Part 14

Angel rested his head heavily in his hands.  He was supposed to protect her and what had happened?  She'd been taken by Drusilla and Spike and was probably dead.

Buffy looked at Angel, who was brooding at his desk.

"Angel don't blame yourself for this," she told him coming around and touching his shoulder.

"Why would they want her?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I dunno," she answered truthfully. "It's not like - oh no."

"What?!" Angel looked up alarmed.

"Do you think they got Spike and Dru to vamp her?" Buffy looked down at him with large eyes.

Angel got up from his desk and grabbed his duster.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked, scuttling after him.

"Gonna go see somebody."

"Who?"

"Somebody."

"Angel!" Buffy yelled after him. "Dammit, tell me where you're going."

Angel turned before opening the door and assured her, "I promise it has nothing to do with dying."

Angel turned, opened the door, and was gone with the swishing of his duster.

"I hope not," Buffy muttered, moving back into the main room.

*****

Angel kicked open the door to Lindsey's apartment… hard.  It went flying off its hinges into the wall.

It was empty.

"Dammit," he cursed, moving cautiously into the interior.

He looked around the apartment thoroughly with his eyes.  It was spotless.  Not a piece of furniture or a plant anywhere.

"Excuse me?" a woman's voice behind him said.

Angel whirled around, coming face to face with the owner of the voice.

"The open house isn't until Saturday," she informed him.

"The man who was living here," Angel told her. "Do you know where he went?"

"Moved," the landlord put it simply.

"When?" Angel asked.

"The truck came yesterday," she told him, shifting the clipboard in her arms.

"Did he give notice?" Angel looked once again at the barren apartment.

"Oh, yes," the landlord nodded. "Thirty days."

Angel slightly cursed, no wonder Lindsey had invited him when he had come to see him a couple days ago.

"So sad to see him go," the landlord gave a sad smile. "A lovely man.  Always on time with the rent.  Quiet and clean.  Pity about the hand."

Angel turned to look at the landlord again, "Did he leave a forwarding address?"

"Well…" she looked at Angel and pondered this. "I can't really give out personal information of that sort."

"This is an emergency," he told her thinking fast. "It's regarding a mutual friend who's in need of immediate… medical attention."

"Oh dear," the landlord bit her lip, Angel's handsome looks obviously getting the better side of her. "Well… he's asked that I forward everything to his place of employment.  Do you know where that is?"

Angel inwardly groaned, Lindsey was a smart one.

"Yeah.  Thanks."

As he turned to leave the apartment, the landlord's voice stopped him, "This is about the cousin, isn't it?"

Angel gave a confused look, "Cousin?"

The landlord nodded, "That sweet, but very odd, English girl who was visiting him.

Drusilla.

Angel inwardly groaned again, "Yes.  Yes it is…"

The landlord dramatically sighed, "I knew that pregnancy was in trouble the moment she told me about it.  Thin as a rail.  Can't be healthy for the baby."

"She said she was having a baby?"

Nodding again, the landlord continued, "She was very excited about getting the nursery ready for the birth."

Angel took a mental note of that as the landlord continued, "The way she spoke, I figured she was going for that natural childbirth sort of thing."

"Of course…" Angel murmured. "Dru would want the ritual…"

Oblivious to Angel's muttering the landlord kept talking, "I offered to show her a two bedroom we have available.  She wasn't interested.  I did tell her that she couldn't give birth in the bathtub.  We've recently repiped.  I think she wanted something on the West Side anyway.  She insisted her daughter would be born near the stars."

Angel nodded a little, remembering how Drusilla liked the stars and the moons, "The stars…?

The landlord nodded sympathetically, "Well, she's foreign.  I explained to her that you can live your whole life in Los Angeles and never even see a star."

Angel just let the woman talk, knowing fully about what Drusilla meant.  As he breezed past the woman, he muttered a "thank you" and made his way back to his car.

*****

Buffy was waiting for Angel when he made his way into the main room with a gloomy look on his.

"What happened?" she demanded coming towards him.

"We have to find out where Spike and Dru took Darla."

"Why?" Buffy's brow burrowed in confusion.

"Wolfram and Hart hired Dru and Spike to kill Darla and make her into a vampire again so they have time to distract me from doing other things," Angel told her making his way over to where Cordelia was searching the net. "Cordelia!"

Cordelia quickly exited out of the programs she was in and spun around in her chair to look at her boss, "Yes Angel?"

"I need you to find a plant nursery with access to the night time sky, on a hill top or on top of a building, okay?"

Cordelia nodded as she spun around in her chair and opened up new web browsers to begin looking.  Angel looked at Buffy who was staring at him worriedly.  Coming toward her he touched her cheek lightly, causing her to look up at him.

"Yeah?" she asked softly, leaning into his hand.

"I need you to call Willow about a spell."

"What type?"

"I heard about it in Europe," Angel explained. "It can turn a human into a vampire for about 24 hours so they can do revenge and stuff."

Buffy's head snapped up, "Why would we wanna do that?"

"In case I have no luck in killing Darla before she rises," Angel told her. "With a few changes to the spell, we should be able to have a small subconscious. "

Buffy nodded, she picked up the phone that set on the coffee table and dialed Willow's number, "What are you gonna do while I call."

"How did you..?" Angel started, rolling his eyes he answered, "Gonna go try to kill Darla as soon as Cordelia finds a possible nursery for me to go check up on."

Buffy nodded, "Hey, Will! Yeah, it's Buffy, I was wondering…"

Angel turned and made his way back to where Cordelia was trying to find a nursery.

"Wolfram and Hart own this small one on top of a building downtown," she told him, aware that he was behind her. "Great access to the night sky, secluded, everything Dru and Spike would need for Darla's rising, included lots of dirt."

"What the address?" he asked, taking a piece of scratch paper off the counter and clicking the pen open.

As soon as Cordelia gave it to him, Angel gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek and headed out of the building to go stake Darla before she and Spike and Dru painted the City of Angels red.

Part 15

"Daddy's coming," Drusilla whispered to Spike as she made her way to the small closet in the back. "I'm going to greet him, do you want to join me, my Spike?"

"Sure, luv," Spike answered, watching Drusilla pick up a shovel and dusting it off.

"Good," Drusilla replied, swinging the shovel around to show Spike. "Do you think this will do?  I really hate to regift, but I really don't have time to go shopping, now do I, my Spike?"

Spike chuckled, nodding his agreement to Drusilla.

*****

"Willow?" Dawn shrieked as she saw the witch materialize in front of Buffy,

Willow, a little disoriented from her brief trip from Sunnydale to LA, looked quickly around her surroundings before falling heavily on the couch behind her.

"As much as I like that spell," Willow commented. "It makes you way to dizzy afterwards."

Buffy smirked as Dawn came rushing down the stairs to greet Willow.

"Hey, Willow!" Dawn greeted, obviously high on caffeine.

"Hey, Dawn," Willow smiled at the teenager. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," Dawn bounced around the room. "So, watcha doing here?"

"Helping Buffy and Angel do some stuff," Willow pulled out her spell book, a pencil, and some paper. "Where's Angel?"

"Trying to kill Darla," Buffy replied, sitting down by the witch.

"Isn't she supposed to be, well you know, dead dead?" Willow asked, clearly confused.

"This big, mean law firm brought her back," Dawn explained. "I can repel her, too!  It's so awesome!  I have special powers."

"Yes, Dawn, we know," Buffy rolled her eyes at her sister, annoyed. "You can show Willow later after we're done, okay?"

Dawn shrugged and raced to go annoy Cordelia.

"I hate it when Cordelia gives her caffeine," Buffy muttered as she opened the spell book to the marked page.

*****

Angel pulled himself onto the roof of the building Cordelia had given him the address to.  Slipping the stake he brought with him into the right pocket of his duster, he made his way across the roof to the greenhouse perched in the middle.

Coming to the door he opened it slowly, taking in the dark interior of the building.  Something was up.  Spike and Drusilla should be here for the rising.  But they weren't.  Pushing it to the back of his mind he stepped inside.  Seeing the mound of dirt he presumed to be the grave.  He smirked, Drusilla was always a perfectionist.

He sifted some of the dirt away from the top, trying to find Darla's face.  Finding it, he lifted the white material from her face and part of her chest.  Grasping the stake in his duster pocket firmly, he brought it out.  Taking a deep breath, he positioned it above her heart, ready to strike.  But before he can plunge it into her heart, he heard a loud crack on the back of his head, sending him flying into the wall behind him.

"That's not a fitting gift at all for out newborn grandmother," Drusilla scolds, holding a shovel and the stake.

"I didn't think so either, pet," he heard Spike say before Drusilla hit him with the shovel again.

Angel slumped against the wall, trying to get up.

"I saw you coming, my lovely," Drusilla told him. "The moon showed me.  It told me to come into the 20th Century."

Angel rolled his eyes, "It's the 21st century, Dru."

Bringing the shovel onto his head as he tried to stand up, she gave a pouty reply, "Is it?  I'm still lagging."

"No, luv," Spike told her, fully emerging from the shadows. "Daddy's trying to confuse you.  You still have two more weeks until the 21st century."

Drusilla gave a confused glance at Spike before hitting Angel on the head again, sending him sprawling nearer to the grave.

Drusilla raised the shovel, ready to send Angel against a rather pointy looking garden tool when Darla gave a gasp.

"Grandmother's awake!" Drusilla said gleefully.

Angel took the opportunity and grabbed the end of the shovel, struggling to get it out of Drusilla's hands as Darla sat up her eyes surveying the place.  

Angel twisted his wrist, hoping the shovel would get out of Drusilla grip, but instead it broke in half, giving Drusilla a stake, who grinned gleefully, lunging for Angel.  He sidestepped her, heading for the now empty grave.

"Shit," he muttered, turning around, getting a hand clamped around his throat making him drop the stake.  Darla, who was looking at him like she had never seen him before, had her hand squarely around his neck, holding him successfully above ground.

Drusilla looked at Spike, who had an eyebrow cocked, and whispered to him secretively, "Now everybody's home."

Spike chuckled and kissed her temple before she came out of the shadows and spoke to Darla, "Baby's up form her nap."

Darla looked at Drusilla, not registering who she was, giving Angel enough time to break her grip, sending her tumbling to the ground.  Drusilla is outraged, throwing herself at him, shoving him against a wall.

"Come on, luv," Spike cheered Drusilla on. "Stake him or break his neck or something."

Drusilla gave Spike a sharp look, which was long enough for Angel to throw her off and start going after Darla.  Darla, looking at him animal like, backed up into the glass wall.  Using her fist as a hammer, she broke through the glass wall, running out into the night.

"Stay away from my baby!" Drusilla yelled after Angel as he ran after Darla.

Angel ignored her, going out onto the rooftop in time to see Darla jump off the rooftop onto the street.

"Dammit," Angel cursed, turning around to find Drusilla and Spike gone. "Dammit, dammit, dammit."

*****

"So if we just alter these words a little," Willow was patiently explaining to Buffy. "You can have a little subconscious that'll tell you not to go kill a whole bunch of people."

Buffy shrugged, "Okay.  But I'm still sure Angel would get this better than me."

"What would I get better than you?" Angel asked as he came into the main room.

"This whole 'human-can-turn-into-a-vampire-for-24-hours-and-not-die' spell," Buffy answered, making room for Angel on the couch.

"Did you alter it?" Angel asked Willow, to concerned about what Drusilla and Darla might do to care where Willow came from.

"Yeah," Willow told him, handing him the new altered spell. "Whenever you want, I can do it for you."

"Give us half an hour," Angel replied, getting up and dragging Buffy with him.

"You didn't kill Darla?"

"Nope."

"Then let's do the spell right now," Buffy argued.

"You don't understand," Angel debated. "In order to be a vampire, you have to look like one.  Which means, in order for me to be Angelus, I need to get my leather pants."

"Oh…" he heard Buffy murmur. "I like them."

"I'm sure you do," he murmured back. "Anyway, give us half an hour, okay, Willow?"

"Yeah, sure," she responded, taking out some herbs from her backpack. "But please don't eat me."

Buffy chuckled as she followed Angel up the stairs.

Part 16

"I feel really weird," Buffy complained, pulling on the short leather skirt. "I'm not used to wearing so much leather.  Hell, I don't even own this much leather."

"I do."

"Well, duh," Buffy answered. "How else would you have so many leather coats and pants and stuff."

"I own one pair, Buffy," Angel smirked at her. "One pair."

"Fine, whatever," Buffy sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, pulling on black leather boots.

"You better not get anything on that top, okay?" Cordelia came rushing into the room. "I spent a lot of money on that thing.  Please don't get any blood or yucky stuff on it, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," Buffy answered nonchalantly. "If I do, I'll just have Angel buy you a new one."

Cordelia shrugged and left the room.

"Are you sure I have to wear this?" Buffy asked, pulling on the leather halter top as Angel handed her a leather coat.

"Yes," Angel told her sternly, pulling on his black duster. "It seems that Slayer's have more tendency to become evil faster than most normal humans."

"Wouldn't Spike know this?"

"Nope," Angel responded. "He never sired one, he just sucked them dry."

"Oh.  Okay," Buffy followed Angel out of the room down to the main room where Willow was setting up the spell.

*****

Dropping the dead saleswoman to the floor, Darla licked her lips.  Picking up a red silk shawl she wrapped it around her neck, pulling on a hat after that.  Shaking her head she put it back on the rack.  Drusilla lifted a black evening gown off the rack turning around to show Spike, who nodded his agreement, and then Darla.

"Can I have this?  Can I?" Drusilla grinned gleefully.

"Of course, dear," Darla answered, looking at the dress Drusilla held out. "But I little color would show off your eyes more.  Such pretty eyes."

Drusilla fluttered her eyelashes, "Men are drawn to them."

"Got that right, luv," Spike told her, spinning her around and kissing her soundly.

Darla, not noticing the display of affection, handed Drusilla a large hat with some plums on it, "Aren't they, though?  Here."

Drusilla took it, putting it on her head and then taking it off after Spike shook his head in disagreement.  Dropping it to the floor a strange ringing is heard around Drusilla.

"Oh, I'm ringing," she murmured, starting to move her body to the ringing. "Do you hear it?  I'm ringing all over."

Spike rolled his eyes, reaching into the front of Drusilla dress and pulled out a ringing cell phone, handing it to Darla who opened it.

"Oh I forgot," Drusilla muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"Hello, Holland," Darla greeted into the phone.

"Darla," Holland greeted back. "Feeling better, I trust."

"Like my old self again," Darla grinned wickedly.

"Splendid," Holland told her. "I understand you girls have been on a little… spree."

Darla glanced down, seeing the saleswoman she had killed, "Is that a problem?"

Holland chuckled, "On the contrary… As a mater of fact, I was thinking why settle for a spree, when you could you have… oh… say, a massacre?"

"A massacre?" Darla could hardly believe her ears.  They hadn't had one of those since before Angelus got his soul.

"Oh," Drusilla cooed. "I like that sound of that."

"Of course," Holland reminded her. "You have the full weight and support of Wolfram and Hart squarely behind you."

"I appreciate that, Holland."

"Not at all Darla," Holland told her. "That's what we're here for."

Darla hung up the phone, handing it to Spike who put it in his duster pocket.  Drusilla put on a blood red coat, spinning around to show Spike and Darla, "Do you like it?  Am I pretty then?"

Darla smiled at Drusilla, "As a picture.  Now, if we just had some shoes to go with it," Darla looked down at the floor, seeing another saleswoman crawling across the floor, "Excuse me, Miss… Any shoe suggestions for my friend's ensemble?"

When the saleswoman didn't answer, Darla bent down to snap her neck when Spike stopped, "I wanna do it.  I wanna kill as many people as I can since I got that bloody chip taken out."

Darla shrugged, moving out of the way.  Spike gingerly took the saleswoman's head in his hands and twisted it cleanly, "That was loads of fun.  Any other people I can kill?"

"Well, I did hear something about a party at Holland's house," Darla told them, stepping over the dead saleswoman to another rack of clothes. "Lots of people.  Ohmygod, what am I going to wear?"

Spike shrugged again, slumping back into the chair as Drusilla and Darla looked for clothes to the evening get together.

*****

"How do we know that they'll be at Holland's?" Buffy inquired of Angel as they walked down the street.

"Heard them talking about it," Angel answered, pulling them both into a dark alley.

"Where?"

"Cordelia tapped the Wolfram and Hart's phones a couple months ago," Angel responded. "Decided to put it to use and found that out.

"Oh," Buffy was silent for a minute before asking, "So how long till Willow does the spell?"

Angel looked at his watch, grimacing, "A couple of minutes.  Since you decided to take longer than half an hour, I had to give her another half an hour so we could at least be out of the hotel before she did it."

Buffy leaned against the cool brick, closing her eyes.  She was so hating this skirt and halter top, she just hoped her alter ego liked it cause she as hell did not.  Buffy's eyes snapped open when she heard Angel gasping.

"Angel?" she asked before falling on the ground gasping also.  When it finally over she looked up, giving an evil smirk. "Lover…?"

Angelus looked up, "Yeah, baby?"

Buffy got up from the ground, sauntering over to a now standing Angelus, rubbing herself against him, making him growl, "I feel like killing something.  Didn't you say something about, I dunno, a party."

Angelus growled at his lover, "Baby, that sounds wonderful.  Let's go."

Grabbing Buffy around the waist Angelus pulled her along with him as they exited the alley into the busy street.

Part 17

Drusilla dropped Holland's wife to the floor, licking her lips.  Darla motioned for them to go inside the house with her.  Spike grabbed Drusilla by the waist, ushering her into the house behind Darla.  They followed Darla down into the basement into a cemented room.

"Oh," Drusilla moaned. "Lots of people in there.  Yummy."

Darla smirked kicking the doors open and standing there so everyone could see her.

"Ladies…" Holland's eyes narrowed at Spike. "And Spike.  H-how-"

"Your wife was kind enough to invite us in, Holland," Darla told him, walking a little bit into the small room.

"Very sweet, she was…" Drusilla told Holland, wiping a bit of blood off her face. "Like clover and honey."

Holland's eyes were pained for a moment but were soon covered up by no emotion.

"Just think of it as our way of giving you what you want," Darla told him, stepping closer to him.

"What I-?" Holland stuttered, not quite understanding.

"I think you said something about a massacre," Darla told him, morphing into game face.

"A massacre?" a voice sounded behind them. "I defiantly like the sound of that."

"Daddy!" Drusilla screeched whirling around clapping her hands.

Angelus stood there, his arm protectively around Buffy who was licking her lips with anticipation.

"How nice to see you again, Angelus," Darla greeted, coming towards him.

Buffy glared at her, making her back off.

"Angelus is mine, Darla, okay?" Buffy scowled.  She walked away from Angelus coming over to Lindsey, tracing his jawbone with a finger.

"Lover…" she murmured.

"Yeah, Baby?" Angelus looked over at her.

"Can I eat this one?" Buffy looked over to her lover with pleading eyes.

"No…" Angelus told her, coming over to her and pulling her against him. "Darla I'm sure wants to eat this one, you can eat someone else, though."

"Really?" Buffy's eyes lit up.

"Yeah," Angelus kissed the tip of her nose before shoving her off and going over to Spike. "Spike!  How are you?  Seems like you're back on your feet."

"Back off," Spike snarled.  

Angelus chuckled, mocking being scared as he backed up.  He glanced over at Drusilla who was mumbling, "Pretty lawyers all in a row…"

"I'm glad you're alive, Darla, I'm glad we were able to save you," Holland told her, trying to buy time by talking.

"Are you?" Darla feigned shock. "I guess you really care about me as a person.  I guess I owe all of you, the whole team."

Drusilla giggled, going over to Lilah and ran a finger across her cheek, "You have beautiful skin…"

"Well, I moisturize," Lilah remarked with a scared tone.

"That was very thoughtful of you," Drusilla took her finger away moving away from Lilah.

Darla rolled her eyes at Drusilla's antics and then glancing around the room, finding Angelus and Buffy in a passionate kiss in the corner of the room.  Looking back at Holland she sneered at him, "You brought me back as human - a dying on at that - let me wallow with a soul and sent me crawling to Angel, begging him to restore me."

Holland swallowed, "And he should have, right away.  I… I miscalculated, I thought he cared more than that."

Angelus roared with laughter at the comment, "The Soul?  The Soul take a perfectly good human and make them a vampire?  He would never do that, he's to noble."

Buffy whimpered until Angelus shrugged at Holland and went back to kissing Buffy.

Darla turned her attention to Holland again, "Like you do, I suppose, right?"

Drusilla glided over to Holland, wagging a finger at him, "Grand-mama won't eat the double speak."

Darla scoffed at Holland, "No, she won't eat that."

Spike chuckled, dragging Drusilla over to him, kissing her again.  She pulled away, swaying back and forth, saying things, "I hear the sirens.  They don't know if the world will be there in the morning."

Lilah looked at Lindsey hopefully, "Do you hear sirens?  Are the police coming?"

Lindsey shook his head, "No.  She's sensing what this place was built for."

Holland looked at Lindsey, nodding his approval at the point and continued what Lindsey was saying, "Yes, Drusilla, that's right.  This was originally a bomb shelter in the 50's.  We had it converted.  Win has always been my passion-"

Drusilla ignored him, continuing as she rubbed her self up against Spike, "People huddled together, crouching in fear."

Angelus stopped kissing Buffy, glancing over to see Holland starting lose his cool.

"Yes, yes," Holland stammered. "I imagine that's what it would have been like in war."

Angelus silently chuckled, "No, now.  She means now."

Holland gave a nervous laugh, "I guess I stepped into that one."

"I guess you did," Buffy told him, pushing Angelus into a sitting position and sitting on his lap.

Holland tried to regain his composure as he came over to Darla with an apologetic look on his face, "Darla, I'm sorry you had to suffer, but look what came out of it, you've been restored.  You're a superior being, you can have anything you want - and there isn't a person in this room who won't work round the clock to help you get it."

Buffy snorted, thinking his speech was a bunch of crap.  Darla grinned, liking the Slayer for once.  Darla looked back at Holland, looking him straight in the eye, "Gung ho, are they?  Cause all I'm sensing right now is big, stinky fear."

Looking at Holland once more, Darla walked over to Lindsey studying him, "But now from you.  Do you know what I'm getting from you, Lindsey?"

Lindsey shrugged, not really knowing.

"Nada, nothing.  Why aren't you afraid?"

"I don't know," Lindsey answered truthfully.

"You could die here," Darla told him, placing a cold hand on his cheek. "Chances are you will."

Lindsey nodded, "Yes."

"You don't care?" Darla was astonished.

"I care," Lindsey told her. "I guess I just don't mind."

Darla smiled at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before moving away from him.  Looking around the room, her eyes swept over all the people, their blood pulsing through their bodies.  She licked her lips, wanting to eat one.  Darla grinned, looking at Drusilla, Spike, Angelus, and Buffy individually and saying, "I love this room," she looked at Spike and Drusilla, "Dru, Spike, in our new digs? -  we have to put in a people cellar."

Buffy shared a look with Angelus, her conscious getting to her, as well as Angelus.  Reaching into his pocket she fingered the stake.  It would be used once, and that would be on Darla, cause there was no way she was having Angelus.

Part 18

Willow fiddled with the amulet in her palm.  She'd found it in another magic shop, the shopkeeper saying something about it bringing a messenger from the high beings or something like that.  Willow shrugged, it was worth a shot to see what happened.  She placed it on the table in front of her and took out the spell that had come with it.

Willow's voice was strong as she repeated the words, "For what this world needs is something does higher deeds.  To bring forth a messenger I give you this amulet for safe passage into the mortal world.  May you bring balance with this power that you take."

Willow breathed onto it slowly as dust started to form a human form.  She could tell it was a male before it started to take a solid shape.  Cordelia came around from behind the counter to give Dawn something to eat when she saw what Willow was doing.  The dust started to take shape from the feet up.  Cordelia got bored and made her way up to Dawn's room.  When the dust was down forming a man stood in front of Willow looking around his surroundings.

"They sent me here?" was the first words that came out of his mouth.

Willow could tell he was Irish because of his accent.  He was relatively medium height with brown hair and Cordelia was sure to say he had really bad fashion sense.

"Um…" Willow bit her lip. "Hi.  I'm Willow."

Willow stood up and came around, offering her hand to the man.

He took it, "I'm-"

"Doyle?!" Cordelia screeched. "Ohmygod, Doyle?!"

The man who Willow presumed to be Doyle turned around and was practically tackled by Cordelia who through her arms around him.

"Cordelia…" Doyle said, trying to break out of her embrace. "I need to breathe.  I'm not really dead anymore."

Cordelia let go sheepishly.

"Sorry," she murmured before letting the news sink in more. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Your little witch friend over there," Doyle pointed to Willow. "Brought me back.  Found an amulet of the Powers That Be and said the 'magic words'."

Cordelia ran to hug Willow who held her hands out in front of her, "You're welcome.  No repayment required."

Cordelia shrugged and went back to Doyle kissing him soundly on the lips and then slapped him across the cheek.

"Delia!" Doyle eyes were wide in alarm.

"That is for doing that crazy thing that made you die," Cordelia told him. "This is for coming back."

Cordelia kissed him again, this one deeper than the last, which Doyle immediately responded to.

*****

Spike dropped the last lawyer besides Lilah and Lindsey, who Darla wanted to keep for other… things.  Buffy and Angelus were locked in a passionate embrace again.  He was getting really sick of them sucking face all the time.  Buffy broke the kiss, getting off Angelus's lap and going out of the room for something.  Darla took the opportunity and seductively made her way over to Angelus who was still watching the door after Buffy's departure.

"Angelus…" Darla cooed, coming over to Angelus and stood right in front of him so her chest was directly in his eyesight. "How bout we dump the Slayer and try to take over Europe again?"

Angelus looked at Darla not the least interested and told her, "Sorry, Darla.  I got over you about a century ago."

Darla wouldn't take "no" for an answer and bent down, looking Angelus in the face, "You know you-"

Darla didn't finish her sentence when she exploded into dust.  Angelus looked straight into the face of his lover, grinning broadly, "I was wondering when you do her off, baby."

"She had to give me a reason," Buffy sat down on Angelus's lap again. "And she did.  So, she had to go 'poof' cause she can't have you cause you are so mine."

Angelus chuckled darkly, kissing Buffy soundly on the lips before their kiss got passionate again.

"Don't you two ever stop?" Spike whined. "I mean, I'm glad Darla's gone, but please, stop!  I'm going to be scared for life!"

"You already are," Buffy told him after Angelus broke the kiss to glare at Spike. "Remember that lovely spell Willow did?  The one where I thought I was in love with you?" Buffy shuddered at the thought, turning back to Angelus so she wouldn't have to look at Spike.

"You were going to marry the Slayer, my Spike?" Drusilla complained as she came over to Spike.

"No, pet," Spike told her. "The damn witch back in Sunnydale did a bloody spell that made me almost get married to Slayer.  It was a tragedy."

"You can't have him!" Drusilla hissed at Buffy, her vampire visage coming out.

"I don't want him," Buffy snapped. "He's all yours, Dru, okay?"

Drusilla accepted the answer, turning back to Spike and wrapping her arms around his neck possessively.

"You know what, pet?" Spike asked Drusilla.

"What?"

"I need to go back to Sunnydale to finish some business," Spike unwrapped Drusilla's arms from his neck and started to walk for the door with Drusilla in tow. "Coming pet?"

"Yes, my Spike," Drusilla told him, licking the rest of blood off her lips and chin.

Buffy shared a look with Angelus before getting up and making their way out of the home, leaving Lindsey and Lilah to fend for themselves chained to the wall.

*****

Spike kicked in the mausoleum's door, sending it flying to the opposite wall.  Harmony sat on the dirty loveseat filing her nails when she saw Spike and jumped up.

"Spike!" she exclaimed running over and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you!  I didn't know where you went or anything and I was so worried."

Spike rolled his eyes, hoping she'd get it that he wasn't embracing her back and back off.  But being Harmony she didn't.

"Harm?" Spike asked, he heard a muffled "yes". "Get off me!"

Spike pushed her back, making her fall back onto the pillar.

"Hey!" she whined, her lip trembling. "That was mean."

"Yeah, well, Harm," Spike licked his lips before entering and held his hand out to something Harmony couldn't see. "I'm the 'Big Bad' which means I'm all bad and you're not.  Just to make things clear Harm, this is my mate, Drusilla."

Drusilla took Spike's hand and entered the mausoleum gracefully, overlooking her surroundings.

"Oh, Spike," she breathed. "It's beau'iful."

"Who the hell is that?" Harmony demanded.

"I just said," Spike walked over slowly. "This is Drusilla, my mate."

"What's a mate?" Harmony asked, her brows furrowed.

"I give up," Spike muttered as he stopped walking.

"My Spike?" Drusilla asked, her icy eyes on Harmony.

"Yes, pet?"

"That has to go," Drusilla pointed at Harmony as if she was a piece of furniture in a home.

"Alright, luv," Spike pulled Harmony by the arm off the floor where she was sitting still trying to figure out what a mate was.

"Hey!" Harmony objected, trying to kick Spike but failing miserably. "I live here!  And what's a mate anyway?"

"Go ask the Slayer," Spike told her before closing the door. "She's got one."

Harmony's brow furrowed again as she got up and started to walk away from the mausoleum.

Spike shook his head as he came down the steps after kicking Harmony out.

"Thank you, my Spike," Drusilla told him, her back to him as she made her way around the mausoleum.

"Welcome, pet," Spike replied.

Part 19

Willow sat in the main room of the Hyperion looking over her spellbook, seeing if she could find anything to make Amy turn back into a human again.  The front door opened and a draft of cold air made the hairs on Willow's neck stand up.  She turned and saw Tara coming into the Hyperion with a sad look on her face.

"Hey!" Willow greeted, getting up from her spot on the couch and coming over to Tara to hug her.

Tara held her hands up so Willow wouldn't hug her and said very clearly, "Willow, I've been lying to you."

Willow stopped and looked up Tara with a questioning face, "What do you mean?"

Tara swallowed, "Since I've met you I've had a spell on you that makes you like me.  You really don't love me."

"Of course I do!"

"No.  You don't," Tara told her, taking out a vile and handing it to her. "Drink this and then ask yourself if you still love me."

Tara turned and walked out of the Hyperion without another word, leaving a speechless Willow holding a vile.

Willow shrugged and pulled the cap off the vile.  She took a whiff of it, scrunching her nose up in disgust before drinking it.  Her head swam as the liquid in the vile started to take effect.  She abruptly sat back down, pushing the palm of her hand to her throbbing head.

Then it stopped.  It was painful one second, the next very peaceful.  Willow rubbed her temple before pushing herself off the couch and going behind the counter go get a drink.

"Hmm," said Willow thoughtfully. "I miss Oz.  I don't love Tara, I love Oz!"

Willow rushed back into the main room and picked up her spellbook.  She flipped though various pages, finally finding the right page.  Willow grinned, memorizing the spell before going into the large space in the middle.

"By this power that I have, I wish to summon something that I crave.  Over seas and through mountains, bring me Oz for I need him so!"

A bright flash flickered and Oz appeared, holding a guitar and looking very disoriented.

"Willow?"

Go to Part 19