Chapter 16 - A Journey Begins
Buffy was dreaming. Her dreams were happy, almost-memories of a time past, a time she could no longer remember. She was wakened with a sharp stabbing pain in her arm.
Her eyes flew open, and her first reaction was to struggle against the arm holding her. To her surprise, the light pressure which had restrained her was quickly gone, and she was looking up at a pair of intense blue eyes. The recent events soon came back, and she wondered why he had stepped away. Since her capture two weeks earlier, no one had shown her the merest kindness. She had been beaten and raped more often that she could remember clearly, and had almost become resigned to more of the same.
The way she had been treated since this stranger had taken charge of her was different. Not that she expected it to be a permanent situation. She was sure he was just waiting until he was ready before he continued with her torment.
He seemed to recognise something in her eyes, not fear, she was always careful not to let any of that show, but resignation perhaps. He stepped away, giving her room while she swung her legs around on the bed so that she could sit.
"Sleep well?" he asked, his voice implying he actually cared. Buffy didn't answer. She watched him as he put the syringe he was holding away, and then picked up some clothes from the other side of the small room. He held them up for her to see.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Think it'll fit? There's not actually much choice, so I had to take what I could get."
The clothes consisted of a pair of brown leather trousers which looked close to her size. She made a mental grimace as she realised they would probably be too big. She had hardly eaten in two weeks, and she knew she had lost weight. There was a shirt of rough, creamy coloured cotton, and a waistcoat of leather which more or less matched the trousers. In his other hand, there was a coat which had seen better days, but had obviously been made to last. It was sheepskin, and although not too clean looking, it was intact, and the wool inside still reasonably fluffy.
"Why?" she asked. She knew the plan was for this man - she didn't even know his name - had he told her? - to take her to her death. "Look, love," he replied. "We're going to be travelling together for a while, so we might as well get along. My name's Spike, and I've got a job to do. Doesn't mean I have to make things uncomfortable for you in the meantime. You're going to need clothes anyway, and you might as well be warm."
She nodded. She could feel the lethargy that followed the injections coming over her. She knew there was nothing she could do while under its effect. Spike had already surprised her several times since she had woken, but his next action was the most amazing yet. He turned his back. He turned his back to let her dress in some modicum of privacy. Convinced he would change his mind, she quickly pulled on the clothes, glad to find a belt which allowed her to pull the waist of the trousers tight enough that they wouldn't slip too low.
When she had finished, he turned around again, picking up the clothes she had shed. He pushed them into a bag, and gestured her to sit on the bed. "Ok, this is how we're going to do this. While we're in vampire held territory, you will be my pet. I'm not planning on taking advantage of that situation, 'cos, to be honest, I've never seen the point in having a human pet. I mean, if you don't care about your pet, then what's the point? And if you do, you're just setting yourself up for problems. Either way, .." He shook himself, as if trying to push away unwelcome memories.
"When we move into human-held territory, we'll avoid people as much as we can. There's a spell I can use, which'll alter your appearance enough that no one will recognise you. And, I've got a charm which will make me appear human. I'll breathe, and have a beating heart."
Buffy was genuinely surprised at that. Suddenly, her mission which had been simply to escape, now required that she find this charm. The last thing the humans of this world needed was something that allowed vampires to move among them freely. "What is it?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't understand her motive.
He laughed then, genuinely amused. "Not going to tell you, love. Got to hand it to you though. Despite everything they've done to you, you've still got it. Spunk. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you, that's for sure."
He picked up a leather collar and moved towards her. He bent to put it around her neck, and she flinched away from his touch. "None of that, love," he warned. "I said I don't want to hurt you, and that's the truth. But, if you're going to be my pet, you've got to play the part. Can't have any old vamp along the way thinking you're available, or you'll never make it to where we're going."
The collar snapped shut with an audible click. Spike then pulled a long leather lead from his pocket and attached it to the collar. Buffy couldn't help it, on top of all the other degradations she had suffered lately, to be given this most obvious sign of being owned, was just the last straw. She pulled against the restraint, holding the leash in her hands, trying to find a weakness. She realised that tears had started to flow, and she brushed them away roughly.
"Don't," he said, more sharply than he had intended. "It's only for a while. Once we've crossed the line, we have to get rid of it. Then, you'll be my wife, I think. I considered being your brother, but that would mean I'd have to let you out of my sight in some situations, so it's going to have to be wife. It'll be interesting, never thought of myself as the marrying kind."
Tears were still falling down Buffy's cheeks, despite her desperate attempts to stem the flow. She was the Slayer. She was held in esteem by all the people of her world. It was a proud tradition. Slayers lived short lives, but they did so at the pinnacle of society. Now, she was reduced to this . to being a toy to this vampire. Despite his assurance that the relationship was for public consumption only, she didn't really believe it. Sooner or later he'd take advantage of her currently weakened state, of that she was certain.
Spike didn't know what to do. He knew what he should do. He should treat her as if she were truly his pet, in which case some sort of punishment was in order. The alternative was to simply ignore her, and get ready to leave. He found himself watching her, unsure of how to play this. Something he didn't understand was pushing him towards her, willing him to comfort her. He found the impulse something he couldn't ignore, so he edged closer, putting out his hand, and awkwardly patting her shoulder. She flinched at his first touch, then seemed to realise the gesture was not threatening, and relaxed.
Several minutes later, the tears had stopped. With an effort of will, Buffy stood up, straightening her shoulders to stand as tall as she could. Spike looked at her, realised her feet were bare, and got up to retrieve some soft leather boots. He handed them to her wordlessly, and she slipped them on. They were a bit big, but she knew that to venture out into the snow without them would be disastrous.
Spike handed Buffy a bag with a warning. "That one contains your rations," he warned, "so, might be a good idea to keep it safe." He then handed her a piece of bread and a flagon of water. "Thought you might be hungry," he mumbled. "There's not much call for human food around here, so I couldn't do much better. I've got some money, so if you behave, you can buy something later.
Realising how hungry she actually was, Buffy demolished the bread and water quickly, the feeling of a full stomach welcome after days of eating very little. When she finished, she noticed that Spike was watching her, and he gestured to her to pick up her pack. He, in turn, lifted his own, much larger pack onto his back, and led Buffy out of the room and into the castle courtyard.
Apart from those who had the job of guarding the castle, there was no one in sight. They moved towards the gateway, but they were not stopped. It didn't even look as if anyone noticed their passage.
Once outside the confines of the castle, the vampire led the human towards the road. Under normal circumstances, it had been a well-travelled road, leading as it did from the coast to the capital. Buffy had grown up around the coast, and knew the road well. Now, it was all but deserted. The ground behind them was controlled by the invaders, with the area around the capital controlled by the humans.
Spike intended to take the road for a few miles, then pick up a trail which led west. This would allow them to remain in vampire held territory for as long as possible, and would give them the chance to spend the night at an outpost of the invaders just inside their territory. From there, everything would be harder, but he wasn't particularly worried. He had spent many years doing exactly this sort of work. It was why he had been trusted with this task. His track record spoke for itself.
Buffy was doing her best to keep up, but two weeks of pain and little food had left her lacking in strength and energy - and that was without considering the drugs which had been in her system since her capture.
Within two hours, Spike realised the leash was often being pulled tight as Buffy struggled to keep up. His first impulse was to be angry, but, one look at her face changed his mind. Her expression was determined, but annoyed, obviously at herself. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, despite his own basic belief that she was no more than a source of food.
Considering food, he had packed some blood, enough for several days, but he wanted to keep it available for the time spent in human territory. He could feed without making it too obvious, but it was always risky, and his current mission was risky enough. Once at the outpost, there would be food available, and he would feed then.
Spotting a stream a short way from the road, he decided to call a halt. Buffy was grateful for the rest, but still doubted his intentions. He pulled something from the pack he carried. It proved to be a piece of cloth that seemed to be treated with a wax-like substance. He laid it on the ground, and gestured for her to sit on it. She did so, watching him as he pulled another coat from his pack. He put it around her shoulders, muttering something about him not needing it yet, then proceeded to sit beside her.
Buffy shrank away from him, still convinced he was just waiting to continue her torment. Instead he smiled at her, a slightly bewildered smile, as if he didn't understand his own motives.
"Rest for a while," he said softly. "We've got a long way to go. If I'd known what they wanted, I'd have asked them to treat you better. It's all very well, but it's not possible to be inconspicuous if I've got to carry you. So, we'll take it easy today, give you the rest you need. Once we're across the line, that'll stop. I don't want that part of the journey to take longer than necessary. So, enjoy it while you can."
With that, he lay back, the leash still coiled around his fist. He seemed to be asleep. Buffy was glad of the second coat. While they were walking, she was warm enough with just her own clothes. Now they were still, she could feel the chill creeping into her. Although the waxed cloth kept the dampness from getting through, the ground was cold, and the chill was reaching through her clothing. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a thin covering of snow everywhere. She knew that the land closer to the capital was lower, and less likely to have snow on the ground.
She sat for several minutes, hoping her companion was asleep, before she started to edge away from him. She saw the leash slip from around his hand and felt excitement growing within her. She continued to pull away, gently, slowly, until only the last inches of the leash were around his hand. She pulled away a little further, ready to make a break for it, when one of his eyes opened. He regarded her with amusement, before making it obvious that she had had no chance of escape. The leash was attached to another, transparent strap, which disappeared into the vampire's clothes.
She expected him to raise his voice, to hit her, anything but what he did. He simply smiled, and said, "Now you know you can't get away, why don't you rest for a while? We'll be off in a few minutes, and I want to put a few more miles under our belts before we rest again. I've got a destination in mind for tonight, and I'd really rather get there. The alternative is the tent in this pack, and that will be rather cramped, to say nothing of cold. Of course, the cold doesn't bother me, and the proximity to your body actually sounds rather enjoyable, but, I think you might be happier with the alternative."
With that, his eye closed again, and Buffy decided to do as he suggested.
They saw no one on the next leg of their journey. The road seemed deserted, and the animals in the fields surrounding them had apparently been abandoned when their owners had left as the invasion overtook them. At least, the lucky ones had left. There was a strong smell of rotting corpses when they got close to some of the habitations.
As mid-afternoon approached, Spike suggested heading off the road towards an abandoned farm. He suspected there would be food available there, and knew the fare he had managed to provide for Buffy wouldn't help her recovery very much.
True to his suspicions, they found some farmhouse cheese, and some special, thin, bread of the type used locally when travelling. It was hard, but it kept fresh for several weeks, and Buffy helped herself to all she found.
Fortunately, there were no bodies in the buildings they visited, in fact, they chose their destinations based on Spike's assessment of the smell. He avoided the farmhouse itself, knowing that the sights inside would do nothing to keep his captive quiescent.
Laden with an extra sack full of the food they had obtained, they returned to the road. Buffy had eaten some of the food as they rested in what had probably been the dairy. She felt much stronger than before, and knew the combination of Slayer healing and the psychological advantages of being free from renewed pain and some fresh food were doing wonders for her. She was starting to feel good, almost back to normal, except that she knew that she had only standard human strength and speed. If only she could find a way of avoiding her next injection, her chances of escape would be substantially increased.
The rest of the day passed as it had started. There was minimal conversation between the captor and the captive. Despite this, both kept a watch on the other.
Buffy's previous experience with vampires had been, until the invasion of her world, limited to those indigenous to her home. They had been vicious, delighting in not only killing, but in pain and fear. She had been glad to dispatch each of them, recognising it as not only her sacred duty, but a real service to her fellow humans. Her time as a captive at the castle, had merely reinforced her opinions. Every senior vampire for miles around had been allowed to spend time with her, feeding from her, using her for their pleasure. She had wished for death many times, and had fully expected that she would die in that cell.
This vampire was so different. She was convinced he was simply smarter than the others. He was keeping her guessing, trying to build her confidence so that he could shatter it later. Despite that, she found herself wondering what sort of a man he had been. Good looking, certainly. Intelligent too. There was also an air about him which bespoke being on the other side of bad treatment at some time in the past. She couldn't help but wonder how she would have reacted to him had he been human, and she didn't like the answer her body was giving.
As the Slayer, she had had the choice of partners since she was called. It was expected that Slayers would live hard during their short lives, and most had a number of partners, or at least a succession of them. Buffy had preferred a one-at-a-time approach, but had bored of them quickly. She knew she wanted, and needed someone closer to her own level of strength. She had always been disappointed.
Of course, vampires would be a match for her in strength, but they were also evil, and she could never consider such a thing. Despite herself, she found herself wondering about this strange vampire. Were he human, she would have had no qualms at all about taking his as a partner.
She shook her head to be rid of such notions. It was just the combination of an attractive body and the comparative kindness he had shown her which was causing her to feel that way.
Spike was in a similar quandary. He was a vampire. The usual mantra for such creatures was 'want - take - have', and to some extent he believed in such a simple dogma. His own past, with a Sire who had been sadistic even by the standards of vampires had left him unwilling to inflict unnecessary pain on anyone, even a human. Since the demise of his Sire, he had lived as he could, eventually ending up with his reputation for being able to blend with humans and walk among them undetected. Part of his success in that respect was his ability to put on hold the baser instincts to which vampires were prey. He had to feed, of course, but he rarely killed when he did so. When he fed, that was all he did, he felt no need to torment his victim first.
This woman was having a strange effect on him. He wanted her, and was surprised by that fact. He had never been interested in a human before. One part of him told him to just take what he wanted, but another told him that to take her by force would be a pale shadow of having her as a willing partner, and he found himself unwilling to settle for second best. Not that it was ever likely that she would accept him willingly. After all, his aim in this matter was to kill her, and he didn't believe that was likely to endear him to her. Unsure what else to do, he simply decided to ignore the feelings she was engendering in him, and concentrate on the job at hand.
Buffy was dreaming. Her dreams were happy, almost-memories of a time past, a time she could no longer remember. She was wakened with a sharp stabbing pain in her arm.
Her eyes flew open, and her first reaction was to struggle against the arm holding her. To her surprise, the light pressure which had restrained her was quickly gone, and she was looking up at a pair of intense blue eyes. The recent events soon came back, and she wondered why he had stepped away. Since her capture two weeks earlier, no one had shown her the merest kindness. She had been beaten and raped more often that she could remember clearly, and had almost become resigned to more of the same.
The way she had been treated since this stranger had taken charge of her was different. Not that she expected it to be a permanent situation. She was sure he was just waiting until he was ready before he continued with her torment.
He seemed to recognise something in her eyes, not fear, she was always careful not to let any of that show, but resignation perhaps. He stepped away, giving her room while she swung her legs around on the bed so that she could sit.
"Sleep well?" he asked, his voice implying he actually cared. Buffy didn't answer. She watched him as he put the syringe he was holding away, and then picked up some clothes from the other side of the small room. He held them up for her to see.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Think it'll fit? There's not actually much choice, so I had to take what I could get."
The clothes consisted of a pair of brown leather trousers which looked close to her size. She made a mental grimace as she realised they would probably be too big. She had hardly eaten in two weeks, and she knew she had lost weight. There was a shirt of rough, creamy coloured cotton, and a waistcoat of leather which more or less matched the trousers. In his other hand, there was a coat which had seen better days, but had obviously been made to last. It was sheepskin, and although not too clean looking, it was intact, and the wool inside still reasonably fluffy.
"Why?" she asked. She knew the plan was for this man - she didn't even know his name - had he told her? - to take her to her death. "Look, love," he replied. "We're going to be travelling together for a while, so we might as well get along. My name's Spike, and I've got a job to do. Doesn't mean I have to make things uncomfortable for you in the meantime. You're going to need clothes anyway, and you might as well be warm."
She nodded. She could feel the lethargy that followed the injections coming over her. She knew there was nothing she could do while under its effect. Spike had already surprised her several times since she had woken, but his next action was the most amazing yet. He turned his back. He turned his back to let her dress in some modicum of privacy. Convinced he would change his mind, she quickly pulled on the clothes, glad to find a belt which allowed her to pull the waist of the trousers tight enough that they wouldn't slip too low.
When she had finished, he turned around again, picking up the clothes she had shed. He pushed them into a bag, and gestured her to sit on the bed. "Ok, this is how we're going to do this. While we're in vampire held territory, you will be my pet. I'm not planning on taking advantage of that situation, 'cos, to be honest, I've never seen the point in having a human pet. I mean, if you don't care about your pet, then what's the point? And if you do, you're just setting yourself up for problems. Either way, .." He shook himself, as if trying to push away unwelcome memories.
"When we move into human-held territory, we'll avoid people as much as we can. There's a spell I can use, which'll alter your appearance enough that no one will recognise you. And, I've got a charm which will make me appear human. I'll breathe, and have a beating heart."
Buffy was genuinely surprised at that. Suddenly, her mission which had been simply to escape, now required that she find this charm. The last thing the humans of this world needed was something that allowed vampires to move among them freely. "What is it?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't understand her motive.
He laughed then, genuinely amused. "Not going to tell you, love. Got to hand it to you though. Despite everything they've done to you, you've still got it. Spunk. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you, that's for sure."
He picked up a leather collar and moved towards her. He bent to put it around her neck, and she flinched away from his touch. "None of that, love," he warned. "I said I don't want to hurt you, and that's the truth. But, if you're going to be my pet, you've got to play the part. Can't have any old vamp along the way thinking you're available, or you'll never make it to where we're going."
The collar snapped shut with an audible click. Spike then pulled a long leather lead from his pocket and attached it to the collar. Buffy couldn't help it, on top of all the other degradations she had suffered lately, to be given this most obvious sign of being owned, was just the last straw. She pulled against the restraint, holding the leash in her hands, trying to find a weakness. She realised that tears had started to flow, and she brushed them away roughly.
"Don't," he said, more sharply than he had intended. "It's only for a while. Once we've crossed the line, we have to get rid of it. Then, you'll be my wife, I think. I considered being your brother, but that would mean I'd have to let you out of my sight in some situations, so it's going to have to be wife. It'll be interesting, never thought of myself as the marrying kind."
Tears were still falling down Buffy's cheeks, despite her desperate attempts to stem the flow. She was the Slayer. She was held in esteem by all the people of her world. It was a proud tradition. Slayers lived short lives, but they did so at the pinnacle of society. Now, she was reduced to this . to being a toy to this vampire. Despite his assurance that the relationship was for public consumption only, she didn't really believe it. Sooner or later he'd take advantage of her currently weakened state, of that she was certain.
Spike didn't know what to do. He knew what he should do. He should treat her as if she were truly his pet, in which case some sort of punishment was in order. The alternative was to simply ignore her, and get ready to leave. He found himself watching her, unsure of how to play this. Something he didn't understand was pushing him towards her, willing him to comfort her. He found the impulse something he couldn't ignore, so he edged closer, putting out his hand, and awkwardly patting her shoulder. She flinched at his first touch, then seemed to realise the gesture was not threatening, and relaxed.
Several minutes later, the tears had stopped. With an effort of will, Buffy stood up, straightening her shoulders to stand as tall as she could. Spike looked at her, realised her feet were bare, and got up to retrieve some soft leather boots. He handed them to her wordlessly, and she slipped them on. They were a bit big, but she knew that to venture out into the snow without them would be disastrous.
Spike handed Buffy a bag with a warning. "That one contains your rations," he warned, "so, might be a good idea to keep it safe." He then handed her a piece of bread and a flagon of water. "Thought you might be hungry," he mumbled. "There's not much call for human food around here, so I couldn't do much better. I've got some money, so if you behave, you can buy something later.
Realising how hungry she actually was, Buffy demolished the bread and water quickly, the feeling of a full stomach welcome after days of eating very little. When she finished, she noticed that Spike was watching her, and he gestured to her to pick up her pack. He, in turn, lifted his own, much larger pack onto his back, and led Buffy out of the room and into the castle courtyard.
Apart from those who had the job of guarding the castle, there was no one in sight. They moved towards the gateway, but they were not stopped. It didn't even look as if anyone noticed their passage.
Once outside the confines of the castle, the vampire led the human towards the road. Under normal circumstances, it had been a well-travelled road, leading as it did from the coast to the capital. Buffy had grown up around the coast, and knew the road well. Now, it was all but deserted. The ground behind them was controlled by the invaders, with the area around the capital controlled by the humans.
Spike intended to take the road for a few miles, then pick up a trail which led west. This would allow them to remain in vampire held territory for as long as possible, and would give them the chance to spend the night at an outpost of the invaders just inside their territory. From there, everything would be harder, but he wasn't particularly worried. He had spent many years doing exactly this sort of work. It was why he had been trusted with this task. His track record spoke for itself.
Buffy was doing her best to keep up, but two weeks of pain and little food had left her lacking in strength and energy - and that was without considering the drugs which had been in her system since her capture.
Within two hours, Spike realised the leash was often being pulled tight as Buffy struggled to keep up. His first impulse was to be angry, but, one look at her face changed his mind. Her expression was determined, but annoyed, obviously at herself. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, despite his own basic belief that she was no more than a source of food.
Considering food, he had packed some blood, enough for several days, but he wanted to keep it available for the time spent in human territory. He could feed without making it too obvious, but it was always risky, and his current mission was risky enough. Once at the outpost, there would be food available, and he would feed then.
Spotting a stream a short way from the road, he decided to call a halt. Buffy was grateful for the rest, but still doubted his intentions. He pulled something from the pack he carried. It proved to be a piece of cloth that seemed to be treated with a wax-like substance. He laid it on the ground, and gestured for her to sit on it. She did so, watching him as he pulled another coat from his pack. He put it around her shoulders, muttering something about him not needing it yet, then proceeded to sit beside her.
Buffy shrank away from him, still convinced he was just waiting to continue her torment. Instead he smiled at her, a slightly bewildered smile, as if he didn't understand his own motives.
"Rest for a while," he said softly. "We've got a long way to go. If I'd known what they wanted, I'd have asked them to treat you better. It's all very well, but it's not possible to be inconspicuous if I've got to carry you. So, we'll take it easy today, give you the rest you need. Once we're across the line, that'll stop. I don't want that part of the journey to take longer than necessary. So, enjoy it while you can."
With that, he lay back, the leash still coiled around his fist. He seemed to be asleep. Buffy was glad of the second coat. While they were walking, she was warm enough with just her own clothes. Now they were still, she could feel the chill creeping into her. Although the waxed cloth kept the dampness from getting through, the ground was cold, and the chill was reaching through her clothing. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a thin covering of snow everywhere. She knew that the land closer to the capital was lower, and less likely to have snow on the ground.
She sat for several minutes, hoping her companion was asleep, before she started to edge away from him. She saw the leash slip from around his hand and felt excitement growing within her. She continued to pull away, gently, slowly, until only the last inches of the leash were around his hand. She pulled away a little further, ready to make a break for it, when one of his eyes opened. He regarded her with amusement, before making it obvious that she had had no chance of escape. The leash was attached to another, transparent strap, which disappeared into the vampire's clothes.
She expected him to raise his voice, to hit her, anything but what he did. He simply smiled, and said, "Now you know you can't get away, why don't you rest for a while? We'll be off in a few minutes, and I want to put a few more miles under our belts before we rest again. I've got a destination in mind for tonight, and I'd really rather get there. The alternative is the tent in this pack, and that will be rather cramped, to say nothing of cold. Of course, the cold doesn't bother me, and the proximity to your body actually sounds rather enjoyable, but, I think you might be happier with the alternative."
With that, his eye closed again, and Buffy decided to do as he suggested.
They saw no one on the next leg of their journey. The road seemed deserted, and the animals in the fields surrounding them had apparently been abandoned when their owners had left as the invasion overtook them. At least, the lucky ones had left. There was a strong smell of rotting corpses when they got close to some of the habitations.
As mid-afternoon approached, Spike suggested heading off the road towards an abandoned farm. He suspected there would be food available there, and knew the fare he had managed to provide for Buffy wouldn't help her recovery very much.
True to his suspicions, they found some farmhouse cheese, and some special, thin, bread of the type used locally when travelling. It was hard, but it kept fresh for several weeks, and Buffy helped herself to all she found.
Fortunately, there were no bodies in the buildings they visited, in fact, they chose their destinations based on Spike's assessment of the smell. He avoided the farmhouse itself, knowing that the sights inside would do nothing to keep his captive quiescent.
Laden with an extra sack full of the food they had obtained, they returned to the road. Buffy had eaten some of the food as they rested in what had probably been the dairy. She felt much stronger than before, and knew the combination of Slayer healing and the psychological advantages of being free from renewed pain and some fresh food were doing wonders for her. She was starting to feel good, almost back to normal, except that she knew that she had only standard human strength and speed. If only she could find a way of avoiding her next injection, her chances of escape would be substantially increased.
The rest of the day passed as it had started. There was minimal conversation between the captor and the captive. Despite this, both kept a watch on the other.
Buffy's previous experience with vampires had been, until the invasion of her world, limited to those indigenous to her home. They had been vicious, delighting in not only killing, but in pain and fear. She had been glad to dispatch each of them, recognising it as not only her sacred duty, but a real service to her fellow humans. Her time as a captive at the castle, had merely reinforced her opinions. Every senior vampire for miles around had been allowed to spend time with her, feeding from her, using her for their pleasure. She had wished for death many times, and had fully expected that she would die in that cell.
This vampire was so different. She was convinced he was simply smarter than the others. He was keeping her guessing, trying to build her confidence so that he could shatter it later. Despite that, she found herself wondering what sort of a man he had been. Good looking, certainly. Intelligent too. There was also an air about him which bespoke being on the other side of bad treatment at some time in the past. She couldn't help but wonder how she would have reacted to him had he been human, and she didn't like the answer her body was giving.
As the Slayer, she had had the choice of partners since she was called. It was expected that Slayers would live hard during their short lives, and most had a number of partners, or at least a succession of them. Buffy had preferred a one-at-a-time approach, but had bored of them quickly. She knew she wanted, and needed someone closer to her own level of strength. She had always been disappointed.
Of course, vampires would be a match for her in strength, but they were also evil, and she could never consider such a thing. Despite herself, she found herself wondering about this strange vampire. Were he human, she would have had no qualms at all about taking his as a partner.
She shook her head to be rid of such notions. It was just the combination of an attractive body and the comparative kindness he had shown her which was causing her to feel that way.
Spike was in a similar quandary. He was a vampire. The usual mantra for such creatures was 'want - take - have', and to some extent he believed in such a simple dogma. His own past, with a Sire who had been sadistic even by the standards of vampires had left him unwilling to inflict unnecessary pain on anyone, even a human. Since the demise of his Sire, he had lived as he could, eventually ending up with his reputation for being able to blend with humans and walk among them undetected. Part of his success in that respect was his ability to put on hold the baser instincts to which vampires were prey. He had to feed, of course, but he rarely killed when he did so. When he fed, that was all he did, he felt no need to torment his victim first.
This woman was having a strange effect on him. He wanted her, and was surprised by that fact. He had never been interested in a human before. One part of him told him to just take what he wanted, but another told him that to take her by force would be a pale shadow of having her as a willing partner, and he found himself unwilling to settle for second best. Not that it was ever likely that she would accept him willingly. After all, his aim in this matter was to kill her, and he didn't believe that was likely to endear him to her. Unsure what else to do, he simply decided to ignore the feelings she was engendering in him, and concentrate on the job at hand.