Chapter 20-Presents
-Buffy-
I lurk. He's slowly going crazy with grief and it's delicious. Angel's grief has always had such texture and weight. I just couldn't fully appreciate it until now. He's so wrapped up in his misery he doesn't even feel me near. I can feel him though, I can feel that nasty soul and it itches like an infected boil. It's the first thing on my list to get rid of, after I've had a little bit of fun.
I drag the little blond I caught in the alley behind the Bronze with me. I think perhaps she goes to school with Dawn. That's nice kill two birds with one stone, provided Angel doesn't decide to be the knight in shining armor and try to protect my precious baby sister. I sling her over my shoulder and walk inside the mansion. The nice thing about tormenting a vampire, no invitation needed. I build a fire in the hearth and arrange my present in front of it. I place one of Angel's favorite books of poetry in her hands. I take a red lipstick out of the bathroom and draw a heart on the dead girl's bare midriff. Inside of the heart I write Buffy+Angel 4ever. I take a mirror from Dawn's room and carefully arrange it on the wall next to the fireplace. On the mirror I leave a little note for my Beloved. "You bring out the very best in me, hope you enjoy your present I didn't quite drink it all, love Buff." I seal it with a big red kiss. He'll adore it. I smirk to myself as I walk out of the mansion.
My next stop is Giles' apartment. I don't even try to get in. I know Saint Angel and his first call would have been to Giles and the rest of the "Scoobies" God could I ever have been that lame. I watch gleefully as they huddle together in his living room, all sipping tea and flipping through research books. I can smell the fear coming off of them in waves. Dawn is sitting on the couch crying. I lick my lips. She wouldn't be enough to even quench my thirst but it would be heavenly nectar, so young, sweet and absolutely terrified.
I settle for a snack at the Bronze, something young and supremely stupid. I think he was quarterback for the football team a couple of years ago. He might have been one of Cordelia's boyfriends at one point. I'm really not sure. I mean who could keep track of them all. I make a stop at Willy's. He greets me in his usual loud fashion, announcing the presence of a slayer in order to clear out the bar. I don't mind much this time. It suits my purposes, although it's always more fun to put on a show when there is an actual audience.
I grab his scrawny neck and slam it down to the bar. I morph into my vamp face and get very close to him. I try to ignore the pungent greasy smell coming off of him. "Some things around here have changed, Willy. If Angel comes sniffing around wanting information about me, what do you tell him?"
"I-I-I'll tell him anything h-he wa-wa-wants to know." Willy can barely get the words out he's so scared. I resist the urge to laugh. I pull his arm up over his back and twist hard enough to hear a crack.
"What do you tell him?" I ask patiently. I mean really, if I was impatient I would have snapped his neck at the first wrong answer.
"No-noth-nothin'" he sputters out.
I release his arm and pat him on the cheek. "You're not nearly as dumb as you look, Willy. I'll be back. It's really been a pleasure working with you."
The smell of urine fills the bar as I walk out the door.
*
Angel's friends are in town. Could he make this any easier for me? I mean really I had been considering a trip to LA, inconvenient, sure but if it makes my boy's heart go pitter patter it's worth the effort. They have split the group between Xander's apartment and Willow and Tara's. I've still got a few hours of night to find the perfect welcoming gift.
I find him quite unexpectedly coming out of the Sun cinema. He's got a girl with him. I snap her neck, she is of no consequence. He runs and that's okay. I laugh and yell down the alley. "All work and no play makes Buffy a very dull girl." I give chase a leisurely pace.
I am just finishing arranging my present, complete with a dozen red roses and a teddy bear, when I feel him. I pout. I wanted to stick around and watch when Cordelia found John Lee sitting on Willow's doorstep, his neck broken. I whirl and dart behind the building. He's seen me and I can hear him coming. I wrinkle my nose and glance at the sky. I really wanted to save this for a moment when I'd have plenty of time to enjoy it. Oh well, there will be time for a round two.
I stop and lean against the wall, waiting for him to catch up. "What's the matter, Angel? All that grief weighing you down? You're moving kind of slow." I glance at my nails and buff them on my jacket.
He doesn't waste time with words. He knows from experience talking is a waste of time. He slugs me hard with a right hook. I shake it off and catch him in the head with a spinning sidekick. He's stunned a moment but recovers remarkably well, catching me in the kidney with a jab. I head butt him and ram the heel of my hand under his chin. He lands on his back with a grunt. I straddle him, grinding into his groin. I rest the heels of my hands on his chest and lean down so that my lips are almost on his.
"Can Angelus come out to play?" I whisper huskily.
He throws me across the alley in answer. I hit the brick wall hard. The world dips sideways for an instant. He catches me by the throat and lifts me just slightly off the ground. I'm tired of playing. I grab his wrist and twist his arm back until I hear a snap. I shove him away from me.
"Let me know when you're ready to play with the big girls." I take off at a sprint. I'm going to have to hurry if I want to make it to the basement under the ice rink before sunrise.
-Buffy-
I lurk. He's slowly going crazy with grief and it's delicious. Angel's grief has always had such texture and weight. I just couldn't fully appreciate it until now. He's so wrapped up in his misery he doesn't even feel me near. I can feel him though, I can feel that nasty soul and it itches like an infected boil. It's the first thing on my list to get rid of, after I've had a little bit of fun.
I drag the little blond I caught in the alley behind the Bronze with me. I think perhaps she goes to school with Dawn. That's nice kill two birds with one stone, provided Angel doesn't decide to be the knight in shining armor and try to protect my precious baby sister. I sling her over my shoulder and walk inside the mansion. The nice thing about tormenting a vampire, no invitation needed. I build a fire in the hearth and arrange my present in front of it. I place one of Angel's favorite books of poetry in her hands. I take a red lipstick out of the bathroom and draw a heart on the dead girl's bare midriff. Inside of the heart I write Buffy+Angel 4ever. I take a mirror from Dawn's room and carefully arrange it on the wall next to the fireplace. On the mirror I leave a little note for my Beloved. "You bring out the very best in me, hope you enjoy your present I didn't quite drink it all, love Buff." I seal it with a big red kiss. He'll adore it. I smirk to myself as I walk out of the mansion.
My next stop is Giles' apartment. I don't even try to get in. I know Saint Angel and his first call would have been to Giles and the rest of the "Scoobies" God could I ever have been that lame. I watch gleefully as they huddle together in his living room, all sipping tea and flipping through research books. I can smell the fear coming off of them in waves. Dawn is sitting on the couch crying. I lick my lips. She wouldn't be enough to even quench my thirst but it would be heavenly nectar, so young, sweet and absolutely terrified.
I settle for a snack at the Bronze, something young and supremely stupid. I think he was quarterback for the football team a couple of years ago. He might have been one of Cordelia's boyfriends at one point. I'm really not sure. I mean who could keep track of them all. I make a stop at Willy's. He greets me in his usual loud fashion, announcing the presence of a slayer in order to clear out the bar. I don't mind much this time. It suits my purposes, although it's always more fun to put on a show when there is an actual audience.
I grab his scrawny neck and slam it down to the bar. I morph into my vamp face and get very close to him. I try to ignore the pungent greasy smell coming off of him. "Some things around here have changed, Willy. If Angel comes sniffing around wanting information about me, what do you tell him?"
"I-I-I'll tell him anything h-he wa-wa-wants to know." Willy can barely get the words out he's so scared. I resist the urge to laugh. I pull his arm up over his back and twist hard enough to hear a crack.
"What do you tell him?" I ask patiently. I mean really, if I was impatient I would have snapped his neck at the first wrong answer.
"No-noth-nothin'" he sputters out.
I release his arm and pat him on the cheek. "You're not nearly as dumb as you look, Willy. I'll be back. It's really been a pleasure working with you."
The smell of urine fills the bar as I walk out the door.
*
Angel's friends are in town. Could he make this any easier for me? I mean really I had been considering a trip to LA, inconvenient, sure but if it makes my boy's heart go pitter patter it's worth the effort. They have split the group between Xander's apartment and Willow and Tara's. I've still got a few hours of night to find the perfect welcoming gift.
I find him quite unexpectedly coming out of the Sun cinema. He's got a girl with him. I snap her neck, she is of no consequence. He runs and that's okay. I laugh and yell down the alley. "All work and no play makes Buffy a very dull girl." I give chase a leisurely pace.
I am just finishing arranging my present, complete with a dozen red roses and a teddy bear, when I feel him. I pout. I wanted to stick around and watch when Cordelia found John Lee sitting on Willow's doorstep, his neck broken. I whirl and dart behind the building. He's seen me and I can hear him coming. I wrinkle my nose and glance at the sky. I really wanted to save this for a moment when I'd have plenty of time to enjoy it. Oh well, there will be time for a round two.
I stop and lean against the wall, waiting for him to catch up. "What's the matter, Angel? All that grief weighing you down? You're moving kind of slow." I glance at my nails and buff them on my jacket.
He doesn't waste time with words. He knows from experience talking is a waste of time. He slugs me hard with a right hook. I shake it off and catch him in the head with a spinning sidekick. He's stunned a moment but recovers remarkably well, catching me in the kidney with a jab. I head butt him and ram the heel of my hand under his chin. He lands on his back with a grunt. I straddle him, grinding into his groin. I rest the heels of my hands on his chest and lean down so that my lips are almost on his.
"Can Angelus come out to play?" I whisper huskily.
He throws me across the alley in answer. I hit the brick wall hard. The world dips sideways for an instant. He catches me by the throat and lifts me just slightly off the ground. I'm tired of playing. I grab his wrist and twist his arm back until I hear a snap. I shove him away from me.
"Let me know when you're ready to play with the big girls." I take off at a sprint. I'm going to have to hurry if I want to make it to the basement under the ice rink before sunrise.
