Title: Iron Fisted 3/13
Author: Mike McD
Rating: R (for some naughty language)
Summary: The follow on from 'Silver Tongued'.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor do I own any other characters. This is a work of fiction written for fun and enjoyment.
------
Paris, 1757
Darla virtually floated into the room, a dreamy, satisfied look all over her face.
Angelus, on the other hand, was far from dreamy or satisfied.
"Just where the hell have you been for the last three days?" he growled.
"Brushing up on my Italian. Signor Casanova has a true gift with foreign tongues."
"After three days of torture I can only imagine that you ripped out his tongue before he died."
"Oh, he's not dead. I wouldn't dream of robbing the world of such a... sensual master. Besides, there are some people who are worth far more alive than dead. Or undead." Darla teased her childe. Angelus had a jealous streak a mile wide and it amused her to no end to see it in full flight.
"I'll kill him!" Angelus yelled as her threw his wine glass at the wall.
"You'll do no such thing!" Darla, game face showing, roared back. The two vampires faced off for a moment before Darla calmed down again. She caressed his cheek and ran her hand across his chest.
"Always remember, my dear Angelus, no matter how good a man thinks he is between the sheets, there's always someone better. Except for Signor Casanova of course."
------
Angel hurried through the streets of Sunnydale after Buffy. Giles had sworn a vile and bloody oath to gut Ethan Rayne with a spoon the next time he came across him.
The souled vampire, with a mastery of torture that only could be gained by over a century of experience, had far, far worse plans for the Chaos mage.
Plans involving chainsaws.
So wrapped up in his dreams of torture, Angel near missed spotting Buffy as she rounded the corner of Revello Drive.
"Buffy!" Angel called out as he hurried to intercept her.
"Leave me alone!"
"Buffy! Wait! Would you just listen?"
"What's there to listen to?" she yelled, wheeling around on Angel.
"What happened between you and Xander and the others wasn't your fault. Xander had no more control over what happened than you did."
Buffy was a mass of conflicting emotions. She was worried; worried about the effect tonight would have on her relationship with Angel and her friendship with Xander and Willow. She was scared; scared of how badly she had hurt Xander in a moment to completely misguided rage. But the overwhelming emotion at the moment was anger. Blinding anger at herself, at her friends, at the world.
"What does it matter? Xander got to live out his greatest fantasy." Buffy spat bitterly. Angel could hardly believe what she had just said.
"Greatest fantasy? You seriously believe Xander wanted what happened to happen? Are you blind or just stupid?"
Now it was Buffy's turn to stand disbelieving as Angel tore into her verbally.
"I don't like him, never have, never will. He bugs the hell out of me. But I know for a fact that this was the last thing he ever wanted to happen."
"How can you know that? Is there some sort of vampire mind reading ability I'm not aware of?"
"I don't need to read his mind. I've seen what's in his heart. He loves you. He loves you just as much as I do. Maybe even more." Angel added quietly.
"What?" Buffy's question was hesitant, as if she was afraid of the answer she would get.
Angel, for his part, paused before answering. Buffy deserved to hear it. She needed to hear it. But at what cost to Buffy and his relationship?
In the end it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was the truth.
"You were destined face the Master and die. Me, Giles, even you, gave up trying to avoid it. It was your destiny and nobody could change it. Ironically it took a nobody to do just that.
"Everyone had given up trying to save you, except Xander. He came storming into my place, telling me to take him down to face the Master. To save you. I'd given you up for dead. I told him it was no use, that he had no chance, that the Master would kill him in a second. Xander wouldn't take no for an answer. He shoved a cross in my face. Shamed me, forced me to get over my fear. He was just as scared as I was, more so probably. I loved you, but I feared the Master, I feared dying even more."
A look of horrified realisation dawned on Buffy's face.
"But Xander didn't."
All Angel could do was hang his head as Buffy took off home, tears in her eyes. Angel didn't know if Buffy and her friends would ever be as close as they had been before tonight. But regardless of how well his effort to try to restore their friendship, he knew in his heart that Buffy and his relationship was over.
------
Joyce sat on the end of Buffy's bed, the large wooden chest filled with the paraphernalia of a Slayer open in front of her.
Joyce knew all about Slayers, thanks to a last minute costume change of heart and two Englishmen.
Joyce had taken Dawn to Ethan's after seeing the beautiful dress Buffy had got for next to nothing. As Dawn browsed the racks of clothes, Ethan had got talking to Joyce. By the end of it all, Dawn had her Elven Warrior costume and Joyce had an old leather book and tweed jacket for her librarian costume.
Both Ethan and Joyce had shared a laugh at the idea of dressing up as the stuffy librarian of Sunnydale High, Rupert Giles.
There was no laughter as Joyce recalled the horror of the art gallery, as the Halloween party became a bloody battle.
And now, although the possession had ended, she still retained the knowledge of her daughter's sacred destiny. That knowledge warred with her motherly instincts.
"Mom?"
Joyce looked up to see Buffy, tears streaming down her face. All her thoughts were forgotten as Joyce held her daughter close as she openly wept.
"Oh God! Mom, what have I done? What have I done?"
Author: Mike McD
Rating: R (for some naughty language)
Summary: The follow on from 'Silver Tongued'.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor do I own any other characters. This is a work of fiction written for fun and enjoyment.
------
Paris, 1757
Darla virtually floated into the room, a dreamy, satisfied look all over her face.
Angelus, on the other hand, was far from dreamy or satisfied.
"Just where the hell have you been for the last three days?" he growled.
"Brushing up on my Italian. Signor Casanova has a true gift with foreign tongues."
"After three days of torture I can only imagine that you ripped out his tongue before he died."
"Oh, he's not dead. I wouldn't dream of robbing the world of such a... sensual master. Besides, there are some people who are worth far more alive than dead. Or undead." Darla teased her childe. Angelus had a jealous streak a mile wide and it amused her to no end to see it in full flight.
"I'll kill him!" Angelus yelled as her threw his wine glass at the wall.
"You'll do no such thing!" Darla, game face showing, roared back. The two vampires faced off for a moment before Darla calmed down again. She caressed his cheek and ran her hand across his chest.
"Always remember, my dear Angelus, no matter how good a man thinks he is between the sheets, there's always someone better. Except for Signor Casanova of course."
------
Angel hurried through the streets of Sunnydale after Buffy. Giles had sworn a vile and bloody oath to gut Ethan Rayne with a spoon the next time he came across him.
The souled vampire, with a mastery of torture that only could be gained by over a century of experience, had far, far worse plans for the Chaos mage.
Plans involving chainsaws.
So wrapped up in his dreams of torture, Angel near missed spotting Buffy as she rounded the corner of Revello Drive.
"Buffy!" Angel called out as he hurried to intercept her.
"Leave me alone!"
"Buffy! Wait! Would you just listen?"
"What's there to listen to?" she yelled, wheeling around on Angel.
"What happened between you and Xander and the others wasn't your fault. Xander had no more control over what happened than you did."
Buffy was a mass of conflicting emotions. She was worried; worried about the effect tonight would have on her relationship with Angel and her friendship with Xander and Willow. She was scared; scared of how badly she had hurt Xander in a moment to completely misguided rage. But the overwhelming emotion at the moment was anger. Blinding anger at herself, at her friends, at the world.
"What does it matter? Xander got to live out his greatest fantasy." Buffy spat bitterly. Angel could hardly believe what she had just said.
"Greatest fantasy? You seriously believe Xander wanted what happened to happen? Are you blind or just stupid?"
Now it was Buffy's turn to stand disbelieving as Angel tore into her verbally.
"I don't like him, never have, never will. He bugs the hell out of me. But I know for a fact that this was the last thing he ever wanted to happen."
"How can you know that? Is there some sort of vampire mind reading ability I'm not aware of?"
"I don't need to read his mind. I've seen what's in his heart. He loves you. He loves you just as much as I do. Maybe even more." Angel added quietly.
"What?" Buffy's question was hesitant, as if she was afraid of the answer she would get.
Angel, for his part, paused before answering. Buffy deserved to hear it. She needed to hear it. But at what cost to Buffy and his relationship?
In the end it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was the truth.
"You were destined face the Master and die. Me, Giles, even you, gave up trying to avoid it. It was your destiny and nobody could change it. Ironically it took a nobody to do just that.
"Everyone had given up trying to save you, except Xander. He came storming into my place, telling me to take him down to face the Master. To save you. I'd given you up for dead. I told him it was no use, that he had no chance, that the Master would kill him in a second. Xander wouldn't take no for an answer. He shoved a cross in my face. Shamed me, forced me to get over my fear. He was just as scared as I was, more so probably. I loved you, but I feared the Master, I feared dying even more."
A look of horrified realisation dawned on Buffy's face.
"But Xander didn't."
All Angel could do was hang his head as Buffy took off home, tears in her eyes. Angel didn't know if Buffy and her friends would ever be as close as they had been before tonight. But regardless of how well his effort to try to restore their friendship, he knew in his heart that Buffy and his relationship was over.
------
Joyce sat on the end of Buffy's bed, the large wooden chest filled with the paraphernalia of a Slayer open in front of her.
Joyce knew all about Slayers, thanks to a last minute costume change of heart and two Englishmen.
Joyce had taken Dawn to Ethan's after seeing the beautiful dress Buffy had got for next to nothing. As Dawn browsed the racks of clothes, Ethan had got talking to Joyce. By the end of it all, Dawn had her Elven Warrior costume and Joyce had an old leather book and tweed jacket for her librarian costume.
Both Ethan and Joyce had shared a laugh at the idea of dressing up as the stuffy librarian of Sunnydale High, Rupert Giles.
There was no laughter as Joyce recalled the horror of the art gallery, as the Halloween party became a bloody battle.
And now, although the possession had ended, she still retained the knowledge of her daughter's sacred destiny. That knowledge warred with her motherly instincts.
"Mom?"
Joyce looked up to see Buffy, tears streaming down her face. All her thoughts were forgotten as Joyce held her daughter close as she openly wept.
"Oh God! Mom, what have I done? What have I done?"