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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to all of you who have read and review this story. It really means a lot to me, guys.
I'm sorry this chapter is a week or so late, RL kinda took over and I haven't had time to write lately. I'm hoping to update again next week *crosses fingers*
And lastly, I wanted to thank a wonderful writer and friend, VamptasticA for betaing this for my. *hugs you tight* thanks sweetie.
Spike paced back and forth the confined of his hotel room replaying their whole far too short encounter over and over in his head along with what the two brunettes, Faith and Gwen, had told him. Her life had turned out horrible. Not at all like he’d imagined or hoped.

Leaving her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. He knew if he’d stayed she’d give her dream up of becoming a supermodel and they would have gotten married. But he couldn’t do that to her. She deserved better than that he told himself as he boarded the plane to New York that fateful day eight long years ago.

Coming back to the bed he growled in frustration throwing himself back onto it. How could he have been so bloody stupid?

‘Hind sight is always twenty-twenty, ya bloody wanker’ his subconscious snorted at him.

“Ain’t that the bleeding truth?” he sighed rubbing his hand down his face.

As he laid there with his eyes closed, images of Buffy flashed before him. Some old happy ones with her laughing and that smile that could stop a train. And others of today with that sad, lonely, lost, frightened look.

But worst of all was the hopelessness her heard in her voice and the words she spoke as she ran out on him today. “I can’t do this. He’ll kill me if he ever finds out.” The image of her wide panic-stricken eyes.

And the not-so-well covered yellow-ish bruise the size a man’s handprint that took up most of the left side of her face as she fled from the hallway.

That scene had played over and over in his head since he left the diner more than five hours ago. But this time was different or maybe he just hadn’t noticed it, he didn’t know. Didn’t care to know really.

All that mattered was the evidence he had seen, that along with what the other two had told him was more than enough to bring charges against Riley. He knew that. Hell he’d had cases in the past where they didn’t even have than much and he’d won it.

Course they didn’t have ties to a promenade family like this one did but still. Besides this one had meaning to it… meaning to him. He wasn’t about to let this bastard get away with this for one minute longer.

He was going to get Buffy out of there. Away from her abusive husband, safely. ‘And back with me where you belong, love.’ He added silently sending a prayer up to whatever gods might listen to him in his hour of need.

With that thought in mind he got up off the bed and grabbed his laptop. Within minutes he’d connected into the hotels DSL and was using what little he knew about Riley Finn to find out just what he was up against.



Hours of research and Spike still didn’t know much more about Riley Finn than when he started. And what little he did find was either locked or sealed by the US government.

All he knew for sure was that he’d been a Special Op agent for the military for several years. The length of time he served and everything else about his career was sealed tighter than tight. Not even his special clearance agreement with the military allowed him access to Riley’s file. He knew whatever the boy had done had to be top secret, hence him assuming the Special Op agent theory.

As for what he’d found out about the Finn family hadn’t surprised him in the least. Just as he expected the Finn’s had political ties to many California government offices. That’s how Riley had gotten away with what he’d done for so long.

If Spike had to wager he’d say that the family was a deep pocket to more than one high ranking official. Not just here in little ol’ Sunnydale, or Los Angels but even as far as a senator or two. He’d seen it before more than once in his years as a PI. And this family just screamed corrupt.

With that thought in mind he picked up his cell phone and dialed a very old friend of his.

“Hello?” a very groggy male groaned.

“Hey, Lins, you know that favor you own me?”

“Spike?” Lindsey yawned getting up as to not disturb the sleeping form next to him. “Couldn’t you have waited a few more hours man? Damn, I just got to sleep.”

The blond chuckled half heartedly at his former partner, “Sorry, mate, didn’t rightly look before I called. Been up all bleeding night.” He sighed wearily dropping into the chair. “Look, just take the information now and call me back when you find something, okay?”

“Important case?” the brunette asked sounding more awake.

Closing his eyes he saw Buffy again and his heart clenched. “You could say that.”

Opening them again Spike went on to tell the LA Special Crimes Detective what he knew and suspected about Riley and his family. After saying their goodbyes Spike made one more call, hoping he could tell him something that would help.

This one was to Lt. Gunn. He’d met him a few years back when investigating the mysterious disappearance of Gunn’s little sister. Turned out she’d fallen in with a very bad group of teens that though nothing of experimenting with black magicks and voodoo.

On the night he’d found her she was going to be “offered up” to some high demon the punks though would give them eternal life. From that day one they’d become friends. Gunn owed him a lot and it was about time he called that favor in.

Leaving a message on his voice mail to call him back, Spike headed out to the diner where she worked. Maybe some one there would or could tell him more about Buffy and her abusive husband.

Husband that word made him flinch. He was a fool, an absolute fool, for ever leaving her in the first place.

It wasn’t bad enough that she was with someone else. But to allow him to treat her the way he did for all these years and get away with it was not something Spike was going to allow. He would get her away from him even if it killed him, he vowed, heading out of the hotel lobby.




For the rest of that night and the next morning all Buffy could think about was how nice it felt to be back in Spike’s arms again, if even for a moment. She could swear she could still feel his lips on hers.

Her mind whirled and her emotions churned, as she replayed their all too brief encounter over and over again. How was she ever to get through the reunion feeling like she did? Maybe she shouldn’t try to sneak off and go? Maybe it would be better if she never saw him again.

‘Yeah right!’ her subconscious snorted. ‘And maybe demons, vampires and werewolves called Sunnydale their home. it added rather sarcastically.

“How you doing today, honey?” Sara, one of the breakfast waitresses asked as Buffy came in.

She smiled at her, “Oh I’m fine. How about you?” she lied knowing she was anything but fine.

But Buffy had learned a long time ago never let anyone know about her personal life. ‘Cause for some strange reason it always seemed to get back to Riley and in the end it would only hurt her more.

“I’m great. I have an interview for a movie this afternoon and a photo shoot after that. I’m telling you Buff, I’m gonna be a star one day, real soon too. I just know it,” the blond beamed.

Buffy smiled at the enthusiastic twenty year old that had her whole life a head of her. If only she could go back and redo her life she’d do everything differently, she promised herself.

‘Stop it! You can’t so just forget about it and stop thinking about him and his damn soft lips of his,’ she chided herself for what seemed like the millionth time since last night.

She couldn’t help that all she could think about was Spike. What little sleep she’d gotten the night before had been riddled with dreams of their past and the future they’d always talked about. Even now if she closed her eyes she could see Spike holding their child. Shaking that image off she headed back to get ready for her shift.

She hadn’t gotten far when Sara told her something that stopped her dead in her tracks. “Oh by the way there was a real hottie in here asking questions about you first thing this morning.”

“A…a what?” Buffy asked feeling her pulse quicken. It couldn’t be? He wouldn’t come here again and ask questions. Questions that would get her seriously beat if Riley ever found out.

The younger waitress didn’t even notice the look on her face as she rambled on and on about how good looking this guy was. “He wanted to know when Gwen, Faith or you were working again too. So you might want to expect him back later. Man I’m telling you if one of you doesn’t snatch that yummy Grade A Prime hunk up I’m for sure gonna. Damn he was fine!” She practically foamed at the mouth as she spoke about him.

Buffy had to admit Spike, if that’s really who it was that came to the diner, was defiantly something to look at. And she was sure Sara would make a move on him if no one else did, but that was the least of her concerns right at that moment. No, she was more worried about what would happen if wind of this got back to her husband.

Turning back around Buffy asked her fellow co-worker to not breathe a word of this to anyone else, that was, after she made sure no one else was in there at the time he had been.

According to the twenty year old, no one other than herself, Momma, and Giles had been in there. It wasn’t even five in the morning when he’d came in. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief knowing the couple that owned the restaurant wouldn’t say anything to anyone, least of all Riley since they both had been trying to get her to leave him for years.

Feeling relatively sure that it wouldn’t get back to Riley she headed once more into the back of the cafe to hang up her things and start work.

Tbc….





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