The Slayers escorted them into the basement, where they saw a cage in the corner, much like the one at the Hyperion, where Angelus had been kept (unsuccessfully) last time Angel had lost his soul. On the opposite wall there were two sets of shackles bolted there. with about two feet of slack.
Taywen and Angelus were led there, while Illyria was led to the cage. It had five locks of varying degrees of security, and looked very imposing.
"This could turn out to be disturbingly erotic," Taywen muttered as first she, then Angelus were chained to the wall. The vampire just laughed.
Illyria was put in the cage, which took considerably longer, because the Slayer in charge of the unlocking and locking had to find the proper keys for each lock, then figure out the combination for the fifth. The other Slayers were silent, but the one with the keys seemed to consider the task of unlocking a couple of locks required profuse swearing.
After at least ten minutes, the door was opened and the blue-haired Old One was shoved in. Then came the re-locking, which took considerably less time, since all the Slayer had to do was push the locks together. She placed the keys on a hook just out of reach of the two chained to the wall.
All the Slayers left them then. The door closeing, shutting out the light, seemed ominous. Or it would have if all the beings assembled down there hadn't been able to see in the dark.
"Again! That Slayer has an obsession with chains when it comes to me," Angelus remarked.
"That's... great... really..." Taywen mumbled, inching as far away as the chains would allow.
"she likes to hold you hostage?" Illyria asked.
Taywen made a noise half way between a snort and a cough.
"For a very different reason than what you mean," Angelus replied, his tone unreadable. It could have ranged from anger to amusement. When he escaped, he would take the one called Illyria with him, and possible Taywen. It seemed like they would fight on whatever side was open to them.
Footsteps could be heard outside the door, then it swung open to reveal...
Meghan.
The young Slayer slipped silently down the stairs, closing the door softly behind her. When she reached the bottom of the stairwell, she flicked the light switch then went and stood before Angelus. "You're a vampire," she said quietly. "Why do you act like you do?"
"Why is the sky covered by a huge black cloud," Angelus retorted.
"Evil," she mumbled.
Angelus nodded. "Very good," he sneered.
Taywen wanted to say something, but decided against it. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was leading, and the outcome was almost definitely in her favour.
"Mr. Giles and all the other Watchers... They always say evil is bad. It is, but at least evil's open about it. Good? It hides behind a facade of benevolence, helping if and when aid is to its advantage," Meghan continued softly. "Sometimes I wonder if there's really a difference between the two. Isn't it evil to send us to our deaths to prevent the deaths of others? The only things that can ever really win in a place like this is just that: Death." Her voice had a definite tone of bitterness to it.
Angelus smiled coldly, displaying teeth that were just slightly to long and sharp. He knew where this was going as well.
"So, I figure that it doesn't matter when I do, what choices I make. Really, the only choice is how I let death win."
"And how do you want death to win?" Angelus murmured. This was getting better and better.
The Slayer looked the vampire straight in the eyes. "I think you already know." She grabbed the keys off their hook. "Now the question becomes... Will you do it?"
Angelus studied her determined face, a thoughtful look on his face as he pretended to mull it over, even though his mind was already made up. "Yes," he said at length. "But only if you unlock me."
Meghan shook her head. "Nope. You'll have to wait for me to rise again."
Angelus smiled again. She was intelligent, at least. "Very well," the vampire said.
Meghan clutched the keys tightly in her right hand and produced a dagger with her left, probably from a sheath at the back of her belt. She slit her right wrist, transferred the keys and held her bleeding wrist out to him.
"Ugh! Get a room!" Taywen growled, unable to stay silent any longer as she tried (unsuccessfully) to turn away. They made chains so damn short these days!
Angelus' eyes became the predatory gold and the familiar ridges appeared. He took her hand, bringing it slowly to his mouth, his eyes never leaving her face. He paused, as if thinking, her arm an inch from his mouth, then without warning jerked her forward. She stumbled into his chest and he sank his fangs into the soft skin of his neck.
Illyria watched in fascination, wondering at the fact that, despite everything, the Slayer had not cried out, or made any sound for that matter.
After several moments Meghan shoved herself away, swaying slightly from loss of blood. "And your part?" she asked, a bit breathlessly as she tried to pull her hand out of his.
Angelus smirked, licking the blood from his lips, then he bit his lip, hard, and pulled her back against him, pressing his lips to hers.
"Again, get a room," Taywen complained, looking a little green, not that anyone was paying her any attention. Illyria was riveted to her spot against the bars of the cage.
The vampire released Meghan and she collapsed to the floor.
"You didn't kill her," Illyria was quick to note. "You will release me when you're free?"
Angelus shrugged, bending and deftly plucking the keys from her grip. He sucked his lip thoughtfully as he unlocked his shackles. "If you will join me."
"I will join you," Taywen said immediately, not that this surprised him very much. She was an opportunist
He quickly unlocked her, but not before asking, "What happened to the 'higher purpose?'"
"I don't work well under pressure and it seemed like a high pressure job." Angelus laughed while unlocking her.
"And you, Illyria?" Angelus asked coolly, turning to regard the being in the cage.
Illyria's face was unreadable, but he had a feeling she was weighing the odds, figuring out which was more profitable to her. "Yes," she replied simply. "Now, unlock the door!"
Taywen raised her hand. "Problem. Combination lock."
Angelus rolled his eyes. "Not for long. You could easily destroy it, couldn't you?"
The girl glanced at him. "What makes you think that?"
The vampire returned her gaze squarely, unfazed by the dangerous note in her voice. "If you can somehow lock two objects outside of time, I doubt a tiny combination lock would slow you for any amount of time. In fact, you probably could have gotten us out by now if you had really wanted to."
She grinned. "Fair enough. But they probably have magic detectors somewhere in this building, and that would surely set them off."
"Then unlock the other four locks and then do the numbered one!" Illyria snapped impatiently.
Angelus looked to the Old One. "Someone's grouchy." But he seemed to know what she meant, for he walked quickly over to the cage and was soon down with the locks.
"All right, treacherous Taywen, hurry up and destroy the last lock," Angelus said.
"Treacherous? Me?" Taywen protested, producing a matchbook from her pocket. She struck one, then held it beneth the lock. She whispered a word and the small orange flame flared, becoming silver. She quickly drew her hand back as the melted metal dripped to the ground, smoking faintly.
Illyria shoved the door open and stalked out.
"All right, let's go." Angelus started for the stairs.
"You're just gonna leave her?" Taywen indicated the dead Slayer.
He barely paused. "Why ever not?" Then he disappeared up the stairs, apparently expecting the Old Ones to follow.
"Should we help him?" Taywen mumbled when she was sure he was out of earshot.
"Angelus is more like I used to be, on a much smaller scale. They fear him," Illyria replied.
"That doesn't answer the question."
Illyria shrugged, something she had obviously picked up recently. "Will you help him?"
Taywen looked thoughtful. "Possibly. Although it looks like he's a 'hand's on' type of guy, and I hate work in all forms."
"That does not answer the question."
She stared at Illyria, then rolled her eyes. "Copying me now, are you?"
"Possibly. Although it looks like this will fast grow tiring, much like the shrimp dimension."
"Don't even mention that place!" Taywen exclaimed vehemently, a horrified expression on her face. "I was imprisoned there for fifty years!"
Illyria shrugged again. "That is not such a long time."
"It is if everything's made of shrimp!" Taywen retorted.
Illyria just looked bored. "Perhaps we should go?"
As if to punctuate the point, a girl's scream was heard from above.
"Quickly, I suppose," Taywen sighed. "More work."
The two ran up the stairs, almost into a group of a dozen Slayers.
"Again with the running," Taywen muttered, as she and Illyria ran for the kitchen and the back alley.
--
Spike was ushered into Buffy's room, which was on the top floor of the hotel, in the most luxurious suite. He didn't remember Buffy being into things like this, but the last time he had seen her, apart from five minutes ago, was when he had been bruning up closing a Hellmouth, roughly a year ago.
He found Dawn, Xander, Willow, Buffy and Giles, in short most of the surviving Scoobies, along with Andrew and Kennedy, seated on various couches, armchairs or on the floor.
"It's like Hellmouth HQ all over again," Spike muttered. "What's got the Scooby Gang all riled up? And why isn't Rona here?"
Buffy studied him quite seriously. "Because... Because they've lost their memory," she said quietly.
Spike blinked. "This hasn't involved any songs sung by their mothers setting them into a killing rage, has it?"
"Of course not!" Giles snapped, looking scornful.
"And who's 'they?'" Spike continued, ignoring Giles.
"Rona... and Vi. Out of the fives Slayers, including me, who survived, half of us have lost our memory," Buffy responded, looking at the ground, as if this was caused by her personal failure.
"Then where's Faith? And the crazy principal?"
Buffy's face darkened. "Faith and Wood are in England, trying to control the new Watcher's Council."
"Good luck to them," he muttered.
Xander raised an eyebrow, the one above his eye patch. "Amen to that!"
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, then Spike asked, "Any idea what's causing this?"
It was Willow who answered. "No clue." The red-haired witch was
"But that's such a good board game!" Andrew protested. "Oh... Never mind."
"Any others losing their memories?" Spike inquired, pointedly ignoring Andrew too. Buffy looked expectantly at Giles.
"Yes. At least ten others, which makes a dozen," Giles supplied grudgingly. He had the look of a child told he would need to have a tooth pulled out for some maniacal dentist's pleasure.
"How long has this been going on?"
"About a day." Two teeth.
Spike nodded slowly. He'd heard of something like this before. "You remember that singing demon?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "How couldn't we?"
"His name is Sweet," Willow added.
"I sang about Warren," Andrew murmured dreamily.
"Right... Anyhow, this is some kind of demon like... Sweet, you said luv? Like him. Summoned, spell-effect, bride, gone," Spike explained.
Everyone looked at Xander. The one-eyed man looked back. "Whaaaat?" he complained.
"What's his name?" Kennedy asked, puttng an arm protectively around Willow's shoulders.
"Ai'Reshimal," Spike replied. "I think."
Just then, a scream split the air, shocking them out of their demonic contemplations...
--
Angelus bit into a Slayer's neck, reveling in the unique, fiery sensation of her blood sliding down his throat. It was like a exotic wine, one that he had secretly been craving ever since Buffy had cured him of the poison Faith had shot him with.
He released the girl and she crumpled to the ground. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked around for more prey. No one in sight. "Make it fast," he muttered to himself. "Before Buffy and friends arrive!"
"Too late, Angelus!" Andrew cried triumphantly from behind, along with the rest of the group.
"Meghan was supposed to be on watch..." Willow muttered. "Where...?"
"Dark brown hair and eyes?" Angelus sneered mockingly. "She decided evil was the way to go. Unlocked me and the girls, then I killed her." Then he turned and ran down the hall, toward the kitchen, where he found Taywen and Illyria fighting the severely reduced ranks of Slayers. Only four were still standing. He grabbed the nearest and drained her blood while the other two finished off the remaining three. He noticed that Taywen only knocked her Slayers unconcious, but have time ot think much on that – he could hear Buffy and company running towards them.
"Damn it!" he snarled, glancing over his shoulder. Willow was at the front of the little race, looking surprisingly evil, although she had allegedly almost destroyed the world before. Angelus seized her the moment she came within reach and shoved through the kitchen door, followed closely by Taywen and Illyria.
Then they disappeared into the darkness.
Author's Note: Feel free to review... In fact, I'd appreciate it if everyone who read this reviewed, even if it is criticism. I promise I won't cry for too long if it is.
Dentists scare me, I'm sorry.