Title: Slumber
Author: Kylia
Email: kylia_bug@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don't know.
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Nothing Specific; Season 4 BtVS; Season 1 Angel.
Category: Willow/Spike; Willow/Angel
Summary: Willow's attacked, things happen.
Distribution: Fire & Ice, WitchFanFic, Of Sire & Childe, anyone else, ask, and you shall receive
Author's Notes: Something new; Spike has his bite back, but is still in Sunnydale.
Dedication: To my girls; Inell, Miss you already.

"Where to? Take her to the watcher’s, pet?" Spike asked as Willow handed him Anya’s body.

Willow scowled, "No. I need to free her from the connection she has with Tara. Take her back to your place. I’m going to Giles’."

"No!" Spike shouted. "Not by yourself, you’re not!"

Willow stopped. "What do you suggest? I don’t want to leave Anya alone, and I can’t free her until I’ve dealt with Tara." She placed a soft kiss on his cold lips. "Besides, I think I have a better chance of dealing with them if you’re not with me."

"What are you going to do with them?" Spike asked, knowing the anger and resentment she had built up over the past few weeks.

Willow felt her demon surge briefly as her eyes glowed golden for a moment. "Anya first. Then I will deal with their betrayal."

Angel turned towards Cordelia. He looked at the unfamiliar blond girl sitting with Buffy, and then back to Cordelia. "Are you sure?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Yes." She approached the blond. "Who are you?"

"I, uh, I’m a friend of Willow’s" Tara stuttered.

Cordelia and Angel shared a look. There was something not quite right about the girl, and if Cordelia’s vision was any indication her and Willow were anything but friends.

"Yes, well. Maybe we should see if we can find Anya?" Giles broke the tense silence of the room.

Buffy stood up. "Yeah. I guess we could go and look for her." She turned to Xander. "Why don’t you go check your place and see if she has shown up there."

Turning her gaze tot he other’s in the room, she continued, "Riley, go check over by the university, Tara and I will check where they were separated. Angel, can you and Cordy check the cemetery?"

When Angel nodded and started to leave, followed by Cordelia, Buffy looked at her watcher, "Giles, you stay here, in case she shows up."

Giles walked into the kitchen to make another pot of tea. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Angel stopped after his second sweep through the cemetery. He turned towards Cordelia. "Something about this doesn’t fit. Xander said Willow’s been gone for three weeks. That doesn’t sound right."

"No." Cordelia agreed, "And that story about her being with her parents, I don’t buy it. I don’t think she’s spent three consecutive weeks with them since kindergarten." She started pacing in small circles around a group of tombstones. "But that leaves the question, If she isn’t with them, where is she. Or why would they be so quick to believe that she had gone with them?"

Angel groaned. They seemed to have more questions than answers. They needed to find out what was going on, and quick before anything else happened. According to Cordelia’s vision, that girl Tara was going to die a gruesome death, and despite the bad vibe he got off of the girl, he had no wish to see that happen.

"Come on, let’s go. Maybe Rupert can answer some of this questions."

Willow approached Giles’ front door. She had seen Buffy leave with Tara, and decided to find out where they were going. Apparently, they were looking for Anya. She noticed Tara successfully directed the slayer away from where Anya had been found. She wondered how long it would take for them to give up on the ex-demon as they had her. Memories of the past three weeks came flooding back.


// Flashback//

Tara entered the darkened room where she had Willow chained. The girl had more strength and power than she had originally given her credit for.

"You waste your time, hoping for your friends to find you. They have forgotten you."

"You lie" Willow rasped, not wanting to believe it, but fearing it was true.

"No, Willow. I speak the truth. No one has looked for you. No one cares. Except for the vampire, but he doesn’t count. He can’t save you. No one can."

Willow closed her eyes at the realization she wouldn’t leave this hell alone. She willed her body to shut down. Just before she succumbed to exhaustion, Willow’s eyes snapped open and looked coldly at Tara.

"This isn’t over, Tara. You may have my magic, but you don’t have my power. You’ll never have that. One day the magic you have stolen from those like me will be your undoing."

Willow lost consciousness as Tara’s grip on her being tightened.

"We shall see, witch. We shall see."

// End Flashback//


Willow cleared her head of the memories. She had been aware of so much, even in her unconscious state; she could sense everything around her. The magic witch had flooded her system, changing her, had made her into what she was now.

Her demon was now being balanced with her spirit. The spirit tamed the demon and the demon strengthened the spirit. Together, she had the best of both worlds. She knew that she shouldn’t blame her friends for the lies had told, but she also knew that if they had truly known her, they never would have believed them. The fact that they had hurt her, even now.

If it hadn’t been for Tar’s deception and kidnapping of Anya, Willow probably would have left Sunnydale and not given them another thought, but she had unfinished business with the blond witch. It was forcing her to deal with things she’d rather not.

Willow planted a smile on her face and knocked on Giles’ door.

"Willow?" Giles’ asked, surprised to see her standing on his porch.

"Hi, Giles. Can, I, uh, Can I come in?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course. Come on in, Willow." Giles stepped aside, allowing the vampire entrance into his house.

Angel walked into Giles’ house, followed my Cordelia, and stopped cold. Willow was standing there, staring at him. Her green eyes bore into his own. He was frozen in place. He could sense her.

"Angel? What is it?" Cordelia asked as she pushed past him. "Willow? Where have you been? We were concerned when we found out you’d been missing for three weeks." Cordelia emphasized the word ‘missing’ as she stared pointedly at Giles.

Willow turned her gaze to Cordelia and smiled when she saw the sincerity in the brunette’s eyes. Then she turned back to Angel.

"Angel. You don’t belong here." She told him.

"Neither do you." He took a step forward and spoke so low that only her vampire hearing could pick it up. "What happened? Who did this?"

Willow was about to respond when the front door was swung open again and Buffy entered, followed by Tara. Tara gasped as she saw Willow standing three looking very much alive.

Willow smiled evilly, and turned to Angel. "She did."

Spike was pacing around his apartment impatiently. Willow had been gone a long time, and he didn’t like it. He knew she was still alive, or undead, because he could still sense her. But he didn’t know what would happen when they found put she had been turned.

Spike heard Anya groan from her place on the couch and rushed over to her.

"Shh, pet. It’s okay. You’re safe." He told her as he got her a glass of water.

"Spike?" Anya asked confused. She had been so sure that Tara was the one who had taken her, but now here was Spike. S he took a small look around, and realized she was some place else. Her arms were sore from being hung up with the chains.

"How do you feel?" Spike asked. He kind of liked the chit. She was never afraid to say what she was thinking.

"Tired. There’s magic. Some kind of power, it’s like a heavy weight." She tried to explain.

Spike nodded his understanding. "I know. Willow’s going to take care of it. She should be back soon."

"Willow?" Anya asked. She frowned as she looked up at the vampire. "You were right, weren’t you? About her being in trouble?"

He didn’t answer her, instead he stood up. "Will you be alright for a little while? I want to see what’s keeping her."

"I’ll be alright." Anya told him as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Spike grabbed his duster and headed towards the watcher’s house.

Tara stood still for a moment in complete shock. She was so certain Willow had died. She lost the connection. It had proved to be a confusing matter when she had discovered her body missing. But the broken chains proved that someone had tried to rescue her. Normally, that would have concerned her, but since she had felt Willow die, Tara assumed her rescuer was too late.

But now, seeing Willow standing here, apparently alive, she wasn’t so sure. She looked the girl over carefully, and that’s when she sensed it. She was a vampire. A strong one. She had power, lots of power. She realized that when Willow had died she had absorbed all of the energy and power Tara had lost, making her more powerful than the average vampire. She saw the hateful look in her eyes, and realized that if she wasn’t careful, Willow could destroy her.

Tara backed up slightly and turned to Buffy with fear in her eyes.

"She’s a vampire." She whispered.

Buffy looked incredulously at Willow. "Wills? What happened?"

Willow’s eyes glowed gold as she took a step forward, pushing Angel out of the way. "She happened." Her voice was laced with hate.

Buffy shook her head sadly. "No, no, it can’t be."

Willow’s gaze shifted from Tara to Buffy. She laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. "Give her to me, and I’ll leave you alone."

Buffy tried to regain her composure as she stepped in front of Tara. "No. Leave her alone. She is your friend. We all are."

Willow took another step forward as Angel reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly. "Willow, don’t do this." He pleaded.

Willow turned to Angel, anger lighting her eyes. "You don’t belong here, Angel. Leave. This doesn’t concern you." She turned back to Buffy. "I have no friends. Apparently I never did." She turned to Tara, "Isn’t that what you told me?"

Buffy started to protest but was stopped by Angel. "Buffy, maybe you had better go." He turned to the Slayer. "Now." His voice softened, "Don’t worry. I’ll deal with this."

Buffy nodded reluctantly but turned to leave. She stopped and faced Willow again. "I’m sorry."

As Buffy pulled Tara outside with her, she heard Willow’s voice. "This isn’t over. She will be mine!"

Angel watched as Buffy left. He breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief. He turned back to Willow. She was absolutely stunning. He had never seen anything so magnificent, alive or dead.

"Willow? What happened?" He asked her, dreading the answer.

Before Willow could answer Spike stormed into the apartment.

"Peaches." Spike growled.

"Spike. You did this!" Angel snarled. He stalked towards his childe and picked him up around the throat. His eyes glowed golden as he threw Spike against the wall.

Before he could do anything more Angel felt his body being thrown across the room with a force he didn’t think he could even muster. He hit his head on the floor as he slid into the kitchen.

Willow walked over to the fallen vampire and snarled menacingly. "Leave my mate alone."

"Alright, why don’t we all just chill." Cordelia’s voice broke the tense silence of the room.

Willow turned to face the brunette, her face shifting to reveal her human features. She smiled. "Cordy. It’s good to see you."

Willow turned around and sighed needlessly, her eyes reflecting a sadness she shouldn’t be able to feel. "Angel. This doesn’t concern you."

"He turned you. I should stake him for that!"

"Don’t presume you know what happened. You don’t." She snapped. She motioned towards the doorway. "She killed me. He just made sure I didn’t stay that way." She took a deep unneeded breath to calm her temper. "If you want answers, you’ll have to find them on your own."

Willow headed towards the door, but stopped and turned towards Giles who had been rooted in place during the entire exchange. "I’m not after Buffy. I just want Tara. But if she gets in the way…" She looked Giles in the eyes. "I’m not evil. I’m nothing like the Vampire Willow you met last year, but trust me when I tell you, I will have my revenge. Whether Tara is the only one to pay or not is entirely up to you."

Willow took Spike’s offered hand and they disappeared into the night.

"Boy, that was the best fun, ever." Cordelia broke the tense silence.

Angel turned to Giles. "What can you tell me about Tara?"

Buffy was in a daze as she walked Tara home. She couldn’t believe it. Willow was a vampire. She was evil. She couldn’t seem to get her mind around that one point. How long had she been a vampire? She thought back to all of the telephone conversations she had had with Willow since she had left for her family vacation. She had only spoken to her three times, and each time, she had seemed distant, strange. She had written it off as stress from spending to much ‘quality’ time with her parents, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Buffy turned to Tara. "Are you alright?" She asked as they approached Tara’s dorm.

Tara nodded. "Yeah, I um, I think, I just need to get some sleep." She told her.

"Okay." She looked at the girl carefully, trying to see if she was really all right. "You know, that wasn’t really Willow. She isn’t Willow anymore. She’s just a demon in Willow’s body." She tried to explain.

Tara nodded. "I know. It’s just so hard, you know. To see her like that."

"I know." Buffy agreed as she walked away. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t think she could stake her best friend. She wasn’t strong enough.

Tara watched through the window as Buffy walked away. She had to get back to the warehouse and move Anya before it was too late. She knew it was dangerous to be walking around at night, with Willow roaming the streets, but she couldn’t afford to have someone find Anya.

Spike watched Willow as she drained the life out of a college student too stupid to stay indoors after dark. She dropped his body to the ground and turned around.

"Come." She placed her hand in his as they walked to the abandoned warehouse where they had found Anya.

"He won’t give up, you know that." Spike’s tone was quiet bus serious. "He’ll try to take you away from me."

Willow smiled as she took his cold hand in her own. "It won’t matter."

Spike stopped and pulled her to him. He bent town and placed a kiss against her lips. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue entrance. The kiss soon turned passionate as their tongues dueled for dominance. Willow reluctantly pulled away.

"I love you." She kissed him once more on the lips. "Nothing they can do will change that."

"I love you too, Red." Spike clasped his hand in hers as they continued walking. After a moment, he turned to look at her, "They’ll try and curse you, like the poof."

Willow chuckled. "It won’t work." When she saw his skeptical look, she elaborated. "They can’t restore a soul I never lost."

Giles sighed heavily as he sat down. Angel and Cordelia had just left. He had told them what he knew about Tara, but he didn’t know anything that would explain why Willow would want to kill the young witch. He supposed it was just a reaction from the demon, which now shared her body.

He found himself wondering how long Willow had been a vampire. Spike had turned her, obviously, but when? It must have been recently, judging from the blond vampire's insistence that Willow had been in trouble. Had he been right? Were they partly responsible for Willow’s fate, by their refusal to listen to Spike’s concerns?

He didn’t have any answers, only more questions. And the biggest question of all was what to do. Could they kill her? He didn’t think so.

"We’ll curse her!" Buffy stormed into Giles’ apartment all excited. "You can do it, right?"

"Giles’ looked at his Slayer carefully, "Yes, I can, but Buffy, if she’s killed, you can’t imagine the pain and the guilt she’ll feel once her soul is restored."

"It’s better than allowing her to kill more innocent people, and Giles, I don’t think I can stake her." Buffy looked imploringly at her watcher.

"Alright. We’ll curse her."

"Angel? Are you alright?" Cordelia asked softly as the headed towards the motel.

Angel was silent for a long moment. Cordelia didn’t think he was going to answer. Then he spoke. "Something more is going on here." He turned towards his friend. "I don’t know how to explain it, but there is something different about her."

"You mean aside from the fact that she’s a soulless killer?" Cordelia asked.

"Is she?" Angel questioned. "I know she isn’t the same Willow we knew, but is she a killer? I’m not so sure."

"Well, she was nothing like the one we met last year, that’s for sure. So, what now?"

"Well, I want to know why she’s after the girl. I also want to talk to her. See if you can find out where Spike is living. I’ll see what I can find out from Willy."

"Right." Cordelia pulled out her key and entered the motel room as Angel headed towards Willy’s bar.

Giles gathered the supplies carefully, preparing the ritual to restore Willow’s soul. He still had doubts about what it would do to her, if she had indeed killed, but Buffy had been right. They could not allow her to kill innocent people. Restoring her soul was the only option. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

He sat in the circle and centered himself. When he was confident in his ability to concentrate, Giles began to chant softly.

Willow and Spike entered the warehouse and waited. Tara would be there soon. She felt a tremor of anticipation go through her at the thought of the fate that awaited her.

Tara entered the warehouse cautiously. She needed to get to Anya before someone found her. She would have to drain her power quickly and dispose of her body before anyone suspected anything.

Willow hid in the shadows of the darkened room as Tara entered. She smiled to her self as she watched her lover come up behind her betrayer and wrap his hands firmly around her throat, squeezing slightly. Tara fell into unconsciousness as Willow giggled.

Tara opened her eyes and found herself bound and gagged. She looked around the room and recognized it as the same place she had kept Anya, but she didn’t see Anya anywhere. She tried to speak, but her words were muffled by the gaga.

"Tara, Tara. Whatever shall we do with you?" Willow asked with an evil glint in her eye.

Giles felt the power take him over. He briefly wondered if this was what Willow had felt when she restored Angel’s soul. He looked cautiously over tot he Orb of Theseluh as he continued to chant.

Willow felt a wave of power go through her. She cocked her head as she tried to place the feeling. She started to giggle when she recognized it.

"Luv? What is it?" Spike asked.

She turned to him and smiled. "The watcher. He is trying to restore my soul" She turned to Tara, her face shifting into that of the demon. "But it won’t work, will it?" She laughed at the glazed look of fear in the witch’s eyes.

Angel left Willie’s with little information. He couldn’t tell him where Spike lived, or much of anything else. He had heard some rumors about some suspicious behavior in one of the warehouses at the edge of town. It was a long shot, but the only lead he had, so he headed over in that direction, hoping that he could find Willow before she did something she would regret.

Giles breathed deeply as he stepped out of the circle. He turned to his Slayer who was watching nervously. "It’s done."

Buffy jumped up; "I’ll go find her!" S he started to head towards the door when Giles' voice stopped her.

"Maybe that isn’t the wisest course of action." He told her. "She’s gonna be confused. Maybe you should let her come to you."

Buffy nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I guess you’re right." She looked at him sadly. "I’m gonna go home, and go to bed."

Giles watched with a heavy heart as Buffy left his house and went home.

Willow felt her demon surge forth. It was strengthened by the power she now possessed. She had felt a powerful force go through her. It possessed her, giving her more strength, feeding off of her anger. She smiled evilly as she looked at the blond girl, bound and gagged.

She approached menacingly. "You will die a slow, and painful death. Are you ready?"

Willow’s demon delighted in the fear she saw in the girls’ eyes as she shook her head vigorously. She reached inside herself and centered her power. She felt her mind reach out, and grasp onto Tara. She held her soul in a death grip, squeezing the life-force right out of her. She watched in amusement as the girl buckled in pain.

Angel entered the warehouse, and had to keep his demon in check as he watched Willow looming over the blond girl. Her face was contorted in pain.

"Willow. Stop this!" he implored.

Spike snarled. "Stay out of this!"

Willow stopped her assault on the witch and turned her golden eyes to face her lover’s sire.

"Angel." Her voice was hard. "Leave. This is none of your business." She told him, a slight hint if weariness had crept into her voice.

"I don’t know what she did. But it isn’t worth this… this torture." He tried to reason with her, knowing that his efforts were in vain.

Willow waved him off and returned her attention to Tara. Turning her head slightly, she spoke over her shoulder. "Leave… or stay, if you wish. It changes nothing."

Willow summoned all her power and drew every last ounce of power out of the witch. She felt herself being drawn into the hollow shell of the girl’s body. Once at the very center of her being, her control snapped.

There was a fire. It was building deep inside. Her insides felt like they had been let aflame. The pain was unbearable. Tara felt the urge to scream, but suppressed it. Then she exploded. Every cell in her body erupted in a fury of pain and misery. Her body soon followed, separating into pieces that no one would ever be able to recognize as belonging to a human being.

Her last thought was of the witch. The witch she had destroyed, and in so doing so, unleashed the power of hell itself.

Willow collapsed onto the floor exhausted. Spike gingerly picked her up and carried her out of the building stopping once to address his sire.

"She’s mine. You will never have her."

After they had left, Angel turned his gaze to the broken body of the witch, and then back to the space his childe and Willow had just vacated from.

"Never." He whispered to himself, wondering if that was true.

Anya awoke from her dream filled haze and realized that the magic had been lifted. She could no longer feel the heavy tugging at her body. She opened her eyes, and found herself staring into Willow’s green eyes.

"Feel better?" Willow asked, pleased that she could save Anya before it had been too late.

Anya nodded, still unable to speak. "Good." Willow stood up.

"We’re leaving." She looked at Anya with compassion in her eyes. "You’ll explain it to them, won’t you?"

"Yes." Anya rasped out, her voice unsteady. "Thank you." She whispered.

Willow bent down and kissed the ex-demon on the cheek.

"We’ll be in touch." She then left the room. Several minutes later Anya heard the front door open and close. She knew that she wouldn’t see them again. They had done what they said they would, and now it was time to move on.

"Where to, pet?" Spike asked as they headed towards the car.

She smiled. "Anywhere but here."

Angel watched in sadness as Spike and Willow left Sunnydale. He had lost her. He knew that they would meet again, but he feared that he would never have what he wanted most at that moment.

An eternity with her.