They had called Giles.
Finally! Christ, he had been telling them to do that since he woke up to find Willow gone. But did anyone listen to Xander? Well, yeah, but only after a while.
Anyway, the G-Man was coming, and he was going to play the politics game with the Vampire Council. Which was good because neither Spike, Angel, nor Buffy were getting anywhere on that front. Angel would lose his patience after a good hour of butt-kissing and demand to be let into St. Louis or he'd be visiting the Council with his favourite chainsaw. Buffy just got on the phone and started spouting threats right away. Most of the Council was probably having nightmares over the things she promised to do to them. Xander knew he was, some of it was very graphic.
And Spike, he was being as anti-helpful as usual. He just got on the phone with his usual bad attitude, calling the Council names and the such until they hang up on him.
It would have been amusing to say the least. You know, if his best friend hadn't been kidnapped.
But Giles was on the way on, striving to help with the diplomacy that the so-called leaders of the group lacked. And the G-Man had more sway because he was with the Watchers' Council.
Apparently the two councils had this mutual respect/fear thing going on. Something he was glad for.
Giles was on his way here, with a band of Watchers. Apparently this whole situation was a lot more grave than they had thought. The question of separating a human servant from a vampire was big on everyone's mind. Everyone was researching like there was no tomorrow. Trying to find the exact point, the exact number of marks it takes for the bond to be inseparable. Meaning, depending on how many marks Willow had at the moment, there was a chance they could kill this Asher without consequence to her. It had been done before apparently, but the human servant rarely makes it out alive after the third or fourth mark.
But if Xander knew evil guys, and he did, this guy Asher would have Willow on the fourth mark as soon as possible. At the very least, his friend would have the third mark by the time they had cut through all this diplomacy bullshit. And the third mark was very grey territory. No one here was even going to attempt anything on Asher if the third mark had been given. It was just too much of a risk.
He should blame Angel and Spike. He really should, Hell he really wanted to. But for some reason beyond him, Xander couldn't bring himself to rail against the vamps. Both were completely devastated, and completely lost. Besides, the two of them already blamed themselves enough without Xander adding to the mix. And Buffy was keeping them on a high level of guilt and remorse with her constant snapping and glaring. Did he mention the pacing was starting to drive him insane? Honestly, he just wished Buffy would go out and kill something already. The tension was so thick in the air, it was like he was going to suffocate on it.
He couldn't wrap his head around what had happened. Weren't they the Scooby Gang? Didn't they stop an Ascension, a Robo-Demon, and a Hell God? Hadn't they done all that? Why hadn't they seen this one vampire coming? How could it be that after all they had faced together, it took one vampire on one odd night, to cut their group into pieces?
He supposed Asher had a reason to be angry, but then again, he was a vampire. Things like this happened among vampires, it was what they did. But of course, holding on to things is something else vampires did really well. Imagine, holding a grudge for a 100 years and then taking it out on some unsuspecting bystander. Just to get at your enemies some more. This Asher guy was sadistic.
Reminded him a bit of Angelus if you really wanted to know.
It was too tense in this house. He needed to get out, to go somewhere. Somewhere like St. Louis? Just head there, with a rocket launcher just like back in junior year, and go in, guns blazing, save his friend and be back in time for Sunday breakfast. That was a plan Xander was all for.
But again, diplomacy and politics. He was sick of diplomacy and politics. Why couldn't things elsewhere be like they were on the Hellmouth. Someone makes an attack on them, they get to return it without anyone else batting an eyelash. That was the way things should be.
But they weren't. In their preoccupation with the Hellmouth, the Scoobies had neglected to amass any information on the outside world. It was a lot different than they had ever thought possible, the complete opposite of the Hellmouth. Court orders were needed to kill the bad guy in the outside world where here, if you knew he was bad, Buffy got to slay without regulation.
Xander liked the Hellmouth system better. Imagine, having to go to the court every time a vampire munched on a human in Sunnydale. Buffy would never leave the court long enough to do her sacred duty. The outside world was warped.
He had to do something, to get all this out of his system. He couldn't just sit around and wait until someone told him he had the legal right to go save his best friend. It was ludicrous!
Xander sighed, running a hand through his rather toussled dark hair. Getting up from the kitchen table, he went off in search of Angel's friend Gunn. Maybe the man would like to accompany him on a patrol, he seemed to live on that kind of action. It would take their minds off the whole situation at hand.
Hopefully.
*****
The day had been a bit less nerve-wracking than she thought it would be. Of course, she never once forgot about her situation, and the lovely two marks she bore now, but she didn't fall into hysterics. At least, not all the time.
Jason, who was a werewolf apparently, took her to the mall. She was able to get a small amount of clothes of her own choosing, something she would wear during her own time. She had been curious to know what she would be wearing the other times of the day. He hadn't answered, but had taken her to several tailors to get measured. She wasn't so sure she wanted to leave her wardrobe in the hands of HIM, but apparently she had no real choice.
Yeah, she was aware that his name was Asher, but in her mind, he was still just HIM. It was something she couldn't quite shake, a fear inside her stomach that she couldn't get rid of. The mere thought of seeing HIM again nearly brought her to her knees.
Jason knew this, and spent much of the day distracting her. She wondered where he had gotten all the money to pay for everything they bought that day, realizing HE must have been wealthy. Jason had bought her many things, books, movies, clothes, a laptop, and other little tidbits that she had wanted. He took her for ice cream, mindful to keep an eye on her at all times. She knew he felt bad for her, but she also knew she could find no help in him. Jason had to do as he was told, or the consequences would be horrible. And Willow really didn't want him to have suffer any sort of consequence, she had a feeling it would be bad.
Very very bad.
But even though the day out distracted her a bit, when the sun started to sink below the horizon, she started feeling that old fear once more. Her legs started shaking and then gave out from underneath her all together. Jason had been alarmed, scooping her up and taking her back to the Circus immediately. Did you HE lived in a Circus? The Circus of the Damned apparently, a show of monsters and other magical beings. Jason lived there too, as the pet of the Master of the City, who was good friends with HIM. Willow supposed she would be living there too, by sheer default. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. She supposed it would be worse to live somewhere with only HIM, instead of all these other people.
By the time they got back to the Circus, the sun had set. She knew without having to be told that the vampires would be rising at this moment, and that HE would come to see her. Possibly to give her the third mark, possibly just to check that she hadn't run away. Whatever the reason, she would see HIM tonight.
Jason rushed her up to the room rather quickly, the same one as before. She was seriously starting to hate this room. It felt like nothing more than a prison cell, which she supposed it was, in a sense. This was her prison now, no way out for this redhead.
Jason decided to wait with her, for them to show up. She had been grateful, trying to keep herself busy with idle chat as they both put her new purchases away. But not even half an hour into it, there was a knock on the door.
Her heart stopped, eyes going wide as she watched the door slowly opened. HE walked in, followed closely by another vampire. The other had long curly dark hair and eyes as enchantingly blue as HIS were, though of a different shade. She saw Jason shake in his presence, saw him eyes go to the floor in a subserviant manner. And she knew, this was the Master of the City.
"Jason."
The voice was like silk, cascading all over her. She shivered, more out of fear than anything else. Jason had come to attention, awaiting the words of his master.
"Please leave us."
It was a command, an order that she knew he had to follow. But she didn't want him to go, she didn't want him to leave her alone with THEM. Willow regarded Jason with wide green eyes, fear increasing when she saw his apologetic face. He shook his head, squeezing her hand briefly before rising to go. She wondered if it would be incredibly childish of her to not let his hand go. To pull him back down and scramble into his lap for protection.
Probably, but she felt like doing it anyway.
But in the end, she let her hand drop out of his, watching forlornly as her only source of comfort so far left her alone with the vampires.
"How are you feeling?"
She didn't look at him, scampering onto her bed and turning her face the other way. She felt the bed dip as they joined her, one on either side. She stared straight forward then, heart pounding furiously in her chest.
"Ma cherie?"
She hated that term, one that should have been of endearment, but that she felt was patronizing. Her gaze hardened and refused to look at either of them.
A hand on her cheek jolted her out of her thoughts. The cold fingers traced their way across, tangling themselves in her hair for a brief moment before traveling down her neck, to her shoulders, and finally down her back. The hand came to rest at the base of her spine. She dared not move, not breathe, lest something set them off.
"You are very beautiful."
That made her angry. She jerked away, discovering it was the Master of the City who had been touching her. She leapt off the bed, going to stand in corner beside the dresser. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she tried vainly to grab a hold of her emotions.
Their only response was laughter, well at least the Master of the City's response was of laughter. HE had yet to say anything, watching her with his cold blue eyes she moved away from him. Well, what did he expect? For her to throw herself in his arms, declare absolute submission to him? If he did, was he ever in for a surprise. She may be doomed here, but she sure as Hell wasn't going to make this easy for any of them.
"I can see why they befriended her," the Master of the City spoke. "She has this certian air about her. I wonder how they kept themselves from tasting her."
Her fingernails were digging into her palms, causing blood to leak out. Probably not the best thing at the moment, considering how they could probably smell it, but it was she could do to keep herself in check.
HE was over to her in a flash, grabbing at her hand. She gave an eep, fear overcoming any sort of anger on her part. She was brought back to the bed, her hand wrenched open for them to look at the blood.
The feel of a tongue on her palm caused her to start in surprise. Her hand was held more firmly as the Master of the City 'tasted' her. HE was watching the Master closely, paying her no mind. The redhead felt angry once again, and did something she probably shouldn't have done.
She decked the Master of the City.
It hurt her more than it hurt him, no doubt. In fact, he seemed barely injured at all, just surprised. Her hand was going red already, but she didn't care. Nothing could match the extreme pleasure she had gotten from doing that.
Until she was yanked up further on the bed, thrown down on her back. Then the fear came back, as HE hovered over her. The Master of the City's laughter reached her ears once more, and she felt his hand come back to caress her cheek.
"You will be a fine addition to my home," he whispered to her. "But make no mistake ma cherie. You do that again, and there will be consequences."
She gulped audibly, squeezing her eyes shut so she would no longer have to look at them. But she still heard them conversing, heart beating faster and faster as she heard them.
"I will have to allow some in, by tonight," the Master was saying. "She only has the second mark so far. They will be here almost immediately after I give permission. You must give her the third before that."
She didn't like the sound of that.
"I know," HE replied, tone as cool as ever. A hand came to brush her neck and still she didn't open her eyes. Lips pressed against her ear, words she didn't want to hear coming to her.
"Do not struggle," HE warned her. "It can be very pleasurable if you do not struggle."
She didn't need to know what 'it' was, she could guess. His fingers were skimming over her pulse
point, his face nuzzling the side of her neck. She clenched at the bedsheets, not really hearing the soothing remarks being made by the Master of the City as he stroked her hair. The anticipation of it was horrible, fear overtaking her senses until she felt numb all over.
And then she felt HIM sink into her neck.
Willow screamed.
*****
Part Six
It was wrong to like it.
She knew that, on some inner level. It was wrong to like what was happening to her. It was wrong on the most basic of moral levels. None of this had been her choice. She hadn't asked or deserved any of this. HE was evil, nothing more, nothing less. She shouldn't have enjoyed it.
But she did.
HE probably knew that, and took some sort of pleasure in it. She wouldn't put it above the bastard. She hated him, hated these feelings he was able to create in her, this desire . . .
Was there anyway for her to describe how it felt? She knew she couldn't convey it to anyone. It was like sex, but not. A very precarious balance between pain and pleasure, one that is so hard to obtained with sex. It was definitely orgasmic on some level, giving her one hell of a climax.
Sensual, not doubt, but not quite sex. Something more than just sex, something more than just the climax. She felt like she was floating, pleasure assailing her senses on either side. It wasn't sex, but it was a bad good substitute. Hell, it was a like a fix of something, a drug shot right to the system. It made her go all warm and fuzzy.
But it was so much more than just that. It was fire and ice, bliss and pain, all at once. Attacking all her senses, blotting out her conscious to everything but the sensation of the bite.
She hated that she enjoyed it. Hated that HE could make her feel this way. To make her so wanton, crying out for him to just touch her or something. Anything to make the ache between her legs go away. And of course he did, fingers bringing her to the edge just like they had done the night before. It shamed her that it could feel so good while being so wrong. She hated herself for enjoying it.
And when she felt empty at his withdrawal, she hated herself so much more.
Awareness slowly flooded back to her. There was a soreness in her neck, her throat dry from her screams, and her hands aching from clenching the sheets so hard. She had been sweating, like anyone would have been after a good hard tumble between the sheets. But she hadn't had that just yet, more like a placebo for the real thing.
She was spent, there was no other word for it. Her eyelids felt heavy, her breathing coming out more and more even. There was this dizzy feeling in her head, one she didn't like at all. She weak, but strong at the same time. It was an odd thing, she didn't want to
dwell on it.
They were talking above her, soft voices murmuring. They were talking about her. It enraged her that she couldn't hear what they were saying. She felt indignant, that HE could just do this to her and then be talking calmly to his bud. HE was just so, so-
"Sleep."
The command was whispered in her ear. She wanted to fight, to yell and cry among other things. But there was no point. So she could only nod off to sleep, thoughts stormy and confused. But even as she drifted in between waking and sleep, Willow knew one thing.
She shouldn't have liked it.
*****
"What do you mean I can't go?"
Giles flinched, wondering if Buffy was in the right frame of mind to hear this. He looked for support from the others in the living room, but found none. All of them, his watchers, the scoobies, and Angel's team just looked back at him, leaving him to deal with Buffy all on his own.
He sighed and wished that Buffy could just be a bit calmer. But then again, as time went on, the Slayer only got more tense. So there was no point in keeping it from her. And he had just told her.
Buffy was not given permission to go to St. Louis.
"The Master of the City doubts that he and his would be safe if you were allowed to come," Giles managed to stammer out, backing a bit away from the irate blonde. "He seems to think that you would act first, and violently, and then think later."
"Nuh-uh," Buffy protested sharply. "I've been thinking about the violence for a long time now. So I'd be thinking of it first and then acting."
"Buffy, you have to understand that there are rules-"
"I don't give a rat's ass about the rules!" the blonde exploded. "He took Willow Giles! Just swooped down and took her. And I'm not going to be able to stop until I kill that bastard!"
"And run the risk of killing Willow herself?"
That softly spoken question brought everyone back down to earth. Buffy shot an angry pout Wesley's way. The former Watcher just looked back at his ex-charge, leaning up against the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. The blonde Slayer wilted under his even gaze, sullen gaze going to her feet.
"Sure," she muttered. "Be all logical and the like."
Giles sighed, watching remorsefully as Buffy flopped down on the couch in a huff.
"If we plan on getting Willow back, we have to play this by their rules," Giles muttered, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "And unfortunately, their rules call for no Slayer in their city."
"What about us?"
That was from Spike. Giles paused, wondering how to handle this. He doubt that the vampires would handle exclusion any better than Buffy. But still, they could not come. The Master of St. Louis had said no.
"Well . . ."
"We're not going either," Angel spoke up. The dark-haired vampire looked up, sending Giles a piercing glare.
"Are we?"
Giles only shook his head.
"The Master of the City said he could not ensure your safety while there," the Watcher explained. Spike let out a growl, throwing his chair across the room.
"Then bloody who can go?!" the vampire roared, demon face out front. Giles only sighed again, exchanging a look with Wesley.
"If you and Mister Gunn would be so kind . . ."
Gunn nodded, coming to stand by Wesley.
"We'll go," the man affirmed. Wesley nodded his agreement.
"Very well, then we-"
"I'm going too."
There was a brief silence as all eyes fell on Xander. The young man pushed himself back from the dining room table, ignoring the protest coming from Anya at his side, and coming to stand next to Giles.
"I'm going," he told the Watcher, no room for argument in his tone. Giles was speechless, eyes going from Xander to Buffy and then back to Xander again. The Slayer only shrugged, eyes intent on Xander as well. Seeing the resolve in Xander's face, he could only nod.
"Very well. Everyone pack."
*****
When she awoke next, she was surrounded by warmth.
Confused, Willow reached out tentatively with a hand, eyes still closed. Her hands moved slowly, skimming across something soft and hard at the same time.
Something that twitched when she touched it.
Her eyes flew open and she was bewildered by the sight before her. All over her bed, there were people. Maybe five in total, who were just piled on top of each other in various states of half-dressed. All were sleeping, snuggling up close to the redhead.
At first, she was alarmed to find so many strangers in her bed. But after a minute or two, her mind shut down and she soaked in the comfort she felt from their warm bodies. Warm bodies meaning not vampires, another thing she took comfort in.
There was a breath on her neck, causing her to turn her head to the side. Confused green eyes met sad blue ones, and she relaxed visibly at seeing someone she recognized. Jason only shot her a sympathetic smile, hand skimming over the tiny holes on her neck.
She shut her eyes, cursing the few tears that dared to leak out. She hated all of this. This constant state of fear and apprehension, not knowing what HE would throw down at her next. The comfort she took in Jason and these others' presence, knowing it was fleeting because HE would be back at sunset and they would have to leave her. And she especially hated her response to the idea of his return. Revulsion and desire, all at the same time. She wanted to see him, needed to see him on some odd level. It made her feel sick.
Jason was hushing her, cradling the little redhead up in his arms as she sobbed softly. She heard murmurs from the others, knowing they were awakened by the motion of Jason rocking her. She felt hands brush her hair and face, soft words of sympathy and comfort being given. And as grateful as she was, it wasn't enough for her.
Willow shut her eyes and willed it all away.
*****
Part Seven
"Just remember. Do as Giles says and everything will be all right."
Xander gave the barest of nods, trying hard to fight the smile threatening to break out over his features. He shuffled through his dresser, noting that Anya was right behind him, pacing a hole in their bedroom floor. His fiancee wasn't too happy about him going on the excursion to St. Louis, but had understood. As it was, she was just horribly worried about him.
"And do not look any of those vampires in the eye," the former demon continued to prattle on. "They'll roll your mind any chance they get. And once they do-BAM! Instant meal for them."
He had to bit his lip from to keep from laughing out loud at that point.
"I'll keep that in mind," was what he murmured instead. But Anya continued to pace, continued to fret as he packed.
"And don't let anyone in that Circus place scratch you in the slightest way. I hear there's a lot of werewolves and the like there, and we all know how contagious wolf lycanthropy is."
"I remember," he replied, busily shoving his essentials, toothbrush, comb, etc., into his duffel bag.
"And just don't do anything to offend anyone," Anya pressed him.
"Like what?" he murmured distractedly.
"Like open your mouth and let the insults run," she sighed, stomping over to look him in the eye. "Do not provoke these guys Xander. They're a lot more dangerous than any vampire we've fought here."
"I know," this time he couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Anya, I know. You don't have to worry. Normally I would agree with you but you forget, Wills in the on line here. I'm not going to do anything to get me kicked out of St. Louis without Willow coming along for the ride. I swear."
Anya deflated, shrugging her shoulders as she enveloped him into a hug.
"I just don't want you to get dead," she moaned pitifully. Xander sighed, returning the hug and placing a kiss on top of her head.
"That makes two of us," he assured her. "I'll be good. I'll listen to the G-Man, I promise."
She could only nod mutely, hand going up to trace the bruises still evident on her neck. His gaze hardened at that, his own hand joining hers as they skimmed over her flesh.
"I can't leave her there," he whispered to Anya in a low tone. "I can't leave her there, all by herself. I have to go."
"I know," Anya returned in the same kind of low whisper. There was a tearful tone to her voice, one she covered up quickly.
"Just go get Willow back," she ordered lightly. "You need your best man for the wedding."
He flashed her a bright smile, giving her one last hug before escorting her out into their living room. There, Gunn sat waiting for him, idly flipping through the channels on the television. He looked up at their entrance, getting to his feet.
"You ready man?"
Xander looked down at Anya, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Then he turned back to Gunn, nodding his head.
"I'm ready."
*****
She didn't want for it to be true.
She prayed to God it wasn't true. But if there was one thing she had learned it was that when it comes to her and her boys, God seemed to turn a deaf ear to any pleas on her part. She would be angry, but she figured she deserved it. After all, they were the monsters.
But she never figured any of them to be this much of a monster.
It had been shocking to hear. She hadn't believed it at first, thinking there was no chance in Hell any of her vamps would dare do such a thing. They wouldn't dare do something they know she would have to fight them for. She didn't think any of them would be that stupid.
But it had happened. She hadn't found out until last night. She had been out of state, called in as an Executioner to kill a wayward vampire who had been killing off college students for some reason. The vampire was smart, leaving virtually no trail behind him. Hunting him had been a bitch, but she managed in the end. Of course it took a lot of help from the local Master of the City, cooperating with her thanks to a call from Jean-Claude himself, for her to get the job done.
And then she had heard it. Going to the Master's club, to offer her final thanks in helping with the case, she heard about it. Her first thought was that it was a lie, a horrible lie that someone was spreading. She wanted to break out her Browning, level it at the whispering vampires, and demand to know the truth.
But the Master of the City himself confirmed the rumours. He had this light in his eyes when he informed her of what had supposedly happened in St. Louis during her absence. It had taken a lot of willpower of her part not to kill the idiot vampire, instead just strolling out of there calmly. But inside, she had been anything but calm.
She booked the first flight back home, willing to risk her fear of flying just to get home as fast as she could. Any paperwork left was hasitly finished and dropped off at the local police station. Some of the officers had been startled by her rather sudden departure, but could do nothing about it. She was a determined woman, no one could stop her.
The flight home took less than an hour. She all but raced off the plane and into the car Nathaniel had waiting for her. He had pulled out of the airport parking lot without a word, not bothering to ask her what was wrong. It was like he knew, and that's what made her anxious. It was like all the rumours were true.
But they couldn't be true. The vampires she held near and dear to her hearts would not do something so cruel, so blatantly wrong. Or at least, she thought they could never do something like that. But Anita didn't know everything about them. They might have done worse in their past. So, there was the possibility.
In the end, she could only pray that someone had gotten the story wrong. Okay, sure, the girl might be there, but who's to say it went down like everyone was saying? It might be an innocent thing, well, as innocent as a thing can get with vampires involved. The point was, there was the chance that someone had just elaborated on the story, just to get a rise out of people.
She could hope, couldn't she?
The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach grew when Nathaniel pulled into the Circus parking lot. She hadn't told him to come here, but he had known. The look in his eyes told her that he knew. But she couldn't bring herself to ask him. She had to see for herself, she had to understand it.
It was very early morning at this time. She didn't need to use the marks to know that Jean-Claude and the other vampires would be in their coffins, blissfully unconscious until the sun set in the evening. For some reason, that made her feel a bit better.
She pushed her way into the Circus, pushing past various workers and shifters. One actually tried to stop her. She had to pull her gun on him to get him to back down. After that, everyone gave her wide berth. They knew this was not a time to test her even in the
slightest.
She marched through the hallways, not even having to ask where the room was. She just looked sharply at every passing individual, and followed the way their gaze turned. She just got angrier with each step she took, knowing she wasn't going to find anything pleasant.
She felt much anger in her, not only from herself, but what she felt from the marks. Maybe Richard had finally caught on to what was happening and letting his moral outrage be heard, whatever. She just knew she sensed the Ulfric's anger. And there was also Jean-Claude.
Though he was sleeping, his mind kept running. She could feel his anger, and it was a more 'this-is-none-of-your-business' anger than Richard's moral outrage.
She ignored both of them and pushed on.
She came to stop just outside the door, knowing that this was it. She could just feel it. She wasn't sure that she wanted to open the door. Opening it meant having to acknowledge what a person she cared for had done. And it meant having to do something about it.
But she couldn't turn back now. Her hand closed over the knob and she pushed her way into the room.
The first thing she saw was the pile of people on the bed, all of whom flinched when she entered. She picked out Jason immediately, followed by Stephen, and a few other wolves she didn't know by name.
And then there was her, the redhead, sitting frightened in the middle.
She felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath her. She looked hard at this girl, taking in her state as best she could. The girl was scared, tired, and horribly despaired. It was all she needed to see to know that the rumours had been true.
Asher had done this.
"Anita?"
It was Jason, approaching her cautiously. The Vampire Executioner looked at him in a bit of a daze at first, and then her eyes hardened and focused. The next instant, she had out her gun, pointed at all of them. Ever so slightly she nodded her head in the direction of the redhead.
"How many?" was the first words out of her mouth. Jason looked torn, looking at the redhead and then at the brunette in the doorway.
"Three," he finally replied. Anita swallowed the lump in her throat, her heart sinking a bit more. Three marks.
The small brunette had to shake herself. She turned to the slight redhead on the bed, beckoning her with her free hand.
"Come on," she ordered. "You're coming to stay with me."
The redhead was uncertain, shooting Jason a questioning look as she shuffled out of bed. The werewolf could only shrug and look helplessly in Anita's direction. She approached Anita carefully, moving slowly until she finally reached her side.
"Jean-Claude and Asher-"
"They can come deal with me personally," Anita all but spat. "But she is not staying here any longer."
"But-"
"She is not staying here!" Anita roared, grabbing the girl by the arm and pulling her out the door. She almost stumbled to see Nathaniel right behind her, unaware that the wereleopard had followed her into the Circus. But she recovered, pushing the redhead towards him.
"She's coming with us."
He just nodded and scooped up the yet silent redhead. With Anita beside him, he led the way back to the car, carefully depositing his charge in the backseat before climbing back behind the wheel.
Only once she was in the car did Anita relax, putting her gun away in its holster. There was a thick silence on the air as they drove, one broken by the redhead.
"He'll come to get me."
Anita nodded, rubbing her forehead in a tired fashion.
"I know," she murmured. "And then he's going to have to deal with me."
The redhead nodded and that was the end of the conversation. Anita sat in the passenger seat, watching the world whizz by her. There was the ache starting in the bottom of her belly, and the Executioner knew.
Things would never be the same again.
*****
Part Eight
He woke up angry.
He knew something had happened the moment he came back to himself. He could feel Jean-Claude in the back of his mind, felt the anger the Master of the City felt himself. And he knew that something had happened to Willow.
He opened his eyes to a dark room, climbing out of his coffin and heading to the door in the blink of an eye. There was a rather nervous looking shifter right outside, hand raised as if to knock. He waved her off, heading down to Jean-Claude's office without one word. He knew something had happened.
And he knew it was probably Anita.
Asher had realized long before he actually acted on his plan that Anita would object. She would be angry, full of shock and loathing. She would try to interfere, try to stop any of this from going forward. This was another reason he had moved so fast to give his redhead the marks. He wanted to beat Anita, to own Willow so even the Executioner could not do anything to stop him.
He had not counted on her coming home early. It had only been three days, Anita should not have been back in town until tomorrow morning. He had planned for that, but Anita had come home early.
She must have heard the news from someone. Asher had no illusions about the publicity all of this would bring on him. Angelus and William were two of the most renown vampires in existence. To think someone actually had them cornered and helpless, well, news must have traveled very fast.
But Anita, she was not supposed to hear this news from others. He had planned to tell her himself, when she came to confront him. He had been counting on a confrontation, planning for it. He knew how to handle Anita. She would never condone this, but he wouldn't not have let her interfere. And once the fourth mark was given, even Anita wouldn't be able to undo this.
But Willow had only been given the third mark. And now, Anita had done something. No doubt, he would not like it.
The door to Jean-Claude's office was wide open. Asher smelled fear coming from the room before he entered it. His eyes immediately fell on Jason, standing with his head down in front of Jean-Claude's desk. The Master himself was seated at his desk, eyes cold as they gazed upon the wolf.
"What did Anita do?"
Those were the first words out his mouth, and he sounded a little too resigned even to his own ears. But Asher felt a little validated. After all, he had come to expect very elaborate and complicated messes when Anita decided she wanted to be involved in his business.
"She took her," Jean-Claude replied icily, still glaring a hole in Jason. Asher paused for a moment, not sure he had heard right.
"She what?"
"She took Willow," this was the tiny whisper from Jason. The wolf still had his head down, eyes on the floor as he explained.
"She came in the early morning, waved her gun around, and took Willow."
She had taken Willow. He had not expected that. Anita was just full of surprises.
"You allowed her to take my human servant away?"
Jason bit his lip, Asher could see he was having a hard time not protesting. Asher knew that Jason felt for his redhead, not liking the situation she was forced into. But he also knew that Jason was also a very obedient wolf, and not likely to do anything to bring his master's anger down on him.
"Anita has free reign in my Circus," Jean-Claude murmured, as if reading his thoughts. "Jason here was in a terrible decision. I long ago told them Anita was not to be hurt. But I also told them to guard Willow."
"Then it is not his fault," Asher replied smoothly. "And punishing would be pointless at this time."
Jean-Claude's eyes went to his, eyebrows raised ever so slightly.
"Oh?"
"No doubt Monsieur Zeeman has found out about this as well," Asher shrugged. "Punishing one of his wolves for something beyond his control would only serve to anger him further."
"And I fear Richard now because?"
"Because he is most likely standing beside Anita, in the way to recovering Willow."
Jean-Claude nodded, dismissing Jason with a wave of his hand. The wolf scampered out of the room, not daring a look back. Asher watched him go in mild interest. Jean-Claude's voice interrupted his thoughts once more.
"We should go, non?"
Asher nodded.
"We should."
*****
Funny, but she was becoming accustomed to waking up with five or more people in the same bed with her.
It probably had a lot to do with who was in the bed with her. Almost always shifters who only wanted to give her comfort through their touch. It was sweet, and a lot more relaxing than she ever would have thought. All this cuddling, it did well to ease the mind and rid a person of their cares. It wasn't that she ever forgot why she was here, or about HIM, but she was able to stop obsessing over it.
It was nice to just lay back and see how things go. Nice to have other people running around trying to find a way to help her. It was nice to see people more powerful than HIM sticking up for her. It gave her hope. Not a lot, but some.
And she was really grateful for that.
This Anita woman, the Executioner and Jean-Claude's human servant (or partly human servant, only three marks on that girl), was so wound up about all this. She took Willow to her home and immediately started making plans for the vampire's arrival at night. It was almost like preparations for war with the small brunette rambling on about
defences and weapons.
And by the way, Anita had way more guns and knives that any normal human on this plant had a right to have. It was just plain scary.
Willow honestly didn't see Anita, no matter how many guns, and her little band of wereleopards (who were just so cute!) putting up much of a fight against the vampires. That is, until he arrived.
He was tall, with longish brown hair and one hell of a build. His eyes were dark brown, and very stormy as he was regaled with her story. His name was Richard, he was Ulfric of the St. Louic pack, and he was so not happy with Jean-Claude and HIM right now. His pretty eyes kept flashing a frightening amber colour. And he growled. A lot.
He had brought more people with him, more werewolves. Willow had been astonished with how powerful they all were. This was nothing like Oz and Veruca, whose lycanthropy had been warped by the Hellmouth. No, this was the real deal, and it was scary. These guys were so powerful, even in their human state. Stronger and faster than normal humans, though Buffy could probably still have them beat. On an one-to-one basis that is. Willow felt sorry for anyone that had to come up against a group of these shifters. They wouldn't stand a chance.
They were all crawling over Anita's house, waiting on the sun to set. Willow had been sent into one of the bedrooms, she was assuming Anita's, and told to rest. The redhead had wanted to protest, insisting that she at least be a part of this, but her body made the decision for her. She was just too tired to do anything constructive at this point.
She had been given a spare pair of jammies and tucked into bed with five other wereleopards. It had been unnerving at first to be in a bed with so many people (especially ones in different states of undressed), but soon she relaxed and drifted off into sleep. She awoke a few hours later, much more rested and completely at ease with all the people piled around her.
Nathaniel, the one with the long hair, was curled at her side, head resting on her chest. Zane and Cherry, a couple she thought, were closer together, with Cherry's hand clasping one of Willow's. Vivian and Gregory were sleeping at the bottom of the bed, Vivian's arms linked through one of Willow's legs. It was odd, but comforting.
But she felt a steady fear increasing in the pit of her stomach. She looked towards the drawn windows and she could almost feel the sun setting. It was an odd sensation, one she decided not to dwell on.
HE would be coming, and soon.
She could only hope Anita was ready.
*****
Part Nine
"How can he not be there? He is supposed to be there! Of course I understand that he is a busy vampire . . . I didn't come all this way to be pulled around like- Listen to me you little snot-nosed piece of corpse! I've been killing your kind since before you were even born a human, so I would advise you to cut the bullshit unless you make me angry! Fine! Tell him he will be hearing from the Council! What? Bloody Hell, both of them!"
Xander was wide-eyed by the time Giles slammed down the phone. He turned his gaze sideways, exchanging a look with Gunn. The black man shrugged his shoulders, going back to the slow process of unpacking and maintaining his precious axe. Wesley merely ignored all of them, reclining on his hotel bed, nonchalantly reading a book.
Once Giles had stopped seething and muttering curses, Wesley lowered that book and gave the older man a curious look.
"Bad news?" he asked warmly. Giles only fixed him with a glare, sinking into an armchair unhappily.
"The Master of the City is out," Giles replied, possibly mimicking the vampire he had been talking to before. "He has very important business to take care of. We will just have to wait for his call."
"That's bullshit!" Xander exploded. "We played by their rules. Only the four of us came and now we get to see Willow. That was the deal!"
Gunn nodded, looking up from his axe.
"Those were the rules," he agreed. "And I'm guessing this was top priority for the vamp, considering how much the Two Councils are all up in it as well. So you've got to wonder, why would he risk pissing off that many people by not letting us see Red?"
"The only reason to do such a thing is if he had no other choice," Wesley mused. "And that leads us to believe that . . ."
"He might not have Willow anymore," Xander finished for him. Gunn beamed, slapping the other man heartily on the back.
"And Angel said you weren't bright!" he exclaimed. Xander grinned and then frowned. Any reply he had was cut off by Giles's outburst.
"They don't have Willow!" the Watcher looked damn near homicidal. "They lost Willow. How could they lose her? And to who?"
Wesley sighed, easing up into a sitting position as he answered.
"I think we need to figure out who the other big players in the area are," the former Watcher concluded. "Once we find that out, we've got a pretty good place to start looking for Miss Rosenburg."
Gunn nodded, heading for the phone.
"I'll call the Dead Man."
*****
HE was near.
She could feel, like this humming on her skin, a siren going off in the back of her mind. HE was very close.
Willow reached out, gripping Nathaniel's hand in her own. The wereleopard gripped her hand back just as tightly, casting a reassuring look in her direction. She felt only marginally better with Nathaniel beside her. No offence to the leopard, but he wasn't as intimidating as she would have liked. But on the plus side, he seemed perfect for clinging to in fear. He seemed like a very clingable guy.
She could hear the shifters outside moving about, getting ready. Anita and Richard probably felt Jean-Claude coming, their own marks giving them the warning. She wondered exactly what was going to happen. All these shifters looked prime to fight, but from what she could tell, the Master of the City, the Nimir-Ra, and the Ulfric were allies. And they were that way out of necessity, meaning fighting amongst themselves wasn't just folly.
It could be fatal.
HE was so close now. She couldn't think straight. The same fear she always felt in his presence came rearing back up, causing her to almost stop breathing. Nathaniel dropped her hand, just pulling the redhead into his lap, enveloping her into a hug. She was shaking, just by the implications of HIM being here. She knew that they must all smell her fear, but she just couldn't help herself.
HE did this to her. Made her scared of him and nearly drive her out of her mind wanting to see him. She wasn't sure just how she felt about him, just knew it was this storm of emotions ripping through her mind. Maybe if she just sat here, clinging to Nathaniel, nothing bad would happen and all of this would go away. Not likely to happen, but hey, she could hope.
Someone was nearing the bedroom door. There was light knocking before the knob turned and someone stepped through. The redhead was confused and relieved to see Jason standing there. She hopped to her feet, rushing to embrace him. She had no illusions about this place, she knew Jason would be held accountable for her disappearance. She had been very worried about him, not knowing what, if anything, the vampires would do to him.
"I got off," he whispered to her, answering her unspoken question.
She nodded, leaning back a bit to look closely at him. His face was tense, eyes filled with some unknown terror. He could see what was happening in the rest of the house. He was thinking the same thing as they all were.
Would it really come down to a fight tonight?
She stepped out of his arms, going back to sit in Nathaniel's lap. She had seen the pout that came to his face when she jumped up to see Jason. Poor little thing, he got awfully attached awfully fast. Not that she minded, he was a good source of comfort. There just was something in his stature that just radiated 'serene' to her.
Jason merely followed, sitting down right in front of the two of them. She turned her head to the door, nodding the direction of outside.
"How long?"
He didn't need to know what she was talking about, he just knew.
"Not long," he replied, shrugging indifferently. "Maybe five minutes. Can you . . ."
She nodded, leaning her head down to lay on Nathaniel's chest. His hands came up, stroking her hair very softly. She remembered when Jean-Claude had done that, when she had been given the third mark. She felt better when Nathaniel did it. But her inner desire liked it went Jean-Claude did it.
It made her head hurt to think about all the contradications within herself at the moment.
"I've never seen Anita so angry," Nathaniel murmured, resting his chin on top of Willow's head. "She's just so . . ."
"It happened to her once," Jason shrugged. That was news to Willow.
The redhead shot the werewolf a disbelieving look.
"What?"
"It happened to her once," he repeated. "This vamp knocked her out and gave her all four marks before she could wake up. He had some problem with Jean-Claude, thought he could use Anita against her."
"But Anita has Jean-Claude's marks," Willow protested. "How can she have his three if she got four from that other guy? Isn't that against the rules?"
"The other vamp is dead," Jason shrugged. "And Anita didn't die because she had two of Jean-Claude's before, add onto that she's one Hell of a tough woman, and she survived his death. The other three came afterwards. It's complicated. I don't even know if I could tell it half-right."
Willow shook her head. There was a lot more to Anita than she had originally thought. But it still didn't answer the most pertinent question at hand.
"Will she fight them?"
Again, only a shrug.
"She loves Jean-Claude," Nathaniel murmured. "And she loves Asher too, in her own way. This came out of left field for her. For all of us. I didn't think they would ever do something like this, and then think she would let them get away with it."
"Revenge waits for no one," Willow muttered unhappily, leaning back against the wereleopard. "Richard's ready to fight."
Jason made a bit of a face.
"Richard hates monsters," the blonde snorted. "Himself included. And he really hates it when monsters do monstrous things. He's ready to fight."
They fell into a bit of silence after that. Willow's eyes were constantly on the only window in the room. It didn't show much, not even the driveway, but she kept looking anyway. She could see the moon from here, see the way it shone so bright. It was hypnotizing, providing a focus for her as she swam forth the feelings she was getting.
Anger. Anticipation. Resignation. Fear. Desire. So many feelings. Too bad she didn't which belonged to who. It was like HE was there, right inside her mind with her. She was aware of HIM, and of his feelings. And she knew the moment he stepped onto Anita's front porch. Felt like it a shock wave rippling through her body.
She gasped and went tense. Nathaniel gripped her tight, pulling her closer to himself. Jason leapt to his feet, eyes flickering with fear and amber.
"They're here."
*****
Part Ten
Asher was the picture of patience as he reclined in his seat. His
eyes flicked outside the limo's window, watching as Anita's house
drew closer and closer. But underneath it all, he was raging
inside. If looks could kill . . . Anita's house would be in flames.
He could sense all the shifters inside, sense what Willow was feeling
in that house. She felt anxious, images of battles and wars flitting
through her mind. He knew without a doubt, Anita was prepared to
fight.
It enraged him.
How dare she presume to keep Willow from him? He understood her
anger and shock at the recent events, but the fact she would actually
stand between a vampire and his human servant . . . He always thought
Anita to be smarter than that.
He wasn't sure he wanted her to prove him wrong.
Jean-Claude was tense, and even more angry than Asher was. The
Master of the City took a lot of disobedience from Anita, a lot more
than he should, and now, this had to be the last straw. Jean-Claude
had a vested interest in this revenge as much as he did. As well,
the other two-thirds of his triumvariate were taking a stance against
him. If news of this got out, and reached the ears of some of his
enemies, the outcome would not be good for any of them.
They had not brought anyone else with them, there was no point.
Damien may be the only vampire other than themselves strong enough to
withstand such a fight, but he was out of the picture due to Anita.
A human servant who had a vampire servant all her own.
It was mind-boggling.
They were stopping now, pulling up to the driveway. Such a quaint
little home Anita had bought herself, trying hard to separate herself
from innocent neighbours by choosing this secluded location. It was
a good idea, in theory. But the further away from civilization, the
further away from other help. But then again, Anita was not one to
depend on others, nor to need them.
She was independent if nothing else.
Jean-Claude was quick to step outside once the vehicle had stopped.
Asher followed at a much slower pace, his eyes roaming over the
house. His gaze was drawn to the side of the house, the one pointed
away from the road. She was in there, with others. She was working
herself into a state of hysterics, no doubt raised by his presence.
They were going to have to work on that fear of hers. It was bound
to hinder their relationship. Cold as it sounded, he couldn't have a
human servant petrified of him for safety reasons. Hers as well as
his, their lives were now so bound, nothing affected one without
affecting the other.
Her fear was only going to be detrimental to both of them.
"Are you ready?" Jean-Claude murmured to him. He gave the barest of
nods, a flash of fang appearing as he smirked.
"She has gathered an army of sorts," he returned in soft tones. "She
seems very determined. I wonder what she will demand."
"No doubt something incredibly infuriating," Jean-Claude
replied. "She just does not understand our ways."
"She is human," Asher stated in response. "She judges us by human
laws, forgetting they do not apply to us as well."
"Her one downfall," Jean-Claude conceded, turning to gaze at his
friend.
"Shall we?"
*****
She wondered what they would do. She wondered what she would do in
response. Richard was ready, halfway to shifting. The others were
ready as well, willing to move on her command.
But was she ready to do give the order? Would it come down to that?
What the Hell was taking them so long to walk up her Goddamn porch?
She was wound up, there was no doubt about that. The entire day had
been spent, playing out all the possible scenerios in her head. Only
a few of them ended pleasantly, and that was due to her outright
overly optimistic thinking. She had crossed a line with them, just
as they had with her. They wanted Willow, she was not giving Willow
to anyone against the redhead's will.
Stalemate.
Jean-Claude was angry, she could feel it through the marks. The bond
was often more a pain than a benefit, like now. She was angry, Jean-
Claude was angry, Richard was angry, and through the marks, their
anger was feeding each other. She wasn't sure if they would be able
to handle much of a confrontation. Things were already at the
boiling point, and they could only get worse.
The knock on her door was so unexpected that half the house jumped.
All eyes went to her. Licking dry lips, she gave a nod to Zane, who
moved to open the door. Well, not open so much as unlock and then
jump back into the ranks of other shifters. She was well aware that
everyone was very afraid of what would come out of this meeting, she
was too. But there was nothing to be done about it.
The knob was turning, deliberately slow. She knew that they were
teasing her, drawing this out so they could grate her nerves just a
bit. It made her kind of irritated.
It swung open with agonizingly slow speed, and then there they were.
The two vampires in this world that she loved, but never quite
trusted. Gut instinct on her part, one that seemed to be paying
off. She could see nothing but anger in those two sets of blue
eyes. Asher held himself a bit more reserved than Jean-Claude, still
clinging to shadows and light to hide the scars he detested so much.
Jean-Claude stood right in the centre of the hall, glaring at her
with such intensity she almost backed up.
Almost.
"Where is she?"
Asher's voice floated over to her and she shivered. Richard stepped
forward when she did not answer, eyes flickering with amber.
"She is not going anywhere," the Ulfric spat. "How dare you just
play with her life like that? She's just a girl-"
"Who has seen much more than you think Monsieur Zeeman," Asher cut
him off firmly. "The very things she has seen, the things she has
been forced to do, have made her much older than you think. She is
anything but innocent, unfortunately. I will not make an excuse for
all this, but nor will I allow you to stand between me and my human
servant. That will just not happen."
"How could you do it?" she blurted out, tearing her eyes from Jean-
Claude for a second. "How could you do that to her?"
"She suited our purposes," this answer came from Jean-Claude. "It is
something you cannot understand. Ma petite, for you, revenge is
about killing retaliation for an injury. But you know nothing of the
real nature of revenge."
"What the Hell could she have done that deserved this revenge?"
Richard demanded. "What could she have done to you?"
"She didn't do a thing," Asher replied softly. "It is most
unfortunate that she has been pulled into this, but as you know, it
cannot be undone."
"You can't just play with people's lives like this," she
interrupted. "It's not right, it's not legal-"
"We are not humans!" Jean-Claude interrupted with more force to his
tone. "We cannot conform to their rules. We have our own, and this
does not break any of them."
There was a brief silence, the only sound the low growls coming from
the various shifters in the room.
"We can't fix it," she finally conceded. "But that doesn't mean I
can't do anything about it now."
Asher turned cold eyes on her.
"What is it you think you can do?"
She swallowed, drawing herself upright and looked him right in the
eyes.
"Willow does not get the fourth mark, unless she agrees to it."
This was dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"Do not ask for such ridiculous things-"
"That's the way it is," she interrupted, a steely tone entering her
own voice. "Or you don't see her again. From now on, Willow makes
the decisions concerning her life."
"You tread on a very thin line here ma petite," Jean-Claude whispered
to her. "You might not like the consequences of it."
"We're ready to fight, if that's what it takes," Richard informed
them. "I wanted to fight right from the start. But Anita, for once,
wanted to try her hand at diplomacy. I figure its never bound to
cross her mind again, so why not give it a go?"
She was going to be angry about that later. But right now, there
were other matters to contend with.
"I don't want to fight," she told them. "And I don't think you do
either."
"In that, you are right ma petite," Jean-Claude sighed. "We all have
too much to lose if our alliance, if you will, were to fall apart.
But as much as I would like to resolve, Asher is the one you must
ask."
And so she asked Asher.
"Please."
The vampire did not look at her, instead sending his glare down the
hallway, to her bedroom door.
"Bring her out," he ordered. "I have conditions of my own to lay
down for this."
"This is not a negotiation-"
"Isn't it?" Asher interrupted Richard. "You have made your offer,
and now you will bring Willow out so I can make mine. That is how we
will do this. No other way."
She was stuck. On one hand, he wasn't agreeing. On the other hand,
he wanted to talk about it. Which was much better than just fighting
it out.
She sighed, turning to Micah at her side.
"Go get Willow."
*****