17. Setting Goals

It was only after she’d spoken that Spike saw that Drusilla had eschewed the routine torture devices that the vampires kept around in case anyone felt like playing with their supper. For day to day fun the vampires used normal human devices: designed by humans to torture other humans.

Instead Dru held the delicate tools that were specifically designed to torture other vampires. Spike didn’t know if they had been created by other vampires, the Watchers Council, or Angelus himself, but he dearly wished that they’d stayed hidden. There was no telling how much damage Dru or her Sire could do with those tools if they wanted to. He knew that his screams would not be for show, as he had so blithely informed the Slayer.

Despite what he’d told Buffy, part of him hoped that she didn’t wait for him, that she pulled herself together enough to tell off the Poofter permanently, and soon. He wasn’t sure how much more of this back and forth he could take. But he was grateful that he had at least some Slayer blood running through his veins. Not only would it make it easier to bear the pain Drusilla was going to inflict, but he could feel himself healing from just those few drops he’d swallowed. In addition, the Slayer blood was a strong aphrodisiac, and it was going to make his session with Drusilla that much more erotic. He didn’t quite go in for the ‘pain as pleasure’ bit as much as most vamps apparently did, but the blood would go a long way to making it tolerable. The blood might or might not be addictive, but that was not why Spike craved it. Apparently Angelus hadn’t deduced that it was a strong healing agent as well. Just a little bit more, and Spike would be as good as new.

~*~

Buffy hurried a little further down the corridor, then stopped to finish getting dressed. She felt much better after whatever it was that Spike had done, but she was still hoping that she didn’t run into too much trouble on the way home. It had been an exhausting few days. If she kept this up, she’d have to look into getting some iron pills or something. She didn’t think she was up to being a human pincushion.

She was glad enough of the loan of Spike’s stake by the time she made it over to Willow’s. Apparently Spike had been right, and the scent of her blood, even muted, had attracted more than twice the number of vampires that she usually dusted on a typical patrol. She was lucky that they hadn’t all come at her at once, or she might have been in trouble.

She found Willow alive and well, but crying.

“Buffy! You look terrible!” she managed to get out between the sobs.

“You don’t look so great yourself.” She replied. “But I’m glad that you’re okay. After Angelus tied me up as an appetizer for his ho bag of a girlfriend, he said he was off to pay you a visit. I’m glad he didn’t.”

“Oh, but Buffy, he did.” Perplexed, Buffy looked where her friend indicated. There was nothing there except Willow’s pride and joy. Her fish tank. Buffy looked closer. Where were the fish?

Buffy couldn’t find it in her heart to tell her friend how bad it could have been; what she had feared. They really needed to come up with a spell to revoke the Angelus’s invitation. No one was safe until they could do that. And why did the invite meant for Angel apply equally to Angelus? Was it just a flesh thing, or were they really more alike than anyone wanted to admit? That so could not be true. Not after what he had put her through tonight.

She needed to get her thoughts together and decide how she was going to deal with Angelus. Despite everything that had happened between them, she still wasn’t sure that she’d be able to dust him on sight. It was true she could sneak up on him and stake him when he wasn’t expecting it – but that didn’t seem much like justice. She at least owed him fair warning and a chance to try to explain himself, didn’t she? He could easily have harmed Willow tonight, but he hadn’t. The fish had been a warning. She knew that there were serious problems with their relationship – including but not limited to Angelus’s apparent fascination with sharing her with his childer. But could she bring herself to do it? She told herself it would only be dusting another vampire – something she did every night – but it felt as if she contemplating murdering her lover, which was something entirely different. Even if her lover happened to be a vampire with some kind of twisted sexual deviance. If she killed him, it wouldn’t be because he was a danger to her and to other humans, it would be because she didn’t know how else to get out of the relationship. And that just wasn’t right – no matter what he had done to her personally.

The idea of staking Angelus shelved for now, her mind drifted back to Spike. He’d made the offer to help her dust Angelus twice now. She idly wondered whether the relationship between the two vampires also strained to the point where Spike actually contemplated dusting his Sire? If she could get Spike to do the deed himself, perhaps she wouldn’t have to feel so guilty. But it only took a moment’s self-reflection to realize that allowing Spike to do it would not relieve her to the burden of blame. She would have to come to terms with her own decision.

*~*

By the time Angelus finally made an appearance in the cellar, it was Spike who was struggling to stay conscious. Drusilla had finally given up torturing him, and had lovingly coated his cock with his own blood before sinking herself down on it. He’d finally earned his reward, and he didn’t want to pass out now and miss the good part. It almost made the whole ordeal worth while. Almost.

Angelus was in a good mood when he stalked in to the room where they were fucking. He pretended to be mad that they had sent the Slayer home – but Spike was pretty sure it was just for show. With Angelus, actions spoke louder than words. And what Angelus did was drop his pants and climb onto Spike’s chest, pulling Dru’s mouth down onto his own stiff member.

Spike was glad that he didn’t need to breathe – the position he was in wasn’t really comfortable, but he silently agreed with Angelus, that it was damned arousing – and he was glad to finally be a part of their play. Angelus could have taken Dru to himself and left Spike with no reward at all for his pains. It meant something to Spike that he hadn’t – he just wasn’t sure yet what.

Later, it was Dru who was sent away, while Angelus remained alone with Spike. It was Angelus himself undid Spike’s shackles and helped him get dressed and back in the wheelchair. For the life of him, Spike couldn’t figure out why Angelus was suddenly being so nice to him. He’d probably find out later. Must be some ulterior motive. There always was, with Angelus.

Finally the interrogation began. This, Spike could understand. It began softly, “So, Spike. I see how things wound up. Tell me what happened with the Slayer?”

Spike was suspicious of Angelus’ generous mood, and he snapped back his reply. “Just what I told you would happen when I knew what you’d done. Dru played with her for a bit and got frustrated and started cutting and whatnot. I let it go on for a bit, because I knew that you wanted her punished – but I put a stop to it before it became more than the Slayer could handle.”

Angelus was grinning. That was usually a bad sign. “And I do admire the way that you did it, boy. I knew you would. How was Buffy?”

Just as Spike thought, they had all been played. “What do you think?” he sneered. “She was bleeding, and in pretty bad shape. I told her to arm herself and sent her home.” He wasn’t about to admit to Angelus that he kept a wooden stake in his boot - Angelus was the main person he was trying to protect himself against! “I told her to dust anyone she saw in the tunnels. Despite your feared name and iron control, Angelus, it wasn’t safe to send her home like that. I don’t think there’s a one of the minions with enough sense to resist the lure of all that Slayer blood wafting through the halls.” He wouldn’t tell Angelus how he had solved that problem either. Not unless he was forced to. Angelus didn’t need to know that he tasted his property yet again.

“Good. I didn’t think of that. But Buffy can take care of herself, as long as she’s not hurt too bad. One of things I like best about her.” Along with the taste of her blood. “You’re sure that she was able to defend herself, wasn’t she? Tell me you didn’t send her home defenseless?”

“No, she was okay. They were just scratches, most of them. Already started to heal. She made it home safely.” He thought a moment, “Did you just admit that you planned it this way?”

Angelus just smiled, but didn’t answer.

“Not that it’s any of my business what you choose to do with your human toy, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what you stood to gain by staging this event. Are you trying to get Buffy to the point where she feels that she needs to stake you?”

Angelus didn’t miss that Spike had called the Slayer by her given name. He couldn’t have been more pleased with the way things had worked out. He could afford to be magnaminous. “You’re right Spike. It’s not your business. But I’ll say this much – these past few nights – it wasn’t really about the Slayer. It was about you and Dru. I needed to see how you two would react. Whether or not I could trust you, and how far.” Then he gestured to the block. “I’ll send someone down to clean this place up.” He grinned at Spike. “Do you think Buffy would ever go for this?”

“No. I don’t think she’ll ever be into torture, Angelus. She’s human. Pain just feels like pain to humans. Unless of course you turn her. But of course, that is what you mean to do, isn’t it?”

“Eventually,” Angelus shrugged, as if it was of little import. “I’m enjoying her too much the way she is right now. I haven’t decided. But that’s not what I meant.” He turned so he could look Spike in the eyes as he spoke. “I meant, do you ever think Buffy would ever willingly take us both at the same time like that?”

Despite what she had been through recently, Spike knew that underneath it all, Buffy was still an innocent. It would never occur to her to do what Drusilla had done with the both of them. He’d just had the best vampire sex he’d had in ages, and yet he was suddenly rock hard at the picture Angelus presented. Spike found he couldn’t even answer his Sire, his throat was so dry. Instead they both just smiled at the thought.


A/N Finally got the monsters...ah, houseguests... to leave. My intent is to finish up this fic in the next several days before RL gets wild again. Please review - it will make me post faster!!!