"Alicia," Buffy breathed, her face reflecting shock at the sight of the redheaded woman before her.

The other Slayer started toward the blonde-haired woman, but abruptly stopped when she saw the vampire standing in the shadows behind Buffy.  Curious as to what stopped the other woman, and why her spider sense was going haywire, Buffy whirled around to find William leaning against a tree.  His poise seemed relaxed, but she knew that he was aware of the situation and was more than capable of attacking at any moment.

"What you doing here?  I thought you were in Paris."

Will shrugged.  "We finished early, sweeting, and I decided to surprise you.  Imagine my surprise when I heard …"

Although his voice trailed off Buffy caught his meaning, and her face paled.  "You," she licked her lips.  "You heard it all?"

He inclined his head affirmatively.  "But now's not the time or place, Buffy."

Buffy looked back over at Alicia and started to open her mouth to explain when all Hell broke loose.  Just as Alicia stepped forward she was jumped by a scaly green demon, and four vampires wearing torn livery jumped Buffy and William.  Obviously desperate, the attackers underestimated their prey's resources and resourcefulness, as Buffy easily broke a nearby tree limb and dusted the closest two vampires.  Will did the same, but the last vamp started yelling and thrashing about.

"Fuck," Will swore.  "I thought we were done with you idiots."

"Never," the vamp hissed.  "You may have destroyed the Master but we are still loyal!"

As his dust settled, Will turned to find that the two Slayers had decapitated the demon – how he wasn't entirely sure, nor was certain he wanted to know, considering there were no sharp implements around.  However, both were exhausted and dawn was nearing.

Will pulled Buffy close and she nodded at the fence where the horse was tethered.  He undid the fastenings and lifted the tiny blonde on her mount before climbing up behind her and taking the reigns.  Alicia gripped the fence and looked them for a moment before she addressed her parting words to Buffy.

"The old Pump Room, tonight at ten."

Buffy nodded and the other Slayer disappeared back the way she had come, and Will urged the horse back to the house.

The two stumbled through the door just as the dawn broke across the sky.  Angelus stopped his furious pacing and pulled them off to the side immediately, not sure whether to rage or worry about their obvious disarray.  Unable to choose, he looked at his Childe in surprise.

William met his gaze.  "We finished early, I came here and saw her go out, so I followed.  Ran into some trouble while we out."  Left unsaid, but obvious from his expression, was that he was fully aware of why Buffy would have gone out alone in the wee hours of the morning.

Angelus nodded and turned his attention to Buffy.  "Do you know how worried I was?"

Buffy frowned and shook her head.

"I was afraid you would do something irrational, something utterly emotional that you would later regret."

"Such as?" she asked tiredly, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

Angelus frowned at her, then pulled a nearby cord.  Moments later Felicity stepped in and gasped aloud at Buffy's appearance.  The young maid, at a look from William, all but dragged Buffy up the stairs and within minutes the sound of running water could be heard as a bath was drawn.  Satisfied that their tiny Slayer was safe the two vampires turned their attention to each other.

The door to the study was sent closed by a foot, and the two men embraced, mouths seeking each other out.  Angelus relished the taste of his Childe; the taste that was undeniably William was flavored on this morning by recent battle and longing.  And William, denied his Sire for nearly a month, ravaged the other vampire's lips in an attempt to repossess his lover.

Eventually the two fell onto the lounge and simply held one another, William burrowing into his Sire's embrace.  Angelus could practically taste the myriad emotions emanating from the other vampire – fear, desire, need, longing, anger, frustration and love.  He pulled the younger man closer and purred, letting the bond between them reassure Will of his place in his Sire's life.

William shuddered as Angelus purred, and allowed himself to relax.  He was safe here, he was loved; he was not cut off from the most important person in his unlife, he was not alone.  As his Sire stroked his neck, he silently wished that Spike would regain this happiness.

When Angelus felt Will calm, he decided to broach the subject.  "You heard all of it, did you not my sweet Will?"

He felt rather than heard his Childe's response as William burrowed even closer.  "Oh, Will, my Will … "

"It could have been us," his Childe whispered.  "Separated and alone, hurting in a way even demons despise, deprived of the bond … "

"Ssshhh, my Will.  It was not us, and I will never allow us to be parted in that fashion … we simply avoid annoying gypsies."

William gave a small chuckle.  Silence reigned for an indeterminate time before he sat up and looked at his Sire, blue eyes meeting brown.  "He was so different … I know now, what made Spike so angry.  He was a Master with his own clan, but he had no one because his Sire was taken from him … "

"By the very soul that our Buffy fell in love with," Angelus finished.  "I know, Will, I know.  I cannot imagine such an existence, either.  Nevertheless, my Childe, we should not worry over our Otherselves too much; rather, we should worry over what they did to our Buffy.  Because William, many of her issues are linked to her treatment at their hands."

"Mmmph."

Angelus smiled.  "Let's clean you up, Will, and get … reacquainted before we talk to Buffy."

Will smiled wolfishly and followed his Sire upstairs.

As Buffy soaked in the tub of steamy water, Felicity flitted about the room in a worrisome mood, muttering to herself about Buffy's injuries.  Silently she watched the younger woman pull some bandages from a nearby basket, but said nothing when the girl reached for her arm …

Only to find there were no cuts, scrapes or other injuries.

Felicity's eyes went wide as she watched a small bruise heal before her eyes.  Dropping her mistress's hand, the maid's eyes flew to Buffy's face.  "What are you?" she whispered.

"I can't die," Buffy said simply.  "I don't age, or get sick and it would take decapitation to kill me, I'm sure.  I recover from almost any kind of physical wounds within a few hours … a day at the most."

"But you are not the same as … " she trailed off.

Buffy took her meaning though.  "You knew?"

"Yes, we all found out soon enough after meeting his Lordship.  But my lady, I've seen you in the sun and I've heard you argue at times so I thought … "

"You thought I was a captive, of some sort."

Felicity nodded.

"It's long story, Felicity, and I've talked about myself enough for tonight, today, whatever.  I'm too tired to talk anymore.  Tell me about you."

"Me?"

"Mmmhmm," Buffy affirmed as she sank back into the scented water, allowing her body to conform to the white porcelain.

Seeing her mistress was serious, Felicity obliged.  "I was born in a tiny village in Hampshire, my parents third child and only daughter.  My father was a man of the church, but being such a small parish we were not anymore well off than the rest of the villagers.  We were lucky that our father had inherited his living from his uncle, who had added onto the house because of his ten children.  But because the church owned the house, I was turned out after the influenza took the lives of my brothers and my mother and father."

Buffy made a sound of protest.

"The church owns the houses … is it not that way in the Colonies as well?"

Buffy shrugged.  "Dunno."

Felicity continued.  "My aunt here in Bath took me in, and told me I would have to find some sort of employment.  I'm too young to be a governess, even if I had finished all the required schooling, so that left few options.  Work in the factories, as a maid or … "

A strangled sound came from Buffy's throat, a sure sign that she understood the girl's plight.  "Surely your parents left you something … "

The young maid nodded.  "There were few debts to be settled, so there was some money left.  Most of the furniture came with the house, so it was left behind.  I was left with the linens, the china, the silver, some jewelry … those things.  Some of it has been sold, but I've managed to keep most of it stored in my bride chest.  A friend of Papa's was a solicitor, and he was kind enough to draw up a dower contract for the remaining possessions; now my aunt cannot sell those items."

Both were quiet throughout the duration of Buffy's bath.  Buffy was lost in thought and Felicity busying herself turning down the bed, and sorting through what remained of her mistress's clothes.  The skirt was a loss, she concluded, but the blouse was fine and the jacket could be discretely mended.  The boots would need cleaning, too.  Moreover, she still had to pack all her Ladyship's things, as well.

Felicity sighed as she sat down on the settee, looking around the room.  As much as Lord Pierrepont frightened her, she would miss his wife … whatever she was.  Her thoughts turned inward for awhile, thinking on the other posts still available in Bath, and her aunt who was no doubt knee deep in whiskey by now and would not like Felicity's return.

She was so deep in thought that she jumped when Buffy, clad in a thick linen dressing gown, startled her by touching her shoulder.  Felicity started to jump up but Buffy shook her head and knelt down in front of her.  "Are you happy with your aunt, Felicity?  Even a little?"

The girl stared for a minute.  "I'm not on the streets … "

"No, not like that.  I meant, aside from that – does she treat you well, care about you like your parents did?"

Felicity shook her head as tears built in her eyes.

Buffy brushed a tear aside and tucked a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear.  "Are you … have you been happy here, Felicity?  Just a little?"

The maid looked up and nodded.  "It's nicer here," she whispered.  "Aunt Clara isn't here to harp about me being a burden … and you're nice, my lady, even if your husband scares me."

"Would you like to come back to London with us then, as my personal maid?  I've gone through five in six months because we keep odd hours, even during the Season, and because we travel at a moment's notice.  Most of them have had families in Town, and leaving the city or country for long periods was too much.  If you say yes, you won't see Bath again for a long time, Felicity, years even … "

"Yes," Felicity whispered.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.  "There's no one left but Aunt Clara, and she hates me."

Buffy stood and pulled Felicity to her feet.  "Angelus wants to leave tonight, but I have an appointment to keep first, so we won't leave until after midnight.  Take one of the footmen and get your things from your aunt's house, then come back and get some rest, okay?"

Felicity nodded, happiness and gratitude flowing from her eyes.  "Thank you!"

Buffy smiled as she watched the girl scurry down the street, the footman running to catch up.  She let the drape fall and climbed into to bed and prayed she didn't dream.

Hours later Buffy woke from a dreamless sleep and made her way to the armoire, peering out the blinds to determine the time.  She shielded her eyes from the glare off the glass, noting that the day was sunny for once, and that the sun still hung suspended in the sky.  Mid-afternoon, then.

Dropping back onto the edge of the bed Buffy contemplated crawling back under the covers to sleep another hour or three, but resisted the idea.  Yawning she pulled the bell and asked for coffee and croissants, pulling on her dressing gown as she thought back on the past twenty-four hours.  She, better than most, knew how quickly your life could change, but this ranked right up there with the day she was Called, the day Angel lost his soul and the day she discovered she was stuck in this world.

Would this change her relationship with Will and Angelus for the better, or the worse?  Because it would change their relationship, of that she was sure.  Would they despise her for lying and omitting important details, or would they understand her reasons for silence?  Would they accept that it was his soul that she longed for?

And did they realize that their caring -- their love -- and their touches, their very presence, were carving out a space in her heart to rival Angel's?

With a sigh, she collapsed onto her back and rubbed her temples and eyes as she cut off her train of thought, forestalling the headache that was threatening.  Scant seconds later she heard the door open and, assuming it was the requested breakfast, merely waved a hand toward the table.  It wasn't until the bed depressed on either side of her and cool hands slipped around her waist that she realized her lovers had joined her.

Am I so out of it that I can't feel their presence, she wondered?  Or have I gotten so used to them that I no longer question my senses?

"Buffy," Angelus murmured as he and William pulled her into a sitting position.  She opened her eyes and saw the tray she had ordered on the table, realizing that they must have intercepted the delivery.  Raising her eyes she noted that neither was dressed and that both looked as though they had had a long, but refreshing night.

"All will be well," he whispered, his dark eyes meeting hers before he moved to sit behind her.  "We understand, my love," he continued, his lips trailing along the back of her neck.  "Merely let us continue as we were … let us love you in our way."

William looked up from the floor, where he knelt between her sprawled thighs.  "We know you still love him, sweeting, but allow us our place, too."

Buffy gasped when Will's cool lips pressed kisses on her inner thighs and Angelus smiled against her throat, his arms slipping around her to unfasten the laces of her dressing gown.  When Angelus' fingers stroked her nipples and William's tongue curled about her sensitive pearl in tandem, Buffy arched her head and moaned loudly, eliciting muffled murmurs of mirth from her lovers.

It was this intimacy that had started the process, she thought hazily.  Even more intense than seeing Angelus for the first time in that moldy house was the way they made her feel.  They touched her with a mixture of reverence, passion, pure need and love, and when added to their treatment of her outside the bedroom it was no wonder that she was falling …

Fangs grazed her neck, and Buffy felt Angelus' hardness press against her and she shifted to better accommodate him.  He growled in her ear and lifted her hips, and one quick motion impaled her on his fully erect shaft.

William licked at his Sire's cock where the two were joined before moving up towards the center of Buffy's pleasure.  The blonde Slayer, for her part, was lost in a sea of emotions, her sensitive flesh caressed by her demon lovers even as they invaded her heart.  She whimpered and moaned as Will suckled at her clit in time to his Sire's thrusts, the tiny tremors alerting the vampires that her crisis was approaching.

As William gently nipped at her tender pearl, Buffy shattered around them, her silken walls milking Angelus as his thrusts became fiercer.  A loud snarl heralded his orgasm, and Buffy vaguely felt his cool seed coat her insides before his fangs sank into her neck and she was once again lost in ecstasy.

Sometime later, the three lay in silence and Buffy's hand drifted Will's swollen member, beginning a pumping motion that had the other vampire growling in pleasure.  Seconds later, she straddled her blue-eyed companion and sank down on his erection causing them both to moan in mutual pleasure.  She leaned down to entwine her tongue with his and caught sight of Angelus watching them; the elder vampire was propped up on one elbow as he slowly stroked his hardening shaft.

Buffy growled at her lover who, surprised at her ardor, bucked his hips up, driving into her with a ferocious strength.  As each thrust touched her cervix she moaned and ground down, striving toward completion.  William snarled as she consciously squeezed his cock, her sugared walls gripping him with a strength that rivaled even that of a seasoned vampiress.

With a shout, William went over the edge, pulling Buffy with him when his fangs slipped into her breast.  A low snarl nearby told them that Angelus, too, had reached fulfillment, and the three curled together again, kissing and licking and soothing, eventually dozing off wrapped safely in a cocoon of passion and familiarity.

The sun had long set later that evening, as Buffy stood dressed, tossing the last of her things in a satchel as Felicity surveyed the room checking for any stray items.  A glance at the clock told her it was half past nine, and she knew she would have to leave now to keep her meeting with Alicia.

As if summoned by the thought of the other Slayer, Angelus rapped perfunctorily on the door before entering.  He stood glowering as she finished tying back her hair and tucking her scandalous trousers into knee high boots -- just in case.  Felicity looked uncomfortable with the mounting tension, so Buffy smiled at the girl.

"Just be sure and leave me a traveling suit out, then you can go see if Cook left anything in the larder."

The maid nodded, then dropped a curtsey a she fled the room.  Angelus watched her go, his lips quirking when he turned back to Buffy.  "Are you quite sure, my dear, that you wish to take her to London?"

Buffy nodded as she tied the laces on her chemise and reached for her blouse.  "She's scared of you -- something that should please you -- but despite her age she's held up better than any of the others.  And I like her … I don't want her to get hurt.  If she stays here that will undoubtedly happen."

Angelus smoothed the wrinkles from her blouse as she tucked it into the trousers.  "Very well, Buffy."

She turned to face her dark lover as he handed her the coat that matched the trousers.  "You'll make sure the others know not to mess with her?"

He nodded.

"Good," she sighed.  "So, how do I look?"

"Ridiculous," he told her.  "However, considering the occasion you are dressed accordingly.  Must you be obstinate and refuse an escort?"

"Yes, I have to see her alone."

"She may not be alone, my love.  I do not wish to see you in the kind of situation that would entail."

Buffy looked up, her gaze faraway.  "She'll be alone."

Angelus raised an eyebrow.

"Call it Slayer intuition."

The Pump Room had once been a fixture in the city of Bath, a place no one, local or visitor, middle class or gentry, could pass up.  It was once *the* socializing center of town, with much the same clout as a drive in Hyde Park.  All manner of people had come to take the waters, to see and be seen; despite the more relaxed atmosphere, though, the ton had been no less vigilant in their pursuits here than in London.  Only at the height of the Season could one have found a respite in Bath, and few people left during the Season for any length of time -- unless it was to attend a country house party.

Now, looking around at the neglected rooms, Buffy tried to imagine what it must have been like.  Parts of the building were still in use so the old Pump Room was in no danger of being condemned, but it was only a pale shadow of its former self.  Paint peeled from walls, stucco fell to the floor in large chunks from the Ionic and Corinthian columns, the place needed furniture and the once golden wooden and marble floors desperately needed polish.  Yet for all this, if she closed her eyes and concentrated, Buffy thought she could see the grand rooms as they must have been a century earlier.

"Disheartening, is it not?"

Buffy fought the urge to jump.  The voice came from well off to her right, and she followed her senses until she was standing on a balcony overlooking the large, main pool below.  Alicia stood only a few feet from the railing, careful not to get to close.

"I suppose so," Buffy responded, her voice even.

"One of the Watchers who raised me used to rave about this place, but he's long dead … like this place," Alicia mused.  "After all, few things last forever."

Buffy was silent.

"So, how are you still here?" Alicia asked, coming straight to the point.

"I'm not really sure," Buffy shrugged.  "I was told that the spell had failed and that there was no way to send me home."

"And you decided to live with the enemy when you could have come to the Watchers?"

"It's not that simple," Buffy told her tightly.  "There are forces at work that you do not understand, forces that the Watchers could care less about."

Alicia whirled around, anger etched across her fine features.  "How dare you insult them!  You do not know -- "

"I know enough," Buffy cut her off.  "I know that they are becoming as self-righteous and pompous and downright dangerous as the Council in my world.  So why the hell would I go to them with my problems?"

"Because that is the way it should be, the way it has always been," Alicia answered, flustered.

"Oh, I'm sure," Buffy retorted sarcastically.  "I'm sure that comes straight from the Handbook, right?"

Alicia stared.  "Of course, it clearly states -- "

"Thought so."

"You *thought* so?  Did you not read that section?"

"Actually, I've never even seen the Handbook," Buffy admitted.  "When Merrick found me there was no time -- Lothos was practically banging on my door.  Later on, Giles told me he threw it out within five minutes of meeting me."

Alicia looked curious.  "Found, you say?  Did they not raise you as they have others?"

Buffy shook her head.  "I was the Slayer who slid through the cracks.  If you get technical, I had already been Called when Merrick found me … and I brushed him off.  No one thought that the monsters were real; they were the stuff of movies and stories."

"But he removed you for training, yes?"

"No, I still lived with my parents.  I met him in the gym, or the park for training, and I would sneak out at night to hunt."

Alicia studied Buffy carefully before speaking again.  "You mentioned another Watcher.  Why were you with him, not the one who trained you?"

"Merrick died," Buffy said flatly.  "He was trying to protect me from Lothos and he died.  Later that I burned down the gym to kill his minions and got in trouble with the police, got off, my parents got a divorce and Mom moved us to a little town two hours away.  I wanted it to over, but it wasn't.  On my first day of school -- yes, I went to school -- I met Giles and found out that I'd gone from the frying pan into the fire.  Mom had unwittingly moved us to the Hellmouth.  And with a few exceptions, I stayed there until I ended up here."

"I'm sorry," Alicia whispered in the darkness.  "I know what it is to lose a Watcher … but that does not excuse your actions here."

"I know.  Living on the Hellmouth taught me things, though.  And one of those things is a need for balance, something the Watchers no longer care about.  All they want is to control the Slayers and run the world so that they get their way."

Alicia was silent.

Buffy turned and saw the oddest expression of … agreement on the other Slayer's face.  Suddenly understanding, she pushed ahead.  "You're eighteen."

Alicia nodded.  "Three months ago.  Moreover, since that night I've feared to voice my feelings about the way that I am treated, the way that the potentials are treated.  I thought perhaps you were a spy for them, infiltrating a large clan to gather information."

Buffy's mirthless laugh was all the answer Alicia needed.  "I stayed with Angelus because I had no other choice -- he was the lesser of the two evils.  Believe me, I know.  When you live long enough, fight long enough, you discover that it's not just good versus evil … you can find redeeming qualities in the most damned, and damning qualities in the sainted.  Everything exists in some sort of balance … "

The two were silent for awhile, the decaying atmosphere preventing speech.  Alicia nudged a broken piece of glass with her toe as she looked around the room.  "Perhaps," she started.  "Perhaps if they were like this room, they could be fixed … but they're not.  They're like a house where the boards are rotted out … in order to save the structure itself, you have to replace the supports and the inside entirely."

Buffy nodded.  "I can't live like that.  The demons I live with … they're evil at times, yes, but they still have some humanity.  I have to focus on that if I want to survive."

"You don't fear being turned?  Surely that will eventually happen."

"No, it won't," Buffy whispered.  "The Powers That Be did something, altered me, made me as long-lived as they are.  It scares me, knowing that I can't die … and that if I do I just regenerate."

Alicia was silent.

"We're leaving tonight," Buffy told her.

This startled the other Slayer out of her reverie.  "Before you know who killed Lady Sees?"

Buffy's head jerked up.  "You know?"

Alicia nodded.

"Tell me."

The jostling of the carriage made sleep, even dozing, impossible for its four occupants.  Under normal circumstances, Felicity would be traveling separately, but they had brought no other servants to Bath, and were returning with only the one.  Paired with the urgency of the journey the girl's presence was dismissed as necessary.  For herself, Felicity huddled close to Buffy and tried to render herself invisible.

"So, Lilias Abernathy is the killer," Angelus mused.  "How interesting."

"In thought if not deed," Buffy agreed.

William shrugged.  "She's a witch, pet, chances are she planned the whole thing."

"I guess Lady Sees' blackmail was doing more than just angering Viscount Blackwell -- she must have had something," Buffy frowned.  "Something worth killing for."

Angelus' eyes narrowed.  "Did Blackwell know?"

"Alicia couldn't be sure.  The constable said they were together -- chaperoned -- all night, but the chaperone could have been an accomplice," Buffy replied.  "Why?"

"Agatha Sees is of no concern to me, but if Lilias Abernathy conjured that demon you encountered last night, she could be aligning herself with what remains of Nest's followers."

Buffy visibly paled, a shiver running through her.  "I thought," she licked her lips.  "I thought they were all destroyed in the fighting a few months ago."

"Most were, sweeting" William told her.  "Unfortunately not all were present that night; there were still a few on the Continent, which is the true reason I went to Paris.  We found the few holdouts and burned their lairs, then made a nice showing at the pre-Council meeting, assuring them that Angelus *is* the leader of the Order of Aurelius.  The ones that jumped us last night must have been the few straggling survivors that followed me back.  If Lilias Abernathy had any alliance with them, it's over."

"Unless she seeks among the younger clans," Angelus corrected.  "Demons without the fear of a strong leader are more apt to allow their ambition and attempt a coup, or to challenge their masters for control.  I should know, after all."

Buffy managed a smirk, but squeezed Felicity's hand reassuringly as the girl pressed closer.  Soon though, the seriousness of the situation began to sink in, as did something Will had said.  "Pre-Council meeting?"

Angelus' dark eyes were unreadable.  "Yes.  We have only a week to make preparations when we return before we must cross the Channel.  At the end of every century, my love, a meeting of the strongest clans, those that formed the Council, meet to clear the air, so to speak.  Grievances are aired, reparation demanded and paid, and such," he waved his hand.

"Strongest clans?" Buffy queried.

"Eleusinia, Aurelius and St'lynovich," Will intoned.  "Those clans have held sway for centuries.  Eleusinia is the oldest, originating in Greece over three thousand years ago, and dominates Greece, Turkey, and the lands in and around Palestine as well as Northern Africa.  Aurelius was a Roman clan that has dominated in Western Europe since before the time of Charlemagne, and we have a strong foothold in North America.  St'lynovich controls the Russias, and represents the clans of the Orient."

"The clans of the Orient, however, no longer care for St'lynovich.  They want their own clans recognized at the Council; St'lynovich clearly disagrees.  Unless we find an acceptable compromise there will be a war," Angelus informed them.

"And with Nest's demise and your succession … " Buffy trailed off.

"Aye, twill be a verra troublesome meeting," Angelus muttered, slipping into his native brogue.  "Eleusinia is the only completely stable clan, forbye.  Other younger vampires from the Colonies have been influenced by the political upstarts and would seek to destroy the Council's credentials for acceptance … "

Buffy looked confused.

"The Council only accepts members that come from established clans, sweeting.  The young ones from the Colonies believe that hereditary membership is the same as tyranny, and the strongest, most able clans should lead, regardless of lineage," Will told her.

"What they do not understand is'tha strength comes with age," Angelus drawled.  "Which is damned odd, considering that vampires have always been a feudal race."

"So … " Buffy encouraged.

Angelus smirked.  "Why darlin', it means I'll be takin' ye to Paris to introduce ye round."

"The Council always throws the best parties … " William smiled wolfishly.

Angelus eyed Buffy in the darkened carriage growing hard as lusty visions of her at the center of the revelry came to the fore.  "Aye, Will, that they do."

"That they do," he whispered.

 

The End