~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prologue

"‘Lo?"

"Spike...?"

"Willow?! What’s wrong, pet?"

"He’s missing. I can’t get a hold of him, anywhere."

"Are you certain he’s disappeared? Not just out?"

"Yes! Something’s happened. I feel like a part of me has been ripped out... < sob > "

"Willow.....is he dead?"

"No....I can still feel him....but it’s weak...Help me, Spike!"

"Alright, luv. Where are you?"

"On my way to the airport. I have the jet waiting, but the...the fog has to clear first."

"When’ll that be?"

"In about another hour..... < sob > "

"Listen to me, Willow...Wait there. I’ll grab the gang, and we’ll meet you there. Don’t take off without us...Ok?"

"O....Ok....Please hurry."

"I will, luv. Just stay calm."

"I’ll try...bye."

"See you soon."

Click. Click.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part One

Earlier that night - Toronto

Detective Nicholas Knight and his partner Tracy Vetter happened arrived at the accident scene, along the 401 (major freeway...). There appeared to be only one fatality; the driver of the black Sunfire. He had been extracted from the crumpled car, and was laying on the ground, covered in a white sheet. The two occupants of the other car had already been transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries. They had both been drinking heavily.

This case would most likely be turned over to homicide anyways, so the two police officers stopped to investigate, when the call came over the radio.

"This is so tragic." said Tracy, eyeing the damage to both cars. It had been like toy cars being flung around the road, than an actual accident. The drunk driver had skidded into one of the cement barriers along the side, only to be bounced off. He then hit this black car, and they had both gone tumbling around the 401 at breakneck speed. It was a wonder that no other cars were involved. Even though it was 1:30 am, the roads were still busy.

"Yes." Nick replied to his partner, his mind going over all the atrocities he’d committed in the last 700 years.

Kneeling down next to the sheet-covered body, Nick prepared himself for the sight about to be revealed. Even after all these years, nothing was as horrifying as the victim of a high speed collision. Red stains littered the white sheet, testifying to the damage that was done. Slowly lifting up the sheet, Nick looked at the almost angel-like features of the victim. He noticed a lot of blood, but very few cuts. < All that blood couldn’t have come from those small wounds. > he
noticed.

Then Nick found himself looking into alert and awake, dark brown eyes. Holding back is gasp, he looked up, to find his partner talking to the cops who first arrived on the scene. < Good, she shouldn’t be a problem. >

He’d already checked for a pulse and found none, but he knew. This man was a vampire, like him. Or maybe not like him. It didn’t matter. Right now he needed Nick’s help.

Seeing him begin to move, Nick placed a strong hand on the dark haired vampire’s chest, keeping him down. "Play dead." said Nick, too low for human ears to
catch. Understanding dawned in the other’s eyes before he obeyed. Closing his eyes, the injured vampire relaxed and pretended to be dead.

Just as Nick was lowering the sheet, Tracy walked towards him.

"This the driver of the other car?" she asked, reaching down to look for
herself. Nick’s hand
stopped her.

"You don’t want to see it." he told her, his eyes conveying that same
message.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse." he said. "I’d like to get him to the morgue - get Nat to look
at him. I want to know the
exact cause of death, not just a list of his injuries."

"Ok I’ll call it in. They should be by to pick him up in a few
minutes." said Tracey, going to the
car to use the radio. "What a waste." she mumbled, casting one last look
at the covered corpse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick was in the morgue when they brought the body in. It was on a
stretcher, covered in a clean
white sheet, before being transferred to the steel table, where Dr.
Natalie Lambert performed
autopsies.

"So, Nick. What's so important about this body?" she asked him. He’d
come in a few minutes
before the body arrived, saying he needed her help, but wouldn't say why
or what for.

Nick didn't answer her, instead proceeding to remove the sheet,
revealing the pale form of a
young man. He had dark hair, beautiful features, and was covered in
blood.

"Nick...what are you doing?" she asked h im, not quite understanding
when he began to lightly
tap the man's face.

"Come on....you can open your eyes now." he said, waiting until dark
brown eyes met his own
green ones. Nick took several steps back, watching as this vampire swung
his legs around, sitting
up. Nick couldn't help but notice that there was a gracefulness to his
movements, especially given
his injuries.

"What's your name?" Nick asked him.

"Angel." said the vampire. Leaning forward slightly, he gripped the
edges of the table and
lowered his head as waves of hunger passed through him. "Do you have
anything to eat?" he
asked, not really expecting what he needed. His brain wasn't totally
alert, or he would have
realized that if him being 'alive' was no big surprise to this blonde
man, then he must know what
he was, and have the right kind of 'food'. He was therefore surprised
when a bag of blood was
handed to him by the blonde - a cop, he thought.

Then, all his thoughts were chased away as his demon took over. Piercing
the bag with his fangs,
he drank quickly and hungrily, not caring if these two watched him. His
body demanded the
blood, even as his demon demanded the kill. But he fought back the
demon, not allowing it to
assume control. He wouldn't let it.

Looking up once he was done, he noticed two things at once. One, the
blonde cop was a vampire,
yet different somehow. And two, the brown haired woman didn't seem
surprised at the fact that
he was a vampire.

"You're a Tremere." stated Angel after a moment.

"Yes." Nick replied slowly, after a short pause. He was unused to the
name, as he'd only ever run
in circles of his own clan. He'd met a few from some of the other clans:
Screeg, a Nosferatu; a
Ventrue and a Toreador, too, if he remembered correctly. Yet he couldn't
tell what clan this one
belonged to. He hadn't met enough to be able to tell the difference
between the clans.

"I've met a few of you...years ago. You stay well hidden from the others
of your own kind." said
Angel, intrigued. "Mostly in Paris, though. Are there more of you here?"

"The city is Tremere. Others very rarely come up this way, so we don't
worry much about
outsiders." replied Nick. The Tremere had given up on the other clans
centuries ago. They were
always fighting, threatening the Masquerade. The Tremere couldn't care
less about others wars,
so they broke away from the others, taking control of certain cities
around the world.

"What clan are you?" asked Nick. He was curious.

"Um...Gangrel." he lied. He didn't want this Tremere to know he was
Brujah, for they had a
reputation for being violent and brutal. Now that he had his soul, he
didn't want to be associated
with the violence of his clan.

Taking in his surroundings, Angel realized that he was in a morgue, but
not the Sunnydale
morgue. "What city is this?" he asked cautiously.

"Toronto." was the simply reply from the other vampire. "Do you remember
what happened?"

"No. The last thing I remember is being in my apartment in California,
talking with my girlfriend,
Buffy." he said slowly, trying to figure out how he'd arrived in
Toronto. It was a little out of the
way for him.

"When was that?" asked the woman. At Angel's questioning look, she
introduced herself. "I'm
Dr. Natalie Lambert."

"Nice to meet you." replied Angel. "Let's see....January 23." (sorry if
I got the date wrong...)

"It's July 6." said Nick.

"It seems you have a type of amnesia. Do you remember anything?" asked
Nat.

"No." replied Angel, pausing for a second, adding, "But I feel like a
part of me is missing...Like
I'm empty inside."

"Interesting. Well, since you don't remember anything, I'm guessing you
have no idea where
you're staying." stated Nick. At the dark vampire's nod, he continued.
"Ok. I guess you'll be
staying with me for a few days, then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Two

Willow walked down the streets of Toronto, looking for a vampire to beat
information out of.
She was in a mood, had been ever since she'd lost touch with her mate.
She needed a 'good spot
of violence', as Spike would say. She also needed to know who ran this
city. When they'd arrived
that morning, they'd noticed that the city was inhabited by vampires,
but couldn't tell what clan.
They hadn't thought there was a community in Toronto, but they were
mistaken.

Spotting a possible candidate, Willow moved in behind him. Once they
were safely away from
any humans or others, she knocked into a dark alley. Before he could
react, she was on top of
him, straddling his waist, with a hand gripping his throat. The nails
digging into the flesh of his
throat made sure he didn't try to move.

"What do you want?" he asked after a moment. He'd been caught off guard
by this small girl, and
that didn't sit well with him. When she didn't immediately kill him, he
realized she wanted
something from him.

"Information." was all she said. Willow was enjoying herself. She hadn't
played like this in
awhile, and missed it.

"What do you want to know?" the prone vampire asked cautiously, trying
not to provoke her.

"What clan are you?" This was a great mystery for her, and the rest of
her group. Even Spike
couldn't tell, and he was the oldest among them - save for Angelus, and
he was the one they were
looking for.

"Tre...Tremere." he choked out.

"Really? How interesting?" she said quietly, considering this. The
Tremere clan had disappeared
centuries ago. Every now and then, one would pop up, but nothing close
to the numbers in this
city.

"Who's in charge?" she asked, changing the topic. This was what she'd
been after in the first
place.

"Lacroix." said the vampire. "He's the elder in the city."

"And where would I find this Lacroix?" she asked him, a bored expression
on her face. She
slowly ran her nails up and down his neck, pressing harder as she passed
over his jugular. The
threat was understood.

"A club. Called 'The Raven'."

"Good boy." she said, standing up. "Now run along like a good little
puppy." Willow teased,
laughing softly as he did just that.

Turning, she left the alley, going back to the house they'd rented. This
was a very interesting
development. One she was eager to share with Spike.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow walked into the club, stopping just inside the door to survey the
crowd. The place was
packed, most of the patrons consisted of vampires, but there was still a
good portion of humans
in the crowd. The Raven was a dark, goth-like club. There were stages on
which people could
dance, as well as scattered tables and a bar that stretched across two
walls. The flashing lights
from the dance floor illuminated the many writhing bodies under them,
bouncing to the beat of
the loud music.

Walking over to the bar, Willow grabbed the attention of the vampire
bartender. "Where can I
find Lacroix?" she asked him, attempting to do this the 'nice' way.
Sasha had asked her to try and
be nice, to not let her emotions loose. That would get her no where, and
only make her enemies.

"Are you old enough to be in here?" he asked her, barely casting a
glance in her direction.

"Lacroix. Where is he?" she asked more forcefully. She really was trying
to be polite about it, but
he wasn't cooperating.

"Who wants to know?" Looking at her closely, he realized that she was
one of the Community.
This red head may look young, but she most likely wasn't.

"Someone looking for information." she said.

"He's not here." was his answer. Then he turned to another customer,
ignoring and dismissing her
in the blind of an eye.

< No one ignores me! > Reaching out, she grabbed the collar of his shirt,
pulling him face to face
with her.

"Don't play games with me." she warned. "I never lose." Seeing the fear
enter his eyes, she
smiled in satisfaction. "Now. Lacroix. Where is he?"

"Upstairs. I'll call and let him know you're looking for him."

"No, it's alright. I'll find him on my own." said Willow, releasing her
hold on his shirt. Then,
before he had a chance to sigh in relief, she was gone. He quickly moved
to the phone behind the
bar, to call up and warn Lacroix. The elder vampire's only response was,
"Yes, I am aware of her
eminent arrival.".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 3a

Willow made her way up the stairs, knowing that the bartender had called
up, informing the
Tremere elder of her arrival. She didn't know what to expect, and had to
admit, she was nervous.
When she'd first met Julian Luna, Prince of San Francisco, she had a
pretty good idea of what he
was like. They'd scouted the city before they had arrived. This time was
different. Her mate was
missing, and even though she’d researched this ‘Lacroix’, she still knew
little about him. He was
two thousand years old, originally a Roman soldier. Ironically, he’d
been turned the day Pompeii
had been destroyed. She found bits and pieces about him, but not much.
That made her
apprehensive. She didn't like not having the upper hand, but she would
make do. She was
Willow. Mate to Angelus, one of the oldest of their clan.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, she felt around with her senses,
trying to discern where he was.
Feeling a very old and powerful Tremere in the third door down, she made
her way there.

Knocking on the door, she prepared herself for the meeting to come.
Pushing everything
underneath a mask, she became the Willow who had impressed the hell out
of the Prince of San
Francisco.

"Enter." came a lightly accented voice from inside. Willow raised her
eyebrows slightly at the
command No 'Come in.', or even 'Who's there?', just 'Enter.' Turning
the door knob, Willow
floated into the room.

There, sitting in a comfortable looking chair, was Lacroix - she
assumed. He had pale skin, and
pale hair, as well as piercing eyes. She felt as if he could see into
her very soul. He held a wine
glass of red liquid in one hand, the other hand laying on the arm of the
chair. He never said a
word, just perused her with a considering gaze, one eyebrow raising
silent question.

"So, I finally meet the great Lucian Lacroix. What an honour." she
mocked. "You knew I was
coming." she said with a smile as he continued to stare at her, watching
her close the door behind
her. He might be fun to go up against in a game of wits.

"Of course. You threatened two of my charges. Did you think you would
catch me unawares?"
came his patronising reply.

"I would be disappointed if I had." she said, walking around to
investigate the room. This one
was, he one hard to read. Outwardly, she appeared to be bored, only
vaguely interested in the
conversation and the man in the room with her.

Lacroix was curious. She was an interesting one. She wasn't Tremere, yet
her clan was difficult
to distinguish. She was also very beautiful. She had on a black,
satin-like dress that ended mid-
thigh, with no waist line and no sleeves. Her hair was pulled up, with
wisps falling down,
framing her face. Her red lips and highlighted eyes only heightened her
paleness, forming a very
striking picture. Even Janette, at her peak, couldn't compare to this
red head.

When he’d heard about her form Daniel, the young fledgling
she’d...accosted in the alley, he’d
been intrigued. She hadn’t harmed him in the least, yet the fear she’d
instilled in him, in that one
short meeting, was nothing short of amazing.

"Nice place you have here, Lacroix" she told him, turning slightly to
face the older vampire.

"Please, call me Lucian." he informed her. "All beautiful women do."

"Yes, I'm sure they do." Willow said, ruefully.

"And you would be..?" he asked her. He’d sent out people to gather
information about her, the
minute he’d heard about her. They had only been able to discover that
she’d arrived sometime
before dawn, with an entourage of others, on a private jet at Pearson
Airport. No one could even
tell him her name.

"I'm Willow." she told him. "I'm surprised you didn't know that." she
teased him.

"I did the best I could on such short notice." he explained. "Well,
Willow, why have you come to
Toronto? It can't be for the air."

"No." she confirmed with a small smile. "I have my reasons." She didn't
want to give away too
much, that would spoil the game.

"Which are?" inquired Lucian. This girl, she liked to play games, he
realized. That suited him
just fine. He'd spent the last two thousand years perfecting his
strategy. No one had beaten him
yet.

"I'm looking for someone."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 3b

"And what makes you think this person is in my city?"

"He disappeared here last night." she told him, looking into his hard
eyes.

"Why would you think he disappeared? He may have just left, or is not
responding to your calls."
suggested Lucian.

"He can't be found anywhere. Also, I can barely feel him anymore.
Something's happened to
him." Willow said this as she turned away from his gaze, trying to not
let her panic and fear show
on her face.

She was good, thought Lacroix. Her face kept it’s same bored look, but
he could feel the
emotions bubbling under the surface and wondered at it. Here was one of
his kind, who had
incredible control over herself and her surroundings. He wouldn’t have
caught on to her inner
feelings if he’d been younger. Only his advanced age allowed him to
detect these deeply buried
emotions. She let no one get the upper hand, she was confident and
cocky, yet he'd felt her fear. It
made him curious, not to mention anxious. Whatever had scared Willow,
was not so simple as a
lost friend.

"Who is he to you?" he asked her.

"My sire...among other things." she replied, having gained control of
her raging emotions again
to look at him.

"Other things?" he wondered aloud, considering her answer. He was
curious as to what she
hadn’t said.

"He's my mate."

"Ah... That would make you Brujah, then." he surmised, delighted when he
saw her surprised
look. "I've been around a long time, my dear." Now he knew the reason
for her visit. She needed
his help to find her mate. He'd met mated Brujah before, and know
understood the reason for the
emotions he'd seen in her eyes earlier. Mated couples were bound to each
other for life. He also
knew what happened when one of them died. Lucian could now better
understand her. She was
close to losing the other half of herself.

"Can you help me find him?" she asked, her expression saying she didn’t
care either way, but her
green eyes implored him.

"You attacked two of mine, in the past few hours. What makes you think
I'll help you after that?"
he was genuinely curious.

"If I had wanted to kill them, they'd be dead." He believed her. She
seemed the type to kill
without much thought or effort. If killing them had been her intent,
they would be dead. As it
was, they had both gotten away with no injuries what-so-ever.

"Such a cocky attitude, my dear." he teasingly chastised with a small
smile quirking his lips.

"Do you doubt me?" she asked, an answering smile on her face.

"Not for one second."

"Will you help me?" she asked him, returning to the original topic.

"I'll think about it." he said. He knew he was going to, but didn't want
to tell her. He was
enjoying this little game they had going. "What is his name?"

"Angelus." at his look of surprise, she smirked. "Heard of him, have
you?"

"He's one of the oldest Brujah known. Though he is young compared to
other clans. Brujah have
such short life spans." he replied.

"I plan to be around for awhile. With my mate by my side." she said
forcefully.

"May I ask you something?" he said after a moment of looking her over.
"Of course." was her
polite reply.

"How old are you? I must admit that your age escapes me, as did your
clan, until a short time
ago." Willow realized he was truly baffled, or he never would have
asked. Smiling, she answered
him.
"I’m much too young for you, Lucian." she teased. Her heart felt
lighter, if empty. Seeing his
expression grow disapproving at her teasing, she amended her answer. "I
still use my real ID, if
that helps." It did indeed. < She really is very young. In a few 
centuries she should be even more
entertaining. > thought Lacroix.

"I'll have an answer for you tomorrow night." he said after a moment.
"Meet me in the club at
11:00?" he asked. He wanted to find out all he could about this Brujah
and her mate before he
informed her of his decision.

Raising a curved eyebrow, Willow looked at him in amusement. She knew
what he was up to.
"Until tomorrow." was all she said. Turning, Willow left the ancient
vampire to his thoughts and
plans, all the while making some of her own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Four

Spike met Willow at the door to their temporary house. He was as anxious
as she was to find
their sire. "Well?" he asked her before she could get in the door.

"I found him. He's unlike anyone I've met before." she told Spike,
pushing him out of the way to
enter the house. "Where's Sasha and Cordelia?" Willow asked him, already
having a good idea.

"Where do you think?" he said wryly. Ever since that little bundle had
come into their lives, the
females had all become mush. They were still a force to be reckoned
with, but at home, they
softened up. Around one member of the family in particular. It
disgusted and amused all the
males to no end.

Smiling, Willow quickly made her way up the stairs, entering a room at
the back of the house.
Stopping to take in the scene before her, Willow's smile turned into a
huge grin.

"There's my girl." she said softly, walking over to Cordelia. Taking the
small bundle out of her
arms, Willow looked down into the face of Faith's daughter. Faith had
returned to Sunnydale six
months after leaving. When a new Slayer hadn't been called, the
Watcher's had started looking
for her. Not willing to take the chance of them finding out about her
baby, shortly after she was
born, Faith let the Watchers find her in New York. All signs of her
giving birth had disappeared,
so there was nothing to be suspicious about. The fact that Faith had
been gone for six months
helped, as it took nine months to have a baby.

That had been 3 months ago. Faith had been torn apart, having to leave
her daughter, but she'd
known it was necessary. Also, Willow had promised to bring Catriona to
visit her mother at
regular intervals. Faith wanted her daughter to know she was loved, and
that leaving her was one
of the hardest thing she'd ever done.

This was possible, now. They'd discovered a spell to counteract the
barrier that kept them out of
Sunnydale. It's main ingredient was 'the blood of a Slayer, willingly
shed'. Faith had been more
than happy to help out her new family. When she'd had to go back to
Sunnydale, she'd been glad.
Now she would be able to visit with Catriona, with no 'mysterious' trips
out of town.

Looking down into the round face of Faith's child, it was hard to
believe that one day the fate of
the world would be on her shoulders. Before she left, Faith had imparted
on them the knowledge
that Catriona's father had given her. It was a future that they couldn't
avoid, but were now
prepared for.

"Hey, munchkin. Have they been keeping you up past your bedtime?" she
cooed, looking to the
two female Brujah in the room with her.

"We didn't keep her up. We were just putting her to bed." replied an
indignant Cordelia. Willow's
look told her that she didn't believe a word out of the brunette's
mouth. Spike's snort of disbelief
from behind her only confirmed it for her.

"Come on, sweets. Let's get you to bed, before you start keeping our
hours. Then what would we
do all day, if we didn't have you to play with?" Willow really did love
this small creature. She'd
never thought of herself as maternal, and when Angelus turned her, she
never gave it a second
thought. But now, with Catriona, she'd found a part of her she thought
didn't exist. They all had.
Spike and Angelus teased the three of them about it, but Willow, Sasha
and Cordelia knew that
those two Brujah dotted on the little girl. It was truly amazing. This
small person had a family of
the fiercest vampires in history, wrapped around her pinky. Lucifer help
them when she learned
how to talk.

Walking over to the wooden crib, Willow put the yawning three month-old
down, covering her
up and arranging the stuffed animals around the tiny body. Motioning for
them to clear out,
Willow placed a kiss on the baby's head before following them out of the
room, closing the door
behind her.

"You shouldn't keep her up so late." she admonished Sasha and Cordelia.
It was almost one in the
morning. "She needs to learn that night means sleep, not play."

"As if she won't learn that soon enough, growing up in a house full of
vampires." said Sasha,
trying to defend herself. In truth, they'd gone to put her to bed, but
had started playing with her,
and totally lost track of time.

"I know, but I like to keep the illusion as long as possible." replied
Willow.

"Enough of that, Red. What's up new on the Angelus-front?" asked Spike.
Contrary to popular
belief and his own actions, Spike did love his sire. They'd been best
friends and lovers for
decades before Drusilla had come on the scene.

"Well," she began, leading the group down the stairs and into the living
room. "Lucian Lacroix,
who runs this city, is willing to help us. I know it, and he knows it.
But he's pretending to think it
over, and I'm pretending to worry over his answer."

"Only you could start mind games on the first meeting." said Spike. He
was amused at her antics,
but couldn't help but compare them to Angelus'. He loved to play games,
too. That's probably
why they go so well together.

"I need to find out all I can about Lucian." she continued, ignoring
Spike and his comments.

"'Lucian'?" asked Cordelia.

"Yes. He told me to call him that. He said...let me get this right..
'All beautiful women do.'"

"He's a smooth one." commented Spike.

"Tell me about it. He likes mind games more than Angelus. And that's
saying something."
Willow replied, a disgusted look on her face. Normally, she would have
loved to have gone up
against someone like Lucian, but she was too worried about Angelus.

Sasha had seen the look on Willow's face, and knew she was thinking of
her mate. Sasha was
probably the only one who could even begin to know what she was going
through. Just the
thought of losing Spike sent waves of rage through her, a growl
threatening to erupt from her
throat. Sitting down on the couch next to Spike, she leaned into his
side, laying an arm across his
waist, holding him to her. His own arm pulled her close, pulling her
into the crook of his body,
while he watched Willow pace back and forth.

"He's Tremere." Willow said suddenly, surprising him. "The whole city
is."

"Really?" he asked, slightly surprised. He'd known there were Tremeres
out there, but just hadn't
expected to stumble into one of their cities. They didn't take too
kindly to other clans.

"He's an old one." she continued, never stopping her pacing. "But I'm
not sure how old. I'll have
to research it." With that, she left the room in a rush.

"She's not holding up too well." said Cordelia. Willow was her sire, but
she was also her friend.
It hurt that there was nothing she could do to help her.

"No, pet. She's not. He's alive, but not all there." replied Spike. Like
the brunette, he felt helpless
in this situation.

"What would cause that?" asked Cordelia. She was lost when it came to
mates. If she had her
own, she'd probably understand what Willow was going through, but she
had yet to find him.
And she would find him. It was only a matter of time.

"It's hard to say." sighed the blonde vampire. "The most likely cause
would be a coma, or some
outside interference."

"But wouldn't he have to be really hurt to be in a coma?" she asked.
Vampire healing what it was,
he was probably lucky to be alive. As to the second possibility, the
only outside interference
would be from Buffy. Faith would have told them of anything suspicious,
regarding the blonde
Slayer.

"Yes, he would." said Spike, his eyes conveying a message. < That's what
has Willow so
worried. >
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Five
Rrriiiiiiinnnnnnngggggggg!!!

< What the…Oh…phone…right…… > Nick’s brain was only partially
functional. The ringing of the
phone having awakened him several hours before sunset. Blindly grabbing,
he finally got a hold
of the phone, putting it to his ear. "Hello.." he said, before realizing
the receiver was upside
down. Righting it, he repeated his greeting, prepared to maim if not
kill the person at the other
end.

"Nicolas." came his sire’s disapproving, accented voice from the other
end. "I can feel your
displeasure from here."

"What do you want? You never call me." he said, still not quite awake.
He realized that he
couldn’t kill Lacroix. He’d tried it before, but he’d just come back
from the dead. Only HIS sire
would come back from death. Then he paused for a minute, going over his
words in his head
again. "Wait a minute....you never call me. What’s wrong?" nothing short
of the apocalypse
would make Lacroix call his wayward child.

"Correct, Nicolas." said Lacroix. He’d deliberately called this early,
knowing Nicholas would be
asleep. It was just one of the many ways he had of toying with the
younger vampire.

"So what’s wrong?" he asked again, coming fully awake.

"I need a favor from you."

"A favor? What are you playing at, Lacroix?" demanded an irate Nick.

"I’m hurt that you think this is a game. It’s very serious." the mocking
tone that Nick knew so
well was back in full force.

"What is it?"

"It involves one of our kind, who seems to have lost his way in our dear
city." Lacroix informed
him.

"Does this person have a name? Or are you going to leave me hanging?"
waking Nick up before
he’d had his sleep always put him in a grumpy mood. That it was this
person in particular that
had disturbed his sleep, didn’t help matters.

"Yes. His name is Angelus. He’s Brujah, and has a rather.....formidable
childe looking for him."

"Formidable?" he asked. Lacroix didn’t hand out compliments often, and
that’s what this was. In
his own way, his sire was impressed with Angelus’ childe. This was
turning out to ver a very
interesting wake up call. "In what way?"

"In the way I had always hoped you would be, Nicolas." put in Lacroix.
< Damn! > thought Nick.
< He still knows how to get to me >Even after all these years, his sire
still knew how to push all
the right buttons.

"Could we please get back to this favor you want me to do for you?" said
Nick, not wanting to be
reminded that he’d disappointed Lacroix. "What makes you think I’ll help
you?"

"Why, to reassure his loved ones that he’s alright. Have you no
compassion, Nicolas?" he
reprimanded his son, sarcasm and parental disapproval flooding his voice
as he taunted the
blonde over the phone.

"I’ll see what I can do." grumbled Nick, disgusted with himself and
Lacroix. Then he hung up.

Flopping back on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, thinking over the
conversation he’d just had.
He laughed softly to himself as he thought about the favor. It would
probably be one of the
easiest things he’d ever done for the older vampire. If he was correct,
the missing vampire was
the one sleeping in his guest room.

< But why would he lie about his clan? > wondered Nick. Then he figured it
out. Angel had told
him about his soul, and all the guilt associated with it. Brujah were
among the most violent of all
the clans. The dark haired vampire was probably afraid he’d be judged
for his past crimes. Just
the name ‘Brujah’ evoked fear, their reputation was that fierce. By
saying he was from another
clan, he avoided all that.

Getting out of the shower, a short time later, he heard movement in the
kitchen and realized his
guest was awake. Dressing quickly, he went to see what Angel was up to.

"Hungry, I take it?" Nick asked him, seeing him refilling his glass from
one of the bottle of pig’s
blood he kept on hand.

"I’m still weak." said Angel, taking a deep drink from his glass,
grimacing.

"What’s wrong?"

"It tastes....wrong, somehow. A part of me is saying that this is what I
should drink, that human
blood is too tempting......but another part is saying that this is
just.....wrong. It just doesn’t taste
the same..." Angel tried to explain. Early this morning, he and Nick had
talked, Angel explaining
about his soul, and Nick telling him about his quest to be human again.

"It never tastes the same. Once you’ve had human blood, everything pales
in comparison."
agreed Nick. Staying silent for a moment, Nick debated on whether or not
to tell Angel of
Lacroix’s call, but then decided he had a right to know. "I had an
interesting call, earlier." he
began.

"Really? I thought I’d heard the phone ring. Who was it?" asked Angel,
taking another drink.

"Lacroix. My father."

"Why was that so interesting?"

"Because he never calls me. I’m always the one going to him, though I
wish I didn’t have to."
explained Nick. "I’m surprised he even knew the number."

"So, why did he call?" said Angel after a moment.

"It seems he was approached to help find a missing vampire in the city.
He asked my help in
locating him." he said, looking into Angel’s dark eyes.

"Did he have a name?" Nick now had the other’s full attention. < Could
Buffy be looking for
me? he hoped.

"A Brujah.....named Angelus." was his reply. This caused Angel to
freeze. "Don’t worry. I won’t
hold it against you." Nick said wryly. "I think I can understand why you
lied. I would have too, if
I were in your position."

"Thanks." said Angel, reassured. "Did he say who was looking for me?"

"Your childe." he said simply. This got a surprised look from Angel. Who
would be looking for
him in Toronto?

"Which one?" asked Angel, cautiously, already dreading the answer.

"All he said was that they were ‘formidable’. Ring any bells?" inquired
the blonde cop. "Lacroix
doesn’t give out compliments. Ever. Whoever they were, they sure
impressed him."

"The only one I could think of would be Spike, but Lacroix doesn’t sound
like one to be
impressed by gruesome feats of violence." For some reason, Nick’s last
words rang some
warning bells in his head, but the memories just wouldn’t gel in his
head. "Could you get me a
meeting with this childe of mine?" Angel demanded suddenly.

"Probably. If they’re in contact with Lacroix, it shouldn’t be too
hard." replied Nick. He was
curious about this mysterious childe of Angel’s. "I’ll go give him a
call." With that, the blonde
left Angel, to go make his call.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Six

Nick and Angel walked into the Raven, letting the atmosphere take them
over. As usual, there
were a number of vampires in the crowd, most of whom had slowed their
movements on the
dance floor, the second these two had walked in the door. There had been
a large number of out-
of-town vampires coming in the club, in the last few days. It got them
worrying. Most of them
knew they were Brujah, and those who didn’t, were soon told. Any other
clan, and they would
have ignored them, but Brujah were different. They could take control of
the city out of Tremere
hands. However, a few of them had faith in Lacroix. He wouldn’t give up
control of his city, not
without one hell of a fight.

"Where are we suppose to meet them?" asked Angel. He was curious and
anxious. This
mysterious childe of his had gotten him worrying. < What had happened in
the last six months,
that had made him create a new childe? > he wondered. He was certain that
this person who had
so impressed Lacroix had been turned in the time he couldn’t remember.

"Upstairs. In Lacroix’s personal apartment." replied Nick. He was just
as curious as Angel was,
about finding out who this mysterious vampire was.

Nick began leading the way across the club, to the doors that led to the
floor above, but stopped
when he realized that Angel was no longer behind him. Turning, he saw
the dark haired vampire
frozen to the spot, staring at a couple at the bar.

Angel couldn’t believe it. Spike! He was sitting at the bar, having an
intimate conversation with a
young woman with red, curly hair. They looked like they knew each other
very well, if the blonde
vampire’s hand on her thigh was any indication. Walking up to the
couple, Angel called out to
his eldest childe, drawing their attention to him. He was vaguely aware
of Nick following behind
him, but didn’t really process it. His whole focus was on the two Brujah
at the bar.

Looking at the red head, Angel had the impression that he’d met her
before, but couldn’t place
her.

"It’s about bloody time you showed up! Red’s been going out of her mind
worrying over you!"
Spike informed his sire, getting up off his seat. There was something
different about him, and
Spike was trying to figure out what it was. Then he noticed his sire’s
confused look. Not to
mention the slumped shoulder and remorseful expression on his face.

"Spike, what’s wrong with him?" whispered Sasha from his side. She’d
noticed the difference
right away, and didn’t know what to make of it. This man was a far cry
from the Angelus she’d
come to know.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" asked Angel. Then, glancing to Sasha,
added, "And where’s
Drusilla?"

Spike ignored him, instead turning his ice cold eyes to the blonde next
to Angel, asking, "What’s
wrong with him?" already knowing the answer, but dreading it.

"He has amnesia. Doesn’t remember the last six months." said Nick. < So,
this is Spike.
Fascinating. >

"If he doesn’t remember what happened to Dru, he’s forgotten a hell of a
lot more than the last
six months, mate." spat out Spike.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Angel asked again.

"Looking for you!"

"Why?" asked a truly perplexed Angel. The last he’d seen of Spike, he
was trying to kill him and
Buffy.

"What’s the last thing you remember?" Spike ignored his question. He
needed to know how
much his sire had forgotten, so he could warn Willow. She’d be pissed
enough as it was,
knowing he’d forgotten about her, since it was fairly obvious he had.

"I was in my apartment, with Buffy. We’d just come back from trying to
hide a piece of the
Judge." replied Angel, still confused. < I’m forgetting more than the 
last six months? What could
have happened? >

Spike was quite for a moment, recalling that night. It had been the
night the wanker had lost his
soul, and come back into their lives. "All soul-having, are you?" Spike
questioned him. Since the
last thing he remembered, was being Angel, it made sense that he thought
he had his soul.

"Yes." Angel answered slowly, unsure why he had asked. Dread filled him
as the possibilities ran
through his mind.

"Shit!" replied Spike. Willow would be furious. "Give me a minute to
explain it to everyone,
then come on up." Spike told Angel and Nick. He dreaded the coming
scene. He had to tell
Willow her mate had forgotten her, and was most likely in love with the
Slayer. < Why me??? >

With that, he turned and led Sasha up the stairs to where Willow and
Cordelia waited with
Lacroix, leaving the two confused vampires standing in the middle of the
Raven.

Angel was mystified. So was Nick. And as usual, they didn’t listen,
following behind Spike.
They’d reached the door to Lacroix’s room, when they heard the voices.

"What do you mean he has his soul? That’s not possible!" argued a voice.
It sounded strangely
familiar to Angel, but he couldn’t quite place it.

"I didn’t say he had his soul. I said he thinks he has his soul. There’s
a difference, pet." said
Spike. Stopping outside the door, Angel pondered this. He wasn’t suppose
to have his soul? The
horror that the thought of Angelus loose sent through him, made his
stand there and listen.

"Don’t nitpick, Spike!" the voice yelled. It was obviously female.

"Why don’t you calm down." came a second voice, this one also female.
< Cordelia?? > thought
Angel in surprise. < A lot must have happened since Buffy’s birhtday… >

"Do you want me to yell at you?" came the first voice, again. There was
barely controlled rage
flooding her words, but also the confidence that came with authority and
power. He could feel
the rage and anguish out in the hallway.

"That must be who Lacroix was talking about." said Nick softly. What
he’d heard so far, made
him cringe. Whoever this person was, she was one tough cookie. "Do you
recognize the voice?"

"It sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place it. I feel like I should
know it, though." Angel replied,
just as softly. He wanted to hear what else was said.

"She’s right, Willow. You need to calm down...." Angel placed this new
voice with the red head
Spike was with downstairs, in the club. Then her words hit him.
< WILLOW??!! > Before Nick
could stop him, Angel pushed the door open, and stormed into the room.

"Willow?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Seven

"Willow?!" cried Angel, astonished. She was the last person he’d
expected to see here.

Hearing her name called, the red head in question turned to the door.
Looking him over with eyes
full of anguish. She hadn’t believed Spike when he’d first told her, but
seeing her mate now, she
was convinced. The eyes, the posture, everything about him screamed
‘soulful’. She could barely
stand looking at him. Her strong, loving and brilliant mate was gone,
replaced by this......weak....
sorrowful....guilt-ridden person.

Angel, meanwhile, was shocked. This red head, who was looking at him
with such tormented
eyes, was his childe. He could feel the connection between them. But
there was something more.
Underneath it all, his demon rejoiced in being in her presence. The bond
between them was
stronger than that of childe/sire. It went straight into the very core
of his demon.

"Willow..." he said in awe, barely aware of the others in the room. His
eyes had connected with
hers, and were now locked, as he took in the picture the former hacker
made. She was a vampire,
of that there was no doubt. But he could also feel the rage flowing off
her in waves. She was a
worthy childe of Angelus, but all Angel could feel was horror. He had
taken her life away from
her, before it had even reached it’s prime. He had created the vicious,
brutal creature before him.
The guilt welled up. Guilt at the forgotten memory of taking her life.
"Oh, Willow....I’m so very
sorry..." he said quietly.

"Sorry?" she asked, in a deceptively soft voice. "You’re sorry?" she
repeated, her voice rising.
"You better be more than sorry!" she said, her voice rising with her
anger. "You took away my
other half, and now I want him back!!!" she yelled.

"Oh God....." he choked out. "I killed Oz?" he asked, horrified.

"No!" she yelled back at him. "Angelus, you bloodless moron! I want him
back. Now!!!!"

Angel just stared at her in shock. < Angelus? …. >"You want me to lose
my soul?" he asked,
incredulously. < Surely her friends wouldn’t have allowed her to go 
around without her soul. >
thought Angel.

Willow let out a scream of absolute frustration, as she stormed her way
to over to him. Once in
front of him, she grabbed hold of the lapels of his jacket and pulled
him down to face her. Staring
him directly in the eyes, she growled out, "You don’t have a soul to
lose!"

"What?!" This was getting strange. "Of course I have my soul. Why
wouldn’t I?"

"You don’t have a soul. You haven’t had a soul since the Slayer screwed
it out of you four and a
half years ago!" she told him in a low tone, tightening her grip on his
jacket, pulling him closer.
"Your amnesia is only making you THINK you’re all soulful." She was
beginning to lose her
patience with him. She never knew Angel could be so...........annoying.
"Now," she continued
gently and patiently. "Now you are going to give me my Angelus back,
before I beat those
memories back into you!" she said slowly. "I want my Angelus. I want my
mate."

This shocked Angel more than anything else could have. < Her mate??? >
That explained so
much. The empty feeling that had been inside him since he’d awoken on
the road..... the demon’s
connection to her...... and the urge to say ‘the hell with the rest of
them’ and pound her into the
wall until they were both unconscious.

Suddenly, Willow smiled. She smiled like she’d just gotten what she
wanted for Christmas.

"I have an idea." she said with an evil smile, her eyes never leaving
his.

He was in trouble.

And everybody in the room knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Eight

"It’s time for you to come back where you belong." said Willow in a
deceptively soft voice,
before letting go of his shirt. Pulling himself upright, Angel had no
time to prepare for the fist
that struck the side of his head, shifting him off balance. Before he
could recover from the blow,
Willow grabbed hold of his ear, and led him out of the room like a
misbehaving child.

"Ouch." said Spike from inside the room. "That had to smart." They had
all stood back, listening
to the conversation taking place between the mated couple. They all had
different thoughts. Spike
was calling Angel all kind of a fool for being stupid enough to forget
his mate. Sasha was
sympathizing with Willow and admiring her strength. If she were in
Willow’s place, she would
have cracked long ago. And Cordelia was in awe. She’d never seen her
sire in full kick ass-mode
before, and was totally blown away. Her reputation was deserved.

"Where’s she taking him?" asked Cordelia.

"She’s going to reaffirm their bond. Hopefully draw Angelus out."
explained Lacroix. He
admired the young vampire for her handling of her recalcitrant mate. She
was a magnificent
childe.

"In English!" demanded the brunette.

"She’s going to fuck the soul out of the wanker!" said Spike with a
smile. It had worked before,
so why not again. "It should draw his demon out enough for her to get
rid of nancy boy." he
explained further. Hopefully, one good screw, and Angelus would regain
his memories.

Hopefully.

But he had confidence in the red head. If anyone could do it, she could.

"Would somebody mind telling me what’s going on?" asked an irate Nick,
catching the attention
of all the occupants of the room. As one, they smiled at him, and he
knew.

He wasn’t going to like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow, meanwhile, was dragging Angel behind her, looking for an empty
room. Finding one at
the end of the hall, she yanked hard, sending the dark vampire flying
into the room ahead of her.
Following him, she gently closed and locked the door behind her, before
turning to face her
captive.

"What are you doing, Willow?" he asked, slightly nervous. This was one
Willow he’d never
encountered - that he knew of.

"I’m getting my mate back." she said as she began to stalk him across
the room. It was,
coincidentally enough, a bedroom. When the back of his legs hit the bed,
he was forced to stop,
but she didn’t.

"When did Angelus come back?" he had to know.

"Buffy’s birthday. You slept with her, had one moment of true happiness,
and lost your soul.
Shortly after, you turned me, and found your mate. We’ve been happy ever
since." she explained,
stopping in front of him. "I won’t let you take that away from me."

"So you’re going to give me one moment of true happiness?" he asked the
red head warily.

"No. I’m going to remind you that I’m your mate." That gave little
warning to her next move.
Grabbing his shirt front again, she pulled his head down to meet hers,
and captured his mouth in
a fierce kiss. Angel tried to resist, or at least remain passive, but
his demon was raging against
him. After a moment, he found he was unwittingly returning her
passionate kiss.

"The body doesn’t forget, even though the mind does." she whispered
after separating their
mouths for a moment. It was with those words that he knew he was doomed,
but still Angel
fought.

Releasing his shirt, Willow then proceeded to remove his jacket and
shirt in several swift moves
that left him breathless - if he’d had breath. "Willow..." he began
uncertainly. True, he was
incredibly aroused, but he was still Angel.

Placing a finger against his lips, she stilled his words. Her look
saying ‘shut up’, and he obeyed.
Seeing his obedience, Willow moved her head forward, her lips finding
his male nipples. As her
sharp nails ran lightly up and down his hard chest, her mouth alternated
between sucking and
nipping him.

"Willow!..." this time her name came out on a raspy moan of need.

Undoing the jeans that Nick had leant him, Willow wrapper her fingers
around his cold, hard
erection, gripping it tightly. At his gasp, she smiled a purely feminine
smile, and pushed him
backwards so he landed on the bed, flat on his back. Willow shimmied out
of her underwear and
joined him on the bed, her legs straddling his hips.

Feeling her tease his shaft with the promise of her hot, wet core, Angel
gave up the fight, letting
his demon take over. His hands ran up her thighs, under her green dress,
until they reached her
hips. There they stopped, gripping her tightly. Willow looked into his
eyes, rejoicing in the fact
that Angel had let go, and that it was the demon - Angelus, touching
her. Her mate was there, she
could feel him begin to emerge, filling the void in her heart even as he
filled her.

Willow cried out in happiness and desire when she was flipped onto her
back, her mate towering
over her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled him further
into her. Willow felt her
arms being drawn up, above her head and held there, her fingers gripping
the blanket underneath
her in time to her gasps as her mate pumped into her. They came together
in an explosion of
panting and screaming, milking each other for the ultimate response.
First came the screaming
from Willow. Then came the biting.

Just as Willow reached her peak, she raised her head slightly, sinking
her fangs into his neck.
Angel, feeling her feeding from him, lost what little control he still
had, and, fangs descending,
sank his canines into her shoulder. With her blood came the memories.
Losing his soul....turning
Willow.....finding out she was his mate......Drusilla dying.......the
spell to keep them out of
Sunnydale......and eventually their entrance to San Francisco.....to the
car accident a few days
before.

"Mine." he said after rolling off his mate and pulling her into his
embrace. These last days had
been a trial. He’d felt like he was in a cage, the bars being his
non-existent soul. He remembered
all that his alter ego had done, and loathing filled him. "Never let me
become that pathetic
again." he whispered to her. Not feeling his mate had been the worst
form of torture. If it were at
all possible, he would gladly kill his pansy-assed self, if for nothing
more than the hell it had put
his Willow through.

"Never." she agreed. He felt, rather than saw her smile. Turning her
head, she looked into his
eyes, guilt-free and full of love for her. "Mine." she claimed, reaching
up to place a kiss on his
lips.

"Yours." he confirmed, moving on to more pleasurable tasks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part Nine

The four occupants of the room looked up as the door opened. They all
noticed the difference
immediately. The arrogant swagger, the confidence, and the lack of guilt
all added up to one
thing. Angelus was back.

Three faces showed relief, while the fourth reflected amusement.

"Interesting solution." commented Lacroix with a sardonic smile. He
truly admired this young
woman. She was unique. Apparently Angelus thought so too, for he wrapped
his arms around her
waist from behind, pulling her close, before they were too far into the
room.

"Where'd Nick go?" asked Angelus. He'd wanted to have some fun at the
older vampire's
expense, but the blonde cop had disappeared.

"Nicolas is in the middle of a slight....temper tantrum. You'll have to
forgive my son. He never
outgrew the rebellious stage." said Lacroix, eyeing the Brujah before
him. He had to admit, he
liked this vampire better than the one who'd shown up with Nicholas. He
could see why Willow
had wanted him back. Angelus was a 'Master Vampire', while Angel was
simply a vampire.
There was a great difference between the two.

"Oh damn. And I so wanted to thank him for all he did for me." replied
Angelus, mocking
sarcasm flooding his smooth voice.

"Now, now, Angelus. Be nice." chastised Willow, a smile on her face. She
was glad to have her
mate back. She felt whole again.

"Will you be staying in town much longer?" asked Lacroix, changing the
subject.

"Not for much longer. We have....family to take care of." replied
Willow.

"Ah yes. That would be the child you are raising."

"And how did you happen upon that information?" demanded Angelus.

"I have my ways." was all he'd say on the subject.

"You seem to know a lot, mate." growled Spike.

"Spike." came Willow's warning. She wanted to know how much this Tremere
knew.

"Oh, I know quite a bit." said Lucian as if reading her thoughts. "Such
as the fact that you had a
Slayer in your home for quite a while, and that the child appeared just
as she went back to
Sunnydale. The only logical conclusion would be that the child belongs
to the Slayer." explained
Lacroix, enjoying himself.

"I'm truly impressed." said Angelus. "Even our Prince knows nothing of
this."

"Julian is young and naive and takes everything at face value. I do
not." replied the ancient
vampire. "Every word is one part truth and three parts lies. The key is
being able to separate
them."

"But even then, you must examine the truth. It has many facets, and must
be looked at from the
correct angle to discover the true meaning." said Willow. This earned
her a surprised look from
Lacroix.

"Very true, my dear." She continued to impress him. This red head was a
true gem, and would be
around for awhile.

"Lacroix, I have always wondered at the differences between Tremere and
other clans. Do you
happen to know how that came about?" wondered Angelus. This Tremere was
one of the oldest
of his clan, so he most likely knew the story. Tremere were younger than
any of the other clans,
but no one knew their origins.

"Why yes, I do. Have a seat and I'll tell you." replied the elder,
motioning for the group to take a
seat. Sasha already sat in the chair across from Lacroix, with Spike on
the arm of the chair.
Angelus and Willow went to the unoccupied couch, with Cordelia following
them, sitting close
to her sire. Taking the red head's hand, Cordelia caught her sire's
eyes. Seeing the happiness and
relief in Willow's eyes, Cordelia felt relieved. She'd been worried
about Willow. She couldn't
possibly know how Willow felt, but did know that it had been hard on her
sire and friend. It had
been a difficult time for all of them. The possibility of losing not
only Angelus, but Willow as
well, had been hard on them. As she'd done with the Scooby Gang, Willow
was the glue that held
their family together.

"My clan began shortly before my time." began Lacroix, drawing
everyone's attention to him. "A
young girl was embraced - until this day, no one knows by who, but my
guess would be Brujah."
This last part was said with an accusing glance in their direction.
Willow and Angelus refused to
be provoked, ignoring his pointed glance. "This young girl was
different, however. She could not
walk in the sun, as could other of her kind, nor could she shapeshift.
Instead, this young girl
could fly. This was of great concern to others, as these differences set
her apart. She was hunted
by the others, because they were scared of these differences. They
eventually found her and killed
her."

"But that wasn't the end! Or you wouldn't be here!" said Cordelia in her
usual straight forward
manner. That was one of the things that had carried over with the
Change.

"Quite right. Before she was captured, this young woman created a
childe. This fledgling had the
same abilities as her, but she taught her childe well. This childe,
Ariana, hid from the others. She
began to build an army, of sorts, in secret. When they emerged, years
later, the other clans had no
choice but to accept these strange vampires, as their numbers almost
equalled their own. A war
with them would have certainly led to the annihilation of one of them,
and great loss to the other.
So a new clan was born."

" What made her different from the others?" asked Sasha. She was just as
curious as the rest of
them.

"The young girl was a Slayer." said Lacroix simply, shocking them all.

"So," began Willow after a moment. "Any Slayer who is turned will be
Tremere, no matter
what?"

"So it would seem." confirmed Lacroix. "Since that time, there have been
two more Slayers who
were turned. Both became Tremere."

Willow's mind was running a mile a minute. Tremere weren't as vicious as
other clans. They
were violent, of course, but not like the Brujah. That was one of the
main problems Faith had,
when Willow had approached her about being turned. Faith didn't want to
kill innocents. She also
didn't want to lose her soul. As far as she could see, Tremere didn't
lose their souls. They only
killed as a matter of survival. It seemed to her, that these Tremere
encompassed certain aspects of
each clan. She'd have to talk to Faith when they went to visit the
Slayer. Now that they could get
back into Sunnyhell, as Spike called it, Faith could see her daughter at
almost any time. And they
planned to do just that.

Thanking Lacroix politely, the family of Brujah got up and left the
Raven, making their way
home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epilogue

Willow sat back in a wing-back chair, waiting. She knew she wouldn't
have long to wait. As she
gazed at the bed, not to far from where she sat, the red head lost
herself in memories. The last
year had been eventful, if nothing else.

Once back from Toronto, Cordelia had been sent back to Sunnydale. Her
main job was to be their
eyes in the town, since Marcus has been dusted while they were in
Toronto. She'd played well,
too. Everyone, including the Slayer, had been fooled by Willow's childe.
They believed every lie
and misdirection from her sweet mouth, learning too late that she'd been
turned. It had taken
them a good three months before they realized what Cordelia was. And
even then, they thought it
was a recent change, never knowing who had sired her. Poor Xander had
never had a chance
against his vengeful ex.

When Xander had been killed, Cordelia’s secret had been exposed. Things
had come to a head
when they'd tried to give the brunette back her soul. Faith had warned
her, and they'd been able to
stop the ritual. Cordelia's was pissed, to say the least.

She became their worst enemy, making even Spike and Angelus stand back
in awe. Willow,
however, had just smiled in smug satisfaction. Cordelia was HER childe.
What else did they
expect??? The brunette had made her sire proud.

The biggest news of the last year also had to do with Cordelia. A new
Master had appeared on
the Hellmouth. He'd heard that the Hellmouth was being run by a young,
female Brujah, and
figured taking control away from her would be easy. He'd learned
otherwise. Cordelia, finding
herself fighting for control of her hometown, discovered she was a
brilliant tactician. She sent her
loyal minions against his, almost always ending in a draw. This,
however, drove him to some
desperate measures, which in turn led to another discovery.

His name was Aaron, a 215 year old Brujah, sired by Spike. Cordelia had
found her mate.
Willow and Sasha had been ecstatic, Willow especially. She'd known how
her childe longed for a
mate, especially seeing as she lived in a house with two mated couples.
When they'd heard this,
Willow had made a trip to Sunnydale, to meet the newest member of the
family.

Spike had also made a trip to the Hellmouth, mainly to meet his first
childe. Aaron had been
turned when Angelus had gone off on one of his many trips, that usually
involved a new
obsession the older vampire had with some innocent girl. Spike had sired
Aaron, taught him all
he needed to know. Then, after a few years, Aaron had started having
urges to see the rest of the
world, to live the high life. So Aaron had left, with Spike's blessing.
And Angelus had never
known, until he'd come to the Hellmouth, over 200 years later.

He'd been surprised, to say the least, but could not fault the blonde.
Spike had been sired in a
similar fashion, when Darla had gone off wandering, leaving her newest
childe to fend for
himself. He was also proud of his childe, for having created one such as
Aaron. Angelus had
listened to Cordelia rant and rave about the newest 'bloodsucker' - as
she put in - in town, who
was giving her so much trouble. Very few could rattled Cordelia in that
way. He declared it was
in the blood. And none of the women could argue with that. All three of
the Brujah, in the same
room, overloaded the cocky-meter. They all had the same mocking,
smirking, arrogant attitude.

The relationship between Cordelia and Aaron caused Willow great
amusement. It was similar to
the one she'd had with Xander - mainly, fighting like cats and dogs one
minute, and going at it
the next. Willow realized, even if no one else did, that this was
exactly the type of relationship
Cordelia needed. And the black haired Aaron obliged her. They were so
alike sometimes, it
frightened Willow, but Cordelia was happy, and that was what mattered.
Even though the
brunette was always complaining about her mate, Willow knew she loved
him to distraction. She
wouldn't be Cordelia if she didn't complain, and she wouldn't be
Willow's childe if she didn't find
some way to torment her mate. Which was reciprocated with enthusiasm. It
was discovered that
they both had a fondness for practical jokes, and playing tricks on the
other. This had thrown the
Slayer for a loop (Buffy, not Faith - Faith laughed it up, whenever
Buffy had been caught in the
middle of their games, which usually ended up with the blonde Slayer
being covered in some sort
of strange concoction...). Neither Buffy, her Watcher, or any other
member of the Scooby gang
could figure out what the vampire couple were up to.

Every now and then, since sending Cordelia to the Hellmouth, the entire
family had gone to
Sunnydale for a type of reunion. That included Spike, Sasha, Willow,
Angelus, Catriona and a
handful of their minions. It was during the latest reunion that the
newest problem had developed.

As always, when ever anyone of them came to Sunnydale, they brought
Catriona with them, so
Faith could see her daughter. Now that Catriona could walk, they met in
the park. Well, the last
time they'd brought Catriona there, last week, a silent stranger had
observed them.

Buffy, staying well out of the vampire's range, had watched as Faith met
up with Willow, Sasha
and Angelus in the park. She'd seen Faith greet the vampires like old
friends, hugging and so on.
Then, the blonde Slayer had watched at Faith bent down, and caught the
flying bundle of energy
that had flown into her arms, yelling "Mommy!!!!" loud enough for Buffy
to hear. That had sent
the Slayer off to find her Watcher. They'd confronted Faith, and she'd
spilled lots, but not all. She
didn't tell them about her daughter's destiny, or the fact that she knew
about the prophecy. They
believed that she had been scared, and had run away, to be found by
Willow and Angelus, who
convinced - brainwashed - her to give them her baby. They told her that
she had to get her child
away from these vampires, for they would certainly lead her down the
dark path. Faith had
played the 'obedient Slayer' for about five minutes, before saying "The
hell with that!".

Giles had called the Watcher's Council, to inform them that the child of
the prophecy had been
born. Unwilling to let those 'stuffy Brits' raise her child, Faith had
gone to Willow, who had
formed a plan.

Looking to the bed, Willow noticed that the first part of the plan was
complete. Faith had just
awoken. Getting up, Willow made her way to the bed, looking down into
Faith's golden eyes.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she handed the Slayer-turned-vampire a
glass of red liquid, which
the brunette quickly downed.

"How do you feel, Faith?" asked Willow, gently stroking her newest
childe's hair.

"Strange." she replied after a moment. "I feel more alive than I ever
have." Looking up into her
sire's green eyes, Faith marvelled at her life. She would now be able to
live to see her daughter
fulfill her destiny, and not worry about the Watcher's hunting her down.
They would think she
had been killed, as the next Slayer had already been called.

"You are Tremere." Willow informed her. Faith had been told about the
different clans,
especially the Tremere. "But you are also Brujah. Never forget that. My
blood flows in your
veins. Be proud of your clan. Both of them."

"Come." said Willow, standing up and offering her hand to the newly
turned young woman. "It's
time to get ready. You have a long trip ahead of you."

"Where am I going?" asked the former Slayer.

"To Toronto. We have some friends there, that the Watchers don't know
about. They'll look after
you and Catriona." Willow said, leading Faith out the door and into the
hallway. "Spike and
Sasha will go with you, until you're both settled in." she continued.

"Who are these friends?" asked Faith. If Willow called them friends,
then they were trust-worthy.

"Lucian Lacroix, he runs the city. He has a son. Nicholas is...
rebellious, to say the least. Lucian
takes great pleasure in tormenting the poor boy." said the red head,
amused at the elders antics in
dealing with his wayward childe. "When you meet Lucian," Willow told the
brunette, halting in
the hallway and turning to face the former Slayer. "Just be yourself. He
hates false pretenses. But
if you get the chance...." she said with an evil smile, "play some mind
games with him. He enjoys
them."

Faith had a feeling that she was going to learn a lot from her new
mentor, Lucian Lacroix. She
could hardly wait.

The End (comments...anyone???)
 
 

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