1Chapter 6 -
No one dared move, say or even breath as Buffy stepped out into the room. Power seemed to roll off of her in waves, filling the room, making her seem ethereal. She was wearing tight, black, low-rise jeans, a deep red, square-cut tank-top, showing a dangerous amount of cleavage and midriff, and chunky, black, heels.
Her golden hair was straight, streaked with red and cascaded down to her small waist. Her hypnotic, emerald green eyes were smokey and lined in black, making them more prominent, and her lips were slicked with shinny, clear gloss.
The room was filled with her. Buffy. His BuffyAngel thought as watched her, unmoving, from his spot on the wall. She was more beautiful than her remembered, hauntingly so. He wanted to go to her, the demon in him demanded he make her his again, but something was off.
He just couldn't put his finger on what, but it was. So he stayed were he was until he was sure what that 'something' was.
"I mean God, look at you, could you be more pathetic?" Buffy looked expectantly at all their stunned faces. "What? Do I have something on my face?"she asked bringing her hand up to her cheek. Wesley spoke up breaking the silence. "No Buffy it's just we've just been informed you were missing and yet here you are."
"Oh, well ok then, if that's all." Buffy shrugged it off and walked down the, carpeted, three steps to the hard floor. "Where have you been Buffy? I've been worried," "Chill, babe, I took off. No big deal." Buffy said brushing it and Riley off, leaving him looking stunned and hurt. "Oh, don't look so broken babe. I was only gone for a few days." She cooed.
"It is a 'big deal' you left us, for a few days, with your responsibilities, to do God knows what." Xander said in a 'holier then thou' voice. Buffy gave him a board look and ignored him looking at the black guy standing next to Wes.
"Hey, if you haven't already guessed. I'm Buffy." Gunn gave a slight nod and said. "Gunn."
"A man of many words, just what I like. Hey Cordy, how' have you been?" Cordelia said nothing. She just stared as if she'd seen a ghost. Buffy raised a delicate eyebrow. "What no 'hi'?" When she got no reply she shrugged.
Her mossy green eyes locked with Angel's deep caramel-chocolate ones from across the room where he still stood seemingly relaxed and unaffected by her presents in the room.
"Hey, Angel, it's been a while." Buffy purred looking him up and down then made a small sound of approval at her mate's attire. All black, as usual.
"If your done ogling dead boy, we're waiting for an explanation." Xander spat in disgust. "I can ogle him all I want Xander he's my mate." Before Xander could protest Riley's angry voice chimed in. "He's not your mate, Buffy you're my girlfriend."
Buffy's laugh filled the room, making everyone's , but Angel's, hair stand on end. "Riley, I'm not your anything. I don't belong to you." Riley looked as if he'd been slapped. The look quickly turned to full blown anger as he took a step towards her.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Angel's warned, his voice dripping with unspoken malice. Riley stopped in his tracks looking into Angel's smirking, golden, eyes. "Angel."Buffy purred his name in approval. Xander snorted bring her attention back to him.
"We're waiting for your explanation." He prompted. Buffy sobered immediately. "You know what Xander you can take your holier then thou attitude and shove it. I owe you absolutely nothing." She sneered. The Scoobies lapped into a shocked silence. Before Xander could regain his footing Giles's outraged voice rang through the room.
"Yes you bloody well do. You just left, leaving no note or number at which you could be contacted. All of us, your mother, were frantic." Buffy looked at him expectantly.
"My mother? She's barley home and when she is, she hardly acknowledges my existence. To busy hitting up Jack Danials." Buffy stated matter-of-fact-ly. "And as you can see I'm fine."
"We were worried about you and your not fine Buffy, your looking kind of pale Buffy." Willow said with concern. Buffy laughed out loud shocking everyone. "Is this the point were I'm supposed to give a damn?"
Only seven heart beats. Angel stood when the knowledge, like a ton of bricks, hit him. The eighth heart beat, her heartbeat, wasn't present. Giles suddenly grabbed her by the arms, then stopped in mid-action of shaking her, he visibly paled. "Y-your cold Buffy."
Buffy smirked so Angelus-like everyone in the room froze in horror. Buffy leaned close into Giles inhaling the sweet smell of fear oozing from him "Only when I haven't feed properly." she whispered, then took a step back from him, back-handing him across the face sending him crashing into the wall opposite the entrance, where he fell unconscious to the floor with a thud.
Willow sprung into action sending a fireball flying at Buffy. Buffy stopped it in mid-air with a wave of her hand and extinguish it just as quickly. Buffy raised an eyebrow at the witch who was gathering energy for another attack.
"Is that it? And here I thought you had power." Buffy taunted sending Willow crashing through the railing of the second floor with a flick of her wrist.
Next was Xander who rushed at her with a war-cry on his lips. Buffy raised a hand, lifting Xander into the air, and slowly closing her fingers. Choking him.
Xander's eyes bulged and he clawed at his throat trying to breath."You know, I've often wondered why I didn't let Angelus kill you. I mean look at you your worthless." Buffy taunted, then sighed. "Board now." With a wave of her hand she sent him into the wall closest to where Angel was now standing.
Buffy's enchanting laugh filled the room. She held up a hand as Gunn approached her with a crossbow. "I wouldn't if I were you. I got no beef with you." "Yeah well you do now vampire." Gunn said aiming he weapon, ignoring her warning.
"I warned him once, Angel, I wont do it again." Buffy said not taking her eyes off Gunn and the crossbow.
"Gunn." Angel's sharp command halted him in mid-stride. Gunn looked back at Angel confused. "She's mine." he growled between a mouthful of fangs. Someone took what was his. And they were going to pay, dearly.
Before Angel could do anything, a pair of arms wrapped around Buffy's waist from behind. Buffy moaned leaning back into the newcomers chest. "Here you are Buffy playing with your food?"
"Mmm, no visiting old friends, Sire." Buffy drawled eyes locked to Angel's now red eyes.Buffy winked at him and turned in Dracula's arms twining her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him.
Buffy smirked bringing his head down and pressed her lips to his. The rage filled roar, that came from Angel, was deafening.
Dracula's head snapped up just in time to meet Angel's fist. The punch sent him flying into a nearby wall, blood pooled out of his crushed nose and the back of his cracked skull. The sound of multiple bones snapping and pitiful screams penetrated the air as Angel laid into Dracula.
After a few moments, Buffy lifted a hand freezing Angel in mid-attack. He snarled at her, eyes red, fangs bared. Buffy traced a finger, almost lovingly, over the ridges on his face before turning to her Sire. Angel growled, loudly, in warning as Buffy walked to Dracula.
Buffy looked into his black eyes that were almost swollen completely shut. "Buffy," Dracula wheezed. Buffy placed a finger over his broken lips and shook her head lightly. "I want you to look at me, really look at me and see exactly what I am." Buffy said well aware of the confused eyes watching from all directions.
Angel's most of all. He was burning a hole through the side of her skull with his eyes, growling deep in his chest. Buffy laid her lips over Dracula's.
In a blur of motion, Buffy removed her lips and punched into Dracula's rib cage, through bone and muscle, and gripped his heart in her small fist. Dracula's eyes bulged in pain and betrayal as he screamed in agony.
"How do you like my darkness now?" Buffy asked ripping his heart out with a sick sucking sound. She stepped away from him looking at the blackened organ, watching as it slowly turned to ashes.
Buffy turned, dropping the heart, ignoring the confused looks coming from Wes, Gunn, and Cordy and pressed herself fully to Angel's still form. Looking directly up into his angry red eyes Buffy placed a hand on his tense jaw, lightly caressing the side of his face until he relaxed it. Buffy tunneled her hand through his soft, thick, espresso colored hair; behind his ear and down his neck to his chest.
Angel growled his approval, his eyes flashing gold then back to their former-new caramel brown. Buffy raked her french tipped red nails playfully down his shirt taking the bottons with it, exposing his muscle-toned chest.
Buffy looked back up into his eyes as she slowly naked her nails over his now fully exposed chest watching his reaction. Angel purred lightly sending electricity spiraling down her spine, to her toes. Buffy moaned rubbing her hot, throbbing center against his thick muscled thigh.
"Love the new eye color...Angel-us." Buffy purred tracing a finger around one of his dusky-rose colored nipple drawing it into a hard peek."Did you miss me lover?" Angel asked his voice husky with need.
"Question isn't if I missed you... question is, do you still taste as good as you look?" Angel's eyes flashed gold. "Why don't you find out?" He whispered through clenched teeth still unable tp move. Buffy smirked lowering her head to his chest and licking his nipple. Angel groaned at the contact, closing his eyes. Then they snapped open and he groaned when she bit down and started suckling.
Suddenly body was free from it's statue form and he wrapped his arms around her possessively molding her to him.
Angel lowered his head to her neck and grazed his lips over his mark making Buffy grind harder on his leg and whimper in need.
Angel's sensitive touch pick up new ridges on the scar, His mark, rage blasted through him causing his hold on Buffy to tighten almost painfully.
One of Buffy's hands roamed lower to the quite obvious bulge in his leather paints rubbing it as her fangs bit into his chest. His blood was like water after weeks of drought.
Just like in her dream it was sweet and cinnamon-y, with a smooth whiskey-copper after taste. Buffy moaned in pleasure, half drunk, as his powerful blood hit her, sending searing fire through her veins.
Angel momentarily forgot about his rage, as Buffy's hands and fangs were doing the most erotic things he'd ever felt in his whole 243 years of existence. Lightning shot through him, it was all he could do not to take her right here on the floor.
Before he could get the chance to test the theory Buffy suddenly arched back roaring in pain. Immediately Angel let her go looking her over. He could barley contain the howl of outrage and sorrow at what he saw.
Buffy looked down at the arrow protruding from her chest. Her head snapped up as another arrow came flying at her, hitting her in the shoulder sending her staggering a few feet back into a wall. Buffy looked at her attacker and snarled. It was Gunn.
Gripping the end of the arrow in her chest and ripped it out as if it were a splinter. "I warned you." She said with false calm. "Nice shot though. Bulls eye, straight through the heart," she paused for a dramatic effect and collective gasps of everyone around her.
"What? You think a lousy piece of wood through the heart would stop me? Well guess what you thought wrong. The only thing you've managed is piss me off." Gunn pointed the loaded cross bow at her. "Well if at first you don't succeed," Gunn let the taunt hang in the air as he pulled the trigger.
"Gunn no !" Cordy yelled. In a flash of movement Angel was blocking Buffy and plucking the arrow out of the air. "Enough,"Angel bellowed around a mouth of fangs. "What the hell do you think your doing?"
"Gee, I don't know killin' the vampire before she kills you." Gunn stated, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Buffy would never kill Angel." Cordelia said coming out of her momentary speechlessness. "Oh, and how would you know? You psychic now?" Gunn inquired sarcastically.
"She's my mate." Angel stated as if that answered everything. "What the hell dose that mean?" Gunn asked more the a little skeptical. "Mate," Wesley voice chimed in. "When a vampire finds his perfect match he marks the other. Basically a soul mate in human terms."
Buffy's laugh radiated through the lobby. "Oh it's so much more then that," she purred low in her chest. She leaned back against the wall, gripping the arrow in her shoulder she yanked it free with a sickening wet crack. Blood oozed from both wounds as Buffy stood. Looking directly at Angel she continued.
"It's like being one body, one mind, one heart. You merge so completely with the other person that you don't know were you begin and the other ends because every other cell in your body belongs to the other person. You know each others thoughts and share each others feelings," Buffy trailed off as she stalked of to stand in front of Angel.
Lightly running her bloody fingers down his cest, Buffy continued. "And when one leaves the other it leaves the one in a mass of shattered, bloody pieces and," Buffy struck out raking her razor sharp nails across his chest. "dangerously unstable."
Angel roared in pain as blood gushed out of the five deep lacerations. Cordy and Wes gasped as Gunn instinctively sent a bolt flying in Buffy's direction. Buffy simply wasn't there. The bolt imbedded itself into the nearby wall. They all turned at Buffy's laugh.
"It's been nice playing with you guys but I gotta be going the nights almost gone and I'm still hungry." Buffy turned and disappeared into the fog. "See ya 'round lover." Buffy's last taunt danced in the air as both she and the fog dissipated as if they were never there.