Chapter 14
Spike roared loudly when he came to the middle of the cemetery, the sight of Riley bent over his mate was to much for him to handle, and all the anger he'd ever felt towards Riley came pouring out as he let his demon come forth.
Riley looked up when he heard a loud roar, and all he could see before he was pinned on the ground, was a flash of black leather.
Spike clawed Riley across his chest, and he stopped occasionally to hit him across the face. Spike's chip fired time after time but he was too furious to even notice.
Buffy lay panting on the ground and tears ran down her face. She had heard Spike roar, and she had felt all the anger that Spike felt coursing through her veins. She saw him punch Riley in the nose before she slid into unconsciousness.
Spike growled low in his throat "I'll give you one last chance to live… Leave Sunnydale, and never come back, or I will snap your neck right here."
Spike began to feel the pain from the chip but clenched his jaw in an attempt to ignore it.
Riley snorted and said, blood running from a cut in his lip.
"She's mine."
Spike growled and he put his hands on Riley's neck.
"Wrong answer."
Buffy woke up when she heard Spike scream. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Spike on his knees clutching his head. She stood up on shaking legs and slowly made her way over to him.
"Spike…?" She whispered, sitting down next to him.
He looked up at her, his face tear streaked and his eyes full of pain.
"Buffy…" He said with a weak voice but sat up and embraced her. "I should have come sooner…" He flinched when he saw Buffy's torn dress. "Buffy, luv… I'm so sorry…"
They sat like that just holding each other, until Buffy broke the silence.
"What about… Riley?" She blinked back a few tears.
Spike looked into her eyes. "You don't have to worry about him anymore…"
Buffy looked over Spike's shoulder. "But there's no b…"
"I took care of it, luv. Wasn't a pretty picture…"
She nodded, and frowned. "Your chip… It hurts… Right?"
Spike nodded. "It sure does, pet…"
"Then why don't I feel it?"
"'Cause I keep it from getting to you." He smiled a little and shrugged. "Thought you've had enough pain."
Buffy held him closer and whispered quietly. "I love you…"
"Love you too, Goldilocks…" He stood up and took a moment to gain his balance. He bent down and picked her up. "Now let's get you home to your Scoobies… They're probably worried." He kissed her softly, and Buffy leaned in to put her head on his chest.
Giles glanced on his watch. Midnight. He sighed and looked out through the living room window. Then he caught a glimpse of something white and he saw Spike carry his Slayer towards the front door.
Giles opened the door and let Spike carry Buffy in through the front door.
Giles noted Buffy's bruised and bloodied face and he sighed. Of all the demons Buffy had faced… It took a human to hurt her most.
Giles closed the door and walked into the living room, where the rest of the Scoobies had woken up when Spike had carried Buffy into the room and put her on the couch.
Buffy clung to Spike as if her life depended on it and it made Xander feel nauseas.
Willow was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "Riley?"
Spike drew an unneeded breath. "Took care of 'im."
Giles looked horrified. "You killed him?"
Spike growled and stood up. "You probably don't see the picture here, Watcher. He almost raped her!"
Dawn frowned. "What about your chip?"
"Hurt like hell, bit… But I did it for your big sis…"
Xander snorted. "Yeah. You killed her fiancé for her, real nice."
Spike's eyes turned yellow and Buffy looked at Xander with the same anger that Spike felt.
"Are you daft, Harris? I don't know how long the abuse had been going on…" He turned to Buffy.
"Three months…" She mumbled and Spike continued.
"…But I can tell you that her so-called 'fiancé' would have killed her sooner or later, and not one of you has even suspected that he hit her!"
Buffy put her hand on his shoulder and he sat down, trying to calm himself down. Tara watched the scene before her and she smiled despite hearing the horrible truth. Spike really loved Buffy, and it was amazing how they seemed to understand every move the other one made.
She just wished the rest of the Scoobies could see it too.
Buffy stood up. "Look, guys… I love every one of you, but you don't have the right to judge Spike like that." She turned to Giles. "Don't tell me that you would have done the same thing… If you knew that he had been hitting me for months, and now he was trying to rape me. Wouldn't you have gone all Ripper on him?"
Giles took of his glasses and took out a handkerchief to clean them with.
"Buffy…" He sighed. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have stopped this before it got to this point."
Buffy sat down on the couch, her face in her hands. "I guess… I guess I thought it was supposed to be like that. That love was to do like the other one wanted… And it was okay for him to punish me if I had done something wrong…" Spike took her hand to give her his silent support.
She opened her mouth to continue but was interrupted by Xander.
"Okay, let's say we accept that. But why playing vampire marriage with the evil un-dead?"
Spike felt Buffy's request to let her answer that, and he obeyed. 'I'm so whipped…' He had the time to think before Buffy answered Xander.
"I really shouldn't honour that question with an answer, but it seems like you all have to hear it… Even Spike," she smiled at him.
"He was the only one who was there when I needed him… Everyone else seemed to be so caught up in your own lives… And, well… At first I was just thankful for the comfort he gave me. I felt…" She corrected herself. "I feel safe with him. He made me feel loved, and then I began to understand that maybe what I had with Riley wasn't love… And that… That I had found love in a different place." She smiled at Spike who just looked at her, letting his love reflect in his eyes. She caressed his cheek before reluctantly looking away from him.
She turned to Xander. "Xander, I think… If you have a problem with this… You are one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose you, but if you can't accept my relationship with Spike…I don't know, Xander…"
Xander nodded. "I… I'll have to think of it Buffy."
She turned to Giles who sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "You're like a daughter to me Buffy… I just want you to be happy, but I guess it's a father's duty to not like all of the men that his daughter brings home…" He smiled slightly and Buffy hugged him. Giles turned to Spike.
"If you hurt her, in any way at all… I'll make you pay." Spike nodded and took Giles' outstretched hand.
"If I hurt her, I'll let you stake me."
Spike turned to Dawn and Tara who sat next to each other on the floor and whispering about something.
Spike frowned. "Niblet?" She looked up at him. "Got something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"
Dawn began to giggle and Tara shushed her.
"We…" She took a deep breath and smiled at the blond couple. "We just thought you looked cute together." Tara began to join Dawn in her giggles when she saw the look of happiness in Buffy's eyes, and the slightly shocked look in Spike's.
"…Cute?" He managed to get out, and Buffy took his hand.
"She means devilish sexy…Right Tara?" Tara just smiled.
Joyce came walking down the stairs.
"Buffy! Oh my god, what's happened to you?" She walked swiftly over to Buffy and frowned at her bruises. Buffy smiled slightly.
"Come on, mum… I'll tell you in the kitchen…"
The rest of the Scoobies watched with great interest at mother and daughter in the kitchen. They saw Joyce gasp and put her hand over her mouth, and they saw her cry.
But it seemed like the conversation had ended when Joyce gave Buffy a hug and kissed her cheek.
Joyce walked over to the bleached vampire and she looked at him. Spike felt a little uncomfortable under her stern gaze. "So… If I've understood Buffy… You two are… What was it?" She squinted trying to remember. "Mated? Right?"
Spike nodded and Joyce continued. "And it's like a vampire marriage?"
Spike nodded again. "You could probably say that, yeah."
Joyce smiled and hugged Spike. "Welcome to the family…" She paused and smirked a little. "…William."
And the rest of the Scoobies breathed out a sigh of relief.
A/N That's it guys. End of the story… There will be an epilogue…
I just have to thank you for all of your reviews… I had gotten like 15 of them when I logged onto the internet this morning… Really a great way to begin the day!
So… Will post the epilogue ASAP.
Thanks for you support/Anna
