Giles stood stock still in grief for about 10 minutes. He couldn't believe the speed with which Xander took the young girl's life. And the absolute ecstasy on her face as her life was drained from her? Giles shuddered, book in hand forgotten. New concerns were risen with Cordelia's death in this world. Would the breaking of the spell negate anything that happened here? Would Cordelia still be alive? Would Buffy really be here, and would the Master be dead?

The questions brought back Giles' sense of purpose. He had to find the answers and change this world. The sheer possibility of things being different was incentive enough to seek out the means to end the vengeance spell. He put aside his grief and began the task of researching the answers. That was his job. Despite not having a Slayer, he was till a Watcher, and those instilled habits would never let him down.

Spike followed Xander and Willow into the Master's domain, noticing the distinguished lack of creature comforts. Well, they probably were creature comforts, but not exactly what he would call comfortable. No soft surfaces, no allowances made for sprawling. Just hard stony and steel surfaces. There wasn't even the natural warmth of wood. But then wood being the bane of a vampire's existence, he could see where the Great Paranoid One would eschew wood of any kind in his abode. God! Nancy tribe much?? Eschew? Abode? Sometimes Spike hated his unconscious; it always managed to reduce him to that overeducated poncy git William. Bugger.

"Kinda drab, I know. We keep telling him he needs to lighten up, but you know how the Master is." Xander grinned over at Spike.

"Yeah. Batface ain't never been much of a decorator. Needs some fringe or something." Spike felt the slap on the back of his head and turned to Willow. "What? You don't think he looks like a bat? You blind or something, pet?"

Willow just stared angrily at him. "Master is beautiful, evolved beyond this human foil. He is purely demon, puppy, and you should envy him."

"What? Have you seen me?? I mean, other than Angelus – by the way, face of an angel my arse – I'm probably the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. And Pet? You don't mess with perfection like mine." He grinned at her. "These cheekbones alone are enough to kill for!"

"We'll see how long your beautiful features last, puppy." She prodded him hard in the ribs, forcing him down a dark corridor to what looked like a jail cell. Spike stopped and stared at the bars, not noticing the figure huddled in the shadows until it moaned softly.

"Spike?"

What the fuck? "What? Angelus? That you mate?" Spike rushed up to the bars.

"Spike? You …..have to….get out….. They're.."

"Shhh, pet. I know. The wankers actually caught me. I'm to be Red's new puppy it appears." He turned back to Willow who had been gathering what appeared to be vampire torture supplies.

"Hello Puppy. Did you miss me?"

"What? Ya daft bint, I've been here the whole goddamn time! How the hell could I possibly miss.." Spike trailed off when he noticed she was looking at Angel. "Angel? This is your….Angelus is your damn puppy?" Spike looked horrified. "Judas Priest, Red. I knew you had him, but by all that's holy! How in the fuck did you get close enough to torture him?"

"Spike?" Angel called to him from inside the recesses of the cell. "Is Buffy with you? She was supposed to be here, I was supposed to help…..Please, Spike…tell me she's with you?"

"Umm, no pet, she's not."

Xander chose that moment to speak up. "Buffy? Who the hell is Buffy?"

"Slayer, ya tosser."

"The Slayer is supposed to be here? Oh that's just perfect." Evil satisfaction oozed from Xander. "We'll just have to find a way to get her here." He turned to Willow who had unlocked the cell door and was ushering Spike inside. "Don't you think so, baby? Slayer would make a great present for the Master, and I imagine he'll even share."

"You find her Xander. I have things to do here. Unless," she stalked back to Xander and caught his bottom lip in her teeth, drawing then sucking the blood there, "you want to stay and watch me train our pets here?" She licked him a last time.

Xander's half lidded eyes spoke of his desire to remain, but he spoke slowly. "Nah, baby. Much as I love watching you go, I'll wait for my turn." He ran a slow finger down her cheek and around her jawline. "Remember, though. Don't mark up my Will. I want him perfect for later." He nipped her jaw, and kissed her deeply. "Have fun, baby." He said as he turned to go.

Spike watched with wide eyes as the small vampire struck the first match. "Who goes first?"

"I got an idea!" Spike snatched the matches from Willows complacent hand. "Neither, you crazy bitch." He grabbed her by the ruffled red lace at the top of her leather corset and pulled her into the cell. Spying chains on the opposite wall, he dragged her over and manacled her wrists and ankles to the wall. "See how you like being chained up and tortured for a while, Red."

He pulled Angel to his feet and started to march off down the corridor, looking for alternate routes out. "Come on, then ya poof. Let's get the hell out of here. God knows I don't want to face the Master again anytime soon, and well, with you being his grandchilde and all, I'm pretty sure you don't want to see him either."

Spike stopped talking and walking when he noticed Angel wasn't behind him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw what was going on behind him. Well, good on you mate, bout time you let Angelus out.

Angel stood in front of Willow, striking the forgotten matches and flicking them at the red headed vampire. He grinned unconsciously at the tiny sounds of pain she made. He lit one match, watching it burn down as he stepped closer to her. Grinning madly, he placed the flaming match between the sensitive flesh of wrist and the cold iron of the manacle. He laughed with undisguised glee when Willow screamed about being on fire.

Spike stalked up closer to the spectacle, and watched in morbid fascination as the vampire that was his sire (for all intents and purposes) tortured the Master's new childe. He shuddered with vampiric sympathy at the thought of the girl burning. When he smelled the distinct odor of burnt hair, he knew Angel has set the girl's head on fire. Course, the screams of rage and pain informed him of Willow's predicament as well. Probably had the whole place up in arms about now, anyway.

He grabbed Angel by the arm, "Come on you git. Her screams have probably ruined our chances of getting out of here alive." When Angel resisted and began to strike another match, Spike pulled the stake out from the myriad of pockets in his duster and handed it to the older vampire. "Here, mate. Stake her and be done. We gotta go, man."

Angel took the stake and paused for a moment to relish Willow's burning, then plunged the stake into her heart, frowning at the unsatisfactory shower of dust. "Hmm. Seems it should have been more." Coming back to himself, he turned to follow Spike out. They ran into some trouble, but between the two of them, managed to off at least half of the master's gathered acolytes. Spike and Angel both were feeling a little euphoric at the destruction and violence, and were laughing as they escaped the lair.

Still revelling in their post-battle endorphins, they fail to notice Xander coming up to them. "So, I see you guys made it out. Hope you didn't do too much damage, guys. I'd hate to have to make a new flock of fledges. So tedious you understand." Xander's soft but deadly voice turned the boys around.

Spike laughed. "Well, you and boredom have always been acquaintances, Xander. Course you usually had Red to cut it, but umm, suppose now, you'll have to make other arrangements."

Angel grinned evilly. "Yeah. Sorry bout that, but she had it comin to her." The hint of Irish brogue announced how close to the surface Angelus actually was.

Xander tilted his head to one side. "You killed Willow?"

"Dry as dust my friend. Oh wait, no need for similes!" Spike's tone lowered to deadly serious. "She is dust, mate. You both should've known better than to mess with Angelus. He may be buried beneath that filthy soul, but it only takes a bit to let him out, and I did. She is gone. Settled into a pile of dust in that sorry excuse for a cell."

Xander simply nodded, then in a flash that surprised both Spike and Angel, plunged the stake he had been fingering behind his back into Angel's heart. The centuries old vampire lingered for a brief moment before turning to dust. He mouthed the words "I'm sorry" then crumbled before Spike's eyes.

Spike turned feral eyes onto Xander. "You'll pay for that, mate. You just took my sire, much as I hated the poof. Still, death will be too easy."

"I'm really not worried Spike." He stepped to Spike with the stake raised. "You'll soon be following him."

Giles stood in his office. The book on the desk before him, opened to the page about Anyanka, Vengeance Demon, patron saint of scorned women. He scoffed. Scorned women? Must be some kink of hers. He found the incantation that would call her and performed the ritual.

"You dare to call upon me?" The veined face before him would have startled him had Giles not been expecting worse.

"Well, um, actually yes. I did. You must reverse your spell. This isn't the way the world is supposed to be," He trailed off. With final understanding, he said, "And you know it."

"I do. I know the way the world was. I know that girl was in pain because of some young man abusing her. I came to her aid. I had no idea her wish would prove so ..what is the word.....Interesting."

"You have to change it back. This isn't right."

"Silly mortal. I can no more reverse my spell than you can. My task is to grant the wish, it is up to the wisher to recall it. And," Anyanka looked out the office window into the library. "Looks like that will not be happening anytime soon." She laughed and the abrupt flow of energy lit up the strange pendant she wore. Giles made a dash to grab it from her, and they tussled roughly for possession of the pendant.

Xander approached Spike, stake raised. The blond vampire simply watched the younger one move. When he heard the distinct sound of wood on pavement, he showed not the slightest surprise. He smirked, "Knew you couldn't do it, mate. Stakin' a weaker tortured vampire is nothing to takin one on at full strength." Xander stalked right up into Spike's personal space.

"I don't want to kill you, puppy." He ran a hand down Spike's face lightly, his thumb tracing the full bottom lip. "I still want to taste you. So beautiful, my opposite, all light where I am dark. Small where I am large, smooth where I am not." Xander let out a shallow laugh. "If one were to walk up right now, they would swear I was talking to a woman, but no. too much strength here."

His long, lean hands trailed down Spike's arms to his hands, where he grabbed both wrists in a crushing grip. "I want you, for no other reason than you don't want me to." Spike inclined his head and in a voice that belied the hatred burning in his guts for this upstart, he said, "And just how do you know what I want and don't want, Pet?"

Spike leaned forward, offering his mouth up to the dark vampire holding him captive. He tongue traced the outline of Xander's mouth, tasting the remnants of blood and whiskey. He forced his hands, still bound by Xander's, behind the boy's neck, and pulled him in for a true kiss. "So warm, so rich. I want to taste where you've been, boy."

Xander groaned and stepped fully into the embrace, now completely under Spike's control. He wondered how he had lost control of the situation, but chalked it up to Spike's age and relative wisdom. Whatever, he could do sub. So long as this beautiful, blond, and belligerent vampire continued to kiss him. For he tasted of tobacco, whiskey and blood. He smelled like leather and earth. Rich heady smells Xander had missed, cooped up in the underground, uncomfortable lair of the Master.

As he kissed Xander, Spike withdrew his bound hands, cradling the boys neck, moving them down his back, around his hips to cup the raging erection nestled in the boy's thighs. Having his hands free, and distracting the younger vampire with a knowledgeable hand, Spike reached into a recessed pocket of his duster, bringing out the other stake he kept there. He pressed the tip to Xander's chest, just as the boy was approaching his climax.

Spike whispered the boy's name, "Xander? Look at me, pet." And when those chocolate eyes opened with flecks of amber, he came and Spike pushed the stake home. Xander screamed and the dust floated away into the night. Spike sighed deeply.

Giles finally managed to secure the pendant, kicking the surprisingly strong demon to the floor and snatching the necklace from her neck as she fell. He picked up the onyx paperweight on his desk. "Change it back, demon!" He yelled at the creature before him.

"I've already told you I can't. Besides what makes you think her world is so much better than this one I've created through her wish?" The demon seemed truly perplexed.

He raised his arm, his intent to smash the pendant. "Because it has to be."

Please feed the chicky!