Never Come Back

Chapter 13

(Unlucky for some)

Buffy slammed the front door to Revello drive and ran upstairs, Spike trailing behind her. Her face was a mask of fury and hurt. Spike stood at the door to her room and leaned against the door jamb, waiting for her to erupt. It didn't take long.

"Of all the people, I thought Giles would be the last one to be so insensitive. He knew what we went through at the hands of that bitch, he knew, she told him. I bet they got all cosy with the mugs of cocoa while she told him how they cut us open and did all that stuff. And he wants to go over and over it until he's got every last sordid detail. My friends were there! Do you think he would have stopped with them there, did he want to know how we had to fuck just to be able to talk privately, how she videoed it and how Riley watched . How we had to feed from each other because she used to drug the blood bags......"

Buffy wiped her tears away.

"How they altered me at a base level, no longer human, no longer just a slayer but part vampire and I'm some freak that they can keep running tests on to see air quote how she does in battle and if she has any special abilities. What if Giles contacts the watchers council? Will they kill me? Hunt me down? Am I safe to be the slayer still? Why ? Why did they let this happen to me?"

Buffy fell to the floor , Spike was there to catch her, to hold her in his arms, calm her and to support her as Buffy let out all the pain and anguish she had bottled up since Maggie had captured her.

Willow hurried back to her room on campus. Her bag was full of the ingredients and the orb she needed to perform the spell. Once Willow was in the room , she locked the door and set up the black candles. She laid the orb in the center of the circle and took her place in front of it. She lit the candles and began to chant.

Spike lifted Buffy from the floor and placed her on her bed. Buffy closed her eyes and breathed out harshly.

"I'm sorry, I got the front of your T shirt all wet , god I don't know why I got so upset. I should know that I'm on my own now. Didn't you once tell me that a slayer is always on their own, that having family and friends didn't mean that I wasn't alone, it just meant I had ties keeping me here. Maybe you were right"

"No, I was just being a git love, your not alone, never will be again either, got me now .I'll never leave you pet, your in my blood now slayer"

Buffy felt it, she knew what he said was true, she did have him and it gave her a calm , secure feeling, to know that he would never abandon her as others had. She pulled him down into her embrace and rested her head on his chest. They lay in silence, Buffy ran her hands over his chest and stomach while he played with her hair. They fell asleep content that they had each other and that was all they needed.

Willow's voice grew louder, she screamed Latin at the wind that blew a gale around her and her room.The candles flickered and yet stayed lit and the orb began to glow brightly. Willows eyes grew dark and inky swirls appeared, her hair was as black as jet and blue veins protruded through her pale skin.

"Alieno. ego ingenero vos , vinco of quicumque est unholy.Let vestri vernula huic mensis quod exsisto licentia ex poena quod patientia. Permissum lemma haud pacis."(Forget . I implore you, master of all that is unholy.Let your servants forget this month and be freed from the pain and suffering. Let them no peace)

The wind died down and Willow slumped to the carpet, unconscious. The orb dulled and the candles smoldered, no longer lit. The end of the spell uncast, as Willow laid on the floor unable to finish it.


Spike stirred in his sleep and pulled Buffy to him, his head buried in her neck, his legs entwined with hers a whisper of a purr sounded in his chest as he fell back to sleep. Buffy growled and pushed herself further into his embrace. Neither one was aware of a shadow being in the room.

He gazed at the lovers and frowned. Why would the witch want these beings to forget this? Although the being was evil, he did like to 'play', and the lovers before him were not his servants, they worked for the forces of good. He would not let her spell stand, but since he had been called, the shadow being could not leave without doing something. With a wave of his hand a small water like vortex appeared .It hovered above the sleeping vampires and turned black. Satisfied that his will had been done, he backed into the darkest corner of the room and faded away.

Buffy felt a chill and turned over to face Spike. Once she felt him there, she opened her eyes and growled. Spikes eyes shot open and answered her growl. They both shot out of bed and stared at each other.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?"

Buffy noticed how naked she was and grabbed a sheet to cover herself.

"Sleeping or I was until you woke me up you stupid bint" Spike ran his hand through his hair . causing it to curl and to stick up.

" Gah... Spike your not wearing anything"

He looked down at his body and smirked at his semi hard cock
"Yeah I am... there my invisible p.j's ... of course I'm not wearing anything I always sleep starkers"

"Your disgusting" Buffy tried to look away and found her eyes wandered back to a certain part of his anatomy

"And yet you can't seem to get enough pet"
"Don't flatter yourself"

They stood silently, neither moving or doing anything . Spike had had enough by now and went to climb back into the bed. Yawning he pulled the covers over him, drawing away the sheet Buffy had covered herself with. It dropped from her clutch and she dived under the covers as well.

"Just cos I'm in bed doesn't mean anything. You stay your side and I'll stay mine."

Buffy rolled away and faced the wall opposite. Spike did the same leaving them back to back.

"Suits me love"
"Stop calling me that . I'm not your 'love'."
"I'm only staying til dusk then I'm off, no ,I'll shower first , get the stench of slayer off me"
"Fine" she hissed through clenched teeth
"Fine"

Spike closed his eyes .Somehow this felt wrong, like something was missing. Thinking it was just the disorientation of waking up in the slayers bed, he ignored the feeling. He wasn't sticking around once he woke up again. Buffy laid awake , something was setting her slayer senses off. The vampire in her could sense something too. She looked over her shoulder at Spike and frowned. Neither of them had actually wondered or asked why he would be in her bed to start with.Too tired to think, Buffy closed her eyes and hoped that this was some weird dream.

Willow woke and wiped the drool from her lips. She frowned as she noted that she was on the floor of her dorm room. The candles were cold and the orb was no longer glowing.Good, that meant the spell was successful......

"Oh god... oh god...."

Willow panicked . Her memory replayed the last few minutes of the spell and that's when she remembered.

"Oh god, Giles will kill me. What do I do now?"

Realizing that there was no need to panic until she knew what had gone wrong, Willow took deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down before she rang Buffy. She picked up the receiver and dialed Buffys number. It rang.

After ten rings ,Willow started to stress again. Her leg bounced and she toyed with the cable that hung from the phone and bit her lower lip. Sweat built in her hairline and her heart beat rapidly. At last Buffy answered.

"Hello?"
"Hey Buffy, um , hows things?" she asked nervously.

Buffy could hear her heart beat through the phone and knew that something was wrong.

"What's wrong Will? I can hear your heart racing and your breathing is erratic?"

"No... no nothings wrong with me... you? Things okay there?"

Buffy smelt a rat.

"Why wouldn't things be okay here? "
"No reason, hows Spike?"

Okay that was weird, why would she be asking about Spike? How did she know he was here?

"He's fine, he's sleeping , or was before you rang"
"Oh good , I was worried about you both after last night"

Last night? What is she talking about?

"What about last night Will? "
"After you had the freak at Giles and you two went off to be alone. "
"Oh that. Yeah we're cool . So I take it Giles wasn't happy about me getting a few things off my chest then?"
"I think it was more like guilt, after Maggie did the experiments on you and stuff and he did the same thing , or was going to.He just wants to know your okay"

Right, last night.Buffy tried to remember but it was hazy, almost as if she had been drunk and had that temporary amnesia.

"I'll go see him later, I just want to go back to bed and catch some zeds, me being a vampire and all."

"Yeah Okay, I've got classes now but I'll see you at Giles' later.Will Spike be coming?"

Buffy felt herself brim with defensiveness.

"Nooo! Why would he, I don't need the bleached idiot following me around like a puppy"

"Okay... well I'll see you later then, bye Buffy"

Willow hung up quickly, too quickly . Buffy stared at the handset and then at Spike, who was sitting up and looking none too pleased at the interruption to his sleep.

"Well I take it Red has cocked up a spell somehow and is doing some damage control?"
"Huh?"
"Red, history of magic induced cock ups.... ring a bloody bell?"
"Oh yeah... right... yeah seems so . Spike what do you remember about last night and an argument with Giles?"

He sat deep in thought and the looked back at Buffy.

"Nothing, not a thing about an argument, nothing as in blank canvas, like it never happened at all.The whole nights hazy"

"I think Willow has some explaining to do later"

Buffy yawned and stretched . She laid back down and stared at the ceiling.
"What do you think she was trying to do then? Why would she want to erase a whole night from our memories?"

"You sure it's just ours? "
"Well she remembered or else she wouldn't have called"
"Best check with the whelp and your watcher , to be sure"

Buffy sighed and got up to get the phone.She sat on the bed and dialed Xander first.

"Hey Xand... yeah sorry, look do you remember much about what I said to Giles last night?"

Xander reeled off what was said and Buffy closed her eyes , imagining her watchers face .Buffy nodded to Spike and then thanked Xander, promising to meet up again later at Giles'.

Now that they knew Xander had his memory in tact there was no need to call Giles. After hearing what had been said , she was grateful that she didn't need to. It would be bad enough going there tonight.

"Now we know that we're the ones that Red's been playing with, can I go back to sleep now?" Spike said grumpily.

Buffy huffed "If you don't like the interruptions go sleep somewhere else"

Spike was already in a bad mood and her insolence wasn't helping.As her sire, he deserved her respect.He growled a warning at her.

"I'm hungry"
"Go get something then, there's blood in the fridge"
"I want yours like I had before"

Spike grabbed her with speed she hadn't expected and she found herself pinned to the bed.

Game face to the fore, Spike snarled. "I said no!"
"But...."

Buffy was asking for it.He knew he had been easy on her, but didn't know why.He didn't want to be like Angelus and assert his authority on her but she was making it hard.In some ways he was reveling in hr defiance, she was like him, but he had to stop it now before Buffy saw Angel again.Should she show this amount of disrespect then he ,as the elder, would have to punish her. He didn't want that for her, his punishments were as clear in his mind as they were one hundred years ago.

"Stop, before you force me to do something we both regret"

His words were like a red rag to a bull and Buffy struggled against his hold.

"Buffy stop"
"Get off me now" she screeched , her game face now in place.
"Right then, don't say I didn't bloody warn you"

Buffy laughed, she actually laughed.

Before she knew what was happening, Spike had sunk his teeth into her neck without taking care and Buffy screamed out at the invasion and the pain. She tried bucking him off but that caused him to rip at the bite.

She stilled beneath him and Spike released her neck from his fangs. His grip on her hands loosened and that's when she used her opening to connect her fist with his nose.

"You little harlet!"

He grabbed her as she rolled away. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back towards him. He raised her ass and slapped it hard. Buffy yelped and continued to try and get out from under him.He caught the scent of her arousal and grinned.So the minx gets off on a bit of slap and tickle huh?

He eased up and lessened his grip on her. Buffy laid still, wondering what the hell he was doing.She could feel how wet it was making her and knew that he could probably smell it on her, she didn't expect him to act on it though.

Spike rubbed her ass and then slapped her again.

"Ow... what the hell are you doing Spike?"
"You've been a bad girl and now I'm spanking your ass "
"Stop it Spike"

He bought his hand down on the same spot as before, only harder.She groaned but didn't protest this time.Now we're getting somewhere he thought.

Her naked ass was now red where his hand had connected with it and he smiled. He drew her up further and now had a good view of her glistening sex. He tilted his head and closed his eyes, his nostrils flared as he drew in her scent. His eyes flashed gold as his demon took it in and committed it to it's memory.

Spike opened his eyes and took a few steps back. The aroma had awakened a memory from within , hidden deep but it was there.His demon knew her as it's mate, not just a mere childe.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder , seeing him back away from her confused her.The look of something akin to shock and .... something she couldn't put a name to , upon his face worried her.

"Spike?"

His back hit her dresser and he gulped .

"Buffy, cover yourself pet , before I do something we'll end up regretting"

Not wanting to question him, Buffy pulled the sheet around herself again and sat up on her knees.

"What's wrong? ....I can't believe I just asked that"

Spike looked at her, unsure how to proceed.He had to tell her what he had remembered but he also knew that she wouldn't accept it. Not in her current spell induced state. He picked up the t shirt he had cast aside and pulled it on, followed by his boots.

"Get dressed Buffy, we need to talk to Giles .I'll wait outside for you"

"No.Tell me what this about first Spike. You got me worried now and I'm not about to confront Giles , not after the things Xander was telling me I said"

"That's exactly why we're going love, seems Willow did something to try and correct this situation, not that you remember"

Confused but willing to believe him for now, Buffy went into the bathroom and got dressed. She came out only a few minutes later and ran out of the house to meet Spike. He stood under the tree in her front yard, smoking a cigarette .Once she shut the front door , Spike moved to her side as they walked down the street. They both remained silent and only looked at each other as they reached Giles' front door.

A sleepy and bedraggled Giles opened the door and ushered them in from the dark. The apartment was barely lit by the few lamps Giles had switched on in his walk to the front door. He rubbed his tired eyes and turned to Buffy.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier and I admit that I deserved the tongue lashing that you handed out"

"I wouldn't say anything else until you hear what we have to say watcher.Seems Reds been a busy little wicca mate"

Giles frowned but was hardly acting surprised. Spike watched as Giles sat and contemplated what he'd said.

"So, Willow has used magic again? And you would know this... how?"

Buffy remained by the kitchen door looking lost.Giles knew that she was as oblivious as he was. He turned his attention back to Spike.

"She must have tried a spell to make us forget what had happened , for what reason ,I'm not sure.It did work until.... well let's just say that the man in me forgot but the demon didn't.Seems Red doesn't know much about vampires and the connection they have with their childer. My demon came out and recognised what I had with Buffy and it must have broken the spell on me."

Giles nodded, he knew how deeply vampires connect with mates and childer and knew that even at a base level, vampires will recognize 'relatives' even if they are near death and delirious.

"Has Buffy remembered, have you done anything to get her demon to have the same response to you?"

"No"
"Why not?"

Spike looked across the room and met hazel eyes , the multitude of emotions he saw there made his heart clench within his chest.

"She's at a point that would take more than just renewing the bond , she's becoming defiant and I don't want to hurt her"

Giles nodded his understanding, but Spikes admittance of Buffy's fight for dominance, made him shudder. He would have to assert his authority before she became stronger and thus became a real threat.Should her vampire demon gain strength and over power her slayer demon then Giles dreaded the outcome.The only person that could tame her beast was Spike, as much as it pained Giles to admit it.

Would Spike want to do that or would he relish the idea of Buffy being wild and abandon her calling to be with him , and to give in to the true nature of her vampire demon?

Giles sighed and met Spikes eyes.

"You will have to do it, you realize that don't you?"
"I was hoping that you could find another way , maybe get the little witch in to reverse the spell or what not"

Buffy stood listening to Spike and Giles talk about her as if she wasn't there. Enough was enough, she was getting tired of it.If she was a threat or becoming one, then she wanted them to do all they could to stop that happening. She also hated feeling as though she was in the dark, and they knew more than she did.Something they were about to correct.

"Will you both stop talking as though I'm not even here.Just tell me what is going on and what you have to do "

Both watcher and Spike froze at the sound of her voice. Giles nodded at Spike .Spike really wished he hadn't. Now it was down to him to tell Buffy what was wrong.

"Okay pet, you best sit for this"

Buffy moved away from the wall slowly. Someone telling you to sit before they told you something was not of the good. She dreaded it but at the same time, had asked for this. How bad could it be?

Spike waited until she had sat at the table and took the chair in front of her.Giles sat opposite. Spike glanced at Giles for a last minute reprieve yet none came .Giles sat back and watched as Spike took Buffy's hands in his. Buffy watched the myriad of emotions play across Spikes face and held her breath.

"Buffy, what I got to tell ... look ...."

Who knew it would be so hard. He could see the apprehension on her face and could see how taut her muscles were. She was ready to flee or fight and it made him ache for her. He wanted to take her into his embrace and protect her , to soothe her. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Slayer.... how much do you remember?"

"We escaped from the Initiative and that's it, nothing until I woke with you in my bed"

"Right...." he sucked in an unneeded breath. Spike set about telling her about the last twenty four hours and everything that had happened.On hearing that they had claimed each other, Buffy baulked.She stood shaking her head and had backed away from Spike, holing up her hands to stop his advance.

Giles was surprised to hear that they had claimed each other, but he had expected it at some point, seeing at how close they had become in such a short time.Giles stood and took off his glasses, letting them hang by one arm as he approached with a dusty old tome.

"Would it help you Buffy, if you read what it means to be a master vampires mate? "

Buffy shot her eyes up to meet those of her watcher.Her brow furrowed and she nodded .She walked around the room ,avoiding Spike and sat.Giles sat opposite her again and gestured to the seat next to him.Spike spun the chair and sat astride the chair.His eyes never left Buffy.

Internally he raged at the loss of his mate.The demon within struggled to control itself, baying for it's mate and for the witch that had caused this.

Buffy read the article and slumped in her chair. Her head pounded and her stomach churned at the information she had just taken in. Her demon wanted to have that connection , wanted to be one with it's sire and the one person it considered it's mate. The slayer wanted to run Spike through with the stake that lay abandoned on the chest beside her.

Spike could feel her tense and knew that she was coiling herself, ready to attack him. Her personality was strong and he knew that this would make her defiant, that this would make her rebel against him. He had hoped that this could be avoided, hence his asking Giles for help. Now though, he could see that she would need a vampires discipline. That she would be very much like he had been until Angelus had taken on the responsibility of chastising him whenever he challenged .

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as he recalled the ways that Angelus had broke him down and had instilled his dominance on him. He couldn't see himself doing it to the girl that sat across from him. Her growl broke through his thoughts and made his demon swell with anger.

Buffy growled at Spike, how dare he even think that he could claim her as his own. How could he think she would want him. It must have been another plan of the Initiatives and she had somehow acted on it a little late but still, why else would she have let him? That also explained why he was in her bed.

Buffy stood and marched into the bathroom and grabbed Maggie by the throat.Her demon rose and Buffy licked at her tiny fangs. Maggie struggled against the strong hold that Buffy had on her, her feet sliding across the porcelain of the bath.Unable to get a grip, Maggie hung from Buffys fist, unable to do anything except hang on to her wrists with her own hands.

"You did this! You screwed with my life, my body and still it's not enough.You realize what you have done? Do you? Mated me to that... that thing out there!"

Spike stopped abruptly, hearing Buffy call him a thing... made him feel unworthy again. Giles pushed passed Spike and wrestled with Buffy to get Maggie free from her grasp.Buffy growled angrily at her watcher and shook him from the arm he had a tight hold of.Giles fell to the floor, hitting his head on the radiator and passing out.

Spike saw the watcher fall and smelled the blood .He growled and picked up the crumpled man, placing him on his couch before he returned to the bathroom.Hr growled his annoyance at Buffy and her head snapped round to him.

"Do you think we would have mated if she hadn't of done this to me?"

Spike felt her rejection even deeper and as much as he wanted to just leave , to run and lick his emotional wounds, he had to stop Buffy from killing Walsh. He knew his girl would hate herself for it after the smoke had cleared.

"Don't care about any of it Buffy , but you got to put her down.Her troops are coming for her, let them deal with her.Do you think that they will see us as the good guys if you let yourself take her life?"

"Why do you care? After all that she did to us, why are you so against killing her? Look at what she has done. The chips, turning me into this, can't be a vampire but not quite a slayer anymore."

Maggie was starting to lose consciousness and was wheezing as Buffys grip tightened. Spike saw her eyes start to roll in her head and made the choice.

"Let her go now Childe"

Buffys eyes narrowed at the sound of his authoritative voice.Her grip loosened and Maggie dropped into the bath again. She would be bruised , but at least she was alive. Buffy growled and launched herself at Spike.

He caught her hands as she attacked, her nails embedding into his shoulders briefly before he rolled them so that he was on top. He was grateful that the watcher was out for the count on the sofa and wasn't going to witness this. Buffy struggled under him, kicking and trying to pull her hands out of his strong hold. Spike gripped her legs with his and waited until she had exhausted herself. Buffy stilled under him and he let his grip on her loosen.

"You got to stop this Buffy." he growled out through gritted teeth. Any emotions that he held for her hidden under his demons anger.

Buffy drew a fist back and connected with Spikes cheek.His head snapped back and he fell to the floor.Buffy got to her feet as did Spike.They stood snarling , circling each other, waiting for an opening.
Buffy struck first, catching him in his midsection, she grabbed his head as he doubled over. Spike spun in her hands and kicked back at her , sending her across the room. Buffy stopped and turned back to him, ready to counter any attack he launched .

Again they faced each other.

"I'm warning you Buffy, I don't want to do this to you pet, don't mean I won't"
"Why not Spike?"
" Buffy "

She straightened and smirked "You can't can you? What is it that holds you back huh? Scared of hitting a woman maybe? That can't be it though can it, you've hit me before now when we fought.Ahh could it be that you had to go through this yourself? Did Angel have to kick your ass for being insolent?"

His eyes flashed gold and the blood curdling snarl let her know that she had hit the nail on the head. Her laughter all but sealed her fate. Before she could react, Spike was upon her and had sunk his fangs into her neck.

They fell backwards ,Spikes arms wrapped around her , holding him to her body as he sunk his fangs deeper.He drank heavily, draining her to the point where she was weak. Her struggles against him grew tired until she laid beneath him without a fight.
Feeling her relax, Spike withdrew his fangs and growled "Mine"

As soon as the words fell from his lips , a flash of blinding light surrounded them and Buffy arched beneath him. Her cry pierced the air and she shook as her memories assaulted her mind. Each one infusing her with grief and love, laughter and tears. Spike took her into his arms and held her as her body was racked and she shook from the onslaught. The light dimmed and Buffy went limp in his arms. He lifted her and placed her upstairs in Giles' bedroom. He laid beside her , brushing hair fro m her face and stroking her tenderly, waiting for her to wake.

Spike just hoped that this had reset the spell that Willow had cast . Only time would tell.