Service Unit

Chapter Thirty Six – Enjoyable

"That isn't Angelus."

Buffy turned from the door she'd just shut behind Dawn and looked at Spike. "Huh?"

"It's Liam."

"Again with the huh?"

Spike nodded at the chair that held a sheet-covered vampire. "That's Liam."

Buffy walked over and sat down. "Saying it again doesn't make the huh go away, Spike." She looked over at the chair. "Liam was his human name, so… he's human? How did that happen? When? He can't be human. If he was human I would've killed him when I hit him with that… thing."

"Oh, he's still a vampire." Spike sat back and ran his hands over his fuzzy head then motioned toward the chair with a sigh. "Liam is his humanity, such as it is, Angelus is the demon, and Angel is the soul. His behavior depends on which one of them is in control of the body. He's pretty much a textbook case of multiple personality syndrome."

"And right now Liam is in control? How do you know? He seems pretty Angelus-like to me."

"There's subtle differences between the two, but nothin' you'd notice if you'd never interacted with Liam. I spent my first couple of decades as a vampire dealin' with that twat."

"So he has his demon under control like you do?"

Spike snorted. "Not even close. See, my demon and I, while not exactly simpatico on a lot of things, managed to forge a… well… a workin' relationship, I guess. Sometimes I'm in control, sometimes it is, and which one is at the wheel depends on the situation. My demon usually only drives when I'm fightin'… or supremely brassed off… the rest of the time, I'm drivin'. Liam shackled his demon. Caged it. He uses its strength and knowledge, but it hasn't been at the wheel since Liam locked it up… except that one time."

"You mean in Sunnydale, after we… um… when his soul…"

"That was Angelus, through and through. When he first showed up, I thought somethin' was a bit off, but I didn't fully twig to it until he came up with the brilliant idea to send the whole world to Hell. Liam would never do that. He likes being top dog too much. In the demon world, vampires are pretty close to the bottom rung of the ladder because we're not pure demons, we're half-breeds, but Angelus apparently didn't realize that if he managed to send the world to Hell, he'd be a slave to pure demons, if not dusted outright. Not to mention that Liam's too much of a coward to tangle with a Slayer. He avoids them as much as possible. I'm the one who sought them out."

"So why did he come here? If he's a coward, then why is he chained up in my living room?"

"Because you had somethin' he wanted. Me. If he could've come up with some other way to get me away from you, he would've, I guarantee it. He once took us over 500 miles out of our way just to avoid a Slayer, but with the way I am… was… there's no way I'd be out on my own where he could snag me without havin' to deal with you."

"So where's his soul? Does he still have it?"

"Yeah, he's still got it. I can smell it on him, but it's… I don't know… suppressed somehow."

"So what do we do with him? Should we just dust him and get it over with? Keep him locked up?" She looked over at Liam then turned back to Spike and took his hand. "Do you want some payback for what he did to you?"

Spike's face turned stormy and he looked away. "I do. You have no idea how much. My demon is screamin' for retribution, but I can't do a bloody thing 'til we find some way to release the soul. And I can't send his worthless carcass to Hell 'til it's freed."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Why? If this is what he was like as a human, then he deserves to go to Hell. He's more evil than most of the demons I've fought and Hell is where evil people go when they die. At least that's how it's supposed to work."

Spike looked like he was debating with himself over something then he sighed and looked over at her. "Liam wasn't cursed with his soul. You're correct in your estimation of its worth, Buffy, and the gypsies had sussed it out as well, so they cursed him with the soul of his infant daughter. The one he killed before she'd even taken her first breath. But since she isn't the one who wronged me, it's not right that she should suffer for it. I can't exact vengeance on an innocent, Buffy, my soul forbids it, and my demon agrees with my soul on that point, so as long as her soul is there, my hands are tied."

Buffy sat in silence for a few minutes, carefully studying Spike's face, then she nodded. "Okay. So we free the soul. Check. Then what?"

"Then you go about your affairs and leave me to have a little 'quality' time with my grandsire."

"Leave you? I don't think so. I want in on this, too, Spike."

Spike shook his head, wearing a pained expression. "It's family business, Buffy. Vampires have rules… laws about retribution and who's allowed to seek it, and…" He trailed off, dropping his gaze to his knees.

"And what?"

He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "And I don't want you to see what my demon's going to do to him. I don't want you to remember those things when you look at me. What you've already witnessed is bad enough…" He motioned to where the couch had been. "What happened there, what you read in my binder… I don't want to add any more horrific items to your list. It's quite long enough."

Buffy nodded and reached out to grasp his hand. "Okay, Spike, I get that, but he hurt me, too. Doesn't that give me some retribution rights according to your vampire rules?"

Spike grimaced and dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry he did that to you, Buffy. I wish he hadn't degraded you like that."

Buffy huffed out an angry breath. "It didn't make me feel degraded, Spike; it pissed me off. And I want to let him know just how much."

Spike looked up at her. "All right, yeah, you've earned the right to dish some punishment, but when you're done… please, Buffy, I don't want you to see…"

"Okay, Spike, I'll do my thing then you can… do whatever." She squeezed his hand. "But if you need my help, I'll be there, I promise. And anything I see won't change my opinion of you or how I feel about you. Okay?" He nodded. "Okay. So, we'll keep him on ice until we figure out how to free the soul. And who knows? By that time, I might not be so pissed about what he did to me anymore and I won't need retribution." Spike glanced up at her and Buffy looked at him intently. "What he did to you, though… THAT will make me pissed-off-Buffy for a really long time." Spike opened his mouth like he was going to speak and Buffy held up a hand. "But it's yours to handle, and I'll stay out of the way and let you handle it."

Spike closed his mouth then nodded and said quietly, "Thank you, Buffy."

"You're welcome." She nodded toward the bedroom. "Okay, um… do you want to do the collar thing now since we're kind of in a holding pattern with the Liam thing?" Spike seemed to pull in on himself just a bit and Buffy slid closer, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. "It's okay, Spike. What do I need to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know, to be honest. I only had my collar changed once…"

Buffy grimaced. "Yeah, I read about it."

Spike continued in a near whisper, "And you can't do what my trainer did, being that you're female, so…"

She sat back, studying his face. "Can you tell me what you feel? I mean… what would make you see the necklace as a collar?"

Spike looked over at the small box sitting on the table, being careful to avoid Buffy's gaze. "My trainer was demonstrating his possession of me at the time, so… maybe do something that shows your possession? Liam's got a whip in his bag. You could order me to my knees and…"

Buffy shook her head fiercely. "I won't hurt you, Spike. I can't." She stood, pulling Spike up with her, then she picked up the jewelry box from the table. "We'll figure out something else. Come on."

They walked into the bedroom and stopped next to the bed, Spike's eyes widening as Buffy turned to face him. The bloody pad of blankets was gone and the bed was freshly made, the pillows all plumped and stacked artfully against the headboard. Buffy smiled. "Dawnie was awake when I came in to get the stones and she cleaned up for me…" Buffy paused, her face becoming thoughtful. "Without me asking her to… which usually means she wants something or she's done something." She shrugged. "Guess we'll see."

Spike smirked. "Probably has somethin' to do with her bloke. Tryin' to get in your good graces so you don't run him off."

Buffy laughed quietly. "Yeah, probably." She took the necklace out of the box and coiled it on the nightstand then turned to face Spike again. "Okay. Since anything that will cause you pain is out, what do we do to start?"

Spike tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, his smirk fading into an uncomfortable grimace. "Well… the first thing should probably be gettin' out of my kit. I need to be starkers for this."

Buffy reached out and grasped the hem of the t-shirt. "I'm over here in no-problem-with-naked-Spike-land. I like a naked Spike." She lifted the shirt over his head and tossed it at the hamper then divested him of his sweat pants. When he stood naked before her, she brushed her fingertips lightly across his low belly, smiling slightly when his skin twitched. She'd forgotten he was ticklish. "When did you take out the stitches?"

He looked down at her hand. "Shortly after I started dismantling the couch. They were pullin' every time I moved."

"Oh. Was it hard to get them out by yourself?"

"No. Found some scissors in the bag of medical gear. A few snips and they were done. Not the first time I've doctored myself, pet." He reached for her hand and squeezed. "I don't want to do this, either, Buffy… but… I need to."

Buffy nodded. "Right. No more stalling." She took a deep breath. "Okay, so now I have a naked Spike. What next? Should I get naked, too?"

Spike shook his head, his face flooding with shame. "As much as I'd like that, it would make us equals, and for this to work, I need you to be…" He trailed off, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

Buffy nodded again. "I get it, Spike, I'll keep my clothes on." She looked toward the living room. "When I did the ownership transfer, I um… instead of hurting you, I uh… made you feel good. If I did that again, would it show possession?"

Spike let go of her hand then lifted his to the back of his neck and nodded at the floor. "It would, but I don't think I should be standing for it. Should probably be kneeling so I'm lower than you, like I was for my trainer during the last change. And… uh… you'll have to… not let me come… right away, at least. You'll have to show that you're in control of my… pleasure. That I can climax only when you allow it."

Buffy threw a glare at the living room and muttered, "I am so gonna rip your nuts off, you son of a bitch." She saw Spike flinch out of the corner of her eye and grasped his hand. "Not your nuts, Spike. The ones on that asshole in the living room." She took a deep breath. "Okay. You need to be lower than me." She tugged Spike toward the chair beside the nightstand. "How about sitting?" She maneuvered him until he was sitting on the chair then she moved into the open space between his knees and looked down at his upturned face. "Good thing that's a short chair since I'm not very tall. Will this work?"

Spike nodded slowly. "Should, I guess, if…" He moved his hands behind the chair and clasped his left hand tightly around his right wrist. "There. This should do."

Buffy frowned at the movement. "I don't want to restrain you, Spike. Really don't. Buckets of don't."

He shook his head. "You don't need to. This is close to the position I was in during the last collar change and I'll be able to hold it throughout the whole… procedure. I'm very well trained in that regard."

Buffy nodded, wearing a look of disgust. "Yeah, I know. And seeing you like this makes me wish your trainer was still alive… so I could kill him. Painfully."

Spike closed his eyes then dropped his head and whispered, "We can stop this if it's too much for you."

Buffy reached out and slipped her fingers under his chin then gently lifted his face and waited until he opened his eyes. When he did, she smiled reassuringly. "I'll deal, Spike. I want you to get better, get past this shit, and if this is what it takes, then I'll deal. You need it." She let go of his chin and started fumbling with the knot in the scarf. "Crap. The asshole pulled it too tight. I could tear it… Go Go Slayer Strength… but since it's silk, I'd probably break your neck in the process. Hang on." She left the room and Spike heard her rummaging around in her weapons chest then she went into the bathroom.

When she came back, she was holding a small, wickedly sharp dagger. She showed it to Spike. "Angel gave this to me back in Sunnydale. Seems fitting that I should use it for this." She set a small bottle on the nightstand then gently tipped Spike's head to the side. "Okay, from what I read in your binder, I have to remove this collar then demonstrate my possession and put the new collar on when I'm done, right?"

Spike's voice was quiet and full of shame. "Yes, Mistress."

Buffy shuddered in disgust at how defeated he sounded. Oh yeah… rip his fucking nuts right off. Then wait for them to grow back and rip them off again. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Okay. Here we go." She sliced through the scarf in one quick movement and Spike flinched violently even though the blade never touched his skin. Buffy let the cloth fall to the floor beside the chair then she set the dagger on the nightstand next to the necklace. She straddled Spike and cupped his face in her hands before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "You're mine, Spike. Always mine."

Spike shivered, his eyes closing and a low moan escaping his lips when Buffy's mouth moved to his ear and neck. She nibbled and sucked, rocking her hips slowly against him until he was hard and throbbing. She scooted back just a bit then reached over and grabbed the bottle. She flipped open the cap, squirted some lube into her palm, then wrapped her hand around his erection and started stroking slowly as she set the bottle back down. "Are you mine, Spike?"

Spike groaned in pleasure and nodded. "Yes. I'm yours."

"And do you believe that I'm never getting rid of you?" She squeezed just a bit harder and her strokes sped up.

Spike started flexing his hips, thrusting into her hand as he panted, "Yes, I believe you."

Buffy stopped stroking and Spike whimpered. She opened her hand and Spike's cock slapped wetly against his belly. He whimpered again. "Open your eyes, Spike, and tell me."

Spike opened his eyes, the blue orbs glazed with lust and need. "I'm yours, Mistress."

"Call me Buffy. Not Mistress."

He flexed his hips, his cock bobbing against his stomach. "I'm yours, Buffy, please. I'm yours."

Buffy felt the rage boiling up inside her. This wasn't right. Treating Spike like this wasn't right and it was making her sick to her stomach. She swallowed hard, managing to keep the emotions off her face as she reached for him and started stroking again, putting a little Slayer strength into her grip because she knew he liked that. If she was going to be forced to molest him… again… then at least she was going to make sure he enjoyed the experience. She leaned forward and pulled a nipple into her mouth, sucking sharply as she slipped her other hand down between his legs to massage his balls. No Slayer strength there, though. She'd made that mistake once back in Sunnydale and Spike had been out of commission for nearly a week.

Spike's head fell back against the chair and his breathing became ragged. Buffy sat up and continued to stroke and massage, her stroking hand moving just a bit faster as Spike's breathing sped up. His breath hitched and then his whole body tensed as he came with a howl, several jets of milky white fluid spurting into the air between them to land on his chest and belly.

He collapsed back into the chair – still holding his hands behind it, Buffy noticed – and panted, "Yours, Buffy. Always yours."

Buffy let him go, wiping her hand on her sweats, then she reached over and snagged the necklace from the nightstand. She fastened it around Spike's neck with a forcefully stated, "My Spike. Mine," and he visibly relaxed, his arms moving from behind the chair to hang loosely at his sides.

Buffy cupped his face again and leaned forward, placing another gentle kiss on his lips. "Did it work?"

He nodded, still panting. "Yeah, it did." He blinked his eyes open and smiled. "Quite a bit more enjoyable this go round, too. The lube was a nice touch. Thank you."

She dropped her gaze. "You're welcome, I guess, but I don't know why you're thanking me for molesting you… again."

Spike reached out and lifted her face. "You didn't molest me, pet. Either time. I don't feel violated in the least by what you've done, so please don't feel bad about it. What you did helped me, and you made sure I enjoyed it, that it was pleasurable for me, so thank you."

Buffy mumbled, "You're welcome," then stood up. "I'll get something for…" She motioned toward his chest, belly, and cock. "Be right back."

She returned a moment later with a wet hand towel and cleaned him up. She was about to step away when Spike caught her wrist and pulled her back onto his lap. She wouldn't look at him as she sat there, clutching the soiled cloth in her hand. Spike took it and tossed it at the hamper then he repositioned her so that she was straddling him again. "Pet? Could you look at me, please?" She raised her eyes to his and he smiled warmly at her. "I'll stop thankin' you because I can see that it bothers you, but know that I am thankful for all you've done for me. I love you, Buffy."

She tried on a small smile and found that it fit. "I love you, too, Spike."

He leaned forward for a quick kiss then sat back again, reaching up to lightly trace his fingers along the necklace. "Should only need this for another month or so. Once we complete the blood bond, I'll be able to take it off."

Buffy frowned. "A month? Why a month? Do you think I'm not sure or something? Not ready? Because I am. I'm not gonna change my mind, Spike."

Spike leaned forward again, nuzzling at her neck. "My fangs won't be completely grown in until then. If we did it now, I could inadvertently hurt you, and I don't want that. Plus, shortened fangs won't leave a proper mark."

"Oh. Okay." Buffy moaned as Spike's lips and teeth worked at her neck and ear, nipping and kissing. She scooted forward, rocking her hips against him as she trailed her hands down his arms, tugging gently until she'd moved his arms around her, placing his hands on her ass. "Please touch me, Spike."

He slid his hands into her pants, gripping her bum tightly and pulling her hard against his renewed erection. "Would be easier without all the clothes, luv."

Buffy smiled then sat back. She lifted her shirt and tugged it over her head. Spike blinked at her sports bra then smirked slightly. "Don't recall you ever wearin' one of those."

Buffy shrugged and removed the gauze squares. They were spotted with a few drops of dark maroon blood. "It was keeping the girls from moving too much so they wouldn't hurt."

Spike eyed the gauze as Buffy balled up the pieces and tossed them into the trash can. "I didn't even think to ask how badly you were hurt. Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm fine… Slayer healing is awesome… and it's okay that you didn't ask. You were kind of busy." She stripped the bra off the same way she had the shirt and dropped it to the floor. "But you can examine them if you're worried."

Spike licked his lips then dipped his head and dragged the flat of his tongue across her right nipple. Buffy moaned and clutched his head as he latched on and started to suck and nibble, gently at first then harder when she started rocking her hips in time with his motions. He released her with a small pop and moved to her left breast, giving it the same attention. When he let that one go, Buffy was panting, her face was flushed, and Spike could smell the tantalizing aroma of her arousal.

He slid his hands out of her pants and grasped her waist, lifting her off his lap. "Lose the pants, pet. Want to be inside you. Now."

Buffy skinned out of her sweats and kicked them away then stepped toward the bed. "Don't want to use that chair anymore. I'm probably gonna burn it." She crawled up onto the bed and lay on her back, bending her knees and spreading her legs wide. "Come in, Spike."