Previously on 'Before The Storm Comes' -
A cool hand slid across her back and she leant back into the welcoming embrace of Spike, her eyes staring blindly out of the window of her room. His arms folded around her and he drew her tight against him, his face buried in her golden hair as he drew in a breath and scented her. She smiled and lay her arms along his and hugged him back, both of them taking a brief moment to soak in the comfort of each other.
Another scenting breath and Spike released her to turn her to face him, one hand cupped and caressing the side of her face, the other wrapping back around her waist to hold her close. She leant into the touch of his hand, feeling it with her heart as well as her skin.
"Are you ready for this, pet?" And Buffy knew he meant more than just the foreseeable battle. Again she wondered how this incredible creature had ever become hers. This man who had always seen so deeply into her when no one else had bothered to even scratch the surface. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. She breathed in his scent herself, taking the comforting air of leather, smoke and spice deeply into herself.
"I feel as though everything has led to this day." She murmured, knowing his vampire hearing would hear. Buffy felt Spike nod against her and she smiled sadly this time, her eyes still closed. Of course he understood. He always did. Fighting evil was one thing, fighting family was a battle that wounded more than flesh. Fighting family led to scars that rarely healed well.
She knew though, no matter what happened, he would always have her back. No matter what went down tomorrow, she knew she had his full support in every way, both now and in the aftermath. It was a sensation she felt for the first time in her life and a tear slipped out at that thought.
Spike felt the dampness run along his thumb and nudged her face up to look at his. When her eyes finally opened and met his, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. His thumb stroked across her face, wiping away the tear and she smiled up at him, blue eyes meeting green. Shaking her head wordlessly, she brushed away the unasked question and returned the gentle kiss with one of her own.
~%~
Finally, Buffy collapsed and Spike withdrew his fangs to slump, barely conscious, on top of the tiny Slayer. As consciousness slid away from the tiny Slayer, she whispered "Mine" and then all went dark.
But not before the demon atop her flashed gold eyes and growled "Yours".
Neither saw the blinding light that bleached the entire room white.
Continued - Chapter 24 -
Something was pinning her down. The thought tried to shift through the haze that cluttered her mind. She twitched, the only thing she could make the fairyfloss that were now her muscles do. Yep, something was definitely holding her down.
Prying open on reluctant eye, she focussed on the mess in front of her and slowly the words 'Spike hair' drifted into understanding.
Oh.
A smile crept across her face and memory slowly flooded back. A blush followed soon after as she remembered all that had happened. Never had she come so hard she literally blacked out. But breathing was starting to get annoyingly difficult as the muscular vampire continued to lay on her in his own impromptu nap.
Wedging her arms under the pale man, she gently pushed until he slid off and nestled on his side next to her, waking only enough to reposition a boneless arm over her waist and a knee under one of hers.
Buffy felt the blush of love sweep over her and she closed her eyes to fully enjoy the rush as it tingled from head to toe. Slowly she realised that Spike was awake and was nuzzling her shoulder and neck gently, pressing loving kisses sleepily to her warm skin. She wriggled into his embrace, letting her own fingers trace the muscle lines on his arm as it held her to him.
But it wasn't enough and soon she turned towards him, her knee sliding between both of his and her arm nestled between them both, trapped between two chests.
The only light came from the curtainless window and it gently touched his face, causing it to shadow in places. She reached up a hand and lovingly stroked the beloved cheekbones, their sharpness emphasised by the moonlight.
As her hand trailed down his jaw and along his throat, she felt the smooth silkiness of skin give way to the catchy feeling of stickiness. A sudden thought caused a coldness to settle into her belly.
With Spike still sleepily nuzzling her, she froze in fear. No. She hadn't, had she?
Oh God, she had.
With Slayer speed, she reached over and flicked on the bedside lamp, the view that assaulted her dark-friendly eyes all the more horrifying.
The suddenly screaming race of her heartbeat jolted Spike from his slumberous dozing. Within less time than a breath, he was crouched on the bed, scanning the room with yellow eyes as he attempted to find whatever had caused the shocking wake up call.
Seeing nothing, he turned worried eyes to his Slayer meaning to ask her but the second his eyes lighted on her, he knew and if his heart had the ability to beat, it too would be racing wildly.
Buffy sat on the bed that had just witnessed their incredible passion. But passion was the furthest from her mind right now, he saw.
Terrified eyes locked onto his. Her hand was stretched out in front of her, as though she was afraid of what would happen if it came closer to her. Blood, tacky and congealed, painted her fingers and as his eyes travelled up, it also covered her mouth and chin. His stomach clenched coldly as his eyes followed the trail of blood down her throat where it had pooled in the dip of one collarbone. There, it met another trail, one that was fresher. Fresher because the bite mark on her shoulder had only just stopped leaking. Darkness gathered at the edges of his vision. Soul deep terror the likes he hadn't felt in ages raked at his heart and he found his eyes locking back onto equally terrified green ones.
Silence like the build-up to a horror movie scene filled the room to choking point. And yet neither moved, frozen in a tableau of terror.
The sound of a gasping choked breath shattered the scene, Buffy now gasping in panic, her eyes darting wildly from her fingers to Spike.
No, not himself he realised, his neck. Slowly, shaking madly, he raised his hand to his throat and encountered the bloody wound for himself. Feeling the bite mark with his fingers, he realised it was already started to close. His glance back at his Slayer showed hers was no longer bleeding either and was also closing.
As fast a healer as they both were, this was beyond even that.
But the thought was shoved away as another terrified gasp sounded and Spike realised that Buffy was starting to hyperventilate.
He moved to enfold her into his arms, but the shuddering flinch halted him cold. Ignoring the stabbing agony to his heart, he started to whisper reassuringly to his panicking Slayer instead.
All Buffy could see was red. Red ran down Spike's neck from the obvious bite mark and covered his chest. Her hand, covered in the blood she had discovered, felt cold and heavy with the weight of the terror that engulfed her.
She couldn't seem to catch her breath. Where was all the air? She sucked in lungful's of air, but it still felt as though it wasn't enough!
Slowly she realised that Spike was speaking softly to her and she focussed on his low voice. Slowly she was able to comprehend his calm words.
"...in and out love, that's it now, in and hold it, slowly out, well done Buffy." Buffy slowly got her panting breaths under control and was finally able to see the curly haired man in front of her.
And she realised with a shock that Spike was shaking harshly. For all his calm words, he was shaking hard enough that Buffy wondered how he was able to stay kneeling on the bed, his hands raised as though to touch her but clearly afraid to.
Concern swamped her and pushed aside her own dread, she reached forward to grasp the vibrating hand. Ignoring the flinch and tug away she felt as she grasped the cold hand, she reeled him in towards her, Spike hesitatingly following until she had him wrapped firmly in her arms. She leant back against the headboard and placed gentling kisses on her vampire's forehead as it rested on her chest, hushing him as he had just done her.
Finally, they were both still barring the occasional tremble, bodies aching from the trauma of shock and shivers.
Neither could bring themselves to speak, both terrified in their own minds that any words spoken would forever destroy this space that they finally found with each other.
But the drying blood was sticky on skin and itchy and soon Buffy couldn't fight either the silence or the need to shower.
Going straight to the heart of the matter, she braced herself for the terrifying answer.
"Am I...am I going to turn?" Her husky whisper barely left her mouth but Spike heard. And his heart simultaneously dropped and rose. Swallowing the slightly hysterical giggle that threatened to escape, he hugged the shaking Slayer to him.
"No pet. Never. Completely different thing. You're safe Blossom." The tremor that wracked the petite frame beneath him wrecked him. That she held that fear was anathema to him. As if he would ever let that happen to her. She was Sunlight, not darkness.
And yet for all her obvious fear, she held him still. He took what comfort he could from that. For he knew soon enough, she would push him away. He didn't blame her at all, he even wondered at her comforting the monster that tore at her body and stole her life force. So he drowned in the comfort, sure it was to end soon.
Buffy felt the relief rip through her. Her one fear, that she would turn into the very thing she had hunted for so long, was still there. But Spike's quiet but firm answer was all she needed. The trust she had in him was limitless and she knew that if he said it, it would be always true.
But the dried blood was itchy and she felt her own conscience tugging at her. They needed to talk about this. Even in the midst of her own fear, she had seen the same look of terror on her love's face.
So she slowly nudged and tugged until they were off the bed and standing in the small bathroom, waiting for the water to warm in the shower.
Once it was to Buffy's liking, she turned and hustled the silent vampire in first, twisting him this way and that to get the maximum water coverage over his body first. Then, she did herself. And still Spike was silent. She was worried, but bit her lip and focussed on cleaning them both.
A loofa and shower wash was the next step and Buffy scrubbed her vampire from head to foot, kneeling at his feet as she made sure even between his toes were clear of the red staining. What could have been an erotic time, was simply business and before long, Buffy had them washed, dried and tucked back into a clean made bed. Spike had helped when directed, but for the most part, he stayed close, one hand touching her at all times and completely silent.
Finally they were back in bed, light still on but firmly tucked under the blankets. Buffy on her side, Spike on his back staring at the ceiling, his hand clutching hers tightly.
Buffy curled up close to her mute lover and pressed a hand to his now warmed chest.
"Spike, please talk to me." She whispered, at a loss to where to start, but fear preventing her from staying silent. She hated when he was quiet. Quiet led to too many bad memories for the Slayer.
Tortured blue eyes finally met hers and her heart quivered at the pain she saw there. Immediately she pressed hard to his side, her hand holding his face still as she pressed fervent kisses to the lax lips.
"Baby, Spike, what? Please, what is it?" Her words tumbled in their haste to escape her mouth. A choked sob, caught back was her answer and she felt her heart dive.
"Buffy, I'm so sorry, I swore I would never hurt you and look.." His voice broke and he turned his head away.
But she refused to let him hide and pulled his face back to stare into his eyes.
"You didn't! Oh Spike, you didn't hurt me at all! I promise!" She tried to force the words into his mind, to accept them. His eyes showed his pain and fear. "Love, if that was hurt, honestly, I want more of it!" she remembered the incredible, mind-shattering climax she had and realised that the bite had happened then. Her lower folds damped with the memory and she shivered in response. Taking his hand from where it lay clenched in a fist on the bed, she moved it down between her legs.
It only took a moment for the growing dampness to register to the withdrawn vampire. Fingers flicked and explored the damping folds and Buffy tightened her thighs around the clever hand.
A look of wonder crossed Spike's face as the realisation sunk in.
Relief flooded them both as misunderstandings and baseless fears were finally swept away.
Buffy whispered into Spike's ear just how much the bite had affected her and Spike shuddered at the memory of the hot blood coursing down his throat while his shaft had been equally drowned in wet heat.
Reassurances were whispered - Spike concisely explaining turning to the Vampire Slayer who in fact knew better but had allowed fear to swamp her and Buffy whispering her endless love to the heartsore Vampire who was still learning to trust again. Questions were asked and answered in the quiet privacy of the blanket forcefield and Buffy learned that sex and biting were a definite vampire thing and she wondered aloud at Spike's previous restraint, both marvelling yet feeling the twinge that she had been ripped off at the same time. Spike chuckled softly at the mix of emotions clear on his Slayer's face.
Many a bridge was mended that night as the walls came down and long wondered thoughts were finally aired. Words turned into caresses and lips moved from talking to kissing as feelings grew in the security of sharing.
The second coming together that night was gentle and soft, but no less passionate. Flesh met and parted, breaths intermingled and became their own touch on sensitive skin.
Until finally, muscles locked as the crest teased, hands grabbing and legs tightened and green eyes met blue and she turned her head to the side, welcoming his final touch in the dance.
This time they were still awake when the light washed the room, bright but not as bright as before, but eyes tightly closed in overwhelming bliss, they again missed the phenomenon that would have had them racing for help and knowledge.
Instead, they roared their completion together and slumped against one another, breaths racing and heart pumping until they were both swept away into true sleep for the night.
It wasn't until nearly dusk the next day that all four were finally up, fed, prepped and ready and waiting in the Hyperion foyer, weapons gathered and packed and all four in a circle facing each other.
Their time preparing for the battle hadn't been a quiet one, for all the lack of speech that had been happening. Sparks and flickering lights showed when a spell had fizzed out at the edge of the souped up hex bags shielding. Sudden crumbling plaster would rain down from above at odd intervals, indicating other spell hits. The Four assumed that Melis' coven had also warded the Hotel at some point so did nothing more than glance at the disturbance before continuing on with their chores.
At one point Spike's hex bag started smoking and if Angel hadn't yanked off the offending bag immediately, Spike would have most likely had a very nasty dose of fire, either impeding his fighting ability or dusting the younger vamp. A quick 3 way switch of bags and the final spare hex bag being dug out of storage and they were right back to preparations.
At one point, Buffy burst out laughing, causing Faith and Spike to glance over, the sexy scarred eyebrow quirked in silent question.
"Just thinking about the last time I did this, it was a lot louder and a lot messier and I remember thinking I wish I had had time to teach them to prepare quicker and quieter…" Spike chuckled and Faith laughed outright.
"Oh my god B! The noise those girls made!"
Chuckles sounded as they finished up their preparations, ignoring the now frequent deflected attacks. Buffy felt they were nothing more than salvos, meant to test and weaken and the others agreed. So they simply ignored what they could. The battle was yet to come.
They were ready. Spike nodded to Angel and moved to Buffy's side, grasping her hand in his and standing close enough to press his side to hers. Faith and Angel nodded and with a last glance and not another word spoken, left the hotel. Faith went right, Angel went left and both were gone in an instant.
Buffy drew in a deep breath.
It was time.
Her phone beeped once, indicating that Dawn had made it safely away and a tension Buffy hadn't realised she carried, lessened slightly. She glanced at the man standing by her side and saw his slight quirk of a smile and nudged him with her shoulder, silently telling him to shut up. Earlier he had mentioned his concern at Dawn getting away safely and Buffy had huffed him quiet, telling him she hadn't been worried and now they shared a brief smile at that obvious lie.
Then, in a sweeping step, both were off, striding out of the protection of the Hyperon and into what was sure to be a battle no one involved would ever forget.
