CHAPTER 15

The Truth Hurts

Spike lay sleeping on the couch next to Buffy as informercials blared on the TV. Buffy woke to the sound of a blender. The sound un-nerved her somewhat. She had been dreaming, well not so much dreaming as having nightmares. Nightmares the she hoped weren't prophetic dreams. In these dreams, Riley was there along with Glory, Spike and Angel. Buffy was meant to choose. Angel or Spike. Riley had betrayed her again. Just as she was about to speak, Riley staked both vampires. That was when Buffy was jostled from her sleep by the blender. The dream seemed so real. She almost wondered if it wasn't a Slayer dream. Cordy's vision had Angel, Spike, Glory and her in i but now there was the addition of Riley. And after his appearance at the Magic Box there was no telling what would happen.

Just then it struck Buffy. The Magic Box! Riley was there when Giles was shooting his mouth off about the Key. Riley knew. And he knew about Glory. But where was Dawn in the dream? And why was Angel there? Too many questions to answer. She needed to find the answers step by step; beginning with how much Riley knew about Glory and how to send her home.

Buffy slowly got up from the couch and looked at the time. Almost sun-up. She glanced around the room to the window checking to see if it was open. As she turned, she was startled by a face in the window. Buffy shrieked. Spike woke up with a start and moved his tired questioning eyes in the direction that Buffy was looking. Spike's temper flared as he jumped off the couch and bolted out the door to face the intruder.

"What the fuck is your problem? I thought Buffy made it perfectly clear that you were to stay away from her!" Spike spat, pacing slowly around the soldier.

"I'm not here for Buffy, Spike." Riley replied.

"Oh no? Just out for a stroll and decided to stop by and watch us snog then?"

"I'm here for you Spike."

"Me? Hate to break it to you Soldier Boy, I only swing one way. Gee and you didn't even bring me flowers. What the bleeding hell do you want with me anyway White Bread?"

"It's not what I want...its what SHE wants." Riley said tilting his head in the direction of the scantily clad blonde.

"Well, well, well! Looks like you came through afterall. I knew I could count on you. My only question is, where is the girlfriend? You know? The Slayer? It would be so much more fun if I could see her face right now." Glory looked around and caught the eye of the Slayer staring through the window, frozen and unable to help her vampire lover.

"Oh! There she is! Enjoying the show? Too bad it's gonna end soon, me and my key have to go. Don't even think about stopping me. You know it's no use." Glory grabbed Spike by the back of the head and bent his head back. She licked the side of his face, her eyes always on Buffy watching her grimace as Glory did this.

"Come on Soldier. We've got a portal to open. Bye bye Slayer. Don't worry I won't hurt him...too much." With that Glory, Riley and Spike were done and Buffy was left crying on the floor of her living room.

THE MAGIC BOX:

"Giles!" Buffy yelled bursting through the door of the Magic Box. "Giles! Where are you?" Buffy looked around frantically at the seemingly abandoned shop.

"Buffy? What is it? What's wrong?" Giles asked appearing through the training room door.

"Glory. Spike. Riley." Buffy managed to say. It was all she could muster before breaking into tears.

"Calm down Buffy. Now, take a breath and tell me what's going on." Giles said bringing Buffy to sit at the table.

Buffy inhaled deeply allowing her body to relax before spouting off the cause of her hysteria.

"Glory and Riley came to the house. They took Spike. They know he's needed for the ritual. Giles! They have Spike! I just got him back. They can't take him away from me." Buffy broke down sobbing with her head in her arms on the table.

"Oh. Dear." Was all Giles could come up with, taking a seat next to Buffy.

LATER:

The Scoobies sat around the table in the Magic Box. Each one contemplating silently how they could get out of this mess.

"We're screwed." Anya blurted out, causing everyone to send a glare her way. Everyone but Buffy.

"We so are not. Glory still needs me to complete the ritual. And that's so not going to happen." Dawn stated matter-of-factly.

"She's right. We ARE screwed." Everyone's gazes turned to Buffy. "What? I'm just telling it like it is. Glory has Spike and now it's a matter of time before she pulls the same mojo on me again so I can't protect Dawn. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. Spike's gone. It's over." She stood and walked out to the training room.

"Well that was an uplifting speech. Who's up for some research?" Xander said clapping his hands together, then he paused. "Did I just say that? Is this Bizzaro World?" He shrugged his shoulders and cracked a book open.

AT GLORY'S PLACE:

"So a vampire with a soul huh? How disgusting. It's so limbo-like. Can't be a demon, can't be a man, so where exactly do you fit in?" Glory paced around a chained up Spike as Riley stodd off to the side.

"So is that how you did it? Is that how you got Buffy to sleep with you? You got a soul?"

"Actually," Spike coughed. "She was shaggin' me even before the soul Whtie Bread. I told you before that she needs some monster in her man."

Riley lunged forward and began to pummel Spike as if he were a punching bag. Glory quickly broke that up.

"Hey, hey now." She grabed Riley's fist and held it in her hand. "There will be no hurting my Key, do you understand?"

"But..." Riley began but was interrupted by the excruciating pain that was shooting through his arm as Glory bent his wrist back, breaking it.

"Understand?" Riley nodded. "Good. Now vampire..."

"Spike."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Spike. Not 'vampire'."

"I'll call you what I want, when I want to! Don't anger me 'vampire' or you'll end up dust soon than you can..." Glory stopped as a smile crossed over her face. "I know what you're doing and it's not going to work. Stick around. The show is just getting started." With that Glory wandered off to her room leaving the souled vampire and the injured soldier alone.

Silenced filled the room as the malcontented vampire glared at the soldier, trying to guess his motive for his betrayal.

"So why'd you do it?"

Riley's eyes snapped up from looking at the spot on the floor. He glared at Spike with vengeful eyes.

"Do you really have to ask Spike?" He replied spitting venom as he said Spike's name.

"Guess not, but I would like t'hear you admit it out loud. That IS the first step you know." He paused. "Admitting that you are a mentally and sexually depraved lunatic." Spike smirked, rolling his tongue behind his teeth.

"I knew I should have just gotten rid of you right away."

"Yeah? Why didn't you?" Spike tilted his head.

"Why? I needed the best way to get back at you for stealing Buffy faway from me."

"You must really be mentally challenged. YOU LEFT HER! Or is your skull too thick to remember that? You took off and left her here broken and I just happened to be around to pick up the bloody pieces that you left behind. Don't you dare try to blame this situation on either Buffy or myself!" Spike spat.

"This whole thing was you fault to begin with. If you hadn't shown her..."

"If i hadn't shown her? You were the one getting suck jobs from random vamps. Traipsing off in the middle of the night. Leavin' yor honey to make time with some two bit vamp whore! Don't try blaming this on me in the least. I showed her what you were hiding. You just got caught is all. Bad planning on your part, I'd say. Sorry Cardboard, the blame lies solely with you." Spike smirked.

END CHAPTER...for now.

A/N: I hope this works okay. It's been a while. Sorry I was without a computer. Mine broke so I had to buy a new one! Yay! Enjoy! Review!