Part Sixteen-

My anger at Angel diminished and turned into deep hurt. I neither wanted to see nor be around him right now. I was depressed and had no one to talk too. Faith was still passed out from her little stunt this morning. I had gone in to check up on her and found her sprawled across her bed, snoring lightly. She would be hellish when she woke up. The smell of cheap booze and cigarette smoke wafted so heavily in the room, that I had to pull my shirt over my nose so I wouldn't vomit.

I wondered what had made her go over the edge like that? I knew it had to have something to do with Spike. She was still hurt over what he had done, not that I blamed her. They couldn't even be in the same room anymore. Her eyes would get angry and she would clench her fist while he would shift his eyes anywhere but her, ashamedly. If together for too long, they would start to scream at each. Throwing accusations and obscenities in each others faces. I hoped they would recover from this, if it was possible.

I was now sitting on my balcony. The wind was blowing slightly, chilling me. I gazed out upon the city and sighed. I missed Wes so much. I hadn't heard from him in weeks now. There was no sign that he was even alive, none that I could see. He had said he was leaving to protect me. But, Quentin was in the city, baiting me, waiting until the right moment to strike. Wes should be here. Not wherever he was.

I heard my phone ring in my room and slowly got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Why, hello my dear." A cruel voice that haunted my dreams purred.

I closed my eyes in pain as memories of torture and agony washed over me.

This voice could only belong to Quentin.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice steely.

"Only what belong s to me." He answered.

"I am not a possession." I stated.

"Oh, but you are. Your existence is because of me. You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me." He sneered over the phone.

I didn't ask what he meant. God, I didn't want to know. I didn't even want to fathom

what he was talking about.

"Your ego seems to be large. You say that I belong to you, but where am I? I escaped. I left and you couldn't stop me. You won"t be able to get me again." I took a deep breath. "Be warned, setting foot near me will get you killed. Your best bet would be to stay away."

"I can see you right now. In the middle of your room. You"re pale. You"re shaking. It"s nice how you"re trying to fit in with the world. Trying to be normal. But, let me tell you, my dear, you are anything but 'normal'." He mocked, chuckling to himself.

"Just leave me alone." I whimpered, my voice failing me as I slammed the phone down.

Upset and shaking, I fell to my knees on the floor. He could see me. That unnerved me to no end. I switched off the solitary lamp in my room and was bathed in darkness. I didn't know what to do. I was out of options. Quentin knew as well as I did that he could get to me. Could kidnap me and take me to where no one would ever find me.

I had to leave.

That was the only reasonable option. If I could hightail it out of this place, I might be able to lose Quentin, for a little while He was inhuman, I knew from experience. He would stop at nothing to retrieve me. I couldn't stay here. There were too many loved ones at risk here. An image of Connor playing in the lobby filled my mind. I could picture what Quentin would and could do to him. In my mind, I could hear his tiny, heartbreaking screams as he experienced what I had as a child. I released a breath that sounded like a sob. My heart was pounding, my eyes tearing as I could not stop gruesome images of Quentin torturing my friends in his all-white compound.

I couldn't stay here.

I didn't bother grabbing anything as I crossed the room to my balcony. I didn't even bother going to the front door. I would be stopped. I would be questioned and I know I could not trust my mind and voice as to answer any questions at the moment. I climbed to the ledge and jumped. I landed in the rose bush below. I didn't feel the sharp thorns cutting into my skin. I didn't feel warm blood escaping burning wounds. I felt nothing.

'Run..." A voice inside of me whispered. 'Run and never look back."

I jumped put of the garden, never noticed sharp pains shooting up and down my leg. I ran. Fast and far. Dodging cars, people, demons, whatever was in my way.

'You"re saving them." The voice encouraged. 'Keep going!"

The wind whipped past me, stinging y face and arms. I pumped my legs and could feel the blood rushing throughout my body. My head throbbed and my stomach cramped. All I could see around me was a blur, no real sense of anything. Of time, surroundings, or ambition. I didn't know where I was headed, all I knew was that I had to go.

'Faster!" The voice screamed. 'Don't look back.'

I could see the moon. It shone brightly, but not yet full. My breathing was labored and I just suddenly stopped, staring into the bright midnight sky. I was aware of nothing. Not that I was standing in the middle of the street. Not that there were bright lights heading toward me. Not that a horn was blaring loudly. Not of the sound of someone screaming my name.

Cold hands grabbed me with bruising force and I was literally pulled put of my reverie as the cold wind of a semi speeding past me blew over me. I fell to the cold ground, on top of someone and I screamed. In a haze of blind panic, I jumped off of whoever this person was and punched them wildly.

"Anne!"

'Don"t listen! Fight! They want to hurt you!' The ever so present voice raged.

It was like something had taken me over. In blind panic, I clawed and kicked my attacker. Everything was a blur and all I could think was to run, to get away. But, I was trapped. My assailant was heavy and strong, pinning me to the cold, hard ground.

"Anne! Look at me." An angry voice demanded.

The haze in my mind cleared slightly, it was Angel.

"Angel?" I murmured slowly, as if waking up after a long deep sleep.

"What are you doing?" He asked me. "Where were you going."

'You were saving them.' The voice whispered.

"I was saving you" I murmured almost drunkenly.

"What?" He asked dubiously.

My head was spinning. In my mind's eye I could see my horrible past being made a future for everyone whom I loved. I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't!

'They are all dead if you don't fight him!' The voice shrieked angrily.

In a sudden burst of energy and strength, I pushed Angel off of me and watched with glazed eyes at he slammed into a street lamp behind us. He made an angry grunt as he got up. I assumed a fighting stance, my fists clench.

"Anne, what is wrong with you?" He asked me as he approached me slowly.

"Just let me leave, Angel. Forget you ever met me." I said my voice firm but shaky.

"I could never do that." He said softly.

His words held a double meaning. It too every bit of resolve in me to not look into them.

I shook my head. "You have too."

"Anne, what's going on?"

I smiled sadly. I said nothing. With remorse etched in my features, I rushed at Angel, slamming my elbow into his face. I heard something crack. Angel answered with a swift kick to the back of my knee, making my legs buckle painfully. Angel tried to pin me, again, while I was on the ground. I kicked out, then flipped up backwards, landing on my feet with the grace of a cat. The fisticuffs began then. We blocked each others throws easily, our movements nothing more than blurs to the untrained eye. Angel surprised me by grabbing me by the biceps and slamming me into the wall, effectively pining me down.

"Anne, what is wrong with you?" He snarled heatedly.

I answered with a frustrated cry, wedging my booted feet between us and pushing out. Angel flew backwards, sliding when he hit the ground. I took off, dodging late night traffic and trying to lose Angel. It went with no avail, Angel was right behind me and gaining. We entered the park and I lost my footing at the stairs. I tumbled down the stairway, effectively tucking myself into a ball. Everything seemed to go slowly, for one horrifying moment, I thought I was going to die. I blacked out when my head slammed onto the walkway. Before I was completely unconscious, I could hear Angel calling my name. He was cradling my body in his arms.

"Anne? Anne! Wake up.."

The voice was quietly sneering in the background. "You've killed them all"

*

I was back in Quentin's compound. I was strapped to a cold metal table, the white walls closing in on me. Laughing reverberated through the room, making my heart jump with fear. My head lolled to the side and I could see Angel looking through a window at me. The look on his face was purely satanic. His eyes were yellow, blank and gleaming, his lips twisted into a hateful sneer.

"Take her." He said loudly. "She"s been nothing but trouble to me. I"m sick of it, sick of babysitting her like a child. I"m more than happy for you to take this obligation off of my hands. Do with her what you want." He sneered, his empty eyes boring into mine

Quentin appeared beside him, smiling coldly. "Thank you for your consent, Angelus."

My heart lurched. Angelus. That was on the list in Buffy"s file. He was the monster she had beaten. Before I could put two and two together, Quentin was beside me, a scalpel in his hands.

"You know, my darling There was one test I never got to do before you left me." He cut open my shirt and pressed the knife into my skin, cutting a painful Y incision into me. "I never got to see what makes you tick." He murmured, cutting deeper and harder.

I screamed.

And screamed.

*

My eyes flew open and I sat up, my eyes hazy and a scream stuck in my throat. Somebody grabbed me and I threw them off of me. In my mind, I could still feel the knife cutting me, could see Quentin smiling sickly.

"No, stop!" My voice ragged as I cried out.

I could feel the weight of another pressing onto me. I thrashed around ad screamed.

"Anne!" A voice yelled. "Anne, it"s me! It's Faith!"

I slowed. My movements clumsy and tired. My head lolled to one side and I could hear muted yelling.

"I want to know what the hell happened, goddamn it!"

My eyes focused and I could see Angel. My heart fluttered and my breathing hitched. He turned toward me and I stopped breathing all together. His face was grossly deformed, his eyes gleaming angrily. The ridges on his ace contorted in anger as he spoke on then phone. I shook my head slightly. This couldn't be Angel. This distorted, animalistic visage I was seeing could not be Angel--my Angel.

"Angelus."

Still not breathing and my vision swimming, I turned my head again. I could see Willow at the computer, her eyes wide, and her fingers flying over the keyboard. Slowly, her eyes met mine. Her lip quivered as she whispered something. The quiet words seemed to carry to my muted ears.

"You've killed us all."

I moaned slightly, looking up to the high ceilings. My throat burned and I felt as if I was chocking. Deprived of any air, my eyes drifted closed and the last thing I heard was Faith"s scream.

"Angel! She"s not breathing!"

TBC