COURE DELLA NOTTE Part 4
(The Heart of the Night)
by 1stRab-idWillow, Xander, Anya and Oz sat in a silent circle at the round research table in the Magic Box. Willow was holding onto Oz�s hand, plucking nervously at his fingers, as she craned her neck to see past the Watcher�s Council guards into the backroom. The gang had come together at the magic shop and been startled to find the Watcher�s Council already in residence.
The news of Dawn and Buffy�s disappearance was hardly conveyed when the Slayer herself arrived. Buffy�s immediate collapse had set the stage for a shift of power. Quentin Travers and the other Watchers had sent Faith after Spike armed with a Holy Water drenched sword. Buffy�s friends had been herded out of the training room and told only that the Slayer had disgraced herself and was dying.
�I wish they would let me back in there,� Willow said plaintively, �Why won�t they let me see her? Maybe I could help! Do a spell? Brew a potion?�
�They got the witches on the Council, Will,� Xander said shrugging, �But I still think they should let us be with her. Anyone for storming the doors?�
Oz raised one hand. Anya nodded her agreement.
�How do they know that Buffy�s going to die?� Willow asked with a desperate edge to her voice, �I mean, they can�t know that can they?�
�Definitely suspect,� Oz said, �Seems like faulty forecasting to me.�
�It�s because they think that the prophecy about Lilith is coming true,� Anya explained patiently to Oz not getting the concept of the comforting lie, �It says that the Night Monster will feed on the Slayer�s life force as her vampire lover feeds on the blood of the innocent.�
�But not Dawnie, right?� Willow asked in horror, �Spike wouldn�t feed on little Dawn?�
Xander nudged Anya and shook his head slightly just as the ex-demon started to respond.
The guards at the door shifted slightly and the gang caught a glimpse of their friend�s limp form.
~*~*~*~
Buffy was lying on the sofa in the Magic Box training room. She felt drained of all energy. She had no strength to left to argue or fight. Every breath took a tremendous effort. The bond with Spike was like a red tether, binding her to something that was dragging the life from her even as it consumed him.
The Council had explained what they knew of the Cleansing Ritual mentioned in the sacred texts of the Rossi gli abiti. They had told her how Lilith would be reborn from Spike�s body. How the plague of humanity would be washed away when the first glimmer of light from the rising sun touched the Coure Della Notte. Buffy would die as the sun rose. And all that was Holy would be cast out as the Unholy were converted into full demonic form. All of this was fated to occur unless Faith managed to kill Spike before Sunrise.
�Giles,� Buffy called weakly. Her former watcher leaned closer to catch her labored whisper, �Faith can�t kill Spike.�
�Buffy,� Giles said gently, �I�m so sorry. I know that this is very painful for you but there really is no other way to stop��
�No!� the Slayer said with some force as she struggled to sit up, �I mean, that Faith isn�t capable of killing him. She doesn�t have the skill.�
�Faith is an accomplished Slayer,� Travers put in dispassionately, �And if she defeats this beast we will arrange for her release from prison. She will have her freedom. If she fails she will die with the rest of us. I think that is enticement enough for her to succeed.�
�Spike has killed two �accomplished� Slayers!� Buffy said pointedly. �And he has trained with me for three years. I can beat Faith but I can�t beat him.�
�Perhaps that is due to your distressing fascination with this particular demon,� Travers' replied.
�Yes, Thank You, Quentin! Remarkably sensitive as usual!� Giles said glaring at the Council President.
Buffy�s former Watcher had a tight grip on her elbow and was bracing her as she leaned against the back of the sofa. Rupert Giles was painfully aware that his dear friend was dying. The Night Monster that Spike incubated in his body was feeding on Buffy�s life force, eating away at her like a cancer. Every moment Lilith was growing stronger and the Slayer was growing weaker. The young woman held onto him now as she tried to gain her feet. After a time, she leaned back into the sofa, exhausted. Her muscles were trembling with the effort but her voice when she spoke was as fiery as the red light in her eyes.
�Faith is going to die, Giles!� Buffy said.
�Then we are all dead.� Travers� said.
�Not if you help me get to him,� Buffy said, �Maybe I can still stop this.�
�You?� Travers scoffed, �You can�t even stand under your own power. What possible advantage do you think you would have over Faith?�
�I don�t know,� Buffy replied with a touch of her usual spunk, �Maybe my �distressing fascination�.�
�You think that you could get through to Spike?� Giles asked comprehending her meaning before Travers, �Bring his personality to the surface and weaken Lilith?�
�Ridiculous,� Travers said waving a dismissive hand, �We are talking about a demon. A being that lives only to feed. It has no �personality� for her to influence.�
�Isn�t it worth a try?� Buffy asked ignoring the Council president and concentrating on Giles, �If I could distract him, even for a second, Faith might find an opening.�
�And isn�t it more likely that you simply want to assist your Demon Lover?� Travers asked snidely, �You have always had a weakness for these creatures. Do you think that the filthy thing feels as you do? That it loves you? It is incapable of love or of any higher emotion. It exists to perpetuate itself and to inflict pain and suffering. A vampire is less self aware than an animal.�
�You know nothing about him�about any of them,� Buffy said quietly her tone more pitying than angry, �You never have. All of your training and watching and researching have left you with so little understanding.�
�And what would you have us understand?� Travers asked looking around at the other Watchers.
�That what the soul gives us is the ability to chose,� Buffy replied, �To do good or do evil. It gives us remorse and compassionate and the promise of eternal bliss. The vampire has none of those things but that doesn�t mean it can�t love. Love isn�t good or evil. It is a separate force and it doesn�t discriminate. Love can destroy as easily as it creates but even the most unworthy can love and be loved in return. Maybe we were given souls so that we could understand that.�
A bout of coughing wracked the Slayer�s body forcing her to stop talking. Only Giles� arm around her shoulders kept her upright. After a time, she wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth and continued her plea.
�Please�� She said letting go of her pride in her effort to persuade them as she struggled again to stand up, �Just let me go to him. I know that Spike loves me. I know that he will hear me. I could use your help but unless you�re planning to hold me down, I am going if I have to crawl. This thing is killing both of us and all I want to do is make it stop.�
�What do we really have to lose?� Giles asked the other Watchers.
�Very well!� Travers sighed at last, �You can try to influence this�SPIKE. But do not interfere with Faith in her duties while you test your theories about�� He sighed again, ��love.�
He reached over to take Buffy�s elbow, supporting her and assisting her to stand. The gruff old man gave the Slayer the smallest of smiles as she looked up at him in surprise. Giles put an arm around her waist and braced her with his shoulder as she slid one foot forward. Slowly, the little group made their way to the shop door and out to the waiting Scoobies. Willow said a quick strengthening spell for her friend as several pairs of hands joined in a protective circle around the Slayer.
~*~*~*~
�Wake the girl!� Saul commanded as Spike finished his third bowl of blood, �If she stirs he will be drawn to her.�
One of the acolytes leaned over Dawn and blew a puff of sweet powder into her face. Spike turned to look at the girl as she began to flail about. His eyes were crimson and his mouth was wet with blood. Screaming into alertness, the Slayer�s baby sister sat up abruptly. Without hesitation, Spike sprang at her causing a collective sigh to go up from the half-dozen monks. The blond vampire pulled the teenager close and bit into her throat again.
�Bring him another meal,� Saul said, �Quickly! This one won�t last long.�
Three of the Rossi gli abiti rushed for the stairs leaving Saul and three other monks to attend to Spike. The English vampire removed his fangs from Dawn�s throat and spoke quietly into her ear.
�When I release you,� He whispered, �Go toward the elevator shaft. Get inside; don�t let me catch you. There�s a sword. Hand it to me and then quick as you can run to the stairs. It must be almost sunrise, you should be safe once you get out in the light.�
Then he pulled away from her, his demonic visage inched away from her face. His eyes were red, his breath fetid. Dawn watched in horrid fascination as her blood dripped from his fangs.
�What are you doing?� Saul said in exasperation stepping toward them, �You must feed. Lilith needs the blood to be reborn.�
�Want to hunt,� Spike growled and then to Dawn he said simply, �RUN!�
The teenager bolted for the elevator shaft as Saul�s delighted laughter rang out behind her. Spike was after her in a flash. He clawed at her and she kicked out connecting with his left leg. He hit her in the shoulder, propelling her into the darkened shaft. Dawn rolled with the fall and climbed to her knees. She swept her hands over the floor searching until she hit the sharp blade.
Ignoring the pain of her cut palm, Dawn held tight to the steel edge. Spike was dragging her bodily back out into the basement. As they cleared the shaft, Dawn handed him the hilt of the weapon. The vampire released her and stood up, turning and swinging the sword in an arc that passed right through the neck of the nearest monk. Dawn scurried away from her sister�s lover and sprinted for the stairs.
�Stop her,� Saul yelled but his henchmen were already dying.
Spike had severed their heads from their shoulders in a series of brilliant and deadly semi-circles. Head down and sword hanging loosely in his right hand, the blond vampire came toward the High Priest. Saul backed away, one hand raised in consolation.
�You can not prevail, William,� The red robed vampire said softly, �The First One is already alive inside you. Can�t you can feel Her growing stronger.�
�I feel peachy,� Spike smiled swishing his blade and advancing on the Priest.
�She will come again,� Saul quoted from the text of his Bible as he continued moving away, circling back toward the stairs, �and show Her face to the rising sun. Her Children will nourish Her and the gate will open. She will be drenched in the life�s blood of Humanity and the sun will set on a world Cleansed of the unbelievers.�
��Then the resolve of the Unholy shall be tested�,� Spike recited in return.
�What?� Saul frowned hesitating slightly.
�You left out a line from that passage,� Spike said, �Children feeding, gate opening�unholy tested! Didya forget that I�ve read the scriptures, Saul? Or are you just hoping the Hellbitch skips over that part? Afraid you might not measure up?�
�I am resolute,� Saul said with pride, �She will not find me wanting!�
�Yeah,� Spike said totally unimpressed, �You�re a regular Unholy Holy Roller. But in case you hadn�t noticed�I�m the one�s getting asked all the tough questions.�
�But we are the same, William,� Saul purred, �Evil incarnate! Say what you will; you cannot deny what you are? You have killed two slayers and entranced a third. How much innocent blood have you spilled? But this Buffy Summers has taken your essence and given you nothing in return. Lilith has chosen you. Why do you persist in fighting the inevitable? Would you be an empty shell for our enemy? When you could be the savior of us all?�
For his answer, Spike rotated his arm so that his blade sliced downward into Saul�s body. At the last second, the High Priest evaporated into mist and flowed past the blond vampire. Spike whirled about but the mist had already escaped up the elevator shaft. There was a sharp scream from somewhere above.
�Dawn,� Spike gasped and rushed up the basement steps.
He came out on the first floor and charged across the lobby toward the main staircase. Looking up, the vampire saw a group of four or five monks dragging a struggling Dawn out the fire exit to the roof. He didn�t stop to consider the coming sunrise as he dashed after them. Faith entered the building just as Spike reached the first landing. With one great spring she reached the second story and blocked his way.
�Well, if it id�nt the second string Slayer up from the farm leagues,� Spike leered just before Faith swung her saber at him.
Spike ducked under her swing and then parried the flurry of blows from her blade. Catching her weapon on his own, he weaved and dodged with a limber litheness that reminded Faith of someone else she had fought. The dark-haired Slayer struggled to remember who it was.
�Hoping for your shot at the big time, sweetheart?� Spike said dropping his shoulder to avoid a vicious slice. He spun his own weapon and punched the hilt into Faith�s stomach, doubling her over in pain.
�Just here for a little workout!� Faith said suggestively slashing upward as she straightened and finally breaking past his guard. With a twist of her wrist, she whipped Spike�s weapon from his grasp.
�I hope you can keep up,� Faith continued as the vampire�s blade clattered down the stairs, �I hear your local Slayer has been coddling you.�
�You mean the REAL Slayer don�t ya?� Spike countered dancing back to avoid being beheaded, �I mean, Buffy is the definite article isn�t she? You�re just a blip on her heart monitor. The spare tire they keep in the boot for these roadside emergencies.�
Faith lost her temper at that and brought her saber around like a club. Spike dipped under her wild swing and shoved both hands into her chest. She flailed for purchase on the brink of the balcony and then overbalanced. Heedless of his lack of weaponry, Spike was already running upward again, even as Faith began to fall. The vampire was desperate to reach Dawn before Saul could have his way with her.
Faith tucked and rolled just before she hit the tile floor. She released her hold on her saber and let it spin freely in the air as she tumbled. Landing, she reached out her right hand and caught the hilt of the weapon as it came down at her. With a fierce growl, she regained her feet and raced up the stairs in Spike�s wake.
Spike broke out onto the roof at a dead run. It was still dark but he could sense the coming dawn. He took in the scene at a glance. On the east side of the roof, facing the rising sun, was an altar laid with flowers and draped with gold cloth. Dawn�s living body was trussed up at the center of the dais. Saul was standing over her with his sacrificial knife held high. An acolyte was holding up a red leather bound volume of the sacred text for the High Priest�s scrutiny.
�SAUL!� Spike screamed, �Get away from her.�
�Welcome to the feast, my brother,� The High Priest said jovially, bringing his knife down to make a shallow cross cut on Dawn�s chest just above her left breast, �Come, let us toast your transformation.�
The teenager screamed in pain and Spike sprang forward to assist her. Before he had taken two steps, there was a sharp clang behind him as Faith kicked open the fire door. Without preamble, the Slayer ran her blade straight through his shoulder. Spike ripped free of the weapon, tearing a ragged hole in his flesh as he lunged away. In no mood to waste time on another protracted fight, the vampire struck at Faith with unbelievable speed, swatting the sword out of her grip. Then he took hold of the dark haired Slayer�s throat and squeezed, lifting her feet from the ground.
Faith gritted her teeth and fought with all the blind ferocity of a cornered animal. She brought up both arms to break Spike�s grip on her as she kicked out at him. Twisting away, she punched into his wounded shoulder. He swept one leg around and tossed her to her back. She flipped into a backbend, somersaulted upright, and landed a blow to his groin in rebuttal. Neither of the combatants noticed the electric roof lights flickering on nor did they note the elevator rumbling to life.
Faith was easily a match for the average vampire. She could out savage the most aggressive bloodsucker. But as the fight went on she began to sense that Spike was toying with her, the vampire was always two or three moves ahead of her. He was biding his time now, learning her fighting style and noting her weaknesses. Even though Spike�s attention was divided between her and the monks gathered at the altar, she could find no weakness in his defenses. Just before he moved in for the kill, Faith realized who it was that he reminded her of with the quick wit and the opportunistic attitude.
�He�s just like Buffy,� Faith thought. Then Spike backhanded her into the edge of the metal door knocking her unconscious.
Glorying in the violence, Spike lifted Faith�s limp body up by one arm. All thoughts of Dawn were wiped from his mind. His third Slayer dangled from his grasp helpless and limp as a rag doll. He shook her savagely then bought his head down close to her throat. She was warm and strong and smelled almost as good as his sweet Buffy.
�Slayer-lite,� Spike thought rather pleased with himself, �Only half the sugar of our original recipe.�
Morphing into his demonic features, Spike bit into Faith�s neck. Gulping convulsively, he drank down a good pint of the Slayer hundred-proof. The elevator arrived with a tinny ding. Spike lifted his head from his meal and looked toward the sound.
�Not too bad,� He said swirling Faith�s blood over his tongue like a connoisseur sampling vintage wine, �Once you get used to the bitter aftertaste it goes down real easy.�
A millisecond later, Spike was rocked by gut-twisting agony. His muscles contorted through a hideous metamorphosis and he roared out a primal challenge to the Heavens. For in releasing his own demon, Spike had let the Night Monster take possession of his body. He had opened the door for the Progenitor�s return, as he swallowed the first mouthful of Slayer blood.
Spike�s grip on his physical form loosened. He felt Lilith rise up and swamp his consciousness. His jaw thrust forward into a muzzle with a hideous under bite. His fangs curved into four-inch double-edged interlocking blades. His hands elongated into three-digit paws that ended in thick black claws. His hair became a crest that cascaded in a ridge down his back. His essential maleness blended into something else entirely. Spike slid into oblivion, as Lilith was reborn from his flesh.
Her eyes, like living coals, swept the room assessing the faithful monks, weighing their sacrificial offering and settling at last on a small blond woman standing just a few feet away.
�Spike!� Buffy�s voice reached him even at the edge of eternity, �SPIKE!�
Swimming upward against an overwhelming current, Spike pushed back into his former body. Peering through a red mist, he fought to bring the world into focus again. He searched for the source of the voice, knowing somehow that it was important to him.
Buffy was standing just outside the elevator door, her feet braced wide for stability. She was far too close to the thing that was holding Faith for anyone�s comfort. The blond Slayer was carrying a crossbow and was flanked by Giles, Travers, Xander, Willow, Anya and Oz. Several monks were coming forward to engage the newcomers but Saul was concentrating his efforts on the newborn Night Monster. He had forgotten Dawn in his joy at seeing his Deity returned to flesh.
�Feed!� the high priest urged, �You have a Slayer in your grasp. Take her blood and you will be free again.�
�Is that what you really want?� Buffy asked casually, �Faith�s blood?�
She nodded at Giles. He and Travers released their hold on the blond Slayer and she swayed slightly but didn�t fall. Nodding at her friends she spoke with quiet authority.
�Get to Dawn!� She said, �I�ll be fine. Just get her out of here.�
Willow had already cast a spell to loosen Dawn�s bindings. Xander, Oz, Travers and Giles faced off with the charging monks.
Ignoring the fighting between her friends and the remaining Rossi gli abiti, Buffy focused solely on reaching her lover. She wanted the beast to release her Sister Slayer. She didn�t know if Faith was even alive but she still wanted to get Lilith away from her. There was nothing about Spike in the hideous monster before her but Buffy had to try to reach him anyway.
�Come on, Luv!� Buffy said, �Come back to me and I�ll make it worth your while.�
There was the briefest flicker of Spike�s high cheek boned face but it was enough to give Buffy hope. The blond vampire was still in there somewhere. She ran her palm across the sharp tip of her crossbow bolt and let her blood run free. The animal that was once her lover turned to face her.
�That�s it, Spike,� she encouraged, �Fight her. Don�t let the Bitch beat you!�
�He can not fight her,� Saul laughed, �She is the first of our kind. The Progenitor! Feel how she has sapped your strength away. She is drinking down your life force. When the sun rises, your strength and his body shall be united in HER! The Old Ones shall be returned to their rightful place and your kind will be wiped from the Earth. Your power means NOTHING to her, Slayer! You are NOTHING!�
Forgetting that she didn�t have the strength to reload the weapon, Buffy fired her crossbow at Saul, sending a wooden shaft into the High Priest�s heart. Caught totally off guard, he exploded into ashes.
�That makes two of us,� The Slayer said casually as the Vampire�s pulsating red necklace clattered to the floor.
Pulling a bolt from the quiver, she dropped the now useless crossbow. She used the tip of the arrowhead to slice into her palm again, increasing the flow of blood from the wound.
�Here you go, baby,� Buffy whispered holding out her hand, �This is what you really want isn�t it? Our Blood! Yours and mine blended together. Come on then, drink. Make me yours! You don�t want Faith. You know you don�t.�
The creature loosened its grip on the dark-haired Slayer and let her slide limply to the floor. It seemed mesmerized by the blond vision before it. Buffy tilted her hand so that tiny droplets of blood spattered around her feet. With the suddenness of a freight train and a roar almost as loud the Night Monster came rushing down upon her. There was no time for the Slayer to defend herself or even turn to run. The Progenitor was on top of her in a flash, dragging her toward its maw. Its sulfurous breath stung her skin as jagged fangs pressed toward her throat.
�He�s not a monster, anymore,� Buffy said with emphatic softness as she met Lilith�s fathomless red eyes. Deep within them there was a flicker of blue as the Slayer continued speaking, �And we are NOT your children. I know that you can�t make him do this. He loves me far too much to ever hurt me. And I love him far too much to be afraid of you!�
Willow, Dawn, and Giles all called out Buffy�s name at the same time. Freed of her bonds, the Slayer�s sister started to run toward the couple but Giles shot out an arm to restrain her. The battle between the Scoobies and the Rossi gli abiti had ground to a halt. Both sides of the conflict were entranced by the tableau between Lilith and the Slayer. Only, in the end, it wasn�t the Night Monster that pulled Buffy close. It was Spike. He snapped back into being just seconds before Lilith could rip out his beloved�s throat.
They held onto each other, Slayer and Vampire, united in purpose as together they held their Progenitor at bay. A formless darkness swirled around them, searching for a way to break the grip they maintained on one another. It almost obliterated the lovers from view several times but it always cleared to show them again. They were both screaming in agony, as if they were burned by each other�s touch. Neither of them broke eye contact, neither of them let go.
The sun rose. Shafts of gold snaked across the floor, burning down the Red Robed monks until at last a ray touched the gem known as Lilith�s Heart. There was a sound like the screeching of a rusty cosmic gate and a great sucking wind seemed to whip over the world. A red light expanded out of the Heart of the Night enveloping all of creation. The unnatural fire engulfed Buffy and Spike, burning into the center of their very being, testing their resolve. And then with a crackle that echoed in the Earth�s bones the light contracted in on itself and was gone.
Spike was still holding onto Buffy for dear life. He was bathed in sunlight but he didn�t seem to be in any pain. His shirt was tattered and blood soaked but his shoulder bore no sign of injury.
The monk Xander had been fighting was also free of all previous physical damage. He held out his hands palms upward to the sun and began to laugh in delight. He pulled off his robe and let the sunshine play harmlessly over his body. There was one other monk, standing between Travers and Oz, who had not been burned away by the red light. He was doing much the same thing as his brother. Twirling, arms out like a small child, his face turned to the sun.
�It is a miracle, my friend!� Xander�s monk said addressing the carpenter in a joyous voice and slapping him affectionately on the back, �I am alive! I have been cleansed! Oh, Lord of Creation! What wondrous thing is this?�
Giles looked from the reborn monks to the huddle of Buffy and Spike at the center of everything. They were kneeling together, oblivious to all but each other. Spike was stroking Buffy�s hair, pulling up strands and letting them fall so that the sunlight reflected from them. The lovers kissed and separated only to gaze deeply into one another�s eyes before they embraced again. Buffy had her right hand pressed to Spike�s unblemished flesh just over his renewed and beating heart.
�What wondrous thing, indeed?� Rupert Giles whispered in awe.
Epilogue
The Magic Box was filled to capacity with assorted dignitaries. Buffy trying to take it all in, spotted assorted Watcher�s Council members, Xander, Anya, Willow, Oz, Faith, Angel and Fred and Cordy and Wesley and their friend, what was his name the demon guy with the horns. Only he didn�t have horns now�he was just a man. Just like Harmony, standing by the door as if she wanted to bolt out into the street, was just a woman. Well, Buffy amended, a totally shallow, self-involved bloodsucker of a woman but still�not a vampire anymore.
There were no vampires, no demons, and no scary things to go bump in the night, not here in Sunnydale and if the reports coming in were accurate not anywhere else on the planet. Every monstrous thing in the world had been cleansed, in a massive corporal conversion and the dimensional gateway had been slammed shut on demonic influence. The Slayer had fulfilled her destiny. She had eradicated Evil.
�Big time eradication,� Buffy thought.
�Yes! By using the foulest of dark magic!� Quentin Travers� loud exclamation cut through the Buffy zone out. The WC honcho was having trouble adjusting to the new order. �She WILLINGLY took a demon lover, a vampire, no less!�
�But her instincts were correct,� Giles countered. �Lilith must have designed the ritual as a test of both Human and Demon resolve. To determine which principles were the strongest, the Demonic ones of carnage and terror or the Human ones of compassion and forgiveness. Buffy was the only one that understood that. The Coure Della Notte was a winnowing device to finally establish which group was worthy of claiming the planet. And in case you haven�t noticed, Quentin, WE won!�
Buffy�s eyes cut back across the table to where Spike was sitting. He was wearing his leather duster. His hair was still a tussled mess of peroxided curls and he still had the icy look of someone who had seen way too much of the world. But he wasn�t the same at all. He was human. He was a living man. His heart was beating in his chest, which meant, Buffy suddenly realized, that it could stop beating at anytime. A quick chill shot through her at that thought. Spike could die now.
�Spike could�ve died as a vampire, too,� Buffy reminded herself silently.
It was definitely better this way. They had a shot at the normal life, now. She frowned slightly as she tried to imagine what a normal life might be like for an ex-vampire and a former Slayer. Anya and Xander might be able to help them with that. Anya was an ex-demon after all and she�d managed to fit in. But Buffy remembered how out of place Anya had always seemed and how alien. Would it be that way for Spike? What was the human Spike like, anyway?
Buffy had no doubt that Spike, the vampire, loved her. It was his love that allowed them to perform the Cleansing. But she didn�t even know the human Spike. What if he didn�t love her? What if he didn�t even like her? What if he was like Angelus was to Angel, a total contradiction. Or what if he hadn�t changed at all but couldn�t learn to accept the changes in her? It wasn�t like she was the Slayer, anymore. She was just ordinary Buffy Summers, meter maid. Spike had always reveled in her supernatural strength. Fact is he liked it rough. Fact is, so did she. How could an ordinary human union ever measure up to the glory of Vampire/Slayer intercourse?
Doubts and questions bubbled up out of Buffy�s subconscious mind. Where would they live? What would they do for money? Did Spike have any marketable skills? For that matter, did she? The Slaying Trade was now as obsolete as the horse and buggy. What kind of police officer would she be without her superpowers? If she was going to be Mrs. William �Spike��.
�Mrs. William �Spike��WHAT?!?� Buffy thought in desperation. �I don�t even know what my last name would be.�
And then it hit her that her buggy had gotten way out there in front of her horse. Nobody had mentioned marriage or even co-habitation. In fact, since the Cleansing, everything had been moving so fast, that she and Spike hadn�t had a minute to talk about the future. They had been separated almost immediately. The Watcher�s Council had gone into serious study mode, poking and prodding the lovers, putting them through extensive tests, looking for clues about what exactly had happened when the Coure Della Notte was invoked. No one even knew if the effect was permanent but the consensus was that it would probably hold up for the next few generations.
Buffy sighed and tuned back in to the conversation around her. Giles had the floor and was explaining how the Cleansing differed from the Soul-Restoration Spell that had been used to curse Angel. The Council now believed, he was saying, that the Cleansing had turned the Vampires and other creatures into humans by remaking them, transforming their very flesh. Somehow, separating the more human and righteous beings from the truly wicked, it had then banished the wicked into an alternate dimension.
It had not simply restored the souls of those who remained behind; it had �Cleansed� them, remaking their bodies, purifying them. It was as if their souls were newly minted and untouched by evil. They retained their memories but rather than being tormented by guilt for what they had done, they experienced a sort of posttraumatic stress syndrome. It was, Giles explained, as if these former Monsters had merely witnessed unspeakable violence rather than perpetrating it themselves.
�Well, hearing this for the 28th time is all very fascinating,� Buffy thought stifling a yawn.
Spike caught her eye again from across the table. He mouthed the word �bored� at her and lifted a brow. Buffy smiled, giving the smallest of nods. Spike gave an almost imperceptible bob of his chin toward the training room door. Buffy frowned, shaking her head in a slight negative motion. Using just her eyes, she indicated the large crowd around them. She was deeply disappointed when Spike turned away from her to look up the table, apparently losing interest.
Stunned and hurt by this turn of events, Buffy resorted to glaring daggers at her erstwhile lover. He had slid forward to sit on the edge of his chair. Leaning one elbow on the table, Spike rested the first two fingers of his left hand against his lips, looking for all the world like a scholar absorbed in the proceedings. His dark blue eyes flickered over to meet Buffy�s hazel ones for just a moment. Then he lightly ran his tongue across his fingertips in a very suggestive manner. A shiver passed through the young woman as she immediately recalled the last time Spike had licked his fingers. She had a perfect mental image of what he had been doing right before and what they had both done right afterward.
Buffy choked. It was an involuntary reaction rather than a planned distraction but she decided to take advantage of it. She pushed back from the table, coughing loudly and attracting nearly everyone�s attention. Several people moved as if to help her but she waved them off.
�Water!� She sputtered and then noticing the full carafe sitting on the table in front of her changed her plea, �Air! I mean I just need some air!�
With limited difficulty, Buffy extricated herself from the crowd. She moved casually toward the back of the shop, nodding at her well-wishers but shaking off their assistance. Willow started to follow her and was restrained by Oz. The former werewolf was the only one who�d noticed Spike slipping away from the table. He leaned over and whispered something in Willow�s ear. The witch�s eyes went to the slightly open training room door. As she watched, Buffy disappeared into the blackness beyond and the door closed behind her.
The cool darkness enveloped Buffy, temporarily blinding her, and then there was the sudden flare of a striking match as Spike lit a cigarette. The sight brought back all of her apprehension. Lung Cancer, she thought, heart disease, birth defects and then there�s the social stigma�
�Do you have to smoke?� She asked and instantly cursed herself for trying to change him.
�Not really,� He said dropping the cigarette to the floor.
The red coal of it bounced twice and sprayed up sparks before he ground it out under his boot. There was a sense of movement where he�d been and Buffy strained to locate him again in the darkness. She became aware of him behind her just seconds before he slipped his arms around her and pulled her hard against his body.
�Do you know what day this is, Slayer?� Spike whispered in her ear holding her close. He had one arm across her shoulders and one tight around her waist.
�Uhm?� Buffy said, thinking back and doing the math, �It�s Saturday.�
�And what happens on Saturday?�
�Oh, I know this one!� She chirped. �The Fifth Street Bakery closes at noon.�
Spike�s arm tightened on her throat. He didn't seem amused. In fact, he seemed downright deadly.
�What if he was?� Buffy thought suddenly and felt a horrible chill of doubt and fear wash over her.
Spike didn�t have to be a vampire to hurt her; she realized men could be dangerous too.
�What happens on Saturday?� Spike repeated his voice low and menacing and the words stirred memories in Buffy�s brain. At their first meeting�wasn�t that what she had asked him? And he had said�the coldness gripped her heart as she remembered.
�You kill me,� she whispered.
�That�s right,� Spike said into her hair running his hands down over her body.
�But I have decided,� He continued turning her violently around and shoving her up against the pommel horse, �That I will settle for your unconditional surrender.�
And then he was pressing his lips to hers as his hands deftly unfastened her bra through the fabric of her dress. Within seconds he had divested her of all underwear. Pushing up her skirt he exposed the bare flesh of her thighs and stomach to the rough texture of his jeans. He ground against her and she moaned opening her mouth to him.
But, as quickly as she had given in, Buffy rebelled. She shoved at Spike hard, pushing him away from her. Her eyes finally adjusting to the dark, Buffy found she could see Spike quite well in the dim streetlight glow that came through the training room windows. Gasping for breath, she glared at him as she yanked down her skirt.
�You think that�s funny?� She growled, �You think this is all some kind of game? We don�t have time for this sort of thing right now. There are a quarter of a million new people in the world that weren�t here two days ago. People with no skills, no way of supporting themselves or contributing to society. I know Angel had investments but I�d bet that most of the vampires in this world were a lot more like you. I imagine you never gave one thought to your financial security.�
�Angel?� Spike asked shakily as an awful suspicion touched him.
�Yes, Angel!� Buffy said, knowing she�d hurt him but needing to get this out, �He already has a job, and a place to live and money to live on. So, what�s her face, Fred, doesn�t have to worry about any of those things.�
Spike was staring at her now silent and still as she continued giving voice to her fears.
�Not that Miss Brainiac Physicist needs to worry about her future,� Buffy went on with a hopeless air, �She�s not the one who has to write �Former Chosen One� and �Handy with the Wooden Stake� on her resume.�
�You know those aren�t your only talents,� Spike said softly as the worry behind her words sank in, �You already have a good job and while I may not have a shed-load of the ready, I do have skills.�
�Name one!� Buffy challenged trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.
�Well,�I sing,� Spike said with a grin and Buffy groaned remembering when he�d told her mother the same thing.
�And I can pick a lock�� the former vampire continued ticking things off on his fingers, ��hotwire a car, forge almost anyone�s signature and play the harmonica.�
�Oh, great!� Buffy said waving one hand emphatically, �We can live at the prison.�
�I also speak 23 languages including 4 that just came back into standard usage.� Spike said turning serious, �And I read another 16. I have a classical Oxford education complete with the Greek and the Latin. I can play 7 instruments besides the harmonica and I have written 12 novels, a few short stories and about 150 poems. Some of which have even been published.�
Buffy�s mouth had dropped open and Spike leaned forward to kiss it. He stroked his tongue along hers. Sucking gently against her, he licked the sharp edges of her teeth and then began to probe into her more deeply. After a long time, he broke free of her lips and nuzzled his way along her jaw line. Conspiratorially, he whispered into her ear.
�I am, also, rumored�� He said, ��to have a certain talent with my tongue.�
�At last,� Buffy said taking in an unsteady breath, �A vocation this part of America really needs.�
Spike laughed against her skin. Seizing Buffy�s waist in both hands, he lifted her up onto the pommel horse. He pushed up her skirt and dropped to his knees before her. Bracing himself with his hands against her inner thighs, Spike leaned in and put his considerable skills to work. The former Slayer gripped the wooden handles of the horse, holding on tight as wave after wave of ecstasy lapped over her.
Spike�s tongue worried at Buffy driving her relentlessly toward orgasm. She spasmed before him but he kept the pressure on, licking, stroking, and probing until forgetting the crowd outside she cried out for him incoherently. Then he stood and entered her, sliding her pelvis forward and bracing her against the horse. Buffy�s legs were wrapped around Spike�s hips as he rode up into her. He thrust deep, taking her mouth again to stifle her screams and devouring her whole as she came hard around him.
It was just the same as it had always been between them, not as deadly but just as passionate. Neither of them was as capable of inflicting pain, now, but the intensity, the fire, the lustful power at the core of their union remained. They were two people who had experienced life and death and knew the value of each. They knew how to savor each other and how to make each other burn.
Spike had been cleansed of his demon but he would never be a gentleman in bed. Luckily, Buffy was no lady. Something slippery ignited between her legs as she built toward a second climax. She couldn�t get enough of Spike. He was still her Spike, her other-half, her lover and he was alive inside her, losing his human virginity. His breath was hot and ragged in her ear. Buffy could feel the life energy crackling between them as, gasping, he gushed into her. His seed was warm, vital, and full of living promise. For a few precious seconds, Buffy was aware of nothing else but the blissful heat of their mutual fulfillment.
�I love you!� She murmured against the flickering pulse in his throat.
And then she groaned in agony and dropped her head onto Spike�s shoulder.
�Oh, no! Live Sperm! Condoms! Birth Control!� Buffy said, lightly bashing her forehead against his collarbone to punctuate her words, �What was I thinking? Stupid, stupid, thoughtless, Buffy��
Spike took hold of her and forced her back until their eyes met. He was frowning and he had pulled out of her body leaving her shaking with the cold. Buffy felt a hard lump growing in her throat as he studied her. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.
�You don�t want children?� He asked as if that thought had never occurred to him.
�Ch-chi-childern?� Buffy stammered as the idea took root for the first time. She and Spike could have children. In fact, he seemed to be expecting that they would. Why was he expecting that they would? Unless�! Another thought took root and blossomed delightfully in her mind.
�Well�I�think�of course��, Buffy began feeling her way on this new ground, �Yes, I mean, when things are settled and ��
�Settled?� Spike growled angrily cutting her off. He stepped away from her so quickly that she slid off the pommel horse to the floor as he continued, �Things aren�t settled for you? Because really, Pet, I thought things were settled all right and tight.�
Buffy stepped forward, starting to reach for him reassuringly but he turned and stalked toward the shop doors. She could hear the harsh sound of his zipper and the leather rustle of his duster as he adjusted his clothing. Spike was leaving her she thought. Buffy didn�t want him to leave. She loved him, so very much. She searched her mind for a way to tell him that but nothing came to her. Everything was happening too fast.
The room was flooded with sudden brightness as Spike flipped on the overhead lights. He turned, looking over at his Slayer as she squinted and shielded her eyes from the unexpected glare. Her legs were splayed slightly, her mouth was swollen from his kisses and her hair was a tangled mess. The shoulder strap of her dress had slipped down until the top of one breast was just visible. She looked vulnerable and confused and at the same time savagely proud. She was a fluffy little kitten with the soul of a tiger. And she was his, Spike thought passionately. He�d be damned all over again before he�d let some well-invested poof get a crack at her.
�What is it you want then, Dutch?� He sighed.
He�d been calling her that a lot lately, or �the Dutch�. Buffy knew it was English slang of some kind. Right after she�d returned from the dead, Spike had made Giles bristle by referring to her by the term. �I just stopped by to run an idea past the Dutch.� Spike had said and Giles had told the vampire never to call her that again. Buffy had figured then that it was something extremely vulgar. Now, she was thinking she should maybe look it up.
�What do I WANT?� Buffy annunciated angrily. She brushed down her dress, pulling up the fallen strap to make herself more dignified as she continued, �Oh, I don�t know! How about a little time to think about what�s happened? That�s what I want! I want a minute or two of peace and quiet away from all of these people. I want to be alone with you so we can talk about what the hell we are going to do tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. And I want to know your bloody last name!�
�Gilford,� Spike said laughing out loud at the limited scope of her demands. He would have laid the world at her feet if she had asked for it, but all she wanted was a little security. With an amused air, he inclined his head slightly as if just meeting her. �William Edward Augustine Gilford of the Yorkshire Gilford�s definitely not the Cornwall branch.�
�Huh?� Buffy said confused by his response and losing some of her steam.
�My last name,� Spike explained moving toward her, �It�s Gilford. Or at least it was back in the day. I suppose I could change it to anything that suits you. But Buffy Anne Gilford has rather a nice ring to it. Don�t ya think?�
�Uhh-uhm!� Buffy said looking up into Spike�s eyes as he stopped within inches of her.
He caught at her left hand and pulled it up to rest against his chest. Buffy could feel his heart pounding under her fingers. The beat of it was quick and anxious, even though, outwardly, Spike seemed as confident and cocky as ever. She understood, then, what he was asking her. And she understood how important her answer was to him. Meeting his eyes steadily, she took in a deep breath and tried again to make with the speaking.
�Yeah,� She managed to whisper just before their lips met, �Nice ring!�
The End
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