Of course, I really didn't want to be a hostage at all, so I
     immediately set to planning my escape. I was in what appeared to
     be the master bedroom, so I figured that I was probably on at least
     the second story of a house. I couldn't see beyond the velvet
     curtains, so I could only guess that they were free of bars. With
     any luck, there would be a tree or some sort of trellis that I could
     use to climb down. I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. For now,
     I just needed to figure out a way to get out of the manacle.

     My first thought was to try breaking the bedpost. As I examined it,
     however, I realized that scenario would be pretty unlikely. It was
     made from very sturdy wood, and it was apparently carved all from
     one piece-there were no breaks in the wood that would make it
     easy to disassemble. That meant that I was going to have to try to
     pick the lock, or find a way to fit my hand through the iron shackle.
     The cuff fit fairly tight on my wrist, so getting my hand through
     would not be an easy task...and would likely require removal of a
     thumb and/or a few fingers. I opted to try picking the lock. All I
     needed was something to fit inside the tiny mechanism. That's
     how it was always done on TV, anyway. Maybe I could do the
     same thing. So, what would MacGuyver do?

     I scanned the room for anything I could use. At first, I didn't find
     anything, but I was determined not to give up...Willow's life could
     depend on me getting out before she did something stupid-like try
     to come after me. I was certain that was precisely what Dalton
     expected to happen, and he would probably be waiting for her.
     Well, that wasn't going to happen. I'd see to it that his plan was
     foiled.

     On my second survey of the room, I set my sights on the tray of
     food...and the full set of silverware that was placed upon it.
     Apparently, Dalton was a stickler for etiquette, because there
     were far more utensils present than any normal person would use.
     I selected the smallest of the three forks and examined the prongs.
     If I could somehow separate the spikes a bit, it should work. That,
     however, was going to be the problem. The fork was much too
     sturdy to bend by hand. Perhaps if I stood on the unwanted
     prongs and pulled up, I would be able to separate them...it was
     worth a try anyway.

     I swung my legs out of the bed and made a rather startling
     discovery...I was no longer wearing my jeans. For that matter, I
     wasn't wearing a shirt, either. I had been stripped down to my
     boxers. Even my tennis shoes were gone. Great...just great. I'd
     been kidnapped by Dalton the perverted demon.

     Well, standing on the fork would do no good unless I could find
     something solid to place between it and my bare foot. The
     breakfast tray appeared to be the best bet. I quickly moved the
     wide array of food and silverware. I placed the fork on the floor
     and placed the corner of tray over the unwanted prongs. Then,
     standing on the tray I pulled up on the handle with all the strength
     I could muster. It was working-I could feel the fork prongs bending.
     I was halfway home...

     Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a key being inserted into the
     door's lock. My escape plan was about to be thwarted unless I
     could hide the evidence fast. As my captor fiddled with the lock, I
     shoved the damaged fork under the mattress, and returned the
     tray to the nightstand. I knew I was pushing my luck, but I quickly
     transferred the food back onto the tray before getting back onto
     the bed. I pulled the bedspread over myself and sprawled back on
     the bed, pretending to still be asleep.

     "Good Morning," a deep voice called from the doorway.
     Apparently my acting wasn't too convincing. I opened my eyes and
     looked toward the speaker. He was an odd looking little man with
     black hair and extremely pale skin.

     "Dalton?" I guessed.

     His eyes crinkled and he grinned, shaking his head as if I had said
     something hysterical. "Oh, goodness, no, dear child. My name is
     Asa. I'm here to tend to your...wounds."

     My wounds? Now that he mentioned it, I remembered the injuries I
     had obtained during the fight in the library. By rights, I probably
     shouldn't even be alive by now...oddly, though, I couldn't feel any
     pain whatsoever.

     "You're wondering why you don't feel discomfort," Asa stated, as if
     he could read my thoughts. "Dalton asked that I make you
     comfortable. I already healed most of the damage while you were
     out, but your back..."

     I sat up and tried to peer over my shoulder to see the spot where
     Dalton's lackey had clawed me. Instead of the wide open gash
     that should have been there, there was only a large scab, as if the
     injury had occurred weeks before, instead of hours. "Just how
     long was I out?" I asked suspiciously.

     Asa laughed. "Only a few hours, my boy. I would have healed you
     entirely, but that one was too severe. I had to rest and regain my
     strength before I could finish the job."

     "But why...?"

     "I told you. Dalton wanted me to make sure that you were
     comfortable."

     "That sure is kind of him," I replied dryly. "Why didn't he just tell his
     goons not to hurt me in the first place?"

     Asa snorted softly. "Kaelan and Martel are already paying for that
     transgression. Dalton distinctly told them not to harm anyone yet."

     "Yet?"

     Asa didn't answer, but firmly pushed me back down. "On your
     stomach," he prodded. When I didn't obey, he frowned. "Don't
     make me get Kaelan to help," he warned. "I really don't want to get
     him into any more trouble...besides it would really defeat the
     purpose of healing your wounds."

     I was sure that I didn't trust him, but at this point, he definitely had
     the upper hand. I decided that I should just do what he ordered-I
     didn't really want to take another beating from Kaelan. It would
     only result in delaying my escape. Reluctantly, I rolled over and
     exposed my back to him. I felt what seemed to be a small current
     of electricity flow through me as he laid his hand on the laceration.
     After a few moments, he pulled away.

     "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

     I glanced over my shoulder again and was astonished to find that
     even the scab was gone now. That would be quite a handy talent
     to have. If only he was on our side!

     "Now I'll leave you to your breakfast. Is there anything else I can
     get for you?"

     How about the key to this handcuff?

     He grinned. "I'm sorry, that won't be possible. And you may as well
     forget about escaping--it'll never happen."

     He can read minds?!

     "Like a book, my young friend," he chuckled. "Now, if there is
     nothing else?"

     "Nothing,"

     Asa nodded and with a slight bow, he left me. Amazingly, he left
     the bedroom door open. Not that I could get to it...

     For a few minutes I forced myself to keep my mind on neutral
     subjects just in case Asa remained nearby, listening in on my
     thoughts. After a few minutes, though, I decided that I should try to
     make my move. The worst thing that could happen was that Asa
     would come back and confiscate my fork...well, okay, I guess they
     could do a lot worse, but I didn't want to consider those
     consequences.

     I retrieved my makeshift lockpick and set to work at trying to set
     myself free. Unfortunately, I'd never really picked a lock before
     and I was doing a terrible job at springing the mechanism. It
     always looked so easy on TV...of course, it didn't help that I was
     constantly paranoid that Asa, Kaelan, Martel, or Dalton would
     come in and catch me in the act. It also hurt that I had to use my
     left hand. Every little noise that came from the direction of the
     hallway made me lose my concentration and I would have to start
     over.

     I'm not sure how long I sat there, trying to pick that stupid lock, but
     eventually I came to realize that thievery was not among my
     talents. It seemed that Asa was right--escape was not likely to
     happen. At least not any time soon, the way things were going. I
     flung the fork across the room, frustrated by my inadequacy.
     There had to be something I could do...

     I set my sights on the candles. What if I burned my way through
     the bedpost? It was made of wood; it could work. Okay, so it
     probably wasn't the best idea I'd ever had, but I didn't care. All I
     cared about was getting out of there before Willow took the bait
     and showed up trying to rescue me. I just needed to find a way to
     light one of the candles. Unfortunately, it didn't look as though
     Dalton had left any matches nearby. I remembered suddenly that
     Lissette had killed herself using fire. I imagined that Dalton had
     made sure that anything flammable had been removed. But why
     not remove the candles as well?

     I didn't have time to dwell on that thought because, right about
     then, I heard something scraping at the window nearest to the
     bed. The curtain was in the way and I couldn't see what was
     coming, but for some reason whatever it was didn't scare me. I
     figured that if it was Dalton or one of his goons they would use the
     door. Still, I remained cautious as I slipped from the bed and crept
     as close to the window as my chain would allow me. Just in case
     there was trouble, I grabbed one of the large iron candlestick
     holders and positioned myself to attack if necessary. I could hear
     the sound of wood rubbing against wood as the window was
     forced open. My heart sank as a familiar figure tumbled into the
     room.

     Will, don't you know this is the worst place on Earth you could
     possibly be right now? I was never going to forgive myself if she
     got captured because of me. "Will!"

     She whirled around and stared up at me, looking much like a deer
     caught in the headlights. Upon realizing that it was only me, she
     relaxed slightly. "Xander! Are you okay?"

     "I'm fine, but you've got to get out of here!" I responded,
     exasperated by her arrival. I set the candlestick back where it had
     been and reached down to help her up.

     "I know. But, we've got to get you out of here, too," she insisted,
     as she rose to her feet. Her face fell as she cast her eye on the
     chain that kept me bound to the bedpost. "Oh, geez...this is bad."
     Talk about an understatement-she was already pushing her luck
     in that Asa hadn't caught wind of her yet.

     "I know...but, there isn't time for you to worry about me. Get out of
     here now, before you get caught." My voice was a little more
     harsh than I intended and I could see a slight look of hurt appear
     on her face. "Will, I don't want you to get hurt," I tried again, softer.

     "I'm not leaving you here," she responded, stubbornly. She pulled
     my hand toward her, and began examining the cuff.

     "Will, just go!" I could feel my desperation growing. Any moment
     now someone could walk past that open door and see her here.
     "Tell Buffy where I am, send her back for me. I just don't want you
     getting hurt because of me."

     "And I don't want you getting hurt because of me," she returned.
     "Now hold still; let me look at this..." After a moment, she glanced
     up at me. "I need a pin of some sort."

     I thought about refusing to help, but then realized that she could
     be every bit as stubborn as me, and if I didn't help her, it would
     only take longer. "How about a fork?"

     "That should do, I guess."

     "There's one over there," I informed her, pointing in the direction
     where I had thrown the fork. She quickly retrieved the utensil and
     returned to my side. Immediately, she began poking the prong into
     the mechanism as if this was something she did on a regular
     basis. Was there nothing she couldn't do? "You've done this
     before?"

     She blushed. "Well, no, but if I can jiggle this right, it should
     open...the little tumblers inside will think that this is a key..." She
     worked for several minutes to no avail. She was no better at it
     than I was. But, she was apparently more stubborn--she kept
     working until I finally pulled away.

     "Will, it's not going to work. You tried. But you're pushing your luck
     staying here. You have to go." She gazed at me, a troubled look
     on her face. "It's okay," I assured her bravely. "I meant it when I
     said I would rather die--"
     "Stop it right there!" she cut me off, her face flushed with anger.

     I blinked. Oh, great, what did I say this time? "Will, I--"

     "Don't you think that's how I feel about you?" she snapped. "Do
     you think I could actually sit by and let some...some...whatever he
     is kill you because of me?" Her voice was rising in exasperation. "I
     could never live with myself if..." She turned from me, enfolding
     her arms around herself as if she was holding herself together.

     I might as well have had MORON stamped on my forehead. "Oh,
     Will...I...I didn't think..."

     I pulled her closer, hugging her. For a moment, she resisted the
     embrace, but then she turned again and returned the gesture,
     nestling her head against my chest and wrapping her arms around
     me. The feel of her hands on my bare back sent an unexpected
     jolt of desire through me. I suddenly had the urge to kiss her. Stop
     it! Now is not the time, or the place...I mentally kicked myself for
     being such a cretin--being a 17-year-old male sure had its
     disadvantages. I was actually relieved when she finally pulled
     away.

     "I'm going to get you out," she assured me, firmly. "Stay here..."
     She blushed again, realizing the absurdity of her instruction. "I
     mean...uh...I'll be right back."

     Panic struck me as she started heading for the open door. "Where
     are you going?" I hissed. "Will, stop!"

     She glanced at me over her shoulder. "I'm going to see if I can find
     something we can use to break the chain...or something to saw
     through the post."

     "Will, don't go out there--they're probably waiting for you! Go back
     and get Buffy. Or Giles..." She continued in the direction she had
     chosen, ignoring my pleas. She cautiously peeked out of the room
     for a moment before slipping out into the hallway, out of my sight.

     For the first few minutes after her departure, I stood frozen in
     place, staring out into the hallway, hoping that she would
     suddenly reappear. What if she had been caught? I laid back on
     the bed, feeling sick. The longer she was gone, the worse I felt.
     Please, Will, be careful!

     It seemed like an eternity before I finally heard someone
     approaching. I sat up and expectantly watched the doorway. To
     my disappointment it was Asa that appeared. I had to be very
     careful about controlling my thoughts...I couldn't think about W--I
     forced myself to start thinking about something else...what should
     I think about? School. That would bore just about anyone. Maybe
     Asa would be so bored he would leave quickly. I started thinking
     about the multiplication tables they had made us recite time and
     again. Asa watched me with a look of amusement. Seven times
     seven is forty-nine.

     "Seven times eight is fifty-six," he interjected. "Please stand up."
     Seven times nine is..."If you don't stand up, I will have to get
     Kaelan." I sighed and rose to my feet. "Thank you. Raise your
     arms to the side, please." I obeyed, mystified by his odd requests.
     He held up a piece of measuring tape and wrapped it around my
     chest. Next, he measured around my waist. What on earth was he
     doing? "Just need to get your measurements, so we can get you
     dressed for the ceremony," he answered without looking up.

     "Ceremony?"

     "The wedding, of course."

     My heart sank. They had caught her. "Kind of hard to have a
     wedding without the bride, isn't it?" I asked, hoping that I was
     wrong.

     Asa smirked, amused. "But, my dear boy, the bride has already
     arrived."
  

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