main characters: Willow, Angel
disclaimer: I do not own them
distribution: if you have permission for the previous coffee's, yes. Otherwise ask.
spoilers for S2 episode Lie to Me
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Angel had been quite certain that this Ford guy was trouble. He was up to something, and it could only be trouble. He ignored a little voice that whispered that maybe he was just jealous, worried that Buffy would turn away from him to be with this... mortal boy. A little voice that had whispered that his foreboding was simple jealousy.
Which was why he had gone to visit Willow, in hopes that she would find something. Evidence that would tell him if he was just jealous of the boy called Ford or if there was actually some sort of problem, some threat. He had expected... well, maybe he should just give up trying to predict Willow. She had invited him into her room without hesitation. She'd been more worried about being caught 'with a boy in her room' than the fact that he was a vampire. Despite the fact that she was wearing some sort of oversized shirt, clearly dressed for bed, Willow had taken his word that he would behave.
Willow had found an astonishing lack of information, as if Ford didn't exist, at least, not in Sunnydale. Clearly, this was proof that he was up to no good. That annoying voice still whispered that Ford's presence burned due to jealousy.
Maybe that annoying whisper was his demon, trying to taunt him.
He had felt incredibly smug when it had been discovered that Ford and his friends had set up some underground club full of vampire wanna-be's. He had felt like pointing and shouting 'aha! I knew it!' but he hadn't. Instead, he had managed to suggest they go check the club out, to make sure there was no serious danger. To show Buffy how bad for her this Ford would be. Not that he had actually mentioned that part...
He wasn't quite certain how it had ended up that Willow and Xander were also going to check out this club. Buffy was leading the way down the stairs, Xander close on her heels, as if by being near her, he could win her interest. Annoying boy... And then there was Willow, her hair shining among all the dark dyed people or gleaming gold, making her stand out. She was talking, her voice that almost serious tone that meant she was considering something truly unusual, some detail that everyone else ignored.
"... do the really stick out? I mean, have you ever looked at a thumb and said 'wow, that's really sore'?" She was trying to puzzle out sore thumbs.
Maybe she was genuinely... no, Willow was always curious about some of the most bizarre things. But was she simply babbling, or was she trying to keep the mood from being tense? He could feel it radiating from Xander and Buffy, although he wasn't certain if it was the club, Ford's involvement, or something else entirely.
Buffy was looking around, with something almost like admiration on her face. Angel could feel an unpleasant sensation churning in his stomach, jealousy, perhaps? But why did she seem so interested? They had this huge room, with everything decorated in dark and neo-gothic, with people trailing around in dark clothing and powdered faces... it was ridiculous.
There was this girl coming up to talk to Buffy, a girl with long pale hair dressed in this flowing dark thing with gauzy layers. She was talking about 'the lonely ones' and it took him a few moments to realize that she meant vampires.
Vampires weren't pale tragic victims, people who trailed around in the darkness, bemoaning their long existences. Vampires dealt in death and mayhem, sex and violence and blood. If she ever met a real vampire, this pale girl would be a victim, and she would see just how wrong she really was. He remembered how vampires looked for victims, and she was just... practically begging for some vampire to kill her.
Looking around at the sea of people, they all seemed to fall into t he same category. Lost souls blindly seeking oblivion, under the delusion that they would become eternal. They were a herd of fools. It annoyed him, on many levels, especially since Buffy seemed so interested in everything. Willow was looking around, her eyes taking in details, but without the same appearance of fascination that Buffy was showing.
"These people don't know anything about vampires. They don't know how the act, how they talk, how they dress..." His angry words trailed off as he noticed all three of the teens looking at something behind his shoulder. Giving in to the impulse, he looked behind him.
One of the club patrons stood there, a glass of beer in his hand, wearing an outfit identical to his own. He had the dark slacks that made no sounds when trying to move quietly, the shimmering red shirt was a twin to the one that Angel had chosen because it reminded him of blood in the moonlight, not that he would admit that to anyone. He even had short dark hair.
Ouch. So much for no clue how vampires dressed.
Angel stayed quiet after that, trying to figure out exactly what was wrong here. Just looking at the surface,he could make a lengthy list, but... his instincts, his demon was screaming that there was something else, something deeper. There was something rotten at the core of this, and there were only three people that it could be connected to. The three people who had organized this little escape from reality; the blonde Chanterelle, a dark eyed young man called Diego, or Ford. He guessed it was Ford or Diego, the girl seemed to truly believe the whole tragic mythos of the vampire.
But how could he try to convey the idea that there was a deeper problem without sounding like he was just being jealous? If he told Buffy, she would dismiss it as jealousy of Ford, and look no further into things. While he was jealous, there was still something here, something wrong.
The solution came to him like a bolt of lightning, or one of those giant anvils from the old cartoons that Willow had mentioned. He didn't have to share his suspicion with Buffy, he could tell Willow. After all, most of the research was accomplished by Willow or Giles, not Buffy. Even if Willow thought he was being jealous, she would still look into the matter. They would be able to get to the bottom of this.
He followed her as they left the club, anger welling up as both Buffy and Xander left Willow to walk home by herself, with only whatever feeble defense she could muster and the hope of passing unnoticed between her and death. He followed her for several blocks, catching the scent of nervousness bordering on fear that flowed from her.
Reaching out, his fingertips brushing her elbow as she walked. She jumped, a startled gasp emerging as she spun around, looking wide eyed for the source of the contact.
"It's only me. Remember, I promised to behave." He tried to smile, hoping to calm her.
She nodded, her pulse still racing. "I remember. I just... I figured you would have followed Buffy."
"I needed to talk to you. About the club... there's something not right there. Maybe we can figure it out." He tried to ignore the voice inside that whispered if he removed Ford, the problem would be over. Ford was human, he'd given up killing humans.
With a nod, Willow agreed, her eyes alight with enthusiasm. "I can try... I did get a previous city from them, in the club." Her words were punctuated by a fluttering gesture, vaguely towards the club that they had spent the past hour inside. "Maybe... well, it would take too long for school records, but I can check for a police file, and maybe check for anything medical..." Willow's mind was off, racing over possibilities.
The walk back to her house was almost comfortable, and she gestured for him to come in, a small smile on her face as she murmured "My parents are away today, you won't have to leave in such a rush."
He got them both coffee, brewed strong and rich in the kitchen, and they drank it as Willow did strange things with the computer, causing it to open information to her questing eyes that he had the certain feeling she wasn't supposed to be able to access. Most of it was fruitless, time spent chasing shadows and illusions.
Then Willow found something interesting. She finally hacked into the right hospital, and got his medical record, at least, most of it. Peering over her shoulder, Angel frowned, trying to make sense out of the astonishing long words. It was a very long file, with many entries recently. Then, he found a few words that he could understand all too easily. Cancer. Inoperable. Life Expectancy.
Ford was going to die in less than six months. Slowly, withering away in horrible pain.
In those stunned moments of silence, it became perfectly, horribly clear what the taint about the club was. Not the sense of hopeless unreality that filled the teenagers inside. No, it was the stench of death, of betrayal and a desire for something so powerful that Ford would pay any price, make any sacrifice. Ford was afraid of dying, and wanted to become a vampire, to become eternal.
"They're bait. All those creepy, sad people in their dark clothing and pale make-up are bait." Willow's horrified whisper summed things up perfectly.
Angel shook his head, certain that there had to be something else. "I can see how it would attract vampires, the people would be easy prey. But there has to be something else, something else that he could offer in exchange for forever. But what could some teen offer a vampire?"
"buffy." Willow's voice wasn't even loud enough to be a whisper. Angel almost missed it, and he was right behind her, the heat of her body warming his chest.
Jealousy reared itself again, mixed with fear. "What about Buffy?"
Willow turned in her seat, her eyes filled with dread. "Ford knows that Buffy is the Slayer. If he could promise some vampire the slayer, alone and not expecting trouble..."
Angel sank, attempting to sit down, realizing belatedly that there was no chair. "That... that would probably do it. What can we... we'll have to be ready. If he's done any research on the situation, he'll approach Spike. Spike's main weakness is Dru. Make sure Buffy knows that. She won't think you're just being jealous."
There was something shadowing Willow's eyes as she spoke. "Are you jealous?"
He owed Willow the truth. That meant there was only one possible answer. "I shouldn't be jealous. But I am."