FanFiction Archive

Bonds of Soul and Demon - Red Dawning

Amy had managed to combine the two rituals into one, and she'd smoothed the edges, making it so there was one list of ingredients for the lines and incense, one chant that had to be said. She had also came to the conclusion that for the best of luck, the spell should be cast at the opposite point in the lunar cycle from when Angelus was 'sent away'. Spike and Willow had both followed her progress closely, trying to understand exactly what would be asked of them, and how to give it.

The ritual also required a period of fasting before it was cast, so that had been marked on the calendars. Amy was staying at Willow's house. Willow and Spike had been splitting time between the Rosenberg home and the lair. Spike was feeling better, although he still felt safer if he was near Willow. She soothed his demon because she felt like family. Amy... well, soothed wasn't quite the word for what she did to him, but he liked it. Amy inspired all sorts of thoughts in him, about passion and blood and the future.

Amy didn't go to the lair, although Dalton had gone to the Rosenberg house to check her progress on a few occasions, or to help her translate a few passages. The vampires were partly hopeful to get Angelus back, and partly worried. They had never heard of anyone performing such a ritual before. What would happen if it got out of control? They would loose Spike and Willow, who had rapidly won their respect as well as their affection.

They had made a careful weakening of the nearby groups of vampires, and had managed to almost double their territory without anyone suspecting them. They had also been carefully looking for signs of demons in their area, especially since Willow pointed out that the lesser demons were most often also trying to feed on the humans, which put them in direct competition, and the more powerful demons were a threat. Both meant that they had to go.

Willow herself had started to patrol at night. Much the way Buffy had once done, she armed herself with wooden stakes and a sword, and prowled the town, hunting for things. Not because it was her 'sacred calling' but... she had this restless feeling, as if she needed to defend her territory, as if this was her hunting area, not theirs. She didn't intend to let her territory be claimed by some demon, nor did she want to permit other vampires to gain any position of power to threaten her clan.

Spike was up to hunting again, and he was careful when he did so. If he killed, he made certain that it was criminals, the sort of nasty people that wouldn't really be missed, and would cause no more than a token search for the killer. Sometimes, when he wanted to taste something a bit fresher, he went to the Bronze and fed, but didn't kill. Willow was now the one drinking the bags of blood from Willy's. One every couple of days. Amy knew, but they hadn't told Giles.

Willow had concluded that there would be side effects, that it was unavoidable and manageable. The need for blood was simply one of them that she would have to deal with. There was a part of her, deep and dark inside that wanted to go out, to hunt down some terrified mortal and bite deep into them, to drink deeply of them. She was worried a bit by that part, and had thus far managed to resist. She drank the bagged blood, and occasionally bit Spike, partly to reassure him that he was hers, her family and accepted, and partly... partly because he tasted wonderful. They didn't mention that part to Amy.

The three of them had agreed that Giles didn't need to know everything. He was to busy searching for Buffy anyhow. The less they forced him to know about Willow's clan, or the effects of her bond with Angelus, the happier they felt the Watcher would be. Willow and Spike had noticed on their patrols, that occasionally, the others, Xander, Oz and Cordelia, were out attempting to patrol. They weren't particularly quiet about it, so it was relatively easy for Willow and Spike to avoid detection. After a while, they concluded that they were trying to get the new-risen before they could go forth and join a clan.

They had smiled, almost amused by the teens playing Slayer, and had simply let them take over the efforts against the newly risen. Their clan could get anyone that they missed, and it would free Spike and Willow to hunt more challenging things. She was stronger now, stronger and faster than she had been before. Apparently, it was another effect of her bonding. The nightmares had continued, and that was another reason for her to hunt, to find things to beat up and kill. Sometimes, after a difficult night hunting, she wouldn't dream. Other times, she simply managed to delay them, to sleep - and dream later, and for shorter than otherwise.

She dreamed of the horrible torments that Angelus suffered. Gradually, she made a discovery. He wasn't quite Angelus anymore. Oh, the mocking tormentors still called him Angelus, still mocked him as the fallen vampire, but.... in her dreams, there had been periods of guilt ridden brooding, and on the rare dreams where she was watching instead of suffering under his skin with him, she could see something in his eyes. He had his soul again. Her Angelus... there was a soul there, a brooding, unhappy soul. Did that make him Angel, or was he still her Angelus?

Either way, she had to get him out.

~

She still had no contact with her one time friends. Xander had been her friend since they were tiny, and he had rejected her out of the mistaken idea that she was involved with Spike. Cordelia and Oz had also rejected her. Sometimes, she brooded over that, wondering why they couldn't accept the idea that she had someone that Buffy wouldn't have approved of, over what had been lost. Sometimes, she brooded over the fact that the loss of Xander hadn't hurt more. It made her slightly sad, but.. it wasn't the deep, cutting pain that she had always imagined it would be.

Perhaps that was an effect of the bond as well. Neither Angel or Angelus had been at all fond of the boy.

What she missed more were the dreams with the Master and Darla. Those two had become the parents that she had always wanted, attentive, willing to answer her questions or help her talk over her problems. People who wanted her in their family, who saw her as useful and welcome. She had finally thought that she understood what parents were supposed to be like.

All her dreams now were filled with Angelus/Angel's pain, filled with the torments and misery that he was suffering. Torments that made ghostly copies on her flesh, echoes of the pain her mate suffered. Her dreams were filled with pain and suffering and screams. Spike normally slept with her, not out of anything sexual, but because his presence lessened her thrashing, made the screams fewer. Amy was grateful for that, claiming that the sound of Willow's 'dreams' raised the hairs on her neck and sent chills down her spine. The vampires of her clan were glad that Spike could ease her dreams, because it hurt them to hear their leader in such pain. There was a small confusion over whether they meant Willow or Angelus by that, but it was ignored. After all, they both were suffering during those dreams.

Willow had gone out shopping, trying to get Spike some new clothing, something a bit different. It was part of her efforts to see if Spike and Amy would hit things off well. Also, tonight had ben extremely dead patrol wise, so she needed something to do to stave off sleep, and the torments that would come with it. They had found some more things for her, pants and skirts in leather, and a nice leather long coat, similar to Spike's. She would be able to hide a great many weapons wearing that coat. She was trying to convince Spike that Amy would like the looks of him in silk shirts. She was certain that the truth was Amy would like Spike in just about anything or nothing, but that was beside the point...

They were in a store, checking some shirts to see if they would be good colors for Spike when they heard Cordelia's voice, apparently talking to Xander. Apparently, there was to be a Chase family dinner and Xander was going to be escorting Cordelia. Which was why they were here, in this very store, trying to find Xander 'something suitable to wear' that would pass Cordelia's inspection. They were also discussing their 'after-school project' and saying that things were incredibly difficult since Buffy had left. They had no idea what had happened, but Giles was away trying to find her, and he had a letter from England at his house. They suspected that it might be 'something about that project, you know, the big one'.

"What project would that be, mum? Think they mean their little night time walks?" Spike whispered into Willow's ear, his voice full of amusement.

"Most likely. Giles was trying to find Buffy, he seems to think that she should be here, doing her job. I still think it would be easier to work with Kendra. Maybe that's what the letter is about?" Willow was thoughtful. Oh, I wanted to visit Miss Calendar at the hospital after we leave here."

"Why? She's a gypsy, you know. One of the tribe that cursed Angelus to begin with." Spike's voice was questioning, but not an actual objection.

"A gypsy? Hmmm keeping secrets, was she? Naughty of her. Actually, she was my favorite teacher, and since she's.. well, she's a really good listener right now." Willow was frowning slightly, feeling a surge of anger at the Kalderash gypsy clan. It felt as if... as if they had wronged her, on a deep level. "It was before she was born. She didn't have anything to do with that spell. We'll have to see what happens when she wakes up. Until then... talking to her will delay sleeping."

Wincing slightly at the reminder, Spike nodded. "Not the sort of dreams you need to have. They aren't good for you. You're going pale, mum."

"I was already pale, but you're right, I'm getting paler. It's a good thing that the ritual will be soon. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Willow shuddered slightly from the memory of the dreams. Last night, she had dreamed again, being forced to walk in a circle, pushing some sort of crank, while this hooded shape beat upon her back with a barbed flail. Her back had been covered with tiny welts and red lines, Angelus had been beaten until his entire back was raw and bloody, much the way her's had been after Dru had held her. Her feet had also been blistered and raw as if she had been walking over something hot and uneven.

She didn't know how much more of this she could stand.

~

They had no idea what the significance of the letter waiting for Giles. What Cordelia had described as 'a letter from England' was from the Watcher's Council. In coldly impersonal phrasing, it wrote of the passing of Slayer Kendra, who had died with bravery. The new Slayer, Faith Taylor, would be sent to Sunnydale until such time as Buffy Summers was once more located and judged capable of her duty. Rupert Giles was urged to 'make every reasonable effort' to locate Buffy.

Willow and Spike remained unaware of the contents of the letter. They were also unaware that the new Slayer, Faith, was already on her way to Sunnydale. Unaware that she fled her own demons, both internal and external. That she was fleeing from terrible danger, running towards the presumed safety of another Slayer, another watcher to help dispatch the enemy that chased her. A dangerous enemy that had already slaughtered her own watcher, that had come very close to slaughtering her as well.

Willow and Spike began the preparations for the ritual. The carefully gathered ingredients were prepared, and the diagrams were meticulously laid out. They had both fasted for twenty four hours before the casting, and had carefully dressed in clothing that wouldn't carry any 'tainted energies' into the ritual. They were ready to begin. The incense was lit, the chanting began. If all went properly, Angelus should be returned to them very soon.

Words were chanted, beseeching powerful forces to permit the retrieval of a loved one, taken far from them. Rare herbs and oils burned, to provide a fragrance pleasing to those powers, in hopes of making them more favorably inclined. As a token of their sincerity, they even made a small cut in each wrist, offering their own blood into the burning herbs and oils. The smoke that came from their blood coming into contact with the hot metal was dark, and carried a harsh scent. They continued to chant, ignoring the pain from their nicked wrists.

After what felt like hours of chanting, the smoke from the herbs and oils and blood burning in their eyes, and their throats feeling tight from the long chanting and smoke, the feeling of increasing pressure suddenly vanished, with an almost audible 'pop'. The power vanished in a rush, and Willow and Spike both staggered, catching each other. The small copper bowls where the herbs burned were extinguished and suddenly cold, sending only feeble plumes of smoke into the air. They were quite literally leaning on each other for support, a minor change from the past few weeks, where it had been figurative. Alone, they would both have fallen.

"Did it work? Is he... where is he?" Spike's voice was a hoarse whisper, filled with concern and nervousness.

"I.... I think so. I can... I think I can feel him, I'm just not sure where he is. We need to go find him." Willow's voice, while determined, was every bit as hoarse as Spike's, and while they had both only fasted for a single day, Willow seemed to have visibly lost weight in that time, as if it had been longer for her, or as if there were other, hidden demands on her body.

She gestured once, and they began to go out of the room, swaying slightly as they walked. As they cleared the smokey room, Spike got a good look at Willow. In that moment, if a stranger were asked to pick which of them was a vampire, they would pick Willow. Her skin was pale, almost waxy in appearance, Her dark ringed eyes looked sunken, and her cheeks had hollowed out. Spike could tell that the bones of her ribs and her spine had somehow become more prominent over the past twenty four hours, as if she were wasting away. Her hair was hanging limply around her, and the only sign of life was the determined glitter of her eyes.

Spike felt worried, looking at her. "Mum? You look... too thin. You sure you didn't start fasting early? Like.. last week early?" When her only reaction was to weakly shake her head, Spike became very worried. "Here, drink from me. It won't do me harm, and I can feed up a bit more easily that you can."

Willow didn't even hesitate. She let her fangs descend, and she bit into Spike's throat, drinking from him. She could taste him, not just his blood, but echoes of his personality, of his feelings. As she drank, she could feel strength flowing into her, making her feel powerful, as if every nerve in her body could feel.. everything. He began to feel weaker, and Willow forced herself to stop drinking, licking gently over the wound, as if in apology or acceptance.

"I think.. maybe you should go hunt. You feel weaker now... are you sure I didn't take to much? We can look for Angelus after you get a bite to eat." Willow's voice was quiet, concerned for Spike's well being.

~

Spike went out, feeling far weaker than he wanted to admit to Willow. She would feel guilty and worry about him. While it gave him a warm and comforting feeling to know that she cared, he didn't need her to feel guilty over biting him. It hadn't hurt, and it was actually quite reassuring, deep down inside, it made him feel like he belonged. He didn't need her to feel guilty, she had looked bad, as if something were draining her strength away from her. She had enough problems with controlling the clan, and her patrols. Then there was the whole matter of her former friends abandonment, which he knew had hurt her, although not quite as deeply as he'd expected. She was having to adjust to feeling the urges and needs of a vampire.

No, best to offer whatever help he could, and not give her any extra worries. He could simply go hunting to make up for the blood that she had taken. That was easy enough for him. Then, they would go searching for Angelus. He stopped, reaching out for the feeling of his sire, wanting to know how Willow was doing.

The pull went in two different directions. One was back towards where Willow was. The other... the other was towards the direction of the house Dru had taken as her lair. It could only mean that Angelus was back, that he was once more here, in Sunnydale.

Best feed quickly then, so that he and Willow could find Angelus as soon as possible. If his experiences had been as bad as Willow's nightmares, he might not be in the he best state of mind when he arrived. Who knows what sort of things could happen? Especially with those kids playing slayer, out looking for weak little vampires to kill. Somehow, he doubted that they'd hesitate to kill a wounded vampire, if they found one alone and helpless.

Amy was probably happy the spell had worked. She would get Willow to calm down a bit. She had seemed pretty worried about Willow, about what sort of side effects Willow's bonding had caused, about the nightmares, about Willow's near obsessive goal of getting Angelus back. That meant that maybe, just maybe, Spike could have the little witch all to himself, a chance to figure out how things were between them, and if there was a chance for things to... progress.

After a quick feeding, Spike hurried back to Willow. He had found himself suddenly worried that she might try to find her mate on her own. While he wasn't objecting to the idea of finding him fast, he wanted someone to be with her so that her back would be guarded. There were many dangers over the hellmouth, and there would be several that would be willing to attack Willow. Far better if that opportunity did not arise, especially not if... a dark corner of him worried that her former friends might view her as a danger now, might try to harm her. He would hope not, but... the fear was there.

He found her, waiting on the porch. She had changed her clothing after the ritual, now dressed in leather pants worn flexible, and a deep blue silk shirt under the leather long coat. From the hang of the coat, he suspected that she was heavily armed. He gave her a hug, reassuring her that he was strong enough, and they set off, headed towards the place where Acathla had been almost unleashed. They didn't know why Angelus had been returned there, of all the places of Sunnydale, but that was where the feeling came from.

Spike watched Willow as they walked, worried about her. She was chewing on her lower lip, a slight frown over her features. Something was bothering her, and he had the feeling that it could mean trouble. "Mum? What's wrong? Is it Slayer trouble?"

"Maybe, although I really hope not. I can't be absolutely certain... He's not... He got his soul back. The soul is there as well as my Angelus, and I have no idea which would be in charge, or.. or if the time being tortured and tormented will have changed him. What if he's Angel, and only wants his Buffy back? What if he doesn't want me? I don't know what I'll do if that happens. I mean, I said that... but that still doesn't tell me what to do if..." Willow's words came out, a nervous rush, and as she spoke, Spike felt icy fingers of dread close around him.

He remembered those last moments. How Angelus had fallen to the ground, how when he stood up, he was different. He had reached out to the Slayer, his voice soft and full of confusion. That had definitely been the souled version, full of nauseating affection and desire for the Slayer.

But the Slayer had sent him to hell. Literally.

That couldn't inspire a very friendly feeling, could it? How easily could you get over someone sending you to hell? Not even for a good cause, not even for a lousy cause. She had sent Angel to hell because it had been stated that Angelus had wanted Willow. Out of pure jealousy, the Slayer had sent someone that had loved her to hell, someone that didn't even have a clue what was going on. Then, she had run away.

"He'd have to be a fool to want her when he could have you, mum." Spike hoped that his doubts were hidden, that they didn't show in his voice. Willow was family now, and she had become very important to him, to all of them. She had taken care of him when he'd needed someone to care for him, guided the clan when Angelus was gone and he was to stricken with grief to offer any advice.

Unfortunately, if his sire had been fool enough to fall for the Slayer once, who could tell if he would be fool enough to fall for her again? Thank whatever powers listened to vampires that the Slayer had gone far away.

~

Willow and Spike carefully made their way across town, both following the 'feel' of Angelus. They didn't speak, contemplating the possibilities of what they might find, of what might happen in the future, of how Angelus would react not that he was home, wondering if he would be more Angelus or Angel. The fact that the pull of his location lead them to the lair that Dru had chosen did not comfort either of them, the only memories in that place were bad.

The house stood empty, as abandoned now as it had been before Dru had taken it. Now, it had a feeling, as if there were some sort of subtle impression left by the pain that had been inflicted here, some sort of warning that the world had nearly been destroyed in this place. That subtle uneasiness had kept people away, had prevented anyone from trying to use it as a lair, or even as a shelter for runaways. Slight shudders went over Spike and Willow as they passed through the broken door of the house, each remembering what had happened here before.

In what had been Dru's main hall, there was a scattering of grey dust, and some cracked bits of stone, a few broken shards of what had been Acathala. Giles had broken the demon-statue, sending each piece to be encased in cement somewhere. There was something on the floor near the remains. The body of a man, covered in soot and ashes, damp with sweat and blood, his back lashed until it bleed, cuts and burns over his arms, his legs and back, his feet blistered and raw. He was still, not a single sign of movement from his body, and he looked as if he had lost a great deal of weight. The bonds that they each had made it clear that this burned and beaten figure was Angelus, or possibly Angel.

"Bloody hell... What happened.... he's wasted away. Half starved at least." Spike's voice was a whisper of denial and dismay. He didn't want to see his sire like this, beaten, starved, his flesh split and bleeding.

"They tortured him there. I dreamed it... only, for him, it didn't stop when I woke up. I doubt they fed him either. We have to.. it'll probably hurt him, but we have to get him out of here. This place isn't safe.

Carefully, trying to grip on relatively undamaged areas, they picked him up and began to carry him out of the house. For once, it would be extremely useful that the folk of Sunnydale were oblivious. Very carefully, a sheet was wrapped around his naked form, so that if anyone actually did notice that Willow and SPike were carrying something through the streets, they would think 'carpet', not 'beaten, half-starved, ash-covered, naked man. They carefully carried him to the lair, placing him as gently as possibly on the large bed that he had used during his reign as Angelus.

"He's going to be hungry when he wakes up. Got a plan?" Spike's voice was quiet. Despite seeing Willow's nightmares, despite her descriptions, he hadn't expected this. His sire was supposed to be strong, powerful. He wasn't supposed to be this.. battered wreck of a vampire.

Willow was staring at the abused body of her mate. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, and she sounded almost distracted. "Send some of the minions to Willie's. We need packages of blood, human, preferable in decent health. I think... I think he's going to be out for a while, and we need to start getting nourishment into him now. Call Amy, tell her the spell worked, but there are a few... complications. I don't think it would be safe to keep him at my house right now. He's hungry, he might not recognize Amy... and... I think the Rosenberg's are going to be home soon."

Seeing the logic of her plan, Spike left the room, sending several of the minions to get bagged blood, in coolers. Lots of it. He then called Amy, giving her the short version of the nights events. The spell had been cast, they had found him, he was in bad shape, and they had taken him to the lair to get better. He also mentioned that Willow thought the Rosenberg's might be home in the next few days.

~

Willow sat at his side, carefully washing the ash and dried blood from her mate. He hadn't shown any signs of waking, but his body twitched and flinched back from the washcloth. She could feel the echo of his pain, and was trying to think of some way to help lessen it. Once the ash and everything had been cleaned away, using a soft cloth and warm water, Willow studied his wounds. She spread a soothing ointment on his feet, and wrapped them, in an effort to help the healing, to minimize the chance of infection or scarring. Could vampires even get an infection in their wounds? Did it change the chances if the wound was inflicted in hell?

There wasn't a lot that she could do for the smaller cuts and gouges over his arms and legs, only smear them with the ointment in hopes that it would soothe. His back... she knew exactly how much that hurt. Very carefully, and now glad that he wasn't awake, Willow rolled him onto his stomach, and began to gently apply the salve. She then covered his back with protective bandages, knowing that while it would feel awkward, every hint of protection from things actually touching his back would help.

Just about the time that she had finished taping the bandages over his back, the minions returned to the lair, carrying bags of blood in a cooler. Part of Willow's mind began trying to calculate how many human's worth of blood volume that was, while another part was wondering how exactly Willie got the blood in the first place.

"Is that.. Master Angelus? He looks..." Tom, one of the minions, was staring at the wounded and half starved form on the bed. His eyes were wide with shock, and he sounded.. worried.

Willow looked at him, suddenly concerned about how everyone in the clan might view Angelus now... if he even turned out to be more Angelus than Angel. He was weakened, battered and wounded, at the moment entirely helpless. "He was sent to Hell by the Slayer. The fact that he has survived at all is undoubtedly far more than most would be capable of. Who else have you ever heard of that has survived the fires of Hell and returned? I will make certain that he heals, and he will be strong again."

"Of course, Lady Willow. If you could bring him back, you will certainly be able to return him to health." Kale spoke, the vampire that had been carrying the other end of the cooler. His voice showed complete confidence in her, possibly a trace of awe.

The minions left the room, leaving the cooler of blood sitting on the floor. Willow walked over, picking up the first bag, carrying it back with her to the bed. Very carefully, she shifted Angelus until she could open his mouth and allow the blood to flow into him. She opened the corner of the bag, and began letting it flow into his mouth. He showed no signs of consciousness, but she could see his throat moving as he swallowed the blood. She repeated the process with two more bags before deciding that that was enough for now.

After all, humans that had been starved were supposed to start with small meals after they were able. Did that apply to vampires as well? Did the stomachs of vampires contract after prolonged hunger? She didn't know, so she had decided to give him a bit of time to absorb that, to let it flow through his system and help him heal before giving him more blood. Small meals every few hours... unless someone knew of a better, safer way to help him heal.

Her suspicion was that there wouldn't be anyone with any advice on wounds inflicted by the tortures of hell. But, there might be someone that could give her some advice on what to do with a half starved vampire. It was better that he was here, where he was safer. With those thoughts, exhaustion claimed Willow, and she fell into a deep sleep beside her mate, her hand brushing against him, but trying not to press against his wounds.

~

While Willow was resting beside her mate, her sleep mercifully without dreams, there was something of significance happening elsewhere in Sunnydale. At the Bronze, Xander, Cordelia and Oz were gathered, trying to find a way that they could increase their success in trying to fight the dangers that roamed Sunnydale after dark. They hadn't encountered any particularly lethal big nasty demons, and the vampire numbers seemed to be holding steady, but it was only a matter of time before something important happened. Something to big for them to handle.

Oz was sitting at the table, staring off in the direction of the dance area. Something pulled him from contemplating possible future doom, and he found himself watching a couple dancing to the music. The guy looked very pale, and his clothing felt slightly ... off from normal, although Oz couldn't put the difference into words. He was certain that Cordelia would have the words for it though. He also found himself staring at the woman dancing. Her dark hair was flying wildly as she danced, and her lean muscled rippled, her dark tank top showing several inches of toned stomach. There was a cutout under the throat, and several strands of dangling beads drew attention to the bit of cleavage the opening revealed.

He reached over, tapping Cordelia's elbow, and then pointed at the couple, wanting to see if her opinion matched his own judgment. The man was a vampire, and the woman.. she was interesting.

"I don't think he's got much sunshine lately. Definitely a vampire.. and why is she leaving with him? Can she not tell that that guy is so obviously a looser?" Cordelia's comments definitely agreed with Oz's feelings on the guy. The group left their seats, following the dark haired woman and the vampire into the alley, hoping that they would be in time to keep her from getting eaten.

As it happened, the girl was currently beating the now fanged vampire against the wall. She was using punches and kicks, and it was pretty clear she was holding her own against the vampire. Xander held a stake outstretched in one hand, his jaw dropped in shock as they watched. She stepped closer, plucked the stake from Xander's fingers, and impaled the out of fashion vampire, letting him fall to dust before returning the stake to Xander.

"I'm Faith, the Slayer."

After a few moments of stunned silence, the trio of teens smiled, a bit shakily in Cordelia's case. They were all wondering if Faith's presence meant that Buffy had died somewhere, alone and broken by some nameless demon. Faith wasn't like Buffy, she looked less trusting, less certain of the goodness of mankind. Finally, Xander managed to regain speech, and made an offer to Faith.

"We can show you over to Giles' place. He's our fearless Watcher, although he's out of town right now. We tend to gather there to plan things. We can fill you in on all the gory and ugly details of Sunnydale."

Faith had smiled, and the group had proceeded to meander along the streets to Giles house. The trio from Sunnydale explained who they were, and how they had come to be aware of the dangers that hunted in the shadows. Listening to their words, and trying to picture their past, Faith noticed something. Each story included another girl, not just the missing Slayer, but someone called Willow. They hadn't mentioned her dying, or moving away, so... what had happened to the quiet computer girl?

"So, what happened to this Willow that you mentioned? Did she die or bail from town or what?" Faith had always been to curious, it was a fault that she'd known she possessed for years. Her Watcher had tried to break her of it, insistng that everything Faith needed to know could be covered either in the Slayer's Handbook, or in one of the many books about how to kill various demons. Her instincts were telling her that there was more to the story of this Willow person.

"We don't hang with her anymore." The quiet one, Oz gave a short answer, tinged with something.. sorrow? Dismay?.

"She's sleeping with the enemy. Willow's shacking up with this evil nasty bleached blond vampire called Spike. He's trouble, and bad. She used to be so nice, quiet and sweet, didn't have anything bad to say about anyone... then Spike happened. Evil vampire...." Xander's voice carried anger and bitterness.

Faith nodded, as if entirely accepting of the opinions that the boys were offering. Something wasn't right with that. Vampires didn't normally keep mortal lovers from what she'd been told. Had this Willow chick been turned? Or was there a great big piece of the story that she was missing?

"What happened to the Slayer that was here before? Buffy?" She had to know. If the Slayer was gone, and the Watcher was gone, she would have no advantage over Kakistos when he arrived here. He would arrive, she knew that as surely as she could feel that this place was evil. She needed allies, that was the whole point in coming here to this horrible place.

Faith listened as the trio spun out a story of a pretty girl, faced with a terrible destiny. Buffy had faced danger, and fallen in love with a vampire, called Angel, and according to Cordelia, this vampire had been amazingly hot. Something had happened, Buffy and Angel had sex, Angel went evil, then there was a bit of confusion, Willow had apparently got involved with that Spike person, and then Buffy was gone.

If that was the whole story, Faith was the tooth fairy. Actually, she had never found any evidence to suggest that there was such a creature as a tooth fairy, but still. There had to be more to the story. More to the point, she needed a new plan, since she wouldn't be able to count on having the other Slayer help her against Kakistos. One Slayer and one Watcher would not do, she had learned that in Georgia.

What was a Slayer to do?

~

Willow was worried. Angelus was recovering slowly. His wounds were healing, and he was starting to loose some of his gauntness, but... He was asleep or unconscious most of the time still. His sleep was marked by tossing and flailing as he dreamed of the torments that he had suffered in Hell. If Willow listened through the link to him, she could see/feel them, and she tried to sooth him as much as possible. Unfortunately, there wasn't a great deal that she could do. He slept slightly calmer if she or Spike were there, but he still dreamed, much like Willow had.

When he was awake, it became obvious that his physical abuse and starvation were not the only problems. He had a different attitude, watching everyone with no sign of recognition and as if he were expecting attack from any moving creature. It wasn't quite a mindset of fear, but it was definitely suspicion and distrust. He seemed to have decided that Willow and Spike wouldn't hurt him, and no longer watched them as if he feared attack.

He wasn't up to hunting yet, so they were still feeding him, mostly from the bags, but occasionally from Spike or Willow's wrist. He would drink from them, and purred while doing so, almost winding his body around them, but he wouldn't take very much at a time. It was odd, and they could only conclude that something in Hell had caused that. He didn't act like either the Angelus that they had known, or the souled Angel from before. He seemed almost feral.

Willow had the suspicion that time had moved differently for him, that he had been in Hell far longer than he had been away from Sunnydale. If Giles were here, she would be able to ask him if time passed the same in other dimensions. The idea saddened her, to think of her mate's long suffering and torture. It enraged her, to think that the blonde Slayer had done that to someone that she had claimed to love, making Willow want to kill her former friend personally. Surely feeding her injured mate the blood of a Slayer would help him heal.

Except that the blonde Slayer was still gone. Giles had gone to Dallas, Texas, having been sent information by a watcher that a blonde girl had been sighted fighting a Petrak demon. He had been hoping that it was Buffy, that he could find her and bring her back to Sunnydale. If Buffy returned, things would be very different than she remembered them....

The minions had reported sensing a Slayer, but the feeling had been coming from someone else, a dark haired girl with a tattoo encircling one arm. That didn't sound like anyone that had been in Sunnydale before, certainly not Kendra, who had been the other Slayer. Willow had told the minions that they should watch this dark haired Slayer, to avoid confronting her or being seen by her. None of them alone would be able to take down a trained Slayer, and they didn't know enough about her to know what her weaknesses were. If they avoided her, she would never need to know they were there, and in a few years, the Slayer would perish, and the next would likely be elsewhere.

Willow had told them that if the Slayer became a problem for her clan, she would have to be eliminated. Unless that happened, it would be a simple matter to let the Slayer whittle away the strength of their rivals, and to simply take in small portions of territory each time that the loss of forces would create a weakness. If their gain of power were subtle, by the time anyone noticed, they would be to powerful to oppose. The Slayer would also battle demons that would endanger her clan, and provide a convenient target for newcomers to fling themselves against.

She wondered what this new Slayer was like. What was her name, and how did she fight? How did she live the rest of the time? Did she, like Kendra, dedicate her entire existence to slaying? Did she try to have a 'normal life' as Buffy had done? A part of Willow was genuinely curious, even wondering if this Slayer could be a potential ally, while another part, most likely from the link to Angelus' demon, viewed the Slayer as a threat.

Spike and Amy were spending more time together, and things seemed to be... interesting there. It was obvious that they were interested in each other. They could talk for hours about anything or nothing. But, Amy didn't want to make the first move because she didn't know if Spike would want her, a fragile mortal. Spike wasn't certain if he should make a move, because he didn't want Amy to think he was trying to make her a replacement for Dru. He was thinking that he wanted Amy, to find out if they could be happy and intensely passionate together. However, since Amy was Willow's friend, he didn't want to act in such a way that would panic Amy, or make Willow angry. That ruled out dragging the witch off and ravishing her until she decided that she liked him.

To Spike's frustration, Amy's father was in town this weekend, so he didn't get as much time with her as he'd like. He was almost sulking over it, and had said that he'd stay with Angelus tonight. Willow was out, partly to see if she could learn anything about how things were going for the other families of vampires, partly just to enjoy a night out. She was walking in the park, thinking about how cute Spike and Amy would look together when she felt it. There was this odd prickling sensation, like an itching in her bones that whispered of danger, and someone was following her.

Willow turned, looking for the person that she could feel following her. After a few moments of looking, she finally spotted a shape in the shadows, a female with dark hair. This must be the new Slayer. Apparently figuring that she was spotted, the Slayer stepped out ot the shadows, and Willow could get a good look at her.

Dark hair hung around her face in a wild mane, and her eyes were accented by dramatically dark makeup, and her lips were painted a deep red. She wore leather pants and a matching leather jacket, along with a little red tank top. She looked as much like a predator as any of Willow's minions did. She couldn't have been much older than Willow, possibly even a little younger. A slight smirk was on her face, and her posture bespoke of an almost arrogant confidence, although she wasn't directly challenging or threatening Willow. Not yet anyhow.

"I'm Faith, the Vampire Slayer. You must be Willow. I've heard a few things about you."

~

"What have you heard? And why did it lead you to stalking me in the park?" Willow was suspicious. The only people that she could imagine giving Faith information about her were... well, Giles was still in Texas, so it could only be her former friends. Somehow, she doubted they would have given her a glowing review.

"Sorry about the stalking, it's a habit I've got into. As for what was said, more like what wasn't said. I'm pretty sure I only got part of the story." Faith's voice was amused, and carried a slight accent, making it clear that she wasn't native to California.

"So... you want details before getting stake-happy? Or is it just a really slow night and you're bored?" Willow was curious, and thoughtful. This Slayer was definitely comfortable with the hunting part of her destiny. She obviously had a reason why she wasn't attacking. Was it merely out of curiosity, or was there something else? "If you want to talk, there are a couple tables over there, we can maybe... sit down and chat."

The two moved over to the picnic tables, each female's motions smooth and graceful, like a hunter. Neither of them were quite certain that they could trust the other, so there were numerous little glances, and they settled, perched on the tops of two tables, facing each other, but with definite personal space.

The Slayer spoke first, her tone trying for neutral. "It's been an interesting patrol. There's a part of town that looks like prime vamp turf, likely buildings for lairs, plenty of dark allies, all that, but I didn't run into a single hunting vamp. Actually, I felt like I was being watched, and didn't run into any hostile demons either. There were plenty of both in the rest of town to make me think that's an odd thing. Also, I got some info on Sunnyhell from some guys who said they helped B, but there were some big gaps there, y'know? I figured since the gaps were about you, you could fill me in on them."

Willow watched the Slayer, feeling quite glad that she could see clearly in the darkness now. There was something that Faith was hiding. Another motive. It could wait a bit. "hmmm I can fill in a few of the blanks for you, I suppose. Let's see... once upon a time, there was a tribe of gypsies that decided to give a vampire a soul. However, for some stupid reason, they put a clause on their spell: if he ever had a moment of pure happiness, with no guilt or misery over his past, the soul would go away. Buffy and Angel got... involved, they... got really involved one night, and he lost his soul. Instead of Angel who was hopelessly devoted to Buffy, there was Angelus, who couldn't stand her."

"Angelus! I've read a bit on him in the watcher books. He's dangerous... what happened after that?" Faith looked startled, and suddenly much more interested.

"Angelus decided that instead of tormenting the Slayer that the soul had loved..." Willow had a sudden stab of worry that once he recovered, he would still want Buffy, and ruthlessly stifled that bit of doubt. Doubt later, in private. "Instead of tormenting Buffy, Angelus had something else in mind. He wanted... me. He gave me presents, flowers... I had a talk one night, with Spike, trying to sort out my feelings. Xander apparently saw me talking to Spike, and the next thing I knew, my 'friends' were accusing me of sleeping with the enemy and betraying them all. They stopped talking to me. I had Angelus and his family, so I wasn't alone."

"So, you aren't involved with this Spike vamp at all? They sounded pretty sure..." Faith had a small frown, as if she were comparing the stories and trying to keep everything straight in her head.

"I'm his mum now, so no, there's no sex with Spike. Besides, then, he was involved with Dru, his girlfriend for over a century. He's a natural born... or maybe naturally turned flirt, so I guess I can see how the whole no sex thing might be missed." Willow frowned, reminded of Dru and the pain that she had caused. "Dru wanted Angelus, not Spike... or maybe she wanted them both, I'm not certain. But Angelus didn't want her anymore She left the family and Spike, set up her own lair, and got a hold of the demon Acathla, who almost sucked the world into hell once that crazy tramp pulled.. umm I digress."

Willow paused, trying to organize her words. "Dru had me kidnapped. She was really pissed that I had Angelus and she didn't. So, she decided to chain me up and torture me for a while before unleashing Acathala, which she DID the stupid, crazy... " Suddenly, Willow realized that she was growling, and forced herself to stop. "ahem, sorry. Bit of an emotional subject. Anyhow, Dru let Acathala open a portal to hell while Angelus and Spike were trying to rescue me. Buffy showed up during the whole fight, which I missed on account of being chained up in the basement and bleeding. Spike was forced to kill Dru, which closed the portal, but not before... umm Buffy sent my Angelus to hell. Then, she ran away, left town, adios."

Faith was staring at Willow, her eyes wide. "Red, catch." She tossed something at Willow, frowning slightly when the redhead simply caught it, with no damage or signs of pain. "When did you get the vamp eyes?"

Vamp eyes? What... glancing at the small object that the Slayer had thrown, she saw a small golden cross in her hand. "umm while the whole fight in front of Acathala thing was happening, I sort of... ummm talked to the Oracles and ended up bonded to Angelus, soul to demon. So, I got a few... side effects, like yellow eyes and I'm stronger. The quiet area in town in my clan's territory, and we can be discrete. So... why did you come to Sunnydale? And what's with the cross tossing and surprise thing? Did you expect... you expected it to burn me, didn't you?"

Faith let out a soft whistle, impressed by the story. "Yeah, I did think it would burn you. You put out a vamp vibe, a really strong one, like a master. Guess the whole bond thing might explain that. You didn't seem surprised that I'm the Slayer, why's that?"

Willow made a little dismissive wave with her hand. "My minions have been keeping an eye on you since you first got into town. A girl, with a slayer vibe, dark hair, and a tattoo. Slayers are dangerous, so I told them to stay back, but keep an eye on you. No single minion could take a trained Slayer, they'd just get killed trying. There are enough idiots from the rival clans that I'm sure will piss you off enough to hunt them down and slaughter them all. Which means one more rival we don't have to get rid of ourselves."

Faith nodded, clearly thinking over what Willow had just said. "Practical. Let me guess, if those other rivals killed me, just peachy for your clan? I got a proposition for you , Red. Since you seem to be the one in charge, at least for some of the vamps here... I think... I think that there's something we can help each other out with."

~

Willow hadn't expected that. Faith had a proposition for her? This must have to do with her other motive, the one that had brought her to Sunnydale. "Since I don't think I'm your type, I have the feeling this would be a business matter. Does it relate to why you're in Sunnydale?"

Faith scowled, not at Willow, but at... something, possibly unhappy memories. Her voice was soft, filled with unhappiness, and traces of deep pain. "I was in Georgia, along with my watcher. There was something big going on there, and the council thought it should be handled. I haven't... I haven't actually been the Slayer... or A Slayer for very long. We went, and there was... this really old, ugly vampire was there. He was taking control of the area, planning something that was probably going to be big and evil and nasty. He... he killed my watcher, and was coming after me. I think... I'm certain that he was following me, although I might have lost him in Arizona. I came here because... I though if I had the other Slayer working with me, maybe Kakistos would be the one killed, not me."

Willow looked at her, the dots connecting in her mind, and forming an unexpected and alarming picture. "Kakistos is coming here, after you. You think he wants you for some sort of.. maybe a ritual sacrifice or something? If he comes here, he'll try to take over, want the hellmouth. hmm.... Are you... are you suggesting an alliance? You and my clan against Kakistos?"

Faith nodded, her shoulders going back in an almost defensive looking posture. "Yeah. With a little side of I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone kind of thing... except... hmm there's the whole killing thing that vamps tend to do..."

Willow smiled, an expression that didn't look quite human. "My clan behaves. No randomly turning people, no public hunting, no dead bodies of people that will be missed. That sort of thing draws unwelcome attention, and there are... other ways. Kakistos doesn't sound like anyone we want in town any more than you want him here. Also, we keep our territory clear of hostile demons, so you won't need to do routine patrols there, although we might get a hold of you if there's a particularly big nasty demon."

Faith grinned, suddenly looking less dangerous, more like a mischievous vixen and less like a predator as she pushed herself off of the tabletop. "So... we have a deal? Ah, we don't have to seal this with blood or anything, do we?"

Willow grinned back, although part of her was wondering what the blood of a Slayer would taste like. "Don't have to, although if you really want, it could be arranged... As long as you keep it, your word will do."

Her grin had changed slightly, and Faith moved closer to Willow, her movements graceful, but more seductive than predatory. "Not that I plan to break it, but... I always prefer to seal a promise with a kiss." She then stepped close to Willow, and kissed her on the lips.

As Willow stood there, stunned by the unexpected kiss, Faith smirked at her and sauntered away. "Be seeing you Red. Give your boy a nice hello for me."

The quieter murmur that followed wasn't intended for Willow's ears, but since she had become bonded to Angelus, her hearing was far more sensitive. "Got to keep her off balance... last thing I need is to find myself under authority of some red haired almost vamp. But help is good. Kakistos is bad... I just might live long enough to see eighteen after all."

It was a bit of a relief to know that the Slayer had only wanted to throw her off balance. She had enough complications in her life without a would-be girlfriend getting added to the mix. Now, she would have to go back to the lair and explain to the clan that she'd just struck a deal with the new Slayer, and they would probably have to fight Kakistos when he came to the Hellmouth. All in a night's work, for her, considering how things had gone lately.

On to 'Lines Drawn'

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