Sorry it took so long to get these two chapters up. I was on vacation. But then again, that was the reason I left it with Angel's question hanging in the air. Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I appreciate the support!!
Summary: Embarrassment, embarrassment, embarrassment, and, Spike makes his entrance.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everything. But I wouldn't mind leasing Spike from them for a couple of weeks :)
Feedback: As always, appreciated.
Seeing Spike Through Buffy's Eyes
Chapter 13 - Meeting the Enemy
Buffy blushed, then stammered over the words as she replied to Angel' question. "Once, just once. He, uh, uhm, it's not like he was feeding or anything. It was an accident – really. We were… well, we were doing what we were doing. And he sort of got, caught up in the moment?" Buffy refused to look at Angel. She just KNEW what she would see in his eyes. "As soon as he realized what he was doing, he, uh, stopped." Buffy had NOT wanted to tell Angel about this.
Angel kept his anger in check. Which was difficult with thoughts of 'kill, maim, destroy' running through his brain. "Where? It's not on your neck." Now Angel knew what Spike's secret was. He knew Angel didn't know about the bite, hadn't seen it. If he had, Angel would be taunting the younger vampire with the knowledge.
Again Buffy stammered. God, this was embarrassing! She ducked her head into Angel's shoulder, muffling the response. "On my breast." In LA, she had told Angel everything about her relationship with Spike, but this. Just this one, teensy thing she had tried to keep to herself.
"Tell me exactly where it is." Angel needed to know. He wanted to draw his childe out. Now he had another reason to hit him.
Buffy's words were still muffled since she refused to raise her head from the confines of his shoulder, but Angel heard them. "On my right breast. About on inch above my… nipple." If she turned any redder… She was going to kill Spike for this! "Why?" The question came out more as a squeak.
Angel lifted Buffy's chin. "Don't act shocked. Just go with it and be prepared. I think I found the way to push him over the edge." Buffy nodded hesitantly. Angel pulled away from her slightly. The hand that had been resting on her hip crept up her side, sliding into place under her breast. Slowly, Angel used his thumb to caress the mark left by the other vamp. Now, Buffy understood. She leaned her head back slightly, closing her eyes, barely opening her mouth and exposing her neck.
One second Angel was holding her, the next he was gone. Buffy opened her eyes to see him being thrown half way across the dance floor.
"You, bloody bastard!" Spike was standing over his Grand-sire. "I'll kill you for touching what's mine!" The dancers had parted to watch the scene. No one seemed to notice the man spewing threats of violence wasn't a man, but a vampire in full game face.
"Is that how you care for what's yours, William? Leaving it unprotected for months. I think you've lost your rights when it comes to the girl." Angel was still on the floor, taunting Spike from his prone position. "But if you want to fight over her, let's take it outside. More room for damage."
Spike curtly nodded his reply. He turned, pushing passed Buffy as he headed for the door. Angel stood up and walked towards her. "Get the rest of them. Meet us outside. I want a few words with my childe before I turn him over to you."
Buffy was in shock. She hadn't moved during the entire confrontation. "He didn't even look at me. He didn't even acknowledge my existence."
Angel placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Warrior ways, Slayer. He needs to deal with me first. I'm the enemy. Once it's over, he'll turn to you. He can't let you cloud his judgment in battle. Buffy, you should know this."
Buffy shook her head to clear the daze she was in. "Right. Battle. Go after him. I'll get the others. And Angel, once I step in, don't let anyone interfere. I have a few things to settle with him myself." Buffy walked over to the Scoobies. They were already standing, waiting for her to join them. Angel made his way outside.
"What the hell was all that?" Xander asked when Buffy was close enough to hear him. "Could Angel have groped you any more?"
Buffy was in full Slayer mode. "He was doing his job. Come on, we need to be outside. Where's Dawn?"
"I'm right here." Dawn had pushed her way across the room. "That was some show." She had watched everything from her table in the corner. She had left a stunned Michael sitting there as she made her way over to her sister.
"One time only event. Hope no one missed it. There will NOT be a repeat performance." Buffy was already walking towards the door.
"More like Act I. Now gearing up for Act II." Xander mumbled as the group headed out into the night.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sounds of battle came rushing at the Scoobies as they turned the corner into the alley next to the Bronze. The first thing they saw was Spike being flipped over Angel's shoulders onto the hard pavement. Both vampires were in full game face now. This was serious. In between punches, kicks and guttural growls, an argument could be heard.
"She was mine long before she was yours, Spikey. What is this need you have to go after my women? First Dru, now Buffy. I see a pattern." Angel finished his sentence with a kick to Spike's gut.
Spike stumbled back from the force of the kick. "Never yours. You never claimed her. That bite on her neck may be your mark, but you never claimed her." He threw himself at Angel, knocking both of them to the ground, punching the older vamp with everything he had.
"Buffy, what are they talking about?" Willow asked her best friend. Buffy just held up her hand, stopping Willow from continuing. She needed to hear what was being said.
Angel was back on top again. "And neither did you." Angel's fist connected with Spike's jaw. "Still just a boy. Still only thinking of yourself. You left her for months. Weren't here to protect her. She needs a man, not a sniveling child who creeps in shadows."
"Oh, and that man is you?" The vampires had changed positions again, now standing. Spike threw a series of punches, one connecting with Angel's jaw. "You weren't man enough to stay and fight for her the first time, what makes you think you're man enough to do it now?"
Angel pushed the younger vampire away from him. This is what he and Buffy had discussed. The moment of truth. "Because I love her, you don't. You can't."
Fresh anger rose in Spike's golden eyes. "I CAN love her. Don't you ever tell me who I can and can't love. She's mine. For now, for always."
That's when the Slayer took over. Buffy made her way into the thick of battle. Spike's back was towards her, so he didn't see her approach. One minute he was set on punching Angel, the next he was being swung around, landing face to face with his love.
"And that's how you prove you love me? By leaving town. No word from you for months. I thought you were dust. Then suddenly your back, but you still won't come to me?" Buffy was enraged.
Spike's slid out of vampire face as he listened to her speak. He hadn't known she was standing there. He was so caught up in the fight with his Grand-sire, he hadn't noticed anything else. Months of wanting to see her, then weeks of seeing her and wanting to touch her, now she was standing right in front of him. Spike stretched out his hand. Just need to touch her, he thought. A single word escaped his lips, almost a prayer, "Buffy."
The Slayer swung hard. A full strength punch that landed right in his face, throwing Spike back against the alley wall. "What IS it with you people and my nose?" Spike just sat there, checking for breaks. Angel had hit him plenty during their interrupted quarrel with no real effects. Why was it Buffy's punches always managed to break something?
Buffy walked over to him. "Get up." Spike continued to sit in front of her. "I said, get up. We're not finished yet." Buffy leaned down, grabbing Spike's shirt, pulling him off the ground. The minute he was standing, she punched him again.
This time, Spike was expecting it. He stumbled, but didn't fall. Again he brought his hand up to check for damage. He looked back at the Slayer, a tinge of malice in his stormy blue eyes. "Baby wants to play. Come on then, Slayer. I've been waiting a long time for my good day."
As soon as Buffy had entered the fight, Angel had made his way over to the rest of the group. He wasn't sure any of them should be watching this, especially Dawn. But Buffy had wanted them there. She told the others it was just in case something went wrong. But she had confided in him it was something else. She knew Spike really wouldn't hurt her. The longest, most grueling talks she had with her friends had been about the danger involved with Spike. None of them were trained fighters. They didn't understand the difference between defense and offense in a battle. You didn't always need to be on the attack to be effective. Buffy and Spike might fight, but his priority was to protect himself, not inflict pain on her. Buffy thought if they saw it first hand, she might be able to explain it better the next time the subject came up.
Xander pulled a stake out of his jacket pocket. Spike had just threatened to kill Buffy. He wasn't planning on passively watching while that happened. As he made a move forward, Angel grabbed his arm. "Buffy said no interference. She can take care of herself." Xander tried to pull out of the vampire's grasp. "Xander! You will only distract her. She can't concentrate on Spike and you at the same time."
Reluctantly Xander stepped back into the group. "If he hurts her, I'll dust him, then I'll dust you." Angel nodded his head in agreement. The men had come to an understanding.
Angel turned his attention back to the fight. For the first time, he understood why Spike called it a dance. It had been a long time since he had seen the two of them fight. And now, the opponents knew each other. Knew the style, could anticipate the moves. It was like watching an intimate waltz with two experienced partners. Buffy kicked, Spike blocked. Spike threw her away from him, Buffy landed on her feet. They dodged, sidestepped and darted around each other. It was beautiful.
"I swear I'm going to rip your head off your body with my own two hands." Buffy landed another kick to Spike's ribs. She heard some of them crack. She was taking all her pent up frustration out on the blond vamp. She had been anticipating this since his departure months ago.
Spike bounced around her, jabbing out the air, blocking her next set of punches. "Bit out of practice, aren't we, Slayer? No witty puns? Blatant threats were never your style."
"Things change, Spikey." Buffy's roundhouse kick connected with his shoulder. "Seems you're the one out of practice. You should have dodged that."
A new voice could be heard over the fighting. "What the hell is going on?!" Michael had walked up behind the Scoobies. He was shocked to see Dawn's petite older sister engaged in a fistfight with the man who had started the skirmish in the club. "Isn't anybody going to stop this? Buffy could get hurt!"
Dawn ran over to her boyfriend. The others not sure what to do about the unwelcome guest. Dawn had completely forgotten about him when the fighting started. She didn't want him to see this. She wasn't sure she could explain it. "Michael, it's okay. It looks worse than it really is. Buffy and Spike just need to work out some stuff." She was frantically trying to block Michael's view.
"That's the guy who broke-up with your sister?" Michael watched as Spike landed a solid punch to Buffy's mid-section. "Dawn, exactly what type of fight did the two of you have? Did he hurt you?"
Spike's vampire hearing picked up the last comment. For the moment, he forgot about Buffy as he walked towards the two teenagers. "Now, listen here, boy. I'd NEVER hurt the Nibblet. But I'd find great pleasure in hurting you. If you've laid one hand on her…" Vampire gold rose in Spike's eyes.
Buffy quickly recovered from Spike's unceremonious dismissal. She placed herself between him and Michael, pushing him away from the young man. Their fight placed on the back burner for a moment. "Spike, you leave him out of this. He's only trying to protect Dawn. You will NOT threaten him."
Spike's eyes never left the youth (who, to his credit, hadn't backed down from the vampire's challenge) as he answered the blond in front of him. "He said I hurt the Nibblet. And I've seen the two of them getting all hot and bothered on the front porch, so don't tell me nothing's going on."
The color drained from Dawn's face. Buffy just rolled her eyes. "She's a teenager. It's going to happen. I've been keeping an eye on things." Spike's protective nature warmed Buffy's heart. "I told you if you kept watching, you weren't going to like what you saw."
Spike's eyes were now directed back on the Slayer. His anger at her instantly returning. "Of course what else could I expect from her? She is living with you. Do you parade all your conquests in front of her, or just Peaches. That was quite a demonstration of your technique on the dance floor earlier. Were you planning on letting him take you right there? Have the witches found a way to anchor his bloody soul? Is that how you've managed to shag him without Angelus getting out of the bottle?"
The physical fighting had stopped, but the words hurt more than the punches. Buffy sucked in her breath. "How dare you!"
Spike gave her a lecherous grin. "Sorry, pet. A little too close to home? Don't want the others to hear about your wanton ways. I could tell them stories, I bet. Some that would even make the demon-girl blush. Maybe Daddy and I should compare notes."
Buffy screamed into the air. "You bastard!" She launched a full frontal attack. Within seconds, she had Spike pinned to the back wall of the alley. Buffy was beating on his chest with her fist. "I'll kill you for that. How could you say… No one, no one has touched me since you stopped touching me. I haven't been with Angel. I haven't been with anyone since you. You do those things to me, make me want you, make me believe you love me, promise you'll never leave, and then you're gone." Buffy's punches had lost their power. She was no longer a Slayer fighting with her enemy. She was a hurt woman, pounding non-violent fists on the chest of the man who loved her, trying to understand why he left. Tears streamed down her face. "Gone. And I missed you. I needed you. I finally figured out what I wanted, but you weren't here. Just that damn duster and that damn note. But you weren't here." The last was said with a heart-wrenching sob.
Slowly, Spike slid down the wall behind him, taking Buffy with him as he went. By the time he landed on the pavement below, she was sitting in his lap. He was stroking her hair, holding her close in his arms. She was sobbing into his chest, arms locked around his neck. Why did they always hurt each other, he thought. "Luv, I'm sorry. It's going to be okay. I'm here, Buffy, I'm here for you." He didn't know how to handle her tears. Her anger, her passion, yes, but not her tears. "I'm not going to leave. I'm right here. Just let it out. I'm right here."
Buffy's friends watched from across the alley. Only Angel could hear Spike's whispered words of apology and comfort. The others could only stare at the vampire holding the Slayer in his arms. Dawn heard Buffy cry like that once before, the first night Spike left. Xander never knew Buffy could sound that defeated. Tara remembered feeling that way when she had broken up with Willow. Willow wanted to go to her friend, offer comfort, but she knew Spike would take care of her. Anya knew it was time to leave the couple alone.
"I think we should go back inside. We aren't needed here anymore." Anya spoke in a low voice, not wanting to disturb Spike and Buffy.
Xander couldn't tear his gaze away from them. So much pain, he thought. He pulled Anya closer to him. Tara tightly hugged Willow. Dawn rested her head on her confused boyfriend's shoulder. Michael whispered in Dawn's ear. "We need to talk."
Dawn brushed a single tear from her cheek. She knew Michael was concerned. And she still didn't know what she was going to say to him. How she was going to make him understand. All the violence, the hurtful words, but she was happy. She had her family back. She answered him the only way she could. "Later."
As Angel cast a finally look at his childe and his ex-love, the small group made their way back inside the Bronze.
---TBC
