Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the buffyverse. Sometimes I steal them like I am doing now but I always return them as good as new. And I never make any money off them. (That would make me a pimp if I did wouldn't it?) They belong to the nice people at Fox, the WB and of course to Joss Whedon.]
The only thing I claim is Lily, who was hatched from my very own brain. Also thanks to my fabulous beta reader: Dare the Great :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part Nine
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buffy gasped as Angel's fangs sank into her neck. The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes. But soon the pain faded and reality began to shred. She was suddenly completely focused on his ear. Each tiny detail assaulted her senses. Her vision swam and she began to panic. This wasn't right, he needed to stop. Her fist beat futilely against him but she had no strength behind the blows. She could feel her life drifting away, drifting into him and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Calmly, dreamily she realized that she was going to die. "Angel," was her last thought as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Angel tasted the sweet coppery blood as it entered his mouth. The raw power electrified him with an overwhelming burst of pleasure. Vainly he fought against the hunger and was swept underneath it. The pleasure, the hunger, the demon took over. He silently screamed her name as he felt himself overwhelmed. The power surged through him, causing each nerve ending to explode with feeling. He felt her heart beat weaken as his grew stronger. He felt her life, her strength seeping into him. He felt them become one and he felt her begin to die. With each drop of blood the hunger grew stronger. With each heart beat the power flowed though him like a giant wave, dragging him underneath. He wanted more than anything to give in to it. To let the power, the pleasure sweep him away. He held on to her name like a drowning man, repeating it over and over to himself.
The blood throbbed through his body, filling his ears with a dull roaring. Dimly, as if from a great distance he could hear voices. Screams. Slowly he fought to regain control. Her name echoed in his mind like an accusation. It took all his strength to pull his teeth from her neck. He grimaced in pain as he denied himself the satisfaction of her blood. Before he could lose control again, he laid her on the ground and turned away. The hunger beat against his brain, the power sang through each of his veins, setting each nerve-ending on fire. He smashed his fist against the wall until the wall crumbled a little, until the pain began to drive away the haze of hunger. He shook his head trying to clear the last vestiges of the demon's control from his body. When he was sure that he could keep from attacking, he turned to face the others. They were crowded around Buffy's body, and his heart stopped. He hadn't regained control in time.
"Is she dead?" he asked, his voice breaking with anguish.
"Actually, she's not," said Giles a little warily. "Are you sure you are under control?" Angel nodded silently. "She's lost a lot of blood. If she were anyone but the Slayer...she would be dead."
"I lost it," said Angel,"when I felt that blood on my tongue, in my veins. It's like no other feeling on earth. I was so close to killing her." He covered his face with his hands, feeling the ridges. Feeling the shame of his beast,
"But you didn't," said Giles. "That's the important thing. Right now you need to focus on the fight. You need to be able to concentrate. You need all your strength."
"Did it work, though?" asked Xander peering at Angel for some evidence of change. Angel could still feel the power as it flowed through his veins, as it swept him along on a wave of energy.
"Oh yeah, it worked," he said. "We'll just have to see if it's enough."
"You don't look any different," said Xander.
"A vampire's strength doesn't come from muscles. Our strength is in direct relation to our power. It's the same for a Slayer. Buffy doesn't look that strong, but she has enough power to tear you apart."
"So can you beat Lily?" asked Willow, looking up from where she sat on the floor, cradling Buffy's head on her hands.
"I don't know." Angel answered dully, his eyes locked to Buffy's still form. He inhaled sharply as her eyelids fluttered and she worked her way back into consciousness. She groaned and opened her eys.
"Is Angel..?" she began to ask.
"I'm here," he said, wanting to hold her but afraid that she would rather he stay as far away from her as possible.
"Come here," she whispered. He slowly approched her body as she lay on the floor. He hovered uncertainly over her body, unsure of what she wanted from him. "Hold me," she said. He knelt beside her and lifted her easily in his arms. She rested her head in the curve of his shoulder and draped one arm weakly around his neck. "Take me with you?" she asked.
"Buffy, you're too weak. If I lose.."
"If you lose they'll hunt me down, Lily's not one to mess around. And she's not trapped underground like the Master was. If you win, they won't threaten me tonight." She tilted her head up to look into his face. "Please?" she asked.
"All right, " he sighed. He wanted her near him, wanted to reassure himself that she was alive. That he hadn't killed her after all. "I love you," he whispered softly into her ear.
"I know," she whispered back.
Angel looked at Giles, and the librarian nodded. It was time. Gently Angel carried Buffy through the graveyard, as gently as a husband carrying his wife to bed for the first time. Lily and Colin were waiting in the center of the graveyard. A dozen vampires formed a half-circle behind them.
"I'm surprised you came, Angelus. I didn't think you'd be able to kill her. I thought your feelings would get in the way." said Colin mockingly.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Angel asked. "I didn't come for you, little boy. And I didn't come to bring the Slayer to you." He pointed to Lily. "I came for her." Lily responded with a hiss, but Angel wasn't finished. "I challenge you, by my right to fair combat," he screamed. Lily growled deep in her throat.
"You don't know what you're getting into," she spat. "You're not ready to take me on."
"Do you refuse the challenge?" he asked.
"I accept," she hissed angrily. He nodded grimly in respose, and lay Buffy's body down under a conveniant tree. Then he turned to face his opponent.
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
