Buffy squinted into the dimly lit expanse of the warehouse. It was littered with large wooden crates piled haphazardly. Listening hard for any sign of movement, she frowned when nothing clear came back to her.
Spike looked up at the high ceiling above them. The air ducts intersecting the vast space reminded him painfully of the ones back in the factory in Sunnydale. He watched the swinging light nearest the platform directly above them; it creaked slightly on the chain that held it in place.
"Anything?" Buffy asked again and watched him shake his head in the negative.
"Only blood. Enough of it to dull even my senses."
Buffy took the hint and tried hers, hoping that the strength of Spike's signature when he was wearing the Gem wouldn't drown out the othersif there were any present. She closed her eyes and reached out, searching for a blip on her radar and feeling the tightness of her stomach worsen with each passing second.
She couldn't sense a thing.
"Nothing." She frowned at the room in front of her. "We need to get higher up. Maybe if we're looking down on this place we'll be able to spot something."
Spike nodded and started towards the stairs. He'd wanted to check out what had caused the light above them to swing anyway and she'd given him the perfect excuse.
His normally calm senses were going off the scale inside the warehouse. He never usually felt nerves; he knew he could handle himself, but this time it was as if something was different.
There was more at risk.
There was Buffy.
He stopped and let his eyes follow her as she passed him by on the metal stairs. He was worried about her. From the second he'd realised it was a trap and someone had purposefully bought them here, he'd been on edge. The only way he could protect his girl was to remain close to her at all times, not letting whoever was hiding in the warehouse get the opportunity to hurt her. He was invulnerable with the ring on, but she was still just a girl. She bled like one and she could die like one. All it needed was a lucky hit or for them to have weapons and she was in more danger than he cared to see.
He'd stay close to her.
Protect his mate with his life.
Catching up with her, Spike found her staring out the window by the swinging light. He placed his hands tentatively on her waist and stood behind her, letting his cheek rest against hers.
Buffy rolled her eyes closed briefly as his skin made contact with hers, the gentle pressure of his grip on her sides making her body hum.
"Someone was up here." She stared out of the window to the spot in the alley below where they had been standing not minutes before.
"Figured as much." He released her waist and turned around to survey the warehouse floor below them.
In their current position, they were relatively safe from attack, so long as the people that had been watching their arrival didn't have guns, bows, or any other long-range weapons.
He let his gaze slip to Buffy as she settled beside him, her free hand coming to rest on the handrail as her other gripped the axe.
"They know we're here, then." She said quietly and felt reassured as Spike's hand closed over hers.
"We know they're here, too." He flashed her a smile and then searched the floor below them. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, hoping to catch more than just Angel's blood in the air. He knew Angel and as much as he loathed admitting it, his grandsire wouldn't give up without a fight. Someone other than the vampire had to have bled.
A tiny hint of blood caught on the edge of his senses. It wasn't Angel's.
"Wherever they are…they're human." Spike looked disappointed as he told her.
"Which means we can't kill them." Buffy stated flatly and watched Spike closely. He didn't react for a few seconds, but then nodded resignedly.
"I'll play nice, but only because you ask me to, love." He ran the pads of his fingers over her cheek and down her neck, and delighted in the way her heartbeat sped up a little and her skin grew hotter under his touch.
Buffy met his eyes, feeling goosebumps erupt in the wake of his fingers as she became lost in them. Their clear blue lured her in and captivated her with the depths of the emotions that were playing out in them. She'd never been looked at with so much open affectionnot even Angel had been so intense.
Angel.
That one word broke the spell she had been under and reminded her why she was here.
She wasn't here to get lost in little moments with Spike.
As much as she'd love to do just that.
She was here to find Angel and bring him home safe.
"We should…" Buffy started but trailed off when Spike pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Let's go, sweetheart." Spike ran his fingers down her arm and slipped his hand into hers, leading her back to the stairs and smiling to himself.
He had indeed been able to cause goosebumps on her skin, but he'd learnt more than that by doing so. She'd reassured him with her reaction that when he was around her there were no thoughts in her head of Angel or anyone else. Captured by his smile and his eyes she was his and his alone. He'd kept her standing in one spot for almost five minutes. He had driven all thoughts of rescuing Angel and her current mission clear from her mind by his touch alone. If he had ventured a kiss she would still be there now, not caring that she wasn't doing her mission because he was close to her and that was all that mattered.
Claims were a funny thing.
She had powers over him she couldn't even start to comprehend yet he was the one who had her enthralled. As the initiator of the claim her power was strongest in the bondshe held more sway and had stronger abilities, so long as the mating remained unconsummated. She also had her mark stamped all over him. That was going to change whether she liked it or not.
Spike had a plan.
It wasn't a great one but it was a plan nonetheless.
He was going to claim her.
Counter-claims were tricky. It was going to hurt her, but he had a way of solving that little problem and hopefully she'd be none the wiser. If it all went to plan, she'd have no clue that she was changing roles and he would then have the dominant claim. The one with the power.
"You coming?"
He looked up to see Buffy waiting patiently at the top of the stairs.
He smiled broadly.
"Just the way I'm standing, love." Spike walked past her and down the stairs, and waited for her reaction.
Buffy looked pensive as she tried to understand what he'd said. She wrinkled her nose up and then widened her eyes as it dawned on her.
"Eww…gross much?" She followed him down the stairs, hoping that the reason he'd been staring blankly at the warehouse below them hadn't been because he'd been thinking sex thoughts.
Anything but that.
Weaving his way through the boxes, Spike tried to follow the faint scent of human blood he'd detected. It wasn't getting any stronger as they moved further into the building. He could feel Buffy's heartbeat resonating through him; the adrenaline in her veins and the excitement that raced through her echoing in him and making him feel like it was his adrenaline and excitement.
The excitement was definitely his. She only added to it.
Tracking down prey was something he excelled at. He loved the hunt and it didn't have to be human to get his predatory nature to kick in. He could hunt anything. Everything was fair game.
He turned his head to look back at Buffy as she followed him.
Especially now that his favourite prey was off the menu. He didn't want to think about the fact that he would no longer be able to hunt humans. He would have to rely on bagged blood and whatever his mate would offer to him. His whole world had changed in one fateful night and now he was going to spend the rest of his existence denying his true nature.
He wanted the hunt. He wanted the kill.
But it was far outweighed by how much he needed her.
She'd offered her neck up to him, allowed him to feed off her repeatedly and it almost made up for not being allowed to kill humans. Her blood was an elixir. It was a delight and an honour to be given it so freely and with so much affection. He'd take Slayer blood over human any day.
Especially when it was hers.
Buffy teased her lower lip with her teeth as Spike's eyes came to rest on her. She could feel his signature growing stronger with each passing moment, and it was all focused on her. It made her stomach flip and her body heat through. The intensity of passion in his eyes and desire in his body was enough to make her want to forget about what they were supposed to be doing and allow herself to get lost in his kiss.
Spike flicked her a wicked smile and turned his attention back to the hunt. The temptation to act on the signals she was sending him was overwhelming but he refused to give in. If he gave her what she wanted and Angel died, then she would hold herself responsible. And he would never forgive himself.
Approaching a clearing at the opposite end of the warehouse from where they had started, Spike motioned to Buffy for her to stop. She peered around the crates and narrowed her eyes as her look turned pensive.
She reached out to Spike. "Something's there."
Spike nodded in agreement. "This whole section stinks of vampire…must be Angel."
Buffy tiptoed and tried to get a fix on the signature she was picking up. Something moved in the far corner, a shadowy shape in the darkness.
She nodded towards it and saw Spike's eyes become nothing more than slits as he tried to discern what was there.
As he slipped into game face to sharpen his senses, he heard Buffy's heartbeat accelerate again and remembered how she'd mentioned that his signature in vampire guise with the ring on made her feel sick.
She felt anything but sick to him.
That now familiar feeling of desire and arousal echoed in him, and as usual it was coming off her in waves.
"Kinky Slayer." Spike watched her jump as he spoke into her head. Her heart skipped a beat and her breathing hitched in her throat.
"Don't know what you mean." Buffy did her best to look confused as she willed her body to gain some control over itself.
When Spike turned to look at herhis face in demonic visageshe found control had all but disappeared.
Her thighs ached.
She smiled awkwardly.
Spike gave her a toothy grin that set her stomach on fire. The sight of his fangs was enough to have her hand subconsciously moving towards her neck and his marks there. The memories of his bites stirred the fire inside her until it burnt hotter than the sun.
Spike sucked in his cheeks and smirked.
Slinking towards her, he pressed the flat of his hand against her stomach, rolling his eyes closed as the warmth of her seeped into him. He let his yellow eyes open and lock with hers.
"Like I said…" He leant in close to her so his lips were almost touching hers. "Kinky Slayer."
Buffy sighed out her breath as his lips moved away from hers and his hand brushed against her breast as it left her stomach.
She grabbed his arm as he went to move away. Spike turned, his features smoothing back into human form as he looked down at her.
She went to say something.
Spike beat her to it.
"I really think you should focus your attention on saving Angel, I mean…that's the plan right? I know I'm hard to resist, pet…Angel first. You and I can come later…" He resisted waggling his brow at her.
Buffy put her hands on her hips and gave him a look that said she hadn't missed his innuendo about sex and her.
"Just get on with it." She pushed him in the back and ignored the cocky look he shot at her.
Creeping along the shadowy wall of the factory to avoid being seen, Buffy tried desperately to figure out just what they were heading towards. She hoped it was Angel.
Spike stopped dead as he followed behind her. The stench of old blood hit him hard in the stomach and its scent was all too familiar.
Buffy rushed forwards as she saw him. Chained in the corner, he was wearing nothing but a ragged pair of black trousers and looking like the people responsible had done a similar job on him to the one they had done on Spike.
Angel.
As she moved closer to him she saw that his injuries weren't as bad as Spike's had been. He had deep lacerations across his chest where he had been bled for the purpose of bringing herself and Spike to his rescue but other than that, there were only minor cuts and some bruising.
"Angel?" Buffy whispered as she knelt beside him. She could feel Spike standing a few metres away, his eyes following her every move and she knew that if she made one wrong one that he would make her pay. She didn't know how, but he would.
She risked touching Angel on the shoulder. She had to see if he responded but didn't want to risk angering Spike by touching him somewhere more intimate. As she tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder, she reached out to feel what Spike's reaction was. He didn't like it but he didn't seem to be angry with her for doing it.
Buffy remembered the way she had reacted to Giles and Xander touching her. Deep down inside she knew that if Angel tried to touch her then her reaction to it would be worse than what it had been with her friends. Spike would make sure of it if the claim didn't.
Angel looked up, his cracked and dry lips moving wordlessly as he extended a manacled hand towards her.
Buffy stood up sharply. Moving quickly out of his reach and hating herself for doing so. She wanted to comfort him, but the thought of him touching her sickened her. She held her stomach as it tightened and lurched.
A comforting hand on her shoulder made her close her eyes. She leant her back into Spike's chest as he moved closer to her; his body flush against hers.
Buffy stared down at the seemingly small form of Angel as he huddled up on the floor. The once great man she had seen him as was all but gone from her vision of him now. He was weak. Inferior.
She turned her head and looked up at Spike as he gazed into her eyes. He felt strong. Superior.
She wondered if it was her heart seeing them as this or if it was just the claim.
"It's okay, pet." He held her shoulders tighter as she looked confused. "It takes a little getting used to."
Releasing her, he moved around to the other side of Angel and frowned down at him.
"You're not here…" Angel chuckled quietly at Buffy as he raised his head. "Ghost…"
Buffy furrowed her brows, a sorrowful expression washing across her face. "He's delusional."
"Finally, someone who agrees with me…" Spike said earnestly and then regretted it the second she turned her frown on him.
"Don't, Spike." It came out a little harder sounding than she'd intended and she could see in his eyes that he saw it as her defending Angel. "I just mean…it isn't the time for being funny."
He nodded, resigned, and let his gaze settle on the chains holding Angel. Heaving a long sigh over what he was about to do, Spike bent over and slipped his fingers into the manacles, breaking each one apart and freeing his grandsire.
He caught the look of gratitude on Buffy's face as he straightened up. Flicking her a smile that said it was nothing, he felt warm inside over her silent thank you for doing something for her and understanding why she needed to free Angel.
Only there was still a large part of him that didn't understand.
The part that saw Angel as a rival for his mate's affections.
The part that wanted Angel deader than dead.
He watched as she crouched down beside his adversary. He watched as she frowned at the wounds that streaked across Angel's bare chest. He could see her hands trembling and knew it wasn't because she was nervous or scared. Inside him, he could feel her apprehension. She wanted to check Angel over but at the same time, couldn't bring herself to touch him. Conflict reigned inside her. Spike smiled. He was starting to love how the claim affected her, ensuring she was his and his alone, even if the voice at the back of his head still told him she wasn't.
A distant sound barely registered on the edge of his hearing.
He raised his head and listened hard but the air was still.
"Buffy, sweetheart." He placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him.
Buffy stood slowly. The confusion she felt inside seemed to disappear as she looked at Spike and distanced herself from Angel. Giles had been right when he'd said the claim would have consequences and it would take her time to adjust to the feelings it gave her. She hadn't bargained on it taking this long, though, and the fact she couldn't bring herself to touch Angel for fear of him returning that touch, made her feel conflicted. Was she always going to be like this? Or would the claim eventually calm down and allow her to touch and be touched by other males? Giles had touched her and she had managed to control herself, so maybe there was hope in her future. But she suspected it would never be so with AngelSpike would see to that.
"We should get out of here before it's…" Spike trailed off as loud clunks echoed around the warehouse and the lighting overhead burst into life.
Buffy and Spike turned sharply.
Spike raised his brows.
Buffy wrinkled her nose.
In front of them were seven robed men. She could just about make out their faces and their signatures said they were human. A part of her felt as disappointed as Spike did. She wanted something she could fight without fear of repercussions. She wanted demons.
She wanted something she could kill.
Buffy felt Spike tense at the same time she did; the men dressed in dark brown robes pulled large curved knives outseemingly from nowhere and in perfect synchronisation.
Like someone was controlling them.
Buffy blinked. They were like puppets.
Spike decided it would be an opportune moment to finish his sentence.
"…Too late."
