Chapter Five
A/N – Big thanks to Marsters’ Girl who beta’d these two chapters!
Buffy's eyes bugged at the horrific
sight in front of her.
It was scary.
It was huge.
It was daunting.
*Okay, I'm the slayer...I can do
this, right?*
With a determined nod of her head
and pen in hand, Buffy stepped up to the notice board and signed her name up
for her first night class: Art.
*Paintings fun, right?*
Buffy scanned the notice boards as
she thought about the last few days. It
had been Joyce who had suggested that she sign up for night classes. Buffy had been complaining that she was
getting restless...and even went as far, at one point, as to mention that she
missed school. Night classes seemed the
perfect thing - short classes; good timetable; easy access. Not to mention the fact that she could go
straight to patrol afterwards.
Okay, next class....
Buffy scanned the list again, and
another course immediately popped out:
Self Defense.
Fine, so she didn't really need it,
but, rule of college thumb - always choose one easy class, right? Anyway...fighting good. Even if it meant major control...she needed
the practice!
Number three....
Well, didn't her Bio teacher once
say she had the potential to do well...
But then didn't Wills once say that
it was like learning a new language - and Buffy and languages are non-mixy!
*Okay, that'll be a maybe....*
"Come on number thr-"
"Buffy?"
Buffy almost dropped her pen at the
unexpected intrusion.
"Uh, Riley...hey!" She smiled, unenthusiastically.
"I...I tried to call back, but
Joyce said you were out. I think we had
a bad line before..." He looked to
her for reassurance.
"Yeah, mom said you called...I-I've
been busy..uh, signing up for, um courses!" Buffy quickly moved the subject off anything veering towards
Spike.
"Yeah, have you chosen
anything?" Riley smiled at her.
"Um, not really...I was
thinking art..." Buffy smiled,
relaxing a bit.
"Well, that’s good, you know resuming
your human life." Riley grinned at
her, reaching out to tuck a stray tendril of her hair behind her ear.
"Most people would just say
'life'..." Buffy muttered, feeling
anger welling up in her.
"But you are, right...you
know..." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "...no more vampire stuff,
right..."
Buffy saw red. "No, Riley. That’s not right! Its
never gonna be right..." Buffy practically
growled the words.
"Buffy wait, I just
meant-" He hastily tried to
back-track.
"No, I get what you
meant-"
Riley caught her hands, gazing solemnly
into her eyes. "No, you
don't. I want you to be happy. Buffy, I don't want to argue.."
"Too late." Buffy muttered, but felt the fight go out of
her at the kindness in his voice.
"I just wanna be
friends."
Buffy looked up into his hopeful
eyes and smiled softly back. "Me
too."
---
Buffy waved a last good-bye to
Riley, after declining his fourth offer to help her patrol or walk her
home. She'd had a nice thirty minutes
with him. Whilst she didn't feel the
same way, she felt like they'd moved on; and hey, maybe she'd end up with a
good friend after all. Maybe this
break-up didn't have to end in heartache and end of the world...
Buffy was broken from her reverie
as she was crushed to the wall by an angry vampire. She moved to throw him off, but was stunted by an angry growl
that seemed to reverberate around the alleyway. She felt as if her whole body had been frozen in mid-attack.
She looked up to meet furious amber
eyes, "Spike! What the hell is
your problem?"
"I saw you with him. Laughing...touching him...I told you last
night..." Spike growled the words
out, unable to control his anger...his jealousy...or his human features.
"You left me last
night!" Buffy screeched, wriggling
in his grasp.
"So you just hop back onto
whoever comes along?"
"Oh my GOD! Is that what this is about?" Buffy growled. "I was having coffee with a friend...not that it’s of any
interest to you, I-"
"You belong to me." He growled, tightening his fingers around
her wrists.
"No. I. DON'T!" Buffy felt her face ripple uncontrollably,
as her anger overcame her.
Without a word Spike smashed his
lips down on hers, grinding into her.
Buffy growled as she pressed up against his body, reveling in both her
reaction to him and his to her. His
hands released her wrists as they began to move down her body. Buffy's hands shot to his face, holding his
mouth against hers as their tongues battled furiously.
Spike's hands gripped the back of
her thighs and pulled her up. Her mouth
remained glued to his as her legs wrapped around his waist. Buffy moaned loudly as he thrust his hips
into hers, panting heavily into his mouth as his hands slid under her short
skirt; grasping her ass.
The older vampire growled loudly as
the slayer bit down gently on his lower lip, sucking the droplets of blood that
seeped from it. Buffy shivered
violently as she felt an orgasm rush through her body, and she cried out in to
his mouth as it over took her.
"Wah...wha..what was
that?" She breathed, as he
continued to grind against her, his lips brushing against her moving ones with
every dry thrust.
Spike grinned at her. "Sire's blood, love. Another...aphrodisiac..." He explained between kisses.
Buffy pulled away and smiled coyly
at him, "What about childe's blood?"
"Bloody amazing
too..."
"And, slayer-childe's
blood?" She brushed her lips
against his, reaching down to squeeze the bulge in the front of his pants.
"Uugghh..."
Buffy's amber eyes smirked into his
at his eloquent response. "Wanna
taste, baby?"
"Fuck, yeah.." His eyes flashed with lust.
Buffy brushed her lips against his,
"'m all yours..."
With a vicious growl that her words
endued, Spike sunk his fangs into her exposed neck. Buffy screamed as she came again, gasping and grinding against
him as he continued to suck sensuously at her neck.
"You. Are. Mine." He growled at her, when he finally retracted his fangs. "My slayer. My childe. Soul or not:
you belong to me."
Buffy whimpered, practically coming
again at his words alone.
"Say it." Spike growled at her.
"Yours." Buffy panted, moaning as he brushed his lips
against hers. "I'm yours.".
----
"Something has to be
done."
"I thought we had your assurance,
Mr. Finn, that the slayer was, uh...soulful?"
"Times change. He's changed her." Riley muttered to himself, before picking up
his original line of thought. "The
threat has to be eliminated. I apologize for the lack of vigilance on my part,
but it was unforeseeable. It has her
family and friends fooled."
"Don't worry, Mr. Finn. A plan has been set into motion. Sunnydale will be slayer-free within a week,
I assure you."
"And Hostile Seventeen?"
"The Initiative does not like
to leave loose ends...loose. Lets leave
it at that."
Riley smiled, saluting correctly
then turned and exited the 'new' initiative.
Chapter Six
A/N - The song included in this
chapter is Alicia Keys' Butterflyz.
Buffy leant over, carefully lighting
one of the three vanilla candles at her bedside, then the second. She felt the bed depress next to her and
quickly lit the third before the flame burnt her fingers. She was about to turn when she felt cool
fingers brush back the hair from her shoulder.
Her eyes rolled back in their
sockets, as soft lips pressed gently to her shoulder and along her neck. Buffy turned her head to meet his lips,
tilting her neck to get a better angle.
His mouth moved gently across hers, his tongue massaging hers with none
of the violence previously shown, but with all the tenderness in the world.
Buffy pulled back and sighed,
leaning her forehead against his. His
nose nudged hers, his lips seeking hers once more, and she acquiesced for a
moment before detaching.
"Spike...do you think...maybe,
you could just hold me tonight...you know...sleep?" She asked timidly, wary of his reaction.
Spike smiled gently, tipping her
chin up so that his lips could meet hers briefly, "I'd love to, pet."
Buffy smiled back and stood,
crossing to the window to shut the curtains.
When she turned a barefoot-Spike had just finished unbuttoning his
shirt. He stood there, his body
shadowed by candle-light alone.
Unconsciously, she licked her lips as he walked forward.
He leant down and brushed his lips
against hers. As she stood there, his
blue orbs seamed almost mesmerizing, his fingers slowly began untying the lace
that held her top together.
"Spike..." Buffy began, only to be cut off by his lips.
"I know...just thought I'd
make us a little more..." The top
slid from her body, revealing her to him, and his unneeded breath caught in his
throat at the sight of her. "...comfortable."
"I'm not sure this is
conductive to sleep.
As his hands moved to carefully
remove her skirt; her own fingers came into play, slipping the shirt down his
body. It caught at his arms and he let
go of her long enough for her to slide it from his arms. Buffy stepped up on her tip-toes and brushed
her lips against his.
"But good right?" Spike grinned boyishly at her, which was a
strange sight. Turning her gently, his
hands, slowly massaging away the pains of the day...and the last vestiges of
clothing.
"I'm sleepy...."
"C'mon, pet...lets get you
tucked in." Her skirt fell from
her body as Spike lifted her up and settled them both under the covers.
For the first time since she'd been
turned Buffy felt content as she fell asleep, in her last moments of
consciousness she whispered, "Stay the night..."
Spike doubted she heard his reply
as he curled his cool body around hers.
His face buried against her neck, Spike snuggled her into his arms as he
slipped into the best night’s sleep he'd had in weeks.
---
In her own bed, Joyce sighed happily
as she awoke to the sound of.....nothing.
No tears.
No wails.
Just the occasional soft snore.
With a happy tear in her eye Joyce
slipped back into slumber, content that for this night her eldest daughter
wasn't in pain.
---***---
The following night....
"Hello Willy!"
The bartender cringed as Buffy and
Spike; his most volatile 'customers' entered his establishment. He hastily put out two glasses of blood as a
good faith gesture...hoping they'd leave him long enough so that they'd know he
had some good information for them.
"Slayer! Spike!
Fancy seeing you here! Here,
have a drink - on the house!"
Buffy eyed the glass of blood,
"I see you've heard about my life change."
"Uh, yeah! Good news travels fast, right. I mean it is good news..." He smiled nervously.
Spike growled at the man, as he
wrapped an arm around the slayer's waist, his other hand came forward to down
the blood-shot in front of him.
"Mmm..." Buffy intoned as
fangs dragged across her jugular. "...my sire seems to think so."
Willy reached into his back pocket
for a tissue, which he began to wipe over his brow at the sight of
bumpies. "Yeah, great! So, uh, what can I do ya for?"
"Just came for some
supplies..." Buffy indicated the
blood in front of her. "Is it
human?"
"Uh.." Unsure which answer would get him the most
beat up, Willy stayed silent.
Spike provided the answer. "Yeah, love."
Buffy's hands shot across the
counter, grabbing Willy's lapels faster than sight could follow and dragged him
across the bar, sending glass and blood everywhere.
"Now Willy, what have I said
about stealing from blood banks."
She punched him in the nose, and Spike winced from years of similar
abuse. "I'd hate to think that
you-" She'd cocked her fist back.
"Nah, wait, slayer, you got it
all wrong."
"Right, I guess those people
just gave their blood away?" Buffy
asked, unbelievingly.
"Well..." Buffy pulled her fist back again. "No, I got some information for
ya!"
"Why would I want to
know?" Buffy asked, dropping the
man into Spike's custody. She crossed
her arms in front of her chest.
"It’s about the
Initiative."
Buffy exchanged a glance with
Spike. "I'm listening."
"Your boy..." At Spike's growl he changed tack. "Uh, the army bloke..."
"Riley."
"Yeah, him. He came in here the other night. Real upset.
Talking about how his crew's gonna sort Spike out for good and all that."
"Whatever. Like they could." Buffy tossed her hair back, but Willy wasn't
finished.
"A-also something to do with
the chip..." Spike growled but he continued. "Didn't sound pretty."
"And..." Buffy knew there was more.
"He mentioned you too....and
your new vamped state....seemed like you were in on the deal."
"What?" Buffy's flippancy turned to ice.
"Something about 'Loose
ends'...." There was a pause as
the slayer took the information in.
"Way I see it; you run, they can't touch you." Spike let Willy drop as the Slayer walked
out.
"Your welcome!" Willy shouted after them, as he picked
himself off the ground and watched the door slam shut.
------
"Buffy? Love?"
Spike hurried to catch up with Buffy.
She suddenly stopped and turned,
causing Spike to nearly bump in to her.
He looked into her eyes, knowing what was coming before she even said
it. She would do anything to protect
him...them. It was in her blood.
"You know he's
right." She began walking
again. "We have to leave."
"We can fight."
"No. I can fight. You
can't. Spike, no, don't interrupt. We have to get out of here...maybe we can
even look into getting the chip out."
Spike looked at her sharply. "Are you sure this is what you
want?"
"This isn't our usual
fight. I...I can't kill
humans..." Tears sprung to her
eyes as the real root of her fear came out.
"God, Spike, I don't even know if I can trust myself to just defend
myself! What if I..." She left the sentence trailing.
Spike stopped them from their fast
pace, his hands on her shoulders.
"I know, pet. I wouldn't
let anything happen, slayer. I
promise." He leant forward and
brushed his lips against hers. Buffy
sighed, reciprocating gently.
"We need to regroup. Buy us some time to lead them away from my
friends and family. And get the gang
working on...okay, so I'm not really sure..."
"Okay. Where to first?" Spike tried to pick up the mood.
"Your car. Then mom.
She'll have to tell Giles.
Then...LA?" Buffy shrugged
as she looked up at him.
"Lets go."
---
Two days later....
"Rupert something has to be
done. Surely the council wants to
protect their slayer?" Joyce
suggested.
Buffy and Spike had been gone for
two days. After they'd collected a few
bits of Buffy's clothes they'd left.
They'd explained the threat and that they had to leave. If Joyce had managed to take anything away
from the conversation it was that her daughter was scared.
Not of her opponents.
But of herself.
And Joyce felt helpless… Again.
"I have contacted the Council
Joyce, and my request is being considered." Giles explained yet again.
He'd spoken to them as soon as he'd been informed of Buffy's
departure. Whilst the council was
archaic they were not suicidal, and Giles knew that Quentin did not approve of
these non-council members throwing their own spanner in the works, so to
speak. He had put forward an idea to
remove the threat that the initiative posed.
Just how devastating it would
be...was uncertain to say the least.
"Considered? My baby is running scared and they're considering
it?!" Joyce stood up in anger, and
the rest of group looked shocked at her out burst. Except Dawn who was equally enraged.
"Trust me Joyce, I know how
you feel. Buffy...is like a daughter to me, and I agree this isn't good
enough. We can only hope that the
council makes the right decision..." *Before anything happens to
Buffy.* "...I'm unsure what the
'removal' of the Initiative would entail; especially in relation to
Buffy."
"Don't worry, Joyce, Buffy's
strong, she can handle it." Xander
put in.
"A-and she has
Spike!" Dawn added with a hopeful
smile. "That’s good, right?"
There was silence from the
group.
"Yeah, honey." Joyce smiled at her youngest.
Dawn looked around at the rest of
the group for support. None came.
"I don't care what you
think. Spike would never hurt
Buffy."
"I hope so Dawn. She's very...upset right now." Giles smiled at her. *I just hope he doesn't
manage to turn her vulnerability about her calling against her.*
---------
<<
Lately when I look into your eyes,
Baby you're my life....
You're the only one I need in my
life.
Baby, I just don't know how to
describe;
How lovely you make me feel
inside....
>>
"This is nice." Buffy murmured, rubbing her face into Spikes
chest, as he moved her slowly to the music.
They were in a club somewhere in LA.
They'd laid low for two days, but after scouting the area had decided a
couple of hours of freedom wouldn't hurt.
For all they knew the Initiative didn't even know they'd gone.
"Yeah." Spike agreed.
<<
You give me butterflyz...
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
You give me butterflyz
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
>>
Buffy smiled softly at the twin
purrs she felt reverberating through her body.
Tilting her head up at the same moment that Spike's lips moved down on
hers.
<<
This seemed like the life we'd
live...
From the start you told me, I would
be your Queen, but
Never had I imagined such a feelin'
Joy is what you win.
I wanna give you everything...
>>
"You know, even though the
world is trying to kill us...well, okay that’s normal..." Spike chuckled but let her finish. "....I'm really...happy."
Spike smiled down at her, his blue
eyes twinkling. "Me too,
pet."
<<
You give me butterflyz...
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
You give me butterflyz...
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
>>
Buffy smiled as she continued to
sway with Spike to the music. As they
moved she thought back to their journey down to LA. Fragments of the conversation seemed to stick out most in her mind.
"Thing about vampire's love,
we're pretty much the same as humans....fuck what the council says. We need food, we need companionship..."
He'd grinned at her. "...we need
sex...."
"Eyes on the road,
mister!" She'd thwapped him on the
head, trying to ignore the throbbing deep within her that his words had caused.
<<
You and I...
Our destiny...
I know that...
You were made for me...
>>
"Anyway, I'm not sure how the
whole sire/childe bond will work; what with you bein' the slayer and all,
pet." Spike wrapped his free arm
around Buffy as they turned into an unlit alleyway; his other hand raising a
lit cigarette to his lips.
"What's it like
normally?" Buffy asked instead.
"Bloody amazing..." Spike admitted, taking another drag.
After a moment or two of
deliberation Buffy finally asked.
"Do you still feel Dru?"
Spike looked down at her, "No
pet...not for a long time."
"But it was…amazing?"
Spike smiled at her, leaning down
to brush his lips against hers.
"Not like us." He
assured her.
<<
Ooooh, I can't control it...
You're driving me...
Taking over me and I...
Oooh
>>
"You know, I kinda expected
that there were less demons outside of Sunnydale." Buffy had commented the night before, as she
brushed demon goo off her shoe.
"Sunnydale is only the home of
suicidal demons."
"You included?" Buffy asked, absently staking the vampire
trying to sneak up on her.
"Or love-sick
vampires..." Spike grinned at her, leaning down to kiss her.
<<
You give me butterflyz...
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
You give me butterflyz
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
>>
Buffy smiled as she broke from her
memory at the feel of soft, cool lips on her own, and she tightened her arms
around him.
<<
You give me butterflyz
Help me flyin' so high in the sky..
I can't control...I can't control
it...
You give me butterflyz
Help me flyin' so high in the sky.
I can't control the butterflyz.
>>
Back in Sunnydale, everyone looked
up as the phone suddenly rang. The loud
noise shocking everyone out of their individual thoughts; all revolving around
the slayer and her vampire.
Joyce answered the phone then held
it out to Giles. "It’s for
you."
"Hello?"
"Mr. Giles. The council has reached a decision..."
<<
You give me somethin' I just can't
deny
Something thats so sweet.
I just can't control the way I
feel...
You give me somethin' I just can't
deny
Something thats so sweet.
I just can't control the way I
feel...
>>
Buffy slid her fingers in to his
hair, tugging his face down to hers, slowly covering his mouth with hers. As they kissed she wondered how a song could
so accurately portray how she felt...
<<
I've never felt like this...
>>
Chapter Seven....