"You know why I'm here." She said. It was a statement, not a
question.
"You want to know how I got out of the hell dimension." Also a statement.
"At least you pay attention."
"What choice do I have?" He said, a little angrily. "I'm always here, waiting."
"Waiting for what?" While they spoke, she wandered around the lobby, watching the others, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. He followed her.
"Waiting for my chance. I don't think he's likely to find perfect happiness anytime soon, so I wait for him to get desperate, or depressed, give up even a little. The longer it lasts, the stronger I get. I thought I had him after all his little friends died, but then there you are. And the kid."
"The kid?" She asked, raising one brow.
"The brat. You asked last night if he sees his father in the kid? Do you know who I see?"
"Oh, let me guess. Yourself."
He snorted. "Not quite. I see Darla."
That got her attention. "Does it hurt?"
"Why? Because she's gone?"
Caitlin didn't answer. She stood in front of Connor now, searching his face for something foreign, some sign of the vampire who had carried him inside of her.
"It's a waste." Angelus told her. "He should be out hunting, like his blood tells him. For Darla and me to have a kid, he should be the strongest vampire there is. A leader."
"So you think of him as yours too?"
"Not really."
She shook her head. "Tell me about the hell dimension." She said, trying to keep him on topic.
"Why should I?"
"Why not?" She said with a shrug. "What do you get by keeping the secret?"
"Satisfaction. It bothers him. That's reason enough not to tell you."
"What else?"
"Why should I need anything else? I get bored here. Most of the time he's alone, reading or brooding. Not a lot of excitement. I have to take my pleasure where I can." He looked at her with renewed interest. "If you want something out of me, you'll have to entertain me."
"What? You want to tap dance?"
"Not exactly. Are there limits to what you would do to get what you want?"
"I'm sure there are. You know, I don't have the imagination you do, so just tell me what you want."
"What I want and what you are going to do are two different things." He grinned. "There are a lot of things I want."
"Tell me something."
She'd managed to surprise him. "What?"
"Tell me something you want."
"Out." He said, the smile leaving his face. "And Spike. I'd like to see Spike dead." His eyes narrowed. "The last time I saw him, he betrayed me. Then he slept with my Slayer, then went out and got a soul."
She let the soul comment slide, though she marveled he could be annoyed that someone else had something he didn't even want. "Your Slayer?"
"Oh, yes. I know, you're all Slayers now. It's wrong. No longer are vampires afraid of one girl, the Chosen One. Now they quake in their shoes at every sixteen year old that walks by. If I had control of my body, the first thing I'd do is end the Slayer line. Then I'd spent some quality time making my Slayer suffer."
"Lucky for us you're stuck here, impotent and powerless."
He didn't like that. "Except you, little girl."
"Am I supposed to be afraid?"
He smiled, slow and lethal. "Be whatever you want. It doesn't change anything."
"So what are you going to ask me to do?"
"You're in a hurry." He observed. "This is taking too long. What did you expect? That you'd slip into my head, pump me for information, then leave when you're satisfied? I feel so used and violated."
"What did you expect?" She countered. "Did you think chat and become best buddies? Or that you'd make me break down and cry? Do you think I'm going to beg? Tell me or don't, it doesn't matter."
"Then why are you here?"
"Curiosity. But I'm bored now, so I'm starting to not care. Honestly, everyone makes you out to be so bad. You know what? You aren't even the worst thing I've faced."
"I'm hurt."
"That's too bad."
"Strip."
He said it so baldly, without the snide sarcasm he'd been using, that it took her a moment to realize what he said. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. If I tell you what you want to know, you take away my last secret and leave me exposed and vulnerable. I think it's only fair that you be exposed as well."
"You want to know how I got out of the hell dimension." Also a statement.
"At least you pay attention."
"What choice do I have?" He said, a little angrily. "I'm always here, waiting."
"Waiting for what?" While they spoke, she wandered around the lobby, watching the others, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. He followed her.
"Waiting for my chance. I don't think he's likely to find perfect happiness anytime soon, so I wait for him to get desperate, or depressed, give up even a little. The longer it lasts, the stronger I get. I thought I had him after all his little friends died, but then there you are. And the kid."
"The kid?" She asked, raising one brow.
"The brat. You asked last night if he sees his father in the kid? Do you know who I see?"
"Oh, let me guess. Yourself."
He snorted. "Not quite. I see Darla."
That got her attention. "Does it hurt?"
"Why? Because she's gone?"
Caitlin didn't answer. She stood in front of Connor now, searching his face for something foreign, some sign of the vampire who had carried him inside of her.
"It's a waste." Angelus told her. "He should be out hunting, like his blood tells him. For Darla and me to have a kid, he should be the strongest vampire there is. A leader."
"So you think of him as yours too?"
"Not really."
She shook her head. "Tell me about the hell dimension." She said, trying to keep him on topic.
"Why should I?"
"Why not?" She said with a shrug. "What do you get by keeping the secret?"
"Satisfaction. It bothers him. That's reason enough not to tell you."
"What else?"
"Why should I need anything else? I get bored here. Most of the time he's alone, reading or brooding. Not a lot of excitement. I have to take my pleasure where I can." He looked at her with renewed interest. "If you want something out of me, you'll have to entertain me."
"What? You want to tap dance?"
"Not exactly. Are there limits to what you would do to get what you want?"
"I'm sure there are. You know, I don't have the imagination you do, so just tell me what you want."
"What I want and what you are going to do are two different things." He grinned. "There are a lot of things I want."
"Tell me something."
She'd managed to surprise him. "What?"
"Tell me something you want."
"Out." He said, the smile leaving his face. "And Spike. I'd like to see Spike dead." His eyes narrowed. "The last time I saw him, he betrayed me. Then he slept with my Slayer, then went out and got a soul."
She let the soul comment slide, though she marveled he could be annoyed that someone else had something he didn't even want. "Your Slayer?"
"Oh, yes. I know, you're all Slayers now. It's wrong. No longer are vampires afraid of one girl, the Chosen One. Now they quake in their shoes at every sixteen year old that walks by. If I had control of my body, the first thing I'd do is end the Slayer line. Then I'd spent some quality time making my Slayer suffer."
"Lucky for us you're stuck here, impotent and powerless."
He didn't like that. "Except you, little girl."
"Am I supposed to be afraid?"
He smiled, slow and lethal. "Be whatever you want. It doesn't change anything."
"So what are you going to ask me to do?"
"You're in a hurry." He observed. "This is taking too long. What did you expect? That you'd slip into my head, pump me for information, then leave when you're satisfied? I feel so used and violated."
"What did you expect?" She countered. "Did you think chat and become best buddies? Or that you'd make me break down and cry? Do you think I'm going to beg? Tell me or don't, it doesn't matter."
"Then why are you here?"
"Curiosity. But I'm bored now, so I'm starting to not care. Honestly, everyone makes you out to be so bad. You know what? You aren't even the worst thing I've faced."
"I'm hurt."
"That's too bad."
"Strip."
He said it so baldly, without the snide sarcasm he'd been using, that it took her a moment to realize what he said. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. If I tell you what you want to know, you take away my last secret and leave me exposed and vulnerable. I think it's only fair that you be exposed as well."