Parts: 21 - 28 (End)
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~Part: 21~
"Angelus, it's barely after sunset. What the hell is it that you want to talk about?" Spike said as he entered the main sitting room.
"Ah, come in me boy. Wanted to have a nice chat with ya," Angelus told him, looking back over his shoulder as he poured two glasses of whiskey.
"Yeah, got that part. What exactly is it you wanted to chat about?" Spike questioned, not in the mood to play games.
"Wanted to talk to ya about yer little pet, Spike. Seems ya haven't been keepin a close enough eye on the lass," Angelus told him, handing him a drink before sitting down, gesturing that he do the same.
Spike stayed standing, leaning against the mantle over the fireplace, and sipped the drink.
"What makes you say that?" Spike asked.
"Seems the little girl has been snoopin around in places she doesn't belong," Angelus told him. Spike raised an eyebrow in question. "She was in here a few nights ago," Angelus clarified, an angry growl deep in his throat.
"Did someone see her?" Spike questioned, not fully believing that Willow would have gone into Angelus' rooms after specifically being told not to, but then not totally believing that she wouldn't either.
Angelus shook his head, "Not that I've been told."
"Then why the hell are you accusing her of coming in here?!" Spike yelled, slamming his glass down on the mantle top.
A second later, the blond vampire found himself shoved toward the nearby wall, and pinned against it. Angelus growled as he held the younger vampire against the unyielding wall, leaning in close and speaking in a low, dangerous tone.
"Can't ya smell her, boy? Her scent is all over this room," the older vampire told him, inhaling deeply, his eyes closing briefly, before opening again, flashing gold.
Spike sniffed the air and realized with a mixture of dread and anger that Willow had indeed been in the room.
"Now, I believe that I would recall havin a sweet little tart like that in me room recently, and seein as how I don't have the pleasure of that memory, but her scent is lingerin in the air, I have ta wonder what she was lookin for and what she found."
Anger bubbling up inside of him, Spike growled, shoving Angelus off of him, and glared menacingly. "I specifically told her to stay out of here," Spike told him, beginning to pace the room.
"Well, apparently the girl isn't listen'n to ya, Spike. Apparently ya don't know how to control her."
"I know bloody well how to control my pet!" Spike shouted, stepping up to the dark haired vampire, bringing them nearly nose to nose.
"Perhaps ya should leave her to me for a night. Could remind ya how to properly handle the girl," Angelus said with a sneer, knowing exactly how to get to his childe.
"I SAID that I know how to control her," Spike growled through clenched teeth.
"Recent actions would say otherwise, boy," Angelus growled back. "It doesn't look good for ya ta have a pet that don't listen. The boys, they're startin to think that ya might be goin soft."
"You listen to me," Spike began, reaching out to grab a hold of Angelus' neck. Before he had a chance to say more, his hand was shoved away, and he found his Sire's fist wrapped tightly around his own throat. Angelus' face morphed to his true visage as he growled at his childe.
"No, ya listen to me, boy. I told ya that if ya wanted the girl, ya would have to be lookin after her. I would hate to think that me own childe couldn't handle his responsibilities. We have come too far and are too close to havin this ritual done. I will not let that little witch destroy what I have worked so hard for."
Spike growled at the implication and tried to shove Angelus away, finding that his grip only tightened.
"I find out that yer pet was in here again, not only will I drink her dry, but I'll be punishin ya as well. I expect that ya will be takin care of this matter straight away?"
Angelus let go of his childe and Spike shoved him away angrily.
"I don't need you to tell me how to handle my pet," Spike growled.
"If ya don't think yer man enough to punish the lass…"
"I'll take care of it," Spike stated, before spinning on his heels and storming out of the room, not seeing the evil grin cross his sire's face.
~Part: 22~
Willow heard Spike storming up to the room, and sat up, kneeling on the bed nervously. The doors flew open, slamming against the walls loudly as he entered.
"Spike?" She whispered nervously, seeing the anger flashing in his eyes.
"You little bitch!" He yelled as he reached the bed, just before back handing her. Willow fell back, feeling pain burn across her cheek and tears spring into her eyes. Before she had a chance to react further, she felt herself wrenched upright, coming face to face with Spike, his human mask gone.
"How dare you disobey my orders!" He yelled, shoving her hard.
Willow fell backwards for the second time, clutching her injured cheek, her tears spilling over. Dread filled her as she realized that he knew. He knew where she had gone and what she had done.
Again, he grabbed her arm harshly, and dragged her up, this time pulling her from the bed and gripping her shoulders tightly as he held her before him. Shoving her backwards, he grabbed a dress and threw it to her.
"Put this on," he commanded coldly, watching as she quickly pulled the dress over herself.
"I specifically told you to stay out of his room, didn't I? I gave you everything, and I've clearly been far too lenient with you. You think you can do anything you wish?" At that, he struck her again, sending her to the ground.
Willow didn't know how much she could take, though she was sure she was about to find out. She glanced up, noticing that several minions were now standing at the doorway, along with Angelus and Drusilla and the redhead looked away in shame and fear.
Once again, she felt the blond vampire grab her arm and haul her up, this time dragging her from the room and up to the deck, where a large group of vampires had congregated. Grabbing rope along the way, Spike wound it tightly around the redhead's wrists before securing it to an overhang, leaving her swaying on her toes, facing the crowd.
He circled her several times, looking every bit like a hunter stalking its prey, before stopping in front of the helpless girl, gripping her face and forcing her to look at him, commanding that she open her tightly closed eyes.
"Look at me!" He demanded. "Do not forget who I am. I am your master, and you will do as I say, when I say it. Understand?"
"Yes," she whispered hoarsely. "Please, I…"
Before she could say more, he took a step back and struck her again. Willow cried out in pain, fighting in vain against the rope that held her there.
"You will NOT disobey my orders again! You will show your master respect and submission!" Stepping behind her, he grabbed a fist full of red hair, yanking her head back painfully before addressing the congregated vampires.
"There's been some talk of me goin soft," he yelled out. "Anyone wishin to challenge me, look no further. I'd hate for ANYONE to forget his or her place aboard this ship."
"Please, I'm sorry! Please…" She whispered, hearing the demons cheer him on and taunt her.
"You will remember your place and behave accordingly!" He yelled, ignoring her pitiful pleas. Walking in front of her again, he glared at the girl with what she understood to be pure hatred and disdain, and he seemed to be almost shaking with anger.
Willow hung limply from the rope, pain coursing through her, sobs wracking her body. Stepping up to her, Spike grabbed a handful of hair again, and wrenched her head backwards, exposing her neck to him, before biting down harshly and drinking deeply. Just before she was ready to pass out, Spike pulled away, and let go of her with a slight shove, glancing briefly at her eyes, which were dull and barely open.
Turning back toward the crowd, Spike wiped at the blood on his lips before grinning maliciously. "Anyone here have any doubts that I know how to control my pet?" He questioned loudly. The crowd grew silent, and he glanced over at Angelus and Dru, who were both smiling at him proudly.
"Right then. Glad to get that squared away," he stated, before turning back to the redhead and grabbing the rope binding her wrists, pulling harshly. The rope came free and Willow felt herself fall limply to the wooden boards with a painful thud, not able to move as she lay at Spike's feet. Reaching down, he grabbed a hold of her roughly, and hoisted her up over his shoulder, before carrying her back to his chambers, kicking the door shut behind him.
Reaching the bed, Spike tossed Willow onto it unceremoniously, ignoring her soft sobs. "You brought this on yourself," he muttered, before storming out of the room again, not allowing her to see the pain and guilt etched on his face.
Stepping back out to the deck, Spike saw that the crowd was already disappearing, and he grabbed a hold of one of the human maids as she walked by. "Go, bring my pet some water and tend to her wounds. She is not to be spoken to, and no one but you is to go into the room."
"Yes, sir," the young woman said with a slight bow, before turning and running off to carry out his commands.
~*~
It was several hours before Spike returned to the room. Walking in quietly, he saw through the darkness that Willow was asleep, sprawled out across the bed. Walking up to her, he could see the tear tracks along her cheeks and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.
Willow woke with a start, looking up at the blond in wide eyed horror, before suddenly sitting up and scrambling backwards, wincing at the pain coursing through her. She looked up at him momentarily before cowering and keeping her head hung low.
"Come here," he said softly. Willow hesitated, still staring at him in complete and utter fear. "Come. Here," he commanded more harshly, seeing her finally force herself to move toward him. She crawled across the bed, pain evident on her face, and knelt in front of the blond vampire.
"Stay here," he told her, turning her slightly so that he sat behind her. Willow obeyed, unsure of what to expect. Knowing better than to look back, she didn't see him pull a small jar from his pocket. A moment later, the redhead gasped, feeling something cold on her injured neck.
Spike waited a moment for the girl to settle back down, before continuing to smooth on the salve, being sure to cover the bite mark thoroughly.
"Don't ever disobey me again, luv," he said, his once again gentle voice, now over flowing with emotion, bringing tears to her eyes. "When I tell you not to do something, there's a reason. I don't ever want to punish you like that again, understand?"
Willow nodded mutely, her cold, weary eyes staring straight forward.
"If you ever go into Angelus' chambers again without permission, he'll be the one punishing you, and I promise that tonight will seem like a walk in the park compared to that."
Again Willow nodded.
Finished tending to the wounds on her back, Spike carefully turned the girl around, ready to seize her lips with his own passionately, but was stopped by the stoney stare of her eyes. Her face held no expression, but her eyes...They seemed to be filled with hatred and disgust.
Reluctantly, the vampire released his gentle grasp on her arm and motioned for her to lay back down. "Go to sleep," he said softly, his voice catching in his throat.
Willow turned away ridgedly and buried her face in her pillow, finally allowing her tears to fall freely.
Spike sat down, toeing his boots off before lying back on the bed. Waiting until he knew that she was asleep, Spike carefully pulled the redhead closer to him, wrapping an arm around her thin frame, knowing that the damage done tonight would be irreparable.
~Part: 23~
"Giles!" Xander yelled. "Come take a look at this!"
The watcher quickly moved to the front of the tiny ship, where Xander was standing with a telescope, waving his arms wildly.
"There's a boat heading this way!" Xander told him, handing over the telescope. "Is that the ship?"
Giles looked toward the distant object before letting out a sigh. "No, Xander, that is most definitely not the ship we're looking for. It-it looks almost like a small rowboat filled with men."
"What would a rowboat be doing out here alone?" Xander questioned.
"Well, I suppose it's possible that it's a trap, though we won't know for sure until we reach them. Go, get Buffy, tell her to grab a weapon and come up here."
Xander quickly ran off to find Buffy, while Giles grabbed a sword and continued to watch the small boat, mumbling to himself. "Who knows what kind of dastardly scheme they might be plotting."
~*~
"Oy! Look! A ship!"
"We'll take this one, I'm sure of it."
"With what? We ain't got no cannons, and only one rusty sword."
"I got me pistol still. Got one bullet left."
"We ain't gonna take a whole ship with one bullet, you bloody twit."
"Well it ain't my fault we used up the other shots. Had to test the damn thing now didn't I?"
"Yeah, and then ya `ad to be shootin into the water like the daft fool ya are, thinking ya'd get a fish that way."
"What's wrong with that? I almost did get me a fish. Would have been more'n we've eaten in a week."
"If ya `ad gotten a fish, how would ya `ave cooked it?"
"Both of you shut your bloody traps!" One of the pirates yelled, eyeing the approaching ship.
"Who died and made him the captain?" One of the men mumbled.
"The captain," another reminded him. The pirate holding the gun nodded and shrugged.
~*~
"Giles, this is what you were worried about?" Buffy questioned, still holding tightly to a crossbow, just in case.
"Well, I had no idea what we would be coming up on. They could have been dangerous," Giles reasoned.
"Hello! Pirates here!" The captain of the tiny boat yelled out. "In case you all missed it, we are dangerous. We're the most feared sailors of the sea."
The two men gave them doubtful looks as Buffy rolled her eyes.
"That's right, and now we're goin ta be taken over yer ship," another yelled out.
The captain turned and glared at the out spoken pirate. "What the hell are you doin?"
"What? I was just `splainin to them why they should be fearin us."
"You don't tell someone that you are about to attack them," the captain explained. "It sort of takes away the whole element of surprise."
"Oy, right! Sorry!" The pirate replied. "Never mind that `ole thing `bout us takin yer ship. Don't know what I was thinking." Buffy rolled her eyes again.
"So, you're pirates," Giles spoke up.
"Hey look! We got ourselves a real smart guy here, now don't we?" One of the pirates responded, causing the others to laugh heartily.
"What kind of pirates travel in a rowboat?" Xander questioned.
"Listen here boy!" One of the men called out angrily. "We `ad a grand ship, but it was sunk by a bunch of bloody demons. Once we get ourselves a new set of sails, we'll be goin after the bastards, take back what's ours."
"So, you got out-pirated by a bunch of demons," Xander summed up, hearing several of the men growl and curse angrily.
"You thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Buffy asked Giles quietly. The watcher nodded.
"Do you recall taking a young woman with red hair aboard your ship?" Giles questioned.
One of the men nodded his head eagerly, about to reply, when the captain turned and glared at him. "Can't say mate," he answered. "Why do ya ask?"
"Well, our friend was kidnapped by some pirates and we have reason to believe that she is now being held by a group of vampires."
"Well, how much ya willin ta pay for a bit of information?" The captain asked with sneer.
"When are we goin ta take over the ship already?" One of the other pirates questioned, waving his pistol around.
"I'm negotiatin here! Pipe down!" The captain yelled back.
"Tell us what you know, or die," Buffy ground out, quickly losing patience.
The men all began to laugh at her seemingly idle threat. "You ain't nothing but a bitty girl!" One stated with a chuckle.
Losing her patience, Buffy lashed out, punching the pirate hard, sending him sprawling back into several of the other men. Stumbling for a moment, he righted himself again. Looking up, his eyes were wide with surprise as he held his now broken nose. The other pirates roared with laughter at the sight of the girl knocking the man over.
"Tell me what you know," she demanded.
"Oy, she was a real looker, that one," the pirate with the pistol stated with a grin. "Had a firey temper at that, and…"
He was interrupted by the captain, who grabbed his shirt and roughly pulled him forward.
"I told you to SHUT UP!" He yelled, sending his fist into the man's face. The other pirate fell back at the impact, losing his grip on the pistol. A moment later, they all heard a loud pop, and the pirates felt their boat shake and shudder slightly.
"What the `ell was that?" One of them yelled out.
They all moved slightly to the side, looking down to see the large hole that was now quickly filling with water at the bottom of the rowboat, thanks to the gun that had shot through the wood.
"Now I know why you lost your ship," Xander stated. "Filling your own boat full of holes, not exactly the way to go."
One of the pirates quickly grabbed a rusted sword and swiped at Xander, cutting his shirt straight across, and just barely missing his stomach.
"Hey!" The young man shouted, jumping back a little.
"Tell us what we need to know, now," Buffy demanded, grabbing the captain's neck tightly, as the men looked back and forth between the rising water the and other ship.
"Ya still ain't said how much yer willing to pay," the captain of the now sinking ship stated calmly.
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him. "I really don't think you are in a position to be negotiating here."
"Well, we don't know a thing," the captain told her decidedly, shrugging her off of him and crossing his arms over his chest, looking away from her. His gaze fell for a moment to the water rising at the bottom of the boat, before quickly shifting upwards toward the early evening sky.
"Fine," the slayer responded, "enjoy the water."
"Oy! You can't leave us `ere! We'll drown!"
The blonde shrugged and gave them doubtful looks. "You're pirates. Time you learned how to swim."
"Buffy," Giles interrupted. "They are human. You can't just dump them in to the ocean."
"Come on, Giles," Buffy whined. "They're BARELY human. I mean, look at them. Besides, they took Willow. They deserve a little pain."
"I'm right there with you about the pain, Buffy," Xander told her, "but death by drowning is a little severe, don't you think?"
"No," the slayer replied, giving the two men her most innocent look.
"What in the bloody hell are you two doin fightin with a lil chit like that?" One of the pirates questioned.
"Hey, quiet," hissed the man that Buffy had punched before. "She might be a lil nothin but she sure as hell don't hit like no girl."
"I assure you that she is much more than just some girl," Giles told them.
"Looks like someone's kept under a bit of a tight leash, don't it boys?" One of the pirates taunted, before another made the sound of a whip lash.
"I am NOT whipped!" Giles yelled indignantly.
"Are you sure I can't toss them into the sea?" Buffy questioned hopefully.
"No, you can not," Giles replied with sigh, "as unfortunate as that may be."
Buffy rolled her eyes in aggravation, before grabbing some rope to secure the pirates and bring them on board.
"Well, this is all good and fine," Xander commented, "but now we're playing host to a bunch of pirates, and we're still no closer to finding Willow."
~Part: 24~
Willow caught barely a glimpse of Spike over the next few days, and was extremely glad for it. Her heart ached and her head pounded at the very thought of the vampire and all that had happened regarding him. She had gone from hatred to love, and now…Now she wanted to hate him, detest him with every fiber of her being, but at the same time, there were small shards of her shattered heart that kept remembering. Of course, the feminist in her insisted that she should and would hate him. How could she not? He had struck her, several times, and then humiliated her in front of every other creature on the ship. He had struck her and then bit her.
That last thought sent her hand up to her neck, where the wound was still healing and sore. The vampire had insisted that she put the salve that he had brought her on it several times a day, and a part of her almost wanted to rebel, to leave it swollen and infected, just to remind him of what he had done. Of course, the rational part of her knew that doing so would be incredibly stupid and painful, and more of a punishment to herself than to him. Thankfully, rationality won that fight.
At first, the blond had tried to be as soft and gentle with the girl as possible, clearly feeling guilt and shame for what he had done, but Willow would have none of it, so eventually he gave up and went back to storming in and out of the room, yelling occasionally, and tossing her some food now and then. Each time she would hear him come in, the witch would steel herself, raising an invisible wall, her eyes glazing over and turning cold as her entire body stiffened. She would only look at him when forced to, and even then, it was more that she looked through the vampire than at him. She held her head up, refusing to look down submissively at him, and held a look that was the perfect mixture of disinterest and disgust. When Spike was in the room, she had the entire of act of distance and indifference down cold.
Once Spike was gone, though, it was a different story. When that door was closed, the walls came crumbling down, and she had to fight the tears that always ended up falling. There was no keeping them at bay. They simply wouldn't have it. Each and every time, her heart would break all over again, her despair becoming just a bit more tangible. He had gained her trust, and then smashed it to pieces, leaving her broken and hollow. He had warned her too, the reminder of which only served to cause her more pain. He had warned her of what he really was, but she had refused to see it, thought she was the smart one, seeing beyond it, but understood now that it was nothing more than a mirage, created by her own desperate mind. Spike was a demon, and beyond that, there was nothing.
Willow's eyes flickered up as the door opened, and she watched with cool indifference, as the vampire walked in. He looked tired and weary, though she could muster no sympathy for him. He sat next to her on the bed, knowing better than to try and get too close, and gave her a sideways glance. He saw her desolate stare and let out a sigh.
"How much longer are we going to play this game?" He asked, anger and aggravation evident in his voice.
Willow merely arched an eyebrow at him. That was no surprise to the vampire. The girl had not said so much as one word to him since `the incident.' His heart ached at the memory of it, though he refused to allow any outer evidence of that fact. He had lost. Spike knew that now. He had been playing a dangerous game, not fully aware of the rules, and in the end Angelus won. The bastard always did. It should not have been so shocking to the blond. Angelus knew what Spike wanted, and the older vampire had always detested the traces of humanity that disseminated from him. Willow enhanced that, and Spike should have known better than to think that Angelus would allow it to continue.
Of course, Spike also knew better than to truly blame his sire. He was the one, after all, who had handled things incorrectly. He was the one who had been too soft too quickly, and then too harsh too late. He was the one, dear god, that had struck the girl, bit the girl, reminded the girl of the demon he truly was. And the worst bit of truth was the fact that each and every time he thought of it, though a part of him ached over the fresh memory, a part of him applauded the display. He was a demon. He had never pretended to be anything else, and he could not ignore what had been done. He had claimed the girl. Of course, this had yet to be explained to her, for rather obvious reasons, but none the less, the claim was there. He could feel it, smell it, taste it, every time he walked into the room. It was tangible, an element of its own accord in the room, and it screamed at him to grab the girl, handle her, take her, taste her. Of course, he didn't. It was that humanity. Angelus had always said it would be his undoing, and the older vampire was close, but not quiet right. It was not the humanity that would be his undoing. Spike knew that now. It would be the girl.
"How much longer will you keep this up?" He asked gruffly.
She simply gave him an innocent look, as if having no idea what game he was referring to.
Spike leaned in closer, his patience completely dissipated, and let out a low growl. "Answer me," he commanded.
Willow clenched her jaw tightly before speaking. "What do you want me to say?" She asked with a bitter laugh. "It's done, Spike. It's over and done. You were right. I should have listened. You ARE every bit the bastard that Angelus is. Don't worry, though, I've learned that lesson well."
Spike looked, for a moment, as if he had been struck by her, taken back with shock and pain at her words. He steeled himself a few seconds later, glaring back at the redhead.
"Can't say I didn't warn you, pet," he told her snidely. "You broke the rules, you had to be punished. Not surprise there. You brought it on yourself."
"I did," she agreed, again surprising him. " I despise you, Spike, and I don't want to. I want to love you, but I can't. Not now. I can't love you, and that fact makes me despise you all the more. It was my mistake to ever think I could trust you, but don't for a moment believe that I will ever be afraid of you. I won't allow you that luxury."
Spike gave her an incredulous look, leaning in closer and letting his demon face slip forward, baring his fangs.
Willow simply stared back impassively. "Won't work, Spike. You can't induce my fear. For that, I would have to be afraid to lose something," she told him, her voice suddenly become quieter and almost shaking. "At this point I have nothing left for you to take."
At that, she turned away from him, refusing to allow him to see the tears that filled her eyes. She knew her role in this, and would play her part accordingly. To forgive him now would be treacherous to herself, and Willow had no one but herself left in the world.
~Part: 25~
"Where are we? Why have we slowed down?" Spike asked gruffly as he stormed out onto the main deck, finding his sire grinning like the cat that just ate the canary.
"Tonight's the night, me boy," Angelus told him. "New moon, got me little bobble," he said, holding up the necklace. "The ritual is all set. We have…" He paused, giving his childe a long, pointed look, "everything we need."
"Good," Spike replied. "Want this over with." At that, he turned to head back to his room, but his sire's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Yer pet? She's in yer room?" Spike simply nodded. "Make sure she stays there." Angelus' tone was one to not be questioned, and knowing better than to make that mistake, Spike nodded curtly and walked away.
"He won't be happy with this, you know." Angelus turned around, finding Drucilla walking up behind him.
"He'll get over it. She's only a human after all," the older vampire responded with a dismissive flick of his wrist, turning away from her.
"You know she's much more than that," Drucilla chided. "Our boy loves her, even if he won't admit it."
"Don't matter," Angelus replied, spinning around and gripping her shoulders tightly, delighting in the small whimper of pain that escaped her lips. "I need her for the ritual. That's why I've kept her alive… So that tonight, I can be killin her."
~*~
"What the hell are we going to do with these guys?" Giles looked up from the sword he was sharpening, seeing Xander walking toward him, gesturing at the group of pirates tied to the mast.
"If it comes to it, we could always throw them at the enemy. Surely they will, at the very least, annoy them to death," Giles quipped.
"Jokes?" Xander asked angrily. "You're making jokes now?"
Giles sighed. "Xander, what would you have me do? Run around in a terrified panic?"
Xander shook his head, running a trembling hand through his hair, and sat down next to the older man. "I don't know. I mean, it's just, it's Willow, you know? Best friend since forever. I don't know what I would do without her in my life."
"She seems to have that effect on people," the watcher noted with a soft, wistful smile.
"She's everything, you know, and I didn't even realize it until…and… and I can't even…I mean I couldn't even…If only I had…"
"Xander," Giles interrupted, "did you hand her to the pirates?" The boy shook his head. "Did you lead them to her, or…or bind her for them?"
Again he shook his head. "But I…I wasn't watching her," he said quietly, desperation in his voice as it cracked. "I should have been. I should have been protecting her and looking out for her, and… and I should never have turned my back when…"
"Xander, it is not your fault!" Giles stated loudly, startling the young man. "I know it seems easier to blame ourselves, but the bottom line is that this is not your fault. You were busy, saving others, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that Willow ever fancied herself as one of the helpless women of the city, cowering behind the men. She was right where she wanted and needed to be, and now we are going to be where she needs for us to be, helping her. When the time comes, and you're called to it, you'll be there for her, and you'll be sure that she is safe and well."
"What if I'm…I mean, what if I can't…Sometimes I feel like such a coward, being so afraid, when she's the one that…"
"You WILL. You will, because it's her, and there will be no alternative in your mind. You'll be the man I know you're destined to become, and you'll do what you must, because it's Willow."
Xander simply smiled softly, wishing he fully believed the words that the watcher was saying.
~*~
Willow watched as Spike walked into the room, more solemn looking than usual. She wanted to ask why they had slowed down. She wanted to ask why his mood had seemed to suddenly shift. She wanted to ask if she would ever be seeing the light of day again. All of these questions seemed horribly important, and she had been practicing how she would ask, and which would come first, while he was gone, but the minute that the vampire returned to the room, another question pushed itself to the front of her mind and demanded attention.
"Was it all a lie?" Her voice was so quiet, he barely caught it. Turning around, the blond gave her a questioning look, wincing at the pain etched on her face.
"That night," Willow clarified, trying to stop her voice from shaking, along with the rest of her. "When we… Was I just a game to you? Just your *pet*?" The last word was filled with disdain, and he could see the tears forming her in her green eyes.
Spike stood completely still, his face an emotionless mask, leaving Willow to only guess what he was thinking. After several moments of silence, the witch spoke again.
"Because, you know, you didn't have to do all that." Spike's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I mean, the seduction, and the sweet words, and the…the looking at the stars. You didn't need to do all of that. It was just…just mean, really, to lead me on and let me think…And the worst part is that I was falling for you. Completely and wholly, in a way I've never fallen for anyone." Her voice was breaking along with his heart, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't do that, Spike! I don't FEEL like THAT for any man, let alone a DEMON! But I did. I loved you, and I gave myself to you, and for what? For you to hurt me and to throw me away? You could have done that without the precursory sweetness. I mean, that was just… cruel! A-and I meant what I said, before. I hate you. I hate you for hurting me, and for breaking me, and for making me care. And I hate you for making me love you, still, even after everything! I want so badly to not love you, Spike! So badly! But I can't just turn it off, even when I know I should, and I hate you for that!"
She was crying freely now, and it tore at his long dead heart. Taking a step toward the bed, he stopped, unsure of what to do. The vampire ran a hand through his blond hair, uncomfortable and at a loss for words or actions.
"It wasn't a lie." Willow barely caught the words, her face tilting up and her eyes widening at the small declaration. Spike shook his head. "I meant it. All of it. It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't a game. I've always been forth coming with you about who and what I am, Willow."
"But, that doesn't make it alright," she told him, a soft plea in her voice. "You're a demon, great, but that doesn't give you free license to step all over me when need be!"
"I never meant for it to go that far!" He shouted back, taking another step closer to her, and feeling his heart tear further as she flinched away from him. His voice was softer the next time he spoke, and the vampire sat gingerly on the bed, next to the girl.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Willow," he told her sincerely. "We all have our roles here. You disobeyed, and I got called on it. If it hadn't been me, it would have been Angelus, and that would have been far worse, I promise you."
"But then, at least I wouldn't hate YOU," she whispered.
Spike closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "But I would have," he told her. "He would have killed you and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if he did."
Willow thought about what he said for several moments, before speaking again, her tone weary. "So where does that leave us?" Reaching out, she gently touched his hand, despite herself, and looked down.
Spike gripped her slender fingers in his own, desperate to never let go, but knowing that he must. He shook his head, not sure of how to answer her.
Willow shivered slightly, feeling his thumb rubbing over the back of her hand soothingly, intimately. She closed her eyes, almost startled when his soft, pained voice broke the silence again.
"I'll get you home." She looked up at him again, questioning, disbelief, and something else that he would almost have taken for disappointment in her eyes. "One way or another, I'll be sure to get you where you belong."
Looking down, she blinked the tears away and nodded mutely. She didn't bother to pull her hand away, wanting to feel his gentle caress this one last time.
~Part: 26~
"Tonight, our salvation is at hand," Angelus announced, his words followed by cheers and shouts. "Tonight, I'll become the almighty destroyer! I will be death incarnate, and the entire world will bow down before me!" Again, the crowd of demons roared.
"Enough with the bloody theatrics already," Spike groaned. "Get on with it."
"Patience me boy," the older vampire growled. "All good things…"
Spike rolled his eyes and looked around. "Where's Dru?" He asked, suddenly taking notice of her absence.
"She's preparin the sacrifice," Angelus told him with a smirk.
"Sacrifice? You never mentioned anything about a sacrifice, mate. Anyone I know?"
"As a matter of fact…" Spike followed his sire's gaze as the words died on his lips, and his eyes widened, seeing Drusilla coming out to where they stood on the deck.
"What the hell are you doing?" Spike growled, seeing that Drusilla was leading his small redhead. Her hands were bound and she was had a new dress on, a small amount of blood trickling from a cut in her lower lip as well as twin puncture marks on her neck.
"Drusilla?" Angelus purred in a low and dangerous tone. "I thought I told ya no bitin."
The deceptively frail looking vampire gave him an innocent smile. "Our boy's pet didn't want to cooperate. I had to be a bit persuasive, and I just wanted a small taste," she told him. "Her blood calls to me."
"I told you NO sampling from the sacrifice!" Angelus bellowed, causing Drusilla to whimper and back away with a pout.
"What the hell is going on?" Spike demanded, looking to his sire.
"Well, me boy, ya said she would come in handy, and now she has. Seems we need a bit of magical blood spilt for the ritual, and your girl here has all sort of magic flowin through her, now doesn't she?" Willow eyes widened at horror as she swayed slightly on her feet.
Spike moved to go to her side, but was stopped as two minions stepped between them, holding the blond back.
"You can't do this!" Spike snarled as he fought against the hold of the two minions. "She belongs to me!"
Willow was about to open her mouth and protest that statement, but quickly thought better of it.
Angelus growled and stepped up to the blond vampire, grabbing him by the neck and holding his childe before him. "What belongs to the childe, belongs to the sire, Spikey," he told him. "Yer pet is my pet. Ya should know better than ta fight me on this. The girl belongs to me."
This time, Willow was unable to hold her tongue. "I belong to no one!" She shouted, swallowing a lump in her throat as Angelus turned and glared at her, never releasing his hold on Spike. "A-and if I did, it would never be YOU," she spat.
Angelus raised his free arm, and backhanded the girl, sending her sprawling to the ground, and renewing the protests and struggles of the blond vampire.
"Enough!" Angelus bellowed. "Take him down below," he ordering, shoving Spike into the waiting grasp of two minions.
Walking to Willow, the dark haired vampire yanked her up harshly and turned toward Spike. "This is for your own good, boy," he told him, before he was dragged down below deck.
~Part: 27~
"All ready, my Angelus," Drusilla cooed, pulling a bit on the ropes binding Willow, causing them to bite deeper into her flesh.
Lighting a candle, Angelus began to chant the words to the ritual, Willow's necklace in his other hand. Soon, a red light began to glow from the gem, and the vampire could feel the power begin to flow. Nearing the part that required the sacrifice, he grabbed the dagger and moved toward the redhead.
Willow shook her head frantically as she struggled against the bindings. They seemed to be magically reinforced, and she couldn't break them. Desperately, she searched her mind for a way to escape, and her entire body began to shake as she saw him approach with the knife.
"Let this gift flow into you," he chanted, closing his eyes, "and unto me, that I might defy all death, and be imbued with the strength of gods." At those words, the vampire reached his hand out. Willow closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the coming pain, and was startled when, instead, she felt his hand upon her forehead, following by searing pain inside her temples, as if something was being pulled from her.
"Let this gift flow into you, and unto me," he shouted again. Willow could feel the power being torn from her, and her mind began to race. Unnoticed to her, the waves around the ship began to pick up as the wind whipped around them. After a few moments, the heavens opened and it began to rain. Heavy, cold drops poured around them as the ship was tossed amongst the now turbulent ocean water.
Angelus' eyes flew open, as he became aware of the storm now raging around them, and he could feel the witch's power, tied to the storm and swirling through him. Raising the dagger, he was just about to plunge it into her chest, when a cold, strong hand, gripped his fist, stopping him. Spinning around, he came face to face with a blond vampire.
"Didn't I get rid of ya already?" Angelus asked in annoyance.
"Sent me off with two mere minions. Should have known better," Spike chided, just before punching his sire as hard as possible. Angelus recovered quickly enough, pummeling his childe, delivering several powerful blows and eventually knocking him off of his feet.
"I am the one that taught ya everythin ya know," Angelus stated, sounding almost proud, before delivering a round-house kick, sending the blond flying back into several crates and boxes.
Spike quickly jumped to his feet, delivering a powerful kick of his own. "Like Sire, like childe," he replied. "Now, let her go!"
"No doin," Angelus told him, punching his childe before ducking several blows. "We need her blood for the ritual."
"Forget the soddin ritual!" Spike argued.
"No!" Angelus relied with venom, grabbing the blond by the shoulders and holding in a painful grip. "This is what I've been workin for, waitin for, and I'm not about to see it all be destroyed by some witch!"
"How about a witch, a slayer and a bunch of annoying pirates?" At that, everyone turned, all but Spike shocked to see Buffy standing before them, a small group of armed pirates behind her.
"Where in the hell did she come from?" Angelus shouted.
"Rule of thumb," she told him. "When performing dark rituals on the starboard side of the ship, get someone to keep watch of the port side."
At that, the pirates ran forward, immediately engaging in combat with the demons controlling the ship. Buffy leapt toward Angelus while Spike ran to Willow, quickly untying her.
"How did Buffy find us?" Willow shouted as Spike worked the ropes loose.
Spike shrugged. "Damned if I know," he told her. "I fought off the two minions, headed up through the other side of the ship, ready for a sneak attack and found that there was already one in progress. Just thought I'd help out."
"Ya think yer goin ta win this, slayer?" Angelus asked as they circled one another, swords in hand. "This is my ship, and I'm already imbued with enough of the witch's power to kick yer pathetic arse."
"Actually, this ship isn't really yours," she pointed out, swiping at him with the sharp blade, "and no matter how much power you have, you're never going to be able to kick my ass."
"Yer too late. Yer witch is as good as dead," he told her.
Knowing better than to listen to him, she swiped again at him and glanced toward Willow. "She seems to still be standing, which is more than I'll be able to say for you and your little demon army here in a few minutes."
"You'll never be able to take us all," he stated.
Buffy shrugged. "Then I'll guess I'll have to just settle for killing you."
~Part: 28~
As soon as the ropes were gone, Willow's knees buckled. Spike's arms around her was the only thing keeping her weakened form from crumbling to the deck. He lifted her up easily and started to make his way across the ship.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked in a panic, Buffy disappearing as she now fought with several vampires.
"There's a ship. I'm putting you on it," he told her, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"I don't think that would be wise, deary." Spike looked up, seeing Drusilla standing before them, shouting over the wind and rain. Willow was now shivering in his arms and he could see the ship behind the other vampire, desperation taking over.
"Drusilla, let me past," Spike growled, seeing the older vampire not move an inch.
"Now why would she want to be doin somethin like that?" Spinning around, Spike found his sire standing behind them, wondering how he had escaped from the slayer so easily. Spike gently lowered Willow to her feet, and without warning, he spun back around and struck out at Drusilla, knocking her down and unconscious with one blow, before turning back to Angelus, his arm wrapping firmly around the weakened girl's waist.
"This is not a smart move, boy," Angelus warned, taking a step toward them.
"Yeah, well, I've always been known more for my looks than my mind," Spike quipped, seeing a figure creep up behind his sire.
Angelus saw the slight shift in his childe's eyes, and spun around just in time to hault an attack from Buffy. Seeing that they were again engaged in a full out battle, Spike lifted Willow up again and began to run, this time being stopped by another figure just at the edge of the ship.
"Get out of my way!" Spike snarled, wanting nothing more than to get Willow onto the slayer's ship.
"You are not going anywhere with her." Hearing the commanding voice, Willow's weary head lifted, her eyes opening slightly as consciousness threatened to leave her.
"Xander?" She whispered, before finally passing out in Spike's arms.
"You're her friend?" Spike asked, eying the boy cautiously. Xander nodded in confusion before Spike suddenly thrust the girl at him. "Take her. Get her off this ship, NOW."
Xander nodded again as Willow was placed in his arms, and his eyes quickly ran over her slightly battered frame. "Go!" Spike yelled, before turning back toward his sire and the slayer.
Spike grinned as he saw that the small blonde girl had the almighty Angelus flat on his back, raining several blows down upon him.
Feeling someone touch her shoulder lightly, Buffy jumped up, a stake suddenly in her hand, but lowered it seeing the blond vampire.
"I'll take it from here," he told her with a smirk. "She's on your ship. Go."
Hearing that Willow was safely aboard their boat, she nodded and took off across the larger ship. Spike looked down at his sire, who was barely holding onto consciousness and continued smirking.
"Ya let her go!" Angelus snarled, struggling to hold his head up.
"Yeah, I did," Spike replied smugly, before punching the older vampire as hard as possible. Grabbing some rope, Spike quickly secured both Angelus and Drusilla before getting a dingy ready to sail. Lowering it to the water, he stood up on the edge of the ship, ready to jump in, and stopped, hearing Angelus yelling.
"You leave us here, boy, and I can promise ya I'll find ya! You'll be dust before ya see me comin!"
Spike simply nodded solemnly and jumped down into the boat, beginning to row away. As he moved further into the darkness and toward the shore that he knew wasn't far ahead, he looked up and caught sight of the smaller ship sailing away. He smiled slightly, knowing that his witch was aboard that ship, and safe, just as he had promised, and he only hoped that one day their paths might cross again. That thought brought a small, sad smile to the vampire's lips, and after a moment, he shook his head and looked toward the shore, wondering at what terrible fun he would find and cause when he got there.
The End