I always thought I hated my father. 

But in reality I was just like him and that was what scared me. 

There’s a very strange saying that I’ve never understood about the apple not falling far from the tree. Where was it supposed to fall? Branches couldn’t exactly toss their fruit a good distance, so why the saying? No one ever really had an adequate explanation for me on that one but I get the gist of the saying. 

A child rarely becomes something entirely different than the parents. Oh, it’s true, I guess – had hoped – that there were exceptions, but I was not one of them. 

Yeah, and that’s what scared me. 

That I was as similar to Angel (Angelus) as he was to me. Upbringing mattered naught when faced with what was inside a person, their very core, their essence. 

I hated my father because he was the very embodiment of everything I had always tried so hard to hide, to ignore, everything that was raging inside of me. I refused to let it break free because of that same fear; apparently I would have no choice in that. The moment he left us on that battlefield in Russia I realized there was more of a connection between us than that. Yet I still ignored it. 

And it grew; grew until it consumed me and now I don’t care. About anything. The past, my past, fitting into a world that has denied my existence and would prefer to do so, so-called friends…the world. I saw what they’ve accomplished in the short months they’ve been in charge. Saw the humans that cower in fear though they are unsure why. Saw the demons, all demons, that no longer prey off other demons but who all follow one leader now. 

Or one pair of leaders. Still, they rule the demon community with an iron fist and I know they have more plans, that they want nothing less than the world, all of it, under their control.

I care nothing for any of that.

I care for myself. Ironically enough, for the father I never gave much of a chance to and for his wife who has called to me in my dreams. 

My family.
~~~~~~~~~~
There were some days Angelus almost found himself bored. 

This was not one of those days. 

Through their months together he found that Buffy never bored him, made him angry, made him love her, taunted him, was in turns dominant and submissive to him, fucked him senseless, but never, ever bored him. He couldn’t even think about another woman now, she consumed his entire being, he wanted only her, thought about only her, breathed in only her scent and craved only her taste. 

Now, as he expertly brought her to the brink of her climax only to deny her that exquisite peak, he wondered why they had waited so long. 

“Please, baby…Angelus, please. Now, more, please, baby, love, I need you, now, nownownow…” She was almost sobbing in her need for release and Angelus couldn’t have been happier. There were few things that he enjoyed more than hearing her beg him. 

Tied to their bed, there wasn’t much she could do to aid in her own release. The frame was metal, heavily dented from frequent use, but metal all the same, the chains magickally enhanced to prevent even Buffy from breaking them. Angelus had forgone the usual whips and various sexual toys they so enjoyed this evening, preferring instead to use his own hands for their mutual pleasure.

Well that, a little holy water and some freely flowing blood added into the mix and things were just about right. 

Ramming into her more than ready body, he roared his satisfaction out just as Buffy’s first climax hit, his own name echoing around the room in her sultry voice. 

Their coupling was fast and furious, bodies always ready and eager for the other allowed, once again, to be possessed, joined, to become one. The tightening in his balls signaled his impending release and Angelus licked the side of Buffy’s neck, hand maneuvering between them to manipulate her throbbing clit. 

Just as her inner walls were beginning to contract around him, Angelus sank his fangs into her soft neck, drinking down her much loved blood, angling his own neck so she could do the same. On and on their orgasm went as they continued to drink from each other, a deliciously never-ending circle that held only the two of them. 

Finally they relaxed into each other, Angelus cradled by her body where her arms could not. Reaching blindly for the key on the nightstand long minutes later, Angelus raised his head, opening one eye to undo the bindings on her arms. 

“Beautiful,” he whispered as their arms dropped together, hands clasping each other close, his mouth running down the side of her face to lick the still open marks on her neck. “Why did we wait so long for this?” He asked the question that he had often wondered. 

“Wait for what?” She sighed in satisfaction as her system leveled and her eyes drifted closed again.

“This, us, why did we wait for this?” 

Ah, this. This exquisite pain and the agony, the ecstasy and the other million emotions that they each brought out in the other. No longer were they afraid of what they shared, they accepted it because there truly was no other choice. They reveled in it because they wanted to, because they could, because they needed to. 

“Because our souled selves were stupid,” she whispered with a smirk. 

Chuckling, Angelus rolled over, tongue still darting out to taste her delicious mate’s blood. Suddenly she stiffened, eyes shooting open, head jerking up from her comfortable position on his shoulder. 

Just as quickly she relaxed, smiling like the Cheshire cat. “He’s come, love.” 

Angelus nodded he, too, felt it, both through his mating link with Buffy and through the separate bond he had with his son; that slight pulling inside that wasn’t as strong as Buffy’s bond with him, nor yet like Spike’s or Drusilla’s. But it was there and he was aware of it. “Connor.” 

“Yes,” she said, her eyes holding a thousand secret desires and promises, “He’s here, outside.” 

“Good,” Angelus said, crushing his lips to hers. “The family is almost complete, then. We’ll let him come to us, there’s no rush. He’s come this far on his own; he can do the rest on his own as well.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Connor slunk around the magickally protected backyard. 

He had snuck onto the grounds after they brought in the prisoners; no one had spotted him and he was a little surprised at that. Then again, he had learned from the best at hiding from vamps and demons, not just seeking them out to fight them no matter the odds. 

And the best was currently in the mansion not fifty yards from his position.

What was he doing here again? He had come in with the prisoners at the last possible second before the barrier closed and had hid. His plan hadn’t really been well thought out but it did involve contacting his father or Buffy at some point. He hadn’t yet. 

He was hungry and in desperate need of a bath, but was willing to ignore both for the time being. He had reconnaissance to do. He had his father to find and his father’s wife to…well, he wasn’t actually sure what purpose Buffy served in his dreams, only that she was there and seemed to be important. 

Their place was huge; then again, he expected nothing less from his father who had owned a hotel for a number of years. Minions roamed around at night within the protected dome, guarding their masters, yet none seemed to sense him. Either that, Connor thought as the sun rose on his second day, or they were under strict orders not to touch him. 

Somehow he couldn’t see his father and his father’s wife having all their gophers as imbeciles, but one never knew. Some were inevitable, true, but all of them? Doubtful. 

It never occurred to him, as he climbed a tree for a better view of this new territory, that what they sensed was a part of their master, that Connor’s essence was so entwined with Angelus’ that the minions couldn’t tell the difference. They sensed Angelus (or Buffy, the two, their blood, their scents, were also completely intertwined) and didn’t question that feeling. 

He had found their room just as the sun was setting on his first night there. 

Buffy stood at the window, staring directly at him from his hiding place on the edge of the woods that circled their land. He knew he gave no sign that he was there, he hadn’t so much as moved from his spot in hours. But somehow she knew and somehow he wasn’t surprised. 

Smiling at him, what appeared to be a genuine and sincere smile for a soulless creature of the night, Buffy nodded once to him. Connor thought he heard the words, “We’ll wait for you,” but could have been mistaken. Then Angelus walked up behind her, leaning over her shoulder to look in the same direction. He, too, nodded once before they moved away from the window, curtain falling back into place. 

That had been a day ago and still nothing happened. 

He hadn’t ventured into the house and they had left him to his own devices; though he did find a plate of food at the edge of the woods and a bottle of water. Connor had stared at the nourishment for some time before deciding that to not eat was simply foolish. But he hadn’t yet seen his father. 

It was odd, he thought again as he watched them toy with Cordelia and the rest of the humans captured, but he didn’t care. Not about Cordelia whom he had known or the other humans some of whom actually looked familiar, not about what they were forced to do to and with each other, not about the hoards (there really weren’t that many) of vamps and demons that were allowed privileged access onto the grounds to witness the spectacles forced on those human as they fought in the ring. 

He simply didn’t care. 

No matter how deep inside of himself he looked, there was nothing there, nothing that made him feel anything but contempt, disdain, and hate for those he saw. The only emotion he truly felt was…longing. Longing to be involved, not necessarily in the atrocities being done, but in that family, his family. There were eight of them, eight that constituted ‘The Family’ and he wanted in on that. 

Oh, there was Dawn, whom he vaguely remembered as being whiny and annoying, but that may have been because she wasn’t allowed to do…whatever it was she wasn’t allowed to do when Connor had met her that once. He didn’t care enough to remember at the moment. Or her for that matter. 

And there was Faith, Faith he remembered, had fought with, but the being before him was vicious and cruel and lacked the finesse even the secondary slayer possessed; oh, she was still graceful in her kill, but there was a marked brutality to her now that wasn’t there before. Plus there was the lack of puns, but that probably wasn’t important at the moment. 

And…wait, he knew her, who was she? Oh, right. Lilah. Well, the whore deserved nothing less than what she got as far as he was concerned. And she seemed to be happy, though Connor didn’t really understand what had happened to her. 

So he waited. And he watched. And he wondered if it were possible to simply join his family without becoming truly one of them.
~~~~~~~~~~
One by one they disappeared. 

It was unnerving as Riley was sure it was meant to be. They started with the weakest, probably for experiments or something; though what they wished to experiment on them for was something he could identify. Food? Possibly, but there were healthier humans living on the streets than there were in here. 

It was two days after they had been captured when he discovered the answer. The vamp sent to retrieve another human let it slip. Then again, with the fear and respect everyone seemed to show Buffy and Angelus it was probably done on purpose. 

“Where are you taking her?” The woman’s husband – Riley couldn’t remember either of their names – demanded in a wasted attempt to gain information. Fear was evident in his voice as he helplessly watched his wife struggle against her captures. 

“To the ring, of course; have to find our fun someplace, and watching you humans try and out fight each other is just loads of laughs.” 

That had been a day ago and Riley realized that they were using them sparingly. They only took two at a time, sometimes one and the reason, he figured, was that one had survived the night before. Not a pleasant thought, but he could come up with no other answer. 

Buffy and Angelus – whenever he thought of one the other’s name was right there, connected – had yet to grace him with their presence and the others he knew from before had also stayed away. The wait was beginning to grate on his nerves, strange though that sounded and Riley was forced to wonder just what they had planned for him. 

And where Cordelia was.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia wasn’t going anywhere. 

The first few hours weren’t so bad, actually, the first few hours she was staked to the ground had been spent passed out from the pain and she didn’t feel a darn thing. Then the sun had risen high enough to burn directly onto her, sizzling flesh already burnt. She had screamed herself hoarse, but of course no one heard her. No one who was going to help her that was. 

Eyes tightly shut, hands chained high over her head, legs spread far enough apart to give her the look of a sacrifice, Cordelia prayed for death. She begged and pleaded with her absentee captors, shouted to The Powers That Be, made bargains with the any distressingly unresponsive evil entity she could think of, all to no avail. 

Death did not come. 

So she lay there, her skin still burning, her eyes watering despite the fact that she had kept them shut for most of the day against the searing light. The moment the sun set Willow walked over to her, black hair whipping behind her, her red haired lover, looking tall and menacingly imposing, next her. 

“Still with us, Cordy? Good, saves us the trouble of bringing you back. And you know how those things sometimes go. Now then, want some water?” 

Cordelia hadn’t answered but suddenly she felt a ladle pressed to her mouth and cool water trickling down her parched throat. Unconsciously her throat forced the precious liquid downwards, easing her cracked lips and dry mouth, as it went. The liquid lasted until she choked then, as if that were some signal, was abruptly pulled away. 

“Now then, let’s see how those burns are coming along.” Willow crouched next to her, critically eyeing her blistered body. “Damn shame, look at that; you’re healing a little too quickly for my liking, Cordy, but I guess it’ll do; Buffy still has a few interesting ideas for you and I’m sure Angelus won’t be stopping her.” 

She eyed the former Sunnydale resident for a moment before smiling at the woman. “Feel up to a little more torture tonight, dear?” Willow licked her unblemished cheek and added, “Your fear is delicious, Cordy; I could become addicted to it. There are so many things that I’d love to do to you; but, alas, you’re just not high on my list tonight. Vamps to do,” she said with a look over her shoulder at Paul, standing there with a lusty smile on his face, “Worlds to conquer and all that.” 

That had been…last night? The sun was blistering her again and Cordelia was sure that she hadn’t passed out for longer than the night. Shifting on her painful back and buttocks, Cordelia stifled a moan of pain. Her front, she could tell, was healing; a little, but it was healing. Go demon healing powers, who knew she’d be happy for those? Her back wasn’t so lucky, having to bear all of her weight. 

What could they possibly have planned for her next? And why did that thought just enter her mind? She was dooming herself to more pain…then again, wasn’t that all relative? 

Another tear leaked out of her shut eyes, and Cordelia tried to remember a time when she didn’t feel any pain. 

And that’s when they hit… 

The visions The Powers hadn’t seen fit to send her since Angel lost his soul and Buffy was turned came crashing through her brain. Not of people she couldn’t have helped anyway, try as they might and they did try, Riley and his team just weren’t as good as Angel…as Angel had been in helping the helpless. 

No, these were visions of all that Buffy and Angelus had accomplished in the short time they had been together. Buffy’s sire (huh, that was a slow death), Xander (man, that had to hurt), Dawn, Hank Summers, Willow’s parents, Lilah, Faith, Willow and Spike, Giles, and every innocent they had feed off of in their new soulless states and every demon they tortured and killed for kicks and every depraved action and sadistic exploit. 

Bright colors swirled around her head, sounds and scents assaulted her and Cordelia was caught in a soundless scream that echoed through her yet was unheard by anyone else. 

Willow smirked as she walked away from the window.

Oh, but that had been fun. Granted she never would have thought of it if something Paul had said about Cordy’s visions hadn’t triggered a distant memory of Wolfram & Hart doing something similar. She couldn’t remember how they had accomplished it, only that Cordelia had told her about it, in excruciating detail, as they had indulged in one of their infrequent phone updates. 

Of course that was before everything had gotten crazy, but the memory had stayed. And now Willow took it out, brushed it off, and improved it. Damn, but she was good. 

“Come on, baby, let’s go get something to eat.” Paul said, leading her out of the room and towards the garage. He truly adored her devious mind, one of the many things he found himself attracted to in his darling little witch.
~~~~~~~~~~
From high above wherever they were, The Powers That Be watched. 

There was nothing they could do. Nothing that would fix the chaos that rained down upon this dimension. They had lost; there was no way around that. Two lovers who should never have been had, against ever obstacle ever placed before them by every faction of good and evil from Them to the First Evil, had conquered all. 

In a twisted way, They thought, it was a fairytale ending. Maybe, They mused as They watched humans cower in fear and demons rise up and cheer, They should have been a bit easier on the couple. Maybe then they wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to be together. 

Then again, maybe this was how it was supposed to be in this dimension. 

Then again, in every other dimension things weren’t working out exactly as planned, either. 

Damn it, They cursed, that wasn’t how it was supposed to be! How could two of their best warriors have fallen so far? So completely onto the other side? It was unheard of; Their only consolation was that The Darkness hadn’t foreseen this either. They weren’t as…unhappy about the turn of events as The Powers were, but they weren’t celebrating yet either.

For their plans had been crushed as well. 

Buffy and Angelus weren’t exactly ones to share and, They were sure, the couple wasn’t about to share power of the world with anyone, let alone The Darkness that had conspired against them for so long.

There was truly nothing anyone could do.

So They did nothing.

Turned Their backs on this world because it was lost, hopeless, and too far late for anyone to do anything. 

With a silent cry of pain, The Powers That Be closed all their portals to this world, all but one, for hope, someplace, needed to remain alive…for however long it could.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy lazily licked her bite mark on Angelus’ chest, savoring the blood that pooled on her tongue. 

“Hmm, think Cordy is ready for a bit more?” She asked, moving her head to the hollow on his shoulder as they stretched on their bed. 

His arms automatically came around her, holding her close and she echoed his sigh. Angelus had told her, some time ago, that he had never really slept with anyone, not in the falling asleep with another person sense. When he had been human he was the fuck them and leave them type and as Angelus if he left his lovers alive it was a very rare occurrence.

Even Darla had seldom slept in his bed, usually finding her own afterwards. Though, he had admitted, it was more because he hadn’t wanted her there than what she had desired. 

“Her demon healing has kicked in by now, I never really had the chance to study it before, and she was always in the background anyway and was never really wounded in a battle.” Angelus said, eyes drifting closed. “But Willow tells me that when she checked on her right before the sun rose the burns were about 50% healed. She was a little disappointed, actually.”

He shifted her so she rested fully over him, his favored position – well, when they weren’t screwing each other’s brains out – and brushed his lips over hers as she resettled on his shoulder. “I hear she also left her a little mental present.” 

“And they say summer reruns are always boring. I think our dear seer will enjoy the sights and sounds over and over as they rot her brain, demonic half or no.” 

Chuckling, Buffy raised her head to look at her lover’s face. His eyes were closed and his mouth relaxed, two sure signs that he was calm, at ease; he was only ever that way around her. She knew that he was still angered over Riley, but really, that was so long ago she never thought about it now. 

Which was part of the reason she had so easily dismissed Cordelia the other day. Well, not the seer, no, there were definite plans for her, but Angel’s long ago short-lived affair with her. 

It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt, it did and Buffy felt a boiling rage overtake her at the thought of anyone – past, present, or future – with her beloved mate. On the other hand, she was fully confident in her and Angelus’ relationship. He wouldn’t stray from her for the same reason she wouldn’t cheat on him. Whatever they wanted, whatever they needed in another was found in each other. 

Spike had said something years ago, about love being a funny thing. 

He was right, it was. Many people thought that demons couldn’t love at all, that lacking a soul precluded loving another. But a soul wasn’t what caused love. It was need, want, passion, desire, hate, weakness, strength, emotion. It wasn’t warm and fuzzy between the two of them – okay occasionally it was but very rarely – but Buffy knew that she did love him. Maybe it was a result of the love her souled self felt for Angel but she knew, deep within her, that the emotion was there, despite what anyone else would say. 

She just loved hurting him; making him confess her dominance over him just the same as he enjoyed making her scream in both pleasure and pain his dominance over her. Loved it when he actually said the words aloud, admitting what she already knew to be his love for her. 

A slow smile crossed her face as she let her hand wander down his chest, a new idea forming. “Cordy’s not really a battle person, right?” 

Growling as his hips bucked upward into her small cool hand, Angelus opened his eyes. “She’s all but useless in a fight, if that’s what you mean.” 

“Yes, so, she wouldn’t really be able to take care of herself, if left alone.” 

Another growl escaped him as the tops of her fingers teased the head of his cock. “No, probably not; why, love, what are you getting at?” 

“Well, if she can’t take care of herself and if we put her on the streets…” 

“Then,” he said, finishing her thought with a cruel smile as his fingers found her core, “She won’t be able to defend herself. Change your mind about torturing her?” 

“Oh, no,” Buffy denied on a gasp, “That should take a good long time. But if we let her go, scarred and scared, on the streets where looks still hold sway over how most people react…” 

“Then she’ll have no one to turn to. We’ll track her, naturally,” he continued as he flipped them over, mouth attacking her translucent flesh. “Give her the illusion she’s free. Of course,” he added, sucking a pebbled nipple into his mouth as her nails dug into his back drawing long lines of blood, “She’ll probably realize she isn’t. Still, it might make the hunt more interesting.” 

“I say, when we’re finally finished with her, we give her a seven day head start,” Buffy purred as she grabbed his head, bringing him back to her breasts. 

“A week? That should do it, give her enough time to at least try to think of a way to get out of the city. I don’t hold high hopes for that. Still, it’s been a while since we’ve had to track something, should be entertaining if nothing else.” 

Purring her pleasure, Buffy asked abruptly, “What kind of demon abilities does she have?” 

“Hmm, what? Why?” 

“Will she make it in the ring?”

“Oh,” Angelus answered, resuming his journey over her much loved body, flipping her onto her stomach to start again. “No, no fun there. But maybe she’d like a little visit, show her just how in charge of this town we are.” 

He punctuated this statement by sinking his fangs into a perfectly toned ass cheek before ramming into her back passage. Her howl, painful pleasure at the unprepared entrance, was sweet music to his ears and he lifted her higher, hands encircling her waist as he pumped in and out of her. 

Fingers drifted lower down her front, teasing her extended clit even as she pushed harder back against him. One hand moved over her back, trailing over muscle and bone to push her hair off her neck. Angelus kissed the side of her throat, laving the raised tissue there over and over as he continued to pound into his lovely mate. Just as he felt his orgasm near, he sank his fangs into her neck, triggering her own climax, spilling his essence into her. 

Collapsing on top of her equally sated body, Angelus refused to move. Buffy stretched her arms out to her sides, clasping hands with Angelus. 

“We’ll deal with Cordy later, baby, what do you say?” She murmured, head turned just enough to allow him to continue to softly kiss the reopened puncture marks on her neck. 

“She’s not going anywhere, those chains will hold indefinitely,” was his smug answer.
~~~~~~~~~~
Riley was the next to be taken. 

He was a little surprised, on two levels about this abrupt change of heart. Granted, it had only been three days, but somehow he was expecting them to either wait until last, or taken him first. Since it wasn’t the latter, he assumed it was going to be the former.

Apparently it was neither. 

Then he found out how wrong he was. 

He was taken so that he could witness the ring first hand. It was about a mile away from the house, a pit about three hundred feet in circumference, dug into the ground with various makeshift bleachers circling about three-quarters of it. The haphazard seats stopped long before they reached the real seats.

By real, Riley thought, he meant Buffy and Angelus’ seats. As in large sprawling box seats that looked comfortable, functional, and dominating. The two high-backed chairs they occupied were made of a dark wood, intricately carved, but what the carvings were Riley couldn’t yet tell. Draped with dark red and purple flowing materials and cushioned with equally dark colored pillows, the whole scene looked more harem-like than anything else. 

At their feet were two equally ostentatious ottomans (his and hers, how quaint) and several servant girls, bowing and kowtowing to their every whim. The servants weren’t all vampires, he saw as his guards roughly pushed him forward, there were also a few whose demon heritage was obvious but that Riley couldn’t identify. But they all seemed more than happy to serve the strongest demons around. 

There were six other chairs, all bedecked in finery, but not nearly as showy as the main seats. Then again, Riley somehow expected nothing else. Only the emperor and his empress had the best, everyone else was second rate. And they were filled with the rest of the Family; actually it was a packed house tonight with many demons standing around the filled chairs, laughing and socializing. 

It was an odd sight, somehow Riley never thought of the animals he hunted as social creatures. They were animals, born and bred to kill, to hunt and destroy and show no remorse. It never occurred to him that there were many animals in the word that required socialization to function and that demons, like most other beings, enjoyed the gossip and strutting that was inevitable in social settings such as this. 

The strongest was, though, by far Angelus and Buffy. No one had the nerve to out and out challenge them, no one dared. Most were perfectly content to simply reap the benefits of following two who knew what they wanted and weren’t afraid to get it. And get it they did. Besides, it would be the first time in ages that all the demons of this world came together. 

His guards, two bury looking vamps, pushed him onto his knees, unlocking his chains as they did so. He was still naked and while he wasn’t exactly ashamed of his body, it added to his humiliation of being caught. Glaring up at his captors Riley tried to stand, only to be slammed across the backs of his knees, again forcing him to the hard ground. 

The sun had set an hour ago but there was enough light from the torches and floodlights to make the area bright as noontime. He didn’t need to see anything else, it was all moot anyway; they were going to send him into the ring, force him to fight like he was a gladiator or something, and then most likely kill him. 

He was, again, wrong. 

Angelus stood and immediately a hush fell upon the crowd. He looked out at the gathering, estimating about two thousand beings. Most were invited by special invitation, a kind of elitist group that had power enough to interest Angelus. Some were because they amused either him or one of his family. Some were here because they were emissaries from as yet unallied clans. 

“Stand,” he commanded and Riley knew the vampire was referring to him but refused to show submission. It was the smile that did it, the smirk on his face that said he knew the human was going to do this and he, Angelus, was going to enjoy showing him just how stupid a move that was. 

With a nod to the guards, the vamps hauled him upright, propelling him forward until he was at the wooden rail that housed the box. All this wood…somewhat ironic if one thought about it, having enough wood laying around to stake every vamp in the area and still have enough for a huge bonfire to burn the demons. 

“This is not your game, Finn,” Angelus said, not bothering to raise his voice; the crowd was still silent and he didn’t care one way or the other if they heard him. He still stood straight and proud, looking down that aquiline nose of his like he was the damn king of France or something. 

“This is merely a spectator sport. You shall watch; watch all the people you tried to help as they die at the hands of their friends. It’s quite fitting, actually, don’t you think?” 

He turned then, to Buffy, holding out a hand in a very court like gesture. With a smile at her lover, she placed her much smaller hand in his and rose from her chair as elegant as any queen, long silk gown hugging her every curve, and stepped forward. Looking down at her subjects, she nodded once. That was the signal to begin and there was a great roar of approval from the crowd as the first human was led into the circular pit. 

Riley watched in horrified fascination as the human hacked and chopped at a fellow human, grinning viciously as he sliced through the obviously inferior opponent’s arm. He was still unchained and while the guards were omnipresent, they weren’t paying that much attention to him. Riley looked around once, assessing the situation. 

He was still standing in front of the box, back to those who had orchestrated this and watching fellow humans kill each other for the simple pleasure of living another day. 

“You can’t escape, Finn,” Angelus silken voice said, floating over the few feet that separated them. “The moment you attempt anything you know as well as I do that there’ll be a hundred demons on you, using you for food or…other things.” He was intentionally vague, but Riley had heard of demons that preferred human sex partners for as long as they lasted…and then killed them in the height of pleasure. 

Resisting the urge to turn and face his captors, Riley asked, “Why show me this?” 

“For the fun of course, so you know that whatever you did, whatever you think you could possibly do in the future, it’s all for naught. You’re never getting out of here, not alive at least.” 

He did turn then, and he looked into eyes that were cold and flat and suppressed a shiver as they bore into him. “Where’s Cordelia?” 

Buffy laughed from her position in the chair immediately next to her mate’s. She had been silent up until now watching the pit with an unamused eye, preferring her violence more up close and personal, and listening to Angelus taunt the former commando. But now she turned her attention fully onto Riley, her green eyes mocking him as she told him exactly where Cordelia was. 

“Not dead if that’s what you’re so worried about, not yet at least. She’s suffering all the mental anguish her tiny brain can hold. And she will continue to do so until I say. Why so worried, Riley?” 

“Fiend,” he spat with every ounce of hatred he had for demons in general and the ones before him. Ones he had once counted as friends, allies. “There will be a way to stop you, I swear it.” 

Buffy’s cold mocking laughter again wrapped around him as Riley watched Angelus lift their joined hands, placing a kiss on the back of her palm. “I don’t think so, in fact,” and her voice dropped a notch, colder, quieter, “I know so. This world shall be ours and there’s nothing you or anyone else can ever do about it.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Willow,” Giles said as he, too, turned his attention away from the massacre below. He wasn’t opposed to a good slaughter, but preferred to at least have some hand in it. Plus this just wasn’t any fun, watching humans fight equally weak humans. 

“I’m planning a little trip in a few weeks, going to England. Would you mind terribly taking over the Hellmouth for a while?” 

“England?” She asked, her eyes knowing and sparkling at the knowledge. “The Watcher’s Council?” 

“We have some unsettled business that I’d like to finish.” He agreed, smiling at the black haired vampiress. “I’ll be taking Saffir with me, of course, and am not entirely sure how long I’ll be…but leaving the Hellmouth unguarded is just suicide.” 

“No, no I agree. Hmm, let me think, living in that opulent palace you call home? I think I can handle that.” She laughed and added, “Though I really wouldn’t mind being in on the slaughter that will be the fight between you and your former employers, I get that this is something you want to do on you own. Just promise me that you’ll make them suffer, Giles.” 

“Oh, I promise,” he agreed, wicked grin in place, eyes flashing gold. 

He turned back to his lover, smiling at her as they both thought of the blood they would spill. Giles knew that Quintin had to know of the extent the precious army had been decimated and who had been turned. He just didn’t care. 

He wanted Quintin to know, as he, Giles, dealt the final blow to the once might and proud Council, that all his plans were gone; all his work was useless in the face of this new Family, and his hopes for the future nothing more than ashes in the wind. 

Giles wanted Quintin to watch as his own family was hunted down and destroyed, his precious Council Headquarters looted and finally burned, his colleagues killed, fed from, turned. 

Maybe he’d keep his former boss alive, Giles thought as he laughed at something Saffir said about Riley. Bring him back to the Hellmouth to keep watch over all they did. To know that there will never be anything he could do to change it. 

“Rupert?” Saffir’s voice again brought him out of his thoughts. “Thinking about England?”

“Yes,” he nodded, wondering how, in such a short time, she could read him that well. He had always thought himself a fairly hard to understand man. Maybe it was the sheer amount of time they spent together. 

“Thinking how much I want to torture Quintin Travers and how much I want to see the Council destroyed.” 

“Don’t worry, lover,” she said leaning closer to bite down on his lower lip. “There’ll be plenty of time to see how much he begs.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The second the last human was either dragged out of the pit or walked (stumbled) off under their own power, Riley was thrown back into the basement and rechained to the wall. 

Angelus last words to him were true but he refused to give up hope. Why he felt this way he couldn’t have said, but he refused to believe that there could be a world where this kind of evil won. 

“Tomorrow, Finn, we start your torture. Pain is going to take on a whole new meaning for you.” Angelus had smiled then, leaning a bit closer. “The world as you know it is gone and in its place is my vision. Buffy will always be by my side – where she wants to be, where she belongs – and there is nothing you can do to change that, either. This planet will fall and your only consolation is that you won’t be around to witness it.”
**********
“Where are you going later?” 

“You mean as you play with Riley and all his remaining friends?” She asked with a smile as she watched him walk around the room, “Saffir’s leaving in a few days with Giles and since they’re off to merry old England to destroy the Watcher’s Council, she wanted something appropriate.” Buffy answered as Angelus clasped one manacle around her wrist, reaching for the second one. 

The chains, today, were set up so that when Buffy was completely secure she’d be about waist height to Angelus. Perfect height for him, double pleasure for the both of them. 

Quickly doing the other three clasps and making sure her head and upper shoulders down to her hips were set comfortably the six inch wide padded table, Angelus walked around her naked form just looking at his beautiful lover. 

Inhaling her sweet arousal, her own Buffy scent, as he watched her anticipation before beginning his languorous journey up her body. 

“So you’re shopping, then, love?” He asked as his lips grazed the arch of her foot, slowly, lightly, teasing. “Because none of you have enough clothes for a simple raid on inept watchers, of course, and need more?” His mouth roamed up her legs, turning it slightly to nibble on the back of her knee.

Buffy’s response to his sarcastic comment was forestalled for a moment as his fangs sipped from her upper inner thigh, so close to where she really wanted his mouth. “Not just shopping; Drusilla wants to refill her nails, Willow wants a massage, that kind of thing. So we’re doing a shopping/spa night.” 

At ‘massage’ Angelus stopped. “You’re going to let someone else touch your naked body? Touch what only I see?” It was quietly asked, but all the more menacing for that. 

“Angelus, love, it’ll be a woman, I promise,” not that that would really alleviate his anger but it was better than a man she supposed. “And if you have any doubts, we’re going to Madame Antoinette’s, the one you…ah, took over – allowed to continue in business? – a few months ago?”

Madame Antoinette’s did in fact cater to the demon community, keeping night hours solely for their convenience. And Antoinette had been an acquaintance of his in France just after the turn of the Twentieth Century. Or rather Angel’s; she was an Yhuin’h demon, long-lived and excellent healers and Angel, recognizing her species, had helped her escape a mob of angry humans in Lyon. 

He had given her some money and sent her to America. When he had set up Angel Investigations upon coming to LA from Sunnydale she had looked him up, recognizing him. And Antoinette, it seemed, had no qualms about his recent change in soul-status, she had seen too much of this world to think that nothing ever changed. 

Angelus growled now, a quiet rumble in his chest. But he trusted Antoinette, so far as trusting anyone other than Buffy, and knew Buffy would be safe, at least, from any outside harm. He couldn’t say the same for Antoinette’s staff if anything happened he didn’t like. 

“Would you rather I not get a nice, relaxing massage, baby?” Buffy’s voice, sultry and soft, floated towards him where he had been absently licking the already closed puncture marks on her leg. 

Somewhat surprised that she’d even offer, Angelus looked up her sleek body to catch her eye. “If I said I’d rather you not, would you?” 

“Maybe,” she said with an aborted shrug – it was hard to shrug when you were spread eagle in midair supported only by your head, back, and hips, “Depends.” 

Ah, there was his Buffy. Clamping down on her throbbing clit, Angelus sucked on it for a few short seconds before climbing over a suspended chain to kiss her deeply. “Do whatever you want, love.” 

That wasn’t what she was going for.  

Buffy was aiming to make him angry enough to take her hard and quick, prolong both their pleasure while sating it quickly. Not that she wasn’t a big fan of the slow torturous route she most certainly was; but not today. Today she wanted it hard and fast and now. 

But then he was sinking those elongated teeth into her breast as that talented tongue of his flicked over her hardened nipple and she forgot everything but him
~~~~~~~~~~
Angelus walked down the main staircase, whistling cheerily. 

Any minion in the vicinity was quick to scurry away, fearful of their master’s cheerful mood. It wasn’t that they didn’t fear him when he was angry, for they most certainly did. But this mood…this mood was unprecedented and frankly was doing more to scare them at the moment than any roar he could have possibly roared. 

Buffy had left a while ago with Drusilla, Willow, and Saffir. The latter was leaving at the end of the week with Giles to tie things up at the Hellmouth before their trip to England. Angelus wished them nothing but the best of luck with that little excursion. His only wish was that he could go along, extract his own revenge – not only for all the trouble they had caused him over his long years, but for every harm they had ever inflicted upon Buffy. 

Unfortunately he had too many responsibilities here to allow that at this time. Still, he had made Giles promise all the gory details. 

Still whistling, Angelus almost ran into his Grandchilde. Spike started at the look on his Grandsire’s face and did a double take. Yup, the old poof was smiling. And whistling. Okay, it was off key, but he was still whistling. 

Someone was about to die and horribly. 

Maybe he could watch. 

“What’s going on, Angelus?” Spike asked though he could guess: Riley was about to learn what happened when you touched a vampire’s mate. Wouldn’t this be enjoyable. 

“Spike, my boy, I’m about to visit our dear Captain Finn and all his two thousand parts, care to watch?” 

Best news he had in weeks. “Watch? Hell, yes! Can I join in?” He hated to beg, but Spike really wanted to get back at one of the few remaining members of that damned Initiative that had put that blasted, bloody, sodding chip in his head. 

Not losing his smile, a measure of just how good a mood he was in – Buffy must have done something to help that along, especially if the closing bite marks were any indication – Angelus shook his head. “Sorry, William, but this boy is all mine. He dared touch my mate, dared to think he was good enough for her.” 

Shrugging, he hadn’t really thought that Angelus would let him but it was worth a try, Spike pulled out a cigarette. Buffy hated the smell of stale smoke in her house, but Spike didn’t light it even though she wasn’t present at the moment; so he was a little scared of her, who wouldn’t be? 

“Coming, William?” 

Spike smiled as he followed the older vampire who had begun to hum again. 

“Them bones, them bones, them dry bones…”
~~~~~~~~~~
The vampiress’ walked into the salon and spa looking like four avenging angels. 

They had spent a considerable portion of the early evening shopping – and hunting – and were now more than ready for some pampering. Their limo waited outside, trunk filled high with their purchases, the bored chauffeur waiting for his mistress to finish her evening. 

“I love owning half the town,” Willow said as she followed Buffy to the long marble counter. 

“It does have its advantages,” Saffir agreed, noting the lack of mirrors, the subdued lighting, and, best of all, the complete lack of other customers in what seemed a very popular salon. She liked this place already. 

A stately woman stood behind the counter, looking at her updated – and automated – system. Sometimes technology had its advantages, she could admit that, but she didn’t have to like it. Then again she was paid about three times faster than she had been before. 

“Madame Antoinette?” Buffy asked, looking over the woman – demon – Angelus had described to her. Her hair was long and a fiery red, something like what Willow’s used to be when they had first met. Eyes as gray as a winter’s day met Buffy’s and she was suddenly struck by wave of power. Not malevolent, but not necessarily good, either. 

Maybe Yhuin’h demons weren’t good or evil, but a neutral that went whatever way they wished. 

Looking over the petite former slayer, Antoinette smiled, “You are Buffy, then, yes?” Her accent was still present despite the number of years she had lived in America. At Buffy’s nod of affirmation, Antoinette gestured behind her. “Please, follow me.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Angelus looked over the boy who hung limply from the wall. 

He was certainly a pathetic specimen, barely able to withstand a few days of starvation and mental anguish. How was Riley supposed to last during the really interesting parts? Still, Angelus was glad he had had Riley cleaned, the stench coming off the former soldier was an affront to his senses – especially if he, Angelus, wasn’t the one causing that stench. 

“Now then, let’s get right to the good parts. Hmm, do I want you standing up or laying down? Personally,” he continued, answering his own question and smirking wider at Riley’s glare of hatred, “I think lying down. It’s not that I care about your comfort, this certainly isn’t about that, and the pain from trying to remain standing will indeed be excruciating, but I’m thinking more for my own convenience. So we’ll stretch you out, Finn, and see what happens.” 

Still Riley said nothing; there was nothing to say, so he desperately tried to keep his mouth shut, conserving all his strength for the upcoming torture. He was still sure that there was a way out of all this and that somehow he’d get out of the basement of hell. 

“There’s no escape, Finn, get used to your surroundings, it’s the only scenery you’ll be seeing ever again.” Angelus taunted and was rewarded with a growl from the boy.

“You really think Buffy will stay with you for eternity?” It slipped out but had been on the tip of his tongue for some time. Plus it was the only way he could think of to either shorten his upcoming agony if Angelus killed him outright, or cause some kind of rift between the two lovers. “She’s not exactly the long-term commitment type and I can’t really see her staying with you when there are so many others to experience. Hell, she turned to Spike didn’t she?” 

Riley wasn’t expecting the laugh. 

After a few seconds of fearing for his existence again – damn that insolent whelp, if he had the chance, Spike would kill him now – Spike joined in with Angelus as the older vampire laughed at Riley’s words. While Spike’s punishment for fucking his grandsire’s mate had already been meted out, there wasn’t anything that said Angelus couldn’t beat him senseless just for the hell of it. 

Riley had no idea, did he, Spike thought as Angelus laughter made the minions cower in the doorway. 

“Oh, you stupid, stupid boy, you have no idea, do you? It’s like this. Buffy has always loved me, since the first night we met. She used you because you were convenient, no other reason. She always has and always will come back to me. As for others? Possible, but highly doubtful; though eternity is by its very definition forever, my Joined Mate and I will see it through together. But you have no idea of a concept like that, do you? Oh, well, now you never will.” 

Angelus, still chuckling, wandered over to the tray holding his tools. Spike watched as he directed two minions to bring in a long wooden table and several sets of chains. He absently lit the cigarette, forgetting for a moment his fear of Buffy, his blood calling for him to participate in the coming pain. 

Maybe, if he was lucky, Angelus would grow bored with torturing his mate’s former lover and let him have some fun. 

And maybe he should leave that fantasy world and focus. 

“William?” Angelus called from a far corner. 

Walking over to his grandsire, Spike looked at the chained man. Scruffy and way too thin, he looked like he hadn’t eaten in longer than the few days they had him chained to the wall. Angelus ran a long finger down Spike’s cheek and he knew that Riley’s comment had gotten to him even if he hadn’t shown it. 

It wasn’t, Spike knew, the fear that Buffy would leave him but the reminder of what had once been between his mate and his grandchilde. 

But obviously that was for another time and Angelus was giving out gifts today. 

“You remember Graham?” Willow had pointed him out when she and Paul confirmed their location and Buffy identified him again when she saw the former Initiative soldier after his capture. “He was one of the soldiers to capture you in Sunnydale,” Angelus added, pulling Graham’s head back by his hair, causing a yelp of pain. 

“And he’s all yours.” 

Spike’s eyes lit up and he crushed out his cigarette. Sauntering up to the chained man he grinned at Angelus before turning to one of the minions who had just finished setting up Angelus’ workplace. Yelling out his requirements, Spike shed his shirt, getting comfortable for the upcoming event. 

“Now then, Finn, let’s see where to begin. Oh, your toe bone connected to your foot bone. Actually,” Angelus said, lifting Riley’s left foot, “There are between, what, four and five bones in each toe? Let’s see how many individual ones we can break.” 

Each bone in his foot was smashed. Angelus didn’t use a hammer or anything other than his strong hands to twist and break and crunch the four bones in the big toe, before moving along to crush the rest of those small bones. Moving steadily to the rest of the bones making up his one foot, Angelus manipulated each bone until the appendage was nothing more than a mass of flesh. 

“Oh your foot bone connected to your ankle bone…” Snap! “Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone. Actually,” Angelus said, enjoying himself immensely, “There are two bones in your leg.” Snap! 

“There goes your tibia,” snap! “And there goes the fibula. Now then the knee. That’s got to hurt the most, frankly. Oh the leg bone connected to the knee bone. And…” Pop! “There goes the patella; don’t worry, I’ll get to all that cartilage later on. Oh, the knee bone connected to the thigh bone.” Crunch, crunch, crunch. 

Angelus walked around the table to look at Riley. He didn’t seem to be taking the breaking of his bones very well. And his screams? They started when Angelus broke both the tibia and the fibula. That wonderful music was down to a whimper now, but with about thirty broken bones, it was hardly surprising. 

And he still had one more leg to go.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy sighed in contentment as the masseuse used her strong hands to ease the muscles of her legs and feet. 

The deceptively soft hands kneaded her foot, rubbing each individual toe and the sole of her foot for long pleasurable moments, rotating her ankle, massaging the muscles of her calf until it felt like rubber. Buffy let out a deep contented sigh and used whatever remaining energy she possessed feel Angelus through their link; he was certainly enjoying himself.

She smiled, wondering what fun and exciting things he’d have in store for her when she got home. 

Carefully over knees to her thigh, again kneading the muscles there for long, long minutes. Another sigh escaped her and Buffy wondered why she hadn’t looked into this before. And the woman – Acariya – was just getting started. 

Switching sides, Acariya paid the same attention to Buffy’s right leg as she did to her left.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Okay then, where was I? Got both legs, don’t think you’ll be dancing any time soon there, Finn.” Angelus was grinning widely, every time he snapped a bone it was music to his ears. 

Trust the army to make sure their soldiers got enough calcium and phosphors to ensure strong healthy bones. 

Angelus glances over to see how Spike was doing. Shaking his head at the boy’s impatience, he took a moment to admire the use of the rack before turning back to his more enjoyable task. He paused for a moment to feel Buffy, her relaxation, her anticipation of coming home. 

Smiling at that thought, he concentrated on her and poured all his desire through their link, pausing a moment so he could feel her more than positive response. 

“The thigh bone connected to the hip bone, the hip bone connected to the back bone.” 

Hmm, to break the hip bone or not? 

Lilah couldn’t have any fun with him if he was completely broken. Then again, this wasn’t about anyone else’s pleasure but his. Pressing down, using all his supernatural strength, he felt the satisfying break of Riley’s jutting bone. A few days of hunger and this is what the commando was reduced to. Maybe Angelus should have had him fattened up before hand… 

“Contrary to my original plan, I’m not going to break all twenty-six of your vertebrae. Not yet at least. There are so many more bones to see to first. Plus I really want you to feel as much of this as possible. So, on to the arms.” 

Moving up a bit for better access, Angelus grabbed Riley’s left arm. “The finger bone connected to the wrist bone,” and there went all his fingers and tendons, the wrist socket making a soft popping noise when he snapped that. “The wrist bone connected to the arm bone. And again, Finn, you have two bones in your forearm.” 

Pulling the arm back and to the side, Angelus smashed it against the wooden table, leaving splinters in the skin. Might have to have someone pull them out later.
~~~~~~~~~~
Each finger was manipulated in turn, the slick oil allowing Acariya’s hands to glide over bone and muscle.

Buffy had refused to remove her ring – she wasn’t entirely sure she could, anyway – and idly wondered how long it’d take to wash the oil off the diamonds and emeralds. Over wrist and arm to her elbow, moving the joint back and forth to stretch the muscles there, up to her bicep, only to switch and do the same with her other arm.

When Acariya got to her shoulders, Buffy thought she’d rarely felt anything so wonderful.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Finn…you still with me?” Angelus peered questioningly into Riley’s unseeing eyes. They were clouded with pain but still held a trace of anger though it was doubtful the boy knew what it was he was angry at.

Shrugging, Angelus decided to get something to eat; all this was making him hungry. And aroused, the screams of this boy were simply wonderful and at the moment Angelus wanted to loose himself in his mate’s body. 

He had just turned towards the door when he heard Riley let out a whine. Maybe the boy wasn’t as out of it as he wanted Angelus to believe. Whipping back to face him, Angelus smiled when he saw Riley blinking, teeth clamped down on his bloodied lip to prevent more pathetic screams from emerging.

Still, drained as he was, Riley made the sweetest moans of pain and Angelus really didn’t want to stop if he didn’t need to.

He hadn’t wanted anyone else present when he tortured Riley – except Spike who had given up on Graham a bit ago when the latter had completely passed out from the pain stretching bone and tissue caused. Pouring a glass of water for the commando, Angelus made sure most of the liquid made it into his parched throat.

He repeated this with most of the pitcher before going back to work.

“The arm bone connected to the shoulder bone. And the clavicle never heals properly.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Acariya spent an inordinate amount of time on her shoulders and neck, making sure each knot was loosened and each muscle relaxed.

When those hands moved to her back, Buffy wanted to whimper. She could tell that Angelus felt her sheer delight at this but he didn’t seem to mind. Her mate was enjoying himself too much with her sorry excuse of a former lover.

Kneading each vertebra in turn before moving to the surrounding areas, Buffy wondered if she should hire Acariya permanently. Then again, the thought of any woman other than her touching Angelus caused her to growl and loose all sense of relaxation. Forcing herself to relax again, Buffy enjoyed the rest of her massage before heading to her facial.
~~~~~~~~~~
Angelus flipped the boy over, “And finally we come to the back bone. There are still quite a few bones I want to break, but I’m thinking one or two cracked vertebrae first.”

Starting with the tail bone and working his way upwards, Angelus tried to break only the bones, but knew if he crushed too many Riley would lose all feeling in his body and what fun would that be? 

Flipping him onto his newly broken back, Angelus watched the agony spread across Riley’s face, all those wonderful emotions clear for him to see and hear as the boy again tried to scream, any pretense of resisting this torture gone. 

“Hmm,” Angelus said, releasing his fist to pound into Riley’s nose, breaking it in one hit. “Nose and jaw, I’m thinking, the cheek bones will be redundant at this point,” and proceeded to dislocate his jaw.
~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy felt herself drifting off to sleep as Acariya applied the mask to her face, allowing the moisturizers to seep into her parched skin. 

Angelus was still enjoying himself, though Buffy could tell he was getting bored with Riley’s lack of response. Stifling a laugh Buffy thought that he shouldn’t have broken his jaw then. Still, there was more fun to be had, she was sure. 

Smiling as Acariya left her for a few minutes, Buffy thought to the rest of her night. This pampering bit was wonderful.
~~~~~~~~~~
Several hours later, Angelus was cleaning the blood from his hands, waiting for Buffy to arrive. 

Riley had passed out for the final time thirty minutes before and Angelus had spent long moments debating on waiting for him to awaken before he implemented the next stage of his plan. It was for the best, he had decided, what good was torture if they couldn’t feel it? 

Wiping his hands one last time on the rag, Angelus turned towards the door when he felt Buffy getting closer. There was still about four hours of moonlight left and he felt the need to go out, celebrate. 

Waiting for her to walk down the stairs, Angelus turned to Spike who had watched Riley’s torture with a jealous gleam in his eye. “Finished with Graham?” 

Shaking his head no, Spike laughed. “Course not, but the putz passed out before we got too far. And I got bored.” 

Not surprised, his grandsire just nodded. It was a common theme with Spike and one he, Angelus, had tried to break him of for years. “That’s because you went too fast. Though I’m sure he didn’t think so as he was screaming for you to stop.” 

Spike laughed as Buffy wandered into the cellar looking relaxed and pleased with herself. 

Wrapping her arms around her lover, Buffy leaned up for a demanding kiss. “Missed you, baby,” she whispered, hands already roaming his larger frame. 

“Let’s go hunt, love, I’m starved.” 

Nodding her agreement Buffy allowed Angelus to lead her out the room, never acknowledging either Spike or Riley – what was left of him. The moment the couple walked out the front door, Angelus had her against the wall, hiking her skirt up and plunging into her. 

It was hard and fast, a frantic coupling that both craved. Cordelia, still chained to the lawn, couldn’t help but watch. Her looping visions had ended not long ago, though she could still see them in her mind’s eye. The images, she was sure, would never leave her. 

The seer had heard them exit the house and was positive they were going to taunt her some more. But they never even looked at her, so focused on each other. And her eyes were drawn to them, the frantic kisses, the smooth caresses, the growls of pleasure and the shouts of each other’s names. 

Angelus held Buffy close to him for long minutes afterwards, and Cordelia wondered, anew, at two soulless demons loving. Love, she supposed, was a funny thing. And then they were walking to Angelus’ car, climbing into the two-door convertible and speeding into whatever remained of the night still engrossed in each other. 

Looking upwards to the star drenched sky, Cordelia hoped they’d end her torture soon. Her body still ached from the burns, though those were healing quickly enough, but the visions…. She was afraid to sleep, afraid to even close her eyes for the remnants of the visions were worse then. In her sleep she could hear the screams of all those she had failed to help, of all those Buffy and Angelus had killed. 

“You’re still alive,” a voice from her left said. 

“Connor?” Cordelia couldn’t believe it. “Connor, what are you doing here? Quick, get me out of these chains before they come back.” 

But Connor didn’t move. “What did they do to you that made you scream like that?” He asked instead. 

“Connor?” What had happened to him? Why wasn’t he helping? “Visions,” she said slowly, “Willow did some kind of mojo on me and made me relive everything that Angelus and Buffy had done since reuniting.” 

“Oh,” he said, turning looking down the driveway to where his father had sped off. Climbing over her as if she were nothing more than a log in his way, Connor walked back into the night. 

“Connor, what’s wrong with you?” 

He looked over his shoulder though didn’t turn completely around. “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t care what happens to you. I don’t care at all.” 

Three hours later he watched as his father and wife climbed out of the car, still wrapped in each other, laughing over something they had either seen or done while they had been gone.

Both paused for a moment as if sensing him, but continued on their way. But their smiles changed and Connor knew that they had, indeed, known he was nearby. Still they didn’t push and he wondered, not for the first time why that was. 

Maybe it was time to find out.
~~~~~~~~~~
An hour after sunrise the doorbell rang. 

Angelus and Buffy hadn’t made it back to their rooms yet, having decided to focus on business first. It was difficult to concentrate on work when the other was so close, but they tried. 

When the doorbell rang again, Buffy growled in frustration and got up to answer it herself, vowing to kill their butler for his slowness. Flinging open the door and careful to stay out of the sun that was just beginning to rise, Buffy paused. 

“Connor,” she said, seemingly not at all surprised to find him there. 

Angelus walked up behind her a scant moment later, having felt her surprise and satisfaction. Looking at his son he couldn’t help the smile. “Son.” 

“Hi, dad,” Connor acknowledged, though there was no inflection in his voice. 

“Why don’t you come in,” Buffy smiled, stepping out of the way and watching as the boy did as requested. Unhesitatingly, there was no fear coming off him, just a kind of resignation and anticipation. 

Looking to her mate, they shared a smile. Their family was now complete.

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