I wake up feeling sore and stiff. I am sitting on a stone floor, my body cold where it rests against the surface. I shiver slightly. My eyes are adjusted to the darkness.
"Slayer. You have finally awakened. We have been waiting for you." A woman stands in front of me. I can't help the small gasp that comes from me when I see her.
"No. That's not...it's not possible. You...you were dead! Giles. He killed Ben." Glory laughs cruelly.
"Oh honey. He may have killed Ben, but all he did to me was banish me to a demon realm. It was Hell. Let me tell you. But I've been brought back. Clearly, somebody thought I deserved another chance." She cackles.
My blood turns to ice. I didn't survive the fight with her the last time. I didn't even deliver the fatal blow. Giles had. How can I fight her this time, unarmed and on my own? But surely, someone has to know I'm missing. They'll come for me.
"Did I render you speechless? Imagine that!" I glare at her.
"Whoever brought you back did not know what they were getting into. They sure as heck did not know that I will take you down. This time, for good." Glory stalks towards me.
"Oh? Is that so? Such big talk from such a little girl." She grabs me roughly and slams me against the wall. "You are nothing. You are all alone. And unarmed. You cannot beat me, Slayer." She shakes me, and I see stars dance in front of my vision.
"Let go of me." She drops me and I land in a heap on the floor. It takes me a few minutes to get my limbs to cooperate. Eventually they do, and I stand up. "I will not let you win. Whatever your plan is, you will not get away with it." A hand flashes out, faster than I can see, and knocks me unconscious. The last image I am aware of is Glory's grinning face.
:~:~:~:

-
Willow had a sinking feeling. She had been trying to get a hold of Buffy for hours, but no one had heard from her. Willow called the Slayers at the hotel, but they hadn't seen her. Willow decided to do a tracking spell to see where specifically Buffy was. She had just finished when her phone rang. It was Angel.
"Have you spoken with Buffy?"
"Hello to you too, Angel. You're welcome, by the way. Oh how am I? I'm swell." Willow sighed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be abrupt. But the girls are freaking out and Illyria is having issues dealing with the stress." Willow rolled her eyes. She was walking past the infirmary at that moment and glanced in at Spike briefly.
Spike was sitting up in bed, staring off into space. He looked better than he had in the past few days, but the dark circles under his eyes attested to his lack of health. Willow watched him for a moment before he turned to look at her.
"Willow? Are you listening?" Angel said from her phone.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." She gave him the directions to the place her tracking spell had revealed Buffy to be. He agreed to check it out. Willow walked in to the infirmary.
"Something wrong?" Spike studied her face concerned.
"It's...I'm sure it's nothing, Spike." Willow smiled, but it was clear he didn't believe her. She sighed. "Buffy seems to be missing."
Spike bolted upright. "When did you hear from her last?"He started pulling the monitor electrodes off. Willow placed her hand on his arm.
"Spike, stop. Listen to me for a moment, okay?" Spike studied her face.
"Red, we don't have time to waste. I need...I need to find her." His voice was shaky from pain and lingering weakness.
"Spike. Relax for a moment. As much as you want to ride off and save her, wait. Listen to me, please. We can't help her. I've done a tracking spell. Angel and the others are going to find her. Trust them, please." He glared at her.
"Not a chance. I'm going. Wild horses could not keep me away. She's in trouble." He stood up, using the bed to support himself. "Give me a moment to get dressed, and I'll be ready." Willow shook her head. She stood up and left the room, muttering about stubborn ex-vampires.

Spike watches Willow leave and finishes getting ready. The poison is still coursing through his veins, but knowing that Buffy is in danger allows him to ignore the headache and dizziness it causes.
When he's finished, he leaves to find Willow. He stumbles along the hallway. He is almost to Giles' office when something weird happens. One moment, he's alone. The next, Makoto is standing in front of him. He jumps, and collapses to the ground. "Bloody hell!" He glares up at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not here. Not really. This is merely a projection of one piece of my mind. Willow contacted me. She's worried you may be risking your life for no reason." Spike makes an exasperated noise and stands up.
"Buffy's safety is everything. That's not something I'm willing to take chances with. I'm going. Nothing you can say will change my mind." He moves past her.
"The Old One is the only one who can help. She can heal you." Spike stops in his tracks and turns around to look at her.
"The Old One? Illyria? What does she have to do with anything?" But Makoto has disappeared.
Spike walks the rest of the way to Giles' office. Giles, Willow, and another man Spike has never met are sitting inside. Upon seeing him, Willow stands offering him her chair, which he declines to take.
"We need to leave as soon as possible, Red." Willow nods.
"Before you go, Spike. I want you to consider what we spoke about." Giles says, studying Spike's face with a passive expression. Spike glares at him.
"Oh go to Hell, Watcher. I'm going. End of story. You have no power over me." He turns and leaves, waiting for Willow in the hall.
Willow comes out a few minutes later. "You really shouldn't have talked to him that way, you know. He saved your life. You don't owe him anything, but you could try to be nice to him." Spike rolls his eyes.
"No. I really can't. He wants me to leave Buffy alone. I...I want what's best for her. But..." Spike shakes his head.
"What Giles doesn't know is that you are what's best for her." Willow puts her hand on Spike's shoulder. "Giles wants to take care of her. But he doesn't know everything about Buffy. They've been apart too long. Come on, Spike. We will go to LA. What happens after that? Well, that's up to the two of you. But sitting here moping about it isn't going to do you any good. So you might as well come too." They head for a room, and Willow does a transportation spell. They land in LA moments later, and Spike is unsteady. He sinks to the ground, sunlight streaming over him. For just a moment, he allows himself to revel in it, eyes closed.
"Okay." He pushes himself to his feet. "Let's go save Buffy."