Title: Good Intentions: Reactions
Author: Ash
Distribution: Any one who already has some of my fic and anyone else if they ask.
Disclaimer: Yep, Buffy is still Joss Whedon's. Keep them, Joss! I mean, yes, you're a genius, but that genius had created some of the most downright frightening things ever. The Gentlemen? Kept me up nights, I kid you not.
Rating: Oh, I give up. If it's not PG-13, I'll tell you.
*****
Part Six
*****
The sun set, and night fell on Sunnydale.
People walk faster at night, avoiding dark alleys and the eyes of strangers. And death comes streaming out of the graves to find them, hunting them across the plains and valleys of the night. It wants to kill them, hurt them or own them, but above all, it wants. Death is desire.
And Willow is gone, Angelus thought as he looked through the window of Buffy's room.
Inside the house, Buffy was preparing for patrol. Her weapons were spread across the cheerfully flowered comforter of her bed and she was inspecting them one by one. Angelus watched as Buffy frowned at a faulty crossbow. Willow's scent was just a fading memory in the room; Buffy's a tangibly revolting presence.
Angelus scowled. If Willow thought that she could hide from him, he'd-
There was a knock on Buffy's door. With one practiced motion, Buffy grabbed the weapons, dropped them into a bag and kicked the bag under the bed.
"Yes, mom?" Buffy said, turning to face the mirror above her dresser. She tilted her head as if appraising her makeup. Maybe she was, Angelus thought with amusement.
Mrs. Summers opened the door and leaned against the frame. "Are you going to meet Willow at the Bronze tonight?" she asked. "She forgot her hairbrush."
A worried expression flitted over Buffy's face and she said, "No, she said she was just going to go to bed. I'll give it to her tomorrow, I'm going to walk her to school if she still insists on going."
Mrs. Summers shook her head. "She should stay home for a couple of days."
"That's what I said!" Buffy agreed. "Any excuse to get out of school, right?" She looked at her mother and paused. "I mean, school is important. The children are our future. Did I mention that I'm thinking of applying to Yale? Yeah. I'll... be leaving now."
"Is that what you're going to wea-" Joyce started to say, but Angelus heard no more of it.
He walked down the street with what, in anyone who wasn't a sadistic emissary of hell, might have been termed 'a bounce in his step.' Willow had gone home. Poor little Willow, all alone, waiting for someone to come and keep her company.
Angelus smiled to himself and quickened his pace.
It was a short walk to Willow's house. Looking up at the house, Angelus thought about just ringing the doorbell. Briefly.
Minutes later he was on her balcony. There were dark stains on the wood and Angelus found himself staring at them, mesmerized. Her blood.
He took a deep breath of unnecessary air and felt heat rush through him. Willow's essence hung in the air, sweet as the far-off sound of screams. She was here.
Mine, he thought.
He moved to the balcony doors, his eyes searching the room inside for any sign of her, but the room was empty except for the books that covered every surface. He growled softly. Where was she?
The hallway door swung open, and Willow walked in.
Angelus absorbed her presence like a physical shock, his entire body tensing.
Willow was rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly as if tired. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she let out a long breath and picked up one of the books.
Angelus watched her, his hands tightening into claws.
******
Willow shot an apprehensive glance at the darkness outside her window. He should be here by now, she thought. She looked away from the black window and sighed. Then she looked back. The darkness outside seemed less dark in some places and more dark in other places.
In fact, she thought, it almost looks like a oh!
Willow's eyes locked with Angelus' and she froze in place.
I should have hid in the basement, Willow decided, feeling something cold and scared settle in her stomach like a rock.
I could have talked to him tomorrow night. Or after my neck heals.
Without thinking about it, Willow's hand went to her neck and touched the bandage there.
Angelus' eyes followed her gesture, darkening as they focused on her neck. Willow snatched her hand away. Eep! No, no, no! She thought. The point is to distract him from the blood!
It took all Willow's willpower not to run out of the room, screaming or not. Instead, she rose shakily to her feet and walked over to the balcony doors. Angelus watched her come, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Willow twisted the handle of the door until the lock clicked and then jumped back quickly.
The door swung open onto the night, leaving only the frail protection of the threshold between her and Angelus. To Willow, it seemed like no protection at all.
Disturbingly, Angelus was now leaning against the nothing where the door used to be. He lifted his hand from his pocket and waved. The look in his eyes frightened her.
"Invite me in, Willow." Angelus said.
How am I going to tell him, Willow wondered. It has to be gradual. I need to give him a sense of the events so that he'll understand what's going on here. Then I can hit him with the big guns! Well, gun, anyway. Although guns wouldn't hurt him, and anyway I'd miss! I can't even hit people with water guns and I'm stalling.
Willow opened her mouth to begin her well thought out explanation. Unfortunately, Angelus chose that moment to lick his lips. The possibly threatening movement led to the temporary shutdown of Willow's higher reasoning centers.
"You can't kill me!" Willow said in a squeaky voice.
*****
Angelus stared at Willow, feeling vaguely disappointed in her. She'd been doing so well so far that he hadn't expected her to do anything as pathetic as beg for her life. Still, at least she didn't start crying. That was something.
She was still watching him with an expectant look.
"What?" Angelus said, laughter in his voice. "That's it? You tell me that I can't and I'm supposed to run away like a good little boy?"
"No, but I'm-" Willow started to speak again, but he cut her off.
"I hate to break it to you, lovely, but none of the people I've killed have gone willingly. If I waited for an invitation, well..." He opened his eyes wide, mocking her. "I'd never get to kill anyone at all!"
"Yes, but-" Willow said.
"And speaking of invitations..." Angelus said, and the humor fell away from his voice. He ran his hands slowly down the boundary, his eyes locked on Willow's. "Let me in, Willow."
The need burning in his eyes forced Willow back a few steps. He could see the fear growing in her eyes, hear her heartbeat like a call to arms.
Watching Angelus nervously, Willow picked up one of the books. She held against her chest like a shield.
"I have something to tell you." Willow said, her voice tremulous. She was avoiding his eyes and terror was coming off her in waves.
Delicious, Angelus thought. Deciding to humor her, he motioned for her to proceed.
"See, what's going on here, is that my... blood, " Willow said, stumbling over the word. "It's calling to you, right? And that's because I did this spell, that was supposed to make Buffy repulsive to you, and it did, but it also made me, um, not repulsive, and that's what the unexpected part was."
Willow paused for breath, glancing quickly up at Angelus and then away
How cute, he thought. She thinks I care.
Holding the book up and gesturing with it, Willow finished in one long rush of words. "Now if I undo it," she said. "Everything will go back to how it used to be and you can terrorize Buffy and I'll stop trying to stop you, well, using witchcraft anyway, I mean it's not like I'd stop altogether, 'cause she's my friend and you're not, you were, but now you're not, so..." With an effort, she stopped and calmed herself.
"So. Can I undo it?" Willow said, her eyes meeting his at last.
Angelus paused, drinking in the hope in her eyes. The hope was his favorite part. Any idiot could kill someone. But to make them believe, really believe that they were going to live, that despite all the odds and the blood and the pain, they were going to have a tomorrow - that was an art. His art.
"No." Angelus said finally, and smiled at her. "Buffy was boring me. I'll get some of my minions to take care of her. " His smile widened. "I've always loved that. I have minions."
Willow's shoulders slumped, and her eyes dropped to her hands. Keep looking at me, Angelus thought. Don't you dare look away.
"Fine," Willow said, looking up "I guess I have to tell you the rest of it."
She'd been trying to keep something from him, Angelus thought. Not smart. Oh, but it would be such a good excuse later.
Willow sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Since I'm not that good at Latin, and this part was in the fine print," she said. "I just found out recently what the true purpose of the spell was. It was intended to give the caster control over some demon. The spell draws the demon to um, the sacrifice. " She smiled sheepishly at him. "Since I reversed it, that would be me."
Opening the book to the appendix, she read aloud: "When the demon drains the sacrifice, the circle is completed. The death of the victim takes the control from the demon and passes it to the caster, as it is by their will that it came to pass."
And apparently, Willow thought, it doesn't matter that I didn't go into this saying: Gee, wouldn't it be nifty if I could die?
" The short version of the whole thing," Willow said. "And the other unexpected bit, is that if you kill me, you get put under Buffy's control." She looked up. Angelus was showing his demon face. She hastily qualified her statement.
"You won't get your soul back!" She said. "You'll just have to do whatever Buffy says." Oh boy, she thought, that didn't help.
"The Lure of the Shadows..." Angelus hissed the words like a curse.
"You've heard of it?" Willow said, startled.
Angelus nodded grimly. "Every vampire has. During the 18th century, everyone had to be very careful about who we killed." He shrugged. "Luckily, it went out of style as the whole ethics thing gained popularity. And of course, we tracked down every copy of the spell we could find and burnt them."
"So..." Willow tried again. "Bearing that in mind, can I undo it? I could even without your permission, but can I without worrying about retribution of the bloody or fatal kind?"
Angelus turned away from her and walked to the edge of the balcony, looking out into the night. After a few moments of breath holding on Willow's part, he turned back and leaned against the rail, a black shadow among shadows, looking too good to live.
Which, Willow thought, was factually accurate.
Why didn't he say something?
Finally, Angelus met her eyes. "You can undo it," he said. "I certainly don't want to be the Slayer's plaything again."
Yes! Willow thought. YES!
"But," Angelus went on. "I want to check over the spell before you do the reversal. I'd prefer that no mistakes are made this time." He held out his hand expectantly, his eyes on the book she was holding.
Sensible of him, Willow thought giddily. Reasonable, too. What a nice vampire he was. And no more mistakes, which would also be good.
Trembling with relief, Willow jumped off the bed and walked over to the door, holding the book out to him. The book passed through the barrier, as did half of her hand.
It was enough.
--------
Tell me what you think?
Ah, fun. Angelus, you sneaky, sneaky man. *g* This fic is such a change from my other ones. Sure, in most of my fics someone is terrorizing someone else. But usually they're at least a little bit *fond* of the person in question. Notes on their pillow, dead loved ones wrapped up with a bow you know, the usual hopelessly romantic gestures.
Author: Ash
Distribution: Any one who already has some of my fic and anyone else if they ask.
Disclaimer: Yep, Buffy is still Joss Whedon's. Keep them, Joss! I mean, yes, you're a genius, but that genius had created some of the most downright frightening things ever. The Gentlemen? Kept me up nights, I kid you not.
Rating: Oh, I give up. If it's not PG-13, I'll tell you.
*****
Part Six
*****
The sun set, and night fell on Sunnydale.
People walk faster at night, avoiding dark alleys and the eyes of strangers. And death comes streaming out of the graves to find them, hunting them across the plains and valleys of the night. It wants to kill them, hurt them or own them, but above all, it wants. Death is desire.
And Willow is gone, Angelus thought as he looked through the window of Buffy's room.
Inside the house, Buffy was preparing for patrol. Her weapons were spread across the cheerfully flowered comforter of her bed and she was inspecting them one by one. Angelus watched as Buffy frowned at a faulty crossbow. Willow's scent was just a fading memory in the room; Buffy's a tangibly revolting presence.
Angelus scowled. If Willow thought that she could hide from him, he'd-
There was a knock on Buffy's door. With one practiced motion, Buffy grabbed the weapons, dropped them into a bag and kicked the bag under the bed.
"Yes, mom?" Buffy said, turning to face the mirror above her dresser. She tilted her head as if appraising her makeup. Maybe she was, Angelus thought with amusement.
Mrs. Summers opened the door and leaned against the frame. "Are you going to meet Willow at the Bronze tonight?" she asked. "She forgot her hairbrush."
A worried expression flitted over Buffy's face and she said, "No, she said she was just going to go to bed. I'll give it to her tomorrow, I'm going to walk her to school if she still insists on going."
Mrs. Summers shook her head. "She should stay home for a couple of days."
"That's what I said!" Buffy agreed. "Any excuse to get out of school, right?" She looked at her mother and paused. "I mean, school is important. The children are our future. Did I mention that I'm thinking of applying to Yale? Yeah. I'll... be leaving now."
"Is that what you're going to wea-" Joyce started to say, but Angelus heard no more of it.
He walked down the street with what, in anyone who wasn't a sadistic emissary of hell, might have been termed 'a bounce in his step.' Willow had gone home. Poor little Willow, all alone, waiting for someone to come and keep her company.
Angelus smiled to himself and quickened his pace.
It was a short walk to Willow's house. Looking up at the house, Angelus thought about just ringing the doorbell. Briefly.
Minutes later he was on her balcony. There were dark stains on the wood and Angelus found himself staring at them, mesmerized. Her blood.
He took a deep breath of unnecessary air and felt heat rush through him. Willow's essence hung in the air, sweet as the far-off sound of screams. She was here.
Mine, he thought.
He moved to the balcony doors, his eyes searching the room inside for any sign of her, but the room was empty except for the books that covered every surface. He growled softly. Where was she?
The hallway door swung open, and Willow walked in.
Angelus absorbed her presence like a physical shock, his entire body tensing.
Willow was rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly as if tired. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she let out a long breath and picked up one of the books.
Angelus watched her, his hands tightening into claws.
******
Willow shot an apprehensive glance at the darkness outside her window. He should be here by now, she thought. She looked away from the black window and sighed. Then she looked back. The darkness outside seemed less dark in some places and more dark in other places.
In fact, she thought, it almost looks like a oh!
Willow's eyes locked with Angelus' and she froze in place.
I should have hid in the basement, Willow decided, feeling something cold and scared settle in her stomach like a rock.
I could have talked to him tomorrow night. Or after my neck heals.
Without thinking about it, Willow's hand went to her neck and touched the bandage there.
Angelus' eyes followed her gesture, darkening as they focused on her neck. Willow snatched her hand away. Eep! No, no, no! She thought. The point is to distract him from the blood!
It took all Willow's willpower not to run out of the room, screaming or not. Instead, she rose shakily to her feet and walked over to the balcony doors. Angelus watched her come, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Willow twisted the handle of the door until the lock clicked and then jumped back quickly.
The door swung open onto the night, leaving only the frail protection of the threshold between her and Angelus. To Willow, it seemed like no protection at all.
Disturbingly, Angelus was now leaning against the nothing where the door used to be. He lifted his hand from his pocket and waved. The look in his eyes frightened her.
"Invite me in, Willow." Angelus said.
How am I going to tell him, Willow wondered. It has to be gradual. I need to give him a sense of the events so that he'll understand what's going on here. Then I can hit him with the big guns! Well, gun, anyway. Although guns wouldn't hurt him, and anyway I'd miss! I can't even hit people with water guns and I'm stalling.
Willow opened her mouth to begin her well thought out explanation. Unfortunately, Angelus chose that moment to lick his lips. The possibly threatening movement led to the temporary shutdown of Willow's higher reasoning centers.
"You can't kill me!" Willow said in a squeaky voice.
*****
Angelus stared at Willow, feeling vaguely disappointed in her. She'd been doing so well so far that he hadn't expected her to do anything as pathetic as beg for her life. Still, at least she didn't start crying. That was something.
She was still watching him with an expectant look.
"What?" Angelus said, laughter in his voice. "That's it? You tell me that I can't and I'm supposed to run away like a good little boy?"
"No, but I'm-" Willow started to speak again, but he cut her off.
"I hate to break it to you, lovely, but none of the people I've killed have gone willingly. If I waited for an invitation, well..." He opened his eyes wide, mocking her. "I'd never get to kill anyone at all!"
"Yes, but-" Willow said.
"And speaking of invitations..." Angelus said, and the humor fell away from his voice. He ran his hands slowly down the boundary, his eyes locked on Willow's. "Let me in, Willow."
The need burning in his eyes forced Willow back a few steps. He could see the fear growing in her eyes, hear her heartbeat like a call to arms.
Watching Angelus nervously, Willow picked up one of the books. She held against her chest like a shield.
"I have something to tell you." Willow said, her voice tremulous. She was avoiding his eyes and terror was coming off her in waves.
Delicious, Angelus thought. Deciding to humor her, he motioned for her to proceed.
"See, what's going on here, is that my... blood, " Willow said, stumbling over the word. "It's calling to you, right? And that's because I did this spell, that was supposed to make Buffy repulsive to you, and it did, but it also made me, um, not repulsive, and that's what the unexpected part was."
Willow paused for breath, glancing quickly up at Angelus and then away
How cute, he thought. She thinks I care.
Holding the book up and gesturing with it, Willow finished in one long rush of words. "Now if I undo it," she said. "Everything will go back to how it used to be and you can terrorize Buffy and I'll stop trying to stop you, well, using witchcraft anyway, I mean it's not like I'd stop altogether, 'cause she's my friend and you're not, you were, but now you're not, so..." With an effort, she stopped and calmed herself.
"So. Can I undo it?" Willow said, her eyes meeting his at last.
Angelus paused, drinking in the hope in her eyes. The hope was his favorite part. Any idiot could kill someone. But to make them believe, really believe that they were going to live, that despite all the odds and the blood and the pain, they were going to have a tomorrow - that was an art. His art.
"No." Angelus said finally, and smiled at her. "Buffy was boring me. I'll get some of my minions to take care of her. " His smile widened. "I've always loved that. I have minions."
Willow's shoulders slumped, and her eyes dropped to her hands. Keep looking at me, Angelus thought. Don't you dare look away.
"Fine," Willow said, looking up "I guess I have to tell you the rest of it."
She'd been trying to keep something from him, Angelus thought. Not smart. Oh, but it would be such a good excuse later.
Willow sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Since I'm not that good at Latin, and this part was in the fine print," she said. "I just found out recently what the true purpose of the spell was. It was intended to give the caster control over some demon. The spell draws the demon to um, the sacrifice. " She smiled sheepishly at him. "Since I reversed it, that would be me."
Opening the book to the appendix, she read aloud: "When the demon drains the sacrifice, the circle is completed. The death of the victim takes the control from the demon and passes it to the caster, as it is by their will that it came to pass."
And apparently, Willow thought, it doesn't matter that I didn't go into this saying: Gee, wouldn't it be nifty if I could die?
" The short version of the whole thing," Willow said. "And the other unexpected bit, is that if you kill me, you get put under Buffy's control." She looked up. Angelus was showing his demon face. She hastily qualified her statement.
"You won't get your soul back!" She said. "You'll just have to do whatever Buffy says." Oh boy, she thought, that didn't help.
"The Lure of the Shadows..." Angelus hissed the words like a curse.
"You've heard of it?" Willow said, startled.
Angelus nodded grimly. "Every vampire has. During the 18th century, everyone had to be very careful about who we killed." He shrugged. "Luckily, it went out of style as the whole ethics thing gained popularity. And of course, we tracked down every copy of the spell we could find and burnt them."
"So..." Willow tried again. "Bearing that in mind, can I undo it? I could even without your permission, but can I without worrying about retribution of the bloody or fatal kind?"
Angelus turned away from her and walked to the edge of the balcony, looking out into the night. After a few moments of breath holding on Willow's part, he turned back and leaned against the rail, a black shadow among shadows, looking too good to live.
Which, Willow thought, was factually accurate.
Why didn't he say something?
Finally, Angelus met her eyes. "You can undo it," he said. "I certainly don't want to be the Slayer's plaything again."
Yes! Willow thought. YES!
"But," Angelus went on. "I want to check over the spell before you do the reversal. I'd prefer that no mistakes are made this time." He held out his hand expectantly, his eyes on the book she was holding.
Sensible of him, Willow thought giddily. Reasonable, too. What a nice vampire he was. And no more mistakes, which would also be good.
Trembling with relief, Willow jumped off the bed and walked over to the door, holding the book out to him. The book passed through the barrier, as did half of her hand.
It was enough.
--------
Tell me what you think?
Ah, fun. Angelus, you sneaky, sneaky man. *g* This fic is such a change from my other ones. Sure, in most of my fics someone is terrorizing someone else. But usually they're at least a little bit *fond* of the person in question. Notes on their pillow, dead loved ones wrapped up with a bow you know, the usual hopelessly romantic gestures.
Ash