His Childe

Chapter 27 - New Marks

When 11 o’clock came, Giles was in Sunnydale’s airport, saying his goodbyes to Buffy. The rest of the Scoobies had saluted him as he had left the reception, but she had insisted to accompany him to the airport. He hadn’t been able to say no, even when Spike had made clear he was coming along.

They were quite a sight, really. Buffy in her acid green fashion mistake, Spike in his impeccable tuxedo, and himself in the very English tweed he had slipped back on before leaving the wedding site. Still, they had attracted even more stares a bit earlier, when they had carried the body of the dead demon from the lodge to the trunk of Anya’s car. They had dumped it in the river on the way to the airport, and Giles was a bit chagrined for not having had the time to identify what kind of demon it had been.

His flight was finally announced. He gave the keys of the car to Spike.

“Be careful,” he admonished.

The vampire rolled his eyes. “I was already driving when your parents were newborns, Watcher.”

“I wasn’t talking about the car.”

Spike’s eyes narrowed for a second, and his face was split by that insufferable grin of his.

“Have a beer for me when you get home, Rupert. The good stuff.”

Giles nodded absently, and Spike moved back a few steps, giving him and Buffy a little space.

“I already miss you,” Buffy whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

He smiled at her, opening his arms for a hug.

“You’ll be fine, dear,” he reassured, patting her back. “I know you’re strong enough to take anything life sends your way. You’ve proven it many times.”

She stepped back and nodded gravely, swallowing hard. “I’ll make you proud, you’ll see.”

“Buffy, I’m already proud of you. You’re more than a Watcher… a father could ever want.”

The huge smile she gave him let him know he had found the right words. God, leaving was becoming harder every time…

“Take care of you. And whatever you do, remember that your friends and I are here to support you. Not to judge your choices or feelings.”

That was the closest thing to a blessing he could make himself give. His world had been turned upside down when the young lady that was his charge, and almost his daughter, had become a vampire. Not just any kind of vampire, but a vampire with a soul. That she tolerated the presence of Spike, who, if chipped, was still soulless, was in itself disturbing. But she actually seemed to look for and enjoy his company. It was hard for Giles to accept. He wasn’t sure exactly of what was going on between these two, and he wasn’t sure either that he wanted to know. Whatever it was, he only hoped that Spike wasn’t taking advantage of the Sire/ Childe bond. Strangely enough, he didn’t believe the vampire was. After all, if that had been his goal, it would have been much easier for Spike to forget the whole soul restoration idea.

The final call for his flight was given. A last hug, a last wave, and he was boarding the plane, his mind already drifting to what he was going to tell the Council.

“So pet, back to the wedding? Or did you have enough niceties for one day?”

Spike took his eyes off the road for an instant to glance at Buffy by his side. She wasn’t crying, but she certainly looked pretty close.

“I’m not in the mood for partying any more,” she replied. “Willow said she’d keep an eye on Dawn and bring her back.”

“To your home, then.”

The rest of the ride was done in silence. Spike knew she was hurt by the Watcher’s departure, but he couldn’t find any word of comfort to offer her. And by the look of her, she wouldn’t want a more physical kind of comfort. Mentally cursing Giles for ruining what could have been a perfect evening, Spike followed his Childe inside her house. He was grabbing the duster he had left there earlier when Buffy’s hand caught his wrist gently.

“You’re leaving?”

He saw the sadness in her eyes, but knew better than to think he was causing it. It was her Watcher leaving that was breaking her heart.

“’Thought you’d want to be alone, luv.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to be alone. Stay. Please.”

He reached to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Anything you want.”

“Anything at all?”

He nodded. Expecting her to ask for his blood, he started to pull at his tie. She understood immediately and stopped him, resting a hand on his.

“That’s not what I want…”

She paused, frowning at her own words before continuing.

“Well, I do want it, yes. But what I want most is… can you… will you let me sleep in your arms?”

She finished her question in a whisper, and for an instant he wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

“As I said luv, anything you want.”

She smiled at him, hesitant. “I guess sleeping isn’t quite what you had in mind, uh?”

He had a short laugh. “Am I that transparent?”

She stepped right against him, nesting her face against his shoulder.

“I kinda wanted more too,” her muffled voice admitted. “But now…”

He pressed his lips to her silk hair. “Don’t worry about it, luv,” he whispered. “You want to go to bed now? Watch telly? Or what else?”

“I’m tired,” she sighed.

“Let’s put you in bed then.”

Scooping her in his arms, he carried her up the steps to her bedroom, leaving her at the door.

“I think you should get out of this dress by yourself, luv. Probably safer for the sleeping plan.”

He gave her his trademark smirk, and she returned the smile shyly.

“Just go ahead and get comfy, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Getting back downstairs to the kitchen, Spike grabbed blood in the fridge and warmed two mugs. He hadn’t fed since morning. Feeding from her was tempting, but she probably hadn’t fed in a while either. Also, that was sure to lead to much more than just sleep. He drained his mug in the kitchen before bringing the other up to Buffy. He found her sitting in front of her vanity desk, clad in her kittens PJs. She was staring blankly at the mirror, a forgotten brush in her hand. He placed the mug in front of her, and, gently taking the brush from her hand, started combing her hair.

“You’ll get used to it after a while,” he offered. “You won’t even notice mirrors any more.”

She gave a small jump at his word, seemingly coming out of her thoughts. She became aware of the warm blood in front of her and grabbed it, sipping it slowly.

As he was done with his brushing, Spike noticed that she still had the ribbon around her neck. He untied it carefully, his fingers brushing against the tender scar. He was about to give her the length of satin, but on second thought he slipped it in his pocket.

He then started undressing, carelessly letting his clothes fall in a heap on the floor, amused by the furtive glances she was throwing at him. He stopped as he was down to only his pants.

“Done with your snack, pet? Then hop in the bed. I’ll turn the light off.”

The ghost of a pout, on her lips for only a second, made him chuckle quietly. As he had thought, she had been waiting for a free show. Once she was under the cover, he checked the curtains before flicking the light off. He then divested himself of his pants, wishing for the first time in years that he had bothered with some underwear. He slipped in the bed behind her, spooning against her, kissing the back of her head. It never ceased to amaze him how perfectly their bodies fit together.

Without the sounds of her breathing, it was impossible to tell whether she was asleep or not. He finally let himself drift into sleep, his arm wrapped around her waist, smiling at the thought that, for the first time, he was in her bed.

For a long time, Buffy remained awake, staring straight at the darkness in front of her, the events of the day replaying in her mind. Xander’s acceptance of what she was now. The demon interrupting the ceremony and her slaying it without needing to think twice. The ceremony and the vows. Spike’s promise. Their dance. Giles leaving. And now Spike in her bed, naked as a newborn, but making no attempt to get into her panties. His arm around her felt good. His body along hers felt even better. Before sleep claimed her, she remembered something Anya had said during her vows, about feeling safe and warm. Dimly, she understood what she had meant.

Spike awoke slowly, becoming aware of several sensations one after the other. His fingers were touching something silky. Soft. Not fabric. Her hair. Something wet against his shoulder. It took him a little moment to realize it was her mouth, and even longer to understand she was softly suckling on his blood. He hadn’t even felt the fangs pierce his skin. The last two things he noticed were that her hand was stroking his cock, and that he was rock hard. And he wondered how he had been able to sleep while she was touching him. His hand glided to her back, caressing. Immediately she stopped her suckling and her face came up next to his. The room was dark because of the drawn curtains, but he could see her smiling features.

“Hey there. Nice dreams?”

He blinked a couple of times and grinned lazily. “Not as nice as waking up next to you.”

Her lips came to his in a gentle kiss that gradually deepened. He reached between their bodies, unfastening the buttons of her top then sliding it off one shoulder. He broke the kiss and softly pushed her to her back, stripping her completely of the PJs vest in the process. His fingers trailed on her pale skin, tantalizingly avoiding her breast. When he reached the edge of her sleeping pants, she raised her hips and he pulled them off her.

She lay there, immobile, watching him as he watched her. His eyes wandered over her nude form, marveling at her flawless pale skin, gliding along her smooth curves.

“Perfect,” he whispered.

Not touching her became unbearable. His mouth descended on her right breast while his hand cupped the left. He teased the hardening nipple, flicking it with his tongue and lightly pulling at it with blunt teeth. At the same time, her other peak was enduring the merciless assault of his fingers, which in turn rubbed, tweaked and pinched. The double attack soon had her whimpering.

Abandoning her breast, his hand ran over her skin to her thighs and she parted them slightly. He brushed a finger over her clit, making her body quiver. The same finger slid inside her, finding her more than ready for him. His mouth left her breast as he positioned himself between her legs. He looked at her face and paused, just pressing against her entrance. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lips. At his lack of movement, her eyelids fluttered and she looked at him, questioning. At the same moment, he pushed into her in one forceful motion. He almost came right then at the look of ecstasy that filled her face. Leaning down to capture her mouth, he settled in a slow rhythm. His tongue moved at the same pace as his cock, plunging deep into her mouth and caressing her. Before long however, her hips were raising against his, accelerating the tempo, changing the angle to make him brush against her clit with each stroke. Needlessly panting, he pulled away from her lips, and returned to the nipple he had teased earlier. Her fingers locked behind his head, pushing him against her breast.

“Spike…”

Instinctively, he knew what her moan was pleading for. He shifted to game face without a thought and sank his fangs in the side of her breast. Her body convulsed under his, her inner walls squeezing him delightfully. Thrusting deep into her one last time, he sucked on the punctures forcefully. Blood flooded his mouth as he came. Again, her body shook, even harder than before, and a wordless shout escaped her lips.

He slipped off her body, his head resting on her chest. Her fingers were playing in his hair as he lapped at the new marks he had given her. Only he would see these, he thought happily.