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Chapter 14
The three men watched as the soldier awakened. He didn’t move or groan; it seemed like he wasn’t surprised to find himself tied to a chair. Spike stood a few feet away, calmly smoking on another cigarette. The two Watchers sat on opposite sides of the prisoner, waiting, watching, and anticipating. “Wakey, wakey, pillock.” Spike growled out, tempted to strike him awake.

Riley’s overgrown head rolled from shoulder to shoulder, an avoidance move not lost on all three men. “What the fuck did you do to me?” Spike smirked and strutted towards the bound man.

“Saved your ass from being lunchmeat for my dear old ex.” He hooked his thumb in his jeans, standing confident in front of Riley.

“You mean your crazy mate. Playing on the other side now, I saw you two chummy. Probably caught you in the middle of your killing spree.” Riley looked around the library and noticed Giles and Quentin. “Why do you still trust him?” he looked over at Giles, “Where’s Buffy?”

Spike’s fist flew before he could stop the descent. Riley’s chair fell backwards, toppling over from Spike’s momentum and Riley’s girth. The chair stayed in tact and held Riley down. Spike stood still, deeply inhaling the air around him. “Don’t say her name.” His fists clenched and unclenched. “You have no right to say her name.” Giles watched Spike carefully; noticing Spike’s eyes glistening with unshed tears. Angry, Spike grabbed Riley and threw him across the room. “You did this,” He stalked closer to Riley, his vampire visage coming forward.

“Did what?” Riley spit out, trying to get free.

“You took her, or one of your goons did.” Spike grabbed Riley, still bound, but now free of the chair and sat him up, propped up by the wall. “I have over a hundred years of experience you know.” He continued conversationally. “Angelus and Darla taught me well.” Spike took out a long blade from underneath his coat, playing with the tip. “Dru never was one to actively participate back then, she liked to watch, but after the whole Angel thing, she got a taste for it.” Spike leaned, whispering to Riley. “Me, too, you know? Got me one big thirst for it too. Giving, taking, smelling the fear, the blood. Knowing the cusp of consciousness. How much blood has to pump through those thick veins of yours to keep you alive. The different positions a human body like yours can get into.” Spike sat back on his haunches. “So you see Mr. Finn, I would advise you to tell us what you know.”

Spike smelled the sweet scent of Riley’s fear and then the ammonia of his urine as he lost control of his faculties. He watched Riley try to regain composure; trying to withstand any torture Spike could throw at him. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t lie to me white bread. I don’t need to sleep; I’ve got you to drink. I can go for days, maybe weeks.” Spike looked over at Giles while he still picked at his fingernails with the tip of the knife beside Riley. “Watcher! See if you can get anything from him. The stench of him is giving me a headache.”

Giles walked forward, placing his glasses at the end of the research table. “What do you want with Buffy?”

“What?” Riley looked at Giles, acting like he did not understand the question.

“I said,” Giles fist came forward, hitting Riley in his thick jaw. “What did you do with Buffy?”

“Nothing,” Riley said when he regained his voice. “What do you mean? Where’s Buffy?” He looked around the room, noticing the other Watcher, “You know he took her, him and that crazy whore. Probably raped and drained her before they went hunting for me. Trying to pin it one me!”

Quentin walked forward deliberately. “I don’t think so, Mr. Finn. The way I see it, this loathsome creature,” he indicated towards Spike, “has been looking for his mate and I know for a fact that he could not do harm to her.”

“He’s an animal!” Riley exclaimed.

“Yes, an animal. But so are we. Mr. Finn. You and me. You know what I am talking about.” Quentin looked down at the soldier, “In fact, the whole human race is animalistic. The wars, the sex, the over consumption. We all are animals on this planet. Some animals have souls and some do not. Some have morals and some don’t care.” Giles moved away from Riley, allowing Quentin to get closer. He reached out with his hand and banded his fingers around Riley’s throat. “Some care and some do not.” He squeezed further; Riley struggled for breath. “You. You understand, don’t you boy?” Riley managed to shake his head in assent. “Good. Now, we know that you have information to where Miss Summers is, please tell.”

Riley took a big breathe of air when Quentin removed his hand from his windpipe. The three men stood near to the bound body, waiting for information. “Buffy’s missing?”

“Oh for the love of…” Spike yelled, stomping over to Riley’s position. At the last moment before Spike drew his leg up to kick him, he stopped and dropped down. “Okay, wanker. I’ll try a new tactic only because I know you have information that we need. Buffy was kidnapped a few nights ago when we were out patrolling. Someone drugged us and took her. Now, Drusilla said you have the information that we need.”

“I don’t know anything!” Riley reiterated and then looked at Giles, “You’d believe a crazy vamp before me?”

“She isn’t crazy,” Spike spoke with deceptive calmness, “Just misunderstood.”

“Oh give me a break,” Riley said without thought, resulting with Spike clocking him across the jaw.

Giles stepped forward, addressing Riley, “She is a well known seer; her visions are well known through any circle. So, yes, I believe that you know something, even if you don’t know that you know.”

The watched his head roll back, hitting the wall with a thud, “Sam is gone, too.” Giles found a chair and sat down, “She left. Said that I was no good to her, filled my purpose.” The three men in the room looked at each other. “Haven’t seen her in two days. Three if you count today.”

“So, what? You’ve been getting your kicks with whores?” Spike spat out. It was all too apparent what actually happened.

“Shut up, Spike.” Giles answered. His head hurt from research and the new turn of events. “Do you know where she went?”

“No, she just packed up and left.” Riley slumped down, still trying to wiggle his way free.

“It occurs to me that her leaving and Buffy going missing are related.” Giles surmised. Quentin looked at their prisoner, knowing they were not going to get anything more out of him. He bent over, tapping Riley to get his attention away from Spike and hit him directly in the jaw, knocking him out.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Spike lit up a cigarette inhaling the smoke into his dead lungs. His demon was fuming. Buffy was taken by Sam Finn and they were not one step closer to finding her. He paced away from the group, trying to keep his frustration and anger inside of him, trying to prevent making the situation worse when the flashes hit him. Scrapping noises in his ears at first. Then his eyesight went black, like a curtain. Spike stumbled, hitting the floor hard. He vaguely heard Giles run to his aid, only to wave him off. “I’m fine,” he groused. The curtain lifted, graying and becoming lighter. He saw a dirty floor, an expanse of covered concrete in front of him. He blinked, lifting his head to the side. Army issued boots came into his view. Pacing along the floor, kicking up dust. He blinked away the dust, feeling the grit in his eyes. He looked up, no windows in the building. Or as he studied his surroundings, the building had been boarded up. Just as quickly as the vision hit him, he was released, still kneeling on the floor, sobbing with unresolved tension. “Ahhhhh!” He picked up the long research table; it was the closest thing to him and threw the heavy piece of wood away. His breaths came quickly and short. “She’s out there, Giles.” Giles was taken aback by the use of his name from Spike, “And I can’t bloody do anything about it.” Giles moved, blocking Quentin’s curious staring of Spike’s tear drenched face. “She’s calling for me. My blood to hers. Hers to mine. Calling and I can’t do anything. Can’t find her, can’t torture it out of soldier boy.”

“There, there,” Giles patted Spike on his back, this was a new thing for Giles to deal with. The Englishman inside him rallied against comfort, but his more American nature allowed it. Giles stood up stiffly, his older bones not used to as much physical action as they’ve been getting. “What happened to our guest?”

“Went to sleep.” Quentin smiled slyly, the joke passed between the two Watchers, “Ah, I see. Well, we better make him more comfortable. I believe that we will be going out tonight.”

Quentin called for someone to take Riley to a private, secure room for his stay and then left the room in search of Council matters. Giles and Spike walked out of the room, both worried about the fate of their Slayer. “Didn’t think he had it in him,” Giles commented quietly as they left the library.
~*~*~

The cab pulled up to the Watcher’s Council headquarters mid day. The passenger got out of the tiny car, picking up her bags on the way. She handed the driver enough money to cover the actual fare and a generous tip. Carrying her two bags up the steps, she stood outside, waiting for someone to answer the door.

Dawn moved her long hair behind her shoulder, looking around at the building. She was quite surprised to find London very similar to the big cities she already knew. In fact, London didn’t seem to be all that different than the United States on the surface. The only difference she noted was the weather, cooler than California and a bit drearier, Dawn was forced to cuddle in her coat. She braced herself when she heard heavy footsteps coming towards the door and smiled.

Giles heard the ringing of the door when he was in the kitchen. Waiting a moment, he didn’t hear anyone head towards the front of the building and decided to answer the ringing of the front bell. He stepped into the corridor and walked quickly to the front of the building. He opened the latch door, drawing the heavy doors in and peered out. To his surprise, Dawn stood there, luggage in hand with a huge smile on her face. “Giles!” She exclaimed, very happy to see it was him who opened the door. “Thank God you were the one that opened the door!” She stepped through the threshold, coming in from the outside.

“Dawn, what are you doing here?” Giles asked as he took her bags.

“Oh, that… something is up, Giles.” She looked around in the main room.

“Dawn…” Giles wondered if he should tell Dawn about her missing sister, but when he looked into Dawn’s eyes, he already realized… she already knew.





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