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A scream tore through Buffy's lips as something cold and wet was poured onto her back seeming to light it on fire. Her head aching as she struggled to rise.

"Keep her still!"

All of a sudden there were numerous sets of hands upon her, roughly grabbing arms and legs, pinning her to the soft mattress to which she seemed to be lying on as a voice she didn't recognize yelled out commands. Again, the cold wet liquid was poured onto her back. Screaming, Buffy managed to pull an arm free knocking the voices owner back. Twisting her body against her other captors she felt herself being slammed back down against the mattress by a firm and warm grip.

"It's easier if you don't move."

Buffy let out a growl as the other hands resumed to hold her in place. The voices that murmured behind her she didn't recognize. Definitely not Riley's men. Who the hell were these people? Eyes struggling to stay open through the pain of her scorching back she surveyed the room. It was plain, containing only the bed she lay on and a small hutch and chest of drawers in the corner where bottles and vials covered the top. She let out a hiss as the hands that worked at her back began to paste on another thicker liquid, almost seeming to instantly numb the pain. Just like magic.

"Wha-" Taking a few needed deep breaths as the hands firmly holding her in place lessened their firm grips, she spoke louder. "What happened? Who are you people?"

"Lift her up for just a moment please."

"What are you- Ow!" Hands grabbed Buffy under the arms and lifted her up, pulling the taught damaged skin of her back. The woman who had obviously been working on her back wrapped a bandage around her naked torso.

Oh my god I'm half naked!

Giving her hips and legs a slight wriggle Buffy let out an internal sigh of relief at feeling the material of her pants still around her hips.

"You shouldn't feel much for the next couples of hours. Numb-y goodness here you come." There was a nervous chuckle from behind her. "I-it only lasts for a while so it'll need to be applied again. You can sit up if you like."

Too many thoughts were rushing through Buffy's head as the woman behind her spoke. She tried to sit up and instantly brought a hand to her head at the dizzy spell that seemed to rush out of nowhere. The room was spinning as Buffy squinted and struggled to put the pieces of her last moments together.

Being captured.

Freezing my ass off in the woods.

Trying to escape.

Riley.

My mother.

Darkness.

"She's just like him now. A creature of the night."

"Where's Riley?"

Eyebrows furrowed in concentration she tried to sit up again, the twisting motion pulling on her damaged back. With a few panting and slow movements Buffy finally managed to turn in the bed and sit up.

There was no truth to Riley's words. He was lying. If not, why wait all this time to tell me. Why now?

"T-The one that did this to you?"

Meeting the stammering voices owner Buffy was surprised by what she saw. A woman no older than thirty stood to her side. She was covered in an apron that was smeared with blood which was obviously not her own. Buffy grimaced slightly at the sight. Her hair was brown and tied in a loose bun, hair falling loose and wild and covered in sweat from the exertion of trying to hold Buffy still. She wasn't overly plump, but did have a very womanly figure, one which she almost envied her for, being so thin herself.

Still her voice was soft and eyes warm. She didn't look threatening.

"Yes..."

Buffy hated her back. It was a constant reminder of what had been taken from her and what that place had brought her to.

"He's the one that gave you the others?"

The voice from earlier spoke, belonging to a tall thing redhead who, when she finally gathered her bloodied materials and met Buffy's eyes, knew was the woman who had been working on her back. She too also wore an apron which was tied around a very pregnant waist and also covered in her blood.

"S-some yes."

Buffy played with the folds of the bandage wrapped around her torso, back warm and aching, the pain now dull. Lost in her thoughts she almost missed who spoke.

"Spike will want to know she's awake."

Who the hell is Spike?

Buffy's heart began to race, the erratic pace making her stomach tie in knots. These people had rescued her, patched her up and mended her wounds. They were good people. Who would they subject her to now? She couldn't stop her eyes from widening and body jumping in fright when the red-headed woman yelled at the short red-haired man who had spoken.

"She's barely sitting!"

The man was small, but something about him sent a shiver down Buffy's arms raising the hairs, neck tingling in a way she hadn't felt before. He was different from the others. He emitted power and by the strength he had possessed to push her back down into the mattress and hold her down with all the new-found power running through her veins she knew that he wasn't entirely human. He wasn't a vampire, they were as cold as ice to the touch.

What was he?

He noticed her staring and met her gaze, almost daring her to break eye contact first but the redheads pregnant belly blocked her view as hands were raised to her hips, lips set firm daring him to challenge her.

"You know as well as I what his orders were."

The man spoke slowly and tersely making the redhead pause and sigh in defeat. Buffy watched on nervously as he left the room. Whoever Spike was he was obviously the man in charge and she wasn't sure if she should fear him or thank him.

"I'm Tara and that's Willow." The curvaceous woman helped Buffy sit up properly and placed a few large pillows behind her, apologizing at seeing the discomfort on her face from her back leaning against anything.

Buffy hissed out her name and managed to meet Tara's smile with a terse one of her own.

"I'm sorry about the excruciating pain, but it was necessary to clean your uh, sword wound." Willow, the redhead made a swishing down movement with her hands in imitation of a blade slicing down and Buffy raised an eyebrow in response. Willow walked to the hutch where the vials and bottles were and picked up a bowl, walking back over to place it in Buffy's hands. "It's soup with a little extra kick to help you sleep."

Staring at the sloshing liquid in front of her Buffy was hesitant to accept the woman's offered meal.

"It'll help with the p-pain." Tara stuttered, offering a sweet smile.

"The pain-" Buffy lift the soup towards her lips, sniffing at it a few times before meeting both women's gazes. "Nothing I haven't felt before b-but thank you." Smelling nothing other than the sweet aroma of chicken broth she took a big gulp of the soup.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the two women shuffled about the room, cleaning up the materials they had used to fix her.

"Where am I?" Of course Buffy was met with silence, neither women dared to speak.

Let's try that again.

"What happened?"

There was a thumping of boots meeting wooden floors down the hallway, someone obviously coming up a set of stairs and then the door to the room was thrust open and a man entered.

"Where you are is none of your concern. What happened is wha' I'd bloody well like to know."

He stopped at the foot of her bed. Cold blue eyes met her green. He had a thick accent which sent a thrill running through her body, warming her in all the right ways. He wore tight dark leather pants and a firm fitting black shirt which was covered by another leather coat. He had striking features, his hair was as white as snow, his cheekbones sharp and narrow as he glared at Buffy with his eyes turning an even lighter shade of blue as he stared.

Just like the sky's in summer.

The back of her neck tingled and the healing bite wound on her hip started to burn red-hot. Buffy could feel the rush of power that came from him which sent a shudder through her. He was a vampire and a master one at that. He was old, not as old as Angelus and Drusilla, but he held himself with an air of power and strength. Buffy's heart raced, pumping away rapidly in her chest. If he noticed he did not say, but the flicker of fear in her eyes brought a small smile to his face.

Spike took a deep and unnecessary breath and Buffy let herself sink into the mattress when his eyes dilated. She knew her scent lingered in the air, the bloodied soaked ruined clothes lie in a heap on the hutch. The blood soaked bandages dripping onto the floor where they sat on the hutch's edge.

Does he know?

"Let's start from the beginning shall we. Wha's your name?" Buffy never let her eyes stray from his form as he paced casually back and forth at the end of the bed, one hand trailing lazily on the wooden frame. She was wary, tense and scanning the room for an opportunity and ready to run if it was needed.

"Buffy-"

"Don' lie to me! I don' like liars!" His eyes shot to hers, flashing yellow. Buffy took a deep inhale and let out shaky breath.

You can do this. He doesn't know. He doesn't need to know. Be evasive.

"E-Elizabeth Summers..."

So much for being evasive Summers, you give him your name straight out of the gate. Smooth.

"And why did Riley have you?" He spat his name. "Wha' does he wan' with you?"

Buffy's heart was racing as it glanced from his flaring eyes to his clenching fists. She knew the power that was beneath those fists, knew the destruction they had no doubt caused. Spike seemed to have no idea who she was and the power that she too possessed. His only unknown response to her was his dilated eyes and the constant smelling he seemed to be unconsciously doing.

His demon sure knew who she was and more importantly what she was. Every time his eyes flickered ember he would stare intently.

"I-I don't know..."

Soup spilled down Buffy's lap before she could blink and suddenly breathing became an issue. One second he was standing at the end of the bed glaring at her and the next he was straddling her lap, pinning her around the throat and pushing her back into the pillows and head board of the bed.

"Don' lie to me!" He roared his demon coming to the surface, eyes wide and yellow.

Buffy struggled to pull his hand free from her throat, back flaming and burning once again as she choked and sputtered. The lack of a proper meal and sleep over the weeks making her strength oblivious to his powerful grip.

"She can't answer if you're choking her for Christ sake!" The redhead yelled, whispering something in a language Buffy recognized as Latin. With a feral growl Spike was once again at the end of the bed pacing, his eyes flashing blue to yellow as he seemed to struggle reining his demon in.

Tara hesitantly walked over and picked the empty soup bowl up from the floor and handed Buffy a cup of water. She helped her sit back up this time leaning forward and away from the pillows, shooting Buffy a sympathetic look as she struggled to get air back into her lungs.

"What. Does. Riley. Want. With. You?" Spike pronounced each word slowly and forced, his gaze fixed on Buffy and she knew to dare not lie again. He would know the truth one way or another.

"To take me back."

"To who?"

"To h-him."

"Less cryptic shit and more answers. Now!"

"Angelus! To take me back to Angelus..."

"You're no' the first pretty little lady Angelus has taken, luv." He spat his name, hatred in his words as he stopped, tilting his head, curious. "Wha' makes you so special..."

"I-I don't...."

"I've been hunting Finn for the las' three days since I found out he was close to my lands, but whenever I got close-" Spike slapped his hands together making Buffy jump. "He ups and leaves in another direction. Erratic for him which I can only assume was because he was hunting you down. So again I ask." He sat down next to her on the bed, disregarding of the wet soup covered sheets and the now reddening marks around her throat. Buffy flinched as he leaned close. "Wha' makes you so special?"

Buffy eyes began to water as her vision blurred, the voices in the room becoming clouded and foggy. She was seeing double, her body becoming lax as she tried to shake it off and stay awake.

"H-help. I ne-"

Her limbs felt heavy. Buffy tried to move her muscles but couldn't feel a thing. Eyes going wide she grasped out a hand to his bicep tight, her hand stinging. "I'm...P-pulsatus." Buffy struggled to stay upright as she stumbled over her words, lips numb. She felt her forehead connect with his shoulder just as she whispered "Electus." and blacked out, neck bare and exposed.

It was his demons automatic response to come to the surface as he stared at the vein pulsing in her neck. He was aware of Willow and Tara staring at him wide eyes, daring not to interrupt his beast as it sought to discover what she was.

Spike breathed her scent in, dirt and the sweaty musk from traveling off road and in the woods lingered in her hair and skin along with a scent he was familiar with. Blood. This blood wasn't the blood that coated the ruined materials used to mend the wound on her back. No this was fresh. His demon almost grinned when he felt the limp hand fall from his bicep when he moved. Picking the bandaged hand up from the bed near his thigh he brought it to his face. Spike let his demon take control for a few moments and pull the darkening cloth from her hand. He felt his pants grow tight when the cloth dropped to the bed and the wound came in to view, blood dripping from her palm.

The woman- Elizabeth or Buffy, Spike wasn't sure what to call her, was still passed out against his chest. He pushed his demon back and felt himself take more control, his face still in demon form. Spike tentatively lent forward and licked the trialing blood that had dripped down to her wrist and back up to the wound on her palm.

Her blood was like none he had ever tasted before. She was intoxicating. He could taste raw power in her veins, pure and untouched. He couldn't help but suckle at her palm, his tongue licking flat against the wound, the healing collegian in his saliva already helping to stitch the wound closed. Spike growled low in warning when he felt someone move behind him.

"T-The soup I gave her must have kicked in a bit sooner than I thought!" Willow started loudly, lying and knowing full well the dose of sleeping powder that she had added to the soups mixture. She tentatively reached out a hand and touched it briefly with Spike's shoulder, flinching back when he snarled, eyes flashing yellow. Spike turned his gaze once again to Buffy- Elizabeth and lowered her to a laying position.

What was she?

"Wh-what does pulsatus electus mean?" Tara asked.

"It's Latin for touched o-or chosen." Willow replied, staring at the young woman on the bed with wide eyes.

"Well isn' that just neat..." Spike's human visage fell back into place as he brushed a lock of hair from her face, his hand hovering over her bruising neck.

"It's impossible... That bloodline died out a long time ago." Willow whispered staring as the red marks around Buffy's neck seemed to lighten, healing themselves at a rate she had never seen before.

"Clearly not."

"I wan' everyone ready to go within the hour!"

"It's light out still." Willow stated, oblivious to Spikes sudden excitement over the person who had literally fallen into his lap.

"One hour and we're gone."

"She said help." Willow seemed puzzled. Why would a woman of the chosen bloodline ask a vampire for help? How was she even alive? The war that had raged across the country had started over the chosen ones and two powerful vampire covens.

Vampires and the chosen ones where sworn enemies. Why wasn't she dead? Why hadn't Angelus just killed her?

As if hearing her unspoken thoughts, Tara spoke.

"I-If she really is chosen why would Angelus keep her locked up. Why not kill her?" Tara stuttered gathering items from the room and stuffing them into the bag Willow had just passed her.

"Why indeed." Spike muttered staring at the bruised and battered woman who lay before him questions running through his mind a million miles an hour, the lingering sweet taste of her lips still caressing the taste buds on his tongue.


Chapter End Notes:
Thoughts??? I'm still in need of a BETA if anyone is interested?



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