Author's Notes: Thank you to Wendy, Meghan, Christine, GoodCharlottesGurl, DevilsAdvocate, ASH Watcher, Karin, lana, Britanyca, Ashleigh, Tracy, Emma, and Nina for the wonderful feedback on part 20!!

Dedication: To Wendy...who put the idea in my head to include a certain article of clothing *g*.

Warning: References to domestic violence, and language

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Part 21 - Save Me

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Slowly, her world righted itself. Tiny pinpricks of reality edged into her consciousness. Dinner...Angel...the gardens...the bench...a phone ringing...and then nothing. She shook her head slightly in confusion, immediately regretting the action as shards of pain shot through her skull. Attempting to raise her hands to sooth her aching head, Buffy was horrified to find that she couldn't move her them.

Panic raced through her veins as her situation dawned on her. The dull memory of sitting on the bench waiting for Angel to return and then feeling someone behind her, pressing something against her nose suddenly flashed into her mind. Her eyes squeezed shut as she fought acceptance of the facts that were plaintively obvious.

However much she wanted to deny her current reality, she couldn't. Not when she was sitting...somewhere....with a throbbing head and her hands apparently tied behind her back. It was impossible to ignore the cold, hard truth. And in this case, the cold and hard was literal since it seemed that she was seated upon a concrete floor.

Cautiously, Buffy pried her eyes open. Fear and adrenaline had her heart pounding in her chest. She had no idea what she would be faced with once her eyes were open. Was someone going to be standing in front of her holding a gun? Was there more than one person? Who would want to kidnap her anyway?

The sight that greeted her wasn't quite what she had been expecting. In all honesty, she couldn't really see much. The room was pitch black except for the slim beams of moonlight shining in through tiny windows near what looked like the ceiling. Other than that, there wasn't much she could see.

There didn't appear to be anyone in the room with her, either, which struck her as rather odd. She was also relieved, though, that no one was there with her. At least she wouldn't have to deal with some crazed lunatic...yet.

Squinting her eyes, Buffy tried to see more of the room that she was imprisoned in. She couldn't make out any furniture or things along that line. The room seemed empty except for some pipes, one of which she was tied to.

As she struggled to understand her situation better, tears began forming in her eyes. She was trapped in some cold, dank room, tied to a pole. And she had no idea who would want to do this to her. She was just a girl, never harmed anybody. Why would they want to kidnap her? Over and over that question echoed in her head.

She struggled to move around in her bound position, but that only made her arms ache worse. Her tears now freely flowed down her cheeks as she huddled her knees up to her chest. Angel must be so worried. She'd just disappeared.

Her beloved's face appeared in her mind as sobs shook her small body. The vivid image was a comfort she'd gladly take. She knew he'd find her. There was no doubt in her mind. Angel would come for her, would save her and take her away from this dark room.

He would come.

She repeated that phrase in her head in a soothing mantra that soon lulled her into an exhausted sleep. Her last thought before drifting off was a silent plea to her Angel to save her.

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"Ow! Damnit! That fucking hurt!" Angel roared in agony.

"Well, if you hadn't punched a plate glass window I wouldn't have to be standing here pouring disinfectant on it!" Willow nearly screamed at him in response.

The others present in the room stared at her in mild shock, not used to hearing meek little Willow speak in such a harsh tone. But they were all on edge. Angel's phone calls had set them all into a panic. Now they were all just standing around helplessly in the kitchen as the police searched for clues outside in the gardens.

"I told you it didn't need to be taken care of!" he growled back at her.

"Oh, right. You just want to us let you bleed to death. Lot of good that will do Buffy," snorted Cordelia in her typically sarcastic tone.

"She's right, Angel," Joyce spoke in a quiet voice, hoarse from crying. "You need to get that looked at. We can't do anything right now, anyway."

"I...I'm sorry." Angel's shoulders slumped as he spoke. "I hate just standing here like this. What the Hell is taking them so long out there?"

"I am sure they will let us know if they find anything," offered Giles in consolation as he placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. He had no idea how he was keeping himself from falling into a complete panic.

Xander paced back and forth across the kitchen, unable to sit still for more than a minute. "Who would want to kidnap Buffy? And why now? She's been out of the coma for over two weeks now."

No one responded to his questions. They all knew who responsible, but not one person in the group wanted to say it out loud. If they didn't say it, it wouldn't be as real. They wouldn't have to face the fact that the person who had kidnapped Buffy was likely the same person who had put her in a coma nine months earlier.

"Angel?" Willow said softly, hoping to distract her raging friend. "Why don't you go find some clothes to change into."

"What?" he questioned in confusion at his friend's odd statement.

"You're covered in blood," she answered simply, pointing to clothing he was wearing.

Angel frowned and then looked down at his clothes. Willow was right. The multiple gashes on his hand had been bleeding fiercely and had dripped blood all over his shirt and pants.

"I don't think it matters what my clothes look like," he snapped harshly at her.

Willow looked him in the eye, showing that she was not intimidated by him. "Do you want Buffy to see you like that when we find her?"

His eyes narrowed at her for a moment before he turned and stalked out of the room mumbling obscenities too low for the others to hear. Each one of them let out a sigh of relief once he was far enough away.

"Thank you Willow," Cordelia groaned. "I don't think I could have taken anymore of his growling."

"Cordy, sweetie, he's just upset," chastised Xander lightly.

"I know that!" Cordy responded with a pointed look at her boyfriend. "We all are. But Angel stalking around, growling like a wild animal is a little freaky."

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Noise inside the room awoke Buffy from the sleep she'd fallen into. She knew immediately that someone else was inside the room with her. If she hadn't heard the noises, she would have felt the presence of another person. Plus, the glaring brightness of a newly turned on light behind her still closed eyes was also a clue.

She was torn between opening her eyes and facing her abductor and feigning sleep longer so she could try and delude herself that she wasn't really tied to a pole somewhere at the whim of some psycho. The decision, however, was made for her when a cold, harsh voice called out to her.

"Open you eyes, bitch. I know you're awake."

Buffy's eyes snapped open in shock when she recognized the voice. "Riley?"

"Very good," the blonde man spoke cockily.

Buffy found that she could only stare at the man standing a few feet in front of her. The horror of finding herself tied up in some dark room was nothing compared to finding her mild-mannered physical therapist to be the one responsible. She'd always thought there was something off about him, but she'd never expected this from him.

"What-," she cleared her throat. "What's going on?"

"Well, I should think that is quite obvious," Riley snorted in response to her seemingly stupid question.

"Why?" Buffy breathed out heavily. It was the only thing she could think to say. And truthfully, it was the only thing she wanted to know. Why would Riley Finn, the blonde haired, blue eyed farm boy, kidnap her?

"If you have to ask you are even stupider than I thought you were," he shook his head.

"Oh, come on Riley, she never was very bright," a new voice sounded through the room.

Buffy's blood ran cold at the sound, her head snapping in the direction of the person she hadn't even known was in the room. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him emerge from the shadows. Fear raced through her body as she saw him walk into the harsh lighting.

"Ford?" she whispered, terror taking over ever cell within her.

"Aww! So glad you remember me, Summers," the dark haired man joked sarcastically.

Her mouth opened to say something back to him, but Buffy quickly realized that now was not the time for one of her smart-ass comments. Instead, her eyes stayed focused the man she'd wasted two years of her life with. There was no way she'd ever forget him, and the way he'd treated her. It disgusted her now to think about the person she'd been when she was with him. Her time with him-

The thoughts in her head suddenly stopped as she watched Ford saunter over and stand next to Riley. A cold shiver twisted down her spine at the site of the pair standing side by side. There was something...something she should know. It was pushing on the edges of her consciousness.

When Ford placed his hand onto Riley's shoulder the seemingly innocuous memory finally assaulted her mind...

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~begin flashback~

"Sit down and get out of my way!" Ford yelled loudly as Buffy walked in between his line of vision to the television set.

When she didn't move fast enough, Ford's foot shot out and kicked her in stomach. The blow sent her sprawling into a small bookshelf next to the tv and then down to the ground. Stunned, Buffy just lay there on the floor trying to catch her breath.

Ford glared at her for making so much noise and then looked angrily at the items she'd knocked off the bookshelf during her 'fall'. Noticing his unhappiness, Buffy quickly pulled herself together and began putting the items back onto the shelf. She had no desire to piss her boyfriend off anymore than he already was.

A photograph fell out of an old magazine as she picked it up from the floor. Curiously, she stated at the picture she'd never seen before. Ford wasn't the type who kept family photos around...or photos of anyone for that matter. So the interesting find was all the more attention getting.

"What are you looking at?" Ford snapped when he saw that Buffy was no longer cleaning up the mess she'd made.

"Umm...i-it's just a-a pictures. I-it fell out of the m-magazine," she explained slowly, hoping that her answer was acceptable.

"Gimme that." Ford snatched the picture out of her hands and studied it momentarily before a chilling smirk set across his face.

Buffy stood and glanced at the photo once more. It was of Ford and a man she didn't recognize, but from the look of them in the picture it was obvious they were close. She wondered who the man was and why she'd never met him.

"Who is that?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to upset him by asking the question.

"That's my half brother Riley," he told her curtly before throwing the picture down onto the table next to the couch and then walked out of the room.

Picking up the picture, Buffy looked at the two men it depicted. They were standing side by side, Ford with his hand on Riley's shoulder as both laughed at something she couldn't see. She idly wondered if Riley was anything like his brother.

~end flashback~

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"Riley Fordham," Buffy murmured almost inaudibly. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten who he was.

He'd been in her house, in her room, and she'd never remembered his true identity. She had only seen his picture once, though. Now she knew why something always bugged her about him. Still, she couldn't help but feel like there was something else she was missing. Something drastically important that she hadn't yet remembered.

"I'm touched," Riley smirked, placing a mocking hand over his heart. "You remembered my name."

"I-I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" Buffy cried softly.

She didn't understand any of this. There was no reason for them to kidnap her. She'd never done anything to either of them. Sure, Ford was generally and asshole, but why would he resort to kidnapping her? He'd never loved her. Of that she was positive. So this obviously wasn't a ploy to win her back.

"Poor Buffy, we made her cry," Ford teased with a look to his half brother. "Why am I doing this?"

For just a moment, his voice sounded softer. Just as it had when she first met him. But in the next instant, he was standing right in front of her. His eyes bore harshly into her causing her to push herself further against the wall. When he spoke again, his words were heartless and serious.

"You're a problem, Summers. One that I plan on taking care of."

Buffy shivered at his tone. She was truly terrified. Never in all of her time with Ford, even when he was hitting her, had he looked as he did now. Deep in heart, she knew that Ford had no intention of letting her go.

Silently, she closed her eyes and prayed to whoever might hear her that she would make it through this. As her tears fell harder across her cheeks and down onto her shirt, her soul called out to Angel begging him to come save her.

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Angel stilled halfway down the staircase in the Giles' home. His hand grasped at the banister and his eyes closed as he felt the pull at his heart. Buffy was calling out to him. He didn't know how he knew, and was sure that he'd never be able to explain it to anyone, but he could feel her pleading for him to save her.

Rage filled his mind. Rage at whoever was hurting Buffy. Rage at whoever would dare touch his mate. She was his and nobody else's. And he would see to it that whoever was responsible for harming her would suffer and feel pain ten times worse than she had.

With determination in his step, Angel descended the remaining stairs and stormed into the kitchen. He stopped upon entering and fought to control the urge to yell at everyone when he saw that they were all just sitting there doing nothing. What it was Angel thought they should be doing, he didn't know. He just knew that they shouldn't be sitting there twiddling their thumbs like it was a normal night.

Xander looked up when he heard footsteps and shivered unintentionally at the sight Angel presented. The barely restrained fury blazing in Angel's eyes was hard to miss. Even if his eyes hadn't give away his temperament, his posture and clothes would have.

"That's a, uh, interesting look, Angel," Xander spoke nervously.

Angel glared at the dark haired boy, but he was well aware of what his friend was referring to. The leather pants were not typical for him. But Buffy had pleaded with him to buy them on a recent shopping trip and who was he to say no to her? Luckily, they had been upstairs in her room...'accidentally' left there by him.

At the moment, he was glad they'd been there. The dark leather fit his mood perfectly. And judging by the looks he was getting from the others, they were eliciting the exact reaction that he wanted.

"Any news?" Angel spat out forcefully. He didn't have time for pleasantries. Not when Buffy was in danger.

"N-no. Nothing y-yet," Giles stuttered. He couldn't help but be intimidated by the aura radiating off the younger man.

Angel was about to reply when an officer entered through the back door. Everyone in the room quickly stood expectantly and waited for the man to speak. Each of them hoped they had some news on their friend and family member.

"We haven't found anything that would give us a clue as to where she is or who took her," the red-haired lieutenant spoke, sensing the need to get right down to business. "But I have all my men looking, and an APB (all- points-bulletin) has been put out for her. If she's spotted anywhere, they will let me know immediately."

"WE HAVE TO FIND HER! NOW!" Angel roared in frustration. They'd been out there for a half hour and had found nothing. How was some stupid bulletin going to help his beloved?

The officer jumped slight at Angel's outburst. He was tempted to snap back at the man. After all, they were already breaking protocol. Buffy had only been missing for a short while, not the typical forty-eight hour waiting period that usually followed a missing persons case. Since foul play appeared to be obvious, they'd gotten involved quicker.

"Mr. O'Malley, we are doing everything in our power to ensure that she is found and returned safely," the man tried to state reassuringly. Inside, though, he was worried especially considering the fact that Buffy had been the victim of a brutal attack only months earlier.

Angel glared at lieutenant angrily. "That's not good en-,"

"Sir! We found something!" a young officer burst through the door yelling.

"What?" The older officer reached out and took the object the young female held in gloved hands.

"What is it?" Joyce pleaded in hopes that it would give them some idea as to where her daughter was.

"It appears to be a business card of some sorts," he stated with a frown. "Where did you find this?"

"It was underneath a bush a few feet behind the bench the victim was sitting on," the female officer relayed.

"Business card?" Angel repeated in confusion.

"Yes. Does the name Riley Finn mean anything?" the officer questioned, looking to the occupants of the room.

"Riley? That's Buffy's physical therapist," Willow responded, her eyes showing the thoughts swirling in her head.

"Oh my God!" Joyce sobbed. Not only had Buffy been kidnapped, but it had been by someone they'd trusted and let into their home.

"Now, this doesn't necessary mean anything," the lieutenant tried to calm everyone down.

"The Hell it doesn't!" Angel yelled forcefully. "How else would that little bastard's card get all the way out there?"

Everyone was silent at those words until Willow spoke up softly. "Buffy did tell me once that there was something about him that bothered her.

"Maria," the male officer called to the other officer. "I need you to find out everything about this Riley Finn. Here's the card. I want criminal history, if there is any, personal info, and any know local addresses. Hurry!"

The group of friends and family could only watch helplessly as the police officers suddenly went scurrying about. Angel paced the floor desperately wishing there was more he could do. Images flashed in his mind of what he would do to Finn when he got a hold of him. That bastard would pay for hurting his Buffy.

Taking a deep breath, Angel tried to calm his mind and body. He could still feel Buffy calling out to him and it pained his heart to be just standing around doing nothing to help her. Instead, he focused inwardly and whispered silently to her.

'Hold on, baby. I'll save you.'

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TBC