the clocks ticking 'n I just count the hours"
It was a dark place by any standard. He very rarely came across crack dens that contained the same smell or aura. Yet lately it had come to fascinate him. He found himself taking the early shifts, walking the beat and trying to unconsciously edge closer, which was difficult. You had to cross through side streets, hook the last bus from 23rd and then walk a quick pace to the left. He didn't think anyone at the force knew about it but you couldn't be too careful. Going to the den was not normal in the precinct unless you were scoping the place out for perps.
He also walked quickly because of the neighborhood. Loitering was never tolerated, yet they knew him here. His mom's was just down the block, his deadbeat dad had friends just released from prison and they would wave at him unabashedly as he made his way.
The walls were covered in grime, dark smudges of dried blood and the city's dirt. New York at its finest. But it was the way Xander liked it.
It was all he had known.
In another world he imagined he would've had friends to help him move past the societal ruin. They would've encouraged him to do more, maybe even be a builder. As a child he had loved working with wood but that didn’t fit for a boy from downtown. You were either blue or part of the crew and his mother wouldn't have been able to take the strain of him going to prison like his dad. So he'd joined the force, keeping his home values behind closed doors and dutifully doing whatever the fuck honest cops were supposed to do. He was lucky that there weren't many left in his precinct or the internal rats would've had him long ago. Now he wondered whether he had finally gone too far.
Xander looked across the road, a girl with fiery red hair catching his attention. Her stride was confident, a wide skirt swishing as she walked. Instantly he imagined her as being witty and clever, listening when no one else would. The thought made him shake his head; it was pure foolishness. But this was something he also could not help. He often paused to stare at groups of giggling girls, wishing that he could make his way over, not just for the chance of sex but pure friendship, a human intimacy. But he didn't deserve it. Between the hookers and the girls who took three shots before they crawled into his bed, Xander was sure that a good girl wouldn't take one look at him. A sigh of relief came as the familiar dark doorway came into sight.
There was no sign of Finn though.
The question of just what he was doing, threatened again but Xander shut it out. Jiminy Cricket or whatever the fuck people liked to call a conscience would never help him here. He tossed a quick glance back to the street, the urban noise comforting and considered just turning around. Instead he crept past the door and then along the corridor, ignoring pained faces as junkies took their needles out and felt the sting of metal.
He wasn't that far gone. No, Xander was a special kind of cop, one bred to recognise a villain's face and sometimes the only cop that could help such a person for the right price. He didn't like doing it that much but moral qualms were for people with money. Reality was that life was shit and any extra cash was just pure luck. Which had brought him here tonight. His boss, Captain Finn had ordered him to come. He didn't quite know what for but when had that ever mattered? Xander did as he was told, especially when it came from the terse lips of Finn.
He tensed as a yell rose above the usual din of moans and cries. Finn must already be in the building. Xander normally lurked at the back of the building, his back loose as he rested against the brick wall. The place simply made him feel comfortable and it also led to good information. He tried to stay out of the organized crime and busting the addicts was easy pickings. He'd been surprised when Finn cornered him at his small office desk in the morning, heavy hands tapping all over piles of paperwork.
"You busy tonight?" Finn had asked, mouth twisting as though chewing on straw.
"No sir" Xander grimaced as his own leg twitched with something akin to fear. Did he know about Gunn? "What can I help you with?"
Finn had smiled then. His teeth were a ridiculous picket fence white and he sensed the intimidation in the air. "Just meet me at your usual haunt." He paused, "you know the one right?"
"The den?" Xander didn't believe his ears. How did he know?
"Yeah" Riley had replied, not trying to hide his derision. "The den."
The rest of the day had been spent sitting over a hot fire, his seat moving this way and then that as Xander pondered just what it was that Finn wanted to see. He didn't consider that the captain had something in store for him. As he walked down the center of the floor, he tried to pretend that it would merely be some drugs. Maybe the boss was a coke fiend. He could handle that easily enough.
The sound of a body slamming against a wall broke his concentration. The den was more like a series of rabbit holes but he could tell the general direction and hastened towards it. Another thud and this time he heard the cries of a girl. Just what was he getting himself into? Steeling his courage he decided to follow the heavy thuds, instinctively knowing that Finn would be at the end of it.
His feet began to move faster until he pushed through part of a door. The bottom half had been kicked in. His eyes tried to take in the scene but hesitated as though trying to deny the knowledge that it contained.
He had always thought Finn was a bit of a bully but this wasn't something else. His captain stood over a woman, his knuckles bruised from the mess he had made of her face. She seemed to cower before him, tattered clothes barely concealing a thin frame. One cheek was split open but he had left her eyes untouched. Her figure was like a wraith, skin pale as the moon. She was unlike anyone he had ever seen, even as he saw tell tale marks of a seasoned veteran of the streets. He could see the track marks but it still didn't explain her. She was beyond ordinary girls; she was ephemeral. He found himself smiling at her even as Finn continued to abuse her. He felt like they were meant to meet; as though it was fate. Finally she seemed to sense him and turned her face to Xander, blowing a battered kiss. And then he looked across to the doorway. Finn seemed like he always did, strong, taller than most men and oozing that honest guy attitude that had ingratiated him so well with the brass. Xander was amazed that he could look trustworthy standing in the den with a battered woman. At his hands no less.
"Good to see you Harris" Finn said quietly. Tonight he was dressed in plain clothes. It would be easier to dispose of but somehow it still managed to unnerve Xander. For the first time in the force, Xander felt a trickle of fear climb up his spine. Finn was more than just a poster boy now. He was pure danger. Xander steeled himself as Finn let the girl fall to the floor and stalked over to stand at Xander's side.
"I've been waiting a long time to introduce you to Dru."
***
Buffy stared at the door with dismay. She kept hoping that the annoying Brit would slam his way back in again, with a large tray of fried goods and some much needed refreshment. But nothing happened. Her stomach rumbled and she stalked into the bathroom grumpily to try and calm it with water. God what she wouldn't give to be outside again, to be free.
She had already peered out the window but there was no way to force it open. Her heart had settled enough to consider ways of manipulating it but without any tools she had no chance. Training had assumed that she would never be this trapped. Let's see Faith try to get out of this. Unbidden her thoughts drifted to the confrontational agent. She had been young in the department then, only just starting her training when Faith was brought in to teach them the basics.
Buffy remembered the sensation of tension washing over her as Faith had swung her hips at the men with ease. She was taller by an inch but in terms of experience she was the complete opposite. Buffy had only recently moved away from home in California and had just started her relationship with the promising lieutenant Riley Finn. Faith back then was the rogue agent, still in control of her destiny and able to outwit even the most charming of criminals. Long limbs bare to the eye had drawn everyone's gaze as soon as she stepped into the classroom and that was before she even spoke.
She oozed pure sexuality and wasn't afraid to use it as one after another she disarmed the stronger students. When it had been Buffy's turn to try and disarm her, Faith had leaned in close enough to kiss her before slamming her forehead into her nose. Although shocked at the pain Buffy had risen to her feet quickly and punched back to astounded applause.
"I'm impressed". Faith said loudly. She pushed back long strands of auburn hair from her freshly bruised face but still kept the smile. "Those are the instincts of a true fighter." Turning to face the class, she smiled seductively. "Now, what did Elizabeth do wrong?"
Parker's hand was the first up. "She let herself be surprised."
"Correct." Faith's brown eyes had flashed with pleasure as Buffy resumed her seat. "This will be true for all of you guys, if you make it out into the field. Sometimes your instincts are the only thing that will save your life. Trust them." Or end up like me.
Buffy didn't see her often after that, but everyone heard when the sting turned ugly. IA accused Faith of murder, and after that the rogue Slayer was imprisoned. Part of Buffy's success was mastering Faith's skill without letting it become a weapon.
Buffy only wished that she had the other woman's advice now.
Tying her own hair back, Buffy strode once more to the window. There just had to be someone out there who could help her. Her eyes scanned the trimmed lawns of the estate and once again she was amazed at the size of it. There was even a complicated maze with rose bushes and high hedges leading to a fountain. She would give anything to wander through it, if only to escape her thoughts and the intense boredom. She had noticed the stable of horses, but it was just on the edge of her view and certainly not close enough for her to make out the people which drifted in and out of the building.
Spike was going to pay for this. Somehow.
Her hands brushed the shirt that he had nearly ripped to pieces. She had been ready for the assault and was surprised that he hadn't gone farther. Buffy didn't analyse why surprise was the main emotion instead of disgust.
"I've other things to do than you."
She snorted at the line. Who did he think he was? Trying to come onto her without even a 'hello' or a 'how are you'? When she had been single she would never have tolerated him so much as touching her.
But you're not single anymore and this isn't a normal situation.
Her eyes began to water but she just buried her face into the comforter, trying to pretend that the tears leaking out were just from fatigue and not her predicament.
She felt like she was in some type of purgatory, trapped by the man that she would've imprisoned herself if given the chance. A sob ripped through her throat at the thought of his mouth bruising her own.
She couldn't pretend that this wasn't real any longer. And it was going to get worse.
***
Spike tried to calm himself as excitement flowed through his veins. It had gone wonderfully well upstairs. She had enjoyed it, especially if her shocked eyes as he left were anything to go by. He knew he had her. Now she just needed to be reminded of the fact. Spike growled low in his throat as he spotted Don at the bottom of the stairs. Hunter must've told them about the girl already.
The top level could only be reached on foot, with the elevator that connected the floors of the house, stopping at the fourth level. There was an underground basement underneath but Spike had never considered housing Buffy there. No, Buffy needed to be with him, where he could watch her, fuck her and truly destroy Angel's infatuation. The next time he saw the pillock he'd bring Buffy with him in some sexy little outfit and make her suck him off in front of the great bloody poof. A snigger escaped as he passed Don, eyes only flickering an acknowledgment. He didn't like the man but the trust was complete. Don had been recruited by Hunter and on the advice of his lieutenant, Spike had taken the man on.
He hadn't regretted it yet.
Don was a big man in the way that shadows seemed to increase at sunset. Sometimes he was so imposing that Spike felt the urge to pummel him into submission, at other times he was quiet and like a mouse. Spike still wasn't able to read him but it didn't matter as long as Don did what he was told. Spike relished teaching Buffy the lesson.
The men were numbered at twenty but only the four were allowed to be so close to the grounds. Indeed, Spike let them live on the second floor with their personal rooms and rules. He could enter of course, but Buffy would never be allowed to walk those floors. Not that she would want to anyway. The men could be true deviants and somehow despite her undercover status, Spike doubted she had seen everything. Sometimes their interests had caused him genuine surprise.
But he kept his emotions guarded. Striking out away from Masters had taught him many things, the least of which was that he was alone. No one could be completely trusted and after Dru, Spike didn't have any heart left to give.
He imagined that Buffy would be the same, once she learned her place.