A/N : Of all the characters that needed killing, Riley seems to be top of most people's lists! I very much like Marc Blucas as an actor, but the character of Riley - always hated him! So here we have my take on how he might have got vamped. Hope you like it!
Rating : PG-13
Summary : When Riley allows the vampire Sandy to bite him, just to see how it feels, things don't exactly go according to his plan...
Disclaimer : Joss owns all the characters, and some of the first scene of this is based on the Season 5 episode 'Shadow' written by David Fury.
Revamped : Riley
"I knew when I saw you, you were going to be... interesting" Sandy smiled as she led Riley into a dark room. They were just down the street from Willy's where the Commando and the vampire had first met a couple of weeks ago. Although he'd shut her down then, told her he didn't go out with vampires, Sandy had persisted, knowing regular humans didn't tend to hang out in such a seedy demon dive without a reason.
Riley knew on some level he was being an idiot but he needed to do this if he was ever going to understand Buffy. She was stronger than him, more skilled at fighting, and better at all the things he was proud of himself for being able to do so well. It wasn't easy, but he could accept all that, the Slayer power, it was the vampire aspect that messed with his head.
Buffy's first love had been a vampire, one with a soul but still a dark and mysterious formerly-evil guy that had charmed her, taken her innocence, and later drank from her. That was the part Riley couldn't understand. It wasn't as if he was a virgin when he met Buffy, he had a first love and a first time too, it was the vampire biting he wanted to understand. Why was his girlfriend so attracted to the undead? What could they do for her that he couldn't?
He wanted to know, understand, feel that thing that she seemed to need. It wasn't just about Angel, she'd let Dracula bite her too and so now he was going to let this demon-woman have a taste of him, to find out what he was missing.
Sandy smiled up at him as she ran her hands over his chest, pushing his jacket aside. She leaned in to kiss his neck, slipping into vamp face a moment later and looking at Riley, waiting for him to make the move. A little apprehensive but determined to go through with it he tilted his head to one side, exposing his neck, and Sandy moved in again, fangs sinking into flesh as she fed from him.
The initial pain made Riley jerk away, but he found he could relax after a while. She had a hunger for him like no other woman ever had, not even Buffy. It was the strangest feeling, somewhere between the ill feeling of pain and nausea and the thrill of holding someone close and losing yourself in what they were doing to you.
Riley realised that a few moments more and he'd be too lost to find himself again. He pulled the stake from his pocket and shifted his body trying to aim it at Sandy's heart. He missed, piercing her shoulder instead, and though she flinched at the attack, she continued to drink. She'd half-guessed what was coming, she wasn't as stupid as this boy thought she was.
As his heart rate slowed to near non-existence, Sandy let up her grip and Riley slid down to the floor, eyes flickering as he attempted to keep consciousness and found it near impossible.
"You should know better than to play with vampires, Riley" she smiled as she pulled the stake from her shoulder and threw it away. The wound oozed blood as she knelt before the young man who had no choice but to stay where he was.
Sandy smirked as she took his head in her hands and pulled him to her. As soon as his lips touched her bloodied skin he began to drink as she knew he would, as she had planned. It wasn't by chance she'd met the Slayer's boyfriend at that bar. She'd heard rumours he was there a lot lately and what better way to hurt the killer of her kind, Sandy thought, that bring her boyfriend onto the opposite side of the war.
"Riley?" Buffy was surprised to see him on the other side of the front door when she opened it, "Where have you been, it's been days?" she asked, almost angrily, "I had my Mom and Dawn and everything and I kept calling, you were never home..." she stopped abruptly when she realised he looked pale and not at all himself, "Is something wrong?" she checked.
"Maybe" Riley told her with a nod, "Can I come in?"
"Of course you can come in" Buffy shook her head, moving to let him past, "You want to tell me what's going on with you?" she asked as they sat down on the couch together.
"It's nothing really" he said, shifting almost nervously, though it was all an act, "I guess you could say I've made some changes in my life"
"Changes?" Buffy frowned, not liking where this was going, "Riley, is this your way of saying we're over?" she checked, "Cos lousy timing much?"
"No, Buffy" Riley shook his head, putting a hand on arm her where the sleeve covered it, "I want you just as much as I ever did" he promised, turning to pull her into his arms and hold her tight. She should've sensed it as his face shifted into that of the demon as his chin rested on her shoulder, but Buffy was just so tired lately, so unable to cope, and her boyfriends absence hadn't helped either. It felt good to be held like this again, at least it did until she suddenly felt the changes he'd been telling her about.
Riley's fangs pierced her neck, his mouth clamping onto her as he began to drain her life's blood. Buffy gasped when she realised what was happening and forced her boyfriend away with all her Slayer strength. He fell back against the cushions of the couch as she scrambled to her feet, tears forming in her eyes as she got into a fighting stance.
"How did this happen?" she asked, looking pained.
Riley just laughed.
"Come on, Buffy" he grinned, "Don't tell me this isn't what you wanted"
"No, I didn't" the Slayer shook her head, desperate to hang onto her consciousness as blood continued to run from the wound at her neck, "I never wanted this for you. I'm so sorry, Riley" she cried, but he still looked amused.
"I'm not" he told her, getting to his feet, "I feel even better now than when I was the Initiative's project" he told her.
"You don't look it" said a voice from the doorway and Buffy turned to see Spike standing there with Dawn beside him, "Nibblet, get upstairs" he said and the girl did as she was told without hesitation.
"Spike..." Buffy gasped, her hand going to her neck as her knees finally buckled. The bleached blond shot across the room, pushed Riley aside and picked the Slayer up in his arms.
"You stupid bugger" he sneered at Riley, "So much for loving her, eh? First chance you get you try to off her"
"It's not like you didn't try it and fail over and over" Riley reminded him, "Two days since I became what I am and I've ended a Slayer. That beats even your record"
"She's not dead, you half-wit" Spike rolled his eyes, "And you better pray to the Powers That Be that this doesn't cause her any real damage either"
"I knew you wanted her" Riley laughed, "She was so blind she didn't notice but I knew"
"Yeah, well" Spike moved to walk around Riley, at the last second dropping Buffy into the arm chair, spinning around and taking the stake from inside his coat, getting Riley clean through the heart. Spike didn't even wait for the dust to hit the carpet, just called for Dawn to get her butt down the stairs. They had to get Buffy to the hospital as soon as possible, and hope she'd be okay after yet another ordeal with a vampiric boyfriend.
The End
A/N2 : Yeah, I couldn't resist killing Riley off completely by the end, and of course putting a Spuffy twist into this. Reviews would be very much appreciated at this point, please.
