DEMON DREAMS 2

CHAPTER TWO

 

A drawling, English voice laden with sarcasm broke the awkward silence, punctuated as it was only by the still sobbing girl huddled against a tombstone.  “Well, well.  Looks like we’ve got visitors, love, and me not in my best bib and tucker.  You gonna introduce me?”

 

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Buffy leaned back against her de facto sire, taking comfort from the steely hardness of his chest against her back and the painful grip of his fingers digging into her stomach.  She’d dreaded this moment since clawing her way out of the grave, and despite planning to take her leave of her friends, her Watcher, she was torn.  It was all too clear that she couldn’t trust herself around them anymore, not after nearly sinking her fangs into Xander’s neck.  It would appear that the vampire instinct to feed was stronger than she’d imagined.

 

But she was the Slayer.  It wasn’t going to beat her.

 

If only their hearts wouldn’t thud so loudly…

 

Spike’s warning growl jolted her back from her musings.  Willow had started to move towards them, and Buffy threw out her hands to stop Willow coming any closer.  Buffy sagged further back against her sire at the sight of Willow ’s tearstained face and red eyes.  All because of her. 

 

Spike’s cool lips settled against Buffy’s ear, placing a soft kiss on the lobe as he murmured that it would be all right, that he was there.  Buffy placed her own small hand over his where it rested on her waist, giving it a little squeeze in thanks and to acknowledge his words.  She would get through this with Spike’s help.

 

Suddenly, leaving Sunnydale seemed the right thing to do.

 

Giles’ hard, unrelenting voice echoed in the dark cemetery.  “ Willow .  Behind me, now.  You too, Xander.”   He brandished the crucifix, his grip on the dark wood turning his knuckles white.  Buffy could hear his racing heartbeat, smell his fear and his anxiety.  She got a thrill to think that it was she who inspired that fear, although that quickly subsided as the remnants of the Buffy she’d been before last night curled up in misery, hurt by his rejection.

 

Spike sensed her emotional distress and was getting geared up for bloody slaughter, releasing Buffy’s waist and crouching, ready to pounce.  It was gratifying to see the humans take an involuntary but perfectly synchronised step backwards, away from danger.  It was only Buffy’s fingers digging into his wrist that stopped him from enjoying a three-course meal there and then.

 

Exasperated, Spike turned towards his protégé.  “What now, love?  You see what they’re doing.  You think it’s gonna be all hugs and kisses as they wave you off with a tearful goodbye?  They’re here to kill you.  Now let’s see an end to it and be on our way.”

 

Willow edged closer to Xander, the pair of them now tight up against Giles’ back.  Buffy was still in game face, and the vampire she was with was extremely scary with sharp, sharp teeth.  If he thought they were about to kill Buffy, you could bet your life that he was going to get to them first. 

 

“Excuse me?”

 

A quavering voice emanated from the curled up form in the bushes where Xander had left the maiden in distress.  She’d been forgotten in the standoff, but had apparently now stopped sobbing and started vocalising.  Xander shrugged as Giles turned a disbelieving glare on him. 

 

“You just left her there?  In the bushes?”

 

“Giles, you told me to get behind you!  You didn’t say to bring a friend.  And she’s okay…you’re alright, aren’t you?”  The last was shouted over Giles shoulder in the general direction of the voice.

 

“I’ve been better…but yeah.  Can I go now?”

 

Spike lunged towards the girl, but not quickly enough to avoid Buffy sweeping her leg out to tumble him to the ground, whereupon she sat astride his prone form and pinned his arms to the floor.  He began to buck, snarling and snapping his jaws together, but Buffy held firm.

 

“Stop it, Spike!  Listen to me please – STOP IT!”

 

Giles and his cowering companions looked on in horror as the growling, spitting demon beneath Buffy raised himself to a sitting position, his ridged forehead inches from hers, his eyes dark amber and full of lethal intent.

 

“Make me,” he spat out with a smirk that shouldn’t have been possible given the fangs overhanging his full lips. 

 

Willow gasped as Buffy let go of the monster’s arms and grabbed him to her, devouring his mouth in an x-rated kiss that raised the ambient temperature of the cemetery a good few degrees.  It was like watching a train wreck – they just couldn’t tear their eyes away.  Giles was muttering a litany of ‘dear lords’ and Xander’s mouth opened and closed like a landed cod.  Unnoticed, the girl formerly known as ‘entrée’ made good her escape.

 

The awkward shuffling of three pairs of feet finally reminded Buffy that they had an audience, although it took a huge stamping down of her newly acquired demon, and she reluctantly left off kissing Spike’s now bloodied lips, licking the crimson drops into her eager mouth and caressing his cheek.

 

“Please…” She only had to speak just one word and Spike knew he was beaten.  Once again he wondered what enchantment this tiny blonde had worked on him to have him padding after her like a house-trained puppy, all thoughts of his former priorities wiped from his mind.  He nodded, his features melting back to human, earnest blue eyes meeting her golden ones.  He tilted his head, raising a hand to tap his smooth brow, encouraging her to change too.  He figured her friends would deal better if she still looked like the Buffy they knew.

 

Buffy’s fingers flew to her own forehead, puzzled – until she remembered; she was a vampire.  Well, duh!! How come she kept forgetting?

 

She concentrated, feeling her bones shift as her face returned to the familiar one she saw in the mirror…used to see in the mirror…This was so very hard.  Swallowing down the tears that threatened to spill over her now smooth cheeks, Buffy took a deep, if useless, breath and got to her feet, dragging Spike after her.  She didn’t let go of his hand as she turned to face her friends.  No point in telling them a half tale, and as Spike was now the focus of her existence; she guessed she really should make some introductions.

 

“Hey, guys.  Sorry I’ve been MIA...kinda got into something.  Well, I died actually.  Guess I’ve got a rebound clause though because – here I am!”

 

The forced perkiness fell flat, Giles looking down to the ground and adjusting his glasses, Willow ’s eyes big and round as she gawked at her friend and the vampire holding her hand.  Xander was still doing the mouth flapping routine, and didn’t seem likely to come back to sanity any time soon.

 

Buffy squeezed Spike’s hand for reassurance, and he tugged her closer to his side.   Nobody spoke and it was beginning to get awkward. 

 

“Guys – don’t you have anything to say?”

 

Xander finally snapped his jaws shut, immediately opening them again to babble at Buffy.  “Buff!  You’re…you…but not…and with the…get thee behind me!” 

 

Buffy was puzzled by Xander’s ad hoc hand gesture.  His index fingers were crossed before his face, his arms held out rigid from his body.  As Buffy and Spike tilted their heads in perfect synchronisation, Xander flailed his arms about, shook his hands and shoved them in front of her face again. 

 

Genuinely bemused, Buffy grabbed one of Xander’s hands in her own, shaking it vigorously.   Xander leaped backwards in panic, trying to snatch his hands out of the danger zone and staring at his friend, his bravado having gotten up and gone. 

 

“You got cramp?”  Buffy asked, not really noticing the way that Xander recoiled from her.

 

Giles’ voice faltered as he did what he had to do.  “Let go of him, vampire.”

 

“Huh?” It took Buffy a second or two to realise that her watcher was talking to her.  She was shaken by the cold, detached tone he was using – like he was speaking to a killer, a demon.

 

He was.  He was speaking to her.

 

“Giles, I…” Buffy took a few steps away from Xander and towards Giles and Willow , unsure what to say.  Giles tightened his grip on the stake in his left hand, the point sharp and aimed right at Buffy’s heart. 

 

It was then that Spike stepped in front of her, a warning growl rumbling as he faced the man who had Buffy’s emotions in such turmoil.  He’d had enough playing nice, but for Buffy’s sake he’d give her friends one final chance before he let the demon loose, although he was powerless to stop his features changing back to ridged again.

 

“Listen you git, she’s not come here to hurt you losers.  She’s come to say goodbye - not that you deserve it.  If it was up to me I’d tear the throats out of the lot of you, but Buffy’s what’s important.  So…play nice and let my girl say her piece, or I’ll forget I was brought up a gentleman.”

 

There was a standoff between the two Brits, the taller dark haired – and seemingly older – man staring icily at the blond, unfazed by the fangs and the forehead that filled his vision.  Except for the racing heartbeat and stench of fear that had Buffy’s nostrils flaring in appreciation, Giles seemed completely at ease.

 

Buffy shook her head to clear it; her mouth was watering, her vision sharp in the dim light, eyes focused on the rapidly beating pulse at her Watcher’s throat.  Hunger raced through her body, her stomach giving a growl that broke the male posturing as it echoed off the sepulchral stones that surrounded them.

 

“Oops…pardon me!  I’m kinda peckish, I guess…” Buffy lisped around the fangs that had elongated at the enticing scent.  She shot her hand up to cover her mouth as Willow whimpered and clung to Xander’s arm, her face a mask of horror.  “No, Willow – I didn’t mean…Spike?”

 

Spike took two long strides to her side, wrapping his arms around her and murmuring softly into her hair.  Her plaintive mewl had cut him to the bone, his only thought to comfort her as she hurt.  He guessed that she hadn’t reckoned on her friends seeing her as an evil killer.  She was trembling in his embrace, and he was a gnat’s dick away from just offing the lot of them and whisking her off to her new life.

 

Until he caught sight of her huge, hazel eyes, the plea unspoken but strident nonetheless.  She was trying so hard for them, too hard, battling down the demon to at least look like their friend, despite the effort he knew it cost her.  Spike’s thumbs caressed her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had started to pool there, losing his own ridges and nodding slightly, a tender smile on his face.

 

Willow was now beyond puzzled; she’d watched the interplay between her best friend…former best friend…and the monster at her side, and none of it screamed ‘vampire’ at her.  The way he’d looked at Buffy, the tenderness with which he’d embraced her – what happened to vampires being evil, undead things who wanted nothing more than to rip out your throat and drink from your brainstem?  Did he have a soul?  Was he like Angel?

 

Xander shifted uncomfortably as Buffy rested her forehead on Spike’s and gifted him with a soft kiss.  He couldn’t help the jealousy that flared, hating himself for envying a disgusting vampire, and cringing as he admitted that even like this, he still wanted Buffy. 

 

Giles snapped out of his self-induced stupor and cleared his throat.  This would go on all night unless he did something about it.  And there was only one thing that he could do.  Wasn’t there?

 

Buffy turned once more to face her Watcher, waiting for him to speak, trying to ignore the seething vampire at her side.  She was forcing herself to appear calm, but the urge to rend flesh and get rid of the threat the three posed was almost overwhelming.  Willow and Xander looked at her almost innocently, but Giles – he knew.  He knew exactly what she was now, and what he had to do.

 

It was up to her to convince him otherwise, explain that she would fight her new nature and have Spike do the same, leave Sunnydale.  She couldn’t promise to carry on the battle against evil because simply fighting herself would be hard enough, but she could promise to try.

 

“Ahm…Buffy.  And…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

 

Spike tilted his head, scratched lazily at his chest with his free hand.  “Didn’t throw it, mate.  But, since you ask – it’s Spike.”

 

Xander squealed as Giles took a step backwards, right onto his sneaker-encased foot, Xander similarly jumping and treading all over Willow ’s delicate pink shoes.  In the ensuing scuffle to right themselves, the crucifix flew out of Giles’ hand and he had to scrabble around among the tombstones before finding it and awkwardly resuming his defensive stance. 

 

Spike’s rumbling chuckle focused attention again.  He was obviously amused.  “Heard of me, then, Watcher?  It’s all true, and then some.  Wanna demo?  Toss me one of your spares and I’ll flash the fangs.  Oof!”  He frowned as Buffy elbowed him in his side, rolling his eyes but shrugging to acknowledge her request to play nice.

 

“Giles?  Do you know Spike?”  Buffy’s voice was small, a trifle uncertain.  Giles’ reaction had been a little vigorous, and she was curious to find out exactly what had made him freak out so much.  Looked like her new beau was a celebrity, of sorts.  It was scary, but kind of cool.  Like going out with the bad boy at school.

 

“Your new…friend … is quite infamous, Buffy.  Spike, otherwise known as William the Bloody, sired by Drusilla who in turn was sired by Angel and…”

 

“Angel!”  Buffy whipped her head round to stare at Spike who stared back at her, puzzled by her screech of his grandsire’s name.  “I thought you mentioned him before, but with everything…you know Angel?”

 

Spike nodded, holding Buffy’s gaze.  “Yeah, love, I do.  Question is how do you know him?”

 

“I…we…we were…we’re friends.”  Spike snarled, vampire again, eyes flaring golden with jealousy.  Buffy’s few words had inflamed him, and he had to know exactly how friendly his mate and his erstwhile mentor had been. 

 

Willow , Xander and Giles stood and stared, the angst palpable between the two vampires.  It was totally compelling.  Like a reality TV show that you just couldn’t stop watching no matter how dreadful the subject matter.  Suddenly, Willow gasped, remembering what they’d all forgotten since the horrific happenings of the night before – Angel didn’t know about Buffy.

 

But he wasn’t usually too far away from her side…

 

TBC….