Chapter 38: Even if it takes an Eternity

Buffy’s heart felt like it was going to explode. One minute, she was lost in the forest, trying to find a way back to the House of Terror. The next, she had stumbled back onto the road and almost been smacked by Spike’s car. She watched the car swerve and fishtail over the road. When it finally came to a stop, Buffy ran toward it. She couldn’t see Spike inside the car or outside. Buffy slowed down and picked up a small pebble. She threw it against the driver window, hoping Spike would step out of the car to investigate. When he didn’t, Buffy approached the car. She head Spike scream and saw him practically fly across the seat. It made Buffy laugh some, but also worried her. Why was Spike screaming?

Curious, Buffy walked around the back of the car and to the passenger’s side. Spike still didn’t come out. “This is getting slightly ridiculous,” Buffy muttered.

She circled the car again and saw Spike get out of the drivers side. He was muttering under his breath, something about Jamie Lee Curtis. Amused, Buffy watched him for a moment, and then ran at him full force. She saw him turn and his eyes widen slightly. Giving no thought to injury or repercussions, Buffy hurled herself at him, taking them both to the ground. Spike landed on the bottom and Buffy clung to him like a crab clinging to seaweed. Minutes passed before she head Spike speak.

“Buffy?” he asked.

Buffy didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or both. “Hiya Spike. Damn I’m glad to see you,” she chirped in a high-pitched voice. Fear rocked through her and nipping closely on its heels was love. Arousal slammed her and Buffy surrendered to the morass of sensations. She crashed her lips down on Spike’s.

It was like coming home. The scent, taste and texture that were uniquely Spike made Buffy release all her pent-up emotions from the past few days. She kissed Spike feverishly and desperately, trying to devour and memorize him all at once. Spike responded just as eagerly, his own body responding to hers like a wolf to its mate.

Need hit Spike fast, hard and ferocious. It clawed up from his groin and electrified his body. All Spike wanted to do was lose himself in Buffy. There in the forest, primal and primitive, animalistic and raw. He deepened the kiss, nipping her lip and drawing her tongue into a duel. She moaned and Spike’s body responded painfully.

Too much. Too much. Buffy’s body screamed. She was acutely aware of every inch of her skin. From her lips and the brutal kiss she and Spike shared down to her arms, legs and toes where she was unconsciously moving, seeking friction as a release from the sweet torment Spike inflicted. Buffy’s body felt like one single nerve, scraped raw.

Spike’s lungs began to protest the lack of necessary oxygen. He broke the kiss and they both drew in a deep lungful of air. Buffy sighed and rested her forehead against his. Spike wrapped his arms around her and they were silent, savoring the feel of one another. Buffy sighed again and brought her gaze up to meet Spike’s.

“Hey there,” she said softly.

Spike raised a brow. “Hi yourself.”

Buffy smiled and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Pet, you sure don’t have a lot of confidence in me, do you? I’ll always find you.”

“Always?” Buffy asked.

Spike’s blue eyes lightened to the shade of a summer sky. “Even if it takes me an eternity.”

Tears prickled the back of Buffy’s eyes. One escaped and slowly rolled down her cheek. Spike raised his hand and caught it with a finger.

“Hey now, what’s this, ducks?” he asked.

Buffy sniffed and fought back the tidal wave of emotion that was threatening to consume her. “I promised myself that if I got out of the house safely, then I could breakdown and cry,” she said in a quivering voice.

Spike’s grip on Buffy tightened and she watched in fascination as his eyes hardened into ice blue chips. “Riley?”

It wasn’t really a question. Buffy nodded and Spike’s jaw tightened and a muscle twitched.

“I’ll kill him,” he said very matter-of-factly.

Buffy shook her head vehemently. “No you won’t. We are getting the hell out of here. Tell the police and let them deal with the insane man.”

Anger swam through Spike, a black, bubbling geyser. The need to beat something raw with his bare hands was strong. The need for it to be Riley was almost overpowering. He wanted to see Riley’s face the instant before he smashed it into oblivion, to see the recognition in his eyes. He wanted Riley to experience the fear and the pain that he put Buffy through. But with one look at Buffy, Spike pushed his feelings down. Her face was streaked with dirt and tear tracks and her eyes were red. There were leaves and sticks woven in her unruly mop of hair. Her clothes were torn and her feet bleeding.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

Her eyes pleaded with him and Spike realized that she was exhausted, emotionally and physically. No matter how great the urge to pound Riley into an unrecognizable smear was, it would have to wait. Buffy came first.

Slowly, Spike stood up. He gently pulled Buffy to her feet and pulled her close to him. Together, they walked to his car. Spike led Buffy to the passenger side and opened the door. She giggled and slipped inside. Spike smiled at the sound and walked around the back of the car. Then, he noticed his tires.

They had been slashed.

“Fuck. Shit. SON OF A BITCH!” Spike yelled at the dark sky.

Buffy vaulted out of the car and ran back to Spike. “What’s wrong?”

Spike pointed to the tires and Buffy’s face went white. “Riley,” she whispered.

Her knees felt weak and began to buckle. It was like a scene out of a bad horror movie. How much more perfect could it be? They were stranded in the woods at night with a crazy man stalking them. Jesus Christ, it’s like Stephen King’s wet dream. Buffy shook her head at the thought and fought the bile that was rising in her stomach. Calm. We need to stay calm.

“Cell phone!” she almost screamed.

Spike was deeply involved in a rant that included the gross dismemberment of Riley arms and legs and the painful extraction of his testicles from his body. He stopped in mid-rant and looked at Buffy. “Huh?”

Buffy rolled her gritty eyes. “Where is your cell phone?”

Spike had the insane urge to smack himself on the forehead. “Shit. It’s in the bloody car.”

Buffy smiled triumphantly and scrambled back into his car. She dug around for a little bit then returned with the cell phone. Sparing a quick grin at Spike, Buffy quickly dialed Willow’s number. She waited a minute, and then frowned. The cell phone cheerfully beeped in her ear announcing the loss of service.

“Well, there goes that great plan,” she said dismally.

“Hey, pet, none of that,” Spike said. He pulled her into his arms and tried to think of a plan. They had the car still, and his keys, so heat was available. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal for them to just lock themselves in for the night and wait for the morning. All and all, that was probably the best course of action. If not for Buffy’s stomach and the noticeable rumbling it was doing. She needed food, and she needed it now. Spike didn’t know how long it would take them to walk back to Sunnydale tomorrow, and he really didn’t want her to go hungry tonight. If she didn’t find food and strength, she might not even be able to make the walk back into town, and Spike would face the fires of the dammed before he left her side again. So, back to the present quandary; stay at the car or find the mansion?

Buffy answered the question for him. “We need to find the house. It’s the only way we’ll find a phone and food too.”

Her voice quivered slightly and Spike tightened his hold on her. “It’s okay, luv. We’re together now, two against one. I sincerely hope we run into Riley.”

He said it so quietly and with such deadly conviction, that Buffy shivered. She looked up at him and felt a small chill snake through her. Spike’s eyes were as dark and the night sky and just as cold. The moonlight streamed over him, giving him the look of a fallen angel seeking vengeance. It was a romantic notion, but one Buffy couldn’t dispel. And, God help her, it was erotic as hell. I’ve turned into such a gutter brain. She gave herself a mental kick, but a small tremor of arousal shot through her anyway.

Thinking that she was cold, Spike shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around Buffy’s shoulders. She sighed and Spike looked at her questionably. For the second time in as many hours, Buffy launched herself at Spike.

It was the coat that did it. A small thing, really, and Buffy knew that this was neither the appropriate time nor place for unplanned seduction, but her body had different plans altogether. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hungrily attacked his mouth.

The red edge of passion kindled then roared bright inside of Spike. He didn’t have the smallest inkling of what had possessed Buffy, but at this point, he really didn’t care. Her mouth was hot and demanding against his, her supple body was wrapped around him like a second skin and her hands were busily mapping the hard planes of his body. Never one to deny the pleasure of a lady, Spike surrendered to Buffy’s passionate onslaught.

Spike offered and Buffy took. Her lips and mouth demanded and devoured. She tugged on his lip with her teeth, nipped at his neck and then soothed it with her tongue. The hunger consumed her, drove her on and up, up so high. It was like a fever burning though her body. They toppled to the ground, Spike cushioning Buffy’s body with his own. Her hands went wild over his body. She tugged on his shirt and yanked at his belt.

Spike’s breath was lost at first contact, now his brain felt like it was melting. eHer hand sThe blood rushed happily from his head to his groin and he had great difficulty forming coherent thoughts. His hands raced over her familiar curves, and his body sang with the familiar intimate contact. He delved under her shirt to trace the soft, warm skin beneath. Buffy moaned and that sound urged Spike on.

Buffy broke the kiss and they both gasped for air. Her cheeks were flush and her lips swollen. Her half-lidded eyes looked down at Spike and he swore that his heart rolled over in his chest. She looked like a beautiful, pagan goddess. She proudly rose above him, baptized by the moonlight and christened by the stars.

Slowly, the fog began to clear from Buffy’s brain. She looked down and saw Spike gazing at her with a strange expression on his face.

“Spike?” she asked tentatively.

Spike gave his head a brief shake to dispel the eccentric thoughts he was having. “Yes, ducks?”

Buffy smiled widely. “Maybe we should wait until our lives aren’t in danger before we, um, ‘reunite’?”

Spike laughed. Buffy had the funniest way of phrasing things. He forgot how innocent she really was. Sighing deeply, Spike rolled his eyes. “I suppose that you’re right. I might remind you that this is all your doing.”

Buffy laughed. “Yeah. You’re bad behavior is obviously rubbing off on me.”

Spike leered at her. “I like the sound of that.”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy stood and helped Spike to his feet. “Not now. Right now, we need to find a way back to the uber-creepy house.”

Spike nodded. “Right then.”

He walked to his car and opened the door. Buffy could hear him muttering but couldn’t quite make out the words. She held back a snicker when he bumped his head on the doorjamb, but couldn’t quite contain the laughter when he began to profusely curse.

“Stupid bloody, buggering car. I swear to God, I’m going to set the bleedin’ thing on fire. Yup, that’s it, big orange flames and me, smiling and roasting a marshmallow,” Spike said as he rubbed his hand over his head. A lump was forming. He winced and walked back to Buffy.

Tears rolled down Buffy’s face, smudging the dirt and forming new tear tracks. Spike scowled at her and pouted, which made Buffy laugh ever harder.

“It’s not funny. My bloody head really hurts,” Spike whined.

Buffy’s laughs subsided into hiccups. “Aww, poor baby. Want me to kiss and make all better?”

Spike nodded. “I got something for you to kiss, all right.”

Buffy giggled and smacked his arm. “Gutter brain.”

Spike wiggled his eyebrows. “And damn proud of it.”

They stood for a minute and silence fell down around them. The friendly banter no longer masked the sounds of the night, nor did it cover up the fact that they had to return to the house where Buffy was held. And possibly face Riley along the way. Buffy felt the panic flood her system again, but once again she forced it back. Taking Spike’s hand, she forced a too-bright smile on her face. “Ready to go?”

Spike nodded and squeezed her hand. “Let’s go, luv.”

Hand-in-hand, they walked down the road and back into the black confines of the forest.

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Deep in the forest, Riley listened for his prey. He heard them chattering about some inane topic before he saw them. Spike’s hair shone bright against the moonlight, making them easy targets to spot. With a macabre smile on his face, Riley followed them, his aberrant mind twisting and churning deeper and deeper into blackness.

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A/N: Until next time my pretties. Oh, and if you get a chance, vote for Siren’s Song at angelfire.com/fang/shattered_frames.

Chapter 39: Fight or Flight

“Shit,” Spike swore as he tripped over yet another root.

Buffy laughed at him, her white teeth flashing in the dark light. Their trip back to the house was proving to be much more difficult than Spike imagined, for himself anyway. Buffy seemed to have preternatural vision, avoiding all the gnarled roots, rocks and various other hazards littering the dark ground. Spike, on the other hand, seemed to have an unnatural knack for finding and tripping over every single thing they ran across. It irritated him to no end, but Buffy thought his constant trips and near-miss incidents were hilarious. So Spike put on a happy grin, and even fell a few times when he could have caught himself, all to hear Buffy laugh.

They continued to plod through the forest at a steady pace. Buffy found the small road that she had been following earlier, and she and Spike continued down it. They held hands and joked and kissed and generally ignored the seriousness of the situation. Sure, they had a serious sociopath after them, and they were lost in the woods, and it was dark, and damn, could anything go right for them?

The dark thoughts that haunted Spike earlier were coming after him again with a vengeance. He hesitated to tell Buffy about them for some reason he couldn’t fathom, even to himself. They fluttered though his mind like moth’s around a light, ghostly whispers of the dangers lurking about, behind that tree or around the corner from where they now walked. As a consequence, Spike’s grip on Buffy’s hand tightened until she cried out.

“Hey, Spike, ease up. My hand isn’t that delicate but you’re about to crush it,” she joked, shoving him lightly.

“Oi, sorry about that, luv. I just got a little spooked, that’s all,” Spike said contritely.

Buffy raised a brow. “Aww, do you want me to protect you?” she cooed in a falsetto voice.

Spike shot her a dark look. The effect of it was lost though, considering that it was nighttime. “Very funny, luv. It’s not like we’re in the park in the middle of the day, can’t blame a guy for being weirded out.”

Buffy shrugged. “Well, yeah. But there are two of us. You know, twice the pleasure, twice the fun?”

Spike cocked a brow. “I like the sound of that, pet.”

Buffy grinned and smacked his arm. “Filthy mind. I like that. But later.”

Spike laughed and the two of them continued down the moonlit path.

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Hidden in the darkness of a tree, Riley watched the blonde duo. Much like the dark thoughts that possessed Spike, Riley too was haunted. Voices flitted through his mind like swirls of mist across the ground. Screams of pain and cries of anguish recoiled through his mind until he cried out and grabbed his head.

“No, no, no nonono,” he cried out.

His breath sobbed out his lungs. His lungs were on fire and his eyes watered. After a few minutes, Riley’s mind cleared and his breathing returned to normal. Gone were the moans of pain and images of blood. Replaced by a burning obsession and nurtured by madness, Riley’s thoughts flew to his golden Goddess. She could save him, help him, protect him. All he needed was Buffy. All that stood in his way was Spike. With a renewed sense of purpose, Riley strode through the darkness. He reached the old house and began to plan. He would win Buffy tonight, or die trying.

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Buffy’s breath wheezed out. She was so tired. Bone tired. All she wanted to do was sleep, sleep with a blanket and Spike and never wake up. Her body was dragging and her mind cried out for release. She and Spike had been walking for what seemed like forever. The last hour was the worst. As the numbness from blood loss and the cold got to her, Buffy’s thoughts began to wander.

How does the moon stay in the sky? She giggled at the thought and swayed into Spike.

Spike raised a brow and wrapped his arm around her body. He was well aware of Buffy’s declining strength, but until they found the house he couldn’t do anything. He had already given her his coat and shoes, but she was still losing blood. When she started to giggle uncontrollably, Spike became seriously worried.

“Luv,” he said quietly.

Buffy looked at him. Her eyes were glazed and distant. There was no flash of recognition as Spike looked at her. A goofy smile graced her face, like a happy drunk she threw her arms around Spike.

“Hi, you. Where we goin’?” she asked, bouncing on her heels.

Spike sighed and rubbed his hands down her arms. “Don’t worry, luv, we’re going to find the house. Remember? The house?”

Buffy nodded her head vigorously. “Uh-huh, yup. I ‘member. The house with the mouse.” She giggled again.

Spike rubbed his eyes. “Sure, pet, the house with the mouse.”

As he spoke, they walked around a small curve and it came into view. Spike almost wept in relief when he caught sight of the imposing structure. Here was safety from the woods and a chance to help Buffy.

“C’mon, luv, just a little bit further,” he coaxed.

Together, they stumbled like a pair of drunks up the stairs and into the dark house. Once inside, Spike gently placed Buffy on a sofa and cautiously looked around. He could see no sign of Riley, but that didn’t put him at ease. Quietly, Spike stalked through the small living room and into the kitchen. In a cabinet he found bandages and on the counter was some fruit. Hauling these items back into the living room, Spike began to doctor Buffy’s feet. She ate some apples and a banana. Spike ate and apple too, wanting to keep his strength up for whatever he might face.

“Spike,” he heard Buffy saw in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, pet?” he asked.

“Where are we?” she questioned.

“Back in the house,” he replied.

She was silent for a moment. “Spike?”

Spike sat up silently and wrapped his arms around her. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks as he held her. They rocked together, Buffy shaking and Spike crooning to her softly.

After a few minutes, Buffy pulled back with a shaky smile. “Thanks.”

Spike grinned. “Anytime, ducks.”

“What do we do now?” Buffy asked.

“Well, way I see it, we find a phone and call someone to pick us up and get the hell outta here,” Spike said.

Buffy laughed. “Sounds like a damn good idea.”

They stood together and walked toward the kitchen. Buffy scrounged for more food while Spike searched for a phone. He found one buried underneath some papers on the table.

With a feeling of glee, Spike snatched up the phone. He swore sincerely when he heard nothing. No dial tone, no indication that the phone even worked. “Stupid piece of shit!”

Buffy looked up in alarm. “Now what do we do?”

Spike was about to answer when a blinding pain hit the back of his head. He stumbled forward and Riley stood behind him, smiling.

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Buffy’s heart leapt into her throat. Raw terror swept though her at the sight Riley made. His face was caked with dirt and grime. Rivulets of sweat beaded though and his matted hair stood on end. All and all, he made a rather grotesque picture of a mountain man.

“Buffy,” he whispered.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, a strangled cry emanated from deep in her throat.

Riley stumbled forward, hand outstretched. His eyes bored into hers, and Buffy forced herself to hold his eyes. She slowly moved back, hoping to draw him away from Spike. Her plan worked and Riley followed her through the living room and outside into the darkness. Once outside, Buffy turned and ran.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and her legs quivered with fear. Her breath sobbed out, wheezing and hissing. Behind her, she could hear Riley behind her, crashing through branches and feet pounding against the ground. Buffy ran faster and faster, deeper and deeper into the woods. Logically, she knew that she was making the ultimate heroine mistake, running into the darkness. She could almost laugh at herself, how often had she ridiculed the girls in movies for doing that exact thing. Instinct overrode logic, and so Buffy ran.

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A/N: Wow, I am so sorry. Between surgery and school, I haven’t had the easiest recovery. If you’re still reading this story, I thank you deeply.