A Rescue

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Something was wrong, she could sense it, and it had her on edge all through patrol. Riley was at her side, talking, but she could not focus on anything he was saying.

“Buffy?”

“Huh, sorry what?”

“Nothing,” he got out and she paused in her steps with a frown, reaching out for his hand.

“I’m sorry. I’m a little out of it. Bit nervy after the whole set-up thing.”

“I am sorry-“

“You don’t need to be. I just hope Professor Walsh realises that she can’t mess with me.”

He fell silent and she moved on, feeling him fall into step beside her. Something was wrong though and she realised then that maybe it wasn’t her that was in trouble. She soon persuaded Riley to head off home and made her way instantly to Spike’s crypt, going through the slightly ajar door with a frown.

“Spike?” she called out, but there was no answer.

She climbed downstairs and froze when she saw the mess. More particularly, signs of a struggle. And blood on the floor. She dropped to a crouch near the spatter and frowned. Something had happened here but she could sense no pain, no alarm from Spike. What was going on?


She decided to wait and hope that Spike would turn up and headed for Giles’s house, where her friends were lounging around. She sank onto a chair and tried to join in the conversation but she just could not be at ease. And then, she felt a jolt of something- panic- rush through her and she knew it was Spike. And that he was in trouble. She closed her eyes, hoping for some sort of indication as to the trouble he was in. And all she saw was a white cell. Her eyes flew open again and she jumped to her feet.

“Buffy?” Giles got out in astonishment.

“Spike’s in trouble,” she got out, every part of her focussed on the dull ache at the back of her mind.

“Buffy, what on earth are you talking about?”

A flash of pain rippled through her and she glanced at her friends before racing to the door.

“I have to go.”

She was across town and at the fraternity house in no time, knocking on Riley’s door. He opened it and stared at her in surprise.

“Buffy?”

“Can I still get in? To the base?”

“I’m not sure. Professor Walsh might have revoked your clearance.”

“Then you’ll have to be my clearance.”

“Buffy, what’s going on?”

“I need to see something. Will you help me?”

“I...of course.”


Riley led her to the secret elevator and they made their way down into the base. It was almost empty as they walked along the corridor and Riley turned to her.

“Where are we going?”

“The containment cells.”

“Buffy, what’s going on? I want to know.”

He caught her arm and she turned to him, hesitating to tell him the truth. He really wasn’t going to understand why she was doing this.

“They’ve got Spike.”

“You don’t know that,” he answered quietly and she studied him silently, her eyes scanning his face. And then she saw what she had hoped not to see and she stared at him.

“And you knew,” she got out.

“Buffy-“ he started, catching hold of her arm again.

“No!” she bit out, shaking him off and striding away from him.

Oh God, how could Riley do this? He knew what Spike was to her. But then, did he? Did she even know? She hurried her steps and found the containment area but just before she could reach the steps, a siren started to go off and she watched on in horror as the cell doors opened and demons came flying out.


She spotted a blonde head among the crowd and called out to him.

“Spike!”

He turned and spotted her and began to push his way towards her as she rushed down the stairs. Luckily, the demons were too busy trying to escape to bother with her and she met Spike at the bottom of the steps.

“Are you okay? I- I felt it and I knew they had you.”

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, “What the hell’s going on?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t me.”

Spike’s gaze slid upwards and she turned to follow his gaze, staring in horror as she spotted a demon. Except it wasn’t a demon: it seemed half-man, half-monster.

“I think it was him,” Spike spoke up behind her.

She nodded and suddenly spotted a group of armed soldiers heading for the monster.

“Freeze!”

“We need to get out of here,” Buffy whispered, turning and grabbing Spike’s hand, following the straggling demons. Just as they reached the door, she looked back and saw the monster impale one of the soldiers with a large tusk in its arm. Funny, it looked just like one she’d seen on a demon she had caught just weeks ago.

She shook the thought off and followed Spike out of the door and through the winding corridors, until finally he gestured to a ladder and she climbed it as quickly as she could, the sound of sirens ringing in her ears.


They emerged just outside her dorm, as luck would have it, and she quickly led the vampire into the building, rushing to her room. They went in and Willow jumped up from her desk.

“Buffy!” she exclaimed, her gaze then moving to her side, “Spike.”

Buffy dragged the vampire in and shut the door behind him, collapsing against it.

“What the hell was that thing?” she asked Spike as he perched on her bed.

“Not rightly sure. Some sort of experiment, no doubt.”

She sighed and moved to her chair, sinking onto it, her eyes still fixed on the vampire.

“How did they get you again?”

“Got me when I was asleep.”

“But why?”

“Curiosity. Turns out they saw me, err, help you out. Wanted to know why.”

She nodded and sank her head in her hands for a moment. Couldn’t life ever be simple?

“Buffy, what’s going on?” Willow asked.

She raised her head to her friend and smiled wryly.

“I have no idea. Something big’s going down at the Initiative though.”


Suddenly there came a knock at the door and she jumped, looking to the other two in the room before moving to answer it. Riley stood on the other side, cradling his arm against him.

“God, Riley, are you okay?” she asked, guiding him in, all of her anger gone in a matter of seconds. He frowned when he saw Spike sat on her bed and she quickly nodded to the vampire to move, helping her boyfriend to sit, her eyes running over his wounded arm.

“Will, get the first aid kit.”

She turned back to Riley and his eyes moved from the vampire back to her.

“What happened?”

“We were trying to fight this thing. It was too strong.”

“The monster?”

He raised his head in surprise and nodded.

“We saw it,” she explained, “What was it?”

“It used to be Adam,” he said quietly, “Now it’s...an experiment gone wrong. Professor Walsh created him.”

“Well, bet that’s taught her not to play with demons,” Spike quipped and Buffy shot a look at him, silencing him.

“Adam killed her.”

They fell silent and when Willow returned, Buffy tended to his arm as best she could and then they decided to go to Giles’. This monster had to be stopped before it did any more damage.