Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company. The title comes from Ministry's song "Revenge."
Prompts: Written for 7rainbowprompts for prompt #5 nail polish (from the orange set.)
Warnings: non-con
Notes: This is set during an AU Season Two.
She bites at the edge of her thumbnail, grimacing at the bitter taste of the bright orange nail polish that Buffy and Cordelia had convinced her to use during a sleepover at Buffy's house last weekend. For a moment the fact that Cordelia Chase is now one of them and is trying to be nice to all of them gives her pause. And then Willow remembers where she is and the thought of Cordelia being friendly isn't that important anymore. Her survival is more important but Willow's not sure how she can survive her current situation. In fact, her chances for survival are pretty hopeless considering the fact that she's stuck in a windowless room with one door that's locked tight.
Willow knows that even if the door were open, it wouldn't matter since she's being held captive in Angelus' mansion. Even if she were to miraculously get past him, there's still Spike and Drusilla and all of the minions that the trio of master vampires had either attracted or even worse made recently. And Willow's not overly concerned with minions, it's the trio of master vampires that have her scared. Even if one of them is wheelchair bound (which Willow finds rather bizarre), the trio were infamous back in the last century along with Darla before Angelus was cursed with his soul. Willow's not too pleased that she read the Watchers' Diaries because now she has far too many ideas of how she might die.
Even if Buffy knew that she was missing and knew where she was being held, Willow knows that her survival is slim. There's no way that Giles would authorize a suicide mission and Willow knows that rescuing one girl, even if that one girl is her, is a definite suicide mission. She starts to feel nauseas and she's not sure if it's the taste of the bitter nail polish or the reality of her situation.
The room is dark and Willow's confused as to where she is. She stretches and feels slippery satin sheets against her flesh and it all comes back to her - Drusilla kidnapping her from school. It had been right after classes had ended for the day and the vampire had attacked Willow in the quiet of the library where she had gone to get in some research prior to everyone showing up to discuss how to take down Angelus. She had been in the back of the stacks looking up some obscure book when Drusilla had grabbed her. Drusilla had been mumbling nonsensical things about red trees, the wind, the moon and stars, as well as how certain things weren't going to happen no matter what Miss Edith said. Willow had tried fighting but Drusilla had dragged her through the tunnels even with Willow struggling. And then Drusilla had bitten her neck taking what she called a little sip, which had paralysed Willow with fear. It was then that she realized that she might be best friends with a Slayer, she's no match for the vampire that had held her in her arms.
Willow recalls being locked in this room with it's massive bed. And she certainly recalls being fully dressed yet somehow she's dressed in a soft nightgown. Willow shudders and wonder which vampire had removed her clothes and replaced them. She also wonders how she managed to stay asleep throughout the whole ordeal. She hopes that it was Drusilla or some random female minion because the thought of either Angelus or Spike having touched her and then seeing her naked makes her feel sick. She starts to sniff as tears start to well up in her eye.
"Don't start snivelling."
The only thing that she can tell in the dark is that the voice is British and sarcastic. Willow trembles in terror. She's not alone and who only knows is in the room with her. Even though it does her no good, she sits up and drags her legs up against her chest.
"Cat got your tongue luv?"
There's a minute sound and a flare of light and Willow recognizes Spike as he lights up a cigarette. Maybe it's because he's incapacitated or maybe because it's Spike, she feels somewhat safer in the dark room with him. Marginally safer than it if it was Angelus or Drusilla in the room.
"Why am I here?" Willow finally asks.
It's easier for her feel brave enough to ask him questions in the dark. Spike takes a drag off of his cigarette and she thinks that he's not going to answer her. Why would he? It's not as if she needs to know anything.
"Dru's gotten you as a present for Angelus," Spike finally says. "She'd be better off getting him the Slayer all wrapped up in a red bow than you but Dru does what she's going to do whether it makes sense or not."
In the dark, Willow can recognize the jealousy in Spike's voice. And she wonders if she can use it to her advantage. Even though she knows that's she not that good at manipulation or being clever when it comes to asking for things.
"Maybe you could let me go?"
Willow knows that it's clumsy and that she should have warmed her way up to it. Spike just laughs at her. It was worth a try even though Willow was certain no matter how she had worded, she wasn't going to gain her freedom. She sighs.
"He might be soft now but I'm not about to cross him pet, not in my current condition."
"Why are you here?" Willow asks.
"Would you rather be left unprotected just for anyone to stumble upon?"
Willow shivers. She doubts that she'll survive but the thought of becoming some hungry minion's meal upsets her more than whatever Drusilla and Angelus have planned for her, Although being unprotected does mean that there'd be a chance at being saved. Even if that chance is rather tiny. She's not sure if she wants to be protected by Spike or not.
"You'd best get some rest," Spike quietly says.
His words disturb her more but she refuses to cry anymore.
"You could kill her."
"Who asked you anyhow Wheels?"
There's a harsh intake of breath and Willow lays still while trying to pretend that she's still asleep. Although she's certain that she's not fooling anyone even if it is dark in the room.
"If you kill her Angelus then you sign your death warrant with the Slayer."
"Unlike you Spike, I'm not afraid of the Slayer. She's just some blond girl."
"And how many have you killed?" Spike asks. "Oh that's right you haven't killed any, have you?"
Willow shudders. How many Slayers has Spike killed to sound so arrogant and confident?
"All that matters is that I kill this one and that'd be so very easy to do that it's not really a challenge."
"If it's so easy, then why is she still alive killing vampires and spewing out witty little puns?"
"The problem with Slayers is that you kill one and another one gets called," Angelus says. "It's not worth it to me to kill her quite yet."
"Fine, keep her alive but if you hurt her little friend then she'll go out of her way to destroy you."
The door opens and slams shut. Willow doesn't know what to do and she's not sure if she's alone in the room so she just lies there trying to process the conversation she heard.
"It might not be freedom Red but it is a reprieve," Spike tells her.
"Thank you," Willow quietly says.
Spike laughs. "That's rich pet, you thanking me."
* * *
Willow's not sure how much time has past but she's been fed several meals (usually just some fast food that Spike throws on the bed when he watches her). As well she's been bathed and dressed in several Victorian soft cotton nightgowns by Drusilla. So far only Drusilla and Spike have watched over her and she's glad for it since it's not Angelus. Drusilla might be cruel with her touches as she bathes and dresses her but she never bites. And Spike just watches her and smokes an endless number of cigarettes. Ever since she had thanked him, he won't speak to her. Not that she minds. She'd rather his silence than his mockery.
Every waking minute though Willow worries about Angelus and Buffy. What happens to her if Buffy dies? Alternatively what happens if Angelus dies? Willow knows that Drusilla is angry that Angelus is ignoring his present (which is odd to think of herself as a present). Not that Willow can complain about the fact that Angelus is ignoring her. But Drusilla's displeasure only serves to make Willow aware that this holding pattern that she's stuck in can't and won't last forever.
She wakes up to a delicious feeling of gentle hands on her body and soft kisses being placed along her neck. As she opens her eyes, Willow takes in the soft glow of candles that light the room. For a moment, she enjoys the sensations until she realizes that it's Angelus who's touching her and kissing her. Willow starts to struggle against him and he laughs in her ear.
"Feisty aren't you?" Angelus murmurs in her ear. "If you want it rough, you just have to ask."
Willow freezes at his word and Angelus grasps the hem of her cotton nightgown. She knows that she can't stop him and sure enough he rips the gown that's covering her. He grins a feral smile at her and she shudders as he takes in the sight of her nude body. She can't stop the tears. The first time that someone sees her naked wasn't supposed to be like this.
Once upon a time, she had dreamt that Xander would be her first. And lately Oz had replaced Xander in those dreams. It wasn't supposed to happen because some crazy vampire had kidnapped her to be a present for her sire. It wasn't supposed to happen because she was the Slayer's best friend.
Angelus licks her cheek, tasting her tears. His hands are surprisingly gentle as he touches her naked body and it just makes her cry harder. He shifts on the bed so that he's lying on top of her and Willow knows that this is it. And Willow wishes for a moment that Spike hadn't talked Angelus out of killing her. What's happening to her now seems to be worse than her death.
Angelus leans down and kisses her. It's a brutal kiss of possession And she can barely breathe as he holds her tightly against him as he claims her mouth. When he pulls away from her bruised lips, Willow gasps for air. Despite her fear, she seems immune when his face shifts into the demonic visage.
"Mine," Angelus growls.
Before she can respond or protest, he's biting her neck and the pain is intense. Willow knows that she's going to die. She knows that she won't live to see her friends again and there's a part of her that wants to cry over that. But she feels strangely numb and empty.
She wakes up again and despite feeling weak, Willow is relieved to be alive. The room is filled with light and Spike is standing over her. His face is tense. And it takes her a moment to realize that he's standing and not in a wheelchair.
"Good you're awake," Spike says. "Get dressed."
He thrust a dress at her and Willow clumsily tries to stand up so she can pull the dress on. But she falls back on the bed.
"Fuck," Spike curses. "The sodding bastard took too much."
Willow looks at him in confusion and Spike pulls her up into a sitting position as he starts to dress her. Her body feels limp and she doesn't bother to resist him as he removes the remains of her tattered nightgown. The dress is an orange colour that reminds of her Buffy and Cordelia and a sleepover that seems a thousand years ago.
"Am I dead?" Willow asks.
"No," Spike says. "But if you don't start helping me that might change."
She does her best to stand up and stay upright. She even manages to slip her feet into the shoes that Spike places at her feet. Spike picks her up when it becomes clear to them both that she's too dizzy to walk on her own. He gets her to the front door of the mansion and Willow's surprised by the bright sunshine and the presence of Giles just outside of the door. She thinks that she must be dreaming as Spike thrust her at Giles who takes her.
"We had a deal Watcher," Spike snarls. "Take care of the girl."
Two months later, Willow is sitting in the library with the others as Buffy tells them that she's made a deal with Spike. In return for letting Spike and Drusilla leave town in one piece, Buffy will be able to attack Angelus without any resistance from either master vampire and most of the minions. Buffy looks at Willow with hope in her eyes.
"Will can you cast the curse?" Buffy asks? "I know it's a lot to ask but if we can save Angel, I'd really like to do so."
Willow doesn't know how to say no to Buffy. Not even after what she's dealt with so she nods in agreement. A part of her dies on the inside because no one but Giles know that Angelus had claimed her during her captivity. No one knows how close to death she had actually come. The others believe that she was held in some sort of dungeon and that Giles had saved her when Angelus and Drusilla were busy with the Judge and Buffy. They don't know how Angelus leaves her drawings at her house every night and how he leaves her the occasional letter assuring her that he's just biding his time before he collects her.
Still she nods because having Angel around has to be better than having Angelus around. It has to be. She's certain of this.
"Yes," Willow finally says, the word sticking in her throat.
Buffy smiles at her and for a moment that's all that really matters.
((END))
