Chapter Six

Buffy ran through the never-ending cemetery, panting hard as she tried to put distance between her and the monster chasing her. Her feet pounded on the ground with each step she took. She turned her head to see if he was still behind her, but to her surprise, he wasn't. Relieved, she slowed her pace and looked around for a place to hide.

Spotting a crypt to her right, she ran over and pushed the heavy door open, hurriedly going inside. She leaned against the door as soon as it shut. Willing her racing heart to slow down, she was hidden, she was safe.

Nothing bad was going to–

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the monster said, opening a casket and jumping out. Buffy screamed as he came after her. She tried to jump away from him but was too slow. He reached out and made twisting motions with his hand, and suddenly she was trapped by his hypotonic powers. He slowly walked towards her. "It wasn't supposed to be this way," he said. "You didn't come to Sunnydale like you were destined, and that's the reason why I can do this." The monster growled and bit down on her neck. Tears streamed down Buffy's face as she realized she was going to die.

And then suddenly, Spike appeared behind the monster. Hope-filled Buffy as she tried to call out to him to help her, to save her.

"Spike," she croaked. He just stood there, a smirk on his face. His yellow eyes were staring into hers. He wasn't going to help her. He was going to watch her die and enjoy the show as her life slithered away.

"Spike," she tried again, this time weaker. She begged him to save her. "Spike… please…"

"Ms. Summers."

"Ms. Summers."

Buffy finally stirred, awakening from her dream. She sat up and instantly felt her head start to spin. Her hands moved to her neck, still feeling the touch of the monster that haunted her. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she realized it had only been a dream, but even her skin continued to crawl—burning from his ghostly touch.

"Are you alright, Milady?" A little blue demon asked politely.

Buffy turned towards the voice and suddenly realized that she wasn't alone. After getting over her embarrassment, Buffy inspected her surroundings, which caused her to become more disoriented than she already was. She didn't recognize the room around her. It was not her room or any other room in her home. Nothing looked familiar, nor did she know the blue demon that stood in front of her. She didn't remember falling asleep, and it shocked her to see herself in the same dress from the night before. As the gears in her mind began to turn, the events from yesterday came rushing back, flooding her mind, reminding her of what had happened. She was not in the comfort of her home; she was somewhere much worse. A strange appearance made its way onto Buffy's face as she curled herself into a ball allowing reality to hit her.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Ms. Summers," he apologized kindly, "It seemed that you were having a night terror… and a terrible one at that."

Buffy eyed the demon cautiously, not sure what to think. "Who are you?" she asked, thinking it was an excellent place to start. It would at least give her time to think and regain herself.

"Oh, yes!" the demon exclaimed, "How rude of me! Please forgive my rudeness, Milady! I am Amon! During your time here, I've been assigned to assist you."

Buffy gulped down the lump in her throat. During her time here. She was stuck in this prison until she had to go to a potentially worse one. And for a reason, she didn't even know. She noticed that he was waiting for her to respond. Buffy quickly stood. "I'm Buffy," she introduced softly, although knowing that he already knew her name because of her unfortunate situation.

"A pleasure, Ms. Buffy Summers," Amon bowed slightly. "During your time here, I am at your command. I have been instructed by my Master to assist you to the best of my abilities–"

"Spike told you that?" Buffy asked in shock, taken back that Spike would assign a demon for her personal use.

Amon nodded. "Yes, Milady."

"How kind of him." Buffy breathed rudely before thinking about what the demon had said. Her personal use? Ideas of contacting her mother or even Giles and making an escape raced through her mind. She was suddenly incredibly grateful that she'd talked to Giles the day before. Maybe he could find her? He already knew about Spike; maybe he could find wherever the hell his lair was and rescue her. She wouldn't have to remain with Spike or Bane for the rest of her life. She looked kindly upon Amon, hope beaming in her eyes. "So, I can ask you to do anything?" she asked hopefully.

Amon hesitated, almost backing away from her. "Anything within reason, Milady," he said respectfully. "My Master wishes to forget your presence resides within these walls. I will do everything in my power to make sure I please him."

With his response, Buffy's hopes died, and everything began to make sense. Spike didn't assign the demon to her due to any kindness. It was for his benefit, so he didn't have to deal with her.

"So, is there anything you desire?" Amon continued happily.

Buffy fought the feelings she had about the demon playing with her. It just didn't seem right. Demons weren't supposed to be so kind and well-mannered. Amon should only know how to inflict pain and torture, not pleasure and comfort. It just didn't seem right that a demon would go out of his way to welcome her and make her feel comfortable in her new space. He shouldn't care about her anyway. His Master was waiting to kill her or let Bane have his way with her, and during that time, nothing should be comforting. This was supposed to be her prison. A place she should fear, not feel comfortable, or welcomed. Still, Buffy couldn't deny how good it would feel to get new clothes and a shower.

"Is it okay if I use the shower?" Buffy asked sheepishly, "And I could use a change of clothes."

"Oh, dear me!" Amon yelled loudly, shuffling away from her. "Of course! Of course! Give me a moment, Ms. Summers!"

Buffy watched as the little demon hurried out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts. It didn't matter though, no matter how hard she tried to understand, nothing explained what was happening around her.

A moment later, he returned with an armful of clothes. "Here are some clothes. The rest will be coming in the next two days. Any other necessities have already been placed in your bathroom."

"Thank you," she smiled at him. She couldn't help but return the kindness, even though his Master was evil and vile.

"You're very welcome. If there is anything else you acquire, all you have to do is press this button," he said, pointing to a red button on the wall by her door. "My Master wants you locked in your room while he's not here. Once he returns, you'll be free to roam the lounge and kitchen as you please." Turning around, Amon typed a code into the keypad that was attached to the door. Buffy tried to peek over his shoulder to see the numbers he was punching, but he was too quick. She only got a glimpse of the last number. Six.

The door unlocked, and Amon hurriedly walked out and closed it behind him, locking her away in her prison.

Buffy sighed and looked down at the clothes in her arms. They were comfortable clothes: black baggy sweats and a white sweatshirt with a pair of socks. She walked into the bathroom and took a shower. The shampoo and conditioner smelled like vanilla, as did her body wash. If she didn't know any better, she'd say a girl picked them out. When she was finished, she turned off the water and grabbed her towel, quickly drying off. Amon was right when he said all her necessities would be in her bathroom. She had a toothbrush, face wash, lotion, deodorant, brush, leave-in conditioner, there had even been a gel razor in the shower, and when she saw the tampons in the cabinet, she knew without a doubt that a woman had picked this stuff out.

So, there was another woman around. Was it the same woman that Spike wanted back? His sire? Whatever the hell that meant. Did she live here too?

The possible theories floated around in Buffy's head as she walked out of the bathroom and flopped back on the bed. It was impossible to know the time without a watch or clock, but since Spike was still gone, she'd assumed it was nighttime, but she couldn't find it in herself to fall back asleep, not after her last nightmare. She could still feel the touch of that monster. It reminded her of another memory she wanted so terribly to forget. Everything reminded her of that terrible night, weeks ago. In this room, she would always be alone, just like her nightmare. The thought made the vampires' touch return to Buffy's skin. She hated it. She needed something to fight the terrors away, to rid herself of their touch. She needed something to save her.

As the answer made its way into her mind, she quickly sat upright in the bed. Her–his–shirt! It was in her room! She didn't have it, and now the nightmares would continue. How long could she go without getting adequate sleep? Should she try to stay awake? No… she couldn't do that. She'd drive herself more insane than she was already doing. There was only one choice left, one that would get herself killed if caught, but she had to try. She didn't know how she'd do it when he'd always be around when she was allowed outside of her room. She also wasn't sure if a different shirt would make her nightmares go away. It wasn't smart. She was foolish. She had to sneak into Spike's room and steal one of his shirts.

Buffy didn't know how long she'd stayed in her room. She'd gone through two-lifetime movies before the door to her room clicked. She expected to see Spike saunter in. She let out a relieved sigh when it was only Amon.

"My Master has returned. You're free to walk the lounge and kitchen if you'd like," he said.

Buffy stood and stretched her sore muscles. She'd debated staying in her room because it'd be safer but figured that nowhere in Spike's lair was safe. The longer she stayed in this room, the less likely she'd find an escape. And it's not like she would get sleep anytime soon without her mysterious dream catcher shirt. With that in mind, she walked past Amon and towards the lounge.