-Part 1-
"I can't believe that this happened. How could I have let this happen?"
Buffy asked, looking at the boy beside her.
"Buffy, you couldn't stop it. She wanted to help and you let her. The
demon
grabbed her from behind. . .no one could have helped her. All we can
do now
is hope that she wakes up. I know the chances of that are looking pretty
slim right now, but there's always hope," Xander replied.
The Slayer sighed. "I know you're right. But I can just feel it, Xand.
She's
going to let go," Buffy said.
Xander didn't reply as he and Buffy looked down at the unconcious form
of
Willow Rosenburg. Earlier that day she'd been a normal college student.
Now
she layed in a hospital room beaten, bruised, and drained of a lot
of
blood.
And the doctors didn't have much hope either; they said that it was
just a
matter of time before she died.
"You ready to get out of here?" Xander asked. "There's nothing we can
do
here and we can come back in the morning to see if there's any change."
Buffy nodded. She and Xander took turns kissing Willow on the forehead
and
then they left. They were both lost in their own thoughts and didn't
realize
that they were being watched from a nearby ajoining hall.
The person watching them stepped out of his hiding place after Buffy
and
Xander had gotten on the elevator. 'It's about time they left' Spike
thought. He went quietly into Willow's room, closing the door behind
him.
Spike stood by the bed and looked down at the girl he now considered
a
friend. She'd removed the chip in his head a weak earlier, and he'd
spent
the last few days doing what he did best: being a vicious vampire.
'A bloody demon did this to her' he thought angrily as he listened to
the
machines beeping around the bed. A single tear rolled down his face
as he
looked at her bruised body.
That was when he smelled the first stench of death in the air. 'She's
dying'
he realized. 'She only has a few minutes left' As a vampire, he could
smell
death when a human was dying. And the smell in the room was getting
stronger.
'Willow, I can't let you die like this. You've helped me more than anyone
these last few months. You were my friend when the others laughed at
me' he
said silently. 'Now let me help you. I need you'
Spike knew what he had to do. He walked to the door and locked it. Then
he
went back to Willow's side. "You may not want to ever speak to me again
and
you might want to stake yourself, but that's a chance I'm willing to
take'
he said silently. He morphed into his vampire face and sank his fangs
into
Willow's neck.
He drank enough of her blood and then extracted his fangs. He took a
knife
from his pocket and slit his wrist. Then he put his wrist to her mouth
and
watched his blood trickle into her throat.
Spike didn't have any regrets about what he'd done, but he knew they
had to
get out of there.
'And I can't just walk out of here with her. That'd be obvious and we'd
get
caught' he thought. Then he spotted the window.
Willow's room was on the third floor of the hospital, but Spike knew
he
could make the jump with no problem.
The vampire went to the window and opened it. Then he went back to Willow.
He yanked the IV's and tubes out of her, and picked her up. A minute
later,
the two of them were on the ground outside the hospital.
Spike hurried back to his crypt with Willow in his arms. They had to
get out
of Sunnydale as quickly as they could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hurry, Angel," Cordelia said as the dark-haired vampire parked outside
the
hospital.
"I hope we're not too late," Angel said to his girlfriend as they got
out of
the car. Cordelia had gotten a vision from the Powers That Be concerning
Willow. The two of them had driven all the way to Sunnydale.
Angel and Cordelia walked in the hospital and went straight to the desk.
"Can you tell me if there's a Willow Rosenburg in this hospital?" Angel
asked the woman who was working.
They waited as she typed something in on her computer. "Yeah there is,"
she
finally said. "Not to alarm you, but she's the patient who mysteriously
disappeared about twenty minutes ago."
The vampire couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You mean she just
disappeared and no one saw her? Don't you people have security?" he
replied
angrily.
"I'm sorry, sir," the woman said. "They don't know how it happened.
Miss
Rosenburg wasn't even awake."
Cordelia could tell that Angel was getting ready to say something, so
she
decided to step in. "Well thanks for your help anyway," she said. She
grabbed Angel's hand and led him away.
"Something about that just doesn't seem right," Angel said as he and
Cordelia stood outside the hospital in the night air. "You and I both
know
that Willow couldn't just get up and walk out of the hospital if she
wasn't
conscious."
"So what's that mean?" Cordelia asked. "That someone or something took
her
out of there?"
Angel nodded. "Maybe," he replied. "And my guess is that a person didn't
do
this."
"So the question is what did," Cordelia said. She squeezed Angel's hand.
She
could tell that he was worried about their friend.
"Exactly. Which is a question I don't have the answer to. But I want
it,"
Angel replied. "And I'm going to find it."
Cordelia kissed the dark-haired vampire and smiled. "I'll help in any
way I
can," she said.
Angel smiled at the dark-haired girl he'd fallen in love with. "Thanks,"
he
said. "But let's get back to L.A for now and think this through. I'm
not in
the mood to deal with Buffy and the others, so let's get out of here
before
we run into them."
The two of them got in the car and headed back to L.A.
Two hours later, they were pulling up in front of the office that housed
Angel Investigations. The street was dark and deserted, but Angel sensed
that something wasn't right. But what the something was, he didn't
know.
Angel parked his car in the garage and he and Cordelia went inside.
Cordelia
gasped when she turned the light on.
The dark-haired vampire turned to look at Cordelia, and his eyes fell
on
Willow. The red-head was asleep on the couch.
Angel walked over to the motionless body and took Willow's wrist in
his
hand. There was no pulse and no heart beat. That's when he noticed
the two
bite marks on the girl's neck. "Who did this?" Angel asked out loud.
"I did," Spike replied, stepping into the room.
"Spike," Cordelia said in shock when she saw the blonde vampire.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Part 2-
"Is it possible for someone to just walk out of a hospital when they
weren't
conscious two hours ago?" Buffy asked as she, Xander, and Giles stood
outside Sunnydale Gereral Hospital a little while later.
"It's not possible for anyone to walk anywhere if they're unconscious,"
Giles replied.
"But you're forgetting that this is Sunnydale. These things happen everyday
on the Hellmouth. We just don't think about it because it's never happened
within our little group," Xander said.
Buffy nodded. "You're right," she answered. "But that still doesn't
explain
what happened in that hospital earlier. I want to know where my best
friend
is."
"We'll figure it out, Buffy. All I know is, Willow didn't just get up
and
walk out. Something. . .took her out," Giles said.
"And when I find out what did this, I'll kill it," Buffy replied with
all
seriousness.
"Ok, so where do we start?" Xander asked. "We obviously can't start
with
research."
Giles thought for a minute. "I want you two to ask around. Talk to anyone
who knows Willow. Maybe someone knows something," he replied.
"Alright," Buffy agreed. "I'll talk to Tara first thing in the morning.
And
then I'll pay a visit to Willy the Snitch. See if he's heard anything."
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said. "What do you want me to do?"
"Xander, you know Willow's family better than we do. You should talk
to
them. See if they're ok and find out if they know anything," Giles
answered.
"I'm on it," Xander replied. "I'm sure they don't know anything, but
it's
worth a shot."
Giles nodded and took his glasses off. "So we know what we have to do.
We
should all three get some sleep," he said. The ex-Watcher saw the looks
that
Buffy and Xander were giving him, so he continued. "I know it's going
to be
next to impossible, but we have to try."
The two teenagers agreed and Giles left. Buffy and Xander finally started
walking. "You know we're neither going to sleep tonight. Want to go
back to
my place?" Xander asked.
Buffy thought for a minute and then nodded. "Sure," she said. "We at
least
have to try to be semi-normal."
Five minutes later. they were at Xander's. Xander unlocked the front
door
and he and Buffy went down to the basement.
"Are you going to call Angel and tell him what's going on?" Xander asked.
Buffy shook her head as she sat down on Xander's bed. "No," she answered.
"Not yet anyway. He and Willow have become pretty good friends since
he left
for L.A; I don't want to worry him."
"But won't he be mad if he finds out that you didn't bother to tell
him?"
Xander pointed out.
Buffy shrugged. "Probably," she replied. "But if I tell him, he'll just
come
here. And that'll just make things even more weird between me and him."
"You know he's going to find out, Buff," Xander said. "Deadboy always does."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here," Cordelia said, handing Spike a cup of coffee. He stopped rubbing
his
face long enough to take the cup, but he didn't make a move to drink
from
it.
Spike glanced at his sire, who was pacing the length of his office.
After
he'd turned Willow and realized that they had to get out of Sunnyhell,
he'd
driven to L.A. To Angel's.
"Why don't you say something already, Angel? I know you're wanting to,"
Spike said.
Angel stopped pacing and looked at his childe. "You want me to say
something? Fine. Why did you do it?" he asked.
The blonde vampire shrugged. "I don't know. I just. . .Willow and I
had
become really good friends in the last few months. When I walked in
that
hospital room saw her dying body, I knew I had to do something," Spike
answered.
"So you just turned her?" Angel asked. "Didn't you stop and think that
this
was supposed to happen? That maybe it was Willow's time to die?"
'God, I sound like the Oracles' he thought
"See I don't agree with that," Spike replied. "I think you should do
everything you can to save the person if you really care about them.
Honestly, I don't have any regrets about turning her. And you know
you
would've done the same thing if it had been Cordelia in that bed and
you'd
been watching her die."
Angel thought about that for a minute. 'He's right' the dark-haired
vampire
realized. 'I would have done the same thing'
"Now what are you going to do?" Angel asked his childe. "You know this
is
going to be one of the first places the others will look for her."
"And not to mention the Initiative. Willow told me about them, and they
don't sound very nice. What about if they get ahold of her?" Cordelia
asked.
Spike groaned in frustration. "I hadn't even thought about those bloody
commandos," he said.
"We have to curse her," Angel said.
"What?!" Spike exclaimed. "What do you mean?"
"Spike, Willow won't have a soul when she wakes up. And you know the
first
thing on a vampire's mind when they wake up," Angel said. "We can't
risk her
killing anyone."
Spike glared at the older vampire. "I'm glad I'm old enough that I don't
have to listen to you," he said. "Willow's my responsibility, so I'll
handle
it. And I'm sure as hell not letting you give her a bloody soul."
"It's the only way, Spike," Angel said. "If you really care about her,
you'll let me do it."
"No. There's always another way," Spike replied. "I'll find it on my own."
Cordelia and Angel watched as Spike left the office. "Spike," Angel
said,
following his childe into the outer office.
Spike whirled around. "Angel, I have to do this, ok? So just shut up
and let
me. And if Buffy or any of the others come looking, you don't know
anything
about it," he said.
Angel sighed. "Fine. I won't tell them," he agreed.
Spike grabbed Willow and left the office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fifteen minutes later, Spike had checked himself and Willow into a motel
on
the other end of L.A; as far from Angel Investigations as they could
get.
Spike placed Willow in the bed and then lost himself in his thoughts.
He
knew that the only way he and Willow would be safe was if they left
the
United States all together. If they stayed there, someone would find
them
sooner or later.
He glanced at his watch and then back at Willow. 'She should be waking
up
anytime' he thought
While he was waiting, Spike called the airport to see how soon he could
get
a flight out of the country. He found out that if he wanted to be in
England
after sunset, he and Willow would have to leave the next afternoon.
Spike
booked two tickets and hung up.
Spike heard a groan and turned around. Willow was starting to stir.
The
red-head rubbed her eyes and sat up.
She glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings and her eyes fell
on
Spike. 'What happened?' she wondered. The last thing she remembered
was a
demon attacking her and everything going black.
"Spike, what happened?" she asked. She felt her face vamp out and she
touched her cheek. "You turned me, didn't you?"
"Yeah I did," Spike replied. "You were dying and I couldn't let you."
Willow nodded as she took it all in. 'I feel different' she thought
as she
glanced around the motel room. 'I feel strong; stronger than I ever
have
before. And I feel. . .hungry'
"Spike?" Willow said, standing up.
"Yeah, pet?" the blonde vampire replied, afraid of what Willow was going
to
say.
"I don't have a soul, do I?" she asked. "I'm hungry."
"No, you don't have a soul, luv," he answered. "We'll go get you something
to eat, but not until you get out of that hospital gown." Spike tossed
her
the overnight bag he'd found her hospital room.
Willow changed quickly and the two of them left the room. "Spike, why
didn't
you give me a soul?" she asked.
"Because you're my mate now. And no mate of mine is going to feel guilty,"
Spike replied. "And we have to get out of the country. I can't risk
the
Initiative finding us. Or your friends for that matter."
The red-head nodded as she and Spike spotted their victim up ahead.
They
returned to the motel right before sunrise.
Spike kissed Willow as they entered the room. "You made me proud out
there,"
he said.
That afternoon, the two vampires used the tunnels under the city to
get from
the motel to the airport, leaving L.A and California far behind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Part 3-
Angel sighed in frustration as he hung up the phone. He sat down in
his
chair and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted, but didn't want to sleep
yet.
"Still no word?" Cordelia asked, handing the dark-haired vampire a doughnut.
The two of them had become close in the months since Doyle had died.
They
had both been sad and confused, but hadn't been willing to share it
with
each other. But one night after demon-killing, they'd found themselves
opening up. From there, they'd fallen in love.
He shook his head as he took the doughnut. "Not yet," he replied. "I
think
I've called every motel in L.A, but no one's seen anyone fitting Spike's
and
Willow's profiles. Then I called the airlines, but the woman there
wouldn't
give me any information."
"Airlines?" Cordelia repeated, sitting down in a chair. "Do you really
think
he'd leave the country with Willow?"
Angel nodded and took a drink of coffee. "He'd want to get far away
from
Sunnydale and the Initiative. And besides, that's what vampire do.
. .they
run," he answered.
"But why? I mean, is it because they're scared?" Cordelia asked. She
felt
the need to know what Angel had been like before she'd met him.
"In a way," he replied. "But mainly because they're bent on destruction.
They travel the world. But in Spike's case? He's just scared that someone
will find out what he did to Willow."
Cordelia watched as Angel yawned. She knew he hadn't had any sleep since
last night. "Angel, you should get some sleep," she said.
"No, I'll be fine," Angel replied. "I need to be here in case Spike
tries to
call."
"What good are you going to be if you're exhausted?" she asked. She
saw that
Angel was about to argue, so she continued. "You should get to bed.
I can
answer the phone."
Angel knew he wasn't going to win this one. "Ok," he answered. "But
wake me
up if he calls."
"I will," Cordelia replied. Angel kissed her and then she watched as
he
walked to the elvator. "Angel?"
He turned to look at her. "Yeah?" he said.
"I love you," Cordelia said. 'Where'd that come from?' she wondered.
She
knew she loved Angel, but they'd never actually said it before. She
couldn't
wait to see how Angel would react.
'Did she really just say that she loves me?' he thought. He knew he
hadn't
imagined it. "I love you too, Cordelia," he said.
Cordelia smiled as Angel got in the elevator and went down to his apartment.
'He loves me' she thought as she picked up a magazine from Angel's
desk and
started looking through it.
The phone on Angel's desk rung, bringing Cordelia out of her thoughts.
'That
had better be Spike if he knows what's good for him' she thought.
"Angel Investigations. We help the helpless," she said into the phone
as she
picked it up.
"Hello, pet," a British voice answered.
"Spike?" Cordelia said. "Where the hell are you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike chuckled as he listened to Cordelia. 'She hasn't changed that
much
since she left Sunnyhell' he thought. 'She still gets worked up over
nothing' He realized that she was waiting for an answer. "Give the
poof a
message for me, will you?" he answered.
"Sure. As long as you tell us where you are," Cordelia said.
"We're in England," Spike replied. "Got here an hour ago. Don't know
how
long we'll stay here before we move on. But tell Angel not to worry.
And
tell him that he'd better not breathe a word of this to the Slayer
or her
little friends."
"Fine, I'll tell him," Cordelia said. "You'd better not hurt her, Spike."
Spike couldn't help but laugh at that. "Pet, she's a bloody vampire.
Nothing
can hurt her unless someone decides to give her a bath in holy water
or
something," he replied. He left the motel room number with Cordelia
and hung
up.
The blonde vampire turned to look at Willow. She was smiling at the
dying
girl they'd brought in for dinner. They'd found her outside the motel
and
Spike had been thrilled at how terrified the girl had been when the
two of
them had shown their true faces.
Willow got up from the bed and walked over to the girl. She ran a finger
down the girl's cheek. Their victim flinched, even in her weakened,
dying
state.
"She keeps staring at me," Willow said. "Can I finish her off?"
'Have to admire the way she works' Spike thought. He smiled. "Do what
you
want to with her, pet. She's all yours," he answered, sitting down
in a
chair and pulling out a cigarette.
Willow smiled as she morphed into her vampire face. The girl was too
weak to
fight back, so she was a quick kill for Willow. She watched as the
girl's
lifeless body fell to the floor.
"They're no fun when they're like that. She didn't even fight back,"
Willow
said. She walked over to Spike and climbed onto his lap. She wrapped
her
arms around his neck and kissed him, their tongues dualing for attention.
Spike smiled as he pulled away. "You and I are going to make a great
team
together," he said. "We'll terrorize the world."
Willow smiled at that. "Sounds like a good time," she replied. "When
can we
start?"
The blonde vampire laughed. "Whenever you want to, pet," he replied.
"We
have all the time in the world to do it right."
"Time is a wonderful thing," she replied before she captured Spike's
lips in
another kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy sighed as she rubbed her eyes. She and Giles had been researching
non-stop since Willow's disappearance from the hospital.
"Giles, we still haven't found anything," she said, closing the book
she was
looking through. "There's no demons who steal bodies from hospitals."
"I know," the ex-Watcher replied. "But I don't know what else to consider."
The door opened and Xander and Anya came in. "Nothing," Anya said, flopping
down on the couch. "There's no sign of Willow anywhere. It's like she's
disappeared."
Xander shrugged. "Not much of a comfort, I know," he replied. "We went
by
Spike's crypt, but he seemed to be gone. You don't think he's connected
to
Willow's disappearance, do you?"
"But Spike does tend to disappear now and then," Giles pointed out.
"Exactly. And hopefully he's left for good this time," Buffy said. "I
don't
see how he could be connected to Willow."
"Maybe he kidnapped her because he wanted to have sex with her," Anya
replied.
Buffy and Xander rolled their eyes at each other but didn't bother to
answer
Anya. Since they'd met her, they'd learned to ignore her sometimes.
"As. . .interesting as that theory is, I think we should be more realistic,
Anya," Giles said.
Anya shrugged and tucked her legs under herself. "Actually I was being
serious," she replied. "But hey, it's ok if you all want to be 'more
realistic'."
"All I'm going to say is if I find out Spike is behind this, I'll stake
him
faster than he can say, 'I can explain'. He'll find out what a Slayer's
all
about," Buffy said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Part 4-
Cordelia glanced at her watch. It had been four hours since Spike had
called. She knew Angel would be mad when he found out that she hadn't
woken
him up yet, but she wanted him to sleep. 'He'll just have to get over
it'
she thought.
She decided it was time to wake him up now, though. She got in the elevator
and went down to Angel's apartment. 'This place is so dark' she thought
as
she glanced around. 'I don't know how he stands it'
She stopped in the doorway to Angel's bedroom and just watched his sleeping
form. Angel was on his back with the cover just reaching is waistline.
Cordelia smiled as she looked at him.
"Angel?" she said quietly.
The dark-haired vampire mumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake up.
Cordelia rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. "Angel?" she said
again, touching his bare shoulder.
She squealed when Angel rolled over and grabbed her wrist, pulling her
onto
his half-naked body.
Cordelia raised up and saw Angel's dark eyes gazing into hers. He smiled
and
kissed her gently. She opened her mouth slightly and their tongues
dualed
for attention. Finally Cordelia pulled away, in need of air.
She layed her head on his cold chest, breathing in his scent. "Spike
called," she said, trailing a finger down the muscles of his stomach.
"How long ago?" Angel asked. He pushed the hair away from face and ran
his
hands through her hair.
"About four hours ago," she replied. She looked up at his face, expecting
him to be mad.
But he didn't get mad. He just nodded and continued to stroke her hair.
'Ok.
Something's not right here. He's supposed to be angry' she thought.
"You're
not mad?" she asked carefully.
"No," Angel replied, shaking his head. "I could never be mad at you,
Cordelia. Besides, I knew you wanted me to sleep, so I figured you
wouldn't
wake me as soon as he called. You're stubborn that way."
Cordelia swatted his arm and rolled over until she was laying beside
him.
"I'm not stubborn," she replied, snuggling against him. "I just know
what I
want."
"Uh huh," Angel said. "Which is a nice way of saying you're stubborn,
right?" He rolled over and smiled at the girl laying next to him.
Cordelia smiled as she looked at Angel. This was the first time they'd
layed
like this, and she had to say that she could get used to it. "Spike
said to
tell you not to tell Buffy or anyone else," she said. "Are you going
to?"
Angel sighed. "I don't know," he replied. "I should have called Giles
as
soon as I saw Willow last night, but I didn't. And even if I told them,
they
couldn't do anything about it. Plus I feel obligated to protect Spike."
"Because he's your childe," Cordelia filled in. Angel had explained
the
sire-childe relationship to her one night so she'd understand his loyalty
to
the blonde vampire.
"Yeah," Angel said. "Am I bad for not telling them? I mean Willow is
their
friend." He looked at his girlfriend.
"It's a choice, Angel," she replied. "You know Buffy and Giles will
figure
it out on their own one day, and I think you're old enough to try and
handle
it on your own." She stroked his face as she looked at him. "Now stop
thinking so much. You don't need worry lines."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow and Spike walked through the park. They looked like a normal
couple,
but they weren't. Willow had ditched her jeans and T-shirt for a shirt
and
black leather pants, which she'd stolen from a girl they'd killed earlier.
'Weaklings' she thought as she looked at the humans around them. 'They're
supposed to be the superior race, but yet they're shadows. They live
by the
world's rules, caring what others think about them. Pathetic'
"What are you thinking about, luv?" Spike asked.
"Nothing important, trust me," she replied, looking at her lover. "Just
about how pathetic humans are."
"That they are, pet," Spike replied. He glanced around at the people.
The
blonde vampire hated how humans liked everything to be in order. He
chuckled
as he thought about how upset they became if that order was disturbed.
Willow watched as a guy who appeared to be in his 20's jogged toward
them,
completely unaware. When the boy was within earshot, she turned to
her sire.
"You know what? I'm hungry," she said. She grabbed the boy, covering
his
mouth with her hand to muffle his screams. Then she dragged him far
enough
away into the shadows so no one would hear him.
Spike smiled as Willow threw the boy to the ground and straddled his
hips.
She heard the boy draw in a deep breath as she vampired out. "The things
I
could do to you," she said to the boy.
She ripped his shirt open, exposing his upper body. Willow grabbed the
beer
bottle in Spike's hand and smashed it against the ground. Picking up
one of
the pieces of glass, she used the sharp point of it to cut open part
of his
chest. The boy screamed in pain as his flesh was cut open.
She put her finger to the blood oozing from the wound and then tasted
it
with her tongue. She turned to Spike. "Have a lighter?" she asked.
Spike grinned at his childe. "Why don't you let me have a little fun
with
him, luv?" he asked.
Willow sighed. "Fine," she replied. "Spoil my fun, William." But she
was far
from mad at her sire.
She watched with interested eyes as Spike touched the flesh of the boy's
stomach with the flame from the lighter. The boy screamed, his screams
dying
into a whimper as his skin burned. "Just kill me. Please," the boy
whispered, looking at the two vampires with almost dead eyes.
"Do you want him?" Willow asked, looking at Spike.
He shook his head and Willow turned back to her victim. She licked his
neck,
feeling his weaking pulse and then she sank her fangs into his tender
flesh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angel hung up the phone and sighed. He'd tried calling the number Spike
had
left with Cordelia, but no one had answered. "They're probably out
killing
some innocent human," he said, leaning back in Cordelia's chair.
Cordelia started to reply, but she was cut off with the office door
opened.
She and Angel looked up to see Faith standing in the doorway.
"Faith," Angel said, a little surprised to see the Slayer.
Angel and Kate had spent the last three months trying to get the dark-haired
Slayer out of jail. Finally they had succeeded and Faith had been freed.
She
spent part of her time at the office with Angel and Cordelia, but they
hadn't seen her in about three weeks.
"Hi, Angel," Faith replied. She looked at Cordelia. "Hi, Cordelia."
"Hey, Faith," Cordelia said. "Haven't seen you around lately."
Faith sat down in one of the chairs and kicked her feet up on the desk.
"Well you know," she replied. "I've been hanging around. Trying to
figure
things out." A faraway look came to her eyes.
Angel nodded. When she'd first gotten out of jail, it had been hard
for her
not to go back to her old ways of hurting and killing. The Council
had
offered to send a new Watcher to L.A, but Faith had refused. She only
helped
Angel because he didn't try to control her. 'She's come a long way'
he
thought. 'But she still has a long way to go. A lot to atone for' He
could
relate.
Faith noticed that Angel and Cordelia both seemed to be lost in their
own
thoughts. "What's up?" she asked, taking her feet off the desk and
leaning
forward.
"Just a lot going on," Angel replied. "Willow was turned."
"Willow," Faith repeated. "You mean B's friend Willow?"
Cordelia nodded. "That's the one," she said. "Spike turned her because
she
was dying and they fled to England.
"Does B know?" Faith asked, looking between the vampire and the
ex-cheerleader.
Angel shook his head. "No. I promised Spike I wouldn't tell them," he
answered.
Before Faith could reply, Cordelia moaned and gripped her head. Angel
rushed
to her, sitting her on the desk. He steadied her as the vision came.
Faith
watched the whole thing in shock.
Once the vision had passed, Cordelia wrote something down on a notepad.
"A
big, ugly demon," she explained.
Faith stood up. "Well, looks like we have work to do," she said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Part 5-
"Well that was fun," Faith said, tossing the ancient crossbow onto
Cordelia's desk. "We'll have to do it again sometime." She sat down
in the
chair and put her feet up on the desk.
She rolled her eyes as Angel grabbed her feet and pulled them off the
desk.
"You sure know how to ruin a girl's fun," she said.
"What I want to know is, why was that demon out during the day?" Angel
said,
sitting down. "That's definately not normal." Angel and Faith had taken
the
tunnels to the park. But since it was daytime, Faith had done the slaying
alone.
"What?" Cordelia asked, sitting on Angel's lap.
Faith looked at the two of them in amusement. 'There's one thing about
it'
she thought. 'Angel was one uptight guy in Sunnydale. But Cordelia
has
really mellowed him out' She looked at Cordelia. "This damn demon.
. .he was
in a shadowy part of the park, thinking there was no one around to
stop
him."
Angel shook his head. "There's something not right," he said. "I just
want
to know what it is."
Faith stood up. "I'm going to go out for awhile," she said. "I'll stop
by
tonight."
As soon as she'd left, Cordelia kissed Angel. "I thought she'd never
leave,"
she said. Angel kissed her jawline and she arched her neck.'Yes' Cordelia
thought. The phone rang, interrupting the moment. Angel reached over
and
answered it.
"Hello?" he said into the phone. He was hoping this conversation wouldn't
last long.
There was a pause on the other end before Spike's British voice floated
through the phone. "Hey, peaches," he said. "So have you ratted me
out to
the Slayer yet?"
Angel rolled his eyes and mouthed "Spike" to Cordelia. Then Angel focused
on
his childe again. "I didn't rat you out, Spike," he replied. "You know
I
won't, as tempting as it is."
"I used to know that for sure," Spike said. "But you've been different
since
you got your soul." Spike didn't know why he'd called Angel anyway;
he
figured he'd be better off handling it alone. But for some reason,
he felt
the need to talk to his poof of a sire.
"How are things going?" Angel asked. He was afraid of his childe getting
in
over his head.
"I had no idea Willow had this much evil in her," Spike said. "I mean,
she
was just. . .innocent back in Sunnyhell. She's like a monster and I
love
it."
"I remember what she was like," Angel replied. He thought back to a
year ago
when Willow and Anya had brought the evil version of Willow to Sunnydale.
He
remembered how ruthless she'd been at the Bronze.
The two vampires talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Angel
didn't move as he thought about what all Spike had told him.
"How is he?" Cordelia asked, snuggling back into Angel's arms.
Angel sighed. "I have a bad feeling that Spike is way over his head
with
Willow," he answered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike hung up the phone and turned to look at Willow. She was asleep
on the
bed. The blonde vampire smiled as he watched her sleeping. 'She looks
innocent' he thought. 'But she's not' He'd realized that after the
way he'd
seen her torture her victims.
If he wanted to admit the truth to himself, it would be that Willow
reminded
him of his day running with Angelus and Drusilla. 'She knows it's about
the
thrill of the hunt' he thought. 'It's not always just about feeding'
He decided that he'd go out and grab himself a snack while Willow was
sleeping. He put his black duster on and left.
Spike smiled as he walked. 'So many to choose from' he thought, admiring
the
humans. This was what he'd missed most about being a vampire while
he'd had
the chip in his head.
His eyes locked on a teenager not far in front of him. She was pretty,
blonde, and even better. . .alone.
He strolled up to her and glanced around to make sure they were being
unwatched. Then he grabbed her, putting a hand over her mouth to muffle
her
screams. Spike pulled her into a nearby alley.
Spike threw her against the wall and vamped out. The girl screamed but
knew
that there was no one around to hear her.
The girl tried to back away, but she fell over a trash can. Spike pulled
her
up roughly by her arm and yanked her against his chest. Her last scream
came
as Spike sank his fangs into her warm flesh.
A few minutes late, he exited the alley. Spike glanced around and started
to
head back to the motel he and Willow were staying in. His eyes fell
on
Willow, who was across the street.
'I thought she was asleep' he thought. 'Obviously she woke up after
I left'
He watched her from where he was standing, going unnoticed by her as
she
kept up with her game.
Spike walked quicly across the street to where Willow was. She had her
back
to him, but she turned around when she felt his presence. The blonde
vampire
pressed his lips to hers.
Willow's mouth opened slightly and Spike's tongue slipped into her mouth.
Their tongues dualed until Willow pulled away. "You've been eating,"
she
said with a pout.
"Yeah," Spike replied. "I got kind of hungry." He glanced at Willow,
but she
didn't even seem interested in the humans around them. "What, you don't
want
any of them?"
She shook her head. "No," Willow answered. "I just came out because
I got
bored back in our room alone. But since I found you, I doubt I'll be
bored."
Spike smiled as he and Willow headed back to the motel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy walked into Willy's bar. She smiled when Willy saw her and started
getting nervous. 'It never fails' she thought. 'He always gets nervous
whenever the Slayer is in his presence'
She hopped up on one of the stools and proped her chin in her hand.
Willy
tried to busy himself at the bar to cover his nervousness, but he knew
Buffy
could see right through it.
"What can I do for you?" he finally asked, looking at the Slayer.
Buffy smiled. "Hey there, Willy," she said. "I haven't heard anything
about
you getting in trouble lately."
"Well you know, I had a spiritual experience," Willy replied. "It made
me
want to change my life around."
"Uh huh," Buffy said. "Something tells me that you haven't changed that
much, Willy. Now, what do you know about the disappearance from the
hospital? I know you have to know something about it." Buffy was willing
to
force the information out of him if she had to.
"Why would I know who or what took her?" Willy replied. "I don't know
any
demon who'd be stupid enough to move the Slayer's friend from the hospital."
"I don't know either," Buffy said. "But one was stupid enough to try
it."
She got up and walked around the bar. She shoved Willy against the
bar and
glared at him. "Now what do you know?"
"I swear I don't know anything," Willy answered. "Usually I do, but
this
time I really don't; I was left out of the demon loop so I don't know
what
went down in that hospital room."
Buffy looked into the bartenders eyes to see if he was lying, but he
held
her gaze. Something told her that he was telling the truth. She let
go and
let him step back away from the counter.
"Sorry I couldn't help you," Willy said as Buffy walked to the door.
She turned back and looked at him. "So am I. But it's ok," she replied,
leaving.
Once outside, Buffy glanced around, trying to decide where to go. She
really
didn't want to go back to the dorm because it reminded her of Willow.
Finally she decided to go by Xander's.
When Xander opened the door, Buffy was surprised not to see Anya there.
"No
Anya?" she asked, stepping inside the basement.
Xander shook his head. "No," he replied. "Anya's not happy because we
didn't
believe her theory about Spike kidnapping Willow."
Buffy nodded and sat down on the bed. "I don't know, Xander," she replied.
"I questioned Willy, but he didn't know anything." Tears came to her
eyes as
she thought about not seeing Willow again.
He sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "We'll find her,
Buff,"
Xander said.
"But what if we don't?" Buffy asked, laying her head on Xander's shoulder
as
a sob escaped.
-Part 6-
The next morning, Angel was sitting at Cordelia's desk, using her computer to find some information. Faith was sitting across from him, reading the morning paper. 'This is hopeless' Angel thought as he search came up with over a thousand sites.
Angel and Faith looked up when they heard the door to the office open. They both expected it to be Cordelia, but instead they found themselves looking at a dark-haired woman.
The dark-haired vampire leaned back in his chair. "Can I help you?" he asked. 'Guess the demons decided not to take a break' he thought.
The woman smiled, but Angel could see the pain behind her eyes. "I'm Mrs. Chase. I'm. . ."she said.
"Cordelia's mom," Angel filled in, standing up. He walked around the desk and shook her hand. "I'm Angel."
"And I'm Faith," the Slayer said from the chair. She stood up. "I'll get out of here and leave you two alone."
Cordelia's mom turned to Angel once Faith was gone. "So you're Angel," she said. "Cordelia's told me a lot about you." Then she thought of something. "I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here."
Angel laughed. "Actually I thought you were a client when I first saw you. . . that's usually who walks in," he replied.
"No, it was just me," she answered. "I decided to come see Cordelia. I haven't seen her since she graduated. And I waited before I showed up here after everything that happened in Sunnydale."
He nodded. Angel knew what had happened to Cordelia's family back in Sunnydale, but he decided not to tell her mom that. "Well Cordelia won't be in for another hour," Angel said. "How about if I give you her address?"
Cordelia's mom nodded. "Thank you," she replied. She followed Angel into his office while he wrote Cordelia's address down. Then Angel gave her directions.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "And treat her good, Angel." Then she was gone.
The phone rang on Cordelia's desk. He let the answering maching get it until he heard Buffy's voice. Then he turned the machine off and picked up the phone. "Buffy?" he said.
"Angel," Buffy said when she heard her ex-boyfriend's voice. She knew it was going to be hard, but she had no idea that it was going to hurt this much to hear his voice.
"How are you?" Angel asked. "Is anything wrong?" Usually when Buffy called, it meant that something was wrong or that she needed his help.
"The short version is that Willow was badly hurt, but she disappeared from the hospital somehow," Buffy explained. "Right now I'm just trying to cover all my bases. You haven't seen or heard anything, have you?"
Angel sighed inwardly. He knew Buffy would call, but he thought he still had some time. "I haven't talked to Willow in a few weeks," he replied. It wasn't a lie. Exactly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy sighed as she hung up the phone. She turned to see questioning looks on Giles', Xander's, and Anya's faces. "Nothing?" Xander asked, even though he already knew the answer.
She shook her head. "Nothing," Buffy replied. "Angel said he hasn't talked to Willow in a few weeks."
Anya sighed and stood up from the couch. "You know what I think?" she said. "I think that you three just don't want to accept the truth that's right in front of you. . .that Spike did this." She sat down in the chair, facing the other three.
"Anya, Spike didn't do this," Xander replied. "He doesn't have a reason to take Willow."
"So the fact that Spike's a vampire doesn't give him a reason to hurt Willow?" Anya asked. She glanced at Buffy and Xander. "You two just don't want to admit it."
"But Willow and Spike were friends," Buffy pointed out.
"Yeah, and she took the chip out of his head, giving him the freedom to kill again," Anya replied. "And not every vampire is like Angel, Buffy. Spike could have turned her so she wouldn't die."
Giles didn't say anything as he considered Anya's words. "As far-fetched as Anya's theory sounds, we have to consider all the options," he said, looking at Buffy.
"Thank you," the ex-demon said. "At least one person doesn't think I'm crazy." She glared at Xander.
"Come to think of it, where is Spike?" Giles asked. "Usually he's hanging around, getting blood and annoying me. But he hasn't been around lately. And he can kill again, but yet we haven't heard anything about him hurting anyone."
Buffy shrugged and sat down on the couch beside Xander. "He's probably afraid of the Initiative catching him again, so he's laying low," she replied.
"You're probably right," Giles answered. "But in any case, I'm going to go by Spike's place and make sure he's there."
Anya stood up. "I'll go with you," she said.
Giles and Anya left the condo, leaving Buffy and Xander alone. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence. "Thanks for not thinking I was crazy," she finally said.
The ex-Watcher smiled. "You're not crazy, Anya," he replied. The two of them walked into one of the cemetaries and Giles stopped in front of a crypt.
"This is it," Giles said. He opened the door and the two of them went inside. The crypt was empty and didn't look like it had been lived in for a few days.
"He's gone," Anya said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, Willow and Spike went hunting. The first victim their eyes landed on was a teenage boy who seemed to be alone. They tried to sneak up on him, but the boy ran.
Spike chuckled. "Looks like we're going to have to chase our dinner tonight, luv," he said.
Willow smiled. "That's the best way," she replied. "It's no fun when they just stand there." The two of them took off after the boy.
The boy rounded a corner into an alley. 'Dumb boy' Spike thought as he and Willow turned the corner and ran into the alley. They both stopped when they realized that the alley was empty. "Where did he go?" Spike said.
That's when they heard the click and turned around to find themselves facing five men and a tranquilizer gun. "We know what you are," one of the English-accented men said.
Spike smiled as he vamped out. Willow did the same beside him.
"You've been causing quite a stir in out town." the man said. "Feeding on innocent people. Torturing them." He looked at Willow with that comment. "You two disgust us. We want you out of here."
"I think that'll be a problem, mate," Spike replied. "We'll have to die before your town is safe again."
"I think that can be arranged," the man answered. Two of the men rushed Spike and Willow. It took only a minute for the two vampires to ground them. Spike drained one of them while Willow stabbed the second one with a stake she had on her.
Willow looked up to see a third man looking at her with hatred in his eyes. She grabbed him by the neck. The man struggled against her, but Willow sank her fangs into his warm flesh.
Spike looked up to see the remaining two men running out of the alley. He grabbed Willow's hand. "Let's get out of here, pet," he said.
-Part 7-
Giles and Anya walked back in the apartment, dejected looks on their faces. They found Buffy and Xander still sitting on the couch, but now they were watching Jerry Springer.
Anya rolled her eyes and grabbed the remote from the end table, turning the TV off.
"Hey!" Xander protested. "It was just getting to the good part!" He tried to grab the remote from his girlfriend, but her reflexes were quicker and she threw the remote to Giles.
"We have a problem," the ex-Watcher said. He sat down in a chair facing the two teenagers. Giles leaned back in the chair, gauging their reactions. Neither of the teens seemed to care anymore, but he was hoping they'd take an interest.
"What's the problem?" Buffy asked, looking between Giles and Anya.
"Spike," Anya explained. "We went to the crypt and he was gone. It looked like he'd been gone for a few days." She couldn't wait to hear their theory on this.
Buffy sighed. "So what if Spike's gone?" she asked. "It still doesn't prove that he took Willow. Maybe he left because he was afraid that the Initiative would catch him again. Or maybe it's because he knew I'd stake him on the spot if I got the chance."
Xander had remained quiet through all this, but now he looked between Buffy and Anya. "I'm sorry, Anya," he said. "But I have to agree with Buffy on this one."
Anya's eyes darkened as she looked at Xander. "You would agree with her," she said. She turned to look at Giles. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Giles nodded and followed Anya outside. He closed the door and faced the ex-demon. "What is it, Anya?" he asked. After today, the Watcher planned to trust Anya more.
"I'm going to go to L.A, Giles," she replied. "I'm going to talk to Angel." Anya really didn't understand why she wanted to find Willow, but she did. She guessed she wanted to know the truth about what had happened to the red-headed girl.
"Angel?" Giles repeated. "Buffy already talked to him, Anya. He didn't know anyting." 'I don't understand what she's doing' he thought.
"Maybe that's just what he told Buffy," she answered, trying to make the ex-Watcher understand. "But in the demon world, vampire sire and childe are typically close when it comes to these things. I think he knows more than he's saying."
Giles nodded. "Ok, then you go talk to Angel and then report back to me," he said.
Five minutes later, Anya walked into her apartment. 'It's good to still strike fear in some demons' she thought as she dialed a number. A minute later she had Angel's address from her contact and hung up.
Anya grabbed some money and her keys and then left her apartment. She
got in her white Camaro and left Sunnydale.
Willow woke up a few hours later. She glanced around to see that she was in a car. Spike was beside her, driving. She smiled when she saw her lover.
'It's still day' she thought. She could sense it. Willow looked over at Spike, who seemed to be intent on his driving. "Spike?" she said, trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing she remembered, she and Spike had been in their motel in England.
Spike glanced over at Willow and smiled as he squeezed her hand. "Things were getting bad in England, luv," he explained. "After you went to sleep, I went into town and asked around. There was a whole group of humans after us. So I packed up our stuff and we left."
"Where are we going?" she asked. Willow couldn't believe she'd slept through all this. . .she was usually a light sleeper.
"I thought maybe Germany," Spike replied. "We just need to get away from England." He was surprised that Willow wasn't angry about leaving.
Willow nodded. "Germany is good," she said. "I've always wanted to see the world and now I'm getting that chance." She squeezed Spike's hand and smiled at him.
Spike chuckled as he kept his eyes on the road. He couldn't believe the evil think that Willow had become. She'd been the most caring of the Scooby Gang back in Sunnydale, and he didn't think she could have a mean bone in her body.
A few hours later, the two of them got to Germany. It was a lot different from the last time Spike had seen it.
"Oh Spike," Willow said as they got out of the car. The sun had set twenty minutes ago, and Willow breathed in the night air. "It's beautiful here."
"Yeah, it is," Spike replied. "But it's changed a lot." With that, the two of them walked down the main street of the city they were in. They were looking around; not killing yet. There were a lot of people out that night.
"Spike," a voice said from behind them. "Long time no see. I thought you were shacking up with the humans."
Willow and Spike turned around to find a vampire behind them. It was
one of Spike's minions from when and Dru had been in Sunnydale. "What are
you doing here, mate?" he asked. "Did you get that chip removed, Spike?
Because if you did, I'm ready to work for you and your new girl here,"
the minion said.
Angel looked up from the desk when he heard the door open. He smiled when he saw that it was Cordelia. She walked over to the desk and kissed him.
"How was lunch with Aura?" he asked. After Cordelia had come in to work that morning Aura had shown up. Angel had told the two girls to go get something to eat. Mainly because Aura had kept smiling at him and it made him uncomfortable.
"It was ok," Cordelia replied. "She catches me up on the Sunnydale gossip at least. She tells me what everyone's wearing and what everyone's into."
The dark-haired vampire laughed and shook his head. Sometimes Cordelia Chase surprised him. 'She's stronger than she gives herself credit for' Angel thought as he looked at his girlfriend. 'No matter what happens, Cordelia always keeps her persepective'
Cordelia reached over and squeezed Angel's hand. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. "You better not be having any broody thoughts. . . I warned you about those."
"I'm not having broody thoughts," Angel replied. "I was thinking about you." Angel leaned forward and captured Cordelia's lips with his.
"Is that all you two do?" Faith asked from the doorway, watching her boss and the secretary.
"Faith," Angel said. He'd sent the Slayer out to see if she could find out why a demon would be out killing during the day. The two girls didn't see anything wrong with it, but Angel did. "What did you find out?"
Faith flopped down in one of the chairs. "Well there was another demon out today; this one was some kind of slime demon," she answered. "I asked him what was going on before I killed him, but all he said was that it was a prophecy."
Before Angel could say anything, the door to the office opened and a girl walked in. The dark-haired vampire could sense that she wasn't human. 'Or she wasn't at one time' he thought.
"Can I help you?" Angel asked. The girl looked familiar to him, but he didn't know why.
"Anya?" Cordelia said from beside him.
'Anya' Angel thought. 'She was the girl who was with Willow and Xander when I talked to them on Thanksgiving in Sunnydale' "I remember you," he said.
She nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "But we were never introduced. I'm Anya."
"Anyanka," Angel said. He couldn't believe that the girl in front of him was a vengeance demon.
"I want to know about Willow, Angel," Anya said. "I know you know more than you're letting on."
-Part 8-
Angel just stared at Anya for a minute. She'd thrown him off-guard for a moment when she'd asked about Willow. Now he looked at her, trying to decide if she was bluffing or not. 'She's not' the dark-haired vampire realized. "I told Buffy. . ." he started to say.
Anya cut him off, though. "I know what you told her, Angel," she replied. "But unfortunately I'm not as blonde as Buffy is, either." She was determined to find out what she needed to know from the vampire. . .and she wasn't going to leave until she did.
"She's good," Cordelia said, walking over to pour herself a cup of coffee. 'As long as she doesn't physically attack Angel, I'm not going to get involved' she thought.
Angel looked between Cordelia and Anya. He was growing uncomfortable under Anya's gaze, but he still felt the need to remain loyal to his childe. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
"Don't you?" Anya replied. She leaned onto the desk until she was eye level with Angel. "Don't give me that shit, Angel. You know who I am and I bet I can inflict more pain on someone than Angelus could even dream of. And that's without my powers."
Angel sighed, not wanting to give in but knowing that he didn't have a choice. "Fine," he relented. "I'll tell you what you want to know." 'Even though I don't want to' he added silently.
Anya sat down in one of the chairs. "What do you know about Willow then?" she asked. "And if you even try to lie, I swear I'll torture you in ways you've never imagined."
The dark-haired vampire glanced at Cordelia and that's when Anya realized that both of them knew what was going on. 'Where do I start?' Angel wondered.
"Did Spike kidnap Willow?" Anya asked. "That's what I really want to know." Angel wasn't going to volunteer any information, so she knew she was going to have to ask the questions.
"Yeah," Angel replied. "He did." 'I'm sorry, Spike' he said silently. He hated to rat his childe out, but he knew that the ex-vengeance demon sitting across from him would make good on her threats. "But that's not all."
Anya raised an eyebrow at the vampire. "What is it?" she asked. "And you better not tell me that she's been here all along." She glanced around, expecting either Willow oe Spike to walk into the office. 'I knew I should have brought a stake' she thought.
"No, it's worse than that, Anya," Cordelia replied, sitting down next to the girl. "It's worse in the way that Willow was dying and Spike couldn't stand to watch her. So he. . ." she trailed off, not sure how much she should say.
"So Spike turned her," Anya filled in. "Where are they now then?" She didn't care if Willow was a vampire. . .she just wanted to know that the witch was ok.
"She. . .they're not here," Angel replied. He glanced at the desk and then back at Anya. "He took Willow out of the country because he didn't want any of you to find out what he'd done. So they're in England." He knew Anya would go back to Sunnydale and tell the others.
"God, Angel!" Anya exclaimed. "When were you planning to tell Buffy the truth? You of all people know what the vampire Willow is like. . .you both saw her when me and Willow accidentally brought the evil version of her out."
Angel and Cordelia looked at each other. They were both remembering what Sunnydale had been like when evil Willow was there. 'I can't let that happen again' he realized. 'I never should have let Spike leave with her' Angel was just about to open his mouth when Cordelia asked what he was thinking. "What do we do?"
"We go after them," Anya replied, picking up the phone to call the airlines.
Spike chuckled as he closed the door behind him and Willow. "You definately have a way about you, luv," he said. But on the the inside, the blonde vampire groaned. He couldn't believe how vicious Willow could be. Even *he* was shocked.
He groaned as Willow shoved him back against the wall. She smiled as she trailed a finger down the length of Spike's body before she began to stroke his cock through the fabric of his jeans. "Pet," Spike moaned.
Willow laughed and pushed Spike's duster over his shoulders, watching as it fell to the floor at his feet. Then she grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him onto the bed.
"Not going to play nice are you, pet?" Spike asked as Willow climbed on top of him and straddled his hips. "You know it's not nice to rape people." It was times like this when he was almost able to forget how evil the girl on top of him could be.
"It's not rape when you do it willingly," Willow replied, pressing her lips to his. Spike grabbed her hips as she grinded herself against Spike's growing erection. She pulled his vest over his arms and Spike raised up as Willow pulled his T-shirt over his head. He arched toward her as she kissed her way down his stomach.
"Stop," Spike said, pushing Willow off of him. He just wasn't comfortable with the way things were. He wasn't used to a girl being in control like this. . .and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it.
"What is it?" Willow asked, rolling her head to the side and stroking Spike's bare chest. "Not used to a girl controlling the moment? I mean with Drusilla, she was so insane that you had to always be the leader. Don't know what to think when I try to be, do you?" By now she was pretty good at reading the blonde vampire's thoughts.
Spike raised an eyebrow as he listened to Willow's words. "Know me that well, do you?" he asked. The vampire was getting over his fear of not being in control; now he just wanted Willow.
"I like to think I do," she answered. Willow kissed her lover as she let her fangs come out to play. Spike groaned as she ran her fangs over the cool flesh of his neck. Spike grabbed her by the hips and rolled her over until he was on top.
"Now this is the way it's supposed to be," he said as he smiled cruelly at his lover. He stood up long enough to drop his jeans on the floor. Climbing back on top of Willow, he asked, "Where were we?"
But he knew where they were. He pressed his lips to Willow's as he worked at the button of her leather pants. She arched her hips up as Spike pushed the pants over her hips. Willow ran her hands through his hair as Spike kissed his way down her body.
When he looked up at his lover, he was in full vamp face. Spike found his way back up so he was face-to-face with her. "See?" he said. "This is the way it goes. This doesn't make me uncomfortable."
Willow smiled and wrapped her arms around her lover's neck, drawing Spike closer to her. "But it's so much fun to watch you squirm," she whispered. "It makes my winning so much better."
With that, Spike captured Willow's lips with his, sliding his tongue inside when her lips parted.
-Part 9-
As soon as the sun had set, Anya, Angel, and Cordelia headed for the airport. "Why do you have two suitcases?" Anya asked, looking at the ex-cheerleader. "You don't need that much clothes, Cordelia." She and Angel exchanged a glance and grinned. The two of them had one suitcase each, Anya finding one in the trunk of her car that she'd forgotten to unpack.
"Just because you were around a thousand years ago when you probably only had one outfit doesn't mean that I have to be that way," Cordelia replied. "But Cordelia Chase doesn't go anywhere unprepared. I plan to look good because knowing Spike, he'll have us chasing him across the world."
The three of them had their luggage check and then grabbed three chairs together in the busy waiting aread. "How did you get these tickets anyway, Anya?" Angel asked, sitting between the two girls and taking Cordelia's hand. "It's usually hard to get a flight on short notice."
Anya shrugged. "That's the good thing about keeping the contacts from your past. You can call in favors to them," she replied. Their flight was called and the three of them boarded the plane.
"What happens if they're gone?" Cordelia asked, grabbing a window seat. "Not that I'm complaining. If we have to chase Spike and Willow down, I might get to see the world." She liked the idea of traveling. . .she might never get the chance again.
"I don't know," Angel replied. Cordelia snuggled against him and the two of them fell asleep in each others arms. They didn't wake up until the plane was landing a few hours later.
The three of them exited the plane and went inside the airport. Angel wrapped his arms around Cordelia and kissed her cheek. She smiled as she looked into the vampire's dark eyes. "After we find Willow and Spike, I expect a night out alone with you in England," she said. "Especially since you and demon girl here drug me away from L.A and the audition I might have gotten."
Angel stopped and turned Cordelia around to face him. "You can have anything you want after we find them," he replied, kissing her. The three of them grabbed their stuff. Anya whipped out her cell phone and dialed a number.
When she turned it off, she found Cordelia and Angel both looking at her. "What?" she said. "I had to get us motel rooms." She rolled her eyes as they left the airport and hailed a cab.
Ten minutes later they reached the motel and checked in. Cordelia and Angel took a double together while Anya took the double next to them. The put their stuff up and then decided to get to work. "So where do we start?" Cordelia asked once they were all in Anya's room.
"I think we should split up," Anya answered. "Ask around to see if anyone's seen them. And check the papers for any unexplained vampire activity that looks like Spike's work." She saw Angel nod and knew that he agreed with her.
"I'll check the bars. That's a likely place to find Spike," Angel said. "You two check the papers and ask around on the street." He saw that both girls were about to argue, so he continued. "I'd feel better if you two stayed together."
Anya and Cordelia looked at each other. 'As long as she doesn't act like she did in high school' the ex-demon thought. She decided not to voice that thought, though. "Alright," she replied finally. "Let's meet back here in an hour and compare notes, ok?"
The three of the them left the room and headed outside. "You two be careful," Angel said. He and Cordelia kissed and then they split up. The two girls watched as Angel disappeared.
Cordelia turned to Anya. "What should we do first?" she asked.
Spike glanced around the quiet streets of Germany as he and Willow searched for their next victim. "Her," Willow said, pointing to a dark-haired girl standing at the crosswalk up ahead. He smiled as his lover walked ahead of him.
The blonde vampire watched as Willow paused behind the girl, waiting for the traffic to pass. When the girl started to step off the sidewalk, Willow grabbed her. She muffled the girl's screams with her hand as she drug her into the deserted alley.
"What's your name?" Willow asked, trailing a finger down the girl's neck as Spike joined them. He grinned when he saw the fear in the girl's eyes.
"What do you care what my name is?" she asked. "You're going to kill me anyway." She tried to hide the fear, but she knew the two vampire's could sense it.
Willow shrugged. "You're right about me killing you," she replied, morphing into her true face. The girl drew in a deep breath and Willow continued. "But I like to know who I'm killing. It's not important, though." The red-head sank her fangs into the teenage girl's neck.
Spike joined them and morphed into his vampire face. He gripped the back of the girl's neck as he sank his fangs into the other side of her neck. He was so engrossed in what they were doing that he didn't sense a presence around them.
"Hey!" a voice said. A shot rang out and Spike heard Willow grunt as a bullet embedded itself in her shoulder. The man who had fired the shot kept his gun trained on the two vampires. "Serves you right for attacking an innocent girl. Vicious animals, you are."
"Wrong, mate," Spike replied with a growl as he looked at the intruder. He tossed the dead body in the corner and he and Willow stalked toward the man. He tried to run, but Willow kicked the gun from his hand and grabbed him.
"Please," the guy begged, looking up into two pairs of uncaring eyes. "I don't want to die." He knew he was wasting his time, though.
"Too bad," Willow replied. "This is what happens when you get involved in things that don't concern you." She sank her fangs into the tender flesh of his neck. When he was completely drained, Willow let him drop to the ground.
"Well that was fun," Spike saidm wrapping his arm around Willow. He watched as she held her shoulder where the bullet had pierced. "Let's get that bullet out of you. luv." The two vampires left the alley, leaving the two dead bodies for someone to find.
Spike wondered briefly if the Slayer and her friends had figured out what had happened to Willow. 'I should really be worrying if Angel's conscious got the better of him' he thought as the two of them headed back to the motel.
"Think anyone will find us here?" Willow asked. She kept getting the feeling that they were going to run into someone they knew before they left Germany. 'But that's crazy' she thought. 'Who would find us?'
"No way, pet," Spike replied, trying to make himself before it as much
as Willow. "No one knows where we are, so don't worry so much."
Angel sighed as he left the bar. He glanced around England, remembering the last time he'd been here. 'It's been a long time' he thought. He pushed his thoughts back to his childe as he headed back to the motel to meet up with Anya and Cordelia.
From the information he'd gotten from the bartender, a lot of deaths had occurred at the hands of strangers. . .their profiles fitting those of Willow and Spike. 'Seems like they're trying to draw a lot of attention to themselves' he thought.
The dark-haired vampire walked into the lobby of the motel, on his way upstairs. He was just about to go in his and Cordelia's room when he heard laughter coming from next door. 'They're back' he realized.
He walked in the room to find Anya and Cordelia surrounded by newspapers. Angel raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you two have been busy," he said, closing the door and sitting down on the empty bed. "Where'd you get all those?"
"We kind of. . .borrowed them from the library," Cordelia replied, giving her boyfriend a guilty look.
"But we found out some stuff," Anya said. "People have been dying from neck wounds. Which to me, just screams 'vampire'. And one boy was found in the park, tortured. Sounds like Spike and Willow have been busy making a name for themselves by terrorizing people here."
"I found out the same thing," Angel replied. "And I'd bet anything that it's Spike. . .it sounds like his handiwork. But the deaths stopped a few days ago."
"Which means what?" Cordelias asked. "That they're gone?" The dark-haired girl had been worried that she and Anya would run into the two vampires while they were out. 'But there was no sign of them' she thought.
Something in one of the papers caught Angel's eye and he picked it up. Anya and Cordelia watched the dark-haired vampire, wondering what they'd missed. "Angel?" Cordelia said, touching his arm.
"They're gone," Angel said, tossing the paper back on the bed and squeezing Cordelia's hand. "According to that, there's some vampire activity in Germany. . .I'd say that's where the two of them are."
"So what now?" Anya asked, looking at her two friends.
Angel glanced at his watch. "It's too late to do anything tonight," he replied. "We go there tomorrow night. But for now, we should go downstairs and get something to eat before we get some sleep. We're going to need our strength."
-Part 10-
The next night Anya, Angel, and Cordelia stood on the sidewalk outside the motel they'd been staying in. A red Jeep pulled over to the curb in front of them and a demon with gray skin and horns stepped out. "Anyanka," it said. He greeted the ex-demon but didn't look thrilled to see her.
"Hi Jak," Anya said. "Thanks for your help. I know I called you on short notice, but we need to get to Germany. And you're the person I thought of because I knew you could hook me up with a car. How much do I owe you?"
Jak shook his head. "Let's just call it even, Anyanka," he replied. "Just bring the car back back to me in one piece and you won't owe me anything." His gaze fell on Angel and he raised a scarred eyebrow. "And since when do you hang out with the Scourge of Europe?"
"It's a long story," Anya said, grabbing her suitcase. "And I don't have time to tell you the story because like I said, we need to get to Germany."
Angel and Cordelia grabbed their suitcases and tossed them into the back of the Jeep. Anya climbed behind the wheel while Angel got in the passengers seat and Cordelia got in the back. "I can't believe I'm 243 and riding in a Jeep," Angel said.
"I'm 1130 and riding in one," Anya replied. The dark-haired vampire gripped the door as Anya pulled away from the curb with a squeal of the tires. She grinned when she saw the look that passed between Angel and Cordelia.
"Oh! Turn that song up!" Cordelia exclaimed from the backseat. Anya turned the volume up on the radio as 'Rock the Party' by P.O.D blasted. Angel shook his head as the two girls sang along.
"What is this?" he asked, turning the volume down. Angel sighed in frustration as Anya turned the music back up, even louder than before. 'How can they stand this music?' he wondered. The dark-haired vampire chuckled at the two girls and their off-key singing.
"This is what we call good music, Angel," Cordelia replied. "I know you've been around for almost 300 years, but you really need to get more up-to-date with the things that matter."
Angel didn't bother to reply because he'd learned that he could never win arguing with Cordelia Chase. 'She knows how to get what she wants' he thought. That's part of the reason he loved her so much, though. All of a sudden, a picture of Spike and Willow flashed in his mind and Angel started thinking about his childe.
It was midnight when the three of them finally reached Germany. They drove to a nearby motel and checked in, all three of them exhausted from their long trip. But before they could sleep, they had to find Spike and Willow.
"Where do we start?" Cordelia asked, glancing around at the darkened, unfamiliar city. "Where do we start looking for them? I mean, they could be anywhere."
Angel nodded. "Yeah but knowing Spike, we'll find him near a lot of people," he replied. "He likes crowds because there's more people to choose from. I'm sure Willow's probably the same way, considering they're together."
"Ew," Cordelia said, wrinkling her nose as the three of them started walking. "That's a vision I could have lived without ever seeing." They'd been walking for fifteen minutes when Angel stopped, glancing around. Cordelia stopped beside him. "Angel?"
"They're nearby," Angel replied, not going into anymore detail. He glanced at Cordelia and Anya. "I can feel Spike. He's close." 'And I'm sure wherever Spike is, Willow's right there without him' he added silently.
"I guess those vampire senses are good for something after all," Anya
said. "Let's go find them before they leave." She led the way, with Angel
and Cordelia behind her.
"Why is it that humans always scream and whimper like puppies when they're scared?" Willow asked the human she had pinned to the ground. "I've always wondered that. I mean, why don't they just take what they deserve?"
The young woman looked up at Willow with fear in her eyes and whimpered. The whimpers turned into screams as Willow morphed into her true face. She sank her fangs into the girl's neck. A few seconds later, she felt someone pull her off the woman. She growled and turned around to find herself facing an old friend.
"Angel?" she said, morphing back into her human face. The woman she'd been feeding from climbed shakily to her feet and ran.
Angel heard another growl and turned around to face Spike. "Don't even think about it, Spike," he told his childe. "You know better than to even think about attacking your sire." Spike seemed to consider Angel's words and then he changed back into his human features.
Anya and Cordelia stepped out of the shadows, keeping their eyes on the two vampires. "Oh look," Willow said with an evil grin. "It's Anya and Cordy. This really brings back some memories." She walked over to the two girls. "I'd love to try some of your blood, but I know Angel would stop me."
"Yo wouldn't get that chance even if Angel wasn't here," Anya replied. "You must be tired after all the killing you've done." With that, the ex-demon punched the red-headed vampire out.
Spike watched his lover's unconscious body drop to the ground. He vamped out and started to run at the ex-vengeance demon. He hadn't gotten very far when Angel reached out and grabbed him, restraining the blonde vampire. "You're not going to lay a hand on her, Spike," he said.
The blonde vampire sighed in defeat, knowing he was no match for Angel's strength. "Fine," he finally replied. "What are you doing here anyway, Peaches? I know it's not because you miss me."
Angel took a deep breath before he began to speak. "I made a big mistake by agreeing not to tell anyone what had happened, Spike," he said. "Anya here figured out what had happened and came to me. We're here because we know you're way over your head with Willow."
"We want to help you, Spike," Anya put in. "Willow's evil in every extent of the word. If she's like this after just a few days. what's she going to be like in a year? Or even a few months?"
Spike looked at the ground, knowing that Anya was right. "I know you're right," he replied. "But I know that you want to curse her. . .and I don't know if I agree with that. It seems like there should be a better idea."
"But it's our only option right now," Angel said. "We can't just let her walk the Earth like this. And I won't." 'I can't believe thata he's even willing to let us do this' the dark-haired vampire thought. 'Things must be worse than I thought'
"Fine," Spike replied, picking the unconscious Willow up. "Let's go
back to the motel and get this bloody fun-filled night over with." Cordelia,
Angel, and Anya follwed the blonde vampire, all three surprised at how
easy it had been to find their friends.
Ten minutes later they found themselves in Spike and Willow's motel room. Spike layed the unconscious red-head on the bed and heard her moan. "She's waking up," he said. The blonde vampire hurried to the closet and grabbed the chains he'd put there. He went back to the bed and chained Willow's arms to the posts.
"Oh god," Cordelia said, watching Spike as she helped lay out the the things they'd need for the restoration spell. "I don't even want to know why you have chains in the closet."
Spike grinned at the dark-haired girl. "I'll tell you if you really want to know, pet," he said with a shrug. "I don't have anything to hide." He glanced at his sire. "Ready Peaches?"
"We're ready," Angel said. "But would you not call me Peaches, Spike? I know you like to give me cute little names, but don't." With that, Angel started reading from the book. Spike held Willow's hand as she tried to wake up. He barely listened to the words Angel was reading.
"Angel?" Cordelia said, watching as the dark-haired vampire's head snapped back and he seemed to be in a trance as he finished reading the spell. Spike raised an eyebrow. 'What the bloody hell is going on here?' he wondered.
Willow screamed as her eyes glowed yellow. Spike let go of her hand as his lover drew her legs closer to her. A few seconds later it was over and everything was quiet. "Luv?" Spike said, unchaining Willow.
"Spike?" she whispered. Willow shook her head as she looked at the blonde vampire. "What's going on?" She tried to figure out what had happened, but her mind was drawing a blank to the past. All she could see was what was happening now. That's when she noticed Angel, Cordelia, and Anya. . .she wondered for a seconds what they were doing there.
The red-head felt Spike pull her into his arms and Willow hugged him. All of a sudden an image flashed in her mind and Willow saw herself waking up in a motel room with Spike to find out that she was a vampire. A sob escaped as the faces of the people she'd killed in the last week flashed before her eyes. "Oh god," she whispered.
"You ok, luv?" Spike asked, kissing her forehead. He felt guilty because he knew she was seeing the people she'd killed. 'We shouldn't have done this' he thought. 'It's just cruel' Another sob escaped from Willow's lips and Spike hugged her. Cordelia walked over and wrapped her arms around the vampiress.
"I see. . .I see everyone I've killed," Willow whispered. "And the look on their faces as I drained them. Someone just stake me. . .I don't want to live like this." She knew she was wasting her time, but it was worth a shot.
"Yes you can, Willow," Spike replied. "You're the strongest person I know, and I know that if anyone can get through this and learn to like themselves again. . .it's you. And you have me. I'm here for you."
"We all are," Angel said. "And we all want to help you, Willow. We did this because we care about you." He and Anya joined the other three at the bed as Willow continued to sob.
THE END