If Wishes Were Horses…

Disclaimer: Most of these characters aren't mine, I'm just using them for my own amusement. I always imagined this world's Buffy to be more like Faith, so go with that…also, the factory layout is different than in the episode, imagine it's much bigger.

Chapter Seven

'No! Please, somebody help me!' sobbed the girl as two of the Master's minions, both doctors in their previous life, dragged her from the wooden cage. One zapped her with a taser and they loaded her into a harvesting machine.

Up on the stage, the Master smiled an alligator smile. 'She's still alive, you see, for the freshness. This machine will keep her that way indefinitely.'

The minions quickly hooked the girl up, attaching a feeding tube and catheter, linking her to a heart monitor. At the push of a button the machine rumbled to life, slender needles arcing over to pierce her trembling flesh. The coiling tubes filled with rich, red blood, swirling into a reservoir at the base of the machine. One of the minions took a wine glass, turning a tap to fill it with the girl's lifeblood. The assembled throng of vampires was entranced, by the wonder of the machine and by the strong coppery scent of fresh blood. The glass was passed up to the stage, where the Master raised it above his head.

'Welcome to the future,' he toasted the crowd at his feet.

'To the future!' they echoed, oblivious to the slender slip of death pushing her way among them.

Reaching the front, Buffy raised her crossbow and fired. Quicker than she could follow, the Master grabbed the vampire next to him and pulled her into the path of the bolt.

Buffy raised the crossbow again, but it was knocked from her grasp. She blocked the clumsy follow-up, ducking to hammer her attacker's ribs with a flurry of punches, smiling grimly when she heard them crack. A stake appeared in her hand and the vampire exploded into dust.

Buffy spared a glance behind her, taking stock. Everything was chaos; some vampires were running, some turning towards her, some still unaware of what was happening. Beyond the crowd she saw Angel open the cage, herding the prisoners out. A few tried to run, but most of them grabbed anything that could be used as a weapon and waded into the fight. Buffy smiled coldly and blocked an attack from her left without thinking, dropping into a sweep and staking the fallen vampire where she lay.

For a while Buffy's world consisted only of fighting, instinctive and simple; a vampire popped up, she did what she had to do. At some point Angel appeared at her back, fighting with a piece of wood broken from the cage. The Master had disappeared from the stage and Buffy let her frustration at the missed opportunity fuel her, lending a vicious edge to each punch, each kick.

From the corner of her eye, Buffy saw Angel stumble to his knees, a tall dark vampire looming over him. Then, suddenly, Spike was there, grinning wildly. 'Play nice,' he snarled, shoving a shard of packing crate through the tall vampire's back. The dust settled on Angel's shoulders as Spike helped him get unsteadily to his feet.

'Why did you - ' Angel began.

'Didn't do it for you, mate,' Spike interrupted. 'You owe me a key.'

Buffy snap-kicked her opponent's knee, staking him easily as he screamed and fell. She turned to the next, but suddenly there were no more. 'Where'd everybody go?'

'All over the floor, luv,' Spike said admiringly, gesturing to the drifts of dust everywhere. 'You were like a machine, it was quite somethin' to behold.'

'Are you okay?' Angel asked her, holding his ribs with one hand. 'You're not hurt?'

'In better shape than you, by the looks of things,' Buffy replied, raising her eyebrows. She looked around, assessing the battlefield. About half of the former prisoners were still standing, one or two fallen but alive, the rest no more than broken corpses. 'We need to get these people somewhere safe, I guess,' she said. 'This ain't my town – any ideas where?'

'Giles will know,' Angel said. 'We can steal one of these delivery trucks, take them all over to his place 'til we figure something out.'

'Sounds like a plan,' Buffy said. 'You two can handle that; I'm gonna check this place out, see where the Master got to.'

'Um, are we missing something, pet?' Spike said. 'Not wearing a white hat, here – 'm not gonna help shepherd these lost lambs anyplace. Might be up for a spot of killing, though, if you fancy a hand.'

'Why would you want to help me kill the Master?' Buffy asked suspiciously.

'Aside from having no morals to speak of, and no scruples about killing one of my own, you mean?' Spike asked flippantly, turning serious as he went on, 'How 'bout 'cos he's a double-crossing, back-stabbing, lying, cheating, eviler-than-thou pain in my neck that I've dreamt about killing ever since I got turned – that do you?'

'Fair enough,' Buffy said evenly.

'No way,' Angel glowered at Spike. 'I'm not leaving you here with her, with nobody to watch her back.'

'Oh, I'm very happy to watch her back,' Spike smirked, tilting his head at Buffy to demonstrate.

'Both of you, shut up before I stake you!' Buffy spat out. 'God, you're like children – overgrown, perverted, blood-sucking children!' She turned to Angel, all cold fury and coiled energy. 'These people can't stay here – someone needs to get them to safety, and I'm not leaving without the Master's dust in my hair. If Spike wants to tag along, that's fine with me – I'm more than happy to end him if he tries anything.' She glared at Spike, fist tightening around her stake.

'You do know how to sweet-talk a guy,' Spike grinned. 'Go on then, Angel dearest, toddle along with your little charges.'

'Buffy,' Angel tried again earnestly. 'I don't like this, Spike told me he - '

'Don't care,' Buffy interrupted. Without a backward glance, she stalked towards the office area at the back of the factory.

'You heard the girl,' Spike said, waving his fingers. 'Toodle-oo.'

'I'm warning you – if she doesn't come back alive, you don't get the key.'

Spike just glared at him, then turned and loped after Buffy. Angel stood watching, torn.

'Sir?' said a tremulous voice behind him. Angel turned to see a petite redhead, clutching a hand to her bleeding neck. 'Please, can you help us?'

'Of course,' Angel sighed, casting one last glance over his shoulder before turning to help the survivors.

'What's the game plan, then?' Spike asked.

'We find the Master, I put a stake in him - then maybe in you - and get the hell out of this god-awful town.'

'Simple, direct, violent - I like it,' Spike said. ''Cept for the stakin' me part, that is. Although, if you want me to stake you - '

'Finish that thought and you're dust.'

'Right-o,' Spike said cheerfully, holding his hands up.

Approaching the first office, Buffy kicked down the door and stormed in. After a quick sweep, she stalked out and kicked down the next door, then the next.

'Um, Slayer?' Spike said, trailing her into the fourth office. 'Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the kickin' and the stompin', but is this the most effective technique?'

'I don't need lessons from you on how to slay vampires,' Buffy retorted, swinging to face him, fist raised. 'Unless you want to give me a hand with the practical?'

'My hands are all yours, pet,' Spike said, closing the distance until their toes were touching.

Buffy shoved him away roughly. 'What is it with you? God, you have to be the most…disgusting…perverted…evil vampire I've ever met!'

'Baby, those are my best points,' Spike grinned, rubbing his hand across his flat belly.

Buffy gulped, her mind racing away into the realms of fantasy where it was her belly he was caressing, her hands on his skin…

'Like what you see, luv?' Spike asked softly.

'What? No!' Buffy blustered. 'I'm here to kill the Master, not make out with some…stupid…British guy!'

Her breath was knocked out of her as Spike pinned her up against the flimsy dividing wall. 'Never said anything about makin' out,' he drawled, letting his grip tighten. 'Happy to oblige, though…and if you want my opinion, Master's long gone…nobody here but us chickens…'

Buffy brought her hands up to Spike's chest, meaning to shove him away but finding herself gripping his lapels instead. Her head swam; slaying always made her horny anyway, but there was something about this guy…some connection between them that she couldn't put her finger on…suddenly, it seemed too much effort to fight any more.

'Last I heard, this isn't the real world anyway,' she breathed. 'In which case, doesn't really matter what I do, does it?'

'Right,' Spike agreed, not knowing what she was on about but liking the gleam that appeared in her eyes.

'So what, you're all talk and no action?' Buffy sassed, scarred lip lifting in an inviting grin. 'Show me what you got.'

Spike stared into the Slayer's hazel eyes; they were beautiful, deep and sorrowful and so expressive. Did she really just say…wait, Dru…I can't do this to her…

Then Buffy's mouth was on his, open and wet and oh-so soft. He groaned at the sensation of her hot tongue in his cold mouth, body reacting instinctively, one cool white hand coasting under her top as the other tugged her hair free from its braid…