Demons

This piece was hard for me, because, well, I think the first time I saw them kiss, I threw something at the TV and yelled "NOOO!" So, given that (and the fact I think I was drunk when I got this idea), I think it's pretty good...

“Willow?” Xander said with disbelief. He wasn’t sure it was her – he had no idea she was in Las Vegas, and, well, she looked much, much different. Plus, it was dark – at least, as dark as Las Vegas ever gets. “Willow!” She turned around, tossing her long, stringy, bright red hair behind her. Her eyes had deep hollows beneath them, she was stick thin, and she looked horrible, but it was Willow.
“Will?” He asked again.
“Xander?” she asked. Her voice sounded like she was hoping that he was Xander, but she knew he couldn’t be.
“Yeah.” He said, striding to close the distance between them. “Will, what happened to you?”
“Oh, I…” she stiffened. “I work late hours.” He sensed she was lying, but he let it slide. “So, how are you?” She asked, trying to direct the conversation away from herself. “I don’t see Anya with you.”
“She… she got caught.” His eyes were filled with deep sorrow. “She was defending Buffy. They…they’re both gone, Will.”
“Oh.” She looked down at the ground, and he could see her dark roots. He wanted to know what had happened to her, but he could tell she didn’t want him to know. “Well, hey, I’m on my way to this bar. You could come with me.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” She smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. For the first time he noticed what she was wearing – a tiny green tanktop, slightly faded, baring her midriff, and a black leather miniskirt he was positive was fake. He guessed, with his trained eye, she wasn’t wearing a bra, and for the first time, he really didn’t want to know what she had done to herself.
When they entered the dark, smoke-filled, dirty bar, she excused herself – to go powder her face, she explained with another wry smile that, again, did not reach her eyes. He sat down at the bar and ordered a drink, then sat to wait for her. When she came back, the bartender took one look at her, then gave her a lewd grin and a drink. It looked like red wine – or blood. But she wasn’t a vampire. He would have known if she was a vampire. She drank it down quickly, and when she set the glass back down, he came back with two beers. It wasn’t what Xander had ordered, but he figured he wouldn’t push it. The bartender was much, much bigger than he was, and he didn’t have a kind eye. Willow, on the other hand, frowned.
“This isn’t my usual, Joe.” She complained, glaring at the large man.
“I’m sorry, Red, but you got the last of it last time, remember? I don’t get another shipment of that shit for another month.” He was sweating under her glare. “Hell. Don’t hurt me, please?” She sighed, then took the beer and turned back to Xander.
“Sorry ‘bout that.” She apologized. “It’s not very good, but Joe doesn’t charge me. You’re not going to charge Xander either, are you, Joe?”
“N…no, Red.” He started scrubbing the counter furiously, and Willow smiled for the first time.
“C’mon, there’s a table in the back. Joe gets nervous when I sit up here.” She led him to the small booth and sat down. “So, Xand, they’re dead, what are you doing in Vegas?”
“Well, Giles sent me here.”
“They didn’t get Giles?” She looked almost…disappointed. “Oh, I guess that’s good. So there’s a demon out here?”
“He thought maybe Oz was out here.” A expression of sorrow flickered across Willow’s face, but soon went back to the non-committal expression she seemed to favor.
“He’s not here.” She said, a little too harshly, perhaps. Xander was sorry he’d brought it up.
“So, are you here to fight demons, Will?” He asked, trying to change the topic. She snorted.
“Everyone ‘round here has their own demons, Xander. You see that girl there?” She pointed to a woman who looked about thirty wearing a string bikini. “Her name is Mary, she’s a crack addict. She’s also seventeen, and she owes Joe so much money that she warms his bed to get enough money to pay him and her dealer. And Joe? Joe’s in trouble with the head vampire around here, plus he smuggles in liquor. Everyone’s got problems, Xand, and I can’t help them. You’re one of the few innocents left in the world, and I wish…” she cut off mid-sentence and downed the rest of her beer. Then she turned towards the bartender. “Hey, Joe!” she yelled. “Bring me the scotch this time!” He was at her side almost instantly with a bottle of scotch, an iced glass, and another beer – cold this time – for Xander. Then he backed away slowly. Willow laughed bitterly. “I get respect.” She commented idly. “Why don’t you tell me a little about what you’ve done recently?”
So he began to talk, and drink. She drank most of her scotch, and Joe kept him supplied with beer, so by the time they got kicked out of the bar, neither of them were very in control of their brains.
“Hey, Xand, where you stayin’ tonight?” She slurred. He laughed.
“Dunno.”
“Come keep me company.” She said with a grin, and he was happy to agree, suddenly wondering if she really wasn’t wearing a bra. Mary stumbled up to them, also drunk.
“Will, you got anything for me today?” She asked in a very soft voice.
“Nah, you owe me for last week.” Willow said. “Now, shoo! I gots me company.” Mary’s face fell, but she ran back into the shadows anyway. “Teach her not to pay.” The redhead muttered, turning back to Xander. She wrapped sinuous arms around his neck. “Whadda say, Xand?”
“Love to.” He grinned, then took possession of her lips with his own, moving his hands up to her breasts.
They stumbled backwards into the wall, kissing and touching, neither of them caring that anyone could be watching. His hands slipped inside the shirt and proved his deduction true – nothing was holding her in. Somehow they made it to Willow’s shabby apartment and fell on the couch. It was as good a place as any for what they were doing. He pulled his shirt over his head as she undid his pants and they slipped down to his ankles, followed by his boxers. Her skirt slipped easily down her slim hips, and she removed her shirt quickly, joining him on the couch. She really was too thin, but he ignored it in his need, quickly taking possession of her body as she moaned and sighed, rocking her hips as if she needed it as much as he did. Finally, after they were both spent, she laid down next to him and fell into a deep sleep.
He could not sleep, however, and he stared into the darkness of her apartment for a while, wondering what was wrong and finding nothing. He went into the bathroom to get a drink of water, noted the absence of a mirror and the baggie of white powder on the shelf above the sink, and wondered what time had done to his childhood friend. He walked back into the room and picked Willow up to carry her into the bedroom. She sighed and curled into a ball on the bed, still sleeping. He noted her answering machine with its blinking red light, and went to push it. Curiosity killed the cat, but that was a lesson apparently Xander did not learn well enough.
*beep*
“Will, it’s Mary. I NEED more. Joe’s given me extra money for my birthday, since I’m finally legal – you’ve got to give me more, I’m dying here…” *beep*
“Willow!” A deep chuckle he remembered from long ago echoed through the room. “I’m going to be back in town in a week. ‘ow’s that, baby? I finally tracked that new Slayer down. You’ll be happy to know she’s gone. Love you.”
“Spike.” Xander hissed. A metallic voice beeped again and told him there were no more messages. Suddenly everything clicked. Willow had stopped breathing – she was a vampire. And the white powder, some drug she was selling… “Oh, shit.” He swore, whirling around.
“Oh, shit, indeed, Xand. I didn’t want to have to do this.” He heard behind him. A growl filled the room, then he saw her face, vamped out. She came towards him quickly, and he had no time to react. His body fell to the ground with a small thump, and Willow looked at it distastefully.
“A pity. Told you everyone had demons ‘round here, Xand. You just weren’t listening close enough, were you?” She smiled again, and her pearly white fangs glistened in the moonlight.

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