Chapter 16

“I can’t believe she grounded me. She finally understands about me being the Slayer, but the fact I’m having sex is what gets me in trouble. It’s not like I could get pregnant, or a sexually transmitted disease. How is that fair?”

Spike chuckled. “You probably shouldn’t have mentioned that part to her.”

She shrugged. “I was pissed off; you know how I get when I’m mad. There is no stopping the words that come out of my mouth.”

“I know very well, and I’m really glad it’s not directed at me. In your mother’s own way, she finally thinks she’s doing right by you. Isn’t that what you wanted, for her to pay attention?”

Buffy pouted. “I guess. It’s just a good thing I didn’t tell her about you being the librarian. She probably would have called the school to get you fired, and then I wouldn’t have been able to see you until my punishment was over, since she boarded up my window. No, she got the neighbor guy to do it. I bet anything she’s sleeping with him, and that is so not an image I needed. Eighteen can’t come soon enough; I’m seriously ready to get out of here.”

He couldn’t agree more.


* * * * *


“We’re supposed to be patrolling,” Spike muttered between kisses, his girlfriend was bloody insatiable.

“I like my way so much better,” Buffy responded, slamming him against a nearby mausoleum and attacking his mouth once again.

Spike’s hand slid under her shirt, caressing the smooth skin of her back. “You’re getting distracted.”

She pulled away, giving him a look. “You take all the fun out of this, you know that?”

He cupped her cheek, massaging her bottom lip. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”

Buffy blew out a breath. “Well, when you put it that way.”

Spike took her hand in his as they made their way through the cemetery, but something felt different this time. He couldn’t put his finger on it, until Buffy was ripped away from him, a demented vampire knocking him to the ground, smacking his head against the soil. She got on top of him, holding him down.

“You took what was mine, and now I shall take yours,” Drusilla spat, heading over to the Slayer.

Spike sat up, wondering when she suddenly started to sound sane, but he had to get to Buffy before Dru got her claws in the girl.

Drusilla snatched Buffy by the hair, nearly yanking it out of her skull. “Such pretty sunshine should be burned.”

Before Buffy even knew what happened, Drusilla pulled out a syringe and stabbed her in the arm with it. She yelled out at the pain, feeling her vision get blurry as she let one punch loose in Drusilla’s face, causing the vampire to stumble back.

That was all the advantage Spike needed; he grabbed Drusilla by the neck and twisted her head right off, watching as she crumbled to dust. He immediately ran over to Buffy, helping her up as she shook the dizziness away. “Are you all right?”

Buffy nodded, resting her head against his chest. “I think so. Is she gone?”

He kept one arm around her as they stood, not letting her go for a second. “She’s gone, what did she do to you?”

“I don’t know. She put something in me.” Buffy bent down to retrieve the needle that Drusilla used on her. “Can you find out what it is?”

Spike took the syringe from her, sniffing it, but not getting a clear scent of what it could have been. He glanced at Buffy, seeing how pale she was and really starting to worry about what kind of poison was injected in her, but only time would tell.


* * * * *


“Good, you’re awake, how are you feeling?”

Buffy opened her eyes at the familiar voice, seeing Dr. Grant standing there, her least favorite doctor at the institution. She scrambled away from him in horror. “What am I doing here?”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been here for over a year now, Buffy. What is the last thing you remember?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m in Sunnydale. I was with William. Where is he?”

“Sunnydale isn’t real, Buffy. Neither is William, or Spike, whatever he’s calling himself this time. He was someone you created in your mind, but he doesn’t exist. Your parents are here, they’ve been waiting to see you.”

Buffy was startled when she saw both of her parents come forward, looking like they were together and honestly concerned about her.

“Oh, sweetheart, we’re so worried about you. Why do you keep fighting the doctors? They’re only trying to help make you better, so we can take you home. We miss you so much,” Joyce commented, tears in her eyes.

Hank wrapped his arms around his distraught wife. “We love you, honey, and when you’re ready, things are going to be different at home. You’ll never have to worry about anything again.”

Buffy felt tears of her own when her father pulled her into his embrace. For so long she thought he didn’t love her, that she was such a horrible daughter and he wished she was never born, but here he seemed to genuinely care. Buffy shook her head, coming back to herself as she moved away from them. “No, this isn’t real, you’re not here. I want William.” She banged her head against the wall, ranting over and over that she wanted William, and screaming when someone tried to touch her. This couldn’t be real. She hadn’t been in the institution for a year, something was very wrong.


* * * * *


“Buffy, love, wake up.”

She jumped at his voice, throwing her arms around him in relief. “Oh, God, I was back there. It was as if I never left, but it was different. My parents were there, and they were together. They hardly ever visited me and if they did, it was always separately. The worst thing was that they wouldn’t let me see you, I cried out for you so many times, but no one would listen.”

Spike rubbed her back soothingly, whispering words of comfort in her ear. “It’s okay now, baby, it was just a dream.”

She pulled away, shaking her head. “This was more than a dream. It felt so real. What if I’m still there? What if I never left and none of this ever happened?”

He laid her back down in his bed, rubbing his hand over her forehead to feel how warm she was. “It’s the drug, Buffy. Whatever Drusilla did to you, it’s making you see things that aren’t there. I called Giles, and he’s going to help figure out what she put in you. In the mean time, you need to get some sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Buffy gazed up at him, gripping his hand in hers. “Promise?” she whispered, feeling her eyes start to get heavy.

Spike smiled, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I promise.”