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Making a Princess- Page 4 Part 15

The next day turned into next week, and then two weeks, as Willow did her best to wait patiently for her much anticipated revenge. In that time they had already moved twice, and Willow felt like she was going insane from the delay. The truth was, she had been ready for her payback since the moment the three of them had set foot off the plane, but Angelus had convinced her to wait a little instead. It had not been a pleasant conversation.

Willow stormed around the tiny apartment they had usurped from an unwitting victim, while screaming at the top of her lungs how tired she was of all the delays and how so far it had only given her enemies the chance to escape or die by some other means. Angelus had found her petulant behavior amusing, and somewhat arousing for a few minutes, then grew tired of it and backhanded her across the room. The ensuing battle essentially destroyed everything in the apartment as the pair traded blows, Angelus with his brute strength, and Willow with her magic.

The argument finally ended however, when Drusilla became so distraught over her daddy and Willow arguing, that she smashed Miss Edith�s delicate china head against a wall, destroying her favorite doll and long time companion. The redheaded witch and dark vampire were so shocked by this act that they both immediately ceased trying to kill each other, and went to check on the sobbing vampire in the corner, crying over the remains of the once beloved toy.

Angelus had little patience for tears, and once he was sure that Drusilla would in fact survive, he pushed her off onto Willow and left to hunt. She sat on the floor, gently rocking the brutal killer who often resembled nothing more than a frightened child. The redhead could easily understand why Spike had loved her for so long. She could be incredibly difficult at times, but there was something about her, about her curiosity, and her sense of awe at the simple things of this world, like fireflies and buttons. And then there was her need, raw and naked.

She was unashamed of her feelings about how much she craved companionship, and above all else, family. Willow knew the only reason Dru had betrayed Spike was because he had betrayed Angelus first. Drusilla was fiercely loyal, and this act stung her as much as if he had hurt her directly. But Dru never wanted to be separated from Spike permanently. Even now, Willow knew that the dark haired beauty was hoping to bring Spike back to their little family by using her as a lure. She had tried to explain to Dru on many occasions that this would never be possible, but Drusilla would simply cover her ears and start singing loudly, so Willow had given up.

Willow carefully swept up the broken shards of porcelain and doll hair into a pile together with the torn body. Then, placing her hands over the remains she chanted a few words of Latin under her breath, and watched as the precious doll became whole again. Drusilla observed the display and clapped with glee when she saw that Miss Edith was in fact, all right. The redhead smiled in spite of herself, as she watched Drusilla dance around the apartment, clutching Miss Edith to her breast. She would have to try harder to get along with Angelus, their arguing was clearly too much for Dru to handle.

Hand in hand the pair headed out into another beautiful Vienna night, looking to feed and explore what the city had to offer. They wandered together down several narrow alleys that held entrances to shops and cafes. Drusilla fed from a wealthy British man who had been thrilled to meet such lovely women. Then, after taking his wallet and dumping his body off a bridge that was decorated with statues resembling Mr. Potato Head, Drusilla bought the both of them large ice cream sundaes, and the two ate ice cream and drank coffee until nearly dawn.

They made it back to the apartment with only moments to spare, only to find the couch made up for a bed. At first Willow assumed it was for her, often times she chose to sleep alone, but just as she started undressing and arranging the pillows, Angelus came out of the bedroom and informed them with an icy tone that Drusilla would be on the couch tonight and Willow would be in the bedroom. His tone made the redhead shudder, but she knew it would be better to just comply with his wishes for now, rather than upsetting Dru again. She kissed her friend goodnight, and shuffled off to the bedroom in only her bra and panties.

Once she was inside the room, Angelus shut the door for some privacy, right before punching her hard in the face, sending her sprawling onto the floor. Then, grabbing her firmly by the hair, he hauled her up and tossed her onto the bed. Willow began chanting a spell that would effectively destroy his manhood, permanently, but before she could finish he belted her across the mouth, breaking her concentration, and quite possibly her jaw as well.

�Sorry to disappoint you, witch, but your days of using magic against me are over,� he said cruelly as he ripped her panties from her body and attempted to pry open her mouth to shove them inside.

Willow fought with all her might, but it was in vain. If she opened her mouth to cast a spell, he would be able to fill it with the offending garment, but without her magic she was defenseless against him. Angelus was thoroughly enjoying the struggle, as he held her arms, pinned below his legs, straddling her, trying hard not to moan with pleasure as every thrash of her body brushed against his growing erection. Willow felt hot tears of humiliation begin to stream down her face, as she remembered the first time John had raped her. He�d used her panties to gag her as well. Maybe it was in some rapist�s handbook somewhere, she wondered humorlessly. These thoughts ceased however, as Angelus forcefully pushed her cheeks together, bruising her already tender jaw, and unclenching her teeth enough to push the fabric inside.

Then, flipping her over, he quickly removed her bra and tied her hands with a pair of neckties already hanging from the headboard. Willow pulled at her bindings as they bit into her flesh, but it was hopeless. At this point it would just be easier to let him fuck her, and be done with it. Angelus noticed her posture relax somewhat as she resigned herself to her fate, and it made him seethe with rage. What fun is it to rape the girl if she was content to let him do it? Then a thought struck him, and he ran his hand lightly over her firm ass before giving it a sharp smack.

Angelus quickly disrobed and pulled the redhead�s body up, till she was on her knees. He slapped her pink ass again and watched her shiver with mounting desire. He ran his fingers across her moist slit, and Willow blushed with renewed shame at her body�s betrayal. Then, before she had time to register what he was doing, he spread her juices over his engorged member and across her puckered opening, and slammed his full length into her virgin hole.

Willow tried to scream in protest as the pain ripped through her body, but the gag blocked the sound that was trying to escape, making her gasp for breath, beginning to hyperventilate and choke at the same time. He hadn�t bothered to prepare her for his girth, he wanted it to hurt, wanted her to suffer. She needed to learn that behavior like hers would not go unpunished. Without giving her time to adjust, he began his brutal rhythm, driving his aching cock into her again and again as she continued to struggle beneath him. Her suffering was like an aphrodisiac to him, driving his arousal to new heights as his assault on her tight opening began to tear her flesh with the friction, providing blood for new lubrication. The scent of the crimson liquid filled his nostrils and drove him to the edge. He could feel the tension filling his body, making his balls tighten as he came with a roar, filling her wounded backside with his dead seed.

When he was through, Angelus collapsed on top of the shaking redhead, covering her with his cold flesh. He made no move to untie her or remove her gag. If she behaved herself, he would free her in the morning, and he told her so. Willow tried with some difficulty to slow her useless sobs, not wanting to waste any tears on the bastard now lying beside her. She had no one to blame for this but herself. She was the one who had set Angelus free; she had gotten what she deserved.

�Now, little one, since I�ve finally got you to stop your endless rattling for a few minutes, and you�ve behaved so nicely for me just now, I think I�ll keep you around a bit longer, rather than simply gutting you like I had intended to. But let me give you a bit of advice, precious Willow; don�t ever try to use your magic against me again. I will torture you for weeks. Hell, maybe months, and when you finally get to the point where your, weak and worthless, mortal body can no longer survive, I�ll turn you so that I can continue to torture you for another century. Do I make myself clear?�

Angelus paused long enough for her to nod her head, but instead she thrashed beside him with obvious hatred as she futilely tried again to free herself. She knew he wasn�t bluffing, but part of her would rather suffer his torment than submit. Angelus watched her reaction carefully, before rearing his head back and letting out a hearty and bone chilling laugh.

�If there was any doubt in me before as to why Spike chose you, there certainly isn�t now. You remind me so much of my wayward childe, just now, that it�s giving me d�j� vu. Hell, it seems like only yesterday that he was the one tied to the bed, getting fucked up the ass, and still the whole time trying to fight me,� he laughed again, and Willow felt hot tears of shame and rage, running down her cheeks, �Ahh, to think that the little whelp had almost broken you. I must have taught my boy well. Of course, I never would have mated with you, that�s just young William being a pansy ass again. You know, he used to compose sonnet after sonnet about Drusilla, and each one was worse than the one before it, pathetic. Did he write poetry for you too? Do the whole seduction routine? Well, it�s a good thing Angel rescued you when he did, because otherwise you would�ve had to go through eternity, bound to a lovesick vampire who wanted nothing more than an easy replacement for the girl he really loved, but wasn�t man enough to keep.�

His words stung her like a blow. Most days she could pretend that she didn�t love Spike that she never had. But the truth was, on some level she would never be over him. Even now, a part of her was still waiting for him to come rescue her, and take her away from the nightmare that had become her life. But he wasn�t coming. He never came, and she couldn�t forgive him for that.

�Are you thinking about him now? Well, don�t worry, Willow, you�ll be seeing young William soon enough. But first, let me tell you about your good doctor. Now, while you wanted to rush off and kill him right away, I was thinking ahead and making plans. See, humans can never see the big picture, but I can,� as he spoke, he continually ran his hand along her back, making Willow�s flesh crawl.

�Now, since I like you so much, I have gone to the trouble to set some plans in motion to maximize your revenge. What I wanted to tell you before you so rudely attacked me today, is that I have selected a few choice minions, who have been watching your boy, so we will know when and where to grab him. Our busy bees have also been searching for a suitable place in the warehouse district to have our fun. So, do try to be a little more patient than Spike, and in a couple days, you will have your revenge. In the meantime, I�d be happy to keep you busy, teaching you some of my favorite torture techniques, and of course using your body shamelessly.� Angelus punctuated his words by once again mounting her and shoving his newly erect cock into Willow�s brutalized opening.

Drusilla waited for what seemed like an eternity until she could no longer hear her daddy giving his love to the little tree. Part of her was jealous that he rarely showed her such exquisite torment anymore, but she knew that it took time to train a new member of the family. She couldn�t understand why the funny little redhead put up such a fight, if not to receive more yummy punishment. Yet, it seemed that Willow never enjoyed the love Dru�s daddy was giving her, it only made her more sad. Drusilla guessed this was because she was missing her own daddy, her Spike. She knew how much Willow still loved him, and she looked forward to the time when he would come home and they would all be one happy family again, only this time without grandmother. This made Dru happy. She would never admit this to her daddy, but she secretly hated Darla. The only reason she had helped those funny barristers bring her grand-mummy back was she wanted her daddy back and thought it would help. Darla was never interested in her. She never braided Drusilla�s hair, like the little tree did, and one time she broke one of her dolls, Miss Gertrude, Miss Edith�s playmate.

Drusilla crept into the room, and quietly crawled into the already cramped bed. Angelus had left Willow bound; face down, with the gag still firmly in place. The addle-brained vampire looked down on the redhead with compassion, she knew how much she hated to be tied up, but it was best to leave her that way or Angelus would simply find a worse form of punishment for both of them. As much as the thought excited Drusilla, she wanted to protect the little tree from any more harm. She gazed into Willow�s green, lamp like eyes and saw only a glazed over expression of fear and loathing there. Sighing, she wrapped her delicate limbs around the redhead�s unmoving body and began to hum her a tuneless song, until finally she drifted into a restless sleep. Maybe tomorrow her daddy and the little tree would get along better.

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Part 16

The trio walked the narrow Vienna alleys together, Angelus with his arms wrapped possessively around Drusilla and Willow�s shoulders. A stocky, balding man scooted by in the other direction; staring longingly at the two beautiful women, eliciting a warning growl from Angelus.

�How am I supposed to find someone to eat, if you keep scaring them away?� Drusilla pouted, slapping him lightly on the chest.

�Don�t worry, darlin�, I�ve got something special planned for us tonight.�

The dark vampiress shuddered with anticipation at her daddy�s words, but Willow shuddered for an entirely different reason. All week she had spent with Angelus, going over the finer points of torture. Many he had demonstrated on her, leaving her feeling bruised and broken all over. However, with the exception of the one time on her thigh, he had never bitten her, and never subjected her to anything that would leave scars. Like Spike, he wanted her to be in tip top shape when he turned her, which he was planning on doing as soon as she had her full revenge.

Angelus liked the idea of the tiny mortal hunting, torturing, and killing her friends, enemies, and even family. If he turned her before it was through, he would never know if it was really she who had done these things, or her demon. So, he would wait. In the meantime, he had taught her about the joys of electricity, especially when combined with water. He also taught her about weapons, and how to kill slowly. There was so much to learn, things involving bamboo, ice, toothpicks, bicycle spokes, and much more. The most important thing he had taught her though, was to use your surroundings, be creative and most of all, have fun with it. After all, what fun was torture really if you didn�t take the time to enjoy it? Tonight, however, was to be her most important lesson of all, the one to determine whether or not she was ready.

As Angelus maneuvered them around the cheerfully lit area of restaurants and cafes, he finally saw what he was looking for. He released his companions and began stalking his prey. Willow hated going on the hunt with him, because his pleasure at the suffering of his victims was too much for her. Unlike the drooling, womanizing men that Drusilla fed off of, she felt sorry for the doe eyed innocent ones that Angelus preferred. But, he had insisted that she join him tonight, told her it was her final lesson. Still, when she saw the mother and child strolling down the street, carrying some brightly colored shopping bags, Willow knew whatever lesson this was to be, she did not want to learn it.

Angelus strolled up to the pair, and asked the woman with his most charming voice, although in terrible German, where a nearby street was. He then feigned confusion, until finally the woman, completely taken in by the suave man, offered to show him the way. Drusilla and Willow followed from a safe distance, undetected. Once they were away from all the noise and people of their previous location, Angelus snatched up the child with one strong arm, and grabbed the woman with the other, effectively covering her mouth to quiet her as she struggled in terror, hitting him with her bags. He dragged the squirming pair behind a building where they could be alone and waited for Drusilla and Willow to catch up. When they finally appeared, Willow was looking a bit green.

�Okay, little one, time for your last lesson,� Angelus said with a sinister grin, �Choose which one lives, and which one dies.�

Willow stood frozen, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. She wanted no part of this. She didn�t even know these people; she had no reason to wish harm upon them.

�I don�t know what kind of sick game you think this is, but I�m not playing,� she said, turning to go.

�All right, if you want them both to die, keep walking.�

�Why are you doing this?!� Willow turned to scream at him.

�I told you, it�s your final lesson.�

�What lesson?! That you�re a cruel bastard? I already know that,� she spat the words at him bitterly.

�I appreciate the compliment, but this is not about me, it�s about you. Now, choose.�

Willow looked at the struggling pair again. The woman was in her early thirties, slightly plump, with a pretty face. Well, what she could see of it anyway. She had wide terrified eyes, but Willow couldn�t tell their color in the dim light. Her cheeks were flushed from the struggle, and her dark, shoulder length hair was whipping somewhat wildly as she continued to fight. Then Willow glanced over at the child clutched tightly in the other arm. She was young, four maybe. Her hair was the same color as her mother�s, but instead of long and straight, it hung around her head in ringlet curls, like a slightly tussled Shirley Temple. Her eyes were also full of terror, but she did not struggle. In fact, she was barely even crying, there was only a slight tremble of her Cupid�s bow mouth. She was too deeply in shock for anything more. Then, Willow looked again at the soulless thing holding them captive. There was an evil glint in his eyes, his lips pulled back into a cross between a grin and a sneer. The fucking prick was enjoying this, not their suffering, but hers.

�No, I�m not going to choose. You can�t make me.�

�Well, if that�s your final answer,� Angelus� face shifted to that of his demon visage, although anymore it was difficult for the redhead to tell the difference. He began lifting the little girl toward his mouth, while her mother redoubled her efforts to get free. Never once did he take his eyes off of Willow.

�Wait!� she cried out, then finishing softly, �I choose the mother. Let the child go.�

Willow fixed her gaze on the ground three feet in front of her, unable to look at the scene before her any longer. Angelus laughed triumphantly, sending shivers down her spine and filling her gut with an overwhelming feeling of disgust.

�I knew I could count on you, darlin�.�

He quickly lifted the now struggling child up and tore out her throat with his razor sharp fangs, biting through her windpipe completely so that all she could do was make a soft gurgling sound, as her limbs shuddered briefly then fell limp with death. Her mother, overcome with shock, dropped the shopping bags that she had previously clutched as a weapon. Several toys spilled out as they fell to the ground, a red rubber ball rolling past Willow�s feet. She looked up to see Angelus drop the dead child to the ground. Her eyes were still open, but the rest of her face had gone slack with her death, she was no longer afraid. He also released the mother, who quickly scooped up her broken child, cradling her against her breast and rocking her slightly as she began to wail with heart rending pain.

The sound filled Willow�s ears, making her flinch. She knew this pain all too well. Most days it was all she could do to keep from coming apart, her heart ached so badly. The woman before her would never recover from this, would never get over the injustice of her baby dying before she had ever really been given a chance to live. The redhead didn�t realize she was sobbing; all she could see was her son�s face, surrounded by a halo of red curls. She couldn�t let her suffer, not like she had. Willow approached the woman silently from behind, as sobs continued to rack her body. She grabbed the woman�s head quickly and jerked it to the side with all her strength, snapping her neck with one smooth motion. She released her then, and found some little comfort in knowing they were together again, as the woman�s body slumped to the side, still holding her lifeless child.

Angelus watched the display with something akin to delight. Willow had just killed an innocent, without thought, and judging by her blank stare, without remorse. He didn�t realize she had done it out of pity; compassion was a foreign concept to him. Willow turned her blank stare on him for a moment, and then slowly walked away. Drusilla was torn as to whether she should follow. She had watched the entire event in silence, something that was not easy for her, but she had felt the gravity of the situation and thought it best not to interrupt. Now, she thought the little tree probably wanted some time alone, but the last time she had seen that look on her face, Willow was over the edge and had only just barely made it back. She didn�t want to lose her to the darkness for good; Drusilla knew how frightening it could get when one loses touch with the world. What was it about her daddy that he liked to break little girls so much? She decided she would go after her; she couldn�t have gotten far, and really shouldn�t be alone right now. But as she turned to leave, she felt Angelus� strong hand on her arm, stopping her.

�Let her go, Dru. She needs to work through this on her own.�

Drusilla turned rage filled eyes on her sire, giving him a hard stare, but did not contradict him. He was her sire, her daddy, and she would obey him, even if she didn�t want to.

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The farther Willow got from the horror she had just participated in, the faster she went, until finally she was moving at a dead run. She ran as if hell itself was chasing her, and in her mind it was. Soon, her legs began to ache, and her lungs burned as she tried to escape the reality her life had become. She didn�t want to think, didn�t want to remember anything but the feeling of her shoes smacking against the pavement as she tried to flee from her life. Eventually though, her body could no longer stand the workout she was putting it through, and she collapsed to the ground, skinning her knees and clutching the stitch in her side.

She rolled off the sidewalk and onto the grass, retching violently. Once she had finished vomiting, she rolled back onto her back, still panting and gasping for breath. The world was spinning, and she closed her eyes tightly to try to push away the feeling of falling, but when she did, all she could see was them, their terrified faces, and the blood pouring from the little girl�s throat. The smell of the blood had congealed in her senses, overwhelming her. She turned quickly and vomited again. She didn�t think she would ever get rid of that smell, or the image of them burned into her retinas. She no longer had to worry about the fate of her soul, she had no soul. Otherwise she never would have simply stood by while Angelus killed that girl. She was no better than him.

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Willow returned just before dawn to find them both waiting for her. Drusilla�s face was a mask of apprehension and concern, but Angelus simply wore a smirk, and a smug one at that. He knew she would be back. He took her hand as she approached, and led her toward the bedroom, indicating to Dru that she would not be joining them this evening. Once he had closed the door, she turned cold eyes on him.

�Strip,� she commanded evenly.

Angelus was not one accustomed to taking orders, but the little spitfire had preformed admirably that evening, she had passed her test with flying colors. She deserved a little indulgence, so he complied. However, when Willow instructed him to lie on the bed, and began to get several neckties from the drawer, he hesitated. She turned to face him, her eyes filling with fire.

�Do not make me tell you again, or I will be forced to punish you.�

Her words were cold and had an edge to them like broken glass. He sensed the danger of the moment, yet he couldn�t fight his mounting desire at the thought of her �punishing� him. He stretched out on the bed, allowing her to bind his wrists and ankles, not hearing the few Latin words she muttered under her breath. The ties were much tighter than he would have expected, as they cut into his flesh. This was payback for the way he always treated her, and he knew it. She looked down on his prone form and smiled, there were just a couple of things missing. She took another tie from the drawer and tied it firmly at the base of his engorged cock; she didn�t want him cumming before her. Then, looking at him again, she began to laugh. She could see the rage passing over his dark features, and it only made her laugh harder.

�What�s so funny?� he asked in a deadly tone.

�You are,� she giggled back, �You look like some sort of twisted birthday present, covered in bows. Oh now, don�t frown like that. You�ll spoil my fun.�

She bent down then to his pile of discarded clothes on the floor, and scooped up his boxers with an evil grin. Angelus saw her pick up the silky underwear, and felt his anger bubble to the surface again.

�Keep those fucking things away from me,� he said harshly.

�Oh come on, baby. I thought you liked this game,� she replied, stalking towards him, �Open up for momma.�

As she said this she grabbed him by the balls and gave them a sharp squeeze. When he opened his mouth to yell, she shoved the black silk boxers into his mouth, giving a whoop of victory. She stalked around the bed a few times then, admiring her work. Actually, she was impressed, despite his obvious humiliation, and the slight abuse he had suffered at her hands, his little soldier was still standing proudly at attention.

She stripped off her clothes and crawled up the bed, perching on top of him like the predator she had become. She reached between his legs, stroking him lightly, and fought down another laugh as she watched his head loll to one side, eyes rolled back with the sensation. Men were so easy. She wanted to dominate him, control him. She trailed her mouth up his chest, alternating between soft kisses and hard nips, not enough to break the skin, just enough to leave a series of small painful welts.

The whole time Angelus struggled to free himself. He was going insane from all the teasing. He needed to take her now, but for some reason was unable to break his bindings, even with his vampiric strength. He did not realize she had placed a quick enchantment on them, making them stronger than steel. He was going nowhere. The more his frustration grew, the more her arousal increased as well. Finally she couldn�t hold out any longer. She straddled his hips, positioning his head at her weeping opening.

�Are you ready, Angelus?�

He nodded his head furiously, making her smile slightly before impaling herself on his rigid cock. She let out a cry of pleasure, while Angelus made muffled whimpering sounds around his gag. Images from earlier that evening began to fill her head as she pounded her flesh into him. She wanted to drive the horrible visions from her mind, as she increased her speed, feeling the bow at the base of Angelus� cock brush against her clit with every down stroke. She was on complete mental and physical overload as she felt herself nearing the edge. Tears once again began rolling down her face, but they went unnoticed by Angelus, who was concerned only with his now painful erection, completely unable to cum with the tie wrapped tightly around his cock. As he struggled beneath her, the added friction finally sent her over the edge of oblivion, her tight muscles clamping around his erection as she rode out the waves of pleasure.

She collapsed momentarily onto his chest as she attempted to catch her breath. When her ragged gasping finally calmed a bit, she rolled off of him, told him thanks and gave him a light peck on the cheek. Then, grabbing a few things from her bag, she left the bedroom, and headed for the shower, leaving Angelus behind, helpless and in pain.

Drusilla watched with curiosity, as the naked redhead made her way to the bathroom without so much as a word. Once she was safely under the scalding spray of water, Willow broke down completely. She sobbed uncontrollably, as she tried to scrub the dirty feeling from her body. By the time she gave up on the scrubbing, her skin was red and slightly raw. She knew she would never be truly clean again. She had become just like Angelus, cruel. She was a killer, and as such, she would always be tainted.

Drusilla waited for her daddy to come out as well, but he didn�t, and she started to get scared. She didn�t think poppet would stake him, but she wasn�t sure. Drusilla rushed to the bedroom to make sure, only to find him still struggling to get free. She removed the gag from his mouth, doing her best to fight back a giggle.

�My cock, fuck, untie it!�

Dru noticed then that his erection seemed to be turning a dark shade of purple. She quickly untied it, and Angelus let out a loud groan as long ropes of cum shot out, coating his chest and splashing up against his face. His body finally relaxed, sated, while Drusilla undid the rest of his bindings. The whole time she pleaded with him not to kill Willow for what she had done. When at last he was free, he grabbed her by the back of the head, and pulled her face close to his.

�Clean me up,� he instructed, before giving her a quick kiss.

She began by eagerly darting out her cool pink tongue and lapping up his essence from his chin, then worked her way down his chest, until at last she reached his semi-erect cock. She took him into her mouth, enjoying the combined taste of Angelus and Willow. Soon, he was thoroughly aroused again, and pulled her up by the hair, quickly hiking up her skirts and ripping her panties from her body. She was happy to please him; she wanted to take away his wrath. She was more than willing to endure whatever it would take to ensure the little tree�s safety. Angelus pinned her beneath his body, thrusting into her with brutal force, pounding into her, while at the same time, barely aware of her presence. At that moment, all he could see was Willow.

Drusilla clawed at his back as he drove her to the edge, leaving bloody trails in her wake. She could feel the pressure building within her and knew she would not be able to hold on much longer. Using one razor sharp nail, she sliced a small patch of her throat, the blood beginning to flow freely as she pulled Angelus� mouth to the wound.

�Oh, Angelus, you make the stars bleed!� she screamed out as her orgasm ripped through her body.

Her muscles clamped around his rigid cock like a fist, sending him over the edge after her as she milked his release from him. Finally he collapsed on top of her, panting for unneeded breath. Drusilla lightly stroked his back, enjoying the slick feeling of the blood on his skin from her claw marks; she wished she could stay like this forever, just her and her daddy. But then visions of her redheaded playmate drifted back to her, and again she became concerned. Angelus rolled off of her, and began undoing the buttons of her shirt. He had been in too much of a hurry before to undress her properly, but now that he was a bit calmer, they could take their time. He noticed then that Dru was being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually she was talking to her dolls, or the stars, sometimes even to the people around her. But for the moment, all she was doing was biting her lip and whimpering slightly.

�Dru, darlin�, what�s wrong?�

�You�re going to kill the little tree, aren�t you?�

Angelus threw back his head and laughed, making Drusilla jump. When he calmed his mirth a bit, he looked at her, still barely suppressing a grin.

�Why would I want to kill her? She�s finally one of us.�

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Part 17

�Wakey, wakey, little one, you�ve got a long night ahead of you. You don�t want to oversleep, do you?�

Willow peeled open her eyes to see Angelus staring down at her with an unreadable expression. She had expected him to retaliate a little sooner, but was grateful he decided to let her rest a little first. She knew he probably only did so, so she would stand up to the torture longer, but still it was a nice gesture. If only she had been able to sleep restfully, she might have been even more prepared for whatever the evening had in store for her, but as usual, she had been plagued by nightmares. She was used to them by now, but last night two new members had been added to the cast of people tormenting her, the mother and daughter she and Angelus had killed were now part of the gang of zombies that terrorized her with dead eyes and decaying limbs. She tried to shake off the last remnants of the dream; she would need all her wits about her for whatever Angelus had up his sleeve. She looked up at him expectantly, but he just grinned and tossed her some clothes, before heading into the bedroom to wake Drusilla.

Before she knew it, Willow and her two companions were piling into the back seat of a large black car with a pair of nameless minions in front. The driver turned to ask for directions, and Drusilla answered by giving him a quick command in German, followed by a giggle of excitement. Whatever was happening tonight Drusilla sure seemed happy about it, Willow thought. Maybe Angelus wasn�t going to torture her to death after all. Willow sat back and tried to enjoy the ride, watching the darkened scenery slide by the window in a blur of grays and dark blues. Eventually, as the car was nearing the very edge of the city, where factories and warehouses had choked out all the smaller businesses, the car slowed and pulled in front of a large dark building.

Angelus exited the car first, holding his hand out to Dru to help her to her feet. She took it graciously. Then, with a smile on his face, he extended his hand again, to assist Willow. The redhead looked at it warily for a moment and then exited through the other door on her own. Angelus frowned at her slightly, glancing over at the minions to see if they had noticed her little challenge to his authority, but they were busy talking amongst themselves, so the dark vampire decided to let it slide this time. As the three of them headed for the building, followed closely by the minions, Angelus slipped his left arm over Drusilla�s shoulders, and his right around Willow�s waist. She tried to pull away from him, but he dug his fingers painfully into her side, and gave her a slight growl of warning. Willow glanced over her shoulder at the pair of minions, who were watching the exchange very intently, and immediately she understood. She relaxed her body against his, and allowed her hand to slide down until it was resting on his ass, giving it a slight squeeze.

Willow understood the master fledgling dynamic; she had learned it early on when she was with Spike. Vampires were very much like pack animals, if the leader was challenged, he or she had two options, either deal immediately and severely with whomever had challenged their authority, or risk all out anarchy or hostile take over. Chances were very slim these two baby fledglings posed any risk to the three of them, but Willow didn�t know how many more were inside. So, for her sake, and for Drusilla, she would keep up appearances.

The closer the group got to the building the more Willow wanted to turn and run. The place reeked of death, the rancid stench filling her nostrils, and coating her flesh like a revolting film. She knew nothing good could happen here tonight, but then again good things rarely did happen when she was with Angelus. As they reached the front of the building, a large sliding door opened automatically, revealing another pair of minions that had been waiting for them. When the door opened a fresh wave of odor struck her senses, rolling over her in a wave, as if she had been submerged in a sea of rotting flesh. Willow glanced around at the group of vampires with complete astonishment. None of them seemed the slightest bit put off by the smell, especially considering how much more sensitive their senses were. Apparently they were unbothered by the smell of death. In a strange way, it made sense.

Angelus led Willow through the doors, and noticed her doing her best not to gag at the odor. He handed her a handkerchief from his pocket, and indicated for her to cover her nose and mouth with it. She was surprised, but grateful for the gesture. The small piece of fabric didn�t remedy the situation completely, but it did help. As they entered to building, Willow realized they were in a meat packing plant, and took a moment to wonder how anyone could work in a place like this all the time. She wasn�t sure, but she suspected that after awhile a person�s clothes, hair, everything, would reek of it.

Willow felt a slight tug on her hand and looked up to see Angelus� eager eyes staring back at her. She nodded dutifully, noticing the minions still watching them, and allowed him to lead her through the large room of packing boxes, and past several rows of hanging beef. The building was colder than expected, and she was glad Angelus had chosen something warm for her to wear. Finally, they reached the back of the room, where a closed door was waiting for them. Angelus paused, and looked down on the little redhead, his pleasure and anticipation obvious.

�Willow, tonight is �your� night. You have proven to be quite a pupil. You have really earned this.�

After the way she had treated him last night, Willow knew what she had �earned�, he was going to kill her, and then probably just shove her body into a meat grinder. However, when Angelus opened the door, all thoughts of her impending demise were washed away by the sight of Dr. Scholten, bound, gagged, and hanging from a meat hook. Willow�s face spread into a dazzling smile, and she threw her arms around Angelus� neck, squeezing him tightly.

�Thank you, daddy, it�s just what I always wanted,� Willow whispered in his ear with a sultry voice that promised him a big reward later.

Angelus chuckled deep in his throat, �I knew you�d like it, darlin�.�

She smiled and began circling her prey slowly, running her hands up and down his body. She could feel him shudder at her touch, trying in vain to pull his body away from her probing fingers. The more he struggled, the more excited she became. She immediately forgot everything about the world around her, only able to focus on her former tormentor, squirming like a worm on a hook, literally. Angelus approached her from behind, circling her slight waist in his strong arms. He couldn�t wait to see her go to work on the man who had haunted her nightmares. Even Drusilla was eager to see what would happen, but to be safe she covered Miss Edith�s eyes; she didn�t want her dolly having bad dreams.

�Well, well, well. Hello, Dick. Fancy meeting you here,� Willow purred sweetly, then turning to Angelus she asked, �Does he know what you are?�

�No, I didn�t want to spoil your fun. I figured you would want to see his expression when he learned the truth about us.�

�That was thoughtful of you,� she said, then turning back to her captive, she smiled almost shyly and said, �Remember all those countless hours I spent in the �cold room� because you wanted to rid me of my delusions? My crazy fantasies of witches and vampires? Well, these are vampires.�

The moment she said this, Angelus and Drusilla morphed into their demon forms, as if on cue. Dr. Scholten�s eyes grew wider, and he squirmed with a new burst of energy, his terror evident. He tried to scream as the creatures drew nearer, causing him to choke on the gag. Willow did her best not to laugh.

�Trust me, doctor, if I was you, I wouldn�t waste my time being afraid of the vampires. I would worry more about the witch.�

Dr. Scholten turned his gaze back to Willow, only to discover her hair and eyes had gone jet black. Again she traced her hands along his body, but this time every place she touched seared with a jolt of pain. She reached up and yanked the gag out of his mouth, wanting to hear his screams, and scream he did. Fortunately for all of them, Angelus had chosen this location well. It was out of the way, where no one would hear them, and best of all, disposing of the body would be no problem. When the time came, all they would have to do is shove what was left into the scrap pile, and he would be ground up for dog food.

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Hours had passed, and Willow�s magic had finally been exhausted, but her vengeance had not. She looked around the room, noticing her surroundings for the first time. They were in the kill room, where the cattle were brought to be slaughtered; Angelus really had a sick sense of humor. However, as she glanced around, she saw the advantages of the location. She picked up a long sharp knife from a nearby table and began going to work on him again. First she cut away his clothing, and then she began the long and bloody task of skinning him alive. At times it was frustrating work. The doctor was suffering from severe blood loss and going into shock. Several times he slipped into unconsciousness, only to be jolted back to reality by Willow, with the aid of a cattle prod. Sadly though, she could see her fun was nearing its end. No mortal could survive this type of torture forever. However, she was determined to make it last as long as possible.

�p-p-please, kill me,� he whispered for the hundredth time.

�Beg all you like, there�s no way out of this. Maybe I�ll even ask Angelus to turn you so that I can torture you for years,� she replied coldly.

�No,� his eyes filled with a renewed sense of horror, �No please!� There was desperation in his voice as he tried to think of some way to end his torment, �I�I can help you find y-your son.�

�My son is dead! How dare you mention him to me!� her voice shook with rage, as she gave him another harsh jolt with the cattle prod. Dr. Scholten gave out a weak yell; he no longer had the strength for anything more.

�No, he�s�he�s not,� he gasped out when he finally got his breath back.

�You�re lying. You just want me to show you mercy, but it�s not going to work,� her voice became unnaturally high as she tried to choke back her tears.

�I�m not lying. I�ll tell you w-what I know, just please k-kill me.�

�Alright, Dick, tell me what you think you know, and I swear I�ll kill you quickly.�

�Your p-parents.�

�What about them?� Willow asked suspiciously.

�They took y-your son, p-put him up for adoption,� he managed to choke out, his mouth full of blood and broken teeth.

�You�re lying! They wouldn�t do that!�

�They did. They thought it w-was for the best. Ask them.�

�Oh, I will, but not until I�m done with you.�

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It was nearly dawn before Willow finally let the good doctor die. Her mind was reeling, not only from what she had done, but also from what he had told her. What if it were true? Could her son really be alive? She tried to shake the thoughts off, afraid of getting her hopes up. There was no way she could survive another heartbreak. Willow was exhausted, but knew she wouldn�t be able to sleep any time soon. Still it was probably a good idea for her, Angelus, and Drusilla to be leaving.

The redhead made her way out to where the others were waiting. They had all periodically made their way back to watch her work during the night. Drusilla had watched with joy, periodically cheering her on. Angelus had watched her with a mix of admiration and lust. He hadn�t seen a woman capable of such brutality since Darla, and it made him want her all the more. Even the minions had come back to take a peek now and then, their eyes full of shock and wonder at the tiny mortal capable of doing such things. Now all of them were ready to slink off somewhere dark to wait out the sun.

�I�m ready when you are, guys,� she said, eyeing the group of vampires, huddled around a large packing crate, playing cards.

�There�s just one more little surprise before we go,� Angelus said, then noticing how Willow was eyeing him warily, added quickly, �Don�t worry, I think you�ll like this one too.� As he spoke, he led her to another door, continuing to explain.

�You see, when my minions grabbed your doctor, he had his girlfriend with him and so they brought her too. Truth is, I�ve been waiting all night to see what you�d do to her. I had no idea it would take you so long to finish off the shrink.�

�Look, Angelus, I�m not really in the mood for this. I�m tired, and covered in blood, I really just want to go back and take a shower. This girl�s done nothing to me; I think we should just let her go.�

�All right, but first maybe you�d like to take a look at her.�

Willow knew he was up to something, but by now she had learned that it was just easier to play along at times like these. Besides, at that moment she was too emotionally and physically exhausted to do much else. Then he opened the door, and her eyes flew wide with shock as she stared down at the bound and gagged woman huddled on the floor.

�Mother?!� she whispered.

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Part 18

Willow paced back and forth outside the small utility closet. She had shut the door, unable to look at her mother, bound and gagged within. Her mind was reeling. She had wanted her to suffer; wanted her to pay for all the pain she had caused. Yet at that moment, looking down on her, something had broken inside. Memories came flooding back to her of when she was little, small things like the time she learned to roller skate, and had fallen, skinning her knees. Her mother had been there like a sweet smelling security blanket, wrapping her arms around Willow�s tiny form, putting Snoopy band-aids on her knees. She remembered how her mother used to sing her to sleep at night. The tune came floating back to her, and without realizing it, she began to hum the little song that Gonzo had sung in the Muppet Movie, the one about flying. Tears began to roll down her cheeks in heavy fat drops. A trip down memory lane was the last thing she wanted right now.

Angelus stared at her in confusion. He had been watching her pace for some time now. He thought she would have been happy, but she wasn�t. Willow had wanted to kill her mother for the things she had done, and here he had delivered her to his new playmate on a silver platter, and all she could do was cry. Drusilla danced her way slowly over to him, and circled his waist with her arms. She knew what Willow�s problem was, but wasn�t sure if she could explain it so that Angelus would understand. She had felt the same thing when her daddy had left her all those years ago, betrayal. There had been many times when she had wanted nothing more than to bathe Angelus in holy water, especially after he had set her and Darla on fire. Yet, the moment he came back, she just couldn�t do it. She hoped Willow was made of steelier stuff than she was. Sheila Rosenberg deserved to suffer.

Willow finally made up her mind, placing her resolve face firmly on. She ordered the minions to take her mother to the room where she had recently tortured Dr. Scholten to death. After a few minutes of confused translation from Drusilla, the minions did as they were told, hanging the flailing woman from the dangling hook in the center of the room. And then the torture began. This time however, the torment was not as much physical, but psychological. It was true that she had let the minions take turns raping the terrified woman, wearing their demon faces the whole time, but she did not allow them to feed or cause her physical injury. As it was, she couldn�t even stand to watch them violate her mother. Finally she just left the room until it was over, but she didn�t try to stop it. This was her justice.

Hours had passed. All good little vampires were huddled together in a room with no windows, fast asleep, and Willow took a moment to wonder why no one had come to open the plant for the day yet. The thought didn�t concern her, she assumed Angelus had picked a place where they could have privacy for a while or else he would have said something. Willow found a dirty coffee cup by an even dirtier sink, and rinsed it out several times before bringing the cool water to her lips. Then, looking over at her mother�s crumpled form in the corner; she sighed and brought the newly filled cup over to offer the naked woman a drink.

The redhead pulled Sheila Rosenberg half into her lap, setting the cup down long enough to remove her gag. She held her mother�s head, brushing back the woman�s long red tresses, before lifting the cup to her lips. Her mother gulped at the water greedily, before choking on it and coughing violently. Willow knew what she was doing should make her feel bad, feel something, but so far she just felt tired and numb. She had made up her mind that she would do this, and it was too late to turn back now.

�Willow? You cut your hair again,� Sheila said softly, clearly in shock.

�Yes, mother,� she said, heaving another great sigh.

�I had the most horrible dream. There were these men, no, monsters, and they were hurting me. We were in this awful place�� then glancing around, she realized where she was and that it had been no dream. Her eyes grew very wide, her face paling. �Willow, I don�t understand what�s happening.�

�What�s happening, mother, is known as revenge.�

�What are you talking about? What�s happening!?� her voice had become high and shrill with panic. But Willow was beyond whatever concern she had been feeling a moment before. She was rediscovering her anger, and it was growing quickly. She leapt to her feet, dropping her mother like a hot potato, and began to pace in front of her.

�What�s happening is payback for leaving me in that loony bin when I wasn�t crazy. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me!? Do you know the things they did to me in that place!? Being drugged, and locked away in restraints for days on end, not to mention being raped repeatedly by that scum bag orderly. Although, I guess you got a taste of what that�s like, didn�t you?� Willow paused long enough to give her a maniacal grin before continuing her ranting, �I guess I shouldn�t have been surprised that you and daddy left me there though, I mean that�s what you do best, isn�t it? You leave, you always leave. Hell, I�ve been raising myself since I was twelve. And what�s the deal with that anyway? You just woke up one morning and were gone. I mean before that you and daddy were always there. Hell, you were like the damn Cleavers, and then all of a sudden, nothing! So what gives!?�

Sheila Rosenberg stared up at her daughter, her eyes showing too much white. Was she supposed to respond? She still didn�t understand what was happening, but the shock was starting to seep away just a little, leaving her aware of just how much danger she was really in. Her daughter wasn�t here to save her, Willow was the reason she was being held in the first place. The enraged redhead had stopped her pacing and was staring down at her mother expectantly.

�Well mother, I�m waiting?�

�I-I-I don�t understand. What do you want from me?� she asked, trying to make herself smaller.

�I want to know why you and daddy suddenly just dropped out of my life, why you left me in that awful place!�

�I�I mean we�we didn�t mean to. I mean we did the best we could.�

�Liar!!! You fucking liar!!! Tell me the truth!!!� As Willow screamed in rage, blue white lightening shot out of her hands, causing her mother�s body to convulse in agonizing pain. When it finally stopped, she was unable to speak for a few moments; she just shook uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath. She didn�t know how her daughter had just done what she had, her logic telling her she must have some sort of taser, but one thing she knew for sure, she didn�t want her to do it again.

�Willow, baby, we put you in that place because you were sick, and I�m sorry if your father and I weren�t around enough, but we had to work. If we knew how hard it was on you, we never would have stayed away so much.�

�Stop lying to me!!!� her hands shot out another spine racking jolt of energy, as her eyes turned inky black. When the pain subsided, Sheila looked at her daughter and her magic filled eyes, and a new flood of terror washed over her.

�All right,� she said her voice heavy with defeat, �it was because of your father. Because of the way he looked at you.�

�What are you talking about?� Willow asked her voice cold as ice.

�You were right. When you were little, things were good, were perfect. But as you got older, your father started to look at you in a way that wasn�t natural. He�d look at you like a man looks at a woman,� she risked a glance up then to see if she understood, but she couldn�t read her daughter�s expression, so she simply continued, �Anyway, I confronted him. At first he denied it, told me I was imagining things. But in the end he admitted it. That�s when he started going on all those business trips, lecturing overseas mostly. You were about ten then. For a couple of years it was just the two of us mostly, maybe you don�t remember that part. But the truth is I started to resent you for stealing my husband away from me. I know you were just a child, and didn�t realize what was happening, but still I hated you for it. So I did the only thing I could at the time, I left. I guess I never really thought about how it all affected you.�

It was Willow�s turn to go into shock. She leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down onto her butt. She knew there were issues in her family that no one wanted to talk about, but she had no idea. Her whole life was a lie; she didn�t even know this woman huddled on the floor next to her. She certainly wasn�t her mother. If she was, she never would have left her like that. It was all too twisted. She wished now that she could turn back the clock and never learn the truth, but it was too late. Her father had wanted to sleep with her since she was a child, and her mother had driven him away and then left herself out of jealousy. It was all so surreal, like some sort of Greek tragedy. That thought struck her as funny, and before she knew it, she was doubled over with laughter. The sound of it made her mother flinch repeatedly, drawing Willow�s attention back to her.

�All right, mother,� she started, as the last of her giggles trailed away, �because you were so honest with me, I�m going to give you a chance, one chance, to save your life. So I want you to listen very carefully. Where is my son?�

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As the sun started to set, the little vampire entourage roused from their slumber. Angelus and Drusilla went seeking their redheaded companion, and found her where they had left her, in the �torture chamber� with her mother. The older woman was rocking like a neurotic monkey, and humming a lullaby to herself. Long scratches covered her face and arms where she had tried to scratch away the invisible bugs she could feel crawling along her skin. True to her word, Willow had left her alive, but she had broken her mind completely. She had contemplated casting a spell on her, where everyone would only think she was insane, when really she was lucid. As revenge went, it was a rather poetic, but even she was not that cruel. In the end, she decided that if she were condemning this woman to spend the rest of her life in a mental institution, it would be more compassionate to actually take her sanity. Some of the more severe side effects, such as the sensation of crawling flesh, would subside in a few weeks, leaving her pleasantly delirious for the rest of her days, almost child like even. All that was left now was to find somewhere to put her.

Willow wanted her somewhere a bit closer to home, where she could keep an eye on her. As strange as it sounded, after everything she had done to this woman, she felt responsible for her now, and wanted her somewhere where she would be well cared for and where she could check in on her from time to time. She was sure Vienna probably had some fine institutions, but it was just too far from home, wherever that was. Then a thought occurred to her. After she leveled Marion, all the patients had to be moved to a new facility. She had checked it out, just to be sure that those people were receiving decent care finally, and had been content with the results. It was perfect.

As Angelus and Drusilla looked on, Willow drew together the last of her power. She began to chant in Latin as she circled her mother. Her eyes again flooded with black, and Sheila looked on in fear, like a deer frozen in headlights. As her spell reached its crescendo, there was a loud popping noise, and her mother simply disappeared as Willow collapsed unconscious.

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Patient log: Sheila Louise Rosenberg Date: 10/04/01

Patient was admitted today by the state. We are attempting to assess her family situation, although we were able to track down her husband, a Mr. Ira Rosenberg, in Sunnydale, CA. He informed us that he would take the next possible flight out to verify that the patient is indeed his wife. Apparently he hasn�t spoken to her for several days, and had been under the impression that she was overseas at a convention.

As for her condition, it is still very early, but at this time the patient seems to be in a constant delusional state. She is unable to communicate in an effective manner, often spouting out gibberish, or bursting into song. She fluctuates between despondency and extremely volatile moods, at times with violent outbursts. However, she seems to mostly be a danger to herself, and it was necessary to place her in five point restraints almost immediately after her arrival to prevent her from further harming herself or anyone else. It was also necessary to give her a heavy dose of Alprazolam to calm her.

At this time I am placing her on 6 mg of Haloperidol, three times daily to start, given the severity of her outbursts, and will monitor any necessary dosage changes from there.

Jacob Andersen MD., Attending Physician

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Part 19

The day after Willow�s revenge, the trio returned to Paris. Angelus thought it would be a good idea to get out of Vienna, and when Willow mentioned how much she had liked Paris, Drusilla had readily agreed, knowing her little friend needed some time to unwind before anything else. Angelus complained at first. He was concerned that all the rich foods the French ate would end up giving him love handles, but he still continued to hunt each night like a man possessed. The truth was he was at a loss over Willow�s behavior. Ever since they had left Vienna, she had hardly spoken a word. She didn�t seem to feel any remorse over her actions, which was good, but she didn�t seem to be feeling much of anything else either, which was not so good.

Willow kept to herself mostly over the next few weeks. Then one day she disappeared altogether. Drusilla was beside herself when she hadn�t returned home that evening, but Angelus did his best to calm her, secretly cursing Willow for leaving him alone to care for the crazy vampire. By the end of the second day, he could no longer stomach her whining and crying over her �lost little tree�, and finally just bound and gagged her while he went out to hunt. He had always taken Spike�s assistance with Dru for granted. Now, he almost wished his wayward childe was back with them again so he wouldn�t have to deal anymore. He didn�t know where the hell Willow had gotten off to, but if she didn�t come back soon, he would have to hunt her down and kill her.

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Willow was tired. She had spent the last two days tracking down her son to a town called Les Lilas, north east of Paris. Now, here she was, standing in front of the house where her child had lived since shortly after he was born. The redhead circled around the outside of the structure, glad for the cover of night. Through the window she could see several photos of little William, both on the walls and the mantle. Just from the pictures alone she could see how much he had grown. He had turned nine months old last week. Soon, he would be walking, talking, and much more. Willow strained her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of him, but was having no luck.

Suddenly, a light came on in the window above her, startling her somewhat. She chanted softly, and felt her body rising on a cushion of air. The sight that welcomed her eyes made her gasp softly and clutch at the sudden tightening in her chest. He was there, her child, her William. He was having a bath, splashing about merrily and cooing with laughter while a woman with dark hair sang a bright tune to him, grinning happily. She was transfixed by the sight, doing her best to choke down a sob as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

He had grown so much! His hair had become slightly darker, and was now a deep rich red, falling around his face in heavy curls. As the woman poured a cup of water over his head to wash his hair, he let out a gasp and then a loud squeal, beginning to splash about even more wildly in joyous retaliation. He was so happy that it made Willow�s heart hurt. Of course she didn�t want him to be unhappy, but looking at him, it was like she had never existed to him at all. This other woman was his mother now.

Having finished with his bath, the woman wrapped a towel around the squirming child and headed out of the room. A light came on in the next room over, and Willow drifted in that direction so she could continue her observation. The dark haired woman was struggling to get a pair of pajamas onto the boy while she hummed softly; trying to sooth him, but little William was wise to her. He knew it was bedtime, and he wanted no part of it. He fought harder, starting to fuss, but before he could offer much resistance, he had been swooped up again into steady arms that rocked him gently, while the woman continued her soft lullaby. Soon the redheaded child was yawning and rubbing his eyes, before giving up and shoving his thumb in his mouth, drifting off to sleep. The woman kissed him gently on the forehead, whispering words of love to him, and then softly laid him in his crib with his blanket over him. She paused briefly at the door to switch off the light, glancing over her shoulder at the little bundle, and then she was gone, pulling the door shut behind her.

Willow waited a moment to be sure she wasn�t coming back before opening the window and entering the room. She closed the window behind her to keep the cold night air out. Then she just stood there transfixed, staring at her child. She had thought about him a hundred times a day since he was born, but she had never imagined that she would actually see him again. Yet here he was, alive and well, her boy. She did sob then, great heavy sobs that racked her body, making it hard to breathe. She had lost so much over the last few years, her friends, family, the man she loved, her son, and finally her sanity. She had allowed herself to become a monster without an ounce of remorse. Now, here her son was, back again, and all she could feel was unworthy.

Her child, her William, deserved a normal life with parents that could give him all the love in the world; not the psychotic, murdering, witch she had become. At one point she had believed she could give him a happy life, but now she realized the only thing she had left to offer anyone was death. He would be better off in the arms of the only parents he had ever known, not with her. Still, a thought occurred to her, she could give him one thing.

Willow pulled a small pen knife out of her pocket, using it to make a quick slice across the pad of her thumb. She began murmuring an ancient and powerful protection spell. As spells went, it was a simple one, requiring only the blood of a loved one, but if the time ever came, her life force would be forfeit to protect his. She made the shape of a crescent moon on his forehead with her blood and watched as the mark glowed briefly before disappearing altogether. She then used the knife to carefully cut a lock of red hair from his head, placing it in a pouch she had retrieved from her pocket. Bending down she kissed the top of his head, lightly, a fat tear rolling off her cheek and onto his face. He stirred for a moment, but then rolled over and settled back down again, snoring softly.

�Goodbye, William. I will always love you,� she said before slipping back out the window. Her heart was breaking. She tried to take comfort in the knowledge that her son was alive and that she had done the best that she could for him, but it offered her little solace.

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Willow walked through the door of their Paris flat, with a pained expression, and was quickly knocked to the ground by an over zealous Drusilla, who covered her in tears and kisses. Angelus glanced at her from his spot on the couch with a mixture of disgust and relief.

�The next time you decide to take a little vacation, take Dru with you. She�s been driving me fucking nuts the last few days.�

�Oh, my little tree, I thought you had run away and gotten a soul like daddy did before. But you didn�t, you came back to me, poppet. You do love me!�

Willow was having a little trouble breathing, with Drusilla�s grip of death on her, but had to smile somewhat at how much she had apparently been missed.

�Don�t be stupid Dru. Nobody tried to give Willow her soul back, because she never lost it in the first place. She�s mortal, remember?� Angelus practically spat out.

Willow wasn�t sure how much of her soul was left, all things considered, but it was a moot point now anyway. She had more important things on her mind and more important things to do than debate the state of her soul.

�It�s time to go home,� she said.

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Part 20

The flight home was about as pleasant as the flight there had been. Both Drusilla and Angelus had gotten very drunk in order to deal with their fear of flying, which in truth was a mixed blessing. The pair was a great deal calmer about the trip, but Willow had to constantly explain to them why they weren�t allowed to start killing people on the plane or in the airport during their layover. Finally though, they were safely back in the United States. However, before heading back to Sunnydale, Willow needed to stop off first in Iowa to check on her mother.

The Des Moines airport was ridiculously small, without even a decent coffee shop. Willow sighed, feeling the ravages of exhaustion wearing her body down. Jet lag clouded her senses, but sadly not enough for her to be able to block out the cold. She stood in the snow outside the main building without a jacket, waiting for Angelus to �acquire� them a car. It was early April, there should have been some sign of spring, but still frigid winds were blowing, stinging her skin and stealing her breath away. She couldn�t understand why anyone would want to live in a place that was so unbearably cold in the winter, and if memory served was also swelteringly hot in the summer. When she was at Marion, the patients were rarely allowed outside, and certainly not in the winter, but she remembered when the air conditioning had broken one summer, and hadn�t been fixed for more than two months. The heat had been overwhelming, and when combined with the humidity, it felt like she was wading through a warm bath everywhere she went. However, at that moment, standing there freezing, her summertime memories didn�t seem quite as bad.

Drusilla didn�t seem to notice the cold, which struck Willow as funny. She knew logically that vampires were rarely affected by the temperature around them, but Drusilla often complained of being cold. Over time, the redhead came to realize that her complaints had little or nothing to do with the weather. Dru felt cold when she was upset. It was almost as if she had brief moments of clarity, when she realized that she was a monster, and the knowledge left her feeling frozen, literally. It usually passed quickly though. Willow would wrap a blanket or something around the vampire�s shoulders, and sing her a little song or something to take her mind off it. The distraction always seemed to work better than the blanket. At the moment however, Drusilla seemed perfectly content, spinning around in the snow with Miss Edith, trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue as they whipped past her on the wind. Willow shivered uncontrollably and wished Angelus would hurry up.

The dark vampire pulled up then in a brand new Lincoln Continental. Drusilla climbed in the front with a giggle, happy to see that Angelus had left her a little snack. The unfortunate businessman who had rented the car was slumped heavily next to Angelus, nearly unconscious. Drusilla instantly latched her mouth onto his throat, drinking down the rest of his precious blood greedily. While she was busy with that, Angelus hopped out to help Willow throw what little luggage they had in the back, and soon they were off.

About two hours later they arrived in Council Bluffs, just on the border of Nebraska. This was where the new facility was, where all the patients from Marion had been moved. It was almost dawn, and the trio pulled into a cheap motel where they could rest for the day. Willow paid for the room while Angelus and Drusilla quickly went out to hunt. The one man had not been enough to satisfy them both before they had dumped his body in a ditch on the way there. Willow had picked this particular motel for the simple fact that it was open, but now she was wondering if it wouldn�t have been better to just sleep in the car. The place was like something out of a bad movie. The proprietor came to the counter wearing a ratty bathrobe, and frighteningly not much else. He asked Willow how many hours she needed the room for, and then acted surprised when she said she would need it till the next night. He then asked her if she wanted to rent any videos, indicating their wide variety of adult films they kept behind the counter, but she graciously declined. The man shrugged, and handed her a key, happy to get back to bed. Just as she was about to head out the office door to find her room, the man called out over his shoulder not to use Canadian coins on the bed. She agreed, not understanding what he was talking about, but wanting to get out of there so she could finally get some sleep.

The room was small with ancient and ugly furniture, mostly from the seventies. The bed was too small, so much for a good night�s sleep, but thankfully it was clean. There were even fresh sheets on the bed. Willow grabbed a hand towel out of the bathroom, and tied it around the doorknob outside so Angelus and Drusilla would know which room was theirs. Then, she stripped down and took a long hot shower, trying to wash away the last few days of travel. Finally, when she was clean and dry, she climbed into bed, flipping on the TV. Of course there was nothing on but infomercials, but at least they were in English, which was a nice change. After the trio had left Paris, with the intention of coming home, Angelus had convinced her that first they should take a little detour and visit some other parts of Europe since she had never been. Willow had been a little thrown by the suggestion, knowing full well that Angelus never did anything without an ulterior motive, but in the end she had agreed.

The trip had done her some good, helping to take her mind off things for a while. It turned out that Angelus� real reason for wanting to travel a bit was so he could hook up with some of his old demon buddies and show them that good old' Angelus was back, bad as ever. Apparently the male ego was the same, whether living or dead. Although, while they were in Ireland she did get the chance to see a side of Angelus that she never had before.

One night she had followed him through the small village they were staying in, to an ancient cemetery. She had watched from the shadows as he delicately placed a bunch of wild flowers on one grave, and then before leaving, spit upon another. When she thought he was gone, she crept among the graves to see whom he had been visiting. She found the flowers laying in front of a small tombstone that had been mostly worn away with time. She could only just make out the name �Katherine�, but that was all. The tiny headstone was wedged between two others, on one the name �Liam� was visible, once she bushed away the weeds that had been covering it, but the other had no name to read. Time hadn�t worn away the words, the stone had been broken.

�My family,� his voice came from the shadows, causing Willow to jump and let out a girly squeal.

�I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to invade your privacy or anything,� she responded quickly, making him chuckle.

�Yes you did. You were curious,� he held his hand up to quiet her protests before continuing, �It�s okay, I�m not mad.�

�Oh, good,� she said with obvious relief, �So, do you want to talk about it?�

�There�s nothing to talk about.�

�Well, who�s this one with the broken headstone?�

�That was my father,� Angelus spat out, �He was a real bastard. My mother�s grave is next to his, but the marker is missing. I guess after a couple hundred years it just wore away.�

�And who was Katherine?�

�Katie,� he corrected, �She was my little sister. She was the sweetest girl in all of Ireland, and then I tore her throat out.�

His voice became heavy with emotion, bringing out his thick baroque accent. Willow didn�t know what to say. She knew he had killed his family, but never imagined that he would have regretted it. She placed her hand lightly on his arm, to offer him some sort of comfort, then looked at the last grave.

�Who does that one belong to?� she asked.

�That one is mine.�

Willow lay on the bed in the crappy motel room and thought back to that night. It was the only time she had seen Angelus look truly vulnerable. She had looked into his eyes and seen sorrow there, and for a moment she realized how very lonely his existence must have been. Living forever with no one to really share himself with. Darla was to much of a hard ass to tolerate such weakness, and Drusilla too far gone with her own insanity to ever really comprehend the emotional needs of others, and Spike, well Spike just rubbed him wrong. He was truly alone, and it hit her like a revelation as she watched him looking at his own grave with a powerful longing in his eyes.

She had offered herself to him that night. Pulling him close to her, doing her best to take some of that pain and offer him the comfort of knowing that for once he was not alone. They had made love, there in the cemetery, on the graves of his family. And for one night they understood each other, both pouring all their pain and loneliness and hunger into that one night together. Every other night before or since had only ever been about domination between them, about seeing who was stronger. But even if the tenderness hadn�t continued in the bedroom, there was a difference in the way they looked at each other. There was a mutual understanding or respect that had replaced the animosity. Angelus had even asked her to be his mate, but she had declined. He hadn�t been happy with her answer, but he wasn�t surprised. She didn�t want to live forever, and after showing her what eternity had done to him, he couldn�t blame her. Vampirism was a curse; why else would they be condemned to keep the memories of when they were alive if they would only be able to live a half life separated from everyone they had ever loved for all time.

Willow slouched down lower in the bed, wishing she could somehow wipe the memories away. Life had been easier when Angelus had been just another monster wanting nothing more than to fuck her or kill her. Now when she looked into his eyes, she saw a man there as well, and despite everything he had done to her, she couldn�t hate him anymore. The redhead closed her eyes, and rolled on her side slightly, when her head slid off the pillow somewhat and smacked into something hard.

�Ow!� she sat up more; rubbing the spot on her forehead as she looked to see what had accosted her. What she found made her burst out laughing. There, mounted to the side of the bed, was a metal box with the words �Magic Fingers� in rainbow letters and a coin slot. She read the small print which explained that for the very reasonable price of one quarter, your bed would be transformed into a full body masseuse for a full thirty minutes. She guessed that like the rest of the furniture, the vibrating bed was a souvenir from the �70s, and probably no longer worked, but her curiosity got the better of her, and soon she was rummaging through her pockets looking for change. She frowned, looking down at the small pile of change in her hand. There were no quarters, actually she had no American coins at all, but she did have some of those new Euro coins, which technically weren�t Canadian. She picked one out that looked to be the same size as a quarter, and slipped it into the slot.

The bed gave a shudder, as if it were some beast being roused from its slumber, but then the vibrating began. Willow couldn�t help but let out a heavy sigh, as she rolled her naked body around the bed, letting the vibrations ease her aching muscles. She was so consumed by the sensation that she hadn�t noticed at first when the door opened and Drusilla and Angelus entered the room. However, she did notice the freezing blast of wind that rushed along her naked flesh, making her gasp in surprise and sit up to face the intrusion.

Drusilla and Angelus stared at her like a pair of hungry wolves. Her fiery hair had mostly dried from her shower, and fanned around her face in tousled waves. Her flesh was creamy white, but flushed red briefly at being caught doing something she considered to be silly. The wind brushed her skin again. Caught up by the vision before them, neither had remembered to close the door. Willow�s nipples hardened to twin points, and goose bumps ran up her skin.

�Were you born in a barn?� she asked hotly, then seeing their glazed looks, she added, �Shut the damn door!�

Angelus pushed the door shut and paced around the bed somewhat, still watching her. The redhead grabbed at the blanket, trying to cover herself, not only from the cold, but also to hide from the predatory look Angelus was giving her.

�Drusilla go take a shower, a long one,� he said without looking at her.

�But I want to play with the little tree too,� she whined in response. Angelus did look at her then, and his expression made her flinch. Her bottom lip began to tremble like she was going to cry, she hated be left out of things. It made her feel unloved.

�Do as he says Dru. In fact, why don�t you take a nice long bath, and I�ll be in when we�re done, to wash your back. Okay?� Willow said in a pacifying tone. It was sad really, but lately Angelus seemed to have grown bored with Drusilla, often taking her out to hunt with him, but rarely taking her into his bed. The poor crazy vampire was losing her daddy all over again, and all Willow could do was try to pick up the slack with her.

Drusilla looked at the pair and slowly nodded. She no longer looked as if she would cry, but as she turned and headed to the bathroom Willow couldn�t help but shake the image of a lost child from her head. Once the door to the bathroom was shut, she turned her attention back to the dark vampire standing at the foot of the bed, leering at her. Her blanket slipped from her shoulders, leaving her breasts bare and jiggling slightly from the still vibrating bed.

�You know, that wasn�t very nice. You hurt her feelings again,� she admonished.

�I don�t care about her feelings. All I care about right now is what I�m going to do to you.�

His voice was thick with lust, and it made the redhead shudder, to imagine what was soon to come. She watched as he tossed his coat onto a nearby chair and began to slowly unbutton his black silk shirt. Willow watched, completely transfixed on his form as the garment dropped to the floor. He still made no move toward her, but stayed standing at the end of the bed, hands tracing lightly along his pale chest, fingers trailing up and down before finding his nipples and giving them both a firm pinch. Willow gasped, realizing that her hands had been mirroring his. The feel of her small fingers pinching her own sensitive points, made chills run down her spine.

From the moment he had walked through the door he had wanted nothing more than to sink himself into her warmth and pound her into the bed. But Angelus was all about control and loved nothing more than teasing the girl before him until she was in a frenzy of lust. However, watching her stroking her chest and pinching her nipples, he wasn�t sure how long he could last. There was only one way to find out.

Angelus continued to stroke his chest with one hand, while allowing his other hand to trail lower, and was happy to see she was still imitating him. He rubbed his hand firmly over the growing bulge in his leather pants, and let out a low groan as Willow stroked her own hand over her cinnamon curls. He then began to free his cock, one button at a time, as Willow found her clit and began to rub the hard nub. When the last button was popped, he slid his pants to the floor, stepping out of them and allowing his hand to stroke up and down his rigid shaft. Willow looked at him through heavy lids, her breath coming in pants. She was close already, but wanted to cum with him inside of her. But still, he hesitated. Normally she would have been content to keep playing his little game, enjoying the challenge of seeing who really had the control, but at this moment she could care less about who was on top, she just wanted him.

�Angelus, please�� she moaned with need.

He knew he had won, and no longer felt the need to play their little games. He moved toward her like a predator, grabbing her arm roughly and dragging her toward him. His kiss was powerful and made Willow feel suddenly weak in the knees. But almost as soon as it had started it was over. He grabbed her at the waist, turning her around until she was on her hands and knees. He ran one hand over her firm ass before giving it a sharp slap. Willow mewled with pleasure, pushing her butt back farther to rub against the tip of his cock, and was rewarded by another firm smack. He was dominating her, forcing her to submit to him, and a part of her, a part that was growing fast, loved it. She was about to ask him for another spank, when Angelus lost control and slammed his cock into her wet core.

Both cried out from the much needed contact. Angelus took a moment to compose himself, otherwise it would be over too quickly, and he wanted it to last as long as possible. With gritted teeth he began a torturously slow rhythm. Over the last several months it was becoming increasingly difficult to control himself with her, but he sure as hell was going to try. He rocked his body against hers, driving himself deep into her with each thrust, his eyes shut tight with concentration.

His slow pace was driving Willow insane, as she began to thrust her ass back toward him, trying to increase their contact. The motion broke Angelus� concentration, and unwillingly his hips sped up to match her pace. Soon he was slamming into her with total abandon, his balls slapping against her sensitive clit with the violence of their motions. Willow was unbelievably close, her hands tearing at the bedding and a constant moaning sound escaping her half parted lips. Suddenly she was there, screaming her release while Angelus dug his fingers into her hips painfully, continuing to pound away at her. The feel of her tight muscles clamping around his cock like a vise, threw him over the edge after her, his pace slowing and his eyes rolling up into his head as he emptied his seed into her.

Angelus collapsed on top of her, as she crumbled onto the bed. Willow panted, trying to get her breathing back under control. Angelus rolled off of her, and pulled her into his arms. His breathing was as calm as always, he didn�t need to do it at all; it was just an unconscious behavior. However, as Willow allowed him to pull her closer, she could feel him trembling. She placed one hand flat on the bed to be sure that the vibrating had stopped. When she was sure that it had, she pulled the lost blanket from the floor and wrapped it around them. She knew he wasn�t shaking from the cold, but wasn�t sure what else to do. Willow glanced up at his face, but his look was so intense that she had to look away. Why couldn�t he just be an unbelievable bastard like he used to?

She wouldn�t look at him, and somewhere deep inside him, it hurt. Ever since that night in Ireland, things had changed for them. Angelus had spent months torturing this girl in hopes that when the time came and he turned her, she would have a blood lust to match his own. But after that night he had realized he didn�t want another mate like Darla, he wanted someone softer, more compassionate, a mate he could let his guard down around. He wanted Willow, but she wouldn�t have him. Suddenly rage began to flood his body. �Spike�s right, I am a poof. That fucking soul must have contaminated me,� he thought coldly before giving Willow a harsh shove, forcing her out of the bed and onto the floor.

�Ah, yes. There�s the Angelus I�m so fond of,� she thought as she stood and rubbed her sore backside. She didn�t even try to understand what was running through his head; her own mind was messy enough without trying to understand the two hundred plus years of neuroses that was Angelus. Willow simply turned and walked to the bathroom to join Drusilla.

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Part 21

Willow woke early; the double bed really wasn�t large enough for the three of them, plus the time change was throwing her off. She sighed, pushing Drusilla�s cold hand off her face and pulled herself out of bed, careful to not knock Miss Edith off the nightstand. She thought about having a shower to help wake her up, but decided against it. She had had both a shower and a bath the night before, and didn�t want to dry out her skin. Willow pulled on her clothes from the night before, having forgotten to bring her bag inside, and then did her best to comb out her hair with her fingers. It was starting to get long again, coming just past her shoulders. Maybe she should get it cut, she thought, but not today. Today she was going to see her mother.

Just thinking about it was putting her stomach in knots. She didn�t feel remorse over what she had done to the woman. Sheila Rosenberg had gotten what she deserved. What bothered Willow was the thought of being in that place, even for an hour. Part of her was afraid they would realize who and what she was, and they would lock her up again. The redhead took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She needed to do this, needed to know that her mother and the others were being treated right, although she doubted anyplace could be worse than Marion.

Before heading out, she fished the car keys out of Angelus� coat pocket, and pulled the blankets well over the pair of vampires so they wouldn�t catch any rays of sun when she opened the door. Then she was off to check things out at the Greeley Center for Mental Health.

Willow had stopped off on the way to the center for a strong cup of coffee and directions. By the time she found the place it was almost noon. She sat in the car, just looking at it. Already it looked like a better place than she had been in. There was what appeared to be some sort of gardens buried under the snow, with benches scattered around. The building itself looked less like a hospital and more like an overgrown Victorian style home with three stories and a screened in porch. Together with the bright yellow paint and green shutters, it had a very inviting look about it. Nothing to indicate the groups of crazy people housed within.

After taking a few calming breaths, she headed up to the front door, and rang the bell. Moments later a kindly looking woman with short grey hair and glasses answered the door and ushered her in with a smile. Willow explained that she had come to see her mother, and the woman directed her to the main office so she could meet with the psychiatrist on duty first. The redhead waited quietly for the doctor, but the whole time she couldn�t help but shift around uncomfortably. This place was so much better than Marion. There was comfortable furniture in the various rooms she had caught a glimpse of. It was warm and dry and clean, and she couldn�t hear anyone crying or screaming. Patients passed by the waiting room periodically, some with a staff member, but most without. There were even several faces she recognized from her days in Marion.

�Ms. Rosenberg?�

Willow was drawn from her thoughts by a woman in a red business suit, with long dark hair and soft features. �Pretty,� she thought, but there was something in her eyes, a coldness maybe. Detachment. It was as if she didn�t want to risk getting close to the patients or anyone else for fear of losing her objectivity. Willow extended a hand to her, and discovered that her handshake was like her eyes, cold and professional. The redhead wasn�t sure if she liked this woman, and swallowed down a lump in her throat as she gave her a smile and a nod. She was here to see her mother; she had no reason to fear this shrink. She was a powerful witch and they couldn�t force her to stay here, even if they wanted to.

�I�m Dr. Webber,� the woman said, arching an eyebrow at Willow�s obvious discomfort. She had heard about Willow Rosenberg, in fact she had read Dr. Scholten�s files on her. For a short while she was thought to be dead when she had gone missing from Marion, but when no body was found, the police began to wonder. Dr. Webber had even inquired about the girl, when Ira Rosenberg had come in to see his wife, but he had little to say on the matter. He assumed she was dead, or had fallen back in with her �devil worshipping� friends. Either way, she had never been court ordered to receive treatment, and now that she was over eighteen, she was free to make her own choices on the matter. Nonetheless, the good doctor planned to keep a very close eye on this woman while she was in her facility.

She directed Willow into a very small office, which had probably started life as a pantry. However, it was now packed tight with filing cabinets, a small desk with an old swivel chair, and a second, less comfortable, chair in which Willow was now sitting.

�So, Ms. Rosenberg, what brings you to our happy little facility?�

�I�m here to see my mother.�

�Of course you are. I assume your father informed you she was here?�

�My father? That�s right�um he said she was here,� Willow mentally cursed herself. You�d think after everything she had done she would be able to lie a little better. �How is she?�

�Well, I�m sure your father probably informed you that your mother is in a constant delusionary state. My colleague, Dr. Andersen, and I have run several tests, and can find no organic cause for her condition. There has been no traumatic brain injury, no chemical imbalance. It seems that she has simply suffered a severe break down, possibly brought on by stress, and as such we have decided to discontinue her antipsychotic medication. Instead we have prescribed mild sedatives to be given as needed and we monitor her condition closely in hopes that she will simply come out of it.� Dr. Webber watched Willow�s reaction to this news closely. Most people don�t like to be told that all that can be done for a loved one is to �wait and see�, but sometimes that is the case. Willow however, didn�t seem bothered by the news at all. She simply listened, nodding her head occasionally.

�Can I see her now?�

�Of course, I think she would like that very much. I�ll show you myself.�

Willow was escorted to a room on the second floor. It was small for a bedroom, but her mother was the only occupant, so it seemed cozy rather than crowded. This place was a hundred times better than Marion, the redhead thought, but despite the homey d�cor, there was still an unease about the place. Maybe it was the faint smell of urine covered by disinfectant, or perhaps it was the sound of whimpering and babbling that floated down the halls. Willow shuddered slightly, and went to sit next to her mother who was perched on her bed, rocking and humming to herself.

Sheila looked up at the pretty redhead across from her, but there was no recognition in her eyes. The older woman smiled at her daughter briefly and resumed her rocking. Willow climbed onto the bed next to her, pulling a beautiful doll she had bought in Italy from her oversized bag, and handed it to her mother. She took it happily and began rocking it like a real baby as she continued to hum. Drusilla had been right; a dolly was a good gift. Willow grabbed a hairbrush from the dresser nearby and began brushing her mother�s long red tresses, just as she had done for Willow when she was a child.

In some twisted way, Willow felt content, happy. Growing up, she had wanted nothing more than a family that would always be there for her. Her parents had failed sorely at providing this, leading the girl to become unusually close with her friends. But now her mother was here, a captive audience, so to speak, for Willow�s affections. All day the pair sat together while Willow braided her mother�s hair, and told her stories of her travels abroad. Sheila Rosenberg listened to the pretty girl with rapt attention, not really understanding the words, but enjoying the lilting sound of her voice. When the sun began to set, Willow was sad that it was time for her to go, but resolved to return in the near future for another visit. She gave her mother a hug and kiss goodbye, and headed out.

However, she had no sooner started to leave than she suddenly ran headlong into someone trying to enter the room. She glanced up to apologize, and found herself staring into familiar eyes. Willow gasped in shock to see John, the very orderly that had made her time at Marion a living hell. She stumbled back away from him, starting to fall, and he reached out to catch her arm before she toppled over.

The moment his hand touched her, she let out a terrified squeal, and tried to pull away from him. She did fall then, scrambling toward the bed to try to put more space between them. Her panicked screech pulled her mother out of her daze for a moment, causing her to look up into the face of the man in her room. Soon, she too started making small terrified sounds of recognition. Willow, who had clambered onto the bed with her mother, immediately noticed her reaction, and a sick feeling washed over her. She may have tortured this woman herself, but the thought of someone else harming her while she was in such a fragile state, especially the man who had spent so much time torturing her, was more than she could bear. Willow felt her rage and her fear battling for dominance within her. After all she had seen, all she had done, this man still succeeded in making her feel like a frightened child, powerless.

It took a few moments for the man to register that his new, �favorite�, patient was actually related to the pretty girl he had enjoyed raping so much in the past. With that realization, a twisted smile spread across his face.

�Well, well, well, what do we have here? It�s good to see you again, Willow,� he said, his voice rough with desire.

�W-w-what are you doing here?� Willow asked weakly.

�Oh, I was just coming in to tell Sheila goodnight. I was hoping to spend a few minutes alone with her before my shift was over,� he practically purred as he strode closer to the pair of frightened women, �You know, after you, I have a real weakness for redheads.�

He was close enough to touch her, as Willow�s memories of abuse went screaming through her head. Her heart was beating too hard, too fast, making her dizzy with the sound of blood pounding in her ears. Adrenaline flooded her body, panic overwhelming her as he closed the distance between them, again reaching out to touch her. She tasted bile in the back of her throat, only a brief moment before her body finally revolted against the emotional overload, and she vomited all over her tormentor. John recoiled in disgust, turning abruptly and heading from the room.

�I�ll see the both of you later,� he quipped before retreating.

Willow sat shaking uncontrollably for several moments before she realized that her mother had placed her arms around her trembling frame and was rocking her slowly, humming her soothing tune. Willow looked up into green eyes, very much like her own. There was still no recognition that Willow was her daughter, but there was something, some level of understanding that they were both survivors, both in need of healing. Willow broke down and sobbed, letting her mother comfort her as she never had before.

@@@@@@@@@@

Willow watched John from the safety of her car, as he went into yet another strip club. After the incident at the Greeley Center, she had used a bit of magic to get a peek at his employment files. He had never listed working at Marion, so the people at Greeley had no way of knowing he had been fired for improper conduct. Willow thought about telling them just what kind of a man they had hired, but no one believed her before, so she saw little likelihood they would believe her now. She got his address from the same file, and decided to handle the situation herself. After all, she owed him.

However, the longer she followed him, the more she seemed to lose her nerve. She had never been this afraid of anyone in her life, and she just couldn�t understand it. She had spent most her years around actual monsters, and she had fought them off. Sure, she was always terrified at the time, but still Willow always found the courage to fight. But this man had done her more harm than beating her up or trying to kill her. He had stolen her self worth, her ability to look in the mirror without hating the person who looked back at her. He was a worse monster than any vampire or demon, because he had a soul and still he took pleasure in preying upon the weak. Just that morning, she would have described herself the same way, but seeing John again, she was reminded of the difference between torturing for pleasure, and exacting vengeance.

Willow watched as John was thrown out of the club by an angry bouncer, almost as soon as he had entered. He stumbled drunkenly for a few moments, yelling obscenities at the man, but when the bouncer moved to shut him up, he retreated like the coward he was. It was one thing to act like the �big man� when he raping a woman who was completely unable to defend herself, but it was quite another to act out his violence against someone with a fighting chance. Willow observed the scene with distaste. She already knew what kind of man he was, and was not surprised at his little display. She did take interest however when he stumbled into a nearby alley.

As she watched him stagger into seclusion, she drew in upon herself, calling up every memory of every time this man had hurt her, and she let the rage build within her. Every ounce of fear that flooded her senses, she turned in upon herself until it came back as anger. Soon, all she could see was red. Again her pulse was pounding in her ears, but now it was driving her, flooding her body with adrenaline, but this time to fight, not flee.

She found him in the alley, leaning heavily against one of the buildings while he pissed on his foot. The moment he finished, Willow made a sound, like clearing her throat. He spun around to face her, still clutching his shriveled manhood in one hand. A sneer spread across his face as he began to grope himself with more purpose.

�I knew shoo couldn� stay �way,� he slurred in her general direction.

�You got that right,� she replied in an icy tone, �After all, how could a girl like me resist a �man� like you?�

As she walked closer to him, she reached her hand deep into her coat pocket, gripping the cold steel within. By the time she was within touching distance, he had already worked himself up to half an erection, but the high alcohol content of his blood was making anything more difficult at best. Willow stood very close, her hand sliding down his stomach to take his semi-soft member into her own hand. He sighed in pleasure, the stench of alcohol and sweat assaulting her senses.

�I alwaysh knew shoo were a whore,� John mumbled in her ear, his hand reaching out to grab her breast harshly. Willow let out a bitter laugh, making him flinch slightly.

�You, don�t know ANYTHING about me!� she said with cold fury, gripping his cock firmly with one hand while slicing it off neatly with the blade she held in the other.

For a moment he was too in shock to register what had happened. Willow dropped the piece of ruined flesh from her hand as blood poured out of him, covering her hands and the lower part of her body. His eyes grew wide as she lifted her hands up in the dim light, the blood quickly cooling in the frigid cold, and looking much darker than normal in the darkness. John let out a panicked scream before Willow plunged the knife into his throat, severing his windpipe and silencing his screams. Blood sprayed from the wound, coating her face in a fine mist of red. The scent of it filled her senses, and drove her rage further, as she stabbed him again and again, until her arms ached with the effort and he was left hunched over on the ground with her bent over him, both of them drenched in his blood. The knife fell from her hand, as she stumbled a few feet away from the body and again vomited.

Willow always imagined that if this day ever came, she would have used her magic to torture him slowly like the others, Dr. Scholten, her mother. But when the moment finally came, she had lost all control. What she had done was fast, brutal, and so much more intimate. Willow looked down at what had once been his face, but now was just so much meat after being sliced to ribbons. She felt no remorse over her actions, just surprise at the force of her rage. She had to get away from this place, now.

The redhead stumbled back to the car in a daze, and drove off, doing her best not to crash into anything given her lack of concentration.

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Part 22

Angelus paced the small motel room for the umpteenth time, his agitation growing exponentially. Where was she? He knew today was the day Willow was going to visit her mother, but she should have been back hours ago, and the dark vampire was starting to worry. He didn�t think the people at that center would try to keep her there, but she had been committed once before, and she never was released. Technically she had escaped. Angelus balled his hands into fists, cursing under his breath. �If they�ve done something with her, I�m going to rip their spines out,� he fumed.

Drusilla watched her daddy pace in silence, rocking Miss Edith and trying to be invisible. It was rare for him to get this worked up over something; normally he was the definition of cool. However, the few times she had seen him like this, she knew better than to draw his attention to her. She had learned the hard way how excessively brutal he could be when he needed to blow off steam.

Suddenly both heads turned toward the door. Someone was coming, someone who reeked of blood. Angelus rushed forward, yanking the door open, trying to push down the panic that was quickly rising within him. There, standing in the cold, covered in blood was Willow. The dark vampire grabbed her, and pulled her into his strong embrace as his hands checked her for injuries. When he was satisfied that she was intact, he maneuvered her to sit on the bed, and shut the door, forcing out the cold.

�Willow, what happened?� he asked, trying to keep his voice calm. The sight of her had started a rollercoaster of emotions within him; relief that she was safe, fear about what had happened to her, not to mention hunger and lust seeing her covered in blood.

Willow looked up at him with eyes that were wide and showing too much white. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head violently trying to erase the images in her mind. When she opened her mouth again, the words that came out were spoken so softly that Drusilla and Angelus had to strain to hear them.

�I killed him.�

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It took over an hour to get the full story out of Willow. She seemed to be in some state of shock. When he had finally gleaned enough information to decipher where the killing had actually taken place, he left in a hurry, leaving Drusilla to get Willow cleaned up and pack their things.

The drive over was a short one, and Angelus cursed the entire way. He should have been there when this had happened. Revenge was something to be planned out, clean, untraceable, especially for humans. He understood why Willow had lost control, but what she had done could prove to be a monumental nightmare. He just hoped he wasn�t too late.

However, as he rounded the corner, the night sky was lit up by flashes of blue and red, and he knew that they were seriously fucked. Angelus pulled down the street a ways, parked and doubled back on foot. He stood at the edge of the police tape with the rest of the crowd, trying to discern how much they knew. After twenty minutes or so he had learned, thanks to his superior vampire hearing, that the police had no I.D. on the body; they were going to have to use dental records to get his name because Willow had sliced his face up so badly. Angelus couldn�t help the little stab of pride that went through him when he heard this; his witch could really be brutal. The bad news was that they had found the murder weapon, as well as some possible DNA evidence from where she had vomited afterwards. Between the DNA, and the prints they would surely get from the knife, it would be no trouble tracing Willow back to Sunnydale. So much for their big reunion bloodbath. It looked like they were going to have to head back overseas.

By the time Angelus returned to the motel, Drusilla had Willow all clean and ready to go. She had thrown all her soiled clothes and the jacket in a trash bag, and was sitting on the bed, brushing out the redhead�s hair. Angelus briefly explained the situation to the girls, becoming very frustrated while he tried to explain to Drusilla the significance of DNA evidence. She just couldn�t grasp the idea of someone being able to prove that her poppet had killed the bad man, just by finding little pieces of Willow in a pool of sick. However, she did know that Angelus was rarely wrong about such things.

Angelus looked at the redhead, huddled on the bed, and sighed, �I think we should leave the country again.�

Willow�s head shot up at hearing this, �No! I know I screwed up, and I�m sorry, but please Angelus, I want to go home,� she pleaded in desperation.

�Look, little one, I know you�ve been waiting a long time for your little Scooby reunion, hell we all have, but now is not the time. I know that typically the cops can be pretty stupid, but it�s not going to take a genius to figure this out. You have a history with this guy. You accused him of rape. There were witnesses that saw you at his work today. You left DNA evidence and the murder weapon at the scene. Willow, it�s an open and shut case! If we don�t leave now, we may not get another chance. I mean if it was just one or two cops, I could kill them no problem, but we�re talking about a potential nation wide manhunt here. I�m just one vamp, I can�t fix this!� Angelus yelled in exasperation.

�Hey, I�m the one they�re going to be after, not you. I can fix this, I know I can. But if you don�t want to help me, then you are free to go!� Willow replied hotly.

�How!? How are you going to fix this!?� he asked, ignoring her offer for him to leave.

�Okay, it won�t be easy, but in this situation, my knife and the DNA evidence would go to the forensics lab to be analyzed, right? So, all I need to do is hack into their computer system, to find out where that is, then I�ll shut down whatever security systems they have, and we just go in and get it. Then I�ll hack into the flight manifest, and change our arrival time for the day after tomorrow, coming into LAX instead, so that will give me an alibi.�

�All that sounds good, but what about the people here who have seen you? They�re sure to blow that alibi all to hell.�

�I�ll just have to do a few memory charms, no problem.�

Angelus didn�t like the idea of leaving something so important up to magic, but he really didn�t relish the idea of another endless flight overseas. He was willing to give her plan a try.

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Willow felt kind of silly as she snuck into the public library after hours. She needed to get to a computer, quickly, and a library was her best bet, but it still made her feel a bit ridiculous.

Angelus followed close behind her, while Drusilla waited in the car, pouting. She didn�t understand the point of the whole cloak and dagger routine, and thought they should just walk into the police station and kill everybody. Luckily, Willow and Angelus had convinced her to let them try Willow�s plan first. After about half an hour, Willow had everything they needed and they headed out.

The redhead cast a simple charm on the three of them making them able to pass through the squad room unnoticed, not invisible exactly, more like they were able to just fade into the background. As for the surveillance cameras, Willow had set them on a continuous loop so they wouldn�t be caught on film. That had been a little trickier, but her magic was strong, and she could handle it. She had thought about using her magic to just conjure the evidence to her, but she couldn�t risk something going wrong, she needed to do this in person.

The forensics lab was dark and quiet. Willow breathed a sigh of relief. Despite Drusilla�s desire for bloodshed, it was really best if they didn�t have any interference. It took her a few moments to decipher the police cataloging system, but soon found the location of her DNA samples and the murder weapon. She had really been careless. There was a clear thumbprint in the coagulated blood on the knife�s handle. They would have had no trouble tracing the murder back to her. In fact they still might. The goal was to remove all the evidence, then they could speculate all they wanted, but they would never be able to prove anything.

She took a moment to go through the lab computer files; to be sure they hadn�t missed anything. It was difficult typing with rubber gloves on, but Willow had insisted they do this cleanly. They couldn�t afford to leave more evidence behind. She was relieved to discover that the evidence had been cataloged, but not analyzed yet. So, once the items were safely in her pocket, she was ready to go. Angelus halted her for a moment, while he trashed the cataloging bins. Evidence bags went flying everywhere; it would take hours to clean it all up, and even longer to realize that any of the bags were missing. �Pretty clever,� Willow thought, giving him a disarming smile.

The moment she opened the door, her smile disappeared though as she ran smack into a cop on his way to drop something off at the lab. Her spell that helped them blend in, didn�t work when you mowed someone down, and the officer let out a high pitched squeal of surprise, not terribly manly. Before he had the chance to do anything else, Angelus grabbed him from behind and swiftly broke his neck.

The trio left the building quickly. They had what they came for, and did not want to be there when the other officers discovered that one of their own had been murdered right in their station.

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There was only a couple hours left till dawn when Willow dropped Angelus and Drusilla back at the motel. She still needed to ditch the car, which was covered in John�s blood, as well as the rest of the evidence. After stopping to purchase some supplies, she drove just outside of town to an abandoned farmhouse. She pulled the car up behind it, and went to work with the cleaning supplies, removing any fingerprints. She had placed plastic over the seat, to ensure they didn�t get blood on their clean clothes, but now she pulled the plastic up and began wiping the seat down as well. Once the bulk of it was done, she poured kerosene throughout the vehicle, as well as on the bag of bloody clothes and the evidence bags, and lit the whole thing.

She let it burn for a while before walking back out to the main road. It was freezing cold, and she pulled the flimsy spring jacket tighter around her, as she trudged along. After walking a few miles a car pulled up next to her and offered her a ride into town. She was a little worried about being seen, but she was half frozen and very tired so she climbed in. A little man with practically no hair and wire rimmed glasses, talked her ear off the whole way into town. He was a sales rep for some company or other, and had been driving all night. He was grateful to have some company, and Willow was content to just let him talk.

The redhead thanked the little man as he dropped her off in front of the motel, and made a mental note to add him to the list of people getting memory charms.

The first rays of dawn were just starting up over the horizon as Willow let herself into the motel room. She stood for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the still blackness within, when she was finally able to focus on the naked forms intertwined on the bed. They looked so peaceful lying there, seemingly asleep, but there was a certain tension in Angelus� body that gave him away.

�How�d it go?� he asked her softly, not wanting to wake Drusilla.

�Just as we planned,� she answered, beginning to strip off her clothes as well. �Tomorrow, I�ll get the supplies to do the memory charms. Once they�re cast, we can get out of here. We�ll need to get a new car though.�

�I�ll take care of that after the sun goes down. Now come to bed, little one.�

Angelus carefully extricated himself from Drusilla, and lifted the covers for Willow. She climbed in gratefully, longing for a little comfort. Theirs had never been what could be called a caring relationship, but there had been a mutual understanding between them lately. She had offered him solace when he needed it most, and now it was his turn to return the favor.

The dark vampire propped himself up on one elbow, so he could use his free hand to trace caressing patterns across Willow�s hot skin. She sighed with pleasure, giving herself over completely to the moment. He lowered his mouth to trace the same pattern with his cool tongue. Her sighs quickly becoming moans as his talented mouth found her left nipple, circling it with his tongue before sucking it into his moist cavern. Soon she was writhing beneath him as he continued his slow ministrations. Her breathing was becoming erratic as he trailed his soft kisses down her body, finally coming to rest at the juncture between her legs.

He pushed her thighs apart, continuing to be gentle, running his tongue along her inner thigh until he found a small patch of scar tissue. He pulled his head back a moment so he could gaze at the mark he had placed upon her. He had lost control when he gave it to her, but he never regretted it, despite how mad she had been at the time. She was his. It was only right that she should bare his mark, even if it was where no one but himself and Drusilla would ever see it. He placed a soft kiss upon the scar, making her shiver slightly before nosing his way up to her core.

She was already slick with need, and Angelus took a moment to just revel in her heady aroma. She always smelled of something spicy and exotic, and he loved it. He ran his tongue along her smooth folds, and was rewarded with a gasp from the eager redhead. His tongue quickly sought out her clit, knowing just what she needed. He sucked the hard nubbin into his mouth as he worked two and then three fingers into her tight channel.

Willow was going insane with her need. Angelus was doing things to her body that she had forgotten were even possible. Spike was the only one who had ever shown her such loving attention before. Sure, Angelus had always been good about satisfying her lust, but it had never been gentle between them, not even that night in the graveyard. At this moment however, he was different. He was making it all about her, and her needs. He was giving her the tenderness she had been craving, and it was almost too much for her. After the horror she had been through in the last twenty-four hours, it was as if she had forgotten such tenderness existed.

Fat tears began to roll down her cheeks as her emotions overflowed. Angelus heard her soft sobbing, and moved himself up her body. He kissed her tears away as he slid himself into her. For a moment her breathing stilled at the feeling of him inside her. Then, he began his slow rhythm again, pushing himself deep within, wanting to take her pain away. He murmured soft words of encouragement in her ear, and continued to kiss away the occasional tear.

Willow clung tightly to him, wanting to pull him farther into herself until there was nothing left of her at all, only him. Her sobbing calmed, but the tears continued, little wet reminders of the pain that was trying to escape her soul. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his mouth to hers. The kiss started gently, but soon became desperate, frantic, as she began to move her body more forcefully against his.

As their rhythm increased, so did Angelus� need. He didn�t want to lose control like he had the last time, but now it was not an issue of control; it was an issue of wanting her pleasure to come first. They continued to kiss, a battle of tongues and teeth. He could no longer withstand the feelings inside him.

�Willow, please,� he begged her, his voice ragged.

The sound of him begging was enough to push her over the edge, her back arching, muscles clamping around his cock like a fist. Angelus roared his own release, feeling her milking his cold seed into her body.

When it was done he collapsed on top of her, both of them physically and emotionally spent. Angelus rolled off before long, pulling her into his arms so her head was resting on his chest. He used one hand to brush her stray locks away from her face, and kissed her gently on the forehead. Spike was right; he was a poof. But he couldn�t help it. Willow just brought it out of him. He marveled at how his wayward childe could have ever let her get away in the first place. He wouldn�t make the same mistake. He would try to convince her to become his childe willingly, but one way or another he would turn her soon.

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Part 23

The trio had been back in Los Angelus for about three weeks, laying low at Angelus� insistence until they knew if the police were after Willow. So far, she had found no indication that the crime had been connected to her in the police database, but she was so close to being home, that she didn�t want to be hasty and blow things now. They mostly spent their time in seclusion, Willow and Angelus spending a great deal of time reading, Drusilla playing with her dollies and having tea parties. Of course every night Angelus and Dru would go out to hunt, leaving Willow behind, but she didn�t mind. The redhead loved this time best of all.

She loved the old hotel and all the little noises it made when no one else was there. She had even secretly fixed up one of the rooms on the top floor as a place for doing magic. The redheaded hacker had acquired a multitude of spell books while she was overseas. A few of the more valuable ones she brought back with her, but the majority she had to wait for, while they were shipped to her. In fact, a large trunk of books arrived just that day, and she was busy unpacking them, when she heard a noise coming from downstairs. Willow sighed in frustration, wanting to finish her task, but knowing it would be easier to go down now than to listen to Dru and Angelus calling all over the hotel for her. However, as she came down the stairs in no particular rush, she was stopped short by the sight before her.

�Cordelia,� Willow breathed in surprise.

�Oh my god, Willow!� Cordelia cried out with her own shock, �What are you doing here!?�

�I live here,� the redhead replied a bit defensively.

�Does that mean Angel is back from wherever the hell he went?�

�Yeah, he�s around. What are �you� doing here?�

�Oh, well�� Cordelia looked at the ground sheepishly for a moment, ��after Angel sort of freaked out with the whole Darla thing and fired us, Wesley, Gunn and I started our own business. But then Gunn died fighting a Gachblas demon, and Wes moved back to take care of his father, don�t even get me started on the freaky issues between those two, and so that just left little ol� me, visions girl, with no job, and no way to pay the rent. So I figured since Angel had been gone for months, and this place was just sitting empty��

�You thought you�d just move right in,� Willow finished for her.

�Umm, yeah?�

�Well, I�m sure �Angel� will be happy to see you. He should be back any time now,� Willow said with a smile, motioning Cordelia over to the couch.

�Great! So, have you been here long? I mean, I thought your parents had you locked away somewhere, what with the whole crazy thing, and all.�

Yep, that was Cordelia, as subtle as a train wreck.

�Cordy, I wasn�t crazy. Vampires and stuff are real, remember? I wasn�t making it up,� Willow replied tersely, trying to stay calm until Angelus got home and could kill the stupid bitch.

�Well, yeah, I know that. But you of all people should know better than to go spouting off about all that to the normals. Plus, there was that whole thing between you and Spike, and can I just take a moment to say, ewww. What was that all about? I mean if that�s not crazy, then I don�t know what is.�

Willow flinched at the mention of her old lover. It had never gotten easier hearing his name; each time was like a fresh stab of pain in her heart. It had taken months to get Drusilla to not mention him in her presence, and now here her childhood nemesis was rambling on about him. �Screw it,� she thought, �I�ll kill her myself.� Just then the front door swung open and in strolled Angelus, with Drusilla following close at his heels.

Cordelia gasped at the pair of them, immediately realizing the implications of the two of them being together. She was in big trouble.

�Angelus?� the seer asked weakly.

�Cordelia!� Angelus boomed with a cheerful voice, �Look, Dru baby, we have company over for dinner!�

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The Scoobies were assembled at the Summer�s residence for the latest creature feature. Normally the gang would be over at the Magic Box, but there had been an unfortunate incident there earlier in the week while Dawn was helping with the inventory. She had accidentally knocked over a small rack of spell ingredients, breaking several of the vials. The somewhat volatile substances within combined to create a blue fog that turned the hair and skin of all those who came in contact with it blue as well. Luckily the color faded after a few days, but it was taking a bit longer to air out the shop. And so, here they were in Buffy�s living room, the whole group gathered around pretending to listen to Giles go on about some leprechaun type creature.

�I thought leprechauns were supposed to be good. You know, like making rainbows and giving you gold and stuff,� Dawn said in confusion, interrupting the frustrated watcher.

�Oh well, that just goes to show how little most humans know about anything supernatural,� Anya said matter of factly, �See real leprechauns use bursts of color to stun their victims. Then, they eat them. I�m not sure where the whole gold thing got started, but they are native to Ireland.�

�The point is,� Giles interjected, �if we do indeed have leprechauns here in Sunnydale, then we should step up patrols, not to mention research. As Anya already pointed out, these creatures can be extremely dangerous, and tend to live in packs, which means there could be quite a lot of them around. So, Buffy, I want you and Spike to check all the cemeteries, Oz and Xander, take the north side of town, Amy and I will take the south side. Anya, Dawn and Tara, I want you to go over the books again and see if you can learn anything more about these creatures.�

As Giles finished delegating tasks, everyone gave little mumbled groans at their assignments, and readied themselves to get started when they heard a knock at the door.

�Huh, that�s weird. Everyone I know is already here,� Buffy said as she moved to answer it.

But before she had the chance, Dawn bounded across the room with a loud, �I�ll get it!� The bouncy teen lost some of her enthusiasm though when she opened the door to reveal two uniformed officers and a tall man in a trench coat. �Um, Buffy, it�s the cops.�

Suddenly everyone went very still. The police being at your door was never a good thing. Buffy and Giles both went to the door, standing guard somewhat, reluctant to let them in.

�Miss Summers? Buffy Summers?�

�That�s right,� Buffy replied, her tension obvious.

�Hi, my name is Detective Mike Addison, and I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about a Miss Willow Rosenberg?�

If the room had been silent before, you could have heard a pin drop in there now. Everyone�s tension had multiplied tenfold, especially Spike who had been waiting for some kind of news about his redheaded witch literally for years.

Buffy showed the men in, the detective casually looked around the living room in a manner that seemed nonchalant, but if you asked him days later he would still be able to describe all the occupants and their surroundings with surprising detail. The two uniformed officers stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, standing guard in case things got out of hand.

�I hope I�m not interrupting a study session,� he said, noticing several large texts lying around.

�Oh, yeah, you know us college students; it�s all about the studying. Right guys?� the slayer prompted and was answered by several less than enthusiastic voices agreeing with her.

�So, you said you were here about Willow?� Spike asked, wanting to cut to the chase and find out what was happening with his lost love.

�And you are?� the detective asked, eyeing the dangerous looking man, suspiciously.

�Name�s Spike. Now what�s the word on Willow?� he was losing all patience with Mr. Trench Coat. He had been trying for what seemed like an eternity to learn the truth about what happened to the girl, but despite all his efforts, he could never turn up any answers. Spike came back to Sunnydale, convinced that the Scoobies had to know where she was, but after all this time he�d come to the conclusion that they were just as clueless as he was. However, that opinion was about to change.

�Spike, huh? Interesting name. Would I be right in assuming that you all are acquainted with Miss Rosenberg?� He asked and glanced around to see a room full of bobbing heads, �Well then, you all might just be able to make my job a little easier. To start with, let me ask, when was the last time any of you spoke with Miss Rosenberg?�

Several eyes turned to look at Xander, who stared down at the ground rather than at the expression of hurt in Dawn�s eyes over him keeping such a major secret from her.

�I spoke to her, but it was months ago. Almost a year.�

Spike jumped to his feet, not even trying to control his rage, �You spoke to her, and you didn�t tell me! How could you! After all I�ve done to help you stupid gits!� Xander sprung to his feet as well, his own rage just as hot.

�Why on earth would I tell you anything about her after what you did!? It was your fault they put her in that place to begin with!�

�What place!? What are you talking about!?�

Spike moved up to scream directly in Xander�s face, but only for a moment. The uniformed policemen, sensing that duty was calling, stepped in and each taking hold of Spike dragged him back to the other side of the room.

�So, I take it not everyone here has a full history on where Miss Rosenberg has been the last few years. No matter, what I need to know is if any of you have spoken to her recently?� the detective asked, and glanced around to see nothing but empty faces. �I see. Well, so much for making my job easier.�

�What is this all about?� Giles asked the picture of self control.

�And you are?�

�Rupert Giles.�

�Well, Mr. Giles, I am conducting a murder investigation, and Miss Rosenberg is wanted for questioning.�

�You can�t seriously be implying that Willow is a suspect? She couldn�t harm a fly!� So much for self control.

�At this time we just want to speak with her, but don�t fool yourselves about this girl being harmless. I have spoken to several former employees of the psychiatric hospital where she was being held, and they all informed me that she was prone to fits of violence.�

�That�s where�s she�s been!? Locked away in some nuthouse!? How could you!? All of you! She was your friend, and you just left her in there to rot!?� Spike redoubled his efforts to get away, but his struggles against the police only succeeded in setting off his chip. He collapsed to the floor, howling in pain. The officers glanced at one another, silently deciding not to risk it, and put handcuffs on the obviously dangerous man.

�We didn�t just leave her there, dead boy! We tried to get her out, but there was nothing we could do.� Xander yelled in their defense, the whole time not even believing his own words. He still couldn�t forgive himself for not finding a way to get Willow out of that place.

�Look everyone just calm down. Xander, sit down and be quiet until we can get to the bottom of this. And Spike if you want to vent your anger at someone for not telling you the truth of Willow�s whereabouts, that someone should be me. I instructed the others not to say anything to you, for obvious reasons. Now, if everyone can just control themselves, I�m interested in hearing exactly who the good detective thinks Willow has killed.� Giles stated, taking back control of the room.

�The victim�s name was John Lemkee. He used to work at Marion when Miss Rosenberg was there. We found his body a few weeks ago in an alley in Council Bluffs, Iowa.�

�And why do you think Willow was responsible?�

�Let�s just say they have a history,� the detective replied, unwilling to give out any more information unless it would benefit his investigation in some way.

�John?� Xander asked softly, �Not the bastard that raped her?�

The detective started to answer, but was interrupted by a howl of rage and pain, from the general direction of the floor where Spike was being pinned down in handcuffs by one of the officers. He had failed Willow in so many ways, but he had never imagined anything like this happening to her. He simply assumed that she didn�t love him anymore and had left to start her life over. Now, hearing the truth, he knew that no amount of penance on his part would ever make up for him not finding her, not trying harder to get her back. He felt cool tears stinging his eyes. Normally the blonde vamp would be too ashamed to let these people see him cry, but at that moment, he was too overwhelmed by all he had just learned to even care who saw. He wept openly.

All eyes had turned to Spike as they watched him bawling, face down on the rug. Of the group, only Xander, Buffy, and Giles had known all the details of where Willow was and what had been happening to her. They did try to convince her parents to have her released on several occasions, but at the time when Willow was admitted she had been so deranged from the bloodlust brought on by drinking from vampire, that it was impossible to convince Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg that their daughter wasn�t insane.

Xander suggested several times that the group of them try to break her out, but Giles would hear none of it. For them to �rescue� her, would be seen as kidnapping in the eyes of the law. Willow was a minor at the time, and her parents were well within their rights to get her the help they thought she needed. Besides, Giles had assured them once the bloodlust subsided; Willow would again be in control of her mind and would surely be released. No one imagined she would be kept so long or that such horrible things could happen to her in a health facility. Xander had written to her every week, trying to keep Willow�s hopes up, but his friend rarely responded to his letters.

He only learned of the rape when he had gone once again to plead with her parents for her release. Willow had stopped writing to him altogether, and Xander feared she finally just gave up all hopes of freedom. Ira and Sheila tried to pacify the boy by explaining that they were professionals, and their daughter was not well enough to leave Marion. They told him Willow was so desperate for attention that she had even gone so far as to accuse one of the staff of molesting her. Whether or not her parents believed her, he had.

Xander tried again to convince Giles and Buffy to help him get Willow out, but the ex-librarian still refused, insisting that if her allegations were true, they would be dealt with through the proper channels, and that it wasn�t their place to get involved. This decision, and Buffy�s agreement with her watcher, had essentially driven a wedge between the three, until only the slaying still tied them together. Xander decided to go on his own to help Willow, but before he had the chance, the police paid him a visit, informing him that his oldest friend was missing, and possibly dead. They wanted to know if he had seen her, but of course his answer was no. He failed her, but if given the chance to help her now, he wouldn�t fail her again.

Looking at Spike and hearing the desperate, anguished sobbing that was coming from him; Xander wondered briefly if he previously misjudged the blonde vampire. He still hated him, and blamed him for putting Willow in this mess in the first place, but deep down he had to admit that Spike truly did care about the redheaded hacker.

They were all looking at Spike with guilty expressions, especially Giles. If he followed Xander�s suggestions from the beginning, perhaps none of this would have happened. He had been a fool to trust that her family and her doctors would do the right thing and release her. This was all his fault. He should have done something to save her, but he didn�t and now he would never forgive himself.

Buffy was feeling the guilt too as she looked at Spike. Willow was her best friend once, she should have done something. At the time though, she was feeling hurt over the attention Angel had been giving the little redhead. Then Spike came back into their lives, and quickly became infatuated with Buffy. He claimed it was love, and when the slayer first returned from the grave, she allowed herself to believe it. But looking at him now and hearing the pain of his cries, she knew he never truly loved her. There was only room for one woman in his undead heart, and that was Willow. Despite how adamantly she had insisted that they stop seeing each other, just knowing how fiercely he loved someone else, made jealousy well up inside her.

The attention of the group was brought back to the detective when he cleared his throat loudly.

�Perhaps this would be easier if I questioned you all individually down at the station. However, since you seem to be cooperating, I�d prefer to keep this simple, without all the headache and paperwork of an official interrogation. So, I�ll try to be brief and say that I cannot confirm or deny whether the victim is the same man Miss Rosenberg accused of raping her. But let�s just say that the amount of disfigurement of the body indicates a crime of passion.�

�And do you have any proof that it was Willow?� Giles asked, taking off his glasses and cleaning them furiously.

�We did have two very good pieces of evidence, but before they could be analyzed, someone broke into the lab, stole them, and killed one of our officers,� Detective Addison replied coldly.

�I see. So you have �no� actual proof it was Willow,� Giles stated calmly.

�Not yet, but I will. I know it was her. Just as I know she was somehow responsible for the death of four guards when she disappeared from the psychiatric hospital in Sioux City, as well as a string of other mysterious deaths throughout the area shortly after that.�

�Well, Detective, as you can plainly see, we have no idea of her whereabouts. So, unless you have anymore questions, we really should be getting back to our�um�studying,� Giles said dismissively.

�I may have no more questions at this time, but I�ll leave my card so you can contact me in case any of you do hear from her,� he said, setting the small piece of paper on the banister, �I urge all of you to call me immediately if you have any news. Believe me, after all I�ve seen, there�s no doubt in my mind that this girl is a cold blooded killer.�

At this, Detective Addison motioned for the uniformed officers to uncuff Spike. They looked disappointed, but did as they were instructed, heading for the door, leaving the vampire still sobbing softly on the floor.

�Remember what I said, she�s dangerous,� the detective stated half over his shoulder, and then they were gone, unconcerned with the aftermath they left behind them.

Almost immediately after they had left, Spike jumped to his feet, causing all of them to lurch back somewhat in alarm. Spike however, simply headed for the door, without a single word, and without looking at any of them. He knew full well at that moment that if he didn�t get out of there he would beat the lot of them so severely that the chip would finally liquefy his brain. He needed air, he needed to think. Unfortunately the more thoughts rattled around his brain, the angrier he became. He was wrong, he didn�t need to think, he needed to kill something, and he veered off toward the nearest cemetery to do just that.

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