I'm so sorry about how long it's been, but I should have the next part out on Friday, or Monday at the latest after that it might be a while before I can post again. My life is very busy at the moment but it should get back to normal soon.

Part Thirteen –

//like a rat in a maze the path before me lies, and the pattern never alters, until the rat dies//

            Buffy lay unconscious on the trolley as they medical staff wheeled her through the ER. "Do you know what happened?" The doctor demanded of Giles.

            "No." He answered truthfully. "A friend called to say, she thought there might be something wrong and we found her like this." Giles eyes darted around the corridors anxiously awaiting the arrival of Angelus. One of the Aurelius must have… he let the thought trail away Buffy was important now, and he had no doubt Angelus would take special care of whoever had done this.

            "Was she conscious when you found her?"

            "No." The image of her still crumpled form was imprinted on his mind.

            "Do you know if she might be pregnant?"

"What?" Giles asked fuzzily trying to shake the image of the blood from his mind.

"Is there any possibility that she might be pregnant?"

"No." Giles intoned again. Dead people can't have kids, he thought wryly.

"Any medication, drugs she might have been on?"

"I don't know." He held back a sigh. They didn't know what had happened while… he hadn't talked with her about it yet, and he doubted whether even Buffy could tell him all of what they had done to her, Spike had told him she spent most of her time there unconscious. "She was…" He fought for the words to phrase it. "We only got her back two days ago." He whispered. He watched as Buffy was wheeled into a surgery room swing doors closing behind him, as the doctor stopped him from following.

"You're her father?" He asked curiosity in his eyes.

"Guardian." Giles intoned.

"We'll keep you informed." He replied stiffly before disappearing behind the black doors that kept him from his charge.

Giles was still standing in front of those black doors when Faith and Spike came charging up behind him. Stopping short of crashing into him they stood in silence behind him. Unconsciously Faith entwined her fingers around Spikes. "Giles…" She started uncertainly. Giles made no move to reply to her silent question and taking a deep breath she moved to start again.

"What happened?" A deep voice growled from behind her. Jumping at the sound she spun round to see Angelus yellow eyes boring into Giles' back.

"We don't know." Giles replied, his eyes still locked on the black doors.

"Angelus?" Spike pulled a face at his grand-sire. "Why aren't you unconscious anymore?"

Angelus frowned. "They've given her pain killers." Turning his attention back to Giles he growled softly. "What was she like when…" he trailed off.

"Beaten." The single word from Giles made Angelus' face contort to his natural vampire features.

"Who was it?" He spat out ignoring the concerned glances of the orderlies around him as his body coiled in preparation to destroy whoever had done this to her.

"Her neck…" Giles uncertainty was clear. So was his implication. Could one of his own order have tried to kill his mate? The idea seemed preposterous, he had made every one of them vow to protect her on pain of their unlives, and to some extent they seemed to enjoy having her around. But the question remained a nagging reminder of their own existence. They were still vampires, and unaccustomed to his new way of living. Perhaps one had… he dismissed the thought. His power was absolute, if a vampire had been the cause of Buffy's condition it could not have been one of his own and if it were they would pay. Dearly.

"Where is she?" He demanded instead. A short nod towards the black doors was all Angelus needed, ploughing through the short group around the doors, he ignored the cries from Spike and Faith to stop, Giles said nothing to him and showed no emotion at his actions. Some security guars rushed to stop him, and he threw them off easily, the faint sound of a head snapping against a wall caught his attention and a half-glance behind him told him that Spike and Faith were now helping defend his from the security men. Catching Spike's eye he sent a wave of gratitude toward him and followed the scent of his mate's blood down the white corridor in front of him.

By the time Angelus reached the operating room she had been encased in she was no longer their though the scent of her blood was thickest here. The orderlies that were seeping the red rivers of her life essence from the floor tried to stop him as he swept through the room but his rage sent them sprawling in moments. Hauling one of them to his feet by his neck his yellow eyes pierced the orderlies frightened eyes in a determined gaze. "Where is she?"

"I-I don't-" The man's stuttering was cut off by Angelus' tightening grip on his windpipe. Relaxing his grip a little he raised an eyebrow at the man. "Two-five-six." The man gasped. "Room two-five-six." Angelus dropped the man to the floor and ignored the man's crawling away from him as he studied the hospital map on the wall. Locating Buffy's room on the map, he swept out of the room. Behind him the orderly could be heard calling for security.

By the time Angelus reached her room he had left a trail of destruction in his path as guard after guard tried to block his way, Someone had called the police and they were now huddled around the entrance to her room. Determined to stop him from entering. Setting his face in determination he walked cautiously toward the guards to try and use the element of surprise. He was spotted almost instantly, not an unlikely event as every person in the hospital was looking for him. Preparing himself for the fight he slipped into his vampiric features and took a step closer to the barrels of twenty guns barred his way.

"Put your hands where we can see them." One of them demanded. Angelus just grinned cockily.

"I don't think so." Stepping closer he laughed at the expression of fear that flashed over the chief of police's face.

"Angelus…" A sift voice whispered, and like the police his head whipped around to face it's source.

"Buffy." Angelus breathed a sigh of relief at her appearance, she was very pale and her beautiful creamy skin was a patchwork of cuts and bruises. But she was alive. "Who did this to you?" He was inexplicably pleased that he couldn't smell any vampire on her but himself but the question still remained and his fury once again taking centre stage of his emotions.

"It's okay." She made a vague attempt at smiling but it quickly faded. She took a few shaky steps toward her, and the policeman that surrounded her moved to stop her. "No." She told them softly.

"But his face ma'am." One of them tried to say, his eyes transfixed by Angelus distorted brow.

"It's okay." She said again, and they stepped away as she moved to Angelus' side. Wrapping her arms around him she released a shuddering breath, and started to cry sobbing breaths into his chest. Protectively wrapping his arms around her he peppered kisses onto her tears running his hands over her skin to check the extent of her injuries. It vaguely registered in his mind that she was dressed in a loose hospital robe and probably wouldn't have been out of bed but he pushed the thoughts away in favour of hugging her closer to his chest.

"Who did this, Buffy?" He spoke softly and used one hand to pull her chin up, so her eyes met his. She immediately looked away.

"Council." She whispered, her voice was cracked and broken despair evident in her eyes.

"Was it Willow?" He demanded.

"No." Her eyes darted around the room. "We were talking in her room when they came. I think she might be dead." She whispered softly.

"She's still here in our bond." Angelus assured her running his hands over her face, as if to remind himself of her presence.

"Oh." Her eyes were misty in the haze of the painkillers she'd been given. Unstable on her legs she almost fell, Angelus' arms around her the only thing that kept her upright.

"Let's get you back to bed." He commanded.

"Wanna go home." She mumbled. "Can't stay here."

"Why not baby?"

"Don't like hospitals." She tried to stand on her own, to walk away from him, but slipped again and Angelus looped one arm under her legs and carried her to her room. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck, and her eyelids drooped. "Celia died." She mumbled before drifting into unconsciousness.