Sweet
Demise
~1~
“Where the hell is it?!” He shouted suddenly, startling
“You know, hurting the books isn’t going to help,” she told him haughtily,
growing more frustrated with each minute and every book he tore apart.
Spike slowly turned his head and eyed the girl, glaring at her as if he had
forgotten she was in the room, and
“Um, I could probably help, if I knew what you were looking for,” she added a
little more quietly.
“Right, I’m sure you’d just love to help the evil vampire find his spell.”
“I-if it means that you’ll leave sooner, I’d be happy to help,” she explained,
sounding timid and unsure.
The vampire paused, thinking for a moment, before finally grinning and telling
her the name of the spell. It was a very old one, and not a spell she had ever
studied, but the name did sound very familiar.
Suddenly she remembered. She had seen the spell he was searching for in a book
she had “borrowed” from Giles, forgetting to actually ask for it. Jumping up,
she ran to a large chest of magic supplies and pulled the book out, flipping
through until she found the spell.
“This it?”
Spike grabbed the book from her and looked it over, an evil grin growing across
his face as his eyes devoured the words, causing
“Good job, pet,” Spike told her, standing up, book in hand.
The blond glared at her for a moment, before speaking again, as if she had
never said anything at all. “Just the spell I needed. Of course, all this
reading has left me feeling a bit peckish. Mind if I take a bite?” At that, the
vampire let his demon visage slip forward and he pounced on the girl, knocking
her back into the chest of drawers behind her.
“I’ll scream,” she warned.
Spike simply grinned. “Bonus.”
As promised, the moment he leaned his mouth toward her neck,
Looking up, she saw Buffy slam Spike into a wall, before punching him hard.
Glancing around, the redhead noticed that Xander and Anya were standing in the
doorway. Scurrying a little further back on the bed,
Slamming into the dresser next to
Xander had now moved to Buffy’s side, trying to keep one eye on
“Hey, hey, hey!” Buffy yelled. “No chanting without permission!” The slayer
moved in an attempt to kick the demon, but as her leg swung around, Spike
darted out of the way and continued chanting. Buffy found herself flat on her
back before jumping up and looking around in surprise, scowling at Anya, who
was trying to hold back her giggles.
“You heard the slayer,” Xander yelled out. “You got something to say, you share
with the rest of the class.”
As he continued to chant, Spike began to glow, before he suddenly reached out
with lightening speed and grabbed Willow, pulling her to him, her body glowing
a bright blue for just a moment, and she let out a scream as searing pain shot
through her body.
Both Buffy and Xander lunged forward at hearing the redhead’s scream, but
stopped, unsure of what move to make when the chanting ended. Before they could
take another step, Spike bit down harshly on
“What the hell was that?” Xander shouted.
“Okay, I’ve had just about enough of this. Let her go, now, or I kill you, the
long and painful way,” Buffy threatened.
Spike chuckled, knowing she couldn’t touch him. “Well, just one little problem
with that, Slayer. See, I’m definitely not looking to let the girl go, and that
little spell I just performed, it bound her to me, so you kill me now, and you
kill her.” Spike smiled broadly at her, feeling triumphant.
“Fine,” Buffy replied, staring defiantly at the demon before her, her hands
firmly on her hips. She didn’t know what he was talking about, or even if it
was true, but the slayer knew she couldn’t risk her friend’s life to find out.
“Then I guess we go for choice number three. I kick your ass until I render you
unconscious, we find out what that stupid, little spell was, and THEN I kill
you the long and painful way.”
Spike gripped the neck of the unconscious girl in his arms and squeezed
lightly, smiling at the Slayer. “I’ll have her neck snapped before you can lay
so much as one finger on me.” She knew he was right, and turned to look at the
others for some sign of what they thought she should do.
Trying desperately to figure out what was going on, and wishing with all of her
being that she could make the pain stop,
“Bu-Buffy?”
“It’s okay, Will. We’re right here. Don’t worry.” She could hear the doubt in
the Slayer’s voice, causing panic to bubble up inside her.
“Oh god, wh-what’s happening?” The redhead whimpered again as the vampire
behind her squeezed her neck a little tighter, and she heard him whisper
menacingly into her ear.
“Lesson one, pet, you don’t say another word unless I give you permission.
Understand?”
“What?” She didn’t understand. She really, really didn’t understand.
He squeezed a little more and twisted one of her arms hard behind her, his
fingers digging painfully into her soft skin.
“Not another word, or your punishment will be severe,” he growled, again only
loud enough for her to hear.
Seeing his best friend gasp in pain, Xander stepped forward, raising the stake
in his hands.
“Let her go. Right. Now,” he demanded through clenched teeth.
“Xander, stop,” Buffy called out, grabbing his arm and pulling him back before
he hit the invisible barrier. “You heard what he said. Kill him and we kill
her.”
“Maybe he’s lying,” Xander reasoned, his tone bitter. “Vampires, not exactly
big with the truth.”
“Maybe I am lying,” Spike responded. “Why don’t you test me and find out.
‘Course if I’m not, your little friend here is dead, all thanks to you. But if
you can live with that, please, be my guest.”
After considering his words for a moment, Xander took a step back, a defeated
look on his face. Looking around and smiling to himself, Spike stopped
squeezing
“Well, kids, this has been really great, but I think that my new pet and I
really should be going now.”
“There is no way I am letting you leave here with her,” Buffy warned, stepping
towards the slowly retreating vampire.
“Oh, no, I didn’t expect that you would,” he replied, before snapping his
fingers. Suddenly, at least ten vampires came to the door.
“Why don’t you invite our friends in, love?” Spike whispered.
Grabbing a chunk of red hair roughly, Spike whispered to her, “As much as I
like games, you WILL be punished for all your struggling and defiance. You WILL
learn to behave, one way or another, PET.” With that, he quickly flung her over
his shoulder and made his way out of the dorm room.
~2~
Giles looked at the small, weary group sitting in his living room. They had
managed to fight off the group of attacking vampires easily enough, but not
before Spike had escaped with
“A-and you say that while he chanted, he started to glow a bluish color?” Giles
questioned as he paced the room, flipped through book after book. He was trying
to understand exactly what had taken place. Buffy simply nodded.
“And the language, it was English, or…”
“I have no idea,” the slayer told him. “It sounded kinda like…”
“Latin,” Any interjected, sitting up a bit straighter, her eyes suddenly
widening. “It was Latin.”
“Do you have any idea what it meant?” The former watcher asked.
“He said something about
“Hmm, yes well, I do remember reading about a ritual involving vampires and
humans bonding, though I haven’t been able to locate that book for some time.
I’ll have to see if…”
“It was a pet binding ritual,” Anya interrupted. Everyone looked toward her in
surprised.
“Pardon?”
“A pet binding ritual. A vampire castes a spell as he or she comes in contact
with the desired human, and after the spell is completed, the human is bound to
that vampire, as a pet.”
“Pet? And by pet, you mean…”
“Like a slave, or concubine,” she explained, matter-of-factly.
“You knew that was what he was doing to her, and you didn’t say anything
before?” Xander shouted, jumping up from the couching and glaring down at her.
“Xander, I only just realized what it was. It’s been a very long time since
I’ve seen something like that performed. Vampires don’t really use it nowadays.
They don’t like to be tied down. They’re more eat and run, these days. It was
more popular in the Eighteenth century, really. I knew something seemed
familiar, but I really only just realized what it was.”
“And you’re certain that was what he was doing?” Giles asked, his voice
strained.
Anya nodded, looking down at her hands with a frown.
“Any ideas on how to reverse it, or break the spell?” Buffy questioned.
“There is no reversal, as such, that I know of,” Giles told her, vaguely
familiar with the ritual in question. “The only way to break the spell is for
the human to be claimed by another vampire.”
“Well, that’s just great. We’ll just find some nice, friendly vampire, and ask
him if he wouldn’t mind being a pal and claiming a friend of ours, who just
happens to already belong to another vampire, and then we’ll just convince him
to let her go. Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem at all,” Xander stated
sarcastically, before sitting back down next to Anya.
“Well, even if you COULD do that, it wouldn’t work,” she told him quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, once a vampire claims a human, the pull of the bond is very strong. To
separate them would cause the human great pain. Most of the pets taken,
well…most of them were eventually killed or turned, but the ones who lost their
masters, they usually went insane and ended up taking their own lives.”
“Well, maybe there is something we can do…Some sort of spell or something that
would break the bond and leave
“Yes, well, we certainly will researching all we can about that, but even if we
did find something, I doubt that you would find a vampire willing to take
another’s pet, claim her and then let her go free.”
Suddenly, the door flew open and everyone turned to see a dark figure rush in.
“Giles! I need to talk to you immediately! A friend of mine had a vision
about…” Angel stopped and looked around at the group of people staring at him,
before looking toward Giles. “What’s going on?”
“Deadboy…Ever hear of knocking?” Xander greeting the vampire, who opened his
mouth to replied, stopping as he heard Buffy speak.
“Angel?” The slayer took a step toward the dark haired vampire, staring at him
in shock. “What…what are you doing here?”
“My friend had a vision. Spike, he’s back in town, and I think he’s going
after…”
“
Angel blinked once, twice. “Yeah, how did…oh god, I’m too late.”
“Just missed the fun,” Xander confirmed bitterly. “Could have used you about an
hour ago.”
“Did he…”
“Kill her? No,” Buffy told him, looking down sadly, silently chastising herself
for not having been able to save her friend. “He took her.”
“Well they couldn’t have gotten far. What’s the plan? How can I help?”
Buffy looked toward Giles, arching an eyebrow at him as an idea hit her.
Seeing the look that Buffy gave Giles, Xander jumped up in protest. “No way! No
way, Buffy, don’t even think about it! No way are you going to let THAT claim
Hearing Xander’s words, Angel looked at Buffy in confusion. “What is he talking
about?”
Ignoring Angel for a moment, Buffy addressed Xander. “Xander, he may be our
best shot. He may be our ONLY shot.”
“No! Buffy, I don’t trust him. He left town, remember? He comes running back
and suddenly you want to just hand
“Hey, um, someone want to tell me exactly what the hell you’re talking about?”
Angel interjected. Buffy simply looked toward Giles, waiting for his approval
before saying anything more.
~3~
After bringing her back to his home, Spike drank from the redhead until she
passed out, leaving her alone in a dark room. As she slowly woke,
Closing her eyes, she tried to center herself, whispering a chant to her
goddess before attempting to magically break the bindings. After a few seconds,
she let out a deep breath and struggled once more against the cuffs in
frustration, too weak to work any magic. She winced, again feeling the metal
bite into her skin.
“The little witch doesn’t seem to be able to get out of bed,” an amused voice
came from a far corner of the room, taunting her.
“Let me go!” She yelled into the darkness, trying to sound as brave as
possible.
“Don’t think you’re in any position to be giving orders,” he said, slightly
less amused. Again she closed her eyes, desperately hoping to be able to
harness enough power to break the bindings.
“Don’t bother, Red,” he said, again with laughter in his voice. “Magically
reinforced.”
She heard movement from the direction of the voice, and twisted her neck in an
attempt to see her captor. A second later, she gasped as she looked up and saw
him standing at the side of the bed, towering over her.
“Now, you seem like a smart girl, so I’m sure you’re going to catch onto all of
the rules real fast, but let me give you a little lesson.” Leaning down so that
his face was hovering just inches over hers, Spike gave her a slight cocky grin
before continuing. “You. Do NOT. Tell me. What to do. Got it? I make the
commands around here, and I don’t expect to hear any demanding out of you. Do
you understand?”
She nodded her head, looking up at him miserably.
“Say it.”
“Yes, I understand,” she grumbled, looking away from him. In a flash, he
reached out and gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look back up at him.
“Yes, MASTER,” he stated.
“Yes…master,” she said, rolling her eyes. He growled and she averted her eyes
from his face as best she could with his still inches from her own.
“You are my pet. You are nothing more than a slave, here for my pleasure.
Accept that. The quicker you do, the better off you will be. You will do as I
tell you, when I tell you, without question. You WILL obey me, and if you
don’t, you will be punished.” He paused, smiling at thoughts of punishing his
new pet. “Understand, it really doesn’t matter a whole lot to me either way.
Kinda get a kick out of the whole punishing thing, myself…but…I’m thinking you
might enjoy it slightly less.”
She thought about it for a moment, and then opened her mouth to say something,
but was stopped as he continued his speech.
“You only speak when spoken to, and then it’s ‘yes, master” or ‘no, master”,
unless I specify otherwise. You will be living here from now on, and basically
be waiting at my beckon call to pleasure me any way that I see fit at any time.
The bottom line is, my pleasure is what matters, not yours. Understand?”
“What’s to stop me from running?” She questioned.
“You run from me, and you will feel the physical pain of the bond being pulled.
That, and when I do find you, I will punish you so severely you will be begging
for death,” he growled darkly. “It doesn’t have to be all bad. All you have to
do is bend to my every whim, obey my every command, and please me in every way
possible. I, in return, could treat you well, if I choose. I can be a very
generous lover.” He laughed and smiled cruelly. “You do every thing you’re told,
we’ll be fine. You don’t, you try to defy me in ANY way at ANY time? Well,
let’s just say I enjoy inflicting the pain as much as the pleasure…so either
way, I win. Do you understand?”
“Red?” His voice broke the silence in the room, startling her, but she remained
focused on the floating object, trying to ignore him. As it neared the vampire,
“What’s the difference? Eventually, you’ll just kill me anyway,” she stated,
her voice quiet but unwavering.
“The difference,” he snarled, leaning into closer toward her, “is that I don’t
have to kill you. I can just make the rest of your days a living hell on
earth.”
Standing back up, he walked across the room to a small bar built into the wall,
and poured himself a drink.
“Besides,” he snickered, “you kill me, you kill yourself.”
“How do you figure that?” She asked, hating his cocky attitude.
“You aren’t the only one that has been studying the black arts. Remember that
neat little spell I performed right before I took you? Little pet binding
ritual I found…very useful. It binds you to me for eternity. It makes you
completely dependant on me…It makes you NEED me. I die…you slowly go insane.
And to think, I never would have found that spell if it wasn't for you.” He
smiled satisfactorily at the horror on her face.
~4~
Standing in front of the old mansion that Spike had set up as his new lair,
Angel took a deep, unneeded breath, mentally preparing himself for whatever
might happen on the other side of that door. It had been nearly a week since
Willow had been taken, and though six days didn’t seem like all that much,
Angel was all too well aware of the amount of damage a vampire could inflict in
that amount of time. He also knew how stubborn and tough the redhead could be
when it counted, but suspected that even she was not able to over come the pull
of the bond.
Buffy had been growing increasingly antsy as each day passed, desperate to put
their plan into action. Angel understood her concern. Spike was rash and
unpredictable. There was no sure way of knowing what he would do next, and the
blond often let boredom and impatience rule over good sense. Still, it was in
Spike’s best interest to keep
Steeling himself, Angel stepped forward and knocked on the door, greeted a
moment later by one of Spike’s minions and taken into an ornate study. Sitting
down, Angel mentally prepared himself to play his evil alter-ego. He knew he
would need to forgo the soul, and all guilt and morals that came with it, if he
was going to trick Spike. Unsure of exactly what condition
“Lookin to die, mate?” Angel jumped as Spike spoke, walking in and shutting the
door. He had expected the slayer to come up with some elaborate scheme to get
her little friend back, but the blond hadn’t been expecting Angel to show up at
his door. This was certainly an interesting twist, though not one he would let
get the better of him. It had only been a week, but already the little redhead
was proving most helpful. She seemed to know a lot about magic and spells,
among other things, and thanks to the ritual he’d performed, her training was
coming along quite nicely. Certainly, she had her moments of insolence and
boldness, but that really only made things that much more fun. Torture and
violence had always been a welcomed pastime, and the girl’s pale skin colored
quite beautifully under his hand. Her moans and cries were like music to him,
and she proved to be a very fast learner, already an expert in many of the ways
to please him.
Despite herself, and thanks to the magically induced bond,
“Nice digs, Spike. You’re moving up in the world. Much better than that rusted
out warehouse,” Angel commented as he looked around casually.
“You know, I thought you were smarter than this, Angel. You come waltzing in
here, all soully and mightier-than-thou, and you think what? I’m going to just
bow down before you?”
“Spike, Spike, Spike,” Angel replied, shaking his head and pacing the room. He
knew this role all too well. “You never learn, do you? Even when I DID have the
soul, I was still better than you. And now, with out it? Well…”
“Without?” Spike questioned, eyeing him cautiously as he pulled a cigarette out
and light it, inhaling deeply. “Another romp in the hay with the slayer then?”
“Nah, turns out there’s all sorts of thing that’ll make a guy happy,” Angel
told him with a grin. “Sinking into a hot little slayer is falling lower and
lower on the list these days.”
Spike continued to look him over, regarding the older vampire carefully. “And
now what? You’ve come back to make nice with the family again? Dru’s not here,
and…”
“Not here to see Dru, Spike. I’m here to see you,” the dark haired vampire told
him. “Thought it was time we kissed and made up.”
"That so? Well, I always knew you were a mighty poof, but I’m afraid that
I just don’t…”
Reaching out with lightning fast speed, Angel grabbed the blond by the neck,
slamming him into a wall and growling. “I am still your elder boy. Show a
little respect.”
Spike shoved him away, just as the door flew open and several minions ran in.
“It’s alright,” Spike told them, waving his hand dismissively before they left
once again. Reaching out, the blond grabbed his grand sire’s collar tightly.
“Listen up, pops. This is MY home. I’m the master. You don’t just come in here
and think you’ll take over, got it? I’m on top now. ME!”
Grabbing his hands and pushing him away, Angel straightened out his coat.
“Jeez, didn’t know you had a preferred position, Spikey. You know that I prefer
to be on top, and you never seemed to mind much.” Spike growled and the
brunette chuckled. “Listen, I’m not looking to take over your roll here as king
of the hill. I just need a place to lay low for a little while, get the slayer
off my back.”
“Why don’t you try
“Nah. I thought about it, but you know? I’ve really grown accustomed to the
“And just how am I supposed to know that you aren’t working for the bitch?”
Spike questioned, still suspecting that the slayer might be behind Angel’s
appearance.
A momentary wave of panic washed over the older vampire, but he quickly
recovered, eying Spike cautiously. “You think I’d go running to the slayer
again? Had to leave town just to get away from her. I mean, come on, the girl
sent me to hell.”
“So you figured you’d just saunter in here and I’d take you in just like that?
Throw you a big bloody welcome-home party?” Spike growled.
Angel shrugged. “That was the basic idea, yeah.”
He watched as Spike had an unreadable expression on his face, before breaking
out into a wide grin, grabbing the older vampire, wrapping an arm around his
shoulders. He didn’t completely trust the brunette, but Spike figured his best
bet was to keep the enemy closer at the moment, wait and see exactly what
Angelus was up to.
“Welcome to my humble abode, mate. Mi casa es su casa…and all that.”
Angel smiled, letting out an unneeded breath before seeing Spike quickly morph
into game face and punch him hard in the stomach, causing the older vampire to
double over in pain for a moment, before jumping back up and throwing an upper
cut at the blond, leaving a trickle of blood seeping down Spike’s cheek.
The younger vampire chuckled. “Just remember, I’m in charge. You cross me,
you’ll be begging for your unlife. Got it?”
Angel growled, clenching his teeth. “Don’t be making idle threats, Spike.”
“Never do,” Spike shot back as he turned and walked out.
Angel’s shoulders sagged as he winced and rubbed his sore stomach, silently
cursing the whole plan.
~5~
Walking by the open library door, Angel stopped and looked in, seeing Spike
sitting in a big, leather chair, reading an old book. Next to him, on the hard,
polished floor, he could see
Her position at Spike’s feet had become a very familiar one already, and
despite herself,
Just as he was about to turn and continue down the hall, Angel heard Spike
speak.
“Angelus. Come on in.”
Trying to avoid looking at
“Looks like you found yourself a new pet, Spike,” Angel commented, sitting down
and taking an offered cigarette from the blond, inhaling deeply. “Slayer’s
little friend. Interesting choice. Must have royally pissed her off.”
“Well, you know me,” Spike replied with a grin. “Always enjoy a little game of
kick-the-slayer. Besides just pissing her off, taking her friend as a pet gives
me pretty much a lifetime guarantee to not be dusted.” Spike knew that he
shouldn’t be giving Angelus too much information, but the younger vampire had
never been able to pass up the opportunity to gloat when it came to his grand
sire.
“What makes you think that?” Angel questioned, taking another drag on the
cigarette. “I would think that kidnapping one of the slayer’s gang would just
get her running here that much more quickly, ready to stake your ass.”
“Didn’t exactly kidnap her.” Angel raised an eyebrow in fained confusion,
hoping to get as much information as possible out of the other demon.
Letting out an exasperated huff and rolling his eyes, Spike explained. “I
performed this little pet binding ritual…binds her to me…they kill me and their
friend goes insane.”
“Not unlike your lovely sire,” Angel mused with a cruel grin. Seeing Spike
glare at him, Angel’s grin widened and he continued to talk. “How long have you
had her?”
“’Bout a week now.”
“No sign of the slayer?”
“Not a one.” Spike smiled in satisfaction, letting a hand drop down and run
idly through Willow’s red hair. She had been staring at Angel, trying to figure
out what was going on, but as she felt her Master’s hand in her hair, she
slowly closed her eyes and relaxed a little more against the chair. She tried
to fight the urges he created with in her, wanting to stay alert, but
ultimately, she knew it was a losing battle. She had read all there was on the
ritual he’d performed, and now understood the pull she felt toward him, but
that didn’t make it any easier. She felt both loathing towards and a need for
the demon, wanting to run from him and please him at the same moment. With the
addition of Angel in the room, shame and fear crept in as well. It was a
dizzying effect, and though the easiest solution was to simply not think at
all, Willow knew that the moment she stopped, she would be lost completely.
Angel growled quietly, seeing Willow’s face soften and her body relax into
Spike’s touch. The blond raised an eyebrow.
“Jealous, mate?”
Angel simply glared at him for a moment before answering. “Jealous? I’d hardly
even consider a little bit of fluff like that worth keeping as a pet. She’s
barely bite-worthy. You should have seen her in high school. Complete outcast.”
He tried not to look at her as he saw Willow’s face fall and her big, green
eyes look up at him, full of hurt and sadness.
Spike merely chuckled. “You’d be surprised, Angelus. This little kitten has
claws.” He laughed and ran a finger up and down her neck, along her pulse
point, enjoying the feel of her shiver under his touch.
“Yeah, well, whatever gets you going,” Angel said dismissively.
“Oh, come on. You’re telling me that if you were given the chance, you wouldn’t
want to play with her at all? No desire to sink your fangs into that creamy,
soft flesh?” Spike questioned.
Angel shrugged as Willow’s head jerked up to look at Spike.
“I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have a little fun with her, given the chance,”
Angel explained, lazily rolling his neck. “I just wouldn’t waste my time going
after her.” Willow looked back and forth between the two, showing much more
interesting in the conversation than she knew she should. "I mean, come
on. Of all the girls in Sunnydale...Willow? You could have done a lot better
Spike."
“Well, maybe I’ll let you play with my pet once in a while. Share, just like
old times, if you feel so inclined,” Spike said with a smile, laughter and
mocking in his voice. Willow looked up at him with horror. It was bad enough
that she had to submit to Spike, but to have to submit to Angelus as
well...that was just too much. She started to shake her head wildly, and opened
her mouth to speak, when his sudden growl stopped her.
“Something to add?” Spike questioned, his tone low and dangerous.
Willow wanted so badly to shout at him, to tell him that she was not some object
to be passes around, but she knew better, and fought to keep from objecting.
“No, master,” she squeaked, looking down at the floor.
“See what a good little pet she is?” Spike praised with a grin, letting his
hand fall back to her hair again, stroking it lightly. Willow fought to keep
the tears from leaving her eyes and to stay seated in her place on the floor.
She wanted to jump up and run away, but she had tried that before, and the
redhead knew better than to try it again.
“You really would enjoy her, Angelus,” Spike taunted further. “She may seem
meek and quiet, but she can scream with the best of them. Really, and she has a
very talented mouth, if you know what I mean.”
Angel briefly closed his eyes, as images assaulted his mind of her mouth exploring
his body, enveloping him in her wet heat.
“She has a defiant streak in her, but it keeps things interesting, and her
body…well, you should see what she’s been keeping hidden under all those baggy
clothes.” Leaning down, he spoke quieter, more directly to Willow. “You know, I
should punish you for keeping yourself hidden from me.” Leaning back again in
his chair, Spike untangled his fingers from her hair and smiled.
“Stand up, Red, and let Angelus see what a pretty pet I have.” Spike knew she
would hate this, and therefore he enjoyed it all the more. Scowling, Willow
slowly stood up, feeling completely naked under their gaze, despite the thin
dress covering her.
“Adorable, isn’t she?” Angel said nothing, and just watched her as Spike
commanded her to slowly turn in a circle “to get a full view.”
“Perfect breasts, nice, flat stomach, firm little ass,” Spike described as
Willow felt her face flush and his hand roam slowly up and down her body.
“Maybe we should slip this dress right off, let Angel get the whole picture,”
the blond whispered cruelly, as he casually slid one of the straps down off of
her shoulder.
Before she could think about what she was doing, Willow took a quick step away
from him, out of his reach, and whimpered, “No, please stop.”
“What did you say to me?” Spike bellowed, his face suddenly turning from
amusement to anger. Standing up, he saw her take another step away from him.
“Don’t you dare move another muscle.” The threat hung in the air, and Willow
desperately wished the floor would open up and swallow her. Turning her head
slightly, she glanced at Angel, silently begging for help, but saw that his
face held a completely indifferent expression.
“Look at me!” Spike yelled, causing her to snap her head up to meet his angry gaze.
“What did you say to me?”
“Looks like you’re having some difficulties controlling your pet, Spikey,”
Angel teased, partly hoping to take the blond’s focus away from the young
witch. “Maybe I should show you how it’s done.”
Spike turned and glared at the older vampire. “Oh, you’d love that wouldn’t
you,” he snarled, “to show me up again…I can handle her just fine.” At that, he
turned back toward a now shaking Willow. “What did you say?” Again, his tone
was low and menacing.
Already, she couldn’t remember what it was that she had said to anger the
vampire, though she knew it was something very, very bad. Desperately searching
her brain, Willow finally remembered and whispered, “I…I said…n-no.”
“No! You said no…to ME! And what is the one thing you are to never do?” He
stood, towering over her, waiting for her answer. After a long, silent pause,
he reaching out, slapping her hard across the face. Insolence was bad enough,
but in front of his grand sire, it was absolutely intolerable. “What is the one
thing you never do?” He repeated the question.
“N-never disobey you,” she stammered meekly, dropping her eyes to the floor.
“And you still don’t seem to get it, do you, witch? You do WHAT I say, WHEN I
say it, without question!”
“I-I’m sorry…Master,” she responded, still having trouble choking out that last
word, but knowing it would be far worse if she didn’t include it. She dared not
look over again at Angel, whose presence she was still acutely aware of, and
whom she knew she was about to be punished in front of.
“You’re sorry? Well, you certainly will be,” he growled, suddenly reaching out
and grabbing her by the waist, hauling her back over to the chair. Sitting, he
stood her between his legs, keeping a firm grip on one arm. With his free hand,
Spike took a fist full of her silky dress and effortlessly ripped it from her
body. With a sob, she tried desperately to cover herself, but in the next
moment, found herself yanked roughly over his lap.
“When I tell you to do something, you do it, understand?” With that, she felt
his hand crash down with tremendous force on her unprotected skin. Again and
again she felt the sharp slaps stinging her ass and thighs.
“I don’t care who is here, or what you are doing. What I want comes first and
for most. What you want DOESN’T MATTER! You are nothing more than my pet, my
toy to play with.” He continued to rain down hard blows, turning her pale,
creamy flesh a deep, angry red. She was sobbing and gave little fight
throughout her punishment, unsure of what was worse, the horrible pain burning
through her skin, or the fact that Angel was witnessing the entire ordeal.
After about ten minutes, he stopped and she laid limply across his lap.
Spreading her legs, Spike ran one finger along her now wet slit and she groaned
in humiliation as he licked the digit, looking up at Angel, grinning. He didn't
seem to notice as Angel tried to control his rage, clenching his jaw tightly
and gripping the arms of his chair until his knuckles whitened. Willow felt hot
tears slip down her face as she cursed the body she could no longer control.
“See that? A real wild cat,” Spike stated, before shoving her from his lap.
Willow fell in a heap on the floor, defeat etched in her face.
“Get up, go to your room, clean yourself up and wait for me there,” Spike
commanded coldly, as he tossed the remains of her dress at her. Willow stood as
quickly as possible and rushed out of the room, very careful to never look once
in Angel’s direction.
~6~
Angel looked up when he heard the door open, and saw Willow timidly enter the
study, her head bowed forward, red hair partly hiding her flushed face as she
carried in a silver tray for tea. It had been a few days since he’d seen her,
and the first time they were alone together. She’s only been in his presence a
hand full of times since the first night that Spike had “introduced” them,
though he had heard her often enough. Angel had laid awake most of each day,
trying to ignore the sounds of his grand childe and the witch, Spike moaning
and laughing in amusement, or yelling in anger, and Willow screaming and crying
from both pleasure and pain.
Angel understood the shame he saw flicker in her eyes as Willow set the tray
down and glanced up toward him for a moment. She was constantly teetering on
the edge of lust and loathing, pain given for the sake of pleasure, and
pleasure caused for the sake of pain. Spike knew the game as well as Angelus
did, and the brunette knew that Willow was no match for him. She was ruled by a
spell that caused her own body to betray her, turning against her if she tried
to fight. Her flesh craved the very things that her mind rebelled against.
The older vampire had been watching her, observing closely every chance he had,
and he was beginning to wonder how much of her actions were caused by the spell
itself, and how much was simply in response to an awakening of a part of her
that she had been unaware of. He suspected that she wondered the same thing,
fighting it at the same moment that she surrendered wholly, her mind most likely
split in two, much as her body surely felt. Angel remembered the vampire
version of the redhead that he’d seen a year earlier, and knew enough to
understand that within Willow’s sweet, innocent nature, their existed the
potential for darkness and something more that her friends would never
understand.
He tried to ignore the sounds of Spike playing with his pet, trying to bring
his fury under control and remember to play the part of the mean, cold bastard
he was supposed to be, while at the same moment straining to hear the soft
gasps and moans he knew would escape the redhead’s lips. Yes, Angel understood
all too well the feeling of being split in two, of wanting the very thing he
knew he should never have, of craving the very best of the very worst. When he
had come to Sunnydale, the mission had been clear, save Willow, destroy Spike,
go back to brooding in LA, but in the last few days, the vampire had felt his
emotions shifting slightly. Perhaps Angelus was closer to the surface than he
liked, or perhaps there was something about Willow, something he had never
allowed himself to see, that attracted him to her. Either way, Angel didn’t
like the effects that the witch was having on him, and the sooner he was able
to get her out of there and back to her friends, the better.
Willow poured a cup of tea, her hands shaking slightly as she set it down on a
table next to Angel. She looked up, eying him carefully, noticing that he
appeared to be deep in thought. Moving slowly and quietly, she set about
tidying the room, as Spike had commanded, always keeping one eye on the dark
haired demon. So far he had made no motion to acknowledge that she was in the
room, and that was just fine, as far as Willow was concerned. In truth, Angelus
scared her even more than Spike did, and she was glad that, for the most part,
Spike was keeping her away from him.
She had been surprised, at first, when Spike told her to go serve Angel the
tea. It had been clear that Spike did not trust the older vampire and that he
did not want him near his pet. Now though, Willow understood her purpose
clearly. Keep her mouth shut and her ears open. Spike wanted to know what
Angelus was planning, and was hoping that Willow, smart little thing that she
was, might be able to get something out of him.
Scurrying past the silent vampire, Willow let out a small yelp as he reached
out, grabbing her wrist and squeezing tightly. She looked up, a startled look
upon her face and tried to pull away.
“Willow,” Angel purred, a cold grin on his face, “long time no see. You know,
we haven’t really had the chance to talk since I got here, just you and me.”
Her eyes widened slightly and she tried to pull away again, the demon within
Angel raging to break free, and basking in the fear that radiated from the
small woman. Angel didn’t want her to be afraid of him, not really, but he knew
that now was not the time to drop the soulless act.
“I…I have to go,” she stammered quickly, moving to pull away again, but Angel
simply tightened his grip and pulled her closer so that she was now trapped
between his strong thighs.
Angel inhaled deeply. “You’re afraid. That’s good. You should be.”
“Spike won’t let you hurt me,” she told him, her eyes darting around the room.
“You’re depending on him to save you? You forget, Willow, he belongs to me. I
tell HIM what to do, not the other way around,” he growled.
“You sure about that?” The vampire raised an eyebrow, surprised at her boldness
and the apparent fact that she did truly believe that Spike could save her from
him. For a moment, she thought that she saw the glimmer of something familiar
in his eyes...Something almost soulful, but a moment later it was gone.
Angel tightened his grip on her arm and growled. “Watch it, little girl. I
could snap your neck before you could open your mouth to scream. And don’t
think that Spike would care in the slightest. You’re nothing to him.” Angel saw
the girl’s face drop at that statement and her shoulders slump slightly as he
felt a pang of guilt. “Me, on the other hand, I can see your potential, Willow.
I can give you what you want, what you most crave. I can bring out that side of
you that no one else can see, give you the world, prove to you just how special
you really are. You’d be more than just a mere pet, Willow.”
Angel watched as her eyes widened and her face seemed to brighten slightly. He
wanted her to trust him, to open up to him, to crave him, and though he told
himself again and again that it was only because it would be easier to help her
escape if they were on the same side, Angel knew that wasn’t the only reason
anymore.
She seemed to be considering his words for a moment, before finally opening her
mouth to speak.
“Spike gives me what I need,” she told him, sounding a bit unsure, yet slightly
angry at the same time. “A-and besides, you just want me to help you get to
Buffy, and sorry, but I’m already being used as a pawn in another demon’s
game.”
“Why do you do it?” The suddenly angry tone in Angel’s voice surprised Willow,
as did the question. To be fair, Angel himself had been a little startled by
his own question. That wasn’t what he’d planned on asking.
“Do…do what?” She questioned.
“Answer to him like a dog fetching a stick,” he spat out, bitter distain lacing
his voice.
Willow clenched her jaw and Angel watched as her face turned red, alerting him
of the fact that he’d just made a grave error.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have much choice,” she shouted, yanking
her hand free of his grip and taking a step back, glaring at the vampire. “I’m
bound to him, whether I like it or not, and despite what you obviously think,
I’m pretty darn smart, and I know that my choices are simple…do what he says or
die. I don't like it, but I have this crazy instinct to survive, and until I
figure out how the hell to get myself out of this...”
“I never said you weren’t smart, Willow, and…” Angel began, before she cut him
off.
“You obviously think I’m awfully stupid,” she told him. “As if I’d believe that
you really wanted me, just me, just Willow. Like you’ve suddenly seen something
in me that no one else ever did, some great Willowy magic that…that you never
quite noticed before? Angel loses his soul and suddenly he notices shy, little
Willow? Give me a break.”
Angel growled, standing up and glaring down at her. The truth was that he HAD
seen something in her that he hadn’t noticed before. The last time he’d been in
Sunnydale, everyone else had been eclipsed by Buffy, but now…
“Do you trust him?”
“Trust him?” She repeated. “Never. Care for him? Not even a little bit, but I’m
drawn to him, whether I like it or not.”
“Are we having a problem?” Both Willow and Angel turned, surprised to see Spike
in the doorway. The redhead immediately dropped her head forward, and Angel
watched as all fury seemed to drain from her. Where only a moment ago had stood
a strong, angry women, now was a submissive, quiet girl. He was amazed at the
transformation. Glancing at the side of her face, he saw that she was clenching
her jaw tightly, and he suddenly became aware of just how good an actress
Willow really was.
“Come here, pet,” Spike commanded coolly. Willow immediately moved to stand by
his side. The blond wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him
as he stared at Angel.
“The poof bothering you?” He asked, never taking his eyes off of his grand
sire.
“No, Master,” she replied quietly, feeling his hand slide up and run through
her hair. Angel watched in utter amazement at the way she was immediately
subdued, and wondered if Spike really believe he was that good a master. He
knew that such a strong effect so quickly had to be due, at least in part, to
the spell. She seemed to melt into the blond, despite the look on her face,
which clearly showed loathing, for both herself and the demon at her side.
“Something to say, Angelus?” Spike questioned, a cold smirk on his face. Angel
simply shook his head. “Right then. Time my pet and I had a little talk about
raising our voices to the guests.” At that, he turned, steering the meek
redhead from the room, leaving Angel staring after them.
~7~
It was time. Angel knew that he could not wait another day. He could not spend
another afternoon listening to Willow’s screams, watch her watching him when
they were in the same room, her calculating eyes clearly trying to decipher
what Angel was up to. The lines distinguishing good guy from bad guy were
blurring, and he was beginning to fear that she would unknowingly blow his
cover.
He was growing antsy. Spike seemed to have let his guard down a bit in the last
few days, allowing the redhead to be around his grand sire, even offering her
services to him on more than one occasion. Of course, Angel had always refused,
dismissing the witch as undesirable. That only caused Willow’s curiosity and
distrust to grow, since the brunette has already clearly shown interest in her.
For her own part, Willow was feeling utterly confused. Angelus had
propositioned her, offered to “show her the world,” and yet since that time,
he’d shown no interest in her what so ever. She suspected that he simply wanted
to remove Spike’s bargaining chip, and though the blond vampire frightened her
enough, the mere thought of being handed over to Angelus made her blood run
cold. She had been watching him, trying to read his thoughts, though Willow
couldn’t confess to any measure of success. There were moments when she would
catch him looking at her, and she’d swear it was Angel, not Angelus, but then
he would open his mouth and remove all doubt that the soul was gone. Besides,
he’d made no attempt to help her in all the time he’d been there.
As for Spike, it was rather lucky for her that she was such a fast learner. Of
course, he still took pleasure in punishing the redhead for any minor
infraction, or simply for his own entertainment. The beatings were bad, being
bound, at his mercy, with no will of her own, but the pleasure aspect was far
worse, and Spike was well aware of that. He would touch her, tease her with
gentle strokes that drove her crazy, causing her to writhe beneath him. Her
body craved his touch, both gentle and rough, and he tormented her with the
knowledge that her own actions sickened her. Each slap, each stoke of a whip
simply turned her on a little bit more, calling to a need deep with in her.
She tried to fight the emotions stirring inside of her as much as possible, but
there was no denying that the spell had, indeed, had an effect on her. It may
not have been as strong as Spike believed it to be…She still had a mind of her
own, still raged within to break free, still loathed him passionately, but her body…it
betrayed her at every turn, and when she cried out, Willow never knew for sure
if she was begging him to stop, or begging for more.
Waiting until the screams had long since gone quiet, Angel slowly crept down
the hall to Willow’s room. He had heard Spike leave with several of the
minions, knowing now was his moment, and quickly phoned Buffy, advising her
that Spike was out. She would try to keep him “occupied” in the cemetery,
without actually killing the vampire.
Walking into the quiet, dark room, he felt a revival of his hatred for the
blond vampire as he looked over at the bed and the redhead sleeping under the
thin, black sheet. She was naked beneath the black satin, and her wrists
chained above her head, tightly, the cuffs digging into her soft, bruised skin.
He could see by the tearstains on her flushed face, that she had cried herself
to sleep. He had heard the noises coming from her room earlier, and knew that
Spike had worked her over pretty well. It had taken every last ounce of self-control
to keep from storming in and tearing the blond’s throat out.
Making his way to the bed, Angel gently shook the redhead and whispered her
name. At first, he got no response, and tried again.
“Willow, come on, wake up…time to go,” he nudged her side again, and the young
witch moaned softly before turning as much away from him as the chains would
allow.
“Willow, you have to get up now,” he said a little more forcefully. After
thinking for a moment, he added, “You want to go home, don’t you?”
This got the attention of her sleep-clouded mind, and Willow turned back, her
eyes wide open, staring up at him.
“Angel?” She looked confused, wondering if it was possible that she had heard
him correctly. Since arriving at the mansion, the dark haired vampires had
given her no indication that he was there to help her. “Did…did you say home?”
“Yeah, Will, home,” he reaffirmed, happy to see the smile spread across her
face.
She looked up at him, still not able to fully believe that what he was saying
could be real. Part of her thought that he was just cruelly taunting her, and
she was waiting for the punch line of the joke.
“Home, as in a permanent spot in the cemetery kind of home?” She questioned
skeptically. Looking into his eyes, Willow was suddenly certain that the soul
was behind them. Gasping softly, she felt her eyes fill with tears as her heart
filled with hope. “You’re going to take me home?” She asked, her voice tiny and
hoarse.
“I am, but we have to move quickly,” he told her as he reached up and snapped
the chains apart. She brought her arms down in front of her as she slowly
struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain coursing through her body. Angel heard
her hiss as she struggled to move and lean back, but chose to ignore it for the
time being.
“Willow, where are your clothes?” He asked, looking around.
She pointed to the closet, as one hand gripped the sheet around her tightly,
holding onto the tiny bit of modesty that she could still pretend to have.
Angel disappeared into the closet, reappearing a moment later and tossing her a
pair of jeans and a sweater.
“Hurry up, get dressed,” he commanded, staring at her as his mind reeled. She
stared back for a moment, not moving, and Angel gave her a questioning look.
“Could…could you turn around so that I can…” She stammered, gesturing at the
clothes. Angel let out an unnecessary breath in aggravation and turned around,
repeating his command to hurry.
Willow climbed gingerly from the bed and carefully slid the jeans on, hissing
again as the material came in contact wit her sore skin. Hearing her hiss,
Angel turned around to see her standing with her back to him and only her jeans
pulled on. His eyes went wide as he took in the stripes and bruises
crisscrossing her back, and he knew there were more hidden by the jeans.
Walking over to her, the dark haired vampire startled the redhead as he gently
ran his hand down her battered back.
“Willow…” He spoke in a hushed tone, his voice catching in his throat.
“I…I was bad. I made him angry,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the floor.
“I…he caught me…I was looking up a spell, and…” Her voice died in her throat as
she continued to avoid his gaze.
After staring at her for a moment longer in shock and anger, Angel shook his
head and cleared his thoughts. They had a mission. They had to get out of
there. Steeling himself, he spoke coldly.
“You’ll heal…let’s go.” He spun around, grabbing the sweater and quickly
pulling it over her head. Willow struggled, wincing as she pulled her arms
through the sleeves, and glared at him, fighting against the tears that
threatened to fall.
Grabbing her hand, he headed for the door. Just as he reached for the handle,
she pulled back, stopping him. He glanced back and saw a look of terror on her
face.
“What is it?” He growled.
“I…I can’t leave,” she told him.
“What are you talking about?” He asked in exasperation.
“I…I can’t! I physically can’t I…it hurts to be away from him. It physically
hurts, and I can’t!” The tears began to stream down her cheeks as she pulled her
hand from his and slumped into a nearby chair.
“Look, Willow, I know it hurts, but…”
“No! Angel, you don’t understand. It hurts, and the further I go, the worse it
is, and then eventually, after long enough, I’ll go insane, and…and…”
“Do you want to stay here, Willow?” He questioned harshly, raising his voice
and clenching a fist at his side. “Do you like being Spike’s pet? Do you enjoy
the bruises that he leaves on your body? Do want to be nothing more than a
possession?”
The redhead wiped at her eyes and looked up at him helplessly. “You don’t
understand,” she whispered.
“Then explain it to me. Explain to me why you would rather stay here with a
bastard like that than to leave with me.”
“Because!” She shouted suddenly. “Because a part of me…A sick, twisted,
horrible part of me likes it! I need it. I don’t want to, but I need it, all of
it!” She looked away from the vampire, shame etched in her features. “I know
it’s wrong, and I hate him, I do, but he fulfills a craving. I…I don’t know if
it’s the spell, or….”
“We’ll deal with that,” Angel assured her. “We’ll find a way to fix it. We’ll
undo the spell.”
“What if…what if it isn’t just the spell?” She asked, her voice barely audible,
a hint of terror on her face. “What if it can’t be undone?”
“We’ll take care of it, Willow. I’ll help you, I promise, but you have to come
with me, NOW.”
The witch began to shake her head wildly. Angel let out a deep sigh and closed
his eyes. He hadn’t wanted to do this now. He wouldn’t be able to fully explain
to her what was happening…why he was doing this…how her friends had handed her
over to another vampire on a silver platter. He had wanted it to happen when
they had more time and he could do it properly. He wanted to savor the taste of
her rich blood, but apparently he had little choice, and the more he thought
about it, Angel knew this was better. If he broke the bond now, it would make
it much more difficult for Spike to track them.
Kneeling down in front of Willow, Angel grabbed her chin and forced her to look
at him.
“Willow, we have to leave now. It’s now or never.” She shook her head, still
crying and trying to pull away from him. The brunette tightened his grip on her
and added more force to his voice. “Spike is not going to be your master
anymore, Willow.” She felt his hands slide around to the back of her neck and
remove the silver collar from around her throat. The redhead’s eyes snapped up,
staring at him in confusion. It was at that moment that she realized that he
had gone into game face, and panic filled her. She suddenly understood what he
was about to do. Shaking her head fiercely, Willow tried in desperation to move
away from him. Grabbing a fist full of hair, Angel roughly pulled her head to
the side, keeping a firm grip on her arm with his free hand.
“I’m sorry I have to do this, Will,” he whispered, just before lunging forward
with a snarl and biting deeply into her neck. Willow scratched and pushed at
him, crying out at the pain searing through her neck. She could feel the pull
of her blood as he drank greedily from her, and eventually her eyes fell shut
as she succumbed to the sweet darkness.
~8~
Willow slowly opened her eyes and winced at the pain that throbbed throughout
her body. Lifting her head slightly, she let out a small
cry, letting it fall back to the bed. As the redhead felt the pain eventually
lessen, she opened her eyes again and squinted in the dim
light, slightly startled to see a figure standing next to the bed, peering down
at her.
"Angel?" She whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Shhh, Willow, take it easy," he cooed, his voice soft and soothing.
The dark haired vampire sat on the bed, next to her sprawled body and
gently stroked her head, pushing the red hair back from her face. Unaware of
her actions, Willow closed her eyes and sighed, moving
slightly closer to his touch. Angel smiled to himself.
"Angel, wh-what happened? I feel so…so confused, a-and lost, but
not," she whispered as her body began to tremble and tears ran down
her flushed cheeks.
"Hush now. It's alright. You're safe," he told her, gently shifting
them so that he could lean against the headboard with her lying back
against his chest. One hand casually stroked her bare arm while the other
played with her hair lazily. Angel didn't seem to realize he
was doing either.
"You're a smart girl, Willow, so I know you understand what
happened," he told her.
The redhead thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "You claimed
me," she whispered.
"Yes. You belong to me now," he explained, surprised at how naturally
the words flowed from his lips.
"But what about Spike?" She questioned. "He is…" She was
cut off by a deep growl, feeling his chest rumble with the noise.
"I do not want to hear his name on your lips again. Understand?" He
stated in a low voice, sounding much more menacing than he had
planned, startling both Willow and himself. Angel wasn't sure where the sudden
raging jealousy and hatred for the other vampire had come
from, but one notion was very clear. Willow belonged to him, and no one else.
Willow looked down and nodded, gulping deeply, trying to keep from crying. A
part of her again questioned whether this was really Angel
or Angelus, though she still believed that the soul was in there. Perhaps the
spell was causing Angel to act more possessive than he
normally would.
Looking around the dark room, a thought struck her. "Where are we?"
"A little place I own in Mexico. Rio Del Muerto."
"River of the dead. How very…you."
Angel chuckled as she grimaced. "Spike doesn't know I own it, so we should
be safe here, at least for a while."
"You think he'll still come looking for me?" She asked, a little
surprised.
Angel smiled down at her and grabbed a small, warm hand, squeezing softly.
"He knows what he lost, Willow, and I mean more than just a
bargaining chip or a sure way to keep from being slayed. He'll be looking for
you. He'll want to take you back, but I promise that
he'll never get the chance. You're mine now, and I protect and cherish what's
mine."
"What about the binding spell?" She asked timidly.
He growled again in frustration, though this time it was not as angry sounding.
"Thanks to Spike, you have to be bound to someone. It was him, now it's
me," he stated simply.
"I remember a time when I belonged to no one," Willow stated, more to
herself than to him as she shuddered a little and leaned back into
his embrace, unknowingly.
"Well that's history, so forget it," the brunette replied gruffly,
again surprising both Willow and himself. He didn't like the emotions
stirring within him, or the reactions he was having to the redhead. He could
feel the demon pushing at the surface, goading and prodding,
just daring him to take the girl, show her exactly who her new master was, but
Angel knew that he couldn't do that. This was Willow…Sweet,
innocent Willow, and he wanted to help her, not take her to bed…Well, mostly.
He let out a deep sigh and tried to suppress his raging emotions. "Giles
is trying to find a way to reverse the spell, but
until he does, you belong to me. I'll treat you better than Spike did, that
much I can promise you." Taking her chin in his hand, Angel
turned Willow's head and forced her to look up at him. "As much as I'm
sorry that it came to this, you are my pet, Willow. No mistaking
that, and as such, you will obey me. You will do as I say, though I will try to
be as lenient as possible. If I tell you to do something,
it's for your own safety. For the most part, we'll simply try to stay out of
each other's way."
"You know, despite what EVERYONE seems to think, I'm a pretty smart girl.
I know how to keep myself out of trouble," she shot at him, the
stress of the situation finally causing her emotions to produce something other
than tears.
"Right. You've been doing a really swell job of keeping yourself out of
trouble so far," she grumbled.
Willow looked away, pouting and muttering, "I'm still alive, aren't
I?"
"I saw how you were with Spike, Willow. Despite yourself, there is a part
of you that wants, needs…craves your master's touch and
discipline. You said so yourself. It's mostly caused by the spell. There's
nothing wrong with you. It's more normal than you think. I
know this is all confusing to you, but trust me. I can feel what you're
feeling, and when necessary, I will punish you, and the demon
in me…I'll enjoy every second of it, but I'll also take care of you, protect
you, reward you."
Willow swallowed hard, wondering exactly how Angel would punish her, and more
importantly, how he would reward her. He was, after all,
still Buffy's, even if in name only, and she was sure that he didn't mean it in
the way that Spike had, but something in his voice hinted
to the contrary, and stirred Willow's arousal, despite her efforts to ignore
it.
"You have no right to do this," she told him, her voice low and
angry. "You're no better than him. Just a pathetic vampire, getting
off on commanding a woman."
Angel growled, his grip on her hand tightening. "I have every right,
Willow. Like I said, you belong to me. I may have a soul, but trust
me when I tell you that I can still be a bastard when I want to."
Willow huffed and rolled her eyes. "No kidding," she mumbled.
Leaning in closer, Angel looked her directly in the eyes. "You have no
idea how bad I can be, Willow. Trust me." He took a deep breath,
calming himself. Angel wasn't sure exactly where the hostility in him was
coming from, but he suspected that the spell had something to do
with it. He realized that would have to avoid contact with the girl as much as
possible.
"I only want to help you, Willow. As soon as Giles figures out how to
break the spell, we'll go our separate ways, and I'll be out of your
life. For the mean time, let's just make the best of it." At that, he
stood up, heading out the door, leaving Willow was a surprisingly
uneasy feeling at the thought of Angel disappearing from her life. Not wanting
to dwell on that at the moment, the redhead closed her
eyes, willing herself to fall asleep.
~9~
“How is it that Angelus was able to just walk out of here with her, and not one
of you brain-dead morons saw them?” Spike yelled, causing several minions to
flinch and cower from him.
“We were out feeding, same as you, Spike,” one of them reminded him.
“It’s been days! She should have come crawling back by now, begging for
forgiveness. The pain should have brought her to her knees once she was out of
this town!” A thought suddenly struck him. “That bastard! He claimed her!
That’s why I can’t feel her. That’s why she isn’t running back to me in
mind-numbing pain!”
“Angelus really pulled one over on you, didn’t he, Spike?” One of the less
intelligent minions stated, laughing.
Spike reached out, grabbing the vampire’s collar and yanking him forward, his
face only an inch away. “Yes, it would seem he did,” he replied, his voice
eerily low and calm. He shoved the other vampire away suddenly, and turned,
beginning to pace. “That damned Slayer, must have been in on it from the
beginning. Bitch is always spoiling my plans. Well, her little friend is off
with Angel now, and try as he might, poof won’t be able to control himself. The
spell will see to that. In the mean time, I want you all out, digging up
information. I want to know where they are. This isn’t over yet.”
~*~
Sitting on a large rock near the shore, Willow looked up toward the sky,
listening to the waves softly crashing around her. It had been about a week
since they had arrived in Mexico, and the redhead was feeling more alone than
she had ever felt before. Angel avoided her at all costs, mostly staying locked
in his room during the day and walking around the grounds at night. She barely
saw him, they never really talked, and the few times that Willow did cross his
path, she was left with the feeling of being a burden to the brooding vampire.
She had asked to call her friends, which he had quickly forbidden. Angel
couldn’t be certain that Spike wouldn’t find a way to track their phone calls.
She asked how Giles would get a hold of him when he found a reversal spell, but
the vampire only gave her a cryptic answer about having some contacts that
would let him know.
The further from the house he went, the more uneasy Willow would feel, and
though she hated to admit it, she only felt at ease when she was near his side.
The fact, then, that she barely saw him, left the redhead with a constantly
uncomfortable feeling, as if her skin didn’t quite fit right. She felt a pull
toward him, the same as she had toward Spike, but her new found solitude was
leaving her with a feeling of greater contempt toward Angel than she had ever
felt toward Spike.
When she forced her mind into more rational territories, Willow knew that Angel
was really just trying to help her, but everything had been so confusing and
difficult lately, and with no one to talk to and no friends to comfort her, the
witch could only ponder her current situation and think about all that she had
been through. Each day drove her further into herself, until it felt like her
existence was slowly collapsing, with no way to escape, no air to breathe.
Angel had begun to notice the darkness creeping into the girl’s eyes, the way
her shoulders slumped forward when she sat, the way her feet dragged when she
walked, but he was at a loss as to how to help her. He figured this was for the
best, leaving her be. The less he did, the better. When she was near, the
vampire could feel the demon rattling its cage, screaming to be released, and
he didn’t know how he could live with himself if he ever hurt her. He had just
recently lost a friend, knowing now that he should never have allowed Doyle to
get so close, to become so involved, and he'd be damned if he'd let anything
happen to Willow.
As he searched first the house and then the grounds for the redhead, Angel
became increasingly worried, unable to find her. Finally, he concentrated on
their bond, his senses leading him to the edge of the water, where she was
huddled on a cold rock, her long, red hair whipping around her face. It was
dark, the moon providing slight illumination, though clouds were beginning to
overcome the sky as the wind slowly picked up. A storm was moving in. Angel
could feel the electricity in the air.
“You should come in,” he told her gruffly, walking up beside the girl, trying
to hide the worry he had felt from her absence.
“Is that a command?” She asked bitterly, not bothering to look toward him.
“That depends on whether you plan to sit out on this rock all night or not,” he
told her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and watching her carefully.
Small, cool drops of rain began to fall from the sky.
“I’m a witch, Angel. I’ll be fine out here,” she told him, finally looking
toward the vampire.
“There’s a storm coming,” he replied, glancing toward the darkening sky. “It
isn’t safe.”
“Does it matter?” She asked softly, not really expecting an answer.
Reaching down, he grabbed her arms, hauling her up to meet his gaze. “Does it
matter?” He repeated angrily. “How can you ask that?”
“What do I care?” She yelled, yanking her arms free and taking a small step
back, glaring at him. “My life doesn’t belong to me anymore. Why should I care
what happens to it?”
“Fine, maybe you don’t care, but I do,” he told her, reaching out again and
grabbing her arm, hauling her down from the rock and onto the sandy beach, his
grip on her the only thing keeping the redhead from falling to her knees as her
feet hit the ground. Keeping her hand firmly clasped in his, Angel led the girl
back to the house, the rain now falling harder around them.
“Why are you doing this?” She shouted behind him.
Angel stopped, a few feet away from the door, and turned, giving her a questioning
look. “Why do you act like you care?” She asked, tears now mingling with the
rain drops.
“Because, Willow, I do care,” he told her sincerely. “Why do you think I went
to all the trouble of…”
“Because! Because Buffy asked you to. Buffy asked you to go save her stupid,
little friend who got herself kidnapped again, and you ran, for her.”
“It wasn’t about helping Buffy,” he insisted, grabbing her shoulders and
pulling her closer, looking at her intensely. “It was about helping you.”
Willow shook her head. “It’s clear that you want nothing to do with me. I mean,
I get that, I do, but I just…it’s just…”
Grabbing her hand again, he pulled her the rest of the way to the house,
stopping once they were inside, now both dripping rain water onto the wooden
floor. He noticed that she was shivering slightly, despite the warm
temperatures outside.
“I know I’m just Willow, and not anything special, and…”
“Stop,” he interrupted, his voice loud and harsh. “I do NOT want to hear you
talking like that again, do you understand me? You don’t put yourself down to
your master.” Willow just stared at him, confused by his words. “It’s an insult
to me, and I will not tolerate it,” he yelled, grabbing her now slightly
bruised arms and shaking her.
“Funny how you’re only my master when it suits your purposes,” she told him
disdainfully. “You ignore me, you clearly want nothing to do with me, and then
you yell at me for the way I feel!” His grip tightened as his eyes flashed
yellow. “Angel, you’re hurting me,” she whimpered, a moment before he let go,
looking shocked and appalled at his own actions. “Angel…”
“Go!” He yelled, pointing toward the stairs and looking toward the floor,
watching the drops of water hit the wood below.
“Angel, I…”
“I said GO! Go to your room, now!”
“I’m not just a child that you can…” Willow stopped as he glanced up at her, a
murderous look in his eyes.
“Get away from me, before I hurt you,” he growled, his eyes flickering gold.
Willow quickly turned, running up the stairs and slamming the door to her room
shut.
~10~
Storming toward his room, Angel stopped in the hallway, staring for a moment at
the closed door across from his own. He could hear soft sobs coming from the
other side and his heart lurched slightly. Walking into his room, he shut the
door behind him and sat down on the bed, running his hands through his hair.
Things were not going the way they were supposed to. He was supposed to be
helping Willow, not hurting her. He was supposed to be protecting the redhead,
not lusting after her, and yet, with each passing moment in the young woman’s
presence, he felt a little more drawn to her. Angel knew that the spell had
something to do with the attraction, but suspected that it went beyond just
that. Here was a girl that belonged to him, whether she liked it or not. She
was his, and the demon in him rejoiced at that thought. Willow was strong and
she was powerful, and her willful nature was more like his own than Angel would
have liked to admit. He feared what he could do to her if she angered him, he
feared the darker side that she seemed to invoke, but mostly, he feared what
could happen should he ever give into the other desires stirring inside. The
most frightening prospect was what might happen should he allow himself to
comfort her, to hold her, to kiss her, to drown in all that she had to offer,
and in doing so, lose himself.
The dark-haired vampire was startled out of his thoughts by a small jingling
noise coming from somewhere inside the room. Jumping up from the bed, he looked
around cautiously, seeking out the source of the noise. Finally, his eyes
dropped down to a small bag that lay near the foot of the bed, still unpacked.
Kneeling down, he rummaged through a few items, finally pulling out a small
cell phone, which Cordelia had insisted he carry, and which Angel had
completely forgotten about.
Flipping it open slowly, he stared at it for a moment before speaking. “Hello?”
“Angel? Is that you? I can hardly hear you.” Cordelia’s voice was slightly
broken up by a crackle of static.
The vampire moved to the other side of the room. “Can you hear me now?”
“What?” She shouted back.
Again, he moved to another corner. “Can you hear me now?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Angel, what’s going on? Are you guys ok?” Cordelia asked, concern lacing her
voice. “Buffy said you got away with Willow.”
“She’s with me,” he told her. “You haven't heard from Spike at all, have you?”
“Not a peep. He must have known you wouldn’t come running back here. How are
you?”
“Fine. Laying low for a while at a place I own. No one knows about…”
“That place in Mexico? The Morbid River, or whatever?” Her voice was loud and
high pitched, causing Angel to pull the phone away, wincing slightly.
“Cordy…”
“Man, Willow gets a tropical vacation while I’m stuck here, running the show. I
want to go to Mexico. I want to lay on a beach ”
“How is everything there?” Angel asked, ignoring her rant. “ Have you been able
to handle everything alright?”
“Well, the brand new, skull splitting headaches aren’t really a whole lot of
fun, but…”
“The what now?” He interrupted.
“Oh yeah, well before Doyle took the great leap, he left me a little parting
gift,” she explained in an exasperated tone.
“The visions,” Angel surmised.
“Isn’t it more customary to give someone a ring or a photo or something?” Cordy
complained. “It’s painful…and annoying.”
“What are you doing when you get one?” The vampire questioned.
“Well, mostly just popping a couple aspirin and laying back with…”
“I meant about the visions, the people in trouble,” Angel clarified through
clenched teeth, closing his eyes and rubbing his head.
“Oh, right, that. Yeah, well, I have a little help actually. An old friend…”
“Who?”
“Wesley.”
“What?”
“Well, he knows all about demons and magic and stuff,” she told him. “Plus, he
doesn’t mind getting all gooey now and then. I mean, he has serious issues with
leather pants and his hair could use a little help, but he needed a job, so I
hired him.”
“Cordy, you can’t just…”
“How’s Willow?” She interrupted, obviously wanting to change the subject.
“What? Fine, I guess. She’s alive,” Angel told her, glancing toward his door.
“Yeah, well duh, but how is she? After all that she’s gone through, she must be
pretty traumatized. How is she handling everything?”
Angel thought for a moment. He hadn’t really given that much thought. In fact,
they hadn’t really talked at all about how Willow was dealing with the
aftermath of all that Spike had done. “I don’t know. She’s…pissed, mostly.”
“Well, of course she is, but I mean…Angel, have you talked to her about what’s
going on, explained what’s happening?”
“Of course I did!” He tried to sound more confident than he was as his eyes
darted around the room.
“And what exactly did you tell her,” Cordelia asked, her tone demanding.
“I told her that she belongs to me now, and that she needs to do as I say, for
her own good,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” She shouted at him. “That’s just what every
modern woman hopes to hear. Angel, Willow has been completely independent
since, like, forever. Her parents were around less than mine were. She’s always
taken care of herself, and she has kind of a stubborn streak.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that.”
“She’s probably confused, and pissed off, and angry, and…lonely.” The last word
left Angel wondering if Willow was the only one feeling lonely. Something in
Cordelia’s voice lead him to believe that the former May Queen may be feeling a
little more estranged from the world than she let on. “With no friends, and no
one to talk to, and some big goon telling her what to do, it’s no wonder she’s
pissed off.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to help her,” he insisted defensively.
“I know you are, Angel, and it’s really good that you got her away from Spike,
and that you’re trying to keep her safe, but think about it from her
perspective. Decisions have been made, affecting her life, without any say from
her. Willow’s freedom has been stolen. She’s nothing more than a slave. Sure,
she’s not being tortured on a regular basis, and big yay there, no doubt about
it, but the way she must be feeling, Angel, you have to talk to her.”
“Yeah, you’re right, Cordy. I will. Thanks.”
~*~
Hearing the woman on the floor above him hanging up the phone, Spike turned
back toward the tunnel entrance and lit a cigarette.
“So, Angel’s taken the girl out of the country,” he mused as he joined a few
other vampires in the tunnel. “Pack your bags, boys. We’re heading down under.”
“Hey, Spike, I think you mean we’re going south of the boarder,” one of the
minions pointed out. “Down under would be Australia, and also, we’re demons, so
we don’t really have bags to pack.”
“What were you, a bloody geography teacher?” Spike questioned.
The minion smiled proudly. “Well actually…”
“Will someone please stake him already?” Spike shouted, throwing his hands up
and storming away.
~11~
Angel woke just as the sun was beginning to set. After a long, hot shower, he
headed down to the kitchen for a drink, finding Willow munching on some cookies
at the table as she stared out the window.
Making his way to the refrigerator, Angel grabbed a mug, watching her
carefully. The redhead seemed to be so lost in thought that she didn’t even
notice his presence. Finally, he cleared his voice, seeing her head jerk up,
her eyes wide and surprised.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” she told him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I…I
mean, I was just sitting here. It’s not like…”
“I know, Willow,” he interrupted. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to
act like…”
“An ass?” She supplied, a slightly smile curling the ends of her mouth.
“Well, yeah,” he agreed with a nod, turning toward the microwave and warming up
the mug of blood. As he waited, the vampire noticed the girl quietly standing
and walking out of the room. After quickly downing his meal, Angel followed her
up the stairs and to her room, seeing the redhead now curled up on a chair near
a pair of open doors. A warm wind lightly tossed the opaque, silk drapes
framing the entrance, and the breeze moved around her, causing her hair to dance
like hypnotic flames. Again, he thought that his presence had gone unnoticed,
until she spoke suddenly, her voice soft and timid.
“There’s…there’s this thing tonight, on the beach,” she told him. “We got a
flier, and they’re having a parade and a big fire and…and music, and…and I
thought that maybe we could go, if…”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Willow,” Angel interrupted, seeing her face
fall and her eyes turn angry.
“Well, why not? No one knows we’re here, right? So why can’t we just…”
“It isn’t safe,” he told her, his voice a little less soft than before.
The redhead folded her arms in front of her and huffed. “Well, I want to go.
I’ve been cooped up in here, with no one to talk to except you, and let’s face
it, you aren’t Mr. Conversationalist. I need to get out of here for a while.”
“I’m sorry, Willow. I know that you’re getting restless, but it’s for your own
good,” he told her, trying to appeal to her good senses.
“My own good? My own GOOD?! What do you know about what’s good for me? Huh?”
She yelled, standing up and pacing in front of him. “You, Mr., don’t have a
clue about what is or is not good for me!”
“Willow, stop yelling and sit down. Let’s talk about this like calm, rational…”
“No! I can be irrational if I want to…which, by the way, I am totally NOT
being…irrational. I’m the epitome of rationality. I’m, like, the poster girl
for all rational thought. I’m…I’m…And anyways, I’m sick of you telling me what
to do, where to go, when to eat, what to think!”
“I never told you what to…”
“Excuse me, not finished ranting yet! You walk around here all day…or night, or
whatever, and act like the king of the castle, and I’m supposed to just…just…do
what you say without question? Well, I’m sick of it. I’m a person, ya know?
With thoughts and feelings, and sometimes I’d like to share those thoughts,
express those feelings, and you never know, I might just surprise ya. Willow
might just come up with a good idea! But no, Angel knows best, and Angel is in
charge, and Angel is the master. Well, you know what? At least when I was with
Spike, he paid attention to me. I mean, yeah, sure, he was usually taunting and
torturing me, a-and I’m really not saying I want more of that, but you know,
sometimes he just talked to me, or…or ran a hand through my hair,
or…or…just…and…but you! You act like I’m just this…this…thing that you’re stuck
with. You don’t talk to me, and you don’t touch me, and you don’t make me
feel…well…never mind that part, cause I wouldn’t want you to anyway, even if
you did!”
At that, Willow spun around and stormed out through the doors, onto the
balcony. It was dark out now and Angel could hear the sounds of the people on
the boardwalk and beach below, laughing and singing, music drifting into the
room. He stared toward the doorway in shock, absorbing all that the redhead had
just told him. Closing his eyes for a moment, he listened to the waves lapping
at the shore and thought about the girl out on the balcony. She was right, of
course. He hadn’t been fair to her. He hadn’t given her the friendship or
support that she needed, and he hadn’t provided everything else that he had
promised. The truth was, the vampire was afraid of where that path would lead
him, but at the same time, he was reminded of the fact that Willow was still
dealing with the effects of the spell, which included the pull toward her
master. He had seen the way she relaxed at Spike’s gentle touch, despite the
fact that he could be so harsh and brutal with her at other times, and Angel
remembered the scent of her arousal filling the air when she was being
punished. He was being selfish and unfair to her, he knew, and only hoped that
he could bring himself to make it up to her.
“Willow, I’m sorry.” He spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear him as he
moved to sit on her bed. He put his head down, cradling it in his hands as he
continued on. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve been neglectful and cold. I
just…the emotions you bring out of me. I don’t know if it’s the spell, or if
it’s you, or…and if I ever hurt you, I mean, really, truly hurt you, I don’t
know how I could…Willow, I want to help you. I’d do anything. I just…I need for
you to tell me what you need from me. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. The truth is,
I think I’m starting to fall for you, and it’s scaring the hell out of me. I
mean, we all know how my last relationship ended, and well, you and I, we
aren’t exactly starting out on a normal foot. The man in me is completely
smitten with you, and the demon…the demon just wants the world to know you’re
mine. If you’ll give me another chance, I…I…” Suddenly realizing that Willow
hadn’t yet said a word, Angel looked up toward the balcony doors, unease
overcoming his senses. “Willow? Are you listening to me?” Receiving no answer,
the vampire jumped up and ran to the balcony, looking down just in time to see
Willow running down the boardwalk.
“I can’t believe she actually…She ran away,” he mused out loud. “I was right in
the middle of telling her everything and she…” Shaking his head, Angel quickly
jumped down off of the balcony and took off down the beach after her.
~12~
Willow had been standing on the balcony, trying to block out Angel’s voice as
he started to apologize, when she suddenly got a strange feeling. Looking down,
she saw a young woman walking alone. A few feet behind her, Willow noticed a
man following. As he turned his head, glancing around him, she could see that
he was, in fact, a vampire. He let his human features slide back into place as
the girl turned off of the well lit walk way, and he continued his pursuit.
Sunnydale instincts kicked in, and Willow immediately moved to climb down from
the balcony, feeling for the stake in her back pocket when she reached the
ground. Trying to ignore the nagging unease that filled her, the witch
continued to search for the woman, hoping that she wasn’t too late.
The redhead jumped slightly as she heard a scream, spinning around and seeing a
couple dancing along the boardwalk behind her, the man lifting the woman up and
twirling her around and around. The woman shrieked again, throwing her head
back and laughing. Willow turned back and continued on. Glancing up toward the
line of houses and buildings along the edge of the boardwalk, a flash of
something dark caught her eye. Heading in that direction, she soon found herself
in an empty alleyway.
“Okay, I’m wandering down a dark alley, looking for a vampire in the middle of
the night,” Willow muttered to herself. “Not exactly my smartest move yet.” A
light breeze blew by, tossing the long cotton skirt around her legs. She was
wearing one of the many outfits that Angel had provided for her once they
reached Mexico.
Rounding a corner, the redhead saw the vampire stop in front of a building. She
could hear loud music radiating from inside and assumed it must be a bar or club.
Waiting until he was inside, she slowly made her way to the entrance and
cautiously walked in. Looking around, Willow was almost immediately aware of
the fact that she had just walked into a demon bar. There were several
different species, a few of which she recognized, most of which she didn’t.
“Stay calm, Willow,” she told herself. “You’re a witch. You have every right to
be here.”
Trying to look around nonchalantly, her attention was caught by a large, green
demon. He appeared to be chaining a young woman to the wall. Her clothes were
torn and she appeared to be rather nervous, something which the demons around
her seemed to be feeding off of. Willow watched for a moment, trying to quickly
come up with a way to free the woman. Just as she saw the demon yank on the
chains, tightening them around her wrists, the redhead heard the woman gasp and
moan, a lazy smile spreading across her lips. The witch was startled by her
reaction, watching as the demon began to tease and caress her, the bound women
simply mewling and begging for more.
Turning away, Willow scanned the crowd, searching for the woman she had seen
earlier. Feeling nervous tension building up within her, she began to bite her
lower lip. She wasn’t entirely sure of exactly how far from Angel she could get
before the pain set in, but if the uncomfortable ache beginning to stir in her
body was any indication, then she suspected it wasn’t much further. When she
had run from Spike, Willow had made it almost completely across town before the
pain became too overwhelming.
The redhead stopped a waitress as she walked by, and grabbed two shots from her
tray, tossing her a couple of dollars before quickly downing both drinks. She
made a face as the burning liquid slid down her throat, and then smiled. They
weren’t bad. Actually, they were very, very good. Grabbing two more shots, she
drank them quickly, these going down a little more easily.
Glancing around, Willow finally spotted the woman at a table, alone, and
quickly made her way over.
“Hi, um, I know that you don’t know me, but…um…you really need to get out of
here,” the redhead stated quickly, once reaching the table. She was already
becoming a little lightheaded and beginning to second guess her choice to do so
many shots so quickly.
“Excuse me?” The young woman gave her a confused look, tossing a bit of long,
blonde hair back over her shoulder.
“Haven’t you noticed that the patrons here aren’t exactly…I mean, they’re…”
“Demons?” The woman supplied.
“Exactly! So we should really get out of here before…”
“Before? Before what?” The woman asked, scoffing at her. “Before I find me a
hot little vamp to take home?”
Willow’s jaw dropped as her eyes went wide. “What?”
“Oh, please. Do you really think I would just wander in here, having no clue what
this place is? How dumb do you think I am?”
“You came here LOOKING for demons?” Willow questioned, trying to wrap her mind
around the concept.
The woman shrugged. “What can I say? I like my men dangerous.”
“Would ya like to die a horrible and painful death, too?” Willow questioned,
growing irritated by the fact that she had risked her own safety for this
woman.
“Do YOU?” Hearing the deep, growing voice behind her, Willow whirled around,
finding the vampire that had been following the woman earlier now standing
behind her. She swayed on her feet, her mind becoming a little fuzzy.
“Uh, hi there. We were just leaving,” Willow said, forcing a smile to her face
as she took a step backwards. The demon watched as the redhead giggled and
almost tripped over her own feet, catching herself just before she fell.
“I don’t think so,” he told her. “See, I think your friend here, she wants to
stay for a while. I think you should stick around, too.”
“Oh, gosh, well, I’d love to, really, but it’s way past my bedtime, and I think
that I should just…” Willow started to back away, but was cut off by another
vampire behind her. She could hear him growling as she bumped into his chest,
and turned to look up into golden eyes.
“This one looks like fun,” he stated, lifting a hand and running it along her
cheek. Willow flinched and tried to back up, but his fingers quickly tangled in
her hair, stopping her retreat.
“She was just about to leave,” the other vampire told him as he moved to stand
next to the blonde, grabbing her and kissing her deeply.
The woman yelped, pulling back a little and running a finger along her lip
where the demon had lightly bit her. Scowling, she held up her hand, showing
him the small trickle of blood that was there. “You bit me!” She yelled. “What
the hell is wrong with you?”
Willow rolled her eyes. “What do you think he’s going to do?” She asked.
“They’re vampires!”
“Well, a little danger is one thing, but drawing blood…that’s just…ick! I just
want to have a little fun,” the woman stated, making a face.
The vampire near her leaned in, licking the blood from her finger and smirking.
“I promise, baby, I can make blood play a whole lot of fun,” he purred, nipping
playfully at her finger and growling.
Willow cleared her throat and looked back at the other vampire. “This is all
really…neat. It is, but um, I just…I really think it’s time for me to go.”
The vampire tightened his hold on her hair, yanking her head back a little. The
action caused Willow to become a little more dizzy and she wasn’t entirely sure
that she wouldn’t soon be sick.
“Leaving so soon?” The demon growled. “The fun’s just starting. Nothing I like
better than a helpless little girl who…”
“Helpless?” Willow yelled. “I’m not helpless. I’m a big, bad dark-mojo-workin
witch!” The vamp eyed her cautiously, his hand slowly releasing her hair.
“Yeah! That’s right,” she stated, her words slightly slurred. “You’d better
watch out, or I’ll…I’ll..turn you into some icky little creepy crawly.”
The vampire with the blonde woman rolled his eyes. “Just drain her and be done
with it,” he told the other demon. “I’m tired of hearing her yapping.”
“You heard what she said,” the other vampire stated, sounding a little nervous.
“She’s a witch. Not sure I wanna be messin with that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! She’s a little bit of nothin. Bite her already!”
The vampire slowly moved in, baring his fangs as Willow paled. She felt his
hands grip her arms tightly as he snarled, and closed her eyes as his mouth
descended on her throat. As terror filled her hazy mind, Willow began to feel
energy crackle around her, and just as his sharp fangs began to pierce her
flesh, the redhead suddenly felt the vampire’s weight pulled away from her.
Looking up, she watched in shock as the demon flew across the bar, crashing
into a hard wall and falling to the ground. Looking down, she could see sparks
and small currents running from her hands, feeling the magic swirling through
her.
Unfortunately, her temporary distraction allowed the other vampire to move in,
grabbing her from behind and squeezing her throat tightly.
“You try any of that magic on me, witch, and I’ll snap your neck so fast that…”
“Let her go!” Both Willow and the vampire looked up to see Angel walking toward
them.
“Who the hell are you?” The demon asked.
“Name’s Angelus,” he told him, a deep growl resonating from his throat as he
took in the sight before him. “The redhead belongs to me.”
The vampire that Willow had sent flying across the bar was now standing next to
her. Leaning in, he whispered to the other demon, “Angelus, as in The Scourge
of Europe.” He looked nervously toward Angel.
“Oh yeah?” The vampire holding Willow replied, tightening his grip on the
witch’s neck and smiling as he heard her whimper. Leaning in, he sniffed the
bite mark on her neck, scenting that she did indeed belong to the vampire
before him. “Last I heard, Angelus went and got himself a soul, workin for the
other team now.”
Angel looked around nervously, hearing several demons around him growling.
Standing up a little straighter, he scoffed. “Would a vampire with a soul keep
a human pet?” He questioned. “I know you can scent the claim.”
The other vampire pondered that for a moment. “Don’t know,” he replied. “Never
met a vamp with a soul.”
“Trust me, there’s nothing good or pure in here,” Angel told him with a smirk.
“Got that right,” Willow muttered under her breath.
“Well, your little pet has been a bad girl,” he demon told Angel. “Threw my
friend here clear across the bar.”
“Is that true, Willow?” Angel asked, more than a little surprised.
Willow frowned, still trying to clear her head. “Just a little,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t mean to. He provoked me.”
“So, it looks like we have a little problem here,” the vampire told him. “Your
pet is clearly in need of some discipline.”
Angel clenched his jaw, not liking his position. Glancing around, he was well
aware that they were completely surrounded by demons. He knew that he could
take out the two vampires with Willow easily enough, but he suspected that the
rest of the patrons wouldn’t allow them to simply walk away.
“I’ll take care of her punishment,” Angel told them, watching as Willow’s eyes
widening at his words.
“Well, you don’t seem to have done a very good job training her so far,” the
vampire told him with a chuckle.
“Are you questioning my methods?” Angel growled.
The vampire thought for a moment before roughly shoving Willow toward Angel. He
caught her easily enough, watching for a moment as she swayed on her feet, and
then steadying her with a hand clamped around her arm.
“The great Angelus!” The vampire shouted, looking around at the large crowd of
demons now gathered around them. “The Scourge of Europe! He has been so kind as
to offer us a demonstration of his punishment techniques. I’m sure we could all
learn a lot from such a master.” With a sneer and a chuckle, the vampire turned
back toward Angel, bowing slightly and gesturing toward the stage.
~13~
“The great Angelus!” The vampire shouted, looking around at the large crowd of
demons now gathered around them. “The Scourge of Europe! He has been so kind as
to offer us a demonstration of his punishment techniques. I’m sure we could all
learn a lot from such a master.” With a sneer and a chuckle, the vampire turned
back toward Angel, bowing slightly and gesturing toward the stage.
Swallowing apprehensively and setting his jaw, Angel knew that he was out of
options. They would have to play along. Tightening his grip on her arm, the
brunette roughly pulled the redhead toward the stage. Willow immediately began
to protest, trying to pull away from him and stumbling as she walked. The more
she shook her head, the more dizzy she became, cursing the shots that she had
downed earlier.
Once they reached the stage, Angel released her. “Don’t move,” he growled,
watching for a moment as she swayed back and forth, looking as if she might get
sick. “You’ve been drinking,” he hissed. Willow only nodded miserably. “Good,
might make this a little easier for you.”
Grabbing her wrist, Angel dragged the protesting redhead to a large wooden
cross, shoving her toward it and securing one arm to the cuff at the top. As he
moved around to secure the other wrist, he watched the mixture of fear and
anger play across Willow’s face. Bending down, he secured first one ankle and then
the other, looking up at her with a sad expression as Willow rested her
forehead against the cold wood, her back to the crowd below.
“I’m sorry I have to do this, Willow,” he whispered.
The witch lifted her head slowly and simply glared at him for a moment before
responding. “Fuck you,” she hissed, watching as the brunette’s face hardened.
Grabbing the back collar of the thin, white, sleeveless shirt she wore, Angel
easily tore it down the center, baring her back and eliciting a gasp from the
redhead. “I liked that shirt,” she whined.
“That’s too bad,” he responded harshly, grabbing at her skirt and tearing it in
half, letting it flutter to the floor. “No panties, Willow?” He purred,
circling her slowly. “What a nice little surprise.”
Willow squirmed against her bonds, completely horrified at the position she now
found herself in. She could hear the demons behind her, cheering and goading
him on as a tear slipped silently down her cheek.
Moving around her, Angel smirked. “You wanted me to pay more attention to you,
Willow, attend to your needs. I’d say you got what you asked for.”
“I hate you,” she whispered in a cold, bitter voice, not seeing the way Angel
flinched at the words. “I am a witch, you know,” she told him. “I can just
release myself.”
“I’d suggest you don’t, unless you’d like to make this far more difficult on
yourself than necessary,” he replied, his voice taunting and cruel. “Besides, I
don’t think that you really want to, and as drunk as you are, I don’t think you
could if you did.” She heard him chuckle, a deep rumble resonating from his
throat, and she knew that he was right. Once the alcohol had kicked in,
Willow’s control and power was all over the place, and she knew that there was
no way she could concentrate enough to pull off any spell that would free her.
Angel circled her a few more times before finally moving to a table full of
implements, browsing the selection before finally choosing a soft leather
flogger. It was thick enough to leave a loud, stinging slap, without actually
breaking the skin.
Moving back to the redhead, he casually ran the leather straps up and down her
back, feeling the girl shudder, her muscles tightening. Leaning in, he trailed
his tongue up her neck, nipping at her earlobe before whispering to her,
“Relax, Willow. Enjoy it.”
His words confused her frantic, foggy mind, but the witch had only a moment to
ponder them before she heard a swish, feeling a sharp pain, a second later,
across her exposed ass. She yelped and pulled at the leather restraints,
feeling her nipples harden and rub against the wood through the thin, torn
fabric of her shirt. Again, she heard a whooshing noise, just a moment before
her bottom was set on fire.
Angel tried to block out the sounds of the crowd cheering behind him, focusing
solely on the redhead before him. Her body was exquisite, pale and soft and the
epitome of feminine beauty. The vampire wished that he had more time to admire
her, bared before him, but knew that he had a show to put on. Moving around
her, he struck again and again, aiming for the beautiful contours of her back
and the luscious curves of her ass, striking with an expert's touch, meant to
almost caress an area as it turned the pale, white flesh to a glowing red.
Willow’s mind was on overdrive. Feeling the first few blows, her body tensed,
fear overcoming her senses, but soon she began to relax, to absorb the
sensations he was creating, the pain mingling with a pleasure that was burning
deep within her. Each time the leather struck her exposed skin, she cried out,
though after a while she was not sure whether she was pleading for him to stop
or begging for more. There was heat building within the redhead and her entire
body was tingling, tightening, buzzing with something that she couldn’t even begin
to understand.
Feeling him strike again and again, she felt her knees weakening, her head
falling back, red hair cascading over her shoulders. She felt almost as if she
were no longer in her body, now merely floating above it, and yet trapped in it
at the same time, needing to burst free and not quite able to break through.
Her attention narrowed until nothing more existed beyond Willow and Angel, the
flogger merely an extension of his hands, teasing and tormenting her, mixing
delicious pain with torturous pleasure. The cross simply served as a stand-in
for his body, holding and caressing her. The sounds around them, now muffled
and distant, were nothing more than the background of their soundtrack,
over-powered by the moans escaping her lips, the heart pounding in her chest,
and his soft voice, murmuring words which were no longer intelligible.
Angel could sense her reaction to all he was doing. He could smell the arousal,
knowing that if he were to run a hand between her legs she would be soaked, and
he could feel the sensations building up within her, though their bond. Beyond
that, Angel could sense her magic crackling in the air around them, surrounding
them, and he wondered if the rest of the demons could sense it as well.
Aiming for the soft juncture between her thighs, Angel struck, the leather
straps curling up to snap at what was hidden underneath. Immediately, he could
see that it had the desired effect, as Willow began to twitch and shake,
straining against her bonds as she screamed his name. Angel closed his eyes for
a moment, feeling her ecstasy through the bond as wave after wave of pleasure
washed over her. Stepping up behind her, Angel ran a hand down her back,
feeling her heated flesh as he cupped her ass and she arched back into him.
Pulling her hair away from her neck, he licked at her pulse point before
shifting into his true face and sinking his fangs into her neck. He made sure
to only take a small amount before finally pulling away, turning back toward
the crowd and wiping at the blood on his lips.
As Willow’s head began to clear, her senses slowly returning to her, she became
aware of the crowd behind her, now cheering loudly. Her body was still humming
and shaking slightly as she tried to catch her breath.
“Anyone else want to question my methods of training a pet?” Angel asked with a
smirk, licking the last bit of blood from his finger tips.
Hearing his words, Willow’s eyes widened. Realization and comprehension of all
that had just taken place washed over her. He had used her. He had tied her up,
punished her and humiliated her, and Willow knew that he had enjoyed every
second of it. This had not been about her. This had been about Angel, proving
that he could still be a bad ass vampire when he wanted to be. This was about him
reliving the glory days, reminding everyone, including himself, of just how
cruel he could be. Though his actions may have brought her pleasure, she began
to feel as though that was her true punishment.
Willow remained still as she felt the dark haired vampire removing her
restraints. She stood, unmoving, as he removed his long, leather coat, wrapping
it around her, and then allowed him to lead her out of the bar. Once outside,
Willow yanked her arm away, turning and glaring up at him, hatred in her eyes.
“Willow, I’m sorry. We had no choice. You never should have gone in there. I
told you to stay…” Angel began, before she held up a hand, cutting him off.
“Stop! I don’t want to hear anything else that you have to say,” she told him,
her voice low and angry. “What you did tonight…you…you…”
“You enjoyed it,” he told her, a smug smile on his face. “Don’t even try to
deny it, Willow. I felt it.”
“I…I…I hate you!” She shouted, before turning around and storming down the
street, heading back to their house.
Angel watched as she stumbled down the cobblestone road, teetering back and
forth. Suddenly, she stopped, pausing for a moment before crouching down and
vomiting. Shaking his head, Angel moved up behind her, not sure if she would
allow him to comfort or help her. Just as he was about to run his hand along
her back, the redhead jumped back up, trying to keep from falling over. She
wiped at her mouth miserably, feeling tears sting her eyes. Angel reached out,
steadying her as they began to walk once again. Neither of them said another
word until they reached the house.
Once inside, Angel led the redhead up to her room, where she immediately pulled
off his coat and threw it at him, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around
herself. He watched as she moved into the adjacent bathroom, quickly brushing
her teeth and splashing water on her face.
Once Willow was back in her room, the vampire headed toward the door. “Go to
sleep,” he mumbled. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“You know, you’re not the boss of me!” She shouted. “You can’t just tell me
what to do!”
Angel turned around, his expression unreadable. “Actually, I am and I can.”
“Fuck you,” she spat.
“Watch it, little one,” the brunette responded, a low growl in his throat.
Falling back onto the bed, wincing slightly, the witch’s head dropped forward.
“I don’t like it here. I want to go home,” she whispered.
Angel rolled his eyes and sighed. “You’re drunk. Go to sleep and we’ll discuss
this tomorrow.”
Willow’s head shot up. “No!” She shouted. “I wanna talk about it now!”
“Willow…”
“You think you can just tell me what to do and punish me whenever you like?
You’re just trying to prove something. You want everyone to still think you’re
some big tough vampire, but the truth is that with the soul, you’re not a real
demon. You want to prove them all wrong? Well give it up! They’re right. You’re
pathetic!”
Taking a step closer to her, Angel leaned over the small woman, glaring at her.
“You’re just pissed off about the fact that you didn’t have control tonight.
You couldn’t call all the shots, and the thing that upsets you the most is that
you liked it. There was a part of you, not so deep down, that enjoyed what
happened, and that probably scares the hell out of you. Well get over it.
You’re not the first girl to get off on a little pain. Trust me, I know.” Angel
watched as her hardened expression crumbled, tears slipping down her cheeks as
her shoulders slumped forward. Sighing, he moved to sit next to her. “It’s a
lot more common than you think,” he told her, his voice considerably softer.
Willow glanced up, her expression clearly conveying her disbelief. “I saw how
you were with Spike, Willow. There’s still that part of you that’s affected by
the spell, and I’ve been neglecting that. I’m sorry.”
Willow simply shook her head, wiping at the tears and wrapping her arms around
herself. “I just want to go home,” she whispered. “I want my life back. I want
to be me again.”
Reaching out, Angel pulled her into his embrace. “You’re still you, Willow.
Things are changing and it’s confusing right now, I know, but I promise, you’re
still you.”
Giving up on trying to console her with words, the vampire simply held her,
carefully avoiding her tender back, and running a hand through her hair until
the sobbing girl finally fell asleep. Shifting her on the bed, Angel pulled the
covers up around her, lying down next to the sleeping redhead and feeling her
instinctively snuggle closer.
When Willow awoke the next day, two things came to her immediate attention. Her
head was pounding and her body ached. Thinking about the previous evening, all
that had happened slowly returned to her and the witch suddenly jumped, sitting
up in bed, holding her throbbing head and looking around. Glancing next to her,
Willow shrieked, seeing the back of a male body in the bed.
Hearing the scream, Angel jumped up, his demon visage firmly in place as he
looked around for the cause of danger. Finally, he looked at Willow, seeing the
way she was holding her head. Sitting back down on the bed, he chuckled. “Ah,
the joys of the morning after,” he mused.
“Shut up,” she responded sharply, her own loud voice causing her to wince. “I’m
still mad at you.”
The redhead began to move further away from him, but Angel caught her easily
and pulled her closer, resting her against his chest as he laid back.
“Angel, I…” Willow began, as she struggled to move from his grasp.
The vampire simply tightened his hold, shushing her.
“Willow, shut up and listen for a minute. How do you feel right now?”
The redhead thought for a moment. “Achy, tired and sort of uncomfortable. My
neck is all twisted like this and…”
“Willow…” He growled.
She huffed and closed her eyes. “It feels…safe and secure…and…right,” she
whispered, knowing that she couldn’t lie to him, and despising the truth.
“That’s because it is. I’m your master and your protector. Now, I know, I know,
you don’t need protection, but we’re bonded. It’s time I started acting like
it.”
“Angel, I’m sorry,” she said softly, her voice catching in her throat.
“Don’t worry about it,” he responded. “We’ve all had our drunken…”
“No, I mean…You didn’t want this anymore than I did. I’m sorry that you got
stuck with me.”
“Hey, I did not ‘get stuck’ with you. Besides, it could have been a lot worse.
I could have been bound to Xander for eternity.” Willow simple chuckled,
snuggling closer to the vampire beside her.
~14~
Over the next week, Willow and Angel fell into a comfortable routine, slowly
getting to know one another better. Neither went beyond the grounds of Angel’s
home, other than on the occasional blood-run for the vampire; although they did
take long walks around the property just after the sun set each night. Willow
was slowly becoming more accustomed to keeping vampire hours, which wasn’t too
terribly difficult, considering the life she had led in Sunnydale. She would
wake about mid-afternoon, usually taking the opportunity to enjoy the last few
hours of sunlight on the beach. After the sun went down, the two would walk
together, Willow doing most of the talking and Angel simply happy to listen to
her babbling. The rest of the evening was generally quiet. They would sit on
opposite sides of the couch, Angel reading Shakespeare while Willow poured over
one of his many demon anthologies. More than once, the witch had been compelled
to move to the floor, stretching herself out and leaning against his legs,
sighing and closing her eyes, all thoughts of her book forgotten as she felt
the vampire run his hand through her soft, silky hair. Occasionally, Angel would
pull her up to sit on his lap, the two sharing stories of past lives and missed
friends.
“Gonna tell me what happened with Oz?” Angel asked softly, feeling the girl in
his arms tense for a moment. She was leaning back against his chest and he had
one hand threaded through her red tresses. The witch had not mentioned the
werewolf once since she and Angel had come together, and he suspected there was
a story there, not being told.
“I…I don’t know what you…” Willow began to stammer out.
“Come on, Will. You’ve never been a good liar.”
The redhead took a deep breath before speaking. “He left. He just…just up and
left,” she said quietly, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.
“For no reason?” Angel asked, watching as Willow’s lower lip jutted out a little
more in a pout.
“Well, not exactly…There was this whole thing with the demon not being under
control…and…and this female werewolf,” she replied, the last part stated with a
bitter tone.
“Well, I sort of get that,” he told her. “You can’t understand what it’s like,
to have a demon screaming inside of you.”
“Great! So ya got a demon!” Willow shouted, sitting up a little straighter. “We
all have our demons to deal with, and yeah, okay, yours isn’t figurative, but I
still should have had a say in it. I’m sick of all this ‘for my own good’
crap.”
“If he knew his control was slipping, he had to leave,” Angel told her. “If he
ever lost it and hurt you or…He’d have to deal with the fact that he destroyed
the thing he most cherished.”
“Buffy,” Willow whispered, startling Angel slightly.
“What?”
“That’s why you left Buffy, right? I mean, you weren’t really talking about me
and Oz there.” Willow said, leaning in a little closer and feeling his arms
wrap around her.
“Oh, right,” he mumbled, his eyes darting around the room. “Buffy, that’s what
I was talking about.”
“Does it ever get easier?” She asked quietly.
Angel thought about the question for a moment. “It does. At first, you don’t
think it will, but eventually something else comes along and moves into that
empty space that was left in your soul.” As the vampire spoke, he looked deeply
into the green eyes before him, his face inching closer and closer to hers,
their lips almost touching. “At first, I missed her every second, but…not so
much lately.”
“I guess distractions can be good,” Willow whispered, her eyes focused on
Angel’s lips as they moved closer and closer.
“Willow, I need to tell you that I…” The vampire was cut off by a strange
jingling sound, startling both him and Willow.
The redhead sighed, mumbling, “Sometimes distractions are not so good.” Looking
around, she tried to find the source of the sound. “What is that? It sounds
like…like…the Indiana Jones theme song,” she stated, her face scrunching up in
confusion.
“That’s my cell phone,” Angel admitted, standing up and smiling sheepishly. “I
liked that ring tone.” Walking over to where his coat had been tossed, the
vampire found the phone in his pocket.
“Hello?”
“Angel?”
“Cordelia, what’s wrong?” Angel questioned, suddenly feeling uneasy at hearing
the seer’s voice.
“Wait a minute!” Willow shouted. “You have a phone?”
“Willow, not now,” Angel grumbled, glancing up for a moment. “Cordelia, what’s
up?”
“I can’t believe you have a phone! All this time…” A glare from the dark haired
vampire quieted the disgruntled redhead and she turned, storming out of the
room.
“Angel?” Cordelia yelled into the phone, trying to recapture his attention.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Right, well you and Willow need to get out of Mexico,” she told him, “pronto.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I had another mind-numbing vision. Spike’s heading your way,” Cordelia
explained.
“Well, I’ll just have to fight him,” Angel stated calmly.
“You don’t get it! He’s coming there, with a whole gaggle of vamps. In my
vision, you were fighting…and losing.”
“Alright, so maybe we can…”
“Angel, there’s one other thing,” she interrupted, her tone sounding a little
more nervous. “Spike…in my vision…he was biting Willow.”
~15~
After making a few quick calls, Angel headed up the stairs and stormed into
Willow's room, grabbing a small bag and tossing it to
her.
"Angel, what are you doing?" She asked, standing up and giving him a
questioning look.
"Pack up anything important," he told her, his voice tense and stern.
"We're leaving, now."
"Why?" She asked. "What's going on?"
"No questions," he told her. "We don't have the time. I'll
explain later."
"No! Angel, explain now!" She yelled, throwing the bag to the ground.
Angel growled, glaring at her. "I don't have time for this. We have to
leave."
"It's Spike, isn't it?" She asked, her voice low and quiet.
"He's found us, hasn't he?"
The vampire sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair. "I don't
know," he told her. "Cordelia got a vision about Spike coming
here."
"So what are we going to do, just run?" She asked.
"You have a better idea right now?" He shot back.
"Nope. My usual plans involve running and hiding," she told him with
a shrug, trying to sound brave and quickly tossing a few books into
the bag. "Where exactly are we going to hide?"
Angel shook his head. "Not hiding, just running. We're going back to L.A.
We'll stand a better chance there. I have people who can help
us." He quickly turned, leading her out of the house.
About twenty minutes later, a taxi dropped the vampire and witch off in front
of what looked to be a large, deserted warehouse.
"Why did you bring us here?" She asked as the car drove away.
"It looks like the kind of place that the bad guys usually hangs out in.
I've had enough of creepy, old warehouses for one lifetime."
"Our ride is waiting for us here." Taking her hand, he led her around
the building. Once on the other side, Willow could see that
it was, in fact, a small air field, and Angel pointed to a private plane being
checked over. "That's ours," he stated.
She was about to ask how he had been able to arrange for a private plane so
quickly, but thought better of it and remained quiet.
"Go ahead and board," he told her. "I'll be on in a
minute." Nodding, Willow turning and headed toward the plane while Angel
moved to speak to the pilot.
"Mr…Angel?" The pilot asked as Angel greeted him.
The vampire nodded. "Are we all set for take off?"
"Yes sir. My co-pilot is already in the cockpit. We should be up in the
air in just a matter of minutes. As soon as we board, we will be
able to…" The pilot stopped, mid-sentence, and Angel watched in confusion
as the man fell forward, collapsing on the ground. A very
large, silver knife was protruding from his back. Looking up, Angel's eyes
narrowed as he took in the blond vampire standing
before him.
"Looks like your flight might be delayed," Spike stated with a cocky
grin.
"Spike," Angel growled, his fists clenched at his sides.
"You're a pretty hard guy to track down," Spike told him, sauntering
up to the older vampire. "I mean, Mexico's a big place. A little too
sunny for my taste, but then, you always were a glutton for the martyr
routine." Angel simply clenched and unclenched his jaw as the
blond demon spoke. "I had no idea where to start looking for you. Tried a
couple of typical tourist places; should have known you'd be
more of a private resort kind of guy. I have to say though, I've always loved
Mexican food. I had me a few tasty treats in those
towns. Was `bout ready to give up the search, but then I started hearin'
stories about the great Angelus and his newest pet. Put on a
pretty good show for the locals, from what I hear. Maybe I'll get to see the
performance some time."
"You will not touch her," Angel growled. "I will not let you
leave here with Willow."
"Don't think you really have much of a say in it," Spike told him,
snapping his fingers and grinning as one of his minions dragged the
redhead forward, one hand wrapped tightly around her throat while the other was
tangled in her hair, pulling harshly.
Angel growled, taking a step forward.
"Now, now," Spike chided with a chuckle. "You don't want to
scare my friend here. He's rather young and stupid. Hasn't had a good meal
in a long while, and I'm sure he'd love to have a little taste of your pet. You
get too close and he might accidentally kill the girl."
"Let her go," the older vampire demanded, watching as the minion
leaned in, sniffing at Willow's neck, causing the girl to cringe.
"Sorry, that's not the plan," Spike told him. Reaching out, he
grabbed the redhead from the minion, pulling her to him roughly, one
hand squeezing her already bruised neck while the other wrapped around her
midsection.
Willow struggled, feeling the blond's grip tighten as he chuckled. "This
feels like an awfully familiar position, doesn't it,
pet?" He purred in her ear, causing her to shudder and clench her jaw
tightly, trying to calm herself. Spike could sense the fear
pouring from her.
"I told you that I will not let you leave with her," Angel ground
out, taking another step forward.
"I think you have more important things to worry about, Angel," Spike
stated, snapping his fingers again and watching as at least a
dozen vampires moved out of the shadows, surrounding him. "Like your own
impending death."
At that, the blond turned his attention to Willow, not bothering to watch as
the other vampires began to attack.
"Angel!" She screamed, watching as he was hit with a particularly
hard blow, staggering a little before throwing a counter-punch.
"I wouldn't worry about him," Spike told her. "Running away from
me like that, pet, not a good idea. You WILL be punished, of course."
Willow simply stared ahead, not saying a word as she heard the engines of the
nearby plane fire up.
"I thought we could do a little experimenting," Spike told her with a
sneer. "I wonder how long it will be after Angel's dusted, that
the pain from the bond makes you completely insane."
"I hate you," she whispered harshly through clenched teeth, feeling
something dark and powerful beginning to stir inside of her.
"Aren't you glad to be back where you belong?" He questioned in a
mocking voice, running a hand along her cheek, almost tenderly.
"You're pathetic," she told him, slowly sliding one of her hands into
her pocket and feeling around for what was inside.
"Well, I'm not the one being pummeled by a dozen vampires," Spike
reminded her, just before she yanked her arm back, elbowing him in
the gut. The vampire was more caught off guard than hurt, but the temporary
lapse in his concentration was enough, and Willow was able
to pull away, spinning around and raising her arm up in the air.
"No, Spike, you're the one being defeated by a little girl," she said
with a calculating grin, just before throwing the small bottle
of holy water that she had retrieved from her pocket, hearing the glass shatter
as it hit her target.
The blond let out a raging howl as the water burned his face, temporarily
blinding him. Turning her attention to Angel, Willow ran
towards the circle of attacking vampires, feeling strange, strong energy
building inside of her with each step she took.
"Concito!" She shouted suddenly with a wave of her hand, watching as
an invisible force threw the vampires back in all directions.
Running toward Angel, she knelt down, trying to help him up.
"What did you do?" He asked in a raspy, weak voice. Looking around,
he saw that the fledglings were now standing back a bit, looking on
with a mixture of confusion and fear. Apparently they didn't like the idea of
fighting off a witch.
"I have no idea," she admitted quickly, pulling him to his feet and
turning toward the waiting airplane.
"Willow!" Angel shouted, just before she felt strong hands grab her
from behind, yanking her back. Glancing backwards, the redhead saw
Spike, his demon visage forward, teeth bared. Closing her eyes, she screamed as
she felt his fangs tear into her neck. A moment later,
he was gone, thrown back several feet and landing on the ground with a thud.
The witch opened her eyes, having no idea what had just happened. Something was
stirred up within her, something strong and powerful,
and something that she didn't seem able to restrain. Had Willow been able to
look in the mirror, she would have seen that her eyes were
completely black, something that had never happened to her before. The magical
energy crackled around her, and the utter lack of
control frightened the witch.
Angel's hand on her arm shook the redhead from her dazed reverie, and she
quickly ran with him to the plane, Angel pulling the door
shut behind them.
"Go! Take off, now!" He shouted to the man in the cockpit.
"The pilot's not on board," the man told him, clearly afraid.
"He's not coming," Angel told him in a low tone. "If you don't
get this plane off of the ground now, it will be your funeral."
At those words, the pilot turned and quickly flicked a few switches before the
plane began to move down the runway. A few moments later,
they were in the air. Angel moved to sit across from Willow.
"Are you all right?" He asked softly as he placed his hands on her
knees. The redhead was staring out the window, her eyes unfocused,
and he could feel her shaking slightly. She didn't seem to hear him speaking to
her. "Willow?"
The roar of the engines seemed deafening to Willow as she stared out the
window, trying to bring her rapidly spinning thoughts under
control. So much had just happened, and now that they were up, off of the
ground, it was all sinking in, leaving her feeling terrified
and completely drained.
"Willow, look at me," Angel begged softly, trying to get her
attention. Standing up and grabbing a towel from a small cupboard,
he sat back down and leaned forward, placing it gently over the bleeding wound
on her neck. Finally, she turned her head slowly and
looked up at him. The vampire felt his heart lurch at the pained look in her
eyes.
"We're safe now," he told her gently as he held the towel to her
neck. "He can't hurt you anymore."
Still shaking, Willow's eyes darted around the small compartment before
settling again on his face. "He could have…You were…He
almost…"
"Shhhh," he cooed, running his free hand over her cheek soothingly.
"He didn't," he told her firmly. "We're all right."
Her eyes seemed to focus a little more on his face, widening slightly.
"You're hurt," she whispered, running a hand along an
already healing scratch.
"I'll be fine," he told her with a gentle smile. "You're the one
I'm worried about." Pulling the towel away, Angel was satisfied that the
bleeding had finally subsided.
Willow stared at the towel for a moment, a confused look on her face. Reaching
a hand up, she tentatively felt the small, fresh
puncture marks on her neck, just below Angel's mark. As she pulled her hand
away and looked at the small traces of blood on her
fingers, realization seemed to come over her. The redhead hadn't even been
aware that Spike had bitten her. The last thing she
remembered clearly was feeling someone grab her. Everything beyond that was a
tangled blur.
Her eyes widened again as a new thought occurred to her. "Did he… does
this mean…did he claim me again?" She asked fearfully.
Angel shook his head. "He didn't get the chance," he told her with a
slight grin. He could still feel their bond, stronger than ever.
"What happened?" She questioned quietly. "What did I do?"
Angel's expression turned to one of surprise. "You don't know?" She
shook her head. "You used magic…pretty powerful. You threw Spike,
along with all of his minions, half way across the air field." The proud
tone in his voice made her smile slightly, in spite of
herself.
"I did?" Angel nodded.
"I didn't know you had that much power," he admitted.
Willow shook her head. "I don't…or, well, I didn't. Maybe it's got
something to do with the bond." Angel simply nodded, making a mental
note to check on that later.
The redhead sat quietly for a moment, her expression slowly fading into a look
of worry.. "He isn't going to stop," she whispered,
glancing back up at Angel. The brunette moved to sit next to her, wrapping an
arm tightly around her. "He'll keep coming and coming
until he destroys us both."
"I won't let him," he vowed. "We'll find a way to stop him,
Willow. I promise." Nodding slightly, the young witch leaned into him,
allowing Angel to tighten his hold on her. The magic that she had used had
taken its toll on her, and eventually she settled in
against his chest and fell into a fitful sleep.
~16~
“Angel! You’re back! Yay!” Cordelia shouted, seeing the dark haired vampire
walk through the large doors. He looked around in surprise as she ran toward
him, waving several papers around. “Look! Clients! We have actual, paying
clients. I ran credit checks and everything. We have a Glenda problem just
north of the city. Apparently someone cheated on the wrong witch, and we have a
guy that thinks his bathroom is haunted. Personally, I think he just has
hygiene issues, but hey, he’s willing to pay, so I figured we could light a few
candles, chant a few words and slap him with a bill. Oh, and we also have a
werewolf sighting in a park a few miles away.”
“I told you before, Cordelia, it isn’t a werewolf, it’s a hell beast.” Angel
looked up, hearing the British accent, and saw Wesley walking down the curved
staircase.
“Whatever,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, glancing back toward Angel,
who continued to look around the large lobby in awe. Finally, he seemed to pull
his thoughts back to the topic at hand.
“Did you say werewolf? It isn’t even close to the full moon.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to her,” Wesley told him. “Last night
was only the first quarter moon, and a werewolf can not change but during the
three days surrounding the full moon. And by the way, Angel, thank you so much
for the opportunity to work for you. I assure you that I won’t let you down.”
“Yeah, yeah, suck up,” Cordelia interrupted. “I know all about werewolfs from
Sunnydale. Remember, that little place on the hellmouth? Look, the reports
stated that some derelict was wandering through the park, the cops tried to
pick him up, and he suddenly turned into a big, hairy animal thing. Sounds like
a werewolf to me. Oh, and I went ahead and bought a new computer with your
credit card. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“Don’t forget to mention those shopping bags full of clothes that you also
returned with,” Wesley reminded her smugly. “Angel, there are many different
demons that take animal shapes. I’ve been researching and though from the
reports it did sound most similar to a werewolf, it just isn’t possible.
Without the correct moon phase, he could not have achieved the change. And I
hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and took the liberties of setting your
office up over there. The things from your apartment were sent up to the
presidential suite, although if you’d rather, we could, of course move them.”
Angel just continued to stare at his two employees, dumbfounded.
“Actually, it is possible for a certain type of werewolf to shape-shift without
the moon phase.” Everyone looked up toward the door, hearing the soft female
voice.
“Willow, hey,” Cordelia greeted her.
“Miss Rosenberg, how are you doing?” Wesley asked, watching as she moved to
stand close to Angel’s side. She didn’t answer him, looking up toward Angel’s
face intently.
“You didn’t tell me that the place was so big,” she said quietly.
“I didn’t know,” he told her. “I stayed here a few decades ago. Guess I forgot
how nice it was.”
“Much better than that dump we were working out of before,” Cordelia stated
with a smile.
“Did…did you say that werewolves can undergo the change without a full moon?”
Wesley asked.
This time, Willow looked toward him and nodded. “There’s a certain type that
use magic to harness the demon’s power. Instead of being bitten and having the
demon within them at all times, they call upon it at will. Kind of like when
Xander became the hyena.”
“Of course,” Wesley gasped. “Why didn’t I think of that before? Intentional
wolf possession. Brilliant.”
“That’s my girl,” Angel said with an affectionate grin, wrapping an arm around
the redhead. Looking down, his smile faded as he took in her weary eyes and
drawn features. “Guys, I’m gonna take Willow up, find her a room and get her
settled in. We can talk about this later.”
Both Cordelia and Wesley watched as he took Willow’s small hand in his own and
led her to the stairs.
“Angel,” the seer called, waiting as he paused and looked back. “Buffy’s been
calling every ten minutes for the last few hours. It’s really annoying. You’d
better call her soon and tell her something.” The vampire simply nodded before
heading the rest of the way up the staircase.
~*~
“This looks like it’ll be alright,” Angel stated, looking around the small
room. “What do you think?” Willow simply nodded, her stare vacant. “You okay?”
He asked, stepping up to her and running a hand over her shoulder. Willow
looked up at him, her eyes swimming with a mixture of emotions. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…it’s silly,” she told him, starting to turn away before he stopped
her with a firm hold on both shoulders. The redhead took a deep breath before
speaking again. “I just haven’t…I mean…I didn’t think about sleeping away from
you,” she stated with a blush.
“Well, I’ll be right across the hall, so if you need anything, you know you can
just call and I’ll be right here,” he said, trying to reassure her. The truth
was, he hadn’t really liked the idea of sleeping away from his pet, but the
vampire had figured that she would relish a little privacy, and with the way
his emotions were shifting for the girl, he thought it best that he distance
himself a little bit.
Willow nodded and forced a small smile to her lips. Leaning down, the dark
haired vampire placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before leaving her for the
night. Taking a deep breath, Willow sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling
the soft mattress sink slightly beneath her. Looking around the dim room, she
bit her lower lip, trying to get a handle on her emotions. Something was
happening, something between her and Angel, and she suspected it was more than
just the bond.
The dim lamps bathed the room in a soft yellow light, dark shadows creeping
over the walls and ceiling. She could hear the city street traffic through the
partially opened window and felt a warm breeze sweep in past the thin, silk
curtains. Old, faded paintings hung on the walls and a small, oak framed mirror
sat above an antique dressing table. For the first time in a long while, Willow
felt small, tiny even, and completely alone. The events of the past few weeks
were finally catching up to the redhead, her current situation truly sinking
in. She was owned by a vampire, while another was seeking to destroy her. She
had not seen her friends in weeks, and worst of all, she was falling in love
with a vampire whose heart belonged to another.
Finally determined to drive the upsetting thoughts away, the redhead laid back,
curling up on the center of the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself,
and eventually fell asleep.
~17~
The next few days found the Angel Investigations crew hard at work. Paying
clients were coming in daily, and Cordelia had not had a vision in a long while.
Angel was getting used to the new set up, still adjusting to the former watcher
that had joined their team, and Willow spent most of her free time researching
how to break Spike’s spell. No one had heard a word from the blond vampire,
which had everyone feeling a little more edgy than they’d have cared to admit,
but Willow tried to force her fears down, keeping her nose buried in the books.
The gang in Sunnydale was researching as well. She had been in touch with them
several times since arriving back in L.A. Xander was worried, Anya was
uninterested, Giles was concerned and Buffy was restless. For the most part, it
seemed like business as usual. Giles was doing all he could to help her find a
way to break the bond, along with attempting to keep the slayer rational and
under control. Buffy was uneasy, to say the least. She hated the fact that her
friend was in danger and that she couldn’t be there to help. It had been
decided that for the time being, Angel was handling things well enough in L.A,
and Buffy was still, after all, needed on the hell mouth, but she made it more
than clear that if and when she was needed, she would be on her way at a
moment’s notice.
Looking down at the papers before her, Willow glanced back and forth from one
to the other, her eyes wide, frantically scanning the text. It had to be wrong.
She must be missing something. The curse…the clause…She had cross-referenced
what she had found with a few of Wesley’s books, and it seemed to be accurate.
She was going to have to talk to Angel about this, soon. Of course, she would
have to get his attention in order to talk to him.
Angel seemed to have buried himself in his work since arriving back in Los
Angeles, leaving Willow to feel increasingly restless and irritable with each
new day. There were no more long, heartfelt talks, no more exchanging of
stories, no more gentle touches and caresses. It was almost as if he had
forgotten that she was there at all. It angered and upset her that he could go
from hot to cold so quickly, and she was left feeling miserable. The redhead
was quick to snap at the others and felt unable to sit still for any length of
time. Cordelia assumed that the girl simply missed her friends. Wesley
suspected that the effects of the spell were getting to her, but Angel knew –
he was the problem. He wasn’t as oblivious as she believed. He simply thought
it best to avoid her and the many emotions that the she stirred up inside of
him. He had let himself feel for her, become emotionally attached, and then he
had allowed her to get hurt. Spike had been able to sink his teeth into her
throat right before his eyes, and it was only Willow’s own strength that saved
her. The shame and hurt brought on by that moment was enough to keep Angel at
bay.
As the vampire continued to brood alone, Willow could feel herself becoming
more discontent and bitter. She resented Cordelia for being able to stand
behind Angel and read over his shoulder without feeling her skin tingle from
the inside out. She was angry at Wesley for not already knowing the cure for
her problem from his days as a watcher. She despised them both, because Angel
didn’t avoid them like he did sunlight, like he did happiness, like he did
Willow. She was alone again, in a room full of people, and the one creature who
could calm her very being seemed to want, once again, to have nothing to do
with her. It hurt, and even more so, it pissed her off.
Grabbing the papers, Willow headed into Angel’s office, not bothering to knock.
He was, as usual, sitting in the dark, staring at his hands. The vampire looked
up, glaring at the intruding woman.
“Angel, we need to talk. I found something that I think you should see.”
“Great, Willow,” he grumbled, looking back down. “We’ll talk about it later.”
The redhead could feel her anger growing. She was tried of being ignored and
she would not be so easily dismissed this time.
“No. Actually, Angel, we’ll talk about it now,” she informed him.
“Willow,” he growled in warning. She was, after all, still his pet, and he
expected a certain amount of respect.
“Don’t you dare growl at me, Mister!” She yelled. “You have done nothing but
avoid me and ignore me since we got back. I don’t know what your problem is,
but I’m tired of it, a-and I’m tired of walking around her all cranky just
because you have some broody angst that you can’t get over!” Angel simply
stared at the redhead, stunned by her outburst. “Now, I have something
important that you need to know about, and you are going to listen, come hell
or…”
Willow was cut off by a shrill scream from the lobby. Running out with Angel
behind her, she found Cordelia doubled over at the bottom of the stairs. The
redhead quickly helped the seer to the nearby sofa and sat next to her, a
worried look on her face. She didn’t say anything. Looking up, she saw Wesley
run in, stopping next to Angel.
“Cordy, what is it? What’s wrong?” Angel’s voice was more frantic than usual
and Willow saw his eyes dart up to hers for just a moment. She recognized the
fear there, knowing that it was mirrored in her own expression. They were both
afraid that the vision was about Spike, though both were too afraid to ask
outright.
“A demon,” Cordelia mumbled, holding her head with one hand as Wesley handed
her a glass of water and a few aspirin. “Near the edge of the city. There were
two young women. They were afraid. It…it was big and strong, and…oh god, slimy,
with sharp fangs and…and razor-like things coming out of its back. Hurry…you
have to hurry.”
Both men watched as Willow suddenly put her hands on Cordelia’s head and closed
her eyes, mumbling a few words they didn’t understand. A moment later, the seer
looked up, her expression stunned.
“The pain…it’s gone. Willow…you’re like…the best drug ever! You’re
like...heroine, only without the addiction or the coming down or any of that
other nasty stuff. You’re like…like…sugar! Good, pain-reducing sugar!”
“What did you do?” Angel asked.
“Just a little healing spell,” Willow told him, unable to suppress a small,
proud grin. She shrugged. “No big deal.”
“No big deal? That was a very big deal,” Cordelia told her, enveloping the
redhead in a tight hug. “Thank you!”
“Happy to help,” Willow’s muffled voice responded.
Wesley and Angel both moved quickly, grabbing a few weapons and heading toward
the door. The vampire stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down, he
saw Willow watching him.
“I have to go,” he told her, his voice a little more gruff than he had
intended. The tension between the two was suddenly thick in the air.
“I’m coming with you,” she insisted.
“No, you are not,” Angel replied with a forceful tone. The redhead opened her
mouth to protest, but he quickly cut her off. “I don’t have time for this,
Willow. Wesley and I can handle it. I don’t need to worry about you out there.
You’ll just get in the way.”
“The hell I will!” She shouted. “I can help. My magic is much stronger lately,
and…”
“I said no!” He bellowed, startling the witch into silence. Taking a step
toward her, the vampire glared down at the redhead. “You will do as I say,
Willow. Go up to your room and do not come down until I get home.”
“I am not a child, Angel!”
“You’ve been acting like one for days,” he replied. “Do not force me to punish
you right here and now,” he growled lowly, the words meant only for her to
hear. He watched as she looked toward Wesley and Cordelia, her cheeks
reddening. “While you are arguing with me like a spoiled brat, a demon is out
there killing people.” Willow simply looked down at the floor, feeling tears
fill her eyes. “Upstairs, now.”
“Harsh much?” Cordelia asked, once Willow was gone.
Angel spun around, glaring at the seer. “Mind your own business, Cordy,” he
warned. The brunette knew better than to argue with the vampire when he was in
such a mood, and quickly backed down, biting her tongue in spite of herself.
~*~
“I don’t like this, Giles. I should be there, or she should be here.”
“Buffy, I know that you’re worried, but Angel is doing all that he can for
Willow, and right now I really don’t think that there is anything more that can
be done.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Xander asked. “What exactly is it that Angel is
‘doing’ for her?” His voice held a bit of contempt for the vampire as he spoke,
not noticing the way Buffy flinched at the words.
“I assure you that Angel is acting honorably with Willow,” Giles told him. “I
have been in touch with both Angel and Wesley, and Willow is in good hands
there.”
“It’s what he’s doing with his hands that worried me,” Xander grumbled.
“What about Spike?” Buffy continued. “he’s been laying low for way too long.
It’s not like him. He’s gotta be planning something.”
“Until we know anything more on his whereabouts or intentions, Buffy, I must
insist that you stay here and continue to patrol. I’m sure that we will find a
reversal spell for Willow soon enough, and in the meantime, we still have the
Initiative to deal with.”
~*~
Cordelia knocked on the door, walking in a moment later, finding Willow pacing
back and forth.
“They should have been back by now,” the redhead mumbled, not bothering to look
up at her friend. The longer he was gone and the further away that he went, the
more out of sorts she felt, like she didn’t quite fit in her own skin. Her
anger was dissolving as the uncomfortable feeling simmering inside of her was
quickly drawing to a boil.
“Sometimes these things take awhile,” Cordelia told her. “They had to track
that thing and then kill it. I’m sure they’ll be back soon, probably all
dripping with goo and grinning like idiots.” The seer tried to sound
reassuring, though her voice held a bit of doubt. They really had been gone
longer than usual.
Willow suddenly grabbed at her chest as she sat down on the bed, inhaling
sharply. The tension within her was now teetering on unbearably painful.
Cordelia quickly moved to her side.
“Are you okay? Can I do something?”
Willow shook her head, trying to stand up again. Cordy pulled her back down.
“Willow, I really think that…”
“Where is he?” Willow shouted, startling the seer. She then whispered, her
voice much weaker, “What if…what if he’s…”
Cordelia stopped her. “He’s fine. I’m sure he is. They both are, and they’ll be
back any moment.”
Willow shook her head. “He’s still moving further away. Why isn’t he coming
back?” Her voice was strained from the pain she was feeling, and Willow finally
allowed Cordy to help her lay back on the bed. The pain only increased by the
minutes, until the redhead was nearly delirious. Cordelia sat next to her,
holding her hand tightly and trying to reassure her friend that it would be
alright, though she wasn’t entirely sure that it was true.
“Where is he?” The witch mumbled over and over.
“He’ll be here soon,” Cordelia told her again and again.
“What if…what if he doesn’t want to come back?” Willow asked, her voice small
and childlike, reminding Cordelia a little too much of the Willow she once knew
in Sunnydale. “I was bad…what if he’s punishing me. What if he doesn’t want to
come back?”
“Not possible,” Cordelia told her, sweeping back a few strands of red hair that
had fallen into the witch’s face. She hated to see this strong woman look so
weak. “He’s crazy about you.”
Willow snorted. “It’s the spell.”
“Spell, shmell! The guy has it bad for you and it’s terrifying him. You’re both
just too stupid to do anything about it.”
“Hey! Girl in pain here,” Willow complained through clenched teeth. “You gotta
insult me on top of it?”
Cordelia smiled a little. “Well, someone’s gotta set you two straight. You’ve
both been stomping around here like a couple of angry bears the last few days.
When he comes back, and he IS coming back, you’d better march right up to him
and tell him how you feel. Understand?” Willow just gave her a doubtful look.
The brunette let out a sigh before speaking again, her voice a little softer.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, when he thinks you aren’t watching, and
he’s got it bad…trust me. I know about these things.”
Willow squeezed her hand tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Hey, I just speak the truth,” Cordelia told her.
“No, I mean thank you…for being my friend,” the redhead corrected, watching as
Cordy smiled brightly.
~18~
“This is taking too long. We should have found this thing by now,” Angel
complained. “From Cordy’s description, it shouldn’t be that hard to spot.”
“She did say that it was at the edge of the city. Perhaps it’s already moved
further out,” Wesley suggested.
“I can’t go much further,” Angel told him. “I can already feel the bond
pulling. We’ve already gone further than I should have.” Wesley knew that
despite the argument that he had witnessed earlier, the vampire was worried
about his pet, worried that he would hurt her, but they both knew that there
was a job to do, and neither would leave until it was done.
“You really care for her, don’t you?” Wesley asked.
Angel glanced at his new employee. “She restored my soul. Of course I care
about her.”
“It’s more than that, though, isn’ it? And it’s more than the spell as well,
I’ve read up on it. It makes you protective, controlling, but I’ve seen the way
you can be with her. Even with a soul, I never thought that I would see a
vampire who…”
“Do we have to talk about this right now?” Angel grumbled.
Wesley held his hands up in surrender. “I’m only saying that if you care for
the girl, you should tell her, instead of avoiding her and biting her head off…figuratively
speaking, of course.”
Angel shook his head. “I don’t have the right. I almost told her, before,
but…it was wrong. She deserves better than…that this.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Angel. Willow is a smart girl. She knows what she
deserves.”
“It’s just…I saw the way she was with Spike, the way he treated her, hurt her,
and the way she begged him to…I don’t want to do that, become that. Not to her.
I want…”
A sudden scream cut him off, alerting them to the demon’s presence, and both
Angel and Wesley ran down an alleyway and around a corner, finding the large
demon towering over two terrified women.
Angel held his ax up, ready to throw it at the back of the demon’s head, when
he suddenly heard Wesley’s voice, deep and loud.
“Hey, you big bully! Over here!” Angel looked at the ex-watcher incredulously,
as the demon turned its angry red eyes toward them.
“Well, there goes the element of surprise,” he mumbled, watching as the two
girls ran.
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” Wesley yelled, not noticing
Angel’s glare.
“Do you see ANYONE here that’s even close to his size?” The vampire questioned,
rolling his eyes.
“Well, no, but I thought that what with your strength and speed, you
could…just…well…sorry,” Wesley muttered sheepishly as Angel once again rolled
his eyes.
~*~
Cordelia heard the front doors of the lobby open and quickly ran down the
stairs.
“Where the hell have you been?” She yelled.
“Is everything alright?” Angel asked, looking around and not seeing Willow.
“Hardly. Angel, you went too far!”
“Willow, is she alright?” He questioned through tightly clenched teeth.
Cordelia nodded. “She is now. The pain finally subsided about twenty minutes
ago and she fell asleep, and…iw…you’re all slimy and…kind of smelly.” Angel
moved toward the stairs and Cordy’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Maybe you
should just let her rest. She’s…”
Cordelia was cut off as Wesley pulled her back. “Let him go, Cordy,” he said
softly, watching as Angel headed up the stairs.
~*~
After quickly showering and dressing in a loose pair of black pants, Angel
entered the dark room across the hall, seeing the redhead asleep on the bed,
her breathing deep and even. Shutting the door, he moved to sit beside her on
the bed and watched as she stirred under the covers.
Slowly turning her head and opening her eyes, Willow saw the vampire looking
down at her, concern etched in his face.
“Angel?” She asked softly. He nodded. “You went away.”
Again, he nodded. “I’m sorry Willow. So sorry.”
“It hurt,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes, and Angel felt his dead heart
ache at the pain he had caused her. “Not just physically, but I thought that
you were gone, and…and it hurt my heart. I was afraid that you weren’t coming
back. I’m sorry…I’m sorry I yelled, I just…you just wouldn’t…and I…I’m sorry
Angel…please…please don’t leave me again…I’m sorry…so sorry…please don’t leave
me. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”
Hearing the pain and fear in her voice, Angel leaned down, grabbing her
shoulders tightly and capturing her lips with his own, the intensity of the
kiss surprising them both. When he finally pulled away, Willow looked up at
him, a startled expression on her face. Before she could speak, he quickly
pulled away, realizing what he had done, what he had almost allowed himself to
do. Willow sat up and leaned back a little, a hurt expression on her face.
“Angel, we need to talk.”
The vampire ran a hand through his hair, trying to get a handle on his raging
emotions. Every part of his being screamed for him to simply take her, take the
woman that belonged to him, make her truly his in every way, but the soul, the
last shred of rational through in his mind, pulled him back to harsh reality.
“Willow, we can’t. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
“No,” she interrupted. “Angel, please don’t apologize. Don’t say it’s a
mistake. It’s not. I have all these feelings and emotions and…and it all leads
to one thing…You and me. You’re a part of me, and I belong to you,
and…and…can’t you feel it?” Her voice shook with desperation. “Am I crazy? Do
you feel what I feel? I mean, I know that the spell, it…but…I never felt this
way with Spike. I never wanted him, not like this, and if I’m wrong…”
“Willow,” Angel answered, crawling back onto the bed, knelling before her,
taking her trembling hands in his, “I feel it, but we can’t act on it. It
wouldn’t be right. I can’t do that to you.”
“You can’t do that to me?” She yelled, yanking her hands away. “Can’t what?
Hold me? Touch me? Love me? You said you’d help me, Angel, a-and I don’t want
you if you don’t want me, but…but I feel it…I feel what you feel. How can you
deny…Unless…unless it isn’t about me. Unless it’s about Buffy.” Her face fell
as she looked down at her hands on her lap, not able to meet his gaze, too afraid
of what she would see there.
“Willow, this has nothing to do with Buffy,” he insisted, reaching out and
tilting her chin up gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. “She is my past. Now,
I’m meant to protect you, and that includes protecting you from me. If I act on
my emotions right now, no matter how badly I want to, no matter how much I wish
it different, in the end, I’ll destroy you.”
Willow shook her head, wiping at the tears that slipped down her flushed
cheeks, before reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing the papers she had
tossed there earlier, scattering them on the bed between them. Angel gave her a
questioning look.
“According to this, being bound to me, you can’t lose your soul. It’s part of
the spell,” she said softly, gauging his reaction.
Taking the papers, the vampire looked them over again and again, his hope
rising. Finally, he looked up at the beautiful redhead again. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “You’re really sure about this?”
“Really, really,” she affirmed with a smile. A moment later, she was startled
to find a large vampire lunging at her, wrapping his arms tightly around her
and peppering her cheeks and lips with wild kisses. Pulling her from the bed
with a squeal, he spun the small witch around and around in his arms, finally
setting her down and kissing her deeply, passionately, pouring every bit of
emotion that had been building with in him into the kiss.
~19~
Willow woke just after Angel had left the bed, her body immediately alerting
her to the loss of his presence. She sat up, looking around the dim room and
heard water running in the adjacent bathroom. Slowly standing and stretching,
the redhead grinned and blushed, feeling a delicious ache spread throughout her
body.
Grabbing the shirt that Angel had discarded the night before, the redhead
pulled it on, inhaling the vampire’s scent and smiling softly. Not bothering
with the buttons, she just held it closed as she yawned and glanced at a
mirror, smoothing her hair down.
Hearing the door open, Willow spun around, smiling brightly as Angel walked in,
her eyes sweeping over his naked body. She sighed, feeling a little relieved.
Though the witch hadn’t wanted to admit it, from the moment that Angel had left
the bed, she had been afraid that he was regretting what they had done, and a
small amount of terror followed the thought that he might leave and not come
back.
“Taking a shower?” She asked as he walked toward her. Angel simply nodded.
“Care for some help?” The innocently spoken question startled the vampire and
his grin widened as he reached her, suddenly lifting his pet up, tossing her
over his shoulder, making his way into the bathroom. The vampire set her down,
looking at her hungrily. He was completely unconcerned with his lack of
clothing, and only interested in bringing Willow to the same state as quickly
as possible.
His dark gaze drank her in and Willow shivered at the emotions he caused to
stir within her. It was as if he could read her thoughts, feel all that she was
feeling and see into her soul, and she knew that it was all true. As much as it
frightened her to open herself up to the vampire before her, Willow reveled in
the feelings that he created and the emotional bond she felt with him.
The redhead looked more than a little nervous as she stood before him, glancing
around the small room. He had lit several candles, now scattered around, the
orange light dancing over her face. Leaning down, Angel kissed the bottom of
her neck, before moving a little higher, kissing her again, and then nipping at
her earlobe.
“Sure you want this?” He asked. The witch nodded her head, her lust filled eyes
locking with his, and Angel grinned again. Pulling her a little closer to him,
the vampire tugged at her shirt, slowly pulling it from her and tossing it to
the floor. Willow immediately crossed her arms over her chest, blushing a
little as her creamy, pale flesh was revealed to him. She knew that he had
already seen every inch of her, but now, in the flickering light, away from the
hazy refuge of her large bed, she felt utterly exposed. Angel simply shook his
head, gently pulling her hands away.
“Keep your hands at your side,” he commanded in a soft tone. “Don’t ever hide
yourself from me.”
Willow took a deep breath and struggled to obey him. Angel paused for only a
moment, running his cool hands up and down her warm, bare arms, before pulling
the girl into his arms, kissing her passionately.
Finally pulling away, Angel took her hand, guiding her into the large shower
stall and following her in. Willow stood below the warm spray, feeling the
soothing water gliding over her hair and down her back. Angel simply watched
her for a moment. She looked unsure of what to say or do, and he suspected she
was awaiting instructions, as any pet would. He didn’t want to command her or
force her into anything. This, what they were doing, what they were about to
do, it had nothing to do with the spell over them, and he wanted to be sure
that she understood that. The previous night had been soft and gentle, an utter
expression of love and devotion, but at the same time, the spell did still
exist. Though Willow was far from ready to admit it, there were still some
other needs created by their bond, and Angel supposed that a little control was
never a bad thing.
“Come here, Willow,” he said in low, husky tone, watching as she took the two
small, shaky steps toward him, smiling softly as his arms wrapped around her.
Running a hand over her wet hair, the vampire leaned down, kissing her deeply.
He smiled into her mouth as he felt her hands move around him, her fingers
lightly kneading his back.
Pulling away a few moments later, Angel moved to grab a bottle of shower gel.
Reaching out, he handed the bottle to his pet.
“I think that you promised to help me get cleaned up,” he whispered, his voice
teasing.
Willow smiled and looked down at the bottle. “No sponge or…or cloth?” She
asked.
Angel shook his head. “I’m sure you can improvise,” he told her, a twinkle in
his eye.
Pouring a generous amount of the gel into her hands, Willow rubbed them
together, working up a lather and then tentatively reached out, running her
hands over his chest. Angel sucked in an unneeded breath, feeling her slippery
hands roam over his chest, and closed his eyes. Seeing and feeling his response
to her, Willow grew a bit bolder and began to explore the rest of his hard body
with her hands, caressing and rubbing each and every inch of the vampire before
her. Angel moaned as her warm hands slipped over his hard cock, gliding up and
down easily. She smiled as she felt him grip her arms, steadying himself, and
then frowned a little as he pushed her away.
Angel saw the redhead pouting, an uncertain look on her face.
“Did I do something wrong?” She asked in a tiny voice.
Angel chuckled and shook his head. “You did everything right,” he told her. “A
little too right.”
Understanding dawning, she grinned slyly and leaned into him, running her hands
up his arms and down his back. “Then, you’re pleased?” She questioned.
Angel nodded. “I think my girl deserves a reward for being so good.”
Willow’s eyes widened, as did her grin. Angel grasped her hips, lifting her
swiftly and pushing her against the tiled wall. He felt her legs instinctively
wrap around his waist as he sank his full length into her, hearing the witch
sigh and moan. He began a slow, steady rhythm, sliding in and out, Willow’s
damp back sliding easily over the cool tiles. He could feel her nails digging
into his flesh as she pulled him impossibly closer. Opening his eyes, Angel was
surprised to see bright, lust-filled, green eyes staring intently into his deep
brown gaze.
“Angel, please,” she whispered, before subtly tilting her head to the side,
exposing her neck to him.
The vampire was more than a little surprised by the offering. “Are you sure?”
He asked hesitantly, wanting more than anything to sink his fangs into her,
taste her essence.
“Make me yours,” she begged, “again and again.”
Needing no further assurance, his demon visage slipped forward, just before he
leaned in, his fangs sliding easily into her throat, reopening the mark he had
made weeks before. Willow felt, more than heard, the growl deep with in his
chest as he began to drink from her. The feel of the demon responding to her
blood, combined with the pull of the liquid through her veins was too much, and
the redhead came with a deep, guttural moan, followed almost immediately by the
dark haired vampire.
Finally forcing himself to pull back from his pet, Angel glanced at her for a
moment, before kissing her lips softly, a silent thank you for the gift she had
willingly given him. Looking her over again, he could see her eye struggling to
stay open, and quickly turned off the water, before drying them both off and
sweeping her up in his arms, carrying her back to bed and carefully covering the
exhausted girl. Slipping under the covers and pulling the redhead close, Angel
smiled into her neck, inhaling deeply.
“You’re mine, Willow,” he whispered with a proud smile, “forever.”
~20~
Willow was drifting though the hotel, a strange mist covering the floors of the
halls. Everything was slightly hazy, appearing in that distant way that only
exists in dreams. She was searching for something, someone, though she couldn’t
remember exactly who or why.
Jumping, the redhead was startled by the sound of a car horn, and she looked
up, temporarily blinded by bright headlights at the end of the hall. Blinking
several times and finally clearing her sight, she looked up, the vehicle gone,
and saw a figure walking toward her. Recognizing him, she ran to meet the man.
“Wesley! Have you seen Angel? I need to talk to him.”
The former watcher shook his head. He was dressed as she remembered him from
his days in Sunnydale, wearing a stiff suit, slicked-back hair and a
pretentious look on his face.
“He’s a bit preoccupied, you know, maiming, killing. Takes a lot out of a man.
Can I help you with something?”
“No. No, I really need Angel,” she told him, sounding a bit distraught.
“There’s something I just figured out…or I think I did, but…I don’t understand,
and…There’s a truck…or…something…coming...or going...”
“Of course you don’t understand,” he told her with a condescending chuckle.
“You know, I have two heads. Oh yes, that’s right, two. You can only see the
one, but the other is there, rest assured, watching you. It see what he can’t.
It can see what everyone else is missing. Look hard enough and I’m sure you’ll
find it.”
Willow gave him a confused look. “Wesley, I really need…”
“Impatient, aren’t we? Mr. Giles always did say that you did not have enough
patience, didn’t devote enough time to schoolwork. Perhaps if you had spent a
little more time studying and a little less time worrying about boys, you would
have already figured this out. The square root of pi isn’t all that difficult.
It’s no wonder you find yourself in this position now. Yes, he always said you
were far too unfocused.”
“That…that wasn’t me. That sounds more like Buffy,” she told him.
“Does it? Oh, yes, I suppose it was about Buffy. Everything always is. After
all, it’s not as if the world really revolves around the sun.”
“Hey! I thought that I was the center!”
“Cordelia?” Willow turned and looked toward the brunette female as she walked
toward them. She had on a business suit, her hair pulled back into a bun, a
small pair of stylish wire framed glasses on her face.
“Yeah, I know, not how you’d picture me, right? But I’ve changed, really! No
more acting. I want to devote myself to a real purpose.”
“That’s really good, Cordelia, but I…”
“Excuse me! Was I finished talking? I didn’t think so.” Suddenly, Willow looked
around, realizing that she was now in one of the old Sunnydale High School
classrooms, sitting in front of Cordelia. Oz was sitting next to the brunette,
Buffy behind her, playing with a piece of gum, and Xander next to her.
“She always interrupts like that,” Oz told her in a hushed tone. “It gets on my
nerves after a while. I think I’ll probably leave her eventually because of it.
Either that or I’ll burn her at the stake.”
“Oz?” Willow whimpered in confusion.
“As I was saying,” Cordy continued, “I want to devote my time to more important
things, like this seasons nail colors and the latest in cosmetic enhancements.
Not that I need it, of course, but imagine if we could fix the vampires’ faces,
and they looked just like us? We’d never know the difference and they would be
perfectly acceptable…Well, except of course for the biting, but then, I hear
that can be fun sometimes. Not that I would ever do that…ick, but…” Her voice
trailed off as Willow looked around, noticing the way Buffy and Xander were
making kissy faces at one another.
“Pst…” Hearing someone next to her, Willow turned, surprised to see Angel in
the desk beside her. “Hey, do you know that answer to question four?”
Willow looked down at her paper. “One plus one? Um, two, I think, except
there’s always a remainder, and I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You don’t think my hair’s too flat, do you?” He asked. “Without my hair, I’m
nothing.”
Willow scrunching up her nose. “I don’t think that…”
“Willow, are you cheating?” Hearing Giles’s voice, she sat up a bit straighter
and shook her head. “You know that magic is not a toy, right? And some words
can never been taught, only learned.”
“What? No, I would never…”
“It’s not enough to have the power. You have to know how to use it. I have the
key to your freedom, in all those piles of dusty old books that you children
are always mocking. Perhaps I will just burn them...and you were distinctly
told that Angel is not to be disturbed.” Looking toward Angel again, she saw
that he was now watching Buffy with a large grin on his face.
“She’s pretty,” he told her.
“Yeah, I guess, if you like the gorgeous, athletic, super hero type,” Willow
responded, pouting slightly.
“Well, Xander likes her, and he’s pretty cool, so…”
“Wait, Xander likes Anya,” Willow interrupted. Suddenly, Anya appeared on the
other side of her.
“Nah. I let him go. As if I could ever really compete with Buffy. As if anyone
could. Actually, I was thinking of trying to get my powers back, or maybe someone
else’s. I always thought that it would be fun if my arms and legs were, like,
really stretchy, like putty. That would be pretty neat. Do you like your new
powers?”
“I…I don’t have new powers,” Willow told her.
“Oh, sure you do. Didn’t anyone tell you? You can wiggle your nose and pop out
of the bottle now, and you can make rats out of people, too.”
“Pst…Do you know the answer to question four?” Angel asked again.
“I already told you…” Looking down, Willow saw that the question was now
different. “If demon one is going at 160 miles per hour, south, and demon two
is going at 200 miles per hour, north, who will be the one to finally destroy
you?” She read out loud. “That question doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense to me,” Anya told her.
“And me,” Xander added.
“Even I get it, and I’m not good at anything but looking pretty and punching
things,” Buffy told her.
“Really, Willow, if you don’t understand the question, how do you ever hope to
find the answer?” Giles asked.
“Hey, do you have a partner yet?” Anya questioned, twirling her hair absently.
“A partner? For what?”
Anya rolled her eyes. “For the dance, of course.”
“I…I don’t think I even have a dress,” Willow told her.
“Wow, nothing like waiting until the last minute. I have a swell demon friend
that I could set you up with. Of course, you can’t talk to him, or touch him,
or…or look directly at him.”
“Maybe Angel could…”
“I thought that maybe I could ask Buffy,” Angel told her with a grin, “and if
she says no, maybe I can spend the night brooding. Either way, it’s win-win.”
“But…but I thought that maybe we could…”
“What? Oh, are you still here?” Angel asked.
Willow looked down at herself, seeing that her body was fading in and out. “I
thought so, but…”
“Ignore her, Angel,” Cordelia told him. "Eventually she'll just go crazy
anyway."
“Ignore who?” He questioned.
“Exactly,” she said with a nod.
“Pst, do you know the answer to question number four?”
Willow awoke with a start, sitting up in bed and panting softly. Looking down
at the vampire that slept beside her, she bit her lower lip as she stared, deep
in thought. Could he really ever love her, more than Buffy, or would she always
be just a substitute, a convenient second choice? And what about the new powers
stirring with in her? Willow was barely able to control them, let alone
understand them or where they were coming from. She could feel her strength and
power increasing daily and began to grow a bit fearful of exactly what she
could be capable of.
Finally, she laid back down and closed her eyes, snuggling closer to the cool
body beside her and sighing as his arm wrapped around her instinctively. She
had nothing to worry about…Angel loved her…It wasn’t just the spell…He and
Buffy were over…Right?
Stupid prophetic dreams.
~21~
She felt him come into the room before she ever heard him, and simply closed
her eyes, a slight smile gracing her lips as he placed his hand on her
shoulder. Her nimble fingers paused over the worn keys before continuing their
frantic typing, her eyes glancing back at the screen.
“Don’t you think it’s time to take a break?” Angel asked in a soft voice.
Willow simply shook her head. “You’ve been sitting at this computer all day.
You need to rest.”
“What I need is to find the answer,” she told him, not looking away from the
computer screen or slowing her typing. She had never been able to tolerate
unsolved problems, and this was no different. She would find a reversal spell
for the bond that Spike had set. She had to.
Angel let out a sigh, turning and stepping away from her, listening to the
clicking of the keyboard. When he spoke again, his voice was so quiet that
Willow almost missed it.
“Is being with me that horrible?”
Hearing the question, Willow paused, her hands hovering in the air for a
moment, before pulling back and dropping onto the desk. She turned slowly, her
large, green eyes staring at the vampire in surprise.
“How can you think that?” She whispered.
Angel shrugged. “You’re so determined to break the bond,” he told her.
Pushing her chair back, Willow jumped up and moved to him, taking one of his
large hands into both of hers, waiting as he slowly looked at her.
“Angel, you know that I want to be with you. It’s just…the bond, the spell that
Spike did…I don’t want our relationship to be about pain and necessity.”
“Every relationship is about pain and necessity,” he insisted in a sullen tone.
It was Willow’s turn to sigh as her shoulders dropped and she took a step back,
biting her lip, trying to conjure the right words.
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life worrying that Spike will come back
and take you from me. Losing you, it would be bad enough, but Angel, the pain…I
wouldn’t survive, you know that.”
The vampire nodded reluctantly. “I know, but I could get rid of Spike,
permanently, and then…”
“And then someone else would come along and try to pull us apart. We’re a
liability to each other like this. I want to be with you, I do,” she insisted,
her voice thick with emotion, “but I don’t want to constantly worry about what
will happen if you suddenly have to leave town, or I accidentally get on a bus
to San Francisco or…”
“Or?”
“Or you change your mind,” she whispered.
“About what?”
“About us!” She shouted, tears stinging her eyes. “I know that you say it’s not
the bond, and I believe you, but I don’t…I don’t want to have that doubt. I
want to know…I need to know that you’re with me because you WANT to be with
me.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Angel swept the redhead up, holding her
tightly. “You’re mine, little girl,” he growled with a predatory smile, “spell
or no spell, and I’ll do whatever I need to prove it.”
Willow giggled and shook her head. “I just need to find a reverse for the
spell,” she told him, glancing longingly at the computer across the room.
Seeing her looking at the machine that had already commanded too much of her
attention, Angel placed a finger under her chin and turned her head to look at
him again.
“That can wait,” he insisted, taking in her tired eyes and pale complexion.
“When did you last eat? Last sleep?” Willow shrugged, grinning sheepishly,
before letting out a squeal as the dark haired vampire swept her up off of her
feet and carried her out of the room.
Dropping his pet onto the large, soft bed, Angel simply gave her a warning look
before leaving. He returned a few minutes later, grinning as he saw Willow’s
eyes widen at the sight of what he had brought her. Staring at the large bowl
of strawberries and whipped cream, the redhead licked her lips and sat up a bit
straighter on the bed.
Sitting next to her, Angel chuckled as she leaned forward, ready to devour the
strawberries. Holding the bowl out of reach, the vampire shook his head and
smirked at the beautiful, pouting face before him. Dipping one plump strawberry
into the cream, he held it up slowly, watching as she leaned forward, tongue
gliding along his fingers as she sucked the fruit into her mouth. The witch
closed her eyes, groaning softly as the sweet taste flooded her senses, before
quickly looking up again, mouth parted, ready for another. When her lips once
again grazed his fingers, this time purposefully sucking a bit at the cool
digits, it was Angel’s turn to moan as he struggled to keep control.
Once the last strawberry was gone, Angel leaned forward, his strong hand
gripping the back of her neck, holding the redhead still as he plundered her
sweet mouth, his tongue pilfered the last bit of juice. Willow moaned and
leaned into him, whimpering a little when he finally pulled back.
“More,” she whispered, as she tried to stifle a yawn.
Angel chuckled and shook his head. “You need to get some sleep. There will be
time to play later.”
Crossing her arms over her chest and pushing her lower lip out a bit, the
redhead pouted, her resolve-face slipping into place.
Never one to be manipulated by a woman, no matter how cute and sexy, Angel
stood up, glaring at the girl. “Go to sleep,” he told her, turning and heading
for the door. “I’ll come to check on you in a few hours.”
“I’m not sleepy,” she whined, again trying to cover a yawn.
Angel simply gave her a knowing look before flipping the light switch off and
reaching for the door.
“You know, I don’t have to do what you tell me,” she informed him, suddenly
sounding more defiant and angry.
Angel let out a sigh and turned back to look at the redhead. “Actually, you do.
I thought we already established that. Now, go to sleep.”
Gritting her teeth and glaring through the dark, Willow whispered, “illustro.”
Angel squinted at the sudden, bright flash of light and waited a moment for his
vision to clear. When he could see again, the vampire frowned to see the
redhead sitting up, her arms folded, a triumphant smile on her face.
“What did you just do?” He growled.
“I Am a witch, remember?” She reminded him.
The vampire frowned. His girl was getting magically stronger every day, and
though a part of him gleamed with pride, it caused him to worry as well.
Walking back over to the bed, Angel contemplated his choice of actions. His pet
was being defiant. He should punish her. It should have been that simple, but
of course, things never were. The redhead was frustrated with her current
situation. She was stressed and exhausted, and apparently that was a rather
toxic combination for the witch.
“Willow, do you want me to punish you?” He asked, wondering if perhaps the
redhead was feeling neglected, but she quickly shook her head. “Then what’s
with the attitude?”
“I’ll go to sleep when I decide I want to, not when you tell me to. I am still
a person, remember?”
“Well, as long as you’re mine,” he replied, “and you ARE mine, Willow, you will
do as I say. You know I only have your best interest in mind, right?” The
redhead reluctantly nodded, looking away. “And you ARE tired, right?” Again,
she nodded. “And a girl as smart as you would certainly know that being as
tired as you are, you won’t get very far with research without a little nap,
right?”
Willow gritted her teeth. He was talking to her like she was a child. Finally,
she nodded again, despising the victorious grin on his face.
“Now, are you going to be good and go to sleep?” He asked.
“Yes,” she grumbled, sliding down into the soft sheets, feeling her tired body
relax into the mattress.
“Good girl,” Angel replied, once again heading for the door. His hand slipped
up to the light switch, just as he remembered what the redhead has done.
“Willow?” She gave him a questioning look for a moment, before remembering her
little temper-tantrum spell.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, before waving her hand, extinguishing the lights.
Stepping out into the hallway, the vampire jumped into a defensive stance as a
figure jumped up before him. It took his mind a moment to register who it was,
before he finally relaxed a bit and let out a deep, aggravated sigh.
“Buffy, what are you doing here?”
~22~
"Buffy, what are you doing here?"
"Giles sent me to pick up a book. I was going to say hello to Willow, but
I figured if she's sleeping, maybe it would better not
to…What are you doing with her?" She hadn't meant to ask that, but the
words had slipped out, despite her best intentions to play the
part of the noble ex-girlfriend.
Running a hand through his hair, the vampire made his way down the hallway,
away from the redhead's room, and toward the stairs to the lobby, the blonde
slayer following close behind. When they finally
reached the bottom of the stairs, he spoke.
"Buffy…"
"Tell me, Angel. What's going on with the two of you?"
"It's…complicated," he told her, honestly unsure of how to describe
their relationship.
"Complicated?" Anger and confusion swam in her eyes.
"It's hard to explain."
"Do you love her?" Angel took a step back, surprised by the sudden,
direct question.
"Buffy, I…"
"Do you, Angel? Do you love her?"
After thinking for a long moment, the vampire nodded.
"What about me?" The slayer whispered, feeling tears fill her eyes.
"Buffy, you and are…we never worked, you know that." Now that he was
actually talking to her about it, Angel was surprised at just how
true those words felt.
"You've moved on from me already? How can you forget so fast?"
"Are you trying to tell me that you haven't moved on? Come on, Buffy, I've
seen the way you are with Riley. You love him."
"It's not…"
"It's ok, that's what I wanted…for you to move on and be happy."
"What about all those things you said?" She asked. "All those
reasons that you left…or were they just excuses?"
"Buffy…"
"Listen to me, Angel. She is my best friend. If your intentions are not…If
you hurt her, I'll kill you." The vampire simply nodded,
unsure of what to say. "Willow doesn't jump into something idly. When she
gives herself to someone, she gives her whole self, Angel.
Have you thought about that?" The brunette opened his mouth to respond,
but she quickly cut him off. "The same problems still
exist! She's human, you're a vampire. You live in the night. You can't take her
out in the day, and you can't protect her there. She
will grow old and she will die. What will you do? Have you thought about any of
this?"
"Buffy…" Again, she quickly cut him off, not having finished her
tirade.
"I know you say you love her, Angel, and maybe you do, but is that enough?
Can you really, truly make her happy? And what about Willow? How much of this
is her and how much is that stupid spell that Spike did? I mean, before this,
did she have any interest in you? A few months ago, she was devastated over Oz
leaving, and now…"
The vampire looked as though she had slapped him. He had never thought about
that before. Willow had been so worried that his
feelings might have come from the spell, he had never given a thought to the
fact that perhaps that was exactly where her own were
derived from.
Guilt flooded her senses as Buffy looked at her former lover. "Angel, I'm
not saying…I just…Just think about it, okay? If
you can't give Willow what she needs, it's better to stop things before they
get more intense. Trust me, I know."
Angel simply nodded, looking down, and Buffy could see him slipping into
full-blown brood mode. Knowing a good exit cue when she saw it, the slayer
quickly picked up her book from the counter and headed toward the door. Pausing
as she opened it, she turned and glanced back at Angel.
"Tell Willow I said hello," she said softly. "Or…or maybe
don't…I… which ever…I just…." Not sure what else to say, she finally gave
up
and turned, heading out the door.
~*~
Willow was pacing back and forth, occasionally glancing around the dim room
before her eyes inevitably fell back onto the door. He was
late. He wasn't supposed to be late. Looking down at the thin, silky dress she
wore, worry filled her. They had made dinner plans. He had bought the dress for
her days ago, and insisted that she wear it that night. With Cordelia's help,
the witch had arranged her hair in
soft, red curls that fell around her face and the light green eye shadow that
sparkled on her lids matched the color of the dress
perfectly. The seer had helped her pick out a perfect pair of strappy heels,
which were now causing her feet to ache as she
continuously paced back and forth in Angel's room.
The door swung open, startling the redhead, and she turned, watching as the
dark haired vampire walked in, pushing the door shut behind him. He looked up,
a little surprised to see her standing there,
though he didn't bother to say anything.
"You're late," she told him. He gave her a questioning look, clearly
not remembering their plans. Glaring at him, she gestured to her
dress. "We had dinner plans, remember? You…you told me to wear the dress,
a-and I curled my hair and let Cordy do my make-up, and walked around in really
uncomfortable shoes, a-and…and you completely forgot!"
"Look, I'm sorry," Angel snapped. "I was busy. I had things I
had to do. I forgot, get over it."
Willow's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like
this?" She could feel emotions prickling at the back of her
neck, causing her heart to thump faster. Something was off.
"Willow, I think that maybe you should go to…"
"What happened?" She interrupted, her voice strong and demanding.
Stepping closer to the vampire, she faced him, bound and determined to
understand the sudden change in him. "Why are you suddenly being like
this? Just yesterday you were all `you're mine and I love you," a-and
now…"
"Willow, I can't do this anymore," he said, his voice cracking.
"We can't…"
"Can't what?" She asked. "We can't be together? You can't…You
can't love me? I don't understand. You promise! You promised me that you
wouldn't do this, a-and I opened up and I gave you my heart and now…"
"Willow, it's the spell," he told her.
"No! No, you told me. You said it wasn't the spell. You said that you
felt…"
"Not me, Willow," he interrupted. "You. You feel this way
because of the bond. Even without the spell, if I had claimed you, there would
be a pull. A human and a vampire…I'm taking advantage, and I can't do it
anymore. It's not fair to you."
"It isn't fair to me?" She yelled, tears burning her eyes, blurring
her vision. "Says who? Don't I get a say in this?"
"I'm sorry, Willow, I'm just doing what's best for you," he insisted.
"Yeah, right! That's your excuse for everything. When you bit me, that was
in my best interest, a-and when you took me to Mexico? That was in my best
interest, and then when you dragged me back here…all for my best interest? Give
me a break. I know you, Angel. I know things about you that no one knows. I
know how you feel inside, because I can feel it. If you don't love me, just say
so, but don't
tell me that we can't be together for my benefit or because I don't know my own
feelings!"
"I don't love you."
The words were whispered so quietly that Willow almost missed them. Her mouth
open, she took a step back, looking at him in shock and denial.
"You're lying. Angel, I know you…"
"I don't love you, Willow. Not like that." His voice caught in his
throat as he choked on the words.
"Why are you doing this?" Her voice trembled, as did her body. The
vampire took a step toward her, reaching for a hand, but she quickly
pulled it away, as if his skin had burned her. "Don't touch me! Don't come
near me."
Backing up, she moved toward the door, her pained eyes boring into his.
"Where are you going?" He asked as she stepped into the hallway.
"Away…away from you. I…I can't stay here right now. I'll…"
"You can't go too far, or…"
"I'm well aware of exactly what will happen if I go too far," Willow
reminded the vampire, her voice full of venom. "There will be pain
and grief, but lucky for me, I already know how to handle them. Thanks for the
lesson." That said, she turned and ran down the
hallway and down the stairs, brushing past Cordelia as she ran out the door.
Angel followed, stopping short as he saw the brunette seer
standing before him, her hands on her hips, a glare on her face.
"What the hell did you do now?"
~23~
The motel
room was small and dingy, and Willow was appreciative of the low lighting. The
less she could see the better. She could hear faint noises outside, people
talking, yelling, but they sounded about a million miles away. Inside the room,
the only noise to be heard was the buzzing motor of a small ceiling fan that
wobbled as it spun around, the chain clanking lightly against the metal center
piece.
Sitting on
the edge of the bed, the redhead stared numbly at the old, faded black
telephone perched on the nightstand. She was alone, utterly and completely. She
couldn’t call the hotel, of that much she was certain. The witch considered
calling Buffy, but decided that a chat about the slayer’s former lover breaking
her heart might not be the best idea. Finally, she lifted the heavy receiver
and dialed a number.
“Hello?”
“Xander?”
Her voice was tiny, cracking a little as she said his name. It had been so long
since she’d heard his voice.
There was a
long pause before he finally spoke again. “Willow? My god, Willow, is that
you?”
“It’s me,”
she confirmed, biting her lower lip, repeatedly telling herself she would not
cry.
“Are you
okay? Is something wrong? What’s wrong? Do you need me to come to you? Tell me
what…” Xander had hit panic mode, hearing his best friend on the other end of
the phone, sounding so meek and sad. It had been so long since he’d heard from
her; the young man felt as though his heart was about to burst.
“Xander,
calm down,” she interrupted with a small smile despite her tears. “I’m okay.”
“Where are
you?’
“At, um…a
motel,” she told him.
“You mean
Angel’s hotel? Is he there, or…”
“No, I
mean, I’m at a motel. I’m not…I…I left. I had to leave. He…” Her voice broke as
tears once again sprang into her eyes and Willow silently cursed her own
weaknesses.
“What did
he do?” Xander’s tone had turned dangerous at the thought that someone might
have hurt his Willow. “Do you need me to come there and kick his ass? Because
I’m sure I can get in at least a few good punches before being knocked
unconscious.”
Over the next
hour, Willow recounted all that had happened, starting with Spike doing the
spell, and ending with her in the small, dark room, desperately missing her
best friend.
“I can’t
believe I’m saying this, Will, but maybe Angel’s right. God, that sounds just
as wrong being said as I thought it would. I mean, how do you know that it’s
not the claim and the bond that are making you feel like this?”
“I love
him, Xander,” Willow explained, her voice filled with conviction. “A-and it’s
not just the spell. I’m smart enough to know the difference between love and
lust, and yeah, okay, so the spell sometimes makes me feel sort of…a little
more antsy, a-and wanton…” Xander could practically hear her blushing on the
other end, but simply remained quiet. “But the love, it’s different. It isn’t
reared by the spell, I know it. I can feel it. I never felt this way with
Spike.”
Xander
sighed, hating what he was about to say. “Then you need to make him see that.
Prove to him that it’s real. That’s all you can do. And trust me, I may not be
able to stand the guy, but he’s smart enough to know just how wonderful you
are.”
”But, he
said…”
“Will, I’m
going to let you in on a little known secret of men…What a guy says about love
and what he means…those two things don’t always match up. Furthermore, to
protect the ones we love the most, we’ll say just about anything, even the most
hurtful words we can find, if we think it will keep them happier in the long
run.”
“Well…well…guys
are stupid. A-and you think he would have learned something in the last two
hundred and fifty years,” she grumbled.
“I think he
has,” Xander admitted with a grin.
The redhead
smiled broadly. “Thanks, Xand.”
Hearing his
friend’s voice soften and relax a bit, the brunette smiled. “So, tell me more
about wanton-Willow.”
~*~
“Cordy,
what are you doing?” Angel growled, seeing the brunette lumbering down the
stairs, dragging one of Willow’s suitcases behind her.
Stopping at
the bottom of the staircase and dropping the luggage with a thump, Cordelia let
out a deep breath and turned to face her boss. “Thanks for the help,” she
groused. “For your information, I’m taking some of Willow’s things back to my
place. She’s going to need some clothes and I’m sure she’ll want her lap top.”
“You know
where she is?” He asked in confusion. The vampire had only just explained the
situation to the seer an hour or so ago, followed by much yelling on the part
of Cordelia.
“Duh. Of
course I don’t know where she is...yet,” Cordy told him. “But I’ll find her and
bring her back to my place.” He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What? She needs a
place to stay, and my apartment, ghost and all, is better than some crappy
Motel 6, and besides, I know Willow and I haven’t exactly been the best of
friends, what with me making her teenage years a living hell and her stealing
my boyfriend, but…She’s had a hard time and she could use a friend right about
now.”
Angel
nodded, looking toward the floor.
“And don’t
you go getting all broody on me now!” She chastised. “This is all your fault,
buddy.” Angel gave her an incredulous look. “Well, you and Spike and Buffy
and…whatever moron came up with that damn spell to begin with, but since you’re
the only one here right now, it’s up to you to fix it.”
“There’s
nothing to fix,” Angel insisted. “She better off this way. I’d just hurt her.”
“Bull!”
Again, Angel looked at her incredulously. “She loves you, and whether you want
to admit it or not, you love her.”
“That’s not
in question,” he told her.
“It is for
“The
spell…”
“The spell
started it, maybe, but the two you of…Angel, you better find a way to fix this,
or I’ll…I’ll…I’ll go on strike.”
At that,
the woman turned, grabbing the suitcase.
"Cordy?
Take care of her," he whispered. She nodded and turned away gain,
strutting out of the building as well as she could, dragging the heavy luggage
behind her.
~24~
Putting the last of her clothes into the dresser drawer,
Looking around the small room,
Shaking away that thought,
Hearing a knock at her door,
Assuming that her friend had come home earlier,
“Angel? What are you doing here?”
“I hope you don’t mind,” he told her, stepping through the threshold slowly.
“Cordelia told me that you were staying with her. I just wanted to come by and
see how you were doing.”
“How’s the magic? Still growing?” He asked, avoiding more pressing questions.
“I thought that looked familiar,” Angel told her, nodding toward the dresser.
“Soooo…Everything’s okay then?” He asked.
“Angel, why did you really come here?” She questioned.
“I told you, I wanted to make sure that you were alright. I said some pretty
harsh things the other day, and I didn’t want you to think that…”
“Don’t worry,” she interrupted, her voice much cooler and more distant. “I’m
fine. There must be more important things that you could…”
“You are important,” he insisted, sitting down beside her and wincing slightly
as she scooted away from him. “Willow…” Pausing, he took in her drawn features
and pale face, his heart lurching at the thought that he had caused her such
pain. “When was the last time you ate?”
Again, the redhead shrugged, not looking him in the eye. “I had something
yesterday, I think,” she said quietly.
Standing up, the vampire began to pace the room. “
“Hey!” She shouted, jumping up from the bed and storming toward him. “You can’t
just come in here and try to act all nice and caring,” she informed him, poking
him in the chest with a pointed finger. “A-and you can’t just start ordering me
around and telling me what to do! I’ll eat if and when I want to!” Crossing her
arms, she inwardly winced at the ridiculous argument, but at that moment it was
the only thing that she had and she was not about to back down from him.
Angel let out a warning growl, fighting to keep his face from changing. He
could feel his eyes flickering between their usual deep brown and the golden
glow of the demon. She was pushing him, angering him, and he didn’t like it.
“
“No, actually I won’t!” She interrupted. “In case you’ve forgotten, I don’t
belong to you anymore! You don’t want me!” She could feel tears once again fill
her eyes as the words poured from her mouth, but sheer rage was more than
enough to keep them at bay.
“Willow…”
“No! You let me go, Angel! You told me where your heart was. I won’t be a
substitute for someone else and I won’t prey on your pity any further. And I
WILL NOT kowtow to your demands any longer! I don’t belong to you! You don’t
want me? Fine! I don’t want you either! I’d go back to Spike again before I’d
ever give myself to you!”
As the words jumped from her lips, Angel could feel the building, pulsing magic
burst forth from her body, a blinding light flashing, illuminating the room for
a moment. He felt himself being shoved backwards, his back coming up hard
against something solid. Blinking a few times, waiting for his sight to clear,
the brunette looked around, seeing that he was now in the hallway, the door
having slammed shut after
Standing up and glaring at the door, he tried to get a handle on the raging
demon within. How dare she! Her words rumbled through his mind again and again,
and he wanted nothing more than to rip the door from the hinges and show her
exactly who it was that she did belong to. After all, he might have let her
walk away, but it was still his claim on her throat, it was still his mark that
she bore and still his heart that she held, whether she knew it or not.
Stepping up to the doorway, Angel grasped the knob, ready to yank it open. Just
as he was about to rip the oak door away from the frame, a soft sound reached
his ears, making him pause. His face fell as he listened, his hand moving to
press gently against the door, almost as if to extend a bit of comfort through
the wooden barrier. The redhead’s aching sobs filled his ears and echoed in his
mind, making the vampire feel sick to his stomach.
“It’s not true,” she sobbed to herself. “I love you, so much. Please, just want
me again, please, please want me, please…oh goddess, please want me.”
Turning away from the doorway, the vampire set his jaw tightly as he walked out
of the apartment, blocking out the pained sobs he could still hear coming from
the small room.
~*~
“He’s just left the apartment, boss.”
“And the witch?”
“She’s still there, alone.”
“The seer and the watcher?”
“They’re being followed. We’re ready to subdue them if necessary, just as you
asked.”
“Right then. It’s time Angel and I had a little heart to heart. Wanker has
something that belongs to me. It’s time I take it back.”
~25~
“Of course!” The sudden exclamation, along with the slamming of an old, dusty
book, caused both Buffy and Xander to jump in their seats, two sets of tired
eyes looking toward Giles. “Of course!” He shouted again.
“You said that already,” Buffy reminded the watcher. “What did you find?”
“I’ve been going about this the wrong way,” he told them. “All along, I’ve been
looking for a reversal spell, something to negate the original binding spell,
but there is none.”
“Yeah, we’ve sorta got that,” Xander told him, gesturing at the large piles of
books surrounding them, none of which had given any information on a reversal
to the spell.
“We don’t need a reversal!” Giles exclaimed.
“You’re telling us this NOW?” Buffy groused.
“Giles, what are you talking about?” Xander asked, fearing that the man might
have finally lost his mind due to too much research. “
“
“Right, that sounds simple enough,” Xander stated in a sarcastic tone. “Why
didn’t I think of that? Oh yeah, because that’s not possible.”
“No, no, actually, it is,” Giles told him. “I remember reading about a girl who
had been taken by a vampire and claimed. She was a gypsy. Her family cast a
spell to unbind her from the demon.”
“Giles, even if we cast that spell, wouldn’t any new claim reinstate the
binding ritual?” Buffy asked.
“No, I don’t believe it would,” he told her, moving across the room and
grabbing an occult history book from a shelf, flipping through it quickly. “The
new spell should alter the properties of her blood enough that the binding
ritual would be rendered permanently ineffective.”
“Is that safe?” The slayer questioned. “Altering the properties of her blood? That
sounds sort of…I don’t know, bad.”
“Altering the properties of one’s blood is tricky, at best, and there is always
the possibility of unforeseen consequences when using magic that powerful, but
no major side effects were reported from any recorded cases. In fact, nothing
much has been recorded at all after the use of the spell on several humans. No
pain and no death.”
“Great, then let's do some spell casting!” Xander stated, jumping up and
rubbing his hands together eagerly.
“I’m afraid that we can’t do it just yet,” the watcher told him, watching the
boy’s enthusiasm dissipate. “The caster must be in close proximity to both the
human and the vampire that she is bound to in order for the spell to work.”
“Then it looks like we’re heading back to LA,” Buffy stated with a smile.
~*~
“Angel, where have you been? It’s almost
“Vision?” He guessed.
“Spike,” she told him, “and Willow. He’s going to go after
Before she could say more, Angel was heading to a large cabinet, grabbing
several weapons, holding them up, examining them closely.
“What are you planning on doing?” Wesley asked him.
“I’m finishing this,” Angel told them. “I’m taking Spike out, once and for
all.”
“You know it’s not going to be that simple,” Wesley reminded him. “He’s been
laying in wait for weeks. Is it really a good idea to go after him, play right
into his hand? Surely he’s got a plan.”
“I have a plan, too,” Angel stated. “Find Spike and kill him.” At that, the
vampire turned and stalked back out of the hotel, weapons in hand.
“That’s a pretty good plan,” Cordelia commented as she watched him leave.
~*~
As he walked back up to the apartment, Angel stopped outside, looking around
the area cautiously. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for whatever
might be coming. He didn’t sense another vampire’s presence, but he knew that
Spike might have already come and gone. Cordelia’s vision was in daylight,
which was confusing, but never trust the powers that be to give it to you
straight.
Just as he was about to step up to the front door, the loud squealing of tired
caught his attention. Spinning around, Angel saw a dark truck with tinted
windows come speeding around a corner, heading toward him. Jumping the curb, the
vehicle stopped only a few inches before him, the tires ripping at the green
lawn. Before he had a chance to react, the back door slid open and five
vampires rushed out, coming at him. Angel was easily able to knock the first
two away, but five against one was bad odds, even for him, and in only a matter
of moments, the demons were able to knock him out and drag him into the truck,
just before it sped off into the night.
~26~
Cordelia and Wesley had left the hotel only a few minutes after Angel, but with
his enhanced speed, they were at least twenty minutes behind him, heading toward
Cordy’s apartment. Running down the hallway, Cordelia fumbled with her keys,
struggling to unlock the door before throwing it open.
“
“Cordy?” Willow peered her head out from her room, red-rimmed eyes looking
startled and confused.
“Where’s Angel?” Cordy asked.
“He left a while ago,” Willow told her, sniffling indelicately. “He just walked
out.”
“He didn’t come back?” Wesley asked. Willow shook her head. “Oh dear.”
“Oh dear?” Willow questioned. “Oh dear? What’s ‘oh dear,’ Wesley? What
happened?”
“I had a vision,” the seer told her. “Spike was coming after you. Angel went to
stop him, but I thought he would have come here.”
Again, Willow shook her head. “He never showed up. Oh, god, what if something
happened?”
“I’m sure he’ll be alright,” Wesley told her, though his tone of voice was
anything but reassuring. “Cordelia, stay here with Willow. I’ll head out and
see if I can’t track him down.”
The seer simply nodded as the ex-watcher headed out the door.
“Cordy, what if something happened to him? What if he’s…”
“I’m sure he’ll be alright, Willow. Don’t worry. He knows not to go too far.
You’ll be okay,” she told her.
“No! You don’t understand!” Willow shouted. “I don’t care about the pain. I
don’t care about…I just want him to be alright.”
Slightly startled, Cordelia led her over to the couch and sat beside the
trembling redhead.
“I have a bad feeling,” Willow told her. “He’s moving further away, I can feel
it already . What if he’s….”
“He’ll come back,” Cordelia insisted. “Trust me, Willow, he’ll come back.”
~*~
As he slowly came to, Angel struggled to reach up and hold his throbbing head,
trying to remember exactly where he was and what was happening.
“Glad to see that you’re finally ready to join us,” a familiar voice stated,
the sound pushing through his cloudy mind.
Shaking his head and forcing his eyes open, Angel peered through the dark, not
surprised to see Spike sitting on a small wooden box nearby. The bumping and
jerking of the vehicle was not helping, as the truck continued to speed along
the road.
“What do you want, Spike?” Angel growled.
“You know very well what I want,” Spike told him. “You took what was mine and I
want it back.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Angel told him. “She’s mine now, and I protect
what’s…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Spike interrupted, “you’re so noble it’s sickening, but
from what I hear, the girl doesn’t exactly want you anymore, does she?”
Clenching his jaw, Angel didn’t bother to answer the question. “What are we
doing here, Spike?” He asked.
“We’re playing a little game,” the blond told him. “We’ve been driving along
now,” he stated, glancing down at his watch, “for about three hours, heading
further away from the city.” He snickered as he saw Angel’s eyes widen, a look
of horror crossing his features. “I’m thinking that your pet must be pretty
near insanity from the pain, if not already completely around the bend by now.”
“Stop the truck,” Angel ground out, climbing to his feet, clenching his fists
at his side.
“That’s not how this works,” Spike told him, standing before him, his face
shifting into his true features.
“Take us back to the city, right now, or I’ll kill you and do it myself,” Angel
demanded, also slipping into his true face.
“Take your best shot,” the blond stated, holding his arms out, ready to fight.
~*~
“Oh, god, Willow, I don’t know what to do,” Cordelia cried as she looked down
at her friend who was thrashing around on the bed. The pain had been increasing
for the last few hours and the seer was beginning to wonder if Angel really had
gone to fight Spike, and had lost.
A knock at the door had Cordy running across the apartment. Fumbling with the
locks, she finally managed to pull the door opened, shocked to see the people
on the other side.
“Oh, thank god!” She shouted, pulling the three visitors in. “Willow, she needs
help, and I don’t know what to do!”
“What’s wrong?” Xander asked, looking around, hearing Willow’s pained voice
moaning softly from down the hall.
“I don’t know,” she told them. “Angel, he went to fight Spike. That was hours
ago, and Willow’s been getting worse and worse. I’m afraid that he might not
have…”
“He’s still alive,” Buffy assured her. “I can feel it, trust me, he’s still
alive. Where is she?” Cordelia pointed toward the bedroom, Xander, Buffy and
Giles quickly heading toward it.
“How long did you say she’s been like this?” Giles asked as he took in the
sight of the girl twisting and turning on the bed.
“A few hours,” Cordy told him. “It’s been getting worse.”
Sitting beside her on the bed, Xander took his best friend’s hand in his own,
gently stroking her trembling fingers. “Will? Can you hear me? We’re here,” he
said softly, his voice catching in his throat as he looked down at the redhead,
her expression contorted in pain.
~*~
Dodging another right hook, Angel was able to spin, kicking Spike backwards,
hearing him hit the thin, metal wall with a satisfying bang. Not to be easily
stopped, the blond vampire came back swinging, landing two solid punches to
Angel's jaw. Spike watched with a grin as he staggered backwards toward the
back of the truck.
“Not looking too good there, old man,” Spike told him with a chuckle. “Sure you
don’t want to give in right now?”
“You can’t have her, Spike,” Angel growled, watching as the blond shrugged.
“Don’t know why you want her so badly. She not much compared to the slayer, is
she?”
Lunging forward, Angel slammed his fist into the side of the blond’s face
several times before Spike was able to push him away.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Angel told him. “She’s more
amazing than any creature on this earth.”
“Well,” Spike snickered, “looks like someone’s gone and fallen in love. How
very…pathetic of you.” At that, he rushed forward, spinning and kicking the
older vampire as hard as possible, watching as Angel flew backwards, hitting
the back door. As his back connected with the metal, the latch released, the
door sliding up and open, light streaming in from the rising sun.
Holding onto the edge of the truck, Angel felt his hand begin to sizzle in the
sunlight before he scrambled to his knees and threw himself away from the
opening.
“Now we’ll have some real fun,” Spike told him, rubbing his hands together
before lunging toward the brunette.
~27~
Sitting alone in the room with Willow, Buffy looked down sadly at her friend.
She could feel her shaking on the mattress, the redhead’s jaw clenched tightly,
her face ridged.
“Buffy?” Her soft voice breathed.
“Will?” Buffy replied, sitting up a bit straighter and waiting for her friend
to say more.
“It hurts.”
The slayer bit her lower lip, fighting the tears that threatened to fall at the
small, pitiful confession. “I know, Will. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. He’ll be
back soon and it will okay. It will, you’ll see.”
Willow shook her head. “He doesn’t want me,” she whispered. “A-and I told him I
don’t want him.”
“He still wants you, Willow, trust me, he does. And I’m sure he knew that you
didn’t really mean what you said.”
“What if I never get the chance to tell him? What if he never knows that…”
Suddenly, the redhead stopped, her eyes opening as she looked up toward the
ceiling, her stare unfocused. “Angel,” she gasped, before she began to chant
softly in latin, her voice laced with pain as she struggled through the words,
again and again.
“Giles!” Buffy yelled as she jumped up, looking down at the redhead. “Giles!”
“Buffy, what is it?” The watcher asked as he came running into the room,
Cordelia and Xander right behind him.
“She just started doing that,” Buffy told him, pointing toward the witch. “What
is she doing?”
Giles listened for a moment, his forehead creasing in confusion. “It’s a
protection spell,” he told them.
“Why would she be casting a protection...” Xander began to ask.
“Angel,” Buffy interrupted, her voice a soft, awed whisper.
~*~
Feeling Angel’s booted foot connect with his chest, Spike was thrown backward,
grabbing onto the edge of the truck’s back opening before he could be completely
thrown from the vehicle. Swinging out, he shouted as he felt his exposed skin
begin to sizzle in the sun’s poisonous rays. Gripping the metal edge tighter,
he flung himself back inwards, toward Angel, who was waiting in a defensive
stance. Each gripping the other tightly, they both struggled to gain control as
they made their way toward the open end of the truck. Just as they reached the
doorway, Angel pulled an arm free, swinging under and slamming his fist into
the other vampire’s gut with every bit of strength he possessed.
Lurching forward, Spike fell off balance, stumbling further into the older
vampire and gripping his arm tightly just as he felt Angel shove him to the
edge of the doorway, sunlight now threatening both of them. Spike knew that Angel
had the upper hand as he gasped for unneeded breath, trying in vain to pull
away.
“It’s over, Spike,” Angel told him. “You lose.”
“It may be over,” Spike replied, gripping the vampire’s are tighter, “but if
I’m going to hell, I’m taking you with me.”
Angel thought for a long moment. He loved Willow, he knew that now, and he
would do anything to be sure that Spike never got ahold of her again. If that
meant sacrificing himself, so be it.
“I’d rather follow you to hell than give you the chance to ever touch her
again.”
Feeling as if the world was suddenly moving in slow motion, Angel tightened his
grip on Spike before heaving them both from the truck. The two demons landed on
the hard ground, rolling away from one another and quickly jumping to their
feet. Angel watched as Spike looked up toward the bright sky, just before
bursting into flames, his dusty remains blowing along the empty highway.
Closing his eyes tightly, Angel readied himself for the coming pain, waiting
for the burning feeling to climb across his skin. After a moment, still feeling
nothing, he cracked one eye open, squinting as he looked up at the sky, down at
his pale hand, and back up again.
Startled by the sound of a blasting horn, the vampire spun around, surprised to
see his own car speeding toward him. Pulling up, the car stopped and the door
opened.
“Get in!” Wesley shouted, just as Angel began to feel his skin start to tingle
in the sunlight. Jumping into the car, he dove into the backseat, seeing a
small amount of smoke coming off of him, and the car spun around, heading back
down the highway.
~*~
After several minutes of chanting, Willow’s voice finally died away as she lay
there panting, her eyes closed, her body limp and weak.
“What the hell was that?” Xander asked.
“I think she just saved Angel,” Buffy told him in a low voice.
~*~
“Where is she?” A voice shouted as the front door was thrown open. Without
waiting for an answer, Angel ran toward Willow’s bedroom, not even noticing
Giles or Xander.
“Willow,” he breathed as he saw her asleep on the bed.
“Angel?” Looking up, he saw Buffy staring at him, her expression unreadable.
“Buffy…”
“She loves you, Angel,” she told him, taking a step closer, “and you love her.
Don’t walk away from that.” Saying no more, she walked out, quietly shutting
the door behind her.
Moving toward the bed, Angel sat next to the redhead, pulling her hand gently
into his.
“Willow,” he whispered, watching as she stirred and slowly looked up at him.
“Angel?” She asked, her voice barely audible. “You came back.”
The vampire nodded. “I’m so sorry Willow, I…”
“Don’t leave,” she whispered, her eyes drifting closed again. “Please, please
don’t leave me.”
“Never,” he assured her as she fell back asleep.
~*~
It was several hours before Willow woke again. Shifting a little on the bed,
she quickly became aware of the strong arm that was wrapped around her
midsection. Turning over, she was started to see warm, brown eyes stared down
at her. For the longest time, she said nothing, just watching him watcher her.
“You came back,” she eventually said. Angel nodded, pulling her closer.
“How do you feel?” He asked.
“Safe, loved, a little achy, but…cherished,” she told him, the soft smile on
her face quickly fading. Pulling back a little, she frowned at him. “And it’s
just the spell. It’s the spell that almost killed me last night. A-and I don’t
think that I can…”
“Willow,” she shushed her, covering her soft lips with a finger, “the bond is
gone.”
The redhead’s eyes widened as she realized that he was right, the pull of the
bond was no longer there.
“Giles came and removed the binding. You’re free, forever.”
Angel watched as a mixture of emotions played across her face. While he knew
that a part of her would be relieved, he was surprised at how forlorn she
looked at the news.
“Willow?”
The witch shook her head, pushing back from him and forcing a smile to her
face. “No, no…I’m happy, see? Big smile. I’m happy. This is a good thing. I’m…I
don’t…I’m not…”
Before she could say more, Angel leaned forward, grasping the back of her neck
gently as he pulled her in for a searing kiss. When he finally pulled away she
gave him a questioning look.
“I love you,” he told her. “There’s no spell forcing you to be mine, but this,”
he stated, running a finger lightly over the mark on her neck, “is still my
claim, and I still want to be with you, if you’ll have me.”
After thinking for several moments, Willow finally nodded her head, wrapping
her arms around him and kissing him deeply.
“I want to be yours,” she whispered, “forever and ever, I want to be yours.”