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To Kill the Girl by Sandy
 
Chapter 1
 
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At first there was nothing but blackness and pain. Buffy moaned as she tried to pull herself up but was prevented by something heavy and tight across her wrists. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around. She appeared to be in a room-like cavern. Entrances into the cavern opened in front of her and to her right. Torches blazed from wall sconces and as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, her heart began to pound. Instruments of torture were laid about. Hooks and chains hung from ceiling and walls.

Buffy was seated, legs curled under her, wrists shackled behind her back. She tried again to stand, but she was chained too closely to the wall behind her to move more than a few inches.

As she struggled, she heard the sound of stealthy footsteps coming through the opening to her right. Turning her head, she held her breath, waiting to see who it was who had captured and bound her.

The figure that entered the room was frighteningly familiar. Black leather coat, black jeans, boots and trademark platinum blond hair.

"Spike." Buffy's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Well, well, well. Slayer." Spike looked at the chained girl with amusement in his eyes. Coming to her, he squatted down and looked at her with a malevolent gleam. "Seems like someone tied you up like a present for me. And it's not even my birthday."

Buffy looked at him with surprise. "You didn't do this to me?" she asked.

"No, can't say I did. Pity that. Looks like it was fun." Spike looked around; his eyes taking everything in. Turning back to Buffy, he raised one eyebrow. "Looks like someone's got quite the party planned, doesn't it?"

Before Buffy could reply, a shuffling noise came from the entrance behind Spike. He stood and turned, body taunt and balanced. Buffy's breath caught in her throat as her captor made his appearance. Tall and broad, the beast had a pushed in, man-like face. Its skin was dark, green or brown - Buffy couldn't tell. Its back was curved over, causing it to walk in an odd swaying motion. In its hands it held two long metal instruments; one pointed and one with clamps at the end. Buffy shuddered and felt the fear almost overwhelm her. She was brave, but she was also bound and helpless. And as Spike had just observed, it looked as if this creature had definite plans for her.

The creature's eyes blazed as it took in Spike's presence. "What do you here, Vampire?" it hissed. Its voice was sibilant, as if its tongue was forked like a snake's. Its very sound made chills run down Buffy's back.

"Yeah, well y'see," Spike began, all cocky and confident. "Heard that a Gr'Racka demon was out gunnin' for the Slayer. Meaning to do all kinds of nasties to her. Then I heard that said Gr'Racka had actually caught the Slayer. So I thought I'd come and watch the fun."

"I want no audience," the demon hissed. "You go or I'll kill you." It stood where it had stopped, swaying slightly like a cobra about to strike.

Spike merely shook his head. "Can't do that, mate. See this little Slayer and me, we got a date. Either I'm going to kill her or she's going to kill me. You're interferin' with my plans, and I can't have that now, can I?"

Buffy drew in a gasp of air at his statement. Spike had come here because he didn't want this creature to kill her? For the first time since she regained consciousness, she felt a thin ray of hope. Granted she was going to end up dead, whether by Spike's hands or the beast's. But she knew that at least Spike would kill her cleanly. He would not torture her first. Why she was so positive that Spike would not torture her first, she didn't know. But she was.

"Then I will kill you first, Vampire, then I will have my fun with the Slayer," came the reply. With a speed that its clumsy body belied, the beast threw the pointed instrument at Spike. Spike easily knocked it away, and with his own burst of preternatural speed, was on the Gr'Racka. Buffy was amazed at the battle. She remembered a late night Really Bad Cinema party at Xander's house a few months back when they had watched War of the Gargantuas. This fight reminded Buffy of that movie. Two supernatural beings fighting to the death, all fists, fangs and claws.

As the battle raged, Buffy tried to escape from her bonds, but the manacles that bound her must have been magically enhanced because she made no headway. Her wrists began to bleed from the deep cuts she was inflicting on herself as she struggled to pull her hands free.

Her head came up as she heard a cry of pain coming from Spike. The beast had him in a bone-crushing embrace, squeezing his ribs and spine. As Buffy watched, her heart in her mouth, Spike reached up, grabbed the demon's head, and with a mighty twist broke its neck. The sound echoed throughout the cave, and the beast shuddered before it collapsed taking Spike with it.

Time seemed to come to a halt as Buffy waited to see if Spike was too injured to move. At last she heard a groan coming from him and then movement. Slowly he disengaged himself from the dead monster's arms and struggled to his feet. With one hand cradling his ribs, he limped back to Buffy.

Slowly and painfully settling down next to her, he turned a bruised and bloody face to her and grinned. "Well, Slayer," he smirked. "Looks like it's just you and me."
 
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