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In Harm's Way by dawnofme
 
7. Tied Up
 
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a/n: Some of the dialog was taken from the episode, Pangs
Betas: Mabel Marsters, Tanit, and Slaymesoftly

In Harm’s Way
Chapter Seven: Tied Up



As Buffy wrapped the last rope around Spike, she kept her eyes on the others. Xander had his eyes closed, while Anya was in the kitchen cooking for her. Willow and Giles were at the far side of the table, restarting their discussion on the Indians.

She looked down to find Spike’s eyes on her. If she was going to have a chance to say something to him, it was now. Buffy bent down so that they were eye to eye. “Listen to me,” she whispered. “Not one word about what happened, or I’ll stake you where you sit.”

Despite his dilapidated condition, he smirked at her and lowered his eyes towards her chest before staring at her face again. “What’s this then? Not sharing with the group?”

“Shh!” she told him with a smack to his thigh. “I mean it.”

He leaned his head back, taking stock of where everyone was before whispering, “You like having me all tied up, don’t you?”

Buffy looked away and went behind him. He was being so impossible about this, but what did she expect? Stupid vampire. She yanked on the last knot.

“Bloody hell, woman! You’re cutting off my circulation.”

“You don’t have any circulation.”

“I guess you would know,” was his snide comeback. “It pinches.”

“Get used to it. I have more important things to worry about,” she said as she put some needed distance between their bodies.

“I came to you, looking for help and this is how I’m treated. You can’t deny that I treated you better, when you came for me.” He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, until she pulled her hand back to hit him. Spike cringed and said quickly, “I’ve got useful information, and I feel like I’m being mistreated.”

“So, tell me everything you know.”

“I’m too hungry to remember everything.”

She lightly smacked him on the top of the head and said, “Then sit.”

Anya asked a question about the food, and Buffy went to deal with that. She felt like screaming when Willow started going on about the injustices that the Indians had to endure. Willow was her friend, but she really was being a pain right now. She tried to placate her, but truthfully, she agreed with Giles. It wasn’t fair that her happy Thanksgiving was being ruined.

Buffy just wanted one normal holiday, but Xander was laid up on the couch, an ex-demon was helping her cook, Giles and Willow were arguing and Spike... Leave it to him to attempt to bring reason to the arguments by making massacre sound logical enough to get Xander agreeing with him.

She needed to separate Willow and Giles, so that she could get some cooking done. After much discussion, Willow left with Anya and Xander to go warn the dean about the Indian, who they were sure would be after him, as he was the leader of the school.

The table was beginning to look festive as she added the plates. Things had been peaceful until Spike started complaining about being hungry. He went on and on about vampires wasting away, with Giles listening in fascination. It would not do to have the two of them talking politely to one another. Soon the conversation would end up getting to the gem. Her level of panic rose at the thought. She didn’t want to think about Spike and magical rings.

When he continue to complain about being hungry, she mentioned that gravy had blood in it, and he could wait and eat when everyone else did.

“You want me to gag you? ‘Cause I’m not listening to you whine all through dinner. We’re going to have a nice, quiet, civilized--”

Arrows came shooting into the room, landing securely in the wood of the staircase.

“Hey! Watch the heart,” Spike yelled, frowning at the Indian in the window above as one pierced his torso.

Buffy and Giles dove behind the couch. She watched as another arrow hit Spike. Giles yelled out for her when she left the safety of the couch and tackled the helpless vampire. They went down with a thud. When the phone rang, Buffy rolled her eyes. Someone had really bad timing.

“Ow, Slayer!”

“Shut up,” she said, pulling his chair behind the couch. Giles hung up the phone and ignored Buffy’s question about who it was. Once Giles explained where the weapons were, Buffy jumped in harm’s way again to grab the chest. She yelled out in pain when an arrow hit her arm.

“Buffy!” Giles and Spike exclaimed together. Giles gave Spike a curious look, but had no time to ponder why Spike would be concerned about his charge as she struggled to get behind the couch again. Giles went in to action, removing the arrow and wrapping the wound. Then, together, they pulled the weapons chest into the now crowded spot behind the couch.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~



This whole bloody day had been pure torture and Spike was thinking that maybe he should have taken his chances with the Initiative. What kind of people were Buffy and her gang? After a crazy fight with a bunch of mystical Indians--one of which had turned into a bear--they’d all sat down to a Thanksgiving dinner. His stomach still growled as he thought about it.

They’d given him a little gravy, but it had done nothing to quiet his hunger. Now, they sat around, watching Giles’ sorry excuse for a television set. Of course, they’d left him tied to his blasted chair off to the side where he couldn’t see it.

Buffy and Willow got up and sat on the stairs near enough to him that he could hear their conversation.

Willow said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Angel was in town. He asked me not to and said it was for your own good.”

Spike rolled his eyes when Buffy shrugged and said sadly, “It’s okay. I guess he didn’t want to see me.”

“What about Riley?” Willow asked in that annoyingly peppy way of hers.

“Riley’s okay. Has some weird views about women, but he has pretty eyes.”

Willow nudged her. “I think he likes you a lot. Do you think there could be something there?”

Again, the Slayer shrugged. “Maybe.”

Spike wished he could turn them off somehow. Stupid girls. Whoever this Riley is, he was probably just as bad as Parker.

Giles stood up and stretched. “Well, young people, I’m worn out and ready to retire.”

“What should we do with him?” Buffy asked, pointing at Spike.

Giles frowned. “We can’t let him go, that’s for sure.” He glanced around as if he could pull an idea from somewhere. “We’ll have to tie him up in my bathtub, I think.”

“What! No, you won’t. Let me go.”

Giles disappeared upstairs and Spike glared at Buffy. “This is the way you treat someone who comes to you for help?”

She looked away to hide the guilt and regret in her eyes?

Xander stood, saying, “No. This is the way we treat evil vampires who have information we need.”

“Tell us what we want to know and we might let you go,” Giles said as he descended the stairs with a set of heavy metal chains in his hands.

Spike raised a brow. “You keep those in your bedroom?”

They all stared at Giles as he stuttered and avoided their eyes. “Well--yes--I--I store them there for safe keeping.”

Looking away with a knowing smile, Spike had to suck in a breath when he met Buffy’s smiling eyes. It reminded him of a how she had gazed at him a few nights ago. Now was not the time to get aroused, when he could do nothing to cover the evidence.

Buffy’s smile faded. “Xander, why don’t you take Willow back to the dorms before you go home? I’ll stay and help Giles get Spike in the tub. There’s no need for you two to stick around.”

It was humiliating to be bound to a chair and carried into a bathroom by two humans. Giles readied the chains, while Buffy slowly untied the ropes around Spike. He stared at her, but she avoided his eyes as she leaned across him to grab the ropes.

With as much dignity as he could muster, Spike stepped into the bathtub and held his hands out for Buffy to chain him up. He despised the helpless feeling that had taken him over when he realized he couldn’t feed, couldn’t kill. There was no point fighting them. He needed their help.

They were quiet as they worked to secure the chains, and he didn’t feel like talking or insulting them much either. He could not believe that he’d been reduced to this. He looked down at his shackled hands and sighed.

Giles excused himself, leaving Buffy alone with Spike. At first, she just knelt by the tub and stared at him.

“What did they do to you, Spike?” she asked softly.

He shrugged. “Take a gander at the back of my head.”

She got up, went behind him and gently felt around the back of his head until he gasped with the pain. Gingerly, she lifted a bit of hair and let out her own gasp.

“There‘s something in there; I can feel it. Every time I try to sink my teeth into someone, I get zapped with electricity and my head feels like it‘s gonna explode.

“Is the tub comfortable enough?” Buffy asked as she stood beside the tub, biting her lip.

He glared at her, not believing she had the audacity to ask such a question. “Sure, I’m having a lovely time, pet. Almost as much fun as being pounced on by my enemy and having a right good shag in my own soft bed.”

“Be quiet.“ She glanced behind her before going to the door and gently shutting it. “Don’t talk like that. He might hear you.”

“What are you so worried about? You were under a spell. He’s not going to blame you or hate you for what happened.”

Buffy folded her arms across her chest. “You’re right, but it’s humiliating. You took advantage of me.”

“Whoa! I think someone lost some memories with that reversal spell. I seemed to recall a very amorous slayer jumping my bones. It would take a better man than me to turn that body down.” He gave her an appreciative look as she continued to glare at him. “Besides we both had a fantastic time, if the noises you were making were any indication.”

Her cheeks flushed pink. “You’re a pig, Spike,” she said, turning away to grab the doorknob.

“Speaking of pigs, can I at least get some pig’s blood?”

With a weary sigh she said, “It’s a national holiday. The stores are closed. I’ll bring some tomorrow when I come by.”

“While you’re at it, why don’t you bring the Gem of Amara with you?”

Keeping her back turned to him, she opened the door and said, “You know that’s not going to happen.” She shut the door softly behind her.

More A/N: Please review :) Yes, I'm begging. Just to let everyone know, I'm currently writing chapter fourteen and no end in sight. So two bits of good news if you like the story. I'm way ahead, so updates should come very regular and this is gonna be good and long. I promise not to extend the story so long that it becomes tedious reading. I hate to drag things out. If you like to get updates on my progress, I discuss my writing at my livejournal. A link can be found in my profile. Thanks for reading!





 
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