Drink Me

"There, that should do it."

Buffy had been busy for the past hour, making sure no sunlight could penetrate into the house. Now she was satisfied, she could avoid spending far to long crammed into a tiny room next to a smelly garage with a not all together trusted vampire.

Spike....with him she couldn't be cooler.....ok she could be cooler if she didn't constantly want to tear off his clothes and jump him. But that was her demoness talking. Browne on the other hand was a different story.

Arrogant, sexist, over weaponed and 'h' free. She trusted Spike, Spike had come looking for her, Browne, he just wanted bloody revenge. She'd seen him wiping crusted blood from his Khyber knife, as if the weapon was his most precious possession, it wasn't scary but she hoped not to have to see it again.

"Are you done pet?" Spike emerged from where he had been lurking, she smiled at him and he felt his heart tighten in his unmoving chest.

"Yeah, no nasty rays in here now." She glanced down at her clothing, or lack of, she was so glad she hadn't put on the negligee she'd considered in her 'fuck my brains out Spike' period rather than the more substantial pyjamas. Also the not sweating was a good thing, picture having been in that box on a hot day. "Glad I don't sweat."

"Eh!" Spike had been busy concentrating on not running over grabbing the Slayer and whisking her off to the nearest bed. "What was that Slay...."

He stopped as Buffy put a finger to her lips. "Please don't call me that, I don't want to be her here, I don't even want to be Buffy, she goes with Angel, she's his girl. Here, I'm something else, here I want to be with someone else;."

Spike's jaw dropped as the vampiress' hair changed, from blond to brunette. "I feel her calling to me, she hungers for blood, for the hunt and.....and for sex, for wickedness. It went away while I was out cold, now it’s coming back, stronger."

Walking forward Buffy halted just as inch away from Spike and leaning forward rested her face against his shirt. "I'm afraid of what might happen if I let her loose."

"Your safe with me, kitten." A hand came up and gently stroked her cheek and then ran through her hair to rest on her neck. "I'll keep you safe, keep you from harming other people, too. And if you want some...release, then you know you've just got to ask."

Buffylus tensed against his hand, then her hands came up to his chest, he prepared to be pushed back but felt instead the fingers creep up over his shoulders. "Understand Spike, I am going back to Sunnydale."

Drawn down Spikes lips clashed with the brunette vampiress', he felt her tongue wrestle with his, and let her win, it was a hard harsh kiss. Which she broke. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Sure luv, we can live together where ever you want.." He was stopped by the look of sadness that crossed her face. "Oh.....right.......you mean back to him.....Angelus."

"Buffy loves him, I don't know what I think.....let's face it, if he hadn't have made me, he'd have walked away, even though I'd given him my very life blood to save him, he'd have ended it, crept away some dark night." The vampiress smiled cruelly. "Sometimes I see the guilt over that in his face, and I say good for you, keep right on brooding Soul Boy."

"So what the hell....why not?" Spike couldn't believe this. "If you don't go back......"

"She wins, Buffy dies, people bleed into my mouth.....by the score." She kissed Spike again.....gentle this time......loving, wanting to be loved. "That can't happen, I need my friends, I need you to be my friend. You mustn't boast, you mustn't tell him.......ever."

Feeling like he might die for saying the words Spike nodded and somehow managed to gasp out. "Alright kitten.....if that's really how it has to be.....then you have me word......not a hint of it to the bastard."

"Good," she stepped back and extended one tiny hand towards him. "Come with me."

Without protest Spike let himself be drawn towards the bedroom door.

********************************************************

Cleaning Harry's PPK, Browne sat and listened to it all, a wetness on his cheeks went almost unnoticed.

"Poor blighters, its an 'ard road their makin' for themselves, but still that's love eh 'Arry? That's love."

Forty five years, it had been a long time since the vetala had been alone, and now here he was left with nothing but Harry's old gun, not even a photograph to remind him of the many happy years they had passed together.

Silently the vampire cried even as he holstered the weapon and patting it placed it to one side.

*******************************************************

Spike stood silently Buffy had let his hand slip from hers straight after they got into the bedroom, now she stood beside the double bed, her hands invisible behind her turned back.

Hesitantly Buffy undid the buttons of her pyjama jacket and drawing the material apart let it slip back over her shoulders and down her arms.

Unable to repress a gasp at the sight of the Slayers alabaster skin Spike moved forward even as the blue silk dropped to the floor. His fingertips traced gently down the grove of the girl’s spine making her gasp at the sensation.

Her hands went to the waistband of the trousers, but Spike gently took them in his. "Let me do that pet, if that's ok?"

"Yeah," the Slayer turned and Spike almost died, her eyes were troubled but she smiled at him so beautifully, her brown hair spilled down from her shoulders but didn't quite cover her breasts, her nipples were erect, he longed to caress the heavy globes that hung before him, to kiss those nipples and caress them with his tongue, to lick his way across her stomach, but first.

Without any hesitation Spike dropped to his knees, his hands went up to the fastens of the sole garment his/Angel's beloved now wore, slowly he undid the button and began to draw the material down.

"Get up, Spike," Buffy looked down at him, alarmed, alarmed that her power had driven the vampire down. "Please you don't need to kneel to me.

Easing the trousers over Buffy's hips Spike pulled them down her legs, first a nest of brown curls emerged, then toned thighs, then they were round her ankles and with a laugh the Slayer was holding onto the vampires shoulders as he tried to get her feet out of the pooled silk.

"Ok, now you get naked too," Buffy ran her fingers through his short blond hair. "Your not shy are you."

Then she gasped again as Spike ran his cold tongue up her thigh and gently over the lips of her sex, "Spike!"

"Do us a favor pet," Spike looked up and gave her a big wink.” Put your ass on the bed and open your legs, your my dark vampire queen, I want to pay you my homage."

Startled Buffy sat, being royal sounded fun. Opening her thighs as wide as she could comfortably get them she nodded, "Worship away, my good man."

Then she moaned out loud as Spike's tongue penetrated her folds. "Oh yes!....you are.....so......so......so going to enjoy what I'm going.......going to do to you for this..oooooohh."

Spike had morphed the action adding an extra inch to his tongue's penetration. Conscious that they weren't alone in the house Buffy bit her lip to keep from shouting out her pleasure, then nearly drew blood as the vampire took her clit between finger and thumb and began to roll it expertly. "God yessss!"

Morphing back Spike replace his fingers with his tongue and teeth, gently nipping and licking her most sensitive spot even as he drove two fingers into her cold wet core.

Fingers thrust in her mouth to still a scream Buffy came.

********************************************************

Browne had moved into the kitchen, the room furthest away from his noisy house quests. Not that he begrudged them their doomed romance.

"What you gonna do Jamie lad, once you've killed 'im?" The vetala shook his head, then his eyes rose up to the kitchen cupboards. "Salt cellar! No she wouldn't understand."

All the same he reached up and took the glass vessel down, shaking its contents and thinking back to times long past and a land far away. "She wouldn't understand!"

******************************************************

Spike lay back on the bed his fingers dug firmly into the sheets, brown hair was flying as Buffy bobbed her head up and down, her tongue and teeth sending him crazy as she gave him the blowjob of his unlife.

He'd had her begging in the end, even naked he had refused to let her touch him for awhile, giving her body first a massage then a tongue bath. Finally though he'd rolled over and with a courtly nod said. "Ok M'lady, do your thing."

"Tar very much," Pumping her hand on his length she raised an admiring eyebrow at his solid eight inches. "It's about time."

Her tongue darted out, featherlike it ran from the base to his glans, then again harder. Her mouth closed over him and with practiced ease she took as many inches as she physically could down her throat.

Spike hissed, the pleasure was intense, but bitter sweet, Angel had taught her to do this.

He was straining to hold back now, and Buffy knew it. Withdrawing her mouth she switched back to feather like kisses. "What's the matter Spike, don't worry I like a mouth full of cold cum." She licked his glans again and smiled at him. "Let it go baby.....do it for me."

"I want to make love to you Buffy, I'm afraid one orgasm might send me off."

She looked at him properly. "Shit Spike, when did you last sleep?" She moved up to join him, he had bags under his eyes. "Oh god, I let you do all that stuff to me when you were tired as......lie still, let me help you."

Making no protest Spike lay back and thought of Buffy, She straddled him and smiled down. "You're going to like this, I promise."

Positioning him carefully in the entrance to her womanhood Buffy slowly sank down. The vampires ministrations had left her wet and ready he entered her easily.

Rolling her hips gently Buffy began her rhythm. "Before this is over, you and I will spend a day together, then we go home......back to Sunnydale......can you live with that.......please."

"OK.......god girl are you trying to kill me?"

The Slayer speeded up. "Yes......with kindness.........picture a better way to go."

*****************************************************

Gently, hoping not to wake him Buffy eased herself out of Spike's arms, it was an easy task he was sleeping soundly, a contented smile on his face.

*Poor boy, what am I going to do with you?* Buffy could feel tears starting, but she had other things to do.

There was a small suitcase in one corner of the room; opening it Buffy took out a selection of men’s clothes. A small quantity that might be sufficient for a hideout. Which this was.

She held up a shirt to her nude body, it came to mid thigh, good she didn't want to do this naked.

Mentally she ran her first opening question through her head. *Hey, Mr Vampire, what are your intentions now and in the future. Oh and by the way, are you the English vamp who had my lover shot through the leg?*

Resolutely Buffy headed for the door, gratitude has its place, but business came first.
****************************************

The vetala was sat more or less where he had been when Buffy had last seen him, in the little windowless room, but the oil stained table was empty of weapons now, all save one holstered pistol and a shaker full of salt.

"Hey," she said. "Don't you think you should be sleeping, we have a battle tonight, remember?"

"No luv." Casually the vampire eyed her from head to toe. "Nice new 'air color me dear, like the outfit to. I reckon you'd 'ave more reason to be tired than me."

"I was asleep for almost a day, I'm not tired." She ran her fingers down the material of the shirt. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing this."

"It's one of 'Arry's luv, an 'e ain't in a position to mind." Browne patted the holstered PPK. "Not no more."

Realizing that she was missing important information Buffy found herself a chair and positioned it so she was sat facing the vetala. "Everything about you suggests bad guy.....but you saved me...suggesting possible good guy...however Cain told me he got hired by two Englishvamps.....your English.....so."

"What the fuck am I doin' 'ere?" Browne smiled. "Do you want the full 'istory or the h'edited 'ighlights."

"The edited 'ighlights," Buffy frowned at what she'd just done. "With h's, if you don't mind?"

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Opening a draw in the desk Browne took out a red filled plastic bag. "For you, just in case you gets peckish."

"Thanks," Buffy picked up the blood bag cautiously. "What is it....other than blood?"

"Nice drop of O-negative that is," Browne made uncapping motions. "Don't worry, from a bag it don't taste no different than animal."

Hunger gnawed at the Slayer, she uncapped it. The smell of the blood and her demon did the rest.

"You know I was impressed by what you did in that hanger, it h'aint h'often that you gets to see one vampire feed on another." Browne watched her down the blood with interest. "Well not in a full throat ripping way anyhow."

Finished the empty bag was dropped on the floor, Browne had been right, it hadn't tasted any different than pigs blood.

"No adrenaline see, no smell of fear." Winking at her Browne really started to get on her nerves as he chortled. "You bein' such a good girl you don't have the foggiest idea what youse missin'."

"Ok," Buffy made to stand, "get to the point, tell me your story, bore me to tears, or I go back an curl up next to Spike, even asleep he's more interesting than you."

"Fine," sitting back Browne began......

"I was born in eighteen-'undred and forty four, in Brixton, that's in London luv, above a pub called as I was told the Carpenters Arms. My mum an dad was decent folk, for all my place of birth, an tried to raise me right but I was always into mischief and had the obvious makin's of a bad lot."

"Poverty in those days was no joke, the slums was 'aunted by disease but I stayed 'ealthy, and my dad had enough paid employ to keep us from the work house, that's were those as couldn't find work got locked up to keep em off the streets."

"Excuse me," Buffy raised a hand. "We read Dickens in America too you know, I may be immortal but please cut to the chase?"

Despite the moustache Buffy could still recognize a pout when she saw one, huffily Browne went on. "By Sixty-One I has the Peelers full attention, then some bloody Yankee sea captain stops a British vessel and seizes a couple of Southern gents, I gets all patriotic in the war fever that follows and runs off an enlists in the army. Quite expectin' to be 'eadin off to make war on the Union alongside the CSA."

"Course it blows over but there I am stuck in a red coat, I drifts from barracks to barracks for the next nineteen years, soldiering here and there till eventually as would happen me regiment goes to India to form part of the garrison there."

"Now India is the jewel in the Queen Empresses crown, we robbed it from those it belonged to and thus we're nervous, other robbin' bastards might try to do the same, Russia for example."

"To gets to India your Russian would have to cross Afghanistan, so after first trying to conquer that country and failing we is careful to keep the Afghan ruler strong, an friendly and that works till near the end of the seventies."

"Then we gets greedy, we must make sure, we must impose our will. Our army goes north."
"My regiment the Berkshires gets stationed in the south at Kandahar, in the flat bit if you like, things h'aint to bad an occasional scrimmage 'ere and there but then all hell breaks loose. The Russians supply an Afghan general with artillery and advisors, irregulars flock to 'is banner as he marches on Kandahar."

"Our General 'e don't know about no Russian guns, so he marches out with just my battalion and a brigades worth of sepoys plus two batteries and we meets em at Maiwand, five hundred of my regiment went out, scarce two 'undred stumble back. I was a sergeant then I led in what was left from a company."

"Besieged, relieved, Afghans took a belting from Lord Roberts an ‘is lads, but we still gave up, pulled out and decided to be pals again, assistin' a right ‘ard bastard called Abdul Rahman to take power."

Browne smiled as he added. "Damned politicians was right though, the Ruskies did march in, an 'undred years later."

"Now your asking, what's he feeding me this line of bollocks for, it's cause I walked out of there feelin' invincible, like nothin' could 'arm me, a dangerous feelin' as it turned out."

"The regiments gettin' ready for the march to Bombay, there to ship for 'ome, when a mate of mine tells me of a place out by the jungle were the cunchunee girls was the prettiest in India, but it's out by the jungle so don't go alone."

"You went alone?"

"Course, took me rifle though, three blokes jumped me ten yards from the place. I put a bullet through the first ones gut....guess what!"

Buffy had to laugh at the vampires expression. "It went straight through and fangs became involved."

"Yeah," Browne's eyes cast down at the memory. "They'd have left me dead too, 'ceptin for that shot, soft nosed bullet in it left the bloke with a hole in his back so big that a little thing like you could put 'er fist in. Course ‘e didn't turn me out of kindness."

"They were vetala, that's Hindu for vampire, they taught me what minion meant over the next two an a 'alf years, be grateful luv you'll never learn, even a pretty thing like you when your sire got bored would 'ave found out what it was like to be thrown to the whole clan an......."

"Yeah," Buffy rolled her eyes back. "I don't need that skanky image, what happened?"

"The berk's kept me rifle, they were the stupid as fuck type that gets vamps a bad name. I gets me hands on it, and this time does in right." Browne mock aimed a phantom rifle at Buffy's head. “. 45 calibre Martini-Henry it took the first two's 'eads clean off. Then I pins my sire to a tree with me bayonet, unclips it from me rifle, slices his arms off with a saber and builds a fire round 'is feet."

"Enough......" She shook her head. "Isn't killing your own Sire bad mojo, doesn't in lead to every other vampire wanting to kill you?"

"Only if they finds out, that bit in Interview with a vamp were they can tell by looking at the kid, pure cobblers. But yeah I 'ad quite a posse after me at first, but I can tactically withdraw with the best of em, an I heads north for the frontier. When they gets away from the forest and the shelter gets further apart there interest gets less. When there was just six left I fell on them like the wrath of god. An the urge to 'unt me disappeared."

"In the hill's I wasn't welcomed, till they saw me rifle, and realized what I was. A soldier, a man who could fix their guns, who could walk into the British forts an steal more, an knew enough of tactics, well pretty soon I was in a clan, careful mind, I drank a lot of goats blood when we wasn't feuding with our neighbours or raiding on the plains."

"You mean you fought your own people, and you lived amongst the native people and didn't feed?"

"It was a bloody long way 'ome Slayer, the plains of India didn't beckon an I was along way from a port. The Pushtun didn't exactly welcome me with open arms, an they made damn sure the mullahs never found out, even though pf course I pretty quickly converted to Islam. But I made meself useful, till the British left in 1948 an' they didn't feel the need of me anymore."

"So there I was, the white vetala, understand they didn't try to do me in, asked me to go all nice an courteous save for the knives they carried, out into a desert land, but I'm a survivor. I made it home, that was in fifty six."

*God I wish Giles were here,* Suddenly Buffy longed for a tape recorder, and wished she'd asked for the full-length version.

"I arrives in London, the locals don't like a new face they ain't created themselves, but I'm a warrior through and through, they die. Bosses gets to 'ear, they thinks 'ullo here's a fella could come in handy. So they offers me a wedge of money and their respect. An cause I'm rattlin' on in 'indi more that English they gives me Harry Greenway as a minder, him 'avin spent some time in India afore he came 'ome an got turned."

"We got on like a house on fire, he never tried to boss me an I always looked out for 'im, I loved 'im by the end. We 'unted, for sport, an for the bosses, we killed for pleasure, food, an profit. Then they 'ear about you, Beresford come over an makes a complete upper-class balls of it. "Kindly go over and sort it out for us James" says the bosses, they shoves us in coffins and on a plane an 'ere we are."

"We tried," he shrugged, "Your bloke as 'is mishap, we 'ave to do a runner and Harry......Harry dies in my arms an that leaves me were, in a strange place again......alone."

So he had been behind Angel being shot, but still.......Buffy leaned forward and gently kissed the vampire on the cheek. "Can you be good, is it just revenge that has you here with me, you lived with people for decades, feeding on animal blood I suppose, would you be there still, if they hadn't driven you away?"

"That's why the salt's there." Browne whispered.

"Huh," Buffy looked at the salt cellar. "Why is the salt there?"

"Shake a little onto the palm of your 'and luv." Browne nodded to her as he spoke. "Please, I don't mean you any ‘arm."

Confused Buffy did as she was asked, and nearly dropped the grains on the table as Browne drew his knife and laid it on the wood between them. Gently he pressed the fingers of his left hand to the steel blade.

"On the haft and hilt, I am thy man and soldier." With the fingers of his right hand he picked up some of the salt from her hand, and brought it to his lips licked it away and added. "Command me lady."

"This could so go to a girls head," stunned Buffy could only stare at him. "What is it with you vamps today...?"

An irritated voice interrupted from behind them. "Turn me back for half an hour an what do I find? That you’re tryin' to get into my girls pants, you old bugger."

"She's not wearing any mate, technically impossible therefore."

"HEY!" Borrowed blood rushed to Buffy's face, both vampires laughed to see her blush. "I'd like to say now that even if you didn't wear that ridiculous wiggins inducing facial hair there is no way that I'd.......I have a man, oh well actually I have men.....I don't need another."

"Actually all I was offerin' was my fighting services not my considerable sexual talents," Browne's cheeky wink sent another deeper blush to the vampiress' cheeks. "If you don't decide to run me out of town then understand me when I say that if it comes to it I'll die beside you, I won't feed on your people, I won't tell Angelus you screwed that reprobate over there an....."

"Alright...." Buffy snapped. "Spike what do you think? He's a killer for hire, and he pisses me off even more than you do sometimes, should I trust him?"

Back in 1975, desperate to get out of the States and on his financial uppers, Spike had traded on his skills to settle a little union difficulty, in return for a nice sea cruise to Italy. "Killer for hires a little strong pet, bloke has to eat, forgive him his trespasses eh? An' anyway I like the bloke."

*What is it the Brits say, in for a penny, in for a pound?* Extending her hand Buffy said simply, "Welcome onto the team, can't wait to introduce you to Giles, and all the rest of the crew."

She hadn't expected tears, that was what she got.

****************************************************

Later the two vampires sat alone, staring at the walls.

Buffy had been sent out, mainly due to Browne's request that it would be a good thing if Spike's 'bird' got herself some clothing from the Mall just down the street.

Cut off trousers, a guys shirt, flip flops the fastidious Greenway had owned for motel showers, (even James had laughed at that), Buffy had looked very rebellious indeed.

"Alright ducks, you'll go in looking silly, but here's six hundred bucks of our found money. When you come back here you'll be dressed like a princess." Spike had watched the frown turn to a smile, and felt his heart break a little more.

Browne broke the silence now. "When she goes back to your Sire, what will you do?"

"Don't know."

"You won't want to be to far away, case the bloke 'as an h'accident. I know of a city were the forces of darkness took a right beltin' last night, someone should keep em disorganized and reeling, that's just a thought for you."

"Alright, I'll think."

"Good, now in your sun proofed car as soon as your bird gets back you an me is off to Inglewood. We collect my motor an me best weapons an' at sunset drive through 'ere pick up Buffy and we go give little Lord Fauntleroy the nastiest most painful shock of 'is over long life......."