***************************************
The Truth Within
Part 5
by Trish
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*I was naked?!?*

Spike tried as hard as he could not to let the devious grin that was bubbling up inside of him come forth. He still had no idea where Buffy was, but he did know what she was seeing. She wasn't in a world with Giles, Willow, or Xander. There was no Captain Cardboard or King of poofs. She was seeing him. All of him.

*But wait a bloody minute! What if this isn't what I think it is? What if she can see me getting myself off at the thought of her? What if I'm singing in the shower? What if I'm doing the bloody naked Riverdance up and down Main Street?!? The lil' chit's gonna have to go into a lot more detail.*

Spike looked over at Willow, hoping that her expression would give way to what exactly she had seen. When he followed her gaze, he let out a little yelp and brought his hands down to cover the erection that started to form from wherever Buffy's mind had been.

"Er, Willow... I hate to ask this, and I really do mean that, but could you be a bit more specific?"
"Eep!"
"We're all adults here, and I'm sure we can handle it, Willow. What did you see?"
"Get on with it, Red!"

Willow looked back and forth between the two men in the room, and began to turn different shades of color. Her eyes traveled to Buffy's face, which had a very big smile on it, and her face intensified to an even darker red.

"You guys might want to sit down for this..."

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

"I trust you had an enjoyable day with Sir William?"

The King's cruel laughter bubbled out of him at what he considered to be a very funny joke. Humoring him, Buffy allowed her eyes to fill with fear, and the knight's face grew void of all emotions. Angelus continued to laugh at the sight before him, before he walked towards the doorway.

"I will be gone for the day, but when I return tomorrow, I will have a surprise for you, Lady Buffy. Be sure to have Dawn dress you in your finest, and I'll be back tomorrow at nightfall. Sir William will be directly across the hall if you choose not to behave yourself, so any attempted runaways are not recommended. Good day."
"Oh, I'll be sure to behave myself, and to have one good day, your majesty."

King Angelus smiled at how quickly a day with his most vicious knight made her change her ways, and strode off down the hall. Faith could be heard scurrying after him, promising to make up for her lateness when they got to their destination.

A moment later, Buffy stepped closer to the knight and wrapped her arms around him. Shyly, he returned the hug, and enjoyed the feeling of having the one that he was rapidly falling for up against him. He knew that he would probably be damned to hell for the way he felt about the King's future wife, but at that point it didn't matter. If the next 19 days were spent without her, he might as well be in hell, so he tried to enjoy it while it lasted.

His arms tightened around her, and she brought her hand up to run through his hair. He tilted his head down, and stared deep into her eyes, with his hand resting on the small of her back. Buffy's body let out a little shiver. His gaze was so intense that Buffy could have sworn that he was staring directly into her soul. Or maybe it was a glimpse of Heaven. Either way, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Spike took in a nervous breath of air while he watched Buffy's tongue jut out to moisten her lips. He was completely transfixed with the action, and even more amazed by the reaction that it got. Thanking God that he was wearing his armor so she didn't notice, he took that moment to lower his head even further, and let his lips briefly flutter against hers.

The kiss was short, soft and sweet, but perfect, nonetheless. A maelstrom of emotions cursed through him, and it took all of his self control to not take it any further. If that short moment made him feel this good, there was no telling what feelings would be invoked if it was continued. He was happier than he had ever been in his life, and it was all because of that kiss. That one small kiss.

When they broke apart, Buffy stared at him in wonder. She had kissed her share of guys, but that had been the best, without a doubt. As short as it had been, the feelings behind it were still just as real. It had been better than kissing Riley, Angel, or the combination of the two. It had been like bolts of electricity had shocked her, sending a flurry of butterflies into her stomach. It had been like Romeo and Juliet had gotten their happy ending. It had been like all things good were just combined into that moment, with every bad thing just floating away. It had been like love expressed through the tiny meeting of lips.

At least one of her thoughts was accurate.

Before either of them could say a word though, the all too familiar sound of footsteps coming down the hall could be heard, and they were forced to part. Still looking into her eyes, Spike walked backwards to the door, and motioned that he would be in his room. She numbly nodded, and watched as he walked out.

When Dawn walked in the room, she saw Buffy laying on her bed with a big smile. She seemed so nice that it was almost hard for her to believe that her brain wasn't all there sometimes. At others though, it was completely obvious. Like now, when she was quietly singing a tune that she seemed to be making up as she went along. The song wouldn't have been all that bad if there was more than one word in the lyrics.

*Goodness, from the sound of that song, it seems as if she's in love! But who on earth is Spike?*

Deciding that she would be less confused by sticking with the insanity theory, Dawn began to straighten out Buffy's room. Once it was spotless, she ventured over to Buffy, and asked if there was anything that she needed. The future Queen yawned as she looked out the door and saw Spike walk into his room, looking as if he had just come out of the shower. She absentmindedly responded, "You can go with the others. I'm gonna start the day off with a nice, long... nap."

Dawn gave her a little curtsey out of respect and walked out of the room as quickly as she could. There could be no harm in her leaving. Afterall, a little bit of sleep never hurt anybody. Maybe it would even help her out a bit.

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

"Good God, Willow! She was doing... that?!?"

Willow meekly nodded to Giles after she explained exactly what she had seen to him and Spike. That was very likely the most embarrassing situation that she had ever been in, and she just wanted the questions to stop. She wanted to stand up and scream every single detail of what she saw, just so that they would leave her alone, but that's pretty much exactly what she had done, and the questions still came.

"And I was doing... that?!?"

A groan escaped her lips once again. She didn't know if it was worse explaining every detail to Giles as if he was a child, or reminding Spike repeatedly to satisfy his ego. Or maybe it was just his fantasies, but that wasn't the point. Either way, she was tired of this conversation, and their ogling over the situation wasn't going to get Buffy back any faster. They were going to have to look deeper for any underlying clues, beyond the obvious things she had seen.

"Was she enjoying herself, Red?"

The deadly look that she sent to Spike shut him up, but the redness of her cheeks was all the answer that he needed. It looked like somehow, somewhere, Buffy was finally finding that heat, that desire, that Spike had described.

"Any chances you could zap me back there to find 'er? Just to save her, of course..."

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

Knock, knock, knock

Spike sat up with a start when he heard the knocking at his door. Moving around his room as quickly as possible, he threw the top layers of his armor back on and walked towards the door. He knew there was nobody in the castle, because they had all taken off to go to a banquet in the town.

All except for Buffy, anyway.

The knight opened the door just enough to see who was on the other side, and let his customary smile cross his face when he saw Buffy. He pulled the door open more, and stepped back to allow her inside. She followed, wrapping her arms around herself to hide her nervousness, and to avoid her intentions.

"Buffy, I had a splendid time with you today. You truly are a beautiful person, on the inside as well as out. I wanted to make sure that you know that..."

She didn't even answer him in words when she stepped across the space between him and gazed up at him. There was a reason why she was there, and she was determined to make it happen. The look in her eyes showed him exactly what she wanted.

Taking his hand is hers, Buffy led him to the bed. Though there were a lot of places in the castle that they could have gone, that was the only one that seemed proper for such an occasion. So, there they went.

Spike stood before her, clasping her small hands between his large ones. His eyes roamed her face with a hungry intensity when he began to speak. "Buffy, I.. I've dreamt of you for so many nights. Your flesh against mine, my lips on your sweet skin. The look in your eyes when you see me, and the smile it brings to your soft lips. Words of love, looks of need. But they were all dreams, M'lady. Never did I imagine that you would willingly come to me, wanting the same things as I have dreamt about."

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, Spike. And this is where my heart wants me to be."

A look of understanding passed over them, and their lips slowly melded together. While they kissed, it was as if they had become one. One body, one heartbeat, one soul. Their tongues moved in a perfect rhythm while they explored each other's mouths, not wanting to miss a single thing.

Spike's lips roamed over her neck, placing soft kisses over every area that was exposed to his sight. He felt Buffy shudder under his touch, and had a similar reaction when she reached out her hand to run it through his hair. She lightly tugged at the beautiful dress that she was wearing, and he got the not so subtle hint.

The knight lingered over undressing his princess. With every layer of discarded clothing, he rained a soft tumult of kisses over the newly bared skin. His hands traced light circles over the underside of her arms, tickling her with his feather light caress. When she murmured her delight at the feelings he invoked, he licked along the lines of her collar bone, letting her remaining clothing whisper to the floor.

Trembling slightly, Buffy stood before him completely naked. His eyes roved over her flesh, admiring the wondrous sight in front of him. He reached his arms up to pull off his armor, and shuddered when she stepped closer to help him. Every revelation of his slim, yet muscular body intensified her longing to be with him, and she knew that this is exactly where she wanted to be. Finally, they wore equal amounts of nothing, and stepped back into an embrace, letting their mouths meet in another passionate kiss.

Spike pulled apart from her for a moment, and sat her on the edge of his bed. The silk sheets felt wonderful beneath her bare skin, and she turned to him with a shy smile. Her eyes immediately lowered, taking in the sight of his throbbing erection. A streak of hair ran from his navel to the thick cluster of curls at his groin. His shaft stood proud, looking purely masculine, and almost arrogant. All in all, it was an exquisite sight.

A smile covered Spike's face again when he saw the unashamedly lustful appearance of her. He kneeled beside her, running his fingers along the soft curves of her hips, gently lowering her to the bed. His hands ran up and down her thighs, while his mouth took in a hardened nipple. She gasped at the sensation, and began to lightly run her nails up and down his back. Her hand explored his chest, his abdomen, his hips, his bottom. They went everywhere that they could without touching his swollen cock that begged for her attention.

A low moan escaped his mouth when he felt the wonders that her hands were doing to him. "God, you're heavenly, Buffy." Staring into her eyes, Spike lowered his hand to the needful juncture of her thighs, and slowly inserted a finger. The length of his digit gently moved in and out of her slippery orifice, making her whimper in need. Her hand reached out to grab his shaft, slowly sliding her fist up and down over the marble like hardness, and delighting her with the response that he gave her.

Slowly and luxuriously, Spike kissed a trail down her body, briefly lingering over her breasts, and stopping at her passage. He placed a gentle kiss on her nubbin, and then buried his tongue inside of her heat. His breath was warm, his tongue on fire. He licked around her swollen clit, and added a finger into her snug orifice. With his hand moving at an equal rhythm with his mouth, he kept her on the brink to ecstasy, always keeping her there, but never giving her that final push. Buffy's hips gently thrust into the air in tiny beseeching movements, and finally he sucked her clit into his mouth, fiercely stroking her inner walls, and sending her into a powerful orgasm.

Her fingers tangled into his hair, and she let out a cry of relief as she rode out her orgasm. When the hard convulsions gradually changed into low tremors, she released his head and pulled him back up the length of her body.

"I need you inside of me. Now."

Spike's lips crashed back against hers, spreading her musky taste across her lips. Gently, yet firmly, he penetrated her, crying out at the intensity of the feeling. Her walls took him in, enveloping him in her hot wetness. He buried himself to the hilt, and slowly began to thrust into her. She let out a loud moan at the sensation, and tightened her muscles around him. At least she hadn't lost all her strength by being sent back to this place.

His mouth opened in a slight inhalation of pleasure as they rocked against each other, and Buffy fluttered her lips across his. She was already on the brink of her second orgasm, and could tell that he was close to his first. Her muscles tightened around him even more, and she began to move her hips harder and faster, setting the pace for both of them. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around his hips, shuddering every time that his cock brushed against her clit.

The two ground against each other, never wanting the moment to end. Each thrust seemed as if it was planned, being both tenderly loving and brutally stern at the same time. He continued to rub against her with every stroke, and soon Buffy felt her walls start contracting around him. While she got lost in her second climax, Spike brought his head down and muffled out her cries with a kiss. His hips moved faster, more urgently now, and within moments, he spilled his seed deep within her.

Once the two calmed down from the most intense experience of their lives, Spike rolled off of her, and held her in his arms. He left trails of kisses over her face and neck, murmuring declarations of love into her ear. Lying there together, the pair let themselves drift off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of their time together. They knew that life was perfect when dreams could not compare to the bliss of their reality.

Down the hall, Buffy's servant paced back and forth, trying to ignore the sounds that she had heard. She didn't know that Buffy was being watched by the knight, so as far as she knew, they were the only two in the castle. From the sounds of it, the future Queen had some unexpected company though. Her pacing grew frantic while her mind ran away with her.

*Oh dear... This is not good. The lady does have a lover, and she seems happy. But she is not well, and I do have a duty. But who on earth is Spike? The King will not be pleased with this information...*


End Part 5.

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The Truth Within
Part 6
by Trish
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"Can't we just kill him, and you can be the new King?"

Spike smiled at Buffy as she finished getting dressed. For the past hour she had been trying to find a way to call off the wedding, and he didn't have it in him to tell her that there was nothing short of the end of the world that could cancel that event. In all his time he had never seen an apocalypse, so chances of that happening weren't good. Not to mention how little death and destruction of all mankind would do for their situation...

Hanging her head in defeat, Buffy walked over to him and snuggled up next to him on the bed. Their time together had just started, and it would soon be pulled away from her. She still had 18 days until the wedding, but that just couldn't be enough. Eternity couldn't be enough.

She gazed up at him with tears in her eyes, and Spike scooped her closer to him in a soothing gesture. One hand traced circles on her back while the other wiped away the tear that was cascading down her cheek. He pulled her closer to him, and let a single tear fall and mesh with her own. The two droplets of salty water met, sliding to the floor as one.

Where there was no shame in being together.

Shaking a bit from an overflow of emotions, Buffy slowly got up from the bed and put her shoes back on. The King would be back soon, and she didn't even want to think of how he would react if he knew that something was going on with her and Spike. So for that reason, she gave Spike a quick kiss and ran back to her bedroom.

Once she was alone, Buffy let the tears fall. They came hard, they came fast. There was no way to stop them as a torrent of emotions flooded her all at once. She felt love for the knight who was sworn to be her protector. She felt anger at the fact that the two of them could never have what she wanted. She felt raw, seething hatred for the King, and everything that he represented. But most of all she felt pain. Blind, searing pain that tore through her and ripped her apart.

Things just couldn't possibly get any worse.

Down the hall, King Angelus approached Dawn as he entered the castle. He threw his overcoat at her, smirking in that annoyingly arrogant way of his, and proceeded to continue walking towards his room. As he walked away, he heard a very meek voice address him, and he slowly turned around to see why somebody would be ludicrous enough to speak to him when he had a very clear destination. Dawn stood there, wringing her hands nervously, before she gave him a small curtsey.

"Your majesty, King Angelus, forgive me for speaking out of turn. I- I.. There's something you should know, and I fear it is not pleasant news." She moved her eyes to the floor, desperately wishing that somebody else was there to keep her safe from the wrath of the King.

"Get on with it. What is it?" Angelus turned his nose down at her, not thinking that a peasant such as her could ever have anything useful to tell him.

"Please forgive me for the news I bear, your majesty. It is Lady Buffy. I fear that she has... She's met a man, your highness. And last night they were... Together." Dawn squinted her eyes shut as she waited for his reaction. When he said nothing, she looked up at him in confusion.

"What was his name, Dawn? And where can I find him?" Angelus continued to look calm as he waited to hear of who committed such an act.

"She called him by the name of Spike. I'm afraid that I do not know of who he is nor of his whereabouts, your majesty."

This time the King did have a reaction. He stepped closer to Dawn, and roughly grabbed her wrist while he spoke in a menacing tone. "You mean to tell me that you knew of this, and you did not bother to go and catch a glimpse of him? You did nothing?!"

Dawn began to tremble as his grasp around her grew tighter. He was cutting off her circulation, and it hurt. A lot. So she said the first thing she could think of that would get herself out of trouble. "I'm sorry, King Angelus! Upon hearing a noise from the lady's chambers, I ran there as fast as I could. Really, I did! But the man was already gone. Please, your majesty! Grant me mercy!"

The King gave her a cold, cruel look before releasing her wrist. He said nothing else to her, but turned in the direction of Buffy's room. She heard the door slam open loudly, and prayed for her lady's safety.

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

"Okay, so let's put aside what Buffy was doing when you saw her. No, wait. So Buffy was shagging me. Did you see anything else? Other than her having sex? With me?"

Willow gave Spike another dirty look as she tried to rack her brain for any useful information. She had described the details of the sexcapades so many times that it was hard to concentrate on anything else she had seen in the room. All she had a view of was the bed, the floor, and the sweaty bodies. What did they expect her to figure out from that?

She tried to picture where everything was. In the right corner of the room was a gigantic bed with silk sheets. Buffy and Spike were on the bed, but those details didn't help. The floor was stone, and had no carpet. On the floor were some crumpled up clothes...

"Ooh! The clothes!"

Giles and Spike whipped their heads around at her words. From the sounds of it she had made some miraculous discovery, and neither of them had any clue of what to expect. "There were no bloody clothes, Red! Remember? Naked. Shagging. No clothes there," Spike said with what seemed to be damaged pride.

Willow rolled her eyes at him before she continued. "Their clothes were on the floor. They just weren't normal. They looked really old, like they were from the past. Far in the past. Do you think that Buffy's been sent through history?"

The three stared at each other deep in thought for quite some time. None of them knew what to make of the situation. If it was true, and Buffy really had been sent back in time, how were they supposed to find her? Some research was definitely in order...

"Willow, I need you to think. Could you describe the clothing?" Giles stared at her in anticipation while he waited for the details to come to her. There was only so much he could go on from knowing that the clothes were old. She was only 20. To her, Woodstock was ancient history!

The witch sat back down on the couch, staring at the floor while she tried her hardest to remember everything. It was all up to her to figure out where Buffy was, and she hated that. She buckled under pressure, and that was as pressuring as it could get. When she looked back up again, Spike and Giles were staring at her as if she was the most interesting thing that had happened since the television had been invented.

Too bad their lives couldn't be as simple as a tv show.

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

"Good evening, Lady Buffy. I trust your night was pleasant?"

Buffy looked up when she heard the King's voice and did her best to keep a straight face. Her tears had stopped, but it was obvious that she had been crying. She just hoped that Angelus would be as dense as he was cruel, and not notice.

"Good evening, King Angelus. My night was great, thanks. Have fun at the fair?" Buffy made it a point to keep her gaze away from his while she spoke to him.

"Yes, it was nice. Faith rode me into ecstasy time and again. Quite nice, really. You do remember that I said there is a surprise for you tonight, correct?" The King kept a wicked sneer on his face the entire time his lips moved. He knew Buffy's weak points and did his best to take advantage of that whenever possible.

"Well that's just great. I've heard from every other guy in the castle that she's a great lay too. And yes, I do remember that there's a surprise waiting for me. How considerate of you to think of your future wife." She spoke with less venom than she usually did, because truth be told, she really didn't care about him or Faith anymore. The only one that she really did care about was forbidden to her.

"Be ready in an hour. I'll be waiting for you in the dining hall." With that said, the King turned around and walked out of her room.

Buffy was completely relieved that he didn't seem to notice anything strange. Could it be that she was actually allowed to have at least one night of happiness that wouldn't be torn away from her? She was amazed to say the least.

A moment later, Dawn entered the room to prepare Buffy for whatever her surprise may be. While she got ready, the two made small talk, and Buffy was very happy to have another female to talk to. The fact that it was Dawn made it all the better. Time seemed to fly by for them, and Dawn was seriously beginning to wonder about what the King had told her about Buffy's condition. She hoped that confiding in him about Spike was for Buffy's own good as she had intended.

With her dread growing by the minute, Dawn led the elegant looking Buffy to the hall where the King was waiting. He was whispering something in a quiet tone, but what he said could not be heard. Buffy cleared her throat to announce her presence, and was surprised to see the room lined with all the King's most loyal knights.

All except for Spike.

Angelus gave her a cruel smile and ushered her and Dawn into the room. The servant was to sit at the back of the room, out of earshot, with all of her kind. Buffy was led to the front of the table where her surprise awaited her. Eyes nearly bulging out of her head, she stared at the face from her past, not quite sure what to think.

"Your surprise, M'lady. I have arranged for a seer to read into you. She sees all, and misses nothing. Thought by some as a witch, she has these, visions if you will, that give light to what not everybody else would see. Tonight she is here to explore your heart, and our future."

Buffy looked back and forth between the King and the seer, trepidation rapidly filling her to the core. She tried to be nonchalant as she skimmed the room for Spike, but it was to no avail. He wasn't there.

Her shoulders slumped in disappointment, and her stomach churned with fear. She just hoped that the seer wasn't as good as Angelus had said. There was only one way to find out though.

"Okay, I'm ready when you are. So, Cordelia, what do you see?"

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

"Did it look like this, Willow?"

The witch glanced up at the picture that Giles was pointing to. She had described the clothing that she saw more times than she would like to count, and they still had no idea where Buffy was. It was beginning to look hopeless.

"You mean to tell me these are the only three books you have on that sorta thing? Bloody hell, Watcher! You were a librarian! And you only have three soddin' books on history?!"

Giles looked up at Spike with a somewhat shamed glint in his eyes. It was true that his book collection on that subject was small, but he never really thought that he would need something like that. Afterall, he was a Watcher. All of his books were meant to help him out with the forces of evil. How was he supposed to know that medieval times would come up in that respect?

"Giles, I don't understand why you need a picture so bad. I gave you a good description, so why can't we just take that and poof ourselves back to her?" Willow spoke in a hopeful voice, even though her eyes betrayed her fear.

"I've explained this. The details you gave were good, but not enough." Giles paused to clean off his glasses. "The medieval time period went on for centuries, you see. The smallest difference in clothing can mean 100 years of a difference. You said there was a helmet on the floor. According to what I've read, that in itself makes an enormous difference in the time period. If it covered the entire face with moveable pieces, it was most likely an Armet from the fifteenth century. Then again, it could be closed but with a visor, which would mean that we're talking about the twelfth century. They look almost the same, but those small differences mean centuries of a difference."

Willow paled slightly at how precise she needed to be. There was no way that she could remember things to the exact detail like that! Even if she could, that would give her an approximate century. They needed to be a lot more specific than that. From the looks of things, it was going to take a long, long time to find her. And that was if they were lucky.

Giles continued to look through his books, and Willow tried to think of any more information that would help them. Spike had gone back over to Buffy, where he sat by her side, clasping her hand. Tears had filled his eyes at the improbability of finding her, and when he looked up at her face, he had a feeling that things were a lot worse than they had thought.

"Bloody hell! Watcher! I think you'd better have a look at this!"

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

*Could this be more fake?*

Buffy did her best to look interested while Cordelia swayed back and forth, trying to read her. It looked like something out of a bad psychic commercial, and it was getting really old, really fast.

At first Buffy had been terrified that her secret would be revealed, but they had been in the room for an hour, and so far nothing personal had been said. Sure, there had been mention of things that could relate to her, but they were so general that they could have been about anybody. Still though, she did her best to look fascinated.

"I see passion and fire in you. There is strength inside of you that many others would envy. As the date of your wedding approaches, you become more and more anxious." Cordelia continued to rock back and forth as if it took great amounts of strength to learn all of this information. Buffy continued to feel bored.

"You care deeply for those you love, and would do anything for them. As a matter of fact, there is somebody that stands out more than the rest. A man. A very powerful man." Angelus took Buffy's hand in his as these words were spoken. She wanted to laugh at him for thinking that he was the one she loved.

"Your heart beats for this man, and you would sacrifice anything for his happiness. In fact, you already have." That caught Buffy's attention as her head sprung up in an alarmed manner. The King's hold on her hand tightened.

"I can see that you have given yourself to him willingly. I can sense... a night of passion, a night of intimacy. I can feel a name for him... What is it? Ah, yes. Spike."

At that, Angelus' grip grew painful to say the least. Buffy tried to jump out of her seat and get out of there, but she was grabbed by two of the knights. They held on to her squirming body, and the King approached her with a wicked sneer. His hand roughly slapped across her face, and she closed her eyes while she waited for whatever was to come.

When the King stepped even closer and roughly pushed her against the wall, she knew all too well what was in her future...


End Part 6.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This part of the story is NOT pretty. At times it will be graphic, offensive, and horrible, and you will most likely hate me for writing this, but have some faith and stick around. :)

***************************************
The Truth Within
Part 7
by Trish
***************************************

"Ooh, feisty, are we?"

The King laughed as Buffy squirmed against him, trying her best to get away from him and his raging hard on. He roughly grabbed her by her hair, and brought her eyes up to meet his. He wanted her to watch every little thing that was to happen.

"Please, King Angelus... Let... Let me go. I'm begging you. It won't happen again, I promise! Please just have mercy, and let me go! Please!" Buffy pleaded with him as best as she could, but it was to no avail. His grip on her was just as strong, and he was now rubbing himself against her in a shameless manner.

"Now you see, M'lady, there will be no 'mercy.' There will be no 'letting you go.' There will be nothing in favor of the likes of you. You have committed treason against me, and against the crown. For that you will pay, my sweet Buffy. You will pay dearly. Choose to behave as a whore, and that is what you will be treated as. And since I now know that you are not as pure as I once thought, I will have no mercy in my punishment for you."

Buffy's eyes watered as he spoke. Her mind raced to think of something to defend herself, to protect herself. To protect Spike. As much as she thought though, she still kept coming up with the same answer. There was nothing that could be done. She was helpless.

The King stepped closer to her, and gently brushed his hand down her cheek. Strangely, the calming gesture caused her to panic even more than she had been. She preferred to see him for the terrible person that he was. It made it all the easier to hate him.

His hand continued to caress her face, and finally it came to Buffy's lips. It lingered there for a moment, savoring the softness of them, and she did what she could. She bit him. Hard.

She took out all the anger and frustration that was building up inside of her, and took the route of a human vampire to lash out on the one who caused her so much pain. A howl escaped his lips, and he dug his hand into her shoulder, but the more he protested, the harder her teeth sank into him. It was starting to hurt her as much as it was him, but that didn't matter. She could feel the coppery taste of blood trickling over her tongue, but the fact that she was causing him pain in the process made it all worth it. The consequences meant nothing. Either way she would be punished, so what was the point in acquiescing him? Her face turned up in a smile as she bit, grinding her teeth into his flesh with all the strength she could muster.

Her smile faded once she felt the rope.

While Buffy's mind had been racing with the pleasure of causing King Angelus pain, one of the knight's had gotten rope to bound her wrists together. Slowly, she pulled her teeth away, and gaped at the mess she had made of the King's hand. It was covered in blood, with pieces of flesh actually missing. If she didn't know any better, she would swear that she saw bone sticking out, but she did know better, and in the long run, her damage would be a lot worse than his.

Angelus stuck his hand in her face and slapped her roughly. Her head lolled back from the force of it, but she forced her determined look to stay with her, to act as her guide. He was going to do as he pleased with her, but he couldn't take her dignity. That was the one thing she would always have.

"You will pay for that, M'lady." Angelus gave her a crude smile as he spoke. "You will indeed pay." With that, he lunged forward, and tore her dress with his good hand, exposing her breasts for the room to see. She let out a cry and tried to cover herself, but the rope prevented her from doing anything about it. So she did what she could, and returned what she had taken from him, partially in hopes that he would give her back the fabric that he had stolen from her. She spit in his face, letting his own blood splash all over him.

Big mistake.

King Angelus summoned for one of his servants to join them, and the male hurriedly ran over, eyeing his future Queen's pert breasts with undisguised lust. The King motioned to her, and asked, "Lady Buffy over here... Do you want her?" The oaf of a stableboy was practically salivating at this question, and looked back and forth between the ripe breasts in front of his face and the serious look the King was giving him. When he determined how serious Angelus was, the servant nodded his head quickly, with his tongue darting out to lick his roughened lips.

Buffy's eyes jutted out, and she starting yelling her protests, begging for somebody to help her. The King stared at her pensively for a moment, before flicking his wrist in her direction. "Then she's yours. But if you enter her, I will have your head on a platter. Understood?" The boy eagerly nodded, thrilled to have an offer such as this. He hurriedly started to undo his pants, fumbling at the vent of fabric that covered him. Buffy turned her head in disgust, but the King found a pressure point in her shoulder and pushed on it until she sank to her knees in pain. He roughly grabbed her by her already painful jaw, and turned her face to meet the towering phallus that stood before her. Pursing her lips together, and murmuring fervent protests in her throat, Buffy tried to deny the stableboy of what the King had granted him.

From the back of the room a sob could be heard, and an anguished voice begged to the King. "Please, your majesty, I beg of you. Please don't do this to my lady. Please, your highness." Angelus slowly turned around to find Dawn with tears streaming down her face, silently pleading to him with her eyes. She had her doubts about what she had been told of Buffy, but she now knew that the stories were all false. The King was sick, and she had caused the predicament that the future Queen was in. Judging by the look the King was giving her, she would probably pay with her life.

"You dare beg me for her mercy? You, of all people?" Dawn started to shake her head in hopes that he would not reveal that it was her who told him of Buffy's lover. She felt terrible as it was, but to have everybody know who had caused this situation would be unbearable.

Angelus gave the petite servant a look of disdain, and ordered her to leave the room. Her tearful eyes met Buffy's, and a look of understanding passed between them both. To her surprise, Buffy smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but it showed that she would be okay. She just hoped that her lady was right.

Staring at her sister from her world, Buffy suddenly found her determination again. She would suffer, there was no doubt about that, but things would get better. They had to.

When the King turned her head so that the stableboy's waiting shaft was brushing against her lips, Buffy didn't fight it. She slowly licked the tip of it, and accepted her fate, knowing that things would get better soon. Or at least that's what she told herself.

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

"Bloody do something, Watcher!"

Spike's voice rapidly went from calm to frantic as the three of them stood over Buffy's seemingly sleeping form. Things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of seconds, and he was beginning to seriously panic. The look of peace that had covered Buffy's face was gone, and was replaced by an unmistakable look of anguish. Tears streamed down her face, and her mouth had faint traces of blood in it. Her body was wracked with tears, and every once in a while she would shudder. All in all it was not a pretty sight.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

"Willow, bring the books over here, and Spike, go get a wet towel." Giles was the only one who wasn't shouting at that point. His voice was low, worried. His concern for Buffy far outweighed his urge to panic, so he stayed strong. When Willow and Spike rushed off to get what he had asked for, Giles lowered his lips to Buffy's forehead, and prayed for the daughter that he always wanted to come out of it.

For a second, Buffy's face seemed to relax, and a look of confidence passed through her. Relief flooded Giles, and he decided that maybe their actions had an effect on how Buffy felt in whatever realm she was in. He stood up to take the towel from Spike, and felt himself pale when he heard the faintest whimper escape the Slayer's lips.

Throughout the entire time that Buffy had been in her catonic state, she had never made a peep. Thinking back on how horrible she had looked a few moments ago, Giles couldn't even bare to turn to see what had made her whimper.

Spike, on the other hand, did look, and immediately wished he hadn't.

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

"Drink deeply, Buffy."

The King smirked at her as he watched the stableboy grasp her head tightly and spurt his seed into her mouth. It splashed across her tongue, and she fought to keep her resolve as she swallowed the bitter liquid.

She pulled herself to her feet and gave Angelus a defiant look as he slowly clapped his hands together, making her hate him even more. Still though, she refused to show her distress, and kept her gaze steady and unwavering.

"My work here is done. I'm leaving now." Buffy started to walk away, and only stopped when a hand gently reached out to touch her shoulder. She did her best not to shudder at the contact.

"Now you see, Lady Buffy. I don't think you understand. While I am happy to see that you are no longer kicking and screaming, your work here is far from done. I believe there are fifteen more men in this room, not including myself, of course. Your beloved Spike must be somewhere in here, and I want nothing more than to see your discomfort at him knowing that you're a whore. Well, that, and the death that will await him once I discover his identity."

Buffy glared at the King as she fought the tears that were trying to come forth. She wouldn't let him see what he was doing to her. She simply couldn't. Eventually he would have to grow bored by seeing her with all of these men if it didn't affect her, and at that point, it was the best that she could hope for.

She should have known better.

"Now we're going to do this a little bit differently, Lady Buffy. You see, I realize that you will not reveal who your lover is, so I will have to find him on my own. If I see you so much as look at one of these men with a hint of something other than hatred, he will be killed immediately."

The King turned to address the remaining men in the room. "I will not be made a fool! In this room, I have the men who spend the most time at the castle. There are some of you who I have already dismissed, and they will not be with us today. The rest of you, however, will abide my wishes, and do as I say. Now, you. Come up here and reveal your face."

One of the ten knights that stood in the room slowly approached Buffy and the King. When he took off his helmet, Buffy was relieved to see that it was a face she had never before seen. Angelus sat back on his throne and motioned for one of his servants to come closer. The young man nodded and disappeared from the room, only to return moments later with Faith in tow.

The King did not say a word to her as he watched Buffy's head lower to the knight's cock. He just pointed to his own erection, and Faith grasped it in her hand, keeping her strokes in time with Buffy's. At that moment, both girls felt equal hatred for King Angelus.

*Spike, Spike, Spike... I have to stay strong for him. Please have him be one of the people that the bastard of a King trusted enough to keep him away from this. Someone, anyone, just give me a sign that he's not here...*

Buffy's mouth once again filled with semen.

*Not fucking funny.*

Letting out an audible sigh, the knight nodded to the King and took his position back against the wall with the others. The next man in line walked up to Buffy, and stood still until Faith was done with Angelus. When the King stood up and walked over to them, the man took off his helmet and let his gaze meet Buffy's.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the face of the man in front of her. A feeling of dread pierced his heart when he saw the look she gave him, and a look of panic crossed his face. The King saw the look that the two exchanged, and grabbed his sword from his side.

"You! It was you!?" Angelus stalked towards the knight menacingly with his sword raised in the air. "I swear, your highness! It was not me! I have never touched this woman!" Fear was embedded into his features as he tried to back away from the sword that was quickly approaching him.

For the first time since the situation had started, Buffy let her tears fall. A scream of anguish escaped her lips as she saw the sword move towards the knight that she knew all too well's head. Sharp metal met with skin, causing a shower of blood to spray from the man's throat.

Buffy fell to her knees and let her tears mix with the pool of crimson blood on the floor. A mutilated face stared back at her, causing a flood of memories to flow into her mind. The good, the bad, and the terrible flowed back to her, sending her mind into turmoil. With a menacing look, the King lowered the sword in front of her, and that's when she knew fear.

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

"Buffy, luv. Come back to us. We need you. I need you. Please Buffy!"

Spike sat by her side, brushing her hair off her face and holding a cold towel to her forehead. She was growing hot, and her skin had turned a ghastly shade of gray. Every once in a while a shudder would wrack her body, and another whimper would surface. The crying never stopped, and with every tear that made it's way down her cheek, Spike had one to meet it.

He couldn't even imagine the hell that she must be going through in whatever world she was in. His eyes traveled back and forth between Giles and Willow's research and Buffy's face. He just hoped that Giles was right when he said that their actions might make a difference in how Buffy felt in the time that she had been sent back to.

"I know you can get through this, Buffy. I promise that we'll get you back. Please just hold on for me, pet. And remember that I love you. Always have. You know, I remember the first time I saw you, dancing at the Bronze. Cor, you were beautiful. That dance is what started it all. I knew right then you were different. You were strong, graceful, and God, that dance! Well, I know that you're still strong, luv, and I promise you that our dance is far from over."

Spike ran his hand over her arm, gently rubbing tiny, soothing circles over her flesh. He bent down and lightly kissed her forehead before he got up to rewet the cloth. As he walked by the others, Willow suddenly grabbed his arm, realization evident on her face.

"Oh, Goddess! I think I know where she is!"

Giles and Spike looked back and forth from each other, Willow, and Buffy's more relaxed body. Things were suddenly looking much better.


End Part 7.

The Truth Within
Part 8
by Trish
***************************************

"I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier! I mean, it was right there in front of me!"

Spike and Giles stared at Willow, waiting for her to get to the point of her story. From the way her eyes were twinkling, it looked like things were about to get much better, and they were really eager to find out what had her so excited.

"Right there, on the floor. All over the floor, actually. How did I not notice before?" Willow continued to talk to herself as the two men in the room tried to refrain from shaking the information out of her. At the sound of Spike clearing his throat, the Witch finally realized that they had no idea what she was talking about.

"Ooh, um, sorry. There was a crest on the floor in the room. It was partly hidden from the clothes, so I didn't think of it before, but I do remember what it looked like. I would give you details, but-"

Willow stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the annoyed looks that Spike and Giles were sending to her. The vampire tapped his foot impatiently and the Watcher cleared his throat in that intimidatingly British way of his. Neither looked impressed with her story.

"Okay, before you guys interrupted me with your loud, well, silence, I was gonna say that I would describe it, but I don't have to. I saw a picture of it in one of the books."

At hearing that, Giles and Spike looked at each other for a moment, their faces void of all emotions. They continued to stare in silence, and finally turned their heads back to Willow. Upon seeing her excited face, they looked at each other one more time, and then over to the stack of books on the floor.

They dove over the couch in unison.

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

"Come now, Buffy. Your lover is dead. You are soon to be wed. Deal with it."

The King stood above her, still clutching his sword in his hand. Buffy looked at the floor, taking in the sight of the dead body and the pool of blood that she was kneeling in. Her gaze traveled back up to Angelus, hatred burning fire behind her eyes. Slowly, she brought herself to her feet, paying no mind to the crimson liquid that covered her hands and her dress. Glaring daggers at King Angelus, the future Queen turned her back and walked away. Away from the mess in the room, away from the mess of her life.

The King said nothing.

People had lined the hallways, hoping to catch a word, a whisper, of what went on in the dining hall. When the grand doors were pulled open, and Buffy stepped out from the room, their speculative gazes roved her body, and their whispers ceased to exist. All stood back, giving slight bows and curtseys, no longer wanting to know of the horrors that the room had seen. The lifeless expression on Buffy's face, and the blood that marred her features spoke louder than any words could.

The walk down the hallway and into her room seemed to last an eternity for Buffy. Finally she got there though, and let a tear stream down her cheek at the emptiness of Spike's room. Sniffling, she walked into her own bedroom and curled up on her bed, shedding tears for all she had lost.

A moment later, another figure entered her room, and Buffy barely looked up. "Get out," was the only thing she could force from her lips, as she wiped at her tears and let the blood embed itself onto her face. Still though, the other person didn't move. "Get the fuck out of my room!" Silence.

Millenniums could have gone by in the time that the two sat there without speaking a word. There was really nothing that could have been said. Well, there was one thing...

"It was not him, was it, Lady Buffy?" Dawn's bright eyes stared up at her in wonder. She had prayed and hoped that it wouldn't be Spike that the King had killed, but the future Queen was being very difficult to read. More silence passed.

"It never was him." Buffy looked at Dawn while the younger girl gave her a sympathetic smile. A small hand reached out to wipe some of the blood of off Buffy's face, and her eyes shut in pain. "Thank you." Saying those words seemed to release any left over tension in the room as the girls smiled tentatively at one another.

"Did you know him, Lady Buffy?" The younger girl spoke softly, afraid to deepen Buffy's sorrow.

"You could say that. I guess you could call him an old friend." Buffy nearly chuckled at that comparison. That was the most accurate thing that she could have said though.

"Forgive me for being so bold, but is it true that the two of you were... intimate?" A deep red covered Dawn's cheeks as she asked the question, and granted a small giggle from Buffy.

"Not for another few centuries." That caused Buffy's giggles to grow into a fit of laughter as she thought of how ridiculous that sounded. Dawn blushed, thinking back on the bits of conversation that she had heard from Buffy and Sir William one day, and trying not to show that she had heard Buffy's secret.

"Well, Sir Riley was a fine knight, and he will be missed. What the King said was true though. He is dead now." Buffy opened her mouth to protest to Dawn's bluntness, but the younger girl continued talking. "But Sir William is not. For that, be thankful."

Buffy's eyes widened in confusion as she let Dawn's words sink in. She wanted to deny that Sir William was indeed her Spike. She wanted to throw her arms around the girl that would one day be her sister. She wanted to go laugh in the King's face for the mistake that he made. She wanted to go make Riley look more comfortable than the King had made him.

She wanted to hug the man that now stood in her doorway, and never let him go.

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

"You know, it might be easier to find the soddin' thing if the pictures in this book weren't the size of my bleedin' fingernail!"

Spike continued to flip through his book, trying to find a picture that matched Willow's description of the crest. So far, the three of them had found nothing. They knew it was somewhere though, and despite the size of the pictures, they had more hope than they had up to that point.

Letting out a loud sigh, Willow put the book she was looking at down, and stretched her arms over her head. When she caught the two men giving her a look of incredulity, she flashed them a sheepish grin and continued looking.

"So, we find the picture, and then what?" Spike spoke without moving his eyes off the page he was looking at. "That's the part I'm not too sure on." On to the next page. "Do we just zap ourselves back to a time over there that we know is safe? Like when we were shagging?"

Giles stared at Spike as if he had grown a set of fangs out of his forehead. "I still can't imagine why Buffy was with you in that land, but if I hear about it one more time, I'll have to kill you. For good this time."

"C'mon Giles, give him a break. He's just hanging on to the hope that he has a chance. Ooky way to do it, but that's not the point." Willow shyly flipped through her book as she spoke.

"Watcher?" Spike went unnoticed.

"Willow, don't tell me that you're taking his side! He's a vampire, and we all know how the last one of those she dated worked out!" Giles stood up, waving his arms like a mad man.

"Witch?" Ignored, once again.

"No, no sides! Neutral, here. I'm just saying that maybe he really does really care. I mean, he has been here since this all started. Plus, he's not Angel. He never had a soul, and he chose to stay here. He might get annoying sometimes, but still..."

"Are you all bleedin' deaf?!?" Spike's voice boomed out this time, completely overriding the other two voices in the room. "Red, I think the recently threatened and sometimes annoying vampire just found what we've been lookin' for."

Giles and Willow slowly rose to their feet and stepped closer to Spike. When Giles saw the emblem, his eyes widened considerably. When Willow saw it, she beamed happily. She leaned over and squeezed Spike's hand in a thankful gesture.

"I think we have a winner."

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

"The King will be here to check on you soon, My lady. Time is not a luxury tonight."

Buffy attempted to flash Dawn a grateful smile, but her eyes were riveted to her knight's face. Her eyes shone with love, and her lips curled into a small smile as she stared at him. It was at that moment that she realized how lost she was without him.

"God Spike, I'm so happy to see you! I was so scared... I thought he was going to kill you! Oh God, I need you in my life!" Buffy's voice became muffled as she began to sob on his shoulder. His arms encircled her, and he tried to calm her and soothe her tears.

"My lady, I beg of you. Tell me what happened. The King sent me into battle with some of the other knights today, but there was no army to be fought. I did not realize that he meant to be rid of us until it was too late, and I got back as fast as I could. What has he done?"

Buffy stared up at Spike with tears still streaming down her cheeks as she took in the sincerity of his voice. "Spike, he knows. About us. But he doesn't know who 'Spike' is. And he made me... He made me do things with the other knights. Horrible things. And he thought he found the one he was looking for, and now he's dead. Angelus killed an innocent man, Spike, and I didn't do anything to stop him!"

Spike's face hardened as she told her story, but the anger was at the King, and not at her silence. His lips briefly fluttered across hers, and he stepped away from her. "Excuse me, M'lady." Buffy's eyes widened as he turned his back and began to walk away. "Spike! Where are you going?!" Her lower lip began to tremble once again. "I will not let the King get away with this. I must confront him." A grim look of resolve covered his features. "No! You can't! Please, Spike! Promise me you won't say anything to him! He thinks my lo- He thinks Spike is dead!"

Realization dawned on the knight. "Buffy, that man he killed tonight. He thought him to be your lover?" She nodded her head in affirmation, and ran to his side. "Please, Spike. Don't do this. Let him think that he's won. Please." His eyes roamed over her face and met her eyes. "Spike, I need you. I, I love you."

Once those words were out of her mouth, Buffy felt relief wash over her, thrilled to finally express her feelings. Spike pulled her into his arms and covered her in kisses. "My heart belongs to you, sweet Buffy. And for that reason, I will honor your wishes. Let my love be expressed through silence, and you will see how deep my feelings flow. I. Love. You."

Buffy's eyes closed for a moment, reflecting on what he told her. Her lips plundered into his, showing her gratitude for his silence. She went to pull him closer, but he surprised her by breaking their kiss. When she stared up at him in confusion, he placed a finger to her lips and kissed her forehead.

"I do love you, M'lady. For that reason, I cannot let this continue. This. Us. It can never be. We can never be." A painful gasp escaped her lips, but he hushed her with his words. "I want nothing more than your happiness, Buffy. To come home every night and be able to hold you in my arms would be my fantasy. But that is the problem. It is a fantasy, a dream never meant to come true.

"In one week hence, you shall be married to the King. It is my duty to remain loyal to him, but my heart loathes him. And soon you shall be his. You will always be in my heart, and I shall never love another. We are just destined to be apart. You, the future Queen, and me a knight sworn to remain loyal to the King. I know it is not fair, for two people with such passion to be forced apart by the laws of nature, but this is the way it must be.

"I love you, My lady. You are my heart, my soul. I beg that you never forget how I feel, and that you always remember what we've had. My heart belongs to you, and it always shall. I. Love. You."

Spike pressed a kiss to Buffy's brow, allowing her tears to mix freely with his own. That was the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he knew it was necessary. If he allowed their relationship to continue, there was no telling what the King would do to her. For that reason, he followed his mind instead of his heart. When the knight looked down at his love, he knew that his heart would win in the end.

Buffy stared up at the man she loved, perplexed by what was happening. Deep down inside, she knew that what he said was right. Just like her world, Spike was forbidden to her due to technicalities. For the first time, she knew how the real Spike must feel, and her heart broke even more.

"Fuck the laws of nature! Don't you understand that I love you?"

Before Spike could respond, the dreaded sound of footsteps filled the air, and the two were forced to part. When a servant entered the room, he was oblivious to the look of longing that the two shared, and he assumed that their distress was over the dead knight.

"Excuse me, My lady. The King asks for your presence at his table. Sir William, you are wanted there too. All knights are requested to join."

The servant gave a brief bow before exiting the room. Spike went to speak to Buffy, but her eyes had grown cold, void of all emotions. He touched her arm, pleading to her with his eyes, but she shrugged him off.

"My future husband wants me now, and you've made it clear that you don't." With that, Buffy gave him one last look and walked down the hall, sniffling back her tears.

End Part 8.