Chapter One

Buffy was in heaven. Not literally, but the beaches of Hawaii were the closest she’d come to heaven since, well, since she had been in heaven. She couldn’t remember her last vacation like this. That’s probably because she never had a vacation like this. It was just her and her closest friends. And Spike. Somehow it was impossible to get rid of Spike no matter where she went. Why the vampire had insisted on coming to a place renowned for sunshine, she couldn’t imagine. He was undoubtedly up to some scheme or other that would wind up ruining her trip, but she could worry about that later. For now… oh looky, her glass was empty. Can’t have that now, can we? “Waiter, another round please,” she called to the harried young man running up and down the beach with a heavy tray.

Dawn and Willow giggled from their spread out towels, watching the waiter run off to fulfill their requests. They didn’t exactly live in the lap of luxury either and it made Buffy happy to see them enjoying themselves for once. “Where’s Giles?” Willow asked, rolling over to even her tan. “I haven’t seen him in hours.”

“Don’t worry,” Buffy said, “he’s just gone to check out the local blood supply. I think he actually feels sorry for Spike and Angel being cooped up in the hotel all day. He wanted to make sure they don’t have to starve too. It’s probably a good thing for us. They’re cranky and broody enough without being hungry.”

“Well if Spike was really hungry he could have some of my blood,” Dawn offered graciously.
“Dawn! That’s not funny!” Buffy was frowning now. It was bad enough Spike was here, she didn’t need to worry about her sister doing something stupid on top of it.

“Oh, Buffy. Really! You know he can’t bite me with that thing in his head!” Dawn said, rolling her eyes. “Unless of course he wasn’t trying to hurt me,” she added in an undertone, looking away.

The waiter returned with three drinks and the girls stopped arguing to go back to admiring the ocean and the view of many buff bodies in skimpy clothing strolling the beach.

Just then Giles arrived and hurried over looking concerned. Unfortunately, his outfit overshadowed any expression on his face. Staring up at him in the Hawaiian shirt and cutoff denim shorts, Willow couldn’t help but remark, “Giles, you’ve expanded your wardrobe! How… trendy of you!” she finished positively.

With a careless glance at himself, Giles, clearly frustrated said, “Yes well, you see, I stopped at the hotel on my way to the beach. I was just delivering some blood and I saw Angel, but Spike was not in his room. Now, do you know where he might be?”
“Uh, not really Giles,” answered Buffy, trailing her fingers in the warm sand. “Its kinda hard for a vamp to go anywhere since this is all nice open spaces and huge windows around here.”

“Right, I was afraid of that.”

Chapter 2

Nobody could get anything out of Spike about his earlier absence. His claim that he had just been exploring the hotel didn’t convince anyone, but he stuck to it. Eventually, the more pressing matter of which of the many nightlife scenes they should check out first, crowded out any further thought about Spike’s shenanigans.

That night, in the crowded beachfront club, Buffy found herself wishing that Xander had been able to come. They had all agreed that Giles deserved to come on the trip so that left Anya to stay and run the Magic Box. That wasn’t a big deal but then Xander had decided he better stay to keep her company. At least, that was how he put it. How Anya had put it was, What if I want to have orgasms? You expect me to just not have any for a week?
Buffy shuddered at the unbidden image that came to mind. Angel smiled at her, mistaking her reaction as a response to what he had just said. Uh oh, what had he just said? Buffy wasn’t listening. She had been feeling a little bit bad for Willow. Even though none of the six of them here were couples, it seemed a little awkward for her. Angel and Buffy were monopolizing most of each other’s time even though they weren’t together, and Dawn had been flirting with Spike all night. So, that left Willow to hang out with Giles. Not that they weren’t friends who enjoyed talking to each other, but Giles was no Xander where Willow was concerned.

“Buffy? Are you ok?” Angel was waving a hand in front of her face. Her zone out was evident. She was frustrated with herself for not being able to relax even on vacation. That was her, always thinking about everyone else. She was half listening to Dawn, making sure she didn’t provoke Spike, and half listening to Willow, making sure she wasn’t too bored. That didn’t leave a half for listening to Angel, even though she did enjoy his company.

“Angel!” Buffy said, coming back into the conversation. “Why don’t we go for a walk out on the beach. Get some air. Its good and dark now and I’m sure you’ve been all cooped up long enough.” They excused themselves from their friends and headed down towards the water.

“What’s on your mind, Buffy,” asked Angel. He reached out to place a comforting hand on her back as they strolled along the cooling sand, letting the edge of the waves catch their feet.

“Nothing really,” she said with an unconvincing smile. “I guess my mind is just hard to convince that we’re on vacation. It’s still back in Sunnydale looking out for the next evil demon plot.”

Angel gave an understanding chuckled at this. “Well the good news is there aren’t any demons out here. Except for Spike. Ok, and me. But that’s it. Really! Just try to relax and enjoy yourself. Faith is watching out for everyone back home. I’m sure she can handle any big bad guys that come along.”
“I know, I know. Really, I promise I’ll try to relax ok. Now let’s find something non-demony to talk about… hey, check out that ship over there! Awfully close to shore for such a big ship, isn’t it? It’s so dark, how can it even see where it’s going?” Buffy now looked anything but relaxed.

Angel let out a deep, useless breath. “Buffy, it’s just a ship. Besides, look, it’s anchored there. It’s not going anywhere at all. It won’t crash into anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m sure its been there all day.”

Buffy took another look at the ship and let out a short, sharp laugh. “You’re right. Look at me, now I’m seeing demon ships! It’s ridiculous! Ha!” She grabbed his arm and pasted a smile on her face. “Right, so it’s just me and you and no other demons. Now, where were we?”

“I think you were coming righ’ along with us, Missy,” replied the black-toothed man who had just stepped out from behind the tumble of rocks at the edge of the shore. Several of the grungy man’s friends stepped out to join him, cracking their knuckles, looking like they were awaiting orders.

Buffy sighed, “Well at least they’re not demons.” A swift kick to the chin sent the first of the thuggish guys sprawling on the sand. “Ow!” Buffy exclaimed, hopping up and down on one foot. She was not used to wearing sandals. Turning to face her remaining opponents Buffy actually let out a hysterical laugh. She had just noticed that they were all dressed up like pirates.

The men, who were not used to having their victims burst into fits of the giggles, stopped in their tracks and frowned in confusion. “Wha? What you be laughin at?” demanded the nearest man.

Clutching her sides in pain from too much laughing, Buffy managed to say, “What are you supposed to be? You all look like pirates. Where’s the costume party?”

“Party? This ain’t no party, girl! We’s real pirates and you be comin with us back ta our ship there!” With that the men advanced again and Buffy got herself under control, grabbed two of them, successfully knocking their heads together. Angel, who had vamped out, was exchanging blows with two more. Angel’s distorted features did not seem to concern the pirates.

“Riiight,” said Buffy, who had the last of the men pinned to the ground. “Real pirates. There haven’t been real pirates in a hundred years! Who are you really and what do you want with me?”

“Arr! We’s pirates I tell ye! Maybe there be no pirate’s in your land, but we’s real, and it’s not us as want’s ya,” explained the pirate through a mouthful of sand. “Thar be a nasty ol beastie deep in the forest of the uncharted isle. He gone and stole our gold from us, he did. Ta get it back, he says, bring ‘im the Slayer. He don’ tell us why! That be all’s I know!”

Slamming his head into the ground for effect, Buffy asked, “How did you know I was here? How did you find me? Hell, how did you even know what I looked like?”

The pirate Buffy held now moaned with pain, “Ouch! Twas yer blonde friend the beastie put us in touch with. He’s more’n willin to talk for a few pieces o’ gold. All the beastie left us with, but now we’ll get it all back, now we’ve got you!”

Before Buffy could argue this point, four more pirates emerged from hiding. Two had snuck up behind Angel and grabbed him while he was busy immobilizing his previous opponents. The other two threw a weighted net over Buffy and began to drag her out to the dinghy they had hidden behind the rocks. She had just enough time to hiss, “Spike!” before losing consciousness as her head hit the bottom of the small boat.

Angel managed to free himself from his captors and began beating them senseless. By the time he was done, the dinghy had nearly reached the large ship they saw earlier and he could only watch in despair.

Chapter 3

Angel had been known to lose his temper on occasion. What he felt now was incomparable. He stormed back to the hotel after finding that the club had closed for the night. The few people who were still out and about fled before him, as he had not bothered to make himself appear human again. He couldn’t if he tried.

He flung open the door to the room where Spike was staying. What he saw made him so irate he almost forgot the first reason he was angry. Spike was there all right, and now he had Dawn sitting in his lap in a near trance. She was running her fingers through his hair as he greedily licked her neck. He hadn’t bitten her yet, but it was only a matter of time until she convinced herself that that’s what she wanted. Then he would be able to do it and there was no one else in the room to stop him.

Angel crossed the room in two strides and yanked Dawn from Spike. She immediately came to herself and looked around, befuddled. Paying no attention to her, Angel, grabbed Spike by his precious leather coat and pinned him against the wall. Angel began scanning the room for a likely piece of sharp wood. “What’s the trouble, mate?” inquired Spike. “What’s with the face?”

Angel was too furious for words. He let Spike go with one hand in order to punch him hard, in the nose. Finally he said, “What did you do? Where did you go before? And don’t tell me again that you were out admiring the lobby. Who are those people who have Buffy? Where are they taking her? Tell me or I will kill you right now.” Spike just opened and closed his mouth, eyes wide. “Speak! The longer you talk, the longer you live.”

“What? You mean they actually got her! Oh, a lot of good you are you bloody poof! You were supposed to be looking out for her. I can’t believe a bunch of human pirates got the best of the Slayer and my big bad grandsire!”

“Well, there were a lot of them,” Angel shot back. Then shaking his head he remembered he was not the one on the defensive. “So, it was you. I was right. You sold her out! You worthless good-for-nothing fool! You sold Buffy and then you go and try to make a snack out of her little sister! You don’t deserve to live. But you will live, at least until you tell me everything you know, because I can tell you haven’t! Now start making sense!”
“I never! I wasn’t going to eat the little one. We were just having a bit of fun, weren’t we love,” he looked pleadingly at Dawn.

Dawn just shook her head and backed away from him. “Where’s Buffy? Where are Giles and Willow?” she whimpered.

“Yes, those are all things I’d like to know too!” said Angel.

“Well, Giles and Willow are the party poopers, you know that, they went to bed,” answered Spike. “I don’t know where Buffy is. Some ugly bloke came to see me back in Sunnydale. He offered me a nice price if I gave him some information on the Slayer. He said he and his friends were interested in meeting her. Didn’t tell me what for. Looked like the type might have a hard time getting a girl? You know? They already knew she was coming here and wanted someone to point her out for them when she got here. So, that’s where I was this afternoon. I showed em who she was on the beach. Nearly scorched the hair right off my head too. Flimsy blankets they have in these overpriced rooms! She seemed safe enough there with the witch and the watcher. I didn’t think the likes of him would really be able to put one over on her and I needed the gold.”

Livid, Angel landed another punch on Spike’s jaw. “One of them said something about a beastie, er a demon, on an island. What do you know about that? They’re taking her to him.”

“Demon?” Spike was wide-eyed with innocence. “No, he made it out like it was him looking for her. Nobody mentioned a demon.”

“I suppose it never occurred to you that he wasn’t telling you everything,” Angel sneered. “No, of course it didn’t. Dawn, go wake up Willow and Giles. We’ll need their help.”

Chapter 4

Buffy opened her eyes halfway as she regained conciousness, slowly comprehending her situation. The first thing she noticed was that she was cold and wet. Her white halter top and thin, red miniskirt were fine for strolling the beach, but the combination of the seabreeze after being dragged through the water and the metal of the bottom of the boat made her realize it was possible to chilly in Hawaii.

Noticing that she was closely garded, Buffy continued to feign sleep until a better opportunity for escape presented itself. She was securly tied up and wrapped in the net. Pirates, unlike demons, knew how to make a good knot. Buffy realized that she wasn’t going anywhere for a while and had time to be aware of how embarrassing it was to be captured by humans. She also wondered what happened to Angel. He was not in the boat with her and the pirates hadn’t seemed interested in him. She doubted they would know to use a stake on him so she felt she could assume he was still alive. It did not occur to her to hope that he would rescue her. She had every intention of getting out of this herself.

A few minutes later, Buffy felt herself being lifted and carried away. Hoping she could continue to fool her captors, she kept her eyes closed, thinking they might untie her if she looked helpless enough. Soon she was set on a dirty, hard floor. Buffy just had time to wonder what sort of bugs might be nearby when she felt someone struggling to remove the net. Staying very still, she waited, hoping that the untying of the rope around her wrists or legs would be next. It was, but not before her wrists were chained in iron shackles. Once these were secure the rest of the ropes were removed and she heard a metallic clang.

Not hearing any other sounds, Buffy risked opening her eyes. Cursing her foolishness for not trying to escape earlier, she found herself in a small prision cell in what had to be the very lowest level of the ship she had seen from the shore. Buffy suppressed a scream of rage, yanking at the shackles with all her slayer strength, to no avail. She scanned the bare room for anything useful she might be able to reach. There was nothing in sight but three cement walls and one wall of bars facing a similar cell opposite hers. She did have a narrow wooden bench to sit on, but nothing else. She wasn’t going anywhere.

After what seemed like weeks, Buffy heard footsteps approaching her cell. She felt her anger rise as she prepared to give holy hell to whoever was responsible for her situation. Just let them get close enough for a good swift kick, she thought. Hah, stupid pirates should’ve chained my feet!
Two figures appeared in the doorway, one quite a bit larger than the other and wearing a much bigger hat. He spoke first. “Greetings lass. I’m Captian Goldfinch. This be my son, Alex. How are ye finding yer accomodations?”

Buffy’s eyes flamed. “Let me go,” she demanded in a soft, deadly voice.

The large pirate gave a hearty laugh. “No, no, fraid we can’t have that! We be needing you to get me gold back! Now then, I suggest you make yerself comfortable. Might be days before we sight the uncharted isle. These islands be scattered far and wide in the sea, many hundreds of miles yet to sail.” With that, he departed, leaving his son with Buffy.

With the Captain gone, Buffy turned her attention to Alex for the first time. In spite of herself, she couldn’t help liking what she saw. He was dressed like a pirate, but he didn’t look like one yet. He still had all his teeth, none of which were black. He had only a wisp of a beard and moustache; unlike the others she had seen whose faces were a tangled mess. His clothes seemed cleaner too and she couldn’t help noticing the muscular chest revealed by the mostly-open billowy white shirt he wore. It was supposed to be loose fitting, but Buffy saw that it was pulled tight in the arms against his obviously well developed biceps. The tight pirate pants were very flattering to his upper legs and Buffy found herself looking forward to seeing him turn around. She couldn’t see his hair since it was concealed with a red and white bandanna topped with a typical pirate hat. She figured he was in his mid-twenties, not much older than her.

“Miss Summers, I have been instructed to provide you with food. The Captain says you are needed alive and in good health.” Buffy noticed he was carrying a small tray. He placed it aside to unlock her door. Sensing her opportunity, Buffy watched carefully as he approached with the food. Hot or not, she was not going to miss another chance to get out of there. Before he could blink, Buffy leapt from the bench and aimed a kick straight at his face. Unfortunately, she only succeeded in knocking the tray from his hands and startling him.

“Miss Summers, you have ruined your dinner!” he chastised. “You must cooperate with me if you wish to be fed! What good does it do you to kick me? You are still chained to the wall! Now, should I bother to go and get another tray, or are we going to have this problem again?”

An odd thought struck Buffy. “You don’t talk like a pirate,” she said. “Actually, you speak better than most of my friends. You sound like my watcher.”

“You are correct, I am educated,” he said. “The time of the pirates is dwindling. Do you know how hard it is to catch a modern ship with a real engine with these ridiculous sails? My father wants me to be able to make my way in the civilized world. I have a private tutor on board whom he captured from England.” He shook his head and changed the subject. “All of this is irrelevant to your situation. Would you like a meal or not?”

“Gee, what a great dad you’ve got,” Buffy remarked. “Sure, bring on the grub.”

As Alex turned to leave, Buffy got the eyeful she’d been waiting for and was pleasantly satisfied. While he was gone Buffy tried to come up with a new escape plan. The whole kicking the guy with the keys thing was pointless since she couldn’t actually use a key with her hands chained. Perhaps a different approach with her captors was in order.

Chapter 5

“But I want to come too!” Dawn whined.

“Yeah let her go! Why should I have to get on that bloody boat? I get seasick, you know!” agreed Spike.

Angel felt his temper threatening to overwhelm him again. “Dawn, no. Buffy would want you to be safe. Being on a boat with two vampires chasing pirates to a demon does not equal safe. Spike, you ARE coming, so get used to it. I might need you to deal with the pirates since they think you’re on their side. You should be thankful for the opportunity to redeem yourself. You do remember that this entire thing is your fault?”

Spike gave Angel an insolent look but said nothing. Dawn said, “But she’s MY sister! I want to make sure she’s ok.” She felt any further complaints die in her throat at the glare she received for her efforts.

“Ok, it’s almost light now. Giles, you’re going to rent the speedboat as soon as the place opens?” He nodded. “Great. Willow, any luck on locating the ship.”

“Um, trying to concentrate here, Angel. Hold on.” Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the witch continued focusing on Buffy’s hairbrush, trying to conjure a map of her position.

“We’ve got to hurry. There’s no way of knowing how soon they’ll reach the demon’s island. Giles, you and Willow can get to the library as soon as it opens and search the Internet for any information on what we’re dealing with. I’ve already been in touch with Xander and Anya; they’re searching through the old texts back home. Dawn, you stay here at the hotel in case they call. You all have my cell phone number. Call us on the boat as soon as you find out anything.”

“Oooh, I got it!” said Willow, proudly holding up a scrap of paper. On it was the magically produced map of Buffy’s location. “Too bad she’s on the move. I hope this will still be ok by the time you get your boat. It’s hard to pin down a moving target.”

“It’s great Willow,” Angel reassured her. “It’s all we have, in any case.”

Spike moaned as the boat crested yet another wave at breakneck speed. Angel gave him a disgusted look. “I can’t believe you were serious about being seasick. That’s pathetic.” The two of them were cramped in the enclosed helm of the boat. They had draped all the windows with black curtains. Giles had rigged a periscope-like device so they could see where they were going without letting in any sun. “We’re not far from the position on Willow’s map!” Angel sounded upbeat for the first time since Buffy had been captured.

Angel slowed the boat as they arrived at the indicated location. He peered eagerly through the eyepiece. Turning suddenly, he backhanded Spike across the face.

“What in bloody hell was that for?” Spike demanded. “I was just sittin here, pretty as you please! What’s got your knickers in a knot this time?”

“We’re here. Take a look.” Angel looked as demonic as was possible without the vamp face. He stepped back and watched as Spike gave him a wary look and then put his eye to the periscope.

“What? I don’t see a thing.”

“Exactly. There’s all these little islands scattered around and that ship could be on its way behind any one of them and we can’t see it! We don’t know which way it was headed and it’ll take hours to go around all of them! By then it will be even futher away.”

Chapter 6

Buffy had lost all sense of time in her windowless cell. The rattle of keys at her door woke her from an uneasy doze. It was Alex again with a tray. It seemed like he had just left but hearing her stomach grumble, Buffy realized it must have been hours since he last fed her. At first she had been apalled at the idea of letting him spoon food into her mouth like she was some sort of infant. It hadn’t really been so bad though. He was under strict orders not to unchain her hands even to eat. Someone must have warned them that a slayer was not an ordinary young woman.

Seeing the enormous turkey leg and a dish of what appeared to be potato, Buffy wondered if this was lunch or dinner. She already learned it was pointless to ask Alex any of these questions. He was not allowed to tell her anything about their journey, even the time of day. However, he was free to talk about anything inconsequential, like his studies or general amusing stories about life at sea. He had stayed what seemed like quite a long time after her last meal, entertaining her with anecdotes and showing off a few moves with his sword. She was sure this was above and beyond his instructions to keep her in good health.

So, far from planning to kick him, Buffy looked up eagerly when she saw him come in. She was smart enough to realize there was a word for people who came to identify with their kidnappers, though she couldn’t remember what it was. She also felt firmly that she was not one of those people. This was all part of her plan to make him feel safe enough to unchain her. That’s all. Really.

“Good day, Miss Summers,” Alex said. “I’ve brought your meal. Is there anything else you require today?” He had already brought her a blanket and a pillow to try and make her wooden bench a bit more comfortable.

“How about a hot shower and a change of clothes?” Buffy joked. She was painfully aware that however long she had been there, it was long enough that she had lost her usual fresh and clean feeling.

“I wouldn’t mind that myself!” he returned. “No worries, you look lovely.” Buffy thought he passed a quick glance over the once-white halter-top clinging to her skin. He reached for her tray and brought the turkey leg to her lips so she could tear off a bite. Within minutes she devoured the entire thing. Alex produced a linen handkerchief from his pocket and delicately dabbed the grease from her mouth. Buffy felt vividly aware of his closeness to her as he did this. To refresh her, held up a large flask of water and tipped it towards her lips. He met her eyes and she thought she saw something there that his father would not approve of. “Whoa!” Buffy cried out.

“Oh, I am so sorry!” said Alex as he removed the flask. He had obviously become distracted and not paid attention to how far he tipped the flask. The water came pouring out much faster than Buffy could drink it and now the front of her skimpy top was soaked with the freezing drink. She could see Alex trying to ignore the obvious effects of this. “Er, I’ll go get you a towel,” he muttered, hurrying out.

Buffy watched him go with a knowing grin. That couldn’t have gone any better if she’d planned it. The shackles would be coming off in no time.

Chapter 7

“Monsters who betray their friends do not get the big bed! You’re not going to roll off the bunk. Why don’t you just sleep on the bottom one?” Angel gestured towards what was intended to be the kid’s room in the tiny cabin of their boat. At the front there was a room just big enough to hold a built in queen size bed. The main room where they were standing was a sitting/dining area with a kitchenette and bathroom on the right and the smaller bedroom with bunk beds to the left. “Besides, I’m taller. I could never fit on one of those baby beds.”

“But I’m all tired and sick. What if I get a concussion sitting up too fast on that bottom cot? How’d you feel then? Probably be right pleased with yourself, wouldn’t you?” He glared at Angel who glared right back. “Fine! Have your big comfy bed!” Spike stalked off into his room and slammed the slatted door, which promptly tore from its hinges. “Oh, that’s just fantastic! What’re you lookin at?” he spat as he struggled to force the door back into place.

Angel rolled his eyes and went to lie down. He wasn’t tired but there was nothing else to do at the moment. They spent all day checking the waters around the islands and found no sign of the pirate ship. He’d tried calling the hotel, but Willow was still at the library so there was no hope of another locator spell yet. Dawn promised to call as soon as she heard anything from anyone about where this demon might live. That was now their only hope for some sense of the direction they should take. In the mean time, it was no good wasting gas cruising aimlessly so they’d decided to try to get some sleep.

It was pure torment just laying around while anything could be happening to Buffy. His only comfort was that it seemed wherever the pirates were taking her wasn’t nearby. Once they had a clue about their direction, they shouldn’t have any problem overtaking the ship with the speedboat. After all, the pirates just had sails, how fast could they go? Still, Angel couldn’t forgive himself for allowing Buffy to be captured. He had let his guard down. That was his fatal mistake, thinking there couldn’t possibly be anything to fear this far from the Hellmouth. At his age, he could hardly believe he’d been that naive. With Spike around, all bad things were possible. Lesson learned.

Chapter 8

Buffy decided it must be nighttime. Everything was quiet on the ship and it had been a particularly long time since her last visit from Alex. His visits were the only thing she had to look forward too since nothing much else ever seemed to happen. Twice Captain Goldfinch had briefly appeared at her cell, but he seemed to only want to be sure that she was still alive and hadn’t escaped. Other than that he was probably too busy running the ship to bother with her. Buffy figured he trusted his son enough to deal with the extra chore of keeping an eye on her.

With her time in the little cell dragging on endlessly, Buffy had done a good deal of thinking. She’d come to the conclusion that there was no need to bother trying to escape until they reached their destination. Not that she wouldn’t take the opportunity if it arose, but after all, it was a demon they were taking her to. Since when was the Slayer afraid of demons? The best chance of getting away looked to be when they would have to unlock the chains to take her onto the island. She hoped that wouldn’t be too much longer. The shackles were really starting to chafe her wrists.

Buffy made herself as comfortable as she could on her bench and tried to get some rest. Defeating demons was always easier after a good nights sleep. A series of pleasant dreams soon drifted into her mind. There she was, staking Spike for getting her into this mess. That one faded into a new scene with Angel and Spike. What were they arguing about? Oh, there’s Angel staking Spike for getting her into this mess! Quite satisfied, Buffy smiled in her sleep as an image of Anya came into focus. She looked like her old vengence demon self and Buffy was talking to her. She couldn’t hear what was said, but then she noticed Spike off to the side, writhing in pain on the ground. The only words she could make out from that dream were Anya saying “Wish granted.”

Buffy sighed in contentment and dreamed on. A less violent setting appeared and she was walking along the beach much as she’d been doing right before she was captured. She was arm in arm with her companion and they were watching the sky turn brilliant shades of pink as the sun began to set casting dazzling reflections on the waves. Abruptly, she realized her partner was not of the vampiric persuasion. She turned to look at him and found herself gazing up into the face of a pirate. Alex.

Buffy was startled right out of the dream into full awareness. She cast frantic glances around her, trying to figure out what had just happened. Calming down, her surprise became chagrin. Great, that’s just what she needed. Fuzzy feelings about a guy she fully intended to knock senseless at the first good opportunity. Could she possibly be any better at getting involved with exactly the wrong type? Aggravated with herself, Buffy seriously considered seeing a therapist about that if she ever got out home. Then she considered a therapist’s reaction to her explaining her wrong types were vampires and pirates and thought perhaps she would just have to become a nun and avoid the topic all together.

Sounds from the upper levels of the ship convinced Buffy that the night was over. She was afraid to go back to sleep anyway and instead tried to get herself focused on all the reasons why Alex was a bad person and especially bad for her and why she should not be anything but furious with him. She would only pretend to be nice to him when he came with her breakfast but she would feel nothing but hatred and loathing.

Shortly after Buffy became secure in her mental preparations, Alex did indeed appear. Instead of her breakfast however, he held an enormous bowl. Buffy watched suspiciously as he heaved it through the door and laid it on the floor with a look of relief. Noticing her expression he explained, “I’ve been instructed to get you cleaned up a bit. We’re not to far from our destination and the Captain wants to make a good impression.” He would not meet her eyes as he spoke.

Buffy was speechless at first, just watching him standing there, looking uncomfortable. “You’re going to give me a sponge bath?” she asked finally, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Well, no. Er, well yes, but you know, just your face and hands maybe. Perhaps your feet?” He stole a furitive glance at her out of the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction to this. “I could even wash your hair if you like,” he added.

Buffy felt some of that fury she tried to convince herself that she had welling up inside her. Then she burst out laughing. Seeing how that startled and bewildered Alex, she laughed all the harder. Of course, he couldn’t know of her earlier mental battles over him, and now here he was offering to do incredibly intimate things to her. She was partly furious that she had to depend on him so much already for food and water, but this was almost too much for her. Bathing! She could use it, she was sure. On some level this seemed to fulfil a fantasy she hadn’t know she had. So many people were dependent on her for their very life that having the situation reversed was strangely stimulating.

“All right,” she said at last, “do what you have to do.” He took a few halting steps towards her and looked her over, considering where to begin. Taking a cloth, he soaked it in the bowl of water and pressed it to her forehead. Buffy was surprised that it felt warm. How thoughtful of him to heat her bathwater! She could hardly believe this was happening as he stroked her face all over with the cloth.

“If you bend forward I’ll do your hair next. We don’t exactly have shampoo, but this soap is very gentle. I use it myself.” Buffy did what she was told and felt him lift her hair into the bowl and swirl it around. He began to massage her scalp with soapy hands, working up a good lather. It felt very nice and Buffy let a soft moan escape without thinking. “Ok, all rinsed,” he announced a few minutes later. Buffy flipped her hair back over her shoulders, soaking her shirt in the process. Her mouth twisted in a wry smile realizing that had been happening a little too often lately.

Alex moved to sit next to her on the bench and, to Buffy’s surprise, produced a small comb from his pocket. He ran it through her hair in rapid, gentle strokes until her hair lay flat and smooth. Then he took up the cloth again and began cleaning her arm, starting at the shoulder.

When both her arms and hands were as clean as he could get them with the shackles in the way, he stood up and asked her to do the same. He lifted her chin and ran the cloth along her neck but stopped when he reached the indentation between her collarbones. Buffy looked at him and raised her eyebrows. He was staring at her unmoving. After a moment he dropped the cloth from his hand and reached around behind her head. Buffy was astonished when she realized what was going on. “Um, just what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

Still fiddling with the tie on her halter-top he mumbled, “Miss Summers, I am a pirate.”

Buffy frowned, trying to make sense of this revelation. “Right, I think we’ve established that awhile ago. You’re the educated pirate that sounds like an old, English guy. What am I missing here?”

The tie came undone and he began to peel the wet fabric away, down her chest. “A pirate is not a gentleman. Not even an educated pirate. When I first saw you only my father’s orders kept me from treating you like any other plundered treasure. That is, until I got to know you a little. Then you started to seem like a friend and not even a pirate would betray a friend’s trust. So, I tried not to notice my feelings when I looked at you. But now…” He stopped, staring at her uncovered breasts, which were heaving slightly with alarm.

“But now?” Buffy prompted, fully aware but also unashamed of her exposure. So far she hadn’t heard anything enlightening. Lots of guys wanted to “plunder” her when they first met. The only difference here was that he could have and gotten away with it, for a while anyway.

He ripped his own shirt open and pulled her closer, crushing their bodies together. He stared into her eyes. They were nose to nose. He whispered fiercely, “But now, not my father, or friendship, or God above is enough to keep me from what I want.”

Buffy felt his hot skin against her own and realized she was surprised that he should feel so warm. It made sense since he was alive. She thought about kicking him, biting him, or doing anything to stop what was about to happen. She decided not too.

He kissed her now, a full passionate kiss that threatened to suffocate her. His lips tasted of salt from the sea air. He stroked her arms with his fingertips as the kiss deepened to include his tongue piercing her mouth, licking every surface. She could not use her hands to touch him. She wanted nothing more than to push his shirt from his shoulders and watch it drop to the floor. Something hard was ramming into her thigh. Buffy reluctantly broke the kiss to investigate and found Alex’s sword hilt pressed against her. She stared at it pointedly until he got the idea. Only one hand released her to undo the belt and toss the sword away. When the hand came back it went to her breast and squeezed softly until Buffy thought she would die of bliss.

Alex watched her expression for a few moments and then moved away from her just enough to fit both of his hands between them. While his fingers did incredible things to her nipples, his tongue traveled up the side of her neck, flicking her earlobe teasingly. Hearing his steamy breath in her ear was torture for Buffy whose hands were aching to touch any part of him. To her great delight he suddenly released her breasts to pull his own shirt completely off. Hers was hanging around her waist, out of the way. He wrapped his arms around her again letting her enjoy the sensation of their fully bare chests pressed against each other.

As he lowered his head to meet her lips again his hands slid down her back to clutch her ass. Letting go of her mouth, bent forward and kissed his way back down her neck and kept going until he reached her left breast. While his lips were busy making Buffy insane with lust, his hands gripped her thighs just below her skirt. Soon she felt them sliding up underneath the skirt and caressing the bare skin exposed by her thong.
Buffy heard a sudden, loud rip and saw her thong go flying over Alex’s shoulder. One hand remained on her smooth bare cheek while the other found its way between her legs. He touched her gently at first and then, with a pained groan as he felt how aroused she was, plunged his fingers into her. Twisting and pressing with three fingers on the inside, Alex used the thumb of the same hand to rub her engorged hot spot.
Long past breathing heavy, Buffy was now emitting loud moans with every thrust of his hand. Just as she thought she would go over the edge, he withdrew his fingers from her and stood up. She screamed in rage and disappointment. He clamped his mouth over hers to silence her and slammed his pelvis into her. She immediately felt the reason he had stopped.

Pulling away from his lips, Buffy watched as Alex deftly undid the ties of his pirate pants. He did not bother to remove them, but only pushed them down enough to free his engorged penis. Buffy had just enough time to be impressed, then her legs were off the ground and wrapped around Alex’s hips. He held her by the ass with her back against the wall, using one hand to guide himself to her. In one quick motion he was inside, they cried out in mutual pleasure.

Buffy strained violently against her chains, wanting, needing to hold him, grab him, run her nails down his back. He ground his hips against her and each time his motion caused him to withdraw slightly from her she thought she would die. It seemed if this feeling ended the world would be over.
Through his ecstacy, Alex noticed Buffy’s legs shaking with fatigue from gripping him so tightly. Without breaking their connection he lowered her into a sitting position on the bench and leaned her back. Kneeling in front of her he resumed his vigorous movements, but now he had his hands free. One hand slid down between her legs and began to press and rub, giving her extra stimulation. With the other he reached out for her shackled hand and gripped it tightly.

Buffy squeezed his hand in return, grateful to have some part of him within her reach. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes as waves of pleasure washed over her. She lifted her hips against him and gritted her teeth, holding back a scream as she orgasmed fitfully.
Unable to last any longer after watching the climax take Buffy, Alex gave several last, deep hard thrusts and spent himself inside her. When it was over he collapsed against her, kissing her and stroking her hair.

Finally he withdrew and attempted to lay her down on the bench for a cuddle. He quickly noticed that she was restrained by the chain on her left arm and could not lay down completely one way or the other. Frustrated, he said, “Here, let me get these things off you.”
Drowsy and contented Buffy almost didn’t comprehend what was going on. She quickly came to when she heard the sounds of her chains falling away. Once her hands were free, Alex moved to lie down on top of her. Buffy put her arms around him as if to give an embrace. In an instant, she had him flipped over on his back with herself on top and was chaining his arm in the shackle. As he sat up to protest she grabbed the other arm and before he could speak one word, he was the prisoner and Buffy the captor.

“What are you doing?” he asked, sounding desperate. He could only watch as she quickly retied her top and straightened her skirt. She draped his own shirt over him and took his keys.

“It’s called escaping,” she replied.

“But why do I have to be chained?”

“Well, one so you don’t stop me. Two, if you weren’t going to stop me, it needs to look as if I tricked you and overpowered you. Daddy wouldn’t be very happy if he thought you just let me go, now would he? So see, really I’m doing this for you,” she said sweetly.

He looked at her in disbelief as she gave him one last kiss and turned to leave. “Buffy!” he called. She turned back to face him. “You should know, I never had orders to clean you up.”

She stood with her mouth open for a moment, then grinned and sprinted out the door, heading for the stairs. It was time to kick pirate booty.

Chapter 9

The ringing woke Angel from a restless sleep. He shot out of bed and grabbed the phone. “Please tell me you know something.”

Dawn giggled. “I know lots! What do you want to hear first? Where Buffy is or where the demon is? The good news is you’re not too far from either one. The pirates are only a few hours away from the island, but you should be able to beat them there.”

Angel snatched a pen and started scribbling the coordinates and directions that Dawn gave him. Willow had been able to perform another spell showing the location of the pirate ship. Giles had learned of a rumor about some suspicious happenings on one of the outlying islands. Further investigation implied definite demonic activity.

Hurrying to wake Spike, Angel pushed open the door to the smaller bedroom, which fell inward and clattered to the floor. Spike, startled by the noise, attempted to leap out of his bed and succeeded in smacking his forehead on the underside of the top bunk. “Arrg! Bloody hell that hurt!” Seeing that Angel was the source of his disturbance he growled, “What do you want now? Come to knock me around a bit more? Well congratulations, you didn’t even have to get your fists dirty! I suppose this lump will be a lovely match with my black eye and fat lip.”

“We know where Buffy is,” Angel said, ignoring Spike’s whines. “We’ve got to reach the island before the pirates do. We’ll have a better chance of getting Buffy away from them once they’re on dry land. We can’t let them take her to the demon.”

Spike seemed to forget his injuries. “Right then. Let’s get moving along.”

After a quick stop for gas, Angel steered the boat full speed ahead towards the remote island. Even as fast as they could go, it would be at least an hour and a half before they arrived. There was not a second to spare. It was already dark and that was just how demons liked it.

Angel offered Spike some Dramamine and ginger ale that he had picked up at the gas station. He even bought him a bag of ice for his head. Now that it seemed their plan would work, Spike was very important. He would have to distract the captain. Spike would pretend that he had been offered a large reward for Buffy’s safe return. In exchange he would show the pirates the hidden location of an even greater treasure than the one the demon stole. He would briefly show them Willow’s map as proof. If the pirates bought it, they would have Buffy back before anyone was the wiser. Otherwise, the pirates would have to die.

After a long, unpleasant, bumpy ride, the pirate ship came into view. The island could be seen in the distance beyond. Angel estimated it would take the ship another half hour to get there. They sped by, giving the ship a wide berth so they wouldn’t be seen. Angel cruised around the perimeter of the island looking for a good spot to dock that would both hide the boat and give them easy access to the land. The island looked deserted and they couldn’t see anything from the water, not even a dock. Angel worried about getting too close to the land and grounding the ship. They would still need it to get away. Finally, he dropped the small anchor and announced that they would have to swim the short distance to the shore.

“You must be joking, mate. You expect me to get my leather jacket all wet? Do you know how much this thing is worth? I can’t leave it here; I won’t look myself without it. Those pirate types might not recognize me. Specially with my face all messed up as it is.”

Angel said nothing but removed his shoes and socks, putting them in a plastic trashbag. His pants and shirt soon followed. Standing on the deck of the boat in his shorts, he tied up the bag and tossed another one to Spike before jumping in the water, holding his bag over his head. Spike stared at the whole spectacle for a moment before following Angel’s example.

After a few minutes, the two of them were able to pull themselves up on some rocks at the edge of the island. There were no sandy beaches or shallow waters here. Angel could see why it wasn’t a popular island with the typical Hawaiian tourist. The whole place had a jungle-like feel and the trees came right to the edge of the shore.

Spike shook out his leather jacket and inspected it carefully. They dressed and stashed the bags behind a boulder, then set off around the edge of the island looking for the pirate ship. “Hey, slow up! My pants are chafing on my wet legs!” Spike called out to Angel who was now far in front of him.

“Yes, that’s what I’ll tell Buffy when we’re too late to save her!” Angel shot back. “Sorry, we would have been here sooner but Spike’s pants were chafing!” He picked up his pace even more and soon sighted the ship. It would be within range of the island any minute. Angel looked around for a good spot to hide and a place for Spike to wait so he could approach the pirates before they got away.

At last they saw the ship drop anchor. Angel waited and watched, expecting to see the dinghy lowered with Buffy and the Captain. Nothing happened. No one disembarked from the ship and it was impossible to see what might be happening on the deck in the dark.

Angel crouched in the brush trying to be patient. It wasn’t working. What were they doing out there? It had to be at least an hour since the ship arrived. He could see Spike a short distance away, pacing the ground, hands behind his back. Occasionally he stopped and looked at his watch.
At last, Angel could take it no more. He left his hiding spot and strode over to Spike. “I’m going out there. I have to know what’s going on.”

Spike looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. “And what do you think you’re going to do when you get there? Climb the anchor rope and sneak over the railing? Catch the pirates by surprise and save the damsel yourself?”

“Yes.” Angel removed his shoes, socks, and shirt again. He elected to keep his pants since he couldn’t afford to be concerned about modesty when he would need to be concentrating on the fight he was sure to encounter. He plunged into the sea and stroked swiftly towards the ship. He didn’t need to breathe, so he was not concerned about drowning or choking when the waves forced him to swallow mouthfuls of saltwater.

Once he reached the ship he used his formidable upper body strength to pull himself up the anchor line, just as Spike suggested. At the top, he peered cautiously over the rail. He could see a pirate at the steering wheel, just standing there. Angel was puzzled. Why would he be steering when the ship wasn’t moving? Angel dropped silently onto the deck and approached, intending to capture the pirate and force him to tell where Buffy was. As he approached, he received quite a shock. The pirate was tied to the steering wheel!

Angel looked around and noticed other pirates located in strategic spots on the deck. Each was tied to their position, allowing them to perform their duties to operate the ship, but not move around or get away. Angel didn’t know what to make of this. He started to search for some sign of Buffy, no longer concerned that the incapacitated pirates would notice him.

A sudden noise startled Angel. He whipped around to see a door being opened and Buffy walking out onto the deck, untied and unescorted. She seemed completely unharmed and surprisingly clean. “Angel!” she said when she caught sight of her speechless friend. “I’m so glad you’re here!” She ran over to him and threw herself in his arms.

Ecstatic to see her alive, he lifted her up, spun her around, and planted a firm, lingering kiss on her mouth. He had nearly lost her so many times but never felt so responsible as he had for this kidnapping. He would have died if she’d been hurt or worse. He knew they would never be together but that didn’t stop him from loving her. “You’re really happy to see me?” he asked, sure she would hate him for what happened. Why should she want him here? She obviously had everything under control. He should have known she wouldn’t need rescuing, but of course he couldn’t have sat doing nothing to help her.

“Of course I’m happy to see you!” she said, eyes sparkling. “Can’t you tell? I really need someone to swab the deck of my ship!”

Chapter 10

For Angel’s benefit, Buffy quickly rehashed what had happened since her capture. She left out the details of how she’d escaped from the cell, saying only that she managed to trick one of the younger pirates. The rest she had taken by surprise, rounded up, and stuffed in the remaining cells in the bowels of the ship. She quickly realized she couldn’t operate the ancient controls by herself and recruited some help from a few of the more claustrophobic pirates.

“I’m so glad you’re ok. I was really worried about what they did to you after they dragged me off. I felt so helpless and stupid in that net just watching them attack you.” Buffy was showing Angel around the ship.

“What I don’t understand is why you came here. If you had the pirates under control, why didn’t you head back to us?” Angel asked.

“Oh that! Well, I might be on vacation, but I’m still the Slayer and somewhere on this island is still a demon. I can’t just leave it here! I’m sure when it doesn’t get what it wants it will be out causing more trouble in no time.

Angel just looked at her. He should have known. “I understand. And I’ll help. Spike will too. It’s the least he can do.”

“Spike? He’s here? Wow that must have been difficult for you,” she said, looking impressed.

“What must have been difficult?” he asked.

“Not dusting him after what he did!”

Angel recalled the scene in the hotel after Buffy was captured. “You have no idea.” It was true, he’d wanted few things in life more than exacting revenge on Spike at that moment, but now that Buffy was safe, his anger was fading. A little.

“So, what do you say we go slay some demon?” Buffy invited. “I made the Captain tell me where it lives. Should be pretty routine stuff. Let’s get the boat.”

Even after all the time they’d known each other, Buffy never stopped amazing him. Angel dutifully followed her to the dinghy and helped her row it back to the island. They found Spike who was watching them in confusion, clearly wondering where the pirates were. Buffy walked up to him. “So you came to save me. How thoughtful. Now I don’t know whether to thank you or kill you. So how about you come help us with the demon and we’ll call it even.”

“Sure thing love,” Spike said, eager to please. “One thing though. What have you done with all them pirate type blokes?”

“Long story, Spike. Let’s go. Slay now, explain later.” The three of them headed through the woods towards the steep hills in the island’s center.
It was a long, difficult hike in the dark, but they found the cave Captain Goldfinch had described to Buffy. It stank of rot and mold. They decended the sloping floor as it led them deeper under the hill. Spike and Angel’s vampiric vision proved useful in the complete darkness. Buffy shivered as the temperature dropped the farther down they went.

After several minutes they were able to see a glowing light in the distance. They headed in that direction. Figuring the demon had a fire going to cook up some sort of evil concotion, they were all surprised that there was no smoke or heat as they came closer to the light. “Listen,” Buffy whispered. “Let’s just play along until we find out what it’s up to.” Angel and Spike each held one of Buffy’s arms behind her back as they entered the demon’s lair. They looked at each other in astonishment when they realized the glowing came from the demon himself.

“Ah, you’ve delivered the slayer,” said the demon, seeing them come in. “Leave her and take your gold.” He gestured towards an enormous wooden chest in the corner of the room.

Spike and Angel let go of Buffy and retreated into the darkness of the doorway, but did not leave. The demon approached Buffy, grinning with obvious delight. He could almost have passed for human except for being about three feet too tall, the disproportionately large, bald head, and the glowing red skin. “Now that I have you the process will be complete. Once I’ve absorbed your extrodinary strength, I will rend the earth and the volcanoes of these islands will spew forth all the spawn of hell! You will of course, be dead. I’ve already taken the life force of several unfortunate human explorers,” he said, indicating a pile of shriveled corpses behind him.

As the demon reached for her, Buffy grabbed his arms and tossed him over her head. The ground rumbled with the impact but he was on his feet again in an instant. She threw a rock at him as a distraction and leaped up on the chest of gold. In a rage, he rushed towards her. She launched herself at him, knocking him backwards. Before he could get up, Spike and Angel were on top of him, holding him down and getting a few punches in.
Buffy glanced around for a likely weapon. Unflinching, she snapped a legbone off the nearest corpse and impaled the demon through the heart. He bellowed his last and lay still. There was no satisfying dust, but he was definitely dead. Spike and Angel stood up, looking at the demon in disgust. Buffy went to Angel and leaned on him for a hug. It had been a long day.

Before they left, Buffy opened the chest of gold and scooped up a handful. She didn’t see Spike do the same and slip some in the pocket of his jacket. Angel led them back to the speedboat hidden around the side of the island. “Nice setup you’ve got here,” she remarked, inspecting the enclosed helm and special apparatus. “Let me guess, Giles helped you out with this?”

Angel nodded. “We had help from everyone. We were all concerned for you. You know your friends wouldn’t sit around while you were missing. They were all looking out for you.”

Buffy knew he was right and was very touched. “Just do one more thing for me? Take me back around to the pirate ship. I have a little unfinished business to attend to.”

Epilogue

Back on board the pirate ship, Buffy decended to the prision cells. The pirates shouted to her to let them out. She ignored them and went to the cell where she’d spent the past few days. Alex was still there and he looked up when she came in. “You came back,” he said, relieved.

“You didn’t think I was just going to let you starve did you? After you took such good care of me?” She sat beside him. “I’m going to let you out. What you do then is up to you. Your father and the other pirates are all either in cells or tied up. The demon is dead. Most of your gold is still there in his cave. I took some to cover the cost of this totally ruined vacation and a bit extra for my demon slaying services. I think it’s the least you owe me.”

Alex nodded his agreement. She went on, “After I leave you can free your friends, get your gold, and go back to your old life, if you want. Or you can leave them and use this as an opportunity to join the civilized world. I’m not going to ask for your decision.” She unlocked his shackles and he followed her out of the cell and up onto the deck of the ship. Buffy showed him the situation with the other pirates and the general direction of the demon’s cave. As she prepared to decend to the waiting speedboat, she told him, “If you do choose the civilized life and ever find yourself in Sunnydale look me up.”

With that she kissed him hard and dropped out of sight. He looked after her in wonder and she smiled as she heard him say, “Aye my lady, I will.”

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