Bewitched, Chapter 2

[thismaz]

Title: Bewitched, Chapter 2
Pairing: S/X in future.
Rating: PG for this chapter. Touches of NC-17 later.
Summary: When Valentine's Day arrives, Dru dips her finger in the brew and gives it a stir.
Word Count: 3,300
Betaed by sparrow2000 and DJ, with many thanks. Thanks also to Sparrow for her help with conflabbing on plot twists and forms.
Comments: Are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished.
Disclaimer: here.

Prologue here, with a link to the other chapters, or you can find the whole thing, in reverse order, in tags.



Chapter 2

The next day was hell. By lunch time Xander was kicking himself for not turning tail and running at the first weirdness – Harmony Kendal actually simpering at him as she asked him for help with her math homework. But fool that he was, he ignored that first sign of the apocalypse and by the middle of the day, not just Harmony, but the entire female population of the school seemed to have gone crazy and decided that Xander Harris was the stuff of their dreams. The entire female population with one important exception - Cordelia Chase appeared to be immune. What a surprise!

Xander went in search of Amy, hoping for an explanation, but she'd apparently decided that because he had asked her to do one measly spell, it was a sign that they were meant to get married, settle down and have kids, before he'd decided to stop being one, himself. She didn’t care that the spell had gone disastrously wrong.

The only sensible action was to run away, so he did. Then Willow ambushed him in his bedroom and he only just escaped from there with his virtue intact. Bumping into his Aunt Kate, immediately after, was too horrible for words. He reckoned he'd be trying to scrub that memory from his brain for weeks. After spending three hours hiding in the park, wondering if he should take up smoking, he spent the rest of the evening locked in his room, terrified that his mother might come to check what he was doing. He knew that if the spell didn’t wear off by the next day, there was only one person who might be able to help him.

It didn’t wear off.

Playing hooky, his first plan, was a failure. After being chased out of the mall, the comic shop and the children’s play area in the park, he finally faced up to the fact that he would have to meet his doom. Screwing up his courage, he crept into school and went to find Giles, trusting that he would know enough about magic to tell Xander how to put the whole mess right.

Unfortunately, he'd hardly managed to begin his confession before Ms Calendar came in. And Buffy! Dimly, Xander could remember a time when Buffy offering to unwrap herself for him would have been the stuff of fantasies. But as she stalked towards him, all he felt was panic, backed up by a nauseous feeling of distaste. His life was a total disaster. When Amy arrived, too, it got even worse. He couldn't blame Giles for yelling, or Oz for the punch.

Having been banished from the library and realising that the search for Buffy-rat was going to occupy Giles for some time, Xander decided that fleeing was his last option. Get out of his sight, Giles had said. Xander thought it was a good idea to get out of everyone's sight, maybe by hiding in the alley behind Willy's bar, next to his back door. Keeping his head down and his shoulders hunched up to his ears, he scurried along the corridor.

The door to the courtyard was in sight when he thought he heard Cordelia's voice raised in angry protest. Turning to look down the hall, he saw a confused mass of colour which resolved itself into separate bodies, all with their backs to him. It was only when Cordelia gave another cry, this time edged with fear, that he realised the crowd was a group of girls involved in a mass catfight.

Harmony's voice rose above the mob. "You thought you'd do better, is that it? We'll knock that snotty attitude right out of you!"

Briefly, a gap opened, as they shoved and pushed at each other, and Xander saw Cordelia on the floor in the middle of the pack. Self-preservation warred with instinct and instinct won. Without pausing to allow his common sense to talk him out of it, he ran toward them, not too clear about what he was going to do, but certain that it was his fault that she was there.

He'd begun to force his way through, when one girl, pushed to the edge of the mass, spotted him and screamed his name. The entire mob turned. It was like being caught in a breaker whilst swimming along a shoreline. The wave crashed around him. A couple of girls managed to grab his shirt, before they were pushed away by their comrades and Xander took advantage of the general shoving to fight his way through to Cordelia. Adrenalin coming to his aid, he picked her up in his arms and, tearing himself free from the clutching hands of the crazies, ran down the hall.

He barged through the doors at the end and out into the courtyard, only then allowing Cordelia down onto her feet. "I think we lost..." he trailed off as he looked up and saw a new crowd of girls waiting for them.

Willow stood at their head with a large fire axe in her hands. "I should've known I'd find you with her," she snarled.

‘What the hell,’ he wondered. Only a few hours ago she was trying to seduce him. Now she had an axe? "Will,” he pleaded. “Come on, you don't wanna hurt me."

Willow's face screwed up into an expression of utter despair and fury. "I love you so much!" she gritted out between clenched teeth, "But I'd rather see you dead than with that bitch!" Raising the axe, she advanced toward him. The others, who had appeared to wait as she made her declaration, charged forwards as well.

Xander backed away in the face of the advance, dragging Cordy with him, while he searched frantically for a clear space where they might get through. Rescue, however, came in the unlikely form of Harmony and her friends, who chose that moment to come running out of the school behind them. Harmony paused for a moment, taking in the scene, and with a speed and decisiveness that Xander would never have expected, seemed to immediately understand what was going on.

She rushed into the fray, grabbing hold of the shaft of Willow's axe and tried to wrest it from her. "Get away from him! He's mine!" she yelled.

Xander and Cordelia stood rooted to the spot with shock, for the space of two gasping breaths, then Xander grabbed Cordelia's hand and together they made their escape through the clear space left behind Harmony’s gang when they pushed Willow’s back. Behind them, his two groups of admirers were too busy fighting each other to notice.

*****

Angelus walked out of his bedroom. He appeared, to the casual observer, to be concerned only with straightening the cuffs on his shirt. But Spike wasn't casual, not when it came to Angelus, so he didn't miss the way Angelus glanced sharply around the factory, checking and logging where each of the minions was stationed and what they were doing.

Strolling across the room to stand behind Dru on her high stool at the table, Angelus smiled at Spike over her shoulder and ran his hands around her neck and down her front, until he was cupping her breasts. Dru moaned and leant back, rubbing against him. "Did I hear you say there was a new game in town, Dru?" he asked.

She bent her neck to the side as she looked up at him. "Angel!" she breathed. Spike snorted. It was as if she hadn't seen the old bugger in years, instead of having rolled out of his bed a mere hour before.

Angelus raised his eyebrows at Spike and his smirk deepened. "Dru?" he asked again, a hint of menace entering his voice.

She giggled. Sliding his hands further down, he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her out of her seat, setting her on her feet in front of him. He slipped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest, his eyes on Spike the whole time.

"I've been playing a game," she confided. "I found a kitten that's lost its family and I'm going to bring it home for my Spike, so he won't be lonely anymore."

Spike scowled. "I don't need you giving me toys, like I'm some sort of child, Dru." Angrily, he wheeled himself to the end of the table and spun his chair around so he was facing them across its width.

Angelus cocked his head and asked, in a voice full of polite interest, "Why not? You are her childe, and about as useful as a newborn, right now." One of his hands inched its way down Dru's body, over her belly, and began to stroke her mound through her dress. "I know Dru gives you pity access, but you have to admit it's so nice to see her happy, for a change." He paused. "And satisfied." He smiled as Dru arched her back, pushing against his hand.

Spike grit his teeth and turned away from the display, only to find himself staring into the wide eyes of a couple of minions. "Get out!" he yelled at them. "Go find me something to eat!"

He kept his eyes on them as they fled, then turned his glare on the rest, who sensibly decided to fade into the shadows. Spike waited for the sound of doors closing in their wake, before he turned back to his grandsire. "You would do well to worry less about Dru's happiness and more about that Slayer you've been tramping around with," he said.

Angelus let go of Dru, who staggered at her abrupt release, and walked around to the end of the table. "Yes, dear Buffy. I'm still trying to decide the best way to send my regards." He hopped up to sit on the table edge, leaning back on his hands so he was looking down into Spike's face. "I want it to have..." He paused, as if thinking. "Poetry," he finished.

Spike snorted and wheeled himself back a few paces. "You could rip her heart out," he suggested. "That's pretty poetic. Oh, wait, you wasted that one on a shop girl last week, didn't you?"

Angelus nodded, seemingly unconcerned by Spike's sarcasm. "It will have to be something very special," he mused. Jumping down off the table, he announced, "I'm going out. Inspiration will come to me."

Dru took a step towards him, but he waved her away. "Not this time, Dru. Can't have the new girlfriend trailing along behind, as I'm wooing back the old one, can I?"

Turning on his heel, he strode out, without a single backwards glance at Dru's disappointed face.

Setting his hands to his wheels, Spike pushed himself over to Dru's side and pulled her down into his lap. "Don't worry, pet," he crooned, "he'll be back," managing to swallow the 'unfortunately' that was hovering on the tip of his tongue.

Dru relaxed into his arms and nuzzled at his neck. "I know, my love," she whispered. "Never fear.” She sat up and stroked a soft hand down his cheek. “And since Angelus is being a meanie, going off to play with himself... we'll go out too, together, you and I."

Spike pulled his head back, trying to catch her eye, but her face was hidden by her hair. "Go where?" he asked.

With a suddenly vivacious laugh, Dru pushed herself up, out of his arms and onto her feet. "We're going to catch you a kitten," she said. "He's waiting for you."

*****

They seemed to have been running for hours before Xander dared to believe that he and Cordy had got away from their pursuers, but that could have been his terror, slowing time. He still couldn't believe that Willow, his Willow, had tried to attack him with an axe! Stumbling to a stop, he bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Beside him, Cordy was clutching her waist and also snatching deep gulps of air.

Straightening up, he looked around. They were in Revello Drive. "Okay, now I really think we've lost them," he gasped.

Cordelia was obviously not happy. "Damn it, Xander," she snapped. "What's going on? Who died and made you Elvis?"

Since he really didn't want to answer that question, he pointed across the street instead. "Look, Buffy's house. Come on, we'll be safe there. Let's get inside. I'll explain later."

Ignoring Cordy's continued protests and questions, he staggered over to the house and knocked on the door. Joyce opened it, looking alarmed at their urgency. "Hi, Mrs Summers," he said, pushing past her. "Is Buffy in?" She shook her head, a now familiar, vacant expression already beginning to cloud her eyes as she gazed at him. Before she could act on her newly discovered love for the fool also known as Xander Harris, he grabbed Cordy's arm. "Can we wait for her in her room?" he asked. "Yes? Good!" adding, "Thanks, Mrs Summers," over his shoulder, as he bundled Cordy up the stairs, ahead of him.

In Buffy's room, he closed the door and leant against it, turning the lock behind his back. Cordy had come to a halt in the middle of the floor, but it wouldn't be long before her questions started up again. Hoping to delay the inquisition, Xander went across to the open window and twitched the curtains aside to peer out. The street was quiet and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning, he slumped down to sit on the windowsill as he tried to work out what to do next. Cordy had also collapsed, sitting on the bed with her elbows on her knees and her head hanging. All this trouble, he thought, he'd brought it on himself, because of her. In that moment, he couldn't imagine why he'd done it. She dismissed him, ignored him, belittled him and mocked him. Why had he cared so much that he'd risk magic to get back at her?

She raised her head and stared at him. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth, probably to demand the explanation he was no nearer being able to give her. He stood up and turned to the window, avoiding her eyes, once more failing to come up with anything to prevent her wrath falling upon him. "The mob still hasn't found us," he said. "We should be safe up here."

The doorknob rattled. "Xander, it's Joyce. Let me in."

Xander looked across the room, but before he could answer he felt himself grabbed from behind and Angelus's voice was in his ear, "Think you're safe, do you?" Angelus asked. "Yeah, well, works in theory." As he was hauled through the open window, onto the roof outside, Xander heard Cordy's alarmed yelp and a renewed banging on the bedroom door.

Angelus had hold of Xander by one large fist on his collar and Xander knew he had no hope of breaking free of that grip. He frantically began to unbutton his shirt, thinking he could wriggle out of it. Regardless of the fact that Angelus's hold on him was all that was keeping him from falling to the yard below, Xander wasn't taking any comfort from such precarious security. Leaving his clothes behind was preferable to being within Angelus's grasp. He would be likely to survive the fall.

Those plans were wrecked when he was spun around and lifted up to Angelus's face. "Where's Buffy?" Angelus snarled.

Xander mutely shook his head, and then he was falling.

He landed painfully, his legs bucking beneath him, and fell onto his back on the grass. A stray thought popped into his head that he should be thankful he'd had so much practice in being thrown around by bad guys, because he wasn't really hurt.

A pair of large feet landed in front of his face and he rolled his head to look up the length of Angelus’s body to the predatory face at the top.

"Perfect," Angelus said. He grabbed Xander again and hauled him to his feet. "I wanted to do something special for Buffy, actually to Buffy, but this is so much better!"

Some instinct for preservation came to Xander's aid and before his brain could possibly have considered the action, he bent his leg and kneed Angelus in the crotch. Angelus didn't even flinch. With a roar, he flipped Xander, head over heels, onto his back on the grass again. Bending down, he grabbed Xander's hair and lifted his head up off the ground. "You need to try harder than that, boy." He growled, releasing Xander's hair and reaching for the front of his shirt, presumably in order to drag him to his feet again. "You're so easy, I’m almost disappointed.” He smiled into Xander’s face and it was not pleasant.

Then Angelus was gone, thrown across the yard to smash into a tree, where he stayed, shaking his head, as if to clear it.

The only thought in Xander's brain was 'Thank god! Buffy!' as he blindly took the feminine hand offered to assist him up off the ground.

He scrabbled to his feet, turned, and found himself face to face with Drusilla. "Don't fret, kitten," she whispered. "Mummy's here."

Although he couldn't drag his terrified gaze away from her, Xander clearly heard the confusion in Angelus's voice when he snarled, "I don't know what you're up to, Dru, but it doesn't amuse!"

Drusilla's head whipped around and she growled at Angelus, who replied in kind. Her lips pulled back to reveal her teeth, but her voice was mild when she said, "If you harm one hair on this boy's head..." Xander suddenly understood what people meant when they talked about deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, because his entire body seemed to be shutting down, starting with the muscles that made his legs move. "Just because I finally found a real man..." Drusilla crooned, returning her gaze to Xander and stroking his hair with the hand that wasn't still gripping his own.

Angelus gave a snort that sounded like disbelief, or derision. "I guess I really did drive you crazy," he said. He entered the edge of Xander's field of vision and, although he’d thought it impossible, Xander’s terror levels went up a further notch and his voice had joined his legs and the rest of his body in total shut-down mode. His brain was whirring, like a hamster on a wheel, but nothing intelligible was being generated. He couldn't shape a coherent word, not even to save his life.

Angelus paused and considered them both. "Not really the prey I was hunting," he observed. He wiped his right hand carefully down his left arm, as if brushing away dust, and sneered, "You can have the boy, Dru. I have better fish to fry." Then he turned away and kept walking. Away. Away from Xander and away from Drusilla. Xander watched until he disappeared around the corner of the house next door.

A small sigh from the woman who held him captive dragged Xander’s attention back to his predicament. One vampire gone, but that didn't make him feel much safer. Running the fingers of her free hand through his hair again, Drusilla brought them down to stroke his face and lips. "Your face is a poem," she breathed. "I can read it."

Finally, Xander managed to gather enough brain cells together to force words past his lips. "Really?" he stuttered. "It doesn't say 'spare me' by any chance?"

Drusilla simply smiled. "You're coming with me, Precious," she said, pulling him in to her side and clasping her arm around his waist.

Xander struggled. He tried to pull away from her, tried to twist out of her hold. When he opened his mouth to yell, her hand released his waist and was gripping the back of his neck, before he had finished drawing breath. Step by inexorable step, he was forced to walk towards a big black car that sat idling, facing the wrong way to the traffic, next to the curb.

Behind him he heard Cordelia shout, "Xander, hang on. I'll fetch Buffy; she'll save you," but he couldn't turn his head to reply. The painful feeling of dread that had taken up residence in his gut caused his stomach to lurch when he remembered that there was no hope to be had from that quarter, in any case; Buffy was a rat.


Note: Some canon dialogue borrowed and adapted, courtesy of http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/

Next chapter

Comments

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

Yay, you posted and it reads so well. I really like the little tweaks you made. What I also areally like about this chapter is that it is canon but with just one step to the left to make it slightly skewed.

The idea of Xander thinking that taking his shirt off while in Angelus' grasp was a sound tactical plan still makes me giggle like mad - the boy has absolutely no sense of self preservation. *g*

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Yeah, I had a busy day yesterday and at one point wondered if I'd manage it. I'm glad you like the tweaks. Thank you so much for your beta comments.
*grins* Poor Xander, no, he really doesn't.
Thanks, hon.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

That little tweak just clarifies the positioning of the car, so I can now really see the action in the next chapter very clearly.*g*

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Thanks, hon. I'm grateful to you for catching that. I had the positioning clear in my head, I would be sad if one traffic law messed it up for other readers. *g* Stupid laws, always getting in the way.