A line from the song Tears of Pearls by Savage Garden goes appropiately with this story.... "Your love will be the death of you" Now with that in your mind read on...
Disclaimer: Everything Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Warner Brothers. I'm borrowing them for some fun that they'll never have on the show, and then returning them with out a scratch, with their memories wiped clean. Now, who could object to that?
Awaking from unconsiuosness, Buffy found herself laying bound to a long, black, wooden table. As she looked around the room that she was in, she realised that she was in the factory, the place where the Angel with no soul lived. Turning her head to look around, she saw her mother gagged and tied to a pole in the side of the room. The factory was dimly light as the sun was setting outside the window. Buffy's memory about how he had got her was beginning to come back to her. Not mentioning the dull growing pain in the back of her head.......
She was fighting Angel and his thugs in her front lawn; her mother screaming at them to quit fighting from the edge of their front doorway. If only she knew how much *danger* she was in. She had just kicked-punched Angel flat on his back. He looked up at her with false tenderness in his yellow eyes. "But I love you Buffy, sweetheart..." Her one mistake was letting down her guard for the moment of flashback that filled her mind. Remembering the loving Angel and all the great things that they had done together. She stood there staring into the Devils eyes, tears welling up behing her eyelids, tears for the loss and the hurt....and the love she had had for Angel. Deep down inside of her, she knew that the old Angel still existed, still loved her, still lived inside the shell she now starred at. Somewhere. Angel smiled up at her, but the smile was not a kind loving one like she would have liked to believe. Someone from behind hit her with a blunt, metal object and she staggard. Falling to the ground she fell face up, looking at Angel and the thug that had suprised her from behind. Angel was saying something, but his words where strung together in her ears, and his lips moved out of sink. And then, all was black. And then she woke up here, in the factory tied down like a an animal being readied for slaughter.
The air in the factory was musky and stale. Apparently no one had opened a window in the place since it was shut down. Dust floated into the air with every move she made to get free of the ropes, making her cough and weaze for air. The ropes that bound her wrists and ankles were tight and rough to the touch. Trying to wriggle out of them was only going to give her rope burn or an indian burn. And try as she might these ropes were not going to budge. Hearing a muffled scream, Buffy turned her head toward her mother. Standing next to her mom was Angel, looking smug and a quirky smile on his face as he looked from Mrs. Summers to Buffy. His vampiric features had appeared and Mrs. Summers eyes went as wide as baseballs as she looked back and forth from his fierce eyes and his ferocious teeth. "Well *Buffy*, we should get together more often....this is fun!" He reached up and grabbed Mrs. Summers hair and drew her head back with a jerk. "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!!!" Buffy roared.
With her words echoing throughout the factory, Angel let go of her hair and strolled over to Buffy. "And what are you going to do about it, Buff? HHmmmmm?? Nothing! Ooooo, you and me Buffy, we are going to have a blast tonight!" "You aren't going to get away with this, Angel!" "Oh, and why not? Giles, Weepy girl or your geek friend going to come and rescue their precious Slayer?? Nope! Not tonight, not any night! I don't think so Dear..not this time." "And what makes you think that Giles and the others aren't going to try to find me when I turn up missing? The first place they'll come will be here!" "Oh I am sure they will come running...fools. And they will miss you and come looking for you...and they will find you..." He stopped to enjoy the fear that began to etch itself onto her face. Buffy was heaving, seathing, but there was nothing she could do to wipe that smirk off of Angel's face. "...they'll find you here, laying on the table, dead."(Okay time for a commercial)
"I swear when I get loose you had better run for your life becuase I will KILL you!!! And what makes you think that another Slayer will not replace me and kill you anyways!" Buffy screamed at him, her screaming echoing throughout the building. * Maybe if I scream loud enough, someone will hear me and go for help.* "Well if it is this easy to get the Slayer down, I won't have a problem. I will just sleep with her and then kill her while she sleeps. Ha! I amaze myself." Buffy starred up into Angel's dark, cold eyes. "Oh! I wish you could see the look on your face right now, whew! Precious! Ha!" At that he walked away into the forever darkness in the factory, his laughter cold and harsh as it echoed through the factory...and her mind.
* * * * * At Sunnydale High School.... Xander and Willow walked down the halls, towards the library to join Giles in his Dungeon. Xander and Willow strolled into the school library, busily discussing vampirism. "But why do vampires need *blood* to survive??" Xander asked dumbfounded. "Plasma." Willow said simply. "Whosma?" "Plasma. That is what is in our blood that vampires need to survive. "And this is what keeps our blood cells red, right?" "Xander..." "Hay Giles man! What's a grooven, dying, sucking blood, or anythingoutoftheordinary?" "Oh, hello Xander, Willow" Giles said seemingly uninterested in the two of them. Giles stood on the second level of the school library, standing in front of the massive window reading a small, very old and dusty book. Sunlight streamed from the window into the dreary library, casting golden-yellow rays of light across Giles and his book.
"Oh god! It is Gilesmetha, God of all school libraries. I bow before thee." Xander bellowed and curtsied instead of getting to his knees and getting his jeans all dirty with dust and dirt. Willow raised an eyebrow at Xander, on the verge of maybe releasing a giggle, but looked up instead to speak to Giles. "Hay Giles. Have you seen Buffy today, I missed her in History." "No, Willow, I haven't. I thought you guys were together." He replied with his monotone librarian voice. "She was supposed to have come in for practice this morning but never showed up. I called her house but no one answered so I thought that she was on her way here and was going to be late for school. I assume that you seen her either?" "Nope" "No. Maybe she had something to check out at an abandoned graveyard, or some daylight ghouls got loose...or something." Willow offered. "No, I think she would have told me so that I could give her a pass for when she got back. I feel something is very wrong here."
"Giles, relax! Buffy can take care of herself, I mean it's not like she is skipping school and running off with Angel or anything" Xander tried for a laugh but neither Giles or Willow thought of it that way. Willow looked his way, wondering if he had a fever. "Oookay, strike one." Silence bestowed the room. "I know...maybe she had a run in with Angel wangel and she went for a walk to walk off the pain and pressure of beating up your old boyfriend." Xander tried again this time rolling his eyes for effect. Silence. "OOOoookay, strike two." "No Xander, you're right.." "I am?!" "In a way." "Oh." "Maybe Buffy did have a run in, but why would she not call one of us to let us know. "I don't know. Girls have that tendensy to be strange and mysterious and take off without a moments notice or...." Xander looked at Willow and Giles-Giles looking at him with that *look*, and Willow looking at him pathetically. "Ooookay, strike three, I'm outta here." With his right thumb over his shoulder, and headed for the door. To Be Continued in Part Two....
Back at the Factory.... "Well, well. You have really outdone yourself this time Angelus." Came the voice of Spike as Dru wheeled him into view, Angel walking right behind them. "Spike, who's that?" "I don't know sweetheart. Do you Angelus?" Spike asked without taking his eyes off of Mrs. Summers. "Buffy's mother." He said simply, Spikes smile widened. "Well, well, well. Not only to we get to kill the slayer, but her mother too. How ironic." He sat there studying Mrs. Summers' face. Mrs. Summers looked back and forth from Buffy to Spike, trying to speak with the gag still in her mouth. Spike studied her for what seemed an eternity to Buffy. He abruptly turned around in his wheelchair and wheeled over to Buffy.
"Buffy..." He said emphasising the B while he cocked his head to the side. "Spike." "This is rather charming in a way, Angelus. After all this time, you finally managed to bag the slayer.....I'm almost proud." Rolling his eyes at the prospect. "Don't get too full of yourself." Angel spat at Spike. Not taking his eyes off of Buffy he spoke monotoned: "And I will enjoy sucking the living life out of her." And he sat there smiling like a boy with a pet. "It isn't going to be that easy, Spike!" Buffy heaved at him, frustrated with the position that she was in. "If you kill me then another will come to take my place!" "Well then...." Spike said, looking at Dru and Angel with a smirk etching his mouth. "we will kill her too!" The trio laughed and Spike rose a hand to silence the laughter. "Dru, honey, push me over to Buffy's mum?" "What are you going to do, Spike?" "I feel a midnight snack coming on." Buffy thrashed about on the table top, desperately trying to get loose. She looked back and forth from her Mother to Spike who was getting closer to her. She wanted deperately to get loose to save her mother and get the hell out of there. But if she did get out of there, how was she going to explain all the slayer stuff that she had been hiding for so long now.
*That's a stupid thing to worry about when your mother is about to be sucked dry!* she scolded herself for her insensitivity. But there was no use, these ropes were tied really, really well. The only thing that she could do was watch, yell, and scream. Dru helped Spike from his chair and easily lifted him to Mrs. Summers' eye level. Spike leaned closer, and closer, his vampiric features almost glowing with the anticipation of the kill. Mrs. Summers kicked and thrashed her head back and forth, trying to shake herself out of this nightmare-gone-REALLY-bad. "Stop wriggling woman! Sheeze! It's not like you are going to stop me from sucking your blood...I'll get it one way or another." Mrs. Summers mumbled through her gag; Spike pulled it out of her mouth. "Now what?" "What are you!" Her voice was high pitched as she heaved out the words. "What am I??" He puffed exasperated, laughing. "I, my dear lady are what you would call.." "A vampire!?" "Yes." Mrs. Summers went pale, then to bleach white."Buffy? Vampires? Slayer?!" She stammered. "Well you know, life's complicated, and I am hungry so shut-up!" At that Spike stuffed the gag back into her mouth.
Meanwhile.... Upon hearing the knock at his front door, Giles dropped the tote bag he was filling with weapons. His palms where sweaty,sticky, he wiped them irritably on his pants as he walked over to the door. As he reached the door he thought to himself *Damn! I should have brought a stake with me.* Another knock shook the door. *Oh well, here goes nothing.* He undid all but one locking on his door, and opened it enough so that he could see outside. The wind raced in through the cracked doorway and leaves blew in, scattering across his rug. Giles looked up and was relieved to see that it was only Xander and Willow and not Angel, or any other night creature. He then closed the door and quickly undid that last lock, opening the door for the two. "Please, come in..." He stepped aside.
"Hay Giles! You really have yourself a dungeon here." Xander shook his head disaprovingly, but smiled all the same. "Umm, thanks-I think." Taking a self concious look around his home away from home. The place was a bit messy. With all the goings on of the past few weeks, he rarely had time to clean anymore. His class books were strewn about on the end table, and some of his vampire weapons hadn't been put up either. Thank God they wouldn't see his bedroom, with his wooden stakes hidden in every dresser and chest. He had become a little paranoid, but he would rather not have the people closest to him knowing that. "No problem." Xander strolled into the living area. "Willow.." Giles asked stepping toward her."Anything from Buffy yet?" "No, sorry Giles." She noticed that his eyes where filled with concern and fear. The bags under his eyes told her that he hadn't slept well. "Yes, well then.."Turning away from her, his words trailing off. "I have packed a few things,"He said as he walked over to the couch."so that we won't be surprised by any late night visitors while we are looking for Buffy." "Good thinking Giles." Xander spat. "Where should we look first?" Willow asked while taking a brief look through the tote bag.
"I'm not sure. I was thinking maybe we should check Angel's place..." "Whoa! Now I know that after what happened to Angel and what he did to Buffy that Buffy wouldn't be hanging out and about at Angels 'palace'. That would be the last place she would go." Xander hollered. Giles looked at him ruefully. They stood there staring at each other, until Willow spoke. "Well maybe he is right, Xander. Angel could have forced her into his place or something horrible like that....." She didn't like the idea and it showed in her shaky voice. She looked up at Giles. Giles looked away from their gazes. He didn't know what to think or what to do or where to look. Giles bent down to close his tote bag.
"Maybe we should check the graveyard first, right Xander?" "Right Will." They both turned to Giles, to see what he thought. But he didn't answer them, or look up. He just stood there staring at his tote bag. "Yo Giles!" Xander waved a hand in front of his face, then whistled at him. "Buddy!" They walked over to him and Willow tapped his shoulder cousiouly, careful not to startle him into a heart attack or something else bad. Giles seemed to be in a trance.... ...He knew what was going on, or he thought that he did. He had read about this sort of thing only twice in the Watcher diaries. Once in 1812 and again in 1920. He was either having an out-of-body experience or Buffy was sending him telepathic images from where she was. *Where was she any how?* He thought to himself. Giles looked around himself, it was dimly lit, but he was able to make out some rusting scrapes of metal; and the floor was awfully dusty and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned for many years. Looking ahead of him, he could see that four figures standing beside a wooden table and.... *Blast the sunlight that never enters into hell!* He thought bitterly to himself. If only he could get a little closer....
"Oh boy! He's day dreaming again Will!" "Wha, what should we do?" Willow squealed. Giles had straightened and was beginning to walk...somewhere. Giles face was emotionless and blank. "Get out of the way?!" "Oh. OH!" Giles almost unknowingly stepped onto her foot. "Good idea." ....moving a little closer the four figures came into focus. "Oh no..." He whispered, not knowing if they could hear him or not, but not taking any chances. Spike, with a little help from Dru was leaning up against someone who was tied and gaged. Someone was also tied to the wooden table in from of Dru and Spike. He or she was thrashing about violently. "Don't touch her!" The voice rang out and echoed through out the empty building. And he reconized that voice. Buffy?! *OhmyGod! What has happened? Why is she tied up? What the hell is going on here???!* He asked himself. Giles followed Buffy's gaze over to the person tied and gagged. Spike moved slightly as he talked to the person and he was able to see who it was.
"Mrs. Summers?" He said to himself. His face contorted into a frown. "What the..." Giles could hear the conversation between them and he listened to them. "...stop wriggling woman! It's not like you are going to make me not want to suck your blood or anything." He had heard enough. From what he could gather, Spike was going to kill Buffys' mother and then...and then what. "Oh my God!" The thought hit him like a bullet through the chest. *Their going to kill Mrs. Summers AND Buffy!* At the realisation of the thought, he bolted toward them, forgetting that this was just images in his mind....... "Giles!" Both Xander and Willow yelled his name at the same time. Giles had up and bolted toward the wall. He collided with a thud that left Willow and Xander shocked for a moment. Giles landed butt first on the floor. "Umph....oh God....NO!" * * * Buffy watched helplessly as Spike prepared to kill her mother. With help from Dru, Spike was able to stand taller than Mrs. Summers and look down at her.He smiled at her as his vampiric features became noticable.
Her eyes went wide when she looked back at him. He was leaning closer and closer to her mother, his vampiric features were almost glowing with the anticipation of the kill. "STOP!" Angel commanded. Spike stoped in mid-bite,inches away from Mrs. Summers neck. Then he turned his head to face Angel, scowling. "Ah, what is it now, Angel?" Spike sighed rolling his eyes irritably."Your feelings for Buffy slip back through that thick skull of yours?" Angel growled at him, but Spike didn't break the eye contact. "No, Spike...."Angel said bareing his teeth. "I want to kill her." "Well that's good, but I haven't had any good eat'ns since my accident at the church. So if you don't mind..." He turned away from Angel and proceeded to *bite* Mrs. Summers. "Spike!" "What is it?! I am trying to have dinner here!!" When he looked back over to Angel, Angel glanced over to Buffy and them tilted his head toward Dru. He smiled grotesquely. "Wha....put me down Dru, love!" He plopped into his chair and he wheeled his way over to Angel.
Spike squinted at him and growled. "You had better have a good reason for interrupting my dinner." "Or what? You will kill me?" Angel asked raising his eyebrows. Angel leaned closer and under his breath he said: "I don't think so." They starred long and hard at each other untill Angel broke the spell. "Making Buffy watch as *I* kill her mother will break her down and tear her apart inside." "Oooo..I see what you are getting at now,"his face lightened up a little. "You want to break Buffy down like you did poor Druscilla here." He raised his hand up to Dru and looked at her,she licked his fingers with utter enjoyment. "How fantastic! Please be my guest!" And he wheeled out of his way and motioned toward the victim to be, Mrs. Summers.
Angel made his way over to Mrs. Summers and he stood comfortably next to her. She mumbled something through the gag. "Ummmm, what that?" Angel pulled out the gag from her mouth. "Now what?" "What are you going to do?!" Her eyes darting from his fierce teeth to his facial features. "I'm going to Bite your neck and suck your blood. Isn't that what traditional vampires do?" He emphasized the bite your neck, as her face crumpled with fear. "And your precious little Slayer daughter isn't going to stop me this time." Confusion creeped onto her fear filled face. "You see Mrs. Summers she is what we 'vampires' call the Slayer. She comes out at dark to hunt us down and kill us." He talked to her as if she was a baby. "But tonight we are going to kill her and you. That way you will not be able to have anymore little slayers." He laughed loudly at his own joke. Buffy screamed his name, and her voice reverberated throughout the factory. "Buffy? Slayer? Vampires??" "Yes well life is complicated. Now shut up...I'm hungry." At that Angel stuffed the gag back into her mouth.
Back at the Factory... Mre. Summers thrashed wildly, while Angel whispered in her ear. He grabbed a handfull of her hair and jerked her head back so as to have better access to her neck. "Buffy...are you watching?" Angel asked not taking his eyes off of his victim. Buffy screamed with all her mind and soul. Angel smiled ruefully, then buried his face in Mrs. Summers neck. Her body jerked, stiffened, then finally went limp. "Mooooooooom!" ------------------------------------
"No, Giles that was a wall. Buffy's not here right now." Xander talked to Giles as if he couldn't comprehend what he was saying. Willow elbowed him for being so insensitive. "Giles are you okay?" "I'm not sure, umm... I saw Buffy, at the factory. Spike, Dru and Angel are there too...." He blinked as if reliving a dream. He bounced to his feet and ran over to the couch where his weapons were. "Giles? What? What happened?" We must get over there, NOW!" He grabbed his leather tote bag and hand crafted crossbow and headed for the door, leaving Xander and Willow where they stood. "But....." Xander protested. "Either you come or you stay!" He whipped around to face Xander and Willow. "Buffy is in grave danger and either *we* go help her or *I* will." He was fuming, red with anger at their slowness. Xander and Willow stood there shocked that Giles was capable of such scrutiny. Giles quickly turned around and left. "C'mon let's go before he loses us!" -------------------
"AAAAahhhhhhhhh..." Angel sighed as he lifted his head from the now dead body tied to a pole. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his leather jacket and turned to face Spike. "Nothing like a midnight snack on slayer blood!" Laughing, he turned and walked over to Buffy. She was on the edge of tears as he leaned over to talk to her, smiling. "And you my pretty will be my late night snack." "You f@#$*&^ bastard! I will kill you!" She said between sobs. "Ooooo. I'm scared. Ptthh, no dear I'm sorry, but *I* am going to kill you." At that he laughed and staggered back over to Spike and Dru. A little buzzing was going around in his head. Spike just looked at him, pissed. "Are you having fun Angel?" "OOhhh ya!" ------------------------
In his run down, 1960 buggy, Giles floored the gas and made the bug go faster then it had before. Xander held on for dear life as Giles turned a corner sharply, without slowing down. The tires squealed against the pavement. "Giles what did you see?" Willow asked high pitched. "Angel is going to kill Buffy if we don't get to the factory and fast." "But how do you know that?" Xander asked holding on for dear life. "I have told Buffy before about her sixth sense and we were working on homing it when this happened," He paused while he turned sharply at an intersection, just missing an oncoming car. Xander and Willow braced themselves. It honked at them as they flew by. "Apparently, from what I can gather she was in such distress that she made a psychic connection with me and I was mentally transported to her location in the factory. I was able to see Angel 'bite' her mother. I am not sure, but I think that he intends to....
" Another corner, Xander's shoulder slams into the door. "...kill Buffy too." "Oh and you think so!" Xander screams at him because his shoulder hurts from being jammed. Another sharp turn and they were they, at the factory's front door step. Giles slammed the car into park, grabbed his tote bag and jumped out of the car, with Xander and Willow following not far behind. Spike's head lifted from Buffy's neck, his eyes half shut from his fill of slayer blood. A smile spread across his face. Buffy lay motionless on the tabletop, drained of her energy to fight against them anymore. "Oh ya! That was good." He breathed, looking down at the dying slayers face. A muffled moan escaped from Buffy's lips.Dru helped him back into his wheelchair. "Angel? Would you like to finish her off?" Angel smile broadened as he walked over to stand beside Spike. He said nothing as scooted into position over Buffy.
He leaned over Buffy, but before biting her he moved over to her ear. He stood there for a few seconds, while he whispered a small prayer into Buffy's ear. "My flights of Devils bring you to your resting place,Buffy. Hell is where you belong, with the rest of us." Her head moved to look into his yellow eyes, tears welling in her eyes. "But....I....loved...you..."She gasped out to him. "Oh and I loved you too Buffy. Loved." He smiled and laughed at her, slowly lowering himself to the soft, luscious skin that awaited his teeth to pierce. Giles, Willow and Xander quietly made their way through the factory. When they spotted the group of devils the three split up. Xander and Willow going to the far sides of the place while Giles went straight into the Hell. He unwrapped his crossbow and loaded it up.
He stopped, looking up and staring at Angel. *You time has come* He thought bitterly. He started again for the center of attention and raised his weapon. "AAAaahhh!!!!" Angel cried, looking down at his leg to find an arrow stuck in it. He whirled around to face his adversaries. Giles stood there, his feet slightly apart, aiming hanging from his hand as he reloaded. Angel growled at him and limped toward him. "You are a fool!" Giles fumbled with the contraption, trying to load another arrow. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Angel lunged at him just as he snapped the arrow into place. Giles quickly brought his crossbow up and pulled the cold metal trigger aimlessly. The arrow stuck into Angel's left leg. He stumbled, groaping for something to stop his fall. Not finding anything he fell to the floor with the sound of his fall reveberating through the room and everyones eardrums. Giles breathed hard, looking back and forth from Buffy on the table, Spike and Dru making their escape, and Angel on the floor. Xander and Willow stepped out form the shadows and walked over to Giles side.
Staring at Angel, Xander commented: "You've done it this time!" He smiles ruefully. "Now we will have to finish you off. You poor bastard." "Y, ya!" Studdered Willow. "Xander! Go help Buffy!" Giles commanded. Xander shot him a look for just a second, wide eyed, then ran over to Buffy's side. "Buffy?" He whispered. Her skin had gone to a light shade of pale, but thankful her chest was still rising and falling, although slowly. With the machete from Giles tote bag in one hand, and the rope that held Buffy down in the other, Xander attempted to cut it. He rose the giant, oversized knife high into the air, aimed as best as he could, and dropped it- he hopped onto the rope and not Buffy's hand.
He let out a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes and saw that he did not cut her hand off. He then cut the ropes from her feet then skipped over to the other side to cut loose her other hand. A moan escaped from Buffy's mouth as Xander gingerly slid his arm under her neck and shoulders. "It's going to be all right, Buffy. C'mon you can do it!" He encouraged while he supported her. She dangeled from him, her arms swinging like vines in the wind. Xander carried her outside the factory. "What are you going to do *Giles*? Shoot me with your little bow and arrow?!" Angel snorted at him, his face contorted with his vampiric features. Giles blinked. Raising his eyebrows, he replied "No. But that is a rather good suggestion though." Angles' face went blank. Giles aimed his crossbow at the Demon that had once been his friend and protector of Buffy. *Quit rationalising and shoot him!!* He yelled at himself. He slid his finger into the curved piece of metal and added pressure. Angel suddenly jumped from his croutched position and leaped at Giles.
His hand grabbed the crossbow and threw it aside. Giles flinched in udder surprise and quickness that Angel moved even though he had enjured him. Willow screamed and jumped back from the two, and ran to a corner of the room. The crossbow shattered against the wall into several splintered pieces. They stood there, face to face, Giles face suddenly covered in sweat and Angel breathing down into his face. Angle barred his teeth and growled. "Now what are you going to do, Mr Hero of the day? You have no weapons, and I am free to kill you at my leisure." Giles glanced over Angel's shoulder to see Willow coming out of the corner and picking up one of the splintered pieces of the crossbow. He quickly averted his eyes and stared straight into the heart of Angels eyes.
"Uh...perhaps if I...uh, beg for my life you will let me live." Giles studdered. "Uummmmm, let me think....NO! HA!" "Or...uh...maybe you could turn me into a vampire?" Angel smiled and took a step closer to him. Xander helped Buffy into the front seat of Giles' car. Buffy moaned, trying to speak. "Don't talk Buff, you need to keep what energy you have left and use it to live. You hear me?" Xander stopped and looked into her eyes. "Don't you die on us." He whispered. "You can't because....." A scream interupted what he was going to say. "Sorry Buffy, sounds like they need help in there." At that he buckled her in and slammed the cardoor shut. He ran to the back of the car and lifted the trunk door. Looking for something he could use to.... "Ah! This will do nicely." Giles took a step back, and Angel took a step toward him. They danced like this until Rupert's back was up against a poll, Willow followed silently. "Ummm, yes, "
Angel rubbed his ridged chin. "you would be useful, telling us about the slayer and her habbit and the rules and all." He stood there looking at Giles while he rubbed his chin. Willow closing in for the kill. "Naaa!" Willow was close enough to strike. She took one more step forward, taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thrusted the stake into Angels back. Giles pushed Angel back, to help embed the stake into him. Angel cried out and spun around, slapping Willow square in the head on the way around, knocking her down. The stake hadn't pierced his heart, it had been empaled into his back side. Angel cried out and spun around and slapped Willow square in the head, knocking her down. Willow let out a cry of pain as she hit the hard cement floor. Angel staggered toward her, intent on killing her, his eyes filled with hate and rage. "NO!" Giles cried at him. From the background came a noise of horrified pain, the cry of a soldier going to war.
Xander came from the darkness of the factory, holding high above his head a three foot wooden stake, the end sharpened to a fine point. Angel's eyes went wide, and his mouth curled into a snarl. Xander flew across the distance between him and Angel within an instant, driving the giant stake straight into the heart of the demon...the demon who had almost or nearly killed his best bud. The stake went through Angel with an awful tearing of flesh noise and appeared out his back. Xander's face went from rage filled to horror as he looked at Angel, holding the stake in both hands, he took a step back. Angel closed his eyes and grunted......... Angel burst into a cloud of dust in front of the gang. The dust fell slowly to the floor, and into the face of the slayettes. They stood there looking at the pile of filth that had once been there friend against the 'bad' vampires, their amigo, one's lover.
Willow burst into tears, hiding her face from the others, she cuddled herself. Xander went to her holding her as the weeping slowly left her. "Angel..." She managed to say. "Deserved to die Will, we can't help what has happened. It would have to be done sooner or later..." He tried reasoning to her. Willow started to get up, Xander helping her. She rubbed the side of her head, a goose egg had formed where Angel had hit her. "Here, let me look.." Xander brushed away the hair from her bump, examining it at first...then he slowly bend over to kiss it, gently. Willow turned to him....a redness filled her cheeks. "There...all better." He wispered looking into her eyes. She smiled..shyly and leaned against him. He held her savering the smell of her hair, and her small, fragile body against his.
All thoughts of Buffy cleared from his head. Willow closed her eyes, relaxing in his hold. Giles walked over to the two, clearing his throat. The two pried apart to face him. "Are the two of you okay?" "Fine." They both said in unison. Willow started to giggle. Xander just smiled, blushing a bit himself. Xander, why did you come back in here?" Giles scolded. "By doing so you left Buffy unprotected against another attack!" "Well I didn't want all my friends to die, not today, or any other day. Besides, it looked to me like help was needed in here." He faced Giles, one hand on his hip. Xander suddenly noticed the look he as getting from Giles and quickly corrected his girlish posture. He rubbed his hands against his pants... "So let's go out there and take her home." "Yes, a good idea." He turned and started for the doors. "Is she all right?" The adrenalin now tappering off, concern filled his being.
"Oh ya! All except the two puncture wounds on her neck and way too pale skin! Damned bastard nearly sucked her dry!" "I believe that was his intent." "Well his intent was punctured!" Xander sarcastically stated. "But what are we going to do with her mother?" Giles stopped in his tracks. "Oh dear.." Was all he could manage. He looked back at the woman hanging from the pole. Her head hung from her body, there was no sign on life left in her. He faced Xander not knowing what to say or do. "Leave her. We'll come back for her body later. Right now Buffy needs medical attention." Xander, shocked, told him.. "But this is her mother we are talking about. Buffy's MOM for God's sake, we can't just leave her as a snack for the other vampires!" He was screaming now. "I know that Xander! But there is nothing else that we can do for her! She is dead! Tha vampires are not likely to touch her now. Let's go." He turned and left the building, leaving Xander and Willow stunned.
"What was that?" Willow asked, staring after the watcher. " That was not who I thought it was Will." The two then started out themselves, leaving behind the carnage they would never forget, never in a million years. As the three reached the car, Xander and Willow heard a rustling in the bushes. Willow's gaze darted around in the darkness..straining to see what it was. "Grrrrrr" Willow shot Xander a look and without a word ran for the car. "Giles...they're back for more!!!" Xander hopped into the back seat with Buffy and Willow took the front seat this time. Giles turned the key and the car sputtered and went dead. "Oh no!" Willow spealed. The vampires had come out of their hiding places and were coming toward them...fast. "Lowsy time for an oil change!" Xander spat looking out the car window, watching as the army of the dead raced toward them at an alarming rate. Xander turned the key again, the car sputtered, quivered then started. Giles slammed the car into drive as he jammed the gas peddle to the floor.
The car was off in a shot, leaving the undead army behind. Once they were out of site, Willow turned to Xander. "How is she?" He pressed a piece of his shirt to her neck as he responded:"Not good. Her neck is bleeding, and she feels ice cold." Worry filled his eyes as he meet her gaze. "Giles shouldn't we take her to the hospital?" "No Willow. What would we tell them? If we told them the truth, we would be put in the hospital ourselves." "All right..then what ARE we going to do?" Xander asked looking at Giles through the rear view mirror. After a long silence he managed to say: "I don't know....I just don't know" The end...for now.
RETURN TO FAN FICTION
RETURN TO MAIN MENU