A/N: Wow, have I been slacking lately. I'm sorry, I know as a reader that it can be hard to keep an interest in a story when it's not updated for a while, but thanks to everyone for bearing with me =)

I hope I've finally managed to get through this writer's block, and that I can update more often than months at a time. Unfortunately, I can't say when the next post will be, cos I'm in Uni at the moment and they've decided that piling on the work is a good idea lol. How woulda thought Uni was hard work? xD

But yes, rest assured that I am currently writing the next chapter and aim to get it up within the next week or so.

Also, I noticed that I managed to forget about thanking my reviewers at the beginning of the last chapter, so I apologise and send my thanks to soulcop83, missgwen33, Doni, Blade Redwind, Seapea, Sailor Sayuri, Niori, Linwe Ferland, kissdoogie, Figs, PWL and mat528 for their great reviews. It was re-reading these that got me determined to get posting again =) So thanks very much, and here's your next dosage of Better to Have Loved and Lost.

Chapter 14 : Plans and Surprises

"Walk with me?" Riley asked, turning slightly to indicate the opposite direction to the one her friends had gone in.

Buffy smiled to hide her suspicion, and nodded as she fell into step beside him. "So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how things ended between us. I was rude and angry, but hearing that you were getting married was just a shock, you know? But I'm okay now. How are the wedding plans going, by the way?" Riley attempted to ask casually, and judging the look on Buffy's face, he'd succeeded. He acted as earnest as he could as he led her further away.

Buffy's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. She'd forgotten that she'd told Riley she was getting married and still hadn't cleared the matter. It just hadn't ranked high on her list of priorities right then. "Actually, we broke up. Marriage is such a big step, and we just weren't ready," she said quietly, thinking quickly in case he asked anything more.

"But, wasn't that him back there?"

The blonde's eyes flew to him. "How... what?"

"The guy back there. Billy Idol wannabe. Xander called him 'Spike'," Riley responded honestly.

"Uh, yeah. We're still friends," she said, stumbling slightly over the last word. 'Friends' had never been enough to describe their relationship. Still, the answer seemed to satisfy Riley as he nodded and gave her a small smile.

"That's good to know," Riley replied, his hand slipping into his pocket to grip the item inside. In one quick motion, he brought it out and aimed for Buffy.

Taken off guard by his movement, Buffy only just managed to dodge his swing in time and giving her a look at what was in his hand. The small black device he held could only be a taser, blue sparks of electricity shooting between the active prongs.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Giles called wearily down the stairs, the knocking continuing and getting louder by the second. He cinched his grey robe tighter around her and opened the door, bleary eyes squinting into the night.

"Ah, Ripper. It's good to see you," greeted his visitor cheerily.

The deep tones of the other Brit instantly had Giles fully awake. He grabbed the lapels of the man's coat and slammed him against the wall outside his door. "Ethan Rayne. What do you want?" He asked darkly.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend now?" He asked cheekily, his face paling when Giles drew back his arm. "No, no, no! Wait! Hang on! You-you can beat the crap out of me. Go ahead, I can't stop you," he paused as Giles cocked his fist and prepared to punch him. Stammering, he tried to get his attention and save himself. "Or-or you can listen to what I have to say. Find out what's going on!"

Giles faltered, staring at the eager gaze of the man he once knew so well, suspicion in every line of his body. Slowly, he lowered his arm. "What are you talking about?"

"Something bad is happening. Bad for both of us."

"Bad for you" he replied, pulling his fist back once more.

"No, no, no! Listen! You have to listen!" Ethan begged in a panic. He relaxed as Giles' arm returned to his side again. "You're going to need time to prepare."

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief as he was released, his confident demeanour back in place. He stepped around Giles and into the apartment. "How about inviting me in and having a chat over a nice glass of scotch then?"

"How about I invite you to leave town before I force you to?"

"Now, now, Ripper, I mean you no harm," Ethan replied, finding two glasses and filling them with alcohol.

Giles watched him closely for a moment before closing the front door and pointedly poured himself his own drink and sitting in the armchair. Ethan shrugged and picked up both glasses, downing one as he approached the sofa and placing the empty glass with the full one on the coffee table as he sat. Nursing his drink in his hands, Giles kept his eyes on his unwanted guest.

"So, how have you been? And how's that delightful girl, Buffy is it?"

Giles inclined his head slightly. "Splendid. Now how about we skip the pleasantries and get straight to why you're here."

"I'm just interested in how you've been, Ripper. Not very good by the looks of it. Unemployed and no Slayer around to help. Taking care of things herself, is she?"

"She's a very strong, independent and resourceful young woman and one of the best Slayers in history," the Watcher said proudly.

"So she doesn't need her Watcher any longer. Guess that means you're out of two jobs then, mate."

Giles glared at Ethan, drinking the scotch from his glass in one draught. "Perhaps, but I'm here if she ever needs my help," he replied, retrieving the bottle of scotch from the counter.

Ethan just grinned at him and finished his second drink, holding his glass out to him. "Now, isn't this more fun than kicking my ass?"

"No," Giles stated.

Ethan looked disparaged for a moment before shrugging, the grin returning. "Oh. It's more fun for me."

Giles sighed and sat down again, a fresh tumbler of amber liquid in his grasp. "Just tell me what you want to tell me," he said tiredly.

"Oh, so crass. We used to be friends, when did all that fall apart?"

"The same time you started to worship chaos."

"Ah, religious intolerance. Sad, there. I mean, just look at the Irish troubles." The steel in Giles' eyes unsettled him, warning him that he'd better say something or he'd be seeing the Ripper again. "Okay, okay. Something happening in the dark worlds. It's always been rumours out there but only one thing's coming through clear. That something's harming demons and it's not the Slayer. Know anything about it?"

Giles studied Ethan and sipped his drink. "What are they saying?"

"You know demons. It's all exaggeration and blank verse. 'Pain as bright as steel', things like that. They're scared. There's something called "314" that's got them scared most of all. The kind of scared that turns to angry. I know we're not particularly fond of each other..." Giles scoffed and chuckled. Ethan frowned but raised his voice slightly and continued. "...Rupert. But we are a couple of old mystics. This new outfit, it's blundering into new places it doesn't belong. It's throwing the worlds out of balance. And that's way beyond chaos, mate. We're headed quite literally for one hell of a fight."

Buffy kept her eyes warily on the taser, her body tensed in preparation for a fight. "Riley, you don't wanna do this," she tried, every nerve on edge as her muscles hummed in anticipation.

Suddenly, Buffy went rigid as pain shot through her. When the blast eventually let up, she collapsed, gasping for breath. She tried to roll onto her side and get up, but her body wasn't co-operating. Unable to move, she lay prone on her back and weak from the unexpected shock.

"Don't even think about yelling for your friends or we'll take them in too," Riley warned, watching her carefully. Her powers were unknown, and there was no way to tell how long she'd be down.

She was surprised when she felt her energy returning already, but she could see several agents approaching her, guns pointing directly at her. They approached her slowly, cautiously, wary of any movements she made.

Riley watched as her eyes darted between the soldiers, her mind clearly working overtime to figure a way out of her situation. Hard, cold eyes stayed fixed on the blonde.

"Take her," he commanded.

Her body convulsed with electricity, every nerve screaming at her in agony. Unable to fight or yell, Buffy finally gave into the darkness.

Riley looked up and nodded to the men around him. Scooping her up into their arms, they bound her wrists and ankles with plastic ties and carried her into the darkness.

"Let's find out what you are," he said to himself, following after his troop.

Ethan poured the last dribble of scotch from the bottle into his empty glass.

"You know what gets me?" Giles began drunkenly. "This is what gets me. Twenty years I've been fighting demons. Maggie Walsh and her Nancy-ninja boys come in and six months later, demons are pissing themselves with fear. They never even noticed me."

Ethan paused for a moment, glancing up at Giles. "Who's Maggie Walsh?"

"Oh, she's awful. Thinks that capturing demons and experimenting makes her the big man. I'm twice the man she is!" He slurred, taking a big gulp from his own glass and slamming it down on the table. "We gotta face it, we've changed. We'll not you . . . you're still sadistic and self-centered."

Ethan lifted his glass. "Here's to me," he toasted, taking a sip.

Giles continued, oblivious to his visitor. "The world has passed us by. Someone snuck in and left us a couple of has-beens in our place. This Initiative, I mean, their methods may be causing problems, but they're getting the job done. Where am I? I'm an unemployed librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head," he complained, still bitter about his experience with the Vahrall demons earlier that evening.

"Well, we won't have to worry about that anymore now, mate," he began jokingly, before his tone became more serious. "When you went to the loo I slipped a small pellet of poison in your drink. You'll be dead in an hour."

Giles scoffed, then his face fell, the severity of the situation hitting him and sobering him up.

Ethan took a moment to watch the realisation kick in. Grinning like a maniac, he exclaimed, "Just kidding!" There was a pause, after which they both burst out laughing, the light mood restored.

"I'm gonna feel like hell in the morning," Giles stated, having calmed down again.

Waving a hand distractedly, Ethan dismissed his point. "Relax. Enjoy the night. We're just a couple of sorcerers. The night is still our time. Time of magic."

Both men raised their glasses, clinking them together in a toast.

"To magic."

Awareness came slowly back to the sleepy redhead, as she yawned and stretched. She made a small noise of protest against the sun streaming in through her windows that shone directly on her pillow. Willow screwed her eyes up before slowly opening them and scowling out the window. She sat up and stretched again, her muscles aching from her rest.

"Morning, Buffy," she said groggily, her voice thick and with drowsiness. She frowned when she got no reply and looked to her left. Confusion wrinkled her brow further as she stared at her friend's unmade bed. In a wave, the memories from the night before swept over her and she jumped to her feet, her entire being fully alert. Grabbing the phone, she dialled as fast as she could.

"'Lo?" A tired voice answered.

"Xander, put Spike on the phone," she demanded, her voice quiet but firm. In his basement, Xander handed the phone to the vampire, roused by the sound of the ringing phone, without hesitation and rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake up.

"What's the matter, Red?" Spike asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"You might wanna change that 'if' to 'when'. When something happens," she replied quickly.

"Slow down, pet, what's happened?"

"Buffy didn't come back last night."

There was a pause as blue eyes caught brown. "We'll be right there," he answered shortly, hanging up immediately.

Willow replaced the receiver and sat on her bed, the feeling of fear for her friend rapidly filling her as she waited anxiously for the help that was on its way.

Pain. Cold, hard floor. Blinding lights. Her senses returned to her one by one as she woke. Disorientated and confused, Buffy shook her head and slowly lifted herself into a sitting position. Her hand went to her head as she glanced about.

"What? Where...?" Her voice was a mere whisper but it echoed back to her from the stark walls of her cell. The sound scratched her dry throat and she coughed to clear it, trying to remember what had happened to her.

The school. A fight. Riley and the commandos. Pain and then darkness. She closed her eyes tightly against the images that assaulted her, snapping open again when she came to a realisation. This must be the Initiative's containment cells.

Standing on shaking legs, she moved towards the front wall that was made entirely of glass. Across from her she could see another cell identical to her own, holding a large demon with antlers that was pacing from one side to the other. Either side of him was another cell, also identical. Buffy leant closer to the glass, turning her head and leaning on it to see further down the hall.

Pain flooded her hands, spreading up her arms and into her body as she was flung back from the door. She stumbled, landing heavily on her coccyx and she gasped in pain, heat warming her cheeks to colour them slightly whilst she rubbed the affected area.

"Okay, ouch. Guess I won't be doing that again anytime soon," she grumbled, standing again.

"No, you really shouldn't. But then, we can't be sure of how intelligent you are," a voice mocked, the owner walking into view and standing just outside the door of her cell.

Buffy glared at the woman, wanting to knock the smug smile of her Professor's face. "Walsh," she greeted impassively, even as her stature became subtly defensive.

Walsh just chuckled and glanced down at the clipboard she clutched in her hands before looking back up at the caged Slayer. "You, my dear, are quite fascinating. You appear human, act human, and for all intents and purposes, are human. But you're not, are you?"

"Of course I'm human, and you'd better release me right now," she retorted, her voice beginning to burn with emotion.

The older woman just smiled cynically. "Now, we both know that not true, and that that's not going to happen. You're a demon, with the looks of a human but incredible speed and strength that could be nothing but supernatural. What I'm yet to figure out though, is what kind of demon you are. You're very unique, Miss Summers, and we've never come across anything quite like you."

"I am not a demon," Buffy bit out from between clenched teeth.

"I beg to differ. As I said, you've been observed performing extreme feats of both strength and speed, and have been seen on numerous occasions to be collaborating with other demons," Walsh paused for a moment, staring at Buffy with calculating eyes. Seeming to make a decision, she shifted her weight and lowered her clipboard. "I believe you know one of our hostiles. He escaped from here quite recently and has been difficult to retrieve. I think you call him... 'Spike'?" She paused before his name, making eye contact with the blonde as she did.

Buffy's stare became harder as she folded her arms across her chest, remaining silent. "Ah, I see you are familiar with him. Perhaps we'll have ourselves a little talk about him later. For now, there are some other questions I want to ask you."

As the last word left her mouth, white smoke began to fill the room from a hole in the ceiling. Buffy's arms dropped to her sides, her head lifting to look at the point where the unknown gas was being pumped into her cell. Slowly, she backed away to the back of the small box she was confined to.

"You won't get away with this," she said simply, her gaze returning to the professor, who watched unflinchingly as the young woman crouched down in an attempt to escape the smoke. After a few minutes, the smoke had completely obscured her view into the cell. She waited a moment longer to ensure her captive was incapacitated then motioned to the three soldiers standing at the end of the corridor. They approached her quickly, pulling on gas masks and pushing a hospital bed, as she slid her card into the box next to the cell door and punched in her pin.

The door opened almost silently, the sound of the glass slide into the wall practically inaudible in the large facility. Moving rapidly and efficiently, the soldiers entered the room and picked up the unconscious form. With sharp, professional movements, Buffy was soon strapped tightly to the metal bed. Without a word, Walsh walked away from the cell, the door sliding closed again. No orders were necessary as the soldiers followed her, the four of them ignoring the angry cries of their other prisoners.

Large, muscled arms stretched above the covers, one moving to switch off the shrieking alarm next to the bed. A load groan of protest rang throughout the small apartment as the occupant slowly roused himself from sleep.

"Bloody hell, knew I'd feel like hell in the morning," he grumbled to himself under his breath.

Another huge yawn and he threw the covers back, his eyes screwed shut in a futile attempt to block out the light that poured in through his window and the headache that pounded against his skull. A load groan and Giles heaved himself up out of his bed, scratching his stomach and stumbling towards the stairs. He allowed his weight to carry him down each step, slow and ungraceful in his half awake state. He raised his hands and rubbed his eyes, running them over his head to flatten his hair which was no doubt sticking up in all directions.

He froze when his hand encountered something he didn't expect. Instead of his messy hair, he felt something hard that seemed to grow out of the top of his head. Using his sense of touch, he felt the other side to find a matching protrusion, and followed them with his hands. His eyes snapped fully open, catching sight of his reflection in his mirror at the bottom of the mirror.

A bulky red demon stood where he should have been, staring in wide eyed horror. He raised his hand and touched one of the hairy ears that had apparently replaced his own. He let out an unmanly yelp when it moved, his mouth moving silently as he tried to take in his new look. Incoherent noises came from his mouth as he struggled to make a complete sentence. He reached out to the banister to support himself in his shock, only for it to break of in his hand.

Giles stared at the piece of wood in his hand and groaned. Dropping it, he moved closer to the mirror, trying to remember what happened.

Scotch, I remember lots of scotch. Bloody hell, what happened last night? Drinks, my inability to aid Buffy... Suddenly it clicked. "Ethan Rayne," he growled.

He stomped down the rest of the stairs and grabbed a shirt from the back of the sofa, attempting to pull it over his now rather broader back. It tore down the centre and Giles made a sound of protest. "I liked that shirt," he complained, throwing it onto the back of the chair and glancing around for something else. He spotted a hideous blanket, and after a moment of deliberation he decided it couldn't be more unsightly than himself right know, given his appearance and the unsuspecting population of Sunnydale. He needed help to figure this out, and there was only one place he knew he could safely get to.

He pulled open his door, cringing as he managed to yank it literally off its hinges. Placing it as gently as he could against the wall, he left his small apartment in search of the assistance he needed. Plan in mind, he headed out, never hearing the shrill ringing of the phone behind him as he walked away.

"This isn't right, guys. We have no idea what they're doing to her," Willow said helplessly as she paced the room.

"I've got a pretty good idea," Spike replied solemnly, his blue eyes darkened with seriousness and the weight of his own experience at the Initiative's hands.

"Then you know we've gotta help her," she pleaded with the vampire, coming to a stop just in front of him.

"I know, luv, but we can' jus' go chargin' in there. We need a plan," he said, lowering his arms from their crossed position, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Yeah, 'cos you're the master of plans," Xander mocked from his place on Willow's bed.

Spike scoffed. "Tha's righ', and you're jus' the brainiest one of the bunch. The high school dropout who can' keep a job for more than a week."

Xander shot to his feet, a finger pointing at the vampire across the room. "Hey, I'll have you know that I've been employed for three weeks now," he stated indignantly. He dropped his arm, his bluster fading. "Besides, I just like to keep my options open." The blond just looked at him, unimpressed, before Willow caught their attention again.

"Okay, this isn't helping Buffy. Spike, you're the only one who's seen inside the lab before. Do you think you could get us in?"

He frowned for a moment, conflicted by his sudden need to rescue the Slayer with the fear of the white, sterile labs of the Initiative. Sighing, he did what he always did and went with his instinct. "Yeah, I migh'," he said in resignation.

"Why are you so keen on helping us anyway, Dead Boy Jr.?" Xander asked sceptically.

"I dunno, alrigh'!" Spike exclaimed, taking a moment to calm himself down and collect his thoughts again. "I jus'... I was down there. They experimented on me, cut me up, and took away the very thing that comes natural to me. I may be evil, but I'm a vampire. Can' eat, can' defend m'self. They took away my only way to survive. I wouldn' even die, jus' get weaker an' weaker an' weaker til I couldn' even move," he paused, lifting his gaze from where it had dropped to the floor to focus on the two teenagers. "'M dead already, I know. So trust me when I say there are worse things than death. I wouldn' wish what they do down there on the Slayer, she's better than tha'," he stopped for a moment, and saw the surprised looks on their faces. The more curious one on Willow's that looked like she'd figured something out made him backtrack a bit. The slightly excited look in her eyes unnerved him. "And if anyone gets to finish off the Slayer, it's gonna be me," he finished flippantly. There was a moment of silence where no one seemed to know quite what to say.

"We should call Giles," Willow finally offered, heading towards the phone. The room almost visibly breathed a sigh of relief as the atmosphere relaxed slightly. The two men watched quietly whilst Willow made the call. After a minute, her forehead creased into a frown. "That's weird. No answer."

"Well why don't we get to plan making and go see the G-Man later to fill him in?" Xander proposed.

Willow nodded and sat down on Buffy's bed, opposite Xander, whilst Spike leant against her friend's desk. Together, they began to brainstorm a way to break into the facility that had captured the formidable fighter they all knew.

"Ah, she's awake," Walsh muttered as the girl strapped to the bed began to stir.

Buffy groaned as she opened her eyes, her vision swimming before her. Everything sounded like it was underwater and her thoughts were muddled and sluggish. Forming a coherent thought took so much energy and would dissipate almost as soon as it formed, the drugs in the smoke still lingering in her system.

"And sooner than expected. Maybe your healing ability is something that should also be measured. Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to answer. Let's start with the eay ones shall we? What are you?"

Buffy lifted her head a little, closing her eyes in pain and lowering it again carefully. "What have you... done to me?" She asked weakly.

"You've been administered an extreme muscle relaxant. Now, believe me when I say it's in your best interests to co-operate with me. What are you?"

"Capricorn, on the cusp of Aquarius. You?" She quipped, feeling steadily stronger the longer she was awake.

"Very funny, Miss Summers. Let me rephrase. What kind of demon are you?"

"I already told you. I'm not a demon. It's not my fault if you're just not getting it."

Walsh's temper rose at the tone the girl was using, but didn't allow it to show. "Well, if you're not a demon, what are you?"

"Human," Buffy answered simply.

"It's quite obvious you're not. Extraordinary powers that no person should have, and at least a basic knowledge of the supernatural. For the last time, what are you?"

"I'm human," the blonde repeated angrily.

Walsh nodded to a soldier to Buffy's right. He pulled out a small device and jabbed her upper arm. Jolts of electricity ripped through her for a few seconds, leaving her gasping. "I told you it would be in your best interests to co-operate with me. There will be consequences for disobedience."

"I'm not a dog either," she retorted. She was rewarded with another jolt, longer this time and drawing a scream to her throat. Buffy bit her lip to prevent voicing it, not wanting to give the scientist the satisfaction. "I told you, human," she said breathlessly. Another surge of electricity flowed through her entire body. Buffy groaned aloud, fighting the black spots in her peripheral vision.

"I can do this all day, Miss Summers. So please, start talking."

Giles lightly pushed the door to Xander's basement open, trying not to further break anything with his unknown strength. He entered cautiously, not wanting to startle the young man and unsure if Spike would still be living there. The sight of an empty, unmade bed with the sheets twisted, along with the ropes lying to the side of the luminous chair and no sight of either the brunette or the vampire worried Giles greatly. Had Spike managed to release himself and taken Xander? He growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating in his chest and growing in volume.

"Hey, who's down there?" Shouted an angry voice from above him.

The sound ceased abruptly as Giles turned frightened eyes to the ceiling. He couldn't be caught down here. He couldn't be seen by one of the blind people of this town on top of a Hellmouth. He fled the basement, out across the yard and towards the path. In his rush, he tripped over some toys left on the grass next door, sending him sprawling across the garden and uncovered by the blanket. A woman started yelling, pulling her children away from him and calling for someone to call the police.

"Bloody humans!" Giles grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet. He grabbed his blanket, pulling it over his head again and running off into the distance.

"Righ', well we're gonna need to some more mojo if we're gonna pull this thing off."

"I can do this," Willow said sternly, her eyes fixed on the vampire.

"I heard what Buffy said jus' as well as you did. Better, I'd wager. You gotta be careful how far into the magicks you get, Red. Magic always has consequences. I'm not sayin' you can' do it, but maybe you should see if you can get help."

"From where? Do we really wanna get other people involved in this?" Xander asked.

Willow had fallen silent for a moment though. A blonde girl stood in her doorway holding a spell book. "That's... not a bad idea actually. I think I know someone who can help."

"How do we know we can trust them?" The brunette asked impatiently.

"Because I do," she answered simply.

Spike assessed her for a moment before nodding. "It's your call, pet. We go in tomorrow nigh'"

"Tomorrow?" The two teenagers exclaimed.

"Well, yeah," he retorted, as if it should be obvious to them. He sighed when he saw they were going to protest. "Look, there's less chance of us bein' caugh' at nigh' cos of the soldier boys out patrollin'. We can' go tonigh' cos Red here needs to get help, and you gotta explain this all to them and practice. Remember, we get one shot. Tha's it." Xander glared at the blond but remained silent and Willow, though reluctantly, conceded his point. "So, tomorrow nigh'. Then 'm goin' back into that Hellhole."

Silence fell over the unlikely trio, their plans ready to set into motion.

"Professor Walsh, there's a situation," a soldier reported emotionlessly once he had been allowed into the room. He kept his eyes forward and tried not to look at the restrained and helpless looking young girl. He was new to this job and he had to learn that appearances could be deceiving. He trusted that Walsh knew what she was doing. If she was doing this to the girl, then she deserved it.

Walsh herself glanced at Buffy, the blonde fading in and out of consciousness due to the numerous shocks and various other treatments she had been subjected to. Still, the stubborn girl had refused to give her any information, repeating only that she was human.

"Well, perhaps a break will be beneficial to Miss Summers. Maybe then she'll be more co-operative. Thank you, Agent."

The soldier nodded, letting his eyes drift to the captive. His eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of her. Her forearms were covered in small surgical cuts, her face was pale and her eyes kept flickering shut as she struggled to stay awake. And yet she was still glowed. Slowly, her she fought long enough to open her eyes fully, her deep green orbs locking on his.

"I'm human," she whispered, only just loud enough for the occupants of the room to hear. Her lids finally fell shut as she gave into the exhaustion that was overwhelming her.

Walsh rolled her eyes at Buffy's unhelpful statement. "Lead the way, Agent. You can give me the details on the way," she ordered.

Conflicted, the soldier used his training to squash down his emotions and straightened up. "Yes, Ma'am."

He turned and left the room at a brisk walk, the professor following after him, the sight of the beautiful and bound blonde burned into his mind.

Images of the demon stomping around, scaring civilians, was playing on several screens as Walsh watched impassively. The soldier briefly wondered if she ever showed any emotion but kept his opinions to himself.

"Send out a retrieval team. Let's bring him in, boys."

"Finn's team, Ma'am?"

"Is Finn's team the best retrieval team we have?"

Confused, the soldier just answered. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Are they out on another mission?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Then I think that it would be obvious that Agent Finn's team is the one I'd want sent out, correct?"

Irritation and anger swirled in the soldier's chest. He knew that making assumptions based on his own thoughts and views could end his career before he could blink. He gritted his teeth and kept his voice flat and monotone. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Well go on then." Walsh dismissed, giving him an insincere, patronising smile.

He nodded and turned on his heels to tell Riley about his next mission. Remembering the girl's final words before he left, and the things he'd seen since being here as well as the treatment he was receiving as a soldier, he wondered what he was doing there. We're doing good here, that's why. Right?

I found when I was writing this that there were a few holes in the way I was writing the plot. For example, now Buffy's not with Riley and has shared her secret with Giles, he wasn't feeling so left out and wouldn't go to the bar, and there wouldn't be a surprise party etc. So I've had to play around with the timeline a bit, which is one of the reasons I've had a bit of trouble getting this chapter done and posted. Also, now Riley's not in the Scooby circle, I had to compensate for them needing a man on the inside...

So I'm currently working on Chapter 15 =) I hope you enjoyed reading this, and as usual, please review. It makes my day =)

P.S. Yoshino in the Moonlight sent me a message about discussing fanwork in general, such as fiction on other sites, and fanart created by fans of shows. We also talked about how it could be fun for people to be able to arrange meetings between other fans of fanfic and such in local areas. I offered to add the idea to the bottom of my next chapter, as well as a link to their site. So, for topics like this, Yoshino has a site that people can discuss different things on, which can be found at:

www(dot)fanbbs(dot)net

Thanks again readers! Til next time, Jay