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

*What the bleedin' hell is going on 'ere?*

Spike's eyes widened when he took a look around him.  The last thing he remembered was sitting on the couch with Buffy, and he was crying.  Then he had blinked.  That was all he had done, and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a very unfamiliar room, surrounded by very unfamiliar people.  Except for the terrified woman next to him in a pretty dress and the man who had just said, "Kill him."

*Buffy.*  That was the first thing to pop into Spike's head as he took in his surroundings.

For a split second, Spike turned to look at Buffy for the first time in what seemed like forever.  His eyes met hers, and he did his best to convey everything that he felt in that brief moment.  Her eyes widened, and she numbly mouthed out his name.  From the looks of it, she was just as shocked to see him there as he was to be there.  A half smile covered his face as he reached out and caressed her cheek.  Then the King's words sunk in.

"Kill him?!  Hey now!  There's no need for that, mate!  Anyway, who died and made you the magnificent poof?  Now if you don't mind, or even if you do, we'll just be going on our merry lil' ways then..."

Spike's sentence trailed off when Angelus motioned for the other knights to pull out their swords.  "Or you could do that," Buffy said in a meek voice.

The King took that moment to step even closer to the love-struck couple.  His gaze roved over Spike and then Buffy.  A cruel smile curled over his lips, and he brought his hand out to touch Buffy's cheek where Spike's hand had once been.  His fingers trailed over her face, touching gently yet enticingly, and he looked into the knight's eyes as he did so.  Spike glared at him, expecting his game face to come forth, and not caring if it did.  

Still keeping eye contact with the other man, Angelus abruptly stopped his rough version of a massage, and grabbed Buffy by the hair, snarling at her.  Spike leapt forward, willing his face to morph, and letting out a growl as he did so.  The only problem was, human growls sound more like kittens than lions.

Buffy looked at him, somewhat amused.  Spike looked totally confused.  The King stared at them both before rolling his eyes.

"I've changed my mind.  Kill them both."

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

"Oh, thank God!  Willow, she appears to be with Angel!  Maybe things aren't as bad as they appear to be!"

Giles and Willow sat on the edge of the couch as they read the book together.  They had only gotten to the point of Buffy's arrival to the castle, but still they were fascinated.  Willow took the book to read it aloud.

"Now, go!  Tonight's mistress is awaiting my arrival.  I should have been to
her hours ago, but you chose that time to disappear!  Now I don't even know
if I can get my prick hard, I am so angry!  Get out!"

Willow looked at Giles in embarrassed confusion.  "Okay, ummm...  Maybe Angel being there isn't such a big good?"  Thinking back to the new visitor that world had, Willow's lips curled into a small frown.  "I'm thinking that might be the understatement of the year."

The Watcher slowly nodded his head in agreement, and took the book from her hands.  "Maybe it will get better if we skip ahead a bit.  It can't hurt to look."

Giles began to flip through the pages, skimming over certain parts.  He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he would know it once he found it.  The best thing they could really hope for was to find someone in that world who would care for Buffy.  It really was their best hope.  "Willow, look!  This must be when she first met the Spike of their time!"  Giles' voice took on an excited edge as he began to read.

"M'lady, are you alright?"
"W-What are you doing here?"
"King Angelus wishes for me to stay with you right now."
"Why?"
"For I am your protector."

A sense of compassion came over Willow when she heard that.  She looked over at Spike's body, and hoped that he would make it home when they figured out how to get Buffy out of there.  She then looked at Giles, and prodded him.  "Keep reading!  I want to know what's gonna happen, or who else is on her side!"  

The Watcher turned his head to look at her, and let out a small smirk.  "You just want to know who you were in that world.  Admit it."  Willow let out a small giggle and motioned for him to continue.  Rolling his eyes, he flipped further ahead in the book and let Willow read.

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 collarbone, 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.

Giles and Willow stared at the book, both too embarrassed to say anything.  At one point they looked up at each other, but they both turned so red that they quickly looked back down.  "Right then.  I, errr...  I think perhaps we should see where this ends so we will have a better idea of how to rescue her."  A low whimper escaped Spike's lips.  "Right.  So we can rescue them."

Had the situation not been so serious, Willow would have giggled.  One look behind her at the two on the couch had her wearing her research face again in no time.  She watched as Giles flipped to the back of the book, and didn't try to hide her confusion at what they saw.

"Giles, why are the pages blank?"

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

"Hold me.  I don't wanna be alone."

Spike looked at Buffy in wonder, not willing to pass up her request for anything in the world.  He didn't question, he just felt.  Some weird things had happened in that world, that much he knew.  Whatever it was that made her choose him to be with was a gift from some higher power.  Pulling her close to his body, he let his eyes close for a moment, and thanked that power with every shred of his being.

"Kill them now!"

The knights in the room all stared at the King when he bellowed out his command.  They then looked at one another, unsure of how to react.  On one hand, they were sworn to obey the King, and had spent most of their lives doing so.  On the other, Sir William was their best knight, their best man.  

"I said kill them!"

Still, the knights stood unsure.  Lifetimes came and went while they pondered their options.  Were they supposed to listen to the monster, or go with the man?  Finally, one knight stepped forward and looked Spike in the eye.  "Your highness, I cannot."  Those four simple words made a world of a difference to the atmosphere of the room.  Several of the other men in the room nodded their heads, and dropped their swords.

Spike and Buffy stared at one another, unsure of what to make of their situation.  Spike released his hold on the Slayer, and looked at the men in the room who were on their side.  An unexplainable feeling of pride coursed through his veins, though he wasn't sure why.  The knowledge that his counter self was capable of winning so much support was choking him with the intensity of its power.  

*Well I'll be damned...*

Spike stared at Angelus long and hard, hatred apparent in his eyes.  The only thing that  broke the staring match was a knight charging out towards Spike and Buffy.  Another man jumped in the way, raising his own sword to defend the two.

That's when hell broke loose.

Swords clattered, and blood shed.  The once quiet room erupted into bellows of rage, and cries of pain.  Crimson blood marred the floor, body parts and corpses thrown about.  It became an all out war.  Good versus evil.  Spike versus Angelus.  It was chaos.

All of the knights threw themselves into battle, while the other inhabitants of the room stared on in shock.  It wasn't until a hand was thrown over Buffy's mouth that she or Spike moved.  Her arms flailed wildly, and Spike was about to throw himself into the fight, until they heard the quietly whispered words.

"Follow me.  I'll get you out."

Buffy's eyes widened when she recognized the voice, but she did not argue.  Instead she grabbed Spike's hand and ran as fast as she could, with Faith in the lead.  She led them to a door at the far end of the room, fumbling to get it open.  

"You must run, Lady Buffy.  Run as fast as you can, and don't stop.  Just over the clearing, you will find yourself in the forest.  Legend has it that there is a giant oak tree, where an old man lives.  His knowledge is great, and he will be able to help you both.  Go to him, and God's speed to you.  Now run!"

Faith whispered the words, looking at the fray over her shoulder in fear.  Buffy brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and searched her face for some sign of betrayal.  All she found was honesty.

"But Faith, he'll kill you if he finds out you helped us!"  The brunette stared at her with a look of acceptance.  "I know this.  Now go!"  Buffy briefly hesitated, unsure of what to do.  A look behind her at the mess in the room, and a glimpse of Spike-the real Spike-by her side made her decision an easy one.  Flashing a grateful look at the girl she had once hated, Buffy ran out the door with Spike right beside her.

Faith stood watching in the doorway, and even as an arrow pierced her heart, her smile did not falter.  She had saved the lives of two others, and that was all that mattered to her.  Buffy had been the example of what the country needed, and Faith accepted that.  She admired that.  For that reason, she gave Buffy the best gift she could.  Her death.

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

"Blank pages...  I'm thinking that's not of the good, right?"

Willow looked at Giles with unhidden fear in her eyes as she thumbed through the end of the oversized book that he held.  She flipped back until she could see writing again, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that not all that many pages were blank.

The Watcher's brow was furrowed as he tried to figure out why the book would just stop.  It made no sense to him.  Not like anything else that was happening was logical, but they had to draw the line somewhere.

"Well I suppose we should go back and see what we've missed.  Perhaps we overlooked something back earlier in the text."  His voice was barely above a whisper, as he was thinking aloud more than talking to Willow.  

"That could work.  How far back should we go?  I mean, what if it's in the beginning?  Or in little tiny letters that we didn't even notice?  Oh!  What if the lettering is actually in white, and we never find them because we stopped once we thought the pages were blank!"  Willow's sentences moved faster until they just blurred into one big word.

"Willow!  Get ahold of yourself!  We will find them.  We will.  As long as we can stay calm, we can find what we need.  We must remain calm!"  Giles fought at the hysteria that wanted to bubble forth as he tried to convince himself as well as her that everything would be alright.

Taking a deep breath, Willow nodded her agreement.  She pried the book from his hands and flipped back towards the middle.  "Should I read, or do you want to?"  

Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them on his sleeves.  "I suppose it all depends on whether Buffy was feeling frisky during the page you're on."  

Willow's eyes widened, and a faint smile spread across her face.  "Frisky?  Giles, you made a funny!"  She looked back at Spike's seemingly sleeping form, and her eyes widened considerably.  "Or at least I think it was just a funny.  I'll read, just to be safe."  

"Now you see, M'lady, there will be no 'mercy.'   There will be no 'letting you go.'  There will be nothing in favor of the likes of you.  You have committed treason against me, and against the crown.  For that you will pay, my sweet Buffy.  You will pay dearly.  Choose to behave as a whore, and that is what you will be treated as.  And since I now know that you are not as pure as I once thought, I will have no mercy in my punishment for you."

Willow took a deep gulp as she read the words of the King.  A glance over at Giles, and the pale white that covered his face told her that she wasn't imagining the horror of the situation.  When Giles flashed a look of impatience at her though, she quickly decided to stop pondering the 'what if's' and skimmed forward.

Buffy fell to her knees and let her tears mix with the pool of crimson blood on the floor.  A mutilated face stared back at her, causing a flood of memories to flow into her mind.  The good, the bad, and the terrible flowed back to her, sending her mind into turmoil.  With a menacing look, the King lowered the sword in front of her, and that's when she knew fear.

Taking in a sharp intake of breath, Giles looked over at Willow again.  His heart was constricting tightly, imagining the terror that Buffy must have been experiencing.  "I really think it's time for us to read faster.  Buffy is in trouble, and we are the only ones who can save her from the hell she has been sent to."

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

"Let me get this straight.  This is the tree we were looking for?"

A smile tugged at Buffy's mouth, and she couldn't control the laughter that wanted to burst out of her.  Spike pinched her to silence her, but looking down at his nude form and back up to the much older looking version of Giles, she only laughed harder.  The two men stared at her as if she were nuts, and she made no move to get up until Spike walked by her with his pants on.

"Hey!  Wait up!  Can't even laugh around here..."  Buffy grumbled to herself as she struggled to pull some clothing on.  Mumbling about how strange her life could be, she followed her half naked vampiric human lover and her suddenly extremely old watcher into a big tree.

Giles motioned for them to sit, so Spike and Buffy tentatively lowered themselves to the gigantic flower petals that awaited them.  Once their flesh met the petals, the flowers molded themselves to the forms of their inhabitants, and became the most comfortable chairs they ever sat in.

With the situation they were in, the two didn't even find it odd.

"Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do.  Do you know who you are?"
"Yeah...  So you know why we're here?"
"Do you know why you're here?"
"What the bleedin' hell is this?  Are you gonna answer every question with a question, mate?"
"Does it look like I'm answering every question with a question?"
"Slayer, I hate your Watcher."
"Spike, he's like my father!  Don't talk about him that way!"
"Yes, yes.  But your father is never around, not even when you lost your mother.  And your sister who isn't really your sister is the closest family you have now.  May I continue now?"

Spike and Buffy's jaws dropped when they heard the old man's knowledge of her family life.  The Slayer nodded numbly, preparing herself for whatever he would have to tell her.

"Good then.  You are here for a reason.  The man who lives for chaos returned, and you granted him mercy.  Very unwise, if I may say so.  He cast a spell for you to come here, and to learn a lesson in the most difficult of ways- in a way that he hoped would be the death of you.  

"Everything here is the same, you see.  The people who surround you in this world are basically identical to the ones in the world that you call home.  The real difference is that whatever lies on the inside of them is what you see here.  No faking, no lies.  This, is reality."

Buffy began to shake her head in denial, disbelieving of what he was telling her, but she stopped when Giles sent a steely gaze her way.

"If I may continue...  The boy with a good heart is often seen as a fool for his merry ways, but his purpose is to make you happy.  The job of a jester, simply put.  The ex-demon?  She does not pretend, thus she is exactly the same in both worlds.  The lad who died for the King's mistake?  He was a knight, a soldier, but not a large part of your story, you see.  The dark haired one tries to be devious, but inside she is just like you.  Well, she was.  

"The little girl...  What a sweet thing she is.  You thought she turned her back on you, did you?  She is an innocent, M'lady.  She did not know of the consequences of her actions.  In truth, her purpose of being at the castle was to help you survive, much in the same way that your 'sister' keeps you tied to your world.  What she did was not her fault.  She thought it for the best.

"Then there is the man who you once loved.  The one who ruled your emotions.  The King of your heart, so to speak.  A soul cursed him to feel regret, remorse for his actions.  The real him though, cares for nobody but himself.  Going back before he got a soul, he was a horrid human being.  Becoming a vampire just made him worse.  The soul, which was not even his soul to begin with, is the only thing holding him back.  Now you have seen what he really is.

"And...  Spike.  The knight with a heart of gold.  The man who was sent to protect you, whether you wanted his help or not.  If I recall correctly, you said some very harsh things to him before you were sent here.  'The only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious,' if I recall correctly.  Judging by your state of dress when I found you, you have already figured out the meaning of what lies within him.  

"The truth, M'lady.  This is all about the truth within.  You have learned all I had hoped, and now you want to go home.  Very well.  That is what I am here for.  To help you.  To watch you and be certain that you fulfilled your purpose here.  My job here is now done."

Spike and Buffy continued to stare at Giles open mouthed as he finished his tirade.  Things suddenly made a bit more sense, and Buffy made a mental note to tell her friends how much she loved them once she got home.  That, and to hang Ethan Rayne by his toenails until he learned a lesson.

"You must drink this potion, and chant the words that you read here.  Jump through the blue haze, and you will find yourselves back where you yearn to be.  Are you ready?"

Buffy nodded and squeezed Spike's hand in anticipation.  They were going home!  She just wasn't looking forward to explaining the change in her and Spike's relationship to Giles.

"Alright, I'm ready.  What do we have to say?"  Spike had a large smile on his face, and he couldn't wait to go back to his world.  That, and he couldn't wait to see the look on Giles' face when they told him.

The old man slipped a piece of paper in front of Spike, and passed him a small vile of potion.  "Drink, read, jump.  That's all you have to do," Giles said.  Spike looked down at the piece of paper and rolled his eyes.

"You're off your bird!  I can't wait to get home.  Are you ready, luv?"  
"Ready as a freddie.  I'll be there right after you, okay?  I just want to say bye to Giles."  

Spike nodded and pulled Buffy to him to give her a brief kiss across her lips.  He then picked up the vile, and swallowed it down, shuddering from the strength of the bitter liquid.  Blushing a bit as he said it, he looked down at the words and began to read from the paper.

"Fuzzy duck and ducky fuzz
Bring me back to where I was."

With that said, he took a running leap into the vortex, and then he was gone.

Buffy turned to Giles, and gave him a hug.  "Thank you, Giles.  I don't know what I would have done without you.  Thank you."

The man returned her hug, and emotion welled up inside of him.  "You have made your Watcher very proud, girl.  I only wish that I could have a daughter such as yourself.  I-"  Giles' sentence trailed off as his eyes grew wide.  "Oh dear.  This isn't right."  

Buffy looked on in confusion as he muttered the last words.  "Giles, what's going on?   Giles?  Giles!"  She began to shake him, becoming terrified at the pale shade his face was taking on.  

A tiny dribble of blood made its way down his lip, and Buffy stepped back abruptly.  She whirled around, looking for another presence in the room, but she saw nothing.  Turning back towards Giles, Buffy gasped and tears rolled down her cheeks.  A magickal knife tore its way through his flesh, coming from the inside out.  

She had to do something.  Something other than standing there like a fool.  *Go, Buffy.  Get the hell out of here and get home to the real Giles.*  Her mind had logic, but it took her a minute to process it.

Turning around, Buffy reached for the vial with shaky hands.  Before she could reach it though, a larger hand reached out and grabbed it.  She watched the bottle smash to the floor in slow motion, as a male voice shouted cheerfully, "Hello, Buffy.  Good to see you!"  

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

"Good God, Willow!  This is insanity!"

Willow ran from Spike and Buffy's sides and back over to Giles.  "What?  What did you find?"  Her voice rose in panic as she yelled.  From the look on his face, it had to be bad.

"They made me old and gave me a beard!"
"Oooh, those fiends!  You've got the worst end of all this, I tell ya!"

Giles turned a deep color of scarlet when Willow helped put things back into perspective for him.  "Right then.  Sorry.  Apparently, my alternate self is there to help her.  I'm there to save the day."  Willow glared at him.  "Moving right along..."

The Watcher flipped the page, and held his breath as he saw that the words seemed to be filling themselves in on their own.  For a moment he frowned.  If things were filling in as her story went along, the end was near.  He had always been a sucker for a happy ending, though.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an all too familiar British voice.  "Hello, people!"  The jovial voice took on a disappointed edge.  "The Slayer isn't here yet?"  

Willow trampled over the couch and threw her arms around Spike before he could say 'fuzzy duck' again.  "Spike!  You're back!  And Buffy's coming too?!  Oooh, this is so good!  It's better than good!  This is great!  Giles, isn't it great?"  

Reluctantly, the Watcher walked over to the vampire and eyed him wearily.  As much as he tried to look on in disdain, a piece of him was genuinely happy to see him again.  Spike flashed him a toothy grin.  "Got rid of the beard, eh?"  

Giles quickly dismissed his happiness of seeing Spike as a moment of insanity.  "Speak of that to no one, and I'll buy you blood for a month."  The peroxide blonde's smile grew even larger.

Sitting back down on the couch, Spike pulled Buffy's hand into his.  He looked up at the clock, and mumbled something about 'bleedin' women always taking their sweet ol' time.'  When several minutes passed and Buffy still hadn't returned, Spike's smile faded considerably.  Five more minutes went by, and all happiness was replaced with gut wrenching fear.

"Watcher, she should be here by now.  Why isn't she here yet?"
"Er, let me check the book."

Giles picked the book back up and started reading from where he left off.  A look of anger spread over his face, and a gasp slipped past his lips.  The book fell to the floor, and the Watcher's face was grim.  Stepping over to his weapons chest, he didn't say a word.  He just picked up an ax, and walked towards the door.

Willow stared on in confused terror.  "Giles!  What's going on?!  Where are you going?!"  Turning to face her before he walked out the door, Giles spoke in a steely calm voice.  "Ethan Rayne is back.  Ripper is going out to play."

"Ethan...  Is back?"

Willow stared at Giles in confusion while she tried to let that sink in.  It had been years since anybody had last heard from the Watcher's old friend, but she still couldn't believe that nobody had even considered the possibility that he could be involved.  After all, Ethan was the master of chaos.

Even worse, Giles and Willow both know the full repercussions of Ethan's return; they knew how dangerous he was.  And they were already so far behind in the game that he had the definite advantage.

Even Spike, who never thought of Ethan as a threat considering they'd once been on the same side, had fear instilled into the deepest recesses of his unbeating heart.  Ethan's heinous plans suited the vampire when he wanted to kill the Slayer more than he wanted to love her, but things had changed.  He had changed. 

And after seeing what things were like in the castle, he had a feeling that the Halloween he had tried to kill Buffy was only the prologue of Ethan's plan.  And now he would rather die a thousand deaths than have the one he loved undergo whatever torments were sure to be planned for her.

Giles flashed the room a look that only a pissed off father figure can give, and nodded his head grimly.  With his jaw set and fire in his eyes, he turned to Buffy's prone body one last time before walking out the door.

The witch and the vampire looked at one another, their faces clad in identical masks of fear and determination, and hurried after the Watcher with nothing more than the book in hand.  Together, the three made their way to Giles' trampy red speedster and raced off to where their intuition led them.

Nobody spoke a word the entire ride.  They all knew they should be coming up with a plan of action.  They all knew they should be plotting their revenge on Ethan.  They all knew a lot of things, but none of them mattered.  The silence was their only savior, keeping them from giving into the insanity that wanted to consume them. 

Silence couldn't protect them from what they found at the former magic shop though.

Before they even entered the dingy area, they knew they had found the man responsible for Buffy's state of being.  Even the most oblivious observer of Hellmouth activities would have been able to feel the darkness of the air that surrounded the place.  For professionals such as the Scoobies, it was more than obvious.

Burnt out candles lined the shelves and diagrams stained the floors.  An over-abundance of paper was scattered across the store, each piece containing vast knowledge of the situation and what had led Ethan to return to his former store.  What stuck out the most was the diagram drawn in the center of the floor, with Ethan's shoelace woven around the missing piece from the clothing Buffy had been in since the spell was cast.  Blood was drizzled throughout the drawing, and in the center was Ethan, bordered by bottles and herbs.  A light similar to the one surrounding Buffy outlined his features, except the color of his was black.

The three do-gooders slowly walked around the room, taking in their surroundings.  They skimmed over the papers that they found, trying to determine their best plan of action.  Paper after paper got thrown to the side, nothing telling them what they needed to know.  For the first time ever, the Scoobies didn't think they had even a slight chance of saving their friend.

Spike sat amidst the cryptic writing, feeling as if he was going to tear in half.  His eyes closed of their own accord, thinking back to the time he had spent with her.  It had been brief, but being with her was burned into his memory.  Her touch.  Her taste.  Just her.  Everything about her would have been his if only he had waited for her.  But he had jumped through the vortex without her, and his memory was the only thing that he had left.  So he remembered everything, and lost himself in his thoughts.

Then the clue he had been looking for nearly jumped out and hit him in the face.  His eyes flew open, and his head darted around to take in the scene around him once again.  Willow and Giles were still silently sorting through the papers, trying to make sense of it all. 

Spike, though, he understood. 

Moving without effort, he got to his feet and went back to a pile he had already read over and reached for the top sheet.  He grasped it in his hand, not willing to let go or share his treasure with anybody else.  Instead, he walked over to Ethan's body and picked up the familiar vial of bitter liquid that he had drank once before, raising it to his lips.  As the potion burned down his throat, he read the words written on the page in a near whisper.

"I beckon my passage to the powers of torment
Blasphemous trail through the fountain of youth
Spiraling after her downward descent
Blast to the past towards her land of truth."

The last thing that Spike heard before the vortex opened was the sound of Giles' voice and the book dropping to the floor.  "Oh, dear God.  Spike!  No!" 

The last thing that Spike heard before he was actually sucked into the open vortex was Giles' voice whispering to Willow.  "The formula has been destroyed, and only Ethan's bottle of potion remains.  Buffy only had one chance to come home."

As Spike's body swirled back through time, he felt himself dying all over again.

*******

Buffy felt like she was going to die. 

Her body told her that the end was near, her brain told her that it would be soon, and everything in between agreed with her on all levels.  Her flesh felt like it was being burnt off of her, and truth be told, she wished it would hurry up and happen so that she could be rid of the pain.

Chains bound her arms and legs to a wall in the King's dungeon, and the man she grew to abhor loomed over her, brandishing a whip in one hand and a sticky leather glove in the other.  Yelling profanities at her, Angelus cracked the whip against Buffy's chest, leaving a raw wound from the small pieces of stones that hung from the bottom of the whip.  When she thought she couldn't feel any more pain, he would rub the glove across her sores with a lover's caress, and douse the open wounds with the salt he had applied to the soaking wet glove beforehand.

The torment never stopped.  The King never tired.  Blow after blow, wipe after wipe, the torture nearly seemed to be orchestrated.  Raw, bleeding, and broken, Buffy could do nothing but cry, and even that took too much from her.  And through it all, Ethan Rayne watched with a smile on his face and a jaunty tune in his heart.

"You thought you could escape me, did you?"

**Whip!**

"You thought that whore was your salvation?"

**Rub**

"You thought your precious knight would save you?

**Whip!**

"You thought you two would be together for the rest of your days?  That this is nothing more than a tale with a happy ending?"

**Rub**

"Where is he now, Lady Buffy?  Does he seek pleasure knowing that he has survived at your expense?  Knowing that the world thinks you dead and the only ones who know you are alive are in this room?  Or- does he simply not care?

**Whip, whip, rub, whip!**

King Angelus spoke in a crude voice, feeding off the sobs that escaped Buffy's trembling body.  As her screams grew louder, his smile grew larger until it was nearly at the point of popping off his face. 

"I know you are wondering what happened to Sir William, and it is the thought of him that keeps you going.  Your knight did manage to escape, but I have the best of my guards on the lookout for him.  He will be excited to reunite with you, I am certain.  A man's whore is always welcome for an impersonal favor.  But really, I must wonder.  Did you allow him to taste you, Lady Buffy?  Was it nice and slow, a beautiful experience for your inexperienced body?  Or did he merely ram into you like an untamed beast, savage and raw?"

The King spoke in a derogatory manner, gyrating his hips against her as he spoke.  He dropped the glove to the floor and ran the fingertips of his free hand through her golden hair.

"Did you feel unfulfilled, M'lady?  Did you wish that he could have satisfied you the way that I satisfied Faith?  Do you now wish for me to grant you that favor and give you the release you so desperately crave?"

With a look of cold indifference to her feelings that mocked his words, his tongue darted out to moisten his lips.  She wished he would choke on it.

The Slayer understood his game though, and refused to play it any longer.  She held back all of the frustration she wanted to take out on him, and held back her cries of pain as well.  Her eyes rose to meet his, and she smiled sweetly through her tears. 

"Get your grubby hands off of me.  I would rather fuck Ethan than have you touch me.  Ever."

Angelus' jaw clenched and madness gleamed within his eyes.  His hand pulled her head back roughly, and he cracked the whip against her hard enough to make a god cry.  Throwing the weapon to the floor, he stalked across the dingy room and glared.

"I think that can be arranged."

*******

*One bloody chance.*

Once Spike awoke from his post-time-travel nap, there was only one thought on his mind.  Well, it was on his mind throughout the trip, during his fall to the ground, and while he was unconscious, but he wasn't concentrating on the specifics.  The fact of the matter was, there was only one bottle of potion left and he just drank it.  One bottle that could give Buffy a chance of going home if he could find her.  One bottle that could give them a chance at being together.  One bottle to save Buffy's life.

And he drank it.

Spike pulled himself up to his feet and tried to think about something other than how he failed the woman he loved more than anything in the world.  Useless as it was, he still tried.  It wasn't until he heard the trollop of hoofs on the ground that he came out of his near catatonic state.  But at that point, all he could do was run-

While thinking of how he failed Buffy.

Unsure of who was approaching and not too interested in finding out the hard way, Spike ran towards the gigantic tree that was the setting for all his memories until his legs ached and his lungs burned.  The ground continued to tremble from the horses that searched, but still he ran.

Finally, he reached his destination and allowed his mind the brief luxury of thinking back to his time with Buffy.  The moment only lasted as long as it took him to spot the blood droplets that stained the leaves, and then he was inside the tree, praying for her safety.

Spike had never prayed before, but he thought it might help him in that situation.  He prayed to God, Allah, Buddha, and even Zeus while he took in the scenery of the formerly posh tree house. 

The flower chairs that were once soft and beautiful had wilted.  Furniture was tipped over, and the remnants of the wise man's body lay on the floor.  Books were ripped, bottles were smashed, and- 

And a tangy blue liquid rested in a puddle on the floor.

Spike's eyes widened as he dropped to his knees and pulled out what he could of the glass particles in the potion.  He spotted an unbroken vial out of the corner of his eye and hurried to get as much of the drink into it as he could.  What he couldn't maneuver into the bottle, he licked up, and let his saliva-potion contraption dribble into the vial.  It might not have been pretty, but he doubted it mattered at the moment.  The only thing that had any semblance of meaning at that point was that Buffy could have a chance to survive.  That is, if he could survive long enough to make it to her in time.

With the potion tucked safely away in his pocket, Spike got to his feet again and stepped out of the tree.  Once he was outside, a calloused hand clamped over his mouth and pushed him back in before he even had a chance to protest.

Unarmed and unprepared, Spike's mind began to race.  The figure holding on to him tightened his grip and spoke in a hushed voice.  "Sir William, your cooperation is imperative.  Lady Buffy is in grave danger, and King Angelus has his men searching far and wide to find where you have gone.  He plans to keep her alive until you are found, if only to torture you with witnessing her death before he ends your life as well."

Spike's body relaxed and stiffened at the same time.  The voice he heard was one he remembered, but couldn't be sure where it was from.  The words, "Your highness, I cannot," entered his mind, and he nearly cried with joy.  It was the knight who had spoken up for Spike and Buffy when the King had sentenced them to death.  And he was going to help save them again.

"I beg of you, listen carefully, for our time is limited.  The lady is being held captive in King Angelus' dungeon.  I have spoken with our fellow knights, and many are on our side.  They will fight for what they believe in, even if that means their demise.  Keep in mind, however, that some fear the kingdom's leader greatly, and will fight against us.  Men are going to die, Sir William.  But you are not."

As grateful as he was for the help, Spike couldn't understand why the knight and his men would fight for him.  "Why, mate?  Why are you risking yourself for me?"

The knight smiled warmly, yet grimly at the peroxide blonde as he spoke.  "When I was dubbed as Sir Wesley, I swore to protect this kingdom.  King Angelus has ruined what this place once was and I vow to restore it.  Rogue knight or not, I will do what I must for the side of good.  Your side is the good side, Sir William.  And for that, you will surely be rewarded, somehow."

Spike flashed Sir Wesley an appreciative glance and clapped the man on the shoulder.  No more words were needed as the two approached the castle on foot.  As they walked, men on horses approached, one by one, joining in on the voyage to defend their loyalty to Spike. 

At that moment, he truly understood why Buffy would want to fight the good fight.

*******

"I don't understand him!  What was he thinking?!"

Willow nearly screeched out her grievances with the vampire when she and Giles saw his body thump into the vortex. 

"Giles!  Was the only bottle the one that he just drank?  Or is there another over there?  Please say there's another!  No, wait!  Please say there's two another's!"  Willow's voice rose to hysteria.

"I- I don't know!  The book didn't imply where the bottle was."  Giles tried to keep his calm, though he couldn't hide the twitching vein in his clenched hand.

"Can't you flip ahead?  I mean, we need to know what's going to happen!  If Buffy gets lost, this was all wasted, all for nothing!  We've waited too long for that!"  Willow's hands flailed wildly through the air.

"I'm not certain either, Willow!  The book does not say where the bottle is, and the rest has not been written yet."  Giles' voice took on an exasperated edge.

"So what can we do?"  For the first time in their conversation, Willow's voice softened and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I don't know.  I honestly don't know.  All we can do is wait."  Giles nearly whispered.

They both knew that time was the only thing that could tell.

*******

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

Buffy glared daggers at Ethan as he mumbled beneath his breath.  The two were side by side, suspended in mid air by chains that gave no leeway.  King Angelus had retreated to his chambers an hour before and the dungeon cell was empty, save for the two foes.

"Maybe this was a bad idea?  Maybe?!"  Buffy's voice rose to unnaturally high decibels as she shouted at him. 

"Don't yell at me, you!  It was a perfectly excellent plan until Angelus tried to offer you to me.  To think, he thought that I would be pleased by his offer!  Don't you have any of your powers left?"  Ethan asked in a haughty puff.

"I so can't believe you!  You did this to me.  You!  And now you want me to help you?!  Everything was fine and dandy until something that wasn't on your itinerary popped up.  Well that's just great.  I've been through hell for however long I've been here, because of you, and now I have to deal with you going all wiggidy because of what you caused.  You!"  Buffy fumed.

The man at least had enough intelligence to look properly chastised.  If he hadn't given her that much satisfaction, she would have most likely ripped out his liver and used it as a hackey sack.  Well, if she wasn't chained up.  And if she played hackey sack.

Before either of them could say another word, footsteps could be heard and they thought it wise to keep their mouths shut.  King Angelus entered the room with his trademark sneer and motioned to Buffy.

"Are we enjoying ourselves?"

Buffy and Ethan glared.  Angelus gave them a thoughtful look and turned to walk back towards the door. 

"No matter.  My lady, I have a surprise for you.  I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I have."

With that said, he motioned to the knights in the hallway and they entered with a burlap sack.  A body-shaped lump filled the bag, and when they dumped it on the floor, a shade of blonde that Buffy thought she would never see again tumbled onto the floor.  The king smiled a genuine smile at her before kicking the man in the ribs.

The knight that everybody had followed opened his eyes and groaned in pain.  "Buffy?"  His lips mouthed out the word, but no sound came out of his mouth.  A small driblet of blood drizzled from his bottom lip as he tried to focus his eyes on the blonde beauty.  The last thing he saw before Angelus struck at him once more was the lady he had come to love screaming his name from her confines.

Then everything went black.

*******

"I will enter first, and the rest of you follow when I give the signal."

Wesley gave the orders to the rest of the knights following him as he slipped into the underground entrance of the castle.  The rest of the men nodded at his words and did their best to appear camouflaged.

Sir Wesley entered the castle and went directly to the knights' table.  There, other men who dressed identically to him, yet fought for a completely different cause, greeted him.  He nodded his head in greeting before he took his seat with the others.

One knight turned to him with a sneer, and let out a masculine chuckle.  "You try to act innocent, Sir Wesley, yet we know whose side you fight for.  You will be pleased to know that Sir William was captured tonight, and he is no longer a threat to us.  You have lost your cause, Sir Wesley.  You failed miserably."

Wesley stared at the man in confusion, knowing that what he said was impossible.  Without saying a word, he walked out of the room and proceeded straight to the dungeon.  There, he saw two figures chained to a wall with Sir William lying on the floor, unmoving.

The knight's eyes widened as he stared on in disbelief.  "No.  It cannot be.  There are two of them?"  Nothing made any sense, but at the same time it made perfect sense.  The knight that he brought to the castle spoke strangely, and never called him by his name.  The William that he knew always addressed him properly, and spoke with a gentleman's finesse.  The Buffy that he was looking at was different too.  She was more aggressive, more determined than the lady whom he had come to know.  Everything made sense to him in the unclearest of ways.

There was no time to ponder, though.  Whatever was going on, there was a knight outside who he made a promise to.  Sir Wesley never broke his promises.  Pulling his true knight to the side, he ignored King Angelus as he walked into the room.  He continued to ignore the King even as he was being thrown to the floor.

"What in God's name do you think you are doing, Sir Wesley?"  Angelus bellowed in his face.

Sir Wesley looked into his eyes, putting on a scared facade, and had one thing to say.

"I- I- I- NOW!!!"

At the sound of his yell, the troop of men outside came charging into the palace.  They fought their way through the corridors, clashing swords and drawing blood.  What started as an army of 100 men, rapidly dwindled to 50 men before they even reached the dungeon.

That's when hell broke loose.

Men from both sides of the fight charged at one another, sparing no one.  They granted no mercy as they attacked.  Blood sprayed across the room, covering everyone in it.  It dripped into their eyes, blurring their vision, but still they fought.

Long swords tore grown men in half, daggers pierced through hearts.  Crossbows and staffs, skewers and broadswords; every known weapon of their time decapitated and killed the men who fought for what they believed in.

Sir Wesley swung his cutlass through the air, slicing into one of the King's men straight through his midsection.  The man fell to the floor, clutching his exposed entrails to him, trying to contain them in his body before he died. 

Behind Sir Wesley, another knight raised his arm to slice his short sword right across his throat, but a dagger came flying from the other side of the room, effectively stabbing Wesley's opponent's hand into the wall.  The rogue knight stabbed his dagger into the other man's jugular, flashing Spike a thankful look as the dead man slid down, still held partially up from the knife in his hand.

Spike parried and thrust, intent on only one thing.  His goal was not to shed as much blood as possible.  Truth be told, the sight was nauseating him.  All he wanted was to get to Buffy and get her home, quickly and efficiently.  Nothing else mattered.

The civil war in the castle did not last long, but it felt as if it lasted an eternity.  From the original number of people, there was merely a handful left from each side.  Corpses and body parts littered the dungeon floor, the walls painted red by blood.  The battle was drawing to an end, and there was no telling who would win.

Spike let out a primal yell as he ran his sword through one of the final standing men.  Blood splattered from the man's mouth, and he joined the pile of bodies on the floor.  The blonde turned to run after another knight, and took a stab through the shoulder mid flight. 

The pain he felt was severe, but Spike knew he had to fight.  It was kill or be killed, and that was true in the most savage of ways.  Clutching his shoulder, he attempted to move out of the way before more serious damage could happen to him.  As his opponent was about to be victorious, Sir Wesley leapt forward and pushed Spike out of the way.  The king's fighter swung his ball and chain mace through the air, sending the spiked ball flying straight for Wesley's stomach.  The force of the blow sent the weapon right through Spike's friend, and he fell to the floor. 

With a loud cry of rage, Spike swung his fist back and punched the murderous knight between the eyes, taking that moment of weakness to steal his weapon.  Swinging with all his might, Spike flung the spiked ball at the man's face, leaving him unrecognizable.

Clutching the object that resembled his trademark weapon, Spike glanced around the room to see no standing knights left except for himself.  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a brief glimpse of the King's retreating form, fleeing down the hall.  Spike wound up the ball and chain for the last time, and turned his back as he heard the loud thwack of it hitting its moving target.  The King's crown fell to the floor, landing in a puddle of its owner's blood. 

Spike took a look around him, disbelieving that all that damage had happened in such a short period of time.  Faint sounds of breathing could be heard from the floor, so he knew he wasn't alone.  Others had made it, but more others would have to help.

Stepping through the carnage, Spike ran to the dungeon cell where he knew Buffy to be, and gasped in horror when he saw the welts the king had left on her body.  Her face was unmarked, save for the tear streaks and puffiness of her eyes from crying, and she was asleep.

She was asleep?

Spike shook his head in wonder, gently undoing the chains that held her captive.  Next to her, Ethan's eyes bulged out as he shook his head vehemently in denial.  "You.  You're dead!"

Spike gave Ethan a hostile look.  "Old news, mate."  Without another word, he searched Ethan's pockets until he pulled out a small bottle filled with blue potion.  Shoving it into what was left of his pocket, Spike scooped up Buffy in his arms and shut the cell door behind him.

"Wait!  What about me?  You can't leave me alone here!  Please!"  Ethan's cries echoed throughout the halls of the castle.

A few moments later, Ethan's wish was granted.  King Angelus' corpse was chained up next to him and the door was locked once and for all.

Spike walked down the castle corridors a final time, clutching Buffy's sleeping body to his chest.  He continued to walk, not stopping to look back as he passed by the common folk who began to trickle into the castle, trying to tend to anybody who might have made it.  His voyage did not end until he reached the tree where his real story started, and Buffy began to stir. 

When her eyes fluttered open, she thought she was dreaming.  Her voice hoarse from sobbing, Buffy stared at him incredulously.  "Spike?"  He shushed her with a soft kiss to her lips, amazed at how far they had come.  Carrying her like a precious treasure, Spike set her down gently, and handed her a vial- the one from Ethan's pocket, not the one he had collected.

Holding her hand all the while, Spike softly murmured his instructions to Buffy.  Both weak and exhausted, they drank the contents of the bottles in a single sip.  Staring into each other's eyes and clasping their hands together, they spoke their last strange words in their strange land.

"Fuzzy duck, and ducky fuzz,
Bring me back to where I was."

Scooping her into his arms once more, Spike walked through the vortex.  This time they both made it.

Together.