Painful Lessons Learned Yet Love Abounds

Ragna

"It's honestly not my fault! She did it!"

The police officer shook his head. "Son, what are you doing here? I mean...it's after midnight, and everything on campus is closed."

"It's all right, officer." Buffy shook her head, glaring at Spike. "We have something we need to do, and I asked him to meet me here."

The police officer nodded. "Well, be careful. It's not safe for you two to be out here."

Buffy nodded, smiling at the police officer. "Thank you," she said, then she noticed Spike glaring.
Elbowing him in the ribs, he looked up.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled. The police officer looked at them, turning around and walking away.

Buffy turned to look at Spike. "Look, I need your help."

"You? The Slayer?"

She grabbed her stake. "I don't have all night. I just had to go file a missing persons report on a friend of mine, and I want to make damn sure he's not a vampire. And you're going to help."

"Which friend? It best not be Xander...I like staying at his place."

"It's not him. It's Riley."

"*That* fop? *He's* your friend?"

Buffy slapped him, hard. "You can't hurt me back, and I know that. And if you don't help me find him, you'll find a stake shoved through your heart so fast..." She let the threat fade, instead glaring at him.

"What do you want me to do?"
***

"He's being held by a few other escapees from the underground lab. Appears security's been a bit lax since you started dating him. They figured he'd be the best target."

Buffy looked at the ring on her finger. Riley had given her a simple silver band for her birthday, and she always wore it on her index finger. When she was nervous, she found herself looking at it, touching it, or twisting it.

"He's still alive?"

"As far as I know..." Spike looked around. "Do you have a cookie?"

She shrugged. "Willow's still making cookies. She still feels horrible."

"About the marriage thing?"

Buffy nodded. "I have to get him out of...where is he?" she asked quietly.

"He's in the sewers."

She went to her closet, focusing on grabbing the proper equipment.
Stake...crossbow...bolts...holy water...lighter...hairspray... She dropped the last two items,
instead digging around for something else.

"What are your plans?"

"Go through the sewers, find him, rescue him, kiss him, then hit him for getting kidnapped."

"I don't think it was really his fault, love..."

"He shouldn't be doing something that could get him killed!" she said, turning around and
throwing her hands up in the air.

"Calm down," Spike said. "Look...I can get you someone to help."

"Who?"

"Well, me."

Buffy laughed harshly. "You?"

"Can't hurt or kill any *living* thing, love. Vampires aren't alive..."

"Good point."
***

The two trooped down into the sewers, Buffy clutching a sword in one hand and a flashlight in
the other, while Spike held a stake and a vial of holy water.

"Now where?"

"To the right."

Buffy turned right and looked down into a place she knew well, the Master's old lair. Choking
back the rising scream she had, she saw her boyfriend chained to the wall, what was left of his
shirt hanging about his waist or on the floor. Fresh cut marks were on his chest and stomach, and
while she couldn't tell for sure she was positive the same type of marks were on his back.

"Calm down..." Spike said, standing up. "Let me try something."

She nodded, watching him head a little farther down the sewer line to a hatch, then dropping
down into the room and talking to the vampires. He went to Riley and hit him.

Or pretended to, Buffy realized as she saw Spike subtly gesture to where she was hidden. Riley
looked up, and there were no new marks on his face, where there should have been if Spike had
hit him. He grinned, just slightly, then dropped his head down in pain.

Buffy felt the anger rise again as she heard one of the vampires say, "How did you get past your
implant?"

"I didn't. But I don't show pain, mate," Spike replied, pacing in Buffy's view. She grit her teeth,
watching for a sign of some sort.

The Alpha, a dark and handsome man dressed in baggy clothing looked up. "How long have you
been a vampire? I've been one for six years!"

Spike scoffed, stopping. "Try 126, mate. Sired by Angelus himself."

There were quiet, almost excited whispers running among the vampires as Spike made a slight
signal for her to drop down the hatch. She opened the hatch and peered down, waiting until the
vampires cleared where she would jump.

"Why don't you try hitting him a bit, mate?" Spike said, pointing to Riley, or at least that was
what Buffy thought he was doing. She winced slightly as she heard the sound of punching, but it
also cleared out the area where she needed to jump.

Counting silently to ten, she jumped and landed, her footing perfect. "Wanna be bad?" she asked
the nearest vampire, taking her sword and cutting it's head off. The body crumpled to dust as she
went back into a fighting stance.

Spike turned on the Alpha, hitting him squarely in the jaw. The two began to fight, edging farther
away from Riley as Buffy started to edge closer. She took a millisecond to glance at Riley,
assessing his injuries.

"Not so fast," she muttered, tossing a stake at the vampire creeping up on Riley. It landed
directly through the heart, and the dust landed on Riley's foot. The stake clattered to the ground,
and Buffy dove for it...

And missed, having the Alpha shoved towards her and knocking her away. She rubbed her head
slightly before kicking an advancing vampire in the kneecap, breaking it instantly. She groped for
the stake but was only a few inches away.

Riley looked up, barely able to open his eyes. But he could see she was in trouble, and reaching
towards the stake. He moved his foot out enough to tap it into her reach, and watched her grab it
and jump onto her feet, staking the last two minions as Spike finished off the Alpha.

"Felt good to fight again," Spike muttered, brushing the Alpha's dust off his duster.

"Get me my keys," Buffy said, moving over to Riley.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"In my bag."

Spike headed towards the bag while Buffy reached up to Riley. "You okay?"

Weakly, Riley said, "No, not really."

"We'll get you out of here, then I'll take care of you," she said softly, stroking his face.

"Slayer? Your keys..." Spike said, handing them to her. "I'll go get your dorm ready; Red will let
me in."

"No...my mom's house. She's in Ireland right now."

Spike nodded. "Am I still allowed in?"

"Never removed the invite." He nodded again, heading towards the ladder braced against the wall
and climbing up to the hatch. "There's a better ladder down the tunnel, Slayer. Use that."

She nodded, going through her keys to get to her skeleton key. "Can you walk, Riley?"

He shook his head, weakly. "No."

She got the wrist shackles undone, catching him gently as he slumped forward. "Everything's
going to be okay, I promise."
***

After a bit of maneuvering, Buffy helped a bruised and battered Riley into her mom's home,
finding that Spike had not only set some things out but had turned on the heat and put a fire in
the fireplace.

And he'd also left.

"Where's your friend?" Riley asked, wincing as Buffy helped him onto her mother's bed. Walking
into her mother's adjoining bathroom, she picked out some medical supplies: soap & water in a
bowl, a soft washcloth, some triple antibiotic cream and bandages.

"He left...probably to Xander's," Buffy said softly, dipping the washcloth and gingerly wiping
down Riley's back. She cringed as she saw the blood and cuts covering it, and tried to avoid the
major cuts for now.

"He's Hostile 17, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is," she said, pausing. "But he saved your life."

"You both did." He turned slightly, looking at her hand before taking it in his. "I'm leaving The
Initiative."

"Why?"

"After what happened...it's not worth it." He winced slightly as Buffy kept washing his back
slightly.

***

Riley laid on his side, bandaged but still shirtless. Buffy faced him, tracing her fingers idly on his
arm. She leaned in to kiss him, not getting her body close enough to touch his so she wouldn't
aggravate the cuts.

"Are you hungry?" Buffy asked, sitting up.

"Not really," he replied. "I can't sleep on my side like this."

"You're going to be in pain," she said, a slight smile on her face.

"Not if you're next to me," he said, rolling over. Wincing for a moment or two, he opened his
eyes, looking at Buffy. "You were right; I am in pain."

"Told you so," she said, laying down next to him and lightly laying her head on his shoulder.

"The whole time, all I could think about was...you." He reached over slowly, trying not to hurt
himself, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Me? I mean...why?"

"Because I think I love you."

Buffy closed her eyes, thinking of her past relationships, and she felt Riley sigh beneath her.

"I think I love you, too."

The worlds tumbled out of her mouth before she realized it, and she felt his grip tighten slightly.
She looked up at his face, and saw the blissful smile on his face. He started to fall asleep, and she
soon joined him in a peaceful slumber, happy to be in his arms.

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