Dawn held Buffy's hand as she led her into the kitchen, and Spike was relieved to note that Dawn had gotten Buffy dressed, or convinced her to do it herself. She was now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a pink t-shirt, and her hair was neatly brushed and pulled back into barrettes.
"I had her get dressed and stuff. And you wouldn't believe how hard it was to get her to leave the coat upstairs."
Spike grinned, still blown away by the fact that not only had she claimed his duster but him as well.
"Morning, Buffy." He smiled up at her before taking a sip of blood. Buffy walked over and ran her fingers through Spike's hair, watching as Dawn poured a glass of orange juice.
"Yes, good morning Buffy," Giles regarded his Slayer, his daughter come back from the dead. Buffy moved over to Giles and hugged him happily.
"Father." Tears sprang to Giles' eyes as he returned her embrace.
She moved back over to Spike and pulled him and his chair far enough back from the table so that she could sit on his lap. Surprised, he put his mug down on the table and put his arms around her.
Without batting an eyelash at Buffy's 'seat', Dawn handed her the orange juice. Buffy took the glass and eyed it suspiciously for a second before tasting it. Apparently, it met her approval because she drained the glass and set it next to Spike's mug, which she then picked up and sniffed suspiciously.
Spike regarded her with curiosity for a few seconds before taking the mug and setting it back down.
"It's blood, pet. I drink blood to stay undead, remember?"
Buffy stared at him blankly for a brief moment, then glanced back at the mug pointedly.
"Vampire?" She said slowly, as if testing the word in her mouth.
Spike nodded, hoping she wasn't going to overreact.
Instead, Buffy began fingering the faintly visible marks left by first the Master, then Angel, and eventually, Dracula. She reached out her other hand and caressed the marks she'd left on him last night, and Spike shifted nervously.
Giles sat down in the seat next to them and tried to get Buffy's attention.
"Buffy, what is it?"
Buffy appeared lost in thought.
Dawn leaned against the counter, eyeing her sister curiously but without worry.
Buffy leaned over and kissed the wound she'd left the night before and then asked, "Spike?"
Spike had to restrain himself from reacting to the ecstacy that flooded through him as she kissed her marks, and answered shakily, "Yes, pet?"
"Buffy." She placed her hand on her chest.
"Spike." She put her other hand on Spike's chest. "Spike. Mine."
Spike nodded eagerly, love shining clearly in his blue eyes.
She seemed to be waiting for something, though, and Spike realized that she wanted him to repeat her actions. He placed his palm against her hand on her chest and met her expectant gaze.
"Buffy. Mine." He said thickly, reverently. Giles shifted uneasily but remained silent, and Dawn smiled at the pair in approval.
Buffy's face broke out in a brilliant grin, but she wasn't finished. She caressed the marks she'd left on him again, then tipped her head and brushed away her hair, baring her neck. Pointing to the old scars, she frowned.
"Not Spike."
Spike glanced at Giles, and at the look on the man's face a slow realization came over him. Buffy was saying that he hadn't left the marks on her. He shrugged helplessly and turned back to Buffy.
"Buffy, it's ok. The wankers who left those, they're gone."
She nodded and Spike wondered if she really understood, but she bared her neck again and repeated,
"Spike. Mine." When he didn't move, she grunted in frustration.
"Buffy Spike's." He nodded and she growled.
Dawn giggled and rolled her eyes. Spike swung around to face her, and demanded "What?"
She leaned over to examine Buffy's bite from the night before.
"She bit you and said, "Mine"?"
"Yeah." He wasn't about to go into what a claim meant with Dawn. She however, was not so reticent.
"God, you men can be so dense sometimes. Buffy, you want Spike to bite you, don't you?"
Buffy nodded eagerly at her sister, then tried to pull Spike's head to her neck. As the impact of what he said hit him, he pulled out of her grasp and looked to Giles, who was shaking his head at Buffy in agitation.
"No, Buffy. No more biting!" Giles declared adamantly.
Buffy ignored him, though, and focused on Spike.
"No, pet. I can't. The chip, remember?"
He didn't mention that the chip worked on intent and that he could indeed bite Buffy if she wanted it, something that both Dawn and Giles knew as well.
Buffy tried drawing his head down one more time and he pulled back again, this time lifting her off his lap and placing her on the floor. He got up and moved to stand a few feet away from her. The truth was, he wanted to bite her more than anything, to cover those old marks with his own claim. But he wouldn't, because Giles and the others wouldn't understand. He would lose any ground he had gained with them, and become a monster in their eyes again.
But Buffy didn't care about all that. She stared at Spike and rubbed the old scars angrily, as if they were slightly painful. Dawn placed a hand on Buffy's arm and said her name quietly. Buffy's lip trembled, her eyes filled, and she began to cry.
Spike shot Giles a look of disbelief and moved to comfort Buffy, but she had thrown herself into Dawn's arms and was sobbing loudly. Dawn cast an evil glare at both Spike and Giles as she hugged her sister tightly.
"Great. Look, she just came back from the dead and you've already made her cry."
"Bloody hell!" both Englishman swore in unison.