Chapter 13: Consequences

Buffy's house, Saturday, 10 am.

Buffy repeated quietly as she looked down to studying Spike's face, "I'm claimed….by you…"

Spike nodded worried about her reaction. So far the reaction seemed to be total shock but he wasn't sure it would last. She questioned, "Is it permanent?"

Spike nodded again watching her face for her reaction but instead it reminded him of the blank stare she had given him before she broke up with him. He panicked not wanting that to happen again and he put her hands on her shoulders and shook her gently and she glared at him, "What? I'm trying to process this. You can't just tell me I'm claimed and expect me to know what it means and how it works? Does this mean I'm going to need blood? Am I going to turn into a vampire? Will I lose my soul? Am I even still me? Will this kill me? Will it kill you? What will happen to us? Is it obvious to others?"

Spike shook her again and she pushed his hands off annoyed, "Answer me dammit!"

She lifted her hand to strike his nose but he grabbed it quickly and held it in his hand taking her other one as he lifted himself up to sit in the chair pulling it across from her. He took a deep breath longing for a cigarette but knowing he couldn't have one in the house. She sighed, "Answer me?"

He nodded, "Just give me a minute. I don't even know some of your answers. I only learned based on reading and books. The Council had some of this stuff on file and we won't even talk about what happened to the slayers who were claimed."

Buffy's eyes got big, "Slayers die when claimed?"

Spike lifted one of his hands towards her face and she flinched. He ran that hand through his hair instead, "The Council killed them pet. And by killing them, they killed the vampire too. Or in some cases, they killed the vampire knowing the slayer would die as well. It wasn't a pretty picture. There was one case though that survived but the slayer was turned into a vampire by her mate and therefore off their radar."

Buffy frowned, "I don't want to be turned into a vampire. I want to stay who I am. Will this change me?"

Spike shrugged, "Honestly luv, I don't know that one. I'm thinking no. It's only partial anyway. You belong to me. That means I have to protect you, care for you and you don't actually have to do any of that stuff for me. I could be dusted tomorrow and the only thing that you would notice, is that fancy little bite mark on your neck would disappear. You wouldn't feel anything and you wouldn't die."

Buffy frowned, "So if that's the case what's the point of a claim?"

Spike stood up releasing her hands to pace, "Well usually it's returned. It's planned and returned and a marriage of sorts only eternal."

Buffy stood up standing in front of him blocking his pacing, "So if I die, you die but if you die, I don't."

Spike nodded, "That about covers it luv."

Buffy sighed, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Spike frowned not liking that, "There might be a way to break it. It's only partial. You can tell your watcher and I'm sure if there's a way to break it, he will find it."

Buffy whispered, "Have you ever been claimed?"

Spike shook his head, "Nah. Never claimed anyone else either. Angelus would have kicked my ass if I had tried with Drusilla and it would have only been a false partial anyways because she was never mine and I knew it. Only thing I know about is sire bonding. All through our Aurelius line, we can feel each other's presence. Can't read each other's thoughts, or anything fun like that but we can at least know the others are alive. When one dies, we feel it. The closer the connection is to you, the more it burns."

Buffy didn't understand any of that and she just sighed, "So partial…there's a complete? "

Spike smiled as he looked past Buffy at the wall as though dreaming, "Where two people come together and mate while returning the sacred mine and yours with the exchange of blood and they become eternal mates forever bonded even in the afterlife."

He glanced down at Buffy as though remembering she was there, "If you believe in that sort of thing."

Buffy tucked that information in the back of her head asking, "Does this hurt or affect you? The fact that it's partial?"

Spike shrugged, "I don't rightly know. Never dealt with claims much. It's a forgotten tradition in the vampire world. Too many vampires were doing it for a while and dying as a result. Their mate wouldn't be fast enough to get away and they would die along with them. While it's a romantic notion, most vampires don't like the idea that they are stuck forever with one vampire and that their life span depends on their chosen mate."

Buffy didn't want to talk about it anymore, "Breakfast?"

Spike knew she was done talking about so he shouted, "Platelet, are you hungry? Want some pancakes?"

Dawn ran into the kitchen putting her box of cereal on the counter as she pulled herself up on it, "You making them? With whipped cream and strawberries? If so I'm in."

Buffy eyed Spike, "You can cook?"

Spike grinned, "Who do you think fed your lil sis while you were buried? I'll tell you, it wasn't the witches."

Dawn shook her head, "They were too busy in their own little world, going to movies, dances, parties, the bronze and other places to worry about my food supply or sleeping alone…"

Dawn trailed off seeing Buffy's surprised face and instead offered, "I'll set the table!"

Buffy watched as they appeared as though they were a family. Spike chattered to Dawn about her schoolwork while she set the table. He even let Buffy talk sometimes to make her feel more a part of it and she realized, she felt as though she belonged and was glad she wasn't dead. She was not alone after all.

Buffy's house, Saturday, 12 pm.

Tara knocked at the door since it was noon to pick up Dawn. No one answered but she did hear noises faintly coming from inside so she let herself in. She noticed it reminded her of the summer when Spike had lived there. All the window blinds were closed, and the windows that had no blinds were covered with blankets. What surprised her the most was the sight the living room offered. She couldn't help but smile at the perfect picture of a family that was before her. She saw Dawn sitting on the floor crossed legged watching a Star Wars movie with Spike's hand on her hair gently massaging her head.

Spike himself was lying on his back with Buffy curled up behind him laying her head on his chest while his other hand was woven through her hair playing with it. It looked like the perfect family portrait and before she could stop herself, she pulled out the camera she kept at the bottom of her purse and snapped a picture gaining all three people's attention. Spike glanced up at her, "Um, do I even show up?"

Tara grinned, "Sure do. Look!"

\She knelt down in front of the three showing them the image with a grin. Sure enough Spike was there in the perfect little image she had just seen and he grinned, "Wow, my hair is really blond."

Dawn clapped at the picture, "We have so got to have that developed and add it to the portraits in the living room and on the stairs."

Buffy said nothing but sat and stared at the picture in shock. It appeared to be a perfect family picture only she was playing the part of the parent and Spike as the husband and Dawn as the child. She shivered slightly as Spike wrapped his duster further around her thinking she was cold. She closed her eyes resettling herself on Spike's chest, as she shouted to Dawn who was standing up putting on her shoes, "Have fun!"

Dawn waved as Buffy reopened her eyes and then waved back. Spike glanced down at the tired looking Buffy and said, "I was about to suggest some fun but why don't we nap instead. I'm not totally used to daytime scheduling and you appear to be dead to the world. When is the next time you work?"

Buffy frowned, "Monday at 11. I have today and tomorrow off."

Spike smiled, "Good. Come on sleepy head."

Buffy shook her head refusing to move. She put her on best pouting face whispering, "Can't we just stay here and finish watching the movie? I'm comfy."

Spike chuckled and nodded moving his free hand to wrap around Buffy's wrist to pull it onto his chest where he rested his hand on it. He enjoyed the way the warmth seeped through his hand and the way she would curl her fingers as though trying to get as close to him as possible. He was exhausted and he heard Buffy snoring softly already and let the sound lure him to sleep.