Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment

Reviews: Welcomed and appreciated

Takes place at the end of season 2, takes off from episode Becoming, Part 2 and becomes total AU. Buffy couldn't kill Angel and now has to live with the consequences of her actions.

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Spike watched as the young blond woman finished the piece she had been playing on her cello. She was so lovely, so pure. And Angelus had her. She played for him whenever the mood struck him, at all hours of the day and night. Although now it was all hours of the night and night. She was at his beck and call. He had yet to drink from her. Hadn't even fucked her, Spike could still smell her innocence. But that innocence, the shy demeanor, he knew that before long Angelus would break her. And once she was broken, his non-existent heart would break as well.

Angelus stifled a laugh as he looked at his grand-childe. That was his boy. Spike always fell for the ethereal ones. And they didn't get more ethereal than his Tara. He'd found the girl at the university campus. She and a few other members of some chamber group had holed up in an interior class room not long after the change. He'd been looking over what he considered his domain, all of Sunnydale and beyond. And then he had heard them. His sweet Tara trying to shush them and the others, the weak ones sniffling, quietly moaning. Oh, how sweet they all were. Nerds, the lot, all virgins. He loved it! But there was something about the girl. Tara. She was strong and soft all at the same time, she didn't even know of her strength, which would make the breaking of the girl all the more delicious if he chose. She wasn't Buffy, but she'd do in a pinch. And now he realized she could be a very valuable bargaining chip. He could get Spike to do his work and he might even come through and let Spike have the girl. As his grand-childe the boy should always do what was asked of him, but that just wasn't Spike. In the beginning of their 'relationship', he was like a little puppy dog always trailing after him, begging for scraps. But now, well, Spike was Spike.

"Spike. Do me a favor and take Tara back to her room. That's a good boy. Come back after, I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Spike stomped on his cigarette and went over to the blond. "Come on then girl. Don't dally, I haven't all the time in the world, you know." He thought for a second. "Actually, I do, but hurry up anyway."

She licked her lips and nodded. "Yes, sorry. I'll hurry." She put her instrument in its case and looked at the bleached blond vampire. He'd become everything to her, her link to the unreal world outside, her confidant, her savior. She was sure she would have killed herself weeks ago if Spike hadn't come into her life. Angelus had made Spike her watch dog. Not that he really thought anyone would dare to touch what was his, but just in case. For some reason Angelus wanted her untouched, which made her all kinds of nervous.

"He's just fucking with your mind love. It's what he does." Spike smiled at her when she first confided her fears to him. "I've known the piker for a long while now and while his demon is in control, well he's known for the sadistic mind fuck. Just you stay calm love. No worries." Tara looked at him and smiled. He was worried, she knew that, but there wasn't anything either of them could do at the moment.

She often wondered what sort of man Angelus had been when he had his soul. Spike had told her about the gypsy curse and how his love for the slayer had broken it, releasing the soul and allowing the demon to control this body again. Spike merely shrugged at the suggestion that the poor slayer must be living in agony because of her love for the man he had once been. As far as Tara was concerned, it was the stuff of myths and fairy tales.

Tara knew Spike hated this new world as much as she did. As much as all the surviving humans did. Which was one of the reasons he and Drusilla were no longer on the best of terms. He had tried to stop Acathla from opening the vortex. Tried and failed. After that the two of them just hadn't been the same. The crazy Drusilla wandered in and out of all their lives. And their rooms. Angelus had forbade her from touching Tara, but many nights Tara would wake to find the dark haired woman staring at her, mumbling incoherently. Spike would come into her room and throw Drusilla out the door before crawling into bed beside her, fully clothed. He'd soothe her until her heart stopped racing and she began to breathe at a normal rate. He would softly run his lips across hers and walk out the door, leaving Tara with an emptiness in the pit of her soul. One day she knew he'd stay and she would finally be complete.

"Poppet! Snap out of it. The old man wants me back here. Let's go!" Spike hated to talk roughly to the girl, but he didn't need her calling any more attention to herself.

"Oh, sorry." She hastily gathered her sheet music while Spike grabbed her cello as she followed him out the door up to her room.

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Spike took the cup of blood Angelus offered him. "So, what's up grandpa? You aren't exactly enamored of your grand-childe here." He downed the cup in one gulp and looked at one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Angelus had accomplished the impossible after he had awakened Acathla and opened up the vortex. Instead of being pulled into hell, a door had been opened and hell had come to them. So, Angelus being Angelus had picked up the sword the slayer had dropped and lopped off the head of the offending demon. No retribution to be had, just all the glory. Now, in this world, Angelus was practically a god. Spike gave a small smirk and shook his head. The bastard always seemed to come out on top.

Angelus snorted. "So, you like the blond do you? Tara?" He raised a brow to his boy. "She is quite the fair one. And she's still untried. The others in her little group? They were the stuff wet dreams are made of. All the begging, all the crying, all the innocence. Something about those little virgins, didn't last nearly as long as I thought they would. Tara's the last. I'm saving her for a special occasion. Hey, I also really like the way she plays. Didn't want to give that up just yet." Angelus motioned over to one of his minions and he brought over a young girl. She couldn't have been more than sixteen and she made Spike's mouth water. Angelus smiled and pushed the girl to Spike. "Be my guest."

Spike looked at his grand-sire in confusion. "What are you playing at Angelus?" He pushed the hysterical girl back at him, not trusting the master vampire.

Angelus shrugged before ripping the girls' throat open and drinking her dry before pushing her carcass over to the minions who jumped on it. He wiped his mouth and cocked his head at Spike. "I need you to do something for me. Accomplish the task and Tara is yours. If you don't, you get to see me fuck her and turn her."

Spike's mouth went dry. "What is it you want?"

"I need you to find that bitch slayer for me. I'd do it myself but I can't leave the Hellmouth right now. Have appearances to keep up. So, are you up to it?" Angelus queried.

"Hmmm… I could do this. Will you keep your word? Will you leave Tara for me?" His eyes narrowed in on his grand-sire.

"You have my word. Find Buffy for me and you'll have what you want. But you have to find her. I need her Spike." His voice was humorless. Spike had never seen the old man like this.

"Why? It's just a girl. Just a slayer…"

"She's my slayer Spike!" Angelus cut him off. "She thinks she belongs to that souled ass-hole, but she's mine and I'll prove it to her. If I have to pound it into her everyday for the rest of her life. If I have to break the bitch and rebuild her in the image of my mate then I will. She'll know who she belongs to."

The look in Angelus' eyes almost had Spike a little afraid for the girl. But then he shrugged. As long as he got what he wanted and that was Tara. "Hey Peaches, don't hold anything back. Just tell me how you really feel." Spike chuckled. "I'll do it for you, I'll find the little piece. Just don't forget who Tara belongs to." He stood up.

"Where you going?"

"I'm gonna find your obsession so you can give me mine."

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Tara jumped as she heard the knock on her door and it swung open. "Spike! You frightened me. I wasn't expecting you, but I'm glad you came back." She smiled up at him.

"Tara love. I'm gonna be gone for few days." He saw her face fall and her lip began to tremble. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Love, no. I'll be back, I promise. I need to do something for Angelus." He looked out the door and motioned with his head. "Tara, this is Clem. He's a mate of mine and he'll be keeping an eye on you until I get back. I promise pet, I'll be back soon. I know what Angelus wants and I know where to get it." His blue eyes looked deeply into hers. "Do you believe me love?"

Unable to speak, Tara merely nodded.

"Aren't you gonna say 'ta? I'll be back before you know it and things'll be better. I promise love." He gave her one last embrace before he disentangled himself from her grasp. "Clem, stay close to her, man." He handed her over to his one and only friend.

"I promise Spike. Hurry back, 'kay? She's not gonna do too good without ya."

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