Declaimer: Joss left this morning, a post-it note stuck on my fridge. "Mel, last night was great… cheers. J xx" all the time I had spent perusing him and becoming his ultimate woman. But I was just another fling. All I wanted was I little bit of ownership, just to the Buffy characters. I'm not greedy I don't want Angel, or any of his others. Well I have a new plan… you'll just have to wait and see. Until then they all belong to him.
Title: Tired Hearts
A/N: well sorry it's late… we ended up getting more stock than planned so I didn't finish it all until Tuesday, and Wednesday was my well deserved day off. And my series seven part 2 came in the post, so I am in the process of watching them, and before I came to work I watched a shocker that has left me worrying for poor Xander. Anyway I'm here now, and hopefully this chapter will be a good one!
Mel xx
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Faith was unconscious in the back of Ted's car. She looked peaceful and elegant. Her beautiful long brown hair hanging in tendrils around her perfect face. Ted's mind corrected him, she wasn't his anymore, she would never allow it again. She was the chef's girlfriend, and he was her past. As he pulled into his drive he smiled at his sleeping ex. He was going to make her hurt. Just like she had to him. Quietly he closed the car doors, locking them before walking into his house.
When Faith heard him leave she opened her eyes. He had knocked her out when they were still in the car park at Evolutions. She had woke up about five minutes ago, not opening her eyes afraid he might notice. She let out the moan she had suppressed, her head hurt. It stung as if something hard and blunt had hit it. As she slowly sat up she saw the lump of wood on the front seat. She sighed as she had a quick flash back of Ted raising it above her before striking it at full force against her skull; from there it was a blank.
She had sat so many times in this car, she knew the back doors were child locked, she looked outside to check Ted wasn't coming back out and made her way to the front of the car. Once in the front she saw a bag containing a mask curiously she pulled it out, and let out a gasp. It was disgusting, made out of leather and looking like some sort of demon face. Bits of lank twisted leather hanging down like hair; shoving it back in its back she caught her hand on something else. Leather again sending shivers down her spine. She pulled the case from the bag and opened it slowly. Once opened another small gasp escaped her mouth. A blood stained knife in all it's glory stood out in her hands.
Ted left the house; he had to get some bits and pieces he had recently acquired. One being his knew knife sharpener, some wet wipes, and a knuckle-duster, encased with a small spike on the middle knuckle.
***********
Spike and Xander left the scooter by the front of the door. The bouncers grabbed them as they ran through, cutting the long line.
"Oi, mate, what's your problem?" The black bouncer asked as he grabbed the neck of Spike and his work mate grabbed Xander by the arm.
"There's the fucking line. Now go stand at the back like good little boys." The white bouncer laughed. They pushed Spike and Xander forward and they both stumbled.
"Now you listen 'ere." Spike started. "Our birds are in there and something 'ent right." Both the bounces looked at each other and laughed.
"Jealous?" the black one stated. Xander stood tall, his eyes ablaze.
"Look, his birds." He pointed to Spike "she has a stalker. And he's in there. Mine won't answer her phone and she suppose to be in there with Buffy."
"Buffy?" the bouncers asked Spike.
"Yea, why?" they both shook their heads. The white one disappeared into the club, gripping his hands in front of him, he spoke to the coat person and came back with his face looking worried.
"Her coats gone mate. Sorry, maybe we saw her, what she look like?"
"Blonde, pretty, bout yai high." He marked out with his hands. "Green eyes, black dress, umm black knee length boots…"
"She hang out with a dark haired girl, umm real pretty and wearing a dress no straps?" he could remember staring at the two beautiful girls. They were by far the most attractive he had seen in a while.
"Yea, that's Faith…" Xander said his hopes rising a little.
"Soz' mate, she left bout 45 minutes ago with some guy. Brown hair, she were smiling so she must have known him." The black bouncer remembered. He had hoped he could have snuck in and grabbed a dance with the raven. But when she had left he had just smiled and waved. Her bloke was gripping her a bit tight like, but what people do in their own time is their business not his.
"What did he look like?" Xander asked the thought of Faith cheating not even entering his mind, he trusted her with his life, and now he was worried.
***********
Faith had fiddled with the door but by the time it had shifted a tad, Ted was in the car smiling at her like never before.
"Faith your up! What you doing?" He smiled and grabbed her hand from the handle. Faith let out a small groan before he launched her into the back of the car.
"I've things to tell you baby. Confessions. I suppose I should tell you." He smiled again, and for the second time that night she feared for her life. Pictures of Xander in a black suit with Buffy and Dawn standing around a brown box entered her mind. She watched a Spike joined the mourning group followed by Tara and Willow, her mother and her stepbrother. Her delicate body shook quietly as she cried, Ted humming as he drove.
"Don't you know Faith," He began watching her through the rear view mirror. "I Love you, always have, and always will. But he can't have you. Never. Your mine, nobodies replaced you since you left. I always thought you'd come back. Even when you were with me, you weren't, know what I mean?" Ted voice was becoming dark.
"I said, know what I mean?" his eyes darted to the mirror and she nodded.
"That's why I killed her, she was a slag Faith. Like you use to be. Don't think I don't know. Always did, but you were with me and that was all that mattered. Now you're with him and he's abusing you lovely nature. He doesn't know what you like. I do though, I do." He was beginning to chant, saying his last words until he was singing them. As Faith huddled up against the door she looked completely innocent. Like a dog waiting to be put down. But under her coat she was fiddling with the lock, she knew she could seriously hurt herself, but if she didn't get out, she would die. And she knew he would drag it out, the minute she saw the mask she knew he was the killer, the one who had killed all those ladies. And she was going to be his next victim.
*******
Spike looked at Xander as the pulled up outside the Bistro.
"Xander calm down for fuck sake." Spike screamed.
"Something's happened Spike, she's dead I know it… or worst, what could be worst, Oh God!" Spike grabbed his beat friend by the shoulders.
"Get a grip. You take the moped, find them, try Ted's place, and then try places around. Break the fucking door down if you need to, just find her." Xander nodded aware there was no time to be hysterical.
"I'm gonna go back get Harmony."
**
While at the club as they were told about Ted taking Faith and this weirdo taking Buffy and Spike's child, Harmony had stormed out of the club claming her date had left her, she rudely interrupted and begged the bouncer's if they had seen him, she told them his description and it just happened to fit the one of Buffy's kidnapper. Spike had got the bouncers to keep Harmony while he got Xander's car.
**
An hour later Spike was listening to Harmony, as she continued to tell him that she was over him and she was in love with Riley.
"Isn't it funny how I know you, Riley knows Buffy and Buffy knows you. It's like we're all one big happy family."
"Harmony, where does the poof live?" Spike asked through gritted teeth.
"Oh, with Trish, his mum." She looked out up to the cloud.
"And that would be?" Spike asked, the bint was driving him insane, and he was so worried for Buffy. He wouldn't let himself think about anything other that finding her, he couldn't, because if he did he's break down, he wanted to feel her in his arms and to kiss her pink pouting lips. He wanted to hold his baby, he wanted to teach him football, or brush her dolls hair.
"STOP!" Harmony ordered. The Lexus came to a screeching halt.
"There." Harmony pointed to a house a hop, skip and a jump away.
"What?" Spike was confused his thoughts had been cut in half because she had screamed…
"Riley's house, silly." She giggled after again cutting Spikes thoughts.
******
Buffy woke up groggily. She couldn't see anything and an instant fear struck her with a great force.
She could remember telling Faith about the baby, and then she had gone to get drinks. She tried to think hard about what happened next. A good looking man had sat next to her, offered her a drink she had said yes to get him to go away, hoping Faith would be back soon. He had come back, she had made polite chit chat, before leaving to find Faith and then she remembered a strong grip around her back as she passed out.
The room was dark; she was obviously on a bed and the room smelt stale. She blinked trying to get her stinging eyes to focus on something, the door to her left opened letting some light into the room. A tall figure stood at the top of some stairs. The small amount of light poured in and lit the room into a dull glow. She stared around the room. A small desk stood below a high small window; she was obviously in a basement. To her left was a wardrobe and to her right a television. The figure closed the door and walked down the stairs in complete darkness, silence filling the room apart from the occasional footstep.
"Hello sleeping beauty." A rich accented growled.
"W…wh… where am I?" Buffy stuttered.
"Your in my room." The voice answered.
"Who are you? Why am I here? Where's Faith?" Buffy asked all at once.
"Riley, you fainted, dunno." Riley answered.
"I fainted?" Buffy asked. "Why?"
"I dunno, love."
"Don't call me that," Buffy screamed.
"What?" Riley asked in a comforting manor. Buffy felt the bed move at her side and suddenly a blinking light turned on, lighting the room and the person sitting next to her.
Riley had known that he wouldn't have got her here alone by himself, so he had gone to get her a drink, making a pit stop at the men's toilets, after buying a couple of pills he brought the drinks making sure he avoided Harmony, then when Buffy had drank her drink and walked off, he had followed her. She began to rock and Riley had been there to catch her, he had taken her home, the Bouncers hadn't seemed to pay to much attention. Anyway he wasn't kidnapping her, he was helping her, and if she decided to stay then he would allow it, and if she didn't then he would pay Spike a visit informing him that Buffy didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't love him any longer and she was with him now. And even if he got a black eye, it would be worth it. She would be worth it.
*******
Xander had been debating for about 10 seconds before he kicked the door down, once inside a smell hit him that in any other time would have him on the floor gagging, he ran around the front room looking for any thing that would be evidence to where Ted might have taken Faith, he ran into the kitchen and notice the cleanliness. Running upstairs Xander opened the bedroom door and searched the room; handcuffs and other things were amongst the drawers.
"No wonder she left the barstard." Xander said as he continued searching. He found a wardrobe still full of Faiths clothes and a drawer still full with her cosmetics. He ran to the second bedroom and found nothing, then the bathroom again leaving him clueless.
About to admit defeat Xander stared up, the smell becoming too much for him. He pulled at the string attached to the loft and stood back as a ladder rolled to the floor. Once again a stench hit him with full force, what ever was stinking was obviously upstairs in the loft. Slowly Xander crept towards the opening. Then he screamed at the sight in front of him, a rotting corpse swung from the rafters maggots crawling over the slowly dissolving flesh, the girls face twisted in horror, her eyes wide open and he mouth dropped open, several flies and worms making their nests inside, Xander fell backwards down the wooden ladder and hit his head hard, before he could think he was outside dialling 999. Within five minutes the police and ambulance came, and he was on his moped, determined to find Faith before it was too late. The detective in charged sent out a unit to find her as well but Xander was gone before she could tell him everything would be alright, although even she thought it was a lie.
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A/N: well? What do you think? Feedback would really be great. Thanks Mel xx