A/N: I haven't updated this fic in months and I'm so very sorry about that. I never meant to stop writing, but RL and a new fanart obsession sort of got in the way. If you're curious about what I've been up to you can view my art here and find the fanart award site I have opened here.

On to the fic then... remember what happened previously? A quick recap:

Buffy and Spike met in LA before she became a Slayer and another time when Buffy was in a mental institution. Both times without knowing they would soon become destined enemies. Except when they meet later (s. 2) Spike has troubles killing her and Buffy is majorly confused. She sleeps with her boyfriend Angel, unleashes Angelus who kills Jenny and steals Dru away from Spike. In the last (fluffy) chapter Buffy and Spike bond through baking cookies and it ends with them finding Joyce's groceries and purse on the lawn and Joyce herself is nowhere to be seen.

You with me? On to the chap... but before, I just have to add: Huge thanks to my beta Luxferi. You rock my socks :D


* * *

Chapter Nineteen - Alone

“Mom!”

Buffy was shouting into the dark night. Desperate, she ran out the front door and searched the bushes nearby, without minding the scratches she got from the angry thorns. She ran over the lawn, looked at the back of the house, out on the street, in the car, anywhere she could think of.

There was no Joyce to be seen.

In the hallway, the Scoobies were standing watching the spectacle. Willow held her hand over her mouth, terrified and Xander had put his arm around her in support, or maybe to find some for himself. He wasn’t looking any less scared. A shadow of worry traveled across Giles’ face but when he called out to Buffy, his voice was calm.

Spike pushed the watcher aside impatiently and went out to Buffy who was searching the bushes for the second time. If he hadn’t gotten to know her, Spike knew what he would have said. Some gloating comment about “Did she really think her mother had taken a nap in the rose bushes?” But he didn’t.

Instead, he reached out and grabbed her arms, stopped her frantic motions successfully and pulled her back close to his chest and away from the useless search.

“She’s my mom! He’s got my mom!”

“I know, pet.”

“Get off me!” Buffy was kicking, punching in the air to get out of his hold. He released her and she spun around to glare at him accusingly.

“Did you know?” Buffy asked, her voice full of venom, clenching her jaw together. “Was this all part of your plan?!”

Spike tilted his head and looked at her calmly. “Buffy, I’ve been here all day.”

“Exactly! Was it your job to keep me occupied when they took her? Huh? Tell me!” Buffy was boiling with anger, but Spike seemed unaffected.

“You know it wasn’t,” he said simply.

His intent gaze must have penetrated her, because somehow he managed to get through. She was still breathing erratically but now her eyes were wet with tears and the anger was gone.

“I know.” Buffy took a deep breath, looked up at the night sky, and the clouds that hid the stars before turning back down to earth and the situation at hand. “I know,“ she repeated weakly. “I’m sorry.”

Spike closed the distance between them, ran his hand up and down her arms in a soothing pattern and kissed the top of her head.

“Let’s get you inside.”

* * *

The gang gathered in the living room, all of them quiet, watching Buffy and waiting for her to give them orders. Buffy herself was standing in the living room doorway, she was too worked up to be sitting down. She wanted to get out there again, search, find Joyce, who knows what could have happened? After Jenny… Buffy didn’t want to think about it.

“We need to find her,” she said simply. “Now.”

“Let’s do it, get those books cracking!” Xander spoke up.

“Yeah, we’ll research!” Willow added eagerly.

“Research? I’m sorry guys, but what do you expect to find? Do you think Angelus‘ secret location is hidden somewhere in the Watcher‘s diaries? Please.” There was a quick pause, and both friends looked embarrassed. “Spike, do you have any idea where they could be? Think!”

“Told you, luv. No clue. Usually I can sense Dru miles afar, but they don’t want to be found.”

“A spell! We’ll do a-a locator spell!” Willow was bouncing excitedly on the couch. “I read about it, it shows demon activity!”

“Of course,” Giles added.

“Sounds good. When can you have it done?”

“I don’t know if… Giles…? An hour?” The watcher nodded.

“We don’t have that much time! She could already be dead!”

“Luv, he took her for a reason. I don’t think she’s dead, if he wanted to kill her she would have been lying with a neck wound on your lawn,” Spike reasoned.

“And that is comforting how?“ He didn’t answer. “What do you think he’s doing to her? Cooking dinner?” Buffy said sarcastically. “He’s Angelus, everything Giles has told me about him concerns vicious torture and sadistic killing.”

Her friends were silent, heads bowed down.

“This is not a normal kidnapping. We‘re not waiting here expecting a note with a ransom. Giles? Please, anything?”

Buffy looked pleadingly at her watcher. He looked utterly defeated. The last week, Jenny’s death, everything seemed to have caught up with him and he had nothing to offer her.

“Buffy, I…”

“Does anyone have anything useful to say?”

Silence.

“Right. Spike, let‘s go.”

“What? I‘m not a bloody dog that comes when you‘re call-”

“We’re gonna beat up Willy.”

“I’m in!”

* * *

Buffy was walking with fast strides towards Willy’s bar. Spike was having trouble catching up with her, but she was too wound up in her own thoughts and worries to notice.

“Luv, hold up a second.”

“What?”

“You’re running like your arse is on fire- “

“Your point being...?”

“Nothing.”

“Right. Nothing. God, what was I thinking?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, I’m trying to find the vampire who’s kidnapped my mom and who do I decide to bring along? What was it you called it… his childe!”

“So?”

“I’m not even sure what you’re doing here.” Buffy sighed.

“I’m here because you told me to; ‘Spike let’s go’, remember?”

“Right. Because you think it’s fun to beat up Willy. Because you are a vampire!”

“What’s your problem, eh?!”

Buffy knew very well she was taking out her anger on Spike, acting like she had the PMS of a lifetime, but she really didn’t have the time to care.

“My problem is my mother being missing! You just happen to be a big pain in the ass!”

“I’m sure if you remove that stake you’ve got shoved up there you’ll be in less!”

And with that her fist came crashing down on his nose.

Spike chuckled. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it coming. No, he was pretty clear on what would upset Buffy and what would not. This time he just couldn’t understand what he had done to piss her off in the first place. Spike concluded, rightfully, that it wasn’t his fault, but the situation they were in the middle of and now he had gone and made a bigger mess.

“Can’t you- can’t you just tell me your agenda?” Buffy said, exasperated.

“Haven’t got one.“

“Then why are you helping me?”

“That’s was this is about isn’t it? The Slayer needing my help!” Spike chuckled to himself. “It’s hard isn’t it? Relying on someone else? Used to doing the solo-gig? I can relate.”

“Spike…”

“Well, I’m all ears, Slayer. Bring it on. Beg me.”

“Spike, don’t do this, you were acting all cooperative before, we don’t-”

“Oh we do!”

“You’re enjoying this.”

Spike smirked in response.

“Fine.” He nodded, motioning for her to go on. “I can’t do it alone. Fight both of them. Angel and Dru. Not without risking mom.”

“And?”

Buffy took a deep breath, tried to ignore Spike’s grinning face in front of her. “Spike. Will you… God-” Buffy took a moment to look away before turning to Spike again, now with tears in the corner of her eye, pleading. “Will you help me? Please?”

Her words wiped the grin off Spike’s face. He wasn’t expecting tears. His tone was soft and his face reassuring when he answered.

“Of course.”

Buffy smiled through her unshed tears. “I just want her back. Alive. Unharmed.”

“I know. Me too. She’s a nice lady.”

Buffy smiled at him, he always managed to look so childish when speaking of her mother.

* * *

When she opened her eyes the world was pitch black. Or, it was until she realized there was a dark sticky fabric covering her face and head. It didn’t take long before she also concluded that the pounding she heard was actually inside her head and what was running hot along her cheek was her own blood. With that, the memory of cold yellow eyes and sharp teeth returned to her and panic started to spread from her gut. Joyce trembled in fear and prayed with all she’d got that Buffy was all right.

He was dragging her. Without any care and with a steady grip around her wrists. Her feet were clumsily dragged along the ground, her head lolling from side to side. It started spinning again, and before she could decipher where she was or where he was taking her, she blacked out.

* * *

The small smoky pub known as Willy’s bar was empty except for a couple of Bareth demons sitting in a dark corner in the back and a rather skanky-looking female vampire sipping her blood at the counter.

Buffy had ordered Spike to stay outside while she ‘handled’ things, since the vampire refused to go undercover. Buffy had asked him to chat up some of the demons in an attempt to find out something about Angelus but the bleached blonde just answered with ‘Do I look like James Bond?’

Buffy had to say he didn’t, thus she was entering the pub alone.

“Hey there, Slayer,” Willy said nervously and tried to look nonchalant while cleaning the counter with a damp towel. “What can I do for you?”

“You can tell me if you’ve see my boyfriend.”

“Eh... Yeah.” Willy smiled, still acting unusually nervous, drumming his fingers on the wooden bar. “No, haven’t seen him.”

“Come on, Willy. Dark, a bit broody, this tall.” Buffy held up her hand a good bit above her head. “Goes by the name of Angelus?“

“Look…” Willy laughed nervously. “I can’t tell you anything… he’ll..”

“He’ll what? So you’ve noticed the… “ Buffy searched for the right word, “-change?”

Willy dragged Buffy to the side of the bar and hissed. “He’ll kill me! All you do is break my nose, I think I’ve got my priorities straight, y’know?”

Buffy snorted. “He’ll kill you anyway. For fun. I’m the one who can stop him before that. Now, spill. Where is he?”

“I dunno! All I know is he was here the other day recruiting. Getting himself some minions”

“Minions?”

“Yeah.” Willy nodded eagerly. “But half of them were too stupid for him, so we had sort of an… incident. The other half… well they’re just scared shitless.”

“So all I have to do is find one of these minions and they’ll lead me to him?”

“I don’t know about that, I’ll bet they’re more scared of him than they are of you.”

“Guess I have to get a lot scarier then.“ Buffy winked.

Satisfied, Buffy started to leave the club, but before she could even reach the door someone had grabbed her arm. In an instant the Slayer had this person pinned against the wall with a stake against the chest.

On the other end of the pointy piece of wood was the female vampire who had been sitting at the bar.

“I overheard.”

“Vampire hearing.” Buffy sighed. “Of course you did.”

“You’ll kill him?” The brown haired vampire whispered. “You’ll kill Angelus?”

“Um… let me see… yes!”

There was a silence when the vampire stared at the floor.

“Did you want anything? Staking?”

The brunette looked up, met Buffy‘s eyes and whispered, “I know where he is.”








A/N: Review, please? ;) Feels like forever ago I wrote, I could use some feedback :)