To the wonderful reader who nominated this fic at the FL_AWARDS, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And thank you for the nomination for best new author – YOU ALL ROCK.

It has also been nominated at the Rogue Poet awards. YOU ALL STILL ROCK.





Chapter 11

Clem ran like a madman towards the crypt. His lungs felt as though they were filled with fire, and his legs had started to become painful. He had to get to Spike before the demons found him.

As he ran towards the crypt he now called ‘home’, he hoped that Spike was alone. If the slayer was still inside, there was going to be trouble, and lots of it. Clem knew her character well enough by now, that if he told her about the demon she would insist on looking for it.

If he could breathe a sigh of relief when the crypt came into view, he would have. As it was, all he could think of was warning Spike. Slowing his aching legs to a trot he approached the door and banged loudly enough to wake the dead.

To Spike and Buffy, wrapped closely together under the quilt, the noise from the crypt door was an unwelcome intrusion. They had renewed the claim over and over again, each time their bond becoming stronger. A joint sigh filled the lower level of the crypt as they slowly pulled apart.

“Think I’d better go and see who’s at the door, luv” Spike whispered against her lips before kissing her soundly. “It might be important.”

As he rose from the bed to find his jeans, Buffy lay back amongst the pillows to stare at his back. Fascinated by his beauty, she watched the play of muscles in his back and thighs as he pulled his jeans up his gorgeous legs. He was hers, she realised, this wonderful creature was hers.

“Don’t be long, Spike” she purred at him.

Turning his head, he looked at her lying on his gold silk sheets. Her hair was splayed across the pillows as she lay looking longingly at him.

“I won’t be, pet. Promise” he smiled.

With deft steps he mounted the ladder to the upper level and made his way to the door. Whoever was on the other side was pounding with a mighty force. Sensing it was Clem on the other side, Spike frowned, wondering why his friend would need to see them so much that he felt he had to interrupt them.

A feeling of dread stole through him, but he was not quick enough to block the claim.

In the lower level of the crypt, Buffy felt his trepidation like a tangible force. She rose quickly from the bed and scrambled around the room looking for her clothes. Ignoring the stickiness between her thighs, she rushed to dress and join her mate on the upper level of the crypt.

Spike could feel her distress through the claim as he opened the door to an obviously panicked Clem. Closing the door quickly behind Clem once he had stumbled into the crypt, Spike turned to find Buffy rising from the lower level. Whatever Clem had to tell him, would need to said in front of Buffy and he was not sure if he was ready for that yet.

Clem, breathless from his run to the crypt, walked quickly to the kitchen area to find something to drink. As he poured himself some cool water from the fridge, Buffy looked at Spike worriedly. When he smiled at her, she smiled back and slowly walked up to him to wrap herself in his embrace. Taking comfort from the love she felt through the claim, she cuddled close to his side.

They both waited for Clem to tell them his news.

When their friend returned to the living area, he looked at both of them. Instinctively he knew they had claimed each other, their joint power radiated from across the room. He knew they would not be happy about his news, but they needed to know what had happened tonight. Taking a deep breath, he asked them to sit down.

He watched them closely as they sat next to each other on the sofa. Spike’s arm was around Buffy’s shoulders, and she was almost sitting on his lap. Part of him was glad they had finally found each other like this, and another part of him dreaded how they would react to his tale.

“I had a visitor tonight while I was at Aaron’s” he started. “It was a demon. I didn’t recognise the species, but in poor light it would pass for human.”

Neither Spike nor Buffy passed comment; they waited for him to continue.

“It said it works for some guy called Janson of Salano” Turning his head, Clem deliberately spoke to Spike. “They want to speak to you, Spike. The guy said that his master would be in touch with you soon.”

Not as much as an eyelash moved on Spike’s face. His chance had come to save his Nibblet, and part of his was thankful.

Another part of him railed against what he knew he had to do.

Buffy, not moving from her place at Spike’s side looked at Clem as she asked. “Just why do they want to speak to Spike?”

Clem lifted his shoulders in a shrug as he answered. “I don’t know, Buffy. They just said they would be contacting him soon.”

Buffy said nothing as she fished in the pocket of her jeans for her cell phone. Speed dialling her mother’s number, she lifted the phone to her ear.

“Mom is Giles still there?” she asked when her mother’s answered.

When her mother confirmed that Giles was still in her home, Buffy told her mother to keep him there. Promising to be home within fifteen minutes, she moved from her lover’s embrace and spoke to him with typical slayer determination.

“Come on, Spike. We need to tell Giles about this.”

Nodding in agreement, Spike rose from the sofa and took her hand.

“Let’s go, luv. The quicker we get to your mum’s the better.”

She frowned slightly at his comment, but said nothing. With a sure tread, the newly mated couple made for the door closely followed by their loose-skinned friend.

##

Joyce, still angry at Giles, walked back into the lounge to tell him that Buffy and Spike were on their way back from the crypt.

“You better have your excuses ready, Giles, because Buffy and Spike are on their way back. If I know my daughter, she will be ready to tear you limb from limb for keeping secrets from her; and you know what, I will sit back and laugh.”

Giles lifted his head and stared directly into Joyce’s eyes. “I did what I thought was right in the circumstances, Joyce. I have nothing to fear.”

“We’ll see about that,” Dawn said to no one in particular. “Buffy is gonna freak, and I’m glad I won’t be the one she goes for.”

Joyce smiled her agreement, and seated herself next to Dawn.

All three in the room settled down to wait.

##

As Spike and Buffy walked hand in hand through the door, three heads turned in their direction. Smiles of understanding radiated from two of them, a deep frown was on the face of the other.

Rising quickly from the couch, Dawn ran towards them and hugged them close. “Everything all right now?” she whispered.

“Yes Dawnie,” Buffy reassured her. “Everything is just fine.”

Drawing slightly back from the couple, Dawn smiled happily. “Good, ‘cause Giles has lots to tell you, Buffy.”

“Well it can wait for a bit Dawn; we need to talk to him about a demon looking for Spike.” She said as she hugged her sister.

Giles, having heard Buffy’s statement, rose from his chair to approach the couple.

“What demon, Buffy?” he asked.

“The demon who wants my sister, of course” she answered, her eyes giving him the ‘duh’ look.

Spike laughed softly at her comment, and decided that he would take over the conversation. “Some minion paid Clem a social call this evening. Says he’s from some guy who calls himself Janson of Salano, and he wants to talk to me.”

Giles looked thoughtfully at the vampire. “Janson of Salano” he whispered, almost to himself. “I’ve never heard of him. Maybe we should go back to the Magic Box and do some research. We could call the others and ask them to join us.”

Joyce, determined to let Buffy know of her watcher’s duplicity, rose from the sofa to join them in the hallway.

“Before you start calling Willow, Xander and the others Giles, I think you need to let Buffy know everything you told us tonight.”

Turning angry eyes on Joyce, Giles tried to keep calm. “We don’t have time for that just now, Joyce. We need to find out all we can about Janson, and kill him before he can harm Dawn.” Sneering slightly, Giles continued. “Do you think there’s anything more important than that?”

Giles had picked on the wrong female to try and intimidate. Determined her daughter would hear her watcher out, Joyce quickly flung back at him. “Oh, I do think it’s very important Giles, but it’s also important that Buffy’s knows how much you hid from her for the past few years.”

Confused at her mother’s statement, Buffy turned troubled eyes on her watcher. “Hid from me, Giles?” she asked. “What have you hidden from me?”

Spike groaned inwardly at her side. Giles had obviously told Joyce and Dawn about his life for the past few years, and now he was going to pay for keeping his silence. His little spitfire would not take this lying down.

“Let’s all get comfy, Buffy” he uttered as he ushered them all back into the living room. “I think we better get this over with sooner rather than later. We won’t get any peace until we do.”

“Okay,” Buffy smiled at her mate. “But before we talk, I’ll call the guys and ask them to meet us at the Magic Box in about an hour. Is that okay?”

Dropping a light kiss on her nose, Spike replied. “You make the calls, luv, I’ll make sure everyone gets comfy.”

While Buffy was on the phone in the kitchen, everyone else took a seat. On the sofa sat Joyce, Dawn and Clem, while Giles and Spike each took an armchair.

Silently they waited on the return of the slayer.

Within minutes Buffy returned and promptly seated herself on Spike’s lap, her arms curled possessively around his neck.

“Right then, Giles” she said. “Let’s hear what you have to say.”

Twenty minutes later, Spike was holding his love tightly on his lap, determined not to let her hit her watcher. They had been through rounds of angry words as Giles had spoken of his knowledge of Spike’s whereabouts, and his determination to keep the knowledge to himself. Buffy had screamed at him for his duplicity, and at times Spike could feel her anger and disappointment reach him through the claim.

The watcher had hurt his slayer, and that was something she would find hard to forgive. When she focused on his beating at the hands of the human gang, he knew there was going to be trouble.

“Spike was hurt, and you didn’t even let me know” she screamed at the watcher. “You utter bastard, Giles. If I’d known he was in pain I would have been on the first plane to England, and you would have paid for it. I would have done everything I could to help him.”

Deciding to take pity on the watcher, Spike held her close to him. “But you did help me, Buffy.”

Turning her head to look at him in disbelief, she simply asked. “How?”

“I wouldn’t heal on the pigswill they were feeding me, pet. The Council of Wankers got your watcher here to send me some of your blood which they fed to me. A few pints of slayer blood and I was as right as rain.”

Buffy looked wildly around the room, before her eyes stopped at Giles. “You told me that blood would be frozen in case I was injured. You took my blood so the Council could feed it to Spike, and you lied to me about it.”

“I thought it was for the best, Buffy” Giles arrogantly replied.

Not even Spike’s strength could hold her to him as she rose from his lap in anger. “You though it was for the BEST. How dare you make decisions about my life. I would have GLADLY given my blood to Spike to save his life, but you never gave me that option, did you?” she accused. “You used me like a cow giving milk, and then lied to me about it.” Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, she continued. “What if it was some vampire I didn’t know that got my blood. Do you know how I would feel about that; do you Giles?”

Reeling from her accusation, Giles retaliated in the only way he could. “Well, it’s immaterial now, Buffy, because Spike has claimed you as his mate; or am I wrong?”

Proud of their claim, Buffy moved the collar of her shirt to display Spike’s mark. “Oh yes, Giles, he claimed me tonight; just as I’ve claimed him.”

A slow satisfied smile grew on Giles’ face. He was going to enjoy this.

“I’m pleased he has, Buffy, because now he can die in place of Dawn.”

Buffy, shocked and stunned by his statement, just stared at him. Rising quickly, Spike wrapped his arms around her as she stood still in the quiet room. Turning in his arms, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“What does he mean, Spike, when he says you can die instead of Dawn?” she whispered.

He wished he did not have to tell her like this, but why put off the inevitable. “What he means sweetheart, is that the prophecy says you have to lose someone you love and who is part of your bloodline. Now that we’re mated, I’m part of you and the demons can now come after me instead of Dawn.”

Stunned by his statement, Buffy just stared at him. Comprehension swept over her in waves. He didn’t love her at all, he just claimed her to save Dawn. Angry tears shone in her eyes like diamonds as she pulled herself from his embrace.

“You lied to me, you bastard” she spat at him. “You told me you loved me, yet all you wanted to do was claim me to save Dawn. I gave you EVERYTHING of me tonight, my love, my respect and my life, and this is how you repay me.” Tears of anger ran unchecked down her cheeks as she spoke. “I TOLD you I loved you, yet you still lied to me.”

Grabbing hold of her arms, Spike pulled her against him. Smashing his lips to hers he kissed her fiercely until she responded. All the love he felt for her he poured into her heart through the claim.

“You know I love you, Buffy. Don’t tell me you can’t feel it when we touch. I love you with everything I have.” Almost in a whisper he continued as he stared into her eyes. “I love you so much sweetheart, that I’m willing to die to make you happy.”

Buffy cuddled closer to him as she mumbled into his chest. “How can you dying make me happy, Spike? Please tell me ‘cause I don’t understand how losing you will make me do the happy dance.”

Chuckling softly, he held her tighter to him, and whispered in her ear. “If I die, luv, then Dawn will live. Once I worked out the only way to beat the prophecy was to give the demons something else to kill, then I knew Dawn would be safe.” Gently he lifted her face to his. “Please try and understand, Buffy. I need to do this for you.”

“Well, I don’t understand, Spike” she whispered back. “I don’t understand at all. I’ve just found you again, and earlier tonight I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. Now you tell me that I have to lose you again, and this time it will be forever. I don’t know if I can do that.” Bursting into tears, she held on to him as if she would never let him go.

Wrapping her in his strong arms, he gently kissed the top of her head. “We’ll hit the books, pet, and see if we can find out more. Now we know who is trying to kill Dawn, we might find a way to stop him.”

Brightening at the thought, she smiled a watery smile at the man she loved. “You think so?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, all we can do is try and find out, luv.”

Smiling up at his handsome face, she nodded her head in agreement. “Right then, Spike” she answered. “Let’s hit the books.”

Spike smiled back at Buffy, his eyes full of tenderness. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get out of here and meet up with the Scoobies for a nice boring night of study. You up to that, Buffy?”

“I’m all research gal, Spike” she smiled at him. “See my face, this is my research face, as Willow would say.”

He laughed at the serious expression she had managed to pull. Taking her hand in his, they did not even wait for the others to join them as they made the way out of the room.

As they passed through the door, Buffy turned her head and looked at the other people in the room.

“Coming?” she asked brightly.

“We’ll be along shortly, Buffy” her mother replied. “I’ll make up some food to keep us all going, and Giles can bring us in his car.” Turning to Giles, Joyce looked at him with disdain. “Isn’t that right, Giles?”

Giles knew not to push his luck any further tonight. Rummaging in his pocket for the keys to the store, he pulled them out and handed them to Spike.

“You go on ahead and open up, we will join you shortly.”

Taking the keys from Giles, Spike threw them up in the air once before catching them and placing them in his duster pocket.

Buffy started to laugh loudly as they walked through the door. Puzzled, Spike frowned at her and asked. “What’s so funny, luv?”

“Xander is gonna have a cow when he hears he’s doing research on how to save your life.”

Giggling along with her, Spike pulled her close for a kiss.

“If he’s ‘gonna have a cow’ as you put it when he finds out why we’re hitting the books, just think what he’ll have when he finds out we’re mated.”

As suddenly as her laughter had started, it stopped and a serious look came into her eyes.

“I don’t care what he has when he finds out we’re mated. He’ll just have to deal, ‘cause there is no way I’m letting you die.” Grabbing his face between both hands, she pulled him close to kiss him. Through the claim, Spike could feel her love and devotion for him pour from her. He felt humbled and awed that she loved him the way he loved her.

“You’re mine, vampire. Forever.” She stated as she pulled back from his lips.

He replied simply to her bold statement

“Yours.”