Disclaimer: All hail Joss.

Author’s note: Thanks to BTL for the betaing and the snowball! I love it!
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Chapter 26: Where it all goes down hill.

"Buffy," ordered Riley. "Walk away now!"

The worried tone in his voice made her smile. She couldn't figure out why the gadgets in the bushes had gone off for Spike and not for her. It must have to do with the ugly ring, she concluded to herself.

She decided to play the innocent, 'cause it was just so much fun. She could feel Spike's slight jealousy as Buffy batted her eyelashes at the solider boy.

"Why would I want to do that when there are two very hot guys standing right here?" she asked in a little girl voice.

"He's dangerous," continued Riley, eying Spike. "You don't know how dangerous he is. He's not a normal guy."

"Really?" Buffy asked as she stood up, stepping between the two men. She could hear Riley's breath hitch in his throat as she hesitated between the two of them. He was wondering just who she would walk towards.

There wasn't a snowball’s chance in hell that she was walking towards Riley.

"You know," she started, looking at the commando. "He is right."

"Huh?" articulated Riley.

"This blond hunk of man," she responded, purring. "He's right. I am his." Buffy stepped towards Spike, wrapping her arms around her mate and glaring at Riley.

Her eyes darted around for an easy escape route. They were surrounded. There had to be at least 20 commandos in the bushes. Spike's hands pressed on her skin firmly. He was aware of the soldiers in the bushes and he was just a little bit tense about it.

"It was nice seeing you again Riley," she continued, staring the TA down. "See you in class."

She turned, gently pushing Spike in front of her as she walked. Buffy wanted to get out of the area ASAP. She didn’t have time to explain herself.

Riley wasn't making it easy for her though. The TA stepped in front of Spike as he walked away, brining a gun out of his pants. If Buffy had been in a better mood she would have made a smart remark about the location of his gun. As it was, she was more terrified of what Riley and his soldier buddies were going to do to them.

"Riley, please," she almost begged, peering around from behind Spike. "Just let us go."

A brief look of concern passed over the soldier's face, then as his tracking devices beeped again, his face hardened.

"I'm sorry Buffy. I have to do this to protect this town," he said, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Before Buffy had time to throw herself into the path of the shot that exited the barrel of Riley's gun, he fired. With a grunt, Spike collapsed onto the ground. Electricity sparkled on the air and the smell of burning flesh hit Buffy's nostrils. She didn't realise it right away, but she had been zapped too. There was a painfully long moment of disorientation as the ring attempted to counteract effects of the electricity. Buffy's brain tried to comprehend what was going on. She had alway thought that this mythical ring she wore on her finger would protect her from all harm. I guess it doesn't get modern technology, she concluded to herself.

Buffy shook her head, trying to clear it of the massive amount of electricity that had coursed through her body. All she could understand was that Riley was trying to figure out if she was okay and that the men in the bushes were coming closer, with things in their hands.

Riley waved his hand in front of her face.

The world was moving so slowly. The men in night gear tied up Spike before her and started taking him away before she could move her arms with any amount of productivity. And Riley was still in her way.

She clenched her fist determinedly, forcing her muscles to react. As the feeling returned, she thought of only one thing.

Get Spike back.

Buffy back handed Riley, causing Faith's boy toy to fall to the ground. She sprinted after the men who had taken Spike, only to see the black van he had been huddled into squeal out of sight. She followed it as best as she could, but even vampire stamina could not keep up with an engine she was pretty sure was powered by jet fuel.

Buffy, stopped her pursuit in the middle of the road, her shoulders heaving from her run. Staring off into the dark depths of the night, she couldn't help but cry. Tears coursing down her face, she was joined shortly by Riley.

The commando put an arm on her shoulder, trying to soothe her tears.

“Buffy, he was dangerous. They are taking him somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone ever again. You don’t know just how lucky you are that he didn’t hurt you, or worse,” Riley commented his voice soft. “I don’t know what he told you, but you aren’t the first girl he’s tried to seduce.”

Buffy turned with a hard glare at the commando with his arm around her shoulder. She pushed him off and stepped away. She was so mad. This buffoon had gotten Spike captured. He had to pay. Death wasn’t good enough for him.

Buffy growled and brought out her fangs, catching Riley off guard.

Riley tried to back away from Buffy and find something to defend himself with, but Buffy lunged at him and sunk her fangs into his neck.

The warm blood coursing down her throat was the nothing compared to Spike’s sire’s blood that she drank daily, only this was warmer. It was its only redeeming virtue. She was too angry to think about what taking Riley’s life meant for her non soul or her relationship with Willow.

Buffy pulled away from the commando’s scarred neck and licked her lips. She carefully cut her index finger on her fangs and dribbled a few drops of blood into Riley’s mouth. Riley was still gasping for help and air as his heart beat down its final moments. Riley licked down the drops desperately.

Those drops would make him a minion, nothing more. The weakest minion in their clan if Buffy had done it right. It was her first siring after all. Without waiting for Riley to kick the can, Buffy hoisted him over her shoulder fireman style and headed back home. She would leave the corpse in the care of the most incompetent minion, assuring Riley a permanent position at the bottom of the totem pole.

And that minion’s name was Harmony.
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Buffy rushed into Giles’ apartment, her tears long turned to anger and hatred. There was a Scooby meeting in progress. Faith, Xander, Amy, Oz, Willow, and Giles were all assembled, talking about something of importance. Buffy didn‘t care what they were talking about, she needed them, or at least Faith to help her get Spike.

At once, Willow knew that something was up with Buffy and the look of concern that passed over the witch‘s face set Buffy off again. In tears she cried out the situation to her best friend and the other Scoobies.

“So you came here? Why? So that we would help you get your vampire lover out of the clutches of a government organization that is actually doing the town some good? Spike’s evil, let him rot in that place with the rest of your minions,” spouted Faith, her face hard against Buffy‘s plight.

Buffy looked up from Willow’s shoulder as the room went silent. She turned and with one fluid motion, Faith was bleeding from the nose and was on the floor.

“Spike saved your life, you ungrateful bitch!” Buffy shouted. “He should have just let you die with the rest of the watchers who attacked us! You will help me Faith whether you want to or not.”

“You are obviously under some form of crazy delusion then,” Faith scoffed. “There is no way that I’ll be helping you.”

“I’ll help you Buffy, you know I will,” interrupted Willow.

Xander nodded too. “Count me in.”

“Me too!” added Amy.

Buffy smiled at her friends and then turned back to Faith who was wiping the blood from her nose. “I won’t do it,” declared Faith, her arms crossed as she sat down on Giles’ couch.

“Then you can find another place to live,” noted Giles suddenly, and Buffy gave him a watery smile before glaring back at Faith.

“I’m not giving you the option of refusing Faith. Your boyfriend did this and I need you to get us in,” explained Buffy.

“Then you are going to have to get another plan,” noted Faith resolutely.

Buffy growled a little at Faith’s attitude. She had actually expected this, just not exactly the fact that she’d have to make Faith do this. She wished now that she'd taken Spike up on his offer to show how to use the Sire/Future Childe connection to make Faith do her will.

With a deep unneeded breath, Buffy fixed her eyes on Faith and the scar that was on Faith’s neck.

“Show us where the entrance to the base is, Faith,” Buffy said in a very commanding voice.

Willow’s jaw dropped, as Faith pushed past her and opened the front door. “Follow me,” noted the slayer stalking out into the night.

“Could you do that all the time?” Willow asked Buffy.

Buffy nodded, her eyes focusing on Faith’s figure, not willing to give up control of Faith until they were safely inside the compound.

“Fascinating. Wonder if she could do it all the time,” muttered Giles as he grabbed his coat and headed out into the night behind the group.
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Buffy did not let Faith out of her sight or her control all the way to the entrance of the compound. Which, surprisingly enough, was one of the dorms on campus. Buffy sighed as she realised that this was going to be way harder than she had previously thought.

They passed through the front doors of the building, a male dorm, and down a corridor or two. Faith stopped right in front of a full length mirror.

“How are we going to get in Buffy?” asked Willow, scared and looking around as if someone was watching them.

“Faith with get us in,” said Buffy, more confidently than she felt.

“I don’t know Buff, this place looks impregnable, and well, smells just a bit ripe,” noted Xander, waving his hand in front of his nose.

“One would have hoped that the population of a male dorm on this campus would have been privy the wonders of personal hygiene,” observed Giles.

The group stared at the mirror Faith had led them to, pondering just how to open it. Faith was giving them no hints. Faith stood in front of the mirror, unable to move against Buffy’s thrall. The others hid behind the closest corner waiting for Buffy to make up her mind as to what they would do next.

“I can’t take you any further, I’ve only been down there once. Riley took me there. This is the end of the road. Now, let me go!” shouted Faith, struggling against Buffy’s thrall.

“No!” shouted Buffy. “Not until Spike is back home. I need him back, Faith.”

Buffy fought back her tears. She couldn’t feel Spike through their connection at all, which meant that either he was unconscious, or worse, dust. She couldn’t bear to contemplate the second scenario. They were all waiting for her to make up her mind, to do something that would bring them to the next stage of this plan to rescue a vampire.

Buffy was saved from making a decision by the opening of the door behind a mirror, and the appearance of a commando, sans army gear, obviously off duty for the night.

“Faith!” the commando said surprised. “What are you doing here? Are you meeting Riley for a date?”

Faith let a strained smile pass over her face. She was clearly fighting the thrall, but Buffy wanted this soldier to help them into the compound and if using Faith was the way this had to go, then so be it.

“What are you doing here?” the soldier continued, trying to step out of the white elevator and into the hallway. Faith didn’t budge and didn’t give him much room to manoeuvre.

“Graham,” murmured Faith, “It’s, it’s....” Faith’s words stopped suddenly in her throat. The Slayer looked back at Buffy with hatred in her eyes.

Graham curiously looked back from Faith to the corner where the Scoobies were hiding, wondering what was going on. His body was tense, as if preparing for a confrontation. Giles didn’t let them get a chance. The watcher moved swiftly, his fist coming in hard contact with the soldier’s nose. Graham fell back into the elevator, followed by a rush of Scoobies, herding into the elevator, but leaving Faith, as if paralysed, in the hallway.

The doors to the elevator closed, while Faith’s wide eyes silently screamed her protest to the situation. Buffy however, thought no more about the slayer and set her mind on the danger that lay before them. She had to get Spike back. She was willing to sacrifice anything to be with her mate again. Even Faith.

Buffy looked back at the four humans who followed her. They had been in such doubt when she’d first been turned. That they had come with her to save the vampire that had turned her was proof enough that they loved her, despite her demon status.

Buffy pushed open a panel to reveal a crawl space above the elevator. With one powerful leap, Buffy was above the elevator cabin and reaching down to help her friends up into the elevator shaft. Willow climbed up willingly, Xander with difficultly, but Giles actually shrugged his shoulders and sighed before letting himself be pulled into the shaft.

“It’s too late to back out now,” observed Willow gently, dusting Giles off.

The group crawled through a number of vents and shafts, dodging antiquated security systems and keeping silent around corners. Buffy let her senses guide her to Spike’s side. At long last, Buffy dropped through a vent and into a large white room, in which sat a series of glass cells, each holding a vampire or demon in various states of dress, health, and distress.

The groups’ appearance in the room brought a wave of sound to Buffy’s ears. Each conscious demon and vampire called to her for help.

Buffy ignored the calls for help; she ignored the cries of pain and agony. She sought out just one demon in that long line of cells. Mid way down and to the left, Buffy spotted him, unconscious, with a chunk of his platinum blond hair missing from his scalp.

Unfortunately for the others, they couldn’t block out the pathetic cries of the demons and vampires behind the glass. Willow already had tears coursing down her cheeks as Buffy pulled on her shirt to get her attention.

“I need the door open Willow,” ordered Buffy.

Willow didn’t need Buffy to ask her again. With a nod, Willow began chanting a simple spell to open the cell door. The door slid open silently, and Buffy wasted no time to get to her mate’s side.

“Does anyone else think that this is too easy?” asked Xander and thereby jinxing the rescue operation.

A loud alarm started blaring, with the inevitable flashing red lights.

“Xander!” chastised Willow.

“I do believe we should exit this artificially sterile place post haste,” suggested Giles.

“’Cause of the alarm?” asked Xander critically.

“Well, that, and these harsh lights are giving me a headache,” noted Giles.

Ignoring the banter, Buffy hoisted her unconscious mate over her shoulder, fireman style and headed back out into the hallway. Finally, she was able to see the other demons in the other cells, some were her minions even.

“It’s terrible,” observed Willow with a little girl voice, looking at the others who were still trapped.

“Let them out,” asked Buffy. “Please Willow, set them free. They don’t deserve this.”

Willow started chanting again, casting a spell on the doors of the cells. Even as the cell doors slid open, the main door to the room was filled with gun and tazer toting soldiers, bent on keeping their quarry in their cells. Demons, long held captive faced off against the soldiers. The Scoobies stood in the middle, uncomfortable in their position as a barrier between the two sides.

“Hey! Look over there!” yelled Xander pointing at the other end of the cell bay.

Like magic, all the demons and soldiers looked away for a split second, giving the Scoobies a chance to get away. With Spike bouncing on her shoulder, Buffy weaved her way through the corridors and dodging sentries as she led Giles, Xander, and Willow towards what she thought was the exit.

Buffy turned a corner sharply, and almost ran into Graham, brandishing a rifle. The look in his eyes was pure surprise, shock, and a little bit of hatred, as he viewed whom was over Buffy’s shoulder.

Graham pointed his rifle at the Scoobies who were at once shocked that after so easy a rescue they had been stopped by the one person they kinda knew down there.

He lifted the muzzle at the group and scowled. If Buffy had a heart beat, hers would have been going a mile a minute, as it was, she could only hear Willow’s, Xander’s, Amy, and Giles’ hearts beat faster as they faced down Graham’s gun.

“Just turn around and go back to the holding cells,” the soldier finally said, moving his gun to indicate the other direction.

“I’m not going back there, Graham,” asserted Buffy. “And neither is Spike.”

“Riley had this thing where he didn’t want hurt innocent humans. Luckily, I don’t have the same compulsion. But maybe you’d like to tell me where Riley is? You were the last one to see him.”

“Maybe he went for a walk?“ suggested Buffy, trying to shrug her shoulders under the weight of Spike on her shoulder.”

“He’s probably making the smoochies with Faith,” started Xander bitterly.

“Incendio,” whispered Willow, sending a puff of smoke towards Graham and setting his camo gear aflame.

As Graham’s screams filled the corridor, Giles pushed the flailing soldier out of the way creating an escape route. Xander followed Giles, trailed by Buffy, carrying Spike, with Amy and Willow bringing up the rear.

Suddenly a shot rang out inside the corridor, the sounds of ricocheting sounded before there was a Willow like scream, and the sound of flesh hitting the floor.

The group halted their trek and turned to see Willow, lying on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder. Giles wasted no time. He scooped up Willow and continued on his way outside the complex.

“Why am I always the one to get shot at?” asked Willow in faint voice.
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tbc...