Chapter Ten
Dawn got home from late cheerleading practice and found a note from her mother: 'Client meeting, late back. This money is for the store, NOT for pizza. Mom x'
Well, if she hadn't mentioned pizza, I wouldn't want it, Dawn thought. So she dialled a number she and Buffy had memorised a long time ago and ordered an extra-large with anchovies. Then she sat down to watch MTV.
The pizza guy was quick, knocking on the door five minutes after Dawn had ordered. She took the bills her mother had left and went to the front door, and then she nearly had a heart attack.
A large figure stood there, broad-shouldered and tall and dressed all in black. Dawn took a step back.
Then the figure spoke her name, and moved into the light, and Dawn had to clutch the stair rail for support.
"Riley?"
"Yeah." He came into the house. "Is your mom here?"
She shook her head.
"Buffy?"
"She's on vacation."
Riley's face darkened. "Do you know where she is?"
Dawn hesitated. "Yes," she said cautiously.
"Where?"
"I think it was a place called Westport."
"Where's that?"
"Somewhere in Britain."
"You don't know where?"
Dawn shook her head. She was crap at geography anyway.
Riley strode into the living room and Muted the TV. "I need to know where she is."
"Why?"
"Because she's in danger."
"What do you mean? What kind of danger?"
Riley looked Dawn over and realised she wasn't the little girl he'd known before he left. Dawn was a young woman.
"She has something that's very valuable," he said. "And there's someone who wants it from her and he - well, he won't stop at anything."
"But Buffy's okay," Dawn said. "I've talked to her. She's safe."
"She was," Riley said. "She's been kidnapped."
Dawn stared at him for a minute. "Kidnapped? When? How do you know?"
"He took her from me," Riley said, looking very pissed off. "I rescued her from him once but he came and found her. It was about six weeks ago. I wanted to go on looking for her but I got recalled and this is the first chance for leave I've had."
"She was kidnapped six weeks ago and you did nothing?" Dawn shrieked.
"I've had people out looking for her," Riley said. "Friends. People I trust."
Dawn was not impressed. "But who kidnapped her?"
"I don't know his real name," Riley said, "but he's known as Spike. He's a mercenary. Thinks he's Indiana Jones. He'll do anything for money - theft and murder being his favourites. The worst part is that Giles trusts him. He thinks Spike's protecting Buffy."
"But he is," Dawn said, then stamped her foot and bit her lip.
"You know about this?" Riley asked.
"Mom hired Spike to take care of Buffy. She knew some insane guy was after something Buffy has so she hired Spike to take care of her in England."
Riley collapsed on the sofa. "You are kidding, right?"
Dawn shook her head.
"Dawn, he's a killer. The FBI are after him, Interpol, Scotland Yard, you name it. A lot of Middle Eastern dictators have him on their wanted lists. If he has Buffy - well, he's already raped her, I don't know-"
"He did what?" Dawn said in a low voice, and Riley passed his hands over his face.
"He took her by force. I saw it - well, I saw him trying it again. She won't say what he did to her but she was in shock when I found her. And now he has her back... Jesus, Dawn, I don't even want to think about what she's going through."
But Dawn was already thinking about it. She'd been to see Xander and Anya and, while Anya remained tight-lipped about the whole thing and tried to maintain that they'd been in a car accident, Xander had told Dawn a little bit of the story.
She'd had to wait a while, because Xander's broken jaw had taken time to heal, and Anya was very protective of him. But eventually Xander had told them that he and Anya had been ambushed by the man who wanted Buffy, been chained in a cellar and beaten for information they didn't have. Then they'd been abandoned.
He didn't remember a huge amount of what had gone on, but he remembered Anya's cries as their attacker set about her. Xander had told all sorts of ridiculous lies to make him stop, so Anya wasn't really hurt, not badly violated, but she still cried every night in Xander's arms.
"What about Xander and Anya?" Dawn asked Riley. "They were kidnapped too."
"Jesus, when?"
"Weeks ago. They've been back here for about a month and a half."
"Spike kidnapped them?"
Dawn opened her mouth. Xander had said it was the guy who was after Buffy, but he hadn't been able to tell her much. He hadn't suspected Spike, he thought Buffy was safe with Spike. But what if it had been Spike who tortured Xander and Anya?
And now he had Buffy.
"Riley, you have to help her," Dawn said.
"Just tell me where she is."
Buffy was sleeping, totally exhausted. Spike lay watching her breathe, her breasts rising and falling, her hair tangled about her shoulders. God, she was beautiful. He couldn't believe how much he wanted her. How much she'd given him.
He'd keep her safe, keep her warm, keep her happy. And he'd do it forever, if she'd let him.
Spike was in love.
He'd once thought he was in love with Drusilla. No - he had been in love with her. Infatuated with her. Crazy about her. Made crazier by her.
Dru was totally insane. She heard voices and saw stars through the roof. And eventually she'd left him, because Spike's adoration wasn't enough. She wanted someone more exciting.
More exciting than Spike? He was horribly offended. But he knew what a psycho her now boyfriend was. He knew that you had to be completely mad to take on Angel. And Spike wasn't completely mad. Just mostly. And he'd been getting a bit tired of Drusilla's dreamy ranting.
He ran his fingers over the soft skin of Buffy's stomach, felt the fine downy hairs there. Buffy wasn't insane. Well, she was a little bit loopy, but then to Spike all women were a little bit loopy.
He traced a fingertip down her leg and she sighed in her sleep. Another finger, and her leg moved a little, a reflex action, opening herself to him.
To Spike, it was irresistible.
The curls between her legs were a much darker shade than the rest of her hair, something he teased her about mercilessly. Buffy had pouted that she was mostly a genuine blonde, but that the Californian sun had made the hair on her head blonder. The rest of her hadn't got the message yet.
Spike twirled a hair around his fingers. He made little patterns, sweeping the hair this way, then that. Then he got bored, and let one finger sink a little bit lower. Her folds were pink and soft and easily parted, as if he was opening up a flower. Spike dipped inside her and found a well of wetness there, then he drew his finger back up and pressed it against her clitoris.
All the while, watching her face.
Buffy's eyelids flickered, but she didn't seem quite aware of him properly. He wondered if she was faking sleep, but a faker wouldn't have moved so much.
Spike moved her clitoris in a little circle, and Buffy came awake with a sucked-in breath.
"Don't stop," she whispered, her eyes still closed.
Spike didn't intend to. He invited another finger in to play, then he slipped both fingers inside her and rubbed her with his thumb, making slow circles, watching Buffy's back arch, her nipples harden. His own breath was coming faster now. He was getting really hard and he hadn't even been touched. She was close, he could feel it. Tight and hot and so wet, she was going to come soon. And the second she did, he was going to-
"Riley," Buffy whispered, and Spike froze.
Her eyes opened, and she pouted.
"You stopped."
"You said Riley."
She laughed. "I was joking!"
Spike removed his hand and wiped it on the duvet, his face turned away from Buffy.
"Come on, Spike," she sat up, but he lay down and turned his back to her. "It was a joke. I thought you had a sense of humour."
"Not when it comes to the woman I'm fucking thinking about someone else while I'm fucking her."
"I'm sorry." Buffy kissed his shoulder. She peeked over him and saw that he'd wilted a bit, but he was still pretty hard. And Buffy was feeling pretty excited herself.
She spooned herself behind him and ran her hand over his hip, feeling the slope of his jutting hipbone. She'd never seen a body so beautiful. Not in pictures and certainly not in real life. Riley was nothing compared with Spike.
Her hand slid down to the dark curls between his legs, then up the smooth skin of his erection.
Spike grabbed her wrist and shoved her hand away.
"Spike," Buffy said, exasperated and hurt, "come on. I've said I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about him at all. I haven't thought about him for weeks."
"Not since you ran away with him to Prague."
"He took me away, and I was in shock. And he told me you'd been raping me and I - well, what was I supposed to do? Believe a man I'd been with for a year, or defend a man I'd known for a week?"
"I didn't rape you," Spike said tightly, his back still to her. "I don't rape."
"I know that," Buffy said, wondering if there was a woman alive who'd ever resist him anyway. "That's why I came back."
"How did he know where we were?"
"I think he talked to Giles."
"Giles trusts him more than me?"
"Giles knows Riley loved me, Spike."
"Did you love him?"
"Of course I did. I wouldn't stay with someone I didn't love."
"Do you still love him?" Spike asked after a paused.
Buffy thought about it. She didn't want to lie.
"I'm not in love with him," she said carefully.
"You went away with him."
"I was in shock!"
"He told you I'd raped you."
"He wanted to believe that."
"Then he's a bloody idiot."
"Why?"
"Anyone who's in love with you has to be a bloody idiot."
Buffy got off the bed and dressed herself silently and was out of the cottage before Spike could think of a way to explain that. When he turned over, he was alone.
"You stupid bloody bint," he yelled, although he could hear the car moving away already. "Sodding Buffy."
He pulled on his clothes, grabbed his duster and strode out just in time to see the little car ricocheting out of sight.
"Giles?" Buffy said as soon as the dial tone ended.
"No, it's Willow Rosenberg. Giles is at lunch. Can I take a message?"
"Will? It's Buffy. I need a favour. Can you find me the number for the airline that flew me into Edinburgh?"
"You're leaving Scotland?"
"I'm going back home."
"Is that safe?"
"Well, nothing's happened out here. I'm sick of the cold. It rains all the time-"
"Yes, but it's so beautiful..."
"I want to go home."
"Is Spike going with you?"
"Spike?" Buffy kicked the wall of the phone booth. "Spike can rot in hell. He's a bastard."
"What did he do?"
"He's just an idiot," Buffy said, and ignored the little logic train that comment sparked off. If Spike thought only an idiot could love her... "Can you get me that number?
Dawn replaced the receiver and looked up at her mother. "He says he might be able to send a telegram. I didn't even know people still did that."
"Well, parts of Scotland are very remote," Joyce said randomly, twisting her hands. "How long will that take?"
Dawn shrugged. "I don't know, mom. She'll be okay. She seemed happy enough last time I spoke to her. I think she and Spike are, you know..."
"I can't believe I trusted him with my baby!"
"Well, maybe Riley was exaggerating. He just wants to get Buffy back safe." Dawn chose not to tell her mother about the reported rape.
"Did Giles say he'd call back?" Joyce asked, and Dawn nodded.
Spike heard the car pull up and was at the door before anyone knocked. But it was the Royal Mail van, and the postman was holding out an envelope.
"Telegram for Miss Summers," he said, his accent so strong Spike could hardly understand him.
"She's gone out," Spike said. "I'll give it her later."
The postie nodded and retreated to his van, picking up a clipboard and consulting it as Spike closed the door, ripped open the telegram, and read it.
BUFFY YOU ARE IN DANGER STOP SPIKE MAY HURT YOU STOP LEAVE ASAP DO NOT LET HIM SEE THIS STOP ALL LOVE GILES
Spike re-read it. Then he slammed out of the cottage and wrenched open the post van's door.
"I need a lift to the village," he said, and withdrew a shiny pistol from inside his coat. "Now."