AN: Present for you! I was somewhat shocked to discover that people were still reading this even after my long siesta, so I was inspired to write the next part very quickly, and voila here it is! Enjoy!
Oh yes, I was told that some of the background's a bit confusing, which is perfectly true, But this is so AU there's loads to explain, and I'm doing it a bit at a time.There's quite a lot in this part for you.
Special thanks to my reviewers especially FadingShadows I'm really well amazed and flattered mostly that you think so highly of this, and Kirina, Rusty Wings are coming!
Part Five-
//I've been hurt, so confused, I've been burned, are you already over me?//
A day had slowly rolled by under a hot August sun, the rain that had been falling in steadily for the past two days lay in dull paddles scattered across the streets. Buffy still hadn't been found and despite Wes' assurances that she'd just taken off for a few days, he couldn't believe it. Part of him held onto the belief that no matter how bad it got she'd make it through, and it hadn't been too bad lately. She hadn't been happier, but she hadn't been happy in a long time, the school hadn't called in a while, but then it was possible she just didn't go anymore. Giles was scared, scared that maybe there had been some unforeseen circumstances that he just hadn't seen, something nothing to do with demons. The problem was Giles could deal with demons, he and Buffy fought them, and then they were dead and you went onto the next, but he couldn't fight the emotions that he'd watched slowly creep over Buffy since the day they met. He had to find her, so at least he'd know, that the shadows hadn't beaten her yet. The shadows would take over one day, unless he could find a way to stop them.
There was something more too, he'd known as soon as Wes had mentioned it. Angelus, Scourge of Europe, a few weeks before Giles had had to pick Buffy up from hospital. She had refused point blank to tell him what had happened but the bandage told him what he needed to know. Since then she'd kept crying out *his* name in her sleep. She was… fascinated by the vampire. Carlotta had found all the books on the order of Aurelius under Buffy's bed when cleaning. Something about it scared Giles more than he could fathom, Buffy was literally dancing with death, and she wanted it.
Faith had called and said Angelus wouldn't talk to him without Buffy there, so he doubted that Angelus had got a hold of her, he could just be trying to put them off the trail of course, so he'd asked Faith to keep an eye on him. It wasn't enough though he had to do something. Giles stopped his relentless pacing around the streets of Los Angeles next to a pay phone. Slotting a few coins in he dialled the one number that he's hoped never to call again.
"Hello, this is the Watcher's Council head branch, whom should I direct you call to?"
"Quentin Travers."
Spike shoved Faith against the wall and pinned her there with his frame, he dragged one hand through her hair and let the other sit at her waist rubbing the bare skin there. Their tongues duelled for control in a fiery dance. Pulling away to let her breath he began working at his belt, Faith's hand closed around his and pulled his hands away. Spike met her eyes exasperated and painfully aware of their position.
"Faith…" She grinned wickedly and shook her head.
"Nuh-uh. We have to look for Buffy." She smiled again, and buckled his belt for him, before flicking her hair over her shoulder led him away.
"You've got to be sodding kidding me. I'm not doing it." Spike retorted, feet planted firmly in the ground like a stubborn two-year-old.
"You ever want to get in my pants again, you'll come help." And with that Faith disappeared around the corner leaving only a cloud of hormones behind her.
Spike took a full thirty seconds to make up his mind, he chased her round the corner, leather duster whipping behind him, she'd turned to face him and her face split into the same smile she always had when she got things her way. As if in slow motion her legs gave way below her and she collapsed into a crumpled heap in the road. Spike didn't even have time to take another step before he felt it electricity pouring into him in a tidal wave of pain. A moment later he joined Faith.
"Angelus" Buffy murmured and twisted in he sleep the coarse sheets had caught around her chest and each movement she made pulled them tighter, and made it harder to breathe. She pulled in a harsh ragged breath, straining against the sheets for a moment before falling back onto the cot. The movement broke her from her dreams and she sat up panting heavily. She struggled with the rough sheets and pulled them from her body. Someone had changed her into a plain white hospital gown and her skin crawled at the thought of the soldiers touching her. She closed her eyes and fought back tears. She collapsed back onto the cold floor of her cell and stared unseeing at the glass door across from her.
"Blondie!" A voice called at her, dumbly Buffy looked up to see a bleached blonde vampire sitting across from her, it took her a moment to realise he was in fact sitting behind a glass door like her own. "Slayer."
She thought about replying but completely failed to come up with a witty come back line, something about the bland grey and white of the world she now lived in drained it all out, she had nothing left but… dreams. "Yes." She eventually replied, stone faced.
"You've met Angelus?"
The pain flooded back and she let it wash over her, though she didn't cry. "Yes."
"And you're still alive." The vamp started patting his pockets as though searching for something. He stopped and gazed straight into her eyes. "So you're her. The one that got away."
"Perhaps." Buffy began to say more then stopped, then started again. "Who are you?"
"Spike." He stood up and began searching through his trouser pockets as well; Spike was the image of a Sex Pistols groupie, black jeans, shirt and leather duster. A shock of red around his waist his only colouring. On closer inspection she could see small trophies hanging off his belt and she shuddered at the idea of pulling body parts of defeated foes. She had always been grateful that vampires turned dust when she staked them. No muss, no fuss. His swept back and bleached hair along with the harsh lighting made his face gaunt and hollow. He looked dead. Which logically he was, but it still seemed much more unnerving than the normal dead uglies she saw.
"Oh. Faith told me about you."
"Well you can bloody well tell her to get me out of here, I was looking for *you* and now I'm stuck in here and they've stolen my bloody fags." Spike had shifted to his furrowed vampire face and threw himself against the door of his cell in an angry fit of full vampire strength. The door didn't even move. Hands clenched in fists at either side of his face he leant his forehead against the glass. "Angelus is looking for you." Buffy said nothing her brain slowly processing that fact the drugs had muffled her senses, and her head hurt whenever she tried to think straight. "He sent us all out looking for you, said he'd kill me very, very slowly if I came back without you."
"I left." She whispered slowly so quiet he mightn't have been able to hear him, but for his preternatural hearing. Spike slid to the floor and leant against his door.
"What happened?"
"I was at a club, in Los Angeles. I was pretty drunk…"
"Vodka. The forgiver of all sins." Spike interceded, and gave a short laugh. Buffy smiled her own week smile, he was right. Sometimes she didn't want to know what she was doing.
"I don't remember much." She shifted her own position to mimic his and sat propped up by the wall and door staring into her room. "But I met him, and he was… amazing. We were kissing outside and he bit me. I didn't try to stop him but... Then, I don't know. I woke up in the hospital. The nurse said he'd left a message that he'd come and collect me later. But I rang up Giles and got him to get me instead. I was scared I suppose." Buffy stared blindly at the wall in front of her running the cloth of the gown she wore through her fingers again and again in a never-ending cycle. "I didn't know why he didn't kill me." Tears welled in her eyes. "I kept wishing he had."
TBC
Hmm. Maybe not the most cheerful present… but Buffy has depression for all of BtVS (except randomly part of S4 – anyone else a lil bit confused by that?) so she has it here too. You'll just have to wait and see what happens with that… 'cos I'm not telling!
Weasy
Hotmail is still spastic so replies to reviews sent to either weasyannagirlfriend@hotmail.com or
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