What he felt coming from her now was waves of emotional turmoil and Spike wanted nothing more than to make that end for her.
He came to an abrupt stop when he saw her, and the scene playing out in front of him was chilling. Buffy stood over a round, older man, a gun leveled with his head. She was crying, trembling, as she yelled at him, and Spike realized the man must be Quentin Travers.
Buffy was finally face to face with the person responsible for her mother's death.
The bodies of four men lay scattered around them, and Spike could tell they were still alive, though unconscious and barely breathing. However, if she pulled the trigger of the gun now, Travers would not be so lucky. Buffy would've gotten her vengeance, but in the process, taken a human life.
His mind flashed back over their relationship, to her horror over feeling him take a life through the claim. While Travers was far from as innocent as his victims had been, there was still something different in killing a human than in killing a soulless demon. Spike knew he'd been speaking the truth when he'd told her humans were just as capable of evil as demons were, but he wasn't sure if Buffy had it in her to carry the burden that came with ending a human life, even an evil one.
One of the things he'd grown to love the most about Buffy was the spark of innocence that remained inside of her, even with all of the darkness she'd had to face. She was good, his mate—a truly pure soul. He knew, because he could feel a piece of that soul inside of him now, helping him to rise above what he used to be and become something new for her. Would that still remained if she executed Quentin Travers? Would she begin to regret it over time? Would killing Travers kill a part of Buffy as well?
Spike didn't know for sure, but it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. He didn't want to lose the Buffy Summers he had grown to love so very much.
"Buffy! Stop!"
She froze at the sound of Spike's voice, her body going rigid. Slowly, she turned her head towards him, though the gun remained pointed at Travers. "I have to do this. He killed my mother, Spike. He killed her…"
"I know, kitten," Spike said, walking towards her with calm, even steps. "But you shouldn't be the one to kill him. You shouldn't have to carry that."
"He's scum, Spike! No better than the demons I've been killing for years! You know that, Spike. You know."
"I know, luv, but he's human, and that's always meant something to you. It might mean something to you again, later, when the betrayal's not so fresh." Spike took a deep breath as he stopped only a few feet away from Buffy. "Sweetheart, I promised you I wouldn't turn you into something you'd hate, and that applies to letting you go through with this now, too. You pull that trigger, and you've taken a human life. Can you honestly live with that for the rest of our lives together, Buffy?"
Buffy's lip trembled as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "When he killed my mother, he didn't show her any mercy."
"I know, luv," Spike told her again. "And you're not like him."
Spike's words hung between them for a moment before Buffy lowered the gun and collapsed into Spike's arms, sobbing against him. He held her against his chest, murmuring soft words against her hair in an effort to calm her.
Nearby, Quentin Travers kept his head down as he slowly reached into the pocket of his jacket, his hand gripping the handle of his own gun. A cold smile crept to his lips as he drew his weapon, ready to end the little bitch who had dared to threaten him.
Suddenly, Travers lurched forward, a gurgling sound erupting from him as the bolt of a crossbow flew in through his neck. Buffy gasped when the body fell at her feet, the weapon Travers had intended to use on her dropping from his hand and to the ground. She looked up to see Giles standing nearby, his crossbow still raised. Willow stood beside him, her hand over her mouth as she took in the grisly scene.
Buffy turned away, her eyes closing and head going against Spike's chest again. He wrapped his duster around her, as if to shield her from the pain of the outside world. Giles lowered his crossbow, but didn't move more, his body tense with the weight of the day's events. Willow placed her hand on his shoulder.
Finally, Buffy looked up at Spike, her eyes rimmed with red and shining. "Spike, I want to go home."
Spike nodded once. "Let's go, luv."
Buffy felt better after a hot shower and something to eat, even though she felt oddly tired despite the number of hours she'd probably spent the last day sleeping.
But even with her exhaustion, she also felt an odd sense of restlessness, and she couldn't seem to get her eyes to close. She lay awake on the cot in the basement, staring up at the maze of pipes that decorated the ceiling.
She turned her head at the sound of Spike's boots clunking down the stairs. "How are things up there?" she asked him as he approached the bed.
"Been better, but not as bad as they could be, I suppose. The people from the morgue came and got Nancy. Not a lot of questions asked in this town when a girl turns up drained of blood with puncture wounds to the neck."
Buffy couldn't help the pang of guilt she felt associated with Nancy's death. She knew the other girl had most likely died by trusting the wrong people and betraying Buffy herself, but at the same time, Buffy couldn't help but feel like it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't come here, hadn't gotten Giles involved in all of this. And now Giles… "How is he?" Buffy asked softly.
Spike didn't have to ask who Buffy meant by "he," and he crawled in beside her on the cot, pulling her into his arms as he answered. "He's holding up, I believe. It's got to be a lot for the man to take, but he's trying to deal with it. He said he was going to try to get some sleep."
"Can we stay here in Sunnydale for a little while?" Buffy asked. "I don't want to leave Giles alone after everything that's happened."
"We can stay here as long as you want to, kitten," Spike promised her with a kiss to her forehead.
"Thank you." Buffy wrapped her arms tighter around him, and Spike's throat constricted as he realized just how close he'd been to losing her. Only a few hours before, his mate had still been beyond his reach, taken from him and leaving him feeling powerless in the process. If things had gone differently, if he hadn't been able to get to her when he did…
Spike placed his hand beneath Buffy's chin and raised her face so he could kiss her. Buffy immediately responded, her hands fisting the dark material of his t-shirt as she tried to bring him closer.
Her body was tired, but Buffy still wanted this—needed it. Being separated from Spike had made her physically ache, and now she needed the reassurance that she was truly with him again. He was a part of her—her mate—and for the first time, Buffy allowed herself to embrace all that came with such a designation.
The kiss soon grew in passion as their hands began to roam, Spike's fingers caressing her bare skin beneath the t-shirt she wore as Buffy's worked over the thin cotton and denim that encased him, frustrated at the barrier. Spike pulled away from her, undressing as quickly as he could before he was back on the cot, covering her body with his.
His hands trailed to the hem of the t-shirt Buffy wore, and he pulled it up and over her head, tossing it aside to the basement floor.
It wasn't the time for prolonged foreplay. Both Spike and Buffy were feeling the effects of their brief but painful separation, and tonight their joining was as much about reunion as it was about physical pleasure. They needed each other's touch, the feel of skin against skin and the irrefutable knowledge that the attempts to drive them apart had been in vain.
Spike slid inside of Buffy's damp folds, moaning as he felt her body welcome him inside. He pushed in and out slowly, his eyes closing as he relished the feel—the heat—of his mate.
Suddenly, Buffy's hand came up and rested against his chest, stopping Spike's movements. His eyes opened as he stilled and looked down at her, his face both puzzled and concerned.
Buffy took a deep breath, trying to calm the fears she knew now were pointless. She'd almost lost this chance today, and she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers again, not after everything she and Spike had been though. Their journey had been bizarre and at times, very difficult, but it had led them to this place all the same.
She moved her hand from his chest to his face, smiling softly as she cupped his cheek. A wave of emotion rose up inside of her as she met his eyes, and she wondered how she ever could've feared something so very right.
"I love you."
With those three simple words, Spike felt his world crash down then rebuild around him, tears coming to his eyes that he didn't bother to wipe away. He held his breath as if it made a difference and looked down at her, knowing without any doubts what she'd told him was true. "Oh, Buffy… I love you, too. Love you so bloody much… Forever."
Buffy smiled, tears forming in her own eyes. "Forever, Spike," she promised, her hands trailing back down to his shoulders, gripping on to him tightly and letting Spike move within her again. His thrusts were steady and strong, affirming with every shift of his hips that they had come through to the other side, still together.
Yet, Buffy needed more. As she accepted and put words to the love she felt for him, Buffy felt the walls inside of her tumbling down and filling her with a joyful peace she'd never known before. She wanted to share this moment with him fully, to let Spike know that yes, she knew the man he had become and loved him for it.
"Claim me again, Spike. Now, the way we should've had the chance for it to be the first time."
Spike looked down into Buffy's wide, hazel eyes. This was how it should've been the first time, a claim made from mutual love and desire. Fate hadn't afforded them that, but they had their second chance now. They'd made it through to the other side.
He slowed the movement of his hips as he reached out to her with one hand, gently brushing her golden hair from her neck. "I love you, Buffy," he told her as his fingers ran along her pulse.
"And I love you, Spike," Buffy replied, the words that she had once feared now so freeing.
Spike stilled for a moment, his cock still nestled snugly inside of Buffy's body. The bones in his face shifted, showing his demon visage, yet still Buffy looked at him with love shining in her eyes.
Then, he descended, his fangs sliding into her with an almost impossible tenderness. Buffy gasped, pleasure enveloping her as he drank from her, strengthening the bond they'd made before.
"Mine," Spike declared, his voice choked with emotion. "Always mine."
"Yours," Buffy confirmed. "Always yours."
Their eyes locked again, and he exploded inside of her as she broke apart around him.
Before anyone asks, no, that's not the end. There's still one more chapter coming Friday and an epilogue Monday.
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