Under My Thumb

Spike lit another cigarette and watched the unfolding show with avid interest. Willow's mouth was open as she valiantly tried to form words and gasp air. Angelus stood at his full height, eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and what Spike assumed was lust. If they start shagging I'm getting the hell out of here.

"Do you have any idea what I could do to you?" Angelus snarled.

Spike spoke up. "Let's see. . .beat her. Eat her. Shag–"

"Silence!" The younger vampire nodded for Angelus to continue. "No one has ever DARED to make me this angry. Not Darla. Not Drusilla. Certainly no human I've ever been in contact with. The only exception might be–"

"Me." Spike supplied. "I just love to piss him off." He noted his sire's stern expression. "Right, then. Not about me. Continue."

"But you had the audacity to curse me. Turn me back into that sniveling, pathetic excuse for a vampire who calls himself Angel." He appeared bewildered. "And why 'Angel'? He might as well call himself 'Sweetheart' or 'Honey', I'll never understand that."

"Honey." Spike cackled. "That's better than Peaches. I'll have to remember that." At Angelus' look he sobered. "I know, I know 'silence!'"

"I did it to save you." Willow explained. "She was going to kill you."

"What makes you so sure that she would have?"

"The only other alternative is that you would have killed her. And I couldn't live with that either." Willow lowered her eyes.

"You chose Buffy over me." He said bitterly, before she could protest, he began again. "So, that leaves me with the ultimate question. What should I do with you?" Angelus mused as he paced the floor of her bedroom.

"Let me go and leave?" She said hopefully. She edged towards her table lamp.

"That's far enough, my sweet." He said. "I remember your affection for whacking me with objects. And no, letting you go is what I did the first time I was here." He pinned her with his eyes. "I have something else in mind."

"You promised you wouldn't kill me here!" She wailed.

"And said you loved me!"

"Poor Angewus!" Spike said, mimicking 'baby' talk. "Did u get u wittle feewings hurt?" Angelus growled and Spike stopped. But Willow saw the way his eyes were dancing with laughter.

She gulped. "I do." He obviously wasn't buying it. "So, what are you going to do with me?" It was like being on a demon's version of a game show. She could almost hear the announcer. Behind door number three we have a horrible death!

"So many things." He moved closer to her, his cool hand reached out to brush the side of her face. "Things you've never felt before. After all, you deserve to be punished."

"P-p-punished?" That sounded really bad.

He forced her to look him in the eye by cupping her chin. "What are you worried about, little one?"

Willow took in a breath as she feigned bravery. "I'm going to go with torture and my untimely death."

"I'll keep that in mind." Angelus ran his thumb over her lips and couldn't suppress a small smile at her wit. "Not all punishments have to be painful though." His hand slid to the nape of her neck.

"They don't? Because when you say 'punishments' that makes me nervous."

"Not if the punisher knows what he's doing."

"If you two are going to shag, I'd appreciate some fair warning." Spike said , not missing the aroma in the air. "I'd rather miss that particular floor show."

"Fine. Why don't we start with a warm-up act, William?" Angelus took a menacing stance. "What were you doing here?"

"I was just talking with-"

"You were just trying to take what's mine." Angelus glowered. "I think it's time I put you back in your place again."

"No, Angelus. Don't." Willow pleaded. "He helped me with Oz tonight. And, he, he walked me home so I'd be safe, because he knows I'm yours! He was just protecting me. . . for you, of course."

Angelus considered her plea. He didn't like her mention of Oz and he didn't like his Willow taking an interest in Spike, but it pleased him to hear her restate his claim. He wanted to give in to her, but Spike really had it coming. Suddenly, an idea struck Angelus. "Spike, get over here." He motioned for Spike and Willow to sit on the end of her bed. "Willow, we're going to make another thumb-wrestling bet."

"Thumb-wrestling?!" Spike burst out laughing. "Bloody poofter. You've been spending all this time with that delicious red-head thumb wrestling?"

"Shut up, boy." Angelus smacked Spike in the back of the head. Spike winced, but couldn't keep the grin off his face. "If you win-"

"You won't be mad anymore?" Willow said hopefully.

"No. You're not getting off the hook this easily." He frowned at her. "If you win, Spike can go. I won't hurt him. This time."

"Like you could, mate." Spike had a tire iron in the back of the DeSoto that came in happy for cases of "When Angelus Attacks". Of course, he was kind of weaponless at the moment. Not to mention, Spike knew that Angelus would never seriously harm him. It was just customary for the two of them to tear each other up every few months. Kept things interesting. They were vampires, they didn't have to make sense.

"If I win you swear that you'll never try to resoul me again." He thought for a moment. "Or have anyone else do it. Or leave the spell out in easy reach of someone. Or tell someone where they might find it."

"Or post it on the internet." Spike added helpfully.

"Yes" Angelus nodded his head imperiously.

"Hmmm." She said. "Are you sure you haven't been eating lawyers?" He glared at her. "Okay. I'll do it." She said, shrugging her shoulders. She had found a copy of the spell and put in the database for the Watchers' Council that she was working on for Giles' birthday. He hadn't mentioned anything about that! She started to reach for his hand, but he pulled away.

"Not this time, little one. You thumb-wrestle Spike. It's his ass you're saving." Angelus grinned. If Spike won, he could beat him up. If he lost, he'd have to handle that humiliation, which would be retribution enough.

*********

Willow and Angelus stood on her balcony watching Spike walk away in a huff. "Who knew he was such a sore loser?"

"I think its me. He's just afraid of me." Angelus said, puffing out his chest as he thought of the beating he would have given his childe. "Probably thinks I'll change my mind."

"Because your such a big, dangerous vamp."

His eyes glittered. "I am."

"Uh, yeah, guess." Willow smoothed a piece of hair behind her ear, desperate for a topic change. "I don't get it. About the fighting, I mean. Why do you do that? When Buffy makes me angry I don't try to kick her butt."

He smiled. "Maybe you should. I could help you with that." Yes, punching the Slayer would improve his mood.

Her forehead wrinkled. "Of course, if I tried it, she'd probably throw me through a wall."

"Never happen." She looked at him doubtfully. "She might be a Slayer but only a fool would mess with you, little one." He smiled at her tenderly and then stopped himself. He schooled his features into a non-committal half frown.

She couldn't help but grin. "So, that would make you a–"

"Don't say it." He scowled. "I'm still upset with you." He turned away. Truthfully, he should be torturing her with something by now. A branding iron maybe. No one treated him like this and lived to tell the tale! But somehow, she did. And after being in her presence again he just couldn't muster the anger necessary to properly deal with her. His heart just wasn't in it.

"You know what? I'm sick of this!" She grabbed his arm and turned him around. "If you're gonna punish me or whatever. . .just go ahead and do it! I'm not going to put up with your little mood swings and your–"

"What did you say, little girl?" He came closer.

"I said just do it! Do you have a hearing problem?"

"No, do you?" He got in her space, backing her against the wall. His hand strayed to her neck. "All I'd have to do is squeeze." But his eyes were roving her body. It wasn't her neck that he wanted to 'squeeze.' Then, his hand moved on the soft skin. "Where's your necklace?" He demanded.

"Oh. Here." She pulled it from her pocket. It seemed wrong to wear it, but she usually kept it near.

He plucked it from her fingers and placed it around her neck, rubbing his bite marks absently. "Mine."

She was irrationally angry. "Is that's what this is about? Because I dared to talk to another vampire? I'm not property!"

"Yes, you are. You're my property. To do with as I wish." He smiled dangerously. "To dispose of as I wish."

"You know what I wish?" Willow said, her voice rising. "I wish you'd just get it over with. I'm not going to sit here and be threatened by you anymore. I've had enough."

He reached out and grabbed her up off her feet. "Do you know you you're dealing with, little one? I'm not Xander or your precious little Oz. I'm not a schoolboy you can tell to go away. I'm a vampire!"

Willow forced down her fear. Instead, she stared down at him menacingly. "And I'm a soon-to-be-witch. So, you better not piss me off or I'll turn you into a toad! Or something else disgusting!" He dropped her to her feet, his mouth agape.

She smoothed her shirt. "If you're not going to do anything about it, then stop threatening me because I don't want to hear it! You should be thanking me for saving your undead ass. Thanking me! You'd be fertilizing Mrs. Summers' daisies if it wasn't for me. Now leave me alone and get the hell off my balcony!" She said, pointing into the blackness of the night. To prove her point she grasped the potted plant on the ledge and sent it smashing against his head.

With that, she flounced away from him and slammed the French doors behind her. Angelus blinked, his world was spinning. If it was possible, he think he just fell even more in love with her That's when he collapsed in a heap of leather and billowing black wool on her veranda with some uprooted daisies and dirt on his head.

***********

Willow knocked on the door. "Buffy? Are you there?"

"Coming, Wills!" Buffy shouted. The Slayer opened the door a minute later. She was wearing her pajamas, her hair in braids. "Hi. What's up?"

"Can I come in?" Buffy narrowed her eyes, always on alert for vampire behavior. Willow rolled hers and stepped in without the invite. "Sorry, Will, you can never be too careful."

"So, how are you?"

"Good. Ready to go to bed actually. But I assume you have something to talk about. . .?" Buffy ushered her into the kitchen where they sat across from each other.

"Angel."

"What about him?"

"Uh. Just wondering about you two. Have you, uh, SEEN each other?"

"We're talking about Angel, right? Over six feet tall. Big coat? Kinda hard to miss."

"I mean, 'seeing' him."

"Oh, seeing him. No, we're not." She looked down. "You know, doing that anymore."

"So, nothing's going on?" Willow prodded. Then, how had Angelus come back? "No, um, you know."

"Geez, Wills, that's a little personal."

"Sorry. I just–" What? Have a passed out evil vampire on my veranda and wanted to know if you were involved? Though, many people could claim that on The Hellmouth. She looked at her friend's earnest face. Buffy hadn't been with Angel. The all-too-familiar guilt would be there on her face. Something else had changed him. But what? Her night with Angel? No, he'd been Angel afterwards. Angelus was a terrible actor. She needed to do some research. "Okay. Just checking." She stood up abruptly. "Gotta go. Night, Buffy." She hurried out the door.

Buffy sat there in her chair, shaking her head. "Okay. And she went mental when?"