Chapter 24: Staking a Claim
“Look, Dawn, I’m sorry about…about in the kitchen. I know you’re not a kid. I know that. I’m just worried about you.” Buffy and Dawn sat side by side on the bed in Dawn’s room. “I’m not mom. I’m not trying to replace her. It’s just…you’re my baby sister, and I guess I’m just…”
“Way overprotective?” Dawn suggested. Buffy swallowed hard but mustered up a nod.
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.”
“Besides, you weren’t too much older than me. You were seventeen. And your boyfriend was…what? Over a hundred?” Buffy was silent. “I think that’s way worse than me and Jake.”
“Alright,” Buffy said quietly. “You’ve got me there. Yeah. I was seventeen. No. I didn’t regret it. But, there were still consequences.”
“Buffy, Jake’s not a cursed vampire,” Dawn reminded her.
“You’ve got me again.” Buffy sighed. “Ok. I’m…I’m gonna try to understand that you’re growing up. You are smart, Dawn. I’m more worried about him not being smart.” She cleared her throat. “I guess I just want…no…I don’t really want to know, but I just…”
“You wanna know if I’ve slept with Jake?” Dawn pointed out. Buffy just gave her a little nod, uncertain as to whether or not she wanted to hear this. “You know it’s none of your business.”
“Dawn…just…you can talk to me, you know? I want you to know that. Even if it’s something you don’t think you can talk to me about. I’m still your sister, and that’s never going to change.” Dawn nodded.
“If it’ll make you feel better. No, we haven’t.” Buffy breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“Yeah, it does make me feel better.” Dawn raised an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t. We almost did once, but I…I kinda chickened out.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Buffy explained, putting her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “It just means you need more time.”
“You’re just saying that to keep me from doing it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe partly, but it’s true, Dawn. When you’re really ready, you’ll know.” Dawn was silent for a moment before giving her sister a little nod.
“Ok. Not to sound like a Whitney Houston song from the 80s, but….how will I know?” Buffy smiled a little and shrugged.
“I don’t know. I guess everybody’s different.”
“Well, how did you know?”
“With Angel?”
“Oh, I know all about that. Diary, remember?”
“Right,” Buffy said awkwardly. “Well, with Spike…I don’t know. I knew before I died that he loved me. But when I came back, that’s when I really saw it, you know? He was always there. He helped me. I saw how much he’d changed. Especially with you. He looked after you, and he didn’t have to. I asked him to help protect you from Glory, and he didn’t have to stay after I died, but he did anyway. And I started to care for him. And then it just…it happened.” Dawn smiled.
“That’s romantic.”
“Yeah. It is, a little, isn’t it?”
“See, I want that.”
“You can have it, Dawn,” Buffy whispered, squeezing her sister’s hand. “You don’t have to grow up all at once. You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready to do. But I do want you to know that I’m here to talk. Even if it’s about something I’m not ready to hear. I’ll be here, ‘cause that’s what big sisters are for.”
“You mean that?”
“Yeah,” Buffy said with a smile. “I know what it’s like to want to talk to somebody about something…and not knowing where to turn. I had my friends, but it wasn’t the same. Xander freaked out whenever I talked about guys, and Willow had her own boy…and girl problems to deal with.”
“Yeah. I guess things like that tend to happen when your boyfriend turns into a werewolf and then down the line you find out you’re gay.” Dawn shrugged and let out a sigh.
“I don’t think you’re ready for any of this, Dawn. But that’s not my choice to make. Just promise me that whatever you decide to do, you’ll talk to me about it, because there’s nothing scarier than going through something alone.”
“Well…I wouldn’t be alone…”
“You know what I mean.”
“Right. I know. If I need to talk, I will. Don’t worry. I don’t have any plans to do anything right now. I’ll wait until it feels right.”
“Don’t confuse hormones with rightness. That isn’t always of the good.”
“Ok. Ok. It’s late. Can we eighty-six the awkward sex talk for the rest of the night?”
“Sure. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Speaking of being left alone…you should probably go get Spike. He might be chip-less, but Jake is a teenager, and I know from firsthand experience this past summer that Spike’s got a short temper when it comes to us teenaged-types.”
“Oh. Right, yeah, I should do that. G’night, Dawnie.”
“Night, Buffy.” Buffy hopped up and headed out of the room, hoping that she’d come off a little less overbearing and a lot more supportive. It was scary to think of Dawn growing into a young woman, but it was something that would happen one day. She just hoped that it would be the right decision for her sister, and not because of some curiosity she needed to satisfy.
***
Jake sat awkwardly on the couch next to Spike, who was staring at him like a father glaring at his daughter’s first date.
“So, Jake, is it?” Spike asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Did you grow up in Sunnydale?”
“Born and raised,” Jake said nervously.
“Any oddballs in your family?”
“What…what do you mean?”
“Anybody who doesn’t like to go out in the daytime?”
“You mean like you?” Jake asked, getting a disapproving look and realizing he probably shouldn’t have said that. “Uh…no. Unless you count my Uncle Larry. He, uh, he doesn’t like sunlight at all. But he doesn’t like moonlight. Light in general. He sits in a closet all day.”
“Any family members with strange skin conditions?”
“Uh…no? My little sister has acne, if that’s what you mean,” he chuckled.
“Oh, so it’s funny to make fun of a bird for having bad skin?”
“No…I…”
“What if Dawn were to wake up one morning with the same problem? Would it be funny then?”
“Uh…no. I was just…”
“You should treat her like a lady, but if you’re doing it for the reason I think you are, then you should think twice, if you know what I mean.”
“Um…huh?”
“Dawn has a lot of people who care about her. Big, strong people. Her big sis? A lot stronger than she looks.”
“Really? She’s just a tiny…”
“Oh, she packs a hell of a wallop, believe me.” He smirked when he saw the lad shudder. “I’d be careful this weekend. Not sure where the strength in Buffy’s family comes from. Her mum was a strong lady, but I’ve never met her dad. So I’d watch out.”
“But, aren’t you just as worried? I mean, you’re meeting him for the first time too, so…”
“Jake,” Spike said with a shake of his head and a snicker, “I think the attention’s gonna be on you. After all, you are dating his youngest. He knows Buffy’s an adult, but Dawn is still young. She’s still the baby of the family.” Jake swallowed even harder.
“You’re just saying this to scare me, right dude?” Jake asked, fingers running through his short but too-long-for-Spike’s-liking hair.
“Just saying….dude…that I’d be careful. Don’t try anything stupid, or you’ll be answering to a lot of very strong people.”
“Stop threatening my boyfriend!” Dawn called from the top of the stairs, as Buffy made her way into the living room.
“Hello, luv,” Spike said with a smile in Buffy’s direction before shouting loud enough for Dawn to hear. “Not threatening him, Nibblet! Just giving him some advice.”
“Well shut up anyway!” Dawn called. Moments later, they could hear her bedroom door shut, and both Buffy and Spike turned their attention to Jake. He smiled nervously.
“Well…uh, I’m beat! I think I’m gonna go to sleep. You, uh…you mind giving me some privacy?” Spike stood up and moved to put his arm around Buffy.
“One more thing. I’m a very light sleeper, so I wouldn’t try pulling anything tonight,” Spike said with a nod toward the young man. Jake looked at Buffy who only nodded at Spike’s words.
“Wow. Dawn said her family was crazy, but…”
“Don’t go there, Jake,” Buffy warned with a smile. “It’s easier to just nod at smile.” Jake nodded, but he didn’t smile.
“Ok. Um…good night?”
“Good night, Jake.” Buffy waved Spike out of the room, and lingered behind. “For the record, my little sister really likes you, so try not to mess it up.”
“Oh…ok. Um, thanks?” Buffy nodded, and she left Dawn’s boyfriend alone to try and sleep after the awkward conversation.
When she started to the kitchen to get a drink of water, she felt Spike’s arms pull her against him. He turned her and pushed her back gently against the wall. His lips immediately found her neck, and she stifled a surprised giggle.
“Hey,” she hissed under her breath. “At least wait until Jake’s sleeping.”
“That could take hours.”
“It’d be your fault for freaking him out,” she teased.
“Hey, it’s the Nibblet’s future we’re talking about. Did you two have a good talk?”
“Yeah. And I’m relieved to the power of ten.”
“So that means…”
“That means,” she said with a nod, “that my somewhat innocent little sister is still…somewhat innocent.” She cringed inwardly, realizing she probably shouldn’t have said that, despite the fact that she owed her sister several jabs for the diary reading incidents over the past several years. “Don’t tell her I told you that.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, pet. Saves me from having to rip his throat out.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Maybe not, but if you came down those stairs and said something different than what you just told me…”
“Aw, look at you. Protective big brother type.”
“When you say it that way, it makes our situation sound a little dirty doesn’t it?” he asked with a gleam in his eyes.
“I guess so,” she giggled. With a shrug, she leaned in to kiss him, pressing her body against his. She could feel him already beginning to strain against his jeans, and she sighed softly.
“Ready for bed, luv?”
“I’m not relaxed enough yet,” she said thoughtfully. “Know what gets me nice and sleepy?”
“I can think of a couple things,” he teased.
“Well, yeah. But…come on.” She started to lead him away toward the patio doors, but she stopped. “Wait. Dawn and…”
“Nibblet’s already snoring away. Carsickness pills must not have worn off yet. Jake’s somewhere between awake and asleep, but I think he’ll be having nightmares all night.”
“You’re awful.”
“Vampire.”
“With a soul. Be nice,” she grinned. He answered her with a rough kiss, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth for a minute. When he pulled back, he cocked his head to the side.
“Nice? That’s not nearly as fun.” She smiled again, her hands moving to his waist. She wiggled her body against his as she kissed him, and she heard that familiar moan escape the back of his throat. Her tongue darted out to taste his lips, and his hands grew tighter on her hips.
“Gotta have you…now.” His hands were moving hungrily up her sides, caressing the sides of her breasts.
“Can’t…not yet,” she breathed, nodding toward the pool. “Wait ‘til…mmpfff…sleep…” Spike’s mouth against hers made it hard for her to get her thoughts across, but he picked her up in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she ground against him. He could smell her arousal and knew she couldn’t wait anymore either.
“Pool later,” he managed to growl out, as he walked blindly with her up the back stairs, silently thanking the powers that be that Hank Summers had a set of back stairs, so they wouldn’t have to separate in order to avoid Dawn’s boyfriend’s attention.
Buffy’s hands were buried in his hair, and her lips were hot against his. He had one arm around her waist, and the other was holding onto the stair rail to keep them from falling back.
Buffy and Spike tumbled blindly down the hallway upstairs, and when they found their room, which wasn’t easy, as Buffy wasn’t familiar with her father’s new house, Spike rushed her inside, depositing her onto the bed. Both stared at each other for a moment as he stood, and their chests heaved, gulping in huge amounts of air as the anticipation built. Spike turned, stalking back to the door, shutting it, and again, thanking the powers that be, because this door had a lock. Who’s the lucky vampire?, he thought with a cocky smile.
The minute he turned from the door, he felt two tiny but strong hands push his chest back, pinning him against the door. Her eyes were a fierce shade of green, and her soft lips were a soft red from their urgent kisses.
“I’ve been wanting this all day,” she whispered, her words sending shivers down his spine. As she pressed into him, her hands traveled down, one cupping his ass and pulling him against her. He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling the heat radiating from her already.
“Bloody hell,” he murmured, as her hand moved around to stroke the growing bulge in his jeans. Using all the strength he could muster while he was completely under the influence of the scent of her arousal, her darted forward, capturing her in his arms and tackling her to the mattress. She laughed for a moment before she grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down for another bruising kiss.
His hand was already fumbling with the buttons on her jeans. She scooted back on the bed as he helped her maneuver out of them. As he slipped the jeans off of her legs, she raised her shirt over her head, tossing it across the room. Spike pulled back for a moment to take in the sight of her tanned skin glittering with a fine sheen of sweat, her small but perfect breasts heaving and straining against her black, lacy bra.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, dipping down to capture her lips with his own again, one hand clenching in her hair as the other reached down, rubbing her through her panties. He could already feel the dampness against his fingertips through the lacy garment. “Let’s get you out of these.” His fingers began to draw down her panties, but she suddenly used her strength to flip him over and onto his back. She climbed over him, straddling his lower half and pinning it to the bed. She wiggled her hips, the friction making his pants far too tight against his hard cock. “Oh fuck.”
“You have way too many clothes on,” she murmured, her voice low, saturated with seduction. Her hands trained up under his black shirt first, fingers tweaking his nipples just to watch him squirm. He clenched his jaw shut, as her fingers continued to torture him, trailing sensuous circles along his cool flesh.
His hands moved up her hips, her sides, her back, finally finding the clasp of her bra and expertly unhooking it, sliding the straps down her shoulders and letting it fall down her arms. She shook it off and onto the floor, and raised himself up on one elbow, pulling her down with his other arm, taking a hard nipple between his teeth.
Buffy’s head fell back, and she continued grinding against him, her body screaming at her to hurry up and undress him.
Her hands were on his shoulders then, and she pushed him back, sliding down his body, her hands working at the button of his pants. He watched as she slid them off, his cock popping out, throbbing for her attention. He immediately reached for it, but she swatted his hand away, crawling back up him, her legs on his thighs. She smiled and curled a hand around his erection.
He hissed inwardly, and she bent down to place a kiss to the tip, running her thumb across the little slit. His eyes rolled back, and he bent his head back as her warm, wet mouth enveloped him, and her tongue slowly began to torture him in all the right ways. Her bright, green eyes stared up at him so innocently while her mouth and fingers were wrapped around his cock, and the sight of it when his eyes met hers nearly made him come on the spot.
The warning sign of his throaty moan made her reluctantly pull back, crawling back up to straddle him. His hands roamed up her thighs and her sides, and he captured her breasts, expertly massaging them for a moment. She threw her head back again, her hands against his chest. But he brought his hands back down to her waist, and in one fluid motion, he had her pinned against the mattress, and he was crawling over her, his hands clawing at the black lacy piece of material that kept him from what he wanted most.
“Spike,” she whimpered, as Spike tossed the black undergarment over his shoulder, “please…” He moved up to kiss her neck, and she turned, seeking his lips. This time, this kiss was tender, and he lingered for only moments, before moving back down, settling between her legs and without pause, taking her throbbing clit into his mouth.
“Oh God!” she cried out, grabbing the sheets and nearly yanking them off the bed. Her hips bucked against his face, but he dug his nails into her hips, holding her still, as his tongue circled around the slick little bud.
One of Buffy’s hands slid into Spike’s hair, and she held him there, as he brought her closer to climax. When she felt him insert two fingers inside of her, she arched her back, her breath catching in her throat. Spike moaned, sending a tremor through her.
“Spike…please. I need to…” It was then that she felt his cool, spongy tongue replace his fingers, and his thumb began to circle her clit, applying just enough pressure to send her over the edge and coming into his mouth. Something like this never could have been as sensual with anyone else.
She gave his hair a little tug, and he crawled back up her body, taking his cock into his own hand. She moaned softly, as he positioned himself perfectly and slid home. She closed her eyes, her walls stretching to accommodate him. She let out a little gasp, and she was met by his lips.
Her arms encircled him, and he hooked one of her knees over his hip and set the pace.
“So fucking tight,” he murmured into her mouth, clenching his eyes shut for a moment, trying to keep himself in control. Buffy closed her eyes, her hands moving over the tight muscles of his back. She moaned softly into his mouth as he continued kissing her, but it wasn’t long before she gained the advantage again.
Unhooking her knee from his hip, she rolled him onto his back, being careful to steady herself on him. Her hands were tight against his chest as she moved up and down on his shaft, slick with her come.
“Oh God,” he murmured, as the vision of her, long hair swishing in front of his face, tickling her breasts and making the little rosy nipples perk up again made him come closer to the edge.
“Hold on,” she breathed, picking up the pace a little, angling them just enough that he hit the right spot as he thrust into her. She was silent, her eyes focused right on his, but he could see her lips quivering, and all he could think about was how amazing that perfect little mouth really was. His fingers dug harder into her hips, enough that she groaned a little, but she didn’t dare ask him to stop when she felt so good.
She threw her head back, face to the ceiling, eyes shut, inner muscles clenching around his cock, and she felt the world spin around her when he grabbed her, pinning her against the bed again, his forehead resting against hers as he picked up the pace, pounding into her harder.
“Oh God. Oh fuck. Yes! Spike!” she cried out, her nails piercing the flesh on his back, her teeth leaving marks on his shoulder that were deep enough that blood came seeping out. The coppery taste stung her tongue.
The animal within Spike raged with need, and she could feel him fighting it. She knew what he wanted, and right now, she wanted to give him anything he wanted. She pulled her hair back from her neck, and he looked at her, eyes wide with surprise as he continued to move inside of her. “Not too deep.”
The bones in his face shifted, and the demon came out. He rested his head against her shoulder for a moment, and she caressed his back, bracing herself for the pain. But when she felt his sharp teeth penetrate the flesh of her neck, she only felt the pleasure intensify, and she cried out as he drank from her. Her legs wrapped around him, and she drew him in as much as she could, feeling her heart pounding as if it were about to break free of her chest.
““Unh….oh…God. Right there.” She arched against him, and she pulsed her muscles again. He withdrew his teeth and when he looked back at her, his human face. She smiled up at him, tracing the features of his smooth face with her fingertips. “Love you…so much.” Hearing her say it only made him want her more, and he pressed his lips to hers, pulling her tightly into his arm as he plunged into her with renewed strength. The moment he triggered her next orgasm, the bubble burst, and he came inside of her, crying out against her shoulder as she milked every bit out of him.
He held her for several long moments, not wanting to let go of her, but when he pulled out and rolled onto his back, she rolled with him, nestling herself against his cool body. He could smell the scent of dried blood, and he pulled her hair back to examine the damage. Two small, pink marks were all that was left of his claim.
“You realize,” he whispered, “that this means your mine now.”
“Mmm,” she muttered lazily, her body still coming down from such a high. “You realize I’ve been yours for a while now.” She looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling and filled with life. “And you’re mine?”
“Yeah. Have been for even longer, pet.” He kissed her lips. “You bloody broke the skin.”
“That’s the point,” she giggled, knowing all about claims. Giles had lectured her on them shortly after she’d begun dating Angel, though it was nothing she’d considered doing with him after their first time together resulted in his evilness.
“You…you know what this means though, don’t you, luv?” Buffy nodded, smiling sweetly at him, as she kissed his chest.
“Yeah. It means…”
“It means we’re mates now. We belong together. Is…is that what you want?”
“It’s too late to change my mind now, isn’t it?” she teased. Spike could barely even swallow. Claiming was a very old vampire myth, and he’d never heard of it being practiced during his entire life or afterlife. Frankly, he hadn’t been sure about its validity until now. As he looked into her eyes, he could see that the bond between them was even stronger now.
They were quiet for several long minutes, and she could feel his uncertainty now.
“You don’t regret it, do you?”
“’Course I don’t. I’m just worried you might regret it, is all. There’s a lot…what if you want a family someday. I can’t…”
“Spike, hold on,” Buffy whispered. “I’m not a kid. I’m not a teenager that doesn’t know what she wants. I know what I want now, and that’s you.” She ran her fingers through his messy hair, smiling at the way it curled when the gel wore off. “And that’s not gonna change.”
“It might…”
“Spike?”
“Hmm?”
“Shut up and kiss me.” Spike did as she asked, his lips dancing along hers for several moments. When she pulled back, she kissed his forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said softly.
“And don’t think I didn’t know what I was doing,” she warned him. “Even in that state, I can make snap decisions. I promise.” She kissed him again and jumped out of bed, pulling him out with her. “We don’t have to make a big deal of it, Spike.” He looked at her as if she’d grown another head. The Buffy he knew even a couple of months ago would have freaked out at the idea of being bound to him like this. “You should know by now that I don’t plan on falling in love with anybody else. You’re the only one I want, and I hope I’m the only one…”
He shut her up with a fierce kiss, pulling her strongly against him, not wanting to let her go. He couldn’t believe this; couldn’t believe her. God, he’d never felt so much happiness in his entire unlife, except for the night he watched her walk down those stairs and back into his life after months of anguish and realization that his eternity would mean nothing without her.
“Of course you’re the only one, Slayer. Just never expected I’d be the one you’d want.”
“If you haven’t figured that out after all the sweaty, nakedness…”
“You know what I mean.”
“I know,” she said with a reassuring smile. “People change. I guess it’s lucky for the both of us that I changed my mind about you.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Now, unless you want me to call Giles and ask him if he can help us break the claim….” Spike shook his head. “Good. Then follow me. We’ve got some swimming to do.”
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