Part 15

A few days later Willow met William at a pub on the corner of Fairclough and Berner Streets.  It was crowded and noisy but your typical Saturday night. Tonight would be the double murder and Willow wanted to be there and at least be able to see Jack the Ripper. She had resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't stop any of the murders.

William scooted closer to Willow on the bench and rested his hand on her stomach. As they talked his hand began making slow circles on her stomach.

Willow closed her eyes and just felt the sensation. Why were they here again? Oh yeah, murder. "Let's go."

William smirked, yep she wants me.

"Where to, love?"

"Berner Street to catch a killer."

Damn. He followed Willow out of the pub.

They walked out of the pub and turned to Berner Street. They could hear singing and laughter coming from the International Workmen's club all the way down to where they stood. They started down the road and William stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Vampire nearby. I feel him strongly."

"Ripper?"

"Might be."

Willow took off. "Wait!"

She didn't slow down just told William to come on. With his preternatural speed he was next to her in an instant. Damn, those vampires are fast.

Willow and William ran toward the International Workmen's Club and stopped.

"Hey!"

She saw two men fleeing the area. She ran toward the gateway entrance to the club and saw a woman lying there. Her throat was cut but that was all.

"Come on, luv. You can't help her now and they'll get away." William wanted to get the man that had wanted to harm his Willow.

Willow reluctantly left her and followed William down the road. They passed a carriage and Willow saw it stop at the gateway. As they rounded a corner she heard someone yelling for the police. At least they stopped them from disemboweling her.

She just knew Ethan was the other man with Ripper. Not that she had been able to see him but she just knew.

William stopped in the middle of the street and looked around like he was searching for something. "I can't feel him anymore. I don't know which way he went."

Willow concentrated and tried to see if she could feel Ethan's magick. Nothing. "I don't feel magick either. How do they disappear like that?"

"There are so many warehouses, empty buildings and side streets that it's easy to just disappear."

"Can vampires fly or teleport or anything like that?" She didn't think Spike and Angel could do that but that didn't mean other vampires couldn't.

"Not that I've heard of. Really old vampires can fly and do transmutation. Actually the only one I've heard of that did that was Dracula."

Willow stopped for a moment. Oh yeah, Dracula. Hmm wonder if he could be behind this? She didn't remember him being all insane, 'course she didn't really pay much attention past his looks.

William watched the expression on Willow's face turn from curiosity to delight. He narrowed his eyes at her, "You know Dracula?"

"Hmmm, what? Oh, no. Well, I did meet him once. Tried to kill a Slayer." Not even going to mention she's my friend.

"Tried, huh? Didn't succeed?"

"Nope, She didn't kill him either. It was kind of a stand off."

That must be a powerful Slayer to even get to a standoff with Dracula, William thought.

~~~~

Ethan watched as Malcolm chose his next victim. They had made their way to Mitre Square after hearing carriages and a woman yell. They had to leave the first woman after all the commotion. He thought Malcolm was brilliant for picking the area where to hunt his first victim. He picked an area right outside the Workmen's club with people inside singing and laughing and not paying any attention to what was going on outside. Of course, the magick spell that he had put on the woman so she wouldn't yell might have helped.

Malcolm had been angry at the interruption at the last place but had calmed down once he realized he would really confound the police with two in one night so close in time to each other. He stopped when he saw his next victim. He smiled, motioned for his pet and followed her. He would start with a nick to her ear so the paper would know that the letter in the paper had been right.

~~~~~

Willow and William came upon Mitre Square about the same time that the police surgeon arrived. This time instead of leaving she followed them to the mortuary. Willow wanted to know what they would find out, since there wasn't a computer to hack into and she didn't think they would let her sit in on the inquest.

She overheard them talking that the kidney and uterus were taken. Her face had been disfigured, not only the ear but also the eyelids, the nose and the mouth. From their descriptions it sounded like the Ripper was angry when he did this.

Willow couldn't help but think that maybe she and the carriage had caused him to be so angry with this victim. Willow sadly left the shadows and returned outside.

"What's wrong?" William asked.

She knew that he wouldn't understand her guilt over this. To him humans were food and that was all.

She smiled sadly at him, "Nothing, I'm just a little frustrated that I never seem to catch a glimpse of the vampire or Ethan."

William kissed the top of her head, "Don't worry, luv. You'll find the man and the vampire you're looking for. Angelus has heard a rumor that a vampire by the wharf is doing these killings. He went tonight to check it out."

Willow brightened at that. Maybe they would be able to find out who is doing this besides Ethan. She still couldn't figure out why Ethan had chosen her to send back in time.