Author: Kay Tee maybeshedoes@yahoo.com
Distribution: Take it, but tell me where so I can visit.
Rated: Hard R, for slow death, rape, swearing, pain, and more rape. Don't read this if you can't handle that.
Category: Series
Original Character Warning
Spoilers: Tiny ones for Innocence, and the fact that Angel lost his you-know-what.
Disclaimer: In my dreams I'm Joss, but during the day I have to face the cold hard truth-- I'm a hack who steals characters. But I'm not giving them back! Or I am, just don't sue me, all I have are speeding tickets and student loans.
Summary: Spike can't take care of Druscilla all by himself, so he gets himself a slave to help. Eve meets Angelus.
Author's note: The song is 'Crazy,' sung by Britney Spears, I figure everybody has been forced to listen to it at least once. I'm not sure if it was out when this episode aired, but I'm pretty sure it was.
****
After a moment, Adelle realized she was holding her breath, but she didn't dare exhale because then she would begin to pant. From inside her closet, she heard the footsteps. She knew he would eventually find her, but couldn't seem to get her mind around what she would do then.
Should she scream? Would anyone even hear her if she did? Maybe she would scream anyway. She wanted to scream right now, the only reason she didn't was that she was still holding her breath.
Boot clad feet padded cautiously down the hall just outside her closet door, paused, and then continued.
Adelle closed her eyes gratefully. How much more anticipation could she take? She held her whole body perfectly still, grateful for the darkness of her hideaway. She crouched among soiled linens and leaking bottles of bleach, but was oblivious to the stench that she was marinating in because she did not breathe.
And the longer she held her breath, the louder it would be when she had to open her mouth and guzzle that stale laundry air. There was a pain in her chest from the air that she had last breathed in (how long ago now? forever?) trying to escape. She felt the pressure in the back of her mouth as she attempted to wait a few more seconds. Just a little bit longer and he would have passed so far down the hall that he would not hear.
Adelle unconsciously clutched her arm where he had slashed at her with his unnatural talons, blood squishing between her fingers and mingling with the sweat and the tears and the spilled blood of her sister.
Finally, she knew that she would faint if she didn't breathe. The idea was not totally without merit; she might die, but at least there would be no pain.
Just as she resigned herself to the idea of a (somewhat) peaceful death, the footsteps that had traveled to the other end of the hall stopped and began to bring the attacker back to her closet.
The sharp exhale and equally sharp inhalation of air were involuntary. Again she held her breath and waited.
The voice was quiet and sweet, deceptively fatherly, but with a dark edge of hysteria. He sang, "Loving you means so much more, more than anything I ever felt before. You drive me crazy, I just can't sleep, I'm so excited, I'm in too deep. Crazy, but it feels all right. Baby, thinking of you keeps me up all night." The song reminded him of an old friend who he had yet to visit.
The bass of his voice reverberated under her skin and she trembled uncontrollably as much from fear as from lack of oxygen. The boots had brought the man right to her door and she waited for it to swing open. She waited for the fist or the knife or whatever he wanted to end her life with.
Ever so slowly, the doorknob turned. Adelle watched intently, still unable to move, but exhaling slowly in time with the movement of the knob.
Another pause before the door opened and she wanted to cry out against the anticipation. She felt a lightness in her tailbone, as if she were staring over the edge of a cliff as the door opened.
And there he was, crouching good-humouredly in the frame of the door. His brown eyes shone gleefully, but otherwise his face was serene, and they studied each other for a moment, each getting fairly comfortable with the situation. Then he began to move toward her and she was thrown back into full panic mode. Her mouth opened, but instead of a scream, she was only able to produce a small hiccup as he took her hand and they both stood up.
All she could see of him were those dark delighted eyes. They roamed across her face predatorily. "Lovely," he whispered, and bent towards her ear. But no, this wasn't happening, and Adelle knew she wouldn't survive, but she wouldn't give in either.
He growled as the fingernails of her free hand twisted into his still super-sensitive balls. Before he could respond further, she was running down the hall. Running the wrong way, sure, but it was better than hiding and waiting for him, better than being in his arms.
He watched her flee down the hall, throw open the last door and run up the stairs to the attic. He had to admire her spirit. "You drive me crazy, I just can't sleep. I'm so excited, I'm in too deep. Crazy, but it feels all right! Baby, thinking of you keeps me up all night!"
Angelus spun on his heel and danced after his prey.
***
Spike sat in the main room of the warehouse, waiting with trepidation for Angelus to return from hunting. The older vampire was still cranky about the painful end of his confrontation with Buffy, and Spike remembered Angelus's temper well.
So he was surprised when Angelus entered the warehouse humming some god-awful teenybopper tune that Eve sometimes listened to.
Eve. Spike hadn't checked in on her since before Angelus's return. He worried for the girl's safety, but couldn't change their situation, so he settled on worrying about his own safety instead.
Angelus hopped onto the dinning table and grinned toothily at the handicapped vampire. "Spike, m'boy, I have just been entertaining the most lovely little girl." He giggled at his own cleverness. "She's an old acquaintance, a friend of Buffy's." He sighed happily, "She'll make a beautiful vampire."
Spike wasn't sure how comfortable he was with Angelus's strategy of pissing the slayer off. Spike had seen Buffy angry, and he preferred to catch her by surprise than face her wrath again. Angelus had had the perfect opportunity to kill the slayer, but he had passed it up, and now Buffy knew he was evil, so any advantage they'd had was gone.
Angelus watched the emotions pass over Spike's easily readable face. The blond met his grandsire's eyes, and was about to speak when Druscilla drifted into the room, humming the same song Angelus had been humming a minute ago. "Lovely lovely sister," Druscilla draped herself across Angelus's lap, licking a spot of blood off his chin.
She stood and swayed over to Spike. "Love?" She inquired when he scowled at her.
Spike sighed resignedly and opened his arms. Druscilla sunk into his lap and kissed him briefly on the lips. "A party, Spike. I can hear a party, and the girl is full of tears. Tasty, mmm."
"That she was," Angelus gloated, standing. Dawn was coming, and the three vampires were all tired.
After their sire walked toward the room he had taken for himself, Spike kissed Druscilla's jaw and suggested that they go to sleep too.
"Sleep," she answered in her musical little voice. She stood and absently pushed the wheelchair to their room.
Spike noted that Druscilla seemed to be more incoherent and out of her mind than usual. Angelus had always had a certain effect on Druscilla, bringing out her madness and sensuality. In the past, Spike had reaped the rewards of this, because Angelus had been so distracted by Darla. But now Darla was dead, and Spike was helpless and unable to pleasure his lover properly.
As Druscilla laid him out on their bed, Spike wondered fitfully at what the future would bring.
***
In the solid humidity of the attic, Eve had fallen asleep. The apocalyptic air was heavy and wet; the rain doing nothing to alleviate the unendurable heat. She was sprawled across her bed, limbs dangling every which way, snoring softly under her damp towel.
Angelus gently pushed the door to her room open. He watched the subtle rise and fall of her body as she breathed loudly. His desire for her was no longer stunted by love for another, and his only thoughts were to whether he wanted this girl willing or otherwise.
"Eve," his soft voice broke into the girl's dream. He sat on the bed beside her and watched her shake herself out of sleep. She rolled over, the towel slipping down and exposing her pale pink breasts.
She frowned when she recognized her visitor. "Angel? Angel, what are you doing here?" Eve was immediately on alert, sitting up and glancing at the partially ajar door.
"I'm here to rescue you," Angelus answered, trying to look earnest.
"Rescue me?" Eve said with utter disbelief. She pulled the towel self-consciously around her as she noticed Angelus's eyes taking in her nude form.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Angelus rested his hand casually on Eve's knee.
She noticed and pulled away, glancing at the door again. "Well, you've never rescued me before, Angel," she said bluntly.
He stood, waving his arms about in a pantomime of anxiety. "We have to hurry," he watched the girl carefully, wondering if she noticed that he was different.
Eve didn't notice, but made no move to get up either. She watched Angel with an inscrutable expression, and he scooped up her clothes off the floor. "Get dressed, let's go," the urgency was building in him. He wanted to have Eve, and he knew she wouldn't sleep with him as long as she was in Spike's custody, but he hadn't believed that she would really refuse to be rescued. She would be no fun to play with if she was already that broken.
"Why?" Eve said quietly.
Angelus had to pause at her question. When he'd had his soul, it had never occurred to him to rescue the girl, and he had no idea what his answer should be.
Luckily, the question was rhetorical. Eve slid to the edge of the bed and accused, "You never rescued me before, because if you did, you knew I'd go home to Maine, and you'd never see me again. You let me stay a slave so you could pretend to have a friend." She watched Angelus's reaction carefully; she couldn't believe she'd actually said that.
The vampire couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. "Well, yeah," he conceded.
Eve's eyebrows shot up, but her surprise was more at his admission than the fact that he held her in such low esteem. "So why are you here now?" She asked.
"Well," Angelus said casually, swaggering back to the bed until he was standing right in front of Eve, her legs, dangling over the edge of the bed, fitting in between his. He leaned forward and she leaned back. Angelus's arms went to the bed on either side of the slave, effectively trapping her.
He grinned at the uncomfortable girl and explained, "I really wanted to fuck you."
Eve's eyes went wide at that, and she tried to scramble away, but Angel grabbed her wrists. "Evie," he laughed, "where are you gonna go?"
"Uch, let me go, Angel!" Eve was careful to not talk loud enough to attract the attention of her mistress and master, who were probably right downstairs. She didn't know what was wrong with Angel, but she certainly didn't want to get him killed.
"I don't think so," Angelus growled, allowing his fangs to descend before kissing Eve forcefully, tearing at the soft tissue of her lips.
"Angel, you're hurting me," Eve whimpered.
Angelus pulled back, momentarily feigning concern. Then he shrugged and leaned in for another kiss. Instinctively, Eve raised her legs and put her knees against Angelus's chest, preventing him from reaching her mouth.
The vampire grinned wickedly. "Now you're getting the right idea," he laughed, and released the slave's arms with vampire alacrity, pulling her legs apart and pushing his erection toward her.
Now Eve was really scared. She was certain that Angel was possessed; that was the only explanation for his cruelty. She couldn't call for help though, she still worried about the safety of her friend.
Angelus unzipped his fly, and Eve was completely panicked. "Angel, please stop, please..." The vampire decided that he didn't really want to hear the girl's half-hearted pleading, and he clamped one of his monster hands over her nose and mouth as he entered her.
Eve's arms and legs flailed against her assailant, vainly trying to escape. He licked his lips as she watched with wide eyes. Eve couldn't breathe, Angel's hand completely cut off her air supply. She clawed at his arms, kicked at his shoulders, but could do nothing to save herself. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she struggled.
Angelus just smiled down on her. The girl's desperation was beautiful, perfect. As Eve felt herself approach unconsciousness, she shook her head violently in a last effort to catch a breath of air, that stale attic air that she had been resenting only a few hours ago.
Angelus's steely grip did not loosen, and the only effect of the shaking was that Eve's nose was broken under Angelus's hand. Blood spread down Eve's cheeks, and the vampire climaxed a moment before a terse British voice interrupted the attic interlude.
"Angelus." Spike had taken the lift upstairs as soon as Druscilla fell asleep. He had smelt blood from the hallway, and had rushed in to find Eve struggling wildly under Angelus, fighting for her life.
At the sound of his name, Angelus pulled away from the slave girl, turning an annoyed expression on the wheelchair-bound vampire.
Eve rolled onto her side, gasping desperately for air.
Spike wheeled into the room, watching the girl anxiously until he was sure that she was okay. He turned a cold glare on Angelus, "Have you forgotten that you're a bloody guest in my bloody home?" He demanded.
Angelus shrugged non-chalantly, adjusting his clothes. "And as your guest, I'm sure you'll want to offer me the best entertainment you have." He grinned at Eve, who turned her face away. "Or at least, Druscilla will."
Spike stiffened at that and said nothing as Angelus brushed by and went downstairs to sleep. After a long moment spent listening to Eve nearly hyperventilating, Spike gently touched her bare shoulder.
The girl turned to look at her master, and Spike was astounded at the amount of blood pouring out of her nose. "Sit up," he commanded.
Eve stiffly obeyed, and barely flinched as Spike straightened her nose.
He tilted her head back and put her towel up to her face. Eve adjusted the position so the blood would stop, and closed her eyes, shame burning through her.
Spike studied her face for a moment before rolling over to the refrigerator and taking out two blood packs to drink cold. After he had finished eating, he said simply, "Angelus lost his soul. I want you to go to the school tomorrow and find out why."
Eve opened her eyes and stared incredulously at Spike, but kept her mouth shut. The silence stretched between them, until the pure noise of it was too ugly, and Spike wheeled out of the office and to the lift.
***
Eve walked hesitantly into the library a little before noon. Her whole face had swollen up overnight from the broken nose, and she could barely see, much less walk. She fidgeted absent-mindedly with the middle and ring fingers on her right hand. She had clawed so desperately at Angelus that she had actually broken off two whole fingernails, and not noticed until the next day. They hurt to touch, but it brought her attention away from her face, which felt like it had been run over by a large building.
Just her luck, the slayer, the watcher, and the whole gang of vampire hunters were gathered in the library, whispering amongst themselves. They all stopped and looked up at Eve as she entered the room.
Buffy stood and approached the slave. She took in Eve's injuries, and then ordered without inflection, "Get out."
Eve ignored the command and said nasally, "I deed do doe whad 'appened do Angel."
Giles stood slowly, wiping at his glasses in his usual tense gesture. "Why should we tell you anything? You knew Spike and Druscilla were still alive, and yet you allowed us to believe they were dead."
Unflinching, Eve answered, "Dey didn't do dis."
There was a deep silence in the room as the scoobies tried to decide whether to forgive Eve, and she waited to be judged. Her whole body hurt, and she was afraid to go home without an answer. She was afraid to go home at all. Eve closed her eyes and hoped that these people would just kill her. Just make her die already.
Willow broke the silence when she asked timidly, "D-did Angel do that to you-your face?"
Eve's eyes flashed open and met the concerned eyes of the red-head. Eve looked down at her feet, but said nothing.
Buffy nodded at the girl's silence. "Good," she said without mercy, "maybe now you know how we feel."
"Buffy!" Giles and Willow exclaimed as one.
Eve stared directly into the eyes of the slayer; she saw the pain and horror that Buffy was feeling, and Eve nodded in understanding.
She broke eye contact as Giles led her by the arm to a seat at the table.
The librarian glanced warily at Buffy before explaining, "There was a clause to the curse that we didn't know about: if Angel ever experiences one moment of perfect happiness, the curse is broken, and he, ahh, loses his soul again."
Eve closed her eyes. "Dat idiod. Who doesn't doe deir own curse?"
"What?" Xander asked, confused.
"Who doesn't know their own curse?" Cordelia translated.
Buffy stood behind the slave and said through clenched teeth, "I can't believe you're making this Angel's fault."
Eve half-shrugged, her sore body refusing to move as she wanted it to. "I'mb nod dah one who bade him habby."
Buffy held her fists tightly at her sides and refused to answer. The room was silent again. Giles concentrated on cleaning his glasses, Xander tried not to stare at Eve's face, nearly entirely blue and green with bruises, and Willow gaped at the slave's fingers where two nails were missing. Cordelia and Oz exchanged uncomfortable glances, and finally, Eve spoke.
"Can you regurse him?"
"Regurse?" Xander repeated.
"Recurse, moron," Cordelia said tensely.
"There's no way, th-that we know of to, ah, to restore the curse," Giles stammered.
"Ogay," Eve stood awkwardly, "Danks fer delling be." She shuffled out of the library without meeting the eyes of any of the group.
"Oh my God," Willow sighed after the door shut behind the slave. "How can we let her go back there?"
"She made her bed, now she had to sleep in it... or lie in it... whatever." Buffy ignored the shocked looks from her friends and stalked out of the room, heading for class. She was in too much pain to feel any pity for others.
"I, I don't believe there's anything we can do for Eve now," Giles said quietly, heading into his office.
Cordelia gathered her books and strode unsteadily out of the room. Oz flashed Willow a weak smile, and followed the cheerleader.
Xander shrugged and slung his bag onto his shoulder. "Coming, Wills?" He asked.
"No!" Willow said indignantly.
"'Kay..." Xander answered, "no pressure."
"No," Willow repeated. "We can't just let someone be hurt like that. We have to do something."
"Like what? Drag her, kicking and screaming, out of her nest of vampires? She came here alone today. She could get away anytime she wants," Xander reasoned.
"Well, maybe there's something we don't know about. No one could want to stay there. Did you see her fingers..." Willow trailed off, remembering the horrific sight.
Xander sighed and dropped his book bag back onto the table. "What do you want to do?"
"Well..." Willow frowned thoughtfully. "I guess we should try to find out who she is. I'll get online, see if I can find a missing person's report..."
"Didn't you try that once before?" Xander asked.
Willow sighed, "I don't know what else to do. Maybe if we find something about her life, we can shake her up, make her snap out of it."
"You think she'll want to go home?" Xander fidgeted with the cuffs of his polyester shirt. "Maybe the reason she stays with them is that they're better than her house..."
Willow stared at her friend for a moment, not understanding. "Xander, nothing could be worse than that. Did you see her fingers?!"
"Yes, and you already asked me that," Xander answered. "Look, what do you want me to do?"
"Well, you hung out with her that one time, right?" Willow asked. When Xander nodded, she continued, "See if you can find her, talk to her, give her a friend. Make sure she's still alive. I'll do research... maybe you can get hints about her, find out more about where she's from... give me something to go on. We can't just let her stay with them, Xander. Angel will kill her."
Xander nodded seriously. "Okay, Willow. I'll look around for her tonight, but I'm not sure I'll find anything."
***
Spike rolled into the office to find Angelus bent over the desk in the middle of the room. Eve was underneath him, her back to him, and her face twisted in pain. A few days had passed, and her complexion had changed from purple to blue to green to sickly yellow as she healed. Now her nose was bleeding again, and her lips were freshly torn where Angelus had bitten into them.
"I thought I made it clear that Eve was not part of your entertainment!" Spike shouted.
Angelus looked up into the furious blue eyes of his grandchilde, and pulled Eve's head to the side, exposing the fresh bite marks he had left just above Druscilla's. "I invoke the right of the sire," he said conversationally as he continued to pound into the slave. "Evie belongs to me now."
Spike shut his mouth and sat numbly in the doorway until Angelus finished and left the room.
Eve slid to the floor, barely suppressing her tears.
Spike wheeled over to the girl and stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "There's nothing I can do now."
Eve coughed a little, then, clearly struggling, she fixed her red-rimmed eyes on her former master. "There's something I can do," she said, her voice hoarse, and Spike noticed the fresh bruising around her neck.
"I don't care about your bullshit codes of conduct. I'm getting the hell out of here as soon as Angelus goes to sleep. I don't belong to anyone."
Spike sat frozen in his chair. Eve was leaving. Druscilla was turning away from him more and more, Angelus was liable to kill him any day now, and Eve was leaving.
Eve was leaving. Going away. Leaving him there, alone, to figure out how to survive.
When the girl began to grapple to rise to her feet, Spike snapped out of his shock and struggled out of his wheelchair, falling limply at her side. "No," he said, his voice wet with emotion. "No, please don't go, please. I need you." He wrapped his arms around Eve, holding her as tightly as he could without inadvertently killing her.
The slave was shocked. Spike had never showed such vulnerability in all the time she had known him. The vampire rocked slowly, pleading, "Don't go, don't go..."
"Spike," Eve said quietly, "I need to go. This will kill me if I stay."
"No," he muttered into her hair. He had gotten to his knees for this girl; he wouldn't let his humbling go to waste. "You'll stay. You'll help me get strong, and then I'll kill him for you. I swear, I won't let you leave me."
Eve couldn't speak. Spike needed her, and no one had ever needed her before, not really. But she knew she couldn't bear Angelus's attentions for the amount of time that it would take Spike to heal. He'd made some progress already, but not nearly enough.
"N-no," she forced out, no longer able to hold back her tears. "I can't." Eve tried to push the vampire away, but he was so much stronger than her. "I just can't," she began to struggle, but still Spike held on tight.
"You can. You're the strongest bloody human I ever met, slayer included. Please. Don't make me beg." Spike ignored the fact that he was already begging. In less than a week, his entire secure world had been ripped apart. He couldn't lose the one person who might be able to help keep things together.
"Eve, please."
The girl didn't know what to say. Her affection for Spike was great, but she didn't believe that she could be strong enough to survive Angelus's torments. Still, there was nowhere for her to go...
"Okay, Spike, I'll stay."
The vampire's rocking instantly stilled, but he said nothing.
"Spike?"
He pulled away and stared his-- no, Angelus's slave in the eyes. "You won't regret this," he breathed. "I'll do whatever you say to heal as fast as possible. And I'll get you some painkillers-"
Eve abruptly stood, walking over to the fridge with as much speed as she could, considering the injuries she'd sustained that night. Blood trailed between her legs, but more importantly, she was sure she'd just lost her mind.
She threw three bags of blood in the microwave and said, "No painkillers. I want to know what's going on." Her eyes met Spike's, defying him to argue. From his spot on the floor, the vampire could say nothing. He had lost a large part of himself that night, not to Angelus as he would have thought, but to the human standing before him.
But Spike's survival instincts were as strong as Eve's, if not stronger, and he was going to take charge of his life again, and Eve was going to help him, goddamnit.