Willow stalked into the Bronze, growling to herself. Minions scattered out of her way, though she caught one of them by the collar, hauling him close. "Where's Xander?" she snarled.
"H-h-he's still out," the minion gasped, staring up at her with big glassy eyes. She gave the little weasel-faced vampire a shake and tossed him aside.
"Fine," she growled. She'd go play with the Puppy, then.
Angel could sense her, smell her vile dead blood cells as soon as she entered. He tensed and backed away to the far corner of his cage, angry at himself for his weakness.
Willow unlocked the cage and put the key into her cleavage, before she pulled the door shut behind her. She strode over to him and kicked him in the side.
Angel flinched but didn't make a sound. He sat with his knees up and under his chin, almost hiding his face. After he recovered from the kick, however, he glared up at her with an angry look.
"Ooh, puppy's got lip today," Willow hissed. She grabbed him by his hair and threw him into the center of the cage. "Hands and knees, puppy!"
Angel growled, his face morphing into that of the vampire in his distress. He rolled himself into a ball, not for protection, exactly, but to defy her.
Willow snarled, and reached out of the bars to grab her bullwhip. She drew her arm back and cracked it across his buttocks. "Hands and knees!"
Angel's body quivered with the force of the blow. Angel knew there was little he could do, but he was reluctant to resign himself to her. Slowly he rolled over to glare at her once again.
"Hands. And. Knees." Willow gritted her teeth, vamping out. If he didn't give her what she wanted, she'd break out the holy water again.
Slowly, Angel adjusted his body onto his hands and knees. He closed his eyes and waited, trying to figure out some way to escape, knowing it was fruitless.
"That's my good boy," Willow praised, though her voice was poisonous. She grabbed his shirt in both hands and tore it up the back, exposing his scarred and healing skin. She smoothed both palms over it, pressing her nails down into one open wound.
Angel bit his lip, but he wouldn't scream. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction. But oh, it was so hard. How long would he have to endure this? There had to be a way to escape, but he'd tried everything he could think of. "Buffy," he whispered.
Willow paused. "Buffy?" she asked, lifting a small cross out on a chain out of a leather pouch. "You mean that little butch bitch?"
Angel growled. He swung one leg out to kick her. "Don't talk about her like that!" He kicked at her again.
Startled, Willow stared at him. "What, puppy's got a crush?" she asked, incredulous. She let the cross fall in the small of his back and dragged it upwards.
Angel screamed and tried to grab her, then at the chain, but his bonds kept that from being possible. He fell back onto the ground, cradling himself.
Willow rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a baby," she said, letting it brush his shoulder blade. "She's just another dumb blonde."
Angel rolled away from her as far as he could, but there really was nowhere to go.
Angel rolled away from her as far as he could, but there really was nowhere to go.
"Don't worry, I'll let you have a souvenir after the Master's through playing with her," Willow promised, stroking the cross over his side. "I'm sure there'll be a limb left. Maybe."
Angel grunted and met her gaze with a fierce one of his own. He would not be broken. "N-no... she'll beat you... beat you all."
"I notice she didn't bother to make sure you got away," Willow said, stepping on his stomach and leaning her weight into him.
Angel tried to relax his body, turning his mind away from Willow. He concentrated on Buffy. Her smile. Her golden hair. How graceful she looked in a fight.
Willow frowned, and without ceremony kicked him between the legs with her steel-toed boot. It looked like she'd have to use the holy water to get the right reaction out of him tonight.
Angel, if he'd had breath, would have sucked in a lungful at her kick. His appearance would have turned even paler. Pain colored his world, and fireworks went off behind his eyes.
That was better. Willow took out the eye-dropper of holy water, and let a bead fall onto his cheek. "Forget her," she advised. "You're never going to see the outside of this cage again."
This time Angel did scream. His shouting echoed throughout the dank dungeon where he was kept.