Part 4
A/N: usual disclaimers apply
Angelus opened his eyes and surveyed the damage the Slayer had done to him. With the help from Spike. He pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his ribs tenderly. Nothing that wouldn't heal soon enough. He looked over to the elevator. The vampire's remains were still plastered to ceiling. Laughing softly, Angelus straightened his clothes and inhaled. He caught Buffy's scent on the soft breeze that wrapped itself around him and left through an open door. They'd not been gone long. Wincing slightly, the vampire straightened his back and snarled. No Slayer had ever gotten the better of him, help or without. He then thought. He would pay. Vampires tended to live longer under heavy torture, that was one of their better qualities when it came to his enemies. The brat could wait, it was Buffy's turn first. He'd break her. If he didn't kill her he'd make her wish he did. Looking around him he straightened the lapels of his jacket and smiled faintly she didn't half hurt for a Slayer who'd just lost her mother.Limping out he scowled, he was hungry and in pain. She'd pay for this, in more ways than one.
"Do you haev any idea how stupid that was?"
"It wasn't and I could've killed him if it wasn't for you!"
Spike's eyes flared,
"If it wasn't for me you'd just be another mess on the floor for the janitor to clear up in the morning!"
"but you just left him! He was out cold! It wouldn't have hurt to use your common sense and the stake to go with it!"
"Back off."
Hearing the tinge of pain in his voice, Buffy obeyed and cast her gaze to the window. They were in Giles' car. Spike had borrowed it to get to Buffy before she really was just something for the janitor to find in the morning. He shook his head sadly,
"We almost lost you back there. The strongest Slayer this world has ever known and you nearly got yourself killed."
"So? What's new? Sounds like and average Saturday night down in Sunnydale."
"Buffy, you're no 16yr old girl being directed by her Watcher anymore. You're 19. You've come a hell of a long way since then."
She just stared out of the window but Spike knew she was listening,
"This is exactly the way he wanted you to react. It's too easy for me to say this but you can't let him get to you like this."
Buffy glared at him,
"He slaughtered my mother! What the fuck do you expect me to do?!"
He pulled up in the car park by the flats and sighed deeply,
"I don't know, Pet. But stay focused okay? You may not believe me but I don't want you to be mutilated beyond recognition then fed to the hellhound down the road."
They got out and on their way to Xander's flat, few words were passed between them,
"Spike?"
"Yes, Pet?"
"...Thanks."
He smiled and put a comforting arm around her shoulder, but withdrew it before Xander opened the door.
Angelus watched from his own car across the road smiling sinisterly,
"Nearly Spike's birthday, but what to get him? He's grown so much."
His smile grew as he saw Giles walk out of the building, keeping Dawn close to him. They were going someplace safer. Away from Buffy. The vampire grinned,
"Oh this just gets better and better."
Stepping out of his car, he sounded the horn catching Giles' attention, then slunk away.
Giles stopped dead in his tracks and looked in the direction the horn had sounded from. Recognising the car to Angel's he opened his car door and pushed Dawn into the passenger seat,
"Don't go anywhere. Stay here. If something should happen....scream like there's no tomorrow."
She swallowed hard and watched as the Ripper made his way to the black convertable across the road.
"Hey there, little lady."
Dawn spun around to face the man in the back seat. Angelus smiled amiably - Dawn had never seen him before, she had no idea who he was and this pleased the vampire greatly. Bingo.
"Buffy told me to look after you and Giles incase that Angel guy shows up.
"Oh.Okay."
Giles returned to the car. No Dawn. Utter panic set in and he went to full red-alert mode, calling her name desperately.
Arriving outside Xander's oor, the Watcher's heart stopped. A piece of parchment wa leaning against the door knocker. Identical to the one he'd found the night Jenny Calendar died. He opened the door, eyes locked onto the paper. Everyone watched as he took the note and read it,
***And then there were eight.
1) Joyce - neutralised
2) Dawn - neutralised??
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ?
7) ?
8) ?
9) ?
10) ????? ***
Buffy swallowed,
"Where's Dawn?"
Giles fell to his knees in defeat, look of pure horror on his face. The note fell from his hands and Spike picked it up, skimming it quickly. He looked up, counting the people in the room. Then he cast his eyes back to the note.
"And then there were eight. There's eight of us in the room."
Buffy was terrified and impatient,
"Where's Dawn?"
Her tone was demanding yet full of fear. Spike handed her the paper,
"She's dead, Luv."
Shaking her head, there was a glint of hope in her eyes,
"No. No. See? There's a question mark, she could be alive."
Anya looked at the paper over her shoulder,
"That's what he wants you to think. He wants us to go out and find her."
Xander nodded,
"And then there'll be seven."
Spike stood by the kneeling Watcher as the others tried to reason with the Slayer. Giles buried his face in his hands,
"Oh God, what have I done?"
The vampire sat down next to him and placed a hand on the Ripper's shoulder - a gesture of reassurance that he'd never been ble to perfect but, hell, he was going to try,
"S'not your fault mate, he's trying to break you. Don't let him."
"If I hadn't left her - "
Spike cut him off,
"It wouldn've been someone else or both of you. Angelus isn't one to give up."
The Watcher dismissed him with a wave of one hand and Spike went to sit in the armchair in the corner.
That's when it struck him. And then there were eight.
Mentally he counted the humasn in the room. Seven. But the note said eight - eight including Spike. If Angelus had sensed the feelings the vampire had for Buffy then she was in more danger than he was...is she felt the same way...
Taking a deep breath, the vampire stood and stormed out of the flat. No-one seemed to notice him go.
A/N: usual disclaimers apply
Angelus opened his eyes and surveyed the damage the Slayer had done to him. With the help from Spike. He pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his ribs tenderly. Nothing that wouldn't heal soon enough. He looked over to the elevator. The vampire's remains were still plastered to ceiling. Laughing softly, Angelus straightened his clothes and inhaled. He caught Buffy's scent on the soft breeze that wrapped itself around him and left through an open door. They'd not been gone long. Wincing slightly, the vampire straightened his back and snarled. No Slayer had ever gotten the better of him, help or without. He then thought. He would pay. Vampires tended to live longer under heavy torture, that was one of their better qualities when it came to his enemies. The brat could wait, it was Buffy's turn first. He'd break her. If he didn't kill her he'd make her wish he did. Looking around him he straightened the lapels of his jacket and smiled faintly she didn't half hurt for a Slayer who'd just lost her mother.Limping out he scowled, he was hungry and in pain. She'd pay for this, in more ways than one.
"Do you haev any idea how stupid that was?"
"It wasn't and I could've killed him if it wasn't for you!"
Spike's eyes flared,
"If it wasn't for me you'd just be another mess on the floor for the janitor to clear up in the morning!"
"but you just left him! He was out cold! It wouldn't have hurt to use your common sense and the stake to go with it!"
"Back off."
Hearing the tinge of pain in his voice, Buffy obeyed and cast her gaze to the window. They were in Giles' car. Spike had borrowed it to get to Buffy before she really was just something for the janitor to find in the morning. He shook his head sadly,
"We almost lost you back there. The strongest Slayer this world has ever known and you nearly got yourself killed."
"So? What's new? Sounds like and average Saturday night down in Sunnydale."
"Buffy, you're no 16yr old girl being directed by her Watcher anymore. You're 19. You've come a hell of a long way since then."
She just stared out of the window but Spike knew she was listening,
"This is exactly the way he wanted you to react. It's too easy for me to say this but you can't let him get to you like this."
Buffy glared at him,
"He slaughtered my mother! What the fuck do you expect me to do?!"
He pulled up in the car park by the flats and sighed deeply,
"I don't know, Pet. But stay focused okay? You may not believe me but I don't want you to be mutilated beyond recognition then fed to the hellhound down the road."
They got out and on their way to Xander's flat, few words were passed between them,
"Spike?"
"Yes, Pet?"
"...Thanks."
He smiled and put a comforting arm around her shoulder, but withdrew it before Xander opened the door.
Angelus watched from his own car across the road smiling sinisterly,
"Nearly Spike's birthday, but what to get him? He's grown so much."
His smile grew as he saw Giles walk out of the building, keeping Dawn close to him. They were going someplace safer. Away from Buffy. The vampire grinned,
"Oh this just gets better and better."
Stepping out of his car, he sounded the horn catching Giles' attention, then slunk away.
Giles stopped dead in his tracks and looked in the direction the horn had sounded from. Recognising the car to Angel's he opened his car door and pushed Dawn into the passenger seat,
"Don't go anywhere. Stay here. If something should happen....scream like there's no tomorrow."
She swallowed hard and watched as the Ripper made his way to the black convertable across the road.
"Hey there, little lady."
Dawn spun around to face the man in the back seat. Angelus smiled amiably - Dawn had never seen him before, she had no idea who he was and this pleased the vampire greatly. Bingo.
"Buffy told me to look after you and Giles incase that Angel guy shows up.
"Oh.Okay."
Giles returned to the car. No Dawn. Utter panic set in and he went to full red-alert mode, calling her name desperately.
Arriving outside Xander's oor, the Watcher's heart stopped. A piece of parchment wa leaning against the door knocker. Identical to the one he'd found the night Jenny Calendar died. He opened the door, eyes locked onto the paper. Everyone watched as he took the note and read it,
***And then there were eight.
1) Joyce - neutralised
2) Dawn - neutralised??
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ?
7) ?
8) ?
9) ?
10) ????? ***
Buffy swallowed,
"Where's Dawn?"
Giles fell to his knees in defeat, look of pure horror on his face. The note fell from his hands and Spike picked it up, skimming it quickly. He looked up, counting the people in the room. Then he cast his eyes back to the note.
"And then there were eight. There's eight of us in the room."
Buffy was terrified and impatient,
"Where's Dawn?"
Her tone was demanding yet full of fear. Spike handed her the paper,
"She's dead, Luv."
Shaking her head, there was a glint of hope in her eyes,
"No. No. See? There's a question mark, she could be alive."
Anya looked at the paper over her shoulder,
"That's what he wants you to think. He wants us to go out and find her."
Xander nodded,
"And then there'll be seven."
Spike stood by the kneeling Watcher as the others tried to reason with the Slayer. Giles buried his face in his hands,
"Oh God, what have I done?"
The vampire sat down next to him and placed a hand on the Ripper's shoulder - a gesture of reassurance that he'd never been ble to perfect but, hell, he was going to try,
"S'not your fault mate, he's trying to break you. Don't let him."
"If I hadn't left her - "
Spike cut him off,
"It wouldn've been someone else or both of you. Angelus isn't one to give up."
The Watcher dismissed him with a wave of one hand and Spike went to sit in the armchair in the corner.
That's when it struck him. And then there were eight.
Mentally he counted the humasn in the room. Seven. But the note said eight - eight including Spike. If Angelus had sensed the feelings the vampire had for Buffy then she was in more danger than he was...is she felt the same way...
Taking a deep breath, the vampire stood and stormed out of the flat. No-one seemed to notice him go.