Obsession
by Bwriter
part 31
[reviews]
Part 31
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.
-----btvs-----
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.
-----btvs-----
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."
-----btvs-----
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."
-----btvs-----
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 looked at the group around her.
"I want my Mate back and this fucker dead. Who's in?"
-----btvs-----
a/n - happy new year guys! i wanted to put this out today, tho i gotta say, sneaking away from a warm bed, with a hangover no less, i hope you lot are happy with it.
hope u all had a good night last night, and didn't party too hard ;)