AN: Thank you :) I'm glad you guys are still interested! Like I said at the beginning, I don't see this story going much farther than 10-15 chapters, so I'm trying to stick some juice in there without dragging it out too much. :) Enjoy!

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Not knowing where else to go, Buffy found herself on the doorstep of the only two people she knew that could help her - Willow and Tara.

It was the middle of the night, maybe they were sleeping - she should have called before showing up, but she hadn't had the time, or thought. Her mind was scrambling, trying to come up with a positive solution for what had happened. He'd spilled a blood bag; it was the blood of another vampire Spike had fought; hell, maybe he had even hurt himself. Still, nothing sat right with her. Before Connor, she wouldn't have thought much of Spike's disappearance. But, she knew he would never leave them... not now.

When Willow finally came to the door, Buffy didn't hesitate before stepping inside. "Spike's gone," she said.

"Gone? As in... he left?" Willow asked, slightly confused.

"No... he wouldn't leave."

"So... you think he might have been taken?"

Buffy sighed. "I don't know Will, it doesn't make any sense... What would someone want with Spike? I just... I have a bad feeling about this."

"He has the Gem of Amara, he can't-..."

"No... he left it at the house." When he had gone two nights before, he had left the gem on the dining room table with a note, since this is a part of what we had, don't feel right taking it with me... keep it safe.

"Oh... Oh! I could try a locator spell. I don't have the ingredients here, we'll have to head to the Magic Box."

Buffy nodded, noticing Tara appear beside Willow. "D-Do you want us to call Xander and Anya?" she asked, having heard their conversation from down the hall.

"No, there's nothing they can do right now. It's the middle of the night, and-... I'm sorry... I should've called, or-..." Buffy apologized. She hadn't realized just what she had been doing, only that she needed to find Spike. Disrupting her friends' sleep hadn't even occured to her, she knew that they would always be there.

"Buffy, it's fine. We want to help... Spike has become-... Well, we care about him. And, if you have a gut feeling that something's up, then something is definitely up," Willow reassured as she gently touched Buffy's arm. "We'll find him."

~.~.~

The Magic Box hadn't changed much over the past years, aside from added inventory and several renovations done to the front of the building due to damages caused from demons, vampires, and the lot.

It still never failed to give Buffy a sense of home and comfort. Most important to her, it reminded her of Giles. Her former watcher had left Sunnydale three years ago to return to England. It had been one of the hardest times in Buffy's life - she was not only saying goodbye to a man who taught her everything she knew about slaying, but also a man that she saw as a father, in lack of her biological's presence.

Willow and Tara had been gathering, sorting, and reading for ten minutes, yet it had felt like hours to Buffy. She had tried her best to stay out of their way, wandering aimlessly around the store. She could have taken the time to train, but her mind and heart weren't in the right place. All she could do was worry - and wait.

"Buffy," Willow called, and the Slayer immediately dropped the books she was mindlessly scanning and rushed to her friend. "He's... here."

"Here? How?... I... I checked everywhere."

"Well, I mean he's here, in Sunnydale, that doesn't necessarily mean he's-..."

"In sight, or... or above ground," Tara finished, with a hopeful smile.

"Can you see where he is... exactly?"

Willow nodded. "It's a little foggy, but... it looks like he's below the..."

"The what?" Buffy proded when Willow paused.

"The Bronze... I can't be sure Buffy, but-..." Willow started, but stopped herself when she realized Buffy was no longer listening - she had already left.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Tara asked, glancing over at Willow, who nodded in response. "Sh-Should we follow her?"

~.~.~

The atmosphere of the Bronze after closing was entirely different from that when it was open. It had an eerie feeling, one that sent a shiver through Buffy's body. The place had yet to be cleaned, that never happened until early morning, long before it opened - the aftermath of earlier that night still lingered in the building.

The lock on the back door had been easy enough to break, and while Buffy had no idea where she was going, she forced herself to put all of her emotions aside and think only as the Slayer - allow her instincts to take over and guide her.

Her stomach was turning at the thought of what she might find. She had no idea what kind of condition Spike would be in, if he would even still be alive. She also knew there was a possibility that this was a trap - set up to lure her in. She had made many enemies in her years as the Slayer, and she knew there were others she hadn't met that would go to any length to capture her. Whoever this was knowing her only weakness, him, made her feel less confident - but she knew that she couldn't rely on assumptions. It could very well be Spike that they wanted.

A few minutes later, she found herself in a tunnel underneath the club. It was dark and damp, and the smell was almost unbearable. However, she hardly noticed any of that, all she could see in her mind was Spike.

The tunnel led out to an open space - and in the middle, she saw him. He was tied up, and from what she could tell, badly beaten. Seeing him in the state he was she felt her guard drop and immediately, she ran for him. All she wanted was to get him out of there.

She was half way to him when she heard him yell, "Buffy, run!"

Ignoring his warning, she continued. She was so close to him when she felt a painful surge of energy hit her from behind. She fell to her knees in pain, gasping as her chest tightened making it painful to breathe.

Buffy struggled, but to no avail. The more she tried to free herself, the more intense the pain became. She managed to turn in order to see just who her attacker was - a large red demon who wore a cloak that reminded Buffy of ancient times. In his palm was the source of her pain, a small ball of blue energy crackled above it, pointed directly at her.

He smiled down at her. "Slayer, so nice to finally meet you."

"What... do.. you... want?" she managed to get out, despite the pain in her chest.

"Isn't it obvious? - I want you. Why else do you think I grabbed the vampire? You should know better than anyone that he has nothing to offer," he spat, glancing over at Spike in disgust.

Buffy narrowed her gaze. "I beg... to differ," she said, then looked up at Spike who locked eyes with her. She could see the pain in his blue eyes, but not for himself - for her.

"I told you to run pet, do you ever listen?"

Buffy smiled softly, ignoring the pain. "To you?... Of... course not."

"Quite odd, isn't it?" the demon interrupted. "A Slayer in love with a vampire... In all my years, I never thought to see such a thing."

"What... do... you want?" Buffy repeated.

He laughed. "Do you know what the most valuable part of a Slayer is?"

"You will... soon enough."

"No, my dear... it is not that. The true uniqueness of a Slayer is her energy... what lives inside of that tiny little form of yours. It's what makes your strength - it is what makes you. I bet you can understand why such a thing would be so important to a demon of my nature," he said, and Buffy simply glared. "Fine then, I'll tell you. I am a Kaji demon. I live and thrive off of energy. As do most beings, however, I take pleasure in gathering more. The more energy a Kaji demon gathers, the more powerful he becomes - the more invincible. I, myself, am already quite close to fulfilling that - what I bet you can guess, is why I am so interested in yours."

"If it's... me... you want... let him... go."

"Such a true heroine, aren't you Slayer? Always thinking of others before yourself - even a lowlife vampire. That, my dear, is the very existance of your weakness. I have been around for many years, and while I've collected the energy of four Slayers before you, I have never come across one that was willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of another. They all begged and pleaded to be spared... you don't seem the type," he claimed as his yellow eyes scanned her body. "I am going to enjoy sucking the life out of you."

"If you're... as strong as... you say... you... are... let me go... and face me... demon... to Slayer..." Buffy didn't know if she could kill him, but as long as she as could get him to let her go, she at least stood a chance - and that meant Spike did too.

To her surprise, the demon released his hold on her, and allowed her to stagger to her feet as she attempted to regain her balance.

"If you're so foolish to believe that all of my strength lies in one area, you are not the Slayer I had hoped you would be," he taunted.

"I might only be one Slayer... and you might be one... big demon with crackly hands - but I'm still going to kill you... you can bet on that," Buffy snarled.

She lunged, attempting to punch his jaw, but felt herself being pushed back almost immediately. Had his arms always been that long? Recovering, she glanced back at Spike, as if to gather strength from his eyes, and rushed the demon with a combination of kicks and punches. Even the few she had landed had seemed to hardly phase him. She could already sense that this was going nowhere, yet was far from giving in.

She stood tall as he walked towards her, preparing herself for an attack. However, before he reached her, he turned, his gaze distracted. Buffy followed him, noticing two people standing by the entrance - Willow and Tara.

Willow's eyes were closed as she chanted something that Buffy couldn't make out from the distance, but she watched silently as an invisible force struck the demon, knocking him off of his feet.

"Willow, get out of here!" Buffy yelled, but her friend stood still defiantly.

"His chest, Buffy, his energy - it's stored in his chest!"

Well, that was helpful. Now all Buffy had to do was get to it. She glanced once more up towards Willow and Tara before lunging herself at the demon who was still recovering from the hit. She moved with new speed, knowing now that it was not only her and Spike in danger, but her two closest friends as well. If she failed in killing this demon, she would fail them - Willow was a strong witch, but she would be no match for him, Buffy had felt the strength in his magic, and it was stronger than all of them put together. But, that didn't mean she couldn't beat him - her way.

While Buffy attacked him with her fists, Willow tried her best to lower his strength through spells, and although it didn't seem to do much, it helped distract him enough for Buffy to be able to hurt him.

A few minutes later, Buffy saw what could be her only chance to destroy the demon. She moved quickly, pulling a knife from the pocket of her jacket - one that Spike had given to her a couple years ago for her birthday - and plunged it deep into the center of his chest. He stumbled back, surprise written on his face as well as anger.

The group watched as the demon fell to the ground, clutching his chest. If not for the grim mood, Buffy thought the sight had the possibility to be pretty - there was a number of colours escaping through the hole she had left, mixing together as they swirled into the air, then they disappeared suddenly.

Buffy walked over to where the demon lay still, kneeling down beside him.

"How about that for Slayer uniqueness?"

He let out a low growl, then laughed softly. "You are strong, that is no doubt. But without the aid of your friends, I would have had you... A Slayer is supposed to fight alone."

Buffy shrugged. "Why can I say? I've never been much of a loner type." She waited until his yellow eyes had finally closed before standing and turning to face Willow. "You've been spending too much time around me... you're getting braver."

"I don't know about braver," Willow said with a smile. "But when my friend is in danger, I can fake it pretty well."

"I couldn't have done it without you Will."

"Yes, you could..."

"Buffy."

She heard his voice from behind, and immediately turned and fell into his arms. "Spike... are you okay?"

He smirked as he gently ran his hand through her hair. "Better now."

"We should get you somewhere safe... where you can rest," she said, then looked to Willow. "Xander's is closer, do you think he would mind if we busted in all bruised and bloody?"

"I think he's used to that by now."

As Buffy helped Spike towards the tunnel, Tara turned to Willow as they walked slowly behind the couple.

"D-Did you-..." Tara began, but Willow had already known what she was about to ask.

"Notice? Yeah, I... I did."

"Should we tell them? I-I don't know much about it, b-but I think they should know..."

Willow nodded. "We'll tell them... but, they should rest first. Tomorrow, we should do some research tonight, make sure that we're absolutely sure before we say anything. Whatever happened to Spike before we got here was not good..."

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AN: Sooo, this is me trying to be plotty :) Haha. I am really bad at demon plots, so bare with me, & if you think it's dumb, I'll drop it!

Reviews are always nice :)