Part Five
Willow forced her eyes open, then closed them with a groan immediately. "Goddess, my head is killing me." She moaned. "And what is that smell?"
Memory flooded back painfully and her eyes flew open as she scanned the dim room. A strange feeling had her stretching out her hand and she found the light switch where she had half expected it to be. Turning it on, she found herself in what appeared to look like her bedroom but at the same time, didn't feel like it.
The absence of her soft toy collection, her magic books and her vast collection of pictures of her friends strengthened her impression of being in an alien environment. The missing painting of the vampire she loved confirmed her growing suspicions.
"Please do not adjust your television sets." She murmured irreverently to herself as she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position. "I'm in another dimension, that's what it is. What other explanation could there be."
She pulled herself off the bed and found her eyes drawn to the condition of her clothes. "Oh bother! This was one of my favourites as well." She growled to herself, unconsciously imitating both vampires.
Taking a look round, she headed for one of the closed doors. "Right, the room's basically the same, let's have a look in the closets and see what they have to offer."
She opened the doors and took an almost horrified step back. "Okay, this is most definitely of the weird classification. I deliberately ruined that dress two months ago." She promptly did a swift search of all the closets and drawers. The evidence (and sheer lack of trousers) led her to the one conclusion that she hadn't really wanted to reach.
"Bloody hell to quote Spike. These are all the clothes Black has commented on. The ones I've never worn again just because he did."
She swung round to look at the whole room again, registering all the things she had missed previously.
"Right Willow, they don't call you research girl for nothing, put all the clues together. First of all, Black across the road just before the attack. Second, a room identical to yours but devoid of everything that speaks of your personality and which Black is known to disapprove of."
She tapped a third finger against her cheek. "Third, clothes he is known to approve of in the closets and drawers. Also noted is the severe lack of trousers. Conclusion: Willow Rosenberg is in deep trouble. Trouble of the deepest kind."
She covered her face for a moment. "Dear goddess, Angel, I need you."
Even as she said his name, she suddenly felt an awareness of the vampire's consciousness on the edge of her own and a feeling of calmness came over her.
Starting to sit back down on the bed, she stopped as a mischievous spark entered her green eyes. Moving to stand in front of the full-length mirror, she closed said eyes and murmured a couple of words under her breath. A few seconds later, she was wearing skin-tight black jeans and a green silk shirt tied just below her bust leaving her midriff bare. Upon her feet, she wore boots made for both comfort and action.
Opening her eyes, she grinned at her reflection. "Now this I can live with and it will be a nice gift for Angel when he gets here." She quickly dismissed the cynical if.
The sound of a key turning had her spinning round, her stance alert and fight ready. The door opened slowly and one of the small men who had abducted her from Amy's house cautiously put his head round. The redhead hid a smile as she noted the black shiner he sported.
"Someone said you were awake." He almost squeaked, watching her warily.
"Then someone has good hearing obviously." Willow replied astonishing herself with just how calm she suddenly felt. Once again she sensed the nearness of Angel and she put in away in the far recesses of her brain, mentally noting to look into it later.
"Do you actually want something or did you just put your head around the door to be irritating." She continued sarcastically.
The little man took a deep breath. "The Boss wants to see you."
"Well, that's just too bad." She deliberately turned away and walked across to the bed, sitting down with air of sheer nonchalance. "I don't particularly want to see him, so why don't you run along like a good little minion and tell him I'm otherwise engaged. There's a good little fellow."
"Now I would if I could, miss but you see, I can't." He opened the door wider allowing her to see several more of little men just like him. "Orders you see, miss. You either come of your own volition, or we, you see, have to…"
"Help me." She finished with saccharine sweetness. "Well if you must insist."
"Oh I do miss, I really do." He responded, grinning at her. "So if you'd like to come this way."
Shuddering internally at the subtle threat, Willow walked out of the room and promptly found herself surrounded by six of the strange little creatures. As they started to move her towards the main staircase, she looked over her shoulder, eyes curious. "Just what are you by the way?"
"Now there's a question we've been expecting from one with your reputation, miss!" The leader responded almost jovially, making her shiver in revulsion internally. "We're what you might call Greystone gnomes, miss or even stone dwarves."
"I've never come across any creatures called by that name in the books before." She exclaimed, her innate sense of curiosity raised.
"I doubt you would, miss, I really doubt you would. We're the last of our kind you see." They had now reached the main staircase and down below in the hall, she could just make out the form of a man in the shadowed entrance of the living room. "Down stairs now, miss, if you please."
"I kind of got that." She murmured, steeling herself as she started down the stairs.
Reaching the bottom, the little man gently pushed her forward. "Here you are, Boss. One nice little package safely delivered as promised and completely unhurt."
"Leave us." A familiar voice replied. "I will call you when I need you again."
Willow waited until the gnomes had scattered silently away before choosing to speak. Folding her arms, she slowly tapped her foot. "Well, well, why am I so not surprised to see you here…Black."
"You are the genius of the group." He replied. "You've always known that this would happen."
"What would happen!" The redhead moved her hands to her hips, eyes blazing. "Know that you would abduct me, have my friends hurt. Oh yes, I can really say that I knew that was going to happen not. Now how about letting me go and Angel might just consider letting you live."
"My dear Willow, why would you want to leave me. Especially for one of those… those things."
Let's see now, perhaps it has something to with the way he makes me feel when I'm with him or his clothes sense. It might even be the fact that I happen to be deeply in love with him and he with me." Willow folded her arms again and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It might even have something to do with the fact that I just can't stand you."
Her sharp response drew an admiring chuckle from the hidden listener just outside an open window. "That's tell him, Red. I better go tell Peaches you're in fine form."
Standing in the driveway of the house, Angel turned at the familiar sound of the musician's van drawing up. The Watcher got out immediately and moved to his side. "Angel, we got here as quickly as we could."
"Did you find out anything else, Giles."
"Just a journal." He replied retrieving a thick, leather bound book from his pocket. "Would you believe the bloody idiot had it hidden under a floor board."
"You've read it." Angel said calmly.
"Enough to know you were right in your assessment." Giles frowned heavily. "Angel, he's been following her since before he was assigned to Laura. Stalking her to put it bluntly since she began University." He shook his head. "I can not believe how we managed to miss it. Willow even said that she thought she was being followed at one point."
"We all missed it, Giles." Angel touched the older looking man's shoulder. "He managed to fool us all. Did you find out anything else, anything that might explain why he's taken Willow now."
"The latest entries repeatedly speaks of something he refers to as 'The Time of Joining' and some kind of ceremony he is going to perform. A ceremony he believes he needs Willow for." Giles returned the journal to his pocket. "Unfortunately, it's the only the only subject he doesn't go into detail about."
"So how are we going to deal with this." Doyle asked as he and Oz joined them.
"Storm the castle, kill the bad guy and rescue the beautiful damson in semi-distress." Spike replied suddenly as he emerged from the shadows. "They just brought Red downstairs and she's ready to hang him out to dry… with his own tongue."
"You've seen her." The dark haired vampire turned to his childe, eyes blazing. "Spike, was she alright."
"All right!" Spike repeated grinning nastily. "Peaches, just wait until you see her. She looks dressed to kill and sounds ready to do so. She's also being down right sarcastic."
"Willow!" Doyle exclaimed in pure disbelief. "Spike, Red's never sarcastic."
"Not openly." Angel disagreed, smiling at a memory. "She's just very subtle in her use of it."
"So subtle, you don't even realise that she has been until it hits you later." Giles murmured, before turning to the younger vampire. "Did you try to get in, Spike?"
"Of course I bloody did." His grin faded quickly. "Do you think I'd be here if I could, Watcher."
"Damn! That's all we need. How are we suppose to get her out if we can't even get in." With a growl of desperation, Angel swung round, moving away from them.
Behind him, the others exchanged a concerned look and Spike moved to his sire's side, standing there in silence. The look the two vampires shared showed they shared the same sense of hopelessness and the same desire to wring the neck of the man who had taken the little redhead from them.
Giles on the other hand pulled out his own cell phone. He dialled a number from its memory and put it to his ear. "Cordelia, tell me you found it."
"You were right on the ball, Giles. He is obsessed enough to do it. I just found the record." She took in a deep breath. "Bring her home, Giles. We need her."
"Found what?" Spike demanded as he and Angel rejoined them, curiosity rife.
"The house is registered in Willow's name. I'm sure that I don't have to explain to you what that means." He watched with tense amusement as the realisation sank into the vampires. Doyle and Oz weren't very far behind them, grim grins appearing almost simultaneously on all their faces.
"Then let's go get Angel and Spike invited in." Oz murmured.
The sudden explosion of the front door into thousands of pieces had them all turning and the vampires ducking out of the way. Where once there had been a heavy ornate door, there was now nothing but a clear entrance… and the visible silver signs of intense magic.
"In the name of Finn!" Doyle exclaimed taking a step backwards. "Is Red that strong?"
"I don't know?" Giles replied equally taken aback.
"Believe me she is." Angel put in.
"And who else would cast a spell to get out of the bloody house." Spike added.
The nest sound to emanate from the house had them all running for it, the vampire far ahead of the others, Angel ahead of Spike. Both of them were in game face for the sound had been a scream.
A scream of pain that had come from Willow.
"My dear love, that was a foolish thing to do." Black held Willow's arms in one hand behind her back, running his fingers down her face as she struggled to get free. "Why do you continue to fight against what is clearly your true destiny."
"Only in your mind, Black." The redhead spat back, using her legs to free herself. Managing to put space between herself and him, she rubbed her wrists. Looking down she saw that the bruises were already beginning to appear on her pale skin. "My destiny has already been decided and it's at another's side."
"And just who could this person be?" He asked still with that pleasant tone that was more frightening. "Other than myself of course."
"You know who it is, Black, and believe me, Angel will come for me."
In the very second she mentioned the ensouled vampire's name, the pleasant demeanour of the man she had known as a colleague vanished. In his place was a creature she had never seen before. His eyes turned an opaque black, his skin dark purple and his mouth appeared to grow larger, teeth sharpening and lengthening.
"That… vampire!" He growled in a voice that sent a shiver of pure terror down her spine. "That vampire will be the first to be destroyed once we are joined and you will rejoice with me. I will even allow you to destroy that annoying childe of his."
"Never in a thousand years!" She spat back venomously.
He grabbed her again, holding her by the chin. "You begin to annoy me, Willow. I will not have the Elders proven correct in their unfounded accusations as to your unsuitability."
He hit her across the face with the back of his hand, knocking her to the floor. She cried out in pain as the signet ring he wore cut deep into her face. The cry the others had heard outside.
Willow drew herself up into a crouched position, one hand covering her painful bleeding cheek. Her eyes were widened in both stunned pain and shock as she caught Angel, then Spike and the others out of the corner of her eye.
Taking a deep breath, she threw her gaze back to Black. "You are so going to regret that, Black or what ever you are."
"What are makes you say that, my love!" He asked in the voice she actually felt more scared by. He towards her pulling her up from the floor and digging suddenly sharpened fingers into her arms. "You still can not believe that vampire will come for you. Even if he did, it would not be of much use to you."
Having his back to the door, he did not see the sudden pantomime that was going on behind him as he started to pull her towards the living room.
Willow dragged her heels looking back over her shoulder at her friends and shaking her head in slight confusion. She returned her attention back to the man pulling her, digging her own nails into his hand. "What makes you say that! Nothing would stop him coming for me!"
"My dear girl, he is after all a vampire." Black replied as he threw her into a chair. He ran a long nail down the side of her face and she shuddered, flinching away. "So put him from your thoughts, beloved and prepare your mind for the our joining."
He started to move away, then stopped, a thoughtful expression crossing his face "But just in case… " He waved his hand and a chain materialised out of thin air, tying her into the chair just as she was about to make a dash for it.
"To keep you safe, beloved. I would not want you to hurt yourself now we are in the final stages." He informed her as he moved away.
"Gee thanks! How considerate of you." Willow replied sarcastically under her breath as she struggled against her bonds. Eyes widened as his statement about Angel and the other's strange behaviour a moment ago suddenly began to make sense.
"Want to explain that statement about Angel." She asked politely curious. "Because you sure don't look like a human to me, and this place is yours isn't it?"
"My dear girl, this house is in your name, and what is yours is mine." Black replied as he began to lie out black candles in pattern she didn't recognise.
"So you're saying that if I was to say Angel come in." She raised her voice on the last three words, her agile mind already working out a way to invite Spike in. "And he happened to be in the general vicinity for example and heard me, he could enter."
"It is indeed a possibility, and as it is highly unlikely he is even aware of this place, it is not going to happen." He lay a black dagger in the centre of the symbol, engrossed in what he was doing.
"So I suppose the same could be said for Spike as well." Willow continued. "I can't just tell Spike come in either because he'll be in the dark as well." Once again she raised her voice slightly on the three most important words.
"Yes, I am happy to say. Discontinue this line of questions, Willow. I would hate to have to mar the perfection of your other cheek in my annoyance."
"Touch her again and I will make sure that you understand real annoyance." Angel's voice came from the doorway, his tone more reminiscent of his alter ego, Angelus.
"And you really ain't going to like seeing Peaches furious as it is." Spike added, catching Willow's slightly relieved gaze as she looked over the back of the chair at them. He nodded at her. "Nice work on the door, Red, you almost got me with a couple of pieces though."
"I wasn't exactly concentrating at the time, Spike." She threw back as her gaze turned to the vampire she loved. "Angel."
"I'm here baby. Spike, watch him." The younger vampire nodded fixing ice blue eyes on the creature glaring at them.
Angel was at Willow's side a moment later, grabbing hold of the chain and breaking it on one try. He pulled her up into his arms, kissing her almost desperately.
"Oh goddess, Angel." She breathed as they broke apart. "What took you so long?"
"I'm here now sweetheart, that's all that matters. Go to Giles. Spike and I will deal with Black." He put a finger on her lips as she started to object, then ran it over the cut on her cheek. "This is for me to deal with now, Will. I'm going to make him pay for this tenfold, and for daring to take you from me."
She raised her hand to his cheek. "Angel, be careful. He's not human anymore if he ever was. You don't know what he could be capable of now."
"He doesn't know what I'm capable of, little one. He should never have touched you." He growled as his game face emerged completely.
She drew him down for another kiss before he gently pushed her towards Giles and the others. "Don't you dare get hurt now, Angel." She warned him as she obeyed the subtle command.
He nodded turning to face Black. "Spike."
"I've got your back." The younger vampire responded, grinning cockily at the redhead as she passed him, ruffling her hair. "You're looking good enough eat, pet."
She promptly hit him, then threw herself into Giles' arms. After returning his hug, she looked up at him, eyes questioning. "Laura?"
"Woozy. She'll be better once she's seen you." He replied, embracing her again. "Damn it Willow, how do you manage to get yourself into these messes."
"Luck!" She suggested as she drew back slightly to look at the others. "Oz, are you alright? I saw them tie you down. You have to be if you're here though, don't you. You wouldn't be if you weren't now, would you. Even though I wouldn't put it pass you."
Grinning in relief at her sudden burst of rambling, the werewolf covered her mouth with his hand. "I'm fine, Willow, I promise. So is Amy."
"Shouldn't we be leaving now." Doyle inserted suddenly; just he caught sight of the men he had seen in his vision. "We're getting company of the abducting kind."
"Oh goddess!" Willow looked up at the Watcher. "Giles, have you ever heard of greystone gnomes or stone dwarves?"
"A legend when I was younger." He turned round bringing her with him. "I take it that's what they say they are."
"Indeed we do, sir, for indeed we are." Their leader replied moving towards them. "I take it we are about to lose the Boss, miss?"
The strange thing was he didn't seem that particularly bothered by the idea that they were.
Willow glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Black snatch up the black dagger and attack Angel with it, drawing blood. Paling even whiter than normal, she clutched the Watcher's hand and forced her gaze away. "Oh dear goddess, I hope so."
"Why?" Doyle asked bluntly, his eyes alert and ready to fight if need be. "Are you going to try and help him?"
"Indeed not, young master." The little man replied waving his hand. The whole hall was suddenly filled with men just like him and the four took an involuntary step backwards. "If we had known that he was going to go up against the Warrior, we would never have accepted this job. We are therefore terminating our contract with him as of this moment."
He turned to Willow and as one, they all bowed to her. "We're going now, Sorceress. Perhaps we will meet again one day."
To their stunned shock, and Willow's horror, the entire group started to sink into the hall floor, almost as if they were dissolving into the stone floor. As the last one vanished, Willow shuddered violently. "I so hope not. That's one group of people I can do with never seeing again."
She immediately swung round just in time to see Angel being thrown across the room, landing across the room, landing with a heavy thump in the middle of a table. With a furious snarl, he jumped to his feet and launched himself back into the fight. He was just in time to grab Black's arm just as he was about to thrust the dagger into Spike's back.
He bent the arm backwards and the sound of snapping bones could be clearly heard. It didn't stop Black though. With a snarl, he launched himself at the dark-haired vampire, trying to grab his neck with his other hand.
"She belongs to me, vampire." He snarled.
"Wrong!" Angel growled back, eyes flashing furiously as he knocked him away, then kicking him clear across the room as he came at him again. "She belongs to me!"
"Possessive much!" Willow murmured as he turned to face her. She immediately ran into his arms, clinging to him.
He lowered his head, resting his cheek on her soft hair and she wrapped her arms around his waist. Neither saw Black rising to his feet, his opaque eyes blazing with a strange light as he began to move towards the couple.
Behind them Doyle did and he called out a warning. "Angel look out!"
Angel swung round, pushing Willow behind him, kicking out at him.
"Will you just get the message and give in!" He growled impatiently, feeling her small hands cling urgently to his jacket. "She's been through enough, thanks to you."
"She is mine." Black growled furiously. "I chose her."
"Get over it." Willow snapped from behind Angel. "If I belong to anyone, I belong to Angel."
"We belong to each other, little one." He growled angering Black even more.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spike grab an axe from a nearby wall and slowly moved towards them. Eyes widening, she subtly tugged Angel's jacket and he put one arm behind him holding her to his back, effectively shielding her from what was about to happen.
Seconds later, a body lay on the floor and a head flew across the room from the sheer force of the blow. Spike had neatly and swiftly separated them as the false Watcher had lunged for his sire and his redheaded mate.
"I always said he'd lose his head one day." The younger vampire murmured, leaning on the axe.
"Spike, thank you." Angel said quietly.
"For Red, anything." He replied.
Angel turned round and pulled Willow into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, shaking slightly. "It's over, Willow. It's finally over." He murmured against her hair. As she continued to shiver in reaction, he lifted her into his arms and she hid her face in his neck.
"In that case, I think it's time to leave." Giles said quietly. "We have people waiting for us."
"And the body?" Oz asked equally quietly as he glanced towards it.
"We still have a lot of P.C.P gangs in Sunnydale, so I'm told." The Watcher replied as he followed Angel out. A broad grin graced his face. "Let the police deal with it."
"Let's get Red home then." Spike immediately joined Angel and Willow. "Before anything else rears it's ugly head."
"I could say something here, but I won't." Angel murmured to Willow who barely held back a laugh.
"I heard that you two." Spike growled loud enough for the others to hear.
The werewolf actually chuckled. "Life returned to Hellmouth normality."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, would you Oz?" Doyle grinned as the werewolf shook his head. "So like the Watcher said, let's get going."
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