Title: Fade to Black

Email: stars91@gmail.com

Author: *Stars*

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, FOX, and whoever else owns a bit of them.

Rating: Anything up to and including NC-17

Pairing: Buffy/Angelus

Summary: AU – Angelus finally takes possession of what is his.

A/N: This fic was written for spoiledsquish for the B/A Kink Ficathon, hosted by gia6seconds.

Requirements: Angelus being the dominant one, use of any kind of sex toys. Preferably AU, maybe where Buffy meets Angelus or he stalks her and all that stuff...

Restrictions: Anything other than B/Au(s).

Through the crisp night air she traveled, heart pumping, mind racing, body aching. On yet another night when her master forced her out to hunt or be hunted, Buffy Summers ran through the surrounding forest with her life in her hands and her destiny already laid out. Though she dared to revoke the inevitable, her life smoked out like the butt of a cigarette, she couldn’t avoid the nightly game her master played with her.

The Slayer had been born into poverty, sold into slavery by her father and made to play this nightly game of life or death by her owner. He found it amusing to watch from his castle window as the wisp of a girl ran through the night, armed with only her wit and the strength she was blessed with as The Chosen One.

Ethan watched with delight as his indentured child ran like the wind to avoid the lycanthropy, a creature to which she had not yet mastered all the while retaining her awareness of her true enemies. The ones she was born to hunt, and they to hunt her. He thought that this night could possibly be the end of the game he fancied so. She was cornered so to speak, and he saw little chance of survival for the little one who had been so clever to this point.

Buffy had broken the Cardinal Rule, backing herself into a corner. She hadn’t realized she’d done it until it was too late. She had taken her normal zigzagging route through the tall oaks and finally crossing over the shallow creek. One turn after the other, as was usual and the next thing she knew she was face to face with a tall rocky wall straight in front of her. Looking to her left and to her right she found nothing but more of the same and behind her she could hear the terrifying sounds of the snarling werewolf that had been relentlessly tracking her.

It was over. The dismal life, the only life, she’d really ever known was about to be snuffed out by a vicious animal. She had tried, and though she had lasted longer than any of those who had been forced to play the game before her, she was still at the end of her rope. She swallowed hard, forcing her body to turn to face her hunter. She may be on the wrong end of a losing battle, but she’d be damned if she would go down without a fight.

“Not a fucking word. Let’s go.”

The lycanthropy was dead before her, obviously at the hands of her true mortal enemy, the one who cursed at her, ordering her quiet and to follow him. Had she been in her right mind she would have refused instantly. The mere thought of allowing that which she was born to kill take her to do god knows what with her should have been enough to force defiance. Instead it was an angelic face that had her mesmerized, even though her entire body screamed at her to kill her savior, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

“I said let’s go,” the vampire snapped angrily, grabbing Buffy by the arm he jerked her along with him until they were safely out of the forest and into a clearing on the other side. A clearing Buffy never knew existed.

As they stood side by side in the open field under a perfectly round silver moon, Buffy was speechless. A wonder that would have pleased her master had he possession of her still. Buffy’s less than adequate respect for authority had driven Ethan mad on many a day, yet her willingness to accept punishment in order to show some independence was too appealing for him to dismiss her. So as he stared out into the night sky, watching the creature of the night for whom he’d been foretold would come lead his young slayer away, he smiled.

The stories of Angelus were bountiful. The wickedly evil vampire had a reputation that far exceeded his presence in any land. Yes, Ethan smiled at the thought. His fiery slayer fancied by the most devious of all vampires? It was a match made in Hell, and one that Sir Ethan would enjoy being told about for centuries to come.

* * * * * * * * *

Buffy struggled to keep pace with the vampire. He was showing no mercy, his long strides forcing her to double her steps just to keep up. The further they traveled the higher into the mountain that shadowed Ethan’s castle they went. The higher the elevation, the colder it became; the colder the temperature the more the Slayer’s steps slowed, until after more than an hour of walking without rest Buffy finally collapsed to the ground. She had exhausted her body long ago as she tried to outrun and outwit the lycanthropy, adding this unexpected hike was more than her body could handle.

With a low growl Angelus scooped the tiny slayer up in his arms and carried her. He had taken the long way back to his home to both exhaust and confuse the girl. He had watched her and stalked her and planned this night carefully. He was after all claiming what was his, what had always been his.

Had it not been for the whoring bitch with whom he’d walked a thousand miles beside, and who had discarded him for the likes of another, he may have never known what await him. Darla’s desire for a quick romp in the hay with a younger, more delicate flower had earned him a long overdue holiday from his sire. She had held him on a tight leash until that night, throwing her card of hierarchy in his face whenever she chose to wander. Angelus had finally seen the forest for the trees and burned that rickety old bridge, in turn, forging a new one that would lead him to his destiny.

His path had crossed the Slayer’s on the eve of her fifth birthday, a night he would have forever seared into his memory. It was on that night, thirteen years ago this date that Angelus had found his mate. A young pixie of a girl with blonde hair and mossy green eyes just as had been described to him by the old gypsy woman for whom he’d paid a visit. The elder female had been a centuries old ally to his people and a favorite among the Aurelius family. She had seen the vampire’s future, the future which held a slayer of all things. The old woman detailed the child’s appearance, whereabouts and what the future held for her until the celebration of her eighteenth year. It was on the eve of that night that Angelus would have opportunity to relieve the child of her duties, or so he was foretold.

As the vampire left the gypsy’s home, he decided to take the seer’s words with a grain of salt. She had after all been wrong before. He hadn’t been the Master’s favorite, that prize continued to belong to Darla and could stay that way for all eternity as far as he was concerned. The great Angelus would be the servant to no one. His future held more than simply being at the arm of the one who made him.

So it was on his exit that the vampire would be blessed with a glimpse at his future when a ragged looking man exchanged a child for a few bits. Little could be said for a father who would so easily give up his blood kin for currency, a thought that enraged the vampire. The anger that he had held for his own father during life had continued to haunt him during death. So when his steely brown eyes locked with the sad mossy green ones, he knew his future, his destiny and what had to be done in the present.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The slayer tossed and turned in a fitful sleep for hours. One would have thought that an exhausted body would lay peacefully, still as death yet warm and inviting all at once, but for Angelus it was not to be. The vampire had carried his mate back to his home, barricading them both safely inside and away from prying eyes or ears. He needed no interruptions by friends or foe in dealing with his new possession. Angelus had watched her far to long to be I in thinking she would comply with his desires easily.

She belonged to him. He knew that and soon, so would she.

As the dawn crawled into day and day back into night, the vampire grew impatient. His mate had been sleeping, though not well at times, for going on a day and he was becoming increasingly agitated by the fact. He was certain from her tiny frame and the rumors that circled the small town below that Ethan kept his girls teetering on the edge. They were fed only enough to keep them alive. He didn’t want a slayer’s full strength to be obtained while under his rule, for he had little means of controlling The Chosen One whose abilities were not hampered by starvation and exhaustion. Angelus however was a different matter.

Her body warm under layers of soft, thick blankets she smiled, finally. It was a dream, it was always a dream, but this time it felt so real she couldn’t bring herself to end it. Though her body ached from her nightly hunt, Buffy was finally allowing herself to enjoy the pleasures that only her dreams could bring her. A crackling fire in the background, the mild scent of roses and lavender, but there was something else there, she could feel it. The part of her that belonged only to the Slayer had detected more than just luxuries unknown to a peasant such as herself. Yes, there was something there; something waiting for her.

The Slayer’s eyes flew open. As she spied what the huntress inside her had already known was there, Buffy gasped. She had not been prepared for such a sight. It was the vampire from her dream, though he looked less like a vampire and more like the way her mother had described Prince Charming to look when she would tell her that fabled tale as a small child. Buffy had to immediately brush back a tear, the thought of her mother always set off that reaction within her.

“You’re awake,” Angelus stated matter-of-factly. His patience with the young girl had been growing quite thin, yet when her rested eyes met his the anger that had consumed him only moments before had now receded like the ocean tide.

Like a wild animal waking to captivity the Slayer immediately slid from the enormous bed to the hard stone floor below. She had to put distance between herself and her captor; it was instinct that had fired the reaction and her desire to fight to the death that had her fists raised and ready to defend. Buffy scanned the room, looking for a means of escape but found little that could help her. The large wooden doors that were the only apparent exit were shackled together and locked. If there were windows within her confines she couldn’t immediately identify them. She was trapped.

Angelus, though amused by the Slayer’s actions kept silent. He had anticipated such a response from the young girl, and although his body was pushing towards her immediate submission he waited.

“Who…who are you? What do you want from me?”

As if the Slayer hadn’t uttered a word, the Vampire sat reclined in the plush red chair that took up a large section of one corner. With his legs outstretched in front of him, crossed at the ankles; both elbows resting on either side of the chair, hands coming together at fingertips, the Vampire only smiled wickedly. Some deeds you did quickly, some took much more time.

* * * * * * * * *

Hours after waking to a new master, Buffy Summers wept as silently as she could. Unable to decide whether or not she was shedding tears of joy or sorrow, the Slayer kept as quiet as possible. Angelus, the one to whom she was now obliged, had done little to either comfort or frighten her. She was told simply that she was his, period, end of story. There was no explanation, no story behind how he’d obtained her from Ethan, no reason for why a vampire would want a slayer to begin with. Instead, he kept it simple and cryptic, a style for which she supposed she’d have to get used to as it appeared his only way of communicating; at least with her.

When Angelus finally felt comfortable enough to leave his mate to her own means, he silently showed her the camouflaged door which led to her private washroom. He had, while she’d been sleeping, drawn her a hot bath. Though now it was cooling, she was grateful all the same. It had been longer days than she could remember since the last time she had been allowed to wash in something more than a bucket of water. And even though she was certain that this was only a means to a horrible end, at least it was better than what she was forced to endure with Ethan.

The bath was only the beginning as Buffy soon found out. Upon her return to “her room” she discovered new, clean clothing and food; more food than she had ever known existed. The Slayer within her kept shouting at her common sense, the warnings that though the light was shining brightly on her now, her master was still her enemy and would therefore show her the dark side of her new surroundings soon. She choked back her tears and dressed quickly. She would enjoy the offered luxuries as much as she could before the vampire forced her into his service.

Angelus stood silently outside the locked bedroom door. He didn’t have to hear words to understand what was going through her mind. He had studied the young girl for far too many years not to know her so perfectly. With each bite he heard her take he also heard a crying sob. He knew she feared him, as well she should, but there was also a wild curiosity that drove her, one that would lead her to him eventually.

When the Slayer finally returned to her oversized bed, pulling the soft blankets up around her body she closed her eyes and prayed. She begged whoever had the power to listen to her; she would gladly serve her new master if only they wouldn’t allow him to do the things to her that Ethan had. She was glad to be as far away from him as she could get, and if it meant being with her sworn enemy for the rest of her natural life then so be it. She couldn’t believe that it could be a worse Hell than the one she’d been living in for thirteen years.

* * * * * * * * *

After showing a great deal of restraint for more than a week since bringing the Slayer to his home, Angelus decided it was finally time to test the waters. He had made it a point to be consistent with his actions each morning and each evening when he would visit her room. He would bring fresh clothes, an assortment of food and books. Though he wasn’t certain if she was actually reading any of them or even if she could, he continued to cart a new one in each day. Buffy would give a hesitant smile, and take what was offered. She neither dared to challenge him nor question him; she was simply there obeying the unspoken rules. So this morning would be the first true test as to how much of his mate was his and how much still belonged to Ethan.

Angelus unlocked Buffy’s door and entered as he had every morning prior. He sat the new book down on the night stand and turned to lay out her new clothes. Instead of retreating to the hall to bring in the tray of food as he usually did, Angelus moved to sit in the large chair in the corner. He said nothing, but motioned for her to change as usual.

Buffy’s stomach lurched. She had hoped, and was beginning to actually believe that being here was different, that her enemy could somehow be her savior; but then this. He wanted to see her body, to see what it was he owned. As she fought back the tears and turned towards her outlaid clothes, she kept telling herself that looking wasn’t touching. If he only wanted to watch her it would be okay. She could live with that.

The Slayer shakily began to undress. She knew better than to try to put one article of clothing on while taking another off. That trick had been punished severely by Ethan, she had the scars to prove it. So she dared not try the same with someone who could rip her throat out at the blink of an eye, it wasn’t worth the risk.

Angelus hadn’t given his mate enough credit. Her body, though etched with markings of a heathen ruler was pure art and he was certain that with a couple more weeks of steady nutrition it would be a masterpiece. She was a goddess.

Buffy stopped and faced her owner after she had relieved her body of all dressing. Though she refused to make eye contact, she could feel Angelus’ eyes move up and down her body; hungry desire seemed to poor out of his dead body.

The Vampire rose, closing the distance between himself and the Slayer. Buffy could feel her master closing in on her; she screwed her eyes tight not wanting to face the look of disgust she knew would be there. Her body had been abused and used for far too many years to be appealing to anyone, especially someone like her owner. She may not be wise to the world around her, but she was certain that the beauty to which the vampire had been blessed with in humanity had not gone unnoticed by the ones to whom she could never measure up against.

Angelus stepped behind Buffy, slowly he snaked his right arm around her bare waist. The Slayer’s body stiffened instantly, but the Vampire was determined. Edging his own body close, Angelus kept his hold on his mate tight enough to show dominance, yet loose enough not to hurt her. She needed to understand the dynamics of their relationship, and the quicker she understood them, the sooner he could find pleasure inside her.

Nestling his face close to her ear he whispered softly, “You are the most magnificent creature I have ever to lay eyes on.”

Buffy’s breath hitched at her master’s words, she hadn’t been expecting such words. Though her body remained stiff and defensive to the Vampire’s touch, Buffy’s mind began to wonder. He had looked and he had touched, but it hadn’t been the same as Ethan or at least it hadn’t yet. Even as Angelus stood stock still, only holding on to what was his, his mate would not acknowledge his gesture. He knew far more about her than she could ever imagine and so it was that he would not push her further on this day. There would be time enough for that later.

Angelus placed a chaste kiss to Buffy’s temple then eased back away from her body. Without another word, he turned and left the room; closing the door behind him. The Slayer released the breath that she had been holding along with the streams of tears that she had forced away while her master was with her. She hurriedly dressed then returned to her bed to cry away her fears. He had touched her, why did he have to touch her? His touch hadn’t been vicious like those spent by Ethan, yet it cut deep inside her all the same.

The Vampire stood outside his mate’s door and listed as his beauty sobbed. A goddess such as his mate was should not be in such pain unless it was the sort of pain that one received pleasure from. The man responsible for this pain would have to pay for the crimes he committed against the vampire’s mate. Such defilement was worthy of nothing less than death. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Angelus strode down the hall; he had business to take care of. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d dealt with someone who had wronged his beloved. Thirteen years ago another man had met a similar fate.

* * * * * * * * *

The brisk night air was nothing against the Vampire’s already cold skin, but as Angelus rode his Andalusian mare down the mountainside, he shivered with delight. He had waited far to long to enact the punishment for deeds done to his beloved; what pleasure he would take at seeing a grown man grovel with fear at his feet. A pleasure that with humans he had learned was acquired far too easily.

Angelus brought the horse to a halt and easily dismounted off the blood-bay mare. Leaving his companion ground tied the Vampire easily scaled the castle wall and strode towards his prey with the arrogance only a demon with a viciousness such as his could. The luscious scent of blood, sex and fear seemed to attack the Vampire’s senses from all sides. For a fleeting second his more primal desires took over and the true nature of his being was brought forth. Shaking off those needs, Angelus continued towards Ethan’s room.

He had planned this night just as he’d planned how he would take his mate. If Ethan was half the man those living within the village thought he was, he would be prepared. Angelus didn’t think he was. Besides, Ethan’s slayers were kept too lean to be of any consequence to him, and there wasn’t much else in the old man’s possession that would put up any better resistance. Tonight would be the end of a man’s life as he knew it, and the beginning of a Hell he couldn’t have imagined existed.

Skirting past the locked doors that led to the slayers’ rooms, Angelus quickly moved up the castle steps and down the long corridor to Ethan’s personal chambers. He could hear the screams of one of his girls, screams that had come from Buffy once upon a time. After tonight the only screams Ethan would hear would be his own, a thought that put a wicked smile on the Vampire’s face. Angelus kicked in the locked door, sending shredded bits of wood all around the room. As he expected Ethan was surprised to see him.

“What? No hello, how are you? Can I get you a drink?” Angelus taunted from the chamber doorway.

“You’re a slayer,” Ethan screamed at the already bruised and bloodied young girl as he pushed her from his bed, “go slay!”

“I’m here for him. Leave!” Angelus roared in the direction of the girl as his true visage returned. The young slayer, obviously more frightened of the vampire in front of her than of the man in the bed, ran out of the room as quickly as her damaged body would take her.

Trying to force a false bravado, Ethan rose easily from his bed and adorned the black satin robe that had been carelessly discarded on the floor. “You already have stolen what was mine; there is nothing left for you here.”

“You have something that belongs to me, and until I am able to retrieve it, *you* are mine,” Angelus returned matter-of-factly before moving toward Ethan with speed only a vampire possessed. “I own you,” he whispered in that purely evil voice.

Three little words that would haunt Ethan Rayne for the rest of his life, however long that might be.

* * * * * * * * *

When Angelus returned to Buffy’s room after his visit with Ethan, he found his mate nowhere in sight. Though he had purposely left the door unlocked he could tell that his beloved had not ventured beyond her chamber walls. Her truly unique scent had not been detected in other parts of his home, not that he had expected to find it lingering about. Moving more fully into his mate’s room the feeling that overtook his body when Buffy was close by was strong within him now; it was a feeling that he both cherished at times and yet felt would maddened him to the point of insanity at others.

His own feelings per se towards his mate were beyond what words could express, and to know that she was within her washroom bathing, for he could hear the soft ripples of water as she moved within the oversized porcelain bath made his body harden to an almost intolerable point. The deed that he had done only hours earlier was in much need of reward, and to the Vampire there was no better reward than seeing his mate in all her glory.

As if he hadn’t already known that the Slayer was instinctively in tuned to his kind, there was little room for doubt left when he eased inside the washroom door. Buffy froze, as if time had been stopped by forces more powerful than she could fathom. He was there, behind her, she knew instantly. The tears that once again threatened to fall were held behind the dam that she had built up over the years. A mantra that had been drilled into her for years echoed in her thoughts, if your enemy saw you as weak, it would only pleasure them more.

Digging deep within her reserve of self, the Slayer calmed and once again continued her daily routine as if she were once again alone. She knew that if she were to bear her new existence, she would have to face the realities of what was expected of her sooner or later. She had no doubt that her new master would tolerate little more of her cowardice and reluctance towards him.

When his mate’s breaths finally evened out and her heartbeat slowed to a more acceptable pace, Angelus removed his waistcoat and white button-down shirt, placing both on the dressing bench to his left. Kneeling beside his beloved, the Vampire slowly removed the washing cloth from her hand. Though he could immediately sense that some anxiety returned to Buffy’s body, she was however, more acceptable to his presence than she had been the previous night.

Angelus gently moved the cloth over Buffy’s back; with soft strokes he tried to massage away her insecurities. He was vicious and demanding and ruthless with his enemy, but he would always treat his beloved with respect until she deserved to be treated otherwise. There were rules, both spoken and not of how vampires were to regard their mate. Whoever or whatever they took to be their consort, were subject to their way of doing, however different it might be to their previous lifestyle. The mate, whether vampire or human, as that was not as uncommon as one might think, were subject to the same laws. It was the way of the vampire, from their beginning and until their end.

Buffy did her best to relax. She was not used to soft touches or gentle caresses from her owner. This new treatment was so foreign it scared her more than had he simply beat her into submission. That she knew. That she could handle. This on the other hand was beginning to seem like a whole other form of torture in itself. Though she knew her master to be a vampire, he had yet to show her his true face. And if she was to believe all that she had been told about his kind, this was not normal behavior. They were vicious creatures who were merciless on their prey, and those that they chose to keep were treated worse than animals. At that thought the tears that she had so dutifully held back were released.

As Angelus had anticipated the Slayer had not expected his treatment of her. She had been abused for far too long to comprehend any other way of life. Though he would eventually have to explain the way in which their relationship worked and what was expected of her as his mate, for now he simply needed her to trust him. As such, the Vampire leaned into the water and gathered the sobbing slayer in his arms. Without a word he carried the dripping wet girl back to her bed. He laid Buffy down as gently as possible and covered her naked body with the soft thick cover. The Vampire then positioned himself so that his left leg was draped over her and his still hard groin was pressed against her covered thigh.

With his left arm extended over Buffy’s chest, Angelus propped up by his right elbow, caressed her soft golden locks. “Look at me,” he demanded of her.

Buffy hesitated, but complied.

“I will not hurt you, as long as you obey me. There are rules and when you are ready, you shall learn them,” Angelus explained in an even tone.

Though she tried desperately to bite back her tears, they would not stop rolling down her cheeks. And although she wanted to look away from her master, she couldn’t. Her instinct and years of betrayal forced her to trust no one; to believe no promises that were made, but he was too believable, his eyes sincere and her heart ached because of it. She would be broken for trusting him of that she was sure, but until that time she would just have to make the best of what was given to her. To show her understanding she forced a small smile and nodded, never breaking eye contact as she did so.

* * * * * * * * *

After several hours of lying soundlessly awake by the Vampire’s side, the Slayer had finally surrendered to her body’s demand for sleep and drifted off. It was then that Angelus rose from the bed and removed the rest of his clothes. He then eased under the covers and gently pulled his mate close.

When the early morning hours began to creep in on the Slayer, she began to stir from the bliss with which she had been blessed. When consciousness finally begat Buffy her eyes widened suddenly in the true horror of the situation. Her master was no longer on top of the blankets that had provided medial protection for her; he was now fully naked behind her. She could feel his cool chest at her back and a strong muscular arm wrapped around her waist, barring her from any sort of undetected escape.

Her heart began to race as she realized the vampire’s hard manhood was flush with her bottom and the tears which she had thought were all but dried up began to fall in rivers down her cheeks once more. She’d thought she’d be able to deal with her new master; he’d been generous and compassionate towards her until now. She should have known! She should have known that when he thought she had given in to the sweetness that he was offering he would show his true self to her; taking away any hope she’d had at some resemblance to a decent life.

Angelus had been aware the entire time of the change in his mate’s demeanor. She was once again frightened with the situation she found herself in, something he had anticipated would happen. It was a predicament he wanted to force on her. She needed to begin her lessons.

Moving their positions so that she was now lying on her back, Angelus gently touched the Slayer’s cheek with the pad of his thumb, “The instructions shall now begin.”

Buffy bit her lip to the point of drawing blood, she was scared and her body involuntarily shook despite her best attempts to mask such emotions.

With the scent of slayer blood pushing the Vampire’s last stitch of will, Angelus remained in his human visage. Leaning in, he gently kissed Buffy’s lips. Lingering with delight, he licked away the small amount of blood that had pooled at the tiny incision before returning to deepen the kiss that he had initiated moments before. The Slayer responded as she always had to such advances, for she had been taught to please or be punished. Buffy began to go through the motions, though her tongue dueled with the Vampire’s her mind began its journey down that dark path to nowhere.

When it became obvious to Angelus that his mate was not with him he pulled away. Though he logically understood this to be a natural reaction to his demands, that did little to push away the anger such treatment of him invoked. Even though the laws within his kind allowed him to punish his mate for such disrespect the Vampire instead reined in his temper. Shifting positions, Angelus settled himself atop the Slayer so as to make it clear who was the dominant one.

“Part of obeying me is staying here with me,” the Vampire stated in an even tone. At the Slayer’s confused look he continued, “You leave me when I touch you. I am not him, but if you do not stay with me I shall become more frightening to you than Ethan could ever have dreamed of being.”

Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but decided that it was better to say nothing rather than the wrong thing. Instead, she once again nodded her understanding.

“You are not forbidden to speak. If it so fancies you to say your peace, so be it. Though the rules demand you show respect towards your mate, you are not bound to silence.”

“Mate?” the first spoken word he’d heard from his beloved since that first night after she had awoken.

Angelus watched Buffy’s eyes search his wildly for answers. She was frightened and confused, yet accepting now to his dominant position. Her delicate hands were resting on either side of his hips and her legs had adjusted to fit him so very perfectly. He knew that she could not see; not yet anyway, how well they fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle that matched only each other. A small smile danced across his handsome face and with patience he hadn’t known he possessed, the Vampire began to explain *exactly* how their relationship worked.

Buffy’s mind raced around until she was certain if she was forced to stand she would pass out. The dizzying effect her master’s words had on her was surprising to say the least. She had never known such a way of life existed. The tales that she had been told or had overheard with regard to the vampire was nothing like that which her “mate” explained. Angelus, the name to which her master had explained was his and that to which he prefer she refer to him, was explicit in the detail as to how he wished their day to proceed. He had shown great restraint and patience with her that was not required under their law, and for that he expected compliance, today.

Angelus gently kissed his mate once more, and was pleased when she kissed him back; not out of duty or fear of punishment, but out of want. He knew that this was the first chip in a thick wall that she had been building for years. Progress, though slow, was progress all the same and although he wanted to continue this small bit of affection that his beloved was finally showing it was best to proceed with the day’s plans as he had explained. Rolling away from the Slayer, Angelus moved from the bed to dress.

“I shall see you downstairs.”

“Okay,” Buffy offered timidly, her mind still buzzing from all that had just taken place.

Angelus smiled then exited the room to leave his mate to her own doings. She had her instructions, he would see how she reacted.

* * * * * * * * *

Buffy hurriedly bathed and dressed, then did her best with her limited knowledge of how one should wear their hair or what to do exactly with the rouge and lip tint that had been left out for her. Managing as best she could, Buffy examined herself in the full length mirror. She couldn’t believe that she was actually wearing a dress and not just any dress, but one of those beautiful gowns that she had seen in one of those old picture books her mother had shown her when she was a child. It was all she could do to force herself away from the mirror.

Finally willing herself to turn, Buffy timidly walked towards the door. Reaching out, the Slayer took hold of the cold brass handle and with a deep breath pulled the large wooden door open. It was to be her first steps outside of her room since she’d been brought here, and though she was hesitant to believe that this moment was real, and not simply another dream for which she would wake from, Buffy daringly stepped across the threshold and into the corridor. In her estimation the hallway went on for eternity, but she did as she was told and walked down the dimly lit walkway until she came to the grand staircase. Instinctually, the Slayer surveyed her surroundings before cautiously taking the first step downward.

She moved effortlessly down each step, her gown flowing around her like a river of silk. It was a sight to be seen and Angelus was down right giddy that he had been there to view his beloved as the goddess he knew her to be. When Buffy’s heel clad feet hit the last step, her mate offered his arm to escort her to the next room. Not knowing what to do, Buffy looked upon her master with terrified eyes. If she said or did the wrong thing it could be the death of her, literally.

Patient as he had been from the beginning, Angelus gently picked up his mate’s left hand from her side and wrapped it around his offered arm. Nodding in the direction of the next room, the Vampire slowly began to lead his beloved away from the stairs. Though she tried desperately not to allow her mind to run wild with what might await her, the Slayer couldn’t help but anticipate the worst. Her fears were quickly abolished when she entered the great dining hall. The room was elegantly decorated and the long table that could have easily held the entire squadron of slayers Ethan kept was set for just two.

There was a large stone fireplace to the left which was blazing reds, oranges and yellows, and as Angelus led her to her high backed chair, Buffy’s stomach began to rumble at the meal that was set out before her. She didn’t believe she had ever been so close to such delicious looking food. Eyeing all the delicacies before her, Buffy suddenly feared that she would be forced to sit and look but not touch; a tactic which Ethan had used on her more than once.

Angelus watched intently as his mate eased into her chair then quietly sat with her hands clasped in her lap, head down. It didn’t take him long to come to the conclusion that she was uncertain whether or not the food in front of her was to be eaten and enjoyed or whether it was there only to be looked upon, a punishment for some unknown deed.

“Beloved, you may eat whenever you are ready. This is not a punishment. You obeyed my every request.”

It was then that he saw it, that light he knew existed somewhere within her. At his words her head had lifted and her eyes twinkled as she looked on in wonder at the feast before her. Though the Vampire could tell that his mate’s more primal instincts were fighting to be free, the petite young thing by his side restrained her urges and slowly served herself small portions from the plates in front of her.

There needed to be a little polishing before his mate would be adequately prepared for a more social setting, but their time together had only just begun and if Angelus was to be honest, he fancied spending a great deal more alone time with his beloved before he shared her with the rest of the world. There were so many things he wished to share with her. Never before had he felt such feelings for another being. His epoch with Darla had been a century’s worth of waste compared to what he wanted for his next hundred years. If all worked out as it had been foretold to him all those nights before, Angelus would spend an eternity with his beloved.

* * * * * * * * *

After Angelus had deemed his beloved had finished her evening meal the Vampire escorted her back up the staircase. This time he paused in front of doors that did not lead to the Slayer’s chambers, but to his. Buffy’s knee jerk reaction to the knowledge of what was to come was per her usual behavior with Ethan. Her stomach lurched, her eyes welled with tears and her breathing became erratic. Though things were different here, she couldn’t help but allow her body to react just as it always did when she’d been led to Ethan’s bed.

The Vampire ignored the tell tale signs of his mate’s sudden fear and instead pushed open the large mahogany doors to the spectacular view that awaited them. Angelus led the Slayer into the room, closing and locking the doors behind them. It was finally time to show his beloved just what being his mate would mean.

The room was lit by a few candles and the light given off by the fire blazing in the hearth. Through the tears and the dim light, Buffy could see an enormous four poster bed, elegant in ways the Slayer could never have dreamed. There were two tall French doors off to the right of the bed. Each were open allowing a chilled breeze to drift in. Angelus led his mate towards the doors so that she could get her first glimpse of the outside world.

Buffy stood at the doorway, her mouth open in an ‘o’, unable to convey the beauty that was spread out in front of her. She’d known that her master or rather her mate’s home sat atop the mountain which had always loomed large over Ethan’s castle, but she’d had no idea the view from it could be quite so breath taking. Angelus allowed her to study the landscape for a few more moments before pulling her back within the confines of his room.

He had quickly taken her mind off of events to come by shifting her attention to other things. It had worked. The Slayer’s tears had dried and her breathing had gone back to normal. Gently, he pushed the tall glass doors shut to end the chill that had taken over his room. He wanted his beloved to enjoy their evening, and he knew she would not if she were freezing.

Angelus leaned down, gently kissing Buffy’s lips before he whispered to her, “Stay with me beloved. Stay with me and I shall show you Heaven.”

Buffy sighed at her mate’s words. Her mind and her body may have reservations about the Vampire, but her heart was already his. Snaking her arms up around his neck, the Slayer deepened the kiss. Yes, she would stay with him. She would stay with him for an eternity. That soft velvety voice and those deep chocolate eyes could capture anyone, but it was the way he kissed her that had melted the walls she’d built around her heart.

“That’s my baby,” Angelus crooned softly. Walking their bodies back towards the bed, the Vampire continued to shower his mate with kisses. Her lips, her face, her neck, any exposed skin was not safe from his attack.

When Buffy’s movements were inhibited by the bed, her body once again froze solid. She just couldn’t help it. “I…I’m sor…sorry, “she stuttered when she pulled away from the Vampire.

He knew this moment would come and so he had prepared himself and his room accordingly. Stepping away from Buffy, Angelus retrieved the two red silk scarves that had been draped seemingly without thought over the large chest of draws to their left. Nothing the Vampire did was without careful consideration and planning, and so was the reason he’d placed the scarves in that particular spot just for this occasion.

Moving back to his position in front of his mate he cupped her cheek in his free hand and asked, “Do you trust me beloved?”

As a single tear slid down the Slayer’s face, she couldn’t help but to nod a yes. She did trust him, she just wasn’t sure she trusted herself yet.

Turning the Slayer around, Angelus placed one of the scarves over Buffy’s eyes, and tied it securely in the back. Even as her body shook with a fear she could not control, Buffy said nothing. She was trusting him; he had promised he would not hurt her if she obeyed him and on that she was laying it on the line.

As her world faded to black, so did Buffy’s fears.

As the days led into weeks and the weeks crept into months, Buffy Summers was *finally* becoming comfortable in her new surroundings. She had found that after her first night as the Vampire’s lover, she had trusted in the right person… man… thing… whatever. Though her mate wasn’t always Prince Charming, he was, however, trustworthy. She could, and would if the situation ever arose, put her life in his hands and have no second thoughts. He had followed through on every promise he made to her so far and it was a character flaw she would soon put to the test.

Regardless of her situation, the Slayer had always had a difficult time being ordered around without some sort of resistance on her part at least every once in a while. It was in her nature to fight, and for that she had occasionally brought punishment on herself for just being stubborn. She had learned when to push Ethan and when not to, though some nights he would take to punishing her for his own amusement, something that she understood her mate would not do.

Angelus had instructed Buffy to stay away from the door that led down to the lower chambers, but on a lonely night in which her Angel had left her on her own the Slayer couldn’t help but satisfy the curiosity that boiled within her, a fact that the Vampire had expected, and counted on. Tiptoeing down the cold stone staircase, Buffy opened the large wooden door and quietly walked through the dimly lit hallway, following the muffled noise that she could just barely hear.

As Buffy stared down into the hollow eyes of the man whom she’d called Master for thirteen years, she became light headed. How long had Angel kept Ethan here? When was he planning to tell her or was he ever going to at all? Then she heard the old man cry out her name and she was suddenly back in his chambers being forced to do things she couldn’t have imagined even the most wicked person doing. It was then, in that memory, in that moment in time she thought she’d escaped, that she began to feel as if the walls were closing in on her. She sprinted up the old stone steps and was headed around the corner of the hallway towards the stairs to her room when she collided with the strong body of her mate.

“I…I…Oh Angel….” Buffy cried as she threw herself into Angelus’ waiting arms. She knew she was in trouble for disobeying a direct order from her mate, but she couldn’t care about that right now. All she could think about was getting as far away from that door and from Ethan as she could. She was suddenly cold and shaking as though she were standing in the middle of a blizzard.

Though Angelus had known this moment would come, he had no idea how deeply it would affect his beloved or him. The instant anger that had overcome him when he saw his mate running from the door he had ordered her to avoid was washed away when she fell into his arms shaking from what she’d just seen. He knew his mate too well to think that she wouldn’t ever push her limits with him and he had wanted her to face her fears with Ethan as well; he hadn’t planned on those two things colliding head on.

* * * * * * * * * *

As his sense of duty both to himself as Master and to his beloved as lover and mate washed over him, Angelus turned Buffy around to face the door to the lower chamber and began to push her forward. There was little else he could do in such a situation. She had disobeyed a direct order from him and for that he was bound by the laws of his kind to enforce punishment.

Buffy tried to dig in when she realized what her mate was going to do with her. She couldn’t face Ethan again, she just couldn’t; so she grabbed and clawed at the wall next to her and planted her feet as firmly in front of her as she could, but Angelus was determined. As the door crept closer and closer Buffy resigned herself to the fact that her attempts to save herself were futile.

“Angel…please…please don’t make me go back down there. I’ll…I’ll do *anything* you want, just please don’t make me go down there,” Buffy begged, tears streaming in rivers down her face.

Angelus said nothing. It broke him inside to see the terror marring the beautiful face of his mate, but he had no choice. There were laws and rules and regardless of his…feelings…he had to obey them, *she* had to obey them. Though he had walked the earth for centuries, Angelus had never done such a dastardly deed than what he was about to do. His brethren would mock him for eternity if they only knew what The Great Angelus had turned into.

Buffy gave one last attempt at pleading with her lover not to do this to her, but it was all for naught. The Vampire shoved her through the door and back down the stone steps, his large frame blocking even the smallest area for escape. When she was again within inches of her former master, Buffy began to shake in fear once more. Wrapping her arms around herself, the Slayer fought to keep her cries silent as her mate forced her to stare directly at Ethan.

With his broken body still reeling in pain from his last beating, Ethan summoned enough strength to stand. He would withstand an eternity’s worth of Angelus’ wrath before he would yield to his former Slayer. She had been his property, his to own, his to use, his to so beautifully abuse and so she would never, not while he had breath in his body, see him acquiesce to her.

Ethan gave the Slayer a coy grin, “Apparently you still don’t know how to follow orders.”

“I..I…”

“I…I…what? You piece of trash,” Ethan mocked, his disgust for the Slayer and what she was doing and with whom evident in his tone.

Angelus bit back the rage that instantly overtook his body at his prisoner’s words. Rayne would pay dearly later for talking to his mate in such a way, but for now he kept silent and instead pushed Buffy just a little closer towards her nightmare.

“What’s the matter? Vampire got your tongue? Did he rip it out after he tired of listening to your heinous cries? Or have you sucked him off so often that your jaws have rebelled? Which is it you little whore?” Ethan screamed as he strained against the chains that held him securely to the wall.

Angelus nudged the Slayer once more putting her within distance of her former Master. Without thought Ethan grabbed Buffy’s arm and pulled her towards him with all the hate and anger one person could possess. It was her fault he was here, it was her fault his life had been turned upside down and backwards.

“This is all your FAULT!!” Ethan cried out as his free arm pulled back to strike Buffy.

Though the Vampire was now insanely angry both at himself and at the bastard who would dare to harm his beloved he held his ground. In that split instant between terror and anger, Angelus saw his mate rise to the occasion and do what she was born to do. She ripped her arm from Ethan’s grasp and with one flowing kick she knocked the old man unconscious. Standing stock still, Buffy watched as Ethan’s body slid limply to the stone floor.

Angelus immediately pulled Buffy into his arms and held her close. The deed had been done, the punishment dealt and the beginning of her true healing started. Buffy held fast to her mate, knowing that part of what had always held her back from becoming truly one with her Angel was now gone. She had finally slayed her demon.

* * * * * * * * * *

After Angelus and Buffy were back within his quarters and tucked snuggly into their shared bed, Buffy finally let out a sigh of relief. It had been far too long since she’d felt this secure; secure finally in her own skin. Though it had been one of the most traumatic experiences of her life, Buffy had realized almost immediately after Ethan had fallen limply to the floor, that her lover wasn’t just punishing her. No, he was helping her to exorcise the only demon she had left to rid herself of. Maybe somewhere deep down inside she had known that confronting Ethan and her past was the only way she would finally be free, and so maybe, just maybe, she’d ventured down to the lower chambers knowing what was to come.

Regardless of the whys or wherefores, Buffy was finally whole. Something she never thought possible; something she thought long lost to her. She had been given a gift, a gift more precious than anything else she could think of for her Angel to give to her. She could finally breathe again, and with that thought she turned into her mate and smiled up into the deep chocolate browns that always, well almost always, looked so lovingly down at her. Her eyes twinkled up at him with love and more importantly to Angelus, the mischievousness he’d waited a lifetime to see in them.

The Vampire couldn’t have known that with one powerful kick his mate would become his, wholly, fully, and for eternity…his, but he soon would find out. The Slayer pushed up away from the bed and her lover and with catlike grace she began to pull away the clothing that was prohibiting her from being one with her Angel. His touch was intoxicating and at this very moment she needed him with every part of her soul. He had saved her in everyway imaginable, and now it was finally time to repay his patience.

So with kisses and licks and gentle touches they began and as the minutes bore into hours the lovers explored pleasures previously withheld from them. As if time was standing still for them, Buffy and Angelus made love as if there were no tomorrow and any thoughts of yesterday had long been forgotten.

Finally, as the morning rays began to trickle through the cracks of heavy curtains that adorned the windows, Buffy gave in to her most primal desire. As she straddled her lover, he buried deep within her and her arms wrapped around his neck and bound at the wrists, Buffy begged him to take her. Take her in the only way he had not…

“Bite me Angel… pleeeeease!”

It was the gift he had been waiting to receive from his beloved. The last part of the equation that would forever bind them together, she to him and he to her. He could not think of a more pleasant way to spend eternity than with Buffy. Though she may call him *her* Angel, it would be only obvious to all who would encounter his beloved who the true angel was.

The only thing that pleased him more than knowing how much his beloved wanted him, was knowing the pleasure he would have of telling that wretched Ethan Rayne in great detail what his slayer had begged of him. Yes, Ethan would go mad with the thought, he may not even have to dirty his hands to kill the poor bastard. Just knowing that Buffy had asked a vampire to bite her would most likely be enough to hemorrhage his brain.

“Angeeeel….pleeeeeease!!!!” Buffy begged again, now with her head tilted just enough to show the glistening skin of her neck.

Angelus smiled with great delight. Licking a small patch of her exposed skin, “anything you want baby,” he answered before he sunk his fangs into his beloved’s virgin skin.

THE END!!!