Chapter 5
“There used to be a hundred ways to put my arms around you
Everyone seemed new, natural and true”
-Jets to Brazil
D’Hoffryn was pacing in the front room waiting for Anya and Xander. He could count the number of times that one of the Powers That Be had visited him on one hand, and it always meant that something bad was about to happen. The last time had been right before that stupid flood. What a great idea that had been. Oh, we’re going to flood the world to get rid of all the evilness, and we’ll pick one person to build a giant boat and everyone in the boat will live. Well, gee, wasn’t the world a better place now?
“There you are, what took so long?” he demanded as Anya flew into the room with Xander lugging their suitcases behind her.
“We were checking something in Sedina,” Xander said, slightly out of breath.
“And?” D’Hoffryn demanded.
“Drusilla, Spike’s sire, prophesized something that would happen around this time. We’re not sure but we think she means to bring back Angelus and resurrect Spike,” he continued.
“My horns! Are you sure?”
“As sure as we can be with a prophecy,” Anya replied.
“This isn’t good, not good at all. How is the Slayer taking the death of her mate?”
“Oh, she’s gone crazy,” Anya said. “I mean, we are talking completely loony, off the deep end type of crazy. She hit me.”
“Well, you must go help her. In two weeks time all the planets will be in complete alignment, an event that doesn’t happen very often. It is the perfect moment for an apocalypse. Most likely it will be the apocalypse if you can’t pull the Slayer together. You are her oldest friends, the fate of the world lies in your hands.”
“Wow,” Xander muttered. “Talk about no pressure or anything.”
“Well don’t just stand there,” D’Hoffryn yelled. “GO!GO!GO!”
“Alright, we’re gone. Give me your hand, Xander.”
“Aw, man,” Xander moaned as he stuck his hand out. “I hate teleporting.”
XXX
“Well, let’s see,” Anya demanded as she viewed herself in the dressing room mirror.
“I’m not sure if I like it,” Buffy called from behind the door.
“So, let me see and I’ll tell you,” Anya replied. “I think I’m gonna go with the blue one I tried on before this one. This color makes my skin look yellow.”
Buffy opened the door and stepped out of her dressing room. “Well,” she asked.
“Oh, Buffy, it’s gorgeous. I doubt Spike will even let you out of the hotel room. He’ll probably ravish you on the spot,” Anya gushed.
Buffy stepped in front of the mirror and surveyed the emerald green dress she was wearing. It was floor length satin with slit that went up the side of her leg topped with spaghetti straps and a square neck line. “You think?” she asked.
Anya nodded, “Oh, yeah. Leave your hair down though, just curl it into those fat, ringlet thingies, and wear some pearls. Do you have any pearls?”
“Yeah, Spike gave me a pair for our last big anniversary and I think I brought them with.”
“Do you count your anniversary as the day you were claimed or the day you were married?” Anya asked as she held her hair up in a bun and checked her reflection.
“Um, the day we were married.”
“I’m never sure how to answer people when they ask how long Xander and I have been together. I mean, we’ve been married a hundred and twenty seven because we got married almost a year after you and Spike, but we’ve been together for a hundred and thirty two.”
“Hmm,” Buffy replied. “So, where do you think they’re taking us tonight?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not sure. It must be somewhere nice since they told us to buy new dresses and have our nails done,” Anya said. “What a great business idea to have a shopping mall attached to the resort. The owners must make so much money.” She sighed. “Sometimes I miss owning my own business…Yeah, I think I’ll take the blue one.”
Buffy walked back into her own dressing room to change back into her regular clothes before taking the dress to the auto teller at the register.
“Hell-o, did you find everything you needed today?” It asked her in its auto tone voice.
“Yes, thank you.”
”Would you like matching shoes, purse, or undergarments with your purchase?”
“Oh, yeah that would be great.”
“Taking your measurements, please hold still.”
Buffy tried not to flinch as the teller ran a red beam over her body. Behind the teller, the replicating machine began to whirl. A neatly tied bundled lay on it’s shelf a moment later.
“You have added one pair of shoes, one purse, one pair panty hose, one pair under panties, and one brassiere to your purchase. Do you have a club card?”
“No, I don’t,” Buffy replied, tapping her purchase card on the counter. “I don’t need one either, thank you.”
“You could save up to ten percent today for signing up,” the teller told her.
“Oh, save ten percent?” Anya appeared next to her. “You should do it. You would save at least a hundred dollars.”
“No, Spike would kill me if I got another club card. He says I have too many already.”
“Well, I’m going to get it,” Anya announced as she handed her purchases to the next auto teller at the counter.
“No,” Buffy said firmly.
“You’re loss of money, I suppose. Come on, let’s go get our nails done. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see us all dolled up. God, I love vacations. It’s like an excuse to shop until you drop with no repercussions.”
XXX
Drusilla made her way through the house, stopping now and then to study various pictures that hung on the walls. She made it to the master bedroom just as Buffy was making another suicide attempt.
“No, no, no,” Drusilla cooed as she sauntered over to take the axe from Buffy’s hands. Attempt number twenty five was going to be decapitation. “Bad baby. Silly to waste time on something that won’t work anyway.”
“Drusilla?” Buffy whispered.
“Yes, mummy is here to make it all better.” Drusilla opened her arms and Buffy found herself drawn forward. “There, there, baby,” Dru whispered as she closed her arms around Buffy’s small form and began stroking her hair. “You go ahead and cry. Mummy’s here now. Your fair knight has been taken away from you, hasn’t he?”
Buffy began sobbing again at the mention of Spike. “He-he promised to ne-never leave me, but he did. He lied, and now he’s gone away and I can’t go with him. I’m-I’m all a-alone.”
“Sshhh, I can give him back to you, I can.”
Buffy pulled back a little, hope in her eyes for the first time. “You-you can?”
“Of course I can. The stars, they whispered their secrets to me, told me how to give him back to you. Give him to you so that he can never go away again.” Drusilla wiped the tears of off Buffy’s face. “But you have to want it to work. You have to be willing to sacrifice something to have him back.”
“Anything. I’ll give up anything I have to if it will bring him back.”
Drusilla smiled. “I knew you would, but first you need to eat something. Spike won’t like it if he thinks I let his Sunshine get all thin and wasteful. Now drink.”
Buffy did as her sire asked and sank her fangs into Drusilla’s arm. It had been a long time since she’d had blood from anyone but Spike and Drusilla’s blood began to make her dizzy. She sank to the floor with Dru in tow.
“That’s enough now,” Drusilla commanded. “But just outside the door is more blood for you. Your Angel is waiting for you.”
“My…Angel?” Buffy muttered. She felt funny, almost like she was drunk. “Spike…You said you could give me Spike…Is Spike an Angel?”
“Yes, Spike is an Angel and you must call to him. Say ‘Come in my Angel’.” Drusilla said.
“If I say that then Spike will come back to me?” Buffy swayed a bit as the room started to tilt.
“Not at first, but you must believe. I’m starting to think you don’t want him as badly as you say you do. If you did, you would be calling out to him already.” Drusilla stood up as though to walk away.
“NO! Don’t go. I want my S-Spike back. Come in! Come in, my Angel. Come back to me,” she screamed.
XXX
Outside on the front porch Angel heard Buffy screaming out her invite. He rushed through the front door and up the stairs to where the voices were coming from.
“What have you done?” Angel demanded as he took in the scene. Buffy was sitting on the floor, her eyes had a glassy tone to them, and Drusilla was crouched over her.
“It will wear off in a few minutes. Just a little thrall though the blood. Needed her to invite you in, didn’t I?” Drusilla said, gliding over to him. “She’s so hungry, so needy. She needs your blood. Will you feed her, help her? Isn’t that what you do, help the helpless?”
“I’d give her every drop of blood in my body if she’d take it, but she won’t,” Angel replied.
“Oh, but she will. Try, try to feed baby for princess,” Drusilla insisted.
“Fine…fine,” Angel muttered, squatting down next to Buffy and holding out his arm.
“Drink,” Drusilla commanded and Buffy immediately latched onto his arm. “Good girl,” she murmured walking over to the nightstand to collect the urn and slide the ring on her finger. “Almost time,” she whispered to the urn. “Almost time.”
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