The Game Series, by Saber Shawdow Kitten
Journey to the mind

Title: Journey to the mind
Parts: 5 of 7 in series
Email Saber at: daschus@attbi.com
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon is responsible for everything that is Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Summary: Buffy gets kiddnaped, and is forced to participate to a serie of crazy survival games.. with a very interesting partner.
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Post Lovers Walk

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Prologue

The man in the white jumpsuit gripped his mid-section as excruciating pain shot through his body. He started to choke, spitting out the food that was in his mouth as he pushed off of his stool at the Diner. He could hear his companions asking if he was alright, but all he could do was sputter in pain. He turned around and leaned back on the counter, his insides feeling like they were being ripped from him.

That's because they were.

His friends suddenly fell silent and he raised his head. There, where his stomach use to be, was a baby Alien.
"Oh, no. Not again," he said as the Alien jumped off him and started down the counter. The man's head fell back and out of the corner of his eye he watched the Alien stop, hiss, then put a top hat on and start singing.

"Hello, my baby. Hello, my darling. Hello, my rag time gal..."

That's what ran through Buffy's mind the moment she felt the stinging dart pierce her neck before all went black.

Part One

Earlier that evening

"So, Wills, what do you want to do tonight after we patrol?" Buffy asked as she searched in the closet for an outfit she wouldn't mind losing. Spike had a tendency to tear her clothing in their haste to...get naked.

"We could Bronze," Willow suggested.
"This is our first night of freedom."

"'They can take our homes, they can burn our school, but they can't take our freedom!'" Buffy quoted, pulling on a lilac, spaghetti strap camisole with dark purple flowers stitched around the neckline.

"Um, Buffy? I don't think that's what William Wallace said," Willow told her as she smoothed out her dark green, corduroy overalls over a white T-shirt. She always felt frumpy when she watched Buffy dress, the other girl's selection of clothing was much more risqué.
"Mel Gibson, either."

"Lighten up, Willow. We're graduates. I can misquote if I want to," Buffy mock-scolded.
"No more teachers to fail me because of that, no more Snyder to...well, no more Snyder, period." She smiled hugely.

"'No more classrooms, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks,'" Willow sang, grinning at her friend. Buffy joined in as she drew on tan capri pants and matching high-heeled, open-toed shoes.
"'We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control...'"

The months since Buffy had last gotten kidnapped and forced to play in 'The Game' had passed rapidly. Willow had taken the FedEx package and managed to narrow down the city where it was mailed from: Chicago. Which had 347 FedEx locations in a twenty mile square area, and that didn't include drop boxes. But the hacker was undaunted. She put a 'red flag' on the company's computers for any shipments being delivered to Buffy's address. That way, the employee would note the location of the drop and any other information, including method of payment and personal description of the sender.

Spike had found a place to live that was not in Buffy's bedroom, although he didn't mind being there. The townhouse was small; it had only one bedroom, a bathroom, a living room and kitchen, but it suited his needs. And he only had killed the owners a little bit to confiscate the place.

The vampire tried not to raise too much havoc in Sunnydale, being wary of both Trick and Buffy's wrath -- more Buffy than the other vampire. He just wasn't interested in a power struggle with Trick, so he avoided any big plans the other put into action. Instead, he made his own fun, whichh mostly involved the Slayer being sans clothing.

Much to everyone's dismay but Joyce's, the couple was still going strong. No one seemed to understand how Buffy could fall for another vampire, especially one without a soul. Willow supported her, but couldn't understand their actions. Although she did have to admit that she liked the peroxide blond, especially now that he wasn't trying to kill them. He had a dry sense of humor, was a hottie, and seemed to love Buffy a lot. So, Willow kept her protests to a minimum as did Giles. Xander and Angel, however, voiced their opinions often.

Angel had become a recluse again, popping up only to patrol with Buffy and play Cryptic Guy. They would hold intense conversations as they swept through the cemeteries or park, trying to force themselves to be friends even though they knew it to be impossible. The Slayer had moved on because she had to, due to the curse, and she had accidentally found love again. But Cupid always struck when least expected.

The patrols were set up on a rotation schedule for the Slayerettes, all two of them, and Giles. Each night either Xander, Willow or Giles would go with Buffy on her rounds. They'd meet up with Angel, although the latter stayed in the shadows when the Watcher accompanied her, and sometimes Faith. Spike was always around, as well, though he kept his distance. As promised, he was only there to be an extra set of eyes.

But if that extra set of eyes was taken out first...

*****

Present

Buffy opened her eyes slowly, dreading the start of the next Game.
*Of all the...grr!* she thought, the last part emitting from her throat in a low growl equal to that of her love. She heard a familiar chuckle at her left and raised her middle finger in an unladylike salute.

The first thing she noticed was the ceiling. It needed to be painted. She pushed herself to a sitting position and looked at her surroundings.
"We're in a kitchen," she said, noting the old fashioned white refrigerator, gas stove, cabinets and antiquated sink.

"That we are, pet," Spike said, leaning against one of the cabinets.

Buffy turned to give him a scathing look when she saw them.
"Willow! Angel!" She crawled to their unconscious forms lying on the floor to the right of Spike. She checked the red head over, then frowned at the other vampire not sure as to how to see if he was ok.

"Drugged, remember?" Spike said.
"They should be coming around right about..."

"Nyaahg," Willow moaned loudly.

"...now," the blond vampire finished.

Willow blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision as the pounding in her head threatened to make her scream.

"Willow?" Buffy said quietly, putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

The hacker opened her eyes and saw the Slayer looking worriedly down at her.
"What happened?"

"You've been 'recruited' to participate in the next Game," Buffy answered. Willow's eyes widened and she quickly sat up, then put a hand to her head as the movement caused it to throb.
"Careful. The drugs they use can pack a pretty powerful wallop for the uninitiated."

Angel began to stir and Buffy turned her attention to him. He opened his brown eyes and looked at her.
"Let me guess - the Game?"

Buffy nodded.
"The Game."

The dark headed vampire sat up and took in his surroundings.
"We're in a kitchen," he stated.

Spike snorted derisively.
"Good observation, mate. What else do your powers of deduction tell you?"

Angel glared at Spike and pushed to his feet. He tried the faucets first, making a face at the brown water that poured into the sink, then headed for the refrigerator.
"Um, Buffy? Take a look at this," he said, standing in front of the open door.

Buffy squeezed Willow's shoulder again, then stood and walked over to him. She took a look inside the refrigerator, then looked up at him with an arched eyebrow.
"This is new," she said as she pulled out one of four brown, paper bags on the shelf. She opened it and looked inside.
"Apple, sandwich, bottled water, chips, candy bar."

Angel took and opened a second bag.
"Type O blood bag," he said, pulling it out.

"They're feeding us?" Buffy said, confused. She took a third bag and opened it to find another blood bag. She threw it at Spike, then grabbed the fourth one. It held the same contents as the first one.
"This can't be a good sign."

"Where's the letter?" Spike asked, still sitting on the floor, his blue jeans-clad legs bent, forearms resting on his knees.

"Letter?" Willow asked, accepting the paper bag from Buffy.

"Our instructions," Buffy said, looking for the annoying white envelope. She spotted it sitting on the counter near the stove.
"Ta-da! Let's see what we've won!"

Angel frowned at her.
"This isn't a joking matter, Buffy," he said.

"Piss off, peaches," Spike shot at him.
"You haven't been pulled into this bloody Game before, and we have. And I'm only going to say this once - that's my woman, not yours, so watch your mouth."

"Or what? You'll try to beat me up?" Angel sneered.
"Like that's going to happen."

Spike jumped to his feet, Doc Martens squeaking loudly on the faux tile floor.
"Just watch me," he growled.

Willow stood up and boldly put herself between the two vampires.
"Enough! Your posturing is hurting my head!" she yelled at them, her face paling at her quick movements. She swayed unsteadily on her feet and Angel immediately put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Willow, are you ok?" Angel asked her quietly after a final glare at Spike.

"Yeah,"she answered carefully.
"Maybe I need to eat something."

Buffy had basically ignored the two vampires, having learned not to interfere until blood was shed. She was surprised when Willow spoke up, then worried at the paleness of her friend.
"I think we need to cool down for a few minutes," she said, looking pointedly at Spike. He made a face at her, moved to the opposite side of the large kitchen and began to go through the cabinets.

"I'm ok, Buffy," Willow reassured her as she removed the apple from the bag and took a bite.

Angel gave her a concerned look.
"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Angel," she said.
"Thanks for asking."

Spike snorted from behind a cabinet door and Buffy rubbed a hand over her face.
*This is going to be such fun,* she thought sarcastically. She looked down at the letter in her hand and cleared her throat.
"Ok, for you two newbies," she said, sending a grin over to Angel and Willow.
"This oh-so-exciting letter contains our basic instructions for this Game."

"You told them that already, ducks," Spike said as he closed a cabinet door and opened another.

Buffy ignored him and began to read.
"'Take a journey to the mind of a riddler. Allusion, mass confusion, question mark, clue-sion. What, where, why, who-sion. It's like a maze within yourself.'"

Spike stopped what he was doing and their eyes met.
"Sorry, pet, don't know what song that's from," he told her.

"Song?" Willow asked as she finished her apple.

"Whoever set this up loves to start with song lyrics," Buffy said.
"The first was Welcome to the Jungle by Guns-N-Roses, the second was Burn by the Cure. It usually hints as to what the Game is about."

"It's The Riddler by Method Man," Angel said. Three sets of eyes turned on him and he shrugged.
"It's from Batman Forever."

"And you know this how?" Buffy asked as Spike chuckled.

"I have the soundtrack," he replied.

"Isn't that the one with the song that goes: 'You hate your boss at your job, and in your dreams you can blow his head off. In your dreams, show no mercy'?" Willow said, her face lighting up in trivial excitement.

"That's the one," Angel responded, smiling at her.

"I have that CD!" Willow said.
"My favorite song on it is Nobody Lives Without Love by Eddi Reader. What's yours?"

"The U2 song," he answered.
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me."

Buffy and Spike's eyes met again, and the vampire rolled his before turning back to the cabinets.
"Um, guys? The letter?"

"Oh, right. The letter," Willow said.
"Go ahead, Buffy."

"Thanks," she said dryly.
"'Four were placed inside a house. The house was reminiscent of the one by Stauf. Room by room the players tried, to solve the puzzles before they died.'" She looked up and gave Willow a worried glance.
"'Welcome to the House, Slayer. You and the Vampire have moved to the next level of the Game. Food has been provided in several rooms for you and your companions. Get to the exit, if you can.'"

"Is that it?" Angel asked, holding out his hand to take the letter from her.

"Yup," Buffy replied, giving it to him. She picked up her lunch bag and stuck it in the pocket of Spike's duster, which she always wore, then grabbed Spike's lunch bag and put it in the second pocket.

"So what are we suppose to do?" Willow asked, looking at the letter over Angel's arm.

"Get to the exit," Buffy replied.

"But how?"

"Solve the puzzles in each room," Angel said. He looked down at the red head.
"Isn't Stauf the doll maker in that computer game?"

"That's right!" Willow answered.
"The Seventh Guest. I played that game and the sequel, though the first one was much more fun and interesting. Wait, how did you know?"

"I was playing it once at a computer store," Angel replied. He folded the letter and gave it back to Buffy.

Buffy walked over to Spike while the other two began discussing computer games and tapped his shoulder. He stopped his snooping and looked at her.
"Having fun?"

"Tons," Spike replied with a half grin. He nodded over at the hacker and the vampire.
"Why did we get stuck with those two? I can handle the Witch, but hair boy? It'll be lucky if I don't bloody rip his tongue out before we even leave this room."

"Spike, I know it's going to be hard, but they're just as stuck as we are," Buffy said.
"And we wouldn't have been given help if we weren't going to need it."

"I know, Slayer," he sighed.
"But if what the wanker says is true, that we have to solve puzzles to move forward, I'm going to go out of my mind. Patience was never my strong suit."

"You're telling me," Buffy joked, giving him a small smile. He growled playfully at her, pulling her to him and nipping at her lower lip with his blunt teeth.

Angel heard Spike's growl and turned to see the couple start making out. He sighed and heard Willow echo him. He looked back down at the red head to see her staring at Buffy and Spike, too, before she raised her gaze to him.
"They're lucky," she said.

"Why?"

"They have each other," Willow answered. She gave him a sad smile.
"Even if Spike is a member of the undead demon club."

"And I'm not?" Angel asked.

Willow looked mortified at what she just said.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean...I meant that he didn't have a soul. You do. That's a good thing. Not that Spike is bad. Well, actually, he is bad. But that's not the point."

"Willow," he interrupted with a small grin.
"Don't worry about it." He winked at her, then cleared his throat loudly.
"If you two are finished trying to lick the backs of each other's neck from the front..."

Buffy pulled away from Spike and blushed heavily.
"Right," she said, taking a step away from her lover.
"I guess the sooner we start, the sooner we escape."

*This is going to be such bloody fun,* Spike thought, already feeling the walls close in on him as his hyper-activity started to flare up. He quickly grabbed the Slayer's hand to try to ground himself.

Buffy smiled at him, knowing what he was feeling, then turned her attention to the only door in the room.
"Shall we see what's behind door number one?"

Part Two

The door opened up to reveal a dining room. It held a very long, ornate wooden table with twelve chairs. Another door was directly opposite them on the other side of the room. Buffy and Spike walked over to it together, still holding hands. On it was a row of push button numbers, from zero to nine. The Slayer tried pushing, but it wouldn't budge.
"Locked."

"Force it," Spike said.

Buffy used her enhanced strength, but the door still wouldn't move.
"Now what?"

"I think we're suppose to figure out the puzzle," Willow said, looking past her at the numbers on the door.

"It's a bunch of numbers," Buffy said.
"Do we just push randomly until it opens?"

"How about we read the clue first?" Angel suggested, pointing to the table. The others walked to where he was standing and looked. Carved in the hard wood were words.

"'War, what is it good for?'" Willow read aloud. She frowned.
"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Absolutely nothing," Spike answered. The three gave him confused looks.
"'War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.' Edwin Starr, 1970."

"Huh?" Buffy asked.

"It's a song lyric, pet," Spike explained.
"It's pretty obvious the wanker who set up the Games is big on music."

"So the answer is nothing?" Willow said.

"Guess so," Buffy replied. She went over to the door with Spike and pressed zero. They heard a click and the door swung open.
"Cool. If all of the puzzles are this easy, we'll be home in no time. And I just jinxed us, didn't I?" Willow nodded in affirmation.

The four entered another room. This one was set up as a study. Books lined one wall, and an antique sofa sat pleasantly in the center. A fish tank sat on a table against the other wall. Both Willow and Angel went immediately to the bookshelves and Spike and Buffy to the door on the opposite wall.
"More numbers," Spike noted.

"Where's the clue?" Buffy asked, looking around the room.

"Hey, these are fake books!" Willow exclaimed, thumping on the cardboard cutouts.

"I guess they don't want us to spend time on things other than the puzzles," Angel commented.

Buffy dropped Spike's hand and began prowling around for the clue. The vampire felt disconnected almost instantly and a jolt of energy shot through him. It was funny how by just holding her hand he was calmed so as not to be bouncing off the walls. Granted, his thoughts tended to still skip all over the place, but he didn't feel restless.

He spotted the fish tank out of the corner of his eye, the bluish water from the light beckoning to him. He walked over to it and bent down.
"There's no fish in here," he said, looking at the colorful fake coral and gravel. He lifted the lid to the tank and peered inside. A plastic pirates galleon floated on top of the water, a large, rolled piece of paper tucked in between the masts.
"What's this?"

"What's what?" Buffy asked, coming over to him as he pulled the paper out.

"I think I found our clue," he said, unrolling it. He read it silently, his mouth moving, oblivious to the three staring at him.

"Spike, do you want to clue us in sometime today?" Angel said, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the bookshelf.

"Angel, that was a terrible pun," Willow said, a grin on her face.

He gave her a half smile.
"It was, wasn't it."

Spike glared at his sire, but began to read the clue out loud.
"'On one of the boats on which Sinbad sailed, there was a ladder hung over the side that contained six rungs. The rungs were spaced one foot apart. At low tide, the water came up to the second rung from the bottom. Then the water rose two feet. Which rung did the water then hit?'"

"Math problems," Buffy whined.
"But I graduated. I shouldn't have to do math problems."

"It's not that hard of a problem, Buffy," Willow said.

"So says the nerd," Spike mumbled so only Buffy heard him. She had to stifle her giggle.

"You just have to think logically," Willow continued.

"Logically, right," Buffy said.
"We have a boat, we have a ladder, and we have water. Anyone want to go swimming?"

Spike chuckled and handed Willow the paper as she walked up to them.
"Didn't bring my bathers, luv."

"Skinny dipping, then?" Buffy replied, leaning closer to his ear. Her tongue shot out and she licked the edge of it.

Spike's eyes rolled upwards as he closed them, intense desire shooting through his body. He could feel his jeans becoming strained as his cock twitched to life when she did it again.
"Slayer, stop before I ravish you right here, right now in front of your friends."

Buffy pulled away from him, giving his rear a squeeze, causing him to jump and whirl to face her. She gave him an innocent smile.
"I'm being good."

"Like that will bloody ever happen," he muttered, adjusting himself while he faced her. Her eyes shot down to his crotch and she ran her tongue over her lips, making it even harder.
"Cor, Slayer, you're not playing nice."

Angel watched the exchange between the two, the scent of both their arousals permeating the air.
"Great," he said quietly.
"Just what I needed." He must have spoke louder than he thought because he saw Willow giving him a concerned look.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Nothing that a stake in a certain brainless vampire's heart wouldn't take care of," he replied.

"Sometimes they're so cute it makes me sick," Willow told him in a whisper.

Angel's eyes widened and he looked at her with shock.
"Why?"

"Because she has a love life and I don't," she confessed.

"But I thought that you and Oz..."

"We broke up," she replied.
"Months ago. Although no one seems to know that but me. And now you, since I just told you."

"Oh," Angel said.
"I'm sorry."

Willow didn't want the attention, so she focused on the paper in her hands.
"Water at the second rung of a ladder on a boat, each rung is one foot apart, the water rose two feet," she summarized loudly, getting the attention of the other two.
"What rung is the water at?"

Part Three

"Four?" Spike hazard a guess, his arm snaking out to grab Buffy and pull her against him. He slowly ground his hips against hers, letting her feel his hard on.

"That's what they want you to think," Willow said.
"But that's not the right answer."

"Why? Two plus two is four," Buffy said, then bit her lip to keep from moaning out loud.

"Because it's a boat," Angel said, his brain clicking with the red head's.
"When the water rises, the boat rises, too."

"Which means the answer is two," Willow finished. She went over to the door and pressed the number two. They heard another click and the door swung open.
"Voila!" She looked into the room and saw it was empty save for a giant hopscotch on the floor that ran at an angle from the door to the far left corner of the room.

Angel walked up behind her and looked over her head.
"What is that?"

"A hopscotch board," Willow replied. She turned her head up towards him.
"You've never seen one before?"

"No," he said.
"What is it?" He heard Buffy groan from behind them and rolled his eyes.

"It's a children's game," Willow explained.
"You toss a rock onto a square, then hop on each one, skipping the one with the rock, to 'Sky Blue' then turn around and come back, picking up the rock on the way."

Angel gave her a confused look.
"Right." He heard another small moan from behind him and sighed.
"Will you two cut it out already."

Spike raised his head from where he was nibbling on the Slayer's neck, the duster having been pushed off her shoulder.
"We're just killing time until you figure out the next puzzle, mate," he said, then nuzzled the area behind Buffy's ear.

"What he said," Buffy breathed, leaning into her lover.

Willow made a fake gagging sound, making Angel chuckle.
"Let's figure this out while they continue to maul each other," she said quietly, a wicked smile on her face.
"We can always not tell them the answer."

"A cruel streak. Willow, I never knew," Angel replied. He gestured across the threshold to the area that said 'Home'.
"Shall we?"

They both stepped forward and looked at the large hopscotch that traversed the room to the opposite door. Angel's gaze roved around the room, searching for the clue. He found it in the most unlikely of places - the ceiling.
"Willow?"

"What?" Willow said. He pointed up and she raised her head.
"Oh. What's it doing up there? And what the heck does it mean?"

On the ceiling was painted a mirror opposite of the large board, the words 'home' and 'sky blue' written backwards. Three of the number squares were shaded in black - 1, 6 and 7.

"Trial and error?" Angel asked, looking at the ceiling then back at the floor.

Willow shrugged, then got in position to start. She hopped forward on one foot...and suddenly found herself almost plummeting through the floor. Angel reacted immediately, his arms shooting out and capturing her around the waist, dragging her back against him. He could hear her heart hammering in her chest, his would have been if it still beat.
"Are you ok?"

"Um...no," Willow replied, her legs shaking as she looked at the hole where the floor use to be.
"I guess black means 'don't jump there.'"

Unbidden, the laughter came from his chest as he released his fear. She patted his arms and he let go. With a deep breath, she hopped over number one before he could stop her and landed gracefully on number two.
"Willow!" Angel exclaimed.

Buffy and Spike suddenly appeared in the doorway, the vampire's shout breaking into their euphoria. They saw Willow hopping forward, then pause when she landed with both feet on numbers four and five.
"What's happened?"

"If you two would get your hormones under control, she wouldn't have almost killed herself!" Angel snapped, jumping over the hole in the floor and following Willow.

Buffy paled slightly at his words, but Willow shot her a reassuring glance.
"Don't hop on the black squares," she instructed, pointing to the ceiling, then continued forward. When she landed on 'sky blue,' she pushed the door and it swung open. Seeing nothing in the next room, she stepped through the open door, Angel less than a hop behind her.

Buffy stepped forward onto 'home' and looked at the ceiling, noting the black squares.
"Come on, Spike," she said as she began to traverse the room.

"Angel!" Willow shouted in alarm, making the Slayer stop and look up towards the door. She saw the hacker point and Angel rush to the other side of the room. Suddenly, he came back into view, his feet sliding as he tried to prevent a wall from crushing them.

"Willow!" Buffy yelled, jumping over the last square to 'sky blue.' She reached the door just in time to see her friends disappear. The wall stopped moving as suddenly as it began, having swung on what looked to be a pivot in the center of the room. She could hear banging on the other side.

"Buffy!" Angel shouted through the wall.

"Angel!" Buffy yelled back.
"Are you guys ok?"

"We're in a little room," he yelled.
"There's a door and a set of stairs going up."

"There's a door on this side, too," Buffy called out as Spike joined her in the strange room. She went over to it and pushed it open.
"It leads to a child's room."

Spike spun and kicked the movable wall, only to have it ring out.
"Metal. Probably aluminum," he commented.

"Hey, stop kicking the wall!" Willow yelled.
"It's making a horrible echo in here."

"I guess this is where we split up," Buffy shouted.
"Be careful. Hopefully we'll meet up again, soon."

"You too, Buffy," Willow called back. She looked at Angel.
"I love Buffy like a sister, but despite her SAT scores, she isn't too smart."

"Neither is Spike," Angel replied, frowning. He sighed.
"I guess we can only go on and hope we'll find them quickly." He gestured through the door towards the stairs.

On the other side of the wall, Buffy and Spike were looking nervously at each other.
"Why do I feel like I've gotten the short end of the stick?" Spike asked.

"Because our brains just got taken away from us," Buffy replied. She sighed.
"I really jinxed us, didn't I?"

Spike took her in his arms, holding her close.
"No you didn't, Slayer. It's this bloody Game. Between the two of us, we should be able to do this." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we find them."

They entered the children's playroom and headed straight for the door on the left wall. On it were two round knobs with a picture of a camel on each one. Buffy looked at them, then at Spike.
"Care for a smoke?"

Spike snorted at her humor.
"That was pretty bad, pet, even for you."

"Thanks," Buffy smiled at him.
"Let's hunt for that clue."

*****

Willow and Angel reached the top of the stairs and entered a large bedroom. A bunk bed was against one wall of the light yellow room. Two dressers lined the other wall, as well as a toy chest. A rocking horse sat in one corner, waiting for someone to ride it.

"There's the clue," the vampire said, pointing to the bunk bed. He went over and picked it up as Willow went to the door. On it were more numbers, but this time they read zero to twenty by halves.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"'There are two brothers whose combined age is eleven years. One is ten years older than the other. What are the ages?'" Angel read.

"That's easy," Willow said, looking at the numbers on the door.

*****

"Found it!" Buffy declared, snatching up a stuffed toy camel. Around its neck was a piece of paper, which she quickly unrolled.
"'Two camels were facing in opposite directions. One was facing due east and the other was facing due west. How can they manage to see each other without walking, turning around, or even moving their heads.'"

Spike gave her a look of dread.
"Bloody hell," he swore, throwing himself on the large, plush sofa amidst the pile of stuffed animals.

"My sentiments exactly," she replied, sinking to the floor.
"What a time to lose Willow."

"Even Angelus for that matter," Spike said.
"He does have brains under all that goopy hair."

Buffy giggled and they settled down to figure out the answer.

Part Four

Willow pressed two numbers.
"Most people would say the answer was one and ten, but that would only be nine years. The ages are 1/2 and 10 1/2," she told him. The door clicked and swung open.

"How did you get to be so smart?" Angel asked as he followed her into the next room.

"Years of having nothing to do on Friday nights but homework," she replied as they entered another bedroom. This one had a double bed and a single dresser, with the door located in the middle of the wall. On the dresser sat a globe with writing on it and a small refrigerator. She opened it up and noted four more brown bags.
"Care for a bite?"

"Pardon?" Angel said from his position by the next door. There were two buttons this time - one labeled Sethian and one labeled Oronian.

"The food, as promised," Willow told him, opening a bag at random. She had left hers in the kitchen by accident. Pulling out the bottled water she took a long drink, then dug for the candy bar at the bottom.
"Ooh, my favorite: Three musketeers."

Angel walked over to her and grabbed a bag as well.
"Why is that your favorite?" he inquired, pulling out a bag of blood and holding it in his hand.
*It wouldn't hurt to feed,* he thought.

"The three musketeers is what me, Jesse and Xander called ourselves a long time ago," she replied.
"You never got to meet Jesse, did you?"

"No," he said, facing away from her and slipping into his game face.
"Who was he?"

"He was our best friend," Willow said sadly.
"He died the night of the Harvest. Vamped, then staked. I still miss him."

Angel finished and quickly wiped his mouth on his sleeve, putting the empty blood bag into the brown paper sack before facing her again.
"I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she told him.
"It doesn't hurt that much anymore. At least I still have Xander. Which reminds me, I wonder if they know we're missing."

"We haven't been gone that long," Angel said.
"Were you planning on meeting him tonight?"

"No," Willow replied.
"Buffy and I were having a girl's night out type thingy. Xander had a graduation party to go to for his cousin in Shelbyville."

"Didn't he get a party?" Angel asked, leaning against the dresser.

"No. I doubt his parents even remembered he graduated," she said, spinning the globe with her fingers. Then she noticed the words on the orb.
"Oh, hey. Here's our next puzzle. Boy, this is a long one."

"Sock it to me, baby," he said. Willow arched an eyebrow at him and he grinned.
"Just because I don't own a tv, doesn't me I haven't watched it. Now, read the clue."

"'In a certain solar system, the sun has only two planets - Oron, inhabited by the Oronians, and Seth, inhabited by the Sethians. Both races are highly intelligent and able to travel from one planet to the other. The trouble is that whenever the inhabitants of either planet land on the other one, they become totally disoriented and all their beliefs are wrong. When they are back on their home planet, they are perfectly oriented again and all their beliefs are then correct. Now, an inhabitant from one of these two planets once believed that he was an Oronian who was then on Seth. Was he Oronian or Sethian?'"

*****

Buffy looked up at Spike, noting that he was playing with a green stuffed frog. She started to laugh, making him raise his head.
"What are you laughing at?"

"You," she replied.

"Oh, really?" he asked, raising his scarred brow.

"Yup," Buffy said, crawling across the floor to him.
"Wanna know why?"

"Enlighten me."

"'Cuz you're so damn cute, surrounded by all these stuffed animals," she answered, kneeling up between his legs.

"This isn't solving the puzzle, luv," Spike said as he watched her under a half-lidded gaze.

"Relax, Spike. You're too tense," Buffy said, slowly running her hands from his jeans-clad knees up towards his hips.
"And I know just how to relieve that tension."

"You do, do you?" he said, his voice dropping a sexy notch.

"I certainly do," she said seductively as her fingertips ran up under his faded blue T-shirt and along the waistband of his jeans.
"Want me to show you?"

"By all means," he replied, then let his head fall against the back of the couch as she undid the fastenings on his pants and pulled them down just enough to expose him.

"Looks like somebody's a little stiff," Buffy laughed sensuously.
"I'll guess I'll have to give you a massage."

Spike moaned when her strong hand closed around his hard shaft. She started at the base and slowly stroked upwards, making him shudder. He felt her push his shirt up with her other hand, then lean forward and kiss his stomach, her hand never stopping. Her tongue darted out into his navel, making him arch upward into her, the top of his penis hitting the softness of her lilac shirt.

Her other hand was not unoccupied as she nipped at his lower abdomen above the curls surrounding his manhood. Her hand first scratched lightly along his upper thigh, then dipped between his legs to caress and squeeze and kneed his balls. Her mouth traveled the short distance on down to the base of his rigid cock, then her tongue traced up and down all sides of it, over and around her hand which still pumped him.

She licked the pre-cum that formed on the tip then twirled her tongue around the head, paying extra attention to the sensitive spot on the underside just below the crown. When he felt her hot breath move away, he almost whimpered, only to shout out in surprise and pleasure when she sank her blunt teeth into his inner thigh, biting him hard.

Buffy felt his testicles start to contract, signaling he was going to cum, and moved back over his erection. She licked him once, then plunged her mouth over him as her hand went down, until she could go no further. She sucked hard as she moved her head back up, her hand following her and he let out a low growl before thrusting into her face as he orgasm, her mouth filling with his cold semen.

She raised her eyes to see him looking down at her, his blue eyes lit with an intense fire. Impishly, she took her mouth off of his cock, lifted her head and gave him a small, feminine smile. Then, she swallowed.

*****

"He was Sethian," Angel deducted.
"Because if he was on Seth, he would have believed himself to be a Sethian. Therefore, he must be on Oron in order to think he was an Oronian on Seth."

"If Buffy were here, she'd say 'huh'?" Willow joked as he walked over to the door and pressed the left button. The door clicked and swung open.
"Luckily, to me, that made complete sense. The again, quantum physics makes sense to me."

"Willow, if anyone ever tells you that you are a nerd," Angel said.
"Take it as a compliment. I'd rather be with a girl who had brains over beauty any day."

"Then what were you doing with Buffy?" Willow asked, then gasped and covered her mouth.
"Oh, I can not believe I just said that!"

Angel chuckled as she blushed.
"It's ok, Willow. I was wondering the same thing myself recently, especially in light of her being with Spike."

"Spike's not that bad. Well, he is, but only in a I'm-a-demon-killer-who-plans-to-drain-you- while-you-scream kinda way," she said in defense of Buffy. Then she shook her head and made a funny noise.

"Don't worry," he told her.
"Nothing you can say about Spike would offend me, even in conjunction with Buffy. In fact, bash the bleached nut job as often as you want."

"Angel," Willow's eyes widened at his insult.
"Such bad words." Her face shifted from one of surprise to one of perplexity.
"Do you think the peroxide could have accidentally seeped into his brain, which is why he's with Buffy now?"

Angel laughed loudly, slumping against the door frame.
"Willow, I think you staked the vampire right in the heart."

Willow grinned unabashedly.
"You're coming up with some pretty good puns tonight," she said as she walked to his side to peer into the next room.

"Must be the company," he replied, calming down. He turned and focused on the next room as well. Stretched across the entire floor were two foot squares of various colors, like an odd checker board. Written across the opposite wall in large, flowing script was the clue.

"'Somewhere over the rainbow,'" Willow read out loud. She looked down at the floor, then back at the wall, then down at the floor again.
"What are the colors of the rainbow?"

"ROY G BIV," Angel said, examining the floor.
"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet."

"Hold my wrist," Willow said.
"This time, I want to be prepared."

"What are you doing?"

"This," she said, carefully stepping onto the red square. It held.
"Over the rainbow. ROY G BIV. We cross this room by following the colors in order." She took a step diagonally onto an orange square, pulling Angel onto the red one.
"See?"

*****

Spike hissed when he saw her swallow so wantonly, his slowly softening penis becoming painfully erect once more. He grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her up against him, plundering her mouth with his tongue, tasting himself. He shoved the duster off her shoulders and onto the floor, then ran his lips down the column of Buffy's neck, nipping and licking it.

Buffy rubbed her pelvis against his arousal, the material of her pants burning into him. With a low growl, he stood up, bringing her with him, and quickly removed her clothing. After he removed her pants and panties, he stayed on his knees and pressed his face to her curls, his tongue darting out to flick her clit. She moaned in pleasure, her head dropping back as her hands wove through his hair.

Holding onto her hips, he sucked and teased her throbbing center until she exploded into orgasm, bucking against his face as he held fast. When her knees started to shake, threatening to go out from under her, Spike stood and pushed her back onto the couch. He pulled off his T-shirt and, not even pausing to remove his boots, dropped his jeans and shoved her legs apart. He entered her with his shaft and his tongue swept into her mouth at the same time.

He brought a hand between them to fondle and caress Buffy's breast, the sounds of their flesh hitting each other in sync with their panting. Spike was coming close again, and he lowered his hand to finger the hard nubbin, twisting it until she screamed into his mouth as she climaxed. He slammed into her several more times before letting his own climax overwhelm him, spilling his seed deep within her hot core.

Their kisses turned from passionate to tender as they came down from their respective orgasms. Eventually, Spike pulled away from Buffy's soft lips to rest his forehead against hers as she caught her breath.
"Maybe getting separated from Willow and Angel wasn't such a bad thing after all," Buffy said quietly.

Spike chuckled.
"Indeed," he replied, kissing her lightly on the lips before pulling away from her completely. They redressed then sat together on the couch, Buffy curled up against his chest, her eyes drooping.
"Tired, luv?"

"A little," she confessed, then yawned.
"Ok, a lot. Someone kept me up too late last night."

"I wonder who that could have been?" Spike asked dryly. She smacked him on the leg, then snuggled closer to him.
"Why don't you take a nap, Slayer?"

"But what about the puzzle?"

"I'll think about it while you sleep," he told her.

"'K," Buffy replied, already drifting off.
"Love you."

"I love you, too, Buffy," Spike said, resting his cheek against the top of her head. Soon they were both fast asleep.

*****

"We have two choices," Angel said.
"Door on the left or door straight ahead."

"There's nothing on the door to the left," Willow pointed out.

"I guess then it's straight ahead," he replied, moving to the door of yet another bedroom.
"There are a bunch of pictures here. Several animals, including a human figure, and scenery."

"I guess we need to find the clue," she said, looking around. She spotted a small music box out on the dresser and went over to it. Music played as she opened it to find a scrap of paper.
"This song sounds familiar. Something that my parents used to listen to."

"I don't recognize it," Angel told her as he took the paper from her hand.
"Then again, I didn't start really listening to music until I met up with Whistler when Buffy was called. And he had awful taste." He unfolded the scrap as she closed the box.
"'I Went To The Desert On A Horse With No Name. Who Did I Go With?'"

"That's the song!" Willow exclaimed excitedly. He frowned in confusion. "A Horse With No Name, by America. My parents argued about the meaning of the song for hours." She suddenly slapped his arm.
"That's it!"

"What's it?" Angel said, completely lost.

"The puzzle. 'Who did I go with?'" Willow replied.
"I never thought my parents analyzing everything would come in so handy. I'll have to thank them. If they ever come home, that is. I don't think I've seen my dad in months. And my mom! Only in passing and only if I am in the living room at precisely 6:07 p.m. when she gets home from work. But, you probably don't care about that. You probably just want to know the answer, right?"

"Maybe I'd rather listen to you talk, instead," Angel said.
"I think that's the most you've said to me since I returned."

"It is?" Willow said.
"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Why?"

"I didn't mean for you to feel excluded," she answered.
"You're my friend and I'm glad you're back to your old self. Before the new self, which is now the old self because you changed again, which, technically would be the new self. Unless we classify it as the new new self. Or maybe the old self to the old old self..."

Part Five

"Willow?"

"Yeah, Angel?"

"The answer?"

"Oh!" Willow blushed.
"Sorry. Press the person."

Angel did as requested and the door clicked and opened. He looked at her questioningly.
"I don't get it."

"That's because your parents probably weren't as strange as mine," Willow said.
"Take apart the sentence, like you're diagramming it."

"I went to the desert on a horse with no name," Angel said.
"Three sets of prepositional phrases. I can omit any of them and still have a complete sentence that makes sense."

"Right. Omit the second one and you'll see why I picked the person," she said.

"I went to the desert with no name," he stated.
"Oh, brother. That's pretty bad. 'No Name' is the name of someone."

"Yup," Willow said.
"Like a Native American name. My parents discussed this point for hours."

"Willow, I think I feel sorry for you," Angel said, shaking his head.
"Shall we continue?"

Willow walked over to him and looked through the door. Inside was a relatively empty room, with only a grandfather clock on one wall and a free-standing statue on the other. She raised her eyes to meet his and gave him a small smile.
"Hickory Dickery Doc?"

Angel chuckled.
"Could be," he said, stepping across the threshold. He went over to the clock as Willow went to the statue. Behind the door, he could see a piece of paper attached to the pendulum. He grasped the small, ornate knob and pulled.

Willow screamed.

Whirling in panic, Angel was able to catch a glimpse of red hair as the hacker fell through a trap door that opened beneath her feet. He ran and dove for the hole, laying down and sticking his head inside to search for her.
"Willow!"

"Angel? I'm down here!" Willow called up to him. She could see him against the light coming through the open trap door.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I landed on something soft. I think it's a big mattress," she yelled back.

"Hold on a second and I'll read the clue to see if there's a way to get you out," he called down. Standing, Angel rushed back over to the clock and grabbed the note. In his haste, he also latched onto the weight chain that hung behind the pendulum. He heard his fate before it actually occurred and could only go with the flow as the floor beneath him gave way and he found himself falling.

He landed and rolled with the impact on the softness. Right into Willow.

"Oof!" Willow got out as Angel crashed into her. She fell back onto the mattress and groaned.

"Willow, are you ok?" Angel asked worriedly, his game face coming forth so he could see better.

"Could you remove your elbow from my ribs?" Willow replied. He did immediately and she sighed.
"Thanks."

"Are you ok?" he repeated.

"Yes, Angel, 'I'm fine. We're all fine here now,'" she quoted, pushing herself to a sitting position, then looking up at the open dual trap doors.
"Now, how the hell are we supposed to get back up there?"

"I don't think we can," Angel replied, rolling to a sitting position as well.
"There's probably a door out of here, if we can find it."

"At least we have some light," Willow said.
"I don't think I could stand being in the pitch black. Why is it called 'pitch black,' anyway? Isn't black black enough?"

He chuckled quietly, relived that she was alright.
"I have no idea, Willow," he said, pushing to his feet and heading for one of the walls. He began to feel around for a door.

"I think it's the American language, which is way different than English," she said, joining him in his search of the walls.
"We make up too many slang words and...well, words, period." She felt a crack and made a small sound of geeker joy.
"Found the door."

He went to her side and felt around the edges to where she indicated.
"No knob, though. And it swings inward towards us."

"Then how do we open it?"

"I don't know," he replied, his face returning to human to settle into a frown.
"I really don't know."

*****

Spike woke first, his body letting him know he was hungry. Remembering Buffy had stashed a bag of blood in the pocket of his leather duster, he managed to snag it with the top of his boot and bring it within reach.

After feeding, he tossed the empty bag and dug out a cigarette from the pocket of his jeans. He hadn't worn his bomber jacket, even after it had been thoroughly cleaned from the carnage of the last Game they played. He frowned as he lit the smoke with one hand, not wanting to disturb the still-sleeping Slayer. He was getting tired of these escapades he kept finding himself in. Granted, he wouldn't trade the first one because that's what brought him and the Slayer together, but the last one and now this could be wadded and shoved up someone's hole. Especially this one.

He'd never been considered too smart in the book learning department. He was mostly street smart. After two centuries of living, he did pick up one or two things from reading, but he preferred to leave the intellectual stuff to vampires like Dalton. He still missed that nerd from time to time. He could play a mean game of poker.

*Speaking of games,* Spike thought, turning his attention on the door across the room.
*How the bloody hell are we going to get through this one?* He felt Buffy stir and blew the cigarette smoke up in the air before kissing the top of her head.
"Morning, pet."

"Hey," she said sleepily.
"Is it morning already?"

"Don't know, don't care," he replied.
"Although I bet it is, seeing as I was hungry when I woke up."

Buffy's stomach growled in agreement. "I really need to start wearing a watch again," she said, searching through the pocket of the duster still on his lap. She pulled out the paper lunch bag and dug through its contents for the sandwich.
"So, have you figured out the answer yet?"

"Can't say that I have," he answered, taking another drag as she ate.
"Maybe if we set up the problem."

"How?"

"Well, we have enough bloody stuffed animals to start an army," Spike replied.
"We'll chose two and put them in the situation." He looked down at the piece of paper he'd retrieved from next to him on the couch.
"One facing east, the other facing west."

"Which way is east and west?" Buffy asked, picking up the stuffed frog Spike had been playing with earlier and moving.

"That wall will be east," he answered. He set down a stuffed bear facing opposite hers, to the 'west', so they were back to back.
"Now, how can they see each other?"

"I know!" Buffy suddenly exclaimed.
"What if the frog was facing west and the bear was facing east?" She moved and turned the two animals around.
"They end up facing each other!"

Spike paused and looked at her.
"Is it me, or do you feel bloody idiotic not getting that right away?"

"Yup, we're idiots alright," Buffy agreed as she walked over to the door and turned the knobs until both camels were facing each other. One was upside down, but the door clicked and opened anyway.
"And as head of Idiots Anonymous, I shall allow you to enter first."

Spike grabbed the duster and the lunch bag off the couch before entering what turned out to be a music room. A baby grand piano sat in one corner and shelves upon shelves of music filled the rest of the room except for a small refrigerator and the door on the wall to the left.

Buffy followed him in and was surprised when he suddenly shoved the coat and bag in her hands, then crushed out his cigarette and moved to the piano. She walked towards him as he sat on the black bench and raised the lid covering the keys. Her brow raised as she saw him run his fingers lightly over the keys, not depressing them, a small smile on his face. Curious, she waited, seating herself on the floor near him. She was glad she did.

From the first chord, the Slayer was swept away. She watched, fascinated, as his fingers began dancing over the ivory keys, making the piano sing. His eyes were closed, that smile still on his face as he swayed slightly in time with the music. The song itself was unfamiliar, but hauntingly beautiful, rising and falling in tempo and sound.

She sat, transfixed, as the song continued, stirring something within her. She hadn't known he could play, didn't know how he found the patience to learn, but was infinitely glad that he did. The music he caressed from the strings being hit by the keys was exquisite, moving, heart breaking. Tears were streaming down her cheeks from both the song and the man who brought it to life when the last chord faded into the room.

"Why are you crying, luv?" Spike asked quietly, not wanting to break the peaceful hush in the room.

Instead of answering, she stood and walked over to him. With both tenderness and passion, she pressed her lips to his, the saltiness of her tears blending into the kiss. When it ended, their eyes met and Spike felt that wonderful calm settle over his body, as well as a wave of love.
"I love you so bloody much, Buffy," he whispered, pulling her down on the bench beside him.

"I know," she whispered in reply before her mouth was captured again.

*****

Willow and Angel both wept shamelessly as the music came to an end. It wasn't coming from nearby, but it was still loud enough for them to hear and be carried away by the beauty of the song. "I wonder who played that," Willow said after composing herself slightly.
"It was wonderful."

"I don't know," Angel replied.
"Buffy doesn't know how to play, does she?"

"No," she replied.
"How about Spike?"

"Spike? That's a laugh," he answered.
"Why would a demon learn to play the piano? He didn't do it when I ran with him all those years ago."

"Maybe there's another person in the house. Or it was a recording," she said.
"It probably was a recording."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Angel agreed.
"Too bad, though. It was heart rending."

Willow nodded. Their eyes had gotten use to the dim light coming from the trap doors and could see pretty clearly, especially since they'd been stuck in there for over fifteen hours. The room was the exact size of the one above them, with a queen-sized mattress on the floor in the center and a drain in one corner. The hacker had been using it to relieve herself, much to both their embarrassment. Finally, the only way out seemed to be the door. They both had a feeling that this was the way some of the members of the last team to make it this far died - locked in a room with no food or water and no escape.

They both could only hope Buffy and Spike found them.

***** "When did you learn to play?" Buffy asked, pulling out the apple and biting into it.

"Started in the 1920's. Drusilla heard a certain song and she wanted me to play it for her. Cor, it took me ten years to get past the bloody basics. I killed a lot of teachers over that time in my frustration. One of them was this really skinny bloke, like Ichabod Crane in the Disney Halloween Special. Dressed like him to, he did. Of course, that's how artsy mortals dressed in those days, especially in England. I don't know about American fashion, we didn't come here until after the second war. War is wonderful for vampires, pet. All that death and destruction, blood and fear. Dru loved it. She would dance among the corpses, like a dark-headed goddess..."

Buffy grinned into her apple, nodding as she listened to him. Many would think she should be jealous of Drusilla and his obvious love for her, even though they were no longer together, but Buffy wasn't. Drusilla had been part of his unlife for close to 150 years, and he loved her for just as long. If he didn't speak of her with fondness and love, Buffy would be scared, because that would mean he really was just a demon.

"Well bob's your uncle, there's the next clue," Spike suddenly said in the midst of his rambling, pointing to the underside of the upraised piano lid. He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't had leaned forward to look at the strings and hammers.
"'Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we're all in the mood for a melody and you've got us feeling all right. What time is it?'"

"What?" Buffy asked, confused.
"What time is it?"

"It's part of the song, ducks," he replied, starting to play the familiar tune. His voice, when he began to sing, ran down Buffy's spine, making her shiver.
"It's 9:00 on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in, there's a beautiful woman sitting next to me, making love would not be a sin. She said 'Love, will you play me a memory, I'm not really sure how it goes. But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger girls clothes.'"

"That's not how the song goes," she said with a giggle over the piano.

"Now, Buffy is a Vampire Slayer, who likes to get into a fight. And she's in love with demon, which is beyond reason, and probably will be for life," Spike continued to sing with his made up words.
"La la la, did di da. La la did di da, da dum..."

Buffy clutched her sides as she laughed. Eventually, he finished the song with a flourish of notes, then stood and took a mock bow. In response, she hammed it up with applause, whistling loudly and yelling. It took them a good ten minutes to calm down after that. When they finally did, Spike planted a hard kiss on her lips, then pressed the correct button on the door.

The room was an old fashioned smoking room, with a long bar on one wall, dark furnishings and antique ash trays. The next door was to the right, with the numbers zero through eight on it. Spike walked over to the bar and was pleasantly surprised to see full bottles of liquor behind it.
"Care for a spot, pet?"

"For a what?" Buffy asked, looking around for the next clue. He held up a bottle of Jack Daniels. "
No, I don't drink. Ever...again."

"Why's that?" Spike said as he poured himself a glass full.

"I went to this frat party with Cordelia, oh, it must have been only a few weeks after you came to Sunnydale. Anyway, I went because I was mad at Angel because he didn't even want to get coffee with me, and they drugged the one drink I had. Turns out Cordelia and I were to be sacrificed to this ugly snake god called Malika or Maraschino or something," she told him as she bent to take a closer look at a pair of horse statues that flanked the door they had just come through.

"Did you ever get that coffee?" he asked, the alcohol burning a fiery trail down his chest.

"No, I played hard to get," she replied with a grin.
"It kinda worked, too, except I almost blew it by dressing up as a noble woman for Halloween and, well, you remember what happened."

"I almost killed you," Spike said.
"And do you want to know why?"

"Because you're a master vampire who likes to eat Slayers for breakfast?"

"Eat out a certain Slayer, maybe," he replied with a leer.
"But the real reason was because you were a sniveling wuss. Gone was everything that made you...you. It was bloody awful."

Buffy picked up the piece of paper she found under the hoof of one of the horses.
"You mean you had a thing for me way back then?"

"Not telling," Spike said with a wink. He poured another glass and moved out from behind the bar, sitting down in one of the green, high backed chairs.
"What's the puzzle?"

"'A certain sheik named Hassan had eight horses. Four of them were white, three were black, and one was brown. How many of Hassan's horses can each say that it is the same color as another one of Hassan's horses?'"

"More math," he groaned.

Buffy walked over and sat on a second, matching chair.
"'I have a bad feeling about this,'" she quoted, swinging her legs up over the arm of the chair.
"Did you know that four main characters of the Star Wars trilogy said that as some point?"

Part Six

"I give up!" Buffy exclaimed, hitting the door with a powerful side kick. It didn't budge.
"Let's just press the numbers at random and see if it opens."

They had been trying to figure out the puzzle for hours. And that didn't include the time they spent making love on the soft, green carpet, the chair, on the bar, in the other chair. They even slept and ate again, thanks to the fact that they could go back into the music room. Spike was in there now, playing the piano once again as Buffy beat on the door.

With a growl, she closed her eyes and stabbed a number. She heard a loud screech and whipped her head around in time to see the horse statue next to the other door fall down a hole that was suddenly created.

"What was that, Slayer?" Spike called out to her, halting mid note.

"That was me trying not to kill myself in frustration," Buffy yelled back. She stomped over to one of the chairs and flopped into it, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff.

The blond vampire walked through the door and looked down at the large hole to the right of it.
"I take it random guessing is out."

"Fuck off," she snapped.

Spike arched a brow at her language, then walked over to her and picked her up. He sat on the chair and settled her in his lap, holding her head to his chest like a child. He began to stroke her hair.
"It's ok, pet. We'll figure it out."

"I wish we could just ask the horses," she muttered.

Spike stopped suddenly, his brow netting together.
"What did you say?"

"When?"

"Just now."

"I said that I wished we could just ask the horses," Buffy repeated.

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed.
"That's the answer."

Buffy raised her head and looked at him.
"'What'ju talkin' 'bout, Willis?'"

Spike looked at her in confusion, then shook his head and answered.
"It says 'How many of Hassan's horses can say it is the same color as another one of Hassan's horses.' Horses can't bloody talk!"

"That is the answer?" Buffy asked incredulously. Her eyes narrow in anger and she pushed off his lap, stomping over to the door. She jabbed the zero and the door clicked, swinging open.
"Aaarrrggghh!" The frustrated yell she let out echoed in the next room, which was set up similarly to the smoking room. She stormed inside and threw herself into another chair.
"I hate this place."

Spike went over to the next door and saw two movable handles, one with a sun on the end, the other with a moon. He turned and quickly searched the room for the next clue, knowing the Slayer needed time to cool off. Until then, he'd try to figure out the next one on his own.
"'A night without day, a day without night,'" he read to himself.

"I bet Willow and Angel didn't have any problems," she grumbled.

*****

"Angel?"

"Yes, Willow?" Angel said, turning to face her.

"This bites," she told him. He chuckled.
"How long have we been in here now?"

"Two days, maybe more," he replied. She sighed sadly.
"Well, at least we had good music for awhile."

"I'm hungry. I bet you are, too," Willow said, looking up at the trap doors in the ceiling.

"I'll live," Angel replied.

"But how long before the bloodlust overwhelms you? Buffy said Spike was able to last for about four days," she said.

"Willow, I'm not going to feed on you, no matter how strong the bloodlust becomes," he told her firmly.

"Well, if I die of dehydration, you have my permission to drink my blood," Willow said. She sighed again.
"I wonder how Buffy and Spike are doing?"

*****

"Hang on, Slayer," Spike commanded as he gripped the rope.

"Hang on, he says," Buffy muttered, looking down at what use to be the floor. Now, there was a deep, black hole and they were hanging on for dear life to various ropes that hung from the ceiling.
"What else am I going to do?"

Spike had figured out the answer to the last question after only a few hours. He moved the two knobs so the moon covered the sun as an eclipse would, and the door had swung open to reveal a room full of the ropes. They both walked to the opposite side of the large room, intent on moving forward quickly, and found a door with one button that said press me. He did and the floor dropped out from under them. Only their quick, supernatural reflexes saved them from disappearing into the dark.

*****

"What is the one thing you regret?" Willow asked, rolling onto her back on the mattress.

Angel looked down at her from his position on his side, one hand propping up his head, with an arched brow.
"What do you think, Willow?"

"No, I don't mean that," she said quickly.
"I mean what's the one thing you regret not doing, not something you regret that you've already done."

"Boy, you don't ask easy questions, do you?" he said.
"What's with the sudden introspective?"

"We're going to die in here," she said simply.

"Don't say that," Angel said.

"Why not? It's true," Willow replied.
"A human can only last for so many days without water."

"Willow-"

"You know what I regret?" she continued as if he didn't speak.
"I regret not going all the way."

"Going all the way where?" Angel asked, confused.

"You know," she replied, emphasizing the second word.
"Doing it. Sex. That whole making love thing I've read about but never got to experience." Willow's eyes met his.
"I don't want to die a virgin, Angel."

He read the message behind her eyes.
"Willow, I can't. My soul. If I lose it, I'll kill you."

"I'll be dead either way, Angel," Willow said logically.
"And if you do lose your soul again and drain me and are rescued, when Buffy sees the body she'll stake you. Or she'll have Spike do it. So, you wouldn't have to worry about hurting them."

"No, Willow, I'm not going to do this," Angel said.

"Oh." Tears began to fill her eyes.
"I understand. You don't want me. I shouldn't have asked."

"What?" he asked incredulously.
"You don't think I would want you?" Angel grabbed her hand and put it over the bulge in his pants that had grown the instant his eyes met hers with the unasked question. Willow gasped, about to snatch her hand away, but Angel held fast.
"I told you that I prefer brains over beauty any day, Willow. You have both. And it is incredibly arousing."

"Will..." Willow swallowed heavily, his gaze holding hers.
"Will you at least kiss me?"

His mouth curled up on one side in a half-smile.
"I think I can do that," he said, releasing her hand and leaning forward to capture her lips with his.

Sweetness. That's what he tasted as his lips moved over hers. Under its own power, his tongue darted out to trace along her soft mouth, then inside as she opened it. He felt her tongue seek his out, and he made a low growling noise deep in his chest. He moved so he was almost flush against her side, his hands supporting him as the passion between them grew.

Breaking the kiss, he lowered his head and his mouth closed upon her throat, heat and moisture, deep and drawing passion. She arched helplessly into the sensation, her one hand moving up to run over his arms, the other still pressed intimately against him between their bodies. She drank in his scent, his coolness as he licked and kissed up the column of her neck, nipping her with elongated canines, then lapping at the small slices with his tongue.

Angel brought his mouth back to hers, initiating a long, deep kiss as he unhooked her overalls and pushed first the corduroy down, then her white shirt up in order to caress her skin. Willow shivered when his cool fingers ran over her stomach, then slowly up until they barely brushed her cotton-covered breast.

Wanting to reciprocate the feelings that were coursing through her body, she pressed her palm harder against his arousal and began to rub in small circles. Angel broke away from her mouth and hissed in pleasure, his eyes closing tightly. When he opened them again to look at her, his gaze was lit with an intense fire that burned her, making her heart speed up. This time, when his mouth descended, she was swept away in an earth-shattering kiss.

She didn't remember her clothes being removed, or his, only the shocks of pleasure that ran through her body as he suckled her pebble-like nipples. Her hands wove through his hair, holding him to her as she arched against him, not wanting the sensation to end. He began to kiss down her body, his tongue dipping into her navel, making her jump. He bit lightly into her abdomen before continuing his fiery trail down into her nest of red curls.

Angel inhaled her heady arousal as he parted her silken folds with his hands. The sight of her throbbing nubbin made him rub his erection against the mattress before he began to lick and suck her. She writhed against his face, making small gasps and pleasure-filled moans, and he carefully pushed one finger inside her passage. She immediately clamped down on it, and he growled again with his own anticipation of her tightness. He soon added a second finger, stretching her as her juice flowed over his hand, his mouth never stopping its ministrations on her clit.

Willow screamed out his name as she climaxed, her whole body arching up off the bed, her head thrown back as far as it could go. She trembled under his mouth, her muscles spasming around his fingers as she orgasm. He gave her one final lick, then moved up her body as she calmed, positioning his erection at her wet opening.

"Willow," Angel said in a hoarse voice.
"Are you sure you want this?"

"Oh, please," Willow breathed, her eyes wide with hazy desire.
"Don't stop."

That was all he needed to hear and he slowly moved forward, moving in and out of her a little further with each thrust. When he hit her maidenhead, he bent and kissed her passionately, then pushed through it with one, quick stroke, burying himself to the hilt inside her tight, hot body. He felt Willow tense under him from the pain and he waited, trying to distract her with his mouth. She squeezed his cock with her muscles, her body unfamiliar with it and he groaned.

She took that as a sign to do it again, and he jerked against her, his mouth tearing from hers in a gasp as shocks ran up his body. Slowly, he began to pull out of her, then thrust back in, setting a lazy pace as she adjusted to the new sensations.
"More," she half-whispered, half-moaned, her hands scratching his back.

Angel picked up the pace gradually until they were both trembling with much needed release bubbling under the surface. He brought one hand between them and pinched her clit. That's all it took to send her flying off the precipice into orgasm, clamping down on his shaft with powerful vaginal muscles. He growled her name loudly as he came, his head thrown back, shudders running through his body as he spilled his seed deep within her hot core.

He held her tightly as they came back down to earth, almost crushing her and he prayed for the first time in a very long while.
*Please, God. Don't let me lose my soul again. I don't want to hurt this wonderful woman in my arms.*

Part Seven

"Next time it says 'press me', don't," Buffy said as she collapsed onto the floor in the room they had been in before.

"Then that door wouldn't have opened," Spike said, pointing to the wall that had swung open.

"Hidden doors, missing floors," she groaned.
"I'm a poet, and I don't know it."

"Slayer, I think it's time to get your head examined," he joked.

"Yeah, for loving you," she shot back.

Spike's mouth dropped open in mock shock and he dropped to the floor next to her, tickling her under the duster she'd put back on earlier. They rough-housed for a good twenty minutes before they both lay back on the carpeted floor, exhausted. Swinging from rope to rope like Tarzan was not on their list of things to do for fun.

"What say we take another nap before we continue, pet?" Spike asked, arm over his eyes.

"We're never going to get out of here if we keep sleeping," Buffy told him, her position mimicking his.

"Right now, I could care less," he answered.
"I may be like Willow on caffeine at times, but all these puzzles are frying my brain and now I want to sleep and recharge."

"Ok, battery boy," she said.
"You sleep, I'll have my wicked way with you."

Spike raised his arm and turned his head to look at her.
"Be gentle," he teased. But Buffy was already asleep.

*****

Willow snuggled closer to Angel, her lids heavy as she tried to put off sleep a little longer. They had finally redressed and changed positions so she was cradled against his chest, his hand running lightly up and down her arm.

"Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"I never did answer you," Angel said.

"'Bout what?"

"You asked what was the one thing I regret not doing," he replied.
"And you know what I regret?"

"Hmm?"

"Not getting to know you better when I had the chance," Angel said.
"Now, I'm afraid I've lost that opportunity because of the curse. You are a special woman, Willow. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to learn that sooner." He kissed the top of her head.
"Willow?"

Willow didn't answer because, like Buffy, she'd already fallen asleep.

*****

Spike woke suddenly, his game face coming force as he tried to discern what had surprised him. He had been having a very erotic dream, and was furious for being interrupted.
"Fuck," he gasped when he realized what was happening, then he groaned when Buffy clenched her muscles around him.

"Is this wicked enough for you?" Buffy asked in a low, sultry tone, rising above his hard cock, then pushing back down on it, encasing him in her heat as she'd been doing for the past few minutes.

He growled, moving his arm to show her his flashing, gold eyes. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down into a searing kiss as she continued to ride him. She brought her own hand between them and fingered herself as she increased the pace. Buffy thrust her tongue into his mouth and cut it on one of his fangs, knowing that he would cum almost immediately at the taste of her blood.

They both shook as orgasms tore through their bodies, Buffy milking Spike as he shot his cold semen into her womb. She collapsed on top of him, her mouth sliding from his to trail down the side of his neck before biting him lightly on the jugular. He shuddered in additional pleasure, then relaxed as the afterglow settled upon them.

"Slayer, you are definitely wicked," he said, agreeing with her earlier question.
"And you make one bloody good alarm clock."

Buffy giggled against his neck.
"I suppose we better get moving again."

"I bet your Watcher is worried about you by now," Spike commented as they put their clothing back in order.
"I think we've been gone several days."

They walked to the next room which held a billiard table and nothing more. The next door was located on the right wall and had an ornate door knocker on it. The clue was wrapped around one of the pool cues sitting in the rack on the wall. Buffy picked it up and read it aloud.
"'On the ceiling if you want me. Twice on the pipe if the answer is no. Oh my sweetness...means you'll meet me in the hallway. Twice on the pipe means you ain't going to show.'"

"Knock Three Times," Spike said immediately. If it was one thing he did know, it was music, especially 'oldies.'

"Let me guess, another song," Buffy said. She gestured to the door.
"Knock yourself out."

Spike groaned at the pun, then raised the door knocker. He rapped it three times and heard a click, but not only one door opened.

Angel blinked at the sudden light permeating the room and he realized the door to their trap had swung inward. He didn't pause as he picked Willow up in his arms and darted through the opening... and practically ran into Buffy, who had just moved to look inside.

"Angel!" Buffy gasped, stumbling backwards.
"Willow!"

"Go away, I'm sleeping," Willow mumbled against the vampire's chest.

Spike turned at his love's surprised gasp and saw a haggard looking Angel cradling the hacker in his arms. Without saying a word, he walked quickly back through three rooms to the music room and retrieved the bag of blood and the other lunch bag from the small refrigerator in there.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, looking at both her friends worriedly.

"We got trapped," Angel told her.
"I...we..." He stopped when it dawned on him that he still had his soul, and it had been several hours since he and Willow made love.
"We've been in there for days."

"Here," Spike said, returning to the room. He held out the bag and watched as Angel's true face appeared instantly.
"I'll take the Witch."

The dark-headed vampire looked at Spike gratefully, then gently passed Willow to his arms before snatching the bag and quickly draining it, not caring if Buffy was watching him.
"Thanks," Angel said, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, his human mask returning.

Willow chose that moment to wake up in Spike's arms. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see darkness and Angel, not light and a blond vampire. She screeched, making Spike jerk his head back in surprise.

"Willow!" Angel exclaimed, taking her away from his childe.
"It's ok. We're free."

Willow's wide eyes met his and she pressed her hand to her chest.
"We're free?"

He smiled at her tenderly.
"We sure are."

The whoop of joy she made the other three laugh as she wrapped her arms around Angel's neck and hugged him tightly, still in his arms. She put her mouth close to his ear.
"I see you're still full of soul."

"Just call me Soul Man," Angel joked quietly in her ear.
"Maybe I should get the shades."

"The hat, too," Willow agreed as he set her on her feet. She turned and hugged Buffy.
"It is so good to see you."

"You, too, Wills," Buffy said, hugging her back.
"You won't believe the trouble we had with these puzzles. Next time I take your brain for granted, smack me upside the head."

"I can do that," Willow replied. She looked over at Spike at the same time pulling the bottled water out of the bag.
"Sorry about wigging in your arms a minute ago."

"Women have screamed louder in my arms," Spike said, giving her a lewd wink.

"Can your ego get any bigger?" Buffy asked sarcastically.

"Is that what your calling it these days," he replied with fake innocence.

"Willow? We can always go back in there," Angel suggested, making the red head laugh.

"That's ok, Angel," Willow said. Then she grinned impishly.
"I think Buffy's stroked his ego enough by now."

All three of them groaned.

"And on that note, let's shove off," Spike said, turning to the open door they had yet to go through. Inside were stairs heading up. When they got to the top, Spike pushed a trap door open in the floor and they ascended into a very familiar room to Willow and Angel.

"This is the Horse With No Name room," Willow commented.

"And the door we didn't go through the first time is open," Angel pointed out.

"Then that must be the way we go," Buffy said taking the lead. There were more steps, this time going down, leading to another door. She pushed it open easily and the group ended up in an empty room save for the door on the far wall with the riddle carved into it, as well as numbered buttons.
"Who's gonna do the honors?"

"I will," Spike said, stepping forward to read the puzzle.
"'Hassan-'"

"Not him again," Buffy said, then swore fluently under her breath. Spike looked at her and she gestured for him to continue.

"'Hassan owned eight camels. In one unfortunate month, all but five of them died. How many were left?'"

"That's it?" Willow asked.

"That's what the big door says," Spike replied.

Part Eight

"For once, this is even easy for me," Buffy said.
"The answer is five. 'All but five.' I hated doing those trick questions in math class." Spike turned and pushed the number five, and the door swung inward to reveal another door, slightly smaller than the main one.

"This is cute," Angel commented.
"Where's the bottle that says 'Drink me'?"

Willow giggled. "Maybe inside this bag is the cookie that says 'Eat me,'" she said, taking out the apple and biting into it.

Angel walked over to her and bent to whisper in her ear.
"If you're the cookie, I'd be happy to eat you." Willow blushed bright red and almost choked on the apple.

Buffy watched the exchange between the two and knew something was different, but couldn't put her finger on it.
*Very weird,* she thought as Angel rubbed Willow's back. She turned to the next puzzle written on the door.
"And our next contestant is...drum roll please," she announced as she looked over the words.
"Another song puzzle!"

"'How many nights and days did I sail the sea. When I thought of the girl, oh, constantly,'" Spike read.
"Three."

"Care to fill us in on how you know that?" Angel asked.

"Louie, Louie, by the Kingsmen," Spike replied.
"One night Dalton and I decided to figure out the words. Dru helped, even though she mostly danced around the room as we played the song over and over. She then decided she wanted to eat the band members for supper, and I spent an hour trying to convince her they weren't hiding in the speakers."

"You do realize that you spent most of your unlife with a sanity-challenged woman?" Buffy said to him.

"And look who I'm with now," Spike retorted with a grin as he pressed the number three. The door swung away from them this time to lead to yet another room, but the vampire didn't enter.

"Why aren't we going forward?" Willow asked curiously having just finished her apple.

"A little thing called sunlight that I happen to be allergic to is blocking the way," Spike replied, stepping back to allow Buffy to pass.

The Slayer went into the glass enclosed room, the sunlight shining down on her as she smiled back through the door.
"We're so out of here!"

Willow looked up at Angel, who gave her a swift pat on the rear, sending her scampering for the sunlit room. He walked up to where Spike was standing and watched as the two girls bounced together in joy.

"Look at them," Spike said.
"This is what we're missing, mate, being stuck in the night. Cor, she's beautiful."

"That she is," Angel replied, eyes on Willow's fiery hair and happy face as she and Buffy went to a window and peered out.

Spike looked questioningly at his sire, then realized what he had caught the scent of earlier.
"You shagged her, didn't you? Are you playing with fire, what with the bloody curse and all."

"I know," Angel said sadly.
"Don't tell them, but I'm going to be leaving Sunnydale at the end of the summer."

"Sucks to be you," Spike said. Angel glared at him.
"Sorry. Well, I'm not, but I thought, 'hey, what the hell.'"

"You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"I try," the blond replied as Buffy came bouncing back into the room and threw her arms around his neck.

"As soon as the sun sets, we can leave!" Buffy exclaimed excitedly.
"We already know the answer to the last puzzle."

"What was it, luv?" Spike asked as Willow came back into the room.

"It's my favorite part in the whole movie," Buffy told him.
"The part where Vizzini is going up against Wesley..."

Angel looked at Willow questioningly as Buffy rambled on.
"What is she talking about?"

Willow held up the piece of paper that was attached to the door and cleared her throat loudly. Buffy stopped talking and grinned sheepishly.
"Go ahead, Will."

Willow smiled and began to read.
"'Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me...Iocane comes from Australia and Australia is entirely populated with criminals, so they have people not trust them, as you do not trust me, so I can clearly not chose the wine in front of you...And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so therefore I will not chose the wine in front of me...You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could be relying on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not chose the wine in front of you. But you also bested my Spaniard, you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned you were mortal, so you would have put the wine as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not chose the wine in front of me.'"

"That's it?" Angel asked sarcastically.

"Yup," Willow said.
"That's it."

"So, what does it mean?" Angel inquired.

"What does it mean?" Spike asked incredulously.
"You can't be bloody serious."

"Why?"

"The Princess Bride," Buffy said.
"It's like only the most memorable and funny movie in the world." She looked at Spike.
"'Mawwidge. Mawwidge is wat bwings us togever today.'"

The blond vampire started to laugh as Buffy continued. Angel shot Willow a 'help me' glance.
"Please tell me what it means?"

"It means it's time to buy you a VCR."

Epilogue

Willow and Buffy pulled the handles simultaneously, opening the final door to the 'House.' With squeals of delight, the two girls grabbed their respective vampire's hand and yanked them out into the night.

"Hey, Buffy," Willow said.

"Yeah, Will?"

"'They can trap us in a house, make us solve puzzles,'" she started with a huge smile. Buffy joined in on the last line.
"'But they can't take away our freedom!'"

The end

PART VI: Conversations kill