Where there's Heaven

The Neighbor

Authors notes at the end. This chap contains some spuffy goodness

Buffy frantically tries to stop the bleeding from her wrist. She tears at the ropes with her teeth, snapping at the threads. She gets a hold of one and unties the bindings. She uses her own bonds to stop the bleeding. Wiping the sweat from her brow and tying off the makeshift bandage, she shakily stands and examines the room. Various scratch marks cover the surfaces but on the wall where the bed faces, there's lines marking the days. Forty six in all. The last one looks fresh, and has a streak of blood outlining the gash. Buffy moves the bed over to spot dry blood stains and more scrapes. No way out. No window or opening except for the bars on the door. Trapped.
"Great. This is all I need. I'm supposed to be in San Francisco having major therapy shopping." Buffy huffed. The rattling of metal interrupts her thoughts and she hides to the side just out of sight.
"GET OFF ME!" A girl's voice screams.
"Shut up! Ugh. Another human. When are they gonna stop falling from the sky huh?" A scraggly voice asks.
"More food for us." Another one laughs. The cell across from Buffy opens, and they shove a young, black haired woman inside. Buffy watches from afar as the guards lock the cell. The woman starts to cry. Buffy rises as the guards depart. She goes over to the opening in the door and tries to spot the woman.
"Hello?" She calls out. The woman continues to bawl. "Hey! Are you ok?"
The woman wipes her cheeks and hesitantly stands. Her long hair sweeping behind her and shielding her cheekbones like curtains.
"H-hello? Who's there?" The woman asks.
"My name is Buffy. I was brought here too." Buffy comforts her.
"You fell in?" She quavered.
"More or less." Buffy scoffs. "What happened to you?"
"We-we were... I was playing with my brother... all of a sudden I just keep falling. I was-was just hiding then- I dropped. Here." She trembled so much it rattled the bars on her door.
"Were there any demons? People with glowing eyes? Mystical sparks?" Buffy probed.
"No. No nothing like that." The woman gave her an astonished look.
"Ok... um let's start over. I'm Buffy. What's your name?" she began.
"Molly." she responded.
"Molly. Ok good. Molly we're gonna get out of here. I'm gonna get you out." announced.
"B-but how? You're just a girl. A girl against an army?" she cautioned.
"That's what I kept saying." Buffy stammered. "Now I say: 'To hell with that. I'm fighting anyway.'" she boasted. "We're gonna blow this joint soon Molly. Just gotta see a guy first."

    What qualifies as night in the Hellmouth, flew in swift winds. The demons retreated into the crevices of the night. The braziers and fires lighting the castle were put out. Rats made rat noises. Guards made guard noises. And Buffy, in the midst of it all, was wide awake. She could hear Molly snoring from across the hall and water dripping that echoed through her room. She was waiting for the right moment. When a guard would pass by her cell and she would jump him. That's what she hated most about her job, slaying. The wait. The sound of footsteps crept back into her radar. They were coming from the left. She put her back to the left wall of her cell and stood still while her breathing labored. But before any action occurred, her door swung open, revealing a hooded figure in front of her. She tackles it unknowing of who's under the hood. She pins it beneath her legs and holds its arms away from her.
    "Got to do a lot better than that." she fumed. The figure laughed beneath her and she almost fell back to her knees.
    "Spike?" she faltered.
    "I know what you're thinking. But don't worry I don't bite, pet." Spike crooned. She hugs the vampire under her and helps him to his feet, then practically chokes him. Not like he needs the oxygen.
    "Oh my god. I can't- how did- who-?" she gushed.
    "Was more difficult than some but no matter. The guy with the um- multi color- changing- eyes? He told me he was hurting you. I couldn't- I couldn't bear to just stand watch." Spike whispered. Buffy puts on a mournful face and embraces him again.
    "Hey c'mon. Leave first. Reunion later, yeah?" Spike stated and released her.
    "Wait! Spike..." she started. He turned to look at her as he stood in the archway of the cell.
"Yeah?" Spike asked. Buffy didn't know what to say. She stood there with such uncertainty in her eyes. She wanted to tell him how much she- how much she- ... relished him fighting with her against the First and the turokans. That night before the whole thing, she had come down to say that to him. He was holding the amulet in his hand when he looked up at her with such hope in his eyes. Nothing had happened. Buffy and Spike slept in each other's arms again for the third night in a row. When she woke up, she wanted more from him. At that moment she wanted to be more than friendly. But they had the world needing saving to worry about. It took all her strength to not tell him. She kissed his forehead instead, hoping that could keep her at bay for as long as she needed. It didn't work. She couldn't help herself from not kissing his cheek, then his other cheek, then a slight peck on his lips. Scared her half to death when he awoke muttering about how leather coats were flying after him like in the movie "The Birds" he explained later. He had another dream about drowning in footwear the other night so she didn't know why he had a fear of regular everyday wear. Weirdo vampire. But even explaining his weird coat dream, she could tell how thrilled he was to be with her. This spike here in the cell with her now... wasn't hers.
She shakes her head at him, then looks down.
"Buffy?" He asked, concerned. She glanced up at him, sighed, and cupped his cheekbone.
"You're not him." Buffy sadly stated.
"No... I'm not. But you're the one that made me. So here I am." Spike added. She scoffed at the irony of what she's about to say next.
"Why are you always when I'm miserable?" She asked her dream Spike.
"Cause that's when you need someone the most. And I reckon you've been thinking of me a lot more than anyone else." He gloated affectionately. His voice starts to descend and the atmosphere starts to go black around her. "But I'm here. As long as you need me. I'll be here." She wakes up. In her cell. And no Spike. She pushes the shrill blanket off her and stands up cracking the bones in her back. She listens for the snores and whimpers of her next door neighbor but can't hear anything. Buffy goes up to the door and peers for Molly. She gasps as she sees the cell room door open, with no Molly inside. The floor littered with tufts of her black hair.

I hope the spuffy was good my lovelies . And yes there was a parallel between angel and spike I added "don't worry I don't bite." As with Spikes dream cloth attacks I just thought it'd be funny. "The Birds" : 1963 horror movie starring Melanie Daniels