The Protectors
By Heather Martin
Rated – R
Summary- The monks gave Buffy and Spike one night of fake memories. That would have been enough to change their lives. But when you add a glowing key in the form of an unborn baby, well . . . things wouldn’t just change, they would be turned completely upside-down
Disclaimer- Joss Whedon owns Spike’s eyebrow scar, his bleached hair, his crystal blue eyes, his manly arms, his muscular chest, his tight . . . *cough* Too bad isn’t it? But a girl can dream, right?
Spoilers- Starts during Out of My Mind. The entire Season 5, although I changed it tremendously to suit my own purpose
Chapter 24
Buffy didn’t have time to react to Giles’s declaration. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She tilted her head toward the training room. Without a word, she walked out the back door and into the alley. It didn’t take long to find the cause of her slayer alarm firing. The vampire was your average 25 IQ monster. Miraculously, he had no idea what a slayer was. She guessed he must have just recently risen. It was rather refreshing. It wasn’t that she didn’t like a good brawl now and then, but it was nice to know that you would be the one to walk away. She felt lucky every time she escaped an encounter with Glory.
The impact of her situation hit her when she returned to the magic shop main floor. Giles glanced up from the archaic texts before him. He looked greatly tired.
“Trouble out back?” Xander asked.
“Vampire,” Buffy muttered offhandedly. She never took her eyes off Giles. “I guess it would be too hopeful to ask if you found anything while I was gone?”
The watcher sighed. “I’m afraid so.”
There was a long silence.
“Explain it again,” Buffy demanded.
“It is rather simple. . . “
“Explain it again.”
“The key was ... living energy. It needed to be channeled, poured into a specific place at a specific time. The energy ... would flow into that spot, the walls between the dimensions break down. It stops, the energy's used up, the walls come back up. Glory uses that time to get back into her own dimension, not caring that all manner of hell will be unleashed on earth in the meantime.”
“Um, but only for a little while, right? The walls come back up, uh, n-no more hell?” Anya seemed generally frightened. Xander laid a hand on her arm as comfort.
“We can’t kill a baby,” Willow said. “C-Can we? And not when- Giles, it’s not right.”
Tara thrashed. “I have places to be!”
Willow hugged Tara to her.
“Why blood? Why Dawn's blood? I mean, why couldn't it be like a, a lymph ritual?” murmured Xander.
“Because it always has to be blood,” Spike said.
“We’re not exactly talking about dinner.”
“Blood is life, lackbrain. Why do you think we eat it? It's what keeps you going. Makes you warm. Makes you hard. Makes you other than dead. Course it's her blood.” Spike’s jaw twitched.
“Simple math here,” Buffy said. “We stop Glory before the ritual. We still have a few hours, right?”
“Y-Yes. If my calculations are right,” Giles replied. “But, Buffy-“
“I don’t want to hear it!”
“I understand that.”
“You don’t understand!” Tears streamed down Buffy’s cheeks. They blinded her vision until there was nothing but blur. “This is my daughter. A tiny, helpless, little girl. And you’re asking me to kill her. I made her! And now you want me to destroy her!” She shook uncontrollably. Her legs gave out and she began to crumple to the floor. Strong arms came out and caught her. Some part of her brain knew it was Spike. She slumped in his embrace.
“I don’t want anything of the sort,” Giles said. “But if Glory begins the ritual . . . If we can’t stop her . . .”
“Come on, say it!” Buffy spat. “Tell me to kill my own daughter!”
“She’s not your daughter,” Giles softly said.
Buffy froze. Spike gripped her tighter.
“I think now is the time to shut your gob, watcher, before I tear your head from the rest of you,” Spike warned.
Willow stood up. She held out her palms. “Okay, guys, let’s calm down. The ritual hasn’t started yet.” No one seemed to hear her.
“If the ritual starts, then every living creature in this and every other dimension imaginable will suffer unbearable torment and death. Including Dawn.”
“I can’t do it,” Buffy sobbed. “I’m sorry . . . I love you all. . . but I can’t.”
“Okay,” Anya said loudly, a little too chipper. “Everyone is in favor of stopping the ritual before it starts. Let’s figure out how. Any ideas? Times wasting and this is bickering is pointless.” She paused. “Willow. I bet you've got some dark spell a-brewin'. Uh, make her a, a, a toad? Little hoppy toad, we can hit her with a hammer?”
“Hoppy toad,” Tara repeated with a giggle.
“What about Ben? He can be killed, right? I mean, I know he's an innocent, but, you know, not like Dawn innocent. We could kill a ... regular guy.” Xander suddenly looked horrified. “God.”
“I could,” Spike said.
All eyes directed on him.
“What? You all so shocked?”
“Not at all actually,” Giles said.
Spike glared. “Harris was right before. The chip doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. I haven’t gone all homicidal over it, like popular belief would be. I don’t enjoy the kill like I used to. But if need arises. . . “
No one spoke. Buffy silently came to a decision, though. She’d let him. If the need did arise, she’d let him do it. She’d walk away and allow an innocent man to die. If that was the price to have her daughter back, even with the guilt, it would be worth it.
“We don’t have to kill anyone,” Willow said. “All we have to do is stop him-her.”
“Yeah. We get her on the ropes, we just gotta keep her occupied till it's too late,” Spike said.
“Okay, but I’m not hearing enough ideas. She’s a God. Think outside the box,” Anya went on.
“Why don’t you think outside the bloody box!” Spike shouted.
“Yes, Anya, apart from your incredibly uninfectious enthusiasm, have you anything else to contribute?” Giles said.
“The Dagon sphere! It was meant to repel Glory. We have it in the basement. Oh!” Anya raced over to the display case in the shop. “Olaf the troll god's enchanted hammer. You want to fight a God, use the weapon of a God.”
Xander watched Anya with pride. “Smart chicks are hot,” he expressed.
“Well, we have some ideas, if we could actually get Glory on the run, but, um...” Giles stated.
”But, we still have no idea how to find her,” Buffy said. Her eyes were dry now, but she still relied on Spike’s grip to hold her up.
”Big day. Oh, it calls me! I have to be there!” Tara exclaimed.
+ + +
Joyce felt useless. Mr. Giles insisted that she stay at his apartment, since Glory had no notion of its whereabouts. He gave her full reign of the kitchen and television. But the thought of food made her sick, and there was no way she could stop her wandering brain enough to watch a show. All she could do was sit on the sofa and worry. It was like waiting during a tornado warning, standing by for the all clear, fearing that your house might get blown away. But in this case it wouldn’t just be the house, it’d be the entire world with it.
A little while ago Willow called and told her that Buffy had snapped out of her daze. At least that was something to be relieved about. Now the slayer had to face a battle against a powerful hell-goddess. She was in no condition, mentally or physically.
My poor baby, Joyce thought. My poor grandchild.
+ + +
Buffy beat the punching bag with fury. Sweat glistened over her skin from exertion. She’d been at it for who knows how long and yet she wasn’t a bit tired.
“Won’t this wear you out?” Giles’s voice didn’t catch her by surprise. She’d suspected he might show up soon.
“Really won’t,” she replied. She hit the bag again, this time harder. The bag flew off its chain. Oops, she thought.
She turned toward her mentor, her expression hard.
“I’m sure you hate me right now,” he said.
“You know I’ll stop you if you attempt to hurt her,” Buffy declared.
“I know.”
Buffy came over and sat down on the couch. She leaned heavily against the cushions. Giles hesitated a moment before he sat beside her.
“The spirit guide told me death was my gift. I guess that’s what a slayer is about, huh?”
“I think you’re wrong about that.”
“It feels that way. I’ve killed so many demons and vamps. But for once I gave life. This tiny baby was something I created. I can’t possibly destroy her. I’ll watch the world fall down before that happens.” Her lip quivered.
Giles put an arm around her. She shifted so that it became a full hug.
“We’ll do everything we can to prevent her any harm,” he promised.
+ + +
Spike walked behind Buffy in silence. Her pace was quick and she never glanced back to acknowledge him. The only thing she’d said to him all night was an order to follow her to get weapons. He wanted to pull her to him so that he could feel her warmth, but she was in full slayer mode.
His chest ached from the loss of his child. It would be nice to have the comfort that Buffy was still there for him.
They reached the house. She entered, leaving the door open for him to follow. He stepped in to see her going up the stairs.
“Buffy, luv?”
She stopped, her hand on the banister. “There are some axes in the chest,” she said offhandedly. She took another step.
“Buffy. . .?”
Why was she acting this way? Did she think that he was responsible for Dawn getting kidnapped?
A moment passed. Finally she turned around. “One of us might not make it. You know that, right?”
His eyes enlarged. Oh. He forced a smile. “Always knew I’d go down fightin.”
It wouldn’t be her, he vowed. If anyone would end up dying it would be him. His was the vampire, the disposable one.
“I’m counting on you to protect her for me.”
He answered immediately. “Till the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tonight.”
“I’ll be a minute.”
He nodded. She prepared to continue up. “I know you’ll never love me. I know I’m a monster. But you treat me like a man.” He sighed. “Thanks for trusting me, for letting me in Dawn’s life.”
She turned back. Her face held intense emotion, emotion he couldn’t decipher. She slowly descended down to stand before him. He stared at her with boyish curiosity. She took his hand and pulled him up along with her. She led him down the hall to her bedroom. He expected her to gather weaponry but instead she tugged him to the bed. She lay down and patted the blue bedspread beside her.
He paused, unsure. She gave him a smile of assurance. He stretched out next to her. She leaned over him, her breath hot against his face. She met his eyes, searchingly. He remained still, waiting for her to take action. She kissed him deeply.
“I read up on what you said in the cemetery.”
“What?”
“When you drank from me.”
“I’m sorry, pet. It was a . . .”
She pressed two fingers against his lips. “Spike, shut up.”
He did.
“I understand now. Blood between two people is sacred. I became quite fascinated over the passage about claiming. It said that a claim is the most sacred bond there is.”
“It is,” Spike agreed.
“Good. So, Spike . . . I’d like you to claim me.” Buffy tilted her head and brushed her hair aside.
Spike blinked. What? He sat up slightly. “Buffy, you don’t know what you are asking. Once a claim is made it can never be undone.”
She lightly touched his chest. Her eyes lowered almost shyly. “I know.”
Could she be serious? Had she really read all the details and still wanted it? She’d be a part of him, him a part of her. There could never be anyone else, and if one of them died a part of the other would still remain. All those times she asked him to leave, and now she asked him to stay inside her heart forever.
Spike thought maybe he would burst, since it was surely impossible for someone to feel as much love as he did.
“Buffy-“
“I know what I’m doing.”
He moved slowly, giving her enough time to back out. He expected her to. But she didn’t. He ran his index finger down the side of her neck and stopped at the pulse point. He lowered to replace his finger with his lips. The rhythm of blood grew fierce, along with Buffy’s breath. Her eyes fluttered closed.
Normally a bond like this was done during sex. He knew that wasn’t possible. Even as a slayer her body hadn’t recovered from the harsh tearing of childbirth. The intensity of the offered warm body before him drove him mad. He couldn’t imagine what further intimacy would have done to him.
He brought forth his demon. He sniffed and smelled the rich liquid under the thin surface of skin. He sunk in and drank greedily at it. Distantly he heard Buffy moan. She squirmed in his clutch. The next thing he knew he was on his back, still gulping in her lifeblood. She straddled him and began to grind into his achingly constricted cock.
Spike’s eyes rolled back. He withdrew his teeth.
“Mine.” He didn’t recognize his own voice. It was deep and husky.
He felt blunt teeth press down on his own neck. Then they bit hard, stinging . . . but in a good way. “Yours.”
Buffy lifted her head. He was surprised to see red staining her mouth. Her wet tongue slipped out and she licked it off. They looked at each other, getting lost.
Buffy shuddered first. It sent him over the edge as well. She slumped on top of him. He rolled them to their sides. He cocooned her with his arms.
“That was . . . amazing,” Buffy panted.
All he could do was groan. Her lips tugged up.
Her heart thumped wildly in his ears. Instead of simply hearing it, however, he could feel it. Almost as if it were his own heart. Wow. Amazing was nowhere near to describing what had happened, was happening.
She snuggled closer. “Let’s pretend.”
“What’s that, pet?”
“That there is no war. That Dawnie’s safe in the other room.”
His hold on her tightened. He couldn’t pretend and he knew Buffy couldn’t either.
_________________________________________________
What do you think? Oh, thanks for letting me know BTW.
[Reviews - 327]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 4043 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Maybe 3 more chapters and a fun epilogue left