Future Written in Blood ((Complete))

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Thanks again for the reviews and thanks to Isis for beta-ing this chapter.


Chapter 14 - Choices:

The atmosphere before the fight was unusually casual. Buffy and Spike had sent word that they didn’t need to practice before hand and would like to have their meal in their cottage. Clara found herself somewhat disappointed. In the last few days, she had begun to enjoy watching their practices and sharing a meal with the slayer and witty vampire before the fights. Their romantic saga was the highlight of this particular enterprise of Sebastian’s. To tell the truth, she had become rather fond of the unusual pair.

Just before the fight, Buffy and Spike finally emerged from their cottage. They came into the fighting arena, hand in hand and laughing drawing a ferocious frown from Sebastian as they joined Clara in their waiting area. Sebastian held up the bowl to the first council member, who drew and called out the name of one the locals.

Seemly oblivious, Buffy and Spike ignored their opponent as he entered the ring. Their interest remained completely wrapped up in only each other. Five minutes later, the next council member drew Buffy’s name. She gave Spike a kiss and a perky smile, but squealed when he gave her a pat on the ass as she started to leave for the ring.
“Spike!” Buffy admonished as she whirled around.

Spike gave her the best innocent look he could muster. “Slayer? They’re waiting for you.”

The look, however, wasn’t fooling Buffy. “And I’ll get even with you later.”

“I certainly hope so.” Now the big bad’s smirk was back.

While Clara was trying not to laugh, Buffy entered the ring hesitantly for the first time since she had been fighting in Sebastian’s competitions. Her hesitation was not born out of fear, but from uncertainty. She just didn’t know what she was going to do with this new opponent.

Ever observant, Spike caught her pause. “Come on, Slayer, get to work. We have more entertaining past times for us to do back at the cottage.”

Trying to wave off the vampire inconspicuously behind her back, Buffy gave her opponent a smile, “Hi! I’m Buffy.”

The local, who looked to be barely four feet tall, just smiled pleasantly back.

“Bloody hell, Slayer. We’re not here for tea and crumpets. Get on with it.”

Buffy went over so she could talk to Spike without shouting. “But, Spike, he is so cute, and he’s does look like Dopey of the Seven Dwarves. I just can’t bring myself to hit him.” Buffy waved to the local and received one in return. “They’re just so nice.”

Spike glanced at a clock ticking down, and then over towards Sebastian who looked like he was having to do some fast, off the cuff explaining to the agitated council members. “Well, good thing that they are going to call the next name. Come on, Sebastian, old man, call Spike.”

However, much to Spike’s disappointment, Sebastian called the second local’s name instead of the vampire’s. Bugger it, seven more minutes to wait. “Now, Slayer, get over there and … what the hell!”

Over Buffy’s shoulder, Spike watched an incredible transformation. The two locals grabbed each other in a bear hug, then rolled on the ground. However, when they stood up, there were no longer two four-foot men, but one eight-foot muscled brute. “Clara, what the hell is going on?” Spike yelled, but looking at Clara’s expression said it all. She was just as surprised as Spike and Buffy were.

The slayer’s eyes were huge, “Oh, shit.”

Spike glanced sharply at the slayer, who he rarely heard cuss, but had to agree with her. “No wonder those council gits told Sebastian two was going to be enough. Slayer, go for his knees!”

Already heading across the arena, Buffy called over her shoulder, “I think that is as high as I can reach on him.”

Buffy took the vampire’s sutiontion and went for his knees. In fact, she got in several good kicks, but the giant just chuckled good-naturedly. “Hey, Gargantua, do you cause eclipses?” Growing bold, Buffy hit the giant in the stomach, earning an “oomph.” That was at least something, Buffy thought. Her next shot, however, hit below the belt, which truly awakened the giant. “Uh, sorry?”

He reached down and back handed Buffy, who went tumbling across the ring.

Clara watched in horror while Spike was practically climbing the walls. “Slayer, stay away from him. You’ve got three more minutes, and then we’ll team up on the blighter.”

Buffy, however, shook herself off and went after the giant again. “Ok, you are sooo not cute now.” This time, the giant was waiting. He caught her up and threw her against one of the support posts at the ring’s wall like nothing but garbage. To Clara and Spike’s horror, the giant then went over and picked her up to see if she was conscious. She hung from his enormous hand like a limp roll,oll, totally out, but hopefully alive.

Clara turned tike,ike, knowing that the clock was almost dto zto zero and expecting him to still be going nuts, but she was startled to find him now completely calm. The only way she could tell that he was upset was that he was in vamp face, his yellow eyes focused on the fallen slayer and his clenched jaw. When Spike was finally let in the ring, he first went directly over to slayslayer to make sure she was alive. When satisfied that he could hear her heart beat, he turned to the giant, and the name of the game now was cheat. S’s f’s first two punches delivered were kidney punches to the giant’s side. “That should make it hurt to piss for a week or two.” Not waiting on the giant to recover, Spike then rammed him in the crotch doubling the giant over. With an evil smirk, Spike hit the giant in the throat, temporarily incapatingting the giant. That gave Spike the chance to climb up on his back and begin trying to either break his neck or choke him down. He pulled and twisted as the giant staggered around the arena, and then ‘pop.’ Spike fell to the ground, stumbled, but he still had hold of the giant’s neck. Surprised, Spike realized that what he held was no longer a giant. The giant had split back down to the two smaller men. “Well, you little gits, I don’t think you are so cuddly as my slayer did.” Each received a boot to the face, knocking them out. Spike returned to his human face as he picked up the slayer and carried her out of the arena.

*****

“Spike?” When Buffy woke up, she didn’t see Spike at first. “Spike, where are you?”

“I’m here, luv.” Spike hurried back into the room. Her eyes came around and locked with his, hers reflecting pure happiness in finding him with her. But it was then, when Spike looked at that face so happy to see him, that he knew. He had wanted for a while to deny his feelings, but now he knew that he loved this amazing woman. But now what?

“Spike, I feel pretty rotten. That giant jerk did a number on me. I hurt all over. We have a few hours until we have to get to the portal, don’t we? Would you mind holding me while I rest? I would really appreciate it.”

Spike wanted to jump around like a giddy, young boy with his first bicycle. Buffy had asked her into her bed for something other than sex. She just wanted comfort. On Spike’s scale of importance, he rated this pretty high. Previously, she made the invite for sex, but this time it meant more to him. She was asking him to comfort her. He started to wonder if they could possibly make this relationship between slayer and vampire work when they got back to Sunnyhell.

He came over to the side of her bed but wasn’t sure how much clothes he should take off. If he took them all off, he didn’t want her to think he wanted to have sex. Not to mention, the slayer was still in hhirthirt and underwear. He waited to see what she would do. Buffy soon closed his internal debate when she whipped her t-shirt off and next came the panties. So accordingly, Spike stripped down to his pants that he took off as he entered the bed. Buffy immediately moved over to lay against Spike. He received a pleased groan from Buffy when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. Still, Buffy swished and squirmed to find just the right position for their bodies. Finally finding it, she gave a loud, contented sigh and quickly fell asleep. Spike didn’t think he could sleep but was more than happy to be there, wrapped around Buffy. He certainly didn’t mind watching over such a beautiful woman, especially with that much of his skin touching her skin. And that’s the kicker; she had asked him to stay with her.

*****

Four hours later, Buffy was up and getting ready to go back to Sunnydale. “Just think, Spike. In just a little while, we’ll be home. Willow is going to freak about you and me. What do you think Dawn will do? She may be ok with it. Now, Xander, is going to go postal. Geez, I don’t even want to tell him. He may try to stake you. And Giles…Oh, no, Giles. How am I ever going to tell Giles? Major wiggins! Maybe we shouldn’t tell them now. What do you think?”

Buffy didn’t even notice that Spike made no comment, just a frown forming. He watched as she kept yapping.

“Ya know, wait until the right time. Maybe they will start accepting you a little more, and then we could tell them. Spike? Are you listening? Spike?”

Spike had been listening alright. The more the slayer talked, the more he saw the future dim. He should have known this was just one of those vacation romances, one of those that when you get back home, life goes back to normal. The slayer will go on her merry, little slaying way. A way that doesn’t mix with this vampire, unless it is in secret. The slayer’s dark, hidden secret.

“Yeah, Slayer. I’m listening. But if you don’t get you arse in gear, you’re going to miss Sebastian’s handy, little portal to Sunnyhell.”

Spike watched her getting ready to go, knowing this was the end of their interlude. An ending that had made him wish that thunciuncil of Wankers had been right that vampires couldn’t love. Well, this time he wasn’t going to play the bleedin’ fool. “Hey, Slayer, I am going to go ahead and make sure Sebastian holds the door for you.”

“Thanks, Spike. Tell him I am coming in just a sec.”

The sun was going to rise in a few more minutes. Since the portal was to be outdoors this time, Buffy knew that Sebastian was going to open the portal in the next few minutes, or else toasty Spikey. Sebastian had said that he would have the other end of the portal open in the old building that they had all first met. No sun problem inside of there.

When Buffy ran into the clearing, she waved at Clara and headed toward Spike, who was talking earnestly with Sebastian. “Buffy Summers reporting for teleporting, or whatever this is called.” She saluted with a smile but was surprised to not receive one in return from Spike. Spike wouldn’t even look her way. Strange.

Sebastian, however, interrupted before she could say anything to the vampire. He pulled out two gold coins out of a pocket. Spike recognized it as being similar to the one that Sebastian had been toying with at their first meeting in Sunnydale. After handing one to Buffy and one to Spike, Sebastian explained. “Our bargain is done, and the key is safe. I want each of you to have this coin. Actually, it is more of a calling card than a coin. I have been very pleased with the results of our enterprise together and should you every want to work with me again, make some substantial profit, use the coin to contact me.”

Spike turned the coin over a couple of time, not recognizing any of the exotic markings before silently putting it in his pocket.

Buffy look at it closely. “thanthanks I guess.”

As she put her coin in her pocket, the portal opened up in front of them and through it she could see the room where she and Spike had first met Sebastian. Buffy took a few steps toward it before she realized that Spike was not following her.
As she started to call back to him, a second portal opened. Looking through, Buffy could see snow and ice, the second dimension they had visited in this so-called adventure. Spike started walking toward thortaortal.

Buffy was floored. “Spike? Where are you going?”

“Slayer, when we left, the mayor gave me an open invite.” Spike stopped and just stood for a moment before turning to face her. “A little while ago, you talked about fearing the reaction of the Scoobies to us being together. Tell the truth, Buffy. Can you go back to your friends and see the disgust in their eyes?” Spike brought forth his demonic features. “See the disapproval on your watcher’s face when you tell him you have a vampire for a lover again.” He gestured toward the snowy portal. “But those people accepted me as I am.” The demonic features melted away back into the human face again. “You see, luv. That’s the rub. I can’t imaggoingoing back to SunnyDale and not being with you. And to be crystal, I mean with you in public, for anyone to see, not secret trysts whenever we can swing it. To be able to kiss you in Rupert’s living room is what I want, whenever we want.”

Buffy took a step towards Spike. “My friends will get use to us…”

Spike sadly shook his head. “They may, they may not. Do you think I’m going to win any popularity contest for being with the Slayer in the demon world? I personally don’t give a rat’s arse what anyone says. But are you willing to risk it in your world? It’s worth the consequences to me, but is it worth it to you?”

When Buffy couldn’t respond, Spike shook his head, walked through the portal to the ice dimension and it closed behind him.

Stunned, Buffy looked over to find Clara at her side, a sympathetic look on the red-head’s face. Buffy could only ramble, “Spike isn’t coming back with me? He’s gone?”

Clara gave her a little hug and then turned Buffy toward her own dimension. “How would you have answered, Buffy? Would he have been worth the risk?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Good-bye and good luck.” Clara pushed Buffy on through the portal to Sunnydale. “Maybe you should have thought about that sooner.”

TBC

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