A Taste For the Undead (AU)

[Harlequin]

Title: A Taste For the Undead

Author: David Hunter AKA Harlequin

Disclaimed: All characters owned by Joss, UPN, etc. etc.

Timeframe: End of Season 2/Beginning of Season 3.

Summary: Acathla was never opened as Buffy was able to foil it in time. Drusilla ran off with Angelus, fleeing Sunnydale. Tara and Faith have just arrived over the summer.

Pairings: W/T (Eventually...), D/A

Feedback: By all means, let me know your thoughts and likes/dislikes of this story.

Rating: R I guess to start off with. May reach NC-17 although most of the sex will be implied. If graphic/strongly implied violence offends you then I suggest you read another story.

Author's Note: This will likely be somewhat dark or haunting in the beginning with the occasional lightening here and there.

Thoughts are in ' '

-------------------------------------

Chapter 1

Fear rolled off her in waves, practically thickening the air in a fog. He grinned to himself, knowing the girl had nowhere to go. He got up off the bed and gazed in the mirror at his victim, knowing there would be no reflection of himself.

'Well, let's get this party started' thought the vampire as he turned to face the struggling redhead. She gazed up at him, green eyes trying to find anything human in him but of course, a vampire has no soul. 'Except for the poof' thought Spike but he quickly brushed that thought aside and moved closer to the trembling girl. He licked his lips and morphed into his guise, knowing full well what the consequences of his actions would be.

"She wants to run Drusilla out of town with Angelus then she can feel the pain and suffering that I've felt," snarled Spike to the whimpering redhead. Her eyes widened in fear, realization smacking her full force as he bent closer to her neck.

"It'll only sting for a bit Red," said Spike, evil gleaming in his eyes. With that, he reached down pushing the hair behind her ear, exposing the throbbing vein in her neck that pulsated with life, blood waiting to be tasted and nourished.

'No!!' was the last thought that entered Willow's head as Spike sank his teeth into her neck. She could feel her life ebbing away. The room around her began to lose focus and a bright light began to fill her with warmth. She swung her head towards it, knowing it was her intended destination. She began to float when suddenly she was jolted back to the reality she had just left.

"Come on luv, time to welcome a new world into your not so beating heart," murmured Spike into the redhead's ear. He didn't much care for her as a human but knew that having her as a vampire would be even more crushing to the Slayer then if she were just dead. 'The Slayer'...soon Spike would show off his pet to the world of Sunnydale, he smiled, and the Slayer would have to go toe to toe with her best friend.

'What the hell?' was the first thought Willow had upon opening her eyes and taking in the dump that she found herself in. She was tied to a bed and blood had been smeared over her lips. She immediately locked eyes with the man seated on the edge of the bed and let out a low warning growl, causing the man to break into a wide grin much to her confusion.

"Who are you?" asked Willow, a hard edge to her voice. The man didn't respond and instead leaned forward, untying her wrists as the redhead sat up, backing up against the headboard but feeling a connection to this man as well. She wasn't sure she liked where she was and wasn't sure she liked the man now standing at the base of the bed either.

"Now come on Red, it's me Spike. Remember...parent/teacher night..." Spike drawled, trying to prod Willow's brain into remembering him.

"Spike..." Willow said out loud as if testing the name when suddenly a flashback of that night hit her. She narrowed her eyes but made no comment as Spike smirked and sat down on the bed now.

"Nice to see you remember me Red. Don't think I changed you cause I like you, far from it. I do however know that you were intelligent, which already puts you on a bloody pedestal compared to most of the nits that I've encountered. Are you hungry luv?" asked Spike, already knowing the answer would be of confirmation as he got off the bed and headed toward the dresser.

Willow made no reply, instead waiting for Spike to produce whatever he was looking for. She raised her eyes to the mirror, before quickly realizing that she was a vampire and no longer could see herself. She let out an inward sigh, a craving had begun developing inside her the moment she saw Spike and she knew that she had to satisfy her thirst. She knew that Spike was aware of this as well, much to her chagrin.

"Here we are..." Spike announced triumphantly. He pulled a scruffy looking terrier from a dresser drawer. The dog let out a few shrill barks as Spike looked at the redhead and knew her craving was growing more ravenous by the second. *CRACK* The dog now lay limp in his hands as he tossed it to the redhead. She picked it up with a frown, eyeing Spike warily. Spike merely spread his arms out, waiting for Willow to feed. She let out a low growl, morphing into her vampire guise before tearing into the dog's throat with gusto. Spike smiled, a twinkle in his eye as he watched his childe feed for the first time. She looked like she might just be a keeper after all.

*****

"How could you!" shouted Buffy, pacing the library. She turned, glaring at Giles who was looking anywhere else to avoid eye contact with the Slayer. She knew that Willow wasn't the most physical member of the group which made her the most susceptible to something like this happening. She let it happen, however all she could do was try to find blame elsewhere. She knew Oz and Xander were hurting and swore that she wouldn't let anything happen to Willow. If anything happened to her...it'd kill her.

"I'm sorry...look, we have to find Willow. We can't stay here waiting for her to just pop in again. Angelus and Drusilla are still out there somewhere and Spike is...who knows where. Giles, tell me you have something that can help," stated Buffy more in a command than a question. Giles raised his eyes, matching hers as Xander and Oz sat at the table both wearing features of anguish and pain.

"Buffy...I-I know that this is difficult but we must try and get a handle on what has happened. We can't just go out there and get ourselves killed-" responded Giles who was sharply cut off by an irate Oz shoving the table over. Buffy looked at Oz who just stared back with a cold intensity that was only seen with the wolf. Xander jumped to his feet at the reaction but he turned to face Buffy, giving her a look that said all she needed to know.

"We're going. Now," said Buffy with finality. Giles merely nodded his consent and moved to open the cage door to retrieve weapons for the gang.

*****

She had tried on several different combinations and still hadn't found one that looked good. The blonde sighed, knowing that her best friend was probably ready and waiting on her. She wished it were as easy to find something provocative and yet casual like her friend did...okay, more provocative and less casual but she didn't want to come off as somebody who was a total skank. 'Oh...not that she's a skank but...ugh. Okay, this'll just have to do' the blonde thought as a hard rap filled the room.

"Come on Tara! We only have 10 minutes before The Bronze opens! All the cute guys get taken immediately and I'm sick of losing out on them," whined a voice on the other side of the door. Tara looked up at the mirror, half smile playing on her face as she turned around and opened the door to reveal Faith standing there, clearly antsy to leave.

"I'm r-r-ready," said the blonde as Faith squealed and grabbed Tara's hand. She dragged the blonde with such force down the stairs that she couldn't even manage to close her bedroom door in time. Tara loved Faith, in a best friend way. She was a jitterbug and was the exact opposite of her which made for nice compatibility. She knew that Faith was desperate to get a date this time around after having to dance with castoffs and nerds beforehand. Tara was just hoping that Faith wouldn't get her killed en route to The Bronze in the process though.

"We're going to have a blast!" said Faith as she opened the front door, letting Tara go first before following suit.

*****

'She's still hungry? Bloody hell...I'm never making another childe again. I'm amazed Angelus could stand us' Spike thought as Willow stood in front of him clearly not sated enough. Spike sighed and glanced at the door, knowing that what he was about to do could potentially endanger the both of them. He wasn't sure he wanted to be out there with a rogue pissed off slayer after him and an inexperienced vampire at his side.

"I need to hunt Spike. Sooner or later I'll need to go out there and besides, this way you can impress me with your skills," said Willow thinking all the while that Spike was useless to her. 'What an arrogant jerk' she thought as Spike again glanced from her to the door. She wasn't sure why he was afraid to go out but she knew that if they didn't, she'd drink from him without a second thought.

"Look luv...it's dangerous out there," protested Spike, clearly trying to delay the inevitable. He wasn't happy with the turn of events that were happening and wasn't sure if he could handle whatever cruel tricks were awaiting him. Willow glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly non plussed with the idea of staying cooped up with him in the warehouse basement.

"Either you take me or I'll go out myself," said Willow, stern determination in her tone. Spike glared in annoyance at the audacity of his childe. He knew that she'd do as she said though and was growing oddly fascinated with her. 'This is how Angelus probably felt' thought Spike as he looked into Willow's eyes.

"Fine pet but do not leave my side for any reason, understood? Do not leave my side," warned Spike as he turned on his heel and headed up the steps with the redhead in tow. Spike knew that running into the Slayer would prove trouble and was hoping he could a quick snack before retreating to his home for sanctuary. Looking back on it, 'maybe draining the redhead would've been a smarter idea' thought Spike as he yanked the door open and strode out into the chilling breeze of the wind. Stars filled the night and shone down on them but all Willow could think of was the power that life contained..

TBC

[cperrins78]

Interesting start, you have my curiosity getting the better of me. Please update soon.



Christina

[Harlequin]

Christina: Glad to have your curiosity piqued, just hope it doesn't kill you like it does with most cats Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Title: A Taste For the Undead

Author: David Hunter AKA Harlequin

Disclaimed: All characters owned by Joss, UPN, etc. etc.

Timeframe: End of Season 2/Beginning of Season 3.

Summary: Acathla was never opened as Buffy was able to foil it in time. Drusilla ran off with Angelus, fleeing Sunnydale. Tara and Faith have just arrived over the summer.

Pairings: W/T (Eventually...), D/A

Feedback: By all means, let me know your thoughts and likes/dislikes of this story.

Rating: R I guess to start off with. May reach NC-17 although most of the sex will be implied. If graphic/strongly implied violence offends you then I suggest you read another story.

Author's Note: This will likely be somewhat dark or haunting in the beginning with the occasional lightening here and there.

Thoughts are in ' '

Chapter 2

"Dru...what are you doing?" wondered Angelus who watched the damsel dance melodically to the music made in her head. She turned and smiled at him before bowing her head again and swinging her arms in tune. She kept this performance up before suddenly stopping and whirling to face Angelus. She cracked a wry smile towards him as he looked back at her, waiting for whatever news she had waiting to bloom.

"Spike seems to have found a new doll. He says she could be useful. I know her though. She paints the moon red," said Drusilla airily. Angelus got up from his side of the cheap motel bed and stalked towards her. He grabbed her by the shoulders forcefully, causing Drusilla to smile and snap her teeth at him.

"Not nice to play with those that don't belong to you," sighed Drusilla. Angelus' eyes narrowed.

"Did Spike sire somebody?" asked Angelus with a growl in his throat. He loved his childe and fancied his manner but knew that Spike could take things too far and be uncontrollable. He knew that if he sired somebody, that childe would be in for a rough ride and he wasn't happy one bit. His family was about to grow, and Angelus thought that the current members were more than enough.

"He wanted to teach but the teacher sent him to the back. He defied what he was commanded," came Drusilla's reply, once again dancing about in beat to an invisible band. "Care to dance Angelus?" drawled Drusilla as she extended her hand towards her sire. Angelus reached forward, taking her hand in his all the while his mind wondering what he would have to do to rectify the situation. He wasn't happy about returning to Sunnydale and knew that Spike would immediately take front with Angelus trying to do away with his childe.

"We're going back. Tomorrow we'll return and I'll set Spike straight," said Angelus as he matched eyes with Drusilla. She smiled, bringing her lips up and pecking him on the cheek.

"I can't wait to see him. Promise me a seat with roses?" asked Drusilla, a fire dancing in her eyes. Angelus leaned forward, kissing her on the lips as Drusilla moaned. "Anything for you," replied Angelus. He knew Spike wouldn't be happy with his decision but he had control and his control would be seen to.

*****

Spike stopped instantly, so much so that Willow walked right into him. She let out a snarl but Spike raised a hand to stifle her. Willow looked around, confused and feeling that something was wrong but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Slayer?" asked Spike, clearly aware that the blonde wasn't in his path of vision and he couldn't see her anywhere else as he scanned over the parking lot of The Bronze. He looked back at Willow, perplexed and as if expecting her to come up with a viable answer.

"Is that what I'm sensing?" Willow asked while gazing around as well. All she saw were teenagers but no Buffy. No Buffy or any of the friends that she had been accustomed to while alive. She knew Kendra was dead though, Drusilla made sure of that. She looked up at Spike and was about to ask a question when her eyes caught an object.

*****

"You have to dance with me," pleaded Faith as she continued to pull Tara along the pavement leading to the entrance of The Bronze. Tara looked uncertain but couldn't help but laugh as Faith gave her the puppy dog eyes. "Come on Tar, I need somebody to show off with," said Faith as Tara blushed and immediately diverted her eyes.

"I'll d-d-ance but n-n-no fl-flirting," responded Tara, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Faith grinned in response and linked her arms with Tara.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to notify all the girls that you are available," remarked Faith. She laughed and had to stop to breathe upon catching Tara's reaction. The blonde had gone pale but was quickly turning into a full scale blush. "I'm just kidding. You dance, I'll dance and bring somebody home. If you're real lucky he may have a girlfriend," said Faith with a smirk as Tara slapped her playfully on the arm.

The two teens continued, arm in arm when Tara felt a presence beckon her attention. She didn't know why she glanced behind her at the bleached peroxide man and redhead but she did so anyhow. Unfortunately for the blonde, the redhead happened to be looking at the man and she quickly averted her eyes ahead towards the entrance of The Bronze.

*****

"Huh?" asked Willow distractedly. Her attention was focused on the two girls in front of her and she wasn't sure why. She knew her lust to kill was great but she had never really laid eyes on any specific person before. Not that she had a lot of experience at being a vampire cause hello, new but she thought that there was something less obvious than staring at a potential victim. She gazed back up at Spike, missing the glance from the blonde ahead of her.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Spike, clearly still uneasy about the fact that he sensed the Slayer...or a Slayer and couldn't pinpoint her location at the moment. That made him nervous and he didn't like being nervous. Made him appear to be less confident than he normally was and hell, he was the most confident vampire in the world! He gazed down at the green eyes, flecks of yellow flashing in them briefly as she stared back.

"Oh...nothing. Just with the whole sensory overload I figured you would know if the Slayer were around or not. Granted, I don't see Buffy or Xander or Oz or Giles but-" replied Willow who was promptly shut off with a finger against her lips. Spike leaned back, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, much to Willow's disgust and led her away from The Bronze. She wasn't sure where he was leading her but she knew that Spike wanted to be as far away from a Slayer...or the Slayer as possible. However, Willow still had that feeling like this was important and that going away was the wrong thing to do. She'd try and find out what was going on in the morning while Spike slept.

*****

'What the hell!?!' questioned Oz's mind as the foursome entered the warehouse basement. He managed to pick up Willow's scent, leading it to here but she was nowhere to be found which puzzled him. Her scent filled the room, intoxicating and yet there was no sign of her at all. He began to grow more worried. If she wasn't here then where could she be? He also noticed the musky odor of death and didn't like the idea of what caused it. Especially when it came to his Willow.

Buffy sighed and looked around, trying to figure out who had been here and where they had gone off to. She looked around, trying to find some clue that could give her the identity of the kidnapper but she wasn't having much luck. She had already gone through all the cemeteries and Willy's place had done nothing but grant her a free beatdown. Even in the information she got was lousy.

"Uh...I...uh heard that...uh...the redhead may have been taken to a basement. Look, I got a business to run. You want to come in and crack...heh...uh, get information then that's cool. Just don't do it in front of the customers okay?" pleaded Willy. Buffy had answered him with a punch to the nose sending him slumping against the bottle rack. She nodded her head and everybody had left.

Xander looked up at Giles, trying to figure out how he was handling the situation. He knew Giles tended to be calm about such abnormal activity but with Willow involved...he couldn't finish the thought. He looked around and kicked the bed in anger before hopping and holding his foot in pain. Giles just gave him a look as if to say 'I understand' as Xander nodded in return.

"She's here...she was at least," said Oz with a little trepidation in his voice.

"So we wait," responded Buffy. Giles looked at her incredulously as did Xander.

"Uh Buff, Willow could be anywhere. For all we know, she could be out there getting tortured in an apartment building," said Xander trying to appeal to the Buffster that they had to keep searching. Buffy sighed, unsure what to do. She knew that Willow had been here and all the instincts in her gut told her to stay put and that she'd be back. Buffy looked at Giles then at Oz.

"Can you track her again?" asked Buffy, staring intently at Oz. The cool, calm customer only looked back before averting his eyes to the floor.

"Her scent lead me to here. If she's somewhere else, we need to continue looking," replied Oz. He was sick with worry, knowing full well that the mixture of her scent and death was not a good omen. The foursome left as Giles turned around, giving one last look at the forlorn room before him. He turned, shutting the door.

*****

"Willow Rosenburg was turned? My my...really wasn't expecting that. My hat's off to the lucky man who received her intellect. She sure would've made a fine right hand gal here at the office though," said a man with greying hair. He gazed up from his seat in front of his desk and eyed the black man who stood before him.

"I do have to say though Mr. Trick, just because a girl's gone bad doesn't mean she can't still be my right hand," said the man with a smirk playing on his face. Mr. Trick smiled in response, the light gleaming off his fangs.

TBC

[AlysonGoddess]

I like where your going with this love vampire willow!! I wonder how willow and taras relationship is going to develop keep us posted cant keep me waiting too long!!!

Erin

[Harlequin]

Erin: I also love Vamp Willow and it was one of the main reasons behind my starting this fic. Don't worry, the W/T relationship will blossom but it'll take a while. Chapter 3 should be up sometime later tonight.

[ladydameon]

This is kind of fun. It’s obvious that Willow doesn’t want anything to do with Spike. OH, will she put him in his place? Of course, the Scoobies are going to freak when they find vamp Willow.

I like that you update regularly!

Nice clean writing style – you give enough description to paint the picture but you move the story along. Some writers just drag on and on and on….

Looking forward to more,

[Harlequin]

ladydameon: Thanks for the interest. This story is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Title: A Taste For the Undead

Author: David Hunter AKA Harlequin

Disclaimed: All characters owned by Joss, UPN, etc. etc.

Timeframe: End of Season 2/Beginning of Season 3.

Summary: Acathla was never opened as Buffy was able to foil it in time. Drusilla ran off with Angelus, fleeing Sunnydale. Tara and Faith have just arrived over the summer.

Pairings: W/T (Eventually...), D/A

Feedback: By all means, let me know your thoughts and likes/dislikes of this story.

Rating: R I guess to start off with. May reach NC-17 although most of the sex will be implied. If graphic/strongly implied violence offends you then I suggest you read another story.

Author's Note: This will likely be somewhat dark or haunting in the beginning with the occasional lightening here and there.

Thoughts are in ' '

Chapter 3

Oz paused in mid-stride. Buffy, Xander, and Giles continued forward oblivious to the fact that their friend had paused and was sniffing the air vigorously. "Willow?" asked Oz to nobody in particular. He recognized her scent but it didn't seem as powerful. In fact, it seemed somewhat dull and musky and instantly sent his mind reeling back to the warehouse basement. Buffy turned and looked confused at Oz.

"She's here?" questioned Buffy, not seeing her friend but knowing that Oz had a closer connection to the Jewish redhead than she had. Oz shook his head, eyebrows knitted together. He glanced around him and spotted a shadow dancing across an alley. He looked at Buffy as Buffy immediately picked up on what she had seen. She reached into her backpocket, pulling out Mr. Pointy and heading towards the alley.

Silence met their intrusion. Buffy looked at Oz who just stared back, not sure how to convey to the gang that Willow was here but not here. He was still confused at the events of tonight and wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. Suddenly a shadow flashed across the alley again. Red hair caught light for a split second, flitting away. Buffy's jaw dropped in shock but she quickly shook the cobwebs and bounded after her friend.

"Willow!!" Buffy shouted, trying to catch up to the redhead whom was evading her and moving faster than she remembered Willow being able to run. Her confusion was thrown out though as the redhead stopped, looking around somewhat frantically. Buffy reached an arm out...

*****

Willow licked her lips, tasting the blood that settled on her tongue. She looked down at the brunette, still alive. Willow loved the first taste, always a taste. She enjoyed playing with her victims, torturing them in manners that no human would ever think of. Spike apparently was fascinated with watching which disappointed her but she shivered in delight upon the ear piercing screaming emanating from her vocal chords. She enjoyed the kill as much as Spike did, which made her feel a bit more relaxed around the vampire but she still didn't trust him....much.

"Keeping singing for me princess. It makes beautiful melodies," remarked Willow with a grin. She glanced at Spike who smiled. She smiled and tossed the brunette to him. Spike caught her, pinning her back against his stomach and tilting her head to the left. Willow stalked closer, dragging a finger along the girl's left arm and leaving a deep gash. The brunette whimpered against Spike's hand.

"Now now luv we can't have you just outright dying on us. That would be improper and rude," taunted Spike as the brunette's eyes flashed between her killers. Willow leaned forward, tongue darting out and licking the trembling neck of her victim. Spike leaned down, nuzzling the Brunette. "It'll be over in a flash," whispered Spike as Willow vamped into her guise. Spike did the same as the victim struggled against Spike in fright.

"Shhh," said Willow as she nibbled on the brunette's earlobe. The brunette was fresh out of tears by that point and could only hope that they finished her quickly. Spike bent down, his tongue caressing her neck before his fangs unsheathed and tore in her throat. Willow grinned and bit into her shoulder, the crimson liquid flooding her mouth and filling her with pleasure. "Mmmmm," murmured Willow as Spike dropped the victim to the ground. The duo grinned at each other before Spike's features turned into a frown.

"We've gotta go pet. Now!" commanded Spike who was already breaking into a run. Willow looked around, not sure why Spike was suddenly fleeing the scene. He usually relished staying around to show off the kills. Willow looked back at the vampire and cursed under her breath.

'If he wasn't my damn Sire...' she thought as she immediately tore after him on foot. Spike had a good headstart and was hard to keep up with. Spike zigged and zagged his way across a series of streets and alleys as Willow tried to keep in eyesight of him. She wasn't doing a very good job though, nearly losing him several times. He looked back at her and continued forward. She remained focus on catching up with him, oblivious to the blonde female shouting her name.

'Where'd he go?!?' thought Willow with slight fear. She was great at killing but knew she wasn't ready to face the demons that ran around as well. Nor was she ready to face Buffy, more due to the fact that she was the Slayer rather than because she was her best friend. She felt somebody behind her though, a presence. She recognized it as the same feeling she had at The Bronze but this was less of a tingly Spidey sense reaction and more a sense that a fight was about to occur.

*****

Tara was seated at a table positioned away from the dance floor. She nursed a root beer in front of her and eyed the whirligig that Faith was cooking up. 'She can really fly' Tara thought as she took a sip of the root beer. She set the cup down when her thoughts immediately flashed back to the scene that she had experienced earlier.

She still couldn't explain the attraction she felt. She wasn't sure if it was towards the redhead or the man but whatever it was, it was powerful. It was this feeling that overpowered her senses, forcing her to obey its will. She snapped out of her dream just as Faith returned to the table with a cute buff blonde hanging on her right arm.

"Hey girlfriend. Look at what I fished," declared Faith triumphantly. Tara giggled as she eyed the young man up and down. He certainly seemed physically there although he had a look on his face that didn't seem to indicate that he was very smart. She made eye contact with Faith and smiled a half smile.

"H-Hi, I'm Tara," she said as she extended her hand. "I'm Larry," responded the buff man. They smiled at each other as Faith took a seat, soon joined by Larry.

"So, Larry tells me that he's captain of the football team...or was it wrestling? Whatever. Do you get a lot of chicks Larry?" asked Faith who was looking out of the corner of her eye at the blushing blonde who tried to hide her face with her sleeve.

"Well, some of us get our fair share of groupies yeah," replied Larry, oblivious to the blush that was growing on Tara's face. Faith smiled.

"Uh, Larry could you excuse us for just a quick moment?" asked Faith suddenly as Tara looked at her, concerned. "Sure" replied Larry who got up and walked towards the bar, drink in hand. Faith turned her attention back to Tara and smiled.

"So who's the hottie?" she asked, not waiting to beat around the bush. Faith didn't like waiting and seeing...well she didn't like the waiting at least. She could handle the seeing depending on...okay, back on topic Faith. Tara looked at her, eyes growing wide.

"H-Hottie?" responded Tara, clearly confused at how Faith had come to this conclusion. She looked down at her hands and noticed she was playing with the hems of her sleeves. Faith grabbed Tara's hands in her own, drawing Tara's eyes into contact.

"Come on Tara, you've had your mind somewhere else all night. Clearly something brainwashed you and I intend to know who was behind the cause," said Faith with a smirk as Tara blushed but kept her eye contact.

"Well..." Tara paused. She wasn't sure how to go about this without sounding crazy to her best friend. "I-I saw this r-r-redhead and th-this man behind us," said Tara. Faith's eyebrow arched as she let go of Tara's hands.

"I never knew you were that kinky vixen," muttered Faith in awe. "Eep," replied Tara, instantly covering her blushing face. She waited for the blush to subside and for Faith to stop laughing.

"I-it's not that. My at-at-attention was drawn to th-them. Almost like...I was s-supposed to l-look," replied Tara as Faith was now looking perplexed.

"Huh?" asked Faith, clearly thinking she had missed something somewhere because none of this was making any sense to her.

"Nevermind," mumbled Tara suddenly wanting to end this conversation. She knew that what she was saying was weird but she couldn't explain it any other way and wasn't sure there really was any other way to explain it. Faith nodded her head but vowed to find out what was going on. She turned her attention to Larry and motioned him back to the table before casting worried eyes at her friend.

*****

Buffy's hand met a bony shoulder, spinning the redhead around. It was Willow! Yet she seemed different. Buffy couldn't explain it yet. The redhead looked exactly the same as she had last seen her but...

"Willow," said Oz as the rest of the gang managed to catch up to Buffy. Willow turned her gaze from Buffy to Oz, her head tilted and looking at the werewolf in wonderment.

"You're not human," she said to Oz, who was somewhat taken aback by this. Here she was and yet...oh god, was she blaming him for her capture?

"Will, I'm so sorry," said Oz, his voice cracking ever so slightly. Willow let out a snort of disgust at this human when a thought struck her. 'They think I'm still...ugh...alive' she thought as a thin smile weaved onto her face.

"Sorry? For somebody who was trapped in a cold, dank place for hours on end with nowhere to go that doesn't seem very satisfying," responded Willow in a very un-Willow fashion. Xander and Giles just glanced at each other, clearly not understanding what was going on. Oz went pale as Buffy stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We tried to find you Willow bu-", Buffy was cut off as Willow brushed Buffy's hand off her shoulder. Buffy looked down at her hand in shock. This wasn't the sweet, caring Willow that she knew. Her Willow wouldn't even dream of doing something as distant as that.

"Should've tried harder," responded Willow in a nonchalant voice. She turned and began to walk away when Buffy reached out to pull her around. Willow snarled quietly, only enough for Buffy and Oz to hear. Buffy's hand froze...millimeters away from her best friend's shoulder.

"Willow...," she murmured, so softly that it was barely above a whisper. Buffy's voice trembled with that one word as tears began to well up in her eyes. Oz noticed the change in atmosphere as he fell to his knees, suddenly realizing the reason behind the cold attitude and change in his girlfriend. Giles and Xander both blanched, seeing the change in their friends and suddenly getting it. Willow sauntered away, the gang too shocked to do anything else but watch her form disappear within the shadows.

*****

"Oh bloody hell! Sodding wench should've kept up...." said Spike, distressed at the thought of her disappearing on him. She was right behind him, merely minutes ago. Suddenly he turned and she was nowhere to be found! 'Stupid git' he thought, 'I should've been more aware of her. Gah...' as Spike slammed his fist against the wall.

He scowled over the warehouse basement, knowing that he had to do something but he had no idea where she was. Figures...she has to disappear the same day that she gets turned. 'If only Drusilla hadn't left with the poof' he thought when suddenly the telephone rang. 'Bloody hell, the phone works?' thought Spike as he eyed it carefully. He advanced and picked it up off the cradle.

"Hello?" asked Spike, not sure who to expect let alone the fact that he was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that a phone had been hooked up in the basement.

*****

A hand hung the phone back up on the cradle. He was a very satisfied man and had power beyond his wealth. He knew his team was out there hunting down Willow Rosenberg at this very moment. He was also aware that if he caught her, well he would have control of William the Bloody and that would certainly help him.

He looked up from his desk as Allen walked in with a smile on his face.

"Well?" was the question that hung in the air as Allen nodded his head in slight embarrassment.

"We've spotted her..." replied Allen, fidgeting and clearly nervous at being inspected by the man before him.

"So why isn't she here?" asked the man who folded his fingers together and leaned forward on the desk, growing more unhappy at the nervousness of his #1 guy.

"There's a bit of a problem with acquiring her services. You see, she rebuffed our attempts to bring her in. Physically. She insisted that she wouldn't come with us unless accompanied by Spike...known to you as William the Bloody," he stammered as the man leaned back and laughed in his chair.

"Let her wish be granted then Allen. Don't screw this up. You screw this up and I'll be a very disappointed man," said Mayor Wilkins III as he leaned back in his chair. Allen immediately left as the Mayor sighed, thinking of the dominance that he could have over Sunnydale with William the Bloody and more importantly this Willow Rosenberg at his side.

TBC

[Harlequin]

Chapter 4

Willow looked up at the man trembling before him. Bodies were strewn about on the ground, several drained of blood. Their guns had been ineffective, the vampire too fast. Willow smiled, fangs gleaming before returning to her human guise. She surveyed the carnage; pleased with the way she handled the matter. 'Better than Spike could've done' she thought as the man began to back away from her. Willow copied him, stepping forward for every step back that he took.

"Allen, no need to be afraid. What happened here," she said, sweeping her arm over the bodies "was merely a misunderstanding."

"U-uh," stammered Allen, scared that he would be killed next. Images of inhuman torture filled his brain, rendering his mouth useless.

"You want me to meet the Mayor. I told you earlier that I had a certain demand that had to be met first. Of course, your crew got a little gun shy but that was solved don't ya think? Anyways, I'll go with you but only if Spike comes as well. No Spike, no me, and one dead you. Are we clear?" asked Willow, eyes trained on the throbbing vein in Allen's neck. She didn't really want to kill him...mainly because she was full for the moment but she would if necessary.

"Sure," said Allen as Willow smiled. Allen went paler, not sure if a smile was a good thing for a vampire, especially given his situation.

"Good. I'll be with Spike at the warehouse. When you're ready to take us, we'll join you," said Willow as she turned, heading off towards the warehouse. Allen breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly vacated the area, knowing that he didn't have to face Willow's wrath but that he could run into something just as bad in the nighttime air.

*****

'Oh god' Xander thought, still reeling over the fact that Willow had been turned into a vampire. Oz was home, taking the news very hard. He'd been more quiet than usual but well it was understandable. Buffy, Giles and himself had gone back to the library but the change of scenery was only making the realization worse. Willow wouldn't be seated at the table, poring over books and finding the next big demon that had to be killed. She wouldn't be at the computer hacking into cemeteries or hacking into the morgue. She wouldn't be bursting through the door with a great, big smile on her face or meeting with him to help him with his homework. 'Only thing she'll be meeting me for is my death' thought Xander grimly as Giles emerged from his office.

"Willow's a vampire now," said Giles more to show himself that he was still alive and not a robot. Buffy and Xander both stared at him, as lifeless as he felt. She was the best researcher he had and was a vital part of the group. With her gone...'there's nobody to wrest information from the dreadful machine' he thought with a grim smile.

"What do we do?" said Buffy, breaking the silence that was palpable in the room. She looked at Xander and Giles, knowing that their friend was dead but they had to move on. She...had to move on. "Look Giles, we, I have a ton to deal with at the moment. Spike, Drusilla, and Angelus are all out there probably planning the destruction of Sunnydale and Willow's now a vampire. I was able to avert the apocalypse last year but I don't know if I can do it again," said Buffy, desperation edging into her voice as Giles looked down, knowing his Slayer was right. Xander stood up and walked forward.

"We can't kill her," he said glaring at Giles, knowing what the British man would say next. "She's our friend...if need be we'll find a spell or something to change her back but she isn't going to die again," Xander muttered, anguish in his voice but trying to be strong in front of his friends.

Buffy's eyes immediately looked up at Giles, a revelation hitting her. "Giles...when I was killed Kendra was called to replace me right?" asked Buffy, her mind already threading the path that she was going on. Giles nodded his head, trying to follow her. "Well, since Kendra was killed, a Slayer will be called to replace her yeah?" asked Buffy as Giles' curiosity struck him.

'I'll be damned' thought the Watcher as he took off his glasses and rubbed them on his shirt. "Of course...a Slayer should be arriving soon. Perhaps she has already arrived however she would need a Watcher to look over her," he said, heading towards his office.

"Another Slayer? Is anybody else thinking multiplicity here?" he asked, getting no response. Giles was talking on the phone to somebody but no words could be made out. Buffy and Xander stood together, waiting expectantly as Giles emerged from his office with a frown.

"A Slayer showed up a week ago, with a blonde friend. I'm not sure on the association of this Slayer and the blonde however I want you two to try and figure out who this Slayer is. From what my informant err, informed me...this Slayer isn't aware that she's a Slayer. Her watcher was evidently killed en route to her and was never replaced. The Council had been busy with internal affairs and forgot about her," stated Giles as Xander and Buffy exchanged looks.

"And they say that The Council is always on top of things," quipped Xander with a goofy smile. Giles looked at him in minor annoyance as Buffy stepped forward.

"Yeah, we'll start looking tomorrow. Xander, see if there were any new students matriculating to Sunnydale High. Giles, see if you can find out more about this Slayer. Where's she from? Does she have any family in the immediate area? Anything," directed Buffy as Giles nodded his head. Xander gave a quick salute and headed out of the library. Buffy looked up at the clock. 1:16 AM it read. She sighed, knowing that she'd have to go home or her mother would freak.

*****

Angelus looked over at Drusilla, busy gazing out the car window. They had left their cheap hotel an hour ago and were still about a half hour from Sunnydale. Angelus already had an idea about where Spike was staying and he was growing angrier at the idea of Spike siring a childe without his consent as the minutes passed. He looked at the radio, turning it onto Radio Sunnydale where "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails was playing. He leaned back, knowing that soon he would get everything fixed. He also had the Slayer that he hadn't forgotten about. She ruined their magnificent masterpiece but she'd pay...no more tricks and dancing around this time though. This time, he'd finish the job instantly.

Drusilla murmured as she turned to face Angelus. "Angel, the stars speak to me. A new demon is seeking power, looking to ascend to the heavens. His heart is black but his eyes show fire," she said faintly, lost in the world outside the car window.

"Great...Dru, do you ever have any visions that don't revolve around new creations?" asked Angelus, annoyed at the fact that he would have one more person to rival with to rule over Sunnydale. He was the most vicious killer to ever cross The Council's desk...shouldn't he be getting some leeway?

"Sorry Angel, the fairies only whisper what they want me to see. Remember, you were the cause and I was your effect," she drawled, eyes fixated on a blinking star in the night sky as Angelus pressed the gas pedal harder. The car roared down the street. 'Soon Sunnydale, hell will arrive' he thought as his eyes focused on the road leading him towards his prize.

*****

Spike let out a low growl as Willow thrust open the door and walked down the steps. "You had me worried luv. Got a phone call, said that the Mayor wanted you," said Spike as he leapt off the bed from his lying state and marched up to the redhead who merely looked at him.

"I had a couple run-ins," she said nonchalantly, making Spike grow angrier. He grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her against the wall, sneering down at her. Willow just rolled her eyes in response to the rough force.

"Run-ins huh? Who?" asked Spike, wanting to know where the redhead was and not having the patience to let her dance around it.

"That's right. Buffy and the crew decided that it was an opportune time to play catchup then-" responded Willow who was promptly cut off. 'I'm really getting sick of that' she thought, as she was just able to keep in a growl from escaping.

"You faced the sodding Slayer? Do you want a death wish?" demanded Spike as Willow grinned, causing Spike to glare.

"Don't worry, no physicality. Just a brief conversation, that's all. Hahaha...they thought I was still alive," laughed Willow as Spike eased into a smirk but soon frowned again.

"You said run-ins plural. Who was the other group?" asked Spike as Willow sighed, not caring for the questions and getting bored.

"The Mayor decided that I wasn't worthy of a phone call like you. Instead, he tried to hire some men to take me in forcefully. Wrong move," she replied, licking her fingers dry of any remaining blood. Spike backed up, still looking at her.

"We meet him, you and I, we listen to his spiel and kill him," said Spike with finality in his voice, expecting the issue to be resolved. Willow's voice caused him to turn back sharply to her.

"I don't think so Spike. We'll meet and listen to his spiel. No killing him though. I...uh, we, are too important to him," she clarified as Spike stood there gaping at her. 'Besides, he needs me and he is the Mayor after all' she thought as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Hmmph," said Spike, turning his back. He wasn't happy that his childe was not only conducting business behind his back but that she was also stepping up to his power. 'I'm her bloody Sire' he thought, thinking he deserved a bit more respect then he was getting from the redheaded vampire. 'Drusilla wouldn't...' he thought but cut himself off before the thought was complete. Drusilla was gone with Angel and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He sighed, throwing himself on the bed in frustration, only to notice the redhead lying next to him with a smile. 'Stupid Slayer...it's all her fault' he thought as Spike looked away, aware that the sun would be coming up soon.

*****

Tara walked behind Faith and Larry. Her mind kept flashing back to the couple she saw earlier but now, the redhead had been the one that she was transfixed on. She knew the redhead was gorgeous and nobody could tell her otherwise. She smiled to herself at the image of the redhead when her thoughts were broken with a cry.

"Get off me!" shouted Faith, trying to shake loose of Larry's grip on her wrist. He smiled down at her, shifting into vampire guise as Faith gasped. She glanced back at Tara who was frantically looking around for a weapon and was unaware that Larry was a...

"Vampire!" she shouted praying that Tara could find something to kill this demon. Faith continued to struggle, kneeing Larry in the stomach and connecting with a hard fist. 'Wow' she thought, the skills coming to her as naturally as if she had been doing this all her life. Tara grabbed a copper pipe and tossed it to Faith.

"The h-h-heart Faith," shouted Tara. Faith nodded her head and turned her attention back to Larry who caught her with a fist. Faith ducked a second fist and delivered a front kick to his stomach, doubling Larry over. Larry straightened up, only to widen his eyes as the copper pipe was shoved through his heart, sending his remains to dust over the tarred pavement. Tara walked up to Faith as Faith looked down at the ashes.

"I didn't know y-you could d-do that," remarked Tara in amazement. Faith just looked up at her, still in a bit of shock at her physicality and the instincts that took over.

"Yeah..." she muttered distractedly before looking at Tara with a look of concern. Tara smiled, grateful that Faith was her friend at that moment.

"I'm fine. Let's get home," she said, eyeing the pile of ashes on the ground and not wanting to think what else could be out in Sunnydale at night. Faith nodded her head in consent, following Tara.

TBC

[Harlequin]

Chapter 5

"Bloody hell" commented Spike, eyes flitting towards the door that had just been slammed open. A clearly irate Angelus was stomping down the stairs followed by a grinning Drusilla. Spike shot a smile towards the raven-haired psycho but her focus was on the redhead...as was Angelus' much to Spikes' chagrin. He cast a glance at the redhead but she was either too shocked to move or was trying not to show her fear. Willow turned her head towards Spike, eyes lingering for a brief second before whipping back to Angelus.

"You turned her?" he asked, his voice tinged with disgust. Willow balled her hands into fists. She didn't like being looked down upon just because she wasn't the ideal Vampiric image as a human. She didn't like Spike but she began to hate Angelus even more as he continued to look down upon her physically and vocally.

"She was nothing William. She was a nerd, a hacker. What good will she do for a clan like ours? Did you even bother to think how useless she is? She's a minion William. She can't defend herself and now you've made it so that we'll have to worry about her just as much as ourselves," said Angelus as Spike slowly moved towards Willow's side during the diatribe. He knew things could get nasty quickly and didn't want Willow to get involved physically.

"It was to get back at the Slayer...she was merely in the wrong place at the right time," he replied as Angelus let out a snort.

"You know Spike, draining tends to leave a distinct impression as well. I had more faith in you childe...I figured that I had raised you better but apparently I was mistaken in my beliefs. It seems that you are no more a vampire than she is," he commented, pointing a figure at Willow. Willow began to take a step forward really not liking Angelus' attitude but Spike placed an arm across her chest to stop her.

"Point remains that she's apart of the clan now," said Spike as Angelus glared at him hard. Drusilla smiled in the background but didn't say anything, enjoying the way her two boys were fighting.

"You might want to be careful about what you do around that thing," he said, giving a nod towards Willow. Willow snarled, shoving Spike's hand away and stepped forward until she was right in front of Angelus. Both clan master and minion locked eyes, neither willing to move first.

"I don't think I like you," snarled Willow as Angelus let out a growl. Spike stepped forward; ready to intervene as Drusilla was doing the same from behind Angelus.

"Feeling's mutual Willow," said Angelus as Willow held up a hand to Spike, telling him to keep put.

"You think you have the right to talk down upon those that don't meet your standards? You think you can walk around with your head up high, deciding what is best for Spike and best for Drusilla? They've got voices of their own you know. It seems to me that with your soul, you don't have as much power as you'd like to think you have. I remember just a little while ago you were busy with a certain Slayer and weren't thinking about these two were you?" asked Willow, head tilted. Angelus snarled in anger, quickly wrapping a hand around the redhead's throat and lifting her into the air.

"We have a meeting," Willow choked out, mind racing to try and get control of the situation. "M-Mayor," she gasped, Angelus quickly dropping her to the floor and staring hard at Spike.

"Why should I care?" asked Angelus, still looking at Spike but directing the question at the redhead. She was still sprawled on the ground but raised her eyes to his face.

"He wields power. He clearly has interest in me, physically sending disciples. If he wants my assistance, I'm sure that he would be willing to negotiate," she said trying to see if Angelus was interested but the vampire's face was a mask of nothing.

"So you want us involved as your allies?" asked Angelus, knowing that what she said was true but not trusting her all the same.

"If he's willing to grant power to me, he can grant power to the clan," she said, rising to her feet and brushing herself off. Angelus cocked his head in thought as Spike eyed Willow nervously, hoping she wasn't going to get herself killed.

"I handle the talking for the clan. He wants to divvy up his power, I'll handle it. You speak, when spoken to. You do not undermine my authority and you do not disobey my orders," stated Angelus with finality. He turned to Drusilla who was smiling. He nodded his head at her as they linked themselves arm in arm. They turned and began ascending the stairs, throwing a blanket over themselves before opening the door and closing it. Spike strode up to Willow, not pleased with what had just occurred.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, gesturing towards the closed door as Willow stared at him.

"The Mayor has power. He has an interest in me and I want power. Angelus knows that this could be an important meeting. He knows that Wilkins has power and he wants it as well. As a clan, we obtain power over Sunnydale. All the other clans out there will have no choice but to obey us and our rules," she explained as Spike frowned, not thinking that this was a very smart idea. "And don't call me pet," Willow snapped before striding away as Spike gave her a tight smile.

*****

"Well, we found two girls that applied to Sunnydale last week. Tara Maclay and Faith...no last name was given. It seems those two are the primo suspects for our Slayer contest. Giles should hopefully have something more though," said Buffy to Xander as the friends made their way through the busy corridor, heading towards the library where they were scheduled to meet with Giles.

"Faith...heh. Guess you gotta have faith to be a Slayer," Xander said with a smile, before frowning upon Buffy's punch to the shoulder.

"Seriously Xand, we need to find Faith before something else does. If she doesn't know what she is...she could be in for a Hellmouth of surprises," said Buffy as they arrived at the library, pushing the doors open.

*****

'What's a Slayer?' Tara thought as she closed her locker. She smiled as Faith walked into her vision.

"Hey Tara, anything amazing happen while I was not in class with you?" she asked as they began to fall in step towards the cafeteria.

"Well...there were a couple students l-looking for you," she said, looking at the ground to avoid Faith. Faith smirked to herself but wasn't sure if what she'd just heard was a good thing.

"What'd they want with me?" she asked, placing her hand on Tara's shoulder and stopping her.

"The b-blonde girl said something about a S-S-Slayer contest and the boy also said S-Slayer," she replied, looking down the hallway at the library doors. "They also m-mentioned the n-name of the librarian," she said, turning her gaze back to Faith.

"Mr. Giles? Well, if they know something that we aren't privy to and Giles could know what's up then I say we check it out," Faith responded grabbing Tara by the arm and starting in the direction of the library. The blonde went pale, not sure if a confrontation would be a good thing.

"F-Faith...wait...please...n-no..." stuttered Tara, trying to stop the brunette but having no effect so far. 'Oh goddess' she thought as the duo reached the doors, Faith shoving it open with one hand.

Three heads instantly looked up at the two girls entering the library. It wasn't a common sight and Giles wasn't sure what was going on.

*****

Richard Wilkins III looked up at Allen with a grim smile. He knew that the vampires would be meeting with him later tonight. He had also learned that a couple friends had decided to join the party, thanks to a heads up from Mr. Trick.

"Am I going to have a full scale mutiny on my hands Allen? I merely wanted the redhead and William. Granted, Angelus is one hell of a monster and Drusilla as quirky as she is can hold her own too. I just don't want to be sitting here handing out my service like chocolates. This is my election year, children are the future remember and I don't want anything to jeopardize my opportunity," he said, hands folded together over his chest. Allen looked down at him.

"Don't worry sir, all will go as planned. We'll have security detail outside the door in case a situation should arise," commented Allen as the Mayor nodded his appreciation.

"Make sure the blonde high school student's working tonight too. We can offer her as a souvenir to them if everything goes smoothly," the Mayor said with a smile as Allen nodded his head.

"I'll get right on it sir," Allen replied.

"Good. Best interests are at heart here...living and undead and I'm sure everything will be as dandy as a dandelion," he said, giggling at the end before sending Allen away with a flick of his wrist. 'I have the power...they don't like my tactics then I can dust them' he thought as he swung his chair around, gazing up at the numerous awards hanging on his wall.

TBC

[Soluna89]

Please continue! Yay Vamp Willow...!

[Harlequin]

Soluna89: I'll get Chapter 6 up...as soon as I'm comfortable with it heh.

[Harlequin]

Chapter 6

Giles got up with a start, staring at the blonde and the dark haired girl that had just stepped...or rather marched into the library. He smiled as he approached. "Erm, how can I help you?" he asked, assuming that they were here to check out some books.

"Word through the grapevine is that I'm being sought after," remarked the provocatively dressed girl with a smirk, hands on her hips. The blonde was standing behind her, blushing at the stares from Buffy and Xander.

"I'm sorry, being sought after?" asked Giles curiosity clearly conveyed on his face.

"The name's Faith and the blonde standing behind me is Tara," she said, jabbing a thumb at Tara as comprehension dawned on Giles' face. Buffy and Xander both got out of their seats but were hesitant to approach.

"Uh hehe, you aren't planning on dying anytime soon are you Faith?" asked Xander with a lopsided grin as Faith just looked back confused.

"It wasn't on my day planner," she replied not getting the reference and feeling a bit defensive. Buffy decided it would be a smart time to intervene after shooting a glare in Xander’s' direction.

"It's just that when a Slayer comes into town, it's usually because the previous Slayer died," said Buffy as if it was the most common sense thing in the world. Faith and Tara exchanged looks as Giles sighed, appreciating Buffy’s' attempt at making sense but knowing that a lot of explaining was about to occur.

"In every generation th-" started Giles as Buffy smiled. "He loves doing this part," she chimed in as Giles looked at her in annoyance, causing her to cast her eyes towards the floor. "Sorry," she mumbled as Giles returned his focus to Faith and Tara.

"As I was saying, in every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer," he said as Faith let out a laugh.

"Cute Mr. Giles. The whole "Chosen One" deal because if I'm understanding this correctly, I'm a Slayer...whatever the hell that is and I'm guessing that I'm not the only Slayer who's been to the shores of Sunnydale from the sounds of it," quipped Faith as Giles blushed a little.

"Hello...Slayer right here," commented Buffy, waving her hand. Faith looked at her and then back at Giles, more confused and pointing at Buffy.

"Whoa... she said that a Slayer is called when another dies. If Buffy decided to pull a vanishing act and disappeared then why is she still here and why am I here? Well, I know why I'm here. Daddy decided a new job was in store for him, figured good old Sunny D was the best spot to be and...ya know I really can't argue with that logic," Faith said as Tara stepped forward, arms crossing her chest as she smiled. Xander smiled back and stepped forward.

"I'm Xander and this is Buffy. Forgive us for our complete lack of manners," commented Xander as Tara smiled.

"P-Pleasure to m-meet you," Tara responded as the foursome shook hands while Giles rubbed his glasses before nodding at the two girls.

"Anyways, as far as your calling is concerned, it's somewhat of a complex situation. You see, a prophecy said that the Slayer would die two years ago. That Slayer was to be Buffy and she did die at the hands of The Master, the supreme vampire. Xander managed to revive her with CPR and she killed The Master, averting the apocalypse," said Giles as Buffy smiled.

"Apocalypses tend to be a big thing around here," she commented getting another stern look from Giles. She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue.

"Since Buffy had died," Giles began as Buffy quickly cut him off. "It was only for a minute...maybe two," she said as Giles sighed wondering if he'd ever get to finish an explanation.

"Buffy's death caused the next slayer to be called. Since Buffy was still alive, we had two Slayers in Sunnydale which according to my records was an unprecedented occurrence," said Giles as Faith nodded her head.

"So, then it looks like I'm about to make more history huh?" she commented with a smile.

"Look at it this way Faith, if you ever wanted to live a double life then this is your once in a lifetime opportunity," remarked Xander with a grin as Buffy smiled.

"I would like to finish this before civilization comes to a close. That and I'm sure some of you have classes that should be starting any minute," Giles said, sending a look at Buffy who just smiled brightly.

"I'm gone. See, this is me going and I'll be back later for a recap and patrol," she said as she quickly exited the library. Xander followed in pursuit as Faith and Tara exchanged looks before returning their gaze to Giles.

"Erm, yes. Kendra was killed last year, thus calling you from Boston. Seeing as how you're here, your Watcher should also be arriving shortly," he said as he guided Faith and Tara to the table where they sat.

"W-Watcher?" asked Tara, not understanding the reference. Giles mentally kicked himself. 'Remember, neither girl knows anything' he chided himself as he smiled apologetically.

"A Watcher guides the Slayer. He...or She teaches the Slayer the best method to slay the demons, vampires, werewolves, so on and so forth. With their knowledge, the Slayer is prepared best as she can be to take on the darkness. Seeing as how you do not have a Watcher at the moment Faith, I'll begin teaching you. You can join Buffy on patrol tonight to get an understanding of what it is you'll be going up against," he said taking his glasses off and wiping them on his shirt as Faith smiled.

"Already beat you there...the patrolling bit at least. I wasn't actually on patrol but Tara and I ran into an undead fashion victim. Don't worry, everything was handled smoothly...complete with dusting and Kodak moment," Faith said as Tara nodded her head in agreement.

"Well...good of you then. Slayers don't tend to live long, most succumbing in their late teens if they're lucky. From what I've read in various chronicles and journals, there've been only a dozen or so vampires that have managed to kill at least one Slayer. Two of them happen to be located in Sunnydale, well at least one is presumed to still be here. The other left with the most ferocious vampire that I've read about but may have returned with-in the past day," Giles rambled as Faith was struggling to catch up.

"S-So there are two v-vampires who've killed S-Slayers still in Sunnydale?" asked Tara as Giles nodded. "Do they have n-names?" she asked, hoping to find out some more information on something that could be bad.

"Spike, formerly known as William the Bloody, for his penchant to use railroad spikes on his victims and Drusilla who killed Kendra last year. Drusilla was driven insane in a convent by Angelus, the most ruthless vampire that has existed as far as records go. Um..Angelus was given a soul by a gypsy clan but apparently had it removed at the start of last year. I'm still uncertain as to how this was possible..." said Giles in explanation.

"So Angelus is a vampire with a soul?" asked Faith, clearly lagging in processing the information.

"He had a soul, yes. It gave him a type of erm, conscience. It gave him remorse and sadness and anger. Without his soul however, he feels as a vampire does. Pure rage enacted by the demon that has taken over them," Giles said as Tara nodded, keeping up while Faith sighed in frustration.

"Just tell me this Giles, do I have to worry about any of them on the patrol tonight?" asked Faith with annoyance as Giles shook his head.

"You shouldn't run into them and Buffy is quite capable of handling herself. You needn't worry about anything going amiss tonight," he said with a smile as Tara instantly got to her feet.

"Class!" she said, grabbing Faith by the forearm and dashing towards the doors. Giles smiled before a frown came upon a realization.

"Faith, Tara...stop by at the end of the day! We'll go over some more information," he called out. Faith just gave him a wave of courtesy somehow able to avoid falling on her face as she was being dragged along by the blonde. Giles turned and entered his office.

To Be Continued...Grr Arrgh

[Harlequin]

Notes: Thoughts are now in <> to make it a bit clearer.

Chapter 7

Angelus didn't trust her as far as he could throw her...and he could throw her a fair distance. She was new to the clan but seemed to have a strong backbone, the antithesis of herself as a human. Nice paradox in fact, if he cared for that sort of thing. He knew from Willow's desperation that this was an important meeting for her. The Mayor doesn't go around asking any vampire to meet with him. This is big. Willow seems to be the center of attention and that's cool with him...so long as she keeps her place when they enter. Willow is Spike...at least in attitude and spunk. Clearly his childe is a bad influence on the redhead but can't change that now. He gives Willow a stern look as the foursome walk in step with each other en route to The Mayor.

"Remember, you follow my lead," said Angelus as Willow stared back at him, unimpressed with his idle threat.

"Think I heard you the first couple times. I can handle myself and I'll be fine when we get in. Just don't be surprised if The Mayor asks me most of the questions okay," said Willow with a slight hint of annoyance. She didn't like Angelus bossing her around and treating her like, well the minion that she was.

"Fine but if you screw up, I'll dust you in an instant," warned Angelus as Willow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Write me a new note sometime," she mumbled as Angelus resisted the urge to snap her neck on the spot.

Spike stared at Drusilla but her focus was on the man walking next to the redhead ahead. Spike sighed, wondering what Angelus had over him. Okay, he was her sire but still, Spike was Spike damnit. William the Bloody...

"What happened with us Dru?" asked Spike, staring at her as Dru looked at him, smile playing on her lips.

"Nothing. Angelus decided that he was a bit more into the kill than you were," she drawled as Spike glared at the back of his sire. Oh how he could hate him sometimes. Just because Angelus had been killing for over two centuries and was revered by the Watcher's Council that he was important and some great vampire. Spike could take him.

"I'll show you about kills luv," muttered Spike as Drusilla reached a hand up, tracing it along Spike's cheek. She smiled and leaned forward, whispering in his ear.

"All will be fine Spike," she whispered before leaning back, leaving Spike to stare at her but looking ahead after a lack of a return.

The foursome finally reached the building housing The Mayor's office. Angelus stepped forward, cutting off Willow much to her dislike. She clenched her right fist but just as quickly unclenched it, not sure if Drusilla would squeal on her antics. She wasn't sure what to make of Drusilla. She was certainly off the wall; clearly Angelus had left a deep impression on her psyche because Willow couldn't understand half of what Drusilla would mutter. She felt consolation in that fact though, knowing Spike didn't either after pressing him about his relationship with her. Willow was glad Spike was around, at least for the sake that she'd be alive so long as he was. Buffy wasn't big on him she remembered but she was sure that she could persuade the blonde to hold off on killing Spike if the issue arose. Angelus on the other hand...well Willow wouldn't exactly be charging 100 percent to make the save. She chuckled to herself at the mental picture of Angelus getting dusted when Spike shoved her from behind.

"Get moving luv and stop holding up the circling wagon here," Spike said as Willow shuffled inside, following Angelus. She recognized Allen from before and cracked a smile at him, growing wider upon his face going pale at the recognition, ignoring the blonde high school student who had bent down to pick up her dropped pen. The blonde sat back up, noticing that the area was now empty and Allen was absent. She sighed and turned her gaze to the computer. The foursome was led down a corridor and past several doors, arriving outside Mayor Wilkins' door. Allen smiled at the four vampires who all looked like they'd bite him and show no remorse...which was true but he chose to ignore that. He knocked on the door and peeked his head in.

"Mr. Wilkins, the guests are here," he said as Mayor Wilkins cracked a broad smile and stood up from his chair. He quickly surveyed his room, making sure it was in suitable condition before walking towards the door and opening it to allow the vampires entrance.

"Welcome, come in. I'd shake your hands but I don't like germs, nasty little micro organisms that you can't see," he said with a shudder as he fetched a couple chairs and sliding them behind Willow and Spike as Allen did the same for Drusilla and Angelus. The vampires took a seat as Allen left, closing the door softly. The Mayor took a seat and smiled at the serious faces his guests wore.

"Let's begin shall we?" he asked rhetorically.

*****

thought Faith as she ran to keep up with Buffy who was already wailing on one of the two vampires. Tara was working tonight and Xander was helping Giles with research on Slayers. Giles was a great guy, seemed caring and was handsome for a guy his age. she thought as she arrived.

"Here I was thinking vampires were hard," said Faith in way of greeting. She grinned as vamp #2 turned to face her and began to advance. Faith backpedaled a bit before leaping with a sidekick, which was easily avoided. Buffy had just dispatched her assailant and was watching Faith, seeing how effective the raven-haired girl was. Faith ducked a punch and delivered a hard right of her own, sending the guy to the ground. The vampire snarled but Faith was already on top of him, raining down rights and lefts. Buffy sighed, seeing that the vampire was in no control at all now.

"Okay Faith, I think he's gotten the message. Stake him and let's go," called Buffy. She tossed her stake to Faith, Faith caught it one handed and promptly staked her vampire rendering it to dust. She got up, wiping her black jeans clean and smiled at Buffy.

"I was feeling frisky B. Besides, the job got done," said Faith as Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Lesson one Faith. Toying with your opponent, never a good idea. The longer you fight, the more openings you'll leave exposed...oh god, I sound like Giles," said Buffy with a pout as Faith laughed.

"Speaking of the resident wizard, let's get back to him. I'm sure he wants to here all about our play date," she said with a grin. Buffy smiled and turned as the duo began to walk back towards Sunnydale. As far as Faith knew, Giles was the only faculty member who bothered to stay this late. she thought as Buffy led the way, explaining the intricacies of a good mocha.

*****

"Now, I know that our meeting here is a trade. I grant your clan power in Sunnydale and I hope that your clan will offer me...protection for when I ascend," the Mayor said as the four vampires all listened. Angelus nodded his head in understanding, knowing what the Ascension would bring.

"Originally, I had planned on hiring Willow as my right hand gal and she will fulfill that role. Angelus, I understand you are head of the clan but Willow is to be in charge of anything that goes on concerning the clans and myself. If it's clan-to-clan business, that's your jurisdiction. Are we clear?" he asked as Willow felt a smile tugging at her mouth but she stifled it, knowing it would only serve to make Angelus angry.

"I understand," said Angelus as Willow leaned over to Spike. "I'm his right hand gal," she whispered with pride as Spike shot her a look but smiled before turning his gaze back to The Mayor.

"This year is an extremely important year for me. I am the founder of Sunnydale and am very aware that there is a Hellmouth. That's partially the reason I brought you four here tonight. Not only do I need your aid for this year but I'll also need your aid in the future. I'm sure that when hell is unleashed well, there will be a few patrons looking to achieve domination over me and that's just not going to go down well with me. I'm thinking long term with this and I think the prospects are quite rosy. Willow, I assume that you are aware that Sunnydale now houses two Slayers," stated Mayor Wilkins as Willow just looked back at him, trying not to show her confusion.

"Two Slayers? I know of Buffy but who's the other one?" she asked as the Mayor smiled.

"The other one we assume is a girl named Faith. She arrived last week with a blonde. I figure, if the blonde can be found first then Faith will be right behind her," said the Mayor as Angelus leaned forward interested.

"You want us chasing down a honey to get in touch with a Slayer? That's asking a lot of us Dick," said Spike as Angelus shot him a low growl. Wilkins just laughed.

"Sharp attitude on you Spike, clearly you didn't take much after Angelus. Then again, I think it's good for a childe to grow from out of the shadow of his sire. To get back on the subject at hand though, I want at least one Slayer dead. I know that you four have been connected to Buffy in some way, some more physically than others. I doubt that she will give us as much trouble as Faith will. You see, a second Slayer who is unknown to the area tends to have a bit of zest and pepper. She's a real firecracker from what I've heard but Mr. Trick's not the most honest vampire I've ever met. I'm sure you four can find a way to locate Faith. Now I have about six months before I am to ascend. If any of you don't know what an Ascension is, I suggest you either consult with Angelus or consult with text. The computer age is upon us and I understand but books still make for a delightful read now and again. Any questions?" he asked as Willow meekly raised her hand. Wilkins smiled.

"So we have absolute control of Sunnydale?" Spike asked, wanting to make sure he and the rest were clear on that aspect before continuing on. Wilkins nodded his head.

"You have control of the vampire clans in...and around Sunnydale should they want to pay my town a visit. You can make rules, set up territories, and why you could even have a good game of Duel to decide which clan gets to enter Sunnydale. Whatever your clan decides makes no difference to me but...I want to state this very, very clearly. One: There will be no subjecting children to their deaths. Children are the future here in Sunnydale and well; they make for good PR hahaha. Two: Try and limit the public body counts fellas. If too many people are dying on my streets, suspicions will arise and my position will be in jeopardy. I don't want that and you really don't want that," he said as the four vampires nodded in understanding.

"Uh...what'll I be doing at your side?" Willow asked, curious at being the right hand girl for the Mayor and well aware that Mr. Trick was currently his confidante with Allen being his human protege. She couldn't help but smile when thinking about Allen.

"You'll fill Mr. Trick's role. Granted, he'll still be around in a servant capacity but you my dear will be my enforcer. Should something need a stern talking to, you'll be helping in that regard. You'll also be filling me in on the goings on in the underworld. What Allen can't find at night, you'll be able to. That sound peachy?" he asked with a grin. Willow returned the grin.

"Any other concerns? If not then I'll bid you adieu and my secretary will show you guys out. Tara!" he called, pressing the intercom button.

"Yes Mr. W-Wilkins?" she asked.

"Would you kindly come and show our guests out? Thank you dear," said the Mayor, turning the intercom off. He smiled. "She's really a sweet girl," he commented as the door opened all heads turned towards the blonde. Willow's mouth dropped. she thought as the blonde caught her eye.

"H-Hi," Tara managed to stammer out. she thought, the flurry of activity on her mind almost made her forget why she was even there.

"Right t-this way," she said walking out and leading the four vampires. Willow smiled at the blonde. she thought, shaking her head and trying to get the images out of her head before the other vampires could pick up on it. Tara turned, flashing a smile at the redhead but looking at the floor as the redhead smiled back but walked past her. Willow opened the door and held it open as the other three vampires left. She turned to stare at the blonde.

"It's a pretty name. Tara that is. Don't worry, I don't bite," Willow said with a smirk and a wink before turning to catch up with the others. Tara's eyes nearly bugged at the suggestive innuendo. She whirled around and briskly walked back to her seat, her mind racing with thoughts and she wasn't sure what to make of them. she thought.

TBC: Grrr Arrrgh

[Harlequin]

Chapter 8

"Finally back. So, how'd work go?" asked Faith, looking up from the book plastered in front of her as Buffy and Xander raised their heads wearily, gave a short greeting and resumed their mixture of reading and sleeping. Tara smiled at Faith but wasn't sure where to begin as she took a seat next to her.

"The M-Mayor had some guests. They w-were having a meeting," she said as Faith arched an eyebrow at this piece of news. Giles was in his office making a few phone calls, occasionally a "bloody pillock" or other British phrases were emanating from there signifying his lack of success.

"A meeting huh? Any idea what it was about?" asked Faith, trying to dig in through her friend as Tara glanced at the sleeping Buffy and Xander before returning her gaze to Faith.

"No but they were v-vampires. Spike, a dark haired girl, a redhead, and A-Angelus," she whispered as Buffy instantly jerked her head up at the mention of Angelus' name and peered at Tara.

"Angelus? As in he's back with the gang and looking to destroy the town?" Buffy said as Tara looked at her but wasn't sure how to respond.

"I d-don't think so. Well, at least not them only. The M-Mayor seemed to value them and he n-needs them. I don't think i-it was a mere destroy the world type gathering," Tara responded as Buffy nodded her head. She glanced at Giles but didn't want to disturb him in his current state of bad luck. She looked at Faith.

"So, we hunt them down, stake them and have a party," said Faith nonchalantly but Buffy shook her head as Faith looked back at her confused.

"What? Don't want to stake the bad guys anymore B?" she asked as Buffy sighed while Tara watched.

"I-it's not that Faith. Angelus and I kind of...have a history. Spike and Drusilla I couldn't care less about. Wait, you said there was a redhead," Buffy said, looking at Tara who nodded her head. Buffy closed her eyes, wanting to not ask this next question but knowing she had to.

"What did she look like?" she asked with trepidation as Tara looked back at her, the flashes of the redhead teasing her hitting her mind in a flurry.

"Red hair, green eyes, a fairy kind of smile. She looked innocent...except for the being a v-vampire which I guess isn't so i-innocent," she responded as Buffy sighed and rested her head in her hands.

"Willow," she murmured through her fingers as Faith and Tara shared a confused look. Buffy looked up and cracked a thin smile.

"She was our best friend, Xander and I. She was Oz's girlfriend and was an integral part of the Scooby gang. She was our resident hacker," Buffy explained, forcing down a sob, as Faith and Tara looked down, unsure of what to say or do.

"As if my job couldn't be any harder. Now I have to face the ex-boyfriend, the pain in my ass, and my best friend. Can this get any worse?" she asked herself as Giles emerged from his office with a grave look on his face. Buffy looked up and groaned; knowing her wish was about to be granted.

"What's wrong Giles?" asked Faith as the trio of girls looked at him. He cleared his throat but knew it'd be better to just come out with his news.

"I have news about The Mayor. One of my friends in Britain informed me that he's planning something big. He told me he wasn't sure on the details exactly but that he had heard whispers that Ascension would be involved. Ascension is not that common in the demon world mainly because it's hard to succeed. The problem is that I don't have much knowledge on the subject matter itself. The Books of Ascension have been said to be lost for hundreds of centuries. The only way The Mayor could possibly know how to Ascend would be if he had those books in his hands or was in the process of obtaining them," Giles explained as Buffy woke Xander up roughly.

"Z-huh? Mm..what's with the somber?" Xander asked as Buffy turned to him.

"We're in major trouble. Willow has joined up with Spike, Angelus, and Drusilla," Buffy said as Xander looked at her incredulously.

"She joined up with them? Willow sure decided that now was the right time to dive off the high board," he remarked as Buffy shot him a glare.

"Xander..." she growled as Xander just nodded his head.

"I know. I'm sorry it's just...could you ever imagine her doing such a thing?" he asked as Giles cleared his throat.

"You must remember Xander that Willow is no longer the Willow you knew when she was alive. She's a vampire now, which means that the demon half largely controls her day and night. You must let go of the fact that there is a semblance of her still there. She's pure demon now and nothing can change that," Giles said tersely as Xander stood up.

"Hey, maybe we can bring Willow to a bunch of gypsies and she can get her soul back," he said heatedly as Faith and Tara remained silent, knowing they were both blowing off steam.

"Listen here Xander. I miss her greatly too but we can't expect to reign her in like Angel. The gypsies cursed Angel because he killed a member of their clan, not because he went to them seeking help. She's NOT coming back no matter how much we wish it so. The only thing we can do now is remember her for who she was as a human and not what she is now," Giles said as Xander slumped back into his chair. Buffy looked up at Giles.

"How do we get the Books of Ascension?" she asked as Giles stared back.

"The only way if The Mayor doesn't have them in his possession is to find out if they're being sold on the market," he answered as Faith and Buffy stood up simultaneously. Buffy looked at Tara.

"Are you working tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Yes," Tara replied as Buffy nodded her head.

"Good. See if you can get any access to The Mayor's office or see what he owns through the computer. Also try and find out why The Mayor needs Spike, Drusilla, Angelus, and Willow. Faith and I will patrol and see if we can find out any information on the sale or potential sale of the Books of Ascension," she stated as she turned to Xander.

"Giles and Xander, I want you guys to contact Oz and let him know the situation. We'll need his help and he needs to know about Willow," Buffy said as she and Faith began to head for the doors. They left the room as Xander, Tara, and Giles set about researching and making calls.

*****

"Okay. We have control of the clans in and around Sunnydale as Mayor Wilkins told us. Any ideas?" asked Angelus as Spike, Drusilla, and Willow sat in front of him at a black mahogany table. Angelus was standing now to a white board and had a red marker in hand.

"We need to get the clans together first. A clan leader meeting essentially. We get them together, lay down the rules, and everything should be clear," said Willow as Angelus nodded his head, quickly scribbling it down.

"The children are lost without the shepherd. No more tasty morsels for the uninvited," Drusilla murmured as Spike cracked a smile.

"Okay, so children are not to be harmed. Anything new...something that we all haven't thought of yet," grumbled Angelus as Spike cocked his head.

"I quite fancied the idea of a Duel. Not quite my style though so I was thinking what a rousing event Russian roulette would be. If a clan wants to enter SunnyHell, they must first prove that they aren't stupid," said Spike with a grin as Willow looked at him.

"Spike, Russian Roulette is all about luck," she said as Spike scowled at her.

"Just because you didn't fancy violence as a human doesn't mean that my idea is flawed," he remarked as Angelus let out a growl to silence them but it had no effect.

"The idea isn't stupid Spike although you're becoming a strong candidate. Russian Roulette is all about luck. They have a 1 in 6 chance of shooting themselves and frankly, it doesn't prove who is better. It just proves that a vampire got lucky," she said as Spike stood up. Willow stood up too as both went face to face.

"It's a helluva lot more exciting then your prancy clan meeting idea," Spike said as Willow growled.

"That's enough! There will be no Duel and there will be no Russian roulette. There will be no physical initiation rites...scratch that, there will be one but it'll be my idea," bellowed Angel as the two quickly sat down in front of the enrage vampire.

"Two clans in a pit. They want to enter Sunnydale then they can fight for it. There will be stakes, holy water, bows and arrows, and other goodies. There will be a bulletproof glass overhead in case any of them try to get cute and kill us. It will be a fight to the death. The surviving clan will be granted access to Sunnydale but they will still have to mind our rules. I'm feeling hungry at the moment so we'll postpone this until later," Angelus announced as he walked out of the room. Willow and Spike glared at each other but got up and followed Angelus as Drusilla smiled. She got up and followed, whistling a melody.

*****

Oz groaned and rolled over at the sound of the phone ringing in his ear. He glanced at the alarm clock; 12:36 AM. He wasn't getting much...or any sleep since learning of what happened to Willow but he still felt like he had been disturbed. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" asked Oz as he positioned himself into a seating position against the headboard.

"Oz? Hey. It's Xander," replied Xander as Oz nodded his head, knowing something big was happening if he was getting called this late.

"Situation?" Oz asked, trying to get a quick idea of what was happening.

"The Mayor is planning an Ascension but we don't know what it is. We need your help to research though. Willow's also involved," said Xander as Oz nearly dropped the receiver.

"How?" he asked, knowing she was a vampire and her involvement probably wasn't a good thing for the Scooby gang.

"She's aligned herself with Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla. Tara said The Mayor had met with them earlier tonight," Xander explained as Oz sighed, suddenly feeling fatigued.

"Who's Tara?" he asked, not recognizing the name.

"Oh..hehe. It seems a new Slayer came to town after Kendra was killed. Tara's a friend of hers. Look, we'll explain everything when you get here," Xander said.

"Sure, give me 10 minutes and I'll be there," said Oz. he thought, hanging up the receiver and throwing on sneakers. He exited his bedroom, bounded down the stairs, and grabbed his car keys. He got in his van and started the engine, tearing out towards Sunnydale High.

TBC: Grr Arrgh

[justin]

This is an interesting story.

Of course the big question is what are they going to do about Willow being a vampire so we can get to Are they going to try to give her a soul, devamperise her, or something else?

[ringwaldoeuvre]

I really like this story. It's dark, which I always like, and it's got interesting tension between all the characters. You set atmosphere very well, and your dialogue is accurate to the characters while still being compelling. Well done. Looking forward to more.

~ringwaldoeuvre (Mary)

[Harlequin]

Thanks for the comments Justin and Mary.

Thoughts in <>

Chapter 9
Tara sighed, resting her head against Faith's locker while waiting for her best friend to show up. Oz had shown up as did Cordelia who was clearly not overjoyed to be working so late. Xander had tried to make up for it in the physical guy way and ended up with a bruised ego after Cordelia shoved him to the floor. Buffy and Faith hadn't found much, as word was fairly quiet, except for the screams by the slain demons at least. Faith had managed to learn that a demon was selling the books of Ascension for $5,000. Buffy and Giles found a way to pay the amount and subsequently contacted the demon. They were scheduled to meet tonight. has to understand right? Oh...> Tara thought, now pacing in front of Faith's locker and wondering where the Slayer was.

"Simple...just keep it simple," Tara said, trying to calm her nerves. "Yahh!" she shouted as Faith's hand rested on her shoulder, attached to a smirking Slayer.

"Hey there girlfriend," said Faith with a grin but Tara looked back flustered. Faith could tell something was up and looked at her concerned.

"What's wrong? If it's more news about the Fuligis demons...Buffy and I kinda sliced and diced a few days ago," she said trying to ease the tension in her best friend but wasn't having much success. Tara shook her head.

"No, it's...I have to tell you something. In private," she whispered as Faith nodded her head.

"Sure, we can use Giles' office. If he's there, we can just kick him out," she said with a flash of a grin.

"Uh huh," replied the blonde absent mindedly as Faith took her by the arm, leading her to the library. They entered and were lucky to find it devoid of any Scoobies. Giles was up in the stacks so the duo slipped in his office.

"Hey Giles, we're using your office. Anybody enters the office, they get a stake to the heart living or dead," shouted Faith before closing the door as Tara sat down and looked up at the Slayer.

"Okay...I don't quite know how to p-put this. I think I've fallen for somebody," Tara stammered as a grin spread on Faith's face.

"You vixen! So, who's the lucky charmer?" she asked as Tara’s' eyes widened.

"Well, that's one part of the problem. See, it's not a guy," she said as Faith nodded her head before she realized what Tara had said.

"Oh..." Faith said, growing slightly red which only made Tara blush harder.

"It's not y-you...it's somebody else. Not anybody in the gang either," she said, nearly running the sentence together as one word as Faith looked at her confused.

"So, who is it?" she asked, trying to wrack her brain for any sign of this mystery gal.

"Promise you won't tell anybody even Giles. Please," begged Tara as Faith cast concerned eyes on her friend knowing this was tormenting her.

"I promise T," said Faith as she knelt down in front of the blonde so they were face to face. Tara took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"It's W-Willow," she whispered so low that Faith barely caught what she said. Faith leaned back, eyes wide.

"But-but...she's a vampire isn't she?" asked Faith as Tara looked at her with eyes brimming with tears. One tear fell, signaling the start of a cascade as Faith leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde.

"Shh...it's okay. If you want Willow then you'll get her . Vampire or not, my best friend deserves to be happy and I'll do everything in my power to help you. That and B boinked Angelus so at least we have a precedent," said Faith, getting a smile from Tara. Faith wiped a tear away and handed Tara a tissue. Tara dabbed at the tears as Giles rapped on the door, earning a glare from Faith.

"Erm..hope I'm not interrupting anything important. It's just that, well, I found something important," Giles explained as Faith opened the door and stepped out. Tara followed as Giles looked at her concerned but Tara smiled, easing his concern slightly. He led the girls to the table. Giles pointed to a paragraph of text on the book laid out on the table over the good two-dozen other books also piled up.

"I found out when The Mayor should be Ascending. According to this, the Ascension occurs roughly four to six months after the person completes the first task. What that task is I don't know since this is fairly limited concerning details of course. I'll inform Buffy and the rest of the group of my findings but if The Mayor plans to Ascend then-" Giles said but was cut off by Faith.

"The Mayor's going to Ascend around Graduation Day then? Yippee...guess it means I'll get to skip buying the cap and gown then huh," remarked Faith, shooting a smile at Tara who cracked the tiniest hint of a smile back as Giles took off his glasses and rubbed them.

"We aren't sure when it will occur. Tara, I heard that you're working tonight. It's imperative that you find out whatever you can about The Mayor and the Ascension. I'd advise that you try not to contact any of the crew, that is to say Angelus, Spike, Drusilla, or Willow because it would likely place you in danger," Giles said as Tara and Faith exchanged looks at the mention of Willow's name.

"Okay. Big no for trouble but w-what if they c-contact me?" she asked as Giles looked at her.

"Well, then I advise that you take a bottle of holy water just in case. I can also give you a stake if you feel you'll need it," replied Giles as Tara shook her head.

"A bottle of holy water should be fine," she replied as Giles nodded his head. Faith stood up and looked at Tara.

"As much as I'm loving this chit chat, we gotta jet for class. Thanks for the heads up Giles. We'll catch up with you and the misfits later. Bye," Faith called as Tara stood up and joined her best friend. The two girls marched out the door as Giles leaned back, looking down at the book and wondering what they were about to face.

*****

The Mayor looked up at Allen who was pacing about. Wilkins sighed as Allen stopped and looked at him.

"You know sir, if the need arises then we could always hire outside help. I understand we have the vampires however having human connections wouldn't hurt either. After all, there is Wolfram & Hart," Allen said but Wilkins held a hand up to silence him.

"While I appreciate the advice Allen, I think we're set. I have Mr. Trick, yourself, as well as four very eager vampires who have just been granted power over Sunnydale, at least when it comes to the rest of the vampire clans. I've put my faith in them, more specifically in Willow and I'm sure they won't disappoint," he stated as Allen resumed his pacing.

"Do you want Willow to come in tonight sir?" he asked as Wilkins stood up.

"Allen, stop. Just sit down, get comfortable, and relax. Call Willow in when it gets dark. Tara should be working secretary tonight and has already seen Willow so it shouldn't be a problem when she enters. When Willow does arrive however, have her wait. I have important things and I don't want to be rushed in setting them up okay?" asked The Mayor as Allen nodded his head in response.

"I'll instruct her to wait," replied Allen, moving towards the door and exiting the room. The Mayor smiled. He knew the Books of Ascension were on the market and he had already made plans to retrieve them. $5,000 was a bit pricey but with his policy, free was the best he could offer. If his group wanted to pay him back for his generosity then tonight would make for a perfectly fine start.

TBC: Grr Arrgh

[Harlequin]

Note: Thoughts in <>

Chapter 10
Tara pounded the keyboard in frustration. Her searching had come up with nothing and her attempts at trying to find out any information was proving futile. She sighed and buried her head in her hands, not paying attention to the fact that the door had just opened and closed.

"Is somebody feeling cranky?" asked the voice as Tara instantly lifted her head, both scared and relieved at the sight before her. Willow stood before her clad completely in leather and looking rather thought Tara who's eyes instantly widened but Willow ignored the reaction.

"N-No, I'm fine W-Willow. It's just that it gets boring here sometimes," she responded as Willow smirked. thought Tara as Willow walked closer.

"Aww...do you need some comforting? I happen to be very handy," said Willow with a grin as Tara gaped at her, surprised at how easily the vampire flirted. Suddenly, Allen walked into the room, coughing to make both girls aware of his presence. Both girls turned their heads to him.

"Willow, The Mayor wants you to wait out here. Try not to do anything detrimental, please," said Allen as Willow cracked a sly smile.

"Does naughty enter your definition of detrimental?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as Tara swiveled her head to the vampire. Allen gulped and abruptly turned, heading back to Wilkins' office as Willow turned with a smile back to Tara. Willow leaned against the counter, chin propped in the palms of her hands. Tara drove her hand into her pocket, gripping the bottle of holy water but not yet pulling it out.

"So, what's up cutie?" asked Willow with a smirk. "Wanna play Kitty?" she asked, leaning closer as Tara could only gaze back at her mesmerized.

"W-What?" Tara stammered, trying to get control of the situation but practically melting at the look Willow was giving her. Willow leaned in, close enough to bite her neck but instead leaned towards her ear.

"I'm a vampire and you're not. Aware. That doesn't mean we can't have some good times though. I was thinking chains, chocolate syrup..." trailed Willow, nibbling Tara's ear. Tara let out a soft moan of pleasure as her hand loosened on the bottle of holy water. Willow pulled back with a smile when a voice rang out.

"Willow! I believe you can enter now," called out Mayor Wilkins much to the chagrin of the girls. Tara let out a soft sigh as Willow turned to the voice and let out a snarl. Willow was now very annoyed and pissed off, not happy that her little session with the Kitty had been interrupted. She shot a look back at Tara and winked, the blonde blushing before staring back at the computer. Willow strode down the hallway and opened the door, not even bothering to knock. the vampire thought before she stopped suddenly.

"Wow..." said Willow, gazing around the office. Dead ahead of her was a black cat, meowing softly as Willow walked up to it and dragged a finger along it's chin, listening to it purr in pleasure. She glanced to her right, smiling at the blonde chained to the wall. Granted, it wasn't Tara but the girl would suffice. Willow turned her attention to the Mayor who was seated in his chair with a smile.

"Let me tell you something kiddo, it’s hard work trying to lure a blonde in. Actually, it was pretty easy from what Mr. Trick told me but that's neither here nor there. As for the black cat, that's a present for Tara. I was planning to give it to her myself for doing a job well done later on but from what Allen informed me, it seems that you would be better suited to do the honors. Go on, have a taste," said Wilkins as he gestured at the blonde. Willow turned and smiled, walking up to her. Her hazel eyes flashed fear and Willow took in the overwhelming scent of it. She vamped into her natural face and smiled, nibbling the earlobe of the blonde and planting a kiss on her forehead. She dragged a nail across her cheek, lapping up the trickle of blood before turning to Wilkins.

"May I?" she asked, practically dancing in her boots as the Mayor laughed.

"She's all yours Willow," he responded as Willow smiled and swung back to the blonde, driving her fangs into her neck. She drank her swiftly, all the while thinking about Tara but knowing she couldn't have her quite yet. She finished and wiped her mouth clean, returning her guise to her normal human appearance and taking a seat opposite the Mayor.

"Still as intoxicating as the first time," she said with a grin. The Mayor nodded his head and was handed a folder by a very pale Allen. Willow gave Allen a short wave as Allen nearly passed out in fear. The Mayor sighed.

"If you're that afraid Allen, you can join Tara then," said Wilkins with a roll of his eyes. Allen promptly left the room as Willow smiled.

"Guess I scared him a bit too much in our first meeting. Wasn't my fault though, they made me cranky," she said as Wilkins nodded his head in understanding.

"Fool me once, shame on me. As for what is in the folder...it's interesting. Remember the friend that arrived in Sunnydale with Faith? It seems that we've located her," The Mayor explained as Willow opened the folder, quickly rifling through the text and holding up the pictures. She grinned at the face that looked back at her.

"Kitty...erm, Tara. Wait...Tara?" she asked, glancing over the pictures at the Mayor who nodded his head.

"It seems that my adorable secretary is best friends with the Slayer, well one of them in Faith. Odds are that she knows Buffy by now which means that she has likely come into contact with the rest of the gang. Now, I understand that you're a vampire, which means that what I'm about to ask you could prove troublesome. More so with the sunlight issue but I'm thinking you could be an Angel this way. I want you to befriend Tara. I understand you've started that of your own accord and in these times, what people do is their business. In order to befriend Tara though, I want you to befriend the gang. I know, I know. They know you're a vampire and may not trust you but trust me...you were their friend and I don't think they'd kill you immediately," Wilkins explained as Willow let out a derisive snort.

"I think Buffy would take issue with me joining up with the group again. Giles too. Actually, Watcher boy probably more so because he understands I'm a vampire and can't be trusted. Hah...what would I say? 'Oh look at me, I've gone hunting and found myself a brand new soul. Say, wanna be friends again'? Not sure that'll work," stated Willow as she sighed, standing up and setting the kitten down on the desk. She smiled; eyes locked on the kitten and following its movements as Wilkins chuckled.

"Glad to see you have a fondness for the feline. However, this is a pressing matter Willow. I hired you because I know you'll do what's asked of you and that you'll do it more efficiently then anybody else. If you don't think you can handle the task then I could always ask Angelus," said Wilkins, knowing the redhead didn't much care for the Master of the clan and smiled as Willow let out a growl.

"I'll handle it. First, I need to find out from Tara where the group stands on me. I'm pretty sure neither Xander nor Oz will kill me so that's two pluses in my favor. Buffy, probably not but she's a Slayer and was willing to kill Angelus so I can't say anything for certain. Giles will probably kill me if he were smart but emotions ruin people's judgment so he could be on the fence. Faith, can't say for certain however Tara shouldn't present a problem. Speaking of my girl, mind if I show her my...our present?" she asked with a sly smile. She gave her best puppy dog eyes imitation as Wilkins smirked and pointed to the door.

"Thanks Daddy," said Willow with a wink before standing up, cat cradled in her arms and exiting the room. She passed Allen who turned, avoiding her stare as Willow responded with a frown but instantly brightened upon seeing Tara who was smiling.

"Hey Kitty, looks like I have a present for you. A kitty for my Kitty. It's the Mayor's way of saying thanks but I was the one doing the giving so brownie points for me yeah?" Willow asked as Tara smiled but averted her eyes. She took the black kitten that meowed upon changing hands as Tara set the kitten down on the counter. She looked up at Willow.

"Thanks," she said as Willow nodded her head before stepping forward.

"I know this is kind of sudden. I wanted to see the Scooby gang tonight, preferably now. I know that I'm not the most trustworthy vampire however I was friends with them and still feel that I owe them something. I don't like Drusilla, hate Angelus, and think that Spike is an arrogant prick. I figure I could give them information about what the clan is planning to do. Again, if you say no I'll understand completely. I just feel that it would prove beneficial," explained Willow as Tara glanced down at the kitten that was transfixed on Willow. Tara pulled out the bottle of holy water and held it out in front of her before returning her gaze to Willow.

"O-okay but first a few r-rules. First, you lead. I don't trust you enough to let you follow," Tara said as Willow smiled.

"Don't worry Tara, I'd only look at your ass," said Willow as Tara blushed.

"Two, when we arrive you are cooperative. I'll try to e-explain to them what's going on but I don't need you muddling things up, are we clear?" asked Tara with a stern look as Willow grinned like a kid opening Christmas presents.

"Let's go blondie," said Willow as Tara scooped up the kitten. Willow opened the door, heading out as Tara followed, hand clutching the bottle of holy water so tight that her knuckles were white.

*****

Buffy sighed, muscles aching at the workout she had during the patrol with Faith. They had found out from Willy that a sale was going down, involving the Books of Ascension. The two Slayers approached the door hanging loosely. Clearly it had been kicked in but they were hoping it hadn't happened recently. Faith marched in as Buffy entered cautiously.

"Hello? We're here for the Books of Ascension? We heard that a yard sale was going on and figured we'd jump in. We have the $5,000 on us, right here in the duffel bag," called out Buffy but she was only met with silence. Faith and Buffy shared a glance when a demon was thrown down at their feet. The demon was clearly dead, neck snapped as Buffy and Faith pulled out their stakes but couldn't see anything aside from the dim light from the light bulb cast over the dead demon. Suddenly the lights flashed on, flooding the room. Both girls squinted their eyes as Buffy let out a low growl at the figures in front of them.

"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise? Two Slayers," commented Spike with a grin as Angelus stood next to him, holding a bag that presumably contained the Books of Ascension. Angelus lifted the bag with a smirk.

"Looking for something ladies? Our boss decided that he needed these a little sooner than you guys. That and for the flat price of free which probably is more enticing than your offer of $5,000. Of course we can't ask now because...dead but we'll be on our merry way now. Pleasure seeing you Buffy, haven't changed a bit," said Angelus with a laugh as Drusilla growled and stalked towards the girls. Spike and Angelus shared concerned looks as Faith stepped forward ready to fight. Drusilla charged, Faith instantly ducking her swing and sweeping, plunging the stake into Drusilla's heart.

"Spike..." Drusilla muttered, eyes cast on the vampire who looked like he had just died a second time. With that, she was dust.

TBC: Grrr Arrgh

[AlysonGoddess]

Awesome start!!!! love vampire willow!!!! please continue!!


ERIN

[Harlequin]

Erin: Glad to see you're still liking it.

Chapter 11
Spike let out a howl of rage and anguish. Angelus let out a low growl as Faith smirked while Buffy looked uneasy.

"Is she an amateur or something cause that was almost too easy," Faith quipped as Spike snarled and lunged forward but was yanked back by Angelus. Spike glared a hole through Angelus as Angelus glared back and stared at the Slayers.

"Not now, we need to return this. As for you two, this thing is a long time coming and I'm not sure if I'll be patient enough to stand by without some action. Let's go Spike," said Angelus as Spike snarled at Faith.

"Listen here luv, I'll be hunting you. Hunting you in the night and you won't have Buffy there to protect you. I'll drain your blood, rip your bloody arms off and bash your friends to death," growled Spike as the Slayers exchanged glances. Suddenly the room was filled with smoke as Spike and Angelus retreated into the shadows. Faith began to move towards them but Buffy grabbed her by the forearm.

"We'll let Giles know what's happened. Going after them, especially with an enraged Spike is not a smart plan. As much as I'd love to go, Giles and the gang need to know that we've taken the proverbial step backward," stated Buffy as Faith looked into the smoke and sighed with defeat.

"Lead the way B," she replied with a huff as the Slayers exited the warehouse.

*****

Willow tried to take a deep breathe before remembering she couldn't. She walked forward and up to the doors of the library but paused, glancing back at Tara who gestured to continue forward. Willow rolled her eyes and shoved the door open, sauntering in followed by the blonde holding the bottle of holy water. Three heads jerked up. One let out a gasp, one's jaw was hanging open, and one let out a scream.

"Giles!!!" screamed Cordelia in fright as Giles scrambled out of his office and looked around wildly. Cordelia pointed at Willow who gave a quick wave to Giles.

"Bloody hell," Giles muttered, rushing back into his office and grabbing the crossbow hidden in his desk. He emerged, sliding a bolt into place as he pulled the crossbow up and aimed it at the vampire. Tara instantly stepped in front of Willow, much to Giles' surprise.

"No," Tara said with a resolve face that was once reminiscent of the human Willow.

"Are you mad? She could kill us all," commented Giles as Xander and Oz both stood up and walked to stand next to the shaken Watcher. Tara sighed and looked down at the floor.

"She's here to help. She has information. You're the one who told me to find information on what was going on," Tara said as Giles took off his glasses and wiped them.

"I didn't expect you to bring a vamp...Willow to the library," he replied. Willow had quietly moved closer to Tara and smiled at Giles. She leaned forward, eyeing Tara's neck as Giles moved forward with the crossbow still raised. Willow frowned and pulled back but didn't take a step. She instead placed her hands on Tara's hips, being greeted in return with a sharp elbow to her ribs, which instantly broke her hold. Willow was bent over and looked up at Tara in amusement.

"No fair...oof!" she gasped as she was tackled to the floor by Faith. Buffy had just walked in and was in shock that Willow was here. Faith was raining down fists as Tara scrambled and pulled Faith off as Faith struggled to break free.

"I'll kill you. You tried to bite Tara," shouted Faith as Willow slowly got up and cracked a sly grin.

"Biting was gonna come later...I never do that on a first date," she responded dryly which only further enraged the Slayer. Buffy walked forward and stood in front of Faith, arms crossed across her chest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a serious tone as Willow's eyes flitted to Giles but returned to Buffy.

"I had information I thought you guys could find useful. Granted, big world of change on my side but that doesn't mean I can't help. Angelus helped didn't he? Oh...it's because he had a soul though. Silly me," remarked Willow as Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"Leave Angel out of this. Give us the information and go," stated Buffy as the rest of the group began to advance while Faith stopped struggling but Tara still had her hands placed on her shoulders just in case. Willow pouted.

"Is that anyway to treat a friend? You can't kill me Buffy and neither can Xander or Oz. The only one in this group that could is Faith and that's only because she got the wrong impression," said Willow, eyeing Faith who glared back.

"What do you want in exchange for the information?" asked Giles as Willow smirked at Buffy and turned her attention to Giles.

"Simple. I give you information as well as any future information I gather and I remain a Scooby," replied Willow. Buffy snorted in response.

"What? Spike and Angelus not treating you well?" she asked with sarcasm as Willow growled.

"Spike's an arrogant cock. Angelus is bossy and doesn't exactly gel with me. I wouldn't mind seeing him killed and I'm sure he'd like to see the same fate hit me," she said as Faith smiled.

"I can help with that," Faith muttered as Willow shot her a frown.

"Erm...let's all take a seat and show some semblance of human normalcy shall we?" asked Giles as the gang all took seats at the table. Faith sat in the back next to Tara who eyed the Slayer nervously as Willow stayed standing.

"So...killed anyone lately?" asked Cordelia trying to break the ice as Willow smiled.

"Nobody important. You guys?" she asked as Buffy and Faith exchanged eye contact.

"We dusted Drusilla tonight," Buffy said as Willow looked at her in shock.

"Why'd you do that!?! Well, nice going Buffy. So much for me having any control over Spike," cried Willow as Buffy looked back surprised.

"Well we hadn't planned on it. What do you mean control over Spike?" she asked as Willow rolled her eyes like what she was about to say was obvious.

"He sired me. He obviously likes me, even if he doesn't show it around Angelus. I figured that I could use his feelings for me to ask him not to kill any of you. Low and behold, that plan is now out the window. Thanks a lot," said Willow, very annoyed.

"Well, it wasn't me who did the dusting. Faith dusted her...and besides Drusilla attacked first," said Buffy with a pout as Giles stared at the Slayers hard.

"Did you two manage to obtain the Books of Ascension?" he asked, glancing at Willow who looked uncomfortable at the mention of the word Ascension. Buffy and Faith shook their heads.

"Spike and Angelus decided to jump the gun. They took off with the books and likely are meeting with Wilkins now," Buffy said as Willow smiled.

"I'll get them," she said nonchalantly as the gang stared at her like she'd become...a vampire as Willow looked back confused.

"What? Hello, vampire. Anyways I'm The Mayors' right hand gal. I operate at night for him," she said with a note of pride.

"So you'll play double agent now huh?" asked Xander as Willow nodded her head in affirmation.

"We'll get you back Willow," said Oz in a whisper as Willow frowned at him.

"Get me back from what?" she asked as Oz stared back and Giles cleared his throat.

"We're trying to erm, trying to find a way to get you back to your human state. We are currently trying to find a way to revert your Vampiric state however we don't know if accomplishing such a task would result in your permanent death," explained Giles as Willow nodded her head.

"Thanks for the thoughts I guess, although the undead life is not the worst thing in the world. Oh...I'm not saying that drinking blood is glorious but still the added power is a nice benefit," she commented quickly off the gang's looks.

"You still have traits of the human Willow or are you all 'Grrr'?" asked Cordelia, making finger quotes with the grr. Willow smiled but began to think.

"Well, it's like having a soul but not. I mean, I have the memories and such from prior Willow but at the same time the demon side sort of holds my body hostage. Physically, it's mostly demon control but mentally I still feel like Willow to an extent. I'm not saying 100% Willow because you guys have learned that's not the case but I'd hazard a guess of 70% Willowage here," she explained, babbling as the group tried to keep up. Giles nodded his head.

"Remarkable...I knew Angel had a soul and so I assumed it was just him. I never realized that the demon only focused primarily on the physical side of the vampire whereas leaving the mind to resemble the human," he remarked as Willow smiled.

"I said 70% Giles, not exactly human Willow in here," she said, tapping her skull.

"Of course but still, the knowledge that vampires can be somewhat useful to society," replied Giles trailing off as Willow smiled but then frowned.

"Information, right. Well there’s quite a bit to go through so I'll just start at the beginning. Anybody who interrupts me will get fangs in their neck so no interruptions kay? Good. First things first, the clan of Spike, Angelus, and myself now control Sunnydale. Meaning we control what the other vampire clans in and around Sunnydale can do. We've received instructions that no children are to be harmed and to limit the amount of public kills. Together, the clan has decided that if another clan wants in then they fight to the death. This should limit the number of extra vampires entering and should make your schedules slightly easier. This only extends to vampires. The Mayor wants Faith dead although Buffy would suffice if it came down to that. Don't worry Buffy, I won't kill you but the Mayor seems to think that Faith is the more dangerous of you two. He wanted me to follow Tara to gain access to Faith but again, here to help not to kill. At least, not to kill you guys though I am growing a bit hungry. Any questions?" she asked the group as they all looked around, exchanging eye contact.

"What's with the kitten Tara?" asked Faith as Tara blushed, placing the kitten on the table who meowed at the attention it was receiving.

"It was a present from Willow...or The M-Mayor for working but W-Willow gave it to me," Tara replied as Willow smirked and winked at the blonde. Buffy looked back at Tara, wondering what was up between the two.

"Are you two dating?" Cordelia asked as Xander blushed. Willow smiled as Tara looked like she desperately wanted to hide. Faith smiled but stared at Willow.

"Interest has been shown. More so on my end and everything seemed to be going smoothly until somebody tackled me," grumbled Willow as Faith blushed a little.

"You can get the Books of Ascension Willow?" Giles asked as Willow nodded her head.

"Yup. He'll likely have them locked up or hidden. I'm sure I can convince him to get a look though. Speaking of which, I gotta jet. I'll grab a bite on the way and don't worry...I'll make sure it's a mugger or something okay? I gotta be there when Spike and Angelus meet Wilkins. Well, I'm way late now but showing up is better than nothing. Bye," said Willow with a wave before she departed out of the library. The gang sat there in silence.

*****

WHOMP! The Books slammed down on the desk as Wilkins looked up into a very pissed off face of Angelus. He quickly gathered that Drusilla had met an unfortunate fate. Spike was busy pacing and punched the blonde still chained to the wall repeatedly. Lucky for her, she was dead and couldn't feel a thing. Spike turned to Wilkins.

"I'll kill them," he snarled as Angelus sat back in his seat. Wilkins sighed.

"I don't want a blood splatter Spike. I understand you two are unhappy with the results of tonight's excursion but lest I remind you, the Ascension is coming up and all will be fine in the end. When I Ascend, you can kill whomever you please and however you like. Until then, I do not want to get my hands dirty if I can help it. Now I want a Slayer dead, doesn't matter to me who it is though I'd prefer it to be Faith. You can torture her, do whatever you please so long as she dies and it doesn't make the evening news. Now if you'll excuse me, it looks like I'm in for a bit of heavy reading," remarked Wilkins as Angelus got up and walked out the door. Spike followed, slamming the door shut in his anger. Wilkins smiled.

"Such a feisty fellow," he commented to himself before opening the first Book of Ascension and beginning his reading.

TBC: Grr Arrgh

[Arielle]

I wonder what Oz has to say about Willow and Tara's flirting.

[Still Waters T]

Hey

You got an awesome fic here. I just started reading a bit of it a few days ago, and just finished the last updates now, and I really like it! I'm not great at giving feedback and explaining why I liked the things I did, but anyhoo the writing style you have reminds me of reading or rather watching a BtVS episode (only it's better than the episodes!), and also it sort of reminds me of Kirk Baldridge's W/T fics.

It might be dark, but in my case I think it's a nice kinda dark - as in it's not depressingly so. I like dark, and angsty is good too. Not sure what my point is here but I think what I'm saying is that I like dark, and haunting, as much as the next kitten here. The start was all "oh no!" - Willow's still human, so she's about to lose her humanity, which would be bad. But when she finally is a vampire, and she makes the best out of it (I love VampWillow btw) I'm just rooting for her when she's off killing the Mayor's extraction team for example.

I liked that Willow and Tara didn't meet right away. Letting the plot thicken, letting us get to know the characters of Willow, Spike, the other vamps, the Scoobies, and Tara and Faith first, before Willow and Tara actually met in person. Setting things up. Willow is really cool as a vampire! There's just something about her.

The VampWillow and Spike situation: If I had been Willow, I don't know if I would have put up with Spike the way he's treating her. He seems to think she can't handle herself. But then again, from a calculating point of view, I might have; if I thought I could use him for something later. Don't want to get him at my bad side, right?

I kinda feel bad for Oz. I mean, 1st his girlfriend gets herself kidnapped by none other than Spike, then they find out she's a vampire (oh the horror! ) and if that's not enough that's she and Spike have joined Angelus and Drusilla, AND finally that she's working for the mayor. Oh and then he's probably not too happy about the shocker of VampWillow liking Tara in a less than platonic way either! I do feel bad for him, I do! BUT I like Willow & Tara together more than him and Willow, so...from his perspective - badness, but from the whole W&T perspective - yayness! So it's a little hard to feel bad about this whole situation.

I'm happy that Faith and Tara are best friends. They really do seem to care for each other. This is probably my fave scene between them:

"Well, that's one part of the problem. See, it's not a guy," she said as Faith nodded her head before she realized what Tara had said.

"Oh..." Faith said, growing slightly red which only made Tara blush harder.

"It's not y-you...it's somebody else. Not anybody in the gang either," she said, nearly running the sentence together as one word as Faith looked at her confused.

And in this part Faith was just so sweet, being the bestest, most surportive friend that she is:

"I promise T," said Faith as she knelt down in front of the blonde so they were face to face. Tara took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"It's W-Willow," she whispered so low that Faith barely caught what she said. Faith leaned back, eyes wide.

"But-but...she's a vampire isn't she?" asked Faith as Tara looked at her with eyes brimming with tears. One tear fell, signaling the start of a cascade as Faith leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde.

"Shh...it's okay. If you want Willow then you'll get her . Vampire or not, my best friend deserves to be happy and I'll do everything in my power to help you. That and B boinked Angelus so at least we have a precedent," said Faith, getting a smile from Tara. Faith wiped a tear away and handed Tara a tissue. Tara dabbed at the tears as Giles rapped on the door, earning a glare from Faith.

I find myself wondering now, if VampWillow is really playing both sides. Is she really working solely for the Mayor now; what with her obvious attraction for Tara? Or is she playing the Mayor, so she can be with Tara (and as an extention - the Scoobies)? Or is she playing both sides, to see which is the stronger and then join that team? VampWillow seems too much in 'like' with Tara to want her, and/or her friends, serious harm.

Good for Tara that she can, up to a certain point at least, control VampWillow. Willow doesn't seem to mind too much having TakeChargeTara. And VampWillow & Tara is just droolworthy here. I really love the VW & Tara interactions here!

This is but a few of my favorites of the W&T scenes:

"Does naughty enter your definition of detrimental?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as Tara swiveled her head to the vampire. Allen gulped and abruptly turned, heading back to Wilkins' office as Willow turned with a smile back to Tara. Willow leaned against the counter, chin propped in the palms of her hands. Tara drove her hand into her pocket, gripping the bottle of holy water but not yet pulling it out.

"So, what's up cutie?" asked Willow with a smirk. "Wanna play Kitty?" she asked, leaning closer as Tara could only gaze back at her mesmerized.

"W-What?" Tara stammered, trying to get control of the situation but practically melting at the look Willow was giving her. Willow leaned in, close enough to bite her neck but instead leaned towards her ear.

"I'm a vampire and you're not. Aware. That doesn't mean we can't have some good times though. I was thinking chains, chocolate syrup..." trailed Willow, nibbling Tara's ear. Tara let out a soft moan of pleasure as her hand loosened on the bottle of holy water. Willow pulled back with a smile when a voice rang out.

I love how Allan is terrified of VampWillow!! Awww Tara's all melted by Willow. Who'da thought? Bad mayor, for his bad timing *grumbles*

There's lots of other scenes I love, like for instance when Tara brings VW to the library.

Kudos, great fic!! The plot is excellent, so is the descriptions of the scenes and settings, the characters no less! And the fast updates, love those too!

Liv

[Harlequin]

Arielle: Keep reading, I'm hoping to start delving into Oz in the next chapter.

Liv: Oh my god

Okay, guess I'll go point by point heh.

but anyhoo the writing style you have reminds me of reading or rather watching a BtVS episode (only it's better than the episodes!)

So glad you feel that way as that was the way I wanted the Fic to come off. I wanted it to resemble a BTVS episode and wanted it to seem like it could actually happen (as much as an AU could) in the show. Now I gotta find Kirk's W/T fics heh.

I'm just rooting for her when she's off killing the Mayor's extraction team for example.

Glad you felt that way. I found myself rooting too and I'm the author!

I liked that Willow and Tara didn't meet right away. Letting the plot thicken, letting us get to know the characters of Willow, Spike, the other vamps, the Scoobies, and Tara and Faith first, before Willow and Tara actually met in person. cool Setting things up. Willow is really cool as a vampire! There's just something about her.

I love in-depth characterization and I wanted to target that area in the fic. I find that a reader can get into a story more if they can relate to the characters and in order to do that, the characters need some backbone.

The VampWillow and Spike situation: If I had been Willow, I don't know if I would have put up with Spike the way he's treating her. He seems to think she can't handle herself. But then again, from a calculating point of view, I might have; if I thought I could use him for something later. Don't want to get him at my bad side, right?

*grins* It'll be continued, definitely so keep your eyes out for it.

I kinda feel bad for Oz. shh I mean, 1st his girlfriend gets herself kidnapped by none other than Spike, then they find out she's a vampire (oh the horror! shock ) and if that's not enough that's she and Spike have joined Angelus and Drusilla, AND finally that she's working for the mayor. Oh and then he's probably not too happy about the shocker of VampWillow liking Tara in a less than platonic way either! I do feel bad for him, I do! BUT I like Willow & Tara together more than him and Willow, so...from his perspective - badness, but from the whole W&T perspective - yayness! So it's a little hard to feel bad about this whole situation.

Heh, I'll try to explore Oz's emotions/reactions in the next couple chapters.

I'm happy that Faith and Tara are best friends. They really do seem to care for each other.

*huge smile here* So glad you enjoy their best friend relationship. I sort of patterned them after Season 1 Buffy/Willow. Also like the scene you chose as I can picture Tara jumping to that conclusion. Also glad you liked the Tara admitting scene. I loved Faith glaring at Giles

I find myself wondering now, if VampWillow is really playing both sides. Is she really working solely for the Mayor now; what with her obvious attraction for Tara? Or is she playing the Mayor, so she can be with Tara (and as an extention - the Scoobies)? Or is she playing both sides, to see which is the stronger and then join that team? VampWillow seems too much in 'like' with Tara to want her, and/or her friends, serious harm.

Just keep reading.

Good for Tara that she can, up to a certain point at least, control VampWillow. Willow doesn't seem to mind too much having TakeChargeTara. And VampWillow & Tara is just droolworthy here. I really love the VW & Tara interactions here!

Willow's definitely the more flirtatious of the two but Tara will be making her own strides in her own quiet way.

I love how Allan is terrified of VampWillow!!

Glad you love it. I wrote it as a one time thing at first and then decided it'd be cute to continue with the interaction. That and it adds another element to the relationships in the fic.

The plot is excellent, so is the descriptions of the scenes and settings, the characters no less! And the fast updates, love those too!

Thanks.

Note to Readers: Chapter 12 should be up hopefully either later tonight if I'm feeling up to it or Tuesday morning/early afternoon. I have both sets of grandparents coming in, my ones from Seattle tomorrow and my ones from Gardner, MA on Monday so I'll be a little busy.

[Harlequin]

Chapter 12
Oz paced the floor of the library. The rest of the group had gone home for the night and Giles had just left a few moments ago leaving Oz alone. Oz had assured Giles he'd close up. he thought to himself as he continued pacing. He was shocked when Willow turned up but gradually began to enjoy her being back in the fold, even if she was a vampire. He thought that Willow and vampires in general could never love but if that were the case...

"Tara," he muttered, letting out a low growl. He stopped as his eyes widened.

"Oh no...this can't be happening," Oz whispered as he fearfully looked out the window. It was only a half moon so why was he changing? Granted, he was angry at Willow for having the audacity to come back and immediately take a liking to a girl but that shouldn't be enough to cause him to morph prematurely.

"Could it?" he asked himself as he gasped, falling to the floor and clutching his stomach. He scrambled to the phone. he thought frantically, grabbing the combination lock and throwing himself towards the cage that housed Giles' weapons. He slid himself in and left the door open enough so he could slide the lock through before closing it and locking himself in. He sat huddled against the wall, knowing the change was coming.

"Don't change...don't change..." he mumbled, knowing it was already useless. His eyes began to change color, his snout sprouted longer, and hair began to grow everywhere on his body. Finally in wolf form, he let out a long howl that reached the moon.

*****

Allen opened the front door and fell flat on his back. He scrambled to his feet and backed away as Willow rolled her eyes.

"Jeesh...you were the ones that came after me remember? Stop being a scaredy cat Allen. You'd think I was going to bite you or something," she taunted with a smile as Allen paled a little. Willow sighed and stepped aside, sweeping her arm forward as Allen hastily made his exit.

"A little nick wouldn't hurt," she told herself as she made her way towards The Mayor's office. She quickly eyed the secretary out of the corner of her eye but saw it was a teenage male and snorted in disgust. she thought to herself with a grin as she knocked on the door before it opened revealing a frowning Richard Wilkins III.

"You know young lady, you really shouldn't be traipsing about without notifying me of your whereabouts," chided Wilkins as Willow entered and sat down.

"Sorry, I was just getting to know Tara a little better. I also met up with the Scooby Gang if you're interested which I'm sure you are. They seem to be focused on taking you down at the moment," she said, admiring her fingernails as Wilkins sat down and looked at her with interest.

"How much do they know?" he asked as Willow sighed and looked out the window.

"Not much, just that the Ascension should be occurring around Graduation Day. Don't you have anything more...exciting about this room? Say for instance, certain Books," she said teasing a smile at Wilkins and tilting her head. The Mayor laughed.

"Not one for subtlety Willow and frankly I'm not much for it either. I prefer to be frank with my guests and expect them to be the same towards me. Takes out all the hemming and hawing that can happen. As for the Books, I've already had Allen lock them up for safekeeping in case certain teenagers decide that snooping around would be beneficial. If you want to take a look, simply ask Allen tomorrow morning. I have a lunch meeting with the Town Committee and there's several sewers leading here. Did you know Drusilla was staked tonight?" he asked as Willow shook her head. she thought to herself with an inner smile.

"She was?" she asked with slight surprise as Wilkins nodded his head.

"Seems that the crew ran into Buffy and Faith while retrieving the Books of Ascension. Drusilla went a little active, got herself staked, and left a pretty torn up set of boys. I'm sure they'll get over it soon enough but you might want to go and cool them down before they do anything rash. Last thing I need in an election year is a couple of vampires to go on a mass killing spree. Wouldn't be good for my public image because let's face it, carnage and bloodshed doesn't rank very high with soccer moms," he said with a grim smile as Willow stood up.

"Don't worry. I'll try and get them settled down. I'm not promising no deaths but maybe two or three," replied Willow as Wilkins nodded his head.

"That'll do. You know, you should try more makeup. Around the eyes and maybe the cheeks, bring out the happy attitude that you generate when you feed," said Wilkins with a smile as Willow grinned.

"I'm sure it'd be a hit with Tara too," she quipped as she opened the door and waved bye to Wilkins. The Mayor nodded his head and stared out the window as Willow walked down the hallway. She stopped and paused. she thought to herself as she eyed the boy. she thought as she advanced on the teenager. She grabbed him by the throat, instantly cutting off any vocal cries and carried him out the door.

*****

Buffy sighed, tossing and turning in bed. With a groan of failure, she threw the covers off herself and sat up.

"Great, now that Willow's back my world goes all topsy turvy again. God, it used to be so simple. Slayer killed vampire, Slayer gets a hug from Watcher, and a cookie. Then again, Slayers didn't normally fall in love with vampires or involve friends and family in the business. Wish Giles had given me that stupid Handbook," she muttered sliding on slippers and heading into the hallway. She began descending the stairs, taking them slowly in hopes of not waking her mother. She was surprised when she heard knocking at the front door and went to investigate. She grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter and opened the door.

"Good lord. Please don't kill me," the man in the suit said, holding his briefcase up in defense. Buffy lowered the knife, only enough to slash him across the stomach if need be.

"Who the hell are you? And do you know what time it is!?!" she asked as she glanced behind her, cursing herself as she heard her mother coming down the stairs.

"Terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I'm Wesley Wyndham-Price. I was called here as a Watcher. I'm to be the Watcher for Faith actually," he began as Buffy quickly silenced him. Joyce appeared, looking at her daughter and wondering why she was holding a knife before looking at the man, now even more confused.

"I'm sorry but we aren't looking to buy anything at the moment. Even more so considering the hour," Joyce stated as Wesley blushed a little.

"Sorry Ma'am, I was just here to-" Wesley began to explain but Buffy interrupted him.

"He's an assistant to Mr. Giles, the librarian. Remember him? Uh, anyway Wesley here was just letting me know that he'd be helping Giles out tomorrow and uh...reminding me that I had an overdue book. Oh! and uh...he needed a knife to...for defense! You know how dangerous it can be at night," she mumbled trying to get Wesley gone and her mother back to bed.

"You have an overdue book?" Joyce asked as Buffy started getting flustered and handed Wesley the knife. He looked at it confused before returning his gaze to Buffy.

"Yes, No, uh...it's a very complex situation. Anyway, glad to see you Wesley. Oh, here's the address to Giles' place so go bug him and give him the cheery news okay, good, bye," said Buffy, writing Giles' address on a piece of paper and slapping it into Wesley's hand before slamming the door closed in his face. Wesley stood there dumbfounded and confused. He glanced down at the piece of paper and looked around him, huddling his briefcase tighter to his chest as he began to walk back towards his car.

TBC: Grr Arrgh

[Harlequin]

Chapter 13
Oz awoke with a start. He looked around him, disoriented at his surroundings before quickly pulling himself to his feet. He looked down at himself, naked. he thought, the word flashing in his mind over and over again. Oz looked for a way to cover himself and couldn't find anything with-in the cage. He had to wait until somebody could unlock it for him and let him out; he was just hoping it wasn't Tara. If it was here, Oz wasn't sure that he'd stop in time. He grabbed an axe and held it down to cover himself just as the doors to the library swung open. Oz whipped his head towards the intruder as Giles walked in holding the paper and a cup of coffee. Giles set the paper down and turned towards the cage, throwing his cup in the air in his shock.

"Bloody hell! Oz, what are you doing in there?" he asked, stepping closer and ignoring the mess on the floor. Oz looked down.

"I can't control it Giles," he responded, raising his eyes back to the Watcher who looked at him confused.

"You changed? It was a half moon last night and werewolves only change during the full moon," he said trying to find an explanation hidden beneath the context of his words. Oz merely nodded his head before gasping as he turned his attention to the blonde. Tara entered alone, looking surprised at Oz and then glancing at Giles. Oz shrank against the wall and looked fearfully at Giles.

"Get her out of here," he groaned, clutching his stomach with his free hand as he felt the change coming again. Giles looked at Oz concerned before staring at the retreating back of Tara. The door swung closed as Oz began taking deep breaths.

"Oz, what is going on?" Giles asked, heading into his office and grabbing a pair of fresh clothes and unlocking the cage for Oz. He handed Oz the clothes and turned, letting the boy change before turning to face him again. Oz sighed, running his hand through his hair as he took a seat at the table.

"It's Tara. The way W...Willow acts around her and the way she feels about Tara. We were boyfriend and girlfriend Giles, she was mine and I was hers. She would've...we would've done anything for each other. When I think of them, all I see is rage. A rage that only happens when I become the wolf Giles. That rage is something I can't control. I was barely able to lock myself in time. I changed just thinking about them! If I see either of them...I can't guarantee that they'll be alive in the morning," Oz said as Giles looked at him with both awe and understanding. Giles took a seat and clasped his hands together.

"You're now a liability to these gir...to Tara and Willow. You are not only a liability to them but to those you hold dear as friends as well as everybody in this school and potentially this town. I understand your situation and the feelings that are welling up inside of you but I must let you know that it is of an imperative nature that you stifle them. As much as it pains me to tell you this, you must move on. If you remain insistent on the fact that Willow, as a human, loved you then you cannot expect her vampire counterpart to retain those feelings. While she retains the memories and characteristics of herself as a human, she does not retain her feelings. You must remember that when you think of her. Do you have any plans at the moment to control this?" Giles asked as Oz looked at him forlornly. Giles frowned as Oz closed his eyes in pain.

"I can't be around them Giles. I can't control my wolf side and as long as I'm in contact with either, I can't jeopardize the lives of everybody else. I'm leaving. Please, don't try to stop me. This is what's best and it's drastic. I understand that but I can't think about it...it just hurts too much. Tell the group of my decision and let Tara and Willow know that I...tell Willow I love her and always will," Oz finished. He stood up and headed towards the library doors as Giles got up and went after him.

"Oz, wait," Giles called as Oz stopped and turned to him.

"I have Giles. I can't wait anymore," he replied, turning and pushing the doors open. He exited into the hallway as Giles rested his head in his hands and returned to the seat at the table. He sat down, slamming his fist on the table as the door opened again. Giles lifted his head in hope, however he saw a man with a briefcase instead. The man walked forward and extended his hand.

"Wesley Wyndham-Price, I'm Faith's new Watcher," he said as Giles looked up at him in surprise.

*****

Willow groaned, pulling herself out of the sewer and into the alley next to the Mayor's building. She snarled at the sunlight dancing at her feet.

"Leads right to it indeed," she muttered to herself as she threw a hand up, covering her face and charging for the door. She swung it open, practically diving inside and staring up at the confused secretary. Willow rolled her eyes and stood up, wiping her clothes as Allen appeared. Willow smirked as Allen just pointed down the hallway.

"Come on Allen," taunted Willow as she tilted her head. She walked forward, wrapping an arm around Allen's shoulders and dragging him forward. Allen tried to stop but Willow just kept going. Finally, they reached the restricted area as Allen opened the door and ushered Willow inside. He began to close the door but Willow grabbed him by the front of the shirt and yanked him in as he yelped in surprise. Willow wagged her finger at him.

"Wilkins told me that you would help. Now stop being a party pooper. I told you I wouldn't bite you and the more you fight me, the crankier I get okay? Trust me, you really don't want to piss me off," Willow warned with a low growl as Allen nodded his head. He pulled out a key and unlocked a cabinet, pulling all four books out and setting them on the floor. Willow smiled as she helped Allen to his feet.

"Thanks Allen. Remind me to repay you later. As for what's about to happen...sorry," said Willow as she smashed the heel of her palm into Allen's nose. Allen crumpled to the ground. Willow sighed and bent down.

"You really shouldn't have tried to take me in by force sweetie," she whispered before grabbing the Books of Ascension. She exited the room and walked past the secretary. She growled to herself, before shoving the doors open with her foot and dashing into the alley, hissing at the burns blistering on her hands. She pulled open the manhole cover and threw the Books down before following suit.

*****

Faith and Tara entered the library and were surprised at the somber attitude. They glanced at each other before staring at Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, and Giles who all looked crestfallen. Then a new guy entered their view. Faith paused, immediately suspecting him of causing the shift in atmosphere. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.

"So, you the guy inflecting this place with gloom?" she asked as Tara joined the gang, carefully skirting around the new guy and well aware that Oz was nowhere to be found. The man smiled grimly and shook his head.

"I'm your new Watcher as a matter of fact. Wesley Wyndham-Price at your service," he said as Faith snorted in response before turning her attention to Giles.

"What's wrong G man?" she asked, leaning forward in wait for the answer. For the first time, she noticed Oz wasn't present. She wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"Something…erm, came up with Oz. It seems that he has...lost control of the werewolf side. More specifically, it occurs when he thinks of uh, certain...people," Giles explained as Tara looked at the table in shame. Faith saw the movement and instantly marched to Tara's side and hugged her. Faith sat in the chair next to the blonde, taking her hand in her own.

"So, let Oz deal. When he gets better, he can rejoin the community," Faith responded with a colder tone than she meant. Xander looked at her, hard.

"Back off Faith. Oz was Willow's boyfriend before all this went down. He's gone through a lot of shit-," began Xander.

"Xander..." Cordelia said exasperated as Buffy silenced her.

"No, Faith needs to understand this," Buffy said sternly, staring at the Slayer as Xander glanced at the blonde before returning his gaze to Faith who looked uneasy.

"Oz has gone through more shit then any of us. At least Buffy has hope that Angelus can be turned back to his soul free self and come back to her. Oz doesn't have that hope anymore. Willow has clearly moved on past him to somebody else, a girl no less. I like you Tara and I appreciate your activeness with us but fact is that seeing Willow acting like that around him was hard. She was my best friend and she made Oz happy. Suddenly, not only does Willow return, as a vampire, but she's making googly eyes at Tara who has just entered the fray. So don't act like Oz had this coming to him," stated Xander as Tara blushed but remained fixated on the table. Faith let out a growl in response.

"It's not my fault that werewolf boy couldn't handle himself. It's not Tara's fault that Willow has fallen in love with her and vice versa. So back off Xander. Don't act all high and mighty for Oz because if wolfy can't handle it then maybe it is best that he goes off to find himself or whatever the hell he's doing. Tara is my best friend. If Willow makes her happy, Tara is gonna be happy. I'm sorry that this has been tough on Oz and I sympathize, but right now we have a ton of shit that we have to deal with. I really don't want to be jotting down enraged werewolf on the discussion board too," replied Faith with an even tone. Buffy sighed.

"If Willow makes Tara happy and vice versa, that's great and I fully support you two. Just don't act like Oz had this coming to him or that Oz doesn't matter. Oz is still a part of this group and until he dies, we're going to stand behind him. That doesn't mean that we will deny Tara and Willow their relationship, however it does mean that we won't stand down just because Willow's moved on," said Buffy, staring hard at Faith as Faith just nodded her head but kept her mouth quiet. Cordelia looked around at the group in annoyance.

"Okay, now that we've all weighed in on the wonderful exit by Oz can we focus on something more relevant? For example, the fact that we have a Mayor intent on bringing hell to Sunnydale and we still don't have the Books of Ascension do we Giles?" she asked as the library doors swung open violently.

"Ya know...sunlight can be a real bitch," snarled Spike with a grin.

TBC: Grrr Arrgh

[Emi06]

OMG this is a great story!!! update soon!!!

[Harlequin]

Chapter 14
Angelus stood next to Spike, taking in the fear sweeping off Xander, Cordelia, the suit guy (Wesley), and Tara. Giles was scared but wasn’t about to show it to his young students and Buffy and Faith were both ready to attack. Spike held up a hand, freezing them in place as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it, taking a drag. He looked down at the line of sunlight crossing the floor and frowned.

“Seems that sunlight doesn’t like offering help to our kind. I’ll be frank; we’re here for the Books of Ascension. Rumor was that somebody decided to take them out from Allen’s nose and Wilkins isn’t happy. Gave us a good threat with the dusting and all but I’ve heard it from you more than enough times Summers. So, give us the Books and maybe we’ll leave you in states of paralysis okay?” drawled Spike, tossing his cigarette to the ground and grinding it out with the heel of his boot. Two vampires came around, closing the blinds as Angelus took a step forward.

“You ran around for nothing then because they aren’t here. How’s Drusilla by the way? I heard that she went a little crazy and got herself dusted? That true?” asked Faith as Spike snarled. Angelus leaped forward as Spike charged. The two vampires advanced, Giles and Xander standing and meeting them head on. Willow, Tara, Wesley, and Cordelia grabbed weapons and began helping Xander and Giles. Buffy ducked a punch by Angelus and threw him against the table.

“Poor Mayor can’t do his own deeds?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow as Angelus tackled the Slayer to the ground. He grinned at her.

“Been a while since we were in this position. Sad to say, didn’t miss it,” he taunted as Buffy kneed him and shoved him over her head. Angelus rose to his feet as both vampires in the upper stairwell were promptly dusted. Faith and Spike were busy trading punches.

“She exploded instantly Spike. Of course you were there but for such a great vampire…highly overrated,” Faith quipped causing Spike to growl and throw her over the front desk. Faith landed with a thud and a gasp of pain as Spike turned his attention towards Giles and the girls but was stopped by a voice. Angelus instantly backed away from Buffy.

“Normally I don’t do such guest appearances but I’m annoyed over this occurrence. You see the Books of Ascension were in my hands and the very next day they are gone. I’m aware of the reputation you, Mr. Giles, and yours have cultivated. Two Slayers and evidently now two Watchers. Your party certainly makes things difficult you know. I just wanted to Ascend, is that too much to ask?” growled Wilkins. He sighed as Spike and Angelus eyed the weary group, standing together like a band of merry men.

Spikes’ eyes immediately drifted to the vampire stepping out from behind the stacks of books on the upper level. Willow casually walked forward, stepping over the railing and taking a seat, balancing herself on the edge. She grinned and waved at Wilkins but quickly latched her hand back on the railing so she wouldn’t fall.

“Rude to have a party without inviting all of the required guests don’t you agree? So I figured I’ll just make a late entrance for style,” remarked Willow.

“I think it’s better if you’re on our side dear,” replied Angelus as Willow smirked.

“I’m comfortable up here…and I get a great view on the action as well as other perks,” said Willow, glancing at Tara’s breasts as Tara blushed and crossed her arms over her chest. Willow grinned.

“Speaking of which, we have a bit of a dilemma. Seems our secretary is on your side. I understand high school students have a tough time, needing to save money for college and clothes. I’ll let you keep your job kiddo and I fully expect you to tell them of any exploits that occur. I’d have to be pretty stupid to not realize that. I just hope that you’ll be respectful of myself and my employees and not snoop around intentionally because if you do, then I’ll have to kill you and I really like you,” Wilkins explained as Tara nodded her head in understanding.

“The Books mate…ask for the bleeding Books already,” snarled Spike as Wilkins stared at him hard.

“Simmer down Spike. The subject has already been brought up so I won’t waste everybody’s time. The Books of Ascension, now or I kill one of your group members,” warned Wilkins. Giles and Wesley exchanged a glance as Buffy stepped forward.

“We don’t have any idea who took them. Hey, maybe you should try questioning one of your employees instead of badgering us huh,” said Buffy as Wilkins stared at her. His eyes instantly flickered up to Willow whom just stared back, completely neutral.

“Allen told me that you happened to be pretty unruly. Went so far as to knock him out, which he didn’t seem to appreciate very much Willow. I gave you permission to look at them…not take them. Where are they?” he asked as Willow batted her eyelashes in response.

“Moi? Fuck it can’t do the whole innocent routine that well anymore. I took them but I wanted the whole low down. As your right hand, I’m not about to let you do anything to jeopardize yourself or the clan. When I finish reading them, you’ll get it back as well as notes on the important stuff and what to expect,” responded Willow as Spike and Angelus exchanged glances at each other. Both were a little surprised at Willow’s resourcefulness.

“Did you really have to knock Allen out?” Wilkins asked with a frown as Willow smiled sheepishly.

“No…but come on. The guy was acting afraid of me every time we passed. It was getting annoying so I figured I’d give him a real reason to fear me,” she replied. Wilkins nodded his head.

“Let’s go. Willow, I hope you get those Books read quickly since I have some important things to do in the next few nights. I must say Giles, your Slayers do have heart. Hope you’ve trained them well when Hell arrives,” Wilkins said as Giles shot him a glare. Faith and Buffy remained in fighting stance as the vampires began to leave. Willow hopped down off the railing and landed next to Giles, causing the Watcher to jump in fright and swing the cross in her face before instantly lowering it at her growl. She leaned forward.

“I copied them, major hassle so you owe me. Behind the stacks,” she whispered in his ear before skipping across the floor to catch up with Wilkins and her clan. Giles glanced up at the stacks as the library doors closed.

TBC: Grr Arrgh

[cperrins78]

I'm enjoying this story more and more. I especially like the part about Willow checking out Tara's breasts.


Christina

[Harlequin]

Chapter 15
Wilkins looked up from his seat and smiled at Willow who was pacing back and forth across the room, hands clasped behind her back.

“Settle down Willow. This will only…take…a minute…there,” Wilkins said, grinning as Willow stopped and looked at him.

“You look the same,” she said with a frown as Wilkins laughed.

“Looks aren’t everything ya know. Here, have some fun,” Wilkins said standing and grabbing a nearby sword. He tossed it to Willow who caught it one handed. She looked at him confused.

“Okay?” she asked as Wilkins grinned.

“Slice me with it,” he commanded as Willow eyed Allen who was standing to the side, watching the proceedings and growing paler by the minute. Willow tilted her head and gave a soft smile.

“Okey dokey,” she responded, bringing the sword up and bringing it directly down on Wilkins’ head. His head split in half, displaying green blood inside. Both halves quickly melded back together as Willow stood there gaping.

“Cool,” she muttered, bringing the sword up ready to do it again but Wilkins held up his right hand.

“Now, now Willow. One time’s plenty. As much as I appreciate your over zealousness, I think we should hold off on killing me over and over again. At least, attempting to. In a month, the Box of Gavrock should be in our hands. With that, the Ascension should be nearly ready,” commented Wilkins as Willow nodded her head, leaning against the closed cabinet in the back and idly playing with the sword.

“Besides Faith…can I kill any of them? It’s just that you won’t let me kill Allen taking all the fun out. I want somebody important to kill, or somebody close you know? Spike and Angelus got to retrieve the Books of Ascension, not that I’m complaining considering where I was but-“ babbled Willow as Wilkins smiled and interrupted her.

“You sure have a motor. Edna had a motor but I really never appreciated it. Probably because it was towards the end of her life and she was quite resentful of my immortality. Anyways, you’ll be able to kill soon enough. Just wait until the Ascension okay? By then, you’ll have a whole slew of victims as well as your friends,” Wilkins replied as Willow nodded her head but frowned the whole time. She sighed, throwing the sword directly at Allen. Allen let out a yelp as it thudded into the wall next to his left ear. Wilkins sighed and closed his eyes as Willow grinned.

“Keep your head up Allen, you’ll never know when it’ll come off,” she quipped as Allen stared at her in utter shock and fear. It was captivating and made Willow hungry. She got up and looked at Wilkins.

“I’m gonna grab a bite,” she said, exiting the room as she shut the door. Wilkins smiled at Allen.

“She’s a sweetie Allen. Personally, I don’t see why you’re always so afraid of her,” he said with a laugh as Allen just looked out the window at the vampire walking away from the building.

*****

“So, we officially have copies of the plans huh?” asked Xander as Giles nodded his head, barely containing his excitement. He felt like he could stand up and shout with pleasure…of course that would only create ridicule among the kids.

“Y-yes, it’s like finding the Holy Grail. There’s only been one copy of the Books of Ascension and those were the original volumes. They haven’t been seen for centuries. To actually have copies of the original is…like having a copy of the very first written Bible,” he replied, eyes quickly scanning over the material. Buffy sighed and rested her head in her hands.

“Way too many pages Giles. If I wanted an English class then I’d be paying attention to my English teacher,” she commented as Xander smiled.

“I don’t see why we have to read this. I mean, Giles and that guy-“ Cordelia began.

“Wesley,” Wesley chimed in as Cordelia nodded her head.

“Yeah, and him will just inform us of what this all means anyway. What do we have to gain by reading this ourselves? I’m wasting time that could be used for valuable hair care here,” Cordelia remarked as Xander grinned.

“Yes, because hair care is the most vital thing on Earth,” he commented as Cordelia glared at him.

“At least I’m not wearing clothes that are so 1993,” she replied as Xander looked down at his shirt.

“Hey, these are perfectly fine threads. Right Buffy?” he asked with mock concern as Buffy lifted her head and groaned.

“I’m with whomever will let me rest,” she muttered, dropping her head back to the table. Tara was resting her head on Faith’s shoulder, eyes closed as Faith smiled.

“So, out of the like six hundred or so pages that Willow copied and God that must’ve taken a hell of a long time, anything useful yet?” she asked as Giles shook his head.

“We’ve only made it twenty pages Faith. I suspect and I’m sure Mr. Giles would agree that the most pertinent information will be comprised around the middle,” Wesley responded with his usual air of dignity and pride.

“Why not just flip to the middle then Wes?” she asked, as Wesley looked a bit taken aback.

“It’s not that simple Faith. We could miss something extremely vital if we jumped ahead of ourselves and given the situation, it would be ill advised to do that,” Giles responded without even batting an eyelash, eyes riveted to the book. Faith rolled her eyes.

“Of course. Maybe we should at least divide up the reading. There are six of us yeah? So we can easily take one hundred pages each and jot down notes and stuff right? It is in English?” Faith asked, suddenly concerned as Giles nodded his head.

“It is in English but it’s very old, difficult to decipher even between myself and Wesley. Although it could speed up the process of understanding and we can’t afford to waste time,” Giles said as Faith nodded her head.

“Giles, a simple Yes would be beneficial next time,” Xander commented as Cordelia let out a snort of laughter. Giles looked at him exasperated as Xander gave him a lopsided grin.

“We’ll divvy the pages now. Everybody, feel free to go home. Wesley and I will stay here in case either The Council calls or any friends of mine call. Yes, I do have friends. Being this old doesn’t mean I’m devoid of a personal life,” he remarked casting a glance at Xander who just smirked. Giles and Wesley began separating the pages into piles and sliding them to each recipient. The Scooby Gang got up simultaneously and began to march towards the door. Each exited one by one as Wesley frowned.

“I didn’t want to stay,” he grumbled as Giles shot him a stern glare. Wesley sighed and began reading.

TBC: Grrr Arrrgh

[Arielle]

Great update! I really like this Vamp Willow a lot. Please keep writing!