Obsession

by Buffy Writer

Copyright © 2006

feedbacktome@hotmail.com

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Not mine – please don't sue.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse:  http://mysticmuse.net
My Site: http://www.angelfire.com/vamp/bwriter/
Anyone else, just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Spoilers: Yeah, there are.
Author's Notes: Dark, S&M, blood play, non-consensual sex, torture, character deaths etc – not like my usual fics so be warned, but have Faith and stick it out…please'. /angelus's thoughts to angel/ *angel's reply*
Pairing: Willow/Buffy

The Vampire circled the Slayer; both geared up and ready to fight. One with a stake, one with fangs.

They eyed the other, waiting for an attack.

The Vampire was the more impatient of the two.

With a nasty undercut to the jaw, the Slayer spun around, but came up with a counter attack.

The fight was on.

They fought for what seemed like hours, each bleeding from numerous cuts, though that only fuelled the Vampire.

The Slayer stumbled, and the Vampire moved in.

The Slayer knew her time had come, and sent a silent goodbye to her Watcher as she felt the Vampire's fangs enter her neck.

From the first taste of the Slayer's powerful blood, the Vampire was hooked.

She was drained almost dry before the Vampire released her.

Stepping back, the blonde Vampire watched as the minions all crowded round, hoping for there to be enough blood left in the dead girls' body for them to taste.

"Can we?"

The Master looked to its minion, before smiling, teeth stained with the blood of a Slayer.

"Of course. Childer, you may want a sample, it is all we have heard and more. But hurry. We have some traveling to do."

"Master?"

"One Slayer dies, the next one is called, and I have developed a taste for their blood."

As two of her Childer stood by her side and one or two minions fed, the Vampire was already calculating the time it would take to get to England, and to the Council of Watchers.

"Buffy, when do we leave?"

The Vampire turned to one of her most favored Childer.

"Soon Angelus, but first we need to feed, and feed well. Also, maybe bring some snacks for the journey," Buffy pouted, still in game face, "I hate traveling by ship."

Angelus nodded his head, he hated it too. It was too cramped for his liking.

"What do we do with the body?" He nodded his head in the direction of the now very dead girl.

Buffy shrugged.

"Burn it."

A sick smile curved his features.

"Yes Sire." He didn't often call her that, they had been together too long, but he liked using the term from time to time, just as she liked hearing it.

Buffy left them to it and went hunting by herself, knowing Angelus and Penn would catch up with her when they could.

As she turned into the darkened street, she saw that the light was still on in the tavern.

Smiling, she entered, not needing an invitation to do so.

"What can I get you?"

Buffy ignored the man and looked around the club. Her eyes lit on a couple in the corner and she smiled. She could smell the lust coming off them both in waves; also, the woman was carrying a child, which made the blood sweeter.

The Slayer turned, her stake ready, and watched as another Vamp turned to dust.

"Yo! Angel! Duck!"

Angel ducked just as Willow's thrown stake found its mark.

"Thanks."

Willow smirked at him before turning back to her own fight.

"Anytime old-timer."

Angel snorted at her and refocused on the Vampire in front of him.

He had met him before, he just couldn't remember when. The same went for the vamp Willow was currently fighting.

"Angelus, why do you fight me?"

Angel rolled his eyes at the Vamp. Some people just hadn't got the memo.

"It's Angel now."

The Vampire looked confused but he was still quick enough to block the kick Angel had aimed at his head.

"Why the name change Childe?"

/SIRE!/

Angel froze, as did the Vampire he was fighting.

Turning slowly, hoping he was dreaming, Angel faced his Sire.

Buffy smirked at him.

"What? Not happy to see me? I'm hurt." Funny thing was, she was hurt. Angelus had been her greatest creation. Evil, strong and cunning. Just like her. Plus, it helped that he was gorgeous. He had been her best friend in life, and her most favored childe in death.

/yes, very happy, tell her you ass/ Angelus was pissed. His Sire was here, and he couldn't even speak to her.

"Buffy, long time no see."

Buffy nodded her head and looked over to the Vampire that was fighting the Slayer.

"Marcus. Enough."

/Marcus, I knew he looked familiar/

The Vampire fighting Willow stopped suddenly, so, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Willow staked him.

Buffy watched as one of her minions turned to dust.

"So hard to find good help," turning her attention back to her Childe, Buffy kept her senses trained on the Slayer.

"It's been a while."

/oh god has it ever/

Angel stood up straighter.

"A hundred years, give or take a decade or two."

Buffy let out a sigh.

"It seemed longer Childe."

/Sire, get this fucking soul out of me/

Angel flinched back, both from what his demon was thinking, and from what Buffy had called him. "Don't call me that."

Willow had had enough, and walked up to stand by Angel.

"You know her?" The question was directed to Angel, but Willow's eyes never left Buffy. There was something about her…

"I did. Once, long ago. She was my Sire."

/still is, show some respect/

"Still am Childe, that will never change. Should I remind you?" Buffy growled out.

Angel paled, he was completely aware of what Buffy could do to him, as was her right as his Sire.

Buffy smirked, a cold look entering her eyes before they shifted to the Slayer.

"Well well, I see that instead of hunting them, you now fight with them." There was disgust in her voice as she spat the words at him.

"What about you? You must be slipping. Willow has been the Slayer for – how long now Will?"

Willow shrugged.

"About two years."

"Two years now, and this is the first I've seen you anywhere near her. Slipping in your old age Buff?"

/don't push it buddy, let me talk to her/

Angel ignored his demon and focused on the Vampire before him.

Buffy growled and took a step closer to him, making Willow do the same, drawing Buffy's attention.

"I will get to you soon enough girl. This is between me and him."

Willow shook her head.

"When it concerns a friend of mine, it concerns me."

Buffy suppressed the growl that wanted to form at her words. She had killed a lot of Slayers over the years, but there was something about this one…

Angel saw the look in his Sire's eyes and pulled Willow behind him.

/Yeah, you know she'll get her good/

Buffy smirked and walked closer to them.

"If I want her, you really think you can stop me boy?" The tone she used, reminded Angel of the one she used to use a lot, but one that had never once been turned around on him.

"You can't have this one."

Willow was confused. Why was Angel trying to protect her against the Vamp?

Shaking him off, she walked around and moved to stand within reaching distance of Buffy. If possible, Angel paled even more.

"Willow move-"

It was too late. Buffy had reached out and grabbed the Slayer by the neck, spun her around, and her head began to lower before she stopped.

/now the fun begins/

There was something about the girl, something Buffy couldn't place. What she did know, was that this something inside the Slayer was touching something inside her, and she didn't like it.

Snarling at Angel as he moved forward, she threw Willow into his arms before turning and walking away, not worried for one second that her most favored Childe would kill her, hoping for a violent kill on her way back to the mansion.

"Talk, now." Willow folded her arms and waited for Angel to speak. He did, after pausing, thinking what to say.

"Your very lucky, she has never let a Slayer live, not when she was so close to killing one."

/ah…good times/

Willow nodded her head. She could tell the blonde was strong.

Angel sighed, he knew she didn't fully get it.

"Willow, she has killed a lot of Slayers over the years."

Willow's arms dropped to her sides.

"How many?"

Angel thought back. Ever since that first Slayer, his Sire had made it top priority to hunt them. Every one she set her sights on, she killed.

"Around a thirty, give or take a few."

Willow's shock showed on her face.

"Thirty!"

/more I think/

Angel nodded his head, hating the part he had played in those deaths.

"After the first one, it became a sport for her. She hunted them, played with them, some she even seduced. But the end result was the same. They all ended up drained, after they had been tortured. Mentally and physically."

Willow closed her eyes, thinking of all the dead girls she was connected to as the Slayer.

"And you helped? Angelus I mean?"

Angel nodded his head, a solemn look on his face.

/best time ever/

*shut up*

"I don't know why she is here now, but I know why she is here. You. She'll do whatever it takes Will. Be careful."

Willow nodded her head, but her mind had already drifted off to the Vampire she was sure she would have to fight. She couldn't help but wonder if she would survive it.

"Where do we go now?"

Angel looked up at the sky before letting his eyes roam the cemetery.

"Giles. He needs to know what's going on. Then I'm going to go find Buffy, have a little chat with my dear old Sire."

/finally, a good idea/

Willow looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

Angel shook his head no.

"Nowhere near."

Buffy was outside the Bronze, waiting on a meal. Sighing, she watched as two Vamps, barely a year old if her senses were right, looked in her direction before heading over.

"Hey babe, fancy going to a party?"

Buffy just stared at them with cold eyes. Did they not recognize an elder when they met one?

She was 'saved' from them by Penn, who had just exited the club, with two young lovers in tow. A blonde, who looked very appetizing to Buffy, and a male, not much bigger than Penn himself.

They would do.

Meeting his Sire's eyes, he smiled, that evil, cruel sadistic one she loved so much.

"Hey babe, I'm talking to you."

Seems these Vamps just weren't learning.

Buffy turned away from her dinner and faced the Vamps. Flashing her game face, she growled at them, and finally they got the message.

Switching back to her human mask, she walked over to her Childe and their dinner.

The male's eyes never left her body, making Buffy smirk and add an extra sway to her hips.

Penn was already circling from behind when Buffy appeared in front of them.

Raising her hand, she trailed one nail down the side of the mans face, earning a hiss as she drew blood.

Leaning in, she licked the blood away, smiling when she smelt the fear kick in.

Clamping a hand over his mouth, she vamped out and sank her fangs in, drinking deeply.

He was drained in seconds, but she was still hungry.

Penn, ever the faithful Childe, handed her the shocked girl as well.

Buffy smiled her thanks and backed the girl into the alley. Penn smiled and followed.

The blonde was backed into the wall, Buffy in front of her.

Taking her hand off the girl's mouth, Buffy licked at her lips and turned to her Childe.

"Penn, would you be so kind…"

He knew what she wanted, and the smile he sent the girl made her fear rise.

Slowly, knowing she was watching every minute, he unbuttoned his pants, pulling out his erect cock.

The girl finally snapped out of it and opened her mouth to scream, but Buffy was there, pressing her lips against the frightened teenagers in a brutal mockery of a kiss.

Penn stoked his cock as he watched his Sire kiss the girl, making her lips bleed from the pressure of her fangs.

Buffy turned them so she was against the wall and the girl was facing her, not Penn.

Smiling, she watched through golden eyes as her Childe ripped the girls skirt and panties away before ramming his cock home.

Buffy caught the cry of pain with her lips.

Penn began pumping away, striving towards his release, which he knew he wouldn't get until Buffy said so.

Buffy brought her hands up and ripped the girls shirt off and roughly kneaded the girl's breasts, happy when she flinched from the rough treatment.

Breaking the kiss for a second, just enough for the girl to draw breath, Buffy growled for Penn to go harder.

Each time he pounded into the girl, the girls body pounded into Buffy, adding that sweet pressure against her clit.

"Sire!" He couldn't hold off much longer.

Buffy tore her lips from the girls and moved her mouth to her neck.

"Now!" With that she sank her teeth in, drinking in the girl's pain and fear.

When it was all over Penn pulled out of the now dead girl's body and zipped himself back up.

Buffy was still worked up.

Growling at him, she pushed him to his knees and watched as he unzipped her leathers pants before he put his talented mouth to work on her clit.

It didn't take long before Buffy was growling her release into the night, pulling his head harder against her, letting his fangs cut into her sensitive skin, prolonging her orgasm.

"Buffy's here? Why now?" Giles sank into his seat, wondering if anything else was about to pop up this year. So far they had had Spike and Dru, then the Judge, and now Buffy.

Angel dropped into a seat beside him, watching as Willow paced the library.

"I don't know, but it's not hard to guess."

Giles followed his line of sight and watched as his Slayer paced the same patch of flooring.

Turning back to Angel, the worry in his eyes matched that of the Vampires.

"What do you think she'll do first?"

Angel had spend longer with Buffy than he had with anyone else his entire existence, he knew her better than anyone.

"She'll have been here for a few days already, checking out the area. Penn, Gunn and Wes will be with her, as will a few minions; I don't know who else she might have brought."

/wonder if I have any new 'brothers' or 'sisters'/

"Why now but, that's what I want to know."

Angel had no clue.

"Could Spike have called her here?" Willow had stopped pacing to ask the question.

"No." Angel's firm reply took the other two by surprise.

"How come?"

"Because, if there is one demon in this world she hates, it Spike."

Willow sat down beside Giles and gave Angel her full attention.

"Why does she hate Spike?"

"Because, he tried to kill me and Penn. She only made four Childer, the rest are minions, but me and Penn were her favorites. She swore that when she found him, he was dust. I had actually toyed with the idea of letting her know where he was, but then I figured that would led her to Willow as well, unless she has found out Spike is here. She would definitely come to Sunnydale for Spike."

"What's the difference between a Childer and a minion?"

Giles looked sheepish at Willow's question, while Angel looked exasperated.

"You've been the Slayer for over two years and you don't know the differences in my kind?"

Willow shook her head no and Angel sighed, shooting a dark look at the Watcher.

"When a human is turned, the Sire will choose what they want them to be. A Childer or a Minion. A Childer is allowed more blood at the time of the turning, ensuring that they will be strong and maintain their brainpower. A minion is a human deemed unworthy and only gets enough for the turning itself. Minions are used as slaves, doing the dirty work for their masters and are basically walking corpses."

Willow shuddered at being 'zombie like' forever.

Angel glanced at the clock and saw that it was past 3am.

Standing he made his way to the doors, only pausing to tell them that he was going to find Buffy and find out just why she was here.

"What makes you think she'll tell you?"

Angel turned and met Willow's eyes.

"She might not, but its worth a shot."

Buffy walked into the mansion with Penn by her side. The minions had done a good job tiding the place up.

"Any word on Spike?"

Buffy lowered herself onto the black leather couch that sat in front of the lit fireplace.

"No Penn, though we know he is here. Him and that crazy bitch of his."

Penn smirked at his Sire before standing and going over to the bar.

"Drink?"

Buffy nodded her head and relaxed back into the couch.

"Where is Gunn and Wes?"

Penn shrugged, not knowing where the other two Vampires had disappeared to.

"They were here earlier, they left about an hour after you, said that they would be back with a surprise."

Just as he finished speaking the door opened and in walked the two, with something between them that made Buffy's eyes light up.

"Spike! You guys!" Buffy stood up to greet her two other Childer, giving each a hug for the gift they brought her.

"Where did you find him?" Buffy turned her gaze to the peroxide Vamp.

"We were in Willy's the other night, heard some Vamps talking about our boy here. Seems he had a run in with the Slayer, she put him in a wheelchair." Gunn told his Sire.

Buffy laughed down at Spike, who lay sprawled on the floor in front of her.

"Seems, that he heard of a ritual to cure Dru, it involved killing Angel, for some reason we aren't clear on," Wes cut in.

Buffy growled as her face shifted.

"You tried, not once, but twice, to kill MY Childe?"

Spike said nothing, suddenly wishing that he had just taken Dru and left town when the Slayer destroyed his plans.

Buffy growled again before kicking him viciously in the side, purring when she heard more than three ribs break.

"Put him in the basement. I will start on his punishment tomorrow. Where is Dru?"

Gunn smiled, a truly evil smile. He stepped over Spike and opened the door, allowing a body to fall through.

"Right here Sire."

Buffy growled her pleasure before lifting the unconscious Vampire up by her throat.

"Perfect. Wouldn't you say Angelus?"

The three male Vampires turned to see Angel standing just inside the garden doors.

"Angelus! Man its been years." Gunn embraced his 'brother'.

"Gunn, I wish I could say it was good to see you again."

Gunn stepped back.

"That's right. You went and got s shiny new soul. How's that working for ya?"

Angel shrugged.

"Leave us."

Gunn and Penn picked up Spike, while Wes grabbed Dru, before leaving and heading in the direction of the basement.

Buffy and Angel stared at each other before Buffy moved to the bar and poured them both a drink.

"Sit."

Angel took a seat on the couch, Buffy sitting on the raised hearth of the fire, enjoying the heat at her back.

"So, why are you here?" She was pleased he had come, she knew he would. She had missed his company over the last hundred years.

Angel looked up and met her eyes.

He had mixed feelings for the Vampire before him.

It was her who had killed him, made him a killer himself, yet, he couldn't hate her for it, no matter how much he hated himself.

"You look good."

Buffy rolled her eyes at him.

"Angelus…sorry, Angel, why are you here, I assume it wasn't to tell me that."

Angel leaned back into the couch and sipped at his scotch.

"That's what I wanted to ask you. Why you were here."

"So many reasons. At first, it was for Spike. Then I heard that you were here, then I discovered that the Slayer was here, and you know how much I like Slayers." she wasn't exactly telling him the truth, but if she had, that might have given away her intentions, and that just wouldn't do.

Angel sensed that was all he was going to get and stood up to leave.

"Sit, we need to talk," when Angel remained standing, Buffy added, "please."

Wordlessly, Angel sat down again.

Buffy smiled and moved over to sit beside him.

"So, what have you been doing for the last hundred years?"

Angel gave a snort of laughter.

Buffy drained her drink and turned fully to face her Childe.

"Why did you just leave?" She hated him for that. He hadn't even said goodbye, he just never returned from a hunt one morning.

"If it hadn't of been for the Sire/Childe bond, I would have thought you dead."

"Then you would have been right. Angelus isn't dead, but he is buried, and he's never getting out again."

/like fuck I'm not/

The smile Buffy sent Angel freaked him out. It was cunning, knowing and longing, all in one look.

"Now that you have Spike and Dru, what are you going to do with them?"

Buffy's look darkened, making Angel suddenly happy that he wasn't in Spike's shoes right now.

"I hear he tried to kill you. Again."

Angel absently rubbed his chest when the Holy water had been poured over his skin.

"He did. For some reason, he wanted my blood to cure Dru."

Buffy leaned forward resting her hand on his leg. She was hurt when he pulled away from her touch.

Buffy let a growl escape, and seriously considered showing him exactly who was boss.

Angel drowned out the protests of his demon and carried on with his story.

"He gave me to Dru. They seemed to think that they could break me."

Buffy heard the smugness in his voice that they had failed to break him. He was Angelus after all, albeit, a watered-down and not nearly as fun version. He was a master of torture.

"So I take it you escaped?"

Angel looked up to the ceiling before looking in the direction the others had disappeared with Spike and Dru.

"No, Willow saved me, and made a piano fall on Spike."

Buffy laughed before her thoughts turned to the Slayer. She had saved her Childe, and injured Spike, she liked her for that.

"So this Slayer, what's she like?"

Angel stood up.

"I'm not giving you pointers on how to hurt Willow. I will say this, leave town, before we all regret it."

Buffy never responded and Angel left, knowing his Sire wouldn't be going anywhere.

Buffy suddenly felt a need for violence and headed to the basement to greet her guests.

"Hey guys, did you hear what happened last night?" Xander walked into the library, followed by Tara and Cordy.

Willow and Giles stopped what they were doing, for which Willow was grateful. Giles had been telling her of other Slayer's deaths at the hands of Buffy.

"No why?"

Xander dropped into a seat beside the Slayer, Cordy and Tara sitting as well.

"Harmony and her date got killed. We don't know by what, but they were seen leaving with some guy."

Willow moved over to the computer and fired it up.

"Willow, please tell me that what you are about to do is entirely legal." Giles removed his glasses, wiping them with his handkerchief.

Willow rolled her eyes at her watcher.

"Giles, how long have you known me?"

"Of course." Giles sighed. He was sure that his charge would get caught hacking one of these days.

"Okay, according to the police database, survey says Vampire attack," Willow read on before looking back up.

"Harmony was assaulted."

Xander snorted.

"Will, newsflash, Vamps, not overly worried about beating their victims."

Willow shook her head and her best friend.

"Not that kind of assaulted Xander."

It took a moment, but it sank in.

"Oh god." He paled and sunk down in his chair.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Cordy burst into tears at the thought of what had happened to her one time friend.

Xander wrapped her in a hug as Tara stood up and began to pace.

"Oh a much happier note, there's a new Vampire in town who just happens to have an obsession with killing Slayer's." Willow's dry tone didn't hide the seriousness of the situation.

"Could this new Vamp be Harmony's killer?" Tara sat down beside Willow and looked at the Slayer.

Willow shook her head no.

"Its a girl, her name is Buffy, and she's Angel's Sire."

Xander's head snapped up.

"Huh?"

Willow leaned back and rubbed at her tired eyes.

"She shoved up, we don't know why yet. According to Angel and Giles, she's the female version of Angelus, only worse." The Slayer hadn't met Angelus, but she had read about, as well as having heard from Angel himself some of the things he had done when he was soulless.

"Man, what else is going to happen this year?"

No-one answered Xander. They didn't know how to.

Buffy looked Spike over from head to toe, assessing her work so far.

She had stared out by making sure his chains allowed him to stand on legs not strong enough to hold him.

Buffy absently licked her lips, enjoying the pain she could see in his eyes.

She had started by squirting him with Holy water, laughing as he squirmed in an effort to escape the pain it brought.

When that bored her, she moved on to sharper tools. The knife Gunn supplied her with was sharp. She used it to carve symbols into his skin. Nothing of importance, just pictures that popped into her head.

When he had begged and screamed enough to her liking, she switched from sharp objects to blunt.

Alternating between his kneecaps and his ribs, she broke bones with a baseball bat before becoming bored with that to.

Picking up the knife again, she cut off his baby finger before stuffing it between his clenched teeth.

His jaw, long since broken, refused to move in effort to beg for mercy.

Buffy smiled as she remembered his cries when she had used the same knife to hack off one of his balls.

But her greatest moment, was when she turned her attention to Drusilla. Spike's eye widened, the one that wasn't swollen shut.

Knowing how much he loved the other Vampire, Buffy took extra care to administer the most amount of pain she could. Cutting into flesh and bone, laughing as the Vampire howled in pain and whimpered for forgiveness.

Leaving the two broken and bloodied Vampires hanging, Buffy retired to her room, looking forward the events that were about to happen.

She had found out after decades of searching. There was a witch doctor, a gypsy one, who had the information she needed.

The old man had said something interesting, something, that while didn't secure his survival, made his death a quick and painless one, instead of having it drawn out.

Buffy fell asleep, dreaming of how her family was going to be whole again.

Angel met Willow at nine as they had arranged. Willow had been to the Bronze with the gang, asking questions about Harmony and told Angel to meet her there.

"Any luck?"

Willow shook her head no and explained what had happened to the girl she had hated but now felt nothing but pity for.

Angel froze. He knew exactly who had killed her.

Lowering his head he said nothing, vowing to stop his Sire before she did any more damage.

They walked around town, not finding any Vamps or demons.

After three hours, Willow called it a night.

Angel wanted to walk her home, but she declined.

Turning a corner, she wished she hadn't refused that offer.

Before her stood Buffy, flanked by three males.

"Crap."

Buffy heard the mutter and smirked at the Slayer.

Willow fell into a fighting stance, waiting on the attack. None came.

Buffy turned to Gunn, Wes and Penn.

"Go. Have fun."

They smiled at their Sire, a smile that left Willow in no doubt what they found fun.

Unfortunately, Willow couldn't stop them, as she had a Master to deal with.

Buffy walked over and stopped a few feet away from the Slayer.

"No Angel tonight?"

Willow thought she heard jealously in the Vampire's voice, but she dismissed it.

"He was here. I sent him home."

Buffy laughed at the idea of anyone but her ordering Angelus around, before she remember that it wasn't Angelus the Slayer dealt with. It was Angel.

She really couldn't wait for that to change.

"He let you walk home alone, knowing I'm around? Boy, maybe his soul isn't as good as you thought."

Willow followed Buffy's movements with her eyes. As she was about to respond when a voice stopped her.

"You know me better than that Buffy."

Angel walked out of the shadows to stand beside Willow.

Buffy rolled her eyes. She had known he was there.

"Shame on you Childe. Have you forgotten the perks of our bond?"

Willow never took her gaze of Buffy, but she directed her question to Angel.

"Bond?"

"Sire/Childe thing."

Buffy wasn't happy with his explanation, but it was accurate enough.

Buffy's eyes never left Willow's, making Angel fear the worse.

There was definitely something about this Slayer, Buffy thought as she looked her over. She could feel something deep inside responding to something in the girl before her.

"So," Buffy sat down on the bench closest her, "sit down, I don't bite."

Willow rolled her eyes and never moved. Angel also stayed where he was.

"Spike is still alive if you were wondering Angel."

"Spike?" Willow looked from Angel to Buffy, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, you didn't tell her," turning to the Slayer Buffy continued, "my other Childer brought him and Dru to me. A little token of their affection."

Willow didn't really care what happened to the bleached blonde, or his crazy sidekick, as long as she didn't have to deal with them.

"Leave." Angel had shifted to game face without his knowledge.

Buffy stood up and switched into her own Vampire visage and growled warningly at her Childe.

Willow couldn't help noticing that Buffy wasn't ugly, like most Vamps were.

Angel answered the growl, knowing it was stupid to do so.

Buffy reached him in a second, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing. It wouldn't kill him, but it would hurt like hell if she crushed his windpipe.

Willow ran at Buffy, throwing a kick at the Vampire to dislodge her grip on Angel.

Buffy stumbled back before regaining control.

Angel massaged his throat as Willow drew her stake.

Buffy licked her fangs before letting her face return to its human mask.

"Not yet Slayer. We haven't even begun."

They were the last words Willow or Angel heard. They never knew what hit them.

Buffy smiled down at the two unconscious bodies before looking up and meeting Gunn's eyes.

"Good job. Grab Angelus and I'll get the Slayer."

As Gunn lifted his 'brother', Buffy picked up the Slayer and cradled her in her arms.

Looking down at the girl she held, Buffy smiled before bending her head and nuzzling the Slayer's hair.

Gunn caught the look and nuzzle and knew that this was one Slayer that his Sire was going to have fun with.

Willow came awake with a start. Snapping her eyes open, she stared around the large basement, trying to remember what had happened.

When she went to move her arm, she realized it was chained to the wall.

Panicking her eyes searched the room and she spotted a battered and broken Spike and then Dru before her gaze landed on Angel, in the same position she was.

"What happened?" Her voice was husky and she had to clear her throat a few times.

"Buffy happened." He was kicking himself inside. He should have felt family close by, but he had ignored those feelings for so long, they were a little rusty.

"Quite right Childe."

Buffy sauntered into the room, looking at her two captives.

"So glad you came to visit."

"Not like we had much choice in the matter." Willow hated being chained up and began tugging on her restraints.

"Its no good girl. Those chains are reinforced, plus I had Wes put a spell on them to make them unbreakable just in case I misjudged you."

Willow stopped her efforts to free herself after trying the chains and finding that they wouldn't budge.

"Why have you brought us here?" Angel ground out to his Sire, venom in his tone.

Buffy smiled, a happy smile which surprised him, not to mention Willow, who couldn't believe the difference it made to the beautiful demon before her. That thought disturbed Willow.

"I met an old gypsy witch doctor a few months back. He gave me something valuable."

Angel's gaze shot to his Sire's, fear in his eyes.

"Your scared. Good," Buffy took a seat on the leather chair not far from Willow.

"By the end of this day, I will have Angelus by my side, where he belongs."

Willow gasped and her eyes locked with Angel's frightened ones.

Angel knew she wasn't lying.

/thank god! Not that I don't like you soul-boy, but well I don't/

"What makes you think that Angelus would want to be back with you? He hated you more than I do. The only reason he stayed was because you were a good fuck."

/LIAR/

Buffy moved so fast, Angel had no time to brace himself. The punch landed, breaking a rip or two.

"Liar." her tone conveyed that she believed that, but inside she was wary.

Angel laughed in her face.

"Please! He despised you, it was a running joke with all of us. I mean come on!.. Even when we were human, the only reason I was around you, was because it was expected of me."

Buffy turned away from him, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes. Willow saw though, and for more than a second, she hated Angel for putting it there.

That thought made her eyes widen in shock.

She did not just sympathies with a demon.

Buffy met Willow's eyes, hardening her own gaze before swinging back around to face Angel.

"Well, I can ask him himself when I free him from his cage."

Buffy left the room and returned a few moments later, Wes with her.

Walking over to the Slayer, she threw her a smirk before punching her, hard, and knocking her out again.

Buffy checked that Willow was out cold before releasing her from her chains.

"Wes, I'll put her up in my room, the chains there should hold her. You get started on him."

Wes nodded his head and began pouring the sand needed for the ritual. He ignored Angel's questions regarding what was going to happen to Willow.

Buffy lay the Slayer down on her own bed and quickly fastened the chains she had installed just after they had relocated to Sunnydale. She hadn't used them yet, and was strangely glad that she was using them for the first time on the Slayer.

As she looked at the girl laying on her bed, Buffy was overcome by strange emotions. She didn't like what she was feeling.

Shrugging and stripping herself she headed into her bathroom to shower off the nights grime.

Her thought drifted to the girl in her bed, and she felt her body become aroused. Pinching her nipples, she moaned and leaned against the shower wall, loving the contrast between the heat of the shower and the coolness of the wall.

Images of the redhead flashed in front of her eyes and she moved her hand down to her core, playing with her clit before thrusting two fingers in harshly, letting a growl loose at the sensations.

She came, growling her release and letting the sensations roll through her.

Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself before walking naked into her room.

Willow averted her eyes. She had just woken up and heard the shower running. She had freaked out when she found herself chained to the bed, but she had managed to calm herself down.

Seeing Buffy walk naked into her room, put nasty thoughts into the Slayer's head, and she averted her eyes.

Buffy noticed and smirked.

"See something you like?"

Willow mustered all her strength to gave Buffy a dirty look.

Buffy smirked again and moved over to the bed. Willow panicked and tried scooting away from the approaching Vampire.

Buffy leaned over Willow, testing her chains, while at the same time pushing her breasts in the Slayer's face.

Willow couldn't help the moan that passed her lips.

Buffy pulled back and stared at the Slayer before climbing over her and settling on the other side.

Pulling back the black silk sheets, Buffy slipped between them and sighed at the feeling of peace that washed through her.

Angel was in the basement, slowly becoming Angelus again, and she had a hot Slayer in her bed.

Rolling over to face the girl, she noticed that she was looking anywhere but at her.

"What?"

Willow's eyes roamed the room, her gaze never settling on Buffy.

"What are you going to do to me?"

Buffy didn't know. She had gone into this wanting to drain the girl dry, but now, she was undecided.

"Not sure yet. Go to sleep."

Willow didn't want to sleep, but she had gotten next to no sleep the night before and her body was craving it.

Buffy closed her eyes and waited until she could hear the even breathing indicating that the Slayer was asleep.

She had to wait a while, but her patience paid off.

Opening her eyes, she studied the face of the Slayer. She was relaxed in sleep, the burden of being the savior of the people stripped away.

Not knowing why, but wanting to be closer to the girl, Buffy moved over and wrapped an arm and a leg over the sleeping Slayer.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, smiling when she felt the Slayer lean into her as much as she could with the chains restricting her.

Angel screamed in pain. Whatever Wes was doing, he could feel it working. And it hurt like hell.

He felt like he was being stabbed by thousands of knives, thought there was not one mark on his body.

Wes never lost his concentration, knowing if he messed this up, Buffy would punish him more than she had Spike and Dru.

As Angel screamed again, Wes spoke his final words.

Angel screamed a final time, before he felt himself being ripped from his body.

The Vampire crumpled to the floor, out cold.

Wes released a breath he didn't need and stood up. He had been kneeling for over nine hours, talking continually, and he was hungry.

He made his way to his Sire's room and knocked on the door.

Buffy awoke when she heard the knock, her eyes snapping open.

Looking at the girl still in her arms, she frowned before getting out of bed and putting on her robe.

"Enter."

Wes entered, keeping his eyes lowered as a sign of respect.

"It is done Sire. When he wakes, he should be Angelus once again."

Buffy wanted to jump up and down with glee, but held herself in check.

"Thank you Wes."

Wes nodded once and left.

Buffy turned back to see that Willow had woken, silent tears running down her face.

"Why so sad?"

Willow turned her head away.

"My friend is dead. You killed him. Again."

Buffy smiled and sat up on the bed, reaching out to run her hand down the Slayer's cheek, wiping away her tears.

"I set him free, it was the gypsy's that killed him."

Willow jerked her face out of Buffy's grip, making the Vampire growl out her displeasure.

"Don't touch me."

Buffy smirked and grabbed Willow's chin, forcing her to look at her.

"You didn't mind last night."

For one second, Willow feared that Buffy had done something to her when she fell asleep.

"Oh don't worry, I didn't rape you."

Willow let out a relieved breath.

"What do you mean then?"

Buffy leaned in like she was going to kiss Willow, before whispering beside her ear, "you clung to me all night."

Willow paused for a long minute.

"You figured out what to do with me yet?"

"Well, first, I was going to kill you, but I think that I want to play for a while first."

A shiver raced up Willow's back at those words as Buffy moved closer to her.

Buffy yanked on the buttons of Willow's shirt, ripping it clean off her body.

Even through the bra, Buffy could tell that the Slayer's nipples were hard.

"Seems you like me more than you let on."

Willow shook her head no and tried to back away. Buffy just followed her, molding her robe covered body against Willow's partially clothed one.

Leaning in, she brushed her lips lightly against the Slayer's, waiting to see how she would react.

For a minute, Willow let the kiss happen, but when she felt Buffy's tongue stoking along her lower lip, she jerked back.

"Don't touch me."

Buffy smiled and crushed their lips together again, thrusting her tongue into the Slayer's mouth, loving the heat she found there.

Letting her face shift quickly to its demonic form, Buffy nicked the Slayer's tongue with her fangs, before putting on her human mask, and sucked the blood away, purring at the taste.

It was different from every other Slayer she had tasted.

Buffy was assaulted by a host of emotions. It was death, life, passion, lust, and hidden in the back of her mind, afraid to even voice the word, love.

Breaking away, she licked her lips and hopped out of bed, ready to go and welcome her Childe back.

Angelus came awake with a snarl, tugging at his restraints.

"SIRE!"

Buffy burst thought the doors a second later.

"Angelus?"

His cold gaze settled on her, before it softened into the look he reserved just for her.

"Sire. What he said, he was lying." He needed her to believe him. There was only one being on earth Angelus cared about, and that was his Sire.

Buffy smiled and unlocked his chains, smiling when he picked her up and spun her around.

"God, its good to be free. I need a fresh kill, something violent to wash away all the crap he's been making me eat."

Buffy smiled but shook her head no. There was something she wanted more than to see him hunt again.

Tilting his head to the side, Buffy let her face shift, licking her fangs as she stared at the pale flesh before her.

Angelus got what she wanted and smiled, tilting his head even more for her.

Buffy sank her fangs in, purring at the taste of his blood after so long.

Grabbing his neck, she moved his mouth to her own neck and pressed it there.

As she felt his fangs enter her, she exploded in orgasm, growling it into his neck before pulling back and licking her mark closed.

Angelus gave her the same treatment, also coming down from the high he got off tasting his Sire's blood.

"Lets go reunite you with your family." Licking at the blood on his lips, Buffy led Angelus up and into the main room, where everyone was waiting. Minions and Childer alike.

The minions fell to their knees while the Childer all patted him on the back and welcomed him home.

After they had all gotten reacquainted, Angelus turned to Buffy.

"Is the Slayer still alive?"

Buffy nodded her head yes.

"Why?"

Angelus shrugged, but a dark look entered his eyes.

"She made me feel human, gave me friendship. That's not something I can just forgive."

Buffy smiled at him but dashed his hopes of killing the Slayer soon.

"I want to play for a while. There is something about this one."

Angelus cocked an eyebrow at her, wanting more than that.

Buffy sighed, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Ironic considering she didn't need to breath.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm drawn to her, not just because she is the Slayer, but there's something in the girl that I like. That I want." She lowered her voice, so that with even their enhanced hearing, none of the others could hear.

Angelus' brow drew together, letting her know he was thinking.

"You want to fuck her, or turn her?"

Buffy hadn't considered that.

"Maybe, but not yet. I want to sample the goods, see if she's worth it." No Slayer had ever been turned before. Buffy wasn't even sure it was possible.

Angelus nodded his head.

"Can we please go eat now?"

Buffy laughed, glad to have him back. Together Buffy, Angelus, Wes, Gunn and Penn all left to hunt.

"Hey, Buff, what are we doing with the Slayer?" Gunn had just drained his third victim, but as he spotted another potential, he turned his attention to his Sire.

Buffy let the boy whose neck she had just broken fall to the ground and licked her lips. He had been a drug user, she hated them. The drugs made the blood taste funny, so instead of eating him, she killed him.

"Not sure Gunn, any suggestions?"

"Well, I did have one. I was talking to Willy, the guy who runs the bar down on main? Well, according to him, this Slayer is the best. I say we let her go, get a good hunt for a change. A good challenge."

Buffy stopped walking. That thought did hold some appeal.

"Angelus, how good is she?"

Angelus momentarily stopped fucking his dinner to turn to his Sire.

"Oh, she's good alright. You would definitely get a good hunt with her, but then, its up to you." he resumed pounding into the sobbing girl, digging his fangs into her neck once more.

Buffy thought about Gunn's suggestion the whole way back to the mansion.

Willow heard them all get back from their hunt. She wondered if now that they had Angelus back, they would deal with her.

The door opened and Buffy walked in, flanked by Angelus.

"Willow, how nice to see you."

Willow shank back from the hand that framed her face, seeing Buffy frown at her Childe from the corner of her eye.

"You know, its been so long since I've been free, its been years since I tortured anyone."

Willow paled but she was rescued, surprisingly, by Buffy.

"Then go see Spike. He's still in the basement."

Angelus actually sulked at that, but he nodded his head and left them to go pay Spike a visit.

Spike looked up as the door opened, and felt relief at seeing Angel standing there.

It was the smirk on his face that threw Spike. He had only ever seen that smirk before on…

"Angelus."

Angelus smirked and walked over to the broken Vampire.

"Hey Spikey. Long time no see."

Spike tried to shrink away from the Vampire before him, but his chains prevented him from moving much.

"Now then, lets see what we have here."

Angelus looked from Spike to Dru, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Slowly, he unzipped his pants, making a mental note to buy new leather ones and he did so.

Pulling out his erect cock, he walked slowly over to Dru, his eyes on Spike the entire time, even as he stroked himself.

Spike began shaking his head, not wanting Angelus to do what Spike knew he was going to do.

Stepping up behind Dru and ignoring her whimper, Angelus rammed his cock home in her ass, loving her scream of pain.

Spike wanted to wipe the smug look of his face, but he could do nothing other than watch.

As he pumped in and out of Dru, Angelus leaned over, and sank his fangs in as he came, pumping harder and harder as his orgasm raced through him.

Pulling out of Dru's battered body, he was happy to see blood running from between her ass cheeks.

Turning to Spike, that smug grin still in place, he stroked his cock back to hardness and Spike knew.

He was next.

Willow looked at Buffy, before looking away again.

"Good hunt?"

Buffy shrugged and took a seat on the bed, reaching out to run her hand through Willow's hair before trailing it down her body and making sure to caress her breasts along the way.

"He hasn't hunted humans for so long I was worried. But it's like riding a bike."

Willow shuddered, thinking of all the people she had failed to save from these Vampire's, although that wasn't the only reason for the shudder.

Buffy watched the emotions pass over the Slayer's face. Leaning down, she pressed their lips together, thrusting her tongue into the Slayer's mouth and tangling it with hers.

The Slayer couldn't help but respond, and she hated herself for it. There was something about this demon that got to her, and she realized with a start, that she liked the feeling.

Willow felt sick to her stomach.

Breaking the kiss Buffy stood and unlocked the chain from around her neck.

Showing the key to Willow, Buffy walked to the head of the bed where the chains locked.

"I'm about to let you go. You leave quietly and don't try to attack anyone here."

Willow surprise showed.

"You letting me go? Why?"

Buffy sat down and reached her hand out to stroke the Slayer's face, running her thumb over her lower lip.

"Does it really matter? Your free."

Willow jerked her head away from Buffy, seeing a hurt look flash across the Vampire's face.

Buffy had to try very hard not to just hit the girl in front of her. Here she was, giving her freedom, though it was part of her plan, and the Slayer was acting like that.

Also, she was kind of hurt by the reaction and that upset her more than she liked.

"I guess not. Okay, you have a deal."

Willow watched as Buffy unlocked her chains and sat up, rubbing her raw wrists.

Buffy noticed the marks and felt proud that she had marked the Slayer. Possession was nine tenths of the law after all.

Going into the bathroom she got a face cloth and wet it with cold water.

Walking back into the bedroom, she saw that the room was empty and couldn't stop the feelings that erupted in her.

"Stupid Slayer." At that moment, she didn't sound like a Master Vampire. She sounded every bit the eighteen year old she was when she was turned.

Willow burst through Giles' front door just after sunrise, not in the least surprised to see the entire gang there researching.

"Willow!" Giles reached his Slayer first, wrapping her up in a hug in a public display he didn't often indulge in.

"Will! Were have you been?" Xander rushed over to his friend.

"Buffy…Angel…Angelus…kidnapped."

With that said, Willow passed out.

Giles carried his Slayer into the spare room and placed her gently on the bed.

"Xander, get some fresh sheets from the wardrobe and prepare a meal for her."

"Okay sure, but what did she mean?"

Giles had an idea, but he prayed to anyone who was listening that he was wrong.

"We'll have to wait until Willow's awake again to find out."

Xander left and returned not long after with fresh sheets for Willow before leaving again to go and help Tara cook her a meal.

"Wonder what big catastrophe is coming."

Tara never responded. Her thoughts with her redheaded friend.

Buffy slept most of the day when she was woken by loud screams.

Jumping out of bed, she threw on some clothes and went downstairs to see what was happening.

She found Gunn and Wes at the bar drinking and laughing.

"What the hell was that?"

Both shrank away from their angry Sire. It was never good to wake Buffy, she tended to get cranky. It was really the only time they feared for their safety.

"Angelus, he's still down with Spike and Dru."

Buffy rolled her eyes and joined them at the bar, smiling when Wes handed her a scotch.

"How do you think he's coping?"

Gunn shrugged but Wes looked thoughtful.

"It had to do something to him. He was trapped under a human soul for over a hundred years."

Buffy nodded her agreement, worry for her Childe showing in her eyes.

"Yeah, but, he seems to be having fun." Gunn was slightly jealous at the relationship Angelus had with their Sire, but he tended not to dwell on it.

Buffy nodded her head again and stood, draining her drink.

She was feeling hungry, not having eat much the night before, more intent on watching Angelus feed.

"We really need to start keeping humans here."

Penn walked into the room then, also having woken when the scream sounded through the house.

"Hungry Sire?"

Buffy nodded her head.

Gunn tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck

Vampire blood would take the edge off the hunger and she smiled at him before vamping and sinking her fangs gently into his neck.

Gunn's eyes rolled back in his head at the sheer carnal pleasure of this act. He loved when his Sire fed off him, and when she offered her blood in return. There was nothing like Sire's blood.

Buffy only took a few longs pulls from him, not wanting him to weaken. Licking her marks free from blood she placed a kiss against the skin before pulling back and letting her fangs retreat.

"Thanks."

Gunn still had that look of pleasure on his face and barely heard her.

The smell of arousal in the room was too much for her and she attacked his lips with crushing force, thrusting her tongue in and battling with his in a fight both knew she would win.

Gunn stood and turned so her was he leaning again the bar, Buffy in his arms. Penn walked up behind her and molded his body to hers.

Wes was too exhausted to indulge in these activities and left them too it.

Buffy growled at the back of her throat as Gunn palmed her breasts through her robe and Penn cupped her mound from behind.

She started rocking back and forth, from one erection to another.

Braking the kiss with Gunn, she turned her head and caught Penn's mouth with her own.

Gunn moved his kisses to Buffy's neck, earning him a growl of approval.

Switching quickly he ran his fangs along the skin, drawing a little blood before reverting to human again, purring as he lapped at the powerful blood of his Sire.

Penn moved his hands and loosened the belt on Buffy's robe, letting it fall open, exposing her to the gaze of Gunn.

With a growl, he lowered his head and nipped around his Sire's nipples, loving the growls and purrs he got in response.

Penn began walking back, bringing Buffy with him and making Gunn follow to keep contact.

Turning he met Gunn's eyes, and the latter nodded.

Flopping down on the couch, he pulled Buffy with him.

Buffy began rocking herself on Gunn's covered cock before moving her hands to free it. Not having the patience to undo his belt, she ripped the front of his pants and stuck her hand inside, feeling him twitch in her hand.

Penn had stripped himself and raised Buffy so that he had access to her body.

Bringing himself in line with her ass, he paused and he saw Gunn was also poised at her core.

"Sire?"

"Yes! God yes."

At once, both males sank into the welcoming body of their Sire.

Buffy growled at the doubled sensation of having two cocks inside her.

The fullness she felt created just the right amount of pain.

Feeling Angelus near, she looked up to see him enter the room, lust shining in his eyes at what he saw before him.

"Come Childe."

Angelus walked over to Buffy, unzipping his pants and taking out his blood stained cock.

Buffy's eyes lit up and as he got near enough, she reached out and pulled him to her, taking his cock into her mouth in one go.

"Fuck yeah." It had been entirely too long since Angelus had done this.

Gunn opened his eyes to see Buffy sucking Angelus' cock and leaned up to capture one of his balls in his mouth, sucking on the sensitive skin he found there.

In life, Gunn would have never touched a man the way he was now, but then, becoming a Vampire changed a lot of things. They didn't work in boxes labeled 'straight' or 'gay'. They worked with 'want' and 'need'.

It didn't take long for all four of them to come, each Vampire sinking fangs into the closest bit of flesh they could reach. For Buffy, that was Angelus cock. The pain sent him into another climax before the first had even finished.

It was lucky none of them needed to breath as they all collapsed on top of one another.

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at each of her Childer before closing them again in bliss.

"Man, I'm lucky."

The other three wholeheartedly agreed with her, though they knew they were lucky to have Buffy as a Sire.

Most Sire's dominated all their Childer ruthlessly, Buffy gave them their freedom, unless they were being punished. But she only punished them when they deserved it.

The minions were another story, but they didn't count.

Willow woke up to the smell of home cooking.

Slowly, she got out of bed and followed her nose to the kitchen to see Tara standing at the stove.

"Hey."

Tara jumped, not having heard Willow.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

Willow shrugged and hopped up on Giles worktop, looking through to the living room to see Giles, Xander and Cordy all there.

"I'm okay considering."

"Considering you were kidnapped by an insane Vampire who loves torturing and killing Slayer's?"

"She's not insane." Willow didn't know why she had felt the need to stand up for Buffy. It just came out.

She was worried about that and tried to hide it. This Vampire was starting to cause her serious mental problems.

Tara cocked her head to the side and stared at her friend.

"Will?"

Willow shook her head, "its nothing. I'm just tried. And hungry."

Tara smiled and motioned to the plates beside Willow.

"Everything is ready, why don't you go out and set the table for everyone."

Willow left to do that, talking with Xander as she did.

Tara watched her friend, knowing something was going on with her, but not having a clue as to what.

They ate their meal, Willow having seconds and thirds before moving into the living room and relaxing on the couch.

"So Willow. What exactly happened then?"

Willow turned to face her watcher.

"Buffy stopped me and Angel," she had trouble getting his name out, "on the way home. We got jumped from behind and woke up chained in a basement."

Willow paused and took a deep breath. The next part was the hardest.

"She got another Vampire to take Angel's soul away. He's Angelus again."

No-one spoke, all praying they heard wrong.

Giles was the first to break out of his trance like state at hearing that piece of news.

"How?"

Willow shrugged.

"Some spell. She took me out of the room before the other Vampire started, but we could all hear Angel's screams."

"What I don't understand, is why she let you go instead of killing you." Cordy never had learned the art of tact.

"As harsh as that sounded," Giles directed a sour look at Cordy for her comment, "she's right. Why would she let you go?"

Willow didn't know. She got the impression that the Vampire liked her, but hadn't Angel told her that Buffy had seduced Slayer's before? Maybe this was just part of her plan.

A dark part of Willow, a part she rarely listened to, told her that the Vampire wouldn't have to try to very hard to seduce her.

"It's more than likely a ploy to throw you off."

Outwardly, Willow agreed, but inwardly, she kept seeing the hurt look on Buffy's face when she flinched from her touch before it was covered by a mask or indifference.

She could still taste the passion in the Vampire's kisses. Problem was, she didn't know if it was her own, or Buffy's.

Willow patrolled that night. Giles had argued with her, but in the end they had reached an agreement.

If Willow patrolled, they all went with her.

Giles had also taken the liberty of contacting Faith, the second Slayer. She was currently in Boston, but would make her way to Sunnydale first thing in the morning.

Faith had only been the Slayer for six months, though Giles still thought it was strange that Buffy had not looked for either Slayer before her visit to Sunnydale.

He shared his confusion with his Slayer, who told him that the Vampire was probably looking for a way to get Angelus back and didn't have the time to go Slayer hunting.

Xander, Cordy, Tara and Giles were all armed to the teeth. Willow had her trusty stake with her, and a few replacements in her jacket pocket.

It was the Slayer that noticed them first.

About five hundred yards in front of them stood Buffy, Angelus, Wes and the two others she knew to be Penn and Gunn.

She stopped walking, causing Xander, who was looking behind himself, to bump into her.

"Sorry Will-" he cut off when he looked up and saw why the Slayer had stopped.

"Guys, weapons ready."

Willow took point as the Vampires made their ways towards them.

Buffy tuned to each Childe in turn and warned them off attacking.

"Well look, the gangs all here." Angelus looked at the people Angel had called friends and suppressed a growl.

"Angel." Xander had never cared about the fact that Angel had a soul, a Vampire was a Vampire to him. He found himself wishing though, that it was the good version in front of him right now, and not the killer he had heard horror stories about.

"Names Angelus whelp." Angelus took a threatening step closer, but Buffy stuck her arm out in front of him, blocking his path.

"Oh, look, Deadboy takes orders from a girl."

Willow turned and raised her eyebrows at Xander, as if to say 'think about it' and after a few seconds, he got it and ducked his head.

Willow turned her attention back to Buffy and gripped her stake tightly.

"Any reason you're here?"

Buffy shrugged and took in a wide glance of the cemetery.

"Just enjoying a night-time stroll."

"Pity you didn't take it during the day."

Buffy raised her eyebrows at the brunette standing beside the boy she knew was called Xander, thanks to Angelus.

"Cordy, right? I would really watch that tongue of yours if I were you. You might find it cut out if you aren't careful."

Cordy took the warning and shrank back behind Xander some more. Tara stepped up to stand beside Willow, as did Giles. Xander moved away from Cordy and guarded the Slayer's back.

"A touching as this is, are we going to fight or what?" Willow just wanted this over.

Buffy smirked and walked closer, ignoring the stake the Slayer raised.

"You didn't seem to mind the touching last night."

Giles looked sharply at his Slayer.

"Willow?"

Willow shook her head, not wanting to get into it now.

"It was nothing."

There. Willow definitely saw a hurt look cross Buffy's face before she hardened.

"Ah Will-"

"Not now Xander."

Xander tugged on her arm.

"I get that your in the middle of something, but if you could just look to your right for a minute, we have another problem."

Willow looked out of the corner of her eye and sighed. Ignoring Buffy she turned to face the demon that was making its way over.

Buffy didn't take well to being ignored and was about to say something when she saw what the Slayer saw.

"Friend of yours?" Willow asked Buffy, though all her attention was now on the approaching demon.

Buffy stepped up to stand beside the Slayer, her Childer falling in behind her.

"What are you doing?"

Buffy had no clue, so she ignored the Slayer's question and focused on the demon.

She recognized the breed, but couldn't remember specifically what it was.

The demon stopped a hundred yards away.

"Slayer."

Willow rolled her eyes.

"They never come up with anything new."

Buffy shot her a smirk before walking up to the demon, motioning for her Childer to stay put.

Vampire and demon stared at one another.

"Why do you work with the Slayer?"

Buffy looked affronted.

"I do not!" The growl had the demon taking a step back.

"What do you want?"

The demon paused, considering her question.

"Simple. The Slayer. My master wants her."

Buffy raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"For what?"

The demon debated on telling the Vampire before him why his master wanted the Slayer. She would probably help him get the girl.

"To fight. Every year, a master of one of ten clans holds a party. Each year they try to outdo the previous. This year, my master wants the Slayer."

Buffy didn't like that idea. It conflicted with her plans.

"She's mine." The possessive tone did not go unmissed.

"Then we fight."

The demon threw the first punch, but Buffy was ready.

Ducking, she punched him in the face, grinning at the thought of a good fight.

The Scooby gang watched, open mouthed as Buffy took on the demon.

Angelus smirked as Buffy caught the demon on the side of its head, drawing blood.

The smell of the blood, though non human, brought out Buffy's demon, making her fight harder.

The fight only lasted a few minutes, though to the demon, it seemed like a lifetime.

With a powerful kick to the demons head, Buffy watched as it fell off, rolling to the side a few feet away, green blood oozing from it.

Wiping her hands on her leather pants, Buffy turned to the applause of her Childer.

Angelus strode up to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"What was that all about?"

Buffy looked towards the Slayer, happy to see the frown that flashed across her face.

"He wanted something that would have ruined my plans."

Angelus followed her gaze and smirked.

"I see. Glad to see you haven't lost it."

Buffy gave him a squat on his arm.

"Like I could ever lose it."

They walked back the few feet to the rest of the group, Vampire's and humans alike.

Willow was watching Buffy and Angelus closely, and she didn't like what she saw.

Angelus had spent a lot of time with these humans, and knew what was coming next.

Sure enough, they all raised their weapons. Xander held his cross bow out in front of him like a shield, Cordy was holding out her cross, Giles had his sword and Tara was holding a cross and a bottle of holy water.

Willow stepped forward, stake raised,

Buffy raised her hands in defense.

"Wow, Slayer. Lower the pointy wooden stick would you."

They had a staring contest, which Willow won.

Buffy backed away and moved to leave, when Willow's voice stopped her.

"You think I'm actually going to let you let go to kill people?"

"Fish has to swim, birds got to fly."

Willow frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Buffy walked until they were almost nose to nose, making the humans move closer to the Slayer, making the Vampire's move closer to the Vampire.

It was Xander that started it, but it was an accident. He let fly an arrow, which embedded itself in Penn's stomach.

Buffy saw red. The only one allowed to hurt her Childer was her, and only when they deserved it.

Snarling, she made a move for Xander, but was stopped by the press of Willow's stake against her.

"Penn?"

Penn pulled out the arrow and threw it to the ground.

"I'm good."

Buffy nodded her head but didn't move.

Angelus had stepped up beside his Sire as soon as he spotted the stake.

"Buff?"

Buffy heard the worry in his voice. Most wouldn't have, only his family knew how to read him, and even then, Buffy was the best at it.

"I'm good." She echoed Penn's statement from earlier, feeling Angelus tense behind her at the close proximity of the stake to his Sire.

Willow shifted suddenly, bringing her stake in line with Buffy's heart.

Angelus glared at the Slayer, who never took her eyes off Buffy.

Buffy took a step forward, feeling the pressure of the wood through her silk shirt.

"Is this really how you want this to end?"

Willow nodded her head. She would rather have to kill Buffy, than have Buffy kill anymore innocent people, including her friends.

Buffy shook her head sadly before reaching out behind her and pushing Angelus back a few paces.

"What-" He was cut off when Buffy suddenly preformed a back flip away from the Slayer, to land beside him.

"Well, I don't." Buffy turned and began walking away, her Childer following her.

Xander raised his bow and fired again. Willow, who had seen what he planned, couldn't stop him in time.

The arrow hit Buffy, a few inches short of her heart, his intended target.

With a growl, she vamped and fell to her knees.

"Buffy!"

Penn scooped up his Sire in his arms, checking the proximity of the arrow to her heart and nodded to Angelus, who turned cold eyes to Xander.

"You boy, have just signed your own death warrant."

He stalked forward not caring that Willow had stepped in front of his target.

"Angel."

He stopped and turned to face his Sire. After living under the soul for so long, for anyone to call him anything but Angelus would have pissed him off. Anyone but his Sire that is.

She was allowed to call him what she liked, and she had called him Angel in the past, before he was cursed with a soul.

Buffy opened her eyes, pain showing in them. Pain and anger.

"Take me home."

She needed to heal, then the boy was hers to deal with.

Willow rounded on Xander the moment the Vampire's were out of sight.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

Xander looked confused, then angry.

"I was trying to stake the Vampire, that you for some reason were about to let walk away to kill god knows who!"

Giles stepped forward to stall the argument.

"This isn't helping. We need to go the library and research how Buffy could have taken Angel's soul. See if its permanent or not."

Willow looked at him like he had two heads.

"Giles, is permanent. She wanted him back, its like the whole family are close. I didn't spend time with anyone other that Buffy, not even Angelus, but from what I saw tonight, they all care about each other."

"Will, they are demons, they can't care. It isn't in them too." Cordy agreed with her boyfriend. Willow should have killed the blonde when she had the chance.

"Look, what we all need is a good nights sleep, I know I do." Willow looked off into the direction Buffy disappeared, being carried in the arms of another vamp.

She couldn't help but worry about her. She didn't dust, so she knew that the Vampire would be okay, but still, any higher, and Xander would have killed her.

Buffy growled as Wes cleaned her wound and washed away the dry blood.

Looking up, she saw that Gunn had returned, licking her lips as she stared at the girl he had brought with him.

Gunn thrust the scared girl over to Angelus, who held her tight, bending her so Buffy could reach her neck.

Already in vamp face, Buffy bit it, drinking the girl dry in seconds, listening to her screams for mercy before she passed out from blood loss before dying.

Licking her fangs clean she lay back down and turned to Gunn.

"Thank you."

He nodded his head and after making sure she was comfortable, left the room to take his own meal to his room. The girl's lover was out cold in the hallway.

Buffy tuned out Wes and Angelus talking about with torture technique to use on Spike next and let her mind wander.

Willow had no clue why she was doing what she was, but it didn't stop her.

Scaling the wall to the mansion, Willow made her way around back to where she knew Buffy's bedroom was.

Stopping, she looked up and saw the balcony that led to Buffy.

Looking around for a way to climb the wall, her eyes lit up when she saw the drain pipe.

Willow was up the wall in seconds and standing on Buffy's balcony before she could reason herself out of it.

The thick blood red drapes hid Buffy from her view and she closed her eyes, picturing the room.

Peeling back a corner of the curtain, the corner where she knew Buffy would be in no danger from the sun, she peeked in.

Buffy was curled up on her bed, sheets around her ankles. She had her pillow clutched to her and she seemed to be dreaming from what Willow could tell.

She was also naked and Willow had no problem seeing everything.

Ignoring the voice in her head that begged her to leave this place, to go back home where she was safe, Willow entered the room, letting the drape fall closed again.

Walking to the edge of the bed, she gently eased herself down, reaching out a hand to stroke the skin of Buffy's face.

Reaching down, she pulled the blankets from the base of the bed up to cover Buffy, but when she turned back, the Vampire was wide awake and looking at her.

Willow jumped back, but all Buffy did was sit up.

"Have to say, I didn't expect to see you here."

Willow turned around to leave, but Buffy stopped her.

"Wait, stay for a while," seeing Willow pause, Buffy added a soft, "please."

Willow moved back to the bed and took a seat, a little uncomfortable with Buffy's nudity.

Buffy smiled, and Willow was struck by the beauty of it.

"So, why'd you come?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"Truthfully, I have no clue."

Buffy smirked inside. She hadn't even started trying to seduce the Slayer, not really anyway, but here Willow was, already under her spell – so to speak.

"Worried?"

Willow's eyes moved down to the patch of skin that was covered by a gauze. It was off to the right of her heart, in-between her breasts.

Reaching out, without thinking, she pulled it off to see the angry red mass that lay under it.

"Looks sore."

Buffy winced, remembering the pain.

"Still, I'm sure that you've done worse to others in the past."

Willow was prepared for a number of things to happen. She was prepared for Buffy to attack her, she was prepared to see Angelus walk through the door, hell she was even prepared to see the devil himself lurking in the room somewhere.

What she wasn't prepared for, was the hurt that she saw in Buffy's eyes.

Buffy looked away so that the Slayer would miss the look of remembrance on her face for times gone by. Not because she was ashamed for anything she had done, she wasn't. Proud was more like it.

"Touché."

Willow fidgeted, not knowing what to do, or say for that matter.

Buffy patted the bed beside her, wanting the Slayer to sit.

Willow moved forward heading for the bed, but paused and turned so she was sitting in the leather chair Wes had used when he was tending to his Sire's wound.

"What did you do to me?"

Buffy cocked her head to the side, wondering what she meant by that.

"I should hate you, you've killed girls just like me. You've killed humans, tortured them even. So why, after all this, can I not just hate you? Why are there complex…feelings involved? What did you do to me?" Willow sounded quite distressed by that, and Buffy had to restrain herself from gloating.

"I can't tell you the answer to that Willow. No-body but you can say what is going on inside. But I can tell you this. The feeling is mutual."

At Willow's blank look Buffy elaborated.

"You say I've killed all theses Slayer's? how many Master Vamps have you killed? How many demons? Everything I represent to your would? You represent to mine. I shouldn't be feeling these things for you, hell, I shouldn't even be feeling them. But I do, and its real." Buffy frowned at herself, aware that what she was saying was true.

Willow stood up and began pacing.

"Its not the same and you know it."

Buffy rested against her pillows, wishing she had a glass of blood red wine in her hand. It was actual red wine spiced with blood. She would have to get Wes to check to see if they had any let.

"Why?"

"Because, I only kill evil things! You kill people! Children, adults, heck, whole families!" Willow stood with her hands on her hips, her red hair hanging down around her shoulder, and Buffy couldn't help think that she looked beautiful.

"You're the Slayer, that's your job. I'm a Vampire, that's my job."

And that was it. That was the one thing that Buffy knew was going to be a problem. That one little difference was going to cause her a load of bother.

Willow stood up, and Buffy knew she was right.

"Do yourself a favor and leave town."

With those parting words, Willow opened the drapes and stepped out into the sunshine, leaving Buffy alone in the darkened room.

Seven

Buffy woke with the sunset. Spread out on her bed, she breathed deeply and caught the lingering scent of the Slayer.

Looking towards her door as it opened, she saw Angelus and Penn enter. They were the only two that would dare enter her room without knocking, not that she would punish the others if they ever did.

"Nice sleep?"

Buffy purred as she stretched, noticing the hungry looks Angelus and Penn were giving her.

"I slept like the dead."

Angelus smirked at her pun and sat down on the bed, Penn taking the side opposite him.

"We were thinking. We should really start keeping people here. I woke up around three hungry." Angelus ran his hands down her exposed body, a lustful look entering his eyes.

Buffy had been thinking alone the same lines herself.

"We'll bring some back tonight." Standing up, uncaring of her nudity, Buffy walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, happy when she turned to see Penn and Angelus were already stripped and aroused, waiting for her to join them.

The three Vampire's met the rest of their family in the main room, all chomping at the bit to go hunt. The family bond was the strongest there was, apart from the Sire/Childe bond and the Mate bond.

Buffy took centre stage and address her Childer.

"When you hunt tonight, destroy the bodies. I don't care how, but make them disappear."

Angelus frowned. He didn't really care what happened to the bodies, but he wanted to know why his Sire wanted things done this way.

"Why?"

Buffy vamped out and growled for the minions to clear the room, leaving just Penn, Angelus, Wes and Gunn. The only ones she trusted.

Shaking off her fangs, she answered Angelus' question, though it was aimed at them all.

"The Slayer paid me a visit today. Seems she wont be too hard to seduce, hell, she's half way there already. But, and this is a big but, the Vampire thing is going to be a problem. Now, I can't get round that, but I can tempt her over. Make her see that we aren't all bad," Buffy ignored Angelus' snicker, "we have to trick her into thinking that anyway."

"You mean, manipulate her without her knowledge. Break her down, piece by piece." Angelus paused and ran his tongue over his top row of fangs.

"I like that."

Buffy rolled her eyes at him.

"So, I want no bodies showing up, or you'll regret it."

"How about we drop them off at the cemetery, maybe open a crypt or two and throw the bodies in."

"Too risky, someone would notice."

"Burn them?" This came from Penn.

"I think that people would notice the smell of burning bodies, just because they ignored it at Auschwitz, doesn't mean they will here." Buffy sighed, this might be harder than they thought.

"Right, well, how about we bury them?" Wes put forward his idea.

Buffy's eyes lit up.

"Wes, I knew there was a reason I turned you. We can get the minions to dig the graves out the back."

Wes smiled, and licked his fangs.

Buffy told them all to make sure they brought the bodies home tonight, they all had cars, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"What, we aren't going together?" Buffy heard the unease in Angelus voice.

Sharing a knowing look with Wes, Buffy turned her attention to Angelus.

"You and I will be. The others are on their own."

Angelus was fine with that. He knew Buffy wouldn't let anyone hurt him.

"Okay."

Gunn stood up and bent to give Buffy a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

"Come back safe."

Wes nodded to Buffy and left, hoping to find a nice young teenager to quell his desires. If she happened to die during it, well then so be it.

Penn looked from his Sire to Angelus, not wanting to leave on his own.

"Penn, your with us as well." Buffy didn't know why, but she wanted them both with her tonight.

He perked up and grabbed his coat. Together the three left the mansion.

The gang had gathered in the library to discuss a plan of action regarding Buffy and Angelus, not to mention the other three Vampire's.

"I say we find out where they are staying and bomb the place to the ground." Xander's suggestion wasn't made in jest.

Willow rolled her eyes at him.

"I think the general public would notice an explosion of that magnitude Xander." Giles said, all the while his attention on his Slayer. There was something going on with her today.

"Beside, I already know where they are. It's the old mansion down on Crawford street. Did I not mention that part before?"

Willow looked around, and by the look on Giles' face, she hadn't.

"Okay, so I never. Anyway, we need to stop them, and soon."

They spent the next hour talking over battle plans. But ultimately, they could do nothing until they knew what the demons were going to do.

Giles looked up when the library doors opened.

A young brunette walked in and stopped when she saw the gang all sitting.

"Hey, I'm looking for a Mister Giles? I'm Faith."

Buffy, Angelus and Penn were in the Bronze on the off chance that the Slayer would be there.

After being in the building for five minutes, the music pounding into her, the smell of young blood and sex and Buffy was already ready to fuck either one of her Childer up against the closest hard surface.

Penn had already left to do just that to some unsuspecting girl.

She leaned back in her seat and let her eyes run over the dance floor. She knew the Slayer wasn't in the building because she hadn't felt that little tingle of warning on the back of her neck.

Angelus looked over and saw that his Sire was moving around on her chair, he could relate.

Even with a soul, being in this club never failed to arouse the hell out of him.

Sliding over, he ran his hand down her face, smiling when she leaned into the touch purring her approval.

Buffy turned to look at him, and recognize the lust in his eyes.

Smiling she pulled him closer, glad the corner they were in was dark.

Not that she minded people seeing what they were about to do, but she didn't want the Slayer seeing if she came in.

Angelus ran his hand from Buffy's neck down her side, briefly massaging her breasts, before moving on down and cupping her leather covered mound in his hand.

"Fuck…" Buffy leaned back and pushed her hips up, gaining the pressure where she needed it most.

Angelus lifted her, unzipped his pants, freed his cock, opened her pants and had his cock in her cool body before she could have blinked.

Buffy set a hard pace, bouncing on his lap and growling her pleasure.

Angelus moved his mouth to her neck and buried his face there, letting his fangs come out to play.

Buffy pushed her neck firmly onto his teeth, growling as they cut at her skin each time she thrust herself onto him.

The hard fast pace had them both coming soon, each sinking their fangs into the others neck, growling out their release in the loud, dark and human filled club.

Buffy pulled back, still in vamp face and licked her lips before leaning in and licking her mark on him closed.

"Mine."

Angelus closed the mark on Buffy's neck, knowing it wouldn't scar. He would always have the mark on his neck that professed him to be hers, he didn't mind that one bit.

"Yours Sire."

Willow walked behind the others as they entered the Bronze. She hadn't wanted to come tonight, but the new Slayer had cajoled the gang into taking the night off, promising that she and Willow would do a combined sweep later.

As soon as she entered the club, she felt as if she was being watched.

"Hey guys, find a table, I'm going to the bathroom." Willow got a nod from Xander that he had heard her.

She couldn't help but not like her sister Slayer. She didn't know why, but there was something about her.

Buffy watched the Slayer as she headed towards the girls' toilets and left Angelus to follow her.

Pushing open the door, she saw a few girl's at the mirror, but no Slayer. Coming to the conclusion that Willow was in a stall, Buffy took a seat on the ones they had in there to wait, careful to keep away from the mirrors.

Willow flushed her toilet and opened the door to see Buffy lounging on the seats, looking at the girls at the sink.

Despite herself, the Slayer couldn't help feel a jab of jealously. She also couldn't help remembering the kisses they had shared and god help her, she wanted more.

"Stalking now?" Willow stepped up to wash her hands, knowing that Buffy had heard her.

"Come now Willow, I just needed to pee."

Willow looked in the mirror to where Buffy was. Even though she didn't have a reflection, Willow met her eyes,

"Your dead, or did you forget that?"

The girls that had been reapplying make-up gave them both funny looks and got the hell out of there, leaving the two alone.

"I just popped in to say hello." Buffy sat back and watched the Slayer through hooded eyes. She really wanted to just slam her up against the nearest wall and fuck the brains out of her.

Angelus had taken the edge off her lust earlier, but, as normal now, she felt her body responding to the closeness of the Slayer.

Willow dried her hands and turned her full attention to the Vampire.

"Okay, you've said hello, now could you leave me alone for one night?"

Buffy heard the stress in the Slayer's voice and wondered where it was coming from. She hoped she was causing it.

"No, I like it here."

Willow rolled her eyes and made to leave but Buffy stood up and blocked her way.

Willow fell into a fighting stance, making the Vampire sigh.

"Look, I was just going to ask what was wrong."

Willow's eyes got really big before she relaxed and lowered her hands, one of which held a stake.

"What's wrong is that I'm trapped in the girls' bathroom with a killer who seems to like kissing me, my friends are practically drooling over Faith, and to top it all off, I'm flunking English!"

Buffy moved away from the door and held her arms out.

"You can leave any time you want, or we could kiss, I would prefer the second option there if I'm allowed to choose."

When Willow didn't move, Buffy took a seat, glad when the Slayer sat down as well.

"So there's one problem taken care of, now the other two. Who's Faith?" Buffy tried really hard not to growl the words, wondering just who this new girl was.

Willow smirked and turned to face the Vampire.

"Faith is the second Slayer."

Willow watched as Buffy's eyes narrowed.

Buffy stood up and began to pace. She hadn't known there were two slayers. She had spent the best part of three years searching for the witch doctor to cure Angelus. She had been out of the loop so to speak.

She stopped when it hit her.

Two Slayer's.

That meant…

"You died?" She couldn't stop the growl this time, nor could she stop her face from changing.

Willow looked up and jumped when she saw the golden eyes of the demon looking down at her.

"Only for a minute."

That didn't appease Buffy. Spinning, she kicked out, sending the bin across the bathroom to land in a heap at the other side.

Willow jumped up, not sure why the Vampire was acting like this.

She would have been surprised to know that the Vampire in question hadn't the slightest idea either.

Buffy sat back down and visibly got herself under control, pushing back her demonic features. When the Slayer died, it would be by her hand, no-one else's. The Slayer was hers and hers alone.

"So, you died?"

Willow looked warily at the Vampire beside her.

"Yeah. About a year ago."

Buffy's hands clenched.

"Who, or what?"

"Vampire. It was The Master."

Buffy's head shot up.

"Nest?"

Willow nodded her head. Just after it happened she hadn't dealt with it very well, but now she could talk about it and not freeze up inside.

"But you came back." Buffy stated the obvious, hoping the Slayer would fill in the details.

Willow nodded her head, unsure why she was telling the Vampire this.

"He only bit me enough to draw the strength to free himself, I drowned. Xander and Angel came, to save me. Xander brought me back with CPR. Then I killed the Master."

Buffy still hated the boy, but she had to admit, he did good.

"So, what's the new girl like?"

Willow frowned, not sure what to say.

"She seems okay, there's just something about her that bugs me." she looked up to the Vampire, and seemed to realize who she was talking to.

"Just 'cause there's another Slayer in town, doesn't mean you can go after this one too."

Buffy got a lustful smile on her face and moved closer to the Slayer, invading her personal space and leaning in to lick Willow's lips.

"There is only one Slayer I'm interested in."

Their eyes locked and Willow could feel her body moving forward of its own accord.

Buffy followed her movements with her eyes, watching as Willow's pink tongue came out to wet her lips. She couldn't stop the low growl that escaped her.

Just before their lips met, the door opened and in walked Faith.

Taking in the sight before her, she smirked and turned to Willow, completely ignoring the other girl, not knowing it was a vamp.

"So the redhead is into chicks? Must say, I never saw that one coming."

Willow jumped back and blushed while Buffy suppressed the annoyed growl. She had been so close to tasting those lips again.

"So, who's your girl then?" Faith sauntered over and looked at Buffy, feeling a shot of lust run through her.

Buffy smirked. She knew exactly what kind of reaction Faith was having. She could smell it.

Willow looked from the leering Faith to the smirking Buffy and didn't like the thoughts that ran through her head. Or the feelings those thoughts produced.

"Well, you must be Faith." Buffy made a show of looking over the other Slayer, loving the pissed off vibes she was getting from her Slayer.

Faith gave Buffy what she called her 'fuck me now' leer and walked closer.

Willow jumped up to stand between the two, and it didn't occur to her that as she turned her back on Buffy, she was turning her back on a Vampire that could kill her faster than look at her.

"Faith, this is Buffy. Buffy this is Faith. Buffy is a Vampire, Faith is a Slayer. There now, we're all introduced and now we are leaving." Willow grabbed Faith by the arm and tried to drag her out, but Faith was having none of it.

"Willow! You're dating a vamp! You slut!"

Buffy didn't take kindly to that. Growling, she vamped and snarled at Faith, only to have Willow turn and pin her with a frown.

"What?"

"Why are you all growly? It was me she called a slut, which by the way Faith? Not a good way to earn friends-"

Buffy smirked at Faith, and around fangs, it looked pretty scary.

"-plus, she's not my girlfriend."

The smirk died off Buffy's face, but the growl went up a few notches. Whether she knew it or not, the Slayer belonged to Buffy now.

"That's not what it looked like to me. Is that how you slay, fuck the vamps into submission before you stake them?"

That was it, Willow lost it. One punch and Faith was down, clutching her nose, blood gushing from it.

"You bwoke my nose!" Faith struggled to stand.

Buffy couldn't help it, she burst out laughing.

Willow shot her a dirty look over her shoulder, already worrying about how she was going to explain this to Giles.

"Priceless!" Buffy was still laughing as Faith stood, tilting her head back to stop the flow of blood.

Willow looked at her fellow Slayer, and for the life of her, she couldn't feel guilty about hurting her.

Angelus watched as his Sire walked over to his table, still giggling like a girl.

"What's so funny?"

Buffy actually had tears in her eyes.

"Willow broke Faith's nose!"

Angelus' confusion was clear.

"Who is Faith?"

Buffy took his drink off him and downed it in one.

"The new Slayer," sobering up she looked at him steadily, "Why didn't you tell me about her death and subsequence revival?"

Angelus rolled his eyes and searched the club for a fresh meal.

"Never thought it mattered."

Buffy grabbed his chin and forced his eyes to hers.

"There are two Slayers. I would say that matters."

He swallowed, hoping that he hadn't pissed her off.

"Angel never met the second Slayer, but we did know of her. It just slipped my mind Sire; I swear that's all it was."

Buffy used the hand that had gripped his chin to gently stoke his face.

"Relax Childe, I know."

He let out the breath he was holding, which was funny considering he didn't need to breathe.

"Come on, let's go find Penn and then go home."

"What about the Slayer?"

"We talked, this plan may go smoother than I anticipated."

Angelus smiled at her and together they left to find Penn.

"So, how did the hunt go?" Buffy was lounging on the plush red carpet, a glass of wine in her hands.

"Good, the minions are collecting the bodies as we speak from the cars. The pit they dug out was massive, so we should be good for a while." Gunn plopped down beside her and closed his eyes, breathing in her comforting scent.

Wes was reading over some of his books. It wasn't very well known, but Wes used to be a watcher in another life. One he was happy to have left behind.

He was looking for a way to help his Sire.

He didn't want to have to stay in Sunnydale. He wanted to go back to their mansion in L.A, one which made this mansion look like a two bedroom apartment.

So that was why he was looking for a way to subdue the Slayer. Instead of having to wait until she turned to their way of thinking, something Wes doubted, no matter how much she was enthralled with Buffy. He was hoping to find something he had heard talk of when he was a young watcher.

Subdue the Slayer, kidnap her and leave. Buffy could play until her heart was content, then if she wanted to, she could turn the girl. Or kill her, whatever.

His eyes lit on the page he needed after three days and he read through the list of ingredients he would need to create the mixture.

Standing and stretching, he left his room to go and find his Sire, hoping that she would go for his plan.

"Wes, I thought you'd be sleeping by now." Buffy relaxed against her bed, signaling for her Childe to come closer.

She noticed he was fidgeting and wondered what was worrying him.

"Sire, if you could, would you leave Sunnydale?"

"Why? The Slayer is here."

"Yes, but we only came for Angelus."

Buffy sat up and regarded him with hard eyes.

"Yes, but now I want the Slayer."

Wes smiled at that.

"What if I told you that you could have the Slayer and leave here at the same time?"

Buffy's expression changed to one of puzzlement.

"How?"

Wordlessly, he handed her the page, watching as she read. He was happy when a smile graced her lips, glad that he would soon be out of this hellhole of a town.

"I never thought the Watchers would be so wonderfully sadistic to their Slayer's. This is perfect. Do what you have to do, but I want this ready in two weeks." Buffy smiled at him, thinking of all the possibilities this drug would bring her. Things that she was sure would have happened sooner or later; this just made it happen sooner. Which she was glad for.

Willow hadn't seen Buffy or Angelus in over two weeks. She was officially worried. Not about their safety, they could handle themselves in a fight. No, she was worried about what they were up to.

Patrol had been far too quiet for the last week, so quiet in fact, that she had let the gang come with her a few nights ago, and Giles was with her now.

"Giles, what do you think they're doing?"

He shook his head. He had no idea, but he knew it couldn't be good.

One minute they were walking along in silence, the next Buffy stood before them, a little grin on her lips.

"Slayer. Watcher."

Willow wasn't reassured by the look on Buffy's face, to her, it looked too cocky. The Vampire was too sure of herself.

However, she never got to find out. Giles looked on in horror as his charge crumpled to the ground, unconscious with a dart embedded in her neck.

"What…?"

Buffy walked calmly over to the fallen Slayer and slid out the syringe she had in her pocket. Giles stepped up to protect Willow, only to be pulled roughly back by Gunn.

Buffy gently raised Willow's sleeve and wiped the skin with a wipe she had with her before easing the needle into her skin and injecting the compound that would strip the Slayer of her strength, temporally anyway.

"I have to thank you Watchers. If Wes hadn't found out about the Cruciamentum, we would have never thought of simply drugging her and taking her."

Giles looked horrified at the thought of what these demons would do to his Slayer.

"Oh don't worry, you still have the second Slayer." Buffy's look turned hard and she knelt down so they were eye level.

"Don't try to find her, if you do, you all die."

Standing up, Buffy picked up Willow and started walking away.

Gunn thumped Giles on the side of the head. The last thing he saw, was his Slayer being led away, carried in the arms of a demon.

Buffy looked down at the girl draped across her lap. The Slayer was still out of it and the smile that Buffy couldn't contain made her frown. She was a Vampire, a vicious one at that. She shouldn't be having these feelings for a human let alone the Slayer.

As the limo pulled to a stop in front of their L.A home, Buffy stayed where she was, waiting until Gunn, Wes, Penn and Angelus had gotten out before she did, handing Gunn the Slayer as she did so.

"I need a kill, who's with me?" Buffy was getting twitchy from all the emotions the Slayer had her feeling and needed a violent kill to cleanse herself.

"I wouldn't mind a fresh kill." Gunn stepped up beside Angelus and handed him the Slayer before moving over to Buffy.

Buffy turned to Angelus and told him to keep an eye on their guest before taking Gunn's hand and getting back into the limo, directing the driver to downtown L.A.

Willow awoke to a strange sensation. She felt like all her limbs were boneless and she was sinking in water.

"Wakey wakey."

Willow opened her eyes to see Buffy standing above her. She frowned, trying to remember what had happened.

One minute she had been walking along with the Giles, then Buffy and been there, then nothing.

"What did you do to me?"

Buffy smirked and sat down on the bed beside the girl. The fresh kills had done her the world of good. She hadn't got all those pesky feelings to go away, but the violence of her hunt had helped establish her evilness to herself once more.

"It's a surprise."

Willow gave her a cold look before something registered with her.

She wasn't chained.

She never even thought, she just reacted and threw herself at Buffy.

A punch that should have sent Buffy to the ground, merely made the demons head swivel.

Buffy turned her head back to the Slayer, a smirk on her face.

Willow was shaking her hand. That punch had hurt her for some reason.

"What's the matter Slayer? Not feeling like yourself?"

Willow tried a kick, but Buffy caught her foot and sent her to the ground. She hadn't even blinked before Buffy was on top of her, straddling her waist.

"Stop trying to fight me." Buffy glared down at the girl below her, inhaling deeply as the Slayer's fear rocketed.

Willow was starting to panic. For some reason her strength wasn't what it should be, and she was positive that Buffy was to blame.

"What did you do?" The sheer panic in her voice pleased the Vampire.

"You don't need to know. Yet."

Willow closed her eyes, but they popped open again as she realized she didn't know if her friends were okay.

"Which one of my friends did you kill already?" she was kicking herself. She had been falling for the Vampire, she knew it, she just didn't want to admit it.

It went against everything she had ever been taught. She knew it was wrong, but it didn't stop the feelings.

Because she hadn't killed Buffy when she had the chance, her friends were probably all dead.

Buffy smiled when she saw the beginnings of tears in the Slayer's eyes. She let her stew for a minute or two before telling her that her friends were alive and well.

"-thought, how long depends on you."

Willow's eyes opened wide and she took a deep breath.

"What do I have to do?"

Buffy had to fight not to laugh with glee. Everything was happening the way she imagined it.

"Simple really. You try to leave, they die. You try to kill me or any of my family, they die. They die in the most excruciating and painful way I can make it, and you will watch as they take their last breath."

Willow's tears fell as she looked into the hazel eyes of the Vampire above her. Buffy leaned down and licked them away, loving the taste of the Slayer's tears.

"Relax baby, no-ones going to hurt you. No-one but me anyway."

Buffy's mouth moved from Willow's cheeks to her mouth, delving deeply and drinking in the girls cries.

"From know on, you belong to me."

Willow mustered her courage and spat in Buffy face. The reaction she got wasn't the one she expected.

Buffy laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh.

"I don't belong to you. I belong to me." Willow stared up defiantly at the Vampire above her.

Buffy shook her head, wiping away the Slayer's spittle.

"No babe, you belong to me. Never doubt that. Pretty soon, I will have you screaming in pain, even as I make you scream in pleasure."

Buffy mashed their lips together again, thrusting her tongue inside, kissing the Slayer so hard, she knew her lips would be swollen and bruised when she was done.

Pulling back, she stared at the girl below her before standing up and turning to go into the bathroom.

Willow shivered as she was left alone. She wondered what Buffy was going to do to her, although the phrase about screaming in pleasure and pain made it pretty clear. That dark part of Willow reared its ugly head and whispered to her to let the Vampire have its way.

She curled into herself. If she didn't do what this demon wanted, her family was dead. But at the same time, she was the Slayer. She was positive whatever Buffy had done to her would wear off sooner or later, and when it did, Buffy was dead.

Buffy came back into the room and picked the Slayer up without a word before taking her into the bathroom.

Even in this state, Willow couldn't hold back her gasp at the size of the bath. Small swimming pool would fit the description better.

It was sunk into the floor, with five steps leading into it and it looked as if it could hold up to twenty people.

Buffy stood Willow up, wondering why she was being so quiet.

Shrugging, she began to undress the girl before her, only Willow jerked back from her grasp.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. She'd had enough. Reaching out, she tore the Slayer's shirt from her body to revel a simple white cotton bra.

"You can't take a bath in your clothes."

Before Willow could react, her pants had been tore from her body and she was left in her underwear.

Buffy had to control herself so she didn't just strip and join the Slayer. Not that she didn't want to, she did. But she wanted the Slayer to want her to.

She didn't know why, but the Vampire wanted their first time to be consensual.

Smiling, she bent to pick up the clothes before telling Willow she would be undisturbed for an hour.

Buffy left the Slayer, not missing the look that crossed her face. Turning, she decided to put her mind at ease.

Willow was powerless, away from home, in a house full of vampires.

She really didn't want to be left alone, even if it meant she had to be around Buffy.

"Relax. Your in safe hands."

Willow couldn't contain her chocked laugh.

"Really? It doesn't feel that way."

Buffy walked until they were nose to nose. Leaning in, she gave the Slayer a gentle kiss on the lips before pulling back.

Willow's eyes were wide. This couldn't be the same person that had attacked her in the bedroom a few minutes ago.

Buffy smiled at her and turned, leaving her to her own thoughts.

Giles downed another whiskey and poured himself more. He had failed in his duty to protect his Slayer.

Joyce had to be given a sedative to calm her down, Xander was pacing angrily in the corner, Cordy was watching him worriedly, and Tara was sitting, not speaking to anyone.

Willow was gone. They didn't know if she was alive or dead. Or worse.

They had no idea where they had taken her. The mansion down on Crawford street was empty. Wherever they were, they weren't in Sunnydale.

Buffy growled as her orgasm washed through her. Wes was still pounding into her and she could feel herself rushing towards another one.

Tilting her head, she grabbed his and forced his fangs to her neck.

"Bite!" the command was clear, and he bit in, savoring her taste even as she bit into his neck.

They both came down from their combined highs and looked up to see Angelus fucking Gunn.

Buffy watched as her Childer both reached orgasm, loving the smells that settled in the room.

Looking to the ceiling, she figured an hour was up and redressed to go and greet the Slayer.

Even without her enhanced sense of smell, Willow could still detect the smell of sex off Buffy.

"Been having fun?" To Willow's horror, even she heard the jealously in her own voice.

Buffy smirked and walked over to the Slayer, who she noticed was wearing one of her silk shirts.

"Mmm, my boys do know how to please."

An awful thought crossed Willow's mind then.

"So that's what your going to do? Give me to them so they can fuck me before they kill me?"

Buffy growled and vamped out before grabbing Willow by the hair and yanking her head up until they were eye level.

"Do you not understand yet? You belong to me! No-one else gets to touch you, no-one else gets to even look at you."

Buffy ripped the shirt from the Slayer's body, exposing her to her lustful gaze.

"You are mine and I will not share you with anyone."

For some odd reason, Willow was reassured by that, but Buffy was still in vamp face, and she was naked.

Buffy's golden eyes locked into Willow's wide green ones and the demon couldn't help herself.

Deliberately not shifting back to her human face, Buffy leaned down and pressed their lips together.

Willow whimpered and tried to pull back. Kissing Buffy when she wasn't all fangy was one thing, but kissing her when said fangs were cutting at her lips were another.

Buffy growled at the taste of the Slayer's blood and thrust her tongue into the warm mouth.

Somewhere during the kiss, Buffy had reverted to human, and Willow was actively kissing her back.

Buffy stood up, taking Willow who had been sitting on the leather couch in the room, with her.

Breaking the kiss, Buffy let her eyes wander the flawless skin before her.

"Mine."

Dipping her head, she caught a nipple between her lips, glad when it hardened.

Willow was kicking herself. She should be trying to get away from this demon, trying to get word to her family that she was alive if not okay, but all she really wanted to do at this moment was let Buffy control her body.

A moan escaped her before she could stop it and Buffy pulled back, a smirk plastered on her face.

Willow's eyes closed in shame and Buffy leaned down, placing lingering kisses on the closed eyelids.

"How was your bath?"

Willow opened her eyes to look at Buffy as if she had two heads.

"Fine." She may not have a choice in leaving, but she sure as hell wasn't going to make things easy for Buffy. She was the Slayer after all.

If Buffy noticed the hostility in the Slayer's tone, she didn't mention it.

"It's nearly dawn. Get into bed while I jump in the shower, unless you want to join me." Buffy had a feeling she knew what the Slayer's response was going to be, no matter her response a few moments ago.

"I'm not joining you and I and not sharing a bed with you."

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "fine, sleep on the floor."

Willow turned towards the bed and took a pillow. She walked over to a corner of the room and curled up in a ball, hoping to be asleep before Buffy returned. If not, well, she didn't want to think about that.

Buffy was in a hurry to get back to the Slayer, so she only took a quick shower.

When she walked back into her room, she stopped cold at the sight before her.

Willow was curled up on the floor in a corner the furthest away from her bed.

Suppressing a growl, Buffy walked over and was about to pick up Willow, when she got a punch to the face for her efforts.

She turned cold eyes back to the Slayer.

"Fine, sleep there." Buffy walked back to the bed and stayed there for all of ten minutes, listening to the girl in the corner quietly sob.

For some reason, she wasn't happy hearing it.

Growling, she jumped out of bed and stalked naked over to the huddled girl on the floor.

"Fuck this." Buffy roughly picked her up and carried Willow over to the bed before throwing her on top of it.

"No arguments."

Climbing in behind her, Buffy pulled the resisting girl into her arms and closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the Slayer.

Neither got much sleep that night.

"Wonder what she's going to do with the Slayer." Penn was lounging against the wall, watching as Angelus tortured Spike.

Angelus shrugged.

"I mean, usually she just toys with them for a while, either fucks them or drains them. This one, I don't know, there's something different going on with this one."

Setting down the knife he was using to crave Celtic designs into Spike's skin, Angelus turned to face Penn.

"Willow, she's one of a kind, even I recognize that. Buffy wants her fully. I suppose that she will eventually turn her, but until then, the only thing I think Buffy wants from the Slayer, is her."

Penn shared a worried gaze with Angelus.

"And what happens if the Slayer doesn't play ball?"

"Then, our Sire wont be in a good mood for the rest of the foreseeable future."

Willow opened her eyes to watch Buffy. The Vampire was asleep, wrapped tightly around the Slayer's body.

Her thoughts regarding the demon that held her prisoner were jumbled.

She hated her for what she was doing.

She lusted after her in equal favor.

She hated herself for lusting after Buffy.

The thing that scared her the most, was that the lust would turn into something more.

It went against all laws of reason. A Slayer falling for a Vampire. Yet, that was what was happening, even though said Vampire was vicious, cruel, sadistic and murderous, Willow couldn't help but be attracted to her.

That thought, above all others, scared the hell out of her. She needed to stay sane to get out of the predicament she found herself in. She wasn't sure she would do that, if she was lusting after the person which placed her in that predicament.

"Are you going to stare at me any longer?" Buffy opened one sleepy eye to stare at the Slayer and saw the blush that crept up on her.

Willow ducked her head down and rolled onto her back.

"How come I'm not chained this time?"

Buffy threw a possessive leg over both of Willow's and pulled the Slayer's body tight to her own, knowing Willow would feel how wet Buffy was.

"Do you want to be?" several images of a naked chained Slayer raced through Buffy's mind and she knew that they would defiantly be trying bondage.

Willow shook her head no and tried to wiggle away from Buffy's grasp.

Buffy watched the Slayer, a hunter watching its prey. And that was exactly what they were to each other. The hunter and the prey. The only problem was, neither was sure which was which.

Buffy wanted to change that.

Rolling on top of the Slayer, Buffy pinned her down. Something that was made easier by the fact the Slayer was weak due to the injection she had been given.

"Going somewhere?"

Willow looked up into the eyes of the demon above her and tried not to notice that said demon was currently naked and squirming on top of her own naked body.

"Bathroom," came the squeaked reply.

Buffy's face was emotionless as she leaned down and pressed their lips together before jumping off the bed and heading into the bathroom herself to run a bath.

Willow followed, and when it was obvious that Buffy wasn't going anywhere, she used the toilet before washing up.

As she went to head back into the bedroom, she was grabbed from behind and turned to face the amused Buffy.

"Stay, I'm running a bath."

Willow was confused by the demon before her. Last night she was mean, today she was being almost nice.

Confusion or not, Willow was under no illusion that she had a choice in taking a bath.

Buffy watched the Slayer's body, loving the small, pert breasts that she saw.

Trailing her gaze down, she couldn't contain a growl at seeing the Slayer's sex exposed.

Willow took a step back, her fear showing. She didn't know that Buffy was growling because she was aroused.

Buffy turned her attention to the bath, making sure the water was warm before holding a hand out to the Slayer.

Something in Buffy's eyes let Willow know that to refuse the hand, would not be in her favor. What Willow didn't know, was that Buffy wasn't in the mood to hurt the Slayer.

Willow took the offered hand and was led down the wide steps into the bath.

She settled on a raised seat, away from the Vampire, but Buffy wasn't happy with that and pulled Willow onto her lap.

Willow gasped at the difference in Buffy's body.

When she had rolled on top or her in the bed, Willow had noticed the coolness, but here in the bath, the Vampire's body was heated by the warm water.

Willow was shocked to discover that she missed the coolness.

"What?"

Willow shook her head.

"Nothing."

Buffy shrugged before moving her hands and palming the Slayer's breasts, loving the hard nipples she found there.

"There's no point trying to fight it. You want me, as much as I want you."

Willow shuddered and couldn't stop herself from arching into Buffy's hands.

"This is wrong."

Buffy moved her mouth so that she could whisper into the Slayer's ear.

"Right or wrong, it is going to happen, and you are going to enjoy it."

Buffy was tired of waiting.

She was a master Vampire. They took what they wanted, yet she had been patient with this girl.

That stopped now.

Lifting the Slayer, she positioned her so that Willow was straddling her, face to face.

As one hand manipulated Willow's nipple, the other made its way down.

Willow jumped when she felt Buffy's fingers touching her were only her own had ever been.

Circling the Slayer's clit, a thought occurred to Buffy.

Using her index finger, she entered Willow's body, growling at the wet heat she found there.

Thrusting into the Slayer's body, Buffy hit something, a barrier.

"You're a virgin." A simple statement. One that had Willow jumping back and splashing into the water.

Buffy growled and pulled her roughly back.

"Stay put."

Buffy took up where she left off, searching out the Slayer's body with her free hand and finding all the places that made her gasp, albeit involuntarily.

"From now on, the only person to ever see you like this, to ever touch you like this, is me. Understand?"

Willow looked into flashing golden eyes and knew that this was going to happen.

"So, your just going to rape me?"

Buffy lowered her mouth until her teeth scraped against Willow's bottom lip.

"Its only rape if you don't want it, and baby, no matter what your mind is telling you, your body wants it."

To prove her point, Buffy thrust in two fingers, not going as far to break through the virginity barrier.

"You wouldn't be as wet as you are if you didn't want it."

Willow lightly rested her hands on Buffy's shoulders as the Vampire played with her.

Buffy pulled the Slayer closer and buried her head in her neck, allowing her fangs to scrap the skin.

She was surprised when she felt a gush of moisture from the Slayer.

Smirking she pulled back, ready to gloat, when she saw the look on the Slayer's face.

Willow had given herself over to the pleasure, not caring where it was coming from.

Her head was thrown back, her eyes tightly closed and her mouth open.

Buffy watched as the Slayer came, a loud groan on her lips.

Standing up, Buffy carefully moved them into the bedroom before throwing the Slayer on the bed and covering her wet body with her own one.

Just as she was about to taste the source of the Slayer's orgasm, a knock came to the door.

Growling, she jumped up and pulled the covers over Willow, hiding her body.

"Come."

Willow tightened the sheets around her as four males entered the room, frowning as they each sent lustful looks towards Buffy, who was still naked.

Reaching over, her hands landed on the discarded silk shirt.

She threw it at Buffy who caught it was a bemused look on her face before shrugging and slipping it on.

Gunn actually pouted at that.

"This had better be good." Her tone let them know that she wasn't happy with the interruption.

Angelus looked from Willow to his Sire, a smirk on his face.

A warning look from Buffy stopped him from saying anything, though he did frown at her before she growled at him.

Stepping back, he raised his hands in surrender and turned to Wes.

"You tell her."

Wes fidgeted before meeting his Sire's eyes.

"The Watchers have been informed."

Buffy cursed and looked at the Slayer.

"Do they know where we are?"

Wes shook his head no.

"Word on the inside says that they aren't concerned."

Willow blanched and pulled the sheet tighter to her.

Buffy frowned, her gaze swinging from Wes to Willow.

"Come again?"

"It seems that they don't like this Slayer, she's too hard to control. They are under the impression that you will kill her, giving them a new one to order around."

Buffy's eyebrows rose and she turned to face the Slayer, seeing the betrayal in her eyes.

This could only work in their favor to turn the Slayer against the council.

"Her friends will be a different matter though."

Buffy nodded her head. She had known this.

"Leave us."

They left, leaving the Vampire and the Slayer alone.

Willow was picking at the sheet wrapped around her, no longer controlled by the lust shooting through her body.

The Watchers knew that she had been taken, and they didn't care? They were happy to leave her in the hands of a notorious killer.

As the first tear fell, Buffy growled.

Only she was allowed to make the Slayer cry.

Discarding the shirt, she climbed onto the bed and took the weeping girl into her arms.

"This is all your fault."

Buffy looked down at the mop of red hair before closing her eyes and listening to the pounding of the Slayer's heart.

"I think you got the better deal. If it hadn't of been me, it would have been someone else."

Willow pulled back so she could see the Vampire's face.

"What's that mean?"

So Buffy told her. She told her about the Cruciamentum, about the trial the Slayer's had to go through in order to survive.

Willow pulled back and began shaking her head.

"-how else do you think I got you here?"

Willow paled as the implications hit her.

"That's right. I used the drug the Watchers have been using for over a thousand years."

It had been a while since Willow had said anything.

Ever since Buffy had told her about the council, she had been imagining what could have happened.

It never registered in her mind that she was glad they hadn't gotten a chance to drug her themselves.

Buffy sipped on her glass of blood red wine she had Wes bring up, and watched the emotions play on the Slayer's face.

Betrayal was there, as was anger. The most noticeable one however, was determination.

"What are you thinking?"

Willow was so lost in her thoughts, she never hesitated in answering.

"That I want to destroy the council."

Buffy grinned and shifted closer.

"That can be arranged. Just give the word and it will be incinerated by dawn."

The words filtered slowly into Willow's head, but when she finally realized what was being said, her eyes widened and she spun around to face Buffy.

"I don't want them destroyed fully. I'm talking more of a reshuffle. No more testing Slayer's. they need a complete makeover."

Buffy actually pouted at the Slayer before an amused grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"What?" Willow didn't know whether or not to be afraid of that grin.

"Just imagining you pulling that face with Traver's."

Willow frowned before realizing she was wearing her resolve face.

Buffy stretched out beside her and idly began tracing Willow's collarbone.

Willow squirmed, remembering what they had been doing before the interruption that seemed so long ago.

Just as she was about to jump up from the bed, Buffy straddled her, loosely holding her down but not applying any pressure.

Even with no strength, Willow could have thrown her off if she wanted to.

"I think I was just about to do something before the interruption."

Willow gulped as a wave of heat hit her at the sound of Buffy's husky voice.

Buffy took a deep breath before grinning down at Willow, her eyes flashing golden before settling on hazel.

Leaning down, she intended on kissing the Slayer, only to find herself with a mouthful of red hair when Willow turned her head at the last second.

"Wha-?"

Buffy pulled back, her control straining. She had to remind herself that she wanted the first time to be consensual, or else she was throwing everything out the window and fucking the Slayer hard and fast.

Willow tried to control her own lust, unaware that Buffy was doing the same.

"This is wrong. I'm a Slayer, you're a Vampire. We shouldn't be doing this."

Buffy smirked down at her and thrust their lower bodies together.

Willow's eyes closed and her back arched to match Buffy's thrust.

"Fuck right or wrong."

With that said, Buffy smashed their lips together.

Willow was left panting when Buffy finally released her lips.

When the Slayer felt the Vampire sucking at her pulse point, a part of her stood to attention and demanded that the Vampire be stopped, unfortunately, Willow's body wasn't responding.

When she felt Buffy's teeth nipping her, she was able to mumble out a weak no, surprised when the Vampire pulled back.

Buffy was in game face, she had been since she reached the Slayer's neck.

Her fangs had just grazed the skin when she heard the Slayer's protest.

Buffy wanted to claim the girl as her own, but if the Slayer was to be her Mate, she had to want it. Plus, Buffy wanted the Slayer to claim her as well, so it had to be mutual.

It just hit Buffy.

She wanted the girl as her Mate.

Forcing her human face to appear, Buffy leaned down and gently kissed Willow before once again moving down her body, bypassing the Slayer's neck altogether.

Willow's hands held Buffy's head in place as the Vampire nipped and sucked at her breasts, moaning low in her throat as the vibrations from Buffy's low growling rocked through her body.

'I'm going straight to hell' was the thought running through Willow's head as Buffy moved downwards.

All thought cut off abruptly when she felt the first stroke of the Vampire's tongue on her clit.

"Fuck!"

Buffy's head rose and she smirked at the Slayer.

"Such language."

Willow scowled at her but it was ruined when she let out another yelp when Buffy took up her former position between her legs.

At the first taste of her, Buffy knew she was hooked. The Slayer was spicy, earthy and all hers.

Dipping her tongue, Buffy entered her lovers body, groaning at the tightness she found there.

Willow's body clenched at the invasion and a growl escaped Buffy, causing her to relax her muscles and let the Vampire do as she pleased, as long as she never stopped what she was doing.

The possessive feelings that shot through Buffy didn't surprise her.

Raising her head, the Vampire used her tongue to manipulate the Slayer's clit and a finger came into play.

Willow arched off the bed, a loud groan escaping her as she did.

Her mind was battling with her body and her heart hadn't made up its mind yet.

Willow went with what her body was telling her to do, hell demanding her to do.

When she felt the Slayer start to come, Buffy replaced her finger with her tongue and drank down everything the Slayer gave her, including her blood.

When Buffy raised her body until they were eye level, she groaned at seeing the Slayer passed out.

"Spoil my fun."

Buffy grumbled but climbed in behind her lover and wrapped an arm and leg over her body, keeping her in place.

Letting the Slayer's even breathing lull her to sleep, Buffy snuggled closer, unaware that her demon face was on display.

Angelus looked down on his sleeping Sire, then to the sleeping Slayer and shook his head.

He had no idea how this was going to play out, but for Buffy's sake, he hoped it went the way she wanted it to.

Looking back at the Slayer, he saw she was awake and looking at him with fear in her eyes.

He liked that, but she was off limits.

Respecting and actually liking his Sire was such a pain sometimes.

"My my, what have you been up to?"

His mocking voice made Willow flinch, causing Buffy to tighten her grip on the Slayer.

Three things happened in rapid succession.

Angelus sighed and moved closer to the bed.

Willow freaked out and began trying to shuffle out from under Buffy.

Buffy's golden eyes snapped open and she growled warningly at both Willow and Angelus.

Pulling Willow tighter to her body, Buffy made sure the Slayer was covered by the bed covers and then turn her gaze to her childe.

"What is it?"

Angelus backed a few feet from the bed and motioned toward the door.

"We have a visitor."

Buffy merely raised an eyebrow.

"Its Darla."

Buffy growled again, louder than before, before jumping out of bed and throwing on some clothes.

"Where is everyone?"

"Wes and Gunn are right outside, Penn is looking after Darla."

"Gunn!"

Gunn came in, Wes on his heels.

"Gunn, stay here with the Slayer. Anything happens and I'm holding you responsible. Understand?"

Gunn nodded his head, but Buffy wanted more.

"Yes Sire."

Buffy sat on the bed to pull on her boots before meshing her lips to the Slayer, drinking in the girl's gasp and thrusting her tongue into her lover's warm mouth.

Breaking away, she smirked at the glazed expression on Willow's face, and the smell of arousal that came from her boys.

"Be good for Gunn."

As their eyes locked, Buffy hoped that Willow understood that he would be no threat to her, and that he'd protect her from those that were a threat.

When the other three were gone, Gunn looked at the Slayer still in bed and knew that if he caught even a glimpse of flesh, Buffy would castrate him.

Sighing, he pulled up a chair.

"Nice weather we're having huh?"

Willow's look of exasperation told him all he needed to know and he shut up, straining his senses to pick up any movement from outside the room.

"Why is she here?"

Nobody could mistake the hostile tones of the Master Vampire.

"Seems she heard I'm back. Word must be out already." Angelus would have gloated, if Buffy hadn't been wound up.

Buffy nodded her head, she had expected word to travel fast.

"Who'd she bring with her?"

Angelus looked over to Wes.

"That's just the thing. She didn't bring anyone."

Buffy stopped at this new piece of information.

"She came to our home, knowing how I feel about her, and she didn't bring one vamp or demon with her?"

Both Wes and Angelus nodded their heads.

Buffy's face broke out into a grin, before a full throated laugh followed.

Throwing open the double doors to the main room, Buffy, Angelus and Wes strode in, looking every bit as powerful as they were.

"Who's Darla?"

Gunn's head snapped around to face Willow again, his Sire's laugh echoing in the hallway.

"You've been friends with Angel and the bitch never showed up?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders.

Gunn couldn't believe that Darla had stayed away from Angelus, even if he was a little different.

"Really, you had to have met her. She's a little bigger than Buffy, blonde hair, softly spoken and oozes sex?"

Again, Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"Right then. Darla was the favorite childe of Nest who-" Gunn stopped at the look of dawning comprehension on the redheads face.

"So, you've either met her, or him."

"Both." Willow remembered know who Darla was, she had met her only a few times in Sunnydale and the blonde Vampire had disappeared before Willow's final battle with the Master.

"Darla, what a surprise." Buffy nodded to Penn, happy when he set his drink down and moved to stand beside her.

Darla watched the interplay, hating the blonde Vampire in front of her and taking in the smell of sex that surrounded her.

"Buffy. Always a pleasure."

"Cut the bull Darla and tell me why you're here."

Buffy was in no mood to play games. She wanted this over so she could get back to the Slayer.

Her eyes widened when she realized she had left a naked Willow with Gunn.

A growl escaped her and she turned to Penn.

"Go check on Gunn and my guest."

Angelus stopped Penn leaving and leaned closer to Buffy.

"He may be rash, but he's not stupid Sire."

Buffy tempered down her possessiveness and cleared her head.

Angelus was right.

Willow was fine with Gunn.

"Guest?"

Buffy let her demon take over and walked up to stand toe to toe with Darla.

"My patience just isn't what it used to be so either tell me why you are here, or get the hell out."

Darla smirked at the smaller Vampire before she too let her demon free.

"You may be the big cheese around here, but I am your elder and you will treat me with respect."

Buffy smirked and inched closer.

"When have I ever treated you like an elder? You are barely a year older, though the way you look now, it could be centuries."

Rage flashed across Darla's face for a second before she forced her human mask into place.

"So why is she here?"

"Angelus is here and Darla has always had a fixation with our boy."

"Why aren't you attacking me?"

The rapid subject change had Gunn pausing before his mouth caught up with his brain.

"Buffy."

That one word implied so much.

She was his Sire, his master. He belonged to her just as the Slayer now.

It also implied that if he did anything, Buffy would hurt him.

A lot.

Willow nodded her head and let her thoughts drift to the blonde Vampire who had turned her world upside down.

She jumped when Gunn growled and vamped out.

Standing, he moved to the window, never making a sound.

Closing his eyes, he reached out and connected with flesh.

A twist and a scream later, a Vampire lay on the floor, its neck broken.

Darla smirked and sat down, motioning to Buffy to do the same.

She really hated the Vampire before her. Buffy had the one thing Darla wanted.

Angelus. And she was going to have him.

They thought she would come alone? They must be stupid.

She had ten Vampires stationed around the L.A mansion, each making their way into the house right at this very minute.

Pretty soon, everyone in the room except her and Angelus would be dead.

Buffy sat down and accepted the drink Wes had handed her, loving the look on Darla's face as she wasn't offered one.

"I will ask again as you have yet to answer, and believe me, this time is the last. Why are you here?"

"Simple really, I want-"

She was cut off by a scream.

Buffy was up and running before any of the others.

Willow jumped out of bed, the sheet wrapped around her as Gunn fought with two Vampire's while one lay unmoving on the floor.

Thinking quickly, she ran to Buffy's desk and searched through it for what she wanted.

Finding a pencil, Willow raced over to the fallen Vamp and used every ounce of strength she had to drive it home.

Gunn snapped the neck of one of his opponents before turning his attention fully to the last.

Willow had just staked the second Vampire when the room filled.

Three more came in from outside, one of them blindsiding her and knocking her headfirst into the wall.

When she felt fangs at her neck, she did something she had never done before.

She screamed for help.

She screamed for Buffy.

Suddenly the Vampire at her neck was gone.

Willow turned to see Buffy, Angelus, Wes and Penn had joined the fight, Buffy paying attention to the Vampire she held in her grip.

Looking at her, Willow could have swore the Vampire's eyes were more red than gold.

Gunn used Willow's fallen pencil to stake his Vampire just as Angelus and Penn killed their two.

Buffy held the struggling male by the neck and searched the room to make sure her own were okay before her eyes rested on Willow.

Even weak, the Slayer was a power to be reckoned with.

That made Buffy proud through the rage.

"Wes, get Darla in here now."

Wes ran off to get the Vampire and Buffy's gaze kept shifting from the Vampire in her grip, to the Slayer standing by the wall, covered only by a sheet.

"Angelus, get her some clothes."

Angelus moved to do that just as Wes came back.

"She's gone."

Buffy snarled and threw the Vampire in her hands into the nearest wall, knocking him out cold.

"Be ready to hunt in five minutes. Anyone not ready has me to answer to."

The four males left, leaving just Buffy and Willow.

In less than a second, Willow was scooped up and set on the bed, the sheet removed from her body.

Her gasp at what she thought was going to happen, was cut off when she saw that Buffy was checking her over for injuries.

When the Vampire's eyes rested on her neck, Buffy growled at the trail of blood.

The Vampire that attacked Willow was still in the corner, though he was sleeping the sleep of the knocked unconscious.

The only good thing was that he hadn't bitten her, he had simply grazed her skin.

Buffy knew that if he had bitten the Slayer, his death would be even more drawn out than she had already planned.

Willow reached up and covered Buffy's hand with her own.

The Vampire tensed, thinking that Willow was going to try and push her away.

The Slayer pulled Buffy's hand away from her but kept hold of it as she lowered them to the bed.

"I'm okay."

Buffy nodded and leaned in, kissing Willow, putting all her frustrations, her anger and the passion into it.

Lowering her head, she licked the graze on Willow's neck clean of any blood.

She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Pulling the sheet back over Willow, Buffy stood up and grabbed her victim by the neck before walking over and letting in her childer.

"Angelus, you stay here."

As she expected, there was a very loud objection from the Vampire in question.

Buffy threw the Vampire in her hands at him.

"You stay here. You lock him up downstairs, you stay with Willow."

Seeing the look on Buffy's face, he nodded his head, knowing it was futile to argue with her when she was like this.

Only thing was, he couldn't remember seeing her this ticked off before.

He wasn't around when she went postal at his disappearance.

Buffy turned to the Slayer and leaned down.

Willow knew what Buffy wanted, but she was a little ticked at having to stay with Angelus.

"Why leave him? Leave one of the others."

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Think people. Darla wants him and she knows I know that. She's not going to be looking back here for him because she will think I have him with me. And you have nothing to fear from him."

The last part was directed at Willow and Angelus sent her a sinister look behind Buffy's back.

"Angelus. Play nice."

He pouted before dragging their new play thing off to be chained up.

He was back in time to see Willow leaning up to give Buffy a chaste goodbye kiss, thought the Vampire wasn't happy with that and pulled the Slayer into a more passionate one.

"Be good you too."

As Buffy took the others, Angelus got in a last minute snipe at the Slayer.

"Bring me some take away."

Willow paled. Here she was, living with Vampires for the foreseeable future, and she had forgotten just what it was they ate.

Falling back, she closed her eyes and ignored Angelus, and wondered just what the hell she was going to do to get out of this mess.

Buffy had no idea where Darla would go, but she knew someone in L.A who could help her.

"Feel up to a little singing?"

The other three groaned.

"That's the real reason you left Angelus here isn't it?"

Buffy grinned at Gunn but never answered.

They all piled into the limo, Buffy telling their driver to head to Caritas.

Lorne left the demon he was talking to and made his way back to the bar, only to bump into something solid.

"Wes, is that you?"

Lorne looked around, and sure enough, he saw Buffy, Penn and Gunn as well.

"Where's the big guy?"

Buffy gave the demon a smile. She liked Lorne.

"He's at home babysitting."

Lorne nodded his head and wisely didn't ask just who, or what, Angelus was minding.

"So, what brings you lot to my humble club then?"

Down to business.

Buffy explain what was happening and Lorne looked towards the stage.

"Well sugar, you know what you have to do."

Buffy really hated singing, and it was worse when it was in public.

"Couldn't one of the guys do it?"

The other three gave her a sour look, but Lorne shot her down.

"Sorry Blondie, its got to be you, as the song says."

Buffy grumbled the entire way to the stage, shooting hard looks at some of the audience.

Looking down at the book, she scanned the list of songs before one caught her eye.

Laughing, she pointed out the song to Lorne, who smiled.

"Appropriate choice. Ready when you are Blondie."

"One the count of three. One. Two. Three."

At the same second, Buffy, Wes, Gunn and Penn all kicked in the door to the hotel Darla was staying in.

Lorne had given Buffy the name of the place, and also a piece of advice that confused her.

"When the time comes, remember that you are not alone."

What the hell did that mean?

She couldn't dwell on cryptic meanings though, she had a Vampire to find and torture.

Willow opened her eyes and saw Angelus relaxing against the window, reading a book.

"Your different to what I imagined."

Angelus closed his book and looked up, a frown on his face.

"Meaning?"

Willow shrugged.

"The way Angel talked, I figured you were all "kill, crush, destroy" yet, you seem to be acting the way I saw him act. I haven't even seen you kill a human yet."

Angelus stood up and stretched his legs.

"Well, we've been kind of busy, what with Buff having a big old yen for you."

"Thing is, apart from the attitude, you don't seem that different."

Angelus snarled and vamped out.

"I am nothing like him! He was weak, a fool."

Willow felt a flash of fear before she realized that it was all for show.

He couldn't hurt her.

Buffy looked down on the bound Vampire, a smile of her face.

"Really Dar, you thought you could come into my home and attack my people?" Buffy tutted and shook her head, "sloppy."

Darla couldn't respond. Her jaw had been broken.

Willow looked up when the bedroom door opened.

Buffy stood there, on her own for once.

"Angelus, you can go now. There's someone in the basement you might want to go see."

Angelus got a gleam in his eye, and actually whistled he left the room.

Buffy had a gleam of her own in her eyes.

"Willow." Her voice was coated in pure lust, and Willow shivered, the hairs on her arms and neck standing to attention.

Buffy began stripping herself as she made her way to the bed.

"You. Naked. Now." It wasn't a statement, and it wasn't a question. It was a demand.

Willow didn't know where they stood. Sure, they had fooled around the night before, but she didn't know what that meant, or what she wanted it to mean.

While Willow was thinking, Buffy got naked.

She was in too much of a hurry to wait on Willow, so Buffy ripped the silk shirt the Slayer had been wearing off and toppled them both to the bed.

Laying on top of the Slayer, the Vampire looked down and flashed her a wicked smile before lowering her face for a kiss.

Without thought, Willow kissed her.

A little voice at the back of Willow's head advised caution, while a little voice at the back of Buffy's was jumping for joy.

Buffy let her body fall so they were skin to skin, and her leg slipped automatically between the Slayer's, bringing their bodies in close contact.

A loud groan and purr accompanied the move.

Buffy began thrusting back and forth, creating friction between them.

Willow didn't know how to act. She had never been in this situation before.

Luckily, her body knew and she moved with Buffy's body, her own now screaming for release.

Buffy's eyes turned golden, though her face stayed fang free and bumpy free.

The Slayer arched her body higher, and the thought of what they could really do together, if they hadn't given the Slayer the drugs, floated through the Vampire's mind.

"More." The word slipped out without thought, but to Buffy, it seemed Willow was thinking along the same lines as she was.

Never one to disappoint, Buffy made her movements faster and harder, grinding their bodies together.

Willow groaned her approval, raising her arms and wrapping them around Buffy, pulling her down into a kiss.

Somewhere through the kiss, Buffy's true nature came out.

Willow pulled back when she felt the texture of Buffy's tongue change and the Slayer looked up to see the Vampire grinning down at her.

"What? No kiss?"

The Vampire never let the Slayer choose and forcefully kissed her again, thought, to Willow's surprise, the fangs never once nipped her skin.

The Slayer in her wanted to rebel, but the pull towards the Vampire was to strong and Willow found herself reaching up to anchor herself to Buffy, wrapping her arms around her lover's neck and pulling her tighter to her body.

Buffy rewarded her with a growl as their naked bodies touched, fire and ice, good versus evil.

In this moment, evil was wining.

Buffy tore her mouth from the Slayer's at the exact moment Willow desperately needed to breath.

Buffy reverted to her human face and gave Willow a smile, shocking the Slayer, before she slid down the redheads body, her tongue drawing maps on her lover's skin.

"Tell me you want this."

Willow leaned up on her elbows, and god help her, she couldn't deny the Vampire.

"God I want it, so bad."

With that, Buffy dove right in, and Willow got lost in a sea of sensations.

"God…don't stop…don't ever stop…" Willow was mindless and didn't know what she was saying, but Buffy heard her, and she growled in pleasure.

Surging up, Buffy brought her hands into play, circling Willow's clit with her thumb while a finger entered her lover's body.

Willow's virginity was still intact as Buffy hadn't broken it in any of their previous encounters, but Buffy was about to change that.

Raising up, Buffy met Willow's lust filled eyes.

"This will only hurt for a minute."

Willow's eyes widened when she felt Buffy enter her fully, her finger buried deeper than anyone had ever been.

Buffy growled in delight that she was the one who got to do this to Willow.

Willow's arms raised and locked behind Buffy's head, pulling her down into a kiss.

Buffy purred with delight and began pumping her finger in and out of the slayer's wet, hot body.

That's when it hit Buffy.

She liked the slayer exactly the way she was.

Warm.

Human.

Alive.

Buffy vamped out as her orgasm rushed through her. She was used to taking blood as she orgasmed, but she didn't think the slayer would allow that.

Growling, she raised her own arm and bit into her wrist, the taste of the blood sending her over the edge into bliss.

Angelus grinned down at Darla, wondering where to start.

He was happy Buffy was giving him first shot at her, but he knew that if his Sire didn't have the slayer up in her room, he would have to wait this one out.

"So, Darla, were you born this stupid of did Nest beat it into you?"

Spike snorted in the corner.

Angelus walked over and kicked him once to shut him up.

He was glad Buffy had decided to bring both Spike and Dru with them to L.A. they were such fun to torture.

Buffy purred and pulled the slayer closer to her body. She honestly couldn't remember feeling this pleased, even after a session with her boys.

Willow sighed, things had gotten so complicated.

Buffy heard the sigh and tightened her grip.

"What's wrong?"

Willow tried to pull away, but Buffy wouldn't allow that.

"How can I want you so much?"

Buffy flashed her a true smile.

"The same way I can want you so much. I don't care about right and wrong, all I care about, is that your mine."

Technically, the slayer didn't belong to her, but Buffy was going to change that.

Gunn knocked lightly on the door to his Sire's room, a full mug of warm blood in his hand.

Buffy had been in to much of a hurry to get back to the slayer and had forgotten to eat, so he had stopped off at the local blood bank and stole a few bags of O positive.

"Come."

His Sire's voice broke through his thoughts and he entered the room, breathing in the smell of sex, getting hard as he pictured his Sire and the Slayer together.

"Gunn."

Buffy's sharp voice brought him out of his lust filled thoughts.

He knew that his Sire knew what he was thinking, and he knew she was going to be annoyed if he didn't snap out of it.

"Sorry, here, I brought you some food."

Buffy's mouth watered at the smell of warm blood and she beckoned him closer.

Willow fell back against the bed sheets and closed her eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

Buffy took the blood off her Childe and gave him a grateful look.

"How is Angelus getting on?"

Gunn smiled and sat on the edge of the bed.

"He got bored and left to go hunt, he said he'll be back before sunrise."

Buffy frowned and Gunn caught on to what she was worried about.

"He seems better now, he'll be fine."

Buffy sent him a smile before she vamped out.

"Who is watching Darla?"

Gunn shook his head. "She is chained up, she cant escape."

Buffy jumped from the bed and threw on the nearest clothes.

"Never underestimate Darla."

Willow sat up as Buffy rushed from the room, Gunn hot on her heels.

Buffy cursed as she looked at the empty chains.

"Find her and dust her."

Childer and Minions alike rushed to follow their Mistress demand.

Buffy growled and stalked back to her room, stopping dead when she found it empty.

"Willow?"

Willow stepped out of the bathroom, a toothbrush in her mouth and Buffy almost sagged in relief that the slayer hadn't left.

"Darla is gone, the others are looking for her now."

Willow nodded her head and went to rinse her mouth.

"Where will she go?"

Buffy's arms rapped tightly around the slayer's body, her face nuzzling into the creamy flesh of the Slayer's neck.

"I have no idea."

They stayed wrapped like that, neither ready to move.

Darla crouched down at the back of the bus headed for Sunnydale.

She had the perfect revenge for Buffy, and it was at the Hellmouth.

Buffy looked up from where she was on the couch, to see Willow standing in the kitchen with Gunn.

The Slayer hadn't eaten much the last couple of days, but it seemed that she finally had some of her appetite back.

A scream caught everyone's attention, though no-one but Willow seemed bothered by it.

"That wouldn't be a human by any chance…would it?" Now why did she ask that? She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Buffy laughed and shook her head.

"No babe, that would be Spike, Angelus does love his torture."

Willow shrugged before grabbing the plate Gunn had just fixed her and moving over to sit by the fire.

Sitting on the ground, glad that it was warm with the under-floor heating, Willow placed her plate on the hearth of the massive fire place and tucked into her chicken salad.

Gunn handed Buffy a glass of wine and took himself off to join in on the torture, leaving the two of them alone.

Willow munched on her food, knowing Buffy was watching her.

The vampire confused Willow now, more than she had when they first met.

The poison, that the Slayer hated, had not been given to her again, so she could feel all of her Slayer perks sharpening into focus again.

She liked the feeling.

But it didn't stop her wondering what the Vampire was up to.

Buffy finished off her wine and slipped off the leather couch and sat down beside the Slayer on the floor.

"How about we go out tonight? Sunset is in two hours. We could go see a play or something."

Willow turned wide eyes to Buffy.

"You want to go see a play?"

Buffy smirked and pulled her lover closer.

"There's more to Vampire's than you might think. Besides, there happens to be a few good shows playing this time of year."

Willow didn't know about that, but it would be nice to get out of the house for a while.

"Yeah, okay."

Buffy smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

As usual, just one taste of the Slayer's lips wasn't enough.

Buffy turned them, lowering Willow to the ground and covering her body.

Leaving her mouth, Buffy's own traveled along Willow's neck, pausing to nip at the throbbing pulse before moving on and lowering the straps on the top the Slayer wore.

Just as she was about to take a hard nipple into her mouth, she growled and covered Willow back up.

"What-" Willow was cut off when Angelus, Gunn, Wes and Penn all entered the room, stopping dead at what they saw.

Buffy saw the lust in her boys eyes and growled warningly at them to back off.

Standing up, she pulled the Slayer with her and motioned her to go up to their room.

She never noticed the unshed tears in Willow's eyes.

Willow stomped into the room, knowing why she was angry and hurt, but refusing to admit it.

What should she care if Buffy had sex with the other four? It wasn't like they were a couple. But it was total double standards.

What? Buffy could fuck all round her but Willow wasn't allowed to, not that she would though.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Buffy came in.

"Why aren't you naked yet?" Purred Buffy as she started removing her own clothes.

"I figured that you would be busy fucking your boys to worry about me."

Buffy froze, loving the jealously she heard in the Slayer's voice.

"Jealous?"

Willow wanted to say no, but when she saw the smirk on Buffy's face, she snapped.

Buffy found herself pinned to the wall, Willow's mouth devouring her own.

Growling, she ripped her arms free from the shirt and pulled Willow's off of her.

"Bed. Now."

Willow didn't move, just grinded their bodies harder together.

Buffy gave up wanting to move and ripped the front of Willow's pants in an effort to get inside.

Willow groaned and pushed her body into the cooler one of the Vampire.

Ripping her mouth from the Slayer's, Buffy moved down to her neck, nipping and pulling on the skin there, making the blood below the surface rush faster.

Buffy's demon came out and her fangs scraped the skin below, licking up the intoxicating blood that hit her tongue.

Willow jerked back when she felt the fangs and found herself looking into the face of the demon.

Buffy licked her fangs and used her thumb to press down on Willow's clit.

Willow's eyes rolled up in her head and she fell forward, nuzzling the side of Buffy's neck, unknowingly giving the Vampire more room with her own neck.

Buffy growled and began thrusting inside her lovers body harder and faster, knowing she could take a little more than she had previously due to the fact that Willow hadn't been given any more of the drug.

She couldn't hold back anymore, but she would be dammed if she was going to claim her Mate against a wall.

Pulling out of her soon to be Mate, Buffy lifted her up and took them both over to the bed.

Yanking off the rest of their combined clothing, Buffy pounced on the Slayer and picked up where she had left off.

She let her fangs lightly graze the skin of the Slayer's neck to see how she would react.

Willow body arched up off the bed as soon as she felt the scrap of Buffy's fangs.

The Vampire purred in delight before slipping in-between Willow's spread thighs.

Bringing their bodies tight together, Buffy lowered her head.

"Bite." Willow's orgasm washed over her when she felt Buffy break through her skin, but she still heard the words the Vampire said.

Buffy growled at the taste of her Mate and took three pulls of her blood before pulling out.

"Mine, bound now by blood, you belong to me."

Buffy slashed her tongue on a fang and mixed their blood together as she closed the mark on her Mate's neck.

Willow didn't know what possessed her, but she raised her head and clamped her teeth onto Buffy's dead artery and bit in. Hard.

Buffy growled with pleasure and purred when she heard Willow claim her right back.

"Mine, bound by blood, you belong to me."

It wouldn't be until they woke up from their nap, that Willow realized just what had happened.

Willow wasn't sure what woke her up, that was until her eyes focused on the game faced Vampire sleeping beside her.

Reaching her hand up, she felt the mark on her neck that she just knew was going to scar.

As her fingers ghosted over the mark, a flush went through her body and she saw Buffy stirring.

Buffy opened one sleepy eye and closed it again, before they both popped open and she leaned over Willow.

Lowering her head, she gave her mark a lick, purring at the shudder that went through Willow.

"Mine."

Willow pulled back and stared at her lover.

"Yeah, about that. What the hell happened last night?"

Buffy smirked and pulled Willow tighter into her arms.

"Simple, I claimed you, and then you claimed me. Have to say, I didn't really except you to return the claim, but because you did, its just made it that much stronger."

Willow frowned. "What's a claim?"

"It means that you belong to me, and I belong to you. Nothing can tear us apart now, not even death."

Willow pulled fully away and looked down at the now human looking Buffy.

"Does this mean that you wont be fucking anyone but me?" When did she start talking like this, Willow asked herself.

Buffy vamped out and pulled Willow on top of her.

"No-one but you." Buffy didn't need to say the same thing to Willow, she had already staked that claim when she first got her to L.A

Angelus knocked on Buffy's bedroom door at nine o'clock to give his Sire some blood. When he had left, Buffy turned to Willow and saw the look on her face.

She knew exactly where this conversation was going to go.

"Where are you getting the blood from?"

Buffy sighed and downed her food in one go before licking her lips to make sure she got every last drop.

"Blood bank. I've been to busy with you to hunt for my own meals, so my boys commandeered some for me the other night."

Willow scowled. She didn't like that, but it was better than the killing.

It was at that moment that Buffy realized her earlier fears would be right.

The Vampire thing would always come between them.

She needed to change that, and the only way to do that, was to turn Willow.

Penn looked up when Buffy entered the room. He dropped the boy he was draining and gave her a toothy smile.

The smell of the fresh blood brought out Buffy's demon and in seconds she had her fangs in the teenagers neck, draining the rest of him.

One of the minions had his body removed as soon as she was done.

Angelus, Wes and Gunn all smiled. They had been worried their Sire was going soft because of the Slayer.

Her next words shocked the hell out of them.

"I've taken Willow as my Mate. You will all give her the same respect you give me."

They all nodded, each showing their surprise.

Anything they would have said was cut short when Willow came into the room, fully dressed.

"Going somewhere?" They had decided to stay in in the end, it seemed Willow had changed her mind.

Willow stepped up beside Buffy showed her her Resolve face.

"Out, I'm bored." She didn't want to admit it, but she was itching to go slaying.

Buffy turned to Gunn and motioned him over.

"Take her out. Any harm comes to her and I will hold you responsible."

Gunn gulped but grabbed his coat anyway before leading the Slayer out to the garage and taking one of the cars.

Just as they were driving away, Buffy appeared and leaned over the convertible to give Willow a bag.

"There is money in there to get new clothes."

Leaning in, she fused their mouths together before pulling back and watching them disappear.

As she reached the living room again, Angelus threw her an odd look.

"Why send Gunn? Why not go yourself?"

Buffy smiled and poured them all a glass of wine.

"Because everything has to be ready for when he brings her back."

At his raised eyebrow, Buffy turned to her remaining Childer.

"Tonight I take a knew Childer. Tonight, I turn my Mate."

Much to Willow's disappointment, she found that she actually got on with Gunn.

"So Red, we still have some cash left, what's say we go grab a drink?"

Willow pondered over that. She was underage after all, but what did that matter when she was living with the undead?

"Sure, why not."

Buffy paced the room, growling out her displeasure. She had sent Gunn with Willow so they could get her new clothes, but that was hours ago.

She snarled and picked up the closest object, throwing it at the wall so hard the plaster in the wall dented.

Turning, she marched down to the basement deciding to take her frustration out on one of their prisoners, wishing that they had found Darla. But it seemed the Vampire had vanished.

What had started off as one drink had suddenly turned into more than one, and Willow was officially drunk.

Luckily, Gunn wasn't as he was driving.

"Oh man, Buffy is gonna kill me."

Willow giggled before getting herself under control.

"'S'okay, I'll protect ya." by the end of her sentence, she was in fits of giggles again.

Gunn looked up as a shadow fell over the table.

"Hey sweet thing, why not leave the nigger and come have a good time with me and my buddies?"

Gunn growled as Willow rolled her eyes.

The guy obviously didn't realize the danger he was in and grabbed Willow by the arm to pull her up.

Gunn growled and stood up before grabbing the guy by the neck.

"If you don't let her go, I'm gonna crush you windpipe."

Gunn's last thought as he saw the guys friends stand up, what that Buffy was definitely gonna kill him for this.

Buffy looked up from the fireplace when she heard the front door open.

The scent of blood hit her and she vamped realizing that it was Willow's blood.

She wasn't prepared for Willow and Gunn to fall through the door to land on the floor, giggling like children.

Snarling, she hauled Gunn up off the floor and slammed him against the wall.

"Don't move Childe."

Gunn froze, knowing that his earlier thought was right and that Buffy was going to kill him now.

Buffy bent down and picked Willow up in her arms, finding out that the blood she smelt was coming from her spilt lip.

She also reeked of alcohol.

Buffy turned golden eyes on Gunn before carrying Willow up to their room and stripping her before going into the bathroom and turning the shower on cold.

Stalking back into the bedroom, Buffy grabbed her naked Mate before carrying her into the bathroom and setting her under the cold shower.

Willow's shriek could be heard all over the mansion.

"What the hell was that for?"

Buffy pulled Willow out of the shower, happy that she was now sober, and threw a warn towel at her.

Willow noticed that Buffy hadn't said two words to her, also that she was still in fang mode.

As soon as she had given Willow the towel, Buffy stormed out of the room to deal with her Childe.

Angelus met her on the stairs and tried to stop her from going down. He knew what she was like when she got upset, and normally he loved seeing her like that, but not when it was directed at a member of the family.

"Move."

Angelus stared at his Sire a moment longer before silently moving out of her way.

Gunn was still where she left him.

Before he could even say one word, she lashed out, throwing a hard punch to his jaw.

"What the fuck happened tonight?"

Angelus' eyebrows rose. He didn't think that Buffy was actually going to give Gunn a chance to explain.

Gunn massaged his jaw and looked at his angry Sire, seeing Angelus and now Penn standing behind her and off to the side.

"We got the clothes like you asked. Then we went for a drink and some guy thought he'd take Willow away from me. Well, I wasn't about to let that happen so next thing I know a fights broke out. You should have seen her Sire, she likes to fight."

Buffy smiled at that before turning her had gaze back to Gunn.

"Is he dead?"

Gunn smiled at his Sire and relaxed his stance.

"No, but I was able to stick him in the trunk when the Slayer wasn't looking. She had a strict no killing policy going on."

Buffy finally reverted to human and gestured to Angelus to go get the guy.

Turning her attention back on to Gunn, Buffy didn't know what to do with him.

"Buffy?"

She turned at the sound of her Mate's voice.

"What?"

Willow made her way down and stood in front of Gunn.

"Don't blame him. It wasn't his fault."

Buffy looked from Willow to Gunn, knowing that it was well within her rights as his Sire to kill him, and snarled.

"Fine."

Buffy turned and headed in the direction of the basement. When Willow went to follow her, Angelus held her back.

"You really don't want to go down there."

Willow paled and looked in the direction Buffy had left.

"Tell me there are no humans down there."

Angelus smirked and let go of her arm.

"You don't need to worry about humans being down there."

He smiled to himself. He hadn't lied to her, he just didn't answer the question fully.

Buffy took out all her frustration on the guy that had touched Willow.

The guy screamed in pain as Buffy cut off his left ball.

Willow's head shot up at the scream and she looked over to Gunn as if to ask 'who or what was that?'

Gunn shrugged one shoulder. "Spike's still down there."

Giles paced the library, waiting for the others to arrive.

They had to do something. He had called the council as soon as he had come to after being hit over the head, again.

The head of the council himself had assured Giles that a special operation team would be sent, and true to his word, they had arrived in Sunnydale two days later.

The problem was, that was a week ago and they still hadn't located Willow.

They had tried using magic to track her, but the Vampire's had counter spells to block their location.

The only thing Giles knew for sure, was that they were still in America.

The worst thing was the not knowing. The Slayer line no longer ran through Willow, so even if the Vampire's had killed her, the council would be none the wiser as no new Slayer would be chosen.

Giles stopped his pacing as the doors opened, giving a small smile to Jenny as she came up to him.

At the look on her face, he frowned. It was somewhere between hopeful, worried and proud.

Jenny looked into the kind eyes of the man she loved, and prayed to any god listening that he would still love her in return after she reveled her true identity to him.

"Rupert, there is something you need to know."

Willow threw down her cards, smirking as she once again won the round.

She felt Gunn tense beside her and knew the reason.

Ever since she had mated with Buffy, she could always tell where her lover was, and right now, she had just emerged from the basement.

Giving him a small smile, she stood up and stretched her tired muscles, smiling at the low growl she heard from her lover.

"I'm going to go and take a bath."

Buffy's gaze followed Willow's ass as her lover left the room, before she turned her attention to her boys.

"Gunn. Come here."

Gunn stood up and made his way over to his Sire.

Buffy looked up into his gaze and without warning kicked out, bringing him to his knees.

Vamping out, she struck, her fangs tearing into the skin on his neck.

Buffy took as much as she could without draining him dry, aware of her other Childer in the room, but knowing they would not interfere with this.

When she felt she had weakened him enough, she pulled away and threw him into Penn's arms.

"Put him in his room and bring him blood. Keep him away from me for now."

Gunn's eyes lowered, his entire being screaming at him because he had angered his Sire.

Penn moved to carried out Buffy's order as Wes burst into the room.

"Sire, we have a problem."

Giles looked between the faces of his friends before turning his gaze on Jenny.

"You are sure this can work?" His voice, usually so soft when he was speaking to her, was hard and cold.

She nodded her head, too chocked up to speak. She knew he was going to be mad at her.

"Giles, it's a great idea, but what's to stop them just taking it away again?" Xander was angry but knew that this could be the only way to get Willow back to them.

Giles sighed.

"Hopefully, Angel can get Willow out of there before the other's realize that he is no longer Angelus.

Tara looked up from the spell that would restore Angel's soul.

"Buffy is his Sire, wouldn't she be able to tell the difference?"

"Yes, but we have no other options other than to re-curse Angel."

"Actually watcher, that's not entirely true."

Everyone's gaze went to the blonde that was standing in the doorway.

Giles had his crossbow pointed at her before anyone could move.

"You are either incredibly brave, or stupid. What makes you think I wont kill you now?"

Darla smirked at him and moved closer, not trying to defend herself in any way.

"Because, I know where your Slayer is, and I know how you can get her back."

Giles didn't lower his weapon, but he motioned for her to step further into the room.

"Speak."

Darla smiled, flashing her fangs at him.

"Its simple really. Why bother to curse Angelus, when you can go straight for the top dog?"

"What is it Wes?" Buffy would have loved nothing more than to be up in that bath with her lover, but something about the look on her Childe's face bothered her.

He was worried.

For her she realized.

Wes stepped close to Buffy's side.

"I contacted Williams. The council has sent a Special Ops team to Sunnydale, but that is not what worries me. I just got off the phone with one of the minions we left in Sunnydale to watch the Slayer's people," Wes paused and knew that Buffy was not going to like this new development. "Darla is there with them. The humans were planning on restoring Angelus' soul, she gave them the idea, to restore yours Sire."

At once, Angelus and Penn were on their feet, growling out their anger.

Buffy looked shocked for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, even though she didn't need the oxygen.

"Do we know when?"

Wes nodded his head and looked at her with sad eyes.

"Sometime in the next twenty-four hours."

Buffy cursed and stared pacing.

Angelus picked up an end of the couch and threw it with all his strength, before an idea came to him.

"The Spell, the one used to cure me, we can do that!" He looked so hopeful, Buffy hated to let him down.

"Childe, that spell can only be used once. And we already used it. You were the first Vampire to ever by cursed with a soul, that was the only reason the spell worked."

He deflated before her eyes.

"Is there any other way?"

Buffy shook her head and turned to Penn.

"Go and bring Gunn back."

He left and she turned to her remaining Childer.

"Angelus, go to the basement and kill everyone down there."

She turned from them and took the stairs two at a time to get to Willow.

Willow sighed as the warm water soothed her sore muscles.

The fight had been great, but she wasn't fully up to power, and her body just couldn't do what it was supposed to.

As she sank a little further into the water, a feeling washed over her, and not a good one.

She could feel anger, so strong she knew it wasn't coming from her and she suspected it came from Buffy.

It left as quickly as it had arrived, but then Buffy was there, standing in the doorway.

Willow stood in the living room with everyone else, and she tried not to gasp at the state of Gunn, who sat in the corner drinking bag after bag of blood.

Buffy had come into the bathroom and told her they had a problem and to get dressed.

When she had reached the bedroom, she found leather pants, a tank top, her new boots and a leather duster all lying on the bed.

When she had gotten downstairs, she knew something was wrong.

Turning to Buffy, she was surprised by the look of pain in her lovers eyes.

"What is it?"

Buffy sighed before pulling Willow tight against her.

"Wes got word from Sunnydale. Darla is there and helping your watcher. They somehow got hold of a copy of the curse used on Angelus to give him back his soul. They are going to use it again."

Willow's eyes widened before her gaze moved to the Vampire in question.

She looked from each Vampire in turn, and noticed that they were gazing at Buffy.

When Willow's gaze reached her again, Buffy nodded her head.

"They are going to curse me."

Willow' s grip on her lover tightened.

"What do we do?"

Buffy smiled.

"There's nothing we can do. They want you back, and this is how they are going about it. They haven't been able to track us through magic, so they see this as their last hope."

Willow pulled back and looked at her lover.

"So what, you've decided you like being evil and don't want me?"

Buffy's eyes flashed golden before she got herself under control.

"No. You are my Mate. I'll always was you."

Willow was surprised by the relief she felt.

"When are they going to do it?"

Buffy nuzzled Willow's neck and nipped at her pulse.

"Sometime in the next twenty four hours."

Willow pulled back, and not caring that they had an audience, leaned in, kissing Buffy passionately.

Buffy growled and pulled her Mate closer, putting all her desperation into the kiss.

Willow pulled back and cupped Buffy's cheek.

"I don't want to lose you." The words shocked her. She shouldn't care that an evil Vampire was about to be re-cursed with a soul, but she did care, and said evil Vampire was her Mate.

Buffy was about to reassure her, when she fell to her knees, bringing Willow with her.

Angelus knew what was happening and he crouched before his Sire, his brothers following.

"Quod perditum est, invenietur" Giles spoke the Latin, his voice flowing strong and clear as Jenny followed with the English.

"What is lost, return. Not dead... nor not of the living. Spirits of the interregnum, I call. Gods, bind her…Cast her heart from the…evil…realm," everyone turned to Jenny in shock as her head shot back and the Latin for the spell flowed from her mouth, her wording and translation perfect.

"Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte…Nici mort, nici al fiintei... Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul la el…Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum!…Acum!"

Giles caught her as she fell.

Everyone saw the Orb of Thesulah glow golden, before it disappeared completely.

The spell had worked.

Willow caught Buffy as she pitched forward.

Everyone had seen it.

Her eyes had shone a deep rich red, before settling back to their usual hazel.

Buffy looked wearily at the people around her.

What had happened? The last thing she remembered was running from a man, he wanted something but…she…couldn't…

As memories from the last three century's hit her, Buffy's mouth opened in a silent wail.

From her very first kill, which happened to be the Priest of her village, right up until the present day.

Willow held her tightly as her Mate rocked back and forth, denial falling from her lovers lips, though she made no sound.

Everyone waited for something to happen.

Giles had resumed pacing, Xander copying after ten tense minutes.

No-one knew what to expect, though they were hoping for some word from Willow.

Buffy finally seemed to come out of it long enough to push away from Willow and stand up.

There was movement by the door, before Angelus whipped around and growled for the minions to leave.

As usual, everyone wasn't watching what they should have been watching, and that was Buffy.

As soon as everyone had turned towards the noise, Buffy had run from the room, Willow shouting for her to stop.

The Vampire's and the Slayer ran after Buffy, the Vampire's having to stop when their Sire ventured into the one place they could not follow.

The sun.

Willow screamed and pushed her body harder, her stomach turning at the smell of burning flesh.

Seeing Buffy on her knees in the sun, her skin catching fire, Willow finally reached her Mate.

Picking her up, ignoring the burning of her own skin, Willow carried Buffy back inside, handing her to Angelus when her own strength gave out.

She couldn't wait for the poison to be out of her system.

After patting the flames out, Angelus carried his Sire up to her room and lay her gently on the bed.

Wes ran in with a crate of blood and Angelus took the first packet off him before ripping it open with his fangs and bringing it to Buffy's mouth.

The demons survival instinct kicked in and Buffy drank packet after packet until they were gone. Each one healing her body more than the last.

As he surveyed her burns, Angelus lifted his wrist to her mouth and sighed in relief as she latched on, her fangs breaking the skin.

She drank from him until he pulled his wrist away, immediately being replaced by Wes, then Penn and finally Gunn.

By the time Buffy had drank from her Childer, most of her burns were gone, only a few vicious ones remained.

Willow took Gunn's place and lifted Buffy's upper body off the bed, before turning her neck and placing her lover's mouth where her mark was.

Buffy tried protesting, but she was still out of it and the demon once again latched on.

Willow tried not to moan out loud as her lover's fangs broke the skin. The feel of Buffy pulling on her blood threatened to send her into climax.

The only thing stopping her, was her worry for her Mate.

Finally, Buffy's fangs left her skin and her tongue came out, lapping at the mark and closing it.

By the time Willow had laid her back on the bed, she was sleeping, the burns on her body totally gone.

Willow moved a piece of hair off Buffy's face before turning to Angelus.

"What are we going to do?"

Angelus looked from his Sire to the Slayer before his gaze hardened.

He knew first hand what she was going through, and he was going to do everything in his power to help her.

He left the room and went to his own, grabbing a cell phone and taking it back to Willow.

"Phone the Watcher."

Everyone jumped as the phone rang.

Giles reached it first.

"Hello?"

Willow sighed at hearing his voice so full of worry.

"Giles, its me."

Giles gave everyone in the room the thumbs up.

Willow heard the cheers in the room and felt sick as she looked at Buffy.

The other Vampire's heard the cheers as well, each one growling their displeasure.

"Willow, thank god, I take it the spell worked." It wasn't a question.

As Buffy moaned on the bed, Willow grew angry.

"Giles, you have no idea what you've done."

On the other end of the line, Giles frowned.

"We gave her back her soul."

"Giles, she tried to kill herself."

Giles paused, the thought never having entered his head.

"Has she let you go?"

"I…I can't leave her like this, Giles, there's a reason Vampire's don't have souls."

Giles couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Willow, we did it for you. You are in danger there, you need to get away from them."

Angelus had had enough. He snatched the phone off Willow.

"Watcher, if you don't find some way to fix Buffy, I am going to torture your Slayer, slowly, for years."

Willow shrank back from him but when he shook his head at her, she caught on to what he was doing.

"You've read stories of what I can do, the rape, amputation, mental and physical torture, do you really want that to happen to Willow?"

Giles face paled as he listened to Angelus. He knew that the Vampire would make good on his word.

"Angelus, you know yourself, there is no cure."

"Buffy found one for me, you fucking look for one for her, as will we." he growled and slammed the phone closed before tossing it on the bed.

"I think that made him think a little."

Willow resumed stoking Buffy's hair and looked up to Angelus. As her oldest childe, he was in charge for now.

"What do we do first?"

Angelus looked at the Slayer and sighed before his gaze locked on his Sire.

"We go back to the Hellmouth."

When Buffy woke up, the first thing she was aware of was Willow.

The Slayer was running her fingers through Buffy's hair, when the Vampire ripped herself away.

"Don't touch me."

Buffy looked away at Willow's hurt look and looked out the limo's window, not seeing what was in front of her.

Willow locked her jaw, determined not to cry and caught Gunn's eye.

He gave her a sympathetic look before his eyes moved back to his Sire.

Buffy wasn't in the car with them, she was back in her own village, reliving her first few days as a demon, thinking about how good her family tasted as she killed them.

The thought made her sick.

Wes handed Willow a syringe and nodded towards his Sire.

She looked from it to him, to Buffy before reaching over and taking her lover's arm.

It was a testimony to how spaced Buffy was that she allowed the contact.

Willow plunged the needle down with no reaction from the blonde and sighed before handing it back to Wes.

A sign caught her eyes through the window and Willow finally realized that they had been in Sunnydale for a while, and they had now pulled into the school parking lot.

Giles had told them all of Angelus' threats and his demands.

Jenny looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped before the words could leave her mouth.

They didn't need to know about the loophole in the curse. There was no way that a soulful Buffy could reach perfect happiness, therefore, she couldn't loose her soul.

Xander looked up when the library doors opened, wondering who it was as it was the middle of the night, and everyone they knew was already there.

All but one.

Who was now standing before them, flanked by Vampire's.

"Giles."

Giles turned at Xander's voice, and froze.

Standing in the doorway, was his Slayer, in her arms, Buffy and by her side, Angelus. There were also three other men with her, who Giles could only assume was Wes, Gunn and Penn.

"Willow?"

Willow sent a smile over to her watcher but a groan from the bundle in her arms had her attention back on Buffy.

Gunn stepped up and Willow handed her lover over to him, shaking the stiffness from her arms.

Her strength was finally back to normal, but she had been holding Buffy in the same position for over two hours now.

"Where will I put her?"

Willow turned to the still silent Scoobies, waiting for one of them to suggest something. When they remained silent, she sighed and turned to Penn.

"There's a leather couch in the office, drag it out here."

He moved to follow her command, when suddenly five crossbows and one stake were leveled at him.

Giles glared at the Vampire, Xander's hand shook but otherwise he was steady, at the other three crossbows belonged to the Council Special Ops team.

Faith was looking between her sister Slayer, and the hot Vampire beside her, though she was ready to use her weapon of choice.

Penn turned to look at Willow as Angelus stepped forward with a growl.

"Giles, tell them to lower their weapons." The strong voice of the Slayer came through.

Giles hesitated before throwing something at her.

When she caught it, she looked at the cross amused but sent her watcher a smile.

"Lower your weapons." Xander looked like he wanted to argue, but he did as he was told.

The Council boys kept their raised though, as did Faith.

Penn shrugged at them and went into the office to get the couch.

Gunn laid Buffy down gently and Angelus took off his leather duster before draping it over his Sire.

"What have you found out?"

Giles eyes widened as Willow sat on the floor by Buffy's head and began stroking the blondes hair.

"You mean in the last twenty four hours since we spoke? Nothing."

Angelus growled and vamped out, stalking over to Giles.

"Angelus."

He stopped at turned towards his Sire's Mate. He had sworn to respect Willow as he would Buffy, so he would respect her wishes.

They had all surprised Willow with their attitude towards her, but Angelus was the wildcard.

She knew how much he cared for his Sire, and she knew that he would do everything and anything to help her.

And that meant playing nice with humans.

Anything Giles was about to say, was cut off by the whimpering that came from the sleeping Vampire.

Giles took a step closer, only to step back in surprise when three growling Vampire's blocked his path to Willow.

"Willow, forgive me but, why are they here? Surely you could have escaped."

"Wes, would you sit with her?"

Wes nodded his head and took Willow's place at Buffy's side.

"Giles with me,"

Penn moved to go with her, but Willow stopped him by raising her hand.

"Giles."

Giles followed his Slayer into his office and sat on a corner of the desk.

Willow went to sit down when she jumped up and stuck her head out into the library.

"Guys, try not to kill each other for five minutes."

Closing the door, she sat on Giles chair and looked up at her watcher.

"Willow, what on earth is going on?"

Willow rubbed at her temples before looking back up at him.

"Giles, I understand why you did what you did, really I do. But it was wrong."

"Wrong? Willow, the most vicious of Vampire's had you as a prisoner."

Willow stood up and opened the blinds, showing him the blonde lying on the couch.

"What about Buffy?"

Giles frowned at his charge.

"Frankly, I don't care about Buffy. She is nothing more than a demon, evil to its very core."

Willow rounded on him in fury.

"No Giles," pointing at Buffy, Willow's voice rose, "she is an innocent. You tore her soul from wherever it was resting and forced it back into a body that rejects it. She remembers every little thing the demon has done for the past three hundred years, and nearly all of it was violent."

He looked out the window again, seeing Angelus pacing, Wes and Penn were talking and Gunn was staring right at him.

""Why do you care so much?"

Willow followed his gaze, noting that Gunn was on edge and looking for any sign that Giles was not to be trusted alone with the Slayer.

"It's a long story, but here's the short. She is my Mate."

Willow left Giles in the room, open mouthed and returned to her lover's side.

Buffy was awake, but she kept her eyes closed, assessing the situation around her.

"Well?"

She could tell from the tone of his voice, that Angelus had just about reached breaking point.

Willow must have sensed it as well.

"The sun will be up soon, we're done here for tonight. We'll stay at the mansion."

The humans protested at that.

"Will?"

Willow looked over to her oldest friend.

"Xand, its complicated, but I'm not leaving Buffy."

The person in question flinched, but no-one noticed.

Xander couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What do you mean?"

"Buffy, is my Mate. I'm not leaving her."

Xander's forehead creased as he worked out what she was saying. When he did, he exploded.

"You Whore!"

Buffy jumped up and stopped Gunn, who had just lunged at Xander.

Willow turned away from her friends, not wanting them to see her tears.

Angelus stood stock still, knowing that if he moved, blood would be shed.

"Buffy?"

Buffy flinched and turned around to face Willow.

"You should stay here, where you belong."

Willow's already flowing tears fell harder as Buffy turned and walked out of the library.

Wes was the first to follow her, then Penn, then Angelus.

Gunn stayed where he was. He had sworn to protect his Sire's Mate, and he was going to make sure she was okay.

He was the one to catch her as she fell.

By this time Giles had come out from his office and he frowned at seeing her on the floor, crying in the arms of a Vampire.

"Willow?"

Willow looked up at him and he sighed at the misery he saw on her face.

He alone in the room, apart from the Vampire and the Slayer, knew what it was to take a Mate.

"You should go see your mother."

Willow nodded and stood up with the help of Gunn.

Leaning on him for support, she left the library.

Buffy ran as fast as she could, trying to get as much distance between her and the screaming.

It wouldn't work.

No matter how hard, how fast, or how far she ran, she could never out run them.

They weren't out in the open for all to hear.

They were inside her.

Angel, Wes and Penn all followed Buffy closely, the former knowing what his Sire was going through.

He hoped she didn't use him as an example.

He had run away, but it had taken him a hundred years to realize that running was futile.

Joyce woke up to hear banging on her back door.

Getting up, she slipped on her dressing gown and crept downstairs, a baseball bat in her hands.

"Who's there?"

"Mommy?"

The bat fell to the floor as Joyce yanked open the door.

"Willow? Honey is it really you?"

Willow's tears fell harder as she fell into her mothers arms.

Gunn watched from outside as he was unable to enter. He hoped Willow remember soon that the sun was starting to rise, but he wouldn't interrupt this moment for her.

"Mom, can Gunn come in?"

Joyce looked up in alarm at the man…Vampire…before looking into her daughters tear stained face.

She knew Willow could have invited him in herself, but she had asked her mother, out of respect for her.

"Gunn was it? Come inside."

Gunn sighed in relief and dashed in before closing the door, blocking the now dangerous rays of the sun.

Between the three of them, they had managed to knock Buffy unconscious. None of them believed that she wouldn't try to kill herself again.

They reached the mansion just as the sun broke through.

Before it had risen fully, Buffy was locked into the chains in her old room, for her own safety.

Everyone in the library watched the sun rise.

Everyone of them dreading what the coming days would bring.

None of the Scoobies saw as one of the Council's men left to make a phone call.

None of them heard his whispered conversation about a Slayer gone rouge.

As the sun rose over Sunnydale, the town seemed to realize that the coming days, weeks and months, were not going to be easy.

They had been in Sunnydale for two weeks, and Willow still hadn't seen Buffy, though not for lack of trying.

She sent Gunn by the mansion everyday to check up on her Mate, and his reports were always the same. That's where is was now, checking on Buffy before he would join her for patrol.

Her relationship with the Scoobies was strained to say the least, though Giles was coming around he still hated the idea of Gunn anywhere near his Slayer.

A tap of her shoulder startled her and too late her senses told her it was a Vampire.

Spinning, stake raised, she lowered it when she saw Angelus.

Immediately, she feared the worst.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed and sat down on the nearest headstone.

"She finally spoke today."

Willow could tell by his tone that he wasn't happy with what was said.

"And?"

"She told us she wanted us gone."

"Gone, gone where?" Willow blinked, trying to understand.

"She said she cant let us stay here. Said she wanted us to leave before sun-up, or she was staking us all." His voice broke then.

"What are you going to do?"

Angelus shivered, and Willow realized that it couldn't be from lack of warmth.

"We have two options. Stay and get bagged blood while we look for a counter spell, or we leave and look for a counter spell."

Willow stepped up beside him.

"What does Buffy think of you guys staying and looking for a counter spell?"

"She told us not to look for one. She said she wouldn't become that again."

Willow felt Gunn come up behind her and looked over her shoulder to acknowledge him.

"So what are you going to do then?"

Angelus closed his eyes and growled.

"We leave. I cant stay and see her like that."

"I'm staying."

They both turned to look at Gunn and he shrugged.

"I promised her I would protect Willow. I failed once, I wont fail again."

Angelus nodded his head and stood up.

"Right then. I'll keep in contact, see how things are going."

He walked away, only to turn at Willow's voice.

"Are you going to keep looking?"

He smirked and turned away.

"Angelus, please don't do anything I would have to stake you for." Willow called out to his retreating back.

She knew he heard her, though he gave no sign.

Buffy watched as Angelus, Penn and Wes loaded up the limo and frowned.

"Where is Gunn?"

The three exchanged a look before Penn stepped forward.

"He decided to stay. He is looking after Willow."

Buffy flinched at the mention of her Mate and nodded

"Where will you go?"

Angelus stepped up beside her, watching as she flinched away from him.

"Far enough, but if you need us, we'll be here."

No-one said anything else after that, and even though she knew it was for the best, Buffy had tears running down her face as her family left her.

Gunn opened the door to the butchers, grimacing at the smell.

Sunnydale wasn't L.A. He would have to make do with animal blood.

He looked up when a jolt when through him and saw his Sire, looking right at him.

He gave her a smile and told the guy behind the counter what he needed.

"Why are you still here?"

Gunn turned to his Sire and couldn't help drinking in the sight of her.

"Made a promise to a lady."

Buffy looked at him as she accepted her blood.

"Why bag it?"

Gunn looked at her before looking away again.

"Willow wouldn't like it if I hunted."

Buffy opened her mouth to say something to that, however what came out wasn't what she wanted to say.

"How is she?"

Gunn looked up and held her gaze.

"Missing you."

Buffy avoided his eyes and left him there to collect his own blood.

Giles watched as Tara tried talking to Willow, only to have the Slayer shake her head and walk away.

He knew something had to be done, and he had a feeling it was time for him to do it.

Buffy's head snapped towards the garden doors when her demon screamed that there was a human near by.

She stood when she saw the watcher.

Giles never took his eyes off her, or his hand away from the stake in his pocket.

He sat on the arm of the couch and looked her over. She looked like hell.

He could tell she wasn't feeding enough, and she looked like she hadn't changed clothes since she had been re-souled.

"Buffy."

She realized that he wasn't going to attack her outright and sat down on the floor, taking up her usual spot against the wall.

"Why are you here?" She wasn't to ask if Willow was okay, but couldn't.

Giles pulled out the stake he had in his pocked and laid it on the floor between them.

Buffy looked at it, before lifting her eyes to his.

"Only you truly know the evil you have committed in the past. You have to make a choice now, much like the one Angel had to make."

He paused to make sure he had her full attention, but he guessed she knew where he was going with this.

"You have to decide if you let the past define who you are, or if your strong enough to try to make amends for the crimes of your demon."

Buffy flinched and looked away.

"Nothing I do can make amends."

"I understand that-"

"You understand nothing." Buffy's harsh tone surprised him. "You cant understand what its like to hear you father's heart slow to a stop, and know that you enjoyed ever second of it. You cant understand what its like to hear your little sister beg for mercy, as you slowly killed her. You cant understand what its like to kill your mother-" Buffy's voice cracked and the tears she had been holding in fell.

Giles, of course, knew what she had done to her family and she was right.

He could never understand that.

"What would they want you to do?"

Buffy looked up at him in confusion, not even bothering to wipe her face clean.

"Make a choice Buffy."

Those were his last words to her as he left the mansion, knowing that he had given her something to think about.

Willow was fighting back to back with Gunn against two vamps that fought like they had been trained ninjas.

"So, what did the watcher say he wanted to talk about tonight?"

"Something about a meeting." Willow punched her vamp and ducked his kick while answering Gunn.

Gunn finally managed to get the upper hand and staked his vamp, before turning to watch the Slayer fight hers, knowing that she was holding her own.

"Wonder what that means."

He heard a growl and turned to see Willow's vamp land a nasty punch just as she staked him.

Gunn caught the Slayer as she fell unconscious to the ground.

"Damn."

Buffy watched them from a distance, wanting to go nearer, but knowing if she did, Willow or Gunn would sense her.

She had just gotten back from L.A and figured she would check on her childe and Mate while she was out.

She had gone to see Lorne, hoping he could point her in the right direction.

All he did was tell her she knew where her path lay, and to remember that she wasn't alone.

It had hit her then, that in his own way, he had warned her that this was going to happen, but she hadn't taken his advice to heart.

She watched as Gunn staked his Vampire, and was moving before she was aware of moving, when she saw Willow fall.

She had to force herself not to growl at the sight of Willow in Gunn's arms and she checked herself before she could make herself known.

They would know soon enough what she had choose.

Willow rubbed her temple as they entered the library.

Giles was there, as well as Xander, Cordy, Tara and Faith.

Willow turned to make sure Gunn was behind her and grabbed his hand, pulling him in behind her.

Xander saw the movement and his nostrils flared.

"What, Buffy wont touch you now so you move on the nearest vamp?"

Gunn took two steps forward when Willow held him back.

"Boy, you are so lucky she is here."

Xander scoffed and stepped forward.

"Yeah and why is that?"

Gunn shook off Willow, vamped out and had Xander by the throat in a second.

Willow didn't move. She knew Gunn wouldn't hurt him.

Xander spluttered and looked to Willow for help.

Gunn saw the look and snarled at him.

"You call her names, treat her like dirt and act all high and might, before begging her to help you?"

Giles stepped forward when he saw that Willow's wasn't going to.

Gunn ignored the human behind him and focused on the boy before him.

"You know the only reason I'm not snapping your neck right now? Because of Willow. So try to be a little nicer."

Gunn stepped back, letting Xander fall to the floor, his demon relishing in the smell of his fear.

He missed that.

Xander caught Willow's eye saw the pain in hers.

He was about to say sorry, but then movement by the door caught his eye and he exploded again.

"So you aren't fucking one of them but two?"

Willow swallowed her hurt before a tingle registered within her body.

Turning slowly, the breath left her and she stared into the face of her Mate.

"Buffy." Her whispered plea had Gunn, who was snarling at Xander, whip around and face his Sire.

"Sire."

Buffy flinched from both their words, and the longing she could hear behind them.

"Don't call me that."

Gunn let his human features return and hid his pain from the humans.

Giles smiled and motioned everyone to sit.

"I'm glad you came."

Willow and Gunn turned to look at Giles, while trying to keep one eye of Buffy.

Buffy stayed away from them all until it came time for her to talk.

"I thought about what you said, and I want to try."

Giles gave her a soft smile and picked up the book in front of him.

"Good. Now, the reason I have called you all here, is because there is a new Master Vampire in town."

"Who?"

Giles looked at Gunn, then back at the table.

"His name is Kakistos."

Gunn's gaze swung to Buffy.

Faith stood up and began pacing.

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and looking at Giles, avoiding Willow's wounded gaze.

"I know him." Her voice was hollow.

"Me too."

Everyone turned to look at Faith in shock.

They all listened as she told them the story of how her first watcher was killed.

Buffy was transported to another time. One where she had hunted with Kakistos, killing whoever they came across.

She was snapped out of it, by a soft touch on her arm.

Both Buffy and Willow felt a jolt from the contact.

It had been so long since they had touched in any way.

Buffy couldn't make herself move away.

Willow smiled and moved closer, reaching around to hug her Mate, and that's when Buffy moved.

Trying not to show her hurt, Willow moved to stand as close as she could to Buffy.

"Let me deal with him."

Everyone turned to Buffy in surprise.

Giles acknowledged that she hadn't asked him and nodded his head at her.

Buffy turned and left the library.

Willow couldn't take it anymore and ran after her, telling Gunn to wait there.

"Buffy, stop."

Buffy stopped but didn't turn to face her Mate.

Willow stepped up to her and grabbed her arm, not letting go when Buffy tried to pull away.

"Please, don't do this. Let me help you."

Buffy snorted and finally turned to face Willow.

"You cant help me Slayer, no-one can."

Willow flinched as Buffy used her title instead of her name.

"Please, I told you before, I cant lose you."

Buffy succeeded and pulled away.

"Too late."

She wanted to walk away and leave it like that, but hearing Willow's sobs, she had to say something.

Even her demon was screaming at her to say something.

"When all is said and done, we're still demons. Gunn, and me. Souled or not. And you deserve a lot more than having demons in your life, as allies, friends or anything else."

Buffy left her then, forcing herself to move forward and not give in to Willow's sobs.

She heard as the blond one, Tara, came out and tried to sooth her friend, and she wished for nothing more than the change to do that herself.

Buffy found him quickly enough, in the old factory end of town.

Jumping down from the landing she was standing on, Buffy could tell she had surprised all the Vampire's present.

When three stood to attack, his voice rang out clear,

"Touch her and die."

Needless to say, they backed off.

Buffy walked up to Kakistos and flashed him some fang, hoping that he couldn't smell the soul on her.

"Long time."

He smiled and nodded to her, before giving a small bow,

"I had no idea you were in Sunnydale."

They made small talk for what seemed like hours. Talking about past events. Finally, he stood.

"So, Buffy, tell me. How did you get a soul?" He had a smirk of his disfigured face.

Buffy tensed and stood up.

"Funny story really."

She attacked before he could.

His minions watched the battle, none of them moving to help. Kakistos had given them a direct order not to touch the blonde Master, so they were following that order.

Buffy ducked under his badly thrown punch and sprinted towards the wall, running up it before back-flipping over him, she sent a hard punch to the back of his head.

He fell but was standing again in a second.

Buffy paused to re-group and the fight was on again.

She hated to admit it, but her demon was reveling in the violence.

Giles was getting worried about his Slayer. She was doing everything she was supposed to do, hanging out with her friends, school work and slaying.

But she seemed to draw into her self more and more.

The watcher began to notice that the only person she spend a certain amount of time with, was Gunn.

"Giles?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned towards the back of the library.

Buffy was there, a little banged up, but in one piece.

"I think that's the first time you've called me by my name."

Buffy shrugged and moved closer, avoiding the sunlight that lit certain parts of the room, and dismissing the pain in her leg.

"I just thought that you would like to know he's dead."

Giles nodded his head and pulled out a chair.

"Sit," He wanted to talk to the Vampire, but when he turned around, she was gone.

"Dammit."

Another month passed.

Buffy had only needed to help them once more during it, but she had refused to even communicate with either Gunn or Willow, unless it was concerning the battle, going as far as to move from the mansion without telling them where she had moved to.

She was under no illusion that neither of them could track her, but for now they were respecting her wishes and staying away.

It was one week until Christmas, and Buffy knew that the Scoobies, as they liked to call themselves, were having a party of sorts.

Giles had told her to stop by, but she figured one Vampire was enough to have at a Christmas party.

The last Christmas party she had attended turned out very bloody, and she really didn't feel up to going to another.

Standing, she slipped on her coat and locked her door on the way out.

By the fifth cemetery, Buffy was exhausted. The demons seemed to be out in force tonight.

They probably knew the Slayer was taking the night off.

Slipping down a back ally, she paused, looking up at the sign that was so close to falling off its hinges.

As soon as she entered Willy's, the bar went quiet.

"Ah, hey Buffy."

Buffy glared at Willy and sat at the bar.

"Give me a shot of whatever you have."

He nodded nervously and pulled out a bottle of tequila.

After he poured her the shot he moved to reclaim the bottle, only to have Buffy take it off him.

She threw down enough money to cover it, and moved to a table in the corner to drink in silence.

Gunn cursed as he checked the fridge and saw that he had no blood left.

Running up the stairs and out of the basement he pulled Willow aside.

"I'm out of blood, the butchers is closed so I'm gonna head over to Willy's."

Willow gave him a one armed hug.

"Don't get into too much trouble." She was surprised at how close her and Gunn were, but then, they did have something very big in common.

He rolled his eyes at her and grabbed his coat off the rack.

Xander stood when he saw Gunn about to leave.

"Hey wait up, I need to get more nibbles."

For some strange reason, Gunn and Xander had come to an understanding.

They weren't friends, but they didn't snipe at each other every second either.

"Fine, but hurry up, I'm hungry." Gunn sent Xander a wicked smile, before Willow smacked him upside the head.

"Behave."

As Gunn and Xander entered Willy's, the bar went silent for a second time that night.

Gunn just glared at every demon in the room and marched up to the bar.

"I need three bottles of O-neg."

Willy reached under the bar and removed the blood from the fridge.

"Here ya go, that's ten bucks."

Gunn grabbed the bottles and handed Willy his money before he turned to go.

"Ah, Gunn?" Gunn turned to see what Willy wanted and looked over in the direction the bar-tender nodded in.

Every time he saw her, his demon cried out for its Sire.

Gunn headed over to his Sire, knowing that Xander was on his heels.

Buffy looked up when two shadows fell over the table.

"Gunn!"

He was surprised that she was happy to see him, that was until he realized she was drunk.

He sat down, wondering what kind of welcome he would get.

Buffy dismissed Xander all together and looked at her childe, a smile on her face.

Gunn took a deep breath when Buffy leaned over and gave him a hug.

"I missed you."

He caught her as she fell forward, sighing when he realized she had passed out.

Xander stood back as Gunn moved to stand up, Buffy in his arms.

"Where do we take her? She's not staying at the mansion anymore."

Gunn looked from the sleeping face of his Sire, to the human beside him.

Xander read the answer on his face.

"I don't think that's fair."

Gunn opened his mouth to argue, but Xander cut him off.

"What happens when she wakes up, not drunk anymore, and realizes she's in Will's house? Will's not doing good as it is, to have Buffy for a night then go back to nothing? I'm thinking it might break her."

Gunn cursed and left the bar.

"Xander, we have nowhere else to take her. I'll sneak her into the basement and put her in my bed, Willow will never know."

Xander nodded before something hit him.

"Gunn, she doesn't have an invite."

Gunn growled.

"We'll sort that out when we get there."

Xander went in first to make sure the coast was clear before returning with Joyce.

Joyce looked from Gunn, to the blonde he held, to Xander.

"What's going on?"

Gunn gave her a soft smile, he really did like Joyce.

"This here, is Buffy." He kept his voice low so no-one with special hearing would overhear anything from the living room.

Joyce knew who Buffy was. Not only was she a Vampire, most vicious before her soul was returned if Mr. Giles was to be believed, she was also the person that was causing her baby to be miserable.

"I see." Her tone gave nothing away as to what she was feeling.

"Look, could you invite her in, just for tonight, you can get the watcher to do the barrier spell tomorrow."

Joyce sighed and looked behind her.

"Why not ask Willow?"

Gunn looked sheepish and shifted Buffy in his arms.

"We don't want Willow to know."

The Slayer's mom sighed and opened the door wider.

"Fine Buffy is invited in."

Gunn stepped over the threshold, sighing in relief when he met no resistance.

"Right, I'm gonna put her in my bed before Willow finds out."

Willow looked up from her conversation with Tara, searching the room. She had that feeling, the one she only got when Buffy was around.

"Will?"

Shaking her head, knowing there was no way Buffy would be there, she turned back to Tara, though her thoughts stayed on the blonde Vampire.

Something was definitely up.

Gunn seemed to be making any excuse to go down to the basement, and Xander kept shifting nervously and wouldn't meet Willow's gaze.

Seeing that Gunn had finally come back up, Willow stood up.

When both Xander and Gunn looked at her, she held up her empty glass.

"Need more coke."

Gunn offered to get it for her, but she told him it was fine, she needed to stretch her legs anyway.

Willow set her glass down on the kitchen island and made sure no-one had followed her before moving silently over to the basement door.

She opened it and snuck inside before closing it again behind her.

She made it halfway down the steps before she realized her earlier feelings had been right.

Buffy was nearby.

She was in Gunn's bed.

Normally, that would have killed Willow with jealously, she knew what kind of relationship Buffy had had with her Childer before she came alone.

The only thing that was stopping her from marching upstairs and killing Gunn, was the fact Buffy had all her clothes on.

Quietly, she made her way over and kneeled by the bed, reaching out to stoke her Mate's face gently.

She pulled back before Buffy could wake and just sat there, drinking in the sight of her lover sleeping, her heart breaking all over again.

Willow had been gone too long.

Gunn stood up and made his way down to his Sire, cursing when he saw Willow.

The Slayer didn't look at him but he knew she knew he was there.

"You want to explain anything?"

Gunn sighed and dropped to his knees beside Willow.

"Xander and me found her like this a Willy's. She passed out and we couldn't take her home, so I brought her here."

He paused and turned to look at the Slayer's face. It was blank.

Buffy groaned and rolled over, bringing his attention back to her.

Willow resumed stoking Buffy's face.

"Gunn, would you mind…"

He got what she wanted and stood up.

"I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Buffy had been awake for the past thirty minutes. Her head was telling her that she had drank way to much, and she knew she was sober now because it was hurting.

She kept still, which wasn't much of a problem, and let the Slayer stroke her face.

She had nearly started purring when she woke, but had managed to contain it.

Her demon was screaming, wanting to reclaim its Mate.

Willow sighed and rested her head on the pillow beside Buffy.

"Enough is enough. I know your awake."

/Busted/

Buffy sat up slowly, knowing her reprieve was broken.

"I should go." She moved to stand up, only to have Willow tug her back down so that they were both sitting on the bed.

"No, I think we need to talk."

Buffy really didn't want to do that, and the tingles she was getting from Willow holding her hand weren't helping.

"Where's Gunn?"

"Upstairs."

Buffy took her hand back off Willow and moved back, her back to the wall.

Neither spoke for a full two minutes.

"Where are you living now?"

Buffy looked up before lowering her gaze and picking a piece of lint off the bed sheet, trying to get the images the demon was sending her out of her head.

"The place where Angel lived. He called me a while back and I asked him about it. Couldn't stay there."

Willow didn't need to ask why.

Buffy couldn't take it anymore and stood up to pace.

"That's not what you wanted to talk about is it?"

Willow was surprised Buffy was even allowing the conversation.

"No, well it's a part of it. Why have you closed yourself off?"

Buffy let an snort out.

"Yeah, because I'm everyone's favorite person, hell, not even a person."

Willow frowned.

"But Gunn, and me-"

"Yeah, Gunn and you. You don't want me, you both want her."

Willow heard the emotion Buffy tried to hide and stood up, blocking her path.

"Your fooling yourself. You forget I spend two years with Angel, and I spent some time with Angelus. The only difference between the two, was a lack of conscience. You're a Vampire, and contrary to what the Watcher's think, Vampire's feel, maybe a little differently to humans, but its all the same in the end. You are her, she wouldn't have existed with you."

Willow didn't know if she was saying this right, all she knew was that she had to get through to Buffy.

Buffy looked up. She knew what Willow was saying was true, but still…

"Doesn't matter, it's the conscience in control now, and both you and Gunn would be happier with it the other way around."

Willow pulled back, an incredulous look on her face.

"You are the same person! Everything the demon wants, you do two, in different ways, maybe."

"And you're a brilliant example of that aren't you?" The words were out of her mouth and Buffy wanted nothing more than to pull them back in.

Willow stepped closer and lowered her voice.

"How? I know how the demon wants her Mate, how does the soul?"

Buffy flinched and moved back.

"I want…I want a friend."

"And the fact that we're Mated?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders and looked up.

She was shocked when she found Willow in front of her, but that shock disappeared when the Slayer pressed the lips together in a hard kiss.

Buffy's demon was purring and the soul wasn't complaining.

Before she realized what was happening, Buffy had Willow pinned to the wall, kissing the breath out of her.

Their tongues met and got reacquainted rather quickly, each thrusting into the others mouth.

Willow pulled back, panting and Buffy's mouth moved along her jaw, down her neck.

When Willow felt Buffy lick at her mark, she groaned and pulled the Vampire closer.

"More…"

That was the wrong thing to say.

Buffy jerked back and put distance between them.

"No, this cant…Friends." The last word was final and Willow slumped against the wall, her body on the edge of orgasm only to be denied.

If it was all Buffy was willing to give, well then, Willow knew she was going to have to go with it.

For now anyway.

Buffy pushed open the doors of the library, knowing everyone was inside.

"Hey."

Everyone looked up at the quiet sound, Giles immediately on alert.

"Buffy, is anything wrong?"

She shook her head no and sat down in the nearest chair, which happened to be beside Xander.

He stuck sitting beside her for all of five seconds before he stood up and moved over to stand by the counter. It wasn't that he didn't like Buffy, but all he knew about her, was that she had a vicious past, and that she now had a soul. Every time he had asked Willow about Buffy, his friend had gotten sad, so he stopped asking.

Buffy pretended not to notice him move away from her.

Giles frown and took off his glasses.

"I don't understand-"

Buffy cut him off and stood up, looking a Willow.

"This was a bad idea."

She turned to go, but Willow jumped up and caught her arm.

"No, stay." she guided Buffy back to her seat and Willow to the one Xander had left.

"Guys, Buffy's going to be hanging out more, in the non apocalypse way."

Gunn smiled, happy his Sire would be around more.

The rest of the Scoobies were silent.

"Who's up for some bronzing?" The question came from Faith.

Xander, Tara, Cordy and Willow all stood, ready to go, the two Vampire's standing more reluctantly.

Buffy was well aware of how that club made her feel, the last time she had been in it, she had to fuck Angelus into his seat.

She just prayed she could control herself tonight.

"I'm not really dressed for dancing, I'll meet you guys there." Willow ran ahead before anyone could protest.

The truth was, she wanted to look good, draw attention to herself, maybe then Buffy would give them both what they wanted.

Gunn set a beer down in front of Buffy and she gave him a hesitant smile.

Xander and Cordy were dancing and Faith was off somewhere leaving Tara with the Vampire's until Willow arrived.

Gunn seemed at ease with the human, but Buffy didn't know anything about her, except for the fact that the blonde had a crush on the Slayer and that she had some knowledge of Witchcraft.

She looked up when she felt the tell tale tingle that announced Willow's arrival.

Buffy spat out the mouthful of beer she had just taken when she saw what Willow was wearing.

The Slayer oozed sex as she walked into the Bronze.

She saw the looks she was getting from both male and female and smirked, knowing she had chosen the right outfit.

She was wearing tight green leather pants, with a top that left little to the imagination up front, but flared out at the arms.

She knew that when she danced, she could raise her arms, and the top would just about cover her breasts, which were braless.

Usually, Willow wouldn't wear something so revealing, but she was on a mission.

She knew that this wouldn't change her lover's mind, but it was a start.

Buffy wasn't aware that she was growling low as she watched people leering at her…Willow.

When she saw Willow start to make her way over to them, Buffy averted her eyes and swirled her beer around, hoping for a distraction.

"Hey guys."

Willow plonked herself down beside Gunn, which just happened to be opposite Buffy and Tara.

Buffy looked up just to say hello, but her eyes narrowed when she saw the lust in Gunn's eyes.

"Willow! You have to dress like this more often." Gunn gave her a smirk and picked up her hand, kissing her knuckles.

Buffy's grip on her bottle of beer tightened before she relaxed herself.

"Hi."

Willow smiled her hello at Buffy before starting a conversation with Tara, leaving Buffy and Gunn to talk, well, Gunn was talking, Buffy kept zoning out to stare at Willow.

Willow jumped up when a song came on that she liked.

"Tara, wanna dance?"

Tara finished her coke and stood up before following the Slayer to the dance floor.

Buffy's beer bottle smashed from her grip when Willow raised her hands above her head.

/MINE!/

Gunn looked over at his Sire to see Buffy absently picking glass out of her hand, her eyes fixed on the Slayer.

One song turned into three before Willow and Tara made it back to the table, with Faith, Xander and Cordy in tow.

"Man, I'm beat,"

Cordy threw her boyfriend a look of disgust.

"I cant see how. All you did was stand there while I danced."

Xander shrugged and reached for the drink Gunn had just set in front of him.

"Yeah, and it was exhausting."

Cordy huffed and turned to talk to Tara, dismissing her boyfriend entirely.

Willow looked at the table and spotted the broken shards of glass and frowned.

"What happened?"

Gunn shook his head no and Willow's eyes widened as his eyes shifted to Buffy.

"So Xand, what are you getting Cordy for Christmas?" Willow kept her voice low, knowing that the only ones that would be able to hear, would be Xander and the two Vampire's.

Xander gulped and looked worried.

"Well, I got her this necklace thing, its silver and it has a heart pendant on it. I was thinking of getting in engraved."

Willow smiled at him, glad that someone's relationship was going fine.

"What were you thinking of having it say?"

Xander frowned and took a sip of his coke.

"That's the thing, everything I think of will be too cheesy. I want it to say something…something with meaning."

Willow smiled at her friend before looking at the two Vampire's

"You two have been around forever, what do you think he should put on it?"

Gunn shrugged, he didn't think neither Willow nor Xander would like his suggestion.

Buffy looked thoughtful.

"Do you love her?"

Xander looked startled but nodded his head yes.

Buffy's gaze shifted quickly to Willow's before it moved back to Xander's.

"Then tell her that, 'I love you – those three words have my life in them'"

Xander rolled the words around in his head.

"Simple, to the point, I like it. Thanks Buffy."

Buffy gave him a small smile and looked away.

Willow caught her gaze and gave her the thumbs up.

They had been in the club for an hour, and Buffy could smell the lust coming off the other clubbers in waves.

She turned her head to look at Gunn, and saw that he breathing deeply through his nose.

She gave him a small kick under the table.

"What?"

Everyone's attention was now on the two, as no-one had heard Buffy speak.

"You know what."

Gunn smirked at his Sire, his demon wanting to indulge in actives of past, but knowing it couldn't.

"Come on Buff, its not like I can control it."

Buffy suddenly noticed that they had the gangs attention.

Willow raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what the Vampire's were talking about.

Standing up, Buffy mumbled something about getting another drink and headed over to the bar.

Faith got up a second later, following the blonde.

Willow's eyes narrowed as she saw her sister Slayer follow her Mate.

Buffy knew there was a Slayer behind her, and she knew it wasn't Willow.

"What do you want Faith?" She didn't like the other Slayer, she hadn't when she was soulless, and she didn't now.

Faith leaned into Buffy, who's body was now trapped between the Slayer's and the bar.

Buffy pushed, trying to get some space back.

"Aw come on Buff, why so tetchy? We could have some fun." Faith leaned in a placed a wet kiss on Buffy's neck as she thrust her lower body against the Vampire's.

Buffy was about to show Faith exactly what she thought of that, when suddenly Faith was gone.

Willow was out of her seat before she was even aware of it. As soon as she saw Faith leaning into Buffy, she was gone.

Stalking up to the bar, Willow, accidentally on purpose, bumped into Faith.

"Hey guys, I figured you could use some help Buffy."

Buffy smirked at the look on Faith's face before turning her attention completely to Willow.

Faith was still scowling when they got back to the table. When she spotted a vamp luring a girl outside, she stood up and followed.

This was what she needed, a little violence to calm her down.

Buffy sighed when Faith came back. She could smell the after effects of the fight on the Slayer, including her arousal.

Willow watched as Faith viciously tore off a piece of her muffin, before stuffing it in her mouth.

"Isn't it funny how slaying makes you hungry and horny?"

Willow smirked, knowing Faith was trying to push her buttons.

"Yeah, so why not go find someone to take care of that for you."

The rest of the table, apart from Gunn and Buffy, were staring at Willow. The other two were smirking at Faith.

"What about you Willow? Now Buffy's not scratching that itch, you going to go find yourself a toy?" Faith wasn't about to let the bitch put her down.

Buffy couldn't stop her growl and started to stand.

Willow stopped her from rising by placing a hand on her arm.

"Faith, do yourself a favor, disappear. You aren't needed here anymore and you certainly aren't wanted, so go back to wherever you came from. Make us both happy."

Faith frowned before standing up.

"Fine, I've just about had my fill of this town." She walked away without a backwards glance.

Xander, Cordy and Tara were watching their friend, wondering what was going to happen next.

Whatever it was they expected to happen, it wasn't for Buffy to drag Willow out onto the dance floor.

Willow had thought that Buffy was pulling her onto the dance floor, she soon found out she was wrong.

Buffy pushed through the crowd and turned a corner before she led them into a back room that was used for storing sound equipment.

Willow was silent the entire time, only speaking when Buffy closed the door.

"What was that?"

Buffy shrugged and sat down on a stool.

"I figured that you wouldn't want your friends looking at you, after what Faith just revealed."

Willow smiled when she realized that Buffy was right, she didn't want the Scoobies looking at her, asking questions.

Back at the table, Xander, Cordy and Tara turned expectant faces to Gunn.

Gunn laughed at the look on their faces and stood up.

"Anyone want a drink?"

Giles mouth opened and closed.

Willow had just told him that Faith was gone.

"Can I ask why?"

Willow's eyes shifted over to the stacks, and Giles followed her gaze.

He was surprised to see Buffy and Gunn appear, but apparently Willow wasn't.

"She over stepped the mark."

He nodded his head and went into his office to phone Faith's watcher, wanting to make sure everything was okay.

Buffy and Gunn moved further into the library, avoiding the sunlight that graced the room.

They had just sat down, when Snyder walked in.

"You have class," he barked at Willow before turning his gaze on two people he didn't know.

"Who are you?"

Gunn smirked and leaned back in his seat, and Buffy gave Willow a look.

"They are…they…" she didn't know how to explain them, luckily Giles came to her rescue.

"Willow I just spoke with…Principal Snyder."

Snyder look Giles up and down before turning to Willow.

"Class. Now." He left the room quickly, wanting to distance himself from the Englishman.

Willow shrugged and sat down.

Buffy's eyebrow rose and she turned to the Slayer.

"What are you missing?"

"English."

Buffy remembered Willow saying something about flunking English.

"And you don't think that that's the class you need to go to?"

Willow pouted at the Vampire's logic and grumbled before grabbing her book bag and standing up.

"Giles, I have to go to class, you want to let Buffy and Gunn know about tonight?"

Buffy looked up at the watcher and waited for him to fill them in.

"While you are now helping with big problems, Willow and I were talking and we think that you should go on patrol tonight."

Buffy blinked.

"You want me to patrol with Willow tonight? Alone?"

Giles nodded his head.

"Okay."

It was Giles turn to blink.

"I was expecting more of an argument."

"Well, I'm going to be around more, I figure I'm going to have to do it eventually."

She just hoped that she could control her lust afterwards.

Buffy leaned against the tree under Willow's window, and waited for her to show.

She had been waiting for ten minutes now to start the patrol, but for some reason the Slayer was taking her time.

Buffy looked up at Willow's window when she heard raised voices.

Knowing she shouldn't, Buffy climbed the tree and hid out of view, to see what was happening inside.

Willow closed her bedroom door, knowing it wouldn't stop her mom following her. The rows had been escalating.

"Look I don't want to talk about it."

Joyce snorted and placed her hands on her hips.

"Tough, because I do. Willow, you shouldn't be anywhere near her."

Willow threw her arms up in the air and opened her weapons chest, removing her favorite stake and knife before closing it again.

"Mom, we're patrolling, its not like she's taking me on a date."

Joyce rolled her eyes at her daughter and motioned for her to sit down.

"I can't mom, I'm already late as it is."

"She's no good for you."

Willow looked toward the window, sure she could sense Buffy there, even if she couldn't see her.

"It's a little late for that."

"No!" Joyce exploded. "Its not. Your still young sweetie and this phase your going through will be over before you know it."

Willow shook her head sadly at her mom.

"You don't know me at all do you?"

She never waited for an answer. She opened the window and claimed out.

Buffy hit the ground just as Willow stepped out her window.

She caught the Slayer's coat as Willow threw it down to her, and waited until she was also on the ground before turning and walking away, not sure what to say.

"You heard huh?"

Buffy nodded her head.

"I figured, she wasn't exactly quiet."

Buffy snorted and turned her head, catching a glimpse of Willow's face. She could smell the tears Willow was trying to hold in.

"Are you okay?"

Willow shrugged and turned directions.

"Where are you going?" Buffy turned to follow the Slayer.

"Giles' place. I'm going to see if I can crash there for a few days."

Buffy grabbed Willow's arm to halt her.

"Are things really that bad?"

Willow nodded her head.

"I'm sorry."

The Slayer snorted and pulled her arm out of Buffy's grasp.

"Its not your fault, well it is, but its mine too. She can't seem to get it into her head that I don't want to date boys."

Buffy growled before she could stop herself.

Willow smirked at her but didn't say anything.

"I think a little time apart will do us good."

Buffy did a double take before she realized that Willow was talking about her and her mom.

"Maybe that would be best."

Giles hung up the phone and sighed.

Jenny had called again, and while he didn't want to talk to her, he couldn't be so rude as to hang up the phone.

She hadn't sounded like herself, gone was the happy persona he knew.

He was brought out of his musing when his door opened.

Willow walked in and made a beeline for the couch, Giles following her.

"What is it?" He could tell by her eyes, something was wrong.

"Mom."

He sighed. He knew things with Joyce hadn't been good lately, and by the sounds of it, it had gotten worse.

As a draft of wind blew over him, he turned his head, frowning when he saw Buffy just standing there, outside.

As it dawned on him why, he turned to Willow.

"Forgotten something?"

Willow frowned before her eyes widened.

"Buffy!"

Giles smiled at her before turning and inviting Buffy in.

"God I'm sorry, its just with mom and everything that I forgot that-"

Buffy cut her off, shaking her head at her.

"No worries Will."

Buffy took a seat on the armchair across from the Slayer and her watcher.

Willow sent her a half smile before turning back to Giles.

"Can I crash here for a few days?"

Giles frowned and leaned forward.

"Do you think avoidance in the answer?"

Willow looked down and fiddled with her shirt cuffs.

"Is that a no?"

Giles reached out and rested his hand on her should.

Buffy could feel her demon stir at the innocent touch and rolled her eyes at herself.

"No, it wasn't a no. Is it really that bad?"

Willow raised her eyes to his, and he knew, it was really that bad.

"Of course you can stay. I'll make up the spare room tonight while you and Buffy patrol."

Willow smiled before throwing her arms around him.

"I knew I could count on you."

Giles blushed at the display of affection but returned the hug.

Buffy smiled, glad that Willow could count on her watcher so much.

Willow broke it off and turned to the Vampire.

"Ready to patrol?"

Buffy didn't answer verbally, but stood up and handed Willow her coat back.

Buffy watched as Willow staked her fifth Vampire of the night, and not even her demon felt bad about it. If the vamps were stupid enough to take on her Mate, it was their loss.

Willow smiled and pocketed her stake before heading over to where Buffy sat on top of a gravestone.

"That makes five, I'm winning."

Buffy smirked as she saw a vamp trying to sneak up on Willow.

"Hold that thought."

Buffy jumped off the gravestone and rushed the Vampire, tackling him and sending them both to the ground, with Buffy on top.

"So, if I stake him, we're even."

Willow laughed and nodded her head.

Buffy smiled and turned back to the Vampire she had pinned.

"Sorry, nothing personal." With that said, she slammed her stake home, falling to the ground as the body below her exploded into dust.

Willow walked over and held her hand out.

Buffy grabbed it and used the Slayer's grip to hoist herself to her feet.

Neither knew if Willow pulled too much, of Buffy pushed to hard, but suddenly they were pressing against each other, their lips and inch from meeting and their eyes locked.

Willow saw Buffy's eyes shift and knew she was going to pull away, so, leaning in, she caught her Mate's lips in a kiss.

Buffy hesitated, but at the feel of Willow's lips on her own after so long, she gave in, grasping Willow behind the neck to pull her closer.

Willow moaned as desire shot through her and ground her hips against Buffy's.

Buffy growled as her lust grew, and without knowing it, moved Willow backwards into the trees.

Willow's eyes opened as her back hit a tree, but seeing as how Buffy's mouth was still working magic on her own, she figured it didn't matter.

Breathing heavily through her nose, Willow pulled Buffy closer, smiling when she heard her Mate growl yet again.

Reaching up, Willow pushed Buffy's leather coat off her shoulders so that it pooled on the ground below.

Buffy pulled back and did the same to Willow's coat.

Willow panted heavily at the break in the kiss before reaching out and unbuttoning Buffy's silk shirt.

Buffy stopped her before she reached the third button.

Willow flinched, sure that Buffy was about to put a stop to what was happening, instead she felt a pair of cool hands reach under her own top to caress her stomach.

"Are you sure?" Buffy wanted to check, not wanting to cross the line.

"God yes." Willow panted as Buffy reached up to palm her breast.

Buffy's eyes closed as she familiarized herself with her lover's body.

Using her fingers, Buffy pushed and tugged at Willow's bra until she was able to reach flesh.

"God Yes!" Willow groaned as Buffy tugged on her nipple, using just the right amount of force.

Buffy growled as the scent of Willow's arousal hit her.

"If you are going to stop me, do it now."

Willow shook her head no as Buffy's other hand came to rest on her hip.

Without knowing it, Willow rested her hands on Buffy's leather encased ass and pulled her closer.

"More…"

Buffy didn't even bother undoing Willow's jeans, she simply slithered her hand down inside to cup Willow's wet core.

Willow groaned and arched her hips hard at the contact.

Buffy couldn't wait and thrust one finger, quickly followed by another, into her lovers body.

She kept telling herself that it was just for tonight, that it changed nothing. All her demon could do was laugh at her.

It had been too long, and Willow knew she wasn't going to last.

Groaning, she arched her back, inadvertently exposing her neck, and mewled her release.

Buffy leaned in and nibbled on her mark, the one that proclaimed them Mate's.

Willow shuddered as a mini orgasm washed through her before she slumped at against the tree.

Buffy was content to just nuzzle her Mate's neck, knowing she would have to let go soon.

Willow pushed forward hard, causing Buffy to loose her balance and fall back.

When they landed on the ground, Willow was straddling the Vampire who couldn't look away from the once again lust fill eyes of her Mate.

"My turn."

Buffy shivered from the husky sound of Willow's voice and leaned up, accepting the kiss Willow was offering.

Gunn grinned as he backed away from the pair, knowing if Buffy caught him, he was dust for sure.

He couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

For a long time, he had been part of the unit that brought Buffy to the height of pleasure.

Still, he liked the Slayer, and she was Buffy's bonded Mate. Nothing could come between that.

He checked his calendar and sighed, the wooden box the council had sent him sitting on the table in front of him.

It wasn't right.

He had to find a way around it. He couldn't do that to Willow. He was sure she could pass it, but it was a horrid thing to do, to anyone never mind a Slayer.

Plus, he was sure Buffy would kill him if he did anything to endanger the Vampire's Mate.

Giles looked up when a knock sounded on his door.

When he looked through the peephole and saw Jenny, he debated on not answering, but his English gentlemen's upbringing refused to allow that.

"Jenny."

Jenny didn't look him in the eye as she entered his apartment.

She had thought about this for the entire two weeks since Christmas, and have finally decided that the watcher should know about the loophole in the curse.

Willow lay panting on top of Buffy, who was equally as winded.

"What date is it?"

Willow sat up and scrunched her nose up at Buffy.

"We're lying here, half naked and all relaxed, and you want to know the date?"

Buffy nodded her head.

Willow rolled her eyes and told her it was the fifteenth.

"Your eighteen in three days."

Willow frowned, not knowing why Buffy sounded angry at that, until it hit her.

Eighteen.

Cruciamentum.

Buffy growled and vamped out.

"If he is stupid enough to try, soul or not, he's dead."

Her demon whole-heartedly agreed with her.

"Rupert, there is something you need to know."

Giles closed his eyes, wondering what else Jenny had been hiding from them…from him.

"What is it?"

Jenny looked down and took a deep breath before looking up and meeting his eyes.

"Its about Buffy."

Buffy flinched when a loud ringing interrupted the quiet.

Willow reached over for her discarded coat and pulled out her cell, checking the caller id.

"Its Giles." She flipped it open an snuggled back into Buffy again.

"Hey Giles…what?…yeah she's with me…why?…okay but…fine we'll be there in ten minutes…yes…okay Giles bye."

Willow hung up and turned to Buffy, pouting.

"Giles says he needs to see us both ASAP."

Buffy sighed before gently moving Willow off her body.

"Guess we better get dressed then."

Willow pouted some more as she watched Buffy cover up.

Giles was pacing, alternating between throwing glares at Jenny and mumbling under his breath.

When his door finally opened, he jumped.

Willow and Buffy walked in, and they were holding hands.

Giles closed his eyes.

On the one hand, if Buffy was to turn, he wanted Willow as far away from her as she could be, but on the other, they were Mated, bonded.

Nothing could break that, not even death.

He could only tell them what he now knew. They would have to decided for themselves what would happen.

When he opened his eyes, they met Willow's, and the Slayer frowned at the look in her watchers eyes.

"Giles? You sounded weird on the phone. What's going on, and why is she here?" Willow gestured to Jenny and tightened her grip on Buffy's hand.

Buffy pulled the Slayer over to the couch and sat down, pulling Willow with her.

"We have, what could be, a disaster coming."

Willow perked up, waiting to hear about what had her watcher so worried.

When he fixed his gaze on Buffy, Willow grew wary.

"Giles?"

He snapped out of it and gestured to Jenny.

"It seems, that there is a loophole in the curse."

Buffy stiffened, catching on to what he was saying.

Willow frowned.

"Meaning?"

Giles glared at Jenny.

"You tell them." Though he suspected Buffy already knew what was coming.

Jenny stood up and avoided everyone's gaze.

"The loophole states, that if Buffy were to achieve one moment of pure, unadulterated bliss, perfect happiness, whatever you want to call it, she will loose her soul."

Buffy's eyes closed.

"There is no loophole anymore."

Jenny turned to face the Vampire, disbelief on her face.

"The magic's my people used were specific on that."

Buffy shook her head and stood up.

"When I was looking for a cure for Angelus, I came across a gypsy witch doctor. He told me all about the curse used, and the way around it. I knew Angel would never allow himself to feel peace, so the loophole was of no use to me, I had the gypsy remove it from the original text. I'm guessing the spell you used on me came from that text?"

Jenny nodded her head, not believing what the Vampire was saying. She didn't know there was anyone alive able to perform that magic.

"Then there you go. No loophole."

Buffy sat back down beside Willow, smiling when the Slayer picked up her hand.

"Of course, there is always the threat that Angelus will find a way." Buffy added on, knowing her childe was looking despite her wishes.

Giles looked relieved until that part.

Jenny looked like she needed a stiff drink.

Willow was nonplussed either way.

Soul or not, Buffy was still her Mate.

When Jenny had left, Buffy turned to face Giles, and he almost stepped back at the look in her eyes.

"So, Willow's eighteenth is in three days." It was said conversationally, but Giles heard the ice behind the Vampire's words.

"It is, isn't it."

Buffy glared at him, even as her thumb gently caressed Willow's hand.

Willow looked up at her watcher, her father figure and stood up, walking over to him until they were only a few feet apart.

"If I don't, there will be consequences." He met her eyes dead on. Willow and he had spoken about the Cruciamentum before, after she had returned and Buffy had been re-souled.

Willow looked back at Buffy, who's eyes were flashing golden.

"What are they?"

Giles took off his glasses and began wiping then.

"A new watcher would be sent for one thing, and they may, force the test on you."

Willow paled. She didn't want a new watcher.

She turned and met Buffy's eyes, causing the Vampire to shake her head no.

"You know what the drug is like, how weak you are, if something happened…" Buffy trailed off as her fangs extended and her demon came out.

Willow kneeled in front of her growling lover and reached her hand up, smoothing along the ridges of her Mate's forehead before leaning in and placing a small kiss on her lips, ignoring Giles' wince as she did so.

"You're here, so is Gunn. Nothing will happen to me."

Buffy closed her eyes an willed her human face to appear. If Willow was going to do this, Buffy wanted more protection than just her and Gunn.

Not opening her eyes, she took out her own cell and dialed a number by memory.

Angelus cursed as his cell rang and dropped the now dead boy at his feet.

Taking it out, he saw that it was Buffy calling.

"Hello Sire."

On the other end of the line, Buffy smiled.

"Hello Childe."

Angelus motioned to Penn and Wes to follow him and the three got into his car,

"Not that I'm not pleased to hear from you, but what's wrong?"

Buffy closed her cell and finally opened her eyes to see a furious watcher and a confused Willow.

"They wont hunt while they are here. They will help protect Willow then leave again."

Giles actually broke one of the lens in his glasses.

"How can you be so sure they wont hunt?"

Buffy looked at him like he had grown two heads.

"Because they are MY Childer. They will be here tomorrow night, please try not to stake them." The last was said to the watcher, not the Slayer.

Willow's eyes glazed over as she spotted a small wooden box.

"Is that It?"

Giles followed her gaze and his shoulders slumped.

"Yes."

Willow swallowed and looked at her watcher.

"Where do we start?"

It was decided that they should start in the morning, so the Slayer and the Vampire left Giles to get himself ready for what he had to do.

Willow kept throwing side looks at the Vampire beside her as they walked.

Buffy finally couldn't take anymore and stopped them both.

"What?"

Willow didn't say anything, but she did lean forward to kiss Buffy.

There was no hesitation on Buffy's part and soon they found themselves wrapped tightly around each other.

"Bed."

Buffy grunted her agreement and turned them in the direction of her apartment.

They fell through the door and landed on the floor, Willow's foot kicking it shut, their mouths still joined and hands groping, ripping clothes to reveal flesh beneath.

In no time Willow found herself on her back, with an eager Vampire between her thighs.

Buffy dove right in, using her tongue to circle Willow's clit at the same time as she thrust two fingers into her lover's tight body.

Willow grunted and thrust her lower body harder against Buffy's face and hand.

Buffy growled at her and used her free hand to hold the bucking Slayer still.

Willow froze when she heard her Mate's growl, and Buffy purred in pure pleasure when a new flood of wetness met her fingers.

"More…"

Buffy's mouth left her lover's clit as she moved up her body, taking mouthfuls of flesh, leaving red marks behind.

"More?…hmmm, how's this?" Buffy thrust another finger into her Mate, stretching her wide.

Willow grunted her agreement and thrust up, rolling her hips to take Buffy's three fingers deeper inside her body.

Buffy latched onto the mark that proclaimed Willow as hers and nibbled with blunt teeth.

Willow came, with a scream of her lover's name.

The Slayer fell back, panting for breath, before she realized what Buffy was doing.

The Vampire was steadily working her up to another orgasm and Willow moaned as Buffy's head once again found its way between her thighs, her tongue once again latching onto Willow's clit.

Over and over, Buffy forced Willow's body to come, never letting the Slayer get over the previous orgasm.

When Willow had finally had enough, she reached down and grabbed fistfuls of Buffy's hair, yanking her lover so hard, a few strands were torn out.

The pain only increased the Vampire's desire.

Growling, Buffy attacked Willow's lips with tongue and teeth, groaning low when the Slayer sucked on her tongue in return.

In a move that shocked the Vampire, Willow had them up and onto the bed before Buffy had time to think.

Buffy's eyes rolled back, and she couldn't help the change as Willow bent and sank her blunt teeth into Buffy's neck, in the same place she had the night they became joined Mate's.

Willow looked down at her lover, and even though the eyes looking back at her were golden, Willow saw the love in them.

"I love you."

It was the first time either of them had said the words, and Willow smiled as she saw Buffy's eyes widen before they melted back into hazel.

The Vampire swallowed as she stared at her Mate. Reaching up, Buffy cupped Willow's face and brought her close.

"Mine." So saying, Buffy turned Willow's head, and vamped out, sinking her fangs into her Mate's neck, once again claiming Willow as hers.

Willow purred as pleasure swept through her, even as she turned her head to reach Buffy's neck, sinking her own human teeth in head,

"Yours."

The rest of the night was spent exploring bodies that had been separated too long.

By the end of the night, both collapsed on the bed, sated for the moment. Willow fell asleep, wrapped in the arms of her Mate.

Giles opened the box and readied the needle, his hands shaking.

Everyone was there, including Joyce who was not happy about what was happening.

Buffy saw his hands shaking and stood up, moving to stand in front of him.

She held out her hand and he sighed before handing her the syringe.

Buffy turned to Willow and lowered herself to her knees in front of her.

Willow took a deep breath and held out her arm. She hated giving up control like this.

Buffy was just about to inject her lover, when three figures strode into the library.

Xander wondered why the Vampires took the risk of being fried in the sun, but then again, these weren't your average vamps.

Buffy turned her head. She had felt them getting closer, but seeing them after so long, souled or not, she had missed them.

"Childer."

Giles, Xander, Cordy and Tara looked on as the Vampires interacted, never having seen them do so before.

"Sire."

As one, Angelus, Penn and Wes all bowed slightly to Buffy who stood to greet them, Gunn by her side.

What she really wanted to, was to greet them properly, sink her fangs into their necks and have them drink from her, but that would be later, when they were alone.

Pre soul, she wouldn't have cared who was watching, but now she did.

For now, Buffy growled low at them, a happy sound from a Sire to their Childer.

"Is this a good thing?" Xander mocked whispered to Willow, only to receive a glare in return.

Buffy turned back to her Mate, happy she had her family all together again.

"You ready?"

Willow nodded her head and again held out her arm.

Buffy gently caressed the area before injecting Willow with the first dose of the drug.

"Its not as strong as the one I gave you, so the efforts wont happen right away."

Willow nodded her head, even as a wave of dizziness hit her.

Gunn caught her as she toppled back and eased her into a chair before he welcomed back his brothers.

"Man its good to see you guys."

They all smirked at him and echoed his greeting.

Giles looked at the people gathered in his library, and felt unease that half of them were demons.

Angelus stepped forward to stand by Buffy and faced his former friend.

"Who are the council using?"

Giles sighed and looked at Willow.

"Holtz."

Buffy's eyes widened, as did the rest of the Vampire's present.

Willow saw the worry in her Mate's eyes and looked at her watcher.

"I'm guessing that's not a good thing."

Giles took off his glasses.

"No Willow, I'm afraid its not."

"Why would they use him?" Buffy asked as she reached out to grip Willow's hand.

It wasn't that she was scared of him, because she wasn't, but she knew of his reputation, she had even hunted with him a few times, but she didn't understand why the council would use a Vampire like him, not unless they planned on Willow…

"They don't want her to come out of this alive."

Everyone saw as Buffy's face changed, but instead of golden eyes, they shone red in their fury.

Buffy was still growling, not caring as the Scoobies looked on, fear in their eyes.

Giles and Willow were the only humans present that weren't scared by the Vampire.

Giles understood the mating bond, and knew Buffy would do whatever it took to protect her, and Willow was too busy fuming at the council for what they were doing to her.

Wes, Angelus, Penn and Gunn all exchanged looks.

Never in their long years with Buffy, had they ever seen her so mad.

Willow snapped out of her inner cussing of the council when Buffy let out an above average growl and punched the wall.

Moving over to her Mate, Willow took her bleeding hand in her own and led her into Giles office, closing the door behind them.

Now that the Slayer and the souled Vampire wasn't in the room, the Scoobies fear rose.

Joyce rolled her eyes at the children and walked over to Gunn.

Touching him on the shoulder to get his attention, she nodded her head in the direction of Giles office.

"Will my baby be safe through this?"

Gunn's look turned deadly serious.

"She'll be safe. With Buffy and us, not to mention the watcher, looking out for her, she'll be in good hands."

Joyce nodded relieved.

"Good, then could you walk me home?"

Gunn ignored Angelus' snort and held his arm out for Joyce to take.

"Giles, tell Will and Buffy that I've taken Joyce home and I'll be back soon."

Giles nodded his head even as he grabbed a stake off the table and threw it to Gunn.

The Vampire caught it with amusement in his eyes. He still had trouble believing, that for now, he was one of the good guys.

Willow led Buffy over to Giles couch and sat her down before retrieving his first aid kit he kept in there.

Buffy looked up to see the bag in Willow's hands and shook her head.

"I don't need that." Shifting, her golden gaze locked on Willow's as she brought her hand up to her mouth and licked the blood off her knuckles, closing the wound.

Willow set the bag down and kneeled in front of her still bumpy lover.

Buffy didn't give her a chance to say anything as she pounced on her, knocking Willow back to the floor and straddling her body.

"Mine." Buffy leaned forward and smashed their lips together, the kiss fuelled with desperation at what was happening.

Buffy's fangs cut at Willow's lips, and when the Vampire tasted it, she moaned before pulling back and lapping at the cuts, sealing them again.

From the look in Buffy's golden gaze, Willow knew what was about to happen, and all she could think was that her mother and father figure were in the next room.

All thoughts flew out of her head when Buffy's mouth lowered to suck at her mark, the fangs lightly razing the skin but not drawing blood.

Everyone in the library turned to face Giles office when Willow screamed.

Xander moved forward, only stopping when Penn blocked his way.

"And where do you think your going?"

Xander bristled and looked at Giles to back him up, but Angelus never gave anyone the chance to come to his aid.

"Trust me boy, if you go in there now, Buffy will kill you were you stand," he paused and his head tilted before a smirk lit his face. "On second thoughts, go right ahead."

Xander paled, but began to walk over to Giles office again.

This time he was stopped by Giles,

Willow's chest rose and fell with her heavy breaths, trying to regain some measure of control.

She lost the battle when Buffy's fangs finally found their way home.

Screaming her Mate's name, Willow came, even as she sank her own blunt human teeth into the mark of her lover's neck.

Buffy fell forward, her now smooth forehead resting against Willow's.

"We'll stop him, then we'll stop them."

Xander glared at Willow when she and Buffy left the office, though the Slayer didn't notice, the Vampire did.

Buffy pulled Willow closer and growled at Xander.

With the threat from the council against her lover, her Mate, Buffy was over protective at the moment, her demon close to the surface.

"Sire?"

Buffy turned to look at Penn, only then noticing the lack of Gunn and Joyce in the room.

"Where is Gunn and Joyce?"

Willow looked up at the mention of her mother.

Angelus stepped forward.

"Gunn walked her home, said he'll be back as soon as she's safe."

Buffy nodded her head and looked back at Penn.

"You wanted something?"

Penn had a look of such longing in his eyes, she knew what he wanted. Too bad Buffy was sure Willow wouldn't go for it.

"Yes, I was about to suggest that I can go and find out where the council are keeping Holtz. See what I can learn."

Buffy looked over at Willow and Giles.

Giles frowned before writing down an address for him.

"This is where the council are staying, odds are, they are not keeping the Vampire with them."

Penn took the offered piece of paper, and with a final look at Buffy, he was gone.

"Angelus, go after Gunn. Get him and Joyce over to the mansion."

Everyone turned to look at Buffy.

"Its still clean even though I no longer stay there. It would be better to have everyone together until this is over."

Giles nodded his head and pulled Willow to the side while Angelus left and the rest of the humans edged away from Wes.

Buffy slumped tiredly into a chair, her gaze never leaving her Mate, even when she felt her childe sitting beside her.

She jumped when she felt Wes take her hand and bring it to his mouth before placing a small kiss on the palm.

Holding her hand between both of his own, Wes looked up.

"How have you been?"

He was asking more than her general heath, and Buffy got that. It was Wes she had shared her fears of how Angelus would react when his soul was no longer there.

"Its strange." Buffy lowered her voice, aware that Willow would hear her, but also knowing that Willow already knew what she was about to say.

"I'm still the same Vampire, more or less. The only thing that has changed, is my sense of right and wrong, of what's moral and immoral. I could still do all the things I used to enjoy, but I choose not to, because there is already enough blood on my soul, I don't want to add to it."

Willow came over then and interrupted them by sitting in Buffy's lap and placing a small kiss on her throat.

"Giles agrees that everyone should stay at the mansion." She was taking to Buffy, but so everyone could hear.

"Uh, when you say everyone…"

Xander gulped when Wes gave him a smirk.

"She means everyone boy."

Cordy stifled a laugh and looked away, into the smiling eyes of Willow.

Holtz looked at the dead bodies around him, and smiled.

There was a Slayer in this town. That was the reason they had brought him here.

Knowing the sun had risen, he sat down to wait, for when nightfall came, he was going hunting.

Buffy groaned and rolled over, pulling Willow tighter against her in the process.

When her bedroom door burst open, Buffy shot up, game face intact. Willow followed a spilt second later, a stake in her hand.

Penn froze and held his hands up in surrender.

Buffy growled at him as her face smoothed out, and Willow lowered the stake.

Buffy stared at him, seeing the burn marks on his skin, caused by the sun.

"What happened?"

Penn gulped and looked from his Sire to the Slayer.

"Holtz killed the council, everyone that was there. They were stupid enough to have him in the same building."

Buffy stood up and Willow followed. Each were already dressed as they had never gotten undressed before bed.

"Where is he?"

"He's still there, trapped by the sun."

Buffy looked up and met his eyes.

"How did you get back?"

Penn shrugged, though it hurt to do so.

"I knew this was important. Used my coat as shelter to run to the nearest sewer, then used it again to run the two blocks here."

Buffy walked over to him, her head tilted.

His eyes flickered from her face, to her neck, to the Slayer standing directly behind her.

Buffy turned to look at Willow, a silent question in her eyes.

The Slayer was torn. Buffy was her Mate, HERS, but the Slayer also knew how badly Buffy wanted to feel connected to her family again.

Smiling, she leaned forward and gave her Mate a kiss.

"Fine, but fangs only please."

Buffy smiled and turned back to Penn, her game face on.

She watched as his eyes turned golden and reached up, tilting his neck and offering hers in return.

Childes blood after so long was wonderful to Buffy, and she knew that he was thinking the same thing about her own blood.

Willow smiled when she heard the double purr start up just before they retracted their fangs.

She was surprised when Penn's burn marks disappeared before her eyes.

"Sire's blood." Buffy answered her questioning glance hand held her hand out.

Penn bowed out, though neither noticed.

"Are you sure that your okay with this?"

Willow hesitated but smiled at her lover.

"Yes, I'm fine as long as they remember that your mine."

Buffy grinned and leaned in for a kiss.

"Even if they forget it, I wont."

Giles hung up the phone, which had done nothing but ring and ring.

Penn was right. Everyone was dead over there, and Holtz was free.

He was panicking, and the Vampire's could smell it.

Buffy wasn't stupid. She knew that the chances of keeping Willow out of Holtz's clutches were slim, even with them all protecting her. No matter how much she wanted to, needed to, she could not control the situation, and that pissed her off.

There was only one thing for it.

"Angelus."

Angelus looked over at Buffy and saw as her eyes moved to the kitchen.

Nodding, he stood and left the room.

Buffy stood up just after and placed a kiss on Willow's head, closing her eyes to hide the pain in them.

Angelus was pacing when she reached him.

"Sire?"

Buffy reached out and rested a hand on his arm.

"I want you to make sure everyone in that room is protected and looked after when I'm gone."

He looked down and caught her eyes.

"What are you telling me here Buff?"

Holding his gaze, she never wavered.

"You know Holtz, and you know his weakness. What has he always wanted?"

His eyes closed in pain.

"You dead."

She smiled softly at him.

His eyes opened again and she could see tears forming, because he knew her mind was made up.

"He will still come after her, when your dead." But he was still going to try and talk her out of it.

"Which is why I intend killing him first. But if he somehow manages to kill me as well, I want them protected."

Both were silent, listening to the sounds from the other room.

"'You will never know true happiness, until you have truly loved, and you will never understand what pain really is until you have lost it.'" Buffy looked up at him, tears in her own eyes. "I can't even remember who said it, but its true."

She paused and looked towards the room where she could hear Willow talking to Gunn.

"There was a reason you found her Angel, there was a reason I found you, and its this. Willow is an excellent Slayer, you have said so yourself. The world needs her here." Buffy's face turned peaceful. "I need her to live, to grow old and enjoy life. Everything happens for a reason childe. Everything."

Willow looked up when Angelus came back in, looking around him to see Buffy.

When she didn't see her Mate, she looked to him.

"Where's Buffy?"

He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

"I…uh…" he paused, the words catching in his throat.

Willow stood up and walked over to him.

"Where is Buffy?" Something wasn't right, she knew it.

Angelus growled before closing his eyes and opening them again.

"We have known Holtz for centuries. For a while, things were fine and we all hunted together, but then things changed. He wanted to be top dog, so he had gone on a killing spree of the old Master's. Some he killed, others escaped. Next, he came after Buffy. He failed when he tried to kill her, and in retaliation she killed his entire family, all his Childer and minions. Ever since, he has wanted revenge.. We always expected an attack from him, but he disappeared, guess we know why now. Buffy has gone to offer him a trade."

Angelus paused and met Willow's eyes.

"Your life, for hers."

Giles stepped forward and rested a steady hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Will he take it?"

Angelus shook his head no.

"Buffy knows that. But she plans to take him out of the picture once and for all."

"She's just going to let him kill her?"

Everyone turned to the distraught Slayer.

Angelus reached forward and drew her to him. She smelled like Buffy and he breathed her in.

"No Willow, but my Sire is not stupid, and she knows that it is very likely that she will die by his hand."

He pulled her tighter as sobs shook her body.

"She wanted me to tell you something, in case…"

Willow pulled back and looked at him with watered eyes.

"She wanted me to tell you 'Forever, that's the whole point'"

Angelus stepped back as a hard look entered the Slayer's eyes. It was strange, she was weak due to the drugs, but right now, he was scared of her. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"Willow?"

"She promised me forever."

Turning, Willow grabbed up a sword and look at the group around her.

"I want my Mate back and this fucker dead. Who's in?"

Buffy ducked down into the sewers, flinching when the sun hit her exposed hand.

She had never gotten used to moving around outside during the day as she had always had minions to do her dirty work.

She turned and sniffed the air, catching Penn's lingering scent.

Following it, Buffy made her way to the house where Holtz was, not once looking back the way she came.

It took her half an hour, and she knew that by now, Angelus had told the others, to Willow, what she had done.

She wasn't stupid, she knew Willow was going to come after her, she just hoped that Holtz wasn't in the picture when the Slayer found her.

Holtz's head snapped up when he heard the back door open and close.

Taking a deep breath, his eyes widened when he recognized the scent.

Picking up his knife, he made his way up the steps, hiding the syringe he had found in one of the suitcases behind his back before easing open the kitchen door.

"Hello Buffy."

Willow grunted as her foot caught on something, and she didn't even want to know what it was.

Because some of their group had the sunlight problem, they were currently walking through the sewers. If their was one thing Willow hated, it was rats.

"How much further?"

Angelus paused and looked back, shooting a scowl at Xander.

"We will get there when we get there boy."

No-one knew he was leading them the wrong way, well no-one except Penn, who knew the reason why.

Buffy had already fired her cross-bow before he finished her name.

She cursed when she missed the heart and got his lung instead.

Holtz chuckled and pulled the arrow out before tossing the knife at Buffy, catching her in the arm.

The fight was on.

Willow stopped walking when it hit her, causing Gunn to walk into her.

"Hey Will, you wanna keep moving there?"

Willow shook her head.

"Angelus." her tone made him stop.

"We have been walking for over an hour now. Would you like to explain why you are leading us around in circles?"

Everyone whipped their heads to face him, Gunn and Wes going as far to growl and vamp out.

Angelus sighed and straightened his back.

"Buffy knew you'd come after her and she told me to delay your arrival."

Willow's eyes closed. She should have known her Mate would do this.

"Penn."

Penn stepped up beside Willow and ignored the argument now going on around him.

"You've been to the house. Take me there. Now."

Neither was winning.

Both we bleeding.

And both knew they were fighting a loosing battle.

Holtz growled as Buffy's punch broke one of his fangs clean off.

"That's got to hurt."

He lunged, but was off by a inch, and Buffy brought her fist down hard on his temple.

He staggered before falling over, although he was soon on his feet again.

"Why are you even here?"

Buffy growled as her eyes turned golden. It was the first time she had vamped out during the fight.

"You were brought here to kill my Mate. I refuse to let that happen."

He grinned then, and licked at the blood pooling from his broken fang. That was going to take time to heal, if he survived this fight.

"How poetic. You kill my Mate, and now I have the chance to return the favor."

Buffy snarled and pounced.

Finally, Willow thought when the sewer entrance was spotted up ahead.

"This is definitely it Penn?"

He nodded his head as his eyes landed on his 'brothers'.

They all knew Buffy was still alive, they hadn't felt her die yet.

Willow rounded on Angelus and pinned him with a glare.

"If anything happens to her, I don't care if she did ask you, I will kill you." it was said with such venom, he grinned, thinking she would make a wonderful demon.

Buffy and Holtz were done. They were both hanging on by a thread.

A very thin thread.

Using the last of his energy, Holtz removed the syringe from his back pocket, thankful that it hadn't smashed during the fight.

"End of the line Buffy."

He had missed the flick of her hand, and therefore didn't see the piece of wood until it was too late.

As he lunged to plunge the needle into her chest, her stake found its mark.

"Bitch." Holtz crumpled to dust just as the front door was kicked open.

"Buffy!"

Buffy tried to turn towards the sound of Willow's voice, but as she moved, so did the earth.

The floor rushing up to meet her, was the last thing she saw before the world went black.

Willow screamed as she saw Buffy fall onto the dusty remains of Holtz.

Angelus reached his Sire first and turned her over, checking for broken bones or something that could prove fatal.

When he saw the syringe still embedded in her skin, he frowned and turned to the others.

"He poisoned her with something." his eyes were gold, matching that of the other Vampire's in the room.

Willow fell to her knees beside her Mate and gathered her into her arms.

"Buffy, baby you have to wake up," when nothing happened Willow panicked and shook her lover, "wake up for fucks sake…WAKE UP!"

"n…no ne…ed to sho…ut."

Willow sobbed with relief and let Gunn pick up Buffy.

"Baby, how do you feel?"

Buffy's eyes closed again before the opened slowly.

"Tir…ed."

Willow smiled and stoked her lover's vampy face.

"Try to stay awake, we need to find out what he used." It was no use, Buffy was sleeping again.

Angelus eased the needle out of his Sire and pocketed it.

"We need to find out what it was."

Giles avoided everyone's eyes, though no-one noticed.

He knew exactly what it was. After the Cruciamentum, if Holtz won, as the council wanted him to, they planned to use the poison to kill him.

It was The Killer of the Dead, and as far as he knew, there was no cure.

Looking over at his Slayer, he cringed. How was she going to handle the death of her Mate?

Willow looked down at her lover spread out on their bed and tried to hold the tears in.

The area around the initial injection, was an angry red. Willow could see the poison spreading through Buffy's dead veins and squeeze her eyes shut, hoping to block out the sight.

It didn't work.

Giles closed his eyes. He was going to have to tell Willow the truth. It seemed all he was doing lately, was either giving bad news, or lying outright.

"Willow?"

The Slayer turned and offered him a weak smile.

"How is she?"

When he saw her face crumple, he kicked himself for what he was about to do.

"I have some information. Could you come down stairs? I would like to tell everyone together."

Willow nodded and gently set Buffy's hand down on the bed, hating the way her lover's body was wracked with spasms.

Giles looked at all the people looking back at him, hoping to hear some good news.

"I'm afraid what I have to tell you isn't good news." He paused as his eyes met Willow's.

"There is no cure for the poison which has infected Buffy."

The Vampire's and Willow all started talking at once, but it was Xander who asked the smart question.

"How do you know, if we don't know what the poison is?"

Everyone shut up, and golden eyes locked on the watcher.

"I know what it is," he rushed on when it looked like Gunn was going to say something. "Its called The Killer of the Dead. The Council, they were going to use it on Holtz, in the event that he killed Willow, which we know is what they wanted. There is no known cure." his eyes locked with Willow's.

"I'm so sorry."

Willow walked up to him and before anyone could move, slapped him hard across the face.

The blow would have been worse had she not still been under the effects of the drug.

"You knew you bastard."

She fled the room in tears, running to the one person who would make it all better, but who was in no position to do so.

Angelus turned golden eyes on Giles and marched forward.

"How long does she have?"

Giles shook, for the first time feeling the power roll off the vampire before him.

"A day at most."

Angelus' eyes closed before he turned and locked eyes with his 'brothers'.

Turning back to Giles, he snarled and bared his fangs.

"You phone your council. You tell them that if they have not found a cure for this poison in the next twelve hours, hell itself is going to pay a visit."

He turned and walked out of the room, his family behind him, all following Willow's path to Buffy.

Giles' hand shook as he picked up the phone. The only reason he was calling, was so he could say he tried.

"Williams? Yes, its Rupert. Listen…" Giles told the council-man about what had happened, including the deaths of all the council members in the house.

"I need to know, is there a cure?"

He expected the man to say no.

"Yes, there is."

Giles' eyes widened with hope and he missed Wes walking into the room.

"Excellent. What is it?"

His colleague paused, "it's the blood of a Slayer Rupert."

Wes left the room before Giles spotted him.

Wes slipped quietly into the room where is family was, and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"There is a cure." He voice was quiet.

"Well, what is it?" Angelus was loosing his patience.

Wes turned to look at Willow.

"Its Slayer blood."

"N…o"

Everyone turned to Buffy, to see her attempting to growl at them. She had no energy left and hadn't switched from game face yet.

Willow looked up and met her Mate's eyes.

"Could you all leave us please." It wasn't a question.

They all paused before nodding and bowing out as a show of respect.

Buffy weakly tried to shake her head no at Willow who smiled and moved to lay beside her on the bed.

"Buffy, it's the only way."

Buffy looked away from Willow, wishing she had the power to run from the room.

"I wo…nt k..ill you."

Willow softly smiled and reached up, stroking the soft skin on Buffy's neck where her pulse should beat.

"I'm not giving you a choice lover."

Pulling Buffy gently on top of her, Willow brought her lover's face to her own neck and pressed her there.

Buffy shook her head weakly, which resulted in Willow pressing in harder.

"Drink Buffy."

Buffy's demon broke free and buried her soul.

As her lover's fangs gently broke skin, Willow sighed.

"Thank you."

Buffy drank until she could feel her strength returning. When she was able to, she pulled back, her demon still in control. She could hear Willow's heart slow, and killing her Mate wasn't on Buffy's to do list.

Lifting her own hand to her mouth, Buffy tore into her skin and brought her bloody wrist to Willow's mouth, urging her to drink.

Willow swallowed slowly at first, then with more strength before she fell back to the bed.

Buffy's sanity returned as she heard Willow's heart take its last beat.

"Oh god, what have I done?"

The End

Send Feedback to Author