A/N: Okay now, I'm not going to cry. So I didn't get any review for the last chapter. It's all good because here you go. Chapter 21 ready a willing to be read and REVIEWED you know if you wanted to that is. Okay so um… I don't really know how to say this without ruining the chapter. There is some heavy bad language in this chapter and a little abuse. I think we all know what kind and I don't want to say because it would just ruin the chapter. If you don't feel like you can read that then don't. the first couple of "Pages" are the parts with that stuff so I guess you could just skim down if you were really bothered by it. Anyway ENJOY!

Disclaimer: No, alas, I don't own any of these characters. Joss Whedon and Co. do. They aren't mine I just get a kick out of putting them in angst-y situations. The plot is totally mine though so please no stealing that.

Distribution: Go ahead! Just tell me where my stories going.

Spoilers: none whatsoever

Chapter 21:

"Aren't you going to invite me in, maybe offer me a cup of coffee." Riley said in that voice that made Buffy cringe inwardly. He was being way to sweet and sarcastically so.

"No, but I am going to tell you to get the hell away from me before I call the cops." Buffy said choking on her words a little at the end. Her hands were shaking around the doorknob, but her eyes were set in determination.

"You know I always liked that about you, Buff. You were always so strong and independent. How much do you want to bet that I can shove this door open and throw you across the room before you even have a chance to get to that phone to call the police?" Riley said.

Buffy knew he was stronger then her physically but she was determined to not let him step on foot into her house and abuse her again.

"Riley, I'm going to ask you this nicely before I started getting really pissed off. Just leave okay. If you leave everything will be fine." Buffy said. His smile turned into a scowl and he shoved the door open.

"Fine!? How can things be fine when you stole my family away from me!" he said shoving her backwards.

Buffy stumbled slightly and was absurdly glad that she had picked up most of the things off of the ground so she didn't have to trip and fall to the ground. She fell backwards onto the couch and didn't move as she saw Riley running up and down the halls.

"Where's my daughter? Where's Dawn?" He yelled at her when he came back from his search.

"She isn't here." Buffy whispered.

Riley must not have heard her because he cupped his hand to his ear and said, "What did you say? You'll have to speak louder then that."

"I said she isn't here." Buffy said louder and more forcefully.

"Well, where the hell is she?" Riley demanded loudly and it took all of Buffy's restraint to not flinch.

"You think I'm going to tell you so you can go harass more people?" Buffy said incredulously.

"I think you're going to tell me where my daughter is, yeah." Riley said.

"You're either insane or drunker then I thought you were if you think there's a chance in hell I'm going to tell you where Dawn is. You're not allowed to see her, remember." Buffy said.

"You're such a bitch! She's my daughter too you know. How do you think she's going to be if you don't let me see her? Living with a whore of a mom like you." Riley screamed as he smashed something on Buffy coffee table.

"I'm not a whore and I'm not just going to sit here in MY home at let you insult me. I'm doing playing the docile housewife that just sits down and takes it when you beat me. We're divorced and if I have anything to do with it you'll never see Dawn again. EVER!!" Buffy screamed back.

"Right that's why the first second Dawn isn't here, Mister Lawyer Man is coming straight up to your apartment. Did you pay him Buffy or did you just have give it up a few times like a good little slut?" Riley said.

Buffy wasn't sure what possessed her to do it, but she got up and slapped Riley. She slapped him so hard it made a loud smacking sound and her hand had the residual burn. He hunched over holding his hand to his cheek and began to try and rub the burn away. Buffy stood in front of him a fire a light in her eyes and in a ridged stance. Her fist were clenching and unclenching.

"Get the hell out of my house!" Buffy said through clenched teeth.

Riley laughed. He laughed that maniacal laugh that you hear villains on cartoons laugh. He straightened himself up and punched Buffy square in the jaw. The force of the blow didn't send Buffy collapsing to the ground, but it did send her stumbling backward on to the couch again.

"You think you can get the best of me. Come on now Buffy. You really think you're any match for me. If I want to see my daughter I'm gonna see my daughter and there's nothing you are that piece of shit lawyer of yours can do about." Riley said.

"I'm not going to take it lying down anymore, Riley. You can't just come into my home and think you own the place. I'm not afraid of you." Buffy said.

"It's stupid to fight me Buffy. Just let me see Dawn and I'll be on my way." Riley said.

"You think I'd let you see her when you're like this? Riley I'm trying to protect her. I'm trying to protect her from you. I'm trying to let her believe that her dad's a good person, but your making in a hell of a lot hard by acting like the stupid fuck you are." Buffy said.

Riley slowly walked over her and Buffy got the distinct impression that she was just some sort of helpless animal to Riley. That the idea that she might actually be a person never crossed Riley's mind.

"You think I'm not a good dad? You think that you're fucking mother of the year. At least when she was living with me she had a decent roof over her head. Strange men weren't coming in at all hours of the night. She sure as hell wasn't hanging around faggots like your step-brother." Riley said.

"Does it make you feel better? Does it make you feel like you're the shit just because you've got daddy's money and you pull this macho bullshit? Does it make you feel like more of a man when you call Andrew a fag and you call me a slut? Does it make you feel all manily when you beat on Dawn and me?" Buffy said.

"Hey, I never beat Dawn. I hit her once and that was it. It was your fault by the way. If you hadn't been acting like such the bitch that you are I wouldn't have been so angry." Riley said.

"Oh so now I deserve to be hit. Is that what you're saying you masochist son of a bitch!" Buffy yelled.

"Well, yeah. If you had just learned to listen to me…"

"Why should I have listened to you when you never listened to me, huh? You just expected me to bend to your will, but I'm not like that. Not any more. I'm not just going to stand here and let you destroy my daughter and me. It was okay when it was just me because I thought you would change like a dumbass, but the second you touched a hair on her head I was out of there." Buffy said.

"So, what you expect me to just sit by and watch as some other guy comes in and takes my family. How do I know that you didn't rig all of this you conniving manipulative bitch? How do I know Dawn is really safe here? How do I know that Dawn wasn't threatened into crying up on the witness stand?" Riley asked his voice a deadly calm. Buffy looked into his eyes defiantly.

"Don't get mad at me just because you hung yourself. You should've thought about Dawn's welfare before you hit her." Buffy said. Riley charged at Buffy.

He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her off of the couch. Buffy yelped in pain and felt small handfuls of her hair being pulled out of her scalp. Riley picked her up and held her shoulders in a tight grip.

"Tell me where she is!" Riley yelled in her face and Buffy coughed as the smell of alcohol hit her in the face.

"Let me go! I won't tell you where she is!" Buffy yelled right back in his face.

Riley began to harshly shake Buffy and scream at her asking where his daughter was. Buffy made a quick move and kicked him in the balls. He let go of his bone-crushing grip and doubled over in pain. Buffy began to run towards the phone in her room.

She wasn't sure why she didn't run out of her apartment. All she knew was that she was panicking and her brain was telling her to get to a phone and call the cops. When she made it to her room Buffy shut the door and locked it. She ran over to the phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, 911 emergency services how may I help you?" the nasally operator on the other line said.

"My ex-husband has come over and he's attacking me. Please you have to send someone over to my apartment and fast." Buffy pleaded to the operator.

"Okay, Miss you have to tell me your address." The operator said calmly.

"It's Shady Tree apartments on 2052 Revello Drive. Apartment number six. Please hurry." Buffy said. Just then Buffy heard a loud bang on her bedroom door.

"Buffy open this fucking door or I'm going to break it down!" Riley screamed from the other side of the door. Buffy flinched.

"Okay Miss just hold tight and hopefully we'll be there soon. I've already sent some men to your house. Everything is going to be fine." The operator said trying for a soothing manner, but Buffy was scared out of her mind. Buffy tried holding the phone still but her hands and body were shaking uncontrollable.

"That's it, I'm breaking down this door." Riley yelled.

There were three loud bangs on the door before it finally flew off of its hinges. Riley was wearing a self-satisfied smirk on his face that Buffy wanted to slap off.

"Put that Goddamn phone down." He said.

"No." Buffy said grasping onto whatever courage she had left.

Riley charged at her again only this time Buffy was ready for it and ducked out of the way. She crawled over her bed and to the other side. She watched as Riley yanked the phone right out of the wall, but it was too late.

The police were already on their way and Buffy was going to make it out of here. She kept telling herself that she was definitely going to make it out of her apartment alive. Unscathed however was a different story.

"You stupid bitch. You think calling the cops is going to make a difference. I'm still going to beat you and I'm going to be in the shadows watching you until you let me see my daughter." Riley said as he jumped over the bed and tried to grab Buffy.

Buffy ran to the door and was almost out of her room when Riley grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to him.

"Are you going to tell me where my daughter is or am I going to have to teach a lesson?" Riley asked.

Buffy looked up at him and said, "I would die before I let you hurt her again." Buffy said and she spat in his face.

Riley growled at her and violently shoved her into a wall. Buffy struggled to regain her composure, but Riley was on her again and he shoved her again into her into her dresser.

Buffy could feel the sticky blood trickling down her head as she struggled to hang onto her dresser and keep herself upright.

"You wanted to play this the hard way and now you've got the hard way. You shouldn't have left me. You shouldn't have taken my daughter away from me. Now you have to suffer the consequences." Riley said as he roughly grabbed Buffy by the arm and threw her to the floor.

"What you're not even going to beg for me to stop like you used to. Maybe you like it. Maybe you always liked it." Riley said.

"Fuck you!" Buffy spat at him. Suddenly Riley's boot connected with her ribs and Buffy yelped in pain.

"Does it hurt? I hope it does. I hope it hurts real good." Riley said as he landed kick after kick.

Buffy felt like she could breath. Riley's kicks kept landing on her ribs and she was sure that he was going to break one of them. She could feel blood running out of her nose and down her head and it also trickled at the corners of her mouth, but there was nothing she could do.

She tried to remind herself that the police were coming and soon she'd be safe and Riley would be in jail where he could never hurt her again. She could feel her eyes drooping, but she knew that if she closed them she'd go unconscious and possibly slip into a coma. She had to stay awake, but the pain was getting to be too much. The last thing she thought of before she closed her eyes was that help was on the way.

Andrew hated emergency hospitals. They were always filled with such chaos and carnage. He remembered having to work at one for his internship. He was happy to get away from it when he graduated. Sure, he got called sell out from his friends that did stay at the ER, but he just couldn't deal with it.

He loved helping people, but seeing all the heinous things that the citizens of LA could do to one another just turned him off from working ER. He knew that if he had stayed he could have made a difference where it mattered the most, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd have to have given up hope on humanity eventually and Andrew just wasn't ready for that.

Then something like this happens. Buffy may not have been Miss Mary Sue, but she wasn't a bad person. She didn't lie or cheat or steal or do anything bad like that. She was just a person that wanted nothing more then to protect and provide for her daughter. She made a mistake in picking Riley to be her husband and Andrew couldn't say he ever approved of Riley, but that didn't mean Buffy deserved to be brutalized like this for so long.

Andrew felt guilty. They all thought it was over. Not one of them expected this to happen. Andrew thought that Buffy could finally move on with her life and find someone that deserved her. He had never once thought that Riley would come back for some revenge. He had faith that Riley would go to jail for what he had done and maybe it was a little naïve of him, but he thought that Riley may just give up and let things be the way they were. Boy was he wrong.

Andrew looked over at Warren. He seemed so lost and confused, but he was trying to hide it. Andrew knew he was out of his element. If something like this had happened in LA it would only take a simple phone call by Warren to one of his cop buddies to get Riley caught and in jail, but they weren't in LA.

They were in Sunnydale and Riley was still out on the streets. The police had arrived after Riley had left to find Buffy lying on the floor of her bedroom unconscious and bleeding from several places. She was still unresponsive when they arrived at the hospital and right now she was in surgery. The doctors feared there might have been some internal bleeding which only made Andrew sob harder.

The tears had calmed at bit since the time that had passed since Andrew and Warren arrived at the hospital. Andrew's head lay on Warren's shoulder and Warren was stroking his back for comfort. Andrew could tell that that was also out of Warren's element.

No matter how manly man Warren appeared to be he still didn't keep it together as much as Andrew did. Warren was ruled by his emotions more then Andrew let himself be and maybe that was why they worked so well, but right now all Warren knew was that Andrew needed comfort and Warren was the only one that could give it to him.

Warren ventured another glance at the big clock the hospital set up in the waiting room. He had called Cordelia's cell phone fifteen minutes ago. Andrew had been very adamant about not calling Dawn that night. Warren knew that it would probably be too much for Dawn to handle so he talked Andrew into at least calling Cordelia and telling her what was going on.

They weren't home so he got Andrew to call her cell phone. The conversation was short and in the end Cordelia had talked Andrew into at least letting her and Angel come over to the hospital. At that point Andrew was so drained that he just nodded and gave a tired okay.

"This isn't right." Andrew said in a soft voice.

It was the first time he had said anything since giving Warren the details of the conversation he had had with the police. Warren pulled Andrew closer to him and wrapped his arm around him.

"I know, but it happened and we have to be strong. For Buffy and for Dawn. I think this is about all they can take right now." Warren said.

"But, why now. Why now when everything was going so perfect? Buffy won and Riley was out of their lives. Why did he have to show up and ruin everything?" Andrew asked looking up at Warren with hopeful eyes.

"Andy, I don't have all the answers to all the questions that are swirling around in that head of yours, but I can tell you this. It happened and now we have to make sure that Buffy and Dawn make it through this. Buffy is a good person and Dawn is a great kid and none of this stuff should be happening to them, but it is. We just have to make sure that it doesn't break them." Warren answered truthfully.

"There's got to be a way to know that he won't hurt them anymore. I hate just waiting around to see what the cops are doing and if they found him yet. Riley's got a lot of influence and his parents are slightly rich. What if he somehow escapes and then comes back only to hurt them even more?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I don't know about the police here, but you said that Cordelia's husband, Angel, is a detective. I think that the Sunnydale police will be able to find him. As for him not hurting them anymore… I don't see that happening." Warren said.

"Why if he goes to jail then everything will be okay." Andrew said.

"Andrew, the one thing I always liked about you was naivete. You're always so pure in what you think. Think about it, hon. Buffy and Dawn have to carry these past couple of years with them for the rest of their lives." Warren said.

"I never thought about it like that. Oh god that's terrible. What if they both just fade away? I can't let that happen." Andrew said getting a little overly worked up.

"Shh… it's not going to happen like that. We're going to be here for them. They have friends to get them through this. Soon the pain will lesson and they'll be able to go on with their lives without so much as a hitch. They just have to get over this… minor bump in the road."

"Do you think they'll be able to?"

"I think they will. Dawn's young and it won't hurt her as much. It'll fade away like a distant memory with time. Buffy… well Buffy seems like a really strong person who can make it through anything." Warren said.

"Yup, that's Buffy." Andrew said. They sat there for a few minutes thinking about nothing in particular when Andrew heard Cordelia's voice.

"Andrew? Andrew what's going on? Did they tell you anything yet?" Cordelia asked.

"Honey, maybe you should give Andrew a little space. Let him tell you what's happening on his own time." Angel said.

"Angel this is serious. Buffy is seriously hurt. I can't help it if I'm worried and concerned." Cordy said snapping at her husband.

"I didn't mean it like that." Angel murmured.

"No, it's okay. You're Buffy's friends and you have a right to ask questions. They haven't told me anything yet though. She went into surgery a little while ago. I don't think they'll be done anytime soon." Andrew said as Cordelia and Angel sat down in one of the plastic chairs.

It was silent for a few minutes before Cordelia said, "I really hate hospitals."

"Yeah I second that." Angel said.

"Would it sound unprofessional of me if I said I vote I on it?" Andrew asked. The four people shared a brief smile before the somber tone set back in.

"So… I talked to some of the guys I know down at the precinct. I put them on a full scale alter. I know it was a little selfish of me, but I guess… I guess I just had to do something. I haven't even met this Riley guy and already I want to pound his brains in." Angel said.

"You and me both. So are they going to call you when they get him?" Andrew asked.

"They should. I have one of the guys I work with, Charles Gunn, he's working on it. He's the lead detective. He's really qualified and I'm sure he'll catch Riley in no time." Angel said.

"I hope so. It freaks me out knowing that he's out there and he can do anything. Who'd you leave Dawn and the kids with?" Andrew asked.

"I asked Anya and Xander to come over. Just so it didn't seem too suspicious." Cordy said.

"Isn't that slightly unsafe. I mean what if Riley finds out where Dawn is and attacks." Warren asked.

"Don't worry. I've got someone stationed outside of my house. I wouldn't put my kids or Dawn in that kind of danger. He comes within three feet of my house and they have orders to take him down." Angel said.

"You must have a lot of power at the precinct." Warren said.

"Angel's the top detective there. He's up for the position of lieutenant this year." Cordy said. "Good so they have to go through you to do things. That's good." Warren said.

"Yeah especially for instances like this. I never thought I'd actually have to go through this, but… I guess it's handy." Angel said.

"I… I was thinking… I know that he's moving away and all, but… should we call Spike? I mean I called Willow and Oz and told them. Their trip was going to be over tomorrow anyway so I didn't feel to guilty. I'd just… I guess I don't want him to think I'm using this as an excuse to get him to stay." Andrew said.

"I told him he should just call him. If I was Spike I'd want to know." Warren said.

"Yeah I think Warren's right. Spike may be acting like a totally idiot, but I know that he cares a lot about Buffy. He'd want to know if something happened to her." Angel said.

"Yeah plus that and the fact that he might actually stay." Cordy said.

"See that's what I was afraid of. I mean I don't want to rope him into staying." Andrew said.

"Andrew, Spike doesn't get roped into anything he doesn't want to get roped into. If he stays it's because he… well I'm not sure if he loves her or not, but I think he does. He'd want to know." Angel said.

"Okay now, the hard part. Who get's to call him."

"Final boarding call for flight 164. Flight leaving from Sunnydale to San Francisco." The woman over the loud speaker said. Spike looked around. He had only been at the Sunnydale airport three times in his life.

The first time he was coming here from England. The second was to visit his grandmother in England. The third was right now. Spike liked to be able to drive to all the places he went because of his fear of airplanes.

He would have driven to San Francisco, but Giles insisted on him taking a plane. So here he was in the airport all by himself. He had told his family not to come and make a scene. He was only going to look at apartments.

Spike gathered up the small bag he had and was about to make his way over to the airplane boarding entrance when he heard his cell phone ring. He fumbled with it slightly before pulling it out of his pocket and answering it.

"Hello, Spike Flannery speaking. Who… Andrew what's… what happened… are you… you're not… is she… what do you mean you don't know anything? When did this happen? Okay I'll be over there in a minute." Spike said flipping his cell phone shut as he gripped his bag and ran out of the airport to the Sunnydale ER.

A/N: Sorry if it seemed short. Next chapter will hopefully be finished by next week. Okay please review because I just LOVE reviews and every writer needs 'em. The ones that say they don't are lying through their teeth.