Feedback: Pretty please with a cherry on top! Feedback and criticism (but only constructive) is welcomed and appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of it's mine except the storyline, Chuck and Lucille, Commissioner Newtown, Jonah, Ulrich. If it were, Angel wouldn't have left Buffy in the first place. This is therapy for me.
Rating: Pg - 13, for violence
Pairing: B/A, minor use of other ships e.g. W/O, S/F
Summary: AU. The whole gang are werewolves 'cept Cordelia. Somehow I couldn't see here doing the whole werewolf thing. In my mind she screws up her nose and then says ' Fur is sooo last winter'. Angel is the pack leader and his mate is of course Buffy. If I tell u anymore it'll ruin the story. Read and enjoy!
-#-#-
Dawn lazily made its way through Los Angeles, pink tendrils trailing sluggishly into the air, unhurriedly following the retreating inky blackness of the night. The last remaining stars put out their lights and the moon bid adieu, paling into the cotton clouds as the sun's rays kissed the dew-covered earth. It would be a beautiful sunrise.
To Angel though the world could have been in hell for all he cared. He was seeing everything in a dark shade of red as his fear, hurt and anger for Buffy clouded his vision. He'd followed her scent to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city but then it vanished. The stench of his beloved's agony and blood covered her own natural scent of vanilla and sunshine thickly. Now it was gone replaced by the musty smell of damp cardboard, oil and moths. It was as though she had never existed. The warehouse was just that, a warehouse. He'd scoured every inch of it hoping for the faintest trace of her anywhere but there were no concealed panels leading to underground tunnels, no secret underground base…nothing.
He slumped to the ground, his sword falling uselessly to the cement floor with a sharp metallic clang. He buried his head in his hands, and breathed deeply. The anger that had fuelled him was now replaced by desperation and a sudden loneliness, a deep, soul searing fear that he would never find her and remain alone for the rest of his life. He felt like howling but his heart just wasn't in it. He felt empty, used and hollow. And then Angel did something he'd not done since he was seven and his puppy had run away.
He cried.
-#-#-
The cell was small and white. That was really all you could say about it. There was a small bench at the back with a small, grey blanket on it but the cell was otherwise unfurnished. Her weapons were gone as was her clothes; she was dressed simply in a white gown. She was awake, alert and though her wrists were a bit sore she was completely healed.
Getting off the bench she padded over to the cell bars and reached out to touch them. A sharp electrical shock made her yelp and back away, sucking her fingers. There was a gruff, deep laugh from the cell opposite her, which she had previously thought unoccupied. Her eyes sought out any life form, and crouched at the back in the darkness was a shadowy form. She tried to make out any details and that was when the creature opened its eyes and stared back at her. They were a deep golden and completely hypnotising and Buffy couldn't help being drawn into their depths. The creature suddenly coughed, a harsh, rasping sound, and Buffy suddenly broke eye contact and watched as the creature's body shook uncontrollably.
The coughing subsided and the creature leaned forward slightly so as to come out of the dark shadows in the back of the cell. There was a sharp intake of breath.
"Vampire," she hissed.
"Ulrich actually," the vampire wheezed, his lips twitching upwards at the corner.
"Great," muttered Buffy. "Just what I need. A vampire with a sense of humour."
"You develop one in here, or you lose your mind," said Ulrich darkly, stepping out further into the light. He sat down near the cell door, watching Buffy.
"You can't be a vampire! The light…"
"I'm losing my vampirism. I can go in the light for short periods; I have to breathe and now I can catch colds hence the cough. Gradually I'm becoming human due to the experiments."
"Experiments?"
He gazed at her silently and Buffy realised his human eyes were navy blue. Finally he spoke.
"You are at the new Initiative headquarters. When the one in Sunnydale was blown up by the Slayer the government decided they needed their soldiers to be better equipped to fight off non-human species. Thus, they set up here. They capture different demons, creatures, anyone with mutant powers and experiment on them. They take whatever gifts you have and put them in their own soldiers. Make them super strong, the ultimate fighting force or something like that."
He stretched slightly as Buffy took in the information.
"So they've what, defanged you? Excuse me if I don't feel sorry for you."
Ulrich growled slightly. "You think that because I'm a vampire I deserve to be experimented on?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Your soulless, you know, not having of the soul kind and basically the less there are of you the better the world will be."
Ulrich sneered. "You think having a soul makes you a good person? I suppose all those murderers and dictators were just having an off day then? Oh it's okay, they've got souls, which means they're all good people really."
He shook his head and smiled ironically. "You're one of the monsters too you know. Everything's not as black and white as you'd like it. I don't have a soul, true, but does that mean you have the right to subject me to pain? What right do you have to choose who lives and who dies, who gets tested on and who can live their happy soul having life?"
He paused and rubbed his chin as if in thought. "You know, the animal rights people get worked up about the cute, fluffy rabbits that get experimented on. But does anyone really give a damn if someone uses a frog, or a worm, or a rat? It's wrong if the scientists use people with souls but everyone else, well they don't really matter do they? They don't have feelings; I bet they can't even feel pain!"
He pointed over to an empty cell next to Buffy.
"Last week that held a small boy by the name of Jonah. He was only 6 years old. He was taken by two scientists every day at dawn into that room through there."
He pointed at a metal door at the end of the corridor of cells. "I heard his screams, his pleas, his sobs for them to stop. Do you know what it is like to listen to a child cry for their mother as they are tortured? To comfort them with words as they sob in their cell at night when they are returned, knowing there is nothing you can do to ease their pain?"
He turned his eyes on Buffy and she flinched at the cold, dead look in his eyes. "One day the scientists came and he went into that room. He never came back out again."
He gave a hollow laugh. "His only crime was that he was a demon. But then, I suppose you think that he deserved that, don't you?"
Buffy shook her head, and she couldn't stop the trickle of tears that leaked out of her eyes and made their way down her face. "I, I'm sorry, I didn't realise…"
He raised his hand silencing her. "It doesn't matter. You can't bring him back, nothing can. All you can do is fight, and try and think, and realise that what you thought was right, isn't always. What's that old cliché? Two sides two every story?"
He began to cough again and he gasped for breath. "I do apologise, here I am carrying on about equal right for demons, and I don't even know your name. Where have my manners gone?"
Buffy gave a short bark of laughter at his sarcasm and wiped away her tears. "It's Buffy," she said.
"Well, Buffy," said Ulrich, a wry smile crossing his features. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the cellblock…"
-#-#-
Faith hadn't stopped crying and Spike was getting worried.
She wasn't the type of female who cried at a mushy film. He didn't think she'd cried since she was four and he'd pulled the head off her Barbie. She dealt with it and moved on. This Faith however, was sobbing into his shirt in their bedroom, and there was nothing he could do to stop the tears coursing down her cheeks. He was rubbing her back soothingly and muttering unintelligible words of comfort in her ear as she clung tightly to him but nothing was working.
"Faith?" he asked, pulling back from her slightly.
Her hair was dishevelled, her makeup had run and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He cupped her head with his hands and kissed her softly. "Faith, pet, you can't keep crying like this. It's not your fault that Buffy was taken, it was those bloody soldiers not you."
Faith shook her head, her dark hair flying wildly. "But it is! If I hadn't gone after Penn, then Buffy wouldn't have come looking for me and…"
Spike pressed his finger against her lips. "You went looking for your brother, Faith, and that was an admirable thing do. He's your family Faith you couldn't abandon him."
Her dark eyes clouded. "But you're all my family as well. Buffy is my family, my clan leader's mate! And I disobeyed Angel. I should have just left it to them and then none of this would have happened." She started to cry again and Spike couldn't take it anymore.
He took her by the shoulders and shook her.
"Dammit Faith, you went after your brother, and yes, it was against the poof's wishes but so what! I would've done the same if you'd been out there, and so would he if it were Buffy and he was in your position. You can't keep blamin' yourself for somethin' that anyone would have done. Buffy chose to go after you, and I don't think you told those soldiers to beat you both up did you? What happened would've happened anyway, fate would have seen to that. Angel's angry and upset, true, but moping up 'ere ain't gonna sort anything is it?"
Faith looked up at him with wide eyes and then suddenly shook herself as though she were coming out of a trance.It seemed his little speech had done the trick.
"Your right, I should be doing something, not crying over my stupid mistake." She hugged him and nipped his neck eliciting a growl from the werewolf. He leant in for a kiss but she dodged out of the way, leaping from his arms and over to the doorway. She winked playfully. "Come on, we've got some research to do," and she slipped out of the door.
Spike growled to himself.
"Dammit woman!" He thumped his hand into the bed beside him. "I think I preferred her crying."
#-#-
Nobody wanted to be the first to speak. Dawn opened her mouth, hesitated, and then shut it again, staring glumly at the ground. Willow nervously tapped her nails against the side of her fifth coffee.
Pitter pat…pitter pat…Pitter Pat…PITTER PAT… PITTER PAT.
"Oh bloody hell Red, stopping doing that!" Yelled Spike breaking the silence. Everyone jumped and the coffee swirled dangerously.
"This is so stupid," muttered Faith. "How long's he been up there?"
"Two days," said Oz quietly.
"I've never seen Dad so angry before," said Conner, who in an uncharacteristic display of affection had his arm wrapped around his sister's back comfortingly.
"Yeah, well, no-one's taken yer Mom before have they," said Spike reaching for a cigarette in his back pocket.
Cordelia grumbled aloud. "Well sitting here isn't getting us anywhere. I don't even know what I'm still doing with you weirdoes. I mean two days ago I didn't even know werewolves existed. Now we've gotta save one. God, why do horrible things always happen to me?"
Everyone stared at her, but Cordelia carried on unaware of the incredulous looks she was getting.
"I mean one day I'm living my normal life in my nicely well paid job, thank you very much, then suddenly dogs are talking to me, Buffy's kidnapped and to my complete and utter horror my very expensive designer clothes are absolutely wrecked!"
Conner was only stopped from doing something very nasty to Cordy by Dawn, who held him back, only because it meant cleaning the lobby floor afterwards, something that was not a lot of fun.
"Well it's nice to see you have your priorities right," said Xander sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes but continued moaning. "And now my boss had gone and trashed the rooms upstairs because the love of his life is missing. Can't he get over himself just a bit? I mean, here I am, risking my nails and social credibility to hang out with you losers, and, might I add, without receiving a paycheck, while he lets out his anger on his home." She sighed dramatically. "My caring nature sometimes even surprises myself."
There was stunned silence, as every mouth hung open at her words. Cordelia stood up suddenly and brushed an imaginary speck of dust off her skirt.
"And it looks as though it's up to me to sort out this mess as well." She began to make her way up the stairs when Faith suddenly found her voice.
"What do you think you're gonna to do?"
Cordelia paused and turned around, a superior smile gracing her features.
"I'm going to make him calm down and then get him off his ass and doing something, which you all have failed at spectacularly so far."
Faith cast her a disbelieving look. "Using what, the Chase family charm?"
Cordelia's face split into a wicked grin.
"Exactly."
-#-#-
Everything hurt.
Parts of her body she didn't even know existed were now throbbing. Her healing was working overtime trying to knit the broken bones back together, repair the pierced flesh and replace the lost blood which now caked her legs and arms, dried and crusted.
Two days.
Every morning two men in white laboratory coats came to the cell door, disabled the electricity which kept her from touching the bars and then shot her with a tranquilliser gun through the bars.
Like some wild animal.
There was nowhere to escape to. Nowhere to hide from the leering grins and suggestive comments, the derogatory remarks and hateful stares.
Bulls-eye.
The needle would find its mark. She'd fall limp, to the ground. But the mixture only paralysed her. She could hear, feel and see everything that happened to her. She was trapped inside her own body.
A coffin of flesh.
Hauled over one of the scientist's shoulders she was carried out of the cell and down the corridor to the iron door at the end. From there on in everything was just blinding pain.
-#-#-
Her hands and feet were chained to four poles at the end of a large, cold metal table. There was the sound of a large trolley being wheeled in and then suddenly a smooth, patronising voice spoke somewhere to her left.
"We are proceeding to test the healing powers of Hostile 33X05. The time is 9:23."
Buffy blinked as a large face loomed over her own. The woman had dark red hair pinned up in a chignon, piercing grey eyes and glasses. She grinned, showing a full set of gleaming white teeth and Buffy decided immediately that she hated her.
"Now let us see how you deal with pain," cooed the woman patronisingly in Buffy's ear. "Feel free to scream…" she paused and laughed mockingly. "Oh wait, you can't can you?"
-#-#-
Hostile 33X05 report.
By Helena Daley
Hostile brought into laboratory at 9:23. Experimentation began immediately. Testing results shown below.
Slice across lower leg.
Note: The skin heals almost instantly after incision was made.
Cut, deeper this time.
Note: Blood wells, scab formed and then drops off leaving clear unmarked skin. No redness or bruising left to indicate incision.
Chunk of flesh removed from lower thigh. See image page 3 of report.
Note: Healing time four minutes and thirty two seconds.
Stab wound to calf. Full penetration with knifed passing all the way through hostiles leg.
Note: Healing time ten minutes. Tests prove all severed veins, blood etc are now regrown and working perfectly.
And so it went on, page and page of detailed accounts of the testing that had been done on the new hostile. The results of the tests proved quite conclusively that this species of hostile were perfect for using in creating their new race of Super soldiers.
Commissioner Newtown relaxed back into his chair and smiled at the redheaded woman waiting patiently on the other side.
"Well Helena I must say you have exceeded yourself on this occasion."
The woman smiled prettily and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"Thank you Sir. As you can see my examination was quite thorough, I wanted to be sure. After all, isn't this the final ingredient we need?"
Newtown nodded his head. "Indeed. With the healing strands of DNA that you will acquire from this creature we can start immediate preparation. However I advise caution. We all know what happened to Walsh. No one is to get cocky am I clear? Especially when we are so near to completion."
"Of course Sir. I shall personally see to the final stages."
"Excellent. You are dismissed."
Waiting until Helena had left his office the smile slid off his face and was replaced by a scowl. The woman was tricky and far too intelligent for her own good. Once this was over he'd have someone fix that problem for him. Get her off his hands. Preferably into a morgue.
He placed the file back on his desk and picked up the phone.
"Operator? Yes, put me through to the President."
-#-#-
The hotel was a hive of activity. No one was quite sure what Cordelia had done or how she'd done it but Angel was now scouring maps of the city trying to pinpoint where he'd last smelt Buffy. Everyone had a task to do, whether it was researching powerful locator spells (the normal ones wouldn't work) or sharpening weaponry.
Angel hadn't needed to apologise. They knew why he'd done it and they'd all dealt with their grief and anger over Buffy being kidnapped in their own way. No one begrudged Angel his anger and how he'd decided to channel it.
Besides they were family. Pack.
It was noisy inside, everyone trading ideas, theories on how to rescue Buffy. An air of hope and optimism surrounded the group, although perhaps that was just due to the amount of coffee that Willow had drunk.
Suddenly Oz picked up the sound of the hotel lobby door being opened and alerted the rest of the group. A deadly silence came over them as collectively they pricked their ears searching for the slightest sound. Those who could grabbed a weapon. The others grew their claws. Cordelia was roughly pushed to the back as she was weapon less and cautiously they made their way out onto the landing. Below them there was the soft padding of feet and the squeak of door hinges.
'On my signal,' said Angel telepathically. Everyone tensed for attack, readying to jump over the balcony and surprise the intruders.
'Go!' With an almighty roar they leapt over, Angel with his sword raised, eyes flashing, Spike, claws and teeth bared, Oz already in wolf form…
Giles raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Did I miss something?"
#-#-
Thank you to all of my reviewers!
Liz I'm glad you really like the story. I hope the chapters now meet a satisfactory length; I do try really hard on them!
Spikes Kitten Wow your certainly enthusiastic aren't you: ) I'm glad you like the thing between Buff and her Angel, cos it's one of my fav things too. I'm glad you think my fic is so cool!
Lucifer's Angel First of all, nice name! I thought it would be good for Buffy to go after Faith, and as it was essential to the plot I'm just glad it worked so well. Maybe it's something to do with them being sister slayers in another life perhaps?
ashes2342 I'm glad you think it is original. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for a new chapter, but I have to wait for inspiration to hit me. For example the character of Ulrich only developed as I was typing. The characters pretty much write themselves.
Karmawiccan Sorry about my irregular postings! Thank you for you lovely comment blushes And just for you I included some Spike/Faith, cos you wanted other mates.
Tsw Thanks! Hope to have another review from you soon.
Sarahsamhain Thank you for reviewing. I like possessive Angel too.
Kris I'm glad you think it's good. It's so nice to have lovely reviewers.
buffynangelforever Well, your name has got to be one of the best I've seen so far ; ) Thanks for reviewing and for your nice words.
PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY! GO ON, YOU KNOW YOU WAN'T TO!