A/N: Wow, thanks so much for all the positive reviews! I would have been updating this story much more frequently if I knew that so many people were still interested in it! I know I've been told that people are still reading even if they aren't reviewing, but I'm sure any of you who have ever written one of your own can understand how encouraging it is to actually see the interest in reviews! So, please, if you read my story and enjoy it just give me a review, one word would be enough! And if you don't enjoy it that's okay too, I'm always interested in opinions to help me improve! Thanks again for all the positive feedback and I promise to try and update more regularly. This chapter is kinda boring but it was necessary to keep the story going. The next few chapters should be more interesting, I'm really excited for the upcoming parts!

WhiteTwitch: Yea, slayer visions do usually come true (I'm not sure if it's always, but I assume so) the only thing is they don't necessarily have a time frame…

MoonSeaEarth: Thanks so much for the review!

Maronwe024: Umm, I don't know if I gave any hints at making this a Spuffy, because I definitely didn't intend to. I think it's been pretty obvious that this will not be a Spuffy!

Chapter Forty-Two: Summer of Loneliness

"Have you ever thought about what things would have been like if you had not been the slayer when we met?"

Buffy smiled slightly and snuggled into Riley's chest. "And you hadn't been a secret government agent?" she giggled freely, like she hadn't in quite a while. "Of course I've thought of it."

"Have you ever regretted developing a relationship with a government agent?" Riley questioned carefully.

"The only parts I've regretted so far were the times that we were apart." Buffy told him truthfully.

"The times when you were screwing Spike…"

"Riley, please, we agreed not to talk about that." Buffy insisted. "We have to realize that we'll never have a normal relationship because we don't have normal lives, but we'll have to get past that…"

Riley sat up suddenly. "You're right."

"Where are you going?" Buffy frowned and reached out to Riley as he stood up from the couch where the two had been cuddling.

"To work on our normal lives." Riley smiled. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven."

"But what about tonight?" Buffy pouted. "I'm all alone and it's no fun…"

"Dawn will be home soon." Riley reminded her. "You guys can paint your nails or whatever it is you girls do."

"Very funny." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Besides she's out with Colin, living her normal teenage life, I doubt she'll be home for hours."

Riley shrugged. "Well, you could always, I don't know, patrol?" He grinned. "Maybe you'll see Joy…"

"I don't want to. She just puts me in a bad mood." Buffy complained. "Oh I know! I'll go bug Giles. That always cheers me up."

"Sounds good." Riley pulled her to her feet and kissed her quickly before departing. "Have a good night and try to stay out of trouble!"

Once he had left her, Buffy quickly loaded her jacket pockets with stakes and knives and hurried out of the house, walking briskly towards the cemetery. Buffy slowed her pace before she reached the graveyard, hearing the betraying grunts and curses of a fight already in progress.

"I had hoped that you wouldn't patrol tonight." Joy complained as she noticed Buffy emerging from the bushes that bordered the south end of the cemetery.

Buffy rolled her eyes as Joy slammed her knuckles against the vampire's skull and then staked him expertly. "Get over yourself Joy. You have no right to be a bitch to me. I told you I didn't do anything."

Joy pocketed her favorite stake and started away from Buffy.

"Are you ever going to come home, Joy?" Buffy called out after the younger slayer.

"It's pretty unlikely." Joy shouted back.

"Joy, you can't live in a motel forever." Buffy argued, hurrying after Joy.

"That's not really you're problem Buff. I can take care of myself without your interference." Joy insisted bitterly.

Buffy sighed. "I never meant to interfere. Besides, I already told you, he would have left no matter what I said."

"Then why won't you tell me what the two of you talked about?" Buffy chewed on her lip and dropped her eyes to the ground. "I rest my case." Joy turned to leave but Buffy grabbed hold of her wrist. Instinctively Joy spun around and swung her free arm, connecting her fist with Buffy's jaw.

The older slayer let go immediately. "Dammit Joy!"

Joy's bright eyes widened briefly but she quickly resumed a firm scowl. "Keep your hands off me, and get the hell away…"

Buffy stared blankly after the fiery young girl as she rushed off into the night.

The next morning at Joy's motel:

"Joy, it's been almost a month? Are you ever going to come back?" Dawn pleaded as she stretched out on the rumpled quilt of the motel bed in the room that Joy had been renting since the night Spike had left town.

"I doubt it." Joy replied bitterly. "Did Buffy send you here again to beg me?"

Dawn shook her head. "No I wanted to come. I miss you. Since school's out for the summer and you're not living at home, I feel like I never see you. Besides being at home all day without you is sort of hell. Buffy's been in psycho-mom mode lately. She actually suggested that I take summer school."

"Did you fail something?" Joy questioned with a slight grin as she turned away from where she was doing her makeup in the grimy mirror hanging on the wallpapered walls.

"No, surprisingly, I passed with an above average GPA, but she thinks it would do me good or something." Dawn shrugged. "I think she's just uneasy with me being around all the time."

"Yea, probably." Joy agreed. "So, does she know you're here with me right now?"

Dawn shook her head. "Probably not. When I left she was so wrapped up with Riley that she probably didn't even notice." Dawn sat up suddenly and stared hard at Joy. "Please stop acting like nothing's wrong Joy. You just left the house! You didn't give me any explanation! I had to figure out from pieces of conversation that I could piece together from my eavesdropping! I didn't know where you were or if something had happened to you…"

"Dawn, you called me only an hour after I checked into this motel. You hardly had time to really be worried about my safety." Joy insisted.

"That's so not the point!" Dawn argued. "You still haven't told Buffy where you are, have you?"

"No, and you better not have either. When I finally agreed to let you come here today, you promised that you wouldn't tell anyone else! She knows I'm at a motel and that's enough."

"I know and I've kept my promise, but if Buffy finds out, she'll be so pissed that I kept it from her!" Dawn fretted.

Joy rolled her eyes. "I'm not living in this shithole because I care what pisses Buffy off."

Dawn frowned. "What did she do to make you so upset?"

"She got rid of Spike."

"You blame her for Spike's leaving?" Dawn asked, seeming more than a little confused. Clearly her eavesdropping had not given her enough information this time.

Joy nodded. "I'm not sure what she did exactly, but I'm sure he left because of something she said or maybe she threatened him in some way…"

"Joy, you can't blame her if you don't know the facts!" Dawn protested.

"I know enough." Joy insisted. "No matter what she claims, I know she had something to do with it."

"So that's what created the whole fight between you two?" Dawn pieced together. "I heard you had quite a go at it last night while on patrol."

Joy nodded. "She's still refusing to tell me what she did."

"You should have seen how Buffy's lip swelled." Dawn grinned slightly. "She's always bragged about how unbreakable she was, but I knew it was an act."

Joy felt slightly guilty. "I didn't mean to hit her."

"I'm glad you did." Dawn decided. "She a bitch for breaking up you and Spike."

"We're not broken up!" Joy exclaimed quickly. "We're just on a break."

"But he's gone." Dawn reminded her carefully. "You don't know if he's even going to ever come back."

"He'll be back." Joy insisted firmly. "He just needed some time to work out some stuff. But he'll come back. I know he will."

Dawn noticed how tightly Joy was clenching her fists and decided it was best not to argue with the vehement little slayer.

"You should go. Anya will be expecting you at the Magic Box soon." Joy broke the silence. Dawn followed her gaze to the clock and nodded.

"Working for Anya is such a pain." Dawn muttered regretfully as she prepared to leave. "Joy, one thing before I go…will you ever come home?"

"I don't know." Joy sighed. "I don't think Buffy would want me to after how I've treated her."

"That's not true." Dawn protested.

"I punched her Dawn." Joy reminded her.

"Yea, well I'm sure she's forgiven you. We all want you to come home."

"You're going to be late Dawn." Joy pushed Dawn towards the door and she left in disappointment.

That night at the Summers' house:

"Seven o'clock on the dot!" Riley announced proudly as Buffy opened the door for him.

"Very good, but I don't see why you couldn't just let yourself in, that's why I gave you a key." Buffy told him as she viewed her final appearance in the hall mirror. "Aren't you coming in?"

Riley shook his head. "Tonight we are going out on a date like any other normal couple…" He frowned as she moved into the light. "What the hell happened to you?"

Buffy remembered her beautiful swollen lip. "Joy."

Riley raised his eyebrows and nodded in comprehension. "So I guess you did go patrol last night."

Buffy nodded. "What did you mean about being like any other normal couple?"

"Tonight there is no government, no demons, no slayers, just you and me, a girl and a boy spending Saturday night out on the town." Riley snatched her purse away from her and removed the stake and dagger she had inside. "And definitely no slaying tonight."

A slow grin crept over Buffy's swollen lips. "Are you my prince charming, finally coming to ride me off into the blood-free sunset?"

Riley nodded solemnly. "As you wish, m'lady." He helped her into her light jacket and led the way out to his car in the driveway. He opened the passenger side door for her, and then jogged around to his side.

"Where are we going tonight Mr. Finn?" Buffy asked joyfully as he headed towards town.

"First, Miss Summers, we are going to eat." He drove the short distance to the nicest restaurant in Sunnydale.

………………

"I told you it's not a big deal." Buffy complained for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. Riley would not forget her fight with Joy and he insisted on bringing it up every time there was a lull in their otherwise enjoyable conversations.

"Buffy, I know the two of you have never exactly been best friends, but you've gotten along! You're the only family that girl has and I know you regret losing her trust over something as stupid as Spike." Riley pressed.

"Riley, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but you need to let it go. It's my problem and I can deal with it." Buffy argued, trying to keep her voice controlled as the two enjoyed an after-dinner cup of coffee in town.

"I know you can deal with it, you can always deal with your problems, but every now and then you should let someone else help you. You take on too much by yourself Buffy and I know it wears on you…"

"Riley, seriously, you need to drop it now." Buffy responded tensely.

Riley frowned at her tone but obligingly silenced for a few minutes. She knew that he was still trying to work out a solution in his mind even though he was quiet and she smiled. As much as it bothered her to discuss her argument with Joy during her date night, she loved how much he cared for her problems and wanted to help her sort them out.

"Riley," Buffy sighed with a somewhat less irritated tone than before. "Joy was hurt desperately. In a way I know how she must feel…Spike left her when she thought that she'd be able to rely on him. For the first time in a long time, Joy finally felt like her life was settling down. She had a home and a steady boyfriend who she really thought she could trust, and he just up and left her, and to make it worse, she thinks it was my fault!"

"But it wasn't." Riley reminded her.

"I know that. And I've told her that, but she won't let herself believe that Spike was going to leave her. It's easier for her to blame someone and since I happened to be the last one to talk to him, she's blaming me." Buffy explained. "I just wish she'd listen to me. I want her to come home but until she accepts the truth I don't think that will happen."

"Did you find out why Spike was going to leave when you went to see him?" Riley asked.

"He was scared of hurting her." Buffy told him. "He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his animal self."

Riley nodded in understanding. "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

"I don't know. He didn't sound like he wanted to be gone forever, but I'm not sure what it was specifically he wanted to do. He said he'd be gone as long as it took…whatever that means." Buffy sighed. "I never thought I'd say it, but I hope he comes back. I hate how Joy is suffering without him."

…………

Joy held back her tears as she eavesdropped on Buffy and Riley's conversation from her hiding place around the corner. They had chosen to have a cup of coffee while sitting at an outside table at the coffee shop, so while Joy was out for her evening patrol she passed them and managed to slip around the corner without them seeing her. She was going to ignore them, but stopped when she realized they were talking about her. She listened to the whole conversation and for the first time she realized how stupid she was to accuse Buffy so quickly. She should have known that Buffy had been telling her the truth, but it had been so convenient to blame her.

Now she knew what she would have to do, even though she dreaded going through with it. Gathering up her courage, Joy stepped out from behind the corner and approached the table.

"Joy!" Riley stood when he saw her.

"Umm, hi…" Joy offered an awkward smile. "I really didn't mean to interrupt your date."

Buffy didn't know what to say so she let Riley carry on the polite required conversation.

"Do you want to join us?" Riley asked, quickly pulling up an extra chair.

"I don't think I should." Joy decided, glancing hesitantly at Buffy. "I just wanted to say something really quickly…if that's okay with you Buffy?"

Buffy nodded, turning to Joy curiously. "What did you want to say?"

"I know I shouldn't have been listening, but I heard you talking with Riley…" Joy admitted.

"So now you're spying on me?" Buffy accused.

"No! I just overheard…" Joy defended angrily. She glared at Buffy. "If you don't want to hear what I have to say then fine, I don't care."

Riley stared at Buffy pointedly and she sighed. "I'm sorry for overreacting Joy. Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I realize that I might have jumped a little too quickly to conclusions about what happened with Spike leaving." Joy explained slowly. "I think that if I had a more rational personality I would have been more willing to listen to you in the first place, a lot of trouble could have been solved these last few weeks."

Buffy was a little confused. "So, you're saying that you believe me?"

Joy nodded. "I guess so. I was wrong to assume that you had something to do with his leaving, and you were right to say that I needed someone to blame." Tears clouded her eyes. "I don't understand why he left…"

Buffy stood and awkwardly held her arms out to Joy. "You have to realize that I would never want to bring more hurt into your life Joy. I know you haven't known me for very long, but I really do care about you."

Joy cried and let Buffy hug her. "I'm sorry I've been so horrible to you Buffy. It's just so easy for me to believe that people don't care about me…"

"Well, I hope you will be able to get over that some day." Buffy told her. "And maybe, in some small way you'll let me help you."

Joy nodded. "I hope you're right." The slayers broke the hug. "Can I still come home?"

Buffy nodded. "Of course, I know Dawn's been dying for you to come back."

One Month Later:

"It's been a long summer." Dawn remarked unnecessarily.

Joy sighed. "Yea, it's been long. I'm actually almost excited for school to start up again."

"Yea, I'm not quite feeling that yet." Dawn smirked.

"Well of course you've had a boyfriend to keep you entertained all summer." Joy rolled her eyes. Dawn looked slightly uncomfortable at the accusation. "Don't worry Dawn, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or anything, I'm just saying…"

Dawn nodded. "No, you're right, I'm sorry if I've been leaving you out at all this summer…Colin and I always mean to include you."

"I know, and you guys are great at trying but you need your romantic time alone. I would never want to intrude on that time." Joy smiled understandingly.

Dawn sensed something deeper beneath Joy's expression. "Alright, tonight Colin and I are going to the Bronze and you are coming with us to have a good time and get your mind of all your stress." She smiled with her plan.

Joy looked skeptical. "I'm not sure I feel like it tonight Dawn."

"Too bad. You don't have much of a choice." Dawn decided. "You have been running around in sweatpants, with no makeup all summer, it is time to dress up and go out!"

Joy sighed. "Fine, we'll go, but I'm not planning to stay very long."

"Good enough for me." Dawn stood and headed for the door. "I'm going to get ready and Colin will be here to pick us up in an hour. Be ready."

Joy nodded. "I'll see you then." As soon as Dawn headed down the hallway to her own room, Joy chose to take a shower and actually fix herself up for the club night, instead of pulling her hair up and skipping makeup as she had been prone to do throughout the summer. She figured it would at least satisfy Dawn if she took the effort to shave her legs and wear something more than sports clothes.

An hour later when Dawn was knocking on her bedroom door, Joy was ready for a fun night out, dressed in a denim mini skirt and a black halter with her hair straightened and her bare legs accented with fishnet stockings and stiletto boots.

"Oh my god Joy!" Dawn beamed. "You look so hot. I'm proud. I'd almost forgotten that you were capable of getting fixed up."

Joy scowled. "Very funny." She pulled on a red leather jacket. "Is Colin here?"

Dawn nodded. "He's downstairs, and umm, he brought a friend with him…"

Joy stopped abruptly. "You planned a blind date, and didn't tell me? What the hell were you thinking Dawn?"

Dawn cowered. "It was Colin's idea. He's been worried about you pining over Spike for the rest of your life."

"I don't think that's any of his business!" Joy responded sharply. "Whatever, let's get this over with."

Dawn smiled hopefully and nearly dragged Joy down the stairs to where the boys were waiting by the front door. Joy quickly analyzed the young guy standing beside Colin. Joy recognized him from the varsity football team, but she couldn't place his name.

"Hey girls. Joy, this is Billy." Colin introduced quickly.

"Hi Joy." Billy grinned at Hoy, spreading his thin lips wide, revealing bright white teeth. "I hope you're not too disappointed by me."

Joy snickered and shook her head. "Whatever. I'm here for a good time, I'm not too particular about who I'm with."

Billy shrugged and tossed his shaggy black hair out of his face. His steady green eyes showed he didn't care much about her motive for the date. He held his hand out to her and she took it. Joy was determined to make the most out of the arranged date, if for no other reason than to prove to Dawn that she was still capable of enjoying herself and that she was not pining over Spike anymore.

Later at the Bronze…

"Come on, let's have another round!" Joy insisted jovially. She batted her eyes at the bartender and flirtatiously traced around the patter on his apron. He easily served her a second round of beers for the group.

"Joy, we really shouldn't have had even the first round." Dawn argued, she alone hadn't had more than a couple sips of her first glass of beer.

"I know you don't want to get in trouble with Buffy, but do you honestly think she never drank when she was our age?" Joy laughed. "Besides you told me to have fun, I'm just obeying your orders."

Dawn glanced hesitantly at Colin who shrugged and drank heartily from his glass. Billy seemed anxious to impress Joy who was drinking easily, and quickly downed his second glass.

"Time to dance!" Joy decided as she finished her second glass and began on Dawn's as well. She gulped down half the glass and grasped Billy's hand, pulling him to the dance floor. He followed willingly.

"Are you drunk yet?" Billy asked with a slight slur to his speech.

Joy laughed, realizing that Billy was not as practiced as she was at drinking. "Do you really think two beers could get me drunk?" She slipped her arms around his neck. "Why? Do you want me drunk?"

Billy blushed sheepishly. "Well you know how talk flies, especially around the guys' locker room…and after you and Blake broke up, he started talking about the things you would do after a few drinks."

Joy tried not to react. "Oh? Like what?"

"Well, he detailed a few wild nights of striptease and the craziest sex he's ever had." Billy told her openly.

"And you figure that if you get me drunk enough I'd flatter you with the same fun and games?" Joy asked, slowly losing control of her temper.

"Well, yea, I mean if you'd rather be sober then let's get started!" Billy exclaimed, pulling her body tight to his and nibbling at his neck.

Joy jerked back and punched him ferociously, knocking him to the ground. "You'd be better off not listening to crude locker room gossip and keeping your hands to yourself." She glared at the other dancers who were staring and wandered over to the bar. "I need a vodka martini with two olives."

"I'm already pushing my job security, doll…" The bartender protested.

Joy sighed. "Come on Tim, you've never refused me before. Com on, I had a horrible blind date, I really could use a drink, stronger than beer."

Tim, the bartender, frowned but finally gave in. He handed her the drink and she smiled appreciatively before he moved away from her to continue his duties.

"Anyone sitting here?"

Joy turned as a young, fairly attractive man sat at the barstool beside her. "Well, it seems that you are now." She returned her attention to her drink. She ignored the guy entirely as she pulled out a cigarette.

"Need a light?" Joy turned to her other side where a new man had taken a seat.

"Yes, thank you." Joy smiled and let him light her cigarette.

"Are you alone?" The man with the lighter asked.

"I was until you showed up." Joy answered teasingly. "What's your name?"

"Jason, and yours is…"

"Joy."

"Well, here's to not being alone! Cheers!" He held up his own drink and clinked it against hers.

"Cheers Jason!" Joy smiled and finished her drink quickly. The moment she finished her drink, Joy felt her head growing dizzy. It was a nauseated and lighthearted feeling that she was unfamiliar with. She dropped her forehead into her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked quickly.

Joy nodded drowsily. "I feel so dizzy. I've got to get home." She stood and took a few wavering steps. Both guys from the bar quickly came to steady her. "I'm fine…" She was only partially aware of the two men leading her out of the club before she passed out entirely.

……………

"She's waking up." A harsh voice whispered as Joy began to regain consciousness.

She squeezed her eyes tightly and then opened them. "Who the hell are you?" She asked as soon as she could comprehend her surroundings. She realized that she was lying down on something soft, probably a mattress, and her feet and hands were secured with cold, heavy chains. Standing above her were the two men from the bar, one on each side of her. They were staring down at her with curious yet controlled expressions in their cold eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"She's not very bright is she?" Jason asked the other young man. "Next time, we might want to find someone a bit more intelligent. I hope he doesn't mind."

"He won't. If we'd found someone smarter she wouldn't have been so easy to drug and get out of there." The other guy responded.

"What's going on?" Joy gasped as Jason withdrew an ornately carved dagger from his belt. She began to struggle against the chains, assuming she'd be able to break free easily. She started panicking when she realized she couldn't move.

"Don't bother little girl, the drugs we slipped into your martini will keep you more or less paralyzed for a good few hours. The chains are just a precaution." Jason grinned wickedly and lowered the dagger towards her stomach. "Nothing personal Joy, you seem like a sweet girl, but you really shouldn't have made yourself such an easy target." He slid the blade of the dagger up from the edge of her shirt, easily slitting it in two, exposing her flat stomach. "You really are a beautiful girl, it's a shame kind of. I think I could have really enjoyed you…" He let his hand glide over her stomach and she wanted to pull away but still couldn't move.

"Stop wasting time." The other guy growled impatiently. He snatched the dagger out of Jason's hands and quickly sliced into the soft skin of Joy's stomach.

Joy screamed, shocked that she was able to feel pain when she was still unable to move any part of her body. He slid the blade into her again and dragged it through her skin. She screamed louder and hated how helpless she felt at that moment. She strained her eyes, trying to see what they were doing to her stomach but could only see the dagger being pulled away from her stomach, dripping with her blood.

"It will all be over soon Princess." Jason crooned as his friend sliced into her again.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Joy screamed at them.

"I told you, you were an easy target." Jason explained casually. "We needed an unmarked girl and you were her."

"Unmarked?" Joy gasped. "What the hell does that mean?"

Jason slid his hand up her stomach and over her breasts. "I'd like to have more time with you." He sighed and slowly ran his fingers over her neck. He stopped suddenly. "What the…" he brushed her hair away from her neck and his brows furrowed deeply. "Shit! She's not pure!"

Joy frowned. "What the hell does that mean? Pure? Like virginal?"

Jason glared at her. "No, not virginal! We aren't stupid, nobody who dresses like you can be a virgin!" He grabbed his friend's wrist before he was able to cut her again and pointed to Joy's neck. "She's been tasted. Her blood is unclean."

"Tasted? You're talking about the bites, aren't you? The vampire bites?" Joy gasped.

"Bites? There's more then one?" Jason demanded.

Joy snapped her mouth shut, not sure how much she should tell him. She had a nervous feeling that he would kill her if he couldn't use her.

"How the hell could a girl like you be fed on by a vampire and escape with your life?" The other guy asked.

"We can't use her." Jason decided. "He'll know that she's been used before. He will not be pleased."

The other guy raised the dagger and glared at Joy, positioning the blade over her chest. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

Joy shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the last moment of her life. She imagined what it would feel like to die and realized that in all her wildest dreams this was never one she had considered. She had always assumed that if she died unnaturally it would be from some fight with demons, not chained to a bed by two humans.

She had never been so aware of her capability of fear, but she felt completely paralyzed by the terror of dying in that moment (of course the fact that she was actually temporarily paralyzed might have had something to do with it too), her eyes were shut tightly, deciding it would be easier to accept death blind than watching it arrive. However, the men were interrupted as the door (from the best Joy could assume with her eyes shut) burst open, probably tearing completely off its hinges.

"Oh…I'm sorry mate, I think I'm a bit lost…and a bit drunk…" The voice was slurred and the words drawled out, but the voice was nonetheless recognizable to Joy. She snapped her eyes open, almost too doubtful to let herself believe, but he was staring directly at her and her doubt vanished in his familiar brown eyes.

The two men seemed confused about how to proceed after the strange interruption. They stood beside the paralyzed Joy, each man clutching their weapons tightly, watching the intruder nervously.

"Why don't you just turn around and walk away now mister." Jason urged cautiously.

"Hey what's going on here?"

"None of your business." Jason insisted.

"Oh that's a mature response. Well, hmm, it looks like you're doing some sort of sacrifice. Probably virginal or at least pure, right?"

Jason tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, seeming more nervous than before.

"Just a hint though, that girl's about as pure as I am…" he lowered his voice. "And I'm a vampire." He shrugged. "Fine, maybe she's a bit more pure than I am, but not far off, considering well you've seen the bite marks…you've really picked the wrong lady mate…" He grinned. "Not to mention, you've pissed off her boyfriend."

The guys didn't even have time to process what was happening before they were both on the floor, flat on their backs, moaning in pain from their minor injuries, while Joy was being freed from her bonds and lifted into their attacker's arms.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Spike murmured into her ear.

"I knew you'd come back." Joy managed to whisper before passing out from the overwhelming exhaustion built up from the apprehension of dying.