Thanks Meli For Betaing! Great job!

Ok the next chapter, which I have written, will have Riley's luck turn for him and things will go better for everyone else. In fact I got some goodies coming up and even little William get's Riley! But that's next chapter. This is the last angsty chapter where Riley is an ass.

**hugs** ~Opal

Thanks for your reviews! :)


Chapter 15 -Conversations

Cordelia looked around the hotel room. There was no way that Buffy was going to continue to feign sleep. The place was an absolute pigsty; it was the kind folks used by the hour. She did not even think she would be able to sleep here for the night.

The final straw was when she looked up and saw the mirrors on the ceiling.

“Riley!” Cordelia yelled.

Riley ran into the room with his cell phone flipped open in one hand and a map in the other. “What?” He asked in annoyed tone.

“Look at this hellhole! The mirrors, the dirt, the roaches and there is even a machine to put quarters in to make the bed vibrate. This isn’t appropriate for a lady like me, never mind a baby!” Cordelia shouted.

“Well it’s all we’re getting, so get used to it,” Riley said bluntly. “We’re only going to be here to rest for a few hours and then we are heading out. I’ve made us some reservations at a place right outside of Las Vegas that’s decent. I just need to rest before I drive any further. Now why don’t you go out to the car and check on Buffy.”

“Fine.” Cordelia spat out at him. She held William close to her as she brushed by the soldier. Riley reached out and grabbed her by the arm. He pushed her against the wooden doorframe. Cordelia’s head smacked up against the frame.

“It would do you good Cordelia if you remember I can easily overpower you. Don’t forget that.” Riley sneered. He stepped away from her and continued his phone conversation while she quickly scuttled away to the van. Once he was sure she could not hear he picked up his phone conversation.

“Sorry about that Forrest. The snobby bitch apparently has never been some place you pay by the hour.”

“No problem man. So you were saying something weird happened to Buffy?”

“Yeah man. After Cordelia had a vision, I ran into the room and found her with Hostile 17. Not only was his fangs buried in her neck, but she had her own fangs in his neck.”

“Holy shit Riley, he turned her into a vamp!”

“No Forrest, that’s the fucked up thing. She’s still human but she has these tiny fangs.”

“Finn you know what you have to do, right? The chic is obviously a demon now.”

Riley thought about it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Forrest was making sense. He had tried to save Buffy from the Initiative, but he failed her. In the end, she turned into a demon. Now that she was a demon, she was a hostile, and now that she was a hostile, she should be turned over to the Initiative.

“You are right Forrest. I have to rest right now though. I was planning on going just outside of Vegas for the night. When I get there, I can give you my coordinates. You and Walsh can meet me there.”

“Glad you came to your senses Finn. Send along your coordinates when your ready and we will meet you tomorrow evening at 21:00 sharp.”

The connection disconnected between the two men. Riley sat down on the bed. He knew that logically, he had made the right decision. He could not shake the sinking feeling in his heart.

~~~*~~~

Cordelia did as instructed and wondered out to the SUV. She sat in the back seat so she could watch for Riley.

“Buffy, are you awake?”

“Yeah. Uncomfortable and awake.”

“Well I don’t know how well you’ll be able to fake it for a few hours in the porno palace we’re staying at.”

“Great,” Buffy said. She let out a soft sigh of frustration.

“Do you think you have enough strength to break out of those bindings and overpower him?” Cordy asked.

“I need some more rest first. I also think these are specially made to hold demons, so I’ll have to try harder.”

“Well I think Riley’s attitude has turned for the worse. He pushed me up against the doorframe when I complained to him about the room. He was all Mr. Testosterone with the trying to put me in my place. What an ass! I hope Angel gets here soon.”

“They should be able to find us. Spike has some kind of link with William.”

“And he does with you too. I read about mating claims. If you concentrate you should be able to communicate through a bond with Spike,” Cordelia said. She looked up and saw Riley coming from the hotel room. “Look, pretend to sleep and I’ll suggest to him that we should leave you in the car with a blanket over you. That way you can concentrate on the bond thingy.”

Buffy nodded quickly and shut her eyes as Riley approached the SUV. He opened up the backdoor next to Cordelia.

“Come on, let’s go in and sleep,” Riley said.

“Ok,” she skittishly replied.

“You need to help me carry Buffy in first,” he commanded.

“I think we should just cover her with a blanket and leave her in the car. Besides, it will be hard for me to carry her and the baby at the same time,” she pleaded.

Riley thought about it for a moment. It made sense and he was feeling bad for being an ass towards her. “Ok, your right. I’ll get a blanket out of the room and cover her up, besides we’ll have to bring her in when we get to Las Vegas. That will be a challenge,” he said.

“Thank you,” She replied. Cordelia carefully maneuvered herself out of the car with William. She made her way into the hotel room. Riley followed her in, and grabbed a blanket off the bed.

“I’ll be right back,” he told her. “Pick your space and make yourself comfortable after you set William up in his car seat to sleep.”

Cordelia watched him walk out of the room. She had no other options now, so she did what Cordelia told her. She prayed to the Powers That Be for some help. When Riley walked back in, he looked over at her sleeping form. He was glad that there was no more pushback about the room, although she had been 100% correct. This was no place for a lady or a child, but he was too tired to care.

~~~*~~~

Buffy was relieved that Riley had thrown the blanket on her and left her to be. It would give her time to work on the bond that Cordelia mentioned she would have with Spike. She was suddenly grateful for all of the times Giles forced her to practice meditation. She regulated her breathing, and centered herself. She pictured herself wrapping her arms around Spike and holding onto him for deal life.

Buffy did not expect any results from trying to work the link, but she was surprised when she heard Spike’s voice in her head.

“Buffy, luv, are you ok?”

“Spike, is that really you or am I losing it?”

“It’s really me. Our claim has opened up a bond between each other that we can communicate.”

“Thank God. I did not think you would ever find us. Riley still thinks I’m out cold. Were shacked up at this roach motel and he left me bound up in the back of his SUV.”

“Where’s William?”

“Cordelia has him Spike. She has been playing housekeeper to him, but she’s on our side. She says that he’s changed his mind from wanting to keep us away from the Initiative to surrendering us to them. You have to hurry.”

“No worries love, we are on the way.”

“But how do you know where I am?”

“Seems someone who speaks to the Pixies wanted to help us out.”

“Dru?”

“Yeah luv, but don’t worry about her. Look luv, we know you’re near Vegas. Rest for now and I’ll open up the link later.”

“Sounds good. I’m still groggy from being hit with the taser.”

“Rest now Buffy.”

Buffy felt her connection with Spike close off. As she lay there, she could not help but remember the Slayer dream she had with Dru. ‘Will Drusilla prove to be a friend or a foe?’

She would find out soon enough.