YOU'RE MINE, KITTEN. SAY IT.
[ 5.01 ]
"Riley, what is the point of being a giant if you can't stop your tiny girlfriend from catching the ball?" Kitty shouted, stomping her feet in the sand.
Riley simply pointed at Buffy, who was in the middle of doing a goofy victory dance with Teddy. "She's the Slayer! And what happened to you blocking Ted from throwing it?"
"The flaw is that he knows all my moves," Kitty grumbled.
"You have one move," Teddy said laughing. "It's the same move you use when fighting things — jump on their head. I learned to duck."
The summer following Adam's small war was a nice one. There was average slaying with lots of fun mixed in between.
Everyone took turns introducing Teddy to the world outside his Initiative cell, and he acclimated into human society very well. Much better than Kitty, even — it was a long time before she acted like a functioning, educated human. But she only had Giles, so it was expected to happen faster when he had so many people around him.
Like all Cupids, it was easy for Teddy to make friends. When he wasn't with Kitty, he was typically with Anya or Tara. That made Willow and Xander happy, as it made their partners feel less like outsiders. Teddy also made several friends at Willy's bar — and even became friends with Willy himself. That led to him getting a job there. He bussed tables there a few nights a week, and Giles couldn't stop smiling the day Teddy came home and said he found a job all on his own.
The absolute worst thing in the world happened on Kitty and Teddy's summer trip to LA to visit Angel and the others. Well, to Kitty, it was the worst. Teddy spent a bit too much time with Wesley, which led to him becoming a bit of a nerd — sorry, bookworm. Giles said Kitty and Xander weren't allowed to call Teddy a nerd just because he liked reading and learning when they didn't.
Thankfully, Teddy wasn't so nerdy that he couldn't enjoy a day at the beach. Though summer was nearly over, the whole gang — sans Giles — went to the beach and showed Teddy the ocean for the first time. He sort of stood on the shore, watching in silent awe for a few minutes. But then Kitty shoved him in the water, and thus began the fun.
Willow and Tara were reading while Anaya suntanned and Xander tried to get the grill going so he could cook them some burgers. Closer to the water was where a football game broke out between Buffy, Riley, Kitty, and Teddy. It had originally been couple versus Cupids, but then Buffy thought it'd be fun to play against Riley and tapped in Teddy for her partner.
With Buffy being the Slayer and Kitty being clumsy and fairly unathletic, it was obvious which team was losing. But even with them kicking their ass, Riley and Kitty were still having fun. Maybe not victory dance fun, but fun nonetheless.
"Oh yeah. Go team me!" Buffy said, giving Teddy a high-five. Then she looked at Riley and threw him the ball.
"Anybody ever tell Team Tuffy the quarterback throws like a girl?" Riley asked, using their made-up team name before throwing the ball back. Theirs was Team Captain Cupid, even though Riley's official ranking at the Initiative hadn't been Captain.
"I do?" Buffy asked with a frown.
Riley simply shrugged as if to say, "Well, yeah." Buffy looked at Teddy for help, but he could also only shrug as well. Buffy frowned again before gripping the ball tight with determination. Then she threw it at Riley much faster than usual and it hit him dead in the face, knocking him down.
"Ooh, sorry!" Buffy asked, wincing as she rushed to check on him.
Kitty and Teddy couldn't help but laugh — even Buffy was smiling after she made sure Riley hadn't broken a nose or anything.
"Now that was a killer throw," Riley said, sitting up with Buffy's help.
"No kidding," Teddy said, chuckling. Then he picked up the football, which was now deflated. "She killed the ball."
"Oops," Buffy said sheepishly.
"That's alright. Let's see if Xand's started on lunch," Kitty said, grabbing Buffy's hand and pulling her back to the others. The boys followed after.
"Game over?" Willow asked as they approached.
"Uh, Buffy slayed the football," Riley said as Teddy tossed the ball to the side.
"It's because Captain Cupid was winning," Kitty informed them while sitting on her towel.
Teddy snorted while joining her. "Yeah, right."
"Where's my burger?" Buffy asked, looking at Xander pointedly.
"Yeah, man, I'm starving," Riley said, pulling Buffy to sit on his lap. "Cow me."
"The, uh, fire's not cooperating," Xander said, struggling to get the grill to light. "It's comforting to know that I lack the culinary finesse of a caveman."
But then Willow moved her hand toward the grill while muttering a spell. "Ignis incende."
The charcoal inside burst into flames, and Xander fell backward on his ass to avoid having his eyebrows burned off. They all looked at Willow, impressed with her progress as a witch — well, maybe not Xander, who would've appreciated a warning.
"Willow, check you out! Witch-fu," Buffy said, smiling.
"It's no big," she said, shrugging. "You just have to balance the elements so when you affect one, you don't wind up causing—"
Suddenly, a huge clap of thunder interrupted her. Dark clouds rolled in out of nowhere and rain poured before they could even think about packing their things. Kitty squealed and got to her feet, grabbing as much as she could carry as they all started to run back to the car.
"I didn't do it!" Willow exclaimed. "I didn't do it!"
♡︎
The following day, Willow sat at the desk in Giles' apartment, setting up a new desktop computer, scanner, and printer for him. He asked her to do so a few weeks ago as a reluctant attempt at embracing technology.
"There you go. All set," Willow said, tapping the top of the scanner.
"Thank you, Willow. Obstinate bloody machine simply refused to work for me," he muttered before walking off to get a few books.
"Just call me the computer whisperer," she joked. Then Willow placed a test document in the scanner to see how it worked. "Let's get scannin'. I want to see this puppy go."
Giles came over with an armful of heavy books and dropped them in Willow's arms. "Start with those."
Willow scowled at the books. "Start? Where is finish?"
"Willow, it's essential that we begin archiving the library. I mean, most of these texts have no duplicates."
"But... now? Doesn't winter seem more like archiving season?" she asked. Summer was nearly over and she didn't want to spend her last free days inside.
"Well, you don't have to, Willow, I mean, you're, you're welcome to leave if, uh—"
"No. It's fine," she grumbled, sitting back down at the desk. "It's just, you've been Mr. Project all summer. You know? Labeling the amulets and indexing your diaries. I draw the line at making giant rubber band balls. That's when you'll just have to get a life."
Giles cleared his throat awkwardly and leaned against the wall of the living room. "That's what I'm trying to do, actually, is, um, get a life."
"It might go better if you left the house," Willow muttered.
"Willow, um, you mustn't repeat what I'm about to say. Especially not to Buffy, Teddy, or Kitty," he said, taking a seat.
Willow paused her work and looked at him. "Uh-oh."
"You promise?"
"Oh, god. Well, I guess. Now that I know there's something to know, I can't not know, just because I'm afraid somebody'll know I know, you know?"
Giles peered at her. "Did that mean yes?"
"Yeah."
"We're doing all this because I, I want you and the others to have everything you need at your fingertips," he explained quietly. "You see, I'm - I'm going back to England."
Willow looked at him in shock. "You're — what? But you can't! You're... Buffy's Watcher!" she exclaimed. That earned a sad sigh. "I mean, in a fired way, but—"
"Well, it's become quite obvious that Buffy doesn't need me. I - I don't say that in a self-pitying way. I'm - I'm quite proud, actually," he insisted.
"But - but what about Kitty and Teddy? Your two children? Are you gonna take them with you and away from us all?" she asked. "They can't survive without you!"
Giles smiled sadly. "I think you all underestimate the two greatly," he said. "Kitty's learned everything I could teach her, and Teddy, well, he's adjusted far better than any of us thought."
Though he'd never say it out loud, Giles was a little sad that Teddy adjusted much quicker than Kitty had — after all, who didn't like to feel needed? Even though Teddy wasn't quite as dependent on him, Giles was just as much his father as Teddy was his son and Kitty his daughter.
Sure, Xander was the one to teach Teddy how to use tools when they built the bunk beds in their room. And Buffy and Riley were the ones to teach him a few self-defense moves. Willy's the one that got him his job. What was left for Giles to do?
"Just because - because Teddy is having an easy time and Kitty can finally use the oven unsupervised doesn't mean you have to leave the country!" Willow argued. "What? You're just gonna leave them on the street and without a father?"
"Well, for starters, they won't have to share a room. I'll continue to lease the apartment for them."
"They like sharing a room! It's a sleepover every night!" Willow said, directly quoting the Cupids on that. "They need you, Giles."
The thing was that Giles genuinely didn't think they did. And Willow wasn't going to convince him otherwise.
"They need each other more than they need me," he claimed, looking down.
"But what about the rest of us?" Willow asked, still upset. "We still need to be watched! Personally, I can't get through a day without a little hairy eyeball."
Giles laughed softly. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it's, it's just not so. You'll be fine. You all will. And you know, we'll, we'll stay in touch. You can always call me whenever you like."
"When are you gonna tell them?" she asked, glancing at the stairs. Kitty and Teddy were upstairs in their room.
"Soon. It won't be easy, but, um, I know they'll understand," he said.
"Yeah, right," Willow said, scoffing. "Kitty will have a nuclear meltdown to rival a toddler."
"Yes, I can hear it now," Giles said, not looking forward to the discussion.
All talk about moving was put on hold when they heard Kitty and Teddy coming down the stairs. Kitty's head was stuck in the neck of a sweater, and Teddy was trying to pull it down while also guiding her down the stairs. Miraculously, they made it down without falling. Though the braids in Kitty's hair were demolished when she finally got the sweater on.
"Buffy said I can go on patrol, so that's where I'll be," Kitty said, pointing finger guns at Giles.
"And I'm meeting Anya. We're gonna sit and make a budget based off my paycheck," Teddy said.
Kitty scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nerd."
"You keep your money in a Scooby-Doo cookie jar," he shot back.
"That's a secret!" she hissed. "Now I've gotta find a new hiding place."
"Something tells me Willow and Giles aren't going to rob you," he said, laughing.
Kitty turned to watch them suspiciously, both of whom looked amused. "Well, I have my first suspects if even a cent goes missing."
♡︎
Kitty was happy to sit on top of a headstone and watch as Buffy fought the newly risen vampire. As usual, Buffy was taking her time, toying with the vampire and getting in plenty of witty remarks.
"Go, Buffy, go!" Kitty cheered, wishing she'd brought a snack or something. "Do a flip!"
At her request, Buffy did do a flip. Then she grabbed the vampire and threw him on the ground before staking it. Kitty clapped to hype her up as Buffy skipped happily over to the headstone she was perched on.
"Very impressive hunt," a voice said, causing Buffy to whirl around. The girls saw a tall, handsome man with pale skin and long, dark hair. He spoke with a thick accent. "Such power."
"That was no hunt. That was just another day on the job," Buffy said, eying the man that was clearly a vampire. Though his face wasn't all bumpy, his fangs were showing. "Care to step up for some overtime?"
"We're not going to fight," the man said, smirking at Buffy as he came closer.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what a Slayer is?"
"Do you?" he shot back.
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, clearly intrigued.
"I apologize. I assumed you knew," he told them. He paused almost dramatically. "I am Dracula."
"Get out!" Kitty squealed, slipping off the headstone. She excitedly swatted Buffy's arm, as if she hadn't also heard what he said. "Buff! Dracula!"
Buffy also looked delighted but wasn't nearly as easy to convince as Kitty. "So, lemme get this straight. You're Dracula." Kitty snickered when she said his name with the Transylvania accent. "The guy, the count?"
"I am," he assured them, nodding his head.
"And you're sure this isn't just some fanboy thing? Cause, I've fought more than a couple of pimply overweight vamps that called themselves Lestat," Buffy explained.
"Oh, that's definitely him, Buffy. Check the fit," she said, pointing at Dracula's elegant, ancient clothes and flowing cape. "I mean, that cloak? What is that? Silk? Velvet?" She peered at it, unable to detect what the luxurious material was in the dark.
Dracula raised an eyebrow, half in annoyance at Buffy and half amusement at Kitty. "You know who I am. As I would know without question that you are Buffy Summers," he said, coming closer. "And though I was not expecting your friend, you are a Cupid."
"You've heard of me?" Buffy asked a little bashfully. Of course, Dracula could smell Kitty's blood and be able to tell what she was. But to have heard of Buffy was a huge compliment.
"Naturally. You're known throughout the world," he told her.
"Nah," she said, shaking her head with a smile. "Really?"
"Why else would I come here? For the sun?" Dracula asked sarcastically. "I came to meet the renowned killer."
Buffy frowned at that. "Yeah, I prefer the term Slayer. You know, killer just sounds so—"
"Naked?" he interrupted.
"Like I paint clowns or something," she muttered. "I'm the good guy, remember?"
"Perhaps, but your power is rooted in darkness. You must feel it," he said. "Just as your winged friend's power is rooted in light — opposite sides of the same coin."
After a moment of pondering, Buffy looked at him. "No. You know what I feel? Bored."
Then she lunged at Dracula with her stake. Except he immediately dissolved into smoke. Buffy and Kitty looked at the place he'd been standing in confusion as he reappeared behind them. Buffy spotted him and lunged again, just for him to vanish in the same way.
"Okay, that's cheating," Buffy said, searching for Dracula.
The search was interrupted by Willow and Xander stopping by. "Hey Buff, what's up?" Xander asked, clueless to what they'd just seen.
"You look like you just—"
"Get out of here," Buffy interrupted Willow, still looking around with Kitty. "Now."
"Fine," Xander mumbled, "but I was gonna give you and Kitty a sip of my double-mint mocha, but—"
Suddenly, Dracula reappeared behind Xander and Willow. "Behind you!" Buffy said.
Willow and Xander turned and took in the fancy-looking vampire before them, having no clue about the vanishing thing. "Hi," Willow said.
"Nice. Look who's got a bad case of dark prince envy," Xander joked.
"I think it's a nice cape," Kitty chimed in. Sure, she was nervous about Dracula, but Buffy could probably handle it.
"I have no interest in you," Dracula said to Xander and Willow. "Leave us."
Xander rolled his eyes. "No, we're not going to leave you," he said, mocking his accent. "And where'd you get that accent, Sesame Street?" Then he began imitating Count von Count. "Vun, two, three — three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
"Xander," Buffy whispered, seeing the annoyance on Dracula's face growing. "I'm pretty sure that's Dracula."
"Wow, really?" he asked with wide eyes. He quickly scurried behind Buffy to hide. "Hey, sorry, man, I was... just jokin' around."
"This is not the time," Dracula declared, staring intently at Buffy. "I will see you soon."
Then he locked eyes with Kitty for a moment, and she was nearly frozen by his penetrating, hypnotizing gaze. Before any of them realized it was happening, Dracula spread his cape and ran at them, only to turn into a bat and fly over them.
Kitty ducked and squealed, keeping her hands over her head. Instead of flying away immediately, Dracula swooped down and flew around Buffy's head.
"Bat! Ooh, bat!"
♡︎
"And then Buffy's all, 'Look out!' And then frigging Dracula's standing right behind us!" Xander said, retelling his version of the story to everyone at Giles's apartment.
"And then, he lunges at us, like whoosh!" Willow said, waving her hands.
"He totally looked shorter in person," Xander added.
"I told you he'd heard of me, right? I mean, can you believe that?" Buffy asked, grinning excitedly. "Count Famous heard of me. And Kitty, too!"
"I couldn't believe it the first twenty times you told us, but it's starting to sink in now," Riley said, crossing his arms in amusement.
"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "Am I repeat-o-girl? I was just... blown away."
"Don't worry," Teddy said. "It's definitely something worth being repeat-o-girl for."
"It's not that surprising that he's heard of you, Buffy. You are the Slayer," Riley told her as if she needed reminding.
"I guess. Just - the way he said it, you know, I mean, he made it sound so..."
"Sexy?" Willow guessed with a grin. "I bet he made it sound sexy."
"Kinda. He had the dark penetrating eyes and lilty accent," Buffy told them.
"I wonder if he knows Frankenstein," Xander mused.
Tara, who had been in the kitchen fixing a soda, came and sat next to Willow while looking at her. "You thought Dracula was sexy?"
"Oh! No. He, he was... yuck!" she insisted, shaking her head.
"No, he was definitely sexy," Kitty said with a dreamy smile.
"Right, especially with the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing," Anya added. "But sure, Willow. Yucko."
Xander looked at his girlfriend questioningly. "How would you know?"
"Well, we hung out a few times. Back in my demon days, you know, once or twice. He's pretty cool," she said, sighing wistfully. Then she noticed Xander's jealous look. "You know, from, from a whole... evil thing perspective."
"Please," he scoffed. "He was no big whoop."
"No big whoop?" Willow asked. "What about that thing where he turned himself into a bat? That was awesome!"
"It must have been, yes," Giles said, smiling. "I must admit, I'm sorry I missed that."
"Me too!" Willow suddenly exclaimed, recalling their conversation from earlier. "The whole time I was thinking, 'Gosh, I wish Giles were here, he'd know what to do!'" Giles forced a smile, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. "Didn't you guys think that?"
"Actually, I was more thinking, 'Bat!'" Buffy said while wiggling her hands near her head.
"You defiantly would've wigged, G," Kitty said, grinning. "Probably would've annoyed him with a bunch of questions."
"They wouldn't be annoying questions," Teddy spoke up. "I mean, vanishing and turning into a bat? That's fascinating."
Kitty shook her head disapprovingly. "Where did I go wrong with you?" she asked, earning a playful eye roll from him.
"How come he can do that?" Xander asked, looking at Giles.
"I - I have no idea. There's a great deal of myth about Dracula. I imagine the trick to defeating him lies in separating the fact from the fiction," he told them.
"Great point!" Willow said excitedly. "That is so Giles, to think of something like that, you know. That, that we... would have never..." Willow trailed off, knowing she was making things awkward.
"So, we should take things slow with Dracula," Buffy said. "I mean, he said that we would meet again, but I would like to avoid that until we do some serious homework."
"I don't know. I mean, he may have a bunch of swell party tricks, but he's still just a vampire. I say we load up with stakes and crossbows and go after him now," Riley said, anxious to take care of him.
Xander nodded in agreement. "Second."
"No, Buffy's right," Anya said. "Dracula's too slick to fall for the usual stuff."
"So we hold off. No killing until we know exactly what we're dealing with," Buffy decided.
"You're not just saying that because of those dark penetrating eyes of his, are you?" Riley asked skeptically.
"No, his eyes were — there were - there was no penetration," Buffy said, standing in front of him. Then she got embarrassed by how she phrased that. "Cross my heart."
"All right," Giles said. "Willow, you and Tara find out everything you can about the actual legend of Vlad the Impaler on the Internet, and, uh, Teddy and I will check the library."
As everyone got up to disperse, Riley crossed his arms. "If the Initiative was still around, we'd be able to find everything on this guy in a few hours."
"We might not be as fast, but we'll find him. You guys, we'll reconvene here in the morning," Buffy instructed.
Kitty went upstairs, followed by Teddy. He glanced back at Buffy and Riley longingly. The Cupid had gotten much better at dealing with his feelings and hiding his heartbreak. It helped given how nice and welcoming Riley was. It was a little hard to hate him.
"Riley seems jealous," Teddy noted. "Was Drac really hot enough to be jealous?"
"Oh, my god, so hot, Teddy," she said, sighing dramatically. "When he looked at me, it was like... he was staring deep into my soul with these intense, dark blue eyes. I think I would've done anything he asked."
Teddy frowned at that. "Then that's probably one of his powers. Like, mind control or something."
"Well, hypnotizing is in all his movies," she said, shrugging. "So, it makes sense, I guess."
"Then you should be careful. Definitely don't go out alone at night," he said, worried about her safety. Cupids were frequent targets of random vampire attacks, so he could only imagine what would happen if Dracula decided he wanted a taste.
"Don't worry, T," she said, nudging his shoulder. "I'm not getting gobbled up any time soon."
♡︎
Instead of going home and resting as he promised Buffy, Riley stormed into Spike's crypt. No one had really seen the vampire since the fight at the Initiative. Though it was killing him, Spike was requesting Kitty's wishes and staying away — though that didn't mean he wasn't watching over her from the shadows.
Riley looked around the crypt, taking in the candles that signified Spike was home. A moment later, the vampire came out of his hiding place with a crossbow in hand. "Well, well. You can take the boy out of the Initiative, but you can't take the Initiative out of the boy."
"I'd put that down unless you're bucking for one hell of a headache," Riley said, rolling his eyes.
Spike hesitated a moment before putting the bow down, knowing he couldn't use it since Riley wasn't a demon. "I can't be too careful. I got quite a few demons after me these days."
"I'm looking for some information," he told him. "Might pay a little."
"I'll play."
"What can you tell me about Dracula?" he asked.
Spike scoffed and sat in his armchair. "Dracula? Poncy bugger owes me eleven pounds, for one thing," he said, lighting a cigarette.
"You know him?" Riley asked in disbelief.
"Know him? We're old rivals. But then he got famous, forgot all about his foes," Spike grumbled. "I'll tell you what. That glory hound's done more harm to vampires than any Slayer. His story gets out, and suddenly everybody knows how to kill us. You know, the mirror bit?"
"But he's not just a regular vampire. I mean, he has special powers, right?" Riley asked, impatient with Spike's complaining.
"Nothing but showy gypsy stuff," he said, rolling his eyes. Then he looked at Riley. "What's it to you, anyway?"
"He's in town. Making his presence known."
"Drac's in Sunnydale, way?" Spike asked, propping his feet up on a table. "I guess the old boy needed closure after all."
"Actually, he's gunning for Buffy. Maybe Kitty," Riley said. He had no idea how alarmed Spike suddenly was, who hid it well. "But I'm out to find him before he gets another shot at her."
"Tough talk, cowboy. But you're not gonna catch him napping in a crypt. No, the count has to have his luxury estate and his bug-eaters and his special dirt, don't he?" Spike said casually. But inside, his heart was metaphorically hammering, knowing what happened to those that Dracula set his sights on.
"So you're saying I should check out mansions, that sort of thing?" he asked.
"No," Spike said, getting back to his feet. "I'm saying you should go home to your superhoney. Have a nice, safe snog. You're out of your depth on this one, boy."
"You've helped Buffy before, so she has a problem with killing you now that you're helpless," Riley said, taking a seat on a stone bench. "You used to have Kitty in your corner, but she doesn't really care about you anymore. Neither do I — like you or have a problem with killing you."
Spike ignored how Riley's words hurt and faced him, keeping his expression neutral. "I'd like to see you try."
Riley slowly stood and moved in front of Spike, getting in his face. The ex-soldier was nearly a half a foot taller than Spike and didn't have a chip in his head. "Would you?"
Spike angrily looked away, knowing he couldn't win. Satisfied with his threat, Riley moved to leave. Spike called out to him before he was gone. "You're never gonna find him. Not before he gets to her."
It was after Riley was completely gone that Spike acted. He grabbed his jacket and the crossbow, needing to make sure Kitty was safe in her bed.
"What have you gotten yourself into without me?" he muttered to himself, stomping out of his crypt. "Drac's not gonna lay a damn hand on you."
♡︎
Kitty didn't know why she wasn't tucked away safely in her bed. She didn't know why she was in the cemetery they'd met Dracula in only hours ago. She also didn't know why she hadn't changed out of her skimpy, white pajamas when leaving the house, or even put on shoes.
Thick fog suddenly rolled into the graveyard, announcing his presence a moment before he appeared in front of Kitty's eyes. Dracula looked the same as he had earlier — fancy cape, handsome face, piercing eyes. Kitty found she couldn't look away.
"You are breathtaking," Dracula said, moving closer. It was almost like he was floating rather than walking.
"What are - why am I here?" Kitty asked, a small frown on her lips.
"I couldn't procure an invite as easily as I did for the Slayer's abode," he replied. "I had to meet you here."
Dracula raised a pale hand to touch the side of her forehead. His words made little sense to Kitty, who wanted to draw back but couldn't. "What do you want?"
"I have only had the privilege of meeting a creature such as yourself one other time," he said, slowly walking around her like a predator stalking its prey. Then he moved to stand behind her, his chest pressed to her back. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You are a delicacy."
Kitty's eyes fluttered shut for a moment as he gently pulled her hair to the side, exposing her neck. He paused when he spotted a barely-there scar above her collarbone. A shiver ran down Kitty's spine as he ran his thumb over it.
"You have been tasted," Dracula murmured.
Flashes of memories rushed through Kitty's mind. "He was—"
"Unworthy," Dracula interrupted.
Kitty frowned and lightly shook her head. "He w - wasn't unworthy—"
"But he let you go," he said. Dracula turned Kitty's chin so that she was looking at him. His eyes were staring into her soul, reading her. "You remember, though — the embrace, his bite. You liked it."
"Yes," Kitty admitted breathlessly.
"You crave it." His lips brushed her neck as he spoke lowly.
Kitty shut her eyes and leaned against him, already anticipating what would happen next. "Yes."
Dracula brought up a hand and wrapped it around Kitty's throat, keeping her in place even though she didn't plan to move. Then he opened his mouth, his fangs nearing her throat, ready to—
"Get your damn hands off her!"
Kitty opened her eyes with a gasp to see Spike standing across from them, a crossbow in hand. She was thrown to the side carelessly as Dracula looked at Spike, unimpressed. However, the moment she was out of the way, Spike fired the crossbow. Dracula vanished in a cloud of smoke before the wooden arrow could kill him, but he never did re-materialize.
With her head still swimming, Kitty looked at the spot where Dracula had been. But then Spike was crouching down, blocking her vision.
Kitty hadn't seen him in months but that didn't mean she hadn't thought about him each day — that she hadn't missed him. "Spike?"
"Did he hurt you?" Spike asked, frantically searching for injuries while pulling her to her feet. "Did he bite you?"
Kitty touched the side of her neck, which was bite-free. A small part of her was disappointed, just wanting to feel that same rush Spike had once given her.
"No, uh, no, you stopped him," she said, looking up at Spike. "Why'd you stop him?"
Spike frowned at that. "Because he was going to bite you?"
"Maybe I wanted him to," she said almost challengingly. "Wouldn't be the first time."
Spike scoffed, sounding almost jealous as he said, "What? You just go around baring your neck to every charming bloke that wants a taste now?"
"Well, maybe I'm just desperate to replace the feeling of your lips on my neck," Kitty said, narrowing her eyes. "At least Dracula's honest about his intentions. And he doesn't make my skin crawl. I wouldn't regret him biting me."
Kitty spun to storm off, but Spike caught her arm and pulled her against him, tossing the crossbow to the side. "Take that back," Spike said, slowly walking her backward until her back was pressed to a mausoleum. "You don't mean that."
"I don't," Kitty couldn't help but whisper softly. Dracula's eyes were nothing compared to Spike's, which were boring into her, conveying countless emotions that both had felt over the summer apart.
"You are mine to taste. Understood?" Spike said, hands on either side of her head, caging her against the stone wall. Kitty nodded, all thoughts of Dracula gone. "Say it."
"I'm yours," she murmured. "God, I've always been yours."
"Then let me taste you," he demanded, leaning closer.
Kitty couldn't find the words so she nodded desperately, a pathetic whine escaping. Spike put one hand on her waist and wound the other in her hair, tilting her head to the side, exposing her smooth neck. A gasp escaped Kitty's mouth when his cold lips kissed her skin, right over the scar from the last time.
Then as he bit her, a wave of pleasure washed over her. She sighed in contempt, which morphed into an airy moan, having almost forgotten the rush that came from a bite. Her knees buckled, and she'd have collapsed if Spike wasn't pinning her to the mausoleum.
Though Spike didn't drink from her long, he never let her go. He ran his tongue along her neck, licking away any traces of blood before continuing to kiss her skin. Everywhere he touched, she burned in the most addictive way.
He continued his assault on her neck, slowly working his way up. The most desperate sound was drawn from Kitty's lips as he scraped his teeth along her jaw, not drawing blood.
"Spike," Kitty whimpered pleadingly. "I missed you, Spike."
"You're mine, Kitten," Spike whispered, his tone thick with desire. "Say it again."
"I'm yours," she murmured, tangling her fingers in his hair, undoing the gel and freeing those curls of his. Kitty pulled him closer until their lips were an inch apart. "I'm yours. I'm yours. I'm y—"
Spike surged forward, kissing her roughly, passionately—
Kitty woke with a gasp, sitting up straight in bed. She felt suffocated by the dream, half-wishing she was still in it. Then she took several deep breaths to control herself while running a hand through her hair, pushing sweaty strands off her face.
Then that hand traveled to her lips, brushing them softly while wishing someone else was touching them. It had been months since Kitty had a dream... like that about Spike. And never had it made her heart race so much.
All thoughts of Spike's lips and wandering hands were forced from Kitty's mind as Teddy's head suddenly dropped down from the top bunk. He stared at her upside down, rubbing his tired eyes.
"You were making noises," he said flatly.
"S - sorry," she said, swallowing thickly.
Teddy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Were you having the Michael Keaton Batman sex dream again?"
When Teddy laughed, she grabbed her Love-a-Lot Bear and smacked him with it. He disappeared for a second before reappearing, still upside down as he hit her with his Lotsa Heart Elephant.
"I told you that in confidence!" Kitty hissed.
"And I'll keep your secret," he said, trying to snatch her bear and keep her from hitting him. "But I will judge you. Val Kilmer is right there."
"Kilmer? Kilmer! God, you don't even have taste!"
"Keaton is ancient!"
"Take that back!"
The fight was suddenly cut off by the bedroom door opening. An exhausted Giles stood in the doorway, glaring at them for waking him up.
"Go. To. Bed."
"Sorry, Giles."
"Sorry, G."
"And the correct answer is Adam West."
"Who the hell is Adam West?" the Cupids asked in sync.
♡︎
The next morning, everyone sat around the apartment, devouring the box of donuts that Kitty brought back from work just for the Dracula meeting. She tried to not think about the dream she had, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Spike or Dracula or both, and it was very distracting. Kitty decided to blame the concerning dream on Dracula and not any unresolved feelings surrounding Spike — those were long gone. Definitely.
"Here's a jelly one, you want it?" Riley offered to Buffy, holding it in front of her face.
Buffy pulled a somewhat bothered face, put off by the red filling that looked similar to blood. "No."
"Got it! Got it!" Xander yelled. He rushed across the room and snatched the donut from Riley's hand before he even realized he was coming. "Mine, mine."
Riley smiled as Xander nibbled at the donut and went to get a replacement one from the box. Willow, who was sitting in a chair in the corner, decided they should start the meeting.
"Well, I think we have Dracula factoids."
"Like any of that's enough to fight the dark master," Xander said, sitting on a stool. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, confused by Xander's use of the title. "...bator."
"A lot of it we already knew," Willow said, ignoring Xander and continuing. "Turnoffs: wood, fire, crosses, garlic. Turnons: nice duds, minions, long slow bites that last for days..."
Kitty subconsciously brought her hand up to her throat, tracing the faint scar from Spike.
"Yeah, I did a little research too," Riley told them. "Dracula likes to live in style. Which means we can rule out the usual dumps vampires haunt."
"Ah! But he's smart enough to figure that we probably already know that. I'm guessing he's lying low," Xander interjected.
"Actually, my research backs Riley up. Drac isn't the lay-low type," Willow said.
Giles came in from the kitchen and handed Kitty the glass of milk she'd asked for a few minutes ago. Then he sat next to her on the couch. "So we can, uh, check out the nicer places. Don't you think, Buffy?" The Slayer didn't respond right away, seeming like she was hardly paying attention. "Buffy?"
Buffy blinked a few times before tuning back in. "Yeah. We'll check all the swanky places first. What else did you guys get?"
"Well, Willow has most of it, actually," he said.
Willow sat straighter. "Only because you gave me super pointers! I never would have—"
Giles put up a hand to stop her pandering. "Just go ahead, Willow."
With a reluctant smile, Willow started reciting information. "Okay. Dracula's modus operandi is different from other vampires. He will kill just to feed, but he'd rather have a connection with his victims. And he has all of these mental powers to draw them in. He - he can read and control minds, appear in dreams."
Kitty frowned at that, remembering what Dracula had said to her in her dream. I had to meet you here. In her mind?
"Makes sense," Willow went on. "That stare... he just kinda looked right through you. Didn't you feel it, Buffy? Kitty?"
"Totally," Kitty admitted.
But Buffy paused before denying it. "No. No, I didn't."
"See!" Xander said, seeming very jittery. "Buffy didn't feel it. I think you're drawing a low of crazy conclusions about the unholy prince." Once again, they looked at him strangely for the name. "...bator."
"We'll circle back to that," Teddy said, shaking his head at Xander. He then looked back at Buffy, taking in how distracted she'd been.
"The point is, though he goes through the motions of an intimate seduction, the end result is the same. He turns them into a vampire," Giles said, looking at both Buffy and Kitty in concern. Truthfully, neither had even thought about that as a possibility.
"Well, that is intimate. Dracula's gifting these ladies with his own blood. And blood - blood is life." Yet again, no one understood why Xander was being so odd. "According to them."
Giles peered at him for another moment before moving on. "Um, just be aware that he, he tends to form a relationship with his prey. It's not enough for him to take her. She must want to be taken. She must... burn for him."
Kitty was definitely burning in that dream, but not necessarily for Dracula.
"That's... interesting," Buffy said, fiddling with the scarf around her neck. "I'm gonna go find him."
As Buffy started to leave, they all got up. Riley stopped her. "You shouldn't go by yourself, Buffy. I mean, this guy's seriously dangerous."
"Riley's right," Teddy said, not wanting her in more danger than normal.
"It's cool, I got it," she assured them.
As Buffy walked out the door, Teddy narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm like eighty percent sure she's under the thrall of the dark prince."
That was enough to get Riley moving, who chased after Buffy and grabbed her arm to stop her. "Hey. Take off that scarf."
"What? No," she said, putting a hand over her scarf.
"Ted's right!" Riley said in disbelief. "You're under the thrall of the dark prince!"
"I am not under the thrall of the dark prince," Buffy said, scoffing. "Theo, you're insane."
Teddy and Riley shared a look. "Then take off the scarf," Riley told her.
"Oh, let go of me! This is ridiculous," she said, trying to break her arm out of Riley's grasp.
They all watched as Riley ripped off the scarf. On the side of her neck were two fresh puncture wounds from the bite of a vampire. Knowing that she'd been caught, Buffy moved to sit on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Giles asked, somewhat disapprovingly.
"Cause she didn't want to worry us, right Buffster?" Xander asked, shrugging. "It's nothin'. Just a scratch."
"Two deep, puncture-y scratches," Willow muttered.
Buffy looked up at Riley apologetically. "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it. Uh, there was just this voice, and it was, it was telling me to cover it."
"That's what I call thrall," Teddy said, looking at the others. Then he smiled cutely. "That rhymed."
"You're saying Dracula has some sort of freaky mind control over her?" Xander asked. "You're watching too many creature features, man."
"But it does seem like he has this control over me," Buffy admitted, "even though a big part of me is resisting."
"No, that's okay," Riley told her. "I shouldn't take this personally. I mean, what with Angel, I mean, it's understandable that there would be transference. I mean, they're both broody immortals."
"I am not transfer-y," Buffy said firmly. Just the implication got on her nerves. "I swear to you. I'm your girl, and I'm gonna stay that way."
Kitty smiled sympathetically at Teddy, who only shrugged. He was getting used to it and the feelings that came with the bitch that was unrequited love. He'd take Buffy's friendship over nothing.
"Okay," he said, accepting the answer. "But you are not going anywhere near him again."
"Uh, Riley's right, you should - you should stay out of sight. Let the rest of us look for Dracula," Giles said.
"I can't go home. He already got inside once," she informed them.
"You can come over to my place. I'll make sure you stay put," Xander offered.
"Good. Um, Riley and I can, uh, can search for Dracula, and Willow, you and Tara could uh, could do a protection spell on Buffy's mother's house, and prevent him from returning," Giles instructed.
"Got it," Willow said, nodding. Then she looked at Buffy. "How'd he get inside anyway?"
"Probably Joyce," Kitty spoke up. In her dream, Dracula mentioned getting invited into Buffy's home. "I'd invite him in too if I didn't know any better."
"It's most likely," Giles agreed. "Kitty, why don't you and Teddy search the cemeteries? It seems Dracula has fully shifted his focus onto Buffy, what with biting her. I suspect you'll be in the clear, at least while he's going after her."
"Nice to know he's not a two-timer," Kitty joked. Perhaps she should've told them about the dream — let Teddy know that it wasn't about Michael Keaton — but something inside her wanted to keep it a secret. It wasn't that same voice telling Buffy to hide her bite. No, it was a selfish voice that wanted to keep those thoughts of Spike all to herself.
If she couldn't have him in real life, she could have him in dreams.
♡︎
"Oh, shit," Teddy said, coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the cemetery.
Kitty looked around anxiously, not particularly wanting to stop in this graveyard. Spike's crypt, which she'd avoided for months, was only a few yards away. "Why the 'oh, shit?'" she asked.
"I think Xander is also under the thrall of the dark prince," he told her.
Kitty frowned, thinking it over. "Interesting. Show your work."
"For starters, he called him the dark master," he reminded her. "And the unholy prince. He wasn't near as wigged about Dracula biting Buffy as we were. Plus, I think I saw him eat a bug."
"Damn," Kitty muttered. "Yeah, oh, shit, I guess."
"Okay, uh, I'm gonna run to Xander's and warn Buffy and Anya," Teddy told her. He looked at the sky, which had just begun to grow dark as the sun set. "You try and find Giles and Riley. You got the list of places to check?"
She pulled out said list and nodded. "Got it. Be careful if you find Xander. We don't actually know what he'll do under this... thrall."
The two Cupids then split up, Teddy running as fast as he could to try and stop Xander from doing something drastic. Kitty peered down at the list, trying to think of the best place to go first. There was no telling what abandoned mansion Dracula was staying at.
Then a feeling of deja vu washed over Kitty as a thick fog rolled in the very moment the sun disappeared. She slowly turned in a circle, searching until her eyes landed on the ancient vampire that appeared out of thin air. He didn't look the same as he did in her dream — he'd changed clothes, but the piercing stare was still the same.
"You lost the cape," Kitty said, her chest feeling tight all of the sudden.
"You are breathtaking," Dracula said, moving closer. He floated toward her, paying no mind to the drops of rain that began to fall.
"What are - why am I here?" She frowned, not having meant to say the same thing from her dream. This was all too familiar, though it wasn't raining in her dream. "I mean, what do you want? The Slayer isn't here."
"She'll be brought to me in time," he said, slowly walking around Kitty as he watched her like a predator stalking its prey. Too similar. "I have only had the privilege of meeting a creature such as yourself one other time." Then Dracula moved to stand behind her, his chest pressed to her back. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You are a delicacy."
It was just like the dream, and Kitty found she couldn't even think of running away. She could only let him pull her hair to the side, exposing her neck, exposing Spike's mark.
"You have been tasted," Dracula murmured.
Too much like the dream. "He was—"
"Unworthy," Dracula interrupted.
Too much like the dream. "He w - wasn't unworthy—"
"But he let you go," he said. Dracula turned Kitty's chin so that she was looking at him. His eyes were staring into her soul, reading her every thought — seeing just how much she craved a bite, even if not from him. "You remember, though — the embrace, his bite. You liked it."
"Yes," Kitty admitted breathlessly. God, yes. Too much like the dream.
"You crave it." His lips brushed her neck as he spoke lowly.
Adrenaline rushed through Kitty as she shut her eyes and leaned against him, whether anticipating the actual bite or what happened in her dream, she didn't know. "Yes."
Dracula brought up a hand and wrapped it around Kitty's throat, keeping her in place even though she didn't plan to move. Then he opened his mouth, his fangs nearing her throat, ready to—
"Get your damn hands off her!"
Just like the dream.
Kitty's eyes flew open to see Spike standing across from them, a crossbow in hand. Instead of letting Dracula toss her aside like in the dream, Kitty ripped herself from his grasp. Then Spike took the opening and fired the crossbow.
Just like in the dream, Dracula vanished in a cloud of smoke and didn't return. But a voice in Kitty's head promised to return for her once the Slayer was his as well.
"Spike?" Kitty stared at him, not quite sure what to actually say. How could she know what to say when they hadn't seen each other for months?
"Did he hurt you?" Spike asked, coming closer. Too much like the dream. "Did he bite you?"
Kitty touched the side of her neck, which was bite-free. "No, uh, no, you stopped him," she said, looking up at Spike. This couldn't be like the dream. "Thank you."
"Couldn't let him nab you right outside my crypt," he said, shrugging in an attempt to seem like he didn't care. "Slayer would have my head if so."
"I - I think she'll be a little busy tonight," Kitty said quietly. Then she shivered, the cold from the rain sinking in. She quickly wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm, though it was no help as her shirt was soaked through.
Spike noticed and tried to not focus on how the white t-shirt clung to her skin. "Let me — uh, I can get you a dry shirt, if you want. Wait the rain out and go home."
Though home wasn't far at all from Spike's crypt, Kitty found herself nodding. It was silent as they hurried to the mausoleum, not wanting to waste more time in the rain. By the time they arrived, Kitty was freezing and welcomed the warmth from all the candles that were lit.
She took a moment to look around. Spike had really improved things in the crypt — there was more furniture, nice rugs, and it seemed like he'd opened up the closed-off stairwell that led to the lower level of the crypt.
Then Kitty watched as Spike searched for a shirt on the other side of the crypt. The rain caused his hair to curl in the most adorable way — a thought she quickly scolded herself for thinking it.
She wasn't expecting for him to remove his own shirt, though it made sense as his clothes were wet too. Kitty didn't avert her eyes as she probably should have, watching the contours of his back move as he stretched the tight black t-shirt over his head. But she did look away just as he turned around, not wanting to be caught.
"Here," Spike said, coming back over. He had his favorite — and Kitty's — red button-up in hand, holding it out to her.
"Thanks," Kitty said softly. She didn't fully face him as she took it — after all, white t-shirt and rain didn't mix. But before she complexly turned back away from him, she caught his eye. "I, uh, I've missed you."
It was a start.
"I missed you too," Spike said, hope shining in his eyes. Hope that he could somehow stitch things back together now that Kitty had taken her time.
Kitty managed a small smile before turning her back to him. She wasn't sure if he averted his eyes, but she was too shy to double-check before pulling her shirt off.
If she had double-checked, she'd know Spike's eyes were glued to her. His gaze followed the ends of her shirt as it went up and up, exposing more of her smooth back, not an inch hidden from him given her lack of bra.
Kitty could feel his eyes on her back — specifically on her upper back. She knew what he was looking at, and that caused her to pause her movements, looking down at the red shirt in hand. It wasn't like Kitty completely swore off tank tops and dresses that exposed her back, but Spike had never seen the result of Angelus' torture.
Spike dared to come closer, testing the waters. Kitty could feel his needless breath on the back of her neck. Then she tensed as his fingertips brushed one of the two large scars that adorned her skin. But after a second, she relaxed without even meaning to. It was easy to relax when his touch was so gentle and comforting — so familiar.
"I'm sorry," Spike whispered, an undetectable emotion in his tone.
"You're not the one that did it, Spike," she said quietly.
"Not just for not stopping this," he said. As his finger ran down the center of Kitty's spine, her eyes fluttered shut. "For all of it — Adam, lying to you, putting you in danger."
"I'm over it," Kitty admitted. It was just hard to take that first step and come find Spike to tell him she was over it. It seemed Dracula helped her out.
Kitty took a small step forward, causing him to drop his hand to his side. Then she carefully slipped Spike's shirt over her shoulders, doing her best to not pathetically inhale the smell of him that clung to it. She buttoned most of the buttons before turning to face him.
"Thank you for, uh, this," she said, glancing down. "I mean, I can't get sick, but I definitely would've been uncomfortable."
"It's no trouble," he told her, shaking his head. Spike's eyes took in the sight of her in his shirt, so long that it covered her shorts. His mind cruelly wished that his shirt was all that she was wearing. To ease some of those thoughts, he reached out and buttoned one more button to cover more of her chest.
Kitty's eyes followed the movement of his fingers, biting her lip nervously — she blamed the nervousness on the aftereffects of Dracula's thrall instead of the real reason.
"Your nails," she noted, eying his nails that lacked black polish.
"Ah, haven't had the time," he lied. Spike hadn't painted them all summer. Each time he tried, he was filled with images of Kitty painting Teddy's nails for him — even if she'd only done it the one time to teach him.
"I could... come over tomorrow. Do it for you if that's okay?" Kitty offered. She didn't use to ask, she'd just show up, and he loved how comfortable she was around him.
"You're always welcome, Kitten," Spike said, managing a small smile. He only hoped she'd show. "You, uh, caught up on Passions?"
"Oh, god! Can you believe what that bitch Ethan did on Tuesday's episode?"
"Who does he think he is? Breaking off the wedding mid-ceremony and proposing to Theresa in front of everyone?"
"Right? Can you say 'tacky?'"
♡︎
At the end of it all, Dracula wasn't dead, but he at least knew not to show his handsome face in Sunnydale again. There had been a big showdown at a castle — yeah, a castle just appeared — and Buffy came out on top. Xander was also no longer under the thrall of his dark master.
Xander came by the apartment and gave Kitty a big long speech about how he didn't want to be the one that got hypnotized or turned into a hyena or got syphilis. Of course, those weren't things they could take actual, preventative measures against.
But Xander's whining about having to eat bugs aside, all was well once more. Though Kitty wasn't advertising it to the gang, she was slowly easing back into her friendship with Spike. They'd find out soon though, as she was already happier with him back in her life for one night.
The following afternoon, Giles surprised Buffy and the two Cupids by asking them to meet with him.
"You wanted to see me?" Buffy asked as she walked into the apartment.
"Us," Teddy informed her from his spot on the couch.
It was time for Giles to tell the three of them of his plans to return to London. He couldn't trust Willow to keep the secret much longer, and they deserved to hear it from him.
"Yes. Thanks for coming. Can I offer you some tea?" Giles offered.
"Oh, no, thanks." But Buffy did swipe a cookie off the coffee table before sitting next to Teddy. "Ooh, cookies. How come we rate the little cookie treatment?"
"He's being suspicious," Kitty told her from her spot curled up in the recliner.
"Well, actually, I have something to tell you all," he said, coming over with the teapot. Teddy signaled that he wanted a cup.
"Actually, I have something that I'd like to talk to you about, too," Buffy told him.
"Oh, well, you go first, by all means."
"No, go ahead."
"No, I insist."
"Someone go," Kitty mumbled restlessly.
After a moment, Buffy nodded and focused on Giles. "You haven't been my Watcher for a while. I haven't been training and I haven't really needed to come to you for help."
"I agree," Giles said sadly.
Buffy made a few gestures, not sure how to put this. Then she got up and started pacing the room. "And then this whole thing with Dracula, it made me face up to some stuff. Ever since we did that spell where we called on the first slayer, I've been going out a lot." That made them all look at her in surprise, thinking it had been a Slayer-light summer. "Every night."
"Patrolling?" Teddy asked for clarification.
"Hunting," she said, sounding almost ashamed. "That's... what Dracula called it. And he was right. He understood my power better than I do. He saw darkness in it." They could tell by Giles' face that he was mildly concerned by this as Buffy sat back down. "I need to know more. About where I come from, about the other Slayers. I mean, maybe - maybe if I could learn to control this thing, I could be stronger, I could be better. But... I'm scared. I know it's gonna be hard. And I can't do it without you. I need your help. I need you to be my Watcher again."
Through Buffy's speech, Giles had continued to grow more and more worried about where she was going with this, but his frown vanished the second she asked him to be her Watcher. Kitty had a giddy, excited smile on her face, knowing how much Giles had missed it.
When he didn't respond right away, Buffy laughed nervously. "Boy, I just, I just keep talking, don't I? I'm sorry, you - you had something you wanted to say?"
"No, it's nothing," he said, smiling. He wouldn't be leaving after all. Buffy seemed relieved at that.
"What do you mean, nothing?" Kitty asked, sighing as if she was greatly inconvenienced. "I got out of bed for this."
"Right," Giles said, trying to come up with a lie on sight. His eyes fell on Teddy. "Well, uh, um, Th - Theodore! Yes. Uh, it seemed Wesley lit a bit of a spark in him—"
"The nerd spark," Kitty said under her breath.
"So, get this," Teddy said, giving Kitty a pointed look. "You know Michael Keaton? Well—"
"You're not a nerd!" Kitty quickly said, not wanting any Batman sex dreams to be revealed. "He's just super smart. It's a quality that's to be respected and treasured. Uh, go on, G."
Giles rolled his eyes playfully at the siblings. "As Teddy has also shown interest in self-defense techniques, perhaps he could train with us."
"Oh, that'd be great," Teddy said, sitting forward excitedly. "And then in the rest of your free time, you can teach me more Watcher stuff. No offense to Wesley, but you're way smarter than him."
"Oh, you'd be a little Watcher in training!" Buffy said, grinning. She loved the idea, especially since none of her other friends took a specific interest in Slayer things.
"Legally speaking, that means you have to talk with a British accent," Kitty chimed in. Giles and Teddy shot Kitty the same, unimpressed look. She pointed at them. "You've already got the 'Kitty, Xander, that's not funny' look down!"