Chapter Eight – Be Careful

Buffy brushed his hair back from his face, making a mental note to round up a brush or something when he woke up to take care of all the tangles and knots. She gently ran her fingers through it, smoothing out some of the tangles, then stopped when a tug on a particularly nasty knot made him jump just a little. She pulled her hand back then stood quietly by the bed for a moment, watching him sleep. She took a deep breath then checked the IV and straightened his blanket, and before she even realized what she was doing, she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his swollen and split lips. She straightened up and slowly walked toward the door, her fingers sliding over her lips as she shut off the light on her way out.

Xander was kicked back in her chair, staring at the ceiling with his fingers drumming angrily on her desk. "I'm going to kill him and then I'm going to kill her."

Buffy looked around her office, scanning the ceiling and the corners. "Only if you get to them before I do. Where's the camera?"

Xander's eyes cut to the corner of the office. "There. In the corner above that filing cabinet."

Buffy smiled and walked around her office, making a show of moving things around. She rearranged the tubs and cartons of supplies then smiled and walked out to the antechamber, coming back a few seconds later with a large potted plant. She set it on top of the filing cabinet and arranged it so the leaves blocked the little black circle nestled in the corner.

She turned to Xander. "How long before someone comes down here to unblock the camera?"

He shrugged. "Couple of days, probably closer to a week. We don't really monitor your office all that much."

"And you're sure there's no sound?"

He nodded. "Yep. Just video.

Buffy walked around the desk and poked Xander in the shoulder. "Up."

Xander got up and walked around the desk, dropping into a chair as Buffy sat down in hers and flipped open her laptop then connected the camera. Xander nodded at it as she turned it on. "You think we got enough?"

She nodded back as she opened the folder that contained the files she wanted. She started dragging them to a folder on the desktop as she said, "Yes. I took pictures of all his injuries, and we've got video of him explaining everything that twisted freak told him and all the stuff he heard while he was down in solitary. It should be more than enough."

"And you're sending all that to your scarier-than-you sister?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. Stuff like this is Faith's bread and butter. She's made quite a name for herself bringing down several large sex trafficking rings in the last few years." She transferred the last of the files then unplugged the camera and tucked it away in her desk drawer.

Xander's eyes widened. "Stuff like this happens a lot?"

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe not quite like this… I mean, I've never heard of inmates being trafficked, but…"

Xander nodded. "I suppose it does have a basic simplicity to it… they can't leave, and there are always new ones coming in." He clenched his hand into a fist and pounded it into his leg. "I can't believe I didn't know about this… didn't put it together. That bitch has had construction crews camped out in the open space next to her house since she got here. There's no way it takes a year to build a garage, so they must've been building the brothel or whatever."

Buffy nodded. "Based on what Spike said, it sounds like they built it underground and attached it to the solitary cells. Maybe the garage connects to it or something."

"Or Walsh's house does. I've seen the construction guys going in and out of her house for months. We need to get down there." Buffy lifted her bag from the floor and rooted around in it for few seconds, coming up with a smart phone and a long black cable. Xander sat up and looked at the laptop as she connected the phone to it. "What are you doing?"

"Plugging my phone in. I need to charge the battery so I can use it as a Wi-Fi hotspot. I don't want to use the prison network to send the files in case it's monitored."

Xander nodded. "It is… and good plan. By the way, how'd you know to take pictures of Spike and get him on video? I mean, you're a nurse… not a cop."

She chuckled. "When your sister's a Special Agent for the FBI, you pick up a few things. I grew up listening to her tell me all about policy and procedure and the proper way to interrogate a suspect. She decided she was going to be an agent when she was like twelve or something, and once she figured it out, she studied. A lot. She got her criminology degree, and the FBI waived the age and job experience requirement because her test scores were so high. She's been an agent since she was twenty-one."

"So the black-belt thing… she taught you? 'Cause you don't see many nurses that can put you into the hospital."

Buffy laughed. "No. Faith and I used to fight like cats and dogs, so our parents thought it would be a good idea to channel all that energy into martial arts. They signed us up for lessons when I was seven and Faith was nine."

Xander smiled. "Did you stop fighting?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. All it did was give us ways to do real damage, but we both loved the training. After we'd both been to the emergency room a couple of times each, Mom gave us an ultimatum – stop fighting or stop training. So, we stopped fighting… with each other, anyway." She picked up her phone and checked the battery charge. "It'll be another ten minutes or so before it's got enough power to turn on. I forgot to charge it when I got here, so it's completely dead."

Xander nodded. "Ok. Once we send the files, then what? We can't let Spike go back down there, and we've got to figure a way to get the rest of them out before they end up in here just as fucked up as Spike."

Buffy leaned back in her chair. "From what Spike said, the others have all agreed to participate in Maggie's little work program, so I don't think they're in danger of having Riley trying to persuade them. Faith should move pretty fast on this, so hopefully they won't have to be… uh… working… for long."

"Yeah, but… fuck! How do we find out if they're working now? Spike didn't think they'd started yet, but he wasn't sure."

"Riley thinks I'm all for it, so maybe I can get him to let me examine them or something. Make sure they're all 'fit for duty.' Maybe get a couple of them on video talking about what they're being forced to do." She picked up her phone and checked the charge then laid it back down. "When Spike said he'd been forced before, he wasn't just talking about what Riley made him do, was he?"

Xander sighed and laid his head back on the chair. "No."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Xander rolled his head toward her. "I probably shouldn't, I mean, he told me in confidence, but… if something like that happens to him again, I don't think he'll be able to come back from it."

"What happened?"

Xander rolled his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. "He met this girl at school just after he turned sixteen and she took him to this teen dance club. I think it was his first date. I'm sure you've noticed how shy he is when he's not being all snarky. Anyway, a drunk college guy started hassling her and Spike stood up to him. Then drunk guy's three friends showed up. Spike tried to fight them and they kicked his ass then dragged him out into the alley and all four of them raped him."

Buffy gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth as tears of anger spilled from her eyes. "Oh my God! Did they get caught? Please tell me they're in prison."

Xander nodded. "They are. Turns out the drunk guy was the girl's boyfriend and he'd broken up with her and she'd only dated Spike to make him jealous. She watched them beat Spike to a pulp and then watched as they all took their turn, but she didn't try to stop it or call the cops or anything. She did call an ambulance after they were done, and then had the nerve to visit Spike in the hospital to try to tell him how sorry she was. Spike hadn't told the cops anything… said he never saw their faces and didn't know who they were. He was too scared and humiliated, but a cop who'd broken his leg or something was in the next bed and heard everything. He got his buddies on the girl and she gave up their names and the guys all took plea deals or whatever, so Spike didn't have to get up on the stand and relive it four different times."

"So how'd he end up here?"

Xander shrugged. "Met another girl."

"Did this one get him beaten and raped too?"

Xander shook his head. "No. It was about a year and a half after the alley thing. He hadn't even thought of dating anyone, just kept to himself, studied, and tried to fly under his father's radar so he wouldn't get beat on. He met her at a graduation party, and she swooped in and basically swept shy, quiet William off his feet with declarations of love and promises of sex if he'd only help her friends with a few things. Turns out her friends were a couple of thieves that wanted to move up from small time liquor store robberies to something bigger. Spike joined their little gang and spent the summer after he graduated helping them knock off liquor stores. Then, just before Spike turned eighteen, they hit a bank."

Buffy's eyes were huge. "Spike's a bank robber?"

Xander shrugged. "Yeah. He was tried as an adult and convicted of four counts of armed robbery, the bank and a few of the liquor stores, but because this was his first time in trouble with the law, and nobody had been hurt in any of the robberies, plus the fact that he had accomplices and didn't actually get away with any of the bank money, the judge was pretty lenient. Sentenced him to only seven years when he could have gotten life. He was sent here even though he's a violent offender because of his age at the time."

Buffy clenched her hands into fists on the desktop. "And he's only got what, less than a year to go on his sentence? And this happens. God, can't the poor guy catch any kind of a break?"

Xander closed his eyes. "Well, from what Spike said, Walsh selected him because he doesn't have any family. His dad died about two years into his sentence, and he's never had a visitor, so there wouldn't be anyone worrying about him. He could just disappear into that brothel or whatever and nobody would ever know. I think you and I are the only two people on the planet who give any kind of a shit about him."

Buffy's phone beeped as it powered on and she growled, "Yeah, I give a shit and these assholes are going to pay for what they've done to him." She connected the laptop to her phone's WiFi then transferred the files to an email and typed a note explaining what they contained. "I should be hearing from Faith pretty much anytime." She closed her laptop and got to her feet. "I'm going to go check on Spike."

Xander caught her arm as she passed him. "Be careful with him, Buff."

Buffy gave him a confused look. "I'm just going to check his vitals and IV. I'm done moving him around for the time being."

Xander let go of her arm and sat up just a bit. "That's not what I meant. He's had a shit life, and he hasn't had anyone besides me that really cares about him since his mom died, so if you're going to do this, you need to be careful."

Buffy's cheeks turned a bright pink as she dipped her head. "It's that obvious?"

Xander nodded. "You'd have to be blind not to see that you're falling for him, Buffy. Ever since the shower, you've been treating him more like a boyfriend and less like a patient."

Buffy's mind flashed back to the kiss she gave Spike just before she came into her office, and she backed up and dropped into the chair opposite Xander with a bitter laugh. "Some emotionally detached medical professional I am. My first job and I'm all googly-eyed over my very first patient. God, I haven't even known him for a full day, but… there's just something about him."

Xander sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Are you sure it isn't just pity you're feeling?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. I do feel sorry for all he's been through, but there's more. He's so strong, even if he doesn't see it. And…" She threw her hands up in frustration. "God, I wish I could explain it!" She dropped her hands and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "I like explanations, I like things to make sense, to be all neat and tidy and fit in their freakin' boxes… and what I feel for Spike just… doesn't. He's all un-sensible and messy and doesn't fit into any of the boxes. Not to mention that I'm not supposed to feel anything for him at all because I'm his nurse, and I know I shouldn't feel like this, but…" She sat forward and looked at Xander earnestly. "I've never believed in all that fate or love at first sight or soul-mate crap. I figured that someday I'd find a solid, stable, dependable guy and we'd get married and have the house, the dog, and the 2.8 kids in the minivan… see? Neat and tidy and everything fits… and sure… love would probably not be part of the picture..."

Xander smiled knowingly. "But…"

Buffy blushed shyly. "But… I think I'm starting to believe… and that scares the bejeezus out of me."