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Chapter 12.

Stepping into the kitchen, from the basement, a perky Buffy was visually assaulted by the sight of her watcher. Cocking her head to the side, she commented, “Giles…you look in serious need of some caffeiney goodness.”

“Yes, well, you would too if you’d travelled half way around the world, only to have your sleep disrupted by a seriously disturbed vampire.” He grumbled, nursing his tea.

“Is that seriously disturbed as in upset or as in insane?” Buffy quipped, with a grin.

“Yes” The Watcher deadpanned.

The sound of footsteps pounding up the basement stairs was quickly followed by the door being flung wide and a panicked Spike, gripping hold of the door frame, looked wildly around the kitchen and finally settling his eyes on his mate. “I’ve got a heartbeat!” The shocked vampire whispered. “I’m not s’posed to have a heartbeat.” He got louder the more agitated he became. Turning to Giles, he pleaded; “Tell her, Watcher. Tell her I’m not s’posed to have a heartbeat. I’m a bleedin’ vampire. Vamp’s don’t have heartbeats.”

“Oh yes, quite right you are, vampires do not have heartbeats.” The sarcastic watcher replied. Then turning to Buffy, he factiously demanded of her; “Do something about that immediately, Buffy.” Raising an eyebrow, in sardonic humour at the vampire, he wasn’t at all surprised at Spike’s reply.

“Ha bloody ha, watcher. You’re a regular laugh riot mate.”

“Oh Pfff...what are you complaining about, you got a heart beat...I got fangs.” Buffy reminded the vampire, dryly.

“Fangs, you say?” the astonished watcher, asked.

“Oh, like you didn’t enjoy it too.” Spike snarked at Buffy, leering.

“Er...fangs, Buffy.” Giles attempted to bring the conversation back to his original question before it spiralled completely out of his control. “Can you display them at will?”

“Well I couldn’t when I tried to see them in the bathroom earlier.” She shrugged, unperturbed.

“I see. Well perhaps you need Spike to be in game face when you try.” Giles looked at the vampire expectantly.

When, after a few moments of trying, Spike was still unable to morph into game face, he turned accusing eyes to his mate. “Somethin’ you want to tell me, luv?”

“Um...it’s not my fault?” Buffy replied in a small voice.

“Don’t panic.” Giles soothed. “We’ll figure it out.”

“What’s to figure out? Spike’s got a heartbeat, right?” Anya questioned as she and the rest of the girls moved into the kitchen.

“Well yes, but...”

Interrupting the Watcher, Anya continued; “Well, there you go. He’s got plenty of warm blood pumping through his veins. His demon doesn’t need to come out. He’ll probably only come out now when Spike needs to renew the claim. That will be why Buffy has fangs too. You only need them for the claim.”

“Bloody hell. What if needed to feed.” The astonished vamp complained.

“Well you only need human food now; to sustain your body.” Anya explained patiently.

“Thank you Anya, I believe that explains it all quite nicely.” Giles smiled widely at the ex-vengeance demon, making a note in his ever present notebook.

“Here Spike, eat this.” Dawn grinned as she handed him a chocolate brownie.

“What’s this?” The confused vampire looked around at the room’s inhabitants.

“It’s a brownie, doofus. You eat it.” Dawn replied, rolling her eyes.

“Why?” Spike asked suspiciously.

“Just eat the damn thing, blondie.” Cordelia added her less than patient demand.

“Fine.” Spike snarled at his audience, taking a large bite of the offered treat. “Bloody hell.” He whispered, in awe. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted...” He trailed off as he glanced at the raised eyebrow of his mate. The look on his face changed from awe to calculating as he stalked over to Buffy and grabbed her hand. Dragging the giggling girl towards the basement door, he commented over his shoulder; “Back in a bit, folks.”

“They’re going to have sex.” Anya observed sagely, as the door was firmly closed.

*******

“Um...I don’t think Spike was responsible for what ever went wrong, guys.” Willow began hesitantly. “He looked as shocked as we did, by what Buffy was saying.”

“It’s alright, Willow. Don’t worry about it. I know Spike. This is just like him. He always wants what’s mine.” Angel condescendingly tried to placate the young redhead.

“What are you talking about, dead...er...Angel? What’s Spike after that’s yours?” Xander felt like he’d left confused three stations behind.

“Buffy. Bastard mated with her last night.”

While Willow’s shocked gasp indicated that she knew what Angel was talking about, Xander was still in the dark. When the light finally went on for him, he responded swiftly. “No...no...no,no,no,...no no. You are not saying that they...or that he...Buffy would never…are you sure? Wait...don’t answer that. Let me go back to Egypt, the weather is so nice there.”

This time Angel was the one confused.

*******

“OH...GOD...YES, YES...YES! RIGHT THERE...SPIKE!”

“Right then. Shopping?” The flustered watcher asked then made a hasty exit from the kitchen. Tara followed closely, grabbing a complaining Dawn as she went.

“Popcorn?” Cordelia suggested to Anya, as she moved to the cupboard.

“Popcorn.” Anya agreed as she made herself comfortable at the counter.

*******

“Look, the claim’s not a problem. I’ll just challenge Spike for the claim and take it over. The real problem is going to be discovering what he did to Buffy.” Angel informed the other two.

“Why not just stake Spike? Won’t that solve all our problems?” Xanders’ curiosity was masked by his gleeful enthusiasm. The prospect of finally being rid of the bleached menace was making him all kinds of happy.

“We don’t know what type of mating claim it is. If I stake Spike before taking over the claim, it might kill Buffy. Besides, I think it’s high time the little bastard received another lesson from his Grand Sire.” Angel’s minds eye clearly visualising the upcoming encounter with glee. “Then I’ll stake him and maybe that will reverse what ever’s been done to Buffy.”

“And if it doesn’t? Or what if by gaining control of the claim, you get happy and you go all ‘grr’ and we can’t give you your soul back because...hey...no magick.” Willow asked, worrying her bottom lip and wringing her hands.

“The soul won’t be a problem and if breaking Spikes claim and then dusting him, doesn’t break what ever spell is on her, I’ll call Wes; he’ll know what to do.” Angel replied, dismissing Willow’s concerns.

“You do know that Wes is already at Buffy’s, don’t you Angel?” Willow was surprised and confused, at Angel’s apparent lack of knowledge.

“What? Wes is there too?” It appeared that Angel was also surprised and confused. He had mentally shrugged off Cordelia’s presence in the house the night before, vowing he’d handle that problem later. ‘I’ll just buy her something, that always works’ he had thought at the time.

“Yeah, Wes is there. So’s Cordy and some, creepy green demon.” Xander offered, with a shudder.

“Lorne’s there too?” Angel was astonished. “They didn’t say a thing to me. What the HELL is going on over there? Why didn’t they tell me they were coming here?” Getting more agitated by the minute, Angel started pacing again.

“Whoa evil dead, when did you learn new facial expressions.” Xander joked.

“Sorry, Angel I thought you knew. I mean...they work for you right. So I just assumed...but...um...oh boy...you’re probably not gonna want to hear this, but...um...well...ah...I heard Buffy on the phone. She didn’t want you to know. She asked them not to tell you, but I didn’t think they’d actually listen to that...she said you’d just complicate things.” Willow fearfully whispered the last phrase, as Angel’s facial expression became stonier with each word she uttered.

“And that didn’t tell you she was under a spell? Buffy would never try to keep her resurrection a secret from me. She’d never shut me out like that.” Angel bit out in irritation, but calmed by the knowledge that it was definitely a spell. ‘I’ll get my Buffy back’, he thought resolutely.

“We did call you, Angel.” Willow huffed.

Angel took a moment, appearing to mentally gather himself. Standing tall and oozing confidence, he turned to Willow and Xander and announced; “Let’s go. I’ll deal with Spike. It’s time to get my Buffy back.”

“Er...you do realise it’s still light out, right?” Xander checked.

*******

“So, you just touch the door together and no one can get in without an invitation?” Dawn asked her sister in conformation.

“Yep.” Buffy replied, popping her ‘p’. “Not just vampires, either. All demons. Humans too. Unless Spike or I invite them in, there is no entrance to casa de Summers!” Buffy grinned in delight at her sister. “They can’t even throw things into the house, or set fire to it or anything, it’s a true barrier spell and there’s no need for the stinky herbs or the lame Latin words.”

“Cool.” Dawn grinned, but her smile faded after a moment’s thought; “Or, it would be if I was a part of it too! How come I can’t be one of the people to invite people in...I live here too.” She demanded though her pout.

“Sorry, Dawnie.” Buffy smiled in momentary commiseration with her petulant sibling. “That’s just the way it works...and like I’d trust you anyway!” She snorted. “Can you say Harmony, Dawn?!”

“But, that was an accident.” Dawn whined at her retreating sister’s back.





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