*~*~*~*
by the shadows of the night i go
i move away from the crowded room
that sea of shallow faces masked in warm regret
they don't know how to feel they don't know what is
lost
"Lost"
-Sarah McLachlan-
*~*~*~*
*~ By the time Angelus and Dru had caught up with
Spike and Willow, the tiny redhead was hysterical,
curled up in the smallest ball she could manage in the
farthest corner of the room she'd been sharing with
Angelus. She was visibly trembling, her voice rising
and falling in a mantra of sobs and frightened
screams.
*~ Angelus stiffened the instant his sensitive hearing
picked up on the sounds. Usually, it would have been
like music, but now, it angered him. It angered him
that he hadn't been the cause, and that *his* little
witch was so frightened, so clearly thrown over the
edge by the bitch of a Slayer.
*~ "Go, Daddy," Dru said softly, her dark eyes nearly
glistening with uncharacteristic tears. "Blossom needs
you now."
*~ She hung back and watched her dark haired sire
quickly make his way over to the tiny redhead she'd
come to adore more than Miss Edith. She was worried,
an emotion that was almost alien to the vampiress. She
wasn't used to emotions like these. She wasn't used to
caring. She loved her Spike and her Daddy, but this
was different... This kind of caring was
unconditional, something she had never experienced
before.
*~ She moved into her own room, moving to curl up on
her bed, her arms firmly around Miss Edith. Her brow
furrowed as she analyzed the changes she'd gone
through since her daddy had brought home the little
redhead.
*~ It had helped her more than anyone could know just
to have someone else to take care of. And no mistake,
the witch needed her. Her daddy and Spike knew how to
take care of the redhead, but they didn't
*understand*. Dru understood. She understood the pain,
the fear, and the hatred. She understood about the
maddness, the voices, the confusion. She knew it first
hand.
*~ She understood.
*~*~*~*
*~ It took hours to calm the tiny redhead. Angelus had
finally soothed her enough so that she lay quietly in
his arms, sleeping. The dark vampire stroked the soft
skin of her arms as he held her tight, cradled against
his chest. It had been too soon to reveal her to the
slayers. She'd been making progress... so much
progress, that he'd forgotten what it would be like
for her to confront her killer.
*~ He'd already faced his first death, he'd come to
terms with it and the consequenses when he'd regained
his soul. The rememberance of the guilt hadn't left
him. In fact, he still had nightmares about it. About
the things he'd done in his past. It hadn't hindered
his demon. It had *fed* it, made him more ruthless,
made him hate more. The thurst for retrubution had
drove him onward.
*~ His hatred and most of the torment had eased
somewhat when he'd taken the changed witch under his
wing. In the weeks he'd cared for her and shaped her,
his goal had changed without him even realizing it.
Until now. He was no longer doing this for himself.
*~ His lips softly grazed the top of her head and he
inhaled the sweet, intoxicating scent that was Willow.
He was doing it for her... the still innocent girl he
was holding in his arms. She needed him. She needed
her revenge against the dark haired slayer.
*~ His arms tightened around her. But what would
happen when her revenge was done? Would she stay like
this forever? Forever young, forever strong? Forever
vacant? Would she still need him? Would she go back to
the way she was, not the way she was before she died,
but the way she was *when* she died? Would whatever
was keeping her alive leave, leaving him with the
rotting shell?
*~ He closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts of
'what if' away. He couldn't think about the
possibilities now. Willow whimpered and tightened
*her* hold on *him*, her soft face moving a little
against the bare skin of his chest, her warm breath
sending chills down his spine. He smiled softly and
whispered soothing words, gently rubbing her back
through the silk nightgown she wore. She quieted
within seconds, relaxing back into sleep.
*~ There was no way he was going to lose her. His
handsome features hardened in resolve. If that meant
joining forces with... Damnit! No. He wasn't going to
resort to *that*. There was no way anyone in the
slayer's group would help him. An idea hit. His lips
curved cunningly. Maybe there *was* a way...
*~*~*~*