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Chapter Ten

Buffy didn't want to get up, didn't want to eat, didn't want anything.
Joyce had read the letter that Spike had left for her and now she was worried about Buffy.
Her feelings had been right, Buffy was in love with Spike and he loved Buffy.
Joyce tried again and heard something hit the other side of the door as her daughter shouted "Go Away!"
Being the worrier that she was, Joyce rang Giles to inform him of the situation and that Buffy was hiding in her room and refusing to eat . Giles accepted that she may not be on form and it was better to keep her at home for the time being.


Giles threw his glasses on the table and poured a large drink. His Slayer was grieving for the vampire and was in no fit state to patrol. He rang the gang and they turned up, worried about Buffy and about the hell mouth, with Buffy crying over Spike , the hell mouth would be unprotected. Never a good thing.It didn't take long for news like that to go through the grapevine and that is when you get idiots that want to end the world settling in for good.

Willow had suggested two spells, one that would make Buffy forget that she loved Spike, thus getting the Slayer back on track and doing her duty. The other was to do a glimmer on one of the gang and giving them Slayer strength to go with it.

Tara didn't think it was a good idea and she said that supporting Buffy would help get her back in fighting form faster. She had a point but it could take weeks to get their Buffy back, it only takes a few minutes for something to open up the mouth of hell and wipe out the world as they know it.

Xander didn't hide his feelings or views, he just said that he was glad and if it took Buffy til she was forty to get over the peroxide prick, it wouldn't stop the way he felt.

Everyone else kept their views to themselves.

By the evening Buffy was sat in bed looking out of her window.
Why is it everyone has a someone when your all alone? Doesn't it feel like the cosmos is rubbing your nose in it, it's like it's saying a big na na na na nah at you. She read the letter again and fresh tears filled her eyes .
I can't be weak , I have a job to do and people to save
Reluctantly Buffy rose off the bed and went into the bathroom.
She came back into her room ten minutes later, freshly showered and she dressed ready for a patrol.


Spike sat on the train and opened the thick curtain now that the sun had set. The woman that sat opposite had given him some choice looks when he insisted on keeping the curtain closed as he had a migraine. He had tried to sleep, but the woman's son was annoying and kept throwing his toy plane at Spikes head and poking his tongue out. Spike tried to ignore the boy.That made it worse. The woman had dropped off leaving the brat child unsupervised and the boy had gotten brave. He took the straw from his drink and some paper and decided it made a great spit wad shooter. The kid was a good aim and Spike, sort of, respected that.He gave a warning growl but the boy must have been deaf as he didn't pay any attention. Spike shrugged.The balls of wet paper were getting boring , so the boy returned to throwing the Styrofoam and plastic plane. Once to the head, twice in the chest and once in the groin, the little git was walking a fine line with that one. Spike dropped off to sleep, against his wants and wishes, when he woke, the boy was laughing and pointing at Spikes face. Of course Spike couldn't check to see what the hell spawn had done in a mirror and he wiped at his face with his hands. pink lipstick coated his fingers, so little Lucifer thought that was bloody brilliant did he? The boys Mother stirred, but didn't stop Spike from vamping out and scaring the brat . After a brief trip to a bathroom, Spike had taken the muck off his face .Funnily enough the rest of the journey had been quiet and very enjoyable.

Spike got off the train and caught a cab, he handed over the address and the cab pulled away.

Buffy knocked on Giles' door and waited for the Watcher to answer. The door swung open and Giles stepped aside.Buffy walked in, and sat down on the chair. Once Giles had sat down, Buffy graced him with the briefest of smiles.

"Anything new I should know about?"
"No.. no everything is good at the moment Buffy, how are you?"

And there it was, the one thing she dreaded , it wouldn't be the last time either.

"Okay. I'm going to patrol and see Clem . I'll check in tomorrow and let you know if I come across anything"

She left and Giles couldn't help but hope that Spike returned soon.


Riley's troop had their orders and they knew where all the haunts were. They watched the house and they watched friends. By now they knew the routine and that made it easy to catch.Riley himself had the honour of capturing this particular HST.

She found every vampire was an easy slay, it was disappointing really. Shouldn't they put some effort in, after all , it is their unlife they're fighting for.They weren't even breaking her out into a sweat. It couldn't raise the heat and passion for the fight and the release that she normally got. So she went home.
Buffy had just got to the corner of Revello Drive when she felt the pain and the heat of something in her back.

Buffy came to in a cell that was pure white with a glass front.
"Just great, really , like my life isn't sucky enough"
At first she thought she had been taken by those body swapping demons and she was now in the zoo. But her Slayer senses told her that there was at least eight vamps and God knows how many demons around her, probably in similar cells.
"Hello , good guy here, wanna tell me why I'm in here?"

Riley approached the glass and sat on a chair.
Looks like he's settling in for the night, oh good, this is where I get proof that he really is a cure for insomnia. she thought. Buffy curls up on the cot that was in the room.

"We bought you here as you interfere with what we are trying to achieve and because you are a killer. Before you sit up and argue, I want you to listen carefully. We will be examining you to find out about your power and where you get it from. Is it magic?"

She didn't answer

"We thought that you may have been a vampire, as you have been sighted with the escaped vampire known as William the Bloody, you can understand why we may have made that assumption. . Later on my superior will be coming to run some tests on you and to evaluate you for rehabilitation."

Buffy didn't care, why should she?

True enough the bitch from her psych class stood just inside the cell door. The guards either side of her were armed with guns, but she could still make it past them if she tried. The woman wore a lab coat and looked every inch the scientist . She moved over to the corner and Buffy heard a cart being pulled over to where she laid.

"Miss Summers, you can't move, we've used a spinal block on you, for all intents you are paralysed and are unable to feel pain, so don't panic".

Buffy moved her head to the side, her eyes wide with shock and fear. Buffy had never felt so helpless and so scared. This woman had taken away the power to get free and to escape , and had taken control. That was the one thing that Buffy hated , not being in control in circumstances like this. She closed her eyes, swallowed hard and gritted her teeth.

"Whatever you do to me I'll do back to you, ten fold, you won't get away with this"

Walsh looked around and smiled "And who the hell will stop me? This is a government run project and as long as I work for them , no-one can touch me. Now where do we start? "

Buffy felt no pain, but a feeling of something cold being dragged across her stomach. She didn't want to look but her eyes and her body betrayed her. She glanced down and saw the scalpel open a wound across her abdomen. She wanted to scream but her voice just wouldn't work.

"Where does your power come from little girl? There's nothing but human parts in here"

Buffy watched as Walsh stuck her hand wrist deep into her body. The sensation was stomach churning and Buffy's system was overwhelmed. She passed out.

"That's disappointing" Walsh said as she fished around some more.

Spike sat in the local bar, his cold beer in one hand, hot wing in the other, sauce around his mouth and he was watching footy on the tv . This was Spikes heaven. Except that he had this nagging sensation in the back of his mind. His demon roared and metaphorically clawed at his insides, his mate was in danger.
Spike didn't know how the bloody thing knew, but it did and it wasn't going to calm down until he did something about it.So, he did the simplest thing he could, he rang the Watcher.

"Bollocks, aint got the soddin phone number", he rang the talking pages and they put him through."Jus' hope the chit appreciates this "

Giles answered and was surprised to hear the voice on the other end belonged to Spike.

"Hello, Rupert Giles"
" 'Ello Watcher, wish you were 'ere, actually I bloody don't now , listen up mate"
"What do you want Spike" Giles' voice was exasperated
"Well if you shut up you git, I'll bloody tell you, now, we never got to have that little chat man to man but the brunt of it was, my demon bonded with Buffy and considers her it's bloody mate, long and short of it is, the demon can sense something wrong with her and it wont give me a minutes bleedin peace, so , is Buffy safe?"

Giles sat down, the shock of hearing what Spike had said floored him, he knew or thought he knew that the demon had chosen Buffy as it's mate, but he didn't realised the length or depth that it loved her. But for Spikes demon to behave like this against Spikes human side, well, he wanted to question him and see it for himself.

"Watcher you there?"
"Yes yes sorry, as far as I'm aware, Buffy is at home, she did a patrol, but....."

Giles didn't know if he should tell the vampire about her state of mind and that she was in fact pining for him as well.Giles bit the proverbial bullet.

"You have to understand that she is in fact pining for you and is in a state of emotional breakdown. It would seem that she loves you Spike, for better or worst she has reciprocated the demons feelings and it's breaking her."

Spike swallowed hard and looked up , blinking hard , trying to stop his tears from falling. Wouldn't do any good to loose it in a bar full of vamps and demons, not when they think that William the Bloody is a hard ass bastard and something of an icon to other vamps.

"M'sorry, but I have to get myself sorted out, won't do the Slayer much good if I'm a bloody wreck myself. You sure Buffy made it home ?"
"I'll ring her Mother and find out. Is there a number I can call you on?"

Spike sighed , seemed he wasn't going to get the space after all."Yeah it's five five five o nine seven one six five four, only in emergencies Watcher you got that, I don't want you giving it to her either an' no ringing me jus' cos she broke a bloody nail."
Spike hung up.

Seems that didn't calm the beast within him , it just made him worse.

"Bloody wankers" he knew he wouldn't be getting to sleep tonight.

But he started to think the demon was right, his Buffy was in danger, he could sense it too.He got out his cell phone and made a call.

"Get it set up for tonight, I'm on my way now"
"It's too soon, we need more time to prepare"
"Listen to me, and bloody listen good, It happens tonight and you had better get with the preparing , see you soon, oh and one more thing, you cock this up and headache or not, I'll tear your bloody throats out"

He flipped the phone shut and drank down his beer.



Giles rang as he said he would and Joyce picked it up, sleepily she looked at the time.

"Who in hell calls at four am?"
"Sorry to wake you Joyce, it is a matter of some urgency, is Buffy there?"
"She's probably doing the thing that I was up until a few minutes ago due to a phone call, I'll check" she sighed and went to Buffy's room.

Finding her bed empty, Joyce started to panic, but she hadn't checked downstairs so she quickly ran downstairs, and found it just as empty

"She hasn't returned home yet" an element of panic rose in her voice and she sat on the couch , clutching the phone

Giles huffed . Where could the girl be?"

Buffy was still unconscious but Walsh kept on with her exploration. The girl was an enigma. She had power like no other and yet there was no way it was a source that was kept in her internally. She closed the wound and bought the Shaman in.

"Lets see if it is magicks or mystical now shall we."


Giles hung up and got dressed. He called the number that Spike had given him

"That was bloody quick, let me guess, Buffy's in trouble?"
"Right"
"For fuck sake, can't she just for once stay the hell away from trouble, especially when I'm not bloody there to protect her"
"Um.. you made your choice to leave as I recall , the girl was just doing her duty I'm sure"

Spike calmed down, although it was getting harder as the demon wouldn't .
"Your right" he sniffed "I'll be there first thing tomorrow night, get Red to do a protection spell on her til them"
Spike ended the call.

"Right you ponsy gits, hurry up"

The two men at his head nodded and continued with the task at hand, Spike heard a creaking noise and then a metal on metal sound.

"It's done, we got the chip out, does anything hurt or feel different?"

Spike made sure all his limbs worked and he was satisfied that he was fine and the op had been a success.Only one last thing to check before he knew for certain.He leapt off the table and looked at the younger one and growled , as he leant in to bite he paused, this was about the time when the chip would fire, Nothing. It worked. The men had removed the chip and he was free of it.
The men cowered , sure that he would drain them dry, but he didn't. He threw a wad of notes onto the operating table and walked out casually, a renewed spring in his step.
He had one last thing to do before he left to go back and saved his mate.


Giles searched every cemetery and every dive known to him . He had Willow perform the spell that Spike had suggested and she felt it take effect, which meant she was still alive.. There was still no sign of Buffy though.

The Shaman had tried several times to use his powers to determine what magicks were used to give her the power she had .He failed every time, feeling a barrier that protected her from harm. He gave up, snorting something at Walsh as he left.

Buffy was put on a drip and monitored. The nursing staff watched in amazement as the wound healed in front of their eyes . They had sedated her and restrained her. Riley stood guard. Walsh took notes and disappeared into her office.


Spike felt a little better. He had bought a bike and slung the holdall onto the back. Looking back at the house that had been home for just one night, he took off at speed, his destination, Sunnydale, again.


Buffy woke up, she felt sick and groggy, there was no pain though so that was of the good. Riley sat beside her bed and the nurse wrote something in her notes and left. She saw the water and drank heavily before turning her attention to Riley.

"What are you doing here?" she croaked
"I'm not here to hurt you"
"Like you could, well, except you pretty much can" she waved the restrained hand
"We just want to find out about you, your power and where it comes from"
"You would never be able to comprehend it and Walsh wouldn't be able to find it if she searched forever"
"I wouldn't say that, she might just keep you here that long. Why don't you just tell her"
"She'd believe me?" she cocked a brow at him knowingly

The sun was peeking over the horizon and Spike felt the demon scream. He pulled over at the nearest motel and got a room.
He paced the room
He was trapped til sundown.
Spike hoped he would make it before anything happened to Buffy.