Giles held Willow’s trembling body next to his and stroked her hair trying to hatch a plan of escape. He steadfastly ignored the dull ache in his limbs that started when they first arrived here. By now he was sure that Ethan had alerted Buffy and the others and it would only be a matter of time before they were rescued.

He sighed and Willow’s head moved on his chest, her eyes were luminous with unshed tears. Her head was buzzing and she was nauseous. Buffy will come, Buffywillcome. She repeated endlessly in her head. Their rings had been taken from them and stored in a Perspex box on the wall.

Giles sat up suddenly as a dark clad figure melted through the wall in front of them. Willow lifted her head and smiled in relief. She got up and took a step forward, Giles tried to stop her.

The green eyes, dark hair, pierced eyebrow and cocky grin told him it was Dominic Thorn, but at the same time it wasn’t. The Hunter’s clothes had no personal touches that marked him as human. He extended his hand to Willow.

"No! Willow! He’s not…" He never completed his sentence because a stiletto– heeled boot caught him at his temple and he fell like a stone.

"RUPERT!!" Willow screamed and struggled to get to her lover.

Dom dragged her through the wall into a separate training room, sparing a glance for his partner, Cathy, who had the task of training Giles.

Buffy looked at the rough plans, Dom sat close to her and traced the line of the Greys defences with his index finger.

"This is the most we have explored, there are no more living Greys. They died, all of them, because of something I did in my training. They are clones of three original Greys and as such, if you kill one of the originals all of those cloned from it, disappear. I killed one when newly turned and we hid the fact from the others. Cathy killed the other two originals during our escape."

"So how come Willow and Giles were taken by Greys? Are they ghosts? Can’t fight ghosts…"

Dom sighed and Cathy took over. "They’re apparitions generated by the stronghold. It’s a buried space ship. Dom and I were cloned in the unlikely event of our deaths in battle. So, the Watcher and Witch are likely being trained right now." She shuddered. "Buffy? You may not recognise them when we get them back."

Ethan straightened at that. His mind was racing, Ripper could withstand most things but if a lady was involved, his nerve always broke. He couldn’t bare to see a woman hurt in any way.

Dom knelt in front of Willow and lifted her chin. Her wrists were bound behind her with his belt and she was silent at last, after hours of resisting his charms.

Willow’d come and hated herself for it.

Dom smiled at her gently.

She shook free of his grip, stared defiantly into his eyes, then she spat in his face.

He rocked back on his heels and wiped the spittal from his cheek and popped his finger in his mouth and slurped. "Essence of Willow… mmm! Rest now, we’re a tag team. You have Cathy and I get to play with ’grandad’" he chuckled as she struggled to be free.

He slipped through the wall and she began to pull on the belt securing her arms. A whiplash stopped her. Stinging blood dripped from the wound at her elbow and she froze, her gaze gliding up to meet the cold dead eyes of the dominatrix, Cathy Thorn.

The Hunter coiled her whip carefully and secured it to her belt loop. She smiled glacially and paced in front of her.

"Tell me my pretty, did my slave make you shiver and tremble with lust? Your man… Well, he’s male in name only now," she sighed and shrugged, her grin becoming wide and gleeful at Willow’s angry blush. "Shall we listen to Dom’s tender treatment of your lover?" She stood in front of the wall through which Dom had passed. She waved her arm in front the metal and the sound of blows and grunts, yells and screams invaded the room where Willow crouched on the bed, her face turned to the corner, eyes tight shut against her tears. BuffyWillCome, BuffyWillCome…

"Would you like to see him?" Cathy’s voice purred in her ear and she felt the bed give as she sat down. "I think he’s done." Willow turned her head to the far wall and saw Rupert pinned to the wall his head slumped forward onto his chest. Her gasp made him snap his head up and a moments glance renewed her resolve and bolstered her love for him. They shouldn’t have let her see him!

"Bitch!" Willow roared and head–butted Cathy. The woman fell sideways stunned, Willow shook her head, "Ah, Shit! Why didn’t they tell you that hurt!" Fighting waves of dizziness. She eased her arm out of the belt grimacing with the pain but she didn’t get far. Her breath stopped by the length of whip round her throat. She clawed at her throat and tried to reach for the door with her other hand but soon passed out.

Cathy stepped over her on her way out to Dom.

"It’s dangerous, but it’s the only way. Two teams sharing two rings power. One ring left here to keep the portal open." Cathy looked at Buffy and Ethan, they had to agree to this. Buffy nodded and Ethan scowled his consent.

Dom took Buffy’s hand and she trembled. He ignored her and gazed at Cathy. She took Ethan’s hand and returned Dom’s open lust.

Buffy blushed. Dom’s hand was warm and strong and she couldn’t help but imagine his hands stroking and lingering over her body.

Ethan smirked picking up the scent of Buffy’s arousal. "Better tighten his leash, sweet lips. Slayer’s “got the horn” for your lover!" he winced as Cathy’s fingers tightened fit to crush his hand.

"Dom? It’s time."

Cathy’s clipped tones forced Dom to concentrate. He strode to the wall his right hand outstretched, Buffy followed and shut her eyes as they broached the wall. Dom walked beside her, unerringly through the empty mad chaos.

Buffy struggled with her secret fears and wildest imaginings. Dom’s face was stony with concentration. He lifted his hand once more and they were through.

They stepped onto the metal floor of the Greys stronghold. He held Buffy as she swayed adjusting to the heady atmosphere. "You alright?" His voice was gentle and his lips were so close. Buffy kissed him and he gripped her shoulders lightly. Gently easing her away. "Feel better now?" He smiled. She parted from him and nodded, breathing a little deeper and faster than normal.

Cathy stepped through with Ethan and smiled at her lover.

Ethan had faired better than the Slayer, because of his love of chaos he treated its domain as his own.

"Willow?" Her name echoed in her head and she opened her eyes slowly. Her mother calling her for class? She blinked and eased herself up on raw wrists, groaning in pain.

"Willow?" Giles called

She swallowed painfully, got up and faced the transparent wall.

"Giles!" she shouted and ran to get a better view. He was still secured to the wall and his face was crusted with dried blood.

He managed to smile at her. "Willow, you don’t have to shout. Did he hurt you?"

His gentle question shattered her hard won calm and she wept openly before him.

His expression changed and he struggled briefly with the manacles. "Willow, listen to me , darling. We will get out of here, Ethan is at home, they didn’t get him! And believe me, you don’t want to mess with Ethan when he’s pissed!"

She laughed and hiccupped at the same time. She took a deep breath and took a step closer to the wall, placing her hand on its cool surface. "I love you Rupert."

Those words wrenched at his heart and he felt renewed and refreshed. Her face was tear stained and her neck was raw from a rope burn but she possessed a quiet strength and radiant beauty. "I love you, my sweet Willow and when we get out of here, I’ll make sure you never forget it!" He looked up suddenly. His breathing increased. "They’re coming!" He sounded panicked. "Courage Willow!"

The wall turned opaque. She couldn’t see but she could still hear. Her head pressed against the wall,wanting to be near Rupert in his suffering, but torn apart by his anguished cries. The soft roar of a flaming blow torch sent her scurrying for the solace of the bed and she buried her face in the pillow and screamed to drown out the screams of her lover.

Dom held Buffy’s hand and ran through the corridors leaping through walls. He noticed that the Slayer was still keeping pace, but was covered by a sheen of sweat. The sickness took humans in various ways.

Her hand slipped from his grasp through the tenth wall and she banged into the solid mass and fell on her rump.

Dom stepped back through and looked at her. She didn’t make a move to get up. He glanced at the wall and mentally counted the remaining hours Willow and Giles had. They could spare only a few minutes for rest.

"What will they be doing to them?" Buffy looked into his eyes.

Dom looked away, too much humanity there. "I was already dead when my training began, I can withstand more pain than humanly possible and inflict it beyond human endurance," his voice lowered to a whisper. "I enjoyed it." He drew his legs up and rested his hands on his knees.

"I knew someone like that once…" Buffy muttered. She looked at him Dom seemed to be of indeterminate age. She was suddenly curious. "How old are you Dom? What did you do before you were turned?"

He sighed, "I was a martial arts instructor with my own Gym in London’s East End. I met Cathy in 1980 when I was 30 and she just captured me. She was so hot and sexy; I’ve never met anyone like her. She made me feel…desperate and dangerous to know." He paused as he saw Buffy’s shocked expression. "I’m 51, such is the gift of the Thorns." He ended bitterly. "Immunity to all disease and the ravages of time and I only had to kill and kill and kill."

He held out his hand and she took it. They set off at a cracking pace. After three more walls Dom began to glimpse Cathy in flashes, they were getting close.

Giles hit the floor and groaned. His wrists and ribs ached. He lifted his head in time to see the sole of a boot coming his way, he moved his hands and caught Dom’s foot before it connected. He staggered to his feet and the Hunter overbalanced. Giles eased his shoulders and scowled toward his grinning adversary.

"Well, Life in the old dog yet, eh, Grandad?" Dom rolled to his feet as he said this.

Giles kept his eyes on the pacing hunter.

"Willow’s so sweet! Does she always pant and moan like that when she comes?" Dom’s smile grew wider as he saw that item being digested.

Giles roared and launched himself at Dom. The hunter spun and kicked at Giles’ head so hard it made his teeth rattle. He staggered back against the wall and through his jolted brain, he saw the end wall open and Cathy Thorn and a man running toward him. He shook his head; tunnel vision prevented him from seeing Ethan clearly. He took a tortured breath and ran hell for leather between them.

Willow took her chance when she saw the open wall and ran as fast as the wind, her tears blinding her to Buffy’s presence.

"Willow! Giles!" Buffy yelled. Both slowed and looked back and ran into Greys with gurneys.

"No!" Dom yelled and yanked Buffy along behind him, he angled sideways and shot through two intersections at once. Buffy held on desperately, if she let go mid- wall it would put a crimp in her style!

End of part 2

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