familyties3

Spike rushed into Buffy's room and found her standing on her bed, taking in her surroundings with a keen eye. He swallowed thickly as he realized she was still naked.

He asked softly, not wanting to startle her if she hadn't gotten her bearings yet.

She jumped off the bed and landed lightly in front of her dresser, where she began picking things up and examining them. As much as Spike appreciated her sans clothing, he heard her friends thumping up the stairs. Not knowing if any of her clothes were still in the room, he grabbed his duster again. As she gazed intently at a framed picture of herself posed with her mother and Dawn, running a finger over the glass, he approached her silently and slid the duster over her shoulders, then stood back at a respectful distance.

As she felt the weight of coat settle on her shoulders, Buffy pulled it around herself slowly, inhaling deeply, appreciatively. After a few seconds she shrugged her arms into the sleeves, pulling it closed just as the Scoobies came skittering to a stop in the doorway.

Buffy, you're awake! Anya exclaimed excitedly, turning to Xander. She's awake!

Willow ignored the obvious statement and shot a glance from Buffy, now nuzzling the leather collar of Spike's duster against her cheek--was she sniffing it?--to Spike, who was watching Buffy with great interest from across the room.

Willow asked softly, trying to get her attention without alarming her. Buffy finally looked up and met Willow's probing look for a moment, before turning to trace a finger over her family picture again. Another picture caught her attention; this one was tucked into the frame of the first. She held it up to examine it more closely, again running her fingertips over the familiar faces. She turned to the group huddled in the doorway, holding the picture up, and they saw it was one taken of Buffy, Xander and Willow while they were still in high school. Her steady gaze moving from the picture to Willow and Xander in front of her, Buffy stood in front of Willow. Her hand came up to cup Willow's cheek lovingly, and she leaned her head close so that their foreheads were touching. Willow's eyes filled and she whispered tremulously,

Buffy pulled back, hand still on Willow's face.

Her first word startled them, soft and firm, as if she'd thought about it before uttering it.

Willow smiled. Dawn? Dawn isn't here right now, but she's safe, she's-- Buffy shook her head in confusion, then pulled Willow into a bear hug. When she pulled back, she gave Willow a little shake.

Buffy turned to Xander and pulled him into a big hug as well, and his arms shot up to envelop her instantly. With a sob, he murmured her name. She pulled back as she had with Willow and repeated her shake, and said clearly,

Tears sprang to Xander's eyes as well and he could only nod. She pulled Giles into her embrace next, and he began to cry, letting go of months of guilt and agony, giving way to relief. When she let him go, she gently wiped a tear from his cheek with her thumb and smiled. Giles pulled her back to him this time, clutching her as if he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again.

Soon, she extricated herself from Giles' grasp and peered past him at Tara and Anya, who had both unconsciously stepped back a few feet from the others into the hallway. She pulled them forward and embraced them both at the same time, then regarded them affectionately. Tara's eyes became glassy with emotion and Anya beamed as she nodded vigorously. Yes, Buffy. We are your friends.

She slowly retreated back into her bedroom and began absently stroking the collar of the duster, then leaned in to smell it again. Her gaze became distant for a few seconds, then she smiled softly and whispered,

Giles shifted nervously while the others eyed her in confusion. They really weren't getting the stroking the leather thing, and she was obviously associating Spike's battered coat with something important.

Buffy, that's Spike's coat. You remember, Spike? He's a vampire? Creature of the Night? Xander explained patiently, not really sure why she was fondling the coat but certainly not comfortable with it.

Buffy ran her fingers down the length of the coat's sleeve, and repeated, As if remembering Spike's presence, she turned to face him.

Spike had remained completely silent and still as he watched Buffy embrace her friends, naming them as her family. He deduced that she was functioning on some primal level, probably some kind of defense mechanism from her ordeal, he supposed. He wondered why she kept touching the jacket, smelling it, and it hit him; she was recognizing it as something that belonged to her. He'd seen the same kind of behavior before with feral vampires, and even pack animals he'd observed once or twice over the years. His mind reeled at the implications of her claiming something that belonged to him, until he pushed those thoughts aside, realizing that she probably simply felt kinship to the Slayer he'd taken it from as a trophy.

Buffy slowly approached him, full of intent.



Spike's eyebrows flew up in surprise as he realized she was recognizing him as a man. He thought back to their last conversation, that night when they'd gone to retrieve weapons from her house...I know I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man, and that's... Did she remember those words?

His confused mind still wouldn't allow him to follow that train of thought. He held his hands up in a helpless gesture.

Buffy, it's me, good ol' Spike. Vampire of the not hurting people variety. He shot a glance at Willow and she shrugged, just as confused as he was.

Buffy reached forward and traced his cheekbone with the tip of her finger, then shook her head as if in reproach.



Spike's heart flooded with three months of misery and suffering, and he broke. He closed the gap between them and pulled her into his embrace with a choked sob, some part of him still expecting her to push him away. Instead, to everyone's shock, she pulled him in closer, tightly, and sighed with deep content.

After a moment, Giles shifted and Xander coughed, Um, Buffy...

Buffy was now stroking Spike's neck, making sounds in her throat that sounded very much like purring. In response, Spike--eyes still closed and Buffy still clasped firmly in his embrace--instinctively began purring himself, a deep, throaty rumble that reverberated across the room, startling everyone. On hearing Spike, Buffy's eyes opened and she grinned in delight. She pulled back enough to look Spike in the eyes, searching them. He didn't know what she was looking for and didn't care, so long as he held her in his arms. But what she did next surprised him beyond belief. She reached her lips up to his neck, as if to kiss it, and instead bit down, hard.

He started in surprise, his eyes wide at the slight pain. His shock was mirrored by the Scoobies, and Willow moved forward to grasp Buffy's shoulder and pull her away.

Buffy whipped around and flattened her back against Spike's front, arms spread as if she was protecting him from the Witch.

She growled, eyes glinting with feral anger.

Spike almost fainted when he realized what Buffy had done, and he stared at the others incredulously.

Willow stepped backwards, until she met with Xander and Giles, who had simultaneously moved forward.

Xander stared at Buffy in confusion.

Ok, what the hell is going on? This whole situation was becoming way to wiggy.

For a long moment, nobody answered as Buffy, satisfied there was no threat from her family' and friends, turned back into Spike's arms, which automatically closed around her. As she began nuzzling his collarbone, Spike spoke in a strangled, disbelieving voice.

She's claimed me as her mate.