CHAPTER THIRTEEN: STAYING

Giles quickly unshackled her hands, catching her and gently placing her onto the couch, swiftly removing his jacket and putting it over the girls shoulders.  He raced to Xander's side, checking for the boys pulse.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it going steadily.

Giles tapped Xander's face gently, slowly taking him from the darkness.  Xander looked up groggily and gave a small smile.

"So much for no heroics," Giles said gently.

Xander looked a little sheepish and began to unconsciously scratch at his wrist.  Giles caught the movement and stopped him from touching it.  He gently took Xander's wrist in his hand, expecting the bite marks.  Xander gasped in surprise when he saw the two little dots of blood on his wrist.

"Did Angelus do this?" Giles asked.

Xander tried to think, but really couldn't tell Giles anything.  "I was kinda…unconscious," he replied.  "But…if it was him, I wouldn't still be alive."

He looked sadly towards Buffy's prone form.  He breathed in sharply when he saw how still she was.  She wasn't breathing or moving or doing anything to show that she was alive.

"Is she…I mean…she's not…"

"She'll be fine," Giles said, adding a silent 'I hope'.  "I just imagine she's rather…hungry."

Xander stood up shakily, leaning on Giles for support.  "You want me to go get something from the butcher?"

Giles nodded and Xander quickly went up the stairs, leaving Giles alone with his Slayer.

Giles sat on the couch, lifting her gently and placing her head in his lap.  He took Angelus' dagger and cut a small line on his wrist, not deep enough to cut any of his veins, but enough to make him bleed. 

He put his wrist to the girls mouth, the smell bringing her back to reality.  She latched onto his wrist gently, her blunt teeth not even vamping into fangs.  She suckled at him, not even realising where she was or who was feeding her.

She could feel someone gently stroking her hair, whispering sweet nothings to her.  A British voice, her mind told her.  But the blood was too warm to be Spike's.  She opened her eyes and focused on the figure above her.  She saw Giles and immediately panicked, pushing his wrist away from her mouth.

He held her tightly even as she tried to push him away.

"You're weak Buffy.  You need to eat something," he said coaxingly.

She shook her head, not even wanting to think about the possibility of hurting her Watcher.  "No.  Not from you."

"Yes Buffy, come on.  You need your strength," he whispered.

She shook her head, closing her eyes, trying to ignore the tantalising smell of what he was freely offering her.

"No," she managed to choke out.

She looked up suddenly as the bottom stair creaked, fearful that somehow Angelus was back to finish what he had started.  All she saw, however, was Willow who looked completely shocked to find a naked Buffy laying on Giles lap with Giles' bleeding wrist near her mouth.

"Giles," Willow said, panicking at the sight of it.

"Willow, it's fine.  I need you to run upstairs and get some of Buffy's clothes for her," he said.

Willow hesitated, wondering if Giles had been turned, but she couldn't see Angelus anywhere in sight.  She turned and went back up the stairs, heading towards Buffy's room to retrieve her clothes. 

Xander had run out of the house like there was something chasing him, a thought that Willow didn't particularly want to consider.  She had only entered the house out of sheer curiousity. 

She grabbed a pair of sweats and a tank top for Buffy, not even bothering with underwear.  She figured that Buffy would go up and get it when she was strong enough.

Racing back down to the basement, she handed the clothing to Giles who promptly turned an interesting shade of red. 

"Uh…perhaps you could uh…assist her with…" he trailed off.

Willow looked at him blankly and finally got the message.  Giles gently helped Buffy to sit up, her head beginning to spin.  She touched her stomach in an attempt to ease her nausea, but only winced when her hand came in contact with the cuts Angelus had made.

Giles stood up, his own legs a little wobbly.  He went to the stairs, looking away from Buffy as Willow quickly helped her to get changed.

The red-head paled considerably when she saw the extent of the cuts and bruises that adorned her friends body.  She gave a small gasp at the 'A' on Buffy's shoulder blade.

"Giles, I think we'll need some antiseptic over here," Willow called.

Giles nodded, but didn't dare look over.  Not only did he feel it was completely inappropriate, but he didn't want to see the damage that had been done to his young charge.  He didn't even want to think about the things that Angelus could have done while he had her in his clutches.

"I'd make her scream for me Rupert."

He headed up the stairs, and quickly grabbed the first aid kit that Mrs Summers kept in the kitchen.  Ever since finding out that Buffy was the Slayer, she had kept a good supply of first aid materials.  Buffy, however, had only once let her mom see how badly hurt she sometimes was after patrolling. 

Joyce had taken to staying up until she knew Buffy was back in the house, unable to sleep while her daughter may be in danger.  Buffy had only once come home, still sporting cuts and bruises and Joyce had nearly had a heart attack at the sight of it.  Since then, Buffy was in the habit of first going to Giles' to get cleaned up and then hurrying home.

He went back down the stairs, thankful that Buffy was fully covered once more.  He could see that she was shaking, though he wasn't sure if it was from fear, blood-loss or the cold.

He leant down in front of her, gently reaching his hand up to touch her cheek.  She flinched away from him, trying to turn her head.  He didn't force it, knowing she was still confused.

"Uh…maybe we should get her out of here," Willow suggested.

Giles hesitated but agreed knowing that Willow's idea was probably for the best.

In one swift movement, she was in his arms and he carried her up to the living room, placing her gently on the couch.

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Spike saw the whelp running down the main street towards him, something that would have usually have made Spike burst into laughter.  He grabbed Xander's arm, stopping him abruptly.

"Did you find her?" he asked desperately.


Xander nodded, clutching at his chest, trying to regulate his breathing.

"Where?"

"At Buff's house.  Down in the basement," he said.

"Why are you running?" Spike asked.

"She's weak.  Giles sent me to get blood," Xander explained.

Spike nodded and the two men took off in opposite directions.

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Spike raced through the door, somewhat surprised that there was no barrier keeping him out.  He looked into the living room and felt his heart clench with fear as he saw Buffy lying motionless on the couch.  He ran to her, kneeling beside her.

He looked up at her Watcher, fear and panic in his eyes.

"Is she…she's orright, yeah?" Spike asked, trying to maintain a calm exterior.

Giles nodded and motioned for the blonde vampire to be quiet.  He was somewhat startled by how panicked Spike seemed to be over the Slayer's condition, but, then again, he had been somewhat startled to see Spike taking charge when the Council had tried to take her away.

"She should be fine.  I sent Xander to get some blood from the butchers," Giles explained.

"Yeah, ran into him on the way," Spike said.


He lifted Buffy up by the shoulders, gently tapping her cheek to make her wake up.  She looked at him through sleepy eyes, and managed a small smile.  He sat beside her and let her rest her head on his shoulder as he positioned her to sit on his lap.

He gently pulled her mouth close to his neck.

"You need to drink Buffy," he whispered.

Willow looked on in shock, amazed by how gentle Spike was being with her best friend.  She hadn't really had too much interaction with Spike, but seeing a vampire without a soul being caring and considerate was something that was highly curious.

Buffy mumbled something against Spike's neck, too tired and too weak to manage any real words.

Spike looked up at Giles frantically.

"Has she been like this the whole time?" he asked.

Giles nodded as he removed his glasses and habitually began cleaning them.

"She uh…I let her uh…I let her have some of my blood but, she…she refused to drink when she was strong enough to see who it was," he said.

Spike looked at him in awe, shocked that the Watcher had opened up his veins for the vampire that sat in his lap.

"Do you have a knife or something Rupert?" Spike asked.  "She's not with it enough to vamp out."

Giles handed Angelus' dagger to Spike who took it without a word.  He made a small hole in his neck, wincing at the pain, and gently brought the girls mouth to the bleeding wound.

Without a thought, Buffy latched onto Spike's neck, sucking at his blood.  Giles turned away, not wishing to see his Slayer drinking even though he had watched her drink from him earlier.  It somehow made everything seem more real to see her taking blood from Spike. 

Willow too looked away, the sight of her best friend feeding from another vampire being far too distasteful to stomach.

Spike fiddled with the dagger in his hands and suddenly stopped twirling it.  He looked at it carefully and shot a glance towards Giles.

"Where's Angelus?" he asked.

"Dust," Giles replied.  He had trouble keeping a note of satisfaction out of his voice, something that Spike didn't miss.

He nodded, thankful that his Sire had finally been taken out. 

"Did he…I mean, do you know if he…" Spike trailed off, not even wanting to think of the word 'rape' in regards to Angelus and the Slayer.

Giles shook his head.  "I don't think so.  He was attempting to claim her, but…from what I saw, she wouldn't reciprocate the claim."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief and gently pushed Buffy away from him, laying her down on the couch and watching as she fell asleep in his lap.

"Is she…" Giles trailed off, not entirely sure for how to word his concern.

"She'll be fine.  She's hungry as anything though.  How much blood did she lose?" Spike asked.

Giles stood up and bent down beside his Slayer, moving the edge of her crop top away to let Spike see the letter Angelus had carved into the girls skin.  He backed away when he heard Spike growl.

The vampire cradled Buffy's head gently, tilting it to the side.  He felt tears prick his eyes as he took in the angry bite marks on her neck and the still bleeding earlobe that was missing an earring. 

Spike looked up at Giles who now sat on the single sofa on the opposite side of the room, Willow standing behind the Watcher, as though he would be able to offer protection if Spike suddenly turned on them.

"The girl's been a vamp for a day and she's already been nicked by the Council, and taken by Angelus.  Makes you wonder what's gonna happen next," Spike said softly.

"I don't particularly wish to ask this," Giles began nervously, "but…do you plan on staying with her?"

Spike glared at the Watcher, but his eyes softened as he realised that Giles wasn't making an accusation, rather he was making sure that his Slayer was going to be well looked after.

"I'm not going anywhere," Spike assured Giles.  "Not without her.  She makes life interesting, I'll give you that."

He gently stroked the girls hair, hating that he was so worried about her, but knowing he wouldn't change it for anything in his unlife. 

"So, you'll stay in Sunnydale then?" Giles asked.

Spike placed a gentle kiss on Buffy's forehead and stared at her even as he answered the Watcher's question.

"'Til the end of the world."

END

Yeah, it's a crappy ending, I hafta admit that. My apologies, but I started writing this sooo long ago.  I just wanted it over with, so I ended it kinda abruptly.

I may be persuaded to write a sequel, but I'm tapped out of ideas for this particular fic at the moment.  With In The Beginning, Act of Faith and Blackness of Sunnydale all going at the one time, it's kinda hard to keep up with them all.  Plus, I've started a two new ones (a B/S and a B/Oz…*grins*) so I'm not really up to par on this particular fic.  If someone is interested in possibly co-writing with me, then I'd definitely think about it (I'm kinda picky about my co-authors though…I'd wanna read something that you've previously written before I accept any offers…)

Happy Holidays people!

Toodles.

K.