Willow landed on the floor with a thud.  "Ow, Spike.  That really
                 hurt."

                 "Then learn to defend yourself better, pet.  You're the one
                 who
                 wanted to learn how to fight."

                 "Maybe this is just hopeless.  I'm not strong like Buffy or
                 you."

                 "Don't put me into the same category as the slayer, pet,"
                 Spike
                 growled.

                 "Sorry."

                 "There's more to fighting than strength.  If the stronger one
                 always
                 won, you lot never would have defeated the mayor."

                 "But that was with Buffy."

                 "And she'd have been dead alone if you hadn't helped her,
                 right?"

                 "I guess so."

                 "Pet, you've got to learn to use whatever abilities you have.
                  You're
                 smarter than most demons, and you can use that to your advantage.
                 You should also work on your witchcraft.  That could be a powerful
                 tool.  Is there anyone who can help you with that?"

                 "Well, there's Giles, but I don't think he takes me
                 seriously most of
                 the time.  Oh, there is a girl from my Wicca group.  Tara.  We had
                 dinner together before the meeting last week."

                 "I don't like her.  There's something off about that
                 chit."

                 "How do you know?  And how would you even know who she is?"

                 "Was keeping an eye on you."

                 "I can't believe you were spying on me!"

                 "Wasn't the first time, Red."

                 "Well, when was the first time?"

                 "After Slutty brought my bastard of a sire back."  Willow
                 stared at
                 him in shock.  "Get off your arse, pet.  Lesson's not over
                 yet."

                 *************

                 "Willow!"

                 The redhead turned her head to see Graham trotting up to her.
                 <Great.>

                 "It's Graham, remember?  From the Bronze?"

                 "I remember," Willow sighed.

                 "Yeah.  Look, I'm really sorry about the way things went.
                 Riley
                 explained to me about Buffy trying to fix you up with someone against
                 your will.  I just wanted to say I was sorry."

                 Willow was surprised.  "Sorry?  It really wasn't your fault,
                 Graham."

                 "I guess not, but I still feel bad about putting you in an
                 uncomfortable position, even if I didn't realize it at the time.
                 And
                 I'd really like to try and get to know you.  No pressure or
                 anything,
                 and no Buffy involved."  Graham shifted on his feet nervously.
                 "It's
                 just that from what I've heard about you from Riley, I think
                 I'd like
                 to at least be friends.  If you're interested."

                 Willow smiled warmly.  "Thanks, Graham.  That's really sweet
                 of you.
                 Friends might be nice."  <Especially since Buffy is rapidly
                 becoming
                 not a friend anymore.>

                 "Great."  Graham checked his watch.  "Do you want to grab
                 some dinner
                 or something?"

                 Willow glanced around nervously.  It was getting close to dark, but
                 that didn't mean Spike wasn't lurking around somewhere
                 watching her.
                 She'd hate to see Graham get hurt for apologizing.  "I
                 don't have
                 time right now.  Maybe later."

                 "Okay.  Can I have your number?"

                 Willow thought for a minute.  <What the hell.  Spike seems to have
                 accepted Xander as a friend.>  "Sure."  She scribbled it on a
                 piece
                 of paper and handed it to him.

                 Graham smiled at the redhead.  "Thanks, Willow.  I'll call
                 you
                 sometime."

                 "Sure.  See you later."  Willow walked away, trying to sense
                 whether
                 or not Spike was around.  Feeling nothing, she headed straight to the
                 mansion.

                 *************

                 "What's his name, pet?" Spike startled Willow as she
                 stepped through
                 the doorway.  Willow sighed.  She had been so lost in thought she
                 didn't even remember the walk home.

                 "It's Graham.  Were you watching?"

                 "No.  But I can smell the aftershave on you."

                 "He's the guy Buffy tried to set me up with.  He just wanted
                 to
                 apologize for things going so poorly.  And he wants to try being
                 friends."

                 "Friends?"

                 "Just friends, Spike.  And since I am rapidly losing one of my
                 supposed best friends, a new friend might be nice."  Willow
                 sighed.

                 Spike could hear the hurt in the redhead's voice and knew she was
                 talking about the slayer.  <Maybe I'll have to pay a certain
                 blonde a
                 little visit.>

                 *************

                 Spike watched the blonde slayer stake the slow-witted
                 fledgling.  "You'd better watch your back, little girl,"
                 he
                 muttered.  "You keep treating my pet like dirt, and you may soon
                 find
                 yourself laying beneath it."  Spike flicked his cigarette away
                 and
                 was suddenly enveloped in a flash of light.  He fell to the ground,
                 frozen.  Spike watched in horror as a group of fatigue-clad humans
                 descended on him.  Unable to move or resist, Spike was dragged into
                 the bushes.  His last thought before slipping into darkness was that
                 his pet was waiting for him.

                 *************

                 Willow sat in her room reading.  Suddenly, she found herself yawning
                 and glanced at the clock.  When she saw the time, she stared in
                 surprise.  It was after midnight, and Spike had told her to he'd
                 be
                 back by nine.  It wasn't unusual for him to be a little bit late,
                 but
                 he was never off by more than 30 minutes.  Nervously, Willow made her
                 way into his room, wondering if he had somehow forgotten about her.
                 His room was silent and empty.  An uneasy feeling crept down her
                 spine and drove her out of the mansion and back to the safety of the
                 dorm.

                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                  ~Part 7~

"Willow!" Buffy said for the third time.  The redhead blinked
her
eyes and stared at the blonde.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay, Will?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  Just thinking about something."  Willow
chewed her
lips anxiously.  It had only been two days since Spike had
disappeared, but Willow couldn't help the gnawing feeling that
something was wrong.  Especially since she'd called the mansion
and
no one had seen or heard from him in all that time.

"Just checking.  So, like I was saying, it turns out Riley is
part of
this secret army group.  They call themselves the Initiative.
Apparently they trap and study demons and such.  Professor Walsh is
actually in charge of them."

"Our psych professor?"

"Yeah.  I'm going to go tour the facility tomorrow.
Isn't that cool?"

"I guess so.  What kind of studies do they do?"

"Who cares?  In the end the demons always end up dead anyway.
And
that's all that really matters, right?  Oh, but this is cool.
Riley
said they do something to vampires to make them unable to feed on
humans or anything else.  Isn't that neat?"

Willow nodded, but something about Buffy's description disturbed
her.  She understood the duty of the slayer, but she didn't like
the
idea of demons being experimented on.  Willow no longer thought of
all demons as something to be slain.  Suddenly a cold shiver ran down
her spine.  <They capture demons.  And Spike is still missing.>
"I
have to go out, Buffy."

"Where are you going?"

"Just for a walk."

"I'll come with you," Buffy grabbed her shoes.

"No!  I mean, didn't you say Riley was going to call?
You'd hate to
miss him."

"You're right, Will.  Maybe I should just stay here.  Will
you be
okay by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," Willow said, but she wasn't sure she
believed it.

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

<Hunger.>  That one thought blinded Spike to anything else.  It was
all he'd been able to think about since escaping from the sterile
white prison.  He had to feed.  Spike saw a young woman taking a
shortcut through some trees and smiled to himself.  <Perfect.>  He
moved towards her and jerked her around, only to release the girl
when a blinding pain erupted inside his head.  Spike collapsed to the
ground with a howl as the terrified girl ran away.  <Get back to the
mansion.  Find Red.  Get her to find out what's wrong with me.>

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

Willow stepped cautiously through the front door of the mansion.
"Is
the master here?" she asked a nearby minion.

"He is.  But I doubt I'm the one you were looking for," a
blonde
vampire replied smugly.

"Where's Spike?" Willow asked shakily.

The vampire shrugged.  "Disappeared.  I'm in charge now.  But
don't
worry.  He's not the only one who can make you scream," he
said as he
backhanded her, knocking her to the ground.

Willow tried desperately to fight him off, but fear for herself and
Spike made her sloppy.  The vampire continued his assault on her as
he taunted her.  "It's pathetic, really.  A vampire being
devoted to
a weak little mortal like you.  I could see why he'd want to fuck
you, but I won't pamper you the way he did.  You're going to
learn
what it really means to be a master's pet."  The vampire
jerked her
to her feet and howled in pain as Willow thrust a stake into his
chest, just barely missing his heart.  But Willow didn't hang
around
to hope for another chance.  With all the strength she had left,
Willow ran out the door and into the night.

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

"Hey, mate," Spike called to the dark-haired vampire.

"Spike," the minion replied.  "What the hell happened to
you?  You
look like shit.  Uh, no offense."

"Long story.  Greg, right?"  The minion nodded.  "Well,
Greg, help me
back to the mansion.  I've got to find my pet and see if she can
figure out what's happened to me."

The minion shook his head.  "You don't want to go to the
mansion.
There's a new master now.  He beat up your pet when she showed up
looking for you."

Spike suddenly felt colder than usual.  "Is she okay?"

"She was alive when she left, but she was pretty beat up.  I
think
she headed that way."  The minion gestured to his right.  "I
won't
tell anyone I saw you.  The new master would like to challenge you
directly, but you don't look like you're in any shape to
fight at the
moment."

"Thanks, mate.  I'll remember that."

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

Spike raced through the woods, reaching out with his senses.  As he
ran, he cursed whatever group had kidnapped him.  It had cost him his
position of power in Sunnydale, something he had worked hard to
achieve.  And at the moment, it had cost him an attack on his beloved
pet.  Spike just hoped he could find the redhead in time to save
her.  Spike breathed in deeply.  She was close, and she was bleeding.

He stumbled through a clearing and almost tripped over her limp
form.  She had been beaten pretty badly and lay in an unconscious
heap on the damp ground.  Spike cradled her fragile body in his arms
as he cursed her attacker under his breath.  He would make the
bastard pay for injuring his Red.  But Spike was grateful that the
new master was soft enough to not have killed her outright.  When
Spike regained control, he would not be so generous.

A soft whimper from the warm body he cradled in his arms drew Spike
back out of his thoughts.  The smell of her blood overpowered him,
calling to him to partake of its sweetness.  Spike groaned as his
demon screamed in outrage that another had dared to shed her
blood.  "Sp-Spike," she murmured.  "I'm so tired.
Let me sleep,
Spike."

"I'm sorry, Red, but I can't do that.  I'm not giving
you up now.
You can't leave me, Willow."  Spike shook her gently, trying
to keep
her from slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Please, Spike.  It hurts.  Let me sleep."  Her head lolled
sideways.

"No!" Spike yelled.  He tore open his wrist and pressed it to
her
lips.  He pried open her lips as his blood trickled down her throat.
He stroked her neck, coaxing her to swallow.  Spike's wrist
healed
quickly, but he knew it would be enough to speed her healing process.

As he held her tenderly in his arms, he finally gave in to his
demon's urgings.  He bent his head and began to lap at her
wounds,
the taste of her blood encompassing him.  He groaned in ecstasy as
her sweet blood filled his mouth.  He pressed her to his chest and
trembled as the feel of her blood in his veins swept over him.

Suddenly, a bright light burst through the darkness and a booming
voice echoed through the woods.  "Lay her down and step away from
the
girl.  Keep your hands where I can see them."  A uniformed police
officer stepped out from the darkness as another held the flashlight
directly at Spike's eyes.  "You are under arrest."

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

Willow awoke to bright lights and the smell of disinfectant.  She sat
up and glanced around, noting her surroundings.  <I'm in a
hospital.>  She closed her eyes and remembered flashes of what had
happened.  She remembered being attacked at the mansion and running
into the woods, and Spike.  He was holding her, comforting her.
Willow frowned.  She couldn't remember anything after that.  She
hit
the call button and waited until a nurse came in.

"Hey, you're awake.  We were pretty worried about you,"
the cheerful
young man said.  "I'm Peter, the nurse on duty.  How are you
feeling?"

"Great, actually.  Can you tell me how I got here?  I don't
seem to
remember."

The man looked nervous suddenly.  "I don't know if I should,
but I
figure you should know.  Just don't tell the psychologist I said
anything, okay?"

Willow nodded calmly, but her mind was racing.  <Psychologist?  Why
would they be sending me a psychologist?>  Suddenly she realized that
the nurse was talking and began to pay attention.

"…Said you were pretty beat up.  And I know this is going to
sound
crazy, but they said the guy looked like he was licking you.  But
don't worry about it.  The cops locked that nutcase up while the
ambulance brought you here."

Willow paled suddenly.  "What did he look like?" she asked
fearfully.

"Uh, I didn't see the guy.  But the cop who dropped by to
check on
you earlier said he didn't have any ID on him and wouldn't
give them
any other name but Spike."

Willow bolted out of bed and glanced around the room.  Seeing her
dirty but intact clothing in the corner, she hurriedly began to dress.

"What are you doing?  You're not even supposed to be out of
bed!"
The nurse was suddenly very nervous.

"Look, I don't have time to explain.  Let's just say the
cops made a
big mistake, and I have to set them straight before it's too
late.
Thanks for telling me what happened."  She stopped and smiled at
him.  "I won't tell anyone you said anything."  Willow
pulled on her
boots and bolted out the door before he could even protest any
further.

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

Willow arrived at the police station sweaty and out of breath.
Still, she was grateful that practically everything in Sunnydale was
so easily accessible on foot.  Willow glanced at her watch as she
caught her breath and made her way to the front desk.  She figured
she had about half an hour to convince them to release Spike and
still give them enough time to make it somewhere safe before sunrise.

"Hello, officer," Willow said cheerfully.  "I need to see
a suspect
who was brought in earlier tonight.  He goes by the name Spike."
She
smiled as the young woman behind the desk consulted the computer.

"I'll just call the arresting officer and have him escort you
back
there, miss?"

"Rosenburg.  Willow Rosenburg."

"Okay.  Have a seat and he'll be with you momentarily.

Willow sat anxiously, counting down the minutes until the officer
arrived.  She knew she was pretty terrible looking at the moment, her
clothes still being covered with dirt and dried blood.  But all that
mattered right now was getting Spike out of jail.

"Miss Rosenburg?" a tall dark-haired man asked, not looking
up from
his clipboard.

"Yes, that's me.  I'm here to see about getting Spike
released.  It
is rather urgent."

"I'm afraid that's not possible.  He beat a young girl up
pretty bad,
and there are some other strange circumstances that we need explained
fir.."  The officer's voice died as he stared at the waiting
redhead.  "You're the girl who we found with him.  You were
at the
hospital."

"Yes, and I left to come get Spike out.  You see, there has been
a
terrible misunderstanding.  Spike didn't attack me at all.  In
fact,
he was probably about to bring me to the hospital when you arrested
him."

"I see."  The officer's tone indicated that he clearly
didn't.  "And
how do you know this `Spike' person?  And does he even have a
real
name?"

"His name is William Ramsey.  And he is my fiancé.  May I
please see
him?"

The officer couldn't see any reason to deny her visit.
"Right this
way."  He held open a door for her and began to lead the way back
to
the cells.  "Miss Rosenburg, if you and your fiancé are
having, uh,
problems, we do have people who can help you."

Willow whirled on the officer angrily.  "If you are trying to
imply
that my fiancé is abusive, you are sorely mistaken.  I can assure
you
that Spike would do anything in his power to keep me safe."

"Of course.  I'm sorry, miss, but it was just very strange.
You were
pretty badly injured.  And we saw him, well, um, licking you."
They
arrived at the gate and he unlocked it and motioned her inside.

"If you know your biology, officer, you would know that wild
animals
lick their wounds because saliva has both cleansing and restorative
properties.  I can assure you that if you saw Spike doing that to me
that he was only trying to help me given the utter lack of resources
he had available.  Besides, what did you think he was doing?  Trying
to drink my blood or something?"

If Spike hadn't been so exhausted from not feeding for two days,
he
might have laughed out loud at the redhead's comment.  As it was,
he
was just grateful that she was alright.  And that she clearly
intended to bust him out of jail.  He waited anxiously for the
officer and the redhead to stop in front of his cell.  "Hello,
Red,"
he drawled.

"Spike," Willow breathed.  She clung to the bars of his cell
and
stared at him.  He looked haggard.  She knew he probably hadn't
eaten
for some time, and he probably hadn't really rested since
he'd
disappeared two days ago.  Willow turned pleading eyes to the
officer.  "Can you let him go now?"

"Miss Rosenburg, I really don't know if that's
appropriate.  He is
being held for assault."

"I know," she snapped.  "And I'm the one who was
assaulted!  And I am
telling you that Spike wasn't the person who attacked me!"

"Then we'll need a statement from you."

"I don't really have time right now.  I'll come back
tomorrow and
fill out a full report.  I'll even leave my name and address if
you
want to have someone contact me at home.  But please let me see
him."

The officer sighed.  "I'll let you in while I check with my
supervisor."  Willow smiled at him gratefully.  "But I will
have to
search you first."

"Of course."  Willow stood patiently as the officer searched
her and
unlocked the door.  She flew to the cot and wrapped her arms around
Spike before the door was even locked again.

Spike buried his head in her neck, the sound of her heartbeat echoing
in his ears.  "I need to feed, pet," he murmured.

"Soon, Spike," she whispered.  "I stole some bagged blood
from the
hospital.  But you can't feed here.  They're watching us."

"Gods Below, pet, your blood is driving me crazy."

"Spike, can you go all fangy without changing your face?"

"Sure, luv, but what does that?"

"Trust me.  Just do it now."

Spike did as she said and was startled when she pressed her lips to
his and forced her tongue into his mouth.  He groaned as she flicked
her tongue across on of his sharp teeth and her blood began to fill
his mouth.  He devoured her mouth hungrily, drinking as much of her
as he could before the cut started to heal.  It wasn't nearly
enough
to sate his hunger, but it at least soothed his frazzled nerves.

An overly loud cough from the door interrupted the pair.  "Miss
Rosenberg, I need your name, address, and phone number.  Then
you're
both free to go, although we would like to see you both back here
tomorrow morning for questioning."

"It will have to be tomorrow evening.  Spike works during the
day,"
Willow lied easily.  The officer nodded and she provided him with the
information he needed.  Then, gripping Spike's hand firmly, she
led
him out of the police station.

As soon as they hit the street, she began to run.  "We need to
make
my house before sunrise, Spike.  Can you make it?"  Spike nodded.

Willow paused a block from the station and pulled two bags of blood
from the waistband of her jeans.  "Here, Spike, drink this."

Spike tore into the bags, sucking them dry in seconds.  He grinned at
her before picking her up and starting to run.  "On of these
days,
pet, I'm going to have to promote you."
 

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