Alarum

Author: Jennnillu

Pairing: W/S...possibly some W/A eventually

Rating: NC-17- eventually

Archived at: www.geocities.com/seeing_reddd

Disclaimer: I humbly borrow, twisting and bending plots to my will.

Summary: Spike shows up, there's a spell...Willow finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation...Angel to the rescue.

Spoilers: Set in season 4, during Initiative...The government captures more than just a vampire during their raid on the dorms.

Want to see a little teaser-trailer? www.geocities.com/seeing_reddd/trailer.html

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~Part: 1~

"You're being too hard on yourself. Why don't we wait a half hour and try again? Or." What was I thinking? I had more or less just invited a cold-hearted killer to hang around and have me as a snack. I missed Oz, but it wasn't like.

Looking to my left, I grabbed the lamp and smashed it over the vampire's head. It was Buffy's lamp, and I winced as it broke, but I suspected that she'd forgive me for it. Running to the door, I pulled and twisted the knob, panic setting as I realized that it was locked and not going to budge.

The lights went out and I could feel my heartbeat speed up. I was locked in a room, in the dark, with a vampire that I had just attacked. Not good. Granted, he was apparently unable to bite me, but never trust the hell mouth to stay on your side for very long.

Suddenly, the door flew open and I all but crashed through the frame, knocking over two dark, masked figures. Looking, up, I found myself staring down the barrel of a tranquilizer gun, my eyes widening in horror. Vampires and masked attackers? That was just an every day part of living in Sunnydale. Coming nose to nose with a load weapon? That was something else entirely.

" No! Hold your fire!" I thought the voice sounded familiar, but wasn't able to make out any faces. In fact, I wasn't even sure what direction it had come from.

Before I had a chance to contemplate it further, I saw Spike rush out the door and push the gun-toting figure into the wall. Creeping backwards, I cowered in the corner, willing my eyes to adjust to the darkness and hoping that no one would notice me. Let it never be said that Willow is brave. At least, not always. I firmly believe in the saying that she who runs away lives to run another day. You have to, in a town like this. Any other philosophy will get you dead real quick.

"It's on me!" someone yelled, just before Spike fell to his knees, yelling and holding his head. As I watched the scene play out before me, I wasn't sure who it should be that I was rooting for.The vampire that had tried to attack me or the masked men who tried to attack me. It was a coin toss at that point.

"Move!" There was that voice again. Where did I know him from?

A second later, I saw that the three figures had Spike held down with some sort of hood over his head. Huh. Sucked to be him.

"Bag it, tag it. We're gone," the voice stated.

"Sir.Civilian. Could have turned," one of the other figures pointed out, gesturing toward my little corner in the hallway. Damn. Didn't these guys know anything? Hello, girl with a pulse and a heartbeat, right here. I was a little too alive to have been turned.

"Leave her," the familiar one said, sounding slightly hesitant.

"We can't neglect quarantine, Sir," the other one argued. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself, hoping that I might be able to come up with a spell to help my situation, but unless floating a pencil would take down a small army of three, I didn't think I'd get very far.

Suddenly, Spike broke free of the third commando's hold and grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher. One of the others aimed his gun and shot, but Spike's reflexes were too fast for them, and he quickly held up the extinguisher, using it as a shield. A moment later, the hallway was filled with gas and smoke.

Seeing my chance to escape, I began to crawl toward my room.

"Stop her!" someone yelled out just as a hand grabbed my arm and held me still.

"She's contained."

I looked up helplessly as Spike was grabbed from behind and tackled to the ground again, this time knocked out cold from a combination of punches thrown from the soldier and whatever was causing the pain in his head when he tried to fight back.

"I said to let her go," the familiar voice commanded.

"Can't do that. Procedure. You know Dr. Wa- She won't approve." Geesh, I was really starting to not like that guy.

"Alright," he said, sounding slightly defeated. "Let's go, bring them both in."

That was the last I heard before a cloth was held over my mouth, the unmistakable scent of chloroform overcoming my senses.

~Part: 2~

"Agent Finn, explain this report to me."

"I know it's confusing, but we got the job done."

"And the chip?"

"It works. Hostile 17 can't harm any living creature, in any way, without intense neurological pain."

"And the girl? What do you know about her?"

As I lay unconscious, strapped down to a cold, metal table, these two discussed me as if I were nothing more than a science experiment. A lab rat. A test frog, waiting to be dissected.

"Name's Willow Rosenberg." Way to hold strong, Riley.

He let out a deep, pained sigh, which did not go unnoticed by Professor Walsh. "She's a civilian. Harmless."

"Any chance she's been turned?"

"Negative. She's still human. There are faint bite marks on her neck, not breaking the skin, along with an older scar that looks like a vampire bite, but she was still very alive when we go there."

"She has previous bite marks?" Professor Walsh asked, her curiosity peeked. Riley immediately regretted adding that information.

"She's not a threat, Professor, just an innocent college student." Ha! If he only knew. "She's in your Psych 101 course."

"Ah, yes, the know-it-all redhead in the second row, with all of the different colored pens. She sits with that blonde that always seems to be asleep," Professor Walsh commented. "She has previous bite marks on her neck and just happened to be found in the same room as the vampire, and you don't think she's any kind of threat? You know the rules. A vampire has to be invited into a home. How do you think he got in there." Had I been awake and able to speak, I would have readily explained the dire results of calling out a casual "come in" in this town.

"Trust me," Riley argued, "she's not a threat. She's one of the sweetest people I know. I'm sure it's some sort of mistake, or."

"Just the same, I think I'd like to run some preliminary tests.to be sure," she told him. Riley knew that tone of voice and understood that arguing the point would get him nowhere.

Whimp.

~*~

Spike woke up, his head pounding, his body aching. Rolling over and opening his eyes, he squinted at the extremely bright lights. He recognized where he was immediately, containment cell in The Initiative. Right back to where all the trouble had begun.

The slayer. In his eyes, it was always Buffy's fault. First, she took his ring. Then, when he went to kill her, he was captured by the psycho army. After he escaped, he went after her again, only to find out that they'd done something to him and he couldn't bite anymore. And NOW he was back in that godforsaken hell hole.

Jumping up in anger, Spike slammed his hands against the glass barrier, hearing the electricity snap and zip through it, feeling only a slight sting in the palms of his hands. Hearing a buzzing, he looked up, seeing a square in the ceiling opening, and watched as a bag of blood fell to the floor.

"You think I'm that bloody stupid?" he shouted, picking the packet up and squeezing it in his tight grip. "You think I'm actually going to fall for that? Give Spike a little credit, will you?!"

At that, he threw down the blood, watching as it splattered on the pristine white wall and floor. He briefly wondered if they would actually allow him to starve to death, not doubting for a second that they would, and how long it would be before he gave in and drank one of the drugged packets.

What really unnerved him was knowing that they had done something to him the first time they brought him in, but having no idea what. He shuddered to think what they might try if he was drugged again. Who knew what they might put a damper on next. He could wake up with all sorts of things out of order!

~*~

"Is it as I suspected?"

"Yes, Hostile 24's blood is not entirely human."

"I knew it. So what have we got?"

"Not sure. Need a few more samples to run some tests. Seems to be properties that we haven't encountered before."

"Not vampire?"

"No. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that it's demon at all."

"Well, what else could she be? It's not like she's a good fairy or a wicked witch."

"Don't underestimate what goes on in Sunnydale. What are you going to do about Finn?"

"Nothing for now. Simply keep a close watch on him. I believe he and the girl are friends. Agent Finn is a good soldier, loyal. He will do as he's told, but just in case."

The two doctors paused as I let out a faint groan. Everything was hazy and the voices sounded far way, echoing and hard to understand. I had no idea where I was, and found that as I tried to sit up, not only was I unable to do so, but waves of pain washed over my body. My mind was swimming and the room spun as I struggled against the straps that held me down to the cold, metal table.

"Well, it looks like our patient has finally started to come to," Professor Walsh said, her face appearing over mine, covered by a surgical mask. "I'm hoping that you will be cooperative and answer all of our questions, Miss Rosenberg."

"Please, I don't understand. Where." My voice came out as little more than a hoarse whisper as I attempted to speak.

"Now, Miss Rosenberg, I suggest that you cooperate and answer all of our questions truthfully. I promise that things will be a lot easier for you if you do," she told me, taking a step back and removing her mask before she grabbed a clipboard from a nearby table. My gaze followed her and widened when I realized who she was.

"Are you aware that there are elements in your blood that are not of human nature?" I stared at her, still dazed, trying to understand what she was asking.

"I don't.What do you mean, not of human."

"Come now. I know that you're a smart girl. Straight A student, so I'm sure that you understand what I'm asking you," she stated, in a cold, condescending tone. "Do you have any idea what the foreign elements in your blood might be from?'

I knew exactly what they might be from. After several years of working spells and building my magical abilities, I was sure that traces of magic flowed through my DNA, but apparently they didn't recognized magic when they saw it, and I'd be damned if I was about to give any information to the people that currently had me strapped to a table, a needle in my arm.

Instead, I simply remained quiet, not answering any of the doctor's questions. Finally, Professor Walsh stepped forward and yanked the I.V. out roughly, a cry of pain escaping my lips.

She barked orders to the other doctor to give me some other kind of drug.Something that I didn't recognize, and a minute later I was screaming in agony as another needle was shoved into my arm, burning liquid pouring into my veins.

Almost immediately, I felt the effects of the drug. My eyes became blurry and I felt very drowsy.

"Do you know the demon that you were brought in with?" she asked.

In my light-headed, groggy state, I nodded slightly and whispered, "Spike." My voice sounded far away, even to me, and my mind was becoming increasingly hazy.

"Spike?" the professor repeated, jotting it down in her notes. "And you were aware that he was a demon?"

"Or course," I told her. "He's only tried to kill us like a hundred times." I gave her a goofy smile and rolled my eyes, as if that were the most well known fact in the world.

"And you were associating with him."

I had to think hard to remember what she was talking about. "With Spike? I wouldn't assoc- Oh! Yeah! He came over and said he woulda bit me if he coulda `cause he liked my fuzzy sweater. Said he thought about it before, but didn't want to be all grrrr." Hey, it was the drugs! I usually make much more sense than that.

At that point, I was slurring my words, my head rolled to one side. My eyes stared off into nothing, my pupils dilated. Deciding that she was going to get no more out of me at the moment, Professor Walsh turned back toward the other doctor.

"Clearly she has some sort of prior connection with Hostile 17. Run those tests and let me know what you find out. In the mean time, I think I'll run a few tests of my own," she told him with an evil grin. "I'd like to see what the vampire does when he's brought into contact with her again."

"But you heard what she said," the other doctor argued. "He's tried to kill her, and we don't know how well the chip is working. If it malfunctions."

"Well, there's only one way to test it, now isn't there?" she said, effectively ending the conversation as she turned away. "Have her dressed again in her civilian clothing and then place her in containment along with Hostile 17," she ordered. "This, I'm sure, will prove to be most interesting."

~Part: 3~

Spike jumped up, readying himself for a fight as he heard a buzzer sound, and looked up to see three commandos standing in front of his containment cell, opening the door. One held a cross bow, aiming it directly at his heart, while the other two dragged me into the cell, dropping my limp body onto the floor in a heap. They backed out, never taking their eyes off of the blond, before locking the room and walking away.

Spike watched them go, confusion clear on his face, before turning his attention to the body that they had left. For a moment, he wondered if it was a little snack for him, but quickly picked up on the faint heartbeat and knew that wasn't the case. No way he could bite the person if they were still alive. He could smell blood though, strong and fresh.

Moving closer, he peered down for a moment, turning me over with the toe of his shoe. Not the nicest treatment, but due to the circumstances, I suppose that we can forgive him. His eyes widened in surprise as an arm flopped over, away from my head, to reveal a very familiar face.

Spike stepped back as he took in my appearance. No doubt I was looking less than stellar at that moment. He now, officially, had no idea what the hell was going on. I was laying in a heap before him, not moving, barely breathing, several cuts strewn across my arms, my eyes slightly open and completely unfocused.

"Red?" he called out, nudging me again with his boot. I didn't move, other than to roll my head slightly from side to side, and finally dragged my still-unfocused eyes up to look at him.

"Spike?" I whispered. The vampire stepped closer and crouched down next to me, waiting for me to say more. Finally, my face broke out into a slight, lazy smile. "You'd bite me in a heartbeat," I said with a giggle.

Spike stood back up with a deep, aggravated sigh and a roll of his eyes. He could see that I had obviously been pumped full of drugs. Storming toward the corner of the cell, where a camera hung by the ceiling, he looked up and growled.

"You think I'm that stupid? You bloody morons don't know who you're dealing with!" he shouted. I suppose he figured that they must have brought me in to see if he would try to drink my tainted blood, since he hadn't touched the bagged stuff. He couldn't bite, but there were enough open wounds that he certainly could have drank from me if he had chosen. Pounding his fists on the walls, he wondered just how long he could hold out before he had to drink something, and knew that for as long as he could hold out, those military bastards could hold out longer.

~*~

Hours later, I woke with a start, bolting up right and looking around in confusion. My head was spinning, my body aching. My hand immediately went to my side as searing pain shot through me, and I squinted at the stark, white light all around me.

"Oh, god," I moaned. "Am I dead? Is this heaven? Kinda hurts more than I thought heaven would."

"It's definitely not heaven, pet." I jumped and looked toward the voice, surprised to see the vampire sitting on the other side of the small, empty room.

"Spike!" I squealed, trying to scoot back, hitting the wall and cringing at the pain in my side.

I didn't realize it, but Spike could smell the blood coming from some wound that I had just reopened, and his demon immediately responded. "Stop that!" he shouted, letting out a snarl.

"Stop what?" I asked quietly, not wanting to further upset him, but not sure of what I had done wrong in the first place.

"Moving like that," he explained in an exasperated tone. Obviously I didn't understand what I was doing to him. "I can smell the blood."

"Oh, I.I didn't mean to." I glanced down at the side of my stomach, pulling my hand back and seeing a small amount of blood seeping through my shirt. Darn it. I liked that shirt.

"Make it stop!" he yelled. I could see his control slipping, his anger flaring in his eyes.

"Well, you know, it's not like I'm trying to bleed on purpose!" I yelled back. Geesh, vampires! And yeah, okay, maybe yelling at him wasn't the best idea, but I was more than a little upset. Bits and pieces of the night before were starting to come back to me. Those commandos, they had come in and taken me, and apparently Spike as well. I didn't entirely understand why I was being held there, or why I was being held with Spike, but I did remember a lot of pain, and someone who.Professor Walsh! She was the one in charge! I couldn't wait to tell Buffy that our teacher was.Suddenly I remembered, I was being held against my will, and Buffy had no idea where I was. Dread began to fill me as I looked out the glass doorway, seeing small groups of soldiers marching by and doctors scurrying about. This was very, very bad.

~Part: 4~

"How is the experiment going so far?"

"It's just getting started. She's finally awake and interacting with the vampire. We'll wait a while and see what happens, then bring her in for further lab testing. Any ID on her blood yet?"

"Not yet. Still not coming up as anything recognized by the database." Maggie simply nodded her head, a frown marring her face as she listened and watched the monitor before her.

~*~

Stepping backwards, my eyes still wide in horror, I slowly backed up until I hit the far wall, slumping down to the floor with a whimper. Spike paced back and forth like a caged lion, glaring at nothing in particular. After a few moments, the scent of something caught his attention and he turned his gaze my way.

"What's all this about?" he asked gruffly, obviously scenting the salt of my tears as they silently slipped down my cheeks. I had already cried too much as of late. It was something I really wanted to put a stop to.

"What is this all about? Spike, I'm trapped in some cell thing, with a vampire that wants to kill me, being held by people that want to do experiments on me, and no one knows where I am! Not to mention that my boyfriend just left me after I caught him with another wolf! I'm missing my classes and I'm going to completely fall behind, and to top it off, I'm yelling at a vampire!"

Yes, I was aware of the hysteria creeping into my voice, but at that moment I was past the point of caring.

"So, you're just going to sit there and cry like some girl, that it?" he replied.

I shot him a look of disbelief. "I.I.I Am a girl, Spike! Hello! Couple of double X chromosomes sitting right here!" As if my situation wasn't bad enough, I now had to deal with his insults as well.

"Yeah, well as I recall, you're also a witch, so why don't you just whip up some of that mojo and get us outta here?" he asked.

"Us? What do you mean by us, exactly? You're a vampire who was trying to make me dead less than twenty-four hours ago."

"Yeah, well," he began, walking toward me, tilting his head to look me directly in the eyes, "you wouldn't have stayed that way." I could see him smirk at the look of surprise on my face and I had to swallow hard, closing my eyes for a moment as he sat down next to me.

"You.You said that I had a choice," I said, my voice little more than a whisper.

"I lied," he replied with a grin and a shrug. I gave him another incredulous look as he tried to look as innocent as possible. "What? Evil vampire, remember? Not exactly known to be all that trustworthy."

"Why would you have wanted to turn me?" Ok, I know, not the question that I should have been asking, but come on! I was just dumped, heart broken and alone. I needed a little bit of reaffirmation, as much as I hate to admit it.

Again, he shrugged his shoulders, searching his pockets for a cigarette before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Damn soldiers, took my smokes. Just bought a new pack, too. Gonna leave a bloke in here, could at least let him smoke!" he yelled. I cleared my throat, impatient and ready to get back to the point at hand.

"I told you that I had thought about it before," he told me.

"Yeah, but.why me? I mean, I'm not the kinda girl that a guy looks at and thinks, this is the one I want for eternity," I told him sadly, looking down at my hands. God, I hated this. After everything, fighting on the hell mouth, dating a musician, starting college, I was just as meek and insecure as ever before.

"Maybe a human wouldn't think that," he said, "but a vamp has taste. We know where the goods are, and trust me, Red, you got the goods. Ain't nothing better than turning a sweet, innocent little girl like yourself." He leered at me with his trademark smirk and I shifted uncomfortably. I wanted to smile at that, grin like a crazy-lady even, but somehow it didn't seem like the appropriate response at the time.

"I am not all sweet and innocent," I told him. "I am deep, a-and dark, and full of lots of.angsty.goodness, and.Oh, who am I kidding?"

"Nobody here," he snickered.

~*~

"And then he just left. Just like that. Said he loved me, but we couldn't be together anymore."

"Yeah, Dru said the same sort of thing," he told me. "Wanted to just be friends." I nodded, remembering him saying that a year back. Had I taken a moment to think about it, my situation was mind-numbingly confusing.Sitting in a cell, sharing my miserable love life with a demon that would just as soon kill me as smile at me. As it turned out, though, heartache and misery were good distractions from pain and hunger.

"I mean, he didn't even try to stick around and work things out," I told him, my voice a mixture of exhaustion and anger. I wanted nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep, but I didn't trust anyone enough for that just yet.

"What was there to stay for?" he asked, seeing my face fall. He rolled his eyes and I felt the strong desire to punch him as hard as I could. "I'm sure that your love was great and epic and all that, but you are a human and he's got the demon in him. It's something you can't possibly understand." He was right, of course, but at the time I just didn't understand that.

"You know, I'm really sick of hearing that," I shot back. "I mean, yeah, okay, no demon here, but I'm getting pretty good with the magic, and the deeper I go, I touch darkness. I feel it. I get the general idea behind the whole evil dark power thing."

"You couldn't possibly get it," he told me, scoffing at my words and then chuckling as he saw my anger rise. "It isn't a thing that he invokes for a few minutes and then turns off. It's in him, all the time. Sounds like he was doing the right honorable thing by leaving, and you're just too busy indulging in self-pity to accept that."

I hate when people point the truth out at the worst possible moments, as if knowing that you're wrong, that you've been wrong all along, and that there is nothing you can do to change anything, will somehow make you feel better. It's not Spike's fault that he's as blunt as a spoon, but I won't pretend to feel bad that he bore the wrath of my pain.

"Look who's talking! You came all the way back to Sunnydale to get a love spell to make Drusilla want you again, and hello! You still aren't with her!" Mean? Sure, but it's not like he didn't deserve it.

"I don't want to be with her anymore," he growled. "I learned MY lesson, witch. Don't want someone who don't appreciate me." I simply frowned at his words, displeased by their truth as much as by the fact that he chose to put it in such poor grammatical terms.

Growing aggravated and restless, he stood up and started pacing again.

"Do you have to do that?" I asked.  It was enough to make me crazy.

"No," he replied with another smirk, "but the fact that it bothers you so much is good incentive."

"You are such a.a.jerk." Yeah, I know, it sounded pathetic, even to me.

"You wound me with your words," he chuckled. "Now tell me again why exactly it is that you can't just use a little magic and pop us out of here?"

"Again, I'm hearing talk about `us'," I stated with a glare.

"Yeah, well I deserve a little something for keeping you protected, now don't I?" Was he kidding?

"Keeping me protected? Uh, Spike, last I checked, you couldn't hurt a human, so I'd say you're pretty useless to me in here." Turns out that Spike doesn't like to be called useless. His low growl quickly tipped me off to that, and I quickly moved onto the other topic. "Teleporting.It takes a lot more strength and power than I have. I can barely float a pencil, let alone move two people from one place to another."

Spike stopped his pacing and turned to look at me. I didn't like what I saw in his eyes. "Well then, what good are you?" I simply frowned and looked away as he resumed his pacing.

Watching the monitor, a smile spread across Maggie's face. "I think we have all the information that we need for right now," she told the other doctor. Leaning over, she pressed an intercom button before speaking into a microphone. "Have Hostile 24 brought to the lab, and keep her restrained."

~Part: 5~

Looking up wearily, my eyes widened as I saw several armed soldiers approaching, and I jumped up in a panic, alerting Spike to the impending trouble. Where was a slayer when you needed one? Spike was about to lunge forward, ready to try and run again, but he immediately found three of the soldiers upon him. Two held crossbows, the sharp bolt tips nearly touching his chest as the third soldier moved behind him and roughly pulled his arms back. Spike let out a growl as he yanked his arms free, simultaneously striking the soldiers behind him and feeling pain shoot through his temples. Yelling and clutching his head, the blond fell to his knees, his arms once again wrenched back and secured behind him. Yeah, he was going to be a big help. Way to protect the damsel in distress!

Seeing Spike fall, I backed up against the far wall, desperately searching for anything to defend myself with. A stake would have come in very handy at the moment. Sure, they weren't demons, but I was pretty sure that a stake in the chest would still have slowed them down.

"Make this easy on yourself," a soldier barked. "Come willingly or we'll take you by force."

I had seen the force they had used on Spike and wasn't really interested in having a taste, but at the same time, I was fairly certain that wherever they wanted to take me was not somewhere I wanted to be.

"Call me crazy, but I'm not too keen on the idea of going anywhere with you," I told him, trying to sound braver than I felt. Unfortunately, I've never been good at bluffing my way through anything.

Before I knew what was happening, one of the other soldiers advanced on me, lunging at my side with a large, metal stick. The minute it touched me, I screamed in pain, feeling a sharp electrical current zip through me and I fell to the floor, completely immobile and utterly terrified.

~*~

"I trust that you had no trouble bringing her in?" Professor Walsh asked as one of the soldiers strapped me down to the table. It seemed like an unnecessary precaution, what with my new found paralysis and all.

"No trouble at all, Professor," he told her with a grin, before turning to leave. I did my best to glare at him, though I was pretty sure that my facial expression didn't change.

"Miss Rosenberg, so nice to see you again," Maggie said coldly. I was quickly coming to despise the sound of her voice.

"I wish I could say the same," I mumbled through my clenched jaw, squirming slightly as feeling began to slowly bleed back into my body, causing a horrible tingling sensation.

"I expect that you will be a little more cooperative with us this time. I would hate to have more force used against you," she stated.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd really feel terrible," I shot back, my eyes darting around the room.

"Prepare Hostile 24 for examination," she barked, ignoring my last comment and looking back to her clipboard, an object which I had already begun to mentally refer to as the clipboard-of-doom. Only bad things were to come when she pulled that baby out.

Hearing her words, referring to a hostile, I tried to lift my head. "Hostile 24? Is there a vampire in.oh." Suddenly, realization hit. "That would be me," I whispered.

"Smart girl," the professor replied, just as I felt a needle roughly jabbed into my arm. I winced at the pain before glaring at the woman.

"I'd be even smarter if you would let me go so that I can get back to my classes," I told her, my tone sounding hopeful.

"Nice try," she answered, pulling up one of my sleeves, taking my pulse. As she scribbled on the clipboard, not glancing up, she continued to speak. "We are aware of what you are, so I suggest that you make this as easy on yourself as possible and tell us what we want to know."

"What exactly do you think that I am?" Hey, she could have been bluffing, too.

"A witch," the other doctor responded, tapping a syringe a few times before injecting something else into me. I was beginning to feel like a pin cushion. Almost immediately, I felt more lightheaded, as the burning liquid spread through my system and the voices around me sounded a bit further away. My first thought was that this must have been what an acid trip felt like. My second thought was that I never wanted to experience it again.

"I've been wanting to study the occult for a while now.Or, well, worshippers, to be more exact," she told me. "And to think, all this time, you were sitting right there in my class, wasting your time with the sleepy blonde. Now, I want to see exactly what your capabilities are." At that, the woman grabbed a scalpel, slicing easily into my arm, eliciting a whimper from me as I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out the pain. With all the drugs that they had pumped into me, you'd think they could have added a little morphine with it.

"First test," she told her assistant, a weaselly looking little man of about forty, "self-healing abilities." Looking up again from her clipboard, she stared impatiently.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, feeling sick at the sensation of blood running down my tingling arm.

"I was to see how easily you are able to heal yourself," she explained. "You'd better hurry before you bleed all over the table."

Was she crazy? How had this woman ever received a PhD from any school? Where did she graduate from, Psychosville State?

"Ya might have wanted to ask me about it first!" I shouted. "I can't just heal an open wound. I don't have that kind of power or control."

"I see," Maggie responded, not sounding very convinced. I was beginning to wonder if she would resort to burning me at the stake, waiting to see if I would free myself. Of course, I had already been there, done that. It wasn't an experience that I was looking to repeat.

"I.I can float pencils, mostly, and change ice to fire, although that's a hard one," I mumbled. "And restore vampire's souls," I added in my head, not thinking that was something I should share with the class.

"Alright then, float this pencil," she told me, holding a pencil out in the palm of her hand.

"I'm not some circus side-show act!" I shouted, struggling with my bonds again, my head growing dizzy as I moved around.

"I suggest that you cooperate, Miss Rosenberg. We do have ways of getting the results we want."

I had no doubt that they did, remembering the force used to bring me into the lab, and I let out a defeated sigh before concentrating on the pencil in her hand, slowly floating it up a few feet, spinning it and then dropping it back down.

"Amazing," Dr. Walsh responded, sounding awed. "Hostile 24 exhibits signs of telekinetic powers and control on command." Looking down, she began to write again and I felt a small part of me swell at the way she had just spoken. I would have been almost proud of myself, had I not been strapped to a metal table, still slowly bleeding.

Tilting my head a bit, I noticed a sharp scalpel on a table behind the professor and closed my eyes, concentrating on the instrument. The drugs that I had received were messing with my concentration, among other things, and the little magic I had already worked had taken a lot out of me. Concentration was difficult, but where there's a will, there's a way.

A moment later, I mentally lifted the scalpel, bringing it up behind her. I had no intention of killing her, but hurting the good doctor a little bit would be nice. Just as I was about to propel it forward, the door to the laboratory flew open.

"Professor Walsh! The demon that you were waiting for has been contained and brought." The voice trailed off as he took in the scene before him, his eyes widening. Hearing Riley, my concentration broke and the scalpel fell to the floor, unnoticed.

"Agent Finn, you are interrupting an examination," Maggie reprimanded, seeing the stunned look on his face.

"Riley!" I shouted, just before a gag was pulled over my mouth. I continued to scream, though my words were muffled, and I thrashed about on the table, desperate to get his full attention.

"Professor, what are you." Riley began, staring in shock.

"Agent Finn, you know better than to question my research," she told him. "Please go wait in my office and begin filling out the capture report for the latest hostile. Riley simply nodded mutely before turning and leaving. I couldn't believe it. As I saw him walk away my heart sank.

"Sedate her and send her back to the holding cell," Maggie commanded, just before I felt more burning liquid being pumped into my veins.

~*~

Spike watched, growling as the soldiers once again returned, dropping my limp body onto the cell floor and backing out, locking the electrified exit. The vampire paced back and forth for a minute, trying to ignore my presence, huddled on the cold, white floor, and the way my fresh blood was calling to him. It had been days since he'd fed and Spike wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.

I moaned softly and he glanced down before once more resuming his pacing. I was starting to shake, my teeth chattering, my racing heartbeat pounding in his ears. Finally, he let out an aggravated sigh, kneeling down as he rolled his eyes at his own actions. Reaching out, he slowly turn my so that I was laid out on my back, and took in my appearance. My skin was paler than usual, my breathing shallow, my heartbeat fast and irregular. Rivulets of dried blood were spread down my arm and tear tracks stained my cheeks. As my head rolled from side to side, he could see that my eyes, which were only slightly opened, had rolled back, the pupils no longer showing.

Leaning in a little further, he called out, "Red?" His voice was softer than even he had expected it to be. "Can you hear me, pet?" Receiving no response, he shifted me slightly, lifting my head up a bit.

"They know," I mumbled, my voice barely audible. "They know, and." I stopped, gagging suddenly, my stomach doing flip-flops as I lurched away from him, trying to cover my mouth.

Seeing that I was about to be sick, Spike quickly helped me as I tried to crawl to the back corner of the cell. As I bent forward and began to vomit the meager contents of my empty stomach, he jumped back, surprised and unsure of what to do. He could hear me crying softly, my face hidden as my tangled hair fell forward while I leaned over the small bucket that had contained small amounts of food that they had given me. I was mortified that he should see me like that, so weak, so pathetically beaten.

Kneeling down behind me, Spike slowly reached out, pulling back my red hair, gathering it at the base of my neck in one hand, while the other rubbed my back gently. It wasn't an action to which he was accustomed, comforting a human girl, and I was well aware of that. He was usually the reason that they cowered and cried.

I could barely make out his whispered words as he tried to calm me down. "Let it all out, love," he murmured, rubbing my back in small circles. "Gotta get it all out of your system."

When I had finally been reduced to dry heaving, nothing left in me to release, I sat back on my heels and sighed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I was still shaking, my eyes unable to focus on anything. My skin was hot to the touch and I could feel sweat dripping down my face, mingling with the tears.

I felt Spike lift me up, about ready to protest, though I quickly gave in, no fight left in me. He moved to the other side of the small cell, sitting down against a white wall, cradling me in his arms. My eyes rolled back again and my breathing remained harsh and irregular. He should have just tossed me aside and forgotten about me. It's what his instincts were screaming at him to do, yet he couldn't. He told himself that it was because I was the key to getting out of that place, the witch and her magic, but he knew, deep down, it was more than just that.

As I continued to shake, my heartbeat growing more wild, he became more and more agitated. The scent of fresh blood hit him and Spike looked down, seeing that I was unconsciously scratching at my arm, the skin already torn, my nails stained slightly by my own blood. Grabbing my hands, he had to hold them down to keep me from tearing at my flesh. I suppose that if he didn't hate those people so much, he might have actually been rather impressed at how sadistic they could be with a human girl.

Glancing up, Spike noticed as one of the soldiers stopped outside of the cell, watching with an unreadable expression. I faintly heard him growl as he shifted into his true face, pulling me a little tighter to him.

"What? Not enough for you to hurt her? Gotta come by and watch her suffer'n as well?" he yelled, knowing that the man could hear him. "And they call ME a monster," he mumbled.

Taking a step forward, the dark haired man pushed the button to the intercom. "What's wrong with her?"

"What the hell do you think is wrong with her?" Spike shouted. "All the drugs you've been pumping through her.She's human! Her body can't take it!"

"Riley?" Spike looked down, hearing my soft, ragged voice. I was trying to open my eyes, a pained expression on my face. Everything felt so heavy, the effort to keep my eyes open becoming too much.

"You know him?" Spike asked. Receiving no answer, he looked back up and saw that the man was no longer there.

My fight was completely gone as I continued to tremble in his arms. A few moments later, we heard the familiar sounds of a code being entered outside of the cell, just before the door was opened, and Spike glanced up to see Riley returning, weapon raised and aimed at the vampire. A man in a long, white coat trailed behind. Riley continued to watch Spike as the other man pulled out a syringe and filled it with something.

"You're completely off your rocker if you think that I'll let you give the girl any more drugs," Spike shouted, his hold on me protective.

"It's the anti-dote for what she was given earlier," Riley explained. "It will help her."

You know what would have really helped me? Not injecting me with that crap in the first place!

Spike eyed him for a moment, thinking over his limited options. He didn't trust anyone there, but also knew that his back was up against a wall, literally. It was this or let me die in his arms. Had I been able to place my vote, I would have whole-heartedly endorsed the injection, but as it were, I was a bit incapacitated at that moment.

Finally, Spike nodded his head, watching as the doctor nervously stepped forward. He tightened his hold on me as the man reached out and roughly pulled my arm toward him. Opening my eyes slightly and seeing the needle coming toward me, I immediately began to struggle, incoherent but terrified. Fighting to hold me still, Spike tried to calm me with hushed words, promising things that he knew he couldn't deliver and telling me that everything would be alright. Finally, the doctor was able to inject the antidote into my arm. Spike watched as I immediately stilled, my heartbeat slowing slightly.

The doctor turned toward Riley. "There was a strong sedative in what I gave her. She'll be asleep for a while and should be alright when she wakes up."

"Thank you, doctor," Riley replied with a nod, glancing toward our huddled mass in the corner, feeling uneasy at the sight of the demon still holding me tightly. Not that I blame him for his unease. Heck, even I didn't understand Spike's sudden need to protect me. I mean, sure, we had made a deal, but the last thing I expected him to do was actually honor that.

"You do know that Professor Walsh will not be pleased about this," the doctor warned.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," Riley assured him as they both walked out, leaving us alone once again.

~Part: 6~

It had been days and no one had come to take either of us from the cell. It was a welcomed reprieve, but one that played on our agitation none the less. Small amounts of food and water had been provided, though Spike had still only received drugged blood. My strength was slowly returning as we sat and waited. Very little was said between us, and we both seemed to prefer it that way. We had made a silent pact to not discuss what had happened that night, the night that I almost died in his arms, and I was grateful for it. I had no idea what to say. Thank you just didn't seem to cut it, and I was pretty sure that any attempt on my part to be gracious or kind would have quickly been cut down by the snarky vampire.

There were other demons, vampires mostly, in cells around us. For the most part, they refused to say much of anything to Spike. I guess they were still bitter about his past escape and the fact that he had left them still trapped inside. That escape didn't do him much good, of course, but I've noticed that demons tend to hold grudges longer than other creatures. A few of them were willing to talk to me. Mostly, their words were too crude to repeat, but there was something, a rumor, circulating about a secret project in the compound. Something called 314. Apparently it was about as secret and underground as you could get, and from the sounds of things, Professor Walsh was not going to let anyone or anything destroy what she had been working on. I began to wonder exactly how far she would go to keep 314 a secret.Not that I had even the slightest clue what the hell it really was.

"What's all this?" Spike had just awakened from a long nap, ever so inconveniently breaking my concentration. I was seated in the center of the bright cell, my legs crossed, my hands resting on my knees. My eyes HAD been closed as I practiced steady, deep breathing.

I cracked one eye open, glaring at him. He was pacing again, reminding me of a caged lion.

"Shhh, I'm meditating," I hissed, closing my eyes once again.

"Oh, well, excuse me," he grumbled, making a face behind my back. "Don't see what good that will do you." Man, he's such a pain sometimes.

Opening my eyes again, I scowled. "I can't do this with you talking."

"Right, whatever. You go on and do your little yoga thing," he groused.

"It's not.Oh! Never mind. Just be quiet!" Sometimes, it's like talking to a wall. A really frustrating, rude wall, but still.

Ignoring him as he circled me, I closed my eyes and resumed my deep concentration. It had been days since Professor Walsh had sent for me, and though my strength was returning, I knew it was only a matter of time before the doctor would decide to perform more tests. I could feel my magic building, slowly but steadily, and though I didn't understand why it was happening, I was certainly going to try and take advantage of it.

Reaching out with my mind, I began to feel for my target. Mentally, I called out, "Buffy? Buffy, can you hear me?"

Buffy was sitting in Psych class. You can just taste the irony of that, can't you? She was slumped down in her seat, trying to keep her eyes open as the Professor lectured about something she didn't understand. She was more exhausted than usual, having spent every free moment of the last week searching for yours truly.

"Buffy?" The faint, familiar voice startled the slayer, causing her to jump and sit straight up in her chair. "Can you hear me?" She looked around the auditorium, no one else seeming to hear the voice. "Buffy?"

"You will note that in all of the patients, there were several common characteristics, but not once did any of them exhibit telekinetic abilities," Professor Walsh lectured. "Up until recently, it was not believed that human beings had the mental capacity for."

"Willow?" Buffy spoke aloud, finally recognizing the distant, slightly distorted voice. Professor Walsh flinched at the name as Buffy stood up, looking around the room. "Willow?"

"Is there a problem, Miss Summers?" Walsh questioned.

"I just thought.I thought that I heard my friend," Buffy mumbled, looking around and slowly sitting back down, hearing several students snickering at her.

"Yes, well if you are bored with my lecture, I'm sure that."

"No, I'm sorry," Buffy apologized, grimacing in embarrassment and sinking a little lower in her seat. "No more bored than usual," she muttered to herself.

"Buffy?" This time my voice was a little more clear and frantic. Jumping up, she quickly gathered her things and darted out of the room, no noticing as Professor Walsh watched her suspiciously.

"Well, I suppose that some people simply can not handle discussions of the supernatural," Walsh said with a chuckle, once the exit door slammed shut.

"Will? Where are you?" Buffy yelled as she stumbled down the hall, looking all around.

"Buffy, listen, I don't have much time."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in your head, sort of," I told her. "I'm being held by those commando guys. I don't know where we are. Underground, on campus, I think, but I'm not sure. Listen, Professor Walsh and Riley are behind this. They have me and Spike and they know that."

"Spike?" You're there with Spike?" Buffy shouted, making a face as a couple of students passed her, giving her strange looks.

"Yes, listen. They know that I'm a witch, Buffy. You have to get me out of here."

"You said Professor Walsh and.and Riley?" She sounded unsure as she spoke the last word.

"He's one of the commandos, Buffy. Please, you have to find us."

"Us?"

Before I could say more, I felt the connection fade away, my body pitching forward, slumping down, my breathing heavy and labored.

"What the hell was that?" Spike shouted.

I looked up wearily, trying to catch my breath. "Buffy. I was talking to Buffy."

"You can do that?" he asked.

I nodded and he watched me for a moment, before shrugging and sitting down against a wall. "Dru was able to do that, talk with her mind. Bloody disconcerting, if you ask me, have'n someone else in your head? Takes a bit of power to do that."

"Then I guess I have more control than I thought," I replied with a soft, self-satisfied smile.

~*~

"Giles, what do we do?"

"You're certain that you heard Willow? I have to say, that's terribly advanced, and I wasn't under the impression that Willow had that much control or power." Oh, ye of little faith.

"I heard her, Giles. I know it was her. She said that she was being held by those army guys. She said that Professor Walsh and Riley were behind it."

"Riley? Could she have been mistaken?"

"I don't' know. I just don't know what to think. I've been so busy trying to hide the fact that I'm the slayer from him, I never really bothered to notice if he was hiding anything from me. Giles, what if."

"We'll find her, Buffy. We will. Perhaps our best bet would be if you question Riley directly about it."

"I guess that's a good place to start."

~Part: 7~

"I want Hostile 24 brought in here, immediately," Maggie demanded as she stormed into the lab. "And I want Agent Finn called in as well."

"Professor, are you certain that is a good idea? Last time Finn came in during an exam."

"Do not question me," she responded. "Agent Finn was not at my lecture today and something happened. I want answers. I believe that Hostile 24 was attempting to contact her friends."

"But how could she."

That's what I'd like to find out. Have her brought in, now."

~*~

Seeing a large group of soldiers heading for the cell, we both stood up, trying to ready ourselves for whatever was about to happen.

I glanced at Spike. "What going on?"

"Don't know. Maybe they got wind of your latest little parlor trick," he answered, taking a deep, unnecessary breath.

"But, how could they."

Before I could finish, the code was punched in and the door slid open, nearly a dozen soldiers entering, weapons aimed. Grabbing onto my arm, Spike pushed me behind him, his game face slipping into place. He had no idea why he felt compelled to protect me. That much was clear. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, the confusion in his expression. It might give him one hell of a migraine, but I could see that he was ready to do what he could to keep me safe.

"Step away from the witch," one of the soldiers barked. Spike merely glared at him, not moving or saying a word.

~*~

"Professor Walsh, you wanted to see me?" Riley stated as he entered the lab.

"Agent Finn, you were not at my lecture today," she repeated coolly.

"No, ma'am, I had a few things that needed taking care of. I apologize for my absence. If I could."

"Riley," she interrupted, "I would like to discuss Hostile 24 with you. It seems we've come up against a few complications."

~*~

"Step away from the witch, now!" the soldier shouted again, taking a step closer, his crossbow held high.

"Not gonna happen," Spike replied.

Watching the man with the gun, I started to have second thoughts. "Spike, maybe you should just."

"Not gonna let them take you again," he hissed. Who knew that Spike could be chivalrous?

"I don't recall giving you a choice," one of the soldiers told him with a sneer. "Now, this is your last warning. Step away from the witch."

Again, Spike simply stood, glaring at the soldiers in defiance.

"Remove the vampire," the soldier commanded.

~*~

"It seems that someone brought a doctor down a few nights ago, forcing him to inject Hostile 24 with the antidote to what I had given her," Professor Walsh stated.

"She was dying," Riley told her. "I made a command decision, didn't think you'd want to lose her."

Maggie nodded. "Still, you should have consulted me."

"You weren't immediately available and there wasn't much time," he retorted.

"And I suppose that your decision had nothing to do with your prior friendship with the girl?"

Riley thought for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "She's a human," he said finally, "and she was dying. I did what I had to do."

"She's a witch," she reminded him.

"But still human, and a good person."

~*~

"Miller, he has the chip. He can't hurt you. Remove the vampire," one of the soldier shouted.

The other man looked uncertain for a moment, before raising a large, metal rod and lunging for Spike. He managed to dodge the weapon and pushed me back a little. Stumbling, I looked up as the soldier shouted again.

"Miller, the vampire!"

"On it, Gates," the other shouted back, lunging for Spike again. This time, he was able to side step the soldier, grabbing his arm and wrenching it back and to the side, smiling slightly, despite the pain that was obviously searing through his head, as he heard the sound of the bone cracking, followed by the soldier's scream. The man fell to his knees, two more soldiers stepping up quickly, weapons raised.

"Take him down, now!" the first man yelled as he pulled the fallen soldier back away from the growling vampire. I stared at him for a moment, trying to remember where I had seen him before.

My eyes widened as I saw two more soldiers moving toward us. "Spike!" I yelled out as they both lunged at him at the same time. Grabbing one soldier's arm, he was able to use the stunning rod in his hand on the other soldier, before cracking the arm in his grasp, throwing the man to the floor. Grabbing his head, Spike growled as pain lanced through his skill, threatening to break it open.

"Spike!" I shouted again, just before he was hit again with a stun rod, falling to his knees. "No!" I shoved the soldier aside with strength I didn't know that I possessed and dropped to my knees beside the fallen demon. For a moment, the chaos fell away, and it was just the two of us. I whispered his name and he twitched a little, letting out a slight growl. Looking up, the world snapped back into place as I saw the soldiers surrounding us. I could feel my eyes turn black as energy began to crackle in the air.

~*~

"We have another problem," Maggie told Riley. "What do you know about Hostile 24's blonde friend?"

"Buffy?" he asked in surprise. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"I believe that Hostile 24 was trying to contact her during class today. She left in a hurry in the middle of the lecture. If she were to find out about our operation, it could destroy everything that we've worked for."

"I really don't think that Buffy is an issue, Professor. She's harmless."

"Can you be certain? You thought that Hostile 24 was harmless and it turns out that she's a rather powerful witch. How much do you really know about her friends?"

~*~

The soldiers backed away as I glared at them through dark eyes. Their weapons were raised and now aimed at me. That was fine. I knew, somehow, that they were of little threat to me.

"Back away from the vampire and come with us," the one that seemed to be in charge demanded.  Suddenly, I remembered where I'd seen him before.

"I know you," I stated in a low, dark voice, staring at the soldier. "You're friends with Riley. We go to school together. We've been to the same parties."

"I don't associate with demons," he told me, his tone filled with anger and disgust.

"You should try it," I countered. "I think you'd find it better than the current company you keep."

"Enough! You are coming with us, now." I was a little surprised. Apparently, he thought that he still had the upper hand. I wasn't sure where my new-found power was coming from exactly, but I could feel it, coming off of me in waves, and I was sure that he could feel it too. Apparently he just wasn't smart enough to turn and run when he had the chance.

"Someone should have taught you," I informed him, "to never piss off a witch." Holding out my hands, I let loose a blast of energy, temporary blinding the men. I had no idea where it had come from. I hadn't even muttered an incantation, and boom! There it was. I could feel a protective barrier surrounding me and Spike, and I quickly held my hands over him, hoping that the healing spell that I had learned for Buffy would work on a demon.

The soldiers watched, apparently without a clue as to how to proceed, as I knelt over the vampire, mumbling in a language I knew they wouldn't understand. When was the last time you saw a bunch of jocks sitting in a Latin class? A moment later, we both began to glow as energy crackled around us, just before there was another flash of light, followed by the feeling of electricity flowing through the air, as if an electrical storm was brewing inside the compound. The soldiers jumped as all of the security cameras suddenly burst and alarms began to sound.

Glancing up, I winced. Oops. That was a new little twist.

~*~

"Buffy is just a nice, normal girl. A little peculiar, maybe, but human," Riley explained. In truth, normal was never a word that he would have used for the girl he was dating, but he was certain that she wasn't a demon or a witch.

"Never the less, I believe that your emotions are overriding." Before Professor Walsh could finish, she heard the compound alarms sound and looked up toward the monitors, seeing that they had all gone blank.

"What's going on?" she shouted into an intercom. No response came. When she turned back around, Riley was gone.

~*~

I watched as Spike opened his eyes and sat up, looking as if nothing had ever happened to him.

"What did you do?" he whispered. I simply shrugged, suddenly feeling drained, my eyes still black, my breathing harsh and ragged. I had no idea where the power had come from, but my strength was fading fast.

Standing up, Spike pulled me to my feet and looked at the stunned soldiers who were backing away from us, weapons still raised. He glanced up, seeing that the cameras were all broken and the lights had gone out. Red emergency lights flashed as sirens shrieked around us.

"We have to get out of here," I yelled from behind him.

"I know that. Just haven't figured out exactly how yet," he replied.

Suddenly, I grabbed his arm and rushed forward, holding my hand up and watching as the soldiers were all shoved back by an unseen force, held in place, unable to move. It was a neat trick, something that I had read about before, but I never thought I'd get the chance to try it.

"What did you do?" Spike asked again as I pulled him toward an exit.

"Stop asking that!" I hissed as we ran. Reaching the exit, we were ready to push the door open when another soldier stepped out in front of us. We both stopped. I was now panting heavily, my energy completely drained. Leaning on Spike to keep from collapsing, I looked up wearily, shocked at who I saw.

"Riley?"

"Let us go," Spike demanded, pulling me a little closer to him.

"I can't do that," Riley told him, raising a weapon and aiming at the vampire's chest.

"Riley," I said softly, pain lacing my voice, "we were friends." I closed my eyes, clutching at Spike's arm as the room began to spin.

Riley looked back and forth between us, clearly unsure of what to do. Finally, he stepped aside, lowering his weapon.

"Get her out of here," I vaguely heard him say. "Take her somewhere safe, far away. They'll be looking for you." I was grateful when I felt Spike grab me, lifting me off of my feet, just before making a run for it.

~Part: 8~

Once in the darkened park, Spike set me down on a bench and turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" My voice was hoarse and quiet. Strong magic will do that sometimes. At least I didn't have a nosebleed. That was a plus. Bloodthirsty vampires and random bleeding, not a good combination.

The vampire glanced back and shrugged. "You're.you're leaving? Just like that?" It wasn't like I was attached to him or anything, but I sort of had the feeling like we were in this together, and now.

Spike let out a sigh. "I'd say our time together is over and done with, wouldn't you? Don't really think either of us will be wanting to relive that last few days, and besides, it's better for both of us if we split up. Well, better for me, anyways. Won't get nearly as far with you trailing behind, and I really don't fancy babysitting a damaged witch."

"What about helping each other? A-and.hey! I am NOT damaged!"

Again, he shrugged. "You helped heal me, I helped get you out. I'd say we're even. Don't really need you anymore, so I think our little partnership is over. Go on and find the slayer. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to play the strong protector. Never really been my thing, and I've got better things to do."

I watched as he turned and walked away, glad that he could not see the hurt look that was surely on my face. I knew that he was a vampire, and soulless and cruel, but we had formed a friendship, as extremely bazaar and wrong as it seemed, and I had foolishly thought that it meant something.

Shaking off all thoughts of Spike, I slowly pulled myself up and headed toward Buffy's, deciding that he was, at the very least, right about that. The slayer would be my best form of protection at the moment, and the fact was that I had no idea where else I could go.

~*~

Spike stalked through the park, searching for someone to eat. He was starved and every inch of him was screaming for a good kill. Seeing a couple walking up ahead, he sped up his pace a bit, his game face slipping into place as his mouth began to water. Suddenly, he stepped out in front of the young couple, startling them both and smiling as the woman screamed. The man pushed the woman behind him and faced the vampire, fear pouring from him.

"Isn't that nice and heroic," Spike sneered. "So chivalric of you to allow the lady to watch your death before her own."

"I won't let you hurt her," the young man stated with a shaking voice.

"No worries," Spike replied. "You'll already be long dead once I start to really make her scream."

"Please, please just let us go," the woman whispered.

"Oh, begging. Now, I like that," Spike said with a chuckle, just before lunging for the man. The terrified couple watched helplessly as the demon came at them, snarling and growling. He grabbed the man's arms and was about to sink his teeth into his neck, but suddenly jumped back, grabbing his head and yelling in pain. Seeing their moment, the couple ran as Spike fell to his knees, cursing and clutching his forehead.

"Bloody bastards!" he shouted, feeling his stomach clench in hunger as the pain began to subside in his skull. The bloodlust had caused the vampire to temporarily forget about his new conditions, but it quickly came rocketing back to him. Those soldiers and doctors, they had done something to him, fixed it so that he couldn't feed. Staggering to his feet, the blond looked around, seething with anger. He needed to get the problem taken care of, and fast. After thinking for a long moment, he finally realized that perhaps he wasn't quite as finished with Willow as he had thought. Her magic seemed to be a lot more powerful than she had initially led him to believe, and he supposed that if anyone would be able to resolve the problem, it would be her.

~*~

I was just creeping up to Buffy's house when Spike caught up to me. There were two soldiers standing out near the front of the house, and I quietly slipped around to the back, moving up to the open kitchen window and peering inside, seeing Buffy and Riley sitting at the table. Unaware of the vampire's presence, I focused on what was happening inside the house, my eyes widening as I saw that Riley was dressed in full Initiative gear, discussing something with Buffy.

"Well, you were under orders and you did what you had to do," Buffy stated in a low voice. "I'm the slayer and I'll do what I have to do. She's a threat and she has to be stopped. They have to be stopped. We have to take them down, stop them before someone else gets hurt. I just.I can't believe.all this time and I never realized what a threat she was, how dangerous she could be."

"I know, Buffy," Riley replied. "I'm sorry. I just thought that you should know what she really is."

Buffy nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "I guess there's only one thing left for me to do. I have to find her and stop her."

Staggering a few steps back, I stared at the window, unable to believe what I had just heard. Biting my lower lip and desperately holding back the tears that threatened to fall, I took a few more steps back and sank down onto a small bench. A moment later I heard the wood creak and looked up to see Spike sitting down beside me.

"The slayer is not going to help us," he whispered. I know me and I know what I am and am not capable of. I have never been able to hide how I'm feeling. Pain and betrayal were surely etched on my face, and I didn't have the will to try and hide it. "We're on our own, just the two of us."

"We? I thought that you said that."

The blond shook his head. "Forget what I said. We both still need each other. Stuck with each other for a bit longer, it seems." He hoped he sounded convincing. I know he did. I could have turned him down flat, and I probably should have. There wasn't much he could do by way of force to get me to come with him. I had to be willing, and that meant that I had to believe that he was on my side, which, I supposed, he more or less was. He needed my help, and apparently he was learning that the best way to catch this fly was with a bit of honey. "We're in this together, right?"

I nodded, biting my lip harder and cursing the tears that I felt slip free. Spike grabbed one of my hands and pulled me up, carefully steering me away from the house. "Come on, pet. We need to get out of here."

Pausing in the shadows, I looked back, watching as Buffy stood up and started to pace, glancing out the window, but not seeing anything. Finally she turned back to Riley again. I couldn't hear what she was saying at the time, of course, but I was imagining the worst.

"This is all just so much to process. You, Professor Walsh, the Initiative. I mean, I can't believe you knew they had Willow and you didn't say a thing!"

"I told you, Buffy, I couldn't. I was."

"Under orders. Yeah, we've been over that, and I get it, I do, but I thought that friendship came before that. I thought that I came before that, but now."

"You can't just take them all on by yourself."

"Watch me. They hurt my friend, and now she's out there, with a vampire, and god knows what she's thinking or feeling. She's probably hurt and exhausted and lonely and.I need to find her, to help her, and I WILL bring the initiative down, even if I have to do it one brick at a time."

"Buffy, I think that."

"I think that you've told me all that you can. Leave, now."

With a final, resigned nod, Riley walked out. "If there's anything I can do to help."

Buffy simply slammed the door in his face, not allowing him to finish.

~Part: 9~

Looking around the dim, dingy motel room, I frowned. "What are we doing here?"

"Sun'll be up soon," Spike told me as he took off his coat and tossed it onto a chair. Duh. Didn't have to be a vampire to know that. There was a clock in the room; I could see the time, not to mention the fact that the sky was beginning to brighten and birds were chirping outside.

Pulling out a pack of cigarettes that he had stolen, the vampire pulled one out and lit it before sitting in another chair. "Figured we'd stop here for the day; leave town when night falls."

Holding the pack out, he silently offered one to me. I simply shook my head, grimacing. I hadn't lived through the last few days of hell just so that I could die from lung cancer. Sitting down on the small double bed, I pulled out a few things that I had gotten from a vending machine and opened a candy bar, biting into it. Xander would have been in his glory.An entire meal of junk food. Xander.

Pushing the negative thoughts away before they could form, I focused on the task at hand. "Where are we going to go?"

Spike shrugged, blowing a smoke ring into the air. "Was thinking maybe L.A. Should be easy enough to get lost in a city that big."

"Isn't.um.Isn't Angel in L.A?" I asked. I said the words carefully, not sure how Spike would react to them.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, he is. Last time I was there, spent some great quality time together; really bonded over hot pokers and holy water." I arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Well, alright, I spent hours torturing him, trying to get my ring back."

"And you think that going to Los Angeles is a good idea why?" I mean, it sounded like a good idea to ME, but I didn't think that Angel would be very receptive to Spike tagging along, not to mention that if Buffy was in with The Initiative, it was a fairly safe bet to say that Angel was too, and if he wasn't, well.Buffy was the love of his life. He'd die for her, if he wasn't already dead. I was just the slayer's little friend. When it came to choosing sides, it seemed pretty easy to guess which team he'd bat for.

"You got a better suggestion?"

I thought for a moment before shaking my head. "Nope, not a one. Why.why did you come back for me, after you were all `uh, I'm better off without you,' and `you'll just hold me back?'"

Spike shrugged again, trying to come up with a good answer. "Thought about what you said, about us being a team." He wasn't fooling anyone. "Alright, fine, I don't have anyone else to turn to, and neither do you. I don't like it any more than you do, but we're stuck with each other for the moment, so let's just make the best of it." Wow. Way to sugar coat it.

I frowned and nodded. Stifling a yawn, I pulled my legs up and leaned back against the small pillows, suddenly realizing just how exhausted I was. I don't know where all the magic came from, but it definitely did a number on me. I was sure I could sleep for a week. Spike watched as I closed my eyes. After finishing another smoke, the blond moved to the bed, nudging me over so that he could pull the comforter back before removing his shirt and joining me beneath the blankets. A part of me want to protest, but the other part of me, the more exhausted, less modest part of me inched closer to him, letting sleep quickly take me. Stilling all movement for a moment, he waited to see if I would move away. When it became apparent that I would not, he finally relaxed, draping an arm casually around me before drifting off to sleep.

~*~

"Got a call from one of the team leaders. They've tracked the vampire and witch to the edge of town and believe that they are in a motel room."

"It's been nearly a day. What has taken so long? Have they done a thorough search?"

"Positive, and the thermal output is reading one of two occupants at room temp."

"Is the team in position?"

"Ready and awaiting back up."

"Good, send them in. I want this taken care of. Both hostiles are to be brought in, alive. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. The sun is about to set, and we suspect that they are waiting until nightfall to make their move. We'll be sure to make ours before they make theirs."

"Very good."

~*~

Spike woke the next day to the sound of water running and banging pipes. Grumbling and flipping over, he buried his head under a pillow, lifting it up only a moment later as he noticed that I was no longer in the bed. Several minutes went by before I walked out of the steamy room, running me hands through my damp hair. I stopped as I saw Spike watching me and smiled brightly. I wasn't about to let him know how intimidating he could be, especially when he was naked from the waist up and I was standing before him in only a towel.

"THAT was a long over due luxury," I told him, glancing down at my clothes, piled in a heap on the floor. "Could do with some new, cleaner clothes, but I guess that'll come later."

"You're worried about cleanliness right now?" Spike asked.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the clothes and stepping back around the corner, into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door "Well, I suppose I could sit here and fret about how long it will take The Initiative to catch up with us," I called out, "and what they'll do once they find us, but honestly? My brain's a little fried still, so.cleanliness. That's about as worried-ish as I can get right now. And you know, it wouldn't hurt for you to jump into the shower either," I added, walking back out into the main room. "I mean, just because you're dead.doesn't mean you have to smell that way."

Glancing down at his chest, Spike frowned. We had maybe another forty-five minutes before the sun would be down. I could tell that the idea of a shower appealed to him, but heaven forbid I think that he was doing it because I had told him to.

~*~

"The perimeter is surrounded. Still awaiting backup."

"What happened to the team we sent out?"

"No response from the team leader, Ma'am. They should have been there or made contact by now."

"How many men are on the scene?"

"Four."

"You will have to make due with that. You have all been trained. Hostile 17 has the chip and Hostile 24 should be weak and low on energy. I expect this to go smoothly, and remember, this is a capture, not a kill."

"Yes, ma'am."

~*~

"Spike, are you ready yet?" I called, as I pulled the drapes back a bit, peering out the window. I was feeling increasingly nervous. The sun was down and we should have already left.

"Just give me another second," he yelled back. "You try and get ready with no reflection," he added, before finally walking out.

"Let's go," I hissed, throwing his coat at him and unlocking the door. Just as I turned and knob and pulled, the lights suddenly went out. "Shit!" Slamming the door shut again, I quickly locked it once more. It was The Initiative, I knew. They had found us. How had they already found us?

"What did you do?" Spike shouted. Stupid vampire. Yeah, like I waited until he was into his twenty-five minutes shower, and then called The Initiative and said "hi, this is Willow, the fugitive you're searching for. I just thought I'd give you my exact location, help you out a bit." I mean, how stupid did he think I was?

"Me?" I yelled back, turning and leaning against the door. "You were the one that took too long in the shower, you big.girl!"

"Watch it, Red," he growled.

"Yeah, great. Spend some more time threatening me. I'm sure the angry soldiers will wait," I mumbled.

"I heard that!" he yelled.

"Good!"

Before we could say more, the sound of smashing glass filled the room, and I looked over in horror as two soldiers came through the large, front window.

"Any ideas?" I shouted.

"Yeah, run," he replied, shoving me forward and fumbling with the lock on the door.

I ran out, colliding with two more soldiers, startling them and knocking them both to the ground. Seeing their jeep parked near by, I ran to it. "Spike! Hurry!" I yelled, glancing back and slowing down as I noticed that Spike was not behind me. Shit. Hearing him yelp in pain, I closed me eyes for a moment, making a command decision, before running back toward the hotel room. If I got killed trying to save him, I was going to be really pissed.

"Not so tough now, are you?" One of the soldiers stated as he knelt over the fallen vampire, gun held to his chest.

Drawing on the little bit of strength that I had, I held up me hand, sending the two soldiers near the door flying backwards, watching them both crash to the ground, and then ran into the room in full suicide-mission mode.

"Stop!" I yelled, as I re-entered the room.

"The witch," the soldier greeted, moving away from Spike. Ding! Ding! Give the man a prize.

"You know, bullets aren't exactly the way to go if you want to kill a vampire," I told him with a smug expression.

"No, but I'm pretty sure they'll work on you," a voice said from behind me. Turning my head slightly, I felt a gun being pressed into my neck. Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have been quiet so smug.

"Smith! Roberts!" The soldier kneeling over Spike yelled to the two men outside. "A little help!"

"They're a tad busy right now," a voice stated from the doorway.

A moment later, we were all startled as the two soldiers were both thrown through the broken window, landing in an unconscious heap.

"What the."

"Angel!" I yelled, recognizing the voice without turning around. I know, I know, I said I didn't trust him, but I figured I'd take my chances, since he seemed to be on our side, at least for the moment.

"Willow?" The vampire replied, a questioning tone to his voice. Apparently he was surprised to find me there. That was interesting. Wasn't he there to save me?

"Just bloody perfect," Spike mumbled into the old carpet below him.

"Spike?" Angel asked, again surprised.

"Who the hell are you?" the soldier behind me questioned, pulling out a small hand gun and point it at him, still keeping his other weapon trained at the back of my head. The appearance of Angel was making him more twitchy, which was good, because we wanted him scared, but bad, because I wasn't really in the mood to have a bullet driven through the back of my skull.

"You've just got some new orders, guys," Angel told them, moving faster than they could see, yanking the soldier behind me away, and pulling his arms back, hearing the man scream and seeing him drop both weapons to the floor.

The other soldier jumped up in surprise, turning his weapon toward the vampire.

"I'd suggest dropping that and stepping away," Angel told him, gripping the neck of the man in his grasp.

"Don't do it, man. If you do, we're both dead," the soldier yelled.

"Ahh, looks like we have a hero here," Angel growled into the soldier's ear. "You wanna be a hero, son? You ready to die for your country? Huh? Are you ready to die at the hand of a demon?" Wow. I had forgotten how evil-ish Angel could be when he was mad. Note to self: do not piss Angel off.

Finally, the other soldier dropped his weapon and backed away. "Good choice," Angel commended, before throwing the man into the wall, hard enough to knock him out. He moved quickly to the other soldier, landing one solid punch and rendering him unconscious.

"Angel, what are you doing here?" I asked as I ran up and gave him a hug. I mean, I really threw myself at him, without even thinking. Seeing your life flash before your eyes like that, it can make a girl a little emotional.

"Friend of mine had a vision," he told me. "Said someone was in trouble, gave me this address."

"Wow. Well that's.fortunate," I commented. And interesting. Who knew that Angel had friends with visions? Who knew that Angel had friends?

"Yeah, great," Spike added, standing up and brushing himself off. "Thanks for the help, mate. Couldn't have done it without you. Now, if you'll excuse us, Red and I will just."

"Hang on," Angel interrupted as Spike grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away. He turned and looked at me, and I thought, for a moment, that they were going to play a very painful game of tug-a-war, using me as the rope. "What are you doing with Spike, Willow? He's evil."

"I know, but he.he sorta helped me. He's my friend." Man, this was going to be hard to explain. It didn't even seem right in my own head. How was I going to make Angel understand, or at least not stake Spike on the spot?

"He's evil!" he reminded me again, as if I didn't already know that. "Just last year he kidnapped you, remember?"

"Yeah, and two years ago, you tried to kill me," I told him, crossing my arms and raising my chin up a bit. Low blow, I know, but it was the only card I had to play at the moment. "People change."

"He's not a person. He doesn't have a soul!" Angel stated, glaring at Spike.

"Aren't I the lucky one," Spike mumbled, earning a warning growl from the other vampire.

"He helped me, so.we're sorta.partners now," I explained. I still wasn't sure how true that actually was. A part of me insisted that Spike would turn on me the first chance he had, but mostly that was stomped down by the desperate part of me that was clinging to any form of companionship that I could find.

"Spike never does anything to help anyone but himself. If he lent you a hand, you can be sure it helped him more than you."

"Hey!" Spike yelled. "I'd be insulted if it weren't so true." The conversation was getting old, fast, and I was willing to bet that more soldiers were on their way.

"Look, Angel, I know that he's not helping me out of the goodness of his evil, black heart," I told him, not bothering to look toward the blond vampire.  "But he helped me, none the less, and right now there's no where else for me to turn."

"What about Buffy, or Giles or.or Xander even?" Angel asked, seeing me visibly flinch at the mention of the slayer.

"Buffy.she's a little preoccupied right now," I told him, not bothering to say more.

"What do you mean?" the older vampire questioned.

"Means that the slayer is in cahoots with the army boys," Spike explained, unable to help the smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips.

"No, she wouldn't.Willow, Buffy wouldn't."

I looked up warily. This was where things were going to get ugly, I could feel it; not that they weren't already bad enough. "She is, Angel," I whispered sadly before looking back down. "She's one of them."

~Part: 10~

"Rupert, this is Angel. Call me back as soon as you get this message. It's important." Hanging up the phone, Angel looked back at his two new guests. I was sitting quietly on the couch while Spike was wandering around the small apartment. Swiping his hand across a shelf, the blond glanced at the dust that came away on his fingers.

"This place is a bit below your normal standards, Angel. Might want to think about hiring a maid," he commented casually.

Ignoring the younger vampire, Angel turned toward me. "We'll get this straightened out," he assured me. "As soon as I talk to Giles..."

"...he'll confirm that the slayer is working for Uncle Sam," Spike interrupted.

Turning and glaring at the vampire for a moment, Angel let out a low growl. "I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding. You're her best friend, Willow, I'm sure that..."

"I was there for over a week, Angel," I told him in a small, desperate voice. "I was right there, locked in a cell, with Spike. They...they did experiments on me. They tied me down and cut me open and..."

"Don't forget about me," Spike added. "Can't even bite anymore."

"Spike!" Angel growled through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Willow, but..."

"I tried to contact her. Did I tell you that? I talked to her, telepathically. I told her where I was, and even then, no one came."

The brunette let out a sigh. He had no idea what had been happening in Sunnydale, but he still thought that one way or the other he would get to the bottom of it. That's what Angel did; he rode in at the last minute and saved the day. Only, this time, I didn't think it would be that easy.

"You know, we do have places to go, people to see," Spike told him, walking up to the older demon and pulling out a cigarette, lighting it. Before he had finished taking his first drag, Angel plucked the offending object from his fingers, tossing it onto the floor and stepping on it. I silently cheered, forcing back the urge to lecture Spike on the effects of second-hand smoke on humans. I had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"Hey! That was my last one!" the blond argued.

"You two are not going anywhere until I find out what's going on," Angel told him.

"Oh, right, here you are, Angel to the rescue. Well, mate, I don't need you're help."

"Good, because I'm not offering my help to you. You want to leave? Be my guest, but you're not taking Willow with you."

"Hey, human here, with free-will," I reminded him.

"He's dangerous!" Angel told me. Again, it wasn't something that I needed to be reminded of. "Give him time and he'll drain you dry, Willow."

"Actually, he can't. Don't know why, but he doesn't seem to be able to hurt anyone," I explained, avoiding Spike's gaze.

Angel turned and gave Spike a questioning look. The blond rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, just a temporary problem. I'll get it taken care of."

"Right, well until I talk to Giles, Willow stays here. If you need a place to..."

"Don't do me any favors," Spike growled, clenching his fists at his side.

Standing up slowly, I made my way to the blond, lightly touching his arm. "He might be able to help us," I whispered. "At least we can rest here for a while, regroup."

"It'll only be a matter of time before they track us down," he told me with a sigh, but my resolve face was firmly in place, despite my tired eyes and drawn features. "Well, I suppose if those soldiers are going to crash another place, might as well be the poof's," Spike conceded, drawing from me a small, tired smile that I hoped the other vampire didn't notice. Turning to Angel, he grinned. "Where can a guy get a little shut-eye around here?"

~*~

"What do you mean, you've lost track of them? How is that possible?" Professor Walsh was beyond angry. They had lost two hostiles, having absolutely no idea where they had gone. Their entire operation was in jeopardy and several of their best soldiers were wounded.

"Ma'am, they had help. Another vampire," the soldier reported.

"You're telling me that one demon was able to take out an entire squad?" she questioned. "Hostile 17 is harmless, but never the less important to our research. Hostile 24 is more of a liability at this point. I want them both brought back here. Track them down. Use whatever force is necessary, so long as they are brought back alive."

~*~

Waking up, I glanced toward the small window, seeing that the sun was just setting, and I slowly sat up. I had been asleep for the better part of the day, and though I still felt run down and groggy, I was much better off for having the long rest. I was extremely grateful to Angel for his help, even if he and Spike were less than thrilled about spending time together. A part of me was still waiting for Angel to turn and run to Buffy, but I still hoped... I was smart enough to know that we wouldn't be able to fight the initiative alone, and without my friends...

Shaking away the negative thoughts, I got up and quickly showered before heading toward the kitchen. Running my hands through my hair, I was startled when Angel greeted me in the doorway. Feeling my cheeks redden, I pulled the borrowed robe tighter around myself.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Starved," I admitted, trying to remember when the last time was that I had eaten real food. I smiled as I saw him hold up a doughnut box.

"Thought you might be. Wasn't sure what to get, but I remembered that the gang usually ate these," he told me, looking away sheepishly as he handed me the box.

"This is perfect," I told him with a smile. "Thank you."

Pulling out a chocolate doughnut, I bit into it as Angel poured a large glass of juice and slipped into the chair across from me.

"Wanna fill me in on what's been going on?" I could tell that he was afraid that I might shy away from him, and it just reminded me of how much had changed in the last year...How much I had changed.

I grimaced a little at the proposed topic, but figured that he had a right to know what was happening.

"There's a military group, operating in Sunnydale," I told him. "They're capturing demons and doing experiments on them. That's how Spike ended up not being able to bite."

"How did you end up there?"

I rolled my eyes. He wasn't going to like this part. "Spike showed up at my dorm room, looking for Buffy. That was when he found out that he couldn't bite. The soldiers came, they caught us both and took us back to the compound, which, it turns out, was located under the school. What is it with evil things being found under the school? I mean, the hell mouth was under the high school, and now The Initiative under the college? It's like that town is against you if you want a good education. I mean, forget hiked up tuition. Now you have..." My voice trailed off and I smiled, a little embarrassed as I realized that I had been babbling. "Sorry. Anyways, they figured out that I was a witch and decided that it would be fun to learn more about the occult. It wasn't fun for me."

Angel watched as I frowned, reliving the memories, in their unpleasant glory. Reaching out, he gently laid his hand over my slightly trembling one, feeling me tense for a moment, before I relaxed and looked up at him with a grateful smile. I wasn't exactly comfortable taking strength from someone else, but mine seemed to be all used up at the moment, and I was never one to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

"I almost died," I whispered. I didn't want to go there. I didn't want to talk about it, but I suddenly felt like if I didn't get it out, I would burst. "If it hadn't been for Spike, I think...I think I would have, right there, in that horrible, cold cell, and no one would ever have known."

"You're okay now," he reassured me, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

I nodded. "I am, thanks to Spike, and to you." Glancing up, I gave him a meaningful look.

"Yeah, I guess I'm still not understanding how you and Spike became allies. He's..."

"Evil," I interrupted with a sigh. "I know, he is, believe me, I know, but...We were forced together and we needed each other."

Angel shook his head. "You can't trust him, Willow. He'll throw you to the lions to save his own skin."

"Angel, I understand your concerns, but you're wrong," I told him. "He put himself on the line to save me." He did not look convinced and I was itching to change the subject. "Have you heard from Giles?"

"Not yet, but I'll keep trying. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for all of this." This time, it was my turn to look doubtful, but I nodded and forced a small smile to my lips, just the same, before shoving another doughnut into my mouth.

~*~

"I don't understand! You knew? You knew that they had her and you didn't do anything?"

"Xander, please calm down. We did everything that we could at the time."

"Riley said that they made their escape only a few hours after she contacted me," Buffy told her friend, desperate to make him understand.

"And where is she now?"

"We don't know," Giles told him. "I have every contact out searching, but nothing has turned up yet."

"She could be anywhere!" Xander shouted. "She could be dead! She could be..." He couldn't even bare the thought that his best friend could be a demon; it was too horrible a thought to even utter.

"We'll find her, Xander," Buffy assured him. "And everyone who hurt her will pay, dearly."

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