Puzzle Fashioned in Blood.

Puzzle Fashioned in Blood

By MadRog (MadRog@sunnydale-tales.com)
www.sunnydale-tales.com


A/N: Before I forget, let me thank Isis for helping me with this story and then being the beta. Thanks Isis.

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters, it's all owned by Joss Wheldon and Mutant Enemy. Yada, Yada :)

Distribution: Sure, but let me know where it is going.

Setting: And a completely AU version of BTVS¡¦s Season 6 and beginning of ATS Season 3.

Summary: Sequel to Future Written in Blood or can be a stand alone. Dawn is in danger again, but Buffy and Spike (chipless) will have to do more than fight this time to make her safe. They will also need help from old and new friends.

****Summary of the first story, Future Written in Blood
¡V with this you do not have to read the first story to read this one, but I would love it if you would. ƒº *****

Starts after the Gift and Buffy doesn¡¦t die. Dawn was kidnapped by Sebastian the procurer who had a buyer for Dawn, the Key. In order to save Dawn, Spike and Buffy mad a deal to fight five fights in other dimensions, against the dimension¡¦s champions. Along the way, Buffy and Spike become closer and closer until they were lovers. After the fifth fight, Dawn was free and Buffy returns to Sunnydale. Spike stayed in one of the dimensions, knowing Buffy will not stand by him when confronted by her friends. Finally, Buffy can¡¦t live without him, so she tells her friends and they find a way to get the vampire back. They are successful and the following story starts the night of Spike¡¦s return.

*****
Chapter 1 It¡¦s Good To Be Back

Clara pretended to be studying the papers in front of her while, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Sebastian pace back and forth in his spacious office like a caged animal. A ranting, caged animal. They were discussing the pending orders that had stacked up during their excursion with the slayer and vampire. As always, Sebastian¡¦s priority was whichever venture that would bring in the most income, the fastest.

¡§You know this just won¡¦t do, Clara. My clients are clamoring for the completion of their orders. This is not good for business.¡¨

¡§Yes, sir. I know, but it was unavoidable. The fact is that your partnership with Buffy and Spike put us behind, but on the other hand, it was very profitable. Now we are catching up.¡¨

Sebastian waved his hand dismissively. ¡§Yes, I agree that it was very profitable. However, that was then, and I want money now. So who is going to pay me the most?¡¨

¡§Well, Mr. Svenslo wants the Arigon Relic. We can charge a high fee for such a rarity.¡¨

¡§Yes, but what was that other one that would make even more money?¡¨

¡§That¡¦s¡Kuh¡KGos ordered a Melonick virgin from the Soth dimension.¡¨ Clara hated when they dealt in people. It made her nauseous. And a virgin¡Kshe shuddered at the thought. She wished again that she had ¡§lost¡¨ that order.

Before Sebastian could answer, a dimensional portal opened up behind him and a figure stepped through into Sebastian¡¦s office. Short, round, maroon skin. Despite his diminutive size, the newcomer¡¦s presence immediately commanded authority. He looked around the room, nodded casually to Sebastian, and then his gaze landed on Clara.

Clara had never seen Sebastian so unnerved. Beyond nervous, actually. She realized Sebastian was scared through and through and trembling so hard that his teeth should be chattering. Clara was on her feet before she knew it, and was more than happy to leave when the shrouded figure looked at her and raised a cloaked arm, pointing her toward the door.

As Clara left the room, Sebastian backed up until his back was against a wall. She couldn¡¦t hear what exactly was said through the door, but the demon¡¦s harsh tone was unmistakable.

A few minutes later, Sebastian stumbled out of his office on weak knees. ¡§He gave us three days, Clara. We have three days.¡¨

*****

At the Summers¡¦ residence on Revello Drive, an extremely worried vampire was pacing a circuit from the living room through the kitchen and back, over and over. Spike was sure the carpets would soon show the wear but didn¡¦t care one elephant¡¦s ass. Dawn was missing. Her best friend, Janice, had called around noon saying that after her mom had dropped them off at school, she hadn¡¦t seen Dawn since, not even in second period class they shared. In fact, Janice was calling from the cafeteria because Dawn hadn¡¦t been in lunch either.

That put the Scoobie gang into overdrive searching through the town. Since it was still daylight, Spike had to stick to searching the sewers, and then returned to the house to wait just in case Dawn had been playing hookie and came home. He promised to nail her down to the floor until her big sister made it back home. Night was coming, and Tara was to take his place, letting the anxious vampire join the search.

He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. How could such a heavenly night be followed by such a nightmarish day?

***Previous night***

Spike was back. Spike was back and with her. That was what mattered to Buffy. For three weeks they had been separated. She had been here in Sunnydale, and he had been in an ice dimension with another woman. But finally she had fessed up how she felt about Spike to Willow, and the witch and her other friends had helped draw Spike back home. So now he was home, her home to be specific.

When Buffy and Spike arrived at Revello Drive, they walked through the backyard and up onto the back porch. Wanting their private time to last a little longer, Spikabbeabbed Buffy and spun her around for a kiss. Buffy was more than agreeable wrapping her arms tightly around the vampire. She had missed his taste, his smell, his touch for three long weeks. Now, she couldn¡¦t get enough of him. Who could blame her?

Spike was still waiting for someone to pinch him and wake him from this wonderful dream. He was back in Sunnydale, on Buffy¡¦s back porch, kissing her with no fear of the consequences. The best part was that she wanted him there, so anybody that wanted to try to wake him up with a pinch or anything else was going to pull back a bloody stub instead of a hand. No one was taking him away from his slayer and that included any of the Scoobies. But truth be told, he was still nervous about facing the gang. No bleedin¡¦ way he would ever admit it, but he was worried, and not just for himself, but for Buffy also. Spike knew her friends could hurt her with very little effort. So here he was, kissing the slayer, and he couldn¡¦t think of a better way to stall.

Buffy pulled back with a smile lighting up her face. ¡§I missed that.¡¨ She obviously meant the kisses, but also that hungry look in his blue eyes. She knew her eyes had the same hot look.

Spike was dazzled by her smile. He knew he could brave any challenge just to be on the receiving end of one of her smiles. A smile meant just for him, a vampire. He wondered if the astonishment would ever wear off. He hoped not, always reminding him of what a special gift he had been given.

Spirits soaring, Spike raised his scarred eyebrow. ¡§That wasn¡¦t all I missed, luv.¡¨

Buffy¡¦s heart beat even faster. If they didn¡¦t go inside now, she was going to jump him right there on the porch.

Pulling Spike by the hand along with her, not wanting to lose contact for the briefest second, Buffy walked into the kitchen. ¡§Hey, guys. We¡¦re back.¡¨ However, no one answered her call.

Listening carefully, Spike could not pick up anyone in the house. ¡§Pet, I think we¡¦re alone. There¡¦s a perfectly good table here¡K¡¨

¡§And there¡¦s a perfectly good bed upstairs¡KRace ya!¡¨ Buffy took off with Spike chasing. She laughed her way up the stairs with Spike¡¦s hand on her ass when he finally caught up.

Buffy flew through her bedroom door, diving onto her bed. Preparing for Spike to jump on her, she was surprised when he stopped as he came through the door.

¡§What¡¦s wrong? Wasn¡¦t three weeks long enough to wait?¡¨

¡§Three weeks, luv, was three weeks too excruciatingly long. Just don¡¦t think the Nibble should get her sex ed by walking in on us.¡¨ Not finding a lock, Spike wedged a chair under the door knob, insuring their privacy. ¡§Not to mention, I¡¦m not sharing your attentions right now.¡¨

¡§Sounds good to me.¡¨ The more she came to know him, the more reasons she found to love him. He remembered Dawn even when she had forgotten her sister. ¡§We¡¦ll buy a lock tomorrow.¡¨

Spike didn¡¦t think Buffy realized how much her simple sentence implied. He just stood there, amazed. For the last three weeks, he had thought he had no chance with her, that she was gone from his life. But now she was casually implying a future together. A lock for the door implied he would be making love to her again in her room after tonight.

¡¥But enough of this maudlin crap,¡¦ Spike thought as he dived onto the bed.

Before the vampire even stopped bouncing, Spike wrapped Buffy in his arms, stopping her laughter with his lips on hers. A lively, boisterous wrestling match ensued. Both Spike and Buffy were just happy to be together. Spike finally pinned Buffy on her back, securing her arms above her head. He wanted to just watch for a moment, absorbing her laughter and golden beauty.

When he hesitated, Buffy worked one of her hands free, reached up and dragged his mouth down to hers. Their lips met with both of their lips still curved upwards in a smile. But as tongues met, tasted and dueled, their passion and desire blossomed.

Buffy wrapped her legs around Spike¡¦s waist and flipped him over so she was now sitting on top of him. ¡§To hell with this play, let¡¦s get more serious.¡¨ She grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it free of his pants. Spike leaned up to oblige as Buffy pulled it up over his head and tossed it across the room.

Reacquainting herself with his body, she took a minute to run her hot hands over his pale skin before kissing him briefly on the lips. But then her lips wandered over to his neck, and she bit lightly at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

Feeling her teeth meet his skin, Spike bucked and growled in pleasure. ¡§Buffy¡K¡¨ He tried to recapture her lips in a kiss, but his slayer avoided his attempts. Buffy¡¦s mouth moved down to capture his nipple. She sucked and nipped lightly, causing Spike to nearly jump off the bed.

¡§Tsk, tsk, tsk, you have to hold still,¡¨ Buffy playfully scolded. She chuckled at Spike¡¦s reply, which was a deep, frustrated growl. Licking and pulling his nipple between her teeth, Buffy reached her hand up and racked her fingernails over his other nipple. All the while seductively rubbing her crotch against his erection.

Next thing Buffy knew, she was flipped over onto her back with Spike now on top of her, still growling. Buffy smiled up into her lover¡¦s face. ¡§I take it you like?¡¨

¡§And some, luv. But now you¡¦re going to tremble.¡¨ Quickly discarding her shirt, Spike began his onslaught. Just as Buffy had explored his body with her hands, Spike started with his mouth. Slowly, he ran the tip of his tongue in a linear pattern all over her chest. He first licked from her belly button up to her chin, just stopping short of a kiss, frustrating her with his cocky grin. Next, he ran his tongue along her left side and then the right, providing Buffy with a frustrating combination of a tickle and sensual foreplay. When his mouth lowered again and started below her right breast, Buffy held her breath. His tongue licked up across her nipple, not pausing on his way to her shoulder, Buffy moaned in frustrating. Chuckling Spike took pity on her and sucked her hard nipple into his mouth.

Buffy ground her hips into Spike¡¦s chest as he lay between her legs. When Spike grabbed her nipple between his teeth and pulled, Buffy sunk both hands into his blond hair, pulling him up so they were eye to eye. Buffy was panting, ¡§Now.¡¨

¡§Now?¡¨ Spike teased.

¡§NOW.¡¨

Both shed the rest of their clothes in record time, not caring if anything ripped. The only thing important was getting skin against skin.

Their kiss was ferocious as their bodies met. Spike pressed Buffy back down on the bed. Positioning himself between her thighs, he pushed in deeply as her hips came up to meet her lover¡¦s. Their movements were fast and furious. Buffy broke their kiss, throwing her head back as her orgasm rocked through her body. Spike was able to watch her ecstasy before getting lost in his own.

As they floated back down to earth, Spike started to roll off to the side, but Buffy quickly stopped him, keeping him nestled inside her. Pleasantly surprised, Spike leaned his forehead down to rest on hers.

Looking into his eyes, Buffy gave him a smile. ¡§I missed this, too.¡¨

Spike felt disappointment wash over him. She missed the sex. Was that all? He kissed her to hide his reaction. Finally he pulled back. ¡§So this should hold you for awhile.¡¨ He tried to make it sound like a joke but suspected that he fell short.

Buffy caught it. She was always amazed when she discovered one of this self-assured vampire¡¦s insecurities. She shook her head and then knocked on the side of his bleached head. ¡§Hello-o! The ¡¥shagging¡¦ is great as usual, but I.Missed.You!¡¨

Spike knew his grin was not one that should ever be seen on any self-respecting big bad, but he couldn¡¦t hide his happiness. ¡§Thanks for bringing me back to Sunnydale, luv. Back to you.¡¨

¡§No prob. Now, why don¡¦t you show me just how thankful you are.¡¨ Buffy wiggled her hips against him to make sure he got the point. She moaned when she felt him start to harden and move inside of her again.

****
Spike¡¦s eye lids slowly opened as the sun threatened to crest the horizon. He felt Buffy¡¦s heat running the length of his body, arms and legs entwined with his own. Not the first time that this had happened, just the first time in Sunnydale. But as wonderful it was lying in bed with her, naked as the day he was born was not the way he wanted to greet any of the perky Scoobies. He could just hear one of them. ¡§Buffy, are you up?¡¨ Trying his best not to wake her, Spike started to extricate himself so that he could dress and leave by the window.

As he stood up, a steel band in the form of a petite slayer¡¦s hand latched around his wrist. Buffy¡¦s voice didn¡¦t sound nearly as sleepy as Spike would have assumed it would be. ¡§Where do you think you are going, mister?¡¨

¡§Sorry, luv, didn¡¦t mean to wake you. You just shut those baby hazels, get some more z¡¦s, and I¡¦ll see you tonight.¡¨

¡§Na¡¦uh.¡¨

¡§What?¡¨

¡§Na¡¦uh. Nada. Zip. No. Now get that white ass back in bed. I need something to cuddle around, and that something is you.¡¨

¡§That¡¦s for me, pet, but what about the Nibblet, Red, Glenda¡K?¡¨

¡§What about them? Is that what this is about? I am sure they all know, and even more, they expect you to be here. ¡¥K?¡¨

¡§But if¡K¡¨

Buffy jerked on his wrist and toppled him into the bed. ¡§No but¡¦s. No if¡¦s. No leaving me.¡¨

Spike¡¦s noble gesture melted away like butter at her words. ¡§No leaving me.¡¨ Those words were an easy command to follow. ¡§Never leaving you, luv. Have no doubt.¡¨

*****

Breakfast

A scant few hours later, there were three knocks on the door. Thump. Spike was so startled that he rolled out of bed.

Dawn¡¦s voice could be heard through the door. ¡§Uh¡KIs everyone ok in there?¡¨

Buffy smiled down at Spike, who was now sitting on the floor. ¡§See? Told ya. ¡§Everyone in there.¡¨ Not just one.¡¨

¡§Ok, I am gong to assume that you two are awake.¡¨ They could practically hear the teenager¡¦s eye roll. ¡§So get up. Breakfast is almost ready.¡¨

Spike mouthed the word to Buffy. ¡§Breakfast?¡¨

¡§Yeah, you know. Wake up. Hungry. So you eat. Or in your case it would be drink. Get dressed. I¡¦m starving.¡¨

*****

Spike had never been so intimidated by a handful of women in his existence. Trust the Scoobies to be those women.

Buffy bipped into the kitchen like she brought a vampire to breakfast every morning and sat him down at the table with his back to the wall, facing the cooking area. Willow was doing the cooking. Tara was gathering all the essentials, butter, jelly, and more. Dawn was setting the table. Problem was not that he could see them moving around but that they could see him and maybe see his extreme unease. Here there was no swaggering, running off at the mouth or smoking to cover his discomfort.

Before he could unfreeze his muscles, Buffy was back handing him a mug. Ah, something to hold. Good. It didn¡¦t say kiss the librarian, but he knew that smell. AB negative. A warm AB negative. He took a sip and the view around him seemed a little warmer.

Buffy beamed. ¡§I told them that you eat food also, so they are cooking enough for you, too. Dawn and I are both banned from the cooking duty; hence we get drinks and set the table. Speaking of, I need to get the rest of the drinks.¡¨

So breakfast went off without a hitch. Bread had been broken. Spike was officially one of the Revello Drive crew. He deduced that when he was assigned the job of cleaning up, and he did it with a smile on his face.

*****
Present:

Well, he wasn¡¦t smiling now. The Nibblet was missing. As he paced, an idea started hop scotching inside of his head, only stopping for a few seconds at a time. Relying on his intuition, he could tell that the spastic thought was important. Spike forced himself to sit down and concentrate, and the thought started coming clear. It was just too much of a coincidence that Dawn had relatively recently been kidnapped by Sebastian the Procurer. If it wasn¡¦t for the fact that he and Buffy had paid off the bastard with their fighting skills, he would be the logical suspect, but they had had a contract. Win five fights, and Dawn was free and clear. Scratch Sebastian off the possible list, right? Problem was that that the idea he couldn¡¦t completely wrap his brain around kept ping-ponging in his skull, bringing his suspicion back to Sebastian. That¡¦s enough suspicion for him. Latching onto some action he could take to help the search, he decided that he would just go have a little sit down with the ol¡¦procurer.
t prt problem. How? How did he get a face to face Sebastian? Wasn¡¦t like the bloke was over on Main Street with a neon sign, at least he didn¡¦t think so. No telling what dimension Sebastian was in at that moment. Maybe Red could¡Kwait. Spike raced upstairs to Buffy¡¦s room and lunged for his leather duster. Where was it, the coin Sebastian had given him? Where was the bleedin¡¦ coin? He stuck his hand in the left front pocket and came up empty. However, he found it in the front right one. He pulled it out, but instead of a metallic finish, the surface was glowing a bright yellow. That¡¦s it. Had to be. Way too much of a coincidence; Dawn was gone, and the coin that Dawn¡¦s kidnapper had given him was now glowing. Spike searched for Buffy¡¦s coin and found it in a keepsake box, glowing just as his own. Holding onto both, he rushed back out of the room. He needed Giles. It was research time in emergency overdrive.

Spike hit the hall at a run and into the stairwell. One step, two¡Khis foot never touched the second step because the second step was no long there. Instead, he fell into a dimensional portal, which was now in place of the stairwell. One second he was there in the Summers¡¦ home, and the next second he was gone.

The only proof that he had been upstairs was one of the two glowing coins now tumbling down the stairs. Buffy¡¦s coin bounced off the bottom step and finally came to a stop before the front door. The coin glowed yellow, a beacon waiting to be found.

TBC

Yea!! Finally kicked off the sequel to Future Written in Blood, and this is going to be a great ride. Again, if you would like to be on the Update Alert List, just let me know at madrog@sunnydale-tales.com.

Thanks for reading.
Dana