Chapter Four
The darkness surrounded her as she stepped over the threshold of their once love filled, now dark tainted apartment. Although she was armed with a wooden stake, which she held aloft over her shoulder ready to strike, she was shivering all over. A chill washing over her, settling into a stubborn lump in the centre of her chest, which had nothing to do with the icy temperature. Fear was creeping and crawling up her spine, making her heart pound impossible loudly behind her ears.
She stepped slowly and carefully into the darkness and it engulfed her, swallowing her whole within its black velvetiness.
"Stan!" she called into the blackness, her voice echoing round her. She cringed at the nervousness in her own voice as it wavered uncontrollably and tried to calm herself, unsuccessfully, before speaking again. "Are you here?"
"I'm here."
His voice hissed, so twisted with evil she couldn't recognize it. It stirred the air around her, softly attacking from all directions and causing her trembling to jump up a gear.
Swallowing down a gasp and a frighten lump in her throat, she fought to steady her voice. "Where? I can't see you."
"I can see you just fine." came his contorted reply. "What have you brought that stake for?"
"You," she answered, for the first time since she walked through the door, her resolve set. She turned, looking around her space quickly, yet it was useless. No light was penetrating the heavy blackness. Her human eyes were no match for the artificial moonless night Stan had created within his 'nest'.
Laughing echoed all around her, twisting the air in a violent sneer.
As quick as a cobra strike, Stan lunged at her and he stake plucked effortlessly for her grasp. She clawed at her pocket for the holy water bottle contained within, but he was gone, disappeared back into the black as quick as he had appeared.
Her breathing quickened, the only thing she could hear, other than her drumming heartbeat. Bravely she closed her eyes, drawing all her senses to her adrenalin sharpened hearing, listening for any pin fall in the silence.
There! A soft footstep behind her.
She spun, eyes flying open, and threw the holy water all over…
…Angel!
He screamed as his skin started to burn.
…
Babe jerked awake, a terror curdled scream escaping her lips. Desperately, she fought to sit up, but she was still too weak. Sweating, she collapsed back into the deep pillow, breathing heavily.
'It was only a dream. It was only a dream.' She told herself, over and over trying to quell the panic fisting her heart. 'But when are my dreams ever just dreams?'
Angel, woken from his sleep, by Babe's scream, dashed across the hallway from the room opposite, to his bedroom he had chivalrously given to the damsel in distress.
Vamp senses heightened, he instantly scanned the room for any danger and finding none, turned all his attention to the panic stricken woman laying upon his bed. "Babe? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, gently taking hold of her shaking shoulders, hoping to give some level of comfort.
It had the opposite effect. She looked absolutely terrified, chest heaving, eyes wide, as if she was on the verge of a panic attack. It was a look he had cherished in his days as Angelus, but now it stabbed at his compassion.
"Get away from me!" she screamed, with as much force as she could will into her voice. Vainly, she tried to back away from the closeness of the vampire now holding her, hoping her fear and anger at his betrayal would give her some new found strength.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his heavy set brow pulled low in confusion.
"Is this some kind of game to you? Stealing victims from other vampires-"
"Other vampires?"
"-like some twofaced hero!" Babe carried on with her rant, too upset to listen or even hear him. "Did making me trust you give you a happy or something? You come along like some knight in dusty armour, save me, make me care for you-"
"Care for me?"
"-Trust you with your deep eyes and caring talk. Only to kill me, feed off me, or whatever you're planning to do to me."
"Kill you?" Babe, what are you talking about?" Angel demanded, his confusion growing.
"I know you're a vampire!" she all but spat at him. "The games up, I'm onto you." Her fury at his betrayal of her trust in him, that had empowered her rant and temporarily stifled her fear waned and suddenly she realised just how costly her out burst could be. Would he kill her now? She was still so weak, there was no way she could defend herself. She couldn't even run. She was alone, with a vampire, in his lair, defenceless and helpless and at his mercy. There was nothing she could do but await her fate and hope it was quick. She tensed as he waiting for his move.
"Ho…how did you know?" Angel stammered. Her unexpected acknowledgment had stunned him, but one thing resounded through his mind, like the first glow of kindling, smoking its way to life: She had said she cared for him.
Gazing down at her fear ridden features, he tried to make himself as less threatening as possible. "I'd never hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." he told her in the most honest and gentle tone he could.
Trembling as hard as if she'd fallen through an ice hole, Babe met his gaze. Something in the way he was looking down at her told her he was being genuine, but he was a vampire. It didn't make any sense.
"It's a very long story, but I don't kill people…not anymore."
"Not anymore?" she quizzed, neither her confusion nor her fear lessening.
Angel shook his head, unsure why he had felt the need to add in that particular detail. "I stopped," he said simply. Hating the way she was looking at him and wishing he had bitten his tongue, he gently took her hand in both of his. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but you really are safe here. You don't have to be afraid of me."
"I know," she said so softly he thought he had misheard, but the fear filled look on her face was suddenly gone, replaced with one of confused realisation.
"You do?" he asked, shocked. He had been all but ready to have to convince her further.
Babe smiled up at him and nodded weakly to their joined hands. "I can feel it…now. I couldn't before."
"So you're not scared?" he asked, his confusion returning with reinforcements.
"No," she sighed out weakly. "But I don't understand. You're a vampire like Stan is-"
"Was." Angel corrected.
"So how can you be…"
"I was cursed." he told her honestly, baffled as to why he felt the need to literally bear his soul to this woman he had only met the day before and hardly knew. "By Gypsies. I used to be evil…very evil, but I messed with the wrong people and they devised the perfect punishment for me. They restored my humanity by giving me back my soul. Now I help people to try and make amends for what I did - for who I used to be."
Her fingers shyly grassed over the back of his hand. "You're in so much pain." she gasped out, feeling it as strong as if it were her own. "You live with it all the time?"
"I have to." he replied instantly, cursing his mutinous tongue, it was like he had no free will. "One moment of happiness and I would lose my soul. It's part of the curse." he said looking away from those penetrating eyes. He had to, the urge to kiss her was back and those pouting lips looked nothing short of delectable.
"That's not right. No one can live like that, suffering all the time," she said sadly.
"I've got to atone," he said, as if that was enough to convince her. He needed this conversation over and now. His feelings towards her were growing at an alarming rate and he couldn't risk it, especially now that she had all but admitted that she was feeling the same way.
Babe gave his hand a tiny squeeze, wanting to show him that he had her support and understanding, but she simply didn't know what she could say. It was clear that his resolve was set in stone. He had resounded himself to live in misery for the rest of his life and she felt his belief that it was somehow justified.
He looked back to her and smiled a thank you. The compassion that sparkled in her eyes shone brightly even in the near darkness held his gaze longer than he meant. He couldn't believe how much of himself he had revealed to her. The honest openness he had shown her was something that had never happened to him before in all his extra long life. He felt like he had known her for years rather than the few hours and that feeling scared him. The last time he had felt these feelings for someone things had turned out very badly. He was safer, she was safer - hell, the world was safer - when he was alone. But despite his rational reasoning he couldn't drag his gaze from those eyes, so filled with warmth and caring and those tempting lips…
"Go back to sleep," he gently forced the words out, hating himself even as he said it, but knowing he needed more than a moment to get a grip on himself and these unrelenting feelings. "Judging by the way your strengths coming back you'll be back to normal in no time." That was a good thing, he told himself. Once her strength returned she could leave. Get back on with whatever she did with her life before the Powers That Be had intervened. Stan was dead, but she should get away from this unhealthy interest Angel himself had now taken in her to be truly safe.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, as Angel pulled the blankets back over her from where her fidgeting had lowered them. "I should have trusted you."
Angel opened his mouth to answer her, to tell her that there was no need to apologise, but something in the way she was looking at him stopped him. Her eyes smouldered longingly and he leaned lower. He couldn't help himself, he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. His head was screaming 'NO', but his heart was screaming 'YES'. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to know how if those full lips felt as soft as they looked, if they tasted as good as he was imagining they would. He needed to know what it was about her that had fascinated him since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. He simply had to know and at that moment his heart won the battle of wills and he bent down and tentatively pressed his lips to hers.
He had been wrong, so wrong. Her lips were soft and tasted of the most delectable sweetness he had ever tasted, but they far surpassed his wildest dreams of how good they would feel. The seconds turned to lifetimes and as he melted into her, she parted her lips in perfect responsiveness to his movements. Opening up to all his curiosities and welcoming him to taste her further.
However, despite wanting more Angel slowly pulled back suddenly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." he said guiltily, feeling like a moustache twiddling villain taking advantage of the helpless damsel.
"I wasn't complaining." she said with a encouragingly smile.
He returned her smile, albeit sadly. She may not be sorry, but he still was. He shouldn't have kissed her, even if she was willing. She didn't know what she would be getting herself into and in the long run it could only end in heartache. "You should sleep now."
"Will you stay with me?" she asked hopefully, keeping hold of his hand as tightly as her weakened state would permit. Then adding, "I just don't want to be alone," when she felt his hesitation.
"I don't think that would be a very good idea," Angel said with disappointed honesty. His craving for her needed time to be locked away and he simply couldn't risk anything further happening between them right now.
"Please," she all but begged, the longing plane in her eyes as she looked up at him forlornly.
His resolve went down once, twice, three time and drowned.
Mutely nodding his agreement, he walked around the bed and smoothly slipped beneath the covers next to her. This close her scent was overpowering. She smelt good, like summer, sweet and warm.
Lethargically she rolled to face him, her fingers twitching in search of his and when she felt him them lace together she gave him a happily tired smile and her heavy lids dropped closed.
Angel stayed awake for a long time after she fell asleep, just listening to her breathing even out and watching her eyelashes flutter leisurely against her cheeks. Alone with his thoughts he mentally kicked himself. He couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to let this happen…again! Now, not only was he going to have to leave her as he had done with Buffy, but he was also risking the return of Angelus ever moment until then. Heartache was all that was held on the cards for their future and that was the best-case scenario.
"Cordy is going to kill me." he whispered to himself.
…