At Buffy’s request, the Scoobies convened in front of one of the many vamp whorehouses in the not-so-nice part of Sunnydale. Buffy was still smacking herself upside the head for not knowing there was any more vamp brothels functioning and thriving in Sunnydale. She was the Slayer, how could she have not known? If it hadn’t been for Spike butting in to her business, she still might have been oblivious to their existence.

And Riley wouldn’t have left.

But even as she lamented about her loss, Buffy knew it was better that she knew the truth. Better knowing that he boyfriend was getting suck jobs from vamp ho’s mere moments after leaving her bed.

Didn’t mean that hurt any less, it just was what it was.

So now here they were and Buffy was all about putting them out of business in her town. This was the last vamp whorehouse that was still standing, according to the information she’d beat out of Willy and Buffy was eager to wipe it out of existence. They’d found the previous ones easy to dispose of and Buffy just wanted them gone.

A plan was formulated on the best way to approach taking down this brothel. Willow, Xander, and Buffy would go into the building, leaving Giles and Anya to secure the only way out.

Taking a deep breath to get her fractured emotions under control, Buffy went straight down the stairs. Willow went to the right, with Xander heading to the iron balcony on the left. Buffy only saw a handful of vampires below them in the main area and she quickly got to work easily managing to dust those before her.

Confident that she had the situation under control, she gasped as more vampires poured in to the room, at least two hundred of them from all sides. From his post Giles witnessed the new onslaught and feared for his Slayer. Back up was needed and he quickly sent Anya to find Spike, hoping it wouldn’t be too late.

It was a tough battle. With Xander and Willow’s help, the sheer number of vampires dwindled, although not as quickly as Buffy would have liked.


XXXX


Rider hung back and watched the Slayer and her little friends in action. He was a Master Vampire and the fact that his minions were being slaughtered right and left didn’t concern him much. They were disposable; it was always easy to make more. He was wiry and tall with dark hair and a deep southern accent. He smiled when one of his more beefy minions brought the Slayer to her knees. She was wounded and breathing hard and just ripe for the picking. He gestured to his men to stand down and they backed away forming a circle around their master and the fallen Slayer. Rider taunted Buffy not allowing her to escape. She’d been a thorn in his side for too long and he’d lost entirely too much business because of her interference. He noticed the Slayer’s sidekicks backing away slowly and he allowed them to leave. He could always hunt them down later. It was the Slayer he wanted now.

“You afraid Slayer?” Rider asked, walking toward her slowly and seductively.

Buffy stumbled to her feet and backed up her eyes never leaving his. When she bumped into the crowd of angry, hungry vampires at her back, she quickly moved towards the center of the circle. Defiantly, she tossed her hair back and glared at what was obviously the Master Vampire. “Not of you! Aren’t you afraid of me? You should be because I’m going to rip your head off!” she threatened, desperate to bite back the nausea that accompanied the dizziness that was plaguing her. Being knocked in the head with a crowbar was never a good thing and she hoped her Slayer healing kicked in and quickly.

Fear ran through her as they circled each other. Buffy looked around at the crowd of vampires all screaming and taunting her. She was desperately looking for a way out, hoping that the gang was working on a plan. All she had to do was distract the vampires to buy some time.

“You know, I had liked it here in Sunnydale,” Rider commented with an evil glint in his eye, “What I don’t like so much is that my houses don’t seem to be bringing in the money like they used to.”

“Yeah, well, we frown on all kinds of prostitution,” Buffy informed him. “The only suck job left is gonna be when I suck you up with a vacuum after you’re dust.”

“Being the Slayer and all, I was thinking that we should see what you can do?” Rider said, as he signaled two large vampires to step into the circle. Rider moved to the side crossing his arms and watching her.

The first vampire moved quickly and with an agility that Buffy hadn’t been expecting. He caught her by her throat and held her there for what seemed like hours before throwing her to the ground. He turned to the screaming crowd of vampires and put his arms in the air victoriously.

“Sssslaaayyyerrr, isn’t so scary, now is she?” exclaimed the bulkier of the two vampires.

Buffy quickly recovered and was on her feet but the other vampire grabbed her as she was getting up and twisted her arm behind her back. He pushed her hard into the vampire crowd that surrounded them.

Buffy found herself kicked, hit, and beaten before being thrown back out into the circle. The dizziness was increasing by the minute and Buffy fought to stay conscious, willing herself to fight only to find herself unable. This was so not good, she thought to herself. The two minion vampires played with her, tossing her back and forth like a rag doll, kicking and hitting her until she was on the brink of passing out.

Just before Buffy was about to slink into oblivion, the door burst open and a vision of platinum and black stood at the top of the stairs.

The calvary had obviously arrived and not a moment to soon, Buffy couldn’t help but think. She watched the bane of her existence as he gestured to the others to stay back.


XXXX


Spike assessed the situation quickly, realizing that the Watcher hadn’t exaggerated a bloody bit. Without conscious thought, he slipped into game face. His Slayer was in trouble. He looked down at the vampire that was holding a bloodied, beaten Buffy and he couldn’t help the growl that left his throat. Spike jumped down from the balcony and landed in front of the vampire holding Buffy, making an entrance not to be ignored.

“Who is the master vampire here?” Spike demanded.

“Rider, sired by Sawbucks, sired by Zoya, line of Kakistos, Cult of Antemorh” came the answer from behind him.

Spike turned to him and laughed sarcastically, “The name’s Spike!” He walked toward Rider demanding authority in his swagger. “I belong to The Masters line, sired by Drusilla, sired by Angelus, sired by Darla, member of The Whirlwind. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?” he asked looking every bit the image of a pissed off Master Vampire. This was going to require a certain approach. Spike knew he was outnumbered and knew he couldn’t possibly fight his way out with the Slayer out for the count. He also knew that he out-ranked the other vamp, but getting Rider to acknowledge his authority was a bit of a different story. The git was the one with all the minions, all Spike had was his reputation and swagger.

The minions stepped out of the circle, dropping Buffy to the ground as they backed up into the crowd. Buffy painfully got to her feet and went to his side. Spike growled dominantly and dangerously as he pulled Buffy in front of him. She was hurt, and he could smell the fear running through her. The girl could hardly stand. Grabbing her possessively, he held her up and pulled her shirt and hair back to reveal her old scars from being bitten previously. He only wished one of those bites had been his. He felt her tense as he leaned over and kissed them gently.

“Play along,” he whispered as quietly as he could, hoping she heard him. He felt-rather then saw – the imperceptible nod she gave him and breathed a tiny sigh of relief. He didn’t need the girl fighting his authority too. She was shivering, fear rolling off her in waves, all that she could do now was trust in Spike as the Scoobies watched from the door above, not knowing what to do.

“Mine,” a booming growl went through the club. “Any of you want to test who has the biggest wrinklies ‘round here? Step on up!” Spike challenged as he slowly spun in a circle, still holding Buffy by the waist like she was nothing more than a doll.

“An old scar does nothing to tell me that she belongs to you,” Rider dared him. He knew the vampire who was before him, but he also knew he had the advantage. Taking something from Spike would make his reputation.

Spike knew what he had to do. The Slayer was likely to stake him if they got out of this but it needed to be done if he was going to get her out in one piece.

With no hesitation, Spike dropped his head and bit her shoulder as gently as he could while covering up the old scars that marred her neck. He felt Buff jerk in his arms and gasp in outrage. “Trust me,” he commanded again in a slight whisper, before licking her wounds until the bleeding stopped. He then proceeded to use his teeth to make a small cut on his forearm which he then held up to her mouth.

“You protect her?” Rider asked sizing up Spike. “The Slayer of Slayers is claiming this one as his own?”

“I do an’ I’m protecting what’s mine,” Spike growled.

Not questioning why she was doing it, Buffy sucked on the arm that had been shoved against her mouth, finding the tast of Spike’s blood not as unpleasant as she would have imagined.

Spike needed to get the Slayer to safety so he pushed her behind him toward the stairs. Two vampires came out of the crowd, grabbed Buffy and set her down on the floor outside of the circle.

“Let’s do this then,” Spike said with a smirk on his face. He was always game for a good fight or two, and the power of the ingested slayer blood gave him a distinct advantage over his opponent.

He watched as the minions moved back into the shadows, leaving only Spike and Rider in the center of the large club. They circled each other, predator against predator. Rider leapt at him with a short-sword which he had pulled out of the waistband of his jeans. Right before it made contact, Spike's arm shot out and grabbed Rider by the neck. Spike took the sword from him and easily cut off the vampire’s head, dusting him in one quick move.

Spike spun around slowly, looking at the cowering vampires, daring them to stop him. It didn’t surprise him that nobody made a move. He picked Buffy up off the floor and gently lifted her in his strong arms.

“I suggest you run, don’t want me to find you lot here tomorrow,” he said, turning on his heel with his duster billowing behind him. He climbed the stairs, and exited the club with Buffy in his arms.


XXXX


The next evening, Buffy got to the Magic Box right before Spike walked in the door. Giles had already been researching what had happened in the old club the previous night.

Seeing Spike sent a jolt of… something through her. Buffy was confused and a confused Buffy was an unhappy Buffy. The previous night, Spike had just dropped her off with her Watcher and took off. That wasn’t like the Spike she thought she knew, figuring he’d stick around and made sure that everybody knew that it had been William the Bloody that had saved the day. Giles had been oddly silent on what had occurred and that alone was disturbing. He’d even saved the lectures about walking into a trap and that wasn’t something that Giles would normally overlook.

Finally unable to stand the silence a moment longer, Buffy asked, “Can someone please tell me what happened last night?” She was looking between Giles and Spike. “And why the hell did you bite me?” she demanded.

Spike stood there with that infuriating smirk on his face, his arms crossed, looking Big Bad. Giles motioned for Buffy and Spike to sit down at the table, but Buffy was the only one that sat down.

“Well, Buffy, I’m not sure, but I have read some on this. It is some kind of a ranking order, and I believe you have been claimed by Spike here,” Giles explained, sending a dark look in the vampire’s direction. He hadn’t uncovered all the implications of this claim yet, but it didn’t bode well for his Slayer’s future to be so closely tied with a vampire, especially this vampire.

“Ha what? I have been what?” she asked, looking confused.

“Claimed, pet,” Spike confirmed with a smug look on his face. “About the only way to get ya outta there in one piece, unless you thought taking on two hundred, vamps, would be fun of course?”

“Spike, would you care to explain to me how you were able to take Buffy and just walk out after only fighting the one vampire?” Giles asked.

“Easy. I scared the buggering fuck out of ‘em, is what. Killed their Master, took the Slayer, and left. No need to thank me. Just stopped by for a bit of burba weed and then I will be out of your hair.” Spike said, shrugging his shoulders, going over to the burba weed container, taking some out, and putting it in his pocket.

“Now, I know that there is some kind of a pecking order per se, Spike. Not like we didn’t hear you calling out your sires,” Giles pointed out.

Spike looked mildly irritated by all the questions.

“Well, I out ranked their Master easily being from the Aurelian line. The Whirlwind still strikes fear over a hundred years after we broke up, ya know.” Spike said with a smirk on his face. “Ole Spike can still, scare them, even if you Scoobies don’t think he’s so scary, anymore. There are lots out there that do fear me. Last night being proof of that, mate.” Spike stalked out the front door and took off down the street.

“Giles, what the hell is the whirlies or whatever?” Buffy asked, her brow knit in confusion.

Giles got up to pick up a Watcher’s book on vampires.

“Oh here it is,” Giles told her, reading from the old book, “The Whirlwind is a referential term for a group of vampires. Darla and her lover, Angelus, and the destruction, suffering and death the pair caused.”

“In 1860, Drusilla would join them and, in 1880, Spike, or William the Bloody, completed the foursome.”
“The Whirlwind had been the Masters of whatever place they entered, sometimes taking out the Master of the area, other times allowing the Master to let them take over until were been ready to move on to the next place.”

“They had been feared by other vampires because of the damage and destruction they caused. The Whirlwind suffered a heavy blow in 1898, when Angelus' soul was restored, and shattered completely in 1900, when the ensouled Angelus rejected Darla, who eventually returned to the Order of Aurelius, while Spike and Drusilla went their own way.” Giles finished, looking up from the book and back at Buffy.
“This should serve as a reminder that although Spike seems harmless enough now, he surely isn’t,” Giles informed her, taking his glasses off to clean them.

“So what does it mean that he claimed me?” Buffy asked.

“I don’t know Buffy, but we’ll figure it out,” Giles assured her.

That night on patrol, Buffy’s vampire tinglies had been going off almost continuously. She had patrolled three cemeteries and every vampire she saw ran from her as soon as they realized she was the Slayer. She had debated on calling Spike out for following her all night, but Buffy was too tired and still hurting from the night before. Rather than angering her that Spike had been following her all night, it was strangely comforting.

Buffy had got up the next morning puzzled about her feelings for Spike. She spent most of the day moping around the house depressed and confused. Was she really comforted by Spike following her? Why hadn’t he been rubbing her nose in the fact that he had to bail her out? She wanted to know what, if anything, this claim thing did to her. In the end she went for a run and then meet the gang at the Magic Shop before going on patrol, but they hadn’t found anything out about the claim.


She went out on patrol with Willow that night and they talked about what had happened as they walked. Buffy once again felt familiar Spike tinglies as she patrolled that night.


She tied to explain about her confusion, “Why would he save me? He has been trying to kill me since he got here!” Buffy asked more to herself then Willow.


“I mean this is Spike here evil, disgusting, nasty, infuriating vampire!” she told Willow as they came to a stop at her front door.



“Buff, I’m sure we’ll come up with something soon,” Willow said trying to reassure her friend.



XXX


That night, Buffy lay in bed tossing and turning. She was confused and worried about what this claim meant for her. Buffy had been feeling strange about her changing feelings towards Spike. She was sure that Spike would have stuck around to rub in the fact that he had swooped in to save her, but she hadn’t seen him since he left the Magic Box yesterday before she patrolled. And to add to the weirdness, she’d had to chase down all the vampires she came across on patrol because they all ran from her when usually they come right to her almost begging to be staked.


Then there was the strange way Willy was acting earlier that day when she went in the bar to find out if she’d taken down all the vampire whorehouses. She finally asked him what the hell he was so nervous about, but he refused to tell her, of course, but as she was leaving she heard two demons talking about her being claimed.



Spike had saved her…. but at what cost? What was that claim thing that no one could figure out? Buffy decided that there was no way she was getting any sleep tonight until she got some answers and there was one peroxide blond that could give them to her. She got dressed and headed over to Spike’s crypt, kicking in the door, but he wasn’t in his normal spot in front of the TV. After looking around, she found him asleep in the lower level of the crypt.



“Spike, I want some answers from you now!” Buffy demanded throwing a candle at him. She sat on the edge of the bed shaking him.


“What!!? Who!? Oh, it’s you, Slayer. Come for a cuddle, have ya?” he asked with tousled hair and his chiseled chest peeking out from under the blankets. Not that Buffy was looking, she told herself.


“Um, um, I just,” Buffy couldn’t get the words to come out, surprised at seeing him in bed.


“What can I do for ya, Slayer? Need my beauty rest, ya know,” he said, eyeing her up and down. He could hear her pulse increase and was getting a kick out of making her a little uncomfortable.



“I-I wanted to talk to you about the other night,” she said, just a little too breathlessly. “I have questions about that claim thingy. What is it exactly?” she asked. “Giles was being really cryptic about anything that he found. He keeps telling me that he’s not done researching, that so doesn’t sound good. Could you just tell me, please?” she asked, still sitting at on the edge of the bed.


Buffy knew that saying please would get a reaction out of Spike, she just hoped it was the right one because she needed to know what it meant for her future.


“Bloody hell, knew I would have to answer for that one. Look Slayer, I’m not even using it, so just scamper back to your little life and leave me alone, why don’t ya?” he told her with an aggravated tone of voice, waving his hand toward the door.


“Spike, tell me what is happening! I feel weird and every vamp I have slayed in the last two days ran from me. Well, more then they usually do anyways. Then when I got to Willy’s and I hear these demons talking about me being claimed. What the hell is happening,” she demanded.


“What demons had been talking about you? What did they look like?” he asked possessively, sitting up in the bed and grabbing her arms.


“Don’t know and don’t care right now. Just want to know about the rest of it. Now, Spike,” she said with a pout.


“Fine, but remember you asked, ‘kay?” he said annoyed, “The vamps ran for the same reason that you made Willy nervous because you’re more than just the Slayer now.”


“So what the hell am I now?” Buffy asked him, more than frustrated.


“They’re running because they’re scared of me, luv. You, pet, are not only the Vampire Slayer but now you are a Master Vampire’s mate. The only way another could do any harm to you is to fight me,” he explained.


“Oh God, Spike! What the hell did you do to me?” she exclaimed in anger and frustration. “How am I going to do my job?”


“There is one more thing that I have to tell you ‘bout but I don’t want you to stake me over it. Understand me?” He asked, looking in her green eyes with his blue eyes.


She nodded her head in agreement, wondering how much worse this could possibly get.


“Now look at me, pet,” he said, touching a finger to her chin so she wouldn’t turn away. He knew she was angry but he needed to try to make her understand that he wasn’t going to hurt her.


“There is also the thrall. I do have some control over ya, but I’ve never used it and won’t, unless there isn’t another way,” he explained carefully. “Now would you like me to show you the difference?” he asked her.


“Wonderful! Not like it isn’t bad enough that I somehow get tied to a vampire. Now my oldest enemy has control over me! ” she grumbled.


Buffy knew that she should be feeling serious anger and outrage at Spike’s revelation, but something was holding her back. Maybe it was the look of wariness and fear in Spike’s eyes, like he was expecting her to stake him. This claim thing was seriously heavy with the wiggage but dead would be worse, and that Buffy had no doubt she would’ve been if Spike hadn’t stepped in. “Fine go ahead and show me, Spike.”


“No need to be dramatic, Buffy. No one needs to know. I’m not running around using the thrall, or screaming it off of the mountain tops or whatever passes for mountain tops in Sunnyhell. So just don’t tell them,” he said causally. “It can be our little secret, pet. Most of the fledglings aren’t going to know what a mating bond is anyway or who I am. The ones you ran into must have belonged to Rider. It will all be gone in a few months anyway. I think it takes doing the blood bond so many times over nine months or something for it to be permanent. Not real sure been years since Angelus told me about it,” he explained.


“I-I guess I should be thanking you. After all, you did get me out of there and didn’t even stick around to gloat. Yeah and why didn’t you gloat? That was very un-Spike like of you,” she commented.


“Knew the Watcher would be all buggered about it. I’m not draft you know. Just lying low for now,” he explained.


“This thrall thing - is it like Dracula did to me?” she asked, terrified that Spike had that kind of power over her. What Dracula had been able to do to her still was cause for some wiggage. If he’d been all about the killing, she wouldn’t be here today and it scared her that she’d had so little control over the situation. Spike having that kind of power over her was more than a bit frightening to think about. Yet… the fact that he hadn’t taken advantage of it didn’t mesh with the Spike she thought she knew.


“Kinda like Dracula, but it is a stronger bond. Don’t know what reaction you’ll have being human and a Slayer, but I’ll give it a try. You tell me, what should I have you do?” he asked with a wicked grin.


She thought for a minute, deciding that she needed to know what this control was like, her curiosity winning out. She found herself willing to go under his control.


“Take off my scarf. That’s it! Tell me to take off my scarf and then something else.”


He rolled his eyes before locking gazes. “Buffy, luv, take off your scarf for me now.”


She obeyed without hesitation.


He was right - it felt like when Dracula did it but she had less of an urge to try to stop it.


“Now be a luv and pass me my smokes.”


She didn’t move or even want to.


“Ok see the difference? How about if I go back to sleep now, yeah?” he asked as he pushed himself up on the pillows revealing more of his chest as he reached for his cigarettes.


She couldn’t help but look at him. He smelled her arousal and racked his eyes up and down her body slowly, making her blush. Where was this lusty Buffy coming from? She couldn’t help but wonder if, Spike could make her feel things, as well as do things?



“That is enough for today, pet. Now be a good girl and move along before I change my mind about being a gentleman,” he told her, taking a sniff of the scent of arousal coming off of her.


“But wait can you? Did you just…” she asked blushing, knowing that vampires have an extraordinary sense of smell.


“Didn’t think I would live or unlive to see this conversation happening,” he said sarcastically, amused at his blushing Slayer.


“No, luv, I didn’t but I could make you, the same way I did with your scarf.”


He sniffed the air. “You best be moving on now,” he told her feeling his body react.


Embarrassed by the fact that he could smell her arousal, she tried to squeeze her legs shut. Without thinking about it, Buffy leaned forward and pressed her lips against his surprised by how soft they felt. She pulled back slowly, feeling confused. Whoa…where had that come from? Spike, she just kissed Spike, she thought. Buffy needed to get out of there and far away from Spike but couldn’t help asking him one more question, not that she was really expecting him to tell her the truth.


“I have to ask….does this mate claiming thingy make me…. you know? ‘Cause I am and I’m having these thoughts about um…you know,” she asked.


“Have the hots for the Big Bad, do ya, luv?” he teased, then sighed as he saw the conflicted look on her face. One thing he knew about dealing with the Slayer was not to push her. He was likely to get a kick in the face as he watched her flee. “Don’t rightly know. Never done it before, luv. Only did it this time ‘cause I knew it was the only way to get you out of there alive,” he admitted in a low voice. “One thing I do know though, luv. I can’t force you to have feelings for me. Well, suppose I could with the thrall, but I haven’t. If you’re having the lusties for ole’ Spike here, maybe you need to do a spot of thinking on whether it’s something new or if it’s always been there.”


Spike wondered if the Slayer knew what an open book she was at times. It wasn’t hard to suss out that this wasn’t really a new feeling for her, although he imagined she’d never willingly admitted it to herself. He’d always felt it, that pull that always led him directly to the Slayer. Knew it was wrong but he was love’s bitch and always had been. Dru had seen it - it’s why she had kicked him to the curb.


Taking a chance, Spike leaned in slowly, his intent clear. He gave the Slayer time to move away, to knock him upside the head and flee, yet she didn’t. She surprised him by closing the distance and crushing her lips to his. The fire was instantaneous.


Buffy’s tongue was playing with his ear lobe, her hands around his neck. Her hand gently massaged the nape of his neck, desire making her bold.


He pulled away from her, knowing this was going to go a lot further if he didn’t put a stop to it. It was too soon and he knew his girl would wind up blaming him for things going in the direction they were headed. Not that he didn’t want to… God he wanted her. But he wanted her to come to him willingly, not because she was being a slave to her hormones. “Hey, hey, hey not fair, tryin’ to do the right thing here!”


“Feels right to me,” she whispered pressing her lips against his. God, she couldn’t believe she was feeling so wanton… over Spike! Boy, he knew how to kiss a girl though.


He took her by the shoulders and pushed her back, “I don’t know how I’m ever gonna let you go, but there are some things we need suss out first. We still don’t know how this claim affects humans.”


“Giles doesn’t know anything new or at least nothing he is telling me. That is why I came here asking you for the answers.”


“Yeah, but maybe your crack crew has found somethin’. If not, then we can help them look.” he told her, getting out of the bed. He had to put some distance between them or he was going to throw her down on the bed and have his wicked way with her, consequences be damned.


“Um, Spike do you know what time it is?” she asked gently. She wasn’t used to seeing him get so flustered.


“Oh yeah….right- guess Rupert isn’t there at four in the morning. Buffy, your Mum. She is gonna worry if you’re not home. We had better get ya there,” he told her as he started to pull on his jeans.


Spike knew that Joyce would worry about Buffy being out all night and he respected her Mum too much to worry her. He needed time to think. It must be this claim he did to her because he didn’t think Buffy would’ve behaved like this under normal circumstances. She certainly didn’t want him, would hardly give him the time of day before. But now things were different… did she really want him? Was it just the claim? Now that he’d had a taste of her, giving her up was likely to dust him.


Buffy refused to let Spike walk her home and he let her go, knowing she’d get herself tucked into her bed without mishap. She was his Slayer, after all. And a glorious one at that.



XXXX



They met the next day at the Magic Shop. Buffy was turning numerous shades of red when Spike walked in the door, memories of the previous night playing in Technicolor. Had that really been her? With Spike?


“We need to suss this out, now,” Spike said as he sauntered up to the table where the Scoobies were sitting, trying to avoid looking Buffy in the eye.


Buffy’s head shoot up, “Giles, in private, please.”


“Let’s go in the training room then,” Giles said, walking to the back room with Buffy and Spike following.


Once everyone was settled, Spike started, “Ok, I knew the only way to get Buffy out of there the other night was to claim her - there was no way that I coulda fought off two hundred bloody vampires. So, I relied on the fact that no one, in these parts anyway, is gonna challenge me. The Master Vamp at the club had to or he would’ve lost his reputation. He coulda challenged me, as well, going all the way down the line until there aren’t any fourth generation Masters left, not many of them around anyways, don’t think he had any because he was a fourth generation.”


“I tried to claim her showing the old bites that aren’t even mine, but he wasn’t having it, so I had to claim her in front of him and blah, blah, blah, you know the rest of that story,” Spike told them, waving his hand in the air on the “blah, blahs” for emphasis.


“So what does this mean for Buffy?” Giles asked as Buffy started to fidget. Being a Watcher, he had some idea but he preferred it spelled out for him.


“You want to explain this one, pet? I’d really like to keep all my digits,” Spike asked Buffy, stepping back from the table and closer to the back door.


“Well, with the claim thingy, it made me a Master Vampire’s mate,” Buffy started.


“I realize that, Buffy. But what entirely does this entail?” Giles asked, shooting daggers at Spike. The extensive research he had done had provided few details, most likely because of the infrequency a Master Vampire had claimed a human in the past. And a claimed slayer wasn’t documented anywhere in his books, although he knew the Council would have kept that information closely hidden.


“Got her outta there in one piece though, didn’t I? Yeah, that’s right, best to show a little gratitude,” Spike pointed out.


“So that explains why all the vampires are running from me and why Willy pissed his pants when I tried to question him. They’re scared of Spike and that can come in handy,” Buffy said nodding with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. At least one thing good had come of this.


“Now we need to find out if there’s any more info on this mating thingy because I’m having some…… ummm……well, unusual feelings towards Spike,” Buffy told Giles.


“And I have…. ummm, those same ones with a bit of a possessive-protective quality tossed in,” Spike explained. “So we need to find out more.”


“Oh dear Lord! Please tell me you two haven’t done anything?!” Giles exclaimed, standing up from the table and pacing back and forth as he cleaned his glasses furiously.


“Um, well, yeah…. it kinda just happened a little last night- it was sorta by accident … I had, you know, those weird feelings and I went to Spikes crypt for some answers,” Buffy said shyly while fidgeting in her chair.


“I’m thinkin’ we need to stay far away from each other until this is sussed out,” Spike suggested, backing away.


“You went to his crypt and what happened?” Giles asked. “Forget it! I really don’t want to know.”


“Which is why we need to figure this out!” Spike announced. “From what I remember, it takes doing the bite thing three times within nine months or so. If not, the bond would die away in a few months but I can’t remember all of it, has to be a hundred years since Angelus explained it to me,” Spike explained.


“I may have found something, stay here. I’ll get the book,” he told them.


“Well from what I have read,” Giles told them opening the book to reference, “there doesn’t seem to be a way to break the bond itself. I am going to call Angel myself to see what he knows about this.” Giles explained to them as he went to call Angel.


Spike stayed to the back of the room as Buffy was explaining the situation to Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara, who had followed them into the training room.


“Did you get Angel?” Buffy asked when Giles returned.


“Yes, yes I did. Angel doesn’t know of any way of breaking the bond. However, it seems that Spike, isn’t quite as bonded to you, as you are to him. Seems it takes vampires three times to be bonded and humans only once.” Giles explained. “As you can imagine, he was not too happy this has taken place. He will be doing some research on his end.”


“Um, I need to talk to Buffy alone,” Spike said pointing toward the door that led to the back alley.


“Look Slayer, I’m not going to apologize for this. I. had no bloody choice. You know that, right?” Spike started once they were alone, he was clearly upset.


“It’s not that bad,” she told him, putting her hand on his arm trying to reassure him. Buffy didn’t want to question why she was being so calm about this recent turn of events. In the grand scheme of things, being mated to Spike was far preferable to being dead. That may not be the entire reason, but for the moment, that was all she was prepared to think about. Something had changed between them in a fundamental way and she was tired of fighting it.


“We’ll find away to break it, Buffy,” he promised. “Maybe your chums will find a way to break it for you,” he said pacing.


Buffy took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was about to say this. “I don’t want it broken, Spike. I want to be with you.”


He spun around to stare at her. “Pet, that’s just the bond talking. I know the real Buffy doesn’t feel this way. The real Buffy wouldn’t want to be with a monster…”


“Is it me? Don’t you want me?” she asked as tears welled in her eyes.


"Who do I think I am?" he sighed, softly-reaching a hand out to touch her face. "I'm yours, Buffy, don't you know that? I'm yours, just as much as you are mine with the bond. You're all I think about, all I dream about. I'm your willin’ slave."


His mouth slanted across hers. His tongue licked along her bottom lip and then slowly over her top lip. She was moaning into his mouth, as he teased her slowly and relentlessly with his tongue. She wanted, no, she needed to feel his tongue in her mouth. But… this wasn’t the time or the place for this to be happening. Panting, she tore her lips away and took a step back.


“Meet me at your crypt in twenty minutes. We can finish talking… and whatever else there,” Buffy told him.
Spike nodded and headed down the alley, while Buffy talked to Giles and the others.



XXXX



He was sitting on the bed when she climbed down the ladder.


“Buffy, things will never be the same again if we continue this! Don’t you get it? I’m not going to be able to let you go. Then the only way you’ll be rid of me is to dust me.”


“I see it like this,” she told him as she started to slowly strip. “If the gang can find a way out for both of us, great…. we can talk about it then.”


“Surely wasn’t expecting this. Just to be clear - this is your idea, innit?” he asked eyeing her with lust.


“You aren’t forcing me to do anything,” she assured him.


Buffy stood there naked before him, her arousal thick in the air. “I have the full effect of this and you get off not as bonded to me as I am to you.” She straddled his lap. “Now that isn’t very fair to me, is it?” she asked him with a pout.


“Oh, God, Buffy!! Last fucking warning! I’m willing to bet that this mate claim has everything to do with you being hot, horny, and on top of me. This isn’t exactly normal Slayer behavior, but even I have my limits and I am about to lose all self control,” he warned her, breathlessly as she pulled off his shirt.


He had a lap full of naked Slayer just begging to be bitten and she wanted to taste him. Buffy bit her bottom lip nervously and pressed her lips slowly against his. Spike deepened the kiss and tasted her leisurely, exploring her mouth with his tongue, tasting her, teasing her…..relishing her heat as her tongue intertwined with his.


Buffy let out a long shaky breath as Spike trailed little kisses along her collarbone. He moved his mouth back up to hers and parted her lips with his tongue. He loved kissing her; she was so hot, so beautiful, so perfect. She was his, and he was going to make her his forever with this claim, if she’d have him.


“Tell me, luv, what do you want?” he asked, as he laid her on the bed then quickly removed his jeans.


“Spike, stop teasing me! You know what I want,” she pleaded, biting down hard on her bottom lip.


He nibbled on that sensitive spot right behind her ear. “Oh, aaaah, you are evil,” Buffy cried.


“You got that right, Big Bad here.” He leaned forward while murmuring against her lips, “Who do you belong too?” he asked.


“You, yours, I belong to you, Spike. Now take what’s yours,” she demanded, pulling him into a hungry kiss.


Spike groaned loudly as she offered him everything he had ever hoped for, everything he had ever desired from her. His mouth brushed her soft skin, the scent of her blood teasing, her pulse beating against his mouth. A wave of pure possessiveness came over him.
He slowly began pushing in to her heat, stretching her, not wanting to hurt her. She gasped, as she felt herself stretching almost beyond what she thought she could handle. He inched in her a little at a time, it was both pleasure and pain. She felt full and stretched by him, as he slowly started to move inside her. She shivered from the coolness of his skin as he dove in to her.


“Buffy, you’re so beautiful,” he moaned breathlessly.


Buffy’s screams of pleasure spurred him on. “Spike,” she gasped as she met his thrusts. She was heat and passion, and she was his. He staked his claim with hard thrusts, the word 'mine' echoing in his mind with every thrust.


"Who do you belong to?" he growled in her ear, as he felt her orgasm approaching. “Tell me, Buffy.”


“You! I’m yours forever! Bite me! NOW!” she screamed her release. Her words and the feel of her pulse beating just under his lips sent him over the edge, he couldn’t hold back another second. Spike’s features changed as he dropped his head to her neck, his fangs sinking into her flesh. He felt her shudder and tremble beneath him as he bit into her until she screamed out his name in absolute ecstasy. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her, as tiny little aftershocks of pure bliss coursed through them both.


Buffy cuddled against him laying her head on his chest as they lay spent. Spike pulled the blanket over their bodies, the warmth of her next to him was like fire, but he knew she would be getting cold soon.


He dropped a kiss on her head, her hair smelled of coconut and strawberries and he thought he’d never smell anything sweeter.
“I have never ever felt like this before,” Buffy said, a tear escaping her eye as she snuggled closer to him, laying her hand on his chest.


“Tell me, luv, did I hurt you?” he asked, gently pulling her chin up so he could look in her eyes.


“No, this was just so different. Slower, more intense, oh, don’t know how to explain it,” she told him, settling once more against his chest.


“Oh Buffy…I…Oh God, that was absolutely incredible,” he whispered in her hair. “Did you stake me? Did I do something good? ‘Cause I’ve gone to heaven and back,” he breathed, trying to figure her out.


“Spike, I want to be with you forever,” she said as she dropped her head under the blankets and started dropping light kisses down his chest. “There just feels so right. So… perfect.”


Spike grabbed a dagger from the night stand and cut a small slit in his chest. Buffy leaned over and licked the blood.


“Mine,” Buffy muttered against his skin as she licked and sucked the blood that was oozing from the wound Spike had made above his nipple.


Now they are forever bonded by blood and claimed by each other.


The End