Under My Skin

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Happyverse Series: Part 11/15

AUTHOR: JodyorJen
EMAIL: jodyorjen@yahoo.com
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Xander, Dawn/Other, Anya/Giles
DISCLAIMER: All hail Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX , Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. GO team!
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Part 11: Under My Skin

Giles took a healthy swig of Scotch. His fingers caressed the wood of the bar as he gazed into the distance, his brow furrowed. Willow came up behind him. "Giles?"

He pasted a smile on his face and turned around. "Hello."

"We're going to give this dinner thing a try one more time," she explained. "Buffy wants us to meet back in the restaurant."

"Terrific," he replied. "I'll be right there." She left. He held up his glass to the bartender. "I would like another, please."

Tara opened the door to her suite and revealed Xander. "Anya's in the shower," she explained. She wore a black slip dress and small heels, her hair pulled back with a headband.

"Tell Buffy that we'll be down in a minute," he said. He walked through the living room and into Anya's bedroom as Tara closed the door behind her. He leaned over and picked up a dress from the floor and folded it. Something slid into his palms. It looked like a large patch of skin. He recoiled and dropped it on the bed.

In her bathroom, Dawn plaited her hair into two long braids and tied a satin bow at each end. She wore a long, white chiffon dress with a scooped neckline and small puffed sleeves. Her reflection in the mirror reflected a perfect porcelain doll, her blue eyes large and empty. "It's Buffy's little sister," she said mockingly. "So innocent in every way." With a shriek, she picked up her hairbrush and threw it at her mirror.

Buffy and Spike sat at their table at the Blue Note. "Please bring us a bottle of Chateau Lafitte and another of sparkling cider," said Aurelius to the waiter. He turned to Buffy. "Would you care for caviar?"

She smiled. "I've never had it before, but I'd love to try some."

"I'm not sure you'll like it," said Spike. "It's really salty. Not to mention fishy."

"I'll try anything once," she replied. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

Dawn came in and scanned the tables for her friends. She spotted Spike, and her jaw dropped when she saw Aurelius next to him.

Buffy spied her sister. "Dawn! We're right here!" she called as she waved her over. She turned to Aurelius with a smile. "That's my baby sister," she explained.

Dawn walked over, her eyes locked on the dark figure next to Spike. He turned around with a polite smile. His eyes widened as he saw her. She came up to the table and stood in front of him. They gazed at each other, stunned. "You are Spike's little bit," he said in disbelief. "You're the niblet."

Spike laughed and patted his shoulder. "You wouldn't believe the trouble one girl can get into, Marcus."

Anya walked out of her bathroom with her hair up in a towel. Her naked body glistened with droplets of water. "An!" Xander shouted. "What the hell?" She whirled around to face him. He stared at her smooth flat belly. "What happened to you?" he said in disbelief.

She pulled the towel off her head and wrapped it around herself. "I can explain, Xander."

He held up the piece of skin in his hand. "Does it have something to do with this?" He walked over to her and pulled off the towel. She struggled against him, but he succeeded in smoothing the skin against
her belly. He stepped back and watched her breasts grow full, her nipples darken and her abdomen bulge out. "You lied to me," he said in disbelief. "You lied about the baby?"

"I had too, Xander," she said desperately. "I just wanted to keep you, to have a normal human life with you."

"So you used some kind of spell to deceive me? Is that part of the normal human experience from your twisted perspective?" he spat out.

"All I wanted to do was make you happy," said Anya desperately. "I knew that things would be better when we got married. You just needed to feel secure."

"What did you think would happen when you were pregnant and no baby ever appeared?" he asked angrily.

"I hoped that I would get pregnant," she said. "I threw the pills away a few months ago, but nothing has happened yet. I think you might be sterile." He stared at her, appalled. "But I was going to get a baby Derwina demon," she said soothingly. "They look just human infants, and grow up just like they do. You never would have known."

"How could you do that to me?" he asked. "How could you lie to me, steal my future, bind me to something like you?"

"I love you," she said earnestly. "I just want to be with you."

"You don't know what love is," he said passionately. "Love isn't about making people do what you want them to do." He paused. " I don't love you, Anya. I thought I did. But I don't have any respect for you." She stared at him, stunned. "At least now I know the truth," he said. "And the truth is that you may look like a human, but inside you're all demon." He slammed the door shut behind him.

Tara walked past the bar. A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Are you feeling better?" Willow asked earnestly.

"I need to be honest with you," said Tara. "I wasn't sick. I was doing a spell."

"There seems to be a bit of that going around," said the redhead. "You missed this spell, everyone was kissing..." She stopped and looked at the other girl guiltily.

"I did that spell." Tara took a deep breath and let go of Willow's hand. "And it wasn't the only one."

"You must just love living here," said Buffy. "It's so exciting. There's always something going on."

Aurelius took a sip of his champagne. "It's a vibrant place. That's one of the reasons that it attracted me. It's so vital, so flooded with life." Buffy looked uncomfortable and looked away. "I don't feed off the unwilling," he said softly. He looked at her with an intense brown gaze. "I'm sure that Spike already told you that, Slayer, or you wouldn't consent to be sitting here with me now."

"I'm sorry," she said awkwardly. "I'm not really used to socializing with vampires."

"And yet you've chosen to marry one," he said coldly. Spike looked back and forth between the two of them. Dawn kept her eyes focused on her plate as she separated a pile of caviar into rows with her
knife. Giles walked over to the table, and Xander came in right behind him.

"Where's Anya?" asked Buffy as they sat down.

"She's." both men began. They exchanged a look. Giles looked away and poured himself a glass of champagne.

"She's upstairs." Xander paused. "She's not feeling well right now."

"There must be something going around," said Buffy. Willow and Tara walked in and sat down at the table. "This is as good as it's going to get. Let's eat."

"Everyone, this is Marcus," said Spike. They introduced themselves all around.

"We've met," said Tara with a smile. "Mr. Aurelius was very helpful earlier." The dark haired vampire motioned to the waiter and he brought them each a large menu.

"Can you please bring me a Scotch?" Giles asked him.

"I'd like a double vodka on the rocks," said Xander.

"Rum and Coke," said Dawn. Everyone turned and stared at her. "I mean a diet Coke," she said lamely.

Buffy glared at her and then turned to Aurelius. "This is your restaurant, what do you recommend?" she asked.

"The prime rib is excellent, as is the osso buco. If you're in the mood for seafood the Chilean sea bass is quite good," he replied. The waiter returned with their drinks.

"You're the owner of the restaurant?" asked Giles politely. "It's very beautiful."

"Thank you. I wanted to capture the feel of a club in Paris I frequented back in the thirties."

Giles looked at him. "You're a vampire." Dawn turned and stared at Aurelius.

Aurelius raised his eyebrows. "Yes."

"And your name is Marcus.Aurelius?" asked the watcher.

"That would be correct," he said with a challenging look.

Giles looked over at Buffy, who chatted with Tara. He caught Spike's gaze. The blonde vampire nodded. "How very interesting," said the Englishman as he drained his Scotch. They made their selections and
ordered.

The band took the stage and began to play "I've Got You Under My Skin". Xander stood up abruptly and held out his hand to Willow. "Let's dance," he said seriously. Both witches gave him a startled glance. The redhead met his gaze and took his hand. He led her through the sea of dancing couples on the dance floor, and brought them to the edge of the stage. They moved into each other and swayed to the music.

"I thought you didn't want to dance with me in front of everyone," she said.

"Anya's been lying to me," he said. "She's not pregnant."

She looked shocked. "But the sickness, the way she looked."

"Some kind of spell," he explained.

"Tara did a little spell herself," she said. "That's what started this thing between you and I." She looked away. "It was just a little magical wackiness. It didn't mean anything."

He gently pulled her chin and forced her to look at him. "No, no," he said adamantly. "What we have, it's not just a spell. I'm in love with you."

She looked relieved. "I'm in love with you too. And the spell is over and done." They were quiet for a minute as they considered that. "Tara and I split up."

"I'm sorry," Xander said sincerely. "It wasn't because of us, because of this?"

She shook her head. "Things are different. Something broke between us, and it just wasn't the same."

They looked at each other, realization dawning. "We can be together now," said Xander jubilantly. He picked her up and swung her around. The couples around them scurried out of their way. She laughed,
breathless. He pulled her close and they kissed, a fervent one full of love and promise. He cupped her face in his hands as she smiled at him. "Marry me," he said.

Spike and Buffy danced together. "This is better," she sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. "All this craziness has worn me out."

He rubbed her abdomen. "You should rest, Buffy. You have to take care of Tinkerbell."

"I need to go out later," she said tiredly. "For the bachelorette party. They're kind of not so fun when the guest of honor is in her room sleeping."

He stroked her back and kissed her forehead. "If it was up to you, pet, what would you do tonight?"

She smiled. "I'd have a nice, hot bubble bath, and then eat chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream while you rubbed my feet."

He laughed. "You're the bride, sweetheart. This wedding, its all about us. We should do whatever we want."

She lifted up her head. "But you have to go out with the guys. It's your last night as a bachelor. You're supposed to go get drunk and look at naked women."

"I'd rather just sip on some champagne and look at you," he said sincerely. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed.

"I must say, Tara," said Aurelius. "I wouldn't have been so quick to help you get your spell components if I knew the affects that it would have."

"The spell went wonky," said Tara. "I wasn't trying to cause a big orgy or anything."

"It was an extremely stupid and dangerous thing to do," said Giles harshly. "I had no idea you were capable of doing anything half so rash." Stunned, Tara burst into tears and ran out of the room.

"That was very sensitively done," commented Aurelius.

"Bollocks, " said Giles as he threw down his napkin. He got up and left the room.

Aurelius looked across the table at Dawn. She fiddled with her napkin, folding it onto a fan. "Alone at last," he said. She looked up.

"I don't have anything to say to you," she said in a clipped tone. Quick as a flash, he was at her side, her wrist held in a firm grasp.

"Come with me now," he said as he gazed down at her. Captivated, she followed him. He held her wrist as he propelled her through the across the dance floor and down a hallway. He scanned a security badge on a door and pulled her in. He flung her onto a couch and strode to an empty desk.

"You're so very lovely," he said meaningfully. "I haven't been so moved by a human being in centuries." He looked at her, his eyes warm and soft. "Your beauty drew me in, and your laughter filled me like wine." He leaned against the desk as he pulled something from his breast pocket and flung it at her. She caught it in her hand. It was her fake ID, with her picture and her sister's name.

He stalked towards her. Her fingers gripped the cushions but she didn't move. "My heart ached when I found out you were to be married." He sat down next to her and their thighs touched. "Married to my friend, and pregnant with his child."

Dawn gulped. "I didn't mean to..." Her voice broke off as he rubbed his finger lightly across her lips. He traced their outline sensuously.

"I preferred the costume you had on earlier," he said as he slipped the bow off the end of her braid. His fingers quickly separated the strands and her hair waved over her shoulder and down her breast. He
slid his hand across her chest and made her gasp. He seized the other braid and freed her hair from it. "I prefer the siren to the innocent," he said in a low voice. He ran both hands through her hair, making her moan and throw back her head.

"I need to touch you," she whispered. She pulled him to her, and pressed her mouth to his. He growled and pressed her close. They embraced with passion as their mutual desire overwhelmed them.

He broke away. "You like to play games, you like to wear masks," he said quietly. He brought forth his beast, and showed her his demon. "I know all about that," he said.

She stared at him. "I'm not afraid of you," she said firmly. She licked his bottom lip, and he opened his mouth with a sigh. She impaled her tongue on his fang, and her blood flowed into his mouth. She held his face tightly as he sucked her essence into his mouth.

"You're insane," laughed Willow. He pulled her close to him.

"I'm serious. Will you marry me?" he looked at her intently as he waited for her answer.

"We can't," she said.

"Why not?" he asked. "We're in Las Vegas, the land of weddings. We can go get a license, proceed to the chapel of your choice and do it." He looked at her seriously. "I have never wanted anything so much as this. And you want to, I know you want to." She shook her head in denial. "You're making that face that you think is a poker face but its not because I can read you like a book," he blurted out. "I love you. You love me. I need you, and you need me too. Take a gamble, and I'll make you happy for the rest of your life."

Giles rapped on Tara's door. Anya opened it. Her face was puffy from crying, and her hair was a mess. She was dressed only in a white terry bathrobe. "Anya? What's wrong?" asked Giles. She rested her head on his chest and began to sob. He carried her into the suite. He sat down on the couch, and rocked her gently as she let it all out. After a while, she calmed down. "Why don't you wash up," said Giles, as he tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear, "and you can tell me all about it." She nodded, and wandered to her room. He waited patiently on the couch. Shortly, she returned, with a freshly washed face and combed hair. She sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

"Xander broke up with me," she said, her voice barely in control.

"You told him the pregnancy was a deception?" he asked, his voice gentle.

She nodded. "He was very angry. " She sighed. "I don't get it. Doesn't every human want to be married, to have a family? I still don't understand what I did that was so wrong."

"I understand that you had the best of intentions," said Giles delicately. "But you expressed them in a way that betrayed him, that violated the most sacred places of his heart."

Anya looked sick. "Would it really be so hard to love me, to want to have a child with me?"

Giles looked at her, his eyes soft. "No, Anya, a man would be lucky to have your love."

She began to cry again. "He said that he never loved me. He said that I was nothing but a demon." She covered her face and sobbed.

He pulled her into his arms again. "You're not a demon, you're a girl," he said. "You're just a bewildered, confused, lost girl." He kissed her forehead gently. His eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

Tara came in the door of the suite. Giles quickly put Anya down and stood up. "She's upset," he said hurriedly. "I was just comforting her because Xander broke up with her."

"But she's having his baby, " said Tara guardedly.

"I'm not," said Anya as she sniffled. "I lied to him and that's why he broke up with me."

"Oh," said Tara slowly. "I can understand that." She walked to her room and began to pack.

"I'm so sorry about what I said," said Giles as he stood in her doorway. "Please don't leave on account of my outburst."

"You were right," said Tara. "I had no business doing the spell. I have no business being here at all. I nearly ruined Buffy's wedding."

"What will ruin the wedding," said Giles, "is for you to leave before it even happens. Buffy loves you, and so do we all. We want you here." He took her hand and led her in the other room. "That goes for you, too, Anya. We've all been together through the very worst of times. We owe it to Buffy to be there for the best of them."

"Where did everybody go?" asked Buffy, as Spike led her to the empty table.

"Las Vegas seems to have made this lot a bit antsy," said Spike with a smile. "Aurelius is probably checking on the food, and everyone else is back in that throng on the dance floor," he said as he
gestured over his shoulder.

"Please make love to me," pled Dawn, as Aurelius buried his face in her shoulder. His thumb brushed over her clitoris as they writhed naked on the floor.

`I can't," he panted. "We have to stop. This is wrong, we can't do this."

"Take me," she asked again as she breathed heavily. "I want you so much."

"You're too young, and your sister will kill me if Spike doesn't do it first," he said. He pulled his hand away and turned from her.

"I'll kill you if you don't," she snapped. She rolled on top of him and grabbed his cock in her hand.

"I have ruled over millions of people," he hissed. "I have lived for a thousand years. I will not be bested by a little girl."

Her eyes blazed. "Don't you ever call me that again," she said through her teeth, as she moved up suddenly and brought herself down onto his hard shaft.

Giles, Anya and Tara walked into the restaurant. "This place is really jumping," remarked Anya as she took in the crowded tables and packed dance floor. They made their way to the table. "Ooh, caviar," she said as Spike pulled out a chair for her.

"I'm glad that you're here," said Buffy with a smile. "We now have the full Scooby gang in attendance."

Anya served herself as large dollop of caviar. "Giles, can you pour me a glass of champagne?" she said.
He did so and handed it to her with a smile. He watched her as she brought the flute to her lips and drank a large sip.

"Wow!" she said. "That is the most amazing thing I have ever had in my mouth."

Giles laughed, a loud boisterous one that made everyone turn to look at him. "Pardon me," he said. "It just struck me as quite funny."

Willow and Xander came back to the table. He glared at Anya, but didn't say anything. She slipped something in his pocket as he passed by her. The waiter brought their food just as Aurelius and Dawn
emerged from the dance floor. "Took her for a spin, did you?" asked Spike with a grin. "The girl has some amazing moves."

"Indeed she does, " said Aurelius, as he helped Dawn into her seat.

They ate quietly for a few minutes. "I have an announcement to make," said Buffy. They all turned to look at her. "As much as I hate to say it, being pregnant is making me a bit tired. So Spike and I are going to forgo the usual bachelor festivities and hang out alone tonight."

Willow and Xander exchanged a look. Dawn licked her lips as she stared at Aurelius. Giles watched Anya from the corner of his eye. "I'm sure we'll find something to do," said Tara with a smile.

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JodyorJen - jodyorjen@yahoo.com