******
"Ugh!" Buffy groaned. She reached behind her desk to pull out a dirty sock. One that, from the looks of it, had been there since the fall. Holding it at arms length she gingerly placed it in an almost full waste basket.
Willow laughed at the expression on her friends
face before turning back to the box before her. Smiling she placed the
last of her belongings in the box and sealed it, turning to look at the
blond behind her. "Well I'm gonna take this down to the car and go say
goodbye to Tara, " the red head's voice caught as she thought about her
girlfriend leaving for the summer. The college had decided that they would
remodelt the dorms over summer break and students found themselves being
sent back to their homes and families. Or, in Willow's case, the house
her parent's occaisionally thought to visit. The thought of not seeing
Tara for the summer was saddening to Willow, thought not to the extent
she thought it would be.
While things had been going great between her and the blond haired
witch she found herself more than once thinking of her simply as a friend
and not a love.
"None of that," Buffy smiled, watching the emotions play over her best friend's face. "The summer will fly by and before you know it she will be back." The slayer groaned. "Of course that means that we'll be back in school before you know it too." Reaching over to hug her friend she continued, "Go on. Do what you need to. I'll see you at the bronze later."
With a sad smile at her friend the petite hacker grabbed her box and went to 'do what she needed to do'.
*****
"Hey," Tara wiped tear off of the face of the
girl in front of her. "It'll be okay. I'll write alot." She smiled at her
girlfriend. She was going to
miss Willow, true, but more in the way a friend missed another friend.
She'd miss their nights studying new spells and hanging out with her lover
and her friends - but would she miss their relationship? She wasn't too
sure. {Oh well, I'll have a whole summer to get my feelings for her straight.}
Willow gave her partner a sad smile, unaware that the blond's thoughts were a perfect match for those she had thought herself not too long ago. Leaning in she gave the girl a tender kiss. "You'd better go, don't want to miss your flight."
Tara nodded and kissed her one more time before climbing into the waiting taxi. Willow waited until the auto was out of sight before moving to get in her own car. She silently vowed to sort through her feelings on her partner before the fall came, knowing it wasn't fair to either one of them to lie about their feelings. With those heavy thoughts she started up the car and made her way 'home'.
*****
The Bronze was crowded for a Tuesday, friends dancing and writhing in front of the stage as a local band played. Like so many times in her life, Willow found herself alone. She sighed, watching her friends dance with their partners. She missed Tara badly if for no other reason that this -- feeling like a fifth wheel. She glanced at her watch. Barely nine o'clock. Great. Sighing she caught Buffy's eye, picking up her jacket to leave.
"Want me to walk you home?" The slayer asked, breaking away from Riley to come to the table. She smoothed down the short leather skirt she was wearing and waited for her friends' answer. She didn't want to leave the club, but it was only right to ask her friend needed an escort back to her house. After all, she couldn't be expected to defend herself.
Willow smiled. "No. I'll be okay. Go dance with Riley."
"You sure, Will?" Riley asked, coming to stand behind his girlfriend.
"Yeah!" Even to herself her happiness seemed fake. "Go. Have fun. I'll call you tomorrow, Buffy." With a final smile she pushed her way through the crowded club and into the dark streets of Sunnydale. Moving quickly through the warm summer air she made her way through the small town, turning onto her own street in almost record time. There had been little vampire activity since the disbanding of the Initiative, but there was no reason to take chances. She fingered the cross in her pocket, lost in her thoughts.
And thats why she didn't see him step out of
the shadows. Didn't even notice his presence until she ran into him. And
when she raised her eyes to look into the growling face in front of her
she did what any normal girl would do - she screamed.
Even caught off guard, WIllow's screaming
didn't last long as four years worth of instincts kicked in. Backing away
she drew the cross from her pocket, holding it in the face of the snarling
vampire in front of her. The vampire averted its eyes, swiping blindly
at her arm. Unfortunately for the
witch the swipe connected, stunning her arm and sending the cross flying
into the darkness. Before he could turn back to her she was off, tearing
through the shadows, hoping in vain to somehow outrun vampiric speed
and get to her home. As the growling neared she braced herself mentally,
sending a silent prayer to her Goddess and hoping the pain would end soon.
The pain never came - the growling ceasing
with the telltale sound of a small explosion of dust. Barely believing
her good fortune, Willow
stopped, turning to face her saviour.
"Hello, pet."
"Spike?!?" the red head exclaimed. She walked
towards him, stopping at what she considered to be a "safe" distance. "Thanks,"
she panted slightly, trying to catch her breath. "For saving me that is."
Her mind reeled as she contemplated the bleached blond vampire in front
of her. Why had he saved her? Last time she checked he wanted her and all
her friends dead. He smirked at her, placing the end of a cigarette between
his lips.
"Right," he lit his cigarette. "Lets get you home before I have to save you again." He took a long drag on his cigarette and started walking towards her house. When it was obvious she wasn't following, he turned back to her.
Willow was in a state of shock. First he saves her...then he offers to walk her home? He had to be hiding something. She watched him walk back towards her. "Why?" The one word was pushed out of her lips almost involuntarily. She knew that Spike was harmless with the chip in his head - but her better judgement told her it was never a good idea to ask stupid questions of creatures that would happily see her dead.
He stopped, his crystal blue eyes meeting her green ones unwaveringly. Taking another drag from his cigarette he exhaled, slowly blowing the smoke into the air before answering. "Maybe because you're the only one out of the whole group that I can stand?" He smirked, walking towards her again, his eyes scanning the darkness around them. Something was nearby."Maybe because you always tried to make the other treat with some bloody respect?" Closer and closer he came, walking behind her."Then again," he purred into her ear, "Maybe I am hoping to one day be able to kill you myself?"
Willow gasped both from the soft air of the
words hitting her ear and from the shock of the last statement. She whirled
to face him, green eyes
flashing as she tried to think of something suitably witty to say.
She stopped, mouth half-open when she saw the laughter in his eyes, the
corner of his pale lips turned up in a small smile.
"You...you..." she growled, unable to come
up with any fitting name. The vampire just laughed harder, watching the
small spitfire of a woman as
her face went from frightened pale to red with anger then finally mellowed
as she, too, began to laugh.
Flipping her hair over her shoulder the witch turned away, making her way once again towards her house. Spike watched her for a moment, admiring her body beneath the jeans and tank top she was wearing. Then he felt it again, something moving through the darkness, closer this time. "You coming?" The question startled him out of his thoughts. He strode towards her, his duster flaring slightly as he walked, the smile never leaving his lips.
"Come on, luv," He put an arm over her shoulders, steering her towards her house. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "We need to get in your house as of now." He looked back into the darkness, seeing for the first time what had his senses screaming. A group of vampires , easily eight or nine, moving towards them with a determined purpose.
Willow nodded, guessing from the change in his tone that trouble was nearby. She quickened her step, glancing over her shoulder. The sight behind her was enough to make her heart skip a beat. The vampires were in full game face, their eyes locked on her and murder in their eyes. "Two houses to go," she choked out around a lump of fear. "Run?" The last question hung in the air between them.
Spike calculated the distance to the house in his mind, nonchalantly looking back over his shoulder to see how far away their soon-to-be attackers were. "Get out your keys," he murmured. A soft jingle floated to his ears as she complied. "I will hold them off. You run and unlock your house."
Willow started to argue her mouth opening but the words not coming out. She knew he was right. She knew he was in as much trouble as she was. The local vampire population has labeled him a traitor -- he was one of their 'most wanted' so to speak. A brief thought went through her mind, {I went from hoping he didnt kill me....to hoping he doesnt get killed himself. Talk about ironies.}
And then the time for thought was past as he pushed her towards her house, his game face slipping into place as he shouted "RUN!".
She tried to ignore the sounds of fighting as she raced towards her house, not daring to look back. He had saved her! He had saved her and now he was probably going to die protecting her! Her heart caught in her throat as she raced up the steps to her house, unlocking the door and stepping into the doorway. Only then did she feel safe enough to turn back to look at the fight in the street.
Only four of the original vampires remained, the others lying in dust at Spike's feet as he dodged punches from those remaining. {Hang on, Spike!} Willow sent up a silent prayer to her Goddess, running upstairs and reaching in her desk to grab a cross and small water gun of holy water.
The bleached vampire was in a bad way by the time she made her way back to the fight. She forced the small frightened part of her mind down, stepping in front of one of the vampires as he reached back to punch Spike. He growled, pulling back from her brandished cross as she aimed the squirt gun at him.
"Oh a water gun," The only remaining
female cried in mock fright. "Whatever shall we do?!?" The smug look disappeared
from her demonic visage
as the holy water hit her in the center of her once beautiful face.
The young witch risked a glance over
her shoulder. Spike was bleeding from a gash on his forehead, blood covering
his face and spilling onto his shirt. "Start moving towards the house,
Spike," She didn't bother whispering, the group would have heard her anyway.
Keeping the cross in front of
her she started backing towards the house, firing a shot of holy water
at the group whenever they got too close for her comfort.
She saw her house out of the corner of her eye - knew that Spike was on the porch, waiting for her. With a burst of speed born from pure adrenaline she shot up the steps, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her towards the door, "Come in, Spike." And then they were in the house, their pursuers stopping at the doorway, unable to enter.
"Can't stay in the house forever, little
girl," The female growled. "And your protector won't always be with you."
She sneered at the brtish vampire leaning against the wall. Then they were
gone, fading away into the shadows they had emerged from. {What is
going on? Why do they want me?} She thought, as the adrenaline left her
suddenly - unconsciousness taking her as she fell to the floor.
**********
PART TWO
Willow was floating in a sea of dark warmth. Something was brushing across her head in an almost soothing motion and somewhere far off someone was whispering. She opened her eyes slowly, focusing on the blood covered face hovering over her. "Aaghh!" She sat up quickly, scrambling back away from him, her head swimming. Then she remembered. Spike. Fight. He saved her life. "Sorry." She apologized.
"S'alright." He thought for a brief second about what he must look like, blood covering his face and shirt, scrapes on his hands and arms - truly not a sight to wake up to. They sat there, staring at each other for a few long moments, collecting their thoughts as they replayed the events of the past hour.
Willow couldnt understand why he was helping her, but she knew better than to question a gift from the Goddess, and so she didnt. Her thoughts turned to the way the female vampire had spoken to her. She had made it pretty clear that Willow had been their target. But for what? And why? She had blood on her hands and clothes from grabbing onto Spike earlier. She rubbed at it, the drying blood flaking off and falling to her jeans as her thoughts continues to consume her.
He honestly didn't know why he had saved the red head. True, she had always treated him with a certain amount of kindness, even when he was trying to kill her - but that was no good reason to risk his own life. And now he was in as much danger as her - "her protector" they had called him, threatening that he "wouldnt always be around". He watched her rub at her hands, trying to get the blood from them. She was so innocent - even after spending her life on the mouth of hell.
"Pet?" He said softly. Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice, her eyes showing her confusion and fear.
She felt a rush of fear when he spoke to her, recalling not for the first time that she was in the room with a killer. "Why?" She whispered. "Why did they come after me? What do they want me for? And why are you helping me?!?" The last part was screamed, the red head finally breaking down. Spike watched her calmly as she continued to scream about various things, letting her have her breakdown. Better for her to have it while they were in relative safety. He was suddenly aroused as he watched her pace back and forth, screaming, blood still clinging to her skin in patches. {Damn she has fire!} He found himself picturing her naked, in sheets the color of blood, tied down with leather...
"Spike?" She was standing in front of him, her head cocked to the side in a perfect picture of curiosity. Willow was worried about the blonde haired vampire. He hadnt said a word since she started her tirade, not even moving, just watching her with an absolutely blank expression. {Goddess. I totally forgot. He's probably hurt. Need to get him cleaned.}
"Yes, luv?" His eyes were tired when he finally acknowledged her.
"Come on, let me look at that cut," she pulled him up from the couch.
"I'll be fine."
"You saved my life, you could at least let me take care of you!" Her tone left no room for argument and he followed her upstairs to her private bathroom. "So we don't get blood in mom's good towels." She smiled. Slumping down onto the edge of the bathtub he watched as she soaked a cloth in warm water, wringing it out before turning back to him. "This might sting a little," she warned, dabbing lighting at the gash along his hairline.
"Bloody hell!" he gasped as she traced the cut with the cloth, cleaning away the dried blood. She pulled back, her eyes widening as his eyes flashed gold, his demon coming to the front. "Sorry. I'm too hurt to control it right now, luv." Willow nodded, gathering her courage. She moved closer to him, continuing to wash his face off, not even noticing the ridges and bumps after a while - quietly speaking to him about nothing in general as she tended to the wounds he had gotten from saving her. She avoided talking about what had happened, refusing to bring her fears to the surface again by voicing them.
Spike relaxed under her careful ministrations. He closed his blue eyes, listening to her ramble on and on, dancing around the subject of the night's events. She didn't want to talk about it - but they needed to. "Red." he spoke her nickname, stopping her in mid ramble. "We need to talk." The vampire watched her take a deep breath, nodding her assent.
"You're clean and it looks like its healing ok. Let me get you one of dad's T-shirts and then we'll talk." Spike nodded, waiting until she left the room to pull his ruined T-shirt over his head. He rinsed the washcloth out and quickly wiped the blood from his chest. "Here Spi-" The word caught in her throat when she saw his bare chest. {Goddess he's like a statue.} She blushed, handing him the white shirt she had gotten from her parent's room. A small part of her brain was disappointed when he put the shirt on, taking away the sight. "Lets go sit down and talk," she managed to stammer, her face still red. The injured vampire chuckled as he followed her into her room. He fell back onto her bed, his face serene and impassive as he waited for her to speak. "Well lets start with what we know," Willow started, pacing the length of her room. "Someone wants me - either dead or alive - we don't know yet." Spike nodded. "This someone has access to large groups of vampires." Spike nodded again, her pacing was making him dizzy. "And they think you are my protector." He sighed, nodding.
"Come sit down, you're making me dizzy." She eyed him warily, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I should call Giles." The comment sounded more like a question than a statement, as if she weren't sure what to do.
"Why?" Spike asked, arching an eyebrow. "What is he going to do at this time of night?" The digital clock next to her bed read 11:15 - he was right, might as well wait until morning.
"I'm safe as long as I don't leave my house," she murmured to herself. "They can't get me here."
"Actually, they can hire any common thug to break in and invite them in, luv." He didn't mean to scare her further, but the wild look in her eyes told him that's exactly what he had done.
"I'll call Buffy...I can go stay with her!" She was up and to the phone before he could protest. The group had labeled him her protector and he couldnt play that role if she was with the Slayer. Ring Ring Ring.
"You've reached Buffy and Joyce Summers. We'll be out of town on a family emergency for the next week. Please leave a message after the tone."
"DAMN!" WIllow swore, hanging up the phone. She dialed Giles' number. "Giles? Where'd Buffy go?" Spike peered at the red head through lowered lashes as she spoke with the watcher. He was curious about what had caused her to swear so suddenly. He listened with surprise as she told the ex-librarian about the night's events - including the parts involving Spike. "Yes Giles....Yes....I'll be careful....Yes Giles....I'll be over tomorrow afternoon....No I'm Sure...Ok.....Bye." She hung up. Spike waited expectantly for her to explain her actions. "Buffy found out about an hour ago one of her cousins died,"WIllow said softly. "They had to leave to be with the family." He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, silencing him with a look. "I don't know why I told Giles. I guess I just needed to tell someone. He's expecting me for research tomorrow," she drew in a quick breath, "AndHesExpectingToSeeYouTomorrowNight." Spike raised an eyebrow. The watcher wanted to see him? He nodded. In a way he had sort of missed the the ex-librarian in the weeks since they'd spoken. He stood, moving to the glass doors leading to her balcony and shutting the curtains tight. Grabbing a heavy comforter from the end of the bed he draped it carefully from the curtain rod, making sure no light could enter.
"Planning on staying?" Willow asked. Her voice sounded relieved. She wouldn't have to stay the night alone. Someone was going to be here to protect her.
"Problem with that?" He smirked. She laughed. The first real laugh her had heard from her all night.
"Well just between you and me," She whispered, looking around conspiratorially. "I'm not supposed to have good looking men sleeping in my room." She had the nerve to wink at him. "But I guess I can make an exception for you." Spike laughed. It was a joyous sound to Willow who had only heard him laugh like this maybe once or twice before. And it only made her laugh more, until gasping for air she fell to her bed, exhausted. Spike watched her lay back, her eyes gently closing.
"Go to sleep, ducks." He pulled a light blanket over her, daring to
brush a kiss across her forehead. Grabbing an extra pillow from behind
her he laid on the floor, wondering what about her made him feel so protective.
She was so child-like sometimes, her innocence almost too much to stand.
With thoughts of a red haired witch dancing through his mind, he fell into
sleep's waiting arms.
****
Part Three
Damien contemplated the three fledgelings kneeling
before him. His handsome face twisted into a mask of
disgust. "You failed me." It wasn't a question, more
of a statement. The vampires were quiet. "One. Human.
Girl." He emphasized each of the words, running a hand
through his raven hair. "There were eight of you!"
"She had help," the female of the group whispered.
Damien could see angry welts covering her face - holy
water burns.
"Did I give you permission to speak?" His voice was
deadly calm as gazed down into her face. Brown eyes
shot to the floor in a hasty act of submission, her
apology low and mumbled. "Very well. You said she had
help. Who?"
"The traitor."
Damien raised an eyebrow. "Spike?" The blond haired
vampire would need to be dealt with. "Leave me." The
fledgelings stood, backing away slowly until they were
out of the room.
The master vampire found himself sitting in a chair,
sipping a glass of red wine and thinking about the
object of his obsession. Willow. The name itself sent
chills up his spine.
He had still been living in New York when he heard
about this small slip of a girl who had cursed the
great Angelus with a soul. The one action had made her
anathema in vampire culture, someone to be feared. He
had wanted her then - knowing she would be the perfect
consort for him. Powerful, beautiful, and already
feared. No one would oppose him with her at his side.
And he could have the Hellmouth at the same time.
Perfect. It took him over a year to arrange to move
his power base to Sunnydale. It had to be done
secretly. None of this announcing his presence to the
Slayer crap.
Damien smiled. His contacts in the small town had
informed him when the Initiative had crumbled. In the
aftermath of everything they had wrought he had moved
to Sunnydale. Planning and preparing he had watched
her and her friends. And now it was time to claim
what was his. The night's failure was a small thing.
He had waited so long - a few more days wouldn't
matter. And when she joined with him, the heavens
themselves would weep.
* * *
{He doesnt snore.} Willow thought to herself,
watching the vampire as he slept. {Well of course you
moron - he doesnt breathe!} She giggled slightly with
her revelation, smothering it with her hand.
"W'so funny, pet?" He cracked one blue eye open to
look at the girl. Her red hair was sleep touseled and
she had a huge grin on her face.
"Nothing, go back to sleep." She swung her legs over
the edge of the bed, stretching the cramps out of her
muscles before standing. With the window covered the
room was dim, though the clock on her nightstand
showed it to be almost noon.
Spike wasn't really tired but he feigned sleep
anyway, watching her move around the room from beneath
lowered lashes. {The little witch is sorta cute in the
morning,} he decided. He watched her pick up her phone
and dial out.
"Giles...No, I'm fine....No, nothing else
happened....He stayed....No I'm not crazy...Hes
protecting me...Fine...Fine...I know that!...Giles I'm
just gonna walk over with him later...I'll see you
then." She didnt say goodbye, hanging up the phone
before the man she had come to consider a surogate
father could lecture her any further. She could
understand why he'd be upset that Spike had stayed the
night in her home. But for some reason she trusted the
vampire. "Spike?" She didnt really think he was
sleeping.
"Yes, luv?" His head appeared next to the bed as he
sat up, meeting her green eyes with his blue ones.
"Do you need me to go get you....anything?" A pale
redness creeped across her face.
He laughed. Damn she was cute when she was
embarassed. "No, sweets. I'll be okay until sundown."
The simple fact that she was willing to go get blood
for him was enough to make him smile.
"K. How's your head?" Her eyes flew to where the gash
had been the night before. There was little left of it
but a small pucker of pale skin, it wouldn't even
scar. "Nevermind." Almost seven hours until they could
leave the house. What was she going to do with him in
the meantime? {I wish he'd stop staring!} "Um, shower.
Make yourself at home." She grabbed her robe, leaving
the chuckling vampire in her room alone.
* * *
The warm water couldnt take her mind off of the
vampire in her bedroom, and Willow found herself
smiling as she remembered how he had looked while he
was sleeping. {Bad Willow!} She chastised herself.
{Tara's only been gone for a day and you're already
thinking of someone else.}
But oh goddess he was handsome! Her eyes closed as
she pictured the bleached blond as she had seen him
last night - shirtless. "MmmM" she moaned, her hand
straying to rub across her wet breasts. She felt
herself blush as she realized how she was acting.
Turning the shower knobs she forced herself to think
calming thoughts as cold water rained down on her hot
body.
* * *
Spike watched Giles pace, hoping the annoying human
woudld get to the point. He hadnt had anything to eat
since the night before and was getting hungry. They
had already been over the event's of the night before
in detail about ten times by Spike's count and he was
starting to get irritated.
"And you have no reason why they would be after
Willow?" Giles' question was directed at the vampire.
"Sorry, mate. I seem to be out of the bloody
information loop." He glared at the ex-watcher. "They
think I'm a traitor to my own kind or something,
imagine that." For the thousandth time he cursed the
Initiative for giving him the chip that had caused him
to be made to help the Slayer.
Giles returned the vampires glare. "Can you ask
around?"
"If it means I get to leave here any sooner, YES!"
The vampire was on his feet. "I'm going to Willie's.
If anyone knows something he does." The blue eyes
shifted to the red head sitting nervously on the
couch. "I'll be back in an hour to walk you home." He
received no arguement from her and left before Giles
could get another word in.
"Do you really think that is wise Willow?" The older
man sat down across from her, absently buffing his
glasses.
The red haired hacker laughed. "Despite my better
judgement I trust him in this Giles. He almost died
for me last night. I dont know why he did it. But
whatever his reasons, I trust him."
Giles placed his glasses back on in time to see her
'resolve face' come to the front. Sighing, he quizzed
her on the fight one more time.
* * *
Spike slipped into the seedy little bar quietly,
drawing as little attention to himself as possible. No
telling where the vampires that had gotten away last
night were.
He caught Willie's eye through the thin veil of smoke
that hung in the air, motioning him down to the end of
the counter.
"What can I get ya?" Willie seemed nervous.
"The usual." Spike growled. "Information. Why was the
witch attacked last night?" Spike's eyes were cold.
Willie couldnt help but swallow a lump of fear. There
would be no playing of games tonight.
"Look," his voice was a whisper. "I dont know why she
was attacked." He held up his hands. "Its the truth."
Spike growled, the bartender knew something, he was
sure of it. "Theres a new master in town though, maybe
he would know."
"His name?" The vampire glared at sleezy bartender in
front of him.Willie knew damn well he couldnt just go
visit the master of the city
"I dont know. He hasnt made a public appearance
yet...not even his followers talk about him."
Spike nodded. The scent of the bartender's fear hung
in the air like a cheap cologne. "Find out who he is."
He waved off the man's protests. "She's one of my
friends. Not to mention one of Angel's." He took a
drag off his freshly lit cigarrette. "If something
happens to her and you could have helped stop it..."
He let the threat hang in the air between them.
Willie nodded. "Come back tomorrow night. I'll see
what I can do." He glared at the blonde. "Now get
outta here. You're making me look bad."
The vampire's next words were enough to send shivers
up the bartender's back. "You'll look alot worse
dead." He smashed the remains of his cigarette on the
counter, disappearing into the night in a swirl of
leather.
******
Part Four
"Willow are you sure you dont want to stay here
tonight?" Giles asked. Every part of him screamed to
keep her from going home with the vampire. Nothing
good would come of it - of that he was sure.
"I'll be fine, Giles," she repeated for what she
hoped would be the last time. "Even if he wanted to
hurt me, he can't. The chip, remember?" She really
hoped Spike would hurry up - she was tired of
defending herself and him to the ex-librarian.
"You really shouldn't be staying there alone at this
time, Willow,"Giles continued, his patience wearing
thin. The girl could be so dreadfully stubborn
sometimes!
"She won't be alone you wanker," Spike drawled from
the doorway. She cast him a look of pure gratitude as
he held out his hand to her. "Come on, pet, lets get
you home."
"Won't be alone?" Giles stuttered. "I assume you mean
you will be staying with her tonight as well?" The
thought did nothing to alleviate the man's worry for
the red haired girl. At the vampire's nod Giles
warned, "You so much as harm one hair on her head and
I will personally stake you."
Willow glared at the older man. She didnt know
whether to feel comforted that he would threaten death
to her new-found friend or anger over it. She pulled
at Spike's arm. "Come on, I wanna get home before it
gets later." Her mind had yet to process the fact that
she would be playing hostess to the object of her lust
for yet another night.
Spike allowed himself to be pulled out of the house,
his eyes shooting daggers at the human who had dared
to threaten him until he could no longer be seen. Only
then did he notice that the witch was holding onto his
arm as they walked, her small hand wrapped firmly
around the leather sleeve of his duster. He permitted
himself a small smile, committing to memory the way
the moonlight glittered off of her hair and made her
skin seem to glow. She truly was beautiful.
"So..." Her voice drew him out of his reverie, "Did
you find anything out?" Green eyes sparkled with hope.
"Should know something by tomorrow night." {Or there
will be one less bartender in Sunnydale.} He added to
himself. He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye,
a small sigh escaping her lips. Her whole body was
radiating with nervousness. He would have to see what
he could do about that later.
* * *
"Do you trust me?"
Willow looked at the vampire for a second before
answering. "Against my better judgement, yes." She
watched the sexy blonde turn from her parents liquor
cabinet, a bottle of tequila in his hand. "Gonna get
me drunk and take advantage of me? Not a good way to
keep that trust."
Yet again Spike found himself laughing at something
the girl had said. "No, pet. Just gonna make you a
litle something to help you unwind." He led her into
the kitched, pulling a jug of orange juice from the
refridgerator.
"Unwind? Hmm." Willow was afraid of what she'd say or
do if she 'unwound' in around Spike. She watched him
fill two glasses with a mixture of tequila and orange
juice. {Might as well live a little.} She took the
glass from him,raising it in a silent toast before
taking a small tentative sip. {Not bad.}
* * *
Three and a half tequila sunrises later Willow was
feeling very much more relaxed. Resting her head
against Spike's shoulder she found herself getting
lost in his eyes. "Pretty.." A giggle bubbled past her
lips.
"Luv, I think you've had enough." He hadnt meant to
get the little witch wasted. But there she was anyway,
blissfully smashed, running light pink fingernails
through his bleached blond locks.
"Pfft!" Willow admonished, taking another healthy
swig of her drink. "You wanted me to unwind...well
this is what unwound Willow is like." Her tongue felt
heavy in her mouth, her words slow and slurred. Green
eyes watched his pale pink tongue lick his lips and
she wondered what it would be like to kiss him.
"So why dont you find out, pet?" Calm blue eyes met
her suddenly frightened green ones. She hadnt meant to
speak that aloud, he was sure of it, but who was he to
pass up such a ripe opportunity.
"Umm...I..." The red head found herself babbling,
pulling away from him. "No. Vampire. Smoochies. Bad!
You're all evil and 'Grr!' and no....can't have
smoochies with you. Even though you look so kissable
sometimes. And those eyes...do you know how pretty
your eyes are? Of course not. You cant see them. No
reflection, cause you're a vampire. Bringing me back
to the point. Vampire. Smoochies. Bad!"
Spike watched the little hacker turn a delightful
shade of red as her babble continued. "Calm down,
sweets. Nothing to be embarassed about. So you want to
know what it would be like to kiss me. No harm in
that. Its not like you were wondering about shagging
me or anything." The blush deepened across her pale
skin. {Or have you?} He couldnt help but smile as her
protests started anew. The babbling was getting
tiresome though. {What the hell.} He leaned in and
captured her lips with his, silencing the flustered
young woman. He pulled back, looking in amusement at
the now quiet girl - her lips slightly swollen with
lust, eyes still closed, a faint flush across her
face.
Willow couldnt believe it. He was kissing her. And
then the cool lips left hers and she found herself
wanting more - more than kisses even. Her eyes opened
sluggishly to look into the slightly amused eyes of
the vampire sitting so close to her. {He's laughing at
me.} Her brain formed almost incoherently. {Of course
he is...you practically admitted to wanting to jump
him. He must think you're a silly child.} Her thoughts
sped on, the sane part of her brain long having taken
a rest for the night. Never once did she stop to think
that the handsome creature next to her had kissed
*her* and not the other way around.
Spike watched the turmoil on the girl's face,
wondering if maybe he had gone too far. She was drunk
after all - she probably didn't even really want to
kiss him. He opened his mouth to apologize only to
realize the little firecracker had passed out in his
arms, a small sad smile on her lips.
* * *
"So who is it?" Spike growled through the din of the
bar. Golden eyes glared at the shifty bartender in
front of him, his patience thin. Willow had all but
ignored him during the day before he dropped her off
at Giles' house. He didn't know why he cared. But he
did. And he was in a pissy mood because of it.
"Spike, man, leave. Get out of town. This guy is bad
news." Willie stammered. "Just take the girl and go."
The bartender had learned a little too much about the
new Master from his contacts. Things he didn't even
want to mention for fear of bringing the boogeyman
himself out of the shadows.
"What. Is. His. Name?" The words were forced out
around clenched teeth as the British bad boy tried
hard to not kill the man behind the counter. His hands
clutched at the man's shirt, ignoring the beginnings
of pain in his head. He was prepared to do it though
if the information he wanted didn't come soon. He
could put up with the headache from the bloody chip.
Red's life was at stake.
"Damien." A shock of recognition shuddered through
Spike's body and he released the hold on Willie's
shirt. "Take her and go, Spike. He wants her. Turned.
As his new consort." An emotion he never thought to
see fluttered through the vampire's eyes - fear.
Silently wishing him luck, the bartender went back to
serving drinks, hardly noticing when the vampire left
the bar running.
* * *
"Bloody hell!" Spike roared, speeding through the
dark streets of Sunnydale, glad he had driven for
once. Damien was bad news. Willie hadn't been over
reacting when he said to take the girl and run. Damien
always got what he wanted. Spike swore under his
breath, his thoughts troubled.
The last time he had seen Damien was ten years after
he had been turned. He had been one of Darla's 'close'
friends. With Angelus' help the four of them had
methodically slaughted the inhabitants of one of the
many small English towns near the coast, leaving the
bodies of their friends and families for the survivors
to find each morning. Until finally, there had been no
one to find the bodies. And Damien had orchestrated it
all for one woman - the one he had chosen for his
consort at the time. It had been a sign of his
'devotion' to her. Even Angelus' had feared the man's
brutality - they had been happy to see him run off
with his new 'bride' after that incident. Damien. He
had never wanted to even hear the name again.
Tires screeched as he stopped outside of Giles'
house, not bothering to turn off the car. There was
only one place he could think to take Willow that
might be even remotely safe and they needed to get
going now, before Damien realized someone had leaked
his plans. He would swallow his pride and go running
to his sire for help. He was through the door to the
watcher's house and grabbing the witch. "We've got to
go, now!"
"Spike. What in bloody hell is going on?" The watcher
stood in shocked silence, his eyes darting from where
the door had slammed open to the vampire and back
again. Something had scared the blonde. Badly.
Spike sighed, running a nervous hand through his
hair. He had to tell the watcher something. "The new
Master in town goes by the name of Damien. He wants to
make Willow his own. I dont know why. I am taking her
away from here until we can figure out what to do."
"Where are you taking her?" Seeing the fear in the
vampire's eyes he didn't even argue. In the months he
had known the vampire he had never once seen him
afraid. He looked at Willow, standing next to the
vampire, terror clear in her eyes, and silently prayed
that the vampire could protect her from whatever was
scaring him so badly. The blonde stepped close to him,
whispering in his ear.
"Call Peaches. Tell him I'm on my way. Tell him whats
happening." Blue eyes darted to the windows, searching
the darkness for any sign of anyone watching the
house. Louder he said. "I'll call you when we get
there," before grabbing Willow's hand again and
whisking her to the car.
"But. I need clothes." The red head finally broke out
of her stupor long enough to be sensible. What had her
newfound friend so worried? She wrapped her arms
around herself, the fear he was giving off spilling
over to her.
"I've got money, pet. You can go shopping when we get
there." Spike murmured, speeding away from the house
and towards the dark freeway. A small sound escaped
her lips and he noticed her face was wet. She was
crying.
"Shh, pet." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders,
pulling her close to him. "I'm not going to let him
hurt you. I promise." Soothing words poured from his
lips, whispering to her as he left Sunnydale with all
the speed he could pull out of the dark car. He only
hoped that between himself and his sire he could keep
that promise.
***********
Part Five
*****
Angel looked up as he saw his childe enter the room.
"Still asleep?" Spike nodded, his eyes pensive as he
tried to look anywhere but his sire's
face. "Going to tell me what happened?" He had
already spoken with Giles, getting a brief account of
what the watcher knew while he had waited nervously
for his childe to arrive. Now he wanted to hear it
from Spike.
Blue eyes scanned the room, closing with a sigh
before he looked into the rich chocolate colored eyes
of his sire. Another unnecessary sigh of air left his
dead lungs before he started the tale that had started
three nights ago.
Angel listened in silence as his childe relayed the
events of the past few nights. Willow was in serious
danger as long as Damien was looking for her. He
didn't know if he could protect her, but he would try.
She was his friend and had nearly died trying to
restore his soul -- something he could never make up
to her. For that he would protect her to his dying
breath. But what was his childe's excuse? The blonde
seemed to be showing genuine affection for the little
witch - something Angel hadn't seen him do
with anyone other than himself and Drusilla.
Spike and Willow. Angel found himself smiling despite
the gravity of the situation. The thought of his
childe with Willow was just too right in his mind. He
noticed Spike glaring at him with a questioning look
on his face and he pushed the thoughts aside. There
would be plenty of time to needle his wayward childe
for his feelings on the girl later. Chocolate
eyes strayed to the clock on the wall. "Its getting
late, let me show you to your room. I'm gonna make a
few calls then get some sleep myself. Its too
late to start trying to figure things out tonight."
Spike nodded. As usual his sire made perfect sense.
He followed Angel through the dark building, surprised
when he was led to a room right next to where Willow
had been settled. He had thought for sure that his
sire would keep him as far from his precious little
friend as possible. But, no, here he was placing him
close enough to the little witch that he could hear
her breathe if he listened close enough.
Mindless of his sire's dark thoughtful eyes he opened
her door quietly. The dim light from the hall fell
across her sleeping form, making her red hair glimmer
like liquid fire around her shoulders.
"So beautiful," Angel murmured huskily. He had no
feelings for the red head outside of friendship but he
was curious to see what his childe's reaction would
be. He wasn't disappointed.
A low growl trickled out of Spike's throat and cold
blue eyes turned on Angel, flashing gold as he shut
the door to the girl's room. He couldn't
believe his sire was lusting after his woman right in
front of him! "Stay away from her."
"Or what?" Angel's voice was like silk. "Last time I
checked she was dating a blond haired *girl* not a
blond haired *boy*. " He saw Spike's true
face slide to the front and realized he had gone too
far, his own demon had gotten the better of him,
enjoying baiting the blonde haired vampire.
"That girl can't do anything for her. She needs a
real man." Spike growled. The stolen blood in his
veins was boiling with anger at his sire.
"Does she know this?" Angel smirked, crossing his
arms and leaning against the wall. He watched as his
childe slowly crossed the distance between them,
golden eyes fixed in a glare. Angel stood quietly,
watching the other man move towards him, his demon
urging him to not let the insolence go unchecked.
Halfway to the dark haired vampire Spike stopped. What
was he doing? He felt his human features slide back
into place. When had he started considering the girl
as 'his'? Somewhere in the middle of this god
awful mess he had started to care for her and it
honestly didn't bother him. "G'night, Peaches." He
pushed past his sire into the guest room he had been
given, leaving Angel to silently wonder what was going
on in his childe's mind.
* * *
"Spike-y." A soft voice drifted through the sleeping
vampire's mind. "Wake-y wake-y." Someone shook him
lightly. "SPIKE!" Startled, his eyes
flew open, already gold as he searched the room for
whatever had disturbed his slumber.
Willow. She was sitting on his bed, her clothes
slightly rumpled from sleep and looking all too perky
for....three in the afternoon? He forced his human
face back to the front. "Yes, pet?" He hoped his voice
didn't sound as growly to her as it did to him.
"Just wanted to let you know I was going out.
Cordelia is taking me shopping." Her mouth twisted
into a small grimace of distaste. Shopping with
Cordelia was not her idea of a good time. "I'll be
back in a couple hours, k?"
"Fine pet, but be careful." He reached onto the
nightstand, grabbing his wallet and pulling out his
platinum visa.
"Oh that's ok," She assured him when he tried to give
her the card. "Angel already let me have his." She saw
something deadly flicker in his eyes.
"Let the cheerleader run up *his* card," Spike
growled. "Your little shopping trip is on me. I
insist, luv." He forced the card into her hand. "Spend
whatever you like."
Willow nodded slowly, confused by what she thought
she had seen in his eyes. Jealousy? {Yeah right.} Why
would he get jealous over Angel giving her things.
Unless... The thought was booted from her head. {He
could never see me like that.} She whispered
her thanks to the vampire and hurriedly left the room.
"Be back before dark!" He called after her retreating
form before flinging himself back into sleep.
* * *
"Oh!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Lets go in here." At
Willow's groan she hastily assured, "Last one, I
promise."
Willow hoped that was true. Her arms were sore from
the numerous bags weighing them down. She had, with
Cordelia's urging, bought enough clothes to last a
couple weeks along with anything else she needed in
the meantime. {Well, Spike did say to spend whatever I
liked.} She followed her brunette friend into the
store, weaving among the racks.
The red head looked down as something soft and cool
brushed against her hand. Leather. Leather pants even.
She pulled a pair off the rack, holding them up
against her. {I wonder what they feel like *on*.}
"Willow, you *have* to try those on." Cordelia was at
her side in an instant. "Go on." She shooed her friend
back to the dressing rooms, grabbing a silver shirt
off of one of the racks and thrusting it at her as
well.
"Cordelia..." Willow began to argue. She wondered
what Spike would say if she wore the pants around him.
Her mind raced as she pictured shy
little Willow Rosenburg trying to seduce a big bad
master vampire. Grabbing the shirt from Cordelia, she
darted into the nearest dressing room, hoping her
friend didn't notice her blush.
No such luck. "What are you trying to hide, Willow?"
Cordelia's voice drifted through the door.
"N-Nothing." Willow stammered, slipping the cool
leather over her bare legs. She wriggled a little, the
way it slid across her skin feeling almost sensuous.
"Nothing? SoooOoo....nothing to do with a gorgeous
blonde we both know?" The door to the dressing room
flew open.
"Is it that obvious?" Willow moaned. Cordelia
couldn't help but laugh at the pained expression on
her friend's face. "Its not funny. I think I'm
falling in love with him."
"What about Tara?"
"I wrote a letter to her this morning. Angel was
going to mail it for me. I think she and I both know
we cant be more than friends." There was a sad smile
on Willow's lips. Tara had helped her get through the
dark spot in her life that Oz leaving had caused, but
she couldn't bring herself to love the girl as any
more than a friend.
"So. You are single. Spike is single. What's the
problem? Make your move." Cordelia called out as her
friend disappeared back into the dressing room to
change clothes.
"Could I do that, Cordy? Make a move on him? Why
would he want me?" She emerged from the dressing room,
shirt and pants in her arms. "And then there's the
whole fact that he's a cold blooded killer."
"Of course." Cordelia rolled her eyes as they made
their way to the register. "That explains why he
humbled himself and asked his sire for help to protect
you."
Willow paid for her purchase in silence as the
cheerleader continued to babble on about how good she
thought her friend and the blond haired vampire would
be together.
"Willow?" Cordelia was calling her name. "Earth to
Willow."
"Sorry." Willow smiled sheepishly, glancing at the
darkening sky. "Oh no! Spike wanted me back before
dark." She pulled her friend through the parking lot,
hoping he wouldn't be upset with her.
****
Part 6
Damien watched with a sense of detached amusement as
thick red blood
dripped between his fingers. His slender tongue lapped
gently at one of
the wet digits, savoring the taste. Still moaning at
his feet, the former
owner of his midnight snack tried in vain to crawl
away. She wouldn't get
far. One of her arms was broken and both of her
kneecaps shattered. She wasn't
going anywhere.
Like a sweet symphony her moans of pain filled the
elegant chambers,
bouncing off of walls covered in tapestries. Damien
smiled and closed
his eyes, savoring the scent of fear in the air. Her
hair had been what had
drawn him to her. Flaming red hair, so like his
Willow's. But she was
no Willow. And so he had toyed with her. Wooing her
with his silky words,
luring her into his home before starting to take his
pleasure of her.
Her knees had to be broken of course. Couldn't have
the stupid girl
running away. The pain had made her faint at first.
Weak little slut.
But then she had came around, fighting and screaming.
Oh, how he did love
this. He licked the blood from another finger,
watching her struggle.
"Sweetheart." She whimpered when his breath hit her
ear. "You
wouldn't be trying to leave me. Would you?" His hand
twisted in her
hair, pulling her head back with a snap. Her body
went limp in his hands.
She had fainted - again.
The vampire sighed, this game was growing tiresome.
He slipped a
slender blade from his pocket, bringing the razor
sharp edge to the
girl's pale skin. Blood welled up around the blade as
he pushed it deeper
into the flesh of her neck. She screamed again, the
cries fading to gurgles as
the blade plunged home, her life's blood flowing onto
the hard wood floor
below.
She was not his Willow. He let the girl drop, her
skin already
cooling with death. And where was his Willow? No one
had seen her, or
the Traitor for that matter, for two nights. The
thought that the two of
them were out there somewhere , together, made his
blood boil.
And then, to make matters worse, the Slayer had
returned home last
night. He wondered if the blonde haired bimbo had put
two and two
together and figured out the cause and reason for her
cousin's death. Probably
not, she wasn't the smartest little thing.
"Anna!" Damien yelled. A black haired girl entered
the room. She
looked at the cooling body on the floor with distaste.
"Its time to
call in a few favors, my dear. My beautiful consort
had disappeared."
Anna nodded, her eyes thoughtful. Who could she call
to find the
Master's newest interest? She searched her mind for
the perfect contact, not just anyone would do. Blood
red lips curled into a smile as she nodded once. She
knew just the 'man' for the job.
* * *
"Let me get this straight." Buffy glared at her
watcher. "You let Willow leave with Spike to go stay
with Angel?" She crossed her arms, tapping her foot
impatiently as she waited for his answer.
"Yes, I did." The older man returned the cool stare
of his charge, wondering when she would stop asking
the same question over and over again. "He protected
her rather well and I could see no harm in him taking
her to be with Angel. You weren't here to help and
there was little *I* could do." {Bloody hell.} He
cursed to himself.
"And where were you while this was going on?" Buffy
turned the glare on Xander and Anya.
"Having many orgasms in his basement." Anya chirped.
"And we would like to get back to it."
Xander spared a glance at his girlfriend. "No one
called me. How was I supposed to know?" He had barely
even thought about his best friend since the night she
had met them at the Bronze. And now she was off in LA
with two vampires to protect her. Great. {Some friend
I am.} Guilt rushed through him.
"Well I'll just go get her and bring her home then."
Buffy smiled.
"And what would that solve?" Giles snapped. "We
havent dealt with the problem yet. Its not safe for
her here."
"Oh come on Giles." The blonde looked at the man as
though he were stupid. "We all know this Damien guy
would only want her to get to me. She was probably
just second choice that night since I had left and
all. Well, I'm back. Willow is safe." She smiled, the
answer to everything seeming so clear. Why couldnt
they see it?
"No. She stays there." Giles couldnt understand why
or when the young girl in front of him had began to
think the world revolved around her and only her.
"But...but..." The Slayer stammered.
"No, Buffy. She will stay in LA with Angel and Spike
until we get this whole thing settled." The
ex-librarian's voice was filled with command as he
spoke to his former charge. "You can either stay here
and help research or patrol. Your choice."
"But..." When it was obvious the watcher was ignoring
her she grabbed her purse and stormed out of the
house.
"Well that was fun." Anya's voice seemed loud in the
silence left by the Slayer's departure. "Can we go
home now?"
* * *
Willow looked up as Angel entered the office, his
normal bland face wearing a scowl. "I take it you
didn't find anything?" This was the second night he
had gone out looking for information on Damien's
purpose with her. And it appeared the second time he
had had no luck.
Angel's face softened as he regarded the little red
head curled in the chair in front of him. "Its
actually sort of infuriating." He admitted, shaking
his head in disbelief. "They are more scared of what
Damien will do to them if they talk than what
*ANGELUS* will do if they -dont- talk." He grinned. "I
think my ego is bruised."
She couldnt help but grin at the mock-pained
expression on his face. "Aw, poor Angel. Not as scary
as he thought he was." Her eyes were filled with
laughter as she stood and moved towards him.
"Oh stop teasing the poor little vampire." Cordelia
snickered, coming up to wrap her arms around Angel's
waist in a brief hug.
Willow smiled. Cordelia was crushing on Angel almost
as bad as *she* was on Spike. Speaking of
which..."Where's my Spike at?" Angel's face broke out
in a smile and she realized what she had just said.
Face burning she groaned and ran out of the room, his
laughter echoing in her ears.
"That wasnt nice," Cordelia seethed at the dark
haired vampire.
"I just think its funny. Both of them are so
oblivious that the other one feels the same." He bit
his tongue, shocked at what he just admitted. "Dont
tell her that though. Spike would kill me if he found
out I said anything. Well, try to anyway."
"I wont tell." Cordelia smirked. "Where is the blonde
wonder anyway?"
"Right here, ducks."
"Well, speak of the devil," Cordelia smirked.
"Devil? I do believe thats the nicest thing you've
ever said to me." He had to admit, the former
cheerleader wasn't half bad once you got to know her.
"Yeah well dont..." Her words were cut off with a
groan as she fell to the floor in pain. She cradled
her head, whimpering slightly as the blinding flashes
of her vision came and went. Angel's strong arms
lifted her, laying her gently on the couch. Her eyes
fluttered open.
"What did you see?" Angel handed her a glass of water
and a few aspirin.
"A man. Demon or something. Black hair, violet eyes.
He was down at the docks." She searched her memory for
the address she had seen. "Building 29B" She swallowed
the pills with a grimace.
"Demon?" Spike asked hopefully. He was in the mood to
hit something.
"Cordy, stay here with Willow. Spike and I will go
take care of this." He wanted to tell his childe about
Willow's little slip away from the loud mouth and
curious ears of his brunette receptionist.
Cordelia nodded. Who was she to argue if the boss
told her to stay home instead of going to fight some
nasty demon? As soon as the two vampiers had left the
office she was off and running. "Will, get dressed!
We're gonna go have some fun!"
********
Part Seven
----ladies leave yo man at home
the club is full of ballas and they pockets full grown
and all you fellas leave yo girl with her friends
cause its 11:30 and the club is jumpin jumpin -----
"Cordy!" Willow yelled above the noise of the club to
the brunette in front of her. "CORDY!" Louder this
time and her friend turned to give her a quizzical
look. "We should go back. The boys will worry if they
come home and we're gone."
"C'mon! We deserve a little fun!" Cordelia rolled her
eyes at her friend's nervousness. " 'Sides, I left
them a note. If they get home before us they'll know
where we are." {They can even come join us if they
want.} The unspoken though was mutual and hung between
the two. "Come on!" She pulled her unwilling friend
onto the dance floor.
-----boys say you got a girl?
yes true you got a man
but the party aint gon stop so lets make it hot hot!
-----
Willow smiled up at her dance partner. He had blond
hair. Bleached, like Spike's. She knew that was the
only reason she was even tolerating him to dance so
close to her -- it was the closest she could come to
the real thing. A few feet away Cordelia had found a
willing partner in a tall dark haired man. {Wonder if
she has the same idea I do.} She came back to reality
as her partner's hands found her hips, pulling her
closer to him.
-----last week and you stayed at home alone and lonely
couldnt find yo man he was chillin with his homies
------
{He's not cute enough to be Angel.} Cordelia thought,
allowing the man in front of her to guide her against
him. {Eyes are the wrong color too.} She closed her
eyes, allowing herself to imagine that the man in
front of her *was* Angel. Her mind let her think
those were *his* hands on her hips, *his* lips on her
neck, *his* hard..."Hey!" She pushed away from her
partner with a cry of protest. "Ew!" Across the room
she noticed Willow's date getting sorta gropey too.
{Maybe this wasn't a good idea.}
-----this week and your goin out if he
try to stop you your goin off
you got ya hair done and ya nails done too
and your outfit and your fittin the shoes
who parlayin at the hottest spot tonight
you're gonna find the brothas rollin in the lexus,
trucks and hummers -----
"May I cut in?" Cordelia didn't wait for the blonde's
response, pushing him away from her friend with a
smirk.
"Thank you!" The red head sighed in gratitude.
"The Spike substitute was getting too touchy."
Cordelia smiled at her friend. "Couldnt let that
happen - the real thing might rip my head off." She
grabbed ahold of Willow's hand, dancing steadily to
the beat of the music.
Willow laughed. "Mm Hmm. And the Angel wannabe didnt
do much better I take it?" She mimicked the movements
of the girl in front of her, half closing her eyes as
she let the music ride over her.
-----boys say you got a girl?
yes true you got a man
but the party aint gon stop so lets make it hot hot!
-----
"We have an audience." Cordelia motioned with her
eyes to the men around the club who couldnt seem to
stop staring. The sight of two women dancing surely
wasn't anything new, but it was always erotic.
"Lets give them a good show then, shall we?" Willow
had a wicked smile on her lips. The night wasnt
turning out half bad. Cordelia was actually fun to be
around when she wasnt shopping. She lifted her arms
up, away from her head, allowing the metalic silver
shirt to ride up off of her stomach as she writhed in
front of her friend. She felt the brush of silk as
Cordelia's shirt brushed against the bare flesh of her
skin.
Cordelia smiled and followed her friend's lead,
allowing herself to be drawn into the music. Knowing
they were turning the men on was a thrill but a part
of her wished that 'their' vampires were here to enjoy
the show as well.
------call your boys cause tonight you're not gon stay
at home
so tell your girl she aint coming tonight you're goin
solo
cut her off cause she talks the noise you know youve
got the right to get your party on so get your hair
cut
and your car washed too, lookin like a star, your
armani suit
you need to look your best cause youre turnin heads
tonight
youre gonna find a sexy chica thats gon dance all
night if u wanna -----
"Lets just get the girls and get out of here." Spike
grumbled, glaring around the packed nightclub. He was
going to kill the cheerleader for bringing Willow,
*his* Willow, to this place. What if Damien sent
someone to get her? What if some human punk hit on
her, or worse? That thought brought a growl from his
throat. She was *his*, he knew that after his little
talk with Angel.
The dark haired vampire nodded, scanning the crowd.
He didn't exactly relish the idea of the girls being
here alone. He noticed some of the men in the club
staring at the dance floor with rapt expressions on
their faces and followed their gazes. "There." He
pointed out the pair to his childe.
"Whe-" Spike's voice died in his throat as he watched
the two girls dance with each other. What the hell was
the girl wearing? He watched the flimsy silver shirt
flash across her skin as she turned, showing off the
pale smoothness of her back, the leather pants
sticking to her legs like a second skin. Leather
pants? He felt his desire flare to life. Cordelia was
dancing close to her. Too close for Spike's liking.
"Jealous?" Spike's growl hadnt gone unnoticed to
Angel's sharp hearing. The sultry dance was forcing
him to admit to himself that he desired his
receptionist, the evidence of such stirring as he
continued to watch the two move together.
"Sod off." Spike was off, moving through the crowd
like a tiger stalking its prey.
-----boys say you got a girl?
yes true you got a man
but the party aint gon stop so lets make it hot hot!
-----
" 'Ello luv"
"Spike!" Willow smiled at the blonde who had appeared
out of nowhere. "Dance with me?" She lowered her
lashed, looking up at him with something she *hoped*
he'd see as desire. She moved against his body,
pressing herself close to him as she continues to move
in time to the beat. She watched Cordelia leave the
floor with Angel.
The blonde opened his mouth to tell her he didnt
dance but the feel of her pressed against him was too
much, the look in her eyes too honest. He placed a
hand on the small of her back, cold fingers carressing
her hot skin as he pulled her in even closer.Blue eyes
never left hers as they began to dance in earnest.
"I want you." He whispered into her ear, sending
shivers across her skin.
{Thats obvious.} She could feel the hardness in his
jeans pressing against her. But thats not what he had
meant and she knew it. "You have me."
"Forever?"
Green eyes met blue as she weighed her answer. Words
like 'forever' took on a whole new meaning when one
was talking to a vampire. The thought should have
terrified her. But it didn't. He would never turn her
against her will. The trust was there. "Forever." She
agreed. His lips claimed hers in a kiss and they
abandoned all pretense of dancing and simply enjoyed
the feel of each other's bodies.
Spike pulled away, desire burning bright behind the
cool darkness of his eyes. "Lets take this home, pet."
*******
Part Eigt
***
The man looked up at the shade covered windows
of
Angel Investigations. His lips curled into a smile as
he savored his victory. She was in there. His target.
The Master's new consort. He cast out with his senses
further.
She wasn't alone in the building though. There was
another human, a pretty little brunette thing he had
seen briefly through the windows. Then there were the
two vampires, one he recognized as the one the Master
called the 'traitor' and the other was unknown to the
creature in the street.
It didn't matter. It was almost noon. The only ones
who could defend his target were probably asleep. He
would take her and be out of the city before they even
realized she was gone. His lips curled into a cruel
smile. Maybe he would take the brunette too. She
looked like she could be 'entertaining'.
* * *
"Someone didn't get much sleep last night." Cordelia
teased lightly as the red head at the desk with her
yawned yet again.
"Mmm." Willow murmured happily.
"And would this recent bout of insomnia have anything
to do with the bleached blind hunk who is *still* in
your bed?"
Willow blushed a deep red, both from Cordelia's words
and memories
of the night before. The passion Spike had shown to
her in the nightclub had paled in relation to what he
had done when they got back to the apartments. She
shivered with pleasure remembering the things he had
done to her body, the ecstasy he had shown her.
"Willow. Snap out of it girl!" Cordelia laughed. She
was happy her friend and the blond had gotten
together. She smiled as she remembered her own
evening. Though Angel and she hadn't spent the night
making love, they had talked. They had spoken to each
other for hours, exploring the tentative feelings they
had for each other. The single kiss he laid on her
lips at the end of the night had been more than enough
to fulfill her dreams.
"Sorry." Willow smiled sheepishly. She heard the door
open behind her and boots hit the floor.
"Hi!" Cordelia chirped, instantly the receptionist
she was supposed to be. "Can I help you?" She looked
into the man's face, meeting his stony expression with
a smile that soon faded to a frown.
"Cordy..." Willow murmured. Something wasn't right.
She could feel this guy humming with energy. She
expanded her senses to see the air swirling with blue
light, surrounding her and Cordelia. The light
constricted, squeezing her until she couldn't breath.
Across from her she saw her friend's face turn a pale
shade of blue before she shut her eyes, allowing
unconsciousness to claim her.
* * *
The office was empty when Angel finally made his way
up from his apartment for the afternoon. The door was
open and papers were scattered on the desk and floor.
He looked around, desperately hoping to find a note
from Cordelia saying they had just gone out for
something. But there was no note. His heart sank as he
listened to the sounds of the building - hoping,
praying, to hear two hearts beating. Nothing.
Dark eyes clouded over with gold as his demon pushed
its way to the front. He had failed her! Failed both
of them! He picked up a plant, hurling it against the
wall. The pot shattered with a loud crack, dirt and
leaves spilling down the wall and onto the floor.
"Bloody hell, Peaches, whats going on?" Spike stood
in the doorway, pale chest bare, glaring around the
room at the papers and what remained of the plant.
Something was off. "Where are the girls?" He couldnt
sense his little red head anywhere in the building.
"Gone."
"What do you mean, *gone*?" The blond fought to keep
his emotions under check. He watched as his sire's
face faded back to its human fascade, tears starting
to fall. "NO!" Spike shouted. "No! They cannot be
*gone*!" He couldnt understand. How had they lost them
during the light of day? "We have to go get them
back!"
Angel glared at his childe through a veil of tears.
"How? You and I both know we cannot win against
Damien! And even if we could we don't know where he
is!"
"So you're just going to give up?" Spike choked out.
"You're just going to let Willow suffer whatever he
had planned for her?" The Brit's voice was rising.
"Fine! Stay here and brood. But *I* am going back to
Sunnydale to at least *try*."
The older vampire met the furious blue eyes of his
favorite childe. "No. I'm not giving up." With an
effort, he shook himself out of the pit of despair he
had found. "Sun will be down soon. We'll leave then.
I've got some calls to make."
Spike crossed the room to stand in front of the
darker haired vampire, laying a hand on his shoulder
in the first act of friendship in decades. "We *will*
find them."
* * *
Rolling over, Willow snuggled up to a pillow, her
tired mind clinging to the last vestiges fo sleep. She
slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings.
She was in a bedroom. A nice one at that. A fireplace
crackled merrily against one wall, the smell of
burning wood filling the air. She brushed her hand
over the velvet and satin comforter she was under.
{Where am I?} Only then did her mind finally catch up
with the present. {No...} Her mouth formed a silent
scream of grief and tears formed at the corner of her
eyes.
"Precious One, you're awake." Willow hadnt even
noticed the man across the room from her, in the
shadows. She shrieked, looking around for anything she
could use as a weapon. "Willow..." His voice was like
music to her ears, like a lover's touch, soft and
silky.
"Who..?" Her voice shook as she stuttered over the
one word. The man stepped into the light from the
fireplace, the flickering glow casting shadows over
his handsome features.
"Somone who wants you very much."
"Damien." She couldnt keep the scorn out of her
voice. "My friends will come for me."
"They dont even know where you are." He laughed
softly as the hope that had flickered so briefly in
her eyes died. A scream echoed from somewhere nearby,
the sound hauntingly familiar to Willow. Damien
smiled. "Your little friend seems to be enjoying
Elias's company." He gave her one last smile before
moving back into the shadows.
She heard the sound of a door opening and shutting
and then the faint cilck of a lock sliding home.
Another scream ripped through the house and the witch
curled into a ball, sobbing. "Cordy...."
* * *
"C'mon, Peaches!" Spike yelled at the closed door to
Angel's office. "The sun set fifteen minutes ago." He
could hear Angel talking to someone, presumably on the
phone. "If you dont hurry up I'm leaving without..."
He stopped in midsentence as his sire opened the door,
grabbing him and hurrying out of the offices and to
his car. "'Bout damn time." Spike muttered.
"One of my contacts thinks he found where Damien is
staying." Angel growled, slamming his car door shut
and letting the engine roar to life. "But we need to
hurry. No telling what he's done to them by now..."
Spike's thoughts turned dark as Angel let that
thought hang in the air. By now Willow could be
turned, killed, tortured, raped.. His mind worked on
and on with the possibilities. So lost in his own
thoguhts he didn't notice his game face slip forward.
Nor did he hear himself growling. And when blood
dripped from the punctures his nails had made in his
own hands, he didn't even care. {I'm coming Red...}
****
Part Nine
* * *
"He's been right under our noses the entire time?"
Giles asked in shock. The house Angel's contact had
given him as the location of Damien's lair was in a
nice neighborhood. The type where parents let their
kids play in the streets with little fear. Not the
typical place for a demon's lair.
"So lets go get them." Buffy said slowly. She didn't
understand why everyone was waiting around. "Well?"
"Its not that simple, Buffy," Angel started. "Damien
is very old, very powerful, he will be very hard to
defeat." Angel held up a hand to stop her inevitable
commenting. "He'll also no doubt have followers
staying at the house. And 'friends'." Angel smiled
grimly. "He used to hang out with sorcerers and
demons. I'm sure his tastes havent changed too much."
"And is waiting making this threat any less real?"
Xander piped up from his place on the couch. "Are we
becoming more prepared by sitting here contemplating
the badness?" He was with Buffy on this one - they
needed to get to Willow as soon as possible.
"The moron is right." Spike said. Turning to the door
and missing the incredulous look on Xander's face. "We
should go. Waiting isn't bloody well helping
anything."
Giles nodded once, crossing the room to the large
chest that held his 'good weapons'. He started placing
them one by one on the floor, examining each to make
sure it was in good working order. "Buffy, get that
duffel from my closet. We might as well go well
prepared."
* * *
Willow was in shock. The screams coming from
Cordelia's room had stopped hours ago, leaving the
house in silence. Damien had yet to show his face
again. Not that that was a bad thing. No. it was a
really good thing in her mind. {Maybe he'll just
forget about me..} She heard the lock slide open in
the door. {No such luck.}
"Darling." Damien was at her side. She had never even
seen enter the room. Not even Angel could move that
fast. This was bad. "Glad to see you've calmed down
some." His hands were stroking her hair, playing with
it like a lover.
"What do you want with me?" Willow tried to sound
brave, cursing her voice for cracking. She racked her
brain, desperate for any means of escape, but drew a
blank.
"I want you to be with me. As my consort. Together we
can rule over the Hellmouth for eternity." Damien
purred into her ear.
"Why me?" She was trying to stall, not liking where
this was headed. He wanted to turn her! For some
reason that thought scared her even more than dying
did.
"Because of your beauty? Your power?" His lips
trailed feather light kisses along her neck, nipping
lightly at her pulse point. "Because you are feared as
the witch who restored the great Angelus's soul?"
Despite herself Willow leaned into his kisses, the
sound of his voice hypnotic. {No! Bad man! Snap out of
it!} Her thoughts returned with a vengeance.
"Powerful? Yeah right. I can't even get away from you.
How powerful is that?" The sarcastic words poured from
her pretty mouth. She pushed away from him, moving to
the far side of the bed.
Damien smiled, lying down on the side she had just
vacated. "Going somewhere?" Again the silken words
washed over the red head. "There's no where for you to
go, lover." He smiled at her. "Might as well lie down
with me." She made no move to get closer to him. "Have
it your way. I have all the time in the world to play
this game." He would take her soon, by force if
necessary. But he wanted her to desire him. It would
make things so much easier in the long run. But it
wasn't a must. The thought of beraking her spirit
aroused him almost as much as the thought of taking
her willingly. One way or another he would have his
witch before morning.
* * *
"This is to easy." Buffy whispered as the dust from
yet another dispatchd vampire settled at her feet. She
was starting to think that Angel and Spike had just
been exaggerating. After all, she had already dusted
six vamps and no one had been hurt. There was no sign
of anything in the house more menacing than a
fledgeling to her senses.
Xander groaned. "You realize you just cursed us
right?" He laughed nervously. It was never a good idea
to say that something was 'too easy' when one was
living on the Hellmouth. The foyer of the house
branched off into two halls from here. He looked
around the dark foyer, wondering where to look for the
girls next.
Angel tilted his head to the side, listening to
something the humans couldn't hear. "Heartbeats
upstairs." He laid a hand on Spike's arm as the
younger vampire made a move to go up the stairs.
"Wait." The dark haired vampier looked around at the
humans with them. "Buffy, come with us. The rest of
you stay down here. If we're not back soon - leave."
"But Buffy..." Xander started to whine. Why did the
Slayer get to go with them to rescue his friend?
"Can take care of herself." Buffy interjected. A
scream pierced the air from somewhere above them.
"Cordy..." Angel gasped, racing up the stairs before
anyone could stop him, Spike and Buffy at his heels.
{Angel and Cordy?} Buffy couldnt help the feelings of
jealousy that ran through her at the thought of her
former lover with the ex-cheerleader. {Nah.} She
continued to follow the vampires through the dark
halls. There would be time to think about that later,
anyway. She hoped.
* * *
Cordelia screamed through already sore vocal cords as
Elias laid his hands on her head again. She felt his
intrusion into her mind like a knife ripping through
her soul. She closed her eyes, trying to escape the
images he was forcing upon her. Pictures of her death.
Her body rotting and decaying in the earth, a home for
worms and bugs. She pictured her flesh withering, her
skin sagging as she gave way to death and she screamed
again. The flashes were so real she could almost feel
herself dying, feel herself shrivel into a withered
husk. And she screamed again.
Elias watched the brunette's face with satisfaction.
She was beautiful when she was scared. The fear she
gave off from one of his 'small' visions was like a
banquet to him and he absorbed it through the air
itself, feeling his body harden with desire as the
fear fed him. Tonight he would take his enjoyment of
the girl to the next step.
Cordelia felt his hands on her through the terror of
the vision, pushing her simple cotton underwear down
and onto the floor. "NO!!!" She screamed with all her
might, managing to land a kick in his groin.
"You stupid bitch!" Elias roared, rearing back and
smacking her.
Cordelia could taste blood in her mouth as he hit her
again. And again. She closed her eyes, hoping she
would pass out soon and escape the pain that had
become her life. She heard a startled cry and opened
her eyes. "Angel?" She watched as the dark haired
vampire held her tormentor by his throat, slowly
squeezing the life from him. In a mixture of horror
and happiness she watched as the life slowly left
Elias's eyes, his body thrown against the wall like
some sort of rag doll. "Angel?" She sobbed, realizing
that even with his game face out in full force he
still looked like *her* Angel - her saviour.
"Cordy." He held her in his arms, looking over her
battered body. "I need to get you out of here." {And
go help Spike} His mind whispered. As much as he
wanted to hold the girl and quiet all her fears they
still needed to save Willow. He lifted her into his
arms, carrying her quickly to where he had left Giles
and the others. Casting his senses out into the house,
Angel searched for his childe and ran with all the
speed he could manage towards him - and Willow.
*********
Part Ten
* * *
Damien knew the moment the two vampires entered the
house. He wasn't afraid of them. After all, they were
nothing more than children compared to him. Weaklings
- both traitors to their own kind. He would have his
Willow and then he would rid the world of them.
Willow felt her captor's fingertips trailing along
her thigh, soft like a whisper over the fabric of her
jeans. She pulled away further, practically falling
off of the bed. She didnt understand what he was
doing, why she hadn't been turned yet or raped or
worse. It was almost as if he wanted her to desire him
with all of the soft touches and kisses. {That'll
never happen. There's only one vamp for me.} Cordelia
started screaming again and she shivered, sending one
of a million silent prayers to her Goddess.
The vampire inched closer to her, grabbing hold of
her wrist with a firm grip. He could hear the
commotion happening in other parts of the house and
knew he didnt have much time before they would try to
take his Willow away. He had wanted her willing, but
any way would work.
Her eyes met his and she knew something had changed.
He wasn't going to wait anymore. "Please, no." She
whispered, trying to pull her arm from his vice like
hold. "Please."
"It will only hurt for a minute, precious." Damien
pulled her into his lap, her back to his chest. With
the touch of a lover he brushed aside her hair, baring
the creamy whiteness of her neck. He kissed at her
pulse point, letting his tongue drag over it as he
tasted her.
"Please no..." She was still begging, tears coming to
her eyes. She hoped Spike knew how deeply she cared
for him. Pain lanced through her neck and shoulders as
he sank his razor sharp fangs into her, drinking
deeply. She struggled against his mouth, the pain
sperading in a hot wave across her entire body. She
closed her eyes and waited for death.
"LET HER GO!" Willow felt a new kind of pain as
Damien's fangs withdrew from her neck. Groggily she
opened her eyes to see Buffy and Spike standing not
too far away.
"Spike..." The word slipped from the witch's lips as
she faded into unconsciousness.
"Red?!?" Spike yelled. He wanted to run to her and
hold her in his arms. Even from here he could hear her
labored breathing and slow heartbeat. She needed to
get to the hospital soon. "You will die for touching
her." Spike growled.
"I dont think so, William." Damien purred, laying his
soon-to-be consort on the bed and coming to stand
before them. "What happened to you? You used to be a
force to be reckoned with. Now you're running around
with the Slayer?" He gestured with scorn to the irate
blonde girl. "Oh how the mighty have fallen. Darla
would be so disappointed to see how you turned out.
Her own grand-childe, friend to the Slayer." He
smirked. "Not so fast, bitch." Damien slipped into his
true face, throwing Buffy against a wall as she tried
to sneak past him. There was a sickening crack and
then the Slayer lay still.
{Still alive, barely.} Spike noted before throwing
himself at the Master vampire. He swung wildly,
connecting with nothing as Damien dodged neatly out of
the way. A hard kick landed in his stomach as Damien
began to fight back in earnest, knocking Spike to the
ground without much effort. Damien kicked again,
viciously connecting with the side of Spike's face as
the blonde haired vampire tried to haul himself to his
feet. The force of the kicks knocked Spike senseless.
"Pathetic." Damien sneered. He produced a large
switchblade from his pocket, flipping it out with a
smirk. "Absoluetly pathetic." With a grunt of pleasure
he rammed the blade into Spike's stomach, watching
with satisfaction as blood began to flow in a heavy
gush onto the floor. With a flick of his hand he
twisted the knife, grinning when the injured vampire
moaned in pain. "You always were fun to play with."
Damien whispered, dipping his fingers in the blood and
bringing them to his lips.
Spike watched in absolute numbness as Damien sucked
the blood from his fingers. He felt the cool touch of
the blade on his neck and closed his eyes. This was
it. He knew from past experience that after Damien
slit his throat he would watch him bleed and then
stake him. It was one of Damien's favorite games
afterall.
The knife clattered to the floor, ringing loudly in
Spike's ears as he heard the sound of dust exploding.
He opened his eyes warily, unsure of what to expect.
"No one tortures my childe but me." Angel muttered,
glaring at the pile of dust that was once Damien.
"Thanks." Spike grumbled, staggering to his feet. "I
think." He stumbled over to Willow, gathering her into
his arms. "Get the Slayer. They both need to go to the
hospital." He cradled the little red head in his arms
as they ran down the stairs. He could hear her heart
rate getting slower and knew she was going into shock.
{C'mon baby. Hang on.} He couldnt lose her now. Not
after saving her. Not now. He looked down into her
face and knew that he would turn her if he had to. He
would give up her innocence to keep her with him as
selfish as that may be. It was a last resort though
and he pushed the thought to the back of his mind,
whispering, "C'mon, pet. We're almost there. Just hold
on."
***
Part Eleven
***
Willow sighed, shifting uncomfortable in the hard
hospital bed. It had been over a day since the fight
with Damien and she wanted out of this place. She knew
she had lost alot of blood and that she was damn lucky
to be alive. That was all fine and great. But she
didn't want to be in this hospital for one more
minute. And part of that reason was sitting in front
of her. She met Buffy's eyes again, trying hard to
remind herself that her friend was just 'looking out
for her best interests'. "Buffy. I care very much for
Spike. I have fallen in love with him." She had said
this before, but she hoped that this time her friend
would actually hear her.
"Wills, you just feel gratitude to him for saving you
and protecting you. You can't possibly love him. Hes
Spike!" She lowered her voice. "Remember? Vampire?
Mortal Enemy?" She sighed. Willow just refused to see
that Spike was bad for her. She had been having this
same conversation with her for the past couple hours
and couldnt see where she was making any progress.
{Maybe I'll just go stake him and get it over with.}
She thought with a smile.
The red head watched the evil little grin that came
over her friend's face. "Buffy..." She said warningly.
This was not good. Buffy didn't seem to care that she
was with the vampire of her own free will. "C'mon. If
Angel trusts him enough to let him be with me, why
can't you?" She regretted the words the instant they
left her mouth.
"Angel?" Buffy said the word with scorn. "Angel is so
busy trying to get into Cordelia's pants he can't
think straight." Cool rage enveloped her at the
thought of her ex-lover with the brunette.
"Jealous? What about Riley? Arent you happy with
him?" Willow knew better than to push the subject but
couldnt help herself. She could tell by the look in
her friend's eyes that she was far from over Angel.
{Great. Just great.} She listened to her friend rant,
hoping Spike would come by soon to get her. She was
leaving the hospital one way or the other.
* * *
Spike wanted to kill her. One look at his Sire told
him the older vampire was having similar thoughts.
{That would upset Willow though.} He had listened with
growing anger as Willow told him how Buffy had
cornered her in the hospital earlier that day,
badgering her about Spike, Cordelia, and Angel.
"I just wish I could go away for a while..." The
sentiment was whispered. She knew Buffy wasn't going
to let this go. Her heart couldnt understand why her
best friend couldnt just be happy for her. {Because
she's miserable in her own relationship.} Her mind
whispered.
"Then lets go away, luv." The blond vampire met her
eyes with perfect seriousness.
"Actually," Angel smiled. "That doesnt sound like a
bad idea." He wanted the chance to get to know
Cordelia better - far from Buffy. Even LA wasn't
seeming far enough now. Then there was his childe. The
blonde seemed more stable now, and he found himself
wanting to try to rebuild the friendship they had had
so many years ago. "Lets take a vacation. Together."
He looked into his childe's eyes, conveying everything
he hoped in one look.
Spike nodded once. "So where do you two want to go,
pets? Anywhere. Just name it." Blue eyes darted back
and forth between Cordelia and Willow.
"Spain or Ireland..." Willow said just as Cordelia
murmured, "France or Italy."
The two vampires looked at each other and laughed.
"Well," Angel grinned. "We have almost three months
until Willow has to be back for school. Things at work
were slow anyway." He saw Cordelia nod in agreement.
"How about a vacation to see the sites in *all* of
Europe?"
Willow's eyes grew round. "Really?" She breathed, her
face as bright as a child who's parents just told them
they were getting all their Christmas presents early.
She glanced over at Cordelia. The girl's mouth was
hanging open and her eyes were dazed.
"Really, pet." Spike leaned over to kiss her softly
on the lips. "Now. Lets get you checked out of this
place and home to pack. I'm sure Peaches over there
can arrange for us to leave tomorrow if he tries hard
enough." The look Spike gave his sire said he hoped he
would do just that.
Angel nodded. He gathered his still speechless
receptionist into his arms, making a mental checklist
of all they needed to do before they could leave as
Spike went to argue with the doctors about discharging
Willow. He smiled at the twin expressions of stunned
happiness on the girls' faces. Europe was nothing new
to Spike and himself but it would be to their
companions. And he realized one thing as he thought
about his childe and the two women.
He couldnt wait to see it with them.
****
End Fic
read the Sequal 'European Vacation'