Running Out Of Time

The First smirked as the Slayer crumpled into a heap.

"You did well Morsel, should have just turned to you in the first place."

Anna turned around to see her Sire's face reflected back at her, his handsome features twisted into an ugly look of victory. Spike turned to his left then, and gave the darkness an imperious look, a look at odds for Anna, on his face.

"Get her ready then! Or am I and Anna expected to do all the dirty work around 'ere!"

Monsters, ugly vampiric but certainly not human looking monsters emerged from the darkness, and Anna subconsciously backed closer to The First in fear.

"They are Turok-Hans, Anna. True Vampires."

Anna looked at the approaching Turok-Hans, they didn't look a bit like the other Vampires she had seen – they looked truly evil.

"They won't hurt you, Anna. Stand by me, and nothing will hurt you again, or your Sire..."

Anna turned to see Spike's face sweetly looking down at her. She could see no hint of deception in his face. In that moment, The First might have been her beloved Sire.

"You promise? "

Anna whispered tearfully, The First looked at her solemnly.

"I promise."

Anna looked at her Sire's face for a moment and then nodded, and trying to ignore her mounting fear as the monsters came close to her, and passed her. They encircled around Buffy, and The First's eyes settled on a large rock. It smirked, there would be no escape this time.

"Right there, tie her up."

Spike's voice ordered and Anna watched, feeling suddenly rather powerless, as the Turok-Hans roughly pulled Buffy's body up from the ground, and snarling amongst themselves, led her to the blood stained rock.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Despite The First's promise, Anna couldn't stop her hands trembling as upon The First's orders, one of them handed her a small wooden bowl of which looked like black grunge. It growled at her as she took the bowl from it, and The First just smirked in amusement before ordering it back.

"This is the final part, Morsel. You're part is almost done here. Go up to the Slayer and smear it on her forehead and her over her heart."

Seeing Buffy awake, the way her eyes had lit up every time she had looked at Spike's face, the way her voice had gushed – it had made Anna's blood boil but now Buffy's plea to her, that she truly loved Spike, she suddenly didn't feel so sure.

"Look at me, Anna."

The First asked her, and Anna released a sharp gasp. Spike's face was now bloody and beaten. His right eye bruised purple, and so swollen he could barely open it.

"She did this to me, Anna - On her birthday!"

The First pointed at Buffy, and Anna turned to look at her.

"Some nerds, some foolish nerds made her think she'd killed a girl, and I the fool I was, looked after her. I told her to go home, I took care of the body, completely eliminated her from the scene. It wasn't enough for her, she would have left Dawn all alone, the only family member she had left and wasted away in prison – I stopped her and she beat me for it."

Anna's eyes filled with tears, and she turned back to Spike's bruised face.

"I didn't even fight back, Anna. I took it all, and she piled it all on me. All her anger, her hatred of her friends, she dumped it all on me and then left me for dead - For the sun to burn."

The First paused and gave Anna Spike's piercing look.

"You still feeling like saving her?"

Anna didn't say anything, but then slowly turned her back on The First, and approaching Buffy, dipped her forefinger into the goo, it smeared on Buffy's forehead like blood.

"What now?"

Anna whispered, as reaching behind Buffy's blouse, she smeared it over her beating heart.

"Now we wait."

The First replied, truly smirking now.

"We wait, till she wakes up."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Buffy groaned, her head was throbbing but she tugged her arms and feeling them now encased in leather made her force her eyes open.

"S-S-Spike?"

She whispered at the blurred black and platinum figure she saw not far from her.

"Yes, and no."

He replied sneering at her.

"The First."

Buffy declared, her voice hard with hatred.

"Right you are luv! You know I think it's time we were introduced properly, thinkin' you hold a lot of misconceptions about me, Pet."

"What those be? And don't call me Pet."

The First walked closer.

"You still think I want to destroy the world, think again Goldilocks."

"Well what do you want? Me dead, is that it?"

"Oh you really do have a superiority complex you know, not attractive should get that seen to Pet."

He was mocking her, he had no intention of letting her live. Too bad, she was gonna kick this thing's ass so hard, wearing Spike's face wasn't going to save it.

"Thought you were smarter than this, fact you and I actually cracked it. Well I cracked it, but you'll figure it out..."

"You want a body."

"BBBINGO! BINGO RIGHT THERE! GIVE IT TO THE LADY!"

Spike's voice hysterically yelled through the cave. The First sniggered at her.

"You know I ought to thank you really, I don't know maybe I've been in this form too much, ain't too much of a thinker this one – follows his blood too much! Can't think of another reason why I wasted all that time and effort breaking that waste of space for a Slayer out prison."

"Faith, yeah real smart move that was"

The First gave her sideways look.

"Yeah well, you can have that one, Pet. No excuses for that. Waste of time start to finish. I mean can you believe it! I gave me to her! Had me all trussed up and available, right where you are now in fact!"

The First said pointed at her, his voice all aggiated like Spike's got when he finally lost his temper about something.

"Couple of months there alone I needed! No sign of you! Faith convincing me you'd bloody moved on, didn't give a crap – bam! Could 'ave started the ride going long time ago but no! She just set me free! Give her couple of wantin' looks and sweet talks and she bloody frees me!"

Buffy just rose an eyebrow, The First looked at her amused.

"Sorry about that Pet, had to get that off my chest y'know"

He sniggered, Buffy looked it coldly.

"He'll come for me, he will come you know."

An intrigued, despite its self, a look of wonder came onThe First's face then, and in Spike's guise, that powerful look despite herself, made her blush.

"What?"

"Spike said the same thing. Tied there on that rock, Spike said you'd come – but you didn't of course."

"I was on my way! If Faith hadn't been so stupid I'd have gotten him outta there would have killed her sorry ass a lot quicker too."

The First smirked. It could remembering seeing Spike's beaten body on that rock, could remember telling him as Buffy that she wouldn't be saving him. Guess now it got to try it in reverse.

"I ain't coming sweet cheeks, and let's face it, not exactly been in my good books now have you Luv?"

Buffy gulped down the small bit of fear that reminder brought up and stared at the First defiantly.

"He loves me, and maybe we can't be together but he'd never just abandon me. He's coming for me and when he comes you're gonna be dead."

The First just rose an eyebrow, but Buffy's attentions turned to Anna then, the young Vampire had been lurking in the shadow. In The First's shadow.

"You know why it looks like Spike, don't you?"

Buffy asked her, her voice hard, but desperate. Anna didn't reply.

"Because you trust it, you see Spike's face and it makes you trust it but that's not your Sire! That's not Spike!"

"I'm protecting him, he's gonna have a new life without you. He's gonna be happy, I'm gonna-"

"Happy! Can you even hear yourself! Anna he'll hate for this, you hear me? He'll hate you."

Anna tried to look as if Buffy's words weren't affecting her, but she could see the fear in the young Vampire's eyes.

"Anna, you're only sixteen years old. You don't know what you're doing."

Anna heard the pity in Buffy's voice and it infuriated her.

"I don't need your pity! You think you're so good don't you! All plucked up and chosen but you're just a monster. I know what you did to him, The First showed me, you beat him and you left him for dead!"

Buffy groaned, she felt guilty for it all over again.

"I did, but look Anna I was out of my mind-"

Anna snorted, her eyes bright with fury.

"So it was ok?"

"No, no Anna, that's not what I'm-"

"Save it. He isn't coming Buffy, you're not getting out of this one."

Fear, not for her, but for Spike surged through her, and she pulled against the leather straps.

"What have you done?"

Anna and The First didn't reply.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

Buffy demanded, pulling as hard as she could against the straps.

"He was drunk, drunk from seeing you again. I led him down to the cellar and I tied him up. I don't hurt Spike, I leave that to you-"

"Oh so tying him up, kidnapping the woman he loves – that's not hurting him!"

Buffy cried incredulously, but then The First stepped forward again.

"Think I've had enough introductions, Slayer you sit back and relax, you're be back in your beloved heaven soon."

Buffy felt her heart pound against her chest, Spike really wasn't coming. This was it, she was really gonna die. Again.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the long wait, but the last chapter should be up soon, hope you all like it!