Illusions
and Truth
Part 1
"I'm not coming out."
"Oh, yes, you are."
"No, I think, emphatically not."
"Well, alright, but if you don't come out, we won't be going
to the
ball."
"That would be the general point."
"And, if we don't go to the ball, Xander
will end up conversing
and," Buffy let out an exaggerated gasp, "dancing
with the ever
lovely Miss Chase."
"Ha!,"
with Xander." She peeked out
from behind the ornate, oak folding
screen, before stepping forth for inspection from her
friend.
"
dress and pulled the ties in the back a bit tighter.
Gasping as she felt her air become slightly more
constricted,
looked down at the floor and blushed.
"I feel ridiculous in this dress on. It isn't me. It's
too-too
much."
"Nonsense. Now stand still so
that I can put your hair up."
~*~
"Miss
ladies," Xander greeted them
with a bow.
Buffy smiled and
looking as handsome as ever."
He smiled brightly at her compliment and offered an arm to
both
ladies, ready to escort them to the main ballroom. "Simply in
attempt to compliment the beauty of my two lovely dates."
"Well, Mr. Harris, I believe that a certain Mr. Finn would have a
word of contradiction to that statement," Buffy
laughed.
"Well, until your actual escort for the evening
arrives, I am the
lucky man with you on my arm, and I fully intend to take
complete
advantage." Upon her look, he immediately dropped his
smile and
began to re-think his wording. "Uh, not advantage, as
in to be
taking advantage of YOU, specifically, but just I meant,
advantage,
as in the advantage of enjoying your company in close
proximity
while still being in public, and also engaging with another
lovely
woman, not that I mean, I'm just going to be quiet
now."
Both girls laughed as he looked down, blushing furiously.
Upon entering the main ballroom, the small trio was
immediately
greeted by Mrs. Summers and a long time friend of the
family, Mr.
Giles.
"Buffy, sweetheart, so glad you could finally make
it," her mother
greeted her. "We arrived nearly an hour before. What
kept you?"
"Sorry," Buffy apologized, hugging her. "We
would have arrived
earlier," she rolled her eyes and glanced at
bit of effort to coax
redhead.
"There was no coaxing," she mumbled. "Just,
you know, some
encouraging, and a little commanding a-and maybe some
bribery."
"Why, Willow! You look absolutely enchanting! I hardly
recognize you
with your hair up like that. Doesn't she look lovely, Mr.
Giles?"
"What? Oh, uh, yes, actually, you look very becoming
this evening,
distracted.
"Buffy," a voice called from behind them. Turning
around, Buffy's
face broke out into a wide smile at the sight of her current
suitor. "You look stunning," he said, as he bent
and kissed her
hand.
making a sick face and mimicking the bow and kiss in a
mocking
gesture. Looking up, he stopped, as he saw
disapprovingly.
"As do you,
the other two women, before shaking hands with the men.
"Buffy," he turned back to her, extending his arm,
"would you do me
the honor of joining me in the next dance?"
"I'd love to, Riley, thank you," she replied with
a smile.
"If you'll excuse us," Mrs. Summers said, as she
took the offered
arm of Mr. Giles and swept regally to another group of
guests,
leaving the young couples alone.
"What do you say, Willow?" Xander
asked, turning his attention to
the redhead. "Join me for a dance?"
for years, turned red and ducked her head a bit.
"Actually, I-I think I'll sit this one out."
"Are you sure?" He asked, slightly dejected.
"Yeah, you know, I'm not really a very good
dancer," she tried to
explain. "In fact, I'm not even sure that I would be
familiar with
the dances tonight."
"Oh, Willow, you're a wonderful dancer. I've seen
you."
She blushed again and shook her head, just as Cordelia Chase glided
up to the group.
"Good evening," she said, her head held a bit
higher than usual. "I
see that my parents are inviting just about any riff-raff to
their
parties these days," she said disapprovingly. The group
collectively fixed her with a scowl, before turning to
ignore her.
"And,
adorable! Borrowing one of Buffy's outdated dress, are
you?"
Cordelia
smiled at her insult, watching as
down at her dress.
"Excuse me!" Buffy interjected. "That dress
is NOT out dated. It's
nearly brand new and it looks stunning on her. Clearly
you're just
jealous."
"Right," Cordelia shot
back, "because deep down, what I really
aspire to be is a mousy bookworm, with almost no money,
socially mis-
fit friends, and parents that spend nearly the entire year
outside
of
sneered before turning away.
"Well, isn't she just a lovely ball of sunshine?" Xander quipped as
he watched her prance away.
"
a comforting arm around her friend. "She's just shallow
and
conceited."
"Yeah," Xander chimed
in, "and besides, your friends are DEFINITELY
not social mis-fits." Buffy
glared at him, and he quickly tried to
change the subject.
"Is there no hope of persuading you to dance?" Xander asked.
leave.
Buffy took a hold of her hand and dragged her away, excusing
them
for a moment. "Willow, what are you doing?"
"Xander is asking you to
dance!"
"Yes, I AM aware of that, Buffy," she replied.
"And you are saying no, why?"
"Buffy, you know me, think about it. Xander, plus me, plus my two
left feet equals complete embarrassment on the dance floor."
"
"Trust me, Buffy. Add in my rapid beating heart, sweaty
palms and
fidgeting nerves and I'll scare him away for good."
"Not possible,
you tried," Buffy chided, but seeing her friend's face,
she knew she
would not win this argument right now and sighed in defeat
before
returning to Riley.
proceeded to watch the many couples spin and glide across
the dance
floor.
~*~
"Well, what about that one?"
"No, too skinny."
"Alright, what about that one?"
"No, hair's too, I don't know, floufy."
"What does her hair possibly have to do with
anything?"
"I, unlike you, have certain standards, and I'm not
willing to duck
below them."
With a sigh, the Irishman turned and noticed a pretty
redhead
standing alone near by.
"Fine then, William, what about that one, there?"
"Which one?"
"Right there, with the red hair. Not ten steps away. What about that lass?"
Spike paused, thinking. He had been watching her earlier and
had
become somewhat captivated, wanted very much to learn more
about the
girl. Killing her, therefore, wasn't in his immediate plans,
though
it wouldn't do to explain to Angelus exactly why that was.
"No," he replied, "too scrawny and appears
very uninteresting. Nothing to look at."
Angelus scoffed. "Uninteresting? Yer
telling me that girl there looks uninteresting?"
"Completely, mate," Spike answered, attempted to
appear as bored as
possible. "Besides, why would I bother with a little
chit that
can't even find herself a dance partner?"
overheard the conversation. She was certain they were
talking about
her, and while she had never been as outgoing and popular as
Buffy
or Cordelia, she still found it
difficult to hear this man's
description of her. It took all the effort she had to not
jump up
and run from the room, as she stood there, fending off the
tears
that threatened to fall.
"Well, William, I don't know what it is that yer lookin for here,
but I'll be damned if I can find it," the Irishman said
as he threw
his hands up in defeat. Turning, he saw a slightly older
looking
woman and gentleman coming toward them.
Part 2
Buffy
came up behind
other
direction, beckoning to the two girls.
"Oh!
Buffy,
said
as the two girls approached. Both men bowed courteously to the
ladies
and smiled. Buffy's eyes quickly scanned the room as she got
a
strange, uneasy feeling, but seeing nothing unusual, and knowing
that
all of the guests had been invited to the small, private ball,
she
ignored it and smiled back at the new acquaintances.
"Where
about in
"A
bit of a ways from
family
owns a manor with quite a bit of land there."
"Ah, and where do you hail from, Lord Angelus?" She
questioned the
other
man.
"Born
and raised in
brogue.
Buffy nodded, completely oblivious to the disdainful looks
the
redhead was throwing toward the blond when he was seemingly not
paying
attention.
"And
what brings you to
"Been
lured into travelin with me good friend William
here," he
responded
with a nod and a smile.
"They've
just taken up summer residence at the Ellington manor," Mrs.
Summers
explained.
"Oh,
such a shame what happened to Lord Ellington," Buffy replied,
lowering
her eyes respectfully.
the
gruesome details of the murder. The two men glanced at each
other,
both fighting to suppress a smile, and nodded solemnly.
"Yeah,
well, worked out well in our favor," Spike replied after a
moment,
trying not to sound too smug. The women gave each other a
look
before Angelus spoke up.
"You'll
have to be forgivin of me friend. He isn't always the
most
polite,
respectful person when it comes to speakin of such
things."
at
her friend, not understanding what had come over the redhead, and
"Right,
uh, sorry `bout that. Meant nothing by it," Spike amended.
"You
must be very well off, to be able to afford such a manor, if you
don't
mind me saying," Mrs. Summers quickly set out to change the
subject
of conversation.
"Yes,
well, my family has quiet a lot of money, actually, and I've,
uh,
made some rather wise investments," Spike smiled in response.
~*~
Xander was now dancing with a random young woman. She sighed and
looked
down at a rose she had pulled from an arrangement on a nearby
table.
"How
is it that a lady of such beauty and charm might be found
standing
alone at a ball, while music plays?" The sudden voice behind
her
caused her to jump and spin around, only to look up into crystal
blue
eyes. She immediately scowled and turned away.
"Have
I done something to offend you? If I have, I assure you that
it
was unintentional," Spike said, moving to again stand in front of
her.
Not
willing to admit that she had been listening to his conversation
or
that anything that he had said had effected her, Willow simply
shook
her head, not looking up to meet his gaze.
"How
could anything you say or do offend me, Sir William? We don't
even
know one another."
"Well,
then I insist that we get to know one another better, so that
you
have a number of reasons to choose from for which to dislike me,"
he
said with a smile. "Now, let me see, what should we talk about
first?"
She
looked up at him, again fixing him with an angry glare and shook
her
head. "I really have no interest in talking with you about
anything."
"Well,
then, if you don't wish to speak to me, perhaps I could
persuade
you to accompany me in a dance," he said, holding his hand
out
to her. She turned her head up and away, crossing her arms over
her
chest.
"Trust
me," she said in a voice dripping with disdain, "I'm not
really
the kind of girl one dances with."
"And
what kind of ridiculous statement is that?" He asked in
exasperation.
"Not the kind of girl one dances with? And here, your
friends
had tried to inform me that you were the smart one of your
circle."
He bit back a smile, as he watched her face transform from
shy
and reserved to enraged.
"Y-you…How
dare you!" She snarled at him. "You know nothing of me and
are
clearly the most rude, insulting man I have ever had the
misfortune
to be acquainted with."
With
that, she turned again, about to strut away, only to
stop as he
suddenly,
too rapidly for her to notice his inhuman speed, appeared
in
front of her, blocking her escape.
"You,"
he smiled, "should watch your mouth little girl, or it might
get
you into trouble." He reached up and flicked at one of the red
curls
cascading down along her face, and whispered, "I can see the
temper
matches the tresses."
Her
face turned red in anger and she swatted his hand away.
"How-how
DARE you!" She hissed. "I demand that you leave me be at
once."
"Oh,
and now we're making demands, are we?" His eyes twinkled in
amusement,
and she took a few deep breathes before speaking again.
"I
see what you're doing," she said in accusation.
"And, what might that be, luv?"
"You are trying to
goad me into an argument with you. For what
reason,
I can not begin to comprehend, but clearly you are a rude,
uncouth,
foul man, and I will not waste another moment engaging in
this
ridiculous banter with you."
"Is
that right?"
"Yes,"
she looked toward the ballroom exit and then glared back at
him.
"I would rather be attacked by a pack of demon spawn than to be
forced
to endure another second in your company."
Just
as she finished speaking, the main doors flew open and over a
dozen
vampires suddenly burst into the room. The guests began to
scream
and run in panic, to no where in particular, and Spike leaned
down
smiling slightly.
"You
were saying, pet?" He whispered.
Willow
looked around in search of her friends and saw Xander
and
Giles
ushering as many people as they could out of the room, as the
vampires
began to attack. Seeing Buffy reach under a table for where
she
knew stakes had been stashed, she turned back to look at blond,
only
to see that he was no where to be found.
Part 3
Suddenly,
Willow felt a hand on her shoulder, and was spun around,
coming
face to face with one of the vampires. She saw him lung
forward
toward her neck, as his hands dug into her arms, and she
squeezed
her eyes shut, expecting to feel the pain of fangs in her
neck.
Just as she opened her mouth to scream, his grip suddenly
disappeared
and
front
of her, dust settling around them. The redhead looked at him
for a
moment, neither saying a word, before he quickly turned and ran
off
in pursuit of another demon.
Without
another thought,
she
reached it, hearing a familiar voice cry out. Turning around,
she
saw that one of the vampires had a hold of Cordelia,
and just as
Willow
was about to run to help her, she saw Xander jump out
and
stake
the vampire from behind, catching Cordelia before she
fell with
the
sudden, settling dust. Steadying her on her feet, he grabbed her
hand
and the two ran for the door behind
"How-how
did they get in there?" Xander asked no one in
particular,
as he
tried to catch his breath once outside.
"Well,
I might have sort of invited them," Cordelia
said quietly.
"What?"
"Well,
I didn't KNOW that they were, whatever they were," she whined.
"Vampires. They're called vampires, and you know how
the whole
invitation
thing works, Cordelia. We've been through this
before,"
he
stated, glaring at the young woman.
"Look!
Buffy!"
knowing
the fight must be over, and ran to her.
Xander was about to follow, when Cordelia
grabbed his arm, stopping
him.
"Xander, you-you saved me," she said, her
voice much more soft
than
he was used to. "How can I ever repay you?"
"Well,
I…" he began, but was cut off when her lips suddenly descended
upon
his in a passionate kiss. When she finally broke away, leaving
them
both gasping for breath and slightly flushed, she looked up into
his
bewildered eyes.
"That
will work," he told her, before leaning in to initiate another
deep
kiss.
"Did
you see? Did you see?" Buffy asked giddily, as she jumped up and
down.
"Yes,
Buffy we saw," Giles replied, his voice dry and humorless.
"All
those vamps, and I staked every last one," she
said proudly.
Turning
toward
face.
"Well, almost every one. You all helped too, of course," she
added.
Vampire's
all dusty, party people still all alive and everything. I
said
my thank yous, right Giles?" The slayer asked,
looking back
toward
her watcher.
"It's
not that, Buffy,"
"
"It's
just, we know you're the slayer and that's great and
everything,
but you do know that it is supposed to be a secret
identity,
right?" Buffy nodded, looking confused. "So, if you run
out
here yelling about how you dusted the vamps, people are going to
eventually
catch on."
"Oh,
please,
eyes.
"These people couldn't BE more oblivious."
"A-and
look at your dress,"
letting
out a whine as she realized that her brand new silk dress was
now
stained and ripped. "You look like you were just involved in a
tavern
brawl."
"Well,
I was, more or less. And since when do you care about
appearances?"
The slayer put her hands on her hips, knowing she was
being
a tad defensive, but not entirely caring at the moment.
"Buffy,
you know I don't care about appearances at all, as far as
vanity
goes,"
have
to be careful. You don't want the wrong people to find out who
you
are. It will just cause you more trouble."
"Oh,
around
her friend's shoulder, "forever the worrier." Glancing up,
she
noticed Xander and Cordelia,
still embraced in a deep lip-lock,
and
Buffy's eyes widened as she tried to steer the redhead in the
other
direction.
Not one
to be easily fooled, the young witch pulled back. "Buffy,
what
is…" Her voice trailed off as she took in the
sight of her best
friend,
the secret love, kissing their sworn enemy.
"I-I
think I'm going home now," she mumbled, turning to walk away.
Buffy
quickly caught up to the redhead. "Willow, are you alright?
Maybe
it wasn't what it looked like," she suggested feebly.
"Right,"
just
accidentally tripped and fell into her lips."
"Well,
I…"
"Buffy,
it's been a rough night,"
Xander and remembering the biting words of Sir William, "and I'd
really
just like to walk home alone, okay?"
"Sure,"
Buffy said grudgingly. "Just be careful."
Part 4
"Did
you boys have a nice time this evening?"
"Yeah,
pet, it was a laugh riot."
"Oh,
did you run into any trouble?"
"Nothin we couldn't handle, Dru,"
Angelus said, a grin on his face.
He
leaned in and kissed her as he tossed his overcoat onto a chair.
"Yeah,
just turned out that there were a few party crashers, didn't
know
that the party had already been crashed," Spike said with a
smug
smile.
"And
did you have fun playing with all the nice people?" Drusilla
looked
toward Spike as she licked at a finger that Angelus had
placed
on her lips.
"Oh,
bushels of fun, pet," he answered sarcastically, as he pulled a
cigarette
out and lit it, leaning against the mantel over the
fireplace.
"I
think Spikey here found himself a new
girlfriend," Angelus
taunted
in a sing-song voice, chuckling as Spike growled lowly at
him.
"A
new girl?" Drusilla perked up a bit, waiting for details. "Tell
me,
tell me," she sang, clapping her hands, bouncing up and down on
her
toes and looking expectantly at Angelus.
"Some
fiery little redhead got William here all hot and bothered,"
Angelus
said with a laugh.
Spike
glared at him, hearing his Sire use his previous name.
"You,"
Spike gestured toward Angelus with his cigarette, "don't have
a
bloody clue what you're talkin `bout, mate."
"Ah,
I saw how ya were fightin
with her, goadin her on, lovin
every
minute
of it."
"Ohhh, I think my little Spikey
has finally found himself a love,"
Drusilla
cooed, wrapping her arms around Angelus and giggling.
"Sod
off!" Spike yelled, moving toward the large staircase leading
to
the elaborate second floor. "She was nothing more than a plain,
mouthy
little girl. Not even worth the effort to bite, I'd wager,
and
YOU know my name, mate, so bloody well USE IT!" With that, he
turned
and stormed out the door.
Drusilla
turned and scowled at Angelus.
"What?"
He asked with an innocent smile.
"Youuuuu, you know how he hates to be called that," she
scolding him.
"Well,
it is his name, isn't it?" he grumbled.
"Well,
we don't call you Liam, now do we?" He growled and slightly
tightened
his grip on her arms.
"No,
because if you did, you know what would happen. It would make
daddy
very unhappy, and we wouldn't want to do that, now would we?"
Drusilla
simply giggled and shook her head.
Suddenly,
her giggling stopped and she looked up at him, her face a
cross
between disgust and anger.
"What
now, Dru?" He asked in annoyance, never able to
keep up with
her
moods.
"You-You
were near the Slayer tonight," she said, her voice
accusing,
as she took a step away from him.
"What?
How do ya…"
"I
can smell her on you," she told him.
Stepping
toward her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her hard into him.
"Yeah,
baby, I was near the Slayer tonight," he said in a low, deep
voice.
"Oh!"
She leaned back in his grasp and clapped her hands again,
happily.
"So now we know who she is! Now you can kill her, my
Angel!
No more worry of her, then."
"Ya know it's not that simple, Dru,"
he told her. "One dies,
another
rises, over and over. But this one, this one will just die."
His
threat hung in the air and he smiled at the dark haired vampress
who
was grinning at him.
"And
does my Spikey know of her now as well?"
"Yes,
though I think he was a bit more preoccupied with his new
little
friend to be taken much notice. He knows the slayer is here
and
he knows who she is."
"And
your trinket? Is it here as well?" She asked.
"It's
here. I can feel it, somewhere in this town. I just have to
find
it," he told her, another feral smile crossing his face as his
eyes
flashed amber.
"OH,
and tell me of this girl that has captured his heart," she
begged.
"Ah,
you'll love her, Dru. She's all sweet and innocent
and full of
good
intention. She'll make a wonderfully evil demon. She'll be
the
perfect mate for our William."
"Mmm," Drusilla hummed, dancing around her Sire.
"Pretty little
thing,
all light and dark at the same time. She'll be useful, my
Angel.
Don't let her slip away."
Ignoring
her ranting, Angelus lifted his childe up, hearing her
squeal
as he kissed her forcefully and headed to bed.
Part 5
park.
Her mind was a blend of unhappy thoughts that she tried, in
vain,
to push away. Entering the darkened park, the redhead
wandered
in among the trees, grateful to find even the smallest
amount
of solitude.
Spike
stalked through the streets, angry and looking for a good
kill.
Catching the scent of something familiar, the blond looked
up,
surprised to see the redhead from earlier that night, walking
alone
down the street. Being the stealthy vampire that he was,
Spike
began to follow her, wondering where she was heading, and what
he
would do when they got there.
As
she slowly made her way through the strange maze of tall, twisted
trees,
her mind continued to race, running over the words she had
heard
said about her earlier that evening, and flashing images of
Xander and Cordelia.
Following
the girl into the park, the vampire found himself
surprised,
not for the first time that night, by the redhead. He
wondered
why in the world this girl would be wandering into a park,
alone,
at night, when she clearly knew what was lurking in the dark.
The
wind was starting to pick up and her long, red hair whipped
about
her head like flames. Her long dark green dress blew back and
flapped
like a bird desperately trying to take flight. She glanced
up at
the moon that was shining down and pouring through the leafy
ceiling
like falling stars as the wind tossed the branches about.
She
could see light clouds gliding across it, momentarily
illuminating
her, before passing by and returning the dim light.
Small,
slightly crystal raindrops began to fall around her. She
closed
her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the earth and air
around
her. It was all connected.
spin
around and around, gaining slight speed and momentum with each
twirl.
She had been practicing magic for about a year now, and
though
she wasn't extremely strong yet, she was becoming rather good
at
commanding the elements, water especially.
Her
eyes stayed closed and her face tipped back as she felt the
drops
hit her skin. She smiled as she saw lightning flash through
her
closed lids and heard the rumble of thunder that soon followed.
Still
she continued to spin and spin, as if completely oblivious to
the
storm now raging around her.
His
eyes were transfixed on her, as if she were some how hypnotizing
him
with her spinning, and he thought that perhaps she really was.
He
watched as she lifted her hands to the sky, still turning, and a
streak
of lightning flashed across, connecting with the ground
somewhere
near her. As the earth shook and the air boomed, he was
finally
brought out of his trance, and moved towards her as she fell
to
the ground, holding her hands out in front of her, pressed
against
the grassy floor. He ran to her and stopped just in front
of
the redhead, watching for a moment, his head cocked to the side,
eyes relaying
confusion as he looked on.
Suddenly
her head snapped up and her eyes burned into his. She
broke
out into a small smile and reached out toward his hand. He
knelt
before her, taking her hand in his. She reached out slowly
and
took his other hand, placing it on the wet ground. Immediately,
he
felt the current run through him, from the forest floor, through
him
and out to her hand still grasping his. She smiled at his
shocked
face, and for just a moment he was sure he felt his dead
heart
beat again.
choose to ignore it.
"Wha-what was…" he began to question.
"Shhhh," she stopped him, bringing her finger to his
lips. "Feel,"
she
whispered, "it's all connected."
Again
she closed her eyes, and he quickly followed, reveling in the
feeling
of power rushing through his body. After several minutes,
he
opened his eyes, realizing that it had ended. The storm was over
and
the moon was once again reflecting down on him. Suddenly he
realized
that there was no longer a hand holding his, and when he
looked
up he saw that she was gone, no where in sight.
~*~
passing
Buffy's as quietly as possible. She was exhausted from
everything
that had transpired that evening, and wanted nothing more
than
to crawl into her bed and fall asleep.
Pausing
for a moment at her door,
dancing
in the park not long before, and the spell she had cast.
Spells
as strong as that almost seemed to take on a life of their
own,
often leaving her memory of it vague and distant. It was
strange,
it almost seemed to her as though that horrible man,
William
had been there, but she knew that it must not have been
real.
Her mind was hazy and stirred with confusion. It seemed like
he
was there, but yet not, at that same time. Shaking her head at
her
own rambling thoughts,
been
imaging things. It was not possible that William had actually
been
there. She was sure of that.
Just
as
and
let out a soft moan of frustration, knowing what was about to
come.
"
weakly
as she peered back out into the hallway. A moment later,
Buffy
appeared in front of her.
"I
was worried about you," the Slayer told her.
"You
shouldn't worry, Buffy,"
take
care of myself."
"I
know, but, where were you all this time?"
"Out
for a walk,"
It
wasn't a lie. Not exactly, and though Buffy was well aware of
Willow's
practicing magic, she suspected that the Slayer would be
less than
pleased to know that Willow had gone off alone, into the
park,
at night to cast.
"
turn
to scold the redhead.
"Just
needed to clear my head,"
door quietly
and joined Buffy on her bed.
"How
are you, about the whole Xander thing?" Buffy
questioned, a
sympathetic
look crossing her face.
"I'm
okay, I guess. I mean, he was never mine. Not really. I knew
eventually
he would find someone. I just didn't expect it to be
Cordelia." The redhead pulled a face, and Buffy chuckled softly.
"I
know," the slayer said with a slight groan. "Who would have
expected
those two to be together?"
"Listen,"
Buffy said, standing up and heading toward the
door,
"tomorrow night, there is a dinner party at the Kendell's,
and
we're
going. It'll cheer you up."
"Buffy, a party at Harmony's? Why are you doing this to
me?"
whined.
She hated being dragged to these parties and balls and
dinners
and functions, with all of the
snobby
society. She always felt out of place. No matter how much
Buffy
tried to dress her in borrowed dresses, and pin her hair up in
borrowed
combs, and cover her in borrowed jewels,
still
felt like the same frumpy wall flower, and dreaded every place
she
was dragged to.
"That
isn't going to cheer me up, you know. It's the very opposite
of
anything cheery,"
"Oh,
come on, spoil-sport. Besides, Sir William and Lord Angelus
have
been invited. They both seem like very interesting, good
looking,
AVAILABLE men."
Again,
"What?"
The Slayer questioned, frustrated with her friend's attitude.
"Buffy,
you know I'm not out looking for a husband. And besides,
Sir
William is one of the most unbearable men I've ever come across."
"Really? What happened?" Buffy questioned, stopping at
the door, and
waiting
with wide eyes, to hear the story.
"Nothing
big,"
talking,
saying not so nice things about me. Then later, he
actually
tried to come and ask for a dance."
"Maybe
he was sorry," Buffy suggested.
clear
disbelief. "Or maybe he's a complete jerk."
"He
was insufferable. Completely full of himself, thinking he's so
smart.
have
to flaunt it like that."
Buffy
knew that tone in
there,
that the witch wasn't saying.
"And
he really wasn't THAT good looking," Buffy supplied, a slight
twinkle
in her eyes, as she fought to suppress a grin.
"Oh,
no, he's very good looking, but does he have to make it so
obvious
that he knows it?" The redhead said with an annoyed sigh.
Buffy
said nothing more, and simply gave her friend a knowing smile,
before
wishing her a good night and heading back to bed.
Part 6
"I
really hate these things," the redhead grumbled. "Why do I keep
allowing
you to drag me to them?"
"Because
you love and adore me," Buffy said with a wide grin.
"Oh,
is that it?"
room,
looking
to be deeply involved in a heated discussion. Turning back
around,
she sighed, seeing that Buffy had already moved away, making
her
rounds, greeting everyone that she saw.
around
her neck. Buffy had given it to her early that day, hoping
that
the small gift would cheer the redhead up. She had gotten it
from
some small pawn shop a few streets over, and thought that the
green
gem in the middle would compliment the witch's eyes
perfectly.
Rubbing it between her fingers,
almost
feel some sort of magic coming from the object, though it was
faint
and she couldn't exactly place where the energy came from.
Letting
it go, she mentally reminded herself to ask Giles about it
when
she saw him, just before Buffy grabbed her arm and dragged her
into
a cluster of people.
Spike
walked into the ballroom and immediately felt the hairs on the
back
of his neck stand up. He couldn't quite pin point what it was
he
was searching for, but he quickly and thoroughly swept his gaze
across
the room, desperate to seek out what his senses were trying
to
warn him of.
Suddenly
his eyes stopped on a flash of red. A woman, her head
thrown
back in laughter, louder and longer than most proper women
would
dare. And there she was. He knew immediately who he was
watching,
the enchantress from the woods, the woman from the other
evening's ball. She was here, in this room, among them, and in
full
reach
of him.
He
watched from the shadows, in a far corner, wanting to attract no
attention
to himself until necessary. He watched as she talked and
laughed
and smiled and seemed to be the perfect mix of awkward
innocence
and strength. He couldn't keep his eyes from her.
Finally
he found a moment when she was alone, and he darted over to
her
with inhuman speed.
"My lady?" He drawled out. She suddenly looked up, mirroring the
same
shocked expression he had given her in the park.
"Sir
William?" She questioned her voice timid and quiet.
"Please,
just William," he replied with a slight bow. Noticing the
pendant
with the sparkling green jewel around her neck, he smiled.
It
seemed to compliment her green eyes just right. "Lovely little
bobble
you've got, pet."
"I
don't think we know each other quite that well," she told him,
her
voice turning colder. "And thank you for the compliment. It was
a
gift from a friend."
"I
believe that we have been well acquainted, my lady, though it may
had
been in a different life than this one," he smirked at her and
arched
his eyebrow. She scowled back at him, surprising him just a
little.
She acted and looked nothing now as she had the other
night,
but he was sure this was the same woman.
"I
must say, I am surprised to find a forest pixie such as yourself
in a
place like this," he smiled slyly, "among such company."
"I
assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about," she
said
in a hurried hushed voice, panic setting in as she realized
that
perhaps he really had been there with her. "Now, if you will
excuse
me…" She went to move past him, but he stopped her with light
grasp
on her arm.
"Now,
now," he smiled again. "A feisty little treat,
aren't we?" He
whispered
in her ear.
"Sir! This is highly inappropriate!" She
hissed at him.
"Ah,
but dancing in the park at night is not?" She blushed deeply
and
scowled at him.
"Well,
you-you have no idea, I-I don't know what you're talking
about,"
she said haughtily, her hands on her hips.
"Little
tip, pet," he whispered slightly too close to her
ear.
"Little helpless thing like you shouldn't be out alone at night
like
that. All sorts of nasties out there,
never know what might try
to
eat you all up." He smiled at her deep scowl and flushed red
cheeks,
before releasing her arm and sauntering away.
dare he!
Turning
in the direction that he had walked off in,
after
him, grabbing the blond's arm and tugging at his
elbow,
forcing
him to turn back around. Spike fought to suppress a grin,
amazed
at how beautiful the fiery redhead was when she was angry.
"You
are the most annoying, unreasonable man that I have ever met,"
she
shot at him, her voice low and angry. She glanced around,
making
sure that no one was paying them any attention, and then
continued
in a harsh, hushed voice. "You don't know the first thing
about
me, and I promise you that you need NOT worry at all about me."
"That
right?" He replied with a predatory smile. She was a feisty,
interesting
woman, to say the least, but at the same time, William
the
Bloody did not take insults lightly.
"Yes,
that IS right. You clearly have no idea how to behave in
polite
society," she told him, poking him in the chest. "You might
think
you're something great, and maybe you are where you come from,
but
here, you're no different or better than the next man."
"You
sure about that, pet?" He said with another smirk. She had no
idea
just how `different' he was.
"Yes!
No! Actually, you are different. Everyone else here may not
be
able to see through your little façade, but I can," she hissed,
her
anger getting the better of her. "You're not the same as
everyone
else here. You're beneath them."
Gripping
the witch's arm in a painfully tight hold, Spike growled
lowly
in his throat, the grin quickly melting from his face.
appeared
sweet and innocent, and for the most part, she was, but she
did
have a certain knack for seeing the truth in people, and on the
very
rare occasion the redhead would allow herself to use those
truths
as ammunition. Usually, she was sorry afterwards, sick with
guilt
over letting her temper run away with her mouth. This time
would
be no different. She would be sorry, though for an entirely
different
reason.
Looking
up in alarm,
blond's eyes flash gold, if only for a moment, but shook the thought
away.
He couldn't be...Surely she would have known if…
Spike
tightened his grip on her arm, delighting in the small whimper
that
escaped her lips. Yanking her slightly closer to him, the
vampire
opened his mouth, about to let lose with a tirade of
threats,
when he was suddenly cut off by the sound of a woman
screaming.
It took him a moment to realize that it was not
that
was screaming, but someone else from across the room.
Part 7
Letting
go of the redhead's arm, Spike spun around, surprised to see
a
group of vampires storming in through the front door.
"Bloody
hell," he mumbled. "Not again." Turning back around, his
eyes
narrowed in anger as he realized that the witch had disappeared.
dance
floor at hearing the woman scream.
"Buffy,
there's more of them,"
"Not
again," Buffy mumbled, running toward a near-by table and
reaching
under for a stash of stakes.
"Hey!
Where are the weapons?" Buffy yelled, surprised to find
nothing underneath the table.
"Oh,
well I took the liberty of removing those for you, Miss," one
of
the vampires stated as he stepped up in front of the slayer,
looking
deceptively innocent. "Pesky nuisance they are."
"Really? I find them rather helpful," Buffy replied,
just before
reaching
out and punching the vampire hard, knocking his head back.
The
Slayer shrugged. "Of course I can still work without them."
"Where
the hell are they coming from?" Spike growled, running up to
his
Sire, who was glaring around the room.
"They're
here for the same thing as us. I'm sure of it," Angelus
told
him.
"That
damn Gem," Spike grumbled. "Nothing but trouble since the
minute
you went searching for it."
"Listen
to me, boy," the older vampire growled, grabbing the blond's
collar
roughly. "That `damn gem' will be our salvation. It's here,
in this
house. I can feel it. I'll be damned if a bunch of weak
little
minions are goin ta get
what's mine."
Suddenly,
Spike remembered, The pendant that had been hanging
around
the
witch's neck. "I think I just might know where your gem is,
Sire,"
he said with a wide smile. Angelus gave him a questioning
look.
"Giles!" Buffy yelled.
"Already
on it," he called back, knowing that she was expecting him
to
help the guests escape unharmed. As quickly and smoothly as
possible,
he ushered the screaming crowd out the front doors, while
Xander helped a few out one of the side entrances.
Buffy
was caught off guard as an arm shot out, a fist catching her
jaw
with a swift right hook. Her head snapped to the side, though
she
quickly recovered, spinning around and kicking the offending
vampire
back. Another reached around from behind her, ready to snap
the
Slayer's neck. Grabbing his arms before he could grasp her
neck,
she flipped him easily enough over her shoulders, tossing him
to
the ground and jumping into a fighting stance as he jumped up and
stood
next to the other attacker.
"Did
you see that?" Harmony asked Cordelia as they
stopped just in
front
of the entrance.
"Uh,
ladies, you might want to, uh, vacate the premises," Xander
told
them, trying to usher them out.
"I
mean, she just flipped that guy over her shoulders, like it was
nothing,"
Harmony commented, still staring as Buffy began to fight
both
vampires at the same time.
"Yeah,
she's just strange like that," Cordelia told
her, gripping
her
arm and pulling her through the door and out into the sprawling
yard,
Xander behind them.
Buffy
kicked one of the vampires back as she blocked another one's
swing.
"Giles! I could use a stake here!" She
yelled.
"Buffy!"
The Slayer glanced up, noticing that the room was almost
empty,
and saw
around,
seeing that no one seemed to be paying her any attention,
and
muttered a few words, just before a wooden chair slide across
the
floor, stopping in front of the Slayer.
"Thank,
Willow!" Buffy yelled, quickly grabbing the chair and
smashing
over one of the vamps, grabbing a piece of wood and staking
first
one and then the other. Turning, she immediately found
herself
facing a third demon.
"
been
taken care of and the room was mostly clear.
The
redhead turned toward the door, panting slightly from the strain
of
the small amount of magic she had just used. She was ready to
happily
obey her friend, when a hand shot out, and
found
herself spun around, looking up at William.
"We
need to have a little chat, pet," he told her in a grim, cold
voice.
"Uh,
now really isn't a good time," she replied, glancing toward
Buffy.
The Slayer was too busy fighting off two more vampires to
notice
the redhead.
"Right. See, there's just a little something that
you have, that I
need,"
he told her, reaching toward her chest, where the pendant
rested.
audacity,
and suddenly found herself colliding with a hard,
unyielding
object. Feeling hands grasping her shoulders tightly, she
glanced
back, startled to see one of the other attackers behind her.
Peering
closer at him, she realized that this was actually a human,
not a
vampire.
was
dressed similarly to the vampires. Worn pants, frayed at the
bottom.
An old, faded shirt with a few patches sown in, and a large
hat, looking as though it belongs to the captain of one of the ships
in the harbor. His hair was long, the dark locks cascading half
way
down
his back, and his face was covered in a thin sheen of dirt.
"Actually,
I think the lass has somethin that WE be needin," the man
told
Spike, yanking
"Sorry,
mate. The little girl is with me," Spike told him.
"Hey!
I'm not a little girl!"
their
eyes.
"You're
not taking her," Spike told the intruder.
"I
believe you're wrong about that," the man responded, just as
three
vampires leapt onto the blond.
William
attacked, and felt the man behind her yanking her harshly
toward
another exit at the back of the room.
"I
don't understand,"
him.
"You're human. They're demons."
"That
they are, lass," he replied with a snide smile. "Good to
have
`em workin on yer side, aren't they now?"
"Buffy!
Giles!"
over
her mouth. No one seemed to hear her. Struggling in the
strong
embrace,
hand.
"Oh,
do it again," he cooed in her ear, before
laughing maniacally.
he
growled, before squeezing her neck in just the right place,
feeling
the redhead fall limp in his arms and dragging her away.
The
three fledgling vampires weren't much of a match for Spike, but
by
the time he had dusted all three and turned around, the blond saw
that
the redhead and the man that had taken her, were no where to be
found.
Running to find Angelus in the after math of the melee,
Spike's
mind began to swim, as he tried to sort out exactly where
they
might have taken the small redhead, and the pendant that his
Sire
so desperately wanted.
Part 8
took
her only a moment to realize that she was standing up against a
cold,
hard wall. Actually, she was being held up by a set of chains
that
were fastened around wrists, the metal digging into her soft
flesh.
The room was cold and damp, and lit only by a few rays of
light
that streamed through cracks in the wooden walls. The room
seemed
to tilt slightly back and forth, and she felt her stomach
becoming
nauseous from the tilting pattern.
Looking
down, she noticed first that her dress was torn in several
places
and covered in dirt. She didn't care so much for her
appearance
though, and was appreciative of the fact that she still
remained
modestly covered. She wondered how long that would last.
The
second thing she noticed was that the necklace she had been
wearing
was gone. She let out a small sigh. Why was it that every
little
thing she had ever been given had to be taken away?
Tugging
with the little strength she had at the chains, the redhead
could
see easily enough that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon,
and
fought back the tears of fear and frustration that were
threatening
to fall.
A few
minutes later, the door burst open, and the young witch was
temporarily
blinded by the blast of sun light that spilled into the
room.
A moment later, the door was kicked shut, and
her
eyes open again, finding herself staring up at the man
that had
kidnapped
her.
"'Ello, poppet," he said with a toothy grin. "I `ope yer findin
our
accommodations
up to yer standards." Willow was about to open
her
mouth
to tell him exactly what she thought of his accommodations,
but
was cut off by his cruel, taunting laugh.
"Yer a feisty lil tart now aren't ya, luv," he mused.
getting
very tired of hearing just how "feisty" she was. She'd show
him
feisty.
Closing
her eyes, the redhead concentrated for a moment on the chair
that
she had seen across the room. Mumbling a few words, only loud
enough
for herself to hear, her green eyes suddenly popped open
again,
as the chair slid across the room, slamming into the back of
the
pirate's legs, knocking him over.
her
lips, as the man stood back up with a scowl.
"Yer gonna pay for that, you lil…"
The
man loomed over her, ready to strike, as
against
the wall, the smile completely gone from her face. Just
before
he brought his hand down, the door once again burst open,
temporarily
illuminating the room. The pirate looked to see who had
disturbed
them, ready to shout an angry threat, before quickly
closing
his mouth, seeing the captain entering the room.
that
they were on a boat, and dread filled her. It would be one
thing
if they were hidden some where in the city. There was still a
good chance
that Buffy could find her. But here, now, on some
unknown
ship, out on the open sea, she would be nearly impossible to
find,
even for the Slayer.
"What
have I told ya about damagin
the goods?" The captain shouted,
grabbing
the pirates hand as it still lingered in the air, and
yanked
him backwards, away from the girl.
"She
used magic on me!" The man protested. "She's the devil's child,
she
is!"
"What
nonsense are ya talkin?"
The captain asked in annoyance.
"She done somethin to make objects leap
out at me. She's evil I
tell ya!"
"We're
evil, ya daft fool," the captain said with a
roll of his dark
eyes.
"This is just a lil slip of a girl who ain't gon'ta hurt no
one. Ain't that right, girl?"
tipped,
causing the chair to tumble," she told him in a timid voice.
"Right then. You," he commanded, turning back to
the other
pirate,
"back out with the others. Now!"
The
pirate scowled at the redhead before leaving the room.
"And
you my lil pet," the captain added, making his
way back to the
door,
"will make us a good sale."
"A sale?"
"Aye, the black market. A sweet lil slave like yerself
will fetch
us a
pretty penny to be sure." At that, the captain turned and
walked
out, slamming the door behind him.
Part 9
"Hear
anything yet?"
"Nothing."
"This
is bad. This is very bad."
"Yes,
I would say so, Xander. She's been missing for almost
twenty-
four
hours. It isn't like
anyone
see her after the attack at the party the other night?"
Xander shook his head, looking mournfully at the Slayer.
"Giles,"
Buffy called, turning toward the Watcher, who was deeply
absorbed
in one of his books. "Giles!" Finally, he
looked
up.
"What do we do?"
"You're
asking me?" He said, not able to hide the surprise in his
voice.
Buffy
rolled her eyes. "You ARE more or less the one in charge
around
here," she told him.
"When
it's convenient for you," he muttered to himself. "Well,
Buffy,
I'm not entirely sure. I'm waiting for a few contacts to get
back
to me, to see if anyone has seen or heard anything. Until
then,
other than patrolling, there isn't a whole lot that CAN be
done."
"I
was afraid you'd say that," Buffy muttered, looking down
dejectedly.
~*~
remember
a spell that would free her from the chains that held her
to the
wall. Unfortunately, her mind was swimming and hazy from all
that
had happened in the last day, and even well after she knew that
the
sun had set, the witch still found herself trapped in the room.
She
had no idea where she was or where she was going, and neither
did
anyone else. Buffy would never be able to find her on a ship in
the
middle of the ocean, and now, if these pirates didn't kill her
first,
she was going to be sold as a slave to lord only knew who!
Suddenly
startled out of her thoughts,
sound
of a distant cannon going off. A few moments later, the
entire
room shuddered as the ship shook on the waves. Shouts could
be
heard all around the ship.
"Attack! We're under attack!" One pirate
yelled out, as he passed by
her
room.
"Who
the bloody hell is attackin our ship?" Another
questioned,
running
past. "We're the bloody pirates. We should be the ones
attack
them!"
screwing
her eyes tightly shut as she huddled as far back against
the
wall as possible, praying that no one came into the small room.
Outside
were the sounds of fighting and screaming, things breaking
and
people being broken. Inside the room, the only thing
could
hear was the sound of her panting, shaking breathing. In and
out. In and out.
Hearing
voices outside growing louder, she squeezed her eyes shut
tighter,
and willed them to pass her by and leave her be. She knew
she
would never be so lucky, but she hoped and prayed to her goddess
that
she might be spared for now.
Her
eyes were closed and she stood, huddled against the cold wall
for
what felt like an eternity, her arms straining against the
chains.
She had not noticed, at first, that she had been holding
her
breath, but after what had to have been several minutes, she
sucked
in a deep breath, shuddering slightly.
of
the fact that she could no longer hear the voices. They must
have
actually gone away. Thankfully, she let out a long, deep
breath
and slowly opened her eyes, a small happy smile on her face.
Her
expression immediately shifted as she screamed, startled by the
two
figures standing in front of her. The brunette was standing
nearly
nose to nose with her, and gave her sickeningly evil smile as
she
screamed, before clamping his hand down over her mouth to
silence
the shaking girl, and growled menacingly.
Lord Angelus and Sir William. She had no idea
how they had come in
so
silently. Her entire body was shaking both out of shock at
seeing
the two men in the room and fear as to why they were there.
The
thought that they had come to her rescue had never even crossed
her
mind.
night
she was kidnapped, the yellow flicker in William's eyes, and
she
was too smart to think that they had come to help her.
"Bloody hell, Angelus! Are you trying to get the entire
crew to
come
running in here?" The blond yelled, standing near the door,
hissed
at the one holding her still.
"Don't
know, might be fun," he answered, turning to look back at the
blond
near the door. She could see that horrible grin on his face
again
and jumped when he whipped his head back around to stare at
her.
"Now,
listen to me, little girl," he growled close to her ear, with
a
thick Irish brogue. "I'm goin ta take me hand away from yer
mouth,
and yer not goin ta
make a single sound. If ya do try to so much as
clear
yer throat, I will rip it out. Understand?"
She
nodded her head quickly, assuring she understood, as tears
cascaded
down her cheeks.
"Good,"
he smiled and slowly removed his hand. She opened her mouth
half
way, as if contemplating screaming again, but then thought
better
of it and quickly snapped her mouth shut again.
"Good
girl," he whispered, looking her up and down, making her blush
and
want to hide away from his stare. She was dressed in a thin,
torn
dress. It hid all that mattered, but still left her feeling
nearly
naked. Her red hair was tangled and wild around her flushed,
dirty
face, and her big green eyes were glossy with tears.
"Looks
like some pirates do find treasures after all," he said with
laughter
in his voice, as he turned back to look at the blond again.
"That
they do mate," Spike replied leering at her and licking his
lips,
causing her to shudder and cower more firmly against the wall.
"Pirates?" She whispered. "And all this time I was fearing demons."
Angelus
whispered into her ear, his voice cruel and mocking. "We are
not
really pirates, lass. I would never associate meself
with such
filthy
humans." He paused dramatically before adding, "and
yer right
to be
fearin demons."
At
that, the dark haired vampire let his true face slip forward and
grinned
as the redhead's eyes widened in horror.
He
leaned in and sniffed her neck. "Afraid?"
Her
panic was rising with her thoughts and after a long pause she
finally
just let out a small squeak and nodded her head, looking
steadily
at the floor.
The
man smirked. "You seem like nothin more than a
little mouse."
He
leaned in again and whispered in her ear. "But I'll bet deep
down
you're a wild cat." She closed her eyes and wildly shook her
head
no, tears still falling.
"Look,
Angelus, are we going to spend all night talkin to the little
chit
or are we actually going to have some fun?" Spike questioned,
his annoyance and boredom clearly evident in his voice. He had
wanted
the girl and he suspected that Angelus knew that, though he
was
not ready to give in and admit it just yet. After her scathing
comments
about him, and stubborn temper, he wasn't so sure that he
wanted
the girl for his own anymore. She had hurt and angered him,
hitting
a sore spot that he didn't even know existed.
"I
am having fun William," the dark haired man hissed at the
blond.
"And I think the little redhead here is having fun too,
aren't
ya?"
begging
that they go away. Suddenly she felt pain shoot through her
head.
Gasping, her eyes shot open and she looked up into an angry
yellow
glare. Angelus had a fist full of her hair and yanked her
head
back painfully.
"When
I ask I question, I expect an answer," he growled.
At
that point she nodded her head frantically, not even remembering
what
the question was that he had asked.
"See?
We're having fun," he told the blond, his hand still holding
firmly
onto her hair. "But I suppose yer right, we
should really be
movin on. Sun will be up soon," he said with a sigh, releasing
her
with
a small shove.
cutting
into her sore wrists as she caught herself.
"Right
then," the blond said, turning to open the door.
"I
think though," he was interrupted by the other man's amused
voice, "I'll be keepin the
kitten."
Her
eyes went wide with horror. In reality, she knew it would only
be a
matter of time until they had reached the shore and she was
sold,
and god only knew who she would end up going to or what fate
would
await her. But at least then, she knew she still had a little
time…
a slight, tiny chance that someone might rescue her before
that
happened. Now, though, it seemed her fate was sealed with this
cruel,
taunting demon and she shuddered at the very thought of what
would
await her.
Spike
glared at Angelus, completely sure now that his sire knew
exactly
what he was doing.
"No,
no please, just leave me," she begged, finally finding her
voice,
as he reached up and snapped the chains from the wall.
"Sorry,
not an option," he told her as he tugged her toward him with
the
chains in one hand. "Besides, ya don't really
want to be left
here.
Ya see, in a few minutes, this ship is goin ta be completely
engulfed
in flames, and I would hate to see this beautiful little
face
of yers all burnt up." He smiled again and
pulled her toward
the
door.
"Sure
you want to bother with a pet, mate?" The blond growled,
glaring
at her. She looked up at him and felt a wave of fear go
through
her. He could feel it radiating from her and smiled at the
intoxicating
smell.
"Don't
worry, me boy," Angelus smiled as he exited the room, knowing
exactly
what had his childe so angry. "Maybe if yer
lucky, I'll
even
let ya play with the kitten once in a while."
"Yeah,
well, you take a pet in, don't expect me to be lookin
after
her,"
Spike growled.
As
she stepped outside the room,
deck,
seeing a few vampires moving around, looting the ship and
feeding
a few growing fires. She looked up at the dark sky,
twinkling
with stars, and said a silent prayer for strength and
guidance
before suddenly jerking away from Angelus, startling him
and
causing him to drop the chains he was holding. She knew this
was
her one chance. She had no idea where she would run to, where
she
might hide, but she had decided that risking death by drowning
was a
safer bet than going along with these two demons. Turning
toward
Spike and bringing her knee up hard, she caught the blond
right
between the legs and he doubled over in pain. Turning, she
took
off across the ship.
cold,
salty air whipping against her face. She was nearly blind
with
tears and let out a sob as she stopped against a rail,
realizing
that she had come to the end of the ship and had no where
to
hide. She had just begun to climb over the railing when a strong
arm
reached around her small waist and pulled her backwards and down
into
a hard, unyielding body.
"Not
a smart move, little girl," Angelus snarled, hauling her back
away
from the railing. "I promise that ya WILL be
punished for
that."
He threw her over his shoulder and made his way back to his
own
ship, the scowling younger vampire following behind.
Part
10
Squeezing
her eyes shut, Willow beat her tiny fists against the
strong
back she faced. Kicking and pounding, she desperately
struggled
to get free, though she had no idea where she could
possibly
run to if he did let go.
She
felt him move at an impossibly fast speed, and then suddenly
vault
off of the boat. Her stomach leapt into her throat as she
became
dizzy, feeling them fly through the air. A moment later, they
landed
with a jolt and he barked out a few orders to men she could
not
see, before casually carrying her into his room. After kicking
the
door closed, he made his way over to the bed and deposited her
onto
it, none too gently. She scrambled to sit up and get her
bearings.
"Don't
move," he growled at her.
Ignoring
him, she immediately bolted from the bed, running across the
room
and desperately fumbled with the locked door knob. Hearing his
footfalls
pound across the room, she let out a scream as she felt his
large
hand latch onto the back of her neck, pulling her backwards and
throwing
her to the hard, wooden floor.
Whimpering,
she scrambled to her knees only to find his hand clamp
down
on her arm in a painful, bruising grip. Yanking her up to her
feet,
he shoved her forward onto the bed again, this time looming
over
her, holding her down on the large mattress.
"I
SAID don't move!" He repeated, a vicious growl accompanying his
command.
Grabbing
the chains around her wrists, he yanked up roughly, causing
her
to yelp in pain. Pulling them up around the headboard, he
clamped
them together with a pad lock and dropped the key into his
coat
pocket.
"You,
my little kitten, are goin to learn to behave
yourself, now
aren't
ya?"
She
said nothing and simply stared up at him in wide eyed fear.
Reaching
down, her grabbed a fist full of red hair and yanked
harshly.
"Don't be makin me repeat myself, girl,
understand?" He
ground
out.
Willow
nodded her head wildly as he let go of her hair. Taking a
step
back, he looked down at his newest acquisition. Just then,
there
was a knock at the door.
"We're
not to be disturbed!" He yelled toward the door.
"Angelus?"
She heard the voice of the other demon that had taken her
and
watched as her captor let out a sigh of annoyance and moved to
the
door, unlocking it and throwing it open.
"What
do ya want, Spike?"
"Just
thought you MIGHT be interested in knowing the ship is down,
the
minions have gathered everything together, and there's a certain
piece
of treasure you may want to take a look at. That is, of
course,
if you can tear yourself away from your new pet for a few
minutes,"
he said, peering around Angelus and glaring at the girl.
Angelus
turned around. "I will deal with you when I come back," he
said
in a low, menacing voice, leaving Willow with no doubt that she
definitely
did not want to be "dealt with."
"Not
that I think ya can get out of those chains, but if ya do, I
suggest
ya stay put. Ship full of men out there that are ten
times
crueler,
cruder and more barbaric than I, and they haven't had a
woman
in months." Giving her a sly grin, he turned back toward the
door
and walked out with Spike, leaving the girl alone in the room.
Part
11
"Well?
Is this it?" Spike stood impatiently, watching Angelus as he
looked
over the necklace.
The dark-haired
vampire turned the small pendant over in his hand,
again
and again. He could feel the power coming from the charm. It
was
faint, but it was there. Ignoring Spike, he passed the necklace
to
Drusilla, who took it into her hands eagerly, and held it up to
her
ear, giggling as if it were whispering a secret to her.
"Dru?" Angelus called out to her, needing her
confirmation. "Is it
the
real deal?"
"Mmmm, it hums to me," she cooed, rocking back and
forth on her
heels,
cradling the charm to her ear. "It sings such pretty songs of
pain
and destruction."
Angelus
let out a satisfied growl, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's
powerful, my Angel," Drusilla told him, her eyes closed, her
head
swaying back and forth to the music that only she could
hear.
"Mmmm, it will make the world shake and
shudder."
"Good.
Can't wait ta have a go at it," Angelus said
with his most
evil
of smiles, snatching the necklace back from the vampiress
and
reveling
in the feel of it's power in the palm of his hand.
"'Bout
bloody time," Spike grumbled. They had spent far too long, and
gone
through far too much trouble for this stupid little bobble.
Angelus
turned and headed toward the door. "Have ta go
see me little
redhead,
thank her properly for me gift," he told his childer,
before
heading
back to his waiting pet.
After
the older vampire left, Spike looked toward Drusilla, trying to
ignore
the mental images of exactly how Angelus would be thanking the
young
witch.
"So,
then, ducks, care to fill me in on exactly what this little
charm
does?" He asked nonchalantly.
"It
makes them all suffer and scream," Drusilla cooed in a
deceptively
sweet voice, her eyes closed and her lips turned up in a
wide
smile.
~*~
Willow
jumped as the door flew open, and looked up, her eyes wide
with
fear. She sat up on the bed, trying to hide the guilty
expression
on her face. She had been trying, again, to remember some
sort
of spell to remove the chains from her wrists, but had been
unsuccessful
in the short time that Angelus had been away.
Now
that he was back, looming over her, his tall, thick frame
dwarfing
her petite one, Willow once again felt terror rising within
her.
Her heart raced and pounded in her chest as her mind swam. The
feral
grin that graced his deceptively handsome features did nothing
to
alleviate her fears. She knew enough to know that a grinning demon
was a
dangerous demon.
"Willow,
darlin, how can I ever thank ya
for me gift?" He asked,
sweeping
into the room and looking down at her as she knelt on the
bed.
He chose to ignore the guilty look on her face, preferring to
concentrate
on the terror in her eyes and waves of fear that rolled
off
of her. It was intoxicating.
"G-gift?"
She squeaked, barely able to find her own voice.
The vampire
flashed her another smile as he held the necklace out,
letting
it swing from his fingers.
"My
necklace!" The redhead sat up, the necklace momentarily
distracting
her from the demon that held it. "B-but why do you…"
"Do
ya have any idea of the power held by this charm,
little one?" He
questioned,
amused by the shifting expressions on her face. She
seemed
to be struggling between fear, anger and confusion all at
once.
Angelus would have considered it adorable, were he inclined to
think
such things of humans.
Willow
shook her head. She had suspected that the necklace held some
sort
of power, but there was no need for him to know that just now.
"I've
been searchin the Earth for this, and how fortunate
that I
should
be findin it around such a sweet, little neck."
A low growl of
satisfaction
rumbled from deep with in his chest, as Angelus took
another
step toward the bed, reaching out and running his fingers
through
her hair. Slipping a hand into a pocket, Angelus tucked the
pendant
away, and turned all attentions to the redhead before him.
Willow
closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose, trying to wriggle
away
from the vampire, as he leaned forward, inhaling the sweet scent
that
floated from the pulse point on her neck. His fingers were
tangled
in her hair, holding her head still, even as she tried to
shrink
back. A small growl warned her against further struggles, and
Willow
managed to open one eye, peering at him nervously.
"Do
ya have any idea how intoxicatin
yer fear is?" He asked, his
voice
low and husky. Willow simply shuddered in his grasp, not able
to
find her voice. Her eyes closed tighter as she felt a cool tongue
run
up her neck, before blunt teeth suddenly nipped at her ear, the
hand
in her hair tightening. The redhead gasped in a mixture of
surprise
and pain, as he yanked her head back. Her eyes popped open,
and
Willow found herself staring into the golden eyes of the demon
before
her.
"When
I ask ya a question I expect an answer," he
reminded her. "I
won't
be tellin ya again."
Willow nodded frantically and felt his
grip
on her hair slightly loosen.
"You'll
learn ta obey, girl," he told her, "but I
do hope ya never
learn
ta not be afraid." The dark haired vampire
chuckled and
released
her with a slight shove, watching with amusement as she
steadied
herself on the mattress.
"Looks
to be yer lucky night, Willow," he said, lazily
pacing the
room.
"I'm feelin incredibly good. Now don't think
that I've
forgetten all `bout yer
temper, or yer little attempt at gettin
away,
before."
Pausing, he leaned in again, grinning as he saw her
flinch.
"Wouldn't be forgettin a thing like that. But,
since ya were
so
kind as ta help me find me necklace, and since I'm feelin so nice
tonight,
I suppose I might be willin to let it slide, just
this
once."
Willow
let out a sigh of relief, dispelling a breath that she hadn't
realized
she was holding.
Suddenly,
his face broke out into another wide grin and he
shrugged.
"Then again, I could just act like the bastard that I am,
and…"
At that, he lunged forward, a snarl escaping his lips as he
shifted
into his true face. Wrapping a strong hand around her neck in
a
solid hold, he yanked the redhead as far forward as her chained
arms
would allow, and sank his fangs into her throat, greedily
drinking
from her.
Angelus
stopped when he felt her lose consciousness. She tasted
delicious.
Something in her blood that he wasn't quite able to place.
It
was filled with innocence and purity, and just a hint of something
darker.
He could easily have sucked her dry, but then, he supposed,
she
wouldn't make for a very good pet if she were already dead.
Dropping
the redhead to the bed carelessly, the brunette wiped at the
blood
on his chin with the back of his hand, before lapping up what
remained
on his lips. Turning, he sauntered out of the room.
Part
12
Spike
grumbled and growled as he walked down the dim hallway,
carelessly
toting a tray with bits of fruit and cheese on it.
"Send
me to feed your bloody pet," he groused to himself, "as if I
got nothin better to do." In truth, there really was very
little else
to do
on the ship that night. The blond had already eaten earlier
that
evening, feeding off of one of the prettier maids, much to
Angelus'
annoyance. His mood was dark, and the prospect of having to
see
the redhead again did little to brighten it. He knew that Angelus
had
an inkling as to his interest in the redhead, and suspected that
alone
was the driving factor in his sire's interest in taking a new
pet.
He always knew exactly what to do to torment his blond childe.
Thinking
back, the vampire chastised himself for ever having thought
that
she was something special. Clearly, she was nothing more than a
mouthy
little witch, without even enough power to free herself from
her
current captivity.
That
thought spurred another one. Spike knew that Willow was a witch,
or at
least that she was capable of some degree of magic, but he
suspected
that Angelus was unaware of that fact. The blond supposed
that
the right thing to do would be to tell his sire, warn him to
stay
on his toes with the girl, but then, Spike was never very
inclined
to "do the right thing," and didn't think that he should
start
that nasty habit now.
Balancing
the tray in one hand, he shoved the heavy wooden door open
with
the other, and stalked into the dim room, ready to show the girl
exactly
who was the dominant one. She had one upped him a few too
many
times, and he was bound and determined to regain his footing,
instilling
in her the understanding of exactly why he should be
feared.
Moving
toward the bed, his face was a cold, stony mask, his jaw
tightly
clenched and his frame ridged. "Feeding time, witch. Angelus
sent
me to…"
Spike
paused as he noticed that the girl was not moving on the bed.
Her
heartbeat was thudding in a dull rhythm, indicating that she was
indeed
alive, and her chest rose and fell at a slow, steady rate. She
was
asleep, but with the noise he was making, she surely should have
awakened
by now.
Moving
closer, he took in her appearance. She was curled up as
tightly
as possible, one hand clutching at her neck. Reaching down,
he
pulled her hand away, dropping it to her side, and taking in the
harsh
bit mark on her neck. His demon began to rage within. This girl
was
to be his to bite, not his sire's.
As
soon as the thought entered his mind, Spike took a step back,
shaking
his head. She wasn't his, and he didn't want her. Not any
more.
She had hurt him, attacking at full strength, and finding the
one
chink in his iron. He hated to acknowledge that she had been able
to
affect him, but old wounds die hard, and though she was unaware
that she
had reopened his deepest one, she had, and he wouldn't soon
forget
it.
Looking
down at the sleeping girl again, his demon called as he
smelled
the dried blood that stained her neck and the sheets below
her.
He ached for a taste, wondering what riches he would find
within,
but forced the thought away with every last bit of will-power
he
could muster.
Reaching
down, he grasped her shoulder, shaking her. After a moment,
he
saw, with what he wasn't willing to admit was a bit of relief,
that
her eyes were beginning to flutter open.
Willow
groggily opened her eyes, her vision slightly blurred and her
head
pounding. There was a dull ache penetrating from her neck, and
she
let out a groan as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the
room.
Looking
upward, she was startled to see the blond vampire standing
before
her. Too fatigued, mentally and physically, to do much of
anything,
she simply looked up at him with tired, dull eyes.
Spike
watched the girl, silently, as she took in her surroundings. He
could
feel the fear radiating from her, though it wasn't quite as
strong
as he would have expected.
"Brought
you some food, pet," he told her, cursing the gentle tone of
his
voice. Bloody ponce!
Her
eyes widened slightly, and seemed to look almost hopeful at his
words.
Her gaze shifted slightly, as she took in the contents of the
tray,
the sight reminding her of just how hungry she was. It had been
at
least a day, if not more, since she had been fed anything, and her
throat
was dry and hoarse from lack of water.
"Thank
you," she said, her voice barely audible. Setting the tray
down,
Spike quickly poured her a mug of water and handed it to her,
watching
as she greedily downed the cool liquid, thankful as it
soothed
her scratchy throat.
"Thank
you," she repeated, this time much more clearly.
"Yeah,
well, don't suppose Angelus would like it much if I left his
pet
all damaged, now would he?" Spike stated, his tone harsh,
causing
Willow to flinch slightly, reminding her of who it was she
was
speaking to. "No doubt he'll want you at tip top shape, ready to
moan
and scream for him later," he told her with a snide smile.
Willow
glared at him, her eyes once again burning with anger and
distaste.
She watched as he lifted up the tray and tossed it down
onto
the bed next to her. Reaching forward, she snatched up a block
of
cheese and quickly began to eat, never taking her eyes off of the
blond
before her.
His
presence made her extremely uneasy, though she began to feel
herself
calm and relax as she ate the offered food. Pushing aside the
hateful
thoughts of the blond for a moment, she turned them instead
to
the other master vampire. Angelus. She had no doubt of exactly how
cruel
and ruthless he could be, despite his ability to appear
congenial.
Willow wondered if he would, indeed, be causing her to
scream
and moan, and how, exactly, he would accomplish that task.
"What
will he do?" She asked, her voice suddenly vulnerable and meek.
Spike
softened slightly at her tone, and sank down onto a chair
across
from the bed. The blond shrugged. "Anything he likes, I'd
wager."
Willow
shuddered slightly at the prospect.
Spike
let out a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair.
He
didn't want to think about what Angelus would be doing with the
girl,
and really didn't want to examine the reasons why that was.
"Look,
pet, just do whatever he tells you to, don't fight him, and
don't
talk back to him. Submit to him. The more you fight, the more
he
gets off on it. And keep your mouth shut. You learn to keep that
tongue
of yours in check, you just might survive this."
Willow
glared at him indignantly. She knew that what he was saying
made
sense, and that it would be in her best interest to do exactly
as
Spike had just said, but the thought of having to submit to that
sadistic
vampire made her blood boil, and how dare he tell her to
keep
her mouth shut!
"You
just want me to keep quiet so that I don't make you look like
the
fool that you are," she shot at him, glaring daggers at the
blond.
Spike
once again felt his rage rising, and sat forward, glaring back
at
the redhead.
"I'd
watch what you say, luv," he told her in a dark,
dangerous
tone.
"You're not exactly in a position to be insulting people."
"Well,
I may not be in the best position," she conceded, "but you are
the
one that's coming in here and more or less serving me, so I'd say
that
still puts you beneath me." She smiled triumphantly, briefly
closing
her eyes and sitting up proudly.
A
second later, she let out a terrified scream, as the vampire lunged
at
her, snarling, grabbed the tray of food and throwing it across the
room.
The sliver platter hit the wall and fell to the floor with a
loud
clatter, and Willow looked from it, back to the blond before
her,
who was now in full game face, golden eyes glaring at her.
Spike
pinned the girl down, luxuriating in the feel of her slight
body
trembling below his. Holding both of her arms above her head
easily
with one of his, he gave her a feral grin as he leaned in and
sniffed
her neck. The smell of her fear truly was intoxicating, and
it
called to him. His eyes traveled to the mark on her neck, made
earlier
by his sire, and Spike felt the demon rage to make a mark of
his
own, deep and claiming.
Glancing
back at her face, he saw that her eyes were wide with
terror.
"Now,
who is beneath who?" He growled, letting his weight fall a bit
further
onto the redhead and bucking his hips slightly against hers.
"Spike?"
Came an amused voice from the doorway. "Did I give you
permission
to play with my pet?"
Part
13
Spike
let out a snarl as he heard his sire at the door, turning his
head
and glaring at the older vampire.
the two
simply stared at each other in silence. Finally, Spike backed
off
and his human mask slipped back into place.
"If
ya wanted ta play with the
kitten, William, all ya had ta
do was
ask,"
Angelus told him, smirking at the frown that appeared on the
blond's face at the use of his former name. "I'm sure that I would
have
eventually been relentin."
which
vampire she feared more. The rational part of her knew that it
was
most wise to fear both equally, but the rational part was far
from
fully functioning at that point, and her mind swirled with
horrified
possibilities at what these two might do.
"Don't
want to play with your bloody pet," Spike spat in disgust. The
redhead
flinched at the venom in his tone.
"Really? Not lookin that
way ta me. Willow, what do ya
think? Think
me
boy here was lookin ta play
with ya?"
Angelus
moved toward her, making a small tsk sound. He leaned
over
her,
grabbing the chains that still hung around her wrists. It was
only
then that she noticed that they were no longer attached to
anything
else, Spike having broken them a few moments before.
"Aw,
look what ya done. Perfectly good set a chains,
completely
ruined,"
the dark-haired vampire stated, holding up the loose end of
the
chains, pulling
am I goin' ta do with ya, Spike?"
Angelus
sounded more amused than anything else, but both Spike and
"Yeah,
sorry `bout the chains, mate. Get ya a new set if ya like,"
Spike
told him, not looking toward either his sire or the redhead.
Anger
and loathing were radiating from him, and the blond knew that
he
needed to get some more blood in him soon.
"No
need ta bother," Angelus told him. "I think
me little kitten here
knows
better than ta try and leave this room without me.
Isn't that
right,
mistake.
Moving faster than the girl could see, Angelus was leaning
over
her, a fist full of hair held tightly.
"Ya seem to be havin a hard time rememberin the rules, kitten," he
growled,
his voice low and dangerous.
"I'm-I'm
sorry," the redhead whispered, suspecting her apology would
do
little, but having no idea what else to say or do.
"Master,"
he growled.
sent
her an angry glare in return.
"I'm
sorry, master," she whispered, choking on the last word as she
realized
what he wanted.
Releasing
his hold on her hair, Angelus stood back up and grinned at
her. "There now. That wasn't so hard, now was it?"
master,"
she whispered.
"Ya see, Spike, me boy, that is how ya
train a pet," Angelus told the
younger
vampire, walking over to him and throwing his arm around his
shoulders.
"Can
think of a many more fun ways to train a pet," Spike mumbled.
"Me
too, Spikey, me too," Angelus replied with a
chuckle. "And I'm
sure
we'll be exploring each and every one of them, won't we kitten?"
"Yes,
Master,"
cry.
Not in front of them. Not any more, or at least that was what
she
told her self. There weren't a lot of things she had control over
at
this point, but her emotions were one, and she wouldn't let that
go.
Angelus
led Spike to the door and held it open for him. Just as the
blond
was about to leave, Angelus grabbed his arm, pulling him close
and
growling low in his throat. "Don't even think about touchin
her
without
my permission again. Understand?"
Spike
nodded grudgingly and stormed off toward his own room, leaving
Angelus
alone with
"And
you," he said, turning back toward the redhead. "You're gonna
learn
ta behave if it kills ya."
He thought for a moment before
adding,
"which it most probably will."
Part
14
"Put
this on," Angelus growled, throwing a long, green, silk dress
at
her.
in
aggravation at having to explain himself. "Ya aren't fit to be
dinin with me like that," he told her, pointing at her torn and
dirty
dress. "Clean yerself up. You'll be goin to the dining room
with
me shortly."
and
hands, before changing her clothes, the redhead thought back on
the
last few days. For the most part, Angelus had left her alone in
the
room. When she was alone, she was afraid. Every noise caused her
to
jump, and her head and stomach nearly always felt sick from the
rocking
of the ship. The silence rang in her ears like a siren,
causing
her brain to redouble its efforts, thinking up every
horrible
scenario it could. When she was alone, she was afraid, but
when
Angelus was in the room, she was terrified. Actually, she was
pretty
much terrified of any vampire that came into the room.
Occasionally,
one of the female maids would come in to clean or to
bring
her some food.
but
it was clear that they were given strict instruction to not
speak
with the redhead.
Angelus
slept during the day, as most vampires do, and
gradually
growing accustomed to keeping his hours. A few of his days
had
been spent in Drusilla's bed.
most.
She was left alone and able to rest on the bed. The days when
he
was in his own room, Angelus slept on the bed, leaving
the
floor beside it, giving her a small thin blanket and informing
her
that she should be grateful to receive that. It surprised her
that
the vampire had not taken her to his bed with him, but she
wasn't
about to complain about it. She only hoped her luck would
hold
out a bit longer.
The
dark-haired vampire seemed to be very preoccupied with
preparations
for something important, much to
had
no idea what it was, though it seemed to be some sort of ritual,
from
what she had over heard. He hadn't said a word to her about it.
Not
that Willow was surprised by that, of course, but she was a
curious
girl, by nature, and with as much time as she had to ponder
things,
she couldn't help but wonder what he was up to.
Each
night, as she sat alone in the small, dark room, the witch
spent
hours meditating, building her energy and concentration,
hoping
that if she worked hard enough, she might be able to come up
with
a way to free herself, without getting killed in the process.
She
could whip up a mean storm, but the redhead supposed that
sinking
the ship wouldn't really get her any less dead than if she
were
to jump overboard. Still, her magic was growing. She could
feel
the energies that surrounded her strengthening with each night.
What
she wasn't aware of was the fact that Angelus could feel it as
well.
She appreciated his attention being diverted from her, and
wondered
at why, suddenly, tonight, he had taken an interest again.
Shaking
her thoughts away, Willow finished getting herself cleaned
up,
before quickly reaching into a small hiding place she had found
in
the room, and grabbing a small vile, downing the contents. She
wasn't
entirely sure why, but her intuition was flaring, and she
supposed
she was better safe than sorry, or at least as safe as she
could
get.
Finally
dressed and ready,
vampire
looked her up and down, his feral eyes taking in her form
greedily.
The dress suited her. Dark green, to compliment her red
hair and pale skin, and form fitting, to compliment, well,
everything else.
"Delicious,"
he said with a low growl that made
wonder
what exactly was on the dinner menu.
Grabbing
her arm, he led her out of the room and toward the small
dining
hall. "Stay behind me," he warned her in a hushed voice. "You
will
sit and eat. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will keep
your
eyes down unless instructed otherwise. Understand?"
"Yes,
Master," she whispered, trying to remember everything he had
just
said.
As
they entered the dining room,
head
stayed lowered, and she scanned the room. Her fear and anxiety
increased
ten-fold when she saw Drusilla and Spike sitting at a long
oak
table, both drinking from goblets. She couldn't see what it was
they
were drinking, but her suspicions were enough to cause her to
shudder.
Angelus
roughly led her to the table, seating her next to Spike,
giving
him a warning glance before sitting at the head of the table.
A
moment later, one of the servants brought out a platter of food
for
the hungry redhead.
he
nodded to her, indicated that she may start eating. She quickly
ducked
her head down and started to devour the food greedily.
"Don't
understand why you had to bring your pet along," Spike
complained.
"Don't
recall askin for yer
opinion, boy," Angelus growled,
amusement
dancing in his eyes. It was clear to anyone watching,
that
the older vampire knew exactly what he was doing.
The
blond rolled his eyes. "Spoils the mood is all," Spike grumbled.
but
take delight in it. "Drinkin with a pathetic
little human like
that
in our midst, just doesn't seem right, now does it?"
"Leave
it be, my Spikey," Drusilla cooed. "The
girl is of great
importance.
She sings of darkness and evil."
"That
right?" He replied with a bitter chuckle. "Find that a little
hard
to believe, Dru. A frightened little girl is all she
is." He
was
purposely trying to anger her now, and she knew it. Even so, the
words
had the desired effect as her face flushed with anger. "Ain't
got
the strength or power to do much of anything, I'd wager."
Now,
Spike knew that was a lie. After all, he had seen her in the
forest,
and knew he had only just tasted a drop of the power
stirring
inside of the girl, but then, the redhead wasn't the only
one
that knew how to get under someone's skin. Spike could find a
weak
spot just as quickly as she could.
"It's
no wonder really that none of the men at those little
gatherings
bothered with her," he mused.
Angelus
watched in amusement, knowing perfectly well what his childe
was
doing.
"Temper,
Fuming
with anger,
bit
of potatoes.
"I'm
just saying, she's rather plain and boring when you get right
down
to it," Spike commented, smirking slightly. "Barely worth
talking
to, and really nothing to look at it."
"She
may look plain," Drusilla noted, "but she has such pretty red
hair.
I have a dolly with pretty red hair. She's always whispering
such
naughty secrets." The vampress giggled while the
other two
demons
rolled their eyes.
"Would
be a damn near miracle for the girl to have any suitors at
all,"
Spike stated, grinning as he saw the redhead snap. Jumping up,
her
chair tipped back, cracking as it hit the floor, and
loomed
over the blond, fork pointed at him accusingly.
"I
seem to recall SOMEONE showing some interest," she stated through
gritted
teeth.
Before
either could say anything further, Angelus was standing
between
them, gripping her tightly at the back of her neck, with a
fist
full of red hair. Yanking her head back, he forced her to look
up at
him, his eyes flashing yellow as she stared at his demon
visage.
"I
did NOT give ya permission to speak, *pet*," he
growled, the last
word
spat disdainfully.
"I'm
sorry,"
"Quiet!"
He bellowed, yanking back toward his chair. The vampire
roughly
shoved her down, and
the
pain. "Ya will remain kneelin
there until I tell ya ta
move," he
told
her. "And don't even think about speakin a
word."
hatred
and utter humiliation as she knelt on the hard, wooden floor,
the
blond vampire smirking at her cruelly.
Angelus
could feel the anger flowing from the girl, and couldn't
help
but grin. Leaning down a bit, he let his large hand slide
down
her back, squeezing her bottom suggestively.
slightly
at his actions, and Angelus leaned in to whisper in her
ear.
"The more ya fight, kitten, the more fun the
game."
Willow's
sight became blinded with tears as she felt his hand
sliding
along her body, heard his taunting words, and saw the evil
smirk
on his blond childe's face. She had had enough, and
though
of
action suddenly became very clear. She knew she would probably
not
make it off of the ship alive, and even if she did, more of the
same
horrible treatment would follow. At least this way, she could
hurt
the bastard before that happened.
Concentrating,
she quickly centered herself. Angelus felt the girl
relax
slightly next to him, thinking that she had finally given in
for
the moment, and took a sip of the blood before him. Willow
closed
her eyes and concentrated on a piece of her broken chair that
had
laid behind the master vampire, slowly levitating it and
pointing
the sharpest part toward his heart.
"I'm
sure that yer goin to be
great fun once yer broken, kitten,"
Angelus
told her, "but I gotta admit, me favorite part
has always
been breakin me pets."
At
that statement,
feet,
ready to plunge it through his back and into his dead heart.
"
just
as the stake flew forward toward the vampire's unbeating
heart.
Angelus smirked at her as he reached an arm back, grabbing
the
stake easily before it could make contact, his eyes never
leaving
hers.
wood
in front of her, snapping it in two as if it were nothing more
than
a small twig.
He
took a step toward her, coming nearly nose to nose with the
witch,
growling.
she
was failing miserably.
"Witch,"
he ground out.
"Just
figuring that out?"
moment.
"Mmm, she has such power," Drusilla stated, closing her
eyes and
smiling.
"I
had my suspicions," Angelus stated, yanking the girl to her
feet.
"Could feel the power in the room. Seems someone's been
practicing." He chuckled condescendingly, causing
flair,
despite her still overwhelming fear. "Witches are nothing
but
trouble. Ain't never been anythin
else."
"Hey!"
better!"
Angelus
reached out, grabbing the girl around the neck and yanking
her
closer to him. "Vampires don't rely on dirty tricks and dark
potions,"
he growled. "Well, actually," he amended, rethinking his
words.
"We do rely on dirty tricks, but we do it with a bit more
finesse."
"Right,"
Willow scoffed. "Grrr, argg,
that's finesse."
Angelus
growled loudly, his grip on her tightening, and
not
contain a whimper as the pain coursed through her. "I'll show
you
finesse, girl," he whispered, just before his fangs descended on
her
neck.
his
fangs into her neck. A moment later, he pulled his head away as
he
howled in pain, and
of
relief and vengeance.
"What
the hell did ya do?" He shouted, shaking her
angrily as his
throat
burned.
"Me?"
She asked innocently, taking a step backwards. "Just drank a
little
holy water. Was that bad?"
"Cursed witch!" He shouted, not noticing as Spike
chuckled in
amusement.
She really was a clever girl, not that he liked her any
more
of course. But still, to see someone pull one over on his sire…
Reaching
out, he grabbed a fist full of red hair again, yanking her
to
him.
"I
could snap yer neck in the blink of an eye," he
told her, a low
growl
emanating from deep within his throat.
"My
Angelus," Drusilla interrupted, resting her hand gently on his
arm.
The
older vampire spun around, glaring at her. "What is it, Dru? I'm
a bit
busy maimin an killin."
"You
can't snap her neck, lovey," she told him
matter-of-factly.
Angelus
rolled his eyes. "And why's that, Dru? She do some other
damned
little trick I don't know about?"
Drusilla
shook her head. "The stars, they tell me, bad things will
come
of it if you do."
"The
stars," he shouted, looking up at the ceiling, as if he could
see
through it. "Well, what do they say about me drownin
her?"
Drusilla
thought for a moment, before grinning at her sire. "The
sweet
little voices sing at the idea," she told him.
That
was enough for Angelus. Gripping her arm tightly, he quickly
led
several
minions quickly gathered around them in curiosity.
Angelus
roughly shoved
and
pointing it at her. "Do you know,
sounding
almost jovial, "what they would do to witches in my time?"
smirked
at her. "Burned at the stake, pushed from a cliff, drown."
The
last word was spoken in a low, threatening tone. "Time to take a
walk,
lass," he told her with an evil grin.
actions
may have been a bit too hasty. Looking down, her fears only
increased
as she took in the dark, swirling waters below.
Angelus
took a step forward, bringing the tip of the sword to her
chest.
"Walk!" He commanded.
the
thin plank wobble, knowing one more step would send her into the
deep
waters.
"Angelus,"
came a voice.
spoken,
and saw Spike looking toward her while he addressed his
sire.
"You might want to think about keeping her around a bit
longer."
"Witches
are trouble, me boy," Angelus told him, nudging her with
the
sword again.
"Yes,
sire, but considering your, well, plans, she might come in
handy,"
Spike explained.
Angelus
thought about his childe's suggestion for a moment,
before
reaching
out and plucking the girl from the plank and holding her
before
him.
"You
know, William, yer right. And since it was yer brilliant idea,
I'll
be given her ta ya until
she might be needed." At that, Angelus
shoved
the redhead forward, causing her to nearly collide with a
scowling
blond vampire.
Spike
opened his mouth to protest, but could see the determined look
on
his sire's angry eyes and thought better of it.
Grabbing a hold
of
her upper arm in a bruising grip, Spike yanked her closer to him.
He
could see the blood still lightly flowing from the bite mark on
her
neck, and growled at the fact that, due to the holy water, he
could
not taste it.
"Keep
her out of trouble, and keep her out of me business, boy, or
it
will be yer head I'll be after, understand?"
Spike
nodded and mumbled something that no one quite caught, before
dragging
the stunned witch down to his room.
Part
15
for
her tumultuous stomach. The world seemed to be spinning as she
was
pulled through the ship, toward the living quarters, by an angry
vampire.
The grip on her arm remained tight and painful, and he was
moving
just a little faster than she felt able, causing her to feel
more
dragged along than led.
She
heard his heavy boot kick the door open just before being
propelled
forward into a dark room. A dim stream of light fell across
her
as she stumbled a few feet and dropped to the floor. A moment
later,
the light was gone.
Spike
slammed the door and stared at the girl. The room was shroud
in
complete darkness, though he was still able to see her, even if
she
couldn't see him. The redhead was shaking violently, huddled on
the
floor, near the foot of the bed. She refused to look up at him,
her
head hung low and her eyes tightly shut.
"Look
at me," he growled, taking a few steps toward her. The witch
made
no attempt to move, and Spike quickly swooped down, yanking her
up by
her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
"Look
at me," he repeated, snarling at her.
at
the command, and Spike faltered slightly at the sheer fear
reflected
in the green orbs. He could feel her shaking still, and her
wide,
terrified eyes glistened with unshed tears. Gazing at her
frightened
appearance, the blond felt his anger dissolving. He
didn't
want her to be afraid of him. At least, he didn't want her to
be
this afraid. The vampire had no idea why he suddenly felt that
way,
but seeing the girl, who had at one time looked to be so strong
and
powerful, suddenly diminished to this state…He couldn't explain
why
he didn't like it, and was in no mood to examine where his change
of
heart had come from.
The
blond released her suddenly, and
keep
from falling again. She watched him as he began to pace the
room,
looking like a caged lion, preparing to attack.
"You
do as I say, you don't cause trouble, and NO magic, got it?" He
snarled,
disliking the vulnerable feelings being caused by the slight
girl.
Hearing
his demanding tone,
dissipating.
Her mind began to run over the events of the last few
weeks.
She had been humiliated by this man, kidnapped and manhandled
by a
gang of scrupulous pirates, taken by a couple of ruthless
vampires,
chained in a room like an errant puppy, commanded like a
slave,
punished like a child, and now passed around from demon to
demon,
as if she were nothing more than a piece of property to be
bartered
with.
"What
gives you the right to tell me what to do?" She yelled back,
jumping
to her feet, her face turning red in anger. "A-and no
magic?
It's
the only defense I have!"
With
a movement so swift, her eyes were unable to follow, Spike was
on
top of the redhead, who was now pushed down on the large bed. He
had a
hand around her neck, though it was only lightly caressing it,
almost
as if to tease and tickle her, more than to hurt. His other
pinned
her wrists easily over her head, and when the witch squirmed
beneath
him, trying to free herself, Spike only grinned cruelly,
pressing
his body further into hers.
"I
can tell you to do anything I damn well please," he told her
through
gritted teeth, his voice so calm it sounded eerie. "In case
you
missed it back there, Angelus handed you over to me, which means
that
you now belong to yours truly." He leered at her with a
satisfied
smile, finally putting the girl in her place, which was
beneath
him in every way. "You're mine now, to command, to control,
and
to do anything else I like with. You behave, you may just be
rewarded.
Misbehave, and you will be severely punished. And don't
think
that I won't enjoy every second of it. I may do things a bit
differently
than my sire, but I can be every bit the bastard he is.
Understand?"
going
limp beneath him as her face fell and she nodded. She
understood
now. She really was nothing more than a mere possession,
something
to barter with. She had belonged to Angelus and now she
belonged
to Spike. The sooner she accepted that, the better off she
would
be.
Seeing
the change in the girl's disposition, Spike released his grip
on
her wrists and moved away from her, watching her curiously. Her
eyes
seemed to glaze over, looking more hollow…almost haunted, and he
wondered
at what she was thinking. Letting out an aggravated sigh,
not
wanting to care what she thought one way or the other, he ran his
hand
through his hair and glanced around the dark room.
"The
sun will be coming up in less than an hour," he told her. "It's
been
a long night for everyone. Go to sleep." As the vampire spoke,
he
tossed his jacket onto a near by chair and kicked off his boots.
Moving
toward the bed, he sat on the opposite side from where she was
timidly
perched. Still watching her intently, he saw the redhead
climb
to her knees on the mattress, before swinging one leg off and
beginning
to stand up wearily.
She
turned to look at the blond with questioning, tired eyes.
"I
said to go to sleep," he growled, disliking her purposefully
disobedient
actions.
floor.
"I thought that…I mean," she blushed a little as she tried to
explain.
"Angelus always had me sleep on the floor and…"
"Well,"
he interrupted, tugging her backwards slightly onto the
bed,
"unlike my sire, I prefer to have a warm body in the bed with
me.
Perk to having a pet, so you'll sleep up here, with me."
afraid
or grateful. On one hand, she would not have to sleep on the
cold,
hard floor, but on the other, she WOULD have to sleep in the
same
bed as the vampire she despised more than any other.
The
redhead was exhausted, physically and mentally, and the more she
pondered
her present predicament, the more difficult any thinking at
all
became. Finally, she let out a deep sigh and gingerly lay down
on
the large, plush bed, as far away from the blond as possible.
Spike
watched with a small smirk as the witch turned her back to him
and
moved as far toward the edge of the bed as she could. He waited
until
she had finally settled herself under the covers, listening as
her
heart beat slowed with her on coming sleep. Just before she was
completely
asleep, he reached out, slipping an arm around her waist,
and
gently tugged her toward him, tucking her small, warm body
against
his hard, cold one. Spike heard her heart rate speed up
again
and grinned.
"A
warm, soft bed, and plenty of blankets," he whispered to her,
pulling
her in a little closer. "I'm much better than my sire
already,
now aren't I?"
allowing
blissful sleep to over take her.
Part 16
Spike woke early the next evening, immediately aware of the
fact that he was alone in his bed. His eyes flew open, and the vampire sat up,
scanning the room, feeling a mixture of anger and apprehension as he found the
room to be void of anyone else. Throwing back the covers, the blond gracefully
stood, grabbing the shirt that he had discarded some time during the night, and
pulling it on, not bothering to button it.
Yanking open the door, Spike stalked down the hallway,
reaching with his senses for any sign of his newly acquired pet. He knew he was
getting closer as he headed up onto the deck.
His anger was growing, as was his fears at what might have happened to
the redhead, though he wasn’t quite ready to admit that to himself just yet.
Stepping out onto the deck, the vampire glanced up toward
the sky. It was darkening quickly, a
deep red hue blending into the horizon, the remnants of the sun that had set
not fifteen minutes earlier. Scanning
the deck of the large ship, his now golden eyes finally settled on the bit of
red he had been searching for. Spike let
out a sigh of relief before stalking toward the girl, his anger now flaring up
as his concerns were momentarily laid to rest. Nearly reaching her, the blond
paused, seeing another figure moving nearby.
“Looks like I found me a nice little treat,” the vampire
stated with a sneer, yanking the girl up by the arm roughly.
“Remove your filthy claws from my pet.” Both
“I’m…I’m sorry, Spike,” the vampire groveled, backing away
from the redhead, head bowed. “I didn’t
know that she belonged to you. The girl don’t have your claim, and the boys
said Angelus gave his pet up.”
“He did,” Spike replied, still sounding frighteningly
calm. “He gave the girl to me, and I
don’t take kindly to anyone else tryin to snack on
what’s mine.” At that, Spike punched the
demon as hard as possible, sending him flying back into a pile of crates. Leaning down, he quickly grabbed a piece of
broken wood and thrust it though the vampire’s chest, effectively dusting him
before turning back to the cowering redhead.
“And just what the hell do you think you’re doing out here?”
He yelled, grabbing a hold of her arm.
“I needed fresh air, and a chance to think,” she told him
softly. "It was still light out when I left."
“You do NOT leave that room without my permission,” he told
her with a growl. “Understand?”
“Yes,”
“What if I hadn’t come out to find you just now?” He
questioned, his anger still raging.
Seeing the other vampire ready to sink his teeth into the girl had
shaken him, causing feeling he did NOT want to feel. “That vampire would have killed you in a
heartbeat.”
“So what?”
“What was that?” He questioned.
“So what if he did,” she repeated, louder, her own anger
beginning to grow. “What’s the
difference if he kills me or you do? Either way, I eventually end up dead. At least it would all be over with.” Spike just gaped at her, shocked to hear what
she was saying. “I’m tired of being
treated like this! Passed around, locked away. If you’re going to kill me, just
get it over with already!”
Spike released the girl and took a step back, staring at her
in surprise for a moment before his expression darkened. “You might want to be careful what you ask
for, pet,” he told her.
“You know, I could conjure a storm big enough to sink this
entire ship,” she replied in a cold, emotionless tone.
The blond arched an eyebrow at her, almost as if daring her
to do it. “Vampires can breath underwater, luv. You sink this ship, you’re only killing
yourself.”
“Maybe I don’t care anymore,” she stated quietly, some of
the venom leaving her voice.
“Bullocks.” His short reply surprised the redhead, and she
looked up at him incredulously. “You do
care,” he told her. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t
be fighting me. I’ve seen that fire, luv. I know
what’s lurkin inside of you. You do still care, and
in the end, that will be your downfall.”
Watching the range of emotions playing across his face,
Willow wondered briefly who that little speech was meant for more, her or
him. He was right, of course. She did still care, and she suspected that it
would indeed lead to her demise, but pretending to no longer care seemed to be
so much easier than fighting any of them anymore.
Part
17
The
next several days were quiet ones aboard the ship. The demons
seemed
more subdued than usual. Angelus spent most of his nights
locked
away with Drucilla, or reading up on the ritual he
was
preparing
for. That left Spike alone with his pet, much to the
blond's amusement, and to
The
girl was a paradox to him. Whenever around anyone else on the
ship,
she became subdued and withdrawn, terror pouring from her in
waves.
The other demons on board relished it, he knew, and fed off of
the
inner tension she held. She was clearly terrified of both Angelus
and Drucilla, hiding from them as much as possible, and
cowering when
in
their presence. Yet when she was alone with him, her demeanor was
completely
different. She was defiant and obstinate, barely afraid
of
him, and then only when he was raging to the point of nearly
losing
control.
conversation
better than most women he had met, and her wit was razor
sharp.
She was cunning, and he was sure that, given the right
opportunity,
she could be down right ruthless if her life, or more
likely
the life of someone she cared about, was in jeopardy. At the
same
time though, she still held an air of innocence which appealed
to
the demon in him, and called to the remnants of the man that was
once
there. He found himself wanting to make her smile more than
scream,
and he himself, more often than not, was fighting an internal
battle.
She was a pet, a human pet, there for his use and amusement,
and
yet, he found himself slowly thinking of her as something more.
She
tugged at a soft spot in his heart, creating a weakness that made
him
cringe. He was not supposed to feel this way about her, and yet,
knowing
that seemed to do little to alleviate the problem.
For
oscillated
between bouts of terror and anger, one minute worrying
over
her impending death, and the next minute feeling frustration
over
something that Spike said or did. It seemed as though the blond
purposefully
goaded her into heated discussions about just about
anything,
and he would play devils advocate each and every time,
disagreeing
with her about any topic.
She
could never fully puzzle him out, which keep her constantly
uneasy,
never quite sure of what his next move would be, or where his
mood
would next turn to. Just when she would get used to his gruff,
angry
demeanor, the blond would suddenly flash her a moment of
kindness,
giving her a glimpse of what she would almost term as
compassion.
But it would be gone in the next instant, leaving her
feeling
empty once again, and dizzy with loneliness and apprehension.
He
oozed darkness and evil. He was intelligent and insidious, and
surprisingly
enough, could carry on a very interesting conversation
when
he felt inclined. They had actually spent many hours engaged in
arresting
verbal exchanges filled with witty banter and lively
debate,
though generally it would end once Willow grew tired of
Spike's
snarky comments, or the blond became too frustrated
with the
witch's
surprisingly misanthropic view of the world. Occasionally,
deceived
by his charm and intelligence. The vampire was handsome.
There
was no doubt of that, and he knew it too, carrying himself with
an
air that clearly announced to the world just how lucky they were
to
get so much as a glimpse of him.
narcissistic,
and though she suspected that he might have every
reason
to be so, it still infuriated her to no end.
Still,
even with the momentary pleasantries that would pass between
thetwo,
never
fully relax, always worried about what would set the blond
vampire
off next, or who else might come strolling through his door.
She
felt isolated, her inner voice becoming more tumultuous and
difficult
to listen to. She was starved for fresh air and sunshine,
almost
never allowed to leave the room, and then only with Spike.
Even
when they did leave the room, she was seized with terror,
constantly
worried that the vampires that leered and growled at her
would
suddenly snatch her up and tear her throat out, and that Spike
would
do little more than laugh at the sight.
The
redhead was surprised, to say the least, when she felt the ship
shudder
and pull to a stop one night, just before Spike sauntered into
the
room.
"We're
here, pet," he announced. The vampire appeared to be in a
relatively
good mood, and
happening.
A part of her feared that they had reached whatever
destination
they were heading to, and a part of her prayed that it was
so. She
had caught onto bits and pieces of whatever it was that
Angelus
was planning, but was still not completely sure of his
scheme.
There was a ritual involved. She had figured that much out,
and
she could bet that the results would not be good. Demons
performing
rituals were almost never noble in intent, and more often
than
not were simply attempting to destroy the earth. Years of
helping
the slayer had taught
least
of which was that the world ending was not a good thing, and
should
be stopped if possible. She knew she would have to get more
information
on whatever he was planning, though she hadn't yet
discovered
exactly how to do that.
curled
up in, setting down the book that she had been given, and
tossed
him a questioning look.
"We've
docked for a few hours," he told her. "Need to pick up some
supplies."
ship,
even if just for a few hours. "Don't look at me like that,
pet.
You're not coming with." Her face immediately fell as she
looked
down. A moment later, she glanced back up, fire in her eyes.
"Why
can't I go with you?" She demanded. "I've been trapped on this
ship,
mostly in this room, for days! Please, Spike, I…"
"Quiet!"
He boomed, startling her. She faltered, her expression
dimming
again, and Spike immediately felt a pang of guilt. "Got a
few
things need takin care of," he told her, his
voice decidedly
softer
this time. "Need you to stay here, be a good girl for me."
saying
nothing.
"Don't
give me that look," he told her, his voice slightly lacking in
conviction.
"Angelus, Dru and I will be leaving with most of
the
minions.
There will still be a few on board. They have been given
explicit
instructions to leave you be, but just to be safe, I
want
you
to stay in here while I'm gone."
there.
Then a thought hit her. Angelus, Spike and Dru would
all be
gone
from the ship. This would be the perfect opportunity to take a
look
around and see what she could find out about the ritual that the
dark
haired vampire was planning to perform.
Spike
was surprised when the redhead suddenly waved a hand
dismissively,
and almost skipped back over to her seat, plopping down
and
grabbing her book. It seemed almost too easy, he thought, but
wasn't
about to question her compliance.
"Remember,
stay in this room. I'll be back in a few hours," he told
her,
before finally leaving, not seeing the smirk on
Part
18
The
ship creaked eerily as it rocked back and forth, the calm harbor
water
lapping at its sides. It was unusually quiet, with most of the
crew
in port gathering supplies, and
nervous
tension created by the quiet atmosphere.
Moving
quickly down the hallway, the redhead glanced around, being
sure
to not call attention to herself. The minions rarely
came down
into
the main living quarters, much to Willow's appreciation, and she
let
out a deep sigh of relief when she finally reached Angelus' room
and
slipped through the door, seemingly undetected.
The
room was dark and cool, the remnants of a fire glowing under the
mantle.
Her eyes darted around, before finally settled on a small
pile
of books near the bed. Moving toward them quick, she carefully
perched
herself atop the high mattress and began to flip through the
papers
and books, stopping when she found what she was looking for.
~*~
"Come
in!" The Englishman called out in response to the knock at his
door.
"Thank
ya so much for yer
hospitality," Angelus said with a
smirk, "and of course the invitation."
"Who
are you? What do you want?" The man shouted as he jumped up from
the
table he had been sitting at, his books and papers toppling over.
"Now,
now, Benjamin, no need ta get riled up. At lease, not yet. We
just
want to be askin ya a few
questions. Isn't that right, Dru?"
Angelus
turned and looked back at Drucilla as she strolled
into the
room,
one of his hands clamping down hard on the man's shoulder,
pushing
him back into his seat.
"What
do you want?" Benjamin asked nervously, removing his glasses
and
cleaning them thoroughly.
"Word
has it that ya work for the council. That
right?" Angelus
asked,
perching himself casually on the table in front of the
frightened
man, leering at him. Benjamin simply nodded his
head.
"Well, then, Bennie, ya might just be able ta help me. See,
I'm tryin ta figure out a certain
ritual. `Immortalis Eversor.'
Ever
hear
of it?"
The
man's eyes widened, as did Angelus' grin. "Well, now, I can see
that ya have. Good! Then ya can help
me. See, I'm havin a little
trouble
translatin all of it."
The
man shook his head wildly. "Immortal destroyer," he whispered.
"You…you
can't. You would need the gem to…"
"Oh,
ya mean this?" Angelus interrupted, pulling out
the necklace
that
he had taken from
enough
to confirm that the necklace was what Angelus had suspected.
It
was the gem of Immortalis Eversor.
"Yeah, got it off a sweet,
little redhead."
"Ya see, the part I'm havin a bit of trouble with is this here," he
stated,
tossing a small piece of paper down with several words
scrawled
on it. Benjamin looked down, reading over the paper, before
again
looking up and shaking his head.
"I
can not help you," he whispered harshly. "You must NOT perform
this
ritual. You don't know what you're dealing with here."
"I
know exactly what I'm dealin with. I think perhaps yer the one
that's
confused," Angelus growled. "Let me make it clearer." At that,
he
let his demon visage slip forth, his hand on the man's shoulder
tightening
its grip, holding the now terrified Benjamin in place.
"Kill
me if you must," Benjamin told him. "I will not help you with
this."
Angelus
rolled his eyes and let out an aggravated sigh. "That's not
the
way this works," he told him. "Yer no help ta me dead. Not until
ya tell me what I need to know, anyway. But that don't mean we
won't
kill
the rest of yer family. Ain't
that right, Dru?"
"Oh
yeah," she agreed with a smile, glancing around the room as if
she
could see things that the other two couldn't. She inhaled deeply
and
her smile grew. "There's a sweet little girl in the next room.
Her
blood calls to me."
"No!
Please! I'll tell you what you need to know. Please, just leave
my
daughter be," Benjamin pleaded.
"Talk,"
Angelus demanded. "Tell me what this means."
The
watcher looked over the paper, reading it several times to
himself before looking up nervously. "It speaks of requiring a
human
sacrifice
at the time of the ritual."
"That all?" Angelus asked, surprised that it was that
easy.
"It…It
can't be just any sacrifice. It must be one with strong occult
ties.
Magic."
Angelus
sat, pondering that for a moment, before a wide, evil grin
spread
across his face. "Well now, I think I know exactly where I
might
find such a person."
"Our
Spikey's little redhead?" Dru
questioned. Angelus simply nodded
his
head in reply.
"That
wasn't so hard, now was it?" He asked the man. "Thank ya for
all
the help."
Benjamin
gave a nervous smile, sighing in relief as the vampire stood
up
and turned toward the door. Just when the Englishman thought he
would
remain unscathed, the dark haired vampire spun back around and
punched
him square in the face, knocking him out cold.
Drucilla looked up at her sire, confused as to why he didn't just
kill
the man. Angelus simply shrugged. "Don't prefer me blood that
aged,"
he told her. "Now, go grab yerself a snack from
the next room.
We're
headin back ta the
ship."
~*~
The redhead scowled as she looked over the paper. It was clearly
the
ritual,
though it was in a language that she did not understand. A
few
words had been translated and scrawled into the margins. They
didn't
make much sense to her, and she quickly abandoned the paper in
the
hopes that the books would be of better use.
Reaching
for one of the older, larger texts, the redhead was startled
as
she heard a noise outside the door. Dropping the book with a
thump,
she quickly jumped up from the bed and ran toward the door,
leaning
against it and listening to the sounds on the other side.
"Ya seem to be spending an awful lot of time with the girl,
William."
how
much time had passed, and looking around, she saw no immediate
means
of escape. Her heart was racing as her fear gave way to
hysteria,
her entire body beginning to shake.
Spike
let out a low growl, detesting his sire's use of his given
name.
"Not much else to do around here," he commented, unaware of the
redhead
listening nearby.
"I
think ya might be havin a
soft spot for the little witch," Angelus
teased,
a smirk on his lips.
conversation,
despite the discernable terror coursing through her.
"You
don't know what you're talkin about, mate,"
Spike told his sire,
gruffly.
Angelus simply chuckled in response. "She's a right pain in
the arse," Spike told him.
that,
but they seemed to have been building a common companionship
over
the last few days. Of course, he scared her now and then, and
frustrated
her to no end, but still, she had been sure that a part of
him
liked her, at least a little bit, and she was surprised to hear
him
denouncing such a claim openly to Angelus.
"Yes.
Reminds me of a certain blond I once knew," Angelus replied
with
a knowing grin. His childe need not admit his admiration for
the
girl. It was clear enough to anyone looking. She reminded him so
much
of Spike, it was almost uncanny, and Angelus figured that his
childe
deserved every bit of trouble that the witch gave him, and
then
some. At least, that was, until he sacrificed her.
"She's
obstinate, pig-headed and dull," Spike told him decidedly,
though
both vampires knew it was untrue. "She's overly opinionated
and
too smart for her own good. Not to mention far too perky and
innocent."
At
those words, the voices began to fade, both vampires moving along
down
the corridor and toward the dining hall.
of
relief, opening the door slightly and peering out, making sure
there
was no one about before quickly slipping back down to Spike's
room.
Once
inside, the witch sank down onto the floor near the bed,
wrapping
her arms around her knees. Her green eyes filled with tears
as
she replayed the conversation she had just over heard. Sure, she
knew
better than to think that Spike was anything close to fond of
her,
but to hear his harsh, cruel words…A lump formed in her throat,
which
she quickly choked back, trying to block out his dark, taunting
voice.
She chastised herself as she realized that she had, in some
small
way, been beginning to grow fond of the vampire. The redhead
hadn't
realized just how much she had come to look forward to their
time
together, their chats providing her with the only enjoyment she
found
on the ship, and her heart broke just a little at the
realization
that to him, she was still nothing more than a pet to
bide
his time with.
Part 19
Angelus walked into his room,
unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it onto a nearby chair. Sitting on the bed,
he grinned, thinking back to earlier that evening and the things he had learned
from the watcher. So, the little witch would come in handy after all. He would
have to remember to thank Spike for keeping her around.
Spike. Now there might be
small glitch. Despite his constant protesting about not liking the girl, it was
clear that the vampire was smitten. Had been from the minute he set eyes on the
redhead. Personally, Angelus couldn’t understand why. She was human, and meek
and innocent at that. But then, she did remind him so much of William before he
was turned, and Angelus supposed that was where the attraction came in. It made
his childe weak, though, and that was not something the older vampire
appreciated. They would all be far better off when the witch was good and dead,
and Angelus finally had the power he was searching for.
Glancing around the room,
his smirk suddenly faltered as he noticed one of his books lying on the floor
near the bed. Leaning down, he lifted the book up, looking it over carefully.
Inhaling deeply, Angelus growled. How had he not noticed it the minute he
walked into the room? Her scent was everywhere.
~*~
The next evening,
Spike had noticed the shift
in the redhead’s mood. It had been obvious enough from the moment that he was
back on the ship. She seemed to be mad at him about something, though he had no
idea what, but beyond that, she seemed more saddened than usual. He suspected
that it might simply be home sickness, but doubted it. Her countenance had
changed so quickly, he was sure that something specific must have caused it. He
tried to question her on it, but of course, the witch was not forthcoming on
much of anything, and despite his misgivings on his own emotions, the vampire
found himself desperate to make her smile again. He felt uneasy, knowing she
was unhappy with him, and racked his brain for a way to bring her back around
to her more pleasant self.
The lock on the door
clicked, and
"Come with me, pet.
Want to show you something," he told her. Spike had finally decided that
perhaps the girl simply needed to get out of the room. She had, after all, been
unhappy about being left aboard the ship when they docked for supplies, and he
did have to remind himself that she was human, and needed things like fresh air
and sunlight, neither of which she was afforded much of.
"I don’t think you
have anything I want to see," she informed him matter-of-factly.
"Just come with
me," he responded, with another tug, forcing her to stand up.
He wondered a bit at how
she knew that. She hadn’t been out of the room in days, and there were no
windows to see out of. He remembered her command of the elements, back in
"All the more reason
for you to hurry up and come with me," he told her, becoming increasingly
frustrated. Reaching out, he went to grab her hand again, but she quickly moved
it out of range, twisting her body away from him.
"I really don’t want
to," she told him gruffly.
"
"I really don’t
think…"
"Just bloody follow me
or…" Spike stopped himself, running his hands through his hair, trying to
calm down. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing the demon away, before
looking at her again with pleading eyes. "I’m not going to hurt you,
pet," he told her, his voice soft and gentle again. "Just want to
show you something."
"A dead body kind of
something or a nice kind of something?" She questioned warily.
Spike fought to suppress a
chuckle at her question and gave her a slight smile. "A nice something.
Just trust me."
"Right, because a
horrible, murderous demon is really a guy you can trust," she stated,
rolling her eyes.
"I promise you’ll be
safe," he told her with an exasperated sigh.
"You’ll have to excuse
me if I don’t completely believe you," she replied.
"Have I ever lied to
you?" He asked, still holding his hand out. "Steal, cheat, maim,
kill…I do all of those, but I don’t lie. At least, not to you." Seeing her
resolve waver, he reached out and took her hand again, leading her yielding
frame out the door and toward the upper deck.
~It’s hard to listen to a hard, hard heart
~Beating close to mine
~Pounding up against the
stone and steal
~Walls that I won’t climb
Spike led her out of the
room, and up the first staircase, reveling in the sound of her heart beat, the
blood rushing through her veins. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from their small
argument, though her eyes were dull. She seemed to have been fading within the
last few days, and that was something that he couldn’t bare to see. That fire, that spark that was so uniquely
As they walked from the
rooms below, up to the top deck,
Hearing growls,
She felt him squeeze her
hand in reassurance.
"No one will touch
you, pet," he told her in a low, soft voice. "You’re safe with me.
Won’t let anyone hurt you."
"Who will protect me
from you?" She wondered. It wasn’t until she saw him turn toward her with
a look that seemed to be a mixture of anger and sadness that she realized
that she had spoken out loud.
"Why is it that you
seem to be so much more afraid of those pathetic minions than you do of
me?" He asked. Spike knew that there was a part of her that feared him.
She was too smart not to. But she didn’t cower and hide from him the way she
did from the rest of the vampires, and he wasn’t sure if that made him glad or
angry. Mistaking her question for sarcasm, he decided to momentarily allow
anger to win out.
"You don’t scare me
like they do," she confided quietly. "I-I mean, you’re frightening
enough, what with the-the grrrr and all, but-but
mostly, you’re just annoying."
A small grin curved the
edges of her lips and Spike had to smile. This girl was something else.
Spike led the redhead up to
the railing, watching her tired, weary face as a mixture of emotions played
across it. He frowned as a single tear made its way down her cheek. He would
have given anything to know what was swirling through that mind of hers, but
suspected that he would never be privy to such secrets.
~Sometimes
a hurt is so deep deep deep
~You think that you’re
going to drown
~Sometimes all I can do
is weep weep weep
~With all this rain,
falling down
"Why did you bring me
out here?" She asked quietly, nothing but curiosity in her voice.
"Thought you could use
a break from that room," he told her honestly. "Sky’s still pretty
clear. Can still see most of the stars. That, over there, that’s…"
"Orion," she
interrupted, glancing up at him with a slight smile and shrugged. "Knowing
the stars, kinda comes with the whole witch
thing," she explained.
"Right, should have
known that," he mumbled, looking away from her as the clouds rolled across
the sky, blocking out the images above.
Leaning over the railing,
He looked at her with a
curious expression that she couldn’t quite place, and gestured out toward the
night sky.
The witch’s eyes glanced up
as she felt a cool rain drop fall. A second one landed on her cheek, and she
brushed it away quickly, watching a third splatter on the railing.
~Strange
how hard it rains now
~Rows and rows of big
dark clouds
~When I’m holding on
underneath this shroud
~Rain
Looking back out toward the
storm on the horizon, the redhead tried to ignore the emotions stirring within
her. She could feel him there, beside her. Even though they were no longer
touching, it was as though they were connected some how. As if their hands had
never left one another’s. She saw a slight movement out of the corner of her
eye, just before she felt his hand slip into hers again. It simply had to be
there. There was no alternative.
~It’s
hard to know when to give up the fight
~Two things you want will
just never be right
~It’s never rained like
it has tonight
~Before
Looking toward him again,
she was startled by the emotion that shone in his blue eyes.
Spike watched her face for
some sort of idea as to what she was thinking and feeling. Then he heard it.
Her heart beat began to race and her breathing hitched in her throat. That was
all he needed. He knew. This fiery, defiant, obstinate, infuriating, beautiful,
powerful, magnificent creature was looking at him as if he were the world.
Suddenly, her gaze, her heart, and her breathing told him all he needed to
know. He was death, personified, and here, standing before him, was life,
eternal.
~Now
I don’t want to beg you baby
~For something maybe you
could never give
~I’m not looking for the
rest of your life
~I just want another
chance to live
Drawn by a sudden, urgent
need,
~Strange
how hard it rains now
~Rows and rows of big
dark clouds
~When
I’m holding on, underneath this shroud
~Rain
Hands grasped at drenched
clothing and fingers entwined with rain soaked hair as they both lost
themselves in one another. Opening her eyes,
"Gotta
get you out of these wet clothes," he told her in a low, husky voice,
stepping back to admire her as she was bared to his view. The vampire
smiled, his eyes conveying to her how beautiful he thought her.
Reaching out, she attempted
to grasp his shirt, wanting his clothes to be gone as well, but Spike easily
held her hand at bay with a grin. Gently, he pushed her down to the bed, urging
her to lie down as he covered her body with his own, claiming her lips in another
passionate kiss. When he finally pulled back, he smiled at the sound of her
whimpered protests.
"Patience, luv," he admonished with a grin, before quickly
removing his own clothes and again covering her body with his own.
Spike felt her shiver below
him, a result of the combination of the cold rain and her heated passion. She
began to beg incoherently, desperate to feel everyone inch of his body against
her own. Clutching blindly at his shoulders and arms, her nails bit slightly
into his flesh, spurring him further along.
Pulling his head back,
slightly, Spike gave her a questioning look, silently requesting
permission.
Within only a few moments,
~Strange
how hard it rains now
~Rows and rows of big
dark cloud
~While
I’m holding on, underneath this shroud
~Rain Rain Rain
Part
20
It
had been several days and Angelus had barely seen Spike. He had
been
spending almost all of his time in his room with the redhead. He
knew
that Spike had finally taken the girl. About damn time, he
thought.
At first he suspected that the blond had finally grown a
pair
and forced the girl, but later realized that she was with him as
a
very willing partner. That thought left Angelus feeling extremely
uneasy.
He couldn't afford Spike getting too attached to the girl. It
was
time to drive a small wedge between the two love birds and remind
them
both of Spike's true nature.
~*~
"Giles,
what is it? Why are we here?"
"We're
borrowing a small ship from a friend of mine," Giles told the
slayer.
"This?"
Xander questioned, gesturing to the very small
fishing boat
next
to them. "This isn't a ship, Giles. It's barely an oar."
"It's
more than sea worthy, Xander," Giles told him
hurriedly, as he
tossed
several supplies and weapons on board. "It will do for our
purposes."
"And
what exactly are our purposes? You haven't even told us what's
going
on?" Buffy reminded him.
"Right.
A friend of mine, from the council, sent word. He thinks that
he
might have located Willow."
"
"Hardly,"
Giles told him grimly. "Apparently, she's in a bit more
danger
than we originally suspected. The friend that I spoke to, he
believes
she is being held by a group of vampires that are preparing
to
perform a very dangerous ritual and it is suspected that Willow
will be
their sacrifice."
"What
kind of ritual?" Buffy questioned, her voice low
and dangerous.
"Immortalis Eversor," Giles
told them. "It's an ancient ritual,
which,
if performed correctly, will render a vampire not only
completely
unkillable, but more powerful than any other being in
existence."
"So,
that's bad, right?" Buffy mumbled.
"Sacrifice,"
Xander spoke up. "You said something about
used
as a sacrifice?"
"They
need a witch to sacrifice at the time of the ritual," he
explained.
"The vampire who spoke to my friend said that he had
gotten
a necklace needed for the spell from a redhead and that he
already
had someone to sacrifice."
"Willow,"
Buffy whispered with dread, once again feeling overridden
with guilt.
Squaring her shoulders, she looked up at her watcher. "So
where
are we heading?"
"They
were seen down the coast a bit. Not terribly far. The ritual
has
to be done during the new moon, so they're stalling for time.
Heading
down in the direction my friend suggested they might be going
would
be our best bet."
"Then
let's go," Buffy replied, hopping onto the boat, grabbing a
sword
and holding it up, mentally preparing herself for whatever they
would
soon face.
~*~
Spike
woke to a knocking at the door, and carefully extricated
himself
from the bed, making sure not to wake
door,
he flung it open groggily, just after pulling on a pair of
pants,
and glared at the minion standing on the other side.
"Master
Angelus requests the presence of your company in his
chambers,"
the vampire told him snidely.
Spike
let out a low growl and glanced back at the sleeping redhead.
"Your
pet is to stay here," the minion told him. Upon Spike's
incredulous
glare, he continued, "Two guards are to be left at the
door,
to ensure that no harm comes to the girl."
"Bloody
Angelus," Spike mumbled, walking back across the room. He
grabbed
a shirt and pulled it on, leaving the buttons undone and
slipping
on a pair of boots.
"Spike?"
The
blond vampire looked over to see
rubbing
her eyes, holding a sheet around her chest. Moving over to
the bed, he reached out, stroking her cheek and giving her a slight
smile. "Go back to sleep, luv,"
he told her softly. She gave him a
questioning
look, knowing better than to ask. "Angelus wants to have
a
little chat. I won't be gone long. I want you to be good and go
back
to sleep. Do not leave this room and do not open the door for
anyone,
understand?"
high?"
She asked quietly.
"He's
my sire," he explained impatiently, stroking a few strands of
hair
back from her face.
"He's
a bastard," she replied scornfully.
"So
am I,
can
still be just as evil and cruel as he is."
The
witch shook her head. "I think you're too sweet for that. You
could
never be like him." Her words surprised the redhead just as
much
as the blond. It had only been a few days before that she hated
him
more than any other creature alive, and now, here she was falling
madly
in love with him and thinking him sweet.
"You
take that back!" He scolded playfully. A moment later, though,
the
grin slipped from his lips and his face turned serious. "
I
meant what I said. You should be afraid of me. I'll most likely
destroy
you in the end and love every minute of it."
"We're
like fire and ice," she told him, ignoring his
warning,
"Opposite attractions."
"Fire
and ice never do too well together, in my experience," he
responded
in a dark tone.
"Okay,
then we're something else," she amended with an
impish
smile.
"Something that goes better together, like…"
"No,
I think you were right the first time," he interrupted, kissing
her
forehead. "Fire will melt the ice, and then what's left of the
ice
will extinguish the flame."
passionately.
"I don't want to see your light go out," he whispered,
sounding
desperate in his admission. A moment later, the blond pulled
away
and walked out, locking the door behind him.
Part 21
“Angelus, it’s barely after sunset. What the hell is it that
you want to talk about?” Spike said as he entered the main sitting room.
“Ah, come in me boy. Wanted to have a nice chat with ya,” Angelus told him, looking back over his shoulder as he
poured two glasses of whiskey.
“Yeah, got that part. What exactly is it you wanted to chat
about?” Spike questioned, not in the mood to play games.
“Wanted to talk to ya about yer little pet, Spike. Seems ya
haven’t been keepin a close enough eye on the lass,”
Angelus told him, handing him a drink before sitting down, gesturing that he do
the same.
Spike stayed standing, leaning against the mantle over the
fireplace, and sipped the drink.
“What makes you say that?” Spike asked.
“Seems the little girl has been snoopin
around in places she doesn’t belong,” Angelus told him. Spike raised an eyebrow
in question. “She was in here a few nights ago,” Angelus clarified, an angry
growl deep in his throat.
“Did someone see her?” Spike questioned, not fully believing
that
Angelus shook his head, “Not that I’ve been told.”
“Then why the hell are you accusing her of coming in here?!”
Spike yelled, slamming his glass down on the mantle top.
A second later, the blond vampire found himself shoved toward
the nearby wall, and pinned against it. Angelus growled as he held the younger
vampire against the unyielding wall, leaning in close and speaking in a low,
dangerous tone.
“Can’t ya smell her, boy? Her
scent is all over this room,” the older vampire told him, inhaling deeply, his
eyes closing briefly, before opening again, flashing gold.
Spike sniffed the air and realized with a mixture of dread
and anger that
“Now, I believe that I would recall havin
a sweet little tart like that in me room recently, and seein
as how I don’t have the pleasure of that memory, but her scent is lingerin in the air, I have ta
wonder what she was lookin for and what she found.”
Anger bubbling up inside of him, Spike growled, shoving
Angelus off of him, and glared menacingly. “I specifically told her to stay out
of here,” Spike told him, beginning to pace the room.
“Well, apparently the girl isn’t listen’n
to ya, Spike. Apparently ya
don’t know how to control her.”
“I know bloody well how to control my pet!” Spike shouted,
stepping up to the dark haired vampire, bringing them nearly nose to nose.
“Perhaps ya should leave her to me
for a night. Could remind ya how to properly handle
the girl,” Angelus said with a sneer, knowing exactly how to get to his childe.
“I SAID that I know how to control her,” Spike growled
through clenched teeth.
“Recent actions would say otherwise, boy,” Angelus growled
back. “It doesn’t look good for ya ta have a pet that don’t listen. The boys, they’re startin to think that ya might be
goin soft.”
“You listen to me,” Spike began, reaching out to grab a hold
of Angelus’ neck. Before he had a chance to say more, his hand was shoved away,
and he found his Sire’s fist wrapped tightly around his own throat. Angelus’
face morphed to his true visage as he growled at his childe.
“No, ya listen to me, boy. I told ya that if ya wanted the girl, ya would have to be lookin after
her. I would hate to think that me own childe couldn’t handle his responsibilities.
We have come too far and are too close to havin this
ritual done. I will not let that little witch destroy what I have worked so
hard for.”
Spike growled at the implication and tried to shove Angelus
away, finding that his grip only tightened.
“I find out that yer pet was in
here again, not only will I drink her dry, but I’ll be punishin
ya as well. I expect that ya
will be takin care of this matter straight away?”
Angelus let go of his childe and Spike shoved him away
angrily.
“I don’t need you to tell me how to handle my pet,” Spike
growled.
“If ya don’t think yer man enough to punish the lass…”
“I’ll take care of it,” Spike stated, before spinning on his
heels and storming out of the room, not seeing the evil grin cross his sire’s
face.
Part 22
“Spike?” She whispered nervously, seeing the anger flashing
in his eyes.
“You little bitch!” He yelled as he reached the bed, just
before back handing her.
“How dare you disobey my orders!” He yelled, shoving her
hard.
Again, he grabbed her arm harshly, and dragged her up, this
time pulling her from the bed and gripping her shoulders tightly as he held her
before him. Shoving her backwards, he grabbed a dress and threw it to her.
“Put this on,” he commanded coldly, watching as she quickly
pulled the dress over herself.
“I specifically told you to stay out of his room, didn’t I?
I gave you everything, and I’ve clearly been far too lenient with you. You think
you can do anything you wish?” At that, he struck her again, sending her to the
ground.
Once again, she felt the blond vampire grab her arm and haul
her up, this time dragging her from the room and up to the deck, where a large
group of vampires had congregated. Grabbing rope along the way, Spike wound it
tightly around the redhead’s wrists before securing it to an overhang, leaving
her swaying on her toes, facing the crowd.
He circled her several times, looking every bit like a
hunter stalking its prey, before stopping in front of the helpless girl,
gripping her face and forcing her to look at him, commanding that she open her
tightly closed eyes.
“Look at me!” He demanded. “Do not forget who I am. I am
your master, and you will do as I say, when I say it. Understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered hoarsely. “Please, I…”
Before she could say more, he took a step back and struck
her again.
“You will NOT disobey my orders again! You will show your
master respect and submission!” Stepping behind her, he grabbed a fist full of
red hair, yanking her head back painfully before addressing the congregated
vampires.
“There’s been some talk of me goin
soft,” he yelled out. “Anyone wishin to challenge me,
look no further. I’d hate for ANYONE to forget his or her place aboard this
ship.”
“Please, I’m sorry! Please…” She whispered, hearing the
demons cheer him on and taunt her.
“You will remember your place and behave accordingly!” He
yelled, ignoring her pitiful pleas. Walking in front of her again, he glared at
the girl with what she understood to be pure hatred and disdain, and he seemed
to be almost shaking with anger.
Turning back toward the crowd, Spike wiped at the blood on
his lips before grinning maliciously. “Anyone here have any doubts that I know
how to control my pet?” He questioned loudly. The crowd grew silent, and he
glanced over at Angelus and Dru, who were both
smiling at him proudly.
“Right then. Glad to get that squared away,” he stated,
before turning back to the redhead and grabbing the rope binding her wrists,
pulling harshly. The rope came free and
Reaching the bed, Spike tossed
Stepping back out to the deck, Spike saw that the crowd was
already disappearing, and he grabbed a hold of one of the human maids as she walked
by. “Go, bring my pet some water and tend to her wounds. She is not to be
spoken to, and no one but you is to go into the room.”
“Yes, sir,” the young woman said with a slight bow, before
turning and running off to carry out his commands.
~*~
It was several hours before Spike returned to the room.
Walking in quietly, he saw through the darkness that
“Come here,” he said softly.
“Stay here,” he told her, turning her slightly so that he
sat behind her.
Spike waited a moment for the girl to settle back down,
before continuing to smooth on the salve, being sure to cover the bite mark
thoroughly.
“Don’t ever disobey me again, luv,”
he said, his once again gentle voice, now over flowing with emotion, bringing
tears to her eyes. “When I tell you not to do something, there’s a reason. I
don’t ever want to punish you like that again, understand?”
“If you ever go into Angelus’ chambers again without
permission, he’ll be the one punishing you, and I promise that tonight will
seem like a walk in the park compared to that.”
Again
Finished tending to the wounds on her back, Spike carefully
turned the girl around, ready to seize her lips with his own passionately, but
was stopped by the stoney stare of her eyes. Her face held no expression, but her
eyes...They seemed to be filled with hatred and disgust.
Reluctantly, the vampire released his gentle grasp on her
arm and motioned for her to lay back down.
"Go to sleep," he said softly, his voice catching in his
throat.
Spike sat down, toeing his boots off before lying back on
the bed. Waiting until he knew that she was asleep, Spike carefully pulled the
redhead closer to him, wrapping an arm around her thin frame, knowing that the
damage done tonight would be irreparable.
Part
23
"Giles!"
Xander yelled. "Come take a look at this!"
The
watcher quickly moved to the front of the tiny ship, where
Xander was standing with a telescope, waving his arms wildly.
"There's
a boat heading this way!" Xander told him,
handing over the
telescope.
"Is that the ship?"
Giles
looked toward the distant object before letting out a
sigh.
"No, Xander, that is most definitely not the ship we're
looking for. It-it looks almost like a small rowboat filled with
men."
"What
would a rowboat be doing out here alone?" Xander
questioned.
"Well,
I suppose it's possible that it's a trap, though we won't
know
for sure until we reach them. Go, get Buffy, tell her to grab a
weapon
and come up here."
Xander quickly ran off to find Buffy, while Giles grabbed a sword
and
continued to watch the small boat, mumbling to himself. "Who
knows
what kind of dastardly scheme they might be plotting."
~*~
"Oy! Look! A ship!"
"We'll
take this one, I'm sure of it."
"With
what? We ain't got no cannons,
and only one rusty sword."
"I
got me pistol still. Got one bullet left."
"We
ain't gonna take a whole
ship with one bullet, you bloody twit."
"Well
it ain't my fault we used up the other shots. Had to
test the
damn
thing now didn't I?"
"Yeah,
and then ya `ad to be shootin
into the water like the daft
fool ya are, thinking ya'd get a fish
that way."
"What's
wrong with that? I almost did get me a fish. Would have been
more'n we've eaten in a week."
"If
ya `ad gotten a fish, how would ya
`ave cooked it?"
"Both
of you shut your bloody traps!" One of the pirates yelled,
eyeing
the approaching ship.
"Who
died and made him the captain?" One of the men mumbled.
"The
captain," another reminded him. The pirate holding the gun
nodded
and shrugged.
~*~
"Giles,
this is what you were worried about?" Buffy questioned,
still
holding tightly to a crossbow, just in case.
"Well,
I had no idea what we would be coming up on. They could have
been
dangerous," Giles reasoned.
"Hello!
Pirates here!" The captain of the tiny boat
yelled out. "In
case
you all missed it, we are dangerous. We're the most feared
sailors
of the sea."
The
two men gave them doubtful looks as Buffy rolled her eyes.
"That's
right, and now we're goin ta
be taken over yer ship,"
another
yelled out.
The
captain turned and glared at the out spoken pirate. "What the
hell
are you doin?"
"What?
I was just `splainin to them why they should be fearin us."
"You
don't tell someone that you are about to attack them," the
captain
explained. "It sort of takes away the whole element of
surprise."
"Oy, right! Sorry!" The pirate replied. "Never
mind that `ole
thing
`bout us takin yer ship.
Don't know what I was thinking."
Buffy
rolled her eyes again.
"So,
you're pirates," Giles spoke up.
"Hey
look! We got ourselves a real smart guy here, now don't we?"
One
of the pirates responded, causing the others to laugh heartily.
"What
kind of pirates travel in a rowboat?" Xander
questioned.
"Listen
here boy!" One of the men called out angrily. "We `ad a
grand
ship, but it was sunk by a bunch of bloody demons. Once we get
ourselves
a new set of sails, we'll be goin after the bastards,
take
back
what's ours."
"So,
you got out-pirated by a bunch of demons," Xander
summed up,
hearing
several of the men growl and curse angrily.
"You
thinkin what I'm thinkin?"
Buffy asked Giles quietly. The
watcher
nodded.
"Do
you recall taking a young woman with red hair aboard your ship?"
Giles
questioned.
One
of the men nodded his head eagerly, about to reply, when the
captain
turned and glared at him. "Can't say mate," he
answered.
"Why do ya ask?"
"Well,
our friend was kidnapped by some pirates and we have reason
to
believe that she is now being held by a group of vampires."
"Well,
how much ya willin ta pay for a bit of information?" The
captain
asked with sneer.
"When
are we goin ta take over the ship already?" One of the other
pirates
questioned, waving his pistol around.
"I'm
negotiatin here! Pipe down!" The captain yelled
back.
"Tell
us what you know, or die," Buffy ground out, quickly losing
patience.
The
men all began to laugh at her seemingly idle threat. "You ain't
nothing but a bitty girl!" One stated with a chuckle.
Losing
her patience, Buffy lashed out, punching the pirate hard,
sending
him sprawling back into several of the other men. Stumbling
for a
moment, he righted himself again. Looking up, his eyes were
wide
with surprise as he held his now broken nose. The other pirates
roared
with laughter at the sight of the girl knocking the man over.
"Tell
me what you know," she demanded.
"Oy, she was a real looker, that one," the pirate with
the pistol
stated
with a grin. "Had a firey temper at that,
and…"
He
was interrupted by the captain, who grabbed his shirt and roughly
pulled
him forward.
"I
told you to SHUT UP!" He yelled, sending his fist into the man's
face.
The other pirate fell back at the impact, losing his grip on
the
pistol. A moment later, they all heard a loud pop, and the
pirates
felt their boat shake and shudder slightly.
"What
the `ell was that?" One of them yelled out.
They
all moved slightly to the side, looking down to see the large
hole
that was now quickly filling with water at the bottom of the
rowboat,
thanks to the gun that had shot through the wood.
"Now
I know why you lost your ship," Xander stated. "Filling your
own boat full of holes, not exactly the way to go."
One
of the pirates quickly grabbed a rusted sword and swiped at
Xander, cutting his shirt straight across, and just barely missing
his
stomach.
"Hey!"
The young man shouted, jumping back a little.
"Tell
us what we need to know, now," Buffy demanded, grabbing the
captain's
neck tightly, as the men looked back and forth between the
rising water the and other ship.
"Ya still ain't said how much yer willing to pay," the captain of
the
now sinking ship stated calmly.
Buffy
raised her eyebrows at him. "I really don't think you are in a
position
to be negotiating here."
"Well,
we don't know a thing," the captain told her decidedly,
shrugging
her off of him and crossing his arms over his chest,
looking
away from her. His gaze fell for a moment to the water
rising
at the bottom of the boat, before quickly shifting upwards
toward
the early evening sky.
"Fine,"
the slayer responded, "enjoy the water."
"Oy! You can't leave us `ere! We'll drown!"
The
blonde shrugged and gave them doubtful looks. "You're pirates.
Time
you learned how to swim."
"Buffy,"
Giles interrupted. "They are human. You can't just dump
them
in to the ocean."
"Come
on, Giles," Buffy whined. "They're BARELY human. I mean, look
at
them. Besides, they took
"I'm
right there with you about the pain, Buffy," Xander
told
her,
"but death by drowning is a little severe, don't you think?"
"No,"
the slayer replied, giving the two men her most innocent look.
"What
in the bloody hell are you two doin fightin with a lil chit
like
that?" One of the pirates questioned.
"Hey,
quiet," hissed the man that Buffy had punched before. "She
might
be a lil nothin but she
sure as hell don't hit like no girl."
"I
assure you that she is much more than just some girl," Giles told
them.
"Looks
like someone's kept under a bit of a tight leash, don't it
boys?"
One of the pirates taunted, before another made the sound of
a
whip lash.
"I
am NOT whipped!" Giles yelled indignantly.
"Are
you sure I can't toss them into the sea?" Buffy questioned
hopefully.
"No,
you can not," Giles replied with sigh, "as unfortunate as that
may
be."
Buffy
rolled her eyes in aggravation, before grabbing some rope to
secure
the pirates and bring them on board.
"Well,
this is all good and fine," Xander commented,
"but now we're
playing
host to a bunch of pirates, and we're still no closer to
finding
Willow."
Part
24
was
extremely glad for it. Her heart ached and her head pounded at
the
very thought of the vampire and all that had happened regarding
him. She
had gone from hatred to love, and now…Now she wanted to
hate
him, detest him with every fiber of her being, but at the same
time,
there were small shards of her shattered heart that kept
remembering.
Of course, the feminist in her insisted that she should
and
would hate him. How could she not? He had struck her, several
times,
and then humiliated her in front of every other creature on
the
ship. He had struck her and then bit her.
That last
thought sent her hand up to her neck, where the wound was
still
healing and sore. The vampire had insisted that she put the
salve
that he had brought her on it several times a day, and a part
of
her almost wanted to rebel, to leave it swollen and infected,
just
to remind him of what he had done. Of course, the rational part
of
her knew that doing so would be incredibly stupid and painful,
and
more of a punishment to herself than to him. Thankfully,
rationality
won that fight.
At
first, the blond had tried to be as soft and gentle with the girl
as
possible, clearly feeling guilt and shame for what he had done,
but
Willow would have none of it, so eventually he gave up and went
back
to storming in and out of the room, yelling occasionally, and
tossing
her some food now and then. Each time she would hear him
come
in, the witch would steel herself, raising an invisible wall,
her
eyes glazing over and turning cold as her entire body stiffened.
She
would only look at him when forced to, and even then, it was
more
that she looked through the vampire than at him. She held her
head
up, refusing to look down submissively at him, and held a look
that
was the perfect mixture of disinterest and disgust. When Spike
was
in the room, she had the entire of act of distance and
indifference
down cold.
Once
Spike was gone, though, it was a different story. When that
door
was closed, the walls came crumbling down, and she had to fight
the
tears that always ended up falling. There was no keeping them at
bay.
They simply wouldn't have it. Each and every time, her heart
would
break all over again, her despair becoming just a bit more
tangible.
He had gained her trust, and then smashed it to pieces,
leaving
her broken and hollow. He had warned her too, the reminder
of
which only served to cause her more pain. He had warned her of
what
he really was, but she had refused to see it, thought she was
the
smart one, seeing beyond it, but understood now that it was
nothing
more than a mirage, created by her own desperate mind. Spike
was a
demon, and beyond that, there was nothing.
cool
indifference, as the vampire walked in. He looked tired and
weary,
though she could muster no sympathy for him. He sat next to
her
on the bed, knowing better than to try and get too close, and
gave
her a sideways glance. He saw her desolate stare and let out a
sigh.
"How
much longer are we going to play this game?" He asked, anger
and
aggravation evident in his voice.
vampire.
The girl had not said so much as one word to him since `the
incident.'
His heart ached at the memory of it, though he refused to
allow
any outer evidence of that fact. He had lost. Spike knew that
now.
He had been playing a dangerous game, not fully aware of the
rules,
and in the end Angelus won. The bastard always did. It should
not
have been so shocking to the blond. Angelus knew what Spike
wanted,
and the older vampire had always detested the traces of
humanity
that disseminated from him.
should
have known better than to think that Angelus would allow it
to
continue.
Of
course, Spike also knew better than to truly blame his sire. He
was
the one, after all, who had handled things incorrectly. He was
the
one who had been too soft too quickly, and then too harsh too
late.
He was the one, dear god, that had struck the girl, bit the
girl, reminded the girl of the demon he truly was. And the worst
bit
of
truth was the fact that each and every time he thought of it,
though
a part of him ached over the fresh memory, a part of him
applauded
the display. He was a demon. He had never pretended to be
anything
else, and he could not ignore what had been done. He had
claimed
the girl. Of course, this had yet to be explained to her,
for
rather obvious reasons, but none the less, the claim was there.
He
could feel it, smell it, taste it, every time he walked into
the
room. It was tangible, an element of its own accord in the room,
and
it
screamed at him to grab the girl, handle her, take her, taste
her. Of course, he didn't. It was that humanity. Angelus had
always
said
it would be his undoing, and the older vampire was close, but
not
quiet right. It was not the humanity that would be his undoing.
Spike
knew that now. It would be the girl.
"How
much longer will you keep this up?" He asked gruffly.
She
simply gave him an innocent look, as if having no idea what game
he
was referring to.
Spike
leaned in closer, his patience completely dissipated, and let
out a
low growl. "Answer me," he commanded.
me to
say?" She asked with a bitter laugh. "It's done, Spike. It's
over
and done. You were right. I should have listened. You ARE every
bit
the bastard that Angelus is. Don't worry, though, I've learned
that
lesson well."
Spike
looked, for a moment, as if he had been struck by her, taken
back
with shock and pain at her words. He steeled himself a few
seconds
later, glaring back at the redhead.
"Can't
say I didn't warn you, pet," he told her snidely. "You broke
the
rules, you had to be punished. Not surprise there. You brought
it on
yourself."
"I
did," she agreed, again surprising him. " I
despise you, Spike,
and I
don't want to. I want to love you, but I can't. Not now. I
can't
love you, and that fact makes me despise you all the more. It
was
my mistake to ever think I could trust you, but don't for a
moment
believe that I will ever be afraid of you. I won't allow you
that
luxury."
Spike
gave her an incredulous look, leaning in closer and letting
his
demon face slip forward, baring his fangs.
induce
my fear. For that, I would have to be afraid to lose
something,"
she told him, her voice suddenly become quieter and
almost
shaking. "At this point I have nothing left for you to take."
At
that, she turned away from him, refusing to allow him to see the
tears
that filled her eyes. She knew her role in this, and would
play
her part accordingly. To forgive him now would be treacherous
to herself, and
Part
25
"Where
are we? Why have we slowed down?" Spike asked gruffly as he
stormed
out onto the main deck, finding his sire grinning like the
cat
that just ate the canary.
"Tonight's
the night, me boy," Angelus told him. "New moon, got me
little
bobble," he said, holding up the necklace. "The ritual is all
set.
We have…" He paused, giving his childe a long, pointed
look,
"everything we need."
"Good,"
Spike replied. "Want this over with." At that, he turned to
head
back to his room, but his sire's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Yer pet? She's in yer room?" Spike simply nodded. "Make sure she
stays
there." Angelus' tone was one to not be questioned, and knowing
better
than to make that mistake, Spike nodded curtly and walked away.
"He
won't be happy with this, you know." Angelus turned around,
finding
Drucilla walking up behind him.
"He'll
get over it. She's only a human after all," the older vampire
responded
with a dismissive flick of his wrist, turning away from her.
"You
know she's much more than that," Drucilla
chided. "Our boy loves
her,
even if he won't admit it."
"Don't
matter," Angelus replied, spinning around and gripping her
shoulders
tightly, delighting in the small whimper of pain that
escaped
her lips. "I need her for the ritual. That's why I've kept
her
alive…So that tonight, I can be killin her."
~*~
"What
the hell are we going to do with these guys?" Giles looked up
from
the sword he was sharpening, seeing Xander walking
toward him,
gesturing
at the group of pirates tied to the mast.
"If
it comes to it, we could always throw them at the enemy. Surely
they
will, at the very least, annoy them to death," Giles quipped.
"Jokes?" Xander asked
angrily. "You're making jokes now?"
Giles
sighed. "Xander, what would you have me do? Run
around in a
terrified
panic?"
Xander shook his head, running a trembling hand through his hair, and
sat
down next to the older man. "I don't know. I mean, it's just,
it's
I
would do without her in my life."
"She
seems to have that effect on people," the watcher noted with a
soft,
wistful smile.
"She's
everything, you know, and I didn't even realize it until…and…
and I
can't even…I mean I couldn't even…If only I had…"
"Xander," Giles interrupted, "did you hand her to
the pirates?" The
boy
shook his head. "Did you lead them to her, or…or bind her for
them?"
Again
he shook his head. "But I…I wasn't watching her," he said
quietly,
desperation in his voice as it cracked. "I should have
been.
I should have been protecting her and looking out for her, and…
and I
should never have turned my back when…"
"Xander, it is not your fault!" Giles stated loudly,
startling the
young
man. "I know it seems easier to blame ourselves, but the
bottom
line is that this is not your fault. You were busy, saving
others,
and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that
ever
fancied herself as one of the helpless women of the city,
cowering
behind the men. She was right where she wanted and needed
to
be, and now we are going to be where she needs for us to be,
helping
her. When the time comes, and you're called to it, you'll be
there
for her, and you'll be sure that she is safe and well."
"What
if I'm…I mean, what if I can't…Sometimes I feel like such a
coward,
being so afraid, when she's the one that…"
"You
WILL. You will, because it's her, and there will be no
alternative
in your mind. You'll be the man I know you're destined to
become,
and you'll do what you must, because it's
Xander simply smiled softly, wishing he fully believed the words that
the
watcher was saying.
~*~
than
usual. She wanted to ask why they had slowed down. She wanted to
ask
why his mood had seemed to suddenly shift. She wanted to ask if
she
would ever be seeing the light of day again. All of these
questions
seemed horribly important, and she had been practicing how
she
would ask, and which would come first, while he was gone, but the
minute
that the vampire returned to the room, another question pushed
itself
to the front of her mind and demanded attention.
"Was
it all a lie?" Her voice was so quiet, he barely caught it.
Turning
around, the blond gave her a questioning look, wincing at the
pain
etched on her face.
"That
night,"
shaking,
along with the rest of her. "When we…Was I just a game
to
you? Just your *pet*?" The last
word was filled with disdain, and he
could
see the tears forming her in her green eyes.
Spike
stood completely still, his face an emotionless mask, leaving
silence,
the witch spoke again.
"Because,
you know, you didn't have to do all that." Spike's eyes
widened slightly in surprise. "I mean, the seduction, and
the sweet
words,
and the…the looking at the stars. You didn't need to do all
of
that. It was just…just mean, really, to lead me on and let me
think…And
the worst part is that I was falling for you. Completely
and
wholly, in a way I've never fallen for anyone." Her voice was
breaking
along with his heart, as the tears streamed down her
cheeks.
"I don't do that, Spike! I don't FEEL like THAT for any man,
let
alone a DEMON! But I did. I loved you, and I gave myself to you,
and
for what? For you to hurt me and to throw me away? You
could have
done
that without the precursory sweetness. I mean, that was just…
cruel!
A-and I meant what I said, before. I hate you. I hate you for
hurting
me, and for breaking me, and for making me care. And I hate
you
for making me love you, still, even after everything! I want so
badly
to not love you, Spike! So badly! But I can't just turn it off,
even
when I know I should, and I hate you for that!"
She
was crying freely now, and it tore at his long dead heart.
Taking
a step toward the bed, he stopped, unsure of what to do. The
vampire
ran a hand through his blond hair, uncomfortable and at a
loss
for words or actions.
"It
wasn't a lie."
up
and her eyes widening at the small declaration. Spike shook his
head.
"I meant it. All of it. It wasn't a lie, and it
wasn't a game.
I've
always been forth coming with you about who and what I
am,
Willow."
"But,
that doesn't make it alright," she told him, a soft plea in her
voice.
"You're a demon, great, but that doesn't give you free
license
to step all over me when need be!"
"I
never meant for it to go that far!" He shouted back, taking
another
step closer to her, and feeling his heart tear further as she
flinched
away from him. His voice was softer the next time he spoke,
and
the vampire sat gingerly on the bed, next to the girl.
"I
never wanted to hurt you,
have
our roles here. You disobeyed, and I got called on it. If it
hadn't
been me, it would have been Angelus, and that would have been
far
worse, I promise you."
"But
then, at least I wouldn't hate YOU," she whispered.
Spike
closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "But I would
have,"
he told her. "He would have killed you and I wouldn't have
been
able to live with myself if he did."
speaking
again, her tone weary. "So where does that leave us?"
Reaching
out, she gently touched his hand, despite herself, and
looked
down.
Spike
gripped her slender fingers in his own, desperate to never let
go,
but knowing that he must. He shook his head, not sure of how to
answer
her.
her
hand soothingly, intimately. She closed her eyes, almost startled
when
his soft, pained voice broke the silence again.
"I'll
get you home." She looked up at him again, questioning,
disbelief,
and something else that he would almost have taken for
disappointment
in her eyes. "One way or another, I'll be sure to get
you
where you belong."
Looking
down, she blinked the tears away and nodded mutely. She
didn't
bother to pull her hand away, wanting to feel his gentle
caress
this one last time.
Part
26
"Tonight,
our salvation is at hand," Angelus announced, his words
followed
by cheers and shouts. "Tonight, I'll become the almighty
destroyer!
I will be death incarnate, and the entire world will bow
down
before me!" Again, the crowd of demons roared.
"Enough
with the bloody theatrics already," Spike groaned. "Get on
with
it."
"Patience
me boy," the older vampire growled. "All good things…"
Spike
rolled his eyes and looked around. "Where's Dru?" He asked,
suddenly
taking notice of her absence.
"She's
preparin the sacrifice," Angelus told him with a
smirk.
"Sacrifice? You never mentioned anything about a
sacrifice, mate.
Anyone
I know?"
"As
a matter of fact…" Spike followed his sire's gaze as the words
died
on his lips, and his eyes widened, seeing Drusilla coming out to
where
they stood on the deck.
"What
the hell are you doing?" Spike growled, seeing that Drusilla
was
leading his small redhead. Her hands were bound and she was had a
new
dress on, a small amount of blood trickling from a cut in her
lower
lip as well as twin puncture marks on her neck.
"Drusilla?" Angelus purred in a low and
dangerous tone. "I thought I
told ya no bitin."
The
deceptively frail looking vampire gave him an innocent
smile.
"Our boy's pet didn't want to cooperate. I had to be a bit
persuasive,
and I just wanted a small taste," she told him. "Her
blood
calls to
"I
told you NO sampling from the sacrifice!" Angelus bellowed,
causing
Drusilla to whimper and back away with a pout.
"What
the hell is going on?" Spike demanded, looking to his sire.
"Well,
me boy, ya said she would come in handy, and now she
has.
Seems
we need a bit of magical blood spilt for the ritual, and your
girl here
has all sort of magic flowin through her, now doesn't
she?"
Spike
moved to go to her side, but was stopped as two minions stepped
between
them, holding the blond back.
"You
can't do this!" Spike snarled as he fought against the hold of
the
two minions. "She belongs to me!"
quickly
thought better of it.
Angelus
growled and stepped up to the blond vampire, grabbing him by
the
neck and holding his childe before him. "What belongs to the
childe,
belongs to the sire, Spikey," he told him.
"Yer pet is my
pet. Ya should know better than ta
fight me on this. The girl belongs
to
me."
This
time,
one!"
She shouted, swallowing a lump in her throat as Angelus turned
and
glared at her, never releasing his hold on Spike. "A-and if I
did,
it would never be YOU," she spat.
Angelus
raised his free arm, and backhanded the girl, sending her
sprawling
to the ground, and renewing the protests and struggles of
the
blond vampire.
"Enough!"
Angelus bellowed. "Take him down below," he ordering,
shoving
Spike into the waiting grasp of two minions.
Walking
to
turned
toward Spike. "This is for your own good, boy," he told him,
before
he was dragged down below deck.
Part
27
"All
ready, my Angelus," Drusilla cooed, pulling a bit on the ropes
binding
Lighting
a candle, Angelus began to chant the words to the ritual,
from
the gem, and the vampire could feel the power begin to
flow. Nearing
the part that required the sacrifice, he grabbed the
dagger
and moved toward the redhead.
bindings.
They seemed to be magically reinforced, and she couldn't
break
them. Desperately, she searched her mind for a way to escape,
and
her entire body began to shake as she saw him approach with the
knife.
"Let
this gift flow into you," he chanted, closing his eyes, "and
unto
me, that I might defy all death, and be imbued with the strength
of
gods." At those words, the vampire reached his hand out. Willow
closed
her eyes tightly, awaiting the coming pain, and was startled
when,
instead, she felt his hand upon her forehead, following by
searing
pain inside her temples, as if something was being pulled
from
her.
"Let
this gift flow into you, and unto me," he shouted again.
could
feel the power being torn from her, and her mind began to race.
Unnoticed
to her, the waves around the ship began to pick up as the
wind
whipped around them. After a few moments, the heavens opened and
it
began to rain. Heavy, cold drops poured around them as the ship
was
tossed amongst the now turbulent ocean water.
Angelus'
eyes flew open, as he became aware of the storm now raging
around
them, and he could feel the witch's power, tied to the storm
and
swirling through him. Raising the dagger, he was just about to
plunge
it into her chest, when a cold, strong hand, gripped his fist,
stopping
him. Spinning around, he came face to face with a blond
vampire.
"Didn't
I get rid of ya already?" Angelus asked in annoyance.
"Sent me off with two mere minions. Should have known
better," Spike
chided,
just before punching his sire as hard as possible. Angelus
recovered
quickly enough, pummeling his childe, delivering several
powerful
blows and eventually knocking him off of his feet.
"I
am the one that taught ya everythin
ya know," Angelus stated,
sounding
almost proud, before delivering a round-house kick, sending
the
blond flying back into several crates and boxes.
Spike
quickly jumped to his feet, delivering a powerful kick of his
own.
"Like Sire, like childe," he replied. "Now, let her
go!"
"No
doin," Angelus told him, punching his childe
before ducking
several
blows. "We need her blood for the ritual."
"Forget
the soddin ritual!" Spike argued.
"No!"
Angelus relied with venom, grabbing the blond by the shoulders
and
holding in a painful grip. "This is what I've been workin
for,
waitin for, and I'm not about to see it all be destroyed by some
witch!"
"How
about a witch, a slayer and a bunch of annoying pirates?" At
that,
everyone turned, all but Spike shocked to see Buffy standing
before
them, a small group of armed pirates behind her.
"Where
in the hell did she come from?" Angelus shouted.
"Rule
of thumb," she told him. "When performing dark rituals on the
starboard
side of the ship, get someone to keep watch of the port
side."
At
that, the pirates ran forward, immediately engaging in combat with
the
demons controlling the ship. Buffy leapt toward Angelus while
Spike
ran to
"How
did Buffy find us?"
loose.
Spike
shrugged. "Damned if I know," he told her. "I fought off the
two
minions, headed up through the other side of the ship, ready for
a
sneak attack and found that there was already one in progress. Just
thought
I'd help out."
"Ya think yer goin
ta win this, slayer?" Angelus asked as they
circled
one another, swords in hand. "This is my ship, and I'm
already
imbued with enough of the witch's power to kick yer
pathetic
arse."
"Actually,
this ship isn't really yours," she pointed out, swiping at
him
with the sharp blade, "and no matter how much power you have,
you're
never going to be able to kick my ass."
"Yer too late. Yer witch is as
good as dead," he told her.
Knowing better than to listen to him, she swiped again at him
and
glanced
toward
than
I'll be able to say for you and your little demon army here in a
few
minutes."
"You'll
never be able to take us all," he stated.
Buffy
shrugged. "Then I'll guess I'll have to just settle for killing
you."
Part
28
As
soon as the ropes were gone,
around her was the only thing keeping her weakened form from
crumbling
to the deck. He lifted her up easily and started to make
his
way across the ship.
"Where
are you taking me?" She asked in a panic, Buffy disappearing
as
she now fought with several vampires.
"There's
a ship. I'm putting you on it," he told her, his tone
leaving
no room for argument.
"I
don't think that would be wise, deary." Spike
looked up, seeing
Drusilla
standing before them, shouting over the wind and rain.
behind
the other vampire, desperation taking over.
"Drusilla,
let me past," Spike growled, seeing the older vampire not
move
an inch.
"Now
why would she want to be doin somethin
like that?" Spinning
around,
Spike found his sire standing behind them, wondering how he
had
escaped from the slayer so easily. Spike gently lowered
to
her feet, and without warning, he spun back around and struck out
at
Drusilla, knocking her down and unconscious with one blow, before
turning
back to Angelus, his arm wrapping firmly around the weakened
girl's
waist.
"This
is not a smart move, boy," Angelus warned, taking a step
toward
them.
"Yeah,
well, I've always been known more for my looks than my mind,"
Spike
quipped, seeing a figure creep up behind his sire.
Angelus
saw the slight shift in his childe's eyes, and spun
around
just
in time to hault an attack from Buffy. Seeing that
they were
again
engaged in a full out battle, Spike lifted
began
to run, this time being stopped by another figure just at the
edge
of the ship.
"Get
out of my way!" Spike snarled, wanting nothing more than to get
"You
are not going anywhere with her." Hearing the commanding voice,
consciousness
threatened to leave her.
"Xander?" She whispered,
before finally passing out in Spike's arms.
"You're
her friend?" Spike asked, eying the boy cautiously. Xander
nodded
in confusion before Spike suddenly thrust the girl at
him.
"Take her. Get her off this ship, NOW."
Xander nodded again as
quickly
ran over her slightly battered frame. "Go!" Spike yelled,
before
turning back toward his sire and the slayer.
Spike
grinned as he saw that the small blonde girl had the almighty
Angelus
flat on his back, raining several blows down upon him.
Feeling
someone touch her shoulder lightly, Buffy jumped up, a stake
suddenly
in her hand, but lowered it seeing the blond vampire.
"I'll
take it from here," he told her with a smirk. "She's on your
ship.
Go."
Hearing
that
took
off across the larger ship. Spike looked down at his sire, who
was
barely holding onto consciousness and continued smirking.
"Ya let her go!" Angelus snarled, struggling to hold
his head up.
"Yeah,
I did," Spike replied smugly, before punching the older
vampire
as hard as possible. Grabbing some rope, Spike quickly
secured
both Angelus and Drusilla before getting a dingy ready to
sail.
Lowering it to the water, he stood up on the edge of the ship,
ready
to jump in, and stopped, hearing Angelus yelling.
"You
leave us here, boy, and I can promise ya I'll find ya! You'll
be
dust before ya see me comin!"
Spike
simply nodded solemnly and jumped down into the boat,
beginning
to row away. As he moved further into the darkness and
toward
the shore that he knew wasn't far ahead, he looked up and
caught
sight of the smaller ship sailing away. He smiled slightly,
knowing
that his witch was aboard that ship, and safe, just as he
had
promised, and he only hoped that one day their paths might cross
again.
That thought brought a small, sad smile to the vampire's
lips,
and after a moment, he shook his head and looked toward the
shore,
wondering at what terrible fun he would find and cause when
he
got there.