Chapter 17



A deep knot of unease bunched in Christian’s stomach as he looked at what Buffy had left of their clan. It was mind boggling that a vampire of her young age could accomplish something of this magnitude—she had more than depleted their numbers, she damn near wiped them out! There clan was not what it used to be—Silas’ single-minded obsession had caused them to suffer. The numbers were made up of mostly minions, dim-witted and untrained. Despite that, it was still almost incomprehensible that a fledgling could accomplish this unaided.

But she had.

Silas’ anger was unspeakable. The screams of the minion that they had found nude in her bed were still ringing throughout the building. The story was that she had garnered his attention with the request for blood and once he had entered the room she had startled him from behind and overpowered him. Christian almost wanted to laugh—a fledgling just over a week old managing to overpower a minion that had been a vampire for well over fifty years? Buffy Summers was most definitely not your average vampire. Perhaps that was part of the reason he was infinitely fascinated by the blonde.

It had been an age since he had been around a fledgling childe. He had forgotten how they had to learn to be a vampire, unlike minions. He had never made a childe of his own—he had never before seen the appeal in it—but meeting Buffy had shown him what it could be like. She was strong, she was beautiful, and the expression on her face when she looked at Angelus spoke of explicit trust. Buffy relied on Angelus without question; she trusted that he would guide her down the right path. Christian had never known that kind of trust, and suddenly he found himself wanting it more than he had wanted anything in his life, more than even his freedom from this never ending quest for a vampire that was long dusted.

Christian was shaken from his thoughts at the moan of pain that came from his right and turned just in time to see the wounded vampire beside him turn to dust. He knew this would not be enough to deter Silas in his quest to have Simone at his side once more. If anything, having his desire snatched from him so close to the completion of his plans would only strengthen his resolve to get her back.

It seemed that the battle for Simone was not almost over as he had thought, but rather just beginning. Just how many more times would Buffy Summers manage to slip through their fingers before it all came to an end?


*****


Buffy left the room as soon as she had disconnected from the call with Spike. Riley was giving her the creeps. He hadn’t moved or said anything since she had asked him where the phone was, hadn’t even given her a reaction when she told him that she’d wait out on his couch until Spike arrived. It had been twenty minutes since then, and with any luck Spike was only a few minutes away.

Buffy fiddled with her fingernails as she tried to keep herself calm. The rush of adrenaline was slowly starting to drain out of her, leaving her feeling cold and empty. She didn’t want to have to think about what she’d done or what had happened over the past few days. She didn’t want to do anything but curl up and forget anything had ever happened.

Leaning forward, Buffy let her head drop into her hands. If this was what life as a vampire was going to be like, then she wasn’t sure she was going to last. It would only take so long for the clan she’d escaped from to catch up, and then she’d be running again. Hopefully with Spike at her side.

Once they made it to Giles’ then what? She’d be safe from them inside the house, but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t reach her. If they really wanted her, there were ways to get her outside the house. She still didn’t have a clue what they wanted from her, besides the blatant display their disgusting excuse for a leader had put on when he had tried to touch her. She had never been so glad for the scars on her throat that marked her as Angelus’ childe.

Buffy felt tears begin to burn at the back of her eyes as her emotions started to overwhelm her.

She was still like that when she heard the shuffle of footsteps making their way down the hall towards her. The sound in itself didn’t bother her—there was after all, another person in the apartment with her—it was the loud bang as something fell against the wall that had her lifting her head from her hands.

Buffy’s eyes widened as she saw Riley stumble into the room, leaning heavily against the doorframe for support. His unwavering gaze came to rest on her as he gained his bearings. His chest was heaving, a layer of sweat covering his skin and he was trembling uncontrollably.

Buffy stood up from her seat and edged her way around behind the couch. “Riley? Are you okay?” she ventured cautiously.

There was no reaction from him at the sound of his name. He stood silently in the doorway, swaying ever so slightly from side to side. Buffy worried her bottom lip between her teeth as he pushed himself away from the door and stumbled further into the room. She knew she could defend herself if he decided to attack her, but Riley was human and she didn’t want to have to hurt him. She had almost killed most of the vampires she had fought earlier in the night, she didn’t want to know what she might accidentally do to a human if she had to defend herself.

Buffy was contemplating knocking him out and tying him up until Spike arrived when a knock at the door cut through the tension in the room. Riley stopped his progress into the room and seemed to shake himself from the state he’d been in as he looked curiously across at the door.

Buffy let out a small whimper of relief as she shot across the room to the front door. Spike was standing impatiently on the other side as it was flung open. Buffy didn’t give him a chance to greet her before she had launched herself through the door and into his arms and promptly burst into tears.

Spike’s arms came up to hold her tightly. He sighed in relief as he pressed his face into the softness of her hair. His demon started purring at the feel of her small body pressed up against his own. As far as the demon in him was concerned, it had its mate back in its arms where she belonged. He’d never let her go again if he had his way.

Buffy’s fingers were curled tightly into the soft cotton of his shirt as she inhaled the comforting scent that clung to him. To her, Spike was home. He was safety and comfort and exactly what she so desperately needed. Spike pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he stroked her hair gently, a suspicious wetness clinging to his own eyes and wetting his lashes. “I’ve got you, kitten.”

She pressed herself closer to him as her lips caressed the skin of his neck before she lifted her head to crush her lips against the softness of his mouth in a bruising kiss. Spike’s growl of approval rumbled through her as his hands clutched at her waist, holding her against him tightly as her fingers raked through his hair.

“Missed you,” he said as he kissed her again softly. “I was worried about you, sweetheart,” Spike murmured as his lips followed the path of her jaw line down to her neck, unable to keep from biting over the area at which he wanted so desperately to mark her with human teeth. Buffy let out a deep moan at the feel of his teeth scraping across the taut skin of her neck.

Riley chose this time to make his presence known. The display being put on in front of him was too much for his temporary gain of control to take. “You need to get out of here,” he said in a strained voice from his place a few feet from the door. Spike looked up at the human. He could see the small measure of control he had over his addiction beginning to slip. “Please?” Riley added when the two vampires made no move to leave.

Spike shook his head. “Thank you,” he said seriously. Riley looked up at him and nodded.

Spike closed the door quickly and grabbed Buffy by the hand. “Let’s go, sweetness.”


*****


Spike watched his girl fly into their sire’s arms the moment she was granted access into Giles’ apartment. Angelus wrapped her up tightly in his arms, morphing into his demon’s guise and sinking his teeth into her neck in one fluid motion. Spike felt something painful clench in his stomach. It was an act meant to bring both comfort and reassurance to sire and childe. It was a familial act, one that Spike himself had been on the receiving end of more than once, yet he couldn’t help the stir of jealousy he felt as she tore herself from his side and launched herself into his sire’s arms. It was how Angelus buried his fangs in her neck with out need of thought that was the clincher though. How often did Spike’s own thoughts stray to being able to do the exact same thing?

More and more, thoughts of being able to mate with Buffy were circling around in his head. He knew if he ever wanted it to happen he’d not only have to ask her, but he’d also have ask his sire and the Master of the Clan for permission. Mating was an eternal bond and a serious step in the vampire world. Once you mated, you were ultimately signing away your immortality, because no one lasted beyond the death of their mate, and even vampires didn’t live forever. Silas was the oldest vampire Spike had ever heard of and he was only 3000 years old. But it was lifetimes compared to what humans got. And he would rather live and die with the knowledge that he could call her his own than never have her at all.

Spike watched as her arms tightened around Angelus’ waist and his large hand came up to soothe the back of her head.

He knew he was being stupid. Angelus was a father figure to her if anything. A mentor and someone she felt she instinctively knew she could rely on and trust because of her link to his demon. At least this reunion didn’t include her trying to stick her tongue down their sire’s throat as she had done with him. If she had attempted that he didn’t know what he would be liable to do.

He looked across at Darla. She seemed unfazed by the show of emotion. Of course, she was already mated to Angelus and therefore had no need to doubt his affections towards her.

Spike looked back at the object of his affections as she disentangled herself from her sire’s arms. He was somewhat mollified when she pulled back from Angelus with a small smile and returned to his side. Spike wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, pleased when she twisted her body into his and rested her head down against his shoulder.

“It’s good to see you again, my dear,” Giles said with a kind smile. “I have set up the spare bedroom for you with clean sheets. Now that you’re safely back amongst us once more, perhaps any further discussion on what we will need to do to ensure your continued safety can wait until this coming night? I dare say we could all do with a decent night’s sleep.”

Buffy yawned as if on cue. “Thank you,” she said with a sheepish look.

Giles smiled. “It’s quite alright. I assume Spike will be staying with you, tonight?”

Buffy looked up at the vampire in question, a shy smile spreading its way across her face as she glanced at him from under her lashes. Spike grinned down at her. “I’m staying,” he confirmed for the ex-watcher. All jealousy over his sire gone in the face of her desire to have him stay with her.

“We’ll be back at sundown then,” Angelus said with a smile as he held his hand out for his mate.







AN: Thank you so much to Andrea for the beta and to everyone who has been reviewing *hugs you all*