Thanks again to everyone for your reviews! I hope you're having as much
fun reading the story as I am writing it. I bet you know what I'm going to
say next. Yup! Disclaimer is in Chapter 1.
Buffy awoke in complete darkness. From a far way off it sounded like someone was calling her name but she wasn't sure.
"Spike?" she called hopefully but the only response was her own echo. "Where am I?" she asked herself. "Let me guess... another side affect of Anya's spell no doubt."
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she carefully explored her new surroundings. The place resembled her basement but was much filthier and much more cluttered. She noticed a pile of dried up roses in one corner. A small leather book lay next to the flowery remains and she picked it up, brushing away the thick layer of dust. She read the inside cover. "William's Book of Poetry: 1880."
"Who's William?" she thought to herself and then it hit her.
"Spike..." she whispered. This was his book, but how could that be. She looked around and realized that all the clutter surrounding her were pieces of Spike's past.
There were pictures on the ground, brittle and yellow with age. Buffy recognized Spike and Drusilla in one. His hair was longer than she was used to, and a dirty blond, not the intense bleached blond he had now, but it was unmistakably him. Another picture was of a pretty blond haired girl and... "Angel," she realized, "and the girl is Darla." For some reason seeing these pictures, these glimpses into Spike's past made her uneasy. It only reminded her that she knew so little of his life.
A noise started her and she jumped up, her slayer senses at the ready. She noticed a thick iron door a few feet away with an enormous padlock barring any who may enter or leave. As she moved in closer, she noticed the door was covered in blood. She could make out sounds from behind the iron door and they sent chills down her spine. There were screams, horrible screams, and the sounds of people pleading for their lives. Buffy wasn't quite sure what to make of it all but she didn't want to stick around in case something inside managed to escape.
She continued along in the darkness until she noticed a light shining up ahead. There were voices as well, not the horrific screams she had just heard but the sounds of people talking. Buffy followed the voices hoping somebody might be able to help her. She was not prepared for what she was about to find.
Spike continued holding Buffy and shouting her name, hoping in vain to receive some kind of response.
Dawn was awakened by Spike's desperate cries. She quickly ran to the basement and down the stairs to see what was wrong. When she saw her sister lying unconscious in his arms, her initial reaction was total panic.
"Spike... you... you didn't..." she stammered. Spike looked up the dark- haired girl and his eyes widened when he realized what she was thinking.
"No, Niblet. I didn't hurt her," he assured Dawn. "She just... blacked out. I don't know what's wrong."
Dawn was comforted slightly by Spike's words, but she was still scared. "Maybe it's Anya's spell," she thought out loud. "Maybe there's more to it then we thought."
"Yeah," Spike replied, brushing a stray strand of hair from Buffy's face. "That must be it."
Taking a deep breath, Dawn tried to think of what Buffy would do in this situation. Willow and Giles had already planned to take the earliest flight into Sunnydale, and they hoped to arrive by early afternoon. There was no use worrying them until they got here. Xander would probably freak out if he found out about Buffy's condition, but he did have the right to know. He was one of the Scoobies and Scoobies stuck together. Besides, in times of crisis Dawn liked having many friends near.
"I'm going to call Xander," she finally decided.
Spike glanced up, his eyes wide. "No offense Niblet but I don't fancy having that ponce drive a stake through my heart when he finds out about Buffy. Chip remember? I can't defend myself if he decides to go on a staking spree."
"Don't worry," Dawn assured him. "I'll explain everything. Xander will understand."
Spike winced in pain as Xander shoved him into Buffy's refrigerator.
"I knew you were going to hurt her!" Xander yelled like a madman. "I should have killed you a long time ago."
"Xander!" Dawn yelled. "It wasn't Spike's fault."
"Yeah, listen to the girl," Spike said hopefully. If he managed to make it through the night, limbs in tact, he was going to have an "I told you so" talk with Dawn.
"Xander I called you here because I thought you could help. Not so you could let out your frustration on Spike," pleaded Dawn. "Is that what Buffy would want?"
Xander didn't release his hold on Spike's shirt but the vampire felt his grip loosen slightly. "You Summers women don't seem to get it," Xander replied. "This... this thing is a demon. All he'll ever do is hurt you."
Spike was almost grateful to see Xander so protective of Buffy. It wasn't like the boy was wrong. He had been and probably still was a monster.
Suddenly, Spike heard a noise come from the other room. It was so soft that only he could hear it. "Buffy," he said and pushed Xander away so he could get to her side.
There she was, just as they had left her, sleeping peacefully on the living room sofa. She was saying something though, something so faint that Spike had trouble hearing.
"What is it?" Dawn asked as she and Xander entered the room. Spike held up his hand signaling them to be quiet. He leaned close to Buffy's mouth and tried to decipher her whispering.
"Where am I... William... 1880... How could that be?"
Spike didn't quite understand what she was saying but he knew it had something to do with him. Where was she? Maybe her mind had been transported to another dimension. Maybe she had somehow gone back in time. Spike's head hurt from thinking so hard. Hopefully Willow would come up with some answers, fast.
Buffy awoke in complete darkness. From a far way off it sounded like someone was calling her name but she wasn't sure.
"Spike?" she called hopefully but the only response was her own echo. "Where am I?" she asked herself. "Let me guess... another side affect of Anya's spell no doubt."
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she carefully explored her new surroundings. The place resembled her basement but was much filthier and much more cluttered. She noticed a pile of dried up roses in one corner. A small leather book lay next to the flowery remains and she picked it up, brushing away the thick layer of dust. She read the inside cover. "William's Book of Poetry: 1880."
"Who's William?" she thought to herself and then it hit her.
"Spike..." she whispered. This was his book, but how could that be. She looked around and realized that all the clutter surrounding her were pieces of Spike's past.
There were pictures on the ground, brittle and yellow with age. Buffy recognized Spike and Drusilla in one. His hair was longer than she was used to, and a dirty blond, not the intense bleached blond he had now, but it was unmistakably him. Another picture was of a pretty blond haired girl and... "Angel," she realized, "and the girl is Darla." For some reason seeing these pictures, these glimpses into Spike's past made her uneasy. It only reminded her that she knew so little of his life.
A noise started her and she jumped up, her slayer senses at the ready. She noticed a thick iron door a few feet away with an enormous padlock barring any who may enter or leave. As she moved in closer, she noticed the door was covered in blood. She could make out sounds from behind the iron door and they sent chills down her spine. There were screams, horrible screams, and the sounds of people pleading for their lives. Buffy wasn't quite sure what to make of it all but she didn't want to stick around in case something inside managed to escape.
She continued along in the darkness until she noticed a light shining up ahead. There were voices as well, not the horrific screams she had just heard but the sounds of people talking. Buffy followed the voices hoping somebody might be able to help her. She was not prepared for what she was about to find.
Spike continued holding Buffy and shouting her name, hoping in vain to receive some kind of response.
Dawn was awakened by Spike's desperate cries. She quickly ran to the basement and down the stairs to see what was wrong. When she saw her sister lying unconscious in his arms, her initial reaction was total panic.
"Spike... you... you didn't..." she stammered. Spike looked up the dark- haired girl and his eyes widened when he realized what she was thinking.
"No, Niblet. I didn't hurt her," he assured Dawn. "She just... blacked out. I don't know what's wrong."
Dawn was comforted slightly by Spike's words, but she was still scared. "Maybe it's Anya's spell," she thought out loud. "Maybe there's more to it then we thought."
"Yeah," Spike replied, brushing a stray strand of hair from Buffy's face. "That must be it."
Taking a deep breath, Dawn tried to think of what Buffy would do in this situation. Willow and Giles had already planned to take the earliest flight into Sunnydale, and they hoped to arrive by early afternoon. There was no use worrying them until they got here. Xander would probably freak out if he found out about Buffy's condition, but he did have the right to know. He was one of the Scoobies and Scoobies stuck together. Besides, in times of crisis Dawn liked having many friends near.
"I'm going to call Xander," she finally decided.
Spike glanced up, his eyes wide. "No offense Niblet but I don't fancy having that ponce drive a stake through my heart when he finds out about Buffy. Chip remember? I can't defend myself if he decides to go on a staking spree."
"Don't worry," Dawn assured him. "I'll explain everything. Xander will understand."
Spike winced in pain as Xander shoved him into Buffy's refrigerator.
"I knew you were going to hurt her!" Xander yelled like a madman. "I should have killed you a long time ago."
"Xander!" Dawn yelled. "It wasn't Spike's fault."
"Yeah, listen to the girl," Spike said hopefully. If he managed to make it through the night, limbs in tact, he was going to have an "I told you so" talk with Dawn.
"Xander I called you here because I thought you could help. Not so you could let out your frustration on Spike," pleaded Dawn. "Is that what Buffy would want?"
Xander didn't release his hold on Spike's shirt but the vampire felt his grip loosen slightly. "You Summers women don't seem to get it," Xander replied. "This... this thing is a demon. All he'll ever do is hurt you."
Spike was almost grateful to see Xander so protective of Buffy. It wasn't like the boy was wrong. He had been and probably still was a monster.
Suddenly, Spike heard a noise come from the other room. It was so soft that only he could hear it. "Buffy," he said and pushed Xander away so he could get to her side.
There she was, just as they had left her, sleeping peacefully on the living room sofa. She was saying something though, something so faint that Spike had trouble hearing.
"What is it?" Dawn asked as she and Xander entered the room. Spike held up his hand signaling them to be quiet. He leaned close to Buffy's mouth and tried to decipher her whispering.
"Where am I... William... 1880... How could that be?"
Spike didn't quite understand what she was saying but he knew it had something to do with him. Where was she? Maybe her mind had been transported to another dimension. Maybe she had somehow gone back in time. Spike's head hurt from thinking so hard. Hopefully Willow would come up with some answers, fast.