Part 20

Malcolm was angry, each day that his pet didn't return he got angrier. He had finally given up and decided to kill the next one without the use of his pet's magickal power. While walking in Miller's Court he picked out his next victim. He tracked her into the Ten Bells pub and flirted with her. He followed her home and she invited him in. Malcolm smiled as he shut and locked the door.

Ethan hadn't known which option to choose. He had needed the days to heal before facing Malcolm, if he chose to ever face Malcolm again. He had escaped one vicious vampire and wasn't too eager to go back to another one. He still wanted to get the heart from Ripper's last victim. What he had told Angelus was the truth. The heart of the last victim could supposedly be used in a spell for immortality. But he had no idea who the last victim would be. He wasn't sure if the legend was for Mary Kelly the last infamous victim or Ripper's true last victim.

He thought about just watching Malcolm without going back as his magick user. Ethan was contemplating what to do next when he saw Malcolm exit Miller's Court. He turned in the opposite direction and decided to circle back to Malcolm's lair at the wharf and see what his latest trophies were.

~~~~

Willow had spent the last few days trying to comfort Angel and William. William was a little easier for he had only 8 years of memories and she had already helped him through his insanity of over a hundred years of memories in her time. A couple of times she had to stop Angel from going outside.

She told them tales of what they were like in her time. William seemed to like that he had still been mad, bad and dangerous to know. She told Angel about the gypsy curse but this wasn't a curse. They had been given a gift by Janus. He had gifted them with a new beginning. They were new creatures with both soul and demon blended together. She told them of being warriors for the Powers that Be and how they helped to defeat evil and apocalypses.  She also told them the tale of her vengeance and struggles with walking the fine line between light and dark. They seemed to get calmer in the knowledge that someone else had gone through and is still going through something similar.

~~~~

Willow, William and Angel had returned to the lair and found Darla and Drusilla gone. Knowing that Drusilla always could tell things before they happened, Angel thought that Darla probably cut her losses and went to the Master. It's what he would have done.

Angel had taken comfort in the stories that Willow told him. He now had a purpose. He couldn't change what had happened in the past but he could move forward and put his darkness that he still felt strongly to helping those that couldn't help themselves. He would still be able to indulge his fondness for torture and mayhem. He would just torture demons and others that preyed on the weak.

Angel remembered with a small smile the torture he had indulged in recently. True, he hadn't known it at the time but torturing Ethan may have been his first step on this new path. Thinking about the torture reminded Angel of what he had found out.

"Willow, there's something I think I should tell you." Angel said.

Looking into his serious eyes she grew concerned. "Okay."

"Don't worry, it's not that bad. While I was at the wharf looking for the vampire and human you're hunting I found something. It seems Ethan Rayne likes to keep a journal."

"Did it say why he used me to go back in time?"

Angel nodded and began to tell Willow and William what he had learned from the journal and his torture. He didn't tell her how he got the additional information. Somehow he didn't think she would view his torture with as much fondness as he did.

He walked back to where he had hidden the journal that Ethan dropped in his haste to leave. He flipped it to the part that Ethan had talked about and held it open for Willow. "Ethan dropped this as he left. I think this was the passage that he saw in your time that talks about you."

William squeezed her shoulder for comfort and with trepidation Willow took the journal from Angel. William read over Willow's shoulder:

November 10,1888

I felt a strong magickal presence today. I didn't know where it was coming from until I happened to walk by a small, beautiful red head in a blue evening gown and felt her power. She holds such power and I feel a darkness in her that I am sure I can manipulate for my purposes. The man that helps me now doesn't have the magnitude of power that she does. I must find a way to meet her.

Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. November 10th was tomorrow. She looked at both Angel and William, "Do you think I'm his last victim?"

William clinched and unclenched his hands, "Not bloody likely."

Angel looked in her eyes, "I thought so at first and then I realized that you couldn't have gone back in time if you were destined to die in this time. It would have wiped you out." It had been that thought that let Ethan escape with his life. He knew he needed him alive to be alive in 2004 so Ethan could bring Willow back.

"Now that we know that you'll meet the Ripper tomorrow, or at least he'll see you tomorrow we can set a trap."

"We are not using Willow as the bait!" William all but growled.

"Give me some credit, boy. Do you really think I would let anything happen to Willow?"

"Sitting right here, guys. You keep forgetting that I can take care of myself."

They continued as if she hadn't spoken. She was getting ticked. Okay, granted she was small and people tended to forget that she was stronger than she looked but hey almost ended the world. Gave the Scourge of Europe his soul, twice if you count original timeline and this one. Time to teach another lesson. With a wave of her hand Angel and William were suspended a foot off the ground.

As they felt themselves leave the ground they stopped talking and looked at Willow. She looked right back at them with a raised eyebrow and her arms folded.

With a mumbled, "I'm sorry, baby" and "Sorry, Willow" she lowered them back down.

"Angel, I think your idea about setting a trap for Ripper and hopefully Ethan is a good one. You always were good at manipulating and scheming. Spike, you are really good at finding the weakness of your opponent and exploiting it. I think with me as magickal bait we'll make an unbeatable combination."

Angel looked at Willow and Spike, "Spike? Why did she call you Spike?"

Willow blushed a bright red and quickly put her hand over Spike's mouth before he could answer.

~~~~~

Albert and Hannah were concerned for Willow. They had received a note that she was spending time with some new friends but that had been a few days ago. With her investigation of the insane vampire who was on a rampage through Whitechapel they couldn't help but worry.

There were rumors that he had struck again this morning in Miller's Court and it was the worst yet. The fact that the woman wasn't red haired gave them hope that she wasn't the latest victim. The face and body had been mutilated beyond recognition. It was rumored to be someone named Mary Kelly but that was only because it was her room and she was missing.

Ian entered the library with a note for Hannah. She noticed it was Willow's handwriting and quickly opened it. After reading it she sighed in relief, Willow would be coming home tomorrow. She needed their help in putting some plan together.