~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Part: 11~
Silence was the only thing that met Spike's cruel and unbelievable words. Willow felt like the earth had just dropped out from underneath her. The world swam before her eyes, blurring the two vampires in her sight.
"No, you did ask," Willow said softly, thinking back. Her pain and stress made it hard to focus, her mind coming up with nothing concrete.
"We didn't, Little One," Angelus said smiling. He was enjoying this almost as much as he had enjoyed her. "Well, not in so many words."
"Nope, Luv, you just acted on what you thought we wanted," Spike said. "Bloody thoughtful of you, Red."
It was just too much, too much pain, and too confusing. She hadn't done a thing for them. They'd taken what they wanted and now they wanted more. 'Greedy, evil vampires,' she thought. Willow was disoriented and didn't know if she was standing, sitting, or lying down. Now.now.they wanted something more from her. As if her body, her virginity, and her blood were not enough. She didn't have a choice though, and she knew it. They had her crystal.
Angelus watched, pleased, as the obvious signs of defeat showed on Willow's features. He felt they were close to breaking her, only a few more layers left to rub and peel away. Looking at Spike, he could tell the younger vampire was aware of that fact too. Angelus was eager to move on to what they had planned next. Spike's idea earlier had been pure genius and something he would be proud of.later. But for now, he concentrated on Willow.
"Right, shall we get going?" Angelus asked. "We don't want to be late."
Spike moved over to Willow and just laughed when she shrank away from him. He grabbed her upper arm and dragged Willow to her unsteady feet. She had his duster wrapped around her, but it fell to the ground when they took a step. They stopped and Spike picked up the duster, shoving her arms through it, and buttoning a few buttons. Then, they started walking again.
The quick pace Angelus had set for them was wearing her out. She was still unsteady on her feet and stumbled often. Willow didn't know where they were headed and was afraid to ask, her jaw still stinging from the backhand earlier.
Willow hated being unsure of where they were going. Spike's grip on her arm hadn't loosened and she was rapidly losing feeling in it. Finally, peering around them, Willow recognized where they were.the Crawford St. Mansion. A shiver ran through her body at the sight of it.
Spike laughed and said, "It's not the house you should be scared of, Pet."
This was not where she wanted to be. Willow knew the mansion itself couldn't hurt her, but it was the inhabitants, the ones with her, that tore through her defenses and made her want to hide. Willow also wanted to know why they were bringing her here, of all places. Had it something to do with the 'favor' she would do for them? God, she hoped not.
a traitor's embrace
how foolish how wrong
contained in one place
anxiety spawns
The three of them walked swiftly into the stone house. Willow was still being supported by Spike. Angelus stopped just outside of a closed door. Spike had spent hours in there, crying and mourning for his lost love. He, however, had not set foot in his Childe's room since that fateful night. Angelus had sworn an oath to himself that he would not return to that room without the person who had killed her. While Willow was not there to stay yet, they wanted her to see this unchanged room.
The tension was thick and Willow's mouth went dry. Something significant was happening; however, with the events of that night still preying on her mind, Willow was unaware. She wished they would just get on with it already so she could get her necklace and leave.
Spike looked on with anticipation, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. This was much better then their original plan and Spike itched to get on with it. He wondered how their girl would react to what she saw and later to what they would have her do.
Finally, Angelus opened the door to the room and motioned for Willow to go in first. Spike had to give her a shove to get her to move, and she almost fell. The two vampires watched eagerly as Willow made her way inside.
The room was dark with no windows that she could see. Fabric seemed to hang from everything, the bedposts, the walls, and the ceiling. There were varying shades of red and gold contrasted only slightly by the ever-present black. The bed itself was huge and made of a dark cherry wood and filled with pillows that matched the rest of the room. Everything looked old.but not. It was only old in the fashionably new way they have now of aging things.
Taking another step in, Willow could see the entire room. She saw chains hanging to the right side of the bed, near a fireplace that looked used, but not recently. Looking towards the dresser, she gasped. Dolls.everywhere, on every available surface. Some were old and worn; their dresses tattered, while others looked new. A few were dismembered, the parts lying on the floor by the dresser. An armoire to the right of the dresser lay open and Willow could see the skirts of dresses showing from behind the doors.
Spike and Angelus watched silently from the doorway of the room. They wanted to see Willow's reaction when she figured out whose room it had once been, and whose room it would soon become.
Willow saw it all now, the room, the dolls, the chains, and the two vampires watching her closely. It was all set up for her. To show her the part of Drusilla she hadn't known. Not the vampire, no, Willow knew all too well that part of her, but the child-like Victorian woman she had once been. The only thing Willow couldn't figure out was why. She didn't believe they were going to kill her, well, not kill her and leave her dead at least. Would they turn her? Keep her as a pet? What? Willow, unfortunately didn't have the answers and she knew just by looking at them that Spike and Angelus wouldn't tell her.
"Pick out a dress," Angelus said, finally stepping into the room. He looked around, grateful that Spike had not torn the place apart in his grief.
Willow looked between him and the armoire before saying, "They won't fit me." Her voice came out horse and raspy and she fought the urge to beg for water.
"Not for you," he said, before turning to Spike. "Go find our Willow some clothes."
"But-" Willow tried to say, but Angelus cut her off.
"Pick. Out. A. Dress," he intoned sternly.
Walking backwards, not wanting to turn her back on the vampire she had just crossed, Willow went to the armoire and reached in, pulling out the first thing she grabbed. Then, slowly, she handed him the dress. At that same moment, Spike flung clothes at her, catching her off guard so that they fell around her.
"Get dressed," Angelus said, and then walked out of the room with the dress. Spike however, lingered on, leaning on the doorjamb, waiting for Willow.
Willow picked up the clothes once Angelus had left and looked over what Spike had thrown at her. They looked like nothing more then pieces of cloth, small, and looked s if they would hardly cover enough of her to be decent, and even that was a stretch. She looked up questioningly at Spike, but decided not to say anything after the look he gave her. He'd known she wouldn't like them, that was probably why he picked them out. Picking up the skirt, Willow held it up and shook her head, then laid it on the bed next to her. She began to unbutton the leather jacket, then remembered that Spike was there.watching.
"Could you.?" Willow asked, trailing off as she spun her finger around, indicating he should turn around and give her some privacy. Spike just shook his head no and lit a cigarette, looking for all the world as if he was settling in to watch the show., which he was.
Sighing, Willow turned around and tried to shimmy her way into the too tight, too short skirt. It was black suede and Willow could tell by the draft that it just barely covered anything. Grabbing the top, she worked her arms out of the duster and quickly slid the satiny material down over her naked flesh. Looking down, Willow felt, and looked, like a hooker. She decided to button the duster back up and turned to face Spike.
"I'm ready," she whispered. Her throat hurt, but she would put up with it if it would get her home sooner. No doubt, she would end up having to do another 'favor' for just a glass of water.
Spike motioned for her to come with him and turned to leave. Willow slowly walked up to him and followed. Quickly, Spike spun around to face her, startling her and making her heart race in fear.
"Oh, the jacket, Pet," Spike said, smiling. "Gonna be needing that back now."
'The jacket?' Willow thought. 'But, that's all that's keeping me from being practically naked.' The only thing that made her move to take it off was Spike reaching down to remove it for her. Once it was off, she hugged it close to her, trying to cover up what she could, or at least, what the clothes didn't.
"Nice try," Spike said, grabbing the duster from her clutches and put it on. "Now, come on with you. Don't want to keep Angelus waiting."
Spike walked off, leaving Willow hugging her sides. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream and rage at the unfairness of it all, but she knew it would do no good.not with them. So, with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, Willow followed Spike, keeping her head down.
-----------
They had walked for a while now, not seeming to go in any one particular direction. Willow walked behind them through trees and grass, through empty buildings and alleyways. It all started to look the same after a while. Spike was carrying a black garment bag that Willow assumed had the dress she had picked out earlier in. She was cold now, in the middle of the night and wearing practically nothing. Her body was shivering and her teeth chattered loudly in the silence.
Finally, Angelus motioned for them to stop behind some rather large bushes. Willow tried to see what he was watching, but couldn't. Looking around, she didn't recognize the sparsely wooded area, but the building looked familiar. It should have, it was Sunnydale High School. Listening, Willow could hear voices, but could not make out who they belonged to.
unopened reowned
what's needed upscaled
digested inhaled
unwilling unwound
"Go, pick one, and bring them back here," Angelus said, looking directly at Willow.
"Don't try anything stupid," Spike said, as he nudged her forward. "Remember, I've got your bauble."
How could she forget? Walking forward, Willow saw that they were by the parking lot of the school, and her friends were walking towards the entrance. Stopping, a thought occurred to Willow.this was the day Cordelia died. 'Oh God,' Willow thought as she watched her best friends girlfriend look over at her. 'No.no.'
Cordelia saw Willow, dressed.well, very un-Willow like and told everyone else to go in. She knew that the shy girl would probably not like everyone else to see her like that, knowing of course, that she definitely didn't want Xander to see Willow like that. But, something was off about Willow, about the way she stared wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights. It was disturbing, and not at all in character for Willow, so, Cordelia went to investigate. However, the closer she got, the more Willow shrank into herself. Then, Willow started stepping backwards, trying to get away from Cordelia. There was something in her eyes too.horror, shock and something else she couldn't place.
"Willow?" Cordelia asked, reaching out to Willow.
"Nice one, Pet," Spike said, coming out from behind the bush and looking over Cordelia.
"Yes," Angelus agreed, also making his presence known.
"Willow?" Cordelia asked again, looking between the two vampires and Willow.
"I'm sorry," Willow cried. "I'm so sorry! No! Please don't.please don't kill her."
Willow watched through a tear-induced haze as Angelus grabbed Cordelia, sinking his fangs in. She barely registered the scream before Spike tossed the crystal back at her.
"There you go. There's your bauble back," Spike said. He too turned and sank his fangs in.
Crying, Willow tried desperately to break the crystal, to leave this nightmare. Finally, on the third try, the crystal shattered in a bright flash and she again felt that heavy, unbreathable air surround her and whisk her back to her own time where Cordelia was still dead. In spite of her good intentions, not only was Cordelia dead, this time she was directly to blame. Willow sobbed and sobbed until she couldn't cry another tear.
~Part: 12~
The second gift for their Willow would be their crowning glory. It would show her that she had no one and nothing but them. Angelus and Spike strode through the various alleyways, parks, and deserted streets of Sunnydale. Earlier, they had seen a flash of light through Willow's darkened window and cursed her. She had given them quite a shock; at first they thought that she had done the re-ensoulment spell. When they had established that Angelus had not reverted to his whiny, prissy, and brooding counterpart, they swung into action.
They had grabbed the dress that had been laid out in the living room of the mansion earlier before they set out to teach their girl a lesson, to remind her not to cross them. Their plan was fairly simple, but it would be more then effective, they thought.
After the flash of light, Spike and Angelus had heard the phone ringing and they waited for Willow to answer it, planning to listen in. However, the answering machine picked up and they learned that later she would have an unexpected visitor. Well, make that four unexpected visitors, including the two vampires.
As Spike and Angelus strode confidently through the streets, they eyed other victims for later, after Willow's gift. There was a young couple in the park kissing and smiling sweetly at each other. It churned Angelus' stomach to see them, the blonde girl and the dark-haired male. It was too reminiscent of his souled counterpart and the Slayer. He wanted to tear the couple apart to wipe the vision from his mind. He watched in wonder as the young lovers seemed to pass out right before his eyes and he followed, slipping into unconsciousness.
---------------
flesh into gear
myself appears dissected and pretentious
a simple sound a heavy side
She couldn't move and the world wouldn't stop moving and undulating under her. Willow hoped she was safe in her house, but she couldn't open her eyes to see for fear she would be sick. Slowly, she tried to regulate her breathing and calm her heart rate. The tears had abated, but they left her eyes sore and her throat constricted. Finally, she felt well enough to open her eyes, and what she saw brought a fresh burst of sobs.
Willow was not at home like she had hoped, but right by the bushes she had been at a little over a day ago. Her heart sank. Not only was she about a mile away from her house, but it was still dark out. It looked to be early, early morning by the placement of the moon overhead. It would take her a while to walk home, especially in her condition. She could feel every muscle in her body, each one aching with its own pain, and each demanding her attention.
Sitting up, Willow saw that she was still dressed in the trashy outfit Spike had picked out for her. She knew she couldn't walk home like that, in those clothes, and without any type of weapon. Slowly Willow managed to get to her feet, teetering a bit, but standing. Willow looked around before heading to the school. She knew that the library had weapons and she thought she could grab some spare clothes from the exercise-wear Buffy kept there for training sessions. Willow made her way into the school. The sooner she left the sooner she could get home.and collapse.
-------------------
"Bloody hell," Spike groaned, waking up prone on the ground. He looked around and saw that Angelus too had fallen down.
"What happened?" Angel asked, with a growl. He didn't like being taken off-guard, and the fact that both he and Spike were laying on the ground meant only one thing.someone would pay.
"Don't know, mate," Spike said, standing up and offered a hand to help Angelus up. When Angelus ignored the hand, he just shrugged and lit up a cigarette.
"What do you think the odds are that our girl had something to do with this?" Spike asked, eyeing Angelus for his reaction.
"We'll find out," was all that Angelus said as he got up and strode purposefully towards Willow's house. Her meddling magick would come to an end once she was theirs, he'd see to that. He didn't like being rendered unconscious. Smiling, Angelus remembered how frightened she had looked right before he shoved his cock into her for the first time.
Her fear, her virginity, her blood.it had all called to him and he answered it, with open mouth and willing fangs.
"So, are we going to take her home tonight?" Spike asked. He wanted to get their girl where he could have access to her at all hours of the day and night. The small taste he'd had of her the other night wasn't enough to satisfy him. He wanted more; he wanted her to scream his name in pain and ecstasy.
"Maybe," Angelus said vaguely. He wanted to make sure she was ready for them, submissive to them, and totally without hope of ever being saved.
Within a short time, they arrived at Willow's house, finding a car parked outside. They watched as a couple got out of the vehicle. Angelus and Spike ducked into the shadows, out of sight, and watched as the couple went into the house. Angelus looked over to Spike and he saw the expectant gleam in his eyes. He leaned down to speak softly to the younger vampire, filling him in on his new plan.
-------------
could win the whole world over
you live in fear of being someone that you
didn't want to
i realize your insecurity will get the best
of you
Shelia and Ira Rosenberg had just gotten back from a conference and were surprised to find the house empty when they'd entered; they had thought for sure that Willow would be home. It was a school night after all. Shrugging, Ira took their suitcases up the stairs to separate the dirty garments so that they could be washed and to repack the suitcases with fresh clothes . They had another conference in New York the day after tomorrow and needed to leave for the airport early tomorrow afternoon. Ira heard a knock at the front door and listened as his wife went to go answer it.
"May I help you?" Shelia asked the two young gentlemen on her doorstep. It was late, but she knew that Willow helped her friends, sometimes late at night. She was pleased to see that it wasn't that Bunny girl. There was just something about her that Shelia didn't like.
"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but is Willow here?" Angelus asked innocently.
"No, I'm sorry.um...," Shelia said, trailing off as she tried to put a name with the face. They were obviously friends of her daughter's, but she didn't think she'd seen them before.
"Liam, ma'am," Angelus said, smiling sweetly.
"Oh, Liam. No, Willow's not here. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"See mate, told you she wouldn't be here," Spike said, playing along. They both knew Willow wasn't there the second the woman opened the door. They would have been able to smell her, smell their marks on her.
"I'm sorry, but why do you need Willow?" Shelia asked. Whenever she came home, she always tried to find out what Willow had been doing while she'd been away, without asking her outright. She knew from the books that children Willow's age didn't like to tell their parents anything, feeling that they were old enough at that age to make their own decisions. Besides, Shelia felt that she'd raised a smart child.
"My apologies," Angelus said. "Willow was supposed to help William and I with our homework. He's a British Exchange student who lives with me. I've done my best to help him get caught up in our classes, but unfortunately I'm not the best at math."
"Yeah, see, she said she'd meet us at Liam's house 'bout an hour ago. And she usually isn't late. So we got worried and came here," Spike said, keeping up the act.
"Oh, I see. Well, I don't know when she will be back, but it can't be too much longer. Would you boys like to come in and wait for her?" Shelia asked, stepping aside for them to enter.
"Thank you," Angelus said, grinning broadly. He heard Spike snicker behind him.
"Your welcome. Would you like anything to drink?"
"Actually, I am feeling a bit peckish," Spike said, slipping into his true features. Shelia screamed and Spike just laughed at her.
"Get the man," Angelus said, turning yellow-gold eyes on Shelia. "This one is mine."
--------------
The walk back to her house seemed to be taking forever. Willow had been able to change into some of Buffy's training clothes, and even stopped off in the girl's bathroom to clean up a bit. She hadn't known the wound on her neck was still seeping blood until she looked in the mirror. Every part of her body hurt and so it was hard to pinpoint any specific pain.
After she had cleaned up some, Willow went back into the library and grabbed two stakes, sliding one into her waistband, two crosses, one of which hung around her neck, and three vials of holy water. Holding onto one of the crosses and one of the stakes, Willow warily made her way back to her house.
Every noise seemed amplified in her weakened and tired state. Willow thought for sure she would have a heart attack before she got home with the rate her heart kept beating. All the shadows seemed to move towards her, preparing to attack her. She thought it best to keep to well-lighted areas, but she was finding that to be a rather difficult task. 'You would think this place would be lit up like a Christmas tree with as many murders as they have around here,' Willow thought, trying to keep her mind occupied. 'Even if they don't know what goes 'bump' in the night.'
Finally, after a weary half-hour of walking, taking the long way home, Willow found herself on her street. She was surprised to see her parents' car sitting in their driveway and picked up her pace. Her parents were just who she needed right now. She needed to fall into someone's arms and let them chase the darkness away. She needed to be held and coddled, she needed comforting. While Willow knew her parents hadn't always been there for her, it seemed a sign to Willow that her parents were home tonight of all nights. Even if she couldn't tell them everything that had happened, she could still weep in the comfort of her mothers arms and in the safety of her own home.
The stairs worked against Willow as she trudged up them. Opening the door, she was a little disconcerted to find the door unlocked, but shrugged it off, thinking her parents were waiting up for her, if the light in the kitchen was any indication.
"Mom? Dad?" Willow called out. When no one answered, she went in search of them. She was thankful that she had thought to clean up a bit and change clothes before she made her way home. She could almost hear what her mother would say about her outfit had she come dressed as scantily as she had been.
Walking into the kitchen, Willow smiled. Her father sat at the breakfast nook, holding up the previous morning's newspaper that Willow had brought in, but never looked at. Her mother, well, she looked beautiful to Willow. The dress she had on was black with a bit of green lace and velvet highlighting it in just the right places. Her mother's reddish-brown hair was swept up to lie in loose curls on top of her head. Willow thought that maybe her parents were going to a party, or had just gotten back from some gala.
"Mom, oh, it's so good to have you home," Willow said, tears already streaming down her face as she went to go hug her mother from behind.
The stiff coldness of her mother's body brought Willow up short and she choked on her breath. Moving around to look more closely, Willow could see the ashen grayness of her mother's skin. Willow looked to her father, whom she could see around the newspaper now, and saw what she didn't want to see.
Vampire bites, on both of their necks.
"No," Willow said, backing away. The entire scene was gruesome in its detail, the slowly cooling cup of coffee that her father always had after a certain time sitting by his arm, the paper that was held up by some unknown means.
In her haste to get away, Willow knocked into her mother's chair and she watched wide-eyed as a doll fell to the floor. She couldn't focus on it, the tears getting in the way. Willow stomach lurched and bile rose high in her throat. Running to the sink, Willow threw up. She'd had nothing in her stomach and it made the burn of the acid that much worse.
Turning around, pale and shaking with a thin film of sweat on her cold skin, Willow looked down at the doll. She saw that there was a small note pinned to it with a small stone. It looked to be a ruby in the shape of a teardrop.
Willow slumped to the floor, not having the energy to keep herself upright and just stared at the doll. She knew who it was from, she knew what it was about, and she wanted nothing more than to join her parents in oblivion.
~Part: 13~
Hours passed in which Willow was oblivious to everything around her except for the bodies in the kitchen. The sunlight streaming into the room only seemed to make the scene in front of her that much more unreal. She knew her parents were dead, she knew the doll and note were from Angelus and Spike, but she just didn't believe it was possible. The reality of it wasn't penetrating her mind, as if her brain synapses weren't sending the right signals. Vaguely she tried to think of what her condition was. Willow thought it was more than just shock. She'd been in shock before and somehow this felt different.
The light from the morning sun made everything fuzzy and hazy, like looking through smoky glass or watching a TV with bad reception. Willow thought there was something she should be doing, someone she should be calling, but she couldn't think of who or what that was.
I can't expect you to see
me when i'm not around
and my voice is destroyed
by confinement of sound
------------
"I'm getting bloody sick of waiting," Spike said, as he paced once more from one wall to the other. Spike had never been patient.for anything. He took what he wanted when he wanted it. That was what he loved most about being a vampire.never being denied anything. If he wanted it, he made it his. That was that. Now, Angelus was sitting there calm as could be telling him he only needed to wait 'just a little longer'. 'Sod that!' Spike thought, tossing another cigarette to the ground. He'd started chain-smoking as soon as he had awakened earlier that afternoon. He wanted night to come.he wanted Willow.
"These things take time Spike, and if you can't deal with that then leave," Angelus said, standing up and walking right into Spike's path. They stared at each other for a moment before Spike walked around him and resumed his pacing.
"Fine, but I still don't like it," Spike said in a huff.
Spike thought for sure that their spicy little redhead was ready for them, waiting for them right now. He wanted to taste her again, taste her blood, her body, and her fear. It was a heady mixture for sure and once he'd had a taste, he had known he would crave it for the rest of his unlife. And here was Angelus, dangling this lovely treat in front of him, just out of reach.
"No one said you had to like it boy," Angelus said, sitting back down on one of his chairs. "You just have to accept it. It will be soon enough that we will have Willow chained up and begging for us."
"So, why don't we just go get the chit and chain her up now?!" Spike argued. "Between the two of us we could have her begging within the bloody hour."
"I don't want to force her. I want her to come to us. Don't you get it by now Spike-y?" Angelus said, using his hated nickname. "I want her to know that we are the only ones she has to turn to, that no one else wants her, or will have anything to do with her. Once she turns to us, then she will never leave us, never try to hurt us because we will be all that she has left. Did I teach you nothing?"
"Yeah, you taught me not to fuck the Slayer," Spike said derisively.
--------------
"Where is she?" Xander asked a haggard-looking Giles. It was early evening, and still no word from Willow. "She never misses school. Well, except for the day that Cordelia died.but that was two days ago. We all missed school that day."
Xander was worried about his friend; it just wasn't like Willow to miss school and not let anyone know why. Oz hadn't said anything, but had nodded his agreement that it wasn't like Willow. Xander was still depressed over his girlfriend's death, having been the one to find her behind the school by some bushes, but Willow had been so nice to him, reassuring him that it wasn't his fault.
The note he'd found that morning stuffed in the door to his basement room was confusing and just added to his worry over Willow. The note didn't make any sense to him. Xander didn't see why Willow would apologize for Cordelia's death, saying it was all her fault for not telling them sooner. But tell them what sooner, she hadn't said. Something felt off to Xander, but he couldn't place it and he wasn't sure if he should show the others Willow's note. It explained nothing to him, and he was the one it was meant for, so it was likely it would mean nothing to Oz and Giles either.
"Have you tried calling her?" Giles asked, looking up from a book he was reading. There were no demons currently on the Hellmouth that had come to their attention, but he always tried to keep up and make mental notes of the different species, just in case. As a Watcher, he was taught that one could never have too much information.
"No answer," Oz offered. He'd made a few calls himself when he hadn't seen Willow at school.
"It is possible that she is not feeling well," Giles said, trying to comfort the concerned teenagers. "She has been acting odd as of late. We will stop by on our patrols. There is a cemetery near by that could use a good sweep."
Both Xander and Oz nodded their agreement, but neither one wanted to wait.
-------------
i'm a human machine
laced with hidden disease
if the future is bleak
then you're connected to me
Willow had sat, unmoving, the entire night and day, leaving her drained and tired as night fell outside. It was finally beginning to sink in that her parents were dead, her only family outside of the Scoobies. The doll and note still lay untouched on the floor where they had dropped. Curiosity was getting the better of her, and the fading daylight was casting eerie shadows on everything.
Reaching out, Willow carefully undid the ruby brooch and took the small note. Unfolding it slowly she saw the elegant handwriting of Angelus.
You belong to us now. We are your only family.
'He's wrong' Willow thought. 'I've still got Xander, Oz, and Giles. And Buffy, if she were here.'
The note looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Willow vaguely remembered seeing something similar before, another note addressed to her in the same elegant handwriting. She tried thinking back over the past few days, trying to come up with why this note looked familiar, other then it being on the same paper she had seen Angelus' hand-drawn picture of Buffy sleeping. This memory was newer then that, more recent. Last night she had come home to find her parents dead, after having been violated by Angelus and Spike. She had been going to tell her friends something.but what. Willow just couldn't remember. Too many things had happened to bring her so much pain, it was choking her up, and she had to work hard to focus on facts and not her emotions.
There was her parent's death, Cordelia's death, Spike and Angelus raping her.then nothing. Something was missing in her memory, Willow could tell. There was something about a crystal.Spike and Angelus had been keeping it as a ransom of sorts. But that was all her mind could come up with.nothing more. It frustrated her.
Willow picked up the doll and threw it across the room. She began grabbing anything and everything around her, flinging it haphazardly in her rage.
"They can't do this!" Willow yelled to the corpses of her parents. "Why? Why did they do this to me? What did I do?"
Dishes broke against the wall and glasses shattered on the floor as she threw them. The unfairness of it all, the utter incomprehensibility and complete horror of everything had finally gotten to her. She just couldn't take it anymore and set to destroying anything she could get her hands on.only because she couldn't lash out at who she really wanted to destroy. Angelus and Spike.
"Redecorating, Pet?" Spike asked, standing just outside Willow's back door.
Screaming in fright, Willow spun around to see the objects of her hate standing nonchalantly in the doorway of her house. Yelling again, Willow grabbed the vase off the small table in the kitchen and heaved it at Spike.
Ducking, Spike said, "That's not how you treat houseguests. Someone should teach you a bit of manners."
"Your not houseguests!" Willow yelled, throwing the salt and pepper shakers at both Spike and Angelus. "Leave me alone!"
"No," Angelus said simply. He walked through the threshold of her house and was rewarded with Willow's shocked expression.
"How? What?" Willow asked incoherently. She watched as Spike motioned to her parents' corpses. Understanding dawned on Willow. She should have known. She hadn't even thought about them being in the house. Her rage, her confusion, her grief, it had all clouded her mind and made her unable to think, unable to recognize that her own home was no longer safe from the deadly duo that now stood in her kitchen.
Angelus took a step towards Willow and was pleased when she didn't step back. Looking her over, he could see that she still held his note crumpled in her fist. She'd read it, he could tell by the look on her face.the realization that she was truly theirs, that they had seen to it.
"Come Willow," Angelus said. He wanted her to come to him. He wanted her capitulation. The victory over her would mean so much more to him if she came voluntarily.
Spike looked on with eager anticipation. While he would rather just grab her and go, he let Angelus have his bit of fun. The sooner she gave up, the sooner they could have her back at the mansion and chained to a bed. Spike took a moment to imagine her under him, screaming his name.
"Willow?" a voice called from the front room.
"Bloody hell," Spike said, recognizing the voice as being that of the Watcher.
"Willow, are you.," Giles started to say, but trailed off when he came to the kitchen. Xander and Oz bumped into the back of Giles as he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hey G-man, what gives?" Xander asked. An 'O' of surprise formed on his face when he looked up to see Angelus and Spike in Willow's kitchen.
"Let's take this outside, shall we?" Angelus said. Before anyone had time to react, he grabbed Willow, dragging her outside were five of his minions were waiting for them.
"Don't let her go," Angelus said to a minion as he handed Willow over to him. "If you do, you'll beg for death."
Giles, Oz, and Xander quickly followed Spike and Angelus, weapons in hand. They realized their mistake too late as the other four minions came around to circle them, cutting off their escape. They stood back to back, waiting for one of the vampires to attack. One minion was overzealous, launched himself at Giles, and found himself on the wrong side of a stake. Giles watched the minion turn to dust before looking up at Angelus.
"What do you want?" Giles asked.
Angelus gave a shout of laughter before he said, "Nothing much really. Endless nights, constant supply of blood.Willow."
~Part: 14~
With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, Angelus had motioned for all the minions and Spike to attack at once. While one of the minions had become dust in the wind, they now had the three humans disarmed and restrained.
"Now, isn't this cozy?" Angelus asked, walking up towards them. He inhaled deeply and was rewarded with the rich scent of fear coming off all of the humans present, including Willow.
"Why do you want Willow?" Xander asked boldly, struggling against his captor.
"Can you smell it?" Angelus asked Oz, ignoring Xander's question. He knew the young boy was a werewolf and was sure he could smell Angelus and Spike on Willow, just as surely as Angelus could smell it now. Angelus made a show of inhaling deeply, licking his lips when he did, and smiled down at the softly growling boy.
"Thanks for saving her for us, mate," Spike said, adding a wink for good measure.
Oz growled low in his throat, straining against the hands that held him. He could smell them on her, all over her in fact.
Laughing at the werewolf, Angelus turned to Willow who was only standing due to the support of the vampire holding her. "Pick one."
Willow slumped even more in her captor's arms, eyes going wide, and her head shaking furiously. Angelus' request was insane and she couldn't do it, couldn't pick any of them. They were her friends, her mentor, and the only family she had left. Now.now Angelus wanted to take that away as well.
"Pick one," Angelus growled, leaning close to Willow's face. He ignored the chattering and questions of the humans and stared at Willow, daring her to disobey him. When she looked away from him and towards her friends, he held her chin in a tight grip, forcing her to look at him.
"Don't make me ask again Willow," Angelus said.
"I.I can't," Willow said in a barely audible whisper. He was asking the impossible from her. How could she do this? Her eyes drifted over to her friends, even as Angelus jerked her head again, getting her to pay attention to him. Tears formed in her eyes, and she closed them silently offering up a prayer to God, asking him not to let this happen.
"They can't help you," Angelus said softly, making sure that she was the only one that could hear him. "Pick one, Willow. It's not that hard. Pick one to die, and the others will live."
I can't expect you to see
me when i'm not around
and my voice is destroyed
by confinement of sound
Willow looked up at him with a mixture of hatred and defeat. She knew that if she didn't pick one, they all would probably die, or he would pick for her. But how could she choose? There was Xander, struggling and yelling at Angelus and Spike who ignored him in favor of watching for Willow's answer. He had been her friend and confidant since kindergarten. How could she sentence him to death? Then there was Giles, who had become her mentor. He was looking at her with an unreadable _expression on his face, not trying to influence her. But he was, by keeping that stony _expression there. It showed her why she looked up to him. Finally, the newest member of her family was Oz. He was her boyfriend and she was almost sure that she could fall head over heals in love with him. He didn't deserve this fate; he was only here because of her.
"Please," Willow said, choking on a sob. "Please don't make me choose. I, I can't. Don't make me. Please"
"Shh, Willow," Angelus said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You are ours now. You need to know that." He was relishing the fear and despair she was giving off and he had to try hard to force this decision on her. Angelus would much rather kill them all and make her theirs.forever.
Willow shook her head in the negative again, and this time Spike came over to talk to her, trying to force her to look at him, but she kept her eyes downcast. Not wanting to look at them. Willow felt dirty, beaten, and broken. They did this to her, she knew, but she wished she could do something stop the inevitable. Her eyes tear-stained, she once again sought out Giles, Xander, and Oz. She mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to them, letting them know that there was nothing she could do.
"Willow!" Xander called out. He didn't know what was going on, why his friend of 11 years was capitulating to the vampires before her. He didn't understand any of it, but he was naive and believed that they could still find a way to fix this while taking out a few of the vampires along the way. His friend noted his optimism by a small, sad smile.
Looking on with a mixture of hatred and fear, Oz strained against the two vampires that were needed to hold him. He wished he could change form; fight them, help his girlfriend, but he couldn't. It wasn't a full moon and he didn't think it was possible to change at another time. He was infuriated that they had abused Willow, raped her. Oz knew that Willow would never have given herself voluntarily to them.of that he was certian. The fact that they had taken advantage of his girl like that, only served to add fuel to his anger, making him strain against his captors that much more.
Giles knew the situation was grim, and he admired Willow for not going into hysterics, but he could see that she was close to the edge. He blamed himself for not paying more attention to her and what was going on. Obviously, this was not her first encounter with the deadly vampires, but it might be their last. He understood that and made a silent decision.
"Willow," Giles said quietly. His voice seemed loud in its quiet strength. The emotion behind it was raw and Willow knew what he was going to say even before he opened his mouth.
"No!" Willow wailed. "No, please!"
"Willow," Giles said again, quieting her pleas. "You know I love you like a daughter. Please, you have to understand."
"Well, well," Spike said. "Looks like we have a winner."
Angelus placed a small kiss on Willow's forehead before turning to Giles. He'd actually expected this, expected the Watcher to be chivalrous and forfeit his life in the belief that Angelus would be forgiving and let the children go. He'd hoped for it in fact. The humans were playing right into his hands, making his job easier.
"How noble of you," Angelus said, stepping up to Giles and motioning the minions to move away and give him a bit of room. "I'd hoped it would be you."
Angelus held out his hand and Spike handed him a wicked looking blade. The knife was a good six inches long and glinted threateningly in the light from Willow's back porch. He watched pleased as Giles swallowed hard as he looked at the blade. Surprising Angelus, Giles lifted his head a bit, baring his neck. Quickly, without warning, Angelus plunged the knife into Giles' chest, making sure to twist it a bit.
Blood spurted from Giles' mouth as he slumped to the ground, no longer supported by the minion. Willow's wails barely made it to him. Angelus had cut through a lung and directly into his heart. Giles thought it poetic in a sense that Angelus would stab him in the heart as he had done to so many vampires over the years. Looking up at Willow, Giles smiled wanly before closing his eyes and embracing death.
"Noo!" Willow yelled, finally bringing herself to strain against the hands that held her. She tried to break free. Willow wanted to go to Giles' side, try to save him. She could do it; she could save him.so she thought. She couldn't see that his chest no longer rose, his body no longer taking in air, his blood no longer pumping. Her world was a blur of red, the color of blood and it tainted everything.
"I told you," came Angelus' calm voice through her loud wails.
The knife glinted red with Giles' blood still dripping from it as it was pulled across Oz's neck. His roar was cut short as the knife sliced through his windpipe. By this time, Willow was no longer coherent, begging and screaming, crying and fighting. She watched in horror as Oz slumped to the ground next to Giles, wide-eyed and dead, his blood still slowly seeping through the huge gash in his throat.
Willow was no longer watching Angelus and Spike, afraid and knowing what they would do next.who they would kill next. She vaguely heard Xander yelling and protesting, trying to escape. In her mind, she apologized repeatedly to them. Moments in time flashed in her mind of opportunities she had once had to inform them of her situation and she berated herself for not saying anything, for not speaking up.
Xander's screams of protest dwindled down to gurgles as he choked on the blood that bubbled from his mouth. The killing blow had been delivered in the manner that Giles' had, and he fell hard to the ground, reaching out for Willow in a last ditch effort to find some help. But Willow wasn't looking at him and his arm fell to the ground as the last of his life slipped from him.
i'm a human machine
laced with hidden disease
if the future is bleak
then you're connected to me
This was all her fault, everything. There was no one else to blame. Angelus and Spike were only doing what had come naturally to them. Killing. How could she fault them for instinct? No, it was all her. She had not spoken up earlier. Now, her hands were stained with the blood of her friends and she knew the blood would never wash off. She would live with this guilt until her dying days.which could be soon. She silently prayed that once Angelus was done hacking away at her friends that he would come over, slide the sharp blade into her, and end her torment.
Angelus handed the bloody knife to one of the minions, silently motioning them back and away from the three of them. The minion that had been holding Willow gently set her on the ground, where she continued to sob, and moved back into the night. Only Spike, Angelus, and Willow were left in the faded light of Willow's backyard.
Moving slowly, Angelus walked up to Willow while Spike came from behind and picked Willow up, holding her in his arms. Spike could tell that Willow had no clue about what was going on around her, so consumed was she by her grief. Nodding to Spike, Angelus led the three of them as they walked off into the night to take their Willow home, where she belonged, leaving the three bodies bleeding, dead.and forgotten by all but Willow.
~Part: 15~
They had finally gotten the object of their desire in their possession. Both Spike and Angelus had spent the remainder of the night in Willow's presence. She had passed out on the way back to the mansion, having succumbed to the strain on both her body and mind. Hours had passed in which both vampires had alternately spent time lying on the bed with her and pacing around the room waiting for her to wake up. Chains dangled from the bedposts but they hadn't felt it necessary to restrain her. With neither of them leaving her side, there was no way for her to escape.
"So, what do we do now, mate?" Spike asked Angelus. He stood smoking next to what was once Drusilla's vanity. They had placed her in Drusilla's old room.thinking it a fitting place for their new pet. He looked over at Willow, as she lay framed by the dark black velvet of the bedspread, her pale skin contrasting with it nicely. They had brought her back, undressed her, and cleaned her up. It had taken most of Spike's control not to ravish the naked girl as he sat in the tub with her, supporting her so that she didn't drown. After she was cleaned, they had taken one of Drusilla's nightgowns that had virtually no back and dipped low in the front, and dressed her in it. It was a pale cream color that almost perfectly matched her skin.
"We wait for her to wake up," Angelus said. He had sat there for hours, watching the rise and fall of Willow's chest.waiting for her to awaken. He wanted to make sure that she knew she was theirs. He wanted no doubt in her mind, but he couldn't see to that if she was still sleeping. He mirrored Spike's impatience, but he wouldn't show it. He could wait, he would wait.
"Right, got that, but what about after that? What are we going to do once the chit wakes up?"
"She's ours now Spike, we do what we want."
Spike grinned at that answer. That had been what he had wanted to hear. While waiting for Willow to wake up he'd been thinking of what he would do with her. There were so many things that he had actually made a mental list of all of them. Granted, that list might mean nothing once she was truly awake, but making it kept him busy until then.
------------
flesh into gear
myself appears dissected and pretentious
a simple sound a heavy side
Nightmares plagued Willow as she slept fitfully. Blood was everywhere she turned, coating the edges of her dreams in a red haze that wouldn't go away no matter what she did. Silver seemed to glint from every surface of her dream as well, with the same twinkle that Angelus' knife had held.
Dead bodies talked to her, telling her it was her fault. Cordelia called her worthless, saying that if she couldn't have saved her that the least she could have done was save Xander. Oz didn't say anything but look disappointed, and that hurt her more then Cordelia's biting words ever could. Xander seemed to float by her, asking her why she didn't feel she could trust him with her problems.
"Wasn't I your best friend?" Dead Xander asked. Sorrow was evident in his voice.
"I'm so sorry," Willow cried.
Giles floated by her as well, his face holding a stoic _expression. He didn't seem to blame her for anything, but she could tell he felt sorry for her. It almost seemed to her that he blamed himself, and Willow shook her head, letting him know that she did not think it his fault. He seemed to accept this and floated away.
No one seemed able to help Willow. She reached out to all of them, but no one reached back. Even her parents left her to her fate.whatever that might be. It broke Willow.she could feel it. Parts of her fell away in her dream. Small parts at first, just bits of her skin. Then, chunks of her started to fall. She watched on in horror as her body literally fell apart in front of her until she was looking up from the floor.
Two shadows made their way from the edge of her vision, remaining in the dark until they were on top of her. Angelus and Spike had walked up to the pieces of her. She watched as they reached down to the pile of her broken body and began to piece her back together.
"No, you're doing it all wrong," Willow's mouth said. She watched as they ignored her and continued to put her back together the wrong way.
Screaming, Willow brought herself out of her nightmare.
--------------
"So nice of you to join us again, Willow," Angelus said, trying to catch her attention as sleep drifted away from her. He could see her eyes slowly clear as the nightmare lifted from her but she hadn't turned at the sound of his voice, just stared up at the ceiling. Angelus looked over at Spike, who shrugged.
Sitting down on the bed next to Willow, Spike gathered Willow into his lap so that she was facing Angelus. He gently moved her hair to once side, exposing her neck and his mark on her. Gently, he ran his tongue lightly over his mark.
"Welcome to your new home, Pet," Spike said, lightly licking a small trail up Willow's throat. He growled softly when he got no response. Not even a shiver of fear, or excitement. Spike looked questioningly at Angelus, waiting to see what he would do.
"Willow," Angelus said firmly. When he got nothing but a blank, far-off stare from the girl, Angelus grabbed her roughly from Spike, and shook her, trying to get her attention. When she still didn't answer him, he tossed her roughly back onto the bed and stood up quickly.
Angelus walked out of Willow's new room, through the mansion, and out into the night. Her utter lack of any response, of any type of emotion, even fear, all served to piss Angelus off. He'd wanted her to be theirs, not necessarily willingly, but theirs. He'd painstakingly planned all of this out to show her that he and Spike were all that she had now. But no, instead of having her at their feet, Willow was in a state of catatonia. It wasn't supposed to be that way. Drusilla hadn't gone catatonic on him, quite the opposite in fact.
Angrily, Angelus stalked through Sunnydale. For the most part, the naive people of the city stayed away from him, seeing that he was upset, brown eyes tinged with a hint of gold.
One unlucky couple, however, wasn't watching where they were going and bumped into Angelus as they took their evening stroll down the street.
"Sorry," the man mumbled, and moved to walk around him. He was stopped short by Angelus' hand grasping his throat.
"Not yet, but you will be," Angelus said, growling.
The young woman screamed and Angelus silenced her with a backhand that knocked her to the ground. He then turned back to the man, game face in full view, and brought his hungry fangs to the man's neck and sank them in, drinking deeply. When the man was drained, Angelus turned to the cowering woman and treated her to the same fate as her lover. Then, Angelus left their bodies where they lay and stalked back off into the night.
Even with the fresh, warm blood pumping through him, Angelus was still furious about Willow's response, or lack thereof. He didn't know what had gone wrong. His first instinct had been to kill the girl, but he still wanted to keep her, and that's why he had left the mansion. He knew that Spike would watch over her, but he.he would have snapped her neck in half had he stayed a moment longer.
-----------
could win the whole world over
you live in fear of being someone that you
didn't want to
i realize your insecurity will get the best
of you
Spike stood next to the bed and watched silently as Angelus stalked out of the room. He knew that the older vampire was upset by their girl's lack of reaction, but Spike couldn't help but scoff at Angelus. Of all vampires, Angelus should have known how fragile the human mind could be.
Looking down at Willow, Spike could see that she was just barely there, stuck somewhere between here and a far-off place in her mind. Leaning down, he gently moved her into what he thought to be a comfortable position, folding her hands on her stomach, and then laid down next to her. Absently he brushed his fingers through her hair and thought of when he'd done that for Drusilla. He didn't know what else he could do.
-----------
The sun shone brightly on everything Willow looked at. Smiling, she watched as children played in a nearby park, and couples walked hand in hand down the street. A small girl fell off a swing, and Willow walked over to help her, seeing no one else coming to the child's rescue.
"Hey," Willow said to the girl, smiling. The little girl was pretty with long auburn hair and pale skin.
"Hi," the little girl said, trying to hold back a sob. Looking down, Willow noticed that she had scraped her knee and it was bleeding.
"Do you need some help?" Willow asked.
The little girl just shook her head no and wiped tears from her eyes.
"Ok," Willow said. She looked around again for some sign that one of the parents around here was the little girl's, but no one seemed to notice her. Willow knew what that was like and took pity on the girl.
"My name is Willow," Willow said, offering her hand for the girl to shake.
The girl giggled, but shook Willow's hand. When Willow smiled back, the girl ducked her head, tossing her hair in her face to hide the blush that had started to creep up her cheeks.
"What's your name?"
The little girl giggled again and whispered, "Willow."
~Part: 16~
Unconsciously, Spike moved closer to the warmth emanating from the girl who was lying at his side. Slowly, he roused himself from slumber. He couldn't remember falling asleep, but he enjoyed waking up to the warm body next to him. He couldn't remember the last time he had done that. This was definitely a benefit to having the girl around.
Looking over at Willow, Spike could see that she was still not with them. It was disconcerting and he was starting to get worried. He could understand the shock of seeing her friends die, but he had thought her to be stronger then that, as had Angelus; and yet, here she was still staring blankly off into space, unaware of anyone or anything around her.
Listening closely, Spike could tell that Angelus had not come back yet. Lifting the heavy material on the wall, he looked outside through the only small window in the room and saw that dawn was fast approaching. Sighing, he lay back down next to Willow, and curled himself around her.
-----------
"Will?" a small boy asked the little girl. He was walking quickly towards them, looking between Willow and the girl.
Willow watched as the little girl's face lit up and a broad smile broke out on her face. The small boy gave Willow a dirty look and placed himself between the girl and her.
"Watcha doin'?" the boy asked, crossing his arms.
"I-" Willow started to say, but was cut off by the girl.
"Xan, its ok," Will said, putting her small hand on his shoulder.
Willow watched his face soften at the touch of his friend.her friend. This was a younger Xander, not weeks after they had first become friends. Looking around, Willow could now remember this day. She had fallen down and Xander had taken her home and cleaned her hurt knee. She had fallen in love with him that day.
"Come on Will. Let's go," Xan said, holding out his hand for Will to take, which she did. Willow stood up and watched the younger versions of herself and her best friend walk off.
A cool wind began to pick up, and Willow hugged herself, feeling cold. Night seemed to come on quickly as she looked up and saw the sun dip quickly beyond the horizon. Fear gripped Willow and she started walking rapidly. Looking around, Willow didn't know where she would go. She couldn't exactly go home, could she?
------------
Daylight broke over the horizon, just as Angelus made his way into the sewers. He still didn't want to go back to the mansion, back to the vacant and unresponsive shell Willow had become. She represented failure to him, and he didn't fail at anything. What was worse was that he didn't know how to go about fixing her.or if he wanted to for that matter. But, this was Willow, the sweet, tempting innocent who had taken his Drusilla from him.his Childe. She held a great appeal to him, a challenge, and most of all, he desired her. He wanted her.
Making up his mind to keep Willow, Angelus made his way back to the mansion and back to his Willow. He would find a way to bring her back from wherever it was she had gone.
-----------
Somehow, it seemed Willow had gotten turned around. She had been headed in the direction of the school, finding the library to be the only place she could think of to go. But, looking around, Willow saw she was in a cemetery.a familiar one at that. Off in the distance she could hear voices. They, too, sounded familiar.then she heard one voice she thought she'd never hear again.Jesse's.
"I think you left a hickey," Jesse said, coming into view from around a headstone. Willow's heart leapt in her chest at the sight of Jesse. Then, she saw the vampire walking behind him, licking the blood off her lips.
"Jesse!" Willow called, hoping to get his attention and get him away from the vampire.
"Willow?" Jesse asked, looking up and smiling at his friend. "Willow, what are you doing here?"
"Come on, Jesse. We have to go."
"No, I have to stay here. You are the one that has to go Willow."
"What? What do you mean?" Willow asked confused. She didn't understand why Jesse wouldn't want to leave with her. She was his best friend.
"Go back to them Willow," Jesse said, cryptically. "They'll take care of you."
Willow watched in horror as Jesse turned and began walking with the blonde vampire .off to his death.again.
"Wait! Jesse!"
-------------
"How is she?" Angelus asked stiffly as he walked into the room. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do about Willow, but seeing the way Spike was wrapped around her, he figured that she was in good hands.for now. Later, after a talk with Spike, they would decide what to do with her.
"The same," Spike said, getting up from the bed and stretching. "Where'd you go, mate?"
"Out."
"Right, leave me with the invalid again. You said this wouldn't happen. And now look at her," Spike said heatedly, coming to stand in front of Angelus. "Bloody look at her!"
"Enough!" Angelus bellowed. It was one thing for him to berate himself over Willow; it was another thing entirely for Spike to do so. "She will recover."
"And what if she doesn't? What if she bloody stays like this?"
"I don't know," Angelus said softly, hating that he had to admit ignorance. And to Spike of all people.
"That's just bloody great! You don't know! Well, doesn't that just top all? So, how long until your 'don't know' turns into a 'get rid of her'? Because, I'll let you know right now mate, I won't do it."
Spike was breathing hard, unnecessarily, and was on a rampage. Somewhere along the way, he had fallen for the chit, and now, well he didn't want to just discard her like some old newspaper. He wanted to keep her, make her his.like the original plan. There was no way he would let Angelus just give up on her. Spike would find a way to bring Willow back to them.
"What do you have in mind?" Angelus asked. He knew that Spike had taken care of Drusilla for years. While he didn't know how he'd done it all those years, he'd accomplished it nonetheless and Angelus felt that leaving Willow in Spike's capable hands was a good move. Spike would be able to care for Willow more effectively then Angelus could.at least right now.
"A doctor," Spike said, smiling slightly.
--------------
Willow ran, trying to catch up with Jesse, wanting to save him and to know what his cryptic words meant. Who would take care of her? She was confused and disoriented as she saw the cemetery gradually disappear, only to be replaced with her familiar living room.
"What's going on?" Willow asked the empty room. Just as she was about to go exploring, Willow heard voices coming from the kitchen. Slowly, she walked over to hear them better.
"Willow, be a good girl while we are gone," Sheila said, smoothing the hair of the young Willow.
"We're going to be late, dear," Ira said, checking his watch. Quickly he bent down to give Willow a kiss on her cheek then grabbed their bags.
"We'll only be gone two days. Be good and do your homework," Sheila said, walking towards the door.
"But, why? Why can't I go with you?" the young Willow asked, tears forming in her eyes as she watched her parents walk out the front door.
"You have school. Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it." With that, the door shut behind Willow's parents, leaving a crying Willow behind, alone and scared.
Willow looked at her younger self, remembering this day clearly, remembering what she had felt. This had been the first time her parents had left her alone and she had only been six or seven at the time. She remembered the gut wrenching sobs that came soon after she had run to her room. Feelings of betrayal, loss, fear, and desertion all made their home in Willow that night. However, instead of running to her room like Willow remembered, her younger counterpart just stared up at her.
"Are you staying with me?" the little girl asked, hope evident in her voice and eyes.
"I can," Willow said. A single tear slipped out as she watched the broad smile spread over the girls face before it fell. "What's wrong?"
"You can't stay. You have to go."
"Why? Where? I don't understand."
"Don't worry. They will take good care of you. They love you."
"Who? Who will take care of me? Who loves me?"
"The angel and the poet."
~Part: 17~
"I don't understand," Willow said, distress evident in the tightness of her voice. Nothing here was making any sense to her. She didn't know an angel and a poet. Well, she used to know Angel, but he'd lost his soul, only to become Angelus. The very being that had just recently stripped everything she had ever loved from her, leaving her alone and hurting beyond her ability to feel pain. Now, Willow was left here.wherever here was, to relive memories of others that had left her. Jesse.her parents.they'd all left her. It hurt and she didn't want to be reminded of them.
While Willow was lost in her thoughts, her surroundings changed around her. She looked up to see her foyer, only painted another color and instead of the child version of herself, she was now looking at herself only a few years before; before she'd met Buffy. Before she'd known what went bump in the night.
"What are you still doing here?" her twin asked.
"Where else can I go?" Willow asked. Tears threatened to fall as her frustration grew. No one in this place would give her a straight answer. They were all telling her that she had to go, be somewhere else, but they wouldn't tell her where or why. Willow felt more lost then she ever had before and nothing was making any sense to her.
"You have to go home."
"This is my home, or it is in another dimension, or time.," Willow said, her voice trailing off.
"No, your new home."
"Please, please just tell me what's going on," Willow said, falling to the floor crying. It had just all become too much. She had no home anymore. Not here, not in her Sunnydale.not anywhere. Angelus and Spike had seen to that by destroying everything she had cared for, everyone she had loved.
When Willow next opened her eyes to apologize to her twin, she realized that she was no longer in her house.but in a dark, black room. It seemed like a great void. No air rushed past her skin, no sound broke through the silence, and no light emanated from anywhere. It was frightening and Willow hugged herself, hoping to convince herself that she was still there and had not evaporated into the almost palpable darkness.
"Hello?" Willow asked the void. The eerie silence that followed her question disturbed her. There was no echo. It was almost as if the blackness had swallowed her words.
Fear started to grip Willow as she stood there, unmoving. She didn't want to be here, wherever here was. Again, she was lost and the tears fell as she realized she might be stuck in this darkness forever, never to see the light of day, or any light for that matter, ever again.
"Shh, Luv," a familiar voice said from behind her.
Willow felt cool strong arms come and wrap themselves around her. She knew it was Spike and her body went immediately rigid with fear. The soothing motions he made at the base of her spine did nothing to assuage her hesitation and her fear of the vampire.
"Now, Willow," Angelus said, coming up to her other side and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "don't worry anymore."
She wanted to cry out. These were the murderers that had taken her life away from her without spilling so much as a drop of her blood. No, they'd spilled everyone else's blood, they'd taken what was hers, what she held dear.and for what? Some selfish motive she was sure. However, for some reason, she could no longer call up the anger that had once come whenever she'd seen them. Nor could she call up the same fright that had always accompanied their unwanted appearance.
"What do you want?" Willow asked in a small voice. Their soothing words and soft caresses were easing the tension in her muscles against her will. She was confused. She knew that she should fear them, be angry with them, hate them.but she wasn't. Instead, she was letting herself be lulled into a feeling of security, of want. It was odd and Willow was unsure of what to do or how to go about getting away from them, or if she even wanted to get away.
"All we ever wanted was you," Angelus said, planting a small, soft kiss on her forehead.
"Then why did you do all those things to me? Why did you kill my friends and my only family? Why did you hurt me so much?" Willow asked, a tear involuntarily slipping out. She pulled away only slightly when she felt one of their hands glance across her face to catch the tear. She didn't want comfort right now, she wanted answers, and Willow was determined to get them.
"You killed my Childe," Angelus said softly.
"You killed the love of my Unlife," Spike said, just as softly as Angelus, but with a bit more feeling behind it.
"So, this was just tit for tat?" Willow asked, somewhat enraged at the idea. How could they compare her killing Drusilla to save her own life to them killing everyone she had ever loved? There was no comparison in her mind. The two vampires continued their soft, gentle caresses on her skin and Willow desperately wished she could see through the darkness; see to move out of their path, but no matter where she moved, they seemed to be right there.
"No, it wasn't all about that. She claimed you, you were ours by right of Sire," Angelus said, caressing the side of her neck where two bite marks lay, one right above the other.
"Didn't know why our Dru did that, but figured she had a reason," Spike said, running his hand along the other side of her neck where his bite mark lay.
"So?" Willow asked. "She bit me, big deal."
"You don't understand, do you, Luv?" Spike asked, truly surprised.
"Understand what?"
"The claim, Drusilla's claim on you," Angelus said. "You don't know what it means to be claimed, do you?"
Willow was silent. Her brain tried frantically to run through everything she knew about vampires, desperately searching for anything she might know on claims. However, she came up empty, and she could tell by the importance they seemed to place on it that it was something she should know. It was as if the claim itself had dictated her life the moment it was made. Slowly, Willow shook her head no.
"You see Pet, you belonged to our Dru the moment she sank her lovely fangs into that beautiful neck of yours," Spike said, lightly kissing his mark on her.
"And now, since you killed her, we, by right of Sire and Childe, claim you as ours," Angelus said, completing Spike's sentence.
"No!" Willow cried out, protesting the very idea that she would belong to anyone, let alone a pair of malicious and sadistic vampires. "I do not belong to anyone! You cannot just take someone that was never yours to begin with. It's not right."
"We knew you wouldn't come on your own," Angelus said. "So, we tried to make you, but you resisted us at every turn. We had to take certain.measures, to ensure that you would come to us."
"By killing everyone I love and leaving me with no one else," Willow said, finishing Angelus' sentence. Understanding dawned on her, and she realized that now, more then ever, the death of her friends and her parents was her fault. Her fault for not submitting to Angelus and Spike sooner, her fault for not giving in to them and their attentions before any more people died.
"You have us, Pet," Spike said, smoothing her hair back with his hand.
"Always," Angelus said.
Willow wanted to protest, saying that she had someone.Buffy. Nevertheless, she didn't know where Buffy was, or even if she was still alive. Willow was truly alone in the world with no one to care for her except for the two vampires who had taken it everyone else away. They wanted to be with her, for her to be theirs, but Willow still wasn't sure if she wanted that. She wasn't sure if she could handle being in the same room with them, let alone see them day after day, night after night. It was too much for her to think about, and she needed to think it through, needed to figure out what she would do.
Slowly, a small faint light seemed to appear from somewhere within the vast darkness that had surrounded her. It wasn't even noticeable at first; having adjusted to the darkness so that she had been seeing shadows where there weren't any. However, as the light got brighter, Willow had to squint her eyes to keep from being blinded. Soon, however, Willow had to close her eyes; the light was just too bright.
When she finally opened them, Willow was staring up at black again, only this time she could actually see that while it was a black room, it was covered in fabric. Her surroundings slowly registered in Willow's mind. She realized that she was laying on a bed, hands caressing her and speaking softly to her. She was in the mansion, in Drusilla's room. The voices that were trying to soothe her were those of Angelus and Spike.
Jumping up from the bed, Willow looked wildly around and dashed out of the room. She was caught shortly by a vampire in the hallway who grabbed her roughly.
"Hey there pretty," the hulking minion said, leering at her.
~Part: 18~
"Hey there pretty," the hulking minion said, leering at her.
All of Willow's pent-up emotions, all of her anger, and everything that made her feel that she had been cheated out of her life, boiled up at those three words. Screaming, she pounded on the minion's chest, beating at him as if he were the cause of it all. Willow didn't realize that she had been pulled away, arms and legs flailing wildly, as Spike tried to calm her down and hold her.
"What did I tell you?" Angelus asked the minion, ice coating his every word. That filth should never have dared touch what was his, or even spoken to her. He had given specific instructions before they'd gone out to get her that no one was to touch her, let alone let themselves be seen by her.
"What, that's the human?" the minion asked with disgust. "Little out of control if you ask me."
"I didn't ask you."
"Want me to teach her a lesson?"
Fury raged through Angelus. He'd never been disobeyed like this, save by young William, and he would not tolerate it. Angelus' only answer was a swift backhand to the minion's jaw.
Seeing that Angelus would be busy with the idiotic minion for a while, Spike calmly led the shaking Willow into their room, shutting the door and closing off the sounds of the beating. Spike held Willow close to him, not to keep her from running, but to comfort her.
"Shh, Pet," Spike said, sitting on the bed and pulling her onto his lap.
"No," Willow said, trying to pull away from him. She didn't want his comfort, didn't want him to even touch her.
"Come here," he said with a little more force. He would not be rebuffed by this girl. He pulled her firmly onto his lap, setting her there with rough hands. She stilled in his arms, neither protesting, nor accepting his comfort. 'Fine,' Spike thought.
"Do you hear that?" Spike asked, gently moving his hand absently through her hair. "We do care, you know, about you."
Willow sat rigid in his lap, not wanting to risk running, but not wanting to be there either. His soft words meant nothing to her. They tasted bitter. She could hear the harsh thud of flesh meeting flesh as Angelus beat the minion that had grabbed her. It didn't matter to her why he was doing it. It was just one more thing to prove to her that they were animals, they were evil, and she could never trust them.
They sat like that, listening to the muffled sounds and cries of the minion. Neither one saying anything. Willow's back was rigid, not wanting to even give the slightest hint that she was enjoying herself as Spike caressed her back in small, soft circles.
"Care for a bath, Pet?" Spike asked after a while. Her demeanor was irritating. He would have thought by now that she would have no fight left in her. While she wasn't technically flailing out at him, she wasn't relaxing into his embrace either. It was like a silent protest.
When she didn't answer, Spike picked her up in his arms and took her to the bathroom that was hidden behind thick layers of fabric on one wall. Willow didn't hold on to him, but neither did she make a move to stop him.
Setting her down on the toilet seat, Spike made quick work of filling the tub up with hot water. Figuring she was just tense from everything that had happened, he sought to relax her, soothe her. He grabbed some of Drusilla's old bubble bath, a scent he knew the vampiress had adored, and poured some into the running water and watched as the bubbles filled the tub.
If escape were option, she would have bolted from that room. Willow did not want to be there, but she knew that if Spike didn't stop her, Angelus out in the hall would, or some other minion. So, she stayed, quietly looking at some vague point on the wall, not wanting to acknowledge the vampire, or even her situation. Willow had become numb. She just didn't have the energy to fight anymore, didn't have the burning drive to get away. She wanted to get away, but she didn't have it in her anymore to devise a plan or even contemplate it. Where would she go? She had no one to run to anymore, they had seen to that.
Spike had been watching her out of the corner of his eye as he prepared her bath. He knew she was aware of what was going on around her, but chose to ignore it. It was somewhat infuriating to the blond vampire. He was accustomed to screams and fear, but the utter passivity of Willow made him want to know the why's and how's of it. He thought she should be trying to get away, or broken down and crying, begging for her life.
Bringing her to her feet, Spike began removing her nightgown, and her passivity ended.
"I can do it," Willow said softly. She clutched the material to her.
"I know you can," Spike said, his mouth curving up in a smile. "But," he said, pausing for a moment to look her up and down and run his tongue along his teeth, "I think I'd like to do it if it's all the same to you."
Willow inhaled sharply and shrank into herself. She didn't want him to touch her, at all. She shook her head and held her nightgown firmly to her.
"Don't think you have a choice, Pet."
"Please, I'll be quick," Willow said.
"Not if I have a say," Spike said, smirking. He moved towards Willow, hands outstretched, and gently took her wrists in his. She only resisted for a moment.
She didn't want to be so.exposed again in front of him, but it was just a bath, right? So, she let her arms go limp and watched, detached, as he stripped her and set her gently in the heated, bubbly water. Her muscles relaxed a bit and she lay back, sinking into the tub and closing her eyes.
With her eyes closed, Willow could almost imagine that she was safe back at her house and she was getting ready for a night out with Buffy and Xander, or that she had just gotten home from a hard night of patrolling. It wasn't until she felt herself being moved forward that she even remembered Spike was in the room with her.
Scuttling to the other side of the bathtub, Willow watched with wide eyes as Spike lowered himself, naked, into the tub. She couldn't help but stare. Her face burned with the knowledge that she was staring and that it was wrong, but she couldn't look away. The only time she'd ever seen a naked male body before was in textbooks, and this was nothing like a textbook. He was lean, almost to the point of being wiry, but not. There were no curves on Spike, just a collection of hard, sharp angles, each one looking sharp enough to slice.
"Like what you see?" Spike asked, an edge of pride in his voice. He had watched as her eyes took him in. It was such an innocent look. And, when her eyes trailed down to his cock, it swelled and twitched with stolen blood.
Quickly, Willow looked away. She was ashamed to have been caught staring and even more ashamed of the reactions his body had caused in hers. She knew all of the technical terms and reasons for her reaction, for her rabid heartbeat and raged breathing, for the tingling sensation low in her abdomen. Yes, he had a wonderful body, but what was in the body, the personality, the demon, was revolting to her. Keeping focused on that she was able to slow down her heart and calm her breathing, though she didn't look back at Spike, only shook her head in the negative.
Spike was pissed. He knew she was lying, knew she had indeed liked what she had seen. He also knew that she knew he could hear her heart, hear her breathing. 'Fine,' he thought. 'Let her lie, but I know.'
"Come here," Spike said. His tone was demanding, forceful. When she just shook her head again, Spike grabbed her by the arms and dragged her through the water, holding her on his lap. "There you go."
Willow sat rigid and tried to fight the urge to pull away, especially when she felt him press his erection against her buttocks. His small chuckle at her unease only served to make her want to leave. She scooted forward a little. Finding herself unhindered, Willow tried standing, but was abruptly pulled back down.
"None of that now," Spike said, wrapping his left arm around her, effectively holding her in place. He was enjoying this game. Every movement only served to inflame his desire more. Her body feeling wonderfully warm against his cooler skin.
"Don't," Willow said, voice trembling, when she felt his free hand slide across her thigh. She tried pushing his hands away, not wanting him to touch her.
Grabbing both her hands, Spike trapped them with the arm that was around her waist, effectively leaving the rest of her body at his mercy.
"Now, Pet," Spike said silkily, "don't make this hard. Relax. Enjoy it.or don't."
Moving his hand further up her thigh, Spike squeezed the tender skin and muscles and smiled when Willow inhaled sharply in pain. Each movement of protest made his skin tingle in anticipation. Slowly he moved his hand in-between her thighs, grabbing hold of her, fingers hooked inside of her, and lifted her up.
"Stop!" Willow yelled, bucking to try to get away. His fingers, four in all, hurt and ripped her.
Spike didn't listen to her, egged on by the blood, but instead, slid back to free his erection before sliding it inside her roughly, replacing his fingers. The water splashed violently, spilling over the edge in time with his thrusts. He didn't pay any attention to Willow and her cries of protest, her pleas for him to stop. He couldn't stop even if he had wanted to. Her warmth encased him, her muscles working and squeezing involuntarily in all the right places. It had been too long since the last time he'd had her. His orgasm built up quickly, catching him almost by surprise. Spike jerked up roughly, as Willow cried out in pain again. Then, he spilled his cold, dead seed inside of her.
Before Willow could think to get away as Spike basked in the afterglow of his orgasm, Angelus walks into the bathroom.
"Having fun without me?" Angelus asked, smirking and looking Willow up and down.
~Part: 19~
"Having fun without me?" Angelus asked, smirking and looking Willow up and down.
Willow tried retreating but was held fast by Spike. She pushed against him, but it was no use. There was an unnatural gleam in the vampire's eyes and she didn't like it. Nor did she like being completely naked, having just been violated, again, by Spike. She fervently wished that she were comatose, or even dead. Then, maybe they would finally leave her alone.
"No, just warming her up," Spike said smiling. He stood up from the tub, Willow still in his arms.
Angelus grabbed a towel from under the sink and motioned for Spike to hand Willow over to him to dry her off. He took her, wrapped her in the towel, and gently rubbed it along her skin, loving the feel of it beneath the towel.
She felt like a doll. That's the only thing she could come up with. She felt like a live doll. 'Maybe that's what they meant when they left.them.dressed up like that,' Willow thought. It was disgusting and demoralizing to be treated this way, but no matter how hard she fought, it didn't seem to faze them. It only brought smiles to their faces, which only served to piss her off more.
Finishing up, Angelus tossed the towel in the corner and took Willow by the arm, guiding her back into the room and to the bed. Willow stopped short, not wanting to go to the bed.
"Don't fight me," Angelus said sternly. He pushed her roughly forward and she fell onto the bed. She was bent over, exposing her ass to them. Angelus couldn't help but give it a playful slap and laughed when she scrambled up on the bed.
Willow was mortified. She pulled her legs up to her chest with her chin on her knees, trying to fold in on herself. She watched as Spike stalked around the bed, eyes never leaving her, but he wasn't the real threat. Angelus, smiling a smile fit for the devil himself, was the threat. She searched frantically for a way out, out of the room, out of the situation, anything. But she couldn't even find the door to the bathroom any more; let alone the door out of the room. The fabric panels on the walls obscured all the exits.
Looking at Willow and keeping eye contact, Angelus slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He listened as her heartbeat sped up and her breathing became ragged. He could almost smell unshed tears amongst the fear, the sweat, the sweet smell from the oils.and Spike. He loved this, the fear, the wide, scared, shining eyes.
Spike watched in appreciation as Angelus stripped and was even more pleased at Willow's little whimpers of protest. He climbed onto the bed and stalked, sleek and cat like, up the bed, causing Willow to jump when he reached out to touch her.
"Chains," Angelus said.
"No!" Willow cried out, finally coming out from the daze she had been in. They wouldn't, couldn't chain her up.
"Don't worry," Angelus said, reaching out to cup her cheek as she turned away from him, "you'll enjoy it. I promise."
"Face up or face down?" Spike asked. He knew this game and loved it.
"Face down," Angelus said, still looking at Willow.
Willow watched in horror as Spike knelt up on the bed, still naked, and grabbed for a chain hidden amongst the panels of the canopy. The rattling of it echoed through her head. She didn't know what they had planned for her, but she was sure she wouldn't like it. Wrapping her arms around herself, Willow tried to keep them from chaining her up.
Angelus continued stripping as Willow fought Spike. It looked like Spike was enjoying himself too; the screams, the flailing, all of it was enticing to both of the vampires. They had never wanted her to be complacent, only theirs. And she was. At least in body. She bore their marks on her neck and her chest; she bore their scent all over her.
Finally, Spike had Willow chained; face down, on the bed. She had tried pulling at the chains, but they were made for vampires, specifically Drusilla, and there was no way she would be able to break them.
Climbing onto the bed, Angelus ducked under the closest chain and grabbed Willow, pulling her up to a kneeling position. The chains were long, giving her some room to move, but not much, or at least, no more than they wanted her to. She sat up reluctantly, but did not look at him; rather she looked over his shoulder into the wall. 'Fine,' Angelus thought.
He sat down on the pillows at the head of the bed; legs spread to accommodate Willow and pulled her head to his lips. She tried to resist, but he was too strong. He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth and exploring it roughly.
"Time to have some fun, Willow," Angelus said, smirking.
"Please, no," Willow begged. Her muscles were strained and she was still in pain from Spike's rough treatment of her. Her body went rigid with fear when she felt Spike draw up from behind her. Her mind flew in a million different directions and her world shattered around her. Tears fell freely from her eyes, as she mindlessly shook her head 'no', mouthing the words.
"Don't worry," Angelus said, cradling the back of her head with his hand, "you're ours now." Gently, Angelus began to move her head down to his straining erection, already weeping in anticipation of her warm, wet mouth.
Willow tried to resist, but he was too strong, they were too strong. She jumped when her mouth encountered the head of Angelus' cock and hated that they laughed at her. As if she didn't feel degraded enough being forced and chained.
Spike could see that Willow was being difficult and he thought he knew how to fix that. He ran his hand down over her ass cheeks, kneading them harshly with his hands before slipping his fingers between and searching out the pucker that lay hidden.
Willow gasped and Angelus pushed her open mouth down on to his waiting cock. She gagged when it hit the back of her throat and swallowed involuntarily, causing unbelievable suction on Angelus. He moaned and thrust up again, getting the same reaction. Easing up a bit, he guided her head up and down, enjoying the heat and wetness from her mouth.
She was sickened, disgusted, and thoroughly humiliated. He was forcing himself into her mouth, making her choke and gag. Large tears fell down Willow's cheeks as he continued to guide her. She thought about biting him, but knew that wouldn't go over well.but it was still tempting.
"There's our girl," Angelus crooned with a moan. He was close and could feel his insides tighten.
Spike watched, excited by Angelus' cock disappearing into Willow's mouth. He looked up at Angelus and could tell he was ready to come. Then the real fun could begin.
Willow tried not to, but swallowed involuntarily as the cool liquid spurted into her mouth and down her throat. She glared up at Angelus when he finally pulled out and he just laughed, taking a finger and wiping along her lips, gathering the semen before lifting it up to his mouth. She was disgusted.
"See, Little One," Angelus said, lifting her head up to look at him, "We will take good care of you."
Spike grabbed Willow around the waist from behind and pulled her up flush to him. His hands roamed along her skin, pinching and feeling, caressing and soothing. He twisted her nipples until she was about to cry out in pain, then stopped and let Angelus lave them with his tongue. His other hand dipped down to her wet folds, exploring her. He pinched roughly on her clit and laughed when she jumped and moaned.
Angelus moved down, lying between their spread legs. Willow knew what was next. Spike had his fun in the bath, now it was Angelus' turn.
"Stop this!" Willow cried as she was pushed down. Her muscles cried out in protest and tears ran down her face. The chains dug in harshly at her wrists and drew blood. She watched horrified as Spike took his finger and made a line of her blood up her arm before taking his finger into his mouth.
"Now, Pet, you don't want that do you?" Spike asked, grinning. "Relax. A good hard fuck does wonders."
Angeuls' hands moved to her hips, and positioning himself, he thrust up and pulled her down onto him. She screamed in pain and he growled with pleasure. Willow tried to move, tried to get him out of her, away from her, but he held her close.
"Ready?" Angelus asked Spike.
Willow didn't know what was going on, but she didn't think she'd like it, if the wicked gleam in Angelus' eye was any indication. She heard Spike spit and tried to turn her head to see what he was doing, but she couldn't. Her arms were strung at an almost impossible angle by the chains and Angelus was holding her in place at her sides. She could feel his fingers biting into her skin.
Slicking up his rigid, ready cock with spit, Spike edged forward, placing his head at Willow's exposed pucker. She jumped when she felt him touch her.
"No! Please no. Please, don't do this. Just leave me alone," Willow said, over and over again in a kind of mantra. But, no matter how much she protested, how much she cried out, it never seemed to reach the vampires.
Slowly, Spike eased the head of his cock in and groaned as the heat and tightness enveloped that small portion of him. She was tight and rigid with fear.
"Relax, or this might hurt," Spike said, holding onto her hips. He pushed forward, slowly at first before he couldn't help himself and shoved forward roughly, encasing his entire length in her.
Willow's eyes were wide and a grimace of pain was etched on her face when Spike was finally within her. She felt beyond full and stretched painfully. She screamed in pain as her tears fell.
Angelus nodded to Spike and they began moving in a set rhythm. Spike pulled out and Angelus thrust in, slowly at first before picking up the pace. They held her still while they fucked her.
Spike was murmuring crude comments about how good a fuck she was and how good he could make her feel while Angelus nipped and kissed along her neck and shoulders.
Her insides felt like they were going to rip, as if the vampires' cocks would tear her in two. It was painful and she was helpless to stop it. She felt Angelus' face change and the burn of her skin being cut by razor-sharp fangs. She cried out again, cried for them to stop, cried for them to do kill her. She wanted to die.
Angelus was close and he knew it. He wanted to taste her when he came, wanted to fill her with his seed while he filled himself with her blood. Looking up at Spike, Angelus could see he was ready as well. Moving her hair aside, they both bit into her and roared their release, losing their rhythm, and drank from her.
Willow's eyes closed, wanting that sweet release she was sure death would bring. She couldn't take it any more. The fangs, the rape, and the death of everyone she'd ever loved and cared for. She just wanted it to end.
Slowly, Willow dropped into unconsciousness, hanging limply from the chains.
~Part: 20~
It had been days since her Mama had been awake. Just over a week ago, she had gone into a coma. It was unnerving and Jeska didn't know what to do. It had all happened so suddenly. They were eating dinner around the camp, like every other night, then her Daj stood up, cried out as if in pain, and collapsed to the ground. Jeska would have gone and asked the elder woman of the tribe what to do, but that was her Daj, and the other elders were baffled as to what was the cause of it. No medicines helped, none of their old potions or remedies, and Jeska had tried them all. She was her mother's daughter in every way, up to and including taking her place one day. It was just that today couldn't be that day for Jeska, it just couldn't.
"Please, Daj, wake up," Jeska pleaded quietly in their home. Visitors had come and gone, leaving offerings, thoughts, and prayers. Her home was now filled with food she wouldn't eat, couldn't eat. Jeska held her Mama's hand, stroking the paper-thin skin with the pad of her thumb. It was killing her not to be able to do something, not to be able to help in some way.
"Please," Jeska whispered, leaning in close and placing a kiss on her mama's forehead. Just as she was pulling back to sit down, she heard something.
"What? What is it?" Jeska asked, bringing her ear close to hear.
"Angelus," the old woman said, her voice ragged.
Jeska looked at her mama, stunned. She'd heard of Angelus the vampire. Story after story after story had been told of him, of how he'd killed the precious daughter of her tribe, the Kalderesh. Then, then he killed Janna and Enos. Her uncle and cousin. She had grieved more than anyone had, save her mama. However, they had held off on cursing him again. Her mama and other elders had had visions of a young girl being the one to curse Angelus. So, they'd waited.
"Yes, he's still out mama. Please, just rest," Jeska said, trying to calm her mama down. It would do her no good to get worked up over Angelus, or anything else.
"No, Jeska," the Elder woman said. "He's not been caged, or cursed. He has the young witch. We must. I must."
Jeska held back tears as her mama coughed hard, barely able to draw a breath. "Please, just rest," she said, unable to say anything else.
She couldn't stand to see her Daj in so much pain. Her own heart ached with fear.
"No!" the Elder woman called out between coughs. "Jeska, you must.you must do the spell.with the other elders.please. I - I cannot."
"But," Jeska said, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I cannot either, mama. I've not the knowledge of such things."
"You do, Jeska, but you must believe in yourself," the Elder woman said, tears staining her cheeks as well. She lifted up a feeble, shaking hand to cup her daughter's cheek. "This you will do for me, and the young woman, please?"
Jeska nodded into her Mama's hand, not able to speak for the tears and sobs that choked her. She didn't know how she would do it, but she would. For years now her Daj had been training her to take her place, up to and including the spell that had originally cursed Angelus with his soul. She had the scroll, the ingredients, everything. However, Jeska still wasn't sure. She wondered who this young woman was that was in trouble. Was it the same young woman that was prophesied to curse Angelus again? What had happened that Jeska now had to perform the curse?
"You must," the Elder woman tried saying. She couldn't seem to pull in enough air to talk, but she tried, she had to say this, make Jeska understand. "You must not.ever let.let.the curse.be lifted again."
"Mama!" Jeska cried as the Elder woman gave one last shuddering gasp before she stopped breathing. Jeska had heard, but hadn't understood what her mama had meant, but right now, she couldn't think of anything but the overwhelming grief that came over as she watched her mama's still body.
--------------------
The Kalderesh people had shed tears upon tears as they learned of the Elder woman's death. Jeska could not be made to talk. The other Elders knew the woman had said something to her, though they did not know what it was. Time would tell, they knew.
Jeska stayed in her home, grieving for her mama. The spell lay out before her as it has been ever since she had laid her Daj to rest. Every night her eyes swept over the crumbling piece of parchment, the Orb of Thessula off to one side. Jeska thought about her mother's dying wish, that she re-curse the vampire and make it so that Angelus could never be unleashed upon the world again.
That night, Jeska fasted, cleansed, and prayed - preparing for the ritual. She wanted to get this right. Not only for her Daj, but also for the redheaded girl that was currently in Angelus' 'tender' care. Night came and went, as did the day, and still Jeska sat at the table.
She was in a trance deeper than sleep where dreams and nightmares could not touch her. Nothing but the magick of her people, the Gypsies, was on her mind. She asked the ancients, the ones who came before her, for guidance, for strength, for protection.
They answered her call.
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The herbs burned slowly around the Orb of Thessula. Jeska closed her eyes, placing her hands above the orb, letting the soft light of the candles flicker behind her eyelids. She knew the spell word for word and did not need the paper she had set next to her. Jeska called upon the beings that protected her clan, asking them for assistance, for guidance. The air became heavy and thick, a physical presence in the room. The time was now and Jeska began the spell to return to Angelus what was taken from him.
"Reda trupului ce separa omul de animal," she said in the old language of her people. The wind roared around her, blowing and making the candles flicker wildly about, ready to go out, but they didn't.
"Te implor Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte. Nici mort, nici al fiintei, te invoc, spirit al trecerii! Lasa orbita as fie vasul care-I va transporta sufleutul la el. Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum! Acum!"
The orb glowed and pulsed before shining brightly and disappearing. Jeska's head fell to the table, having been drained of her energy. The candles flickered once more and went out. In the darkness, Jeska prayed that it worked.
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