Yellow Skies

By:Isis

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or anything related to, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon and ME do.

Summary: Takes place after As You Were. Spike leaves town so that Buffy can sort out her feeling. Thing is, you know Spike; he can't stay away from Buffy long. He comes back to town, only to find out that she and Dawn are missing. This all leads up to S/B getting back together- Spuffy will take place, I promise. Lots of it!

This is a S/B centered story, but other characters are also involved.

Rated: R

Email: isis_fanfic@hotmail.com

Author's Note: As always, I give my thanks to my beta, Madrog, for being nothing less than a special person. Of course, I probably owe her more than my gratitude, but she'll have to settle for that seeing I'm broke and I can't spare an arm.

Reviews: I received some very kind reviews here and via e-mail. You know who you are! Thanks for taking the time to do so...it definitely made my day. If you want me to email you when I update, please let me know, and I will do so.

Distribution: Yes, but only if you ask first and let me know where it's going.

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Chapter 6

United

Spike stood there for a while, hands clenched and body rigid. Not only was he pissed something had happened to the two most important people to him; one of them was still in danger. He didn't even know where to begin, where Warren could have taken her was anybody's guess, but he doubted that it would be back to any known place of his.

Spike turned and kicked the wall. Frustration was building fast, and his anxiety over the situation didn't seem to be getting any better. 'Think Spike, think...' he said to himself, as he paced back and forth. But he couldn't think, not straight anyway, because his thoughts were becoming jumbled, and his pent up energy was getting the best of him.

His mind finally settled on one thought- Warren had to have gone through the sewers, because there was no way he was going to carry her through the streets without being seen. With that realization, he knew his only plan for now was the process of elimination. Not the fastest way to go, but the most reasonable. Open any and every door he came across, climb every ladder he passed, and beat the shit out of any passerby for info. So far, he realized, he had yet to run into anyone. Not unusual though, since it was after dark. By now, Spike's eyes had had plenty of time to adjust to the lack of light, and he knew little would be missed. Especially since all his other senses were also on full alert.

He took off at a full run, not trying to hide his presence. A good throttling of something would give him some kind of release, at least. At first he felt he was running without a destination, but then a feeling came over him like he was being led. "Spike. This way," he heard, but didn't stop running. His dream at the motel room was not forgotten, and he thought of how at the end of it, he could hear Joyce's thoughts inside himself. No special light this time around to follow...just the knowledge she was in the lead. And he trusted Joyce completely.

****

Buffy had tried to keep Warren from taking her away from Dawn, but her resistance did little in the way to deter him. He had carried her over his shoulder for a good while, and her limp, upper body was jostled by his clumsy half-run. By the time they had reached his destination, she was back to dry heaving, and sweat dripped into her eyes, even though she was cold. Now she stood against a wall, her hands in restraints above her head. She took in the place through half shut eyes. It was some kind of public works place, probably the water company. Too tired to care, and too weak to support herself any longer, she buckled at the knees. Her wrists held all her weight; it hurt, but she had no choice.

Buffy looked up at Warren who was acting nervous as he fumbled with some papers and a box of unknown contents. "Whatever you are up to isn't going to pan out. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unlike you, I have friends. And my friends, I'm sure, are going to be all over your ass if you don't let me out of here." Her headache raged on, and the work it took to get each word out made the pain double. She wanted to be in her comfy bed, head on a plump pillow, resting her weary body.

Warren's sudden closeness pulled her from her thoughts. "What I plan on doing, Slayer, is doing a favor for someone. Now, that isn't so bad, is it?" He ran a finger down the side of her face. "So, just be a good little girl and be quiet. I have to concentrate." Buffy had the urge to bite his finger as it brushed against her bottom lip, and she cringed internally at the thought his fingers may explore other places. But he was soon back to his papers, mumbling to himself. The only thing she made out was something about missing an ingredient. After a few swears, and looking at his watch, he told her he would be back soon.

****

Soon ended up being longer than she thought it would be. Buffy alternated between standing and hanging. Tears pricked her eyes, but she didn't want Warren to come back and catch her crying. She was back to shivering, almost violently, and whenever she moved her neck too much, a sharp pain shot through it. The demon's venom must have worn off by now, because she no longer felt like she was in a cloudy haze. She didn't know if the headache and chills were a reaction, like a side effect or what, but it seemed to be progressing.

When Warren finally came back, she had to restrain herself from begging him to let her go. She didn't want to sound weak, although it was very evident she was.

Warren pulled a pink colored stone out of a felt bag, and set it on a makeshift table. Furiously he scribbled something on a piece of paper, before taking a swig of water from a plastic bottle. To Buffy, that bottle was a piece of gold. "Can I have some?" Not really liking the thought of Warren's lips having touched it, but her whole body yearned for a drink.

Warren, not looking at her, made an "ahhh" sound, tilted his head back slightly, and then closed his eyes for a minute. Buffy thought he was annoyed she had interrupted him, but then he turned her way, an evil, little smirk on his lips. He had the bottle in his hand as he walked to her. "Depends if the Slayer has it in her to beg a little." He held the bottle up so she was staring at the cool liquid. "Come on, tell me you want it."

'What kind of sick game is this?' she asked herself. She gave him a "what the hell?" face, and said, "No."

Warren rubbed the capped opening against her mouth, making her lips open and close slightly against it. He was obviously enjoying this. "Come on. Let it in." When she tightened her lips, he shrugged in response, and started to walk away. She knew he was doing this on purpose. And as degrading as it was, she desperately wanted to drink. Actually, with all the sweating, she knew she was going to dehydrate if she didn't have some soon. With that in mind, she decided to play along. "Ok."

Warren once again faced her. He cocked an eyebrow in expectancy. Buffy swallowed any pride. "Please, give it to me."

"No. More feeling in it, sweetie."

Buffy lowed her voice to make it more sensual. "Please, Warren, you know I want it."

He was very close to her now, his voice in her ear. "You want it? Well, you know what you have to do before anything can come out for you to drink."

Buffy felt even sicker to her stomach at this point. He held the bottle up to her, and he studied her mouth as her tongue flicked out to touch the opening. His voice was getting heavy and urgent. "Yeah, Slayer, play a little." He had his other hand in her hair now. 'How wacked is this guy....errrr, maybe not a good term to describe him," she thought. She didn't care, as long as she got a drink, and then he left her alone.

"Take as much as you can...."he said, then started pushing it in further. He was obviously aroused, and the thought made her gag, just as much as the plastic being shoved into her throat. She pulled her head back. Warren took the cap off and gave her one measly gulp. She was pissed. "That all you got, little boy?"

"Oh, no, I have a lot more where that came from, but I'm thinking I'm going to make you work for it." With that said, he grabbed the top of her blouse and ripped it off of her.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" she asked. He slid a hand from her neck toward her bellybutton, but she kneed him in the crotch before he got further. Warren stumbled backward.

"You little bitch," he said, grabbing himself. "I just may make you kiss that better."

After the pain subsided a little, he went over to a closet and rummaged around in it. He ended up slamming it shut, then preceded back to the table where a green canvas bag was laying. Pulling a clear container out of it, and then picking up a metal pipe from the floor, he came to stand in front of her once more. "Didn't want it to go this way," he said, and then he swung the pipe at her legs in a way so he hit both at the same time. Buffy buckled at the force. Wasting no time, Warren grabbed her face, knowing she was in too much of a stupor to think, and shoved a pill down her throat.

Buffy's involuntary reflexes kicked in, and she almost threw up. She swung her leg at him once more, but this time he was anticipating it, and was able to move in time. "What was that?"

"Just something to bring out the mellow side of you." Warren snickered as he popped the little pill container back into the bag.

"Yeah, well, that's just cause you know there is no way in hell I would ever submit willingly to the likes of you."

The room was well lit, but one of the florescent bulbs blinked in a fast rhythm, giving off an almost strobe-light effect. Her enemy seemed to be walking in slow motion as he half circled her body. "Now, now. That's not nice." He stopped now, just a few feet from her. She knew that the pill was taking effect, and she felt almost as if she had left her body. Once again, she was unable to hold herself up, especially since she could tell big-ass bruises were starting to form on her thighs.

Once Warren was sure she was no longer a threat, he went over to the now half-asleep Slayer. He rubbed his clothed erection against her stomach. "Don't be so judgmental, you haven't seen all of me yet."

All she wanted was sleep. It tugged at her eyes and smothered her brain. Tears threatened once more as she half-heartedly struggled against her chains. "Please," she said desperately.

"Ahhh, that's right, back to begging." He pulled her up again him. "Won't you feel so much better knowing that you did something so nice for me? I mean, I guess what goes around, really does come around. Here I am, working on a favor for someone, and now you are begging to do me a favor."

Buffy decided to turn the conversation. Try to distract him as long as possible. Not that she thought that would be easy. She put a hand on his chest, a gesture to make him happy, though it was more to keep him at bay. "And what favor would you do for someone?" she asked while looking at him with batting eyes. "I mean, I have to say I know you are smart Warren, and you must be very busy. So who is lucky enough to get you to take time out of your busy schedule...oh wait, must be some lucky lady." She started to twirl her finger in his hair, hoping to encourage him into talking.

Warren stepped back, looking at her coyly. "Don't think I'm smart, you think I'm stupid, otherwise you wouldn't be asking me that. But, since you will be out of my hands soon anyway, guess it wouldn't hurt to let you squirm a while at the news of your fate."

Buffy remained still and hoped her face was unreadable. "So, go on."

Warren looked at his watch again. "Shit! My watch stopped. He could be here any minute!" He ran over to where the pink stone was and started taking some other stuff out.

"Who's he?"

He talked as he worked at arranging some stuff. "The Paricee demon. He's supposed to be here at 3 AM to pick up his mate."

Buffy looked around and shrugged. "And looks like he's going to be stood up 'cause whoever it...wait...just what kind of favor are you doing?"

Warren now took the left over water and poured it over the stone. "You are the favor," he said, and then looked over at her. "To make a long story short, his brother worked for me a while ago, and when things didn't pan out the way I anticipated, I sent him to your house for a little one on one action. Now, a few weeks later, this demon shows up and says he has come back to revenge his brother's death at the hands of the Slayer. Of course, he thinks it's my fault, and tries to kill me. But I had an offer he couldn't refuse; if he helped me capture you, I could do a spell that would make you his mate. How could he resist? I mean, the Slayer, loving him and being his obedient mate." Warren laughed, "Of course, I have no idea what a demon's idea of love is. Could be sucking his toes clean every night for all I know."

Buffy shuttered. "Warren, you are demented. And since when have you started doing spells?"

"I'm not. I mean, this is only my second one."

"What?" Buffy yelled. She didn't like the idea of being a guinea pig.

"Shut up. I need to concentrate. Besides, I think if I do a good job, this demon just may let me have a turn with you as a payment."

"I thought your life was payment. Oh, wait, I guess that isn't very valuable to anyone besides yourself."

Warren was getting mad. "I mean it, Slayer, shut up, or I'm going to pop you another pill. And I don't think two is a recommended dose." He looked back down at the rock, then shut his eyes and mumbled something. Then he took out a feather and brushed it three times on top, and then made a circle around it. After watching him pour some black powder in little piles to form two circles entwined, Buffy closed her eyes and tried concentrating on not letting the spell have any effect on her. She doubted that would work, but worth a try.

Warren traced the lines of the created circles over and over again with a red rose and a black rose he had tied together. "Two circles, separate be, make them one in unity. Though one is the heart of light, make it love the one of night." Buffy watched as the circles started to move. Then Warren dropped the roses in the middle and start talking in a language she couldn't understand. "Ishmane adube..."

The door to the building flew open, causing Warren to stop mid-sentence as he got up and spun around to see who had busted the door in. "Shit. Spike. Shit..." was all Warren could get out. Spike stood there, in full glory, basking in the thought he was about to wreak carnage on this fellow. That is until he saw Buffy, half naked, chained up and looking very sick.

He heard her say his name with what little strength she could muster. Though all the pain, was that a bit of a smile on her lips? A bit of relief in her eyes? "Hello,luv." His attention turned back to Warren. Menacingly he walked toward him, fists already formed, ready to mash him into a bloody pile of mush. "What the fuck did you do to her?" He grabbed Warren's shirt and held him up, as he pushed him back into the wall. "Did you touch her?" Warren only formed the word no on his lips, and then Spike's fist met his mouth. Blood seeped down his chin.

Warren wiped his chin and then looked over at the doorway, a noise grabbing his attention. "Oh....crap."

"Where is my mate? Is this her?" The demon asked, taking up most of the doorway. He started walking toward Buffy, but Spike intervened by moving to stand protectively in front of her.

"It didn't work," Buffy said to the demon. "Warren tried the spell, but he said he couldn't figure it out. He did tell you he's only done one other spell before, right?

The demon looked over at Warren, who was now trying to slowly back up toward the door, and then looked back at her. Buffy went on, trying to direct the demon's attention to her rival. "Yeah, well, he said it didn't matter that the spell didn't work because what you wanted wasn't much of a concern to him anyway. He said all that mattered to him was getting to defile me so he could have the last laugh.

The demon started walking towards Warren. "Is that right?" he asked, squinting his eyes at the human, shaking his head in disgust.

Spike winked at Buffy when he noticed a smirk of triumph grace her mouth. Yes, why waste valuable time killing Warren when this demon could do it, and he could be with Buffy? He gave a chuckle as he listened to her continuous accusations. "Oh, and he said your brother was a wimp. A kitten could have kicked his ass." That was it, the demon chased Warren out the door, Warren begging for him to believe it wasn't true.

Spike admired his little spitfire. Hardly any life to the girl, by the looks of it, yet she still had it in her. He went to her then, putting his hands on each side of her face. "Buffy." She looked at him with glazy eyes. "Buffy," he said once more, but this time with concern. She was hot enough that even he could even feel the change in temperature. He looked up, realizing he didn't have the key to let her free.

"You came for me," she said with a note of bewilderment in her voice.

"Would you expect anything less?" Spike asked. "Buffy, you are burning up. We need to get you out of here." He turned and went to the bag that Warren had left behind. Luckily, he found the key tucked inside a small, side pocket.

"I'm getting you out of here, luv," he said as he worked the locks. Buffy squinted her eyes shut when the chains clattered to the floor. Her headache was still pounding and the noise seemed to cut right through her. As the support of the restraints left, she felt herself sway, but only for a second, before she was swept up into Spike's arms. "Hold on, pet, we'll be at the hospital soon."

Buffy clung to him and laid her head half on his shoulder, and half against his neck. "I want to go home."

Spike stopped walking. "Buffy, you need help. You are too sick to be going home." He couldn't believe she would argue with him over this, and knew he was going to have to stay strong and insist on doing what was best for her. "I'm taking you to the hospital. Dawn is there with Xander."

Buffy lifted her head a bit. "Is she ok?"

Spike walked out the door now, still carrying her, enjoying the closeness of the situation. "Yes, she seemed fine. Just a little shook up. I doubt they will keep her there long."

Buffy couldn't take it. Feeling so miserable from being sick, mixed with the emotions the last few hours had left her with, she broke down. "Dawn is probably home then. Please, Spike, take me home.

Spike felt her tears on his neck, and he went all soft. "Ok, whatever you want. But you better let us do whatever we have to do to get you better, missy." He tried to get the last bit to sound threatening.

Buffy tightened her arms around him. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

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