- The demon in me -
by Kasumi
All the characters are owned by Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox and Mutant Enemy.
This fiction follows the events of "Daydream", which I suggest you read in order to understand prior events that lead to this tale.
Summary: Spike has something Buffy needs to stop her new enemy, and he is determined to take advantage of his position.
Placed during the fifth season, this story tells an alternative development of their relationship.
Buffy has to deal with her inner demon and with her mother illness.
Genre: What If, erotic, adventure, romance
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Sexual situations
Chapter 1
Clash again
(Author's note: Thanks to Carol and Puddinhead for their help to fix the chapter.)
"So, we've gotta prevent this rite from happening at any price?" Buffy asked, though she knew the answer.
"The prophecy says the destruction demon can be evoked only with these objects." Giles motioned at the pictures on the page, then started rubbing his glasses carefully with a piece of fabric.
"Can I have a better look?" Buffy snatched the book in front of him, trying to impress the pictures of the three very unique artifacts to her mind's eye.
The smell of mildew and dust filled her nostrils. The smell of old books. She had always wondered how her mentor could endure the hours he spent with that scent under his nose.
"They are all Egyptians, but come from different ages," Giles explained. "The first has just been stolen from British Museum. The second is supposed to be in a private collection of a bored and wealthy businessman, considering how we have lost track of it. And the third had passed through several hands, which we tracked, fortunately."
"Can the rite only take place if the three artifacts are together?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, of course. The three of them should be settled simultaneously at the corners of an imaginary equilateral triangle."
"So we need to find and destroy only one of them?"
"Well, yes, at the very least."
Buffy sighed and leaned back on the chair. "Who's the owner of the third? The artifact that has passed from hand to hand?"
The Watcher browsed the yellowed pages of the manuscript, scrolling his index finger over the text. "We found reliable signs of it around the thirteenth century BC-"
"I need the short version, please," Buffy begged.
The Watcher leafed through the pages, concentrating wholly on the text. His thin lips moved slightly, as he read a list of names and dates in a low voice. A group of parallel lines drew on his furrowed brow, interrupted only by the oblique line of an old scar.
His finger stopped in the middle of the page as he narrowed his eyes. "We have a trail in our century, in the chronicles of the master vampires Marcus and Kraven. It was stolen from the noble Viktor, who was killed by... uh!" A smile lit up his face.
"Please share with the class, Giles," Buffy said.
"We know the current owner very well." The man supplied with a smile.
Buffy hopped to her feet, her face full of determination. She leaned down on the table, pressing her hands against the wood. "Tell me who is he. Tell me whose ass I'm gonna kick."
Giles kept his face lowered on the book and looked at her over his glasses.
"Spike," he said.
A shiver spread through her body, shaking her very DNA. All of her firm determination faded in a second.
"Spike," she repeated in a whisper, widening her eyes.
Considering all of the men, vampires and demonic creatures of the world, why on earth did it have to be him?!
"I needn't remind you how he dashed off under our noses about a month ago, do I? Without the chip, moreover?" Giles asked.
She didn't let him run away under their noses. She deliberately distanced herself from him!
The memory of what had happened between them filled her suddenly, making her blush. She flinched at the thought of how he had unashamedly taken advantage of her while she was still unconscious. And how it could be definitely a rape if she hadn't let him use her body like that, believing it was just a dream.
God, she'd never found the courage to tell anyone about it
She had been so upset from the incident, but wasn't sure if she felt shame from the abuse or from the arousal and pleasure he'd given her. Her guilt had made her close her mind and her heart to Riley, ruining their relationship inexorably.
Since that night, she hadn't been able to be touched by a man. But, whenever she thought about what he'd done, she couldn't help but close her eyes and open her legs. She wondered why her body reacted in such treacherous ways.
"Damn!" she yelled.
"Calm down, Buffy. I have to say, fortunately, Spike is very easy to find, since he likes very much to be noticed."
"Let me pay a visit to Willy. I'll know where he's holed up in a jiffy and I have a hand to his throat by tomorrow night."
Giles pushed the rim of his glasses upon the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "Good. I'm counting on this. " He touched her shoulder reassuringly before heading to the book shelves.
Buffy lowered her face and realized just how tightly her fists were clenched. So tightly her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palms. Every muscle of her body was tense and ready to fight.
Because it was time to deal with him.
TBC