FORBIDDEN

: Part Four – Saviour :

Buffy sat in the front seat of a red sports car, leather interior, clearly expensive. The driver was young, so were the three guys in the back who were watching her with interest.

"So, where're you heading, Buffy?" The driver grinned.

Buffy turned to answer him. "As far as you can take me."

"Oh," he said, laughing stupidly, "we'll take you all the way." The others joined in and she felt instantly sick. She'd only got into the car because they'd seemed alright. How wrong she'd been…

She looked out of the window at the dirt, desolate road ahead. There were no other cars on the road. The car was slowing down.

"Hey, listen," she said, "you know what. I've just realised that I've forgotten some of my stuff back at motel. You don't need to turn around, I'll just start heading back."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the others giggled as the car pulled over into a lay-by.

As soon as the car slowed down, Buffy reached for the door and threw it open. She felt someone tugging on her top to hold her back, but she pulled free.

She began to run and heard the doors open behind her.

"Hey! Where are you going, princess?" She heard from behind her, but still she ran, ignoring their footsteps getting gradually closed.

Oh – why was no one on this road? She couldn't see anything for miles around. They were getting closer. Any moment now they would catch up and she'd be screwed…literally!

"Hey! I said stop." A young voice now growled. A hand closed around her shoulder and she jolted back. Swung around, she came face to face with one of them. They were handsome and she could see their gorgeous bodies, but that didn't mean anything.

She swung at one of them. "Get away from me, you assholes!" She shrieked, trying to get free of his grip, but another joined him in his attempt at restraining her. She struggled as one held her arms behind her and the others either helped restrain or reached out to touch.

"Don't bother fighting. It'll only be less fun for you."

"Fuck!" She shouted as they tugged at her clothes. She managed a kick at one, and grinned momentarily as it connected with a groin and one of them fell back, clutching himself in pain. "Fuck off!"

"You bitch!" He shouted. "You bitch!"

A shot resounded in the air and they all stopped. Buffy turned her head to see Spike stood with a gun and a frown.

"Not a nice way to talk to lady, is it?"

He reached forwards and grabbed Buffy's hand, who smiled to see him. He pulled her back towards him and pointed the gun at the other men.

"Whoa, dude – we were just playing." One of them said, as they all lifted their hands.

"Oh, you were just playing." Spike said, lowering his gun, nodding and moving forwards, leaving Buffy to straighten her clothes and start stepping backwards towards his parked car.

"Yeah, man." One of them laughed. Spike smiled and nodded again, then reached a fist against the man's face. He fell back in pain, joining his friend on the floor.

He raised the gun to the other two. "Not a nice way to play, now is it?" They shook their heads. "Now apologise to the lady."

They did as he instructed, and more, until he and Buffy were safely in the car, driving past their naked forms tied together at wrist, ankle and waist.

They sat in the car.

He hadn't said a word to her since they'd entered. He's simply turned the car around and continued on his journey. The smile on her face at having been rescued had begun to fall.

"Spike, I--" She began, feebly, but he interrupted.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He growled, protectively. He refused to look at her, merely at the road ahead.

"I--"

"Did you think that four poxy teenagers would just drive you any-bloody-where that you wanted to go because you're beautiful?" He angered, banging his hand on the steering wheel.

"No, of course not." She sighed. Why was he being impossible? "I just--"

"What?"

"Well if you gave me a fucking minute to explain I could tell you!" She shouted back. She folded her arms and watched the road. He shot a look at her out of the corner of his eyes. "They were trying to--" she choked over the words, and he felt a pang of guilt. "Just drop me off at the next station."

"Buffy…" He faded off as he heard her swallow hard.

Gently pulling over he turned off the engine of the car and they sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He said, softly.

"You don't need to be," she sniffled, through tears, "you don't even know me."

"I know you better than you'd like to think." She believed him and tried to breathe through his words. She hid her face from him, turning to look out of the window. "Come here, pet." He whispered, gently. Before waiting for a reply, he simply pulled her over to him and held her. She didn't object and simply closed her eyes in the warmth of his embrace. She sobbed freely against his shirt.

She'd been on her own for so long. Since her parents had died she'd been unable to trust anyone. She'd been unable to feel close to anyone.

She felt close to him.

She tried to remove any thought from her mind. She couldn't get involved. Not with him. Not with a case. It had been a mistake…get that close. She had needed to tag along, but something inside her had given, and she'd become a slave to her own carnal lusts.

And now she could feel herself getting involved emotionally. The one thing that she'd assured people she wouldn't do!

After a while she wiped her eyes and sat up.

"You alright?" He said, rubbing her back and taking care not to pin her with a stare. He focussed on the cars driving past them. "Bloody wankers need their brains sortin'." He growled.

She smiled and tilted her head back to look at him. He turned and returned the favour. Even without her makeup and with red-rimmed puffy eyes he made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Better?"

"Better." She nodded.

There was a long pause where they just looked at each other. For a second she thought he was going to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him. But then he took his eyes off her and put his hands back onto the wheel.

"So," he said, after taking a deep breath, "you hungry?"

She grinned. How had he managed to lighten the situation so easily? She felt a flicker of something…happiness…deep in her gut. "Yeah," she said, still grinning, "very."

"You'll make yourself ill," Spike said as he watched Buffy wolf down a second burger. "Slow down."

Buffy put the tiny bite of burger left down and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "Sorry," she giggled, smugly, "I don't know why I feel so hungry!"

"Do you want my chips?" Spike asked, pushing his portion over to her.

She giggled again and slurped her cherry cola. "Chips! How sweet!" Then she paused and deliberated over them. "Just one fry." She said, more to herself than anyone else. She popped one into her mouth and then licked her fingers with deliberation, moaning at the flavour. She really was hungry. Nerves…must have been.

Spike didn't know why, but the movement caused a rise in him. He shifted in his seat and looked away, clearing his throat. "We should get going, pet. Traffic'll be starting up again soon."

She smiled at him and watched his eyes observe her without really turning to face her at all. They had been in the burger bar for nearly two hours, and he'd barely looked at her for more than an instant. At times she felt like she was burning under his gaze. So many times she'd expected and wanted to be with him like they had been before, but every time they got close to something like the way it was, he'd pull back.

It was clear he didn't want her any more. He probably resented her presence even more now, than before.

She sighed and stood up. "Alright, let's go."

Spike moved round and opened the car door for her, standing back to let her in. She smiled. A perfect gentlemen! Pity that she'd have to bring him in. Her heart seemed to both flip and sink at once.

She sat down. "Thanks." He shut the door and joined her moments later, starting the engine.

"If we drive through the night we might be able to make up for lost time." He turned onto the highway.

She nodded, uncomfortably.

"You rest. Sleep and that. I'll wake you when we're stopping and what-all."

"I can drive, you know. If you want me to." She offered.

He turned to meet her eyes and her breath stilled. He saw his effect, but he couldn't bring himself to move away. He was glued, transfixed, in a daze.

And then Buffy did it.

After everything she'd said to herself, all her warnings, all her common sense… She just did it. Spike wasn't about to stop her, either.

She leaned across and softly brushed her lips against his until his kissed her back. His hands came up around her face, securing her against him, as her tugged at his shirt. Her ears were buzzing. It had only been a few hours since she had last kissed him, and yet still she felt a deep longing, as if she had been dormant for years.

She moaned and climbed up onto the seat with one leg, so that she could get closer. The kiss was light and not demanding, but it was full of passion. She never wanted it to end.

And those were dangerous feelings for a double agent.

Read and Review!