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Buffy slung the takeaway onto the passenger seat as she got in the car and turned to check on Dawn. As she did so something smashed through the side window, seeming to suck all the air out of the car. Buffy scrambled for the missile, blinded by the acrid smoke pumping out from behind the seat. She was dimly aware that Dawn had made no sound from the back but her hands didn't seem to belong to her and when something opened the car door and shoved her from behind she slumped bonelessly into the back of the passenger seat. Buffy fought to stay conscious, heard her mother's car start and felt a stabbing pain in her arm. She must have lost the fight then, because when she became aware again the engine had stopped and strong hands were pulling her round.
"Well lookee lookee what I've got." It was a chillingly familiar voice, Buffy tried to open her eyes but could only make out a blur through the pain. "Two for the price of one."
"Spike." Buffy rasped, her throat strangely numb and her tongue feeling too large for her mouth. She felt a pang of fear for her sister but her body wouldn't co-operate to check on her and she fought down a rising tide of panic. Mostly blind with ears ringing and unable to move she tried to get her breathing under control enough to speak.
"What have you done to me?"
"You mean this?" He held something up and she blinked owlishly, eyes tearing at the residue of gas in the air. Slowly Spike swam into focus, a smugly malicious grin on his face, holding a syringe. "Just a little potion. Guess what it does?"
"Keeps you gloating long enough for me to escape?" sassed Buffy automatically. She wriggled her fingers experimentally, but couldn't lift her hands out of her lap. As her vision cleared she could see ropes but couldn't seem to find much strength to pull against them.
"I know," she carried on, buying time as she tried to shake off the effects of the gas and escape. "It's made me really attractive to piranha fish?"
He watched her efforts with open amusement. "Reckon you'd already be attractive to a piranha fish love, even without all those tasty Slayer powers."
Something in his voice made Buffy cease her tugging and look up at him. His words struck a horrible chord with what her subconscious was already telling her. "What?"
Spike was suddenly in her face. "Made you human, I did. Aren't I clever? Took away all that pesky Slayer strength and left you a helpless. Little. Girl."
And Buffy knew she let her fear show then because he smiled his Cheshire cat grin in satisfaction and patted her leg, leaning back comfortably. "So how ya bin, Slayer? Still putting it around the campus?"
Buffy stared at him, weighing her options. She could hardly doubt the truth of his words, even allowing for gas induced wooziness something was just... off. Her Mom was on a business trip, unless there was a slaying emergency no-one would even notice she was missing till morning, so no point pinning her hopes on a rescue. And then there was Dawn unconscious on the back seat. Not her back seat, she realized with a start. Buffy guessed she'd been unconscious for longer than she thought because he'd transferred them both to the blacked out Desoto.
"What do you want, Spike?"
"I want my ring back." His voice was hard, all business again.
"I don't have it."
"Right then." Spike gritted his teeth and turned his head slowly to look at Dawn. "Now let's see, what else do I want?"
Buffy held a poker face, determined not to give him another reaction. He smiled.
"Won't do any good pretending," he said "I'm an old hand at threatening people and you can hardly help but notice her there, all sweet and tasty..." He trailed off, eyes glinting yellow at the thought. "Bet she's a virgin too, I haven't had a virgin in months."
Buffy had never felt so impotent. Her instinct was to lash out but it would only entertain him so she stilled her hands and struggled to answer calmly. "Fine. Let her go and you'll get your ring."
Spike laughed out loud. "Do you think I'm completely fucking stupid? I get my ring, then we negotiate a release."
"No!" Buffy took a deep breath into sore lungs. "You'll kill her when you get what you want. Let her go and you'll get the gem, touch her and you get nothing."
Slowly and deliberately Spike wrapped his fingers round her throat, smiled evilly. "You don't seem to be understanding the situation, pet, so let me tell you how it works. I get my ring back, now, or I'm going to wake up little sis back there and hurt her so much you'll beg me to let you kill her yourself. Are we clear?"
"I gave it to Angel."
Spike looked at her appraisingly. "Well you learn fast, I'll give you that. And now for the crunch question. Will he give it back?"
"If you let her go."
Spike tightened his grip round her neck. "You don't start giving me answers I like better I'm going to forget about my ring and settle for revenge."
Buffy was struggling to breathe now, still affected by the gas and close to passing out again. "He'll give it back," she choked out.
"Good girl."
As suddenly as he'd attacked the hand was gone and Buffy desperately sucked in oxygen as the vampire calmly started his car.
"Your honey still in LA?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't just been choking the life out of her. Buffy nodded warily.
"Best give him a ring, let him know you want your trinket back. And best you don't mention me, tell him you'll be sending your sister in for it."
Spike handed Buffy the cell phone and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I think you're trying to send secret messages, or make him suspicious, or even if you're not a very good actress, I'm going to climb in that back seat and introduce you sister to womanhood in the most painful way possible while you sit here and listen to her scream. So be a good girl, eh?"
Buffy's hands were shaking as she handed back the cell phone, but it didn't seem as if Spike had heard the other half of the conversation.
"Good girl," he said approvingly, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "Should have tried kidnapping your sister years ago."
Now he was on his way to getting what he wanted the vampire relaxed, though he was still swerving through the traffic with unnerving speed. Unpleasant images of how her life might end if he lost his concentration distracted Buffy from imagining how she would end if he didn't crash the car.
"So, Slayer, read any good books lately?"
She gave him an incredulous look.
"What?" asked Spike innocently. "I can't do small talk?"
"Ten minutes ago you threatened to rape my sister, now you want to talk about the weather?"
The vampire shrugged, unabashed. "Short attention span, it's a curse. Entertain me."
"I left my microphone at home." she said snidely, Spike carried right on with the chit chat.
"So how's your old man getting on in LA? Never did find out how things played out after I left."
"I sent him to hell."
"Well that's pretty... neat. D'you think there were hot pokers? I've always wanted to use a real hot poker on someone."
The Slayer stayed silent, trying not to react or show her fear.
"Oh come on. Where's that infamous Slayer banter?"
Buffy's eyes flickered briefly over to her sister. "You'll excuse me if I'm not at my perky, punning best in the circumstances."
"I ain't really gonna rape her," said the vampire as if it hardly mattered. "Well I might," he amended off her look. "You give me any trouble, but not for fun, y'know?"
He gave her a lascivious leer and Buffy shuddered. "Prefer my women more... womenly. Out of training bras."
Buffy tried to ignore the way he was eyeing her cleavage, answered sarcastically; "Oh, well if you're just gonna kill her, then of course you're just the vampire I want to have a conversation with."
"Suit yourself."
[missing scene]
"No you didn't. You cheated, you threw tear-gas through my car window."
"Eeeeevil," the vampire explained slowly. "There are no rules. 'Sides, I was rather proud of that, forward planning and all."
[huge chunk of missing scenes]
"Come on," Spike gave her a push out of the passenger door. "Get on with it."
"I won't go," said Dawn suddenly.
Spike stared at her in astonishment. "What do you mean, you won't go? Did you hear the part about me killing you?"
"Dawn!" Said Buffy warningly "Get out of here."
Dawn ignored her sister, addressed Spike.
"If you have that gem you'll kill Buffy, won't you? I won't leave her."
Spike rolled his eyes. "What is it with you people and the self sacrifice? I ain't gonna kill her until after you get back, am I?"
To Spike's dismay Dawn sat there and burst into tears. In any other situation Buffy would have laughed at his obvious bafflement, he patted her shoulder awkwardly. "There, there. Don't cry. Go and get my ring."
Dawn looked up at him through her tears and stared mournfully. Buffy wouldn't have been surprised if she'd batted her eye lashes.
"Oh no you don't," said Spike firmly. "Doe eyes won't work on me, evil, remember? I've ripped off cuter faces than yours."
Dawn's lower lip trembled, it was hard to tell how much of her upset was genuine and how much manipulative. She was certainly showing no real fear of him and Spike hit the steering wheel in frustration. "Are you stupid? I really don't give a shit if you're scared, I just want my ring back. If you had it you might be in a position to make demands, do you get me? As it is I'm just going to sit here and torture your sister till you come back."
This thought seemed to brighten Dawn, she opened the car door and gave him a smile. "Won't be long. I knew you wouldn't really." And she was gone.
Spike turned to give Buffy a look but she wouldn't meet his eye, certain he would be able to tell Dawn wouldn't be coming back. "Is she a bit simple, your sister, or did you just never tell her about vampires?" he asked conversationally.
"She's just friendly," said Buffy shortly.
"So will she come back with my ring?"
Buffy didn't answer, looking down at her hands.
"Oh come on Slayer, it's your life hanging in the balance here. D'you think she's coming back or has she made a run for it already?"
Buffy pulled a face, more confident now Dawn had had time to get well clear. "I think you're going to kill me either way."
He shrugged "Well yeah" and dug out a cigarette. "Won't kill her though, if she comes back with my ring. So d'you think she's gonna?"
"She'd come back," Buffy chose her words carefully, "but I don't know that Angel would just hand over the ring to her."
Spike was starting to get impatient now, and Buffy wondered how long he would wait, wondered idly if Angel would try and rescue her, it didn't seem that important now Dawn was safe. Her heart flipped when there was a tap on the driver's window.
Spike wound the window down cautiously, outside Dawn had already launched into some kind of explanation. "...and he said he tried to tell you on the phone. I mean Buffy, didn't tell him you were here, obviously, vampires kept trying to steal it so he smashed it with a brick."
Dawn's head disappeared from the window and Spike turned his gaze onto Buffy in the back seat. "You knew."
Buffy nodded miserably, laid her head on the back of the seat in utter defeat. "Thought she'd have the sense not to come back and tell you. I wasn't trying to... I don't care about your ring, I just wanted to keep her safe."
She turned her head to look at him, eyes more serious than he'd ever seen. "Let her go, please. I'd do anything."
Spike gave her a grin. "You'd be wasting your time. She's obviously got no sense of self preservation."
Buffy's eyes bore into him, willing him to say yes, and for the first time in his undead existence Spike started to feel a little... uncomfortable.
Dawn meanwhile had walked round the car and was getting in the passenger seat.
"Please, Spike," whispered Buffy urgently. Any other time the words would have stuck in her throat but she was beyond desperate, half willing to strangle Dawn herself for being stupid enough to come back here.
The girl in question seemed oblivious to danger, still talking as she shut the car door and turned to face Spike. "But I came back," she was saying, "and it's so not my fault that Angel's a big idiot. So don't blame me. I mean, who would want to smash something just cause other people want it? If no-one wanted it, wouldn't be worth having, would it?"
Spike watched Dawn prattling on and lifted an eyebrow towards Buffy. "Anything, huh?"
She nodded fervently, Dawn looked from one to another, confused. "Anything what?"
"None of your bloody business," said Spike firmly. "Now piss off, snacksize."
Buffy let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding; Dawn carried right on frowning. "What?"
"You're right, kept your side of the bargain," explained Spike cheerfully. "Not your fault Angelus is a ponce. So I won't kill you, now get lost."
Dawn looked from the vampire to Buffy, eyes narrowed. Her tiny self-absorbed teenage brain was obviously working over time, and coming to no good conclusions. "Just go, Dawny," said Buffy softly. "Angel will take you home."
Never to be continued...
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