Chapter 3
Stopping on the street, Spike glanced up at the well-lit apartment. He took out a cigarette and searched his pockets for his lighter. He started to stroll down the street when he heard someone scream. No, his vampire hearing told him, not just someone. The scream belonged to Buffy. He threw away his cigarette and started to run back towards the apartment.
Buffy lay on the cold tile floor in Riley's bathroom, clutching her side. She lifted her shirt and winced when she saw the mark from Riley's boot right below her ribs. She lifted her head to look at the man that was supposed to love her, when she felt blood trickle down her forehead from a gash in her head. "…Riley, please…" She whispered. "Not anymore, please, I'm so sorry!"
"You ungrateful bitch! I come to you, giving you everything you've ever wanted. A nice apartment and most of all, a normal life! Fuck you. You walk around with your nose in the air. Thinking you can get away with anything, just because you're 'The Slayer'" He said the last part with a sarcastic voice, but Buffy didn't notice. She just lay on the floor, tears running down her face.
"Where's your snappy comeback? Huh! Giving me the silent treatment now, are we? Well, we'll just have to break that little bad habit of yours then." Riley smirked evilly and Buffy felt cold inside as he advanced towards her. He grabbed her by the wrist and lifted her up from the floor. Buffy bit her lip not to scream when she felt him twist her wrist. He stared at her for a while, anger showing in his eyes and his nostrils flared, then he smirked at her again and with his other hand, broke her wrist. The sound of her bone cracking drowned in her scream, which sounded through the apartment.
Spike ran up the stairs and stood outside of Riley's apartment banging on the door.
"Buffy! What's happening! Buffy! You have to answer me!"
Riley opened the door, annoyance showing on his face.
"What happened? What happened to Buffy?" Spike glared at the farm boy in front of him.
"She's fine. Nothing big. Dropped a jar on her foot." Riley's fake smile didn't fool Spike, but there wasn't much he could do, since he couldn't go uninvited into Captain Cardboard's apartment.
Spike growled deep down in his chest and showed Riley his fangs. "If you ever try to do anything that makes her miserable, I will crack every single bone in you. After that, I will rip your heart out, and gladly leave it in the cemetery for a newly risen vamp to feast on. Do you understand me?" He glared at Riley with his blue eyes sparkling with flecks of yellow.
Riley swallowed deeply before spitting in Spike's face and closing the door on him.
Spike dried his face off with his sleeve and roaring loudly as he kicked the door before staggering into the night.
Riley looked at the unconscious girl lying in his bathroom. He walked over to Buffy and kicked her on the back. "Wake up; I don't want whores lying in my bathroom. You should live with your precious mum until I want you back again."
Buffy woke up from her unconscious state and nodded shakily and rose from the tiled floor. She felt Riley's angry stare on her back as she limped out through the apartment door. She felt numb and cold, except from the burning pain in her wrist. She felt weaker with every step that she took.
She had no clue how she'd ended up there but with one last effort she opened the heavy iron door, stumbled through the door to Spike's crypt and fell down on her knees.
Spike woke up when he heard his door slam shut. He quietly climbed up the latter that lead to the lower level, where he had been sleeping. The sight that met him when he peered through the hole was Buffy, lying on the floor to his crypt.
"Buffy, pet? Oh, bloody hell… Who have done this to you?" He asked, but she was unconscious and when she didn't make a sign that she would be waking up, he bent down to pick her up.
He noticed that her wrist was broken and he carried her down to the lower level and lay her down on his bed. Her golden hair was slightly bloodied, and he found the shallow cut in her head. He ran his hands over her ribs, checking her for fractures. She winced and stirred when he moved his hand over her left side. He lifted her shirt and found an almost purple bruise. He sighed heavily and caressed her cheek.
"Pet? Buffy, luv, please wake up… "He was just about to get up and fetch a damp cloth to dab her face with, when he felt a warm hand touching his cold one.
"…Spike?" Buffy whispered tiredly.
"Yeah, luv. 'M here…" He answered her softly.
She whimpered and felt tears well up in her eyes.
"My wrist hurts… I hurt all over. The pain wont go away…Please, Spike. Make it go away."
She continued to rant when Spike shushed her.
"There, there, pet… I will make it okay, but we have to get you to a hospital. Your wrist is broken." He frowned a little when Buffy began to wail. "No! No hospital, please…He wouldn't want that… He always says that I shouldn't…" She seemed to have remembered that she shouldn't tell anyone what she just had said and she put her hand over her mouth.
Spike eyed her warily.
"Who wouldn't want you to the hospital?" He put his hand over her bruised cheek, and forced her to look at him. "Tell me, Buffy. Who did this to you?"
She smiled slightly behind her tears. "He only did it, because he loves me…He only…"
She was interrupted by Spike. "That bloody bastard. It was him. It was Riley, wasn't it?" He stood up abruptly and discovered an empty Jack Daniels bottle on the ground. It smashed against the wall and Spike roared loudly letting his demon come forth.
"Where is he? I will kill that bloody…" He caught Buffy's eyes which were wide with fear, and he calmed himself down. "'M sorry, Buffy, it's just, I… Oh, bugger it…" He took a deep breath. "I love you, Buffy. That's the truth, and I don't want you to get hurt." He smiled slightly at her. "And it's a knights duty to make sure their princess is feeling fine, and I can tell that you're not. So, let's take my shiny black stallion to the hospital, luv, and I'll make sure the pain goes away." He kissed her forehead and was surprised when she didn't even flinch. He picked her up and she put her hands around his neck, leaning in to his chest.
And the dark knight carried his golden princess out into the night.
A/N Aaaaw. Spuffy:) Now make my muse happy and review!
