aaronlisa (aaronlisa) wrote in fadeddreaming, @ 2007-06-08 21:57:00 |
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Current location: | home |
Current mood: | weird |
Current music: | goldfrapp - strict machine |
Entry tags: | character: angel(us), character: drusilla, character: willow rosenberg, fandom: buffyverse |
[BtVS/AtS] Separating the Monster from the Man 1/1, FR13
Title: Separating the Monster from the Man
Author: aaronlisa
Rating: FR13
Pairing/Characters: Willow Rosenberg, Angel(us), Drusilla
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company.
Prompts: 15_flames @ LJ – some kind of monster
Notes: Set during BtVS Season Three.
Summary: Willow can tell the difference between Angel and Angelus unlike Buffy.
She had always known that Angelus was a monster, unlike Buffy; she hadn’t had the problem of being able to separate Angelus from Angel. Then again Buffy didn’t have the intimate introduction to Angelus in a hallway in Sunnydale High where he whispered all of the things he was going to do to her in the most obscene language possible.
As she stared into the flames of the fire that one of his minions had prepared, Willow had the sinking feeling that she was waiting for her undeserved punishment. She didn’t know what she had done to capture his attention and she wished that Angelus could have been more like Angel. In the two years that she had known Angel, he had barely taken notice of her, even though Willow had had the hugest crush on him. She was certain that every time she came into contact with Angel, she’d do something stupid to betray her feelings for the vampire, but he was too wrapped up in Buffy to take note of her mousy best friend. Of course, Angelus had to take notice of her and to want her.
Willow had been certain that it was all part of a game that Angelus was playing to shake Buffy. That was until Angelus had brought her the corpses of her parents. He had gone on for several hours about how ungrateful her parents had been when it came to their only daughter. She knew that he had said other things but she had been too horrified by the sight of her parents’ corpses artfully arranged at the dining room table to take in much of what he had said to her that night. It had proven to her that it was more than just about Buffy.
“Ah there’s the lovely little tree, hiding in the dark. Not for long though, soon you’ll be a princess just like me. Daddy says it’ll be fun, and Daddy never lies,” Drusilla crooned as she approached Willow.
“What?” Willow asked blankly as she watched the vampire dance about the room.
“Daddy has such lovely plans and he says that I am to have a sister at long last. And the little tree is to be my sister. Will you have tea with me and Miss Edith? Spike has been so grumpy and naughty and refuses to take tea with us. But you won’t, will you?”
“No.”
“Good!” Drusilla exclaimed as she clapped her hands in delight. “Now it’s time you got dressed. Daddy has picked such a lovely dress for you.”
Willow nodded as she stiffly stood up. She knew that Angelus had plans for her and from the sounds of it, those plans were to drain her and turn her into a blood sucking fiend just like Drusilla and Spike. Willow sighed as she resigned herself to her fate, there was nothing she could do to prevent whatever Angelus had planned for her. Drusilla might be insane, but she was strong, as Willow had learned when she first tried to escape the raven-haired vampire.
“Come along, slow poke, Daddy has picked the loveliest gown for his newest princess and you must wear it.”
“Yes, Drusilla,” Willow meekly replied.
“Good, Daddy’s gone to take care of the nasty evil little Slayer for once and for all, and then he’ll come back and he’ll turn you into his princess, just like me.”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked as she grabbed at Drusilla to stop her dancing as it was making her dizzy.
“Daddy’s going to destroy the Slayer and then we’ll be one big happy family like we were before. There will be you and Daddy and me and Spiky.”
Willow felt numb at the words that Angelus was finally going to take care of the Slayer problem. She had known for weeks that it was only a matter of time before Angelus grew tired of playing cat and mouse with Buffy, but the fact that he was doing it now robbed her of any hope that Buffy would save her. Even when she started to fear that Angelus had plans to turn her into a vampire, Willow had held onto the hope that Buffy would be the one to stake her. Now she realized with a sick feeling, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Oh it will be so very lovely,” Drusilla crooned as she pulled out of Willow’s hold and resumed her dancing.
“There’s been a slight change in plans,” Angelus said as he moved into the room.
“A change in plans?” Willow asked weakly as she sunk into a chair.
“No!” Drusilla cried out as Angelus grabbed her.
“Yes, my girl, there’s been a change in plans,” Angelus replied with a smirk.
Willow watched in silent horror as Angelus quickly overpowered the insane vampire and knocked her out. It wasn’t until, Angelus hesitantly reached out his hand to her, that she realized that it wasn’t Angelus but it was Angel.
“How?” Willow dumbly asked.
“There’s not much time, Willow. Suffice to say Jenny’s a gypsy. Come on, now, we have to leave.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later, Willow.”
She nodded as she took his hand. Willow was surprised when Angel lifted up Drusilla’s prone body but her time with Angelus had taught her not to ask silly questions. He rushed them out of the house and into a dark car that he had waiting for them a few houses down the street from the mansion. As she turned back to look at the mansion that Angelus had held her captive in, she was surprised to find it in flames. She looked towards Angel in shock.
“Buffy.”
The one word of explanation was all that Willow needed and she looked at Drusilla and then at Angel, still unsure of the miracle that seemed to have happened. Angel sighed in disbelief but he seemed to sense that she needed this final explanation.
“I’m not a complete monster, and to have Drusilla burned in that fire, would be very cruel. Out of all the acts that Angelus did, the one that I am most ashamed of is what he did to her. It’s not her fault that she’s insane.”
“She’s still a vampire,” Willow quietly pointed out.
“I know but I’m still her sire and I know that without Spike, I can control her.”
“Spike was in there?” Willow asked.
“Yes.”
“Now what?”
“Now I take you to the library and I leave town as per Giles’ agreement.”
“Oh.”
Willow meekly entered the car as she thought about how everything had changed seemingly in the space of a heartbeat. One minute she was preparing for her fate as a vampire and the next she was rescued and being taken to her friends. She knew better than to question it, after all she lived in Sunnydale instead she merely accepted the change with quiet grace. As Angel drove quickly towards the school, she saw the fire trucks racing by to take care of the fire and she knew that it’d be too late to save the mansion and part of her was grateful for that. She didn’t need to see a reminder of her weeks as Angelus’ captive.
“Giles doesn’t know about Drusilla,” Angel quietly stated as he pulled up in front of the school.
“He won’t hear it from me.”
“Thank you, Willow.”
She nodded at him before she stepped out of the car. Willow could feel his eyes on her as she made her way into the library and she suddenly realized that even though he wasn’t the monster that he had been, she would never be able to look at him without feeling a sense of numbness. Maybe that was why Buffy had such a hard time separating the demon from the man.
**END**
There will probably be a follow up piece to this story.
cross-posted to GJ and LJ