Catching up: Buffy's body went limp in place, and her head sunk to the hard stone floor beneath her. She held her breath, waiting for the torture. Anya bent down and gently unfolded the paper from Buffy's hand. "She's in hell." A couple of words from an ancient language, the burning of a candle, and the crushing of some crystals, the spell began to work it's magic. The spell wouldn't cast. "I – I don't know what's going on, my magic won't – I mean, I can't…" Willow looked at her hands horrified. "Damn it." Spike growled. "Go, quickly."

A/N: Thanks to Cherryll for her idea about this chapter! Again, R&R please, hope you like!

Chained up.

A voice whispered into Buffy's ear as she finally felt her feet reach the ground. "One more little thing…" It cooed. "You've proven yourself to me, but now… Prove yourself, to them." It laughed maniacally and disappeared into nothing.

Oh great, a catch. Always a catch… Buffy thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something touch her face. Slightly skittish after the whole being in hell thing, she jumped. The hand that rested on her forehead didn't notice though. Strange… She looked up into the somber face of Tara.

She sat up quickly flinging herself onto Tara. She missed though, and found herself on the floor. Flustered, she picked herself up and went to pull her friend into an embrace, and stopped abruptly. Buffy stared at the hand that rest inside of Tara's arm. This is not happening! She thought desperately.

"Tara?" She gasped. "Tara what's happening?" She gave a quiet moan. Prove something… He said I had to prove… Prove it to them… How am I supposed to prove anything if I'm not really here? Buffy then noticed her body was still lying on the bed. She shivered.

That damned hell god tricked her. Obviously, how could she have been so stupid? Of course he wouldn't have been ok with her and her friends being back! She had to think of something quickly.

Tara scratched the spot on her arm where Buffy's hand was still hovering. She quickly snatched it away. When she did, her arm suddenly went through something else though, through Spike's gut. When had he gotten there? This was just too weird.

Spike stood stiffly behind the Buffy ghost and scanned the room with squinted eyes, as if looking for something. He put his hand forward and shot it through Buffy's chest, but when he felt nothing there he shrugged to himself and went over to the dresser where the little white candle needed relighting.

Did they know she was there? In some subconscious part of their minds, they must know she was their right? They were definitely acting like it. Tara had felt her hand in her arm hadn't she? And Spike obviously sensed her presence. But how would she make herself known…

Without realising what she was doing, Buffy outstretched her arm and grabbed Spike firmly by the collar on the back of his shirt. He flung about expecting one of the scoobies to have discovered them, but saw no one. Buffy through him across the room where he crashed into the wall with a hard thud.

Why had she done that? She didn't want to hurt Spike. She just wanted to make him know she was there!

But she didn't waste any time. She charged towards him and kicked him hard in the face. His head snapped back and blood started dripping from his nose and mouth. With wide eyes, he and Tara took guard over Buffy's body, and nervously scanned the room over and over again.

Spike's hand reached to grab her, and he would have had he not gone right through her. So… She could touch them… But they couldn't touch her…

She jumped behind them and quickly shoved them both away from her solid form. Why did she do that? She wanted them to protect her! That was the whole point! She wasn't in control of herself. Someone else was controlling her.

"No, come on!" She groaned. She wondered if she could get back into her body. If she could do that, then Spike could restrain her. There were chains on the wall that looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie.

It was worth a shot. She jumped, landing on her body. At first she thought she'd only hurt herself with the large heave her body gave. But then she was seeing from real eyes again.

Spike was getting more anxious by the second. He saw Buffy's body lunge forward and growled, switching into his game face and taking a very protective, but risky position above her. He snarled incredibly.

Tara was breathing hard, backed up against the wall. What kind of demon would be attacking them? She hoped that Buffy was ok, but she was petrified. She couldn't take half a step towards her.

"Spike, Spike chains." She gasped from the bed.

"Buffy?" He whispered almost inaudibly.

"Spike, please." A quick pause, and then Buffy flung herself at Tara, her fist snapping back behind her shoulder. Tara screamed at her, but Buffy had already released.

Spike caught her with barely an inch left between her powerful muscles and Tara's delicate face.

"Oh no you don't slayer." He dragged her across the room finally understanding her incomprehensible pleas. He chained her by the fists first, dodging her kicks only barely, and then moved to shackle her ankles. She managed to get a good kick into his face, but then she couldn't move much at all. Finally, restraints.

Now Buffy understood. The hell god wanted her to prove her need for her friends, with the catch that they couldn't hear or see or feel her. And then by making her almost kill them. Good thing Spike was stronger than her. Otherwise her time in torment would have been for absolutely nothing. Or maybe this wasn't at all what she thought. Maybe this was just another form of torture…

A/N: Review please! Constructive criticism welcome! I hope you like this!