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The body twitched and
Xander hurried back to Angel, letting himself be led through the control room
and into a hallway where they could talk. “It’s really him?” Xander
demanded immediately. “Riley Finn?” “It’s him.” “Fuck! How – I mean, where, I…” “He was out of the
country when the Initiative was blown up, I only missed him by a day, one damn day.” Angel began to prowl. “I’ve been paying close attention to
non-human information networks since we killed those bastards. Recently I heard rumours about a
quasi-Initiative unit experimenting on demons in “Us? As in…” “Us. You have to include
yourself now: you’re mated to a vampire and you’ve lost any privileges or
concessions your human status would once have earned you. I doubt they’d kill you outright because
you’d be a catch – a full consort – I can imagine the fun they’d have with
you. You and Spike.” No threat to Xander’s
safety was as terrifying as the thought of Spike being re-captured by a new
Initiative; he felt the shock of it ripple through him and didn’t care if Angel
saw. “I thought it was over,”
he said weakly. Angel gave him a grim
smile. “It’s never over. The quest for power is never over.” “But…” “Don’t try to make any
sense of it, and don’t panic. We’re not
alone in this, not anymore. There are
people like us in every state, every country, waiting for the opportunity to
pick off Finn and his kind. And it can
be as simple as this. I found out he was
there, that he was planning a trip back to the States. He made the mistake of taking a commercial
flight and I had someone ready to pick him up at the airport.” “When you say pick him
up?” “He simply thought his
bosses had sent a car. It was
surprisingly easy to mock up the appropriate paperwork to allay any
suspicions.” “The driver?” “Dusted.” “The car?” “Was stolen; crushed
now.” “Who else knows about
this?” “No-one.” “Too simple, he has to be
traceable.” “I cast a few spells,
CCTV won’t have recorded our operative or the vehicle, there won’t be…” “I mean there has to
something…something embedded, implanted…” “It’s common knowledge
that the Initiative stopped bugging their own operatives when demons found out
how to use the devices for their own purposes.” “But, what if…” “Plus, commercial
flight. Airport security nowadays? The scanners can pick up a swallowed pin
head, so a microchip, or homing device…” Xander nodded, satisfied
- albeit in a jittery, unsatisfied way –
that they weren’t going to held accountable for Riley’s abduction. “How long has he been
here?” “A few days.” “Why didn’t you let me
know? Why not bring me here before?” “I wanted time to…talk to
him.” “You… Okay.”
Xander had heard about Angelus’ horrific mind games, and he couldn’t
think of a more worthy recipient. “Spike
should be here.” “If Spike saw Finn he’d
know we screwed up before, that we hadn’t wiped out all the people who hurt
him, and that he was never as safe as we promised he was. I don’t think he’d easily get past knowing
that; we’d be back to square one. I
don’t want to lose his trust.” “Yeah,” Xander said
slowly as he analysed Angel’s reasoning.
“You’re right, you’re absolutely right.
He has to feel safe. He’s so much
stronger these days but I don’t think it would take much… You’re right.” “I regret it too, Xander,
that he can’t be here.” “But he’ll have to know
about this, I can’t not tell him.” “You will tell him. You’ll
perform a Rite of Vengeance and make it an offering to your master. That way Finn never has the chance to become
a threat in his mind, he’s dead before Spike even knows he wasn’t.” Yes, okay, Xander could
see that. “I don’t know how to
perform the Rite.” “Which is where Grandpa
fits in.” “And vengeance… Guess that’d be pretty…vicious.” “Which is where Grandpa
fits in.” The thought of Angel’s
fickle conscience, Angelus’ brutality, the spectacle about to unfold, and no
wonder the colour drained from Xander’s face.
Angel studied him inquisitively. “Doubts, Xander? You want us to justify ourselves?” “No,” Xander assured, but
Angel didn’t seem to hear, back to prowling, and when further words emerged
they were low and intense. “We don’t need to justify
protecting what matters to us. This
bastard is a danger to Spike, to you, to Buffy. Therefore he’s history. I’ve lost…” Angel took a deep breath, forcing
turbulent emotions down. “I’ve lost too
many people that I care about, I’m not going to take chances with the family I
have left.” Xander wanted to sympathise,
to share his understanding of mourning, but sensibly he kept his mouth shut,
determinedly not flinching when Angel spun dramatically and closed in, touching
his cheek before leaning his head against Xander’s in a blatantly Spike-like
manner; all of two seconds and he broke away, punching both hands into the
metal cladding on the wall, remaining with his fists pressed to the
indentations, body vibrating to the tune of his inner turmoil as traumatic
recollections held him fast. Xander stared at him in
awe; he had glimpsed tears in Angel’s eyes.
It was as powerful an image as he’d ever confronted. Xander went to him
slowly, apologetically, picking through memories to find a gesture or a touch
from Spike that encapsulated trust and need and family, because at this moment
Xander wanted Angel to know how much he understood the pain, how intimate he
had been with such loneliness, and how much he personally wanted to
fill some of the emptiness. Then he had
it, and he smiled to himself because it was so damned obvious and always should
have been. Ignoring Angel’s surprise, he
prised one bruised hand away from the wall and wriggled his fingers into the
vampire’s fist, bringing it up as he lowered his head to rest his brow against
the cold flesh. “Sire,” Xander whispered,
knowing the chance he was taking, knowing Angel could make the courtesy title a
brutal reality in seconds if he chose to.
Angel’s fingers loosened to accommodate Xander’s hand, and then they
were cosily palm to palm. “I request
your intervention on behalf of my beloved master.” If Angel has the same
contempt for ceremony as Spike he’ll laugh his ass off and I’ll never live it
down, Xander thought to himself as he waited for a reaction. Which was a long time coming. “Your request is
granted,” Angel eventually replied.
Edging the bowed head aside, he brought Xander’s hand up and kissed the
back. “My childe’s honoured
consort.” Xander met Angel’s eyes and
gave him a smile, pushing all the affection he could muster into it. “The nature of the intervention?” The smile turned
malevolent. “Riley Finn. I want some answers from him. I want him to know why this is happening to
him. And I want you to kill the fucker.” A reciprocal smile made
the vampire’s handsome face more intimidating than ever. “Whatever you want,
childe. I’m only sorry your birthday
present is a little late.” A laugh broke out of
Xander before he could hold it back, but Angel seemed happy with that
reaction. Xander squeezed the hand he
still found himself holding. “I appreciate this,” he
told the vampire with great sincerity. “You will,” Angel
promised, and Xander didn’t so much as want to laugh as whoop in vengeful
satisfaction. The sparkle in Angel’s
eyes indicated that the human wasn’t alone in his reaction. “Okay,” Angel purred, “this is what I want to
do…” … Ready to play his part,
Xander stood before Riley, staring coldly at the slumped form. Stir and a groan, and a fresh explosion of
shock coursed through Xander’s system.
Riley. Riley Finn. Who should be dead. Who gave Spike up and let him be unimaginably
brutalised. Xander had been able to force the burning hatred aside while he thought
Riley was dead, but with the man living and breathing before him it returned
tenfold. Not only had Riley brought
Spike to harm, he’d also betrayed Xander, He stared a while longer,
letting it slowly sink in, become real.
Riley Finn at his mercy. Riley
Finn in the hands of the void of mercy that was Angel. He suddenly heard Spike’s voice in his head,
the amount of times recently he’d referred to Angel as Angelus. Angelus. And right now…that
was just. Perfect. The lights dimmed to
create a more intimidating atmosphere and Angel emerged from the control room;
Xander smiled nervously at him as the vampire moved behind Riley, carelessly
yanked the hood away… Riley Finn.
Fucking hell, Riley Finn. The
late Riley Finn. …and at a nod from
Xander a bucket of cold water was emptied over the soldier’s head, and he gasped
and spluttered into consciousness. Angel disappeared into
the gloom and Xander waited.
Patiently. Feeling the hatred
swell and fill him once more at the sight of Spike’s torturer existing as more
than bitter memory. The soldier’s eyes
eventually opened, squinting, blinking fast, taking a long moment to become
accustomed to any light at all after being in complete darkness for days. Another moment to focus, and Xander saw
confusion, surprise, disbelief, gratitude. “Xander? Xander Harris? Is that you?” Riley croaked through a parched
throat. “They got you too?” Xander held his hands
out, showing Riley that he was unbound.
A frown creased the soldier’s brow for a moment until Xander’s liberty
became clear – or as clear as it could be in a mind that had been so thoroughly
fucked over. The disembodied voice had
told him that there would be a rescue attempt; he’d assumed it was just another
little scrap of torment. But… Xander Harris. After all these years and certainly better
than nothing. Xander had found him
and…was holding a cup to his mouth, giving him water that he almost choked on
in his desperation to guzzle it down. “Okay?” Xander asked
impassively as the cup was emptied.
Riley nodded. “Good. Wouldn’t want you passing out on me.” Riley looked around
nervously, twitching fearfully, as he waited for Xander to move to his bonds,
free him, but the man took a few steps away, tossing the cup aside, turning to
stare at him with a calculating expression. “Xander. Untie me,” Riley instructed, an unfamiliar
edge, desperation, heavy in his
words. He stared hopefully at Xander,
less than convinced that Xander was listening, doubting for a instant that he
was even there because none of the others had been real. “We need to get out of here. Xander?” “Actually… We need to talk.” “When we’re away from
here we can talk as much as you want.” “We’re going to talk.” “You don’t understand
what’s in here with us,” Riley told him frantically, voice breaking in panic. “I do understand. And we’re going
to talk.” “Later,” Riley insisted, head swivelling urgently as he took in his
surroundings, searching for the creature behind the macabre whispers. “Now,” Xander corrected
him, quite dispassionately. Riley blinked a few more
times and studied his old ally. He
hadn’t changed at all, in fact he looked less
changed than when he’d last seen him if that made any kind of sense. Except for the eyes. Xander’s eyes had always been filled with
emotion, but these showed nothing. If
they were talking not escaping, Riley wondered if Xander was being coerced into
this, or was being controlled by the man – the demon, because surely no man could create such precise horrors with
so few words? – that had imprisoned him here.
Or perhaps Xander had been here all along, subjected to the same mental
torture, that insidious voice putting similar thoughts… Riley closed the memories down, using all the
techniques at his disposal to force the monster out of his mind – even if the
tremors would take a while longer to stop.
He may have wanted to scream and sob, but he refocused. Used Xander and refocused. “It’s good to see you,
Xander.” It was all that Xander
could do not to strike out at that friendly greeting, knowing it was Riley
looking for a way out, knowing…that it might be an entirely genuine sentiment. “I think time may be the
judge of that.” The open and amiable,
inoffensive expression on Riley’s face didn’t change for a second; Xander
watched the man’s training at work and seethed.
He could sense Angel in the shadows and deliberately flicked a glance,
seeing a glimmer of a reaction as Riley now refused to look despite the urgency
of his need. Riley mentally pushed
another button and concern appeared. “Xander? Is someone making you do this? Has someone hurt you? Threatened the people you care about?” “No, yes, and yes,”
Xander replied after a moment’s thought. “Then untie me, let me
help you.” “Where were you two years
ago?” Xander asked abruptly. “What were
you doing? Precisely.” Riley paused, caught out by
the unexpected questions. Not for
long. Now he had a definite something to
concentrate on his wits were sharpening. “I think I was on
leave. “Try again.” “Not “Two years ago,” Xander
demanded. Riley looked confused and
shrugged. “Two fucking years ago.” “What do you want me to
say?” “I want you to tell me
the truth.” “I will,” Riley said
sincerely, “but I’ve been here for days, and it’s been…” The voice broke under the weight of the
memories. Riley took a deep breath. “I’m…
I’m a little…disoriented.” Three days compared to
Spike’s six months. Xander’s fists
clenched and he took a few steps back while he could still suppress the desire
to use them, glancing once again to where he felt Angel stood observing. He wasn’t sure he could do this Angel’s way,
taking it slowly and teasing the information out of the soldier, unpicking the
lies like unravelling a twisted ball of string, letting Riley incriminate
himself until he was ready to be strung up with all the loose threads. He wasn’t smart or patient enough for that. Angel must have read it in his eyes. “Your own way,” came the
whispered sanction from out of the darkness, and Riley started violently in
tribute to the power of the vampire’s voice, head twisting every which way as
he tried to catch a glimpse of the face behind his nightmares. “Oh, God, we need to get
out of here, we need to get away…” Riley babbled in sheer panic. “Riley…” “Untie me, Xander, for
fuck’s sake untie me!” “Riley!” Xander snapped
as the anger broke free of its diligently manufactured restraints. “Look at me, Riley. I’m the one you need to pay attention to
right now.” Riley turned back to
Xander, panting, studying, mind racing as he assessed and reassessed. “You’re…you’re here
willingly. You’re here willingly.” “I wish I wasn’t here,”
Xander told him honestly. “I wish the
reason I’m here had never happened. But
it did. Which is why you get to be here.” “Is this… Is this about Buffy?” Riley asked, slowing in
his confusion. “You tell me.” “I haven’t seen her in
years, Xander, and we parted on good terms, so…” “Is it about Buffy?” Riley fell quiet, attempting
to seize control of his trembling body and wavering mind. A million techniques on how to concentrate
under any set of circumstances and now he was struggling to find any one. He zeroed in on Xander, made it all about
Xander, immediately witnessing the strain of fighting back raw hostility. Xander.
Here willingly but… What the hell
had happened? And what did Xander
imagine he’d done? “We parted as
friends. This isn’t about Buffy,” Riley
said as surely as he could manage. “If that’s a lie… You’ll pay.
Got that?” Riley nodded. Back to watching as Xander slowly paced back
and forth, deep in thought. “Tell me what’s going on,
Xander. You don’t seem yourself.” Xander chuckled at that, and a brief snicker
came from the dark; Riley jumped in his seat, turning sharply to catch a
glimpse of the source. “Okay. What’s going on. I have…issues. Issues, and a desire to make life very
uncomfortable for you. But…” Xander crouched beside Riley, bringing them
eye to eye. “You deserve the chance to
defend yourself. Tell your side of the
story. That’s only fair.” “You’ve always been a
good man, Xander,” Riley told him, a little too earnestly to sound genuine. “How about you,
though? You a good man, Riley?” “I try to be.” “You try to be,” Xander
repeated tightly, rising and moving away, fighting the desire to land a blow
that would shatter half the soldier’s face.
“You don’t think there’s anything wrong in…let’s say…dealing with demons
the way you have?” Riley looked wary, such a
specific question allowing him to ascertain in a split second that just about
any answer he could credibly give was going to be the wrong one. “I don’t make the rules
about the treatment of hostiles,” he tried. “You just implement the
rules.” Riley nodded. “But do you enjoy your work?” The soldier resolutely refused to answer that
one. “How about…how about the choice of
subject?” Xander continued smoothly.
“You and the boys get to play pick the demon?” “No.” “Want to try that one
more time?” Xander demanded, the mask of geniality slipping. “Look, Xander, I want to
help you, why don’t you just tell me what your problem is and…” Riley swallowed a yelp of
surprise as Xander backhanded him hard enough to knock him and the chair
flying. The moment Xander made contact
he regretted it, regretted screwing up Angel’s game plan. He could not, however, regret that pleasant
ache in his hand. As Riley opened his
eyes Xander was already standing over him, shoving the toe of his shoe beneath
Riley’s face and forcing the man to look up at him. Blood trickled from the soldier’s nose onto
the dark leather. “You were wrong. I’m not a good man, Riley. A fair man, a just man, but that doesn’t
necessarily make me a good man by your standards. I do want to hear your side of the story, but
only as a prelude to you hurting very badly.”
Xander paused, very deliberately wavering. “To be completely honest I have a problem
with that – not the White Hat thing, that’s long gone. Regrettably I can’t make you suffer enough to
make it worthwhile, so I have to back off.”
Xander saw Riley’s relief at that, and he let him have his moment. Xander grabbed the rear of the chair and the
front of Riley’s uniform, hauling him upright and arranging him somewhat more
comfortably. “I can’t make you suffer
enough,” Xander smiled. “But luckily…I
know someone who can.” Riley’s face turned grey
as a game-faced Angel emerged from the shadows. “Well, hello, Mr Finn,”
Angel smirked as he strolled toward them; Xander saw the terror flash in
Riley’s eyes as he finally associated the voice with the face. “We need to have a few words about my boy.” “Your – your boy,” Riley
stuttered. “My childe. Spike.” “Hostile seventeen,”
Xander added contemptuously. “The Initiative really
should think twice about what they throw out with the trash. Luckily we managed to reclaim my childe and I
promise you he’ll be gracing this world when you’re dead and gone.” “Y’know… In a couple of hours,” Xander elucidated. “Two hours is extremely
charitable, Xander. You have a very
generous nature.” “Thank you, Sire.” “Sire?” Riley choked,
staring at Xander with wide eyes.
“You’re a – a…” “Human. My use of the title is courtesy. Family?” “Family,” Riley repeated
weakly. As they had previously
agreed, Angel moved behind Xander, running an arm around his waist and rubbing
his cheek over the young man’s hair.
Luckily Xander couldn’t see what Riley could, the intense possessiveness
on Angel’s face, the harsh lust at this touch. “Childe,” Angel murmured,
deceptively sweet, and Xander smiled a real smile which broke into a chuckle as
the soldier’s expression wavered between confusion and repulsion as Angel
dipped his head to nuzzle Xander’s neck. “What happened to you?”
Riley asked in a voice heavy with disgust. “Spike,” Xander replied
as he reached up to caress Angel’s face, enjoying just how much the simple
gesture unnerved Riley. “I fell in love
with Spike. Then you took him and…hurt
him.” Angel’s head snapped up,
golden eyes fixing on the soldier, low snarl emerged from his throat. “And now we’re going to
hurt you.” “Xander…” “Spike is everything to
me. Do you understand how someone can
mean that much? Have you ever felt it?” “You know damn well I
have and that—” “Yeah? That what?
You may as well spit it out because I already have a pretty good idea.” “Alone and bitter and so,
so twisted,” Angel observed. Riley remained defiantly
silent, struggling to emotionally withdraw. “Alone?” Xander
continued. “What happened? You were with Sam, she was great, you were
happy.” Xander watched the soldier
flinch at each phrase. “What did you do
to screw it up?” “It wasn’t me,” Riley
suddenly snapped, “it was that fucking demon.” “‘Fucking demon’,” Xander
repeated pseudo-calmly, drawing out the words.
“The fucking demon, or…the demon…fucking?” Xander saw the swell of fury, saw Riley
contain it. Most of it. “So, you went back to Sunnydale. Saw Buffy.
Saw Buffy with Spike…” “Don’t even—” “What happened? You saw the woman you’d ran out on, you
realised you’d made a big mistake…?”
Riley released an indescribable sound of pure frustration. “You couldn’t get her out of your mind? Couldn’t bear seeing her with a real man?” “Couldn’t stop—” Clenched teeth were unable to prevent the
words from emerging. “Couldn’t stop
seeing her with that freak.” “Mrs Finn knew,” Angel
informed Xander with a smirk. “He talks
in his sleep. Cries. Begs forgiveness. Most…amusing.” The realisation of what
he’d unknowingly shared with the vampire and a sob caught in Riley’s throat. “Sam knew?” Xander
pressed on. “About Buffy? That would have been tough for her, you’re
such a selfish piece of shit. Then what? She could only take so much and…?” “She left me.” Barely audible, anger constricting Riley’s
throat. “And that’s Spike’s
fault? He had to suffer over something
so…mundane? Your wife left you so you
took out his eyes?” “He cost me everything,”
Riley screamed, “everything. With Buffy, with Sam.” “It’s about you, Riley, not Spike. You’re the one who
keeps fucking up.” “Why are you defending
him, Xander? You hated vampires, their
very existence disgusted you, terrified you.
Now you’re…” Words failed Riley
at the sight of Angel’s continued nuzzling, and Xander, with trust, without
reaction…letting him. “Sick. And you know it. Why else would you be here with this aberration?” Xander’s fists clenched
automatically at the insult, but a twitch of Angel’s fingers was enough to
allow him to retain control, keep his voice suitably mocking. “Oh, c’mon, you know why
I’m here.” “When Buffy finds out…” “Buffy isn’t gonna find
out. Not from me, certainly not from
Angel. Think this is the kind of pillow
talk he indulges in when he’s making love to Buffy?” Riley’s head twisted away, sharper than when
he’d been hit, the action highlighting rather than concealing his jealous
rage. “No-one’s going to find out. This place…” Xander gestured. “You understand what it is? It’s a furnace. After we’re gone it will be fired up and the
last traces of you will be destroyed.
Along with all the other garbage.”
For the first time, Riley allowed his situation to sink in. He slowly looked back to Xander before
shaking his head in disbelief.
“What? You thought we were here
to talk and…? We’d let you go?” “Xander… This – this…
It’s their way, not yours. You’re
better than this, Xander.” “You’d think, wouldn’t
you? But I’m comfortable with my own
brand of morality. It allows me to
follow my instincts when it comes to right and wrong. Torturing a creature who can’t fight back is,
unquestionably, morally wrong. I don’t
know how I can make you understand that, when you plainly have no morals at
all.” “You think you can
lecture me on morality? When you’re
fucking around with…” “Hey! Warning you.
No more name-calling. Not if you
want to keep your skin for the rest of this discussion.” Seeing the extreme look
of interest on Angel’s face at that statement, Riley quietened, pointlessly
licked parched lips with a dry tongue.
Minutes passed. “I do what I do,” Riley
explained, faux-reasonably now, “to keep people safe. To keep the people you care about safe. Exactly
what you used to do in Sunnydale.” Xander was away from
Angel in a second, to Riley’s side as he pulled a wedge of papers from his
pocket, something Angel had handed Xander earlier to ease any potential crisis
of conscience. Pictures, memories of
captivity, drawn by Spike, more of the very awful same. The pages were thrust into Riley’s face. “Not me, never me, not
this,” Xander told him shakily. Fractured
arm, bone extruding. “Does this make you
feel proud of what you do?” A handful of
broken fingers, thumb attached by a mere sliver of flesh. “Does this?”
Spike’s other hand, skinned. “How
about this?” Guts spilling from a
slashed belly. “This?” Riley tried to turn his head away; Xander
viciously grabbed a handful of hair and turned it back. “Look at this. Imagine the pain.” “He doesn’t have to
imagine it. I can show him,” Angel added
casually as he prowled around them. “Spike feels, Riley. And this is what he felt. Because of you.” “I didn’t…” “You try and tell me
you’re the innocent party here and I’m going to let Angel start tearing you to
pieces right now.” “It was my job.” “Your job! Want to show me where it mentions compulsory
torture in your contract?” “Sometimes it’s
necessary…” “Don’t you fucking dare spout the Initiative handbook at
me!” Xander backed off quickly
before he could succumb to the need to hit the man again. “Whatever,” Riley
responded coldly. “No Initiative
handbook. Ask me a question. You’ll get your answer.” “Okay.” Xander took a deep breath, barely able to
control himself enough to get the words out.
“Want to tell me what you were thinking when you sliced off his face, you fucking sadist?” A moment of intense
silence; the corner of Riley’s lip twitched upwards. That was all it took for Xander to be lost to
the fury churning inside him, and he leapt forward, only to find himself caught
around the waist and hauled away by Angel.
Xander struggled to be free, but only for a briefest time; so insanely
enraged he’d scared himself, he pressed back into Angel, no play-acting now,
purely needing comfort. Unknowingly in
the exact same hold that Spike had found solace in when Angel had taken him to
see the remains of the Initiative building. “Angel, I…” Xander began
in a whisper, trying to figure out whether or not he was shocked and/or
appalled by his realisation. “I think I
could do it. I could kill him.” “I can’t allow that, we
discussed…” “I know, I
understand. But… Right then, I think I could have done
it. I knew I wanted him dead but I
didn’t know I could’ve done it. God, I
so want him dead.” “Me too, and you’re more
than capable, but that fast would have been a blessing.” Angel raised his voice so Riley couldn’t fail
to hear. “I want to kill him inch by
inch. Body and soul.” Xander saw that; he nodded. “There’s an interesting moment, Xander, when
a victim will go from pleading for his life, to pleading for his death. You’ll enjoy it.” Angel loosened his grip
slightly to allow Xander to escape the hold if he wanted to. Apparently not. Xander simply shivered at the feel of cold
lips on the nape of his neck, thinking familiar
and wondering family trait? Amazing how secure he felt with Angel. Grandpa.
Oh. My. God.
Family. Real goddamn
how-it-should-be family. “I feel safe with you,”
Xander murmured privately, wanting to share this extraordinary revelation. “Because you are safe
with me. I don’t harm my own.” “Not any more.” “Not any more,” Angel
confirmed, prepared to acknowledge the past, knowing that denial would stir
Xander’s simmering rage. “Want to go
on?” “In a moment.” Xander eased away from
Angel, needing to calm down with a few strolled circuits of the furnace. Several times he noticed Angel whispering to
Riley, and the look of inconcealable terror on the human’s face. Curiosity, however, did not get the better of
him. Riley could keep those warped
confidences for himself. The soldier suddenly
jerked away from the vampire, fresh nerve undoubtedly struck, and the sound of
Angel’s snickering amusement ghosted around the chamber. He looked to Xander with a golden-eyed smile,
and Xander nodded, returning to stand before Riley. “You told a lie. You get to pay.” “Wha…?” “You agreed. You said it wasn’t about Buffy and…” “I didn’t know!” “Then you should have
kept your mouth shut.” “You didn’t explain,”
Riley insisted, panicked eyes never leaving Angel. “Because whatever happened, I understand, I
understand how you feel, I didn’t know about you and him, Xander, I…” “If you tell me it would
have made a difference…” “No!” Riley exclaimed, having learnt that
lesson. “No, it couldn’t make a
difference, it was my job, it’s what I’ve been trained to do.” “Yet you understand how I
feel,” Xander mused. “Which makes
it…worse, actually. But at least you get
why I feel the need to have you taken to pieces. And, as you’re so understanding, perhaps
you’d like to choose the punishment for lying.
It can be…anything. Anything you
did to Spike.” Riley baulked at that; it
was almost possible to see his mind cataloguing the tortures he’d inflicted on
the vampire. “Please, Xander, you
don’t have to do what he wants…” “I want. Angel is doing what I want.
Necessary, ‘cause, as I explained, I can’t be as cruel as this needs to
be for a Rite of Vengeance.” “Luckily, I can,” Angel
confirmed with a smile. “I think I’ve
already proved that to your colleagues.” The truth sank in and
refocused Riley’s distracted mind; he struggled furiously against his bonds. “You bastard! That was you!
You – you destroyed the base!” “I – I destroyed the
base,” Angel mocked. “You bastard, fucking
bastard, do you know how many people were in there?” “I’d estimate one too few
seeing as you’re sitting here.” A truly
evil smile appeared. “I imagine you
thought you were lucky to escape.” “You’ll never get away
with this!” “Don’t you understand,
boy? We already have.” Riley continued to curse
and struggle. “Riley… Riley, listen. Ri…
Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Xander
dropped to one knee beside the incensed soldier, reaching over to pinch shut
his nose and cover his mouth with one strong hand. Riley immediately became rigid, staring at
Xander with pleading eyes. “Shutting up
now?” Riley nodded. A few more seconds and Xander released his
hold. The soldier whooped down
unnecessarily large gulps of air and Xander waited until he’d finished
overreacting. “Did you choose? Your punishment?” Riley shook his head, staring at the floor to
avoid eye contact. “I can’t believe it
would be a problem for someone with your imagination. C’mon, Ri, what did you do to Spike that you
were particularly proud of?” No response from Riley
and Angel left for the few minutes it took to fill a bucket with freezing water. Xander stepped away as Angel tipped it over
the soldier, leaving him gasping for the second time in a few minutes, glaring
murderously at his captors. “You have his attention,
Childe.” “Go fuck yourself.” “No need,” Angel smirked,
dipping to Riley’s level. “If I need a
little relief, there’s always…” Riley
wrenched his head away as Angel slid a fingertip over his bottom lip. “Plus, when I walk away from your corpse I’ll
have Buffy to fuck. And, unlike some…humans…” Angel pointedly glanced over
Riley’s body. “…I’m more than adequate
for the task.” “That bother you,
Xander?” Riley taunted. “The fact she
chose them over you time and again? You
loved her and she…” “Won’t work,” Xander said
lightly. “Too happy with Spike, no
regrets.” “We’re a very contented
family,” purred Angel. “I could turn
you, let you see for yourself.” “No!” “Angel, you’ve gotta be
kidding.” “Think, Xander. Think of how long it would take to kill a
strong, healthy minion. The fun we could
have, letting Mr Finn take Spike’s role as we relive the events of his
incarceration. Over. And over.
And over.” “Fun, I give you that,
but after today, I don’t ever want to see this face again.” “You mentioned the
solution earlier.” Riley pressed back in
his seat, whimpering in fear as the vampire refused to be shaken off a second
time; Angel ran his fingers over the human’s features, tracing around the
hairline and down to the jaw with nails that left seeping grazes. “We can slice his face off.” Xander remembered, quoted
coldly. “‘Do it once more in my presence and I’ll slice that fucking vile mess
you call a face right off.’” Recognition. Blind panic set in and Riley thrashed as best
he was able. Angel allowed his touch to
be dislodged and returned to Xander; for fifteen minutes they dispassionately
scrutinised the soldier attempting to regain a little composure. Weeping, screaming, obscenities, threats,
struggles, rope burns. Despair. Exhaustion.
“Ready to choose your
punishment, Ri?” A glare filled with
loathing but no reply. “Okay. If he can’t choose a punishment, I think you
should, Sire. Maybe something you’ve
discussed with him over the last couple of days,” Xander suggested before Riley
could spit the vitriolic retort he was summoning, and that proposal was
distracting enough to bring him up short.
Angel’s inescapable voice was in Riley’s head, creating pictures that
made him want to scream, creating pictures that left him breathless and unable
to. Shivers set in, one intense tremor
after the other, and Riley used the sensation to bring him back, constructing
new lies: he was shaking but his icy clothes were to blame, nothing to do with
the fear of Xander handing him over to Angel.
Welcome anger coursed through him and he met his enemy’s eyes. Angel circled the two
men, playfully staring Riley down. “Did you mean what you
said? If he did it to Spike…” “I think it’s only fair.” Riley’s head jerked up
and his mouth gaped in unspoken protest as Angel once again closed in, and
Xander had a minor flashback to when Angel invading his personal space was the
scariest thing he’d ever known. “Following orders, doing
your job… You see yourself as
innocent. And if you’re innocent, why
the panic?” Angel asked Riley. “If
you’re innocent, Spike couldn’t possibly have told me how you sliced him open,
cut out his testicles, replaced them with shell casings – some amusing allusion
to shooting blanks, I believe – had him sown up, allowed to heal. Knowing he would have to tear his own flesh
apart to remove the metal…” Angel’s words were
interrupted by an anguished cry and Xander’s fist flying into Riley’s face,
several times, viciously enough to smash a cheekbone and tear open the corner
of his eye. Angel caught Xander and
moved him away for a second time. “Give him to me, Angel,
I’ll fucking kill him, I’ll never regret it.” Angel shushed and
whispered comfort to his tearful almost-childe. “Xander. Xander. I’m sorry.
I thought you knew it all.” “No. Spike didn’t tell me, he didn’t tell me. Why would
he… He lied, why would he lie to me?” “He didn’t lie so much as
not tell you the truth. All the truth. He’d do anything to stop you being hurt,
Xander. Whereas I like you hurt.” Xander looked at Angel, demanding more. Angel smirked. “I like you this…motivated.” Xander accepted and
nodded. “I’ve… Sorry.
I’ve screwed up your plan.” Threat of violence, not violence. “Yeah, but…now it is
screwed…” The smirk became kinder
before turning conspiratorial, and Xander knew what Angel wanted. Another nod and he returned to Riley,
assessing the damage he’d done and checking that the soldier was still fully
conscious. Riley stared blearily, his
face already swelling around the injuries, and Xander returned the look coldly,
feeling neither sympathy nor contrition. “Now I get to choose. And you’re
not going to like this.” In a swift move, Xander
tore open Riley’s sodden shirt, pointing to an area of his stomach. “About here, I
think. Cut him open.” Riley was abruptly, fully
awake. “Xander, no, don’t, no,
I…” “Cut him open and rape
him.” Xander’s hands slapped
firmly over Riley’s mouth, deadening the scream of fear that emerged as Angel
loomed. “Sure?” Angel asked with
a malicious grin that carried over to his demon features as he morphed. “He did it to Spike. It’s pure justice.” In an elegant swoop,
Angel straddled Riley’s lap, grasping his throat in a bid to still the mindless
struggle to escape, dragging a rough claw through the skin where Xander had
indicated, a bloody X marking the spot. “Don’t play so hard to
get, boy,” Angel chuckled. “Surely you’d
like to know why Buffy enjoys me so much?”
Riley sobbed and squirmed, cursing behind Xander’s hands as Angel wiped
tears from his smashed face. “As a
soldier, it’s probably the only scrap of virginity you’ve got left. But if there’s time later, we’ll see,” the
vampire whispered, sliding off of Riley’s lap and disappearing into the
darkness. Xander removed his hands,
wiping them distastefully on Riley’s shoulders, ridding himself of snot and
saliva. “You not enjoying this,
Ri?” “Xander, please, don’t
let him do this.” “Not quite so much fun
when it’s you, huh?” “Don’t let him, Xander,
please, please, Xander, I didn’t know
about you and…and…” “Spike! His name is Spike!” Xander shouted furiously. “Please, Xander, don’t
let him.” “You want
compassion? Where was your compassion
when you had Spike broken and begging for his food? Grovelling at your feet?” My poor
sweet William, doing whatever he could to protect and sustain his demon. “Where was your compassion when you had his
nerves cut? Crippling him because it
would be interesting to see how long
it took him to heal, and it would be amusing
to see how he coped meantime.” “No, Xander, I…” “Did. Sure, you’d always
blind him but he knew your voice, he could hear you. Plug his ears but, vampire hearing, he could
still hear you, he knew it was you. He
heard you joking about what was being done to him. How funny was it to blind him? How funny to peel the skin from his body and
douse him in holy water? How funny to
rape his guts?” One cold cunt. “How hard are
you going to laugh when Angelus does it to you?” Riley was shaking his
head again, fast, denial or disbelief or pleading, Xander didn’t know and
didn’t care. Then Angel was on his way
back, and as Riley quaked in his seat, the vampire waved a piece of rusty,
jagged pipe at Xander. “Perfect,” he announced. “What’s that for?” “On consideration even I
refuse to stoop so low. He can’t have my
body, but this will make a suitably painful substitute.” “Yeah,” Xander said
reasonably. “Don’t blame you.” “Ideal length. When we’re done with his gut, I’ll ram it up
his ass until it pops out his throat.” “Oh, God, he didn’t—” “No, not to Spike,” Angel
conceded before smiling coyly. “It’s
just… Call me sentimental, but it’s an
old favourite of mine.” Back on Riley’s lap,
Angel took a knife from his pocket, squeezing the catch and letting the blade
click out, an inch from Riley’s chin. As
Angel lowered the knife and his attention, Riley began to squirm; Xander’s
hands clamped down, mouth and throat, semi-effectively silencing and stilling
the terrified human. Riley hollered
against Xander’s palm as he felt the knife slide over and into his skin, the
hot, wet trickle of blood down his stomach.
The blade probed a little further, delicately finding its path. “Maximum pain…” Angel
muttered to himself, “…minimum life endangerment.” His head rose and he met Riley’s wild
eyes. “Want this to last a lifetime,”
Angel grinned. Riley jumped in alarm as
the pipe was tossed away and clattered to the floor behind him; Angel looked up
at Xander, indicating his preparations were complete. “You have them?” Xander
asked. The vampire nodded, face
becoming grim, and he reached back into his pocket and removed what was
actually going into the hole in Riley’s belly.
His hand rose and the dog tags excised from Spike dangled in front of
Riley’s nose. “Returning your property,
Mr Finn.” Tensing in expectation of
a frenzied reaction, Xander was confused by Riley’s lack of response, and all
three watched in eerie silence as the dog tags were fed into the prepared
cavity, poked into place by the tip of the knife, chain hanging over Riley’s
stomach, links transformed into a smooth tube of blood. Riley’s short gasps became deep panting, jaw
hanging loose, a single thread of saliva dangling from his lip. Angel stared into the dull gaze. “I think we broke him,”
Angel told Xander with great satisfaction. “What? We can’t have, he’s a fucking soldier, he’s
trained to withstand— Ah, Jesus, what
have you been filling his head with for days?” “This and that,” Angel
replied casually. “Don’t worry, I have
ways of securing his undivided attention.
Fetch some more water, Xander.” Xander took the bucket,
glancing back as he walked to the control room, seeing the vampire’s mouth
return to Riley’s ear, whispering his horrors, inflicting wounds far more
devastating than anything they could impose upon the flesh. Too much?
Xander wavered. He wanted rid of
the hatred burning inside him, and he wanted Riley Finn removed from existence
in one go, not as Angel would have it: inch by inch, body and soul. He certainly didn’t want to be left with a
mindless shell that wouldn’t understand why this treatment was so thoroughly
warranted. Back to his original
requirements: the man had to answer his questions – almost done; know why he
was losing his life – certainly covered; die – sooner rather than later. Simple.
Finish this and home to Spike. Xander brought the water,
threw it over Riley; as the huffing and puffing at the shock of the cold eased,
he saw the soldier’s gratitude at his return: it meant Angel’s withdrawal. “Don’t look at me like
that, I’m not your saviour,” Xander snapped, sickened by the resurrection of
his need to see the man suffer. “I want
this over with,” Xander said as he turned to Angel. “Surely you’re not going
to spoil my fun?” The intimidating golden
eyes in the human face made Xander fight a shudder. “My part. Over.
Sire.” Xander dropped his head
forward in deference. A gentle touch to
the back of his skull and Xander looked up to see Angel’s concern. “There’s something I need to ask him, then
you get to play all you want.” “You’ll watch? For the Rite?” “I will. A little.” A brief pause, and Angel
stood aside, offering Xander the floor with a flourishing gesture. Xander’s smile at that faded quickly as he
dragged out a question that he hated to consider, one that had haunted
him. Painful to ask but he had to know
the answer. “Riley… Why did you let him live?” “Orders,” Riley answered
with weary disdain. “You could treat him like
that but you couldn’t kill him?” Xander
glanced at Angel. “How fucked is that?” “How did Spike get away?”
Angel enquired in the intriguingly polite tone he usually adopted before he
made everything so much worse for his prey. There was an instant when
it looked like Riley might settle for one last sullen defiance. But no. “He was so pathetic we’d
given up locking him away. He’d taken to
following anyone who looked vaguely like…”
The eye that wasn’t swollen shut flickered over them. “…either of you. He was freaking us out by then but we
couldn’t kill him, so one night we allowed him to follow a look-alike
outside. We figured he’d be dust at
dawn.” The thought of William,
terrified as he must have been, struggling hundreds of miles to find the person
who unconsciously meant safety to him, and Xander’s eyes filled. “You failed,” he managed
to choke out. “You didn’t – couldn’t – destroy him. He’s stronger, healthier, more beautiful than
ever. Lethal. No chip. He’s magnificent.” Xander fumbled for his wallet and opened it,
showing Riley the photo of Spike that lived there. “And you know why he couldn’t be here
tonight? ‘Cause we tossed a coin and he
got the pleasure of killing off your family.” “God, no,” Riley
whispered as that sank in, “no,” and Xander felt deeply satisfied with the
response to that simple yet inspired lie, at last having found a way to make
Riley feel. He very pointedly drew out
and checked his phone. “I was hoping he’d send a
picture on the cell by now, just so you could see the bodies before you died,
but…I guess he’s having too much fun to stop.
You know what these guys are like, with the mutilation and the rape and
the blood lust.” “Xander, no, stop him,
they were innocent.” “So was William.” Riley looked understandably confused, but
Angel caught Xander’s eye and gave a single nod of approval. “Okay, I’m done.” “Don’t go,” Riley
pleaded, terrified gaze fixed on the vampire.
“Xander, don’t—” Xander’s hands covered
Riley’s mouth for the nth time that night. “There’s no point in
begging. You made your choices, you’re
facing the consequences.” Xander
stooped, mouth to the soldier’s ear.
“Y’know the best way to squeeze an orange, Riley? You roll it hard, break the inside down, make
sure all the juice is released when you finally cut it open. I need you to try for a little Xander released Riley and
turned to go, noticing the pictures that had been scattered earlier; he
carefully collected them, reliving Spike’s nightmare scene by scene – Spike’s reality.
And the urge to personally kill Riley returned when he noticed how much
Spike’s hand had shaken whilst recording a particularly barbaric memory. He glanced back to where Angel was watching
him, golden eyes strangely compassionate within the demon’s face. “Bear in mind his past addictions,” Xander
told him. “Let him come before you drain
him completely. Just before. So he knows the pleasure will be the death of
him. Literally.” “Torture, humiliation,
death. You’re a wicked boy,
Xander.” Angel’s tone softened. “I’m proud of you.” “I’m glad you find me
worthy,” Xander reciprocated as gently.
A glimpse of Riley’s appalled face and Xander’s expression
hardened. “Enjoy.” “No! Xander, please! You said – you said you couldn’t. You don’t want to hurt me!” “Kinda true. Try to follow this: right now, I don’t want to hurt you, I want Angel to hurt you.” “Mmm, Angel wants to hurt
you,” the vampire added with the return of the mean grin. “Because Angel can hurt
you so much more than I can.” “Xander…!” “Be quiet, Riley.” “Xander,” Riley screeched
as Angel stalked forward. “For God’s sake, shut
up! Angel, can you please get rid of his
tongue first?” “But then I won’t get to
hear him beg articulately. And it’s a
misconception that removing a man’s tongue keeps him quiet, he’ll make just as
much noise as…” “Yeah, I get it.” Xander turned away and headed for the door as
the soldier’s frantic whimpers gained volume.
“Back soon. I need some air.” “Don’t wander off.” “No, I’ll be careful.” The snickering growl
behind him made Xander’s hair stand on end. “Well, Mr Finn, now we get to discuss my boy…” Riley Finn’s inarticulate screams followed Xander into the night.
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