* * *
Kel sighed with satisfaction as the demon she had been fighting fell
to the ground in a bloody heap and looked over at Spike to see how he was
doing. He seemed to be kicking its ass. All she had to do is stand back and
wait. Things had been good to Kel lately. The Slayer and her friends had
finally accepted her and she now had a new best friend. Spike was another
issue. He had been so nice to her from the beginning. She was very close to
him by now, but he could be very annoying. They were now famous for arguing
and insulting each other all the time. The Scoobies joked that it was even
worse than Spike and Buffy bickering.
Just then, a vamp jumped her while she was lost in her thoughts and
watching Spike fight. She wasn't ready, but she quickly overpowered it,
much to its surprise, and backed it up against the wall to finish it off.
Just as she was about to bring the stake down, the vamp blurted out
something.
"Beware. Drusilla is back."(I know very original.)
Kel almost faltered but successfully staked him. That name was
familiar. Had Spike told her about Drusilla? Yes! Drusilla was Spike's sire
and ex-lover. But she had broken his heart by leaving him for a Chaos demon
and treated him like crap. Apparently, she was also a brutal killer and had
killed another Slayer, Buffy's friend Kendra. This was not good. She looked
at Spike just in time to see him make the killing blow and ran over to him
immediately.
"Spike, I just dusted a vamp that said Drusilla is back."
Spike seemed to go paler.
"Are you sure Kelly?" Kel wrinkled her nose at that pet name. She
didn't like it but she didn't mind so much when he said it.
"Yes I'm sure. Do you think I'm hearing impaired or something?" she
asked, irritably. Spike started walking in the direction of the Magic Box
with Kel following close behind.
"You can be sometimes."
"Is that a compliment or insult?"
"Both." Kel sighed and shook her head. It was useless fighting with
him right now.
When they got to the Magic Box, Kel sat down beside Dawn and Spike
took Buffy and Giles back to the training room to tell them the news.
"Anything?" Kel asked anxiously.
"No. Sorry Kel."
Kel sighed for the third time that night. They hadn't had any luck in
finding her sire. She was beginning to think she didn't even have one. The
comfortable silence was interrupted by something breaking in the back room.
Spike had apparently just told Buffy the bad news. Poor Buffy. She had just
started to relax and enjoy the break. Now they had a badie to deal with.
They would probably have to stop looking for her sire for a while too.
Buffy came storming out of the room, followed by Giles and Spike.
"Bad news guys. We have a badie back in town. Drusilla." All the
Scoobies groaned. Every time Drusilla came, she always made some major
trouble. "And from what Spike says, she means business. I'm sorry Kel but I
think we'll have to delay the research on your sire for a while."
"That's okay." She had pretty much given up by now anyways. She had
also tried to find her sire at first, but had had no prevail.
"We should see if we can get a head start on what she is planning.
Spike and I will go to Willy's to see what we can find. You guys see if
there are any upcoming prophecies or apocalypses planned." Buffy said.
Spike nodded his head silently and followed Buffy out of the Magic Box. I
wonder how he's dealing. Kel wondered as she watched Spike walk out the
door.
* * *
When Buffy and Spike entered Willy's, everyone fell silent. Buffy
grinned. She loved it when they did that. She and Spike walked casually
over to the bar and waited for Willy to come over, who was unsuccessfully
trying to ignore them. But Buffy knew he had seen her. She caught his eye
and motioned with her hand for him to come over. Willy cringed and shook
his head but came over reluctantly.
"So, what'll it be Slayer? We have a special. Two orders of barbeque
wings for 1.99. Great deal it you ask me." he said, acting like he didn't
know why she was there.
"Hey, I'll take some of those." Spike said, interested. Buffy turned
to glare at him but he just shrugged his shoulders. "What? I'm hungry. Here
ya go mate." Spike continued and gave Willy some money. Buffy turned back
to Willy.
"What have you heard about Drusilla coming back to little old
Sunnyhell?"
"Nothin'. Honestly. This time I'm not gonna snitch. I've made up my
mind."
"You say that every time. Am I gonna have to hurt you?" Buffy said
but didn't wait for him to answer before she punched him anyway, causing
him to knock Spike's plate over.
"Hey watch it Slayer! Can't a bloke even eat in peace?"
Spike said angrily.
"What have you heard?" Buffy asked Willy again, taking him by his
shirt collar.
"Alright, alright. I heard she is just looking for an old boyfriend
or something." He looked at Spike. "That's you isn't it?" Spike nodded.
"Wait a minute! I thought it was going to be something bad." Buffy
said, letting go of Willy.
"Just wait luv. That can't be all she wants. It probably will be
something big soon. She's very unpredictable. What with being insane and
all." Spike said calmly.
"Okay well. Do you know where she is staying?" Buffy asked Willy.
"Well I.."
"I think it's best we just wait until she comes to us Slayer. She'll
just keep moving if we try to track her down." Spike interrupted. Buffy
looked at him, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. If he was
wrong, she would be seriously pissed at him.
"Alright. Thanks for the info." she said to Willy.
"Yeah. See ya Slayer."
Once they were outside, she asked Spike if he was sure what he was
doing.
"Yeah. I've known her for more than 120 years. I think I'd be sure."
"Alright. But you had better be right."
"Or what? You'll kill me?"
"No. I'll..do something really bad."
"Heh. Yeh you wish. Anyways, we've already done something bad."
"You're a pig."
"Heard that one before. Can't you think of another one?"
Buffy stopped suddenly and turned to look at Spike. The only thing
that was heard was her hard breathing and the crickets chirping softly.
"Okay. You wanna hear another one? I know things have been awkward
between you and me since.you know. I don't know what to do. I don't know
what to think. I don't know what to feel. It used to be so easy. It used to
be, you were a vampire. So I killed you. Then it was impotent vampire who
helps out a lot. Now it's comforting Spike and sexy Spike and...I'm sorry
for what I've said and done. I am just so confused right now. So here's
another one Spike. You're just capricious. That better?" Tears started
running silently down her face. Stupid vampire. Spike stood there frozen,
astonished, at Buffy's sudden outbreak of emotion that she usually kept
hidden inside her. If there was one thing Spike couldn't stand, it was
Buffy crying. Buffy looked at him, willing him to understand.
"It's okay, luv. I know what you mean." Spike moved closer to her to
gently caress her face. Buffy closed her eyes at the feel of his cool
fingers. Spike pulled her to him and ran his hands down her back. Buffy
didn't pull away, but relaxed into his arms and sobbed softly into his
chest with Spike murmuring incoherent words of comfort into her ear. Buffy
didn't know why she wasn't pulling away. He was strangely comforting and it
felt good to be in his arms. When she finally did pull away, Spike gave her
a quick peck on the forehead. "You alright, pet?" Buffy nodded. "Alright.
C'mon let's get back there so we can tell them the news." Spike put his arm
around her shoulders and they walked silently back to the Magic Box.
When they got to the door, Buffy pulled herself together and wiped
her eyes.
"Thanks." she said to Spike.
"No problem Slayer,"
"Call me Buffy."
Spike looked at her oddly but smiled and Buffy found herself smiling
back. He had a really nice smile.
"Alright Slay..Buffy."
She smiled to herself when she saw him trying out her name silently.
She opened the door and walked into the shop, back in Slayer mode, leaving
the door open for Spike, who came in shortly after.
"Well?" Willow asked anxiously.
"Apparently, she is just looking for a little visit with Spike. But
Spike thinks she will be up to something before long. So let's not let our
guard down."
"So that's it? We just wait for her to come for us?" Xander asked.
"Yep. That's the plan for now." Buffy answered. Xander shook his head
but didn't say anything else.
"Well, since we just have time to kill waiting, we can keep looking
for Kel's sire right?" Dawn asked.
"No it's alright. I don't care. You have better things to do." Kel
said.
"No really. We'll keep looking for now." Dawn insisted, "We don't
mind right Buffy?"
Buffy had warmed up to Kel quite a bit now, so she really didn't
mind. As long as it didn't get too out of hand. "Yeah. Nothing else to do."
"Great! Okay back to word everybody." Dawn said bossily. Buffy was
glad that Dawn wanted to help her friend so much. Anyways, if it kept her
happy. She looked at Spike who was talking to Kel and remembered how her
name had rolled off his tongue in his silky accent. She had wanted to kiss
those perfect lips so bad. Ahh! Bad Buffy! Bad! What am I thinking?! Where
did that come from?! Still, he was so sexy and comforting and the way he
had caressed her so lovingly. She just wanted to..
"Buffy? Buffy?!" She was startled out of her thoughts by Willow
asking her a question. She realized she had been staring at Spike intensely
but he, thankfully, hadn't noticed.
"What?" she asked, blinking a few times.
"I was just asking if.."
Buffy sighed. Back to reality Buffy. This was going to be exhausting,
she could tell.
* * *
Buffy had insisted that they should all patrol. They meaning the
whole Scooby gang. Of course Dawn had stayed at home with Tara though.
Buffy had wanted to be prepared with everybody there in case Drusilla
showed up. Spike didn't think that bringing everyone was necessary. Dru
usually took her time when carrying out evil plans. Still, tonight had been
his and Kel's night to patrol, and he had wanted it to be just the two of
them. The little chit was starting to grow in him. So far they hadn't
encountered anything. Probably won't either. He was starting to get bored
now. They were walking through an old, unpopular graveyard and he wasn't
expecting anything when suddenly he felt a familiar presence and he stopped
abruptly. Kel, who had been walking behind him, bumped into him along with
the other Scoobies. Buffy came up behind him.
"What's wrong Spike?" He didn't answer but shushed her impatiently.
Kel was now beside him and looking at him nervously.
"Spike?"she asked cautiously.
"Who's there?" Spike asked to the darkness to his left. Suddenly, a
dark figure came out of the shadows. Drusilla. Wearing her usual red velvet
old-fashioned dress. He felt a bit better when he recognized who it was.
"Drusilla. What a er..pleasant surprise. I'm surprised you haven't gotten
yourself killed yet." he said casually, "What are you doing here?"
"I just came to visit you Spike. Why else?" she said in her cockney
accent, moving closer to him. The Scoobies behind him tensed and Buffy went
into fighting stance. Spike held his ground as she moved closer to him and
ran her hands over his chest. "I want you to come back with me Spike. I
miss you." Spike clenched his jaw as she moved closer to his face. He
wouldn't give in to her. He loved Buffy and Drusilla had tried to get him
to come back once before. Why try again?
"Dru, you have tried this before. Won't work."he said. Drusilla
smiled insanely and moved closer to his ear to whisper something in his ear
to make him tense up and Spike heard Kel growl menacingly at his side. Kel
stay out of this. Drusilla moved her head away from Spike's ear and focused
her eyes on Kel, who stared back unflinchingly.
"Well what have we here?" she said and stared at Kel intensly, as if
trying to figure something out. "This one is very loyal to you Spike. She
would so anything for you, she would." She suddenly reached out quickly and
pulled Kel to her with Kel's arms pulled behind her back and moved away
before Spike could grab her back. Kel didn't make a sound but Spike could
see the fear in her eyes. He just wanted her back safely. Drusilla smiled
mockingly at him.
"I know something you don't know." she said in a singsong voice.
"Let her go Dru." Spike said as calmly as he could. He had forgotten
about the Scoobies behind him. His whole mind was focused on getting Kel
back.
"Ah, ah, ah. I don't think so." Drusilla said when Kel struggled to
get away. Spike heard a sickening crunch as Drusilla squeezed Kel's wrist.
Kel whimpered desperately and Spike's eyes crinkled in concern. Hang in
there Kelly.
* * *
Kel felt the searing pain of her wrist breaking and whimpered,
looking desperately at Spike. To her surprise, his eyes were filled with
concern and pity. Her only priority was to get back to him alive.
"Let me go." she whispered fiercely. Drusilla squeezed her wrist
harder and Kel had to close her eyes and bite her lip to keep to keep from
screaming.
"Don't you want to hear my secret, dearie?" she whispered Kel's ear,
"I'm sure you'll find it very interesting." Well then say it already and
let me go.she thought but couldn't open her mouth to say it as she thought
she would throw up. "It's already started. You can't stop it." Drusilla
said to Spike instead. " You ready? Spike is your sire." she said, laughed,
and with a loud snap broke her whole arm, causing Kel to scream and fall to
the ground. Dru disappeared quickly into the shadows once more.
"No!" Spike shouted. "Kel! Kelly!" Spike hurried over to where where
she was laying sobbing on the ground. He's my sire. He's my sire. Spike
knelt beside her and took her into his arms, trying to comfort her.
"Buffy! What about Drusilla?" Xander asked.
"Let her go." Buffy said, watching Kel and Spike. Kel relaxed into
his arms gladly and Spike started purring.
"That bitch broke my arm." Kel mumbled into his chest.
"I know, I know. What did she mean it's already started luv?" Kel
swallowed hard and cuddled more closely to him.
"She...she said that...that you're...you're my sire." she said
quickly and sniffled. Spike stopped purring in shock.
* * *
(flashback)
1940
Spike and Drusilla had just finished crashing a party in downtown New
York City. They had been getting tired of feeding off of trashy street bums
so they had found a first class party. Besides, they deserved some luxury
now and again. There had been at least ten people at the party and they had
killed them all, either to eat or just for pleasure. Spike had left Dru
downstairs to look for any unlucky survivers and had found a fifteen-year-
old girl hiding in a closet. The girl had looked up at him cautiously and
her eyes had filled with fear. Spike was delighted. It was rare to find one
so young, sweet, and unprotected. He had thought about bringing her down to
Dru to share but he decided he wanted her all to himself. He had grabbed
the girl and drained her. But little did he know, he hadn't been careful
enough and she wasn't quite dead. She had gotten a mouthful of his blood
from one of the cut he had gotten when one of the foolish people had tried
to attack him. Spike hadn't been paying attention to the girl, as commotion
about the crashing of the party had started. He had dropped the girl and
run down to Dru to make a quick exit, leaving the girl to wake up alone as
a vampire with only the bodies of her dead family around her.
* * *
Spike gasped as realization sunk in. It had all been a mistake. He
looked down at Kel, who had slipped into unconsciousness in his arms.
"Spike?" Buffy asked cautiously, "We have to get her to my house.
It's closer." Spike nodded silently, picked Kel up, and followed the rest
of the concerned Scoobies.
"I'm sure she'll be alright Spike." Willow said to him, "It's just a
broken arm." He looked at her gratefully for trying to cheer him up.
"Thanks Red."
When they got to Buffy's house. Spike laid Kel down gently on Buffy's couch
and went into the kitchen with the rest of the Scoobies to discuss what had
happened.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Dawn asked when she noticed the uneasy
silence. Tara nodded, also wanting to know what happened.
"Spike is Kel's sire." Anya said bluntly. Dawn's mouth dropped open
and Tara frowned. Spike glared at Anya but nodded for confirmation.
"What? How?" Dawn asked confused.
"I'll tell you later Dawn." Buffy said sternly, "Right now we have to
talk about this." turning to Spike she said, "Are you sure Spike? That's
what she said?"
"Yeah I'm bloody well sure." he said and winced.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know," He looked in the living room at Kel. "She's
uncomfortable. Something needs to be done with her arm."
"Alright, Tara and I will see what we can do." Willow said, trying to
make Spike feel better.
"How do you know that Spike?" Giles asked.
"I dunno. I just do. It's weird. It's like...I need to do something,
comfort her or.." He paced back and forth trying to figure it out,
frustrated. "I dunno. What's happening?"
"That's easy." Anya said. Spike stopped pacing abruptly and everyone
looked at her. Anya perked up at being in the spotlight. "He can feel what
she feels, though only a little bit right now. Because of the bond and his
instinct to protect her, he wants to comfort her. He just simply has to
give in to the urge and everything is complete. It's a whole vampire thing.
Very complex." Everybody stared at her. "What? I had a vampire friend who
was in the same situation once." she said defensively. Spike put his head
in his hands when he heard Kel moan in pain in the next room.
"And to think I'm over 130 bloody years old and I have never heard it
in that much detail." He sighed. "What am I going to do?" he mumbled into
his hands to no one in particular.
Spike felt a warm hand over his own and he looked up and saw it was
Buffy. She squeezed his hand and smiled.
"I think you should." Spike didn't need her to say anything else to
know what she was talking about.
"Buffy..I can't. She doesn't know about the law or the bond. She
doesn't know she was a mistake."
"Hey since when do you call Buffy Buffy? And what's with the hand
holding?" Xander asked suspiciously. Buffy glared at him.
"Now is not the time Xander. You mean she doesn't know what will
happen or anything?" Spike let go of Buffy's hand and began to pace the
room again.
"Yeah. But that's not so much what I'm worried about."
"What, are you worried about her being a mistake?" Buffy asked, "How
can she be a mistake? Is that even possible?"
"Oh believe me, it's very possible. But no, not that. She doesn't
need to know that. It doesn't matter now. I'm worried about me. I don't
know if I can do this." Spike winced again, both from Kel's discomfort and
from being so open in front of the Scoobies. Suddenly, Buffy pushed him
back into the wall. She stared at him with a sultry look on her face.
Spikes eyes widened. She slowly brought her lips to his and kissed him
gently, despite her rough approach. Spike deepened the kiss and Buffy ran
her hands through his hair. Spike ran his hands down her back hungrily.
Buffy suddenly pulled away but her face hovered close to his. He looked at
her with a questioning and confused look on his face.
"If you can take care of Dawn for three months I have total faith
that you can take care of Kel."she whispered still close to him. She kissed
him softly again and backed off a bit more. Spike looked at the Scoobies.
They all stared in shock with their mouths hanging open. Spike noticed that
Tara and Willow were back. They must have come in while they were...
"Hey you did see that she attacked me." Spike said. Buffy grinned and
pushed Spike gently in the direction of the living room.
"Go on. Go do whatcha need to do." Spike looked at Kel. She was
having a bad dream. From Drusilla no doubt. He sighed and went into the
living room, leaving the others behind, to his relief. He walked over to
the couch and knelt beside Kel. She was shifting around uneasily and
sweating though her arm looked better. Spike, unsure of what to do, reached
out put a hand on her forehead and Kel started to relax. Encouraged, he
pushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He started
crooning softly to her and Kel relaxed completely and fell into a deep,
fitful sleep. Wow, that didn't take long. Spike stood up and watched in
amazement as her hair turned into his platinum blonde. It actually looked
pretty good on her though. Spike walked back into the kitchen. Nobody said
anything about what had happened with him and Buffy or how it went with
Kel. But he was sure Buffy would hear about it later.
"Well?" Buffy asked, breaking the silence. Spike didn't say anything
but stared accusingly at Anya.
"What?!"she asked finally defeated.
"Did you by any chance know that her hair would change color?"
"Well, yeah. The childe can get some of the traits of the sire and
some of their personality and attitude."
"And you tell me this now?" Spike said through clenched teeth. Anya
opened her mouth to retort but Buffy interrupted.
"Spike, I'm sure Anya just forgot."
"Did you just say her hair changed color? Cool. I always thought she
would look good as a blonde." Dawn said.
"So what do we do now?" Buffy asked to no one in particular.
"I guess we just wait until she wakes up. You guys can go if you
want." Spike said.
"No we'll stay." Giles said before anyone could respond.
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself."
"Dawn I think it's time for bed." Buffy said.
"Buffy it's only 9:00!"
"Too bad. It's a school day tomorrow."
"Buffy let her stay up. 'Sides Kel'll want her here when she wakes up
I wager." Spike said. Dawn smiled gratefully at him. Spike sighed as they
fell into an easy conversation, waiting for Kel to wake.
* * *
Kel woke up to a sharp, but not unbearable, pain in her arm. She
realized she was on Buffy's couch and heard voices in the kitchen. She
tried to remember what had happened. Oh yes! Drusilla had broken her arm,
but not before telling her that Spike was her..sire. Her eyes widened as
realization hit and she stood up quickly but almost fell down from
dizziness. She walked slowly towards the kitchen and stood in the doorway
just finishing a yawn. Everyone stopped talking. Her brow wrinkled in
confusion. They were looking at her like she had two heads. Surely they all
knew about Spike being her sire already.
"Ok, did I miss something?" she asked and looked at Dawn, "Do I want
to know?" Dawn bit her lip and twirled her hair pointedly around her
finger. Kel stared at her trying to decipher what she meant. Kel's hands
flew to her head.
"Yeah, so my hair is a mess. Yours would be to if..." Her mouth
dropped open as she looked at her hair. Oh my God! She made a sort of
strangled noise.
"Can someone tell me what exactly has happened here?" she squealed.
"Kel, it's alright, calm down." Dawn said, trying to comfort her
friend.
"I am calm. You have no idea how much effort it is taking me to be
calm here. Cuz the last time I checked, your hair doesn't change color
overnight." Dawn walked over and laid a hand on her arm.
"It really doesn't look bad."
"Yeah. You have to say that."
"No, I'm serious. It looks good actually." Kel closed her eyes and
leaned against the doorframe.
"Now I really wish I had a reflection."
"C'mon now Kelly. It's not that bad." She heard Spike's oddly
comforting voice from the door at the other end of the kitchen. He had
probably been out there having a cigarette on the porch when she had woken
up. She opened one eye to look at him. To her surprise, she only felt love
and affection toward him. She suddenly just wanted to be near him but
resisted running into his arms. She wanted to know what was going on. She
opened her mouth to ask but Spike cut her off.
"I'll tell you later." He smiled and opened his arms for her. She
hesitated and looked at him warily. What am I doing? That is invite enough
for me. She didn't care that anybody was watching anymore. She ran into his
strong arms like a lost puppy. He held her close and it took all of her
effort to keep from crying. She had never felt as safe as she was now. She
took a deep breath and caught the scent of her sire for the first time. He
smelled of leather, smoke, and strangely peppermint. The smell that only
Spike had. She nuzzled him gently in overwhelming affection for him. In
response, Spike nuzzled her neck and nibbled it gently in return affection.
She didn't bother pulling away when he had finished. She just stood there,
memorizing his scent and marveling at her new feelings of safety with him.
She finally pulled away and looked at him fondly. Spike grinned back and
reached out to caress her face and gently tugged at a piece of her now
blonde hair.
"I think it looks fine Kel."he said, still smiling. Kel closed her
eyes and leaned into his hand, enjoying the sensation.
"Uh, excuse me? Sorry to break up the moment, but this is getting
kinda weird." Xander said. Kel and Spike turned to glare at him.
"Oh go do yourself Harris." Spike said, annoyed. Kel hid a smile and
snorted with laughter. Xander opened and closed his mouth as if undecided
what to say. Kel giggled. He looked like a goldfish.
"Well..well yeah. Maybe I will." said Xander finally. At, this both
Dawn and Kel burst out laughing at the same time. Kel looked up at Spike
who was smirking with satisfaction.
"Nice comeback Xand. At least ya broke the tension." Dawn said, still
laughing. But they both stopped when they realized that everybody was
looking at them. Kel exchanged glances with Dawn and held back a grin.
"Ok sorry. But that was classic." Dawn said.
"Ok it's laugh at Xander day." said Xander crossly.
"Everyday is laugh at Xander day." Kel said. He made a face at her
and she laughed again.
"Alright I admit it. You win this time. I'm defeated. For now."
Xander said to Spike.
"Don't worry honey. I'm sure you'll get him next time." Anya said
smiling at Xander. Kel leaned back and realized it was Spike who she was
leaning on. He still had his arms around her and he tightened them around
her instinctively. She sighed contentedly and looked at the now silent
Scoobies. Then she remembered what she really wanted to know. The
distraction had almost worked. She cleared her throat and spoke.
"Um, ok, well..I appreciate the thoughtful trying to distract me from
the original subject but I would really like to know what's going on here,"
she said, " Spike, care to tell?" He looked at her and she smiled up at him
innocently. He shook his head finally and she took that as a 'not now'
signal. "Fine, if you won't then, Giles. You will right?" Giles took off
his glasses to clean them. Kel raised an eyebrow. "Ok never mind. You're
cleaning your glasses. Never a good sign."
"Wow. Took me three years to figure that out." Buffy said, impressed.
Spike smiled.
"I think maybe we should go Kel."he said. Kel scowled but didn't
argue. She wanted to know everything and the sooner they left, the sooner
she would know.
"Fine, "she said, "Bye Dawn, bye guys." She pulled Spike towards the
door by his hand but did notice Spike give Buffy and encouraging look. She
wondered what exactly she had missed while she had been out.
* * *
Buffy watched as Kel pulled Spike out the door. It had been weird to
watch them be so affectionate all of the sudden. They were usually always
fighting. She hoped Spike would do okay telling Kel everything. Just as the
door was closing, Spike looked back encouragingly and she smiled at him
weakly.
"Ok, what was that?" Xander asked immediately after they left. Buffy
looked up at Xander from her thoughts.
"Huh? What was what?" Buffy asked distractedly.
"The making out with Spike!" he exclaimed.
"Oh...that. It was nothing, really." she said.
"Uh, yeah and sticking your tongue half way down Spike's throat is
nothing"
"Xander I don't feel like talking about it right now. Just stop while
you're ahead."
"So, what, we should stop because you don't feel like talking?"
Xander asked angrily
"Yes!"
"Well, I'm not stopping. You need to explain what's going on Buff."he
said gently this time. Buffy looked at him stubbornly.
"H..he's right Buffy. You need to get this out in the open." Willow
said. Buffy looked at all of her friends faces and Dawn's hopeful one. She
knew that she couldn't avoid it this time.
"Fine," she took a deep breath, "I think that there is something
between Spike and I, as you might have noticed," At this, Xander snorted.
She sighed. "I dunno why, it's just...he's been acting different lately ya
know? Like not his normal Spikeyness. And I guess I just realized there is
something more there than just hatred. I was being a real bitch to him for
no reason at all."
"But he's a vampire! He's evil! No matter what!" Xander cried.
"So what! Angel was a vampire!" she cried back, losing her patience.
"Well I didn't exactly like him either."
"Oh, so you have to like a guy first before I can go out with him?
Besides, Angel had a..." Buffy stopped suddenly. Angel had a soul! Maybe
Spike had one. Angel always acted different with a soul. "That's it!"
"What?" Xander asked. Buffy looked at Giles.
"Maybe he has a soul."she said. Giles cleaned his glasses.
"Well, yes, that and maybe having Kel has caused him to mellow out a
bit."
"Isn't there a test or something?" she asked.
"We could look into it."
"Hey! I'm not done fighting yet!" Xander said.
"Xander end of discussion. I'm not talking about it anymore so shut
it." Buffy snapped. He scowled at her but shut up.
"So you're saying Spike might have his soul?" Dawn asked. Buffy
nodded. Dawn smiled wider.
"Alright we will start looking tomorrow. Hopefully it shouldn't take
long. We do still have Drusilla in town remember." Buffy said.
"Buffy does it really matter if he has his soul or not? I mean he's
evil. Dem...vampires are evil." Xander said.
"No not necessarily. Spike hasn't been evil for a long time." Buffy
answered, again patient.
"Yeah some vampires just plain aren't evil. They don't want to be.
They have a choice you know." Anya said.
"Ok guys can we not talk about this now? We will get together
tomorrow and Dawn is going to bed." Buffy said. Dawn glared at her but said
goodnight to everyone and went upstairs. "You guys had better get going to.
You have to get your sleep." They didn't argue but left quickly, sensing
that Buffy need time alone. After they had left, Buffy sat down on the
couch in the dark to think. Could Spike really have his soul? It could
happen. She thought about tat Xander had said. It really didn't matter if
he had a soul or not. The feeling was there regardless. Soul or not. Evil
or not. I'm gonna give this a chance. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
She didn't love him yet but it was definitely something that could evolve.
She yawned and started to turn on the TV but decided better of it and went
up to bed. The Slayer needed her rest after all. She fell asleep with a
smile on her face for the first time in a long time.
* * *
As Spike walked out of Buffy's house, he wondered how he would
explain all of this to Kel. Kel was, of course, kind enough to ask about it
as soon as they were out the door.
"So you gonna tell me what's going on?"
"Ok I'll tell you, but no interruptions," Spike said and paused. "How
much do you know about vampire laws and junk like that?"
"Not much but..." Kel started to reply.
"Ok, if a vampire sires a human younger than eighteen, the sire is
always supposed to be with the childe, so as you can see it is a big
responsibility so vamps generally avoid it. The childe, you in this
instance, is supposedly still too young and immature to be on their own.
Still dependent on other people, still learning about everything. I,
personally, disagree 'cuz you obviously prove it wrong," he smiled, paused,
then continued, "When I met you, I had thought that your sire was either
dead or had left you behind and had not followed the law," Spike paused
again and took a deep, uneeded breath, "A sire and a childe have a special
bond or connection; when you were hurt tonight, I could feel your pain.
When you were uncomfortable I felt like I had to make you comfortable. And
it's the same for me with you. Oh, and I'm pretty sure we can read each
other's minds if we are together enough." Spike finished and looked at Kel
, who had been silent during his whole speech. She was walking with her
head down, thinking, her hair glinting in the moonlight. Spike smiled
again. It really did look good that way.
"How do you know all this? Did I somehow miss Vampire Laws and Theory
101 or something?" she blurted out suddenly.
"Hey, I didn't even know it all in that much detail until Anya told
me."
"Ok, that's all great but you still didn't tell me why my hair turned
color on random."
"Oh...that. Your hair turned color because a childe can take on some
of the traits and attitude of the sire." Spike said, strangely calm and
patient.
"Oh. Wait, did you say attitude? That's...pretty cool I guess." Spike
smiled. She wasn't taking this as badly as he had thought. But there was
still something bothering him.
"Kel...you do know that I was the one that killed your family right?
Well Drusilla to but...I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For
everything. I can't see how you would even look at me after that." Kel
stopped and looked at him carefully. She seemed to be having a fight with
herself inside, sizing him up. She finally shook her head and looked up at
him lovingly.
"I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore. You were evil then. I don't
expect you to have remembered. Besides, I hardly even remember them
anymore."she said seriously. Spike smiled warmly at his childe and pulled
her into a hug, which she gladly accepted. Spike pulled away and reached
out to caress her face and smiled when she started purring.
"Thanks pet. That means a lot to me." They started walking again but
Spike kept his arm around her and she leaned into him, still purring. Spike
was amazed at himself. He was being so affectionate and nice to this girl
and it really wasn't clear why. He realized he didn't care. Even if he was
going soft.
"One thing though," Kel said suddenly.
"What's that?"
"Let's not be this touchy feely around everybody. It's probably kinda
awkward for them." Spike raised an eyebrow but smiled and nodded.
"Deal."
What do you think? Good so far? Not so good? Tell me please!! By the
way this is set in my perfect Buffyverse so there really is no season. I
wanna say hi to all my friends in the rp chat room. Here goes. Hi KC, Steve
1, Steve 2, Stacy, Kelly, Reoko, Marc, Theao, Tim, Sarah, and of course my
sweetie Duo. Luv ya! If I forgot anyone just let me know! I miss you all!
You are like my friggin family! Lata!
Kel sighed with satisfaction as the demon she had been fighting fell
to the ground in a bloody heap and looked over at Spike to see how he was
doing. He seemed to be kicking its ass. All she had to do is stand back and
wait. Things had been good to Kel lately. The Slayer and her friends had
finally accepted her and she now had a new best friend. Spike was another
issue. He had been so nice to her from the beginning. She was very close to
him by now, but he could be very annoying. They were now famous for arguing
and insulting each other all the time. The Scoobies joked that it was even
worse than Spike and Buffy bickering.
Just then, a vamp jumped her while she was lost in her thoughts and
watching Spike fight. She wasn't ready, but she quickly overpowered it,
much to its surprise, and backed it up against the wall to finish it off.
Just as she was about to bring the stake down, the vamp blurted out
something.
"Beware. Drusilla is back."(I know very original.)
Kel almost faltered but successfully staked him. That name was
familiar. Had Spike told her about Drusilla? Yes! Drusilla was Spike's sire
and ex-lover. But she had broken his heart by leaving him for a Chaos demon
and treated him like crap. Apparently, she was also a brutal killer and had
killed another Slayer, Buffy's friend Kendra. This was not good. She looked
at Spike just in time to see him make the killing blow and ran over to him
immediately.
"Spike, I just dusted a vamp that said Drusilla is back."
Spike seemed to go paler.
"Are you sure Kelly?" Kel wrinkled her nose at that pet name. She
didn't like it but she didn't mind so much when he said it.
"Yes I'm sure. Do you think I'm hearing impaired or something?" she
asked, irritably. Spike started walking in the direction of the Magic Box
with Kel following close behind.
"You can be sometimes."
"Is that a compliment or insult?"
"Both." Kel sighed and shook her head. It was useless fighting with
him right now.
When they got to the Magic Box, Kel sat down beside Dawn and Spike
took Buffy and Giles back to the training room to tell them the news.
"Anything?" Kel asked anxiously.
"No. Sorry Kel."
Kel sighed for the third time that night. They hadn't had any luck in
finding her sire. She was beginning to think she didn't even have one. The
comfortable silence was interrupted by something breaking in the back room.
Spike had apparently just told Buffy the bad news. Poor Buffy. She had just
started to relax and enjoy the break. Now they had a badie to deal with.
They would probably have to stop looking for her sire for a while too.
Buffy came storming out of the room, followed by Giles and Spike.
"Bad news guys. We have a badie back in town. Drusilla." All the
Scoobies groaned. Every time Drusilla came, she always made some major
trouble. "And from what Spike says, she means business. I'm sorry Kel but I
think we'll have to delay the research on your sire for a while."
"That's okay." She had pretty much given up by now anyways. She had
also tried to find her sire at first, but had had no prevail.
"We should see if we can get a head start on what she is planning.
Spike and I will go to Willy's to see what we can find. You guys see if
there are any upcoming prophecies or apocalypses planned." Buffy said.
Spike nodded his head silently and followed Buffy out of the Magic Box. I
wonder how he's dealing. Kel wondered as she watched Spike walk out the
door.
* * *
When Buffy and Spike entered Willy's, everyone fell silent. Buffy
grinned. She loved it when they did that. She and Spike walked casually
over to the bar and waited for Willy to come over, who was unsuccessfully
trying to ignore them. But Buffy knew he had seen her. She caught his eye
and motioned with her hand for him to come over. Willy cringed and shook
his head but came over reluctantly.
"So, what'll it be Slayer? We have a special. Two orders of barbeque
wings for 1.99. Great deal it you ask me." he said, acting like he didn't
know why she was there.
"Hey, I'll take some of those." Spike said, interested. Buffy turned
to glare at him but he just shrugged his shoulders. "What? I'm hungry. Here
ya go mate." Spike continued and gave Willy some money. Buffy turned back
to Willy.
"What have you heard about Drusilla coming back to little old
Sunnyhell?"
"Nothin'. Honestly. This time I'm not gonna snitch. I've made up my
mind."
"You say that every time. Am I gonna have to hurt you?" Buffy said
but didn't wait for him to answer before she punched him anyway, causing
him to knock Spike's plate over.
"Hey watch it Slayer! Can't a bloke even eat in peace?"
Spike said angrily.
"What have you heard?" Buffy asked Willy again, taking him by his
shirt collar.
"Alright, alright. I heard she is just looking for an old boyfriend
or something." He looked at Spike. "That's you isn't it?" Spike nodded.
"Wait a minute! I thought it was going to be something bad." Buffy
said, letting go of Willy.
"Just wait luv. That can't be all she wants. It probably will be
something big soon. She's very unpredictable. What with being insane and
all." Spike said calmly.
"Okay well. Do you know where she is staying?" Buffy asked Willy.
"Well I.."
"I think it's best we just wait until she comes to us Slayer. She'll
just keep moving if we try to track her down." Spike interrupted. Buffy
looked at him, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. If he was
wrong, she would be seriously pissed at him.
"Alright. Thanks for the info." she said to Willy.
"Yeah. See ya Slayer."
Once they were outside, she asked Spike if he was sure what he was
doing.
"Yeah. I've known her for more than 120 years. I think I'd be sure."
"Alright. But you had better be right."
"Or what? You'll kill me?"
"No. I'll..do something really bad."
"Heh. Yeh you wish. Anyways, we've already done something bad."
"You're a pig."
"Heard that one before. Can't you think of another one?"
Buffy stopped suddenly and turned to look at Spike. The only thing
that was heard was her hard breathing and the crickets chirping softly.
"Okay. You wanna hear another one? I know things have been awkward
between you and me since.you know. I don't know what to do. I don't know
what to think. I don't know what to feel. It used to be so easy. It used to
be, you were a vampire. So I killed you. Then it was impotent vampire who
helps out a lot. Now it's comforting Spike and sexy Spike and...I'm sorry
for what I've said and done. I am just so confused right now. So here's
another one Spike. You're just capricious. That better?" Tears started
running silently down her face. Stupid vampire. Spike stood there frozen,
astonished, at Buffy's sudden outbreak of emotion that she usually kept
hidden inside her. If there was one thing Spike couldn't stand, it was
Buffy crying. Buffy looked at him, willing him to understand.
"It's okay, luv. I know what you mean." Spike moved closer to her to
gently caress her face. Buffy closed her eyes at the feel of his cool
fingers. Spike pulled her to him and ran his hands down her back. Buffy
didn't pull away, but relaxed into his arms and sobbed softly into his
chest with Spike murmuring incoherent words of comfort into her ear. Buffy
didn't know why she wasn't pulling away. He was strangely comforting and it
felt good to be in his arms. When she finally did pull away, Spike gave her
a quick peck on the forehead. "You alright, pet?" Buffy nodded. "Alright.
C'mon let's get back there so we can tell them the news." Spike put his arm
around her shoulders and they walked silently back to the Magic Box.
When they got to the door, Buffy pulled herself together and wiped
her eyes.
"Thanks." she said to Spike.
"No problem Slayer,"
"Call me Buffy."
Spike looked at her oddly but smiled and Buffy found herself smiling
back. He had a really nice smile.
"Alright Slay..Buffy."
She smiled to herself when she saw him trying out her name silently.
She opened the door and walked into the shop, back in Slayer mode, leaving
the door open for Spike, who came in shortly after.
"Well?" Willow asked anxiously.
"Apparently, she is just looking for a little visit with Spike. But
Spike thinks she will be up to something before long. So let's not let our
guard down."
"So that's it? We just wait for her to come for us?" Xander asked.
"Yep. That's the plan for now." Buffy answered. Xander shook his head
but didn't say anything else.
"Well, since we just have time to kill waiting, we can keep looking
for Kel's sire right?" Dawn asked.
"No it's alright. I don't care. You have better things to do." Kel
said.
"No really. We'll keep looking for now." Dawn insisted, "We don't
mind right Buffy?"
Buffy had warmed up to Kel quite a bit now, so she really didn't
mind. As long as it didn't get too out of hand. "Yeah. Nothing else to do."
"Great! Okay back to word everybody." Dawn said bossily. Buffy was
glad that Dawn wanted to help her friend so much. Anyways, if it kept her
happy. She looked at Spike who was talking to Kel and remembered how her
name had rolled off his tongue in his silky accent. She had wanted to kiss
those perfect lips so bad. Ahh! Bad Buffy! Bad! What am I thinking?! Where
did that come from?! Still, he was so sexy and comforting and the way he
had caressed her so lovingly. She just wanted to..
"Buffy? Buffy?!" She was startled out of her thoughts by Willow
asking her a question. She realized she had been staring at Spike intensely
but he, thankfully, hadn't noticed.
"What?" she asked, blinking a few times.
"I was just asking if.."
Buffy sighed. Back to reality Buffy. This was going to be exhausting,
she could tell.
* * *
Buffy had insisted that they should all patrol. They meaning the
whole Scooby gang. Of course Dawn had stayed at home with Tara though.
Buffy had wanted to be prepared with everybody there in case Drusilla
showed up. Spike didn't think that bringing everyone was necessary. Dru
usually took her time when carrying out evil plans. Still, tonight had been
his and Kel's night to patrol, and he had wanted it to be just the two of
them. The little chit was starting to grow in him. So far they hadn't
encountered anything. Probably won't either. He was starting to get bored
now. They were walking through an old, unpopular graveyard and he wasn't
expecting anything when suddenly he felt a familiar presence and he stopped
abruptly. Kel, who had been walking behind him, bumped into him along with
the other Scoobies. Buffy came up behind him.
"What's wrong Spike?" He didn't answer but shushed her impatiently.
Kel was now beside him and looking at him nervously.
"Spike?"she asked cautiously.
"Who's there?" Spike asked to the darkness to his left. Suddenly, a
dark figure came out of the shadows. Drusilla. Wearing her usual red velvet
old-fashioned dress. He felt a bit better when he recognized who it was.
"Drusilla. What a er..pleasant surprise. I'm surprised you haven't gotten
yourself killed yet." he said casually, "What are you doing here?"
"I just came to visit you Spike. Why else?" she said in her cockney
accent, moving closer to him. The Scoobies behind him tensed and Buffy went
into fighting stance. Spike held his ground as she moved closer to him and
ran her hands over his chest. "I want you to come back with me Spike. I
miss you." Spike clenched his jaw as she moved closer to his face. He
wouldn't give in to her. He loved Buffy and Drusilla had tried to get him
to come back once before. Why try again?
"Dru, you have tried this before. Won't work."he said. Drusilla
smiled insanely and moved closer to his ear to whisper something in his ear
to make him tense up and Spike heard Kel growl menacingly at his side. Kel
stay out of this. Drusilla moved her head away from Spike's ear and focused
her eyes on Kel, who stared back unflinchingly.
"Well what have we here?" she said and stared at Kel intensly, as if
trying to figure something out. "This one is very loyal to you Spike. She
would so anything for you, she would." She suddenly reached out quickly and
pulled Kel to her with Kel's arms pulled behind her back and moved away
before Spike could grab her back. Kel didn't make a sound but Spike could
see the fear in her eyes. He just wanted her back safely. Drusilla smiled
mockingly at him.
"I know something you don't know." she said in a singsong voice.
"Let her go Dru." Spike said as calmly as he could. He had forgotten
about the Scoobies behind him. His whole mind was focused on getting Kel
back.
"Ah, ah, ah. I don't think so." Drusilla said when Kel struggled to
get away. Spike heard a sickening crunch as Drusilla squeezed Kel's wrist.
Kel whimpered desperately and Spike's eyes crinkled in concern. Hang in
there Kelly.
* * *
Kel felt the searing pain of her wrist breaking and whimpered,
looking desperately at Spike. To her surprise, his eyes were filled with
concern and pity. Her only priority was to get back to him alive.
"Let me go." she whispered fiercely. Drusilla squeezed her wrist
harder and Kel had to close her eyes and bite her lip to keep to keep from
screaming.
"Don't you want to hear my secret, dearie?" she whispered Kel's ear,
"I'm sure you'll find it very interesting." Well then say it already and
let me go.she thought but couldn't open her mouth to say it as she thought
she would throw up. "It's already started. You can't stop it." Drusilla
said to Spike instead. " You ready? Spike is your sire." she said, laughed,
and with a loud snap broke her whole arm, causing Kel to scream and fall to
the ground. Dru disappeared quickly into the shadows once more.
"No!" Spike shouted. "Kel! Kelly!" Spike hurried over to where where
she was laying sobbing on the ground. He's my sire. He's my sire. Spike
knelt beside her and took her into his arms, trying to comfort her.
"Buffy! What about Drusilla?" Xander asked.
"Let her go." Buffy said, watching Kel and Spike. Kel relaxed into
his arms gladly and Spike started purring.
"That bitch broke my arm." Kel mumbled into his chest.
"I know, I know. What did she mean it's already started luv?" Kel
swallowed hard and cuddled more closely to him.
"She...she said that...that you're...you're my sire." she said
quickly and sniffled. Spike stopped purring in shock.
* * *
(flashback)
1940
Spike and Drusilla had just finished crashing a party in downtown New
York City. They had been getting tired of feeding off of trashy street bums
so they had found a first class party. Besides, they deserved some luxury
now and again. There had been at least ten people at the party and they had
killed them all, either to eat or just for pleasure. Spike had left Dru
downstairs to look for any unlucky survivers and had found a fifteen-year-
old girl hiding in a closet. The girl had looked up at him cautiously and
her eyes had filled with fear. Spike was delighted. It was rare to find one
so young, sweet, and unprotected. He had thought about bringing her down to
Dru to share but he decided he wanted her all to himself. He had grabbed
the girl and drained her. But little did he know, he hadn't been careful
enough and she wasn't quite dead. She had gotten a mouthful of his blood
from one of the cut he had gotten when one of the foolish people had tried
to attack him. Spike hadn't been paying attention to the girl, as commotion
about the crashing of the party had started. He had dropped the girl and
run down to Dru to make a quick exit, leaving the girl to wake up alone as
a vampire with only the bodies of her dead family around her.
* * *
Spike gasped as realization sunk in. It had all been a mistake. He
looked down at Kel, who had slipped into unconsciousness in his arms.
"Spike?" Buffy asked cautiously, "We have to get her to my house.
It's closer." Spike nodded silently, picked Kel up, and followed the rest
of the concerned Scoobies.
"I'm sure she'll be alright Spike." Willow said to him, "It's just a
broken arm." He looked at her gratefully for trying to cheer him up.
"Thanks Red."
When they got to Buffy's house. Spike laid Kel down gently on Buffy's couch
and went into the kitchen with the rest of the Scoobies to discuss what had
happened.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Dawn asked when she noticed the uneasy
silence. Tara nodded, also wanting to know what happened.
"Spike is Kel's sire." Anya said bluntly. Dawn's mouth dropped open
and Tara frowned. Spike glared at Anya but nodded for confirmation.
"What? How?" Dawn asked confused.
"I'll tell you later Dawn." Buffy said sternly, "Right now we have to
talk about this." turning to Spike she said, "Are you sure Spike? That's
what she said?"
"Yeah I'm bloody well sure." he said and winced.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know," He looked in the living room at Kel. "She's
uncomfortable. Something needs to be done with her arm."
"Alright, Tara and I will see what we can do." Willow said, trying to
make Spike feel better.
"How do you know that Spike?" Giles asked.
"I dunno. I just do. It's weird. It's like...I need to do something,
comfort her or.." He paced back and forth trying to figure it out,
frustrated. "I dunno. What's happening?"
"That's easy." Anya said. Spike stopped pacing abruptly and everyone
looked at her. Anya perked up at being in the spotlight. "He can feel what
she feels, though only a little bit right now. Because of the bond and his
instinct to protect her, he wants to comfort her. He just simply has to
give in to the urge and everything is complete. It's a whole vampire thing.
Very complex." Everybody stared at her. "What? I had a vampire friend who
was in the same situation once." she said defensively. Spike put his head
in his hands when he heard Kel moan in pain in the next room.
"And to think I'm over 130 bloody years old and I have never heard it
in that much detail." He sighed. "What am I going to do?" he mumbled into
his hands to no one in particular.
Spike felt a warm hand over his own and he looked up and saw it was
Buffy. She squeezed his hand and smiled.
"I think you should." Spike didn't need her to say anything else to
know what she was talking about.
"Buffy..I can't. She doesn't know about the law or the bond. She
doesn't know she was a mistake."
"Hey since when do you call Buffy Buffy? And what's with the hand
holding?" Xander asked suspiciously. Buffy glared at him.
"Now is not the time Xander. You mean she doesn't know what will
happen or anything?" Spike let go of Buffy's hand and began to pace the
room again.
"Yeah. But that's not so much what I'm worried about."
"What, are you worried about her being a mistake?" Buffy asked, "How
can she be a mistake? Is that even possible?"
"Oh believe me, it's very possible. But no, not that. She doesn't
need to know that. It doesn't matter now. I'm worried about me. I don't
know if I can do this." Spike winced again, both from Kel's discomfort and
from being so open in front of the Scoobies. Suddenly, Buffy pushed him
back into the wall. She stared at him with a sultry look on her face.
Spikes eyes widened. She slowly brought her lips to his and kissed him
gently, despite her rough approach. Spike deepened the kiss and Buffy ran
her hands through his hair. Spike ran his hands down her back hungrily.
Buffy suddenly pulled away but her face hovered close to his. He looked at
her with a questioning and confused look on his face.
"If you can take care of Dawn for three months I have total faith
that you can take care of Kel."she whispered still close to him. She kissed
him softly again and backed off a bit more. Spike looked at the Scoobies.
They all stared in shock with their mouths hanging open. Spike noticed that
Tara and Willow were back. They must have come in while they were...
"Hey you did see that she attacked me." Spike said. Buffy grinned and
pushed Spike gently in the direction of the living room.
"Go on. Go do whatcha need to do." Spike looked at Kel. She was
having a bad dream. From Drusilla no doubt. He sighed and went into the
living room, leaving the others behind, to his relief. He walked over to
the couch and knelt beside Kel. She was shifting around uneasily and
sweating though her arm looked better. Spike, unsure of what to do, reached
out put a hand on her forehead and Kel started to relax. Encouraged, he
pushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He started
crooning softly to her and Kel relaxed completely and fell into a deep,
fitful sleep. Wow, that didn't take long. Spike stood up and watched in
amazement as her hair turned into his platinum blonde. It actually looked
pretty good on her though. Spike walked back into the kitchen. Nobody said
anything about what had happened with him and Buffy or how it went with
Kel. But he was sure Buffy would hear about it later.
"Well?" Buffy asked, breaking the silence. Spike didn't say anything
but stared accusingly at Anya.
"What?!"she asked finally defeated.
"Did you by any chance know that her hair would change color?"
"Well, yeah. The childe can get some of the traits of the sire and
some of their personality and attitude."
"And you tell me this now?" Spike said through clenched teeth. Anya
opened her mouth to retort but Buffy interrupted.
"Spike, I'm sure Anya just forgot."
"Did you just say her hair changed color? Cool. I always thought she
would look good as a blonde." Dawn said.
"So what do we do now?" Buffy asked to no one in particular.
"I guess we just wait until she wakes up. You guys can go if you
want." Spike said.
"No we'll stay." Giles said before anyone could respond.
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself."
"Dawn I think it's time for bed." Buffy said.
"Buffy it's only 9:00!"
"Too bad. It's a school day tomorrow."
"Buffy let her stay up. 'Sides Kel'll want her here when she wakes up
I wager." Spike said. Dawn smiled gratefully at him. Spike sighed as they
fell into an easy conversation, waiting for Kel to wake.
* * *
Kel woke up to a sharp, but not unbearable, pain in her arm. She
realized she was on Buffy's couch and heard voices in the kitchen. She
tried to remember what had happened. Oh yes! Drusilla had broken her arm,
but not before telling her that Spike was her..sire. Her eyes widened as
realization hit and she stood up quickly but almost fell down from
dizziness. She walked slowly towards the kitchen and stood in the doorway
just finishing a yawn. Everyone stopped talking. Her brow wrinkled in
confusion. They were looking at her like she had two heads. Surely they all
knew about Spike being her sire already.
"Ok, did I miss something?" she asked and looked at Dawn, "Do I want
to know?" Dawn bit her lip and twirled her hair pointedly around her
finger. Kel stared at her trying to decipher what she meant. Kel's hands
flew to her head.
"Yeah, so my hair is a mess. Yours would be to if..." Her mouth
dropped open as she looked at her hair. Oh my God! She made a sort of
strangled noise.
"Can someone tell me what exactly has happened here?" she squealed.
"Kel, it's alright, calm down." Dawn said, trying to comfort her
friend.
"I am calm. You have no idea how much effort it is taking me to be
calm here. Cuz the last time I checked, your hair doesn't change color
overnight." Dawn walked over and laid a hand on her arm.
"It really doesn't look bad."
"Yeah. You have to say that."
"No, I'm serious. It looks good actually." Kel closed her eyes and
leaned against the doorframe.
"Now I really wish I had a reflection."
"C'mon now Kelly. It's not that bad." She heard Spike's oddly
comforting voice from the door at the other end of the kitchen. He had
probably been out there having a cigarette on the porch when she had woken
up. She opened one eye to look at him. To her surprise, she only felt love
and affection toward him. She suddenly just wanted to be near him but
resisted running into his arms. She wanted to know what was going on. She
opened her mouth to ask but Spike cut her off.
"I'll tell you later." He smiled and opened his arms for her. She
hesitated and looked at him warily. What am I doing? That is invite enough
for me. She didn't care that anybody was watching anymore. She ran into his
strong arms like a lost puppy. He held her close and it took all of her
effort to keep from crying. She had never felt as safe as she was now. She
took a deep breath and caught the scent of her sire for the first time. He
smelled of leather, smoke, and strangely peppermint. The smell that only
Spike had. She nuzzled him gently in overwhelming affection for him. In
response, Spike nuzzled her neck and nibbled it gently in return affection.
She didn't bother pulling away when he had finished. She just stood there,
memorizing his scent and marveling at her new feelings of safety with him.
She finally pulled away and looked at him fondly. Spike grinned back and
reached out to caress her face and gently tugged at a piece of her now
blonde hair.
"I think it looks fine Kel."he said, still smiling. Kel closed her
eyes and leaned into his hand, enjoying the sensation.
"Uh, excuse me? Sorry to break up the moment, but this is getting
kinda weird." Xander said. Kel and Spike turned to glare at him.
"Oh go do yourself Harris." Spike said, annoyed. Kel hid a smile and
snorted with laughter. Xander opened and closed his mouth as if undecided
what to say. Kel giggled. He looked like a goldfish.
"Well..well yeah. Maybe I will." said Xander finally. At, this both
Dawn and Kel burst out laughing at the same time. Kel looked up at Spike
who was smirking with satisfaction.
"Nice comeback Xand. At least ya broke the tension." Dawn said, still
laughing. But they both stopped when they realized that everybody was
looking at them. Kel exchanged glances with Dawn and held back a grin.
"Ok sorry. But that was classic." Dawn said.
"Ok it's laugh at Xander day." said Xander crossly.
"Everyday is laugh at Xander day." Kel said. He made a face at her
and she laughed again.
"Alright I admit it. You win this time. I'm defeated. For now."
Xander said to Spike.
"Don't worry honey. I'm sure you'll get him next time." Anya said
smiling at Xander. Kel leaned back and realized it was Spike who she was
leaning on. He still had his arms around her and he tightened them around
her instinctively. She sighed contentedly and looked at the now silent
Scoobies. Then she remembered what she really wanted to know. The
distraction had almost worked. She cleared her throat and spoke.
"Um, ok, well..I appreciate the thoughtful trying to distract me from
the original subject but I would really like to know what's going on here,"
she said, " Spike, care to tell?" He looked at her and she smiled up at him
innocently. He shook his head finally and she took that as a 'not now'
signal. "Fine, if you won't then, Giles. You will right?" Giles took off
his glasses to clean them. Kel raised an eyebrow. "Ok never mind. You're
cleaning your glasses. Never a good sign."
"Wow. Took me three years to figure that out." Buffy said, impressed.
Spike smiled.
"I think maybe we should go Kel."he said. Kel scowled but didn't
argue. She wanted to know everything and the sooner they left, the sooner
she would know.
"Fine, "she said, "Bye Dawn, bye guys." She pulled Spike towards the
door by his hand but did notice Spike give Buffy and encouraging look. She
wondered what exactly she had missed while she had been out.
* * *
Buffy watched as Kel pulled Spike out the door. It had been weird to
watch them be so affectionate all of the sudden. They were usually always
fighting. She hoped Spike would do okay telling Kel everything. Just as the
door was closing, Spike looked back encouragingly and she smiled at him
weakly.
"Ok, what was that?" Xander asked immediately after they left. Buffy
looked up at Xander from her thoughts.
"Huh? What was what?" Buffy asked distractedly.
"The making out with Spike!" he exclaimed.
"Oh...that. It was nothing, really." she said.
"Uh, yeah and sticking your tongue half way down Spike's throat is
nothing"
"Xander I don't feel like talking about it right now. Just stop while
you're ahead."
"So, what, we should stop because you don't feel like talking?"
Xander asked angrily
"Yes!"
"Well, I'm not stopping. You need to explain what's going on Buff."he
said gently this time. Buffy looked at him stubbornly.
"H..he's right Buffy. You need to get this out in the open." Willow
said. Buffy looked at all of her friends faces and Dawn's hopeful one. She
knew that she couldn't avoid it this time.
"Fine," she took a deep breath, "I think that there is something
between Spike and I, as you might have noticed," At this, Xander snorted.
She sighed. "I dunno why, it's just...he's been acting different lately ya
know? Like not his normal Spikeyness. And I guess I just realized there is
something more there than just hatred. I was being a real bitch to him for
no reason at all."
"But he's a vampire! He's evil! No matter what!" Xander cried.
"So what! Angel was a vampire!" she cried back, losing her patience.
"Well I didn't exactly like him either."
"Oh, so you have to like a guy first before I can go out with him?
Besides, Angel had a..." Buffy stopped suddenly. Angel had a soul! Maybe
Spike had one. Angel always acted different with a soul. "That's it!"
"What?" Xander asked. Buffy looked at Giles.
"Maybe he has a soul."she said. Giles cleaned his glasses.
"Well, yes, that and maybe having Kel has caused him to mellow out a
bit."
"Isn't there a test or something?" she asked.
"We could look into it."
"Hey! I'm not done fighting yet!" Xander said.
"Xander end of discussion. I'm not talking about it anymore so shut
it." Buffy snapped. He scowled at her but shut up.
"So you're saying Spike might have his soul?" Dawn asked. Buffy
nodded. Dawn smiled wider.
"Alright we will start looking tomorrow. Hopefully it shouldn't take
long. We do still have Drusilla in town remember." Buffy said.
"Buffy does it really matter if he has his soul or not? I mean he's
evil. Dem...vampires are evil." Xander said.
"No not necessarily. Spike hasn't been evil for a long time." Buffy
answered, again patient.
"Yeah some vampires just plain aren't evil. They don't want to be.
They have a choice you know." Anya said.
"Ok guys can we not talk about this now? We will get together
tomorrow and Dawn is going to bed." Buffy said. Dawn glared at her but said
goodnight to everyone and went upstairs. "You guys had better get going to.
You have to get your sleep." They didn't argue but left quickly, sensing
that Buffy need time alone. After they had left, Buffy sat down on the
couch in the dark to think. Could Spike really have his soul? It could
happen. She thought about tat Xander had said. It really didn't matter if
he had a soul or not. The feeling was there regardless. Soul or not. Evil
or not. I'm gonna give this a chance. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
She didn't love him yet but it was definitely something that could evolve.
She yawned and started to turn on the TV but decided better of it and went
up to bed. The Slayer needed her rest after all. She fell asleep with a
smile on her face for the first time in a long time.
* * *
As Spike walked out of Buffy's house, he wondered how he would
explain all of this to Kel. Kel was, of course, kind enough to ask about it
as soon as they were out the door.
"So you gonna tell me what's going on?"
"Ok I'll tell you, but no interruptions," Spike said and paused. "How
much do you know about vampire laws and junk like that?"
"Not much but..." Kel started to reply.
"Ok, if a vampire sires a human younger than eighteen, the sire is
always supposed to be with the childe, so as you can see it is a big
responsibility so vamps generally avoid it. The childe, you in this
instance, is supposedly still too young and immature to be on their own.
Still dependent on other people, still learning about everything. I,
personally, disagree 'cuz you obviously prove it wrong," he smiled, paused,
then continued, "When I met you, I had thought that your sire was either
dead or had left you behind and had not followed the law," Spike paused
again and took a deep, uneeded breath, "A sire and a childe have a special
bond or connection; when you were hurt tonight, I could feel your pain.
When you were uncomfortable I felt like I had to make you comfortable. And
it's the same for me with you. Oh, and I'm pretty sure we can read each
other's minds if we are together enough." Spike finished and looked at Kel
, who had been silent during his whole speech. She was walking with her
head down, thinking, her hair glinting in the moonlight. Spike smiled
again. It really did look good that way.
"How do you know all this? Did I somehow miss Vampire Laws and Theory
101 or something?" she blurted out suddenly.
"Hey, I didn't even know it all in that much detail until Anya told
me."
"Ok, that's all great but you still didn't tell me why my hair turned
color on random."
"Oh...that. Your hair turned color because a childe can take on some
of the traits and attitude of the sire." Spike said, strangely calm and
patient.
"Oh. Wait, did you say attitude? That's...pretty cool I guess." Spike
smiled. She wasn't taking this as badly as he had thought. But there was
still something bothering him.
"Kel...you do know that I was the one that killed your family right?
Well Drusilla to but...I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For
everything. I can't see how you would even look at me after that." Kel
stopped and looked at him carefully. She seemed to be having a fight with
herself inside, sizing him up. She finally shook her head and looked up at
him lovingly.
"I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore. You were evil then. I don't
expect you to have remembered. Besides, I hardly even remember them
anymore."she said seriously. Spike smiled warmly at his childe and pulled
her into a hug, which she gladly accepted. Spike pulled away and reached
out to caress her face and smiled when she started purring.
"Thanks pet. That means a lot to me." They started walking again but
Spike kept his arm around her and she leaned into him, still purring. Spike
was amazed at himself. He was being so affectionate and nice to this girl
and it really wasn't clear why. He realized he didn't care. Even if he was
going soft.
"One thing though," Kel said suddenly.
"What's that?"
"Let's not be this touchy feely around everybody. It's probably kinda
awkward for them." Spike raised an eyebrow but smiled and nodded.
"Deal."
What do you think? Good so far? Not so good? Tell me please!! By the
way this is set in my perfect Buffyverse so there really is no season. I
wanna say hi to all my friends in the rp chat room. Here goes. Hi KC, Steve
1, Steve 2, Stacy, Kelly, Reoko, Marc, Theao, Tim, Sarah, and of course my
sweetie Duo. Luv ya! If I forgot anyone just let me know! I miss you all!
You are like my friggin family! Lata!
