Chapter 6: Tell me when it hurts

A/N: Characters aren't mine, some dialogue from .

Willow was sitting up in her bed with Oz in a chair next to her, Xander was sitting on the far side of the room while Cordelia paced.

"So Buffy's going for the big showdown, huh? Wish we could help," Cordy said to Xander, "You know, without dying."

"I don't see how," he answered.

"I wanna try again," Willow interrupted them and they all looked at her.

"Try what?" Oz asked.

"The curse, we never got to finish it. Maybe we can restore Angel's soul."

"I don't like it. You're talking about messing with powerful magic, and you're weak." Xander argued, and she shook her head.

"I'm okay."

"You don't look okay," Xander looked at Cordelia for back-up, "Does she?"

"You should listen to him. The hair, it's so flat, and the lips..." She answered in typical Cordelia fashion, but at his exasperated look she shrugged. "What?"

"Look, it's not a good idea," he said to Willow.

"There's no use arguing with me. Do you see my resolve face?" She gave them her resolve face, "You've seen it before, and you know what it means. This can help Buffy. If we turn Angel back soon enough, we can stop him from ever awakening Acathla."

"Okay, I pretty much missed out on some stuff, didn't I? Because this is all making a kind of sense that's... not." Oz stated, getting to his feet.

"Go with Cordy to the library and get my things, she'll fill you in." She told him and he kissed her hand. He walked out of the room with Cordelia close behind, as Xander got up.

"Xander, go to Buffy, tell her what we're doing. Maybe she and Dean can stall."

"But I..." He protested, but she pointed at her resolve face again and he sighed. "Be careful."

Dean groaned as he came to and looked around for Sam, cursing silently at the fact that they'd managed to get caught. He saw him a foot away, still unconscious, but otherwise okay. He looked around again, studying his surroundings. He was in a chair with his hands tied behind his back, and the room was dark, he tested the rope bonds but they wouldn't give. He heard the door open and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping they weren't where he thought they were. Three figures came into the room, one he was in a wheelchair, he guessed Spike, which meant one of the others had to be-

He let out a howl of pain as a knife was embedded in his thigh and gritted his teeth, opening his eyes to glare hatefully at Angelus. The third person was a female, with long dark hair and exotic features, and she was looking at Sam in a way that made him want to tear her limb from limb.

"Wakey wakey Dean! Can't sleep the night away, got big plans and all." Angelus smirked, grabbing the knife and twisting, and Dean grunted in pain, not wanting to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing him yell again.

"Dru pet, do you have a new toy?" Asked Spike as she ran her nails along Sam's chest; waking him with a start. Sam's eyes searched frantically and found Dean's and Dean pleaded with him not to say a word. Dean let out a growl as Dru licked Sam's neck, struggling futilely against his bonds in anger.

"Get away from him!" He snarled, and she grinned wickedly at him, and ran a nail along his chest, drawing a thin line of blood. Sam hissed in pain and clenched his jaw, and Dean struggled harder.

"He sings and dances in my head, the stars have a dark plan for him they do." She said in her sing-song voice, moving from his side and going over to Spike. "Miss Edith whispers that he's got power, rolling and brimming with it."

Angelus took a step closer to Sam and Dean swore, trying to get them away from Sammy. He didn't know what Dru was yammering about, but he had the impression that she wasn't all there. Angelus flicked his gaze back to Dean and smirked, then had a wicked idea and grabbed Sam roughly by the shoulder.

"Another noise and I cut something off, hmm perhaps a finger?" he told Dean who snapped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw, not about to be the cause of his brother losing a limb.

Dru stepped closer to him and her fingertips danced along his shoulders and arms, and she swiped her nails diagonally across his chest, but Dean didn't make a sound, even though his head was screaming in pain as the wounds drew blood. She touched a finger to one cut and tasted it, humming and bouncing in joy.

"Ooooh he's got power too, he loves her. The skies are singing songs about this one, noble and strong and shiny, like a knight." She hummed and snapped her jaws in his ear. Angelus chuckled and dropped Sam, walking back up to Dean and backhanding him hard across the face.

"She'll never love you back you know," he said conversationally, crouching down to look Dean in the eyes. Dean spat out a mouthful of blood and glared right back with a smirk of his own.

"At least I've got a pulse shit-for-brains. What've you got: a piercing glance?" Angelus just chuckled and pulled the knife out in one smooth tug. Dean rested his head back, clenching his jaw and fighting the dark.

"Now, now, no need for name calling Dean." He admonished, licking the blood from the knife and looking back at him. He got a thoughtful look, one that Dean didn't care for at all. He handed the knife to Spike, who tasted it, and he too watched Dean in a way that made him want to squirm. They tasted something in his and Sammy's blood, and he doubted it tasted like cotton candy.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got big plans boys," Angelus announced, still absently licking the blood off the knife as if it were a lollipop. He turned and swept out, but Dru stayed, going back over to Sam. Spike watched Dean for another moment, his expression unreadable, and then turned his gaze back to his mate.

"Going to miss the party ducks," he told her, then turned his chair and wheeled out. She stayed, staring at Sam with a faraway smile.

Giles was tied to his own chair, and he hung his head weakly. "You know, I can stop the pain. You've been very brave..." Angelus said, placing his hand on Giles' shoulder. "But it's over," he walked behind him, "You've given enough." He leaned down to Giles' ear whispering, "Now let me make it stop."

"Please!" Giles pleaded, panting and shaking with pain.

Angelus kneeled to face him, "just tell me what I need to know."

"In order... to be worthy..." Giles said weakly, "you must perform the ritual... in a tutu."

Angelus glared at him but Giles didn't back down.

"Pillock!" He snarled.

"All right, someone get the chainsaw," Angelus said, standing up just as Spike wheeled in.

"Now, now, don't let's lose our temper."

"Keep out of it, sit 'n' spin."

"Look, you cut him up, you'll never get your answers," Spike reasoned.

"Since when did you become so levelheaded?"

"Right about the time you became so pig-headed. You have your way with him; you'll never get to destroy the world. And I don't fancy spending the next month trying to get librarian out of the carpet. There are other ways," Spike suggested.

"Enlighten me."

"Hmm," Spike called over his shoulder into the room Dean and Sam were in behind him. "Drusilla? Sweetheart?"

She came in behind him and walked up to them, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to play a game?" He asked her, and they both looked over at Angelus.