~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 11~
Willow was angry. Very angry. And not just because Spike had tried to
feel her up, twice, or because he'd been grabbing the wheel and trying
to steer the car into oncoming traffic; Spike was being very secretive
about his purpose for being in Sunnydale, and was sidestepping all of her
questions with pathetic sighing and annoying hijinks. Four times she'd
almost pulled the car over and thrown his skinny blonde ass out on the
street, but she always managed to calm down enough to see that she would
get even less information out of him if he was gone. < All of this in
a drive that took Spike smiled broadly when he saw the look of pure anger on Willow's
face. He missed that look. She used to look at him like that, and it made
Spike feel the strangest squishy feelings in his stomach. He had to remind
himself that Willow wasn't who she used to be, and that look was not a
playful one. But still, he couldn't help getting turned on by it.
< Finally! Maybe I can beat the information out of him now that I'll
have access to torture equipment! > Willow pulled into the parking lot
underneath her apartment. Owning property along nearly deserted docks had
it's advantages. There were no pesky neighbors to bother the vampiress
during the strange hours she kept.
Without saying a word to Spike, Willow got out of the car and opened
up the back door to pull Dru out. Spike started to get out and help her,
but she waved him away. So he stood back and watched her remove his crazy
girlfriend from the car and start towards the small stairwell leading up
into the building. Sighing once again, Spike followed, lagging behind a
bit to watch the way her hips swayed when she walked.
Because his concentration on Willow's body was so focused, Spike failed
to notice the person lurking in the shadows, watching the three of them
ascend the staircase.
~~~~~
"What do you mean Willow's consorting with the Slayer?!" Ripper stomped
around the room like a pouting child, his hair frazzled and his vampiric
features shadowed in the dim light. "How do you know this??"
"I-I saw her at the school, sir," the lackey said, quivering where he
stood. Ripper eyed him critically and stormed away, pacing faster this
time.
"She LIED to me?? That bitch told me that she was going to KILL THE
SLAYER!! NOT BLOODY FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM!!!!" His rage got the best of
him, and Ripper was upon the minion in seconds, holding him in the air
by the neck.
"Ripper, darling, why don't you put the young man down and come over
here and sit for a while? I hate to see you so upset."
Ripper dropped the young vampire and stalked over to his black haired
maiden. "Jenny, I don't know what to do anymore! I try to get these bloody
people on my side, and they always end up screwing me over!" He plopped
down next to her, and Jenny pulled his head into her lap.
"There, there sweetheart. Tough times are ahead, but we'll make it.
I'm not about to let all of my hard work go to waste. Now come on, pick
yourself up, and be a good example for all of your minions." Jenny's voice
was stern, and Ripper sat up quickly, growling low in his throat at her
tone.
"Don't tell me what to do, Jenny. I'm not your lap dog, understand?
YOU work for ME now, got that?"
Jenny was startled by his sudden mood swing, but quickly adapted to
her helpless housewife routine. "Yes, love, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" She
gave him the look that he couldn't resist, and Ripper sighed.
"Alright, I'll forgive you. Come on my love, let's go see if we can't
find out more about Willow and her alleged betrayal." He stood and reached
down to help Jenny up. Once she was standing beside him, he gently kissed
her hand and led her out of the chamber.
~~~~~
"What happened?" Xander asked when Angel stepped into the library. The
Slayer just looked at his friend and shrugged his shoulders. Angel was
confused about the emotions churning around in his body, and didn't feel
like talking about anything having to do with Willow or Spike.
"Angel, I'm concerned about this Spike fellow. It seems that he and
Willow have quite the past together." Amy came out of her office staring
down at a large book. She'd found a watcher's account of an encounter with
the Red Mistress and William the Bloody. Before Amy could continue, Angel
put his hand up to stop her.
"I know about their past. She told me. I just don't want to hear anymore
about this whole situation tonight, alright? Let's just get this place
cleaned up so I can go patrol and then go to bed."
The Watcher looked up from her book, concerned about her Slayer. When
Angel had first come to Sunnydale, he was shut off emotionally from everyone
around him. It had taken the young woman a long time to get him out of
his shell. Amy hated that Willow's presence was turning Angel back into
an introvert.
"Ow!" Cordelia cried. She had been trying to pick up some pieces of
a broken chair when she stumbled and fell into a large pile of books. Just
as she was about to stand, she saw something that was out of place for
a school library.
A pack of cigarettes.
"Ew! This guy Spike just gets more and more disgusting!" Cordelia stood,
brushed herself off, and bent to pick up the cigarettes. It was empty,
save a piece of paper tucked between the package and the cellophane wrapper.
The brunette hacker pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it. It looked
like some kind of spell.
"What is it Cordy?" Amy asked, making her way through the rubble to
her young friend. She took the piece of paper and studied the messy handwriting.
"Hmm, this looks like a spell, but I'm not sure what kind. It's written
in....well, it looks like some kind of old language, possibly Greek, or
something even older like Sanskrit. It'll take some time to translate."
"Why does that blonde idiot keep a spell hidden in his pack of cigarettes?"
Xander asked as he began to gingerly dust off the books strewn all over
the floor in front of him.
"Safe keeping? Who knows. But right now I REALLY want to clean up this
mess so I can go home." Angel started to follow Xander's lead by picking
up books and putting them back onto shelves. Soon, Amy and Cordelia helped,
and the library was clean.
As Angel walked home, he thought about the events of that night. <
So Spike ~Part: 12~
"Willow! What are you doing here?"
The red head looked up from her perch atop a headstone and smiled.
"He's so frustrating. More so than I remember."
Angel sat down on the headstone opposite the vampiress. "Spleen really
got to you, huh?"
Willow laughed hollowly. "Yeah, I guess he did. Spike has always been
annoying as hell, but tonight was pretty bad."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Angel asked, concern etched across his
handsome features.
"No," Willow shook her head. "All I can think about right now is that
I really don't know if I'm going to be able to kill him."
"I thought you were in love with him. Why are you going to kill him?"
Willow looked down at the ground, watching as a small black beetle scampered
across the mound of dirt beneath her feet. "I'm not. Not right now, anyway."
Willow lifted her eyes to meet Angel's. The Slayer could see tears spilling
over her cheeks.
"Willow, tell me what's wrong with you," he pleaded, rising from his
seat and going to her side. Willow refused to look him in the eye. She
turned away and stared off into the night.
"He's got this clandestine purpose for being here in Sunnydale, and
he refuses to let me in on the secret. Usually he's harmless, but I don't
know this time. Spike is known for his ambiguous behavior, unless his emotions
are running high, which they aren't, so I'm completely clueless." Without
looking, Willow took Angel's hand into her own. "I'd kill him before I
let anything happen to you."
Angel was frozen where he stood. He was breathless from both the conviction
in Willow's voice when she said she'd kill Spike if it meant saving him,
and the feeling of her tiny hand in his own. "When are we going to stop
putting ourselves into this position?" Angel asked.
Willow started to draw her hand away, but Angel held onto it tightly.
"What position is that?" she asked.
"The one where I comfort you, and you pull away from me. The position
that makes me want to take you in my arms and never let go." Angel sighed.
"The position that forces me to see that maybe my life isn't as together
as I thought it was. Willow, aren't you sick of denying yourself the one
thing you want?"
Willow growled and jerked her hand away, but she still refused to meet
his eyes. "What makes you think you know what I want?" she asked angrily.
"Willow, I can read your thoughts! I can hear you in my head while you're
asleep! I know exactly what it is you want."
Hearing this, Willow hopped down from the headstone and started to pace
back and forth in front of him. "Those were just random things, you know.
Dreams can't be interpreted as conscious thought. So what you heard-"
"Was all part of a big, mixed up dream? I doubt it. I know enough about
supernatural beings to realize that most of their dreams are like prognostications.
Hell, MY dreams are like prophecies come to life! And for somebody with
your psychic abilities, it's not surprising that you'd be having some kind
of dream based in reality. So that excuse of 'it was just a dream' isn't
going to work with me." Willow stopped pacing and finally faced the young
man. Angel stood defiantly in front of her, determined to defend his beliefs
about her dreams. Of course, he was right about her thoughts. All she could
think about was Angel. Willow despised that she was so easy to read.
"So what do you think about, Angel? That is, when you aren't too busy
intruding on my dreams?"
Angel let out an exasperated groan. "What do you think I think about?!
YOU! Only you, night and day, you are always there in my head. I don't
understand why, and I know that it makes me weak, but I just don't care
anymore. It's like-"
"An obsession." He took a step closer to Willow, and she took one back.
"Angel come on, I really don't feel like sharing a...moment...here in the
cemetery. I mean come on, you're the Slayer, I'm a demon, talk about mixing
dangerous chemicals."
Angel had quickly closed the gap between the two of them, and was now
standing close enough that he could feel her breasts against his chest.
"Stop making excuses, Willow. Follow your instincts."
"That's what I'm afraid of doing," she whispered. "My instincts scream
at me to throw you down right now and make love to you, but my more rational
mind tells me that I should be drinking your blood."
"Willow?"
"Yes?"
"Just shut up."
"O-" Willow was cut off by Angel's lips pressing against her own. They
were soft and gentle, and felt like nothing Willow had ever experienced
before. Angel tangled his hands in her hair and pulled her closer, pushing
her mouth open with his tongue. Willow responded immediately, bringing
up her own hands and weaving her fingers into his thick dark hair. Suddenly,
Angel pulled away.
"Do you feel that?"
Willow did in fact feel something. Some kind of evil presence lurking
in the shadows.
"Oh come on, don't stop on my account!" Jenny stepped out from behind
the hedges, softly applauding. She'd enjoyed the little show that Willow
and Angel put on, and was almost sad to be the cause of the interruption.
"Jenny." Willow nodded curtly at the brunette woman, and reached down
to squeeze Angel's hand.
< Who is she? > <Ripper's consort. But I think she's going behind his back with a
plan of her own, so don't worry. We should be alright. >
"Quite right Willow, quite right. On all accounts, in fact. I am indeed
Ripper's consort." Jenny went to Angel and extended a hand, which he shook
quickly. "I am also planning something behind Ripper's back, and it involves
the both of you."
"Wait a second, Jenny. If you think we're going to help you, you're
mistaken. I told Ripper I didn't want anything to do with him for a long
time, and the same went for you as well."
The dark haired gypsy looked and Willow and smiled. "Oh yes, you will
help me Willow. For two reasons. The first one being, if you don't, I'll
hurt your precious Slayer here. And before you say anything Angel, yes,
I can hurt you."
Angel shut his mouth and continued to stare at the woman.
"Secondly, I'll get Spike off your back. And this is where I need your
help."
A twinge of jealousy flowed through Angel when he saw the look on Willow's
face at the mention of Spike. He forgot it almost as soon as it had arrived,
and squeezed Willow's hand in his own show of support.
"What do you want with Spike?" Willow asked. Spike dying by her hand
was one thing, but by the hand of this evil gypsy? Willow wouldn't stand
for it. Spike was her childe, and she felt protective of him.
"I've heard many great things about William the Bloody. I mainly just
want to meet him," Jenny answered, grinning. "But meeting him is really
only half the fun, I suppose. You see, my ultimate goal is to overthrow
my beloved. His presence as a powerful vampire is very upsetting to the
underworld, and, since it's my fault he's around in the first place, it's
my job to...relieve him of his duties, so to speak."
"And you want Spike to kill him?" Angel speculated there was more to
the plan than Jenny was letting on.
"No," Willow said softly. "She wants Spike to replace him." Willow looked
up into Angel's dark eyes. "She wants Spike to be the new master in Sunnydale."
Angel was finally starting to see past all of Willow's emotional boundaries,
and in her eyes he saw feelings of both anger and tremendous sadness. Willow
obviously cared for Spike, and the knowledge that killing him would be
inevitable if he were to become master hurt her more than she could express
in words. "What's so wrong with Ripper? Why does the underworld hate him
so much?"
Jenny's smile turned into a scowl. "Because he isn't a real vampire,"
she answered abruptly. Both Willow and Angel had to do a double-take before
what she'd said sunk in.
"So, if he isn't a vampire, what is he?" Willow asked, confused.
"Ripper, my dear, is a living, breathing human being."
~Part: 13~
San Antonio, Texas--Five years ago...
"Hey Giles, what's the deal for tonight? Can we hit Riverwalk, or will
it be patrol?" Faith tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear
and tightened the laces of her wrist guard.
Rupert Giles came out from his office wearing enough padding to protect
him from 50 Slayers. He sighed and took off his glasses. "Faith, we did
go out last night, so I really don't believe it would be appropriate for
us to do so tonight. Too many breaks makes for too many demons to kill."
"Always the diligent watcher, eh G-man?" The brunette slayer took a
swig from her bottle of water and set it down on the kitchen table. "We
really trashed the place last night," she commented, waving her hand in
an arch about the room.
"You're insatiable Faith, how am I supposed to control you?" Giles stepped
closer to the young woman, passion and fire burning in his eyes.
"Why not try some of that ol' black magic?" Faith closed the space between
them and lightly pressed her lips to her his. Giles moaned and pulled her
closer. Smiling against his mouth, Faith stomped hard on Giles' foot, causing
the man to cry out in pain.
"What was that for?" he cried, reaching down to cradle his injured foot.
"Distraction, Rupert. You were so preoccupied with your desire for me,
that you weren't prepared for my attack." She smiled smugly at him, and
Giles sneered at her.
"Aren't I the one that is supposed to do the training here?" he asked,
the blush on his face giving away his embarrassment
"Yes," Faith nodded. "But I like to play teacher sometimes."
"Alright, enough with the innuendo. Let us begin with your training,
and depending on how that goes, I'll make my decision about whether or
not we can go out this evening. You aren't an inexpensive date, Faith."
Faith laughed as she pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. "What's
the matter Rupert, the Council still not paying enough?"
"I really do not want to discuss this right now. The Council's pay rate
is about the same as it was when it first began." Giles moved into a fighting
stance, and Faith took her place next to him. "Be gentle," he said.
"Right, sure thing sweetie."
Two hours later--
"Good heavens Faith, what did you do to him?" Dr. Snyder, part demon-part
physician, replaced the ice pack on Giles' head and looked up at the Slayer.
Faith smiled innocently and shrugged.
"He said don't be gentle!"
"I most certainly-ow-did not!" Giles insisted, trying to sit up but
unable to move the muscles in his back.
"Oh no? Sorry honey, I thought that's what you said."
Dr. Snyder looked between the quarrelers and shook his head. For the
life of him, he would never understand the attraction between humans. He
noticed Faith moving closer to the bed, and decided that it would be a
good time to dismiss himself. The Slayer and Watcher never even noticed
him leave.
Just as Faith leaned down to kiss the semi-paralyzed Giles, the phone
rang. She huffed and picked it up off of the nightstand.
"Rupert Giles, please."
"Sure, hold on a sec." Faith handed Giles the phone and left the room
in search of something to eat. From the kitchen, she could hear her lover
yelling into the phone about a prophecy, but the details were spoken in
a hushed tone. More than anything, Faith wanted to pick up another phone
and listen in, but she figured Giles would give her the details as soon
as he hung up.
Rupert Giles had never been in such emotional turmoil in his entire
life. His body shook with fury, terror, and gut wrenching sadness. Faith,
his beloved Slayer, was supposed to die tonight, and there wasn't a thing
he could do about it.
Sunnydale, California--Five years later
"What was the prophecy?" Angel asked, now sitting down in the soft green
grass under a large tree in the cemetery. Willow was to his right, and
Jenny was seated in front of them.
"Ripper won't go into the details. All I know is that it was foretold
that the Slayer Faith absolutely had to die in order for some big 'Change'
to happen, and that destroyed the Giles that was once a Watcher."
Willow sat in a numb silence. Something about this story was way too
familiar to her, and it made the red head slightly uncomfortable. Angel
could sense her discomfort and took her hand.
"What is it, Willow?"
"I-I think I know the prophecy," she told him, keeping her eyes focused
on Jenny. "It was the prophecy that set into motion the changing of the
guard. Faith, the longest living Slayer, died, and on that night," Willow
now faced Angel, "your Slayer abilities were activated."
Everything was finally falling into place in Jenny's mind. Ripper's
desire to do whatever he could to hurt the Council, and this new breed
of Slayer. He blamed Angel for Faith's death.
"Wait though, I didn't actually become the Slayer until later on," Angel
told Willow, not sure he wanted to believe what he was hearing. If it were
true what Willow suspected, then Ripper would stop at nothing to destroy
him.
"They always have backups," Willow explained. "A potential Slayer is
always being trained and is waiting for the day when she will be called
to action. You hadn't developed any of your powers yet, and so that's why
you didn't automatically become the Slayer. You just weren't ready."
"And my mother had just died," Angel whispered sadly, blinking back
tears.
"This is all very sweet, really it is, but I haven't finished my story."
Jenny crossed her arms impatiently and waited for the small vampiress to
comfort Angel. Once she was satisfied she had their attention, Jenny continued.
"Faith did die that night. It was gruesome and terrible and she was
in a tremendous amount of pain. The autopsy showed that Faith was also
three months pregnant. She'd wanted it to be a surprise, and it most certainly
was. Giles vowed in front of the entire Council that he would exact his
revenge on them as well as this new Slayer. He and I met several months
later.
"Giles asked...no, forced me to help him. He knew I was a gypsy and
a powerful witch, and he blackmailed me into making it seem like he was
a vampire. He wanted to be extremely viscous and powerful, and I told him
that I would help him. His anger had driven him back into what he called
'Ripper mode', and he wanted to harness that anger and energy and use it
to his benefit. I conjured a few spells to make him look like and have
the strength of a vampire, and that was that. He quickly killed Masters
all over the world, and is now sitting several miles away from the Hellmouth
he plans to open next week."
It took a few minutes for Willow and Angel to allow everything to sink
in. Angel was angry and somewhat frightened for the lives of his friends,
and Willow was furious. She should have known he was a fake, but she didn't.
She didn't even recognize the magick so similar to her own.
"Why are you here?" Willow asked, controlling her anger.
"I'll be blunt. I'm here because I want you to get me Spike. I want
him to kill Ripper and take over the Hellmouth, and I want him to change
me so that I may sit by his side as his Queen." Jenny said it all so matter-of-factly,
Willow couldn't help but let a tiny giggle escape.
"Are you insane?!," Willow stopped laughing and turned angry. "Spike
would NEVER help you! Let alone make you his Queen!" Willow stood up and
pulled Angel up beside her. Jenny also stood, and Angel moved in front
of Willow to protect her.
"Isn't that sweet? I see you have the Slayer trained almost as well
as you trained Spike. Not to worry, I'll break him of his nasty habits.
Goodnight Slayer. Willow." Then she was gone. Willow snarled at the empty
space in front of her and broke away from Angel.
"Willow, wait. I really think we need to tell Amy all of this, don't
you?" Angel wanted to walk after her, but held his ground in hopes that
she would turn back. She did not disappoint.
"Yes, of course. Tell Amy. But not now, it's way too late. Will you
walk me home?"
Angel grinned and wove around the headstones until he was by her side.
"Do you need an escort, little lady?"
"No, I'm here to protect your ass," she shot back, a grin of her own
appearing on her pale face. Angel laughed and put his arm around her waist.
"We can talk about the kiss later, too," he said.
"Can we really?" she replied sarcastically.
"Yes, I think we need to, don't you?"
Willow forced a sigh out of her dead lungs. "Yeah, I guess we do." Willow
stopped and looked up at his handsome face. "You don't think it was a mistake,
do you?"
"Oh no, not at all. I've been wanting to do that since that night outside
the Bronze. Who knew I liked it rough?" Angel laughed playfully and tugged
on her hand. "Come on, let's get you home."
~Part: 14~
He watched the scene below intently, trying to suppress his nausea.
Before, when Willow was viscous and cruel, Spike didn't mind so much when
she would kiss another man. But here, watching through the tiniest of peep
holes in an otherwise completely sun-proof room, Spike found himself to
be so insanely jealous, it was hard to keep from jumping through the window
and ripping the Slayer's pretty head off. Yes, it was the most innocent
of kisses (a small peck on the lips is hardly anything to be upset about),
but the fact that it was HIS Willow kissing THE SLAYER! The blonde vampire
could hardly contain himself.
It was time for Spike to make his decision.
He'd come to Sunnydale for one reason, and it sure as hell wasn't to
take over the Hellmouth. Spike was hardly up to a challenge as great as
that. No, he was a simple man, with simple needs, and all he wanted was
to get his woman back. Was his plan stupid? Probably. Chivalrous? Doubtful.
But it was, and of this Spike could be certain, very dangerous, and if
he knew his Red Mistress, she would appreciate the effort in the long run.
Unless...
If Spike could persuade Willow to love him now, as he was, then most
certainly he wouldn't have to risk everything to get her back! Earlier
that evening, at the library, Spike had seen some of that familiar fire
he'd come to adore so tremendously in his sire. Perhaps there was still
hope for him. Perhaps some of that old "Spike Mojo", as Drucilla had so
lovingly dubbed his sex appeal after watching Austin Powers for the eighth
time, would do the trick!
"Who am I kidding?" Spike said aloud, pacing anxiously near the front
door, a cigarette hanging lazily out of the corner of his mouth. "Why would
she take me when she could have the bloody Slayer to help her in her quest
for justice!?"
Spike was starting to get angry. Visions of Willow kissing the Slayer
continuously bombarded his senses, and it was more than just a little unnerving.
Could he go through with it? A seduction which had been in the works for
nearly 100 years was being called off because of some mild trepidation?
"Absolutely not!" Spike shouted to no one in particular. He took one last
drag from his cigarette, and tossed it on the floor, snubbing it out with
the toe of his boot, apparently unaware of the white carpet beneath his
feet. As soon as he heard Willow insert her key into the deadbolt, Spike
took his position behind the door.
< Oh good, they’re gone. > Spike. Or, more accurately, Spike's lips.
Despite the screaming protests in Willow's brain, she found herself
returning her former lover's kiss with such fervor, it nearly brought both
of them to their knees. Her desperation was due in part to her wild need
to be dominant over her childe, as well as the frustration that had been
building within her over the course of her time spent with Angel. She wanted
Angel, that much was certain, but did she want Spike? Willow didn't care.
All that mattered was that moment, where her tiny hands buried themselves
in the softness of Spike's hair, and his hands roamed over all too familiar
places on her body.
"Mmm, Angel," she murmured against his lips.
Please die Ana
Spike abruptly pulled back, turning his head away from the confused
stare on his sire's face. *How could she do this?* a voice in his head
asked. *She managed to make a bloody fool out of me again!*
Realizing the words that had slipped out of her mouth, Willow pressed
her fingers to her lips. "I-I'm sorry Spike. I guess I was just...wait
a minute, why were you kissing me anyway?" Willow's voice was raised to
a level that used to mean certain punishment to Spike, but now he found
himself not caring.
"Honestly Red, I do not know," he answered, his tone far too condescending
for Willow's tastes. The ensouled vampire longed to lash out at her childe,
to teach him belligerence would not be tolerated, but for some reason,
she couldn't bring herself to do anything to Spike expect smirk up at his
angry face and walk away.
And I need you now somehow
"Willow, wait."
The red head stopped walking towards her room, but did not turn to look
at him. She could sense that he was moving closer, and did nothing to remove
herself from his path. Was this what she really wanted? *It's been such
a long time...* "No!" she cried, spinning around and knocking Spike to
the floor. "I am your sire, and you will do as I tell you! If I want you
to leave me alone, then leave me alone!"
Taking a calming breath, Spike answered. "Is being alone what you really
want, luv? If so, I'll happily go on my merry way, back to Dru, back to
that blasted hole in the wall where we sleep. But, somehow, I don't think
my being here is what is agitating you so. I think you do want me here,
either to dominate or submit to, and that's fine with me, Red. Either way,
I get to spend at least one more night with a woman I find so amazing,
I can't keep my bloody mind off her for even a minute."
Open fire on the needs designed
Willow looked down at the blonde vampire kneeling before her. Her demon,
as well as her soul, longed to give him what he desired. She'd been alone
for so long, and she'd loved Spike every minute from the day she first
saw him in a pub in London so long ago, to this moment. In fact, her love
for Spike had grown stronger once she'd regained her soul. Since the day
she first turned him, he protected her with such ferocious loyalty, it
shook something inside of her. And that feeling wasn't going to go away
because of a little old soul.
"Get up, Spike. You're too good to kneel," she whispered, lightly caressing
his cheek.
And you're my obsession
"How do you manage to turn me into a bumbling fool with one look?" he
inquired as he ran his fingers through her dark hair.
"I don't know," Willow replied, stroking his hard chest through the
material of his shirt. "I suppose it's part of my charm."
Spike began to lead her towards the bedroom when he stopped. He looked
down into her green eyes, and sighed. "Is this what you want?"
Willow nodded slowly, looking down at their newly intertwined fingers.
"More than anything in the world," she said, truthfully.
Spike snorted. "Except for the Slay-"
"Shh," she cut him off. "More than anything." Once Spike saw the conviction
in her eyes, it was all he needed to be convinced. Forgetting about all
of the complications that could arise from what was about to happen, Spike
picked his sire up in his arms, and carried her to the bedroom.
Open fire on the needs designed
~Part: 15~
"Hello? Is anybody here?" Buffy stepped arrogantly into the library,
sneering at it's lack of occupancy. The former Homecoming Queen hated anything
having to do with the library or those people that most often inhabited
it, but she had to make an exception this one time. Her English teacher
was going to throw her out of the class unless Buffy was able to write
an analysis of The Great Gatsby that would bring tears to any Literature
professor's very critical eyes.
"Yes, Miss Summers, how can I help you?"
Buffy nearly dropped her books she was so startled by the young librarian.
Setting them down on the checkout counter with shaky hands, she said, "Yeah,
I'm looking for a book."
Amy had to control her urge to snort rudely at the blonde. "Well, then
you're in the right place. What book might you be looking for?"
"Yeah Buffy, what book could you possibly want to read? Cosmo getting
a little tough to follow?" Xander brushed past Buffy as he made his way
to the table, where he deposited his backpack, and then went into Amy's
office to get a cup of coffee. Before Buffy could say something back, Angel
and Cordelia walked in, laughing loudly about something Buffy felt left
out of.
Once the shy brunette saw her nemesis standing a mere ten feet away,
all traces of amusement left her face, and were replaced with mild contempt.
Buffy had yet to antagonize her, but Cordy wanted to be ready for the barrage
of insults the snob was sure to hurl her way.
Shocked that somebody had finally managed to look better than her in
a black trench coat, Buffy cleared her throat and smiled sweetly at Angel.
"Your name is Angel, right?"
He nodded, slightly peeved at how this narcissistic child was leering
at him.
"It suits you," Buffy replied to his silent acknowledgment. She then
cleared her throat and turned back to Amy. "Can you please tell me where
I can find a copy of The Great Gatsby?"
"What, you aren't snobbish enough, so now you need pointers from a book
about snobby rich people? Gosh Buffy, it almost sounds like a family history
for you. I thought you would have memorized the Summers' family tree by
now," Xander said, and then proceeded to shove a donut in his mouth.
"Goodness Xander, it sounds like you woke up on the wrong side of the
rainbow this morning."
"Okay, that's enough!" Amy shouted as Xander prepared to launch himself
at Buffy. "Miss Summers, let me get your book. Xander, sit down. Cordelia
and Angel, there are donuts and coffee in my office."
"Yeah, just what Cordelia needs. Donuts." Buffy shrieked as Angel backed
her up into the checkout counter, his eyes blazing.
"One of these days, you're going to regret that," he ground out, using
every fiber of control in his body to keep his fists at his sides. Buffy
nodded mutely, trying not to pass out from not only the fear his threat
invoked, but his closeness. The eternal flirt, Buffy reached forward and
pressed on his chest.
"Oo, you must work out."
Sensing Angel's rising anger, Amy quickly gave Buffy her book and led
the blonde away from her Slayer. "Here's you book Miss Summers. Please
return it when you are done. Thank you, and have a nice day."
Buffy opened her mouth to say something to the pushy librarian, but
instead winked at Angel and left the room. Cordelia let out a sigh of relief
once the swinging doors shut behind the notorious "Goddess B," as the blonde
was known by most of the football team and all of the swim team.
"Thank god she's gone. She almost ruined my appetite," Xander remarked
after swallowing his third donut. After so many years of Buffy's rudeness,
the young man was used to it, and had developed a rather nasty defense
against her.
"Alright, now that that's over with, Angel, how was patrol last night?"
Amy and Angel both sat down at the table, the Watcher prepared with a notebook
into which she put all of her observations and notes, which she later transferred
into the standard issue Watcher notebooks, which the Watcher's Council
liked to call "Tomes of Tomorrow."
"It was fairly uneventful," he said, trying to avoid the part about
meeting Willow, kissing Willow, fantasizing about Willow all night...
"Tell me what happened exactly. My notes aren't detailed enough for
the Council. They want to send me back to school, so please, save me that
torture and tell me everything." Poised with her pen above her paper, Amy
gave Angel an expectant look that told him he wasn't going to be able to
hide anything.
~~~~~
"Red, wake up. It's nearly sunset, and I think we should go tell your
Slayer friend that you and I are back together, so he should forget about
his plans for your seduction." Spike leaned over Willow, whispering in
her ear. She moaned and tried to push him away with her elbow, but he didn't
budge. Once his incessant demands that the Slayer be drawn and quartered
began to grate on her nerves, Willow put more force behind that elbow,
and Spike went sprawling off the bed, landing on the floor with an "oof".
"We are not going to torture the Slayer, Spike. And we are not back
together." Willow wasn't sure if the small level of uncertainty was detectable
in her voice, but she prayed that Spike was too occupied with climbing
up onto the bed to notice.
"Whatever you say, luv. But I know last night meant something to you.
That precious soul of yours must have been affected somehow."
Willow rolled her eyes at her childe and climbed out of bed. "Right.
Whatever you say, Spikey. But I'm going to go take a shower, and then WE
are going to get Drucilla and go to the high school."
"For what, a joint intervention, ensouled beings versus demonic? No
thanks Red, I'd rather walk out into that sun," Spike said, pointing at
the boarded up window.
"Be my guest. But please don't get dust on my carpet. You've already
managed to leave a nice little cigarette burn in my living room, and I
don't want your remains all over everything too. To answer your question,
no, we are not going to have an intervention for you and Dru. The Slayer
and I have much bigger fish to fry. Believe it or not Spike, you are in
danger, and it's the Slayer that's going to save your ass this time." Willow
left the room, sardonic smirk in tow, before Spike had a chance to respond
to her outrageous claims. The Slayer was going to save HIS life?
"Yes, and then he and I will take a walk along the beach at sunrise,
hand in hand, and fall madly in love!"
Willow stuck her head back into the room, smiling even bigger at her
childe. "Now that would be something I would pay to see."
"Bite me, Red," Spike said, glaring at the empty doorway.
"I think I did plenty of that last night, sweetheart!" she called just
as she slammed the bathroom door. Spike snorted and began picking up his
discarded articles of clothing.
Twenty minutes later, Willow was dressed and ready to go to the library.
But she was missing one thing. Spike. "Where the hell did he go?" she asked
her apartment, actually expecting some kind of answer from it's white walls.
Not feeling up to starting an all out search for her lover, Willow plopped
down on her couch and put her feet up on the coffee table.
*Last night was so...amazing* she thought to herself, grinning at the
memories of exactly what she and Spike had done to each other. It was reminiscent
of their past couplings; violent, bloody, and extremely erotic. Willow
was surprised she could even move in her old age. But Spike always managed
to take care that any pain she might experience would not leave her incapacitated
in case of an emergency. *He's always been so thoughtful...* Willow shook
her head and stood abruptly, trying to shake off the feelings she was having
towards Spike. Now was definitely not the time to rekindle THAT old flame.
Pacing back and forth, Willow began to think. There was Angel. The sweetest,
most beautiful man Willow had ever laid eyes on. Initially, she chalked
her attraction towards him up to some pathetic weakness, but not anymore.
Willow knew what she wanted, and she knew that Angel wanted the same thing.
What did they have to lose?
"Our lives, that's what," she scolded, her soul drudging up the memories
of her shaky alliance with the Watcher Merrick, and his warnings that she
keep her lusty paws off of the male Slayer. Merrick warned her that if
she got involved with Angel, he would have both of them eliminated. The
vampiress had shrugged off the warning, convinced that she would never
develop feelings for the young man. But now those threats were in the front
of her mind, second to only the unknown force of the Master, Ripper.
Ripper was another danger Willow would eventually have to face. And
not only to protect herself, but also everybody else she had come into
contact with upon arriving in Sunnydale. Angel, Amy, Angel's friends, and
even Spike and Drucilla were all potential targets for Ripper's calculated
coldness and unpredictable evil.
"Lucy, I'm home!"
"Thanks for letting me know you were leaving, Spike. What would have
happened if the Slayer just happened along and staked you?" Willow asked,
raising her eyebrows.
"I would have eaten him, Mum. Nobody hurts my Spikey. Even Miss Edith
gets punished for hurting my Spikey, isn't that right?" Dru stood behind
Spike, looking up at the back of his head with eyes so full sweetness,
Willow was sure she was somehow contracting diabetes.
"That's right Dru, now why don't you ask Mum why she made you sleep
in that bloody cave all night last night?" Spike crossed his arms, hoping
Dru hadn't run out of complaints on their short walking trip from underground
to the old warehouse.
"It's alright Mummy, don't listen to Spikey. He's just mad because I
got to talk to the stars again, and he was stuck inside all night. I like
the cave, I do. It reminds me of our dungeon in Prague..." Dru trailed
off and began to hum. Willow recognized the tune, and started to hum along.
She stopped when she noticed Spike glaring at the insane vampiress.
"Okay Dru, it's time to go. Spike, would you like to walk, or do you
want me to drive you? I'm sure you must be completely worn out after last...your
walk to the cave," Willow quickly amended, not wanting to upset Dru with
innuendo that even a four year old could catch on to.
"Let's walk, Red. It's been a long time since I've seen your hair in
the light of the moon."
"Last night was the full moon. Didn't you see it then?"
"Is it that bloody important?"
"I just wanted to point that out to you. Are you sure Dru isn't contagious?"
"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Red? I'm insane?"
Willow sighed and stepped past Spike out into the hall. "I don't want
to argue about this anymore. Come on Dru. Don't forget Miss Edith."
Dru giggled maniacally and skipped out of the apartment towards the
door to the stairwell. Spike rolled his eyes and followed, taking Drucilla's
hand as they made their way downstairs. Willow was close behind them, feelings
of unknown origin *Jealousy, perhaps? * surfacing in her emotions. She
shook them off and made sure all of the doors were locked behind her. Once
the three vampires were in her car, Willow stuck the key in the ignition,
took a deep breath, and started the engine.
Were they on their way to certain death? What was Willow going to tell
Angel about Spike? And why did Dru keep chewing on Miss Edith's hair?
~~~*~~~
She paced up and down the chilly hall until finally coming to a decision.
This strange, no, desperate need for honesty confused her, and she hated
being put out of sorts like that. What did she have to lose here? Spike
was simply a thorn in her side, easily discarded and easily forgotten.
No, that wasn't true. They'd been through too much together. Willow
and Spike, the terror of Europe for over a century. How could anybody forget
a relationship like that with any kind of ease? The two of them were connected
in such a deep way that loneliness would hurt more than the physical pain
of being denied the blood of your body.
Stop it! Her soul cried out, tearing her thoughts away from her childe
and thrusting them towards a salvation that could not be ignored. What
in the hell was she going to do about Angel?
Having halted her pacing, she shoved her hands deep into the pockets
of her duster and leaned up against a row of lockers.
Try as she did to convince herself that Spike was just a nuisance, she
tried even harder to convince herself that Angel was the same. She wanted
to burn the memory of his lips on hers and dump the ashes into a churning
sea. She wanted to tear away the feel of his hand upon her own and throw
it to the wolves. And she really wanted to stop making cheesy metaphors,
but she couldn't stop thinking about him! Stamping her foot in frustration,
she yanked her hands from her the warmth of her pockets and raked them
through her fiery hair.
"Willow? You coming in any time soon?" Amy peeked around the library
door and smiled gently at the agitated vampire.
"Yeah, I'll be right there. I just need to clear my head for a minute."
The corners of Willow's mouth turned up slightly, and the young watcher
nodded.
"Sure thing. Whenever you're ready."
As soon as the door closed, she immediately dropped the psuedo-smile
and back to the scowl that had nearly become a permanent part of her face
in the last few hours. Beyond those doors lay her destiny. Or destinies.
The idea that she might have to choose between lust and love was terribly
daunting. Who was making her choose, though? Nobody! Not a damn thing was
going to force her into choosing sides.
With this idea firmly planted in her head, she leaned forward, straightened
her jacket, and pushed through the doors just in time to see Angel vaulting
across the table and putting a choke hold on Spike.
"Christ, I leave the room for five minutes, and the two of you can't
be civil enough not to try and kill each other?!" Willow shouted as she
tried to pry the stronger males apart. Her eyes were wild as she sought
out some kind of assistance, but realized the only person with enough strength
to help was Dru, and Dru was busy picking invisible bugs from Miss Edith's
hair and popping them in her mouth like popcorn. Cordelia was out of the
picture, as she was clinging to Amy like a drowning person to a life preserver.
Xander, however, appeared to be somewhat indisposed.
"Um, Xander, you want to lend me a hand here?" she asked, grunting as
she was slammed into the table with the force of two full grown male bodies.
"Who, me? Are you sure you want to risk my helping you? Because seriously,
I could do more harm than good in this situation. I mean, I'm not that
strong and Stake could bite me and..."
Ignoring Xander's whining, Willow focused inward, blocking out all of
her surroundings. She almost seemed to be moving outside of herself, but
at the same time, deep within. Pooling all of her strength into one dense
mass, she wrapped her arms around Angel's wriggling body and squeezed as
hard as she could.
One second, Angel was choking the unlife out of Spike, and the next,
HE was the one completely breathless. His entire body went numb, starting
in his abdomen and moving outward to his limbs and head, until finally,
all he could do was slump to the floor in a shapeless heap.
Willow quickly pulled away from Angel and turned to Spike just as he
was preparing to pounce on the Slayer's prone form. With a flash of white
and amber, Willow was meeting him head on, plowing into his upper body.
Spike cried out in pain as three of his ribs were cracked, and swung blindly
at his sire's head, trying to knock her away. Willow ducked his fumbling
punches and kneed him hard in the groin. With a small squeak, Spike fell
to the floor and landed with a loud thud.
Satisfied that she'd sedated them, Willow turned to the tiny cluster
of quaking humans hidden in the far corner of the library.
"It's okay," she said, slurring slightly because of her teeth. "I think
I've got the children under control now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Would all of you idiots please calm down?!" Marvin shouted, reveling
in the small taste of power being Ripper's Little Helper (as Jenny had
so lovingly dubbed him) afforded. Of course, this small moment of happiness
was shattered once he realized that none of the vampires surrounding the
platform on which he stood cared one bit about what he had to say. Ripper
was the only one they would take commands from. Ripper was their leader
and master.
He was also 15 minutes late. Normally the tardiness would go unnoticed
by Marvin, but tonight seemed more important. Tonight Ripper had a gleam
in his eyes that nobody had ever seen. Even Jenny was frightened by him.
And it took a lot to frighten THAT woman.
Where was he? The hoard was getting even more restless, which seemed
almost an impossibility, considering they were already starting fights
with one another. Marvin sneered at two vampire in particular, who had
thought it fun to pick on him just a few days earlier, when he was a lackey
too. But now that he was somebody, revenge was beginning to smell extra
bloody.
"Alright everybody, shut the hell up!" he screamed, feeling Ripper's
eyes bore into him from the mouth of the cave on the left hand side of
the rock platform. It seemed that the others sensed him as well, because
a sudden hush blanketed the crowd.
Ripper stepped out from the shadows and walked to his seat very slowly,
eyeing his gathered minions with a visible distaste. He was revolted by
the thought of sharing a lair with them all, let alone being in the same
room with them. *Such are the duties of a master, I supposed* he thought
to himself, allowing a cynical smirk to touch his lips before unleashing
his icy glare.
"I've brought you all here tonight to explain a few things about my
plans for the Slayer and the Hellmouth. You see, there's been a betrayal
among us, and we now must compensate for the loss, and exact our revenge.
An outsider made me believe that she could bring me to the Slayer and help
me destroy him. Instead, she chose to take his side and fight against us.
I've been sending spies out every night to follow this traitor." At this,
he nodded at Marvin, who moved the edge of the platform and cleared his
throat.
"Y-yes, we have discovered where the traitor lives, and have also learned
that she is living with two other vampires. They appear to be her childer,
and pose no threat to our operation if they do not agree to help the Slayer
as well. We will send a team out tonight to watch for her to return home,
and then a second team will raid her building. There are only three of
them, and there will be at least 20 of us. Capture is no problem."
"But I want her back unharmed!" Ripper interrupted, slamming his fist
down on the arm of his chair. "I don't care about the other two. Rend them
limb from limb and feast on their rotting flesh for all I care, but The
Red Mistress MUST NOT be delivered to me in the form of ash. Is that understood!?"
Every vampire in the room, including Marvin, all nodded solemnly and
looked down at their feet.
"Good! Now, get out there and get something to eat. When you return,
Marvin will assemble you into your teams, and explain further where to
go and what to do. Dismissed!"
Several rowdy vampires in the back mock saluted Ripper before making
their way out of the caves and into the tunnels that would lead them to
their favorite all night buffet.
"Do you really think this will work?" Marvin asked Ripper after everyone
had gone.
"It bloody well better, Marvin, or it'll be your head." With one final
sneer, Ripper was gone, and Marvin was left standing alone, hands trembling
at his sides.
next
For as long as you're here we're not
You make the sound of laughter
and sharpened nails seem softer
And I need you now somehow
On my knees for you
Open fire on my knees desires
What I need from you
I love you to the bones
And Ana wrecks your life
Like an Anorexia life
On my knees for you
Open fire on my knees desires
What I need from you
Open fire on the needs designed
Open fire on my knees desires
On my knees for you