into which Buffy had disappeared, trying to remember what he’d heard about its purpose and abilities.

Eventually, he spotted the chained vampire leaning against his pole and walked over to stare at him. In spite of the light brown curls and unusual clothes, recognition soon filled his eyes and he reached for a nearby stake.

“Whoa there, big guy!” Xander grabbed his arm. “What’re you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m going to make this... thing... tell us where Buffy is.”

Spike had risen to his feet, a gleam in his eye as he realized the newly arrived human might actually be stupid enough to step close to him. He bounced on his toes, completely unconcerned about the man’s size or the wood in his hand.

“Uh, Riley, that’s not Spike. I mean, it IS Spike, but it’s not our Spike. This one isn’t chipped and he’s already told us what we need to know about where Buffy is. We just don’t know how to get her back.”

“Then why is he still here? If he’s served his purpose, there is no reason to keep him around...unless you are planning to bring Spike back with Buffy?” His tone expressed his opinion of that idea.

“That was the plan,” Giles said dryly. “They were pulled into the portal together, I would assume it is important that they come back that way. Hence the presence of our less-than-pleasant friend over there.”

“I beg your pardon!” Spike complained loudly, “I’ve been more than pleasant. For a vampire who’s been chained up and fed pig slop by a secretive bunch of wankers who won’t answer any of MY questions, I think I’ve been a paragon of pleasantness!”

“What’s with the accent?” Riley asked, glaring at the young vamp glowering back at him.

“It seems like old Spikie wasn’t quite the bad boy he told us he was before he was turned. According to Giles, William here is a veddy upper crusty Englishman. What our Spike would call a ‘nancy-boy’.”

“Take these chains off and I’ll show you a ‘nancy-boy’,” he muttered, not really expecting Xander to acknowledge the threat. To his surprise, the new arrival stepped closer, saying, “Bring it on, William the Bloody. I’d like nothing better than a good excuse to kick your ass.”

Spike snarled and leaped to the end of his chain, narrowly missing Riley’s face with his claws as he slipped into game face. In spite of himself, the larger man flinched back in the face of an enraged, fully functional vampire. The possibly bloody or dusty ending to the situation was averted by the Watcher’s dry tones from the research area.

“As entertaining as baiting the vampire may be, it might be more useful if Riley were to help us wade through the manuals for the instructions to this device.”

“Of course,” Riley was immediately contrite. “The important thing is to get Buffy back, we can dispose of the vampires later.”

Tara and Willow exchanged raised eyebrows at the ex-commando’s terminology and his use of the plural, but they didn’t say anything, just moved over to make room for him around the large table.

With Riley and Willow discussing the physics involved in transporting living things through time and space, and Giles filling him in on what they had determined about the probable date and time to which Buffy and Spike had been sent, Xander and Tara were left to their own devices. Xander went off to look for more discarded weapons. He was having a wonderful time using his army memories from an earlier Halloween to identify the guns he was accumulating.

Tara walked closer to the now-quiet vampire and smiled timidly at him.

“It’s alright, pretty lady,” he said calmly, “I’m not going to bite you. I don’t fancy having your fiery-haired friend turn me into a toad or something equally disgusting.”

Tara smiled again apologetically. “It’s just...it’s hard to remember sometimes that we have to stay away from you, you know? You are so much like our Spike in some ways, and so not like him in others.”

“So, what does ‘your Spike’ think of that wanker?” he asked, nodding toward the large man leaning over the table of books. “Don’t tell me they’re friends too?”

“Uh, no. I’m pretty sure they don’t like each other very much ...I mean what with the whole Buffy and Spike being engaged thing, and--”

“Engaged? I get engaged to a Slayer!” The vampire’s horror was palpable and Tara giggled before she answered.

“Well, not really, it was just a spell. Only lasted a day or so. But...”

“But?”

“But I think Spike is...very fond...of Buffy now. And she...she depends on him for...stuff. Stuff that Riley can’t do anymore. So, it’s kind of uncomfortable for everybody when they...”

The vampire smiled in genuine delight.

“So the overgrown constable is jealous of me? That’s just delicious.”

He sank back against his pole, smiling happily to himself as he watched the humans poring over the manuals.

“I-it probably wouldn’t be a g-good idea to mention that in front of Riley,” Tara stammered. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Spike blinked at her in amazement, tilting his head to study her blushing face.

“I’m not him, you know,” he said quietly.

“I know, but you will be. And he’s...he’s my friend.”

“I’m sure he is, pet. If I wasn’t evil and hungry, I might be your friend too.”

Tara smiled at him softly. “I can’t do anything about your evilness, but I could get you a mug of blood if you’re hungry.”

“I’d appreciate that, luv.”

******************

The time passed quickly for Buffy and Spike, now that they had settled into a routine. Buffy passed lazy days reading in the garden when London’s less than sunny climate permitted it; shopping for dresses she doubted she would have the time to wear before going back to Sunnydale, and taking Molly with her so that she could roam London during the day and visit some of the places Spike took her to at night.

In the evenings, after enjoying one of Mrs. Barstow’s good meals, they waited for Molly to fall asleep, or to leave with her aunt if it was her night off, and then changed into patrolling clothes to go out on the dark streets and search for something to keep Buffy’s skills sharp and Spike’s need for violence satisfied. They finished each patrol with a walk to the spot they hoped to see a portal open and after waiting impatiently for a while, continued home to end the night with creative and passionate lovemaking.

Spike never bit her after his unintentional lapse the first time. Although Buffy secretly nurtured the hope that he would forget himself and do it again, he was carefully to remain in his human face and limit his biting to nibbles of her lower lip and neck. Neither of them mentioned his slip of the tongue when he said he loved her, tacitly agreeing to pretend it never happened.

Angelus made no more appearances, and Buffy hoped he’d taken her advice and gone to another country, taking his two consorts with him. A week or more of the routine nights and days, uninterrupted by Slayer dreams or actual visits from the older vampires allowed Buffy to become so comfortable with their new life that she began to wonder if she really wanted to go back to Sunnydale and her responsibilities there.

As she prepared to sleep after another night of prowling London’s cemeteries, followed by a bout of mind-blowing sex with Spike, she mentally scolded herself for not being more concerned about her Watcher and friends and family back in Sunnydale. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the importance of getting back home and letting Giles figure out the meaning of the dreams. She snuggled in next to Spike, grateful for his comforting presence that seemed to be keeping them at bay and vowed to make more visits to the portal site.

*****************************

Buffy woke up wondering what time it was and why Molly hadn’t come to wake her up yet. Even with the heavy drapes pulled, she could tell it was well into the day. She turned her head and nuzzled the velvety skin on Spike chest, marveling at how soft it felt over the hard muscle beneath. She stuck out her tongue and ran it lightly around the flat nipple in front of her face, smiling when it hardened into a point.

Glancing down the bed, she could see the sheet tented over Spike’s morning erection and, after sneaking a look at his face to see if he was still asleep, she slowly moved the sheet aside until she could see the cool pale column rising over his stomach. She wriggled down the bed until she was facing the object of her curiosity.

Taking another quick glance at the sleeping vampire’s face, she ran her tongue up the length of him, then around the tip. She giggled softly when his hips arched up and he moaned under his breath. She teased him some more, running her tongue under his foreskin and dipping it into the tiny opening there, tasting him and planting open-mouthed kisses on it.

She felt the vampire shudder and suddenly his hand was on her head as he said, “Don’t be startin’ something you’re not planning to finish there, pet.”

Startled, she sat up quickly, blushing all over.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I thought you were asleep!”

“You expected me to sleep through that? What the hell do you think I am, woman? I’m dead – not buried. And what do you mean, you’re sorry?”

“I don’t...I mean, I know, I shouldn’t...and I’m not very good at...I just wanted to...I thought I’d try...”

Buffy stopped, blushing so hard he was afraid she would burst a blood vessel.

“If you want to, love, do it. Not going to hear any objections from me. DO you want to, Buffy?” he asked curiously.

“Well, I don’t really know how...I mean I tried once, but Riley told me I wasn’t doing it right.” At Spike’s gobsmacked expression, she hastily went on, “But he said it was okay that I didn’t know how to do it because only...only a whore would actually WANT to do that. And he didn’t expect me to be very good at it and I—“

Spike’s snarl split the morning air, and she flinched back from the flashing amber eyes. She watched in fascination as the vampire visibly forced himself to calm down. When his beautiful human face was back and William was looking at her with sad eyes, she finally let out the breath she’d been unconsciously holding.

“I’m sorry, love,” he said gently, touching her face with his fingers. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just can’t believe that bloody fool would say something like that to you.”

“I’m sure he was just trying to make me feel better about it,” she said in defense of her boyfriend.

“Stupid git,” he muttered. “Is offered a gift and doesn’t know what to do with it. “

“That’s why I thought I’d just...when you were asleep...so you wouldn’t know I was...I mean, not that you’d care if I’m not a nice girl. I mean, evil vampire and all, but...am I babbling again?”

“Yes, you are, darlin’. But it’s adorable. Now look at me and listen carefully.” He took her chin in his hand and looked into her worried eyes.

“There is nothing two people do together, or do to or for each other, that is wrong or dirty or evil or any other adjective that arse might have used to try to smother the wonderful passion you have inside you. Not if they’re both willing and nobody’s bein’ hurt by it.

“Don’t ever be afraid to ask me if you want to try something new or different. And if you think for one minute that wakin’ up to find your hot little mouth on me is something you need to apologize for...” He shook his head, completely lost for words to express the insanity of that idea.

“So,” she said, recovering her usual cheekiness, “you don’t mind if I practice on you?”

He laughed and dropped back onto the bed. “Practice away, pet. I’ll let you know when you get to perfect.”

He smothered a grin at the determined look on her face as she said, “I’m going to learn to do this right, if it kills me. You’ll tell me if I’m doing it right, won’t you?”

“I’m pretty sure you can count on that, love. I’m not known for being silent when—ahhh!” He stopped talking when her soft, heated lips closed over the head of his cock and she swirled her tongue around it. Encouraged by the involuntary movement of his hips, she moved her mouth down the shaft as far as she could without triggering her gag reflex.

Spike’s gasps, hisses and moans were all the encouragement she needed to begin an inexpert, but enthusiastic bobbing up and down on him, sucking in her cheeks as she came up each time. By the time she had established a good rhythm, the vampire was babbling a stream of praise and encouragement for her efforts and she concluded that the only thing wrong with her performance with Riley was the object of her attentions.

“Oh god, baby, like that, yessss, oh jesus, don’t stop, love, please baby, oh god, sweet jesus, bloody buggering fuck!” When she opened her throat and took him all the way in, he surged off the bed chanting her name over and over. “Buffy, Buffy, Buffy....”

She was holding his balls in one hand as she supported his cock with the other and she felt them tighten under her hand. Correctly assuming he was about to explode, she shook her head when he frantically tried to pull her off, redoubling her efforts until she heard him roar her name and felt his milky spendings hit the back of her throat. She swallowed quickly, the flexing of her throat muscles pulling even more from the incoherent vampire as he continued to arch into her mouth until he collapsed on the bed.

Buffy felt a jolt of purely feminine pride when she took in the euphoric look on his slack face and she sat up with a smile.

(Take that, Riley Finn!) she thought with satisfaction as one sparkling blue eye came open and looked at her with adoration.

“Come here, you,” he growled softly, pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her neck. Her long hair tickled his nose as he breathed in and out, inhaling her scent and enjoying the feel of her warm body on his.

“You know that was absolutely amazing, don’t you?” he asked when he could talk again. “I don’t know who that bleeding idiot was talking about, but it sure as hell wasn’t you.”

“So, it was ok?” she inquired teasingly. “I did it right?”

“Think you could say that, love. I don’t want to call you a liar, but there’s no way you--”

“I think I was inspired,” she whispered into his neck, embarrassed to let him see her face as she admitted how much she enjoyed knowing she was giving him that much pleasure.

He couldn’t speak. He wrapped both arms around her tightly and hoped some of what he was feeling would be understandable from the way he was clinging to her. He knew if he opened his mouth, “I love you” was going to fall out of it again and he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

They lay together like that for a long time, the temporarily satiated vampire holding her tightly and lightly caressing her back; the vampire slayer draped over his body, her face buried in his neck. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of the shoe polish he’d been using to tone down his platinum hair competed with his own unique scent.

Eventually, nature called and Buffy reluctantly squirmed until he let go of her so that she could sit up.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he growled.

“I’m going to pee,” she said primly, standing up and grabbing her nightgown. “And then I’m going to go look for Molly. It’s got to be late and I don’t understand why she didn’t come and wake me. She knows I’ve got a lot to do today to get ready for that party tonight.”

Spike gave a groan at the reminder that they were expected at the Saint-John residence that evening for a social event.

“Should never have told that bloody wanker he could throw a party for us,” he grumbled. “If I wanted to see any of those people again, I’d of turned ‘em and let them be minions.”

“Don’t you want to show off your new wife?” she asked tossing her head? “Or are you ashamed of me?”

He was off the bed so fast she was very grateful he wasn’t still planning to kill her.

“There isn’t one of those overfed snobs that can hold a candle to you. And don’t you forget it, missy.”

“Okaaay. Hit a nerve there. Should be a fun evening. I can’t wait.”

Spike snorted, “Oh yeah, lot’s of fun.”

By the time Buffy had finished in the bathroom, Spike was already downstairs drinking his blood in the study and frowning in thought.

“What’s up?” she asked, coming up behind him to run her tongue into his ear and to suck on his earlobe.

“What’s usually up when you start doing things like that,” he grinned at her, jarred out of his thoughts.

At Buffy’s, “Have you seen Molly?” his frown came back and he shook his head.

“No, and neither has Mrs. Barstow. No one has seen her since she went out with her girlfriend last night. The other girl is missing too.”

Buffy blanched. “You don’t think....?”

“I don’t think anything, pet,” he tried to soothe her. “She’s young and you’ve been letting her be more of a friend than a servant. She’ll know her aunt will be furious, but she probably thinks you won’t say anything. Maybe they met a couple of attractive blokes and are afraid to come home after staying out all night. Mrs. Barstow has someone else coming in to help you get dressed for tonight. After the party, we’ll go looking for Molly if she hasn’t turned up by then.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, love, I promise. Now go do whatever it is women do to get ready for parties that don’t start for hours.”

“Yes sir, hubby, sir,” she giggled at him as she saluted in mock obedience.

“Don’t get smart with me, woman,” he glowered back at her. “Don’t forget in this era you’re just another one of my possessions.”

“Is that so?” she asked saucily. “So I’m yours, huh? Hah! You wish!”

She flounced out of the room, not seeing the look on his face as he whispered, “You have no idea how much I wish that were true, Buffy. No idea at all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Between Willow’s brains and Riley’s knowledge of the Initiative and its projects, they were finally able to narrow down the manuals to the one with the instructions for the “matter transferring” device, as it was referred to. Hours and days of reading through and comparing possible ways of interpreting the technical jargon later, and they felt they were ready for a trial run.

It was Tara who suggested they try sending back something Spike or Buffy would recognize if they happened to be nearby when it came through. But it was the vampire chained away from the group who said calmly, “Why don’t you send them a message? Tell them when you will be turning it on again so they can be ready.”

All eyes turned to him in astonishment.

“What? You think I WANT to stay here in this underground hell-hole, chained up, fed cold, disgusting animal blood, and not knowing where or when my dark princess is? I’m just saying...”

“Actually, William, that is quite a good idea,” Giles said quickly before anyone could tell the vampire to shut up.

He immediately tore a large sheet of paper off the flip chart they’d been tracking their ideas on and wrote in large letters, “24 hours. Be ready.” Willow took the marker from his hand and added underneath, “We miss you.” She blushed and said, “Well, it’s true isn’t it? They might be having a good time and not want to come home. I just thought I’d remind them they have friends here.”

“Would you quit referring to Buffy and that vampire as ‘they’!” Riley growled. “We’re getting Buffy back – if the neutered monster has to come with her...well, there’s always a down side. It doesn’t mean anybody misses him.”

The Scoobies exchanged looks, but no one bothered to contradict the already annoyed man. They just shrugged and made plans to send the message so it would arrive in London sometime during the night.





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