“Except Glinda.”
Buffy looked at Spike with a puzzled expression on her face. “Huh?”
“We won’t kick Glinda’s butt. I don’t think she’s going to cause us trouble.”
“Oh, yeah. Your right.”
Spike considered the last statement out of Buffy’s mouth another one for the record books. She had gotten ready in less than five minutes and agreed with him in one night.
Actually, she had agreed with him a few times.
Buffy took the lead and entered the crypt first. She immediately saw Tara, who was motioning Buffy and Spike not to speak. Buffy looked around as she made her way towards Tara to see that Giles and Riley were both fast asleep.
“Glinda,” Spike whispered, “What’s this all about?”
“Riley being stupid,” Tara replied with bitterness evident in her voice.
“Are you okay?” Buffy asked.
“I’m sorry Buffy, I’m just mad that I’m sore from sleeping here. It really is all Riley’s fault.”
“Can you tell us what happened?”
“Sure Spike, I’ll give you the short version though in case they wake up.”
“Right then, go on.”
“Well Riley came over to us crying that you had her in a thrall and that you were going to hurt her. Xander, Willow, Giles and I all knew he was full of shit. He kept insisting though that we go rescue Buffy. So Giles decided he’d play Riley for being an idiot and asked where he thought you were going. So here we are. And before you worry, the only idiot here that was planning on telling you that you and Spike together are bad was Riley.”
“Even Xander was supportive?” Buffy asked.
“Yep, even evil undead hating Xander saw the light.”
“So Glinda, where did they go?”
“Well it occurred to me that Dawn might be home, all alone.”
“Shit!” Buffy yelled aloud, effectively waking up Giles and Riley.
Riley jumped over towards Buffy, but he met with a Spike in vamp face doing a feral snarl at him.
“Move away you piece of dead shit. Do you really think you could keep me from rescuing her, with your chip and all?”
“Don’t push me soldier boy, it would be worth the headache to beat your ass.”
“Giles pull her away! Tara, do something magical to break thrall!”
Buffy was getting beyond irritated with Riley now. If Spike did not have the chip, then she would let him drain Riley’s worthless ass.
That is when an epiphany occurred to Buffy.
Spike had bit her when he established the claim. Perhaps that broke the chip! The smile that went across the blonde couples face spoke volumes to each other. If that chip was not working, then one Riley Finn was going to have hell to pay.
“See she’s just staring into space, that’s definitely thrall!”
“Riley for the last time, I’m with Spike willingly and I’m not in a thrall. In fact I’m his girl, with the marks to prove it.”
She proudly showed Riley the twin puncture wounds from Spike’s claim on her.
Giles took his glasses off and muttered a dear lord. He had never explained to Buffy the consequences of a slayer mating to a vampire.
Riley on the other hand, did not react very well.
“You let him fuck you and bite you. You are nothing but a two bit whore!”
Before Riley could beg for his mommy, Spike launched himself at the soldier boy. With fists and fangs, Spike pummeled Riley to the ground. He repeatedly threw punches at Riley’s face. He even used his fangs to inflict several small, but hurtful cuts.
Spike did not feed from the cuts, after all why would he want tainted blood? Riley was clearly a weak excuse for a human and not worthy of feeling the pleasure of having a vampire feed off him.
Even if the bites were from a vamp ho he was paying, which was clearly a habit he had yet to break.
Riley was no match for the master vampire. Bloodied and bruised, Spike threw him back against the wall he had slept against. Giles was furious at the words Riley had called his surrogate daughter. Ripper came to the fore and was ready to deal out punishment.
“You have no bloody right to call her anything so disrespectful. You have no right to try to control this girl’s life. I have only two words to describe you Mr. Finn, pathetic and useless.”
Riley’s screams pierced through the early morning sky. He had never experienced so much pain in his life, and now he had a new benchmark for pain thanks to Ripper using his balls as a soccer ball.
“The chip…” Riley squeaked out, “Chip isn’t working.”
Buffy strode up to Riley’s face.
“And you best remember that.”
Spike walked up behind Buffy, still in game face. He felt it was time to give a few words of wisdom to the soldier boy.
“You fool; you were warned by Buffy back at the ice cream shop. Bloody hell, you have a wife waiting for you somewhere. I don’t know what you were thinking but let me tell you this; you have until dusk tomorrow night to be far, far away from this town.”
“And if I don’t.”
“I don’t think Buffy or Ripper will have any problem with letting me enjoy a nummy human treat.”
“They wouldn’t.”
In unison, with Tara, they told Riley otherwise.
“Yes, we would.”
Spike decided he had enough of the soldier boy in his home. He walked over to the weakened, bloodied, and bruised Finn. Spike lifted him up and deposited him outside the crypt.
Before turning around to go back inside, he left a final warning with Riley.
“Next time there is no discussion. I will snap your neck and use it as a chalice, do you understand?”
“Yes. I’ll be gone by tonight.”
Spike went back into the crypt. He sauntered directly over to his mate, took her into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss.
Buffy returned the kiss with equal fervor. When she remembered Dawn, she drew back. Instinctively, Spike knew why.
“So, anyone up for some hot cocoa back at Buffy’s house?”
Unison of “yes” filled the crypt. The occupants of the crypt made their way out into the early morning.
Spike realized he would need to run to make it Buffy’s house without turning to dust. He grabbed her hand and they were gone in a blur.
Tara and Giles took their time walking back.
“Why didn’t he just take that motorcycle that was by the gate?”
“Tara, I’m sure they used it to get way from Riley earlier but I’m pretty sure it’s not really Spike’s bike to play with.”
“Oh.”
~~~*~~~
Buffy and Spike made it into the Summers’ house just before the sun rose over the horizon. Quietly, they entered into the house to find Willow and Xander asleep on the floor. Buffy grasped Spike’s hand, and then they tiptoed up the stairs to her room.
She quietly opened her bedroom door to see Dawn sitting up, wide-awake on the bed with a very pissed off look on her face.
That was until she saw Spike right behind her sister.
“Nibblet, I can explain.”
“I’d like to hear it Spike,” she replied with a big grin on her face. She saw the way the two of them were holding hands.
“After you come home from school Dawn.”
“Buffy, it’s Saturday.”
“Well then in that case, it will be after Spike and I take a nap!”