Mike was the first to come to consciousness. She slowly awoke to take in her surroundings. They were in some old house on the outskirts of town, in the basement she figured. The room was cold and dank and the brick walls did little to help the interior. The only piece of furniture was a small table with an old fashioned oil lamp sitting atop and a mattress for each of them to sleep on. The lamp had been lit and provided the only meager light in the room, but it was enough for her to see Neil laying on the mattress next to her, still out cold. She stared worriedly at his face for a few moments, before he began to stir, and she exhaled a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
"MMM," he grumbled as he awoke. He placed a hand lazily on his forehead to quell the last vestiges of his headache. Then he turned and noticed Mike looking over at him, smiling like an angel.

"Hello there, Finn," she greeted him.

"Likewise, Giles," he said as casually as possible through partially gritted teeth. The bastard had hit him hard, and he still felt it. Mike gently reached out and placed her hand on his head.

"What did they do to you, Neil," she asked sympathetically.

"Same old, same old. You know brute force is in the bad guy manual, Mike." he quipped.

"Does anything ever change," she murmured as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You'd think they'd have enough time to learn different tactics," she decided.

"Hellmouth forbid," Neil returned with a wane grin. "So do you have any idea where we are or who took us or why," he asked. Any information they could get may save their lives, so he had hoped that Mike had some idea.

"On the where, I'd say we're still in town. I remember Dad saying that some of the old mansions were built like this, and it's close enough for a base. Also, I'd guess we haven't been out long. The lamp wick is barely burned up," she observed. "As for the who or why, your guess is as good as mine. The only thing you can be sure of is that it wasn't random. They wanted US, other wise, we'd probably be dead by now," she added grimly.

"Don't talk that way, Mike. We will get out of this," he assured her as he softly kissed the top of her head. "We will," he added for good measure. He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

"Sorry. I guess it's the Giles in me," Mike replied with a wry grin. She began to lean in for a kiss when they heard the door open. Drusilla walked daintily down the stairs, clutching Miss Edith. Mike got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Fuck," she swore under her breath. Neil gave her a strange look.

"Look, Miss Edith. The love birds are finally up," Dru cooed to her doll. Mike had never met Drusilla, but she'd gotten a good description of her from Spike, and Miss Edith only clenched it.

"Drusilla," she confirmed, and Neil suddenly got it. He tried to look calm, but his heart had begun to race. He, too, had heard stories about the insane vampiress, and knew she was no one to mess with. Now she had them. "What brings you back to Sunnydale?" Mike dared to ask as Dru came over and knelt by them.

"Why, vengeance, dearie. The voices have told me to hold on, that it wasn't the proper time, but they stopped. Now I'll have it all." Mike kept her composure.

"Vengeance for what? What did we do to you," she questioned Dru evenly.

"Your mother took away my Angel, and the Slayer took away my Spike!" she cried. "I figured I'd take away their babies," she told Mike. She could feel Neil's hand grip her shoulder from behind. "I'll turn you. Make you like me," she declared. Neil's grip got tighter. "But not before we play," she added as she took Neil's chin into her hand. "So young," she cooed as she looked into his face. "You'll have lots of fun with me and Miss Edith," she told him, but his face remained expressionless. He didn't dare show her the terror he felt. Mike sat up quickly and grabbed Dru's wrist, pulling her away from Neil.

"Leave. Him. Alone." she intoned coolly. Dru gave her a smile and viciously backhanded her with her free had, sending Mike flying across the room.

"Be careful, dearie. I wouldn't like to have to play rough with a pretty thing like you," Dru warned her as Mike wiped a smear of blood from her lip. Dru took Neil's hand and gave it a polite kiss, then silently left the room.

"Procrastinate much, you crazy bitch!" Mike angrily yelled up at the stairs as Neil made his way over to her.

"What did you think you were doing, Mike," he hissed as he examined the damage. Her lip was slightly swollen, and the bluish tint of a bruise was already forming on her left cheek. "She could have killed you."

"What did you expect me to do, let her paw you like that," Mike shot back.

"This is no time to lose your head, Mike! Now stop acting like a child and get a grip!" The forceful anger in his tone and his eyes was enough to force Mike back into reality. Neil was rarely one to lose his temper, and she knew it had to be serious for him to go so far.

"You're right," she muttered, relenting to him. "Now is not the time to act like that. I'm sorry." His eyes got a little lighter, and he smiled.

"Well, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if she would have come on to you," he said teasingly. "Just keep your temper," he warned. "And we may get out of here alive."

"Yes sir," she told him with a mock-salute. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then held her close to him, his face grim. If only he could be so sure.

As the sun rose, Buffy Summers Finn was awakened and began to start her day. She was downstairs cooking pancakes when she called for Neil and Riley to come down and eat. When Neil didn't answer, she began to worry. Even if he was still upset over last night, he wouldn't intentionally skip his breakfast. As a sleepy Riley came down the stairs, Buffy rushed up to check on her son.

The door to his room wasn't locked, and she quietly opened it and peered inside. The bed was still made, looking as if no one had slept in it at all, and then she noticed the window. The opened window. Her heart sank into her chest, and it took her a moment to find her voice.

"Riley!" she called.



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