Passion

A fic by Jenna AKA: Angel's Blue eyed Girl.

Rating: This chappie is a tame PG-13

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. Joss and Mutant Enemy own them all. I just love to play with my fave dark demon and (hopefully) put him away sweaty and satisfied! ;)

A/N: First of all, I am sorry I have not updated in a while. I am currently in school, working towards my BS in Psychology. *SO MUCH WORK*! I have been a bit overwhelmed, however, today I read my best bud's (VixAngel) fic and she inspired me. I simply had to edit this and post it.

I wanted to thank each and every one of you who continue to support this fic—and those of you who nominated it rfor the fandom awards this year! Thank you! Being honored like that is amazing. My fic with my friend here, Sarah, under Angelus'DarkAngels: Awakening did pretty well. I think it was 2nd runner up. Wow! Anyhow, I think this one will do better once it is completed. I love this Angelus—he's so Angelus-y. ;)

Okay, enough from me. Thank you again everyone. I love ya all and I hope you enjoy the latest edition of Passion…

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Chapter 11

In Between a Demon and a Hard Place

Sunnydale High Library:

It was late, and the high school was deserted, the eerie quiet of the night shattered by a snarled curse as Angelus rummaged through Giles's impressive library with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop! He was on a mission, and he did not care one bit if the ancient tomes he was tossing willy-nilly around the library were worth one dollar or a million. He wanted a cure to his Slayer problem, if he had to rip the entire library to shreds to get it, so be it! However, finding what he sought was turning out to be much harder than he'd thought it would be and his temper was beginning to get the best of him. He'd been searching for over an hour, yet every single text he'd found so far had been one dead end after another. He was furious and showing it as he tossed yet another priceless book over his shoulder; his ever growing pile of discards was growing—along with his rage.

He yanked yet another priceless, exquisitely crafted, leather bound volume from the Watcher's shelves, prepared to throw this one across the room, so great was his frustration, but when he noted the title, he paused. "Spells, Curses and Powerful Magicks," the dark demon said out-loud, excitement daring to flare as he quickly perused the table of contents. His dark eyes lit up when he saw the chapter titled 'How to remove a love spell'.

Cha-Ching!

"Finally," he muttered, immediately going to the chapter he sought.

It was a large chapter, but Angelus quickly scanned the twenty or so pages, rolling his eyes at some of the rituals suggested. He was well versed in magick, and firmly believed in the power there, but dousing himself in lemon balm, rosemary and basil, while lying on a bed of rose petals sounded utterly ridiculous! The ingredients seemed more appropriate for a good spaghetti sauce, rather than a ritual for undoing a love spell; he could only imagine Spike's snide little comments if he came home smelling like fruit, flowers and herbs.

Angelus's scowl darkened. Yeah. No way in hell was he doing that ritual!

Not that he really gave a rat's ass what Spike thought, still…he really didn't feel like listening to Drusilla's wails if he had to stake the little prick for being impertinent! Which he would. Angelus knew it as well as he knew the sun would be rising soon, and he had to find a cure to his dilemma—pronto!

He flipped through the passages until he came to one that caught his interest. "Dark Love Spells and Curses," he said aloud, "now that's more like it."

Maybe this would be the answer to his problem. With each word Angelus read, his eyes widened and his stomach knotted with tension…

"A dark love spell is performed through dark magicks and is extremely dangerous, if resisted, it can become unpredictable. This spell can manifested into a curse upon both the 'beloved' and the 'devoted' one seeking the 'beloved's' love if left unfulfilled."

Angelus immediately thought of the lovers at the high school. At the end there, they had appeared to be genuinely in love, but what if there was a spell involved? He knew for a fact both participants had died before declaring their love…so had the spell been interrupted? Or worse—had it become a curse? It made sense, and his temper soared all over again.

"Shit!" he growled. Had he been cursed again?! Was his obsession for Buff some damned spell gone awry? He immediately went back to reading; needing to know more.

"A person under a dark love spell is tied to their 'beloved' and will become unable to think of anyone or anything, but the person they are drawn to, even if the infected never really liked him/her. Obsession is commonplace and outbursts of jealousy or anger only get worse as the spell progresses. Because of its dark nature, this spell must be brought to fruition, or it will become a curse. This can lead to severe bouts of paranoia, anxiety, and in the most severe of cases, it can eventually cause violence and death!"

Angelus sat down in the chair next to him and laid the book on the table. The symptoms were eerily familiar to both the star-crossed lovers of the high school as well as his own ridiculous behavior of the last day, and yet, he was pretty damned sure that little witch, Amy, didn't have the juice to set him up for a whammy of this magnitude. No. This was deeper—darker. So who? His mind was still going over the possibilities when the next paragraph told him he was right—this spell (or curse!) was actually a blow back from that crap with the High School lovers a couple months back.

"Once a dark love spell has become a curse, it becomes extremely deadly. It can infect others with its vengeance as it travels through space and time, wreaking havoc on any and all lovers it crosses paths with. Resisting the curse is useless, it only causes the infected lovers to suffer extreme emotional outbursts of rage and violence. Eventually, if the curse does not bear the fruit of a love match, the 'devoted' will suffer a break from reality altogether. If that happens, hatred and utter rage towards the 'beloved' takes over. The curse distorts the feelings of love, making it ugly, even brutal in its intensity, which eventually leads to the death of the beloved, and in some cases, the 'devoted' as well! "

Angelus let out the breath he didn't need, but had been holding just the same, as he read the last paragraph. This dark love spell/curse thing fit the lovers at the high-school and his own him situation to a T! Anger resonated throughout his entire being. It was true. He was cursed! Again!

Before he lost all grips on his temper, Angelus impatiently began seeking a solution to his situation. "So what's the damned cure? Rolling myself in flour and baking for 45-freaking-minutes?!" he snapped, flipping through the pages. "As long as it doesn't involve fire or Buff shooting me, I'll do just about anything at this point!"

He scanned each page, looking for cures, but there was nothing listed. "What the fuck?!" he went to the last page of the chapter his eyes flared gold as he read the words he did not want to believe.

"There is no cure for a dark love spell once it has become a curse. The only way to achieve peace is to complete the curse, have both beloved and devoted fulfill the spell and fall in love."

Angelus saw red. "God damn-it!"

He could not believe it. There wasn't a cure. Nothing-nada-no freaking help at all! His fury rose with every harsh breath he took. He was screwed! This love thing wasn't going away, and according to the book, it wouldn't stop until he completed the spell and made peace with it.

Enraged, he stalked out of the library, leaving it in shambles. Normally he might have cleaned up his mess, but right now, he didn't really give a crap! Let the Scooby Gang sort out the mystery of the midnight library raid. Right now, he needed a seriously bloody kill to work off some of his anger!

And just-like-that, eviscerating the bumbling witch Amy immediately sounded like a really great idea again. Or better yet, maybe he'd pay a visit to a direct descendent to the very cause of many of his problems. He wondered what Ms. Calendar was up to these days. It was time he checked in on her anyhow, might as well be tonight when he was itching for a fight.

Angelus was whistling softly as he left the library. Cursed again! Someone had to pay…

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Revello Dr.

Buffy was at the Bronze. It was crowded, and as she stood in the middle of the dance floor, she felt the press of bodies close in on her, surrounding her with all the hormonal overdrive of caffeine driven teenagers determined to get their 'groove on'. The air was thick and muggy with sweat, and as Buffy searched the crowd, she felt a sense of disappointment when she didn't immediately see him. He was here though, she could feel him, and she started to move through the throng, her eyes scanning the club around her, searching for one particular broad shouldered form. She was barefoot, dressed in a sheer white dress that hugged her petite frame from her bust to her hips, then flowed free, floating around her thighs to her ankles; the wisps of silky fabric felt soft against her calves as she bulldozed her way through the crowded dance floor, looking for him.

Suddenly, her stomach tingled wildly. She could feel him. He was waiting for her—she looked around, wildly searching—he was always waiting for her, but she couldn't see him.

She heard her name—the shortened version, "Buff…" It was a whisper buried within the noise around her; his voice. She spun about, turning in a complete circle, and there he was, standing just a few feet behind her. He was taller than everyone around him, making him stand out—as if he could ever fit in dressed as he was in leather pants and a burgundy silk dress shirt. The top first couple of buttons of his shirt were left undone to expose the beginnings of (what she knew was) a pale, perfectly sculpted chest. He winked at her and a small smile curled one side of his luscious lips upwards. It was as if he had a secret that he wanted to share with her. She smiled radiantly and took a step forward, intending to go to him, but as quick as he appeared, he disappeared, melting back into the crowd. Buffy frowned. Why was he hiding from her? She began to shove her way through the mob of dancers, desperate to find him again.

Much to Buffy's displeasure just as she broke free from the crowd, Xander stepped in front of her, blocking her way. He was dressed in military garb, just like his Halloween costume a few months back.

"Get out of my way," she told him, but he stayed put, crossing his arms over his chest as if that signified an immovable barricade. "Xander…"

The warning in her voice was clear, but Xander didn't budge. "No can do, Buffster," he said, "you're in crazy-person-mode, and I aim to stop you from giving tall dark and deadly what he wants."

"He wants me and I want him," she told her friend, pushing him aside. "And you're not going to stop anything!"

Willow suddenly appeared, joining the blockade. "Buffy, think about what you're doing," the red-headed witch pleaded. "He's not Angel."

Buffy didn't want to hear it. "I know that," she told her well-meaning friends, "It doesn't matter. He's so much more." And with those words she left Willow and Xander behind and headed off to find the one she sought.

She spotted him again near the bar. He was leaning against the dark wood, his dark head bent, giving her a glimpse of his exotic cheekbones and determined chin. He glanced up, caught her eye and smirked at her before bending down again and whispering into the ear of the girl seated next to him at the bar. Buffy eyed her competition. Typically, she was petite and blonde, and she smiled up at him (annoyingly) with a face full of teeth and an expression that said loud and clear she was willing—for anything he wanted to give her.

"Oh I don't think so!" Buffy snapped, seeing red. He was hers. And no two-bit bimbo was going to step in and take him away!

She took a step forward, intending to break up the aggravating scene when suddenly the crowd converged on her again. Dancers were everywhere, bumping into her from all sides and Buffy angrily pushed them away—some not so gently. They were standing between her and her goal, and she needed to get to him, more than she cared about her manners. One determined dancer tried to get her to join him by taking her hand and spinning her in front of him. He began to grind against her, Buffy had had enough and, with a ruthlessness she hadn't known she possessed, she tossed the guy aside like he was yesterday's lunch!

Her eyes focused on her target again, narrowing dangerously when she spied him stroking the girl's cheek. "No he isn't," she muttered under her breath, fury racing through her. More determined than ever to put an end to the disgusting show of PDA, Buffy barreled forward, freeing herself from the mob. Rage and an emotion that was far too close to jealousy for her taste was slithering through her like cancer and the closer she got to them, the angrier she got!

She stopped right behind him and was about to unleash her fury upon him when he turned his head, dark eyes dancing as he winked and flashed a teasing grin, effectively letting her know she would never control him.

He anger jacked up another notch.

"Can I help you with something, lover?"

His voice was a smooth purr and Buffy hated it, and him, in that instant.

She shot a quick glance to the girl. "Yeah, you can actually," she said sweetly—too sweetly. "For starters, you can get your hands off her and leave her alone."

Buffy grimaced as, even to her own ears, she sounded like a jealous shrew.

He confirmed her fears when he chuckled softly. "Why?" he asked, his face the picture of innocence despite being the wicked demon she knew him to be. "She wants what I have to offer, Buff." He turned to the girl, "Don't you, sweetness?"

The girl nodded, her bright blue eyes focused on her would be murder's handsome face. "I do. I want you," she whispered.

"See?" he said with a grin. "She can't help herself," and with that, he grabbed the woman around the waist, spun her so that her back was to his chest and wrapped an arm around her neck to hold her in front of him almost as a shield. The girl didn't scream, she simply melted into him more as if begging for him to kill her.

Confused at the sudden turn of events, Buffy frowned. "What new game is this?"

He tightened his strangle hold on the girl's neck, making her gag even as she snuggled into his chest. He chuckled at her reaction, smirking at Buffy. "Nothing new. She knows what I am. So do you," he growled, and then, right before Buffy's horrified gaze, his face shifted and the hard ridges of his demon distorted his face, his fangs elongated and he twisted the girl's head to the side, exposing her pale throat. To Buffy's shock the girl's face morphed into her own, suddenly it was her in his arms, she could see herself arching her throat and moaning in pleasure as Angelus sunk his fangs home.

"Yours…" she whimpered and then everything went black.

In her bedroom trapped within a tangled mass of sheets and covers, Buffy awoke with a scream, shaking and sweaty. Her bed was a wreck, she had obviously been tossing and turning during her dream. In the dark, she instinctually lifted a trembling hand to her neck, silently assuring herself she wasn't bloody and bitten.

The dream had seemed so real. Was it a Slayer prophecy? The thought terrified Buffy; in her dream, she had willingly surrendered to the demon.

"Oh God," she whimpered softly.

Buffy glanced at her clock, the neon numbers said 5:00 am and she decided to go ahead and get up. After a dream like that, she knew she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep anyhow.

As she gathered her clothes and headed for a shower, Buffy agonized over whether to tell Giles about the dream. If it was a Slayer dream, she needed to come clean, even as she cringed inwardly at doing so; Buffy could not even imagine Giles's reaction to hearing she had been sleeping with Angelus! She would not even have to admit it, if she told him this dream, he would know, she was certain of it. However, if it was merely a girlfriend's jealous dream over her creature of the night somewhat-kind'a boyfriend, then perhaps there was a way out of this without full disclosure.

Liking that idea, (and inwardly denying she was chicken) Buffy stepped into her shower, determined (for the time being) to keep her secrets.

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Jenny's Apartment:

Jenny was on the phone, sitting at her computer desk in the small office she had set aside for herself in her tiny apartment. It was not much more than an alcove, but it was cozy, even if it was crammed full with papers and old books that hinted at her Romany heritage. "Thanks Madge, you're a lifesaver. We'll be there as soon as we can," she said and hung up the phone. She dialed Giles immediately afterward, cradling the phone on her shoulder as she typed away on her keyboard. "Rupert, she has one," she said into the phone, her excitement obvious as she clicked away, typing rapidly, rewording the curse that had created the resurrection of Angelus. "It was only by a stroke of luck that she has one at all—apparently her shop was broken into last month and all the Orbs of Thessulah were destroyed…" She paused for a second as Giles began to panic. "All but the one she had in her apartment that is," she said, the calm in her voice easing his concern. Jenny eyed her revised spell. It was perfect—not a curse, but a spell to ensoul him—permanently. She saved her version before hitting the delete button and erasing the last remnants of Angelus's original curse. She smiled as it disappeared. After they re-ensouled the demon, Angelus would never have a chance to come back. Angel could be as happy as he liked. He deserved that, so did Buffy. She wanted to give them the chance at happiness they both had earned; they had suffered enough.

"When can we get it?" Giles asked on the other end of the line.

"Tonight, if we leave for L.A. right away."

"Jenny, that's terrific news!"

Jenny idly doodled on the pad by her phone unconsciously drawing an elaborate A with a devil's tail attached to it. "Madge will wait for us. If traffic is right, we can have Angel back by tomorrow morning."

Giles was ecstatic. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Great," she said, "I'll be outside waiting."

"Then I will see you shortly," he told her and released the line.

In her office, Jenny hung up, smiling. She and Giles were very close to re-forging the bond that had been broken when he realized she had been lying to him. If they could restore Angel's soul…then all her (self-assumed) misdeeds would be amended.

Jenny was turning off her computer when her door slammed open and Angelus strode in, dark coat billowing behind him.

She gasped in fear when she saw him. "What are you doing here?!"

Angelus smirked. "What? Not happy to see me? Probably not since you're plotting against me!"

Jenny raised her chin, tamping her fear down—Angelus thrived on his victim's fear. She refused to give it to him. "And just how am I plotting against you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Orb of Thessulah… Great big whammy of a curse…" His cold, dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ringing any bells?"

Jenny felt her heart leap and her pulse accelerated. He knew. Oh God. "I—"

Angelus interrupted her with a short curse. "Damn, and here I thought I'd gotten all of them suckers when I trashed that shop in L.A." he shook his head. "I must be getting sloppy. I'll have to change that."

Fear merged with surprise. Chills raced up her spine. "It was you?!" Angelus grinned and Jenny nodded resignedly. "Of course it was," she conceded. Why hadn't she realized it right away? "Without the orb there is no curse," she said flatly.

He winked. "Knew you were smarter than you look." His eyes strayed to the papers she held clutched in her right hand and Jenny instantly tried to hide them behind her back, but Angelus had spotted them and knew they held something that was damaging to him and his well-being. He made a *tsking* sound. "Jenny-Jenny-Jenny," he chided, "why do I get the feeling getting the orb isn't the only plotting you've been doing behind my back?"

Jenny gave a soft cry and rushed for her bedroom, hoping she could make it to the door before the demon did…

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Giles arrived at Jenny's apartment precisely ten minutes later. Jenny was nowhere to be seen, but he deduced she was more than like running a bit late and waited for a few minutes before turning off his engine and heading inside her apartment building to fetch her.

The first thing Giles noticed that signaled something was terribly wrong was Jenny's front door standing wide open. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as he walked into the apartment.

"Jenny?" he called, but he already knew she would not be answering him. Her apartment was a mess. Ransacked, with tables and chairs thrown pell-mell across the room. Jenny's tiny office space, while always cluttered, looked like a tornado had blown through it, papers were everywhere and her computer had been destroyed, the tower and monitor lay on the floor, ripped asunder and shattered beyond all repair. He glanced to the right and saw her bedroom door. It had been broken down, busted right off the hinges, pieces of it lying awkwardly in the doorframe, signaling the violence it had taken to tear it down.

Giles felt the sickening twist of fear churn within his gut.

"Angelus…" he breathed, rushing across the floor towards Jenny's bedroom, both anxious and horribly frightened about what he might find within.

"Jenny!" he shouted, freezing in the doorway, eyes widening behind his glasses as he stared at the bed. He couldn't take his gaze off the dark haired figure of a woman lying utterly motionless on the bed, her body twisted and posed in a manner that was both erotic and obscene. Bile rose in his throat as Giles stumbled towards the bed, sudden tears filling his eyes and blurring his vision momentarily…

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Sunnydale:

Buffy sprinted across town, her heart racing along with her heartbeat as she used her preternatural speed to run the entire way to Jenny Calendar's apartment. Giles had called her in full meltdown-mode, and the only things she had been able to make out of the conversation were the words "Angelus"… "Jenny"… and "hide the body"! The agonized fear she felt at the possibility that her lover had murdered her Watcher's girlfriend helped keep her going full speed ahead. In the (less than five) minutes after she hung up with Giles, Buffy was bounding up the steps of Jenny's building, shooting inside the quaint complex in a burst of sheer adrenaline fueled terror and running along the halls until she came to the open door of the teacher's home. Like Giles, she paused in the doorway, surprised and dismayed at the pandemonium inside. Someone had obviously ripped the place apart searching for something, and Buffy felt her heart clench in dread. Had Angelus done this—even after everything they had shared earlier tonight? He had made love to her over and over and she had thought the ugliness of a spell gone all-kinds-of-bad was over and done with, but maybe it wasn't. Had his lovemaking been a trick tonight? A trap to set her up for this? Had he killed Jenny just to prove to her how beyond her control he really was?

It was too diabolical to even contemplate. "No! Please no," she said softly, whimpering the words, her anguish nearly choking her.

She crept into the house, stepping around and over the broken furniture. Giles was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands and Buffy quietly made her way to him. "Giles?" she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder as she sank down onto the cushion next to him.

"She's dead," he whispered.

Buffy felt sick. So it was true. He had set her up and this had to be Angelus. Buffy knew it, she wasn't that big a fool! Only he would want Jenny dead. She was of the Romany and they had cursed him to begin with.

"Jenny's…dead?" she asked brokenly, steeling herself for the answer that would shatter her dreams and crush her very soul.

Giles raised his head and to her surprise, he did not appear defeated—he seemed angry, but not shattered. "No. Her neighbor," he told the shocked (and unwillingly relieved) Slayer. Before Buffy could reply, Giles spoke again—echoing her own thoughts and emotions. "And I'm not quite sure what I feel more guilt about, my relief it wasn't Jenny on that bed, or the fact that I was not here to protect her… or her neighbor."

Buffy's mind spun. If it wasn't Jenny in there, then was it really Angelus?

"So, if that's her neighbor inside, where's Jenny? And who took her?"

Giles gave a short humorless laugh. "You know the answer to that, Buffy." He took his glasses off and polished them determinedly before slipping them back on. "You of all people know what he is capable of."

Yes, she did. The numerous scenarios of what he was capable of kept her silent, along with the guilt clogging her throat, making speech nearly impossible anyhow.

Giles was not feeling so un-talkative. He got to his feet and began to pace. "Angelus has kidnapped her, probably because she wanted to help Angel!" he bit out, his rage palpable. "And if he harms a hair on her head I will personally shove a stake so far into his heart his ashes will have ashes floating around in the wind! And I don't bloody well care if that bothers you right now, Buffy! He has Jenny. We have to find him."

Buffy didn't say a word. She was too aggrieved at the situation, not to mention, she didn't blame Giles. She put her feelings aside and allowed the Slayer in her to emerge. "We'll find him, Giles," she told her watcher—the man who was more of a father to her than her own. "And if he's hurt her," she added, "you won't have to stake him." Buffy felt her heart harden. "I'll do it for you."

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A deserted highway:

Angelus sped down the freeway towards Los Angeles. He had hotwired a car back in Sunnydale, and despite a few bumps and snags as he literally taught himself to drive, he now comfortable behind the wheel and well on his way to L.A.; his only intention: destroying the last known Orb of Thessulah in existence. The Gypsy was in the seat next to him. He'd debated killing her and leaving her body for Ripper to find, but had decided against it. He wanted her Rom powers to help him figure out the curse he was presently infected with—the dark love spell. However, his malicious nature could not resist leaving his dinner (Jenny's neighbor) displayed in her stead. He smirked as he imagined the Watcher's face when he first laid eyes on his display. Although not as pretty, the neighbor had borne a striking resemblance to Jenny, it was the reason Angelus had chosen her to begin with, and he could only imagine Giles had believed it to be his love in those first earth shattering seconds.

He chuckled evilly. "I would have paid cold hard cash to have seen that."

Jenny stirred next to him and he glanced her way, a scowl dragging his brows down. She was still unconscious and, Angelus was happy to keep her like that, so he waited a moment, hoping she was not about to awake. Luckily for them both, she moaned softly, shifted a bit, but was still out. He sighed. Good. She was a brassy broad and if he had to listen to her bitch all the way to L.A., well, he might just kill her after all!

He pressed his foot harder on the pedal of his "borrowed" mustang, gunning the big engine and asking for more speed. The car immediately responded, accelerating to almost 100 mph in a heartbeat.

Angelus grinned. The speed of the car gave him a feeling of power. "Gotta love 20th century technology," he said, turning the radio up just a bit, feeling carefree for the moment as he practically flew towards the final step in getting rid of his soul once and for all.

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Okay guys, I know there was no Buffy & Angelus interaction in this chappie, sorry, but I felt like I had to remind us all who and what Angelus is. He's a demon, and I realized I had almost defanged him in the last few chappies. I wanted his bite back, but I didn't want him to just kill Jenny. That is just to cliché. In my world, (unlike Joss's) he's smarter than that and would see a way to use her to get what he wants…freedom—forever!

Anyhow, sorry for the delay in getting this chappie up, but I hope you all enjoyed having dark Angelus back in the driver's seat! ;) He's baaaaaccckkk…

Anyhow, please click that blue button and let musie know what you think. She's a greedy review whore who thrives on your comments. :) :)

I'm busy working on the next chappie as I post this, but I'd love to hear all your thoughts and suggestions. I'm real excited about this next chappie, so you definitely will not have a long wait for it. :)

Hugs everyone…

Jenna