Aftermath and College
by Bwriter
Part thirty
[reviews]
Part thirty
Buffy hadn't let him go yet, and he was seriously doubting his decision to come to her.
All he had to see in his head however, was Willow, hurt, naked and curled into a tight ball.
Tom stepped up to the Slayer and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Buffy."
Buffy turned her head to him, and he wasn't shocked to see the rage and pain in her eyes.
"Let him talk."
Buffy slowly removed her hand from around his neck.
"Where is she?"
Riley rubbed his abused neck and took a deep breath.
"About a week ago, a recon team was sent out to observe you. I wasn't in on the mission, in fact I knew nothing about it until Walsh showed me that we had Willow."
He stopped, knowing that the next part was sure to end up with him bruised, or worse.
"Walsh, she wanted to know about magic... how its works and stuff. I was ordered to knock out Willow, and take her to the medical room."
Buffy's loud growl sounded in the room, but her mother moved in between the Slayer and the solider.
"Walsh ran tests... it wasn't pretty," he paused and managed to look Buffy in the eye. "I know its not right, what they're doing to her, its why I'm here now. If we don't get her out of there soon... Buffy they'll kill her in the end."
Buffy took a deep breath and closed her eyes, listening to the Slayer within.
If she did what it wanted, the boy in front of her would be dead, and Willow would still be missing. She couldn't afford to loose herself yet. She had to stay strong a little while longer.
Just until Willow was safe.
After that, all bets were off.
Opening her eyes, she met Riley's and nodded once.
"Where is she?"
"They have her in a containment cell in the Initiative. I can get you in, but only you."
As expected, more than one voice protested this.
Buffy never took her eyes off the soldier, trying to read him.
Ignoring the people around her, Buffy nodded her head and held her hand up for silence.
Riley was amazed that everyone in the room listened to her unspoken command.
"We go in alone, but I want my people near, to make sure she gets out okay."
Tom's head whipped to face her, reading between the lines.
"What do you mean 'she gets out okay' you better be bloody with her Slayer."
Buffy ignored him and motioned for the commando to sit. They had a plan to form.
-----
Willow flinched as her cell door opened.
"Willow."
She looked up into the cold eyes of her ex.
"Why?"
Kim shrugged, as if she couldn't be bothered answering.
"I'm a soldier, just doing my job. Get up."
Willow shook her head and stayed where she was.
Kim smirked, like she had expected that and motioned behind her.
Two soldiers appeared, who Willow recognised as Riley's friends.
"Either you do as I say right now, or I let the boys have some fun."
Willow blanched and stood up, trying to cover herself as much as possible. A hard feat considering she was naked and all.
Not making eye contact with any of the three in uniform, Willow exited the cage.
-----
Buffy closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, but it just wasn't working.
Giles had been trying to get her to meditate since the whole thing had started, and she knew why, but it just wasn't happening.
She couldn't clear her mind, because every time she tried, she saw Willow's face... she saw her in pain... the meditation was supposed to calm the Slayer within, but it was just making Buffy become focused on two things.
Getting Willow back - and killing the people who had taken her, hurt her.
The no killing humans rule had been tossed out the window as soon as she learned who had taken Willow.
Even if she lost herself in the process.
-----
They had made her crawl back into her cage on her hands and knees, bleeding and bruised.
Willow was once again curled into a tight ball, sobbing and trying to hide it.
Where the hell was Buffy?
-----
Riley looked up from gun he was checking, to the Slayer who stood staring out the window.
"It's time Buffy."
Buff turned and nodded once before her eyes sought out Tom and Giles.
"You remember the plan?"
The both nodded.
Buffy didn't bother taking any weapons with her.
-----
Willow looked up when the alarms started going off.
She didn't move from her spot though, because things like this had happened before.
A demon or Vampire had tried to escape.
The first time it had happened, she had been so relieved, she thought Buffy had come for her.
But the seconds ticked by, then hours, until finally Willow had to face facts.
-----
Buffy watched as Riley stepped in front of the mirror.
She was unnerving him as she hadn't spoken since they had left Giles.
-----
They had been in the initiative for ten minutes before the alarms started.
Buffy was almost to the area where she knew they kept the cells, thanks to Riley, when they went off.
In a minute there were twenty armed soldiers standing between her and Riley and the place she knew Willow to be.
As the leader stepped forward, Buffy stood still.
"Get down on the ground, slowly."
Buffy didn't moved. She knew he was come to her.
And he did.
She didn't want to kill them, there was only two people on her kill list.
-----
Walsh was gapping at the monitors.
Twenty of her best were down in under two minutes. That just wasn't possible.
Standing, she grabbed her key card and made her way to the cages, Kim on her heels.
-----
Willow looked up and for once, didn't flinch at who she saw. That kinda scared her.
"Get up."
Remembering the last time she had refused, Willow stood on shaky legs and moved towards them.
She was shocked when Walsh pulled a gun from under her lab coat.
Willow was wondering why Kim kept throwing nervous glances behind her, when she suddenly knew.
-----
Buffy stalked past the dead soldiers and continued on to the cages, Riley following her, still in awe of how quickly she took down his men.
Buffy could feel Vampire's, demons and something else she couldn't put her finger on.
Finally, Riley pointed out the door to the cells and she took a deep breath, the darker parts of her nature demanding to be let free.
Just a little longer she told herself.
She knew there were more soldiers coming, she could hear them scrambling to regroup themselves.
She paused when she saw Walsh and Kim.
-----
Willow tilted her head as she studied the 'doctor'
"Having a bit of trouble?"
Walsh drew back the weapon to strike her, but never made contact.
-----
Buffy stalked silently down the corridor towards her prey, even the demons in the cages staying as silent as she.
A quick twist and Kim was lying at her feet.
Buffy had worried that she might not be able to go through with the killing of a human being, but as Kim's body hit the ground, she knew that to be untrue.
The Slayer was protecting it's future Mate, and she would do anything to make sure that happened.
Even breaking one of the creeds as the Slayer set down by the watchers.
She vaguely wondered what the Powers That Be would think of it before her attention was drawn back to the present.
She heard Willow's voice.
"Having a bit of trouble?"
When she saw Walsh draw back, Buffy grabbed her by the hair and threw her into Willow's cage.
"Buffy!"
Willow tried to run to her lover, but she couldn't on weak legs.
Buffy caught her before she could hit the ground, her eyes narrowing as she took in Willow's lack of clothes, and the cuts - some still bleeding - marring her redhead's skin.
"Wills." Buffy murmured as she stroked Willow's check.
Willow burst into tears and buried her face in her girlfriends neck.
"I was so scared."
Buffy took her coat off with one arm before shifting Willow and laying it on the floor.
Gently, she eased her girlfriend down onto it.
"Wait here okay?"
Willow frowned but nodded her head, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Riley.
Buffy gave her a soft kiss on the side of her mouth before the Slayer stood up.
Willow noticed the difference right off.
"Riley, take Willow to the others."
He nodded, and gently lifted Willow, still wrapped in Buffy's long leather coat.
Willow twisted her head, watching her girlfriend watch her until she disappeared from sight.
Walsh pointed the gun at Buffy, but a quick swipe by the Slayer and it was gone.
Walsh hadn't really understood the whole 'Slayer' thing, but as she watched Buffy grin, she had the fleeting, horrifying thought that she just might before the day was over.
Buffy grinned.
Willow was safe.
When she met the 'doctors' eyes, Buffy was pure Slayer.
----
tbc
a/n - how good am i getting at updating recently lol