WARNING Some scenes in this chapter are somewhat graphic, with descriptions of torture. Not obscenely descriptive... but still, not very nice. Just letting you know. You have been warned.


Chapter 23: Taken.


The van careened down the streets of town, taking the quickest route to the other side where they had made their lair.

“I’m hungry…” the driver complained as his eyes searched to side window, searching for an easy meal. The slayer was out on patrol, so there would be no incident if they stopped and grabbed a bite to eat.

“Keep your eyes on the road. We’ll feed when we get back to the lair.” The vampire beside him growled.

“Would you shut up and let me drive.” The driver snarled, tearing his attention away from out his side window and glaring at the vampire beside him. “I could navigate this van back to the lair blindfolded. Lived here my whole life.” He reminded the out-of-towner.

“Yeah well just watch where you’re going.”

“Or what?” the driver demanded as he looked away from the road ahead of him again. “You think you can tell me what to--”

THUMP! THUMP!

A body shaped something catapulted into the air and rolled over the roof of the van before hitting the pavement with a sickening thud.

“Shit!” the driver swore as he pulled the van to a screeching holt and looked in the rear view mirror. There in the middle of the street lay the prone body of a human. Winding his window down he could smell the blood pouring out from the many wounds the hit must have caused.

“Just drive!” the other vampire in the front ordered.

“He’s already dying! It’s a waste of blood.” The driver complained.

“We can’t feed here. Too many witnesses.”

The driver looked across the street and cursed when he realized their location. They were right in front of the hospital. “Shit. Alright, lets get out of here.”

And with that the van tore off down the street again.

~~~

Buffy rounded the last street corner and onto Revello drive her gaze floating towards her house. Angel walked silently beside her, the weight of his earlier ‘beautiful’ comment still hanging between them. Neither had made any effort to clear the air between them since, so they had walked in silence.

It was when they reached the driveway that Buffy realized that something was very wrong. Shattered glass blanketed said driveway, and thick black marks marred the street before her house.

“Dawn!” she shouted in alarm when she immediately thought he worst. She ran at the front door, followed closely by Angel.

Buffy threw the front door open, shouting for her sister as she entered only to have her fears quelled a few moments later when her sister appeared from the living room and threw her arms around her tightly, her cheeks puffy and red from crying.

“Dawn? What happened?” Buffy asked as she was filled with a sense of dread.

Dawn led her sister wordlessly into the living room, a gasp breaking from Buffy’s lips at what she saw. Everyone was awake, and huddled around the prone form of Xander. Anya was huddled at his side, tears streaming down her face whilst Willow and Tara stood off to the side holding each other for comfort.

“What happened?” Buffy demanded as she fell to Xander’s side, two fingers reaching for his neck in search of a pulse. She let out a mildly relieved sigh when she found its steady beating.

Giles held his hand out towards Buffy, a small dart sitting in the middle of his palm. She took it from him, mindful of the tip and examined it but it meant nothing to her. Returning it to her watcher she demanded answers. “Is he going to be okay? Who did this? How did it happen?”

“Spike was --“ Giles started to explain, trailing off when Buffy immediately scanned the room and found the bleached vampire absent.

“Where is he?” she assumed instantly, figuring that he had something to do with it.

“Buffy he didn’t do this…” Dawn said with wide eyes. “It was…”

“It was what?” she demanded.

“Vampires.” Anya provided, glaring at Buffy. She blamed the slayer for Xander’s current condition. If she had been back earlier then maybe he wouldn’t have run out onto the lawn like he had when Spike had turned up drunk. “Or at least that’s what Giles tells me.”

“Giles?” Buffy pleaded, her desperation for answers overwhelming her.

“Xander has been drugged.” Giles informed both Buffy and Angel. “Nothing lethal. I recognise the darts. They are similar to ones that I used to use for the tranquilizer gun with Oz.”

“With Oz…” Buffy said wide-eyed in realization. Those darts were potent enough to take down a fully-grown elephant, and Xander had been hit with one of them? “Will he be okay?” she asked.

“He’ll be fine.” Giles said with a nod. “He may be out for a little while, and the dart site is going to sting a little, but apart from that…” he trailed off.

They were lucky, that’s what Buffy understood Giles hesitation to be. Her eyes fell to her friends face in silent apology.

“What’s this about Spike?” Angel asked.

Giles sighed in irritation. Buffy was going to be less than pleased. “Spike found out quite early in the evening about your leaving for patrol.” He said with a look at both his slayer and the vampire by her side. “And he decided to follow you.”

Buffy tensed in apprehension. “And?”

“I’m assuming that he did not meet up with the two of you?” Giles probed. When both shook their heads in response he continued. “A little over 20 minutes ago he turned up, drunk.”

Buffy folded her arms over her chest, a scowl crossing her face at this little piece of information. “Where is he?” she demanded, intent on giving him a good talking to. “Is he passed out downstairs? When I get my hands on him I’m gonna --“

“He’s gone.” Dawn interrupted.

“Gone?” Buffy blinked in surprise. “Gone where?”

“Taken.” Giles supplied. “Vampires. Most likely Darla’s men. They came in a van. By the time Xander and I heard the disturbance they were already in the process of dragging him into the vehicle.”

Buffy was furious. Furious with Spike for getting himself into this mess, and equally as mad that Darla’s minions’ only appearance had been missed by her. What she wouldn’t give to beat the un-life out of them right about now. Her fury swiftly turned to panic when the prophecy echoed in her mind.

“Do we have any idea where they’ve gone?” Buffy asked.

The responding shaking of heads was a resounding no.

“Fantastic.” She cursed. “This is the last thing we need right now.”

“Buffy.” Dawn said quietly. “He just wanted to help. He just wanted to make sure you were okay. He was worried.”

“And it’s going to get him killed.” Buffy added quietly.

Spike had been taken, which meant that Dawn was possibly in real danger of being hurt herself.

“Giles how are we going on that research?” she asked. “Has Wesley come up with anything yet?”

Giles shook his head in response. “Not yet I’m afraid. The last time I spoke with him this afternoon was to suggest he contact the conduits. I don’t expect to hear from him until mid afternoon at best.”

Nodding in acknowledgement Buffy began to pace the room, trying to figure out what to do. Her concern for her sister’s safety was palpable. “Alright.” Buffy said as she tried to think. “Everyone should go to bed, get some rest. We can worry about Darla and what to do about Spike in the morning.”

“Buffy are you sure?” Giles questioned, knowing her concerns for Dawn’s welfare would be at an all time high right now.

Buffy nodded, moving to Xander’s side and reaching over to lift him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Anya faltered, her tears having yet to slow their track down her cheeks.

“We’ll take him upstairs to bed, get him more comfortable.” She said softly, relieved when the ex-vengeance demon nodded her head in agreement. With Angel’s help they carried Xander upstairs and set him carefully on Buffy’s double bed, Anya immediately crawling to his side and taking one of his hands in hers.

Dawn, Willow and Tara had followed them upstairs and made their way to their respective rooms to retire for the night, knowing there was nothing further that they could do tonight. Buffy walked back down the stairs with Angel, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt at comfort. Giles was preparing her bed for her, and she shot him a grateful smile as she moved into the room.

“He’ll be okay Buffy.” Giles said speaking of Xander. “He’ll wake up late tomorrow feeling like he’s slept for a week, but he’ll be fine.”

Buffy nodded numbly.

Angel placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression grave. He may not like Spike all that much, but that gave no one the right to snatch him away like they had. Buffy’s concern was written all over her face and Angel knew that whilst mostly for her sister, it was partly for Spike as well.

“I can head back out if you want?” he offered. “Rattle a few cages and see if I can track down the whereabouts of Darla’s lair.”

Buffy shook her head. “Thanks, but no. It’s not safe for you to go out by yourself.”

Angel quirked an eyebrow to ask if she was sure, and she just nodded. After a moments hesitation he accepted her response and voiced his goodnight before disappearing towards the basement.

Buffy moved over to the sofa and laid herself down, wrapping the blankets tightly around herself as Giles settled down on the other one and switched off the light.

She sent out a silent pray to whatever gods that may be listening, that they keep Spike safe.

~~~

Spike strained against the manacles that bound him to the wall of what could only be described as his cell. His current predicament was not something he had imagined finding himself in when he had left the house earlier this night. And he had no one to blame but himself.

He knew what it meant as well. Buffy had told him about the prophecy. He was aware of the fact that if his current captivity ended with a dusty end, that Dawn’s life would be in jeopardy, and that was the last thing that he wanted.

His struggles were pointless but Spike refused to give up. He had to get out of here. For Dawn’s sake.

Cursing his earlier stupidity of drinking far too much alcohol, he tried to familiarize himself with the space in which he was now captive. His eyes roamed to walls of the dark cell, the mustiness in the air hinting that whatever this place had been, it was no longer inhabited. Underneath the musk there was a very familiar smell of disinfectant, a sort of clinical cleanliness that one associated with a hospital.

Or a laboratory.

He stiffened when recognition washed over him in waves. He knew this place. He had been here before.

The Initiative.

This place still gave him nightmares. It was the soldiers that had once run this complex that were behind the fact that he was chipped.

“Oh bloody hell.” He cursed. Things couldn’t get any bloody worse.

The heavy steel door screeched as is swung open and in through it walked a burly vampire pushing a trolley laden with scalpels and other nasty little sharp things before him.

On second thoughts…

~~~

“Excellent.” Darla purred as Jake delivered the good news.

Spike was now in their captivity, and it would only be a matter of time before everything was in place and she could finally achieve the goals she had set. The slayers death, the return or Angelus, and the destruction of the ‘prodigal.’ She couldn’t help but laugh at the name the prophesized writings had given. But soon, the prodigal would be no more and then the real fun could begin.

She was going to drink this town dry…

“Hans has entered the cell. We have set up a live feed for which you to view the proceedings on if you wish?” Jake informed as he pointed towards the television screen that was set up in the corner.

Darla nodded in approval, waving her hand with nonchalance at the blackened screen. “This might serve as light entertainment.” She said with a devious smile.

At her request Jake switched on the television screen with the remote. The picture flickered a few times before it cleared. The picture was black and white, but the camera was placed in a position in the room that clearly showed what was going on in there. Hans, a burly vampire with more brawn than smarts was currently looming over Spike who was chained with manacles to the wall behind him. The larger vampire had a scalpel in his hand, the dull light in the room reflected off the blade.

Spike’s expression was blank as Hans interrogated him, asking the prewritten questions. The bleach haired vampire appeared to be unresponsive.

“Why is there no sound?” Darla asked with pursed lips. She had been looking forward to hearing her great grand childe’s screams.

“We are trying to remedy that problem.” Jake apologised. “I have others out scouring for the leads we require to set the system up properly.”

She sighed with disappointment. “Oh well. I suppose I shall have to just settle for watching then.”

Her attention on the screen hardened as Hans stabbed forward with the scalpel into Spike’s left shoulder, slicing deeply into the muscle. Pain contorted across the vampires face but he kept his mouth clamped shut, refusing to give into it and scream.

“Tsk, tsk. Stubborn Spike.” Darla said with a shake of her head. She turned her attention back to Jake who was watching the screen eagerly. “I want you to report to me every hour. He’s almost as stubborn as Angelus. If he doesn’t scream, then I may just have to have some fun of my own.” She said with a malevolent smirk.

“As you wish.” Jake said as he bowed and walked out of the room. Oh he would make sure the vampire screamed…




~~~~~~~~~~