I know it's been awhile, I'm sorry, a lot of what I'm recreating from my crash only existed on the computer so I have to start from memory. This is a big chunk of it. Thank you for your patience.

Again, I own nothing but this little scenario. The characters, location, etc., all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

Chapter 12 The Menu

About the time he was done brushing her hair until it was dry, the pizza she'd ordered arrived. He had opened a bottle of wine when he came down the stairs, but left it set, when she returned from the door with the pizza box he had two glasses poured. She eyed the red wine with trepidation.

"What's that?" she asked, while she had liked the sweet pinot grigio he had brought before she had never liked a red wine.

"Cabernet, but don't drink it yet, unlike me it needs to breathe." he said as he swirled the wine in the glasses.

"For someone who doesn't need to drink, how do you know so much about wine?" she asked.

"The past is the past?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, that is what she had said, but was she ready to hear some of the more gory details about his past? Would it be anything that would surprise her? She knew about the railroad spikes and the two slayers he had killed. Could it be worse than what she had read? It couldn't be worse than what Angelus had been capable of, could it? He was watching her reaction, waiting for her answer, his eyes narrowed in that way that made her think he was looking right into her soul. She put the pizza box on the coffee table and sat down. She took another deep breath and nodded. "The past is the past."

"Vampires get most of our money from robbing our victims. It's easy to get away with killing someone poor, but that just gets you pocket change. The rich have guards, or an entourage around them all the time so you can't just drag one into a dark alley. You've got to insinuate yourself into their social circles and be able to act like you fit in. Play it right, completely sucker them in, you can con them and get a pretty good haul, even without killing them, though it's not as much fun." He sipped one of the glasses and seemed satisfied. He handed her the other. He opened the pizza box and put a slice on a plate for her, then did the same for himself.

She sipped the wine cautiously, it had barely passed her lips when she scrunched up her face. "Eww no. I don't like that." she set down the glass. "I think I even preferred the whiskey."

"I've got some of that too if you'd rather." he offered.

"No, that's okay. I'll just get a diet Coke from the fridge." she stood, "Do you need anything?"

"Nah."

When she came back in she asked, "Where did you get the money you've been spending lately on the blood and the food?" She started eating as he talked.

"In Mexico, Dru and I came across some drug dealers, part of some big cartel. We killed most of them and took their money, there was quite a bit of it actually. It should keep me for awhile."

"Oh." she looked relieved.

"You don't mind me killing criminals?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral, although she could tell he was hopeful.

She shook her head slowly. "I can't let you be judge, jury and executioner. That's why we have laws, and police and the courts and that's why I don't go out fighting crime." That was pretty much the speech Giles had given her. "And besides, 'criminal' is a pretty broad category. At what level would the 'munch away' point be? Shoplifters? Burglars? Muggers? Drug dealers? Rapists? Murderers?" She shook her head, "It's too much of a moral minefield for me to call it."

"I don't pass judgement since I've been all of those things myself at one point or another." He said with a shrug. "Just checking the menu."

She frowned at his wording but let it go. She knew she was asking a lot from him, that he was willing to do it indefinitely meant a lot to her and spoke volumes about how he felt. She wondered if the tables were turned, and he had asked her to eat nothing but oatmeal if she could do it. It would be so much easier if he could just drink from her every once in awhile, have a treat he could look forward to.

"Did I piss you off?" he asked.

She realized she hadn't responded to his comment. "Sorry, no, just thinking." she stood, "I'm going to get some parmesan. I'll be right back."

Once in the kitchen she checked to make sure he hadn't followed. She got a short glass out of the cupboard and one of the knives out of the block. Without hesitation she ran the knife across one wrist and held it over the glass to catch the blood. The flow was pretty fast at the beginning, but before the glass was half full she had to start pumping a fist to keep the blood going.

"What the bloody hell?" She jumped at Spike's voice as he stormed into the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway, holding himself back, teeth clenched, nostrils flaring. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I just wanted to surprise you."

"High marks on that." he said sarcastically.

"I just thought, this way you could have some of my blood without having to vamp out and bite me, it would be safer. Besides, look, I've already stopped bleeding." She held up her wrist to show him.

He tried to turn his head away, but his eyes locked on her bloody wrist. His pupils constricted and she watched the irises turn to yellow as the demon exerted it's control. She didn't flinch or show fear as his eyebrows peaked and ridges grew from his forehead, she did lower her wrist so the counter obstructed his view, her other hand closed around the knife handle while he was distracted. So much for the not vamping out, she thought.

"This was a stupid idea Slayer." He said, his head turned away, his arms straight down at his side, his hands in such tight fists his knuckles were white.

"Oh, then I should just dump this down the drain?" she asked, her voice tinged with anger.

"No!" he shouted turning to look. She held the glass with her wounded hand, brandishing the bloody knife with the other. "No, no sense in wasting it" he added more calmly.

"Stay there." she instructed and waited for him to nod. She reached over the counter and put the glass on the bar, her eyes watching him the whole time. Then she stepped back, holding the knife defensively and nodded at him. "Drink it, but stay on that side of the counter."

He stepped up to the bar, placed his hands flat on the counter on either side of the glass. Licking his lips he picked it up and turned around, his back to her. As he drank it a shudder ran through him. He sipped it slowly, savoring it, which surprised her, with the fierce hunger on his face she expected him to gulp it down. She could tell when the glass was empty as he held it up, upside down to coax out the final drops. Finally he lowered it but didn't turn around right away. He took several deep breaths then shook his head. When he did turn around he was back to his human face. "You're too delectable for your own good Slayer." He said hoarsely.

"I wanted you to have a treat." she offered in explanation.

"A treat?" he shook his head and chuckled. "The last 24 hours have been that. You don't need to go opening a vein."

"But I know I'm asking a lot. Restricting your diet. It only seemed fair." she shook her head. "I'd resent it if someone tried to tell me what I could and couldn't eat..." He was right in front of her, he had moved so slowly, so casually that she hadn't even registered it. This close she could see blood at the corner of his mouth. She could also see a fierce desire in his eyes but she wasn't sure if it was for her body or her blood. She tightened her grip on the knife and raised it between them. "Spike..." it was a warning.

He took a step back and raised his hands showing he wasn't going to do anything. She should have known better, because as soon as she let out a shaky breath he grabbed both of her hands. She tried to pull them away, but his hands were like vices. He had a wicked smile on his face, and that scared her more than his vamp face. He twisted the hand that held the knife, raising it, he could bring it down and slash her throat if he wanted and she would only be able to slow him down a little. She thought about trying to kick or knee him, but he seemed to read her mind because he moved closer, his body pinning hers to the cabinets. He turned the knife so the light flashed off it. A little over-dramatic, she thought, the fear making her giddy but tried to concentrate on resisting any sudden movements he tried to make. He leaned his head down, locking eyes with her, then licked the knife. He closed his eyes and she saw the muscle flex in his jaw, but he didn't let her hands loose. After a moment, during which she assumed he was fighting back his demon, he turned the knife the other way and repeated what he had just done on the other side of the blade. This time when he opened his eyes they focused on her still bloody wrist.

She tried to yank her hand away, but it moved less than an inch and his grip didn't loosen. He just looked at her and shook his head slightly in rebuke as he lowered his lips to her wrist. She clenched her teeth waiting for his bite. She felt his tongue on her skin, tracing the trails of almost dried blood to their source. He sucked on her wrist, but the wound was closed.

With a sudden jerk he pulled her arms out and back, his head moved to her neck, his mouth going straight to where he had bit her before. She whispered, "Spike." Trying to either snap him out of his bloodlust or just plead with him not to do it.

He let out a deep chuckle and nipped up her neck until his mouth was at her ear. "Scared Slayer?" he asked tauntingly.

She swallowed hard, "Yes."

She reeled as he let her go and took two steps back. "Good! Because you bloody well should be. Bloodlust is nothing to play around with, especially when that blood is yours."

She stood there confused. "That was all a show? You were in control the whole time?"

"No! That's the point. When I smelled your blood and came in here to see if you were all right, I was barely keeping it together, and then you held up your bleeding wrist..." he shook his head. "If I had had more to drink than a couple sips of wine or if I were really hungry..."

"But.." she began, not sure what she was going to say.

"No, buts. I told you, I'd think of a way to make it safe, but this..." He grabbed the knife from her hand easily. "... this isn't it." He tossed the knife into the sink.

"I feel like a bi... I feel bad that I'm forcing you to buy your blood. It can't be as good, I mean it must be like eating frozen dinners all the time. But I can't let you go around killing people, I just can't."

"I haven't complained have I? If I thought it was too big a price to pay I wouldn't be here now would I?" He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I might not be the biggest fan of your calling, but I respect you and all you've had to sacrifice for it." His arms slipped down around her waist. "I won't lie, I enjoy the hunt, the feel of a pulse against my lips and the warm blood as it pumps into my mouth." He shook himself slightly and refocused on her. "But this..." he pulled her tighter against him. "is worth that sacrifice to me." He bent and kissed her tenderly.

When she pulled away she asked. "You're really sure?"

"I am, but if it will appease your guilt any, there may be a compromise." He smiled inwardly at the irony of a vampire trying to convince a slayer that it was okay if he didn't bite people.

"Like what?"

"How about, I feed on any criminals I catch in the act... No, wait, hear me out." he said when she went to interrupt. "I feed but I don't kill them, just drain'em a bit and leave them where I found'em?"

"You'd be able to stop, not kill them?"

"Pet, that I haven't drained you dry should be ample proof that I'll be able to stop feeding on some lowlife."

"Won't people find it strange if criminals are found unconscious with bites?"

"In this town?" he scoffed. "I don't know if it's the Hellmouth or if the people here are just oblivious, but there is no place else on earth where the authorities turn such a blind eye to vampire deaths."

"Really?" That surprised her, but then other than the short time she was still in LA, this was the only town she had been in as the slayer and she certainly was busy.

"Yeah, not that other towns will pin the deaths on vampires, but they'll call it a serial killer or something. Here, you can leave a trail of bodies and no one raises an eyebrow. Just so long as you stay out of the slayer's way it's pretty much all-you-can-eat." He grinned. "Lots of folks were quite put out when you moved to town."

"There goes the neighborhood?"

"Exactly. So what do you think? Do I become the 'Fanged Avenger'? Fighting crime when I get peckish?"

"Ooo, will there be a skintight costume?" She asked with a smile.

"I don't wear spandex." He said seriously.

"Darn." she pouted.

"Is that a deal breaker?"

"No, I guess it's okay. Just be careful."

"I've lived this long haven't I?" He bent to kiss her again, but this was a hungry kiss, searching, yearning.

She turned her head to break off the kiss and he kissed back to her ear. "The pizza's getting cold." she protested.

"Have you forgotten the other effect your blood has on me? Because I can't." His hands untied her robe and pulled her against him. She could feel his arousal through his jeans. She moaned as his hands covered her rear and squeezed. There's always the microwave she thought.