Made by nmcil


Chapter Seventeen:





The sudden noise from the door snapping open startled Buffy out of her slumber. Reem was pushed inside so roughly she hit her thigh on the edge of her bed. Buffy rubbed her eyes, noticing the steel tray with their meal next to the door, possibly brought in when she had been asleep. Her lower back ached, and she could barely turn her head to the right. Dozing off while sitting up had proven to be a stupid idea. Not that she'd planned to sleep; she’d have preferred to spend the wasted hours searching for a way to escape from this hellhole.

She touched her neck in displeasure, watching as Reem picked herself up from the floor and flopped onto her bed, face buried in the pillow. After several unsuccessful attempts trying to get her neck to crack, Buffy stretched her back and peered at the tray, disappointed to find the same detestable pork slices. She forced them into her mouth in silence, not attempting to comfort her quietly sobbing roommate, knowing it was better to be left alone after that experience.

Now that they were both just regular girls, they would have to rely on outsmarting the soldiers instead of physical powers. Not that they'd really benefited from Reem's powers earlier, unless she counted breaking the ventilation shaft grate. It showed how confidence was the key word to make a good Slayer.

Reem slid off the bed quietly, rubbing one arm across her tearful eyes, and went to the corner to pray. The hem of her shirt was slightly ripped and there was a bruise on her elbow. That sight made Buffy unconsciously bang her head against the wall in aggravation. She winced, touching her neck again, and then made another effort to crack it, but it didn't work. So frustrating, just like this situation; she wasn't used to feeling helpless and held hostage, when she was the hostage savior.

Her mind jumped to what Amy had said about capturing Willow, and then her heartbeat sped up with dread. The last time Amy had put the whammy on her friend, Willow had almost lost control again. There was no way to tell what Amy had in store for Willow once the government found her, but it was obviously going to be worse than wearing Warren's body for a whole day.

"I see they brought our breakfast," Reem mumbled, eying the tray bleakly from her place on the floor.

Buffy turned her gaze from the ceiling to her roommate. "Is that what it is? Breakfast?"

"Yeah, I just did my dawn prayer." She checked her watch, standing up. "Which is more like a morning prayer." She appeared more relaxed now, and Buffy envied her a little for having something to soothe her. Those guys probably wouldn't appreciate her request for a punching bag.

Reem grabbed her glass of water, ignoring the pork, and went to her bed. Buffy banged the back of her head against the wall a second time. Now that they'd had their breakfast, soon they'd be taken to the bathrooms, if they would even be allowed after their escape attempt last time.

She closed her eyes tiredly, wincing at the annoying ache in her neck.

"What's wrong?"

Opening her eyes, Buffy pointed at her irritated neck. "Strained from sleeping in a bad position."

Reem set her glass on the floor. "Let me take a look." Her fingers pressed on the right side of Buffy's neck. "Does it hurt here?"

"A little." She pressed on the back of Buffy's neck, and Buffy flinched. "Yep. It hurts here, too."

"I'd wrap an ice pack around it, if I had ice." She examined Buffy's neck briefly. "I'm gonna massage it a little to reduce the stiffness." Taking Buffy's hand, she pulled her up, and then turned her to face her bed. Reem grabbed Buffy's pillow and handed it to her. "Sit on your knees and put this pillow between your chest and the side of the bed." Buffy did as she was told and waited, loving the idea of getting a massage; she could definitely use one under these circumstances.

Reem undid two buttons of Buffy's hospital gown, and let her hands rest on Buffy's back for a few seconds. Buffy closed her eyes, relaxing under the light touch. Gentle hands went up to her upper shoulders, without breaking contact, and started to squeeze the muscles next to her neck before going down to the tops of her shoulders. The fingers were a little rough, and the squeezes weren't quite as gentle as they were supposed to be without using some oil or lotion on Buffy's skin. But what Reem's rough hands couldn't accomplish, she made up for with her skilled massage techniques; the pain from the pressure on her neck was tolerable.

Buffy's legs went numb after a while, but the massage was too good to interrupt. "You're really good at this."

"I'd be way better if we had a chair and a better pillow. I'm the person my family goes to when they strain something."

Buffy's eyelids slowly slid shut as Reem's fingers worked around her neck. The silence helped her lose herself in the peaceful tone her mind created. Imagining she was at a salon was difficult with the uncomfortable position and rubbing of dry skin, so she treated herself with visuals of Spike's room at the Bow Bar. She was leaning against his couch, enjoying his rough fingers as they pressed on her tender muscles; no words exchanged, just comfortable silence and content expressions.

That visual lasted no longer than a fraction of a second, when Reem made circle motions with her warm fingers, and then Buffy remembered Spike's lame attempt at a massage when they'd been at his crypt. Her teasing comments had been met with a truthful comeback criticizing her massaging skills, and then both of them shrugged it off, knowing that a good night’s sleep was all they needed to heal from… whatever they'd been doing to each other in a moment of destructive passion.

Reem worked on a sore spot, and Buffy groaned lightly. So, maybe a Slayer's body didn't need a massage, but it wouldn't hurt having one from time to time. She only needed to find someone who was good at it; they could probably build a sauna in one of the castle's many empty rooms. Maybe assign Reem to be their personal masseuse –if she'd join them, and if being a massage therapist was her dream job. Her family relied on her in this area, so maybe it was…

"You went with Arnold to meet his aunt. To check out medical schools."

Reem stopped massaging at that. "How did you know?"

"I met Tina and your other friends."

Reem went on with her massage after seconds of silence. "I was so stupid," she muttered under her breath.

So many questions popped into Buffy's head, but she preferred to save them for later. No need to stress herself out discussing Reem's lousy decisions when she was enjoying what was possibly a one-time massage.

Reem used her fists to tap gently on her shoulders and upper back, trying the cover the entire area, and then made light downward strokes from Buffy's shoulders to her lower back.

"We're done," she said, going back to her bed. "Do you feel better?"

Buffy rolled her neck from side to side, and felt a little pressure on her right side, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. "Yeah, better." She looked at Reem over her shoulder. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Buffy tried to stand, grimacing when she felt the crawling ants going down her left leg. She put the whole pressure on her right leg, her pillow in her hand, and threw herself on the bed. She placed the pillow underneath her head and closed her eyes, imagining she was back home, lying on her real bed. Outside her room, Xander would be taking a shower, getting ready for work. Buffy smiled at the sound of water chattering, and Xander singing the Family Guy theme song.

She rolled her neck to the left and imagined hearing Renée cooing to Andrea and laughing at her cute expressions. Andrea's gurgles sent a ball of strength through her tranquil body, urging it to get up and do something about her situation.

A huff came from the other side of the cell, where Reem was trying to untangle her hair with her fingers. "We really need a comb in here." With a wince, she was able to untangle one knot. She looked at the split ends with exasperation. "I'm not sure I want to see my hair again."

Buffy remembered the plain bathrooms, looking so much like the bathrooms back in junior high when the whole eighth grade was punished for running off on the teacher at the field trip by removing the mirrors from the bathrooms.

She bent her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her cheek on her knees, her eyes not leaving the spotless gray door. Dawn must be so freaked out, calling Xander the second she lost contact with Buffy. And now Xander would be considering returning to the castle and claiming his old job in an attempt to save her, leaving Andrea with Renée in their apartment.

Everybody at the castle must be out of their minds, trying their best to bring her back. She wondered if Spike knew about her disappearance, or if he’d already left Edinburgh, searching for Reem in other cities in Scotland. There were so many questions swimming around in her head with answers that made her insides twist painfully. She could only dream about her answers being wrong, and suddenly her pillow looked so appealing.

Reem's moans stopped her from lying down again. With another sigh, she pushed herself off the bed and walked toward her roommate. "Let me return the favor."

Reem dropped her hands to her lap and let out a pitiful whimper. Buffy observed the mass of untidy thick curls. Black roots grew out six inches or more, looking a little like Shakira's hair. She sat on the end of the bed and ran her fingers through the locks; they were shortly stopped by a knot. "Why did you want to check medical schools in Scotland?"

"Because I wasn't allowed to do that in my own country."

Buffy untangled a small knot as gently as she could, unable to catch Reem's expression. "And that's why you ran away?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but you have no idea how much I've dreamed...." She sighed, slightly jerking her head when Buffy pulled a little painfully on her hair. "Everybody supported me… except Mom."

She drew her legs up and hugged them to her chest. "I knew she didn't like the idea, but I never thought she'd stand in my way."

Buffy slowly worked on a small tangle, glancing at Reem when she felt her wince, and tried to untangle it as gently as possible. "Why was she against it so much?"

"Because female doctors rarely get married."

"How come?" Finally, her fingers were able to slip smoothly past the knot.

"It's the whole traditional idea about men wanting their wives to be home when they get back from their jobs. Female doctors spend most of their time in the hospital, barely seeing their husbands and kids. Then there's the issue of female doctors mingling with male doctors and the whole reputation thing."

Mothers and their desire to have their daughters married. Buffy wondered if her mother had ever thought about her the same way. She knew her mother wasn't a big fan of her relationship with Angel; even though she'd never said anything, it was always there. On the contrary, her mom really liked Riley, maybe because the possibility of having a normal life –marriage and kids- was plausible with him. Would she have approved of Spike? Buffy didn't think so, but just like she'd kept her real feelings about Angel to herself, she might have pretended to be supportive of her and Spike as well.

"What did your dad say about this?" Buffy asked, not bothering to think what her own father would have thought about her relationships with vampires. He'd probably think she was delusional again.

"Dad is just the machine to provide money, but Mom is the controlling freak who can't for the life of her let us live our own lives." Reem bit her lip, obviously upset with the words she used to describe her parents.

"So, what, you thought by running away, your mom would change her mind?"

"Why not? Running away is the worst thing a girl could do to ruin her family's reputation –aside from having sex before marriage. But she's so stubborn, sending a crazy vampire after me…" She paused, rubbing her palms anxiously. "Never thought it would be like this. I was so determined to teach Mom a lesson and so scared of the vampire, I couldn't stop and think that it was getting way out of control."

Her head shot up, and Buffy could see how grim and serious her face was. "I considered going back, ending this nonsense. But every time I turn around, your vampire friend shows up, threatening to hurt me, and I keep running away."

Buffy rolled her eyes; sometimes Spike's tough guy façade wrecked more than it helped. "You can't blame him for being angry. You hurt his friend." And how odd it was to call Angel Spike's friend? The idea was far too laughable at this point, and no matter how adamant Spike was about rescuing Angel, she could never picture them sitting in a room, drinking blood and discussing hair products.

Speaking of hurting Angel… "About that… evil eye thing… how many people did you curse? And don't you think that's... well, a bad thing to do?" She had to play it safe for now, since she was just an average human, and dealing with a girl who could get her way only by the sense of envy was too much of a risk.

"I know it's wrong. When I was younger, I didn't have much control over it, and it fired like crazy, but we always cured the victim. Now that I'm in control, I can only use it on purpose."

"And you never used it on purpose before Angel?" Buffy asked, skeptical.

"I try not to. I'm not Satan. I know how much the evil eye wrecks people's lives."

"But it was okay to use it on Angel," Buffy said sarcastically.

Reem turned her head toward Buffy, finally looking her in the eye. "Last time I checked, he's not people. Aren't we supposed to kill vampires?"

"No, we're supposed to kill evil vampires, not those who help people."

Reem was about to fire back a response, but thought against it and just stared at Buffy with frustrated eyes until she looked away. "I was going to lift the curse once my parents agreed to let me choose the college I want."

"And you thought they'd do that by cursing someone they don't care about?"

Reem snapped her head toward her again. "I didn't… I was just…" She paused for a few seconds. "I made a mistake. I know. I got carried away." She lowered her gaze to her knees. "Told you, the blond vampire scared me. I was afraid of what he'd do if he caught me. I was so glad for the Slayer powers I had; they kept me alive."

Buffy swallowed. "Would you… would you have escaped… if you didn't have those powers?"

"I wouldn't have had the courage to do it."

Buffy nodded, her heart twisting a little. "Here." She sat back, looking at Reem's hair with a satisfied smile. "I think I untangled everything."

"I wish I could see how it looks. I'm sure it needs a dye job." She ran her hand easily through her hair and smiled. "Thanks…" She blinked and looked at Buffy. "What's your name, by the way?" She laughed.

Buffy's eyes shot wide. All this time knowing Reem's name and background; she naïvely assumed that the other girl knew everything about her as well. "It's Buffy."

"Buffy," Reem said, testing how it sounded in her lips. "Sounds like a gum brand or something." Reem giggled at her joke.

Buffy was about to make a comeback when the slot in the door was pushed open, and a hand pulled their tray outside.

Both of them stared at the slot, wishing they were that tray, until Buffy caught the glass Reem left next to her bed. Plastic, like the other cutlery, with no use whatsoever except to spark an idea in Buffy's desperate brain.



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