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DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX , Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Theirs not mine.

She looks thoughtful, and then gives me an assessing look. �I learned some interesting things about you when I was healing you, Spike.� She wraps her arms around my neck, whispering in my ear. �Things haven�t changed a bit in a hundred years, William. No one likes you. No one respects you. Underneath all the attitude and leather you�re no threat to anyone, Spike.�

Hurt, I shove her away, knocking her into my chair. Instantly contrite, I go to her, but she waves me away. �Just for the record, Spike. I don�t think that�s true.�

Angel and Buffy are staring at me closely. �Did you see any chip in head action there?� asks Buffy.

�Didn�t see anything like what you described,� replies Angel.

�Your turn, Buffy,� says Tara. Seeing Buffy�s surprised look, she explains. �If you�re sharing traits, maybe hurting a human would hurt you instead of him.�

Laughing, Buffy walks to Tara. �Yeah, can�t you just see me being all �ouch��. She raises her hands to her head, yelling in mock pain. Reaching out, Buffy lightly punches Tara. �Oww!� she yells, grabbing her head in real pain. Angel and I both go to her, but I pull her into my arms.

�Are you okay, love?� I ask her, concerned.

Buffy pulls away from me. She strides over to the door. �I should go. I need to talk to Giles, see if he knows if any Slayers have ever been claimed before.�

I sit up. �What the hell, Buffy? You�re not phased by immortality or drinking my blood, but the notion that my chip zaps you sends you running to Daddy?�

She whirls around. �That�s not fair. I�m not running anywhere.� She paces around, staring at the floor.

Tara stands up. �Angel and I should go, give you some privacy to talk everything out. We�ll see what we can come up with. See you back at the house later.�

Buffy gives Tara a weak smile. �Yeah, I�ll be back before sunrise. I need to get Dawn off to school.�

Tara gives me a hug. �Just remember how much she loves you,� she whispers in my ear.

Angel stands up, looking uncomfortable. �If you hurt her,� he says, staring at me.

Buffy gives him a light kiss on the cheek. �He would never hurt me.�

Buffy and I stand there in silence as the door to the crypt closes. She turns and stares at me, face blank.

I go to her, holding her around the waist. �You can�t run away from me any more. Anything that needs to be faced, we have to do it together.�

She jerks back, pissed off. �What, I claimed you and now I need to have you around every second? I don�t think so, Spike.�

�First hint of trouble and you trot off to the Scoobies? I sit around my crypt until you decide you want to punch me or screw me? Have we sunk back down to that level again?�

Buffy looks up at me. �I love you, Spike. You know that things are different now.�

�Then prove it, Buffy. Let me in. Tell me what you�re thinking. Tell me how you feel.�

She turns her back to me. Minutes pass as I give her the time she needs. I see the set of her shoulders soften; the muscles of her back lose their tension. Turning back around, Buffy collapses against my chest.

�Please hold me,� she says, looking up at me. I carry her downstairs, and we lay together on the bed. She strokes my hair, her head resting on my shoulder. I rub her back, trying to soothe her.

�I�m scared,� she admits. �When I was fighting earlier, it was like I was in an altered state or something. Everything seemed richer, deeper. I was so much stronger.� Buffy looks up at me, troubled. �I wanted to slay everything in my path. It was fun, causing so much destruction. And when the slaying was done, I still wasn�t satisfied. I needed something more.�

�Bloodlust. That�s what you�re having, sweets. My bloodlust.� I try to sound calm and matter-of-fact. �My demon came over me, but the force of it was channeled into you. Moved in you. When you drank my blood, you appeased it. Then it returned to me.�

�So I was possessed? By your demon?� she says slowly, as if it is a foreign language she doesn�t speak.

�That�s right. It moved in you, gave you it�s strengths, required the blood sacrifice. Same as any other vampire.� I watch her, waiting for her to cut and run.