When Isabel and Angel returned to his apartment, they found Spike and Willow fast asleep on the elder vampire's bed.  They were wrapped in each other's arms, oozing with sleepy content.  The witch opened herself to their happiness, trying to warm herself in it, hoping it would take away some of the chill from her bones.  As Angel realized what she was doing, he wrapped his arms about her waist and pulled her against his chest.

"Their emotions are so simple, Angel.  Comfort, content, happiness.  They're at home in each other's arms."

He propped his head on her shoulder and dropped a light kiss on her throat.  "I hope that you can one day be at home in mine, love," he whispered.  Isabel turned in his arms and looked up into the dark eyes that displayed such sincerity.  "Angel, to a huge extent I do," she replied.  "But it's a new home.  And I wasn't quite ready to give up the old one."

She rested her head on his chest and let his comfort wash over her.  Never in a million years did she think that she would be in the arms of a man she had known only for a day.  But Angel was different.  In a way they were kindred souls.  They were of two worlds, not quite belonging in either of them.  Angel was a vampire that lived almost as a human, bearing the soul of a human.  Isabel was a half-demon that had been raised in a human world.  While she had always known she was different, she had no idea why.  Now she had a human life, but had to learn to live with her demon
side--a side of her that still hadn't reached its full power.  She was very grateful that she'd had the opportunity to learn what she did about the demon world and to have made friends in it.

"Looks like we get the couch tonight, corazon," he remarked, interrupting her thoughts.  "That is, if you want to share with me again."

  "Angel, I'm not going to dignify that with a response," she muttered witheringly.  "Anyway," she began, changing the topic, "It's way to early for me to be going to sleep.  It's only," pausing, she looked at Angel's watch, "two."  She thought for a second and looked up at Angel.  "Do you have roof access?"

"I do.  Why?"

"Wanna try and look at the stars through LA's plenteous smog with me while I attempt to clear my head?"

"I'd be honored."

"Good.  Wanna grab a blanket while I change?"  She started toward the bathroom and turned on her heel. "My jammies are in one of those bags and I don't want to rifle through them and risk waking Spike and Wills up."  She looked up hopefully at Angel.  "Can I borrow more of yours?  Please?"  He smiled warmly at her and nodded.  "Of course, corazon.  Remember, right now my home is yours and anything you may need is yours too."  Isabel smiled her thanks and left him to change.

She returned minutes later and threw a pair of navy pajama pants at him.  "I took the liberty of grabbing some for you.  Change."  With a grin he turned and left her only to come back seconds later.  Isabel couldn't help but leer a bit.  He stood before her wearing those pants and nothing else.  She admired the strong arms that had held her so tenderly and the well-muscled chest that she'd rested her head against.  The man had the beauty of a Greek god and she let him know with the lust in her eyes.

"Very nice, Angel," she complimented reverently. "Now lets go."

Angel led Isabel up to the roof and spread the blanket out.  He then sat down to gaze at the tattooed witch.  Isabel was looking at the moon, bathing in its energy and feeding on its light.  Her head was thrown back and her arms out, totally oblivious to the vampire studying her with a smile on his face.  The light of the moon gave her black waves highlights of blue and made her alabaster skin luminous.  'A goddess.'

When Isabel turned and smiled beatifically at him he realized he had said that out loud.  He held a hand out to her and she went to him, allowing the vampire to pull her on to the blanket next to him.  "Not a goddess, Angel," she told him as he wrapped her in his arms.  "Just a witchy demon chick trying to make it through."  The vampire just smiled and shifted her so that she was sitting between his thighs and wrapped his arms around her waist while be buried his head in her neck.  He kissed it tenderly and let the smell of her, the clove and spice and smoke, wash over him.

Isabel settled in his arms and covered them with her own.  She settled into his embrace and opened herself to Angel's peace and comfort, letting it soak into her skin.  "I can't remember the last time I was held like this," she mused quietly.  "It almost feels like I've never been quite this comfortable and secure."

"I'm glad I can give that security to you, corazon," he breathed.  Angel moved his hands from Isabel's waist and brought them to her hair to take her pigtails down so he could run his fingers through the soft black waves.  In his task he noticed something. "I've found another tattoo," he mumbled almost to himself.  Angel traced the Korean symbol gracing the nape of her neck.  "What does it mean?"

"Indomitable spirit.  Drew suggested it to me after I managed to, er, stop living like a woman out of control and become the woman you see today," she explained.  The witch shivered as he placed a kiss on her ink, causing him to grin against her flesh.  "If you're anything, love, you're unconquerable.  Do you have more?"

"Sure enough.  Wanna see?"

"Please."  That one word whispered in her ear made Isabel close her eyes as pleasurable warmth shot its way down to her belly.  Taking a deep breath she inched forward so she could take her tank off to bare her back to his gaze.  On her left shoulder blade was a tattoo of Bettie Page in devil regalia and on her right in that of an angel.  On the small of her back was a Celtic eternity knot and along her spine, starting between her shoulder blades was the reminder 'sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll' inked in calligraphy. Once he had studied all of the pieces on her back, he kissed each one reverently, drawing his tongue lightly up her spine.  "More?"  She nodded and drew her shirt back down.  She turned to face him, pleased by the
lust she saw reflected in his fathomless eyes.  She  drew the waistband of her pants down on the right to reveal a black bell with the AC/DC logo adorning her hipbone.  That one he traced with his tongue, biting it gently.

"Hell's Bells," Angel purred with a smile. "Correct," she replied with pleasure and surprise.  "I assumed you were more of a Vivaldi and Strauss or a
Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong kind of fella.  I would never look at you and say, 'That beautiful hunk of man is a rock 'n rollin' sort of boy.'  Now I  know that I can definitely hang out with you for the rest of my life."

"There's a lot we still don't know about each other, love," he murmured.  "I think that we'll continue to be pleasantly surprised."

"I've only got a few more," she muttered, changing the subject slightly.  She pulled her left pant leg up to reveal one of Coop's devil girls on the outside of her thigh and a snake coiling around her ankle.  The vampire traced each one lovingly, leaving Isabel aching for his touch.  "You've seen my arms already," she muttered as he fingered the old school heart with a 'Mom' banner on her forearm.  "Just one more now," she whispered, crawling closer to her vampire.  "It may scandalize you, Angel.  Not the actual tattoo, but the location."

"I think I can take it, corazon," he huskily returned.  She knelt in front of him and completely removed her tank and then her black bra.  On her right
was a beautiful blue crescent moon curving around the side of her breast.  "Gorgeous."  Isabel waited breathlessly, waiting for him to kiss that tattoo as he had the others.  He gazed up at the enchanting goddess before him, asking for silent permission to continue touching her. At that moment he wanted nothing but to devour her with his kiss and have Isabel screaming in pleasure beneath him. The desire burning in Isabel's eyes was all the permission he needed.

He inched forward and pulled her into his lap. Pushing her hair behind her, he started at her neck, kissing, biting, and licking until he got to the top
of her breast.  Her chest heaving in silent want, the witch tossed her head back, arching into him, begging for his caress.  Gently, the vampire  tangled his hands in her hair and leaned over her, slowly kissing every inch of ink surrounding her breast, then feasting, taking her pebbled nipple into his wet mouth.  He bit softly at first, sucking tenderly, but his witch pulled him closer, running her hands through his soft hair.  "Harder, Angel," she begged.  "Don't be afraid to mark me."  He responded with a harsh bite, making Isabel cry out his name.  The other he treated in the same manner--gently first, then escalating into rough bites.

Angel fell backward, taking Isabel with him and captured her lips in a harsh kiss, sweeping the warm cavern of her mouth with his tongue.  Bell moaned into him as she encountered his prominent sex, hard and quite ready for her.  She ground against him roughly, trying to ease the ache between her thighs.  The two demons rocked against each other in pale imitation of what they really ached for--for the vampire to be sheathed inside the warmth of his Divine One.

Isabel's thrusts became more erratic as her needs began to spiral and Angel rolled them over with him between her thighs.  It was when she wrapped her legs around her vampire's waist, returning his hungry kisses that reality came crashing down for Isabel. She gently ended the kiss and stilled her hips, praying for the ache, the want to just disappear. Oblivious to with witch's distress, Angel turned his attention back to her neck as she attempted to get her head together.

"Angel?" she whispered, trying not to moan while under the influence of his tongue, which was then lapping at her pulse point.  "Yes, corazon?" he
mumbled between kisses.  "I think--oh Gods!"  Angel chose that moment to bring his hand to her core, stroking her through the thin silk of her  pajamas. The vampire propped himself up on one arm as he continued to touch her, watching adoringly as she writhed against his hand.  "What do you think?" he whispered as he brought his hand under the silk and entered her with a single digit, finding her channel sopping for him.  "We should really stop," she moaned as a second finger joined the first.

"We're not in danger, corazon.  Just because I can't be inside you doesn't mean I can't bring you pleasure," he breathed before teasing her breasts with his tongue, biting and suckling until she cried out in painful bliss.  His thumb started circling her engorged clit, causing her to buck under him, trying to get more contact, but he held her down."  Isabel managed to open her eyes and gaze at Angel through the haze of her lust.  "You don't have to," she whispered, bringing her hand up to stroke his face.  "I know I don't, love, but please, let me.  I want to hear you, see you when you scream my name as you come."  He sped his ministrations, feeling her approaching the brink. "Will you let me?"  She cried out as he pumped into
her with three long fingers, filling and stretching her.  "Yes," the witch moaned breathily.  "Gods yes........"  She trailed off before kissing him
lovingly.  "Please, Angel, make me come." She sighed against his lips, moving desperately against him.  He granted her request and stroked her swollen bundle of nerves forcefully, her walls beginning to quake around him.  Angel cradled her head with his free hand, gazing lovingly at the creature beneath him.  He committed the image to memory--the flush of her skin, the hunger flashing in her eyes, her gaze as it never left his as she cried for him.  With every breath she moaned his name, crying it as she crashed over, just before sinking her blunt teeth into Angel's neck,
drawing blood.

It had been so long since anyone had done that, drink him in the midst of orgasm. He almost forgot what it felt like to have another mouth tasting his lifeblood.  The vampire spiraled into his own release when she pierced his skin, growling her name. He came violently and collapsed on his lover, pinning her down with his weight.  He lay shaking in her arms, tears in his eyes as he tried to recover. She took his nonexistent breath away, she did.  The intensity of Angel's orgasm flooded Isabel's senses, sending her into release once more.  Panting, Isabel cradled him to her breast,
stroking his back as they came down.  "I'm sorry, Angel," she whispered tearfully, "I didn't mean--"

He silenced her with a loving kiss and looked deeply into her eyes, seeing regret and some confusion. "Don't apologize, love.  Why should you?  All you did was give me a screaming orgasm," he stated gently with humor.  "I believe I just did the same for you.  We're even."  Isabel managed a smile when she saw the bit of happiness in the liquid coal of his eyes.  "I didn't know, well, if you--I mean if it...."  She trailed off uncertainly, not quite sure how to put her thoughts into words.  Luckily for her, Angel understood. "Isabel, corazon, just the act of release won't set my soul free.  If it did, I'd definitely be soulless and wouldn't have such a close relationship with my hand."

Isabel laughed out loud at that.  Angel looked at her oddly.  "What?"  The witch kissed the mark she just made and gazed up at the stars.  "It's awesome you said that, Angel."

"It's awesome that I told you I masturbate regularly?"

"Not that.  It's awesome that you feel comfortable enough to say that to me.  Besides, who doesn't masturbate?  Even I admit that I have a Hello Kitty vibrator."

Angel grinned and rolled off of her.  Lying on his back, he cradled Isabel against him and the little demon draped her arm over his stomach.  "We're all sticky," she giggled.  Angel let his hand wander back to her breast, stroking it lightly.  "We could clean each other up, Bell," he suggested with a leer.  "Baby steps, Angel.  Just hold me."  The vampire acquiesced gladly and rested his head atop hers.  The pair lay silently, finding great comfort wrapped in each other's arms.

When Isabel did speak up, her words startled the purring vampire.  "When you hold me, Angel, I never want to leave.  It's when I'm with you that I feel safe, like no one can hurt me here."  Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke.  It was a complete 360 from their post-orgasmic contentment just moments before.  Angel gazed into her watery grey eyes, his chest constricting painfully due to the anguish and fear embedded there.  He lifted her to straddle his abdomen and placed his hands gently on her hips. "*Nothing* will happen to your while you're with me, love," he avowed with fierce determination. "Nothing."

Isabel smiled gratefully at him, lightly stroking his chest, but not in a sexual way.  She was using her sense of touch to become even closer to vampire's sincerity and concern.  Angel covered her hands with his own, pressing them further into his flesh.  "Open yourself to me, Isabel," he asked softly.  "I want to you feel everything that I feel for you.  I want you to know that I'll never let anything hurt you as long as we're together and even if we aren't."

She cocked her head to the side slightly and regarded him with a sad smile.  "Are we together, Angel?" she whispered.  "Is there a you and me?"  The question caught him off-guard, even though he had wondered the same thing only hours ago.  She took his silence the wrong way and tried to move off of him.  His reflexes were too quick for that and he rolled them over so he was once again resting between her thighs.  He then began tracing her lips with his thumb as if memorizing them by touch.  "Isabel, corazon, I think it's safe to say that to a large extent there is.  I said that I
wasn't going to let you slip through my fingers and I meant it.  I also said that I want to get to know you, love.  I want to know you intimately.   Not just your body--the entire you.  Your heart, your soul, your mind.  I want to be able to appreciate it all.  Once we are bonded, there will definitely be an us, but our relationship will not be based on ritual.  It will be based on friendship, respect, trust, and love."

He moved his hand from her lips to her cheek so he could brush the hair away from her face.  "We are bound to have a long life together, Isabel.  And I know that there is so much you still need to know about me, but yet we are indeed together.  Do you want us to be?"  Isabel felt the fear underlying his question.  It was very similar to hers.  Neither demon wanted to be together out of lust or necessity only. They wanted, needed to be with someone that would love them.  And hopefully fall in love with them.

"I haven't wanted to be part of an 'us' for a very long time, Angel," she disclosed.  "In fact, I avoided the possibility of being in the position to think
about it for years.  But now, after knowing you, after being in your arms and being so close to all of the love, determination, and devotion in you, I don't think I've ever wanted anything more."

~*~*~

Spike had been awake since the moment Isabel and his sire stepped off of the elevator.  The witch had done lots of crying while they were out, he could smell it.  He just wished he knew what about.  Was it the fact that she was a demon that upset her?  Was it because in two days she would be claimed--most probably by Angel?  Or were they just tears of grief for her slain family?  The woman that his sire was enamored with had so much to deal with in such a short period of time. Maybe he was becoming a complete nancyboy like his sire, but he truly felt for her.

He knew how important family was.  When he was human, he adored his parents and his sisters.  When he was turned, Angelus and Dru were his family and meant the world to him.  And when Angel left them after regaining his soul, he had been devastated.  Sadly for the vampire, he didn't have the luxury of grieving at first.  After all, he had to take care of Dru.  Once he ran out of room for his bottled emotions, it was an ugly sight.  The vampire known as William the Bloody, half of the Scourge of Europe, and the right hand of Angelus left a long and bloody trail in his wake as he
traveled through Europe.  He destroyed entire towns and villages, hoping that each life taken would bring him closer to some bit of comfort.

They didn't.  While he did thoroughly enjoy the bloodbath, nothing filled the void that his sire left.  Angel had been his sire--his father, brother,
confidant, and sometimes lover.  As decades passed and his love for Dru flourished, the ache did diminish some, but it never completely left.  When Angel lost his soul with the slayer, that didn't do it either. That wasn't his sire.  His sire, while he was entirely ruthless and bloodthirsty, had all of his marbles. That incarnation of Angelus did *not.*

If anyone ever told him that he would become close to his sire, his *souled* sire while trying to protect some demon-slash-witch, he would've laughed.  And then gutted the unfortunate individual.  But there he was, sleeping in his sire's bed with the witch he so adored, keeping guard over a woman he'd just met, and sharing several polite conversations with Angel.  And during one of those conversations, he could feel his sire's pride and love for him.  It was all incredibly surreal, but he wouldn't trade any of it for the world.  Well, maybe if his chip could be removed, but what he really wanted was his sire and his Red at his side.  He also wanted Isabel to have his back.  She was astounding.  The witch would do wonders for Angel.
 Spike thought she to be a part of his soul that had been missing.

He knew that Angel still harbored a love for Buffy, but they couldn't be.  Their relationship was based on pretend--Angel pretending Buffy wasn't the slayer and Buffy pretending Angel wasn't the creature she was born to destroy.  They distracted each another, making each other weak.  Spike saw Isabel as a source of great strength for Angel.  She lived in two worlds, just as he did and would be able to show him he could truly have a place in those worlds.  Isabel was a ray of light in his sire's darkness, and Angel her guide to the darkness they would be sharing.

'Yup, I'm definitely an utter ponce now.  But if being all poncey earns me Willow and my sire, I'll take it.  Doesn't mean I can't kick some ass, after
all.'

He looked down at his little sleeping witch.  She was pressed against his side, her arm draped across his stomach.  Even in sleep she wore a sweet expression on her face.  He couldn't believe how incredibly lucky he was to be next to the redheaded angel beside him. Just as he had told his sire, she was everything he wasn't.  But she accepted him anyway.  He knew it would take a while for her feelings to match his, but he was willing to wait.  She was worth it.

Spike kissed her lightly on the forehead and started to get out of bed so he could have a smoke.  He stopped when an all too familiar scent reached his nostrils as Angel and Isabel entered the apartment. They both wore silly grins and were holding hands. Isabel's skin was somewhat flushed and Angel looked like the stick up his ass had been *greatly* reduced in size.  Growling, he stood and approached them.

"You.  Outside.  Now," he snarled at the older vampire.  Isabel looked on in confusion as Spike literally pulled Angel to the elevator and slammed it
closed.  The energy of Spike's hostility remained in the room even after they'd left it, leaving her quite concerned.  As tempted as she was to intercede, she knew that it would be best to let them sort it out themselves.  "Guess I'll just take a shower then," she mumbled to herself.  Before grabbing more of Angel's clothes, she looked in on Willow.  The redhead was still fast asleep, a pillow clutched to her chest.  'A Spike substitute while he's out of bed.'  With a smirk she headed off to her shower.

Looking in the mirror, she saw a glimpse of the Isabel she was forty-eight hours ago.  Some of her color was back, her eyes reflected more than pain, and she was smiling.  She was still grieving, but still she smiled.  Angel had made her smile.

For the first time, she was wondering if love at first sight was a real thing.  She'd had many lovers in her lifetime, but none she ever thought about
spending her life with.  Angel would be claiming her on Monday night.  That claim would make him a part of her life forever.  She couldn't say that she minded. Angel told her that he wanted to know her intimately. She wanted the same with him.  She wanted to know how he became the man he is today.  The man that made her feel a security she had never felt before, the man who would willingly bring her into his life after having known her for just one day.

The witch stepped into the shower with a smile still on her face as she thought about her Angel.

~*~*~

Angel was silent until they stepped outside the office.  "William, what the hell is going on?!" he roared at his childe.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"What?"

"You heard me, Angelus.  Did. You. Sleep. With. Her."

Angel gaped at the blonde, hurt that his childe thought  he would risk his soul like that.  "No, I didn't.  Why would you ask me that?"

"Angel, the both of you reek of sex.  What am I supposed to think?" he answered, his anger and his concern evident in his eyes, his face, in the tension of his body.

"I didn't sleep with her, Spike," he whispered.  "I wanted to--you have no idea how much, but I managed to keep some semblance of control.  What you smell is our release, but there was no intercourse.  I just wanted to bring her pleasure, Spike.  She bit me when she came.  That's why I did."

"She bit you?" he breathed, all accusations out the window.  Angel nodded.  "Yes.  And I apparently approved."

"Fuck, Sire. I'm sorry for jumping the gun."

Angel chuckled and glanced down at the stain on the front of his pants.  "Don't worry, boy.  We both did."  Spike stared at Angel in shock.  He couldn't believe his sire made such a comment.  For one, he down right accused his sire of something he didn't do, and second, that he could joke about it.  Back in the day, Angel would've given him a very bloody lesson in respect.  Maybe he did really like this face of his sire.

"I take it she took all of the news well?" he asked hopefully, changing the subject.  "She did--it explained a lot to her.  We've decided that I'm going
to place the claim on Monday.  And honestly, I can't say that I mind it.  Of course, I abhor the situation she's been placed in, but I'll have her in my life, William.  I rejoice in that."

"As you should, Angel, but you really need to be careful with her.  That's the kind of woman that can bring you total bliss even out of bed.  Just like
Willow is."

"I know, but I think I'll be so worried about losing my soul that I won't have time for that moment."  He paused a moment and smiled brightly at his childe. "I'm happy that you and Will have found each other, William.  I know your life isn't what you'd like it to be, but having her will help fill that void.  Her love will be sweeter than the sweetest of blood, my boy."

Spike took Angel's hand, the older vampire looking at him in surprise.  The blonde just smirked and shrugged.  "It's all of this bloody togetherness,
Peaches.  It's made me into the biggest nonce in the world, next to you that is."  Angel responded by pulling him in for a tight embrace.  "It's so good to have you here, William," he whispered.  "I know we have much to resolve, but I'm willing if it means having you by my side again."  Spike returned the hug, resting his head on the dark vampire's shoulder.  "I'm willing, Sire.  Completely willing."

~*~*~

Isabel was just coming out of the shower when Spike and Angel returned to the apartment.  "I hope there's no more of that blatant hostility tonight, boys.  I'm in dire need of sleep and there's no way that'll happen if those nasty vibes coming back."  Spike smiled sheepishly and shook his head.  "That won't happen, pet," he promised.  "Just a little misunderstanding.  Bell stared at him a moment, wondering what it was about.  Moments later it came to her.  "You thought we had sex, didn't you, Blondie?" she asked.  "Don't know why I didn't figure that out when you first started growling."

Spike was impressed that she could speak so casually, without a trace of embarrassment.  But then again, this one didn't embarrass easily.  He grinned and took her hand to kiss it.  "I'll leave you two so you can get that all-important beauty sleep.  G'night, pets."

Isabel and Angel watched him saunter away, then turned to grin at each other.  "I'm gonna hit the couch, Angel.  I'm sure you wanna shower and change." She stood on her toes to brush a slight kiss across his lips before heading to bed.  With a large smile he headed for a quick shower.  He didn't want to be away from her for long.

After his incredibly fast shower, he headed to bed, but Isabel was already asleep.  'Mourning and two screaming orgasms will do that, I suppose.'  He crawled into bed behind her, her back to his chest. Kissing her neck reverently, he wrapped a secure arm around her waist.  "Sweet dreams, corazon," he murmured as sleep began to take him.  In her sleep she still managed to settle into his arms and sigh happily.  "Sweet dreams, my Angel."
 

~Part: 12~

An anguished howl rang out into the night as a vampire scorned watched the man that had *dared* touch Isabel disappear into his home. His Bella, his beautiful one had willingly let someone besides he kiss her and caress her and love her. And she had tasted his blood, therefore tainting her own. "Bella, you wound me. Whoring around with *him,* a perfect stranger," he whispered hoarsely. "You're mine and its time to remind you of that." He had worked too hard to get where he was to let a traitorous demon such as Angel take his love away from him. He had spent *years* finding his beautiful one. Simon wanted to give her the world, and her thanks was infidelity. He’d been far too lenient. She had to be punished. He turned on his heel and headed towards Sunset. "Time for a beer with some friends."
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

Willow woke up far before any of her companions, but lay in bed for a while, thinking about the previous night. She had ended up falling asleep in Spike's arms hours before Angel and Isabel had returned from their evening of adventure. The blonde and the redhead spent the evening talking, after Spike interrupted their make-out session, that was. She was having a difficult time fathoming it--Willow Rosenberg had spent an entire Saturday night in animated conversation with William the Bloody, half of the Scourge of Europe, the right hand of Angelus. It was surreal, but she loved *every* second of it. He was an active listener, truly interested in everything she had to say. Most of it was about Willow, how she had come to really care for Isabel and how much she was going to miss Eli, Jayne, Ash, and Drew.

She had told Spike things she's never once thought to talk about with Buffy or Xander. She'd never told them much about the time she spent in LA or told them how free she felt when she was there. Willow wasn't the hacker, the research girl, or the badass Wicca when she was in LA. She was just Willow, a carefree eighteen year old with her entire life ahead of her. When she was with Isabel and the others, she was able to do things she never did in Sunnydale. Especially when she was there without Oz.

The first time Willow had gone to visit without her ex-boyfriend, it was late in the summer and she had just spent days and days researching a demon with Giles. Once Buffy had killed it, Willow had left for LA. She was pretty stressed and in the course of conversation, she'd told Isabel and Jayne how much she would like to drive to Las Vegas and spend the weekend gambling and drinking and doing absolutely nothing that had any resemblance to her normal life.

"Oh, my word, Spike," she'd exclaimed. "An hour later, after Jayne called in sick for the weekend at work and Bell called in sick for Monday, we were on the road. It was three days of dancing, gambling, drinking, and cheesy tourist-y stuff." Spike raised his scarred eyebrow in curiosity. "Drinking, Red? Sounds like you were a naughty little thing."

"Not too naughty," Willow assured him with a grin. "Isabel was looking out for us. She's had some problems with the bottle before, so she keeps an eye out. It‘s really scary though, because it takes *so* much to get her wasted that when she stopped being a professional drunk she was able to--” Seeing the incredulous look on Spike’s face, she decided to head back to the original topic. “--never mind that. Anyway, it was a very good time. No demons, no apocalypses, no boyfriend, no slayer--just three insane girls running around the Las Vegas Strip."

"No boyfriend, no slayer, love? You say it like they‘re bad things to have around." Willow sighed as she tried to figure out how to explain it. "It's not that I don't love Buffy and that I didn't love Oz--it was just that for the first time in my life I had *nothing* tying me down. I had nothing to be identified with. No one could look at me and see the Slayer's best friend and research girl or the musician's shy girlfriend. That weekend I was the foxy redhead, Isabel was the cute tattooed girl, and Jayne was the hot blonde. Really, we were," she giggled. "There were three guys in our hotel who had called us that." At that moment, Spike had committed her expression to memory--the joy sparkling in her eyes, the beauty of her smile, and the flush of her cheeks as she remembered. It was a happiness that he'd never seen in her before. She was uninhibited and unreserved Willow was truly the foxy redhead.

"We even got inked together that weekend," she revealed to him. Spike had been surprised when she raised the back of her tee shirt to show him the tattoo on the small of her back--a Celtic eternity knot. "Isabel has the same tattoo in the same spot and Jayne had one done on the inside of her wrist. Drew was working on another tattoo for me," she continued, her tone dropping slightly. Spike took her hand as the sadness entered her eyes. "A faery. He was drawing it in a style quite similar to Japanese anime. I was going to have it done on my shoulder blade."

"Plan on taking after Isabel, love?" he asked in jest, trying to make his witch smile. It worked. She flashed him an amused grin and shook her head. "Spike, if you count her half-sleeve as one tattoo, the woman has twelve of them. And she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. In fact, the ink will probably explode on her now."

"Why now?"

"She's quitting her 'evil corporate job,' as she calls it. Without the house to take care of, she really doesn't need it. Over the last few years, she's made some *very* sound investments and has quite a bit in the bank. After years of instability, she wanted to make sure she wouldn't have to relive it."

"You know, Red, the more I hear about Bell, the more impressed I am with her. And I'm happy you have someone like her in your life," he stated sincerely. "It's good that you've been able to get away from the Hellmouth and have experiences like the ones you've had with her and her family." Willow then snuggled up against Spike and yawned sleepily. "Me too, Spike." After that they'd spoken a little more about their concerns for their friend, avoiding the topic of their new relationship. It seemed like they had silently agreed to wait until the impending disaster was done looming over their heads. Neither one of them could really devote themselves to figuring things out until they got through Sunday's memorial, Monday's funeral, and Simon's attempted hostile takeover of Isabel's life. And once that was all over and done with, hopefully without bloodshed, they had a week before they'd be expected back in Sunnydale. Plenty of time to start helping Bell get herself situated and time for Willow and Spike to discuss how things would be when they got home. For the time being they would do with supportiveness and snuggling. After all, it was already doing wonders for the both of them.

Smiling and thinking about the vampire next to her, Willow gently lifted his arm from its resting place across her tummy and rolled out of bed. She managed to do so without waking him and tiptoed to her bags from the previous day's shopping. After picking out a pair of brown corduroy hip huggers and a dark red tank top, she jumped in the shower so she could then begin her day by doing a little reading on the Divinitus. But before padding past Isabel and Angel on her way to the bathroom, she stopped and studied the sleeping pair for a moment.

The tattooed witch was snuggled against the vampire's side, her head pillowed on his chest, his head buried in her hair. Even in their sleep they were holding each other tightly, as if they never wanted to let go. Willow had no idea what the Goddesses and Gods and the Powers That Be had planned for them, but she truly hoped that whatever it was kept them together. 'Okay, maybe that's a silly thought considering Angel will be claiming her in the next twenty-four hours, but I'm sure they know what I mean.' In four years, Willow had never seen Angel interact with anyone the way he did with Isabel. When he was with Buffy, he had been so reserved and self-conscious. But when he was in Isabel's presence, he was a wholly different Angel. The vampire practically glowed when she was in the room.

Willow knew that it really wasn't fair to compare the two women. They were *so* different and played different parts in Angel's life. And they both had different reasons for being in his life. The redhead could only hope that Isabel's ultimate purpose was to bring Angel the happiness that he deserved. After all, he had been the Scourge for a century and had been souled and tortured and broody for a century. And then there had been his decades and decades in hell. It was about time for the poor vamp to be able to get a happy without the soul going poof.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Willow jumped when a deep voice interrupted her thoughts and then glared at the grinning vampire in front of her. He was still all snuggly with Bell, but he'd lifted his head to could look at Willow. He'd been awake for a while, basking in the warmth of Isabel's body when he felt the redhead's eyes on them. "That wasn't very nice, Angel," she griped in a low whisper as not to wake Isabel. "No, I suppose not, Will. I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"No. I'm not," he admitted with a smile. "You're up early."

"I know. I was in bed early last night. Thought I'd do some reading while there's still some quiet around here."

"There'd be quiet if the two of you would shut the hell up." Angel and Willow both chuckled as Isabel grumbled into the vampire's chest. "Sorry, Bell," the younger woman apologized. "I'm going now."

"Good...sleepy time."

Willow and Angel shared a smile before she made her way to the bathroom. "Sorry, love," he whispered, running his hand along her arm. The witch adjusted her position, draping her thigh over his and resting her hand on his stomach. "S'okay, Angel. But quiet now." With a content purr she soaked in his warm and fuzzy vibes and kissed his collarbone before drifting back off to sleep. "G'night."

"Sleep well, corazon," he whispered as he settled back into her embrace and closed his eyes so he too could return to sleep.
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

By the time Willow was showered, dressed, and ready to face the day, it was a little after ten. She went up to the office and hooked up her laptop, but before she could get started with her research, insistent knocking on the door took her from the desk. When she opened it, there was a very shaken Cordelia on the other side with a newspaper in one hand and a small package wrapped in brown paper in the other.

"What happened, Cordy? Don't you have a key?" Willow asked as she ushered the seer in. "I didn't even think to bring it, Willow. I just got here as soon as I could." The redhead then noticed that Cordelia hadn't even changed out of her pajamas or combed her hair. That immediately set alarms off in her brain. "What's wrong?"

The brunette handed her the newspaper, waiting for a reaction as Willow looked at the front page. After scanning it and reading the leading story, her face paled and took on a look of horror. Shaking her head in denial, she looked up at her friend, whose eyes filled with tears as she observed Willow's distress. "No," she whispered. "It can't be. Not after everything else." Cordy took Willow's hand and squeezed it warmly. "I'm sorry, Wills." The redhead's gaze caught the package in the seer's hand and gestured to it. "What's that?" Cordelia's eyes dropped to the package in her hand and held it up. It was addressed to Isabel. "I found it in the office mailbox while I was knocking."
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

Isabel woke up the moment the elevator arrived in the apartment. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. Fear, sorrow, confusion, and anger were swirling in the ether, their call too loud for her to ignore. The vampire by her side woke up due to the elbow in the ribs he suffered when she jolted out of his arms. "Isabel, what's wrong?" She had to grab Angel's arm for support when Cordelia and Willow approached the pair, their grief completely overwhelming her. "Ask them." He looked up at his friends and his heart immediately sank . The last time he'd seen them look quite that grim, he'd been frolicking on the Hellmouth minus a soul.

Spike then entered the room, the stench of fear and rage far too powerful for him to ignore--even in his sleep. He went to Willow's side and put his arm around her, startled to find that she was actually trembling. The silence was really scaring Isabel. "What happened?" she asked in a small voice. "You guys really need to tell me, because if I were to take a wild guess based on what I'm feeling right now, I'd say that someone just died. And that isn't the kind of news that I can really take right now, so*please* tell me I'm wrong." The tear that slipped down Willow's cheek did just the opposite. She sat nest to Isabel and handed her the newspaper. "It happened right before closing time," she whispered. "He burned it to the ground."

"'Local club goes down in flames. Five dead and several injured with three in critical condition,'" the elder witch whispered in horrified disbelief. "The Blitzkrieg Ballroom, local watering hole for many of LA's punk rock enthusiasts, fell victim to a raging fire at one-thirty this morning. Sadly for the community that faithfully gathers every weekend at the popular bar, this tragedy is the second to befall them in just days. A memorial concert was scheduled later today, honoring four patrons killed in a quadruple homicide Friday night.'" Isabel set the newspaper aside and removed herself from the couch, four pairs of eyes gazing at her in concern. She felt like she did when she'd found the bodies on Friday. All of the wind was knocked out of her, she couldn't scream, she couldn't cry, she couldn't speak. Nothing.

Also locked in silence, Cordelia handed Isabel the package she'd found in the mailbox. She placed the writing and with trembling hands she opened it. The demon was unable to stifle her howl of anguish once the contents were revealed. It was a framed photo of Drew, Isabel, and Al, the owner of the Blitzkrieg, with Joey Ramone. It had been hanging in a place of honor in the club for five years and the proprietor had always said that it would stay there until the day he died or until the day he sold the club--whichever came first. Glass shattered as the photo slipped from her grasp and hit the floor, immediately followed by the witch. With a sob, she sank to her knees, unaware of the shards piercing her bare skin. Angel was immediately at her side and wrapping Isabel in his secure hold. Cordelia, Willow, and Spike were helpless, able to do nothing but watch the dark vampire rock the distraught witch in his arms. The blonde put his arm around the seer, pulling both she and Willow close to him. The three were trapped in a tight embrace while the sound of Isabel's sobs filled the apartment, joined by silent tears from Angel, Spike, Willow, and Cordelia.
 

The shrill ring of the telephone disrupted their moment of silent grief. Spike left Cordelia and Willow to answer the phone near Angel's bed. "'ello?" The individual on the other end couldn't even greet him with one of her barbs that morning. The sadness in his voice was painfully obvious. "Spike, it's Buffy. I just wanted to know that you and Willow were okay. Xander called and told me about the fire at the Blitzkrieg Ballroom. You guys weren't there, were you?"

"Luckily, we weren't. We're all right. Physically at least." The vampire was surprised that she hadn't greeted him with any smart ass remarks. Perhaps she was just too concerned about her friend.

"How's Wills?" She asked in concern. "When I talked to her yesterday she sounded all right, but I wanna make sure she wasn't putting on a happy face so I wouldn't worry." Despite himself, the vampire smiled a little, hearing the worry in her voice. The Slayer may have been a huge pain in his ass, but she did love Willow. "We just found out too, so it's not pretty over here. Isabel--you know who that is, right?"

"Yeah. Will and Oz adore her," she stated quietly. The weekend was just supposed to be about slaying a demon, not about losing friends. She was very close to driving to LA so she could be there for Willow, Angel or no Angel. For her best friend so could very easily look past him.

"I can see that. You'd like her, Buffy," he commented. 'Maybe not the fact that Peaches can't keep his hands off of her.' "Anyway, she isn't doing well right now. We still need to get her through the next day. It isn't going to be easy for the bird." His jaw clenched as he heard the sounds of her grief in the next room. He was surprised the Slayer couldn't hear them.

Buffy was astounded at the anxiety she heard in Spike's voice. He honestly cared. 'Okay, Summers. No looking the gift horse in the mouth. Just be grateful that he's looking out for Willow and not causing trouble. When they get back things can be normal and you can start antagonizing him again.' "No, I‘m sure it won‘t. If you guys need anything at all--*anything*-- give me or Giles a call and we'll be *right* there."

"Will do, Slayer."

"I'll let you go. Tell Wills to call me when she's up to it and give everyone my love, okay?"

"I'll do that. Goodbye, Slayer."

"Later, Spike. Oh, and Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't believe these words are going to leave my mouth, it's kinda painful actually, but thank you. For looking after Willow. I appreciate it."

The vampire grinned, knowing that if she knew how much he was looking after Willow, she wouldn't be thanking him. She'd be staking him. Things would be fun once they got back to Sunnyhell. "I suppose you're welcome. Just don't tell anyone I said so. Got it?"

"Got it."
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

Isabel let Angel cradle her in his arms, half-screaming, half-sobbing until her throat was raw and her chest burned. As the tears stopped rolling down her face, she loosened her hold on him and looked up at the vampire. He had tears of his own trickling down his cheeks. She lifted a small hand and brushed them away before running her thumb over his lower lip. Unconsciously, Isabel pulled him down to her and kissed him slowly and tenderly, tasting the warmth and love that Angel offered her. She lost herself in him at that moment, all of her sorrow gone, replaced instead by a feeling of warm, fuzzy affection. It wrapped around her like a woolen blanket that she never wanted to take off. Unfortunately, she ran out of air and the kiss ended, but his blanket of love remained.

The kiss took him by surprise and kicked Angel on his metaphorical ass. The moment her lips touched his, it was as if her empathic gifts had been bestowed on him for that moment. It *he* that was able to feel the warmth of *her* love. Angel could feel Isabel's affection as it washed over him, replacing all else in his soul, body, and mind. His demon didn't rattle in its cage, instead, it stretched languidly, basking in that warmth, her adoration sating it as bloodshed never had. When Isabel pulled away, he found himself panting for air he didn't even need.

He pushed her hair out of her eyes, relieved to see a glimmer of his Isabel there. "Sorry 'bout that, Angel," she whispered. "I kinda needed to feel something else but grief and that was the first thing that came to mind." The vampire gaped at her, unable to believe that she apologized for one of the most memorable kisses of his very long life. "Don't you *dare* be sorry for that, love," he reprimanded. His expression softened and he kissed her forehead, resting his cheek against it. "Did it make you feel better?"

"You have no idea." She turned her head, remembering that Willow and Cordelia were still in the room with them. Both the redheaded witch and the seer had shed fresh tears as they kissed, moved by the moment. The two women had their arms around each other, gazing affectionately at Angel and Isabel. The elder witch stood on semi-shaky legs, dragging Angel with her so she could hug the other two young women. Silently they wrapped their arms around each other in a very teary group hug, their support lending much to her emotionally battered psyche.
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

After Spike hung up with the Slayer, he stood in the doorway of Angel's bedroom, silently watching the four individuals that were trapped in their emotional embrace. He couldn't help but marvel at how fast they'd all grown to love Isabel like family, hell, that they'd even started to think of each other as a familial unit in the first place. It was amazing and formerly unthinkable. After a moment, Isabel lifted her head off of Angel's shoulder and held her hand out to him, beckoning the blonde to them. With a small smile he crossed the room and stood between Isabel and Willow, wrapping his arms around the witches tightly. He heard Isabel's contented sigh and realized she was drawing strength from them. The little demon was welcome to whatever loving energy she could siphon from them.

It was she that broke away first, looking up at Angel. "Guess I won't be seeing you in those leather pants tonight," she remarked sadly. "I don't know what to do now." Isabel walked a few steps from the group and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "Honestly, I have no idea. I did the breaking down thing, I did the hugging thing, now what? Do I just sit around and wait for Simon to do something else that's bound to contribute to my emotional collapse? I'm an action kind of chick. I don't do well with the waiting. The more I wait, the more I think and that‘s a bad, bad thing right now." After taking a look a the blood streaming down her legs that she was seemingly oblivious to, Angel led her into the bathroom. “We’ll start with cleaning you up.”

Spike, Willow, and Cordelia looked on as they walked away and stood in awkward silence for a moment. The seer broke it as she proceeded to fold the sofa bed back into a sofa. “Who was on the phone?”

“The Slayer,” the vampire stated, still staring in the direction Bell and his sire had gone. The emotion that existed between the elder vamp and the elder witch continued to astound him. The longer the two of them were together, the more Spike was convinced that she was Angel’s missing piece. Willow’s hand on his arm tore him from his thoughts. “And what did she have to say?” He smiled down at the witch and took her hand in his. “She was just calling to make sure we were all right. Seems the fire made the news in Sunnyhell. When you feel up to it, she’d like to hear from you. And she sends her love,” he muttered while rolling his eyes. “Can’t believe I delivered that message. Anyway, she also said that should we need anything, to call and she’ll be here.”

Willow and Cordelia exchanged skeptical looks. “I don’t know if that would be the best idea,” the witch voiced. “Buffy, Angel, and Isabel could equal a big, scary, confusing demon-slayer-demon triangle.”

“Yeah. That and Buffy would stake Spike for sticking his tongue down your throat,” Cordy added as she threw the last of the pillows back on the couch. "Ain't that the truth?" the vampire mumbled. Willow shook her head moved to clean up the glass littering Angel’s floor. “I don’t even want to think about that until we get through tomorrow.” Once she swept up the glass shards, she picked up the photo and almost dropped it again as she studied it. Simon had taken it out of the frame and written a note on it before wrapping it up for Isabel. “Guys, I know why Simon torched the Blitz.”

‘Bella--Remember this every time your Angel touches you.--S’

Spike didn‘t bother to restrain his growls. “If this wanker thinks he’s going to stop my sire from having the little shred of happiness he’s able to have when he’s with Isabel, he’s fucking wrong. That woman was bloody made for him.” Cordy and Willow both gaped at Spike in surprise. While the two vampires had been completely civil to one another during the weekend, seeing the blonde care that much about Angel was a slight shock to them. He could practically read their minds and glared at the two. “I know. I’m a sodding nancyboy. Peaches and I are about tied for the world cup now. But I’m right. I’ve known the blighter for two hundred years. I *know* when he cares for a woman--cares for her in the sense that he'd sacrifice everything for her.”

"Spike, we didn't say anything and if we were to say something it would probably be along the lines of 'Yes, Spike, you're right.'" The seer returned his glare. "God, sensitive much?"
 

~Part: 13~

Isabel had remained silent the entire time Angel was removing the glass shards from her legs. He also kept the peace, trying to be as non-intrusive as possible while he knelt before her and wielded his tweezers. The poor woman probably had thought after thought swimming through her head and the least he could do was leave her alone to sort through them.

Angel was right. Against her will, Bell’s brain was going non-stop. Her thoughts and emotions were an insane jumble of anger, fear, confusion, grief and hopelessness. While the majority of her psyche knew it wasn’t her fault, there was a small part of her that indeed felt responsible. A total of nine people were dead now. And more had been hurt because of Simon’s obsession with her demonic identity, not to mention because of her relationship with Angel. Simon knew. She’d read the message written on the picture.

Honestly, she wasn’t surprised. He was watching her enough to know that Spike and Angel were taking care of her, after all. She wouldn’t put it past him to have watched her passionate moment with Angel earlier that morning. Isabel knew he thought of it as betrayal, as infidelity. And he had found it necessary to punish her for that. What better way to do that than to destroy the place she loved as a home, the place that had been a second home for six years? The very place that introduced her to three of her housemates. If he was trying to burn all of her bridges, he was doing a good job. She could only wonder what he’d do next.

There wasn’t much more he could do to hurt her now. All she had left was her new family. And Isabel would die before she’d let them suffer for her. From what that had shared with her and from what she could read in their auras, all five of them had gone through severe emotional trauma. ‘Gods, their auras...’ She couldn‘t believe what she was able to learn about them through their energy. Isabel didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she was beginning to feel all sorts of things she’d never been able to sense before. Perhaps her abilities where strengthening. That’s the only reason she could think of.

Like when she’d kissed Angel barely half an hour ago, trying to cleanse herself of grief, she could feel *everything.* The vampire loved her. Of course, she didn’t know what kind of love it was, she didn’t even know if *he* knew it was love, but it was love all the same. She could feel it, taste it, wrap herself in it. Never before had she been able to feel emotions that intense before. Yeah, she could tell when a boy liked her, but that was about it. And when she’d bit him that morning--that had been amazing. His orgasm had ripped through her body as if it were her own, hell, it *had* become her own. The closer she got to Angel, both emotionally and physically, the stronger her feelings became for him. And they were already pretty strong. It was pretty scary.

In fact, it scared the hell out of her. This was a woman who had never been in love. After having lived through her parents’ marriage, the prospect of falling in love terrified her. She knew that once they were in love. And somewhere along the way the love turned into hate. It was obvious why her mom had hated her dad. He had turned into a cruel bastard. After Isabel was born, he gave her nothing but abuse, mental and physical. He hated her because she wasn’t Isabel’s mother. Her birth mother. The witch knew all about the affairs her parents had when Henry was in the army. She knew that her biological mother was a young girl from Dublin who had died just after she was born. Lydia, her adoptive mom, had told her. But to Lydia’s credit, she’d loved Isabel like her own child. She didn’t tell Bell to hurt her, only so she knew the truth. She had deserved that much.
 

Henry had been completely in love with Cathleen, her birth mother. Obsessively in love. And he’d gone mad when she had died. They’d been lovers for months before she’d become pregnant and despite the fact that Henry was already married, she insisted on keeping the baby. She carried Isabel to term, but passed on days after. Before she had, she’d made Henry swear that he’d take the baby to the States, raise her there and never tell her about her Irish roots--that she would never know a thing about that side of her family. Isabel finally knew why. Cathleen had known the time of the Divinitus was coming to an end. Henry, being utterly possessed with her, had promised to never tell.

It was her eighteenth birthday when Lydia told Isabel. She had just graduated and was planning on moving across the country. Lydia was going to go with her and escape Henry. They would’ve done it years and years before, but he would never let Isabel out of his sight. He was obsessed with keeping her safe for the sake of his departed true love. But he hadn’t loved Isabel. It was just the opposite--he’d blamed her for killing Cathleen. The one time he’d ever come home early from work he’d caught them talking about it. And then he’d killed Lydia for betraying his promise. Needless to say, the only love she’d ever seen firsthand ended up in death and dementia. And then *more* death when Henry killed himself before he could go to trial for Lydia’s murder.

So, who could really blame her for swearing off love and relationships? Instead, she spent a couple years hopping from bed to bed, taking whatever affection she could find, but never staying too long with one lover. When she realized how dangerous her lifestyle had become, she swore men off, managed to curb her drinking, and kick her drug usage. The one addiction she allowed herself was rock ‘n roll. She spent her time with friends, with her music, and with her religion. While she did miss the pleasure she had while with her boys, she stayed strong--after all, she had the wonderful world of technology and her hand. When she missed human contact, all she had to do was hug one of her friends. They gave her all the love she needed.

And then Ash came along. When she first met him, she had been smitten. He was a beautiful boy--huge blue eyes one could drown in, a wide, full-lipped smile, and the face of a cherub. He loved to write songs and sing to her, to walk on the beach at night and drive hours with her just to go to concerts. But before she could figure out her feelings for him, he became one of the family. And to find romance with one of her housemates felt like a sin. She spent months trying to repress her feelings. And then she found out that he felt the same way. He adored her, but refused to do anything that might disrupt the delicate balance they’d all worked so hard for. It was hard, but in time they were able to find perfect happiness being each other’s best friend.

Once again, she was happy without romance. And then Simon came along. In the early days of that summer he’d come into town and it seemed that everywhere Isabel was, he was too. And he even managed to do it without seeming like a stalker. It was rather impressive. His presence in her life was small at first, but a few months after they’d met, they were inseparable. He was another beautiful one. He couldn’t even be called handsome--he was far too delicate. If Ash had the sweet face of a cherub, Simon was a seraph. So beautiful, so lovely, he was almost glorious. His eyes were the green of jade, his complexion so fair it rivaled hers in its pallor. His shoulder length hair was dyed a deep, dark shade of purple that shone in light and dark, catching highlights of blue and black. And his mouth. Perfection. His smile was bright but seductive and combined with his eyes could fashion the world’s best ‘come hither’ expression. His full lower lip was pierced with a silver hoop that Isabel had loved to play with--biting and licking and pulling on with her own lips.

He had seemed so devoted to her and so patient with her fear of love. Never did he pressure her and when they did make love for the first and only time, it was she who initiated it. And when she realized she wasn’t comfortable with a sexual relationship, he’d seemingly understood, but he still wanted to think of Isabel as *his* woman. That freaked her out. She was the property of no man, no woman, no person, place, or thing. She tried and she tried to make him understand, but he wouldn’t. Isabel finally had to lay down the law with him. That’s when she’d come to his apartment to find he was a vampire. And that’s when she’d been forced into Angel’s life.
 

The dark vampire was making her feel things she didn’t know she was capable of. Love, for instance. A warm, gentle love she’d never known before. Isabel had known passion, known lust, and known *very* strong physical attraction, but never anything as comforting and loving as the vibe she had when she was with Angel. In his arms, in his presence she was safe and secure, cared for and desired at the same time. And she’d only known him for all of two days. But in those two days she had cried in his arms, berated him for broodiness, come screaming his name, tasted his blood, wiped his tears away, felt his orgasm rip through her body as her own, and tamed the demon that had inhabited his body for over two centuries. It was safe to say that she was closer to him than any other man she’d known in her almost three decades of existence.

She could easily fall in love with him. He claimed that he could easily fall in love with her. But first he needed to make his peace with the woman that was still in his heart.

And she could easily love Cordelia, Wesley, Spike, and Willow. Actually, she already loved Willow. She’d adored the little redhead the moment she met her at the Blitzkrieg. Willow was a woman with much depth to explore. There was so much more to her than a brilliant hacker and practicing Wicca. She was kind, loving, and giving--almost to a fault. Almost. She was interesting and exciting and could be *very* unpredictable. She was also quite gorgeous and had no idea what a beauty she was. Isabel remembered the weekend she, Willow, and Jayne had spent in Las Vegas just before the redhead started her college classes. That was the real Willow. She’d been totally uninhibited, free to say and do exactly what she pleased. When she’d gotten tattooed with them, Bell had been rather surprised. But when they all had the same design inked into their skin, it seemed right. It signified a budding friendship that would be eternal and grow stronger with time. Whenever the three women were together, a warm and pure energy followed. There was instant comfort and infectious joy.

While Isabel didn’t know that much about her life on the Hellmouth, she could tell that Willow wasn’t living up to her immense potential there. It was evident in the relief she exhibited whenever she would visit. Especially the times she would visit without her werewolf. Isabel knew that Oz’s departure had hurt Willow terribly, but now that she had seen Willow and Spike interact, she thought that it was probably for the best. Being with Oz was safe. He was content with the Willow he knew. Being with Spike would definitely be an adventure. Isabel knew that the vampire was eager to bring the daring, adventurous vixen that lived inside the redhead to the surface. He saw what others didn’t. A fiery goddess just waiting to introduce herself to the world.

Getting to know the British vampire was going to be fun. Isabel couldn’t wait. In the nine years she’d been becoming familiar with the demonic community and those who lived in it, she’d met many interesting individuals. Spike was indeed one of the most interesting. The witch knew that vampires were creatures born of death and blood, demons that wore the human masks of deceased mortals. They had the faces, they had the memories, and they had some of the mannerisms, but they were not the people they were before death. Well, *most* of them were like that, anyway. Spike was not. Humanity had remained in him from the moment of his death until today. He felt love, passion, lust, hate--very human emotions. Without humanity, without *any* vestige of a soul, those things couldn’t exist. Isabel didn’t fool herself into thinking that he didn’t kill. He did, or at least, he wanted to, but he couldn’t. She didn’t know why. It wasn’t Willow, even though he probably would abstain from the hunt for her. His feelings for the little witch ran deeper than either one of them knew. Spike had other reasons for not killing. One of these days she’d ask. And pray they’d never be on opposite sides of the fight. But until that day came, if ever, she wouldn’t dwell on the possibility.

Isabel had managed to learn that just like in humans, demons couldn’t be seen only in black and white. There were so many shades of grey to consider. Demons couldn’t be classified as only good or evil. Okay, maybe some of them could. There were some species created for a specific purpose--to crush, kill, and destroy. Most vampires were in that category. After all, they were kind of low on the demonic food chain. But those with strength, sired by masters of considerable power were often more than just blood removal machines. They could sometimes grow to be like Spike and Angel.

Her ass had been saved by some pretty neat demons in the past. Often after concerts. There was solidarity that music created within people, human and demon, and fellow punks and rock ‘n rollers have been known to have the back of a fellow fan. Hell, Al, the owner of the Blitzkrieg Ballroom had been a Lhiogh demon. He'd lived to be over three hundred years old, but looked like he was about twenty and appeared completely human, except for the poisonous stingers that emerged from his hands when under attack. He kicked so much ass in Isabel’s eyes. In the seventies he’d been a roadie for the Clash and the punk rock never left him--any violent tendencies he might have had were totally overshadowed when he was feeling the music. The Blitz had been a no violence, no kill zone. Its sole purpose was to propagate the love of music and most other demons respected that. Those who didn’t often got to meet Isabel. Al never knew why the woman instilled so much fear and respect in many demons, but since he was one of them, he appreciated the help she gave him in the bar. Over time she’d developed a special place in his heart. For a while she had been the sun and the moon to him, but he soon realized that he wasn’t the man or the demon for her.

Al. She was going to miss him. He had been a great friend. She could only wonder how many more demons, vampires especially, had been killed in the fire. After all, the vamps and some of the others would leave no bodies behind. Only time would tell. Until then, she had to lay her friends to rest and concentrate on the demon who caused their passing. He would be punished, most definitely. Even if Angel wasn’t able to save her tomorrow and she had to die so that Simon would, then so be it. She was willing to make that sacrifice. More people would die if Simon managed to take Isabel as his mate. She knew that. If his goal were only to love her and be with her for the rest of his unlife, nine lives wouldn’t have been lost in two days time. He wanted the power of the Divinitus Monstrum, but not for the reasons the race had been blessed with that power. Simon wanted to bastardize it and use it for his own fiendish purposes which probably included murder, mayhem, maybe even the birth of hell on earth.

‘Not gonna happen. Okay, enough with the thinking. I’ve done *way* too much of that. I can already feel myself going batty. Now is time for the doing.’
 
 

~*~*~

“I need to leave.”

Those were the first words out of Isabel’s mouth once Angel had finished tending to her wounds. And those words were met with a very eloquent “Huh?” The vampire threw the bloody washcloth in the sink and sat back on his heels. “Leave? How? Why?” She smiled sadly and shook her head at him. “Not leave as in run away. I’ve been in hiding for too long. There are more people that I care for who are hurting now and I have to take care of them.” With a sigh she slid off the sink and headed for the door. “I’m sure I have about fifty messages on my voice mail right now.”

“Voice mail?” The witch turned back to her vampire. “On my cell phone. That’s why I originally went into Ash’s room last night. He was programming new ring tones into it. He was all excited when he found one for ‘Highway to Hell,’” she quietly informed Angel. The vampire quickly stood and took her hands in his. “I don’t want you to leave now, Isabel.” The sorrow reflected in his eyes struck a painful chord in her heart. He was worried for her, she knew that, and she thanked him for it, but this was bigger than the two of them. She only hoped he could understand. “I know you don’t. But I have to. This isn’t about me anymore. Or you for that matter. It’s about a whole community now. And I have a responsibility to them.”

“What about my responsibility to you, to keep you safe?”

“This comes first, Angel.”

“How can you say that?”

“Easily. Five more people are dead. More have been hurt. While it may not be my fault, it did happen because of me. I need to make sure that no one else will be hurt between now and tomorrow. I won’t live with more blood on my hands, Angel.”

She was stubborn. Angel knew that. Life with Isabel definitely wouldn’t be predictable. It wouldn’t be quiet either. And if vampires could get grey hair, she’d be the cause of many for him. But he had to respect her loyalty to her friends. She would never desert them when they really needed her. They needed her at that moment. “Nothing I say will make you stay here with me until sunset, will it? Even if I remind you that the sun is high in the sky and you’re already physically and emotionally weak?” He was desperate to keep her with him, but if he fought her, he’d lose. One look in her warm grey eyes was enough to let him know that.

“What do you think?” she countered softly. He shook his head and lifted one of his hands to her cheek. “I figured I couldn’t, corazon.” She purred and nuzzled into his touch, looking up at him with an expression of such pure affection it brought warmth to his cold heart. “I wish I didn‘t have to, but I do. And I need to do it now.”
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

“This fucking ridiculous.”

Spike slammed his book closed and began pacing the length of the main office. Once Isabel had left the building, they had all gone upstairs to hit the books. There was still much they didn’t know about the Divinitus and it was very possible they could find some loophole in the ritual Simon had performed on Isabel. Willow, Spike, and Cordelia had tried desperately to keep her from leaving, but to no avail. She had been adamant on leaving at that moment and leaving alone. To their surprise, Angel hadn’t said a word about it. He’d merely let her go with a kiss and a quiet ‘Be careful.’

Willow looked up from her laptop to gaze at the flustered vampire. “Not finding anything?” With a bitter smirk he shook his head and lit a cigarette. “Of course not. That would be too bloody easy. Anyway,” he continued, the volume of his voice going up, “why are we even doing this? I know that for some god awful reason Bell wants to wait until after the funeral to take care of the wanker, but wouldn’t it make much more sense to do it, oh, I don’t know, tonight?! Before he can off any more of her mates and before she’s uncontrollably drawn to him? And she won’t just be drawn to him come tomorrow, she’ll be at his every last whim. Her will becomes a thing of the past--she’ll do *anything* he wants her to. Kill, maim, torture--the entire lot. The chit is strong and she knows how to fight. We saw that last night. It wouldn’t surprise me if she killed all of us should Simon tell her to. And I know he’ll want you dead, Peaches. We both know how his mind works. He’s about as obsessed with our little demon as you were with Dru and you dared to touch her,” he spat, oblivious to the anger growing in his sire. “*You* killed folk for touching Dru. Fuck, I killed folk for *looking* at her once you left. To us, Dru was property and that’s how Simon sees Isabel. She is property and she is a means of power.”

Angel sat there in silent rage as his childe voiced fears he had not in his attempt to remain somewhat calm and controlled during their situation. He was trying so hard to be supportive of Isabel, to do everything in his power to keep the pain from consuming her. If he let everything that was going on in his mind known, everyone he loved would be cowering from the demon inside him. He was angry, he was frightened, he was confused, and he was lost.
 

There was a woman, entrusted to him by the Powers that Be, in mortal danger. Everything had just been taken from her--her home, her family, her friends, her safe haven, and her entire life as she had known it. It wasn’t enough that she had to deal with death and destruction, but she also had to learn about a part of herself that she had no idea existed. And then, on top off all that, he was being forced to claim her. Yes, it was a means to the end of something far worse, but it was also the beginning of a very long, arduous, and frightening journey.

It was a journey Angel had been meant to take on alone. No one, especially a soul like Isabel, should be subjected to the trials ahead of him. Being his friend as he sought redemption was one thing, but bearing his mark was another. It was going to bring her close, so close, to his eternal torment. And the poor woman was on her way to become a full-fledged empath. Once a vampire claims another, they share a bond, a very strong tie to one another. They’re able to sense each other’s joy and pain, both mental and physical, even from a distance. Isabel would be affected like no other. She wouldn’t just sense his feelings, they would become her own. When Angel had told her that his curse would become her own, he wasn’t exaggerating.

Of course Angel had thought of these issues over the past two days, but hadn’t let himself dwell too deeply on them. As he was sure Isabel hadn’t. It would simply drive them both insane. And Spike’s ranting and pacing wasn’t going to do a thing for his sanity either. “We can’t kill him, Spike,” Angel stated wearily from his office while his childe paced in front of the door. “Simon’s ritual bound her to him. If Simon dies, she dies. I think bastard planted *her* reasons for not charging after him in her subconscious, covering his ass until he could gloat.” The blonde came to a dead halt in the doorway, glaring stakes at his sire. “Wait one fucking minute. When did this come about? And why didn’t we know before this?”

“Isabel and I went to her house last night and he left her a letter. Said that she should keep a tight reign on the two of us. If we do damage to him, we do damage to her.”

“And you didn’t say anything because....?”

“It really didn’t come up in con--”

“Guys, shut up and get over here. We need to call Giles and we need to do it *now*.”
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

When Isabel told Angel she’d probably have fifty calls waiting for her, she wasn’t too far from the truth. There were forty-seven. Under the shade of a large oak tree she sat in the park, smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee while listening to the many messages. It was strange. As she listened to the plethora of concerned voices, she realized they weren’t talking to her. They were talking to another Isabel. One that didn’t exist anymore. The Isabel they knew wouldn’t avoid everyone that cared for her. She would’ve gone running to them, spent every moment with them. They would’ve all been toasting their loved ones, remembering the good times. They would’ve stayed up all night and slept all day until the funeral. They would’ve had impromptu jam sessions and gone dancing to celebrate the lives of those they’d lost. She wouldn’t have been in hiding.

But that was Isabel before *everything* changed. It was Isabel before the death of her family by the hands of someone that supposedly loved her. It was before her heart was able to find love. It was before she was driven into the arms of a two hundred-year-old vampire and introduced to her new family. One consisting of the Scourge of Europe, a seer, a witch, and a demon hunter all with ties to the Vampire Slayer.
 

The Isabel that existed now was a fledgling demon, a powerful witch that was soon to be consort to a powerful vampire. Her concerns were no longer making it to the next concert, making it to work on time, or warding herself and her family against those that went bump in the night. She was one that went bump in the night now. Her responsibilities were no longer the same. No longer did she have to limit her demon hunting to self-defense. Now she had to defend others. It was her raison d’etre, her reason to be.

She welcomed it, really she did. The witch had always thought she had another purpose in life, but she hadn’t expected that purpose to change everything else she lived for. The good fight was what she lived for now. It was *all* she lived for now. Her Lord and Lady saw her fit to be their vessel of comfort and safety to those in need and she was honored that they found her worthy.

And Isabel was almost ready to become what they needed her to be. There was just one more task she had to complete first.
 
 

~*~*~
 
 

Willow thanked Giles profusely and hung up once she had assured him they didn’t need him to come to LA. After their farewell, she glanced from her computer screen where she had typed everything he’d told her and then to her friends. They all had matching expressions of anxious curiosity an their faces and with a sigh, she turned her laptop so they could see what the watcher had told her.

“The reference to the Codex in the Annals of Regmore was accurate.”

“But doesn’t the Codex only deal with prophecy about the Slayer?” Angel asked before taking a look at the new information. Willow nodded with a wry smile. “It does, but the Divinitus were all Slayers in their own right. And after all, the Vampire Slayer is thought to be a descendant of the Divine Ones, am I right?” It was Angel’s turn to nod. “You are.”

“Isabel’s the only one left, so the writings have to be about her.” Peering over Willow’s shoulder, Spike began read off of the screen aloud, halting any more conversation between his sire and his witch. He just wanted to know what the hell was going on. When Spike and Angel had been about to begin a world class argument about Isabel’s welfare, Willow had managed to uncover a reference to a prophecy about the last of the Divinitus Monstrum. But what had really confused them was that it was in the same book that Spike had found the solution to end Simon’s binding to Isabel. The blonde vampire had been through the Annals of Regmore three times, front to back, and he hadn’t come across the reference the redhead had just found. After a rather long phone call to the owner of the Codex and a somewhat hasty translation, they had been informed that Isabel was the star of a prophecy. And everything up to that point they had found dealing with Isabel’s situation was then null and void. The PTB were really fucking with them. Spike wasn’t amused.

“‘The Dark Forces shall rise and the Divine shall walk the Earth once more, leaving much carnage in her wake. She bears the marks of good and evil, has lived as a sinner and lived as a saint, but final her path has not yet been elected. The one called to be her Chosen shall choose that path. The blood of two flows through her, but only one strong enough to answer her call. The blood of many shall be shed to bring about her reign, the blood of the Divine the last. Without that sacrifice, the Dark shall reign and her will shall belong to the those Forces, giving birth to an age of death and despair that may never end. Blood, fire and despair are what shall bring the Dead and the Divine together, love, blood, and life are what shall bind them forever. She shall then die to then be born, her humanity forever, her mortality fleeting. His blood shall bring her back, his love insuring her life. Life shall then be theirs, death no more.’”
 

~Part: 14~

It wasn't until her home loomed into sight that Isabel realized the force guiding her that afternoon wasn't hers.  She'd no intention of going there.  All she wanted to do was to call and check on her friends, visit some of them, and then visit the remains of the Blitzkrieg Ballroom before she headed back to Angel's apartment to start preparing for the funeral the next day.  But once she had accomplished the first item on her `to do list,' she'd lit herself another cigarette and started walking.

After taking the last steps leading up to her house, she gazed at the front door, trying to force herself to turn away.  She couldn't.  While her mind screamed at her to leave, her body had other plans.  Helplessly she watched her hands move of their own accord to unlock the door.  At that point, she knew she had no choice in what was about to happen.

Her final task before becoming one of the Divinitus was about to take place.

The moment she crossed the threshold, her senses let her know that she was alone in the house.  Breathing a sigh of relief, she closed and locked the door.  She wandered into the living room and extended herself, trying to feel what kind of vibe the house had.  When she'd been there last night, the atmosphere had been cleared of some of the death and sadness that had permeated every inch of the building Friday night. That was to be expected, as the energy does pass unless propagated, but as she stood there, eyes closed, trying to get a reading, she was faced with a
metaphysical roadblock.  But after a moment, she realized her first assessment was wrong.

`No, it's not a block.  It's nothing.  Not a fucking thing.'

There was nothing in the ether.  None of the joy that used to run free within its walls, none of the death that had taken it over previously, not even the hysterical grief she'd expressed last night remained.

Clearing one's home of almost a decade of all thought, feeling, emotion, and memory was no simple feat.  A home wasn't just a building--it was an entity in and of itself, it was the vessel of everything that occurred within its walls.  And in her home was nothing.  It had been reduced to a mere building. Someone had found the need to eradicate everything it had been, to prepare it for something entirely different.  That someone could only be Simon.  He was the only individual she knew with the magickal strength and the urge to so such a thing.

She knew that Simon was powerful.  There were too many factors supporting that assessment to be otherwise. The vampire had been able to capture the will and impose a binding on one of the most powerful demonic races ever to have been brought into existence.  He had known how to find her and how to bespell her.  He had been able to wield the eradico animus plant correctly.  There were few individuals that dared to use the plant.  And he had been able to hide his true nature from Isabel.  He had been very close to her, very intimate and she'd had no idea.  He'd even hidden himself from the other demons they'd met via the club circuit.  There were too many of them with loyalties to Isabel to have known and not told her.

When Isabel had first stepped into the house, she felt somewhat empowered, confident that she could do whatever task the Gods wanted her to accomplish that afternoon.  That cool confidence had been shattered. She had known that her home was no longer hers, she'd known that the moment she found the lifeless bodies of her family.  But to find that *everything* they had struggled to create within those walls had been
vanquished drove the last nail into the coffin of her former life.  Everything she had thought while talking to old friends that afternoon were no longer thoughts at that point.  They were painful realities.  At that moment, she knew that there was *no* turning back. Isabel, the second edition, was there to stay.  For better or for worse.

With waning energy and a heavy heart, she decided to look over the entire house.  Her mind had lacked the clarity to do it the previous night, but she was ready now.  And she was hoping to find some nasty mojo that she could muck up to piss Simon off.  It was petty and it was childish, but her life had been utterly fucked up.  She had the right if it brought her a wee little bit of joy.  Anything that would irritate the vampire would make her very happy.  Of course, he'd want to retaliate by striking down more people, places, or things that Isabel loved, but she wasn't going to let
that happen.  She was going to have some fun with the pathetic wanker and make sure he wouldn't, *couldn't* hurt anyone else.  She couldn't help but grin at the thought.

But that fiendish smile gracing her lips died as soon as one of her guitars met the back of her head, rendering her very unconscious.

~*~*~

When Isabel came to, she was cranky as hell.  Being hit upside the head with your prized silver Fender Stratocaster guitar could do that to a person.  And the reason she knew it was her Strat was because the jackass who'd wielded it was sitting right in front of her playing said instrument.  And it had a smear of blood on it.  She didn't know what should anger her more--that he actually had the nerve to strike her with the object or that he chose to use the guitar that she bought herself with the first few hundred bucks she'd saved when she cut her drinking by more
than half.  That instrument and the tattoo on her neck were both symbols of her non-alcoholicness and resolve to put her life in order.

She couldn't believe he smacked her with it and she couldn't believe the raging pain in the back of her head.  And *then* there was the matter of being handcuffed to the headboard and footboard of her bed. Yup, she was pissed.  Very, very pissed indeed.

~*~*~

Angel remained silent once Spike finished reading the words on Willow's computer.  While there were some defining traits of the prophecy's subject that they weren't familiar with and even if there hadn't been the probability that she was the last of her kind, Angel knew that it could be no one other than Isabel. But there *had* been enough info to tell all of them, without a doubt, that she was going to sacrifice herself if she wished to avoid the dark side.  And that everything that had happened that weekend had been written.  The only matter that hadn't been specified was Isabel's ultimate fate.  Would she give herself to Simon so that others would be spared or would she kill herself to make sure that Simon would
never have the chance to carry on with his plans?

Either way, knowing that she was going to somehow face death scared the unliving hell out of Angel.  Whether it be the death of her body, that of her soul, or even her spirit.  And even if she were supposed to be brought back from bodily death, would it be by Angel turning her?  He didn't understand how his blood would give her life.  But he knew that it was going to happen.  Soon.  Somewhere in his mind, in his heart he knew.  If only it could only wait another fifteen minutes so Angel could run to her rescue once the sun set.

Spike, Willow, and Cordelia gazed at Angel with worry. They could tell by his posture, the clenching of his fist and his jaw that he was about to break. Therefore, the dark vampire driving his fist through the wall shouldn't have surprised them, but it did. It wasn't so much the action, but the howl of grief and frustration that escaped him, a sound so primal and heart wrenching that it both frightened them and broke their hearts.  Spike was immediately at his side, taking his sire's bloody had in his own.

"Go get Wesley and head to wherever you think Isabel could have gone," he quietly ordered Cordelia and Willow.  "The moment the sun sets, we'll do the same. Sire, do you have a cell phone of your own so they can call us?" he asked quietly of the currently silent vampire.  Cordy answered for him with a nod. "He does and I have the number."  She looked to Willow and they wordlessly left the office to begin the search.

That was when Angel allowed himself to lose control. Silently, he fell to his knees, bloody tears falling down his face.  While vampires often cried crystalline tears as humans did, their greatest pains were often expressed in blood.  After all, the most intense feelings a vampire could have always resulted in the spilling of blood.  The thrill of the hunt, the ecstasy of the kill, and the sharing of blood that more often than not accompanied sexual release were just only a few.  So, the extreme panic and rage gripping both Angel's soul and demon were very worthy of bloodletting.

In two and a half centuries, Angel had never felt the terror that infused him at that moment.  Not when Buffy had died at the Master's hands, not when he, Buffy, and the Slayerettes faced the Ascension, not when he'd spent decades upon decades in hell, and not when Faith had poisoned him.  The possibility that he could lose Isabel scared him more than facing a sentence in hell for all of eternity.  The woman he'd taken into his care only days ago meant as much to him as the blonde vampire that had taken Angel into his arms.

"I can't lose her, William," he whispered painfully. "Not now.  I've only just found her.  I want the chance to love her."

Spike fought tears of his own as he held his trembling sire.  "Angelus, Sire, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you already love her.  Maybe you're not in love with her yet, but you love her."  Angel turned his bloodstained face to his blue-eyed childe.  "Why do you think that, William?" he questioned.  With a sad little chuckle, he tightened his hold on Angel. "Easy, mate.  You look at her the way you used to look at me."

~*~*~

Isabel stared at Simon with steely eyes as he strummed `I Hate Myself For Loving You' on her guitar while she was cuffed to her own bed like she was in a bad bondage flick.  The symbolism of the song wasn't lost on her.  Just because she couldn't read him didn't mean she couldn't understand him.  Simon was a man, or demon rather, driven to obsession.  She'd had little run-ins with severe fascination before; she knew what it could do to a person.  Bell was sure that Simon was at the point of having major hate issues.  After everything he'd done to her, because of her, that was
pretty damned obvious.  But as the vampire played on, Isabel's hate issues began to come to the surface. She didn't like being ignored.

"What it really necessary to conk me on the head with my Strat?  And the handcuffs?  Really, Simon.  With your apparent proficiency, you could've just bound me with magick.  But no, you have to be a drama queen."

Setting the guitar down--

"Shit, Simon, it isn't bad enough that you abuse my guitar by knocking me out with it, but you can't even put it on the stand that's two fucking feet away from you."

--No, *flinging* the guitar across the room, he turned his attention to his captive and enjoyed her scowl. He was so looking forward to breaking her.  The vampire had fantasized about it so much that the mere thought made his cock stand at attention.  The fire in her eyes, the flush of her cheeks, the angered pout of her lush lips, and the raw rage radiating from her were all glorious to behold.  At that moment he ached for nothing but to fuck her into unconsciousness, but he kept his control.  "I did what I thought was best, Bella.  I'm sorry if you don't care for my methods."

"No, you're not, you little fuck," she spat.  "You're totally getting off on this.  I can see the hard on from here."

That remark earned Isabel a backhanded blow across her face.  Simon's green eyes flashed in anger, gold beginning to come to the surface as the demon within howled at her disrespect.  "Watch your tongue, Witch," he hissed.  With a cocky look in her eye, Isabel's tongue flicked between her lips to catch the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.  "Honey, I think my tongue is the least of your worries.  And while we're having this heart-to-heart confrontation, let the human glamour drop.  You're wasting magickal energy that could be used by someone with a higher purpose."

"Are you sure that you want that, Bella?" he asked, his former pissy demeanor replaced with an almost giddy one.  `Step one to breaking the little bitch.'

"Show me what you got, Simon.  It's about time you did."

For months the vampire had been cloaking his thoughts and feelings from her, using much of his precious energy to keep her mind and body from reading him. He'd been waiting for just the right time to let it *all* out.  With a wicked smile, he did just that.

It was a good thing that Isabel was already on her back.  If she hadn't been, his thoughts would've done the job for her.  The witch was in no way prepared for what he unleashed.

All of the emotion that Simon had kept from Isabel rushed her at once.  It flooded her mind and body so that all she felt was him.  The young woman had no idea that any one person, human or demon could feel so much hate.  He radiated pure, unadulterated hatred and it was all directed towards one person.  Isabel.  He had loved her once, but it was an obsessive love that had crossed the line into sheer revulsion.  The vampire abhorred her kind heart and pure soul, her angelic beauty and tranquil nature.  Simon loathed her passionately for possessing him--body, mind, and
demon--and longed for nothing but her eventual collapse.  And above all, he hated her for refusing the love he once offered.

But once he was able to complete his ritual, all that hate would become love once more as Isabel became his mate.  His one love for all of time.

His ultimate goal was to rend apart everything that made Isabel human and mold her into the finest work of art--his beloved angel of destruction.  After all, when she completed her metamorphosis into one of the Divine, Isabel's powers would outshine those of the most powerful demons.  The only way one could surpass that strength would be to ascend.  Soon, that strength would infuse him, making the twenty years he had spent
obsessing over the last Divinitus *very* worth it.

Looking down at the vessel of his reward, he was pleased to see crystalline rivers flowing freely down her cheeks while sobs wracked her delicate frame as his anger kept rolling over her, enveloping her, and suffocating her.  The vampire moved onto the bed, to straddle her prone body.  A grin of victory spread across his lips as she tried to press herself deeper into the bed to avoid his touch.  Sadly, there was no way to escape him, and he pressed his body to hers as he let some choice images from his imagination loose into her brain.

~*~*~

Before Angel could reply to Spike's comment, his cell phone rang and he jumped from Spike's embrace to run into his office and answer it.  The blonde vampire stood and lit himself yet another cigarette as his sire spoke on the phone.  `Bloody hell.  I can't believe I just said that.  Had to remind the sod that we were in love at one point.  And what a time to do that--we just found out that Isabel is about to sacrifice her life and I have to bring shit like that up with Peaches.  How fucking brilliant am I?  My timing officially sucks.  Even if I would like to recreate the relationship we once had.  Maybe not exactly the same relationship, after all, I don't know how Red would like me shagging Peaches.  For some reason I don't think Isabel would mind.  While Willow knows a hell of a lot about we vampires, Isabel is more in tune to our true natures.  Fuck, I'm sure the little demon already knows what kind of--'

The return of his sire from his office put Spike's mind back on the matter at hand and silenced his internal babble.  "What's the news?"

"Isabel's house," Angel stated, all emotional weakness outwardly erased.  "They stopped by the Blitzkrieg and one the kids at the wreckage told Willow that Simon was going to stop by her house today."  The dark vampire paused a moment, his senses telling him that the sun had began its descent from the sky.  Meeting his childe's eyes, he grinned maliciously, knowing that Spike could feel it too.  "Time for Simon to meet the Scourge, m'boy."  Spike returned the smile wholeheartedly.  He couldn't remember the last time he acted on behalf of the Scourge of Europe.  "Fucking right it is, Sire."

Donning their trademark black leather coats, the sire and childe left the office, ready to retrieve Isabel. Both man and demon within the two vampires looked forward to their task, eager to make Simon pay for hurting one of theirs, even if they weren't able to harm him physically.

After all, there was more than one way to break a person.

~*~*~

Cordelia, screaming as Isabel ripped her beautiful eyes from the sockets, possessing her gift from the Powers that Be as her own.

Wesley, running for his life, Isabel hunting him as one of the demons the former watcher once sought.

Spike, nude and cuffed to a bed with Isabel straddling his prone form, bathing him gingerly in holy water. Her lips covering his as howls of pain became screams begging for death.

Angel, stripped and nailed to a cross, Isabel wielding a whip, slicing into flesh not harmed by the religious object.  Taunting and teasing as she lapped the blood weeping from his body.

A small woman, naked, beaten and bloody, sitting at Isabel's feet.  A leash in the little demon's hand that connected to the collar around her pet's throat. Her pet, gazing at her mistress with both fear and love.  Her mistress calling her name as a knife appeared in her hand.

"Willow!"

It was the image of the redheaded witch at her feet turned Isabel's sobs into screams.  She tried to purge Simon from her, both mentally and physically, but to no avail.  Simon's touch intensified the thoughts and images that were wrapping themselves around her, binding the little demon.  His psychic attack had taken all strength from Isabel, leaving her weak and prey to Simon's whims.  The vampire chuckled as his love feebly struggled against him.

"They have to pay for keeping you from me, beautiful one," he whispered, licking a path from Isabel's throat to her ear.  "I can't wait until you make them all beg for death, or better yet, beg for you, my love.  It will truly be a sight to behold.  I can just see you, trailing those delicate hands over William the Bloody's flesh, bathing him in the holiest of waters, making him beg for release at your hands.  No amount of torture could make him ignore your beauty, Bella, not even as you cover him head to toe in the painful liquid.  Every touch from you will be exquisite, whether it be in pain or pleasure.  Even as the pain overtakes him, he'll beg to be buried in you."

He paused, reveling in the anguished sounds coming from her lips.  Leaning over, he captured her mouth with his own, swallowing her grievous cries.  He plundered her lips ruthlessly, claiming every inch as his own, letting them go only as she struggled for breath and even then, he didn't let up until he let bit harshly into her lower lip.  Lapping up the spilled blood, Simon kissed her again, this time slowly and lovingly, letting her have a taste of her own life, very pleased when she didn't fight him.  She was weakening.

"Spike will only be the beginning, Bella.  Then will come Willow."  The name caused a fresh bout of struggling, her moment of weakness gone.  He halted it by sitting up and crushing her hips into the bed, all attempts to buck him off then fruitless.  "She will be allowed to live.  Or unlive, I should say.  I see why our blonde friend cares so much for her.  She'll be a beautiful vampire.  But she'll be even more beautiful once you make her your pet.  Her blood will never stop flowing; her body will never stop begging for yours. There will be nights of bountiful torture ahead and she'll never stop wanting it.  *You* will break her. *You* will make her into your slave, Bella, a slave to your every whim.  She'll be yours to bleed, yours to
fuck, yours to love.  Bella, beautiful one, be in my mind, see what I see."

As Simon brought a hand to her temple, Isabel's mind was awash in carnal images, all of them starring she and Willow.  She could see herself riding the redhead's mouth, screaming in release.  She could see herself whipping her pet until she quivered with passion, begging her mistress for release until her body was bloody and her sex throbbed.  She saw the two of them on a bed with Spike, the blonde vampire tied to the bed as he watched Isabel and Willow fuck one another into oblivion, growling in pleasure once they turned their attentions to him, the redhead straddling his face, their mistress sinking onto his cock.

Once Spike entered the picture, a low moan left Isabel's lips, her body wanting what her mind had a taste of.  She ached to feel Willow's soft body
against her own, writhing against one another as they shared their bodies and their blood.  She then longed to give Spike nothing but pain until he begged her for her body or even for death.  Isabel wanted to feel power course through her as she wielded implements of torture, knowing that both life and death were in her hands.

At that moment, she wanted the power, the darkness.

At that moment, Simon knew his goddess was almost ripe for the picking.

And at that moment, *Isabel* knew that she was ripe for the picking.

"Please, forgive me," she whispered to the winds, hoping that her beloved friends would hear and understand.

It was at that moment that she ended it.

~*~*~

"Please, forgive me."

Any other being wouldn't have heard the quiet plea that came from Isabel's home as Spike and Angel pulled in front of her house.  But they were vampires, their sense of hearing being more delicate than almost any other creature.  Without a word, the two vampires jumped out of the car and ran to the door, only to find that they'd been uninvited, as once Spike forced the door open, he and his sire encountered an invisible barrier.  But before either of them could panic, the barrier disappeared and they fell into the doorway.  Simultaneously, their true faces emerged, inhuman howls of grief ripping through them.

They were too late.

~*~*~

There were three swords and six daggers hanging above the headboard of Isabel's bed.  The swords were the only items she removed from her childhood home before heading to Los Angeles, having once belonged to her beloved grandfather, Ian Young.  The daggers had been gifts from friends over the years, knowing how she admired such weapons.  It was quite fitting and also quite ironic that such gifts from friends and family
would ultimately bring about her death as she offered them the ultimate gift of love.

With a deep breath, Isabel let herself go, knowing that she made the right decision--the only decision. Without her trademark sarcasm, without regret, and without any word the the man who had tried to turn her against those she loved and those whom she served, the little demon began prayer, chanting softly in Latin.

"Bless me with strength, my Lord and Lady, " she whispered to the heavens in the old tongue.  "Let me end this one's darkness, let me destroy his vessel.  I give you myself as sacrifice."  As Simon began to understand her pleas, he crawled backward until he reached the foot of the bed.  At that moment, the first dagger struck, piercing his left wrist and pinning the vampire to the wall behind him.  "I give myself to keep the dark at bay and I give myself out of love for you and your children."  A second dagger followed, slicing through his right wrist and leaving both of his arms firmly attached to the wall.  "I give myself so that evil shall never work its will through me and I give myself so that no innocents may suffer at my hands."  One of the three swords flew from the wall, embedding itself up to the hilt in the middle of Simon's chest.  "I give myself so that all I hold dear may live and I give myself so that you may bless them, my Lord and Lady.  I pray that you look upon them and bestow your graces upon them.  As above, so below.  So mote it be."

A third dagger then took flight, finding its target in Simon's throat.

As Isabel felt the final blade cutting into her flesh, she closed her eyes and welcomed the impending darkness, taking her last breath in peace, for she had done the will of the Powers that Be.
 

~Part: 15~

Surprisingly, it was Angel who composed himself first.  With a great deal of strength, the dark vampire willed his demon back and his human facade returned.  He looked over at his beloved childe, thankful yet again that the Powers had reunited them, because, honestly, without Spike, Angel didn't think he would've been able to get through it all.  He stood and offered a hand to his childe who silently accepted it.  "It isn't over, William," he gently stated while he wiped a bloody tear from the blonde's cheek.  Bringing his human mask forth, Spike looked up at his sire and smiled.  "Aye, you're right, Sire," he agreed.  "It's just the beginning."

~*~*~

It was the soft babbling of the brook that summoned Isabel from her momentary darkness; the darkness that had enveloped her upon her last breath.  She opened her eyes, finding herself in familiar surroundings.  The newly dead demon was in the middle of a thickly wooded area; one she knew was deep in the mountains in Topanga.  A small brook ran just to her left where she lay on the thick carpet of grass, surrounded by wildflowers that she and Jayne used to pick.  The small wood was her sanctuary, her place of worship.  It was where she celebrated her religious rites and it was where she came when she needed time to commune with her Lord and Lady in absolute peace.  But it wasn't a place where Isabel came to hide.  She gladly welcomed her family to her sacred space.

It had served as their dining room as she, Drew, Eli, Ash, and Jayne had shared their first meal as a family and had become the place where they all often gathered in meditation and in prayer when the weight of the world was heavy on their shoulders.  The lush green surroundings were also a source of inspiration to the motley crew.  Eli would go there when he was thinking of the next storyline for his underground comics.  Jayne often found herself retreating to the woods to write and ponder her relationships.  Drew would spend a great deal of his time honing his artistic skills in the mountains, always bringing home beautiful landscapes of the untouched location.  And it was where Ash and Isabel would go armed with their acoustic guitars and notebooks so they could give the music swelling inside them somewhere to go.  Sometimes it was sent to the heavens as they played, other time it was captured in their journals as they wrote.  Over the years, it was a place that had seen great joy, love, inspiration, and art.

An ethereal smile lit Isabel's face as she stood and let the beauty and peace flood her, replacing all else in the young woman's body and soul.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone look as beautiful as you do at this moment, Isabel."

With her head thrown back and her arms raised to the heavens, the witch froze.  There would never be a time when she didn't recognize that voice.  Isabel willed herself to relax and turned to her visitor, finding herself face to face with not one person.

But four.

~*~*~

Steeling themselves, Spike and Angel let the scent of blood lead them into Isabel's bedroom.  The sight of the young witch's bound, broken body almost brought a fresh fit of sobs upon the elder of the two, but his childe's hand in his own lent him strength.  The dark vampire moved his eyes from Isabel’s bloody corpse for a moment and let his anger resurface as he turned to her captor.  While both man and demon roared at the sight of the one that had brought all of this tragedy upon his little demon, he couldn't help but take pride in her handiwork.  That Isabel could deliver such an attack while injured and bound was true testimony to her power.

Spike watched his sire as he regarded the unconscious vampire, also cheering her technique.  The image of the wanker crucified to her wall did them both good.  Each blade was buried to the hilt in his chest, wrists, and throat and while they weren't killing blows, he knew that they were incredibly painful.  But if left long enough, Simon could, in fact, bleed to death.  Spike knew that the whelp wouldn't be that lucky.

While he didn't want to interrupt Angel's thoughts as he stalked back and forth in front of the prone Simon, Spike realized that the rest of the cavalry would be there soon.  "What are we to do, Angel?" he asked.  "The others'll be charging in soon and I for one don't think they should be privy to this."  'Neither do I think they want to see you reprise your role as the Scourge, not after what happened a few years ago.'

Angel could read Spike's thoughts through his expressive blue eyes and nodded.  "I don't want them to see this, William," he replied softly as he glanced back to Isabel and fought a growl.  The vampire reached into his coat to grab his phone and dialed a number before tossing it to Spike.  "Tell Cordy to meet us at the office."  With a nod, Spike left the room, leaving his sire alone with his love and her enemy for the time being.

~*~*~

Tears began pouring from Isabel's eyes as she found herself surrounded by the friends she'd thought lost to her.  Eli, Ash, Jayne, and Drew each stood before her, each looking as they did during their happiest days on the mortal plane--those first days when they'd officially accepted one another as their true family.  They all looked so joyous and serene, she couldn't help but cry those tears for them--tears of happiness as their joy poured over her and became hers.

It was Ash who stepped forward to wipe the tears from her face.  "Every moment, you're most beautiful than the last," he whispered, love glittering in his bright blue eyes.  "You're even beautiful when you cry, Isabel."  He enveloped the sobbing witch in his strong arms and held her close.  "But please don't cry anymore, baby," he pleaded.  "You've already cried so much, I'm surprised you have any tears left."

"But there's so much to cry about, Ash," she countered softly.  "I thought I'd lost you.  And now I've found you again, but not until after so many people have died because of me."

Drew smiled and his deep brown eyes lit up at the sight of her.  Even as she blamed herself for their deaths, he couldn't help but look upon her as one of the Powers' most exquisite masterpieces.  Such beauty--mind, body, and soul--was so rare, so precious.  He could fully accept his death knowing that she had been a part of his life.  "*None* of this was your fault," he insisted gently, feeling that was the best approach.  And if she couldn't get it through her thick skull that all of this was destined, Ash could step back in.   If anyone could make Isabel understand, it was the blue-eyed, blue-haired young man.  From the moment they'd met, he and Isabel had shared a special bond that the other three recognized and respected.  "And no power can take us away from you, baby Bell," he insisted.  Ash stepped back as the older man took her hand in his.  "We're family--in life and death."  The artist placed their joined hands over his heart.  "You'll always be right here," he paused and moved their hands over her heart, "and we'll always be right there."

"The Powers are sending me back, aren't they?" she asked quietly as she absorbed his words while clinging to his hand fearfully.  "This isn't my welcome into the next life--"

"But it is, Isabel," Jayne interrupted.  "We *are* welcoming you into your next life," she insisted.  "It just isn't supposed to be spent with us."

"But what if I want it to be?"

~*~*~

As soon as Spike left the room, Angel went to work breaking Isabel's restraints.

"It looks like neither of us wins, Angelus."  Simon's voice was rough, strangled as he managed to speak despite the blade embedded in his throat.  The dark vampire growled when the injured demon dared speak to him, but with great control, he kept his attention on the task at hand while he replied.  "Isabel was never a prize to be won, Simon," he managed smoothly as he snapped the last of her restraints.  "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my friend.  She was the ultimate prize.  With her blood came power and glory that you'll never be able to comprehend no matter how many lifetimes you see before turning to dust."

Angel looked up at the weak and bloody vampire.  Even in all of his days as the Scourge, he doubted that his eyes had ever reflected the hate that he saw in Simon's.  "And you'll never be able to comprehend the love that Isabel could've given you had you not betrayed her," he countered.

Simon's emerald eyes flashed as he laughed at Angel.  "Love," he spat.  "That bitch--"

The moment the curse escaped Simon's mouth, the sword was torn out of his chest and plunged deep into his stomach.  "Ya shouldn't speak ill of the dead.  Do it again and I'll cut your tongue out."

Spike had just hung up with Cordelia when Simon had regained consciousness and began to speak with Angel.  He chose to linger outside the door for a moment, letting the two have a moment alone, but the moment the purple-haired demon insulted Isabel, the demon took over and he charged.  He had only exacted a tiny fraction of the pain that Simon had inflicted on his family, but even the small bits helped out.  Licking the Simon's blood from his fingers, he took his place at Angel's side and smirked as the injured vampire passed out once more.  "What a bleeding pansy."

~*~*~

Eli, who had been silent up to that point, took her hand and led her to the stream.  He knelt down and gestured that she join him.  As she did so, he waved his hand over the water.   Its babbling came to a halt, leaving it as flat and motionless as a mirror.  "Look, Bell," he asked of her.  "Can you really say you want to leave him behind?"  An image appeared in the water.  It was she and Angel as they'd lain together on his roof early that morning.  Her chest tightened as she looked at the scene before her.  It was just before she had told him how safe she felt in his arms--how she never wanted to leave them.  And she didn't.  Even at that moment, reunited with her friends in their paradise, she ached to run back to him.

Isabel had never felt guiltier in her life.  Even after dying to save the vampire, she wanted to turn back the clock and run back to him.  She looked away, but Eli gently put his hand under her chin and brought her attention back to him.  "Honey, don't feel guilty for wanting to be with him--it's what's meant to be."

Hearing that, she stood and stalked away from the four, closing herself off both body and mind so that all she felt was anger she directed at herself.  "You weren't there," she hissed.  "You have no fucking idea what I would've done to them--what could happen if you make me go back.  I died because I'm not the happy little divine demon everyone thinks I am--y'know, the chick who fights for the sake of puppies and bunny rabbits.  I died to keep Spike and Willow from being my bitches.  To keep Wes and Cordy from dying by my hands."  She paused as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek.  "Not to mention what I would have done to Angel," she whispered.  "I would've brought them nothing by pain.  I had to die--there's too much evil in me to let me live."

Incensed that Isabel could ever think that, Ash was at her side in a second.   He held her angelic face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes.  The intensity of his icy blue gaze startled her.  This was not mellow, happy Ash.  It was resolved, man with a purpose Ash.  He was about to lay down the law.

"Isabel Emily Young, you are *not* evil," he stated vehemently, conviction burning in the blue depths of his eyes.  "Yeah, Simon's words seduced you.  He reminded you that you aren't immune to darkness.  Fuck, at one time or another, we *all* wanna know what it would be like to talk a walk on the dark side.  We're human, or part human in your case.  Humanity means choosing your path, baby, it's about free will.  You can walk on the good side, the bad, or hang out in the middle.  And you've already chosen your path.  You put your ass on the line, Bell.  You sacrificed yourself for those folks."

"Yeah, so I wouldn't sacrifice *them*, Ash.  See, I'm no better than Simon!" she cried.  "The idea of dominating Willow and Spike practically got me off.  I was ready to *beg* that rat bastard of a bloodsucker to fuck me while I was cuffed to my bed and imagining their torture."  'Grr.  Why doesn't he give up?  Bell=evil.  Bell=dead.'

"But you didn't, Isabel," he countered in frustration as he led her back to their friends who had settled themselves on the grass.  They merely observed as he took her into his lap and cradled her against his chest. "You fucking killed yourself so you or Simon couldn't hurt them!  You didn't even wait to let him go into detail about his plans for Angel before you called on the Lord and Lady for help.  As soon as you understood what could happen, you ended it.  At first the PTB didn't think you'd be able to summon that kind of power until you knew what kind of elaborate plan Simon had in mind for Angel.  But you proved them wrong--the Powers that Be.  You proved that you don't just love him, Isabel.  You love *all* of them and you'd die for *all* of them.  You *did* die for them.

"You have strength you can't even begin to imagine, Isabel," he began in a kinder tone.  "And no, you aren't like the rest of the Divinitus Monstrum.  Very, very few of you were raised in the human world and you are the only one to have been raised without any guidance from your elders.  Being raised as human let the evil that lies in the heart of man into *your* heart.  But very little," he added when he saw her about to interrupt.  "Honey, be glad you're different--the other Divinitus were like Julie Andrews on speed."

Eli couldn't keep back his chuckle.  "We've met some of them, Bell.  It was scary," he admitted.  "Anyway, Ash is right.  The PTB made you different.  Very, very different.  And that is such a good thing."

Jayne moved closer to Isabel and rested her head on the demon's shoulder.  "And while you do have some innate darkness, your light outshines it by far."  She stroked her friend's hair while she helped explain and felt Isabel relax a bit.  "It's that darkness that connects you with Spike and Angel.  It's why they took to you so quickly.  It's because you aren't *all* sweetness and light.  It's because you're real.  That's why Angel loves you, Isabel."

"You see both man and demon," Drew continued.  "You give him hope that redemption will one day be his--"

"And hope that he'll find love again.  But above all, you give him happiness," Eli finished as a bolt of lightning lit the sky, making Isabel jump in Ash's arms.  They all stood then, Ash helping Isabel to her feet.  "We have to go now, honey," he whispered.  Another bolt struck overhead and he smiled brightly.  "Looks like you do too.  And before you ask--yeah, it’s true happiness.  You make that bloodsucker disgustingly happy.  He just doesn't know it yet.  The PTB thought it might be bad if you started off mating like crazed weasels."

~*~*~

Spike stood by as Angel gingerly brushed the hair from Isabel's face.  Both prayed silently to the Powers, keeping hope alive that Isabel would be brought back to them as the prophecy stated.  Angel looked up at his beloved childe who smiled reassuringly.  "Time for the Divine to join the legions of the night once more, mate."

Angel took an unnecessary breath before uttering one last prayer that the PTB guide him.  And they did not disappoint.  Instantly, the dark vampire knew what he had to do and what he had to say.  Angel's allowed his demon to come to the fore and bit deeply into his wrist.  As the blood began to flow, he held the wound to Isabel's lips.  "Blood, fire, and death are what brought us together, corazon," he whispered, the words flowing easily from his lips.  "But love, blood, and life are what will bind us forever."  He paused to make sure the dark liquid was flowing down her throat and once satisfied, he continued.  "The blood of many was shed, yours the last.  I give you my blood, my life, so that you may live again, be born again.  Don't even think that you can get out of this, Isabel," he added softly as smile graced his lips.  "Remember what I said--we're bound to have a very long life together.  And, besides, I love you."

~*~*~

"I love you."

Angel's voice rang in five pairs of ears, causing four pairs of eyes to gaze at Isabel happily.  "There ya go, Bell," Drew grinned.  "If you didn't believe it before, believe it now.  That big hulk of vampire doesn't say anything he doesn't mean.  It's time to go back to him."

Isabel had expected to be completely teary and angst-ridden when the time came to leave her family in the afterlife, but she felt the exact opposite.  She was pretty damned happy.  With those three words from Angel, all of her guilt and anger fled her soul, leaving her with nothing but love, happiness, and acceptance--which was the most important thing.  Somewhere in her poor, freaked-out, confused psyche, the little demon knew everything was as it was meant to be.  Which meant that she had lots of ass kicking and Angel-loving in her future.  Life was going to be good.  It was funny how the universe could pull a total 360 on you like that, but who was she to question the Powers that Be?

By the serene look on her face, Eli, Ash, Jayne, and Drew knew that Isabel finally understood and accepted her fate--to go back to the land of the living and live and fight alongside her vampire.  Their work there was done.  For the time being.

Jayne stepped forward first and hugged her.  "I'm sorry we didn't have much time, but the PTB really didn't want you dead for all that long, but so you know, this definitely isn't goodbye.  You haven't seen the last of us."  One by one, the rest joined Jayne and Isabel in their embrace, all declaring their love for the woman--mother, sister, and best friend--that had brought them all together.  Also one by one, they began to fade into the ether as their time together came to an end, with Drew being the last.  "Be happy, Isabel," he wished her as he held her tightly.  "Love him.  It won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it."  Slowly, he began to disappear, but before leaving two last instructions with her.  "My closet.  Take a look.  And never forget how much we love you."  With that he vanished from her sight and her world faded to darkness once more.

"I love you, too."

~*~*~

"I love you, too."

Angel barely heard those four whispered words as Isabel's heartbeat began thundering in his ears.  Scarlet tears ran down his cheeks as a pair of vibrant violet eyes fluttered open.  "Oh, Gods," Angel whispered in disbelief.  "You're--".

"She's alive!"  Spike and Angel's eyes flew to the door where Willow, Cordelia, and Wesley stood with tears in their eyes.  Before either vampire even think to berate their friends for ignoring their wishes, Isabel held her arms out to them, eager to feel the affection of her new loved ones.   Without hesitation, they flew to her, piling on top of the vampire and the demon in a very undignified tangle of limbs.  Wiping away tears of his own, Spike joined them, wrapping his arms around the very unlikely group.

It was safe to say that at that moment, they were officially one, big, happy, demonic, dysfunctional family.  But not even death and rebirth can stop a family from having very vocal fights.  And as soon as Isabel was strong enough to attend to the matter of Simon, they had their first.

Both Spike and Angel were furious when the demon had told them they weren't going to formally introduce Simon to the Scourge.  Especially once she'd told them everything that had led up to her death, beginning to end.  Spike had put his fist through a wall after he'd heard what the purple-haired vampire had wanted to do to his Willow.  And then he'd taken her in his arms and kissed her as if his un-life depended on it.  Angel had been so riled that he and Isabel nearly came to blows as they discussed his punishment.  His demon was screaming for revenge, but Isabel refused to let him exact it.

"It isn't your place, Angel," she'd insisted.  "And believe me, it would be pretty fucking satisfying to see you and Spike have a ball with his sorry ass, but if we let him go to dust, no one is going to know that he did all this.  It isn't good enough that I know he was put to justice--I wasn't the only person who lost family.  This is about an entire community, Angel, just like I told you this morning.  There are countless other folks out there who deserve to know that the man who fucked up their lives was caught."

"And how do you propose you do that, Isabel?" he demanded.  "Tell them that Simon was a deranged vampire who was obsessed with you and your demonic powers and invite them to a public staking?"  His brown eyes threatened to bleed to gold, causing Isabel to lay her calming hands on him.  "Angel, you need to calm down.  I may be somewhat eccentric, but I'm not fucking insane."  The vampire let her touch soothe him, knowing that if she didn't, their first squabble wouldn't end amicably.  It would probably end with him getting his ass kicked.  "What are you going to do?"

 She smiled sadly and turned her attention back to the prone Simon.  "I'm gonna give him what he wanted to strip from me.  His humanity."

Five jaws dropped collectively.  Willow was the first to recover.  "You're going to give him a soul?"  Shaking her head, Isabel began removing her blades from his still body.  "I'm gonna make him human again."

And so she did.

In a haze of white light, the PTB possessed their servant before the others could argue with her, giving her the strength to exact justice on their behalf.   Gaping wounds healed themselves the moment she laid her hands on him and his heart began to beat for the first time in several decades.  As Simon drew his first ragged breath, the light faded and Isabel turned back to her love and their friends.  "It's out of our hands now."

~*~*~

Kate Lockley gazed at Isabel with great respect as two uniformed cops hauled Simon away.   From the moment she'd arrived on the scene, he wouldn't stop spewing vulgarities toward Isabel and accusations that she was a witch that had turned him into a human.  The young woman just stared at the killer with her head held high, paying no attention to his insane outbursts.  "Take your complaints to the Gods you betrayed with this bloodbath," she ordered regally.  "And remember, Simon--you brought this on yourself."  The remark incited another string of curses, causing the officers to make haste before more could be said.   The detective laid a hand on her arm, taking the demon's attention from the felon being dragged from her home.  "It's over, Isabel," she stated gently.  "Mr. LeBeau is going to get so many life sentences he'll be serving most of them posthumously."

"But only after he makes a very special friend named Bubba and then lives unhappily ever after," Isabel added, pushing her blue tinted glasses back up on the bridge of her nose.  Willow had suggested them once the sirens drew close, realizing for the first time that Isabel's eyes had indeed changed.  Instead of their warm grey, they shimmered in different shades of purple.  Metallic violet circled her pupil while the iris was a purple-indigo flecked with lilac with a lighter shade of violet that surrounded the iris, making her eyes her most striking feature.  No other creature could boast peepers such as those.

"Exactly.  I'll be in touch with you after his arraignment.  In the meantime, take care, Isabel," she wished her sincerely.  "And if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to give me a call."  After thanking the detective, Isabel crossed the lawn to where her companions were gathered.  Angel saw her coming and met her halfway.  Before he could ask if she was all right, Isabel took her glasses off and one glance at her sparkling eyes let him know she was.  With an ethereal smile that would never fail to warm his undead heart, she took his hand.

"Let's go home."
 

~Finis~

read the sequal 'Dispelling His Doubts'

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