*****************

"Okay, so we have all the supplies, and we're pretty much ready.  Anything else we should do?"
"Yeah, Red.  Why don't we all shut up 'til the soddin' sun goes down and let me get some bleedin' sleep!"
"Spike, do shut up."

Giles pushed his way past the vampire, and started setting the room up for the spell.  He had gone to the magic shop that morning, and gathered all of the ingredients necessary.  Thirteen candles, fourteen herbs, and four chickens feet later, he was back at the house with Willow and Spike.  He just hoped that Anya didn't double the costs of everything in the store to make up for him not paying, like she had threatened.

Everything was done, and all they had to do was wait for the sun to go down.  Willow had memorized the lines that she had to say, Giles had taken care of all the preparations, and Spike was ready to pull Willow out of the circle if the spell went wrong.  There was nothing left to do except wait.

So they went over it again.  

"Now we all know what to do, right?  Once the sun sets, and the moon is bright, I'll light the candles, going counterclockwise, and Willow will-"
"Say the incantation three times, Giles.  I know."
"Right, then.  And then once you begin saying it for the third time, Spike will-"
"Drop the chickens feet into the pot o' herbs so we can find out where the Slayer is and I can get some bleedin' sleep!  Got it the first ten times you explained it, Watcher!"
"Errr, right.  So now all we have left to do is wait."

Silence came over the room once again.  Spike snuggled back up into the blanket, and closed his eyes so that he could get at least a couple of hours of sleep.  Willow went back to researching for what to do once they knew what Buffy was seeing.  Giles sat and twiddled his thumbs, searching for any interesting patterns they might make while they rotated.  

"You're sure your clear on what to do once the spell is started?"

Spike slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Willow.

"What do you think, Red?  Should we tie him up and gag him?"
"I'll get the sock, you get the twine."

So they waited in silence.

*****************

"Lady, err, Buffy.  What would you like to do today?"
"Umm, I thought that it was up to you, Sir William.  The King said that I'm supposed to go wherever you want to spend the day, and I'm not allowed to complain."
"Oh, well, in that case, I wish to spend the day wherever you would like to go.  Surely a lady as magnificent as yourself has something in mind..."

Buffy's face took on the blush that seemed to be plastered to her face every time that the knight was around.  Every word, every syllable, that came out of his mouth was always so kind, and she really didn't know where she would be without him.  So far, he was the only person who she had spent a lot of time with in that world, who wasn't a rude, arrogant, evil...  Well, Angelus type person.  

"Well, do you think we could take a trip through the country?  Maybe, if you don't mind, and... stuff."
"Of course, M'lady.  Today, you can have everything that is in your heart's desire."

More blushing took place as her protector helped her sit sidesaddle on a beautiful white horse.  Once she was on securely, he hopped on his own horse, and led the way out of the castle grounds.  When they were out of the King's viewing range, their normal pace slowed to a steady trot.  

They rode along the dirt path, and down into the marketplace where most of the townspeople spent most of their time.  Buffy was amazed at the difference from then and now.  Compared to what she was seeing, the mall seemed a bit foolish.  Every inch of the market was packed with stands run by various vendors.  Sir William hopped off his horse, and held out his hand for Buffy to get down.  Their hands met, and a bolt of electric chemistry ran through them.  

Once she was down, he motioned for her to pick a direction, so she went towards the more crowded area of vendors.  A man shouted out his offerings of fresh, ripe fruit, while a woman from the stand next to him advertised her much fresher, riper fruit.  Buffy smiled at the way that things worked back then, and tried to put aside the feeling that the brief contact their hands had made.  Twenty more days and she would be married...

They walked through the market, side by side, and observed what was being sold.  They got to a stand that sold beautiful jewelry, and Buffy ooh'ed and ahhh'ed at all of the gorgeous, yet far too expensive things for sale.  She thought that she saw a familiar face at the next stand over, and told her knight that she would be right back.  She got back a moment later, and saw Spike standing there with a mischievous smile on his face.  Not thinking much of it, she smiled at him and began to walk away.  Once they had walked quite a distance, Buffy heard a familiar voice shout out, "Thank you for your money!  Please spend more soon!"  

A large smile came across her face, and she whipped her head around, trying to find the ex-venegeance demon.  At that moment, Sir William stepped behind her, and held out a golden bracelet with beautiful stones etched into it.  His face was as red as the rubies in the bracelet when he clasped it around her wrist, and she thought that she would melt at that moment.  As beautiful as the piece of jewelry was, the best part of the present was the look on his face.  Some things truly are priceless.

"Oh, God, it's so beautiful!  You really didn't have to do that Sir-"
"Please, Buffy.  Call me William.  I'm just sorry that I could not find a jewel as rare as you.  I hope that this makes you happy?"

Buffy answered him by placing a soft kiss on his cheek.  When she pulled away, his hand went up to the place her lips had touched, and he was at a loss for words.  Smiling, she took his hand in hers, and kept walking through the marketplace.

They continued to walk, hand in hand, until they reached a much more secluded woodsy area.  The knight was still flabbergasted from her action, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  He was a gentleman, through and through, so he would never try to make a move on her.  So he spoke.

"Buffy, the time that we have spent together has meant more to me than anything that I can ever remember.  One look into your eyes, and every doubt in the world seems to fade away.  I know it has not been long, but I know what my heart feels.  It beats for you, and I think I am falling-"
"Spike!"

Sir William whipped his head around, trying to figure out what she meant by 'Spike' and a fist connected with his jaw.  A former servant of the King's stood before him, ready to plunge into him with his cleaver.  

*Spike?  What did she mean, Spike?  Ooh, Spike!*

Before the cleaver could come into contact with him, the knight kicked his opponent behind the knee.  When he stumbled, he pulled out his dagger and plunged it through the man's heart.  As the dying servant fell to the ground, the knight ran to Buffy's side, hoping that she was not scared by what she had seen.  If only he knew of the things she had seen in her time...

"Dear Lord, Buffy!  Are you alright?!?"
"Spike- William.  I'm fine.  Thank you though."
"You are welcome, Buffy.  Now why do you keep calling me Spike?"
"Ummm, a nickname?  The way you just spiked that dagger through his heart made it...  appropriate?  I thought if... fit well."
"Hmmm, Spike...  I kind of like it!"

Buffy gave him a big smile as she took his hand and snuggled her head against his shoulder.  She knew their time would be up soon, so she started to go back towards their horses.  Looking over at him, her smile grew when he seemed to be thinking of his new nickname.  Her mind wandered back and forth between the knight and the Spike from back home.

*It really does suit him.*

*****************

"Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, I call thee!
Shed light upon my friend, and may your wisdom guide my path!
Diana, Goddess of the Moon, Healer of Ills, I call thee!
May you grant safety to all on this journey!
Venus, Goddess of Love, I call thee!
Aid us with your love, and may you keep all wicked things at bay!
I beseech thee, Goddesses, and ask for your assistance!
I beseech thee, Goddesses, and beg for this image!
I beseech thee!  Come forth and hear my cries!"

When Willow finished chanting the incantation for the third time, the glow around Buffy  went from red to blue, with tints of gold.  Her body slowly floated into the air, stopping when her eyes were even with the Witch's.  They stayed that way for a short moment, and Willow let out a small cry.  Spike took that as his cue to pull her from the circle, and Giles moved the candles out of the way.

The second the circle was broken, Buffy's body lowered to the floor, fading back into the light red tinge that had been covering her, and Willow was panting for air.  Spike and Giles held on to her, terrified of what she might have seen.  From the looks of it, she had been shaken up badly, and there was no telling what kind of torment Buffy was in.

"Good God, Willow!  Are you alright!?!"
"Red, what did you see?!?"

Willow looked back and forth between the vampire and the Watcher, with unmasked disbelief in her eyes.  Her voice was hardly more than a whisper when she spoke.

"I saw...  I saw Spike."

The two men stared at each other in confusion before they looked back at Willow.  Her eyes bored holes through Spike when she continued.

"And he was naked."

*****************

"I trust you had an enjoyable day with Sir William?"

The King's cruel laughter bubbled out of him at what he considered to be a very funny joke.  Humoring him, Buffy allowed her eyes to fill with fear, and the knight's face grew void of all emotions.  Angelus continued to laugh at the sight before him, before he walked towards the doorway.

"I will be gone for the day, but when I return tomorrow, I will have a surprise for you, Lady Buffy.  Be sure to have Dawn dress you in your finest, and I'll be back tomorrow at nightfall.  Sir William will be directly across the hall if you choose not to behave yourself, so any attempted runaways are not recommended.  Good day."
"Oh, I'll be sure to behave myself, and to have one good day, your majesty."

King Angelus smiled at how quickly a day with his most vicious knight made her change her ways, and strode off down the hall.  Faith could be heard scurrying after him, promising to make up for her lateness when they got to their destination.

A moment later, Buffy stepped closer to the knight and wrapped her arms around him.  Shyly, he returned the hug, and enjoyed the feeling of having the one that he was rapidly falling for up against him.  He knew that he would probably be damned to hell for the way he felt about the King's future wife, but at that point it didn't matter.  If the next 19 days were spent without her, he might as well be in hell, so he tried to enjoy it while it lasted.

His arms tightened around her, and she brought her hand up to run through his hair.  He tilted his head down, and stared deep into her eyes, with his hand resting on the small of her back.  Buffy's body let out a little shiver.  His gaze was so intense that Buffy could have sworn that he was staring directly into her soul.  Or maybe it was a glimpse of Heaven.  Either way, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Spike took in a nervous breath of air while he watched Buffy's tongue jut out to moisten her lips.  He was completely transfixed with the action, and even more amazed by the reaction that it got.  Thanking God that he was wearing his armor so she didn't notice, he took that moment to lower his head even further, and let his lips briefly flutter against hers.

The kiss was short, soft and sweet, but perfect, nonetheless.  A maelstrom of emotions cursed through him, and it took all of his self control to not take it any further.  If that short moment made him feel this good, there was no telling what feelings would be invoked if it was continued.  He was happier than he had ever been in his life, and it was all because of that kiss.  That one small kiss.

When they broke apart, Buffy stared at him in wonder.  She had kissed her share of guys, but that had been the best, without a doubt.  As short as it had been, the feelings behind it were still just as real.  It had been better than kissing Riley, Angel, or the combination of the two.  It had been like bolts of electricity had shocked her, sending a flurry of butterflies into her stomach.  It had been like Romeo and Juliet had gotten their happy ending.  It had been like all things good were just combined into that moment, with every bad thing just floating away.  It had been like love expressed through the tiny meeting of lips.  

At least one of her thoughts was accurate.

Before either of them could say a word though, the all too familiar sound of footsteps coming down the hall could be heard, and they were forced to part.  Still looking into her eyes, Spike walked backwards to the door, and motioned that he would be in his room.  She numbly nodded, and watched as he walked out.  

When Dawn walked in the room, she saw Buffy laying on her bed with a big smile.  She seemed so nice that it was almost hard for her to believe that her brain wasn't all there sometimes.  At others though, it was completely obvious.  Like now, when she was quietly singing a tune that she seemed to be making up as she went along.  The song wouldn't have been all that bad if there was more than one word in the lyrics.

*Goodness, from the sound of that song, it seems as if she's in love!  But who on earth is Spike?*

Deciding that she would be less confused by sticking with the insanity theory, Dawn began to straighten out Buffy's room.  Once it was spotless, she ventured over to Buffy, and asked if there was anything that she needed.  The future Queen yawned as she looked out the door and saw Spike walk into his room, looking as if he had just come out of the shower.  She absentmindedly responded, "You can go with the others.  I'm gonna start the day off with a nice, long...  nap."

Dawn gave her a little curtsey out of respect and walked out of the room as quickly as she could.  There could be no harm in her leaving.  Afterall, a little bit of sleep never hurt anybody.  Maybe it would even help her out a bit.  

*****************

"Good God, Willow!  She was doing... that?!?"

Willow meekly nodded to Giles after she explained exactly what she had seen to him and Spike.  That was very likely the most embarrassing situation that she had ever been in, and she just wanted the questions to stop.  She wanted to stand up and scream every single detail of what she saw, just so that they would leave her alone, but that's pretty much exactly what she had done, and the questions still came.  

"And I was doing... that?!?"

A groan escaped her lips once again.  She didn't know if it was worse explaining every detail to Giles as if he was a child, or reminding Spike repeatedly to satisfy his ego.  Or maybe it was just his fantasies, but that wasn't the point.  Either way, she was tired of this conversation, and their ogling over the situation wasn't going to get Buffy back any faster.  They were going to have to look deeper for any underlying clues, beyond the obvious things she had seen.

*Was she enjoying herself, Red?*

The deadly look that she sent to Spike shut him up, but the redness of her cheeks was all the answer that he needed.  It looked like somehow, somewhere, Buffy was finally finding that heat, that desire, that Spike had described.  

"Any chances you could zap me back there to find 'er?  Just to save her, of course...*

*****************

Knock, knock, knock

Spike sat up with a start when he heard the knocking at his door.  Moving around his room as quickly as possible, he threw the top layers of his armor back on and walked towards the door.  He knew there was nobody in the castle, because they had all taken off to go to a banquet in the town.  

All except for Buffy, anyway.

The knight opened the door just enough to see who was on the other side, and let his customary smile cross his face when he saw Buffy.  He pulled the door open more, and stepped back to allow her inside.  She followed, wrapping her arms around herself to hide her nervousness, and to avoid her intentions.

"Buffy, I had a splendid time with you today.  You truly are a beautiful person, on the inside as well as out.  I wanted to make sure that you know that..."

She didn't even answer him in words when she stepped across the space between him and gazed up at him.  There was a reason why she was there, and she was determined to make it happen.  The look in her eyes showed him exactly what she wanted.

Taking his hand is hers, Buffy led him to the bed.  Though there were a lot of places in the castle that they could have gone, that was the only one that seemed proper for such an occasion.  So, there they went.

Spike stood before her, clasping her small hands between his large ones.  His eyes roamed her face with a hungry intensity when he began to speak.  "Buffy, I..  I've dreamt of you for so many nights.  Your flesh against mine, my lips on your sweet skin.  The look in your eyes when you see me, and the smile it brings to your soft lips.  Words of love, looks of need.  But they were all dreams, M'lady.  Never did I imagine that you would willingly come to me, wanting the same things as I have dreamt about."

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, Spike.  And this is where my heart wants me to be."

A look of understanding passed over them, and their lips slowly melded together.  While they kissed, it was as if they had become one.  One body, one heartbeat, one soul.  Their tongues moved in a perfect rhythm while they explored each other's mouths, not wanting to miss a single thing.

Spike's lips roamed over her neck, placing soft kisses over every area that was exposed to his sight.  He felt Buffy shudder under his touch, and had a similar reaction when she reached out her hand to run it through his hair.  She lightly tugged at the beautiful dress that she was wearing, and he got the not so subtle hint.

The knight lingered over undressing his princess.  With every layer of discarded clothing, he rained a soft tumult of kisses over the newly bared skin.  His hands traced light circles over the underside of her arms, tickling her with his feather light caress.  When she murmured her delight at the feelings he invoked, he licked along the lines of her collar bone, letting her remaining clothing whisper to the floor.

Trembling slightly, Buffy stood before him completely naked.  His eyes roved over her flesh, admiring the wondrous sight in front of him.  He reached his arms up to pull off his armor, and shuddered when she stepped closer to help him.  Every revelation of his slim, yet muscular body intensified her longing to be with him, and she knew that this is exactly where she wanted to be.  Finally, they wore equal amounts of nothing, and stepped back into an embrace, letting their mouths meet in another passionate kiss.

Spike pulled apart from her for a moment, and sat her on the edge of his bed.  The silk sheets felt wonderful beneath her bare skin, and she turned to him with a shy smile.  Her eyes immediately lowered, taking in the sight of his throbbing erection.  A streak of hair ran from his navel to the thick cluster of curls at his groin.  His shaft stood proud, looking purely masculine, and almost arrogant.  All in all, it was an exquisite sight.

A smile covered Spike's face again when he saw the unashamedly lustful appearance of her.  He kneeled beside her, running his fingers along the soft curves of her hips, gently lowering her to the bed.  His hands ran up and down her thighs, while his mouth took in a hardened nipple.  She gasped at the sensation, and began to lightly run her nails up and down his back.  Her hand explored his chest, his abdomen, his hips, his bottom.  They went everywhere that they could without touching his swollen cock that begged for her attention.

A low moan escaped his mouth when he felt the wonders that her hands were doing to him.  "God, you're heavenly, Buffy."  Staring into her eyes, Spike lowered his hand to the needful juncture of her thighs, and slowly inserted a finger.  The length of his digit gently moved in and out of her slippery orifice, making her whimper in need.  Her hand reached out to grab his shaft, slowly sliding her fist up and down over the marble like hardness, and delighting her with the response that he gave her.

Slowly and luxuriously, Spike kissed a trail down her body, briefly lingering over her breasts, and stopping at her passage.  He placed a gentle kiss on her nubbin, and then buried his tongue inside of her heat.  His breath was warm, his tongue on fire.  He licked around her swollen clit, and added a finger into her snug orifice.  With his hand moving at an equal rhythm with his mouth, he kept her on the brink to ecstasy, always keeping her there, but never giving her that final push.  Buffy's hips gently thrust into the air in tiny beseeching movements, and finally he sucked her clit into his mouth, fiercely stroking her inner walls, and sending her into a powerful orgasm.

Her fingers tangled into his hair, and she let out a cry of relief as she rode out her orgasm.  When the hard convulsions gradually changed into low tremors, she released his head and pulled him back up the length of her body.  

"I need you inside of me.  Now."

Spike's lips crashed back against hers, spreading her musky taste across her lips.  Gently, yet firmly, he penetrated her, crying out at the intensity of the feeling.  Her walls took him in, enveloping him in her hot wetness.  He buried himself to the hilt, and slowly began to thrust into her.  She let out a loud moan at the sensation, and tightened her muscles around him.  At least she hadn't lost all her strength by being sent back to this place.  

His mouth opened in a slight inhalation of pleasure as they rocked against each other, and Buffy fluttered her lips across his.  She was already on the brink of her second orgasm, and could tell that he was close to his first.  Her muscles tightened around him even more, and she began to move her hips harder and faster, setting the pace for both of them.  She brought her legs up and wrapped them around his hips, shuddering every time that his cock brushed against her clit.  

The two ground against each other, never wanting the moment to end.  Each thrust seemed as if it was planned, being both tenderly loving and brutally stern at the same time.  He continued to rub against her with every stroke, and soon Buffy felt her walls start contracting around him.  While she got lost in her second climax, Spike brought his head down and muffled out her cries with a kiss.  His hips moved faster, more urgently now, and within moments, he spilled his seed deep within her.  

Once the two calmed down from the most intense experience of their lives, Spike rolled off of her, and held her in his arms.  He left trails of kisses over her face and neck, murmuring declarations of love into her ear.  Lying there together, the pair let themselves drift off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of their time together.  They knew that life was perfect when dreams could not compare to the bliss of their reality.

Down the hall, Buffy's servant paced back and forth, trying to ignore the sounds that she had heard.  She didn't know that Buffy was being watched by the knight, so as far as she knew, they were the only two in the castle.  From the sounds of it, the future Queen had some unexpected company though.  Her pacing grew frantic while her mind ran away with her.

*Oh dear...  This is not good.  The lady does have a lover, and she seems happy.  But she is not well, and I do have a duty.  But who on earth is Spike?  The King will not be pleased with this information...*

*****************

"Okay, so let's put aside what Buffy was doing when you saw her.  No, wait.  So Buffy was shagging me.  Did you see anything else?  Other than her having sex?  With me?"

Willow gave Spike another dirty look as she tried to rack her brain for any useful information.  She had described the details of the sexcapades so many times that it was hard to concentrate on anything else she had seen in the room.  All she had a view of was the bed, the floor, and the sweaty bodies.  What did they expect her to figure out from that?

She tried to picture where everything was.  In the right corner of the room was a gigantic bed with silk sheets.  Buffy and Spike were on the bed, but those details didn't help.  The floor was stone, and had no carpet.  On the floor were some crumpled up clothes...

"Ooh!  The clothes!"

Giles and Spike whipped their heads around at her words.  From the sounds of it she had made some miraculous discovery, and neither of them had any clue of what to expect.  "There were no bloody clothes, Red!  Remember?  Naked.  Shagging.  No clothes there,"  Spike said with what seemed to be damaged pride.

Willow rolled her eyes at him before she continued.  "Their clothes were on the floor.  They just weren't normal.  They looked really old, like they were from the past.  Far in the past.  Do you think that Buffy's been sent through history?"

The three stared at each other deep in thought for quite some time.  None of them knew what to make of the situation.  If it was true, and Buffy really had been sent back in time, how were they supposed to find her?  Some research was definitely in order...

"Willow, I need you to think.  Could you describe the clothing?"  Giles stared at her in anticipation while he waited for the details to come to her.  There was only so much he could go on from knowing that the clothes were old.  She was only 20.  To her, Woodstock was ancient history!

The witch sat back down on the couch, staring at the floor while she tried her hardest to remember everything.  It was all up to her to figure out where Buffy was, and she hated that.  She buckled under pressure, and that was as pressuring as it could get.  When she looked back up again, Spike and Giles were staring at her as if she was the most interesting thing that had happened since the television had been invented.

Too bad their lives couldn't be as simple as a tv show.

*****************

"Good evening, Lady Buffy.  I trust your night was pleasant?"

Buffy looked up when she heard the King's voice and did her best to keep a straight face.  Her tears had stopped, but it was obvious that she had been crying.  She just hoped that Angelus would be as dense as he was cruel, and not notice.  

"Good evening, King Angelus.  My night was great, thanks.  Have fun at the fair?"  Buffy made it a point to keep her gaze away from his while she spoke to him.

"Yes, it was nice.  Faith rode me into ecstasy time and again.  Quite nice, really.  You do remember that I said there is a surprise for you tonight, correct?"  The King kept a wicked sneer on his face the entire time his lips moved.  He knew Buffy's weak points and did his best to take advantage of that whenever possible.

"Well that's just great.  I've heard from every other guy in the castle that she's a great lay too.  And yes, I do remember that there's a surprise waiting for me.  How considerate of you to think of your future wife."  She spoke with less venom than she usually did, because truth be told, she really didn't care about him or Faith anymore.  The only one that she really did care about was forbidden to her.

"Be ready in an hour.  I'll be waiting for you in the dining hall."  With that said, the King turned around and walked out of her room.  

Buffy was completely relieved that he didn't seem to notice anything strange.  Could it be that she was actually allowed to have at least one night of happiness that wouldn't be torn away from her?  She was amazed to say the least.

A moment later, Dawn entered the room to prepare Buffy for whatever her surprise may be.  While she got ready, the two made small talk, and Buffy was very happy to have another female to talk to.  The fact that it was Dawn made it all the better.  Time seemed to fly by for them, and Dawn was seriously beginning to wonder about what the King had told her about Buffy's condition.  She hoped that confiding in him about Spike was for Buffy's own good as she had intended.

With her dread growing by the minute, Dawn led the elegant looking Buffy to the hall where the King was waiting.  He was whispering something in a quiet tone, but what he said could not be heard.  Buffy cleared her throat to announce her presence, and was surprised to see the room lined with all the King's most loyal knights.  

All except for Spike.  

Angelus gave her a cruel smile and ushered her and Dawn into the room.  The servant was to sit at the back of the room, out of earshot, with all of her kind.  Buffy was led to the front of the table where her surprise awaited her.  Eyes nearly bulging out of her head, she stared at the face from her past, not quite sure what to think.

"Your surprise, M'lady.  I have arranged for a seer to read into you.  She sees all, and misses nothing.  Thought by some as a witch, she has these, visions if you will, that give light to what not everybody else would see.  Tonight she is here to explore your heart, and our future."

Buffy looked back and forth between the King and the seer, trepidation rapidly filling her to the core.  She tried to be nonchalant as she skimmed the room for Spike, but it was to no avail.  He wasn't there.  

Her shoulders slumped in disappointment, and her stomach churned with fear.  She just hoped that the seer wasn't as good as Angelus had said.  There was only one way to find out though.

"Okay, I'm ready when you are.  So, Cordelia, what do you see?"

*****************

"Did it look like this, Willow?"

The witch glanced up at the picture that Giles was pointing to.  She had described the clothing that she saw more times than she would like to count, and they still had no idea where Buffy was.  It was beginning to look hopeless.

"You mean to tell me these are the only three books you have on that sorta thing?  Bloody hell, Watcher!  You were a librarian!  And you only have three soddin' books on history?!"

Giles looked up at Spike with a somewhat shamed glint in his eyes.  It was true that his book collection on that subject was small, but he never really thought that he would need something like that.  Afterall, he was a Watcher.  All of his books were meant to help him out with the forces of evil.  How was he supposed to know that medieval times would come up in that respect?

"Giles, I don't understand why you need a picture so bad.  I gave you a good description, so why can't we just take that and poof ourselves back to her?"  Willow spoke in a hopeful voice, even though her eyes betrayed her fear.

"I've explained this.  The details you gave were good, but not enough."  Giles paused to clean off his glasses.  "The medieval time period went on for centuries, you see.  The smallest difference in clothing can mean 100 years of a difference.  You said there was a helmet on the floor.  According to what I've read, that in itself makes an enormous difference in the time period.  If it covered the entire face with moveable pieces, it was most likely an Armet from the fifteenth century.  Then again, it could be closed but with a visor, which would mean that we're talking about the twelfth century.  They look almost the same, but those small differences mean centuries of a difference."

Willow paled slightly at how precise she needed to be.  There was no way that she could remember things to the exact detail like that!  Even if she could, that would give her an approximate century.  They needed to be a lot more specific than that.  From the looks of things, it was going to take a long, long time to find her.  And that was if they were lucky.

Giles continued to look through his books, and Willow tried to think of any more information that would help them.  Spike had gone back over to Buffy, where he sat by her side, clasping her hand.  Tears had filled his eyes at the improbability of finding her, and when he looked up at her face, he had a feeling that things were a lot worse than they had thought.

"Bloody hell!  Watcher!  I think you'd better have a look at this!"

*****************

*Could this be more fake?*

Buffy did her best to look interested while Cordelia swayed back and forth, trying to read her.  It looked like something out of a bad psychic commercial, and it was getting really old, really fast.  

At first Buffy had been terrified that her secret would be revealed, but they had been in the room for an hour, and so far nothing personal had been said.  Sure, there had been mention of things that could relate to her, but they were so general that they could have been about anybody.  Still though, she did her best to look fascinated.

"I see passion and fire in you.  There is strength inside of you that many others would envy.  As the date of your wedding approaches, you become more and more anxious."
Cordelia continued to rock back and forth as if it took great amounts of strength to learn all of this information.  Buffy continued to feel bored.

"You care deeply for those you love, and would do anything for them.  As a matter of fact, there is somebody that stands out more than the rest.  A man.  A very powerful man."  Angelus took Buffy's hand in his as these words were spoken.  She wanted to laugh at him for thinking that he was the one she loved.

"Your heart beats for this man, and you would sacrifice anything for his happiness.  In fact, you already have."  That caught Buffy's attention as her head sprung up in an alarmed manner.  The King's hold on her hand tightened.

"I can see that you have given yourself to him willingly.  I can sense... a night of passion, a night of intimacy.  I can feel a name for him...  What is it?  Ah, yes.  Spike."  

At that, Angelus' grip grew painful to say the least.  Buffy tried to jump out of her seat and get out of there, but she was grabbed by two of the knights.  They held on to her squirming body, and the King approached her with a wicked sneer.  His hand roughly slapped across her face, and she closed her eyes while she waited for whatever was to come.

When the King stepped even closer and roughly pushed her against the wall, she knew all too well what was in her future...  




Continued...