Chapter Four: The Newly Weds

It was well after lunch when Buffy made her way to Riley's room. Dawn had nibbled at some hospital food and then taken her next hit of pain killers. Buffy missed lucid, conscious Dawn but with her out like a light, it was the perfect opportunity for Buffy to do some recon.

Sam had pounced on her before she had even finished knocking.

"Do you know what that monster did?" Sam hissed angrily. She gestured to the sleeping man in the bed behind her. "Ri has broken ribs, a collapsed lung, they're not sure if he'll keep his right kidney, not to mention the broken jaw and fractured eye socket!"

"Dawn is going to be okay," Buffy replied icily. "In case you were wondering."

Sam stopped and momentarily had the decency to look ashamed of herself.

Buffy glanced at the sleeping man behind her, mangled face popping out from the blue and white hospital gown. She looked back at Sam. She had shed the Kevlar and was just in her regular black pants and t-shirts. She could see a deep purple bruise blooming underneath the fabric from where Spike's palm had connected.

"She woke up this morning," Buffy continued. "And I would love to be sitting with her, watching her sleep, reading her trashy magazines, getting her jello, but I can't because I have to stand guard over you two and to be honest, you're not my favourite people right now."

"You don't need to stand guard," Sam said, losing steam. "Riley isn't cleared for transport yet but-"

"And Spike is on the war path," Buffy interrupted. "He left the hospital last night and has been ripping through demon bars. And I hope he's worked out all his aggression before he gets back here, and trust me he will be back here, because I really don't know if I have the energy to stop him going in for round two."

"The chip-"

"God why does no one get it?" Buffy asked, looking up to the ceiling. She took a deep breath and explained slowly. "The chip was going off, Blind Freddie could see he was in pain. He. Just. Didn't. Care. Hopefully, he's calmed down enough that he won't be able to keep it up."

"He shouldn't be able to do that. Ri said it was designed to be debilitating."

Buffy shrugged. "Spike shouldn't be able to do a lot of things."

"He needs to be brought in. We have a team-"

"No!" Buffy shouted. "Your teams have done enough damage in my town." Buffy moved to stand in front of the window. Riley had been moved to a private room with a large window. Dawn's room was half the size and the window faced another building. Least this window would hold Spike off for a while. Can't kill someone you can't reach. She let the sun bathe her tired face. She felt like she could sleep for a week. "Sun should keep you safe for now and I have to get back to Dawn, I'll be back at sunset."

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Buffy had called every contact she had, every bar who would take her call, every demon she had ever been owed a favour by, and she couldn't find him. She'd sent Willow and Xander out on his trail and apart from some very technical descriptions of the damage and unsolicited repair quotes from Xander, she was no closer to finding out what his next move was. They were too far behind him. She looked out Dawn's window. The bright gold of the day had faded to a muted purple and she knew it was more than enough cover for Spike to move around in.

She just wished she knew what he was planning. Had he found The Doctor? Still looking? Was he a pile of dust in some back room? Her overtired mind was in overdrive. There were too many options but one thing she was sure of was that if Spike was alive, he was coming back to the hospital. He was coming back to see Riley. She didn't know what he was going to do when he go there but he was coming back. Spike wasn't one to leave a job like this unfinished. He would want to see Riley, want to know he was in pain, want to know that he was going to be punished, that he suffered. Buffy couldn't bring herself not to want the same things.

Dawn had picked at a lack lustre dinner and assured Buffy that she would be okay if she left her for an hour. Tara was there now and Buffy trusted Tara to look after Dawn.

So she made her way to Riley's room. She spied two conspicuously plain clothes armed guards outside his room but neither one of them rose to stop her. She didn't knock when she came in.

"Buffy," Riley said through his wired jaw. One eye was swollen shut and almost completely black. The bruise extended under the other. "Dawn. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

Buffy waved her hand in front of her, cutting him off. "Save it," she said coldly. "I'm not here for your apology. I'm just here to do my job."

"I filled him in," Sam told her, saving her husband from having to talk through wires and broken facial muscles. "We called in extra support for if Spike comes back."

Buffy smiled. "When," she corrected. "And more guns. You think that will stop him? Vampire, remember?" She took a few steps forward to stand beside Riley's bed. Sam seemed to want to put herself in between them but knew she wouldn't have the strength. This was a very different slayer to the one she had encountered only a few days ago. This slayer wasn't unsure and wasn't happy to tag along. This slayer was hard and dangerous. As still and calm as this slayer was, she was a loose cannon. No telling what she would do. This was the slayer Graham had said Maggie Walsh was afraid of.

"Do you know what our plan was when Spike first got to town?" Buffy asked suddenly. She looked directly at Riley. Unflinching. "Run. Hide. Because once Spike sets his sights on you, that's it. He doesn't stop until the job is done." Buffy glared down at Riley and his broken body. She fought the urge to feel sorry for him. Buffy turned and sat down in the chair next to his bed. "And he has his sight set on you."

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