Chapter 47 – Maternal Instincts
Spike
ignored everything else around him; Raven’s horrified gasp, Connor’s outraged
mutterings. Even the body was ignored as he concentrated on the tiny woman
looking at him in bewilderment and fear. He dropped to his knees beside her and
wiped the blood from her mouth. The sight and smell of it clinging to her was
sickening and he rubbed his hand against his jeans in an effort to rid himself
of the sticky fluid but it clung steadfast in its refusal to disappear.
“I was
hungry,” Buffy whined.
”I know, Baby,” Spike said softly. “Why didn’t you get it from the
refrigerator?”
It was a
stupid question. He was trying to force his mind to work. To lose this stunned
feeling and do what had to be done. He had once dreamed of the day that he
could take Buffy onto the killing fields but now all he wanted to do was wake
up from this nightmare.
“It’s
nasty,” Buffy said, as if it was all the justification she needed for the act
she had just perpetrated. “It’s not working.” Her index finger ran along her
teeth. “No fangs.”
His eyes
flickered to the body’s throat and saw the puncture wounds that Buffy couldn’t
have possibly made. Spike looked around as his senses started working again. Dust
coated Buffy’s clothes and a stake lay next to her. She had taken a vampire’s
kill. Her body didn’t have the speed and flexibility at this point in her
pregnancy to take down a vamp. The only way she had gotten the vampire had to
have been by surprising him in those few moments after the kill when the demon
was sated and full.
Spike
laughed, feeling nearly intoxicated with relief. He raked shaky hands through
his hair and came back to himself. Standing, he pulled the body from Buffy
ignoring her protests.
“No,” Spike
said, as she reached for it again. “We don’t eat people. It’s wrong.” He
laughed at the irony of that statement and pulled his wife over to Raven. “Take
her back to the house. Don’t call anyone. Don’t answer the phone. Don’t tell
anyone what happened. Watch her and wait for me to come back. Do you understand
me?”
The
questions were welling up in his daughter’s eyes and he waved her off. He needed obedience.
“Raven, she
didn’t kill him. I’ll explain later. Take her and go.”
This time
Raven moved. She took her mother’s hand and they headed back to the house.
Spike turned to Connor and could see the hate and confusion on his face. Connor
hatred for vampires hadn’t diminished over time. He had opened his heart enough
to let Spike in because of his love for the rest of the family. His own father
was still being torn in two, one moment hated, one moment loved depending on
Connor’s mood.
“Are you
going to help me? Or are you going to the police and turn my wife in?”
Spike could
almost see the thoughts being formed in the young man’s head as they collided
against one another. Love for Buffy and the baby so much like him fighting
against a childhood spent in hell. Hatred for a father that hadn’t protected
him warred against his father’s family that loved and protected him. The
memories of earlier that night, of a hatred born out of prejudice alone and the
young girl he loved fighting against ancient laws to bring peace to a bitter
world. They were all there in the depths of his blue eyes. Until finally, black
and white standards eroded until they were gray.
“I’ll help
you,” Connor said.
“Right
then,” Spike answered, returning to the body. He cupped his hands under the
man’s shoulders while Connor took his feet. In silence they moved. Spike led
them to the oldest part of the cemetery where the graves were almost never
visited. Oak trees towered over them, standing sentry to people that time and
family had forgotten. He stopped in front of a crypt that was still pristine.
Rumors flew among demons and humans alike of the great magic that was once held
by the person interred there. No one dared risk disturbing his peace until a
vampire needed protection for his wife more than he was superstitious of a
wizard gone over a hundred years.
The lock
was easily broken and the door groaned in protest as Spike pushed it open.
Nothing jumped out at him and he picked the body up again. Connor was getting
jumpier as they stepped into the place. His eyes darted around the dark
interior.
“Raven tell
you the stories?”
“Yeah, but
they’re just stories, right?”
“Yep, no
such things as great magicks and vampires. Just tall tales to keep the kiddies
in line.”
They
removed the lid of the sarcophagus and peered inside. Only bones and dust lay
before them and they added a new body to keep the old one company. The lid was
replaced, the door closed, and they stood outside for a moment. The
consequences of what they had just done sunk a little further into their
consciences. This time it was Connor who spoke first.
“It was the
only thing we could do.”
“The only
thing,” Spike agreed. “Come on, we need to go and make sure everything is all
right at the house.”
~~~~~~~~~
Xander
wanted to check in with Spike before heading home. He stopped his car behind the Desoto noting the
lights still burning at the back of the house. Making his way through the back
yard he could hear Buffy talking. The words were indistinct but he could tell
that she was agitated. He strode across the back porch and knocked on the back door.
He had
heard about the fire at Willy’s from the news and after calling Buffy’s to find
out if any of them had been involved, had rushed down to help. Every thing was
over with by the time he got there but had volunteered to take Dawn to the
hospital so Spike could return home. After dropping the couple and Clem off,
Xander had come to the Blood house to let them know everyone was fine.
Sean’s
frightened face peered out at him before the door was opened. Xander stepped
into the house, scanning the room’s occupants. Raven sat at the table while
Buffy paced the floor.
“What’s
going on?” Xander asked.
“Waiting
for Dad to come back,” Raven explained. “There was some kind of commotion in
the cemetery and he and Connor went to check on it.”
“Oh,”
Xander said, watching Buffy for a moment. He jerked his thumb in her direction
and raised his eyebrows to silently ask what was going on. “She all right?”
Both
teenagers stared at their mother for a moment, shrugged and turned their gaze
to the table top. Something was definitely up and he approached Buffy slowly so
as not to frighten her. She looked up at him and walked around him to continue
her pacing.
“What’s
going on, Buffy?”
“I’m
hungry. Want, need blood,” Buffy muttered, her hand resting on her stomach.
“Don’t want that abomination.” Her finger pointed at a mug sitting on the
counter. “It’s stale and cold. The baby doesn’t like it either.”
“Why don’t
we open another bag?”
“No, no,
still nasty. Was I wrong? Isn’t that what Mummys do? Feed their baby’s what is
best for them. Need fresh. That vileness might hurt the wee one.”
Chills ran
through his body at the thought of what Buffy was saying; she wanted to drink
blood from a person. His friend, the Slayer, was becoming what he hated and had
hated for years. Only through time, effort and the assurance of an anchored
soul had he been able to become friends with Spike. Angel was still barely
tolerated. He couldn’t become close to him because of the past. How could he?
Vampires were monsters. Evil creatures that killed without mercy or thought to
the pain they caused.
His
thoughts turned to Jesse, one of his best friends growing up and turned into a
soulless demon at sixteen. What would he have done if Jesse hadn’t been staked
that afternoon? Would he have staked him later? Had Buffy do it? If he had
known that souls were obtainable, would he have fought for one for his friend?
Would he have been like Max and let Jesse feed from him while he tried to find
a way to bring his friend back?
His heart
lurched as he looked at Buffy and it gave him the answer to questions that had
plagued him for ten years. Xander took Buffy’s hand and led her to the study.
He shut the door behind them locking her children out.
“Xander,
open up,” Raven called, pounding on the door. “Wait until Dad comes home.”
“Are you
going to feed me?” Buffy asked.
Her voice
was soft with wonder as she looked up at him.
“Yeah, I
am,” Xander said, sitting on the couch. He pulled his pocket knife out and
opened it. “I don’t know quite how to do this.”
It was all
she needed as she curled up in his lap. She cupped his face and nuzzled his
neck, nipping gently at the side.
“I wish I
could drink from there,” Buffy whispered, stroking him. “It would give you more
pleasure.”
“Uh huh.”
“It is pleasurable.
Haven’t you read William’s book?”
Xander
nodded; uncomfortable to have her on his lap and talking about pleasure as if
it was going to be a sexual experience. He had heard about the thrill. Isn’t
that one of the reasons Riley went to a vampire whore house? Hadn’t he heard
Anya tell him of Buffy’s experiences with Spike? Even the title of Spike’s book
The Pleasure of the Bite said it
plainly enough without having to read the erotic adventures of the characters.
He didn’t
want it to be that. He didn’t want to be drawn into a world that he wasn’t sure
he could resist. This was to help a friend and that was it. He held his wrist
out, allowing her to cut it, and her eyes met his as she brought it to her
mouth. Those lips he used to dream about for hours on end closed around the
oozing wound. She suckled and he felt it. The delight they spoke about. It
raced along his nerves, through his body and ended at his cock. This wasn’t
right but he couldn’t stop it now. Not when she was making happy sounds at the
blood that flowed into her mouth. His arm settled her closer against him and he
laid his head on the back of the couch.
Tears
cascaded down his cheeks as an understanding he had never felt before came over
him. Anger that he had carried for a decade eased away with his life force.
Dizziness overcame him and he surrendered to the feeling of euphoria.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Daddy,
Daddy,” Raven called.
The panic
in his daughter’s voice spurred Spike into a run. It had to be Buffy. Connor
kept pace with him and they raced into this back yard.
“What’s
wrong?” Spike asked.
“Mum,
Xander, I think he’s feeding her,” Raven gasped. “They locked the study door.”
Spike swore.
Neither of them had any clue how to temper the feed. Neither could listen for
the fading heartbeat and the slowing of the blood; she would kill Xander. His
feet barely touched the floor as he made his way to the study. He didn’t even
pause to knock or try the door. He went through it barely managing to stay on
his feet.
Xander was
fading. His face was pale and he barely looked up as Spike and the door crashed
open. Buffy stared at him. She knew she was in trouble as she crawled off of
her friend’s lap and backed up. Ignoring her for the moment Spike knelt next to
Xander.
“Xander,
wake up mate,” Spike said, slapping his face. “Come on, don’t do this.”
“Did I hurt
him?” Buffy asked her eyes huge in her confusion. “He fed me and I gave him
pleasure.”
“Sorry
Spike,” Xander whispered, opening his eyes. “She was hungry and I…I wanted to
help.”
“Yeah, well
no more getting pleasure with my wife without me supervising,” Spike growled.
“You could have been dead pretty soon.”
“You’re not
mad?”
“After this
night, I’m just happy that everybody is alive,” Spike said. Well, except for the dead guy I just hid.
“Time to get up and walk around. Get whatever blood you got left pumping and pour
some juice down your throat.”
Spike
hoisted Xander up and with an arm wrapped around his waist they made their way
into the kitchen. Propping his friend up against the counter, Spike opened the
refrigerator and handed the orange juice to Xander.
“Drink it.
Get your blood sugar up again.”
While
Xander drank, Spike went to get Buffy. She was curled in his chair, wrapped in
the afghan, rocking back and forth. It was time to make decisions again. With
each step further into the madness, there were more decisions to make and more
ways to cover up and hide what she was doing. He wasn’t sure if he stopped to
think about it if he would do it differently. If he would find somewhere else
where she would be protected or if he would continue to protect her the only
way he knew how.
“Don’t
baby, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to take care of everything.”
“Promise?”
Buffy asked, clutching at his hands. She was coming back to herself again and he
knew what she had done frightened her. “It was wrong. I know it was but the
hunger…it was too much...calling to me, it did.”
Spike
couldn’t tell her that he was frightened too. He wasn’t sure how much longer he
could pretend to the world that everything was fine. Her actions were bearing
more consequences with each passing day. Bowing his head he made the choice
that he knew had been a long time coming. Kissing her hands, he murmured his
assent, and stood.
“Stay here.
I’ll come for you soon.”
Buffy
nodded, wrapping herself tighter into a ball. Even she was beyond tears at this
point. Spike closed the door behind him and returned to the kitchen. Xander was
still standing, watching him as he came closer.
“You okay?”
Spike asked.
“Yeah, I’m
feeling better,” Xander said. “Walk me to my car.”
The pair
was silent until they reached Xander’s truck. Spike waited while his friend
gathered his thoughts. Spike stood; hands stuffed into his pockets, studying
the ground at his feet. This conversation was going to hurt either way and he
wanted to know what Xander was thinking first. Maybe if the fates could be with
him but he knew they wouldn’t. Spike exhaled, a long and slow breath, as he
looked up into the one person who knew him almost as well as his wife and
Angel.
“What
happened tonight?”
“Don’t ask
questions that I can’t answer,” Spike said.
“What can I
do to help?”
“Nothing.”
“Damn it,
let me help,” Xander said, slamming his fist into the side of the truck. “You know
how much I love her. Don’t shut me out.”
Everyone
was depending on him. Everyone was waiting for his next move. Everyone’s future
rested in his hands. His demon stirred. Its interest peaked at the situation.
The Spike that had existed since he had been chipped found himself floundering
under the responsibility that was laid on his shoulders. The joke Spike, the
muscle Spike, the Buffy whipped Spike and the domesticated husband and father
Spike faded as the Spike he had once been reasserted itself. Once upon a time control
and power had come easy to him. The Master Vampire that had caused terror and
ruled minions found himself needed and he answered the call eagerly.
Decisions
snapped into place as the power flowed through his ego again. This was his family.
Where once he had been the outcast and only one of Buffy’s side kick, it was
now up to him to lead them. Buffy was
incapacitated and incapable of making choices for them leaving him to take
control. Spike stepped closer to Xander and cupped his friend’s face in his
hands.
“I know how
much you love her,” Spike said, talking as if to a child. “How much you love us
but not this time.” He leaned into Xander when he tried to pull away. “Listen
to me. It’s not because you can’t help, or I don’t want you to, it’s because of
your family. I’m not going to ask for help from any of you. All of you have too
much to risk and I won’t do it. Do you understand? Aidan and Jessy come first
before this. Connor has no such responsibility.”
Xander’s
hands clutched at his waist as tears flowed down his cheeks and over Spike’s
fingers.
“Something
really bad happened and you’re going to run, aren’t you?”
“I can’t
answer that, mate, the less you know the better off you are.”
Spike found
himself shoved away as anger vibrated through the human. Once Xander and the
others would have fled with them but it couldn’t be asked anymore. If he
decided to go only his immediate family would go. It all depended on whether
the police came looking for them again. He knew places and owned property where
no one would ever find them. Money was already in overseas bank accounts should
they ever need it. It just wasn’t something that he wanted to do or do to his
children. But he would protect them the best way he knew how.
“Fine, do
whatever, but I swear if I ever hear of the Blood Family Singers**, I won’t
listen,” Xander said, climbing into his truck. He hesitated after he started
the motor, glanced up quickly and muttered, “I love you, too.”
Spike
pulled his friend from the truck and wrapped his arms around him. The two clung
to each other for a moment before letting go. Hopefully, the day would come
again when Spike could call him for help or friendship again. For now he needed
to push the others away. With regret he watched the boy drive away. Slowly he
faced the house again and sighing, he walked inside to his family. It was time
to take the next steps.
The three
young people sat around the kitchen table looking up as he walked in. There
were so many emotions in their faces; confusion, isolation, fear, and love but also
the need for assurance that things would work out. Spike studied them for a
moment and knew he had to give them honesty.
“She didn’t
kill that man. He was already dead when she got there but if someone…anyone
else saw her, she’ll be the one to pay the price. With her past and the
suspicion of Nikki still lingering, we’ll lose her. I need to know if you are
willing to stand by her and keep this a secret.”
“Are you
going to kill us if we aren’t?” Raven asked, her emotions bringing out her
sarcasm in a feeble attempt at a joke.
There was a
time that he would have. The family unit was to be protected at all costs and
the sacrifice of one or more was acceptable to achieve that end. Spike smiled
and shook his head. Today there were other ways.
“If you
want out, I will have your memories erased of the time spent with us. And I’ll
find someplace safe for you to live.”
“You can do
that?” Sean asked, fear lacing his question.
“Yes, it’s
possible and I will do it to protect her and you. The choice is yours though.”
Footsteps
padded on the tile behind him and Spike raised his arm allowing Buffy close to
his body. He kissed her on the temple as he waited.
“I’m in,”
Sean said. “This is my family and I’m not giving it up.”
“Me too,”
Raven echoed.
All eyes
fell to Connor as he once again struggled with a decision. He looked at each of
them before turning to Spike.
“This baby
is the only one that I know that is similar to me. It’s going to need me to
help it understand,” Connor whispered and ducked his head. “I’m in.”
Spike
exhaled the breath he hadn’t know he was holding. “All right, Connor I need you
to do me a favor. Give me a second.” He turned to head to the study when Raven
stopped him.
“Daddy, I
feel like its kind of anti-climatic just to say we’re in. Shouldn’t we, I don’t
know, have like a ceremony or something?”
They were
children in age but in life and pain they were older than many people would
ever be. A ritual, like a marriage ceremony, would give them the assurances
they needed. Spike closed his eyes for a second remembering the rites he had
participated in as a vampire. Allegiances and enemies formed over the spilling
of blood. Maybe they all needed the return to roots that had been forgotten by
many.
Spike reached
into the cabinet and removed a wine glass, searched the drawer for a sharp
enough knife before returning to the table. The glass was placed in the center
and the three children stood in respect of what they knew was a sacred
ceremony. Buffy returned to his side as his mate. Her body danced to the
excitement that vibrated from her being. He looked each of them in the eye
before he cut his palm and let blood flow into the glass. The words that once
would have been spoken were changed to fit the new family.
“I offer my
blood to you as a sign that I accept leadership of this clan. I will lead with
love and honesty. I give you my strength and will lay down my life to protect
its members.”
Buffy was
first and he knew somehow that the words would flow easily from her lips. Her
blood joined his.
“I offer my
blood to you as a sign that you have my allegiance and will follow where you
dictate. My obedience will be given without question and will give you my life
and my heart as your mate.”
One by one
the children gave him their hand so that their blood could be mingled. They
repeated Buffy’s word changing the word mate for child. It was only at Connor
that Spike hesitated.
“If you do
this than you must also accept your father as part of it. He is my Sire and has
ultimate power over us.”
Connor
stretched out his hand to join them. Spike picked up the glass that held their
blood and swirled it until they were completely mixed. He took a sip and
staggered backwards from the power and magic that was contained within. The
blood of two Slayers, two Lankasha and the son of two vampires was a heady mix.
Even if Raven and Sean had no visible powers, it was there, simmering beneath
the surface available to future generations. His demon roared to the surface at
the offerings it was given, wanting and demanding more. It was all Spike could
do to contain the need to feed from these vessels that were now his. Gaining
his composure he straightened and spoke the next words.
“I drink
the blood of the family to show my loyalty is first to its members. It is to be
protected and nurtured before any other relationships.”
The glass
was handed to Buffy; she took a sip, made her vow and passed it to Connor.
Spike watched as his family became one. The looks of revulsion that passed over
their faces as they tasted blood for the first time was amusing. Raven, for all
her bravado, gagged as she swallowed it. The boys teased her and took their
share as manly as possible. The glass was returned to him and he drank the rest
with greed. It was an offering that would probably never happen again and he
wasn’t going to let the opportunity go.
“Okay, I
need ice cream to get rid of that taste,” Raven said, opening the freezer.
“Anyone else want some?”
“Just bring
it here,” Buffy said.
The container
was put in the middle of the table and Raven handed spoons to everyone. They
started to eat while Spike returned to his study. He could hear their laughter
and conversation as he searched through Sean’s school papers on his computer.
Choosing a two-page history report, Spike meticulously changed certain words to
insert a coded message within the content. It would be sent to Angel for him to
set things up in case they needed to flee.
Spike
printed the pages out and slipped them into a folder before returning to the
kitchen.
“Connor,”
Spike said and waited until the young man stood. “Take this to your father.
Tell him everything including that you love him. He’ll know about the ritual as
soon as he sees you. Be honest.” He handed him the folder and pulled Connor
into a hug. “Be careful.”
Spike
watched as his messenger said good-bye to the others. He even tolerated the
quick kiss that was given to Raven along with promises to return. The boy he
once disliked and now his accomplice fled into the night, taking with him the
family’s future. It was an uneasy feeling but he had to trust someone. Spike
looked over his family still at the table with a melted bucket of ice cream in
front of them. He smiled and held his hand out to Buffy.
“I think
it’s time for bed,” Spike said.
“May as
well stay up,” Raven said. “Only a couple of hours until school starts.”
“Skip it.
Let’s make it a long weekend,” Spike answered, leading Buffy from the room. “That
okay, wife?”
“Sounds
good to me.”
Spike
laughed as the kids whooped and ran for their rooms. It had been a long and
hellish night. They all deserved some rest and he was feeling indulgent. A few
minutes later he was curled around Buffy in their bed. In spite of everything
he felt peaceful as he listened to her breath and felt his baby move beneath
his hand. Maybe things were about to change…
To be continued in Chapter 48 -
Unholy Alliances….
**Author’s
Note: This was a reference to the Von Trapp Family Singers. The family fled
Hitler-invaded
