Obsession
by Bwriter
part six
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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.
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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 recognised 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 Scoobie 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 defence.
"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.
Six
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.
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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.