B/S Fan Fiction

A Tale of Two Hearts

By A.Price

"It's time to go visit the vampire." Quentin stood up from his chair, "You follow me with the gun just in case."

"Will the drug work as well on the vampire as it has the Slayer?" James asked as he walked behind Travers to Spike's cell.

"It should, but I'm not sure if it works as quickly, hence the backup." Travers unlocked the cell door, Spike took full advantage and leaped on his back. Travers shook him off and kicked Spike in the chest. Spike was as shocked as Buffy had been when he realized his strength was weakening. "Now, we can bring the gun in and drug you again, or you can behave."

"Who are you? Where is Buffy?" Spike demanded as he stood up, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest where Travers had kicked him.

"I am from the Council, Mr., I'm sorry which do you prefer Spike or William?"

"Doesn't really matter what you call me does it? And I should have known it was the Council behind this, what do you want with Buffy? Hasn't the girl given up enough for you lot?" Spike stepped right up to Travers and got in his face, "If you've hurt her."

Quentin Travers took one look at the angry vampire in front of him and smiled, "You'll do what? As you can no doubt tell, your strengh is being drained, the same is true of Buffy's. You are in no position to threaten me."

Spike stepped back and tried to calm himself, thinking of Buffy. "What are you going to do with her?"

"I'm not sure, William. You see, I didn't really want Miss Summers, I was more interested in you." Travers smile broadened as he watch Spike take in this bit of information.

"Me? Why?"

"You are an interesting case, you seem to care for the Slayer. Willing to risk your life for her, yet you left her for the entire summer. Left her in a lurch, I'm sure she could have used your help with the witch." Travers watched as a look of...could that have been guilt? washed over Spike's face.

"I had to go." Spike replied softly.

" And now you're back. I've always been under the notion that vampires were fairly black and white, my late brother disagreed thinking that there was a lot of grey areas in there. His views were causing controversy in the Council. Now I have my very own specimen of a so called "grey" vampire to study." Travers sat down on the cot.

"So you want to study me? Find out what makes me tick? Fine - but let Buffy go. You said yourself you didn't want her." Spike tried not to sound anxious, "She can be a real pain, trust me. It'll be easier to let her go."

" As for Ms. Summers being a .....pain as you put it, I'm quite aware of that. But, I think I'll keep her for at least a little while." Traver's voice was menacing as he finished his sentence. "We'll start later today." Walking past Spike he locked the door behind him.

***

Maralee brought lunch to Buffy and found her sitting on the cot, knees drawn up to her chest. "Is Spike okay?"

"Pardon me for asking, but why do you care? He is a vampire, you are the Slayer? It makes no sense to me." Maralee asked shyly.

"No, it doesn't make any sense, " Buffy smiled at her, "But I do care and I need to know."

"Yes, he's fine. I have blood for him too."

"I didn't always care. In fact I spent a good amount of time trying to dust him." Buffy shook her head at the memories of fighting with Spike.

"How did it come to this then?" Maralee was very curious.

"That's a very long story." Buffy picked up the sandwich and looked suspiciously at it, "You're drugging my food aren't you?"

"No, I'm not." Maralee answered, she convinced herself it wasn't a lie because she didn't actually put the drug in the food.

Buffy frowned at her and shoved the food back at the girl, "Who is behind this?"

"I can't tell you. Please eat." Maralee pushed the plate back towards Buffy.

"No thank you. I'm not hungry." Buffy replied stubbornly.

Maralee sighed and took the plate, "I would really like to understand why you can care for that monster if you wouldn't mind explaining it to me. See my father thought that not all vampires were alike that there were some who could feel for whatever reason. His research ended up getting him killed."

"I'm sorry about your father. I lost my mother recently, it's...it's very hard." Buffy sighed as she sat down on the cot, "I'll try to explain but it's probably better to start at the beginning. When my parents divorced my mother and sister and I moved to Sunnydale. I had already been called but I was hoping that with the move I could forget the slaying. It had caused so much trouble in my life already."

Maralee sat the plate down on the floor and leaned against the door to listen better. Buffy watched as the girl listened to her tell about meeting Giles and the Scoobies. Maybe if she gained this girls trust and could make her understand she could be an ally?

"And he was so dark and mysterious, and I think I was almost in love with him by the time he helped me fight off the three. He was hurt and I took him home and bandaged him and he stayed in my room that night." Buffy smiled at the long ago memory.

"He stayed in your room?" Maralee's eyes widened.

"Oh, on the floor. Nothing happened....that night." Buffy grinned at the girl, "That's another part of the story."

"I had better go back before my uncle misses me.You'll tell me the rest of the story next time, okay?" Maralee gave Buffy a genuine smile.

"Yes, next time. And when you see Spike ...tell him I'm okay."

"I will, would you please change your mind about eating?" Maralee asked before picking up the plate holding the uneaten sandwich.

"No, but I will take the juice." Buffy compromised.

Maralee handed her the glass of juice through the door before she shut and locked it.

**

After Travers left, Spike went back to his post of listening for Buffy, he could hear her talking to the girl Maralee, she had asked her to please tell him that she was okay. But why wasn't Buffy eating, she was going to need to eat if her strength was slipping like his was.

She walked to the cell door next door and unlocked the small door, "Here is your blood."

Spike walked quickly to the door, "You've seen Buffy?"

"Yes, and she says to tell you she is okay." Maralee stepped back and started to close the door.

"Tell her I'm okay too and that she needs to eat." Spike sighed as the little door was completely closed.

He looked at the mug of blood sitting on the floor and suddenly he knew how Buffy felt, he had no appetite either. He could hear the scuffing of Buffy's shoes on the cement floor, she was pacing. If only she could hear him.

"So William. Are you ready for a few tests?" Quentin asked as he entered the cell with hand and ankle cuffs. James stood with a tazer gun while Travers restrained Spike. "Let's go."

Spike was taken to another room, "I'd like to test your healing powers first, I realize they may be a little slow now but I should still be able to get an idea."

Travers balled up his fist and hit Spike in the face busting his lip. Spike's head flung back and hit the wall, he made no sound, he wouldn't give this man the satisfaction. "That would be the natural wound, lets see how that heals in comparison to an enhanced wound."

James silently handed the bottle of holy water over to Travers. The older man opened the bottle and rolling up Spike's shirt sleeve dribbled the water down his exposed arm. Spike bit his tongue to keep from shouting out, the water sizzled and blistered as it rolled down the arm and off of his fingertips. "This is the enhanced wound, I'll check later to compare the healing rate. Meanwhile, I'd like for you to answer some questions."

James watched as the vampire sat through what must be agony, large blisters appeared up and down his arm. He wasn't sure he had the stomach for this, even if it was a vampire.

Spike listened as Travers grilled him about Angelus, Darla and Dru. He answered the questions in his normal smart ass way and ended up with several more bruises for his trouble. Travers wanted to know why he stayed with Druscilla for over a hundred years and then left her? Spike was afraid to tell him the full extent of his feelings for Buffy.......afraid he would use them against him, against Buffy.

"We're done now, James take him back."

"Yes sir." James hauled Spike up from the floor and drug him back to his cell, Spike attempted to trip James up but in his weakened state James quickly had the best of him again. He unlocked the cell door and sat Spike on the cot, "I'm going to unlock these restraints. Please don't make me regret it." James told Spike as he unlocked the hand and ankle cuffs. "You do care for the Slayer, don't you? I don't know the whole story but I can tell."

"She's a good fighter, my worthiest opponent." Spike told him as he looked at his wrist, the water had run under the cuff and cause several large blisters that had been rubbed open and now left raw spots on his skin. It hurt more then he would ever admit.

"I think it's more then that." James gave Spike a tentative smile, "I love someone, I think I can see that in you. I'm not sure how, after all your a vampire!"

"True and someone like me could never love right? Ask Travers about Drusilla, we were together over a hundred years. I know about love." Spike sighed and closed his eyes, he just wanted to lie down and sleep for the next week.

"I heard you talk about Druscilla to Quentin, but it was what you didn't say that convinced me that you love the Slayer. You carefully avoided questions about her, you don't want him to know just how much you care."

"So I guess you'll run tell the boss man your theory now?" Spike asked accusingly.

"No, I don't think I will. I'm not sure what all this about, I think it's best to keep my opinions to myself." James turned and walked out lockng the door once again.

*****

On the fourth day of their captivity, it rained and rained and rained. Buffy's cell seemed to have a leak, dirty water pooled in the floor, Maralee gave her towels to sop up the water but it still left the cell damp and dank.

Spike had endured yet another day of torture, this time Quentin Travers decided to compare holy water to flames, he had burns on both legs now. After Traver's asked more questions. Spike felt sure he had a hidden agenda that was nothing to do with his so called experiments.

*****

Anya knocked at the door of the Summer's residence. There was no answer, she was now officially worried. Buffy had not answered her calls in the past two days and surely she was not out patrolling in this rain. She knocked once more on the front door, still no answer, she raised her umbrella and walked to the backdoor, she tried to peek in but the kitchen was dark. She would call Xander tonight, she could feel it, something was wrong.

In LA, Dawn Summers had the same feeling, she'd left two messages for her sister to call her. Hank was bringing her home Friday instead of Saturday. It was unlike Buffy to not return her calls.

*****

The next day, Quentin Travers decided on a new type of torture. He turned the heat up in the cells until Buffy was sweating profusely and on the verge of dehydration. Then turned the air up until it was so cold that she was wrapped tightly in the thin blanket from her cot. He opened the small door on Spike's cell and peeked in. Spike's burns were finally healing a bit, he had torn his pants legs and rolled them up so they didn't irritate his legs. "So William how are you today?"

"I'm fine, Travers. Vampire remember? Temperature doesn't really affect me." Spike replied nonchalantly not bothering to look at his tormenter.

"Hmm.....I guess that's true. But the poor slayer isn't quite that fortunate." Traver's closed the door with a smirk.

"Buffy! What have you done to her?" Spike pounded on the door to no avail.

Buffy sat in her cell shivering, Maralee had finally convinced her to drink some hot chocolate and to eat something. As she finished the cocoa the cell warmed up to a reasonable temperature.

Spike listened carefully to Buffy's cell, he could hear her moving around and she had thanked Maralee for cocoa, she must be okay for now anyway. Maralee dropped off his blood and assured him that Buffy was okay, it was the same everyday. No matter how hurt he was, he asked about Buffy first thing.

As she walked away from the cell she thought about the interesting tale Buffy had been telling her. So far Spike had arrived in Sunnydale with the love of his life Druscilla and was ready to kill Buffy. That's where Buffy had stopped the story today, she had been shivering so badly from the cold cell that her teeth were chattering. Maralee could not believe that the vampire in that cell was the same one she had described earlier. And as for Druscilla being the love of his life, she was doubting that too.

****

Buffy woke up early the next morning. She was stuffed up and could feel a cold coming on. She sneezed twice and wiped her nose on some scratchy toilet tissue. The temperature was comfortable now but the cell was still damp from the rain. She began to count back how many days they had been here. "Six, I think it's six." She said aloud to the empty cell. She needed a way to record it, maybe Maralee could bring her some paper and a pen?

Spike turned over in his cot and groaned, his burns while healing were still quite tender and the rough sheets only irritated them. He could not imagine what new torture today would bring. He rolled over closely to the wall again and put his ear to it, it was his morning ritual listening to Buffy. He heard her stirring and speaking to Maralee. She was going to start her story again, he'd only heard bits and pieces of it so far. He frowned as Buffy sneezed loudly and began to talk.

"So Angel warned us that Spike would not stop until I was dead. He had killed two slayers before me." Buffy took a sip of coffee and wiped at her nose.

"Two Slayers. I'm really confused now, I can tell that he cares for you now , so how?" Maralee asked totally enthralled with the story.

"So he decides to give Dru this gift of this demon called the Judge. And he's in pieces that have to be put together so we are trying to keep the pieces separated." Buffy stopped to sneeze again.

"Bless you." Maralee smiled at her.

"Thanks, anyway it was my birthday and we have one piece of the Judge and we decide Angel is the only one who can get rid of it." Buffy sighed, "So he takes it and we go to the docks to say goodbye."

"He had to leave on your birthday?" Maralee shook her head, "Thats so sad."

"It gets worse." Buffy closed her eyes at the memory, "We lost the arm to one of Spike's minions"

Spike closed his eyes at the memory, he remembered feeling like he was on the top of the world when they retrieved that arm. The world came tumbling back on top of him as usual though, his throat was tight as he remembered how close the judge came to taking Buffy that night, then she and Angel had escaped and well the rest was really bad history. He hated that he had ever been a part of that, but at the same time realized the past was past. He was going to do everything he could to keep Buffy safe now..........right you're doing a bang up job of that, he felt miserable and helpless.

He turned his ear to Buffy again, "So it was pouring rain and we went back to his place and ..........and....that night we made love. And in the morning we found we had created a monster, Angelus was back." Buffy's eyes held unshed tears, "I think thats enough for now."

"Alright, but you will tell me the rest later?"

"Yes. Maralee could you please bring me some paper and a pen. It gets so boring just sittng here." Buffy pleaded soflty.

"Yes, with your lunch, I can do that." Maralee turned to leave.

"And tell Spike I'm okay." Buffy called after her.

Maralee opened the small door to Spike's cell, she almost couldn't bear to look at him, his face was bruised and his legs were horrible. The blisters had burst and the skin was raw and it looked like they had bled in places. She tried not to think about the cruelty her Uncle was capable of. Yes Spike was a vampire but she was beginning to think that her father was right, maybe not all vampires are alike? "Here is your breakfast and Buffy says to tell you she's okay."

"She's really okay?" Spike hobbled over to the door.

"Well I think she has a cold. but she is okay." Maralee gave Spike a half smile, "How are you?"

The question shocked Spike, Maralee had never shown anything except disdain for him and rightly so considering her experience with vampires. "I'm managing. I'm tough." He smiled back at her.

"I just wanted to ask..."

"Maralee." Spike called as she started to close the little door.

"Yes."

"Don't tell her about this..." He pointed towards his legs.

"Okay, I won't." She said as she closed the door. This was not right, none of it.

****

"Anya, I'm sure there is a logical reason why Buffy hasn't called you." Xander tried to calm his girlfriend as he unlocked Buffy's door. Buffy had given him a housekey so he could be Mr. Repairman.

"It doesn't look like she's been here for awhile. The mail is piled up and look...no dirty dishes and look at the answering machine - theres twenty messages there!" Anya hit the message button and she and Xander listened to them playback.

"Okay, first we have to call Dawn, she's left a dozen messages the last few days and she'll be here.....tomorrow. Secondly, we never have to eat at the Doublemeat again, Buffy no longer works there." Xander paused then added in a very serious tone, "Thirdly we have to find her........you don't think she's taken off do you, I mean things have been rough and then she's been mostly alone. She's run off before."

"Xander, she hasn't run off! She showed me her room, she redecorated it. A woman does not redecorate if shes going to leave. And another thing, I think she has enjoyed the time alone." Anya told him as she marched up the stairs to Buffy's room. "See! Totally redcorated, the colors are a bit dark but it looks good. It looks like she went to patrol, she left the weapons chest open."

"I think you're right, Anya, she didn't take off. But that leads me to an even scarier thought." Xander sighed and sat down on the end of the bed.

"What?" Anya asked sitting down beside him.

Xander shook his head and sighed, "That she went out on patrol and never made it home."