Love In Vein: Book Two - Chapter 9

Buffy felt a little saddened as she placed her lamp in one of the moving boxes and stared down at the other items already packed away. It only seemed like yesterday she'd moved into her new college dorm only to have her roommate turn out to be a demon. After that, Willow had moved in with her and everything had looked like it was going to be perfect.

And it was.

For a short while.

Now she felt she had to go back to her mothers and it wasn't all about Spike. Granted she wanted to be close to him and she couldn't do that whilst living on campus, but that wasn't the only reason she was moving back into her old house. She wanted to make sure that her mother was safe from anything looming on the horizon.

She knew it wouldn't be long before the First found another way to come after them and make them pay for ruining its plan in LA and when it did, she wanted to be ready for it.

Worrying about her mother's safety was only going to distract her from the fight. If both herself and Spike were in the house then her mother would be safe.

Picking up the pink stuffed pig that resided on her pillow, she looked blankly down at it and then hugged it to her. Leaving her dorm felt like leaving a part of her freedom behind, and it was a sacrifice that was becoming increasingly hard to make. No matter how many times she reminded herself that she wanted to go back to her house, she couldn't help feeling that she was giving up so much.

Buffy started as two large hands were firmly planted on her shoulders and she felt him close behind her. When he was so near to her it was easy to forget what she was leaving behind. She wanted to be with him more than anything, and it wasn't like she was giving up college entirely. She would still be attending classes with Willow as she had been before; she would just be going home to a different person.

Turning her head, she looked up at Spike and saw he was looking at the cuddly toy that she was holding so tightly.

"You okay?" Spike frowned at the death grip she had on the little pig and couldn't ignore the waves of sadness he could feel in her.

"I'm good…just sad to go. I'll be fine in a day or two, just got to get used to being home again…surrendering a little freedom."

Spike grinned mischievously. "It's not all bad is it? I mean…you get to come home to me and we get to annoy the hell out of your mother. I think she's already having trouble coping with us both in the house, imagine how insane you'll make her when you're there full time."

Buffy giggled at his line of reasoning. It was like he knew how much she loved driving her mother round the bend and back again for fun. She had to admit, he was pretty good at it himself. He seemed to have a natural ability to piss people off without even trying, but she got the feeling she'd need to teach him a few tricks if he was going to help her make her mother mad at them.

Staring down at her cuddly toy, she raised her brows as she thought about the things she'd witnessed him do around her house, and how her mother didn't get the slightest bit angry at him. If she had spent the entire afternoon watching the television with her feet up on the table, she was sure her mother would have killed her, but when Spike did it, her mother just let it go.

Buffy pouted as her toy disappeared from her hands and she turned to see Spike arching a brow at it.

"And who's this?" He grinned as he shook the pink pig at her.

"Mr. Gordo." Buffy replied in a serious tone and almost pouted when Spike chuckled.

"Mr. Gordo? Got to be kidding…" He let the smile fall off his face when he saw how deadly serious she was. Her brows were knit tightly and her hands were firmly attached to her hips. "…Or maybe not."

Spike slowly held the toy out to her like it was a cub, and she was an angry lioness. When she snatched it away from him, he held his hands up by his sides and did his best to look innocent.

Buffy huffed and put Mr. Gordo into the box she'd been packing. She muttered to herself as she put her alarm clock into it and then struggled to put the lid on.

Spike turned slowly and gave Willow a look so sheepish that it made her laugh. She placed the last of her friend's CDs into the box she was packing, and then carried it towards the door. When Spike took it off her, she gave him a thankful look and then picked up an empty box, and walked over to the wardrobe.

"I don't understand how you squeezed so much stuff into your half of the room." Willow said with wide eyes as she looked at the cupboard jammed with Buffy's clothes.

Spike put the box down with the others by the door. So far, they had packed eight large cardboard boxes with Buffy's belongings and there looked to be about another eight boxes worth of her things still in the room.

"Bloody Tardis." Spike grinned at the girls as they looked over at him.

"Are we going to fit all this in your mom's car?" Willow stared at the wardrobe like it was an insurmountable task and she didn't know where to start.

"God I hope so, I'm surprised my mom even let me near the car." Buffy pulled her weapons bag out from under the bed and carried it over to Spike where he was playing with his lighter.

In a way, she was glad that he had been the only one to volunteer his time to help her pack her stuff and move. She had been thinking about what he'd said to her and Willow down the Bronze all night, and she wanted to use the time it took for her to move out to bring him and Willow closer still. It seemed that once Willow had accepted him, he had accepted her in return, and that she now fell under his protection. Anything Buffy could do to help the uneasy comradeship between Willow and Spike strengthen she would do.

The idea of Spike protecting her best friend was a welcome one when she thought about the potential fight against the First.

Buffy smiled.

Spike and Willow raised their brows as they saw her grinning like a fool.

"What?" Spike stifled a laugh as Buffy roused herself by shaking her head.

His eyes widened and his brows shot up as she tackled both him and Willow in a hug. Willow gave him a nervous smile, and giggled as he frowned down at Buffy.

"You gone insane, love?"

"Yeah, um Buffy, this is lovely and everything but…" Willow held her hands up and furrowed her brows.

Buffy released them both and looked awkward. "Just…like the idea of…never mind…" Buffy started walking away from them and then sighed before turning back to face them. "It's just nice having at least one of my friends not giving my boyfriend looks that, if they were pointed wooden weapons, could kill."

Willow smiled and wrapped her friend up in a hug.

Spike raised his brows at Buffy and saw her cheeks colour as he mouthed 'boyfriend?' at her.

Buffy felt her heart skip a beat as she nodded at him and he grinned at her.

"You girlies had enough bonding time or shall I leave you alone for a while?" Spike cocked his head to one side as he watched them holding each other. He had to admit there was something strangely appealing about the sight of them so entangled in each other's embrace.

Buffy shot him a black look and he reminded himself that everything he felt she could feel just by reaching out a little. Perverted thoughts about her and her friend were not going to go down well.

Grinning at her, he moved over to her chest of drawers and started rifling through them before he found his hands arrested by hers. He watched them as they slowly removed his hands from her underwear drawer and when he looked up at her face, he received another reprimanding look.

"So sue me…" Spike raised his brows and stealthily lifted one of her thongs from the drawer. "I'm a bloke…"

Buffy just rolled her eyes and looked past the fact he'd just pocketed her favourite red lace panties. From the direction their relationship had been heading she got the feeling that she'd get them back sooner rather than later.

Turning her attention back to packing, she glanced out of the window and was surprised to see the light was starting to fade. Looking down at the clock on the radio besides Willow's bed, she frowned as the numbers on the dial told her it was gone six and she remembered that her mother had given her strict instruction to be back at the house before eight for dinner.

Grabbing a handful of clothes from her wardrobe, she crammed them into the box without taking them off the hangers and then realised that Willow and Spike were again looking confused.

She smiled. "Mom will kill us if we're late for dinner…you want to come with, Willow?"

"I'd love to…only I thought I'd help my new roommate pack her things so she could move in tomorrow." Willow looked apologetic and Buffy gave her a broad smile that said it was fine.

"Just you and me then, mister. I'm being serious when I say she'll kill us. This is the first time in months that I've been around for dinner…think she wants to make it special." Buffy handed Spike an armful of clothes. "Therefore…you have to stop standing around like some pretty room ornament and help pack instead."

Spike arched a brow at the masses of flimsy girly clothing he was now holding and heaved a long sigh as he begrudgingly carried them over to an empty box that was sitting on her bed.

Shaking his head, he placed the items gently in the box and wondered just when he'd slipped from the standing of master vampire to willing slave.

Looking over at Buffy as she hurriedly packed as many boxes as possible in a short space of time, he allowed himself a small smile and gave free reign to his feelings.

Willing slave to a beautiful girl.

The things he did for love.


Spike pursed his lips as he watched Buffy walking up the driveway. She was struggling to keep hold of the box she was carrying as it overflowed with her clothes. In the dim light of evening, he smiled.

She had a fine backside, and a girlishness about her that belied her Slayer strength.

He shook his head as he watched her almost drop the box. Grabbing two out of the rear of her mother's car, he couldn't quite understand how she was having such a hard time with her box. He tucked his boxes under his arms and held them firmly as he started up the path after her.

She had Slayer strength yet she seemed to forget it as she brought her knee up and balanced the box on it while she opened the door. He wondered if she really didn't realise what she was doing or whether she was looking weak for show--so the people in her neighbourhood didn't think there was something out of the ordinary about her.

As he mounted the steps, she disappeared inside the house and he followed her into the warmly lit hall.

"This everything?" Joyce appeared from the dining room, wiping her hands on her apron.

"No." Spike put his two boxes down and gave her a look that said she should know her daughter better.

"I could hope couldn't I?" Joyce gave him a wide smile and then followed the two of them out onto the porch as they headed back down to the car. She heaved a long sigh as she thought about how long it had taken her to get the house neat and perfect after Buffy had left for college, and how quickly Buffy would mess it up. She watched Buffy walking up the path towards her with a box held firmly in her hands. "And you're sure none of this can go into storage…or the garage even?"

"Nope." Buffy replied with a smile and saw her mother sigh.

"Didn't think so." Joyce followed Buffy into the house and watched Spike as he placed another two boxes down in the hall, and then pressed his hands into the small of his back as he stretched.

"I'm getting too old for this." He grinned at Joyce and she let slip a small laugh.

Buffy whined as she saw it--a small pink fluffy leg sandwiched in between two of the boxes.

Spike looked confused.

Joyce made a hasty retreat. "Think I'll leave you two now, I'll be in the kitchen…"

Moving the box that had Mr. Gordo pinned so viciously, Buffy made a small growling noise and then pouted as she plucked her pig free from the carnage.

Spike watched in confusion as she smoothed the toy's fluff down, and stuck her bottom lip out further as she attempted to puff up the squashed leg. As she set her sights on him, Spike got the feeling he was being held responsible for the temporary damage inflicted on her toy.

"Don't look at me, Red put the boxes in the car with you." He pulled a cigarette casually out of his pack and perched it on his lips as he walked out of the door.

"Don't you dare walk away from Mr. Gordo and me." Buffy said playfully and then looked taken aback as he ground to a halt. She raised her brows and walked over to him.

Spike gave her an unimpressed look and silently wished she hadn't commanded him--he'd hoped that he would have counter claimed her before she realised any more of the powers the claim gave them.

Buffy frowned as she looked at him.

Something was wrong.

Spike would never have willingly stopped. Not even for her.

Buffy poked his arm. Spike growled warningly.

"Can you move?" She pushed him a little harder and let a grin creep across her face as she saw his feet were firmly planted to the porch deck. "You can't move."

"Not funny…let me go." Spike concentrated all his effort on freeing himself of her command as she laughed whole-heartedly at him.

"Did I do this?" Buffy couldn't stop herself from sounding so amused. She'd thought that telepathy and empathy were the sole abilities the claim gave her. She hadn't realised that she could command him too.

Spike heaved a sigh and moved his concentration from trying to break her spell to trying to make his own. He knew that his command over her would be weaker than hers over him, but he had to do something so she wouldn't get the impression that she held more power than him. Once he finally got the chance to counter claim her then he'd feel a lot better about things, being the weaker in the bond wasn't something he was prepared to live with for much longer. He just needed to reach the point where his feelings were strongest and the need for her to be wholly his was overwhelming--then he'd show her just how strong a claim could be.

"Shut your pretty little mouth." Spike ground out and then laughed as she looked horrified and her hand flew to cover her mouth as she found she couldn't speak. "Now free me."

Buffy knit her brows and punched him on the arm. She pointed to her mouth and motioned that she couldn't free him because she couldn't speak.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Telepathy, pet…think I would take away your speech and leave myself stuck here because you couldn't undo your command."

Buffy frowned. "I don't know how."

Spike caught hold of her arm and pulled her close to him, along with her pink pig. "It's easy…tell me I'm free to move and I'll tell you, you're free to speak."

Buffy sighed and gave him a suspicious look. The small voice at the back of her head told her he wasn't being quite honest with her, and that he was hiding something about this ability.

She pushed away from it and looked up into his eyes. "Fine. You're free to move, Spike."

Spike grinned and walked past her towards the car. Buffy huffed and squeezed Mr. Gordo tightly around the neck as she stormed after Spike.

"You said you'd tell me I'm free to speak…" Buffy watched him as he picked up another two boxes and just walked past her.

She screwed her face up in frustration and followed him back to the house. When he entered it, she waited for him to put the boxes down before grabbing his arm and pushing him up against the wall.

"You said you'd tell me I'm free to speak…" Buffy repeated and then frowned as he laughed at her. For a moment, a chill ran up her spine and doubt surfaced. As Spike raised his brows and ran his finger along her lower lip, she realised what an idiot she'd been. Her shoulders sagged as she let go of Spike and felt her cheeks burning up with embarrassment.

He'd already told her she could speak.

"Sorry." Buffy let her head hang forward as she shuffled quietly out of the door and back down to the car. She couldn't see that there was any use to their new found power, but something about it irked her.

She had managed to make him stop without meaning it. She'd been joking when she'd told him not to walk away.

When Spike had commanded her to be quiet, he'd had to concentrate hard beforehand.

In the darkness by the car, Buffy stared down at her legs and tried to remember what the books had said about claims. She looked at her hands and frowned as she went through everything she'd read. Nothing had said that one side of the claim was more powerful than the other--they had all said that the weight was balanced equally when the mating ritual was concluded.

She let her gaze shift from her hands to the garden path and from there, to Spike. He was leaning against the wooden railings as he smoked his cigarette and the intense look that she was receiving told her he knew what she was thinking. Her qualms about his knowing more about claims than he was letting on came back full force and she found herself struggling to keep calm.

Whatever this 'mating ritual' was, she got the feeling that it definitely hadn't been concluded--it was still very much in progress.

Right now, she had more power than he did and he clearly didn't like that idea.

As she grabbed a box and started walking towards him, she noticed how his eyes followed her every movement.

There was a fire in them that she said didn't know the meaning of power and that she would be finding out soon just how strong a claim could be.

Buffy stopped just below him and met his eyes as he blew smoke out into the cool night air.

To a large part of her that sounded appealing.

"Look a little pensive, love." Spike narrowed his eyes on hers and saw the box in her hands wobble slightly. He could feel how nervous she was, her confidence was gone and it told him everything he needed to know.

She knew.

Now it was just a matter of time before she built up the courage to ask him about it.

Then he'd make his first move.

Buffy swallowed hard as she found herself being looked at with eyes so full of fiery passion and hunger that she felt she could get pregnant from just a glance alone.

She gave him a smile as her heart fluttered madly, and she felt her temperature soar as desire swept through her.

Her mind raced to the red panties contained in his pocket.

Her body begged for his touch.

Licking her lips, she breathed heavily as he pushed off from the banister and walked down the steps towards her. She lowered her eyes as he came to a halt in front of her, and sighed as he placed two cool fingers under her chin to raise them back up again.

Buffy felt like she couldn't breathe through the anticipation. She wanted to throw away the box that was acting as a barrier between their bodies and let him show her just what they had to do in order to complete the claim.

Spike had sworn to himself that he wouldn't go to her, that he would stand strong and let her come to him, then walk into the house in a show of the power he commanded over her without the claim. Somehow, his feet had ignored him and had moved him of their own volition to be in front of her. He couldn't deny that he wanted her, that he wanted to break her claim so he in turn could claim her, but it wasn't supposed to have happened like this.

He shrugged and reminded himself that things rarely went to plan.

Dipping his head, he moved his lips with an aching slowness towards hers and closed his eyes.

"Dinner." Joyce smiled wickedly as she watched Spike's shoulders tense and listened to the low growl escape his lips while Buffy whined in frustration--it was going to be fun being as much trouble to Buffy as she had been to her in the past. If they thought they were going to get much time alone in her house, they had another thing coming.

Buffy shot her a deadly look as she walked back into the house.

Looking over at Spike, she paused for a few seconds before dropping the box and grabbing hold of him.

Spike wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as she flung hers around his neck. He smiled against her mouth as she kissed him hungrily, nipping at his lower lip with her teeth and letting her tongue play against his as he kissed her back.

"I said…dinner." Joyce raised her brows and waved a spoon at them as they both looked up at her where she stood in the doorway.

"Fine." Buffy groused and picked the box up before walking up the stairs. "We'll get the rest of the stuff in later."

Spike let a wicked smile settle on his lips as he watched the Summers women walking into the house. His eyes followed Buffy's path and as she appeared in the dining room window he let his grin widen. He could sense her frustration over being interrupted and slipped his hands into his pocket, his fingers playing with her underwear as he watched her moving about the room.

"Not long now, pet." He walked over to the car and grabbed a box out of the back before shutting the tailgate. He watched Buffy as she paced the dining room, the frustration and anger still coming off her in thick waves. "We hold out much longer and this bond of yours will stop at nothing to be fulfilled…" He smiled as she dropped a plate and clenched her fists, shouting at it before disappearing from view. As she appeared on the porch steps and locked eyes with him, his smile became a grin. "…Or maybe sooner than I thought."

Buffy felt an undeniable pull towards him as he walked slowly up the steps. It felt like their roles were reversed. Where he had been the one watching her with eyes full of passion a moment ago, she was now the one who couldn't control the feeling of desire that she felt inside. The look in his eyes as he stepped up to her said it all. All she had to do was say the word and he'd help her scratch the itch she was feeling and a lot more besides.

Spike pressed a brief kiss to her lips and replaced it quickly with his finger as she went to speak. He could hear her mother in the kitchen as she went about getting the food ready, and somehow he knew it would be a bad move to get her angry with her daughter and himself.

"Not long now, pet." Spike put his arm around her and led her into the house, closing the door behind them. "Not long at all."

Review This Story/Chapter!

It only takes a minute to send me feedback, but it makes my whole day. Simply fill in the form below: