Hellmouth

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"Why can't you lot leave us alone?" Anya demanded, forgetting she was gagged and sighing inwardly when her muffled voice crept through the gag, sounding more like, "Ry mnt ru lt mre s mrn?". She felt angry that she was gagged, and confused. Why was she gagged and not Buffy? Buffy would do more harm if she got loose..though Anya could teleport away. Blinking suddenly, Anya remembered her powers. She looked towards Buffy, meeting the Slayer's grumpy gaze, willing her to wish something bad on Spike....that would aid them...alot.

As Buffy met Anya's gaze, she saw a sudden hope flare in her friend's eyes. Confused, Buffy tore her gaze away, shaking her wrists violently in a bid to free herself.
"If I break free, I'll find y'all and kick all your asses." Buffy promised, rattling her wrists more vigorously than before. The bounds pulled looser, and Buffy's wrists moved forwards an inch or so. She was refusing to answer Spike. She didn't, in truth, know how to answer him.

As she turned her head once more, to look at Anya, she remembered something. Anya was a veangance demon, and thus had powers. Powers to grant wishes to those seeking revenge on ex boyfriends or ex lovers. Spike....

She couldn't do it. Although she hated Spike for what he was doing...what he was...part of her still loved him. She didn't seek revenge on him...so vengeance spells were unneccessary, truth be told. If she freed herself, she knew what would happen. She would stake most of the vampires before or after they escaped, but would probably end up losing Spike, or just unable to stake him...

[Miss F. Atigue]

Why was Anya in a gag and Buffy wasn’t? Simple reasoning, the vampires wanted to make fun of the slayer and listen to her feeble exclamations about how she was going to ‘kick their asses’. They had deliberated about letting Anya have full use of her mouth, but that had decided against it for a few reasons- Anya screaming was too much for them to handle, especially after Buffy had proven that one scream was more then enough for them, Anya would get annoying because they weren’t that interested in her at all, Anya was a demon… They couldn’t taunt and then feed on her, could they? It would be like a dog eating a piece of wood! As it was, the vampires were quite happy with ignoring Anya in speech but tittering as she attempted to talk behind the gag. It was like watching a Punch and Judy puppet show, but knowing that it was really happening made it all so much more… Tantalizing. A group of younger vampires had lost interest and were sidling away towards the exit, keeping quiet. They weren’t as interested in the little ‘interrogation’ that was going on, not in full knowledge of who the two tied up were and having the urge to feed more then to stay around. They exited quickly, the door opening for no more then a few seconds for each one, there were five of them in all so it took barely twenty seconds for them to leave, each time casting a shaft of light onto the floor. This time the light was longer and illuminated the vampires closest, which was where Anya and Buffy were facing. In the sudden sharp relief from the moonlight it was clearly visible that about fifteen vampires alone sat or stood there, Showing the outline of Spike by the pillar- it was blocking detail, throwing light onto Bib’s sitting form, but leaving his face untouched, and showing Melissa as an outline.

“Go ahead and try, slayer. We like entertainment.” The light was gone and Melissa had spoken in that short amount of time, moving slightly to get a better look at both the captives. She too was beginning to grow bored, the sensation of power was dwindling and her haphazard thoughts now wanted to feed and read books, she wanted to know the story of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat again suddenly and longed to bite some one new… Maybe one of the bouncers of The Bronze, they looked so deliciously tasty…

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In the short time when dim light poured into the room, Buffy realised there was not as many vampires as she'd first thought. Pondering on a remark, Buffy came up with the perfect one. Angel.
"Wouldn't it be funny if Angel came back. I bet you all'd be scared shitless." the Slayer smirked, eyebrows raised.

Anya looked tentively towards Buffy, whom she deemed to have lost it. Angel was in the LA...at least he had been last time Buffy had spoken to him. However, now that Anya thought about it...Buffy hadn't actually said that Angel was still residing in the LA, the vengeance demon had just assumed he was still living there. A new spark of hope grew inside her, but she remembered that, even if Angel wasn't in LA, he probably wasn't in Sunnydale...

Then the door was flung open...

[Miss F. Atigue]

“Shitless? Not quite.”

[/i] On the contrary, a few would gasp and then scarper; Spike would probably become nothing but a humanoid full of rage… Bib didn’t know what Melissa would do; he had never seen her in the presence of Angel and doubted he ever would. He’d been in it once and hadn’t exactly enjoyed it, he’d felt uncomfortable around the vampire with a soul, he’d been all nice with no dark side. Bib was one of those vampires who’d been around Sunnydale for a long time, he liked to haunt one place because it would take too much to get used to it all, so naturally he had also witnessed Spike’s arrival and all of that till this point. He knew a lot about Sunnydale and though he had always been close to Melissa once he had met her, she had a habit of wandering around countries randomly and with out concern, she returned to Sunnydale at points, but usually it was to get to a contact she needed or to see if her sire had any time for her. He had always been under the impression that, despite the reputation she had, she was still some times a little lost in the world. She hadn’t coped over the few decades of immortality well, some times he felt that she was similar to Drusilla, varying between sense and insanity apparently at choice, but Angel hadn’t created her. That was a different story and- as it seemed- one intertwined with many things.

The door slammed open mere seconds later and Spike visibly winced with the noise as it clattered against the wall, moving- snarling as he went- to see who had opened the door in such a horrific manner. “Who in fucking hell-”[/u] The vampires near the light scurried away, there eyes reacting badly from the darkness. Only Melissa and Bib remained seated, Bib moving his head to watch with uncertainty, Melissa not shifting against the light that now surrounded her, basked in the moonlight. She continued to watch the prisoners, looking much more like a cat then anything else. The others had back off some what, there was a clattering as several escaped into the tunnels below, fearing an invasion by hunters or worse. Several lingered near the light, the boldest or the closest to their sires, among them was a woman covered in tattoos much like Bib, a man of an age close to his mid-twenties in appearance with angelic blonde curls and another man who looked close to his forties with clothes like a detective. [/center]

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Buffy looked towards the door as it opened, and had to supress a deep yell of joy as a familiar figure stepped into the place. Anya's eyes were wide and awe struck.

Angel.

His dark eyes scanned the place as he stepped in, smirking around at the other vampires. His gaze rested on the two captive girls, and he shook his head in disbelief. Keeping a watchful eye on the vampires, he stepped towards Spike.
"Long time no see, huh Spike?" Angel grinned, as though greeting an old friend. He knew Spike wouldn't exactly be pleased to see him but, in truth, he didn't care.

"Angel..." Buffy breathed, sinking back into her chair. She blinked a few times and remembered her situation. Hers and Anya's. She tugged once more, this time fuelled by Angel's sudden appearance, and, to her delight, the bounds broke. She hastened over to Anya, ripping off the gag, much to the amusement of Angel...

[Miss F. Atigue]

Angel was right, Spike was not happy to his grandsire come sire’s arrival at all, by the look on his face he looked like he was close to screaming with frustration. A few of the younger, more gullible, vampires had let out some gasps- one particularly ditzy one had shrieked and earned a cuff around the head from more then a few. There was no doubt that she wouldn’t last long in the world with out the help of those in the building willing to aid her… Which wouldn’t be many. It was often common for newly bitten to gang together to lure prey and for defence, more so since Sunnydale had been rebuilt, it was almost fashionable. Bib himself shifted from his space when he recognised Angel, shifting away to stand behind Spike, looking unsure at what to do. Angel definitely wasn’t his sire, but he was related from the few that had survived from the time when Angel had enjoyed biting. “Why don’t you just stake me? It’d save me a lot of trouble.”

[/u] Spike retorted, not oblivious to the reactions from the nest he had built up, it had taken him months to make this little safe place. Months of trying to reject the chip- which was working- and months of setting up a place for them to stay… Making the masses hadn’t taken that long, he’d found many related to him through sires- Bib was the same in relation to Angel as Spike- and the curly haired man had been sired by Angel before Drusilla, Melissa was a guilty favourite from a stint back in the forties; she was a daughter of some one he’d messed around with for a while. Alone they had managed to sire a few, they had sired, then once more, again… He had sired hardly any, one or two that he had fought the chip for, but they had both been slain by Buffy earlier that evening.

He glanced back to see Buffy free and didn’t like it, he also spotted that Melissa was gone and for a minute was frightened by the thought she had been killed- she wouldn’t run away that easily- but then saw her skulking round the edges with the group near the back, he hand clasping that of the curly haired man sired by Angel, who must have seen some sense in pulling her away. What was his name? Something like Raphael, if Spike could remember properly, he doubted if Angel would remember. But things always surprised him. He looked at Bib, who shrugged. The vampires at the back were slowly filtering away through exits unknown, this hidden by a wall of the bolder, older ones. It looked as though they were cornered, but it was different. “Hello, Angelus.”[/i] Distraction? Well, yeah…[/center]

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Angel cocked his head to the side, forcing a sinister smirk. His face was human, but it was a struggle for him not to revert his face to it's vampire form, and attack Spike. Spike had hurt Buffy, the Slayer he'd fallen in love with oh-so many years ago. Even now, he loved her. No matter what she did, he would always love her.
"Trying to distract me, are we, Bib?" Angel retorted, smirking at Bib. He remembered the vampire's name; he had a great memory. He was no fool, either, and he could see the newly bitten vampires fleeing, fearful for their lives...

Meanwhile, Buffy managed to, with Anya's frantic help, pull off the bounds on Anya's wrists. Now all that remained was her legs. Buffy stood, before kicking powerfully into one of the bounds. It hurt Anya like hell, but the bound slowly landed on the ground, followed by a second.
"Thanks, Buffy." Anya smiled earnestly, as the Slayer helped her stand on bruised legs...

[Miss F. Atigue]

There was a silence from both Bib and Spike, the two exchanging a glance that only two vampires cornered and- practically- figuring out what they were doing in three seconds flat. Y’know how you feel when your Mum catches you in the middle of doing something she told you not to and when you lie she knows? That was the feeling. Bib shifted uncomfortably, but Spike remained still, glaring at Angel like a spoilt child who’d run out of candy. For a group who had just claimed minutes before that they wouldn’t be scared if he’d arrived on the scene, they certainly didn’t look like the most unruly bunch now. Despite this, how ever, the remaining fifteen or so- the number had gone down quickly from the forty or so before- were moving forward, completely ignoring Buffy and Anya, but giving them a wide birth. They were squaring him up, it was about territory, there were seventeen with Bib and Spike involved, but none of them were making the most aggressive of moves. Raphael was near the front of the group, looking more impressive then Bib or Spike did- he’d been picked off at his prime and had been well taught, Angel should know, Raphael had once been his little favourite. That, how ever had changed. Melissa, if anything, seemed bored, her hand resting in Raphael’s like a smaller child being held in place. Spike watched her for a few minutes, her personality was erratic and she had a habit of completely loosing touch with reality that he did not like.

“This is certainly uncomfortable.” It wasn’t Bib, Melissa or Spike that spoke but Raphael, his voice sounding just like his appearance; it was lighter then the usual with melodic qualities to it. The seventeen vampires were now standing around the edges but close to Angel, leaving a gap to him for Buffy and Anya. There was a muttering of agreement between them, Spike nodded grudgingly. Melissa, how ever, had locked Angel with a stare that looked as though it could bore right through him, one that seemed as though she was seeing everything that ever would and ever would be. “What are you doing away from L.A.? Decided to pay a little visit?” She still looked out of it, yet she was talking in a voice that was perfectly sensible and down-to-earth.

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Buffy grabbed Anya's wrist, dragging her towards Angel. She stood at his side, whilst Anya stood behind, and glared at the vampires. Angel, however, looked rather amused. Amused as though he had just heard the funniest joke, but it was private, so none else would ever hear it, as though it was for his amusement only.

"Very uncomfortable." Angel agreed, nodding his head solemnly. On the outside, he may have looked in control. But, on the inside, he was furious. He had been forced to stake a few of the vampires whom had come out of the warehouse or...whatever it was, and the remaining one had told Angel where to go before she too had been staked.
"Just checkin' up on things...making sure you guys and gals ain't getting too big for your shoes." He shot back, smirking at Melissa. He did not feel much for her; he neither hated nor loved the girl, but her strange personality confused and bewildered him and he felt drawn to it. As he had been with Dru. He reckoned Melissa was somehow related to Dru...he thought both were barmy....

[Miss F. Atigue]

Glaring? Why didn’t she just give them a bloody kitten? That was just as good as she was doing. The glares just met mocking smiles, the vampires looking as though they’d gladly rip her little head off her shoulders if they were given the chance, but mean while it looked like a family picture, vampires of different generations simply hanging around… Spike was glowering at the amusement on Angel’s face, clearly feeling that he had a great amount of cheek to be amused at the little congregation. One of the vampires present was pretty much of the same ranking as Angelus had been before he’d turned into Angel- well, Angel still was of the ranking, but he wasn’t respected any more- and had been sired by Darla and here he was having to listen to some one virtually the same to him. It was then that it struck Bib that the younger vampires that had exited the building might not actually be among them still and his features visibly darkened at the thought, he didn’t appreciate that, one of those vampires had been sired by him not two nights before. No longer then fifteen seconds later had he started off from behind Spike, knocking him as he marched past, towards the door to check. He didn’t go close to Buffy, Spike or Angel, simply opening the door and looking out. It took no longer then the movement to spot the ashes, as scattered as they were. He growled visibly, turning from the door to look at the three, his face automatically switching to his vampire form like a light bulb turning on. “It’s nice that you enjoy staking your own kind.”

[/i]

Ding. The other vampires realised what had happened and it was instant uproar from the confusion that Bibs actions had created before. They didn’t make any moves but faces flickered and harsh speaking instantly thrived, several near the back visibly cursing the floor that Angel was standing on. Raphael too had changed, turning from his angelic face into that of a demon and cocking his head in what looked like a demand for an answer. Melissa had not though, simply watching the three with interest, as though they were a mildly amusing TV programme. “Why do you feel bad for harming humans, but not for vampires?”[/center]

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Angel rolled his eyes as Bib headed for the door, shaking his head slightly.
"My own kind? I'm not like you." Angel retorted, losing the calmness to his voice.
"Vampires are worthless. They, we, hunt by night and drain the blood from innocents." he knew he sounded stupid; after all he was a vampire himself.

Anya shook her head. She had been trying for the last few minutes to teleport from this place, but found something like a magickal restistance blocking it. She figured it would be best to talk to Willow if...when...they got out...

[Miss F. Atigue]

“Not all of us asked to be vampires, Angelus. I don’t remember begging you to be bitten.” Came the snarled reply from Raphael, his vampire face cocking to one side, releasing Melissa from his grip, she did nothing but look at the three standing away from their group. Her face had switched from an innocence to something cold and plotting, the face of an executioner deciding who should go first and who should be made to suffer. Raphael advanced a few steps, obviously wanting his point to be made across to the now ‘ignorant’ Angel, who seemed to think people he’d once treated as children of his own were monsters. It looked like he was going to smite him with some godly wrath- the down side with having one of those ‘angelic’ appearances- rather then rip him to pieces if he was so capable. “But we get on with it.” Well done Angel, you certainly know how to piss of an audience, need a round of applause for that? Because it could very easily be done, if the applause was sarcastic. And yes, there is such a thing as sarcastic applause, you know. A female at the back looked like she’d been slapped across the face as Angel’s words had finished. Innocent? Hardly likely, love. Did that slayer look innocent when she staked those vampires in the cemetery? She hoped not, because if Angel thought she did then he had lost more screws then Melissa. (And that was saying something.)

“Innocent? You must be bloody joking.”

[/u] Spike added, onto Raphael’s little speech, his own face had flicked to his vampire one- it made him look handsomely evil. Rawr. “You are us, Angelus. You just got weighed down by that soul.” Melissa commented, breaking her stony silence and doing a little twirl as though it was all a highly amusing affair. It wasn’t hard to tell that at one point she’d been a trained dancer. Then her back was turned on him to wander away, crossing her arms under her chest as she wandered into the darkness for a stroll. A few more vampires were also breaking away, either uncaring or bored, to sit on boxes and watch. Angel was spoiling what little control he might have had on the situation. “You show remorse, nothing more. With out that soul you’d be here, ordering us around like you truly should.”[/i] Bib was now speaking, it gained a few nods- even Spike gave a grudging one before leaning back onto the pillar he stood by.[/center]

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Even Buffy and Anya looked as though they were getting bored with this by now. Angel, however, merely stared intently at each vampire as he or she spoke.
"Ordering you about?" He mused, shaking his head in amusement.
"If you want orders, I'll give you some bloody orders." His tone changed suddenly, becoming more aggressive. He glowered at the vampires.
"Here's your bloody order. Let the Slayer go." he growled. Anya coughed pointedly, to show her presence, but Angel ignored her. By Slayer, he meant Buffy and Anya, even though both the girls didn't quite realise that...

[Miss F. Atigue]

A few chuckles arose at his order. Just a little bit blind? The grins were evident of each of their faces, Bib shaking his head at the comment and walking away to join the tattooed woman who had been there to defend the group earlier, evidentially he didn’t think the conversation was worth continuing. The female vampire punched him affectionately on the arm as he sat- like that of an old sweet heart- the other vampire she was sitting with a brown haired, ruffled looking guy. Melissa had settled closer to the front on the lap of the detective look-a-like, looking like a giant doll as she surveyed the scene with her large, hazel eyes. Even Spike grinned as Angel gave him the order, him and the two remaining vampires turning away- almost all at once- the other two stalked off to presumably go loiter some where else in the building, one appeared to have been half-way through the book in his hand. Spike remained how ever, watching Buffy, Anya and Angel over his shoulder like a cocky hero about to wander off into the sunset. His eyebrow arched in disbelief. “We already have.”

[/u] And then he too had sauntered away, though it seemed he was going to the back of the building, probably for a well deserved cigarette. The others seemed to have become involved in over activities, playing cards in Bib’s case. Two near the back were fighting each other in a testing way, but it wasn’t getting far as they were evenly matched.

You would have thought that the slayer wasn’t even there.

“We will call it a favour to you, Angelus. You created us.” Melissa informed them, looking up from inspecting the detective vampire’s hand as she had been before, her fingers entwined with his. Her voice had lost it’s lighter tones that had been mocking them before and was back to it’s normal sultry ones, her head cocked to one side as she watched them with the same intent of a predator on it’s prey. The other vampire was also watching, but in a bored manner, his head resting on the large crate he was leaning on. “But if your little slayer wanders back alone…” Her voice wandered off, dimming into a silence as she locked onto his gaze with her own, one that showed that he would not stand in her way next time. “… Then we won’t be responsible for our actions.” The detective vampire smirked as they continued to watch, waiting for the three to take their leave. They weren’t needed any more.[/center]

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Angel nodded silently at Spike's words.
"It's Angel." He growled to Melissa, indicating to buffy and anya that they were allowed to leave. The girls both nodded, but didn't move. One reason being; they didn't know the way out, and doubted Angel did either. Angel gave a two-fingered salute to the vampires, and moved in the opposite direction to the crowd, towards what looked like a plain, blank wall. As they drew closer, however, Buffy and Anya both saw the outline of a door. Angel pushed the door, and the three departed without another word.