Summary: Partially AU; William (human) and Buffy (pre slayer) were best friends in LA. Buffy is called& Sunnydale happens w/o Spike & Drusilla in the storyline. Buffy goes to NY for her normal college life and meets Spike, Drusilla, and a new vamp William. William wants his best friend as his lover and mate. How does an old slayer react? Pairings: B/S; B/W; smidgen S/D, implied S/W
Categories: General NC-17 Fics Characters: None
Genres: Romance, Action, Angst
Warnings: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Rape
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 27
Completed: No
Word count: 53931
Read: 41788
Published: 10/19/2004
Updated: 11/11/2004
Chapter 16 by Karbear57
Chapter 16
A/N: I am not a fan of Angel, as SF can attest to so please forgive any transgressions when it comes to his character.
The streets were damp with a past storm, leaving the trail of Drusilla and Buffy washed away. William stalked through a puddle, splashing the ice-cold water onto the street. Inhaling the stench of New York City once more, he finally caught a smidgen Buffy’s scent. Her blood wafted through the air, temporarily masking the urine and garbage that filled it. Her scent was fast fading, leaving William with only a direction to head in. He followed his intuition in the moonlight, with a natural vampire tracking sense directing him towards his sire.
The fight at the house only last moments, leaving both Spike and William to wonder what Drusilla had in mind for the Slayer. The two vampiric brothers wanted go after their sire, afraid that she was in a psychic trance and vulnerable, but Spike stayed behind, his injuries being a hindrance to the search. William sped through the house, figuring out which door Drusilla left from and which minions she had with her. Unfortunately, she had not taken any minions, only Buffy. He found trace amounts of her blood on the lawn and sidewalk, giving William a starting point. In full vampire mode, with all sense alert, William went off to track his sire and love. Hopefully in time to save Buffy.
~*~*~
The New York streets were as abysmal and horrid as Angel remembered. The rats scurried in the alleyways, looking for their next meal. Grunting, Angel peered down the alley, the same alley Whistler found him in all those years ago. It still reeked with the stench of fish and feces that littered the whole underbelly of New York. Had it only been six years ago that his whole existence changed? Dug up from the trenches of self-deprecation and loathing, and placed into a higher purpose. Had his journey for absolution and redemption only been six years, it certainly felt longer than that. The demons, hell beasts, and powers-that-be had only been six years. Suddenly tired, Angel stopped his search for Buffy. Her friends, although very nice, were not eager to help him. Actually, the scent of holy water and the vision of crosses, made Angel know where he stood with the group. He also knew that they hadn’t seen her recently and had no information of his errant children headquarters.
Sniffing the pungent New York air, Angel picked up on a curious scent. He would know that scent anywhere, it was misery and it was Spike’s. Smiling, Angel slipped into his demon visage to track his grandchild. To his luck, Angel spotted a vampire running across the street. He looked familiar, yet Angel couldn’t place him. Only by inhaling, did Angel realize that he was Drusilla’s Childe. The vampire was in full mode, barely visible to the human eye as he moved quickly and quietly through the streets. Watching the vampire move, Angel trailed, picking up on another scent. Buffy. Not only was it Buffy, but Buffy’s blood. Irate that she was hurt, afraid that she lost too much blood, and wondering where Spike was, Angel quickly trailed the tracking vampire.
With in a mile or so, William felt a familial presence. It didn’t feel like Drusilla, and it wasn’t like Spikes’. It felt old and distinguished. Something to worship, yet William had no time for it. Not now. Not with Spike trailing behind. He didn’t want to think what would happen if Spike got to her first. He wanted her to possess her, to take her away from William. So William trudged on, inhaling the stench of New York for hints of Buffy’s presence. Coming up to a cross roads, William slowed and stopped. The faint smell wafting from both directions, confusing his senses. With a predatory eye, William scanned the area for a disturbance, only to find none.
Angel watched the vampire stop and turn his gaze around in the street intersection. Without stopping, Angel trudged towards him. The scent of Buffy increased as Angel got closer. It suddenly hit him, he smelled like her. Not her fear or demise, just plain Buffy. Angel quickly changed into his vampire face, hopefully the young vampire would recognize his scent as family and not know who Angel was or about the soul. Gaining on the vampire, Angel almost missed his face as he turned towards Angel. It was Spike, but he didn’t smell like Spike. This vampire was different. Growling deep, Angel lunged at him.
William saw the attack coming. The older vampire picked up speed and lunged for him, only to have William move away. He didn’t have time to fight. He had to find Buffy and Drusilla before it was too late. “What the fuck is your problem?”
The older vampire lifted his lumbering body from the street. Yellow eyes met yellow eyes, as the two vampires gauged each other. “Where’s Buffy?”
“Where do you think?” The two started to circle each other, trying to find an opening.
“Where is she?” Angel sniffed the air, “You smell like her.”
“Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Angel lunged towards William, his clawed fingernails cutting William on the chest. “Where is she?”
William stopped in his tracks and his face melted into his human visage. “Are you trying to distract me? Did Drusilla send you?”
Angel stopped his movement and looked into William’s blue eyes, “Drusilla has her?”
William’s eyes narrowed and inhaled the air. “You’re… you’re Angel, aren’t you?”
Angel straightened up, dwarfing William’s body with the hulking mass, “Where is Buffy?”
“I was trying to find her before Spike did. I was until YOU tried to tackle me” William looked around and sniffed the air, hoping that he could track Buffy again. Picking up on her scent, he started to head that way. Angel followed closely behind, stalking the other vampire.
“You’re William, aren’t you?” Angel eyed William as he headed down an alley.
“Yeah, so?”
“When Buffy called she mentioned you. Said you were with Drusilla and Spike.” Another turn and the vampiric duo were back on a main street.
“Yeah, and?” William sniffed the air, he knew they were getting closer to Buffy and Drusilla.
“Just wondering why you are trying to find Buffy before Spike.”
William stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around to face Angel. “Do you smell that, Angel? Do you? It’s Buffy. Buffy’s blood to be exact. And, before you ask why she’s bleeding, let me tell you. I caught Drusilla trying to turn her.” Angel gasped. “Do you know what happens when Slayers are turned?”
“No one knows for sure.” Angel sniffed the air and started to walk towards a shop front. “They’re in there.” William sniffed around the door, finally in agreement with Angel. “So… why don’t you want her turned?”
Rattling the chains on the door, William answered quietly, “I love her.”
Calmly, Angel ripped the metal door from its hinges. “No you don’t.” He threw the door in the street, missing the hobbling Spike by only a few feet. “You can’t love, not with out a soul.”
“Oh sure, peaches. Tell our boy there that he can’t love. Because the only thing between Buffy and death is his love.” Spike sauntered up, trying to hide his obvious injuries. “I’d bet Dru has got the Slayer locked up in the basement.”
“And how would you know that, Spike?” Angel said through clenched teeth.
“It’s what we do, wanker.” Spike passed Angel and William and entered the building. “We torture, kill, and shag. It’s what we do.”
Brooding, Angel followed Spike. “It might be what you do Spike, but not me.”
“Oh, I forgot. Let everyone fall down at the shrine of Angel, original soul-boy, holier-than-thou, brooding, uptight, wanker of a grandsire.” Spike found a hidden door down to the basement and opened it up. The first thing that hit his nostrils was the smell of Slayer blood, ripe and succulent in the air. Sniffing the air, he noticed that Drusilla’s scent was very faint meaning she wasn’t around. Smiling, he allowed William to go down the stairs first. Angel knocked Spike out of the way and raced behind William, entirely bent on being the savior. Finally hitting the bottom stair, William and Angel looked around and they could not believe their eyes.
a/n: *cough* sorry for the bit of a cliff hanger... I didn't realize it when I said I would post another one.... sorry!!
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