Willow was frustrated as hell.  She had just spent the last hour on the net and hadn't found a damned thing.  But then again, she didn't have much to
work with as of yet.  Blessed Three and flaming earth weren't giving her the answers she needed.  Just for the heck of it she typed Dragonetti into the
search engine.  When the single match came into view she clicked on it and was taken to a simple web page.  Dragonetti.com.  The only contents of the
page were a place for a username and password.  Other than that, it was all blank space.  'Great.  Password protected.'  For any other research assignment, she would just start hacking her way in, but she held back. 'Amalia can probably get in, anyway.  Besides, I don't want to do anything that resembles spying on her family.  No matter how curious I am about them.' With a sigh she logged off and shut her laptop down.  'I'm gonna have to call Giles.  Eep.  I'm gonna have to tell Giles I had sex with Spike.  Better not tell him that I liked it.  Oh, Goddesses help me.'  Willow shook her head and reached for the phone so she could check on her lovers.

~*~*~*~*~

    Amalia breathlessly finished up her shower.  'Damn.  If fantasies can make me come like that, I can only wonder what having him inside me would
feel like.'  She smirked to herself.  'Patience.  He'll be yours.  And Willow's........and you'll all have each other.'  Her smirk becoming a smile, she stepped out of the shower stall and wrapped a towel about her wet form. She headed down the hall to her bedroom.  When she came to her doorway she stopped and stared at the sight before her.  Spike lay on the bed; naked as the day he was born, dead to the world, a scrap of cloth in his grasp. Amalia automatically placed the scrap as her murdered undies.  Her awe of his beauty dissipated, replaced by the horror of her favorite underwear in the vamp's death grip.
'Perv.  I can only guess what he was doing with those.'

    "I really liked those panties," she muttered as she entered the room.

    "So did I, pet," he replied, his eyes still closed.

     Before Amalia could supply a witty retort, the phone rang.  She raced to the next room to answer it, hoping that it was Willow with some news.

    "Summers residence, Amalia speaking."

    "Amalia, it's Willow."

    "What's up, Will?  Find anything?"

    The witch sighed.  "Nothing.  Not a damn thing."

    "Buck up, little camper," Amalia replied. "We'll find something soon."  A little voice inside her head screamed for her to tell Willow about the Scroll, but another argued to tell the redhead in person.  The latter voice won out.  Amalia wanted Willow close.  And when they found out what the hell was going on, she wanted the three of them together.  "Why don't you come back over."  She took a look at the clock.  The time read 4:08.  'Damn.  I had no idea it was that late.'  "I'd feel better if you came back far before sunset, or I can come get you--"

    Willow cut her off.  "I'll be fine, Malia.  I'll head out right now. Damn it," she swore. "I still have to go to Willy's for Spike."

    "What's at Willy's?"

    "Blood."

    "Oh, yeah.  We might want to make sure he gets that. Will, I'm going to come get you. And I don't want to hear any arguing," she stated before the
redhead could object. "How do I get there?"

    Willow backed down and gave Amalia the directions to her house.  Once the older woman was clear on how to get there, they hung up, Amalia promising to be there in ten minutes.

    Amalia returned to her room.  Spike had put his trousers back on and was sitting up against the headboard.

    "What's up, pet?"

    "I'm going to get Willow and we're going Willy's to get you some liquid refreshment," she replied as she pulled a pair of worn jeans and a black tee shirt on.  "We'll be back soon.  And when we do return I'm going to call my father, we're going to find out what's up with this damned Scroll, and I plan on going out and getting plastered."  She smiled sweetly at the vampire. "Sound like fun?"

    Spike shook his head at her, but couldn't help grinning.  "A woman after my own heart.  Bring back some smokes while you're out?"

    "Sure thing, Blondie."  Amalia walked over to him and planted a kiss on his forehead.  "Stay out of trouble, please.  And no more tossing off with my
panties.  Unless I'm there to watch," she added with a grin.

~*~*~*~*~*~

    Amalia was at Willow's front door just before her allotted ten minutes were up.  Just as she raised a fist to rap on the door, it opened, Willow's smiling face peeking from out behind it.

    "Come in, Malia."

    She entered and gazed at the living room.  It was very neat and orderly, tastefully decorated, but not homey.  There was no mark of Willow, nothing
that said a family lived there.  No family photos, no pictures of the child she once was, no graduation pictures.  Willow saw her analyzing the surroundings and smiled feebly.

    "No one's here much," the witch began.  "My parents are professors. They're often gone on lecture tours.  I probably won't see them until the start of the next semester."

    Amalia couldn't help but notice the note of sorrow that crept into her lovers voice.  'How could anyone leave her alone?' she wondered.  'Her parents, her friends.  I'm beginning to wonder if they even deserve her.' She shook her head and smiled at Willow.  "No sadness, Will.  Tonight is all about fun, well, once I beat some answers out of my dad and we get Spike some grub.  Okay?"  Willow couldn't stop herself from returning Amalia's smile.

   "Sounds great.  Let me just grab some clothes to wear tonight."  The redhead was dressed similarly to her friend, in jeans and a tee shirt.  Not really partying apparel.

    "Not necessary.  I've got some clothes you can borrow."

    Willow looked at Amalia in doubt.  "I don't know if you noticed, but we're not exactly the same size."  She punctuated her point by looking from her bosom to Amalia's somewhat larger one.  "And that's not the only difference."

    Amalia shook her head at the witch and chuckled.  "I know that, Willow. I've become kinda familiar with your body.  They're older clothes that I brought back from Italy as a peace offering for Buffy.  I was once rather waiflike."  Amalia wiped at her eyes in faux teariness.  "Those were the days.  Of course they were over once my grandmother met me and made it her job to fatten me up."

    Willow grinned rather slyly.  "I like the current you.  All woman."

   "Compliments will get you everywhere, Red.  But we'd better get Spike fed.  Then we can chat about how foxy I am."

    "Sure thing.  Don't want Spike to get all cranky.  Bloodlust does not a friendly vampire make."

~*~*~*~

    'What is this place?" Amalia asked as she pulled into the empty parking lot.

    "Willy's Place.  The most popular demon hangout in town.  Not really a safe haven, since fights break out all the time.  Buffy's caused a lot of those fights.  While beating up the bartender," she added with a slight smile.  Willy the Snitch, a lot of people call him.  He knows what goes on in the demon side of Sunnydale.  I've only been in here a couple of times to get blood for Spike.  It's easier than going to the butcher shop.  No weird looks and no questions."

    "Why do we have to get blood for Spike?" Amalia finally queried.  She had been pondering the issue off and on, wanting to ask tactfully.  "I mean, vampire.  Doesn't he hunt for his food?  Not that I want him to off anyone on a nightly stroll, but that is the natural order of things."  It finally occurred to her that she knew nothing about the vampire that she was so attracted to.

    Willow looked at Amalia a bit sadly before opening her car door.  "Spike doesn't hunt anymore.  He can't.  Let's get this over with and once we get back to him we can tell you the whole story."  The dark haired woman nodded and followed her to the bar's entrance.

    Willow and Amalia entered the dingy bar to find it empty, save for the bartender.  He looked up from the glasses he had been drying when he heard the door open.  'Great.  A pal of the slayer's.  Every time one of that bunch shows I'm in for a beating.  Grin and bear it Willy.  It's all part of the job.'

    "Ladies," the barkeep greeted.  "What can I get for you?"

    "Two pints of your finest, Willy, please," Willow requested.

    "That it?"  'Normally it's information.'  "What can I get your friend here?"

    Amalia smiled at the man.  "Nothing, sir.  Just Willow's order."

    Willy went to the cooler behind the bar.  "New in town?  Never seen you before."

    "Yeah.  Just arrived"

    How Willy came to the conclusion he did on so little information, he didn't know.  He did know that something struck him odd about the chick with the slayer's redhead.  The way she held herself was almost regal, the fact that she didn't treat him like a stoolie bartender.  That she was hanging out with the slayer's best friend while she placed an order for blood. Her vibe just seemed to fit.  He did know that one of Them was coming to the Hellmouth.  A woman.  The bartender poured the O+ into the containers and turned back to the girls.  He bagged the order and put it on the bar, his smile gone.

    "I don't want any trouble, ladies,' he stated firmly.  "I don't know what's going on, I don't know why she's" he gestured to Amalia, "here, but I don't want anything to do with it."

    "What the hell are you talking about, Willy," Willow demanded.  "We're just getting Spike's dinner."

    He shook his head violently.  "Too much info, doll.  A Dragonetti, Spike, and the Slayer's best pal together.  I don't wanna know anything else."

    Amalia reached over the bar and grabbed him by the collar.  "How do you know who I am?" she asked in a low, deadly voice.

    Willy met her steely gaze without flinching.  "Word travels fast on the Hellmouth, doll.  I knew that one of you was coming this way.  I just happened to guess that it was you."

    "You don't intend to tell anyone else that you know who the Dragonetti is, do you?"

    "Hell, no.  I want no part of that," he answered honestly.  "But let me tell you that a lot of demons would love to get their hands on one of you. They'd love the hero worship they'd get."

    Amalia let gently let him go and took her wallet out of her pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out two hundred dollar bills and handed them to Willy.  "Just forget you saw me, okay?"

    He took the money and nodded.  "Be careful, you two.  And don't forget Blondie's dinner."

~*~*~*~

    Willow and Amalia walked to the car in silence.  It was broken as Amalia lit herself a cigarette.  "You really shouldn't smoke, Malia," the witch stated seriously.  Amalia took a drag from the nicotine laden item and smirked at her.

    "Red, I'm prophetically linked to two people I haven't even known for 24 hours and I've run the risk of every demon on the Hellmouth knowing who I am.
Smoking, the least of my worries.  But thanks for the concern."

    Quiet reigned on the drive home.  Upon arrival, they found Spike in the living room channel surfing.

    "'Bout time the two of you came back.  I'm bloody ravenous."  Amalia wordlessly held the package of blood out to him, her distress clearly written on her face.  "Aw, hell, what's wrong," he asked with true concern as he took the bag from her.

    "I'm sorry.  I forgot the smokes, Spike," she whispered.  Spike gazed at her warily.

    "Kitten, that's okay.  Is that all that's bothering you?"

    "Willy knows that she's Dragonetti," Willow stated quietly when Amalia didn't answer.

    "Guess it's time to call Dad for instructions," Amalia said, all distress gone in an instant.  It had been replaced by a stiff, businesslike manner that disturbed Willow.  She'd rather see her friend upset rather than ignoring her emotions.  Repression was no cure for fear or anger.  Amalia slipped upstairs, leaving Willow and Spike to stare at each other.

    "Did you just notice that?" Willow whispered.  Spike cocked an eyebrow at her.

    "Oh, ya mean the way she just turned off her feelings like a faucet? Yeah.  I saw.  And I don't like it."  'Nor do I care for any of the crazy behavioral quirks she's been having.'

    Before they could further discuss her behavioral issues, she skipped down the stairs with a cell phone and a notebook in her hand.  "My direct link with my father, no matter where he is or where I am.  He likes me to stay in touch when I'm working.  Which apparently I am now."  She flopped down on the couch and opened the notebook before dialing.  "If you'll excuse me for a bit, guys."  Her companions silently sat down, wanting to be near when she found out what the hell was going on.

    With her fingers poised above the cell phone keypad, Amalia looked up at Spike with curiosity in her eyes.  "Oh, and before I forget, why _are_ we
feeding you, Spike?"
 

(Part 16)

    Spike's curiosity turned to shock as she asked him, a pen in her hand, ready to write his story.

    "What--?!" he exclaimed, rage apparent in his eyes, the blue turning gold.

    Willow put a comforting hand on his arm.  "She realized that you weren't feeding, the, um, the normal way, Spike."

    "So she's gonna tell Daddy about the freak vampire who can't even take care of himself, eh?  It may be business to you, pet, but this is my unlife that's been fucked with."  The vampire stood and stomped upstairs, a door slamming behind him.  The feeling retuned to Amalia's eyes with his outburst. She was stricken, having just realized that she had tuned them out, let her unaffected business persona fall into place.

    "I didn't mean to be insensitive, really, I didn't," she insisted to Willow.  "I just needed to know, I have to tell Dad everything that happened here if he's going to help.  And if I run the risk of the demons of the Hellmouth knowing who I am, then I damn well need his help."  Willow went to Amalia and took her hand.

    "I know, Malia.  Spike's just rather sensitive about his situation.  Just after Buffy and I began our first year at UC Sunnydale, Spike was abducted by
a government group known as the Initiative.  They were devoted to research of the Hellmouthy kind."

    "They experimented on demons, " Amalia breathed.  Willow nodded.

    "Yeah.  Good or bad demons, they didn't care.  They killed, tortured, and altered as many as they could get their hands on."

    "Altered?" the older woman gasped.

    "Yes.  Spike was one of the ones who had been altered.  They implanted a computer chip in his brain that makes it impossible for him to harm humans.
To do so causes him excruciating pain, so painful that it could possibly cause even more harm to him if he were to kill."

    "It could kill him?"

    The witch shrugged.  "It's a possibility.  At this point anything is."

    "But why does he kill vampires?  His kindred should be helping him, not attacking him."

    "He had a falling out with the local vamps before this.  He had no idea who to turn to.  We--Buffy, her watcher, and the rest of the slayerettes, had
made truces with him before, so he came to us.  We took him in, in turn for info on the Initiative.  The only way he can get a decent bit of violence is
to kill demons, so we've had a tentative relationship until he joined up with an Initiative project gone wrong and almost had us killed.  At the last minute he saved our lives and we've been ignoring each other ever since." Willow shook her head and grinned.  "William the Bloody and the Slayer, very reluctant allies."  Amalia's jaw dropped to the floor as she stared at Willow.

    "Did you--" she grabbed the redhead's arm, "did you say William the Bloody?  The pissed off vampire upstairs is William the Bloody.  Dear Lord."

    "Breathe, Malia, breathe," Willow pleaded as her lover went a whiter shade of pale.  Amalia struggle to take in some deep breaths as Willow held her hand.  "I'm sorry, I didn't even realize that you would know his other name."

    "William the Bloody, childe of Angelus, the one of angelic face, who is the childe of Darla, dear one and childe of the Master of the Order of Aurelius."  She looked at Willow sadly.  "I can quote their real names, the dates when they were turned, favorite methods of torture, you name it, I probably know it.  Most of my vampire lore tutoring had to do with the Order. Our raison d'être, really."

    "Your reason to be," Willow repeated softly.  "Well, part of your reason to be is sulking upstairs while we have work to do.  He may be William the
Bloody, Amalia, but right now he's as freaked as the two of us.  He's defenseless and you getting all businesslike is especially scary for him."

    Amalia nodded and stood.  "Better apologize."  She smiled at the witch. "I can see that Spike was right about you.  You have a good mind, Willow.  A
good heart."

~*~*~

    Spike had retreated to the bedroom instead of tell Amalia his neutering story.  'Let Red tell her.  She doesn't have to live it every day.  Stuck, playing lapdog for the slayer.  Stuck, not a minion or fledgling to exert my authority over.  Living in a crypt, praying for sundown each night so I can find demons to rough up.'  "How fucking pathetic can I get?" he roared.

    "You aren't pathetic, William."

    The vampire whirled around at the voicing of his given name.  Amalia stood in the doorway, her gaze full of sorrow.  She entered the room and took
one of his hands in hers.

    "Red told you everything then, eh?" he asked softly.  'Great.  Now she knows I'm from the Order.  She probably has orders to kill all of us on sight
'cause the fucking Master had to go and kill one of her relations.'

    "Yeah.  The Initiative, they did a horrible thing.  No one, nothing should have their defenses taken away."

    He took his free hand and stroked her cheek lovingly.  "Even a plundering demon such as myself?  You know what I've done, kitten, don't you?"

    "I know.  Half of the Scourge of Europe, offed two slayers.  Had a run-in with some of my family a while back.  You and your sire were lucky to get away, so I was told."  She kissed his hand as it traced her lips.  "And yes, I still hold that it would have been more human to stake you out in the sun than to keep you impaired."  ' I can't imagine killing him...........I know he's a demon, I've been paid to take vamps out for the last four years.  But, Gods, he's so tender, has so much depth.  And would kill my cousin at the drop of a hat if circumstances were different.  Who ever thought that one of the world's most vicious vampires would be my lover, prophesized to be my lover.......'

    "Impaired," he repeated bitterly, breaking into her thoughts.  "That I am.  And will remain until I get sick of it all and dust myself."

    "None of that, Blondie.  Now you've got us.  Three misfits out to save the world."

    "Saving the world.  Again.  At least this time it's not with the Slayer," he complained.  "Let's call your father and get that over with.  I want to get to the piss drunk portion of our evening."  Spike reclaimed his hands once he placed a kiss on hers and moved to the door.

    "I'm sorry," she whispered

    He spun around in surprise.  "For what, luv?"

    "For being so blase about your feeding habits, for getting all detached. It's what we do, though," she explained, her voice pleading for him to understand.  "It's how we get through our work.  We tune out the feelings."

    Spike flashed a smile at her.  'Poor girl.  They've made her into a machine.  And now she has to work with people she cares for.'  "All is forgiven, pet.  Come on."  He held his hand to her.  "Time to call Daddy." Amalia returned his smile and took his proffered hand.  They descended the stairs and saw sitting patiently on the couch.  Once she felt them enter the room, she turned her head to them, hoping to survey the damage, if any, of their conversation.

    "All's well, Red," Spike announced, having seen her peep at them.  Willow smiled brightly at the two.

    "Good.  Can't have two-thirds of us at odds.  'Cause that just leaves me and I'd rather not be alone in this, or stuck in the middle."

    "No need to worry, Will," Amalia stated.  "We're together, in whatever madness this is."

~*~*~*~

    Amalia took a deep breath and dialed a number well worn into her memory. 'Calm, Malia.  Be calm.  Gonna talk to Dad, he's gonna make it all better.'
She continued her silent pep talk as the phone began to ring.  Four rings came and went before a deep, male voice with a gentle accent answered.

    "Gabriel Dragonetti speaking."

    "Good day, Papa," she greeted enthusiastically, enough for her companions to look at her oddly.  "How are you?"

    "Amalia Lucia, hello!  I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon.  You arrived at your aunt's home safely, eh?"

    "Indeed, Papa.  I arrived last night.  I even made some new friends."
 

(Part 17)

    "Friends already, dear?  That is wonderful.  Are they acquaintances of Buffy?"

    "Yes, Papa, they are.  Her best friend and a gentleman she knows." Willow choked back a chuckle at the use of the word gentleman causing the vamp to glare at her.  "It's odd, but I feel very connected to them," she stated.  "VERY connected."

    "Stop playing games, Malia," Spike growled.  "Just find out what's going on."

    "I'm thrilled to hear that, daughter.  It sounds as if you made a good choice in returning to California.  I am very happy for you.  And soon you'll see your family, indeed a very good choice you made."

    "I'd agree with you, Papa, but it wasn't my choice."

    "You've lost me, Amalia.  What do you mean?"

    "I had no choice in the matter, Papa.  It was written.  You know that," she stated gently.

    There was silence on the other line as Gabriel sat in shock.  'It's begun,' he thought in a panic.  'My little girl's quest has begun.'  "It has been written," he concurred.  "These two, they are....."

    "Two-thirds of the Blessed Three, the ones to aid the Chosen Warrior of the Powers That Be," she supplied.  "Why didn't you tell me, Papa?" she
queried sadly.  "Why didn't you tell me Buffy was the slayer?  Why didn't you tell me what my place was?  I come to this place after having been gone since
Mom passed to find myself linked to two strangers, to be told in a dream that I am to save the world, to have Mom tell me that you knew since I was born."

    "Your mother?" Gabriel whispered.  "How?"

    "I dreamt about her, Papa.  She was chosen to tell me of my task. She came to me in my dream the night after I met Willow and Spike, and we, um
bonded."  Amalia turned red, due to the utter embarrassment of her father knowing ANYTHING about her sex life.  Sadly, due to this situation, he would.

    "Bonded?"

    "Er, we, um...we," she paused and took a deep breath.  "Do I really have to tell you this?  I mean, can't you just trust that the three of us are stuck together?"

    "Stuck?!"

    "Calm down, Papa.  Not literally."

    "Oh," he sighed, the relief evident in his voice.  "Just to be safe, you need to tell me what happened.  Feel free to keep the scarring details to yourself, but I will need to know the basics."

    So she told him.  About meeting Willow, running into Spike, and the feeling of completeness they all felt at their first meeting.  She told her father about Spike biting Willow and sharing her blood with Amalia.  He was also told about Spike biting his daughter and sharing Amalia's blood with Willow.  And after a deep breath, she told him that she had been about to make love to Spike, but a voice in her head had made her stop.

    "I am to give myself, my body, to the Chosen, Papa," she whispered.  "And
 

(Part 18)

    "Dear God!"

    Angel, Gunn, and Cordelia were at Wesley's side the moment they heard his exclamation.  The watcher had spent the last week sitting at Cordelia's table
pouring over the Scroll of Aberjian, trying to find any scrap of information that would lead them to the source of Angel's impending mortality.

    "Did you find something, Wes?" Cordy asked from over his shoulder.

    Yes.  Finally he had found it.  The former watcher smiled brightly at his co-workers and pointed to a passage on the Scroll.  "Right here.  It's all right here."

    Angel looked at Wesley in shock.  "All of it?"

    Sheepishly, he shook his head.  "All right, maybe not all, but a myriad of information is contained in these few paragraphs."

    "Geez, Wes," Cordelia replied impatiently, "read it already.  You're the only one of us that knows whatever language or languages it's written in."

    The Englishman smiled wryly at her brazenness and began.

    "With the dawn of the second millennium the dark forces will rise, and in preparation the Blessed Three shall be united.  For the world will be at stake, and the underworld close to the surface.  When the walls separating the two are at their weakest, the rains will fall from the sky.  The heavens shall bleed with flame and the Beast shall rise, consuming all that is human. The Bloody Warrior, the Hand of the Goddess, and the Dark Virgin, Dark Flame shall come to the Chosen of the Powers That Be.  Only their union will stop the human world from falling to the ash and stop the Earth from being reborn as Hell.

    The Dark Flame is the tie that binds.  Only she can bind the Chosen, the Souled One.  Only she can bring her loves to the Chosen. With the act of
greatest trust, the Scourge shall never be again.  The Bloody and the Hand are bound to her in love and in blood, their loyalty to her and hers to the
Chosen.  Should her trust come to someone else, no hope is there for the Chosen.  His fight will be with both himself and the Dark Forces.  And her
power will go to he who takes her.  On the night when the moon is new, at its fullest, and the spirits closest to the mortal plane, her gift shall lose all allure.  She must be taken before that time by her dark one, insuring her innocence, power, and good for the Powers That Be.

    The Hand of the Goddess shall ground them, her purity and strength their lifeline.  The Bloody Warrior shall be their protector, their force to be
reckoned with.  He lives for his loves and would die for them.  While the Dark Flame belongs by the side of her Chosen, the two other Blessed fight with them, their loyalty ever much as imperative as the Flame's. Should they part before the destruction of the Beast, the four points broken, the Dark Side will take over."

    Wesley paused a moment before rolling the Scroll up and sheathing it in its case.  "That's all I can decipher for the time being.  The next passage is written in yet another language I've never encountered before.  I'll have to peruse the occult bookstores again this week.  Until then, I suggestwe try to pinpoint the exact meaning of what I just read you."

    "Well, duh," Cordelia snorted.  "Isn't it all self-explanatory?"  Angel finds the virgin, sleeps with her before Halloween of this year, gets his soul
anchored, and gets three new battle pals."

    The three men gaped at her.  She glared in return.  "I do happen to pay attention on occasion, fellas."
 

(Part 19)

    Gabriel, in his mind's eye, could see the tears about to fall from his Amalia's eyes due to the shakiness of her voice, the low volume at which she spoke.  His little one was scared out of her mind--bound to a man and woman she had only just met.  The family work now be damned, her new duty was to thwart the apocalypse.  She had every right to be frightened.  His regret was that there was nothing he could do for her.  Sure, he could help to locate the Scroll of Aberjian, translate it, and help the Three to find the Chosen One, but after that, it was their fight.  'I thought I had more time.'

  "I have a question, Amalia.  You say this Spike bit you and your, um, friend.  How did this come about?  Was it the moment, did you want him to--"

    "He's a vampire, Papa," she interrupted quietly.  "He bit us in the throes of passion."

    Gabriel's heart nearly stopped.  "A vampire, Amalia?" he queried.  "But that's not possible.  A vampire wouldn't be out to save the world."

    Amalia smirked to herself.  "This one would, Papa.  It's a long story, but let me tell you this--he can't harm humans.  Trust me on that.  Spike had even aided Buffy.  A few times."  The blonde vampire grimaced as his shame was made known to yet another person while Willow squeezed his hand.  She
direly wanted the conversation to be over so she could learn what Amalia's father had to say.  She also wanted to go out and have some fun before their
destiny kicked in and ruined their social life.  The witch was startled out of her thoughts as she heard Gabriel gasp from over the phone.

    "You did not mention that name Amalia Lucia!!" the Italian bellowed as his heart sank.  He knew that nickname.  It couldn't be all that common for a
vampire old and strong enough to stop Hell on Earth.  "It can't be him! William the Bloody will lay no hands on my daughter--"

    "Too late," Amalia chirped.  "It is him. My Bloody Warrior."

    "You have no idea what he is capable of, daughter.  You couldn't know and still be in the same room with him, let alone make love to him.  That demon
was half of the Scourge of Europe, Amalia.  He's butchered enough people to populate a small country.  The Powers That Be have made a mistake," he hissed

    "Papa, they are the Powers That Be.  They make no mistakes.  They just do.  They just are.  Spike has been chosen to be my Bloody Warrior, just as
Willow has been chosen to be the Right Hand of the Goddess."

    "The Slayer's best friend is a witch?" he asked contemptuously.  "The slayer, a witch, and a vampire," he snorted.  "And you want to know why I didn't want you to go to Sunnydale all these years?"

    "Enough, Papa," Amalia growled.  "This is getting us no where.  If need be I will tell you the ENTIRE story.  But not now.  Now is time to begin out search for the Scroll.  Please stay calm," she begged.  "If I ever needed you, it's now.  I have no idea where to begin, but I'm sure that you do, after all, you knew that this was going to happen."

    Gabriel knew that his daughter was right.  She needed him and it was no time to throw a fit because his didn't approve of the Powers That Be's decisions.  If Amalia thought she was safe with him, then she was.  For four years she had taken care of herself while on family assignments.  She could take care of herself now.

    "You are right, Amalia.  I shall begin right away in searching for the Scroll."

    "Thank you, Papa.  Tomorrow I will call you and then you can tell me all that you know about this predicament I'm in.  Now we need time to let this all sink in."

    Gabriel sighed in agreement.  "Yes, Amalia.  Tomorrow we shall speak calmly, rationally.  And you'll tell me everything that happened.  Once we survive this, we'll need therapy for the emotional scarring."

    Amalia couldn't help but giggle.  "Right, Papa.  I'll call tomorrow.  I love you."

    "And I love you, Amalia Lucia.  Be careful.  And don't expose yourself as one of us.  But you already know that."

    'Oh yeah.  Sure,' she thought.  'No prob.  Too bad it's too late for THAT.'  "Of course.  Good night, Papa."

    "Good night, daughter."

    Amalia turned her phone off and sunk into the couch
 

(Part 20)

Spike and Willow gazed at Amalia expectantly as she hung up with her father. Obviously, Gabriel wasn't fond of the idea that his daughter was bonded with
the vampire, but that was all they could glean from the conversation.

    "Well, pet," he drawled.  "How do you think that went?"

    Amalia slouched further into her seat and sighed.  "It kind of didn't.  I mean, he knows that I know my destiny and all that, but I got no details.  I don't think that he could bear to give me any right now.  I think that he expected it to happen at a later date.  Otherwise, he never would have let me come here alone."

    Her lovers looked at her expectantly and she smiled wryly at them.  "I really don't want to think about this anymore for the night," she stated softly instead of giving them any additional information.  "I just want to have a bit of the vacation I was supposed to have before this, O.K.?"

    "Of course," Willow acquiesced.  "Why don't you show me those clothes you were telling me about?"

    "Yeah, you two birds get ready for tonight while I have a spot of liquid refreshment."  The vampire kissed the two women gently before giving each a
loving swat on the behinds to get them moving.

~*~*~*~

    As soon as Amalia opened her trunks, the two were totally entranced in their current task:  finding an ensemble suitable for a night of partying. Willow was speechless.  All of the items laid out before them were so beautiful, so opulent.  Amalia's clothes were all so very lux--silks, satins, and velvets, all in shades of emerald, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, and onyx, all of the rich materials as brilliant as gem stones.

    "See anything you like, Willow?  The Stevie Nicks-ish stuff was my mom's. It's all held up well over the years."

    Willow nodded as she caressed a velvet skirt and looked up at her lover. "It's all so gorgeous, Amalia, but it's not, well, it's not........." she faltered under Malia's gaze.

    "It's not what, Hon?"

    The redhead smiled shyly and ducked her head.  "It's not me, Malia.  So elegant and beautiful.  I could never carry any of this off."

    Amalia shook her head disbelievingly.  "Willow, love," she replied gently, caressing her lover's cheek, making Willow look at her, "you are elegant.  And you are very beautiful.  For the last four years I've traveled, I've known, been with some of the most gorgeous women the world had to offer. None of them hold a candle to you."  Willow blushed and looked downward.

    "I couldn't possibly...."

    "Look at me, Willow," Amalia commanded gently.  "Look into these eyes. They're the eyes of someone who will never lie to you."  Willow couldn't help
but see the care and passion contained in her blue-grey orbs.

    "Thank you," the witch whispered before placing a gentle kiss on Amalia's lips.  Amalia deepened the kiss, biting gently on Willow's lower lip, tracing
it with her tongue until the redhead moaned, granting entrance to the sweet depths of her mouth.  Lovingly they explored the wet caverns of their mouths
until they desperately needed breath.  Amalia cradle Willow in her arms, stroking her flame colored hair.

    "No need for thanks.  Just pointing out the obvious," she grinned as her eyes traveled over the objects of clothing in her trunk.  In moments she had
just the ensemble.  After placing a kiss on Willow's forehead, she withdrew her arms from her lover and handed Willow the clothing.

    A pair of slim fitting black satin pants that flared slightly just above the ankle and a wine colored tank top with a square neckline and backless, with only three ribbons holding it together.

    Willow eyes went wide.  "I don't think I--" Amalia shut her up with a fierce kiss.

    "Don't think, Will, baby.  Just do.  And don't worry.  I'll help you tie your blouse," she added with a mischievous grin.

    Willow's eyes took on an evil little light.  "Then isn't it only fair that I pick out your clothes, Malia, baby?"

    "I guess it is," Amalia consented, taking a seat on her bed, watching Willow paw through her clothes with interest.  After a few moments Willow gave a triumphant "Voila!" and had a few garments in her hands.  Amalia's jaw dropped when she recognized what her lover held.  'I should have known.'  In
Willow's arms were a black, back-tying corset that would come just above Amalia's navel.  From previous experience, she knew that her bosom would look
freaking huge in it.  Willow also held a skirt.  A vinyl A-line skirt that fell at mid-thigh.  Amalia shook her head.  "You're evil, Will."

    She grinned.  "You drove me to it."
 

(Part 21)

    Spike finished his meal and lounged in the living room as his lovers got ready.  'My lovers,' he mused.  'My lovely Willow and enchanting Amalia.'  He
couldn't get over the feeling of wholeness he had felt when they had come together.  But before he could ponder it any longer, he felt their presence. His jaw dropped and jeans tightened as soon as he turned his head to see them at the top of the stairs.  Willow and Amalia stood there for a moment, their arms at each other's waists as they took in Spike's expression.  Amalia smiled at him as she gazed at him, his mouth agape, his blue eyes darkened with lust.  Heck.  She couldn't blame him.  They were hot.  The ensemble she chose for Willow was perfect.  The pants hung on her every curve and made her long legs go on even longer, with the flared hem complimenting her slim ankles.  Her tank top went wonderfully with her coloring and clung needfully to her bosom.  Amalia had put her red locks in two pigtails and curled the ends, making her lover look naughty, but nice at the same time.  Her look was completed by a pair of black ballet flats and a silver chain from which a pentacle hung

  Amalia was right in recalling that the corset that Willow wanted her to wear would enhance her cleavage. A lot.  Willow had smiled naughtily as she had stood behind Amalia in the mirror to tie the laces, watching hungrily as the tighter she laced, the larger her lover's bosom had swelled.  The vinyl skirt hung low on her hips and flared out slightly as it fell to her thighs. Willow found the fishnets from the other night and had helped Amalia fasten them to her garter belt.  Until she had started 'accidentally' brushing against her lover's naughty bits in the process.  Amalia had put an end to that before she got too hot and bothered.  After gently brushing her lover away she hurriedly finished with her stockings and laced her boots from last night.  She brushed her hair until it shone and put on a collar with red rhinestones before going with Willow downstairs to meet Spike.

    Hand in hand, the two women descended the steps, walking until they were standing before their vampiric lover.  Spike wrapped an arm around each of
their waists and pulled them flush against his hard body.  "You two look bloody good enough to eat," he growled as he nuzzled their throats.  "Why don't we skip going out and take our party upstairs?"

    "We want to dance, Spike," Willow stated.

    "And I want copious amounts of liquor," Amalia added.  "That was the plan, remember?"

    The vampire groaned, but nodded.  "Fine.  Whatever my dearies want.  I'll have my fun later."

    Amalia bit gently on his ear, making him choke back a moan.  "You sure will, Spikey."

~*~*~*~

    The oversexed threesome entered the Bronze to hear a punk band, to Spike's delight, playing.  "I'm going to go to the bar, pets.  Want anything?"

    Amalia requested a tall gin and tonic while Willow asked for a mocha. Spike cocked a scarred eyebrow at her.  "Sure you don't want anything stronger, luv?"

    Willow shook her head.  "Sadly, that's pretty strong for me."  The vampire shook his head with a grin and took a spot in line.  The two women began their way to the dance floor, and almost made it until a large body rammed into Amalia.

    "Excuse me," she said kindly.  The man turned around to apologize and she recognized him immediately.

    "Reed," she acknowledged coolly.
 

(Part 22)

    The tall, well built man looked down at Amalia and fought back a grimace.

    "Amalia," he returned with a very insincere smile.  "What a small world. Imagine, me, meeting you here."

  "So, I take it you know this guy," Willow cut in, not liking the way he was looking at her lover, as if something was distasteful about her.

    "Yeah," Amalia answered.  "He also works for Borders."  She turned her attention back on Reed.  "And why is it odd that you'd run into me?  I am
supposed to be here this week.  You should know that considering we're up for the same job."

    "Well, gee, Amalia, I thought since the corporate offices haven't been able to get in touch with you for the last few days, you had bowed out of the
running."

    "Reed, darling, when have you ever known me to bow out of anything?" she asked with saccharine sweetness.  "Besides, the only reason I've been out of
touch with Corporate was due to a family emergency."

    "Oh," he sniffed.  "Well, I'm glad that hasn't interfered with your extracurricular activities," he added, leering at Willow, who had taken Amalia's hand once the bad vibes had started flowing from him.  "By the way, are you still with that girl from the Dublin store?  Ashley.....Audra...?" he faltered.

    "Audrey," she corrected.  "And no, Reed, I'm not with her anymore.  We broke it off soon before I decided I wanted to come back to the States."

    "It is so good to see you've moved on to greener pastures, darling.  I suppose I should go now.  I do need my beauty sleep.  Store prep begins at 8
am sharp tomorrow."  He grinned as Amalia's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped.

    "What?"  'The damned store wasn't supposed to be done for another month.'

    "Dear, dear, I guess that's what they were trying to tell you.  Work on the store's been completed ahead of schedule and the core crew has been
hired.  The trainers are coming in tomorrow and we'll be going ahead with stocking the store."

    Amalia quickly composed herself and smiled at him.  "Then have a good rest, Reed.  I'll be sure to see you tomorrow morning."

    "Toodles, Mal.  Have a good evening," he wished her before spinning on his heel and walking out of the club.

    "I am so fucked, Willow."

~*~*~*~

    Spike returned with the girls' beverages to see Amalia and Willow glaring at some overgrown moron.  Just as he was about to butt in, the guy walked off
with a sour expression on his face and Willow took Amalia in her arms.

    "I am so fucked, Willow," she moaned.

    "What's wrong, pets?  Who was that bloke with the bad vibes?  Do I need to go pay some demon to rip his throat out?  Or better yet, is he a demon so
I can do it myself?"

    The vampire's excitement made Amalia smile.  "No need, Spike.  He's just an asshole that I've worked with before."

    "For your family?"

    "No, for Borders.  He's in town to get the new store ready.  Seems that my bosses have been trying to contact me so I could cut my vacation short.
But with all the sex, prophecies, and world extinction I haven't even bothered to check my messages.  I so don't have the energy to open a store right now."

    "Then don't, baby," Spike suggested as he put his arms around his women. "Tell 'em to sod off."

    "Spike, I have this job to keep me rooted in the real world, to keep some level of normalcy.  If I did the demon thing 24-7, I'd go nuts."  She sighed and shook her head.  "I'd better go back and get some sleep so I have the energy to work tomorrow.  You two have some fun, o.k.?"

    Willow frowned at Amalia.  "Stay, Malia, please?  Who knows when we'll have the chance to have fun and enjoy ourselves again?"

    "Red's right, ducks.  You wanted dancing and drinks.  Well, here they are.  I'm sure we can whip up a hangover cure in the morning.  Stay?" the
vampire implored, gazing into her blue-grey eyes.

    Amalia couldn't say no to the two of them, even if she really did want to.  She nodded her head.  "Fine.  I'll stay.  But when I'm a cranky bitch tomorrow, well, you've been warned."

~*~*~

    Amalia was having the time of her life.  She'd thrown back a few very strong gin and tonics and therefore had a very nice buzz going on.  Spike's
demeanor was slightly loosened from the several beers he'd had and Willow was pretty hyper due to the mocha (singular) she'd had.

    The unlikely trio had danced for hours, well, Willow and Amalia danced while Spike stood by and growled at anyone who dared let their eyes linger on
his girls.  Every now and then, the vampire would let the two women pull him onto the dance floor for a slower number, but rather enjoyed watching the two
pale beauties.  Without being overtly sexual, their movements were nonetheless quite sensual, their hands gliding over each other's flesh every so often, stroking each other's hair, pushing it away from their faces, kissing each other on the neck or cheek when the urge arose.

    Just as the band announced their next song, a cover of the Ramones 'I Want You Around,' Willow spotted some friends from her last psych class.  The
witch pulled Amalia over to Spike.

    "I'm gonna say hi to some pals, so Spike, dance with Amalia, o.k.?"

    "No need to ask twice, luv.  Go on, say hello.  I'll take good care of her.  Our little drunken Malia," he added with a smirk as she moved to lean against the vampire.

    "I'm not drunk, Spike," she informed him, "just a little balance impaired."

    Willow left them, shaking her head.  Amalia and Spike gazed at her retreating form.

    "She's got a great ass," Amalia commented absently.  Spike nodded and grinned.

    "That she does, pet.  As do you."  He punctuated his point by lovingly patting her rear.  "Now let's go dance.  This is a great song."  The dark haired woman let him lead her onto the floor.  He wrapped his arms snugly about her waist as she put an arm around his shoulders and the other at his neck, caressing the flesh there.  The vampire purred quietly, relishing in the bliss her touch brought him.

    "Pet?" Spike murmured.

    "Hmm?"

    "What do you think would happen we were to ignore the Powers That Be and be together, if we were to make love?" he queried softly.  Amalia pulled back
from his embrace slightly so she could gaze into his longing blue eyes.

    "We can't, Spike," she whispered.  "As much as I want to, we can't. There's something inside me that has to remain untapped for their Warrior."

    The vampire brought a hand up to caress her alabaster cheek.  "I just want to sheath myself in your warmth, Malia.  I want to feel you tighten around me as you come.  I want to watch you ride my body as you strive to bring us both closer to the petit mort," he whispered in her ear as he kissed the shell of pink flesh.  "I've wanted this since the first moment I saw you. And now you're here before me, my beautiful raven, and all I can do is look upon your glory, caress your pale skin and kiss your rose lips.  You bring about such lust in me, Amalia  Lucia, both you and Willow.  Passion I haven't felt since..." he faltered and looked away.

    "Since Drusilla," she completed for him.

    "Yes, since Drusilla.  And never in an eternity would I ever expect to feel such pleasure with two human women."

    Amalia's eyes took on a slight golden shimmer, as they had earlier when she had hit him, but this time they held no malice.  "Show me, my Bloody Warrior," she murmured so low that only his vampiric hearing made it possible to discern her words.  "Please, show me what I inspire in you."

    Spike inhaled her sweet arousal and knew they both had to find some release soon.  He took her hand and led her upstairs, to once of the Bronze's
many hidden corners.
 

(Part 23)

    Spike backed Amalia into the corner and took her mouth with ruthless abandon.  Lips, teeth, and tongue battled for dominance until Amalia's lungs were begging for air.  She pushed her vampire away for a moment as she panted, but pulled his lower body into her so she could feel his rock hard arousal against her weeping sex, wanting the satin, vinyl and denim to vanish so she could feel flesh on flesh.

    "This is what you do to me, Dark Flame," he stated as his hands wandered along her arms and his mouth suckled her throat.  "I ache for you."  As his
hands found her wrists, he grabbed them roughly and pinned them above her head.  He transferred her wrists to one hand so he could pull the collar off
of her neck and buried his mouth there, nipping and biting roughly.  "Fuck, I want to bury myself in you and drink your lifeblood as you come around me,
Amalia," he whispered roughly.

    Amalia responded by pressing her heaving bosom to his firm chest, her nipples stabbing him through his thin shirt and wrapping her leg around him,
bringing his bulge closer to her sex.  "Take me, Spike," she commanded while kissing her way from his neck to his lips.  "Take me in whatever way you
can," she murmured against them.  "Possess me."

    The vampire grinned wickedly at her as he brought his hand under her skirt and ripped her underwear away.  He brought a finger into her channel to
find it sopping.  After gauging her wetness he removed his hand and brought the finger that had been inside her to his mouth. His tongue snaked out and
tasted her essence.  He closed his eyes as he savored her taste.  Hot and sweet and  that special element that was Malia.  "And it's all for you, Spike," his lover moaned as she writhed against him.  "You did this to me. It's you that I want right now.  Right now," she repeated forcefully.  The blonde swallowed her last words as he claimed her mouth.  As he let the kiss go to give Amalia breath, he eyed a large nail sticking out of the wall.

    "So you want me to possess you, baby?" he asked as he fingered her collar, an idea popping into his mind.

    "I think I made that point clear, Spikey."

    "Well, then, love, leave your hands above your head."  Amalia looked at him curiously as he held her collar.  He smirked as he wound the piece of
velvet about her wrists and hung it from the nail he had spotted.  Her hands were bound tightly, but all she had to do was lift them to come off of the nail.

    "Keep your hands above your head if you want to come, pet."

    "Yes, Spike," she whimpered.  "Please....."

    "Please what?" he queried as he unlaced her corset and pulled it down to bare her breasts to his gaze.  He lowered his head and sucked a nipple into
his mouth, swirling his tongue about the bud as he retuned his hand to her aching cleft.  Bringing two fingers inside her, his thumb massaging her engorged clit, but not applying enough pressure to make her come, but enough to build the tension crackling within her.  Struggling to keep her hands above her head she rode his hand, trying to bring his digits deeper inside.

    "Please, make me come," she begged him as he took her other nipple inside his wet mouth.

    "But I've only just begun, kitten," he murmured against her breasts.  He placed a wet kiss on each of her breasts and brought his fingers out of her body.  Amalia whimpered at the loss, her frustration leaving tears in her eyes.  Every touch, every caress burned her, fueling her desire until she thought she was about to explode from the want.

    Spike brought his glistening fingers to her mouth.  "Taste?"  The trembling woman sucked his fingers into her mouth, thoroughly cleaning them of her juices.  "Kiss me?" he asked softly after he reclaimed his hand.  His lover took his lips gently, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth and suddenly biting harshly.  Spike growled and ravaged her mouth, tasting her warm, wet depths and tasting the juices that he coaxed from her.  Deciding to have mercy on the poor girl he released her mouth and sank to his knees before her.  Placing his hands on her thighs, he gazed into her storm cloud eyes, almost frightened by the passion brewing in their depths. Almost.

    He unfastened her skirt, letting it pool around her ankles.  He removed one foot from the vinyl circle and hooked it over his shoulder.  "Please, lover," Amalia begged softly.  At her words he parted her folds with his tongue, drinking the nectar that flowed from her center, plunging into her to coax more from her.  As his nose brushed her small bundle of nerves, Amalia could feel herself begin to splinter.  He kept her on the brink until her small moans became screams, his name over and over on her tongue.  As soon as he took her clit into his mouth, sucking the bud harshly, she broke, her world going black for a moment, sobbing his name.  The vampire drank of her weeping sex until it wept no more and stood to until Amalia's wrists.  Once free, the woman wrapped her arms around her lover's neck, a tear making its way down her cheek.  Spike caught the tear and wiped it away.  "You OK, kitten?"

    "That was intense, Spike, I've never felt myself break like that," she whispered as he stroked her hair.  "I can only imagine what making love to you would be like."  He smiled warmly and kissed her forehead.

    "All else will pale in comparison," he quipped.  "And as much as I would love to just keep you in my arms for a long, long while, we should probably get back to Red."

    He clenched his jaw as Amalia trailed her hand down his abdomen to his still hard shaft. "But you need release too, Spike," she stated as she scraped her teeth along his neck.  "Will you let me please you?"

    "Please, Amalia," he managed as she began to massage him.

    Her only reply was to drop to her knees before him and unzip his jeans. She lowered his trouser and his hungry sex and heavy sac escaped.  Amalia
fondled his balls as she placed a kiss on his head.  At her vampire's growl, she began long, lingering licks on his shaft until it glistened with her saliva.  At that she immersed him in the warm depths of her mouth, sucking and licking, scraping her teeth along his underside.  While Amalia built him up, the vampire took her head in his hands, not forcing her, but caressing her hair, her face as she pleasured him.  His raven-haired beauty sped her ministrations until all Spike could do was moan.  One hand squeezing his base while the other cradled his balls threw him over the edge that she had built up for him.  With a guttural growl, he cast his seed into her throat, his lover milking him until he could give no more.

    Spike kissed Amalia lovingly, tasting his seed on her tongue and helped her dress.  When they were presentable once more, Amalia took Spike's arm and
went in search of their redhead.  They found her at the bar with some of her school mates.  The witch took in Amalia's flushed skin and Spike's mussed
hair and was able to draw her own conclusions.

    "Looks like you too didn't miss me much," she teased.  She excused herself and went back to a couch by dance floor wth her lovers. "So what were you guys up to?" she queried innocently once they sat down, Spike on one side of her, Amalia on the other all three of them in an easy embrace.  "I didn't see you on the dance floor where I left you."

    Amalia blushed while Spike smirked.  "I think you know, Red."

    "I think that the two of you were being naughty without me."

    "Oh, sweet God in heaven, I so never wanted to hear that."

    The threesome  turned their heads as one to see a pale as a ghost Xander Harris and a smirking Anya.
 

(Part 24)

Willow turned a shade of pale that rivaled Xander's and jumped from her  place in Spike and Amalia's arms. "H-hey, Xand, Anya," she stuttered. "How
was Vegas? I thought you were gonna be there till next week."

"Yeah, well, someone got a wee bit carried away at the slots, so we had to cut it short." Xander grumbled.

Anya glared at him. "Well, how was I supposed to know that you didn't get your money back? Remember me, kind of new to this gambling thing?" Xander glared back at her, but let it drop. Back to the matter at hand.

"So, Spike, you've been keeping an eye out on Willster in the Scooby Gang's absence?"

The vampire smirked at the boy and rested his hand on Amalia's thigh. "Yeah, Chubs, you could say that."

'This is so not happening,' the brunette thought.

"Oh, Xander, leave it alone," Anya reprimanded before turned to Amalia, Willow and Spike. "I think it's good that you're having sex. After all, orgasms are good for everyone. We have the all the time."

Xander paled a little more and Willow couldn't help but regain some color by blushing at Anya's comment. Spike and Amalia shared a hearty laugh. 'I love this chick already,' the young woman thought. She stood up and extended her hand. "We haven't met. I'm Amalia Summers," she began with a dazzling
smile. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," returned the ex-demon with a smile of her own. "I'm Anya and the pale non-speaking boy is Xander. Summers," she pondered. "Are you a
relative of Buffy's?"

Amalia nodded. "Yup. Buffy's my cousin. I'm keeping an eye on the house while she and Joyce are gone."

"And an eye on Willow," Spike piped in with a smirk. "Along with me, that is."

Willow responded by smacking the vampire upside the head. "You are not helping, Spike," she hissed. "So did the two of you enjoy Las Vegas?" Willow
asked, trying to deflect as much conversation as she could from her little love tiangle. 'It's really going to hit the fan. What, with everyone's animousity towards Spike, Buffy and Amalia's relationship and well, my cheating on Tara and this whole bond thing........oh, Goddess, help us,' she thought deperately.

"It was tons of fun," Xander remarked dryly. "So, wanna tell us how the three of you got so friendly?"

"Has it occurred to you that this is none of your business?" Amalia aswered with some impatience. "I hate to be rude, seeing as we've only just met, but really....."

Before Xander could counter her remark, Willow stepped in, desperate to get out of the Bronze when they told Anya and Xander what was happening. In all actuality, they had to be told. Anya and Xander, they were Scoobies. They were invaluable considering the research that had to be done. And above all, they were her friends.

"Why don't we all get out of here before we cause some crazy scene, OK? I'm so not up to that right now."

"Sure, love," Spike said. "Let's take off." Amalia nodded in agreement. "Let's take this to Joyce's."

Spike and Amalia each took one of the witch's hands and led her out of the club. Xander and Anya stood in shock. Willow in the hands of Spike and some chick that wasn't Tara. And the way the three of them were so, well, so right together. The three of them fit. The simple act of walking out of the Bronze together, hand in hand, it was right--the only word that could define it. Even Xander could feel that.

Amalia turned her head to see Willow's friends straring after them. "Are you coming?" she asked kindly before exiting the club with her lovers.

"This is gonna be a long summer," the young man muttered.
 

(Part 25)

Anya and Xander were speechless once Spike, Amalia, and Willow had told them their tale. The pair sat through each moment that had occurred since
the redhead had entered the Summers home yesterday afternoon until the two Scoobies walked into the Bronze. Of course, as Amalia did with Gabriel, some elements had been left out to safeguard them from emotional scarification. The three lovers sat on the couch gazing at the spellbound pair. Amalia
and Spike were in each others arms smoking and having a beer while Willow distanced herself a bit from them. As much as she wanted to wrap herself in
their arms, she knew that Xander wouldn't react well to seeing her so comfortable in their (former) enemy's arms.

Anya spoke first after a long silence. "I thought I sensed something about you when we met, Amalia. Heck, a Dragonetti," she grinned. "I haven't met up with any of you folk for a century or so."

Amalia gazed at her in confusion. "You know of my family?"

The former demon gazed questioningly at her boyfriend. Xander nodded, knowing her question. "Tell her, An. After all, they've--she's been so open with us." Anya bestowed a wide grin upon him. She so was proud of her Xander. He was handling himself with more maturity that she could have hoped for. Especially after Willow declared she had slept with Spike. 'I know that Xander loves me, but I know that a part of his heart belongs to Willow and it always will. They've shared so much of each other's lives that it is to be expected. He doesn't want her hurt and Spike's a good suspect to be a heartbreaker. But he must realize that this is not a matter of the heart. It is the matter, the way, of the Powers That Be. Nothing we could do would keep these three apart--the Blessed Three.'

Anya brushed her thoughts aside and smiled at Amalia. "Not only do I know of them, I know several of them. Most have passed on to the other side of life, but some are still with us. I had been called by several of you female ancestors, Amalia. They called me Anyanka."

Amalia's jaw dropped. "No way," she proclaimed when her shock had worn off a bit. "No fucking way," she repeated. She looked to her lovers for confirmation and she got it. Spike just smirked and nodded. 'He's been doing that a lot this evening.' Willow smiled sheepishly. "She is, Malia. It's a long story, too long to go into tonight, but it's her."

"My powers have been destroyed, Amalia," Anya explained. "When they were taken away I was here, in Sunnydale. I ended up helping the Scooby Gang and fell in love with Xander. So here I am."

"This is insane!" Amalia exclaimed giddily. "I'm bonded to William the Bloody, my cousin is the Slayer, and my lover's friend is Anyanka. Three of the most respected and feared figures in occult lore are now a part of my life. My great-great cousin Pietro has a beautiful painting of you, Anya." She broke from her rant and faced Xander's girlfriend. "He started it after you cursed--"

"Leonardo," Anya remembered with a smile. "Pietro was such a darling man. Though, at the time, I couldn't believe he had the nerve to call me."

"A man called you?" Xander questioned. "But you were the patron of scorned _women_."

"Pietro had been scorned, Xander, by a man. After he told me what that scum Leonardo had done, I couldn't help but want to grant his request. As I said, he was such a wonderful man and I had done work for the family before. I decided I could bend the rules. Besides, a man did break his heart. Gods, I can't believe he's still alive. That was in the late 1800s."

"Cousin Pietro turned 112 last month and he's still kicking. Hard," Amalia added with a smile. "He's one of my favorite relatives. He spoke so well of you, Anya. He still tells the story to all that will listen--the night the feared Anyanka exacted revenge for a man. On his behalf, I thank you."

"Oh, there's no need for that, Amalia. Pietro was the victim of a vicious soul. I was more than happy to help him."

"Um, An, what did Leonardo do? Hell, what did you do to him-- or should I even ask?"

Anya smiled sweetly at her lover. "Are you over your 'My girlfriend is an ex-demon' paranoia yet?"

Xander cleared his throat and looked away. "That's what I thought."
 

(Part 26)

    Anya and Xander left the Summers home around one in the morning after promising to help research later that day.  The Blessed Three were snuggled
on the couch, watching late night television halfheartedly.  They all had thoughts running rampant in their heads, questioning the ramifications of their newfound relationship and bond.

    "I can't believe how well that went," Willow commented from her place in Spike's lap.  "Either Anya has trained Xander really well, or he's growing up.  It almost makes we want to think that his gig won't be so bad."

    "Only time will tell," yawned Amalia, glancing at the clock.  It had just turned two.  "Oh, crap," she complained.  "I've gotta be at work in six hours.  I'm gonna hit the hay, you two."  She placed lingering kisses on her lovers lips and raised her eyebrows suggestively.  "Don't have too much fun, while I'm all alone in bed, OK?"

    "We'll try not to," Spike replied with a smirk, "but I won't make any promises.  Have sweet dreams, kitten," he wished her sincerely.  "Give us a kiss before you leave in the morn."

    Willow caressed Amalia's cheek.  "Have a good rest, Malia.  We'll be quiet when we come to bed."  With one more kiss, Amalia left her lovers and disappeared up the stairs.

    Spike's gaze lingered in the direction Amalia took off in.  Willow sensed his distraction and reached up to stroke his cheek lovingly.  "What's going on in that bleached blonde head of yours?"

    The vampire smiled wryly and brought her hand to his mouth to kiss it gently.  "This past day, Red.  The twenty-four hours that've passed us by. I'm trying to imagine them without the two of you and I'm failing miserably. The Powers That Be seem to have knocked me on my ass.  I can hardly believe that I'm sitting here in the Slayer's home with her cousin and her best friend and caring about the two of them, desiring the two of them," he added in a hushed voice.

    "Well, that makes two of us, Spike," Willow replied. "I've slept with my enemy, fought along side him, cheated on my girlfriend whom I thought I loved--yeah, I've been knocked on my ass too."

    "What are we going to do about that--about Tara, and hell, Buffy?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

    "Nothing, yet, I suppose.  Buffy's not going to be home until next month and Tara isn't coming back until the fall semester starts.  I'm not saying that I don't fell cruddy about the whole cheating on my girlfriend situation, because I do, but this thing, whatever is between us is there.  It's strong. And it's there for a reason, Spike."

    Spike gazed into his lovers emerald eyes.  "And this thing, Willow, what does it make you feel?"

    Willow sat up so she could face the vampire.  "What do I feel?" He nodded in reply, his stormy blue orbs questioning her.  "I feel desire, Spike, for you and for Malia. I feel lust.  I feel power when the three of us are together.  An indescribable energy.  I feel almost primal when I'm around the two of you, all that exists is this passionate force, that we can do anything together if we wished."  The witch straddled Spike's lap and wrapped her arms around him, one hand playing with the fine hair on the nape of his neck. "What does it do to you, Spike?" she whispered before placing a soft kiss on his throat, eliciting a slight growl from him.

    "I feel like I was just asked this question," he hissed thinking back to his escapades with Amalia at the Bronze.

    Willow giggled.  "I take it you and Amalia went over this?"

    "Sort of, Red, " he muttered, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her down so she could feel his growing arousal.  "We had a nice conversation
about how incredibly horny we make each other."  He bit back a moan as Willow ground her sex over him.

    "I knew you two were being naughty without m--"

    Spike caught the rest of her statement with his kiss.  He claimed her mouth forcefully, his tongue sweeping inside her warm mouth as he asserted his dominance.  As their kiss deepened, Willow's arousal came in full force, the witch rocking her hips against her lover's, attempting to quell the itch that had begun to burn within her.  Spike pulled his mouth from hers, throwing his head back at the sensations flowing through him, caused by her sweet body rubbing against his body.  "We can do this one of two ways, Red," he managed as she pulled is shirt off, her hands finding his nipples and massaging them into hard peaks.  "Sweet and slow or--"

    "Hard and fast," she completed.  "Now."

    He didn't need to be told twice.  The vampire made quick work of her top and began feasting on her pale breasts as his witch eased the zipper of his
trousers down to let his hard and hungry sex escape.  She stroked him roughly, making him release her bosom from his attentions and groan.  "I thought I said now, Spike, " she grinned.  Willow left her place on Spike's lap to free herself of her pants.  The vampire gazed at her glorious body lavisciously and nodded.  "You're wish is my command, pet.  Come to me," he requested, holding his hand out to her.  She quickly obliged, letting Spike take her hips and ease himself into her tight sex.  He took her mouth in another kiss as the two lovers began to writhe against one another, their bodies meeting in perfect time.  Willow rode him furiously, slamming against him again and again, panting his name like a mantra as she felt the tightening in her stomach that signaled the beginnings of her orgasm.  All too soon, the blonde felt his climax begin.  Wanting the redhead to come with him, he brought a hand between their bodies, caressing the bundle of nerves that would bring her crashing over.  With a cry of his name, Willow came tightening around Spike, drenching his shaft in her juices as he exploded into her, his seed mingling with her nectar.
 

(Part 27)

    Willow and Spike decided to join Amalia in slumber after their frenzied lovemaking.  "I don't want to be away from her for too  long," Willow whispered as they gazed at their sleeping lover.  She was curled up on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest, her long raven black hair sweeping across the pillow beneath her head.  She looked almost innocent in her slumber, her body draped in a virginal white nightgown.  "She's so beautiful, Spike,'' the witch murmured, entranced with the sight of her lovers chest rising up and down with each breath.  "And she's ours."

    Spike placed a kiss on Willow's shoulder and grinned.  "And we're hers." The vampire led the redhead into the bedroom and removed the last vestiges of
this clothing while Willow dropped the clothes she had brought up form the living room to the floor.  After a sweet kiss goodnight shared by the witch and the vampire, they climbed into bed, happy to be reunited with their Flame.

~*~*~

    Amalia woke out of a sound sleep at about four in the morning.  Her sleep had been dreamless, black, her hunger driving her to wake.  Not even hunger,
really, but a feeling so old, so primal it could only be described as lust.

    This lust was something the young woman had ever experienced before.

    It was lust for blood.

~*~*~

    She had crept out of her home, crawling past her sleeping lovers to prowl the streets of Sunnydale.  It was a time of day where all mortals were in
their homes, safe from the creatures that kept to the shadows.  It didn't take long for Amalia to be targeted by one of those beings walking the Hellmouth.

    A vampire began trailing her once she crossed Main Street.  To him, she looked like a sleepwalker, her nightgown trailing behind her, her feet bare. Her eyes were unfocused, her instincts telling her where to turn.

    Amalia paused in front of Willie's Place, something within calling to her.  Perhaps it was the other demons inside.

    It was there that the vampire attacked.

    With a feral roar he pounced upon her, never suspecting she was anything but a helpless human.

    He couldn't have been more wrong.

    A presence in Amalia broke from its cage once the vampire threw her to the ground.  The same feeling that passed over her the first night with Willow and Spike, the same presence that gave her the strength to knock her vampiric lover across a bathroom.

    Her attacker was to busy baring his fangs to notice her eyes turn a molten gold not so different from his own, to see her teeth lengthen to sharp points.  With a cry of anger and a burst of inhuman strength, Amalia pushed the vampire off of her, knocking him into the window of the bar.  He fell to the ground in a heap, trembling before the creature in flowing white before him.

    Amalia had stood and drifted toward the demon that had dared touch her. She tilted her head and gazed at him.

    "You dared touch one of the Blessed Three, lowly minion," she began sweetly.  "The punishment for this is death, you know."

    "W-what are you?" he stammered, backing further against the wall, trying to get away from her unsettling presence.  The very feel of her eyes upon him
made the demon inside the human shell cower in fear.  Her eyes fell into slits and she scowled.

    "Don't question.  Just die."

    With an unearthly roar, Amalia dropped to her knees before her victim and tore into his throat with her teeth, drinking greedily of the borrowed blood that flowed from his neck.  She drank until the body offered no more and turned to dust on the sidewalk.

    At that moment, her eyes once more became a clear grey-blue and her teeth were once more blunt and straight.  At that moment Amalia's thoughts, her
actions became fully her own.  And she collapsed into her victims ashes.
 

(Part 28)

Willow woke to the sound of a phone ringing in the next room. When  apparently no one else heard the racket, she rolled out of bed. Groggily, she  answered before it could wake her lovers. "'ello," she mumbled.

"Um, yeah, hi, this is Willy--"

The witch snapped to attention, fully awake after hearing her callers name. "Why are you calling the slayer's house, Willy?"

"Red, this is really no time for twenty questions. I've got that Dragonetti chick here--"

"What the hell are you taking about, Willy? She's--" Willow gazed at the spot Amalia had occupied when she had crawled into bed. "She's not here," she
ended in a whisper as the witch noticed for the first time that her lover wasn't in bed with her.

"Right. I know she's not. That's 'cause she's in my bar bleeding all over the place."

Willow took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "What happened to her, Willy," she demanded. "If you--"

"It's not like that, Red, honest," the bartender protested. "I found her in front of my place while I was closing. She was passed out, and not wanting the nasties to get to her, I brought her into the bar. I managed to get her lucid enough for her to give me a phone number. Didn't know this was the slayer's number. Anyway, I suggest you come and get her, Red, she's still pretty out of it. She won't talk, she won't move."

"I'll be right there, Willy. Thank you for taking care of her."

"It's nothing. I'll see you in a few."

The barkeep hung up and Willow replaced her phone in the cradle with a shaky hand. 'She's OK, Wills, don't worry, just get Spike and get Malia. Don't be thinking of all the horrible things that may or may not have happened.............oh, Goddess, let her be OK, I beg of you.' Willow ran back to the bedroom and threw on the shirt and jeans she had worn to Amalia's the previous afternoon and threw Spike's trousers and shirt at him. "Get your ass out of bed, Spike. Amalia's gone," she shouted, hoping he'd wake easily.

She didn't have to give that another thought. The vampire practically leapt out of bed at the redhead's statement, her words sinking into his sleep addled brain. "What?!" he roared. "What the fuck happened?" 'If anyone, anything had touched her, so help me....'

Willow's warm hand on his tore him from his thoughts. "She's at Willy's. He just called," her tone more sedate now. "Get dressed and we'll go."

Quickly and silently, he complied, wanting to get Amalia back to them as soon as possible.

~*~*~

Spike broke a landspeed record driving Amalia's car the tavern. The witch and vampire were silent on their trek, each one wrapped up in their own worries for the woman they both so cared for. 'Whoever hurt her, whoever took her from our bed,' the vampire thought bitterly, 'is in for a world of agony.....nice, bloody torture.....demon or human. I could surely overlook any pain to avenge Amalia.'

Willow couldn't help but notice the death grip Spike had on the steering wheel. She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "She's OK, Spike. Willie said so."

"Since when did any of us start taking so much stock in the words of Willy the Snitch, Red?" he queried with a snarl.

Spike pulled into the parking lot with a loud squealing of tires before she could respond. The two flew from the car to the tavern, both stilling in their tracks one they saw the broken form of their lover laid across the bar. Willy was applying a cold compress to the back of her head. The bartender raised his head to acknowledge the two that had walked into his bar.

"Found her passed out in front, she woke for a moment and told me not to touch her, to leave her as she was, but I couldn't do that. Couldn't leave a lady out on the street. I didn't want to take her to the hospital without talking to you, Red. Don't know how her kind handles these situations."

"How badly is she hurt?" Willow asked as she made her way to her lover. She winced as she saw all of the blood staining her face and her nightgown. The older woman had a gash across her forehead, small scratches littering her fair flesh.

"She bumped her head, the bleeding's almost stopped, though. Whatever caused the blood all over her front's stopped. I've seen worse. The doll'll be OK." Willy gazed at his sleeping charge. "She's a fighter, know that already."

The witch smiled gratefully at him and discreetly place a wad of cash before the barkeep. "Thank you so much, Willy, for taking care of her." His eyes caught sight of the green and he shook his head.

"I can't take that, Red. This was just about doing the right thing," he insisted.

Willy had just moved up in Willow's eyes. Far up. "You're a good man, Willy," she stated.

"Indeed."

The word caused to sets of eyes to land upon the British vampire. He had just stood there while Red and the Snitch spoke, trying to get his anger and fear to settle. He strode over to them and lifted Amalia into his arms.

"Thank you, mate. We won't forget this."

Willy was shocked at the amount of sincerity in Spike's voice. 'He really cares about these girls. Eh, it's the Hellmouth. Crazier things have happened.' "No problem, Spike. Just get the girl--"

"Amalia," the blonde interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Her name is Amalia, Willy."

"Right, then," her smiled. "Just get Amalia home and take care of her. Lemme know how she's doing later, OK?"

"Will do, mate."

The Blessed Three began to make their way out of Willy's Place, but before they reached the door, the proprietor halted them with a surprising offer.

"I'm gonna keep an ear to the ground, to see if anyone's looking for Amalia, but discreetly, of course."

Willow turned to him with utter surprise written on her face. "Why would you do that for us? Not that I'm minding, of course, but it is unexpected coming from you."

He shrugged and smiled. "What can I say? I like the doll." 'She's not like the rest of us in this demon underground.' "She called me sir."
 

(Part 29)

Wordlessly Spike carried Amalia to her bedroom while Willow gathered some supplies to get her cleaned up. The vampire knelt next to her sleeping form
on the bed, one hand holding hers, the other stroking her long hair. "We're going to figure out what's happening, kitten," he murmured. "All for one and one for all and all that rot," he smiled wryly. "We'll fight the big evil, whatever it may be, and we'll celebrate by having a good shag."

Willow stood in the doorway, watching Spike speak to their Malia. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. The feared William the Bloody watching over a delicate human being, ready to avenge her pain. 'I'll never stop being surprised at his actions......Jenny was right--there is more, much more to him than any of us could have thought.

Spike could sense the redhead watching him. "Get in here, Willow, there's time to remind me of how soft I've become later. I want to clean this nastiness off of her. It reeks," he hissed.

Willow eyed him in confusion. "I thought you would enjoy the scent of blood, being a vampire and all. Kinda like me passing a bakery and having a good whiff of the baked goods" she stated as she stepped into the room.

"If it were hers, I would," he replied, standing to retrieve the washcloth from Willow's hands. "I might even be tempted to bathe her like a kitten--"

"Wait, wait," she cut him off with a hand on his arm and bafflement clouding her green eyes. "This isn't her blood?"

"The little bit on the back of her head is. The blood staining her lips and her gown is not. It's the lifeblood of some dirty little minion who dared to touch our Flame," he spat with hellfire in his eyes. "A vampire with no discerning taste......Rats and cats and homeless men. Anything with a pulse." His gaze softened as he wiped the foul mixture from her fair features. "But at least the pillock is dead,'" he added with a wry smile. Willow sat down on the bed next to Amalia's still body.

"How do you know all that, Spike?"

"I can smell it all, love. Every creature has it's own scent, right down to the blood. I know he's dead, because his ashes are littering her skin."

"She killed him? But she left our bed like a sleepwalker, Spike. I'm sure she didn't have time to deliver a proper attack."

"She attacked, all right. She killed the son of a bitch."

"But how?" Willow persisted.

Spike lifted his head to gaze at the cherubic face of his wiccan lover. Her face was a mask of worry and befuddlement. 'I just don't get what happened. So much for being an uber-brainiac.'

"You don't want to know, pet," he stated in low, gentle tones.

"Yes, I do," she spat with her resolve face in tact. "What the hell happened?"

The vampire returned to his work and completed the task of cleaning the blood from Amalia's skin. "She drained him to dust."
 

(Part 30)

    The blonde vampire and the redheaded witch had finished sponge-bathing Amalia and changed her from the bloody gown that had adorned her still body. Spike finally got Willow to go to bed once he convinced her Amalia was fine for the time being.

    "Pet, her heartbeat is stable, the cuts on her skull have stopped bleeding.  There's nothing we can do until she wakes and you've had some
sleep." He saw she was about to protest and held a hand up.  "What happened, I don't know how or why, just that it did.  Now rest up.  We've got long hours of research crap in the near future."

    "Fine, Spike," she sighed, getting into bed behind Amalia.  "Much to my chagrin, you're right"  'So much for this gig not being so bad.'  She wrapped her arm around Amalia's waist and laid her head on the pillow.  Spike leaned back in his seat and lit a cigarette.

    "That I am.  So, I'll stay up to watch over our fair maiden, to make sure she stays put."

~*~*~

    Spike knew what was happening.  It really didn't take much to figure it out, or so he thought.  Her current state of exhaustion, her mood swings, her brazen behavior, her sudden foray into the night for a kill--they all amounted to one thing--Amalia had somehow absorbed the characteristics of a demon.  'My demon, it has to be.'  The British vampire hadn't felt this calm in ages, especially since his status as one of the Initiative's experiments had begun.

    He wasn't completely unscathed in this situation.  He could feel that he had taken on some of Willow's and Amalia's traits as well.  He was thinking before doing, being all sensitive and supportive-like.  He genuinely cared for the two human women.  Not that he hadn't been known to have moments of humanity, after all, he took care of and worshipped Drusilla for over a century.  The Judge had even noted that the two vampires reeked of humanity. But these feelings were different.  In two short days, Willow and Amalia had become an extension of himself.  'When the Powers That Be bound us, they didn't take the half-assed way out, did they?' he thought bitterly.

~*~*~*~

    Amalia began to stir once the sun started to hover above the horizon. All at once, she began remember the last hours of night, stealing out of her temporary home, prowling the streets of the Hellmouth with hunger beating in her chest.  She recalled the scent of fear that her victim carried before she tore into his jugular and she remembered how nourished, how fulfilled she was after she had drank his life and left him as dust.  She then felt her own fear.  'What am I becoming?'

    "I know you're awake, kitten.  I can hear your heartbeat.  And I can smell your tears."

    Amalia opened her eyes and wiped at the tears she hadn't realized that she'd wept.  Rolling over, she found the tired blue eyes of her vampire
gazing at her intently.  "Hey, Blondie," she greeted with a forced smile. "You look like shit," she rasped, her voice thick with sleep and worry and
fear.

    He reached out to stroke her hair from her face.  "I didn't get much sleep, Amalia," he whispered.  "Y'gave Willow and I quite a scare this
morning."

    Amalia leaned into his touch as her eyes began to water once more. "What's happening to me, Spike?" she whimpered.  "What the hell is going on?"

    Spike extinguished his ever-present cigarette and climbed into bed with her, wrapping her shaking body in his arms.

    "It's all the will of the Powers That Be, kitten.  It seems they have made you a vessel of some sort."

    "I don't want to be a vessel of any sort, Spike," she protested.  "All I want to do is keep on kicking demon ass and working in my bookstores.  Being a vessel is no option.  Besides, why don't they just give you your fangs back?  You like the drinking blood thing.  I don't.  I don't see how my being able to suck vampires dry will help us save the world."

    "Shh, Malia," he whispered as he stroked her hair.  "I believe it was you that said 'They Powers That Be make no mistakes.  They just do, they just are.'...or something like that.  Those were some very wise words for such a young one.  They above, or below, or wherever they are, did what needed to be done.  I doubt that having William the Bloody running about with his bite once more is what will defeat this big evil."  'Ugh.  How pouffy can I get? This is very embarrassing.'

    Amalia snuggled into his embrace with her head on his silent chest.  "My, um, urges are coming from you, aren't they, Spike?  And your moments of comfort are traits that you absorbed from Willow, from her blood.  I wonder if you two got anything from me," she mused softly.

    "Only time will tell, lovey."

    "Gods, I don't want this, Spike.  Make them take it all back," she begged him as she buried her head in his chest.  "Please.  Make them find someone else to be their fucking vessel."

    The blonde vampire's eyes watered as he felt the fear emanate from her quaking form.  He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head as she sobbed.

    "I would if I could, baby.  I'd do whatever I could for you."
 

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