Buffy walked out of Willy's and lit up a smoke. She had gone to inquire about the vodka he had sold her. The bottle, which she was now convinced, had to be tampered with or defective in some way had been purchased from Willy himself.
Had there been any complaints from anyone else? Was it a bad batch, like Clem had suggested? The answer to both questions had been 'no'.
Buffy was frustrated and pissed off. She had really been counting on hearing that the vodka was bad, laced with something. Then she could have gone to Spike with proof that it wasn't her fault. Now, she was back to square one, with no options left. The witches wouldn't help her; she didn't even bother to ask. They'd probably dust her as soon as look at her. She started back to the crypt, for a long, lonely night of self-loathing.
"Hello, Buffy."
Buffy spun around, the cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth. Sam stood a few feet away, a smile on her face.
"What do you want? I ain't in the mood, Wonder Bread."
"Gosh, I was so sorry to hear about you and Spike..." Sam's smile curled up even more. "It's really too bad."
"Sod off, bitch," Buffy said coldly. "If I want shit outta you, I'll squeeze your head."
"Tsk, tsk, Buffy! What kind of talk is that? So crude. I just wanted to tell you, you don't have to worry about Spike. I'll take good care of him."
"You ain't enough for him, Sammie. You'll be a bitter disappointment after the things he and I have done together. There's things he likes...things you won't do. You only get on your knees to pray, isn’t that right?" Buffy couldn't resist fucking with her.
Sam's expression got darker, her smile more sinister. "I'm a tree, I can bend. I'll do what it takes to make my man... happy. Don't you worry about it."
"Well, goody for you." Buffy flipped her the bird before turning and walking away. If she didn't leave now, she'd get a whopper of a headache from trying to split that bitch's skull open.
The moment Buffy's back was turned Sam reached behind her and grabbed the Initiative issue, stun rifle she'd hidden behind her. She aimed it at Buffy's back.
"Oh, Buffy?" Sam called sweetly.
Buffy growled and whipped back around.
"What --"
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the gun. She spun back around to run. But Sam shot her before she could get more than a few steps away.
Buffy collapsed to the ground convulsing, as tendrils of blue energy zapped through her body. Sam stood over her, smiling down.
"You're going to pay for touching him, whore. I warned you to stay away. No one fucks with Samantha Jones and gets away with it."
Buffy mumbled something unintelligible before passing out.
Sam went into action.
She ran to her car, parked conveniently around the corner then tossed the rifle in the back seat. She ran around the back and opened the trunk, bringing out the chains she'd need to secure Buffy, then ran back to the prone form of the vampire.
Sam thanked her lucky stars that she still had friends in the government. Her old comrade Graham had sent her the vampire strength-proof shackles and a few other goodies that she had in store for the blonde vamp.
After Buffy was trussed up, Sam slung her over her shoulder and hurried back to the car then tossed Buffy in the trunk, none too gently. She slammed down the trunk and got in the driver's seat. Her heart was beating fast, adrenalin pumped in her veins as she started toward what would be Buffy's new home, for at least a few days.
Everything had worked perfectly: Spike would come back to her in time. Buffy was going to be permanently out of the picture soon -- no one suspected Sam of anything. There were no witnesses. The only loose end was Riley, but he'd be heading for France, if he weren't on his way there already.
Life was good.
Buffy groaned as she came awake. She tried to put her hand on her head but she couldn't move it. She opened her eyes.
"Well, it's about time!" Sam said walking up to Buffy. "Good morning, Starshine. You've been out for the better part of the day."
"Wha--What's going on?" Buffy struggled to process what was happening.
"How do you like the place?" Sam said gesturing at their surroundings. "This is the same factory you and what's his name? Angelus? Stayed in when you first came to Sunnydale. I fixed up a little corner of it just for you. We'll have lots of privacy."
Sam had cleaned and fixed up a small section of the factory for just this purpose, with a little help from some of her military buddies.
"What do you want?" Buffy looked up, examining the chains securing her wrists.
A large chain was looped over a high steel beam and connected to her shackles. She was suspended in the air, her toes just barely brushing the floor.
"I thought it was fitting, you know. Bringing you back here, where you started. I'll put an end to you here. Full circle. It's kind of poetic."
"If you wanted to stake me, why didn't you do it outside Willy's? Why go through all this trouble? Just so you can chain me up and make me listen to your bloody nattering?"
Sam laughed. "I have lots of fun and games for us to play before the -- big finish, Buffy." She walked over to a table where she had various nasty looking items laid out.
"You've gone nuts, haven't you?" Buffy said with growing anxiety, testing the strength of the shackles.
"Don't bother, hon. Vamp proof," Sam said over her shoulder at the sound of the chains rattling. "You won't be walking away from this."
"Let me go! You barmy bitch! You sodding coward! You can't face me in a fight, even with a chip shoved up my brain?!" Buffy railed against the chains.
Sam walked back over to her with a squeezable water bottle.
"It's not about fighting you. It's about getting even. You look parched, want a drink?" Sam smiled, holding up the bottle.
Buffy eyed it nervously. "Yeah, right. I'm not stupid. Get that away from me!"
"But you are stupid, Buffy! Why else would you step in and steal Spike away from me when he was most vulnerable? I did warn you that you'd pay if you dared to go near him, didn't I?"
"He broke up with you, deal with it! He chose me and you can't handle it." Buffy was trying to think furiously of a way to get out of this.
"But he broke up with you too. Spike made a mistake with you. He sees that now." Sam laughed. "It's really too bad you couldn't hold your vodka and lost control of yourself with Riley. And poor Spike had to see you two in bed." She mock-pouted then grinned.
"Vodka? How did you know I was drinking vodka?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"I couldn't wait to tell you... It was me! I had your drink -- spiked!" Sam giggled at her own choice of words. "It was a special drug, that I obtained from some friends of mine, to make you all horny. If Riley hadn't been there, Spike would have caught you humping a chair."
"You... BITCH!" Buffy slid into game face in the blink of an eye and lunged at Sam, snarling and snapping her slavering jaws.
She was primal, feral. Her hands were bent into claws that surely would have ripped Sam's flesh from her body, had they not been suspended above her head. The chip was firing but she didn't feel it yet. The chains rattled and strained, but they held.
Sam stepped back a few paces. She had expected Buffy to go ape-shit, but the suddenness and ferocity of her would-be attack was off putting. It took a moment for Sam to reassert her smug attitude.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you bloody fucking bitch! If I weren't in these chains --" Buffy roared.
"But ya are, Buffy! Ya are in the chains!" Sam giggled. "See what I did there? I paraphrased the line from 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.' Was that a good Bette Davis impersonation?"
"You have gone fucking loony..." Buffy breathed heavily, her normal features returning.
She was beginning to realize just how unbalanced Captain Cardboard had become. Sam had a crazy look in her eye, one that reminded Buffy a bit of that Renfield bloke. The one in the original 'Dracula' movie, and he was one barmy motherfucker.
"You think so? Why could that be? Hmm?" Sam scratched her chin and furrowed her brow. "Could it be, you think, because I had to listen to you fucking my boyfriend only a few minutes after I left his house? You didn't waste any time, did you, whore?"
Buffy stared at her. 'She heard us -- Oh shit...'
"That's right, Hostile 17. I came back that night. I came back to patch things up with him. But what did I hear? You. You and him. Moaning and groaning. You don't know how lucky you are that I left instead of going up there and killing you both while you fucked like animals. I was this close,” Sam squinted and held up her hand, holding her index finger and thumb a few centimeters apart, "to doing just that... It's not polite to jump another woman's man the minute her back is turned. Time to teach you some manners, bitch." Her face hardened as she finished.
Sam squirted the bottle at Buffy. The water hit her cheek and ran down her neck, burning the skin where it touched.
Buffy howled in pain as her flesh blackened and smoked, she thrashed her head around, trying to shake the holy water off her skin.
"Arrgh! You better pray I don't get out of here, BITCH!" Buffy grit her teeth and yelled, trying not to let out the piercing scream that wanted to erupt from her throat.
Sam grinned toothily. "I'm not concerned about it. You'll stay right here. Until I'm tired of torturing you, that is. Then it's Dustbuster City for you. I think I'll flush your dust particles down the toilet afterwards. It's more fitting. You'll feel right at home in the sewers."
Sam squirted Buffy again, this time on her bare arms. Buffy whimpered and screamed in pain as the water burned trails down her arms. Sam smiled and went back to her table of torture devices.
"Now...let me see...what should I use first?" Sam chewed on her thumbnail. "Decisions, decisions..."
Days passed...
Buffy hung limply from her chains, her head lolling, her chin touching her chest. Burns, cuts, (both deep and shallow) and bruises covered her body. Some of her bones had been broken more than once. Sam was very thorough; the Initiative had obviously trained her very well in the art of torture. Buffy thought it was a shame that Sam and Drusilla didn't get on better, they had a love of torturing people in common.
Buffy didn't know how long she'd been here. The days and nights blended into each other after a while. There was no hope of escape, the first few nights after Sam had left for home, Buffy had strained and pulled with all her might on the bonds to no avail. It was no use screaming for help either. With her luck, some nefarious character would hear her plea and do something even worse to her.
Buffy was too weak to struggle anymore. She hadn't eaten since Sam brought her here. But she remained defiant. She used the only thing she had left to protest: Her mouth. Insulting Sam, teasing her, spitting on her. It wasn't much, but it was all she had left. The beatings and treatment she got for running her mouth were savage, but she wasn't going to just dangle there and take it. That wasn't her style.
She slipped in and out of consciousness more and more often. On the whole, she preferred being out. While asleep/passed out, she dreamed of the Slayer. The best dream/hallucination was a recurring one. Spike would come storming into the factory and free her. He'd take her in his arms and cradle her to his chest, telling her how wrong he was to doubt her and how much he loved her, while placing gentle kisses all over her face.
Then she would wake up. If Sam happened to be gone at the time, she'd weep at the profound disappointment and sorrow she felt. In reality he would never come for her, he detested her now. Buffy hated that the last image she had of Spike was when he was looking at her in disgust and loathing, with tears in his eyes.
Sam had fooled him. She had fooled all of them.
Buffy knew that Sam was tiring of the 'games' that she played with her. It wouldn't be long now before it was over. Buffy's demon silently raged and howled inside of her at the indignity of it all, but she was truly helpless. Nothing could stop the inevitable.
"Hey, there, Buffy!" Sam chirped. "You still with me? I guess so, or you'd be dusty."
Buffy weakly raised her head to look at the tall brunette. Sam was wearing a light, floral summer dress that offered a peek of her ample cleavage and showcased her long, tanned legs. Her long brown hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders and down over her back. She was dressed to impress.
"Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to see Spike now. You think he'll like my dress?" Sam executed a little spin. "I have a nice, quiet evening planned with him. I'm going to seduce him; he's going to be so surprised! I didn't do things like that before. I'm looking forward to feeling his strong hands running all over my body again. I can't wait to tell you how it went when I come back tomorrow!" Sam giggled like she was gossiping with a girlfriend.
Buffy mumbled.
"What was that? Didn't quite catch that." Sam laughed, leaning forward slightly.
In a louder voice, Buffy said, "Fuck you, you frigid, barmy, bloody cow..."
Sam sighed. "That potty mouth of yours really needs to be washed out with soap. I'll do that tomorrow. Well, I'm off! Wish me luck!"
Sam grabbed her purse and strolled out, whistling a happy tune.
Sam planned on finishing Buffy off tomorrow, right after she tells her about what she and Spike did. She would watch as Buffy raged impotently for a bit, then she'd dust her evil ass, getting rid of her once and for all.
Sam was only slightly worried that Spike would spurn her advances. People who got cheated on usually wanted to get even by sleeping with someone else too -- she was counting on that. She couldn't wait to try out some of the things she'd learned from Riley on Spike. She really had discovered her 'inner freak'.
Spike was feeling better physically after a few days.
He was still a bit sore and bruised but his condition had improved greatly. Joyce, Dawn and the Scoobies forbade him to start slaying again right away, even though he insisted that he was well enough.
The truth was that he needed to do something. Resting in bed and puttering around the house just didn't cut it. Every free moment he had was spent thinking of Buffy, loving and hating her at the same time.
As angry as he was with her, he still missed her presence. He'd become so accustomed to being with her. He missed her confident smirk; the touch of her hand; her sexy purr; the deep and meaningful conversations they would have while laying in each other's arms after making love. No, not making love. He had to correct himself when he thought of it as that. It hadn't been that. Not to her.
Spike stood by his bedroom window, looking out on the front yard. He realized that he was sub-consciously looking for the orange glow of a cigarette under the tree, part of him hoped to see it. He sighed and ran both hands through his hair. He had to get his mind off of her for a while.
Dawn and Joyce went to a PTA meeting at Dawn's school tonight. Spike had the whole house to himself for a few hours. He was deciding how he should try to occupy himself when the doorbell rang. He went to answer it.
"Hi, Sam," Spike greeted her with a smile.
"Hi. I wanted to come by and see how you were doing." Sam had come over everyday since Spike had been hurt. Talking with him, playing cards, waiting on him, anything she could think of to endear herself to him. Judging by the happy smile on Spike's face, it was working.
"Come in. Wow, you look... great!" Spike's eyes roamed over her toned body briefly as she walked past him into the house. She looked beautiful, even more so than usual. "That's a nice dress, is it new?"
Sam smiled brightly. "I just bought it today, thanks for noticing." She did a little spin then batted her eyelashes at him.
"Uh, you going out somewhere?" he asked, thinking she looked so good that she must have a date.
"Not anywhere special. You want to... hang out... for awhile?"
"Sure... I was just trying to think of something to do."
"It's back to bed with you, young man." Sam wagged her finger at him.
"Aw, I'm sick of staying in bed. I'm better now. I'll prove it. You want to wrestle? Two out of three falls?" Spike joked. He meant it innocently.
"Hmm, maybe..." She grinned. "I think I could take ya. You don't look so tough. Now, upstairs. Or do I have to tell your mom you were a bad boy?"
"Geez, fine!" Spike sighed and went up to his room, followed closely by Sam.
He went in and sat on the bed.
"Take off your shirt," Sam said.
"Huh?" He stared at her.
"Your shirt. Take it off. So I can see how you're healing. Don't look so scandalized!" She giggled.
"Oh... uh, okay." Spike laughed nervously, stood back up and stripped off his black t-shirt. "Looks pretty good, eh?" he asked running his fingertips up and down his stomach.
"Yeah, it looks great." Sam felt herself heating up at the sight of his finely muscled torso. There were still some bruises and a dark red line across his abs from where he got slashed, but other than that he looked fine -- very fine.
She stepped up to him put her hands on his chest, moving one over his collarbone, the other sliding down and around to his back then over his ass.
"In fact, it looks perfect," Sam purred, gazing into his startled blue eyes.
"Sam?" Spike gulped.
"You have such a gorgeous body, Spike. So nice and hard." She punctuated the word 'hard' by squeezing his ass cheek and pulling him into her. "You always looked so good to me."
"Uh, Sam, what... are you doing?" Spike was shocked and confused by her actions. Why was she doing this? Sam had never been aggressive like she was being now. And they were broken up, she said that she was content to be friends. Much to Spike's surprise, his sex-starved cock was rising to the occasion.
"She hurt you so bad... I want to make you feel good... I'll make you feel so good..." Sam put her mouth against his, brushing her tongue along his bottom lip.
"Sam-mmmph!"
Sam’s tongue invading his mouth cut off Spike’s words.
He was too shocked to put up resistance. She turned his back to the bed and gently pushed on his shoulders until he sat down.
"What -- Why are you --"
"Shhh." Sam put a finger to his lips. "Let me make you feel good, Spike. I see that -- part of you is warming up to the idea." She smiled seductively, looking at the growing bulge in his sweat pants.
"But... I-It wouldn't be fair t-to you. I --"
Spike stopped talking when Sam grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head, leaving her in a pair of pink panties. His mouth hung open a bit. Her body was beautiful: Full, rounded breasts, taut and toned stomach, long, smooth legs. She had never let him see her nude in the light before. Both her beauty and her sudden brazenness stunned him.
"You like it, Spike?" Sam asked, running her hands up and down her sides. "You like my... tits?"
She was trying to follow Riley's suggestion to talk dirty. It didn't come naturally to her, she had to practice on the way over to his house. She had been a 'good girl' before she came to this town. Riley also said that guys liked it when women played with themselves in front of them.
With that in mind, she fondled her breasts, playing with and tweaking the nipples. She sank to her knees on the floor, between his parted thighs.
"Let me make you happy, Spike...just for tonight," Sam said in a breathy voice while she pulled on the drawstring of his sweats.
Spike blinked at her owlishly, his mouth open and closed silently a few times. He still wasn't able to comprehend that this was the same Sam he'd gone out with for months.
Sam pulled the sweats down slightly, enough for his cock to pop out and say 'hello'. She wrapped her hand around it and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the task.
'Showtime!' she thought.
Smiling up into his wide baby-blue eyes, she lowered her mouth to his prickhead and swiped her tongue back and forth over it.
Spike moaned. "Sam--Oh God--I thought you didn't... We sh-shouldn't be doing this..."
"Shhh..." Sam pumped him firmly in her fist. "Lay back...relax...let me take care of you, baby."
She took the head into her mouth and used her tongue like Riley had instructed her as she continued moving her hand up and down his length. Spike leaned back to let her continue.
Sam was enjoying this. She never thought she would, but his penis was beautiful and more delicious than she would have believed possible. The look of pleasure on his face and the small gasps and moans he made were really turning her on. She couldn't wait for him to be inside her again. She ached for him.
Spike's eyes rolled up slightly, his eyelids fluttered. It felt so good. So good compared to the mind-numbing pain and misery he'd experienced since he walked in on Buffy and Riley four days ago. Sam was so beautiful and kind. She still wanted and needed him. He could tell that she was inexperienced at this; he knew her formerly strong anti-blowjob stance all too well. Those factors made it even more exciting that she was now so eagerly going down on him.
His mind drifted on it's own as Sam sucked on his dick like a popsicle....
Buffy. Buffy loved doing this to him, for him. He loved the way her long, blonde hair tickled his thighs, the way she would scratch her fingernails lightly along his skin, the way she would look up into his eyes adoringly, smiling around his girth as she...
What little blood that was actually going to his brain was enough for him to realize how wrong this was. His body said, 'Yes! Yes!', while his brain kicked in with a louder, 'NO! NO!'
"Oh God--Sam--Stop--Stop!" Spike gasped and pushed her gently away from his crotch.
His member slipped from her lips.
"Was...I doing it wrong?" Sam asked, her mouth going slack. She would track down and kill that idiot Riley if he didn't tell her how to do it right.
"No... no, you were... It was great..." Spike said, pulling his pants back up and tucking himself back inside. "It's... I-I just can't. I'm sorry."
He got up and walked across the room, running his fingers through his hair.
Sam grabbed her dress and put it back on, feeling angry and embarrassed. "Why not? I just want you to be happy."
Spike ran his hands through his hair. "It's too soon...way too soon..."
"It's her isn't it? You're still thinking about -- Buffy," Sam spit out Buffy's name, balling up her fists. She couldn't help momentarily losing her cool.
"I'm sorry... it's not anything against you. You're... wonderful. What you were doing felt... so good. But I'm still --"
"Don't say you're in love with her! After she cheated on you with Riley?! Spike, you have to move on! It‘s over between you and Buffy!"
"I know what she did was --" Spike stopped in mid-sentence. He turned slowly around to look in her eyes. "How did you know about that?" He furrowed his brow.
"Huh?" Sam's mind backed up, trying to remember what she‘d said.
"How did you know that she cheated on me and that it was with Riley?"
"You... told me... didn't you?" Sam mentally scrambled to cover her slip up. SHIT!’ she thought.
"No... I didn't. I know I didn't tell you because it was too embarrassing to admit. How did you know?"
"I remember now. I... ran into Buffy the other day. It... came up."
"What? You... talked to Buffy about this?" Spike looked at her in disbelief.
"Yeah." Sam was getting more nervous.
He didn't seem to be buying it.
Spike shook his head. "And it just... came up? How?"
"She... was bragging about it. How...she fooled you for so long and broke us up... I'm sorry, Spike..."
The whole story was hard to swallow, but merely the thought of Buffy laughing at him was devastating.
"I-I need to be alone right now, Sam." Spike turned away from her.
An image of Buffy laughing and bragging to some of her demon buddies over a few pints sprang up in his mind. 'How did you fool me so well, Buffy? I believed you...'
"Sure..." Sam fixed her clothes.
She was agitated and troubled. Not only by Spike's refusal of her attentions, but also by her almost fatal slip-up. She had let her emotions get the better of her and said more than she intended. Fortunately, the situation was still salvageable.
"I-I'm sorry about what happened, Spike. I just wanted to make you... feel good. I guess I wasn't thinking." Sam tried to save face.
"It's okay. I wish I could have... responded the way you wanted," Spike said in a quiet voice, looking out the window.
Sam came up behind him and ran her hand over his back. "When you feel like you're... ready... I'll be here."
Spike nodded slowly without looking at her, his eyes settled on Buffy's old 'stalking tree'. He thought of all the times he'd caught her lurking out there, the ground littered with spent cigarette butts.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Sam said, going to the door. "Things will look better in the light of day. They always do."
Things would be much better tomorrow, because Buffy would be dust by then. Sam was full of sexual frustration and rage. She decided to finish Buffy tonight instead of waiting. She needed some satisfaction, if she couldn't get it from Spike, then she'd get it by watching Buffy die. She set off for the factory.
"Buffy?"
Buffy realized someone was speaking to her and raised her head. Riley was standing in front of her, aghast.
"Bloody hell..." she mumbled.
She had been dreaming and hallucinating more often. Most of the time it was Spike that she saw. Sometimes he'd come to her and tell her he loved her, other times he'd tell her how much he hated her and spit in her face. Now her brain was so damaged that it was conjuring up images of Riley.
"Buffy... Oh God... I didn't know... I didn't know that she was going to do this! I wouldn't have..." Riley was afraid to touch her, she was so beaten and bloodied.
Sam must have been planning this all along and kept it from him. He was angry with Buffy and wanted to get revenge for her mistreatment and spurning of him, but he'd never want anything like this to happen to her. Even a soulless creature like him felt ill at the extensive torture Buffy had endured.
"What... do you want?" Buffy asked weakly, her head dropping down.
"I... wanted to see where she went at night... so I followed her last night. I came back to look around inside... to see what she was doing in here. Oh God, Buffy... I'm sorry. I wouldn't have helped her if I knew..."
Tears shone in his eyes. He touched a spot on her face that wasn't too damaged.
Buffy frowned. She could feel him touching her. Did that mean that he was really here?
"Riley? Is it... you? You're not some bloody figment?" her voice was little more than a whisper.
"It's me. You have to believe me Buffy. I wouldn't have --"
"Never mind that!” she said, getting a little more power behind her words. “Get me out of here! That bitch is crazy... look what she did to me!"
"How--How do I get you down?" Riley studied the manacles and chains.
"I don't know... a key? Look around for a key."
Riley looked around. He blanched at the table of nasty equipment Sam had used on Buffy. He couldn't believe he actually had sex with that insane woman. Sometimes even he had to agree that he was stupid.
"I don't see any keys, Buffy."
"What... about a... release switch?" It was so hard to think straight. Part of her still wasn't totally convinced that this was really happening and not just another fevered but vivid dream.
"I don't see anything like that." He walked back over to her. "I swear, I wouldn't have helped her or had sex with her if I knew. What should I do?" Riley pleaded.
"You... had what with her? Ugh... just... get Spike. Tell him where I am..." It was the only thing she could think of.
"He won't come. He thinks you cheated on him, he doesn't like you anymore."
"Tell him...the truth. Tell him what really happened."
Riley looked at her in horror. "No way! He'll stake me!"
"Spike's the only one that can help me! He won't stake you..." she hoped he wouldn't.
"No way, uh-uh." Riley shook his head back and forth.
"Bloody hell, Riley!" Buffy went into a coughing fit, blood and spittle bubbled out of her mouth. "You have to do it," she gasped.
Riley bit his bottom lip. "I'm... sorry... I can't... I wish I could help you..." He started backing away towards the exit.
"No! Don't go, don't leave me here!" Buffy begged. She hated begging but she was at a severe disadvantage.
"I'm sorry!"
Riley turned and ran around the corner. The sound of the door slamming echoed within the factory. It sounded like a tomb door being shut.
Buffy hung by the chains, defeated. There was no hope left. She was a warrior, she deserved the death of a warrior: On her feet, fists and fangs flying. Not this. Not chained up and tortured within an inch of her unlife then unceremoniously staked. It couldn't end like this.
Buffy was too weak to do anything but hang there and wait. Wait for that nutter to come back and finish her off. It would be an escape from the agony at least; she would welcome that part of it.
Spike lay on his bed, one arm thrown over his eyes. He wished that things could be different. He was in love with Buffy, but only had that epiphany when he saw her screwing someone else. It was a perfect example of his legendary bad timing.
It hurt to think about her. She was out there, somewhere. Was she thinking about him? No, of course she wasn't. It was a game to her. The whole thing was a game. It didn't make any sense. How could she have faked her affection so well? How was she capable of keeping up the act for such long periods of time? The thought that there was more to this than met the eye, niggled at his brain.
Spike sighed heavily. He was just deluding himself with that kind of thinking, wasn't he? He had to face it; she used him. She lied. He was a notch on her bedpost, bedding a Slayer was only a feather in her vampiric cap. He was better off without her.
And what was the deal with Sam tonight? She had stripped in front of him and went down on him. She would have been happy to continue if he hadn't stopped her. He wished he could have let her, but -- it just wasn't right. It wasn't fair to her, but most of all, it wasn't right. Buffy was the only one he wanted to do that to him. She was the only one he wanted, period.
He was so fucked, and not in the good way.
There was a light tapping on his window. He sat upright and looked. When he heard the noise, his heart had jumped.
‘Buffy!’ his mind shouted.
But he was surprised and bewildered when he saw Riley's big, moon face staring back at him from the roof. Riley looked terrified -- like he was about ready to mess himself.
Spike got up and moved to the window cautiously.
"What are you doing here?" Spike clenched his jaw.
The last image he had of Riley was under Buffy. What he’d seen that horrible night replayed in his mind.
"I... have to t-talk to you... D-Don't stake me, okay?" Riley stuttered.
"If you think I'm letting you in my house, you're dumber than you look. And that's quite a feat."
"It's important! It's about... Buffy."
Spike wasn't sure he wanted to hear anything Riley had to say. "What makes you think I give a shit about her anymore?"
It was a lie, he still loved her, but Spike wouldn't give Riley the satisfaction of knowing how badly he had been hurt.
"Please, Slayer -- Spike. I have to tell you some really heavy shit."
The desperation in Riley's voice compelled Spike to at least hear him out before he staked him.
"Alright. On the front porch."
"You won't stake me?" Riley asked anxiously.
"No. Unless you're wasting my time."
"I'll be on the porch..." Riley jumped down from the roof and into the yard.
Spike pulled on a t-shirt. He picked up his lucky stake and tucked it in the waistband of his sweatpants. He would take great pleasure in staking the dim-witted vampire if this proved to be yet another ploy to fuck with him.
When he came out of the house onto the front porch, Riley was pacing nervously.
"All right, what's so important. And be brief." Spike crossed his arms over his chest.
"Okay..."
Riley made sure to keep at least 10 feet between him and the Slayer at all times. Just in case he had to make a break for it. He knew that he was taking a big risk by coming here, but he couldn't get the picture of Buffy hanging in chains, beaten and bloody, out of his mind. Whatever served as a conscience for a vampire had nagged at him until he took some action.
"Buffy's in trouble. Samantha... she... has Buffy. She's hurting her... really bad."
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Spike creased his brow.
"Samantha captured Buffy and is torturing her in the old factory. She's going to kill her... maybe soon. But Buffy's in bad --"
"You really think I'm going to buy that? You're nuts. Sam wouldn't --"
"Yes she would! And she did. They didn't have tea parties with the demons they captured in the Initiative did they? They experimented on them, they tortured them."
Spike was becoming more confused. He couldn't fathom that Sam would be capable of such a thing.
"It's true, Slayer. I swear! Samantha had a plan to break you and Buffy up. I... helped her with that part cause I was mad. Buffy was always thinking about you, even when we were... We set it up so that you would catch Buffy with me. We gave her a... drug to make her crazy-horny. She was out of her mind on that drug. What happened wasn't her fault..."
Spike was getting more infuriated and disillusioned by the second. He was in shock. What Riley was telling him was too sick to be true. He could only stare at the tall, sandy-haired vampire, trying to absorb what he was hearing.
"Samantha didn't tell me that she was going to hurt Buffy. Spike... God, if you saw what Samantha did to her..."
It was true. Things finally started clicking in Spike's brain. Buffy had seemed so sincere because she had been. What happened really wasn't her fault. And Sam had known the circumstances of their break up because she made it happen.
"She's at the factory?" Spike asked, pushing aside the strong urge to pummel Riley for his part in Sam’s game.
He was reeling from the information Riley had given him, but buried his emotional upheaval for the moment. He had to keep his head clear; he had to get to Buffy.
“Yeah. The same one she stayed in when she first came to town. But... you’d better hurry. She’s so messed up and Sam could go back and kill her at anytime. Take your car, I don’t think Buffy will be able to walk.”
“I... don’t have a car,” Spike said, cursing the fact that he didn’t have one for the hundredth time.
“Then borrow one or something!”
“I don’t have a license.”
Riley looked at him incredulously. “What 21-year-old guy doesn’t have a license? Are you mentally challenged or something?” Riley backed up and cowered slightly at the look of menace on the Slayer’s face. “Kidding! Just... kidding...”
“I’ll call Xander,” Spike said. “He’s got a car, he’ll take us.”
“Us? No way, I’m getting out of town fast. Samantha will kill me for sure if she finds out I told you.”
“Fine.” Spike walked quickly to the door then paused with his hand on the knob. “Thanks... for telling me,” he said over his shoulder.
“I had to. I hate Buffy... but I love her too. I don‘t want anything to happen to her... I can‘t explain it right...” Riley said in frustration.
“I understand,“ Spike said, then went inside to call Xander.
He understood that perspective quite well -- hating and loving her at the same time. He had shared it until a few minutes ago. Now, Spike’s hatred was reserved for his ex, for Sam.
Riley released a shaky breath and made his way back to his place to gather his belongings. He felt proud that he had the guts to come here and tell Spike the truth. He just hoped that Spike would get there in time. Now, off to gay Paris...
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Author's Chapter Notes:
{A/N: Thanks to Alyssa for taking over beta duties for the last four chapters! You're a life saver, hon!}