Email: susi@redssoulmates.com
Author: Susi
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all, what a mess!
Summary: An unexpected murderer creeps through Sunnydale.
Distribution: Soulmates till the End of Time, Bite Me Please? All others, please ask first
Couples: Willow/Angel, Spike/Angel
Feedback: It's my first attempt at writing fanfiction and I'd send you Angel and Spike to give you a big kiss from me for some kind words :)
Author's Note: totally AU and Angel is Spike's sire after he took over Dru's claim
Text enclosed in * * represents thoughts or feelings.
Prologue
White fog danced on the floor and then a blue and orange light flashed through the air. A man, huddled in a black robe, sat on the floor, whispering words in a strange and long forgotten language. Suddenly a blast of wind burst open the doors and a painful cry sounded through the night.
And then, there was only silence...
*** *** ***
Part 1
One week later
An old warehouse in Sunnydale
Ethan Rayne looked down on the picture in his hand with visible hate. It showed a couple of young people, wearing clothes from the 60's.
"Four are dead, only Giles remains! And this time his fate is sealed," he hissed hate-fully and went back to the book, which he had studied earlier this day. "Only one hour more and my revenge begins!"
*** *** ***
Same Night
Near the Bronze
At the end of her long shift, an exhausted barmaid grabbed her bag and left the bar through the back door. Every night it gave her the creeps, when she had to go through the dark alley to get to her car. And this night it was even spookier, when she saw the fog creeping down the street. She searched for her car keys in the pockets of her jacket, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Nervously she looked over her shoulder, but the fog was so thick, that she couldn't see anything. Anxiously she hurried to the parking lot, and when her car came into view, she sighed in relief. When she opened the door, a great hand with a black leather glove was placed over her mouth and the other around her waist. She was paralyzed with fear, but when she heard the hoarse whisper of his voice in her ear, she began to fight with all her strength. Tears of despair flew down her cheeks and then she saw a sparkle out of the corner of her eye. She heard his insane laughter and felt an immense pain shot through her body, as he buried the knife in her abdomen over and over again. When he felt her body got limp, he let the girl fall to the ground. With a last look of satisfaction, he turned around and vanished into the mist.
She heard a whimper full of pain, and when her mind stopped spinning around, she realized that it was hers. She tried to lift up a hand, but she couldn't move, and suddenly she felt a great coldness climbing through her whole body. Crying in despair she knew that she was going to die - alone.
*** *** ***
Same Night
Angel's Apartment
Angel's sleep was interrupted by the noise emitting from the television set. Something warm was cradled in his arms. He looked astonished at the red haired woman lying there, still asleep and he could hear her faint breathing and the slow beating of her heart. He knew he had to wake her and take her home but he was not in the mood to let her go. Instinctively he strengthened the hold of his arms around her waist.
In all his time as a vampire he never had met a woman like her. Days and nights were spent caring for others and never condemning them for their faults. *If I ever loose you, my world will turn black and cold. I promise you, here and now, that I will always be at your side to protect you from the demons and forces of darkness,* he silently vowed to her. Then he stood up and lifted the precious weight in his arms and left his apartment to carry her home.
Willow stirred from the sudden movement and opened her eyes sleepily. *Why is my pillow moving?* Willow thought confused. When Angel noticed her slight movement he bowed his head and whispered in her ear: "Close your eyes, Little One, I'm taking you home." She nodded lightly and laid her head down against his broad shoulder. And within a moment she felt asleep again.
When Angel went along the parking lot between the Bronze and the old warehouses he suddenly smelled it: the unmistakable scent of fresh blood. He let his eyes roam over the park deck but he couldn't see anything. So he sniffed the air again and followed the scent. When he rounded the car, he stopped dead in tracks.
"Willow...Little One...you have to wake up." he murmured softly in Willow's ear.
Willow's eyes popped open by his concerned tone and he let her slide down on her feet. She wanted to look at what had caused his attention, but Angel shielded her sight and placed her body firmly behind his own.
"What have you found?" she asked him nervously.
"A corpse." Angel answered with a deadly voice.
"Let me see it." Willow demanded and tried to walk around him, but Angel blocked her way and said angrily: "Do you want to get more nightmares?"
Willow raised her hand and stroked slightly with her fingertips over Angel's cheek: "I've seen it before and it will not be the last one, I'm living on the Hellmouth, you know? Perhaps I can help you find something." With that said, she walked around his body and looked in horror at the dead body. Her clothes were covered with dark sticky blood. But the most horrible sight were the open eyes of the dead woman, filled with such angst and pain, Willow had to take a deep breath to not break down in sobs. Willow suddenly felt Angel's arms encircle her waist and she leaned against his comforting embrace. After some moments she had calmed down and Willow wiggled out of his embrace.
"Did a vampire do this?" she asked in a small voice, trying to cover her fear.
Angel braced himself against the overwhelming scent of the fresh blood and knelt beside the dead woman. He could feel his demon push to the front and he struggled to get a hold on it. *Come on, Angel, it's only a dead body.* With a low growl he turned the head of the woman to the side looking for a bite mark.
"This is not the act of vampires. We should call the police," said Angel. He stood up and took Willow's hand in a tight grip to lead her away from the crime-scene. Unconsciously she stepped closer to her companion and listened silently while he made the call for the police.
*** *** ***
Same Night
Giles' Apartment
With a fearful cry on his lips Giles woke up and sat straight in his bed. Tatters of his nightmare kept running through his sleepy mind. Thick fog, a knife, a scream and blood, oh so much blood, it was everywhere. Sweat was dripping from his brow and he lifted his hand to wipe it away, when he suddenly stopped midway and looked puzzled at his bloodcovered hand. Timidly Giles lifted his blanket and choked when he saw the filth on his sheets. With a cry of anguish he jumped out of the bed and tumbled to the far corner where he slumped down in a shuddering heap.
*** *** ***
Part 2
Same night
Spike limped back to the watcher's apartment, loudly cursing the Slayer's arrogance under his non- existent breath. "Stupid bitch, why can't she just do it when I shout duck, hmm? Not bloody likely she has to stand there and do nothing, bloody hell." As a result of Buffy's ignorance Spike found himself surrounded by three gigantic blue-faced demons with long sharp claws. Only the hard training with his sire prepared him enought not to be torn into thousands of tiny little pieces.
His relationship with his sire was something else Spike couldn't understand. One night after a long night of drinking he was ambushed by a group of humans. He barely made it out alive. Fuckin' chip. He crawled into his crypt and there was his sire in all his dark beauty. Before he could say anything his sire was at his side and helping him to his bed. Without a word Angel slit his wrist and nursed him with his sweet and powerful blood. Angel stayed the whole night and Spike found himself feeling safe and contented for the first time for a long time. Afterwards Angel had stayed in Sunnydale and their bitter relationship turned into a tentatively friendly one. Spike started to seek more and more of Angel's time. When he was questioned by the gang he merely told them he had nothing else better to do with his days than to torture his dear old dad a little bit. The witch was the only one who saw through him, but only because she was in love with the old poofster. *What a waste!*
When Spike reached for the apartment's door handle he heard softly whimpering coming from the watcher's bedroom.
"Must be the tea", Spike mumbled and opened the door. He was suddenly assaulted with the strong smell of sweat underlying with the coppery smell of blood. Lots of blood. His demon pushed forward and Spike gathered all the strength he had left to run up the stairs to Giles' bedroom. Flinging open the door he quickly scanned the room in search for the watcher.
"Watcher, where are you?" No answer - only the soft sound of a whimpering man. "What the bloody Hell is going on here?"
After a moment his eyes caught sight of Giles' huddled form in the far corner by the bed. With predatory speed Spike moved beside him and took a quick glance over Giles' shaking body. Giles' hands and pajamas were dark with dried blood and his bare feet covered with dirt.
Cautiously, in order not to frighten him even more, Spike laid a gentle hand on Giles' shoulder to get his attention.
"Giles, what happened? Let me see where you're injured, you're bleeding like a pig."
Spike heard the watcher murmur something but it was to low even for his enhanced hearing.
"What?" Again his only reward was a low murmur but this time he caught some word shreds. It sounded alarmingly like 'I killed her' but that was impossible, wasn't it? Giles was the most respectable man he knew. Such a thing was simply unthinkable. With some trouble, Spike managed to lead Giles to the couch into the living room where he pressed a big glass of Whiskey in his trembling hand. Then he did the only thing he could think of - he called his sire.
*** *** ***
Part 3
Same night
Crime Scene
While Angel called the police, Willow's sight roamed to the dead woman again and again. She had never seen so much fear, agony and loneliness in someone's eyes. The sheer horror of the scene caused Willow to unconsciously step closer to Angel's body. Smelling her fear and discomfort he put an arm around Willow's shoulder and drew her trembling body even closer. After the call Angel enjoyed another moment of their nearness but with a sigh he loosened his hold.
"We have to go. It's not good if the police find us here - too many questions. And the sun'll be up soon."
Willow nodded absent-mindedly and took his offered hand but when he took her to her family's house, she came to an immediate stop.
"Angel, please," Willow looked up to his dark features, "I don't want...I can't be alone at the moment...please...I want to be where I feel safe."
When he saw the tears spilling from her bright emerald eyes, Angel took her back in his arms. "Sshhh, Little One, nothing'll happen to you, I'll give my last breath to keep you safe. Ssshh," he gently lifted her face with his finger so she could see his sincerity. "Will you come back to my apartment?"
Willow was drowning in his chocolate brown eyes. There was a light in them, not the ferocious amber of a vampire, but a warm glow, which stopped the flow of her tears immediately. She instinctively moved closer and laid her hands on his broad shoulders. Their lips approached one another as if in slow motion and when Willow felt Angel's cool lips touch her own for the first time it was as if an electrical shock went through her whole body.
Angel had never felt so alive in his long existence as a creature of the night before. Even with Buffy his true nature hung above their heads as the sword of Damocles. But this sweet innocent girl in his arms - who smelled of violets and cinnamon - accepted both parts of him, the vampire and the man, without reservation and therefore he loved her even more. To kiss her soft lips was almost too much for his overloaded vampire senses and he struggled for control over the demon inside of him. But when Willow opened her tempting and damp lips to allow his cool tongue access to explore the warm cave of her mouth, he lost it and his demon pushed forward. Willow felt the ridges forming on Angel's face and his razor sharp fangs elongate but surprisingly she was not afraid. Instead she moaned with lust and cut her tongue on one of his fangs. The intoxicating flavour of Willow's blood roused Angel from his trance and he instantly removed his lips from her tender mouth.
"Don't...please Angel, don't," Willow whispered breathlessly, "kiss me one more time, please, I lo..." She was interrupted by the shrill ringing of Angel's cell-phone. Mentally cursing, Angel answered the call, hoping that it was really important.
"Yeah?" he knew he sounded harsher than usual.
"Sire? Come to the watcher. Need you here." Then the phone went dead.
Angel was frozen, Spike, his rebellious and wayward childe, had called him 'Sire.' Something horrible must has happened. With immense effort he melted back in his human form and turned around to his lovely companion. Willow saw the concern on his handsome face and bit back the question she had on the tip of her tongue.
"That was Spike. Something happened back at Giles' and he needs my help," he searched her eyes, "and later we talk about what just happened between us, okay?"
Taking his offered hand, Willow nodded while they left the dark alley in the direction of Giles' home in comfortable silence. In the distance the shrill sounds of the police sirens came closer.
*** *** ***
Same Night
Giles' apartment
After half an hour and a whole bottle of Giles' best whiskey, he passed out on his sofa. Spike sighed in relief and left the apartment for a much-needed cigarette. Sitting on the watcher's steps he inhaled the strong smoke deeply, waiting for the calming effect. *You're getting worse then the poofster, you silly ass...'Sire, I need you!'... Oh, bloody hell, I can clearly see the self-satisfied smirk on that damn face.* He cursed himself and whatever had led him to this existence til he saw the large frame of his si... shut up, Spike, you idiot, ...Paingel.... it's Paingel or poofster or ... or whatever, but not sir... ohhhh God, pull yourself together. Taking a last deep drag of the cigarette he threw it to the ground and slowly rose to his feet.
"About time too, you snail, getting old, buster?" he couldn't resist to tease Angel.
Angel skimmed the body of his childe looking worriedly for any injuries. Finding none he grimly said, "If this is just another twisted joke of yours, I'll stake you with my own hands."
Spike could feel his temper rise and opened his mouth for an adequate insult when he caught a glimpse of red hair behind Angel's broad shoulders. "Hi Red, playing with the candies?"
"Shut up, Spike," Angel growled dangerously and showed a hint of fangs. Momentary startled by Angel's Sire-like behaviour, Spike cast down his look in submission. Pleased with his boy's reaction, Angel growled, "And now tell me what's going on inside and don't forget that a lady is with us!"
Without resistance Spike opened the door for his Sire and the red witch, knowing that Angel would fix all the mess.
*** *** ***
Part 4
An Old Warehouse
Same night
When Ethan Rayne heard the police sirens race through Sunnydale a cruel sadistic smile graced his face.
"Splendid! I believe Ripper is here again in order to play!"
*** *** ***
Same Night
Giles' apartment
When Angel entered Giles' apartment he was overwhelmed with the stench of vomit, alcohol, dried blood and dirt and his stomach began to revolt. Taking deep breaths of unnecessary air he went to the sofa.
"What happened here?" he asked over his shoulder.
Shrugging Spike mumbled, "Don't know. When I came back from patrol, I heard this whimpering coming from his room. Found the sissy cowering in a corner babbling some rubbish - must be in a state of shock." Nobody should note how much the sight of Giles' had taken him along.
Willow knelt beside Angel and stroked gently over Giles' hot forehead. "Is he hurt?"
"Nah, although his rags are soaked with blood."
Angel inhaled sharply and lifted the blanket carefully, which Spike had earlier wrapped around Giles. He immediately knew how everything linked together, but Angel couldn't yet combine the individual threads. He first had to speak with Giles.
"Willow, go and make him a bath," he commanded with a neutral tone, "Spike, call the others, we need them for research." Angel was horrified, but he wouldn't allow them to know it, under no circumstances. They counted on his strength.
When Willow and Spike had left the room, he sighed deeply. "Oh God, Giles, what are you involved in?"
*** *** ***
Next morning
Giles' Apartment
Giles' deep slumber was disturbed by the flavour of fresh coffee and murmuring voices. Sighing, he slowly opened his eyes and folded his cover back.
Blushing a deep red he found that he was completely naked. *Oh God, what have I done now? Did I sleepwalk again? What ought my neighbors think of me?*
Giles got dressed as fast as possible and went downstairs to discover who dared to besiege his apartment in such an early hour. When he entered his living room, seven pairs of eyes looked towards him with the most different shades of emotions.
"Uuh, g..good m..morning everybody", stuttered Giles somewhat clumsily. "Did something happen that you're all already here? A new prophecy?"
"We wanted to discuss just the events of the last night," replied Buffy from her place on Riley's lap.
"Yeah, G-man, somehow feel different?" Before Xander could say even more, Willow had hit him with the 'Morning Post' over the head. "Ouch, Wills, what was that for?"
Drawing a deep breath Giles sat down on his favorite armchair and received the coffee offered by Angel thankfully. He was amazed by the concern he saw in Angel's eyes, which disappeared just as fast when he sat down next to Willow onto the couch.
Spike, who stood behind Willow, stared intensely at her neck the entire time. After a while she became nervous, feeling someone standing behind her. She turned round and saw Spike scanning her neck.
"What?" she asked irritated.
"I don't know what you mean," Spike answered, dismissing her question.
"I want to know why you're staring at my neck," replied Willow, vehemently. "And no lame excuses or saucy remarks, Mr.-Big-Bad-Ass-Vampire!"
After a fast look in Angel's direction, Spike bent down to Willow and whispered in her ear, "Oh, I was only searching for his bite mark."
Could it be that his voice sounded a bit jealous? Blushing a light shade of red, Willow recalled the kiss of last night and a pleasant shiver ran across her back. With lowered eyelashes, she looked up at Spike and she was so close to him that her warm lips touched his cheek. "There are also other places..." She left the rest of the sentence to his imagination.
The unmistakable aroma of Willow's arousal suddenly disturbed Angel's thoughts. He swiveled in a surprised manner to her and saw Spike hovering above her. With a warning growl, that seemed to come from deep in his breast, he looked at the both them.
"What are you talking so intensely about?" Angel wanted to know, although the only thing that really interested him was, why Willow was suddenly so excited and who had been the cause.
Spike immediately knew that Angel was very annoyed with him and he straightened up instantly. "I only joked around a little bit with Red here, oh mighty Poofster". *Aha, my sire seems to have an eye on the small red-haired witch. I wonder how long the both need to admit their feelings for each other. That'll be a very interesting thing.* After Spike went to the other side of the room, Angel laid his arm possessively around Willow and pulled her more closely and Willow snuggled up to his cool body. As Angel's look went back to Giles, he saw that he was staring at something in the morning paper as though he were hypnotized.
"Giles, what's wrong?" Angel asked concerned for the older man.
""This woman", Giles stuttered, "I saw her yesterday in my dream. It was a dream, wasn't it?" During his question, all conversations immediately stopped in the room and all eyes rested on him.
"We don't know, Giles," answered Angel honestly. "However, Spike found you in your room last night totally covered in blood. The only explanation which appears plausible to us is that you were sleepwalking last night and you ran by sheer chance into the corpse of the young woman."
"Then...then it was nevertheless no dream. And I do not believe that I sleepwalked before", replied Giles, slightly irritated.
"Perhaps you followed your deepest inner urges, Watcher," sounded Spike's voice from the kitchen.
Blanching, Giles looked at his hands and then in Spike's direction.
"Shut up, fangless, we don't need your sarcasm at the moment. If you have nothing better to do, then go and annoy the skeletons in their crypts", hissed Buffy while teasing Spike with her stake.
Riley comprised her slim body with a firm grip in order to remind her that she shouldn't lose her composure over Spike's behavior again. Buffy sighed and leaned back against his comforting embrace.
"Did you already have similar dreams before, Mr. Giles?" Riley researched and immediately slipped into the role of a soldier that guides an investigation.
"I don't remember, but at the moment I am too deeply stirred to think straight."
"Perhaps there were more cases recently. We should begin to remember our strong fortes and research", announced Willow and got up to go to her laptop. As if by command all fell in busy activity, as if they wanted to distract themselves in order not to think about the events of the last night.
*** *** ***
Old Warehouse
Same morning
A coffeepot in the one hand and the morning paper in the other one, Ethan Rayne sat comfortably at his breakfast table. He read the police report about the brutal murder of a waitress during last night again and again.
"I see, Ripper, you didn't lose your dexterity. Let's see whom you'll select as your next victim. Hopefully it'll be the little Slayer-slut or even better - the red-haired wannabe witch. Hmmm, the coffee is delicious."
*** *** ***
Giles' apartment
Same day
After several hours of unsuccessful research Giles decided to send them all home. The group unwillingly broke up and said their goodbyes. No one noted the unholy light that flashed for a second through Giles' eyes when Anya left the house behind Xander.
Before Angel followed the others with Willow, he took Spike aside and gave him some instructions.
"I want you to stay here tonight, come up with an excuse. But regardless what'll happen, keep your eyes on Giles. I trust you."
Spike looked up from his mug of blood in his hands amazed. Angel trusted in him? Spike suddenly felt dizzy. If he wouldn't already be dead, he would fallen at his sire's feet. He hadn't felt this overwhelming feeling of pride in over a century. Not since Angelus' curse and his disappearing.
"Sure, whatever suits the mighty Poofster," he replied in his usual mocking tone in order to conceal his true feelings, "But you owe me, understood?"
Shrugging his shoulder and without an answer, Angel turned around and followed Willow who waited outside for him.
*Bloody hell, slowly I become a softy. Just like my old Dad!*
