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"Chapter 8”

Buffy sat in the hot bath water with her knees pulled up so tightly towards her chest she could barely
breathe. She didn’t want to breathe though, not after last night. She would much rather be dead then face
Spike again, or Angelus for that matter. But, that was not possible. She was alone here, she had no one.
Her family didn’t even know she was gone. They probably wouldn’t realize it for awhile and by then she
would more than likely be dead.

“Scrub her till she bleeds, he says.” Buffy heard Ursula mutter as she walked into the bathroom carrying a
pitcher of water. “Won’t hurt the girl anymore then he already has. Crazy fool is what he is.”

Ursula set the pitcher of water on the table beside the tub. She lifted up her skirts and kneeled down next to
the tub, reaching out for the wash cloth that was hanging on the side. She dunked the cloth into the water
before pulling it out and wringing some of the water out of it. Next she grabbed the soap and started to rub
it across the cloth until a soapy residue began to form on its surface.

“How you doing dear?” Ursula asked, taking hold of Buffy’s arm and lifting it high so she could start
washing her down. “You’re nothing but skin and bones. Have they been feeding you properly?”

Buffy could only nod her head, but at which question she wasn’t sure. Ursula didn’t seem to care. She
started to hum to herself as she continued to lather up Buffy with soap.

“Always the same thing with these ladies they bring home,” Ursula began to ramble on. “Not a one of
them looks healthy enough to be standing on their own two feet. Never stay around long enough for me to
teach them how to take care of themselves. Always here one day and gone the next.”

“What happens to them?” Buffy finally spoke, meeting Ursula’s gaze when she felt the old woman staring
at her.

Ursula looked away quickly. “Don’t rightly know. I reckon they go back from where they were found.
Back home.”

“They kill them, don’t they?”

“We shouldn’t talk about these things,” Ursula advised, getting up to her feet. “Master Angelus has
sensitive hearing. The walls are always talking to him.”

“He can’t hear us,” Buffy lied, hoping to get Ursula to tell her what had happened to those other girls she
had mentioned. “Please tell me what happened to them. Are they going to kill me just like them?”

Ursula glanced warily over her shoulder. She went over to the door and closed it shut. She knelt back
down beside the tub and picked up the wash cloth once again.

“Angelus usually finds the girls when he goes out late at night,” she began to talk, rubbing the cloth gently
over Buffy’s arm. “Some of them are very nice looking, upper crust I guess you could say. Most of them
are troubled. No family to speak of, living off the streets. He brings them home and then the next morning
their gone. Others like to blind themselves by believing he just sent them on their merry way. But, I know
better. I’ve seen things.

“You’re different though,” Ursula said, brushing some wet hair off of her face. “Master Spike has never
touched any of the girls Master Angelus has brought home. He only holds a candle for his precious
Drusilla. Somehow you changed that. You are the first women, besides Drusilla, that I have ever seen him
touch that intimately.”

“There was nothing intimate about it,” Buffy remarked. “I was forced on him and then he forced himself
onto me.”

Ursula sighed deeply. The girl was too emotional right now to understand anything she tried to explain to
her. Besides she knew she had no right to be talking to the girl at all. If Spike found out that the help
stuck their nose into his business, where it shouldn’t have been in the first place, the consequences would
be dire.

“Raise your arm,” Ursula instructed. “Master Angelus will be up soon and wanting to see you. Cant have
you looking unkempt.”

“Do you think washing away what that horrible man did to me will make a difference?” Buffy sneered
angrily. “Isn’t Angelus supposed to be all knowing? He’ll be able to tell, wont he?”

“You best mind your tongue young lady,” Ursula advised, squeezing the cloth dry and getting up to her feet
again. “Feisty attitude like that won’t make you very liked in this house.”

Buffy shut her mouth after that. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions right now and she couldn’t seem to
think straight. She wanted to fight as hard as she could to get away from them, but her fear of them
prevented her from doing anything that drastic so soon. Her fear made her so angry that all she wanted to
do was lash out at them. Her anger made her scared because she had never felt so much of it in her life.
She had always been secure in the knowledge that there was nothing to fear in the world. Or at least that
was how she has been raised to think. Sheltered and secluded most of her life, she didn’t think coming to
Europe to see her cousin would lead her to this.

Buffy started to cry as she remembered the last night she had seen her cousin before coming here.

Ursula came back to the tub holding up a huge towel to dry Buffy off with. When she saw the girl weeping
away in the cold water of the tub her shoulders slumped.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, child. Just saying you need to be careful is all.”

“Please help me,” Buffy pleaded softly, grabbing hold of Ursula’s hand.

Ursula looked at Buffy with sadness in her eyes, she could sympathize with what the girl was going
through but there was nothing she could do to help her.

“Come, child. Let’s put some nice clean clothes on you to make you feel all better.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike yanked his teeth out of the smooth neck of his latest victim just as the door to their room came open.
He let the pretty redhead slip from his arms to fall with a thud onto the floor then propped his legs up on the
couch of which they had both been sitting moments before.

“William,” a woman in the door cried out while sticking her head out the door to make sure no one saw
before closing it and stepping into the room. “Angelus and I have an agreement that you two may have any
of my girls when you come here, but you may not kill them.”

Spike grinned and shook his head before wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. “Ruby,
pet, don’t worry. You have the best little whore house this side of Westminster. I am sure another lonely
girl is out there waiting to stumble across your abode.”

Ruby turned over the redhead that was still lying on the floor and gasped when she saw her face for the first
time. “She was one of my best ones!”

Spike chuckled again under his breath. “I don’t know about that, but she sure did taste sweet.”

“You mean you didn’t even sleep with her?” Ruby cried out when she heard Spike’s comment. “Oh, Annie
I’m sorry it had to end this way for you.”

“Ruby, don’t concern yourself over her, “Spike tossed over his shoulder, listening to her struggled to lift
the dead redhead onto the couch. “I made her last moments on this earth very enjoyable.”

“I ought to tell Angelus about this,” Ruby threatened. “He would love to have a reason to kill you.”

Spike put down the drink he had in his hand and turned to Ruby. “What does that mean?”

Ruby tugged at the arm of Annie one last time before giving up and sitting down on the couch herself to
rest. “William will you please help me with her. I clearly can’t do….”

Spike yanked Ruby back to her feet, his hands seizing her arms to hold her up close to him. “Tell me pet,
is Angelus trying to have me killed?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy walked into the dining hall with her freshly bathed body and crisp clean clothes. On the outside she
looked picture perfect, fit to live the high life that the house occupants clearly transpired to have. But on the
inside she still felt dirty and beaten. She was weak and didn’t feel like taking another step. In spite of this,
something prevented her from giving up entirely, her will to live still had a flicker of life left in it and she
wasn’t meant to give up hope just yet.

“Angelus, the pretty doll has on mummy’s clothes,” Dru said when she saw Buffy for the first time since
last night.

Angelus left Dru standing by the dining table to come to Buffy’s side. He took his time taking in her
appearance before wrapping his arms around her and inhaling her sweet scent. A sweet scent he had
expected to be laced with Spike’s. Instead it wasn’t.

Angelus pulled Buffy away to arms length. “Did you enjoy your night with William?”

Buffy stared at him, afraid to answer his question. Unsure of what would be the right response. She had
sensed earlier from Spike that he did not want Angelus to know about their night together, so maybe lying
would be the best option.

Buffy pulled herself gently away from Angelus and took a seat at the dinner table. She avoided his gaze as
she felt him slide up behind her to scoot her chair in for her.

“I see he left you speechless,” Angelus whispered into her ear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do!” Angelus sneered, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her roughly back against the
chair. “I don’t know what Spike has been telling you, but if you lie to me in my house you will be very
sorry.”

“Mmm, daddy hates lying,” Dru moaned from her place across the table. “Especially from little dollies
who smell of sweetness.”

Buffy winched in pain from Angelus’s nails digging through the material of her dress and into her skin.
She was stupid to have said what she did and now she was going to pay for it.

“Angelus.”

Buffy heard Spike behind her and relief filled her body.

“William, how nice of you to finally join us.”

“It’s always a pleasure to see you Angelus,” Spike mumbled under his breath as he came walking into the
room. “What’s for dinner?”

“I’m afraid you missed dinner William my boy,” Angelus told him, standing up straight behind Buffy’s
chair. “But you’re just in time for dessert.”

Before Spike could even respond to his comment Angelus had yanked Buffy up from her chair and into his
arms. He stood frozen as Angelus thrust his hand into Buffy’s hair and tilted her head to the side, exposing
her pale neck.





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