Title: Torn Part 4

Author: Neamh1

Feedback: Please please please!

Disclaimer: Not mine, belong to Joss and WB.

Rating: NC-17 Please don't read if you are under age

"Bloody ponce!" Spike exclaimed after watching from the shadows as Angelus entered the mansion with Buffy in tow. The pair had been inseparable since the wench came back, Angelus had kicked out his own kin for one week until he and Fluffy could move out of the mansion to somewhere else. Spike and Drusilla were told that they could only be in the mansion to sleep and that they weren't to speak with Buffy about anything. "Kicks out his own flesh and blood for the bint. Don't worry pet, there's a new player comin' to town who's gonna put everything straight." He said to himself as he lit up another cigarette and headed back to Drusilla.

Angelus watched Buffy sleep, his mind was reeling from what she had told him about the other slayer and he couldn't seem to put it aside, even for some much needed rest. He had managed to find them somewhere else to live, he'd decided that the mansion was needed by the minions and there was too many for them to stay there and he loved his space too much to move back into Angel's cramped apartment. He decided that a change of scenery would be best for six months or so until he had contracted someone to build them the perfect place, where he hadn't yet decided but it would be a permanent home and would have to be up to his inspection. For the time being he had decided to move them to an old hotel in Los Angeles called the Hyperion, it was where Angel had stayed once but was now abandoned. He had managed to have the place aired out and any small renovations made that week whilst they were in Sunnydale. The furniture was being delivered tomorrow and cleaners would be going in to make sure that the place was spotless when they arrived. Angelus had decided to put Spike in control of Sunnydale during his absence whilst he met with some old contacts in LA and began to put together his empire again. Plus he had more contacts in L.A. that he could call upon if they had problems with the new slayer; all together it seemed like the best idea. He hadn't yet told Buffy of any of this, he wasn't sure how she would take being moved away from Giles and the others now that they were on good terms and after being away from them for so long already. He planned to take her out for a meal at sunset and tell her of their move. That way she wouldn't try and attack him in public!

Evening came around and Buffy was surprised when she woke to find Angelus dressed sitting next to the bed on a recliner. He pulled her from the bed and carried her into the bathroom then placed her on her feet, taking her hand he helped her into the tub which he had run for her, and then left her to bathe. Twenty minutes later she emerged from the tub wrapped in a fluffy black towel to find Angelus gone from the room and a number of gift wrapped boxes left on the bed in his place. Sitting down on the edge of the bed she carefully picked up the large box which said 'open me first' on a label which was attached to it. Inside she found the most beautiful dress she'd seen, and that was saying a lot because over the last four years she couldn't remember how many dresses she'd had. It was a long blood red dress, with off the shoulder sleeves that fanned out gradually from the elbow to the wrist creating an elegant effect. The body of the dress had the same effect with the top clinging tightly down to mid thigh then fanning out. The dress was made of fine silk and she couldn't resist rubbing it against her skin to feel its smoothness. Laying the dress carefully back on the bed she went about opening the other boxes in which she found red shoes to match, silk stockings and red silk thongs. The final box was small and velvet and she had an idea of what was in there. Opening it up she was again in awe, the box contained a ruby and diamond choker, lifting it out she noticed how heavy yet dainty it seemed. Assuming that Angelus hadn't gone to all this trouble for nothing she began to get herself ready, she quickly dried her long hair leaving it in waves that flowed down her back. She applied light makeup to her face then finished it with some red lipstick to match her dress. She carefully changed and once ready quickly checked her hair and makeup in the small compact mirror she had. Angelus didn't have a single mirror in the house, for obvious reasons, but it was beginning to be a pain when she couldn't even check if she looked presentable. Hoping that she did she left the bedroom closing the door behind her and headed to the stairs, carefully stepping from one to the next so she didn't fall in the high heels.
Angelus had heard the bedroom door shut and hung up his mobile heading for the stairs. Looking up he watched as she carefully descended, the look of raw hunger and lust in his eyes surpassing anything she'd ever seen. She looked more stunning than even he had imagined in the dress and jewels and he tried hard to push aside the thought of simply carrying her back up the stairs and skipping the meal and conversation. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she finally looked up at him seeking his approval, he didn't need to say anything once she looked him in the eye, she could tell that he was beyond pleased. He lifted her left hand and slipped a ring onto her finger before she could refuse, looking down she saw a white gold claddagh ring adorning her engagement finger. It was similar to the one Angel gave her only this one had a ruby shaped inside the heart and three diamonds in the crown. Her heart ached at wearing his ring; it felt like she was giving herself to someone else when all she wanted was to belong to Angel. Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at their joined hands and noticed that Angelus too was wearing a matching claddagh ring. 'God Angel…I'm so sorry.' She thought silently as Angelus reached for her chin and raised her eyes level with his.
"Don't torture yourself Buff, Angel has gone and will never be coming back, you only have me now. You're mine and you will remain that way forever, I'll never let you leave me Buffy. You'll have everything you want and anything you need but you will be mine and you will not think about Angel in my presence again. I won't live with his memory over our heads, this ring symbolises the rest of eternity for us. Forever…that's the whole point." Angelus silently held his hand out to her and led her from the house to his car, she climbed in and soon they were driving away from the mansion. Buffy's heart ached the whole time and the ring seemed to burn her finger reminding her that she had given herself to him willingly. She tried to push the memory of Angel from her mind, knowing that Angelus wouldn't be pleased if he noticed that she was thinking of Him.

They drove for about an hour, they were outside of Sunnydale and Buffy wasn't sure where they were, Angelus turned the car off the highway and headed through some smaller roads. Just as she was about to ask where he was taking her a huge country mansion came into view, she didn't even know that it existed, she had thought the whole area to be countryside. There were a number of cars parked outside and Angelus found a free space and parked up then helped her out. He had originally decided to go for a quiet meal for just the two of them but when he got a phone call whilst he was waiting for Buffy, he couldn't pass up the invitation he'd been offered. It had been years since he had last seen or heard from Penn and the news that he had moved to Sunnydale had been a good surprise. What was left of his order was close at hand and he intended to keep them where they were.
He approached the door with Buffy on his arm and entered, there was a minion at the doors taking coats but he hadn't brought one so they sauntered past him and into the large ballroom to the right of the hallway. The room was full of vampires and Angelus felt Buffy tense for a second before she relaxed again and allowed him to slowly lead her inside. As they walked through the room the crowds parted to let them by, some whispers of shock, some of jealousy and lust could be heard as they passed everyone intent on looking for Penn. Before long Angelus heard him through the noise of the crowd as he spotted them and approached.
"Angelus, it's been too long!" he exclaimed as he shook his hand and patted Angelus on the back in a friendly manner. "And who might this lovely creature be?" Penn asked, knowing full well who she was but putting on a display for the others in the room.
"This is Buffy the slayer, my Mate. Buffy meet Penn my childe, Penn and I haven't seen each other in quite some time, I hope later we can catch up." Angelus said as Penn took Buffy's hand kissing it and showing the whole room her claddagh ring as he did so; smiling as he looked back to Angelus and nodded to his proposal. "There are some appetisers for our human guests on a table at the back if Buffy would like something to eat, help yourselves. Angelus…would you mind if I mingled for a while and then we can discuss business towards the end of the night? You and Buffy are welcome to stay here; shall I have a guest room set up for you?" Penn asked. At Angelus' nod he smiled and walked off to arrange for the room to be prepared.
"Would you like something to eat Buff?" Angelus asked and when she nodded he lead her over and left her to eat in peace whilst he walked around to see who was there. Angelus knew that it was risky to leave her alone but he wanted to see who would be the idiot of the bunch and attempt to approach his Mate whilst he was not by her side. It wasn't long before she was approached, the man was extremely handsome as well and had she been a normal girl her age she would have grabbed hold of him with both hands. However she was not a normal girl and she understood that Angelus had not only left her alone to see if someone would go to her but also as a test of faith between them. If she passed she would be rewarded, if not…well, she didn't want to think about that.
"What a stunning creature you are, amazing to think that such a small body could hold so much power. Between us two, I think Angelus was a fool to leave you all alone, never know who might turn up at your side and seduce you away from him." The man said taking her hand and placing a kiss on it, although lingering there too long for her liking. "You should know that being a slayer I can take care of myself; there is not one vampire here that could best me, not even Angelus himself." She said boldly.
A full hearty laugh erupted from him at her statement; she was so confident and brazen; even being in a house full of vampires she still considered herself the predator. "My dear you are amusing, perhaps you might join me for a drink so that we might get better acquainted." He said taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the table towards the open patio doors and the gardens that lay beyond. Digging her heels hard into the wooden floor beneath her she stopped their movement just before they reached the doors.
"I'm not leaving this room with you." She said firmly, not willing to budge an inch. He quickly moved towards her pushing their bodies together as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"I am centuries older than Angelus, he can't even begin to understand the power I hold, to me he is but a fledgling and what I want I always get. You will not refuse me or I swear by the devil himself you will not live past this night." He knew that he was pushing things threatening her but so far no one in the room had seemed to notice what was going on between the two and he was itching to taste every inch of the golden slayer in front of him.
Buffy was fuming, who the hell he thought he was she didn't know, she could tell that he was an ancient but she was the slayer and there was no way she was going to allow any vampire to threaten and push her around. Bringing her free arm back she swung with full slayer force hitting him squarely in the chest and sending him flying into the wall, the force of the impact shattering the brickwork. His body dropped down to the floor and he slowly rose to his feet seething at her "You bitch!" he shouted and lunged forward only to be stopped before he reached her by a sword which decapitated him sending his body to the floor in ashes. Angelus turned slowly looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention.
"Just so that there's no confusion…anyone who dares to touch my mate will meet the same end, I will not bargain, share or compromise, she is mine and mine alone. If you want to keep your heads then do not cross me!" He shouted, tossing the sword back to Penn from who he had acquired it to begin with, he then strode over to Buffy and as if to prove his point to everyone he grabbed her kissing her demandingly and she yielded instantly to his touch. Far from gentle she realised that the kiss was not for her but to prove to everyone who she belonged to, long moments later when he pulled away from her the room had resumed its party atmosphere as though nothing had happened.
"I was handling things just fine on my own you know?" she said, slightly upset at the fact that he had taken over and not let her take care of things herself even though she knew and understood his reasons. The thing was, she'd had so much freedom with Layla that it was hard adjusting back to the way Angelus did things. If she were at home with Layla and the same situation had presented itself she would have been able to dispose of the attacker as she saw fit with no interference unless needed.
"You are mine Buffy and you know how things work, you will abide by my rules." He stated simply, fuming with rage that she would challenge him. Sensing his rage and knowing that this was not the time to get into a full scale argument with him she wrapped her arms around him placing her head against his chest and kissing his jaw line softly then whispering "I know, I'm sorry." Pleased that she was being submissive, at least for now; he let the matter drop and wrapped his arms around her as they swayed to the music unaware of the admiring stares they were receiving.
Buffy's mind and heart were on overload, she had such conflicting thoughts and feelings that were flowing through her to the point where she couldn't distinguish one from the other. It felt so good to be in his arms, to feel his strong hands holding her body close to his, she had missed this closeness too much. Yet she wasn't foolish enough to think that this was Angel and not Angelus, or that Angelus was any different that he had been prior to her disappearance. So if he was still a cold hearted demon…why did she want him so badly?

They spent a number of hours mixing as Angelus introduced himself back into the vampire society, whilst he had been searching for Buffy he had neglected his role but now that she was by his side he would work doubly hard to ensure that all knew he was back and gave him the respect he desired.
Just before dawn when she started getting tired Angelus lead her to the room that they would be staying in and then locked the door and went to meet Penn in his office. Angelus wasn't about to take any chances if Buffy fell asleep and someone decided to sneak into the room. He intended to be as quick as possible with Penn and then return to her bed.
The majority of the guests that had stayed so late into the morning hours had been accommodated and the house was brimming with the smell of sex and blood as they all seemed to be still celebrating in their bedchambers. Closing the door to the office he walked up and sat in Penn's chair behind his desk leaving his childe to take the visitors seat. Penn didn't argue, he knew his place when it came to Angelus and had no intention of displeasing his sire.
"Where did you find her then?" Penn asked first, wanting to know where she finally was that had kept her from his sire for four years.
"In Egypt with Layla of the Amen-Ra clan, they had abducted her in L.A. that first night she'd escaped from me. They broke the bond and took her to Egypt; she'd been living there with them." Angelus replied tersely, he still hadn't been able to get the image out of his head of Layla pleasuring Buffy in the gardens.
"How did you get them to give her up, they are the second oldest clan, surely you didn't best them?" Penn asked, being well educated of the vampires and her clan.
"No…I think had she wanted to she could have decapitated me within five seconds. It was only Buffy's history with me that kept me walking. Anyway, they agreed to let her return to me on the condition that they remain second guardians and Buffy must go to them every six months for a week. I could have done worse but I have to be thankful that they didn't harm her in any way. Besides, as soon as I get my empire together there will be no need for Buffy to visit them, I'll have them confined for my use and they'll no longer hold any claim over her." Angelus said thoughtfully. "But I don't wish to discuss this for the moment, Buffy's watcher has informed her of a new threat arriving in Sunnydale, another Slayer, and apparently she's nearly as skilled as Buffy. She's been well trained and will be seeking me and Buffy when she arrives, we will be leaving in two days for L.A. and staying in the Hyperion. I need you to keep an ear out for when she arrives and alert me immediately. I want you to test her; I need to know what I'm up against"
"Of course, anything you need master." Penn answered. "I also want word spreading that there are certain humans on the hellmouth that are not to be harmed, I know it goes against the rules but I fear that Buffy is unstable still and their deaths could cause more problems than it's worth so there will be hell to pay for anyone who goes against my word. Here is the list of names and pictures, make sure these are circulated and inform me of everything that happens here whilst we are out of town. Officially I've put Spike in control of my Minions at the Mansion but he's up to something, he always was rebellious. Keep your eye on him most of all, if it seems he's up to anything overly suspicious then get someone in there to spy on him. I'll be meeting with all my old contacts; whilst I'm away I want you to make sure everyone in Sunnydale knows that I'm back and that I'm in control, I don't care who you have to kill to do that but make it happen. Now…I'm going, if there's anything you need then let me know by midnight tomorrow." Angelus said as he got up from the chair and walked towards the door.
"Angelus?" said Penn just as he opened the door, Angelus turned back to look at his favourite childe, "Good to have to back." Penn said and then went around occupying the chair Angelus had vacated and set to work.
Closing the door he thought to himself 'It's good to be back', and he made his way up to Buffy.

By Sunset the next night Angelus had a list of things to do so he dropped Buffy off at Giles house telling her to stay there until he returned for her. She stormed away from him when he tried to kiss her goodbye and the sound of Giles front door slamming made her jump slightly as Angelus nearly broke it from its hinges on his departure.
"What the devil is going on?" Giles asked as he rushed from the kitchen to Buffy who had sunk down onto his sofa and flicked on his miniature version of a TV.
"We're moving to L.A. for a couple of months." Buffy stated, obviously not pleased.
"Ah. You don't wish to go with him?" Giles asked, understanding what was wrong with her but not wanting to push her too far if she didn't wish to share her feelings with him.
"It's not that…it's just that I only just got back, and I've hardly spent any time with you guys and already we're moving to L.A. I want to be with him Giles…at least I think I do, it's complicated but I just don't want to have to leave you guys"
"Buffy, Angelus has agreed that we can come and visit you once a week if we wish, we will come you know. Every weekend we will come and see you if that's what you'd like. I'm sure Xander and Willow feel the same. After all, we've been putting up with Angelus for four years, one day a week isn't going to make things any worse. Now, when will you be leaving?" Giles asked.
The gratitude was clear in Buffy's eyes and she leaned forward to give him a hug, both enjoying the feel of having the other so close after such a long time. "We're leaving tomorrow at sunset"
"Well then, I think you'd better call Willow and Xander and have them come over so that we can say a proper farewell, don't you?" Buffy smiled and went to the table to call her friends whilst Giles went back into the kitchen.

Forty minutes later and whole gang was gathered in Giles living room, Xander had collected a film on the way whilst Willow went to get cake, candy and ice-cream. They chatted for hours about old times and where Buffy would be staying in L.A. and what she would be doing. They all agreed to go and visit Buffy as soon as they were settled in L.A. and she promised to call them when she got there to let them know everything was fine.

When Angelus returned for Buffy it was close to sunset and as he approached Giles apartment he couldn't hear any noise coming from inside. Panic hit him that maybe she had left against his will and gone out but as he quietly opened the door he noticed the TV muted and playing to four sleeping people. Walking further inside he observed the scene. Giles was slumped in the chair fast a sleep, his glasses resting on the coffee table. Willow, Xander and Buffy were cuddled together on the couch like three peas in a pod. A sickening feeling rushed through him even as he thought how cute they all looked. "I've been around Buffy too long already." He muttered to himself. Giles stirred in his chair at the sound of his voice and blinked his eyes a few times before noticing Angelus standing before them.
"We tried to stay awake but they gradually fell asleep one by one, I gave up myself in the end. We weren't sure if you were coming back for her before sunrise." Giles said as he replaced his glasses.
"I was out on business, before I wake her there are some things we need to discuss." Angelus said and they both headed into the kitchen whilst Angelus informed Giles of a few of his plans.
Just before sun rise Angelus pulled Buffy from her place resting against Willow and lifted her into his arms whispering for her to go back to sleep as he carried her to the car and put her inside then sped back to the mansion. He was exhausted himself and simply wanted to crawl into bed with Buffy beside him and sleep until sunset. However, when he got back to the mansion the place was in chaos and there were sounds of fighting coming from inside. Sitting in the car out side he concentrated and let his senses guide him until he found what he was looking for. The Slayer. She was in there that moment raging hell upon his minions, if he hadn't had Buffy with him then he would have gone in there and challenged her himself. As it was he wasn't about to put Buffy in danger, plus the fact the sun was rising was a major issue. Reversing from the mansion he headed to the closes place he could think of…Buffy's mother's house.

TBC...