Part 13
Amy winced as Cordelia pulled the bandage tightly around her hand, effectively staunching the blood flow.
"That was close," Julian said, his blue eyes had returned to their natural pale color as opposed to the burning brightness they'd exhibited during the spell.
"I don't like the way she just stalked out of here, though," Amy muttered under her breath as she inspected the dressing on her injured hand.
"She's fine," Whistler reaffirmed with a nod, "I'd know it if she wasn't. She's alive."
"Being alive and being sane are two entirely different things," Giles looked as if he'd aged nearly 10 years in the previous 15 minutes, "It seemed odd to me as well."
"It might seem odd, but she's still going strong and doing what she needs to," Closing his eyes for a moment, Julian smiled, "And from what I can tell, she just got in…"
**
Banging loudly on the door, Willow sighed and waited impatiently to be let in.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
Turning around slowly, she smiled cattily at the speaker and pointed to the body of the Slayer slung causally over her shoulder, "Spike, look what I brought you. A house warming gift."
"And what the fuck do you think you're doing, Pet?" He smiled at her in such a way that she could see the cold depths of his blue eyes, untouched by the expression on his face, "Do you really think that I'm that stupid? You think I'm going to fall for whatever fairy glamour that old librarian has cooked up to make you look like a vampire? Please…give me a little bit of credit here."
The warmth in her own demeanor immediately changed as well and she abruptly dumped Buffy's body to the floor, "Don't be rude, Spike." She walked up to him boldly until they were nose to nose, "I'm not Dru and I'm not one of your random whores. I may look like that incredibly pathetic teenager you locked up in the factory when you were on one of your bullshit drunken binges but rest assured, I'm not."
He rolled his eyes, bored but still humoring her, "And just who the hell might you be then?"
"Why don't you ask nicely?" She responded coolly before giving him a coy wink.
Abruptly, he geared back, his hand closed tightly into a fist, and swung into her jaw.
With lightening speed, she caught his wrist and twisted it viciously before flinging him into a wall.
Growling in anger, he stumbled backwards on his long black duster, attempting to get his footing as she steadily walked forward and grabbed him by the neck, hoisting him a few feet up, holding him firmly against the cold brick surface.
"Hey, that looked kinda familiar. Maybe it's because I taught it to you, moron."
Slipping into game face, he clawed at her arm and grabbed a fistful of her hair before she brought her other hand up and punched him hard in the nose, forcing him to release her.
"Try it again and I'll do what I did to you when we were in Vienna." She smiled at him, the challenge in her eyes obvious.
For a brief instant, something undefinable flickered across his dark blue eyes before quickly vanishing, "Yeah right," He drawled, eyeing her leeringly as blood dripped down his face, "And just what might that have been?"
"There was more than one reason we called you 'Spike'," She whispered darkly, "And just think; Dru isn't here to save you this time."
He shivered at her words involuntarily and she smiled and tightened her grip, "Don't believe me? I can prove it if you want."
His eyes glittered as he sensed an end to the game, "So how exactly do you want me to refer to you then… Grandmother?" He asked hoarsely.
Growling, she kneed him hard in the groin before dropping his convulsing form to the floor, "You know I fucking hate that," she responded through gritted teeth as she stepped over him and picked up Buffy, "Get up and open the door. I may have been the Master's bitch but I'm sure as hell not yours."
Gingerly rising to his feet, Spike withdrew a long silver key.
"Touché."
**
Somewhat bored and entirely forgotten, Xander Harris wandered through Cordelia's apartment aimlessly. He had been relegated to slayer sitting earlier in the night, but now that it was nearly 4am, the girls were safetly tucked away to bed. Unfortunately, with his two best friends in the world missing, he couldn't find the peace of mind to do the same.
"Xander!" He heard a tearful voice call from the other room, "Xander! Are you still around here?"
Turning around, he quickly entered the small lounge that doubled as a temporary bedroom for 4 of the Slayers-in Training.
"Hey? What's up?" He whispered softly, while kneeling down.
The delicate blonde girl sat up in her sleeping bag, looking somewhat bewildered and frightened.
"Xander, I was just so scared!" She whimpered, her arms outstretched.
Carefully, he cradled her in his arms and stroked her hair comfortingly, "It's okay, Teri. Nightmare?"
"Yeah," She nodded, her eyes still brimming with unshed tears, "I was fighting this huge vampire with Emma and we were winning until suddenly she disappeared and then it was only me and I couldn't handle him on my own. I was so scared."
"Hey, vampires are nothing to be scared of. I mean, I've seen them in action and trust me, they're scary LOOKING but usually dumb as a rock. Take Angel, for instance."
She giggled.
"Besides, it was just a dream. I mean, if vampires ever tried to invade this place, you'd have Emma and Heather and Robin and Tracy and all the others out in seconds. And even without them, there's always the Watchers, "He paused, "Okay, forget I said that. Uhm, worse comes to worse, Amy is two doors down and she knows some awesome spells."
"Thanks, Xander," she stared up at him adoringly, "You're so great."
"Hey no problem. It's something I've gotten used to," He winked at her playfully, "You okay?"
"Yup," she nodded.
"Well, I'll be right down the hall if you need me."
"Okay." She whispered, giving him a timid wave as he slowly shut the door to the room.
As soon as he was gone, she stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes.
"Men are so damn gullible," she muttered under her breath, stooping to pick up her makeup bag, "This is gonna be so easy. On to phase 2."
** Surveying her surroundings, Willow sighed, "You certainly have gone downhill since Prague, haven't you? Why not just go back there. America is so dull."
Spike cast her a sideways glance, "I thought you rather liked it."
"I never liked it here," She turned towards him, "I was here because of the Master. America WOULD have been so much more fun if Angel hadn't brought the Slayer to spoil it all."
"Speaking of which, would you like to see our honored guest?" the peroxide vampire gestured down a small passage.
"I'd love to," Willow responded, still supporting Buffy's body, "First though, I'd like to see my room."
"Will you be staying long?"
"Not fucking likely. I'd like to stick around to see that head Watcher and a few of his underlings die slowly but after that, I'm going to Paris."
"Underlings? Which underlings?" Spike asked curiously, "Those bumbling fools are harmless."
"Not them, moron. They're actually stupid enough to have brought almost every Slayer in Training with them."
"So?" Spike shrugged, "You can kill them, but they breed like rabbits. More will keep popping up all over the place."
"Yes, but how much fun would it be for the Watcher's Council to have to deal with a Slayer called when she was 5 as opposed to 15? These girls are ripe for the picking. When I kill them, there won't be another Slayer capable of being called for at least ten years." She sighed rudely and blew an errant strand of red hair out of her eyes, "I can see that you're still as stupid as you were when I last saw you, Spike."
"Well ducks, I wasn't the one who got herself staked, now than am I?"
"There's a first time for everything now then isn't there Spikey?" She gave him a sugar coated smile and the teasing light in his eyes darkened.
"You can have the main suite."
"You're too kind."
**
"Ahem."
Looking up from the dusty book on African mythology he'd been absent-mindedly thumbing through, Xander's mouth fell open.
"So, we're finally alone," Teri smiled up at him as becomingly as possible and blinked her mascara-coated lashes.
"Uhm, aren't you supposed to be asleep? No more nightmares, right? Better, uhm, go….Giles'll get pissed off. Little slayers need their sleep." He regarded her warily and took a step back. He hadn't been sure if it was just his imagination but he had been getting very odd signals from this slayer all night. The incident with the nightmare had made him thing he was imagining her odd behavior but for once, Xander Harris' instincts had been right on the money.
"Oh, I don't think anyone's getting any sleep tonight," She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sauntered over to him as gracefully as possible in the heels she'd managed to 'borrow' from Cordelia's closet.
Dropping his book on the couch, Xander abruptly scooted to the other side, putting the piece of furniture directly between them, "No sleep? We-well, that's, uhm, that's a bad thing, right? Sleep is good. I think you could definitely use some. Are you okay? You're acting a little….weird."
"You should be happy, Xander. I've chosen YOU." She smiled at him.
"Chosen, huh?" He grinned back at her gamely, trying to hide his abject terror They pounce as soon as they can smell the fear…. "That kinda reminds me of Buffy, you know…like, she being chosen and all…kinda funny, huh? Gee, I wonder where she is right now….oh wait, I think I can hear her calling me…I'd better go into the…uh…the other room and see if she's back."
With that, he dashed out of the room, top speed.
Entirely unfazed, Teri stared after him, "Men….they can run, but they can't hide…" tripping slightly over her heels, she loped after him, a determined gleam in her dark blue eyes.
**
Bleary eyed and hungry, Angel tried to pry open his blood-encrusted eyes, wincing only slightly at the wound on his head.
If I can just see where I am, exactly, then I have a good chance of seeing where Spike got careless.
He had just managed his goal when the door clicked open.
"He's right in here." The cocky British accent made Angel wince involuntarily and he fought the urge to close his eyes again, Now what?
"Good, I've been looking forward to this."
Immediately, his eyes widened and he stood up as best he could. It can't be…
Without thinking, he rasped her name, "Willow?"
As if out of a dream, she stepped into his field of view, her figure filling him with relief and fear at the same time.
"Angel," She smiled at him, "You're awake."
Angel felt his heart fall to his feet as bitter grief overwhelmed him. The simple tone of her voice told him all he needed to know.
Willow, his Willow, was gone.
"I will * kill * you for this Spike." His voice was low and deadly, "Beat me, torture me, stake me, I don't care. I've been to hell and I've come back once. I'll do it again and when I do, you'll die for turning her."
The blonde vampire opened his mouth to respond but Willow merely waved him off and he fell into silence.
Her dark green eyes sparkling viciously, she sauntered up to him, "Brave words from a guy who's all chained up." She cocked her head to one side and smirked, "Besides, what makes you think that Spike did this to me?"
For a brief moment, his mind flooded with hope that perhaps this girl wasn't Willow but instead her Doppelganger and that Spike had somehow managed to do something only slightly less evil by opening up a portal between their worlds again.
As if sensing his thoughts, the redhead leaned forward, "I'm not her, either. Do I act the same as she did? That red haired bimbo from the alternate timeline?"
As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. While the alternate vampire Willow had been cruel and cunning, she was also somewhat flaky. Almost like a milder version of Dru. This vampire Willow seemed much more cognizant of her surroundings.
Making her all the more dangerous.
"So I guess the question is, Angel, who am I?" She met his tortured dark eyes unflinchingly, "Because I want you to realize that we HAVE met before."
"Willow, I'm so sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am." He murmured, looking into her eyes, "The world lost something beautiful today an-,"
Slipping into game face, the former hacker let out a feral growl and punched him hard.
Reeling back at the force of her blow, he blinked several times to refocus his ailing sight.
Smiling sweetly again, she shook her head, "Naughty, Angel. When I ask you a question, I expect you to answer. Please TRY to leave the guilty brooding for later. I know it's hard for you, but for my sake, do it. Be good to mommy and she'll be good to you."
His eyes widened and he gasped sharply.
"Uh oh," she feigned disappointment, "I think I just gave it away…"
"Darla." He spat her name in a dull voice, "How?"
"Miss me after all this time and all you can ask is 'How'? You sure do know how to make a girl feel special, lover."
"You want to play games, Darla? Fine, we can stand here all night and play games.
"Ask me the right questions and I'll give you the right answers." She countered smoothly.
"Why Willow?" He looked at her; his brooding gaze had shifted to barely concealed hatred, "Why take her?"
"Well if that isn't the million dollar question? Very good Angel, I didn't think you had it in you."
When he didn't respond, she let out a dramatic sigh.
"Why her? Why not?" She snarled at him, "There are a few things you should never forget, Angel. One of which is that NOTHING in this world is exactly as it seems. I chose Willow because for all her mousiness on the outside, she's actually an immensely powerful host in the inside. I had a conduit to her and I took the opportunity."
"You entered her through some kind of a spell and chose her because she's a strong witch." He stated, shaking his head in disgust.
"No," She responded sharply and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes, "I chose this host because she who was on the edge of Immortality anyway. Ever bother to ask what, exactly, Willow would be helping Whistler research? Or why she'd even be needed in such a dangerous area when your Protector was already so skilled with a computer? Quite a coincidence, don't you think?"
Angel felt her words, and their implication, hit him like a physical blow.
"No…"
The pain that rose from his chest was worse than anything Spike had inflicted on him. As the numbing ache spread to his extremities, his knees started to buckle.
"That's right, lover. Less than a week from today, Willow Ann Rosenberg was going to be the next Immortal Watcher."
"No…" he whispered again, trying to block out her words.
"She was your advocate and your savior long before she was ever your Protector. She got you out of hell and she gave her life for you." She smiled triumphantly, "Too bad you didn't give a shit. If you had, maybe she'd still be alive."
Engulfed in his sorrow, Angel didn't have the energy to look at her anymore. He bowed his head in shame and grief and let go of the physical world. His body dangled upright, supported solely by the chains that attached his wrists to the ceiling.
"How's the pain, lover?" She murmured the question into his ear, "Does it hurt a lot? I hope so. You know how much I love pain." Straightening up, she turned to look at Spike, "Less messy than beating him and yet, deliciously more effective!"
Smiling brightly, she headed towards the door, "I feel so much better now, I think I'm going to bed."
Allowing her to pass by first, Spike silently followed her out.
"Until tomorrow night, darling!" She called over her shoulder.
The door bolted shut, blocking out the gentle light from the corridor.
Angel trembled alone in the darkness.
PART FOURTEEN
"Yes, so perhaps if we just-," Giles paused as the door suddenly whipped open and Xander ducked inside, firmly closing and locking it behind him.
"Hi guys!" The dark haired boy turned to look at the group assembled behind him, "Uhm, don't mind me. Pretend like I'm not even here!"
"Shouldn't you be asleep, Xander?" Giles asked curiously.
Amy yawned as if to accentuate his question, "Yeah, it's kinda late…early…whatever…"
"Nearly morning." Julian clarified, the only one in the group who didn't look even remotely tired.
"Sleep? Who can sleep when there's work to be done?" Xander let out a nervous laugh, "Especially when I'm a workin' kinda guy. Love to work. A great worker. Work Work Work, day and night. Heck, my middle name is work. Xander 'work' Harris. That's me."
Giles looked mildly disturbed and Amy simply rolled her eyes.
'So yeah, I'm here to help as much as possible. What do you need me for? Some extra brains? Brawn?" He started to look desperate, "Bait??"
"Uhm, no, Xander, I think we're all set here." Giles began, waving the boy off.
Dropping his voice, Xander sidled up to the librarian, "Giles, PLEASE!"
"Then again, we could always use an extra pair of hands," He amended promptly in an unnaturally loud voice.
Amy and Julian simply looked at each other.
"So, what's the game plan?" Xander asked, an eager smile on his face.
**
Stifling a yawn, Willow stalked into her suite and made her way over to the bed, "You," She snapped her fingers and pointed at one of Spike's many lackeys, "Take these and chain the Slayer up."
Looking up in surprise, the stocky vampire hesitated for only a moment before quickly stepping forward, a hungry gleam in his eyes.
Rolling her eyes in boredom, Willow threw the handcuffs at him and lithely drew aside.
Brutally grabbing the slayer's right wrist, he shoved it into one of the silver shackles, snapping the bright circlet around it so tightly that the metal cut into flesh of her skin. Treating her left wrist with the same ferocity, he paused at the fresh, heady aroma of the blood welling up from Buffy's torn wounds.
"Don't even think about it," Willow's coldly calm warning penetrated his hazy intellect just in time and he quickly pounced up off of the bed and safely away from the tempting Slayer.
Receiving an annoyed glare from Willow, the underling quickly bowed his head in deference to her authority and made his way out of the room as fast as possible.
"I can see you have your men well trained, Spike." She favored the peroxide vampire with an easy smile.
He drew himself up from his languid pose against her door and carelessly flicked bits of ash from his cigarette, "You done?"
Nodding, she smiled and showed a hint of fang, "Almost."
"Pray tell, Darla," He cooly blew a column of smoke out, "What do you plan on doing with all this…company?"
Willow merely shrugged and returned her attention to Buffy.
"She's cute, isn't she, Spike?"
Folding his arms over his chest, the blonde vampire didn't respond.
"A little on the ditzy side, but cute nonetheless," she mused, strolling around the side of the mattress to take a seat next to the blonde girl's head, "Don't you think?"
"She's alright," he responded dully, fixing a wary gaze on the redheaded vampiress.
"Well, I mean, she's simply GOT to be more than just 'alright' seeing as how our dearly beloved Angel is so very very fond of her…" She let her voice trail off as a mildly sadistic gleam entered her dark green eyes, "Slayers are especially flexible, aren't they Spike? Athletic and all that."
"I wouldn't know." He paced slowly past her.
"Not as flexible as a vampire I'd imagine, but still better than a normal human."
Unsure of what to make of her random comments, Spike chose to remain silent.
"What do you think it is, Spike? What do you think makes him love her so much? I mean, it can't be her looks. She has absolutely no figure on her. I could have filled out that shirt ten times better in my old body. Besides, if he was looking for someone with those kinds of assets, why not that deliciously bitchy girl Cordelia? How much fun would it be to turn her, Spike?" She looked up at him expectantly and he merely shrugged.
Frankly, the thought left a mildly bad taste in his mouth but he wasn't about to share his opinion.
Sighing, she went back to stroking Buffy's hair, "I mean, it obviously wasn't the sex. You can't brag about what you can't do."
Unable to help himself, Spike let the comment slip, "Well, he *did* lose his soul, luv."
"Yes, that 'one moment of true happiness' bullshit," she muttered under her breath, "For all we know, he was just happy that the skanky bitch was finally giving it up."
Suppressing the urge to snort aloud, Spike merely nodded.
Satisfied with her explanation, Willow leaned back against the mattress, "And it definitely couldn't have been her personality. Hel-lo, the girl is about as deep as a puddle and ridiculously slow on the uptake. I'm truly shocked she's still alive at all with the amount of information that goes right over her head." Her hand paused over the Slayer's hair and she drew her fingers into a fist, firmly clutching a handful of the golden locks.
"But such pretty blonde hair." Willow grinned, "Then again, I used to have blonde hair."
"Yes, as I recall, you did."
Glancing up at him, Willow's smile widened. "Just between you and me, I think she dyes it. Or, highlights it at the very least."
"Are we going to kill her or not, Darla?" Spike asked finally, an edge of impatience in his voice.
"God, Spike, you really don't have an ounce of creative flair at all do you?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Well, I'm personally interested in seeing whether or not Buffy dyes her hair."
He rolled his eyes, "Why?"
"Because," She pinned him with a deadly glare, "it's fun. And nothing is worth doing unless it's fun. So, are you in?"
Her fingers flitted lightly over the zipper on Buffy's tight black pants, causing Spike's eyes to widen.
"Or do you want to leave and let me play the game on my own?" She pouted slightly and glanced up at Spike whose eyes were still glued to where her fingers rested lightly on the Slayer's stomach.
Before he could respond, the slayer moaned softly and shifted in her sleep.
Bending forward, Willow's red hair grazing Buffy's pale throat as she pressed a light kiss to the other girl's lips. Sighing, she stood. "Sorry Spikey, impulse gone. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow night then?"
Spike's blue eyes darkened, "Still a tease, eh, Darla?"
"It's a new body." She shrugged. I'm jet lagged."
"Of course."
**
Cuddling sleepily against his fluffy white pillow, Xander sank into a contented state of semi-exhaustion.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She leaned over the edge of her bed, and looked down at him.
He opened a sleepy eye and regarded the somewhat confused looking witch clad in a modest green t-shirt with white boxers.
"'Okay' sleeping on the floor, I mean. Not like 'okay' mentally or anything since I already know the answer to that question…" Despite her own exhaustion and injuries she shot him a playful smile.
"Yes, I'm fine on the floor thank you very much." He responded, choosing to ignore her jibe. "I'm just sorry that Giles' room was so crowded that you got stuck with me."
Sighing, Amy couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, "C'mon, Xander, you know I was just kidding. I'm just kind of wigged by this is all…you seriously won't tell me what's going on?"
"Night, Amy."
Rolling her eyes, she threw herself back against her own pillow and sighed.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to the figure huddled on the ground and he coughed nervously, "Uhm, yo Amy?"
"YES, Xander?" She responded wearily.
"Your door IS locked, right?"
She paused before responding, "Yes, it is, but I'd like to warn you right now that if this is some sort of weird little plan of yours, I'm not quite as zapped out as I look. Need be, I can still turn you into insta-rat."
Biting off a more scathing response, Xander merely pulled the blanket more firmly around his shoulders, "Don't flatter yourself."
Blushing slightly, the witch turned on her side, careful not to disturb her injured hand.
"Freak." She muttered under her breath.
"Get some sleep, Madison." He rumbled softly in response.
She grinned, "'Night, Harris."
"Night, Amy"
"Night, Xander."
Letting out a scream strongly remniscent to that of a girl, Xander leaped off of the floor and into Amy's bed.
Pulling herself back into a seated position, the witch shot him a bemused smile, "Okay, although you gotta work on subtlety, I give you points for atheletic form."
"Tell that to her!" Xander whispered harshly, clutching her arm and nodding in the direction of the door.
"Teri? What're you doing here?" The brunette smiled at the younger girl warmly.
"I was having some nightmares. Couldn't sleep, can I sleep in here with you and Xander?" She batted her dark blue eyes hopefully.
As the grip on Amy's arm tightened astronomically, the witch had to grit her teeth to prevent from wincing in pain, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Teri. Xander and I will probably be getting up in a little while anyway and we'll have to use this room to prep for tomorrow night. It's better for you to get uninterrupted sleep, so why don't you go to Cordelia's room? I think that Heather and Eliz are in there already." Wrenching her appendage away from her dark haired companion, Amy calmly jumped off of her bed and showed the disappointed teenager to the door.
"Goodnight, Teri," gently, she pushed the slayer-in-training into the hallway before leaning down, "You might want to go a little easier on the seduction. Men tend to get overwhelmed easily," she whispered conspiratorially, "Especially Xander."
"You don't think he's too old for me?" Teri asked.
Snorting softly, Amy shook her head, "I have a hard time believing that Xander's too old for anyone but then, that's really your decision to make. Besides, he's not even that cute."
Teri quirked an eyebrow.
Suppressing a smile, the witch glared down in mock anger, "Okay, maybe he's just a little cute but you didn't hear it from me. Now go to bed."
Giggling, the blond girl nodded and scampered down the hall.
Firmly closing and locking her door, Amy turned and headed back to the bed.
"Xander, she's 12. You've got to be kidding me."
"Can I sleep up here with you?"
"You're joking, right?"
"She could kick my ass, easy!" He burrowed lower beneath her blanket.
"So can I, Xander." Rolling her eyes, she swatted at him, "Now move over, you loser, and give me some room."
Shuffling gratefully to the side, he cleared a space for her.
Waiting for the dark haired girl to settle in, he smiled, "Hey, Amy, have I ever mention that I love you?"
"Shut up, Xander."
"Consider it done."
**
It had been nearly 40 minutes since she'd last heard anyone enter of leave.
Cautiously, Buffy opened her eyes and peered into the inky darkness of Darla's bedroom. Even with her slayer enhanced sight, she was still having trouble adjusting to the lack of light in the room. Moaning loudly, she paused and checked for movement in the room.
Sensing nothing, she moaned a bit louder.
Still nothing.
Satisfied, she subtly started testing the strength of the metal cuffs that bound her wrists.
Solid as ever and seemingly unbreakable.
Sighing, the slayer relaxed her arms in resignation. She'd just have to figure out another way to get free. Tapping her fingers absent-mindedly against the links around her wrists, she paused.
Unless…
But it couldn't be…
Biting her lip, she tried to get a better look at her binds but to no avail. They were locked well behind and on the post of the bed, under the level of her head. Even in light, they would have been out of her line of vision. Shrugging, she decided to take her chances.
Gritting her teeth, Buffy clenched her fists and yanked down as hard as she could.
With a satisfying click, the chains broke cleanly in half, releasing her hands from their awkward position.
The Slayer was free.
Part Fifteen
Angel's dark eyes flitted from the chains around his wrists to the narrow piece of metal he'd found lying on the floor a few feet away.
Once his eyes had adjusted to the minimal light, it hadn't been too difficult to spot the small sliver which could mean his freedom.
The difficult part would be reaching it.
Spike wasn't stupid. He'd seen to it that both Angel's wrists and ankles were firmly shackled, giving him barely enough room to stretch his head to look up let alone attempt to move anywhere in his small chamber.
However, after quite a few hours of feigning unconsciousness while testing his bonds, Angel was fairly certain that the chain anchoring his left wrist to the wall creaked just a bit more than the rest of his binds. If there was indeed a flaw in construction or a weak link, the vampire could conceivably wear it down more.
Given time.
The sharp click of a bolt being unlocked signaled a visitor and he paused in his thoughts to prepare himself for the worst.
"Well you're looking better."
A smirk planted firmly on her face, Willow stepped into the chamber. For Angel, Willow's voice had always been somewhat comforting. Even though in the past the hacker tended to panic more often than not, to hear her gentle babbling always made their bad situations seem a bit more bearable. If Willow still had the presence of mind to speak, well, things couldn't be quite so bad. Now, however, her voice had more of the effect of nails on a chalkboard. A shiver ran up the vampire's spine and he lowered his gaze again.
"Then again, I always liked you in chains."
She closed the door behind her, plunging the room back into darkness before slowly making her way towards the vampire.
"Come now, Angel. You're not whipped already, are you?" Her whisper sent a gentle stream of cold air into his ear and he wordlessly turned his head away.
"Seems like all brood and no play has made my Angelus a quiet boy." Her hands moved to his tattered shirt, "Let's see if we can change that." With a quick jerk of her wrists, Willow tore the soiled material off of his body and threw it aside.
At the sensation of her hands on his bare chest, he froze, causing the muscles to stand rigid and hard under her fingertips.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not going to force you. I never had to before, and I don't think I'm going to have to this time."
Fixing his gaze firmly to the back wall, Angel refused to react….outwardly. Internally his mind was awhirl trying to figure out exactly what this new torture tactic was supposed to accomplish. The scene itself was definitely bizarre enough to be emotionally scarring. Angel's unwilling seduction by Darla after hours of being beaten by Spike was pushing his tolerance for abuse to the limits. But add to it the fact that Darla now wore Willow's body and the vampire was grappling simply to retain his sense of reality.
And now, as Willow was slowly kissing her way from his jaw line to his collarbone, he was also trying to pretend he was somewhere else entirely.
"Say the word Angel, and I'll let you out of here." She trailed her hands down his back while nipping lightly at his shoulder. "Promise to stay this time and I'll end the pain. I swear."
Still receiving no response, she abruptly stopped and backed away from him.
The next sound he heard was the slap of skin on skin as Willow's fist connected firmly with Angel's abdomen. The vampire bent forward with a grunt but could only move part way due to his restraints. He closed his eyes against the throbbing pain, but tried to zero in on it. Anything was better than concentrating on Darla.
Stepping forward swiftly, Willow leaned as close to Angel as possible, this time pressing her body firmly against his own and putting her hands on his head to draw it nearer.
"Angel, don't worry, it's me. It's Willow." Her lips were so close to his ear that they brushed it repeatedly as she spoke, "I'm sorry for hitting you but we don't have a lot of time."
Furrowing his brow slightly, the vampire merely grunted in response.
"I'm only pretending to be Darla to get you out of here. Spike has men outside the door who are listening in on this, so please, just play along. If you pretend to submit, I can get you out faster."
Her words were spoken in such quick, hushed tones that a small part of the vampire almost believed in their sincerity. Opening his eyes slowly, he scrutinized her.
To his surprise, he did indeed see his former friend reflected in her dark green orbs.
"Okay?" She whispered eagerly while nibbling on his earlobe.
A growl to the affirmative was all the indication he gave her that he understood.
Pulling back, she resumed speaking in a normal voice, "You know what I find most interesting about this, though, lover? I think you actually might have had a thing for this skinny red haired loser way back when."
Hearing those words coming out of her mouth and knowing that it was all an act, Angel couldn't believe that Willow wasn't blushing.
"W-we…we were friends." He responded, narrowing his eyes at the vampiress.
"Yes," she trailed her nails lightly down his chest, "so it seems that you were. But tell me, Angel, while you were out with that blonde bimbo slayer of yours, you can't honestly expect me to believe that there wasn't some part of you, no matter how small, that wasn't lusting after forbidden fruit." She paused to look down at herself while lightly running her fingers up and down her torso, "Especially when the fruit isn't half bad."
He remained silent.
"I mean, come on!" She chuckled, "Sure the blonde had the body, but when it comes to women, I know your real weakness has always been brains. If there was one thing I could always count on when it came to you and other women was the more clever the girl, the more dangerous she was. That's why I let Dru hang around for so long without staking her. Now, seeing as how Buffy is about equal to string cheese on the evolutionary scale, I find it very hard to believe that you weren't bored. I mean, in between your lengthy make-out sessions, you know, when you actually had to sit and listen to her drone on and on about clothes and hair and makeup, there had to have been times when you were wishing for a little more."
When he didn't respond again, she gripped his face in her hand, forcing him to make eye contact, "Don't lie to mommy. I always know when you lie, Angel."
The shock of suddenly seeing Darla again, in such a convincing form no less, made Angel's relief over being rescued falter. Almost accidentally, the words poured past his lips.
"Maybe once."
Triumphantly, Willow smiled and released him. "Let me guess, that time you saw the Doppelganger? All that leather get you excited for old times?"
"No…" Angel slowly shook his head, "It was the time I went to her for help. The first night she invited me into her room. She was nervous but….kind. She helped me without even really knowing who I was. She trusted me. She helped a lot and was really talented with her computer. Granted, she kept talking and talking but it was…sweet." The desire to be somewhere else had become so great that he was allowing himself to be lost in the memory.
"After which you repaid her sweetness and trust by stalking her and trying to murder her. How romantic."
Startled out of his reverie, he flinched at the coldness of her voice.
"Do you want redemption, Angel?"
"Dar-,"
Shaking her head, she placed a hand over his mouth, cutting off the rest of his sentence.
In a softer voice, she asked the question again, "Do you want redemption?"
Not quite comprehending, he looked deeply into her eyes until realization struck. Slowly, Angel mouthed her name.
'Willow'
Smiling, she nodded her head and he slowly nodded his in turn.
"Never forget that I am your only redemption."
"You are my only redemption." He repeated slowly after her.
"And I will save you."
"You will save m-,"
Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Despite his wariness and fear, exhaustion overcame the vampire and he could do little to resist the advance.
Breaking away for a second, Willow murmured just loud enough for him to hear.
"I loved you enough to get you out of hell once. I know I can do it again."
And with that, she resumed the kiss, this time pouring all of her desperation, fear and desire into it. She clung to him, as though to a lifeline, her nails digging deeply into his back as she anchored herself firmly against his body.
The effect her words had on Angel was just as dramatic. His posture, which had been stooped in defeat for so long, shot straight up to better support her weight. For the first time in almost two days, Angel was standing on his own two feet.
It was almost as if they had forged an emotional bond through their physical connection and through it, Angel could read Willow's emotions. The untainted love in her heart burned so strongly it seared his very soul.
She grasped and clawed hungrily at his neck and face as he returned her kiss just as enthusiastically, straining fully against his binds.
He wasn't quite sure exactly when it happened, but at some point during the kiss, Willow slipped into game face. Just as the heat between them burned to near feverish levels, she bit down hard into his lower lip, drawing blood.
The action shot like electricity through his body and with one swift motion, he yanked his wrist away from the wall, breaking the slightly rusted chain. With one hand free, he brought it to tangle roughly in her hair, savoring the feel of the silken copper strands between his fingertips.
At the sensation of his hand on the back of her head, she pulled away.
"Willow…" her name was torn from his lips in a harsh whisper as his desire drugged gaze followed her movements.
"Oh Angel…" She gently backed away from him, "I'm so sorry…"
Within seconds he felt hands emerge from the darkness and resecure his chains.
"…but Willow's dead."