Part 1

'Run!' Her instincts yelled at her. Willow jumped up from the demon that had
attacked her and did just that.  She knew she shouldn't have taken that
detour to get to the campus. 'Of all the stupid things to do, Rosenberg.
This has to be the dumbest. Walking by the graveyard, alone, without any
protection.' She chastised herself. Willow turned around to see the demon
gaining on her. It was a big ugly thing. Green, with three horns, and bad
teeth. Not the prettiest demon she had ever come across.  She turned into
the graveyard, hoping to lose it behind some of the crypts that decorated
the area.
      "Damn it!" she yelled. "Why can't you stupid things leave me alone?"
      "What stupid things alone, Pet?" a voice called out casually into the
night.
      Willow turned and saw Spike jump behind the demon and break its neck. She
shivered, thinking how close she had been to death only moments before.  She
looked at Spike about to walk away and yelled out, "Thanks."
      Spike turned to face her. "No need to thank me, Luv. I didn't do it for
you."
      Willow looked at him blankly. "Well… you still saved my life, so I feel I
do owe you a bit of gratitude."
      "Well, if I had known that, I would have let the demon kill you first, then
I would have rid myself of the thing. I don't care if you life or die, Pet.
Why do you slayerettes always think I care about what you do? Frankly, I
don't. Go away." Spike opened a pack of cigarettes and lit it, puffing the
smoke in Willow's face.
      Willow winced and glared at the blond vampire. "Excuse me? Listen mister, I
think you have it the wrong way. It's us that don't care if you die." Willow
looked away, proud at her retort.
      Spike smirked at the girl. She had always been a fiery little thing. This
was going to be fun. He walked around her once before replying. "Oh, really?
Is that why when you could have staked my ass at the moron's basement, you
said 'we can't kill him?'.  Oh, you care, Pet. You saved me once, and you
would save me again."
      Willow couldn't believe this. "What are you saying exactly, Spike?"
      "What I am saying is that, I am not a bad looking bloke to have around you
and you like my company. I would even go so far as to say you fancy me."
      Willow laughed loudly. Perhaps a little too loud. "That is the stupidest
thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Spike, I felt bad for you. That's
all. Nothing more. I personally think it's the other way around. Who was the
one that was always requesting that Willow vamp sit for them, huh? You
complained about Buffy and Xander being there, and you said Giles was a
bore. It was always me."
      It was Spike's turn to laugh. "The only reason why I requested you is
because you were the only one who would let me run loose around the
apartment. You were the only one dumb enough to trust me."
      "Are you calling me stupid?"
      "Yes, Pet. I believe I am."
      Willow arms flared up at this accusation. "I knew I should have not gone
over to the apartment to perform that ionizing spell for you! I didn't care
if the Initiative took you're sorry ass back to that lab. I only did that
for Giles."
      "Well, I certainly didn't ask for you're help. I am still having nightmares
from that one spell you performed where I was stuck with that nasty slayer!"
Spike began to yell. The chit was beginning to piss him off.
      Willow grinned. She knew she was getting to him. The stupid vampire thought
that he didn't need them? She would just have to prove otherwise. "Yeah,
yeah. I know. One little spell goes all kablooey, and you keep trying to
throw it in my face! I don't think that matches, what you put us through.
You were a constant pain in our side, do you know how many nights I had to
give up plans to baby-sit you?"
      "Uh, none? You never have plans, Luv.  Your little wolf left because you
weren't enough for him. And now you have no one. Your friend and slayer seem
quite busy lately with others to care about you. Boo hoo. Why don't you go
home and cry now?"
      Willow was seething. Why did Spike make her blood boil? For years she
listened to Cordelia's insults to her. They never, ever got to her like
Spike did. Damn it. "Don't even make me mention Dru and Harmony! Or should I
say, Dumb and Dumber? Where the hell did you get your taste in women?"
      On the side, a tall, lanky man observed the conversation with great
interest. He really only needed the vampire right now, but the redhead
before him amused him. He decided that he would take both with him. The
redhead could keep him company until the time came. Then he could send her
back.
      Slowly, the man approached the sparring duo. "Excuse me, but do either of
you have the time?"
      Spike and Willow looked at the man as if he were crazy. 'What was this guy
doing out here at this time of night?' both thought simultaneously.  Then as
if on cue, they rapidly became dizzy and passed out.
      The man stepped over the two bodies, grabbing the still lit cigarette from
Spike's mouth and stopping it out. "I guess they don't." he smirked as he
chanted some words and the three disappeared into the night.
 

Part 2

Willow's eyes fluttered open, only to find herself immersed in darkness.
'Where am I?' she thought. Her hands reached out for something, anything
that might give her a clue as to her location. "Hello?" she yelled out.
"Anyone else around?"
      "Bloody hell. Where the hell are we?" Spike muttered.
      "Great. Just what I need. The impotent vampire." Willow spat out, her eyes
adjusting slowly to the darkness, shapes finally taking form.
      "Excuse me, Witch? Like it is so pleasant being here with you. You are
really full of yourself, you know that?" Spike reached over and found a
light switch, sending the room into brightness.
      "How did you do that so fast?" Willow asked in amazement.
      "I am a creature of the night, Luv. We kind of get accustomed to the dark."
      "Oh, yeah. I kind of forget that part." Willow looked around. Once she
could actually see, it wasn't a bad place. The room was tall, with high
ceilings, and lavishly decorated with deep rich colors adorning the
furniture. "This is beautiful." She sighed, fingering the silk sheets on one
of the beds.
      Spike jumped on one of the beds. "It's a nice place pet, but it still
doesn't answer the question of where we are or why are we here?"
      Before Willow could make a snide remark back, the door opened slowly,
letting a small breeze brush past the redhead and vampire. Soon, the tall
man who had asked them for the time walked through the door, with a smile
that set the two captives at unease, rather than reassuring them. The man
motioned for the two to sit down and make themselves comfortable. Willow and
Spike complied, sitting on a loveseat, facing the man.
      "You are probably wondering why you are here," the man started, sitting
himself down as well.
      "The thought had crossed my mind." Willow replied dryly, unconsciously
moving closer to Spike for protection.
      "Yes. Well, I figured it had. I frankly would be disappointed in both of
you if it didn't. Let me introduce myself. My name is Triagrin. I do not
wish you harm, and I want your stay to be as pleasant as possible. I will
tend to ever need and desire you have."
      "What is this, the bloody Marriott?" Spike didn't trust this creature. On
the outside, he appeared to be honest and true, but his eyes held a most
evil glare, one that rivaled even Angelus at his finest hour. Spike looked
over at Willow, noticing the tenseness that enveloped her.
      "No. Although I must say, your jokes are rather amusing. I will give you
every thing you ask for in return for your compliance."
      "Okay, I ask to be released." Spike said in all seriousness.
      Triagrin laughed. "Again with the humor." He looked at Willow. "He must be
a laugh a minute."
      Willow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, a laugh a minute. That's our Spike." She
looked over the man critically before continuing. "So, what do we need to
comply to?"
      "Well, for you, dear girl, nothing.  You are just here for amusement
purposes. I really only need the vampire."
      Spike looked at him critically. "Me? What do you need me for?"
      "I need you to act as an anchor for me."
      "An anchor? For what?" Spike already didn't like the sound of this.
      "In good time you'll find out."
      "I'm not acting as anyone's anchor for anything."
      Triagrin sighed and waved his hands in a passing gesture. "I'll give you
some time to think about this. I didn't think you would agree right away. In
the meantime, there is blood and food in the back room to enjoy.  Try to
stay out of trouble." With that, the man turned and walked out the door,
locking it behind him.
      "Bloody great. Now what?" Spike stood up and walked over to the back room.
      "Now what?" Willow asked. "I'll tell you what. You are going to comply with
whatever it is that he wants. I want to get out of here."
      "Witch, I don't follow anyone's rules. Am I wearing a sign that says- 'Use
me for your little experiments?' Like my life was bad enough with the whole
defanging thing. Now I am stuck here with you for who knows how long." Spike
hoped that Willow would get a rise out of that comment. He was bored and
needed to vent some of his frustration.
      "Oh, okay, Blondie. It is a real treat being here with you too. At least
you are here for a reason. I just happened to be at the wrong place at  the
wrong time. Why does my life suck?" Willow sat down, content to wallow in
self-pity.
      "Could it be that you are friends with the slayer and wolfboy left you for
something better? I mean, you really are pathetic." Spike smirked at the
witch. He really was thankful that it wasn't the moron or the slayer he got
stuck with instead. At least Willow was fun to be around.
      "Pathetic. Yep that's me. Oh, wait. That's you. Who came to me looking for
some stupid spell to win his girlfriend back. You know, Oz may have left me,
but at least I had the good sense to not go groveling, trying to win him
back after he dumped my ass." She smiled triumphantly, all self-pity
disappearing. She silently thanked the Goddess that she was stuck with
Spike, and not Cordelia or Anya. At least she could banter back and forth
with him, without really wanting to kill him.
      "Oh yeah?" He said fiercely, walking up to the redhead, trying desperately
to come up with a witty comeback.
      "Yeah." Willow glared at Spike.
      Spike looked down at the redhead. He really did admire all that fire. No
one else really got a glimpse of it.
      Willow looked up at Spike. She was amazed at the capacity his demon  had to
care about others. He didn't really show it all that often, but he was more
human than he would like to admit.
      "Oh, yeah?" Spike repeated again, anger building up inside.
      "Yeah!" Willow responded. "You are more pathetic than me. What are you
going to do about it?"
      "What am I going to do?" He yelled down at her. "What am I going to do?"
Spike bent down and gave Willow the most passionate kiss of her life.
      Triagrin chuckled from the other room, "I knew bringing that girl in would
make things more entertaining," turning off the camera that looked into
Spike and Willow's room.
 

Part 3

      Spike's mouth met Willow's in a burning frenzy, each trying to dominate the
other, neither succeeding.  Spike's hands moved up Willow's body, moving
from her back to cup one of her breasts. Willow pulled him closer, trying to
feel as much of Spike as possible. Her hands wrapped in his hair, the
contact not being enough.  Suddenly, it dawned on her that she was making
out with the enemy. Willow pulled away reluctantly, gasping for breath and
staring at the vampire confused.
      "What was that?" she asked almost venomously, trying to seem as though the
kiss meant nothing.
      "Well Luv, last time I checked, that was a kiss." Spike looked at the
witch. Damn, now that he had done that, all he wanted to do was shag her
right then and there. He couldn't let the redhead know that she had gotten
to him so, however.
      Willow rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant. Why did you do that???" She
asked, walking away from the vampire, over to the plate of food. Maybe food
could distract her, she thought, trying desperately to put her hormones in
check.
      "Well frankly, to shut your mouth up." Spike smirked at her. He gazed at
her, admiring the view from across the room. "You kept blabbering. It's
enough to give one a headache."
      Willow's mouth almost dropped open. "Well, it didn't work, did it? I guess
your kiss isn't all it's cracked up to be." She knew that was a lie. It was
the best damn kiss of her life. Willow decided that she didn't want to
linger on thoughts concerning Spike's mouth anymore, so she changed the
subject. "What do you think he wants from you?"
      Spike walked over to the redhead, grabbing a goblet of blood that Triagrin
had left for him. "Your guess is as good as mine." The demon came to the
forefront as Spike began to drink the blood. Willow watched him with
interest. She has seen him do this a hundred times before, but it was always
so fascinating to her. Suddenly, Spike put the goblet down and looked into
the cup questioningly.
      "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did they drug the blood or something?"
      "No. It's just that it's human blood. I have gotten so use to pig's blood
that I almost had forgotten what it tasted like." Spike picked up another
goblet and drank from it quickly, downing the contents within mere seconds.
      "Human blood?" Willow didn't like the sound of this. "Is it fresh?" Willow
couldn't believe she was having this conversation with the vampire.
      Spike nodded, pushing his demon back down, his appetite sated for now.
"Straight from the tap."
      "Eww…" Willow didn't like the sound of this. There were only two ways
someone could get human blood. One was from a blood bank, but then the blood
wouldn't be fresh. And the second… well, Willow didn't even want to think
about that. "I really think we should try to get out of here."
      "Well, I don't know Luv. I mean, they do provide good quality blood and
all." Spike saw that the redhead thought he was serious and rolled his eyes
like a drama queen. "It was a joke, pet. I am not some foolish wanker who
just sits around waiting for strange men to experiment on me. I don't care
how high quality to the blood is. Even if it came from the bloody Queen
herself, I wouldn't. Now where do you want to start?" Spike gently put his
hand on her shoulder, looking at her expectantly.
      Willow tried in vain to ignore the Spike's hand. It was comforting in a
way. "Well, I think we should check the walls and see if there are any small
openings or even cracks in the wall. These could possibly lead to the
outside."
      "Alright. Why don't you start on that side, and all start on this one,"
Spike stated, pointing to their respective walls. He reluctantly removed his
hand from her shoulder and walked over to some drapery.
      Two hours later, they sat on the sofa together, discouraged. "I can't
believe we didn't find a single thing." Willow mumbled.
      "Were you really expecting to?" Spike asked. He looked at the girl,
noticing how tired she had become over the past hour or so. "Maybe you
should get some rest. I mean, we can't do anything else until he comes back,
can we?" Spike's thoughts turned back to several hours before when he was
kissing the redhead passionately. "Or maybe there is…" he stated
suggestively.
      Willow blushed at the comment. She had been thinking along the same lines.
"No. Sleep is a good idea." She went to one bed, about to get under the
covers, when the door opened and Triagrin stepped in.
      "So, have you been keeping yourselves busy?" Triagrin asked, stepping over
closer to the blond vampire.
      "Yes. We have been playing bloody charades. Red, it's your turn." He called
out, looking back at Willow, who was in process of walking back to the sofa.
"Care to join us?"
      Triagrin laughed. Willow noticed how it appeared to echo throughout the
whole room. It was almost eerie in a way. "What do you want?" she spoke up,
a burst of courage pumping through her veins.
      Triagrin laughed again. "You know what I want. Have you considered my
offer?"
      "Yes. And the answer is no." Spike answered, still curious as to what this
man wanted.
      Triagrin's smile disappeared. He spoke in a tone that was very serious.
"Vampire, I am trying to make to make this easy on you."
      "Well, I don't want to help you. Now go."
      "Is he always this stubborn?" He asked Willow. She didn't reply. "Well, I
guess I will just have to convince you that you don't have a choice and you
have to say yes."
      "I don't have to do anything." Spike replied.
      "You're right. But a little convincing never hurt anyone, did it?" Before
Spike could respond, Triagrin raised his hands and chanted a quick phrase.
Spike was frozen in place. "Now, you could say yes, or I could make this
very painful for you. Don't even think about trying to harm me, girl."
Triagrin stated to her, noticing her move towards him. "Move towards me, and
he dies. Got it?"
      Willow stopped in her tracks. Looking all the while between the vampire and
the obviously talented sorcerer. "Now, one more chance, vampire. Will you
say yes?"
      "You sound like you are bloody proposing to me. I am not saying yes to
anything." Spike spit out.
      "Too bad. Oh well, I will just have to change your mind." Again, the lanky
man chanted and a stake appeared out of nowhere. Triagrin walked up to him
slowly and deliberately. "Now, one more chance. Do you agree to help me?"
      "For the millionth time, No! Are you daft or something?" Spike glared at
him hatefully.
      "Fine." Triagrin raised the stake and plunged it deep into his left
shoulder. He chanted once again and anther stake appeared, this one plunging
into his lower abdomen. Three more appeared, all placed deeply within his
upper torso region, strategically placed all around the heart, each narrowly
missing it by a mere inch or so.
      Tears ran down Willow's face at watching this be done to Spike. She wasn't
sure why this was effecting her so. She saw the pain, defiance, and even
slight fear on the peroxide blond face. She wanted to stop it, help him
somehow, but doing so would mean his death. Finally, after it was over,
Spike fell to the ground and Triagrin walked away as if nothing had
happened. He walked up to the redhead, concerned.
      "Oh, don't be sad. He'll recover. I left lots of blood for him and
bandages." He stroked her face, and she turned away. "Listen, you are free
to roam the property anytime you want. I know you saw the intercom system.
Just press the button and you are free to go walk around. Not him though.
Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Just try to convince him to say yes. That's
all I ask."
      Triagrin walked away, heading for the door again. "Remember, make
yourselves at home. You could be here a while!" The door slammed, and Willow
ran over to Spike, taking him in her arms.
 

Part 4

      "Are you alright?" Willow asked, looking him all over.
      "Bloody wonderful. I feel like a new vampire. Damn!" Spike muttered,
putting his hands on one of the open wounds.
      "Listen, there is no need for sarcasm right now. Let me get you some blood
and bandages." Willow walked over to the tray of blood, first grabbing a
goblet, then thinking twice and grabbing the whole pitcher. She knelt down
beside the vampire, looking him over. What she saw didn't look promising. He
wouldn't turn into a pile of dust, but the wounds were deep and would take a
few days to heal. Willow poured him a glass of blood, feeding it to him
slowly until the glass was empty.
      "Thanks, Red." He said, looking at her for the first time since all of this
with true sincerity.
      "You're welcome." She answered, smiling at him. She looked down at his
chest, and frowned. "We are going to have remove those somehow," pointing to
the two stakes that had remained in his chest cavity after the beating.
      "Just pull them out." Spike looked at her, pleading for her to do it
quickly.
      Willow ignored the look. "But what if we leave a splinter or something in
there?"
      "Trust me, Pet. A splinter is about a million times better than this
living…" Spike was going to say 'Hell,' but then thought better of it. "A
splinter will not be as painful as this blasted wood protruding out my
chest. Do it now." Spike said with as much anger as he could muster with his
weakness.
      "Okay. Okay, no need to be rude about it." She huffed. Willow gingerly
placed her hand around the first stake. It was lodged between the shoulder
blade. Closing her eyes, she yanked the wood out with enough force to send
her tumbling backwards. She regained her position and looked at the other
one. The piece of wood was located next to his heart. She grabbed the stake,
extracting it slowly, placing it on the ground. "Any splinters?"
      "None." Spike groaned, as he attempted to sit up.
      "No." Willow stated firmly, pushing him back down towards floor. "You are
too weak for that. Will you please stop trying to be all macho man and let
me try and take care of you? I mean, what is it with you men anyway? Always,
thinking they never need anyone. Sheesh."
      "Luv, I'm a vampire. Not a man."
      "Yeah. Yeah. Big bad vamp. Well, you still have the package and it still
works, so I am labeling
you one of the opposite gender." Willow stated, walking over with a wash
cloth to the sink over in the other room.
      "How do you know it works?" Spike taunted her. "Do you want to take it out
for a test spin?"
      Willow walked back to him. "Shut up. And no. I really don't." she lied. She
applied the wet cloth to an open wound on his arm, causing him to hiss.
      "Red, do you really have to do that?"
      "Do what?" she smiled, administering the wet cloth again, listening to his
groans of pain.
      "That."
      "Poor baby." They sat in silence for a while, Willow altering between
tending his wounds and feeding him blood. After an hour or so, Spike managed
to convince Willow he could walk over to the bed. She agreed, getting tired
of sitting on the floor. Spike walked painfully over to the bed, where
Willow pulled the covers up over him.
      "So what do you think they want with you?" Willow asked, sitting on the
edge of the bed.
      Spike looked at the girl and smiled. He was surprised to see concern
written on her face. "I really don't know. But I won't say yes to whoever
the hell that it is."
      "Spike?"
      "Yeah, Luv?"
      "I.. I'm really sorry. About trying to make you do whatever that man
wanted. I should have trusted my initial instincts and instead I was
selfish. And I also want to apologize for
not-trying-to-stop-what-he-did-to-you-earlier." She finished in a rush,
tears falling from her face, her built up emotions overflowing all at once.
      Spike sat up in bed and pulling her body into his and rocking her gently in
his arms. "Red, it's not your fault." He replied, with more softness in his
voice then Willow had ever heard before. "I would have said the same thing,
if I was in your position."
      Tears still fell from Willow's face, and her small frame shook. "But…but I
could have stopped him Spike. I could have used magic or something. Instead,
I just stood there. God, no one deserves to go through that kind of torture.
I stood there while I heard you moan if pain at each new wound he inflicted.
I am an animal."
      Something in her words affected him deeply. He felt a pain rip through his
body, one not caused by any wound, but by an actual emotion. "Don't say
that." He looked into her green eyes, guilt riding through them. "You know
you couldn't do anything. One, I used to inflict that kind of torture on
others before this chip in my head neutered me. So I really am only getting
back what I deserve, well, kind of. Two, if you attempted anything, he would
have killed me and then likely you. And third, he is much more powerful than
you, I don't want to see you hurt."
      "Why do you care? You're a demon." she didn't understand. Why was he
suddenly being so nice to her? She practically got him killed, she was an
awful person. She looked into his blue eyes. It was hard to believe they
belonged to a killer, a soulless demon.  A few months ago she thought she
had maybe fallen in love with the vampire, only to have him leave in a
sense, the same as Oz.
      "Don't know Red." His head was only inches away from hers. He looked down
at lips, still damp from the tears that had ran down her face only moments
before. "I guess because I kind of like you." He finally admitted to himself
and to her. "I've wanted you for a while, Red." His eyes never left her
lips.
      "I guess I kind of like you too. I'm not supposed to. But, I mean something
went through me tonight when I saw yo-" her words were cut off by his lips
gently pressing against hers, asking for entrance into her mouth. She
complied willingly, bringing him in closer to her, careful not to touch any
of the wounds on his body.
      After a minute, Spike slowly pulled away from her. He couldn't take her
right there, not in the shape he was in. He would have to restrain himself,
for a few days at least. He looked at her face, the tears long forgotten,
the lust from earlier that evening replaced back in them. "Come to bed, Red.
I need some sleep if I am going to get better and get us out of here."
      Willow nodded. She climbed in next to him, letting his arms wrap around her
protectively, giving in to the slumber that her body desperately needed. She
could feel guilty later. All she wanted at that point is to be wrapped in
Spike's warmth, forgetting where they were for the present moment.
 

Part 5

Willow opened her eyes. She hadn't been asleep long. She was too anxious
about what was going on. Next to her, Spike slept soundly, his arm wrapped
lightly around her waist. Willow smiled at him, glancing over him quickly,
making sure his wounds were healing. Willow knew she couldn't possibly fall
back into the depths of slumber, so she slid out of bed, careful not to
disturb the vampire lying in the bed.
      She moved over to the other room and sat down near the plate of food.
Willow thought over the events of the past day, while mindlessly feeding on
some grapes. Triagrin had given her free reign in the house; she was able to
roam wherever she pleased, as long as Spike stayed where he was. Willow knew
Spike would object to her going anywhere without him, so she decided she
would have to head out now, while he was sleeping and couldn't object.
      The redhead walked over to the intercom on the wall, pressing it, not sure
really what to expect. A voice came over the intercom. "Yes?" It answered.
      "I-I want to leave the room." Willow answered, afraid of what could
possibly happen outside. But her mind was made up. She would have to spy in
order to find out why this man wanted Spike, and what exactly he was going
to do with him. Sitting in a room wasn't going to get them anywhere.
      The voice over the intercom replied rather blandly. "Alright. The door will
unlock in thirty seconds. The vampire better not be following you."
      Willow flinched, wondering what would happen if she did try to help him
escape. "No. He won't be. I will be right there."
      "Thirty seconds." The voice answered in response.
      Willow walked around to the other room quickly, pausing by the bed for the
briefest of moments to look at Spike. He looked so peaceful, so dead. She
moved on, after kissing his forehead, to hear to click of the door unlock.
Willow didn't notice Spike stirring as she opened the door and shut it
behind her.
      The hallway was long. Willow estimated it to be at least two hundred feet
long, with several doors on the sides. She moved slowly, trying to memorize
every feature of the building in case she had to execute an escape. She
tried opening several of the doors, only to find them all locked. "Damn."
She muttered as she attempted opening up the third one. "Something has to be
in there."
      She continued down the hallway, looking for any kind of opening. She found
none. At the end of the hall was a sharp turn to the right, and a large
living room of sorts. The room had tall, cathedral ceilings (as was the
theme of the building) with big leather couches and two coffee tables,
standing opposite one another. Willow noted that the walls were finely
decorated too, accentuated with several well-known paintings and prints. She
wondered where he had stolen them.
      She walked past the room after examining it for a few moments.  She walked
into a large kitchen, equipped with all the latest in kitchenware. The
refrigerator was well stocked with foods and liquid, however, not a single
utensil could be found. 'That's right, Rosenberg. The guy gives you free
reign over the house and he is just going to leave the knives lying around
so you could stab him.' She thought as she once again moved to the next set
of rooms. She walked past a large dining room, furnished with a grand
mahogany table and chairs, then to a gym, complete with a bike, Stairmaster,
and treadmill. Next to that was a pool room. A large pool with a couple of
hot tubs filled the humid room. Willow looked for the vents that she knew
had to be there, and still could find nothing. She was baffled.
      Finally, Willow walked past one more room, with the door slightly ajar. She
pushed it open, to reveal what looked like an office. "Bingo, Rosenberg.'
She congratulated herself. The witch looked around this room slower than the
rest. She observed a desk, a bookshelf with some very ancient texts behind
it, and some magical crystals, along with some candles. Willow then decided
to rummage through the desk, to see what she could find. But before she even
had a chance to move, a voice called out form the darkness.
      "Enjoying the tour?"
      Willow jumped, turning around to face Triagrin. "I didn't know you were
behind me."
      He smiled at her. "You didn't answer my question."
      "Umm… you have quite an original layout. I have never seen a place with a
gym next to a dining room before." She replied, quite grateful he didn't
come in a few moments later to find her rummaging through his stuff.
      "Yes. I do pride myself on original architecture." He looked at her in
seriousness. "How is the vampire doing?"
      "He will be okay, no thanks to you." Willow replied with venom in her
voice.
      Triagrin only smiled broadly at the reaction he elicited. "Well, he could
have prevented it. All he had to have said was yes. Come- why don't you have
some tea with me in the living room? I could use some company."
      Willow looked him up and down skeptically. She really didn't believe that
she could trust him. But it was the only way that she might be able to get
information out of him. "Okay."
      The redhead watched as Triagrin made some tea for the two of them, a spoon
magically appearing out of nowhere to stir to milk. 'So that is how come
there are no knives.' Willow thought, as he handed her a cup and led her out
to the living room.
      "I hope you don't mind the décor. I haven't had guests in quite some time
here, and I'm afraid that it isn't the most updated furnishings."
      Willow nodded and proceeded to sip her tea. It was actually quite good as
far as tea goes. She didn't want to make chitchat with this man. "What do
you want with Spike?" she demanded.
      The tall man put his tea down and looked at her thoughtfully. "The vampire?
Really, I don't think we should be discussing that right now. Maybe later
when he is feeling a little better."
      "No. Now." She persisted.
      Triagrin stood up, pulling her with him. He grabbed a lock of her hair
gently and looked at it. "You know, I have always loved Redheads… such fire
underneath." He dropped his hands from her and continued. "Redheads are
always the most fun. I guess that is why I decided to bring you with him."
Triagrin saw the fear in her eyes, as she backed away. "Oh, don't
misunderstand me. I would never hurt you. It was just an observance on my
part."
      Willow relaxed slightly at the last statement. "What are you going to do
with him?"
      "So full of questions aren't we? Really, if I were to tell you why, would
it really help matters at all? No it wouldn't." He said, answering his own
question. Again he looked at her. "You care for him don't you? That's nice.
You do realize that he is a cold blooded killer right? He only cares about
what the demon wants. The man doesn't really exist; it's just a façade.
That's the thing about vampires. They appear so human at times. But they
aren't like us. They don't feel any remorse or guilt."
      Willow glanced down at her watch. It was a little past seven in the
evening. "I know all this. I frankly don't care." Willow replied in her most
indifferent voice. Truth was, that those facts bothered her immensely. But
it was too late. She was already pulled in to Spike's web.
After several minutes of silence, Triagrin asked, "Good tea, isn't it?"
      Willow was frustrated. This man was obviously hiding something and she
wasn't going to get any answers from this little tea party they were
holding. She stood up. "Thank you for the tea, but I am really tired. I
think I'm going back to my room now."
      Triagrin nodded. "Anytime. Remember- enjoy yourself. Think of this as an
extended vacation of sorts."
      Willow walked away muttering, "Extended vacation my butt."
 

Part 6

Spike was furious. Where the hell did she go? One minute he had been
sleeping perfectly with the witch, and the next she was poof, gone. How was
he supposed to defend her if she ran off? He grabbed a mug of blood and
drained it, staring at the door.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Willow walked in. "Where the bloody
hell were you?!?" Spike said, his agitation clearly showing itself.

Willow looked pissed. 'Well, hello to you too." She sat down on one of the
loveseats, and slouched. "Shouldn't you be sleeping and resting?"

Spike stood over her, his demon visage still intact. "I would be, if some
little girl didn't take off in the middle of the night."

Willow sighed. She was not in the mood for this. A couple of hours of
searching had been completed, and all the redhead wanted was to relax.
"First off, I am not a little girl. Hear me? Secondly, I went and searched
outside the room to gather information."

      "Fine. You are not a little girl." He conceded. "But how am I supposed to
protect you if you are outside where I can't reach you?"

      Willow face softened. She knew this was in his nature. "You're not. Now do
you want to hear the information?"

      Spike sat down next to her. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he
really was curious about the rest of the house. "Well, if you are so bound
and determined to go off, you might as well tell me what you did."

      Willow glanced at the vampire for a second before speaking. "Well," she
said hesitantly, "I really didn't find out too much." Spike rolled his eyes
at her. "But- the layout of the house is really interesting. There were no
windows, which led me to the conclusion that we are underground somewhere.
The rooms are set up odd, kind of in a row, which again led me to believe
that there is more to this place then what I am seeing. I believe that those
closed doors might lead to more, perhaps an exit."

      "Alright, well how do we open them?"

      Willow looked down. "We can't. There were no visible locks on them or
anything. But I did discover one thing."

      Spike leaned over in interest. "And what's that?"

      "There is an office that Triagrin left open by accident. I looked around
and it had a lot of ancient books and some crystals and orbs. In the middle
of the room there was a large desk. I was going to open it, but he came in
and ushered me out of there really fast. He didn't want me in there Spike."

      Spike thought for a moment. "What do you think is in there?"

      "Whatever it is that he wants with you. I believe it is magical in some
way. Maybe a spell or something. I am not sure. I want to find out. I was
thinking that next time I go out there, you can try to distract him enough
so I can look around some more."

      Spike shook his head at the suggestion. "There is no way I am putting you
in danger, Red. This man isn't stupid. He would figure out what we have
planned in an instant."

      "But-" Willow began to protest.

      "No Buts. Stupid plan, luv."

      At that last comment, Willow blew up. She stood up, pointing her finger at
him. "Stupid plan! Stupid plan! Excuse me, Mr. Vampire, but at least I have
a plan. If you can come up with a better one, I would like to hear it. But
until you do, my plan stays." With that, Willow crossed her arms and gave
Spike her resolve face.

      Again, Spike rolled his eyes at her. Why must she always be so defensive
and melodramatic? He really wasn't in the mood for this right now. He could
argue with her later. Spike pulled Willow down, placing her on his lap. He
nodded his head at her, letting her think she won this round. "Fine. Your
plan stays. For Now. We can discuss this later. But now-" he continued,
looking into her orbs of green with desire and lust. "I have more important
things I want to do. I'm feeling much better- vampire healing and all. We
can argue at another time."

      Willow simply nodded, desire filling her completely. It was true- they
could argue later. She didn't know how long they could be stuck there. A
day, a month, a year. She also didn't know how long Spike would live if they
didn't find a way out of there. Willow knew somehow that by Spike agreeing
to Triagrin's offer would mean his death. Willow also had a feeling that the
man wasn't very patient. Time was running out. But she decided that the
search could go on hold for a couple of hours. She wanted Spike, needed him.
She leant in her lips barely grazing his. "Are you sure you are up to this?
It's so soon." Worry filled the witches voice.

      Spike nodded, lifting her out of the seat into his arms. Instinctively, she
clasped her hands around his neck, her head buried in his shoulder. The
blond vampire carried her over to bed, placing her down gently, her body
hitting the silk sheets. He then moved to straddle himself on top of her,
his hands lightly pinning hers. He smiled. It was the first genuine smile he
had ever given her. Usually his smiles were smirks, or a smile filled with
sadness beneath them. But this was a smile of happiness. Finally, after a
few minutes he answered her question. "I may not be at my best right now,
but I can certainly shag the girl I want."

      She began to laugh at the playfulness of his voice, only to be pleasantly
distracted by his lips on hers. She sighed. This was right. Willow closed
her eyes and pulled Spike closer to her, determined to keep him as close to
her as possible. She wasn't going to lose him to some stupid sorcerer. She
had other plans. Plans that involved silk sheets, chocolate sauce, and an
extremely naked vampire. Very important plans indeed.
 

Part 7

Some hours later Spike watched Willow leave the room, searching for any clue
that would lead them to an answer of what was going on.  He couldn't believe
he had agreed to this. For several hours he had tried to persuade Willow
that this was a horrible idea. Would she listen? Hell no. She kept muttering
something about her resolve face and what it meant. At one point, Spike
became so desperate that he threatened to leave the witch and drain all her
friends.

      At that, Willow had just rolled her eyes and replied that it was a chance
she was willing to take. She wouldn't let him stake himself at Xander's
apartment and she certainly wasn't about to let him be murdered. The redhead
had stayed firm.

      Finally, after another hour of arguing (and some sexually explicit promises
from Willow), he had agreed to her plan. She smiled smugly and went to the
intercom, to ask to be let out. Now she was gone, and he had to put his part
of the plan into effect. He just hoped for his redhead's sake it worked.
Spike walked over to the intercom and spoke into it.

      "Listen, I know you can bloody well hear me, so listen up. I willing to
negotiate." Spike rolled his eyes at this. Anyone who knew William the
Bloody knew that he didn't "negotiate". He took and conquered. When no one
answered, Spike became impatient. "Fine. Forget it. You probably wouldn't
have agreed to the terms anyways." Spike walked away from the machine.

      All of the sudden he heard a voice on the intercom. "What terms?"

      Spike recognized the voice as Triagrin's. "Uh, no. You come in here. I talk
face to face. Not into these stupid contraptions. Agreed?"

      Again, Spike waited a few moments. "Agreed. I will be there in a moment."

      Spike sat down on the loveseat, waiting for the sorcerer to make his
appearance. Finally, the tall lanky man walked into the room, closing the
door behind him with a resounding bang. Triagrin leered over at Spike, his
grin wide and foreboding. "So, what is this about negotiating?" He sat down
across from Spike.

      Spike nodded and lent in, his face only inches from Triagrin. "I do. Red
doesn't deserve to be here. Frankly, neither do I.  So I want to come to
some terms with you."

      Triagrin smiled. Maybe the vampire wasn't as stupid or self centered as he
appeared. These negotiations should prove interesting. He sat down, waiting
to hear the first terms of the agreement.

      Willow walked down the hallway. Triagrin had to have known that she was
outside of the room snooping around. He wasn't that dumb. She just hoped
that Spike could distract him long enough to let her get some necessary
information. She walked past the dining room, the pool, and the gym.
Finally, she came across the wooden door that had the office inside. She
attempted to open the door. It was locked. This hadn't come as a surprise to
Willow. She remembered a spell that her and Tara had attempted once.
Unfortunately, it failed miserably. Now, Willow was hoping that it might
work.  She closed her eyes and chanted some Latin underneath her breath,
performing a mind over matter spell. Willow looked down at her self. She
couldn't see herself! It worked!

      Willow still giddy at her success, had to move quickly. The effects were
only temporary at best. Tentatively, she reached her hand out, putting it
through the door. It felt strange, like a combination of different molecules
fighting one another for dominance. She shoved herself through the door, she
felt just like Patrick Swayze in the movie, Ghost. On the other side of the
room, she looked around.

      Everything was still in the same places. The orbs and the crystals were on
the table. She walked over to the bookshelf, eyeing the books and reading
the titles. Most were in Latin or Gaelic. Some were geared towards the
subject of love, while others were geared towards wielding powering and
strength. Willow quickly moved towards the desk, opening the large drawer.
She sat down, leafing through the papers. Her eyes widened at what she read.
"Oh, my Goddess."

      If this is what Triagrin has planned, then Willow had to try to get Spike
out of there immediately.
She glanced over the spell quickly.  Several people had already died
according this. Spike was the last one in a line of victims. But Spike
wouldn't die.

Willow tried to comprehend everything she was reading. Triagrin was dying.
The spell was an eternal power spell. With each new life that he took,
Triagrin would become stronger and gain that particular victim's power. But
it still wasn't enough. The last victim had to be a master vampire. That is
where Spike came in. On the eve of the full moon, Triagrin had to perform a
ritual, exchanging blood with the blond vampire. Once blood was exchanged,
Triagrin would then gain Spike's vampiric powers. The phase would be
complete and Triagrin would begin to undergo a transformation. Triagrin's
body would effectively die, and he would inhabit Spike's, taking with him,
all the power he possessed from the others. All the strengths they had, all
the good, and all the bad, eliminating any possible weaknesses. Spike's body
would no longer have to stay away from sunlight; a stake could no longer
kill him. But Spike would no longer be Spike, he would just mearly be a body
acting as an anchor for all eternity.

Willow shook at the possible implications of this. With the spell complete,
the text then goes on to describe literal hell on earth, the end of humanity
as she knew it. He would be the bringer of death, killing every living bird,
plant, and animal that lie in his wake. The only problem with the spell was
that the anchor had to volunteer his body willingly, for without the host's
consent, the spell would not work. Willow thought of the "negotiations"
going on in the room and left quickly, before any damage could be done.
 

Part 8

"Are you kidding me?" Triagrin laughed at the vampire. "These can't be your
terms."
Spike nodded and looked at the sorcerer. "Yep. Afraid so."
"Listen, I said I could meet your every whim and desire if you wanted to,
not create a parallel universe where you and the redhead could live! That is
absolutely ludicrious.  You know I can't do that."
Spike nodded. "I figured. Oh, well. It was worth a shot. I guess you can go
back now."
Triagrin was pissed. The vampire was playing him for a fool. Well, Triagrin
was one to play games with the best of them. The vampire wasn't going to
win. "No, I am not going back. You are going to listen to me."
Spike pretended to yawn and looked around at the room. "Right. What if I
don't want to? Frankly, you bore me. If I have trouble falling asleep, I'll
call you."
Triagrin glared at the blonde. "Somehow I think you will have trouble
sleeping if you are worrying about where your little redhead is. Or shall I
say, whose bed she is in."
At this, the vampire stood up straight and growled. "What the bloody hell
are you talking about?"
Triagrin stood up to meet his stare. "Oh, come on, Spike. You don't think I
don't know what has been going on here the past couple of days between you
two? This afternoon, you two gave quite the show to me. There are cameras
all around this place. I must admit, Red intrigues me. She is smart,
intelligent, and has a lot of fire. I'm sure I could offer her a lot more
than you could."
Spike walked over to the man, inches away from his face. "You stay away from
her. If I found out you touched one strand of her hair, I will kill you my
bloody self."
Triagrin grinned, taking a step back. "Relax, I made my oath not to hurt
her. Everything she will do, she will do willingly. And trust me, I can be
VERY persuasive. That is, unless you agree to my terms."
"Don't you threaten me."
"You know, you shouldn't take everything so personally. I am just giving you
some things to ponder over." Triagrin looks away pensively for a moment.
"She really was a sight. All flush and sweaty from the excitement, her low
moans becoming louder with each thrust, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I can't
wait to see how she acts for me. Of course, it won't be your name she cries
out."
Spike seething, reached out, punching Triagrin, then immediately
withdrawing, yelling from the pain. Triagrin walked away as if unaffected.
"I will be back shortly with your answer. Again, don't think of it as a
threat. Think of me as competition." Triagrin was about to open the door and
Willow stepped in, glaring at the man.
"Aren't you a pretty thing? All that fire…I'd love to see that fire…" He
whispered softly to her, knowing all the while Spike was observing the
interaction. Willow ignored him, looking beyond the man at Spike and rushed
over. Triagrin closed the door with a bang, unhappy that he had caused so
little of a reaction on the girl.
"Willow." Spike said, standing up. He enveloped her in a fierce embrace,
tender, seductive, and protective all at once. Leaning down, he brushed his
lips over hers, enjoying the trembling reaction from her.
"Spike." She whimpered, bringing him in for a deeper kiss. It seemed urgent
that she be with him, knowing what might happen. She began to lead him over
to the bed. They could talk about what she discovered later. Surprisingly to
Willow, Spike shook her off him. She looked at him questioningly.
Spike sat her down, kissing her neck, all the while whispering. "He can see
us. He saw everything that happened between you and I earlier. Bloody hell,
he began describing it to me."
Willow's face turned a deep crimson color and images floated through her
mind about what happened. Spike and her in a moment of passion, giving
themselves to each other in an intimate act, becoming one. He saw it all.
"No…"
Spike knew how embarrassed she would be. "Luv… Red…listen to me. Don't think
about it. We have graver things to talk about."
Willow nodded, knowing he was right. "You are in trouble. Big trouble. We
have to get you out of here. Soon." And with that, she told him what she had
discovered in the office.
 

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