Taking the Initiative

Chapter 1

            Buffy just needed some air.  She walked along a well worn cemetery path, wondering if the stench of zombie could still be detected in her hair.  What a welcome home party.  Lectures and accusations laced with unscheduled, yet stinky, slayage.  The joys of homecoming.  Wouldn’t it be nice to just melt into a special someone’s arms and let them kiss the hurt away?  Oh, that’s right, can’t do that.  Sent special someone to hell.  She came to a sudden stop as she realized where she was.  The mansion. 

            She stood there for quite some time, just looking at it.  On the outside it looked like any other building.  You couldn’t see the pain that coated its walls.  Just like her.  No one could seem to see the pain that coated her insides.  She took a deep breath and turned to walk away.  Just as her lungs filled to the point of pain with fresh oxygen, several bolts of electricity arched throughout her body.  She remembered the pain and the falling, but she could never remember exhaling.  What happened to that one breath?

            The next thing she was aware of was color, or lack of it.  Everything was glaringly white.  She felt sore and disoriented.  She tried to stand, but a heavy pressure in her head weighed her down.  She lifted one arm up, it’s funny, her brain was able to tell the arm to move, but she couldn’t feel it.  She could see the moving arm, but it was like watching someone else’s body.  The only things that felt real to her were the bright lights and the pressure in her skull.  The arm reached her face and suddenly it gained weight.  No sooner had the sensation hit then the arm fell with a thud against her chest.  All at once everything in her began to come alive.  It was like her whole body had been ‘asleep’ and now was coming ‘awake’ with sharp pins and needles.  This was so not good.

            “Just take it easy, Slayer.  Let it wash over you, before you try to move.”  A muffled voice reached her ears.  She tried to look towards it.  It was coming towards her right.  She managed to get her head turned in that direction.  Her eyes scanned the white room.  It was like looking in a fun house room of mirrors, white room after white room stretched on for eternity.  A black smudge caught her attention.  The room closest to her held something.  She let her eyes focus on it for a few seconds.  Spike.  It was Spike.

            “Hello.  Thought you were never going to wake up, didn’t we luv?”  Spike looked passed Buffy to the room on the other side of her.  She turned slowly to look, wincing as the white lights caught her vision.  There on the other side, was Drusilla.  At least Buffy thought it was Drusilla.  The vampire had changed a great deal in the months Buffy had been in Los Angeles.  She was extremely emaciated and chunks of her hair seemed to be falling out.  Buffy didn’t know what prompted her, but she gave the insane vampire a little smile.

            Dru smiled back.  “I should be cross with you.  It’s not nice to send a girl’s Daddy to hell.  I won’t be though.  The pixies whispered to me.  They told me things about you.  Told me to play with you; that I needed a friend.  Will you be my friend, Slayer?”  Dru’s voice was even more muffled than Spike’s.

            Buffy managed a tiny nod.  Even such a slight movement sent a wave of nausea coursing through her.

            “Keep still, Slayer.  It takes some time after getting’ zapped to get your bearings back,” Spike instructed her.  Spike was glad for some company and would have advised the young girl even if Drusilla hadn’t warned him of the importance of her coming.  He looked on as Buffy tried to calm herself.  “Bet you wanna know what’s the what, huh?”  He didn’t wait for her to respond; he knew what it would cost her.  “Well pet, you’ve been captured by a government outfit called the Initiative.  They like to collect demons and do nasty things with them.  Suppose to them, a super-girl is just another thing to run their experiments on.”

            Buffy felt like she’d been hit.  She was the good guy.  Why capture her?  Then she thought of Drusilla.  Is that why the vampire looked so terrible?  What had they been doing to her?  Buffy understood killing a monster, but this was sick and just plain wrong.  Once she could sit up, she had to get someone to talk to her.  She was sure if she explained who she was, that they would let her go.  Of course she would leave out the coming back part.  No way she could leave Spike and Drusilla like this.  She would save them for Angel’s sake, if nothing else.

            Just as her body was starting to return to normal, she heard boot steps coming from down the corridor.  She tried to sit up at the swoosh of the glass wall opening.  “No need to move hostile #40.  We’re just here for some more blood samples.” 

            Buffy looked at the speaker.  It was a woman in her mid-forties dressed in a lab coat.  There were three armed soldiers with her.  “What…”  Buffy croaked.

            “Don’t try to talk, it will only bring you discomfort.”  The woman said as she stuck a needle into Buffy’s arm.

            “You need to know…”  Buffy started.

            “Who you are?  You’re the slayer.  I’m Doctor Maggie Walsh.”  The woman withdrew a vial and replaced it with another one.

            “You need to know…”  Buffy tried again.

            “That the slayer is the chosen one?  The one girl in all the world?”  Walsh supplied, slipping yet another vial in.

            “Then why?”  Buffy asked.

            “Because one is not enough.  There are vast unknown numbers of hostiles in this world, Miss Summers.  One girl is not enough.  The purpose of this organization is to eradicate the existence of all hostiles.  Species extinction.  My purpose in this organization is to supply the army in which to do it.”  She extracted the last vial and with no further words, left the room.  The soldiers followed and the glass door swooshed shut.

            “Aint that nice?”  Spike said.  “They’re using us to kill us.”  Drusilla let out a little giggle at Spike’s words.

            “They’re insane.”  Buffy rasped.  She would kill for a drink of water, she really would.  “You can’t eliminate a species, several species.  For a scientist, she’s kind of stupid.”

            “That she is, pet.”  Spike said.  He cocked his head to the side.  “They’re comin’ back.  It’s feeding time at the zoo.”  He backed into the far corner of his enclosure.  Buffy turned her head and saw Drusilla do the same.  Two of the three soldiers from earlier approached Drusilla’s cell.  The one was pushing a cart with all sorts of containers on it.  The other opened the door and walked directly over to Drusilla.  He pulled out a stun gun and gave her a jolt of electricity.

            “Hey!  What the hell did you do that for?”  Buffy yelled hoarsely.  Neither soldier spared her a glance.  Buffy watched in horror as the first soldier began to put his hands under Dru’s dress.  The second one seemed content to just pull contents from the tray and place them on the floor.

            Buffy realized that Drusilla, though not moving, was staring intently into Spike’s cage.  Buffy looked back and saw that Spike, still in the far corner of his cell, had his eyes boring into Drusilla’s.  Buffy felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach; this was routine.  She turned back to see the first soldier doing up his pants.  Both men then left the room and headed to Buffy’s.

            Buffy saw the stun gun come out.  She tried to brace herself for it, she really did, but it took her over completely.  Apparently you can’t prepare for electric shock.  At least it was a much smaller voltage than what she’s suffered when they brought her in. The first soldier’s name tag said Erling.  Buffy made sure to commit that name to memory.  He reached down and pinched her nipples, hard, then he just laughed.  “Not allowed to do anything to you today sweet-thing.  The Doc’s got some special plans for you, says we gotta break you in slow-like.”  He turned around and left.

            Buffy looked on the floor and saw a paper towel with a sandwich and a small pouch-like drink.  The thought of food right now made her sick, but she supposed when she got the feeling back in her legs, she’d better try and eat.  She would need her strength to kill these people.

            She heard a noise and looked over at Spike’s cell.  Hey, at least there was no sexual discrimination here.  She noticed that Spike was looking at the ground and not at Dru.  She turned towards Drusilla’s cell and saw the insane vampire rocking back and forth and sucking on a now empty bag of blood.  Buffy turned back toward Spike and hissed, “Spike!”  He looked up at her and the shame she saw in his eyes made her angrier than she had ever been before.  She conveyed with everything she had – a promise - these men would die.  She kept her eyes locked on his.  He was a drowning man, and she was his life-preserver.  The second man, whose nametag read Padget, pulled out of Spike and gave Buffy a sick smile of satisfaction.

            After the soldiers had gone, she and Spike made their way over to their food.  They ate in silence.  There was nothing to say.

Author’s note:  Becky, sorry for the confusion.  If Buffy were facing the back of her cell, Spike would be in the cell on left and Drusilla in the cell on the right.  Thanks for your review it’s ever so appreciated.

Chapter 2

            Buffy was unable to count the days.  Time meant nothing in these white walls.  At first she tried to keep track by the rapes, but it turned out that the guards were rotated often.  They each had their own level of cruelty.  The things done to her were nothing compared to what was being done to Spike and Drusilla.  Each and every slight against them was like a mark in her soul.  She was a walking tally sheet, and thoughts of revenge were what kept her sane.

            She was removed from her cell frequently.  All manner of things were injected into her body.  They were trying to build a super soldier; a slayer who would stay eternally young or a vampire that could walk in the sunlight.  They were failing, because no matter what mutations they managed on their bodies, they would never have their loyalty.

            Dru’s fragile mind was growing weaker everyday.  She needed freedom and fresh blood, and so help her, but Buffy wished she could provide them for her.  She found herself watching the soldiers with an ever more predatory eye.  They were ceasing to become humans.  They were turning into prey.

            Buffy sat in her cell singing softly to Drusilla.  Spike watched the both of them intently.  He could hear footsteps coming down the hall, two sets, but there was nothing unusual about that.  They came and went at all hours – extracting things from them – adding hell knows what to their food and their bodies.  He did stiffen just a bit when it was Dru’s cell the men stopped at.  Buffy’s singing ceased.  Both Buffy and Spike gave heavy stares to the intruders.

            The men entered Drusilla’s cell and injected her with something blue.  Within seconds, she fell at their feet.  The tallest of the guards stared at her oddly and shrugged.  He didn’t even glance at his comrade before the two of them bent down in tandem and grabbed Drusilla’s arms and legs.  They carried the unconscious woman out of the cell and down the hall.

            When the footsteps were gone, Buffy and Spike turned to look at one another.  Buffy made her way over to the edge of her cell, close to Spike.  She knew they were monitored at all times, knew no matter how quietly they whispered, that they would be heard.  Still, she spoke low when she spoke, “Now what?”  Spike sat there, as still as death.

            Drusilla had been gone for what Buffy figured to be about two days.  In that time, Buffy and Spike had been left relatively alone.  Though the guards were not allowed to play with Buffy themselves, she was regularly beaten and tortured in an observation room.  Her every reaction was carefully documented.  They were measuring her tolerance to pain and her healing ability, and though no man had entered her, the doctors freely inserted all manner of objects into every cavity possible, but not these past two days.  Apparently everyone was occupied elsewhere.  It sent a chill into the two who waited behind.

            Spike had moved close to the glass in order to sit beside Buffy.  He sensed she needed the comfort, though they could not touch.  It was funny how they did not feel the need to talk without Drusilla there.  Normally, all three of them took turns telling stories and singing songs.  Now, there was just silence.

            As they sat there, leaning side by side against the glass partition, they heard a tiny squeaking sound.  Humans would never be able to detect it.  They both knew that meant a gurney was being wheeled down the hall.  Buffy and Spike tensed in expectation.  They watched as the same two men who had carried Dru out, wheeled her back in.  They transferred her to the cot in the cell.  She had a sheet draped over her.  She wasn’t moving.  Before they left, they slowly pulled the sheet away and took it with them.

            Spike hissed and Buffy’s eyes hardened in hatred.  What had they done to her?  Drusilla’s hair had been completely shaved, and not neatly, her head was littered with nicks and tracks.  She had a deep incision that ran along the top of her skull with thick black stitching thread.  There was extensive bruising all around her skull and her skin was shrunken and pulled tight in a manner that suggested she had lost a lot of blood and had not been fed.

            Buffy got up and moved toward Drusilla’s cell.  She placed her hands on the glass.  “Dru?”  She said softly, then louder “Drusilla!”

            “Hush, luv.  She’s not dead or she’d be dust.  Best let her rest while she can.”  Spike said quietly.

            Buffy turned to him and ran to his side of the glass.  She put her hands on the barrier and sobbed openly.  Spike just pretended to caress her face as he uttered soothing words.  After all her tears were gone, she slid to the ground.  They waited for Dru to wake up.  Waited to see what had been done to her. 

Thanks for the reviews:  becky, Saryrical Minx, Kate, Sara, Burnz, Rose Waldron, Skip Ward, and mmmspike – they are so very appreciated.

Chapter 3

            The door to Buffy’s cell slid open, startling both her and Spike.  They’d been so intently staring at the still sleeping Drusilla that they hadn’t even heard the approach of Dr. Walsh and her soldiers. 

            “Oh, she’ll be out for a while longer Miss. Summers.”  Dr. Walsh said as she came to a halt in front of Buffy. 

            “What do you want?”  Buffy asked looking up at the person she had come to hate most in this world, or any world for that matter.

            “I need some information on the origins of the slayer.” 

            “I thought you knew all there was to know,” Buffy growled.

            “I never said that.  Obviously, if we are studying you Miss. Summers, we are seeking information.  My studies are not producing the results that I am looking for.  I thought perhaps that if I knew where you came from, I might be able to make the proper adjustments.”

            “Why would I tell you anything?  What are you going to do?  Torture me?  Torture them?  Gosh, you’re already doing that.  I gotta tell ya Doc, I’m not seeing the incentive,” Buffy mocked.

            Dr. Walsh looked down at the girl.  She was so small, and yet she held the power to everything Dr. Walsh needed.  “What do you want?  I won’t let you go.”

            “How about letting Spike and Drusilla go?  You can always grab a couple more vampires.”  Buffy looked hard at Doctor Walsh.  “Let them go and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

            “Sorry, but we’ve invested way too much in them.  No deal.”  Walsh held all of the cards and she knew it.  Just then Drusilla began to wake.  She immediately put her frail hands to her head and started screaming.

            “Help her!”  Buffy yelled.

            “There’s nothing I can do.”  Walsh looked on with interest.

            “Then let me in there!  Let me take care of her and I’ll tell you what I can,” Buffy offered desperately.  Drusilla was starting to seize and her wails were turning into guttural gasps.

            Dr. Walsh looked at Buffy with surprise.  “Okay.”

            “Originally the demons were the dominant species here on earth.  A time came where they were sort of kicked out.  Some into the bowels of the earth, some to alternate dimensions, and some simply changed into the world around us – like absorbed or something.  So anyway, now there are all these humans running around, but the occasional demon gets out and has himself a good time snacking on the locals.  So some wise guys get together and make a super girl.  They put the power into her.  When she dies, the power goes into another girl.  That’s all I know,” Buffy said as quickly as she could.

            “That isn’t very much.  It is helpful, however.”  Walsh muttered almost to herself.

            “So let me in there!” Buffy yelled pointing to Drusilla’s cell.

            “Very well.”  Walsh turned and left the room.  Two of the soldiers grabbed Buffy’s arms and dragging her, threw her into Drusilla’s cell.  Buffy turned herself so that she landed on her feet.  She spared the men a brief glance of triumph mixed with hatred before she ran to Dru. 

            She gently pulled the thrashing girl off the cot and into her arms.  She walked over to the corner of the cell closest to Spike and slid to the floor with Drusilla cradled in her arms.  She rocked her back and forth trying to calm her down.

            “Dru, it’s Buffy.  You need to feed.  You need to calm down enough to shift.  Come on baby.” 

            “Slayer, try dripping a little bit of blood into her mouth,” Spike yelled.  He wished with everything he had that he was in that cell with them.

            Buffy used her own teeth to break the skin on her wrist.  She pressed it to Drusilla’s lips.  She watched as the demon immediately came forth and sank its teeth into her flesh.  She was prepared for her own pain, nothing had prepared her for Drusilla’s.  The girl’s head flew back and her arms came up to press against her skull as she gave a primal scream.

            “What the fuck did you to her?”  Spike yelled to Dr. Walsh who was looking in on the proceedings with fascination.

            “We put an electronic chip in her head.  She is programmed to no longer harm humans.”  Walsh turned on her heels and walked down the corridor with the guards following.

            Buffy had heard what they said.  She took her still bleeding wrist and forced it into Drusilla’s mouth.  “Just don’t bite Dru.  Drink and you’ll feel better.  Drink baby.” 

            Dru involuntarily swallowed the first mouthful.  It had an immediate effect on her.  She calmed and seemed to develop some clarity.  She began sucking on Buffy’s wrist in earnest.  Just as Buffy started to feel weak, the vampire pulled back and snuggled into Buffy’s embrace.  Soon the both of them were sound asleep, holding onto each other.

            Spike looked at them with tears running down his face.  He thought of all the times he had tried to kill the beautiful blonde who had just willing went into a room with an out of control vampire to offer her own life’s blood, and for the first time in a hundred years he felt shame.  At that moment Buffy became his in his heart.  Those were his girls.  Somehow they would get out of here and then, well then he would never let either of them go.

Doug – I like what you had to say, but I must admit I was simply going for a very broken Buffy who had come back from Los Angeles to what I felt was a heartbreaking reception from the people who were supposed to love her – she was also the Buffy who had saved the world by sending her love to hell.  Not a healthy little girl.  Everyone – thank you for the reviews - Kari

Chapter 4

            Buffy was allowed to stay with Drusilla.  More and more people came to watch them.  She felt like an animal at the zoo.  Apparently a slayer taking care of a vampire was quite an attraction.  Drusilla was still amazingly week.  Spike said that it reminded him of how she was after Prague.  He and Buffy were both painfully aware that there would be no sire’s blood available to cure her this time.

            Drusilla was braiding Buffy’s hair into a zillion little braids.  She put her mouth down close to Buffy’s ear and whispered “They’re coming for you.  Don’t be scared.  It’s time.”

            Buffy turned her head to ask Drusilla what she meant when she heard the first footfall coming down the corridor.  She looked across the dividers and locked eyes with Spike.  All three of them stopped everything they were doing and simply waited for the men to come for Buffy.  They opened the cell door and she stood up to follow them.  She gave Spike and Drusilla each one last glance before turning to walk away.  Dru had never been specific on what was to come.  Buffy never knew if the voices that whispered to Dru were unclear, or if like so many seers, Drusilla was purposefully vague.

            She was lead into one of the observation rooms and told to sit on the table like usual.  After several minutes went buy a door in the back of the room opened and five people entered.  Maggie Walsh, two security guards, a male scientist, and a badly beaten young man all came to stand in front of Buffy.  At a nod from Walsh, the two guards moved behind Buffy with their tazers drawn.  The guy in the lab coat, who Buffy had had experiences with before, gave her a shot of something in the arm.  Walsh grabbed the beaten man and directed him to a chair.

            “Miss Summers, this is Mr. Wesley Wyndham Price.  He is from the watcher’s council.  He was sent to Sunnydale to watch over your replacement.  A girl named Faith, I believe.”  Walsh moved closer to Buffy.  “He holds up quite well under torture, unfortunately.  He was unwilling to even affirm what you told us concerning the origins of the slayer.  So, I thought he would enjoy watching what we can do with a slayer.  It is his purpose in life after all; to watch.”

            Buffy was prepared for a new round of torture.  She hoped this Wesley guy had a strong stomach.  She felt an odd floating sensation and wondered what they had injected her with.  It made her feel kind of funny.  She felt a weakness stealing over her as if her slayer powers were fading.  She made a fist and punched her own leg.  Wow, nothing. 

            “We have temporarily incapacitated your slayer powers.  We found the ingredients for the solution we injected you with in a manual in Mr. Wyndham Price’s apartment.  Something to do with a slayer’s eighteenth birthday.  We were not able to find a way to pull your power out of you.  We tried.  We had every shaman and witch we could find perform removal spells and they all failed.  So, it’s time to change your genetics my dear.”  Maggie gave her an evil smile as she opened a refrigerated cylinder containing several vials of blood.  Buffy immediately tensed.

            “Oh, don’t worry.  All of this blood comes from your dear friend Spike.  You like Spike don’t you?  Well, you are about to get a lot closer to him.  Genetically speaking.  You see, we have modified his blood.  We tried injecting it into him, hoping to make changes that would allow him to suffer the effects of sunlight, but it never worked.”

            Buffy thought of all of the times Spike had been brought back badly burnt and felt distinctly sick to her stomach.

            “Well, we couldn’t alter his nature.  We believe it has to do with him being dead.  We tried to do this with regular living humans, but they all died and stayed dead or were turned into an average vampire.  So, what we are going to do now is give it a try on you.  If you survive and aren’t turned, we will have the prototype for a new race of soldier.”  All the while Walsh talked the guy in the lab coat was strapping Buffy down and hooking her up for a transfusion.

            “You will have but one soldier Dr. Walsh,” the Wesley guy said.  “You can’t possibly breed this new creature without a male.”

            “We don’t need to breed them.  We simply cause the other slayer to die for a few seconds on the operating table.  Another slayer will be called.  We will then do the same with the new slayer, and so on.  We will then inject the new slayers with the altered vampire blood allowing for a soldier who will not weaken and grow old, but who will simply become more and more seasoned.  We are fine tuning the micro-chips to implant in their brains in order to control their actions.”  She looked hard at Wesley.  “I will have my army.”

            After Buffy was successfully being filled with genetically altered blood, everyone turned to leave.  “Mr. Wyndham Price will be staying with you dear.  I want to see his reactions.  My colleague seems to think there is a mystical link between watchers and slayers.  I disagree.  We’ve made a little wager as to how he will react to the changes in your body.”

            “Dr. Walsh?  Do you think perhaps one of us should stay in here with her?”  The blonde guard with a name tag that said Finn asked.

            “Sure.  The drugs we gave her should leave her fairly impotent for the next forty-eight hours, but you can never be too safe.”  Walsh turned and left the room.

            Buffy ignored the soldier and looked at the watcher.  “Talk to me.  Tell me what’s going on with my friends and family.  Are they okay?”

            “They’re all quite well.  The new slayer, Faith, has taken over your duties.  She lives with your mother.  The two get along extremely well.  Mr. Giles has purchased a store called the Magic Box.  It serves our needs nicely and provides us with a meeting place much more convenient than the former library.”

            “What do you mean former?”  Buffy asked.

            “Oh, that had to be blown up.  The whole school in fact.  The mayor was trying to ascend.  It’s a rather long story.  The whole team pulled together and we triumphed, of course.”

            “How long did they look for me?”  Buffy was a little tired of hearing how well everyone was doing without her.

            “They didn’t.  They figured you had simply run off again.  That you couldn’t handle the pressures of being back,” Wesley said quietly.  He was deeply sorry that she had been here all this time undergoing horrors when they all thought she was off living life as she saw fit.

            “How long have I been here?”  It felt like a lifetime.

            “Nearly a year.” 

            “Oh.”  They were quiet for a while.  “You would think that one of them would understand why I left in the first place.  I needed some time.  I had to mourn for Angel, for what I had to do.”  Her voice was very small.

            “Well you should probably be pleased to know that Angel has been back from his trip to hell for sometime.  We don’t know how it happened exactly, but we are certainly glad to have the extra manpower.”  Wesley said cheerfully.

            “He’s back.  He’s back and he never tried to find me?”  Buffy felt her heart rate go up.  She suddenly had trouble catching her breath.

            “He was rather animalistic when he first returned.  Cordelia was the one to find him.  She nursed him back to health.  He asked about you of course.  She told him that you’d gone.  He eventually came to accept it.  I’m sorry.”

            Buffy heard him through a veil of sorrow.  No one tried to find her.  No one believed in her, not even Angel.  He must hate her for sending him to hell.  She felt a blackness taking over her mind.  She didn’t fight it.  She gave in and let it take her into oblivion.  Her last coherent thought was that she wished Spike and Drusilla were with her.

            The young watcher looked on as the girl slipped into unconsciousness.  The blood was still slowly entering her body.  He figured it would take hours before the Initiative found out if they were successful or not.  He turned to the soldier in the room with him.  “How can you justify this?  Using a young girl?  Turning her into some sort of monster!”

            “Look, she’s not just some girl.  She was made to fight this battle, and she isn’t being turned into a monster she’s becoming a better soldier.  I believe in what Dr. Walsh is doing here and so should you.  We are on the same side here.”  Finn said stonily.

            “No, I don’t believe we are Mr. Finn.”  And that was the last that was ever said between Riley Finn and Wesley Wyndham Price.

Authors note:  Kate – I worry dear that you will not like what is coming.  Let this be a warning to all – this is a dark fiction.  Rather than Spike and Drusilla becoming more human as a result of their circumstances, Buffy becomes dehumanized.  Proceed at your own risk.  Thanks again for the reviews – they are always encouraging.

Chapter 5

            Buffy awoke with an intense hunger.  All of her senses were on overdrive.  She felt more alive than ever before.  She could hear a rushing sound coming from inside the room.  Pure instinct told her not to move a muscle, to just lie still and soak in her surroundings.  There were two humans in the room with her.  The one to her left was standing.  He was bigger than the one at her feet.  The rushing sound was coming from the humans.  It was their blood.  All that lovely red liquid was just swimming around, waiting for her, calling to her.  She knew she should take the big one out first.  With one hard tug she broke her bonds and was on him.

            Riley Finn never knew what hit him.  He and the Englishmen hadn’t spoken for hours.  He’d zoned out a bit, thinking about home, about that cute red headed girl in his psch class, about the football game going on at that moment.  He never once thought that the drugged out girl lying on the table beside him had turned into a vicious predator.  Nope, not one little thought about that, well, at least until he felt his throat being torn out.

            Wesley saw Buffy’s body tighten up right before she went to break her bonds.  He’d had a brief thought to call out a warning, but he had another hundred thoughts about the suffering he and this girl had undergone at the hands of these people.  He didn’t even flinch as she attacked the soldier.  He wasn’t sure what she was.  The heart monitor hadn’t so much as fluctuated before it came loose in her attack.  She was still alive.  That must mean that Walsh had succeeded.  Stupid woman thinking that the injection they had given Buffy would greatly affect the creature she was now.  The solution the council had developed had never shown any reaction in vampire test subjects.

            Buffy drank her full and as the body of the soldier slid to the floor, she turned to Wesley with Finn’s gun and tazer firmly in her grasp.  Wesley flinched, expecting the worst, but all she did was toss him the tazer.  “They’re coming!”  She yelled.

            Both doors flew open at once.  Buffy and Wesley started firing immediately.  She knew there was no way the young Englishmen would walk out of here alive.  She could not help him and still save Spike and Drusilla, and quite frankly, they were all that mattered to her.  She shot down everyone in the corridor behind the door.  She simply kept shooting and moving.  When she needed more ammunition she ripped another gun off of a dead body.  She knew she was gaining ground.  She didn’t understand how.  If she could have seen what the soldiers and technicians were seeing, she would have understood.  Buffy was moving in a blur.  It was impossible for anyone to get a shot off at her.

            Her body had undergone a radical change.  She had become the super soldier that Walsh was hoping for.  Her reactions were doubled by the slayer in her having been combined with the demon given to her by Spike’s blood.  In no time she had fought her way to the block that contained Spike and Dru.  Sometime along the way she had grabbed Erling.  She used him now to unlock Dru and Spike’s cells.  The doors wooshed open and Spike and Drusilla both rushed to Buffy’s side.  She handed them each an automatic weapon.  Still holding the struggling Erling, they made their way to a control desk and forced Erling to release all of the prisoners.  The shrieks were deafening.  Sweet, sweet music.

            Buffy had hoped to perform any number of the many delightful tortures she had fantasized about when she got her hands on Erling.  In the end, she simply opened his throat and offered him to Drusilla.  While she was making sure Dru would be strong enough to fight her way out of the building Spike had run off.  He came back just as Drusilla dropped the drained body to the floor and gave it a vicious kick.  Spike grabbed his girls by the arms and ushered them into an air shaft. 

            They moved quickly along, not saying a word.  Buffy silently wished they had had a chance to make sure that Walsh was dead, but Spike’s urgency spurned her on to follow him.  Spike suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.  Then he crouched in a ball and started to kick his feet against the top of the shaft.  Soon, dirt and rocks started falling down on him nearly blocking the tunnel in front of Drusilla and Buffy.  Dru didn’t need to breathe, but Buffy still did and she was starting to get a little nervous.  She heard Spike give a shout of triumph and then she could smell the fresh air pouring in through the debris. 

            Spike reached his hand in and pulled Drusilla to his side of the muck and pushed her out into the opening.  Next, he did the same to Buffy.  Drusilla helped the beautiful blonde to her feet.  Both women looked down as Spike came out of the hole with a gleeful smile.  He started laughing his head off as he grabbed their arms and started running.  They made it to the tree line before they felt a little rumble beneath their feet.  Then suddenly the whole ground began to shake and role.  Spike was now rolling around on the ground laughing.  He’d blown the place up.  Oh, the joy, joy, joy!

            Buffy and Drusilla fell beside him, their laughter joining his.  After they had quieted, Spike drew both women into his arms, and for a second he allowed himself to relax and feel safe.  Buffy’s scent washed over him clearly for the first time.  “Ah, slayer?  Since when did I sire you?”

            Drusilla started laughing all over again.

Chapter 6

            Realization came to all three of them that they would need to find shelter and soon.  The sun would be rising in another couple of hours and Drusilla was still overwhelmed with bouts of weakness.  Buffy hated to suggest it, but the mansion was probably the safest place for them.  It held protection from the sun and Angel had just the stuff they needed to help strengthen Dru.

            “Spike?”  Buffy began hesitantly.

            “Yeah?”

            “Angel is back.  He’s been back from hell for sometime now.  There was a watcher in the room they gave me the transfusion in.”

            “Transfusion eh?  My blood, right?”  Spike asked her already knowing the answer.

            “They said they’d done something to it, but yeah, it’s your blood.”  Buffy wondered why she felt shy about this. 

            Spike smiled.  “Well, good then.  That settles it.  You’re mine.  You and Drusilla.  If we go see the poof, I want you to make it clear to him that you belong to me.  Do you understand Slayer?” 

            “I know Spike.  I feel it,” Buffy answered him.  Drusilla reached a hand across Spike’s stomach to give Buffy’s arm an assuring squeeze.  “Anyway, he didn’t look for me.  None of them did.  They thought I just ran away again.”

            Spike pulled her and Drusilla both tight against him.  “Stupid gits.  Nothin’ would stop me from finding you, even if I thought you’d skipped.  I keep what’s mine.”  His voice lowered dangerously, and Buffy had absolutely no warning before Spike shifted into his demon face and turned and buried his fangs in Buffy’s neck.  “Mine,” he growled. 

            Buffy replied, “Yours,” with a gasp and Drusilla squealed in delight.  Spike released Buffy’s neck and tilted to offer his own to her.  She felt the shift come on automatically.  Putting her fangs into Spike’s flesh sent every one of her senses to new heights.  He was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted.  He was home, safety, and sex all rolled into one.  She let go after one more intoxicating pull.  Spike leaned over and gave her a thorough kiss that made her wish they had time for a whole lot more, but they needed to move on.

           The trio made their way to the mansion as quickly as they could.  They were thoroughly exhausted, dirty, and hungry.  Spike really did not like the idea of bringing his girls to Angel.  After all, his grand-sire had taken Drusilla away from him before.  The child/sire bond was a strong one.  He recognized that that was one of the main reasons he stayed with Drusilla despite the things she had done to him; he was bonded to her.  It was also the reason he forgave Dru her indiscretions so easily.  Angel had a hold over her that Spike never would, but now Spike had Buffy, and the demon in him rejoiced over the triumph.

            They stopped in front of the front door of the mansion, and Spike pulled both women behind him as he took a peak in a crack in the wall.  He had a slim view of the living area.  There was a fire blazing and he could hear voices coming into the room.  The low masculine voice was that of Angel and the little soft feminine purr belonged to a voluptuous brunette that Spike thought was named Cordelia.  He was just trying to find a way of telling the ladies that the house’s occupants were very occupied, and very naked, when Buffy popped up from underneath him and took a peak for herself.

            “Figures,” was all she muttered before turning away.  She was trying not to cry, which was stupid.  She’d caused the guy to lose his soul and then she’d sent him to hell.  He hadn’t bothered to come look for her and she now felt a deep connection to Spike, so crying seemed a bit odd, but nevertheless she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

            Drusilla wrapped her arms around the slim blonde.  “Shh, it’s okay my sweet.  Daddy is a very bad daddy.  He never does what he should.  He makes me cry all the time.”

            Spike didn’t know what to do.  On the one hand they needed shelter fast, on the other he hated to see Buffy and Drusilla so upset.  It bothered him too, though he would never admit it.  Why did family never come first with Angel?  Hadn’t he known somehow that they were in trouble?  The more Spike thought about it, the angrier he became.  He was just getting into a right solid fit when he felt two small hands grab him from behind.

            “Spike, my love, Daddy won’t help us.  I knew he wouldn’t, not now, but I wanted Buffy to understand so we had to come and take a peek.”  Drusilla whispered into his ear.

            “We need to find shelter Dru.  We’re gonna have to knock.”  Spike sighed.

            “Nuh-uh-uh.  We’re going to commandeer Daddy’s Black Pearl.  He’s a terrible Captain and doesn’t deserve such a nice ship.  We’ll sail away on the dawn’s early light.”  She made sailing motions with her hands and did a little spin.  Buffy gave Spike a questioning look.

            “She means we’re going to steal the poof’s car.”  Spike said.

            “Oh, that’s okay then.”  Buffy muttered.  “I hope he was planning on driving Cordelia home.”

            Spike laughed.  He could easily see growing to love this girl.  They opened the door to Angel’s garage and found the car unlocked.  Spike found the bottle of black spray paint that he knew any good vampire would have lying around, though with Angel it was always iffy.  He carefully painted all but a small portion of the front windshield.  Then he had Buffy and Drusilla slip into the back and put their seat belts on.  Once they were secure, he hot wired the car.  With an ear splitting grin he put the car into reverse and busted through the garage door.  He’d just thrown it in drive when he saw Angel tear out of the front door holding his trousers up with one hand.  Life was looking up.

            Other than a brief pause to back over the Welcome to Sunnydale sign, they headed straight out of town and towards the bowels of Los Angeles.  Spike would be able to get access to money there and maybe find a doctor who could remove the hideous chip that the soldiers had put in Drusilla’s brain.

This chapter is rated NC 17 for graphic sex envolving a man & two women.  Do not read if you are underage or if you like it strictly hetero.  Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 7

            They discovered quickly that Buffy had nothing more than an intense dislike for sunlight.  She was able to walk around in it without getting so much as a tingling, but her inner demon hated it.  Spike and Drusilla were currently holed up in a hotel that catered to demons.  They’d been able to drive straight into the parking garage and enter the lobby from there.  Spike knew the proprietors of the hotel and they were only too happy to front William the Bloody a room for the day.  Thanks to her sun tolerance Buffy was elected to get money and clothes for their rag tag group.  Spike had given her his password and called ahead to let the bank know that Buffy was coming to make a withdrawal in his name.  All she had to do was say the password and confirm that she was Spike’s child by giving a little bit of blood to the creature in the bank’s vault.

            She had been gone for nearly three hours, and Spike was starting to worry about her.  Every time he would start to fret Drusilla would lay a gentle hand on his arm and tell him that Buffy was fine.  Eventually he could sense her coming down the corridor to their room.  His whole body seemed to sigh with relief.  The experience he’d undergone with the Initiative made him even more possessive than he was before.  He felt that if he didn’t have his eyes on them, the girls weren’t safe.

            Buffy had paid up their stay at the hotel and was now weighted down with shopping bags.  Spending someone else’s money was so much fun.  She knew she’d been gone longer than expected, and she hoped Spike appreciated her surprise.  She put the card key in the door and walked in with a flourish.  She watched in delight as both Spike and Drusilla opened their mouths in shock.

            “You look,” Spike stuttered.  She looked amazing.  He felt himself painfully harden.  She was completely punked out in black leather trousers and a black leather vest held together with metal crossbones that showed a scrumptious amount of skin beneath them.  She’d outlined her eyes with deep kohl and had matching black lipstick.  That stuff was hot all by itself, but the clincher was her hair.  It was gone.  She’d had it shaved and she’d put some sort of henna tattoo design on her head. 

            “You didn’t think I’d let you be the only hot bald chick in the family did you?”  Buffy addressed Drusilla.  She’d known how uncomfortable the other woman was with her shaved head.  “Now we can both look like a couple of bad asses!”

            Spike smiled as he watched the girls go through the bags Buffy had brought in.  She’d thought of everything.  There was a ton of punk and goth style clothing as well as makeup, shoes, jewelry, and a henna kit for Dru’s head.  She’d even bought a bottle of peroxide for Spike. 

            “I love playing dress up!”  Drusilla giggled as she scooped a bunch of clothing into her arms.  “I’m going to give you a fashion show!”  She called out as she slipped into the bathroom.

           Buffy lay down on the bed and held her arms out to Spike.  She was surprised at how comfortable she was with him; with both of them.

            Spike wasted no time in making his way over to her.  He lay down beside her and kissed her with hunger.  “What you did for Dru,” he ran a hand over her bare scalp, “I can’t thank you enough for.  First you offer yourself to those Initiative bastards if they’ll let us go, then you break us out of there, and now you shave your head.  What’s gotten into you little girl?”  Spike started sucking on her neck.

            “It had better be you pretty damn soon!”  Buffy growled and flipped herself on top of Spike.  She ground herself against his hard shaft. 

            “Fuck girl, I want you.”  Spike shifted in game face and licked the marks he had left on Buffy’s neck.

            Drusilla came out of the bathroom wearing a plaid miniskirt with black fishnet stockings and a ruffled white tuxedo shirt with suspenders.  She twirled around for the couple entwined on the bed and gave a low laugh when they growled at the sight of her white lace knickers.

            “Nice of you to get all dressed up, luv, but I’m afraid you’re gonna just have to take everything off again.”  Spike looked at her with longing.  He hoped she wasn’t too weak for this. 

            “I simply don’t have the energy my darlings.  Someone is going to have to take everything off for me.”  Dru gave them a coquettish smile as she gave her suspenders a little snap.

            Spike jumped off the bed with a growl and lifted her up in his arms.  He tossed her on the bed beside Buffy.  She landed with a giggle that quickly turned into a moan as Buffy’s lips claimed her own and her fingers worked to quickly dispose Dru of her shirt and suspenders.  Spike had thought he couldn’t possibly get any harder, but he was wrong.  Watching his beauties together like this was coming near to crippling him.  He was happy Dru hadn’t put any shoes on.  He reached his hands up her skirt and pulled her stockings off.  He liked the panties, he really did, and that’s why he was sorry when he ripped them.  He held them up with a look of surprise, like he didn’t know his own strength, and both women broke into hysterical laughter.

            With a wicked grin he tossed the bit of white lace into the air.  He then dove between the two women saying, “My turn.  Kisses for Spike.”  Both girls giggled and began kissing and nipping at him.  Spike thought he might just be dreaming.  He knew their lives were far from settled, but at this moment everything seemed perfect.  He felt someone unzip his pants and then he felt a small cool hand grip his shaft.  Drusilla.  She began running her hand in feather light strokes up and down his member.  “Your killin’ me darlin’.”  Spike groaned.

            Drusilla let go of him and moved behind Buffy.  She undid the younger woman’s pants and ran her hands inside.  She thrilled at the breathy little sounds coming from Buffy’s mouth.  It gave her a sense of power to bring the other woman’s body to life with her dead one.  She pulled Buffy’s pants down and tossed them onto the floor.  She then took a page from Spike’s book and ripped off Buffy’s black thong.  She tried to mimic his look of surprise but couldn’t pull it off and started laughing at her own self.  Spike just gave her a look of amused affection.  Drusilla batted her eyes at them and then grabbed Buffy by the hips.  She maneuvered her until the girl was straddling Spike’s waist. 

            Buffy knew what Dru was doing.  She was offering to let her go first.  It was Drusilla’s way of telling her that she approved and accepted her as a new addition to their family.  Buffy felt a tear slide down her face as she lowered herself onto Spike’s erection.  She gasped and threw her head back as he filled her.  She had never felt anything like this in her life.  There were no pretensions.  There was nothing she could do to shock these two beings.  They wanted all of her.  She felt Drusilla’s teeth enter on the other side of her neck, the one left untouched by Spike.  She realized at that moment that they were indeed taking all of her.  That thought alone pushed her over the edge.  She screamed as an orgasm rushed over her.

            Spike’s undead heart felt like it was going to explode.  The sight of Dru sinking her fangs into Buffy’s neck while the gorgeous slayer rode him was taking all of his self control.  Luckily, Buffy broke before he did.  Drusilla slipped her fangs out and spread herself on the bed beside Spike.  Buffy just slumped over on the vampire’s chest.  He chuckled into the top of her head.  “No time for rest sweet-thing, our lovely Drusilla needs attention.”  Spike gently rolled Buffy over so that he could hover over his dark goddess. 

            “Going somewhere my Spike?”  Dru purred.

            “Hell yeah baby.  Goin’ home.”  He said as he slipped inside of her. 

            Buffy watched in fascination.  They were so beautiful.  She tentatively ran a hand over Spike’s backside and smiled in satisfaction when the action caused him to growl.   Emboldened, she moved behind him to run her hands over his body while he plunged in and out of Drusilla.  Buffy suddenly realized that her shirt was still on.  This puzzled her for some reason.  She felt a deep dislike for the garment that was keeping her from feeling Spike’s bare skin against her breasts.  She pulled the shirt off and her bra quickly followed.  She began rubbing her naked breasts over Spike’s back.  His growling increased.  She teased him some more and then decided to move on to Dru.

            Buffy was sure she had never seen eyes so entrancing as Drusilla’s.  She felt pulled into them.  Dru kept her gaze locked on Buffy’s as the younger woman made her way up the bed towards her.  When Buffy got close enough to kiss, Dru turned and offered up her neck.  Buffy felt her face shift and her canines elongate.  She hadn’t realized until this moment just how badly she wanted to taste Dru.  As gently as possible she sank her teeth into Dru’s pale neck.  Sweet blood filled her mouth.  It was just as delicious as Spike’s.  It didn’t say sire, but it said family and mate.  That’s when Buffy understood; Spike and Drusilla were her mates.  What they were doing was a crude form of a mating ritual.  They were binding themselves to one another with sex and blood.

            Spike looked into Dru’s passion filled eyes and felt himself nearing the edge.  He moved his head over Buffy’s and bit her hard.  A second later he felt Drusilla’s bite.  All three of them flew over the edge with deep growls as the blood of their mates filled their mouths and bodies.  They separated and Spike slipped back into the middle, holding both girls close to him.  They drifted off to sleep with contented smiles and soft purrs.

This chapter is dedicated Marianne who let me know that Londoners would not think of Buffy as a mountain lion – I made the change, thank you.  Oh, and apologies to those of you who have read Acting on Instinct – turns out Drusilla’s eyes are blue, not brown – my mistake.

Chapter 8

            All eyes turned to watch the three creatures as they made their way through the dance floor.  Despite the fact that the trio came to this club regularly, they held the attention of entire room.  They were unnaturally beautiful.  Fear and lust raged at once just looking at them.  The man was slight of build with a shock of slick backed white hair.  He always dressed in black with a vicious pair of matching combat boots.  The women were a study in opposites.  The one had hair dark as midnight with eyes of such a dark blue they appeared black.  She was taller and slimmer than the other girl.  The smaller one had golden blonde hair that was often pulled back from her lovely face.  Her green eyes reflected light like that of cat and most who saw her immediately thought of sleek lioness.  Both women wore all black and combat boots, mimicking the man in their dress - only they showed a hell of a lot more skin.

            They came to the club to dance and to drink.  They rarely fed here.  They were careful to keep their feeding as hidden as possible.  After the Initiative they had no desire to attract attention to themselves.  Once they had gotten the dreaded chip out of Drusilla’s head they had fled to England and stayed.  Spike had purchased a lovely three level town house in the heart of London.  He felt it was safest for them in a city with a great variety of people.  Pale creatures such as themselves fit into the club scene with ease.  Their neighbors didn’t think twice at never seeing them until after dark.  Buffy would occasionally go out in the day if need be, but she preferred to keep in the dark with her mates.

            For the most part they survived on blood bags, but sometimes their demon nature would take over and they would have to go hunting.  Sometimes they would hunt together and sometimes they would feel the need to be on their own.  It was primal.  Buffy didn’t try to fight it.  She never preyed on those who wouldn’t have a chance at defending themselves.  She liked her meat young and strong, and very male.  If they didn’t fight it just wasn’t fun.  At times she wondered if she had a soul.  She never felt a shred of guilt.  To her, humans were just cattle.

            They took a seat at the back of the club and Spike ordered them all drinks.  Buffy looked at him as he traced a solitary finger down Drusilla’s neck.  That was one of the things she liked most about her Sire.  He was always touching them; always assuring himself of their presence.  Oh, how she loved the man.  She couldn’t say when it had turned from need to love.  Sometimes she had trouble ever remembering her life before them.  They were her world.

            Spike caught Buffy looking at him and he gave her a slow smile.  “Come closer baby.”  His voice always had a low rumbling quality that made her insides turn to jelly.  She scooted over until she was pressed firmly to his side.  Drusilla reached out a hand and gave Buffy’s arm a light stroke.

            “What are you thinking about, luv?”  Spike asked Buffy.

            “How much I love the both of you.  It consumes me.”  Buffy said with emotion nearly making her choke.  Spike wrapped his arms around her and gave her a deep, long kiss. 

            “We love you too sweetheart.  Always.  You belong to us.”  Spike assured her.

            “I just worry that something will happen to take this away.”  Buffy was trying not to cry. 

            Spike hissed.  “Not gonna happen.  Not ever again.”

            Dru cooed comfort to them both.  She knew something was coming.  She had sensed it this past week.  She hadn’t warned them about it, because it involved her sire, and as much as she loved Buffy and Spike, she also loved Angel.  She couldn’t stop.  She didn’t want to.

            Their drinks arrived and they turned their attention to having fun.  They danced the night away and afterwards they indulged in a little hunt.  A favorite game of theirs was the ‘distressed damsel’.  One of the girls would take a walk in the park softly crying.  After a few rounds someone or a group of someones would approach to see if she was alright.  If it was a serious inquiry she would tell them she was fine, that she just needed to be alone and that was that, but when it was a nefarious inquiry, well, that was when the real fun began.

            Tonight, Buffy was the ‘distressed damsel’.  She walked along a little path letting big fat tears role down her face with the occasional sniffle to back them up.  It only took about five minutes before a lone young man approached her.

            “Now wa’s a pretty li’l thing like you doin’ cryin’ yer heart out all by yourself eh?”  He walked close to Buffy and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.  She could also pick up the faint heart beats of his companions hiding near the trees.  This was going to be a good one.  Buffy tried to squelch her excitement.  It wouldn’t do to play her hand to soon.

            “My boyfriend.  He…I caught him with someone else tonight.  In our bed too.”  Buffy started crying in earnest.  “How could he do this to me?” 

            The boy came right to her.  Stupid cow.  He wrapped in arm around her and started leading her towards the trees telling her how it would all be okay.  That there were a lot of fish in the sea.  That her boyfriend was a ‘right bastard’ and a bunch of other greeting card crap. 

            She pretended to be surprised when she found herself off the park path and into the woods.  She was going to pretend to be surprised when his three friends moved on her, she really was, but she just couldn’t help the blinding smile that broke out over her face.  She looked at the original young man and the perplexed look on his face and then looked down at the ground.  She couldn’t help herself.  “Sorry, I’m just giddy over the protective cover you’ve given us.”  She looked around at all of the trees.  “I mean really, I couldn’t have asked for more.”  When she turned to face him she was vamped and ready.

            “Shit!”  He screamed and turned and ran; right into the waiting arms of Drusilla.  She gave him a toothy grin and licked her lips.  He was able to let off one scream before she tore his throat open with her teeth.  It had taken some time, but the with the help of Buffy’s powerful blood, Dru was her own sweet self again.  She was quite pleased to be able to share this new and improved her with someone.

            Buffy had in the mean time decided to play with her food.  She just loved it when they ran.  Spike watched her take off after a tall boy who actually didn’t have the slightest chance of outrunning the slayer-vamp.  He chuckled and turned toward the two young men who were on the ground shaking and pissing themselves.  Honestly!  The youth of today!  Where was the fight in them?

            “You know why this is happening don’t you?”  Spike spoke as he lifted them both up with the back of their jackets.  “It’s cause your trollin’ through the park lookin’ for women to assault.  Didn’t your mums ever teach you anything?  Bad deeds never go unpunished.”  He sank his fangs into the more attractive youth and threw the other one into a tree trunk.  A thrill shot down his spine as he heard the crush of a skull and the sound of two heart beats slowing to a stop.  He loved being a vampire, he really did.  He dropped the lifeless body of his prey and looked to Drusilla who was daintily washing the blood off her face with the back of her hand like a cat. 

            “Should we see if our slayer got her prize or just shag right here and wait for her?”  He sauntered over already knowing her answer.

            She rushed him and knocked him to the forest floor.  A shag it is then.

            Buffy was having a great time chasing her quarry through the twisting trees when the sudden smell of her mates’ lust hit her.  Now she was ready to be a good girl and eat her dinner.  She picked up her speed and quickly overcame the long legged boy.  She took him down with a shout of triumph and made quick work of draining him.  She left the body where it was.  These grounds were filled with scavenger demons who would take care of the leftovers.

            She came upon Spike and Drusilla going at it savagely in the leaves and twigs.  She decided to just watch and get herself off.  She timed it to cum about the same time as her writhing mates.  When they were done they turned to look at the beautiful blonde who was still watching them.

            “Enjoy the show?”  Drusilla purred.

            “Always my dark beauty.”  Buffy walked over and helped them up.  She gave Dru a hard kiss.  “I will never get enough of watching you.”

            “Let’s get home.  I feel like going at it a little slower.”  He pulled a twig out of his now buttoned pants.  “And with a little less pointy wood.”  They all laughed and headed home.  Buffy kept taking leaves and bits of debris out of their hair. 

            They entered the flat and started making their way up to the bedroom for a long hot shower when the phone rang.  They stilled.  No one called them but each other and they were all here.  Buffy was the first to reach the receiver.  “Hello?”

            “Buffy?”

            “Angel?”

Author’s note:  Thank you for all of your reviews.  They make my day.  I always complete a story before I begin to post because I worry life will get in the way and I will be forced to leave a story undone.  That said, because of your lovely and encouraging reviews I plan on adding a couple of chapters that were never intended.  See the power of words?  Thanks - Kari

Chapter 9

            Every muscle in Spike’s body tensed.  He glanced at Dru and wasn’t surprised to see a knowing look in her eyes, damn her.

            “How did you find me?”  Buffy said carefully.

            “Willow did a locater spell.”  He wondered if he had been the best person to make this call.

            “A locater spell!  You did a fucking locater spell now?  After three fucking years!”  Buffy’s voice was cold steel.

            Angel couldn’t resolve the Buffy he knew with the person spewing out the words over the phone line.  “Yes, well it was important.”

            “Important.  I see, now it’s important.”  It was a good thing he wasn’t standing right in front of her.  She knew that without a doubt she would stake him.

            “It’s about your mother.”

            Buffy felt her knees start to buckle.  Luckily, as always, Spike was there to catch her.  “My mother?  What’s wrong with my mother?” 

           “She’s dying, Buffy, and she wants to see you one last time.”  This was why Angel had been elected to make the call.  He was the only one who respected Joyce’s decision.  The rest couldn’t understand why the dying woman would want anything to do with the daughter who had abandoned her.

            “Mommy,” Buffy let a small sound.  Spike started rocking her gently back and forth.  He was about to take the phone out of her hands when a barely audible “I’ll come,” pushed through her lips.

            Hours later and after many tears from both Buffy and Drusilla, Spike lay in bed with the slayer-vamp wrapped tenderly in his arms.  Drusilla had decided that retreat would be for the best once Spike had finished yelling at her and was happily staying in one of the guest rooms.  Yeah right, like they have guests.

            “I’m so sorry, pet.”  Spike whispered into the top of her head. 

            “Me too,” Buffy answered.  “I’m sorry that my mom’s sick and I’m sorry that Drusilla didn’t tell you that she knew Angel was going to contact me.”

            “Don’t worry about that now.  It’s the same as it ever was.  He will always be more important than me.”  Spike said with a sigh.

            Buffy turned her head up so that she could look in his eyes.  “Nuh-uh.”

            “Nuh-uh what, kitten?”

            “He isn’t more important than you.  Not to me.  No one could be more important to me than you.” 

            Looking into her big watery green eyes he could see the truth shining back at him.  “I used to excuse her lusting after him.  Blamed it all on him being her sire, ‘cause that’s how I feel about Dru, but then you came along and blew that theory all to hell.”  He smiled down at her.

            “How’s that?” 

            “I love you and Dru equally.  I’d never choose my sire over you.”  He moved his lips to hers.  She kissed him back, giving him all of her pain and taking his in return.  When they broke apart she took her hands in his.

            “I have to go see my mom.  It’s the least I can do for her after not talking to her for three years, though the first year was not my fault.”  She gave his hands a squeeze.  “I will see Angel while I’m there, but I want you to know that you’re it for me.  Forever and always I will belong only to you.  Do you understand?”

            Once again he could see the truth in her.  She was a terrible liar.  “I know, pet, and it means the world to me.  It’s not you I’m worried about.”

            “What do you mean?”  Buffy began to feel a little fissure of panic start in her chest.

            “I mean that when we get to Sunnydale Drusilla is gonna make a b-line for the big poof.  We could loose her,” Spike said softly.

            “You two can’t come to Sunnydale with me!  The slayer is there, and Giles, and the rest of the gang.  They could kill you!”  She was in a full blown state of panic now.

            Spike sat up and looked at her incredulously.  “Did you actually think for one moment that either Drusilla or I would let you go through this alone?  Are you insane?  We love you.  You are our family, Buffy.  We aren’t complete without you.”

            She started sobbing into his chest.  “I can live without my mother, Spike.  I can.  I don’t want to but I can.  I can’t live without you.  You and Drusilla.  Please don’t ask this of me.”

            “Shh, baby.”  He ran his hand over her back trying to comfort her sobs.  “We’ll stay out of the way.  Or at least, I will stay out of the way.  Dru and I will get a hotel room.  We’ll bring our cells phones to talk with you and we’ll stay in the hotel unless you need us.  Okay?”

            “But, you already said that Drusilla will make a b-line for Angel!”  Buffy exclaimed.

            “Well, yeah, that’s true.  I was just tryin’ to comfort you, pet.”  Spike said trying to get a smile out of her.

            “You’re coming no matter what I say aren’t you?”  She asked him between sobs.

            “You bet your ass.” 

            And that was the end of the conversation.  Several hours later they were flying over the ocean on their way to California.  Dru didn’t even bother making promises that she knew she wouldn’t keep.  Things were strained.  Dru was worried that her mates were angry with her.  Spike was angry at Dru, but even more he was worried about Buffy’s emotional state.  He hated that he couldn’t be right by her side to comfort her when she needed it.  Buffy was sick at heart over her mother and scared to death that either Spike or Drusilla or both of them would get dusted.

            They arrived at the hotel a few hours after dark.  The trip had been grueling with all of the tension and all of the sunlight.  It had been tricky but they’d managed to arrive with a minimal of sun damage.  Spike mentioned several times that if he’d had more time to arrange things their travel could have gone smoother.  Then he would catch the look on Buffy’s face and utter a little ‘sorry’.  They unpacked their things and lay down on the king size bed with a collective sigh.

            “So you don’t think they’ll notice that I’m not human anymore?”  Buffy asked for the umpteenth time.

            “We’ve been over this, Slayer.”  Spike still called her that.  It was just how he thought of her.  It was a title of honor.  She was the only one he’d never been able to defeat.  She was forever ‘his slayer’.  “Listen, few of the vamps we ever came across could tell that you were anything but a slayer, and even those were rare.  At the most the new slayer, Faith you said, will feel something off of you, but never having met another slayer, she’ll just think it’s slayer vibes.  Angel is your biggest worry.  We don’t think he will sense you as vamp, but he might sense you as family.  Dru says she can.  We’re hoping that he just thinks it’s cause he bit you and hasn’t seen you for awhile.  You’ll be fine.  Just don’t let him taste you.”

            “Like I would!”  Buffy said irritably.  She slapped Spike and then kissed the spot she’d slapped.  He chuckled.  She always did that if she hit him.  She never hit Dru.

            “You will be fine, my darling.”  Dru leaned over and brushed her lips against Buffy’s.  “Miss Edith said Daddy’s head is filled with horrors.  Thoughts of pom poms and cherry lip glosses dancing around with breasty dumplings.  He is a silly man.”

            Buffy gave her lovers each one last kiss before heading into the shower.  She hated the idea of washing the scents of her mates from her skin.  She got out and put a new set of clothing on.  Drusilla had insisted that Buffy buy things that she would have worn from her previous life, so here she was slipping on a pair of blue jeans and a crème colored pullover.  She pushed her hair back into a pony tail.  The only jewelry she wore was her newly acquired wedding band.  Spike had insisted.  If he couldn’t be with her, he wanted to make sure the world new she was taken.  In amusement she agreed, but insisted that he and Drusilla get matching ones.

            She grabbed her handbag and put her cell phone in it.  Then she took the keys to the rental car.  No one spoke as she readied herself to leave.  There was nothing that could make the tension go away, nothing but having this done with and being back at their home in London.  She blew them each a kiss as she shut the door.  She made her way down to the parking garage willing herself all the way to stop shaking.  She could do this.  She had to do it for her mother.  She got behind the wheel of the dark sedan with its heavily tinted windows and made her way to Giles’.

Chapter 10

            They all sat there waiting for her.  She had said she would be there at 8:00, it was 7:55 and not a sound could be heard in the watcher’s apartment.  Every one of them besides Faith, had a tiny sliver of hate for the young woman who had left her duties, and her friends and family to survive on the hellmouth alone.  As for Faith, she was mainly curious to meet a sister slayer.  Sometimes this job got lonely.  She felt bad for Joyce who had been like a mother to her, but at the same time she was glad Buffy had left so that Joyce had been able to dedicate all of her attention to Faith.  Each person in the room was deep in thought and gave a little jump at the sound of a light knock on the front door.

            Giles was the first to move.  He walked over, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.  “Hello, Buffy.  You look well.”  He stepped aside and said the magic words, “Come in.”

            Buffy nearly cringed at his foolishness.  She bet Maggie Walsh had never considered that her super-soldiers would need an invitation to invade a home.  She stepped through the door and gave everyone a tight nod.  This was like a firing squad.  Actually, it was a lot like the first time she had come home.  At least this time this wasn’t her home.  Not even close.  She stepped further into the room.

            Angel saw how scared she was and his heart went out to her.  He pushed aside his own feelings and went to give her a hug.  He was as shocked as hell when she took two distinct steps away from him.  Now that he had gotten closer to her he could sense that she was different.  For one horrifying moment he thought she was a vampire, and then he realized he could clearly hear her heartbeat.  It was going a million miles an hour.  He shrugged and held out his hands.  “Guess the easy life has put a fear of vampires into you.”  He gave her a sardonic smile.

            She smiled back.  “I guess.”  She held out her hand for him to shake.  He took it.  Her hand was firm and warm in his.  A forgotten wave of love for this small girl washed over him.  He let go of her hand, and it took everything he had not shake himself like a dog to get rid of the feeling he’d had from just one touch.

            “I’m glad your back, Angel.  I didn’t want to do what I did.”  She looked into his eyes as she said what she had needed to say for so long.

            She was apologizing for sending him to hell.  “Thanks.”  He said back to her.

            “I guess they don’t really make greeting cards for that kind of thing do they, Buff?”  Xander said with a sneer.  He had really come to hate her over the years.  Every black eye and busted rib he had gotten fighting her fight had increased his level of animosity.

            Buffy turned cold eyes on him.  She felt nothing.  When she looked at him she saw food, only this food had clearly been spoiled in the hot sun.  Dru would shake her head and say he’d give her a tummy ache.  For one moment Buffy missed Drusilla so badly she thought she might cry.  “Hello, Xander.”

            He got up and rushed towards her, but Faith held him back with one arm.  “No you don’t, cowboy.”  She pushed him back down in his chair and sat on his lap.

             Buffy gave the other girl a nod of recognition.  She had been able to tell when she walked into the room that this one was the slayer.

            Buffy turned to Willow.  “Hello, Willow.  You look great.”  The young witch did indeed look fantastic.

            “Oz.”  Buffy continued when Willow didn’t say so much as a word to her.  The wolf, who was sitting at the feet of his wife, gave her a nod.

            Buffy turned completely back around toward Angel.  She tried not to look amused at the way Cordelia had her arms firmly wrapped around Angel’s waist.  “Hello, Cordelia.”

            “Buffy, nice to see you, wait, no it’s not.”  Cordelia hadn’t changed, clearly.  Buffy allowed herself a lovely little mental image of the wonderful things Drusilla could do with Cordelia’s shapely body.  She shook herself out of it and turned to her former watcher.

            “Giles, how are you?”  Buffy realized that out of all of them she felt for him the most, besides Angel, of course.

            “I am well, thank you.”  He waived for her to take a seat.  “I suppose you want to know about your mother.  She has cancer.  They operated on it.  They removed a sizeable tumor in her brain, but unfortunately it had metastasized.  They tried everything that they could.  It’s only a matter of weeks, perhaps days, before she is gone.”  He felt his eyes fill with tears, but he would not shed them in front of this girl.  She was his greatest disappointment.

            Buffy was trying to keep everything to herself.  She didn’t want to break down in front of these people.  She didn’t want their love and she didn’t want there hatred.  She simply did not want them.  “Where is she and when can I see her?”

            “She’s in the hospital.  You can see her during visiting hours tomorrow.  I’m sure you realize that none of us think that seeing you is good for her, but she is insisting, and we cannot very well ignore her last wishes.”

            “Listen.”  Buffy got to her feet.  “Everyone of you.  I know you hate me, and that’s fine, have at it.  I will see my mother.  I will tell her anything she wishes to know, but I don’t give a fuck about the rest of you.  Make all the snide comments you like.  You are nothing but a cage of fools.”  She turned around to leave as all hell broke loose behind her, when the front door came open.

            “Wesley!”  Buffy exclaimed.  The man in front of her had obviously been seriously burned.  The right side of his face was a mass of scar tissue; still he managed a bright smile for the beleaguered creature in front of him.  He opened his arms and let her run into them.

            “You look lovely.”  He gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

            “So do you!”  She kissed the burned side of his face.  “I thought you had died.” 

            “So did I actually.”  He laughed.

            “How did you get out?”

            “I think you and I need to speak in private.”  Still holding her he lead her outside and closed the door behind them.  “An extremely wrinkly demon named Clem, wrapped me up in his folds and carried me outside.  He is apparently somewhat fire-retardant.  I had saved him from a guard a moment before the explosions began in the Intiative.  He returned the favor.”

            “If you made it out, how come they all still hate me?”  Buffy was confused.

           “I thought it best to not say anything.  They had already come to terms with you being gone and to be perfectly frank, the creature I saw awaken on that table was an unknown factor.  I didn’t know what you were.  I still don’t.  I also did it for you.  I thought perhaps you might want some time to heal yourself both physically and mentally.  That you deserved to approach them on your own terms.”  He fell silent.  He hoped she understood.  Certainly the warm reception that she had given him put many of his fears to rest regarding her nature.  He had been agonizing over his decision to remain silent ever since he had been told they were going to contact her.

            Buffy gave him a tentative smile.  “I understand, Wesley.  You wanted to give me a chance to get control of myself didn’t you?”

            “A little, yes.”  He said sheepishly.  “I have been surprised that you never made contact over the last two years.”

            “And relieved?”  She teased him.

            He laughed.  “Yes, and relieved.”

            “I can’t blame you.  You were wise to let me go.  I’m not human.  I don’t think like a human thinks.  I don’t even really like humans.”  She noticed the panicked expression on his face and rushed to assure him.  “Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt any of you.  Unless, of course, you try to harm me or my family.  I just want to see my mother.”

            “Your family?”  Wesley asked with mounting curiosity.

            “Yes, I have mates.  They aren’t human.  They’re staying at a hotel.  They won’t harm anyone while they’re here.  We all agreed to blood-bag it.”  She told him.

            “So, they are vampires then?”  The watcher in him was dying to ask her questions.

            “Yes, they are.  We have a very nice, quiet little life in London.  We aren’t here to cause any trouble.”  Buffy stated.

            “Well then, let’s say we get you back in there and arrange to go see your mother.”  Wesley took her arm to lead her back into Giles’.

            “They said visiting hours were over for today?”

            “Nonsense, they were just being mean to you.  You will get to see your mother this night, Buffy, I promise you.”  He opened the door and they walked back in to a sea of angry faces.

            Wesley held up one hand when everyone started speaking at once.  Buffy had his other hand firmly grasped in her own.  He had a thought to how silly it was for this powerful creature to cling to him for comfort.  “All of you quiet down.  Buffy and I met about two years ago.”  He pointed to the charred side of his face.  “When I got this.  She and I helped save one another.”  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.  “We don’t want to talk about it.  It really is none of your business.  She is here to see her mother, not to defend herself to all of you.  Now, Giles please call ahead to the hospital to let them know we are on our way.”  He turned and ushered Buffy out of the room before anymore could be said.

Chapter 11

            Buffy entered the hospital room trying to prepare herself for the sight of her mother.  It had been three years and now the woman was stricken with disease.  Luckily, Buffy’s stay at the Initiative and looking at Drusilla all of those months gave her some idea of what to expect.  She walked in complete silence over to her mother’s bedside.  She looked down on the sleeping woman.  Joyce was even more pale than Spike and Drusilla.  Her blue/green veins stood out in sharp contrast to the rest of her skin.  Her hair, including her eyebrows and eyelashes, was completely gone.  Buffy smiled.  Her mom had obviously been willing to fight.

            Joyce felt someone staring at her.  Rupert had called to warn her that Buffy was on her way.  She hadn’t heard her enter the room, but she could feel those lovely green eyes boring into her.  Just when Joyce thought she couldn’t stand it another minute, she felt a warm little hand slide into her own.

            “Mommy?”  Buffy whispered.

            Joyce opened her eyes and looked into the face of the child she hadn’t seen for three years.  “My baby.”  Joyce gave her hand a little squeeze.

            Buffy immediately threw herself into her mother’s arms and started crying.  “I am so sorry.  So sorry I haven’t been here for you.  I got lost.”

            Joyce stroked the back of Buffy’s head trying to calm her; just like she used to do when she was a little girl.  “Well you’re found now.  Hush, baby, it’s all right.”

            Buffy let go of her mother and looked into her eyes.  “It’s not alright, not really.  I’m still lost.  I don’t want the rest of them to know, but I need to tell you.  You need to know what I am and where I’ve been.”  Buffy stood up and placed Joyce’s hand against her chest.  “Do you feel that?”

            Joyce nodded her head.  “Yes, sweetheart, it’s your heartbeat.”

            “Good, just so you know I have one.”  Buffy swallowed hard.  “Now, look at my face.”  She vamped out.

            Joyce knew something was coming.  She also knew that she could never stop loving her daughter – no matter what.  Her hand didn’t so much as flinch.  It stayed right over Buffy’s heart.  “How is this possible?”

            “The night I left.  All I really meant to do was go for a walk.  Get some fresh air.  The next thing I know I’m waking up in some government facility.  They had me for about a year.  They ran all sorts of experiments and finally, turned me into a super soldier.  A vamp/slayer combo kid.”  Buffy tried to make light of the horror that had been her life that year.

            A mother knows.  Joyce started to weep and shake.  “My baby.  They had my baby.”  She pulled Buffy down to her and held on to her as tight as her weakened muscles would allow.  “They hurt my baby.”

            Buffy now found herself the one stroking her mother’s head and making soothing noises.  “It’s okay.  I got away.  I had help.  There were people to take care of me.  I wasn’t alone.”

            “Why didn’t you come home?”  Joyce was trying to understand.

            Buffy gently extracted herself from her mother’s arms and sat in the chair next to the bed.  “I thought about it, but I was pretty sure Giles and the gang would stake first and ask questions later.”  Joyce started to protest.  “They would have been right.”  Buffy took a deep breath.  It was the first time since she had changed, that she felt discomfort at what she was.  “I won’t hurt you.  I won’t hurt anyone you care about, but mom, I’m not human.  I hunt.  I eat to live.  I am a vampire.  It just so happens I can walk about in the daytime and I have a heart beat.”

            Joyce took some time to reflect on the things Buffy had said.  She decided in the end that it didn’t matter.  She knew it was selfish.  If what Buffy had told her was true, then Joyce should feel obligated to make sure that this creature beside her was put down.  The thing of it was, Joyce was ready to be a little selfish.  She was dying.  She had been without her daughter for so very long.  Nothing was going deny her of this time with her child, and no one would know of Buffy’s condition.  The mother bear in her reared up.

            “You can’t tell them.”  Joyce said sternly.

            Buffy broke into a smile.  Her mother was accepting her.  “I have no intention of it, trust me.  Wesley already knows.  He was there when it happened.  He helped me escape in the first place.”

            “I don’t know whether to be thankful for his rescuing you or angry that he kept it a secret all of this time.”  Joyce suddenly felt very tired.

            “How about a little of both?”  Buffy leaned over to give her mother a kiss.  “You rest now.  I’ll be back in the morning.”  Joyce looked at her with worry.  “I promise.  I’m not leaving this time.”

            Joyce closed her eyes and put faith in her daughter.  Buffy gave her another kiss before heading out the door.  Wesley was waiting for her along with everyone else.  Seems they didn’t trust her.  What a surprise.

            “Is she alright?”  Giles asked making a move to go into the room.

            Buffy restrained him with a hand on his arm.  “She’s fine.  I wore her out and she’s sleeping.  She and I have made our peace.  I won’t be leaving until it’s over.”

            “Well that’s a change.”  Xander and Cordelia said in unison.  The whelp was about to say ‘jinks you owe me a coke’ when Wesley’s fist shut his mouth.  Xander yelped and touched his sore lips.  “What was that for?”

            “Don’t talk to Buffy like that in my presence.  Do you understand?” 

            Xander looked into the young watcher’s eyes and realized how serious he was.  Whatever had happened between Wesley and Buffy had been big.  Xander decided right then that he would find out just what had gone on.  He gave Wesley the barest nod in acknowledgement.

            “I need to get back to my family.”  Buffy turned to leave.

            “Your family?  I thought we were your family.”  Willow had finally spoken.

            Buffy turned incredulous eyes to the lovely red head.  “What?  You?”  She looked at the people around her.  “My husband and my daughter are my family.  They love me unconditionally and they believe in me.”  Spike and Drusilla had thought it best that Buffy refer to them this way so that she had reasons for needing to return back to the hotel.

            “You’re married?”  Angel asked.

            “Yes, for about two years.”  Buffy answered him.  Well, it was as close to the truth as she could come.

            “How old is your daughter?”  Willow was trying to picture Buffy as a mother.

            “She’s from a previous relationship of my husband’s, but in everyway that counts she’s mine.”  Buffy was trying to avoid giving any specific details.

            “So why are they not here?  Why are you not introducing us?”  Giles was suspicious.  Something was not right.  Buffy had always been a terrible liar.

            “Because I don’t want this life to touch them.  I will not have them in danger.”  She turned and walked to the stairwell. She opened the door and stepped through without looking back.

            As the door closed behind her Giles turned toward Angel and gave him a knowing look.  “Well that part was true anyway.”

            “You think she’s lying?”  Willow asked.  Her stomach had been in knots ever since they told her to do the locator spell.  She was a dedicated techno-pagan and the spell had been simple.  With a few key strokes she had had Buffy’s telephone number.  The woman who came here, however, was nothing like the Buffy Willow remembered.  Whatever her former friend had been through, had clearly changed her, and Willow felt it hadn’t been for the good.  Buffy gave her the wiggins.

            “She is lying, Willow.  But about what I can’t say.  She may just be trying to protect her family.  It is certainly understandable.  We live very dangerous lives.”  Giles replied.

            “Well she is supposed to be leading this life too!”  Xander shouted.  Faith moved to hold his hand and try and calm him down.  “This is her life.  She’s the chosen one!”

            Faith dropped his hand like it was on fire.  “No, I’m the chosen one.  When your Buffy died the first time, at the hands of the Master, her power passed on to that Kindra chick, and when she died it came to me.  That’s the way it works.”  She looked at all of them.  “Did any of you ever consider that this simply isn’t her fight anymore?  That sending soul boy here to hell,” she pointed to Angel, “was the last straw for her?  Let her mourn her mother.  Joyce is a good woman and deserves this time with her daughter.  The rest of you just lay off.”  Faith turned around and took the same stairway Buffy had exited a few moments before.

            Faith made her way to her favorite cemetery needing to work off some steam.  She knew she should have had one of the gang come along to back her up, but she was too angry at them right now.  She heard a noise behind one of the mausoleums and decided to have a look see.  She rounded the corner and found herself faced with six vampires.  She shrugged her shoulders and prepared to fight.  She’d taken on six before.  Okay, not without back up, but still. 

            Buffy was walking back to Giles’ to retrieve her rental car.  Wesley had offered to drive her to the hospital and at the time it had seemed to be a good idea.  Now, walking through a cemetery when she just wanted to be cuddled up with her mates, she deeply regretted it.  She heard a scuffle coming from behind a mausoleum and was about to decide just to walk on buy when she smelled the familiar smell of the young slayer, Faith.  ‘Shit’, Buffy said to herself, ‘I’m gonna have to fight.’  She hopped on top of the roof and jumped into the fray on the other side.  The dark haired girl was holding her own and Buffy was impressed.  Between the two of them they managed to have six nice little piles of dust in no time.

            “That was fun, thanks for the help.”  Faith said offering her hand to Buffy.

            Buffy shook it.  “Yeah it was.  Sometime if you want to spar let me know.  I bet we could really have a go at it.”

            “Yeah.  That would be cool.”  Faith watched Buffy as she left the cemetery.  She wondered if she should tell anyone that the blonde slayer went a little vampy when she was fighting.  Faith had gotten strange tingles off of the other girl all night.  The kind that she got off of Angel and other vampires.  She thought that it was just a slayer meet slayer thing, but after the fight she knew differently, but she honestly believed Buffy just wanted to say goodbye to her mother.  She was also pretty damn sure that Wesley knew exactly what was up with the other slayer.  No, Faith wouldn’t say anything to anyone.  She would just watch and see what happened.

Chapter 12

            Buffy didn’t even have the chance to pull out her key card before the door flew open and Spike pulled her into the room and into his arms.  He immediately started kissing her all over.

            “Mine.”  He kissed her neck.  “Mine.”  He kissed her color bone.  “My baby, my Buffy.”  He kissed her shoulder.  Then he began meticulously removing each piece of her clothing.  Buffy was so caught up in what he was doing that it took her a moment to realize that Drusilla wasn’t in the room.

            “Spike, where’s Dru?”  Buffy moaned against him.  He was distracting her in every way possible. 

            Spike undid Buffy’s bra and pulled a nipple into his mouth.  “Dru left about twenty minutes ago.”

            Buffy tensed.  “Do we need to go after her?”

            “Probably.  Though more than likely she’ll just stalk the Great Arse for a few nights before she makes her move.”  He took in the other nipple.  “It’s the way he taught her to do things, and we both know she’s daddy’s little girl.”

            Buffy let him continue to work on her body.  He needed reassuring.  Just this once Drusilla was going to have to be on her own.  Hopefully she would return before dawn.  Spike picked up the now naked Buffy and carried her to the bed.  He kicked his own jeans off with vampiric speed and proceeded to remind Buffy just who she belonged to.  Afterwards she lay curled up against him.

            “How was your mum, pet?”  Spike was holding her hand to his mouth and peppering little kisses along her knuckles.

            “Terrible and wonderful at the same time.  She still loves me.  I told her everything and she still loves me.”

            “Of course she does.”  He gave her hand one last long kiss before putting it down and pulling her up so he could look into her eyes.  “Do you think telling her everything was wise though?”

            Buffy nodded her head.  “Yes.  We can trust her.  She actually got kind of protective and stuff.  She told me I couldn’t tell anyone.”  Buffy’s eyes filled with tears.  “I’m still her girl.”

            Spike rubbed his nose against hers.  “And you always will be, even after she’s gone.”

            Buffy gave him a watery little smile.  “Thank you for being here for me.  I didn’t want you guys to come, but I sure do need you.”

            “Always, luv’.  I will always be with you.”  He leaned in and kissed her long and deep.  They broke apart as they felt Drusilla nearing the door.

            Dru braced herself for Spike’s anger.  She could feel that Buffy was back and was glad for the barrier the younger woman supplied against Spike.  She opened the door and immediately inhaled the comforting scent of their lovemaking.  She put her card key down and kicked her shoes off.

            “I know you are cross with me.”  She looked down at the floor.  “I can’t help the way I am you know.”

            Buffy couldn’t help herself, “You’re not bad, you’re just drawn that way.”

            Drusilla looked at her, “Yes, exactly.”

            Spike had no idea what Buffy was talking about, but he was tired of being angry at Drusilla.  He opened his arms and motioned for her to join them on the bed.  She slipped her dress off and climbed in between them both.

            “So, did you see him?”  Spike asked her as he suckled her earlobe.

            “Yes, I did.  He was leaving the infirmary.  I made sure he felt me, just a little, and then I backed off.  I hope he’s pleased.  It’s exactly what he taught me to do, and I was always good at my lessons.  Wasn’t I Spike?”  She turned into Spike so she could kiss him.

            “Yes princess, you always were.”  He gave in to her kiss.

            “Will you teach me something tonight?”  Dru asked in a voice husky with lust.

            Despite the fact that Spike feared that Angel was her source of inspiration, he pushed himself up so that he could look over at Buffy.  “What do you think Slayer?  Can we teach this old dog a few new tricks?”

            “Well we can certainly try.”  Buffy giggled before moving in to join Spike.

            All Drusilla said was “Ruff, ruff!”

                                                            ********

            While Spike and Buffy did their best to entertain their prodigal mate, on the other side of the city, Angel, Xander, and Giles were having a private meeting.  All of the others had headed home after the hospital.  The three of them pretended to go their separate ways and then met back at Giles’ apartment.

            “She’s lying about something.  I agree with that Xander, but I am hesitant to go against Wesley’s wishes on this.  He has never wanted to talk about what happened to him that night.  We know there was an explosion somewhere underground in Sunnydale and that Wesley barely made it out alive.  That’s not a lot to go on, really.  It was, after all, two years ago.”  Giles finished pouring himself a drink and took a seat on the couch.

            “I have to know Giles.  I’ve hated her for so long, but the way Wesley is reacting tells me that maybe I’ve been wrong.  If I’ve been wrong, I want to know, so that I can stop hating her.”  Xander tried to explain himself.

            “I understand, really I do, but if we have been wrong about her, what then?”  Giles wanted the boy to be prepared for the emotional ramifications of what he was suggesting.

            “Then I can apologize.”  Xander shifted in the hard kitchen chair he was sitting on.

            “There is only one way to find out.  We have to figure out where that explosion took place and take a look around.”  Angel didn’t want to discuss his feelings or anyone else’s.  He just wanted answers.  He wanted to know how Buffy could make him feel the way she had with just one touch.  Cordelia couldn’t even do that in the middle of an orgasm.  Of course, that’s exactly why it was safe to have sex with her in the first place.

            “Look, I have an idea on where the explosion took place.  There is a section of the city that is closed off for commercial development, probably any kind of development.  I just know that several movers and shakers have tried to buy that property for retail, and the city has turned them down flat.  They can’t even figure out who owns it.  It’s all hush hush and off limits.  I’m thinkin’ that’s where we need to look.”  Xander was excited to be the one with all of the knowledge for once.

            “We can look into that tomorrow night then.”  Angel said getting up to leave.

            “Angel?”  Giles stopped him.  “Is everything okay?  You seem rather agitated.”

            “Yeah, it’s just seeing Buffy and then I thought I felt…”  He shook his head.  “It’s nothing.”  He didn’t really want to tell the watcher that he thought he had felt Drusilla.  No matter how evil she may be, she was still his childe.  He could hate what she was, hate himself for turning her into it, but he couldn’t wish her dead.  He just didn’t have it in him.  Darla was one thing.  He hadn’t been responsible for Darla.  He wished both men good night and headed back to the mansion.

                                                            ********

            The next morning, Buffy was at the hospital sitting beside her mother.  She was telling her about how she had shaved her head to match Drusilla’s.  “I would be happy to do it if it would make you feel better.  Of course, I would expect you to let me give you a nice henna tattoo.  Say something in a tribal design?”  Buffy teased her.

            “Don’t you go doing any such thing!”  Her mother grasped a piece of Buffy’s golden hair.  “I love your hair just like it is.  Expensively colored and all.”

            Buffy slapped at her mother’s hand playfully.  “As if I need to color my hair!”

            “Buffy, I’m your mother.  I am well aware of your natural hair color, dear.”  Then in a lower voice.  “It’s the same color as mine.”

            “Mom!  You are admitting to coloring your hair!”  Buffy said loudly.  She smiled at her mother’s exasperated sigh.

            “Am I interrupting?”  A deep voice came from behind them.  Buffy had known that he had been listening to them.  That’s why she had been careful to call Drusilla, Eddie.  It was hard to say with a straight face.  She wondered if Dru would let her refer to Miss Edith as Eddie.  Probably not.

            “Not at all.  Come in Angel.”  Buffy’s mother graciously invited him into the room.

            “I was wondering if Buffy might let me take her to lunch?  Cafeteria food of course.”  Angel smiled down at the beautiful blonde.

            Joyce looked nervously over at Buffy.  Did she even eat food anymore?  Buffy caught her mother’s stare and gave her a reassuring smile.  She turned to look up at Angel.  “I’d be happy to, thank you.  I’ll be back later, Mom.  After you’ve had a rest.”  She leaned over and gave her mother a kiss before following Angel to the cafeteria.

            “I’d take you someplace else, but I didn’t think you’d want to walk through the sewers in those shoes.”  He pointed at her white tennis shoes.

            “Yes, that’s true.  Honestly, the cafeteria is fine.”  Buffy assured him.

            They went through the cafeteria line.  Buffy chose a salad and a bread stick.  She had an overwhelming urge to grab a can of tomato juice as a little joke, but decided to be mature and get an iced tea instead.  Besides, without her mates there was really no one to appreciate her humor.  It was one of her favorite things about them; how much they all laughed together.

            Angel paid for her food and they took a seat.  Buffy felt weird eating all by herself.  “Why don’t you eat?”

           “I eat.  I drink blood.  Somehow I don’t think they serve it in the cafeteria section of the hospital.”  Angel said evenly.

            Buffy rolled her eyes.  Was that supposed to be funny?  “Sorry, guess I forgot.”  Stupid vampire.  Spike and Drusilla ate food all the time.

            “Tell me about your husband.  Does he make you happy?”  Angel asked her.

            Buffy tried not to impale him with her fork.  He had no right to ask her if she was happy.  “Yes, Angel, he makes me very happy.  He loves me completely.  He believes that there isn’t anything more important than family and he stands by that belief in everything he does.”

            Why did Angel get the feeling that she was being accusatory?  “He sounds like a good man.”

            Buffy gave him a bright smile.  “I don’t know about that.  I just know that he’s a good man for me.  He’s my man.  He and Eddie are my everything.  I will do anything to keep them safe.”

            Now, he was sure he heard a warning in her voice.  Okay, message received.  Stay away from husband and child.  “Buffy, where have you been?  I know you said not to ask you, but I need to know.”

            “I’ve been in England with my family.  My daughter was sick for a long time.  We just like to stay close at home and appreciate one another,” Buffy said.  “We’re total home bodies.”

            “I heard you tell your mom about shaving your head.  That was really sweet.  I’m sure you’re a great mother.”  He reached out to squeeze her hand.  The feeling slammed into him hard.  He jerked his hand away as if it had been bitten.  “Sorry,” he looked at her apologetically.  “My body has a hard time remembering that you don’t belong to me anymore.”

            Buffy looked at him with sympathy.  He was such a lost creature.  Secluded from his own kind.  Did he ever feel like he belonged?  She knew that the response was because his body sensed that she was family, not because of any romantic link they once had.  She would have given him a comforting pat on the arm, but she didn’t want to make things worse.  “Angel, how about some tit for tat.”  She looked into his deep chocolate eyes.  “Are you happy?”

            “That’s not a fair question.  I can’t be happy and you know it.”  He sat up distancing himself from her.

            “Is it worth it?”  She dared to ask him.

            He gave her a look of near hatred.  “Unlike some, I don’t put my own needs above everyone else’s.”

            It was meant to be a low blow, but he didn’t understand who she was now.  She smiled at him knowingly, “Angel, I put my family first.  The rest of you can go to hell.”

            He was shocked at her cruelty.  “You aren’t the girl I knew.”  He got up to leave.

            “No, I’m not a girl at all.”  She watched as he walked away.  He was tragedy in motion.  She sighed deeply, finished her lunch, and then got up spend the rest of the day with her mother.  You know what they say about the best laid plans.

Extension:  something that was added just for all of those lovely reviewers.  Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think of this story.  Here is a little adventure that never was:

Chapter 13

            An hour later Faith came into Giles’ apartment at a dead run, only stopping when she hit the hard wall that was Angel.  Damn, he was well muscled.  She shook her head to clear her thoughts.  “Where’s Giles?”

            “You mean me?  The man whose home you so rudely invaded without so much as a knock?”  Giles said wearily as he came from out of the bathroom.

            “Sorry!”  Faith took a step back from Angel who looked particularly grumpy today.  “I was down at Willy’s and I heard some demons talk about this Chronos Lithos thing.  It sounded important so I came straight here.”

            “Why were you at Willy’s?”  This girl was somewhat of an enigma to him.

            Faith rolled her eyes.  “That would be none of your business.  You do remember that you aren’t my watcher, right?”

            “Then why are you not at your watcher’s?  Why are you here in here my home?”  Giles took a book off of the shelf on Greek demonology.

            “I called him first, okay?  He said he’d meet me here – that you would have the book on this thing.”  Faith huffed and took a seat.  She thought she understood why Angel looked so grumpy.  It must be spending extended time with Giles!  She had always gotten the feeling that this guy never liked her; that he was always comparing her with Buffy and finding her lacking.

            Giles opened the book in his hands and began searching.  After a few minutes he exclaimed “Oh, yes here it is.  Chronos Lithos, it’s a stone that can speed forward time.  Terribly dangerous I’m afraid.  The watcher’s council has been said to have destroyed it centuries ago.”

            “Well, someone screwed up ‘cause these guys said that it was being auctioned off today at the Parksbug Hotel.”  Faith said with triumph.  Take that Mr. All Knowing.

            “That is quite problem, I’m afraid.”  He turned to Angel.  “We will need everyone on this.  If this stone exists and it’s being auctioned off at the hellmouth, we can assume it will be well guarded.”  Giles explained.  A knock on the door prevented Angel from replying.  Giles went over to let the younger watcher in.

            Wesley swooped in and came over to Faith.  “Has he explained to you what the Chronos Lithos does yet?”

            “Sort of, it speeds up time?”  Faith said hesitantly.

            Giles handed over the book to Wesley and then turned back to Angel.  “Call Willow, Oz, and Xander and have them meet us at this hotel.  Make sure Willow knows that we will need spell ingredients to ward off magic.”  Angel picked up the phone.  “Oh, and to break magical wards as well!”  Giles added.

            “Mr. Giles?”  Wesley was worried.  “I’m afraid the stone does more than just speed up time.  In actuality it speeds up time for the bearer of the stone only.”

            “I don’t understand.  Time cannot move for one person only, if it did that person would find himself alone in a vastness of nothing.”  Giles was trying to see how this stone could be used.

            “It provides a separate path.  Anything that the carrier of the stone applies as he goes through that nothingness exists.  So that as the rest of us go through time normally there is an aspect or aspects that never should have been and cannot be changed because it is always one step ahead of our being able to manipulate it.”  Wesley explained.

            “Oh my, that is even worse than I thought.  That means that if someone were to open the hellmouth, even for a second, and then speed forward through time, our coming along to close it would have no effect.  It would just open right up again.  We would have to stand there for who knows how long just closing it over and over.  The stone wielder could have moved forward a thousand years.  Keeping it closed would be an impossible task.  All of our efforts and the efforts of those who come after us would be singularly focused on keeping the hole closed.  It would leave the rest of the world open for anything.  It would be complete chaos!”

            Angel hung the phone up and turned to the men.  “We have to stop this before it starts.”

            Faith was confused about something.  “What about the person who has the stone?  Won’t they be stuck in that nothing Giles was talking about until the world catches up to them?”

            Angel looked at the girl.  “That isn’t exactly a problem.  There are a lot of apocalyptic demon cults who have members more than willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause.  There is nothing more dangerous than a zealot.  Now, let’s go.”

            “Wait?  If this is so dangerous don’t ya think we could use some extra muscle?”  Faith asked.

            “What do you mean?”  Giles really just wanted to get going.

            “I mean, Buffy.  She’s a pretty big gun.”  Faith wondered if these men were just dumb.

            “That would be a brilliant idea, Faith.  I’ll call her at the hospital.”  Wesley got out his cell phone.

            “Wait, why would she help us now?”  Angel didn’t want Buffy anywhere near him.

            “She cares about her family, Angel.  She’ll help.”  Wes dialed the number.

            “Yeah, she helped me out last night.  I got in a little tangle with about half a dozen vamps.  Nothing I couldn’t handle, but she lent a hand.  It was a kick slayin’ with someone powerful like that.”  Faith told them.  Noticing Angel’s look she added “I mean girl power, obviously you are pretty powerful.  I enjoy slaying with you too.  It’s just…”

            “Save it.”  Angel turned to Wesley.  “Is she coming?”

            “She’ll meet us there.”  He didn’t tell them that she was in a total panic because it turns out that the Parksburg Hotel is where she was staying with Spike and Drusilla.  He also didn’t tell them that Buffy was calling Spike and Drusilla to get on finding the stone before any of the Sunnydale team even got there.  Wesley felt the beginnings of a headache starting to seep behind his eyes.  It was going to be a long day.

            Buffy was driving at full throttle to get to the hotel.  Spike had said that he and Dru would be careful, but she hated the idea of them being in any danger.  She parked the car along the side of the hotel and went straight to the auction room.  She looked around but couldn’t see anyone she knew. 

            “Miss?”  A voice sounded at her elbow.  Buffy looked down at a small demon in a navy blue suit.

            “Yes?”  Now that it had been brought to her attention she realized that the seats were filled with a variety of creatures and the occasional human.

            “Do you need any help?”  He didn’t think she was dressed appropriately for an event such as this, but the power flowing off this girl told him to be polite.

            “I was looking for someone.  They said they would be here, but I don’t see them.”  She explained.

            “Well it’s early yet.  Were they thinking of buying any item in particular?”  He asked.

            “Yes, the Chronos Lithos.”

            “Ahh, the time stone.  That is a truly remarkable item.  We have a lot of important beings vying for its purchase.”  He said appreciatively.

            “Really?  Damn.  My friend was so hoping to get it.”  Buffy leaned into him conspiratorially.  “Can you give me a heads up on the competition?”

            He looked her over with a raised eyebrow.  Buffy sighed in exasperation.  She reached into her purse and withdrew a few hundred dollar bills.  She slipped them slyly into his hands.

            “It doesn’t matter to me who gets it so long as we get a good price.”  He said with a low wicked laugh pocketing the money.  “There are five buyers.  Two vampire cults who we think will just wipe each other out with it.  Stupid creatures.”  He jerked back as a little growl sounded from Buffy’s throat.  His eyes widened.  “I mean these particular vampires.  Stupid creatures to use such a powerful tool just to fight.  Other vampires are admirable, bold creatures who I respect greatly.”

            “Just get on with it.  That’s two, who are the other three?”  Buffy said irritably.

            “A law firm called Wolfram & Hart, the Watcher’s Council, and  bunch of monks.”  The man walked quickly away from the strange woman.  What the hell was she anyway?

            Buffy sighed in exasperation.  Great.  Way to go.  Growl at the little man and scare him off.  She was just about to go off and find her mates when she could feel Angel  coming at her from behind.  She turned to meet him.  Cordelia was firmly attached to his right arm.  She was dressed to the nines as always.

            “Where is the rest of the gang?”  Buffy asked Angel, ignoring Cordelia.

            “We flanked out.”  Angel said.

            “Good, I need to find Giles.  I know who the buyers are.”  Buffy told him.

            “Giles is looking for the stone with Willow and Oz.  Finding it is priority.  It doesn’t really matter who the buyers are.”  Angel sneered.  Cordelia gave Buffy a wicked smile.

            “Fine, I’ll be around if you decide you need me.”  Buffy walked away.  Man, these people irritated her.  She walked behind some curtains and found herself in a series of hallways.  She hated this kind of thing.  It always reminded her of the Intiative.  She made several turns when she suddenly felt the pull of her mates.  Good.  She was hoping to avoid using her cell phone.  No need to distract them if they were in the middle of a fight.  She made two more left turns and came to a door.  She opened it with confidence.  She could feel her mates behind the door and the only feeling she was getting off of them was distinct boredom.

            “Well hello there.”  She smiled at the sight of Spike and Drusilla sitting on top of a couple of crates, kicking their feet.

            “Took you bloody long enough, slayer.”  Spike hated being bored.

            Buffy walked up and gave him a little apology kiss.  “Even princesses get bored.”  Drusilla hinted.  Buffy laughed and walked over to Dru and gave her a gentle kiss.

            “What are you guys doing in here?  Is the stone in one of these crates?”  Buffy asked.

            “You mean this stone?”  Spike laughed pulling a chain out from under his black shirt.  Buffy stepped forward and her mouth fell open.  She practically had to squint to make out the tiny little rock nestled in a gold cup.  “That’s not a stone, that’s a pebble!”

            “Dru says it’s the one were looking for.  We mad a swap with that little gold tooth necklace Dru’s been wearin’,” Spike shuddered.  He hated that thing.  Dru had taken a tooth off this old pervert they’d killed in an alley.  She said she wanted to meet the tooth fairy.  She put in under her pillow, full of expectations.  Spike stole it and handed it off to Buffy who had the tooth dipped in gold.  They put it back under the pillow before Dru awakened.  She’d been delighted.  It was everything they could do for the next month to keep her from pulling all the teeth out of her victims.  Spike had had visions of her walking around with a dozen necklaces all lined with golden teeth like some demented rapper. He was glad to be rid of the thing.  “Drusilla led us right to the stone with no trouble at all.  Didn’t you precious?”  Spike looked at his dark beauty fondly.

            “I did didn’t I?”  Dru giggled.  “I’ve always been good at finding things.  My mother lost her heart once.  I was the one to find it.  Angel had it.”  She stared off into horrors of years gone by.  Buffy took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

            “Dru, sweetheart.  Angel’s here with Cordelia.”  It was the most sure way Buffy could think of to pull Dru out of one of her spells. 

            Dru jerked her hand out of Buffy’s and vamped with a growl.  “Stupid, Daddy.  Silly, girl.  She thinks she can touch him.  Only family can touch him.  Her hand goes right through.”  Drusilla made a swooshing movement back and forth with her hand.

            Spike hopped off of his crate and lifted Drusilla off of hers.  “We saw your watcher with that witch and her dog.  We slipped in here before they could see us.  Tricky that.  The dog has a good nose, but thankfully with all the riff raff out there we don’t seem so out of place.”

            Buffy put her arms around both of them.  “I’m just glad you’re safe.  We need to take out the buyers and get this stone to the Watcher’s Council.”

            “Council’s here huh?  How come your watcher doesn’t know about this then, pet?”

            “I think they are embarrassed.  They told everyone that they destroyed this thing years and years ago.  Obviously they kept it around in case they needed it.  I’d say we should destroy it ourselves, but I bet it takes rituals and stuff.  Let’s just get the stone to them and be done with it.”  Buffy suggested.

            “Thought you said we got to kill the buyers?”  Spike wasn’t about to miss out on his fun.

            Buffy gave them both a wide smile.  “Well, yeah otherwise they’ll find something else to open the hellmouth with.  Do you think the two of you can kill right under Angel’s nose?  I mean he is the patriarch of this family and all.  Might be kind of hard.  I know I can do it, but maybe you two should just go back to the room.”  Buffy held out her hand for the stone.  She knew exactly what she was doing.

            Spike took the chain from around his neck and ignoring Buffy’s hand he slipped it over her head.  He tucked the stone between her breasts.  Buffy gave a hiss as wave of desire overtook her.  Spike chuckled.  “Are you suggesting that you can out stealth us, pet?”

            “What if I am?”  Buffy loved times like this.

            “I’ll take that as a challenge.”  Spike gave her neck a gentle nip.

            “Ooh, what shall we wager?”  Drusilla clapped her hands with excitement.

            “How many kills?”  Spike was all business now.

            “I don’t know exact numbers, but we have four groups.  Two rival vamp clans, some law firm called Wolfram & Hart, and some monks.” 

            “So, instead of kill count we go by groups?”  Spike wanted to make sure the rules were clear.

            “Exactly.”  Buffy smiled.

            “Oh, I like this.”  Dru purred.  “I know just what we get if we win.”

            “What’s that, luv?”  Spike asked.

            “The cheerleader!  Whoever wins gets to kill that silly girl.  We’ll make beautiful colors run over body.  Her screams will sing us to sleep.”  Drusilla really couldn’t wait.

            “I’m sorry sweetheart but we can’t kill Cordelia.  Nice images though.”  Buffy gave Drusilla a little hug. 

            “How about a sexual bet?”  Spike suggested.

            Buffy and Drusilla rolled their eyes.  “You always say that.”

            “What do you suggest then?”  Spike liked his idea.  There is nothing wrong with an old favorite.

            Buffy got an evil glint in her eye.  “The winner can make the losers do whatever they wish.  One dare each.”

            Spike immediately thought of variety of things in keeping with his original idea.  “Yeah, that works for me.”

            “I’m sure it does.  Dru?”

            “Oh yes, yes please.  I would ever so like to win.”  She had an excited glint in her eye.

            “Remember you can’t win if any of the Sunnydale gang, including Angel, spots you.  Got it?”

            “Got it.”  Dru and Spike said in unison.

            Buffy smiled to herself.  She knew she would never have been able to get them to go back up to the room.  This way they would try their hardest not to get caught.  She loved them both, but really, sometimes it was like having a couple of children.

Extension part 2:

Chapter 14

            Buffy was feeling fairly proud of herself as she worked her way through the auction room.  The stipulations placed on the bet made it so that Spike and Drusilla would loose if they were spotted by any of the Sunnydale crew.  This meant that they could not even enter the auction room where Angel was seated.  He would sense them immediately.  It kept her mates out of trouble and offered her the perfect opportunity to win a little wager.  This would be so much fun.

            Fifteen minutes later Buffy wasn’t so optimistic.  She couldn’t seem to find anyone from the law firm or anyone who looked like a monk.  She saw a lot of vampires but was having a heck of a time staking them without anyone taking notice.  Honestly, couldn’t they put on little name-tags that read “I’m here for the Chronos Lithos stone?”  She sighed in frustration.  She turned to try the other side of the room and found herself with her nose in Giles chest.  She took a step back.  “Sorry.”

            “It’s quite alright.”  He had to physically stop himself from hugging her.  She’d been so close, but he was so very angry.  “We have found no sight of the Chronos Lithos, but we have, oddly enough, run into some council members.”

            Buffy perked up.  “Really?  Where?”

            Giles pointed to two stuffy gentlemen in grey suits sitting in the front of the row.  “Oh, cool!”  Buffy bounced over to the men leaving Giles and company completely perplexed. 

            Buffy reached under her blouse and cupped the stone in her palm.  She pulled it over her head and slipped it into the hand of the man closest to her.  He jumped in surprise but quickly made a fist around the object he found thrust upon him.  He gave her a quizzical look and then took a peek in his hand.  “Thank you so much Miss Summers.  This was stolen from the Watcher’s council about six weeks ago.”

            “Will you destroy it this time?”  She asked him with a threat in her voice.

            “Yes, this time we will.”  He gave her a smile as he and his partner got up to leave. 

            Buffy turned around this time making sure not to sniff Giles’ tie.  “How’d they know my name?”

            “As if they wouldn’t be familiar with one of their slayers, really Buffy.”  Giles huffed.  “Now, how did you get that?”

            “Who cares?  I got it.  They got.  It’s over.”  She smiled brightly.  Over for them maybe.  She still had a bunch of creatures to take out.  Angel and Cordelia joined the small group gathered at the side of the auction.

            “Did Buffy just hand you know what over to those men?”  Cordelia hissed.

            Wesley spoke up, “Actually, Buffy just handed you know what to the watcher’s council.”

            “Oh,” Cordelia said.

            Buffy was saved from a response by the little demon from earlier.  He tugged on her hand and motioned for her to follow him.  She entered a door and found herself face to face with two wildly grinning vampires.  The little demon left the room.

            “No, you didn’t.  You couldn’t!”  Buffy exclaimed.

            “Pet, we could.  We did.”  Spike was having the hardest time not laughing.

            “But I was in the auction room the whole time!”  Buffy felt a whine coming on.

            “That would be your problem, luv,” Spike looked entirely too pleased with himself.  “I found the vamp clans havin’ a bit of a squabble in the praking garage.  There were only four of ‘em altogether, so I can’t brag.  Who am I kiddin’?  I can brag.  I took ‘em out four seconds flat.”  He made four staking moves with his hand as he turned in a circle.  “It was pretty damn cool.”

            Drusilla gave a giggle.  “I bet it was, my Spike.”  She turned her eyes on Buffy.  “Sorry, my sweet, but the auction for the stone wasn’t in the big room.  It was in a little tiny room all by itself.  Just me, the lovely lady lawyer – mmm, she was delicious, tasted like avarice, she did – and three little monks.  The tops of their heads weren’t shaved.  Naughty, naughty monks.  First they try to control the world.  Not their place!  Then they don’t give me nice shiny domes to pet while I kiss their lives away.  That’s not very nice, is it?”

            Buffy felt defeat ride over her.  “No, Dru, that’s not very nice.”  She looked at Spike’s grin.  “Go ahead.  You two obviously pulled me in here for a reason.  Lay it on me.  What do I have to do?”  Buffy felt a mantra begin in her head – ‘oh please, let it be sexual, oh please, let it be sexual.’  She was never that lucky.

            Spike took a step towards her at the same time as Drusilla.  They whispered in each of her ears.  A look of horror washed over her face.  “No, not that.  That’s evil.  You’re both evil!  They’ll think I’m nuts.  Worse, Angel will think I’m still crushing over him!”  She whirled around.  “You two are supposed to love me!”  She left the room with one last heated look.

            Spike turned to Drusilla and they both burst into laughter.  Spike abruptly stopped.  “Dru, we have to go steal a video camera, quick!”  She gave a squeal of laughter as she followed her mate to liberate a tourist of their vacation movies.

            Buffy walked slowly out to the auction area.  She didn’t see any of the Sunnydale gang and sighed with relief.  She made her way to the lobby so that she could go back to the hospital.  They had said as soon as she sees Angel.  She certainly didn’t have to seek him out.  If she was lucky she could avoid him for the next hundred years or so.  She turned a corner to head out the side door and found the entire Sunnydale crew seated in a little atrium.  Oh, hell.

            Fine.  She took a deep breath and walked over to the seated Angel.  She got down on one knee and opened her mouth. 

“It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way,
you always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name -- for so long,
a beautiful smile to hide the pain.

CHORUS:
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and ev'rything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it,
I would be nothing with out you.

(CHORUS)

Fly, fly, fly away,
you let me fly so high.
Oh, fly, fly,
so high against the sky, so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you, thank God for you,
the wind beneath my wings.”

(Song by Bette Midler – I don’t own it and I don’t make any money off of it.)

            Angel stared at her in horror.  Giles thought she must be having a mental breakdown.  Cordelia was sure that she was trying to steal her man.  Willow and Xander were both wondering about pocession.  Oz, Faith, and Wesley thought it was funny as hell.  When she was finished, she stood up.  “That’s all I have to say.”  She turned and left.  Faith and Wesley caught up with her.

            “Okay, B, what was that?”  Faith was wiping tears from her eyes.

            “I lost a bet.”  Buffy walked away trying not to notice that both Faith and Wesley had slid to the floor in hysterical laughter.  She got in her car and drove back to the hospital.  The only good thing to come out of her complete humiliation was the look on her mother’s face when she relayed the story.  Her mom would get quiet and then every so often break out in a hard little laugh.  “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”  Buffy said fondly.

            Hours later a very tired Buffy entered her hotel room.  She really just wanted to sleep.  No sooner had she stepped in the door then the sound of her own voice and the glow of the television assaulted her senses.  She looked over at the bed.  “You taped it!”  The only response she got was the insane laughter of her two mates.

Chapter 15

            Angel and Giles were following Xander into an airshaft that he swore would lead them to where the explosion had taken place two years ago.  They were starting to have their doubts about the success of this adventure, but after Buffy’s performance earlier they felt they had to at least try and figure out what had happened to her – clearly, she had a screw loose .  Giles was not confident in Xander’s ability to do anything accurately.  He would not be surprised to pop out in some industrial center’s basement and give the night janitor the scare of his life.  Xander was feeling good.  He knew that at any moment they would come to an area that they could access.

            What seemed like hours, but was only minutes, finally found them being stopped by Xander.  He took a screw driver off of his utility belt and unscrewed a vent.  He plopped down and whispered for Giles and Angel to do the same.  All three men turned their flashlights on and looked around.

            “We are in some sort of lab area.”  Giles said as he looked around.  A lot of things were burnt, a lot of things weren’t burnt, and a lot of things were corpses.  “Something terrible happened here.”

            “They aren’t all human.  There are actually as many demon remains as there are human remains.  Whatever was going on here…” Angel stopped to pick up the body of a man and examine his clothes.  “Whatever was going on here involved the military.”

            “We need to find a file room.”  Giles said as he walked along and shined his flashlight through door after door.

            “Wouldn’t files have been kept on disc?”  Xander asked.  These old guys!

            “Yes, most of it would, but there is always a paper trail Xander.  Records that need to be examined.  We old folk like to hold something in our hands from time to time.”  Giles said with annoyance.

            Xander wondered not for the first time if the watcher could read minds.  They made their way through the entire complex.  Any time they came across a piece of paper that didn’t turn to ash in their hands they put it in the plastic sleeves that Giles had brought along.  After several hours they made their way back to the air vent and eventually back to Giles apartment.

            They sat around shuffling through papers and drinking scotch.  The grisly images of the underground government facility were hideously etched in their brains.  They quickly realized that the government had been experimenting on demons.  They found that the demons were referred to as hostiles or hostile subterraneans, and that each one was assigned a serial number.  What they had managed to retrieve, from what they now knew was called the Initiative, was bits of notes and data mostly from personal files kept by individual employees.  They began piling things according to HST numbers.  So far they had piles for sixty-eight creatures and knew by the highest number that there had been at least 237 hostiles kept in this facility.

            “I can’t believe Buffy would be a part of such an organization.  It’s sick.”  Xander said taking another sip of scotch.

            Both Angel and Giles turned to look at the delusional young man.  “What?” Xander asked having noticed the disgusted stares.

            “Xander, I’m afraid it’s highly unlikely that Buffy was an employee of the Initiative.”  Giles was often astounded by how thick headed this boy could be.

            “What?  No.  Why?  She’s the chosen one!”  Xander was still trying to live in denial.

            “Yes, who has supernatural abilities and would make an enticing subject of study for a group of scientists.”  Giles pointed out.

            Realization seeped slowly into Xander’s scotch laden brain.  He shook his head.  “I can’t accept that.”

            Angel slapped several sheets of paper onto the table.  “You’re going to have to.”

            Giles picked up all three sheets of paper and studied them.  He placed the papers down and quietly excused himself to the bathroom.  The sound of retching could be heard as the watcher violently lost the contents of his stomach.

            “I can’t look.”  Xander pushed the papers back to Angel.

            “It’s information regarding some procedures performed on a hostile female that was brought in on the night Buffy apparently left Sunnydale.”  Angel explained.  “It’s not pretty.”

            “That doesn’t mean it was her!”  Xander yelled.

            Angel picked up the papers in anger and began reading.  “Female hostile, blonde, green-eyed, appears human, extraordinary strength and healing abilities.  Weight at capture 105 pounds, height five feet two inches.”  Angel gave Xander a stony look.  “It also identifies her blood type, which I can confirm.  Then it goes on to describe a lovely battery of tests they were running on her.  Would you like me to read on?”

            “It still doesn’t mean it’s her!”  Xander and Angel began sorting through the remaining papers with a vengeance.  Each trying to disprove the other.  Every time a paper made reference to Hostile #40 they added it to the pile.  Giles just sat in a chair and watched them.  He knew what they would find and his heart just wasn’t in the search.  When all of the papers had been sorted, he reached his hand out for them.  He divided them into thirds.  He gave a section to each man.  “We all read, then switch.”  He gave Xander a hard stare.  “She lived it, we can read it.  And don’t forget for one moment that all of this,” he waived the papers, “is only a fraction of what we would have found if the computer files had been intact.”  All three men set to reading. 

            Daylight was making its way over the horizon by the time they finished.  “When I spoke to her on the phone,” Angel’s voice was low and tortured, “she became completely enraged when I told her we did a locater spell.  She said something about ‘after three fucking years’.”  He paused.  “She thought we’d come for her.”  He got up to leave but the rays of the sun pushed him back inside.  “Fuck!”  He vamped out and splintered the door frame with a punch.

            “She must hate us.”  Xander said in horror.

            “I don’t think so.  I don’t think she cares enough about any of us, accept her mother, to hate us.  She only cares for her ‘family’.”  Angel walked to the couch and threw himself down upon it.

            “At least she has her family.”  Xander said trying to find some comfort.  Once again he was assaulted by looks of disgust from the other two men.  “What now?”

            Giles spoke with a wry smile, “From the papers we read, I doubt very much that her family is human.  I am quite certain that her step-daughter is the vampire that was referenced in the psychologist’s file.” 

            “That means that her husband is probably the female’s sire.  When they escaped the Initiative they must have run to him for safety.”

            “Why wouldn’t he just kill her?  It’s not like vamps to feel that much gratitude.”  Xander said.

            Angel tried not to growl at the boy.  “Every vampire is as different from one another as you humans are.  Some do feel gratitude and most feel extreme loyalty to their family members.”

            “I think the key that you are missing here is the state that Buffy left the Initiative in.  We know that their mission was to build the ultimate soldier.  For all we know they succeeded or at the very least succeeded in altering Buffy’s genetics.  I wish we had access to the complete files.  This is bloody frustrating!”  Giles went up to refill his scotch glass, but a glance at the bathroom door had him reconsider.

            “She feels different.”  Angel thought back to his first impression of her.  “When she walked in the door, I sensed vampire.  If I hadn’t heard her heartbeat I would have been sure of it.”

            “That would make sense,” Giles said.

            “How could she be a vampire with a heartbeat?”  Xander thought they both had a screw loose.

            “She couldn’t.  It has to be some sort of genetic alteration.”  Giles explained.

            “There’s more.”  Angel hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but it was an uncomfortable coincidence that needed to be addressed.  “I’ve felt Drusilla’s presence for the last couple of days.  Nothing blatant, just a little tease.”

            “Do you think she might be the one that Buffy cared for while she was in captivity?”  Giles questioned Angel.

            “Yes, I think that’s it exactly.”  Angel took a swig of scotch.  He knew he was going to have to look back over the papers for references to the hostile Buffy had cared for.  He needed to know what had been done to his childe.

            “Oh, hell no!”  Xander screamed standing up.  “That means that Buffy’s husband is Spike!”

            The scotch glass exploded in Angel’s hand, raining down a mix of blood, glass, and expensive booze.

            “Take heart, it can’t possibly be a legal marriage.  I’m sure she was using it as a metaphor to describe her close relationship to…”  Giles trailed off as he realized he wasn’t helping anything.

            They cleaned Angel up and then helped the volatile vampire to go back through the myriad of papers.  The vampire that Buffy had taken care of was labeled Hostile #18.  They quickly discovered that she had been brought in with another vampire Hostile #17.  They pulled all the papers for these numbers and began reading.  Giles looked over at Angel and noticed that he was in constant vamp face.  He imagined that the man was feeling his sire/childe bond quite strongly at the moment.

            “I would see them all dead, if it were not already so.”  Angel’s voice was rough and filled with intense hatred.  It also held just the touch of an Irish brogue.

            The front door opened and Wesley walked in.  He looked at the men and the papers lying all around and shook his head.  “Find anything interesting?”  He closed the door as he stepped into the room.

            “Why didn’t you tell us!”  Angel growled.

            “Because it wasn’t my place to tell.  If Buffy had wanted you to know she would have contacted you.  I was there when they changed her.  The girl you knew died on the operating table, actually probably long before that.  I can tell you first hand that the soldiers in that unit were very adept with torture.”  Wesley took a seat.

            “My childer were in there!”  Angel was having trouble controlling the demon.

            Wesley looked at him with sympathy.  “Yes, I did not know that at the time, however.  I didn’t find out about Buffy’s relationship to your childer until the car ride to see her mother.”  Wesley cleared his throat.  “I knew that she had been implanted with a demon from the blood of a master vampire, I just didn’t realize that Spike was one of yours.”

            “It’s his blood they used?”  Angel found himself comforted by the thought that Buffy had a part of him inside of herself.

            “Yes.  They had altered it, of course.  She considers him, however, to be her Sire in everyway.  They are all quite close.”  He looked at the weary men.  “Aren’t any of you going to ask me why I’m here at such an abominable hour?”

            “Yes, actually I have been wondering,” Giles said.

            “I received a phone call from Buffy several hours ago.  Apparently Drusilla followed you all to the Initiative complex.  She went back to the hotel and let Spike and Buffy know what you three were up to.  Buffy wants to be able to continue to see her mother.  Is this going to be a problem?”  Wesley sincerely hoped not.  He knew that there was every chance that the three vampires would fight them over this.  He’d seen Buffy move.  Neither Angel nor Faith could match her.  They would loose in such a fight.

            “She can still see her mother.”  Giles said quietly.  “Joyce knows doesn’t she?”

            “Yes.  Buffy told her immediately.  Joyce loves her just as she is.  She’s terribly worried that one of you will try and harm her daughter.  Will you?”  Once again Wesley found himself holding his breath.

            “Should we?”  Giles had to ask.

            “Yes, probably.”  Wesley looked down at his lap and his scarred hand resting in it.  “She isn’t human.  She occasionally kills for food.  Mostly the three of them live in isolation and exist on bagged blood, but the demon within demands its price.”

            “Angel doesn’t need to do that!”  Xander exclaimed.

            “Yes, well Angel has had a couple hundred of years to come to grips with his demon.  Spike and Drusilla do not have souls, and Buffy is unsure whether she has one herself.  Xander, she was tortured for a solid year by humans.  She stopped thinking of them as anything but prey long before Spike’s blood entered her system.”  Wesley hoped the boy could understand.

            “Are they hunting here, in Sunnydale?”  Angel had to ask.

            “No.  They aren’t.  They have sworn to not hurt anyone as long as no one tries to hurt them.  They just want Buffy to be able to spend time with her mother.”  Wesley realized that all the cards, well almost all, were laid out on the table.

            “Okay.  She can see her mother.  We’ll leave them be.”  Angel said echoing Giles’ sentiment earlier.

            “But…”  Xander cut his own self off.  He didn’t know what he wanted.

            Wesley knew now was the time to put the final card down.  “She will be at the hospital tonight then, with her mates in tow.”

            “The hell she will!”  It was Giles standing with his fists clenched.  “I won’t let Joyce be exposed to those monsters!”

            “Giles.”  Angel was going to have to explain the nature of a sire to its childe.  “Now that he knows we know, he won’t allow her out unprotected.  Everything inside of him wants to protect his childe.  We are going to have to let them all come to the hospital.  It’s the only way.”

            “No.  We can just say no.”  Xander thought they were nuts to even consider letting Spike and Drusilla into a hospital full of people.

            Angel started laughing.  “You can’t say no to the three of them.  Faith and I aren’t enough to hold them off if they come at us at once.  Plus, I’m not sure I would be any good in a fight against my own childer at the moment.”

            Xander gave Angel a sneer.  “That’s right, Buffy’s just been added to your stable.  You’re probably happy this all came down.  Now you can keep her forever!”

            Angel moved in to punch Xander but stopped himself an inch form the boy’s face.  He really needed to kill something and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself once he’d started.  He turned to Giles.  “Get me a blanket.  I’m taking the sewers to the hospital.  Call Faith and have her join me.  They’ll come after nightfall.  Buffy will be allowed to visit her mother.  Faith and I will be there only to keep the peace.”  He looked hard at Xander.  “You got it?”

            “Fine, but we will all be there.  With stakes and cross bows.”  Xander answered the dark vampire.

            “Fine.”  Angel turned and grabbed the heavy blanket Giles was holding out to him.  It was going to be a hell of a night.

Author’s note:  Thanks so much for all of the encouraging reviews.  There is only one more chapter after this one.  A warning:  from the things you all have said, and from the response I have gotten from the two people who have already read this story, the ending might not please.  It does please me, however, so there you go.  Feel free to imagine a different one if you like – that’s what I do! - Kari

Chapter 16

            It was just after dusk, and the chairs lining the hall outside of Joyce Summers’ room were filled.  Oz sat holding onto his young wife’s hand.  She had spent the afternoon crying.  One phone call from Xander had turned her world upside down.  Cordelia sat beside Angel with a tight grip on his arm.  She wasn’t stupid.  She knew how easily she could loose Angel.  Xander was heavily armed, which was nothing short of amusing to his on and off again girlfriend, Faith.  The dark haired slayer leaned over and gave him an encouraging kiss on the cheek.  She hadn’t told anyone that she already knew something was off about the other slayer.  Some things she liked to keep private.  Giles was sitting in with Joyce.  She had taken a turn for the worse throughout the day.  Whenever the poor woman had been conscious she had been on the phone with her daughter.

            They now all sat waiting yet again for Buffy to stroll through the door.  Only this time she wouldn’t be alone.  They were each heavily conflicted in their hearts.  On the one hand they felt shame and sorrow for not having faith in Buffy and for the suffering she had gone through.  On the other hand, they realized that she was on the other side now.  A creature who killed.  Willow, Xander, and Giles all wondered just how much of Buffy was even left in the woman they saw yesterday. 

            Faith and Angel could both feel the trio before they came through the swinging doors.  They braced themselves.  Faith was ready and willing to fight if she had too.  Angel was trying to prepare himself for an emotional onslaught.  Every head in the hall turned as the doors flew open.

            Black combat boots and black leather pants came through with synchronized steps.  Spike was in the middle with a woman on each side.  Their black trench coats swirled behind them.  A sense of power and purpose rolled off of them.  There was no doubt that these were extremely dangerous creatures.  They stopped in front of Angel.  Drusilla kept her eyes on Faith.  Buffy’s were trained on the watcher now standing in the door of her mother’s room.

            “Angel.”  Spike said in greeting.

            “William.”  Angel said back.  He tried to keep the emotion out of his voice.  He really did.

            “Save it.”  Spike warned him.  If they were going to have a big break down it sure as hell wasn’t going to be in front of outsiders.  Especially one’s they couldn’t just eat afterwards.  “We’re here to see Buffy’s mum.”

            “I know.  Faith and I are going in with you.”  Angel got up to stand.  He towered over the other man.  It should have made him feel strong, but the Spike in front of him was much changed from the Spike he had once known.  This was a man who had suffered and triumphed.  Who was sure of his place in this world.  Angel caught a glimpse of Drusilla watching him with her pleading eyes.  He knew then that there was one thing Spike wasn’t sure of.  He would have felt built up by that, if it weren’t for the way Buffy was holding Spike’s hand.  Like she’d die if he let go.

            “After you then, grandpa.”  Spike let Angel take the lead.  They walked into Joyce’s room and Buffy pulled Spike and Drusilla over to her mother’s bedside.  She gently took her mother’s hand and gave it a kiss.

            Joyce opened up her eyes.  “Buffy.  I’m glad you’re here.”  Her voice was thready and Buffy was thankful for her own advanced hearing.

            “Yeah, me too.  I brought my family to meet you.”  She put Spike’s hand in Joyce’s.  “This is my sire and my mate, Spike.  He takes very good care of me and makes me so happy.”

            Joyce gave him a smile and tried to squeeze his hand.  “Hello again.  Thank you for being with my little girl.  You’ll take care of her when I’m gone?”

            “Always.  There is nothing I would not do for her, Joyce.  Thank you for raising such an amazing woman.  She is the light of our lives.”  Spike raised her hand up and kissed it like Buffy had done.

            Buffy then put Drusilla’s hand inside of Joyce’s.  “This is Drusilla.  She’s our princess.  She makes me smile everyday.”

            “Hello, Drusilla.  It’s lovely to meet you.”  Joyce said softly.

            “Hello, Mum.  Buffy takes excellent care of me and she’s always so polite with Miss Edith.”  Drusilla said it like it was the highest of compliments.

            Joyce won Drusilla over with one question.  “Did you perhaps bring Miss Edith for me to meet?”

            Drusilla beamed.  “No, but she wanted to come.  She said to tell you that it will all be okay.  That you’ll be leaving soon and there will be no more pain, only love.  Oceans of love and happiness.  There’s a little girl waiting for you.  A girl that wasn’t but might have been.  She’s at the end of the starlight.  She’s your little pumpkin belly.”

            Joyce felt immensely comforted by the strange words.  Buffy had told her that Drusilla was psychic.  It was nice to think that something lovely was ahead of her.  “Thank you Drusilla, that sounds nice.”  Drusilla kissed the dying woman on the forehead and moved back to let Buffy have time with her mother. 

            Angel had watched the whole exchange with a heavy heart.  These were cold blooded killers.  They had almost no regard for human life.  So why did he long to embrace them? 

            Drusilla could feel her sire’s anguish and longed to comfort him.  She found herself pulled to his side.  “Did you feel me?  I’ve been watching you.”

            Angel smiled.  “Yes, Dru.  I always feel you.”

            An angry cloud passed over her face.  “No.  Not always.  You shouldn’t lie.  Only bad daddies lie.  You didn’t feel us underneath your feet.”

            “I’m so sorry about that.  You have to believe that if I knew, I would have come for you.  For all three of you.”  Angel took her small hands in his.  “Please believe me, Dru.”

            “I believe you.”  The saddest expression came over her face.  “It would be a relief to you if we were gone, though.  The pixies tell me all of your deepest secrets.  You can’t hide from me, my Angel.”

            He wanted to deny it, but it was useless.  It would be a relief to him if they were gone.  It would also kill something inside of him.  How had life gotten so complicated?  Sometimes he wondered about the curse.  Had the gypsies messed with nature?  Was he perhaps the most unnatural creature on the planet?  He looked at Buffy.  She was a product of science and yet she seemed so much more comfortable in her skin then he was.

            Spike sighed.  Drusilla’s hands were still ensconced inside of Angel’s.  She always had a funny little glow to her when she was with her daddy.  He felt Buffy’s arms slip around him from behind.  “I love you.”  She whispered in his ear.  He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.  “Love you too, pet.”

            “We need to let my mom rest for a bit.”  She leaned against him as they made their way back into the hall.

            Cordelia’s heart pinched when she saw Angel walk out with an arm around Drusilla.  This wasn’t good.  This wasn’t good at all.  She knew that now wasn’t the time or place.  Later, she would ask Angel what she really meant to him.  She was somewhat mollified when he let go of Drusilla and walked over to take his seat beside her.  Buffy, Spike and Drusilla took three seats just down from the others.

            Willow got up and went over to Buffy.  “I’m sorry for what happened to you, and for not looking for you.”

            Buffy’s eyes flashed yellow for a second.  “No problem.  Go back to your mate.”

            “You don’t need to speak to her like that!”  Xander yelled as Willow quickly made her way back to Oz.

            Spike growled low in his throat and turned to Xander.  “You will not speak to Buffy.  You are beneath her.”

            Xander started to get up but was stopped by both Faith and Angel.  “Sit down.”  Angel growled at him.  All of the humans turned to him in surprise.  “Spike is right.  Let it go.”

            “You are getting the lines a little blurred aren’t you Angel?  Are you forgetting what these creatures are?  What they do night after night?”  Xander hissed.

            Angel vamped at the boy.  “No Xander, I never forget.”  He let his face turn back to its human form.  He felt Cordelia’s arm on his and he tried to repress the urge to shake it off.  Having his family so close was having a definite effect on him.  He could feel Angelus howling to get out.  He wanted to protect them and he desperately wanted to reassert his dominance over Spike.  It was taking all he had to remain in control.  He realized at that moment that if a fight did break out, he would be more of a danger to the humans beside him then a help.  He got up to take a walk.

            “Where are you going?”  Cordelia asked in concern.

            “I just need to get out for a moment.”  He walked off down the hall.

            Drusilla looked up at Spike.  “Go.”  He told her and she wasted no time in following her daddy out.

            Angel knew Drusilla was following him and he welcomed it.  He led her in a maze down to the parking garage.  He hid behind a pillar and jumped out at her as she walked by.  She squealed in delight and he laughed.  A genuine laugh.  He never laughed.  He twirled her around and then pulled her against him for a hard kiss.  He broke off and looked into her lust filled eyes.  Spotting a vintage car that he fancied he strode over and broke his way in.

            Drusilla knew what was coming and she couldn’t wait.  She slipped into the back seat of the car as Angel held the door open for her.  She lay back on the leather upholstery.   Angel shut the car door as he maneuvered himself over Dru.  “This won’t be done properly in these cramped quarters, my love, but I’ll try my best.”  He gently bit down on her neck over his original mark.  “Mine.”

            “Forever.”  She replied.  They spent the next half hour reacquainting their bodies.

When they were done, Angel gently did up all of her clothes and used his fingers to arrange her hair.  They made their way back to the rest of the group hand in hand.  Neither bothering with thoughts of what the others would think when they walked back in.  Spike and Buffy would have known darn well what had been going on, but the others, well they were a different story.

            Cordelia had made her excuses after she watched Drusilla follow Angel out.  She just wanted to be home.  In the end he would either be here or he wouldn’t.  Maybe she should go to Los Angeles.  Get into acting.

            Buffy was sitting in with her mother again.  Spike stood behind her in support and protection.  The doctor’s had told them that it wouldn’t be long.  They were giving Joyce a great deal of morphine to control the pain and she was barely coherent.  Buffy told her she loved her and sat beside her, holding her hand as she slipped quietly into a coma.  She and Spike could sense Angel and Drusilla coming back into the hall.  Buffy got up out of her seat and gave it a pat.  Spike took the hint and sat down with Buffy immediately curling up in his lap.  She cried as silently as she could while he gently rocked her.

            Drusilla could feel the pain of one of her mates and she let go of Angel’s hand to rush into the room.  He followed close behind her giving those waiting out in the hall a look that said not a word.  None of them had failed to notice the bite marks that Drusilla proudly displayed on her neck as she ran by.

            Dru got down on her knees at Buffy’s feet and wrapped herself around the sobbing blonde’s waste.  Angel and Giles looked at the three of them.  Giles felt that everything he had known about vampires was under question.  Angel knew better.  He was at war with himself.  He wanted to be a part of them, and at the same time he wished they didn’t even exist.  He was a man torn in two.  He pushed his own needs and worries aside and tuned into Joyce.  She was fading fast.

            Angel slid against the wall, near enough to touch the three huddled vampires, but not doing so.  Giles was sitting on the other side of Joyce, holding on to her hand.  Faith, Willow, Oz, and Xander each came in to say their respects and leave.  Hours into the night, before the machine had made its cruel announcement, Buffy leaned over her mother and grabbed each side of her face in her hands and kissed her goodbye.  “I love you, Mommy.”  Then the machine sounded.  Buffy walked over to her mates and collapsed.  Spike lifted her in his arms and walked out the door.  Drusilla and Angel followed leaving Giles behind to deal with the details.

            No one remained in the hall.

This is the last chapter.  A huge thanks to all of you who reviewed.  I found my first fanfiction when I cleaned out my desk – hand written – I’m going to start putting it in the computer to post tomorrow.  It’s called The Two Janes.  It’s a little more angsty then my usual stuff, but I promise a happy ending. - Kari 

Chapter 17

            Angel wasn’t sure why he was doing this but he was following Spike and the girls down to the parking garage.  He just couldn’t seem to let them go quite yet.  He doubted very much they would stay for the funeral.  Buffy had been here for the important part.  Her mother was gone now.  Angel slowed down and let them get ahead of him.  He saw them approach the black sedan Buffy had been driving before.  He stood still.  He was thinking that this might be the last time he’d ever see any of them.  Suddenly, out of no where Spike, who was still holding Buffy, began to shake.  He slid to the ground with Buffy lying on top of him.  They were both completely immobile.  Drusilla started screaming.  Angel started running.

            Five men in uniform came out of nowhere to surround the prone bodies.  Before Angel reached them they zapped Drusilla with whatever they had used on Buffy and Spike.  Angel stilled immediately to let his senses tell him exactly how many humans were on this level and where they were stationed.

            A boot hit Spike in the side.  “Well look at what we’ve got here.”  The man leaned down and whispered in Spike’s ear.  “I’ve missed our special moments.”

            “Quit playing around Padget and bind them.  We’ve got to get out of here before anyone comes.”  Another soldier said.

            “Sure.”  He gave Spike another vicious kick.  “Did you really think we wouldn’t notice you snoopin’ around the Initiative labs?  Did you think you could come back and not get captured?  We weren’t all in the lab that night asshole!”  He leaned down and gave one last whisper to Spike.  “We’ll have plenty of time together later you and I.”

            A white van pulled up and Angel made his move.  He flew up and over the van and landed with a roundhouse kick to the soldier on his right.  He let his wrist stakes out and immediately stabbed the man to his left and came back to his right, moving forward to take out the one nearest Drusilla.  Three down - two to go- plus the one in the van.  He dove low avoiding the electrical arc that was aimed at his midsection.  He used his arms and pulled the soldier standing at the back to the ground with him.  He shoved a stake deep into the man’s heart.

            The one who had been whispering to Spike started to level his gun at Angel.  Angel reared up and ripped the arm holding the stun gun clear out of its socket.  He threw the arm at the man coming around the van.  The man ducked and slipped, hitting the ground hard.  Angel came and leaned over the fallen man. He twisted his neck until it snapped.  He let the body hit the cement floor.  Then he turned back to the man who was screaming and still alive and still missing an arm.  Angel was enraged.  He’d heard what the man had whispered to his grand-childe.  He ripped the man’s pants apart and looked him in the eye.  He reached down and pulled hard.  Impossibly, the man screamed louder.  Angel shut him up by shoving the offending object down the man’s throat.  He then dug through the rib cage and removed the heart.  That really stopped the screaming.

            He looked at the carnage around him and could only feel that it hadn’t been enough.  It could never be enough.  He bent over Spike and found the keys to the sedan.  He loaded his three childer into the car and drove off.  He hoped the military men had cut the security cameras.  He took them back to the mansion.  He needed to get them out of the country as soon as possible and he had arrangements to make.  He unloaded them one by one and put them in his bed.  Then he took a shower.

            He came into his room drying his hair with a towel.  He could sense that Spike was awake and walked over to the bed.  He put out a hand and ran it down Spike’s face.  “Are you okay?”

            Spike looked at him with terror filled eyes.  “You aren’t going to let them take us again are you?”

            Angel felt the tears come.  “No.  Not this time.  You’re back at the mansion.  The ones in the parking garage are all dead.  We need to get you out of the country as soon as possible.  More will come.”

            “Thank you, Angel.”  Spike said hoarsely.

            “Let me get you some water.”  Angel moved to grab one of the bottled waters that Cordelia always kept around.

            Spike’s arms weren’t quite moving yet so Angel held the water up to his mouth.  After Spike managed a small swallow he relaxed back into the bed taking comfort at the feel of the girls on either side of him. 

            “Sleep, Spike.  I won’t let anything happen to them.  I promise.”  Angel leaned over and gave the broken man a gentle kiss.  He took a seat near the bed and watched until Spike was asleep.  He’d never seen Spike scared before.  The younger vamp had always thrown himself into the thick of it.  After a space of time Angel got on the phone and made some calls.  He was getting his family out of here.

            Spike came awake to the feel of Buffy and Drusilla both crying softly against his chest.  “It’s okay.  Angel will take care of everything.  We’ll be home before you know it.”

            Drusilla looked over at Angel.  She was still too weak to get up and go to him, so she just held up her arms like a child who wants out of its chair.  He smiled and went over to lift her up.  Spike stopped him with a hesitant look.  “Lay down with us?”  It was a shy question.

            Angel nodded his head and lifted Dru up.  He lay down beside Spike and placed Drusilla on his chest.  Spike curled into his grand-sire and pulled his childe tight against him.  “Rest, now.”  Angel’s voice rolled over them.  “We leave in a few hours.  Willow knows a powerful witch who can teleport us as far as Los Angeles.  From there we’re taking a ship back to England.  The airports are too dangerous.  I’ve worked with the captain of this ship before.  He’s a sort of demon version of a coyote.” 

            “You’re coming with us?”  Spike asked surprised.

            “For now, yes.  I need to see you safe.”  Angel wasn’t making any promises that he couldn’t keep.  He knew that he would never be able to accept their killing.

            “For now is enough.”  Spike said into Angel’s side.

            “Don’t lie, boy.”  Angel said sadly.

            Several hours later, Angel let himself out of bed and gently laid Drusilla down next to Spike as he heard the sound of a car pulling up.  He made his way down stairs and opened up the front door.  “Hello, Tara.”  He smiled at the gorgeous blonde witch.  “It’s nice of you to come all this way.  I really appreciate it.”

            “It’s the least I can do after the way you helped me with my family.”  Tara gave him a shy smile. 

            “I was happy to do it.  Any friend of Willow’s is a friend of mine.”  Angel reassured her.

            “They’re upstairs.  Can we do it up there?”

            “That’s fine.  I brought all of the ingredients with me.  Willow would have come but she was afraid that she might be followed.  I need help setting everything up and then you can get in the circle with them.  Okay?”

            “Just tell me what to do.”

            They walked up the stairs to find all three vampires awake and staring at them.  “This is Tara, she goes to school with Willow and Oz.  She was on a retreat, but came all the way back to Sunnydale to help us out.  She’s the witch who is going to perform the teleportation spell.”  Angel explained.

            “Are you a real witch?”  Dru asked with curiosity.

            “Yes I am.”  Tara answered her as she laid out the ingredients.

            “Has anyone ever tried to burn you at the stake?”  Dru asked still fascinated.

            “Not so far.”  Tara chuckled.  She liked the dark haired one in spite of her evil aura.

            “Pity.  Bonfires are so pretty.”

            “Drusilla,” Buffy got the other girl’s attention.  “We are going home to Miss Edith soon.  Won’t that be nice?”

            “Oh, yes.  Please let’s go home.  Daddy too.”

            Angel looked at her.  “Daddy too.”

            He helped Tara set up the spell and then he went into the circle with the others.  Tara went into a trance and started chanting in Latin.  Soon they felt like they were gently drifting.  It was the strangest sensation of being sloughed off of one’s own self and then put back on again.  They came through the other side landing right inside of the freighter just as they had hoped.  They all gave a sigh of relief when hours later the ship set sail for England.

            The time on the ship was spent with baited breaths.  Logically, they knew there was no way that the government could know where they were, but emotionally they wouldn’t be able to relax until they were home.  In some ways it reminded Spike of being back in the Initiative labs.  Without the pain.  They spent the days telling each other stores and singing songs.  Accept no one would let Angel sing.  He pretended to be offended but in reality he couldn’t remember when he’d ever been so content. 

            They were nearing England.  The captain had told them it would only be another day.  That night the four of them lay on the makeshift mattress that had been put in the cargo hold of the ship.  The captain had supplied them with blood and nothing else.  Buffy was relieved to find out that she could survive on blood alone.  They had just finished telling her a story about a time in Italy when Darla had been caught by some warlock and used as a sex slave.  Buffy thought it was quite a funny story.  When they were all done laughing they laid down on the mattress to await the new day and the docking of the ship.

            Angel lay in the middle with Spike.  Drusila was snuggled up to him and Buffy was equally as cozy with Spike.  Angel thought how much better the four of them were together than they had been with Darla.  Buffy’s complete devotion to Spike balanced them out perfectly.  Angel drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face and in his heart.  He was happy; perfectly, completely happy. 

                                                            ********

            Spike awoke to the smell of blood and sire.  He opened his eyes to see Angel grinning at him like a mad man.  “What’s up?”

            “Tell me, boy.  Can you pilot a ship?”  Angel closed in on him and gave him a deep kiss.

            Spike could taste the human blood on Angel’s mouth.  “Angelus?  Bloody hell, tell me you didn’t eat the whole damn ship!”

            Angelus started laughing.  “No, I was just havin’ ya off.  I only ate a tiny little ship mate.  He won’t be missed.”

            “It’s my job to be irresponsible and to get us into trouble.”  Spike grumbled.

            Angel pulled Spike off the mattress and started to divest the younger man of his clothing.  Sometime later, Buffy and Drusilla awoke to the smell of blood and arousal.  Two of there favorite things.  Buffy looked towards the aroma.  She closed her eyes.  She opened them again.  She turned to Dru.  “Do you see what I see?  Are Spike and Angel…”

            Drusilla gave her a gleeful smile.  “Daddy’s home!”

            And they lived happily ever after, and after, and after, and after.

           
The End.

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