“Bloody Hell!”

“Detective Pratt! Please sit down.” The older Englishman pointed his index finger down motioning the bleach-blonde to sit back in his seat.

“Lieutenant Summers please take a seat.” Giles nodded towards the young woman in the doorway, waiting until she had taken the seat before continuing. He smiled at the petite blond before turning his hardened gaze back at the protesting man.

“Giles, I cannot work with the bloody bint!”

“Giles, I have to agree with the idiot over here. We cannot work together. I’ll kill him. I mean it, you’ll have your detective back with a bullet through his skull.” The young blond woman glared at the bleached-blond glaring back at her. Her green eyes pierced into his own blue ones.

“Lieutenant Summers, Buffy please, I do understand your reluctance however we do require every officer to have a partner, that includes the both of you. This case is too big for either of you to work alone and so far that method has not been working out well. Or have you both forgotten about the four dead bodies in the morgue?” Giles waited until both blonds had the decency to look shameful before continuing. “Both departments have agreed. You two have been volunteered and so you will work together- without bloodshed!”
The blonde man motioned to interrupt again before he was hushed with a swift glance.

Giles smiled once again at the young woman before polishing his glasses with a handkerchief, blatantly ignoring the sputtering man at her side.

“I understand the two of you were involved before on an undercover…”

“It was never serious…” Lieutenant Summers stated quickly, cutting off the British Police Chief.

“Yes, I understand. That was not the context I was asking for. However, the two of you already have a rapport…” Buffy blushed slightly before the blush turned back into outrage towards Spike.

“It was too bloody serious. I asked you to marry me! I call that serious!” Spike lunged towards her, gesturing wildly.

“Spike! Oh my god! How many times do we have to go over this? We were put together to take out Angelus, we got distracted and fucked each others brains out instead. It was nothing but a good fuck!” Lieutenant Elizabeth ‘Buffy’ Summers stated with a start.

“Yeah, well, can’t help who you fall in love with. Besides…” Detective William ‘Spike’ Pratt retorted back to the love of his life.

“Detective Pratt, you may as well get this over with now while she doesn’t have the authority to shoot you, in five words or less please.”
He gave her a small grin before tuning back in to her tirade.

“I… Bloody… Love… You…” He counted off each word with a raised finger before thinking about the last word for a moment. “Bitch”

“You got me fucking shot! And now you claim that you were in love and wanted to marry me. Which by the way, don’t propose in the middle of a shoot out with your crazy ex-girlfriend. People, as in me, tend to get shot!” Buffy protested back to the scowling agent. She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at him but seeing as how they were sitting in front of her new boss, she fought the urge.

“’M still in love with you!”

“Enough! We have a mission to get back to. If you wouldn’t mind putting aside your differences. Actually what was this about a shoot-out?” Giles watched the two dueling officers before him before glancing briefly through a file on his desk.

“Drusilla Travers. Apparently Spike’s girlfriend didn’t appreciate him cheating on her and decided to take me out. She enlisted the help of Liam Angelus, crazy fuck, took us six months to track him down. I was shot in the thigh and shoulder before they fled. Old Spike here froze.”

“I didn’t bloody freeze. Dru and I were together for six years. I couldn’t just take her out, now could I?” Spike protested, grumbling under his breath.

“So you just decided to watch while she poked me with knives and then finally shot me TWICE!”

“Alright, obviously there are some unresolved issues here. However, Detective Pratt, it will be your responsibility to protect Lieutenant Summers. If you freeze again, you will be terminated. The same goes for you Summers.”

“But…”

“Buffy if he steps one toe out of line I give you full permission to shoot him where you shot Angelus.” Spike eyes widened as his hands instinctively moved to cover his crotch.

“Don’t worry Pratt. If your lucky, you’ll still have the right one.” Giles gave him a little smirk. “Now ROSENBERG”

A timid looking redhead poked her head around the doorframe.

“Yes sir”

“Please inform Special Victims that Lieutenant Summers has arrived.”

She nodded once before zipping straight back to her desk.

“Summers, Pratt I’d like you to take street patrol tonight. Listen in, see if anything happens. Its been three nights since there’s been a body dump. It should be tonight. Oh, Buffy here’s the keys to the car.” Giles tossed the keys to the grinning woman.

“You can’t let her drive. Do you want me dead? She’ll bloody kill us both!”

“I’m not that bad of a driver thank you very much” Buffy gave a satisfied little smile over to Giles before smirking at Spike, who was still sputtering.

“I trust Lieutenant Summers. Now go!” Giles waved off the two officers before settling back in his chair.

Both officers nodded before scowling at each other and heading out the door to the elevator.

Once safely in the elevator and away from prying eyes looking for office gossip Spike decided to break the silence.

“I’m sorry love, about the whole getting you shot thing.” Spike added a pouted bottom lip, in hopes of helping his case with the brassed off blonde.

“Eh, I forgave you for that years ago. But.. If you get me shot again, I reserve the right to shoot you in as many places as I want.” She gave him a tiny grin, in which he returned, “Besides Mom already invited you over for dinner Friday night.”

“Oh bugger”

“So what now? We just drive around” Spike raised his scarred eyebrow at his bored partner. They’d been driving around town for the past two hours and no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

“Well if you’re that bored, we could…” He tilted his head towards the backseat.

“No, what the…? No! Emphasis on no. A thousand gallons of no!” Her eyes bugged as she tore her eyes from the road and on to his grinning face.

“Why not?” Spike pouted, furrowing his brow in the process making him look more like a 5-year old child than a grown adult.

“Because…because it’s wrong.”

“Didn’t stop you before. You were more than willing to climb aboard the last time pet. Find some new boy toy luv? Couldn’t wait to move on. Get my stench off you? Is that it? Couldn’t wait to fuck some other boy. Bet you jumped the first one you saw, didn‘t you?” He scowled at the non-answer he was receiving until he was thrust forward as the SUV came to a screeching halt.

“Bloody hell woman! Give a bloke a little warning when you do that” He quickly checked himself over for injuries before straightening his black jacket. “I think you dislodged my kidneys!”

“Get out!” Buffy was already climbing out of the vehicle, a hard expression on her face that he couldn’t read. Quickly unbuckling his seatbelt he stood by the door and waited for the pain to start.

It didn’t.

Instead, he heard the locks click and Buffy opened the back door to the Dodge Durango.

“Get in” Not willing to receive a punch to the nose or worse, he followed her command and climbed in. Buffy climbed in behind him before locking the car once again. It took only seconds before her lips were on his, her tiny hands pushing him back onto the leather seats. He felt those same strong little hands move quickly from his shoulders to the black jacket, shoving it down to his elbows until he shook it off to the floor.

“Buffy luv” He mumbled, his words cut off by her lips finding his once more. “Are you sure?” Buffy nodded her head before her hands stopped on his chest, her own chest heaving.

“I haven’t moved on. I couldn’t do it. God knows I’ve tried but every time I tried to ‘dance’ with someone else, it just felt wrong” Buffy gave him a little grin.

“So you want to be with me?”

She nodded and squealed when he lunged up and captured her lips with his own. Soon hands were finding their way under each others clothing. “Luv are you sure?” At her nod, his hands made their way down to the button on her slacks. As he popped the first button, her cell phone belted out a jaunty tune.

“Bloody hell” Spike fell back against the door as Buffy fished through her pocket for the phone. After a short conversation, Buffy pulled back and started straightening her clothes.

“What’re you doing luv? I thought we were…” Spike waved a finger between the two of them.

“Not anymore. That was Giles. He wants us to check out one of the frat houses. Attempted rape, well maybe.” She gave him a small smile before crawling out of the car and returning to her place in the drivers seat.

As soon as Spike was back in the passengers seat, for the most part presentable, she put the SUV in drive and headed towards the University of California- Sunnydale.
Spike watched as the closer to the university they got, the more drunk students there were.

“So are we going to arrest all of them?” At Buffy’s bewildered look, he continued “Some of them look younger than 21.”

“Oh right. No. Giles wants us to talk to the victim. See if it has anything to do with the Newman and Philips murders.”

“Right. Kathy Newman and Kennedy Philips. Found them bound, raped and strangled right?”

Buffy could only nod her head. She’d been on the Southside murders for four months now and still not one break in the case. So far two girls had been found beaten, raped and left for dead in back alleys near the university.
She quickly pulled the vehicle over and crossed the small patch of grass to the Stevenson dorm rooms, Spike close behind.

She could hear sobbing coming from inside the corner room as she pushed the door open. A mousy brunette sat huddled in the corner. A blanket was draped over her shoulders and she clung to it like a lifeline, her knuckles white as she gripped it close to her body. Buffy motioned Spike out of the room before crossing towards the shaking girl.

“Tara McClay?” Buffy kneeled in front of the girl, careful to keep all of her motions in clear view. The girl nodded her head in between sobs. Her hands clutching at the blanket even harder.

“I’m Lieutenant Buffy Summers and I want to help you. Can I do that?”

Tara nodded again.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“H-he followed me from the party and h-he t-tried to…” Tara broke off, her eyes filled with tears.

“It’s ok. This is a safe place now. I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?”

Tara nodded again and started again.

“H-he tried to r-rape me. He had rope and a plastic bag with him. My roommate came back and scared him off.”

Buffy nodded and motioned for another officer to come into the room. Rising to meet the other woman, she pulled her to the side.

“I think it’s the same guy Willow. Just watch her ok?” The redheaded cop nodded and switched places with Buffy by the bed.

Spike was waiting for her at the door. With a nod, he followed her down the hall a bit before she stopped.

“I think it’s him.”

“The Southside Strangler? Actually at the school?” Spike’s eyes bugged slightly.

“Yeah” She shook her head to try and clear it. “So dinner Friday?”

Spike groaned. “Do I have to luv? Your dad hates me. Last time I saw him he chased me down the road with a shotgun.”

“C’mon Spike! Daddy only threatened to shoot you once. And it was in the leg! Besides Giles said if you step one foot out of bounds, I get to shoot you.” Buffy made a pointed look towards his crotch before meeting his eyes again and smiling.

“Bloody hell!”

The party was raging hot. The heat was abundant around him, he could feel the heat coming from their flushed bodies. Drunk co-eds danced around him as he stalked his prey. The pulsing beat of the music matched his heart rate as he chose his next victim. No, not victim, his next lover. That sounded better. She would show him love tonight. Love until her last breath. It was just too bad she wouldn’t make it through the night. It made him almost wish he could keep one for longer, but they always betrayed him. No, he would be the last she would see. He could hear the heartbeats of the people around him pounding. Each one looking for love, at least for the night. They all wanted to be reaffirmed of their desirability, of their beauty.

A flash of blond hair caught his eye.

She wasn’t dressed like the others. Not in the business-like black pants and jacket. Her crisp white shirt unbuttoned to give just enough allure. Her pants hung low on her hips accenting the soft curve there. He longed to run his hands down those hips. As she started walking again, he followed her as she made her way around the party, asking questions to the random co-ed. He could see the outline of a gun at the small of her back and it only made him want her more. He quickly trained his eyes over her enticing little body, appraising what he found there. The long, lean legs giving way into slender hips and finally up to her perky little breasts, just barely accented under the jacket. She turned away from him and he let his gaze follow her firm ass as she sauntered away from. He decided in that moment…

She was his. He would make damned sure she belonged to him.

His eyes narrowed as she laughed and flirted with her bleach-blond counterpart. Her slim hand ran its way from his shoulder to the curve of his bicep and he saw red. He wanted pain, he wanted to cause pain. He wanted to teach her that he was the only man for her. To make her scream his name. Make her love him. He ripped his gaze away from his tiny blond, settling on another blond dancing wildly in the midst of drunk frat boys. She would have to take the place of his blond beauty. He could have fun with her until his goddess was ready.

He strode into the crowd, glaring at any man that dared question him. Wrapping his arms around her waist he began to gently sway behind her, letting his hands wander over her torso, imagining the smaller hips and waistline of his gorgeous goddess across the room. In vain, he tried to ignore her blatant advances on him. Her body pressing back against his. The tiny pink skirt riding up to show more leg. He closed his eyes to envision a more petite body, silkier hair. He could almost smell the power radiating off her across the room. Piercing green eyes had met his own brown ones for only a moment, but he’d felt the connection.

“Come with me” He leaned down and whispered in her ear. At her nod he took her hand and led her towards the door. Leading her outside he quickly slammed her against the side of the house, reveling in her fear as her eyes widened in terror. “Shouldn’t wander off with strangers sweetheart. Never know who you’re leaving with. We’re going to have fun .” He tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her across the parking lot to an abandoned alley. He pathetic cries for help unheard. Her whispers only fueled his desire to cause her pain. To hurt her as he’d been hurt before. He wanted his beauty from inside to find her, to see his work. His masterpiece.

Inside the party Buffy turned in a circle trying to spot anyone she hadn’t already talked to when she felt a hand on her wrist. Jumping she spun, reading to take down the offender.

“Whoa luv!” Spike held up his hands in the universal sign of peace “ ‘s just me.”

“Jesus Spike! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” She let her fists drop to her sides.

“’s no one here pet. Don’t think he’ll show again. Not so soon after the other one.”

“I think you’re right but he’ll be off schedule now. Judging by the profile, I don’t think he’ll miss his deadline. He’s got to be somewhere Spike and I’ll be damned if I let another girl die because I wasn’t there to stop him.” Buffy frowned as she quickly surveyed the party one last time before she headed towards the front door, Spike following.


Back in the alley…

With a twist he slammed the blond into the wall. Her head slammed into the concrete once before bouncing back towards him. She moaned in pain as he took hold of her shoulders and forced her back onto the wall. Cement grated into the back of her thighs and shoulders, scraping at the exposed skin. His left hand gripped at her throat, pressing lightly. He let out a groan of pleasure as she struggled to keep breathing with the pressure of his hand crushing her throat. His other hand reached down and groped hard at her exposed thigh. Roughly kneading any flesh he found enjoying the power he had over her.

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized he was not going to stop. She tried to struggle against his heavy form as he continued to add pressure to her throat, the air leaving her lungs as she gasped for breath.

He laughed. A deep roaring bellow from deep in his belly as he ripped her clothing away and unbuckled his own pants before forcing himself on her.

That evening Buffy settled down on the beige suede couch with a glass of wine in one hand while she flipped through the news channels with the other. One channel caught her attention as the crime scene was displayed across the screen. She turned up the volume and listened to the commentary…

“…victim of an attempted murder was found in the alley between Southside and Rampart…” The commentary continued but was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

She quickly answered the phone, set down the wine and headed to her bedroom to change clothes. Within minutes she was seated in the Durango and headed towards Sunnydale Memorial hospital.

Buffy left the Durango parked in front of the hospital, lights flashing, as she rushed into the building colliding with a dark-haired male nurse in front of the elevators.

“Whoa there! What’s got you in such a rush?”

“Lieutenant Summers, Sunnydale P.D. Could you please tell me where room 238 is?” Buffy stopped only to flash her badge at the attractive nurse before bouncing in place.

“Room 238 is up the elevator one floor and down the hall to your right. I’m Ben by the way. If you’d like I can show you the way.”

“Yeah that would be great.” Buffy avoided chit-chat with the man the rest of the way to the nurse’s station on the second floor. She whirled in place as she heard a distinctive British voice yelling at a lone nurse in the hallway.

“Bloody hell let me through! I’m an officer of the Sunnydale police department you stupid cow!”

“Do you have any proof you are with the police department?” The nurse asked him calmly.

“I left my badge in the car you daft bint! I’ve already told you that!”

Buffy had decided she’d heard enough at that point and flashed her badge at the appreciative nurse before pulling Spike to the side of the hall.
“What the hell is wrong with you Spike? Are you trying to get yourself kicked out? Yeah, that’ll be a lot of good for the victim. Let’s go ahead and kick all of the officers out of the building ‘cause one can’t remember fucking protocol!” Buffy stormed off towards the cluster of officers guarding a door at the end of the hall, leaving a bewildered Spike in her wake.

“Is she in there?” Buffy tilted her head towards the closed door on the right. The doe-eyed officer standing a little too close for her liking shook his head energetically, reminding her of a little lost puppy. His floppy brown hair bounced against his forehead as he nodded.

“Would you like me to escort you in ma’am?” He faltered at Buffy’s frown. “Uh, I mean Lieutenant Summers.”

She shook her head before breezing past the crestfallen officer and into the patient’s room.

Back down the hall…

Spike stood for several minutes before shaking his head and scurrying down the hall after Buffy. He was stopped by the floppy-haired officer just as he was about to enter the room Buffy had entered moments earlier.

“I’m sorry sir but you can’t go in there.”

“Move out of my way you poncy bugger!” Spike attempted to move past the hulking farm-boy but soon realized he was not going to be able to move him by sheer force.
Instead he opted to raise his voice in an attempt to alert Buffy of his presence. “Buffy!”

“I’m sorry sir but you’re going to have to leave. Gunn, could you please escort him down to the parking lot. We don’t want to disturb Lieutenant Summers.”

“Summers? ‘Bout this high?” Spike motioned a couple of inches below his shoulders before continuing. “Blond, real cute-like?”

The oafish man nodded his head causing his hair to flop around once more.

“Right then, BUFFY!” Spike hollered again. This time rewarded by the irate blonde’s head poking from behind the door.

“Spike would you shut up already and get in here” Buffy held the door open just enough to allow the smirking man through.

She ignored him as they re-entered the room. Instead she focused on the pale woman lying on the bed, surrounded by beeping and buzzing machines. Her head was bald in places with burn marks adorning the scalded flesh while the rest of her pale blond hair lay lifelessly around her shoulders. Her face was nearly un-recognizable under the burn marks. One eye was swollen shut from a beating and pus oozed from it. The rest of her body wasn’t much better. From what Buffy could see the woman’s arms and legs were also burned, her index fingers had been removed from the rest of her hands and from what she had been told at the front desk the woman’s abdomen slashed.

“Harmony? Can you hear me?” At the woman’s nod Buffy continued. “Can you tell me what happened?”

With a raspy voice, she answered “Who’s he?”

“I’m sorry Harmony. This is my partner Detective Pratt.”

“We met at a party, the Lowell house one. He, uh, started dancing with me and we went outside. He seemed so nice, you know? H-he started choking me and h-he… I can’t. I’m so sorry but I can’t…”

“It’s alright Ms. Kendall. You’ve done more than enough. We will find the bastard who did this. Buffy gave the girl a reassuring smile before stepping forward and giving her hand a pat before dragging Spike out the door with her.

“Lieutenant Summers we found a note on the victims clothing.”

“Kendall, Harmony Kendall. She has a name please use it Finn!” Buffy glared at the floppy-haired officer from before.

He took no notice of her correction and handed her a pair of gloves before handing her the note that had been pinned to Harmony’s halter-top.

‘My dearest Buffy,
I feel as though I already know you, although in a way I do. Do you like your present? She’s quite pretty, isn’t she? I left her for you and you alone. I would have rather enjoyed watching her take her last breath but I left her for you. Yes, I saw your heart break with Kathy and Kennedy but this one…she is my gift to you. We will be together soon my love.
Your Secret Admirer’

“Oh my God” Buffy faltered as she finished reading the letter.

“No bloody way in hell is he touching my girl!” Spike wrapped his arms around her tiny waist in an effort to protect her. He pulled out his cell and quickly dialed an outside number. “Sweetheart, Giles wants us to meet him back at headquarters. Seems he has some news for us.” At her nod he led her towards the elevator and down towards the parked Durango.

“I can drive Spike. I’m not going to let some sick bastard scare me into hiding.”

The Durango sped its way to the local Sunnydale police department as Buffy worked out her anger and sheer-terror on the steering wheel, her fear finally coming to the surface as she recalled the sheer fascination in the killer’s note. He was obsessed with her and wasn’t afraid to say it. Yet there was something familiar about the letter that shocked her but she couldn’t place it. There was nothing that was going to stop him, short of a bullet to the skull, from deterring from his path and she knew it. As she gripped the steering wheel again, indents in the leather were visible even to her partner in the passenger seat as he clung to the door, praying to survive the twenty minute drive.

“Buffy, pet, there’s something I wanted to ask you…”

Her head turned towards his before swerving the large SUV away from oncoming traffic. “What?”

“I was, well, I was wondering if you’d maybe thought any more about marrying me. Especially with this psycho bloke on the loose, if we were…”

“No… and what is with you and crappy proposals, first during a shootout and now while I’m driving. Seriously Spike, there are books for dummies like you.” She laughed at the scowl that crossed his face.

“So if I asked you during a romantic candle-lit dinner, you would say yes?” Spike’s face took on a hopeful quality as he pouted at her.

“Maybe…probably…I don’t know. There’s so much to consider…our careers, my family…” Buffy shifted in her seat as she slowed to a stop at a red light, tapping her fingers against the abused steering wheel.

“So if I asked you tonight at dinner, would you say yes?”

“Dinner with my parents, yeah that’s really romantic Romeo. Try again.”

Her erratic driving slowed as she neared the station, dodging through meandering pedestrians before finally parking in front of the station. She paused momentarily as Spike’s hand made its way to her inner thigh, rubbing comforting circles across the fabric of her pants.

Buffy gave Spike a quick smile before hopping out of the Durango she’d just parked in front of the police station. As she rounded the front of the car, she doubled over in agony, clutching at her abdomen, her shriek piercing Spike’s psyche as he ran to her side. The searing pain scorched through her stomach as she searched blindly for the source of the pain. Her left hand found something sticky and wet under her ribs as it came back up to her face covered in blood. The red liquid staining the grey cement beneath her as the dripping blood pooled out of her. Her wide green eyes met Spike’s as she dropped into his waiting embrace. His blue eyes met hers once last time before hollering for help and easing her closer to his chest, his gaze darting through the crowd surrounding them as he searched for the faceless gunman.

“S-Spike I-I can’t…” Her body began to shake she fought the burning pain and the intense need to close her eyes and succumb to the agony. She fought against the over-whelming need to let go, desperate clinging to the blurry image of his face before her. Thinking fast he lowered her to the ground, shedding his own jacket to lay her on as they waited for the ambulance. As years of training kicked in, he applied pressure to the still-bleeding wound as he watched her struggle to breathe freely. She struggled with each impending breath as she focused on not moving her abdomen.

“S-Spike I-I love you…please tell Dawnie that I love her more than life itself and my parents. P-please promise me Spike…” Her eyes closed in an effort to conserve what little energy she had left and he felt a piece of him die as her breathing became slowed and even more labored than before. Resting his forehead against her own, he spoke senseless words of comfort and love to her still-shaking form, willing her to live for him.

Spike lifted his head at the sound of the wailing siren of the ambulance as he searched over and through the throng of people surrounding the fallen officer. “Hold on pet…just a few more minutes…” He was pushed aside as a pair of E.M.T’s stepped in to do their jobs.

Within moments she was loaded in the ambulance, leaving a stunned Spike kneeling on the sidewalk,

“Detective Pratt, get in the car.” Giles stood behind the sobbing officer, his hand rested in a comforting gesture on the man’s shoulder.

Spike nodded and trudged silently behind the older man to another Durango parked behind the one Buffy had been driving, now taped off with yellow crime scene tape.
He sat glumly in the passenger’s seat as he recalled her smiling face just a couple of years ago at the beach.

4 years ago…Sunnydale Public Beach…

“Buffy luv you’re going to catch a cold out here. It’s the middle of winter. ‘M going to get that lip.” His lips crashed down on hers as his arms came to rest around her tiny frame.

“Make love to me Spike” Her shining green eyes met his as she pulled back from him slightly, her mouth parting in a brilliant smile as she laughed at his shocked expression.

“On the beach pet? There are still people here and…” His questioning was stopped by her lips grazing his once again.

“Doesn’t have to be on the beach, we could go to a hotel or the car even…”

“‘S not going to happen kitten. My girl deserves better than the backseat of a car for our first time together.” He gulped audibly as her tiny hand stroked him through his jeans.

“Hotel then?” She smiled as he nodded his head vigorously.

Present time…

Spike followed Giles as they made their way to the ICU waiting room, only to be met by a room full of officers already waiting for the news. He was engulfed by a pair of strong arms belonging to Buffy’s mother as a young girl wrapped her own tiny arms around his leg.

“H-how is she?” His voice sounded drawn, even to his own ears as he waited for Buffy’s mother to answer him.

“Maybe you should sit down for this William.” Joyce Summers directed the officer into the nearest chair while she took the little girl into her arms before sitting next to him. “She’s still in surgery but the doctor came out a few minutes ago and said they were able to remove the bullet but…Hank, can you tell him?” Joyce broke off in tears as the image of her daughter lying unconscious and bleeding on the stretcher flew back into her mind.

“The bullet broke when it entered through the abdomen and splintered back into her spinal cord. The, uh, doctors aren’t sure how it’s going to affect her movement. She, uh, could very well have temporary to permanent paralysis from the waist down. What the hell happened out there?” Hank Summers, former Chief of Police, glanced over at his daughter’s partner and briefly wondered why it couldn’t be the man sitting before him in the operating room instead of his daughter.

“P-paralyzed? No, but she’s been through so much more and with Dru…she made it out with no problems and had…” Anything else he had to say was overrun by body-wracking tears and he rocked back and forth in the tiny chair as the brunette child next to him gently patted his hair, her bright blue eyes brimming with tears.

Giles sat towards the back of the room as he took in the news that his young officer may be paralyzed, at minimum temporarily, and let a single tear slide down his cheek as he remembered her as a young girl playing in Hank’s office and at her various birthday parties or the day when… His musings were broken at the sight of a freshly-scrubbed doctor waiting in the doorway behind him. As if on cue the rest of the group waiting stood, ready for whatever news he gave them.

“Surgery went as well as can be expected. There is still the possibility of what we discussed earlier Mr. Summers but I’m fairly confident in a full recovery. She’s being moved from recovery now so if you’d like to wait just a few moments more I can have the nurse take you up to her room later. I only ask that you don’t overwhelm her with visitors, one or two at a time, and you might want to take the little one in first, she was asking for her when she woke up. You’ve got a strong daughter there Mr. Summers. I’ll check back in later to see how she’s doing.” The steel-haired doctor took a moment to nod at them before handing the little girl a lolly-pop, which she took with enthusiasm and a toothy grin.

Outside the hospital in a black town car

“Is it time yet?” The dark-haired young man asked his counterpart who sat rigidly in the sat across from him as he glared at the passing people on the street, searching for one in particular.

“No. Stop asking.” The older man leaned back in his seat as he fought the urge to not just shoot the boy and have it over with. Sometimes working with minions was a pain, especially one as ornery and fidgety as Abrams.

“When are we picking up Dru?”

“When I’m sure the little bitch is either dead or out of my damn way! Stupid little cunt shot me last time and I want to make her pay.” Angelus brushed his hand against his crotch affectionately, noting the difference from before the little bitch in question had shot him. Quickly checking outside he radioed one of his flunkies to keep an eye out for a certain bleached blonde pest as he snapped his fingers at the man in front of him, beckoning him to kneel between his legs.

Parker Abrams, notorious rapist and murderer, moved in between the man’s legs without hesitation and began unzipping the zipper in front of him with shaky hands as he tried to suppress a visible cringe at having to deal with another man’s genitalia. As he tugged the leather pant’s from the larger man’s hips he came in full contact with the scarred and disfigured flesh that could hardly be considered anything resembling a penis.

“Suck it, you stupid bitch. You wanted this Abrams, remember what you told me? You were tired of living under Rayne’s reign, wanted to be a new man…well here you go boy, suck it!” Angelus sneered down at the trembling man as he took in the disfigured cock and began licking around the tip.

Angelus lost himself in the little pleasure he still received from sex as the man between his knees sucked him off as good as a downtown whore. He made a little mental to note to visit one of his whores, Darla, the next time he was in town. Nothing that girl couldn’t do with the right amount of financial encouragement even if she was riddled with diseases, it was a chance he was willing to take.

Room 643

Buffy leaned back groggily as she tried to focus on what the nurse’s were saying around her. After the doctor had said his piece about possible paralysis she hadn’t wanted to hear another word and the drugs currently pumping through her system from the I.V. weren’t helping her plight to stay awake.

A knock at the door had her blinking furiously past the drugs as she focused on her mother’s form carrying a tiny girl in her arms.

“D-dawnie,” She managed to croak out before resting her arms out in front of her in a welcoming gesture to her family.

“Buffy, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Joyce sat quickly in the seat next to the bed as she tenderly brushed back some loose tendrils of hair from her daughter’s face.

“Right now? Kind of drugged up but as long as I don’t try to move too much, I’m fine. Just a little pain if I lean forward. Can you just set Dawn next to me…yeah right there.” Buffy wrapped her arm around the little girl and snuggled her as close as possible without pulling on her stitches and avoiding tugging out the I.V. line.

“Are you ok mommy?”

“I’m bored!” Buffy pouted with her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glared at the bleach blonde reading in the seat next to the hospital bed. It had been a week since she had been admitted and yet she was still mostly confined to the bed with short jaunts in the hated black wheelchair, albeit flower covered wheelchair after Dawn had gotten a hold of stickers. “There’s nothing to do in this stupid place with its stupid nurses, stupid doctors and really stupid green walls…I’m bored.”

“And what exactly did you want me to do about that, Summers?” He glanced up for a moment before re-reading the case file in his hands. “Your mum brought you a bunch of those girly magazines. Read one of them. Should be a bloody quiz ‘bout the love of your life in there or 10 ways to make him beg. Educational really.”

“I already did and now I’m bored again. There’s nothing to do here. I’ve already watched the same episode of Will & Grace four times already… can I read the case file?” Her mouth widened into a disarming smile as he blinked and the clutched the file closer to his chest, ready to fight tooth and nail over the thin manila folder.

“No.”

“Why not?” Her smile grew wider as she attempted to run her hand down his arm in hopes of grabbing the file. “C’mon Spikey, just one little peek. I’m going insane just sitting over here while there’s a rapist running free out there. Maybe you need a set of fresh eyes on the file.” She pouted for good measure. “Please?”

“Still no pet. Want to go for spin down to the cafeteria? I’ll buy you a cookie.” He stood and nudged the hospital-issued wheelchair sitting in the corner, giving her a wide grin in the process.

She watched it disdainfully.

“It better be a big cookie.” She waited until he’d gathered her tiny frame in his arms and positioned her in the chair before glaring up at him. “Seriously, this had better be a big damn cookie in the shape of a gun.”

“Now luv, can’t promise it’ll be in the shape of a gun but it’ll be a big, chocolaty cookie maybe in the shape of a heart with a cute little pink bow on top. Tally ho!” He propped open the heavy door before maneuvering the chair into the hall, grinning at the nurses bustling around the main nurses station across from her room.

“Did you just call me a ho?” She turned her head back to glare at him, an accusing look taking over her features as she huffed in indignation. “You, you stupid bleached moron!”

“Hey now! No calling the man who’s going to buy you a big cookie names luv. Already have half a mind to leave you right here and see how far you get.” He gave an apologetic look towards the elderly couple already occupying the elevator and shrugged.

“I hate you.”

“Feelings mutual pet. Jus’ can’t wait ‘til Giles lets me off babysittin’ duty. This is a bloody bore ‘n a half.”

“Gah! I don’t know what the hell I was thinking to ever get involved with you again! You’re nothing but an infuriating, self-righteous, sanctimonious rat bastard! Just go away. I can find my own way to the cafeteria and God willing away from you.” She scowled and swatted his hands away from her chair as she prepped her hands on the wheels, ready for her great escape as soon as the elevator stopped moving.

The doors opened and she was off to the races as she sped along the corridor and away from the other passengers still standing in the elevator.

The older gentleman next to Spike looked at him curiously before adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat but before he could get a word out his wife interrupted him, “Aren’t they just adorable Ernest? They remind me of us when we were that age, except our hair color was a touch more natural. Such a sweet couple.”

Ernest nodded his head in agreement before turning back to Spike, “How long have you and your wife been married, son?”

The detective could only groan and he swiftly exited the elevator and followed the irritating blonde towards the cafeteria, where he found her moments later arguing with a nurse.

20 minutes later… Sunnydale General Hospital cafeteria

“What do you mean your team found a file with Summers’ name on it?” Spike glared at the slender man slouched in his seat.

“I’ve already told you. Got a tip that Angelus was camped out in the old Sherman’s warehouse so we stormed the place but it was empty except for some of his stuff. Found pictures and a dossier on Lieutenant Summers detailing her work and personal history. Looks like he hired someone to follow her around.” Detective Robbie Marshall was undeterred at the bleached blonde’s glares as he studied the petite officer munching on her chocolate chip cookie while she looked over her own history. She’s fucking gorgeous. Damn sure she’d be a animal in the sack. Can’t wait to ride her into the mattress as soon as Pratt’s out of the way.

“Some of these weren’t written by Angelus. Should do a fingerprint analysis and see what comes up…I mean…look, I know I’m not exacting active but I think I can help, seeing as how I know how Angelus works and how he lives and…” Buffy’s ramble was quickly cut off as Giles came to her rescue.

“It’s alright Buffy. You are more a part of this team now that we know Angelus has eyes out for you. Obviously you’ve gotten closer to him than any of us have and you know how he operates. You’re still a vital part of this team.” He chuckled. “Even if you are munching on cookies instead of filing paperwork. The response to the shooting has been astronomical in citizens wanting to help your recovery in any capacity. I do believe you’ve become the face of the Sunnydale P.D, inadvertently of course.”

“I don’t have to strut around in a bikini at the Miss America Pageant, do I?” At Giles’ bewildered look, she continued. “You know, Miss Congeniality the movie with Sandra Bullock where she’s an FBI agent and she has to…you know what Giles, I’m going to take this opportunity to introduce you to the fun side of the 21st century.”

“Y-yes I do believe we should get back to business then.” He shook his graying head at the grinning officer before addressing the rest of the group. “Marshall and Finn will take over guarding Summers’ room and…”

“No sodding way I’m leaving custody of Summers in their hands. Angelus would be in ‘ere ‘imself taking ‘er out. I’ll volunteer to stay with Summers ‘til she’s up and at ‘em again.” Spike added adamantly as he handed Buffy another cookie and interlacing their fingers together.

“Fine. Pratt will stay in the room with Summers while Finn and Marshall patrol the halls…”

“Only reason he wants to stay with her is so he can fuck her brains out. Everybody knows he’s doing her on the side but the real question is- how’s Dru these days, Pratt?”

If Spike had ever hated Robbie Marshall before, it was now apparent to everyone in the room as he glared daggers at the slightly older man. Marshall had never kept it a secret that he envied Spike’s relationship with the quirky blonde and would stop at nothing to get her in his own arms and for that, Spike hated him
more than Angelus himself.

“That’s enough, Marshall. I’ve approved the arrangement and I can personally guarantee that the first person out of line will be sitting on desk duty for the rest of his/her career, do I make myself clear?” Giles tossed a small smile towards the blondes before turning his glare back on Marshall.

“Perfectly.”

Four hours later many of the prominent members of both cases stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the small hospital room belonging to one of their own, Lieutenant Buffy Summers. Homicide detectives stood next to Special Victims officers as they chatted idly to themselves while waiting on Chief Giles to start the meeting.

“Do we have a profile on the Southside…?” Robbie Marshall was cut off by a distinct baritone voice as he was shoved to the side as a tall, lean figure made his way through towards the middle of the room.

Former Chief of Police Hank Summers stepped forward through the throng of blue uniforms. “Rule one: never idealize the perpetrator. Rule two, know what that is Marshall?” He smiled at his daughter and glared hard at the young officer sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders, their hands linked. He nearly growled as the bleached blonde whispered something in his daughter’s ear that made her giggle.

“Uh…no, sir, I don’t know rule number two. Should I?” Marshall visibly shook at the intimidating glare the former chief sent him. He could see the taller man was armed with his own weapon and hazarded a guess that he was probably carrying more than one weapon on his person. The harsh reputation for settling scores with other officers and not taking crap from board members was what landed former Chief Summers the job in the first place and Marshall could think of at least two other cops that had sat desk duty for the rest of their careers because of him.

Hank strode through the small room and took a seat on the end of the hospital bed. “Rule number two is…Pratt! Get your damn hand off her! Where was I?”

Spike’s hand darted away from Buffy’s shoulder as he purposefully moved the Summers’ requisite rule of six inches away, towards the edge of the bed.

“Rule number two, sir, you were on rule number two.” Marshall stood slightly taller next to the towering Riley Finn and female officer, Faith Lehane, who only scowled at his blatant attempt at receiving the former chief’s praise.

Hank scowled at the young officer, “Rule number two is do not ever associate the perpetrator as anything but a common criminal. You’ve all been giving him too much credit. He’s human; nothing more, nothing less and don’t ever think I will ever like you Marshall. Pratt! Get your hand away from her! You’ve caused enough problems already. The next time I have to repeat myself I will blow the damn thing off.”

Buffy shrugged, “I wouldn’t tempt him on that, Spike, and he’s more than willing to do it.” She leaned in to whisper into his ear, “Once he’s gone, we can cuddle or whatever.”

He nodded but kept his six inch distance from her.

“I’ve asked Chief Summers to help out on this case because he has prior knowledge of Liam Angelus and his cohorts. As of right now any information received will go directly to him or myself.” Giles waved the older sandy blonde man on from his place leaning against the wall.

“I’ve spent the past few days right outside this door compiling a profile of the perpetrator responsible for the deaths of three women and a fourth attack on another.” Hank toyed with the file in his hands, not needing to see what he had written on it before to explain the profile to the other officers. “He’s young; twenty-two to twenty- six. He more than likely has a college education, probably graduated recently. I’d wager to guess he is middle to upper class; Caucasian, attractive. The un-sub is charismatic, polite and has a way with women that make them trust him. He will have a prior record of smaller crimes, probably an assault as a juvenile and he hates women. Women are objects to him and as a sexual sadist, he wants to cause pain; he gets off on it. It isn’t about the kill but the pain leading up to it.” Hank turned the file over to Giles before glaring at Spike once more.

Giles stepped forward into the crowd, “Don’t let him fool you, he’s organized. Every cut and bruise was planned but he’s getting sloppy. Kendall was left alive because he feels some sort of connection to Lieutenant Summers. We do not know what type of connection that is yet but, for some reason, he has singled her out. The other two victims were tortured for hours yet Kendall was a brief encounter. He targets college age women, more than likely he was rejected as a younger man and feels he needs to torture them into accepting him now.”

The hulking Finn stepped forward, “Are there any leads on who might’ve wanted to take Lieutenant Summers out?”

A grunt from the bed had heads turning towards the young blonde, “There was, is, no taking me out.”

“Of course not, sweetheart, but we do have one lead. Warren Meers, a known associate of Angelus’, was seen in the area right before my…Lieutenant Summers was shot. We currently have a tactical team canvassing the area and any other known whereabouts for him. Keep an eye out; his mission was never finished so it’s probable that he will try again. Perhaps her family since she is well guarded here…”

Buffy gasped, “Dawn.”

Hank turned and laid a comforting hand on her ankle, “Marshall, Elliot and Travers will take point on watching the house and accompanying Summers’ daughter and my wife around town. Gunn, Ford and Meyers will watch the exterior of the house and I’ve already approved cameras inside. Lehane and Finn will guard outside of the room and the surrounding halls while Pratt and myself will guard the interior of the room.”

Spike gulped audibly. He dared a glance towards the woman at his side and then back at the older man lightly fingering his gun holstered on his hip.

“Canvass the college and keep an eye out for anyone that seems slightly out of place. Attend the parties in plain clothes only. I believe he targeted Lieutenant Summers the night she and Detective Pratt attended the…” Giles looked down at his notes, “Lowell house party. There was another attack made that night before Kendall…a Miss McClay. Rosenberg, do you have the status on her?”

The shy redhead stepped forward from behind Marshall and Finn before speaking meekly, “Tara is doing alright now. She’s spoken with the sketch artist and a therapist but she’s withdrawn from the college and gone back to Illinois to be with her family. I have her parent’s number and address in case we need to speak with her again but…sir, I don’t think she’ll be of any more help to us. The description she gave was vague, at best, and she only noted that he came up from behind her when she entered her dorm room.”

“Tha’s new, pet. ‘e’s always taken the girls from parties, not stalked them in the dorm rooms. ‘e went after ‘er for a reason.” Spike finally added.

Giles cleaned his glasses while Hank stood and paced the tiny room, aware that all eyes were on the former profiler. “What does Tara McClay have to do with the un-sub and why would he flee the scene without her?”

“Come on, Giles, let me go back into the field. I’m bored in here and really I’m completely useless on desk duty. Heck, half the time I don’t even sit at my desk.” Buffy whined as she paced back and forth in front of her boss’ desk as he cleaned his glasses in annoyance.

“You haven’t had the proper time to deal…”

Buffy hopped up and down in place, waving her arms above her head, “I’m completely healed. Nothing broken and I’ve already had the stitches out for nearly two months now. There isn’t any more of me to heal. I’m totally good, Giles.”

The chief of police only nodded in the negative, “I meant that you haven’t had time to recover mentally and emotionally. Physically, yes, you are completely healed but I am just not sure about your mental state. You want too much to go back into the field, bullets flying, without a care in the world and I cannot condone sending an officer under my authority out into the field like that.” He knew it was a losing battle considering this was the fourth time in a week she had shown up early to work and danced around the same speech as she begged to go back into the field. “Wait for a bit and then we will reevaluate later.”

Smoothing her black jacket back down, Buffy toyed with a stray strand of hair, “What if I only go on street patrol? Nothing serious. Just ride around in the car next to Spike. I’ll even let him drive.” Giles started to shake his head ‘no’ when she cut him off abruptly. “You have to let me do something outside of this building, Giles, I’m going completely insane sitting in here. I played checkers with Jonathon yesterday ‘cause I was so bored.”

Rupert Giles knew a losing fight when he saw one and knew the precise moment his reserves began to falter. Her damn pout had gotten the best of him yet again and he reluctantly handed her the keys to her issued vehicle. Shaking his head when she nearly bolted out of the room, anxious to get started on her newest case.

Twenty minutes later, Lieutenant Summers stood in line at the Java Hut ready and willing to purchase and carry back a box of donuts and three coffees- two black and one with heavy creamer.

“Welcome to The Java Hut. How many we caffeinate you today?” A pimply-faced teenage prattled off about the specials of the day and how to save the environment before waiting for the officers order.

Buffy grinned. Driving around and buying donuts was a better option than sitting at the station twiddling her thumbs while the other officers got to have all the fun. “Three coffees- two black and one heavy on the cream. Oh, and a half dozen of the glazed and the other half jelly.”

“Hello lover.” The deep, husky voice whispered from behind her.

She turned her head the slightest centimeter and came face to face with Angelus. Arching her back slightly she could feel the barrel of his gun aimed at the small of her back. “What do you want?” She whispered back, careful to keep smiling for the coffee shop’s employees.

Angelus sneered and pressed the gun harder against her back, “Just to talk, sweetheart. It seems the last time we saw each other it didn’t end on the best of terms. You gave me a little souvenir and I find myself struggling to find one that… let’s say meets your poetic justice.”

“You just want to talk? Somehow I’m finding that hard to believe.” As the barista handed her the box and drinks, she found she had nowhere to go and no way to reach her gun.

“Don’t even think about it, lover. I could blow you to pieces before you even had time to reach for your weapon. You really should be more careful, especially when you’ve only just recovered from the last time we met.”
Buffy gulped around the lump in her throat and half-whispered, “So it was you that shot me?”

Angelus chuckled, “No, I’m sorry to say it wasn’t. I did watch though and bravo to young William for rescuing you. It was quite the performance, if I do say so myself. I’ll be seeing you, lover.”

The barrel of the gun retreated from her back as Angelus slowly backed away from her. “That talk will have to wait since your little friends are starting to arrive. Tell Spike hello for me. It‘s been awhile since I last saw him. Tell him Dru is doing just fine with me.” He was gone in a flash and replaced by a more familiar bleached blonde.

“You look a bit spooked there, luv. Harder case than you thought?” Spike smirked as he helped himself to a donut, trying to look inconspicuous as to the reason he was there.

She shook it off, knowing they would never be able to track Angelus with just the two of them, especially since she was still technically under a medical hold. “No, I’m good. All with the goodness here. Nothing to worry about.”

He smiled and grazed her hand with his own. Three months and although nothing between them was official, it was definitely moving in the right direction. “Ready to head back or did Giles send you out for something else?”

“Why are you even here?” She suddenly asked. “You hate the coffee here and this isn’t on your normal way to work.”

“Can’t a bloke jus’ decide to spend some time with ‘is girl?” He flashed a smile, hoping to win over some points so he wouldn’t have to tell her the real reason he was there.

She shrugged and handed the box to him. “I’m not your girl.”

“Still singing that tune, pet?”

Whipping around to glare at him, she replied, “Not a tune. I’m not your girl now and I have never have been your girl.”

Dumping the box of donuts unceremoniously into her hands, he stepped back and silently appraised her as she struggled to balance the coffee and the box. “Right then, I’ll just be off ‘n you can finish up your little job. Might want to watch that box, luv, it’s a bit heavier than it looks.” Making a casual exit he made it three strides before spinning on his heel and snagging the box before it began to teeter out of her hands. Mumbling to himself, “Love’s bitch,” as he motioned for her to head out the door in front of him.