Buffy didn't know how long it had been since the night Spike had broken
down the wall between their rooms. He hadn't left since, having figured
that they were waiting for an opportunity to catch them alone and torture
them or something.
The bed sheet that Buffy had originally used as a dress was once more only a covering for the bed. She had long given up being modest around Spike since they shared pretty much everything else anyway.
Stretching luxuriously, Buffy got up from the double bed and made her way over to the refrigerator next to the door. Spike called it the Magical Refilling Fridge because it was full of new foodstuffs every time it got low. Neither of them actually saw anyone come inside and fill it again. But Spike had a theory though that the wall behind it opened up and they shoved more food into it that way. Since the fridge was attached to the wall, it seemed like a good assumption to Buffy. She even left the door open for a while and pretended to be asleep to see if there was anyway they could escape through the fridge. But the Watchers never opened any secret panel, so she closed the door and went to sleep for real. When they woke up, there were fresh blood packs and more food for Buffy.
Kneeling down in front of the little icebox, Buffy opened the door and started looking for something to eat. God what she wouldn't give for a hot meal. Buffy shoved that thought aside and put it on her 'If I ever get out of here, I'm doing this first' list. Spying a new bottle of shampoo, Buffy got up and put it in the shower stall before returning to the fridge to poke around for edibles. She could hear Spike waking up behind her.
"Mornin', love."
"Morning, Spike. They dropped off some shampoo so you can take a shower now if you want."
Spike grumbled. "What I'd really like for them to drop off is some bleedin' hair spray or bleach or somethin'."
Buffy laughed as she sat before the fridge, pondering on whether to have a ham sandwich or just an apple. "You know, for a vampire who can't even see himself in the mirror, you are pretty damn vain."
"Yeah, well right now I'm glad that I can't see myself in the mirror. I must look a frightful mess."
Buffy turned from where she was sitting on the floor and took in Spike's nude form bathed in the soft glow from the fridge light. Buffy grinned cheekily.
"I think you look just fine, babe."
Spike looked down at her. "Yeah? Well, I'm gonna hop in the shower real quick." He planted a quick kiss on Buffy's head as he walked past her and to the shower stall.
Buffy decided on just eating an apple, so she grabbed the red skinned fruit and closed the fridge. As she sat on the bed, Buffy thought about how second nature this life in captivity had become for her. It was almost as if it had always been this way. Almost as if her and Spike had been living together and...well other things forever. It was strange how well they had adjusted to being trapped in one room for...days? Weeks? Who knew how long it had really been.
"Maybe this is just how everybody deals with this sort of thing. They make it a happy place or something so that they don't go crazy. Kinda like some victims of abuse fall in love with their abusers. I don't know, this is just all way too much for me. I mean, I'm actually enjoying all of this alone time with Spike and stuff. Like I want to stay here forever, but at the same time, I miss my friends and my sister. Spike and I need to get out of here soon, before we both lose our minds completely."
"Talkin' to yourself again, love?" Spike shouted from the shower.
Buffy leaned back on the bed so she could lie down. "I was just thinking out loud is all."
"You know, you do that a lot."
"Yeah, I know. But it kinda makes me feel like there are more people here than just you and me."
Spike stepped out of the shower and dried off on one of the towels that Buffy had placed on the floor next to the stall.
"Now if I can find another personality we'll have four people in here. But you know, that would kinda put a damper on our sex life, havin' all those extra people around and what all."
Buffy rolled her eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling. "But then again..." Spike continued. "It could be a lot of fun."
Buffy sat up and threw a pillow at him. Spike caught the pillow and threw it back at her. Walking to the fridge, he pulled out a blood pack and sunk his fangs into it. Making a face, Spike finished it off and tossed the empty pack back into the icebox.
"You know, I really wish they would give us a microwave or something. All this cold blood is gettin' to me."
Spike sauntered over to the bed and flopped down next to Buffy. "They could at least give us something to do. A telly or some cards.... Hell, I'd even play Chutes and Ladders right now if they set it in front of me, I'm that bored."
"Well, we've already told each other our life stories, we've had sex so many times I can't count, I used you as a punching bag a few times, and we've... well... we haven't really done anything else. Unless you count plotting on how to escape."
"We could always plot some more. At least that would get us somewhere other than here....maybe."
Buffy moved closer to Spike and laid her head on his chest. She had long ago gotten used to not hearing a heartbeat or the feel of his chest rising and falling with inhalation. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. The ventilation shaft!
Buffy sat up. "Spike, I have an idea."
Spike propped himself up on one elbow. "Well, go on then."
"We could get into the air system, up above us." Buffy pointed to the vent above their bed.
"Hey, love. Not a bad idea." Spike frowned. "You do know that it will be freezing in there right? I'm talkin' ice here, pet. I can handle the cold, but you can't. And we have no clothes, remember?"
Buffy shook her head. "I don't care. We have to try. Maybe once we are up there, we can find Liam and get the hell out of here."
Spike looked at the determination on her face and nodded; he knew that her mind was made up and there was no use arguing about it.
"When do you want to do this?"
"No time like the present."
Spike nodded and looked back up at the vent, it was large enough for them to get through. "Wrap yourself up in that sheet. I'm going to get the sheet from my room and then we can go."
Spike jumped up from the bed and ran over to the hole he had punched out of the wall. He stood there for a moment, debating on whether or not to actually go back into the room. What if they took this opportunity to come in and take Buffy away?
Steeling his resolve, Spike vaulted through the hole and ran to grab the sheet off his bed and then with lightening speed, ran back through the opening in the partition.
Buffy was still there, enveloped in the sheet and waiting for him. Spike wrapped himself up in the sheet and climbed on the bed.
"You ready?"
She nodded in the affirmative so he cupped his hands and held them out. Buffy carefully put one foot in his hands, bouncing a little to test them, she stepped up fully and pulled down the vent covering.
"Get me up a little higher. I can't quite reach the edge."
Spike elevated her a little more and she finally was able to grasp onto the ledge and pull her body up. Turning around in the narrow passage, Buffy leaned down so that she could help Spike up. He jumped on the bed and it shot him up just high enough so that their hands met. Keeping a solid grip, Buffy pulled Spike up until he could put his other hand on the edge of the vent before she let go. She backed up so that he could squeeze into the narrow corridor.
Turning around, Buffy couldn't see him, but she felt Spike's presence and it comforted her. "Let's go."
*****
Ta'Hoffryn looked at the young witch who stood before him. Yes, this one was powerful. She would make an excellent addition to his little family.
"We knew you would be back. You crave power..." Ta'Hoffryn tilted his head, as if listening to someone. "Ahh.. and you also have a little situation with your Slayer friend. Interesting..." He smiled.
Willow stood straighter, hoping to look imposing when she was just feeling helpless. "Yes, I want to help her, but none of my spells have worked and we are running out of options. If I..."
Willow swallowed painfully, suddenly her vocal cords weren't working very well for some reason. "If I work for you, can I find her and set her free?"
Ta'Hoffryn regarded the redhead for a moment, deep in thought. This witch was so powerful, and she hadn't even begun to tap into her resources yet. If he offered her a good deal, perhaps he could win her over into working for a longer tenure. Or perhaps she would consent to become his Queen... over time of course. He would have to work on that later.
"You know, I like you. So I'm going to offer you a deal, Witch." He smiled and leaned forward. "If you work for us for ten years, we will give you the power to save this Slayer friend of yours. But, you must do as we say, and no arguments as to which jobs we send you to do. You do them all, without question. Is that a deal?"
Willow tried to keep her face firm and unwavering as she took this all in. Ten years wasn't so bad, and she wouldn't even age, she would still look like she was twenty years old when her service was up. Anya served Ta'Hoffryn for 1,000 years, and that was by choice. So this job must not be too bad.
"We have a deal."
"Excellent! Now let me just find that contract...." A large filing cabinet appeared next to him and he pulled open a drawer, rifling through folders until he found what he was looking for. Ta'Hoffryn plucked a pair of wire framed reading glasses out of his robes and perched them on his nose as he surveyed the contract in his hands.
"Ah, yes. This is it."
The filing cabinet disappeared and he turned again to address Willow. A small writing desk appeared in front of Willow and she glanced down to see the contract glaring back at her.
"Where is a pen?"
"You have to sign it in blood. We don't accept anything else in Arash Ma 'har."
"Oh." Willow said, sounding quite small and frightened. A dagger appeared on the table before her and she picked it up. Turning it around and around in her hands, she finally grasped the hilt and let out a small hiss of pain as she sliced open the pad of her index finger. Letting a few drops fall on the paper, Willow only hesitated for a second before signing her name as best she could. The contract glowed red and disappeared, as did the table and the dagger.
"Now put on the talisman and come here to receive my blessing."
Willow draped the chain over her head. She could feel the talisman giving off a strange heat. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was something that drew her attention.
Willow kneeled before the demon and bowed her head in anticipation of his sanction. Ta'Hoffryn reached down to raise Willow's face. Kissing her on the forehead, he stood back.
Willow could sense the same odd heat from the talisman work its way through her body from the searing mark on her forehead. It felt....good! It felt like power! And she could feel it coursing through her veins, caressing her insides, making her invincible and strong. Willow didn't consider herself a nerdy little girl anymore; she was a powerful Goddess! It was so right, and so... wonderful!
Willow smiled up at Ta'Hoffryn, full of her new found confidence. "Show me where she is."
The bed sheet that Buffy had originally used as a dress was once more only a covering for the bed. She had long given up being modest around Spike since they shared pretty much everything else anyway.
Stretching luxuriously, Buffy got up from the double bed and made her way over to the refrigerator next to the door. Spike called it the Magical Refilling Fridge because it was full of new foodstuffs every time it got low. Neither of them actually saw anyone come inside and fill it again. But Spike had a theory though that the wall behind it opened up and they shoved more food into it that way. Since the fridge was attached to the wall, it seemed like a good assumption to Buffy. She even left the door open for a while and pretended to be asleep to see if there was anyway they could escape through the fridge. But the Watchers never opened any secret panel, so she closed the door and went to sleep for real. When they woke up, there were fresh blood packs and more food for Buffy.
Kneeling down in front of the little icebox, Buffy opened the door and started looking for something to eat. God what she wouldn't give for a hot meal. Buffy shoved that thought aside and put it on her 'If I ever get out of here, I'm doing this first' list. Spying a new bottle of shampoo, Buffy got up and put it in the shower stall before returning to the fridge to poke around for edibles. She could hear Spike waking up behind her.
"Mornin', love."
"Morning, Spike. They dropped off some shampoo so you can take a shower now if you want."
Spike grumbled. "What I'd really like for them to drop off is some bleedin' hair spray or bleach or somethin'."
Buffy laughed as she sat before the fridge, pondering on whether to have a ham sandwich or just an apple. "You know, for a vampire who can't even see himself in the mirror, you are pretty damn vain."
"Yeah, well right now I'm glad that I can't see myself in the mirror. I must look a frightful mess."
Buffy turned from where she was sitting on the floor and took in Spike's nude form bathed in the soft glow from the fridge light. Buffy grinned cheekily.
"I think you look just fine, babe."
Spike looked down at her. "Yeah? Well, I'm gonna hop in the shower real quick." He planted a quick kiss on Buffy's head as he walked past her and to the shower stall.
Buffy decided on just eating an apple, so she grabbed the red skinned fruit and closed the fridge. As she sat on the bed, Buffy thought about how second nature this life in captivity had become for her. It was almost as if it had always been this way. Almost as if her and Spike had been living together and...well other things forever. It was strange how well they had adjusted to being trapped in one room for...days? Weeks? Who knew how long it had really been.
"Maybe this is just how everybody deals with this sort of thing. They make it a happy place or something so that they don't go crazy. Kinda like some victims of abuse fall in love with their abusers. I don't know, this is just all way too much for me. I mean, I'm actually enjoying all of this alone time with Spike and stuff. Like I want to stay here forever, but at the same time, I miss my friends and my sister. Spike and I need to get out of here soon, before we both lose our minds completely."
"Talkin' to yourself again, love?" Spike shouted from the shower.
Buffy leaned back on the bed so she could lie down. "I was just thinking out loud is all."
"You know, you do that a lot."
"Yeah, I know. But it kinda makes me feel like there are more people here than just you and me."
Spike stepped out of the shower and dried off on one of the towels that Buffy had placed on the floor next to the stall.
"Now if I can find another personality we'll have four people in here. But you know, that would kinda put a damper on our sex life, havin' all those extra people around and what all."
Buffy rolled her eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling. "But then again..." Spike continued. "It could be a lot of fun."
Buffy sat up and threw a pillow at him. Spike caught the pillow and threw it back at her. Walking to the fridge, he pulled out a blood pack and sunk his fangs into it. Making a face, Spike finished it off and tossed the empty pack back into the icebox.
"You know, I really wish they would give us a microwave or something. All this cold blood is gettin' to me."
Spike sauntered over to the bed and flopped down next to Buffy. "They could at least give us something to do. A telly or some cards.... Hell, I'd even play Chutes and Ladders right now if they set it in front of me, I'm that bored."
"Well, we've already told each other our life stories, we've had sex so many times I can't count, I used you as a punching bag a few times, and we've... well... we haven't really done anything else. Unless you count plotting on how to escape."
"We could always plot some more. At least that would get us somewhere other than here....maybe."
Buffy moved closer to Spike and laid her head on his chest. She had long ago gotten used to not hearing a heartbeat or the feel of his chest rising and falling with inhalation. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. The ventilation shaft!
Buffy sat up. "Spike, I have an idea."
Spike propped himself up on one elbow. "Well, go on then."
"We could get into the air system, up above us." Buffy pointed to the vent above their bed.
"Hey, love. Not a bad idea." Spike frowned. "You do know that it will be freezing in there right? I'm talkin' ice here, pet. I can handle the cold, but you can't. And we have no clothes, remember?"
Buffy shook her head. "I don't care. We have to try. Maybe once we are up there, we can find Liam and get the hell out of here."
Spike looked at the determination on her face and nodded; he knew that her mind was made up and there was no use arguing about it.
"When do you want to do this?"
"No time like the present."
Spike nodded and looked back up at the vent, it was large enough for them to get through. "Wrap yourself up in that sheet. I'm going to get the sheet from my room and then we can go."
Spike jumped up from the bed and ran over to the hole he had punched out of the wall. He stood there for a moment, debating on whether or not to actually go back into the room. What if they took this opportunity to come in and take Buffy away?
Steeling his resolve, Spike vaulted through the hole and ran to grab the sheet off his bed and then with lightening speed, ran back through the opening in the partition.
Buffy was still there, enveloped in the sheet and waiting for him. Spike wrapped himself up in the sheet and climbed on the bed.
"You ready?"
She nodded in the affirmative so he cupped his hands and held them out. Buffy carefully put one foot in his hands, bouncing a little to test them, she stepped up fully and pulled down the vent covering.
"Get me up a little higher. I can't quite reach the edge."
Spike elevated her a little more and she finally was able to grasp onto the ledge and pull her body up. Turning around in the narrow passage, Buffy leaned down so that she could help Spike up. He jumped on the bed and it shot him up just high enough so that their hands met. Keeping a solid grip, Buffy pulled Spike up until he could put his other hand on the edge of the vent before she let go. She backed up so that he could squeeze into the narrow corridor.
Turning around, Buffy couldn't see him, but she felt Spike's presence and it comforted her. "Let's go."
*****
Ta'Hoffryn looked at the young witch who stood before him. Yes, this one was powerful. She would make an excellent addition to his little family.
"We knew you would be back. You crave power..." Ta'Hoffryn tilted his head, as if listening to someone. "Ahh.. and you also have a little situation with your Slayer friend. Interesting..." He smiled.
Willow stood straighter, hoping to look imposing when she was just feeling helpless. "Yes, I want to help her, but none of my spells have worked and we are running out of options. If I..."
Willow swallowed painfully, suddenly her vocal cords weren't working very well for some reason. "If I work for you, can I find her and set her free?"
Ta'Hoffryn regarded the redhead for a moment, deep in thought. This witch was so powerful, and she hadn't even begun to tap into her resources yet. If he offered her a good deal, perhaps he could win her over into working for a longer tenure. Or perhaps she would consent to become his Queen... over time of course. He would have to work on that later.
"You know, I like you. So I'm going to offer you a deal, Witch." He smiled and leaned forward. "If you work for us for ten years, we will give you the power to save this Slayer friend of yours. But, you must do as we say, and no arguments as to which jobs we send you to do. You do them all, without question. Is that a deal?"
Willow tried to keep her face firm and unwavering as she took this all in. Ten years wasn't so bad, and she wouldn't even age, she would still look like she was twenty years old when her service was up. Anya served Ta'Hoffryn for 1,000 years, and that was by choice. So this job must not be too bad.
"We have a deal."
"Excellent! Now let me just find that contract...." A large filing cabinet appeared next to him and he pulled open a drawer, rifling through folders until he found what he was looking for. Ta'Hoffryn plucked a pair of wire framed reading glasses out of his robes and perched them on his nose as he surveyed the contract in his hands.
"Ah, yes. This is it."
The filing cabinet disappeared and he turned again to address Willow. A small writing desk appeared in front of Willow and she glanced down to see the contract glaring back at her.
"Where is a pen?"
"You have to sign it in blood. We don't accept anything else in Arash Ma 'har."
"Oh." Willow said, sounding quite small and frightened. A dagger appeared on the table before her and she picked it up. Turning it around and around in her hands, she finally grasped the hilt and let out a small hiss of pain as she sliced open the pad of her index finger. Letting a few drops fall on the paper, Willow only hesitated for a second before signing her name as best she could. The contract glowed red and disappeared, as did the table and the dagger.
"Now put on the talisman and come here to receive my blessing."
Willow draped the chain over her head. She could feel the talisman giving off a strange heat. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was something that drew her attention.
Willow kneeled before the demon and bowed her head in anticipation of his sanction. Ta'Hoffryn reached down to raise Willow's face. Kissing her on the forehead, he stood back.
Willow could sense the same odd heat from the talisman work its way through her body from the searing mark on her forehead. It felt....good! It felt like power! And she could feel it coursing through her veins, caressing her insides, making her invincible and strong. Willow didn't consider herself a nerdy little girl anymore; she was a powerful Goddess! It was so right, and so... wonderful!
Willow smiled up at Ta'Hoffryn, full of her new found confidence. "Show me where she is."
