Chapter 16


He was sore, but comfortable. His love was lying soft in his arms, her thick blonde mane caressing his torso like satin.

How he loved this woman.

Most of the wounds had healed now, but the more stubborn writing on his chest was taking its time to fade. Two days and three nights he had lain in her bed while she tended him. Mugs of wonderful warm blood seemed to appear from nowhere and he had drunk them down like a starving man.

Careful sips of her nourishing slayer blood had helped him heal in record time. Many times they had renewed the claim, not always biting over the marks on their necks. The inside of his love’s thighs were covered with his toothed kisses; and his ass cheeks felt slightly tender from her bites. She was no vampire, that was true, and to mark him she had had to tear his flesh. He did not care, her scars he would bear with pride.

Staring up at the darkened ceiling from the comfort of her bed, he pulled her closer to him as his thoughts turned to the problem of Giles. The man seriously thought his father had been turned by him, and he didn’t know how to disprove it. The Council of Wankers would know the truth, but they were unlikely to help him.

He lay in state of contemplation for some time. His body lay still as death while his mind worked overtime trying to find an answer to the riddle of Giles’ father’s death. Why would the Council do this to him when he had worked so hard on their behalf? Yes, he had retired from their active service, but he still killed demons on his travels. They should be bloody grateful for all he had done, not try to stop him helping Buffy.

It struck him then why they had done it. The Council wanted her dead, and this had been their last hope. They had thrown everything at her from the First to a Hell God and she had survived it all. Her rebellious nature had become too much for them, and they had been willing to sacrifice her family for their ends.

In all his years as a vampire, he had believed them to be fools corrupted by the power they had over a slip of a girl. Suddenly he saw them with clear eyes. They had waited years for her to fall and replace her with a more biddable champion, but she had outlived all slayers before her.

The best slayer they had ever had, and now they wanted to kill her. Why was he surprised? They had tried to kill on her 18th birthday and she had beaten them, even without her powers.

They had been very clever this time. The Council would have known of the prophecy for years and would have been happy to wait to see what life would throw at her. If she was still alive when the Blood Red Moon was high over Sunnydale, they would let it take its course. If she had already been dead, they would have stopped the demons before the prophecy could take effect.

The bastards had played everyone at their own game. They had known that Dawn would contact him, and just what his reaction would be. Telling Giles that he had killed and turned his father had been their Ace card. Knowing he would return to Sunnydale to try and save his Nibblet, they had poisoned Giles against him.

Their plan had been almost perfect, except that the demons had been defeated, and the slayer and her family were safe.

For now.

By now the Council would know they had failed. He had to wake her up; they had to plan how to stop them coming after her again.

Short of blowing up their London offices, he could think of nothing to help them. Angel would be of little use, and Giles was too far gone in his hatred to even contemplate asking him for help.

Their only hope was trying to convince Giles that he was wrong. He wondered if that were possible.

His thoughts were so deep he didn’t notice her stir at his side. Sleepily a small hand made its way slowly down his chest to tangle in the harsh curls covering his sex. Spike’s dick started to come to life and his thoughts turned from their dilemma to her soft hand now circling him. Kissing her softly on the top of her head, he gently disentangled her hand.

Confused at his actions, Buffy raised her head slightly to look at him. She pouted up at him in disappointment as he raised her hand to his lips to kiss her fingers.

“As much as I like you kissing my hand Spike, it really wants to play” she mumbled sleepily at him.

Laughing softly at her comment, he bent his head and kissed her soundly.

“I know, pet” he murmured softly against her lips. “But we have to get up and get dressed.”

When her lips became a full blown pout, he couldn’t resist kissing her again. Her free hand tangled in his hair as she held his mouth against hers. On and on the kiss continued, tongues and teeth battling for dominance. When Spike knew she needed to breathe, he gently moved his mouth to nibble at his mark on her neck.

Her arousal perfumed around him. Fighting his own urges was one of the hardest things he had ever done, but they needed to fix the Council. As her little kitten mewls reached his ears, he was lost.

The battle with the Council could wait another half hour or so.

###


While Spike had been healing, Joyce and Clem had been busy. They had confirmed that the Council was behind the lies fed to Giles, but they were unsure how to fix it. Giles was still almost mad with thoughts of revenge, and Joyce was starting to worry that the Watcher had become a bigger threat than anything they had ever faced before.

The Scoobies had kept in touch, especially Willow. She had called almost every few hours hoping she could talk to Buffy, but without success. Buffy wasn’t ready to talk to any of her friends just now, and Joyce had done a great job of heading them off. It was unfortunate, but Willow had almost turned against her and would take a long time for Buffy to cope with her betrayal.

Sitting calmly at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee held between her hands, Joyce came to a decision. The Scoobies had rallied to Buffy’s aid eventually, now it was time they were more pro-active. Rising from the stool with resolution in her eyes, Joyce made her way to the phone.

Time for a Scooby meeting.

###

Replete from their latest bout of love-making, Spike and Buffy whispered together in the darkness. Telling his mate of his reasoning behind the Council’s plot to kill her was harder than he thought. She had looked on Giles as a father for years, and now he had turned against her because of him. He wondered if she had any regrets about what they might have to do.

“If it came to a battle between you and Giles, Spike, I will be on your side.”

Lightly he kissed her on the forehead. “I know luv, but I can’t just kill him. I have a soul now, sweetheart; the guilt would hurt me as good as any stake.”

“Maybe we can think of a way to convince him you didn’t do it?”

Lifting his scarred eyebrow, he didn’t feel the need to reply.

Turning her head into his chest, her grip tightened on his body. “I can’t lose you, Spike. We’ve been through too much together and I won’t let you leave me again.”

“Now pet” he whispered against her temple. “No need to talk like that. You won’t ever be able to get rid of me, Buffy.”

Turning soft green eyes upwards, she smiled at his confidence. This vampire, creature of the night, loved her with everything he had. He would never let her go.

“Let’s get up, Buffy. We need to get some sort of plan together and I can’t think straight with an armful of naked slayer.”

Swatting him playfully on the chest, she kissed him softly on the lips. “Okay, vampire. Let’s hit the shower and get dressed.”

Smirking down at the woman in his arms, Spike spoke softly in the quiet of the room. “You go first, luv. There is no way either of us will get clean if we end up in the shower together.”

When she pouted her disappointment, Spike gently swatted her backside. “Don’t gimme that lip, luv. I’m immune to it by now.”

Rising slowly from the circle of his arms, Buffy rose from the bed and stretched her body. She was glorious in her nudity, and Spike could feel himself start to rise to the occasion. Talking sternly to himself, he managed to control the urge to pull her back into bed.

“You do know I’ll use all the hot water so maybe you would be best to share it with me.”

“Minx,” came the answer from the bed. “Move your arse into that shower woman before I pull you back under the covers.”

“Promises, Promises” she replied lightly as she made her way to the shower.

As the door closed behind her, Spike let the smile fall from his lips. They had a lot to do, and not much time if his instincts were right. The Council would already be planning her demise.

They had to fix this.

###

Clean and dressed, the vampire and his slayer made their way downstairs. When they caught sight of the people sitting around Joyce’s lounge, the stopped dead and stared. All the Scoobies were sitting there calmly waiting on them, Joyce sitting in the centre of the sofa like a judge presiding over a court.

On either side sat Willow and Dawn. Tara had made herself comfortable at her lover’s feet, and Anya had perched herself on Xander’s knee on one of the chairs. The opposite chair was free, and the couple made their way to it slowly. They were still in shock at the presence of everyone in the room.

Once seated, Spike pulled Buffy down to his lap and cuddled her close. Her head fell naturally to his shoulder, and his arms wrapped her tightly to him. Blue eyes, alert to any danger to his mate, scanned the people in the room.

“And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” His voice encompassed them all.

Every eye in the room turned towards his voice. He noticed that they looked at him and then dropped their eyes. Guilt was a terrible feeling.

Joyce was determined to be the one who spoke first. “Spike, Clem has done some research and we now know that the Council are responsible for feeding those lies to Giles.”

Spike smiled softly over the top of Buffy’s head at Joyce. “I had already worked that one out Joyce, and I worked out why.”

All eyes once again turned towards him in eagerness. He could see their anticipation in their body language as they shifted positions to look at him. Without thought, he tightened his arms around Buffy as he told them his theory.

Twenty minutes later he watched them closely as they listened to his theories and explanations. Heads slowly nodded as if sense prevailed, and he noticed Willow had tears in her eyes.

Choking back her tears, Willow’s eyes turned to Buffy. “We almost helped them, Buffy. We listened to Giles before you, and we almost helped them kill you.”

Buffy could not speak and simply nodded. Her feelings were still too raw, but she tried to understand her friend’s actions. Maybe one day she would forgive them completely, but not just yet.

Looking directly at Spike, Joyce could not help but ask. “How do we deal with this, Spike?”

“Wish to hell I knew, Joyce” he answered. “I know what I want to do, and that’s get myself over the pond and kill every single one of the bastards.”

“Might not be a good idea,” Joyce smiled at him. “First I think we need to make a few phone calls to Angel and some of Clem’s friends.”

Bristling at the sound of the poof’s name, Spike narrowed his eyes. “Don’t see why we need Peaches for anything, Joyce.”

“Angel is the only one who can get through to Giles. He won’t listen to me or anyone else in this room, so we have no alternative but to ask for his help.”

Seeing the sense of her argument, Spike backed down. He really didn’t want to involve Peaches, but in this case he couldn’t see another way out. If the poof could convince Giles that the Council were feeding him bullshit, then maybe they had a chance of getting them off their backs.

Resigned to the fact that they had no choice, Spike sighed before he answered.

“Make the call, Joyce.”

Buffy had not moved from his lap, but she decided it was time she took action. Rising to a sitting position, she turned her body slightly to look him in the eye.

“I think I should call him, Spike.”

When she saw the jealousy he couldn’t hide creep into his eyes, she smiled. “There is nothing he could ever say that would take me away from you, Spike. I need to explain this to him myself.”

The look in his eyes did not diminish as she spoke to him.

“You said yourself he was happy in L.A. playing happy families with Cordy. He doesn’t want me any more, but he will be a friend to us.”

Although he could see the wisdom of her words, it did not stop the jealousy inside. She could feel his passion through the claim, and part of her felt good that he loved her so much.

“Come on, Spike. We’ll call him together.”

Rising from the chair, the couple made their way to the kitchen to make the call.

###

Angel arrived the following night, Cordelia and Conner in tow. He was surprised he needed an invitation into Buffy’s home, but Spike was glad to see him push against the barrier. His invitation had never been revoked, and it made him love Buffy just that little bit more.

Buffy could feel his pleasure through the claim, and she smiled at him. Smiling back, his eyes were full of promise of how he would reward her for blocking Angel once they were alone.

Once seated in the lounge, Angel asked for all the facts. Once Spike explained everything that had happened, and he was surprised that Angel agreed with his theory so quickly.

Standing up, Angel made for the door. “I’ll go and talk to Giles now.”

Spike walked up to him and shook his hand. “Thanks for doing this for us, Peaches.”

Angel’s eyes narrowed at the hated nickname. “I’m not doing it for you boy; I’m doing this for Buffy.”

Smiling at his grand-sire, Spike quickly replied. “I know, Angel.”

A look of understanding passed between them. Angel knew his Buffy had moved on, but so had he. There would always be some affection between them, but she was Spike’s woman now.

Nodding quickly, Angel made his way out the door.

###


Giles was pacing the floor of his apartment when Angel knocked at the door. He had been trying to think of a way to kill Spike once and for all, but ideas were not thick on the ground. Stopping in his tracks, he stared at the door for a few seconds before he made a move to answer.

Opening the door wide, his eyes rounded in disbelief at the sight of Angel standing on the threshold. A sense of comradeship passed through him. The vampire at his door hated Spike as much as he did; maybe he would know a way to kill him.

Angel quietly entered the room and sat down. Giles fussed around him offering him whisky, tea, blood….anything to keep the vampire sweet.

Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, Angel refused all offers of hospitality. He had a job to do, and he really wanted to get back to L.A. tonight. His son was his main priority now, and he didn’t want him anywhere near the hellmouth for long periods of time.

Finally Giles settled down on the chair next to the bookcase and stared at Angel.

“Why are you here?” he finally asked.

“I think you know why, Giles.”

“If you’ve come here to plead for Spike, then you can just leave. That bastard turned my father and I want him dead.”

Sighing, Angel slowly dropped his eyes to his feet. This was not going to be easy, but he had to try. The Council had done their job well.

Finally looking up, Angel was determined to convince the Watcher. “Spike didn’t kill your father, Giles.”

Standing up quickly from his chair, the watcher started to pace. “You don’t like Spike, Angel, so why are you lying for him?”

“I’m not lying, Giles. Please sit down and I’ll tell you a story.”

Stopping his pacing, Giles stared down at the vampire before him. He could see no threat in his eyes, only concern. Maybe he would listen to what he had to say. Sitting back down on the chair, Giles nodded his head and waited for Angel to continue.

In few words, Angel explained Spike’s theory. He also explained how Spike had not been in England when Giles Senior had been turned. Drusilla was his favoured childe; no matter where she and Spike had wandered on earth, he always knew where she was.

Giles had said nothing while Angel spoke. When the vampire had finished, he rose from his chair and poured himself a large whiskey. Finally turning back to Angel, he noticed he was fidgeting.

“You know who turned him don’t you Angel?” he asked quietly.

Angel dropped his head between his hands and sighed. He was not looking forward to telling Giles the truth, but the man deserved to know.

“Yes Giles, I know who killed him.”

Staring hard at the watcher, Angel smiled slightly before he spoke.

“The turning of a watcher is almost as good as killing a slayer. The vampire world in England dined for days on tales of his turning. The vampire who did it was revered and feted wherever he went. He lived on his accomplishment for years.”

Giles stared back at Angel in disbelief. His father’s death had been an accomplishment for some soulless being while he had grieved for years over having to kill him. Disgust at the whole vampire brotherhood swept through him.

“How do you know this, Angel?” Giles hissed between his teeth.

Throwing his body back against the watcher’s couch, Angel stretched his legs and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“I know because it was one of my childer that killed him.”

“But you only ever sired Drusilla, so was it her?” Giles demanded.

Angel finally looked the watcher in the eye. “I sired two others, Giles. You just never heard of them.”

“Who killed my father, Angel?” Giles asked; his voice quiet with restraint.

Sighing, Angel knew that he had to tell the truth. “It was a vampire called Penn.”

Giles could hardly believe the words Angel spoke. Here sat before him was one of the most documented vampires on the planet, yet it was thought he had only sired one childe. Minions didn’t count in the great scheme of things. Their purpose was to work for the clan and know their place. A childe was different, they were sired to succeed.

Who was this Penn, and more importantly, was he still around.

“Where is he now, Angel?”

“I killed him a couple of years ago.”

Seeing the look of disbelief in the watcher’s eyes, Angel felt a sadness creep over him.

“Penn came to L.A. a few years back to torment me. He was a Quaker preacher when I turned him, and at first he loved the blood and the mayhem. After a few years he went mad and I forced him to leave. One mad vampire in the group is more than enough, and Drusilla was useful from time to time.”

Slowly rocking back and forth in his chair, Giles tried to comprehend all that Angel had told him. So far he had found out that the vampire who killed his father was dead, and that the Council had tried to indirectly kill Buffy.

God, what a mess!!

“How am I going to put this right, Angel?” Giles asked.

“I don’t know, Giles” Angel replied. “I do know that Buffy and Spike are mated and intend to stay that way.” Seeing the disgust on the watcher’s face, Angel was determined to make him see sense. “They’re happy Giles. Accept it and move on.”

Distressed as he was, Giles relied on the familiar. “There has never been a known case of a slayer mating with a vampire. We don’t know what the repercussions of this might be.”

Relying on an old cliché, Angel snorted as he spoke. “There’s a first time for everything, Giles. You might make you name by being the first to record their life together.”

Angel watched Giles eyes light up with interest. What was meant to be a throwaway comment had actually turned the tide in Spike and Buffy’s favour. The thought of documenting a slayer/vampire mating definitely had its appeal for the watcher.

Angel saw the flaw in the watcher’s enthusiasm immediately. If the Council were determined to kill Buffy, then the fun had just begun. A sudden thought struck him, and he had to voice it.

“Giles, can a slayer retire?”

Staring at Angel, Giles immediately warmed to the theme. He had heard of it happening before, but he would need to consult the books to make sure. Nodding his head in agreement, he stood and started to scour his bookcase. Knowing that this would take some time, he asked Angel to leave and inform Buffy and Spike of his change of heart and what he was trying to do to help them.

With a much lighter heart and an even clearer conscience, Angel left and headed for Revello Drive.

###

His return was highly anticipated. He had been gone for a long time, and both Buffy and Spike had started to worry. What if Angel didn’t manage to convince him?

Where did they stand with the Council then?

Angel walked quietly through the Summers’ door and smiled at the group waiting for him. When his eyes scanned the room and found Cordelia cradling his son lovingly, he knew he had been right to intervene. All his instincts had told him to let Spike suffer, but his sense of family was too strong.

His grand-childe deserved some happiness.

Quietly and succinctly he told them of what had happened at Giles’ apartment. He told them of Penn and his part in the drama, and he told them that Giles was searching for a way for Buffy to retire.

Through the claim, Spike could feel her distress. He couldn’t understand it. Surely she could see that if she was no longer the slayer they could live happily together. While the others congratulated Angel on his work, Spike led Buffy quietly into the kitchen.

“Tell me what’s wrong, pet” he asked; his concern evident in his voice.

Buffy looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes. “You love me BECAUSE I’m the slayer, Spike. If they take that away from me you might not love me anymore.”

Pulling her swiftly into his arms, Spike started to kiss her hair. “I will never stop loving you, sweetheart. I don’t care if you’re the slayer or a bag lady, you’re mine and you always will be.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. She loved this man, but she knew that part of him loved her strength. If they took that away, what would she be? She had never known anything but being the slayer, it was part of who she was.

He felt her uncertainty rise with each passing moment. His mate was in pain at the thought that he would stop loving her, but she needn’t have these doubts. He would love her with his last breath, and nothing would change that.

“Let’s not think about that now, pet” he soothed. “Let’s just take each day as it comes and move to Iceland. We’ll take your mum and the Nibblet with us, sweetheart. No one will bother us ever again.”

Soothed by his words, some of her panic subsided. She could feel the strength of his feelings through the claim, and she wondered if anyone could love as her vampire loved.

Totally, completely and forever.

“I’d like to move away from a hellmouth, Spike”

Relief ran through him at her words. She was willing to move to the other side of the world to be with him, and he was determined they leave soon. He would get her away from this if it finally killed him.

###

Back in Giles’ apartment, the telephone line to Council Headquarters ran hot with accusation. Travers had confirmed the Council plan to control Giles and Spike, and the reasoning behind it. Afraid that he would take the first available flight to London and kill Travers himself, he asked about slayer retirement.

There was a few seconds of silence on the London end of the phone line before Travers spoke.

“Are you telling me that Buffy Summers is willing to be retired?”

Giles breathed in deeply before he replied. “I have checked the books and I know it can be done.”

“It can be done Giles, but there have to be special circumstances before the Council will allow it.”

Taking the bull by the horns, Giles knew exactly what circumstances to use.

“She is mated to William the Bloody.” He said no more, just waited on the response.

It did not take long.

“Perform the ritual Giles. If you checked up on this, then you know what you have to do. You have two powerful witches working in Sunnydale, use them.”

Nodding silently into the telephone, Giles realised how stupid his actions looked. “The moon has waned now Travers, so I can’t do anything for a few weeks.” Suddenly Ripper came to the fore. “If anything happens to Buffy or Spike before I perform the ritual, I will come looking for you.”

A haughty laughed trickled down the phone line. “I have no doubt of that, Rupert. The Council will activate the next potential by tomorrow and send her to you by the end of the week.”

Smiling to himself, Giles knew he had won. Before he could start to congratulate himself, he heard Travers’ voice.

“The Council do not want another Buffy Summers, Giles. Train this one as she should be trained and hellmouth will be safe.”

Giles smiled as he replied.

“There will never be another Buffy Summers.”



THE END