*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal

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*smiles* thanks for your kind reviews & thanks to Meli for betaing!

I know it's been awhile since i've posted here at the SR. I'll be making regular updates again now that my workload seems balanced (for the time being)

in other words, i turned the angst up big time..but no fear it will only last a few chappies and then it will be all spikey saves the day.

so you've been adequately warned...no leaving me flamey reviews!!

happy reviews = next post sooner = sooner we get to a happy spuffy ending

**hugs** ~ Opal

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Ch 12 - Kidnapped

In hindsight, it had seemed so easy to pull it off that Riley had forgotten why he had been sweating it out in the first place. The drugs Maggie Walsh had given him had affected his strength and speed, which enabled him to quickly subdue the two master vampires with the tasers easily. It was a good thing too, since all he saw when he entered was blood all over Buffy. That was enough to propel him to ‘do the right thing’ in his mind. He pulled the tasers out of his pockets; hitting Angel with one while at the same time hitting Buffy with another. Spike did not even have enough time to turn around and stop him. Riley had hit the vampire while he was in the midst of turning around.

He had become very annoyed with Cordelia, who had started to beat on him with her fists once she saw him take out Angel. She had been quick to take care of. Riley had simply pushed her up against the wall and hit her with the taser.

In fact, the only person who got out of the room, besides Riley, without being hit with the taser was little William. William was now all-snug as a bug in his car seat, strapped into the back seat of the SUV. The only problem with the baby was that he had not stopped wailing since they left LA, and nothing Riley did would calm the child down.

He had wrapped Buffy up in a blanket and cleaned her up as best as he could, but he was not sure how much time he had until the vampires would awake. Spike he knew would be out for a few hours, but Angel being the older master vampire, could possible recover sooner. He had bound the wrist of both girls and gently placed them in the back compartment of the SUV. Hopefully, they would not be too mad at him, but he knew he did what was right and they would come around. A soldier could never be too careful.

The sun was just rising in east, as he drove out of California and into Nevada. The sunlight would buy him eight or ten hours before the vampires could come out and pursue him. Hopefully, by then he would be out of Nevada and into Colorado.

~~*~~

Angel was the first to awaken. Dazed and confused, he looked around the room until he saw Spike lying on the floor. “Buffy,” he whispered. It was then that he remembered. Cordelia had her vision, and they rushed into the room to find Spike with his fangs in her neck. Before he could lean down and finish off his errant grandchilde, his demon sensed a change. Angel deeply inhaled the air around him and concentrated on the scent of the blood in the room. The Slayer’s blood, which was most prevalent, assaulted his senses but he also smelled Spike’s blood. ‘Why would I smell Spike’s blood?’ Angel thought to himself. He shrugged and reached over to flip the blond menace over. It was at that moment that Angel’s demon recognized the claim on the vampire below him.

Angel’s demon roared in pain that the woman the vampire loved had claimed his nemesis, but it also recognized a change in the situation. Angel could not stake Spike because he knew it would kill Buffy.

Buffy.

So consumed with wanting to off Spike, he had forgotten about her. He took another look around the room. Buffy, Cordelia, William, and Riley were nowhere to be found or sensed in the building.

“Bastard.” Angel spoke in anger. He realized Finn was responsible for this. He knew the soldier boy had complex with vampires, but still to put Buffy at risk? There was no way that he could protect Buffy and William on his own.

There was no way, now that her mate would be coming after him with a vengeance. With renewed focus, Angel gently lifted Spike off the floor and laid him on the bed. As Angel moved away, he noticed two tiny holes on the side of Spike’s neck. Two holes over Spike’s sire marks. ‘Strange,’ he thought, ‘she was alive when we entered the room. Giles will need to look into this.’ Angel had a smug smile cross his face. He always felt awful for the wrongs he had done to Giles and the Scoobies as Angelus, but he would take deep pleasure in letting the biased Watcher know that his Slayer was now extra special.

Angel just did not know how special.

He did know that he could feel the younger William’s distress through the family bloodline. The baby was clearly upset from being pulled away from his father; hopefully Finn would not be stupid enough to take him away from his mother too.

Angel walked out of the room to call Giles. His footsteps were quick, but echoed across the floor of the Hyperion. He moved to the closest telephone and dialed Sunnydale.

~~*~~

Willow was sitting on Giles couch plugging away at her computer trying to research any sign of where Buffy may be. Joyce had called Willow and Giles to let them know that Buffy and the baby had not come home that night. Joyce’s neighbors had told her of a black SUV that had skidded out of her driveway and a strange looking young man with blond hair who looked like he had his heart broken. Joyce had quickly figured out that Riley must have taken Buffy away. As for the brokenhearted blond, she really hoped it had been Spike. She knew if Buffy was in trouble that Spike, as much as he would vocalize otherwise, would follow her to ensure her safety.

Giles was not so convinced. He thought that Spike was coming after the Slayer and her child with evil intentions of offing them both. As far as he was concerned, Riley was acting as a savior. Willow, knowing both sides of the story, was not so sure if Riley was such a hero.

When the phone rang that morning, Giles was in the kitchen preparing his cup of tea. The phone startled him, resulting in him dropping his teacup on the floor. Before bending down to clean up the mess, he muttered a ‘dear lord’. He shouted for Willow to get the phone for him.

“I got it Giles.” Willow yelled. She reached over and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Willow.”

“Angel.”

“Is Giles there?”

Willow was surprised that Angel was calling for Giles. Things were still shaky between the two men since the Angelus incident. She had not yet forgiven him for the death of her beloved teacher and mentor.

“He is, but he’s just cleaning up a mess. Look Angel, I don’t want to worry you but have you seen Buffy? She’s been missing since…”

“Yesterday. I know. She was here. Can you tell Giles to leave his mess and come here, it’s really important.”

‘Monosyllabic much?’ Willow thought. “Hold on Angel. I’ll get him.”

Willow placed the phone down on the couch and walked over to the kitchen entry.

“Giles, I’ll clean that up.”

“Oh, no bother Willow. My mess, I’ll clean it. Incidentally, who was on the phone?”

“Angel. You need to speak with him. He’s seen Buffy.”

Giles stiffened up when he heard Angel’s name, but when he heard he had information on his Slayer he quickly handed Willow the dust mop and broom. He walked into the living room and placed the phone to his ear.

“Angel.”

“Giles.”

“How is she?”

“She’s gone and not by her will either.”

“Damn it, I knew if William the Bloody was involved there would be trouble.” Giles began to nervously tap his foot on the floor while he waiting for Angel’s response.

“No Giles, not Spike. Riley. Do you have any information why she left?”

“Except for what Joyce’s neighbors told us, nothing.”

“Well then, are you sitting?”

“Yes.” Giles replied.

“Good. Make sure you have a pen and paper, because what I’m about to tell you will require some research.”

Giles reached for the pad of paper and pen on the coffee table. His nervousness increased tenfold when Angel had told him to he should be sitting.

‘Good Lord, what has happened to Buffy?’

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal



Same disclaimer as in last chappie....challenge must include Riley. So no flamey reviews..

Sorry for the double post last chapter. When I fixed it , unfortunately it deleted the reviews that were left.

On the bright side, 2 more chappies or so till Cptn' Cardboard get's butt kicked.

**Hugs** ~ Opal

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Chapter 13 - Help Arrives

Giles sat on the couch in awe of the story that Angel had told him. He had no intention of going to the Council and no intention of interfering with Spike and Buffy’s claim on each other. What he did do is grabbed Willow and began to research Buffy’s mysterious fangs with earnest.

Angel on the other hand was still trying to wake Spike that had yet to wake up from his taser shock. He did not think it should take this long for Spike to come to. Angel had to do something fast to wake him up. The only way they could track Buffy down would be through the mating bond. Although he could sense Buffy, he could not pinpoint her location as Spike could.

Spike’s demon refused to drink the pig’s blood that Angel had brought in to feed him. Angel was beginning to suspect he would have to use either human or sire blood to awaken him.

Certainly if Spike did not kill Riley when they caught up with him, Angel would.

As Angel was preparing to slice his wrist for Spike, he heard loud banging on the front doors of the Hyperion. Quickly, he ran to see what the commotion was but all he could see was an oversized blanket flinging itself against the door repeatedly.

As he opened the door, the mysterious being under the blanket was in the midst of throwing itself against the door again. This time, with the door open, the mystery visitor flew through the doorway into the main foyer and landed onto the floor with a thud.

Angel could have sworn he heard a small whimper, but still he walked over and carefully removed the blanket from atop the still bundle. He gasped when he looked down at the lovely raven-haired figure on the floor in front of him.

“Daddy! You looked surprised to see me?”

“Well Dru, it isn’t everyday you go on a suicide mission at my doorstep. Why are you here?”

“To help my childe rescue his mate and child. My big William and little William need help, now where is Spike?”

“I don’t know if I should let you…”

Dru reached up and shushed Angel.

“Tut-Tut. Daddy you listen, I’m not going to hurt sunshine or the baby. The pixies told me they are in trouble and if we don’t track them down soon, and then baby will be no more. Angry, mean humans in uniforms, like the Prague mob, will attack the Slayer and her child.”

Angel realized that perhaps Dru could be more help than he realized. “Can you sense Buffy’s location Dru?”

“Cha-ching!” Dru said.

Angel though he may have to reconsider his thought about Dru being helpful. He rolled his eyes as Dru grasped his arm.

“Don’t be silly Daddy. You know what I mean. What’s that city with the pretty flashing lights, dancing girls, and the machines that go cha-ching?”

“Las Vegas.” Angel answered.

“Well that’s where they will be by nightfall.”

Angel smiled. He should know by now never underestimate Drusilla, no matter how insane she is. Angel reached over and grasped Dru’s hand.

“Want to help me make William better?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl, follow me.”

Dru spun around dancing to her own tune behind Angel as she followed him up to Spike’s room.

~~*~~

“Ow!” Cordelia yelled as she hit her head against the side of the SUV. She had just regained consciousness when the vehicle had hit a nasty bump in the road. She tried to readjust her hands but found them bound behind her back.

She heard a baby crying hoarsely from the other side of the back seat. She did not know what was going on, but she knew that the poor child needed some tending too. She looked across from herself and saw Buffy. The Slayer was laying there unconscious with dried blood along the creases of her mouth and the side of her neck. She could have sworn she saw little fangs peaking out from the Slayer’s partially open mouth, but figured she had to be seeing things.

Either way, she was one furious seer and wanted to know who was driving this contraption and who had the nerve to put Miss Cordelia Chase in such an uncomfortable position.

“Alright, I don’t know who’s driving this thing but do you think you can pull over and get these damn handcuffs off of me! I hurt!”

She got no response, but felt the oversized vehicle pulling over to the side of the road. She could see the shadow of the driver as he came around to open up the back of the SUV.

“Riley?” Cordelia asked. She acted surprised, considering how she had fought with him back at the hotel until he shocked her.

“Look if you can sooth the baby and get him quiet and promise not to cause me trouble, I’ll let your wrists go so you can sit in the back seat with the baby. “

Not one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, she took no time to think over her answer. “OK.”

Riley reached over and unlocked the handcuffs. He glanced at Buffy. The extra shock he had given her and Spike would ensure they both stayed asleep a little bit longer. He helped Cordelia up and was surprised that she was cooperative. He shut the door to the back of the SUV and assisted the former cheerleader into the back seat next to William. She quickly picked the sobbing child up and into her arms. His screams lowered into whimpers.

Her heart broke for the little tike. His tears were pouring out of the sides of his little eyes and down his cheeks.

“Why me?” She asked, using her most innocent voice.

“What do you mean?” Riley responded.

“Why did you take me too? What did you do with Angel and Spike?”

“I knew you could help with the baby and with your visions, you can tell me if the Initiative or vampires can be expected to cross paths with us.”

Cordelia was on her game and turned on the charmed. She already had decided that this lumbering idiot was more of a fool than Xander Harris was. He would certainly be easy to work with.

“Oh. Ok. Makes sense to me. Good idea.”

Riley thought he had it made. ‘Didn’t take much to get the little woman on my side.’ He directed a smile to Cordelia in the rear view mirror.

Cordelia smiled back at him and thought ‘Sucker. I may not be a Hollywood actress, but I can be a damn good one when it counts.’ She pushed her hair behind her ears and gave him a wink. She figured a little flirting would help. ‘Angel better get his ass here soon!’


*****

Please be kind, I worked hard to write this fic! Leave a review. *hugs* Opal

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal



Oops..my creative juices stayed angsty, so it looks like a little more angst. So I beg your forgiveness...sorry! On the other hand if you would like some fluffy stuff or need a pick me up after reading this chappie o' angst, go read my little off canon fic Spiked Christmas or for a good read that will get you laughing Ariel Dawn's Walking A Mile (it's really good, I recommend it!).

Hugs to Meli! She has continued to do a marvelous job betaing much of my work! She's done another fine job with this chappie as well.

**hugs** ~ opal

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Chapter 14 - Revalations

Willow had managed to infiltrate the Initiative by mid-afternoon. She hacked her way into Maggie Walsh’s personal files. Willow had gone through almost everything in the Initiative’s systems and found nothing about an order to go after the Slayer and her kid.

She did find that not only had Riley put on “unpaid leave” but also that Forrest and Walsh were on the “paid leave” list.

Something was not right with this picture.

She figured she start the old-fashioned way and look up some info on Forrest. A quick search on Google turned up that he had an active blog. Willow pulled it up and began to read his entries. The first entry that caught her eye was one titled “Satan’s Spawn.” It was around the time that they first found out that Buffy was pregnant.

On duty today at the clinic found out that my commander’s crush was knocked up. He had told me before that she was some kind of demon fighter. That fetus was over a month old, couldn’t have been his. That bitch is trying to play him. She’s gonna take my best friend down, well she’s gonna pay.

The next entry was not any better

Apparently, the bitch got knocked up due to some spell, I bet it’s a demon spawn. Walsh would give me a great promotion if I brought her the demon spawn. Good thing my friend is coming with us to South America, I can work on convincing him to turn her into us.

She scrolled to find that there had been no further entries for several months until about the time Buffy had the baby. It was at that time she found the next entry regarding the baby.

Finn’s ex-girl had the demon spawn today. These months down here in South America have been good for him. He seems more loyal to our family again, so when we return home he should turn over the hell spawn with no problem.

Willow finally made it down to the most disturbing entry.

Talked to the family head today. Said we should take demon spawn down. I tried to keep Finn in the loop, but he was at the girl’s house when I called him. It will take a little more convincing, but he will see that the girl and her hell spawn would be best turned over to Maggie. He ran off, but he won’t be able to protect them for too long.

Willow was afraid for her friend. Was Riley protecting them or was he going to turn them in? After Giles told her what had happened at Angel’s in LA, she was not sure if Riley was going to stay protective of Buffy and William.

~~*~~

Buffy slowly started to awake. As she tried to stretch, she felt her hands bound behind her. She was still a little weak, and her full Slayer power had not yet recovered. She heard William whimpering and Cordelia whispering soft words to him. Then Buffy remembered what had happened.

Riley. Angel.

They had burst in when she was claiming her mate. The last thing she remembered was Riley coming towards her with one of those tasers. She felt her body move along with the bumps in the road, and realized she was in the back of Riley’s SUV. She looked up and she could see Cordelia looking back at her.

Cordelia made a silent “Shh” with her lips to indicate to Buffy that it was best for her not to speak. Buffy indicated she understood by winking back.

The next twenty minutes were silent, with the exception of William’s whimpers. Finally, the SUV seemed to have stopped and Riley spoke.

“Cordelia, we’ll rest here for a few hours. We’ll only sleep for six hours and then we are off again.”

“Sounds good Riley. Looks like Buffy’s still asleep back here. Why don’t I stay out in the car with the baby so you can get us a room out back? That way no one will see us carrying Buffy in.”

“Smart plan Cordy. Good to have a girl like you around.”

Cordelia gave him another one of her winning smiles as he exited the car and shut the door behind him. Cordelia watched as he entered into the motel to get them a room. Once he was in, she felt free to speak.

“Ok Buffy, I’m gonna make this quick before he comes out. First, I’m not on his side, I’m just pretending so I can gain his trust. Second, he used that taser thing on all of us. Third, I saw you biting Spike! What was up with that?”

Cordelia looked out the window, keeping watch for the soldier to come back. Buffy took the time to quickly explain the mating bond.

“Spike and I agreed to do a familial claim so that he would be able to protect me as the mother of his child. It also would help stabilize William, knowing both of his parents were linked together by the claim. Of course, we started the familial claim and then I just knew in that moment I wanted him as a mate. So, I bit him. In fact I bit him with my own fangs!”

Cordelia was astonished. She knew Angel would not take it lightly, but hopefully he would bond with Spike to come and get them. She looked up and noticed Riley making his way out of the clerk’s office.

“He’s on his way. Look, when you’re able to break out, do it, but not until you think you can handle him.”

Buffy shut her eyes just as she heard the SUV door open.

“Ok Cordelia,” Riley said. “I could only get us one room but it has two double beds. William can sleep in his car seat and you can share a bed with Buffy. Is that good?”

“Yep that’s great. So what is your plan with them anyway?”

“Well it started out I was protecting them from the Initiative. Now I’m not so sure. When I was cleaning some of the blood off her face, I noticed she had these tiny little fangs. I’m afraid she maybe a demon now too, and the best thing maybe to turn her over to the Initiative so she can be chipped like Spike.”

Buffy heard and sent a silent plea through her mind, ‘Oh no, please Spike where are you? I’m so scared!’

~~*~~

Spike jerked awake just as he felt the rich blood of his sire touch his lips.

“Dru?”

“Daddy! He’s awake, now let’s go save Sunshine!”

Spike was about to ask what was going on, but then he felt his mate’s plea for help through the claim. He remembered Finn and Angel coming in before being shocked repeatedly with the taser.

He vamped out and searched the room for his grandsire. Furious that Angel had something to do with whatever frightened Buffy; he wanted to off the bloody poof as the first victim of his path of vengeance.

Dru had other ideas. She overpowered Spike, who was still weak from the taser.

“Tut-Tut. Not Daddy’s fault. Soldier boy’s fault. Daddy will help us.”

Spike’s game face melted away. Angel walked over to him.

“I may not approve, I may not understand why she chose you. But, I know that you were trying to protect her. I will not challenge the claim. I will honor it. Now we are going to find that stupid soldier boy and show him what the Scourge of Europe does when it works together to exact vengeance.”

Angel reached out his hand to Spike and Spike accepted it. Drusilla placed hers on top of theirs. Each of them vamped out, with their eyes glowing Spike spoke with conviction, “Vengeance will belong to the Order of Aurelius, cursed those who bring harm to my mate and child.”

Under the protection of shadows, they exited the Hyperion and made their way to Spike’s car. Thanks to Dru’s vision, they had a destination in mind. Las Vegas.


******

Be kind, leave a review!! *hugs* Opal

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal

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Thanks Meli For Betaing! Great job!

Ok the next chapter, which I have written, will have Riley's luck turn for him and things will go better for everyone else. In fact I got some goodies coming up and even little William get's Riley! But that's next chapter. This is the last angsty chapter where Riley is an ass.

**hugs** ~Opal

Thanks for your reviews! :)


Chapter 15 -Conversations

Cordelia looked around the hotel room. There was no way that Buffy was going to continue to feign sleep. The place was an absolute pigsty; it was the kind folks used by the hour. She did not even think she would be able to sleep here for the night.

The final straw was when she looked up and saw the mirrors on the ceiling.

“Riley!” Cordelia yelled.

Riley ran into the room with his cell phone flipped open in one hand and a map in the other. “What?” He asked in annoyed tone.

“Look at this hellhole! The mirrors, the dirt, the roaches and there is even a machine to put quarters in to make the bed vibrate. This isn’t appropriate for a lady like me, never mind a baby!” Cordelia shouted.

“Well it’s all we’re getting, so get used to it,” Riley said bluntly. “We’re only going to be here to rest for a few hours and then we are heading out. I’ve made us some reservations at a place right outside of Las Vegas that’s decent. I just need to rest before I drive any further. Now why don’t you go out to the car and check on Buffy.”

“Fine.” Cordelia spat out at him. She held William close to her as she brushed by the soldier. Riley reached out and grabbed her by the arm. He pushed her against the wooden doorframe. Cordelia’s head smacked up against the frame.

“It would do you good Cordelia if you remember I can easily overpower you. Don’t forget that.” Riley sneered. He stepped away from her and continued his phone conversation while she quickly scuttled away to the van. Once he was sure she could not hear he picked up his phone conversation.

“Sorry about that Forrest. The snobby bitch apparently has never been some place you pay by the hour.”

“No problem man. So you were saying something weird happened to Buffy?”

“Yeah man. After Cordelia had a vision, I ran into the room and found her with Hostile 17. Not only was his fangs buried in her neck, but she had her own fangs in his neck.”

“Holy shit Riley, he turned her into a vamp!”

“No Forrest, that’s the fucked up thing. She’s still human but she has these tiny fangs.”

“Finn you know what you have to do, right? The chic is obviously a demon now.”

Riley thought about it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Forrest was making sense. He had tried to save Buffy from the Initiative, but he failed her. In the end, she turned into a demon. Now that she was a demon, she was a hostile, and now that she was a hostile, she should be turned over to the Initiative.

“You are right Forrest. I have to rest right now though. I was planning on going just outside of Vegas for the night. When I get there, I can give you my coordinates. You and Walsh can meet me there.”

“Glad you came to your senses Finn. Send along your coordinates when your ready and we will meet you tomorrow evening at 21:00 sharp.”

The connection disconnected between the two men. Riley sat down on the bed. He knew that logically, he had made the right decision. He could not shake the sinking feeling in his heart.

~~~*~~~

Cordelia did as instructed and wondered out to the SUV. She sat in the back seat so she could watch for Riley.

“Buffy, are you awake?”

“Yeah. Uncomfortable and awake.”

“Well I don’t know how well you’ll be able to fake it for a few hours in the porno palace we’re staying at.”

“Great,” Buffy said. She let out a soft sigh of frustration.

“Do you think you have enough strength to break out of those bindings and overpower him?” Cordy asked.

“I need some more rest first. I also think these are specially made to hold demons, so I’ll have to try harder.”

“Well I think Riley’s attitude has turned for the worse. He pushed me up against the doorframe when I complained to him about the room. He was all Mr. Testosterone with the trying to put me in my place. What an ass! I hope Angel gets here soon.”

“They should be able to find us. Spike has some kind of link with William.”

“And he does with you too. I read about mating claims. If you concentrate you should be able to communicate through a bond with Spike,” Cordelia said. She looked up and saw Riley coming from the hotel room. “Look, pretend to sleep and I’ll suggest to him that we should leave you in the car with a blanket over you. That way you can concentrate on the bond thingy.”

Buffy nodded quickly and shut her eyes as Riley approached the SUV. He opened up the backdoor next to Cordelia.

“Come on, let’s go in and sleep,” Riley said.

“Ok,” she skittishly replied.

“You need to help me carry Buffy in first,” he commanded.

“I think we should just cover her with a blanket and leave her in the car. Besides, it will be hard for me to carry her and the baby at the same time,” she pleaded.

Riley thought about it for a moment. It made sense and he was feeling bad for being an ass towards her. “Ok, your right. I’ll get a blanket out of the room and cover her up, besides we’ll have to bring her in when we get to Las Vegas. That will be a challenge,” he said.

“Thank you,” She replied. Cordelia carefully maneuvered herself out of the car with William. She made her way into the hotel room. Riley followed her in, and grabbed a blanket off the bed.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her. “Pick your space and make yourself comfortable after you set William up in his car seat to sleep.”

Cordelia watched him walk out of the room. She had no other options now, so she obeyed Riley.. She prayed to the Powers That Be for some help. When Riley walked back in, he looked over at her sleeping form. He was glad that there was no more pushback about the room, although she had been 100% correct. This was no place for a lady or a child, but he was too tired to care.

~~~*~~~

Buffy was relieved that Riley had thrown the blanket on her and left her to be. It would give her time to work on the bond that Cordelia mentioned she would have with Spike. She was suddenly grateful for all of the times Giles forced her to practice meditation. She regulated her breathing, and centered herself. She pictured herself wrapping her arms around Spike and holding onto him for deal life.

Buffy did not expect any results from trying to work the link, but she was surprised when she heard Spike’s voice in her head.

“Buffy, luv, are you ok?”

“Spike, is that really you or am I losing it?”

“It’s really me. Our claim has opened up a bond between each other that we can communicate.”

“Thank God. I did not think you would ever find us. Riley still thinks I’m out cold. Were shacked up at this roach motel and he left me bound up in the back of his SUV.”

“Where’s William?”

“Cordelia has him Spike. She has been playing housekeeper to him, but she’s on our side. She says that he’s changed his mind from wanting to keep us away from the Initiative to surrendering us to them. You have to hurry.”

“No worries love, we are on the way.”

“But how do you know where I am?”

“Seems someone who speaks to the Pixies wanted to help us out.”

“Dru?”

“Yeah luv, but don’t worry about her. Look luv, we know you’re near Vegas. Rest for now and I’ll open up the link later.”

“Sounds good. I’m still groggy from being hit with the taser.”

“Rest now Buffy.”

Buffy felt her connection with Spike close off. As she lay there, she could not help but remember the Slayer dream she had with Dru. ‘Will Drusilla prove to be a friend or a foe?’

She would find out soon enough.

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal

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Extra Extra thanks to Meli for betaing this chapter wicked fast! :) She did a great job, as usual!!

Thank you to all of you for you reviews! Now the story starts getting good. Someone in the initiative gets it, and little William inflicts some damage of his own.

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Chapter 16 - Changes

Willow was thankful that Xander still had some commando gear leftover from the year they turned into their Halloween costumes. Although she had to use a belt to keep her camouflage from hanging too loosely off her, it would do the job. She had to admit though; Giles looked a little odd in his camouflage suit. Xander’s suit was the only real outfit that fit.

The three of them were an odd site. It seemed like a good idea at first to hide in the bushes and then rush to the car so they could follow Forrest to wherever Riley may be, ergo leading to Buffy.

“G-Man, I see him through my infrared goggles. Looks like he is on a phone or a walkie talkie.”

Giles removed his glasses and polished them in frustration. Willow just shook her head.

“What? Why are you all looking at me like that?” Xander said while he plucked some red berries out of Willow’s hair.

“Xander, perhaps it is because no matter how many times I ask you not to call me that horrid nickname you disregard my request.” Giles patiently explained, knowing it was falling on deaf ears.

“G-Man? Huh, never realized it bothered you so much. I’ll have to come up with something new for you. Like Rupster or …”

Xander did not get to finish his thought as Giles and Willow let out a simultaneous reply of “NO!”.

“Well I’m just saying, you both should know me by now. Can’t take the Xan-man anywhere.” Xander looked through his infrared back into the house. “Looks like he’s packing for a trip.”

“And it looks like you folks aren’t out here camping.”

Willow, Giles, and Xander whipped around quickly to face an unhappy Maggie Walsh. A very unhappy and armed Maggie Walsh.

“Trying to foil my plans Miss Rosenberg?”

“No, no we were just out here checking out the neighborhood. You know, neighborhood watch program. Gotta keep it safe!” Willow mumbled nervously as she reached into her pocket for her bloodstone.

“You’re a bright young lady Miss Rosenberg. Just not bright enough to cover your trail as you hacked your way into the Initiative’s records. My hackers were easily able to lock on to your PC and whereabouts,” Maggie explained.

With their undercover work foiled, Giles was not pleased. “You have no business interfering in the life of my Slayer.”

Maggie sneered at the Englishman, “As a member of rank in the United States Government, I have all the right in the world to interfere in order to fulfill my mission. Which includes deporting you or eliminating you,” she paused for a moment as she looked around at each of them, “all of you.”

Maggie neglected to pay close attention to her audience during her little speech, she was too focused on making her threat she barely heard Willow's whispered “So mote it be.”

In a flash, all that was on the ground were the clothes Maggie had been wearing.

“What did you do Willow?” Giles asked, for once thankful that the witch had used her powers.

Willow leaned over and sifted through the pile of clothes until she found her prize.

“I made a new friend for Amy!”

Willow picked up Maggie the rat and put her into her backpack, “One down, one more to go!”

“While I’m grateful you saved us from the wrath of that woman, I’m afraid we can’t turn Forrest into a rat.” Giles said.

Willow just let Giles condescending tone roll off her. She knew that he just did not understand her. Xander interrupted her train of thought as he let them know that it appeared Forrest was finally making a move.

“He’s grabbing his keys and it looks like he’s heading for the door. Let’s go.”

Luckily, the three were able to fumble out of the bushes and make it to Giles’ car before Forrest made out of his front door. The commando would have heard the not so quiet rush to the car if he had been outside.

Of course, they did not realize that the only reason for the delay was that Forrest was on the phone with Riley discussing where Maggie could possibly be.

~~~*~~~

Riley was groggy, but he had managed to process what Forrest had told him. Walsh had not arrived at Forrest’s place. She was overdue by an hour and Forrest had no choice but to leave her behind in order to get to the helicopter in time.

Riley did not want to say it, but he knew that Buffy’s friends had to have interfered. ‘They may have gotten Maggie, but there is no way they’d be able to overpower both Forrest and I at the same time,’ he thought to himself. He sat up in the bed and threw his legs over the side to sit up. With fresh eyes, he looked around the room and shame filled him. This really was not the place to bring a lady, but it served its purpose. He still felt bad that he had left Buffy out in the SUV, but she was knocked out and there was no telling what she would do with her new fangs. Better to be safe than sorry.

He walked into the shower to freshen up before the drive. Riley looked around and saw the hard water stains permanently etched onto the tub and sink. About the only thing that looked clean were the towels. ‘Get over it soldier boy,’ he thought, ‘you’ve bathed in the jungle with oversized bugs, snakes, and dirt.’ Riley reached past the soap scum encrusted shower curtain and turned the water to the shower on as hot as he could. As he began to strip down, he heard Cordelia screaming in pain. He rushed into the room to ready to attack whatever was hurting her.

Riley saw her clutching her head, and recognized that she was having a vision. He walked over to comfort her, but she gestured to him to keep his distance.

“Just go shower. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” She whispered.

“What did you see?” Riley asked.

“I’ll tell you after. It hurts now; I need a few minutes to let the pain go away. Go shower.”

Riley began to reluctantly make his way into the shower, but not before he picked William up from Cordelia’s arms. As he lifted the small child up, he noticed the baby’s eyes flashed green before he felt little teeth piercing his skin.

Little teeth that hurt very badly piercing his skin, teeth that felt an awful lot like little fangs.

“Ow!” Riley yelled as he pulled William away and placed the baby on the bed. “He bit me!”

Cordelia just shook her head, not wanting to share too much information with Riley. “He’s probably pissed because you’ve kept him away from his mother.”

“But he has fangs!”

“Riley, just go shower.”

Riley scoffed at Cordelia and made his way into the shower.

~~~*~~~

“Good Boy!” Spike shouted.

“What the hell are you blabbering about Spike?” Angel asked.

“My little sprog, got so angry at the stupid soldier boy, he sunk his little fangs into him.” Spike said proudly. He looked over at Drusilla, who was staring at Spike with an evil grin across her face. “What the bloody hell are you thinking Dru?”

“You’re sprog didn’t just bite him my Spike, he marked him for vengeance. A vengeance he cannot escape. Every vampire will see or sense that bite mark and recognize that that man is marked for death for wronging the Aurelius clan. That is, if mummy doesn’t get him first.”

The car was silent for a moment as Angel and Spike took in Drusilla’s words.

“Bloody Hell! Buffy’s going to sense that our sprog has marked him and she’ll go after him to protect her child.”

Spike was very worried that Buffy would now react on natural instincts and not use her head. Angel had clearly come to the same conclusion as his foot pressed down on the accelerator a little harder.

~~~*~~~

Buffy felt her fangs descend from her mouth, she did not know what it was, except that her little William was upset and that she needed to protect him. That bastard Riley had been keeping him from her, and she did not know how much longer she could be without her son.

Riley had finished his shower and was preparing to send Cordelia out to the car with William. He had almost forgotten about Cordelia’s vision. Almost.

“So are you going to share with me what you saw?”

Cordelia sauntered over to Riley and threw her arms around him. “You’re going to be a hero. Those vampires are going to come after you and you’re going to win!”

Riley beamed with pride, he knew he had done the right thing all along, Cordelia’s vision just confirmed it.

“Well how about you get little William out to the car so we can get to Las Vegas and get this over with? I’ll go pay the hotel bill while you get settled in the car,” Riley said.

“No problem Riley. I’ll see you in the car,” Cordelia replied as she walked out the door. He never saw the smug smile on her face. She walked to the SUV and opened it up.

“Buffy it’s me. Look, I’ve got to be quick; he’s paying for the room so just listen. I just had a vision and told Riley he was going to win and all that. I lied. Spike, Dru, and Angel are on their way and they are so going to kick his ass. Ok I’m being quiet now, he’s coming.”

Riley opened the door and climbed into the driver’s side of the vehicle. As he drove away, the noise of the traffic drowned out the growling noise in the back of the SUV.

Incidentally,, it was still dark enough out that he did not notice that a certain Slayer managed to get free.

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal

I appreciate all the very kind reviews from the last chappie. Big round of applause to Meli who has just been fantastic with betaing this fic.
*hugs* opal

Warning: Comments about musical taste aren't mine personally - I've just written it how Cordelia would have viewed the bands mentioned. So if Miss C has bashed your favourite 80s band, well bad Miss C then! :)


Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike


Chapter 17 - Challenges






Cordelia noticed Buffy out of the corner of her eye. Apparently, the Slayer had finally managed to break free of her bonds. Buffy’s eyes possessed a feral gleam to them and she appeared angry and ready to strike.

Cordelia looked over to Riley to see if he had noticed. The soldier was too busy concentrating on the road ahead of them and tapping his hands along the steering wheel as if was the drummer in whatever godforsaken band he was listening to.

Therefore, the brunette beauty had a very important decision to make. Risk their lives by letting an angry Buffy attack Riley while he was in process of driving or suffer and listen to whatever shit Riley was listening to for the next couple of hours. The decision turned out not to be that difficult.

“Riley, I’m going to crawl in back to grab William. He looks like he’s about to get fussy.”

Riley did not even look at her. He mumbled a “sure” to her, sounding slightly annoyed that he was interrupted from his daydream. Quickly, she unbuckled her seat restraint, and crawled towards the back. She noticed that Riley’s coat was hanging off the back of the driver’s chair, and sticking slightly out of its pocket would be all she needed to resolve this situation, the taser. Carefully she removed it out of the pocket as she finished climbing into the back.

Luckily, Buffy was concentrating too hard on leering at Riley that she did not even notice Cordelia had reached behind her and zapped her with the taser. Cordelia collapsed against the back of the seat and relaxed. ‘Catastrophe averted.’ She thought. Then, she unbuckled little William from his car seat and rocked him gently. Hopefully, he would not try to bite her since she just knocked out his mom. She silently hoped that he had some way of being able to sense intent, and that her intent was out of the goodness of her heart.

“Yes!” Riley exclaimed from the front seat. “Man I love this song.”

Cordelia cringed as the volume of music increased and she had to listen to Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” belting out of the speakers and William start to whimper. William she could deal with. Bad 80’s hair bands she could not. She tapped Riley on the shoulder, and he immediately turned down the volume.

“What?” he asked her obviously annoyed.

“Look Riley, I understand it is a very long drive. I understand that it is helpful to have the radio on something you like. I even understand the whole reliving my high school dream of I want to be a rock star. I plead with you anything but this. Don’t you have some CDs in here that we can listen too?”

“Look under the passenger seat, there is a CD folio there,” he barked at her. She placed William back into his seat, making sure she secured him first before proceeding to move down to grab the holder. She sat back up, opened it, and thumbed through his small collection. ‘Vanilla Ice, REO Speedwagon, Air Supply, Stryper….ugh this guy has shit in his collection,’ she thought. A frustrated driver interrupted her from her inner musing.

“Are you going to hand me something or not, because if not I am going to turn this back up,” Riley said.

“Fine, fine,” Cordelia huffed as she blew her hair out of her face. She quickly flipped towards the back and found a couple of CDs she could tolerate.

“Here, these two are good,” she said as she reached to the front seat and handed the discs to him.

Riley snagged them out of her hand. He smiled; pleased that she had found something that would allow him to continue using his steering wheel as a drum set.

“Perfect! I forgot all about this Motley Crue disk. That Billy Idol one must have been from an old girlfriend, but it’s still cool,” he said.

“Glad I could make you happy,” Cordelia replied. She would never admit it to anyone, but she actually was quite fond of Motley Crue herself. She smiled knowing that at least now they would spend the duration of the trip listening to some quality 80s music.

William began to fuss again in his car seat. Cordelia reached over and unbuckled him from his seat. Gently, she picked the little guy up and held him to her chest. He quieted down, but before Cordelia could be relieved, she felt like a little pin pricked her breast.

She looked down and saw that little William was a little hungry. Cordelia was relieved that for once, she had decided to wear her Victoria’s Secret water bra. After all, if would have hurt if the little vamp kid had stuck his teeth in her. As quickly as he struck, he also pulled back. He had recognized he was not going to get what he was looking for out of Cordelia. Cordelia looked in the back of the SUV and saw that the Slayer had fallen in such a way that William could easily be placed aside her so he could nurse. Before William could begin to fuss again, she gently lifted him over the back seat and placed him next to his mother.

In no time, William was a very happy baby.

~~~*~~~

Forrest made it to the helicopter pad only to find one little problem.

There was no helicopter.

It did not take him longer to identify his second problem.

There was no one there from the Initiative.

He was not sure what was going on, but he knew that for sure whatever had thrown a monkey wrench into their plans had to do with Walsh not showing up at his place. He had even tried her cell phone several times on the way over to the helicopter pad. Every time his calls had gone unanswered.

Usually, the self-assured soldier did not panic. After all, he had fought against demons in the jungles of South America so why should he suddenly feel insecure. ‘Because I can’t shake this feeling that I’m being followed,’ he thought. Forrest made his way back to his vehicle. He climbed in and then shut and locked the doors. Next, the soldier reached for his cell phone and hit the speed dial button for Finn. At first, all he heard was music blasting, but then he heard it abruptly stop.

“Finn?” Forrest queried.

“Hey Forrest, sorry bout that. I was wrapped up in my tunes.”

“No problem. Listen we may have some complications. Have you heard from Walsh at all?”

“No. Why?”

“She never showed up tonight. I’m at the helicopter pad now, and there is no one here. No copter either.”

Forrest could here Riley take a deep breath before he spoke.

“Forrest, I know the vampires are after me but I have one of their people here. She’s a seer. She had a vision about it and in that vision they caught up with me, attacked, but I won. I don’t want you to risk you life trying to get here to face them. Without having access to a helicopter to whisk us back to Initiative Headquarters, I put you at risk because we won’t have a quick escape. Do you have any contacts here that I can work with?”

“No. You’re on your own Finn. But, I’ll try to do what I can to get us some air transport. You know you could just grab a civilian flight?”

“That’s a good idea Forrest. I won’t be able to do anything until I get into Las Vegas. Even then I think I’m going to want to rest first.”

“That makes sense. Hey, have a little fun with the seer chick. Maybe you can play the tables at the Bellagio and make some dough. In fact, I have a friend that works there. Ask for Mac, he’ll hook you up with a nice room there.”

“Sounds sweet. Thanks for keeping me posted Forrest. Call me if there is any change.”

“No problem. Over and out.”

Forrest turned the phone off and placed it into the console between the front seats. He felt like someone was watching him again. He sat up, but before he could jump from being startled from seeing Giles in his rear view mirror, he had passed out from the chokehold that Giles had placed around his neck.

“Now what are we going to do with him Giles?” Willow asked.

“Well, now that we know specifically where Riley is heading to in Las Vegas we should call Angel and let them know,” Giles replied.

“There is no way we could get to Las Vegas in time to help them out. The car would take way too long, and we don’t have a helicopter at our disposal.” Xander said.

“Agreed Xander, we also don’t have the funds for airline tickets.” Giles said.

“Well I could go,” Willow offered.

“Wills, unless you have a secret stash of money, how are you going to go?” Xander asked.

“I have been studying teleporting. I could try to do it?” the witch shyly offered.

“I have to disagree with you Willow. I don’t think that would be a good idea, especially since you haven’t even practiced doing it over small distances.”

Willow pouted, but it did not have the same effect she desired.

“I suppose now that we are done with Forrest, you could make Amy another friend?” Giles offered.

“Ok!” Willow answered, knowing that later that night she would still be making a trip to Las Vegas.

____________________


Don't forget, be kind and leave a review! :) *hugs* Opal

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal



I know it's been a very long time since I've last updated. (Opal ducks down from rocks being thrown at her). Things have been hectic in real life!

I hope all is well with everyone. Thanks so much for your reviews and support. It's so fab to see that folks have been stimulated enough by this ficcie to leave feedback. You all rock!!

Happy Holidays! ** Hugs** Opal


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*Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike

Chapter 18 - Las Vegas

Spike was startled out of his nap by the ring tone on Angel’s cell phone. ‘Figures the poofter would have something as lame as Manilow as his ringer.’

“Tut-Tut. No bad thoughts about Daddy,” Dru reprimanded. “You need to listen to Daddy for news about sunshine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Spike answered back to her. ‘She’s right,’ he thought, ‘I ought to be listening for news about my girl.’ By the time he came to that conclusion, Angel was already off the phone.

“Who was that on the line?” Spike asked.

“Giles, he gave us an exact location where they will be tonight.”

“How did he find that out? Red cast a spell?”

“No. Apparently they did some reconnaissance work and overheard this information firsthand,” Angel replied.

“So how is Buffy?”

“He didn’t know. He just was able to tell us that Riley is taking them to the Bellagio Casino.”

A low growl emitted from Spike’s throat. He was aggravated that he could not connect with his mate and apparently, he could not get any confirmation of Buffy and William’s well-being. Dru patted his arm to reassure him everything would be ok.

“No worries. All will be well,” she whispered.

Spike nodded to Dru in acknowledgement before he turned to Angel.

“So Peaches, how much longer until we get there?”

“We can be there before the sun comes up.”

“Perfect. Let me make a few calls on your phone. I have a few friends in the area that will do me a favor and make arrangements for us to get in there undetected.”

Angel handed the cell phone to Spike and let the blond vampire get to work. Spike quickly made a few calls, some of which caused Angel to shake his head and wonder why he was using Spike’s connection. It was hard not to laugh though when Drusilla managed to persuade Spike to get her and Miss Edith their own suite, complete with tea on arrival. He was puzzled for the request for cheese though, he had no clue what she would need that for.

“The arrangements have been made. When we arrive, we are to go around back to the demon entrance. They have also set up surveillance to watch for their arrival and monitor all of Riley’s movements. My contact will give me a call as soon as they arrive, but they will not attempt to intervene.”

“Smart move on their part,” Angel replied. “Since your feeling better now Spike, would you mind driving the rest of the way?”

“No problem. We’ll get there faster anyway,” Spike replied.

As Angel and Spike went through the motion of changing seats, neither of them noticed Dru quickly swipe Angel’s cell phone. Both of the male vampires had not thought of her to be technology savvy. However, little did they know she had learned quite a lot in the time since they were all together. A wicked grin spread across Drusilla’s lips as she flipped the phone open and quickly went to work. Luckily, Angel was too preoccupied with settling back in the car and getting some rest to notice her handiwork. Carefully, she shut the phone as to not bring attention to her mischief.

Dru swiftly returned the cell phone to its resting place and smiled. Her William would be much happier the next time Daddy’s phone went off.

~~*~~

Cordelia glanced at the clock in the front of the SUV, twelve o’clock. She could not believe how late it was. She heard little William start to fuss. ‘Shit! I left him back there with Buffy,’ Cordelia thought. Quickly she looked over to see him lying on his back next to his mom. She reached over and pulled him over the back seat and into her arms. Caressing his back, she leaned against the window and peered out into the dark night.

That is when she saw relief from the confines of the SUV. Cordelia was confident at this point, that many individuals were happy to see the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.

Her happiness quickly vanished when she remembered that there was one more hurdle to go through – getting Buffy into the hotel without getting them killed. It would be so easy to just alert the security guards, but the unknown outcome of doing such was not worth the risk.

She knew that Angel and Spike were coming.

A noise from the back indicated that Buffy had started to wake up from her taser-induced sleep. Cordelia saw that they were very close to the Strip, so she decided that perhaps she was better off just letting the Slayer exact her vengeance now, since they were no longer barreling down a highway.

Nevertheless, the Slayer did not rouse as she had expected.

Instead, Buffy was trying to reach out to her mate. Cordelia’s earlier decision to taser her had been enough to temper her feral desire to exact the vengeance that her son had marked on Riley. As much as she wanted to reach for her son now, she knew that communicating with Spike might be the difference between William’s life and death. She relaxed and centered herself, allowing her mind to open up the bond between Slayer and mate.

Spike’s voice suddenly echoed in her head, ‘Buffy?’

‘Spike? Is that you? Where are you?’

Spike could sense her panic, and hoped to calm her fears and keeping the link open.

‘On my way love. Driving now. Peaches and Dru are resting. We estimate that we will be there with you before the sun rises. How are you doing luv? How is the baby?’

‘I’m a little shaky. Cordelia is taking good care of William. How are you going to find us before sunset? I don’t even know where we are.’

‘Thank your Scoobies and Watcher. They did some legwork and got us some information first hand.’

‘Great. So where are we going?’

‘Bellagio. Soldier boy doesn’t know it, but Peaches and I got the place covered.’

Spike could feel Buffy’s relief that help was on its way through the bond. Before he could feel satisfied that he had calmed her, he felt her anger balloon up.

‘Slayer, do not let the call for vengeance make you do something stupid. You just cooperate with the soldier boy until you get there.’

‘We’re slowing down Spike, we must be about there. Keep the link open, but don’t distract me.’

‘Be careful luv. Just pretend that you should go along with him, and please do not do anything rash.’

Spike waited for a reply, but it did not come. He assumed that the soldier boy had finally arrived at their destination. Meanwhile, Buffy had to decide if she should continue to feign being unconscious or at least rejoin the world of the living.

As she heard the driver’s side door open and close, she quickly sat up. It was time for this little pathetic game that Riley was playing, was played on her terms. As the back of the SUV opened, Riley was surprised that she was up and that she had not tried to attack him. It was a good thing too, because Riley had made the mistake of leaving his taser in the front of the vehicle.

Buffy decided to start with making Riley think and that she thought he was doing the right thing. She hoped that he would not see right through her fake sweetness; however, she was confident that he would be too smitten with having his ego stroked to even notice.

“Riley, you rescued us from the Evil Vampires! I’m so glad you helped us, I don’t know what even happened back there, like I said so happy you got us away.”

Riley had not even expected her to respect what he did for them, never mind be happy about it. His heart swelled with pride.

“No problem Buffy. I could see that Spike was taking advantage of your pain before you both went to the room. When we all reached the room, I saw his fangs in your neck and just knew I had to act,” he replied. Riley figured it would be best just to keep the information about her and William having fangs to him. Perhaps they would not feel threatened about being around the Initiative. For once, the burly soldier was actually able to think quickly and use her cooperativeness to his advantage. “In fact Buffy, I’m sure we’ll have two angry vampires coming after us. That is why we fled to Las Vegas. I have some of my friends from the Initiative coming out to help us. They’ll help protect you and William from any retribution we may have.”

Buffy hopped out of the back of the SUV and jumped into the soldier’s arms. “Oh Riley,” she said as she placed a kiss on his cheek, “you’re my hero. I do not know how to repay you? Maybe we can see if Cordelia will sit for William and we can enjoy some time in the casino together?”

Cordelia was still in the backseat of the SUV holding William. She rolled her eyes at the situation. All it took was a little shameless flirting and Riley was putty in Buffy’s hands. Cordelia had to give Buffy credit. If the Slayer could occupy the soldier long enough, it would give Angel and Spike enough time to get there and launch a surprise attack. When she heard Riley agree to Buffy’s idea, Cordelia stepped out of the SUV and walked, with William in her arms, around to the back of the vehicle.

With her best one hundred watt smile, she looked at the pair and spoke, “That sounds like a fantastic idea. I would love to watch him for you both. In fact, let the valet park the car and after we get keys to our rooms, you two can run off and have a good time.”

“Thanks Cordelia,” Riley replied. “It really means a lot to me that you’ll do us this favor. With all the stress Buffy and I have had over the past few days, a good stress reliever is what we need.”

As she felt Riley’s arm sneak around her waist, Buffy had to resist pushing out of his arms – even if she could feel her mate’s heavy disapproval through he claim. She winked at Cordelia and leaned into Riley.

“That’s so sweet of you to do this for us Cordy. I really appreciate it,” Buffy said. She leaned in to give little William a kiss on the forehead. She could feel her son’s disapproval of his mommy being so close to the bad man, but she would hope that Spike would send William some soothing vibes to calm him down. Spike had been able to read her thoughts at the moment, so as quickly as she felt her son’s disdain it also went away. Buffy kindly sent Spike some loving thoughts through the claim, reassuring him that her actions with Riley were absolutely an act, one big torturous act.

Riley had entered into the hotel to take care of their rooming arrangements for the night. It gave Buffy and Cordelia a brief moment together to set their plan in motion. Buffy backed away from William, and as she did, Cordelia noticed both mother and son’s eyes change colors. Before she could question what was going on, Buffy spoke up.

“Cordelia, keep William away from me and keep him safe. It’s so hard for me not to rip Riley to shreds right now, and being close to William is making it very difficult to fulfill the call for vengeance he put on Riley. I can’t make a move until they get here.”

“Are they close?” Cordy asked.

“Yes, they should be here sometime after midnight. Then vengeance will be ours.” Buffy said. She leaned in, gave Cordelia a hug, and quickly shifted back into her act. “So, thanks again Cordy. I appreciate you watching William.”

Buffy quickly turned around and put her arm through Riley’s as they waltzed into the Casino. Cordelia turned to the staff member whom was waiting to escort her and William to their room.

“Ahh, the souled one’s seer,” he said. “Don’t worry about them. Angel and Spike have this placed covered with friends to keep things from getting out of hand. We have already taken care of all of the Initiatives operatives that were here. So now let’s get you up to your suite so you can relax in the whirlpool until the rescue squad arrives.”

Cordelia happily followed the staff member all the way to the elevator. Finally, she was going to be treated like Queen C again, for the first time in a long time.




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Next Chappie it all goes down!!! Don't forget to leave a nice review and inspire my muse to work a little faster!!

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal



Thank you for your kind reviews! I hope everyone had a great new year.

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*Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike


Disclaimer: It's still not mine....except for the plot. Damn.



Chapter 19 – Playing Games



Buffy yawned as she stood behind Riley. It was hard work acting as if she was excited to see Riley win. Clearly, luck was on her side too, because he had been so preoccupied with the joys of winning that he was not paying much attention at all. She did not see a clock around, but she knew it was getting late. Before she could think of where her mate may be, she felt the tell tale tingles at the back of her neck.

‘Going for the sneak attack.’

‘Just don’t turn around Buffy. Don’t do anything, except get his bleedin’ hand off of your arse!’

Buffy was about to gently nudge his had off her, but he did it all on his own.

“Yes! We are going to hook ourselves up sweet with the winnings from this hand Buffy. Let’s go check out,” Riley suggested. As he turned to slip off the chair and take her in his arms, he was face to face with a beautiful black haired woman.

“Tut-Tut, Sunshine isn’t for you. Look into my eyes. Be in me.”

Immediately, Riley fell under Drusilla’s thrall. She gently grabbed his hand and led him away from the tables. The dealer awarded Buffy the winnings Riley had left behind; she generously left a couple of thousand on the table as a tip. As Buffy watched Drusilla walk away with Riley, she felt Spike’s cold, strong arms wrap around her. Gently, he nuzzled her neck with lips. She could feel his hands moving down her body, his hard cock brushing against her ass.

“You guys can get a room later. We have a soldier to torture.”

“Yeah, yeah. Poofter can’t even give me a moment with my girl.”

“If I gave you another moment with her, you would have had her up on the table.”

“What’s a bloke to do when he’s just seen another man with his hands on his girl? C’mon, you would have done the same thing.”

Buffy just stood and watched her former and current love banter back and forth. She shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes.

“I would have been more discreet. For Buffy.”

“Well how’s this for discreet?”

Spike quickly shifted into his game face and swiftly bit over his claim marks and drank down her lifeblood. The quick release that ripped through her body surprised Buffy. She was disappointed when he had removed his fangs, but she was thrilled when he heard his possessive words spoken in front of Angel. He had looked up at her, with worry in his eyes that she might not acknowledge their bond in front of her former love. Buffy soothed that worry quickly by answering him with no hesitation in her voice.

“Yours. Only yours. My love belongs to you.”

They stood in silence until the sound of a cell phone going off interrupted their moment, the cell phone that Angel was pulling out from his pocket. The cell phone ring tone set to “Anarchy in the UK”. Spike chuckled; all knowing who the culprit was behind it. When Angel finally flipped open the phone, he was very agitated with his greeting.

“Daddy! I hope you like your new music. Much better than that other stuff, it hurt my ears. Now you tell William to get his fangs out of his girl and go down to the lower level elevator. Then we’ll play hide and seek.”

“Dru, no games.”

“This isn’t a game for us Daddy. It’s a game for the boy. You like games, games that we always win.”

“We’re on our way.”

Angel clicked the phone shut and looked back at Buffy and Spike whom were still cuddling, but were at least being discreet enough and not too clingy.

“Looks like it’s time for hide and seek Drusilla’s way.”

~*~

Willow had waited enough. She was an all-powerful witch, and would certainly be able to help Buffy out. So what was she doing? She was back at Giles flat, sitting on his couch while those two had run out to get some pizza and beer. What was up with that –Giles and Xander bonding over going to get food? She did not need to hang around for this. Suddenly, instantly gifted with the insight she needed, and ran over to frantically scurry a note on a pad Giles had on his desk.


Giles & Xander,

Sorry I couldn’t stay for pizza. I changed my mind and decided to head back to the dorm for the night. Have fun with the pizza and beer!

Willow

‘That aught to do it.’

She took all of her stuff, including newly acquired rats, and made her way back to her dorm room. After putting Amy’s new friends in the cage, she grabbed her supplies and laid them out. She stood in the circle, whispering the words needed to harness the magicks that would teleport her to Las Vegas.

She opened her eyes and looked around. Then threw some dust around her and mumbled again; when she opened up her eyes, she grinned with excitement as she looked around. She had successfully teleported into the casino. This was certainly better than her first stop, which had been had been a sight right out of a Discovery Channel show. Specifically the mating part of the show; perhaps it would not have been very bad if it had been furry dogs, or bears or something cute. No, of all the things Willow had to teleport into the wild pig love festival. They were not cute pigs, like Mr. Gordo. Nope. Ugly wild boars. At least it had not been a Fyarl demon love fest.

She began to search around for Buffy, but before she could, hotel security had approached her. She turned to escape, but the guard had grabbed her hand.

“Miss you’ll have to come with us.”

Willow was shocked and scared. Could this be one of the men that Forrest had referred to? Before he could drag her away, another staff member came forth.

“She’s all set. A friend of the Slayer and the Seer.”

The change in emotions she was feeling, overwhelmed Willow. Before she could process her confusion, she started to feel weak. The teleporting had taken much more out of her than she had expected. No longer able to remain focused, she fell back into the arms of the guard.

~*~

The elevator doors opened, and the three warriors stepped out into the lower level of the casino. Both vampires slipped into game face and inhaled deeply.

“That is so gross.”

“Leave it to you love to be prissy when we are about to walk into a bloodbath.”

“Bloodbath?”

“Yeah love. Seems Dru as already started having fun playing carve the soldier boy. I can smell his blood in the air. Even more I can feel the sprog’s little vengeance mark calling me.”

“So, what are you waiting for?”

“Love, it’s not going to be pretty. When Angelus…”

“Angel,” his grandsire corrected.

“When Angel and I get in there, that boy is going to get what is coming to him. You don’t have to be there love. In fact you may not like what you see, but I’m bound by duty to exact vengeance upon him.”

Spike looked at his mate, silently praying she would understand. He knew that this would make or break their relationship with each other going forward. He knew he was taking a risk, as she took her sacred duty seriously. As her lips parted, he waited to hear the lecture of why they cannot do it pour out of her honey sweet lips.

However, it never came. What did come from her lips pleasantly surprised him.

“So, like I said. What. Are. You. Waiting. For?”

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*Banner By Ariel Dawn*
Thanks AD! Hugs~Opal

Story Dedicated to Meli!
Thanks for being a great Beta. Hugs~Opal



Thanks to everyone for being so patient with my updates! I really appreciate all the reviews I've received. I'd like to thank Meli for being an awesome beta.

Extra thanks to Bloody Tears of Life and Ariel Dawn keeping me on my toes.

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*Single Quotes = thoughts to oneself or between Buffy & Spike

Chapter 20 - Appearances

Willow slowly opened up her eyes as she stretched out on the bed. As soon as she heard the baby crying, she sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room to find its source. She slid off the bed and walked over to the crib on the other side of the bedroom. Cautiously, she leaned into the crib and picked the whimpering little boy up.

“It’s okay William. Auntie Willow’s here now, wherever here is.”

She placed a gentle kiss on his soft forehead. Before she could turn around and continue to explore the new surroundings she found herself in, a familiar voice caught her attention.

“Willow! It’s about time you woke up.” Cordelia exclaimed.

“Um, yeah hello to you too Cordelia. Where are we?” Willow asked.

“No time for formalities now. You are still in the hotel, but this is a safe room. Look you’re needed down in the basement. You have to go down there and stop Buffy.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why. Look Willow, I get these visions. It’s the Powers that Be's way of sending me an instant message. The last one I got told me you need to go downstairs, pronto!” Cordelia hastily explained as she took William from Willow’s arms and pushed her out of the bedroom, into a very luxurious living area.

“Wow. This placed is just…Wow.” Willow said, as she looked around, amazed at the posh surroundings.

“Damn it Willow,” Cordelia exclaimed, “Go now, gawk later!”

Cordelia lead her to the door and then instructed her to take the elevator to the lower level. The red headed witch thanked her and ran to the nearest set of elevators. As she stepped into the empty elevator, she pondered what had just happened. She pressed the lower level button and leaned against the back wall. She quickly moved one of her hands away from the brass bar she was holding on to in order to push her hair out of her face. She had ten floors to figure out how she was going to stop Buffy, but she was puzzled at what and why she was supposed to be stopping her best friend who was on the same side as the good guys.

****

Spike’s demon was overjoyed that his mate had approved of the violence about to take place. After giving his demon a few moments to gloat, he let some rational thoughts finally slip into his head. ‘Maybe it isn’t a good idea for her to stay around for this,’ he thought.

Buffy noticed the pensive look on her mate’s face. She knew that Spike was not much of a thinker, more of a doer, so this was a sign that perhaps he had some hesitation in letting her be here. Impatient with him and itching to exact revenge against the man who sought to destroy their son, she quickly turned around, her blond locks whirling around as she moved...

“Damn it, if you two aren’t going to do anything than I am.”

Reaching back into her waistband, she pulled out a stake and angrily walked her way towards Riley and Drusilla. Drusilla smiled with glee to see the Slayer so willing to participate in the torture and death of a human.

“Goody! Baby wants to play.” Dru said as she clapped her hands.

Any thoughts of hesitation that Buffy should not participate in this disappeared from Spike. Both Spike and Angel focused on seeking revenge against the soldier that had wronged their bloodline. They were both so intensely focused, that they had not noticed another set of blue eyes watching them from the shadows. As the being stepped from the shadows into the light, everyone else had been distracted by the ding of the elevator.

Everyone except for Buffy. She was closing in on Riley, with her arm poised to throw the stake directly into the shaking man’s chest. She had several more stakes on her, and she intended to use every one of them to bring pain. The final one would be the one to finish the bastard off. With an evil grin on her face, she looked Riley right in the eye.

“You are evil. Look at you. You have the look of blood lust on your face,” Riley whispered, “I knew I should have killed you right away.”

“Too late now.” Buffy replied.

Willow stepped off the elevator, hurrying into the room, looking at the sight before her. She saw Riley, with blood dripping down his body, and Buffy ready to impale him with her stake. She also saw another man, besides the vampires, with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Apparently, the others did not realize he was here, because they were shocked when they heard him speak.

“Aunt Willow. Stop her now!”

Willow did not question it. She just knew by instinct that this is what had to be done. It was as if the words she needed were whispered into her ears as she spoke them.

“Suspended. Fall. Sleep.”

The stake that was just released into the air stopped midstream and fell to the floor, along with Buffy whom was caught in the arms of the handsome stranger.

Spike growled possessively as he began to rush over to save his mate.

“Dad, would you stop being all growly for a second. Auntie Willow, could you bring mum back up to the room with Aunty Cordy?”

The mysterious young man placed a gentle kiss on the top of Buffy’s head. He looked up to see everyone in the room, including Riley, staring at him. Either they did not hear him address Spike as “Dad” or they had suddenly gone mute.

“Well, I guess I should explain stuff.”

Spike took a moment to focus on the man in front of him, the man that had just called him dad, the man with the same blue eyes and natural brown hair as he, the man who had his mate’s smile. Slowly Spike walked up to him, and gently placed one hand on his mate, and another around the man’s neck.

“I certainly think you should William.”

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Opal ducts from Wulfie's projectiles being thrown because the torture hasn't started yet.....

Ok...I've started writing the next chappie already. This has what you've all been waiting so patiently for. I would have posted as one big chappie with this one, but my muse cut out...well actually real life cut into it.

I'll be working on my other fics once I've finished up with this.

:)

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