How You See Me
Chapter 8

----

There was a lout pounding on the door. The old man smiled.

"Ah, there he is now."

Spike didn't wait for someone to open the door, he let the demon inside him take over and tore the door right off its hinges.

Xander swallowed loudly and followed close behind the vampire into the darkened room.

"Herctide, where are you hiding?" Spike growled.

"Why hello there Spike." The low voice from the corner made Xander jump in surprise. They turned to see the old man sitting in a dark leather chair, with Buffy tied to a straight back wooden chair beside him.

At the sight of her Spike's face morphed back into his human one.

"A vampire in love, charming really."

"I should kill you for what you've done to her."

"Yes. You should."

"But you'd kill me before I even got near you. Right then, pleasantries out of the way, I'm here you can let her leave."

"So soon? But we were just starting to enjoy ourselves, weren't we darling?" He reached over and stroked Buffy's cheek tenderly. She was too far beyond pulling away.

Spike growled.

"Don't touch her, this isn't about her. Let her go."

"Or what?"

Spike took a few steps forward, his eyes on Buffy. Xander stayed by the door, making sure they'd have a way out when the time came.

"Are you all right luv?"

There was no reply.

"Slayer please, can you walk?"

"I-I think so."

Spike couldn't take it anymore, she was there, in pain, and he needed to do something about it.

He strode forward purposely but was halted after only a small space had been covered. His legs wouldn't move. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his stomach that made him double over.

"You should know better Spike."

"Herctide, please..don't do this." Spike managed to choke out.

Herctide squeezed his fist tighter, causing the pain in Spike's abdomen to become much more intense.

Spike groaned and squeezed his eyes shut at the pain. When he opened them again they were pleading with Buffy for forgiveness.

"..Spike?"

His eyes rolled back and he collapsed.

"Oh God." Xander moaned.

"You better leave." The man said, without looking at him.

Xander stepped forward, looking as though he were about to do the last thing in the world that he wanted to do.

"No. I came for Buffy and I'm leaving with her."

"Xander! For fuck's sake! LEAVE! Get Willow and Tara and find something!" Buffy yelled at him.

"Oh, right..Bye!" He turned and bolted from the building.

----

"Spike?" Buffy poked at the unresponsive leather lump sprawled on the floor beside her.

She sighed and leaned back against the wall when there was no reply once again. Whatever Herctide had done to him, he had done well.

She lightly fingered the burn across her stomach and cringed with pain. Luckily it was the worst of it..so far. And this whole mess was Spike's fault.

Surprise.

Lying there on the floor he looked like any normal man, besides the fact that there was no gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. He looked like the kind of man who ate sloppy hot dogs at the baseball stadium, or the kind of man who hit on his secretary and sucked up to his boss. He looked like a regular man. But there was a horrible demon inside.

She easily forgot all the thoughts she'd had earlier about being unworthy of his love. She'd only temporarily faced them, but now had fallen back into her usual pattern of making him out to be the bad guy.

Buffy raised her eyes upwards, looking beyond the ceiling.

"Thanks for the reminder."

----

The bell above the door to the Magic Box rang as Xander rushed inside, alerting the girls to his presence.

"Xander?!"

"Oh Xander! You're not dead after all!" Anya rushed over to him and threw her arms around him, but Xander ignored her completely.

"..Willow, we gotta do something."

"What happened?"

Xander was about to reply when he noticed Dawn was missing.

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Dawn."

"Oh, she's in the back. We thought she should--"

Xander was already flinging the door open and calling to Dawn to come join them.

"Uh, w-we thought maybe we should keep her out of this." Tara advised.

"Yeah. That's nice. And I think maybe we shouldn't let her out of our sight. This guy is looking to get revenge on Spike. He's already using Buffy to get to him, it won't be long before he realizes how much Spike cares for Dawn."

"What about me?" Dawn asked, walking in. "You're back quick. Where's Spike and Buffy?"

"Uh Dawn.." Xander glanced at the faces watching him intently, they all needed to hear what had happened. "Something's happened..This guy..he just..He's got Spike too."

----

"So just like that? He just stopped him in his tracks?" Willow asked curiously.

"Yup. It was way freaky. The guy barely moved. And then Spike started groaning and grabbing his stomach and that's about when he passed out."

"Hmm..Xander can you come here and look at this?" Willow asked, referring to the book she was reading.

"Yeah.." Xander stood and went to take a step towards her but he couldn't. Fear shot through him.

"Uh Will..I can't seem to, uh, move my, uh, legs.."

Willow nodded, a light smile playing across her lips.

"I know. This Herc-whatever guy isn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve."

----

Spike groaned, making Buffy jump. It was the first noise he'd uttered since he'd fainted.

His eyes flickered open.

"..Buff..?"

"Mm hmm."

He blinked a few more times and then pushed himself up into a sitting position. Memories flooded back.

"Bloody hell."

"Just about sums it up."

"Are you all right Slayer?"

The question caught her by surprise and she glanced over at him. Open concern was written across his face.

"I'll survive." Her answer was short and bitter.

Spike was silent for a moment.

"I'll make him pay Buffy."

Buffy smiled sardonically.

"You wouldn't have to if you hadn't led him here in the first place."

"You think I led him here on purpose?" Spike snapped.

"What better way to get the two of us alone?"

"Oh for..There you go, off on your high horse again, thinking I even want to get the two of us alone!"

"Please Spike, you were practically drooling over me when you first walked in."

"And ready to lay down my sodding unlife for you if you'd care to remember!"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Just leave me alone."

TBC...