Touch of Evil
Part Fourteen
Author: Amanda Arlequin
E-mail: aca203@is8.nyu.edu
Rating: R/NC-17 overall (some parts are mild)
Summary: This is the story of the cat and mouse game Angelus plays with
Willow, and the romance that follows.
Spoilers: This takes place after Angel loses his soul but before Becoming,
which never happened in my 'verse.
I will keep and discard Buffy lore as I see fit.
Disclaimer: While I have taken the liberty of adding a few characters of
my own creation, all of the original BtVS characters and their world
belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and The WB. All are used
without permission and no copyright infringement is intended.
**My life closed twice before it's close, It yet remains to see
If immortality unveil
A third event to me
So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven
And all we need of hell**
**Unknown Source**
Buffy took a deep breath, collecting herself before answering. "Angelus
knows where you are, Willow. He's coming for you, if he isn't already
here." Buffy watched the news sink in like a stone descending to the
depths of a calm sea. Willow began to slump even farther, if possible- her
body almost caving into itself. Adrian cursed under his breath, his free
hand curling into a fist.
Buffy waited for them to fully process the information before continuing.
"The reason I know is because I've been Angelus's prisoner for the past
week. These bruises," Buffy brushed her fingers across the various
bruises covering her face and arms, her hands stopping at the bare skin of
her upper chest, "are from my sessions with either Angelus or Spike. They
tried to get information from me on where Willow was. I didn't tell
though. I swear. I'd rather die than serve you up on a silver platter to
that bastard."
Willow made no move to speak. She was staring at some distant point past
Buffy's head. She looked younger than her years at that moment, resembling
the timid 15 year old girl she had been when he'd first met her. Angel
filled the silence by asking the question nagging at the edges of his mind.
"Who told him where we are? Nobody knows besides a few select Council
members, aside from you and Giles."
"I know. That's why I didn't contact the Council when I escaped last
night. I didn't even tell Giles I had escaped and where I was going."
Angel nodded sympathetically. The Watcher was like a surrogate father to
the slayer. He knew how hard it must be for her to keep him in the dark,
especially when he was probably worried sick over her whereabouts. Buffy's
tone turned adamant as she continued. "I think somebody on the Council
gave up your location. Whether they did it willingly or it was forced out
of them, I don't know. That's why we can't call the Council and let them
know where we're going. We don't know who we can trust right now."
Willow roused herself out of her depression then. "No, I want to at least
call Giles, or Lydia. I want them to know where we're going."
Buffy looked over at her friend, seemingly fighting for patience. "No,
Will, we can't. The more people who know where you go, the more we
compromise your safety. We need to keep this between the three of us."
Willow sputtered, "But it's Giles. He would never betray us. Never."
She couldn't understand her friend's sudden distrust of the man who had
done nothing but try to protect them as long as they'd known him.
Buffy reached across the wooden table to grasp the hand not held by
Adrian. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she tried to explain her reasoning
to Willow. "I know he wouldn't. But I made myself a promise when Angelus
was torturing me. I swore that when I escaped I'd make sure he never got
his hands on you again. I swore that I'd keep you safe, that he'd never
get to do the things he told me he had planned." Silent tears fell down
Buffy's cheek as her voice began to break. "God, Will, you can't imagine
the things he taunted me with- the things he said he had planned for you,
and the things he said to me…"
Willow was immediately sympathetic, dropping her defenses and giving in.
"I'm so sorry, Buffy. You're right; we shouldn't call them. And I am so
sorry for what happened to you. It's all my fault."
"Stop that, you know that's not true. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine
for not being able to stop Angelus sooner. Or for even being able to
control myself with Angel. If we hadn't… I mean, I knew it was wrong, you
know. Slayer and a vampire- it was never meant to be, but I just couldn't
help myself. If I hadn't loved him so much we wouldn't be here today."
"Buffy, you know that's not true." Willow chastised. "You can't help who
you fall in love with. Besides, you didn't know. If it's anyone's fault
it's Darla's or those damn gypsies. But it could never be yours or Angel's
fault. You guys were just innocent victims who got punished for following
your hearts."
Buffy appeared to be moved by Willow's words but couldn't help adding.
"You're right. You can't help who you fall in love with. But you can help
the actions you take afterwards- that's what counts."
Willow's temper flared up as she snapped. "Do you regret it?"
Surprised, Buffy asked, "Regret what?"
"Do you regret it? Not just that night, but all the nights. Do you
regret having loved him? Do you regret the time you two had together, and
the happiness you were able to give to each other, no matter how brief?"
Buffy leaned back in her chair, reeling from the barrage of questions
Willow had fired at her like bullets from a machine gun. Her emotions were
clearly evident on her face as she considered her answer. Shock,
confusion, insecurity, longing. Buffy went through many stages until
answering, and though she spoke softly her words and tone held conviction.
"No, I don't regret it. I could never regret it."
Angel let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Willow smiled.
"Good, because your love was a gift. No matter what happened or happens,
you should never regret it. Angel loved you- always remember that."
The smile that brightened the slayer's face was blinding in it's
brilliance. It transformed her entire demeanor, harkening back to the old
happy, carefree Buffy. As the two friend embraced, Angel discreetly wiped
his eyes riding them of the wetness seeping from beneath his closed lids.
When they had pulled apart, both girls looked more like their old selves-
pretty amazing considering the circumstances of their being together again.
"So," Willow began. "Where should we go?" She glanced at both Adrian and
Buffy as she spoke, putting the weight of the decision on them.
Buffy spoke before Adrian could suggest anything. "Don't worry, I have
the perfect place. Angelus and his minions will never be able to find you
there. Just trust me."
Willow nodded. She didn't need to question Buffy, giving her complete
trust as she had so often in the past. "Alright. Just give me and Adrian
a few minutes to pack and we'll be ready to leave." Adrian nodded in
agreement, moving to stand by Willow's side.
Buffy paused. "Just don't take too long. We really don't have too much
time. When I escaped Angelus had already been gone a day. He left me in
Spike's care as he headed over here. I escaped when Spike went to comfort
Dru during one of her fits. Seems she thought that bleach blonde bimbo of
hers was going to turn me and make me his new consort. Can you believe it?"
Willow arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "I have to admit, I can't really
picture you and Spike together. Besides the fact that the whole vampire
thing would do nothing for your complexion." The girls laughed together,
taking comfort during hard times wherever they could. Angel understood
their need to distract themselves from the very real danger before them,
and if laughter helped then he wouldn't stop them. Placing a hand on the
small of Willow's back, Angel gently led Willow out of the room and up the
stairs.
Twenty minutes later, they descended the stairs with their bags in hand.
Adrian quickly jotted off a note to Lucinda letting her know they were
leaving for a few months and she was to keep up the place in their absence,
her paychecks to be provided by his lawyers. While Adrian went to leave
the note where Lucinda would be sure to find it, Willow took one last look
around the villa that had been her home for the past 4 months. She hated
being forced to leave it so soon, especially since so many of her
possessions were being left behind, again. This was the third time in less
than a year that Willow was being forced to leave her home in the middle of
the night, sneaking out like a refuge. She sighed, supposing she had
better get used to this kind of lifestyle. She wasn't sure if she ever would.
Buffy placed a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder. As if she sensed
Willow's thoughts, she said, "Don't worry Willow. One way or another, this
will all be over soon. I promise."
Willow nodded, sniffling slightly. Adrian reentered the room. Giving the
place a once over to make sure he hadn't forgotten something important, he
said, "Well, I guess we're all set. Let's not waste anymore time."
The three friends made their way to the car Buffy had rented at the
airport. They figured it was less conspicuous than Adrian's car, which
they left in the driveway for Lucinda's personal use till some future date
when they were able to return home. Willow took shotgun, while Buffy went
behind the wheel and Adrian lounged out in the backseat. Willow braced
herself for some speeding but was pleasantly surprised to find Buffy's
driving had improved since the last time Willow had been in a car with her.
They drove for a couple of hours through the Italian countryside, heading
in the direction of Padova, stopping only once while Buffy went to buy the
three of them coffee from a café they passed. Willow took the opportunity
to change seats with Adrian so she could spread out in the backseat,
sipping her coffee and resting her eyes. Adrian finished his coffee in a
few gulps then moved on to Buffy's after she said she didn't want it. To
Willow's immense surprise, the coffee was having the opposite effect on her
than usual. Considering how coffee usually had the same effect on her as
cocaine or uppers to others, and that Italian coffee was ten times stronger
than American versions, it was unusual for Willow to be feeling as sleepy
as she did. The quiet sounds of the country accompanied by the steady
rhythm of the car was lulling Willow into a deep sleep. She could barely
keep her eyes open and before long she was fast asleep.
When Willow woke, she was disoriented. Her cognitive processes didn't
appear to be working since she had no idea where she was. As she slowly
came to consciousness, her senses awakening, Willow took in her
surroundings, momentarily confused. She was lying on a queen sized bed in
what appeared to be a small, dark room with bare wooden walls and very
little by way of furnishings. The last thing she remembered was falling
asleep in the car as Buffy drove them to a safe place, away from Angelus.
Wondering if perhaps they'd stopped somewhere so they could sleep, Willow
tried to sit up. With a sharp jerk her body was yanked backwards. With a
panicked tug, Willow realized that her arms were firmly bound over her head
with tight ropes chaffing her wrists. The pain that spread down her arms
as she struggled against the bonds shook away the last vestiges of sleep.
Fear snaked through Willow as she tried to figure out what the hell was
going on.
Before she could get her mind to work properly and come up with any
conceivable conclusions, a shaft of light penetrated the darkness. Willow
turned her head and found the source to coming from an open door. Two
figures stood silhouetted in the doorframe, light pouring in around them.
Squinting, Willow tried to make out their features. She couldn't focus on
any detail through the darkness. She thought one of the figures might be
that of a woman, considering how petit their outline was, but she couldn't
be sure.
The room became flooded with light as someone threw a switch. The quick
change blinded Willow momentarily, and she was forced to close her eyes
against the brightness. When she opened her eyes, dark spots colored her
vision, making it impossible to focus on anything. Willow's ears were
assaulted by the deep, throaty chuckle that was immediately familiar. It
was the same sound that had haunted so many of her dreams. A sense of
foreboding went over Willow, and she feared she knew exactly what was going
on.
Still, Willow was unprepared for the sight that greeted her when her
vision cleared. Standing before her, each smiling wide, feral grins was
the man that had dominated her nightmares for the past 10 months and the
girl she had once called her friend, both their faces distorted with the
sharp ridges of their kind. Tears wet her cheeks as she moaned, "No,
Buffy, not you, oh God, not you."
The slayer threw her head back, her laughter containing a cold, sadistic
tone it had never contained before. "Surprise, Willow."
On to
Part Fifteen
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Part Thirteen
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