Chapter Four
Buffy gave up pretending they weren’t going to kiss and shut her eyes as she leaned into him. His arms went around her waist and he pulled her closer, keeping the kiss relatively chaste, if not entirely without passion. He waited until Buffy’s tongue darted out to touch his lips before deepening the kiss and allowing his feelings free rein. Within a very few minutes, they were both breathing heavily and clinging to each other with everything they had. Buffy had her legs wrapped around Spike and was being held in place by strong hands on her butt when she realized that his body was trembling with effort. She quickly dropped to the floor and broke the kiss.
“Why didn’t you say something? I forgot you were—”
“If you think for one bloody second that I would have stopped you from wrapping those luscious legs around me, you don’t know me at all.”
“You were about to fall down,” she pointed out, letting go of his neck and reaching for the mug of blood. “Here, drink this.”
“Was not,” he muttered, taking the mug and draining it with barely concealed need. “And if we did, just means we’d be horizontal and—”
“And where we would give Giles a heart attack if he came downstairs and found us doing... whatever... on his kitchen floor!” She blushed as she thought about what they probably would have been doing if Spike hadn’t been still weakened from the night’s events.
She moved away from him, pointing to the remaining blood. “Fix yourself another mug of that stuff.”
“That stuff is what sustained a pig until someone got hungry for bacon. What I really need is—”
“Don’t say it!”
“Not saying it won’t make it not true, Slayer. You know what I need.”
“Not happening, Spike. Even if you could kill, I wouldn’t let you. You know that.”
“Don’t have to kill, luv. Willy keeps O neg on ice for me.”
“And where does Willy – who I’m going to be watching a lot closer now – get it?”
“Well, not from running down innocent victims and draining them. If I had to guess, based on how it smells and tastes, it’s old stuff from the hospital’s blood bank and new stuff donated by winos who are willing to trade blood for booze.”
“So, nobody died for it?”
“Doubt it. Even the hospital stuff was donated at one time.”
Buffy chewed her lip and watched him as he began to sip his second mug of blood. “So, if I went to Willy’s....” She yawned and walked into the living room, flopping back onto the couch. “Maybe tomorrow....”
Spike followed her into the room, putting her feet up and covering her with his coat. “Why don’t you stay here tonight, luv? It’s a long walk back to the campus, and not one I want you making by yourself.”
Buffy opened her eyes and fixed him with a lethal glare. “You don’t want? If you think a few kisses gives you the right to tell me what to do....” When he refused to back down, meeting her glare with his own stubborn expression, she added, “I’ve been walking myself home in the middle of the night for a long time, Spike. It’s kinda part of my job. Anyway, if you’re worried about those ninja guys, what could you do about it? They’d just grab you again and then what would I do?”
“Rescue me?” he said with a sigh. “You’re the hero-type person in the room.”
“I already rescued you. I don’t plan to make it a habit.”
“Wouldn’t really expect it, pet.” He walked toward the bathroom. “Be right back.”
“You don’t have to stay there tonight,” she said, sitting up and throwing off his coat. “You can sleep here. I’m going back to the dorm.”
“No you’re not. And I’m not planning to put myself in the tub, just rinsing the blood off my breath.”
Torn between wanting to be there when he came back with fresh breath and anger over his assumption that she would do what he said, Buffy paced around the room before going with anger and bolting out the door. She thought she heard a shout from the hallway, but slammed the door and took off running before he could get back to the living room.
When she’d gone a few blocks without having to deal with a pissed-off vampire, she slowed her steps and began to move more normally, already beginning to regret the long walk back to her bed. She was almost to the campus when she came upon the last person she wanted to see, also walking in that direction.
“Riley?” She eyed his dark clothing, frowning as she thought back to the familiar-sounding voice she’d heard earlier.
“Buffy? What are you doing out here at this time of night?” He seemed shocked to see her.
“I... uh... was visiting a friend,” she said with an innocent smile. “That’s it. I was visiting a friend and didn’t realize how late it was getting to be and—”
She stopped, suddenly overwhelmed with vampire tingles. “Oh crap,” she muttered, reaching for her stake. “Riley, you need to get out of here.”
“No, Buffy. You need to get out of here. Go. Now!” he shouted as the first of a large group of vampires came into view. To her surprise, he pulled out a stake of his own and proceeded to stake the over-eager fledgling that charged him. When he zapped the next one with a taser, Buffy gasped in recognition.
“You—you’re one of them!” she said, meeting her own attackers with casual ease as she carried on a conversation with Riley— who was not holding up his end of it very well.
“One of—sonovabitch—what?” he gasped as he tried to fight off several large vamps at one time. He was just aware enough to see that not only was Buffy more than holding her own, but most of the vampires seemed more willing to take their chances with him than with the quick-moving and deadly girl. Getting between the tiring human and the remaining vampires attacking him, Buffy said, “Put your back against that wall, Riley. I’ve got this.”
While he watched, his pride warring with exhaustion and astonishment, she did indeed seem to have “got this”, quickly and easily staking two of the remaining three demons. The third took off running, not looking back.
Buffy remained with her back to Riley, mentally reviewing her options for explanations. Before she had settled on a story and turned to face him, she heard a shout, “Slayer! Taser!” Her legs collapsed beneath her, and when she opened her eyes, every muscle in her body aching from the jolt of electricity, she found herself dangling from Riley’s shoulder while he spoke into a communicator of some sort.
“Yeah. I don’t know what she is, but no human could move like that. And the vamps were afraid of her. Got to be some sort of demon. I’ll bring her in and—” The communicator flew out of his hand as Spike’s Doc Marten connected with sufficient accuracy that it didn’t set off his chip.
“Put her down... gently,” Spike said, human features still to the fore, although his eyes were icy blue lasers. There was just the trace of a snarl in his voice as he went on. “Not going to ask you twice.”
“Hostile Seventeen!” Riley relaxed his stance, switching the taser to his right hand. “You can’t touch me. You know it, and I know it. I’m taking you both in.”
“No!” The sudden fear in Spike’s voice was palpable. “You can take me, but leave her out of it.”
Riley blinked his surprise, then shook his head. “Not happening. If she’s that important to you, then we definitely need to figure out what she is. I know she can walk around in the daylight, so she can’t be a vamp, but she’s not human.”
“She’s more human than you are, you miserable git,” Spike said, his features shifting. “An’ I don’t care if my head explodes, you’re not taking her anywhere.”
“She’s right here!” Buffy said, flipping herself out of Riley’s grip and grabbing the taser as she dropped to the ground. She faced the man she’d briefly considered her new boyfriend. “We’re on the same side, Riley. Well, except for the whole torturing and maiming thing you do...” She frowned. “Not sure where I was going with that. Anyway, neither one of us is going anywhere with you, so I suggest you just go back to your buddies and do some research. Try looking up “Slayer, the”.
Keeping an eye on the confused soldier, she held out a hand to Spike. “And you can’t have Spike back. He’s mine now.” She backed away, pulling Spike with her, and only breaking into a shambling run when she felt it was safe. They ran, as best they could given what their bodies had already endured, for several blocks, then slowed and began walking, hands still linked.
“You followed me,” she said.
“Did.”
“You saved me... again.”
“Uh huh”
Buffy stopped and pulled him to a halt facing her. “You shouldn’t have done that. You could have been back in that lab, or worse.”
“Wasn’t going to let him take you there, Buffy. Not stopping that overgrown wanker wasn’t even an option.”
“Watching you fry your brain isn’t my idea of a better option. Just so you know....”
He lifted their linked hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “So, what say we go back to the watcher’s and figure out what other options we might have?”
“I guess so. My dorm room probably isn’t all that safe just now....”
They began walking again, hands still linked. As neither of them had bothered to lock the door on the way out, they easily re-entered the apartment, just in time to find Giles putting on his coat.
“Oh. There you are.”
“Which one of us were you worried about?” Spike asked. “Should I be touched?”
“I was concerned that you weren’t here after giving your word that you wouldn’t leave.”
Giles glared at Spike and tried to pretend he couldn’t see that Buffy appeared to be holding hands with him.
“Slayer went off by herself and I didn’t think it was safe, so I went after her.”
Giles shook his head and shrugged out of his coat. “I don’t even want to know.”
“Giles, Riley was going to take me to the labs! He tasered me!”
His demeanor changing, Giles looked up. “He what? And who is Riley?”
“Oh, he’s the TA in my psych class... and one of the commandoes apparently. He had a stake and a taser and a thingie to talk into....” She wore an indignant scowl as she said, “He thinks I’m a demon! Me!”
Giles raised his eyebrows and looked at Spike for explanation. “Think the way she kicked the arses of a gang of vamps right in front of him may have had something to do with that. Don’t know why the wanker couldn’t just be grateful and let it go at that, but he zapped her and thought he was going to carry her off.”
“Spike saved me,” Buffy said, smiling at the vampire in a way that made Giles groan aloud. “He even tried to get Riley to take him in instead of me.”
While Buffy and Spike beamed at each other, Giles went to his desk. “I believe the Council needs to be made aware of this situation. With Faith still in a coma—” “And evil!” Buffy put in. “... yes, and evil, I am sure they will not want anything interfering with Buffy’s ability to do her duties.” He stared pointedly at Spike. “Including her forming an unfortunate relationship with another vampire.”
“None of their business,” Spike said, returning the stare, his face calm but determined. “It’s Buffy’s decision to make – not theirs, not yours, not her Scooby pals – not even mine. It’s Buffy’s.”
“Buffy is tired and achy and needs to get some sleep before she has to go to class and pretend she’s normal.”
“Quite right,” Giles agreed. “Why don’t you take the guestroom. You should be safe enough here for the night. However, I don’t believe going to campus in the morning will be in your best interests. Not until we know more about these commandoes and their purpose in Sunnydale.”
Buffy glanced at Spike, noting the sunken eyes and more than normal pallor. “You too, Spike. Get some rest. I’ll go to Willy’s in the morning and get you some real blood.” She returned Giles’s astonished glare and tilted her chin up in defiance. “He needs to get back to full strength, and that’s not going to happen fast enough on pig blood.”
“So he would like you to believe,” Giles muttered, but gave no real objection. “Try to get a few hours sleep, Buffy.”
She nodded her agreement, squeezed Spike’s hand and left him as she walked back to the guestroom. She glanced over her shoulder, but he was already collapsed on the couch looking very much like the corpse he was. With a sigh, she continued back to the bedroom and fell face first on the bed. She was asleep within seconds. In the other room, Spike gave no sign of life as Giles tried to explain to the Council’s head of security what seemed to be going on in Sunnydale. When he’d been assured that an investigation had been put in motion, and cautioned that Buffy should not risk being captured, he agreed to try to keep her hidden for a few days and ended the call.
He glanced at the dead man on his couch, checked the clock and resigned himself to being up for the day. He fixed himself a cup of coffee and settled at his desk to review what the Watchers’ Journals had to say about William the Bloody.
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When Buffy came stumbling out of the guestroom shortly after dawn, she ignored both Spike and Giles to go straight to the kitchen.
“Coffee?” she asked. “Caffeiney goodness?”
“In the coffee maker,” Giles said. “But you should just go back to sleep, Buffy. The Council agrees with me that you should keep a low profile until—”
“Low profile. Is that Council-speak for hide like a scared rabbit?”
“They simply do not want you captured by someone with no idea what you are or what your mission is. I should think you’d feel the same way. After seeing what they’ve done to Spike, I can’t believe you would even consider risking capture.”
Buffy sighed, sitting down with her mug of coffee. “I don’t want to be captured, Giles. But I have a life to live. Classes to attend, friends to see, ex-boyfriend’s ass to kick.... ”
Giles stood up and put his own cup in the sink. “Well, at least promise me you will remain here until I get back. I’ll stop by Willy’s and get some blood for Spike and I’ll let Willow know that you won’t be in your dorm or in classes for a day or two. Perhaps we can come up with a safe place for you to—”
“If you say ‘hide’, I’m outta here.” Buffy glared at him, hands on hips, her obvious grumpiness at her lack of sleep lending more weight than usual to the intimidating stare.
Giles sighed, spotting Spike’s bleary and barely open eyes peering over the couch at them. “You talk to her,” he said. “Perhaps she will listen to you.”
“’Right, because that worked so well last night,” Spike scoffed, sitting up and stretching. “Be wasting the breath I don’t have.”
“At least the vampire knows better,” Buffy said. “He knows not to try to tell me what to do. Too bad the Council doesn’t.”
“Buffy, are you opposed to choosing the sensible option just because the Council has recommended it? Because, I must tell you, that would be disappointingly short-sighted and stubborn of you.” Giles gave his own glare right back at Buffy, holding it until she dropped her eyes and shrugged.
“No. Maybe? What difference does it make?” She turned her glare on Spike. “I think you’re all ganging up on me.”
“Because we’re all trying to keep you from being bloody stupid and getting yourself turned into a science experiment like me?” Spike was on his feet; the snarl in his voice would have been frightening if it weren’t for his words.
“I’ll just leave you two to work this out,” Giles said as he put on his coat and walked to the door. “Do try to do so without destroying my apartment, if you don’t mind. I’ll bring Spike’s disgusting nourishment back with me.”
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Buffy stared at her coffee mug, then shrugged and put it back in the kitchen. “If I don’t have to go to class, I might as well try to get some more sleep” she said. She stared at Spike’s still-sunken eyes. “You too. Until we get some good nutrition into you – and I can’t believe I actually called what you eat nutrition –” She shuddered. “Until you’re doing better, you might as well rest too.”
“Would rest better if I had some company...” he said, sitting down and patting the cushion beside him.
When Buffy couldn’t smother the yawn that accompanied her headshake, he smiled ruefully. “Wasn’t asking you for anything but your company, luv. Know how tired you must be, and if I was being honest, I’d admit to still be a bit knackered myself.... Not that I couldn’t if you wanted to—” he hastened to add when she raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I could and would. In a heartbeat. If you wanted... Did you want to—?”
Buffy couldn’t help laughing at his sudden panic. Shaking her head and still laughing, she walked to the couch and leaned over the back to pat him on the head. “Down boy,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m not interested – not now, anyway. We need to rest, you need to get your strength back....”
Spike grabbed her hand and used it pull her over the back of the couch and into his lap. “Got all the strength I need,” he said, nuzzling her neck and visibly inhaling her scent. “But, wouldn’t push you, Buffy. Just don’t see the point of us being so far apart when the watcher isn’t here to object.” He leaned to one side and stretched out, holding Buffy’s rigid body and whispering soothing promises about respecting her wishes until she relaxed against him and snuggled into his embrace. She threw one leg across his to help anchor herself to the couch and rested her head on his chest.
“You better not be lying...”
“You have my word, luv. Go back to sleep.”
“”k. Promise you’ll be here when I wake up? In case I need saving or something...”
“Not going anywhere, Buffy. I’ll be here whenever you want–or need–me.”
“My hero....” She trailed off with a sigh, asleep before she could finish her sentence.
“Not a bloody hero,” he growled, then lowered his voice. “But I am yours. Prob’ly always will be.”
The End
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