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Shanna
shannalynn9064@yahoo.com
Thomas spun to face the two vampires standing several feet away. "Angelus! William! I haven’t seen you since Paris in, when was it, 1897? Interesting what you’ve done with your hair, William." He sounded almost jovial as he greeted them. "I was beginning to think the little witch was lying. So it’s true then? Is this little spitfire your pet?"
Angel recognized the vampires from their time in France over a century ago. Darla always loved to be fawned over, and the two idiots before him had been more than happy to bow down, scrape and grovel at her feet. Thomas and Steadman were their names, if he recalled correctly. When they found out she was The Master’s favorite child they couldn’t do enough to please her. They were young and power hungry at the time, no more than fifty years old back then, and looking to gain favor with the Aurelius line.
Now they had Willow pinned to the side of a building. She looked dazed and a little disheveled. Only Angel’s hand on Spike’s shoulder prevented him from lunging at their old acquaintances. "Our pet? Of course. Have you lost your sense of smell in your old age, Thomas, or did you just decide to ignore our claim," his silky voice purred.
There was a hint of steel underlying his polite tone that made Steadman gulp. He sensed Angelus’s displeasure at their trespass. "The bite is healed over. We thought her master had abandoned her."
Spike snarled at them both. "Not bloody likely, you ponce. Angelus and I had a bit of business out of town. We only just got back tonight. Now tell me, mate, are you going to release our girl there, or do we have to rip you open, then decorate your outsides with your entrails?"
Thomas’s eyes glinted at the not-so-subtle threat. His grip on Willow’s throat tightened a bit, leaving her clawing at his wrist. Her panicked eyes pleaded with Spike and Angel for help. "William, you always were the brash youngster, weren’t you? I see time hasn’t changed that. Hasn’t your Sire taught you that it’s not polite to threaten your elders?"
Angel surged forward with preternatural speed to crush the bones in Thomas’s wrist. "Then maybe you’ll accept a threat from me, my boy, considering I’m *your* elder. You don’t touch what’s mine."
Willow slid down the wall; her hand reached up to rub her bruised throat as her head pounded a rapid staccato beat upon her brain. Steadman backed away as Spike approached. He sensed the anger radiating off of the always unpredictable vampire, and wanted to steer clear of him. Spike crouched before Willow, seeming to completely ignore the other demon.
"Pet, are you okay?" He frowned when her eyes didn’t immediately focus.
Her hand slid from her throat to the back of her head. She winced as she ran fingers gingerly over the bump forming there. "My head," she rasped. Her fingers came away with traces of blood.
Spike focused on the girl before him. She had red marks along her jaw line and neck from one of the demons roughly handling her. He could smell the small amount of blood that spilled from her head. Spike raised her bloody fingers, and kissed them gently. "No one hurts my Red and gets away with it," he vowed softly.
Spike glanced over his shoulder to meet Angel’s eyes. Both had flecks of amber swirling amongst their human eye colors; their demons raged at the infraction of the two other vampires. Angel nodded, a silent signal that sent both of them into action. They attacked Thomas and Steadman, dragging the two demons into the shadows of Elm Street. Willow could hear the sounds of a battle raging as she stood on wobbly legs. She eased her way around the corner. In the dark she saw fists and feet flying, but her blurred vision and the rapid movements of the opponents prevented her from distinguishing between the good vamps and the bad vamps.
Spike and Angel fought Thomas and Steadman tooth and nail. It was a difficult fight, even with Thomas’s broken wrist. The bad guys weren’t your typical fledges. They both had a century and a half of experience beneath their belts. All four vampires were bruised and bloody, but the tide slowly began to turn in Spike and Angel’s favor as the battle continued.
Spike was in his element. He sneered as he attacked Steadman, slowly backing the older vampire against a fence. A spot of violence was just what he needed to work out the frustration and anger he felt at seeing Willow hurt. The demon before him was bleeding and staggering on his feet. It would have been a simple matter at that point to stake Steadman, but Spike felt he didn’t deserve an easy end. Pain and suffering were definitely called for in his estimation.
Angel was finally able to advance on a weakened Thomas. He pinned the younger vampire against a tree. Angel gripped the demon’s throat tightly. His amber eyes glowed with anger. "You’re old enough to know better, Thomas. You never touch what belongs to another master," he snarled.
Thomas’s eyes widened, and he clawed at the fingers squeezing his neck with his good hand. "I...I...I’m sorry, Angelus," he gasped. "We didn’t believe she belonged to you, and her power...it called to us."
"Do you swear not to touch what’s mine ever again?" Angel demanded.
Thomas nodded frantically. "I swear. Never again."
Angel thrust a stake into the vampire’s heart, and Angelus crowed in delight at the look of surprise on Thomas’s face. "Too little, too late, my boy," he stated grimly just before Thomas exploded in a cloud of dust.
Angel turned to find Spike repeatedly kicking a downed Steadman in the ribs. "You. Don’t. Touch. My. Red." Each word was punctuated with a bone-crunching kick.
Angel watched with satisfaction briefly, then turned his attention to an injured Willow who watched from the sidewalk. He hurried to her side, and held her tenderly while quickly checking for additional injuries. "Willow, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
She shook her head no, and peered over Angel’s shoulder. He could still hear Spike cursing Steadman behind him. He turned to look and saw the demon cowering on the ground in a fetal position. "Spike, enough! End it now," he ordered.
Rage radiated from the blond as he hovered over the broken body of Steadman. "They hurt her, Peaches," he hissed.
Angel pulled Willow gently to his body. "We have more important things to deal with than your need for revenge, Childe."
Spike growled and kicked the downed vampire again.
"Spike," Willow softly called to the incensed vampire.
He turned to see her staring at him. Their eyes locked, and Spike felt the overwhelming rage suddenly drain from his body. He bent over the downed vampire. "You’ll never have a chance to touch her again," he promised before slamming a stake through Steadman’s heart. The demon whimpered in relief that his torment was ending before he exploded into a cloud of dust. Spike pocketed his stake, and turned to walk back to Willow and Angel. He knelt next to his Sire and gently combed a stray strand of hair from the redhead’s face.
"Pet, are you all right?" His demon visage slipped away to reveal his human features.
Willow’s eyes looked hopeful, yet cautious at the same time. "You came? Why?" She was guarding her heart closely. It was tentatively pieced together at that moment, and if they broke it again there wouldn’t be enough Super Glue in the world to put it back together.
"Cheerleader had a vision," Spike whispered. "Said you were getting attacked."
"Oh," Willow whispered, disappointment clouding her features. "Well, uh, thanks for the rescue and all. I guess you’ll be heading back to LA now." She knew her heart was ready to shatter into a million pieces again. The redhead lowered her eyes so they couldn’t see the pain Spike’s words created.
Angel quickly tried to reassure her. "Well, Cordy had a vision, but she didn’t. You see, she knew we were being idiots." He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up. His heart broke a little as he saw the sadness and loneliness glimmering in her eyes. "She understood more than we did. Willow, we’re so sorry."
Spike stroked a finger over her cheek tenderly, reveling in the silkiness of her warm skin. "We never didn’t want you, pet. We were just tryin’ to stay away, give you the time you needed to figure out if you wanted us or not. Apparently the Cheerleader decided we needed a nudge in the right direction."
Willow looked between the two, confusion wrinkling her brow. "Huh?"
Angel leaned closer and brushed a soft kiss over her forehead. "She faked a vision to get us to come to Sunnydale. She said that two strong vampires would attack you just off of Elm. We panicked, and headed here as soon as she told us. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being hurt. I love you, Willow."
"Me too, Red. I don’t care a lick about your blood." Spike lightly nuzzled her cheek as his breath whispered over her skin. "It’s you I want, pet. Forever."
A tear trickled down Willow’s face. "You mean it? You love me? Really, the both of you, like Angel and Spike love me, Willow? You’re not just saying that because I’m sitting here ready to blubber like a big baby, are you?"
"Never, Little One," Angel whispered. He stroked the back of his finger over her cheek, wiping away her tears.
Willow smiled uncertainly at them, still guarding her heart a bit. She shifted in Angel’s arms, and the movement brought the pounding in her head back to the forefront of her consciousness. She moaned softly, then reached up to gingerly place her hand on the side of her head. Willow winced; it felt like even the roots of her hair hurt.
Spike’s brow furrowed as he noticed her pain. "Let’s get you out of here, Red. Get the Watcher to take a look at your noggin, eh? Not safe to be sittin’ out in the open and bleedin’ in this bloody town."
Angel agreed, and readily cradled Willow close. He lifted her into his arms as he stood. "You’re right...and I can’t believe I actually said that."
Willow giggled softly at the smirk on Spike’s face and the disbelief in Angel’s voice as they walked a short distance down the street and turned onto Main. Willow looked up and saw the sign post.
"Uh, guys, did you say Cordy *faked* a vision about me being attacked on Elm Street?"
Spike and Angel followed her gaze. Spike scowled at the street sign. "Peaches, you need to have a little chat with the Cheerleader."
Angel nodded slowly. "Check. No more ‘fake’ visions. Apparently the Powers don’t appreciate being used to further our love lives."
"Least she could do is fake a vision involving the three of us, a king-sized bed, silk scarves and a nice warmed bottle of massage oil." Spike waggled his eyebrows at them suggestively.
"Spike!" Willow protested while blushing up a storm.
A devilish smile spread over Angel’s face. "I’ll definitely have a talk with her, ASAP."
TBC...
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