Chapter Six

"You bloody pillock!" Spike's voice was muffled, and Willow fought to wake up. What had happened?

"I had no idea she'd faint!" Angelus was clearly laughing, his voice filled with mirth. Fainted? Why? But the answer was clear as soon as she managed to open her eyes; her backpack lay close by to the bed she'd been put on. She bolted upright and scooted backwards from it, sending Angelus into fresh peals of laughter.

"It's not what you think," Spike pushed his chair around the bed and picked up the backpack. Unzipping it, he upended the bag and emptied clothes onto the floor.

"I...I…" Willow felt her cheeks flare red-hot. Angelus came into view and gripped her chin; the laughter was gone from his eyes.

"I reward good behaviour, Willow. Remember that. But if you ever give me a reason, I'll be more than happy in stuffing your mother's head into a bag." His face morphed into his vampiric expression, and he stared at her for what felt like a full minute before finally relaxing his features and releasing her.

"She's safe?"

"For now." Willow stood up and hugged herself nervously, her eyes flitting around the room. It was sparsely furnished with a simple bed covered in blankets and a dresser. It was a small room with only one window which was boarded up, it resembled a cell more than a bedroom. With Angelus, Drusilla and Spike crowding into the room she felt almost claustrophobic. "I wanted to tell you what we had planned for you, but with your little nap we've run short of time. This is your room; now do I need to lock the door, or can you be trusted?" Willow looked at the floor hating herself, she wanted to spit in his face and tell him where to go. But knowing he could get into her home, had been in her home only that night…

"You can trust me," she whispered thickly blinking back tears.

"She's not stupid," Spike wheeled past her carefully and as he did Willow could have sworn, he brushed his hand against hers sympathetically. She shook the thought away; it was just her imagination; she was trying to find a friend where there was none. She was utterly alone. "She's done her homework on you Angelusus, she knows the consequences."

"Guess that just means I'll need to get creative…" Angelus reached out and stroked Willow's hair, picking up a lock and lowering his head to sniff it. As he pulled away, he let out a small laugh, as if he had just thought of something particularly funny. "Spike will fetch you when we're ready for you. Until then, you're free to do as you please within the walls of our home." Spike's face darkened at the suggestion he was there to do Angelus's bidding. Slowly Angelus walked out of the room but paused in the doorway. "Give me one of your shirts." He looked at Willow and she stared back at him in blatant confusion. "Willow, don't make me ask twice."

Gathering her senses Willow quickly scooped up a dark long-sleeve top and held it out for Angelus, but he shook his head.

"No…" He moved closer to her, his eyes drifting down to the shirt she was wearing. His eyes moving down button by button, Willow took an involuntary step back as he reached up to stroke the fabric of her collar. Just as she thought he was about to rip the shirt from her, he turned and began sorting through the small bundle. Willow tried not to feel too outraged at thought of him rifling through her clothes, she realised in horror, he had been through her bedroom and most likely rifled through a lot more than just shirts, blouses, skirts, and trousers. Finally, he picked out a long sleeve blouse, pale blue in colour. "Perfect," he flashed Willow a grin and closed the door behind him. She waited for the ominous click of a lock but there was nothing. He was really going to let her wander?

Reliable Willow, she thought sinking onto the bed and looking at the now empty backpack. Had she been foolish jumping to the conclusion that her mother's head had been in the backpack? Why on earth had she even jumped to that conclusion? Leaving the clothes on the bed Willow left the room and made her way through the mansion. She remembered what Spike had said and moved to the upper levels where she found the library on the second floor. It was clear the mansion had been abandoned for a long time, and that none of Angelus and his crew had used the room much. The room was covered in a thick layer of dust with large cobwebs in the corners. Willow let out a small sound of disgust as she opened one of the books only for it to fall apart in her hands. If she had hoped to find anything useful it would take time.

Deciding to at least do something about the gloom, Willow yanked the heavy curtains from the pole. She coughed as dust flew up her nose and into her mouth, coating her throat in a thick layer. When she had recovered, she turned to look outside. The sun had risen but it was still early in the morning. She was looking down on a road, but it was clear it was one people rarely used. She tried to place the mansion and worked out she was on the very edge of town, a smart place to hide; why would Buffy or anyone come this far out? If Willow had guessed her location correctly the mansion had been abandoned for decades and although not a town secret, very few people knew of its existence. The owners had been elderly and simply died, no supernatural occurrences to make it an object of fascination like so many other places in Sunnydale. It had simply slipped into the relics of history.

Ignoring the thick layer of dust, Willow sat on the window seat. She lowered herself carefully but still a thick cloud rose, and she waved it away rapidly. It was nice just to feel the sun's rays against her back.

Willow passed the day sitting there and silently contemplating the room. Every so often she would stand up and pass amongst the shelves, but they were books of common knowledge, history, geographically, several languages and even some fiction. Nothing on the occult or even remotely supernatural. She couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Sitting back on the window seat, Willow rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. When she next opened them, the sky was a deep pink. Looking down at the now filthy dress she decided to go and change into her own clothes. She was glad she hadn't done that straight away; she hoped Drusilla would be upset by the state of her dress. Willow had barely finished changing into a pair of dungarees and a dark jumper when there was a knock at the door.

"You best prepare yourself love; I don't think you're in for a pleasant evening." Self-consciously Willow touched the wound on her neck where Spike had bitten her. "Not that, we need to be careful not to kill you. I already fed from you more than I should have."

"Why are you being...nice to me?" Willow hesitated as she thought of a word, but that was the only way she could describe how Spike was being. "This isn't you...I - I've met you several times. You're not nice, you're evil." Spike seemed genuinely pleased as if she had just complimented him and he grinned broadly.

"Thank you! You know next to Angelusus I thought -"

"I wasn't complimenting you," Willow cut him off. "But out of the two of you…"

"I'm taking pity on you love." Spike fished into the front pocket of his red shirt and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Selecting one he clasped it between his lips and lit it, taking a long drag before setting back in his chair and looking up at Willow. "I'm all for a bit of torture but this…"

"T - Then help me leave!" Willow pleaded.

"I said I'm taking pity on you love, but I'm still a demon. Besides, what could I do that you couldn't? You can walk out the door anytime, we're literally bound to the darkness." Willow felt her shoulders sag and she followed him into the kitchen. Her nose twitched at a tantalising aroma, and she found a cardboard box with a pizza inside on the counter.

"What an age we live in," Spike commented as Willow bit into a slice. "Food delivered to the door…"

"You said it won't be a pleasant evening, what makes it different from the others?"

"You'll see...I will give you some advice though. Do what they say, if you see a chance for escape tonight, don't take it." Willow followed Spike's gaze and saw the blouse Angelus had taken from her on the counter, a pair of scissors and ball of string next to it. She dropped the second slice of pizza as Angelus and Drusilla walked into the room, their faces bearing their demon masks and their fronts stained with blood. Angelus was cupping something in his hands, and he smiled maliciously at Willow as he dropped the object onto her blouse. Willow stared in stunned horror at the bloody heart on her top, crying out when Angelus seized from her from behind. Willow struggled against him, taken back to the night at the school when he had grabbed her.

"Get off me!" She kicked and flailed but Angelus was built like a rock and her scratches left little impact. Her eyes were fixated on the heart which Drusilla was using to draw patterns on the pale blouse. "Stop it!"

"Oh, stop struggling, it's too much of a turn-on and we have work to do." Willow let out a cry of disgust and stamped down on Angelus's foot. With a roar he let go and Willow fell crashing into the corner. "Bitch!" She seized the scissors and held them out protectively, but she knew fighting was going to be useless. Angelus's face transformed into his human features as he laughed at her. "I'll make it easy for you Will," he said and pulled his shirt open. "You get one shot." She looked at his exposed chest, her hand trembling.

"It wouldn't kill you," she said lowering the scissors. Listlessly she felt them pulled free and looked up to see Drusilla beside her, fangs bared.

"Naughty," she tutted. "You should show daddy respect."

"She'll learn. Now stay still if you move Drusilla might cut off an ear by accident." Willow glared but she did as commanded, closing her eyes and flinching when Drusilla lifted a lock of her. There was the sound of snipping as the woman cut her hair and then; nothing. Opening her eyes Willow watched as Drusilla bound the lock up with a piece of the string then wrapped the heart and hair in the blouse. "Come on." Angelus took Willow's arm and hauled her from the kitchen. He paused in the courtyard and ripped a length of fabric from his shirt. Tightly he tied it over Willow's eyes, her hands moved to loosen it, but he pushed them away.

"It's too tight," she said surprised when he did loosen the blindfold. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Cold hands swallowed her own and Willow tentatively followed as she was blindly led up a staircase.

They took a car journey, Willow tried to memorise the turns but with the blindfold on she couldn't keep track of which direction they were going. She was sure several times the car went in circles just to confuse her.

"Drusilla, you know where to go?"

"Of course."

"Be careful, they'll be around no doubt." Car doors opened and closed; strong hands pulled Willow out but rather than helping her out of the car she felt herself being carried. "Not a word," Angelus growled and from the thickness of his voice Willow could tell he was in vamp mode. She nodded to show she'd heard, the urge to scream was overwhelming but without knowing where they were she didn't want to risk it. When her feet touched solid ground, the blindfold was pulled off and Willow shook her head, stumbling as she tried to bring the world into focus. She instantly recognised Sunnydale High School and she looked at Angelus in confusion. Cautiously, Willow followed Angelus as he made his way through the carpark and around the outskirts of the campus.

Close to what she recognised as the library he gestured to a ladder on the wall Her hands suddenly clammy despite the cold night air, Willow grasped a rung above her head and began to climb. She bit back a yelp of pain as Angelus pushed her to knees beside the glass pyramid; beneath them she could see the heads of four people; Buffy, Giles, Xander and Cordelia. Looking up she could see why Oz wasn't there, full moon. Shifting her position slightly she could see him in his wolf form, curled up on the floor in the stacks cage.

Carefully Angelus moved the latch on the window and pulled it up, faint voices reached her ears and Willow leant closer to try and make out what they were saying. Look up, she almost whispered but bit her tongue just in time. Her heart hammered in her chest and her palms were still slick with sweat; what were they doing here? She glanced nervously at Angelus; Spike's words were clear in her mind. This was going to be an unpleasant evening; she just couldn't think how. Or rather she didn't want to think about how.

"Her mom said someone was in her room - her wardrobe was open and there's clothes missing. The police came but…" Willow's heart ached, and she bit down into her free hand to stop herself from calling out. Buffy was there; dare she hope? From the sound of footsteps, she was walking into the library, the doors swinging shut behind her. Angelus pulled her close, as if sensing her urge to peer around the bookcase.

"That's good though, right?" Xander's voice was torn between grief and painful optimism. "If Angelus was there...why would he get clothes for her if she...if she wasn't...he only needs clothes for her if he…"

"She could still be alive, yes." Giles's voice was oddly calming, and Willow felt tears leak from her eyes. "But...Buffy it has been over a week. If we find her -"

"When. Giles I'm not giving up on her! Willow's smart, she'll think of something…"

"It's not a question of intelligence Buffy. Angelusus wants to hurt you, he...he…" Giles's voice trailed off and a heavy silence filled the air. Footsteps clipped on the hard surface floor, slow and uncertain, as if the walker was unsteady on their feet. Out of the corner of her eye Willow could see Angelus grinning gleefully, he seemed to be bouncing in anticipation as he looked between her and the group below.

As the figure came into view Willow leant forwards, only Angelus reaching out and grasping her arms stopped her from leaning against the glass panel. She recognised the girl; she couldn't place the name, but she recognised her from classes. She wore a white t-shirt with a splattered design, but she was too far away to make out what.

"S – She told me you would want this." The girl stretched out her arms and Willow recognised the blue item, wrapped up like a present, in her hands. A cold hand covered her mouth just as she uttered a cry, but the quartet below were transfixed on the girl.

"I warned you," Angelus said but he didn't sound mad; more excited. She wanted to scream out as she watched the scene below unfold. Buffy walked up to the girl taking the blue bundle, but the girl didn't react. She lowered her arms and stared straight away, as if waiting for something.

"That's Willow's…"

"Oh god," Cordelia turned and buried her face into Xander's shoulder as Buffy placed the bundle on the table. Even from above Willow could see Buffy's hands were shaking, behind her she could feel Angelus's chest rumbling; was he purring? She watched as Buffy's fingers pulled the string and unfolded the shirt.

"No!" Xander cried, "it's not...that's not…"

"It's her shirt...I've seen her wear it." Cordelia peeked from Xander's shoulder, she almost seemed to not see the object in the middle. Or she was very good at ignoring it.

"This is your fault!" Xander cried and the burning hatred in his voice twisted Willow's heart. "She didn't deserve this! She was good! And you...you should have protected her!"

"I tried!"

"How? By cuddling up to the demon you're meant to slay? I told you -"

"Xander! Enough!" Giles's voice was cold, and Willow felt herself shaking; she had never heard him so angry. "Buffy…" There was the sound of sobbing and Willow felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"If you say a word, I will rip their hearts out and make you watch." Angelus purred in her ear.

"I'll kill him!"

"Buffy -"

"No! Don't stop her Giles, maybe if you'd done your job -"

"That's enough!" Cordelia shouted, "how - how do we know that's hers?"

"She cried," no one had seen Drusilla enter the library. She stood behind the girl who had delivered the bundle, her blank demeanour suddenly making sense. "She begged daddy not to. Promised to give him all your secrets, even the ones he did not care for." Her fingertips brushed the girl's hair away from her neck.

"You're lying!"

"Stop!" Drusilla commanded as Xander launched himself forwards, he halted and came crashing to the floor as Drusilla's power took hold of him. "Naughty boy."

"Please," Willow whispered, Angelusus's hand still over her mouth. "Don't let her hurt them, please."

"Do you promise not to scream?" Confused and caught off-guard by the question, Willow nodded. She didn't scream, but she did gasp as Angelusus bit into her neck, but it was a quick bite and she saw why when he drew back. Blood, her blood smeared his lips. "Go back to the car and stay out of sight. I will show you and your friends this mercy, once."

It was as if Drusilla's power had captured her, rising to her feet she was conscious of shakily climbing down the ladder. The sound of glass breaking as her feet touched the floor.