**********

Willow sat on her bed and let her mind wander. It always wandered to the same place. She was alone. Truly alone. Oz had left. He had said it was for the best, but that had been an excuse. He just didn't want to be with her anymore. He didn't find her as exciting as the she-wolf. A part of her was fine with that, or so she had thought. But the idea that she had been passed over by the only person who had ever shown her any interest ate at her. It consumed her.

She heard a knock at the door. "Come in." She said. She wasn't really in the mood for company.

The door opened and Spike walked in. She jumped off of the bed. "Spike." She watched as he strolled around the room.

"What do you want? A spell? I… I can do that." She knew that wasn't what he wanted, but she hoped to prolong her life for just a little bit longer, although to be honest, she wasn't sure why.

Forgetting for a second her desire to end the pain, she rushed towards the door, hoping to escape. Spike caught her and through her back towards the bed. She felt her body hit the end table next to the bed. She straightened up and watched him warily.

"I'll give you a choice." Spike told her as he stalked towards her slowly.

"Now I'm gonna kill you, no choice in that. But… I can let you stay dead or… I can bring you back, to be like me."

Willow watched as he stalked towards her. She couldn't help but noticed how sexy he was, stalking towards her like an animal seeking out its prey. For a moment, she let herself notice how well his clothes clung to his form. She saw him suck in his bottom lip slightly as he spoke. She was mesmerized. She couldn't ignore the desire she felt watching him, as his demon face took over his human features. She wondered, for just a moment, what it would be like if she surrendered. If she allowed him to bite her, allowed him to end her pain.

She heard herself respond, although she wasn't really sure what made her speak. "I'll scream."

Spike grinned. "Bonus"

She watched as he bent his head towards her neck, and felt his fangs pierce her flesh. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She could feel her blood being drained from her body, her life slowly giving way, to something else, something new, something powerful. She was vaguely aware of something being pressed against her lips. In the back of her mind she heard him telling her to drink. She complied, without really knowing why she was doing as he asked. She should be fighting him, begging him to let her die. But she knew she didn't want to die. She didn't want to be weak.

She felt the thick liquid slide down her throat, the metallic taste heavy in her mouth. She knew that she should be disgusted by what she was becoming, what she was allowing him to make her. She wasn't. That was her last thought before the darkness claimed her.

******

Spike watched her sleep. It would be several hours before she woke. He had given her more blood than was needed to embrace her, but he had wanted her to be strong, powerful, an equal.

He had come to her room looking for the Slayer, but he was pleased that he had found Red alone instead. She intrigued him. He had thought of her often since he had kidnapped her the previous year. If he had been smart, he would have turned her then, and left Dru to rot. But no, he had to go running back to Brazil, like a lost puppy. Well, no more. He was through playing second fiddle to his blasted sire. Red was his, and only his. She would make a magnificent vampire; he could just sense that about her.

For all her innocence, there was something dark just under the surface. Something waiting to be unleashed. He couldn't wait to see the damage she would cause.

A noise outside drew Spike's attention away from Willow. He looked out the window and saw several of those commandos's he had escaped from. He turned back to Willow's sleeping form and cursed. He needed to get her away. She wasn't ready for a fight. She needed to get used to her new life.

He picked her up and carried her out of the dorm and away from the campus. He placed her gingerly in his car and left Sunnydale behind. There would be plenty of time to return. Plenty of time to seek his revenge on the Slayer and those military guys. With Red by his side, nothing could stop them.

******

Buffy sighed heavily against the door to her dorm. She closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't believe what had almost happened. She'd had another run in with those commandos. She didn't know what they were doing in the dorms. They seemed to be searching for something, or someone.

She let her body sink to the ground in exhaustion. She sat like that for several minutes before she realized how quiet the room was. She opened her eyes, half expecting to see Willow asleep in her bed. She wasn't.

Buffy took a look around the room. Everything seemed to be in order. The bed seemed to be a bit ruffled, but other than that, everything was fine. She shrugged. Willow had probably gone out. Maybe she was visiting Xander, or Giles. She put in concern she may have felt to the back of her mind as she changed her clothes and climbed into bed. She was asleep in a matter of seconds.

*****
 

Willow opened her eyes carefully. She looked around the small room. It was dark, but she could still see clearly. She appeared to be in a cabin of some sort. She could feel the ground vibrating under her feet. They were moving. They were on a train. She smiled. The sunrise was still several hours away. The hunger, which filled her dead body, drove her forwards, demanding to be sated.

Willow made her way over to the curtain and took a look out, allowing her demon to come to the fore, increasing her eyesight. She made her way her way down the hallway. All was quiet except for the sounds of even breathing of her fellow passengers. She pulled open a curtain several yards away from her own cabin. There was a couple asleep in the small compartment, blissfully unaware of the fate that awaited them. She could hear their heartbeats pounding inside her head. Their blood drove her closer. She bent over the still bodies and tried to decide whom she would choose first. She grinned evilly as she pulled the man from his position of slumber.

Her fangs descended on his neck, digging into his coarse flesh. Before he could even utter words of shock and horror, he had passed out from fear and blood loss. Willow sucked the stolen blood into her mouth, enjoying the feel of the warm liquid as it slid down her throat. She tossed his body harshly to the floor and turned to look at the woman. Golden eyes met tearful brown. The woman had watched as Willow killed her husband. Too frozen in fear to move, or to even cry out.

Willow took a step closer to the frightened woman, relishing in her fear. It would make the blood that much sweeter, she realized. She picked the woman's stiff body up and brought her mouth to her tender throat. She licked at the place above her pulse point, delighting in the salty taste and the frantic beating of her heart. Sinking her fangs deeply into the fearful woman's neck, she slowly drew the blood into her mouth.

She heard her victim gasp at the pain and then groan as Willow continued to suck her life away, savoring the kill. Once she felt the woman's heart stop beating, she pouted. The woman had had a heart attack from fear. She let the body drop to the floor as she heard the curtain pulled back. She felt his presence before she saw him. She turned around, her golden eyes meeting the blue eyes of her sire. She smiled as her human features returned.

Spike noticed the dead bodies and grinned. "Feel better, pet?" He held a hand out for her to take and led her out of the compartment and back to their own cabin.

"Yes much." She smiled. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want, luv. But first, I have some business to attend to in Brazil."

Willow nodded her understanding and then stopped, suddenly remembering that they had left Sunnydale.

"You didn't kill the Slayer?" She pouted. "I wanted to play."

Spike chuckled. He had been right about her. She would be his equal. "No, Red, I didn't kill the Slayer."

"Can we go back?" Her eyes sparkled at the thought of what she would if they returned to her former home.

"Yes, but not now. You're not ready yet. But soon." He flopped down on the make shift bed in the cabin, exhausted.

He hadn't slept in what seemed like days. Not since he had awoken in that underground lab. He closed his eyes, only to open them in surprise when Willow's cold lips were crushed his, her tongue delving inside, fighting him for dominance. Their kiss seemed endless, neither needing to breathe. Finally Spike pulled away and looked into her mischievous eyes.

"Kitten wants to play?" He flipped them over until she was under him and then stood up, divesting himself of his clothes.

Willow's eyes raked over his body hungrily. Her desire for this man, her sire, was unparalleled. Her feelings for Oz seemed like a distant memory. Someone else's life. It was. She wasn't the same person anymore. Hell, she wasn't even a person anymore. She was a creature, like the one before her now. They were the same, eternal.

She tore her clothes of her own body, eagerly anticipating the union that was sure to follow. She was achieving something in death that she had dreamt about in life. She was whole now, complete, without the burden of life to weigh her down.

She growled at her sire as he bit down on her breast harshly. She reveled in the pain and pleasure his act gave her. Digging her nails in his cool flesh, she pressed his body closer to hers as the smell of his blood assaulted her.

They attacked each other hungrily, a mass of arms and legs, their passion growing with each passing second. Their demons coming to the surface as they each succumbed to their desire, each claiming the other in a blinding fury.

Willow pulled her fangs away from her mate's neck as he did the same. The feel of his blood in her mouth while he drank of hers had brought on the most forceful orgasm she ever had the pleasure of experiencing. She had milked him dry with a forcefulness she didn't know she possessed. It only made him cum harder. She groaned as she felt another orgasm peaking as he started thrusting inside her once again. She matched him in his frantic rhythm. Her vaginal walls clenched violently around him as he bit into her breast once again, sending her over the edge. She came screaming his name.

Their golden eyes met, briefly before both resumed their human masks. Spike kissed her deeply, tasting his blood on her lips. He cock sprang to life inside her. Willow pulled her lips away and grinned wickedly.

"You up for another round, old man?"

****

Buffy slumped on Giles couch. "She's gone. Oh god, what if she's dead, or worse?"

"I'm sure she's fine. She probably just needed some time alone." Giles reassured his Slayer.

Buffy nodded and then gasped as another thought came to her. "What if those guys got her? The commando's from the dorm the other night?"

"Buffy, you said you that they left. Didn't even get close to your room. I'm sure its fine. Maybe she's at her parents house?"

Buffy relaxed and nodded once again. "Yeah, maybe." She didn't want to believe that anything had happened to her friend. She didn't want to face the fact that she might have failed.

"Now what about Spike?" Giles asked, hoping to change the subject.

"What about him?" Buffy asked absently.

"Xander said he was back in town. Have you seen him?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, and neither has Xander. Harmony told him that he was back, but I don't trust her. She probably made it up. Spike wouldn't be stupid enough to come back here, not after the last time I kicked his ass."

"No, I suppose not." Giles agreed, hoping that Harmony had made it up. With Buffy concerned over Willow's apparent disappearance, she didn't need the distraction.

He wasn't concerned. It hadn't been that long since Spike had left Sunnydale after the fiasco with the ring of Amarra. He had no doubt that Spike would be back, but he didn't think it would be so soon, especially if he had heard about the group of commandos roaming around at night, do God knew what. And as for Willow's disappearance, he believed they would find her at her parent's house, drowning herself in self-pity. He did feel bad for the girl, but her constant depression had started to grate on everyone's nerves. It would be better for everyone if she just got over it and moved on. But if she couldn't do that, it would be better for her to be depressed away from Buffy. It was dragging the Slayer down. And with the unknown threat these commando's placed, she needed to be completely alert, and ready for anything.

****
 

Canada 2009

Willow gripped the girls' throat firmly, her nails digging into the tender flesh there. She pushed her hard against the tree and watched her head fall forward as she lapsed into unconsciousness. She dropped the body to the ground and turned the vampire that was standing just behind her.

"Take her." She nodded towards the fallen girl. "Bring her to the master." She eyed the vampire carefully. "I wish to know if she speaks the truth."

Christian nodded. "Yes, mistress."

After Christian had taken the girls body away, Willow turned towards Melanie. She had taken her out hunting tonight. It was the first tine in a long time they had come out without Spike or Trevor, Melanie's mate and Willow's second childe. This girl had interrupted their hunt. She spoke of the Slayer, and how her members had dwindled. How the Slayer was made weak and now was the time to take over the Hellmouth. The girl was a servant to a demon who wished to open the portal to the demon dimension. Would they never learn?

"Mellie, I think it may be time to return home. Would you like that?" She took the vampire's hand and grinned. There is such evil there. You can feel it in the air. And the Slayer? Her blood will be ours. Her pain tangible." She giggled. "Come, let's find you something young to eat."

She led Melanie through the trees to the center of the part. The people in this part of Canada were so trusting. They wandered the streets at night, fearing nothing. They allowed their children free reign in the park after dark. Oh well, they would soon learn. Willow watched her childe as she inhaled deeply smelling the innocence of youth, reveling in the death that was yet to come.

As Melanie left the shadows and found her dinner, Willow thought back to what she had learned. She didn't know if the servant girl spoke the truth, but if she did, it was time to return home. To go back to the mouth of Hell. They had stayed away for far too long as it was, and if the rumors were true, if the Slayer had allied herself with the vermin who had hunted their numbers for their own insidious purpose, then she was no longer a slayer. She was no longer a worthy opponent. No longer worth the hunt. No, if the rumors were true, the Slayer would suffer an eternity of pain, alongside those she had climbed into bed with.

She turned slightly as she heard someone approaching the park from behind her. Sniffing the air, she sighed. Human. Probably the children's mother. She turned around and hid herself in the sagging leaves of the tree. When a young woman came walking by, crunching her feet on the leaves as she went, Willow reached out and grabbed the woman, wrapping an arm around her and covering her mouth with her hand. The woman bit down on Willow's palm, drawing blood.

Willow laughed as she pulled the woman closer to her. She gripped her shoulder firmly with her other hand while she lifted the wounded palm up, tilting it so she could see in the light of the moon. She licked her blood away from her hand. When she turned back to the woman, she noticed she was staring at her with a mix of revulsion and terror etched across her features. Willow smiled broadly, letting her fangs show menacingly.

"Trust me, you're better off this way." She spoke soothingly as she placed one hand along her tender throat. She caressed the woman's head lightly with her other hand, bringing it to rest on the back of her head. In once swift motion she snapped her neck and let her body fall to the floor. She looked sadly as the woman for a second before speaking softly.

"You wouldn't have wanted to bury your children." She whispered as she turned back towards the children's play area.

All was silent now. Nothing moved, save for the graceful moves of Melanie as she made her way back through the trees, cloaked in darkness. Willow had to laugh. She had taught her childe well. She wasn't very old. Barely three, but she was strong, and intelligent. Two things Willow had insisted on. She had made her for Trevor. She was to be his mate.

Willow had hoped Melanie would temper Trevor. He was brash and impulsive, obnoxious and impatient. Not unlike Spike, but without Spike's years of experience. Without Spike's sense of things. In time Trevor would learn all of that.

"Mum?" Melanie called softly from behind her. "You ready?"

Willow smiled at Melanie. "Yes lets." She clasped the younger vampire's hand and the two walked off into the night, towards home.

****

Buffy slumped into the couch wearily. She looked up when Riley entered the room. She smiled slightly but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. She was exhausted, and she had only patrolled for less than an hour. It really wasn't necessary anymore for her to go on nightly patrols.

Riley and the other member's of the initiative kept a tight rain on the general demon population. She didn't know exactly what they did with the creatures they captured and she did really want to know. It was enough for her that they disappeared and she never had to deal with them again.

Honestly, she was only really needed as the slayer if some major baddie came to town, looking to destroy the world, or if some prophecy surfaced. She enjoyed her semblance of a semi-normal life. She had two children with Riley and they didn't need to know what went bump in the night. She was content to pretend she was just your average normal person.

And it worked, for the most part, but every once in awhile she would remember how things used to be… before. Before Angel had left. Before the Initiative. Before Willow had disappeared. That had been the worst. She was there one moment, and gone the next.

Buffy had never seen her again after the first night she had run into the Initiative. There had been some sort of scuffle with Riley and his commandos at her dorm. Although she didn't know it was Riley at the time. But by the time she had returned home, Willow was gone, never to be seen or heard from again.

At first everyone was kind of relieved to be free of her constant whining over Oz's departure, but relief soon gave way to fear that she had been killed, or worse, captured by the Initiative. When it was clear that hadn't happened, the fear gave way to anger that she had just left. She had apparently run away without a goodbye. Without a second thought.

They knew she wasn't dead because they hadn't found a body, and the threat that she was a vampire quickly became an implausibility when they realized that had she been turned she would have been there, taunting them, as Angelus had done. But since she was simply… gone, they realized she had just run away, like a coward, unwilling to deal with her pain.

All that remained of their feelings for her was anger at her cowardice. But her departure had weakened the group. They no longer had cohesion. Buffy had thrown herself into the Initiative as soon as she had learned about them. Their fight was the same as hers. She enjoyed the feeling of having military backup. Xander and Anya were still around, but not as much. Anya was extremely uncomfortable around the Initiative, which was something Buffy could never understand. You'd think she'd be grateful to know someone was keeping the streets safe for their children.

Giles was still around. He was still the constant in her universe. He had entered into a relationship with Maggie Walsh. At first they clashed on everything, but eventually they had reached an understanding. Giles was fascinated by her work with demons. So much so that he probably knew more about what happened to them once they were captured than the Slayer did. It didn't really matter, so long as the streets of Sunnydale were safe. And they were.

Buffy sighed and wondered absently when she would stop dwelling on the past. It was over and done with. Nothing could be changed, and nothing that had happened then could affect the future.

*****

Cordelia screamed as she bolted upright in bed. She was panting heavily and gasping for breath. Her mind was lost in the sea of images left over from her vision. S he kept shaking her head, willing what she had seen to go away. Praying that just this once, the vision was wrong.

She felt cool hands take her gently into strong arms. Angel pressed her back against his naked chest, soothing her. He ran a hand through her hair tenderly.

"What is it, Delia? What did you see?" His voice was quiet and soothing, helping her to relax.

"Willow" She whispered. "And Spike." She tilted her head up to look into her lover's eyes. "They're coming home."

*****

Cordelia watched Angel as he finished his breakfast and washed his mug out. She waited for him to join her at the dining room table before she broached the subject she knew had been on both their minds since her vision earlier that evening.

"So, we go to Sunnydale?" She asked quietly.

Angel looked up at her, his face expressionless, but his eyes held a hint of sadness. "Yes.

"Why do you think they've come back?" Cordelia asked, wondering what could bring the vampire couple back to Sunnydale after all these years.

Angel shrugged. "I'd like to think it's just a coincidence. That they haven't come back for…" He trailed off not wanting to voice his concerns.

"For revenge?" Cordelia asked. She shook her head. "They don't have any reason.

Angel placed a cool hand over one of her warm ones. 'Delia, they're vampires. They don't need a reason." He reminded her softly.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "I know that mister states-the-obvious, but if that was the reason, why wait so long? Why come home now?"

Angel furrowed his brows in thought. She had a point. "So, why do you think they've come back?"

Cordelia thought about the question, and what might have happened to bring the couple back. "Something's changed." She stood up. "We should get going." She turned back to her lover. "I assume you want to be there before them?"

Angel laughed as the amused expression on her face. She knew him too well. "Yes, Love, get packed. I'll call for a flight."

Cordelia left him alone in the dining area as she went to go back a couple of bags for their trip. It would be a long trip and an even longer visit in Sunnydale. The couple hadn't been back there in nearly seven years, not since they had moved from Los Angeles to New York.

They had moved their business from one city of lost souls to another. Their mission hadn't changed, just the scenery. They still saved lost souls. Angel still worked for redemption, and she still suffered skull-splitting vision headaches. Not much had changed.

She wondered what would happen when they arrived in Sunnydale. Angel hadn't wanted anyone to know the truth. He hadn't wanted to hurt them with the knowledge of what Willow had become. He let them believe what they wanted. That she had run away, fled Sunnydale like a lost child.

He didn't tell them that she had died. That she had became a vampire, a creature of the night. That she hunted with a passion Angel himself had not seen in over a century. That she killed without thought, without mercy, without remorse. That had sired three childer of her own. In essence he lied. No not lied, omitted. It was a decision he had not regretted, not once in the past decade, but one he knew he would be forced to explain.

It is said that everything comes full circle. If that's true, this was their moment.

*****

Willow stepped out of the car and took a look at the house. It was large, and secluded, covered on all sides by heavy vines, which would keep the sunlight out. She opened the front door and took a step inside. She could feel the night's breeze as it wafted through the house. She noticed one wall was filled with an incredibly cheery mural, covered in bright, sunny flowers. She turned around and faced Spike who was watching her for a reaction of their new home.

She smiled. "Home Sweet Home." She nodded to Christian, who was standing just behind Spike, awaiting instructions. "I want the wall repainted. Now." She pointed to the offending mural.

Christian nodded and headed up the large staircase. "I'll check the other rooms."

Spike chuckled. "That's what I like about him. Always thinking ahead."

Willow laughed. "Well, after that time in Calgary, he doesn't like to make the Mistress cranky."

She pushed Spike violently against the staircase banister and devoured his lips with her own. When she pulled away she had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Shall we christen the place?"

Before Spike could reply, Melanie entered the room. "Mum."

Willow turned around, her eyes glowing gold at the intrusion.

"Sorry." Melanie apologized, but Willow could tell from the look in her eyes she wasn't.

"What is it?" Willow asked impatiently.

"Grandfather called" She told them somewhat nervously.

Willow waved her hand away dismissing Melanie and then turned to Spike. "He'll be coming." She whispered. "Delia would have told him we were coming home."

Spike nodded. "You sent her the vision?"

Willow grinned. "Well what's a family reunion without all of the family?"

******
 

Malvicon paced angrily in his cave. His servant had disappeared. It had been several days since he'd heard anything from her, and he feared she had died. Her death didn't mother him as much as the concern of whom may have killed her, and whether or not she had told anyone of his plans.

She was a special breed, and very few people could have accomplished her death, without him finding out about it. That fact alone bothered him more than any other. If she was in fact dead, and had died after revealing his plans, would he have to deal with her killers? Or had she simply run away? Or worse still, had she been taken from him? Her gifts stolen by her would-be killers? In any case, he didn't have the luxury of speculation. He needed to do what he came for and leave. Sunnydale was no longer safe for creatures of the night. The Slayer and her cohorts had seen to that.

But soon, it wouldn't matter. They would all be dead, and evil would rule the night once again.

****
 

Willow walked into the seedy bar and sniffed the air. It smelled of stale liquor and had the stench of the sewer. Not much had changed she noticed. A few of the patrons turned to look at her, but just as quickly turned away, returning to whatever it was they were doing before she entered. The bartender hadn't looked up from the counter his was scrubbing ferosciously. She could smell the slight with of some noxious secretions. If she had to guess, she would say one of his patrons had vomited all over the bar.

She stepped directly in front of the bartender, blocking the dim light he was using to see. Willie looked up at Willow and froze.

"Hey, you're the Slayer's friend." As he spoke he noticed something odd about her and a chill went down his spine. "Only you're not, are you?" Willow raised an eyebrow. "Not the Slayer's friend, I mean. But you are the girl? The hacker?"

"I was." Willow's voice held a steel edge to it, making Willie extremely nervous.

Willie looked around the bar and noticed that with the exception of two vampires he had never seen before, the room was empty. The two new vampires were blocking the two exits.

Willie gulped. "What… what do you want?"

Willow smiled. "We're new in town." She spoke softly, but her eyes belied any kind of sincerity. "I've heard that there are some… people…in town, that don't belong here." She spat the word people as if it was venom in her mouth.

Willie didn't even pretend to misunderstand. He didn't know this vampire, but he had the distinct impression that the wrong answer would get him very dead very quickly. "The Initiative?" He asked.

Willow nodded. Willie took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It had been a long time since he had feared any of the vampires or demons to come into his place. With the Initiative here, gone were the days where he had to fear the few demons that had remained in Sunnydale. All of the dangerous ones had left town.

"Where are they?" She asked calmly. When Willie hesitated Willow reached over the bar and grabbed him around the throat, pulling him completely over the bar.

"I believe the lady asked you a question."

Willow turned around to face the intruder. He looked human, but he wasn't. She could smell the demon in him. Judging from his complete lack of taste in wardrobe, she had a fair idea who he was.

"You have the answer's I seek, or are you merely here for the show?" She asked as she dropped Willie to the ground. She walked over to Whistler.

"It's my curse he muttered. Nobody…"

"Understands you. Yes I know." Willow interrupted. "I don't need to understand you. I just need to know." She took a step closer tot he demon. "Where is the Initiative?"

Whistler shrugged. "It's not my concern."

"What is then?" She asked.

Out of the corner of her eye, Willow saw Willie get up and start to scramble away. Without out taking her eyes off of Whistler, she reached her left hand out and squeezed it into a fist. Willie stopped his movement and grabbed at his throat, gasping for breath. "I didn't tell you that you could leave." She unclenched her hand and Willie started to suck in some much-needed oxygen.

Whistler raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." She nodded, and waited for him to continue.

"My boy will be here soon. What he," he nodded towards Willie, "Can't tell you, they will be able to."

Whistler turned around and headed towards the door and the vampire he had incapacitated to get in. He stopped and turned around. "Welcome Home."

*****

Buffy paused in the hall as the incessant banging continued. She wiped her hands on her apron and went to the front door. She peeked through the chain and widened her eyes in surprise.

"Brian? What are you doing here?" She asked the vampire as she unlatched the chain.

Brian burst into the room. "Where's Finn?" He looked around nervously.

"He's patrolling with Graham tonight. What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

Brian was a sort of informant for the Initiative. He kept his ear tot he ground in the seedier parts of town and would tell them anytime anyone new came to town, but she had never seen him so agitated. He usually just phoned in his information and had only been to there house a small handful of times and usually only to collect his payment. The people backing The Initiative didn't sanction the work he did for them so Riley and Buffy paid him themselves. Unorthodox, yes, but his information had been invaluable.

Brian walked around the living room nervously. "There was a vampire, at Willie's. A woman. Powerful."

Buffy nodded. So far, it didn't sound too dangerous.

"When I left, I heard some of the others talking. They say she came here with a master." He looked up at Buffy. "They say it was William the Bloody"

Buffy froze at the name. The wooden spoon she was holding dropped to the floor. "Are you sure?" She asked, not wanting to believe that Spike was back.

Brian nodded. "Look, I'm gonna go, get out of town. If he's back, I'm not sticking around for the fireworks."

Buffy nodded her understanding. "Thanks." She whispered as the vampire ran out the door.

Buffy flopped down on her couch, not wanting to believe that it was true. S pike had come back. She had known eventually that he would. But as the years had gone by, Buffy had grown complacent. She had started to believe that wherever Spike was, he had been staked. But now she realized that hadn't happened. She wondered what had brought him back. Most of the vamps that showed up in Sunnydale these days were either too young or too stupid to realize that the town had been taken over by the Initiative. They never lasted long.

But Spike was neither. If he was back, there was a reason. She picked up the phone hesitatingly. S he didn't want to make the phone call, but she needed to. She dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Just as she was about to hang up, she heard a vaguely familiar British voice on the other end.

"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless." The voice spoke clearly into the line

"Wesley?" Buffy asked, surprised. She didn't know that Wesley still worked with Angel and Cordelia. She had thought he stayed in Los Angeles when they moved to New York.

"Buffy?" He asked, equally surprised. He knew the Slayer never called the office. Never spoke to any of them really. If there was some demon-related business to attend to, it was always Giles who called. But even that was very rare. Only three times since the move to New York.

"Yes." Buffy shook her head, trying to remember why she had called. "Is Angel there?"

Wesley paused. "No. Can I help you with something?" He knew that Angel and Cordelia had left for Sunnydale, but he also knew that they didn't alert anyone to their imminent arrival.

"No, I guess not. Do you know when he'll be back? I can maybe call back." She knew she was pleading, but her fear was starting to grip her like a vice.

She didn't know if she could handle dealing with Spike, and despite the manpower, and resources at the Initiatives disposal, she didn't think they were ready for him either. Not to mention this woman Brian spoke of. It was probably Drusilla, but that knowledge only made her more nervous.
She knew that Angel still kept in contact with his errant childe, and may be able to shed some light on his reappearance in Sunnydale, or perhaps tell her what she longed to hear. That Spike wasn't back, and Brian had been mistaken.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I don't know when they'll be back." He was reluctant to give her any more information than was necessary. He looked up when he saw Faith enter the office, silencing her with a look.

"That's okay." Buffy hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye. She placed the phone on the receiver and waited for Riley to get home, trying to decide if she should call Giles. She decided not to. He would only suggest that the Initiative do a town-wide sweep, and she didn't think that was the smartest idea.

*****

"What's up?" Faith asked as Wesley hung up the phone.

"Buffy. She was looking for Angel." He handed her a file. "We have a meeting at four with Mrs. Luedin. She said something about her dog barking at her neighbor, whom she thinks in a vampire."

Faith snorted as she flipped through the file. She looked around the office. "Where are the lovebirds?"

Wesley looked up at his slayer. "Sunnydale."

Faith raised her eyebrows and whistled. "How come we miss all the good stuff?"

*****

Willow walked through the vacant streets with a smile. The sleazy bartender had told her everything he knew. There was much he couldn't tell her, but she was confident that her grandsire would have those answers. He would be here shortly. She could feel it.

She wondered if Buffy knew that her old love was coming to town. She doubted it. All of her sources had reported that The Slayer had had no contact with Angel since he and his mate had moved to New York. It didn't matter; it would make Buffy's pain that much sweeter.

Willow turned down a once familiar street. All of the lights were out, save one. And it was the only one that counted. She looked up at the sign. "Harris' Hellmouth Haven". The store was a tourist trap. A place where the ignorant could go and find novelty items depicting tame versions of vampires and demons, all the while not knowing what lurked in the dark. Only Xander would have such a place, and from the small crowd that was leaving the store, it appeared it was a successful business.

She grinned evilly as she pushed opened the door.

"We're closing." Xander spoke as the chime on the front door sounded. "Maybe you can come back tomorrow?" He asked without looking up to see who had entered his store.

"Oh, but Xan, it's been so long already."

Xander froze at the voice. He hadn't heard it in nearly a decade, and was unsure he was hearing it now. It was probably his imagination. Another dream. The other's had believed she had run away, but he never had. He knew something had happened to her, something horrible, something she couldn't control. And he believed he knew what it was.

"What? No hug? Have you forgotten me already?" Willow asked sweetly.

Xander looked up, his eyes raking over her form. It had been so long since he had seen her. She hadn't aged, not a single day. He looked into her eyes. They were the same green he always remembered, but there was something else in them, something he hadn't seen in a friend in twelve years. It was at that moment that he realized that what he had feared was true. His Willow was a vampire. And not the cuddly kind. Not the brooding, souled version Buffy had fallen in love with. No, she was a killer. But, she was still Willow.

"Willow." He gulped as he walked around the counter. He looked around the store to see if she had brought anyone with her. "Where's Spike?" He asked, testing a theory?"

Willow raised an eyebrow and then broke out into a grin. Not a sneer, but an honest grin. "How did you know?" She asked curiously.

"I didn't, not really." He looked at her carefully as he took another step closer. "It's true though, isn't it?"

He didn't know why he wasn't running away. Why he wasn't grabbing his trusty stake and holy water, why he wasn't begging for his life. He knew that she was a vampire, and could easily kill him, but he wasn't afraid. He was so happy to see her after all these years, demon or not.

Willow closed the space between then, surprised at his lack of fear. He wasn't nervous. He seemed honestly happy to see her, even knowing what she was. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely, letting him go after a second. She took a step back and looked around the store.

"Nice place you have here. Anya's idea?" She picked up a novelty stake. The wood was sanded down to an almost marble-like smoothness, the point rounded so as not to be of any real danger.

Xander nodded. "Why are you here? Why did you come back?" He needed to know she wasn't there to kill them all.

Willow set the stake down and picked up a small vial of holy water. She opened the lid and sniffed it, a wide grin gracing her features. "Fake? Why Xander, I'm astonished."

Xander shrugged. "It's cheaper, besides who is gonna know? It's not like the people who buy that stuff would know what to do with it if they came across any of the walking dead."

Willow laughed. Xander logic. She had missed that. She hadn't thought much about him in the past ten years but standing here, in front of him, taking in his incredible lack of fear, it reminded her of why she had loved him so much. She shook her head from her thoughts and addressed his earlier question.

"The Initiative. They don't belong here." She told him simply.

Xander snorted. "So what you've come back to save Sunnydale from itself? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Willow wrapped a hand around his wrist, pulling his body flush with hers and twisting his arm forcefully behind his back. "Don't push me. I push back."

Willow grinned as she heard his heartbeat slow after his initial shock. She inhaled the smell of his blood as she brought her lips to just under his ear. "I could kill you, right her. I leave you for the slayer to find."

"But you won't." Xander's voice was barely above a whisper, knowing she could here him.

"Or, I could turn you. Watch as you slaughtered those you love." She continued, ignoring his comment. "Tell me Xander, how do you feel about eternal life?"

*****

Cordelia climbed out of the rental car with a groan. "Did I tell you how much I hate these little Japanese economy cars?"

Angel quirked an eyebrow. "Four times. Once while we were waiting at the airport for the cab, once in line at the rental agency, and twice on the way here."

She grinned at him. "Just checking. You know how forgetful you can be in your old age." She smiled sweetly. She looked around the empty street. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

Angel pointed to an old house across the street from where he had parked. "There. Can't you feel them?"

Cordelia concentrated on the house for a second and then looked at Angel. She had this strange expression on her face. "She isn't here." Cordelia looked around the empty neighborhood for a second before following Angel across the street towards the large house.

When they reached the door, Angel pushed it open without knocking. A snarling vamp met them. His fangs were bared and he looked ready to pounce. Angel pushed him aside before entering the main entryway. He saw the large staircase and let his eyes travel up the winding stairs. At the top stood a woman. He appeared to be about twenty. Her dark brown hair was thick and fell in a tumble around her oval face. Her eyes here as deep and dark as his own, although he could sense a serenity about her. When she saw him she smiled broadly and bound down the stairs.

"Grandfather! What are you doing here?"

Angel embraced the young vampire. Melanie turned towards Cordelia, and equally large grin gracing her features. Cordelia held up a hand. "Don't even think about calling me grandmother. I'll stake you where you stand."

Spike chuckled from his place behind his Sire and the outspoken girl he liked to call his mate. "I see you got Red's invitation."

Angel turned around. He eyed his childe carefully. "Why are you back? It isn't safe here. For any of us."

Spike shrugged. "Red wanted to come home." He took a step closer and whispered in Angel's ear. "In case you've forgotten, saying no to her isn't an option." He stepped back and smiled mischievously at Cordelia. "Mum."

Cordelia hugged Spike. "Good to see you Blondie. Where is Willow?"

*****

Buffy paced around her living room nervously. She had changed her mind and called Giles and told him about Brian's visit and what he had told her. Buffy had then called Riley and told him about her concern. They had decided that a town-wide sweep was probably a good idea. So they had abandoned their general patrol's for a more concentrated search.

It had been several hours since she had heard from anyone, and was growing increasingly nervous about what might be happening. She had tried to call Xander and Anya at home and alert them to the possible danger so they would stay safely inside their house. But, as usual, her only response had been the answering machine. Anya wouldn't speak to Buffy or Riley, so she screened their calls in an effort to avoid them. She didn't understand what the former demon had against her. But it wasn't something she was likely to understand, and honestly she had ceased caring a long time ago.

The sound of a car pulling up brought Buffy's thought back to the present. She ran out of the house to find Riley shouting into his jeep's CB radio.

"Are you sure? When did you last hear from him?" He demanded.

Buffy couldn't understand the muffled reply but the look on Riley's face sent a wave of fear through her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked as Riley slammed his jeep door.

"Forrest. He hasn't checked in."

*****

Willow looked the struggling body into the house and threw him against one wall, enjoying the thud it made.

"Lookey what I found?" She called into the living room from the entryway.

When Spike came out and saw the slumped body he smiled. "Dinner? Luv, you shouldn't have."

"I didn't." She grinned evilly. "I would think a demon of your years could fetch his own supper." She turned to face her lover and smiled when she saw Angel standing behind him.

"Peaches! You came!!"

Angel groaned. "Will, you've been picking up some of Spike's bad habits."

Willow hugged the other vampire tightly. "Only the more annoying ones." She whispered into his ear. When she pulled back she looked around the room. "Where's Delia?"

Spike nodded towards the staircase. "Mellie insisted on giving her the grand tour."

A groan from the floor brought Willow's attention back to the ininvited guest. She stepped over his body as he struggled to regain consciousness. Pulling him to his feet, Willow allowed her demon visage to come to the fore.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked.

Forrest blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to focus. When he did, he wished he hadn't. The vampire was striking, even with her vampire face showing. He didn't think he'd been this close to one in a long time, who wasn't unconscious or bound.

He nodded. "You're a hostile." He replied his voice sounding harsh despite the fear, which was starting to course through him.

Willow laughed. "I'm very hostile, and you are about to die. Any last requests?"

*****

Buffy ran into the store and nearly tripped over Xander's body. She screamed when she saw him lying limply on the floor.

"Xander, please be okay. Oh God!" She moaned as she pulled his lifeless body into her arms. She placed a hand against his neck. Nothing. She let the sobs wrack her body as she stared into the dead eyes of her oldest friend.

****

Anya was placing the last of her baggage into the trunk of her car when Giles pulled into her driveway. She ignored him as she walked back into her house.

"Anne, Alex, get in the car, now." She told her seven-year-old twins as she picked up the car seat, which carried their youngest child.

"Anya? I have some rather bad news." Giles told her as she fastened the baby's seat into the passenger side.

Anya closed the door and looked up at the former watcher. "Save it." She told him as she walked around to the driver's side door. "He's gone. Nothing will change that." She opened the door and took a seat. After she rolled the window down slightly, she turned to look at watcher. "I used to like you, but you've crossed the line, and now it's time to pay the consequences." She started up the engine. "Whatever happened here tonight, is just the beginning."

Anya rolled her window back up and pulled out of her driveway, tears falling down her face.

*****

Giles watched her drive away, not completely understanding what she had meant, or even what she was talking about. He had come to tell her that she should stay indoors until they had completed the sweep, or maybe to take her kids to their summer house, which was several towns over and sufficiently away from the Hellmouth. He had no idea why it was she was leaving, or even what she was talking about. Although to be honest, he rarely understood that woman, if ever.

****

Trevor walked the streets briskly. He wasn't hungry, haven't already had dinner, but he was in the mood to play a little game. Mother had told him what fun this town could be, and he was eager to find out. He walked through the cemetery, inhaling the lovely stench of death, which permeated the air. He had never been to a place, which had the very essence of evil, surrounding it, not like this place did.

He was so intent on the feel of the place that he failed to notice the small group of men who had begun following him. He tilted his head slightly, thinking he had heard something. The next thing he knew his body was taking over by some sort of electrical field, and then nothing. He slipped in unconsciousness.

*****
 

Buffy ran frantically down the street. She didn't know what she would say when she got there. She didn't know anything any more. Her life had ceased to make any sense. Willow had run away, Xander and Anya had grown apart, even Angel and Cordelia had left. They had moved from Los Angeles to New York several years ago and she could never bring herself to call them. She didn't want to be reminded of the way her life had changed. The way that Angel was still fighting evil, still saving souls, while she, the Slayer, sat back and watched others to it for her.

And now, Xander was dead. Spike had killed him. She knew it had to have been him. And now she was going to hunt him down, and do what she should have done a decade ago. She was going to stake him, and watch as he turned to dust.

She turned down a small street and looked around. She had found out from Brian where the new master was supposed to be living. She looked up. There was a large house, which seemed to be looming over her in the darkness. It was surrounded on all sides by heavy vines. Perfect for keeping the sunlight away, she thought dryly.

She was about to barge in through the front door, completely oblivious to the kind of danger that kind of entrance would cause. She was halted in her steps as the front door was thrust open.

Cordelia stood there, in the doorway, her back to Buffy, as she was speaking to someone Buffy couldn't see.

"Cordy?" Buffy choked out, shocked beyond belief to see the former cheerleader standing there. She looked the same, but different. She hadn't appeared to age, which considering it had only been seven years wasn't that surprising, but there was something different about her. S he couldn't quite place it.

"Buffy." Cordelia looked the slayer over carefully. "What are you doing here?" She asked casting a nervous glance behind the Slayer, searching for anybody she may have brought with her. "Are you alone?"

Buffy nodded absently. "Is… is Angel here?"

Cordelia stepped aside, allowing Buffy to see Angel who stood behind Cordelia, leaning up against the staircase banister.

"You shouldn't be here." He told her quietly. He was thankful both spike and Willow were preoccupied with their 'guest'.

"So it's true then? Spike is back?" She asked, both needing to know, and dreading the answer.

"How did you know?" Angel asked cautiously. He knew Spike hadn't left the house since their arrival. He was waiting, although for what Angel wasn't certain.

Cordelia closed the door and moved silently around the entryway, appraising the slayer. She could sense the demon's hatred for her. It was strong. Despite the control the soul had over Angel's body, she couldn't imagine how he had dealt with the desire to kill her. Her close proximity was driving home emotions Cordelia had never felt before.

Angel could feel Cordelia in the back of his mind. It was a mixture of disgust, curiosity and fear. It was then that he realized that this was the first time the couple had been near the Slayer since before the change. They were frequently around Faith, but she was different. The demon accepted her more readily than it had ever accepted Buffy. He never stopped to question why that was, but now, feeling his demons reaction to Buffy, through his link to Cordelia reminded him of exactly how things had changed, and how much they hadn't.

He hadn't really changed. He was the same demon he had been when he had met Buffy. He was the same vampire cursed with a souled existence. Sure other things had changed, but his demon had remained the same. The fact that his demon had accepted Cordelia fully, despite her humanity, attested to how impossible a relationship with Buffy had been. He shook his head of the thoughts and memories, which seemed to be invading. So much had changed. Things he had never wanted or expected, but things that he wouldn't change.

Buffy stared at Angel carefully. It had been so long since she had seen him. So long since she had even spoken to him. Seeing him here, in what was apparently Spike's house, brought back a rush of emotions. But not the emotions she would have expected on seeing her old love after so much time.

She didn't feel that familiar ache that seeing him used to bring her. She could remember what their love had been like, what it felt like, but it was nothing more than a memory now. Things had changed. They had changed. Now, she found herself wondering what it was Angel was doing back in Sunnydale and with Cordelia as well. She knew that they worked together but she hadn't known they were that close. She had believed Angel had felt sorry for the former cheerleader and that was why he had let her following him to New York. But seeing her here, with him, on what didn't appear to be a business trip, brought a whole new slew of questions to her mind.

Her mind shuffled through all of these thoughts quickly, as she tried to answer his question. She stared at him, demanding an explanation for his arrival in Sunnydale as well as for why he was at Spike's house. "Drusilla." S he spoke as calmly as she could muster under the circumstances.

"What?" Angel asked, shocked. Of all of the answers she could have given him, that was nowhere on the list.

"She's here, in Sunnydale." When he looked at her blankly, she continued. "Drusilla, she's…"

"Dead." Cordelia spoke for the first time since Buffy entered the house. Buffy looked at her oddly. "She's dead."

"What? No, someone saw her, tonight. She's alive, or at least undead." Buffy denied. She turned towards Angel. "How do you know?"

"We felt it." Cordelia spoke quietly. "She's been dead a long time. Whoever you saw, it wasn't her."

Buffy stood there in shock. She was positive it had been Drusilla. Who else could it have been? Whoever Brian had seen had come into town with Spike. If not Drusilla, then who?

A shriek from upstairs drew Angel's attention away from Buffy. Cordelia ran upstairs to see what had happened. She found Melanie huddled on the floor in the hall, sobbing blood red tears.

"Shh, Mellie, what's wrong?" Cordelia soothed as she brought the vampire into her arms.

"They took him. They're hurting him." She cried.

Cordelia didn't ask who; she had a bad feeling she knew who Melanie was talking about. "Come on, You need to rest." She took the vampire into the nearest room and lay her down on the bed. After it appeared she had drifted off to sleep, Cordelia returned down stairs. She turned Angel, ignoring the Slayer, who had started wandering into the living room.

"It's Trevor. They have him."

******

Xander opened his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. His mind was fuzzy. He tried to sit up and found he could barely move. Wherever he was, there wasn't a whole lot of breathing room. As soon as the thought left his mind, he chuckled. Breathing room. He didn't need to breathe anymore, did he?

Before he could analyze his thoughts further, he heard a door at his feet open up and a light assaulted him. He felt something move. It wasn't until he was completely bathed in the light, that he realized where he had been. A drawer at the morgue.

Xander looked up at his would-be rescuer. A vampire who looked to be in his mid twenties. He held out his hand and helped Xander to a sitting position and handed him what looked like a bottle of wine. But Xander knew instinctively that it wasn't wine in the bottle. He removed the cap and drank the bottle dry. Once his hunger was sated he looked carefully at the vampire. He was older than Xander, obviously, but not stronger.

Xander could sense that although he was newly risen he had far more power than the one who had brought him his dinner.

"Who are you?" Xander demanded.

Christian smiled slightly. "Christian. Come, the Mistress is waiting."

"I don't have to take orders from you." Xander snapped as he climbed off of the table. "Do I?"

Christian shook his head. "No, sir." He paused.

"So long as we understand each other." Xander slammed the drawer closed and followed the vampire out into the night.

*****
Spike found the Slayer in his living room sitting quietly on the couch. He felt her confusion coming off of her. She was shocked at seeing Angel, and even more surprised as seeing him with Cordelia. She didn't understand what they were doing back in Sunnydale, or why they were together. She didn't know what they were, not that he expected her to understand. She was but a mere mortal, and could never understand what had happened to his Sire and the seer.

He stalked up to Buffy, who was completely oblivious to his approach. He grabbed her and pulled her off of the couch before she even had a chance to register his presence.

"Tsk, tsk. You've lost your touch, Slayer." He released her and threw her to the ground. "You're not even worth the trouble."

Buffy picked herself off of the floor and stared coldly at Spike. "Why are you here? Why'd you come back? You had to know how dangerous it was."

"You'll have to ask my mate about that." Spike smirked.

"You're mate? Cordelia said Drusilla was dead." Buffy was confused.

"That she is." He acknowledged, not giving Buffy any explanations.

Buffy pushed her confusion aside and tried to concentrate on why she had come. She pulled a stake out of her pocket and aimed it for Spike's chest. "You killed Xander. Now you die." She lunged for him.

Spike easily sidestepped her and pried the stake from her fingers. "You're out of shape Slayer." He spat, disgusted with how easily he had defeated her. Red was right. Slutty was no longer a Slayer. She had lost everything about her, which had made her a worthy opponent.

"You killed Xander." Buffy whispered again, defeated.

"The moron?" Spike asked. "Why would I kill his sorry ass?"

Before Buffy could answer the front door was swung open and the object of their discussion came waltzing in.

"Hey everyone, Baby boy's come home." He shouted into the entryway. Xander stopped when he saw Cordelia and Angel standing at the base of the stairs.

"Delia. Deadboy." He grinned and then burst out laughing. "Deadboy? I guess I can't really call you that anymore, can I?"

"Oh God! No!!" Buffy moaned as she ran towards the familiar voice.

After seeing her friend standing in the hall, very much alive she spun around angrily to face Spike. "You!" She pointed furiously. "You didn't just kill him. No, you had to turn him."

Spike stepped around the slayer and took a long look at the new arrival. He grinned. "Not bad." He appraised the vampire carefully, reaching out with all of his senses. "You're a childe." He turned to Angel. "No pesky minion status for this bloke." He turned around to face Willow's latest creation. "I'm impressed."

A carnal scream heard from somewhere in the house drew everyone's attention away from the newly arrived vampire. Buffy took the opportunity to sneak out. She didn't know how she could kill Xander. He had been her best friend for a long time, and although they had grown apart since Willow had left, she didn't think she would have the strength to stake him.

She left the house and ran as far and as fast as she could. She had to get to Giles or Riley and tell them what had happened. She didn't know why Spike had come back, but she feared that there was more to his reappearance than a simple desire to visit old haunts.

She had more questions than answers. If it was true that Drusilla was dead, and Spike had admitted as much, then who was his mate? Surely it wasn't that ditz Harmony?

She pushed away her thoughts as she neared the building, which housed the Initiative's base of operations.

*****

Willow tore through the house in a rage. She had felt the loss of her childe as soon as they had taken him. He was still alive, she knew, but they were doing something to him, something inhuman and unnatural. She had taken her frustration out on the semi-conscious Forrest. His screams had pierced the silence of the night until he had lost all consciousness. She had quickly snapped his neck, having no further use for him.

Her body trembled with rage. They had taken Trevor, her childe. Not her first, but certainly no less important. They would pay dearly for all that had done. They had lived without resistance for far too long on the Hellmouth. It was time for them to take it back.

*****

Malvicon finished collecting his supplies. He had everything he needed. Now all he had to do was go to the opening and begin the ritual. The Hellmouth would reopen and the world would end. He left his cave and headed to the section of town where it would all end.

As he neared what had once been the town's High school, Malvicon got the distinct impression he was being followed. It made him nervous. He had heard about the military agency, which had taken control of the town, and although they didn't worry him, he could not be deterred. He decided to take a shortcut though an abandoned area of town.

That was his first mistake. He had barely turned down a deserted alley when he felt it. The unmistakable sensation of being watched. He spun around, looking for his observers. He came face to face with a woman. She appeared to e no more than seventeen, but he could feel the power coming off of her in waves.

"Who are you?" Malvicon demanded.

"Rhianna" She whispered as she stalled the tiniest bit closer. "The stars tell me you wish to end the world." She stared at him with the most incredible violent eyes he had ever seen. "Maybe the world isn't ready to end." She spoke softly as she closed the gab between them.

Malvicon was frozen in place, unable to move, powerless to stop her as sunk her fangs into his neck. He heard her laugh inside his mind as he live was drained away.

Rhianna dropped the demon's body to the ground and bent down to place a cool hand on his forehead. Bursts of power shot out and set his body on fire. She left the ally, his charred body quickly turning to ash.

*****
 

Buffy paced around the room frantically. She had tried to explain the situation to Riley and the others. They didn't seem to be as concerned as she was. But then, they had never met Spike. They didn't know what he was capable of. Even Giles wasn't showing very much concern.

He believed that the Initiative was strong enough, and powerful enough to withstand anything Spike would do. Giles chose to believe that Spike's plans never worked out the way they were supposed to and this would be no different. While Buffy couldn't argue with his logic, she had a bad feeling about Spikes return. She still didn't know who his 'mate' was or how Angel and Cordelia fit in.

Riley returned with Giles and Professor Walsh. "Look, there isn't anything we can do now. Tomorrow, at Sunrise, we'll scour the town. With the daylight, they won't be able to run. Will find this Spike person, and everything will go back to normal." Riley reassured his wife.

Buffy nodded and was glad that he was coming home with her. She had a bad feeling. She turned to Giles. "You're going home?" Giles nodded and Buffy relaxed.

"Wait!" Buffy gripped Giles shoulder forcefully. "Anya… someone should tell her about what happened to Xander."

Giles shook his head. "She's gone. Left town. I think she already knew."

Buffy crinkled her nose in confusion. "What? How?"

"I don't know. I went by her house to tell them to stay inside during the sweep and she was packing up her car. She left with the kids. At the time she wasn't making very much sense, but now…"

"Now?" Maggie Walsh asked.

"Now, I think she must have known about what happened to Xander. S he said something about him being gone." HE shook his head. "We should all go home and get some rest."

Riley nodded and the four left the building, each confident that soon, it would all be over. They weren't wrong.

*****

Willow turned to Christian. "When the hunting parties return, tell them I want them to go back out. Nothing survives. I want this town decimated of the hold the vermin have on it." She turned to Xander. "Do you know where their base is?"

Xander grinned. "Yes."

Willow nodded. "Good. Take me there." She turned to Angel. "You don't have to come."

Angel smiled slightly. "It's time that this was finished. They don't belong here."

Willow faced Cordelia. "Delia?"

"Where he goes, I go." She told her old friend confidently.

"Okay. We have four and a half hours before sunrise. I suggest we make the most of it."

****

Rhianna watched in amusement as the town was swept through. Anybody stupid enough to remain outside paid for their ignorance with their lives. It was a sight to behold. "Mother's angry" she whispered into the darkness. She had missed her mother's temper tantrums. There was always lots of blood. And death. That was the best part.

She made her way through the town, following the smattering of corpses that littered the towns dark alleys and abandoned buildings. The town still thrummed with life. She could feel it. The hunting parties reserved their assault for those out in the open, or inhabiting some of the more demon friendly areas. They left the mortal's homes alone. They were of no consequence.

Rhianna knew the moment she had neared the Initiative's base of operations. She could feel the pull. She centered her energy and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself inside a bright cell. This was where they pull had originated. She looked around the room, scouring every inch. She almost didn't see him.

Along one corner of the room, Trevor was strapped against the wall, unconscious. There was a deep gash that ran down his chest, exposing layer and layers of dead cells. The bones of one arm were protruding out of his flesh. His golden eyes were opened, but stared out, unseeingly. His ridges were only partially displayed. Like he had been frozen halfway through the change.

Rhianna stepped forward, a deep sorrow feeling her being. S he reached out with her mind, searching, for something, anything to tell her some part of him still remained. She was left with nothing. Empty space. She retreated from his mind and reached out one hand. A stake appeared between her fingers.

"Goodnight, baby brother." She whispered as she plunged the weapon into his unbeating heart.

****

Willow collapsed onto the hard pavement. She felt Trevor's loss and it shook her to her core. She turned to Spike. "He's gone."

She stood up on slightly shaky legs and turned towards Angel. "Change of plans."

Angel looked at her cautiously. There was seething hatred burning in her eyes. Something he had never seen in her. Something even is soulless counterpart would fear.

"Burn it down. All of it."

Willow turned away from the group and headed in the opposite direction.

Angel watched her leave and felt fear for the first time in a long time. He knew that whatever had happened tonight changed everything. He ran after her, knowing where she was going instinctively. He felt Cordelia's presence on the back of his mind. He knew that she was doing what he couldn't bring himself to do. She was warning the enemy.

****
Cordelia ran as fast as she could. S he was glad they had kept an eye on things in Sunnydale. Otherwise she might not have know where she was going. She just hoped she arrived before Willow.

When she reached the house, she noticed the lights on inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Now if she could only get them to listen to her. She knocked on the heavy door. After several really long seconds, it was swung open. Buffy looked at her strangely.

"Cordy? What are you doing here? Is Angel with you?" She looked around her darkened porch, searching for any sign of the souled vampire.

Cordelia shook her head. "No. Can I… Can I come in?" He asked, hesitating slightly.

Buffy was about to invite her in when she noticed something odd about the way she had asked. "Why so formal, Cordy?

Cordelia looked at her strangely for a second, cringing inwardly. "Can I come in, or not? I don't have time to play games." She snapped.

"Why are you here?" Buffy asked stepping aside and moving away from the door. She noticed how Cordelia didn't move from her spot. She eyed the girl carefully. "You're a vampire!"

"Not exactly." Cordelia groaned. S he did not have time to explain about her state of being. As each second ticked by, she could feel Angel drawing closer.

Buffy grabbed a stake from the end table by the door and stepped closer to Cordelia. "You need to be invited in?"

Cordelia nodded. "But…" She didn't get the rest of her explanation out.

Buffy that thrust the stake into Cordelia's heart. Cordelia screamed in shared pain. Once she had calmed down she looked to the piece of wood protruding from her heart. She pulled it put and snapped it in half. "I'm not a vampire." She hissed. "Now listen to me! There is an enraged vampire on her way here. She won't care that you're the Slayer. She won't care that she once called you friend. And she won't care that she hasn't been invited. She will burn this house to the ground and everyone in it. Do not test her. Do not challenge her." With each word, Cordelia's voice became more pained until finally she collapsed on the ground. Buffy looked on in shock.

*****

Angel let out a carnal scream as his knees buckled underneath him. Willow stopped and turned around.

"What is it?" She asked, growing concerned.

"Delia." He choked out.

Willow reached a hand to his forehead and sunk into his mind. She locked her green eyes onto his brown. "She went to warn the Slayer?"

She helped Angel to his feet. "Come, we must hurry. Before Delia retreats too far." She broke off in a run, pulling Angel behind her.

When they reached the house, she saw Cordelia slumped on the ground. S he lifted her up and placed her in Angel's arms. "Take her back to the house."

"Willow." His pleading voice stopped her as she was returning to the porch. "Don't kill them. Please."

Willow turned around. "Angel…" She shook her head as a blood red tear slid down her face. "Trevor is gone. I cannot ignore that."

"Isn't it enough to destroy the Initiative. They killed him, not Buffy."

"I don't know. Maybe."

****

Angel carried Cordelia's unconscious form through town. He felt his fear nearly incapacitate him. They had had close calls before, but this situation was rapidly turning ugly and he didn't think he could survive without her. Well, he knew he couldn't. At least not physically. Their bond made sure of that. They would be eternal until one of them died, then they would both cease to exist in this world.

When he entered the house, he brought her into the guest bedroom and lay her on the bed. After making sure she was comfortable, Angel left her alone to go find something for her to eat. She was always hungry after one of these near death encounters. He knew it might be awhile before she woke up, but when she did, she would be ravenous.

As he climbed the stairs with a tray of food, he felt a wave of confusion wash over him. He recognized the feeling. Cordelia had been taken back tot he Oracles. Every time they had some pearl of wisdom to impart, they took Cordelia there and more often than not she could sift through their vague ramblings to find what it was they were trying to tell her.

This was the only way they had to communicate with the powers anymore. They no longer existed in this plane. They were responsible for the bond Angel and Cordelia shared. It was meant as a great honor. It was. But, sometimes it seemed it was more trouble than it was worth. But even as he had these traitorous thoughts, he knew he was wrong. Without this bond, Angel would have lost Cordelia. She would have died, and he would have been without her. Now, he couldn't imagine eternity without her. That was a fate worse than death. Worse than the years he had spent in hell. Worse than any torture he could have come up with. Thankfully, he would never have to face that fate. For when she died, he would go with her.

*****

Cordelia opened her eyes in the familiar void.

"I'm here? What' startling revelation do you have for me today?" She asked into the fog.

"You friend has done well." The male oracle spoke from somewhere behind her.

Cordelia spun around. "What friend? We don't have any friends. Well, unless you count Faith and Wesley."

The female smiled. "No, the vampire. She ahs much power. She has accomplished what others could not."

"Willow? She turned around to where she thought the female's voice had come from. "You mean Willow?"

"Yes. She is your friend, is she not?" The male asked.

"No, brother. She is family" The female spoke from somewhere behind him. She turned her attention back to Cordelia, "Seer, the Vampire we speak of, she has eliminated the threat of the reopening of the Hellmouth."

"She is now, as we speak, removing the presence of man in what they do not understand." The male continued.

"And if she is not stopped, she will be responsible for the permanent closing of the Hellmouth." The female finished.

"Seer, you and the Great Warrior, must make sure she is not stopped." The male told her.

Cordelia wrinkled her brows in confusion. "What about the Slayer, and all of the people who live there?"

"They are of no consequence. If she is successful, all will be made right."

Cordelia was about to ask another question when she felt herself being taken back. She looked around and found herself back in the room she and Angel were staying in at Willow's house.

"Here." Angel handed her some cheese and bread.

She took it gratefully and began devouring everything on the tray he had brought her.

"What did they tell you?" He asked when it seemed her hunger for food was sated.

"Talk…Later" She pulled him down onto the bed with her and pushed the empty tray to the ground.

Her lips found his and they devoured each other in silence. Cordelia quickly divested Angel of his clothes while he stripped her of hers. She pushed him down against the bed, scraping her nails against his chest. He groaned as he felt her tongue against his throat.

Angel flipped them over and stared into her glassy eyes. His fingers found her center. He slipped two digits into her wet passage and felt her walls clamping around him. Angel stroked her heard nub, knowing that she needed release. She started writhing beneath him. She bit into his shoulder harshly as her orgasm overcame her. Angel moaned as the wave a pleasure ran through their link, sending him over the edge with need. He slipped his fingers out and heard her whimper as he replaced them with his throbbing cock.

Angel thrust deeply into her as she wrapped her legs tightly around him, arching into him, driving him further. He felt another orgasm building as he thrust into her rhythmically. She dug her nails deep into his skin. T he scent of his own blood, mixed with the feel of her warmth surrounding him, drove him over the edge. He bit into her breast as he came. She followed him, screaming his name.

Angel collapsed onto his lover. She looked lovingly at him and placed a tender kiss on his lips.

"What were you saying about the oracles?"

*****

Buffy stood in her doorway, staring in shock. "Willow? Is it really you?" She stepped out onto her porch.

Willow looked at the Slayer, appraising her carefully. She had come here intending to kill the Slayer, but Angel's words had caused her to rethink her plans. Maybe it was enough to destroy the initiative. Maybe it wasn't necessary to kill the Slayer. Maybe not. Their lives were not in the Slayer's hands. To kill, or not to kill. It all depended on her. She wondered briefly how long it would take for Buffy to realize what she was. She doubted that she would figure it out as quickly as Xander had.

Willow smiled in what she supposed was a semblance of a 'Willowy smile'. "Buffy. It been…an age."

"Oh my God! I thought I'd never see you again. Come inside." She walked back into her house, motioning for Willow to follow. "It isn't safe outside. Cordy said something about a crazed vampire coming here." She turned back to Willow, who had just entered her house, "Will Cordy be alright? I thought… I thought she was a vampire." She paused, something in her mind clicking into place. "Cordy she isn't human, is she." She froze. "You." She pointed frantically. "You're the one she warned me was coming. Aren't you?" She spoke the last words in barely above a whisper.

Willow smiled wickedly as she took a look around the house. She noticed Riley start to leave the safety of the living room out of the corner of her eyes. Reaching out with her mind, she caused his body to slam against the far wall. He dropped to the ground, his head throbbing uncontrollably while he tried to remain conscious.

Willow turned her cold gaze to Buffy. "You have forgotten who you are. Who you used to be." She spoke calmly, but Buffy could detect the hint of rage in her words.

"People change. We change." She spoke honestly, her mind trying desperately to figure out what had happened to her old friend. When had she been turned? Had she been a vampire all this time? If she had been, why had she come back sooner? Surely she would have delighted in the taunting of her friends, as Angelus had done. Perhaps, she wasn't evil. Perhaps she had a soul.

Willow laughed, a cruel sound. "Don't delude yourself, Slayer. I have no soul. Haven't had to deal with that pesky annoyance for nearly a decade now." She stared menacingly at Buffy, her eyes growing gold. "Do you think yourself so important that I would spent every waking moment thinking of how to destroy you?" She laughed again, the sound sending a chill down Buffy's spine. "I think not. My grandsire may have found that game amusing. I had more important things to do."

Buffy steeled herself, refusing to appear weak in front of the demon that wore her friend's face. She tried not to think too hard about her words. Tried not to add up the obvious clues to find out her sire had been. Tried not to wonder how it was Willow had been able to read her thoughts.

"Why are you here? What was so important to bring you back now?" She asked, hoping she sounded less afraid than she was. She didn't know if she would have the strength to kill a demon with a friend's face.

Willow turned towards Riley's slumped body. "You're vermin have invested this town. I aim to take it back."

"You want to take over the Hellmouth?" Buffy asked incredulously, her voice getting stronger as her Slayer instincts started to kick in. "I'll stop you!"

Willow turned back to Buffy. "You? You who allows evil to roam free? You who has forgotten what it means to be the Slayer? You who has allied herself with an evil far worse than I? I doubt it. But, you're welcome to try." Willow turned towards the door. She stepped over the threshold and then turned back to Buffy.

"If you're smart, you'll take your family… and leave. You won't get another chance." She walked down the walkway, towards the street, only to be stopped by Buffy's voice.

"Wait!" Buffy called as she ran out to join Willow in the driveway.

Willow turned around but didn't say anything.

"Why warn me? Why care? There must be some part of you, inside that's till remembers that we were friends. Still cares."

Willow looked at Buffy carefully, a small smile playing over blood red lips. "Wrong. I warn you not for your family, but for mine. Angel doesn't wish to see you destroyed, so I leave the choice to you." She stared hard at the slayer, her face morphing, causing Buffy to step back. "But do not think that my love for Angelus and his mate wills top me from doing what is necessary. I warn you, for him. It is now up to you. Choose wisely."

Willow disappeared before Buffy could say anything else. She was sure if she actually vanished before her eyes, or if she just moved so quickly she didn't see her. She sighed and reentered her house, unsure of what she was going to tell Riley, or whether she would take Willow's advice.

*****

Cordelia lay back on the bed, looking at the ceiling, replaying everything the Oracles had told her, trying to make some sense of what they wanted, no needed them to do.

She turned to Angel. "What do we do?"

"Help her close the Hellmouth, I guess." He turned to his lover. "Even if it means sacrificing this town and everyone in it."

Cordelia caressed his cheek lovingly. "What about Buffy, and her family? How do you feel about that?"

Angel sighed uselessly and leaned over her, placing a tender kiss on her lips. "Our history is done. I don't want to see her dead, but… she isn't who she once was. She isn't the Slayer anymore. She has stripped herself of her sacred duty." Angel climbed out of bed, pulling his pants on and began walking around the room.

Cordelia reached out into his mind, trying to find what he was trying to tell her, in an effort to make it easier on him. She looked surprised when she found what she was looking for. "You asked her not to kill them? Do you think she listened?"

"I think she was prepared to kill them all tonight. I don't think she has… yet. But, she will not give up on her plan to retake the town. If Buffy gets in the way…"

"And she will" Cordelia snorted.

Angel turned to glare at her, but the expression on her faced caused him to break out into a grin instead. He tossed her a pair of clean clothes. "Will won't know what happened until she returns, unless… could you check?" He asked her, knowing she hated invading other peoples heads.

Cordelia climbed off of the bed and began dressing. "I could… but it wouldn't do any good. Willow's mind is too focused. I'd only get in if she wanted me too, and then I would only see what she allowed me to see."

Angel nodded and left the room, hoping Willow would return soon. They knew more about there purpose here than they did when they had arrived, but not enough to know exactly what they were supposed to do.

****

Rhianna could feel the fire. It was raging, bodied being burnt, flesh charred. The feel of the fear was intoxicating. The mortals, they begged for a savior to come. The demons, they screamed that someone would pay. Rhianna laughed. T he arrogance they had. Did they not know that nothing could be done? They were damned. Their souls, if they had them, would be lost for all time. Eternal damnation among those that had destroyed them.

She laughed as she moved through the mingling bodies, returning herself once more to the street. She turned around and found herself watching as the building started to come down around her.

"Rhianna? What have you done?"

Rhianna turned around. "Father. Mother was angry. I could feel her rage. It made me tremble. I came to help." She hugged her father tightly.

Spike shook his head. "Trevor is gone." He looked at her closely. "You?"

Rhianna nodded sadly. "He was taken from us before then." She smiled brightly. "But, I have a new brother. I felt him. He is wicked. He will help Mellie."

Spike smiled. Rhianna never ceased to amaze him. She wasn't his childe, But Willow's. Willow's first in fact, but her embracing had not been typical. Nothing about her had been typical.

Rhianna had been with Drusilla when Spike and Willow went to Brazil shortly after Willow had been turned. Rhianna had an unusual connection to Drusilla. She shared Dru's psychic abilities, suffering from frequent visions. Drusilla transferred her power to Rhianna before she died. Power that Rhianna learned to harness after Willow had embraced her. Rhianna learned to control what Drusilla could not. She was Willow's first, and favorite childe. And now she had come home to help her mother take back a town that had fallen prey to the enemy.

Rhianna turned back to the building, which was now little more than ruble. "Come, Mother is waiting. She has given the Slayer a choice. If she chooses wisely, no more shall die."

"And if she doesn't?" Xander asked as he approached the pair. He had been drawn to this woman. She called to him. He knew, instinctively she was family.

Rhianna smiled wickedly. "Then, baby brother, the ground will be covered with corpses, their blood calling to us, demanding a peace we shall not deliver."

"Sunrise is coming." She spoke softly.

Spike left the group and headed in the direction Willow had run to. After several minutes he found her walking down the street. He felt her rage coming off of her.

"Red, luv, what happened?"

"Delia went to warn the Slayer, got staked for her trouble."

Spike eyes glowed gold at the idea that one of his families had been injured. Willow lay a cool hand on his cheek. "She's fine. No doubt shagging Peaches senseless right about now." She grinned.

"And the Slayer? Rhianna says you gave her a choice?"

Willow nodded. She had felt her daughter enter the city. "She has until sundown tomorrow. After that, I will start the ritual. Anyone who remains here, will not live long enough to regret it."

She smiled evilly and claimed his lips in a passionate kiss. The night events had left her craving the touch of her mate. She pulled away from him and grabbed his hand. Taking of in a dead run, she dragged Spike behind her.

They reached the safety of their home just minutes before the sun rose. Spike pushed her savagely against the wall, stripping her clothes off. Willow devoured his mouth hungrily, tearing his own clothes from his body. Soon all that could be heard from the room was the sounds of flesh against flesh and the sated growling of two animals restaking a claim that had been made a decade ago.

*****
 
 

Willow lay in her lover's arm, at peace, letting her troubled thoughts rest, just for a little while. She knew they had a long rode ahead of them. She could feel the evil in this town, the hold it had. It wasn't like the evil she possessed. Not like the evil of her demon. It was tainted, vile, destroying the purity of evil, which had once been vibrant here. She chuckled softly to herself.

As a mortal she never would have believed that evil could be pure. But it was. She had learned that all things in life were necessary. Even the damned. Even the demons and vampires that roamed the earth. They had a purpose, a destiny if you will.

Sometimes evil was necessary. Sometimes Death was warranted. The Powers That Be had made sacrifices, compromises. They let evil roam free, knowing that many would die. However, when it counted, some creatures, possessed of evil, would do the right thing. They would work to ensure the continuation of all species.

Willow was such a creature. She knew evil. Was evil. However, like her mate, she also knew that nothing could be gained from the destruction of the world. All would be lost, and they would become nothing.

They had been visited once, shortly after she was embraced. The oracles. They told her she had a destiny. They told her about Drusilla's death, and how they had made it possible for all that Drusilla had been to be transferred to Rhianna. Willow didn't know it at the time, but Rhianna was to become her childe. Her first, most powerful childe. She had a soul… sort of.

Although it had been Willow's vampire blood which gave Rhianna her immortality, her unlife. It was Rhianna's merging with Drusilla's power that made her what she was. Her soul never left her body, but was joined with both her demon and Drusilla's. Due to the fact that her body housed two demons, but only one soul, the demons carried the control.

Willow had known the moment Rhianna had come to Sunnydale. She had felt it, through their bond. Willow alerted her daughter to the threat the demon had placed upon them all, confident that Rhianna would take care of it. And she had.

"Luv, you're not sleeping." Spike's voice brought Willow out of her thoughts.

"Not tired. Too much to do yet, too much that will never be done." She spoke softly, turning to face him. His blue eyes held a softness she knew was reserved for her.

"You gave the Slayer a choice? That was more than was necessary. We should have let her die with the rest."

Willow flipped herself over so she was lying on top of him. "Maybe, but aren't we just cleaning up our own mess?"

"How the hell you figure that, Luv. We didn't invite those blokes to come here; we didn't hand the town over. Bloody Hell, Pet, you're not developing a conscious, are you? Peaches and Delia are bad enough!"

Willow giggled as she climbed off of the bed. "Not bloody likely!" She said imitating Spike, then she turned and smiled. "I just mean that if we had come back here sooner, this situation would have been handled."

"And done what? You know as well as I do that if we had stayed after I changed you, we would have killed them all, and the damn Army idiots would still be here. Besides, If I recall, it was Peaches who told us to stay away."

Willow grinned. "You're right. Temporary bout of guilt has now been officially squashed. If there's anyone to blame, it's Peaches and Delia."

That settled Willow climbed back into bed and made Spike remember why he loved her.

*****
 

Rhianna watched as Melanie slept a dreamless sleep. She had suffered a great loss. Melanie had only been a vampire for three years, and had been mated to Trevor from the start. She relied on him to define her place in the clan. That was no longer the case. She would have to learn to stand on her own, if she were to meet the challenge ahead of her. Willow and Spike would expect nothing less. To fail would mean death.

The Hellmouth was to be Melanie and Trevor's last stop. They were to remain behind, once the threat was eliminated. Despite Trevor's death, the plan had not changed. If Melanie wasn't up to the task, Rhianna had no doubt that Willow would end the child's suffering. She would not accept failure. That was why Rhianna had come.

She had had vision just days before, depicting the events as they might play out. And while Rhianna hoped that Trevor could have been saved, she knew that was not nearly as important as making sure that Melanie was prepared for what lay ahead.

She knew there was a chance the Slayer would choose poorly, and if that happened the entire town would pay for her ignorance. Willow was prepared to decimate the town in order to rid it of the hold the Initiative had on it.

Rhianna, like Willow, had seen what the Initiative was doing. What they were attempting to do. Willow would stop at nothing to end the threat they were posing. Destroying the town would be a small price to pay for their freedom.

And that's what was at stake. Not only their freedom, but also the freedom of every demon that walked the Earth. The Initiative was about to unleash an evil greater than they could ever imagine. They planned on Re-opening the Hellmouth, in an effort to harness the evil within. They believed they had the key to controlling the power. The thought they could enslave them all. They were wrong. However by the time they realized that, it would be too late.

****

Cordelia lay in bed, listening to the silence that enveloped her. It had been nearly eight years since she had ceased to exist as a mortal. Eight years, since she had died, and begin given a gift. Immortality. At the time she didn't understand the price.

She would never again hear the sound of her own heartbeat. Never again need to take in oxygen. Never see another sunrise. She would never know what it was like to grow old and die. Never have a family, at least not in the traditional sense.

She was technically dead, although not death as man would understand it. Her body lived on, while her spirit was connected to another. Someone more dead than her.

It was this bond, connecting her spirit to Angel that anchored his soul. This bond which allowed her to sense things through him. This link to the man she loved that allowed her to be with him for eternity.

It was probably more accurate to say there were one person, in two bodies. Two dead bodies, but two bodies none the less. She wasn't a vampire, but their joining had caused her to take on many vampiric traits. It had some disadvantages, but she had come to accept them. They were a part of her now, as he was.

Their bond had allowed her to communicate with the Oracles. They had been responsible for what had happened. Cordelia had died helping Angel to battle a particularly strong demon. After her death, Angel had gone to them, begging them to bring her back. They told him they could, but there would be a price. He had been willing to pay it, and so they had brought her back. Not as she had been, but as she was now.

Neither Angel nor Cordelia had ever regretted the choice he made that day. They had made a sacrifice, but it was one worth making. They had been told then that a day would come when they would have to make choices. They would have to rely on the damned to save the world. Now was that time, Cordelia realized.

Willow and Spike had come home to stop a fate that could not be allowed to occur. Cordelia knew that this was the time that had been warned about. This was the event that would change everything, if they let it.

They had made their choice. There was no turning back now, even if they wanted to, and they didn't.

*****

***

Giles drove into Buffy and Riley's driveway at the break of dawn. He had been concerned about what was happening. He knew Spike was back and although he didn't know why, he had a bad feeling about the vampire's return.

He noticed that their garage was opened. Riley appeared to be packing some boxes into the back of their truck. Giles frowned. Now was not the time for them to take a vacation.

"What are you doing?" Giles asked as he walked into the darkened garage.

Riley barely glanced up. "Hey Giles. We're leaving. I suggest you do the same."

"Leaving? What? Where? When?" He sputtered. Riley and Buffy were not the type to run when a threat came to Sunnydale.

Riley stopped and looked at the former watcher. He smiled slightly. He had gotten to know the man fairly well over the past decade. He would miss him. "I'm not sure where we're going. Buffy wants to visit her mother for awhile, but I don't know where we'll end up." He packed another large box into the truck and then returned to Giles. "We'll go as soon as Buffy returns."

"Returns? Where did she go?" Giles face paled. "She didn't go after Spike by herself, did she?"

Riley shook his head. "Not exactly. She went to go see Angel. She said she needed to clear some stuff up with him."

"Angel? He's here, in Sunnydale? Is that why Spike has come back?" Giles was seriously confused. Buffy had told him about Spike being back and about what had happened to Xander, but she hadn't mentioned anything about the souled vampire.

Riley sighed. He really had no idea what was going on. HE could only vaguely recall what had happened the night before, when Willow had thrown him across the room, without even touching him. He had flitted in and out of consciousness after that. It wasn't until several hours later, after listening to Buffy cry and pace that he realized that whatever vampires and demons they had faced in their tenure on the Hellmouth, it was nothing compared to what they were dealing with now.

"I don't really know that much about what Angel and Cordelia are doing here. I don't know why Spike has come back. What I do know is that Buffy's worried, and that's enough for me. I trust her. If she thinks we should leave, then we're leaving." Riley tried to explain.

"What happened last night?" Giles asked, noticing Riley's agitation.

Buffy was warned. She was given a chance to leave town before it was too late. We're taking it." Riley placed a hand on Giles' shoulder. "We have young kids to think about Rupert. We're leaving while we have the chance. I suggest you do the same."

"Warned? By whom? Spike? Did he hurt her?" Giles' confusion was giving way to fear. He had never known his Slayer or her husband to pick up and run. Something must have happened. Something they couldn't fight.

"Worse." Riley whispered. "Willow."

Giles paled at the name. He hadn't given the young girl a second thought since she had run away nearly a decade ago. Xander had believed something had happened to her, and Buffy had been concerned, for awhile. But eventually Buffy had been forced to accept what Giles had known all along. Willow had been a coward and run away from her problems. They hadn't heard from her, not once since she disappeared. To say it was a shock to hear she had been the one to warn Buffy was an understatement.

"Willow? Are you sure?" Giles asked incredulously.

"She's a vampire, Rupert. Xander was right. She didn't run away ten years ago. She died." Riley watched as Giles took in this information.

"Why is she back?" He wanted to know. Surely one vampire wouldn't pose a threat.

"She doesn't like our intrusion here. She wants to take the Hellmouth back." He held up a hand to silence Giles protest. "Before you start telling me she can't haven't, you should know, she's not like any vampire I have ever met before. She's strong, and powerful. She threw me across the room without even touching me." He paused. "She's responsible for what happened to the base."

Giles looked up, shocked. He had received a phone call during the night, telling him that the Initiative's base had been destroyed. It was now nothing more than a pile of ruble. All of their work, demolished. The demons they had captured, all dead. Nothing was left. It had been a shock, but they believed they could rebuild. But if what Riley was saying was true, that might be a tad more difficult, although not impossible.

"Look, I don't know why she has come back after all this time. Why she's willing to destroy an entire town to shut us down, I only know that she's willing to do it. I have no doubt that she will destroy everything in this town, and I for one, do not want to be around if and when it comes to that."

Giles nodded. He didn't believe that it would come to that, but he could understand Buffy's reason for leaving. They had a family to protect. "Okay. Take care of yourself." He shook Riley's hand and then returned to his car. He needed to talk to Maggie. He hadn't said anything to Riley, but he feared he knew why it was so important to Willow to destroy the Initiative, and they were too close to let that happen.

*****

Buffy took a deep breath as she knocked on the heavy door. She knew it was dangerous to come here, especially after having seen the hate in Willow's eyes. But, she needed to speak with Angel. There was so much she didn't understand. Why He was here, apparently helping Willow to do whatever she had come home to do. Why Angel and Cordelia seemed to be so close. Had he known all these years what had happened to Willow? She didn't want to believe that was the case, but what else was she supposed to think?

She heard the door unlatch and braced herself for whoever would be on the other side. Buffy sucked in a deep breath at the site that greeted her. IT was a woman. Buffy's slayer sense told her that she was a vampire, which didn't surprise her considering where she was. The woman had dark hair, and violet eyes. She was eyeing Buffy curiously.

"I'm…" Buffy started but was cut off.

"The Slayer. Yes I know. You've come to speak with Grandfather." Rhianna stepped aside, letting the Slayer enter.

Buffy looked around the large house. When she had come before she was so surprised to see Angel and Cordelia there that she hadn't taken a good look at it. She turned to the vampire. "Who are you? Another or Willow's 'creations'?" Buffy spoke with distaste at what her friend had become.

Rhianna smiled, her eyes sparkling. "I am the creation." She laughed.

Buffy didn't know what to make of the vampire, and didn't want to spend an overabundance of time analyzing her. "Is Angel here?"

"What do you want?" Cordelia asked harshly as she came down the stairs. She could feel her as soon as she had entered the house.

"Cordy." Buffy smiled. "Is Angel here?"

Rhianna looked at Cordelia and smiled. Cordelia nodded slightly, telling the vampire it was okay to go get Angel.

"You don't belong here." Cordelia told her as she stepped closer.

Buffy looked at her strangely. She was getting some strange vibes off of her. "What is with you? You're not a vampire. But you're not human either."

Cordelia snorted. "What was your first clue? Look Buffy, I don't know why you're here, what you hope to accomplish, but whatever you and he shared, its in the past."

"My relationship with Angel doesn't concern you." Buffy told her, not caring that she sounded like a child. She hadn't come here in an attempt to regain anything she had with Angel, but Cordelia's attitude was pissing her off.

"That's where you're wrong." Angel spoke from behind her. Buffy spun around as Angel continued. "Everything I am concerns her." HE walked passed Buffy to Cordelia and pulled her into his arms. He gave her a kiss and whispered in her ear. "I'll take care of this."

Cordelia nodded and left the room. She wasn't concerned. She only hoped Spike and Willow didn't come downstairs while Buffy was here. Despite the changes their lives had taken, Cordelia had no desire to see the Slayer killed, but she knew that was exactly what would happen if she pushed Willow too far. She was already lucky that she had been given a choice. If it had been anyone else, she would have killed them on sight.

After Cordelia left, Buffy turned to face Angel. "How long?" She asked, needing to know the truth.

Angel didn't pretend to misunderstand her. "Nine years."

Buffy looked shocked. "This whole time? You've known all along that she was a vampire? And you never told us?"

"What would you have me tell you? That your friend was a vampire? A killer? That's she's left a trail of corpses across Europe to rival that of Angelus? Do you really think you were ready to here that?"

Buffy shook her head, not wanted to believe his words. "We could have… I don't know... we could have helped her. Cursed her."

Angel shook his head. "And who would that have helped? You? Certainly not her! You can't even begin to comprehend the pain of guilt. I would sooner see her staked or left out for the morning sunrise than put her through that!"

Buffy looked up into his eyes. "I don't know you anymore." She said sadly.

"No you don't, Buffy." He took a deep calming breath. "What happened to you? Do you even remember what it's like to be a Slayer?"

"I am a Slayer. I'm the slayer!" She snapped.

"No, Faith is the Slayer. You're just a girl who forgot what it was like to fight the evil that surrounds her. You gave up. You allowed the evil to corrupt you." HE spoke sadly.

Buffy was about to deny what he said, when some of his words caught her attention. "What do you mean? What evil?"

Angel ran a hand through his hair. "The Initiative, Buffy. Do you even know what it is they did in that lab? Do you know what they were planning on doing? Do you even care?"

Buffy was confused. "They do research. That's all."

"No, Slayer, that's not all. They torture us. Test us. Study us. They wish to know what it is that makes us strong." Spike's voice was mocking as he entered the room.

"They planned on opening the Hellmouth. Did you know that? They want to enslave us. To make us their servants." Willow hissed as she joined her mate.

Buffy shook her head. "No, that's not true."

Spike snorted. "You have a death wish, Slayer? I'd be more than happy to fulfill it." He smirked at the horrified look that crossed her features.

Buffy couldn't believe what they were saying. They were lying. They had to be. She ran out of the house, into the sunlight, where she knew they couldn't follow.

*****

Willow turned to Spike after the Slayer had fled. "Think she'll cause a problem?"

"We should have killed her. It's been awhile sense I've tasted a Slayer's blood."

Willow laughed, her green eyes showing a trace of humor. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure if you were really nice, Faith would give you a little nip."

Spike laughed. "Yeah, right before her boy doused me in holy water."

Willow laughed with him. "Now, now, you should know better than to sneak up on Wesley."

Angel chuckled at the fond memory, and then grew serious. "Do you think they'll stay, and fight?"

"Not Buffy, but Giles, he'll stay." Xander told them confidently as he joined the small group. "If anyone knows what's been going on in that lab, it's him. They won't want to lose their access to the Hellmouth." He turned to Willow. "I think we're still better off with your first plan."

Willow nodded. She had told Xander all about what they were trying to accomplish. "We should rest. We have much to do tonight. Whoever hasn't left by sunrise, won't be getting out alive."

****

***V

Giles paced around his apartment frantically. Buffy had come storming into his house earlier that day demanding to know what was going on. She wanted him to tell her that what she had been told wasn't true. He had opted on denial, however, Buffy wasn't stupid. She had raged at him. Asking how he could even entertain the idea of opening the Hellmouth. T hey very thought was terrifying. Giles couldn't explain his reason's to her. He wasn't even sure what they were anymore. He only knew that this was what they had been trying to accomplish for nearly fours, and now that it was so close, they couldn't give up.

Buffy had left, telling him that she hoped he made it out alive, but she wasn't going to hold her breath.

That had been nearly seven hours ago, and he was certain that the Finn's had left town. Graham had left as well. He didn't agree with them either. Giles wondered if they would be able to pull it off. Their numbers had severely dwindled, and their research destroyed.

But as long as either he or Maggie survived, it could be salvaged. He turned to the setting sun, knowing that time was running out. He grabbed his bag of supplies and headed out the door, towards the old school. That was where it would all happen.

****

Spike pulled Willow aside. "Baby, be careful. I don't fancy having to find another mate."

Willow growled. "Make sure that Melanie and Xander do what's necessary. If the town isn't destroyed, they'll have to take control. But only if they can handle it."

"IF they can't… they're dust." Spike assured her.

Willow climbed his lips in a fierce kiss, expressing all of her emotions in that one moment.

"Mother, we must go. The watcher. He draws nearer." Rhianna broke Willow and Spike apart.

Willow nodded. "Then he dies."

Spike watched his mate and her childe leave the house and turned towards Christian. "Follow them. If anything happens…" He let the threat hang.

Christian ran out of the house knowing his unlife wouldn't be worth anything if the mistress and Rhianna did survive.

*****

Giles set his supplies out and looked at his watch hastily. Maggie should have been there by now. He hoped nothing had happened to her. He sat himself in the middle of the circle and began to light the candles, chanting softly as he did so.

He felt a burst of wind pick up and new it was almost time. HE could feel the energy surrounding him. Tonight, they would control the evil forces surrounding them. Tonight they would wield the power.

*****

Maggie Walsh had forgotten something at the house and decided to run back and get it. Odds were that the vampires would have already gone to the school, in their pathetic attempt to stop what they were doing. She wasn't worried. They had kept the vampire population down in Sunnydale for nearly ten years. They could handle whatever these new vamps could throw at them.

She was so arrogant in her assumptions she didn't even see her attacker until her feet were knocked out from under her. She felt her head hit the pavement on her porch. Opening her eyes, she looked up into the golden eyes of a vampire she had never seen.

"You killed my mate!" Melanie snarled just before she ripped out professor Walsh's throat.

*****

The silent night was pierced with the screams of the dead and dying. Spike reveled in the terror. He could feel the fear. Some people begged for their lives, others just accepted their fate. Those were the ones he admired. Mortals who knew what death was, and didn't cry. They were the ones he would miss.

He heard a scream off to his left and turned. Xander had had one of the soldier boys up against the wall. He had fed off of him, Spike noticed, but not enough to kill. The man was crying, begging for his life like a Nancy boy. Spike chuckled as Xander thrust a knife deep into his chest and let the body fall.

He never would have guessed it, but Willow made the right decision when she embraced Xander. He would do well with Melanie. Willow had already told him that if they were successful tonight, Xander would be chosen to stay behind with the young vampiress. He would be an ideal mate for the girl. Having lived on the Hellmouth his entire mortal existence would give him an insight the others lacked.

He watched as the town burned around him. Not everything. Willow hadn't wanted the entire town destroyed unless absolutely necessary. S he knew that even once the Hellmouth was permanently closed, Sunnydale would still call to the demons of the world. The town would still require a Master, but their lives were elsewhere. They had too much to do to waste eternity stuck in this small town.
 

Spike felt a sharp pain pierce his gut as he sank to the ground. Willow was in trouble, he could feel it. He ran towards the high school, trying to drive away his fear.

*****

Rhianna felt the power circling. She could sense the evil. It was threatening to erupt. There was a blinding light just as they approached the old library. Willow stopped.

"It's too late." Rhianna whispered.

"NO!" Willow screamed. "We cannot fail!" She burst into the library and lunged towards the creature, which was only partially out of the whole in the floor. Its face was grotesque and covered in slimy tentacles. Willow reached out with her mind, searching its for a weak spot. Something that would allow her to defeat it.

After several long seconds, Willow found the creatures weakness. She pushed it down, onto the floor, covering it's mass with her body. Her eyes searched for the soft patch of tissue. Finding it, Willow slammed her fist into the bubble above one eye. The creature wailed in pain and then shriveled to nothingness underneath her. Willow felt her body hit the hard flooring.

She turned towards the circle. Giles was frozen in place, attempting to gather the strength to continue his chant. He was failing miserably. She turned towards Rhianna and smiled when she saw her daughter glowing a golden hue as she began the chant, which would close the Hellmouth for good.

Willow entered Giles circle and stared disgustedly at him. "Did you really think I would allow you to do this? Did you believe, even for one second, that you could control that which lives below?"

She stepped closer to him, concentrating on the angry look in his eyes. So much had changed. He was not the man she knew. People did change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Willow turned around, completely missing the knife Giles held, until he thrust it into her back. The blade was still, and while it cut her deeply, the damage wasn't life threatening. It hurt though. Immensely. She took a ragged breath although it wasn't necessary.

Falling forward, into the circle, Willow nearly landed on top of Giles. It was to her good fortune, and his bad luck, that her landing placed her incredibly close to his jugular. Without a second thought, Willow sunk her fangs into his neck, drain him dry.

It was a strange form of irony that the man who had once been her mentor, who later attempted to kill her, had ended up feeding her blood she would need to heal her wounds, allowing her to fulfill a destiny he had tried to thwart.

As she shoved his body out from under her, Willow attempted to sit up and center herself. As her strength returned, she found herself engulfed in Rhianna's power. Together they chanted, closing the Hellmouth.

They felt it the second the vortex had closed. Rhianna continued to chant, as her energy wavered. Willow picked up where her daughter had weakened. S he could feel the power coursing through her veins, as she started the ritual, which would keep the vortex, closed for good.

******

**** Christian entered the building, with a sinking feeling. He had felt the tremors in the ground. He knew that whatever was going to happen, was going to happen soon. He had barely made it to the where the library was, when his saw a large flash of light, following by a large boom. He felt the room crumbling around him. He fell to his knees slipping on a plank of charred wood. He felt a sliver break off of the wood and enter through his back. He knew he was going to die. Christian's last thoughts before turning to dust were hoping that the Mistress was all right.

*****

Spike saw the explosion and the building collapse. His fear was palpable before he realized that she wasn't dead, at least not any deader than usual. He could still feel her.

Once the building seemed to stop crumbling around him, Spike entered, searching through the mess.

"Red!" He called.

"In here." Rhianna called out, hearing Spike.

Spike entered what had once been a classroom of some sort. Rhianna had lay Willow across several of the broken desks. She had lost consciousness, but aside from a few gashes and maybe a couple of broken bones, she was all right. Spike lifted her into his arms.

"Come on, let's go." He told Rhianna as he started walked out of the room. When he noticed Rhianna hadn't followed him, Spike turned around.

"No." She choked out, blood spilling from her lips. "Tell mother that… I love her." She rasped her violet eyes bloodshot from the pain and tears.

"No!" Spike shook his head as he approached her.

Before he could protest further, Rhianna slumped to the ground, covered in debris, she picked up a shard of wood, which Spike guessed had once been a desk leg. She reached put a hand to touch Willow's forehead. Spike saw a blue glow surround the two vampires. It was blinding. When the light died down, Spike stared at what had once been Willow's favorite childe, and was met with a pile of ash.

*****

Cordelia opened her eyes and found herself amongst the oracles once more. She groaned and turned around, but was surprised to see that she was not alone. Rhianna stood there. She looked like a ghost, a hollow shell of what she had once been.

"Rhianna?" the seer asked, confused. She had never seen anyone else in the dream plane.

"Delia. I have come to tell you that you have done well. You and Grandfather have made the right choice. You stood with Mother, despite what we are. What we will continue to be."

"You've died?" Cordelia asked with Sadness. Of all of Spike and willow's childer, she liked Rhianna the best.

"Yes, but don't fret. Mother retains all that I was. Just as I retained Drusilla's power, mother contains mine." She spoke softly as she began to fade.

"Wait! Don't go!" Cordelia begged.

"The circle has been completed. Their destinies fulfilled. The evil of man has been stopped… today. You're fight will continue, as will theirs." Rhianna faded away, leaving Cordelia alone.

She spun around the empty chamber, feeling utterly lost.

*****

Willow awoke to a blinding pain in her chest. Something she was not accustomed to feeling. She opened her eyes, searching for her mate. Spike was standing over her, concern in her blue eyes.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"New York." He told her.

"We were successful." Willow stated as her mind searched through all of her new information. She sat up and looked around the familiar room. "Angel and Cordelia? They are well?"

Spike nodded. Every one is fine. Except…"

"Rhianna, yes I know." S he smiled. "She will be with us always."

Spike stared at her strangely for a second. He wasn't expecting her to be so calm about Rhianna's death. "Something's changed."

Willow smiled wickedly. "Yes, pet, it ahs. Tell me about Venice. You brought Dru a child? A tasty one."

Spike looked at his mate and laughed. They never spoke about his time with Dru. It wasn't so much that it was avoided, but they had never had the need. Hearing her speak about something she couldn't possibly have known made Spike realize what had happened. Rhianna had transferred all of her power, her very life energy to Willow.

He didn't know if it would change her, but he couldn't wait to find out.

*****

Melanie looked out over the town. She could still smell the smoke in the air. Many had died. But many had lived, and now it was up to her to prove she was worthy of the faith her mother had had in her.

"Are you ready?" Xander asked from behind her.

She turned and smiled. "Yes. I think its time I got acquainted with this town of yours."

She held out her hand. Xander took it and guided her through the streets. It would take awhile before Sunnydale was back to a semblance of what it had once been, but he had confidence that it would be, one day. And after all they had an eternity.

*****

The End.

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