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Chapter 20 – Home Again


Two hours later, Angel pulled the car into the driveway of the mansion on Crawford Street. He hadn’t sold it after all these years, so it was decided that the group would stay there. They quickly unloaded the car and made their way into the front room of the mansion.

Buffy helped Willow set up her supplies as she prepared to do a location spell to pinpoint Cassidy’s location. As Willow worked, Buffy watched Spike pace the length of the room. When he started to become distracting to everyone else, Buffy got up and led him out the front door. “Okay, spill it.”

Spike resumed his pacing in front of her. “Something feels off, Buffy. I don’t like this.”

“Spike, we went over this no more than two hours ago. Everything will be fine-”

“Everything won’t be soddin’ fine!” he yelled. “Buffy, last time we went up against this chit and her minions, I died!”

Staying quiet for a minute as she stared at the ground, she tried to control her emotions. “And you’re still here.”

“Yeah, and that’s turning out bloody wonderful,” Spike said sarcastically, causing Buffy to look up at him with wide, watery eyes. Realizing what he said, he moved to take her into his arms, frowning when she stepped away from him. “Buffy, love, I didn’t mean it that way. I just-”

“Forget it,” she said with a wave of her hand.

“Buffy, I-”

“No, i-it’s okay. I understand.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Buffy swallowed hard before looking up with a fake smile. “See, it’s fine.”

“I just meant I haven’t felt useful the past couple of days,” he said softly, trying to make her understand.

“I know,” she said with a nod. “I, uh, I’m going patrolling.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s not safe.”

“And it’s so safe for you?”

“Spike, if Cassidy or one of her followers sees you, it will blow your cover. On the other hand, if they see me alone, it will get back to her that I’m in town.”
Spike clenched his jaw as he looked at her. “One hour.”

“Okay,” Buffy said with a genuine smile at his concern. Walking over to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tender kiss good-bye. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

Nodding his agreement, he watched her walk out of sight before turning and heading back into the house.

* * * * *

After patrolling for forty-five minutes and had only staking one vampire, Buffy decided to call it a night. At least Spike would be happy that she would be early. Turning and cutting through the cemetery, she stopped when she heard a noise behind her.

“Well, if it isn’t the infamous Slayer.”

Turning around to face the large vampire behind her, she raised an eyebrow. “Do I know you?”

“Oh, no. Not yet. You see, we have a friend in common.”

“If you’re talking about Cassidy, we really don’t.”

“That’s not the way she tells it. I hear the two of you did quite a bit of patrolling over the past few weeks.”
“Yeah, the most thrilling nights of my life,” she said mockingly.

“Well, here’s the thing,” the vamp said as he advanced on her. “She has requested the honor of your presence. So if you wouldn’t mind coming with me-”

“Well, thanks for asking so nicely,” Buffy replied, her voice dripping with false delight at the request. “You see, the thing is, I don’t really feel like walking into a lair and facing the end of my immortality, so if you don’t mind, send her my regards.”

Smiling at the look of confusion that crossed over the man’s face, she narrowed her eyes when he shrugged. “Well, I preferred to do it this way anyway.”

Buffy watched as he withdrew a gun from his pocket and aimed at her. Before she could react, two tranquilizer darts were shot into her stomach. Swaying slightly, she tried her hardest to remain upright and coherent, but found that she was fighting a losing battle. Before long, everything was black.

* * * * *

Groggily trying to shake her head and clear it of the fog that resided as she slowly began to wake up, Buffy managed to focus her eyes. Surveying the tiny room she was in- a thick, metal door was directly in front of her, and the walls appeared to be all cement blocks. Feeling the shackles of heavy chains connecting her to a wall behind her, she was able to come to her senses a little more. Noticing the two vampires standing to her left, she immediately jumped to her feet.

Scowling when she saw Cassidy standing next to the male vamp that had pulled the dart gun on her, she restrained the urge from lunging forward, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “You know, if there’s anything I hate worse than a cheater, it’s someone who has to use toys to beat their opponent. Couldn’t take me in a fair fight, huh?”

Smiling when the man advanced on her, she rolled her eyes when he was intercepted by Cassidy. “Well, Buffy,” she said. “I wanted to be nice and ask you to come here, but you decided to play hardball.”

“And you do realize that I have mobility in these shackles, right?” Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not coming anywhere near me with a stake.”

“Don’t need to,” Cassidy said with a smile. “You see, we have that problem covered. I wanted to see you die, maybe not necessarily cause it, but I do want to see it. So, on the other side of that rather thick metal door is a sheet of mystical glass. I get to watch your horrible, gruesome death with no worries of you getting loose.”

“And just what is my horrible, gruesome death going to consist of?” Buffy asked, still maintaining her confident disposition and bored tone.

“Oh, did I forget to mention? I’m sorry, you see, it involves that.”

Looking up, Buffy felt a trickle of fear when she noticed the panes of glass about fifty feet above her that lined the ceiling of the room.

“You see,” Cassidy continued. “In about two hours, I thought that meeting the sunrise would be a fitting end to the vampire with a soul. Maybe the same fate will meet Angel.”

Buffy suddenly remembered her friends. They had to be looking for her. Willow must have done a locator spell on her, and they had to be on their way. Watching as Cassidy shut the sliding door with a reverberating slam, she turned her gaze to the other vampire in the room, debating her options. She could feel her gag reflex take effect when she decided on her best one.

“You know,” she said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “These cuffs are awfully tight. I guess there’s no way you could loosen them a little bit?”

Seeing the vamp swallow when she gave him a bright smile, Buffy coyly bit her lip, glancing shyly at the floor. “Um, no, there’s, uh, there’s really only the two positions.”

“That’s too bad. Listen, I didn’t mean what I said about the tranquilizers earlier. I was just trying to get under her skin, you know?” Leaning forward slightly, she batted her eyelashes in his direction.

“Yeah,” he said, getting closer to her to get a good look down her shirt.

‘God, you’d think after so many years of living, vamps would learn a thing or two about the opposite sex,’ Buffy thought. Outwardly, she gave him a shy smile as he advanced on her. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

“Sure,” he said, sounding like an eager schoolboy.

‘I really am going to throw up when I say this,’ she thought, swallowing hard to calm her nerves.

“Well, it’s just, I don’t let myself get close to a lot of people,” she said, looking up at him through her lashes. “Physically, I mean. And I was thinking, since, well, I only have a few hours left, maybe you and I could…”

‘Yep, here it comes- up-chuck reflex.’

“…get a little more intimate.” Buffy breathed out a sigh as she was able to say it as provocatively as possible while still not choking.

“Well,” he said. “I’d love to, it’s just Cass-”

“And here I am, all chained to a wall and restricted.”

‘Okay, Buff,’ she said to herself. ‘Keep laying it on this thick, and I’ll stake you myself.’ As it was though, she smiled when he got within touching distance of her. Buffy slowly reached out and ran her hands up the larger man's chest.

“Well, since it’s your last request,” he said.

Buffy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. As she felt his roaming hands harshly squeeze her butt while the other ran over her chest, she felt rage fill her. In less than a second, she had the chain wrapped around his neck and jerked it towards her until she heard a satisfying snap.

“On second thought,” Buffy said as she dropped the incapacitated vamp to the ground. “I don’t think my boyfriend would like it very much,” she said with false sweetness. Quickly rifling around in his pockets, Buffy made sure he was unconscious as she came across the key to the shackles and unlocked them. Rubbing her sore wrists, she ran to the heavy door and pulled on it.

“Damn it,” she said softly when it wouldn’t budge.

“Buffy!”

Spinning around in a full circle when she heard her name, she stopped, listening intently with a frown on her face.

“Buffy!”

“Willow?”

“Yeah, Buff, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Where the hell are you?”

“At the mansion.”

“Okay,” she replied. “Definitely wigging out now.”

“Telepathic link. Now where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, a little hazy from the drugs they gave me, but okay. I just got out of the restraints they had me in, but I think I’m trapped in a warehouse. Can’t you do a spell or something?”

“Something’s blocking it. I almost couldn’t get through on the link. Spike’s freaking out, by the way.”

Buffy smiled at the casual tone of her friend. “Tell him I’m fine. Wills, I’m stuck in a room with a glass ceiling. Cassidy wants the joy of watching me go up in flames at sunrise. I need to get outta here.”

“Okay, we have a little longer than sunrise, before the sun reaches the top of the ceiling, unless there’s windows in the room.”

“Willow, if there was a window I could reach, don’t you think I’d be through it by now?”

“Good point. Okay. Angel and Cordy are out looking for you right now. I’ll get in touch with them, and we’ll head to the warehouse district. Anything else you can tell me?”

“Um, heavy walls. Sliding metal door that leads into the main part of the building. Ceiling’s about five stories up.”

“Okay, we’ll be there soon. Hopefully I can do a spell when we get there and get a better location on you.”

“Okay, and be careful, Wills. I don’t know how many vamps Cassidy has this time. I’ve only seen one, and he’s currently paralyzed on the floor. Oh! Don’t let them see Spike. She’s still after me and Angel.”

“Will do! We’ll be there soon, Buff. Don’t worry.”

Buffy let out a sigh as she slid down the wall. Nothing to do now but sit and wait.





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