Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them, and so does Riley. Riley smiles and waves.

Anyhoo, let me take some time to worship my reviewers…

(Deep breath): Mrs Brood, michebabyblue, flyersfan3588, redheadreader (really? I'll have to do more!), Breathe in Butterfly (thanks for the support – I have English language today: blurgh, although writing before it weirdly helps), uskohakuchan, rocks and glass and redrider6612. If you all knew how much I love you you'd be incredibly scared.

Now for the chapter.

---

Buffy and Angel lay entwined beneath the covers on Angel's bed. Buffy's head was resting on Angel's chest, her hand just touching his sculpted shoulder. Her California tan looked even darker against Angel's pale, albeit smooth and toned, torso. It was early morning, and Buffy knew she should get up and go to college, but she could not bring herself to get up and leave, it was such a perfect moment.

"You should go," said Angel softly, kissing the top of her head. She smiled sleepily up at him.

"Now? Do I have to?" She put on her most wide-eyed, pouty face to look up at him pleading. He grinned.

"You know how much I want you to stay, but you have psychology this morning. Now come on." He sat up, pulling her up with him. She yawned like a cat, and scrambled out of the bed, looking for the various items of clothing that had been scattered around the room the night before.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise," she said, looking back at her boyfriend as she slipped on her shoes with one hand and tried to rake her hair through with the other. He grinned after her as she slipped out the door, on shoe still only half on her foot.

-

She arrived a few minutes late, but breezed in as though she was half an hour early. Willow smiled slightly in spite of herself as Buffy sat down next to her, beaming as though she was a five-year-old who'd just been given a pony. Professor Walsh glared at her for a moment but said nothing. Buffy's expression did not change for the entire lecture, but she kept silent as though putting it all off until the end.

The time seemed to crawl by, and when it was finally over Buffy exploded with a burst of – mostly unwanted – information. Willow giggled along with her, glad that she'd been able to give her friend what she'd always wanted, but their conversation was cut off by Professor Walsh.

"Buffy, a moment?" Her expression was unreadable and Buffy sighed and turned to Willow.

"I'll see you… probably tomorrow," she said with a laugh and a wave. Willow trundled off, with one supportive backward glance before turning out of the door. Buffy turned to Professor Walsh, who gestured for her to sit down.

"Sorry I was late Professor, I—" she was cut off by a glare.

"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, Buffy."

"Oh… ok." Buffy felt a little confused, not to mention irritated by the fact that she could be going back to Angel's right now, but before she had time to ask what she was being kept for, Professor Walsh had taken a large wooden cross from her desk drawer and had it in Buffy's face. Buffy hissed involuntarily, leaning back in the chair. She felt something stir inside her, a deep, mortal fear of this thing that her teacher was holding.

"Now I don't know how you can walk in the sun," said the Professor, cutting through Buffy's primal fear a little, "but I know I'd like to find out." A group of camo-clad people were suddenly in the room, as though they had appeared out of nowhere. Almost without thinking, Buffy flipped backwards of the chair and lifted it off the floor, smacking two of the army guys right in the face. She could feel that her face had switched, and adrenaline (or whatever the undead equivalent was) was buzzing through her veins. The men were no match for her, they were humans, and she was stronger than any vampire they'd ever fast. But one had a tranquilizer gun. The first did almost nothing, but two more and she'd slowed down. He hit her with a final dart in the chest, and she fell to the floor like so many, much bigger, demons had after just one. Without talking, they lifted her unconscious form and carried her out through a back exit.

-

Buffy woke while they were still carrying her, but left her eyes partially closed. They were in some kind of laboratory, with fluorescent lighting and white tiles. She was dropped in a room, one of hundreds of identicals, and the men were gone. She stood up and looked around. She was still wearing the clothes that she had hurriedly put on that morning, and (to her extreme relief) the ring of Amara was still on her finger. She looked around the cell, trying to find a weakness. She tapped the glass door, and a shock of electricity ran through her. She began to pace, worried and alone. What was this place? Who was the Professor? And why on earth was she here?

After a while she became aware of someone muttering in the cell next to her.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" She waited for a reply, twisting her hands together.

"Bloody hell…"

"SPIKE?"

---

DUM-DUM-DUM!

Does the Initiative actually use crosses? I've never seen them using them… but hey, they do now!

I apologise for the DB droolage at the beginning… oh God no, that just made me think of Derren Brown. He is a scary, scary man. Does anyone else watch that show? It's finished now over here actually, but there are repeats. I highly recommend it. Anyway, I'm rambling, so I'll shut up and let you REVIEW!

PS. Next chapter is going to be really, really fluffy. Promise. Damnit, I ruined my cliffhanger.