DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. No, wait, lemme check. Hm...nope, sorry. Oh, wait, maybe now...Nah. Sorry. Okay, I'll stop this abuse of sarcasm now and let you get on with the story...
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Part Three
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Salem growled at the other vampire. She tried to land a punch on his face, but he ducked, grabbing her arm and twisted it behind her. She gasped. "Okay, okay. I get it. Just lemme go already. I just got back from Europe and I have some business to take care of, okay?" He released her and she immediately started off.
"What kind of business?"
"Oh, nothing special." She glanced back. "Just killing Angel and the Slayer." With a determined look on her face, she stalked off, and he ran to catch up with her.
"Angel?" He chuckled. "You *have* been gone for a while. Listen, I can take you to him." She studied him for a moment.
"Okay. I’m Salem." He shook her proffered hand. "Spike. Nice to meet you."
When Spike had finished telling Salem some of the things she'd been missing out on, she laughed. "God, Spike, you guys in Sunnydale get to have all the fun. Wish I could have been there." Spike grinned.
"Here we are!" Salem cocked an eyebrow. "Another mansion? Well, well, well...Moving up in the world, are we?" He led her inside. "Classy.", she remarked, walking through the corridor. Spike threw open a door. Drusilla was sitting in front of the fireplace, playing with Miss Edith.
"Dru? Ducks? I'm home! And look who I brought with me!" He gestured at Salem. Dru gave her a little wave and Salem smiled back.
"Hello...I'm Drusilla and this is Miss Edith. She's a little shy." Salem sauntered towards the fire and stuck out her hand.
"I'm Salem." The other woman giggled.
"Salem. What a pretty name. Angel's told me about you." Salem's eyes narrowed. "Where is Angel anyway?! You said you'd bring me to him!" Spike shrugged and looked at his watch.
"He should be here anytime now..." He trailed off when the door opened again.
"Hey Spikey, Dru. Nothing special out tonight..." He broke off, seeing the unexpected guest. She hissed and jumped him. The mild surprise on his face turned to recognition. Salem punched him. Angel wasn't fazed.
"Angel! You bast-"He gently pushed her off him and smirked at her.
"Sorry, pet, but...I go by Angelus now. Salem's jaw dropped. Dru squealed in delight. Angelus grinned. "Yeah, lover. I’m back..."
Some time later, Drusilla had gotten hungry, so she and Spike had decided to go out for a snack, leaving Angelus and Salem alone. Comfortable silence reigned, and Salem sighed, looking at Angelus. "So,", she smiled, hopping onto the couch next to him. "Obviously, I can’t kill Angel..."
"...since he’s already dead.", he finished, smiling.
"But what do you guys do for fun around here?" Angelus thought for a moment.
"Not much. Eat, sleep, fight..." He gave her a knowing look. "...harass the Slayer. Just your typical, undead demon kind of thing."
"Mm." She yawned and stretched out, unaware of Angelus admiring her. She moved closer and snuggled up to him. "So, love. How *did* you lose your soul..." She made quotation marks at the word. "...again?" He laughed.
"Yeah, you must be wondering. Well, apparently sleeping with the Slayer cures what ails ya." Salem shot up.
"You slept with her?! So you *were* involved!" Salem gave him a sad look.
"Oh, come on, sweet. It was only once! And I had a *soul*, remember? I wasn’t myself, I guess." He shrugged nonchalantly. "And I didn’t lie to you either." She pouted.
"But you cheated on me!" He laid a finger on her lips.
"Shhh. That’s all over now." Salem smiled again and rested her head on his chest.
"Yes...It was just so *sickening*, seeing you running around with *Buffy*, making eyes at each other. But you’re back now. And you’re never, *ever* leaving, are you?" He pulled her closer.
"Where would I go, love, where would I go?"
"Wakey wakey!" Spike said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.
Looking down at Salem and Angelus, fast asleep in each other’s arms, Dru whispered, "Do you think they’re back together again? Oohh!" She giggled. "That would be so wonderful! We could go on double-dates! Ripping out the Slayer’s eyeballs together, killing her friends, everything two couples in love would do!" Spike gave the sleeping couple a thoughtful look.
"Hm...Maybe you’re right. Maybe Salem’s return’ll finally get Angelus to stop toying with Buffy and kill her already." Drusilla skipped up to him and hugged him.
"And now I finally have a sister! I could give her one of my dolls, we could play with them! And throw Miss Edith a tea party! Oh, Spike! This is great!" He stroked her hair.
Smirking, he answered, "Yes, love. With Angelus and Salem by our side, we’re bloody invincible!"
Buffy was sitting on a bench. She fingered the Claddagh ring Angel had given her. She still had trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that Angel was gone. Forever. And it had all been her fault. If only...
"Hey, Buffy!" Willow sat down next to her friend. Buffy gave her a weak smile. "How’re you holding up?" She looked down.
"I don’t know. ‘Kay, I guess." She let out a sharp laugh. "As good as anybody whose boyfriend turned into a vicious demon after their first time together." Willow put her arm around Buffy.
"It’s not your fault, you know." She looked up, tears in her eyes.
"What if I can’t kill him, Will? What if I have to, but I can’t? Oh, *God*!"
"Buffy. It’s not your fault this happened. Remember that. And that Angel...Angelus... whoever...isn’t the person you fell in love with. Remember that. You said so yourself: It’ll get easier in time." Buffy swallowed, composing herself. She sniffed.
"Okay. And if he ever decides to destroy the world or something, I’ll be ready for him." Willow patted her back.
"*We’ll* be ready for him.", she corrected. The girls smiled at each other. The bell rang and they went inside, determined not to let their lives revolve around this, no matter how hard it was.
The shadow followed Buffy through the alley. It froze when suddenly Buffy stopped. "Okay. Look, I’m *really* not in the mood for this, so why don’t you just get over here and we fight this out?" She tapped her foot and looked at her watch. No movement. The shadow slithered into a corner. The Slayer sighed. "Well, you missed your chance!" She only took a few more steps when the heavy crates shifted and came crashing down on top of her. The dark figure giggled.
"Hello to you too, Buffster!" She looked up sharply, sensing someone approaching, and took off, leaving an unconscious Buffy behind.
Buffy stared out the window. She blinked, the afternoon sunlight blinding her. She yawned, then smiled when Xander and Cordelia stepped into the hospital room.
"Hi, Buffy."
"Hey, Buffmeister!", Xander called out cheerfully. "How are you feeling?" Buffy grinned, wincing when even that caused her considerable pain.
"Not so great, actually." Giles came in, followed by Willow.
"Hi, Will."
"Hey!"
"Um...h-hello, Buffy. Here." Giles handed her a small bouquet.
"Thanks. Will, could you ask the nurse for a vase?" Xander smiled.
"I picked them myself out of Mrs. Modell’s garden!" Willow laughed.
"And then she...she came out and hit him with a fly-swatter!" The whole gang started to laugh, except for Xander, who rubbed his shoulder.
"Not funny! That *hurt* you know!" He leered at Cordy. "Maybe you can kiss it and make it better?" She gave him a little shove.
"You wish, Flowerman!" Giles took a seat and looked at Buffy.
"So, what’s the damage?" She smiled sheepishly.
"Well, a concussion and a sprained wrist. Plus some bruises, but they told me I was lucky."
"Hey, so your special SlayerPowers do come in handy!"
"Do you know what happened?"
"The crates were pushed. I know it.", Buffy answered with a resolved look on her face. Xander frowned.
"But who could have done that? And why? It’s not like..." Cordelia nudged him.
"Sorry, me and my big mouth. I tend to forget Sunnydale’s a Hellmouth. A place of mystical convergence, bla bla bla." Willow hopped onto the bed.
"So when are you getting out?"
Buffy shrugged, "They want to keep me another night for observation, then I’m a free man, so to speak." Willow smiled.
"That’s good." She glanced at her watch. "Oh! We have to go now! Big test coming up!" Xander gave Buffy a sad look.
"A test you’re going to miss, you lucky Slayergirl." Buffy smiled. But after her friends had left, she fell into a fitful sleep.
Knocking on the door woke Buffy up. "Come in.", she called, wondering who her last night visitor could be. A woman walked in, heels clicking on the floor. Buffy paled. She knew who had come to see her. Weakly, she tried to get into a defensive position, but Salem chuckled.
"How are you, Buffy? We all hope you’re okay. Look, we even got you a card!" Sure enough, Salem took a card out of her shoulder bag, and handed it to Buffy. It was a very detailed drawing of herself lying in the hospital bed, fast asleep. She didn’t doubt who’d drawn it. "Go on! Open it!", Salem implored. Buffy looked at the writing inside.
"Dear Buffy, hope you are well. Looking forward to fighting you, Spike." Salem smiled.
"Now isn’t that nice? See, we *do* care." Buffy continued.
"Hello, Buffy, sorry about what happened to you. That must have hurt. Miss Edith sends her love too, hugs, Drusilla." Salem clapped her hands.
"Now read what I wrote!"
"Hi Buffy! It’s *great* to be back! Too bad we couldn’t meet under better circumstances. Love, Salem. PS: You should have seen your face when the first crate hit you!" Salem laughed haughtily.
And finally: "My dearest Buffy, sorry about your accident. Too bad I’ll have to wait with killing you now. I mean, where’s the fun in killing a wounded Slayer? See you soon though. Angelus." He had drawn a heart with "Angel’ written in it, and a stake that read "Buffy" through it. Buffy’s face hardened. But when she looked up, Salem had already gone. She looked back at the writing on the card. She set it aside, and tears running down her face, she once again cursed her destiny.
Angelus looked up when Salem came in. "Hey, kitten! So, did she like our card?" Grinning, Salem sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace, grabbing one of Dru’s dolls and started combing its hair.
"I daresay she was positively touched."
Dreamily, Drusilla added, "I can feel her...She’s...Oh!" She threw her head back. "She’s so sad...and angry. At you...", she nodded towards Salem, "...and especially you, Angelus." Drusilla gasped, then giggled. "She wants to kill us! She does! She thinks she can kill us!" Spike entered the room and pulled up his undead girlfriend.
"Well, ducks, we’re not going to let her, are we?" He gave Angelus a pointed look. "Are we?" Salem looked intently at her ex-lover. He averted his eyes.
"I just wanna play with her some more."
"For God’s sakes, man! Haven’t you done that enough yet?! Why don’t you just kill her already?!"
Drusilla pulled away and circled Angelus, staring at him. "I think you can’t...Can you? No...You can kill her just as easily as she can kill you..." Angelus’ head shot up.
"Fuck off!", he hissed. Angrily pushing Drusilla out of his way, he strode towards the door.
"You...you’re pathetic! All of you!" He vamped out. "I’m going for a walk. Don’t wait up." He left, slamming the door shut behind him. Salem gazed after him wistfully. Spike rose his eyebrows. Drusilla frowned.
"Honey? I think we should...help Angel with getting over his little Slayer friend." Interest peaked, Salem leaned into her.
"What do you have in mind?" Spike gave the door another look.
"Bloody fool.", he whispered, and went to join in the planning.
Angelus spat out the blood and pushed away his victim. What the hell was wrong with him?! Not even the youngest blood could taste good to him tonight! He thought back to the previous scene in the mansion. Idiots. To think...to *imply* he of *all* people couldn’t kill Buf...the Slayer. He slammed his fist into the wall. Cursing, he stalked away, thinking about what a fool he’d been. He might have known that not killing her could lead to this...this...loss of respect. He was their sire, goddammit, and they had better give him the respect he deserved. He cursed again, and a man appeared out of nowhere, giving him a concerned look.
"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Angelus growled at him, and the man backed off, gasping. He went on, lost in thought, for some time. Then, he looked up and saw he was at Buffy’s house.
"No!!!" He kicked the trash can, stomping on it, another victim of demon rage. The little bitch had become a part of him, ingrained so deeply she was, even now, still there. He still remembered the way he’d been before... Before he was...’born again’, as Salem liked to call it. Tender, loving, *caring*. Practically *human*! He calmed down a bit. But now he was all right. Now he was himself again. Now he was going to cut Buffy out of his life forever. Now he was going to get rid of her for once and for all. He went back to the Bronze, where a snack was easily found, and fed on the first girl he saw. Throwing his head back, he licked his lips. Now he was truly back. No more toying. No more weakness.
A couple of weeks later...
This was one hell of a night for a patrol, Buffy thought to herself. She shivered. It was raining, hard, and for Sunnydale today had been an especially cold day. It was a Thursday night, and the streets were deserted. Even the Bronze was practically empty. She marched off, but stopped when she heard a moan. Buffy turned back, and spotted a form, huddling in the shadows. "Hey! Are you okay?" No answer. She walked up to the person gingerly. "Hey. Do you need help?", she asked softly. Still no reply. Then the person shifted, and some light fell on its face. Buffy's eyes widened and she immediately backed off. But Angel didn't attack her. He just sat there, trembling, looking dazed. Then he looked up.
"B-buffy?" The gentleness in his voice confused her even more. Something was wrong. This was a trap. Angel got up, bracing himself against the wall. "God...Buffy!" He came towards her, but she stepped back. His brow furrowed. "What's wrong? What's going on?" She laughed.
"You know, this is *really* lame. Do you expect me to fall for..." Her voice trailed off and she froze. Angel came up to her and crushed her in his arms. Laying his head on her shoulder, he sobbed.
"I...I don't remember. W-what happened?" This was too much.
"Angel?", she whispered. Could he be...back? He released her, and cupped her cheek.
"I feel like I haven't seen you for so long." She exhaled, blinking back tears.
"No way..."
They had gone to Buffy’s house, seeking shelter from reality. Joyce wasn’t home, off to some convention or the gallery. Buffy and Angel had gone to the living room, sitting on the couch, delighting in the other’s presence. "I still can't believe this is really happening. That you're really back." Buffy looked up at Angel, tears shining in her eyes.
"Believe it. It's true." He gazed down at her lovingly and pressed a kiss against her forehead.
"But how?"
Pulling her closer, Angel answered, "I suppose Miss Calendar has been working on a spell or something. Last thing I remember is feeling something go...through me, and then...nothing." Smiling through her tears, Buffy rested her head on his shoulder.
"You’re here. With me.", she whispered incredulously. "When...when you were...well, you know..." She bit her lip. "Whenever anything happened, my first instinct told me to go find you. It’s...it’s been hell, Angel. I felt so lost. So alone. You were everything to me, and then..." She gestured nervously. He sighed, and pulled her against him.
"That’s never going to happen again, lover. I’m here now. And I’ll never leave you." She paled.
"What? What’s wrong?" Shrinking back from his touch, she sat up. "You...you called me ‘lover’. That’s w-what Angelus c-called me." He made her look at him and gently wiped away her tears.
"Look at me.", he implored. "Am I that...animal? Tell me what you see, Buffy." She moved her hands over his and swallowed.
"I see you, Angel. Only you." She relaxed and allowed him to put his arms around her once again. "I love you.", she murmured. "Only you." A tear slid down his face.
"I love you.", he replied. She went to kiss him, and after some hesitation, she brushed his lips with hers. His hand moved up to her hair, entwining the strands. She broke off the kiss, and started planting feather-light kisses on his jaw. He moaned, and as her hair fell back, her neck was revealed. Closing her eyes, she sought out his mouth again. His grip on her tightened, and she gasped, opening her eyes. Shock flashed in her eyes for a moment when she saw Angel’s true face, but she quickly recovered. He kissed her, more ferociously this time, and she eagerly responded. Then he pushed her away violently.
"Geez, Buff.", he scowled. "Just can’t get enough, huh?" He gave her a lop-sided grin and threw her against the wall. Dazed, she looked up.
"I...I don’t..."
"Don’t what? Understand?", he interrupted. "God, Buffy! Grow up! THINK! Do you *really* expect me to magically change back into the loser I used to be, and come running to you for comfort?! You’re pathetic." He grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her up. Pushing her against the wall, he roughly jerked her head to the side. "Hm. Haven’t had Slayer’s blood in a while..." He growled. "I’m sure you’ll enjoy this, *lover*." Angel went to bite her. At the last moment, she whimpered. He felt something stab inside of him. He closed his eyes. < I can’t do this. > Sighing, he released her. She slumped to the floor, and arms crossed, he looked down at her. "This isn’t over. Not by far.", he spat out angrily, and stalked away.
"So, still haven’t killed her, I presume?", Spike snapped. Angelus growled, but Salem stepped in between them.
"Okay, okay, calm down, boys. Now, granted, Angel dear has a little trouble getting over the Slayer, but I’ve thought this over and if *he* is...hesitant about killing her, imagine what *she* must be feeling like right now!" She smirked and put her arm around Angel’s waist. "All alone, hurt, confused, bla bla bla. I think it’s perfect." She turned towards Angel, and rested her head against his shoulder. "I *like* your methods, lover. Spike, Dru, I say we torture her mentally before *really* taking her on. She is strong, and has help, remember? Now, if she’s a wreck, her relationship with her friends will certainly suffer, and who knows, maybe even with her Watcher? Then we can easily get rid of her. Hm?" Spike nodded grudgingly.
"Well, then, let the games begin!"
The End...for now...
* * *
Because, rest assured, Salem *will* be back. Don’t know when, where, or how, but she will. After all, she’s always *loved* a little psychological warfare...
Thanks for reading this!
Angelic Mulder.
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