Buffy was lost in thought. Spike seemed pretty harmless so she couldn’t bring herself to kill him. She didn’t trust him she had to confess but he didn’t seem like he was on the prowl for killing. In fact he admitted his girl didn’t want him anymore. She almost felt pity but scolded herself. She had pitied Angel and look where it got her with him; he had made love to her only to loose his soul the next day making her life horrible.
She frowned as she studied him and wondered why he wasn’t saying anything. She decided to play it safe, “Out for a midnight snack or stroll?”
She watched as he shrugged, “Really neither pet. I just needed to get out. I’m sure you know how that is.”
Buffy nodded and waited as Spike spoke up rolling a bit closer, “Wasn’t impressed by your taking out the Judge. Dru wailed about it for hours…that was until Angel decided to shag her senseless.”
Buffy gasped and her eyes reflected the pain she felt as a few tears fell down her cheeks. Spike cursed himself for being so cold hearted because he knew her pain but instead of reflecting on it he said nothing unfolding the hands he had in his lap and put them on either side of his body on the wheels again. He wheeled a little closer until he was right in front of her and he caught a whiff of something and cursed again.
Buffy raised her eyes to look at him and he saw they were red rimmed and he frowned, “I guess you killing the poofter is out of the question.”
Buffy frowned at him as she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hands trying to be strong, “I’ll get there. I’m getting closer. The more he does to us, the easier it is to kill him.”
Spike shook his head, “That’s not going to make any difference pet. You do realize that right?”
Buffy looked at him surprised wondering what the Hell he was on about. She didn’t understand why he was saying that it wouldn’t help. He just didn’t know her and figured she was a weak little girl but she would show him, She kicked her legs to gain a bit of strength but didn’t move or actually make any contact with him as she stated, “I’m stronger than you think. If I hate something or someone enough, I won’t hesitate on killing them. Angelus will be on my hit list.”
Spike glared into her eyes, “No pet, ANGEL won’t be on any hit list. In fact you’d better make sure he doesn’t go doing something like dusting himself.”
Buffy frowned even more staring at him, “Why should I care if ANGELUS dusts himself? It would save me the trouble and make my life a whole lot easier although, I think part of him is still in there. He has just forgotten…”
Spike cut her off gripping his wheels so tight his hands got even paler if that was possible, “Slayer, you aren’t understanding what I’m saying are you? First off let’s get something straight, Angel is Angelus only a bloody, tortured vampire rather than an uncaring one. Angelus isn’t a different vampire, he’s the same old vampire just not tortured by having a soul forced up his ass. In fact Angel really shouldn’t have ever existed. It was a punishment because he killed a little girl much like yourself and the gypsies cursed him with a soul to torture him the rest of eternity for being a heartless killer. So the Angelus, as you like to call him, is the real deal and his true form. Vampires aren’t meant to have souls luv. We are lean, mean drinking machines who prey on little girls like you. Get used to Angel in his true form, you can’t bloody kill him.”
Buffy jumped off the gravestone aiming the stake towards him demanding, “Why the Hell can’t I kill him?”
Spike flinched a tad seeing a stake so close to him and knowing this Slayer might be a loose cannon after everything that had happened to her. He let his eyes roam over her before stating, “He marked you luv. You are claimed and therefore can’t kill him or you will kill yourself. Puts a real damper on your existence, don’t it? My suggestion? Get the bloody hell out of Sunnyhell and fast and don’t even look back. Take your friends, family and anyone else you bloody care about and get them out and never return. Change your name, lose the slaying kick and hide before he senses that cool little mark on your neck and makes your life more of a living Hell.”
Buffy put her hand up to the mark on her neck remembering the events so well.
Angel bit into her saying, “You are mine Buffy. I love you. Say you’re mine Buffy, please?” Buffy nodded her head whispering, “I love you too Angel. I’m yours, now and forever. I’ll always be yours.”
Buffy repeated softly, “Claimed” as Spike nodded his head starting to roll away, “Yeah, claimed. You’re stuck with him living luv, I’d get out of this sodding town while I still could.” With that statement, he rolled away from sight leaving a very confused Buffy standing staring after him holding onto the mark on her neck in horror.
6 hours later: 9 am. Sunday
Buffy woke up realizing she only had slept a few hours and it was already time to start her research at school. Whoever heard of going to school on a Sunday to research? Shouldn’t Sundays while in high school get spent shopping at the mall or having lunch with her friends? Instead she would be having lunch with her friends but instead of at a wonderful restaurant, she would be having it stuck inside of a school library with the librarian aka her watcher. <
She looked in the mirror realizing she looked a mess and her head was all fuzzy and achy. She figured it was from lack of sleep since she had fallen asleep sometime in the early morning after tossing and turning for hours trying to figure out what it meant to be claimed. She didn’t feel any different. She didn’t feel any weaker, any pain, or weird tingles or anything. As she entered the shower and began to suds up, she was tempted to explore it but then she remembered Spike’s words, “hide before he senses that cool little mark on your neck and makes your life more of a living Hell.”
She had to know what that meant. She rinsed her hair stepping out of the shower and drying herself off avoiding the mark all together. She didn’t really want to mess with Angelus. She hoped his soul would be somehow stuffed back into him and this would all be a nightmare. She glanced over at the nightstand where the cupcake should be and found it with a dagger sticking out of the middle of it and under both was a picture. She lifted the cupcake up placing it aside pulling the dagger out realizing that in order for the dagger to have been placed in it, the person would have had to be in her room and gone through her drawers where she kept it hidden under her bras.
Buffy carefully wiped the dagger off on a tissue and walked over to the drawer replacing it then returned to the drawing. She noticed it was a picture of her sleeping and she recognized it as Angel’s work. She gasped as the picture fell to the floor. He was in her room last night and had watched her sleep. He had enough time to find a pencil and paper and stab her cupcake using her knife. Through all that, she hadn’t even woken up.
She frowned in worry as she paced her room then quickly made a decision grabbing the picture to shove it into her bag. She then realized she would be late for school so she found herself flinging a scarf around her neck to hide it from view. She knew no one would suspect that Angel had bitten her and even if someone noticed it, she could lie about it. Those that noticed it might even think it was still the Master’s scar. She was thankful as she realized it was the same side as the Master’s scar so once it healed a little more, it would just appear as though it was his scar still.
She sighed in relief as she threw on a pair of blue jeans and a fluffy red shirt. She hoped her mom was already at the art gallery this morning so she wouldn’t have to face her this morning looking like Hell. Apparently even her mom had work to do on Sundays, which was nothing new. She would often meet with new clients and new artists. Buffy bounced the stairs with her heart not really into anything as she found the house empty and a little note tacked on the fridge, “Lunch on the third shelf, see you tonight Buffy.”
Buffy found herself sighing in relief for the second time this morning before grabbing a piece of bread not even bothering to toast it as she took her lunch from the fridge to walk to the school library.
Buffy leaned over towards Willow, “Can I talk to you Wills?”
Willow nodded pulling her books a little closer to herself as she and Buffy walked to the library together. She glanced over to Willow desperately, “Seriously Will this part is important, it’s a secret. You can’t tell Xander, Oz, Giles or Cordelia or anyone. I mean it. This is really important but I really need your help.”
She sounded so desperate and hated the way her voice sounded but she saw the look on Willow’s face look serious and concerned as she made a cross over her heart, “I promise. I’m all secretively Willow now. How can I help Buffy? Is it about Angelus?”
Buffy nodded and frowned as she grabbed Willow by the hand pulling her behind a bush that was near the school. She untied her scarf showing Willow the mark. Willow gasped, “That from Angel?”
Buffy nodded and whispered, “It’s a claim supposedly.”
Willow frowned, “How did you figure that out?”
Buffy retied the scarf then gestured with her hands, “Someone told me but anyway, point is, according to the source, it means I can’t kill Angelus. He said something about the fact if I die he dies or some garbage like that and I need to know if this is true. Angelus is wrecking out lives and it’s only day two. I woke up with a picture drawn on my pillow of me. It was freakish…”
Willow glanced at the picture Buffy held in her hand and frowned, “We can do some secret research on it as Giles will be busy researching Angelus anyway.”
Buffy nodded and reminded her friend, “Now remember you can’t tell anyone. Please Wills, I’m counting on you.”
Willow put her hand over her heart and nodded, “Best friend promise Buffy.”
Buffy nodded again feeling satisfied as together they finished their way to the library thankful she had finished their conversation before bumping into Xander a few minutes later.