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45 Accounts
 
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A/N: Because I always wondered what would have happened if the Mayor had met the real Angelus, not the pretending one in Enemies…

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Chapter 45 - Accounts

May, 1999:

Wilkins looked up from his desk, a slight frown creasing his forehead as he saw the intruder. “Do you have an appointment?”

“I know I should have made one, what with you being a public official and all. But I just ate your secretary, so I’m thinking it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.”

“You must be Angelus,” the Mayor said, smiling. “My little Faith just can’t stop talking about her latest conquest.” He held out his hand. “Glad to meet you, my boy.”

“I’ve got a more than a few years on you, old man.”

“So what can I do for you?”

“You can die.”

Angelus pulled a dagger and threw it through the man’s gut. He watched with interest, but not exactly surprise, as Wilkins pulled the dagger out and the wound closed itself.

“That was a brand new shirt,” he said, taking out a handkerchief and running it over the dagger. He casually tossed it back to Angelus. “You’ve got gumption. I like that. I even had a place on my team for you, but I’ve been told you don’t play well with others.”

“I don’t.”

“Well, that’s a shame. There could have been a bright future here for you. Tell me, what’s on your mind?”

“Plan B.”

Suddenly the three minions in the room were clouds of dust, as a crossbow-wielding Darla entered the room flanked by several other armed vampires.

Angelus smiled. “I hope Faith told you that I like to come out on top.”

The Mayor looked at the settling dust. “Now, there was no reason to do that. Attitude may get you attention, but courtesy wins respect.” The smile never left his face. “You can’t kill me, you’ve already seen that.”

Angelus grinned. “But there are things so much worse than death. I have experience.” He leisurely paced closer as he spoke.

“You can’t even hurt me. I’m what you might call impervious.”

“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But your minions here are gone. And I have it on good authority that Faith is out by the airport picking up some crate. So it’s just us. And I really don’t care that you have some big demon thing planned. Other vamps might be impressed enough to follow you around, but I’ve thought things through.” Faster than the eye could see, he whipped out a pair of manacles, slapping them over the other man’s wrists. “See, I like the Hellmouth; there’s good pickings. If you destroy it all, well, what’s left for the rest of us to eat?” He smiled again. “The fact that Faith was helping you, that’s just a bonus.”

“You can’t jus—umph!”

A gag was quickly shoved in. Angelus held Wilkins as he struggled. He laughed after a moment. “Gee, looks like you didn’t get super strength with that invulnerability. Might want to look into that next time. Or attract some more powerful followers.” He threw him to two of the vampires. “Bring him.”

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“So,” Angelus said as he played with the dagger, “Magic like that doesn’t usually last forever. Not that having you tied up here for eternity wouldn’t be riveting, but tell me, how long till I can kill you?”

Silence.

“Nothing to say now, huh? Well, I guess I’ll just stick a sword in you everyday and see what happens.” He glanced at several of the minions, and then looked at Dru. “Should we start a betting pool?”

“Yes, let’s poke him full up, like a lovely pin cushion.”

Suddenly the door to the mansion slammed open. “You fucking bastard! I’ll fucking kill you for this!”

“Faith.” Angelus grinned. “So glad you could make the party.” He wagged a finger. “Seems something big was going down. And someone has been playing both sides.”

Faith lunged at him. “I was always on his side. Well, since I met him, at least. You were just a good time.”

“That bit about more powerful followers,” Wilkins spoke up.

“Shut up!” Angelus growled. He spun Faith, slamming her into the wall. “Funny, I was always on my side. You wouldn’t tell me what I wanted, so I found out on my own. I had wondered what was up last month when you got all reclusive. But there’s always someone willing to talk in this town, if you…persuade them.”

She pushed him off and bounced back, stake at the ready.

“I bet he helped you get rid of the Council team too, huh? After I killed that idiot Watcher. That was fun, you liked that—I’ll let you watch when I kill him, too.” He nodded toward the Mayor.

“Over my dead body!”

“Wait your turn. You had to know I’d get bored with you eventually. That was part of the thrill, wasn’t it? ‘How long until he turns on me?’ Well, I hope you had fun, because I know I’m about to.”

Faith charged him.

However, before she could complete the action, something hit her from behind. She staggered, feeling the distinct and painful sensation of something sharp entering her flesh.

It was all the time he needed to immobilize her. She could feel the blood coming out of her, the fire that was shooting into her gut. It wasn’t a fatal shot, but it was damn close.

Then there was another.

She heard a slight sound of annoyance from Angelus.

“Well, I had to be sure,” a voice said from across the room.

Darla stood, crossbows in each hand. She smiled at Angelus. “Hey, lover.”

Angelus looked at Faith as he clapped the manacles on her. “I don’t think you’ve met Darla. She’s just now graced us with her presence again. She always comes back, eventually.” He grinned. “So I no longer need you—for any reason.”

She moaned as the chains stretched her arms up and pulled at the wounds.

He turned to look at Wilkins, who was tied to an opposite pillar. “I bet you’re a man of practical knowledge. Do you know the best way to get an arrow out?” He regarded Faith for a moment. “I would leave them in, but I can’t have her checking out just yet. I’ve got lots planned for her.” He smiled, placing one of his hands on her shoulder, the other on a shaft protruding from her back. “Arrows—you have to push all the way through. Like this.”

She screamed, jerking forward as her head rolled back.

Angelus snapped the arrow’s head off.

Faith grit her teeth as he pulled the shaft out, managing to remain silent.

Before he removed the next one, she had passed out.

“She’s quite a trooper,” he commented. “I’m counting on that.” Angelus smiled as he approached Wilkins. He casually wiped the blood from one of the broken arrows on the man’s suit. “I might not be able to hurt you—yet—but I bet watching me torture her would be just as good.” He searched the other man’s face, and then gave a cold smile. “See? I told you there were things worse than death.”
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Buffy sprawled in her chair at the Magic Box.

The previous night, she and Spike had gone to a chain restaurant that was not quite fast food, but not quite sit-down. He’d bought her a (day after) Christmas dinner in return for her cigarettes, which honestly, she hadn’t planned on buying when she was doing her Christmas shopping, so she wasn’t really put off that he hadn’t gotten her anything. There was no reason why he should have. Or she should have, either. It’s not like they were—

At any rate, it had been nice, relaxing. They’d taken his bike—the place was out on the highway—and Buffy couldn’t help but smile as she thought of when they’d gone driving before and he’d gotten her junk food at the sleazy gas station.

“So Angelus mentioned Faith?”

Buffy blinked at Giles. “Huh?”

“Do try to pay attention, Buffy.”

Buffy sat up straighter. Willow and Xander were there, and Giles was making her go over her entire meeting with Angelus again.

“Angelus mentioned Faith?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Buffy said. “Something like, ‘so you’re what replaced her.’” She’d managed not to mention Spike, even keeping her story straight from the first time.

“But he didn’t say specifically that he killed her?”

“I mean, he acted like he sort of did, but he didn’t say. But aren’t we sort of assuming he killed her?”

“Well, yes,” Giles said. “But there are too many variables that we’re unsure of. Any number of—”

“I know, I know.” Buffy sighed and rolled her head back. “Man, I’d give anything to know what really happened with Faith already. Maybe she’ll be more talky in the next bizarre dream.”

“There’s no evidence that it’s actually Faith in your dreams, Buffy. It could merely be prophetic, or—or, retroactive, even.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Excuse me, does this anything include monetary compensation?”

Buffy looked up. The brunette girl that had been hanging around the shop had approached the table and was standing primly before the group.

“Huh?”

“You said that you would give anything to know what happened with Faith. Does this anything include monetary compensation?”

“Do you know something?”

“Will you pay me?”

Buffy glanced at Giles out of the corner of her eye. He shrugged. “I guess, if it’s useful,” she said.

“It’s very useful. Not that I could imagine how you would use it.” She sat down in the empty chair.

Giles had slipped into full Watcher mode, pen in his hand as he looked at her expectantly. “And you know this how?”

“Oh, I was there.”

“You’re a vampire!” Xander exclaimed, leaning away.

“I am not.”

“But you were with Faith, when?” Giles prompted.

“When Angelus had her chained up.”

“And the vampires what, just let you out?” Xander asked.

“Oh, no. I teleported.”

“Uh-huh.”

Giles, however, seemed to take her comment at face value. “Are you a witch?”

“A vengeance demon,” she said, as if the answer were obvious. “Former, unfortunately.”

“Er, I see.”

“What’s a vengeance demon?” Buffy asked.

“We wreak vengeance for those scorned. Scorned women, particularly.”

“Faith.”

She nodded. “You see, Faith had been playing both sides, which is something you have to admire. As a fellow female who’s out for herself, I respect that. When Angelus discovered Faith was seeing the Mayor behind his back—in a strictly non-sexual way, I understand—he wasn’t pleased, with her or with what was about to happen. Not that I blame him—I mean, have you ever been to an Ascension? Not the party you book. Anyway, Angelus was particularly enraged that she was helping him. He took the Mayor and she—”

“Good Lord. You mean we have Angelus to thank for the Mayor’s disappearance and the halting of the Ascension? Er, do continue on.”

“She went to kill Angelus, but never made it out. Not long after, he killed the Mayor in front of her.”

“But the Ascension was to happen last summer.”

She stared at him blankly. “Yes?”

“Good Lord. You mean Angelus had Faith since then?”

“Obviously.”

Giles looked down.

“There’s nothing you could have done,” Buffy said. He was silent. “What, were you going to storm the fortress?”

“Perhaps not,” he conceded. “But I could have contacted the Council—”

“And they would have been so ready to help,” Xander said. “What with what she did to Wes, the next guy, and the team they sent the first time.”

“Still,” Willow said, “Poor Faith.”

“What did you think happened to her?” Buffy asked.

“Honestly? I had no idea,” Giles said. “In the beginning, we thought she’d been killed. But when the Council reported that no new Slayer had been called, it didn’t seem entirely unlikely that she’d simply left town. She had no sense of duty, and had gone missing several times before. And with no personal effects to do a location spell— It wasn’t until you were called that we knew something had happened. I never suspected that Angelus had kept her all this time. Despite what she did, no one should have to endure—” Frowning, he cut himself off.

There was a silence, and Buffy looked back at the girl. “What happened after Angelus killed the Mayor?”

“She went crazy, threatening him and such. Though obviously, there wasn’t anything she could do to him. He tortured her more. Later, she tried to sex her way out of it, but he was done playing that game.” She shrugged. “She wanted vengeance. We can feel it, you know. It started when Angelus first took the Mayor, and it burned after he killed him. But she still wanted to do it herself, then. It was months before she was finally in the state for me to answer her. Unfortunately, to grant wishes, we have to take form.

“She was so close to saying something, never mind that I just appeared before her—do you know how hard it is sometimes to get people to actually wish? Anyway, I had thought they were all occupied. But the woman was suddenly there. She snatched my pendant, saying the pixies had told her I’d come to hurt her daddy. Before I could get it back, Angelus heard the commotion and came in. He recognized what I was, because he took it from her and smashed it, saying that he’d had enough of vengeance already. I called out to D’Hoffryn, who teleported me back to Arashmahar, but he wouldn’t give me my powers back. I’m still slightly bitter, though I think I’m adjusting to mortality nicely.”

“Well,” Giles said after a moment, “That’s quite the—it explains rather a lot, actually. But you didn’t actually see her die?”

“There was no way she was getting out of that. Trust me. That was way more than bondage fun.”

“Yes, well, as Buffy’s the Slayer now, true—but is there any chance he turned her?”

She shook her head. “She would have attacked him first thing when she rose. Even as a vampire, she would have still been pissed. Not to mention, you would have heard her tearing up the town.”

“Right,” Buffy said. “Giles, pay her.”

“Er.”

“What, doesn’t the Council reimburse you for that sort of thing?”

“Only if I can get a receipt.” Sighing, Giles got up and went to the register. He came back with two twenties and handed them to the young woman, who frowned, but put them in her purse without comment.

“This whole human experience is bizarre. Two months and I’m already out of money. Did you know that if I want to live somewhere I must pay a thing called rent?”

There was a silence, and then she turned to her left. “I’m Anya,” she said brightly. “What’s your name?”

“Uh, Xander.”

Anya smiled.

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A/N: Wow! I won at the Fang Fetish Awards for Best Alternate Reality, Best Angst, and Runner Up Best WIP. I never really expected to win one award there, much less three. *squeeeee!* Anyway, thank you so much to all the readers who have encouraged me, and I hope you keep enjoying the story!
 
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