SPOILERS: This takes place after Angel loses his soul but before Becoming, which never happened in my 'verse. I will keep and discard Buffy lore as I see fit.

Part 16

Silence now the sound my breath the only motion around Demons cluttering around my face showing no emotion Shackled by my sentence expecting no return Here there is no penance my skin begins to burn

So I held my head up high hiding hate that burns inside which only fuels there selfish pride We're all held captive out from the sun A sun that shines on only some We the meek are all in one
**"My Own Prison"- Creed**

Willow struggled against his kiss to no avail. Her arms were useless, tied above her head securely, her body effectively held captive by his own. She tried to keep her mouth tightly shut so he wouldn't be able to deepen the kiss but as the seconds turned into minutes, Willow began to run out of breath. Gasping for breath, Angelus took the opportunity to move his tongue into her mouth.

He moved his hands down to fondle her breasts, his fingers forceful and bruising as he twisted her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Willow cried out in pain, but the sound was lost within Angelus's mouth. Before she knew what was happening, his hands were at the clasp to her jeans. He quickly unbuttoned them and somehow managed to yank them down without pausing in his exploration of her mouth or in removing his body too much off of hers. With a quick agility of one who had practice in such areas, he kicked her jeans off with his feet. As they fell to the floor, he broke away to stare into her eyes. He searched them with his own, darker than usual with his lust. He took in the fear reflected from the green depths, knowing that he could easily banish such emotions, replacing them with the lust she was keeping hidden from him. Her body was a bundle of nerves, which, if played just right, could yield exactly the response he wanted. Angelus began to remove her top as he spoke. "I can make this nice for you, Willow. A girl's first time is special, and I can make sure you enjoy every second of it- minimal pain."

Willow stared up at the cruel, handsome face above her. A portion of the fear inside her began to be replaced by a burning rage. Snarling, she spat at him, "I suppose I should be grateful you have so much experience with virgins."

Angelus tilted his head in a sign of acknowledgement to his past, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in her tone. "You've been doing your homework, little girl. Guess you couldn't keep your mind off me during your stint with the Watchers, huh. You should never trust Watcher propaganda, although in this case it is accurate. I doubt the diaries mentioned what a sensual lover I can be- incredibly considerate of my partner's needs and desires. Of course, the opposite is also true. I can be very cruel and selfish. I can make it extremely pleasurable for myself and less so for you, as I'm sure you remember. But it's your choice Willow. If you let me love you, allow me to possess you the way your body already wants me to," with that last comment he moved a hand between her legs, lightly caressing her through the wet fabric of her panties, "then we'll both be happy."

Willow shuddered against her own body's betrayal. Gritting her teeth she answered him. "I hate you. Do you understand me- I will always hate you. No matter what you do, I'll never be yours. You may possess my body- I know I can't stop you from that- but you'll never possess my heart. You'll never possess my soul."

His eyes took on a strange glint, scaring Willow further. "Oh, don't worry, little girl. What I have planned for you, your soul has nothing to do with."

As the implication behind his words sunk in, Willow's body grew colder. The blood churning through her veins felt like ice water. Angelus just kept on smiling, drinking in the emotions that played across her face. He reached a hand up to caress her cheek. When he continued, his tone was reassuring. "Don't worry, dear. I don't plan to turn you for a few years. I have to admit I'm addicted to the feel of your warm body beneath mine. And your blood! I know we can't keep that virgin taint for much longer, but you still have other innocent, delectable qualities to your mortal blood that I'd hate to lose so soon."

Willow stared evenly into Angelus's eyes. "Do as you wish, but I will never be yours- not completely. Not even if you kill me." Willow bit her tongue, cursing herself for speaking before she thought. Angelus seemed to be considering her suggestion. Willow held her breath till he spoke again. "Of course. I'm surprised I didn't think of this earlier. How can you commit your heart to me when that pretty boy watcher you've been shacking up with is still alive. Well, that's an easy enough problem to rid ourselves of. Here." Angelus reached up to untie Willow's bonds, freeing her hands. Surprised, Willow moved to massage each wrist, eyeing Angelus warily from the corner of her eye.

The dark vampire lifted himself off of Willow and tossed her a robe that had been draped across an armchair next to the bed. "Get dressed, we've got some business to take care of before we can be together."

Willow stared at the silk robe in her lap as if it were a live snake. "What do you mean?" She was relieved Angelus had stopped his twisted seduction but had a feeling that what was coming wasn't much better.

Angelus stood by the door, waiting for her to join him before answering. Cupping her face in his hands, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. His voice was thick with desire as he spoke. "You will love me, Willow. As much as I love you. And if the only way to ensure that is to kill that would be mortal lover of yours, so be it."

Too horrified to respond, Willow allowed herself to be pulled out of the room by Angelus. She barely noticed the other rooms as Angelus led her to their destination. To Willow it was all a maze, her mind and body too numb to process any external stimulus beyond Angelus's tight grip on her hand.

Willow collided with the solid wall of muscles of Angelus's back as he stopped short. Yanking her by the arm so that she emerged from behind him to stand at his side, Willow fought to keep her balance. The room they had entered was considerably darker than the rest of the house, lit only by a few sporadic candles, which threw distorted shadows on the walls. It took a few moments for Willow's vision to clear. Once it had, her heart leapt into her throat, concern and fear for Adrian's safety morphing into shock and bitter jealousy.

Less than 5 feet in front of her, Adrian was tied to a plush, queen size bed. Willow could barely see him- in addition to the lighting her view was obstructed by Buffy, who sat straddling his lower body, her chest draped over his as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Willow was too enraged to even notice if Adrian was kissing her back. As she took in the juncture where their lips met, her eyes travelling down the smooth planes of Adrian's bare chest. Buffy's words from earlier came back to Willow, replaying in her mind like a broken record. In a moments time, months of growth and a strengthening of self confidence were laid to waste, transforming Willow back to the timid girl with zero self esteem she had been during her early high school years. As if forgetting who was behind her, Willow took a step backwards, leaning against Angelus for support and comfort. He noted the unconscious movement with satisfaction, pulling her closer to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Willow was too caught up in her own pain to care who was holding her. All she knew was the arms around her were strong and kept her otherwise limp body from slumping to the floor.

Angelus watched his Childe with pride. She was playing her part perfectly. He'd known that all Willow needed was a voyeuristic glimpse of her love screwing his Childe to break her will. Judging by her reaction to the scene before them, it wouldn't take much more prodding on his part to truly vanquish his competition. It was all almost too easy- he couldn't help but feel disgusted at how weak willed the Watcher was.. The stupid bastard had made the same mistake Angelus had been smart enough not to- he chose Buffy over Willow. He wondered if the fool even realized just what he had sacrificed in favor of the blonde bimbo.

All it took was one lustful moan of Buffy's name and Willow broke down, uncontrollable sobs tearing from her throat. As she buried her face in Angelus's chest, soaking the silk of his shirt with her tears, Buffy tore her lips away from Adrian's and glanced over her shoulder at the intruders, instinctively slipping into her "Game Face." While she relaxed, dropping her defenses at the sight of her sire, her lips curled in a self-satisfied smirk, Adrian had the opposite reaction. Angelus could see him clearly now. He noticed the dilation of his pupils a physical manifestation of the drugs coursing through his system. The sound of Willow's crying combined with the sight of her pressed against Angelus was enough to snap him out of his drug-induced haze.

Angelus enjoyed watching the shattering in his eyes as his mind caught up with the rest of his senses, comprehension dawning within him as he took in his surroundings and realized what had just happened. When he moaned, "Oh God, Willow, no," Angelus felt shivers of delight travel up his spine. Careful not to let his inner pleasure show, Angelus stroked Willow's hair, whispering comforting words in an attempt to get her to cease her crying.

Adrian, meanwhile, was forcibly trying to remove Buffy from his lap, a task made difficult due to the incapacitation of his arms. He writhed underneath her hips, managing to knock her over with strength doubled by his near hysterical will. Distracted, Buffy fell on her side, shooting Adrian an annoyed glance before turning her attention back to the hysterical girl in her sire's arms. Placing a possessive hand on Adrian's thigh, which he immediately attempted to shake off to no avail, Buffy couldn't resist tossing off a verbal taunt. "I knew it wouldn't take him long to forget a little nothing like you. It's like I told you, Will- you're not half the woman I am."

Adrian attempted a growl at Buffy's words, but the drugs had left him dehydrated, his throat producing a sound that resembled more of a kitten's growl, and the effect was lost. It took all of Angelus's will power not to laugh at his now vanquished foe. The scenario before him was causing him to consider the benefits of keeping the Watcher alive longer than he had originally planned. It might be fun to watch the spirit leave this one as he was forced to watch the woman he loved in the arms of the man he hated.

Buffy's words seemed to be absorbed by Willow without question. The two vampires knew that in her mind she was expanding upon them, creating a carefully constructed picture of just how worthless she was and how little the love she and Adrian had shared had meant to him. Angelus knew Willow wasn't worthless, that the man who received her love received a gift beyond measure, but it was necessary she thought she was if he was going to break the connection between her and the man she thought she loved. He would repair her damaged ego when this was all done and he could take her somewhere more private. Then he'd show her exactly how beautiful and precious she was.

Buffy had played her part, and with no more for her to do, Angelus ordered his Childe out of the room. Giving Adrian one final kiss, Buffy complied. The room was silent for a few moments as Angelus allowed the tension to build. Disgusted, he realized Adrian was crying. "Willow, please listen to me. It's not what you think. Just let me explain."

Deciding to have some fun with the cliched scene being enacted, Angelus delivered his lines with enthusiasm. "Look, don't you think you've hurt her enough. Leave her alone."

Staring at the vampire with unabashed hatred, Adrian struggled against the rope binding his wrists. Startled from the noise of the headboard banging against the wall, Willow let out a whimper and snuggled closer to Angelus. Realizing he was scaring Willow, Adrian kept still, but not before snarling at Angelus, "Keep your hands off of her or so help me I'll make you kiss daylight."

Clutching Willow to him, Angelus made a motion as if to leave. Changing his ,mind, he turned back to address Adrian with one last dig. "You're not worthy of her."

Adrian bowed his head in a reflection of Angelus's own earlier motion. "You're right. But neither are you."

"That's where you're wrong. Me and her, we're perfect for each other. I need her in ways you never could. You know the old saying- light to my darkness, innocence to my evil. We were made for each other. Besides, if I thought for a second you'd know what to do with her, I might be worried, but you've already proven to be completely ineffectual in everything you undertake, especially loving her. You always did fail at everything you ever tried."

Adrian's entire body froze, warning alarms going off in his head. "What are you talking about?"

Angelus laughed, a short bark riddled with disdain. He was tired of playing games. "I mean, you were always weak- flawed. Even when you were mortal. You had so much potential, but you were too busy pissing it away on women, card and liquor. You used your intellect to continue securing your reputation around town as a typical, worthless, drunken, whoring nobleman's son. What's that wonderful modern expression to describe your type? Oh yes, trust fund baby. And the worst part is, even as you gave in to your baser instincts you did it as an aristocrat. You never really let yourself go. Your existence added nothing to the world- till I came. I made you a better person, releasing all that potential within you, utilizing it as intended. I fulfilled every pathetic desire you had ever had but had been too spoiled, too proper, too drunk to act on. I'm twice the man you are, Angel, therefore I definitely deserve her more than you." Angelus laughed at the utter shock in his human counterparts face. The little girl in his arms didn't move or make any sort of reaction. He wondered if she even heard or if she had retreated too far into her shell.

"That's right, Angel, he spoke the name as if it wasn't something to be said in polite company. "I know who you are. I've known for awhile. Once Dru started ranting about how the bad daddy was back and now there two it didn't take me long to decipher her vision and find out the information I needed." He couldn't help snorting at Angel's total surprise. "I guess you're not as smart as you thought you were. Or perhaps I'm just smarter than you thought I was. I know how the Powers That Be gave your soul a chance to redeem itself for all the crimes I had committed by placing it within the body of this young Watcher as he was on the verge of death. I must admit, I'm a bit iffy on the details, but I imagine it went something like this: his soul out, your soul in and voila, you're human again. And let me guess, the only price you have to pay for the gist you pinned for these last 90 years is to protect the witch and murder me. Now, is it just me or does it sound like the PTB's got the raw end of that deal. I mean, I'm only one little old demon- a very destructive one, if I do say so myself- but in the grand scheme of things, still just one of many. What is it I'm doing, or will do, that is so important that the PTB would grant you this enormous gift to stop me? You don't mind my asking do you- cause quite frankly, I'm immensely curious."

Angel, furious over having his unmasking occur in this manner, to have Willow learn of his betrayal of trust from his demon, kept silent. Angel refused to give Angelus any information he could end up using to his advantage, especially when it could end up putting Willow in danger.

Angelus stared into the eyes that now housed his soul, trying to draw the information he wanted out of them. He perceived Angel's protectiveness and pounced on it. "Is it the little witch? Is she the reason the PTB sent you on your Holy Grail mission?" Angelus stared down at the frail, broken creature in his arms, the enigma of her importance unfathomable to his mind. "I will find out, Angel, one way or another. I'm sure you can imagine just how much I'll enjoy finding out."

Angel ignored his demon, his heart twisting as he looked at Willow. She had stopped crying and appeared to have gone into shock. Her left arm hung limply around Angelus's waist, her right hand balled up into a fist near her face, the thumb partially encapsulated by her lips. Her eyes were unfocused, starring at some point on the far wall. She made no reaction as he called her name, desperately pleading for her to look at him. More than her hating him, Angel feared he had damaged her with his deception. Not even when she had found out about her parent's murder had Willow appeared like this. It was almost as if her body was an empty host, her mind and soul having escaped to some far away place where she could be safe from the pain of reality. Turning his attention back to his demon, Angel stated with deadly calm, "This isn't over."

"No, of that you are correct. This is far from over. I'll be back to deal with you later. Right now I need some time alone with my woman. Seems I've got some damage control to do. I'll do my best to help her forget all about you and your deceptions before the nights over. Then I'll be back." With those parting words, Angelus led the catatonic Willow out of the room, leaving Adrian alone to mourn the loss of everything he held dear in the world.