Mastery
by ComedyofErrors
Chapter 4
She woke slowly. Slowly was of the good. It kept everything from rushing back and overwhelming her. She was alone in the room. She could tell that.
Buffy wasn't sure how long she slept after he finally let her be. He'd taken her at least twice, but her head had still been spinning. He'd fed her just before leaving the small sofa, and getting back into the big bed with Drusilla. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It healed her head, she could see clearly. Her leg still ached, but somehow she knew that it would bear weight if it had to.
And then her awareness of other things crept to the fore of her mind. Like how she felt sticky down there. Like how he'd been much gentler than she ever expected. He wasn't like that with Dru. Her demon rejoiced at his kindness. It said that her Master favored her. That she would get more blood tonight, after she did the same things as last time. The Slayer reared in revolt. That was the only time. Tonight she would escape. That was the only reason she'd given in. That she'd actually asked...
'Oh God. I am a whore.' She began to cry but stopped instantly, strangling the sobs before they could begin in earnest. 'Look how well you're already trained. Just thinking about him and you do his will.'
But he was her Sire. She should be doing what he wanted. No. That was wrong. That was the demon talking. Even if she was a vampire, Buffy wasn't going to give in to it. She'd survived the night without killing anything. She could be like Angel used to be. Drink blood from the butcher. Maybe they'd give her a discount for being a repeat customer. She'd be going to them forever after all.
Once her mom was dead. Once Giles was dead. Once Willow and Xander were dead. She couldn't let them see her like this. They thought she was dead by now. Better that way. What could she say? I escaped by sleeping with him again? Aren't you proud about how the hero stood up to the villain by laying down for him?
She remembered how he lumbered over. Unimpressed, like she was an afterthought. Well, like he said she probably wasn't worth a second go. She was just available for itch scratching when Drusilla wasn't. He was probably gentle because she wasn't worth playing with. He knew she was a vampire now. She could take anything. She'd been a slayer, didn't that just make her stronger? Why wasn't she worth it?
It didn't matter. She should just stop thinking about irrelevant shit. She'd probably be enough for normal guys in the future when she got away. Which was the point. She was supposed to be getting away. That was going to be a problem now. Her senses were completely awake at last, and they alerted her to something she had yet to realize.
She was in chains.
And it was nighttime. She wasn't sure how she knew that, but she did know that while she slept the sun and come and gone. It had to be almost midnight again. Her plan to escape tonight was rapidly looking less likely. She examined the chains holding her. They clasped her wrists together, and ran down to her ankles, which were also bound to each other. The chain then ran off the edge of the sofa to the ground.
She angled herself upright with difficulty. The give in the chain was nonexistent. She pulled at her wrists, pulled at her ankles, but to no effect. Not so much as a creak in protest. They were obviously chosen for strength. She inched toward the foot of the sofa, hard to do with only three feet of chain separating her feet and hands. She could crawl, and that was it. Like an inch worm. If she fell off, she wouldn't be able to get back up.
She saw the chain passing through two iron loops near the floor. If there was a weak spot that was it. She reached down past her feet and grabbed the chain there. She began to pull with all strength she could manage. She rolled backward onto the couch, desperate for some kind of leverage. It didn't come. The chain stayed firm, and the loops were too strong, even for her. Damn.
*****
Angelus wasn't normally a fool. He knew if she came to, she would run again. The advantage to living in the Mansion was that its original owner, he, she, or it, had left plenty of bondage equipment lying around. So, when he woke in the late afternoon, he'd gone to the basement rooms with a few minions and tested several chains for strength.
When he found one that he and three minions couldn't snap, he was satisfied. He went back to his room, and shackled her properly. It meant adjusting his timetable slightly, he hadn't planned for bondage on the second night. An audience was supposed to come first, but it was a simple matter of switching the dates around. Fans tomorrow, chains tonight.
It also meant that now, coming home from the hunt, he had to find a way to keep Dru entertained while he had his way with Buffy. She'd get her chance with him in a couple of hours, but he didn't want to overwhelm his new childe. Yes he wanted her to continue to use her demon side, but he didn't want to make it a defense mechanism. It was possible for a vampire to shut down his or her personality completely, and let the demon take over. Become an animal, strong and feral.
Her soul would make that more difficult, but she could develop a kind of multiple personality, between her conscious self and the demon. The demon would protect her inner mind from him by acting as a shell. To prevent that, he needed to make sure he didn't give her reason to let the demon take over completely, while giving her no outlet on which to focus her attention accept what was being done to her. It had worked with Spike, there was no reason to believe it wouldn't work on her.
Which brought him to his plan for Dru.
*****
Spike kept his eyes straight ahead, willing himself not to look at the ground. He placed his right heel in line with his left toe, put his weight down on the right foot, then lifted the left foot and repeated the process. The tight rope walker act was least annoying when he pretended that it had never been done by men wearing leotards. This was supposed to help him build coordination. So far, it had built him a nice collection of bruises.
He stumbled when he heard the footsteps. He was near the wall this time, so he didn't hit the floor as he had the five times previous. He just collided with the brick, then quickly forced himself back up to a standing position. He walked quickly to the bed, pleased that he actually walked, and didn't stagger, and climbed in as quietly as possible. He fought against the urge to pant from the slight exertion. Damn but his legs throbbed, as the muscles tried to rebuild themselves.
He expected Angelus. If anything, he was even more disappointed that it was Dru.
He hadn't seen her much, the last few weeks. He'd become accustomed to the fact that he probably wasn't going to be hers ever again, not as they had been. Especially not now, with the Slayer captured. She was the one person he'd hoped would defeat Angelus, kill him and get him away form his princess. What was worse, Dru never stopped by of her own free will. It was always because Daddy had sent her. He loved to remind Spike at every opportunity who was in charge.
Dru danced into the room, where Sweet William lay on the bed, poor boy. Naughty boy too, said Daddy, and Daddy must be right. Silly boy thought the Little Sister was his, not Daddy's. Must learn to share. That's why Daddy sent her to make sure he knew they were sharing. Sweet William must learn that. "Spike, my darling boy, you look like the pictures from the pretty plague stories."
'Way to go Dru, kick me when I'm down.' Irritating as that statement was, he knew she meant no malice from it. She was just stating what she saw as fact. He was damned pathetic looking, after all. He sighed. Might as well speed up this little confrontation. "Hello Dru. What's going on?"
"Daddy wants me to stay with you until the night is three quarters full so he can play with Little Sister."
And torment me at the same time. Bloody bastard. It was a bit after midnight, and he hadn't been fed yet. The minions wouldn't be able to get in here until after Dru was gone, and his stomach was already protesting the lack of food. So he would have to sit here, hungry, bored, listening to Dru prattle on, and thinking about the wretched Miss Buffy languishing under the treatment of Angelus.
He had stopped thinking of her as his adversary the night she died. The creature was family now, and he always looked after his family. He honestly wanted to protect her from Angelus. He didn't really question his motivations that deeply. Maybe he just wanted what Angelus had, or what he perceived had been taken from him. Maybe he wanted revenge over Dru. Maybe he really cared about the new childe. Didn't matter. He went with his impulses and instincts, and when they pointed that strongly at any one thing, he knew they were right. They rarely failed him.
He realized Dru was prattling on while he had been thinking about poor, pretty Buffy. He let his mind wander back to her and what she was saying. "...Daddy says tomorrow we get to watch the fun. Then he says I get to have all the fun the next night. Then after that depends on Little Sister and how nice she plays and then after that we eat and then after that Little Sister is gone, candle out."
Spike sat up a little straighter at that. So Angelus wasn't planning to keep Buffy long? Not happy with just stealing her life he was going to wreck her brief new existence. Dru seemed to know the entire plan. Well, maybe he could put the next couple of hours to use after all. Find out where his plan and Angelus's overlapped.
What Alexa had said the previous night had gotten his attention. Buffy as part of his group. Soul or no soul, that could be fun. Someone to trade jibes with and talk to. An equal to keep him company, a job the minions just couldn't fulfill. A friend. He'd thought about it as he fell asleep this morning after they left. Then it had seemed a hopeless fantasy. But if Angelus had in mind what he thought he did, then maybe there was a chance for them both.
"Dru darling, how is the candle going to go out?"
*****
Buffy heard Angelus coming down the hallway, and instantly closed her eyes. She lay still, feigning sleep. He opened, then closed the door. She heard his boots as he walked toward her. The slap caught her by surprise. Her eyes shot open and her body jumped backward, as far as it could. Which wasn't far.
He was leaning over her, just close enough to make her uncomfortable. He sat on the edge of the bed, still leaning into her space. He sighed, as though frustrated. "Still trying to deceive me. Childe, have I not made myself clear? Is it might fault that you continue to disobey? You are mine now. You need to start acting like it."
What the fuck? He sounded sincere. Like Angel used to. But this wasn't Angel. This was some trick to get her sympathy, to make her think something was wrong with her. It wasn't her fault she was a slayer caught in a vampire's body. No. She was still a slayer. The body was changed but she was what she was.
Angelus could tell that she understood his trick. Her face was highly expressive. That was alright. She would still be affected by it on some level, and that was what he needed. Repetition of the same theme would keep it at the front of her mind, keep her building toward the attitude of dependence he wanted. If he put forward a constant front, then she would begin to doubt her suspicions. Humans didn't understand the real skill involved in a vampire's deception.
He looked down, attempting to seem confused, or ashamed. "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Buffy, listen to me." He waited until she looked up, and made eye contact. "Buffy, you were a slayer up until a few nights ago. That is making your transition into vampire form more difficult. I know you remember fighting us. I know you still want to. But, Buffy, that's behind you now. That's not you anymore. There is a new slayer somewhere in the world that has that responsibility. You're just going to cause yourself pain thinking about the past.
"The present is what matters. Here and now, you belong to me. I know that's a hard concept, and we'll work on that. I just need you to have some faith in me, and in yourself. You are going to make a wonderful vampire. You already have so much darkness in you, it won't take much for you to reach deep down and tap into it. To understand it and yourself."
"I'm not dark! I am – I was – a Chosen One and I still - " The slap caught her off guard. It was a strong backhand that made her eyes water and her jaws ache. Almost immediately afterward, she felt a gentle touch on her uninjured cheek. She heard Angelus speak again, voice full of anguish.
"See Buffy? It's things like this that I'm talking about. Darling, you just can't keep this up. I'm your Sire. You need to trust and obey me. When you talk back I have to chastise you. I'd be a bad sire if I didn't try to get you to behave. I don't want you to be a bad childe Buffy. I want you to be smart, and strong, so that one day you'll be a great vampire."
"Like Dru? She turned out the World's Greatest Nutjob - " Another backhand slap cut her off.
"Buffy, when you address me you must refer to me as Sire. Or Master. And you will be sincere. I do not appreciate sarcasm. Those are the rules, and I need you to learn them. Do you think I enjoy hitting you?" He looked at her earnestly, and waited for a response.
Buffy stuck her chin out firmly, and leveled her watery eyes at him. "Yes."
Angelus raised his hand to strike again. "Yes, what?"
The words tried to stick in the Slayer's throat, but the little girl didn't want to be hit again, and the demon demanded the right to respect its sire. "Yes, Master."
Angelus lowered his hand and stared at her, wearing his best kicked puppy expression. He hated that phrase of the little witch, Willow's, but it described the sickeningly saccharine expression well. "Buffy how could you think that?"
She snorted, saw him raise his hand, and cowered involuntarily. He seemed appeased by her show of deference. "Because, Master, you do it all the time."
"Buffy, that's because you resist all the time. Think about that."
She did. It was true.
Angelus wanted to grin with satisfaction. She was playing along. She didn't really believe him, not yet, but she was answering. She was getting involved in the conversation. She herself, the girl that Buffy used to be, the person that huddled inside her mind even now. As long as she involved herself in this kind of exchange of ideas, it meant that she couldn't just hide from him completely behind a convenient shield. She had to be open to be properly overwhelmed.
"I'm going to keep you in chains for a few days Buffy." That got her attention. Her eyes widened comically before she made her face impassive. That would also foil any escape attempts she had planned. It would force her to humble herself, and to serve in order to get his goodwill so that she could escape in the future.
Buffy's mind raced. She wasn't sure how long she could stay strong physically on the light diet of Sire blood she was getting. As for her mind, that was already in need of serious therapy. She needed to find some way to get the chains off soon. "Master, what about when I take a shower?"
"Silly childe," he said dismissively. "You can't take a shower in chains, they'd rust. You won't take a shower until after they're removed."
"But Master I smell," and boy howdy did she. She reeked from being killed, buried, and raped in the same clothes. It was driving her crazy and making her itch uncontrollably.
"Yes you do." He was as blunt as possible. She looked angry. "But until you show me you can perform your duties as a member of this family, then you will not be allowed the amenities the others enjoy."
Buffy sighed. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to go through this. It had been two days and already she felt as though her life was years behind her. She tried to be optimistic. If she were especially good he might take the chains off by the end of the week. God, could she hold out that long? Sitting here, being raped over and over for her only entertainment. He was being nicer though.
And part of her mind still associated him with Angel. She wanted to believe in spite of everything, even Miss Calendar's murder that there was something of the man she loved there. He acted right now as if that were so. She missed those first few nights patrolling together, kissing and talking and being friends. Even just drinking coffee at the Bronze. When she used to be human. The tears started welling up again. She fought to keep them in.
"This once childe, I give you permission to cry." Buffy looked at him in surprise. He caressed her cheek gently, and though she knew it would be more heroic to resist the temptation just because he permitted it, she couldn't stifle the sobs any longer.
Angelus moved over onto the sofa beside her. He pulled her into a sitting position, then leaned her back against his chest. He placed an arm around her and hugged her gently.
Buffy just kept crying. She felt the pressure of the arm around her, and inhaled the scent her demon called Sire. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he suddenly jumped up and started laughing. That seemed to her something Angelus would do. Point and make fun of her. But he just held on, giving her comfort as a sire should. From time to time he hummed slightly, in a low comforting tone.
Angelus got bored after about ten minutes of silence, but he held off on any sarcastic comments. He had her now. His clinical outlook said that her progress for tonight was almost perfect. One thing left. "Childe, are you hungry?"
Buffy stiffened. She'd been almost asleep again, comfortable for the first time since her death. He'd said this last gently, in the same way that he'd been speaking to her earlier. She had spent the night since finding herself in chains dreading this moment. Right now, she just wanted it over and done with. Then she'd be fed and she could sleep again. "Yes, Master."
"You know what your responsibility is in my feeding you?"
"Yes." She did. She wished she didn't. But she had who knows how many more nights of this before the chains were removed and she could run, and hide from this and everything.
Angelus didn't speak again. He tenderly leaned her forward on the sofa, and braced her hands against the cushions, so that she could support herself. He spread her knees, which also rested on the fabric, then pulled her skirt slowly up before flipping it over her waist. He was drawing out the experience as much as possible. No underwear to worry about. He'd torn those off last night.
He started with fingers, as he had on their first night together. Then unfastened his pants and entered her from behind. He massaged her shoulders gently as he thrust deep into her. He deliberately finished before she did, leaving her on the brink. Then he reached in front, and massaged her clit until she came. Angelus was benevolent, when it served his purpose.
Then he laid her on her side again, arranged the pillows comfortably, and massaged her wrists where the chains had worn.
Then he fetched Dru to while away the early morning hours.
******
Please R&R
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