“So, what’s it like being mated to Spike?” Willow whispered conspiratorially. It was the last thing in the world Buffy should be talking about considering the severity of the moment but she was thankful for her friends’ attempt at distraction. She took her eyes off the door and looked at the red head.
“Not what you would expect from the big bad.” She smiled knowingly. “He’s really sweet most of the time.”
“Most of the time?” Willow looked suddenly worried. “He’s not hurting you is he?”
“Willow, I’m a vampire. It’s second nature to throttle each other. We have knock down drag out fights just because we get bored.” Buffy laughed. “But he would never do anything to really hurt me.”
Willow nodded, not sure how she felt about that development. “So how are you dealing?”
“Not bad. I’ve had a few breakdowns but it helps to have Spike there. He just curls me up on his lap and holds me.” Willow squealed.
“Really? Spike?” Buffy chuckled.
“Yeah.” Buffy jumped slightly when she heard the door open and returned her eyes to the entrance. What she found was not what she hoped for, and was definitely unwanted. “This is bad.” Willow turned to follow Buffy’s gaze and found two well-dressed men with crossbows in the doorway.
“Giles!”
“What is it Willow?” Giles came running out of the office followed by Oz, Xander and Cordelia. “Oh bloody hell.”
“Good afternoon, Rupert.”
“What do you want?” He knew the answer already.
“We came for the vampire.” The apparent leader pointed his cross bow at Buffy.
“That’s funny.” Buffy snickered to hide her panic. “What does the Council want with me?” She feigned innocence.
“We want you dead Miss Summers.”
“That’s Mrs. actually and technically you are too late.” She stood gingerly from the table. “What makes you think you can kill me?” One of the men in the back snorted and lifted his cross bow. “Oh, a stake in the heart, right.” She chuckled. “It doesn’t work, but you are welcomed to try. I’ve already survived once. I can do it again.”
“Buffy, what are you doing?” Willow was in shock.
“You are bluffing.” The goon sneered and repositioned his weapon.
“It’s possible. Here see for yourself.” She moved the collar of her shirt to reveal the scar from Xander’s failed attempt to kill Spike. Giles fought the urge to smile. For all intensive purposes the scar was located over her heart but the bolt hadn’t gone in straight. “But if you’re willing to give it another shot, then hey, who am I to stop you.” The man looked nervously at his comrade in arms. If she were in fact correct, that would leave them weaponless against a powerful vampire.
“You never know until you try.” The other man shrugged and raised his weapon.
“No!”
“No!” Her body dropped to the floor as a blur passed her.
“Faith?” She looked up to see the new slayer dangling one of the Council hit men. “Do you people enjoy shooting me?” Buffy hissed from the floor. A bolt was deeply embedded in her heart. She rolled her eyes back and fell silent.
“Buffy.” Cordelia looked over at the fallen body in shock.
“Ouch.”
“How is this possible?” Willow and Giles fell to their knees beside her. “How is she not dust?”
“I don’t know.” Giles was at a loss.
“Put the crossbow down.” Faith could tell be the stunned countenance on his face that he wasn’t grasping her request. “You don’t listen very well do you?” Faith glared at the other man until he threw the crossbow to Xander. “Get out of my town.” Faith growled and dropped the man she was holding in a heap. “And stay away from my vampires. I decide when they die, not you.”
“Slayer!” Xander looked up to see a very battered Spike drop over the balcony railing and rush to her side. Spike met Xander’s fearful face before dropping his gaze to the cross bow in his hands. “Who did this?” Xander just pointed to the man in front of Faith. Spike was on him in a second, his fangs poised, ready to end the life of the man who injured his love.
“Spike.” Buffy’s whimper tempered him slightly and he pulled away to go to her side. He would deal with them later.
Oz and Xander moved to flank Faith, crouching over the fallen council lackey. Faith smiled and started to twirl her dagger. “You aren’t moving fast enough. Are you going to stick around and let me show new torture techniques I learned?” The slayer cocked a brow as the man crawled away from her and gathered his companion. A sadistic smile graced her face as they hurried out the door. “See, G-man. No problem.”
“They’ll be back with reinforcements.” Spike growled from the floor. He captured Buffy’s hand in his and brought it to his lips. “How are you?”
“I’m great except for this stake in my chest. Think you can take it out now?” She snarled at the pain and sighed. “What is it with people shooting me? Do I have a big bulls eye painted on my shirt?”
Spike chuckled and pulled the stake from his waistband. “Bite down.”
“Angelus?”
“Resting uncomfortably in a dust buster. Now bite.” He growled until she secured the stake between her teeth.
“How are you so calm?” Willow turned to reach out for Oz. “How is he so calm?”
“Ready?” She nodded and he counted to three. On three he yanked the stake from her chest and covered the wound.
“Gahhhh!” She spit out the stake, now in splinters. “That hurt you ass!”
“Shut up Pet.” He laughed again and tried to ignore the massive amounts of blood pouring from her chest. “Watcher.” Spike gestured to the wound before pulling away and picking up Faith’s dagger. Drawing a lighter from his pocket he began to heat the end of the blade.
“You can not be serious.” Buffy’s eyes bugged out when she realized what he intended to do. “I swear to God if you stick that in me, your ass is sleeping on the couch for the next century.” Spike just growled at the threat and she snarled in return. He moved the watcher’s hands and dipped the tip of the blade into the wound, singing everything it touched. “Ahh, I hate you. That’s it Yoda, find yourself a new mate!” He cocked his brow and reheated the blade before dipping back in to cauterize the rest of the wound. “Maybe I should just sever your ties to Lil Willy instead.” She whimpered in pain.
“Don’t even think about it.” He sat down and lifted her into his lap. “You’ll find your self in the dust buster with Peaches.”
“Arrogant prick. I can so kick your ass in a sword fight and you know it.” She relaxed into his embrace, pain limiting her from any more movement.
“Shut up and drink you annoying little bint.” He directed her lips to his neck and hissed in pleasure as her fangs sank in the soft flesh.
“I-is there anything you need?” Giles stammered and tried to hold down what little food he had eaten the last twenty-four hours. They were both covered in blood and the sight of Buffy suckling his neck like a babe did little to ease the watcher’s nausea.
“Blood, a lot of it.” Xander stepped back immediately. “Not you, whelp. Bagged blood. This will be enough for her to heal, but I’ll need to replace it soon.” Spike rolled his eyes and fought the loss of consciousness draining away with his blood.
“I’m on it G.” Oz grabbed Xander’s shoulder and tugged him toward the door. Buffy forced herself to pull away when she felt Spike’s sweet nectar slowing down. She collapsed down on top of him in a tattered heap before slipping into a healing sleep.
“Why the sudden change of heart?” Xander’s voice melted away the silence in the room. Faith looked down at the vampires on the tables in front of her. She stood mesmerized as the wound in Buffy’s chest closed before her eyes.
“I’ve read stories about what Angelus does to slayers when he takes them. It’s a fate worse than death.” She shut her eyes trying to block out the unwelcome images. “For whatever reason she saved me from that.” Faith shrugged. “In my book that makes us cool.”
“She had to save you.” Giles said quietly from behind her.
“Why’s that G?”
“Because she couldn’t save herself.”
“What?” Faith just looked at him.
“Angelus killed Buffy.” Willow whispered as she soothed the hair out of her friend’s eyes.
“But I thought Spike was her sire.” She gestured to the other sleeping vamp.
“He is. Angelus left her for dead. Spike got to her before she was completely gone and turned her.” Willow smiled slightly.
“Why would he do that?”
“To control her.” Xander grumbled.
“Xander you’re an idiot. He was in love with her.” Cordelia snorted at her boyfriend.
“Vampires do not fall in love with slayers. It just doesn’t happen.” Faith shook her head.
“It did, twice.” Willow jumped back startled as Buffy opened her eyes. “First Angel, then Spike.” She sat up gingerly and stretched. “How long was I out?”
“A couple of hours.” Giles smiled and walked out from behind the check out counter. “Buffy, how did you know that the stake wouldn’t kill you?”
“Are you kidding? I was bluffing. I have no idea why I’m not all dusty.” She looked at him incredulously. She hopped off the table and surveyed Spike’s healing injuries. There was nothing too serious so she relaxed and dropped a kiss on his forehead.
“So…” Willow shuffled her feet bashfully. “Now that we have a little time, what have you been up to the last month?”
“Have a seat something tells me this campfire story is going to take awhile.” Taking a deep breath Buffy began to relay the details from her near death and turning until she returned to the library with Faith.
“So you’re telling me you’ve been in LA this whole time?” Buffy nodded at Giles question.
“I told you she wouldn’t go far.” Willow sat proudly at her assessment of her friend.
“And this whole time Spike hasn’t hunted. Yeah right.” Xander scoffed.
“I never said that.” Buffy sighed knowing where this conversation was about to get brutal.
“So you just let him kill innocents?” Giles was shocked. She pulled a mall hardbound book out of her duster pocket and handed it to him.
“A list of your so called innocents.” She watched as he opened it and surveyed the newspaper headings.
“Convicted child killer found dead in alley. Rapist killed in the act, victim taken to County General. Escaped fugitive found near abandoned factory.” Giles read through more of the tag lines before closing the book.
“I read about that kid killer. He killed 10 little girls before they figured out who he was, but they still couldn’t.” Cordelia shivered.
“Upstanding members of society, don’t you think?” Giles nodded knowing that these deaths would have been immediately justified in his eyes if they were demon and not human.
“He’s still a killer.” Xander growled from behind.
“So are you Xander.”
“I’ve never killed anybody.”
“But you’ve killed vampires and demons.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because their evil. Demons are evil.”
“And all demons should be killed.”
“Damn right they should, if I could I would wipe out every demon that walks the Earth.”
“Even me?” Xander gaped for a moment in exasperation. “Tell me Xander, what constitutes evil?”
“They kill humans.”
“Have I killed humans?”
“No.” He grunted.
“Have I tried to kill you?”
“No.”
“Whistler?”
“No.”
“Oz?”
“No.”
“Are you getting my point here?”
“Not really.” She sighed and shook her head.
“God your pig headed.” She groaned. “Not all demons are bad Xander. You were possessed by a demon at one point but I didn’t kill you. The world is not black and white so snap out of it. Human’s are just as evil as demons, worse actually because they have souls and don’t give a damn.”
“So what are you saying, suddenly after years of protecting humans it’s alright to kill them.”
“I didn’t protect humans, I protected innocents. I don’t support killing anything innocent, human or otherwise, and I don’t kill things for sport. I kill evil, all evil.” She hopped out of her chair and started to pace. “And in his own way Spike is helping me.” She dropped limply back in her chair. She knew Xander would never understand but she thought she might have made a few dents in Giles and the others. Faith didn’t even seem to be protesting too much. Her eyes were older and wiser than her body appeared, as with all slayers, but somehow Buffy thought she had seen her fair share of human cruelty before she was called. She shared a knowing look with her counterpart. “So much pain.” She whispered and Faith just dropped her eyes to the ground.
Buffy turned away from the others and moved to her sire’s side. Smoothing the hair back from his face she smiled when he opened his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” He smiled up at her gently, ignoring the others in the room.
“I’m not dusty.” She chuckled and helped him sit up. “How about you?” She untied the bandage around his arm and examined the puckered scar from Angelus’ blade now healing nicely.
“Don’t go getting all weepy on me slayer.” She smirked at her growl. “Fine, I’m fine.”
“Good to hear.”
“So who tried to kill you this time?”
“The Council.” Spike growled angrily. “You can’t kill them, Spike.”
“Give me one good reason.” He glared at her wishing momentarily that she didn’t have a slayer’s conscience.
“However warped their methods they are still the good guys.”
“Damn bleeding heart, taking all the fun out of being bad.” She snickered and kissed his pouting lip. “Speaking of bleeding hearts, why aren’t you dust?”
“Not a clue.”
“Should probably figure that out then.”
“Probably.”
“What did I miss?” Oz chuckled from across the room.
“Story time. Now focus, oh wise one. We need a way to stop the Council.” She forged on before he could comment. “Without killing them.”
“Why’d you have to go and keep your bleeding soul?”
She chose to ignore his gripe and continued on. “Giles, what do I need to know about the watchers?”
“How did the Council find out about the Slayer?” Spike looked suspiciously around the room.
“They were following me.” Faith stated coldly.
“What?” Buffy looked at her oddly. “If they were following you then…”
“They knew where I was taken.” Faith growled. “And kept it to themselves.”
Buffy turned to Spike, “maybe you can eat them after all.” Her voice was steely and cold. “No one sells out a slayer on my watch.” She turned back to Giles. “Why would they do that? Faith didn’t cause half of the problems I did.”
“I imagine they fear a repeat performance. Giles scrubbed his glasses nervously.
“They want a slayer under their control.” Buffy mumbled.
“Probably didn’t help that I shit canned my first watcher.” Faith chuckled.
“In other words the good guys are trying to kill both of you.” Spike snorted. “Doesn’t sound like a bloody do gooder thing to do.”
Buffy studied Faith carefully, before voicing her question. “Do you want my help?” The simple phrase held a great deal of pitfalls for the young slayer. “I’m only going to offer it once.” Spike studied the pair curiously, slightly miffed that she was acting without his permission again. They were going to have a little talk about that annoying habit.
“I say yes and then what? I don’t kill you, you don’t kill me and when this is over we just go on our merry way?” Buffy nodded. “And if I say no?”
“Spike and I disappear and you never see us again. I can out live them in hiding. Can you?” Faith seemed to consider her options for a moment then sighed. Something inside of her told her to trust the demon before her.
“You got yourself a partner B.” Faith stretched her hand out to shake her predecessor’s.
“Wait a bloody minute!” They both turned and looked at Spike. “If we help you do I still get to eat them?” Faith looked doubtful for a minute then stood and walked to the weapons closet.
“I hear you were pretty good with one of these things.” She tossed a railroad spike in his lap.
He sneered and looked at Buffy forgetting his distaste with the situation. “I like this one, we can keep her.” Buffy just laughed.
“You aren’t really planning on killing them are you?” Giles looked completely blown away by this revelation. Both his slayers were gearing up to take out humans.
“They started it.” Faith challenged.
“Oh bloody hell! Buffy you can’t start a war against the Council.” He looked at his former charge, praying he could talk some sense into her.
“I’m not starting a war. I am just turning the tables.”
“How do you figure that?” Xander who had been quiet until now stepped back over to the crowd, a look of utter disgust coloring his features.
“I don’t want to kill anyone Xan, but the only way they can call a slayer under their control is to kill Faith. I keep her alive by any means necessary. I keep her on my side and I don’t have to worry about being hunted by a slayer. The council knows a stake to the heart won’t do it this time so they probably have to take my head off. The only way they can do that is to get in close and none of them are strong enough to take on Spike, Faith or me. They need a slayer and I already have one. They screwed that one up when they left her to Angelus.” She looked at him like it was a concept even a kindergartener should have grasped. Spike smiled beside her. She really was a force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to it.
“So you’re planning on staying around?” Giles smiled hopefully.
“Of course. The demons in LA are too easy to kill, not sinister enough.” She giggled slightly. “How do we want to do this?” She turned to Spike and waited for his response.
“Oh, what, now I get to make a decision?” He rolled his eyes.
“Well you are my sire.” She smirked.
“I never gave my sire this much trouble.” He mumbled as he stood.
“And look where that got you.” He growled at her but didn’t respond.
“Grab your stuff, you can stay at the mansion with us.” He directed his comment to the slayer and then turned to his mate. “You get your scrawny ass moving. We’ll meet her there.”
“Yes sir, Yoda sir.” She grabbed her duster and followed him into the tunnels.
“You know, if I didn’t think you looked bloody sexy bossing people around I would have kicked your knickers clear back to London by now, you bint.” Spike grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him. “What were you thinking in that thick skull of yours, offering help to a slayer?”
“You want me dusted?” She cocked her head and studied him in annoyance.
“Hell no.”
“A wise man once said, keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”
“And what wise man was that?” He chuckled knowing she probably had no idea.
“How should I know, some old dead guy.” She shrugged and started down the tunnel again.
“You’re killing me, Blondie.”
“Alright smart guy, who said it?”
“Sun Tzu, The Art of War you should read it Pet.”
“Uh, sounds long. They have Cliff’s Notes for that?”
“Good God woman!” He sighed and followed her
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By Daxis Steele