Touch of Evil
Part Six
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.
Willow awoke the following morning feeling more relaxed and refreshed than
she had in weeks. Stretching languidly, Willow slowly arose and made her
way into the bathroom adjoining her bedroom. Willow smiled a secret grin
meant only for her as she realized she as in dire need of a good shower.
Whatever her dreams were of last night, she knew they had been good ones.
The physical evidence lay between her legs and on her panties.
Willow carefully stripped out of her sweaty nightgown and damp panties and
stepped into the shower. The hot water felt great against her skin and
Willow took time and care in washing her body with the scented oils and
bath gels Lydia kept stocked in each bathroom. It was an indulgence Willow
didn't normally partake in, but she found that, every once in awhile, it
worked wonders on making her feel sexy and beautiful. Today it worked on
making Willow feel as if she was a different person. She felt different,
as if today was the first day of the rest of her life. Willow knew she was
on the road to recovery.
Stepping gingerly out of the bathtub, Willow dug her toes into the white
shag carpet and wrapped herself in a huge terrycloth towel. Using the palm
of her hand to wipe the steam off the ornate, gilded mirror, Willow stared
at her reflection for a moment before reaching for her brush. Humming
softly, Willow began to gently comb the tangles from her long hair,
brushing the strands away from her face. Willow quickly became lost in
thoughts of what the rest of the summer would bring and whether all her
credits would transfer over to her new high school in London when she began
the fall semester. She was jarred back to the present by a small trail of
blood that had begun to form on her neck. Panicked, Willow gathered a wad
of toilet paper from the roll and quickly smeared the blood away, leaving
the porcelain white skin of her neck tinged rose.
A deadly calm stole over Willow as she raised trembling fingers to lightly
caress the twin bite marks that marred her flawless skin. With each brush
of her fingertips, flashes of memory eclipsed all other thoughts. Images
revealed themselves in succession, dropping like stones in the clear pools
of her mind. Strong hands on her body, dark eyes filling her field of
vision. Fingertips on her eyelids; an all consuming fire building from the
point of contact of Angelus' thrusting erection and Willow's quivering
vagina, spreading though out her belly until her entire body felt as if it
was going up in flames. And finally, the familiar burning as fangs pierced
her skin and blood flowed like wine.
Willow rubbed at the twin wounds, feeling baffled by their presence. Last
night had only been a dream, hadn't it? Willow could have sworn it had
been, but then that didn't explain the physical evidence to the contrary.
As Willow relived the previous night's dream in her mind, the memories of
her brief waking moments before dawn came back to her. Bursting through
the bathroom door and back into her bedroom, Willow raced over to her
stereo and, fumbling, pressed the CD eject button. Her breaths coming in
ragged bursts, Willow could only stare at the silver Phil Collins CD
starring up at her. As a numb shock coursed through her veins, making her
blood run cold, Willow automatically closed the CD player and, after 2
quick movements, waited numbly for the song to begin.
Willow let the song play as she quickly dressed in clothes she found
strewn against an armchair in the corner of the room. Barefoot, Willow
left the room in search of Lydia. Though Willow was on the verge of
hysterical terror over what all these signs might mean, she refused to
break down until she had spoken to Lydia. Even if Lydia did not give her
the answers she wanted to hear, she would be able to calm Willow down, as
always.
Willow found the Watcher curled up on the red damask sofa that adorned the
mansion's main living room. She was engrossed in the readings from a
standard manila file folder, undoubtedly the latest update from Giles,
possibly even copies of his recent entries into the Watcher's Diary. Lydia
would never let Willow read them, though she always let Willow know any
pertinent Angelus information they contained. Willow wondered if there was
any new info now.
"Lydia…" The Watcher glanced up at the young witch, removing her
eyeglasses as she closed the folder and placed it on the table beside her.
When she had her attention, Willow continued. "Have you heard from Giles
this morning?"
"Why no Willow, I haven't. But I wasn't expecting to. Why do you ask?"
Willow's let out a trembling breath, her words strained. "Well, could you
please call him and ask him if Angelus has left town in the past couple of
days?"
Lydia, realizing how upset and serious Willow was, immediately reached for
the phone and began to dial. She kept the conversation short, without the
usual flirting and quick repartee that usually accompanied Lydia and Giles'
conversations. When she hung up, Lydia turned to Willow. "Angelus is
still in Sunnydale. Buffy last had an encounter with him last night.
There is also no talk of him planning any trips of any kind and no unusual
movements on his part. In other words, there is no sign that he suspects
where you are hidden. Now, do you feel like telling me what's gotten you
so upset this morning or would you rather not talk about it?"
Willow knew Lydia wouldn't press the issue, but she wanted to tell her, to
try and make sense of the whole thing. Allowing what Lydia had said to
sink in, Willow sat down and collected her thoughts before speaking. More
confused, and perhaps more terrified than before, Willow told Lydia the
whole story, leaving out only the part about her pledging herself to Angelus.
Willow had never admitted to Lydia the desire Angelus invoked inside her;
or the fact that there were times, late at night, when Willow would think
about Angelus and feel that familiar kindling of desire that only his touch
could induce. Or that, mixed up with her hatred, and fear, and self
disgust, lay an insane, irrational, and powerful schoolgirl crush on a
creature that could be described as no less than a monster, a transference
of the attraction she had always felt for Angel. Willow knew better than
anyone that there was no changing Angelus' nature. He was a creature who
didn't know the meaning of compassion or gentleness. But it was the same
old tale, one that women had fallen victim to for ages: the taming of the
wild beast by the beautiful maiden. Though she'd never admit it, and she
doubted anyone would ever believe smart, shy, little Willow could have such
foolish fantasies, in her silly romantic heart, Willow ached to be Angelus'
lover and demon tamer. She had never been able to compete with Buffy for
Angel's affections, no matter how much she had wanted to, but maybe, just
maybe, she could when it came to Angelus.
Not that those secret desires prevented Willow's rational mind from
working. She knew they were only part of a fantasy- one she didn't think
she'd ever even want to fully act on. They were the dreams of a romantic
heart, born from the repressed part of Willow's psyche that craved danger
and excitement; that kept Willow close to the slayer despite the life
threatening existence it supplied. There was a wild and sexy aspect to
Willow's soul that was just waiting for the right moment, or the right
person, to open the door and release it into the wild. The part that
Angelus had begun to tap into with his games. The part that couldn't help
but become turned on when Angelus had handled her roughly and drained her
to the point of unconsciousness.
Last night, that side of Willow had taken control, which was okay if it
had all just been a dream. Dreams didn't have to affect your regular life
and so a person could give themselves over to unbidden desires, as Willow
had. As Willow finished telling Lydia her story, she waited anxiously for
Lydia to reassure her that everything was all right and the old, reliable
Willow had nothing to fear from her brazen counterpart.
When Lydia finally spoke, her words came out slowly, as if she was
carefully considering each thought. "It sounds to me like a form of magic.
We know Angelus couldn't have been in Sunnydale last night and in your
bedroom this morning, at least, not physically. The only way he could have
done what he did is by some form of magic. I've heard of stories such as
this one before. I'll have to pull up the accounts from the Council
database. Typically, the person performing the ritual to project
themselves across space and time is an experienced witch or at least has a
witch in their service. Most of the accounts are almost identical to
yours- young women who were visited in the night by a vampire who proceeded
to seduce them in order to steal their blood. The women always thought it
was a dream but the following morning they'd awake to find bite marks on
their skin. The last account I can recall of this ritual actually being
used is centuries old, but again I'll have to search out the specific
reference from the database." Lydia paused to collect her thoughts. "What
worries me about this is the fact that, despite all our knowledge, we've
underestimated Angelus once again. For one, it is obvious he has a very
powerful witch in his service. Second, we've kept you physically from him
but now even physical distance is not keeping you safe. And finally, I
think we all underestimated your importance in Angelus' eyes. We assumed
that you were merely a pawn in his game to pay Buffy back, and that if you
were taken out of the picture then he'd just use some other way to get to
her. But it seems that's not quite the case. Angelus is obviously not
letting you go. He's obviously considering you property that was stolen
from him. Also, from what you've told me of last night's encounter, it
appears he's became quite attached to you during your captivity, but then
who can ever really believe anything a demon says. That could have just
been another game to torment you."
Though Willow was listening quietly, her thoughts were racing a mile a
minute. She didn't say anything but, deep down, Willow knew Angelus had
spoken the truth to her. She had felt the truth of his words as he had
said them. Lydia went on.
"I'm very worried about this Willow. I'd like to go straight to
headquarters where I can consult with the other Council members and do some
research. Then we can sit down and decide how you want to handle this. If
you want to leave here, I'll understand and make sure we find a safe place
for you, but no matter where you go we're gonna have to find a spell to
shield you from any magic Angelus may try to use on you."
Willow nodded, not saying anything because she really wasn't sure what to
say. Her mind was still jumbled with all that was happening. After 6
months of being haunted by nothing more than the demons in her own mind,
Willow was too shocked to believe this was all real. Without saying a
word, Willow followed Lydia out of the living room to prepare for the drive
in to London.
On to
Part Seven
Back to
Part Five
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