PART EIGHT:
Ripper jumped up onto to the ledge, several hands needlessly helping him. He stood up next to Willow, and stroked her soft red hair, smiling when she shivered. "Ssh, it's all right, Willow, I'll take care of you," he reassured her.
Willow shuddered again. That's what I'm afraid of, she thought to herself. She allowed Giles, Ripper! she told herself, to lead her away, down some steps that she hadn't seen before.
Willow was desperately trying to think of a spell that could help her, but her brain had gone blank. Great witch you'll make, Will! she berated herself.
Looking around, she could see that she had been taken into what appeared to be a dungeon, with a few small cells on one side. Ripper shoved Willow down into a chair, and leaned on the arms, his face an inch away from hers. Willow tried to move away, but her head hit the backrest.
Ripper reached out and took a lock of her red hair in his hand. Willow saw her chance as he was off balance, and tried to dash underneath his arm. The Watcher spun round with supernatural speed, and caught her with an arm around her trim waist. He threw her back into the chair with such force that it shot back and hit the wall, Willow's head crunching off the stone wall in the process.
She groaned, and closed her eyes against the pain. Upon opening them again, she met Ripper's amber eyes staring into hers. "Don't do that again," he growled, "or else I might have to punish you." He licked his fangs in anticipation.
Willow shuddered, and looked away. Movement behind Ripper caught her eye. Looking over his shoulder, she saw something that brought her heart into her mouth. Her worst nightmare.
Angelus was leaning casually in the doorway, "Why don't you leave her to me, Ripper? I've always had a good way with women."
Ripper stood up slowly, "Angelus, what brings you back here? It can't have been Buffy. Oh, wait, I know, that new vampire of Spike's, you could take her if you wanted to. I guess you two must have had more history than we thought."
Angelus stood up, and walked toward Ripper, his stance oozing danger. He didn't look at Willow, but looked instead at Ripper, "That's right, Ripper. There's more to us than you could possibly know. Now, about the witch…"
Ripper stared at Angelus in the eye for a moment, and then, satisfied with whatever he saw there, backed away, saying, "You can have her, for a while. But I want her back in one piece."
Angelus shrugged, "I think I can manage that. I am an expert in this sort of torture, you know."
"I'll leave you to it, then," Ripper said, waving his hand towards where Willow was sitting, wide-eyed.
"Thank you," Angelus said sarcastically. He waited until Ripper had left the room before approaching the shivering girl.
"Willow, Willow, it's OK, it's me, Angel," he said softly.
She looked up at him, with green eyes brimming with tears. "Angel?" she said hopefully.
Angel smiled warmly, "You don't think Spike would let me anywhere Nareia, do you?"
Willow smiled back, "No, I didn't. Thank the Goddess Ripper didn't come to the same conclusion."
"Come on," Angel helped Willow to her feet. He supported her when she swayed slightly, her vision becoming dizzy due her head wound. "We have to get you out of here."
The dark vampire had his strong arm around her waist, holding her as they walked toward the door. "We might have to run, do you think you can manage?"
The redhead nodded, "If I have to, yes." She was desperately trying to ignore the feel of Angel's arm on her waist.
"Going somewhere, Angel?" Ripper said, looking round the doorway.
Angel swore quietly, and his hold on Willow tightened. She grabbed his arm, and squeezed it in return.
"I thought not," the Watcher said menacingly. "Angel, there's someone out there that's died to see you."
Four vampires appeared from behind him, and rushed forward to grab Angel. He struggled, and Willow tried to fight them off him as well, until Ripper grabbed her, and held her away. Angel fought as best he could, but finally, he was clubbed over the head, and dragged away.
Willow sobbed into Ripper's chest as he held her close. Suddenly, she realised exactly whose chest she was crying into, and all her fear and worry welled up inside to turn into anger. She hit Ripper's chest furiously. "How could you do that, you, you bastard!" she yelled. She changed her target from his chest to his face, and landed quite a few hard blows before Ripper tired of her tirade, and grabbed her wrists viciously, making her cry out.
"Shut up, and sit down," he told her quietly, the threat evident in his voice.
Willow quietened down, and looked at Ripper through her long eyelashes. She had a plan forming in her head, as she let him lead her to the chair and sit her down in it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel fought furiously, the image of Willow's frightened face and the feel of her hand on his arm filling his mind. He could not last forever, however, and finally he felt a pain in his head, and everything went black.
He woke up a few minutes later, to find himself being dragged up some steps towards a doorway. Through the doorway, his rapidly adjusting eyes could make out sand, the sand that was the floor of the arena.
He was shoved roughly out into the arena, one of the vampires behind him saying as he fell, "Have a good time!"
Angel got up quickly, looking around as he did so. He saw a sea of faces, watching eagerly. And he saw Spike and Nareia, their faces whiter than usual, watching him as well. Angel sighed inwardly. Not another gladiator fight. He turned to find out who his opponent was. The sight that greeted was not one he ever wanted to see again.
Buffy was stood there, holding a stake confidently in her hand, with an evil glint in her eye. "Angel," she purred, "finally, I get to take out my feelings for you without remorse."
Angel shuddered as he heard the maliciousness in her voice. He needed an idea, and he needed one fast. Desperately, whilst grabbing one of the wooden stakes that were piled up by the steps, Angel looked up at Spike and Nareia, hoping they could think of something before his ex-girlfriend staked him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nareia shook Spike's hand, "We have to do something. Buffy will kill him!"
Spike looked at her, a worried look in his blue-grey eyes, "Don't you think I bloody know that, love? I'm thinking."
Nareia looked from him to Angel, and back again. "I think I have an idea," she said quietly.
Spike shifted his eyes from the arena down to her determined brown ones, "What, pet?"
Nareia swallowed, "We can give him our strength. Because we have a mental bond, we can link, and you can send our combined strength to him through your blood bond."
"Won't that leave us vulnerable?" Spike asked.
His counter-part nodded, "Yes, but at the moment, he's more vulnerable than we would ever be."
Spike glanced quickly back at the arena, where Angel and Buffy were circling. He sighed, "Bloody hell. All right, pet, let's do it."
Nareia turned and took his other hand in her small one, and lent her head against his hard chest. She closed her eyes, and Spike soon closed his. Nareia could feel the images coming from him harden into thoughts and feelings, and the blond vampire also knew her thoughts and emotions. In his mind, she whispered, "Now, Spike, now."
Spike sent their combined minds out to Angel, hoping that what he was doing was right, and he hadn't condemned both himself and Nareia to an eternity of madness. He felt Angel jerk as their strength hit him, and almost fall over.
Buffy closed in on him, and was about to say something to him, when Angel's eyes opened, and he looked up at Buffy, "Pet, you don't know what you're messing with. But you're bloody well about to find out!" He leapt up, renewed by their combined strength, and began to press a surprised Buffy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nareia and Spike clung to each other, eyes tightly shut, concentrating all of their minds to the fight Angel was fighting below them. Nareia felt something trying to block them, but she and Spike blocked them abruptly.
Nareia forced her eyes open, and looked across the arena, turning her head so that her cheek was resting on Spike's chest. She saw two people staring at them, and felt the push at their link again. Spike blocked again without hesitation, and Nareia saw the two people turn to the vampires beside them, telling them something. When she saw them pointing to her and Spike, she knew what had happened. Mind readers, damn.
Nareia tried to get Spike's attention, but it was elsewhere. "Spike," she gasped.
Spike ignored her, instead letting go of one of her hands to hit the vampire coming up behind her, knocking him out. Nareia looked up, her eyes wide in horror, but Spike's face was determined, and he swept her aside until they were back to back.
The lovers fought the vampires as they came at them, their movements mirroring Angel's as he fought Buffy. Nareia fought as hard as she could, drawing on as little energy as she possibly could, but she knew without her full strength, soon she would be overcome. She also knew that Spike was affected as badly as her.
There seemed to be a lull in the vampires coming at her, and she stopped, looking round for the cause. Then she was hit by a wave of pain, and she felt Spike collapse into her.
Turning, she grabbed him. "Spike!" she gasped. He had a stake sticking out of his chest. "Oh, Spike!" Nareia moaned. "Don't go, please, don't leave me, you can't leave me, Spike," she cried, tears streaming down her face.
Spike reached out a shaky hand, and stroked her cheek, "I won't ever leave you, Nareia. I'll always be there for you. I love you." His face, too, was wet with tears.
Then, in the midst of her grief, Nareia realised something, "Spike, you're not dust yet. Shouldn't you be dust by now?"
Spike straightened up slowly, "You're right. Missed the heart. Hurts like hell though."
Nareia grinned, "But you're still here. That's all that matte…"
Her voice trailed off as Spike's eyes widened and her grin disappeared. They both looked down at the piece of wood protruding from Nareia's chest.
"Spike!" she gasped, grabbing his arms.
"Ssh, baby, it's ok," Spike reassured her with a shaky voice, sinking to his knees with her. "I'm here," his voice caught, and new tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I love you, Spike, and I'm sorry, for everything," Nareia said, so softly that Spike had to strain to hear her.
"Don't be sorry, Nareia, I wouldn't be who I am without you," and the blond vampire held her in his arms as her eyes closed.
Part 09
