Chapter Six

"The body is believed to be that of missing teenager Willow Rosenburg who went missing on Tuesday this week. A formal identification has not been able o proceed due to the condition –"

Buffy turned off the radio and sat back in the library chair, Giles was sitting with his head in his hands. Xander, Cordelia and Oz at around the table looking stunned. Only Angel and Buffy looked doubtful. "It isn't Willow," Buffy said firmly. "Spike wouldn't kill her...he'd turn her I'm sure of it," at first the idea of Willow bing turned repulsed Buffy. How could she stake her best friend? But slowly a plan was forming in her mind.

"Even if he did kill her Spike wouldn't leave a corpse unidentifiable, he'd want us to know what he'd done."

"How can you sound so calm?" Xander shouted jumping to his feet and kicking his chair over. "This is Willow! She's our friend! Even if Spike turns her she'd still be dead..."

"Xander calm down," Buffy sighed rubbing her forehead wearily. "We need to find where they are...they must have crossed the border by now..." She longed to have Willow by her side, had someone else being missing Willow could have cast a spell to find them. They were lost without her powers. Xander opened his mouth to argue but Giles cut him off.

"Angel you know Spike the most, you must know something of his travelling habits...his erm...siring habits," he pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, it was almost four in the morning and he was exhausted. None of the gang had slept since Willow's abduction.

"He's never really taken an interest in siring humans, he just wanted to be by Drusilla's side." Angel set a book down and squeezed Buffy's shoulder. "We need to find Drusilla...if we can find her we'll find Spike and Willow."

"I've been thinking," Spike took a drag of his cigarette and adjusted his position on the car bonnet. "How would you like to see me home land?" Willow was sitting cross legged on the bonnet staring at the city below them, lights twinkled and the city was clearly hustling and bustling but high up on the cliff they couldn't hear any of the noise pollution.

"England?" She turned to him suspiciously, "I thought we were going to Brazil?" She rubbed her arms as a breeze bit through them. Spike stood up and shrugged his duster off; draping it around Willow's shoulders he tilted her chin up. Willow stared at him biting back a lump of fear, it was impossible to tell what was going through Spike's mind. One minute he wanted her to do a spell, the next he was going to turn her, his mind had changed several times over what he would do with her and it was making her sick. "Spike if you're going to kill me can you please just get it over with," she whispered pulling her face away from his hands.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said gently stroking his thumb over her lips. Willow's eyes lit up in hope, was he going to let her go home? "You'll be reborn, a new life."

"I don't want a new life." Willow replied. I have to find a spell...I have to get away from him! "You wouldn't be able to get me to England without a passport." She said changing the subject abruptly,

"Oh ye of little faith," Spike took a long drag on the cigarette and settled back on the car bonnet, he rested so his back was propped up against the windscreen. "When you live a few centuries you realise how little value passports and documents hold." He tugged the back of his duster which was draped around Willow's shoulders, rather than leaning towards him Willow stood up and paced around the car. She stepped up to the cliff edge and looked below wistfully.

"If I jumped I'd escape you," she said quietly, the wind brought to Spike her voice.

"Then jump." Spike shrugged calling her bluff. He was growing fond of the girl, but not so fond that he would plead with her to come to him. Willow stepped close to the edge, the tip of her feet hung over the edge. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, she could feel Spike's eyes watching hr passively. If I jump I'll never see my parents again or my friends. She told herself, but a smaller crueller voice chimed in. If Spike makes you into a vampire you could never see them again anyway. She bit back tears; she wouldn't let him turn her. She'd escape him somehow, just not this way.

As Willow returned to the car Spike said nothing, normally he would have taunted his victims. But he was beginning to see Willow as less of a victim and more of a travelling companion. "Sun will be up soon," he said dropping his cigarette and treading on it firmly with his boot. Willow nodded and slipped into the passenger seat of the car, Spike paused watching her through the windscreen. She wasn't beautiful like Dru, but she was quite pretty. Maybe a century or two apart will do us some good, he thought sadly. In silence he drove them to another small motel. "I'll get you some food," he stretched as he climbed from the car.

"Don't bother," Willow said, "I'm not really hungry. I just want a shower and to sleep."

While Willow showered Spike locked the door to the room and drew the curtains closed, he was looking forward to arriving in Las Vegas. He was sick of motels that were full of cockroaches, lumpy mattresses and the overwhelming smell of desperation and death. He listened to the sound of running water as Willow turned the shower on and stared at the bathroom door, he was tempted to burst in and join her but he held himself back somehow.

When Willow stepped into the main room she was fully dressed with her hair wrapped up in a towel, she looked for a hairdryer but was dismayed to find there wasn't one. She almost laughed at her stupidity, she had been kidnapped by a vampire who was now thinking about taking her across the world and she was worried about a hairdryer? She looked over at Spike and sighed in relief to find he had already fallen asleep, he had stopped tying her to the bed during the day; on the few occasions he had left her alone to hunt before the sun rose he had simply locked the door. Glumly Willow looked around the dim room, the curtains were pulled and were caked in grease and dirt that they kept the sunlight from filtering through and hitting Spike. She turned to look at him once more to ensure he really was asleep. Carefully shed tiptoed across the room and brushed her fingers against the curtains, biting her lip she yanked it back and turned her head away as the dazzling sunlight hit her eyes. She hadn't seen the sun for so long the sudden burst of light dazzled her. She heard Spike swear as he crashed from the bed, when she looked over all she could see was smoke.

"Close the bloody curtains!" he hissed from under the duvet on the floor, he was behind the bed which provided him some cover from the sun. Willow turned to open the window and climb out, with break neck speed Spike pulled her away and yanked the curtains back in place, swearing as his arm caught fire. Hurriedly he patted the flames out and gripped Willow by the neck; he held her up against the air and laughed as she kicked out desperately at him. "I'll let this one slide," he said slowly lowering her to the ground and moving closer so that their bodies were pressed together. "I am being merciful with you Willow, I'm being kind." She looked at him in disgust. "I am trying to show you the world before I give you a greater and eternal life."

"I don't want to see the world or live an eternal life!" She whispered clutching his shirt, "Spike please just let me go home and do the spell for you. I – I can make Drusilla love you again! Bring her to her knees!"

"You weren't so sure when I asked you love." Spike's face relaxed into his human features and he stroked her cheek gently. "And I think a break would do Drusilla and me some good, perhaps I have been coming across as soft and a little bit clingy." He led Willow towards the bed and held her arms against the bedpost; she put up no argument as he tied her there once more. "You can try to escape as many times as you want Willow, but you may as well save your energy." He straddled her gently and held her face so he could capture her gaze. "Tomorrow we will be in Las Vegas, I'll arrange us travel to take us to England and there..." He lowered his head to her neck and kissed her gently.