Giles sighed from his vantage point in the kitchen at
the blonde and the redhead who were hunched together
on the sofa in hushed conversation.

"Buffy," he spoke. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," she answered a little too quickly and drew
away from Willow.

"Nothing," he repeated as he came into the living
room. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," she nodded.

"So you wouldn't be doing something like--oh--say,
digging around in Preston Martin's business?" he asked
pointedly.

"Preston Martin?" Xander said around a mouthful of
cookie.

"University professor. The one who helped out after
Willow was taken," Giles nodded and looked back at the
slayer. "I received a phone call from him this
afternoon. Seems someone's been asking questions about
him. Checking his profile in the university records. I
wonder who that could be."

"Oh, all right," Buffy conceded. "I admit it. It just
bugged me that he seemed to know so much about Jordan
and his gang and the main group he told you about. You
can't tell me you aren't dying to know, too."

"Granted, but I hardly think going behind his back
is--"

"Well, you asked him straight out, and he wouldn't
give you any answers," she argued. "So there's no
chance he'd tell me anything. Giles, there's a group
of--somebodies--conducting experiments on vampires. We
don't know who they are or what their motives are. You
agreed that we needed to find some answers after
Willow had a chance to recover from what they put her
through. It's been three weeks. It's time."

"All right," he nodded and took a chair across from
her. "Have you learned anything?"

"Not much," Willow answered. "He spends a lot of his
posted office hours away from his office, and no one
seems to be able to tell us where he goes."

"You're implying he has direct information about this
group. That he's involved in it," the watcher
concluded.

"It looks that way," she said. "And I also got hold of
a list of the students who have enrolled in his
classes for the past three semesters."

Buffy looked away from the redhead, and Willow
hesitated for a moment.

"Go on," Giles prodded gently.

"Well, five names appear on all three rosters. Three
men and two women," Willow told him.

"So they like him," Xander shrugged, scooping up the
last two cookies and looking forlornly at the empty
plate.

"The guy teaches molecular biotechnology," the redhead
responded. "That's a far cry from Basket-weaving 101.
No one would take courses like that just for the hell
of it. Two of these students haven't even had the
prerequisite courses. Martin waved them."

"There's something else, isn't there?" Giles guessed
as Buffy stared down at her hands.

She nodded her head slowly, "Riley's in on this. He's
one of the five on that list."

"Oh, lord," the watcher sighed and sat back in his
chair. "You don't think he's a part of the group who
took Willow."

"I can't believe he was," she answered softly. "I know
he thinks of Will as a friend. We haven't been seeing
each other very long, but I can't believe he would
ever do anything to hurt her."

"I agree," Willow nodded. "He's always nice to me. He
couldn't be that deceitful."

"Why not?" Xander asked. "If he's part of this super
secret underground society of mad scientists against
vampires, why couldn't he poke a few needles into
deadboy and dangle Will in front of him like a human
worm?"

"That's lovely, Xander. Thank you," Willow scowled.
"Buffy, I really don't think he was part of Jordan's
group. The main group, maybe, but not Jordan's."

"Either way, he's still lying to me," the slayer
replied.

"Not really. He's just--not telling you everything,"
she reasoned. "I mean, you haven't exactly told him
about your extra-curricular activities."

"True," she nodded. "But that doesn't make me feel any
better."

"At any rate," Giles spoke. "You have a good start.
What are you going to do with it?"

"It's your call," Willow told Buffy. "We can drop the
whole thing--"

"No, we can't," she refused. "We have to find out what
they're up to. Who they are."

"How do you intend to do that?" Giles asked.

"Simple. I'm going to ask Riley," she answered and
stood up. "I'll make him tell me."

"Buffy, that may not be the wisest--"

"Giles, you said this Martin guy told you the main
group's intentions were basically humane, that they
completely opposed what Jordan did to Will. We need
answers, and I'm not going to sneak around and spy on
Riley. I care about him too much."

"All right," the watcher smiled gently. "I'm here if
you need to talk."

"Thanks," she nodded, and turned as Willow followed
her to the door. "Will, I need to do this alone."

"I know," she replied. "I'm going home. Spike will be
up soon, and I need to--you know."

"Yeah, I know," the slayer smiled sadly, her gaze
lowering to the ever-present marks on her friend's
throat.
***
"You're late," Spike said from the end of the hallway
as Willow closed the front door. "Your last class was
finished an hour ago."

"I know. I'm sorry," she smiled over at him. "Buffy
and I were trying to find some answers about the group
Jordan broke away from. Do you want to hear?"

"Later," he answered as she walked into his arms.

"I missed you," she purred, holding him close.

He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

"Have you been awake long?" she asked as he lowered
her back to her feet.

"Half an hour," he replied, watching as she tugged off
her clothes.

He pulled off his jeans, the only clothes he was
wearing, and moved over her as she lay back on the
bed.

"Too long," she murmured as his cold tongue slid over
the wounds on her neck.

He growled softly and wrapped both of his arms around
her waist and pierced her flesh to drink her blood.
She felt him hardening against her, and she buried her
fingers in his hair as she spread her legs in silent
invitation. Spike cleaned the blood from her throat
before moving to her lips. Their tongues met, and she
moaned as his hard shaft slid into her wet warmth.

With a fingernail, Spike opened a gash on his neck,
and Willow's lips instinctively sought to capture his
blood. He began to thrust into her slowly as she
suckled hungrily from him. She licked his blood from
her lips and drew his head down to kiss him deeply.

He gripped her hips, drawing her up into him as he
pushed deeper into her. One hand moved to her sex, and
Willow mewled as his fingers teased her clit. She
thrust up into him as her walls began to tighten
around his shaft. Her hands cupped his ass, driving
him hard inside her, seeking release from the heat
that was seeping from her core to her senses. Spike
snarled, his cold seed flooding her womb. He slammed
into her once more and pinched her swollen nub, and
Willow cried out as she came.

Spike lowered himself over her and rested his cheek
against hers as she breathed heavily under him. She
turned her head, capturing his mouth with her own, and
kissed him softly. He rolled her over onto him and
held her close as the hypnotic affect of their bond
began to shake itself from their brains.

"You in there?" he heard her quiet voice ask.

He took the small hand that was caressing his chest
and drew it to his lips, "In you. Always."

She smiled and placed a kiss just below the hollow of
his throat and returned the promise, "Always."
 
 
 

Buffy was staring down into the untouched glass of
soda, twirling the straw in her fingers. Willow slid
into the seat across from her and looked from the
slayer to Spike, who remained standing beside her.

"Did you talk to Riley?" the redhead asked.

Buffy nodded and looked up at her.

"And?"

"He knew," she said softly.

"Knew," Spike repeated coldly. "About what?"

"Everything, basically," the slayer answered. "He said
the main group called everyone together two weeks ago
to talk about the safety of mortals after they found
out what had happened to you, Will."

"Then he admitted he's involved?" Willow asked.

"Not at first. Not until I threatened to go to the
campus newspaper and tell them that certain members of
the faculty and student body were involved in
kidnapping a female coed," Buffy said. "He didn't know
the woman was you until I told him. Well, that's what
he said, anyway."

"Do you believe him?" Spike asked.

"I suppose so," she sighed. "He's working with the
main group, who weren't involved in what happened to
either of you. He was pretty upset when he found out
Willow was the victim in all of this. He was even more
upset when he found out she's bonded to a vampire."

"You told him?" Willow squeaked.

"I had to, Will. He already knew you'd been rescued by
a vampire. Ripping out throats and sucking people dry
is a pretty effective calling card," she glared over
at Spike.

"Think so?" the blonde vampire stared back at her.
"They took what was mine. I hope you warned the sod
that if he bothers Willow, he'll be the next bloodless
corpse on my list."

"Did he tell you what this group is up to?" Willow
asked. "Have they taken other vampires or other
humans?"

"No humans, he promised me that," Buffy answered. "He
wouldn't tell me much else, though. He wanted to talk
to the group leader, first. I'm taking him over to
Giles' tonight."

Willow shot her a concerned look, "He knows about
Giles, too?"

The slayer nodded, "He knows everything, Will,
including what I am. I can't expect to get the truth
out of him if I'm telling lies and keeping secrets
from him."

"I hope you know what you're doing," the redhead spoke
softly.

"So do I," Buffy agreed. "My gut tells me I can trust
him. Either my instincts are right, or--"

"You've just been played for one of the biggest fools
in the history of humanity," Spike said. "Which, from
where I'm standing, wouldn't be all that hard to
believe."
***
Riley sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa and looked
uncomfortably around at the others in the room. His
eyes came to rest on Willow as the blonde vampire
beside her put his arm around her waist and pulled her
close to his side.

Buffy cleared her throat nervously, gaining the young
man's attention, and asked softly, "Have you had
anything to eat? I can get you--"

She stopped as he shook his head and gave her a weak
smile.

"Something to drink?" Giles offered.

"Bloody hell, this isn't high tea," Spike scowled.
"Just get on with it."

The slayer glared coldly at him for a moment before
turning back to Riley, "I can't believe you're okay
with what happened to Will."

"Of course I'm not. And neither is the rest of the
group. There were three members of Jordan's group who
weren't involved in the--rescue," he ventured a quick
glance at Spike. "They've all been dismissed."

"Is that safe?" Giles questioned.

Riley shrugged, "They won't talk. No one would believe
them, anyway. Besides, our group includes some fairly
influential people. They could make the futures of
Jordan's partners very difficult if they step out of
line. They'll keep their mouths shut."

"Did you talk to the leader? Is he willing to
cooperate?" the former watcher asked.

"The leader is a woman," Riley informed him. "But she
doesn't control the group. She works with a panel of
administrators. I tried to get her to answer my
questions without bringing Buffy or Willow into it.
She flat-out refused."

"Do you think you can persuade her to change her
mind?" Willow asked.

"I doubt it," he answered. "She's pretty hard-headed
and very protective of the organization. She won't
help."

"Then we've hit a dead-end," Buffy stated.

Riley looked at her for a moment and reached for her
hand, "No, you haven't. She won't help, but I will."

"Are you sure? Won't that put you in danger?" the
slayer asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I hate what happened to
Willow. I understand the need for secrecy, but if they
refuse help from potential allies, they're leaving
themselves wide-open for something like this to happen
again. I'll help you as much as I can, but there are a
lot of things even I don't know about."

"Perhaps it would be best if you tell us what you do
know," Giles suggested, taking a seat across from him.

He nodded and licked his lips, considering how to
begin, "We've managed to capture a number of vampires
and several other demons. We have around two dozen,
right now. Our research revolves around studying their
strengths and the most effective ways of destroying
their powers, or if that isn't possible, of destroying
their kind."

"Studying their strengths," Giles repeated. "How? For
what purpose?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "There are several squads
of--soldiers--I guess you'd call them, who are
assigned specific duties. The squads only work
together when it's a matter of safety--either the
group's or the student body's--and they never cross
over into the other functions of the organization.
Only administrators, scientists, and guards have
access to the captives once they're brought in. My
duties are concentrated on the capture of vampires."

"You're working blind?" Giles was clearly disconcerted
at the thought. "For an organization whose main
directive is kept secret from you?"

"The main directive is the public's safety," Riley
insisted defensively.

"At least, that's what they tell you," Buffy inserted.

He looked away from her, "And it's what I've always
believed, without question. Until now."

"And now, your questions aren't being answered," the
slayer added.

"No," he agreed softly. "And I want to know, as much
as you do."

"Is Spike still in danger?" Willow asked.

"Yes," Riley nodded. "Especially after what happened
to Jordan and his men. Right now, they're working on
the assumption that you were an innocent victim, and
the assault at Jordan's lab was an attack from a
bloodthirsty vampire."

He stopped himself and looked hesitantly over at
Spike, who merely nodded for him to continue.

"They have no idea how you really got out of there,
Willow. They have a good description of both you and
Spike from the surviving members of Jordan's gang.
They haven't figured out why he was with you outside
Jordan's apartment or why he tore them apart to get
you away from them. They know nothing about--"

"The bond," the redhead said and felt the vampire's
arm tighten around her. "Riley, Spike has to be safe.
I need him."

"I know," he nodded. "Buffy explained it to me. I'll
help as much as I can. But I've already asked too many
questions, and someone's bound to realize I have a red
haired friend. If they put two and two together--"

"Then we'll have to work fast," Buffy spoke. "Can you
get me inside so I can have a look around?"

"Security is too heavy," he answered. "But all of the
administrators have computers at home that are
networked to the organization. The leader will be on
duty in an hour. She won't be home until early
morning."

"It's a start," she agreed. "Will, you'd better come
with us. Spike, maybe you should keep out of sight--"

"Not a chance," the vampire refused.

"Don't be an ass! If you--"

"Buffy," Willow interrupted. "I can't do it without
him. If it takes too long, or if something happens and
I can't get to him--"

"All right!" she conceded angrily. "I get it."

"I'm sorry," the redhead offered.

"Like hell you are," Spike grinned and removed his arm
from her waist to take her hand.

She looked up at her mate, her eyes locking on his as
he stared down at her.

"Gods, you two are unbelievable. Get a room," the
slayer grumbled.

"Right you are," the blonde vampire smirked over at
her and dragged Willow toward the front door. "Meet
you in an hour."
 
 
 

"Locked," Buffy announced as she rattled the latch on
the back door of the large brick house.

Riley nudged her aside and picked up a small potted
plant from one side of the steps, using it to smash
one of the narrow panes of glass just to the right of
the door. He reached through and released the catch on
the deadbolt.

"Unlocked," he said, drawing his hand out and opening
the door.

Willow followed them inside and turned, reaching her
hand out to Spike, "Come in."

He took her hand and stepped through, and they
followed Riley as he led them through the dark house
and into an office. He snapped on the desk lamp, and
Willow moved around to the computer.

"I think I've found what we want," she said after
several minutes of silence. "Now, if I can get around
this password. Hang on."

Buffy glanced over the neatly arranged desk top and
picked up a picture standing beside the lamp. She
looked around at Riley.

"Professor Walsh?" she asked, pointing to one of the
figures in the photograph.

"It's her house," he nodded.

The slayer's mouth dropped open, but her thoughts were
interrupted by Willow's triumphant whisper, "We're
in!"
***
"Dr. Walsh."

The woman turned from her desk at the sound of the
urgent voice behind her.

"Someone's hacked into the network," a young man
informed her.

She shoved back her chair and rose to her feet, "How
do you know?"

"I just logged on to enter some data and discovered
the password protection has been disabled."

She glanced over at her dark monitor and hissed
angrily, "Damn. Get it back up. Now."

"Where are you going?" he asked as she pushed past
him.

"I know who it is. Get those files secured," she
snapped.
***
"We don't have time to read through all of this. Print
it out," Buffy suggested.

"No time for that, either," Willow told her.
"Someone's trying to block access."

"They know we're on," Riley said.

"Just a minute," the redhead murmured, her eyes glued
to the screen.

"What are you doing, ducks?" Spike asked.

"I've copied everything," she answered, clicking away
at the mouse under her hand. "I'm going to email it to
Giles."

Riley watched in silent fascination as Willow sent off
the information with swift efficiency, completing the
task and shutting down the computer before whoever was
trying to block her had the time to succeed.

"Let's get out of here," Buffy said, flicking off the
light.

Maggie Walsh doused the headlights on her black sedan
and rolled to a quiet stop along the curb across from
her house. Four shadowy figures emerged from around
the side lawn and quickly walked away.
***
"Good work, Willow," Giles smiled down at the little
redhead as the printer continued to spit out page
after page of information.

"Aside from the fact that someone figured out what I
was up to and probably knows who we are," she added.

He raised an eyebrow, "You didn't really think you'd
manage to get away unnoticed?"

"I'm an idealist, although I did kind of figure that
broken window might be a give-away," her attempt at a
weak grin was erased by a fleeting frown.

"You can't go back to campus," Buffy said to Riley.
"Walsh has to know you're in on this. She'll be
looking for you."

He nodded and squeezed her hand, "I know."

"And we're going to need your help to make sense of
all this," Giles told him.

Spike sensed the sharp pain that was gnawing inside
his mate, and he moved up behind Willow and placed his
hands on her shoulders.

"I'll do whatever--" Riley's words were cut off by
Willow's soft moan.

"It's going to take awhile for all of that to finish
printing," the redhead spoke to Giles. "Could you just
make sure the printer doesn't run out of paper while
we--um--"

"Yes, by all means, do--um," he nodded. "You're
looking rather pale."

She flashed him a sincere smile of gratitude for his
understanding, "Thanks."

"How can you stand it?" Riley asked softly as Willow
and Spike disappeared down the hallway.

"Because she has no choice and because we love her,"
Buffy answered.
 
 
 

Spike reached up and pulled Willow down onto his naked
body, the bond buzzing in his brain, demanding their
union. She straddled him and lowered her mouth to his
as his aching shaft slid between her wet folds. He
thrust up into her, and she placed her hands on his
chest as he gripped her hips and guided her rhythmic
movements. One hand moved around her back, urging her
body down, and he captured a hard, rosy nipple with
his mouth.

Willow panted heavily, moaning as he rolled the
pebbled nub between his teeth and flicked his tongue
against it. Spike flipped her over, never breaking
their connection, and pumped into her as his fingers
sought the sensitive bundle of nerves between her
legs. Soft whimpers of urgent need parted her lips,
and she cried out his name as he pinched her clit and
sank his teeth into her neck while his seed flooded
her channel.

He drank until the all-consuming hunger for her was
sated, then quickly raked a nail over his chest and
pulled her mouth to the bleeding gash. Her body
stilled as her entire being calmed with the blood that
trickled past her lips.

Spike moved off of her, folding her close to him, and
let the peaceful aftereffect of their coupling wash
over them. At long last, the edges of reality began to
glide into place, and he tilted her chin and kissed
her, softly at first, then more deeply. He drew away
as she chuckled softly.

"What?" he asked.

"Poor Riley," she grinned. "He's just had his first
experience of seeing us in heat."

"You're insane," he laughed.

Her eyes sparkled down into his, "Only about you."

His hand brushed gently over her cheek, and he looked
at her wonderingly, "My mate."

"I love you," she whispered and brought her mouth back
to his.
***
Riley eyed the couple like a specimen under glass as
Willow and Spike reappeared in the living room,
looking far less put together than they had before
their trip down the hallway. Spike sat down, pulling
Willow onto his lap.

"You okay, Will?" Buffy asked as the redhead snuggled
against her mate's chest.

"Mmmm?" she murmured from some far away place in her
mind. "Sorry, takes a few minutes."

The slayer watched as Spike's hand gently caressed
Willow's hair, "It's almost enough to make me
envious."

She blushed as Giles and Riley shot her hard stares.

"Almost," she quickly repeated.

Riley looked at the deceptively petite blonde as if
she'd lost her mind, and Giles grinned and handed
Willow a cup of tea. When she ignored the silent
offer, preferring Spike's lips instead, he sighed a
sigh of the eternally persecuted and set the cup down
on the table beside her.

"There is some very disturbing information here," the
former watcher said as he scooped up the think stack
of neatly printed papers from a cushion on the sofa.
"Some of the experiments your people have been
conducting are positively sadistic, even by demonic
standards."

"I haven't been--" Riley paused, his surprised eyes
wandering back to the vampire who was currently being
treated to Willow's lips traveling over his neck--Was
he actually purring?

"Yes," Giles prodded.

The young man shook himself, marveling at the older
man's ability to ignore the tenderly erotic scene
unfolding in his own armchair.

"You get used to it," Buffy told him and grinned at
his look of utter disbelief. "Okay, maybe you don't.
Anyway, you were saying?"

"Yeah," he nodded, turning slightly to block out the
view of Spike and Willow and not succeeding terribly
well. "I haven't been involved in any of the
experiments. I've never even been allowed access to
the labs to see what's going on there."

"Some of these demons have been kept alive for
months," Giles informed him. "I shudder to think what
would happen if any of them escaped after the acts of
barbarism that their minds and bodies have been
subjected to."

"But you said it yourself. They're demons. You hunt
them down and kill them. So why should it matter what
the organization is doing to them?"

"There's the difference, though. Our goal is to
destroy them, not torture them endlessly," Giles
answered. "If you've truly no idea what's being done,
perhaps you should read some of these."

Riley took the half dozen sheets that Giles handed to
him. His face grew pale as his eyes scanned their
contents.

"You must agree that this is wrong," the older man
spoke after several minutes. "This can't be allowed to
continue."

"No, it can't," Riley answered softly.

Giles nodded, "The organization must either adopt
radically different objectives, or they must be shut
down."

"I think it would be impossible to persuade them to
change the way they operate," Riley told him. "And
shutting them down won't be much easier."

"And now that Walsh knows you're working with us, we
don't have anyone who can help us from the inside,"
Buffy added. "There's nothing we can do."

"Don't be so sure," Giles responded.

Willow stirred form her bond-induced stupor and
reached for the cup of tea on the table.

"Back with us?" the slayer smiled at her friend.

"Yeah," the redhead nodded, her eyes back to their
usual bright, clear state.

"Good," Giles said. "I think I know how we can bring
down the organization, but it's
dangerous--particularly for the two of you."

"None of us are safe as long as they're a threat to
us," Spike replied, his eyes fixed on Willow as he
brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. "So, let's hear
it."
 
 
 

"All of the equipment and records regarding the
experiments are kept in one location--an office near
the captives' cells," Giles told them. "If we can get
in and destroy all of it, we'll effectively put a stop
to everything they're trying to accomplish."

"But we can't break in," Riley reminded him. "There's
no way we'll get past all the security devices."

"I didn't say you were going to break in. They're
going to _let_ you in."

"We're going to let them capture us," Buffy guessed.

"Exactly. Professor Walsh must have people out looking
for you," Giles nodded. "All you have to do is make
sure they find you."

Riley shook his head, "I don't like this. Buffy and
Willow could get hurt, or worse."

"You said yourself that the organization is opposed to
harming humans," Giles replied.

"But we're the enemy, now," the young man contended.
"They aren't going to roll over just because a couple
of humans are going against them. Let me go in,
alone."

"Won't work," Willow interrupted. "There are too many
of them to take on by yourself. You're going to need
Buffy and Spike. And if we're really going to
dismantle their operation, someone is going to have to
wipe out their computer network and database. That's
me."

Reluctantly, Riley nodded in concession.

"Giles, after they do take us, what happens if they
separate Willow and Spike?" the slayer asked.

"That could actually work in your favor," he answered.
"It's highly unlikely they're aware that such a bond
exists. They didn't figure it out even after Spike
rescued Willow, and it's exceptionally rare for a
vampire to bond with a mortal without turning her soon
afterwards."

"I'd never heard of it," Riley concurred. "And if they
had known, I'm sure I would have, too."

"You've seen the lengths to which Spike will go in
order to get to his mate," Giles said to Buffy. "The
organization has no idea how difficult it will be to
contain him if they take Willow away from him. Even if
they do lock you up, it won't last long once he's gone
on the rampage."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. "Let's go make captives of
ourselves."

"I'm giving you twenty-four hours," Giles said as he
followed them to the door. "If I haven't heard from
you by then, I'm calling the police. Consequences be
damned."
***
Willow sat down beside Buffy on one of the two cots in
the square cell.

"How long have we been here?" the slayer wondered.

The redhead glanced at her watch, "Almost four hours.
What the hell are they waiting for?"

"I don't know. Maybe it just isn't our turn, yet."

Willow looked questioningly at her.

"You saw the look on Walsh's face when she got an
eyeful of Riley. Maybe they started with him," she
suggested grimly.

Willow let her eyes wander over the stark room,
squinting slightly against the harsh, white light, and
tried not to imagine what might be happening to Riley.
They sat side by side in their own separate prisons of
silence for several minutes, until Willow stood up and
began slowly treading the floor.

"You okay, Will?" the slayer asked, her concerned eyes
following her friend.

"Yeah," she answered softly and then glanced toward
the door. "I wonder where they've taken Spike."

For the first time in four hours, Buffy felt a spark
of hope, which would have made her extremely happy
were it not for the brief flicker of pain that passed
over Willow's face.
***
Riley tested once more the straps that bound his
wrists to the arms of the chair, but they held just as
firmly as when they were first placed around him.
Whatever the lab assistant had injected into his arm,
it had initially only sapped his strength. After the
second injection, given to him nearly an hour ago, his
head was pounding until it set his nerves on edge and
wrenched at his stomach until he felt like vomiting.

He steeled himself as the door slid open, and Maggie
Walsh stepped into the room. His glazed eyes glared
over at her, and she moved toward him and crossed her
arms over her chest.

"Is this the kind of torture you put all your lab rats
through?" he asked angrily.

"This is nothing compared to what we do to them," she
answered calmly. "You are only human, after all."

He shook his head and winced at the bolt of pain that
rocketed behind his eyes, "This is not what we were
supposed to be about."

Her eyes grew stormy, and her voice grew cold, "I'm
truly disappointed in you. You had such promise.
Someday, you would have taken my place."

"Pass," he hissed at her.

"As if you have the option, anymore," she replied with
a crooked grin.

"What have you done with Buffy and Willow?" he
demanded.

"They're dead," she lied with an easy shrug.

What little color there was on his cheeks suddenly
bled away with her statement, and he whispered, "You
murdered them?"

"I prefer to think of it as self-preservation. The
good of the organization and all of that," she
answered and knelt down in front of him. "So, you see,
you have no reason left to fight us. None whatsoever."

Riley forced his mind, which was precariously close to
surrendering to shock, to remain focused, "Then why am
I still here? Why not just kill me, too?"

She laid a steady hand over his, and he tried,
unsuccessfully, to jerk his away.

"As I said, you have a great deal of potential. We
need people like you, Riley. You're intelligent and
fearless."

"You don't really think I'd ever work for you again,"
he sneered.

"Of course you will," she patted his hand and stood
back up. "All it requires is a little reprogramming."

His body tensed in revulsion, but she remained
unaffected.

"Of course, you'll never attain the heights you were
destined to achieve before, not after your mind has
been so drastically altered, but you'll be a valuable
member of the team once again."

She went back to the door and paused before exiting,
"Riley, don't fight it so hard. You're only making it
more painful for yourself, and you can't win, in the
end."

He squeezed his eyes shut and fought the despair
welling inside him. He heard the door slide shut and
the computerized lock re-engage before he allowed the
tears to slip from his eyes.
 
 
 

"He won't take it, Dr. Massey," the young woman said
to the older man standing beside her.

He took the bag of blood from her hands. His gaze
moved beyond the cell's invisible barrier to the
blonde vampire who was leaning against the far wall,
hands balled into fists, staring hatefully back at
them.

"He knows we've been drugging it. This one is
untainted, though," Dr. Massey answered. "It's been
hours since he fed. He can't hold out much longer."

"I wonder why a vampire would be working with humans,"
the young lady asked.

"That's what we want to know," he nodded. "I have to
leave. Walsh is convening a meeting in fifteen
minutes. I'll send Fuller and Currey to help you. Wait
until they get here, and then try to coax him to take
this."

She nodded as he handed her the bag of blood and
strode off down the corridor.

"Damned bloody sods," Spike growled to himself and
pushed his lean frame away from the wall.

It was coming up on five hours since they had allowed
themselves to be dragged into the underground complex.
The gun pointed at Willow's back had done far more to
prevent him from tearing into the soldiers than they
could possibly have known. The demon inside him was
raging for his mate. He knew it wouldn't be long
before it completely overtook him, and at this point,
he didn't really give a damn.

He watched as two men dressed in white lab coats
appeared beside the woman who had been waiting on the
other side of the cell. They were carrying weapons
that resembled guns, and they spoke for a moment
before the woman extended a hand to punch the keypad
that would release the barrier.

Spike forced himself to remain still as the men
stepped inside just ahead of their female colleague.
She dropped the bagged blood to the smooth, cold floor
and gave it a shove with the toe of her shoe. It slid
to a stop halfway between the vampire and his captors,
and he gave it a cursory glance before returning his
cold eyes to them.

"It's pure," she told him.

He made no move to pick it up.

"Go on," she urged. "You need it. You don't want to
starve."

"You have no fucking idea what I need, bitch," he
thought to himself, but kept his face stonily
expressionless.

The men raised their guns as she sighed heavily and
stepped between them, "You have to eat. There's
nothing wrong with that blood. Take it."
***
Willow leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.
She moaned and raised her hands to her head, clutching
at her hair with two tight fists.

Buffy sank to her knees in front of her and folded her
hands over the redhead's, "Oh, gods, Will. Hang on.
Please, hang on."

She whimpered pitifully and began to rock back and
forth as the pain of her unfulfilled need ripped
through her.
***
"Take it!" the young woman ordered as Spike stared at
the bag of blood.

She took a step back as he took one forward and
kneeled down, reaching out for the bag as his game
face slid on. The woman's momentary feeling of relief
was quickly shattered as the blonde vampire suddenly
rolled, knocking her feet out from under her and
sending her tumbling into one of the two men behind
her. His gun flew out of his hand and landed in the
passageway outside of the cell.

Spike's hand curled around the second man's ankle and
yanked him down onto the floor. He landed on his
tailbone, knocking the wind out of him. Spike grabbed
the man's wrist in a steely grip and grinned cruelly
as the bones snapped. The man cried out in pain, and
the vampire easily tore the gun out of his hand and
smashed the weapon over his skull.

He leapt to his feet and whirled around to the woman,
who was hauling herself up off of the floor. Her eyes
widened in terror as Spike's finger moved over the
trigger and squeezed, sending a lethal jolt of
electricity slamming into her chest. She collapsed,
her limbs twitching convulsively before her lifeless
body grew still.

The one remaining captor was crawling over the floor,
headed for the gun that lay in the corridor. Spike
grabbed him by the back of the neck. The terrified man
flailed out at him, narrowly missing his jaw, before
the blonde vampire growled loudly and sank his fangs
into the man's jugular. He drained him and tossed him
to the ground, then strode out of the cell, still
holding the gun. He bent and scooped up the other one
and jammed it into the waistband of his jeans before
stalking quickly down the corridor, on a direct path
to Willow.

Spike rounded a corner and came face to face with an
unsuspecting and immediately horrified assistant. The
blonde vampire, amber eyes burning, grabbed him by the
throat and shoved him up against the wall beside the
door to Willow's cell.

"Don't kill me," came the man's strangled plea.

"Open that door, and you get to live," Spike snarled.

The man nodded frantically, and Spike dragged him away
from the wall and whirled him around to face the
keypad. The man swallowed hard and punched in the
code, then looked hopefully up at the vampire as the
door slid open. Spike glared back at him and grabbed
hold of his hair.

"You promised!" the assistant shrieked.

"I'm a vampire, you asshole, not Mother bloody
Theresa," Spike growled.

He raised the gun in his free hand, jammed the barrel
into the man's gaping mouth, and pulled the trigger.
Flinging the corpse aside, he stormed through the door
to find Willow on the floor in a corner, knees tight
to her chest, fists clenched until her knuckles were
white, with Buffy hovering over her.

The slayer scrambled out of the way as Spike quickly
moved to his mate and knelt down before her, gathering
her to himself. The smell of his blood assaulted her
senses as he tore a gash on his throat. Her mouth
immediately clamped onto him. She had suckled from him
for no more than a minute when the sound of footsteps
came from outside the door.

Spike pushed Willow away and whipped his head around,
snarling furiously as a man appeared in the doorway.
In one swift motion, the vampire sprang to his feet
and hurled himself at the enemy. The two of them
landed on the other side of the door. The man scooted
backward as Spike leapt up and shoved a booted foot
under the man's chin, slamming his head violently into
the floor and breaking his neck. Spike returned to
Willow and helped her up onto her feet.

"We have to get to Riley," Buffy spoke.

He handed her the gun, "She needs my blood, and I need
hers. The other part can wait. Five minutes."

The slayer nodded and went to the door to keep watch.
 
 
 

Spike kept Willow close to his side as they followed
Buffy down the long corridor. Their exchange of blood
had tempered the vampire's demon, and the agonizing
pain that had tormented the redhead had subsided. The
call of the bond had not been completely satisfied,
since they had put the more intimate aspect aside
temporarily, but their physical proximity lessened
that ache to the degree that they could both function.

The trio concentrated their search for Riley along the
corridor in which Willow's and Buffy's cell had been
located. These doors were without windows and clearly
not meant for the various demons held captive behind
transparent barriers, where they could be observed.
Their progress came to an immediate halt as they
discovered that computerized locks secured all of the
doors.

"Will?" Buffy shot her friend a look.

The redhead inspected the keypad on the wall beside
the first door they had come to, and she shook her
head grimly.

"If we had enough time, which we don't," she answered.

Spike took a step back, his hand still clutching his
mate's, and raised his eyes to the white-tiled ceiling
overhead. He pressed his back against the wall,
drawing Willow to his side. He put his hand around her
head and drew her face protectively into his chest.
Buffy, too, stood well away as Spike pulled the gun
from his waistband and aimed it at the ceiling.

Charred bits of white material cascaded to the floor
as
the tile disintegrated, leaving the electric wires
behind it exposed. Spike severed them with another
blast from the gun, and the lights along the corridor
went out. The hallway was now illuminated solely by
the much dimmer bulbs of the battery-powered emergency
lights that were situated every few feet along both
sides of the wall. The loss of power triggered the
safety mechanisms on the doors along the passageway,
and they slid open almost simultaneously.

"I could learn to like you," the slayer flashed Spike
a quick grin.

"That's a thought," he grimaced.

They moved down the hallway, checking inside each
room, until they came to the third door.

"Oh, god," Buffy whispered as her eyes registered
Riley's form, still strapped in the chair inside the
dark room.

She ran to him and fumbled with the buckle on one
wrist until Spike shoved her hands away and tore both
leather restraints free.

"Buffy," the word rasped from the young man's throat.

"Can you walk?" she asked, kneeling over the chair as
Willow hurried to a sink beside a row of locked metal
cabinets and filled a paper cup with water.

Riley took it gratefully, letting the cool liquid
soothe his parched throat before the slayer put an arm
around his shoulders and helped him to stand.

"What did they do to you?" she asked, her voice
dripping with worry.

"Some kind of drug," he answered. "It's been a couple
of hours. Not as bad as it was."

"Riley, we have to get to the computers," Willow said
softly.

He nodded and leaned heavily on the slayer as they
stepped out of the room. He glanced around, realizing
for the first time that it was his surroundings that
were darkened and not just his vision.

"You took out the power?"

"We had to get the doors opened," Buffy nodded.

"This whole sector is on the same circuit. The
barriers on the cells must have gone down," he warned
them.

"Pretty much explains why no one came looking for us
after the lights went out," Willow spoke.

They looked at her in confusion.

"If I were one of those demons, I know right where I'd
head," she told them.

"Straight after the people who had been torturing me,"
Spike nodded. "That should buy us some time."

"Come on," Riley said. "The computers are this way."

He directed them down to the far end of the corridor,
where they turned a corner.

"It's the last room," he gestured, breathing heavily
under the painful exertion of simply trying to keep
himself upright. "The equipment in there requires a
lot of power, so it has its own circuit."

"Then the door is locked," Spike said.

"And I don't have access, damn it," Riley hissed. "The
administrators are the only ones who do."

Buffy's arm tightened around his waist as the door at
the end of the hall suddenly slid open and a tall lean
man with greying hair took a step outside.

"Riley," the man's hushed voice spoke.

The younger man blinked in surprise, "Dr. Martin?"
 
 
 

"Quickly," Preston Martin gestured to them and ushered
them into the room.

The door closed behind them, and the lock
automatically re-engaged as the professor moved to a
bank of computers.

"I've been trying to wipe out everything in them.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of computers is woefully
lacking."

Willow moved around him and sat down in a chair in
front of one of the computers.

"Why?" Riley questioned him.

"Walsh called a meeting about an hour ago. I knew she
was trying to bring you in, along with him, if
possible," Martin shot a nervous glance at the vampire
who was standing beside Willow. "I understood the need
to bring you in, Riley, but I had no idea what her
intentions really were. When she started talking about
drugs and reprogramming minds, I thought her
megalomania had finally driven her over the edge. All
of my colleagues sat around the table nodding their
heads in enthusiastic agreement. I literally thought I
was going to be ill...speaking of which, you don't
look well at all, my boy."

"I'll be all right," Riley responded.

"Ironically, the drug she had injected into your veins
is a modification of the one Jordan developed," Martin
told him. "It will wear off in a few hours."

The young man nodded and gave him a wary smile.

"Walsh told us that two young women had been brought
in along with you," the professor continued. "She had
just asked for the panel to come to a
consensus--whether the women should be killed or kept
alive for experimental purposes--when an alarm
suddenly sounded. In the commotion that ensued, I
slipped away and took the stairs down to this level.
She must be stopped. This entire operation must be
stopped."

"The barriers on the cells have been de-activated,"
Riley told him. "The alarm--"

"I know. I've been watching," Martin nodded and
pointed to a row of monitors along the far wall.

Security cameras covered every area in the underground
complex--all rooms and all corridors--and relayed the
images back to this room. Buffy and Riley moved closer
to them. Bodies could be seen laying lifelessly on the
floor of the large room above them as the demons who
had been freed from their prisons picked their way
around the corpses in search of those still alive.

"The fates must have been on your side," the professor
spoke from behind them, averting his eyes from the
horrific scenes. "The only reason your escape went
unnoticed was because all of us were meeting with
Walsh at the time. There was no one in this room to
see what you were doing."

The slayer swallowed hard and looked up at Riley,
amazed into silence by their dumb luck.

"Almost finished," Willow's voice spoke into the
silence. "They must have backed-up this stuff,
though."

Martin shook his head, "We couldn't run the risk of it
getting into the public's hands. We administrators had
access from our homes to the information through the
network, but what's contained in those machines is all
that there is."

"Make that all that there was," she corrected him with
a satisfied smile as she rose to stand beside Spike.

"It's gone? All of it?" Buffy asked.

"Poof," the redhead nodded.

"I'd feel a lot better if all this equipment were
destroyed," Martin said.

The group whirled around as the door behind them slid
open, and Maggie Walsh stepped through. She was
battered and bruised, a long gash running down the
full length of her left cheek, but her eyes were cold
and clear as she glared over at them and raised the
gun in her right hand.

"Move away from them Preston," she spoke calmly and
shifted her gaze to the little redhead. "I assume
you're the one who hacked into the network. Riley
wouldn't know where to begin, and if Miss Summers'
course work is any indication, just starting up a
computer would be mentally taxing for her."

Willow stared back at her silently and took an
unconscious step closer to Spike's side.

"Now, why don't you show me just how good you are? I
want everything in the database transferred to disk,"
Walsh ordered.

"Can't do it," Willow responded.

"Why not?" she hissed, her icy glare hardening.

"Everything's gone, Maggie," Preston told her.
"Completely wiped out--at my request."

Her voice dripped with contempt, "You always were the
fool of the panel. Trust you to defect to the wrong
side."

"Wrong?" he repeated angrily. "When the hell did this
organization become a group of murderers? Our
objective was to study the demons we captured, to find
more effective ways to destroy their kind. You've
turned this complex into a chamber of horrors. I
turned a blind eye when you began torturing those
creatures. I salved my conscience by telling myself it
was for the greater good. But I want no part of
reprogramming humans, of turning them into nothing
more than drugged slaves. And how could you ever have
imagined I would have condoned the murder of these two
young women?"

"Enough!" she bellowed. "If you had become so repulsed
by our methods, you should have bowed out, Martin."

"Yes, I should have," he nodded. "I'm sure I'll regret
not doing just that for the rest of my life."

"I can take care of that problem for you," she told
him. "Since there's nothing left to retrieve here,
you've all outlived your usefulness."

She raised the gun, and Riley drew in a sharp breath
as she leveled it directly at Martin's head. Buffy
drew her weapon from behind her back, and Walsh
whirled to her and squeezed the trigger. The blast
tore past her arm, mere inches from the slayer's
flesh, as one of the escaped demons lunged through the
doorway, growling angrily, and knocked Walsh to the
floor. The gun clattered out of her hand as he grabbed
her hair and hauled her onto her knees.

"Stop!" Martin shouted.

The demon snarled over at the man and released his
intended victim as he took a step toward him. Buffy
fired, and the demon howled as the blast ripped
through his skull. Walsh attempted to drag herself up
off the floor, and Spike swung his foot into her chest
and kicked her out through the open doorway. He
grabbed Willow's hand and followed the others as they
tore out into the hall.

Three more demons had found their way to the lower
level and were coming toward them from the far end of
the corridor. Spike and Buffy raised their weapons and
quickly took them out as two more demons appeared
around the corner.

"This way," Martin shouted, turning to lead them in
the opposite direction where a flight of metal stairs
to the left of the hallway led up to the above floor.

They took a quick glimpse back at the sound of Walsh's
scream echoing off the walls behind them. The two
demons had dragged her up off the floor, and Willow
stifled a cry as she saw the woman's head violently
twisted and her lifeless body thrown to the floor.
 
 
 

They flew up the stairs, their shoes clattering loudly
on the metal steps, only to find themselves cut off by
two more demons when they reached the upper floor. The
first threw himself at Martin, and the professor
stumbled backwards against Buffy. The slayer lost her
grip on the gun in her hand as she fell to the floor.
Riley bent to scoop it up, and the second demon
grabbed the young man by the hair and slammed his head
into the concrete floor.

Buffy shoved Martin out of the way and leapt to her
feet, kicking savagely at the demon who was poised
over Riley. Willow grabbed a nearby chair and swung it
into the demon's back. He whirled around angrily and
placed his clawed hand over her face, flinging her
small body into a row of cabinets set into the wall
behind her. She whimpered and slumped to her knees as
Buffy scrambled for the gun and blasted the demon.

Spike barreled into the other demon and sent him
hurtling down the flight of metal stairs. He raced to
his mate and lifted her up off the floor as Buffy
knelt over Riley. He moaned as she pulled him up onto
his feet, and he wiped at the thick blood trickling
from his forehead down into his eye.

"Riley," she whispered. "Oh, gods, are you--"

"We have to get out of here," he said through clenched
teeth.

"This way," Martin spoke, heading off toward the other
end of the room.

By the time they stepped out of the building and into
the night air, Riley was fighting to remain on his
feet.

"We need to get him to the hospital," Dr. Martin said.

The young man shook his head, "Just--take me back to
the dorm."

"No," Buffy refused. "Not until we find out what's
happened to the rest of the demons down there. We need
to talk to Giles. Spike, is Willow okay?"

The vampire was struggling to keep his mind focused as
the redhead in his arms trailed her lips over his
throat, "Just get us to the bloody watcher's!"

The professor jumped at Spike's deep snarl, "I'll
drive you. My car is this way."
***
Giles leapt to his feet, sending the book on his lap
tumbling to the floor, as the front door flew open and
Buffy stepped inside. He hurried over to her and,
supporting Riley between them, they moved him onto the
sofa. Without so much as a word, Spike pushed past Dr.
Martin and carried Willow off down the hallway. Giles'
face reddened as he heard the bedroom door slam shut.

"Bond," Buffy said.

The former watcher grimaced at the unnecessary
explanation, and Martin scratched his head and looked
from Giles to Buffy with a puzzled expression.
***
The clothes that had been rapidly discarded lay
scattered about the bedroom floor as Spike placed a
bruising kiss on Willow's lips and thrust violently
into her. She moaned loudly, her nails drawing blood
from his back, as she pushed back into him, keeping
time with his frenetic pace. Her fingers curled around
his blonde hair, and she turned her neck and all but
shoved his mouth against her flesh. He snarled and
pierced the familiar marks with his fangs, and Willow
screamed out as her orgasm wracked her body with
shuddering convulsions.

She clung to him as he opened a gash on his throat and
brought her hungry mouth to the wound. She drank
greedily until the long-denied coupling had been
partially sated, then licked away the last traces of
his blood and looked up into his amber eyes.

"More," she moaned huskily as she felt his half-erect
cock hardening within her, and his lips descended to
take hers once again.
***
Preston Martin shifted uncomfortably in his chair and
tried to ignore the moans that emanated from the
closed door down the hallway. Buffy looked up at Giles
with a half-grin as she gingerly dabbed the cold cloth
against the deep gash on Riley's forehead.

"He'll be all right," the former watcher pronounced,
examining the wound. "But it could do with a couple of
stitches. I'm more concerned about the long-term
effects of the drug they injected into him."

"Dr. Martin said it would wear off in a few hours,"
Riley assured him.

The professor jumped to his feet at the loud snarl
that drifted into the living room, "What the hell is
the matter with all of you? That--that creature is a
vampire, and she's--"

"His mate," Giles told him.

A rush of air hissed from Martin's lungs, "His mate?
She's mortal! He could be draining the life from that
poor young woman while you--"

"He isn't," Buffy promised. "They're bonded. They love
each other."

The man shook his head and ran a trembling hand
through his hair, "You're all mad. Completely insane."

"Buffy, I think Dr. Martin could do with a drink,"
Giles suggested and looked over at the professor.
"Please, sit down, Preston. I'll explain everything."
***
Spike nestled Willow's warm body close to him and
caressed her hair as her hand moved lazily over his
chest.

"I'll bet Dr. Martin just had a cow," she said softly,
her words slightly slurred from the effects of their
bond.

"Natural childbirth, I hope," he grinned.

She giggled and placed a kiss on his hard chest, and
Spike cradled her head and stilled it against him as
their minds slowly wandered back toward reality. After
several minutes of silent entanglement, she shifted to
look up into his blue eyes.

"I'm hungry, Spike," she said quietly.

He smiled and kissed her before shuffling out from
under her and reaching to retrieve their clothes from
the floor.

They appeared at the end of the hallway, and Willow
couldn't help but feel like his latest experiment as
Martin's curious stare followed the couple into the
kitchen. Giles catapulted out of the armchair at the
sudden loud crash of pans.

"Go. Sit," he commanded, rounding the counter and
hitching a thumb back toward the living room.

"I'm starving," Willow complained.

"I'll fix you something. In your present state, you'll
probably burn the place down," he insisted.

She mumbled incoherently, and Giles ignored her
bond-induced stupor as Spike pulled the little redhead
out of the room. He took the chair the former watcher
had vacated and settled her comfortably onto his lap.
She rested her head in the crook of his neck and
turned her eyes toward Riley, who was stretched out on
the sofa.

"He okay?" she asked Buffy.

She smiled and squeezed the young man's hand, "Yeah.
He has a hard head, thank goodness."

Spike snarled softly as Martin's eyes continued to
study the redhead. The man's face instantly paled, and
his eyes quickly darted away.

"We explained the bond to him," the slayer told them.

"And I must admit to being throughly fascinated," the
older man couldn't help adding. "I've never heard of
such a bond existing between a human and a
vampire--not for a prolonged period of time, that is.
What was the--"

He stopped at the soft sigh that issued from Willow's
mouth as Spike brushed his lips tenderly over hers.

"Are they hearing any of this?" he questioned as Giles
returned from the living room.

He shrugged and placed a cup of coffee and a plate of
buttered toast beside the armchair, "I seriously doubt
it. Willow, please drink that, and try to return to
the land of the living."

"I'm kind of liking the land of the dead," she
mumbled, running her hand over her mate's chest.

Martin's eyes widened to round circles as Spike's
mouth took Willow's in a voracious kiss.

"You get used to it," Riley laughed softly, echoing
Buffy's earlier statement.

"Preston," Giles spoke, desperately attempting to draw
the conversation away from the amorous couple in his
armchair. "What about the other demons who were
released from those cells? Is Sunnydale--"

Martin shook his head, "Several of them were
completely incapacitated. I don't expect they'll last
for too many hours. And I imagine the rest of them
will be falling all over each other to get out of this
town."

"Nevertheless, I think you should add an extra round
to your patrol for a few nights," Giles suggested to
Buffy.

She nodded, "No problem. But what about that
underground hell house?"

"If Riley feels up to it, I'd like to go back there
tomorrow and destroy everything--the computers, the
equipment. Buffy, I'm very sorry for everything that
you and your...friends," he shot a quick glance over
at Spike, whose lips were glued firmly to Willow's,
"have been put through."

"I'm just grateful you were there to help us," she
smiled.

"Are we done here?" Willow suddenly asked.

"Well, _we_ are," the former watcher answered dryly,
taking in her disheveled appearance.

"Good, let's go home," she said, sliding off Spike's
lap and hauling him up onto his feet.

"I thought you were starving," Buffy reminded her.

The redhead looked up at her mate with a wicked grin,
"I am."

End 9/9

back