Gone II - Sacrifices
  by Jomei
  email: hammerc@sas.upenn.edu

  Disclaimer: This is a sequel to Anya's Gone (ed's note: "Gone..." by Anya isn't archived here. You can find it at the Slayerfanfic archive. Those of you who just want a brief summary of what happened in that story: essentially, Willow was turned into a partial vampire and Angel whisked her away to protect/mentor her. Buffy, Giles and Xander were left behind in the aftermath to deal with the loss of their friends.). The Characters mentioned and named in this story are the property of J.Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Warner Bros..etc, etc. No infringement is intended.

  "Nooooooooooo!"

  Willow Rosenburg sat straight up in her bed, trembling and sobbing as the
  ghastly images still hung about her. The door to her room crashed open as a
  frantic Angel came in expecting some sort of danger. He only saw a
  terrified Willow, now rocking back and forth in her bed, as she tried to
  blot out the nightmare which had made her cry out loud. He came
  immediately
  to her side.

  "It's alright. It was just a nightmare," Angel whispered to her as if to
  trying to sooth a child. He stroked her hair and kept saying it over and
  over again until Willow, as if suddenly hearing him for the first time,
  sobbed brokenly, "But its not just a nightmare. It's real, Angel. I'm a
  vampire and-and...oh God."

  Angel had no reply. He could only hold Willow and wait until her
  heartbreaking sobs had quieted. Finally after a long while, she pulled
  back. Angel dried the tears from her face. Looking up at him, Willow
  thanked him shyly.

  "Do you want me to stay until you get back to sleep?" Angel asked softly.

  "I don't think sleep is in my immediate future," she muttered then
  hesitated, "The nightmares, Angel, they're getting worse and worse. I-I
  don't want to be alone. Please. Stay?"

  Taking a glance at her upturned face and seeing the dark shadows that
  looked like bruises under her eyes, Angel said, "Its still hours until
  sunset, why don't you try and rest a little bit more." Angel dragged an
  uncomfortable looking chair next to her bedside. He pulled the coverlet
  over her, tucking her back into bed and said, "Close your eyes. I'll be
  right here." He then took her
  small hand in his own.

  Less than a week ago they had left Sunnydale and had come to Rome. Ever
  since they had arrived, Angel knew that Willow struggled with nightmares,
  but this was the first time she had cried out. The scream that had awoken
  him tonight would have frozen his blood if he weren't already a vampire.

  Angel kept his vigil long after Willow, who despite herself, fell back into
  an exhausted sleep. He was wrapped deep in bleak thoughts. He
  contemplated
  the last two weeks and felt the terrible sorrow over what had happened wash
  over him again.

  Things had been very quiet in Sunnydale after Buffy had defeated the
  Master. Buffy and Xander took the lull of activity as an opportunity for
  summer vacations while Willow stayed in the relative peacefulness of a
  "Master-free" Sunnydale. Even Angel had relaxed his guard a little. But in
  one summer night everything changed. Giles had been frantic when it was
  discovered that Willow
  was missing. He had immediately called Angel to help, and Angel had
  discovered that Willow had been taken by vampires to the Anointed One.

  < I took too long to find her. Too damn long! > Angel thought grimly. Still
  holding on to Willow's sleeping hand, he tightened his grip a little as he
  thought about what he had seen when he found her. Because when he had
  reached the underground caverns of the Anointed One to rescue her, he had
  stood frozen for a moment in horror at what had been done to Willow. But he
  had managed to
  get her out of that hellhole and brought her to the library. Giles, upon
  seeing Willow's limp and unconscious form, went to call an ambulance.

  "She's not going to need an ambulance." Angel had told him with intense
  regret.

  "What on earth are you talking about! Look at her, she's...she's...look at
  her!" Giles had sputtered as he gazed at Willow's broken body.

  "Giles, I don't know how to say it. But...she's been changed."

  "Changed, what are you...?" An abrupt, complete silence had filled the
  room. Almost uncomprehending Giles had gaped at him, then shook his head

  in fierce denial, "It can't be! No."

  Angel couldn't deny what his vampire senses told him. Yet he also knew that
  this was no ordinary change. Something was different. When Willow regained
  consciousness, she told them what had happened. Both Angel and Giles
  knew
  Willow glossed over the most gruesome parts. Colin had her captured. He
  had
  tortured her. She remembered him feeding from her and trying to force her
  to become a vampire, but she knew that she would rather die. And she had
  told him that.

  Colin had just laughed evilly and said that he would make a vampire that
  the slayer could never slay. As he drained her she had fought with all her
  strength, but ultimately there was nothing she could do to prevent the
  artificial injection of vampire blood into her stomach. Then there was
  nothing until she woke up in the library.

  Colin had managed to get his way, despite the fact Willow had not
  voluntarily accepted the blood. But the changes that took place in Willow
  were slow, unlike anything either Angel or Giles had ever heard of before.
  It was obvious that she still retained her soul. In important ways was
  different from other vampires; nevertheless, more and more she was taking
  on bloodlust. As he and Giles had
  frantically searched in vain for a way to reverse what had been done to
  her, Willow became determined to kill herself rather than let the demon
  lurking inside consume her soul entirely. Angel thanked whatever being was
  out there, that he had been in time to stop her.

  It had taken all their desperate persuasion to convince Willow to not give
  up. Angel felt there had to be a way to keep Willow from losing her soul.
  If he could regain his soul, there would be a way to anchor hers. The
  strength of his arguments swayed Willow. It was then that they tried to
  figure out where they would go. More than anything else, Willow had been
  adamant in leaving Sunnydale. She knew that just disappearing and letting
  them think the worst would hurt Xander and Buffy, but she felt the truth
  would hurt them even more. And she wouldn't, couldn't face them.

  Angel decided that he would be the one to leave with her. There was no
  arguing with him. He was the best person to help her deal with all of this.
  While he hadn't been able to prevent Willow from being hurt, he vowed to be
  there for her through this. Even if that meant that he would have to leave
  Sunnydale. Leave Buffy.

  Leaving Buffy had been painful. He hadn't even gotten a chance to say good
  bye. Angel's darkly handsome face grimaced. He tried to convince himself
  that it could never have worked out between them anyway. He was a vampire
  and she was the slayer! Nevertheless, it was in contemplation of the
  beautiful face and golden hair of the Slayer, that sleep finally claimed
  Angel.

  *~*~*~*

  Willow awoke with the now innate sense that told her it was past sundown.
  Although the sun was not deadly to Willow, she had started keeping vampire
  hours with Angel. Blinking she looked over at Angel who, still holding her
  hand, was sitting asleep in the chair next to her bed. Willow was a bit
  embarrassed by her weakness in practically begging him to stay with her,
  but she hadn't dreamed
  again and she felt it had something to do with his comforting presence. She
  looked at their intertwined hands. < I would never have thought in the
  pre-vampire days...ugh I may as well have official PV and AV timelines,
  kinda like BC and AD. Well anyway, I would never have thought that Angel
  fell under the category comforting. I can hardly believe that he had been
  so intimidating to me before. >

  She looked up again and saw that Angel had awakened and was looking at
  her
  as if to gauge how she was feeling. She blushed and withdrew her hand from
  his.

  "Did you sleep alright?" he asked.

  "Oh, much better thanks. Um, did you sleep alright?" Willow asked seeing
  him grimace a little as he unfolded himself from the chair.

  Angel stopped and lying straight-faced said, "Like a baby."

  Willow raised her eyebrows to let him know that he wasn't fooling anybody,
  but she was too grateful for his staying with her to actually call him on it.

  "Why don't you take the shower first," Angel suggested.

  Willow was suddenly conscious of the fact that they were in her bedroom,
  she was in her bed and Angel, gulp, was only in black silk pajama
  bottoms...< I really must have been far gone earlier not to have even
  noticed that! Doesn't he have anything that isn't in black? > she thought
  wildly. Aloud she only said, "Sure." Willow didn't trust herself at the
  moment with any thing more verbal than
  that.

  "I got a positive lead on Brother Lugo," Angel told her after they both had
  gotten ready for the evening ahead.

  Brother Lugo, the man they were seeking, was a fairly mysterious figure.
  Willow, in her capacity as hacker extraordinaire, had gathered what
  information she could, but they still knew very little of him.
  Nevertheless, he seemed to know a great deal about the Anointed One and
  the
  prophecies that had surrounded the Master's attempt to open the Hellmouth.
  Ms. Calendar had received messages from him months before, when Buffy
  had
  gone to fight the Master. He had sent out global warnings of doom from
  Cortona before going underground. Brother Lugo seemed to have more
  information on the Anointed One than even Giles. So perhaps he might have
  more information about what Colin had done to her. Help them undo it. She
  only prayed he could. So since Cortona was the last place from which he had

  been heard, Angel and Willow decided to begin tracking him down from
  Rome,
  which wasn't far from there.

  "Where is he?" Willow asked with a little nervous anticipation.

  "Right here in Rome." Angel hesitated, but then asked, "You coming with me
  tonight?"

  Willow sighed, "Its time for me to quit hiding or I'll go into a permanent
  state of hibernation." It would be the first night out for Willow in Rome.
  In the few days that they had been in Rome, Angel had told her that it was
  for the best that he scout things out while she gather information on the
  computer. But the truth was, he knew Willow had been unwilling to go out.
  She didn't know if she trusted herself to keep from acting on the urges
  that plagued her now.

  Angel made sure that they drank some of their 'supplies' before going out.
  It made Willow sick at heart to realize that this was a necessity for her
  now. She drank the lukewarm blood quickly and tried to ignore the
  sensations that called out for blood, human blood that pulsed with warmth.

  < How has Angel managed to ignore these sensations for so long? > she
  wondered. < He had been a real blood-sucking vampire at one point. He
  knows
  what it was to fulfill this urge. But since he got his soul back he knows
  the consequence of drinking from a person is guilt. Guilt and self-control
  were the only thing that keeps him in check. Can I rely on those thing to
  keep me from my demon? > These were the thought that occupied Willow as
  they headed out.

  They found the small monastery where it was reported that Brother Lugo was
  staying in Rome. Unfortunately the monk lived there so it was a home and
  they could not enter unless invited. Since that eventuality seemed highly
  doubtful, it appeared that they would have to wait for him to come out.

  As the night passed and it got closer to dawn, Angel said frustrated, "I
  guess he won't be coming out tonight. It'll have to be tomorrow night. At
  least we know where he is."

  "Angel, he's a monk. Maybe he doesn't have too much of a nightlife.
  Wouldn't it make sense for me to stay and wait until he comes out in the
  morning? I can stay here until then. He'll be more receptive if he sees me
  in sunlight anyway. I mean, he certainly won't jump to conclusions and
  freak," Willow reasoned.

  "I don't like it. I'd have to leave you alone." Angel scowled.

  Willow tried to smile bravely. "You can't always be with me. I'll have to
  face things alone sometimes. This'll just be the first."

  "You're right. Angel said finally, although his face showed that he still
  didn't like it. "I'm just overprotective I guess."

  After discussing a few things, he left and Willow stood at the stakeout
  spot. After little more than an hour, she watched as the sun rose over the
  buildings and the lure of early morning sunbeams made her walk toward the
  middle of the piazza. She basked unharmed in the sun's rays. It was the
  first time in over a week that she had felt sunlight on her face. She gave
  a small prayer of thanks that even though she was a vampire, she could
  still experience the warmth of daylight.

  By the time the sun was high over head and the piazza had begun to fill
  with people, Willow sighted the man known as Brother Lugo coming out from
  the monastery. 'O.K. Time to go to work.' She swiftly stepped in front of
  him. "Brother Lugo?"

  "Yes. How do you know my name?" he asked curiously.

  "I've come because I need your help," Willow said ignoring his question,
  "It's vital that I speak with you, but we can't discuss it here." She said
  this last part looking pointedly around at the other people nearby. "Come
  to St. Teresa de Laterno this evening at 10 o'clock." At his doubtful look
  she added, "Its about vampires and the Anointed One, Brother Lugo."

  "I see." He nodded his head in acquiescence but his keen eyes widened to
  showed his surprise and wariness.

  Willow nodded back and turned to walk away. She thought wryly as she
  vanished into a crowd of people, 'Gee, Angel better watch out. I might
  become as good as he is at being cryptic.'
 

  End of Part One

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