SNAPPED!!!
BY
VelvetBlood

"Snapped!" | "Possession" | "Realisations" | "Admissions" |

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Snapped!"

The Scoobies are all gathered in the Summers� living room. Tara and Willow are cuddled on the couch with Dawn perched on it�s arm, looking avidly interested. Xander is sitting in a chair with Anya curled into his lap. Giles is leaning on the frame of the kitchen doorway. Spike stands, thumbs hooked in his pockets, hanging back near the door, not feeling entirely comfortable with Xander and Giles. Buffy paces the length of the living room, explaining the newest method of attack on Sunnydale�s newest threat.

�Giles, you said that this thing�s weaknesses are poor vision and a weak spot right between the eyes, right?� she demands, on task.

�W-well, er yes,but only if it truly is an Erykah demon. I-I-I�m not entirely sure, just yet.�

Buffy looks exasperated and stops pacing. She looks him dead in the eye.

�Giles, be sure.� She says.

�I�m fairly certain it is.� He says.

Buffy sighs with relief, then begins pacing again, addressing all the gang.

�Ok, Tara, Willow, I want you to work on a location spell. I need to know where this thing is. Xander, Giles, Spike and I will patrol while you�re doing that. Maybe we�ll find him before you do. Giles will have his cell phone on him. I want you to call the second you find out.�

Anya looks around, pouting slightly.

�But, what about me? What can I do?� she asks, put out by the fact that she�s not involved.

Buffy looks at her, quite serious.

�Anya, I need you to look after Dawn while we�re all busy.� She says.

Normally looking after a fifteen year old girl would seem like a menial task compared to the danger and magic the others would be involved in. But Anya knew that Buffy would never put her baby sister in the hands of someone she did not trust. And the Slayer�s trust was something that all the Scoobies took great pride in having.

Dawn stands up suddenly, waving her arms in frustration as she rants.

�I don�t need a babysitter! I�m coming with you guys!� she yells.

Dawn starts to walk towards the door, but Buffy stops her.

�You�re not going with us. It�s too dangerous. I want you to stay here and be safe.� She tells her.

�No! I want to help!�

Dawn makes a break for the door, but Spike gently grabs her arm, pulling her back. He looks her in the eyes, his own deadly serious.

�Do as big sis tells ya, Lil� Bit. It�s not all fun and games out there. You could get hurt.� He says.

Dawn pouts some more and sighs, but nods. Buffy looks shocked, but quickly regains her composure. He always had a way with Dawn. Shaking her head she claps her hands loudly together.

�Ok. Good! Great! Let�s move out.�

They all start to go about their different tasks. Xander slides Anya off of his lap. Giles walks over to the door with Buffy. Spike is already there, waiting on the rest. Xander casts him a hateful look as he slips into his jacket.

�I don�t see why Deadboy Jr. has to tag along. The three of us humans against one sounds like good odds, even if it is a demon.�

Spike glares at Xander, but says nothing, while Buffy sighs.

�As long as he�s got that chip in his head and is willing to help us, we can use the extra muscle.� She says.

Spike rolls his eyes, used to the old �chip� excuse. Xander catches it and goes on.

�Well personally I�m waiting for the day when the batteries run out. Then, the first time he causes so much as a papercut, I�ll take great pleasure in dusting him.� He says.

Spike growls.

�Yeah? I�d like to see you try, pillock!�

Buffy stands between the two, putting a hand on either�s chest.

�Enough! Xander, like it or not, Spike�s one of the good guys, at least for now. We�ll deal with the chip being inactive when it happens.�

Spike swats her hand away, growing impatient with the conversation, turning his back, ready to go beat the bloody hell out of something. Xander glares at his back, not ready to stop yet.

�Buff, do you actually think he�s on our side for any other reason than that chip? If he could, he�d go right back to the way he was. He�s not our friend. Never has been, never w�

Spike whirls around, eyes blazing bright blue fire. He looks dead at Xander and cuts him off by shouting�

�That�s bloody well ENOUGH!" he shouts.

The Scoobies jump simultaniously as his deep baritone rings through the living room.

"I�ve had it with the lot of you! Do you think I do this because of a bleedin� chip in my head? In case you hadn�t noticed�I can�t hurt humans, but that doesn�t mean I have to help them! Matter a� fact, I could just have had my chums kill you all for me! I�ve killed two slayers in my un-lifetime�that carries a lot of clout in the vampire community. I could have had a bloody army if I wanted! But no, Spike�s fighting the good fight. I�ve soiled my reputation, and it�s a struggle just to stay undead nowadays, having demons of all sorts breathing down my back for helping the Slayer. And why? Because I actually care about the lot of you, believe it or not. Especially the Lil� Bit. If you want to believe I�d go back to being the Big Bad, that�s your stick up your bloody bum. But I�ve had enough of being talked about as though I�m not here. From now on, the glorified bricklayer stops his little remarks, the Watcher stops boring holes in my back with those bleedin' four eyes of his, and YOU Slayer, have a little more faith in me! Got it?�

The gang remains frozen, stunned by Spike�s outburst. All except for Dawn, who smiles and nods her head. She looks at the others, and crosses her arms.

�Damn straight.� She says

Spike looks at her and a flashes a brief grin.

�Watch your mouth, Nibblet.� He says, grinning.

He turns then and walks out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Posession"

Velvet Blood

Buffy, Giles, Xander and Spike patrolled in silence. Spike walked slightly ahead, with three slightly uncomfortable Scoobies trailing behind. All three were still stunned by his earlier outburst.

While Giles was the least surprised, he still felt a grudging respect for the vampire. His words had rang true and had made the Watcher once again marvel at Spike�s uniqueness as a member of the undead.

Xander sulked like a scolded child. He�d known that Spike had stones, but having been well and truly put in his place had made him realize that Spike would only take so many rounds of �Kick the Spike� before he�d snap.

Buffy was probably the most effected by Spike�s speech. After all he�d done for her lately, and finally having submitted himself to Glory�s torture, she�d been forced to see him in a new light. A frown tugged on her face as she remembered his words.

��and YOU Slayer, have a little more faith in me��

Could she? Could she go so far as to put her faith in Spike? She already had a grudging trust in him, after what he�d done for Dawn. But could she on a personal level, let him in? He loved her, or so he said. �You know he does.� a little voice in her head countered. Ok, so she knew he loved her. But that didn�t count for anything in her book, did it? Men had loved her, and left. Would Spike leave also? He had every right to, with the way she treated him. Her inner Slayer recoiled at that. �Vampire!� it shouted. �Evil undead disgusting thing! You�ve got every right to treat him like dirt!� But after all that he�d done for her and the others, she really didn�t. Vampire or not, he was there for her. Through her verbal and physical abuse, through the disapproval of her friends, through Glory. He�s here, and Angel and Riley left. They couldn�t take it. Spike could.

Spike walked at an angry pace, silently berating himself. �Stupid bloody git! Did you actually think they�d care? You�re a vampire, no feelings and all that. No matter what you do, you�re just another demon. A handy demon, maybe. One to help them fight the baddies, and then dispose of all over again. Bloody fool!�

All four of the demon hunters� were lost in thought, not paying attention to the direction their path was taking or the demon that suddenly lept out to block it. At a loud feral growl their heads snapped up simultaneously, but too late. The Erykah demon stood there, long jagged claws, sharp lethal looking fangs and all. Since Spike was in the lead, his lack of attention cost him the most. With a quick swipe of it�s claws it caught him across the midsection, the sickening sound of tearing flesh reaching the Scoobie�s ears as Spike cried out and looked down at the five bleeding gashes across his abdomen. The demon lashed out again and struck him across the face, launching him several feet to the side.

�Spike!� Buffy screamed as he landed.

The three uninjured Scoobies quickly regained their composure and launched into action. Giles and Xander withdrew their weapons, preparing to slice and dice, and hack if need be, until Buffy flew past them.

�Buffy, no!� Giles called out, but too late.

Buffy launched herself furiously at the demon, landing several hard-hitting blows. The sound of flesh striking flesh thudded dully across the graveyard. Pouring all of her anger out into the demon, Buffy spun around and landed a roundhouse kick to the demon�s jaw, sending it sprawling on the ground. Taking a small dagger from her boot, she stabbed it aggressively into the scaly space in between the Erykah demon�s eyes. It let out a blood-curdling wail before going limp. Buffy raced over to where Xander and Giles were already helping Spike sit up. Seeing his wince of pain, she kneels down at his side. Looking down at his blood-soaked shirt, she quickly rips it all the way down the center, staring wide-eyed down at the deep jagged gashes across his stomach.

�Oh god.� She breathes.

Spike grimaces and looks at her.

�I�ll be alright, luv. Taken worse in my day.� He tries to smirk, but his usually cocky grin is laced with pain.

�Help me get him up.� Buffy commands the others.

With the help of Giles, Xander and Buffy, Spike gets to his feet gingerly. Buffy unconsciously wraps one of his arms around her shoulders and the four heroes make their way back to the Summers� residence. Once there, they�re greeted by very worried-looking Dawn, Tara and Willow. Buffy shoos them away, helping Spike up the stairs and letting him lean heavily on her shoulders as he starts to get dizzy from blood loss. Once in her room, she forces him down on her bed. Spike looks up at her confused.

�Buffy?� he asks quietly, his eyes slightly glazed.

�Shut up, Spike.� She commands, turning away to walk to the doorway. �Giles! Call Willy, tell him we need a special delivery!� she calls down to her Watcher.

Spike lays motionless on Buffy�s bed, breathing in deeply her vanilla scent lingering on the pillows and sheets.

�Slayer, really, this all isn�t necessary. Super vampire healing and all that.� He says, voice hoarse with the fight to stay conscious.

Buffy turns back to him, taking a few steps away from the doorway. Some of the desperation and worry leaves her eyes that had been firmly in place since she�d first seen his blood on the demon�s claws. Why she was so worried, she refused to think about just yet. Walking over to her desk she takes the towel she�d left from her shower earlier and then goes back to Spike, pressing it gingerly against the still steadily bleeding wound. She grimaces at his wince, but doesn�t let up the pressure.

�I�ve been in the business a long time, Spike. And I know that even for a vampire, you�ve lost a lot of blood. You need to eat, and quick. Giles!� she finishes on an urgent yell.

Giles appears in the doorway, looking anxious.

�I just got off the phone with Willy. The bar is swamped, so he can�t deliver. I just sent Xander in my car to pick up� Giles breaks off. �Is he going to be, er alright?� he asks uncomfortably.

�Yes, as soon as he gets some blood in him.� She responds.

Buffy glances up at the clock, seeing that 20 minutes had already passed since Spike had been injured. Willy�s bar was on the outskirts of town. Another 20 would pass before Xander got back.

�Too long...� she mumbles to herself.

�What did you say, Buffy?� Giles asks.

�Nothing, Giles. I can handle this. I�m sure Dawn is freaking out, can you go check on her? Tell her Spike�s going to be OK?� she knows it�s a command, not a question.

So does he.

�Yes, of course.� Giles says uncomfortably, before heading back downstairs.

Buffy gets up and silently shuts the door before walking back to a drifting Spike. She slaps him across the face, hard, to bring him back.

�Hey!� he shouts angrily, yet his voice lacks it�s usual strength.

Buffy smiles.

�That�s my vampire.� She says softly.

Spike looks up at her in confusion. She closes her eyes and sighs, before pulling her hair to the side, exposing her neck. Spike is instantly awake and puts a hand on her chest, just below her collarbone.

�No.� he says simply.

Buffy nods, removing his hand.

�There�s not enough time. You could die, *again*, before Xander gets back.� She says.

Spike shakes his head, turning away from the sight of her bare neck.

�I won�t let you do this. You don�t want to. You�re just doing it out of some sense of duty cuz I didn�t give the Nibblet up to the hell-bitch.� He grates out.

Buffy places a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her again. She leans down closer to look into his eyes.

�You said earlier that I should have more faith in you. Try and see this as an act of faith. I trust you, Spike. I�m putting my life in your hands because I know you won�t kill me. If that�s not faith, I don�t know what is.� She says softly.

Spike looks up at her, deep blue eyes fading with blurred vision. Buffy leans down further and reaches down to cup the back of his head and pull it towards her neck. She stops when his lips brush her neck.

�Buffy...� He murmurs, tensing with the scent of her skin and the sound of her blood pulsing strongly so close.

�I trust you.� She says again, closing her eyes.

With that Spike closes his eyes as well and swallows hard before letting his demon emerge. As gently as possible he slips his fangs into her skin, purposefully right over Angel�s scar. He drinks deeply, but not forcefully as not to hurt her. As the taste of her powerful blood hits him though, it�s hard to reel his demon in. Carefully, he takes only what is needed to tide him over, knowing that her Slayer�s blood will work quickly to help him heal. He withdraws his fangs, gently running his tongue over the puncture wounds. Before slipping into a deep sleep, he buries his face into her hair.

�Mine.� He whispers softly, as not for her to hear, before the blackness claims him.

Buffy gently lets his head fall onto her pillow, leaning back and staring down at his sleeping face. She shivers, lifting a hand to her neck. She�d heard his whisper, knew he�d claimed her, and her insides quivered.

�If you only knew.� She whispers, before going downstairs to calm a hysterical Dawn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Realisations"
Velvet Blood

Buffy sat on the couch next to an anxious Dawn. It had actually taken some of her Slayer strength to restrain the fifteen year old bundle of worry from racing upstairs the moment she saw Buffy�s face upon coming down. The Slayer had composed herself and calmed Dawn down by reassuring her that Spike was sleeping. Now, three hours later, Buffy once again reached up to finger the bite marks on her neck, hidden by her hair. Xander had arrived back with blood packets. Buffy had forced Spike to consume three, before letting him rest again. He�d only been barely conscious through it anyway. When she had been satisfied that he would live, or unlive, in this case, she�d bandaged his wounds and left the room. Giving a sigh, Buffy looked around the room at the others. No one had left. They�d stayed, but not just because of Dawn�s frailty or Buffy�s distantness, but because Spike, grudgingly or not, had become a friend.

Xander shifted uncomfortably in the armchair, Anya on his lap. He glanced again at Buffy�s frozen features, her fingers playing unconsciously with her hair, or was that her neck? He sighed, noticing her strained muscles and rigid posture. Buff was majorly worried, which worried him. Spike might be helping, but he wasn�t a Scooby or a friend, and Xander didn�t like Buffy�s apparent lack of non-feeling for the vampire. And he certainly didn�t like her protectiveness over him. No one had been allowed near her bedroom, or even upstairs. She checked on the wounded vampire regularly, feeding him and reporting his status back to the Scoobs gathered downstairs. Quite simply, he DID NOT LIKE IT!

Giles had also noticed his Slayer�s motherly attitude towards Spike, and although he didn�t approve, he accepted it. Something had changed the vampire in Buffy�s eyes, as well as the others�. Well, perhaps not Xander, but that boy was inexorably stubborn. Sighing, he removes his glasses and begins to clean them. Glancing up at the Scoobies, he clears his throat to gather their attention.

�Well, it would appear that there�s nothing more to be done tonight. Buffy is more than capable of, er, resolving the situation at hand. I suggest we all get some rest.� He says in his �take command� voice.

Buffy nods, standing up.

�Yeah, you guys are free to go. I can take it from here. Get some sleep. I�ll call everyone tomorrow and let you all know.� She says softly.

The Scoobs slowly file out the Summers� door in silence. Buffy shuts the door and turns to look at Dawn. Seeing the tears in Dawn�s eyes, she beckons her to her. Dawn flies across the room and launches herself into Buffy�s arms, sobbing.

�Oh god, Buffy! We could have lost him tonight! Poof! And..and then no more Spike...� She cries.

Buffy rests her chin on Dawn�s hair, looking off into space. Dawn�s words gripping her heart like a cold vise.

�I know, Dawnie. I was there. I saw it happen. And I...� She breaks off. �I was scared.� She finishes on a whisper.

Dawn looks up at her sister, a soft smile curving her lips.

�So, you finally realized it, huh?� she asks, teasing lightly.

Buffy nods, smiling.

�Uh huh. And all it took was a big, scary reality check. Spike almost dies, and *then* I realize that I��

Dawn�s grin broadens.

�You�� she prods.

Buffy narrows her eyes and ruffles Dawn�s hair.

�Bed. Now.� She orders.

Dawn sighs and walks up the stairs, with Buffy right behind her. As she passes her sister�s room, she glances nervously at the door, then to Buffy.

�Couldn�t  I, just...� She stops. �Please?�

Buffy nods slowly. Dawn smiles and quietly opens Buffy�s door, gasping when she sees Spike laying on Buffy�s bed with gauze wrapped around his torso. A hand gently rests on her shoulder from behind.

�He�ll be fine, Dawn.� Buffy comforts her.

Dawn nods.

�I know. You�ll take care of him.� She says matter of factly.

Buffy nods as well.

�You bet.� She whispers.

Dawn walks over to the bed and takes Spike�s hand in her own. She takes a deep breath and squeezes it gently.

�Night, Spike. Get better soon. Who'll be around to call me dorky nicknames if you don�t?� she smiles.

Buffy grins, opening her door wider.

�Night, Dawnie.� She murmurs.

Dawn nods and hugs her sister before exitting the room.

�Night, Buffy.� She calls out from her room.

Buffy shuts her door and casts a quick glance at Spike, making sure he�s unconscious before changing into her pajamas. When she�s ready for bed, she gently nudges him over slightly before laying down next to the unconscious vampire. Gazing at him softly, she once again lifts a hand to the rapidly healing scars on her neck that she no longer thought of Angel�s or Dracula�s brand, but Spike�s. Snuggling closer to his body, she leans in to kiss his forehead.

�Yours.� she whispers, before drifting off to the most peaceful sleep she�d had in months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Admissions"
Velvet Blood

Spike�s entire middle felt like he�d been repeatedly kicked in the stomach by a 300 lb. quarterback from the NFL. Wincing slightly, he sits up and fingers the bandages around his abdomen. �Well, sitting is a good thing. At least I can bend.� he thinks. Gaining his bearings, he feels a warm body shift next to him and looks down at Buffy�s sleeping form. That she had slept next to him shocked him completely. Hell, that he wasn�t sleeping in his crypt shocked him completely. The fact that he was in Buffy�s bed, with her beside him was mind-blowing! Laying gingerly back down on his side, he props himself up on an elbow. Using his free arm, he wraps it around Buffy�s waist and pulls her closer. He knows that if she were to wake up right then, he�d be dust. But he�d at least die happy, feeling her against him. Buffy makes a soft sleepy noise and curls into him, laying a small hand on his chest and entwining her legs with his. Spike groans. Her warmth invaded his coolness and the scent of vanilla wafted up from her skin. Gently, as not to wake her, he nuzzles her neck, pressing a soft kiss over the faint scars he�d left last night. He sighs as he remembers his softly whispered Claim. She was his. Ha! He could only wish. In order for the Claim to be real, Buffy would have had to admit to his possession.

Buffy is floating in between sleep and wakefulness as she feels a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her close to a hard body. She sighs and cuddles closer, relishing the feeling of strength and security. When cool lips press into her neck and cool breath wafts over her ear, she fights the urge to shiver and opens her eyes. Seeing a pale shoulder, she remembers all of last night�s events in a rush and pulls back slightly to look at Spike�s face.

Spike nearly groans when she pulls away from him. He knows he�s screwed. She�d surely stake him for his trespassing arm and mouth. But when she merely stares at him, his brow furrows in confusion. She sees it and smiles.

�Good morning, Spike. Sleep well?� she says, almost bursting into hysterical laughter at the complete shock on his face.

�Uh,  yeah. Slayer, you feeling alright?� he asks, thinking the blood loss from last night must�ve effected her brain.

�Peachy.� Buffy responds.

She sits up and looks down at his bandages, checking for bloodstains. Seeing none, she sighs in relief. None of the wounds had reopened last night then. Good. She begins to unravel the gauze, glancing at Spike�s still bewildered face. She chuckles.

�It�s OK, Spike. I won�t bite.� She says.

Spike�s eyes nearly cross, he�s staring at the Slayer so hard. Had someone replaced her with the bloody bot? What in the hell was wrong with her? He gasps softly when she removes the taped down bandage. She gives him a look of sympathy and �was that apology?!

Buffy ignores Spike�s confusion to look at his wounds. It appeared that the infusion of her blood coupled with his vampire healing had done wonders. What should have been slightly healed shallow gashes were now only raised, puckered lines down his stomach. They were red and angry looking, but still vastly improved from last night. She glances at Spike, smiling.

�Looks like we make a good team. You�re almost completely healed.� She says lightly.

Spike looks down at his stomach and is also shocked by the rate of healing.

�Yeah, Slayer blood �nothing quite like it.� He jokes.

Buffy frowns and slaps his chest. He looks up at her and blinks.

�Hey! What was that for?� he yelps.

Buffy pouts.

�You�d better not rub this in my face! Bagged your third Slayer and all.� She accuses.

Spike grins and opens his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but is cut off by Buffy.

�Just because you Claimed me doesn�t mean that-� she continues, but is cut off by Spike.

�You heard that? Bloody hell!� he grumbles.

Buffy smiles at his embarrassment and is about to tell him about her decision last night, but he continues in a rush-

�Look, Slayer �it doesn�t mean anything. I mean, it DOES to me, but I know that you�d never �ah, damn � what I mean is that you�d have to return my �you�d have to admit that I own you, and we both know that�ll never bloody happen, so �what�s so damn funny?!� Spike breaks off when Buffy grins.

�You!� she says, before chuckling. �If vampires could blush, Spike would be a tomato right now.� She thinks.

�I�m glad you find my discomfort so amusing.� Spike grates before moving to roll out of the bed and get away from her.

Buffy quickly snaps her mouth shut and puts a hand on his arm, stilling him. She forces him back onto the pillows and takes a deep breath.

�Look, Spike. Last night, after you made your little speech, I had to start re-examining some of my preconceived ideas about vampires and feelings. You�ve done so much for me and Dawn and the others I �I just hadn�t taken the time to show my gratification because the way you acted was so different from what I�d been told about vampires that I didn�t wanna deal with it. At first I thought it was a show. That you were pretending to get on my good side �get close enough so that once the chip came out you could have your �real good day�.�

Spike winces at this, but allows her to continue.

�But after awhile, after everything you�ve proven �I know that you love me. And last night, when I thought that you might die �I just �I couldn�t hide from some things anymore. Dawn said that I�d finally �realized� it. And I guess to a certain extent, she�s right. She is pretty astute for a kid.�

Buffy chuckles, bringing a hand to rest on Spike�s cheek.

�I�m not in love with you. But �I care for you. I�d miss you if you were gone, and the thought of losing you hurts me inside. And that�s a start, right?�

Spike looks up at Buffy, in complete shock at the words coming out of her mouth. He can�t think beyond the pleasure expanding in his chest and quickly takes her hand and pulls her down to him in one sharp tug. Without taking the time to think about his actions, or allow her to protest, he takes her mouth in a deep, searing kiss.

Buffy moans low in her throat as Spike�s tongue brushes her bottom lip, and he uses the opportunity of her open mouth to slip inside. When they pull apart, her eyes are dark.

�Spike.� She whispers, almost inaudibly.

�Buffy, last night �I just want you to know that you�re free to leave me at any time. The Claim, it�s not binding unless you-�

Buffy interrupts him.

�I did.� She says softly.

Spike is confused.

�Did what, luv?� she asks.

Buffy looks into his eyes.

�I admitted it.� She whispers.

Spike takes a deep unneeded breath at her admission.

�You-�

Buffy nods.

�I�m yours, Spike� she whispers, before leaning down for another kiss.

The End.

I've had a lot of people over at fanfiction.net beg me to contingue this series. I will say to them, just as I say to you, "YOU JUST WANT PORN!". Besides, I wanted it to end on a sweet note. I'm a sucker for happily ever afters!
--VelvetBlood...


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