B/S Fan Fiction

A Tale of Two Hearts

By A.Price

He glanced at the duster folded neatly and sitting in the floor next to the cot. Spike had wanted to ask her why she had kept it, why she had worn it? As much as he wanted answers to these questions, he realized his priority at the moment was to keep Buffy safe until they could get out of this mess.

According to the watch on Buffy's wrist it was 6:15. He wondered when Dawn would miss Buffy? Would she have any clue where Buffy had gone last night? Buffy moved again, this time opening one eye to look at who was in her bed. She quickly took her arm from his waist and sat up on the cot looking at Spike and then around at the cell, "It wasn't a bad dream, huh?"

"Wish it were, pet." Spike answered as he sat up next to her, "And no clues through the night either, our host has yet to show himself or possibly herself."

"Come on out you coward!" Buffy shouted as she rolled off of the cot over Spike and stood in the middle of the cell. She walked to the bars and hesitantly shook them remembering the electric shock, nothing happened.

"Buffy, I'm not sure taunting your captor is the way to go." Spike stood up and walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"So we just wait here?" Buffy asked angrily.

"For now, yes." Spike answered softly.

"Since when did you become patience guy?" Buffy rolled her eyes at him.

"I can be patient if I have to be." Spike shook his head at her and sat down once again.

****

"That was quite interesting, she let the vampire lie on the cot beside her. She seems to trust him." Traver's watched Buffy shaking the bars and then the calming affect that Spike had on her.

"I still don't understand what this whole experiment is about, sir." James sighed from the chair beside Travers.

"You don't have to understand, James. Just do as your told." Travers turned back to the screen, "Have Maralee take them their breakfast, don't forget the drug. When they finish, we will separate them."

"Yes sir. Won't it be dangerous to open the cell?" James frowned.

"By then they will be considerably weaker." Travers explained.

**

"Maralee, your Uncle would like for you to take them breakfast."

"Okay, just give me a few minutes." She told him as she pulled eggs from the refrigerator. "How did they do through the night?"

"Okay, nothing special happened. She fell asleep and he kept watch over her most of the night." James told he as he poured himself a cup of coffee, "It's odd...I think they care for each other." He shook his head as she placed the plate with scrambled eggs, toast, an orange with coffee and juice on a tray and then poured more blood into a mug. He quickly added the drug to the meals and kissed Maralee's cheek, "Be careful."

She nodded her head and carried the tray down the steps to the cell room. She could hear them talking quietly as she walked to the barred door.

"So won't Dawn be up and worried about where you are? Surely Willow, Tara and Xander will send out a search party for you?" Spike was asking Buffy as Maralee sat the tray down.

"Spike, it's different now, Dawn is in LA until next week, she's with dad and is due home the weekend before school starts." Buffy noticed Maralee as she sat down the tray, "Hello," She said softly, "Umm.. that looks good."

"Thank you, I wasn't sure what you ate for breakfast." Maralee gave a shy half smile.

"I guess I'm not so hard to cook for?" Spike quippped from behind Buffy. Maralee only glared at him.

Buffy turned to Spike and raised her eyebrows at him hoping he would take the hint to be quiet, he did. "My name is Buffy and that is Spike. It looks like we're going to be here awhile, so maybe we should introduce ourselves.:

"I know who you are." Maralee told her not meeting Buffy's eyes, "You are Buffy Summers."

"Wow, then you are one up on me, who are you?"

"My name is Maralee and thats all I can tell you, enjoy your meal." She quickly left the room leavning Buffy and Spike alone once more.

"This is so frustrating!" Buffy grumbled as she pulled the tray all the way through the door. She handed Spike his mug and nibbled at her toast.

"Back to what I was saying, Buffy. The Scoobs will miss you, they'll track you down somehow. Even if Dawn isn't here right now." Spike took a sip from his mug.

"Spike it's not the same as before you left, Willow, she went over the edge after Tara was.....oh...you don't know." Buffy sat down her coffee mug and put her hand over her mouth, this was still hard to talk about.

"Know what, pet?" He asked fear nudging at him.

"Warren, he came to the house and he shot me.......and then a shot caught Tara and she didnt' make it." Buffy's lip was trembling now, "Willow went crazy with the magic."

"You were shot?" Spike stood up off the cot.

"Yes, but Willow came to the hospital and she took the bullet out with magic. I would be dead now if she hadn't." Buffy shuddered at the memory.

"Dead, I leave and you end up nearly dead again." Spike was suddenly hugging her tightly against him. "I couldn't have beared it again, if I had come back to find........"

Buffy pulled away from him, "It's okay, I'm okay. But Willow wasn't, she..." Buffy told him the whole sordid story as they ate their breakfast, "So that's why, I'm not sure anyone will be looking for me,,,wait Anya.. we' ve been having lunch every week."

"Anya? How is she?" Spike asked with a guilty look.

"She's better. She and Xander are somewhat together again. She might tell Xander if she can't get hold of me." Buffy sighed as she finished the last of her eggs. "Now it's your turn, where have you been? And what is the news you needed to tell me."

"Well, it's a long story luv, it starts after I left your house that ...that last night. Buffy I am so sorry about that night, if I could take it back, I would." Spike lowered his eyes from her and sighed.

"Let's not talk about it now, we can get into that later. Now from there where did you go?"

Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing, she wasn't angry just matter of fact about it, they would discuss it later. Looking up at her again, he answered, "Africa, I went to Africa."

"What's in Africa?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Well thats where the story gets complicated, " Spike smiled at her, "You see there was this ..........." He never got to finish his story as another tranquilizer dart hit him in the chest and he slumped down on the floor beside Buffy.

"Spike," She shouted kneeling beside him, she turned towards the bars she saw James with the gun, "What did you do to him?"

"He's not hurt, Miss, just sleeping. You have to come with me now." James cautiously unlocked the cell door.

"I don't think so." Buffy took a fighting stance.

"Yes mam' and it will be easier if you don't fight me." James really didn't want to fight with the girl standing in front of him. He hoped Quentin was right about the drugs effects.

"Easier on you maybe." Buffy charged at him, but he quickly subdued her and held her tight against him, she struggled against him but could not break free of his grasp.

"What?" Buffy was confused she had taken down much larger men then James, she realized then that something was very wrong.

"Please Miss." James carried her arms locked around her to one of the cement cells, he opened the door and shoved her in quickly locking it behind him.

Spike was still out cold when James dragged him into the other cement cell. He doublechecked the locks on both doors and went to find Quentin.

****

Buffy looked around her new cell slightly panicked. Something was wrong with her, her strength , it was like when she had turned 18, when Giles had drugged her for the Council. The Council,,,,,could they be part of this? But why? She stared at the four cement walls, the only connection to the outside was a small door in the heavy metal door, she supposed that was for food. She pounded on the walls, and screamed "Spike!!!" Maybe he could hear her, she needed to know he was okay.

Spike sat up groggily, he could hear someone faintly calling his name. As he sat up he realized he had been moved and Buffy was gone. As his head cleared his vampiric hearing could hear the voice more clearly, it was Buffy and she was calling his name. He went to stand by the wall where the voice was coming from, he called back, "Buffy! Buffy!"

Buffy continued to call his name, "Spike, Spike! Please answer me." It was no use, he couldn't hear her, she didn't know where she was, where he was, her strength was fading. She finally sat down on the cot and let the tears come.

Spike continued to call her name, but it was no use, she couldn't hear him. He fnally heard her call his name one more time, then shortly after he heard soft sobbing. Slumped against the wall he placed his hand against the wall, "I hear you, Buffy. I hear you, baby."