Title: Torn part 6

Author: Neamh1

Disclaimer: Not mine

Feedback: Yes please, feed me.

Warnings: Adults only, please do not read if you are under 18

As they pulled up outside the Hyperion Buffy was in awe of its size although she should have known that Angelus would not stay in some small flea infected hell-hole. She followed as he walked through the front gates and up the few steps to the double doors, pushing them open as he inspected the place from the inside. He had hired some people to do a quick internal renovation of the main rooms plus his and Buffy's bedroom wanting them to be more than liveable in since they would be spending a lot of time there. He was pleased with the work they had done as he walked around the lobby and went into the office that was behind the desk, inspecting the paperwork that had already been delivered for him.
Buffy stood in the centre of the lobby looking around the huge room, it was amazing and she had to admire Angelus' choice. She spent the next few minutes exploring the downstairs whilst Angelus was in his office. The kitchen was huge and the appliances that were in there seemed to be of working order, she thought briefly about taking cooking lessons until she remembered what she and her mother had talked about. She'd decided in the car on the way not think about it until after they had dealt with the new slayer. The only problem was; she didn't know what she was going to do about the new slayer, technically Faith was in the right. Angelus was a soulless vampire who was killing humans for food and she was the slayer, it was her job to kill him…just the same as it was Buffy's job.
Someone took hold of her arm spinning her around and pulling her from her inner turmoil, she came face to face with Angelus. "What's wrong with you? I've been talking to you for the past five minutes; you haven't heard a word I've said have you?" He asked looking at her face which was full of confusion. "I asked if you wanted me to get someone to cook you something for dinner, you haven't really eaten much today and you need to keep your strength up, there's no telling what's coming our way. What do you want?" he asked again when she hadn't answered.
"Anything, I'm not really hungry but you're right, I need to eat something. I'm going to go upstairs and take a bath, I'll see you later." She said and pulled herself free from him.
"I'm hurt lover; I was hoping you might have invited me to join you." Angelus said as she walked away from him and up the stairs. To his displeasure she didn't answer him or retort in anyway, he had known that there was something up with her since they left her mothers earlier but he had thought it was just sadness at having to leave everyone behind, now he was beginning to wonder.
He had more pressing matters at hand though and so he would deal with his distant lover later. He made a call and had someone come around to make her food and also had the guards he had requested positioned at all entrance points to the hotel. He had his secret weapon brought into the hotel and had everything set and ready before he allowed himself to relax a little. If the slayer had been just another then he wouldn't have even bothered leaving Sunnydale but he was concerned that the council claimed her to be stronger than Buffy. He didn't consider himself to be running away by leaving for L.A. he considered himself being cautious. It was near Dawn when he finished up and so he wearily headed up the stairs to their bedroom and to his waiting lover.

She stirred in her sleep, something wasn't right…she could feel something and it was out of place. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around at the room she was in. The Hyperion, that was what was wrong, she wasn't where she remembered being, in her dreams she was at His apartment lying on the bed with his body wrapped around hers. The same body that was still wrapped around hers, an arm thrown over her slim waist and a leg pushed between hers. Their bodies both damp from perspiration from the out of control sex they had when Angelus returned to her from working. She had wanted to see if she could fill her appetite of him and not still crave him afterwards, it hadn't worked. Even now she could feel her body humming where it touched his, her traitorous body that wouldn't listen to what her mind told it.
She closed her eyes again attempting to fall asleep, to forget…but something was still wrong. Her eyes opened fully as she realised what it was she was feeling and she tried to move from his embrace to the end of the bed but he held her fast, halting her movements.
"Let go." She commanded and he wasn't pleased.
Growling he said, "No, go back to sleep." He'd had enough of her attitude for one day and all he wanted was to feel her warm supple body pressed to his as he slept.
"I can't…she's here." He heard her whisper and he sat up quickly in bed.
"The slayer." He stated but Buffy shook her head.
"Layla." She replied and moved from the bed grabbing her silk night dress and quickly covering herself then rushing from the room.
To say that Angelus was shocked was an understatement, obviously she had been watching them closer than he had thought and had heard of their problems so she had come back to reclaim Buffy and he'd be dammed if he'd let that happen.

Buffy ran to the top of the stairs and looked down; a number of male vampires were surrounding Layla and Olufemi in the centre of the lobby. One of the vampires was about to attack when Buffy screamed for them to stop and ran down the stairs and into the arms of Layla and Olufemi.
"I should have never let him take you, your aura is a mess, you are under threat from a slayer and you have been taken prematurely from your friends and family. Angelus has a lot to answer for." Layla said as she stroked Buffy's hair in a soothing matter.
"I'm protecting her." His stone cold voice rang out through the room startling everyone as he descended the stairs dressed in a pair of leather trousers, he was still buttoning up his crimson velvet shirt when he reached them. Buffy stayed by Layla's side angering him further but he fought to control the urge to rip her back into his arms. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a flat, uninviting tone.
"I told you that we would be watching and we are not happy with the report with have been given by our contacts." Layla replied.
Olufemi could be silent no longer, "We could feel her pain without even trying, some of it we expected when she was reunited with her kin but…today…" She trailed off as she remembered the ache they had both experienced all day long, their connection was weak from so far away but now that they were there it was magnified and they felt the emotions tearing Buffy apart from inside.
"Of course she's been miserable today, we've had to leave her family to keep them safe, we have a small problem but by this time next week that problem will be eliminated and things will finally be able to get back to normal. Had you given me more time then you would have been told this in you're so called 'report'." He retorted, his anger rising in notches every second and the vimpiresses glared at him.
"I'm sure. Anyway, if you don't mind we're quite drained after the journey here so we'd like to retire to our room." Layla said, not wanting to discuss anymore in front of an audience. She would speak with Buffy the following night, she had a lot to tell her and a lot to find out but it would be best done without Angelus present.
"I'm sorry Layla, I just don't have the room for you, I'm sure you understand." Angelus said with a self satisfied smirk on his handsome face.
"Well make room, we're not going anywhere." Olufemi growled at him and took a step forward as he growled back.
Buffy could see that a fight was going to break out if she didn't do something fast, she was glad that Layla and Olufemi had arrived and wasn't willing to give up their presence just because Angelus was in an ill tempered mood. Leaving Layla's side she approached him and pressed her body to his, resting one hand on his chest she used the other to softly tilt his face down to look at her.
"Please…let them stay. They can protect me better than anyone whilst you aren't here; you wouldn't risk my safety because of a grudge would you?" She knew that playing this card with him was risky, even more so because they had an audience and Angelus hated to be seen as someone who could be easily controlled, even if it was by his 'mate'. He looked back and forth between Buffy and the two vampiresses before fixing his gaze on Buffy and looking for any sign of deceit on her face.
"Fine, but you come with me back to bed now I haven't finished with you." He said and pulled Buffy behind him as he started to mount the stairs. "Put them in a decent room far away from ours." He shouted over his shoulder to his guards before they disappeared along the hallway and into their bedroom. It was time to show Buffy who was the master and who she craved for…

Buffy learned that night what he could truly be like when he was angered, in the confines of their bedroom he taught her to crave the pain he could bestow upon her. He hurt her but still she moaned for him to give her the pleasure that he also brought forth in her body. He used various toys on her whilst she was handcuffed to the bed; her made brought her to pleasure over and over until she could take no more. He wanted her to scream for mercy to beg him and tell him that she was sorry for her betrayal by willingly allowing Layla to taste her flesh but she kept silent the whole time. The only time she gave away anything was when she sobbed as he kissed the red skin on her ass softly after he had spanked her with a wooden paddle.
"You made me do this, you know that right?" he said later as he rocked her body in his arms, her sobs had now quieted to sniffles and she lay compliant in his arms. "You're mine." He whispered in her ear before he pulled her closer and drifted into the sleep of the dead.

By sunset the next evening there was no sign of her heavy beating, she woke to an empty bed and quickly showered before throwing on a denim skirt and a shirt. She found Layla and Olufemi in the kitchen making her something to eat, their effort was a touching gesture and she found that their food was edible despite not looking too appealing to the eye.
"Where is he?" she asked once she'd eaten her food, they had sat in comfortable silence watching her eat having missed the sight for the past few days.
"He's out, went to see some Lawyers at a firm in the centre of the city, he said he wouldn't be long." Olufemi replied.
"Buffy, we need to talk with you, but not here, is there somewhere private we can go without prying ears?" Layla asked indicating to the guard that was standing outside the kitchen doorway. Buffy nodded and stood as they followed her from the kitchen and upstairs to her and Angelus' bedroom, the walked through the bedroom into the small adjoining sitting area and took seats on the soft leather couch. Buffy sat in silence waiting for them to talk first, she could tell that it was something immensely important that they wanted to speak with her about and her stomach was flipping all over the place as she waited. "Before we tell you, we want to know what's been bothering you so much lately that having Angelus by your side has done nothing to ease your pain." Layla prompted.
She was quiet for a few minutes before speaking, trying to decide where to start. "It's because he's the cause of my pain that he can't help ease it, not all of my pain but the majority of it. It was a conversation I had with my mother that made me realise that I still even had any doubts about being with him. I knew in my heart that Angel would always be a part of me and that no matter how close me and Angelus grew, Angel would always be in my heart. I love him more than anything and I got so lost in my pain that I forgot that Angelus couldn't make up for what I'd lost when I lost Angel. I ran away in the beginning because I felt disgusted with myself for being with Angelus, I felt as though I'd betrayed Angel…and I had. Angelus may treat me well and give me everything I need but he's nothing like Angel, I learnt that first hand last night." Her tears were stinging the backs of her eyes but she fought for control to keep them hidden, crying wouldn't make the situation any better, she was in far too deep now to turn back. "Angelus is a soulless demon, he may lust for me but he'll never love me"
"Is love all that important to you? He wants you as his mate, by his side forever and you will never want for anything again." Layla said, she needed to hear this from Buffy before making her decision.
"I'll always want the one thing he can never give me…his love. I know that in some rare cases vampires are capable of the emotion but not him and I just don't know if his wanting me is going to be enough for me for the rest of my life." Everything went quiet for a few short moments before Layla spoke again as she reached over and took Buffy's hand in hers.
"I may have a solution for you, the answer to all your problems but it will be a hard choice to make and the choice must be your own. You must keep this to yourself and not mention it to any other for if Angelus finds out then it will surely be the end of our truce and we may not be able to protect you from him." Layla said looking at Buffy to make sure that she understood what she was saying. Buffy nodded once and it was all it took for Layla to put forth her suggestion. "Since that night in the gardens when you told me your fears of returning home, Olufemi and I have been looking for a way to help ease your heartache. We believe that we have found a way to give you back that which you desire above all else…Angel." Buffy's eyes light up in amazement and confusion and hope. "It will not come without a price though; you will have to sacrifice Angelus, the demon inside Angel in order for him to return to you…as a mortal. He will not have the strength he has always possessed as both the demon and the ensouled vampire he will be simply a mortal and therefore he can die as a mortal would. Angel is not here to help make the decision regarding his future and so you must make it for the both of you. I want to warn you though that having Angel back will not solve all your problems, he will remember everything his demon has done as he did before. Do you think that he could live with that knowledge? That if he came back it would be worth it? You will still have the slayer at your heels and the council watching your every move. You must decide what it is you want to do and let us know by tomorrow sunset so that we can set things in motion." "That would be a great help." Angelus said from his position in the doorway.

TBC...