Rating: pg 13
Pairings: S/W, X/C, B/A
Spoilers: Season 2, through Passion, after that it is AU.
Summary: Sequel to `Of Enemies and Friends'. Willow begins her new life.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing!!
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~Part: 1~
Xander was waiting, he hated waiting. He knocked again, more forcefully than before, but still his only answer was silence. It was nine o'clock; he had just left Cordelia at her house and had to visit his best friend. He heard about Willow's break up with Oz and knew she must be hurting. It was always hard to lose your first love. He attempted to peek through her windows and saw darkness. After waiting for another two minutes, he found her spare key under the porch and let himself in.
"Wills?" he called. Nothing. This was getting weird. Wills never left without telling one of them. No one had heard from her since that morning when she called in sick. He turned on a side lamp in her living room and looked around for any evidence as to where she was. He began to move about her house, he went into her bedroom, noting that nothing was out of place. She had just seemed to vanish. Even her wallet lay on her desk untouched. He frowned.
He again reached the living room, his eyes downcast in worry. He froze on the spot when he saw a red spot on her carpet. He crouched down, staring at the small stain. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he had a sinking suspicion it was blood. His breathing was erratic as he reached for her phone, immediately calling Buffy at the library. He gave her no details but told her to come quickly, and to bring Angel. Who better to identify blood than a vampire?
The pair reached her house in record time. Xander let them in and Angel stopped at the doorway. He took a deep breath a cursed. Xander sent him a questioning look.
"Spike, he's been here. Recently," he said briefly. Panic flared in Xander and Buffy at the news. Neither were aware of the tenuous friendship the two had formed, and Angel was reluctant to reveal the information. Xander showed him the stain in question and Angel frowned.
"It's not much, but it's hers," he replied cryptically.
"Well," Xander shouted, "What are you waiting for?!" he asked, addressing the slayer, "Find Spike and stake his pale ass!" Before she could respond, Angel stepped in.
"It's not that simple Xander. I really don't think Spike would hurt her. They are.friends."
"Friends?!" the slayer asked incredulously. "Spike doesn't have friends. And Willow would *never* befriend Spike, no matter how pathetic he was! Besides, she would have told me!"
Angel gave a wry smile, "No she wouldn't Buffy. Trust me, they have been friends for months, it started when I, uh, lost my soul. She didn't tell you because she knew you would stake him."
"Damn straight she would!" yelled Xander, "And you knew she was hanging with the evil undead and you didn't tell us?!"
"I had my suspicions when I was Angelus, but I wasn't sure until the night she cursed me. They were working together. I had seen her before then, and I knew she was spending time with *a* vampire, I just didn't know who. But you can't just go out and stake Spike until you find out what really happened to Willow. She could have been hurt and he found her, we just don't know. You can't go out half-cocked."
"How is it you are so sure he wouldn't hurt her?" Buffy asked in a small voice.
"He, um, claimed her. That is very important, we don't take things like that lightly, especially Spike. She is the only mortal he's ever claimed. He truly cares for her. If there is someone we should worry about, it's Drusilla. She's extremely possessive and will most likely be very jealous of Willow's place in his life."
"So we stake the loony, that the plan?" Buffy asked, in full slayer mode.
Angel shook his head, "First I suggest we find her, or evidence that something has happened to her. This," he replied, waving his hands pointing to the room, "is not enough to suggest that anything even happened to her at all. She may just be out for a couple hours."
"Fine," said Xander tightly. "Why don't you two patrol, I'm gonna stay here, in case she comes back." The couple left and the boy fell onto the couch. He closed his eyes, praying his friend was safe, and then promptly fell asleep.
As Buffy and Angel began their search for their missing companion, a beat up, black Desoto flew past the city limit, headed to parts unknown.
~Part: 2~
Spike lounged in a relatively comfortable hotel chair. The sun had since come up upon their arrival in the City of Angels. His eyes drifted to the still body that lay on the queen size bed in the middle of the room. Their accommodations were adequate, he wanted to bring Willow some place nicer, but with the emergence of the sun, they were desperately in need of shelter. All the color had drained from her skin, he sighed slightly at the thought that he would never see her cheeks flame when she was angry or embarrassed again. But he consoled himself with the fact that in turn, she would stay with him forever. She was his childe, his mate, so much more than Dru ever could be.
He didn't have the constant shadow of Angelus following him when he was with her. He had tried so hard to make it work with Dru. When they left for Brazil, he had no intention of ever returning to Sunnydale. If he did, he knew that he wouldn't leave again without his witch, and he really didn't think Dru would take that well. But the crazy bint had insisted that they come back. He should have tortured her into telling him why she was so eager to go to the hellmouth. If he knew it was so she could kill Willow, he would have staked her then and there.
That thought brought forward many different emotions. He was over Dru, he didn't doubt that, but still, she was his sire. That would always hurt a little, but he did what was necessary. She threatened what was his, and she had to pay for it. And now he had a childe to take care of, to love, and Dru had no place in his thoughts anymore.
He rose from the chair and quietly took off his clothes. He pulled the covers back and slid into the bed next to Willow's cold body. He softly gripped her shoulders and brought her into his arms. He closed his eyes, a content smile crossing his face as he fell asleep with her body wrapped around his. This was exactly how he wanted to spend eternity.
~~~*~~~
Xander shuffled dejectedly into the library. It was now Tuesday, he had stayed at Willow's house the entire night and she never appeared. Buffy looked into the tired eyes of her normally upbeat friend and sighed. Obviously there was no good news. They each sat in silence at the table, staring blankly at various books in front of them.
Giles frowned when he walked in on the somber scene. Buffy and Angel had informed him earlier about Willow's mysterious disappearance. He had to admit he was rather worried, Willow was nothing if not dependable, if she were going anywhere, she would have told someone. He didn't have a good feeling about this. Not to mention the fact that Spike could be involved. Thoughts of the bleach blonde sent involuntary shivers down his spine. Spike was extremely dangerous. If he had Willow there was no telling what he could do.
~~~*~~~
Spike awoke when he heard a muffled whimper. He focused his gaze on his companion, she was beginning to move, slowly awaking from her death-induced slumber. He sat up and waited for her eyes to open. She sat up gingerly, shaking her head as if to help her wake, and finally opened her eyes.
She immediately sought out the form of her sire. He reached to her, holding her face gently in his hands, his thumbs rubbing soothingly against her cheeks, smiling when she looked up at him. He studied her face, and seeing the slight amber tint to her usually green eyes he silently tilted his head, exposing his neck to her hungry mouth. She looked at him intently, asking permission with her gaze. He smiled and pulled her to him, entreating her to drink. He watched in fascination as her beautiful face gave way to that of her demon's and sighed when she finally bit into his neck.
She was restless when she first woke. She had tried to take in her new surroundings but the irresistible call of her sire took any rational thought away from her. When he asked her to bite him, she nearly jumped him, but knowing she had to ask permission first, she had hesitated. She couldn't believe how wonderful he tasted, so filling and aged to perfection. She had to force herself to pull away when she felt his hand squeeze gently on the back of her neck.
He pulled her face to his, his demon firmly in place. He absently licked his lips at the sight of her blood-covered lips and fangs. She squealed when he swiftly rolled her under him and pushed her into the mattress. He took her lips in a passionate kiss, dominating and lustful. The kiss went on forever, now that neither party had to breathe. He pulled away, memorizing the way she looked then, her lips swollen and torn from his fangs and eyes glazed over with desire.
"It only gets better, baby," he promised, and he spent the day showing her.
~Part: 3~
The day went by excruciatingly slow for the gang in Sunnydale high school's library. There was still no sign of the missing witch. When the sun had set Angel and Buffy went out for a standard patrol, and they were planning on dropping by Willy's to see if he heard anything. Xander had taken the girl's disappearance harder than anyone. He knew something was wrong, he felt it in his very being. He walked into the darkened streets of the hellmouth, making his way to Willow's home. He decided it would be best to stay there, at least for a couple days, in case Willow miraculously came home. Buffy would stop by after patrol to see if he had news and then go home.
He reached his destination, tears brimming at his eyes when he noticed nothing had changed since the morning. He let himself in, checked the messages, and collapsed on the couch, letting the television lull him into unconsciousness.
~~~*~~~
"We have to go back," Willow whispered as her arms found their way around her sire's waist. They had just finished dressing, preparing for her first hunt now that the sun set. He sighed, he knew she would want to go to Sunnyhell, but he hoped to put it off, build up her strength, then unleash her on her former friends. He could envision the glorious sight she would make standing over the slayer's drained body.
"I know luv, soon. Not yet. Want to have you all to myself before we go and play with those pillocks." She gave him a wide smile. With a loud smack on his cheek she grabbed his hand and pulled him eagerly through the motel door. He chuckled at her exuberance.
They made their way, hand in hand, through a nearby park. There weren't many people out, only one or two had passed them by, but none caught her eye. She wanted to savor this, Spike insisted it was special. He saw a young couple walking slowly toward them, entwined in each other's arms. Spike gave Willow an approving nod when she looked to him. The couple broke apart when they heard a loud noise. The woman nearly jumped out of her skin when she came upon the sight of the demon in front of her. Spike's fangs glistened in the moonlight as he smiled at her fear. The man, who was nervously watching the thing staring at his girlfriend, shuddered when he felt a cold hand make its way down his shirt. He was spun around and found himself facing a young redhead, with the same frightening ridges as the man. She smiled and inhaled deeply. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him roughly to her. She licked her way up his neck and when she reached his ear, she whispered, "Scream for me," then she bit down hard, and he did.
Willow let the body drop unceremoniously to the concrete beneath her. When she focused her sight to her sire, she saw he too had finished his meal and was grinning proudly at her.
"Did I do good sire?" she asked as she sauntered to him. He swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him, "Bloody brilliant pet," he replied before he hungrily plundered her mouth, delighting in the slight hint of blood on her tongue.
Spike decided they should head back to good ole Sunnydale. It was sooner than he expected, but he had some loose ends to tie up there before they could truly begin their fun. The first thing on his agenda was finding the soul restoration. He knew that when her friends found out she was a vampire, eventually one of them would want to try and restore her soul. While he did have a fondness for her soul, he really loved her demon. She was his equal. They wouldn't be allowed to take her away from him. Luckily, his Red was the only one who knew where she kept the curse.
So they planned to return to the God forsaken town, destroy what remained of the curse, and he would take back Sunnydale. Then they could play. And the world would be on its knees.
~Part: 4~
Spike was speeding past the `Welcome to Sunnydale' sign when his childe woke.
"Why didn't you run it over Spike?" she questioned. He shrugged a small smile playing at his lips at the thought.
"Might be a bit obvious luv, don't want to announce our arrival just yet." She nodded and moved to sit against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She began to kiss and nip at his neck, grinning when he shivered slightly.
"Might wanna stop that pet, unless you want me to run us into a bloody tree." he implored. She pulled back, pouting. He kissed her firmly before returning his attention to the road.
"Spike?" she asked.
"Hmmm?"
"I'm glad you came back for me," she said before falling asleep with her body molded against him.
"Me too baby, me too."
~~~*~~~
The next day had passed by and Xander was still no closer to finding the whereabouts of his best friend. He was walking out of her bathroom when he heard the front door open. Assuming it was Buffy because of the late hour, he made his way to the Rosenberg's living room. He stood still, eyes blazing when his eyes rested on Spike.
"What the HELL are you doing here?!" he yelled, not even caring that arguing with a master vampire was probably not the smartest thing to do. Spike just looked on with amusement. Xander stomped toward him and angrily grabbed him by the collar of his duster. "What have you done to Willow?!" he demanded, fingering the stake that was in his jeans pocket.
Xander stopped at the growl that came from the doorway.
Spike simply grinned madly, "Come in princess," he said absently. The redhead had been patiently waiting outside her former home for Spike to give her an invitation. But her patience became nonexistent when she saw Xander reaching for a stake. She walked in briskly and Xander released his hold on Spike as he saw who the vampire was talking to. It was Willow, but it wasn't. She had been turned and was staring at him with eyes filled with malice and disgust.
"Touch him again," she snarled, "and there won't be anything left of you for them to bury."
"Wills?" he asked, tears evident in his voice at the idea that his best friend was a killer. He cringed when Spike wrapped himself around the girl, initiating a heated kiss that would set the heaven's themselves on fire. They slowly pulled apart, resting their foreheads against the others. The night began to catch up with the boy and he promptly fainted.
Willow frowned at the sight of an unconscious Xander. "He's no fun to play with if he isn't awake," she pouted.
"No playing yet luv," he grinned at her disappointed face. "I promise later, though. But now," he announced as he gently tugged her toward the stairs, "we have a curse to take care of." They walked into her room with a purpose. Willow grabbed her laptop, turned it on and waited for it to boot up. For his part, Spike pulled out his lighter, burning the papers she had printed out of the gypsy curse, and letting them fall into a wastebasket. She easily deleted all the files she had saved before shutting her computer down. Lastly, she handed Spike Jenny Calendar's disk. He placed it in his duster pocket and pulled her out of her room.
Before they left, he checked her house, making sure nothing looked out of place. Satisfied there was no hard evidence of their arrival, he led her to the Desoto, and they took off once again.
~~~*~~~
"Xander?" Buffy called as she walked into the Rosenberg residence. She looked down when her foot hit something hard. She had to laugh when she saw Xander sleeping on the floor. She gently shook him awake and waited for him to notice her arrival.
"Buff?" he asked as he slowly came to. She nodded and helped him into a standing position. He visibly relaxed before jumping away. "Spike!" he yelled.
She looked around in alarm, but there was no one there, and she couldn't sense any vampires near. "Xan, he's not here, what's the matter with you?"
He shook his head, "No, he was here, a-and so was Wills. Buffy," he added somberly, "he turned her." his voice only coming out as a whisper.
"Are you s-sure?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Of course I'm sure!" he shouted, angered by the death of his best friend.
"But Xan, you were s-sleeping, may be it was just a dream?" she asked hopefully, "I mean, here you are, very much alive. And look around, is anything different around the house. Nothing is out of place or broken. You don't have any conspicuous holes in your neck. You've been tired Xan, we all have. May be it was just your subconscious, imagining the worst."
"Maybe," he replied reluctantly, "I guess you have a point. If she and Spike were really here, I probably would not be quite so alive anymore." She nodded, and took his arm.
"Come on Xander, let's go to the library. Angel is there with Giles, he was filling him in about patrol. We still haven't found anything yet." He allowed her to pull him down the street, trying to shake those disturbing images from his head.
~Part: 5~
"Hey guys," Buffy greeted Angel, Giles, and surprisingly Cordelia. The brunette got up from her seat near the computer and went to her shaken boyfriend. Buffy took a seat next to a silent Angel, reaching out her hand to grip his, gaining strength from him. Giles stood near the stairs that led to the stacks, polishing his glasses in an effort to find something productive to do.
"What's the matter with him?" questioned Cordy, gesturing to her abnormally quiet boyfriend.
"Bad dream," was his only response. "Spike and Willow," Buffy added. "I found him asleep at Willow's house, he was having a dream that Spike was there, and he turned Willow," she finished, her voice sounding tired.
"Sounds like fun to me," replied a cocky British voice.
"Spike!" Angel growled as his childe stepped through the double doors of the library. Spike just rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, now we all know my name," he paused and then grinned at the angry and depressed looks on their faces, "So, who died?" he asked eagerly. He then found himself staring into the golden eyes of Angel, who had his forearm pressed tightly to his throat, and he was pushed harshly into the wall. He merely grinned.
"You know," he managed to force out, "that would work better if I didn't have to breathe." He was rewarded with an angry growl. Angel became irate when he smelled another person on his childe.
Buffy noticed Angel tense even more so and stepped in. "Not that I mind you beating the hell out of Captain Platinum, but what's got you so angry?"
"He's been with Willow," he ground out through clenched teeth, "I smell her all over him!" Buffy's eyes widened and immediately ran for her stake.
"Don't," a cool voice said from the doorway. All the inhabitants of the library immediately focused their eyes on the newcomer. Using the distraction to his advantage, Spike shoved Angel away from him and made his way to the figure.
"Baby," he said in a subdued voice, telling her he wasn't pleased that she disobeyed him, "I told you to let me handle this." She nodded and went to him when his hand reached for hers. The group gasped when they saw the stranger.
Willow cocked her head to the side, silently studying her old friends. She smiled when her gaze rested on Xander, "It was no dream Xan."
~Part: 6~
Xander couldn't hold back the tear that rolled down his cheek at the sight of his best friend, his Wills, in the arms of that monster. A monster who had killed her, who had made her a demon. Cordelia gripped his arm as Willow slowly walked to Xander. The witch gently reached her hand to his face and wiped away his tear. Her touch would have been soothing if not for the coldness of her body.
Willow was pulled harshly against Spike, with her back resting on his chest. His eyes narrowed as they looked upon her. He didn't like the way she was touching the boy. She smiled sweetly at her sire, placing her hands on top of his as they rest on her hip.
"Why?" Angel's hesitant question breaking the silence. Spike faced him, reveling in the sheer pain that radiated from him.
"Because she's mine," was his only answer.
"What about Dru?" he asked, honestly curious. Willow answered for her sire.
"He staked her a few days ago." A shocked silence fell over the group as they took in the information. Spike staked Dru, but Spike loved her. Whoa.
Spike smirked at their expressions. Buffy was first to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Wills?" she stepped toward the girl, pulling back when she heard her growl.
"I don't think she likes ya." Spike replied with a smug smile.
"This is all your fault!" she shouted, he gave her a look that simply said `Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?' "I should have staked you a long time ago."
Willow turned in her sire's arms, her back toward Buffy, showing her that she was not feared. "Can we go now?" she asked as she leaned down to nip at his neck, "I'm hungry."
"Yeah princess, we can go, we're finished here. Besides, you need to be punished. I thought I told you to stay outside." Her head shot up.
"Promise!?" she asked hopefully. He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yeah baby, I'll make it hurt real good." She took his hand and let him lead her out of the library, and past the shocked looks of her former friends.
~~~*~~~
"Oh my god," was all that Cordelia could manage.
"I know," was Buffy's quiet reply.
"Oh my god," Giles sighed at Cordelia. He was completely at a loss as what to do now. The girl that he considered a daughter was now a vampire, Spike's childe. They had truly lost her. Buffy had a decidedly hard time trying to kill Angelus, which she never did, how could she stake Willow?
Angel walked over to Buffy and hugged her, offering comfort before he mumbled his goodbye. He left quickly, he had an idea, it may not work, but it was worth a try.
~~~*~~~
"I told you to stay put luv," Spike said in a low voice as he pushed into an alley.
"But you were having all the fun," he shoved her up against a brick wall. She smiled wickedly and began to nibble on his lower lip. He groaned when she pulled away. "I just wanted to say hi." He growled and took possession of her mouth, his tongue demanding entrance as she whimpered. Her hand tugged at his belt buckle urgently, she needed him now. "Please." she begged when he pulled away.
He grinned at her disappoint when he grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto the street. "Now, now luv, this is your punishment. Trust me; this hurts me more than it hurts you. Besides, we have to pay a visit to a friend."
~~~*~~~
Angel was rummaging through all the papers and disks on Willow's desk. He was searching, it seemed in vain, for Jenny's disk. It was a long shot, but Willow was already a vampire, their best choice would be to curse her. She wouldn't be their Willow, she would have a demon, she would have killed, but the alternative was even more frightening. She didn't deserve this.
He was growing frustrated, there was nothing! He spotted her trashcan and froze. Their were remnants of paper, most of it ash. Damn it! Spike had been here already.
"Knew I would find you here Peaches." Angel spun around in game face. His eyes softened when they looked at Willow. Spike growled when he saw that. "Mine!" His grasp on Willow becoming painful. She raised her mouth to his ear, sucking on his earlobe. "Goddess, I love it when you do that." He smirked and kissed her soundly before refocusing on Angel.
"What's got you down Angelus?" he inquired, satisfied when he saw him flinch at the name. "Wait, I know, you were lookin' for this, weren't ya?" smiling as he pulled out the yellow disk. Angel's eyes widened and he tried to calculate if he could move quick enough to take it from Spike before he wrecked it.
"You won't be able to make it," he replied as he edged his way to her balcony, with Willow at his side. When he reached the hard deck he stopped. "This kills you, doesn't it? Knowing that it was you that led her to me, that you couldn't save her. And now, you can't even curse her. Oh, you'd love that, someone to sit around and brood with you. Well, it ain't gonna happen. She's mine. And you," he paused as he threw the disk to the ground and stomped on it, shattering it before Angel could even move, "you lose."
~Part: 7~
Spike took Willow to the mansion on Crawford Street. He settled them in Angelus' old room. He didn't want to take her into his old room knowing some of Drusilla's things were still there. Tomorrow he would reintroduce himself to the vampire community. It was time to take back the title of Master that he rightly deserved.
He looked around, seeing that Angel only took a few items of clothing with him when he left, but everything else, whips, chains, were still there. He sighed and fell onto the loveseat in the sitting room.
"Tell me about him." Willow requested as she joined him, resting her head on his chest while the rest of her body lay comfortably between his legs.
"He's a right poof, you know that." She rolled her eyes.
"Not Angel, Angelus. Tell me about him."
"Which one?" She looked up at him puzzled and he clarified, "The one from a century ago, or from a few months ago?"
"There's a difference?" He snorted.
"Well pet, when I was turned Angelus was like my sire. Dru, being out of her bleedin' mind and all, wasn't good at teaching someone how to unlive. So we were mates. Did everything together. There was no real jealousy. We were still traveling with Darla, the stupid chit, and so Dru and I were pretty much left to ourselves. Sure we'd share her every once and a while, but that was it." He stopped, getting lost in the memories. When she saw him reminiscing she placed a soft kiss on his lips and waited for him to continue. He smiled and picked up where he left off.
"Then the bastard went and got himself good and cursed and he left us. Well, actually, Darla threw him out, but he never waited to see if we wanted him around. So, he broods and whines, and is a general nuisance for about eighty years before the slayer shagged the soul out of him."
She held his hand, knowing the next part would be hard for him.
"So when Angelus came back, he wasn't the same. He was bitter and, well, to put it lightly pet, he had a few screws loose. He was so obsessed with the slayer that he barely acknowledged his childer. In the old days, if any of us were injured, like I was, Angelus would nurse us back to health. He was bloody brutal and uncaring to everyone else, but he always loved us. But this time, the soul changed him. He was just angry." He began to scowl as he thought of the hell he had been put through.
"So he would taunt me, call me weak. He'd shag Dru to hurt the slayer and piss me off. He did anything and everything that made him feel strong, more like the demon he was. Angelus had worked for over a century to earn a feared reputation, a deserved one I might add. But the soul had tarnished it. The demon was caged, ignored. Because Angel can't accept who he is, we all had to pay." She closed her eyes, she could feel his pain.
"Tell me about.*her*." He couldn't help but smile at the tone of her voice, so his girl was jealous.
"Dru was.unique," she snorted, "That's putting it lightly," she mumbled. He chuckled. "She was what Angelus made her, I can't hate her for that. Before he turned her, she was so sweet, soft-spoken, God-fearing. She always had her visions, and Angelus used that to convince her that she was evil. So, he drove her insane and she was devoted to him. So, she decided she wanted a childe, that's where I come in." She smiled and kissed his fingertips.
"So anyway, I was devoted to her, she was my sire after all. In the beginning the four of us were inseparable, we slaughtered our way through Europe. It was bloody fantastic. Well, then Angelus was cursed and Darla left us on our own. For the first time Dru didn't have her daddy to take care of her. She was really depressed for a while, but I showed her everything would be okay. We traveled the world, never staying in one place too long. There would be times when I had to leave for a couple days, recharge. She could drive me up the sodding wall with her constant chatting with the stars and her dolls. The last time I left her like that was in Prague. That was when the mob found out what she was and by the time I got to her, she was nearly gone. That's when I tracked down the poof and we went to Sunnydale." He tightened his hold on her.
"So I cured Dru, nearly got staked by that bitch of a slayer a couple times, but overall things were good. But then I found out that Dru was following Angel around. I should have known that if we stayed in town, she'd go after Angel. So when *her* Angel was back, I didn't exist." He began to become angry, the pain from her betrayal still fresh after all these months.
"I gave her a century, and she threw it away when her *daddy* came back. She never defended me when he would insult me, not that I needed her to mind you. She would be speaking with me and he would walk in the room and she would push me away. That's what hurt the most. I was the reason she didn't stake herself when Angelus was cursed, I saved her from that mob, I unlived for her and she didn't give a damn."
Spike pulled her upright and turned her so she was facing him. He wanted her to see how sincere he was.
"So then I was becoming desperate. I wanted nothing more than to have Dru back and Angelus out of our lives. That's when I found out that you had the curse and I proposed our deal. Personally, I don't know when I started to get over Dru. I rebelled against the idea for awhile. When we were talking, you showed me how she would never love me for me. I needed that objective perspective. You made me understand that she would never appreciate all I had done for her." He stopped his monologue when she hesitantly raised her head, as if to ask a question.
"Then why," she paused, "why did you leave after I cursed Angel?" She may be a demon, but that still hurt. He reached out, tenderly stroking her face as he answered.
"Because for once in my unlife I wanted to do the right thing." She smiled and placed another soft kiss on his lips. "I thought you deserved a hell of a lot more than what I had to offer. I took Dru to Brazil. Trust me sweets, things were far from perfect. She was mad at me for taking Angelus away from her, and she shagged anything that moved. I still thought I might be able to make it work, you know, torture her `til she loves me. But I began to figure out that wouldn't work, how could I get her to love me when I didn't love her anymore." He kissed her brow and continued.
"I never had any plans to come back here. But Dru kept going on and on about how she *had* to come here. She refused to tell me why. So it took a couple weeks but we made it back here. I left her at the mansion and went to the Bronze, figured you might be there. Wanted to see if you were happy. I saw you with that git and I was furious. So you know what happened, you were there. Anyway, after she threatened you that night, I watched her closely. She was always unpredictable when it came to those she thought belonged to her." He snorted. "She could shag everything in a thirty-mile radius but she finds out I care for you and she loses it. When I left her that night you broke up with the wolf, she was asleep. Obviously she didn't stay that way."
He took her face in his hands, staring at her intently.
"When I saw her lunge for you, I did what was necessary. It was a shock when I registered my actions, but I had to save you. And that night, you had almost died and yet you were worried about me. That was the night I knew I loved you." The last sentence was almost a whisper. He had only said those words to two people in his entire 126 years and neither ever returned them. His heart was on his sleeve, and frankly, he was terrified she was going to laugh at him. Demon or not, he had always been an emotional creature.
She gripped his chin gently. After his declaration he dropped his head, focusing on anything but her. She made him look her in the eyes.
"I love you too," his face broke out into a wide smile and he pulled her into his kiss. She could feel all his emotions, the love for her, his happiness, in that kiss. She loved him and she was his.
He stood and placed her in his arms. He walked them to the large bed in the middle of the room. He laid her down and went to lie next to her. She crawled into his embrace and closed her eyes. She was asleep within moments. He lay awake, just staring at her in wonder, for the first time ever, everything was perfect.
~Part: 8~
The day passed slowly for all those gathered in the high school library. Upon sunset, Angel had also joined the solemn group.
"I don't understand why you all are so upset?" everyone looked at Cordelia incredulously, "I mean, why don't you just curse her like you cursed Angel?"
Buffy and Xander got hopeful looks on their faces and it killed Angel to have to be the one to crush them.
"You can't."
Buffy looked at him, tears beginning to form. "Why? That's the only choice we have?"
"The curse is gone," he held up a hand to halt their protests. "Willow had the curse, apparently when she and Spike arrived here last night, they went into her house and destroyed every copy of it. All that was left was the original disk.and Spike destroyed that too."
"How do you know he did?" asked Xander.
"I went to her house to look for it, while I was there they stopped by. He already had the disk, he shattered it before I could reach it." Their heads all hung down in defeat.
Giles stood, attempting to gather strength.
"Then be prepared," he warned the group, "They will come, and we will have to kill them."
"All right boys," announced Spike. He had gathered the minions of this town into the mansion. It was time to show them all that the Big Bad was back. "Here's the deal. I was Master before Angelus returned, as most of you know, and now that the whiny git is back to being all souled, I'm back. I'm not injured, and in fact I'm really itching for a good kill, so if you have any questions, speak up now so I can dust you quickly."
When no one even moved, he smiled. He pulled his redhead against him and in front of the crowd.
"Willow, here, is my childe, my mate, and second-in-command. If I'm not here you answer to her. If you touch her, you'll beg for a fast death. Understood?" They all nodded. "Good, go hunt, whatever, just get the hell out." They all made a mad dash for the door.
"Can we go out Spike?" she asked. He smiled and embraced her. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he replied, "Sure luv, where did you want to go?"
She shrugged, "I kinda just want to walk around. I ate earlier so I'm not really hungry." He nodded and led her out the door and into the night air.
"It's quiet tonight," she said absently.
"Yeah, the slayer's probably at home bawling her blasted eyes out so the demons are taking advantage. The people in this town may be thick, but they know when to stay inside." She grinned at him.
She turned and grabbed his duster, pulling him close. He smirked and leaned down to place a lingering kiss on her lips. They broke apart at the sound of an arrow whizzing by. Willow turned, game face on, to face their attacker. She smiled when she saw Xander, crossbow in hand. Her gaze fell to the arrow imbedded in a nearby tree.
"You always did have crap aim, didn't you Xan?" Spike chuckled.
"Get away from her," he ordered. Spike growled.
"I don't think that's what she wants, mate." Willow growled and spun around when she felt Spike be forcibly moved away from her side. She saw he and Angel engaged in their own battle, Spike had the upper hand, taking all his frustration out on the vampire. Seeing he was fine, she turned back to Xander.
She moved quickly and had removed his crossbow before he could blink. Xander took an involuntary step back now that he was weaponless. She grinned and came toward him.
Spike immediately stopped punching Angel when he caught a familiar scent in the breeze. He shoved him away and his eyes searched for his childe, knowing she was hurt, that she was bleeding. He roared in fury when he saw that annoying cheerleader standing behind his witch, a stake in hand. He ran to where the three of them were gathered and threw the girl to the ground. She and the boy huddled together.
He turned Willow so she was facing him to try and figure out where she was hurt. He snarled when he saw a crossbow bolt lodged in her abdomen. The wound was bleeding without sign of stopping. Her knees began to give out on her and he laid her gently on the ground.
The two humans and the souled vampire watched in fascination as the blonde tended to the girl. Angel knew Spike was always gentle and loving with Dru, but now when he dealt with Willow, it was more than just taking care of her, like he had to do with Dru. He loved that girl in his arms, and they had just wounded her. They were in deep shit. He slowly got up, bringing the two others with him.
Spike pulled the arrow out of her and threw it into nearby bushes. He quickly pulled off his duster and practically ripped off the red button-down shirt he wore underneath. He used it to put pressure on her wound so the bleeding would stop. When he was sure she had stopped losing vital blood, he stood and scooped her into his arms. He glared at the trio, focusing his anger on the boy who hurt his childe.
"Hear me now," he snarled, causing everyone including Angel to take a step back, "Blood for blood, you made her bleed, I make you bleed. Touch her again, and you die." He grinned, "Well, you're going to die anyway, but if you lay one hand on her everyone you care for, family, friends, they all die." He went to leave but stopped. This time he focused on Angel.
"And if you kill her, you better pray that you kill me too. If I'm left standing, there will be nothing left of this pathetic town you call home." Then he ran to the mansion.
~Part: 9~
He laid her gently on their bed and tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears flowing from his eyes. She had been unconscious for about a half hour now and he was beginning to worry. Her wound was fairly serious. He couldn't wait to gut the boy who did that.
"Come on, princess. You have to wake up," he pleaded. He just got her damn it, he couldn't lose her now.
Her eyes began to flutter and she groaned in pain. She went to sit up but he held her down.
"You lost a lot of blood pet, you need to feed." He gently sat her up and brought her mouth to his neck. She latched on immediately and he stroked her hair soothingly. She began to listen as he whispered to her.
"You had me worried luv, you can't leave me." She pulled away, beginning already to feel better with her sire's blood flowing through her veins.
"I'm right here Spike," she assured him. He laid her down again, carefully undressing her and tucking her in before he too undressed and joined her. They each lay on their side, facing the other. Spike had been so scared, he didn't want to let his gaze wander even a moment, afraid she would be gone.
"I'm ok, Spike," she repeated, as she lovingly ran her fingers through his shocking hair. He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Did you hurt him?" she asked in reference to Xander.
"No, I had to stop your bleeding luv. But no worries, he'll be begging for death soon enough. Him and his bloody cheerleader." She growled at the thought of Cordelia. He chuckled and hushed her. "Shouldn't be getting you all riled up, you need your rest." She nodded and laid on her back. He simply watched her for a minute before she broke the silence.
"Hold me?" she asked quietly. He smiled. "Of course."
~~~*~~~
The trio filed back into the library. Giles watched them, knowing something happened. They sat around the table. Buffy watched them with a curious eye, waiting for someone to say something.
"We are SO dead," announced Cordelia.
"No we're not, Cordy," responded Xander.
"Nope, she's right," added a usually reserved Angel, "we are dead."
"What happened?!" yelled Buffy, worried that Angel thought they were in serious danger.
"Well, Wonder boy over here decided he wanted to go after Spike tonight. So Angel and I tagged along to save his ass in case he got in trouble. We actually ran into Spike and Willow. Xander shot at them with the crossbow, and missed, as usual. Angel took on Spike, and Willow was coming after Xander. He was busy trying to run away like a big girl! So I got her attention, next thing I know, Xander shot another bolt and it hit Willow in the stomach. Spike majorly wigged. He would have killed us all then and there if he wasn't so worried about Will," Cordelia declared.
"Oh. So we're gonna die?" replied the slayer.
"Yup."
~Part: 10~
Willow sighed when she saw Spike enter their room. It had been two days since her near miss, and he wouldn't let her get out of bed. She had healed almost completely by the end of that night, but he still was worried about her. Part of her loved that he was so devoted, and part of her just wanted to knock him out so she could leave.
Oblivious to her inner frustration, Spike smiled and joined her on the bed. "How you feeling ducks?"
"All better, I'm not even sore anymore."
"That's good, maybe, in another night or two, you can go hunting with me."
"Spike," she whined, "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm back to normal, and I *have* to get out of here or I'll go crazy!"
"I don't know luv, I've always liked my women crazy." he replied with a sly smile. She couldn't contain the growl that rose from her chest. Spike smirked, "Alright pet, I'll make a deal with you. I'll take you out with me tonight, but you have to do as I say. I know how fond you are of not listening to me, but you're still a little weak. I just don't want you hurt."
She agreed quickly, he laughed at her eagerness. He took her hand in his and led her out of bed and left her to change as he dealt with his minions.
~~~*~~~
"I don't understand this," murmured Angel, "it's been days, *days*, and nothing!"
"Normally," replied Giles, "one wouldn't ask for trouble."
"You don't get it!" he yelled, shooting up out of his chair, "Spike is not a patient demon! Especially when you hurt the one he loves. And trust me Giles, he loves her. He has to be planning something. He's very possessive, Xander touched something that belonged to him and he will want revenge. If you heard him that night, you'd be worried too. He meant every word he said. He wants our blood, and he's nothing if not persistent."
Giles sat at his desk, lost in thought. He and Angel had met in his office that night after Buffy and the others went on patrol. Angel said he needed to talk, that it was life or death, unfortunately, the vampire was right. Giles knew that Angel was correct, he had to admit he too was surprised at Spike's lack of response to Xander's attack.
"Do you have any suggestions Angel?" The vampire fell back into his chair.
"I don't know. He's unpredictable at best. He could have an elaborate plan, and then just get bored and throw it away and just kill us. I hate this, knowing I can't protect them, it's my fault that he even has Willow. God, I'm such a failure," he mused miserably.
"How can you say that?" Giles asked incredulously, "Yes, you've made mistakes, you've harmed a lot of people," he continued on ignoring Angel's depressed face, "but you have saved hundreds. Buffy would have died, on many different occasions if it weren't for your intervention, Xander and Cordelia too. As for Willow, you are in no way responsible for what Spike has done to the poor girl."
He laughed humorlessly, "You really don't get it Rupert. She never told you, and it was never my place to tell."
"What are you talking about?" he asked in a low tone.
"After I.Angelus killed Jenny," he said in a small voice, "Willow found her disk, with my curse. Well, Dru had a vision of Willow, and warned me that she was going to give me my soul. Spike was there, by that time Dru had pushed him away because she wanted me, and he wanted nothing more than to see my ashes blowing in the wind." He paused, trying to think of how to phrase his next declaration.
"He snuck out of the mansion that night and went to Willow. He had to have threatened her to get her to listen to him, I'm not sure how, but he convinced her that he could be trusted. They never told me, after I got my soul back, the exact details. Anyway, he disappeared for a few days, I assume he stayed with her. I went out one night, I was trying to find out what he was up to. I went to this demon hangout and Willow was there. She had been claimed by a vampire, I just didn't know it was Spike yet, and she got away from me before I could get the information out of her." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, he never enjoyed being the storyteller.
"I wasn't sure of their alliance until the night I was re-cursed. Dru had another vision and I went with a small group of minions to the library to stop Willow. When we got there she and Spike were in the middle of the ritual. My minions attacked and he fought them off, then Buffy and you all showed up. Spike left before everything settled down. But he was so worried about her, I could see it in his eyes when I showed up. I don't know how it happened but he truly cared for her. He left the country with Dru shortly after that." Giles removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to take in all the information.
"He was gone for months, Willow was taking it really hard at first. But then, about week ago, maybe two, he came back, with Dru. We had a bit of a confrontation at the Bronze. He was with Willow when I noticed his arrival. We had a few words, but Dru showed up before anything happened. When Oz joined us to see if Willow was okay, Spike was furious. He's never claimed a human before, until her, and he didn't like Oz at all. He told Dru to leave and Willow told him to join her. He actually looked hurt when she did that, but she was just trying to keep things calm. I was scared for her, Dru was looking at her with eyes full of hate. She must have known of Spike's feelings for the girl. I thought she was the one I would need to protect Willow from. Honestly Rupert, I never thought Spike was that besotted with her, that he'd actually stake Dru, let alone turn her. I never wanted that. Spike was right." he trailed off.
"About what?" he asked in a calm, controlled manner.
"When I saw them a few nights ago when I was at her house, looking for the curse, he said some things. That I led him to her, it was my fault she was even put in that position, and that I couldn't protect her." He shook his head when Giles automatically went to defend him, "No, it's true. Because I killed Jenny, she had to perform the curse. I threatened her, had every intention to kill her, and because of me she made a deal with the devil and it cost her everything."
An awkward silence fell upon the two men as his tale came to a close.
"I.I should have told you, I should have made her tell me everything." Giles stood, shaking his head sadly.
"It's not time for those thoughts, what's done is done." Angel too stood. "You couldn't have changed anything, as you said, Spike is unpredictable. He wouldn't have just let her go if he had a claim on her. I must say, I can't help but be a little disappointed in her, for not sharing it with us."
"She trusted him Giles, I can pretty much guarantee you he never gave her any clue that he wanted to turn her. She probably never saw it coming."