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"You've claimed the girl as your mate. That's not something to be taken lightly."

"I don't."

"There is going to be a time when you will need to choose-"

"She's my mate-"

"I know that, but what exactly does that mean?"

"That means I'll protect her with my life, Ripper. You have my word on it."

"I have no doubts on your words, but Angelus and Drusilla are on their way. How do you suppose you're going to prove yourself to Buffy? You've flat out told the girl that you want Drusilla back-"

"When we made the decision to break Dru's hold over her, when we mated ... It was for life. Or did you forget that part? It wasn' an easy decision to make and one that we didn't have much of a bloody choice in. What we did changes everything, goes against everything ... I will always love Drusilla, she's my sire-"

"And if it comes down to the choice between protecting Buffy or killing Drusilla? I need to know that you'll do the right thing!"

"I'll protect my mate at all costs, Ripper. But don' you dare ask me to kill my sire. That is something I can't promise."

"Drusilla will not hesitate to kill her! And what if Angelus takes her again? What then?"

"I'll do what is necessary to protect her and that is a promise."

"... You may as well fetch the girl so we can inform her of our discovery. I made a promise to her father that I would protect that young woman and you'd do your best to make her life here as pleasant as possible. As numbered as the days may look right now-"

"I don' like making promises, you know that, but this time it's different. The connection we share is changing me, I can feel her through our bond. She's scared, Rupes... All I can promise is tha' I'll try to be the mate she needs and not just the one she got lumped with. I'll try ... Is that enough?"

"For now."

"Righ', well, I've gotta see about a girl."



.........................




"Who the bloody hell is Sineya?"

Buffy was crying into Spike's shoulder, sitting across his lap while his arms held tight and firm around her. He hadn't meant for his voice to be so harsh and ran his hands down her back in a calming manner.

"Sineya was the first of the chosen bloodline. However, the circumstances that led her down the path of becoming the first were most unfortunate. She was made to endure some extremely terrible things for the creation of the bloodline." At Spike's confused look Giles elaborated which only caused a fresh onslaught of tears to burst from Buffy's eyes. "She was not born into the bloodline, but rather cursed into it with a spell. One infused with very dark magics I might add."

"Always consequences with magic." Spike growled, still rubbing soothing circles on Buffy's back as she cried. His ministrations seemed to be helping as her sobs had decreased, now weeping silently into his shoulder. Her breath was hot on his neck where she nuzzled into him, her face only centimeters away from the bite mark she had delivered. The sensations of which caused his body to react and had him to shifting in his seat.

"I've not yet read this volume, so I don't know for sure what was done to the poor girl-" Giles picked up the book Spike had collected from the floor and turned it over in his hands, inspecting the leather bindings. "What exactly did-"

"Demon..."

Flinching back, Spike pulled away from Buffy as she whispered the word into his ear. She turned in his lap to look at Giles and the book he clutched in his hands.

"W-what?"

Buffy had never heard Spike stumble over a word before and she turned to look at him, frozen in place before glancing to Giles who seemed to be a little less shocked, he having already discovered a little of what Sineya had been put through.

"T-they merged her with a demon ... a vampire." Giles eyes widened slightly before the arms that were around her waist dropped to Spike's sides in further shock at her announcement. The hands she was resting on the front of his shirt scrunched together as she hiccuped her next words, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I-I'm part demon."

"Oh, my dear girl." Giles voice softened with his features as he opened the books pages, eyes scanning the writings. "Sineya was the first in the line and yes she possessed the most strength and strongest connection to the demon they merged her with." He reached forward to lay a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "But, you are not her."

"I have demon in me!"

Spike made a noise of discomfort when she turned to face Giles again, cheeks flushing red as she realized how she was sitting. Every so slowly she disentangled herself off of his lap and sat back down on the bench in between them, refusing to meet his eyes or acknowledge the hardness she had felt against her backside. Spike was still frozen in place, eyes slightly unfocused as he processed the new information they had discovered, lost in thought.

"Your bloodline originated from a demon, yes, but that state of being has weakened over time. Those traits are all but gone." Giles flipped through the pages of the book, squinting to make out a few of the words before speaking again. "I will need to read this in its entirety if we wish to know more, but I do not believe you to be a demon."

"You're human, luv." Spike took a deep and unnecessary breath, eyes closed as he whispered his words, breaking his bout of silence.

"But-"

"It's what's in here tha' matters, yeah." His cool hand came to stop just above her heart. "Just because your strength comes from a demon from a few hundred years ago doesn' make you one." He spread his fingers wide over her heart. "Although it does explain why my demon is so bloody enthralled by you. You're one in a million, luv." Spike glanced at her face and back towards his hand. "You're special."

"There's that word again." Buffy mumbled teary-eyed.

"We all have our crosses to bear, pet." He offered her a smile, pulling his hand back.

"It's in your blood. A bloodline that we will discover all there is to know, but for now I do believe that it would be best for all if we retire for the evening." Giles closed the leather bound book and stood. "It has been a very tiring day and we could all use the rest." He clutched the book under one arm.

Buffy nodded in agreement, fingers playing idly with the material of her oversized dress skirts as Spike stood. Both he and Giles seemed to reach towards her at the same time, both offering her a hand. She stared at their open palms before taking a deep breath and slipping her fingers into theirs, allowing them to lift her up from her seat.

Both giving her their strength and support in a silent gesture.

"We shall continue tomorrow. Hopefully the light of day will assist in our research." Giles remarked, scanning the library and all it's lit candles before glancing out into the night from the library's large windows.

Humming an unintelligible response, Buffy's brows furrowed as she followed his line of sight, having not realized how dark it had become outside. For a moment she wondered how late it was before stifling back a yawn and covering her mouth with her hand, surmising that it was very late.

"C'mon luv, off to bed." Spike place a hand in the small of her back and nudged her forward, leading her from the room.

She followed along silently, eyes seeming to drop with exhaustion with each step she took. He led her through the castle halls easily in the dim light and it wasn't long before she was ushered inside his room. There was hesitation in her steps when she realized where he had been leading her, stopping just outside his door in trepidation of what wreckage lie inside. But upon looking around the room she was relieved to see that it didn't look at all the way she had left it that morning.

The room was no longer in shambles, Spike or one of his servants had put everything back in their correct positions. His sheets had been replaced by new ones and were no longer hanging from the bed in shreds. The melted candle-wax had been cleaned from all surfaces and new candles put into each holder. A fresh fire had been lit in the fireplace, casting the room in a lovely glow and the thick curtains hanging near the window were drawn closed keeping the chill from outside from coming in through the glass. Something for which she was thankful for.

Her body jumped on impulse when his voice broke the silence, jarring her from her inspections and causing a rush of goosebumps to rise across her skin.

"I would understand if you wanted to sleep in separate rooms..." he trailed off, standing awkwardly in the center of the room as she drifted towards the fireplace in seek of its warmth.

He was just as nervous as she was.

"I should hate you." Flames from the fire sparkled under her eyes as she spoke, turning slowly to look at him. "This," she pointed between them. "goes against everything. It's not natural-"

"We're not natural beings, luv." Her head turned towards the flames again and for a moment Spike thought he may have ruined the moment.

"But I don't."

He stood frozen in place, unable to move or make a sound at her whispered admission. Hope flooding him followed by fear that she might change her mind.

"I don't understand everything I read today, but one thing I can't help but feel is...you."

"Me?" He hesitantly took a few steps towards her to join her by the fire, the heat bringing a healthy flush to her cheeks.

"This bond with you ... with your demon." She played with her hands nervously, struggling to find her words. "I can't explain it. I just ... I feel calmer when you're near. I can feel you through this connection we have and I can't even to begin to understand it nor can I control it. You're in here all the time and I think ... I know I say things that aren't my words. Tara, I mean-" she finally met his gaze. "I said things today on reflex, words that I wouldn't normally use and I think it's you ... in here." She tapped her chest and raised an eyebrow. "If that makes any sense at all." She finished with a nervous laugh.

"I feel you too, luv." Spike nodded, taking another step closer, careful not to invade her personal space.

"I can't deny that there is some part of me..." She squeezed her eyes shut as the memories of the night before flooded to the surface. "A primal part of me knows that you'll keep me safe. I'm yours, just as you are mine."

"I was yours before I even knew it, luv. That part of you tha' makes you so special," he reached out to take a hand in his. "had my demon enamored with you the moment we met. Neither of us asked for this," he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "but it's the choice we both made. I know I'm not what you wanted and-"

"I'm not her." Buffy cut him off, eyes tearing as thoughts of Drusilla entered her mind. Spike went silent, nodding in agreement before reaching forward to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're not..." He smiled, fingers threading through her golden strands. "And I would never ask you to be anything other than simply you."

"How are we supposed to go forward? I have demon in me-"

"You have strength in you." He was firm, his voice holding the same tenderness to it that he had showed her earlier in the stable. "We start there. We unlock the primal side of you and let your true strength out. We train... and then we fight. Drusilla is on her way with Angelus accompanying her I have no doubt. I can feel them getting closer with each day and we need to be prepared."

"I'm not ready."

"None of us ever are, but we will be. Do you trust me to protect you?" Spike had slipped his hands into both of hers, pulling her to step closer to him.

"I can feel that you want to. I'm feeling things that contradict what I've been brought up to believe my whole life and it's-"

"Not all demons are bad, pet." He spoke, meeting her eyes as he cut her off.

"So I've been told over the last few days, but knowing and believing are two separate things." She shuffled her weight. "I need time."

"I've all the time in the world." He squeezed her hands.

"Be patient with me." For the second time that day she looked at him in a new light. Trying to see him as just a man who was just as confused as she was. Both in a situation that neither had asked to be in, but one that they were in together.

"I can't promise I won' slip up and upset you or do something to disappoint you. All I can promise you is to try. Try to be what you need."

"That's enough for now. The rest we'll figure out as it comes..."

"Friends then?"

Buffy allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace, his arms warm from the fire as they encircled her waist. Her head fit perfectly into the curve of his chest, his chin resting on top of her head. She closed her eyes in exhaustion, the emotional turmoil from the day finally taking its toll as she nodded her response.

"Friends."


Chapter End Notes:
Happy Easter everyone!!! xx



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