Yours to Command

'Faster, faster you fool! You're going to die if you slow down!"

It was the mantra that he kept repeating over and over in his head as he ran. He was running as fast as his legs could carry. They burned painfully from overexertion and he could feel that hopeless sinking feeling forming deep within his stomach. It sickened him to know that it would all be over soon – for a second time.

In life he had been an undefeated marathon runner, but now it didn't seem to matter any more. This was one race he knew that he was not going to win. Although he had been one of the undead for over thirty three years now, he still missed the feeling that he should be experiences right now; a wildly beating heart burning lungs and a stinging cramp like a thorn in his side. Sometimes death really sucks. But there was one thing that never went the moment he was sired and always seemed to hang around when it wasn't needed and that was the constant rush of fear pumped adrenaline.

It was probably what all his victims had felt as the suffered and died at his hands. Before this it had always been a thrill, but know in the face of the same situation, he was absolutely terrified. It was all because of what he was running from. Death was the best way to describe her – the Slayer, the chick that always thinks she's holier then thou because she was destined to be a person that loved the power boost of mass genocide. That was all she was, a killer. They didn't have consciences. No, they all killed without any emotion at all. And even though he wished revenge for the heartless slaughter of his beloved sire, he knew that he would not survive a confrontation with this addition to the bloody forsaken line.

This one was twisted. Psycho was more like it. And when the end of his unlife came, he knew he would leave this world with that horrific song she was singing imprinted on his mind forever.

"All around the Mouth of Hell, the Slayer chased the Vampire" she sang and she persuaded the fleeing vamp.

Cutting him off, she sent out a kick to his stomach that sent him smashing headfirst into a brick wall.

"The Slayer stopped to plunge her stake…"

She smiled viscously as he looked up at her in a momentary daze on his demonic face that was long enough for her to raise her stake and send it to meet its mark. With a short shriek of pain, he exploded into a cloud of silver dust that was picked up and blown away by the nightly Sunnydale breeze.

"…And poof goes the vampire!"

For Buffy Summers, it was the same old thing. It was patrolling once the sun was down and there were tons of evil baddies to slay in order to keep her town just a little bit safer. Also the slaying helped to keep her mind off of more pressing things that she did not want to dwell on, most of all her problems with Spike.

Sighing in frustration as she looked around the deserted ally behind the Sunnydale Funeral Home, Buffy was not a happy camper.

"Stupid vampire" she muttered and it occurred to her that she wasn't really she if the insult was directed at Spike or the vamp she had just dusted.

Tossing aside her make shift stake that she had picked up a few blocks back, Buffy had finally made up her mind. She couldn't avoid Spike forever and his brush off of her last night was a prime example. She had waited for him to return, but he hadn't bother. Nor had he come by the Magic Shop to pester her like he always did. She knew she had to be the one to make things right between them. Most of all she was actually starting to realize that she really did love him back.

The walk to Spike's crypt wasn't taken that far, but with her desperate need to procrastinate made it take forever. But when she finally arrived, she wished she hadn't.

The door to his crypt stood wide open and the smoking corpse of two demons lay just beyond. The smell was enough to make her gag. Avoiding the bodies, Buffy slowly stepped over the crispiness beneath her feet and the dark within was enough to make her feel like she was walking blind.

"Spike?" she called out into the forbidding darkness.

The only answer that came was the echo of her own voice.

"Spike" she repeated a little as she moved forward to bump into the sarcophagus near the door.

Cursing from the sharp bite of pain in her hip, Buffy growled and turned to see if she would be able to find the stairs leading to the lower level of the crypt. Suddenly she heard as weak groan off to her left and as she turned to see if it was another surviving demon, she discovered the object of her search. It was Spike and he was chained against the far wall.

"Oh my god! Spike!" Buffy cried and rushed over to his side.

Inspecting the manacles around his wrists she could see from all the cuts and blood that he had been trying to rip them off.

"Let me help you"

He jerked suddenly and moved his hands away from her.

" Can' t… can' t let you… do that" he said, stressing each word.

"Why not?" she snapped and grabbled his hands.

"No!"

But Buffy wasn't listening as she pulled out a pin from her hair and began to pick at the lock.

"You… you shouldn't have… done that Slayer" he growled as he dropped to the ground, hands free to the chains.

Buffy was about to demand why, but when she looked down and saw a pair of glittering yellow eyes shining up at her through the dark, she knew instinctively that she was in trouble.

The previous night…

"Now Lexxrin, I'm going to chain this bloodsucker up"

"But I thought we were going to sic him on the Slayer?"

The first demon looked up from where he still had Spike pinned to the floor. Its hair was very similar to Medusa's snakes – long fleshy dreads that hung passed its shoulders. The other demon was its exact replica down to the same mangy brown rags they wore as clothing. It smiled gleefully, the thought of what it had planed making it very happy.

"Oh we are, but it'll be so much better if we drive him mad first – he'll be desperate to fulfil because of that handy lil curse that's on him" it hissed "Let the Slayer come and release him, she won't know what hit her till she's dead"

Spike moved slightly under the demon's grip, but it just pushed his face harder into the floor.

"I don't think that's a very good idea Nirxxel," the other, Lexxrin said seriously crossing its arms and glaring down at its double though silted eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because what if the Slayer manages to stop him, huh? Everything always has a way of coming back to bite you on the ass"

"Well I won't let that happen" Nirxxel grinned viscously.

"It'll happen wither you want it to or not" Lexxrin snapped. "The Slayer could always command the vampire not to hurt her. End of story"

"Then I'll make it so that my command can't be overridden"

Nirxxel turned and dragged Spike across the crypt over to the far opposite wall. With a wave of its hand chains sprang up out of nowhere and snapped tight around Spike's wrists. Then it started to hiss some sort of spell in a strange demon language before turning back to its double with a smug expression.

"See Lexxrin," it stated with triumph. "It'll be the perfect trap for the Slayer"

"I just want to get this over with now. Having the Slayer dead is much better then playing with her pet in order to have her 'hurt' more"

"No! We are doing this my way"

"Yes!"

Forgetting about their prize, they leapt at each other.

"S-Spike… what's wrong"

"…Have to kill you…"

Buffy sprung away for him the moment he launched himself at her. His face, although vamped out, was a blank mask due to the thrall of the curse. In the dark it was hard to out maneuver him even as the Slayer. She felt a fist come out of nowhere and connect solidly with her jaw, sending her backward.

"Spike, don't do this!" she cried as she followed her instincts and kicked forward.

The foot caught him in the stomach. "Sorry luv, I have to fulfil this command before I can be commanded again"

"You said you were going to find the Fae and get it to remove the curse"

"Wouldn't… it said I have to fight it" Spike replied as he jumped at her again.

"Fight it then!"

"It's impossible"

Dodging his assault, Buffy moved for the crypt door in order to escape. Forgetting about the demon corpse, she tripped and fell backward on top of them. She had no time to cry out with disgust because Spike was suddenly on her.

Pinning her down like he had been upon the gore, Spike struggled to stop himself. The will he possessed as not to kill Buffy was strong, but the urge of the curse was stronger. He watched as Buffy unsuccessfully struggled to kick him off, tears streaming down her face. It didn't want to kill her. If only he had listened to that stupid Fae all those days back. He felt his head slowly bending down to bite her, his mouth watering and his fangs hurting with anticipation. She would be his third Slayer…

"I… love you"

Suddenly Spike felt a jolt tare through him. Had she actually said those three little words that he had always longed for her to say to him? Did she really say that she loved him? In that moment his will become stronger. Pulling himself away for her was like walking through water and a splitting pain was beginning to pierce his skull and burn his brain. He let out an ear splitting scream and flung himself away.

"I won't!"

Buffy gasped and scrambled to her knees. She peered through the dark and could see him holding onto his head in pain.

"Spike?"

"The curse… I think I broke it"

"How?"

"Did you really mean it?"

"Mean what?" Buffy asked with confusion.

"That you loved me" he said looking into her eyes.

"Yes"

She watched him as he looked silently at the ground.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that pet"

Smiling, Buffy leaned over and hugged him tightly.

"Let's go home"

Standing outside the front door of her house, Buffy couldn't feel happier. It was the first really time since she had been brought back. She could feel that familiar feeling of love in her heart and for once everything felt right.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you back when I first found out you were cursed" she admitted softly.

"You were just having fun. Being a heartless bint, but just having fun" Spike smirked. "What do you think the whelp will say?"

"Let him say what he likes. He's only my friend, not me"

He leaned closed and kissed he softly, but it didn't last long before the object to their last few words showed up.

"What are you doing!" Xander cried out in disgust as he witnessed the new couple's kiss.

"Are you blind whelp? We happen to be kissing. Mind if you give us some privacy" Spike retorted before returning to the kiss.

"Never touch her again!"

This time it was Buffy that that got mad. Leaving Spike's side, she strode down the walk and punched him in the face. Xander let out a yelp of pain and brought his hands up to clutch a bleeding nose.

"I'll make my own choices Xander. I may be your friend, but you can't tell me what to do"

Just for the effect, Spike came in behind her and gathered her into his arms.

"I broke the curse whelp, no more ordering me about"

And then just to spite the young man, he kissed her again. The look of shock on Xander's face was just too much. He fainted seconds after.

"So do I get a fairy tale happy ending?" Buffy asked with a sly smile.

"Whatever you wish luv" Spike grinned in return. "I am yours to command"

So how was that chapter? I hope it was good. I've been really busy so if the quality is lacking, I sorry. Also what about the vampire's point of view of theSlayerin the beginning? I thought it could be a neat to go with it. Anyway the last chapter will be next. Hope you enjoyed my story. Please stay tuned and review to tell me what you'd like to see in means of the epilogue. Later!