Kindred
By Sweetprincipale
Set in early Season Five. When Dracula called Buffy 'kindred'' he was doing a bit more than just saying they had a lot in common. Hungry for knowledge of herself and her power, Buffy didn't realize what kind of connection he had forged with her until he left town, and the damage was done. Hoping to break his hold over her, Buffy requests help from Spike. However, the way you break the hold of one vampire is to let another one possess you more fully. But, it'll only be temporary, right? Simple business, that's all…
Dedicated to: stuff'n'nonsense, kyanaM, 666, jbu1810, The Three March Hares, omslagspapper, Brokenblackrose89, and the kind guest reviewers.
PART VIII
"Did you faint with him? Was that fainting?"
"Where am I?" She blinked.
"Still in my crypt. I put a pillow under your head. You bruised?"
"What happened?"
"You drank me." On your knees. You sucked the life out of me, the blood, what keeps me hard, keeps me movin' about. Part of it's your own. I drank you, you drank me. Is our circle unbroken, Baby? He stroked her hair and tried not to look at the five little specks of his blood dotting the hill of her half-covered breast.
"Did you hear the voices?"
"No."
"I'm insane."
"No. You just got the voices this time. I had 'em the other day. Dreams."
"Me, too. What happened in yours?" Buffy tried to sit up, then decided not to. Head rush. Woozy.
"Uh. Let's see now. I told you I'd help you. You touched my face- I remember you touched my face and my fangs popped up and I told you that they weren't meant for you to wear. You wanted to know why not. You wanted to know why you were okay in the darkness. And- uh- Drac had you in one of his little concubine get ups, all helpless and waif-like, and I told you to get the hell out of it and be the slayer. My slayer." He swallowed.
"That's all?"
In for a penny, in for a pound, he decided. "No, I told you I'd help you look for the source of your power, and you told me you'd help me find mine. Then - I bit you. An' you bit me. An' we said harder." He concluded his tale without looking at her. He felt strangely naked and vulnerable. He was usually just fine with being naked, he had all the nice bits to make a lady appreciate the view. But not like this. Naked in his mind, giving her quite the peep show.
"In my dream- not last night, yesterday when I took a nap at Giles', you were in it."
"How very Wizard of Oz."
"I was drowning. And you saved me. Then you said- you said you were drowning in me. And I breathed for you. And- and we said the same thing. Harder."
"We have a theme, huh?"
"We have to try harder?"
"What happened with the voices this time?" Harder had more than one meaning. One such interpretation was hurting his zip for the tenth time today.
She licked her lip. Tasted dried blood. "A poem. Or no- blank verse. Prose? A warning. A lesson. I don't know. It went like- We are our own power, we are dark, we are light, we have dark and have light- there was difference there, when I heard it. Like, things we are versus things we have."
"That's interesting. Was that it?"
"No. Don't be afraid of what's inside. You are your own best weapon. We are our own best weapons, I think it meant you and me, both of us. We are death. We are the weapons. Weapons also protect. We are life."
"That can't be right. It contradicts itself seven ways from Sunday!" Spike groused and fell back next to her. "I said no more mojo."
"It was your blood!"
"Mhmm. And you- you devoured me, Slayer." He rolled to his side.
"I didn't. I did-"
"You went on your knees for me, Baby." He gave her a thoroughly debauched smile.
"Well- blood was- dripping down. It was a matter of position. No! Uh- height."
"I'll return the favor anytime."
"Oh, don't do this. No flirting," Buffy rolled away from him.
"It's not flirting. It's… sincere. Dirty, maybe, but sincere."
At that, she had to laugh. She tried not to.
"I know you weren't thinkin' like that." Spike felt like he ought to say something to let her know she needn't worry too much about him putting undesired moves on her.
"I really wasn't. But- unlike Dracula, which was just weird and confusing and gross- this was gross and- not entirely undesirable."
"Oooh, Luv, you do turn my head," he fluttered his lashes at her and she laughed again. Laughed and wriggled closer. She swallowed. So did he. "Got unfinished business, Pet."
"I know," she murmured.
She sounded so… resigned. It twisted the heart of him and he spontaneously took her hand. "D'you really hate it?"
"Being bitten? Yes, with a capital HELL yes."
He nodded, unspeaking.
He looks so- miserable now. "Spike?"
"I never really tortured humans. Well, a few especially vile chaps who ruined my human life, they got theirs, but it was quick. I fought humans. I killed 'em. Violently, yeah, absolutely. Angelus was the one who'd rape them and taunt them, make it unspeakable and then- speak on it a bit more."
Buffy closed her eyes, face a study in pain. "Don't."
"I can't do things to you that you hate. It makes me a different kind of monster. I know what I am. I know what I do- what I did." He looked at her with a sigh. "I know what I don't do to you."
She took his hand. Squeezed. He squeezed back.
"I didn't hate yesterday by the end."
"That's a little mercy in a world full of pain, I s'pose."
"I can't tell you that I want it. 'Cause I don't."
"I didn't want you to lie."
"But I want you."
He watched her cover her mouth, looking ashamed. But her eyes were honest. "I want you, too."
"I want- what you do me, no- what we do together." Her lithe little fingers trailed up his arm carefully, afraid to.
Something woke back up in him. If she wants it, if the bite is part of it- it's not wrong. It's not torture, least not my bit of it. "Tell me what you want."
"Spike, I just-"
"Please?" Rolled to his side- rolled onto hers, hand cupping her face.
"Just you." She leaned a little closer. Lips brushed skin. "So wrong."
"Not wrong between two people in- in this situation. Belong to me."
"No!"
"Shhh. I belong to you, too. I'm yours until it's all done."
And when it's done… will I finally be satisfied? Know what I'm missing? Or just missing him? Will I feel empty and hungry again, waiting to get filled and no one knowing how to do it?
Kissing is less complicated than thinking. Let's go with that.
"Let's go down." Spike broke off one particularly draining kiss, using every ounce of restraint to form words and not just a lot of groaning, growling whimpers that meant he wanted her blood in his mouth and other parts of her would be welcome as well.
"What?" Her eyes gave him that guilty, "I promise I wasn't" stare.
"Down to the lower level. This isn't goin' by quickly at all. It's already taking the time it did last time- not that I'm complaining. Got nowhere else to be. But in case someone who likes to beat me up for information should storm in and find me performing my fangy-responsibilities…"
"Okay. Let's go down. Downstairs." Do not think about going down on Spike. Or him on you. Or - or anything.
"You don't have to get to squirmy."
"I couldn't help it!" She thought about the previous encounter, her spread hips bucking on his knee. Oh God, I humped Spike.
"I meant," he sighed patiently, "squirmy as in guilty. I'm no prude. I won't break any confidences in here. This is private. This is between you an' me."
"I do have a boyfriend, though."
"Yeah, he loves to remind me," Spike huffed, jealousy seeping out, and not going unnoticed.
"He already thinks this is my excuse to give Angel a happy."
"Well, that killed the mood nice and dead." Spike lifted the trap door and took her hand to lead her below.
"I don't get off on vampires."
"I know that. I thought maybe you were- it's stupid, come on." He yanked a little harder than he meant to, and she careened down, grabbing at that damned top again.
"Maybe I was what?"
"Thinking of me as myself, not me as as thing. A 'species.'" He lit a couple of candles, trying to think soothing thoughts. Get out of the angry mood. Back to sex and blood. Not that there's going to be sex, but it's better than anger if you want to do this right without a migraine.
"You always call me 'Slayer," Buffy pointed out defensively.
"Yeah, but I don't go around callin' you 'human'! Slayer is who you are, partly."
Buffy sat on the edge of a bed that was considerably nicer than her own, thinking.
I like Spike. I want Spike. Not like I want my boyfriend. This is like a - like one of those Venn Diagram things where everything meshes, and then there's a couple things that are under the graph. Not part of any set.
Like Spike and me.
Like us as in an "us."
"Do you get off on it because it's Slayer blood?"
"The blood's nice. I get off- or well, I could- on you being close to me an' wantin' me. Kissin' me. Touching me. Shit, Slayer, this-"
"-is a really, really big, bad, deep, dark secret. I can't. Do - certain things," she choked out. But I feel close to him. Close to him like I don't feel close to anyone else and it feels wrong to have to tell him not to touch me in nice ways. "It's not- not because I don't - it's not a reflection on you. Does that make any sense?"
She has rules she won't break. But I bet it's hard for her not to. If her mind is goin' the way mine is… He shrugged. "Not all. But some?"
Her head nodded slowly.
"Touch?"
Head nodded slowly again.
"Kiss me?" This wasn't a hypothetical. He'd come to sit beside her, and reached for her shoulder. She turned into his embrace, chest to chest.
"Let me?" Ran his fingertip over the bite, watched her shiver. Girl has to have half the power. It's what she needs. Make her happy. Strong. Smiling. Fighting. Living.
Took her hand and ran it over his own bite. "I'm yours."
"Mm!" Needy little exclamation- and she pounced.
"Harder."
"Not yet," he warned. Couldn't feel her fully relaxing, even though he was kissing her senseless and she was doing the opposite, enervating him to the point where he might combust, kissing him hard, digging her nails in, making little grunts in his ear.
"Yes, yet!" she insisted, and played her trump card, "You're mine. I want you."
"Fuck."
He plunged his fangs in and latched on. Her hips did that spasming trick again, but his knee wasn't handy.
Buffy gasped. His hands were yanking at her zipper, her belt, rough and hurried. "No! Spike, no, not-"
"Shh!" he growled and thrust his fingers past the zip. "Helping!" he said sharply, and stayed still.
Her hips moved, finding fingers on the outside, thin, wet layer of fabric between them. He shouldn't touch me there. Wrong. Bad.
Special. Close. Connected.
Like little lights in the darkness, just two candle flames merging into one. She didn't know where the imagery came from.
"But you-"
"You'll help me next." It wasn't a question. It was trust. We do this for each other. We have to. She's mine. I'm hers. You've got to look after the other half of the outfit.
He lifted away from the bite completely. "You know I won't hurt you. I thought you might feel better if you… got the pressure off."
"I would."
"I know you like me inside, Slayer. Pulse for me. Two little holes, open and wet, just swallow me. Beg for me to pay you a visit. But I don't overstay my welcome."
Wrong, wrong, wong, God, I love him being wrong. "Not that- so much," Buffy panted.
"Tell me," tongue flicked her ear, and face lowered, preparing to join with her again.
"I want you."
"More specifically?"
"I like you inside."
"Don't worry, Baby. I like you around me just as much."
"Might as well find out," she whispered, liking the look of shock that overtook the cocky features before she took control of his wrist, fed his hand past the crotch of her panties, fingers in between soaking lips.
"Oh, shit, fuck, bloody- I- Talk later." Spike gave up his litany of enthusiastic curses as she wrapped around him. So bloody tight, couldn't imagine what that part wrapped around other pieces would be. Well, he could. Bite. Bite her now, make her cum.
He bit. Fingers pistoned, harder than they should have, and she whimpered and dug her hands into his hair. Top fell down, and he lunged for nipples, dragging bloody kisses all over her, marking her up, painting her.
"You can do whatever you want to me," he made rash promises. Reassurances. It was hard for her to let pleasure rule, hard for her to trust. Maybe if she knew she could take it all out on him later-
"Wh-what are you going to do now?" Like she couldn't have stopped him if she wanted to. Her nervousness was not from fear. Rather from finding the dark center she'd been looking for, finding out it felt… good. And the bad man giving it to her- he was good. Somehow. In some ways. And she was dark. In some ways.
"I was gonna explore you a little, make you cum, and love at you a bit, make sure you feel like you ought to. If you're mine- you're supposed to feel cared for." Loved.
"Then that's what I'll do to you. Next. Or now. That was a bite?"
"Two or three. Did it break anything?"
"I can't tell. I don't feel pulled apart. But I don't feel… entirely relieved."
"I'll do that bit."
"Magic. Hands. Hands were magic. Broke your own rule. You said no more magic." Buffy weakly tossed her shirt away. "Are my boobs bleeding?"
"No. Just kisses from me after I had my snack." He nuzzled her and licked away traces. Then licked his fingers as well, eyes closing as he tasted the heat he could feel, pulled out from her core as she spasmed around him, crying his name. She stared, wide eyed. "Sorry, did you want some?"
"Ew."
"Don't you say ew about my sweet Slayer!" Spike glared at her. "She's delicious. How'd you know if you never tried?"
"That's not- what I'm into."
"Oh, pish, after Soldier Boy takes his tour of duty," he gestured vaguely to her nether regions, "and he gives you a kiss, you don't-" She shook her head. "You don't?"
"Never."
"Well, there's more…"
"Not right now. I have other things to do." Buffy sat up.
She's leaving? Well, she could. I suppose this has gotten terribly heavy for Ms. Vanilla.
"Can I take you up on a shirt? I'm freezing."
"Yeah, of course-" He began to gesture to the pile of Harmony's leftovers, but she simply reached over past his shoulder and grabbed the black tee he'd been wearing. "Bit big on you."
"It's okay. I mean- it's not sexy, but-"
"It's dead sexy, Precious." Spike gave her a very approving look as she pulled it on over her head. "You don't have to dress that part, Luv. You are the part. You are the weapon. You are the light. You have the dark."
It clicked. "You are the dark. You have the light. Spike, we match! We're the set! We're the- we're kindred! Like, for real!"
She launched herself into his arms, relief obviously etched on her face, overwhelming him into smiling and laughing back. And squirming when she sat in his lap and bounced joyously.
"Right, my turn," she eased the buckle open while he was still staring at her in shock.
"What are you-"
"Making you feel good." Tap into it, a little voice urged. This is your power, too. Power not over him, with him. He's yours. You could own him. "Is this mine? This piece?" she ran her hand down the zip.
He made a strangled noise, nodding. She took the pull in her hand and tugged slowly.
"What does it like?"
"Uh- easy to- please, really." He hadn't expected the question. She lifted him out, head tilting like a curious cat examining a new toy.
"You said I could do what I want."
"You can."
"So… if I said you could do what you want to me?"
"I'd do things that we didn't do tonight. But nothing mean. Nothin' hurtful. You'd have to be-" his speech patterns wouldn't hold up, she'd started touching him, slowly, mesmerizingly, warm fingers all over his cock, balls to tip and then back, a tantalizing trail.
"Have to be what?"
"Have to be evil to hurt something so beautiful as you."
She stopped touching him. "You are evil."
He winced, not from her touch, but from something hot that hit him inside. "I don't think I'm quite up to snuff on that score, Luv. If being evil means hurting you, I gotta stop it. Gotta- find a new way. To use the darkness." Click. Click, click, click, all the tumblers falling into place. She's infecting me. I caught goodness from her. But I don't care too much.
"Like the dream?"
"Like the dream."
"Well… I'd have to be evil to hurt something so beautiful. This is beautiful. I didn't think you were beautiful until yesterday- or today. So now… I just want to make you cum. And I don't know how." Her voice was musing, ponderously playful.
"If you just snug your hand up a little, you'll-"
"What part do I bite while I'm doing this?" she asked innocently, pumping him up and down.
"Slayer!" His spine lost vertical hold and he collapsed.
"Pants should be off," she said simply.
" 'Kay."
"Boots too."
"I'm yours, undress me as you like."
"No, no, you have to help!" she batted his leg. "And you still didn't answer my question!"
"I'm too blissed out. High. So fuckin' high on my girl…" he moaned as her hand still langorously pumped him.
"Do I bite you here?" She ran a hand over his chest, landing on a nipple.
"That's a good spot."
"Or here?" Touched his neck.
"Jackpot."
It's just nudity. Everyone has bodies. Some have parts that indent. Some have parts that stick out. Buffy hesitantly dropped her pants and underwear to the floor, took the shirt she'd recently acquired back off. He was naked and reclining still, stiff all over, not just in one noticeable spot. Almost nervous.
"Why are you nervous?" she demanded.
"Because you are. Because I'm with you and I don't want to mess it up," he said bluntly. He looked up in time to see her climbing onto his bed, completely bare.
Pretty curls. Sweet hips. And scared. Scared I'll push in between them and plunder and pillage. Use something bigger than my hands and hurt her. Rob her of the last piece of intimacy she saves for Finn.
She'll send him on his way soon. She sees now. Poor thing. He'll hurt her for that.
He wrapped his arms around her with sudden protectiveness. "It's nice of you to put on the matching outfit," he whispered.
"Well, I hate to be tacky," she whispered back.
"Don't worry. I know it's not for me. That piece."
Yes it is! He owns you. He should be the first one to have you now that you're- what? Something was different.
Now that you can see yourself better. You should show him. He should be the first to taste you where you're dark and light and all mixed up together.
But not now. Now is for him.
She flattened on top of him, hand between their bodies, wrapping around him. Lined her face up to his, kissed him, and then moved to his neck.
"Harder," he hissed when she only grazed him, a tickle when he needed the shove.
"Harder!" She got the pressure right on his jugular, but was too gentle down below.
"I don't want to hurt my lover," she whispered, not knowing the words would come, and not knowing how to remove them once they had landed in his ear.
"All the energy. All the energy he forced in you to hold you- you can take it out on me."
"I'm not taking it out… letting it out. Doesn't belong to him. Belongs to us."
She made him wail. Head thrown back suddenly, scoring his skin via her grasping, nibbling, clamping teeth, leaving blood on her cheek and lips. Made him erupt, surprisingly hot and wet, coating her hand and their chests.
"Go on," he dared her, looking at her wet hand. Tilted his head. Flicked his tongue like a serpent scenting sex.
"I -no."
"Never?"
"No."
"All right…" Took her hand slowly, so she could see without mistake what was happening. How he devoured his own cum off of her, tongue doing sinful things to her fingers that made her want to ask him to try those moves out lower. "Now you. Go on." He traced a puddle off her narrow waist and dared her again. She opened her mouth, lips spasming in uncertainty. "You drank me. You already have me programmed into you. He's never done this with you. No one has. Put me in your system."
Like code words. Her head bobbed on him, gracefully engulfing him, and he sprang back up. "Good?"
"Very," she regarded him calmly. Inside her mind did a spiral. I am such a slut. Bad, bad, naughty, porn star- oh shut up. Spike loves me. He loves me like this. She let out a terrified sound.
"What's wrong, Luv?"
"Oh. Nothing. I sometimes- I- I did a lot of new stuff. And I'm freaking a little bit. But not a lot. It's okay, right? It's going to be okay?"
"You ought to be home free after this- or another few times."
"But we're not going to end the bond for amwhile, right? Until we're sure Dracula can't sneakily restart his own?"
We never have to end it. Oh no. No, no, not like this. I'm falling for her and it's all wrong and she'll never love me back. He let out a startled grunt, like someone kicked him in the solar plexus.
"Are you okay?"
"Head rush. Just fine. That's right, Luv. We'll make sure we leave it in place for a good long time. As long as you want."
"As long as I want?"
"Well, yeah. You're the one that's gonna want to get out from under this."
"But I thought - I thought I kind of - wasn't it a little bit mutual?"
"Very," Spike pulled the sheet up over his hips. "But I don't mind having it."
She said nothing. He finally looked up. She was staring at him and indecipherable expression on her pretty face.
"I should go soon."
"Mhm."
"Tomorrow night?"
"Of course. Every night you need me."
The words came out in a rush. "My mom is going to St. Petersburg for three days, starting tomorrow."
"Why the hell is Joyce going to Russia?"
"No, Florida. Her best friend from college is having a showing- she's an artist."
"Fun. Lovely. Why is this relevant?"
"I know you're worried about people coming in here. A person in particular. Do you want to come over? We have doors that actually lock."
She's asking me over. This feels wrong. But I like it. Slayer's pretty room. Pretty bed. Pretty body wrapped around me. "Tell me the time."
"Nine?"
"I'll be there." He leaned over to her suddenly, kissed her hard on the lips, a kiss that had nothing to do about needing to relax her or lull her senses. "I can't keep away."
"I know what you mean."
"The Watchers' Council may be able to help us. They're looking into it. Apparently- no other slayer has even come close to wounding Dracula. Killing him two out of the three required times is a feat unheard of. Even then, since he's still alive, they only have guesswork on what it would be like to fight him to the death. Buffy's experience is invaluable. In short, they owe her, yet again."
"So- how are they going to help us?" Willow frowned.
"They didn't actually say."
"Why can't she just visit Angel?" Anya contentedly painted her nails, making Giles yelp and move one of his dusty tomes away from her.
"Riley. Freakage." Willow gave Xander a look and both shook their heads, annoyance and consternation in their eyes.
"Wh-when is he coming back from visiting his army friend?" Tara asked.
"I'm not terribly worried. He didn't seem to be overly useful the other night. That mirror was my mother's." Giles' lips thinned.
"His testosterone shouldn't matter more than Buffy's life."
"As much as I hate the guy- Angel, not Riley, this seems like a sure fire way to- you know. Erase this thing? And, I know we don't talk about it, but just because they're not together, doesn't mean they don't have feelings for each other. He came to help her at Thanksgiving last year. And with Adam- although, that turned more into him and Riley shouting and beating each other up."
"Yes, neither of those things went spectacularly well," Giles murmured.
"But he cares for her, and he already bit her once. I don't like that about him." Xander grimaced.
"Greater good, Honey," Anya prompted.
"Right, he can handle this. But… does anyone think that him getting all kissy with her and creating this big bond with her, then telling her it's over, is going to hurt her worse? Like, Dracula is making her hyper and he could hurt her, but Angel shattered her, multiple times. And we're just inviting the pain. I know Buffy's tough enough to handle any big hellspawn-y demon, but Angel doesn't just go for her throat. He goes for her heart. There is not enough super glue in the universe to put her heart back together if he does this again."
Silence greeted his statement. Nods, reluctantly given, went around the room.
Giles spoke at last. "I'm afraid, Xander's right. Buffy and I have contacted him. They've talked. Decided against it."
"So we need another vampire? Man, what are we going to do?" Xander looked stunned.
"Doesn't the Watchers' Council have vampires? They had one for that test on her 18th birthday. Do you think they plan to help her like that, by lending her one of them?" Willow asked nervously.
"Only if they're utterly insane! Those beasts are primed to kill slayers, not help them. There would be no bond formed, none whatsoever." Giles sat back in his chair, hand over his eyes.
Tara and Willow exchanged glances. Did Giles know? Or not know? Someone was already helping Buffy.
Xander paced. "Only if they're insane? Well, they fired you- best Watcher ever. They tried to kill Faith-slash-Buffy during the great switch-eroo. They sent Wesley, who can barely hold a stake, let alone Buffy's attention, to replace you. So, they are insane. Totally."
Giles sat back up. "Oh, dear Lord."
"That's never good, is it?" Tara whispered.
"Nope," Willow whispered back.
"I'm gonna say something. Something I don't want to say. But I will. So, Wills, you remember that whole Thy Will Be Done spell? Happy engaged Buffy?" Xander looked at them, features frozen in a wince. "That was new levels of disgusting."
"Yeah…" Willow blushed, guilt flooding her. Giles sat still, waiting.
"Could you do it again? Without calling Giles blind and me a demon magnet? What if you just get Buffy's permission first, and then you, y'know 'poof'. Re-engage Buffy and Spike for a few days. He was willing to die for her. He didn't know he could fight demons back then, and he was still going after them by the end of the fight, because he wouldn't let them hurt her. And- and engaged! That's a bond! That's sort of pre-ownership. Don't look at me, I'm not a neanderthal, I'm using vampire logic here. And boy, does my hurt."
"That's a very good idea," Giles said quickly.
"It is?" Tara, Anya, and Willow gasped.
"It is?" Even Xander sounded doubtful.
"An engaged couple has a very powerful bond, and if he was willing to die for her, we can imagine that he'd be willing to defend her honor, as it were, from Dracula and his enforced hold on her. If they believe themselves to be in love, they'll trust each other and can complete certain other necessary things."
"Like biting and sex?" Anya clarified helpfully.
"No! Well, yes, the biting. And kissing. We all remember the absolutely nauseating display of endless kissing."
"Not me," Tara spoke up. "B-but that's okay. I'll catch it this time. Or not. That sounds- private."
"But guys, I didn't do an engagement spell! I did a spell wrong. It was a mistake. And the thing with that mistake is- I don't know what I even did wrong, aside from having a broken heart and being all unfocused! Now I'm focused and my heart is completely mended." She shot Tara a glowing beam.
"No, the idea of an engagement spell is not necessarily valid, but the participants could be convinced to interact."
"Riley wouldn't allow it," Anya put the lid on her nail polish and blew on her nails. "And Spike is chipped. The only way he could bite her would be to torture himself and possibly be knocked unconscious, which would prevent biting. Or if Buffy found biting pleasurable. Some women do. And men. Giles- didn't you find biting pleasurable?"
"Stop it. Stop that right now." Giles glared at her sternly.
"What are you talking about?" Xander looked mystified- and horrified. Willow's mouth wouldn't shut. Tara looked at her hands.
Anya didn't see what the big deal was. Why are humans so hung up on bodies and emotions? Everyone has them. They have to be dealt with. "All of you stop looking at me like that. Giles was in the pit. With the Dracula brides? They probably gave him a couple little bites."
"They did no such thing! Just - nibbles." Giles defensively tucked his arms more tightly around himself. "I'll- I'll see if there is a way we could convince Spike and Buffy to indulge in such a - a partnership. But all of you must listen to me very carefully. I don't often ask you for personal favors."
"Don't tell anyone you have a biting kink?" Anya asked.
"Ahn, honey. Later? Not now. Also, on second thoughts- not later."
"Riley is very dear to Buffy, we know this. But he is… blinded by his own love. He fears for her safety. Leaving Dracula's hold on her is gravely unsafe. If he thinks Spike is a - a threat- he would kill him."
"Spike is helpless!" Tara shook her head.
"Even I wouldn't kill him- and I really, really want to," Xander spoke up.
Anya shrugged. "Riley would kill him. He's an escaped lab project. He kills those all the time. He doesn't care about helpless. He cares about definitions. Demon. Defined as bad, killable." She shuddered.
"Then why hasn't he already done it?" Tara asked nervously.
"Because Spike helps us sometimes. And Buffy's not a killer. She won't kill things that aren't a threat. If Riley did that… hm. Buffy'd dump him," Anya mused.
"Over Spike?" Xander shook his head in disbelief.
"No. Over the fact that her boyfriend can kill in cold blood. Because it wouldn't be a battle. Spike can't fight back. And it wouldn't be to save her from harm, he's unable to injure her," Giles said softly.
"This is getting too messy," Willow whined, anxiously plucking at her sweater.
"Last night made me very uncomfortable when he threw that book and shattered the mirror. Controlled rage turns out of control very quickly, and I don't know how he would feel about ex-demons in the heat of the moment."
Xander shook his head "He'd never hurt you. You're human."
"Am I human, or ex-demon?" Anya shivered and moved into Xander's arms. "When he's really mad, will he know the difference, or will it matter? He already treats 'murdering vampire' the same as 'harmless vampire'."
"This brings me back to my personal favor. I am Buffy's Watcher. She is very important to me, as are all of you. You must not tell Riley that I plan to approach Spike on Buffy's behalf. He will kill Spike. Buffy will remain uncured until we can convince another vampire to help, Dracula dies, or- or she is lost to us."
"Promise," Willow spoke first.
"Promise," Tara agreed solemnly.
"Promise." Anya raised her hand.
"I promise." Xander nodded seriously. "For Buffy."
"I'm a terrible liar," Willow panicked.
"Avoid him."
"But I-"
"We don't have to lie." Tara shook her head. "Don't tell us much. If Riley asks us if you've made any plans, we can say you have some people you might talk to, like the Watchers. If he asks us if we've seen Spike- well, we haven't. Have you guys?"
Heads shaking all around. Giles hadn't seen him for two days and considered his answer honest since she hadn't given a terribly specific time frame.
"Good. Then we say we haven't seen him. He'll be fine."
Willow looked excited. "Oooh! We could make him a protection charm! If- if he'll help."
Giles waved the idea away, "I don't think that's-"
"He might save Buffy from enduring centuries of sexual servitude with the undead, not to mention being an object of male egocentrism, the ultimate trophy wife," Anya pointed out.
The room was quiet. "If he helps- put me down for a fruit basket," Xander rose and got his coat. "Need to clear my head. I'm sick of good guys and bad guys with interchangeable loyalties."
"It's a rum old world. Ladies, any protection charm that you feel like making- give to Buffy. If she finds a suitable partner for this endeavor, Spike or someone else, she can pass it on to him. Whoever it is may need protection from Riley."
"That seems so wrong. Very, very wrong," Willow murmured.
And that should tell us something, Giles thought as he poured himself a drink.
To be continued...
