Brave New World

Chapter 3
As Buffy finished dressing she caught sight of the body of a little girl, perhaps not even 7 years old, which she had failed to noticed bef At At first the sight saddened her, but then she noticed the doll still clenched in the child's arms. **Perfect, ** she thought to herself, **I could use that.** She walked over to the child and bent over to get the doll just as Willow re-entered the room.

"What are you doing?" she growled seeing Buffy bent over the dead little girl in the corner.

**ShowTime!** thought Buffy as she slowly straighten and turned.

"She needs me," said Buffy, smiling as she faced Willow.

"Who" asks Willow as she steps closer threateningly.

"Mary," replied Buffy while holding the doll close to her chest. "She needs someone to care for her. I want to take her hunting." Buffy hoped that her words would sound as crazy to Willow as she thought they were to herself. She smiled at Willow then quickly lowered her eyes as if in subservience, but in reality, she was afraid that Willow would see the truth in her eyes.

"Whatever," said Willow in contempt and disgust at the rapid display of servitude that Buffy was showing. Normally, a minion with this attitude would have pleased her. But in this girl . . . the Slayer who had managed to kill her beloved Xander, such groveling only filled her with rage that someone so weak could have destroyed someone as strong as her Xander had been.

"Come," she ordered curtly, "the Master awaits."

Willow led the way towards the Master without even a backwards glance to see if Buffy was following. Buffy followed, her hopes rising both in her plan and in her ability to pull it off. Clutching the doll to her chest and silently saying prayer of thanks, she moved forward to face the Master, and hoped he would be deceived as well.

Willow led Buffy to the Master's throne room. She strode with confidence and ease right up to the Master, ignoring the other vampires who were present.

"Master. There seems to be something wrong with your new toy."

Before the Master could ask Willow to explain further, Buffy sy sty strolled into the room. Hugging the doll, she gazes around the room. She cocked her head, as if she was listening to someone. "Your right Mary," she said to the doll, "everything is so very beautiful here." Stepping into the room, she looks up at the Master for a moment before again lowering her head in the same subservient gesture that she had done to Willow, earlier. "Master, will Mary and I be allowed to go out hunting?" She began to softly sing to the doll.

As the Master looked on at Buffy's antics, he groaned inside. **Great, just what I need,** he thought sarcastically, **another Druscilla.** Despite her flair for creating terror and bloodshed, the Master considered Druscilla's continual ramblings to be enough to drive the sanest vampire crazy. But at least Drucilla kept Spike occupied, though the Master was still puzzled as to why he had remained devoted to that insane vampiress for so long, it wasn't as if she were even his sire. He knew that with Sp's r's ruthlessness and intelligence he could easily be the head of a huge vampire kingdom. **Possibly one even rivaling my own,** he thought, **so it is probably just as well that Spike is distracted by having to care for Dru.**

"How disappointing," he murmured.

He stood and called over to Buffy, "Childe, come forth."

At first Buffy froze in panic. However, when she saw the Master start to become angry she rushed over to his side. Only to find herself on her butt after being struck by the Master. Stifling her desire to strike back, she whimpered and cowered at his feet in order to stay consistent with the crazy character she was posing as.

With an angry glare, the Master coldly told her, "When I give you an order, you will obey without hesitation. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master," Buffy cried out, trying to sound as frightened as possible whilst in reality she was livid with anger.

"Good," the Master smiled evilly at her. "Sit," he then ordered while pointing to an empty spot on the floor by his feet.

Obediently, Buffy quickly moved to the spot and sat down. She was about to continue her charade of playing with the doll, when she was startled by the feel of the Master placing his hand on her head. The Master chuckled as he felt her jump and the he began to stroke and play with her hair. Ignoring the thought that he was treating her like a pet dog, Buffy settled back and began to enjoy the sensations stirring within her from his stroking of her hair. She found herself leaning into the Master's caress, much to his delight. Surprising both herself and the Master, Buffy suddenly started purring with a low throaty rumble.

**How the hell am I doing that?** she thought to herself. **Why am I doing that? Why does his touch feel so good to me? I hate him. I should feel disgust at his touch, but instead I'm feeling so good . . . Oh, God! It's making me horny. What is going on with me?** The only plausible explanation that she could come up with was that the demon now inside of her was responding to the touch of its Sire.
Suddenly, she sensed the approach of someone or something that brought a tingle of familiarity to her mind. Buffy sat stiffly upright and ceased purring. The Master chuckled again at her response. He pulled Buffy up into his lap and then turned her chin to face him.

"I have had a surprise brought here for you, childe," he said with a wicked grin. Three vampires entered the room, two of them dragging the unconscious body of a human. Buffy could not make out who it was, but she braced herself as her thoughts gave rise to a horrid possibility. She knew this was going to be another test.

"Master, we have brought the one you asked for," the vampire in the lead said as it knelt before the Master and bowed his head. When the other two vampires dragged the human into view, Buffy could finally see who it was.

It was her Watcher. It was Merrick.
****
Buffy knew why they had brought him. It was a test. She had managed to pass this test the first time, but it had been a stranger then and she had been starving for blood, having been a newly risen vampire. But now the test would be harder, because now she was not starving, and yet, she would, no doubt, still be expected to feed on this man whom she knew from her past. This man, who had been the closest person to her for every day of the last 5 years, ever since her parents had been murdered by vampires. Who had trained her in her duties as a Slayer.

She realized the Master was watching for her reaction. That he would be wondering if she did not react properly to Merrick's presence. She worried about what would happen to herself if she did not show the correct response. He watched as Buffy lips slowly formed an evil grin.

"Is that for me, Master?" Buffy asked with as much awe and wonder as if she had just been presented with a diamond necklace.

"I thought you might enjoy a little treat," he told her. Knowing that Merrick would be killed no matter what she did, Buffy frantically cast about in her mind for any idea on what she could do to avoid having to do the deed herself. If this was to be her treat, she would rather have the punishment.
Willow, who had been watching from the back of the room, slowly strolled forward to press herself close to the Master. She growled at Buffy who, in turn, growled back.

"Now, now girls," admonished the Master, "there will be no fighting in public over me. That should be kept in private. In any case, Childe, you had best respect your elders," he said looking pointedly at Buffy. "You are too young to be challenging anyone." Pulling Buffy closer to his chest, he turned towards Willow, "What is it, My Dear?" he asked as he began stroking Buffy's hair, again.
"Bored now," she pouted to him, "No Puppy to play with, and Xander is gone." She reached out and started to play with Buffy's hair as well. Annoyed at her touch, Buffy tried tilting her head to pull her hair away from Willow's hand. Willow paid no attention and continued toying with Buffy's hair. "Wanna play a game?" she said. She leaned against the Master in order to whisper into his ear, low but loud enough that Buffy could still hear her. "How about we chain her up in his cell, and then she will have to convince him to unchain her, before she can eat him. Maybe even pretend to still be his little Slayer," Willow finished with a sneer at Buffy and a yank on her hair. Buffy let out another low growl, a plan of her own forming in her mind.

"How delightfully deceptive," the Master complimented Willow. She smiled and continued to wind Buffy's hair in her fingers. "Throw the Watcher into the cell," he ordered the two vampire's holding Merrick.

He was about to dismiss the rest of the vampires, when Buffy let out a snarl, jerked her head around and bit into Willow's hand. Willow screamed in pain, yanked her hand away and took a step back in shock at having been attacked. Once she recovered from her shock, she would have attacked Buffy had the Master not been there.

The Master was enraged. He grabbed Buffy around her throat, stood up and threw her to the floor. "Enough!" he shouted. When Willow stalked forward, intent on tearing into Buffy, he lashed out at her, striking her face with the back of his hand. Willow froze in shock again, stunned that the Master would hit Her. Then she noticed his face and saw his rage. She took a step back.

"Leave" he told her, and then addressing the remaining vampires he shouted, "Everyone Out!" Every vampire fled the room as rapidly as they could; any and all desire to see what punishment the Master would inflict on Buffy, was stifled by the fear of being near him when he was this angry.

When the last vampire had left the room, the Master turned to glare down at Buffy. She was staring at him with eyes wide with fear, no longer having trouble faking it. She knew she was in serious trouble now. She had bit Willow intentionally, hoping that the "treat" of letting her feed on Merrick would be withdrawn and given to someone else. But now Buffy was terrified that she had made a mistake, that she had overstepped her limits by too much, and that she might not survive her coming punishment.
"I'm sorry, Master!" she screamed and groveled on the floor as the Master approached her. Saying nothing, he drew his leg back and kicked her in the chest. Flying across the floor, Buffy let out a scream of agony as she felt several of her ribs break. The Master glared down at her, and Buffy could feel the waves of rage flowing from him. Lying on the floor, she curled into a fetal position in pain and terror. The Master reached down and grabbed her by her hair. Pulling her to her feet, he proceeded to drag her along after him through the deserted hallways to his personal chambers. Upon entering his chambers, he threw Buffy to the floor once again.

"What did you think you were doing?" her yelled while kicking her in her back.

"I'm sorry, Master," she sobbed in fear. "She was hurting me."

"Rise up and strip," he snarled at her. Buffy scrambled to obey, fighting to stifle the pain radiating from her chest. Knowing she had no choice but to obey. She had never known as much fear as she was currently experiencing. It was a humbling new experience. In all her time as a Slayer, she had always fought with absolute confidence against any demon that she had encountered. She would, on occasion, experienced a sensation of some stomach churning tension, but only in anticipation of a big fight. Until now, however, she had never really known just how horrible fear could be. How powerfully it could affect her. Incapacitating her by freezing her thoughts and making her feel weak and helpless. She could only obey the orders that she was given and pray that she would survive.

Grabbing a whip from a trunk in the corner, the Master watched as she removed the last of her clothes and stood trembling before him. "Against the wall," he ordered in a soft, low voice. Buffy turned around and placed her hands against the wall. She whimpered in anticipation of the coming pain.
The first lash struck down the center of her back, and she let out a shriek of pain. But she did not move from her position.

"You will remain silent," the Master said simply before raising his arm to administer the next lash. Buffy clenched her teeth, desperately trying not to enrage him any further.

The Master proceeded to slowly whip Buffy, pausing between each lash to allow the pain to sink in. After she has received over two dozen lashes without a cry, he began to speak to her. He punctuated every sentence with another lash from the whip.

"Childe, you will learn respect and obedience to me."

CRACK *
"You will respect and obey any and all whom that I tell you to."
* CRACK *
"You are never to fight against any punishment that you are given."
* CRACK *
"You are nothing but a fledgling."
* CRACK *
"No, you are less than a fledgling."
* CRACK *
"You were a Slayer."
* CRACK *
"You lived by killing our kind."
* CRACK *
"For that you should suffer for all eternity."
* CRACK *
"As a Vampire, you have nothing to contribute, to make amends for your crimes against Us."
* CRACK *
"You are nothing now but a disappointing, weakness."
* CRACK *
"So, until I can find a use for you, you are a toy to my minions and myself."
* CRACK *
"You will suffer, and enjoy it."
CRACK *

"Is that understood, Childe?" he asked as he lowered the whip.

"Yes, Master!" Buffy cried out, her searing physical agony being matched by her screams of despair in her mind. As the Master's words sank in, she realized that she had made a huge mistake. Vampires enjoyed tormenting the weak and were careful to avoid offending the strong. By playing a lunatic, she had inadvertently given a green light to be the focus of attention for the pack to torment, rather than be ignored, as she had expected. And it was too late to do anything to change it. Any change in her behavior now would surely give away her deception to the Master. No she would have to continue to play the fool, and pray that they didn't break her before she could escape or get her revenge.

The Master looked at his handy work. Buffy's back was raw with welts and cuts from the whip. It had been a while since he had indulged himself with a whipping session and he was quite pleased with the results. In fact, he was extremely aroused by it.

"On the bed. On you hands and knees. Facing the wall," he said simply. Buffy quickly moved into position as instructed, biting her lower lip to keep from whimpering from the pain in her back. She heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and then felt the Master step into position behind her.
Without preamble, the Master rammed his cock forcefully into her. Her recently virginal passage still dry and tight, Buffy cried out in pain at the sudden invasion. Ignoring her outburst, the Master continued to thrust into her, his hands clamping down on her waist, rubbing at the freshly torn skin on her back, sending even more waves of pain coursing though her body. As her body adjusted, and the constant pain began to dull, Buffy felt her vagina finally begin to moisten in defense against the Master's punishing thrusts inside of her. Before he finished, he pulled out of her and moved around the bed until he was in front of Buffy's face. Without a word, he grabbed her by her hair and began to pump his cock into her mouth and throat. Buffy could taste her own blood, as she started to lick and suck on it. Her mind had shutdown, numb from the pain and despair and shock over her situation. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, he climaxed inside her mouth and forced her to swallow his cold seed. As he stepped away from her, Buffy bowed her head in exhaustion, pain and humiliation, but remained on her hands and knees.

"Much better," he said with a chuckle. "You may rest for a while, now Childe," he said as he left Buffy in the room alone. Buffy collapsed into tears until she finally dropped off into a healing sleep.

*****
Waking sometime later, to the feel of someone once again playing with her hair, Buffy slowly opened her eyes to see the Master sitting by her head. She tried to quickly move away, but found herself in too much pain to move in any fashion except very slowly. She lowered her eyes from the Master's and softly queried, "What does my Sire request of me?"

Pleased with her response, the Master smiled and only said, "It is time. You must be dressed, properly." He pointed her to a pile of clothing on a table. They were the same clothes that she had been wearing when she arrived in Sunnydale just a few days ago, although it now seemed like ages. She began to dress, not daring to question why he wanted her in them.

"What are we going to do now, Master?" she asked when she had finished dressing.

"You are going to see an old friend," he replied with a smile.

Buffy froze as she recalled Merrick. **Oh God, No!** she thought. After all that she had endured, and they were still going to make her kill him. She cursed her stupidity at thinking that would have gotten her off the hook. All it had done was get her a severe whipping.

"What is wrong, Childe?" the Master asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Don't you want to say 'Hello' to your old Watcher?"

Realizing she had been caught, Buffy played dumb. "W- Watcher?" she asked while trying tok cok confused. "Yes, your Watcher. Whom you are going to eat, or is there something wrong with that?" he said as he grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards him. With a bewildered look on her face, Buffy stared back into the Master's eyes and asked with a slight whine to her voice, "But- But what about Mary?"

With a sigh the Master released her chin. **Shst bst be mad** he thought to himself. To Buffy he replies, "Do not worry about your doll, Childe, she is fine. You will have her back when I am satisfied that you have learned proper respect for your betters."

"Yes, Master," Buffy replied softly, her head bowed to hide the slight smile that had formed on her lips. She realized that the Master did indeed think that she was touched. **It may be a stupid plan, but I sure as hell am going to try to pull it off** she thought to herself.

In a surprising move, the Master picked Buffy up off of her feet and began to carry her draped across both of his arms. Buffy was startled, but bit her lip to keep from admitting the pain that was coursing through her, due to his arm pressing into her back. She knew it was supposed to be an honor for the Master to carry her thusly, and she didn't need any more punishment if she were to complain.

Finally, they reach a room that Buffy had been to once before. Where she had met the strange vampire Angel, who had told her that he had been waiting for her to come to Sunnydale. And now, lying there, where Angel had once been, was the unconscious form of Merrick.

The Master carried Buffy into the cell. "Do you remember the plan?" he asked as he chained her up to the wall.

"Yes, Master," she softly replied. "I am to pretend to still be his Slayer and get him to release me before I kill him."

"Very good. If you do well, I may go easier on you the next time. I have always thought that the end of a relationship should be a private matter, and since this one is about to end in the most permanent manner possible, you will be left alone here until sundown. No one will come here during the day. Oh and do watch out for the sun coming through that window. We wouldn't want you becoming a pile of dust now, would we?" The Master exited the cell and locked the door. After placing the cell key on a hook on the far wall, he then placed the key for Buffy's chains on a conveniently positioned table near the cell. Within easy reach of its occupant

"Remember Childe, the longer you play, the more fun it is." And with that last piece of advice, the Master left Buffy alone with Merrick.

With a horrible feeling of despair and dread, Buffy stared over at Merrick wishing he would stay asleep but sensing him beginning to stir to consciousness. **What am I going to do? ** she thought to herself. She slumped down against the wall and began, once more, to cry.

And, as the new day's sun began to rise, Merrick woke up.