*** Chapter8
Disclaimer: Sheesh, i know i know and so does everyone else – i don't own it!
Rating: Hey guys i think im going to bump it up to Mature for swearing, torture and possible death!
Angel's knuckles where white as he gripped the steering wheel of his car with a death grip. Spike sat beside him, glaring murderously out the front window, while Gunn and Doyle sat in the back, silent and worried. Doyle couldn't believe his cousin had been kidnapped, he was in shock and a grim feeling was settling in the pit of his stomach – what if they couldn't find her? What if they hurt her before they found her? What if they kill her?
Angel's mind was racing, he was hoping Whistler – an annoying man who was said to know all of the going-ons of Sunnydale – was able to help him, and find Buffy.
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the preordained destination and got out of the car to be greeted by a slim, unhealthy looking man with a bad sense of fashion.
"Whistler," Angel greeted, his voice pained. "What did you find?"
Somewhere else, same time...
Buffy woke up, her head groggy and she tried to move her arms only to find that she couldn't. Panic settled in as she began to recall what happened. She looked around her and felt dread begin to accompany her panic. She was tied up in some sort of warehouse it seemed, the walls where she was being kept were thick grey cement. There was a heavy-set door in front of her which she could see out the window of it, outside of her room was a larger one that was just as grey, but better lit and looked like what she had imagined the inside of a warehouse would look like. What if no one found her? What if they had hurt Angel to?
Buffy tried not to jump out of her skin as the door opened to reveal Lyle and Clyde, both with a twisted look on their faces, making her feel sick inside.
"Well look at that, Lyle – sleeping beauty has finally woke up." Clyde sneered, stepping further into the room.
"And clearly not to any prince." Buffy sneered back, trying to discreetly work her hands out of the rope that held her hands above her head.
Clyde stalked over and backhanded her hard, sending her head reeling and causing explosions of colours before her eyes. She looked him in the eye and spit in his face, blood and saliva rolled down his face. Clyde looked at her in anger, but instead of hitting her again, he turned back to Lyle with a twisted grin.
"Bring me the surprise, Lyle." Buffy didn't like how he said surprise nor did she like how Lyle's eyes became excited and full of sadistic gleam.
Lyle came back a moment later with a ragged cart, pushing it slowly forward. It was covered with a sheet and Buffy felt tears burn in the back of her eyes, but she refused to cry.
Lyle pulled back the sheet and Buffy realized she was going to die, that this was going to be the end of her life, that she would never see her friends or family, never be held by Angel, never get married, never have kids...
Back to Angel...
"Where the fuck is she, Whistler?" Angel all but snarled, his insides shaking. Whistler had told him what he had found out about the two guys: Lyle and Clyde where step-brothers and had several arrest warrants out for them: for rape, murder, petty theft, attempted murder and attempted theft. Angel couldn't, and wouldn't, think about the fact that Buffy may already be dead. He just wouldn't allow it.
"Angel, you have to call the cops on this one – these guys are too dangerous-" but before Whistler could finish Angel had grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and shoved him hard into the wall, holding Whistler up to his height.
"If we wait for the cops it could. Be. Too. Late. Now, tell me where the fuck they are, or I swear to God, I will not make this much less pleasant for you." Angel looked Whistler in the eye, and for the first time Whistler was scared of Angel. He wasn't so much worried about the physical stuff, he had been hurt before, but Whistler saw a crazed, desperate look in his friend's eyes. Angel was going to lose it if he lost Buffy, and he was prepared to take it out on anyone who got in his way of saving his girlfriend. He could tell that this Buffy girl was Angel's one and only, she was his everything. Whistler nodded, but as soon as Angel left he was calling the FBI.
"She's in an old, run down factory and warehouse. The one that's on the outskirts of town." Angel dropped Whistler as soon as he got the information he wanted and strode back to his car, his friends following suit. "And Angel?" Whistler called after Angel.
The only indication Angel had heard him was that he had stopped moving.
"I know she's important to you, but is she worth risking so many lives over?"
"My life isn't even half the value of hers, I will save her and the only lives that are going to be lost are those men who dared to touch her." With that Angel got in his car, his friends in tow and peeled away and sped towards his destination.
"I understand if you guys want to leave, I'll drop you off here." Angel said quietly, his friends looked at him in disgust.
"If you think you're going to be the white knight in shining armour and rescue Buffy by yourself then you're more bent than I thought. That girl is one in a million, and I couldn't stand to let something happen to her." Spike barked angrily, it was pretty much the most sentimental thing any of the guys had heard him say. "And besides, like I'm going to let you get all the credit of kicking the shit out of those bastards." That statement was much more like Spike, Angel almost cracked a smile.
"She's my cousin, she my family – if you think that I am going to sit at home and knit then you've got another thing coming, Angelus." Doyle said, his face serious and his tone hard.
"And man, Angel that girl has made you happy, and more bearable to be around," Gunn joked lightly then turned serious. "I don't want anything to happen to her, she's a great girl."
Angel nodded, briefly overwhelmed by his friend's responses and very relieved. He didn't know if he could pull this off by himself.
Back at the Warehouse...
Buffy was shuddering and her breath was coming in shallow and haggard gasps. Lyle and Clyde had taken turns with their instruments of torture. Buffy, now standing in just her bra and panties, her body was covered in gouges, cuts and blood. Her body was weak from blood loss and exhaustion. She had already given in to the thought of dying, now it was just the point of getting there.
She had remained quiet and distant as the tortured her, biting her tongue and lips until they bleed to keep from giving them that satisfaction. Her back was covered in welts when they tried to break her, and her face was covered in bruises.
"Come on sweet cheeks, scream for us and we'll make it stop. Come on, baby." Lyle grinned as he drew the blade across her face without cutting it, she didn't flinch away from the cool metal but stared him in the eyes – hers eyes cold and empty.
"I-" she started, swallowing because her mouth was dry and her throat sore. "think that you should go to hell, you disgusting piece of what trash hill billy." And with that she shut her mouth and set it in a grim line.
"You fucking bitch! I'll fucking teach you!" Lyle screamed in her face, he drew his arm back and slammed the knife into her stomach, Buffy hadn't been expecting this and an ear-splitting scream tore its way from her throat, it lasted a minute, until her lungs couldn't take it.
Outside the Warehouse...
The building was dark and rundown, and the effect of the tall, knotted trees surrounding it made it look eerie and made the boys stay as silent as they could.
Angel slowly opened the heavy side door of the building, checking if the way was clear and motioned for his friends to follow him. They made their way down the rickety stairs, slowly and cautiously. They had just reached the bottom of the stairs when they heard a very loud and very pained scream. The scream ripped through their hearts, their souls and made their stomachs clench with unease and anger.
``Buffy.`` Angel whispered, and took off like a flash towards the sound. He travelled as quickly as he could, his legs carrying him swiftly through the building. But it seemed too slow. He broke through the dark hall and into a brightly lit room. He looked around frantically and saw a smaller room with the door ajar. He could hear his friend`s footsteps coming, too slowly, behind him. He ran to the room, and nearly threw up. But he didn`t focus on Buffy, all of his focus was on the two men. One thing on his mind: to kill them. He hurled himself at the guy nearest Buffy and beat the shit of him. His fists flew in a blur as he attacked the man. He was so angry that he didn`t her Buffy scream his name, didn`t feel the man hitting him from behind. He just hit, his mind focused, he couldn`t feel his hands, couldn`t feel his knuckles swelling, some breaking in his right hand. He just kept hitting.
Angel was hurled off of Lyle and to the ground. Clyde started kicking him repeatedly, threats spilling from his lips. Angel reached out and grabbed Clyde`s ankle, and pulled. Clyde fell to the ground, his head hitting the cement floor with an audible thump. He didn`t move. His friends ran into the room then, eyes going wide as they took in the scene before them. Angel crawled away from Clyde and moved towards Buffy.
``Oh, god. Oh my god Buffy. Baby, please, please – I`m so sorry, oh my god please.`` Angel`s voice was hoarse, tears spilling down his cheeks unchecked. He sobbed as he struggled to until her hands, he just couldn`t get his fingers to work right. Spike, pushing his way into the room, stepping over Clyde went to help Angel. He hurriedly pushed Angel`s hands aside and untied the rope and lowering Buffy to the ground gently. Angel pulled her into his lap and held her, his hand pushing her hair out of her face.
`Buffy, baby please talk to me, please. Oh, god, Buffy.`
She stared up at him, she tried to smile. Why was her Angel so upset? He was so beautiful, it was a sin for him to be so upset – especially in heaven. Why was he looking at her like that?
"Shh, Angel. It's okay, I'm in heaven now and they can't hurt me. I love you Angel, I love you. You are my Angel." Buffy babbled. Angel froze – she thought she was dead? His mind reeled. God, he didn't know what to do, he just held her tighter.
"Move!" A loud, commanding voice ordered. "FBI, get out of the way!" Gunn and Doyle leapt away from the door and allowed them into the room. If the four FBI men, holding their guns at the prone bodies of the two men on the ground, were horrified with the scene in front of them they didn't show it. One radioed for the paramedics to come down and he tried to ask the other three boys some questions. Doyle and Gunn, barely able to keep it together tried to explain what had happened.
Two paramedics rushed into the room and over to Buffy and Angel. They tried to take Buffy from his arms but her snarled at them to fuck off and pulled her closer to him. No one would ever take her away.
"Come on son, we need to help her. If you want her to live you will let us look after her." One of the paramedics tried soothingly, Angel – seeing that they were right – slowly let them pull his Buffy from his arms. He stubbornly held on to her hand as the Paramedics tried to patch her up the best they could before transporting her.
Buffy didn't understand what was happening. Wasn't heaven supposed to be a happy place? Wasn't she supposed to be wearing some toga with a halo and wings as accessories? But, instead there was pain, and it was dark and her Angel was crying, and he looked so angry. Why was he angry with her? If this wasn't heaven... was this hell?
***Please review! I know it was a long time between my updates, but honestly I was having a bad week like uber bad. It won't happen again I promise, I will update again very very soon! But I WANT LOTSA REVIEWS :P
Thank you to everyone who commented and reviewed, It made me very happy and I appreciate all of your comments!
