Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as Buffy and Willow made their way purposefully through the school to the library. Neither spoke as they walked, lost in their own thoughts. Willow was terrified even though she knew that with the sunlight streaming through the windows she had no reason to be. Everything in her life had been turned upside down, though, and she wasn't sure what she could really believe any more. All that she knew with certainty was that the people she loved were dying and Xander was killing them.
The stench of death hit them as soon as they entered the library and instinctively they both flinched back, covering their noses with their sleeves. Buffy slipped instantly into Slayer mode, looking around the library quickly for both the source of the smell and whatever had caused it to die. Her gaze quickly fell on the body lying near the open weapons cage. Warily she approached it, Willow following just behind her. As she drew nearer, she saw the familiar tweed now covered in her Watcher's blood and she fought back a wave of revulsion.
"Oh God," Willow whimpered behind her. "Giles?"
They knelt down next to the Watcher, one on each side of his body, and stared down at him. Willow felt bile rise in her throat as she looked down at her mentor and friend. There was blood everywhere and he just looked broken. And his eyes... Willow choked back a sob when she saw the gaping holes where the Watcher's eyes had once been.
In a small, almost childish voice Willow asked, "Why? I mean, who would do this?" She knew that she didn't really need to ask, that she already knew the answer to the question, but a part of her still didn't want to admit it.
"Angel," Buffy answered matter-of-factly. "And Xander," she added quietly, placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry Will." Pushing aside the emotions threatening to overwhelm her, Buffy concentrated on the task at hand. She had to put a stop to whatever the two vampires were planning but her first priority was taking care of Willow. "Willow, we need to call the police and then I need to get you home, okay?" she said gently.
Willow nodded slowly, unable to tear her gaze away from the librarian's still form. Her chin trembled as tears streamed down her face. "Why?" she said finally, looking up at her friend who had stood to walk to the phone.
Buffy looked from her crying friend down to her murdered Watcher. Closing her eyes briefly to get a rein on her emotions, she answered flatly, "Because it's fun for them. I'll stop them Will. I promise."
She called the police and waited for them to arrive, telling them what they needed to know and giving an excuse for them being there on a Saturday afternoon. Willow stood beside her trembling slightly but doing her best to be brave. When the police officers finally thanked them for their time and allowed them to leave, Buffy glanced at the clock. Inwardly, she swore. It was already five o'clock and the sun would be setting soon.
**
Buffy and Willow walked cautiously down the street, darting wary glances around them. The sun had set and darkness was falling quickly, leaving them open to attack. The redhead was trembling slightly, days of apprehension and sleepless nights taking their toll on her. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as she held tightly to Buffy's arm. Every sound made her jump and she peered into every shadow carefully, knowing she would see the face of her best friend there ready to lunge in for the kill.
Neither of them was really surprised when they saw a dark shadow fall across the path ahead of them and looked to see Angelus blocking their way. Pushing Willow behind her, Buffy fell into a fighting stance, pulling a stake out of her sleeve. Carefully, she looked around for any sign of Xander, knowing he was lurking somewhere nearby to cut off any chances of escape. As Willow whimpered behind her, she sighed, realizing that even if Xander wasn't out there, she'd never be able to convince her friend to run away.
Buffy returned her focus to the vampire in front of her, hoping that wherever Xander was hiding, he was just there to watch. She wasn't sure she could fight off both of them while Willow was clinging to her in terror. Watching him carefully, she kept Willow shielded with her body as she looked for a way to attack without leaving her friend open.
Angelus circled her slowly, admiring her technique. Her entire demeanor had changed since the last time they had fought when he had left the scar across her lip. She was more wary and cautious now, carefully guarding Willow from him. The sense of loss she felt showed clearly on her face, but she wasn't allowing it to cloud her judgment. She wasn't charging him and she was being sure to check around her for possible ambush. She had finally become the type of opponent he deserved. It was almost a shame that he'd have to kill her now.
Finally he lunged for her and Willow yelped helplessly, ducking behind the Slayer. Hearing the girl's scream, a group of Angelus' minions swarmed in from various strategic locations, bearing down on Buffy. She cursed silently at herself as she struggled to fight them; she hadn't expected this. Angel tended to fight solo or in small groups. As the vampires began to overpower her, she became truly afraid, knowing that the people who had helped her out of similar situations in the past wouldn't be able to help her now.
Within a few minutes, it was over and she was left struggling against the holds of two vampires as she watched her ex-boyfriend hold her best friend by the neck. "Now lover," he said with a laugh. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your little friend here, would you?"
"You're just going to hurt her anyway," Buffy spat out, fighting against the hold on her.
"Now why would I do that?" he asked as he trailed his hand down Willow's cheek. "Do you see this face?" he asked, grabbing her chin roughly. "I would never hurt that... unless you don't stop that right now," he added as she continued to struggle. "Even if you get away, I'll snap her neck before you can get to me. Sorry, lover. I'm winning."
Buffy shook her head angrily. "I won't let you win," she bit out. "I'm still alive. And I'll stop you. Whatever sick game you're playing, I'll stop it."
"I figured that was how you would feel," he replied, motioning nonchalantly to one of the vampires standing off to the side.
The vampire stepped forward quickly wielding a metal pipe. When she saw him coming forward, she began struggling instinctively, but it wasn't enough and when he hit her soundly on the back of the head, her world went black.
Buffy awoke sometime later chained facedown to a table. Realizing her clothes had been stripped off, she shivered, as much in fear as from the chilly air. She heard a whimper from off to the side and she turned her head slowly, still groggy from the blow to her head. Through half closed eyelids, she saw Willow cowering in the corner of the room.
"Willow," she choked out, trying to get her friend's attention through the keening sounds the girl was making.
The red head looked up slowly and met Buffy's gaze, her eyes wide. "Buffy," she said quietly and then darted her glance around the room. "They'll be back soon."
"Willow, we have to get out of here," she said as she strained against the chains. After about a minute of trying to break free, she collapsed back onto the table. "Willow," she repeated forcefully. "You have to help me so we can get out of here."
The only response from her friend was a small whimper when Angelus and Xander entered the room. "Now why would you want to do that?" Angelus asked laughingly. "We haven't gotten to the good part yet. Right Xander?"
"Right," he laughed. He walked around the table, trailing his hand along Buffy's bare skin. "Can I play with her before we kill her?"
"What do you have in mind?" Angelus asked, regarding his child with an evil smile on his face.
Xander ran his fingers along the outside of the Slayer's leg and grinned back at him. "I wanted her," he replied thoughtfully. "And I could never have her. And now here she is." He smiled when Buffy shivered and attempted to jerk her leg away from him. "I want to fuck her now," he concluded, looking into his sire's eyes.
Angelus glanced from Xander to Buffy and back again. "All right," he said simply. "But that's all. I am going to kill her."
Smiling in triumph, Xander unzipped his pants and pulled out his already erect cock. He ran his hand up the inside of Buffy's leg appreciatively, enjoying the way she tried to squirm away from him even though the chains held her firmly in place. This would be fun.
Spreading her ass cheeks, Xander brushed a finger against the puckered opening of her anus, laughing when her body jerked. Perfect. It was more fun this way. He climbed up onto the table and positioned himself behind her. Lifting her hips for slightly better access, he drove into the tight opening without preamble, laughing happily when she screamed in pain as her tissues tore.
He continued to thrust into her, becoming more aroused as she whimpered under him weakly. Her body was limp and she made only small, pathetic sounds as he slammed into her, pushing her roughly down into the table. He supposed he should be disappointed that she had managed to mostly blank out so soon, but he was still enjoying himself immensely.
Lifting his gaze, he looked to see Willow rocking slowly back and forth, her eyes firmly closed and her hands over her ears to shut out the sounds of her best friend's whimpers. Looking away from her, he shifted his gaze over to his sire and grinned when he saw Angelus' erection. He'd have to take care of that after they finished with this one.
He felt the tension building as he thrust again and again into the channel now slick with Buffy's blood. With one final thrust, he came, yanking her head back by the hair and burying his teeth into her exposed neck, pulling the rich blood of the Slayer out quickly. It was just perfect. If he had had Buffy when he was alive, he never could have had this as well, so it was for the best that he'd waited so long for his opportunity he decided.
Without warning, Xander felt himself being ripped away from the Slayer and thrown roughly away. He crashed into the wall and slid down, rising quickly to his feet and snarling at his sire, who now stood directly in front of him.
"I told you that you could fuck her," Angelus growled, hitting Xander across the face with the back of his hand. "And that was it. I never told you to drink from her. You have to learn to obey me, Xander."
"But," Xander protested.
"No," his sire returned angrily. "Now it's my turn with her. Buffy and I have some unfinished business. She's always threatening to put a stake through my heart. I think it would only be right for her to die in a similar way, don't you?" he asked thoughtfully as he turned to regard the nearly unconscious Slayer. "Only with a lot more blood, of course," he added.
Angelus picked up a large knife from the small table he had set up holding various implements. He supposed that for what he was planning he didn't really need all of them, but it was always good to have them all there just in case. Moving back towards the table, he watched as Xander carefully undid the chains and turned the blonde's limp body onto her back. Chaining her carefully once again, he grinned at his sire.
Playfully running the tip of the knife along Buffy's exposed flesh, Angelus tried to decide where to begin. He twirled the knife in circles around her heart. Oh well, there was something to be said for getting straight to the point. As he began to cut into the flesh just below her heart, he felt the familiar sensation of his zipper being pulled down. Glancing down, he saw Xander looking up at him with a gleam in his eye before he turned his attention back to his sire's now exposed cock.
Feeling Xander's cool mouth on his cock, Angelus bucked forward and then cut into Buffy's flesh in a straight line just below her heart. Setting aside the knife, he inserted his hand roughly into the wound. As she screamed again in pain, he smiled evilly and began to thrust into Xander's mouth. Jerking roughly, he broke the Slayer's ribs, leaving her beating heart exposed. Wrapping his hand around the warm muscle, he thrust faster, feeling his orgasm nearing. He came as he pulled the heart out with a swift jerk, spilling his cold semen into Xander's waiting mouth. Placing the now stilled heart on the table next to her, he picked up the knife again and punctured the heart roughly.
Satisfied, he pulled out of Xander's mouth and looked over at the girl still cowering in the corner. "Did you like that?" he asked as he tucked himself back into his pants and zipped them. "I bet you'll like it even more when we do the same thing to your parents."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Rising to her feet slowly, she turned her gaze to the table where Buffy lay dead, a hole in her chest where her heart should have been. With a sob, she began running for the only door out of the building. Lunging after her, Xander grabbed her by the leg and yanked her down to the floor, hearing the snap of her ankle breaking as he twisted roughly.
Desperately she clawed at him with her fingernails, kicking with her good foot and scrambling away as much as possible before he grabbed her again. Finally, she landed a good kick to his groin and crawled away quickly as he collapsed in pain. Ripping open the door, she fled into the night, intent on getting home before it was too late.
Xander moved to follow, but Angelus stopped him and pulled him in for a rough kiss. "You did fairly well with that one," he complimented. "We need to work on you obeying me but other than that, it was good."
"But she's getting away," Xander protested.
"Then we should probably go get her, shouldn't we?" Angelus replied and walked out the open door towards his car. They'd get there in plenty of time to give Willow her last little present, he thought as he started the car and began the drive to Willow's house.
**
Willow raced back to her house, dragging her bad foot behind her, her thoughts screaming in her head.
She had to get out of here. Somehow she had to convince her parents to leave tonight. She couldn't tell them about the vampires because that would give Buffy away...but Buffy was dead.
Willow hit the door hard, fumbling for the doorknob and falling inside. She kicked the door shut with her good foot as she knelt on the rug.
She was safe now. The tears finally came and she started sobbing. They came from deep inside, her mouth open, her hands balling up the carpet beneath her.
No, she couldn't break down now. She had to leave. She had to get her parents safe.
Willow stood up, wincing at the pain in her foot, and realized how quiet it was in the house. She reached out and flipped on the light. It came on, casting a comforting glow on the side table.
That was good. Right? Usually in a horror movie a killer cuts the light. So it was a good sign that all was okay.
"Mom?"
A shadow flickered on the wall and she turned towards the dining room entrance. Her father was standing there, his expression dull. "Dad! We have to leave now! Dad?"
His body crumpled and fell over, revealing Xander behind it. "Cliche, I know, but effective." Xander kicked her father's corpse aside and stepped into the foyer.
Willow shook her head in denial, backing up against the door. She yelped as Angelus pressed his face against the small window behind her head.
Panting, Willow felt a miniscule amount of relief, thinking that he couldn't come in.
The door was pushed open and she pitched forward, bruising her knees. Angelus strolled in, dragging her mother's bound body behind him.
She tried to run, slipping on the bunched up rug. Xander caught her before she fell again and pulled her against his pelvis. He had an erection. She felt nauseous.
He ground his hips into hers, his fingertips rubbing against her stomach. "You do turn me on, Wills. I could just eat you up." He bent her head to the side and grazed her neck with his fangs. "I could just eat you all up."
Angelus motioned at the pair. "Bring her into the living room. I'm going to need a little more space."
Xander obeyed, pushing Willow into the adjoining room while keeping a firm grip on her. Angelus threw his burden on the floor and Willow's mom whimpered in pain.
Angelus straddled her mother's legs and pushed her long skirt up to her waist. When Willow realized what he intended to do, she started to thrash. "No, leave her alone! Don't!"
Xander squeezed her ribcage painfully. "Don't? You're cruel, Wills. Why do you want to deny your mom the best fucking of her life?"
Her mom turned her head to the side, and Willow could see the tears running down her face. She was gagged and fear lurked in her eyes.
Angelus unzipped his pants and spread her mother's legs open, then settled himself between them.
"Noooo," Willow moaned low in her throat and tried to turn away. Xander kissed her, grinding his mouth into hers and then turned her head back to the scene, making her watch.
Her mother's eyes pleaded frantically with her as Angelus slammed into her again and again. Willow tried to close her own eyes, but she was frozen, petrified by the humiliation and pain she saw in her mother's.
Her mother continued to stare at her throughout. Her body was jerking violently as Angelus raped her. Xander bit Willow's ear and murmured, "I think she's enjoying it." Willow swung her elbow back in outrage and hit him in the stomach. He let go in surprise, just as Angelus finished.
Willow rushed forward to where her mother lay, but Angelus reached up and casually ripped her mother's heart out.
**
Willow fell to her knees beside her mother, trying to staunch the flow of blood with her hands. "Mommy? Mommy, don't die. No!" The blood gurgled up between her fingers and soaked her shirt as she wept quietly. The two vampires snickered behind her.
Suddenly, her head was pulled back roughly and the scent of fresh blood hit her. Looking down, she gagged as Angelus waved the bloody heart under her face.
"I want her to kiss it. Make her kiss it, Xander."
The hand in her hair pushed her face into the heart and she could feel the warm, thick blood on her lips. Xander held her there for a few moments then yanked her back. Angelus dropped the heart on the floor and stood up.
Willow could feel the blood on her. Her hands were covered in it, and her face and shirt were streaked red.
That was my mother's blood. She was covered in her dead mother's blood.
Xander let go of her, and she slumped to the floor, completely numb.
"You think she's had enough?" Xander asked.
"No, this is only the beginning."
"Uh, actually, that's what you said before. So maybe, really, this is not the beginning, not the end...maybe somewhere near the middle?"
Angelus shot Xander a look. Willow lunged forward from her kneeling position and latched onto Angelus' foot. "Please kill me."
He stared down at her with an amused smirk. "What was that?"
She turned her face up to him. The tears and blood had mixed together and her eyes stood out from the red. Insane eyes. Hurt, shock, and despair writhed in their depths.
"Please kill me," she whispered dully.
Angelus laughed in her face. "She's asking for mercy. How pathetic."
"She always was the soft one." Xander paused. "Maybe we should kill her, give her a little mercy..." He grabbed Willow by the hair and dragged her up to his eye level. "She's so very sad now." His hand caressed the side of her face, wiping tears away. "I think not."
There was an audible thud as Willow's body slumped to the floor. Several strands of red hair remained in Xander's hand.
**
Dru looked up from her crafts. She was busily cutting up a piece of velvet. All her dolls needed new gags; the others were too thin. She could hear them whispering in her dreams. "Spike?"
Her lover looked up from his chair in the corner. He had been reading a rather sordid tale of convent life. "Pet, you were in a convent, was it anything like this? Priests fucking everyone, dead babies, crushed rebellious sisters?"
"Dead babies," Drusilla mused. She stood up, and her fabric fell, her sharp silver scissors clattering on the stone floor. She wandered about the room for a while, and then stopped directly in front of Spike. "Is my hair red, Spike?"
"No, pet, it's not. It's brown, almost black. You tied it back in a pretty blue bow this morning, and you stretched as you did it."
She sat before him and rested her head on the inside of his thigh, looking up at the ceiling as she continued to talk. "My dolls have all been talking about a new doll. A pretty china-pale one with red hair. Only she's not a doll, Spike. She's a girl, a real girl like me. And Daddy and his new fledgling want her."
"'Daddy' and his new fledgling want a lot of things, luv."
"But they want her most of all, don't they? They're playing with her like he did me. Cat and mouse. And Cat's killing all of Mousie's friends, taking all the cheese away, making desire a trap." She mimed a trap snapping shut.
Spike's hand came down to stroke her hair as she continued. "Why don't they want me anymore? The new fledgling wanted me at first, but then the redhead filled his mind. People get tired of me so quickly. Perhaps I should think of a new game." She wrung her hands.
"I'm not tired of you, pet."
"You aren't?" She smiled sadly, lifting her head and rising onto her knees. Her slender hands cupped his face, tracing the scar on his eyebrow. "Where did you get this? Oh, I remember...that Slayer attacked me, and you killed her for me. Twisted her neck and there was a lovely snap when her bones cracked. I want to go away from here, Spike. I want to go away from where people ignore me, and think I'm boring, or some sort of oddity."
She dashed back to her dresser, knocking all the dolls off with one sweep. "Shut up! Be quiet all of you. Shh, very quiet." Her slender body crumpled and she fell to the floor sobbing. Spike walked quietly up behind her, grasping her shoulders.
"Dru, baby. You'll like this new doll, you'll see."
"I know I will, Spike, I always like the toys my Angel brings me. But usually I get to kill them. Can I hurt her just a little, Spike? Burn off her hair with one of my candles?"
"No, pet, you have to play nice. Be the comfort girl. That's your job. They're bringing her tonight. Taking her over. I want you to make her..." He paused, shifting into her language. "Make her pretty, pet, pretty like a pure white...ummm," He searched for a properly insane word, but all he could think of was 'ass'.
"Unicorn...is she a little innocent? Do we get to corrupt her?"
Spike looked up as Xander and Angelus entered the room, carrying a comatose, bruised Willow between them. Drusilla rose from the floor, snaking her arm through Spike's and watched the festivities with glee.
**
End Part Four