Chapter IX

Willow had been in some pretty uncomfortable situations in her time, but spending several hours on a small plane seated between Angelus and Spike in almost complete silence had to one of the worst. Luckily, she had her Ipod with her. Unluckily, it died about three quarters of the way through the flight. Luckily, she had some books with her. Unluckily, she'd already read them all at least once before.

She gave up after thirty minutes of silence. "So, who's this night king guy Raven was talking about?" she spoke into the air, directing the question at whomever wanted to answer. As it happened, Spike was feeling chatty. "If it's who we think, pet, he'll be like the master, but not as old and not as powerful. Also, a lot easier on the eye. Most major cities in America have a Night Court. Usually run by the most powerful vampire in the city. It's a place of sanctuary for vamps, for those that need it. Courts are usually located in a legally owned building, owned by a rich vamp or benefactor. Courts are neutral ground; perfect for business deals, if you don't trust your partner or can't hold your own against them." Spike looked disgusted with the idea of relying on someone else for protection. Willow understood the sentiment; Vampires were meant to be strong. The weak were pruned from the tree and the strong fought and became masters and created Childer. If weak links were protected and nurtured, the whole tree would become diseased and riddled with faults just waiting to snap. Protection was a foreign concept to most vampires, except when it came to Mates or Childer. Family first, after all.

The preparation for the trip to New York was so smooth, it was as if Willow had gone to pack, then come back to an idling plane. It seemed Angel had kept a private plane in reserve for emergencies which Angelus had no qualms in using. By 9am, the unusual trio were settled in and taking off. Angelus had been eerily silent throughout the whole packing and boarding time, which Willow figured meant he was scheming. The packing she's done earlier had been hurried as Angelus wanted to skip town with Willow before the slayer caught on; 1. That Angelus was back, 2. That Spike was no longer chipped and 3. That Willow was a hostage to them both. He'd had Willow leave a note rather than call, saying she was visiting her cousin Raven for the entire Winter Break, since Willow was a truly terrible liar, although it wasn't a complete fabrication. Willow knew what Angelus was thinking; Buffy couldn't stop them, but she'd delay them. It was pretty obvious Angelus didn't want to be delayed. Just what was so fascinating about this Night King guy? Willow snuck peeks at the dark-haired vamp; he was staring at an invisible spot on the floor, fingers steepled as he contemplated deeply. Finally, he noticed that she was shooting him looks and he smiled disturbingly. "Something you wanted, Willow dear?" she swallowed hard, then plucked up the courage to ask. "Why is the Night King so…interested in Raven?" Angelus grinned. "That, little witch, is what I want to know. She must be special though; Sebastian Crane is a thousand years old. He's had 129 queens in total. He has a harem of women; humans, vampires, demons, you name it, but once he chooses a queen, he pursues her and her alone until she gives in. Crane doesn't take no for an answer. He'll kill off her family if she refuses, one by one. Especially you as you're probably closest to her. " Angelus paused, looking thoughtful. "Even if he hasn't made it official yet, Crane is courting your cousin. She hasn't got a clue what she's in for." Willow nearly pulled out her mobile right then, but Angelus didn't appear too worried, in fact it looked as if he'd gone to sleep.

Willow wished she could see out the blacked out windows. The dim cabin was awfully small. Spike was sucking down shot after shot of gin, vodka and whisky. The little bottles littered the floor. The alcohol appeared to be having no effect at all. Willow sighed and opened her book, intent on reading it through again. She didn't notice when she slipped into dreamland, her book falling from her lax fingers, nor did she hear the interesting conversation the two vamps had over her slumbering head. The chime of the seatbelt warning brought her round, but by then, the vamps had finished their talk. The captain's voice came over the intercom; "We'll be landing in New York in five minutes, Lady and Gents."

The landing was smooth despite the strong winds which were beginning to blow. Being surrounded by water as New York was, the winds were considered quite mild by the natives, but Willow shivered, more used to the mild, sunny days in California. The early winter sunset was beautiful over the water and willow watched from the plane doorway as it disappeared behind the horizon, feeling the dying warmth on her face. Once it had, they left the plane and were greeted by a grinning, suited man in front of a gleaming black Lamborghini. Angelus grabbed the keys from the salesman and the pilot stowed their luggage in the boot. The gorgeous car was obviously brand new; Willow suspected Angelus had bought it over the phone earlier that day. As they got in, Spike and Angelus in the front, Willow in the back, she wondered just how much Angel did have stashed away. Angelus seemed in no hurry to stop spending it by thousands anytime soon, that was for sure. The dark tinting on the windows didn't look legal, but then, throw around enough money and everything went your way, right? Perhaps not Angelus' usual method of…persuasion…but obviously almost as effective.

Willow gave the directions to Ravens townhouse and they pulled up on the opposite side of the road in time to see the dark haired girl lug a massive load of shopping through her front door. Moments later, the double doors of her balcony opened and Raven emerged, glaring at something in front of her. Bending down, she gathered a load of whatever it was and disappeared inside, slamming the doors behind her. A few moments more and she reappeared through the front door. Willow's eyes went wide at the pile of expensive clothes and jewellery in her cousin's arms. Raven cleared her throat, then hollered to be heard over the noise of the street. "Oi! I got a load of good shit up in here. Free for the taking and all that crap, yeah?" with that, she tossed the bundle onto the side walk, opened the roller door of her garage and got into her car. The red Ferrari's engine purred into life and by the time she had turned the corner out of the street, the discarded possessions were gone, filched by the homeless people who frequented the alleys of New York. All that was left was a few lonely red rose petals blowing forlornly in the breeze.

Angelus let out a delighted laugh which sent unpleasant shivers down Willow's spine. "Well, well, well. The girl has class. Quite a fiery cousin you have there, little Red." Willow shook her head, confused. "What was that stuff doing on her balcony? Why did she toss it out?" Angelus had already started the Lamborghini and was following Raven through the traffic. Spike looked over his shoulder at her as he answered. "I'd say that was Crane's pathetic first attempt at courting, pet. Jewels and silks might work on normal women, but something tells me that dark haired spitfire isn't shallow enough to be flattered." Raven led them to a dance studio and Willow remembered her cousin telling her about the pole dancing classes she taught on Saturday Nights. "Angelus," Willow tried hard to keep the tremor from her voice as the vamp cocked his head to listen, keeping his eyes on the road. "Raven teaches dance here. It's her night job." Angelus cocked an amused brow. "They must pay her well. That townhouse was hardly in the cheap side of town and I doubt Ferrari exchange their signature cars for dance lessons these days." Willow frowned at his sarcastic humor as she explained. "Her father owns the computer technologies company I work for; its worth billions. Raven just likes dancing a lot. Getting paid for it is a bonus. I don't think she even asked what her salary was before she accepted the job. She works in a book café during the day, although she'd probably be hard pressed to tell you her wage from there too. Raven is a live by the moment girl. Money means about as much to her as the stuff she just tossed out on the street. She's always had it, and she always will, so she doesn't really worry about the details, she just throws it around. Raven's one of the most generous people I know."

Angelus killed the engine and got out. Spike and Willow followed suit. Crossing the street, the trio entered the studio. The bouncy blonde secretary shot them a look of appreciation as they walked in. "Hi there! Wow ya'll must work out or something." Angelus glanced down at his mean physique in puzzlement, then flashed a dark, cheeky grin at the poor girl, who practically swooned. "You might say that. Can you tell us where Miss Raven Devearaux is teaching tonight?" The woman blinked. "She's teaching a pole dancin' class tonight. You boys interested in that?" Angelus shook his head with a bemused glance at Spike's snort. The blonde gave a disgusted mutter of "Not bloody likely, luv." and the secretary giggled. "No, my dear, the dancing is not why we're here. We're here for Raven." The woman nodded, as if this happened a lot, which it no doubt did -Raven was very attractive, after all- and directed them to the last room down the hall on the left with many a fluttered lash and breathy giggle at both the amused vamps. She called out to them as they started don the hall. "ya'll better hurry; her class starts in five."