-'Master of Puppets.'-
Pairings: Vampire B/A/Dru, implied vamp B/X and Dru/X. Hints of F/X possibly eventually.
A/N: 5th in the "Ecstasy of Gold" series. Master of Puppets is pulling your strings, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams. Be warned, this part is very dark.
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.
A/N 3: Sorry about the wait, But I got bit by a brown recluse, couldn't get around, got shot up with happy sleepy drugs and antibiotics for about two weeks or so, and then Spring Break came and well, you know how real life keeps you from the keyboard.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy, Angel, or Metallica.
Timeframe: S2 AU. Hell on Earth.
Dedicated to the ones you can't save, and to the ones you can.
//////////////////////////
"Faith, I believe that maybe I should take you up on your offer."
The brunette slayer purred and rubbed her hand on the Englishman's shoulder. "Why Wes, I thought you said it was improper."
The car swerved on the road as Wesley was able to regain control of his motor functions. "No-nnn-not THAT offer!"
Faith pouted and whispered into his ear. "Aww come on."
The car screeched to a stop and Wesley pushed his hormonal charge off of him. "I meant to say that I've been driving since dawn and I need to rest a minute. Would you mind taking over driving for a bit?"
Faith grinned evilly. "Why Wes, why didn't you say so?"
Wes glared daggers at the young girl. "Faith, this is neither the time nor the place for such foolish and childish antics. You are the slayer, you are to act accordingly and respect your elders."
Faith remained quiet and stared off down the highway. "You done yet Wes? We need to get going, we only got a couple more hours of light out."
Wesley put his hand on her shoulder. "Faith, I know that I might not have be the best company on this endeavor..."
"_That's_ a mild understatement."
"...But I need to know I can trust you. I need you to trust me in return. We are in this situation together. The Watchers have given us this duty because we are the only ones that can handle it, no one else."
Faith groaned her acceptance and looked out of the window. Wesley sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you have the map?"
The brunette slayer nodded in response.
The watcher sighed and put his forearms on the steering wheel as Faith handed it to him. "We should be only another day's worth of travel from the city of Sunnydale. We should probably look for another deserted gas station or another car soon enough because I do believe that we only have half a tank left."
Faith only stared out the window and waited for the Englishman to finish talking.
Wesley opened the map and verified their position. "Yes, probably another day or so, we should find a secluded place away from the main city and rest up there while we gather information. Do you agree Faith?"
The slayer didn't respond.
"Faith?"
Wesley sighed and took off his glasses to speak with his young friend.
"Faith. I need you to be serious and talk to me. If we ever are to have a chance of..."
Faith mumbled something unintelligible and undid her seatbelt before exiting the passenger side door.
Wesley sighed and got out of the car to switch positions. He had noticed Faith's reluctance to communicate unless it was either for him to get out of her way or to make him extremely...uncomfortable. Wesley shook his head trying to get the images of the last time Faith had found it funny to try and seduce the elder watcher.
The young woman had a hard upbringing and seldom listened to authority. Now just to throw her into the maelstrom on the North American continent and expect her to defeat Angelus was mildly preposterous to say the least.
He hunched into the passenger seat and adjusted it for his legs. He looked over to his slayer to find her holding a predatory smirk as she gripped the steering wheel.
"Hey Wes?"
"Yes Faith?"
"You got your seatbelt on?"
"Of course, why?"
Faith raised her eyebrows non-committally as the engine roared to life.
"No reason."
//////////////////////////////////////////
Buffy smiled as the golden streams of light surrounded her body. The warm rays soothed and caressed her skin. The sensual heat from the sun brought her moaning to a low growl. The flames danced alongside her waist and ran kisses down her spine. Suddenly the light turned hard, solid. She could feel them eat away at dead flesh. Small amounts of ash softly sprinkled down to the floor as she danced in the sunlight. She fell to the floor as the rays of light grew brighter and brighter. She screamed out in pain as she felt her body wither away. She cried out for Angelus. She cried out for her master, her sire.
A small shadow peered over her and covered her from the light's punishment. She smiled as the pain receded and her body called out in near ecstasy from the relief of the golden flames.
Two frozen brown eyes stared accusingly down at her prone form.
"You're going to die and I'm going to be there."
She screamed in pain as she felt the stake plunge into her chest.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Angelus groaned in pleasure as Alcatha called out to him. The statue stood infront of him pulsating with power. It was barely noticeable to the naked eyes. The shifted breeze swirled around the statue felt as a stale wind. It was subtle and unique. The low roll of raw magic that emanated from the statue fed through his own vampiric demon, making the demon inside Angelus snap at the bit, reaching for more.
The demon that had slept inside the statue was no longer dormant. When the hell dimension slipped out onto the next, the small slivers of power awoke a small part of the demon. Angelus had summoned the great Alcatha's power, but not the demon Alcatha himself. With each passing hour, with each passing day, the demon grew stronger. As he dropped to his knees from the euphoria a high-pitched scream careened through the halls. Angelus opened his eyes revealing pitch-black irises.
"Buffy."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Your turn."
The vampire known simply as 'Ed' gave his counterpart a condescending glare.
The vampire in charge of the minions rolled his eyes.
"Don't even, just go and feed the damned creature. Master Angelus wants the filthy thing alive. And for some reason it takes a preference to you."
Catcalls and whistling erupted from the other various minions in the area. It was considered a punishment to have to feed the lowly human. To regularly be assigned the task was an insult. Ed merely grabbed the tray of food and walked down to the cellar of the mansion, but it was his sire's wish that he personally do it after the last couple of minions assigned the task weren't...compatible with the lowly job.
He really loved his sire. He had been lucky and fortunate that Mistress Drusilla had chosen him. But for some reason, there were only a few of her childes most of the minions were either from Mistress Buffy or Master Angelus himself. The two of them had killed and turned hundreds since Master Angelus had first turned Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The two of them together were and incredible force to be reckoned with. His sire, Drusilla had only been a footnote in their success. He rarely even saw his mistress. But when he did, she would reward him with a smile and a quick pat on the head before skipping away.
If only she hadn't cut out his tongue, he would profess his undying loyalty to her.
She told him that it was necessary that one should never tell a secret that doesn't belong to him...
Lest the penguins eat his entrails.
He did not believe that penguins would come to Southern California simply for that reason, but he still never questioned his Mistress.
As he reached the door that lead to the cells, he heard hushed whispers. Believing it to be another prisoner that had arrived, he rolled his eyes and made a mental note to check to see whether or not Master Angelus wanted this one fed or simply killed.
Ed hadn't killed anyone in a while.
As he turned the doorknob the whispers ceased. The creaking sound of the door itself was usually enough to make the human cop out some indulgent remark, but as he walked in only silence greeted his ears.
As he walked to the cell the human occupied, he saw the pitiful being crouched in a corner crouched into a tight ball with his knees brought up to his chest and his hands covering his ears.
Ed furrowed his brow and kicked the cell bars.
The human looked up and immediately tried to scurry back some more, but looked up at the tall black vampire.
"Oh, hi Ed."
Ed breathlessly growled at the 'familiarity' that the boy showed towards him, but convinced himself to ignore it as he placed the tray inside the cell door and kicked at back to the human without spilling any of the food.
The human shook his head and tried to chuckle before grasping the few crumbs of bread.
"That's why I like you Ed. You're smarter than the average blood sucker."
Ed brought his upper lip into a menacing snarl but found it did not have the desired effect without the snarl itself.
Ed stood by the door as the human ate. The mortal's eyes were continuously scanning the room, as if looking for someone. Ed raised his eyebrows and continued to watch the filthy insect eat.
When he was done, the human slid the tray back to the front of the cell where Ed picked it up and began walking out the door.
"Hey Ed."
The human's small voice barely registered in the vampire's ears as he turned around and glared daggers at the creature for forcing him to stay there longer.
"You wanna stay and chat for a while? I know a few good knock-knock jokes. Have you heard the one where..."
Usually the human would say things like that in jest, trying to egg a response or simply annoy the vampire. Normally he would call for others and they would take turns beating the human for his insolence. Ed noticed a small amount of pleading registering behind the human's eyes as he continued to speak. The human tried to hide it well, but Ed smirked as turned around and exited the door. His smiled growing as the voice behind him began to quiet before the human gave up talking.
Ed walked out the entrance and closed the door behind him. A small whisper floated under the door as he walked away.
He smiled as he reached the stairs and walked up.
Not his secret to tell.
Pairings: Vampire B/A/Dru, implied vamp B/X and Dru/X. Hints of F/X possibly eventually.
A/N: 5th in the "Ecstasy of Gold" series. Master of Puppets is pulling your strings, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams. Be warned, this part is very dark.
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.
A/N 3: Sorry about the wait, But I got bit by a brown recluse, couldn't get around, got shot up with happy sleepy drugs and antibiotics for about two weeks or so, and then Spring Break came and well, you know how real life keeps you from the keyboard.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy, Angel, or Metallica.
Timeframe: S2 AU. Hell on Earth.
Dedicated to the ones you can't save, and to the ones you can.
//////////////////////////
"Faith, I believe that maybe I should take you up on your offer."
The brunette slayer purred and rubbed her hand on the Englishman's shoulder. "Why Wes, I thought you said it was improper."
The car swerved on the road as Wesley was able to regain control of his motor functions. "No-nnn-not THAT offer!"
Faith pouted and whispered into his ear. "Aww come on."
The car screeched to a stop and Wesley pushed his hormonal charge off of him. "I meant to say that I've been driving since dawn and I need to rest a minute. Would you mind taking over driving for a bit?"
Faith grinned evilly. "Why Wes, why didn't you say so?"
Wes glared daggers at the young girl. "Faith, this is neither the time nor the place for such foolish and childish antics. You are the slayer, you are to act accordingly and respect your elders."
Faith remained quiet and stared off down the highway. "You done yet Wes? We need to get going, we only got a couple more hours of light out."
Wesley put his hand on her shoulder. "Faith, I know that I might not have be the best company on this endeavor..."
"_That's_ a mild understatement."
"...But I need to know I can trust you. I need you to trust me in return. We are in this situation together. The Watchers have given us this duty because we are the only ones that can handle it, no one else."
Faith groaned her acceptance and looked out of the window. Wesley sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you have the map?"
The brunette slayer nodded in response.
The watcher sighed and put his forearms on the steering wheel as Faith handed it to him. "We should be only another day's worth of travel from the city of Sunnydale. We should probably look for another deserted gas station or another car soon enough because I do believe that we only have half a tank left."
Faith only stared out the window and waited for the Englishman to finish talking.
Wesley opened the map and verified their position. "Yes, probably another day or so, we should find a secluded place away from the main city and rest up there while we gather information. Do you agree Faith?"
The slayer didn't respond.
"Faith?"
Wesley sighed and took off his glasses to speak with his young friend.
"Faith. I need you to be serious and talk to me. If we ever are to have a chance of..."
Faith mumbled something unintelligible and undid her seatbelt before exiting the passenger side door.
Wesley sighed and got out of the car to switch positions. He had noticed Faith's reluctance to communicate unless it was either for him to get out of her way or to make him extremely...uncomfortable. Wesley shook his head trying to get the images of the last time Faith had found it funny to try and seduce the elder watcher.
The young woman had a hard upbringing and seldom listened to authority. Now just to throw her into the maelstrom on the North American continent and expect her to defeat Angelus was mildly preposterous to say the least.
He hunched into the passenger seat and adjusted it for his legs. He looked over to his slayer to find her holding a predatory smirk as she gripped the steering wheel.
"Hey Wes?"
"Yes Faith?"
"You got your seatbelt on?"
"Of course, why?"
Faith raised her eyebrows non-committally as the engine roared to life.
"No reason."
//////////////////////////////////////////
Buffy smiled as the golden streams of light surrounded her body. The warm rays soothed and caressed her skin. The sensual heat from the sun brought her moaning to a low growl. The flames danced alongside her waist and ran kisses down her spine. Suddenly the light turned hard, solid. She could feel them eat away at dead flesh. Small amounts of ash softly sprinkled down to the floor as she danced in the sunlight. She fell to the floor as the rays of light grew brighter and brighter. She screamed out in pain as she felt her body wither away. She cried out for Angelus. She cried out for her master, her sire.
A small shadow peered over her and covered her from the light's punishment. She smiled as the pain receded and her body called out in near ecstasy from the relief of the golden flames.
Two frozen brown eyes stared accusingly down at her prone form.
"You're going to die and I'm going to be there."
She screamed in pain as she felt the stake plunge into her chest.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Angelus groaned in pleasure as Alcatha called out to him. The statue stood infront of him pulsating with power. It was barely noticeable to the naked eyes. The shifted breeze swirled around the statue felt as a stale wind. It was subtle and unique. The low roll of raw magic that emanated from the statue fed through his own vampiric demon, making the demon inside Angelus snap at the bit, reaching for more.
The demon that had slept inside the statue was no longer dormant. When the hell dimension slipped out onto the next, the small slivers of power awoke a small part of the demon. Angelus had summoned the great Alcatha's power, but not the demon Alcatha himself. With each passing hour, with each passing day, the demon grew stronger. As he dropped to his knees from the euphoria a high-pitched scream careened through the halls. Angelus opened his eyes revealing pitch-black irises.
"Buffy."
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Your turn."
The vampire known simply as 'Ed' gave his counterpart a condescending glare.
The vampire in charge of the minions rolled his eyes.
"Don't even, just go and feed the damned creature. Master Angelus wants the filthy thing alive. And for some reason it takes a preference to you."
Catcalls and whistling erupted from the other various minions in the area. It was considered a punishment to have to feed the lowly human. To regularly be assigned the task was an insult. Ed merely grabbed the tray of food and walked down to the cellar of the mansion, but it was his sire's wish that he personally do it after the last couple of minions assigned the task weren't...compatible with the lowly job.
He really loved his sire. He had been lucky and fortunate that Mistress Drusilla had chosen him. But for some reason, there were only a few of her childes most of the minions were either from Mistress Buffy or Master Angelus himself. The two of them had killed and turned hundreds since Master Angelus had first turned Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The two of them together were and incredible force to be reckoned with. His sire, Drusilla had only been a footnote in their success. He rarely even saw his mistress. But when he did, she would reward him with a smile and a quick pat on the head before skipping away.
If only she hadn't cut out his tongue, he would profess his undying loyalty to her.
She told him that it was necessary that one should never tell a secret that doesn't belong to him...
Lest the penguins eat his entrails.
He did not believe that penguins would come to Southern California simply for that reason, but he still never questioned his Mistress.
As he reached the door that lead to the cells, he heard hushed whispers. Believing it to be another prisoner that had arrived, he rolled his eyes and made a mental note to check to see whether or not Master Angelus wanted this one fed or simply killed.
Ed hadn't killed anyone in a while.
As he turned the doorknob the whispers ceased. The creaking sound of the door itself was usually enough to make the human cop out some indulgent remark, but as he walked in only silence greeted his ears.
As he walked to the cell the human occupied, he saw the pitiful being crouched in a corner crouched into a tight ball with his knees brought up to his chest and his hands covering his ears.
Ed furrowed his brow and kicked the cell bars.
The human looked up and immediately tried to scurry back some more, but looked up at the tall black vampire.
"Oh, hi Ed."
Ed breathlessly growled at the 'familiarity' that the boy showed towards him, but convinced himself to ignore it as he placed the tray inside the cell door and kicked at back to the human without spilling any of the food.
The human shook his head and tried to chuckle before grasping the few crumbs of bread.
"That's why I like you Ed. You're smarter than the average blood sucker."
Ed brought his upper lip into a menacing snarl but found it did not have the desired effect without the snarl itself.
Ed stood by the door as the human ate. The mortal's eyes were continuously scanning the room, as if looking for someone. Ed raised his eyebrows and continued to watch the filthy insect eat.
When he was done, the human slid the tray back to the front of the cell where Ed picked it up and began walking out the door.
"Hey Ed."
The human's small voice barely registered in the vampire's ears as he turned around and glared daggers at the creature for forcing him to stay there longer.
"You wanna stay and chat for a while? I know a few good knock-knock jokes. Have you heard the one where..."
Usually the human would say things like that in jest, trying to egg a response or simply annoy the vampire. Normally he would call for others and they would take turns beating the human for his insolence. Ed noticed a small amount of pleading registering behind the human's eyes as he continued to speak. The human tried to hide it well, but Ed smirked as turned around and exited the door. His smiled growing as the voice behind him began to quiet before the human gave up talking.
Ed walked out the entrance and closed the door behind him. A small whisper floated under the door as he walked away.
He smiled as he reached the stairs and walked up.
Not his secret to tell.