Buffy woke, if you could call it that, with pain every where. She tried to open her eyes but was immediately blinded by the light. She didn't know where the light was coming from or what had caused it, all she knew was that it was like a knife driving through her eyes into the back of her head.
"Easy love, lie still. " she heard the voice and it sounded familiar and yet she couldn't place it. Buffy wanted to think but the room took that exact moment to start shaking up and down causing her stomach to protest....
As she started to retch, cool hands lifted and turned her so that her head was somehow lower than her body-helping her, keeping her from choking. Finally, the worse of the spasms let up and the hands then turned her so that she was lying on her back. She felt a soft cold cloth cover her eyes.
A few seconds later there was a sting in her leg and then a fuzzy warmth spread through out her body washing the pain away.
***
The hands were washing her face-again she tried to open her eyes and again the pain from the light made her close them-she felt dizzy, like she was on a ship at sea. Her stomach protested, but she didn't start retching. The cloth that was washing her face was placed over her eyes keeping them closed, also keeping the light out.
"Easy, love, you've got another few minutes before your next injection. Just lie still and maybe the pain won't be as bad." The voice; the voice that she should recognized told her. Only she didn't have a clue what it said or meant.... What injection? Where was she? She took a deep breath to try and ask a question and even more intense pain came rushing up at her, grabbing her in its teeth ripping her to shreds. She couldn't breath it hurt so much....
"Alright then, we'll risk addiction...." The sting in her leg and the warm fuzziness spread through her.
****
She was on fire! She had to be there was no other explanation. Fire was dancing over her chest, down her arms. Oh god she hurt!
"Buffy you need to lie still, girl, listen-you have a fever-you slayers' always get fevers when you have to heal this much damage. It means you are getting better." The voice was talking to her reassuring her even as those cold gentle hands were working their magic on her burning flesh.
She tried to talk to the voice but their wasn't enough moisture in her mouth. The hands seemed to understand this and an ice chip touched her lips. She greedily sucked on it, trying to draw it all into her perched mouth.
"Easy girl, go slow or you're retch all over yourself again." The voice admonished her and she discovered that she didn't want to displease it so she stopped and just let the ice melt and run down the back of her throat. Surprisingly, just letting the moisture drip slowly eased her thirst and it didn't seem to reek havoc with her stomach.
"Good girl, it's time for your injection, I'm proud of you, you went past the time." The voice was pleased with her, she still didn't understand what it meant, all she cared about was it was pleased.
She felt the, by now, familiar sting in her leg and then a pleasant warmth washed all the fire away.
****
Buffy woke to darkness. The pain was still there but it was less than before, she could handle it. She thought her vision was blurred but she couldn't really tell because it was so dark. She felt hot and weak, lethargic, drugged.
The word drugged seemed to echo through her mind as she remembered the pain and then the sweet relief of something washing it away.
So she had been drugged? Yes, she had been drugged to ease her suffering.
The next thing she could remember was the kind voice and gentle hands trying to reassure her. She tried to fight through the haze of her injuries, as the pain intensified and her head started to pound with the beat of her heart.
The voice, it had been a man's voice. Yes, that sounded correct, too. A man's voice with a British accent... Not Giles.
Then who?
Buffy could smell the smoke of cigarette and a memory stirred.
Spike!
She sat straight up and nearly threw up as extreme dizziness toppled her over onto her side. Redness filled her vision, as her head seemed to explode....
***
Buffy thought she must have blacked out again because when she opened her eyes this time there was a cool damp cloth covering them.
"There she is, I was wondering when you would wake again." The cocky British accent said at her side.
When she moved her arm she found she was now tied down. She gave her bonds a weak, experimental tug to see how strong they were, only to exhaust herself with the slight effort. The slayer in her realizing that she was wounded and helpless before her archenemy tried to muster the fight or flight panic it would take for her to break free. Only there seemed to be a short in the connection.
All she felt was a peaceful calm... Even the pain was masked and seemed far, far away.
"Aren't drugs a wonderful invention?" Spike asked. "Now I'm going to remove the cloth covering your eyes, if you still have pain just say so and I'll put it back."
She heard the creak of a chair and the cloth was lifted away.
Buffy blinked several times trying to clear the blurring from her vision and couldn't. All she could see were shapes; she supposed the big one standing over her was Spike.
"How?" She asked. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to know-she still felt so disconnected from herself. She knew she should be frightened to be at this vamps mercy, but yet she just wasn't.
"How what, Slayer?" The blob that was Spike questioned as he sat down on what appeared to be her bed. "Why are you here? Why are you alive? How did you become to be in my power?"
Buffy licked dry lips, the disconnectedness was slowly fading and the pain was returning.
"Do you remember the alley or the fight with the mayor?" Spike posed to her, suddenly intent. All the cockiness and threat leaving his voice.
Buffy tried to think past the pounding in her head and couldn't. Giving up, "no." She croaked out.
Spike sighed, then reached for something on a table next to her bed. He placed an ice chip in her mouth.
"Great." He said in an exasperated tone. He put the cup of ice back on the table and picked up another object. "Look, I don't want to keep you tied down. When you are well, I will release you. You have my word." He explained earnestly.
" I don't understand." And Buffy didn't.
"I know, I know!" he shouted, "neither do I. By all right I should have killed you three days ago. Not have taken care of you!" He stood up abruptly and paced around the room. "Look, just bloody give me your word you won't try to jump out of bed until you're healed and I'll untie you."
She shook her head in confusion causing the flaring pain to intensify. "What are you playing Spike?" She was proud of herself that she was actually able to form a coherent thought.
"Nothing Slayer. Just promise me you won't try to escape until you are completely healed and I'll untie you." He said simply, then added softy, "I don't want you to die."
Confusion and pain were warring equally in her.
"Right, then. Nighty, night." Spike said impatiently and injected her with something. Almost immediately she start to feel sleepy. The pain receding along with her focus on reality. "What was that?" She slurred.
"A nice little cocktail I got from a witch friend.... It's human drugs enspelled so they work on you." He told her as her awareness faded.
"Easy love, lie still. " she heard the voice and it sounded familiar and yet she couldn't place it. Buffy wanted to think but the room took that exact moment to start shaking up and down causing her stomach to protest....
As she started to retch, cool hands lifted and turned her so that her head was somehow lower than her body-helping her, keeping her from choking. Finally, the worse of the spasms let up and the hands then turned her so that she was lying on her back. She felt a soft cold cloth cover her eyes.
A few seconds later there was a sting in her leg and then a fuzzy warmth spread through out her body washing the pain away.
***
The hands were washing her face-again she tried to open her eyes and again the pain from the light made her close them-she felt dizzy, like she was on a ship at sea. Her stomach protested, but she didn't start retching. The cloth that was washing her face was placed over her eyes keeping them closed, also keeping the light out.
"Easy, love, you've got another few minutes before your next injection. Just lie still and maybe the pain won't be as bad." The voice; the voice that she should recognized told her. Only she didn't have a clue what it said or meant.... What injection? Where was she? She took a deep breath to try and ask a question and even more intense pain came rushing up at her, grabbing her in its teeth ripping her to shreds. She couldn't breath it hurt so much....
"Alright then, we'll risk addiction...." The sting in her leg and the warm fuzziness spread through her.
****
She was on fire! She had to be there was no other explanation. Fire was dancing over her chest, down her arms. Oh god she hurt!
"Buffy you need to lie still, girl, listen-you have a fever-you slayers' always get fevers when you have to heal this much damage. It means you are getting better." The voice was talking to her reassuring her even as those cold gentle hands were working their magic on her burning flesh.
She tried to talk to the voice but their wasn't enough moisture in her mouth. The hands seemed to understand this and an ice chip touched her lips. She greedily sucked on it, trying to draw it all into her perched mouth.
"Easy girl, go slow or you're retch all over yourself again." The voice admonished her and she discovered that she didn't want to displease it so she stopped and just let the ice melt and run down the back of her throat. Surprisingly, just letting the moisture drip slowly eased her thirst and it didn't seem to reek havoc with her stomach.
"Good girl, it's time for your injection, I'm proud of you, you went past the time." The voice was pleased with her, she still didn't understand what it meant, all she cared about was it was pleased.
She felt the, by now, familiar sting in her leg and then a pleasant warmth washed all the fire away.
****
Buffy woke to darkness. The pain was still there but it was less than before, she could handle it. She thought her vision was blurred but she couldn't really tell because it was so dark. She felt hot and weak, lethargic, drugged.
The word drugged seemed to echo through her mind as she remembered the pain and then the sweet relief of something washing it away.
So she had been drugged? Yes, she had been drugged to ease her suffering.
The next thing she could remember was the kind voice and gentle hands trying to reassure her. She tried to fight through the haze of her injuries, as the pain intensified and her head started to pound with the beat of her heart.
The voice, it had been a man's voice. Yes, that sounded correct, too. A man's voice with a British accent... Not Giles.
Then who?
Buffy could smell the smoke of cigarette and a memory stirred.
Spike!
She sat straight up and nearly threw up as extreme dizziness toppled her over onto her side. Redness filled her vision, as her head seemed to explode....
***
Buffy thought she must have blacked out again because when she opened her eyes this time there was a cool damp cloth covering them.
"There she is, I was wondering when you would wake again." The cocky British accent said at her side.
When she moved her arm she found she was now tied down. She gave her bonds a weak, experimental tug to see how strong they were, only to exhaust herself with the slight effort. The slayer in her realizing that she was wounded and helpless before her archenemy tried to muster the fight or flight panic it would take for her to break free. Only there seemed to be a short in the connection.
All she felt was a peaceful calm... Even the pain was masked and seemed far, far away.
"Aren't drugs a wonderful invention?" Spike asked. "Now I'm going to remove the cloth covering your eyes, if you still have pain just say so and I'll put it back."
She heard the creak of a chair and the cloth was lifted away.
Buffy blinked several times trying to clear the blurring from her vision and couldn't. All she could see were shapes; she supposed the big one standing over her was Spike.
"How?" She asked. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to know-she still felt so disconnected from herself. She knew she should be frightened to be at this vamps mercy, but yet she just wasn't.
"How what, Slayer?" The blob that was Spike questioned as he sat down on what appeared to be her bed. "Why are you here? Why are you alive? How did you become to be in my power?"
Buffy licked dry lips, the disconnectedness was slowly fading and the pain was returning.
"Do you remember the alley or the fight with the mayor?" Spike posed to her, suddenly intent. All the cockiness and threat leaving his voice.
Buffy tried to think past the pounding in her head and couldn't. Giving up, "no." She croaked out.
Spike sighed, then reached for something on a table next to her bed. He placed an ice chip in her mouth.
"Great." He said in an exasperated tone. He put the cup of ice back on the table and picked up another object. "Look, I don't want to keep you tied down. When you are well, I will release you. You have my word." He explained earnestly.
" I don't understand." And Buffy didn't.
"I know, I know!" he shouted, "neither do I. By all right I should have killed you three days ago. Not have taken care of you!" He stood up abruptly and paced around the room. "Look, just bloody give me your word you won't try to jump out of bed until you're healed and I'll untie you."
She shook her head in confusion causing the flaring pain to intensify. "What are you playing Spike?" She was proud of herself that she was actually able to form a coherent thought.
"Nothing Slayer. Just promise me you won't try to escape until you are completely healed and I'll untie you." He said simply, then added softy, "I don't want you to die."
Confusion and pain were warring equally in her.
"Right, then. Nighty, night." Spike said impatiently and injected her with something. Almost immediately she start to feel sleepy. The pain receding along with her focus on reality. "What was that?" She slurred.
"A nice little cocktail I got from a witch friend.... It's human drugs enspelled so they work on you." He told her as her awareness faded.