Chapter VI

Spike groaned as he swam back to consciousness. He heard voices, but had trouble opening his eyes to see what was going on. The stretching sensation in his shoulders and upper arms told the young master vampire that he was bound to a chair, and the fact that his feet felt heavy told him that the chair was leaning back on something--probably tied to a bar of some sort--so he couldn't try to walk away, smashing the chair as he escaped.

Assessing the situation as he remembered the events of the previous night, Spike realized where--or at least by whom--he had been taken.

"Darla, Wench, you want me to kill the Slayer, don't send your lackies to do it for me," he seethed through the cut he had gotten on his lip as he hit the pavement earlier.

Suddenly, his head snapped to the left; she had back-handed him.

"And you, William, should learn to respect your elders instead of screwing the Slayer!" Spike was sure his great-grandsire was seething--no one who was calm had comebacks that lame--but he couldn't see her expression, though he was sure his eyes were open.

Then he felt it--the cloth rubbing his eyelids as he tried to blink.

Huh . . . Blindfolded. He mused to himself. Guess she thought I wouldn't figure it out so fast . . . either that, or she just doesn't want me to know where we are.

Upon thinking over the events of the past twenty-four hours, Spike had recognized the Lampijerovics as being of the same sect Darla had told him about when he was a fledgling. They had the same crest embroidered on the front of the hoods of their cloaks: something that looked like a cross between the middle finger and a skull and crossbones.

Flashback: 1640, the Master's lair, El Boca del Infierno

The Lampijerovics, according to Darla, had served the Master and his favorite childe at varying points in history, the most trusted, non-vampiric guards of the Order of Aurelius.

Spike had a small inkling that even Angelus--in his glory days--had had the Lampijerovics' services at least once . . . Spike and Drusilla were not yet old enough to be allowed the full privileges of the order yet.

Apparently, dear old Darla, with all her 368 years, had kept more in touch with her pet demons than Spike had originally thought.

*****

"Hey, Deb . . . you wanna go shopping? I swiped the old man's charge card before I left home, so we have, like, $1,000 to spend, spend, spend!" Cordelia had really come to like the young punk teen, and decided that it had been too long since she'd "bonded" with anyone other than Buffy and her little Slayer team. Hence, the shopping trip idea.

"Sure. How 'bout some new threads?" the punk agreed.

"Just as long as we get shoes to match!"

*****

"Hi," Buffy said to the young woman at her door. "What can I do for you? I don't know you, do I?"

"We know many people . . . but not each other," the woman seemed about to faint; her eyes were closed, and she swayed dangerously from side-to-side, looking as though she'd tip over any second.

She was starting to freak Buffy out.

"W-What do you want?" the blonde stuttered at first, then seemed to find her voice as the Slayer instincts kicked in.

"I want what's mine . . . Miss Edith says that, to get it, . . ." the woman's face changed to the ridges and fangs of a vampire. "Mummy has to kill the little warrior."

Buffy leapt out of the house, fists flying, and the battle with Drusilla began.

*****

Giles was enjoying his day off. He had found a halfway decent pub that served a mean Guinness, and he was having a splendid time, just watching the football tournament on the pub's television.

"You look . . . pensive," a woman slid into the stool next to him, immediately catching his eye with her classic dark beauty. She had hair the color of a raven's wing, and large doe eyes that spoke volumes.

Giles was smitten in an instant.

"I was merely trying to remind myself of the reasons that one might come to an establishment such as this."

"And did you find any?" the woman queried.

"I do believe I've found one," the watcher couldn't help but stare at the woman's expressive face and full, pouty lips. "Might I have the pleasure of your name?" he gulped, licking his lips to keep his mouth from drying out at the sight of her.

"Janna. And you are?"

"Rupert," he shook her hand, looking deep into her eyes.

The two new acquaintances talked for a bit, then Giles, ever the gentleman, offered to walk Janna home.

Once they reached the young woman's door, the pair said their awkward farewells.

"It was nice meeting you," she took a step toward him.

"Likewise. I can't remember the last person I shared an intelligent conversation with until tonight." He also stepped closer.

"Well, goodnight," she was almost whispering now.

He responded in kind, just as softly; they had kept moving closer, looking deep into each other's eyes. Closer . . . closer . . .

Their lips met. Tentative at first, the kiss gained fire as it lengthened. He began to pepper her jaw line, kissing fire toward her earlobe.

When he reached her neck, there was no one around to notice her almost-incandescent yellow eyes as her face changed shape and form.

*****

The vampire and the Slayer had been fighting for what seemed like hours. Drusilla was ferocious in her fury of nails and teeth, Buffy a flurry of classically-trained blows. It took all Buffy had to not let her confusion slow her down; she didn't remember stealing anything lately, so what did Drusilla want?

Then, the enigma spoke.

"When the nasty Slayer spills her colors in pretty patterns, Mummy will play toys and make pretty Spike patterns until my William's insides mush for me again. He will bleed prettily. He must attend confession, pray repentance with a rosary for his naughtiness. It will be such lovely fun!"

Surprisingly, though Drusilla's words were a bit vague, Buffy had little trouble understanding her meaning: the loony vampire was going to torture her childe until "his insides were mush."

The Slayer cringed at the thought. Vampire or no, no one deserved that kind of torture, she told herself. Though, logically, he was a vampire . . . and, if he died, that would just mean one less for Buffy to worry about, she just couldn't convince herself not to save him. She did, however, try to convince herself it was to repay the courtesy; he had saved her life just the night before, after all.

*****

"Spirits, I beseech thee . . . show me to my soulmate." Willow was casting a spell to sort out her heart. She had been so certain that she and Oz were meant for each other, but she caught him staring at another band's lead singer, and she was confused.

The casting was nearly complete when Buffy walked in the door, her essence catching in the spell as well. "Hey, Wills? I need you . . . Spike!"

*****

After the girls had brushed off their initial spell-induced confusion, Buffy explained the Drusilla situation with Willow.

"Wills, I think she has him held somewhere against his will. She said she was gonna torture him 'til he was mushy!" Buffy seemed desperate to save the vampire. "Nobody deserves to be beaten, bloodied, and burned that badly. I mean, at least I make my killing quick and painless, right?"

"Uh . . . sure," the flower-wicca agreed, not sure what to do with her morally-confused-and-confusing friend. "I think I could find him with a spell if you had something of his . . . which you probably don't, so I think I can improvise."

Two hours, and some pretty impressive improvising later, Buffy headed toward the address Willow had given her.

It was an old, run-down brownstone deep in the Bronx. It even looked creepy from the outside.

Carefully and cautiously, Buffy crept inside, and from room-to-room, looking for signs of Spike.

She didn't even have time to scream as two strong arms grabbed her from behind, another arm knocking her unconscious.

Chapter 7

Spike winced as Darla hit him again with her sharper-than-should-be-possible nails. It had been awhile since she had been that rough with him, and he knew that only a few more minutes of it and his resolve would break, and he would do anything she asked of him.

Which usually meant crying. Darla was a cruel wench, and she knew that when men (especially older male vampires) cried, it took their pride down a dozen notches. And she happily exploited that fact on all of her victims.

She hit him again, and said, “Three of them, William! They were my friends practically, and you helped in their demise! We shouldn’t have even let Drusilla sire you. She should have just left you there to die.”

You’re not going to get it out of me. Spike thought, tasting his own blood in his mouth. He had spent nearly one hundred years giving into Darla, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to give in easily.

“What Willie? Not feeling very talkative?” Darla sneered, picking up the whip. Ah, Spike thought. Back to old favorites. I was wondering if she had forgotten about her whip.

She lashed him several times, and each time, it was becoming increasingly harder not to cry out in pain, and not to whimper about the remarks she was throwing out at him.

“You’re scum. Not even Drusilla wants you anymore. She’s the only one who’s ever wanted you, you know. And look what you did to her! You’ll never get back into her good graces, even if you beg for it.” she said, hitting him for what seemed like the millionth time.

She sighed and sat the whip down. She began to harshly massage his bleeding and torn shoulders, digging her fingers farther into the wounds.

“This is getting boring.” she said, sounding almost...regretful? “Yes, Angelus was about your age when he stopped responding to the torture so well. He used to scream so nicely. He especially hated it when I used the thumbscrews on him. It made him feel so small and insignificant that something so small could hurt him so. He liked it better when I used bigger tools, like the whip or the large crucifix.”

Spike let out a little squeak as she dug her finger in farther onto the open wound on his right shoulder.

“But, you still have a little of that innocence in you, the thing that makes you fear this, and that thing that makes you scream for it. But, when the pain stops working...” she said, letting go of him entirely. “-there’s always psychological torture to go to.”

“M’not gonna cry. So you can just give it up.” Spike said, spitting out some blood.

“I don’t want you to cry.” she said, combing her hair with her fingers. “I want you to kill the Slayer, Spike. You can do it, if you have the right motivation.” She moved over towards the door, and opened it slightly.

“If you kill the Slayer, I’m sure I can get you back with your crazy Sire within the same minute. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

He weakly nodded. The Slayer, he could kill her. Sure he could. He’d killed one before her. There was no problem in that. Well, actually, there was.

“I don’t think I can get her for awhile though.” he said sullenly. “She’s not like the last one. She’s smarter; more resourceful. It’ll take all I have to kill her, and I’m not exactly at full strength.”

There was a shrill scream coming from somewhere in the apartment. Darla smiled and said, “Oh, don’t worry, that won’t be much of a problem. Just wait here honey...”

She shut the door, leaving Spike alone in the darkness of the closed off room.

*****

“How do you think it looks?”

Dawn shrugged. “You’re haircut doesn’t really match normal ‘punk’ style. It’s too long, and there’s not nearly enough stuff in it that’s not natural.” she said. She fingered a lock of Cordy’s hair. “But, if you want to go back to Giles’, I’m sure we can find some-”

“No!” Cordy yelled. “Absolutely not! There will be no touching of the hair in any way.” She turned back to look at the mirror and said, “Okay, I’ve decided that ‘punk’ is not me. Now, how about we go over to the new Bernard’s Clothing Trends? It’s supposed to be really rad, and, hey! Since I dressed up in your clothes, you can dress up in mine!”

“Sure, whatever.” Dawn said, not really listening as she eyed a spiked choker. She allowed Cordelia to drag her out of the store, but didn’t really realize where they were going until they were at the store.

“Um, are you sure about this?” Dawn asked, looking around at the aisles and aisles of billowing skirts and bell-bottomed sleeved shirts.

“Of course! Come on Debunu, let’s go!”

Cordy pulled the girl into the store, and immediately pulled out a shirt, and a pair of jeans. “Here, try this on. This should be in your size.”

Dawn had no choice but to follow Cordelia into the dressing room.

She stepped past the curtain guarding the room, and peeled off her clothing. She then pulled on the clothes and felt a lump rise in her throat.

The clothes fit. She was wearing a low-cut wrap-around light pink shirt, which had bell bottomed sleeves. The jeans were a pale blue color, and belled out right from the knee.

She looked into the small mirror in the room. She hadn’t worn anything like that since....since the second-to-last day that Buffy had been with them. Since before she ran off to be “one with the Earth”.

Disgusted, Dawn almost tore off the clothing and wadded them up into a pile and discarded them in the corner of the place. She got up and left.

“So, what do you...hey, you’re not wearing them. That’s cheating.” whined Cordy when she saw that Dawn hadn’t changed at all.

“I looked like crap in them.” Dawn mock-explained. “Come on, let’s go back to that retro jewelry story that we saw on the way here. I...um, have to do something.”

“Okay.” Cordy agreed, and the pair walked out of the store.

*****

Janna felt a cold rush go through her and she realized that she must have vamped out in front of Rupert. She looked to the man, quickly changing back into her demon guise, and hoped that he hadn’t seen the demon side of her. He was so nice, and probably didn’t know anything about demons...

“You’re a vampire!” Giles exclaimed, jumping away from her. “You...you tried to trick me, and to eat me! I’m so bloody stupid!” he said, getting worked up and not even realizing that she was no longer in game-face.

“No!” Janna shouted. “Well, I mean, yes, I am a vampire, but I wasn’t going to try to eat you. It’s just been a while since I’ve eaten anything, and when some guy is right there, sometimes I can’t control the urges.” She noticed the panicked look on Giles’ face. “But I can! And,” she realized, “how do you know about vampires anyway?”

“I just happen to be a Watcher.” he said proudly. “And now, I’m going to kill you. It was nice getting to know you, Janna, even though the entire thing was probably a lie...”

“No! Honestly! I wasn’t out to kill you! I have a soul!” she said, trying to keep Giles from pulling the stake out of his pocket that he always carried with him.

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. Of course you’re a vampire with a soul. I’m going to believe that nonsense.” he said, getting ready to strike.

“No! Honestly! My name is truly Janna, and I was born into the Kalderash gypsy tribe in the late 1800’s. When I was 24, I was captured by Angelus, the Scourge of Europe. He eventually turned me, but, thanks to the elder woman, I regained my soul before ever waking up. And Angelus was punished by also receiving a soul. His soul.”

“Yes,” said Giles, “I have heard the legend about Angelus, the demon with an angelic face, many times. Everyone has. How am I to be certain that you are telling the truth?”

“By this.” Janna pulled up the sleeve to her shirt. “If you are a watcher, then you will recognize this marking. It’s the marking of the Kalderash tribe, the tribe of which I was from, and the tribe from which Angelus took me from.”

Giles took a closer look at the scar. It was a small, rounded shape, with markings engraved onto it. It was definitely the Kalderash sign, and the made sure that it was impossible to copy, due to the pensive drawings inside of it.

“All right then, I believe you. But why are you here then? Why aren’t you still with your people?” he asked her.

“My job, as was given to me by the elder woman, is to make sure that Angelus never experiences one moment of true happiness for the rest of my vampiric life. Because if he does, his soul will be lost, and mine will be lost as well.”

“And why is that?” Giles asked, intrigued.

“Because, when the spell was performed, we were linked from the spirit world. He’s here in New York City right now, eating rats and other vermin. I can feel him, and how he feels. If he ever gets even a little happy or content, I usually throw something in his path or walk by so that he sees me and is reminded of what he has done.”

Giles nodded. He knew a little about Angelus, and knew that he deserved everything he got from Janna.

“So, do you believe me?” she asked shyly.

He nodded and said, “Yes, yes. Of course.”

She seductively smiled and said, “So, do you want to continue...inside?”

Without another moment of hesitation, the two entered the house, and the door slammed shut.

“Go fish.”

Willow sighed and picked up another card from the pile. Frustrated, she threw her cards onto the floor and said, “This is so boring! Where is everyone?”

They were alone at Giles’. Buffy was gone, doing something (no one knew for sure), Cordy and Debunu were out shopping (and the way Cordy shopped, they could be gone for days), Giles had gone out for a drink, and Oz was on a spiritual mission and a band tour in Timbuktu.

“I’m worried, Xander.” she said, picking up the cards she had thrown. “Buffy never told us where she was going, and it’s getting late. What if she’s hurt? Or in trouble?”

“I’m sure she’s fine, Wills.” Xander said reassuringly.

“But she’s always let us know where she is!” Willow said, falling back onto a pillow. “Everyone’s gone. I’m getting totally wigged.”

Xander looked at the clock. Wow. he thought. Past midnight already.

“Okay, didn’t realize we were still up so late...maybe we should worry a little bit.” he thought for a second. “Okay, now it’s turning into panic.”

“And she was going to that weird building in the Bronx!” Willow yelled, remembering what she had told the Slayer earlier. It’s amazing what a bowl of pot will make you forget these days...

“You mean old Fredies? The store where the owner supposedly hung himself and his ghost still walks at night?” Xander asked. Willow nodded, and he said, “Why would she be going in there?”

“Something about Spi-a friend of hers, being tortured. Oh god, Xander, something must’ve went wrong...I can’t believe I just forgot about that!”

“Hello?”

The two turned towards the door and watched as a very-rumpled Giles managed to waltz into the room. He saw the pair and said, “Oh, you two are still here? Don’t you have homes?”

“Giles! Buffy’s missing, and we think that she’s in trouble!” Willow said. Xander also stated, “Yeah, she went down to Fredies to save her friend.”

“Fredies?” Giles asked, trying to place the name. “You mean that old cannery were the owner killed himself and walks around, wearing the rope that he hung himself with so he could hang more innocent people to work for him for all eternity?”

Xander nodded. Giles shook his head and said, “Well then, let’s go rescue her.” He walked out of the room, with a little jump to his walk.

“Someone just got laid.” Xander said to no one in particular, and fallowed him and Willow out.

*****

Buffy woke to the sound of...nothing. Hey, that’s unusual. she thought. Usually something’s on or someone’s talking.

She looked around and saw nothing much other than a chair on the other side of the particularly large room and a few chains. Then she saw him.

Oh man, did he look awful. It looked like someone had taken him, beaten him, and then cleaned the wounds with steel wool. And by the way he was glaring at her, she could tell that he wasn’t too happy about it.

Another figure entered the room, and then another. Buffy recognized the first one to be Drusilla (crazy demon), and the other blonde woman was new.

“What’s going on?” she asked, trying to see if anyone else was in the room. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about this one...

“It’s simple, really.” he said, struggling to pull himself from the wall he had been leaning on. “You see, I was offered a proposition. Either I get beaten to death, which isn’t fun, especially by the skillful hands of Darla over there,” he pointed to the blonde, “or, I could kill you, and get back into friendly terms with my Sire, the lovely Drusilla. So, they went and set this all up for us, so we could have some final together time.”

“What?” Buffy was shell-shocked! “You, freak! I came here to rescue you, and this is the thanks I get?”

“Don’t need rescuin’, love.” Spike said. “I got all the people I’ve ever needed right here.”

With that said, and a simple nod from Darla, he attacked. Buffy, who wasn’t in a proper stance yet, was tackled to the ground easily.

Spike was getting angry because he thought that the fight wasn’t going to last for nearly long enough, and was about ready to snap her neck when he felt a powerful force push him from the Slayer, slamming his already-damaged body into the nearest wall.

Willow was a little woozy from using the magic, but she managed to get over to Buffy in time and pull her up.

“You freak! I’m going to roast your undead butt!” Buffy cried out, leaping out at him.

And then Willow saw it. She was still a little bit wonky from her spell sickness, and she saw their auras. Everyone’s to be exact. The two vampires in the corner had dark auras, almost metallic iron, but a different shade. Giles had a lighter aqua color, and Xander’s was yellow, almost gold.

She looked over to the other end of the room, and tried to pick out Buffy from Spike, but found that she was unable to. Their auras matched perfectly, as was designed from the original spell that she had cast earlier. They were...soul-mates? A vampire and a Slayer?

She realized that she said the last part out loud when the fighting stopped and all eyes, even the vampire’s, were on her. The colors quickly faded, and Buffy asked, “Is it true? That’s why I saw him in the spell...”

Spike practically leaped from the girl who was giving him the most astonished look he had ever seen. He had heard what the little witch had said. “Auras. Black, blue and yellow. Oh look, those two match. Soul-mates forever.” or something to that extent.

“Spike’s soul-mate is a Slayer?” Darla asked, almost doubling over in laughter. “What kind of inexperienced witch are you? He’s a vampire, it’s impossible!”

Spike felt torn suddenly. There was the Slayer, looking at him with eager eyes, waiting for him to make a more, either towards her, or away from her.

“You two are soul-mates.” Willow said again. “You belong together.”

“We belong together.” Buffy said, almost in a trance.

All the noise in the room stopped as the choice was given without any words being said. Spike knew that deep down, in his non-beating heart, that he wanted the Slayer, whose fire shown brighter than Dru’s had ever hoped.

“Get away from me you little pissant!” He yelled at the Slayer, backing away into his Sire, wrapping himself in her skirts. “And take your band of goodies with you!”

“But...I can take away the pain!” Buffy shouted to Spike. “They hurt you! How can you want to go back to that!”

“Because it’s family.” Darla answered for him, placing a hand on Spike’s head. All of Spike looked like he really wanted to stay.

But Buffy could tell that in his eyes, he wanted to go.

“Buffy, what’s going on?” Giles asked, not knowing why his Slayer was preaching about being soul-mates to a vampire.

She huffed and ran out of the room, with her friends following.

Spike smiled, but it was a forced one. Drusilla didn’t know that though, and bent down to kiss his bloodied lips. “Such candy is only for the prettiest girls in the contest.” she sighed happily.

And Spike did too. It was home, and his heart knew nothing else.

*****

“So, you slept with him, and now you think that he’s your soul-mate?” Giles asked for the eighteenth time. Buffy nodded again and said, “It’s all about the spell that Willow performed. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it any sooner.”

“Well, there’s certainly things that must be done. Research to see if there are any prophecies about this, looking into his history, going through-” Giles was interrupted by the telephone ringing.

Sighing, he reached over and picked up the phone. “Hello?” he said tiredly into the receiver.

“Giles? This is Cordelia.”

“Yes, yes. It’s close to three in the morning! Where are you?”

There was a sigh at the other end. “The downtown police department. You probably need to get down here, and bring Buffy with you.”

“Why?” Giles asked.

“Because they caught Deb-Dawn stealing a spiked bracelet and about twenty dollars worth of clothing from a store in the mall.”

Chapter Eight

Cordelia got off the phone, walking back to where Dawn was being held, determined to at least try to get through to the girl. She had noticed Dawn's reticence about certain subjects, but hadn't felt that they were important until the punker had been caught red-handed at Bloomingdale's.

"So . . ." the older girl began. "Ever been caught before?" Okay, not the best way to begin, but at least it's a start, Cordy berated herself, plunging onward.

"Nope," the girl would not let her guard down, but Cordy was determined.

"Y'know, if you wanted that stuff-"

"I don't want to talk about it," the older girl could practically hear the walls slamming further into place. Wisely, she left Dawn alone until Buffy and Giles came to get them.

*****

Spike couldn't sleep. He had been lying there all morning, trying to squelch the thoughts in his head.

Resolutely, he tried telling himself--again--that he had a good thing going, that he still loved his sire, that he wanted to stay . . . He tried over and over again, and still could not convince himself of the truth of these statements.

Pulling an extra-heavy wool blanket from the closet, the young master vampire ran into the day aimlessly. He just wish he knew what he did want.

Oh well, he thought to himself, deciding it best to get somewhere safe first and foremost. Demon shelter it is, I guess.

Leaving the shadows of the apartment building, Spike ran toward that very place.

*****

"Don't you see?" Buffy paced Giles' living room that evening. "He saved my life. I can't believe you actually thought he meant what he said! We have to go find him!"

"I dunno, Buff," Xander interjected. "Seemed like he meant it to me . . ."

The Slayer turned flashing eyes on the army veteran. "You don't know. You didn't see . . . His eyes . . . If you had seen the look in his eyes, I know there'd be no question!"

Xander, who had backed off before Buffy had spoken again, sat down with a thud as the backs of his knees hit an armchair. He was saved from another verbal tirade by a knock at the door.

Giles, who had been standing silently the whole time, went to answer the door; it was his house, after all.

"Janna!" the watcher exclaimed upon seeing the gypsy-vamp. "How are you? How did you find me? I forgot to tell you where I live . . ."

Chuckling at her lover's nervous babbling, Janna answered. "Simple. I found a phone booth, and looked you up in the white pages."

"Right. Of-of course," Rupert stuttered, finally starting to regain vocal control. "Please. Do have a seat," he graciously indicated another armchair across the room from Xander. "Maybe you can help us," he said, after making the necessary introductions--names only.

The vampiress took the proferred chair, looking quizzically from Giles to each of the group in turn.

"Sure. What can I help with?" she asked, wondering what all the children were doing in a watcher's home.

"We were actually discussing William the Bloody . . . You see, Buffy and Willow are under the impression--"

Janna's eyes widened. He's discussing vampire's with children? What kind of watcher puts children, other than the Slayer, in danger?!? She thought alarmedly to herself.

"Hey G-man . . . I thought we had to keep the Buffster's secret ID?" Xander had interrupted Giles' explanation. "So, why are we telling someone we don't even know that well about vampires and stuff?"

Buffy was a little quicker on the uptake--slayer senses being what they were, and before Xander had finished his interruption, she was in front of the dark-haired gypsy, crucifix in hand.

Once Giles had recovered from the shock of Buffy's speed, and everyone else from the sight of Janna's vampiric visage, the watcher took up the explanation again.

"Janna was a gypsy, sired by Drusilla's sire, Angelus. When her clan found out that she had been turned, they cursed Angelus with a soul, and restored her own soul before she could rise to feed. As payment for his many crimes, Angelus suffers as we speak, here in New York, from the torture that his restored conscience inflicts upon him.

Janna, whose essence is now connected to Angelus', makes sure that her sire never experiences perfect happiness, or else they will both lose their souls." Giles took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, as the others looked, wide-eyed at the vampiress.

"Now, as I was saying before," the watcher got back on topic. "Buffy and Willow--due to extenuating circumstances--seem to believe that William is Buffy's soulmate. Maybe you can talk them out of it, my dear?" he turned to his lover at this last sentence, a kind expression on his face, underlined with exasperation at his charges.

"Well, I don't know what 'circumstances' there are, but, whether he is Buffy's soul mate or not, William the Bloody is evil," she began her explanation.

"When I was first turned, Spike, Darla, and Drusilla, out for revenge, killed my whole village. The few that actually survived had been at market, or away to other towns, but when they returned, they found nothing but corpses and cinders.

In 1900, Spike killed a Slayer. Rumor in the demon world is that he's been gunning for another one ever since."

"We knew the Slayer thing already," Willow said. "And he was trying to kill Buffy, but he couldn't do it. That doesn't seem so evil to me . . . As for the other stuff . . . That's all in the past! People change . . . I know what I saw in the spell, and Buffy and Spike are soulmates."

"You don't understand!" Janna tried to explain. "William the Bloody has been wreaking havoc on the whole of Europe for ninety-seven years! There is no way he would change for the sake of a Slayer who claims to be his soul mate, and he definitely couldn't change in such a short time!"

"I don't believe you! You're nothing but a vampire I just met. Why should I believe you?" Buffy fumed from her perch on the couch's armrest.

"Did you not hear that gory tale of dead gypsies, Buff?" Xander berated her, not noticing that she had gotten up and was looking down at him. "He. Is. EVIL! Get over it, already!"

Everyone gasped when they heard the Slayer's palm connecting with Xander's face.

*****

Drusilla woke, eager to start the night. Turning over, she reached for her childe, only to find empty, cold sheets in his place.

Anger building--disguising the redundant pain of betrayal--the insane vampiress tore the room to shreds as the minions in the other rooms cowered in fear.

*****

"You have no right to tell me to get over this, Alexander Harris! Spike has had numerous chances to kill me, but he didn't. He even saved my life when the Lamper . . . Lamper . . . Oh, whatever! He saved my life on Beltane! You don't know him. You don't get to say anything regarding him . . . Got it?" Buffy narrowed her eyes at her friend, standing with arms crossed over her chest, tapping one foot on the carpet.

The young man nearly soiled himself; he may have been in the army, but he knew that Buffy could wipe the floor with him if she was pissed of enough.

This was more than enough.

Xander gulped. Before he could reply, however, there was another knock at the door.

Buffy went to open it--just a crack so she could see who was there--and her eyes widened. She swung the door on its hinges so that everyone could see the newcomer. Buffy turned, staring at everyone smugly, taking up her previous posture--arms over her chest, foot tapping.

The others gaped as they saw a haggard-looking bleached head peeking out from a wool blanket draped over leather-covered shoulders.

Spike just stood in the doorway looking pitiful.

Chapter Nine

No one said anything. The vampire shifted uneasily outside of the barrier of the house that he could not enter. Willow was standing next to the kitchen post, too shocked to move. Dawn rolled her eyes, apparently not caring, Xander and Cordelia glared at the creature, and Giles and Janna were too engrossed with each other to care what was going on around them.

Finally, Xander looked at Spike spitefully and said, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I wanted to see Buffy."

Xander laughed and rolled his eyes, walking bravely towards the door. "Well, sorry mister, but you can't come in here unless Mr. Giles over there and invites you in. Not likely. Especially considering the fact that you just tried to kill Buffy, what was it? Yesterday?"

"Xander, back off." Buffy said, not moving her eyes from Spike at all.

Spike looked past Xander to the other occupants in the room. His eyes settled on another vampire there, a dark-haired woman who looked oh-so-familiar ...

"Angelus? With a soul? Is it even possible?" William asked, looking at the miserable excuse for a grandsire, laying on the floor, crying.

It was her. The girl that Angelus had turned. Maybe the salvation of his unlife. Without her, he would have never been noticed in the family for being someone other than 'young William'. Thanks to her and Angelus leaving, he was now Spike, a respected (or once respected) member of his clan.

"You." he said, almost accusingly, getting the attention of the woman. She turned to him and her eyes turned red with fury.

"William the Bloody!" she screamed, ready to fling herself out the door at him. Giles was the only thing holding her back. "You murdered my mother and sister!" she screamed. "You took away the only joy I had left in my life!"

"You took away my GrandSire!" Spike yelled back, his dry throat cracking his voice.

"Well, he deserved it. He took away my life, my light, and replaced it with something as disgusting as yourself."

Spike was infuriated. "Disgusting? Talk about yourself, you filfthy gypsy whore."

"British scum. You weren't fit for human life so you were accepted by bottom feeders instead."

"Again, take a gander at yourself! You don't seem to be too tan to me!"

Janna screamed. "I had no choice! I wasn't willing, like you were!"

Spike was about to yell something back, when Buffy shouted, "Stop it you two! Giles, invite Spike in, and I can stop this."

"Come in, Spike." Giles ground out, and the vampire toppled to the floor, the barrier gone.

"There now." Janna said venomously. "Back to were you deserve. Beneath us all."

She said the one phrase that made Spike see red. "I. Am. Not. Beneath. Anyone." he said fiercely. "Unlike some dead pissant relatives of yours. They're six feet under everyone."

Janna shouted, "A curse to you! A curse to you, your loved ones, and everyone you care about! Plagues of-"

"Don iem et soel!" Willow yelled out, a Latin spell that made everyone shut up. Janna kept glaring at Spike, and stormed out of the apartment, with Giles following her, glaring just as intensely at the vampire.

Willow opened her mouth to say the reversal part of the spell, but nothing came out. Buffy tried to talk as well, but again, nothing happened. Dawn even tried screaming, but nothing was heard. They couldn't talk.

Cordy began to panic and was mouthing things to Xander, while Spike moved off of the floor and pressed himself into a wall. Buffy noticed him back up, but made no effort to help him out.

Willow searched through her spell book for another reversal spell, and she finally found one. She located a piece of paper, and on the paper, she wrote, En sternum and then took out a lighter and burned the paper up. Then, she stepped on the ashes three times.

That time, when Dawn screamed, they all heard it.

Spike shook himself, and peered around the room. Five pairs of eyes were still staring at him, and he felt surprisingly nervous. "I -um, need to talk to Buffy." he said softly.

Buffy looked around the room, and said, "Um, sure. Just, um, let me go out to see if Giles and Janna aren't using the garage as a new make-out spot." With that, she scurried out.

The room went silent again, and then, this time, Dawn broke the silence by saying, "I like your shirt. Where'd you get it?"

"Nicked it off some guy off the street. Didn't look like he really cared." He said, pointing to the black tee with a huge skull on the front of it, with 'Hells Bells' written on the back.

"I don't usually go for the skull tee-shirts." Dawn continued. "They are just really, really passe. I mean, all the wanna-bees wear them. But, you can pull it off. That's really cool." she paused, and asked, "Your hair isn't naturally that color, is it?"

'Where did everyone go?' she thought.

"So, you the only one with half a head full of fashion sense around here?" Spike asked, referring to the missing parties.

Dawn nodded and said, "I used to be like that ... but I changed my ways. Besides, being a rebel is just too much fun."

Spike nodded. "That it is."

"It's cool, you know." Dawn said, "To have someone else around here be kinda like me. Even if you're an evil vampire." She sighed. "No one else really has a clue."

Spike grabbed a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it up, and looked over to Dawn and asked her with his eyes if she wanted one. She nodded, and he threw her one with the lighter. "The world's changin', 'bit." he said. "Before you know it, this will be out, and then something horrendously ugly will come along to take it's place."

"You called me 'bit. Why?" Dawn asked, taking a long drag.

"Dunno. Used to call my sis that when I was young. You kinda look like her, and I guess it just stuck to you."

Dawn smiled. "I've never had a nickname before ... well, actually, I do, but I gave it to myself."

"And what's your nickname?"

"Debunu. It's Japanese for 'Dawn'. I thought it sounded neat."

Spike smiled. This little girl wasn't so bad. She was tough, but she still was so innocent. If he didn't like her sister, he probably would love to corrupt and turn the girl, but that wasn't why he was there.

Spike finished his cigarette and put it out in a plant. Dawn was still using hers when Buffy came in the room.

"DAWN!" she screamed out. "Stop that!"

"Oh come on, you smoke weed and a lot of other stuff." Dawn said, not listening to her sister. "This isn't nearly as bad."

Buffy huffed. Her sister was right. "Fine then, go smoke outside if you have to."

Dawn smiled and walked out the door.

Buffy turned to Spike and glared. "Did you give my baby sister a cigarette?" she asked him quietly in a voice that made Spike shiver.

"Well, she's really not so little-"

"Did you give Dawn a cigarette?"

Spike slumped over and said, "Yeah."

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked over to the opposite end of the room. "Spike, we really, really need to talk about this."

"I know Slayer. I should be tryin' to kill you after all."

"Yeah, me too." Buffy said.

"Then why don't we want to?" Spike asked, holding his head in his hands.

Buffy sat down and sighed. "I don't know. That's why we need to talk."

The room was silent.

***

Dawn finished her smoke and then turned to go inside when she heard a rustling noise from behind her. She turned around and saw a woman standing there. This woman had on a long, old-fashioned skirt, and her hair was as dark as the night sky. She looked at the girl innocently, and asked her, "Is this where Spike came to play? He's been a naughty boy, and needs to be spanked."

Was this Spike's girlfriend Buffy had mentioned once or twice? She didn't seem that scary. She looked like if the wind blew too hard she would fall right on over.

"Spike? Yeah, he's in here." she replied, not feeling scared at all. Dawn was indestructible.

"That's right little one." she said, swooning back and forth. "The little fairies dancing on the wind whispered to me ... psst, psst, psst ... they told me that he was here with the Slayer." She spit on the ground. "Nasty little girl, taking away my wicked boy. She ought to be punished."

"For more than one thing ..." Dawn whispered, not thinking that the vampire would hear her.

Drusilla smiled. 'Slayer's sister.' she heard the voices in her head tell her. 'String her up light a Christmas tree! Give her a spin, and she'll fly off again!'

"She's a naughty, wicked girl." Drusilla said. "Leaving, abandoning, stealing. She walks on a tiny little thread while the world falls under her feet."

Dawn smiled. She actually understood this freak! Well, not the whole 'world falling' thing, but she could get that. Buffy did think that she was the queen of life itself after all.

"Yeah, she's the Slayer, she thinks she can rule the world." Dawn said in agreement. "And she's making your boyfriend want to cheat on you! What the hell is up with that! Spike should be with you. You two match a lot more."

"Oh, pretty little girl." Drusilla cooed. "You understand better than anyone else. A Slayer and a Vampire cannot be together without the fangs and the twisted bodies. Cat and mouse, dog and cat, goat and dog, never together. Hunter and hunted they are."

"And I thought that her last boyfriend was bad." Dawn said. "He was all into drinking and smoking and shooting up. Spike would much rather be killing someone. It's kinda disturbing, but kinda cool."

"My Spike likes to paint cities red with blood. Blood, bloody bloody blood. Grand-nummy thinks its bothersome, but I think that it looks oh so beautiful." She frowned. "But now, we both have naughty boys who lie to us and leave us."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that one from Giles' little vampire skank." Dawn said, thinking a little. "Angelus? Is that the other one?"

Drusilla nodded excitedly and said, "Do you know who I am little one?"

Dawn thought. "I know it started with a D ... um, Danielle, Dolly ... Drusilla!"

Dru clapped her hands happily. "Smart little one. And do you know about my childe?"

"Only that he's nearly 100 and that he's already killed a whole bunch of gypsies and another Slayer." Dawn said. 'He's so cool!'

All of a sudden, Drusilla perked up and leaped at Dawn, grabbing her roughly by the arms and dragging her into a bush. Dawn was shocked at first, and tried to scream, but Dru wrapped her tiny cold hands around her mouth, silencing her.

"Sh..." she whispered.

The front door to Giles' opened, and Buffy stuck her head out. "Dawn?" she asked looking around. "Dawn?!" she said again, yelling. She looked around for a second longer, and shut the door going back into the house.

"The Slayer nearly spoiled our little party." Drusilla whispered into Dawn's ear. "I do like you so, but it's a shame I'm going to have to kill you later."

Dawn's eyes popped open as the evil vampire started dragging her away from Giles'.

Chapter Ten

"So, uhh . . ." Spike broke the silence five minutes after it had begun. "What do you want to talk about? . . . No, scratch that," he corrected himself at Buffy's only semi-amused look. "We both know what . . . I just don't know how to talk about it. Nothing even remotely similar has ever happened to me before."

"Well, I was in Psycho-Vamp's position before . . ." The Slayer changed tactics at the peroxided vampire's glare. "But we won't go into that . . . You know," Spike had a mental whiplash from the abrupt subject change. "If you hadn't kissed me in the subway to begin with, one of us would most likely be dead by now, and none of this mess would have ever happened.

Then, the Slayer had a thought, thankfully cutting off the forthcoming tirade from Spike. "Why did you kiss me in the subway, Spike? I thought you were trying to kill me."

"That's what I thought I was trying to do too . . . But now that I've thought on it a spell, I realize that I had no ulterior motive for kissing you--other than the sheer fact that wicked tongue of yours, of course--until I had to think of one on the fly when Darla and Dru found out."

"Um . . . Okay . . . I guess," the nervousness started creeping back into the Slayer's voice. "Now . . . what do we do? Other than let bygones be bygones, I mean."

"Haven't the slightest inkling of an idea. You?"

"Nope. Not a one."

"Okay. Hmmm . . ." Spike paused, then turned to look at Buffy head on--which he hadn't done for the whole conversation. "Wanna make out?"

Buffy shrugged, launching her lips toward the vampire's. "Okay."

*****

"Janna!" Giles managed to catch up with the vampire in the garage. I wonder why she went out the garage . . . Oh well, no matter . . . "Janna, please. Wait!" Rupert managed to grab onto her elbow before she could get her bearings and get out of the garage through the carport.

"Talk to me, Janna. Please," he managed to pull the woman-child vampire into a comforting embrace, even without vampire strength.

"For seventy-nine years, I have followed my sire, never allowing myself to become attached to any one place. For seventy-nine years, I have been alone because of Angelus. His family, Darla, Drusilla, and William, only made the loneliness worse when they killed the rest of my village, leaving me nothing to come home to should my task allow me some reprieve."

"And now . . ." Janna started to weakly pound on the watcher's chest, as though she was a human girl, too caught up in her misery to bother about landing hard hits. "Now, the man I love is the watcher of the Slayer who believes that a monster such as William the Bloody can deserve forgiveness, merely because of a spell that "told" her he is her 'soulmate!' I can't take it anymore, Rupert! I just can't! Un-living every night with the knowledge that I have no family left other than that made up of creatures I despise with my entire being . . . It's just too much!"

Janna started to sob against Giles' chest as he made soothing noises, patting the brunette's hair as the pair stood in the dim light of the garage.

*****

"Would you like some more cakes, Miss Sunrise?" Drusilla cooed to the girl in the chair across the table.

Dawn shook her head no. She couldn't be polite about it--she was gagged, after all, as well as tied to the chair.

The vampire seemed to have forgotten that fact, however. She didn't seem to care though. It's not like there was any real tea--not to mention cakes--in the vicinity anyway.

"No matter," the crazy brunette continued obliviously. "More for Mummy, and Miss Edith . . . Miss Edith? Ooh, naughty, naughty, running away like that. Very well, Miss Edith shall have no cakes either," Drusilla nodded her head once in finality.

Dawn just stared, eyes wide, as the vampiress swayed to her own rhythm, imaginary tea and cakes forgotten.

*****

It had been fifteen minutes since the conversation ended. Buffy didn't know what time it was, but she did wonder why no one had come to stop the make-out session that she and Spike had been having on Giles' couch. Reluctantly, she pulled back.

"Where's Dawn?" she gasped.

"Don't know," Spike answered. "Didn't she go out for a smoke?"

"Oh yeah," a light seemed to go off over the Slayer's head. "And, by the way, thank you so much for corrupting my sister even more than she already has herself."

Sarcastic Slayer . . . I kinda like this one too . . . Spike thought to himself. Maybe I should collect the whole set? He smirked at his Inner Dialogue, even as Buffy spoke again.

"Shouldn't she have been done by now?"

"Dunno . . . How long were we on the couch?"

"How am I supposed to know? Come on . . . I'm gonna peek outside and see where she's at," Buffy managed to pull herself out from under the over-enthusiastic Spike, eliciting an impatient groan from the vampire.

"I'm sure she's fine . . . She's been taking care of herself since you've been in New York, what's to say she can't take care of herself now?" he asked, following Buffy out to the bushes where the Slayer was crouched over a certain patch of earth.

"This," the Slayer replied, holding up a china doll dressed in Victorian clothes, wearing a gag around its mouth.

*****

"Giles! Giles!" Buffy ran into the garage, frantically calling for her watcher. "Giles, hurry! Drusilla has Dawn!"

Xander, Cordelia and Willow, who had been in other rooms, heard Buffy's screaming as she ran through the house and followed her to the garage as well.

Xander's immediate reaction was to turn around and confront the blonde vampire. "This is all your fault, you evil piece of scum!"

"Xander, stop. Right. There!" Buffy was getting tired of arguing everything. She'd rather have everyone shut up and not talk about anything than talk about the Spike subject. "Right now, we need to get Dawn back. I don't have time for your petty accusations. Spike had nothing to do with this. He was with me in Giles' living room the whole time. We went out to check on Dawn, and found Drusilla's doll instead. Now," she turned to her watcher. "What do we do?"

"Uh . . . Er . . . That is, uhm . . ." Giles took off his glasses and started wiping them with a handkerchief pulled from his pocket.

"I can do a spell to see what she sees," Willow saved the middle-aged man from having to speak coherently without offending either side of the gang's internal conflict.

"Get on it," Buffy began to feel like a leader for the first time since her calling.

Willow did just that, and after about ten minutes, had a description of the place that Buffy's sister was being held in.

"Well, there's a couch . . . a table with a tea set on top . . . it looks like Dawn is tied to one of the chairs around the table. The room she's in has three doors off of it in view from where she's sitting . . . I can't get an exact place though . . . The spell's not that specific."

"I know where she is," Spike interjected. "It's the apartment that Darla and Dru are staying at."

Buffy nodded. "Can you lead us there?" Spike answered in the affirmative. "Good. You're with me. We'll gather weapons and go from there. Xander, Cordelia, Willow, you're backup. Giles . . . uh . . ." Buffy trailed off, uncomfortable with giving her watcher orders.

"I'll hold down the fort, if you don't mind."

"Right. Okay, let's get a move on."

TBC...

Chapter Eleven

“All right.” Buffy said once Spike had gotten them to the apartment complex. “Xander, Cordelia, you guys flank from the left. Watch our backs, and nail any minions who try to bust out of here.”

Xander mock-saluted the Slayer.

“Willow, you stay out here, just in case someone gets by Xander and Cordy. Zap them, kill them, do something. No one gets away alive before Dawn goes. Understood?”

Everyone nodded, but Spike shyly raised his hand. “Um, Slayer, if my Sire hasn’t already killed the bit,” he bit his tongue at the Slayer’s glare. “Can she be let go? She is my Sire after all, and to kill her for me would just be-”

“We’ll see, Spike.” Buffy said. “Spike and I are going to go straight in. Hopefully, Darla isn’t there, so we only have one vamp to go for.”

“You can kill Darla.” Spike said spitefully. “Burn her into the bloody ground for all I care.”

Buffy nodded to Xander. “Dust the blonde.”

They all split up, Xander and Cordy running up the East Stairs, and Buffy and Spike charging into the front door, while Willow stood faithfully outside, summoning her powers and waiting for action.

Spike and Buffy made it to the apartment in record time, and Spike held his ear up to the door, trying to find out how many vamps were in the apartment.

************************************************

“Here you go, sweet thing. Mummy’s got you all taken care of.” Drusilla said, finally removing the gag from Dawn’s mouth. “I find it so hard to keep my company. My Spike used to listen, but he’s gone. And Ms. Edith refuses to speak to me.” she said, motioning towards her doll on the floor. “I think I’ve troubled her.”

Dawn just looked at the vampiress and said, “No, I don’t think so. She’s just tired. You’ve kept her up so long.”

Realization crept into Drusilla’s features as she thought of that. “I must put her to bed!” she called out. “Don’t move, dark girl.”

The vampire ran out of the room, grabbing her doll on the way out, and Dawn started to run for it. She only made it halfway through the place when a minion stopped her. “No one leaves until Mistress Darla returns.” the minion said.

Dawn tried to push the minion away, but he just backhanded her and sent her flying into a wall. Dawn cried out in pain, but the minion hardly noticed as he walked over to the girl.

“You’re such a pretty little one.” he said, petting her hair. “I’m sure that Mistress Drusilla won’t mind if I turn you ...”

“You stay away from her!”

The vampire was dust in seconds, and a very tussled Drusilla stood in his place. “My dark girl. No one touches the dark girl. She’s nice.”

Dawn stood up and stammered, “You, you saved my life.”

“You’ve got these pretty little pictures swimming around your head.” Drusilla said, twirling her own hands around her head. “Pretty little one. Listens to mummy.”

Dawn smiled. Drusilla was ... different. Suddenly, she didn’t seem deadly anymore. “You’re still not planning on killing me, are you?” she asked.

Drusilla looked at the girl and shook her head. “No death shall touch my dark one. Rotten apples can’t touch the acorns.” The vampire sighed. “I’m so lonely. I’ve stopped with the music but no one’s kept a chair for me.”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the front door burst open, with Spike and Buffy running in.

“Dru! Get away from her!” Spike said in a commanding voice, hoping his Sire would do what he said.

“No!” Drusilla said, standing closer to Dawn. “She’s my dark one. She listens to the moon!”

“Dawn, please, get away from her.” Buffy said, holding out her hand. “She’s a killer, and she wants to kill you.”

“No she doesn’t.” Dawn said calmly. “She doesn’t want to kill me. I think she did, but I don’t know, I think I grew on her.”

“My sister and vampires.” Buffy mumbled. “Dawn, I don’t care what you think, get away from her now!”

“No!” Drusilla said again, and it sounded like she was almost begging. “Don’t. Please, they don’t like to talk around her.”

Spike watched his Sire in disbelief. She had never, in his entire unlife, acted this sane. She was always going off about the bleedin’ stars, and now she was actually talking like a normal person!

“You can have William.” she said. “Just please ... no.”

Spike couldn’t believe his ears. She was offering him up? To the Slayer?

“Dawn-”

Spike shook his head. Stake him if he was going to say this. “Buffy, maybe you should let her stay.”

“What?” Buffy asked, not really believing what she was hearing. “No. I will not let my younger sister stay with a crazy, psychotic vampire!”

“And what do you expect me to do, pet?” Spike asked. “You say you want to be with me, but I can’t be with you if no one’s looking after my Sire.”

“We can stake-”

“No.” Spike said. “If she dies, I die. Simple as that. I don’t think I could live if she died.”

Buffy was crushed, but decided to bring it up later. “Okay, then what about that other vamp, ... um, blonde?”

“Darla.” Spike said dismally. “Darla would leave Dru in New York all on her own and go off searching for her god-forsaken Childe or go back home to her Master.”

“Please, Buffy?” Dawn asked. ‘What am I doing?’ she asked herself. ‘She just kidnapped me and tried to kill me, shouldn’t I want her dead ... no, I don’t. She won’t leave me. Not like Buffy.’ “I could take her home! We could go home together, and mom and I could take care of her.”

‘She’s trying to replace me.’ Buffy thought sadly. ‘She wants to take a vampire into our, her, my home to replace me.’

“Pet, let me try something.” Spike said, walking over to face Drusilla. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “Dru, will you ever hurt this child? Or turn her? Or do anything that will cause her pain?”

Dru’s eyes lit up. “No! The fairies guard her, they do. Can’t hurt, can’t touch, and can’t kill.”

Spike turned back to Buffy and said, “She won’t hurt Dawn. I know Dru, and she never breaks promises.”

Buffy turned and looked at her sister. “Promise me you’ll take her straight home. Please?”

Dawn smiled. Buffy was actually into this? Wow. “Yes. We’ll get on the train tonight even! Be in Boston by tomorrow, and then we can take her home! And, we don’t have to worry about sunlight either!”

“And why’s that?” Spike said, worried that his Sire would get killed by the harmful rays.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it sunny in Boston.” Dawn said in a sick sense of seriousness. She turned to Drusilla and said, “Do you want to go home with me? To Boston?”

Drusilla nodded. “Children and butterflies beckon.”

“What about blood, huh?” Buffy asked, trying to bring some reason back into the fantasy-land conversation. “She can’t just go out and kill people and then stay with you.”

“Animal blood.” Spike said. “I plan to start eatin’ it, and Dru can too. You can buy it at butcher shops. Cheap.”

Buffy was floored. “You’d do that?” she asked Spike. “You’d stop eating human blood ... for me?”

Spike sheepishly grinned and said, “Ya. Course once you get me drunk all bets are off.”

“So, can I?” Dawn asked one final time.

Buffy gave up. She was just too ... relieved for no better word ... at the moment. “Yes. But, don’t you have packing to do?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nope. I came with the clothes I’m wearing. I thought that if I had to stay for a long time, I would just start nicking stuff from the malls.”

“Promise me you’ll stop doing that.” Buffy said, sternly. “You can’t take care of the vampire if you’re in jail.”

Dawn smiled and nodded, and then turned to Spike. “Does she need anything?”

“Grab her coat and her dolls, and she’s fine.” Spike said. Dawn ran off into the apartment, and Spike approached Dru. “Dru, pet.” he said, looking into her eyes. “Take care.”

Drusilla smiled and reached up to caress her Childe’s face. “I was wrong. It’s not horrible. The moon has many faces, she does.”

Dawn re-entered the room, and grabbed Dru’s arm. Without a goodbye or a look back, the two walked off.

Buffy and Spike followed after them, calling down Xander, Cordy and Willow. Dawn and Dru started to head towards the train station, while Buffy started to cry in Spike’s arms.

*************************************************

“You’re what?” Giles asked, surprised to see Janna packing her bags when he entered her home. “Leaving?”

Janna turned to Giles, a look of regret in her eyes. “I have to, Rupert.” she said sadly. “Angelus is leaving town, and I have to follow him. It’s my duty.”

“But, where will you go?” Giles asked.

“According to the demon underground, he’s going to the Midwest. Iowa, maybe Nebraska.”

Giles gulped. The Midwest? Which was over 1,000 miles away? “I wish you could stay.” he said.

Janna turned once more and smiled. “I wish I could too. I wish you could come with me.”

“But, my Slayer-”

Janna smiled. “It was a wish, Rupert. We both have responsibilities. And we’ll stay in touch ... and who knows?” she winked suggestively. “Someone ... I don’t know who ... might convince Angelus to come back to New York once he gets settled.”

************************************************

“OZ!” Willow screamed, leaping onto her boyfriend as he stepped off the subway and into her arms. It was 6 a.m., very early for the witch, but she didn’t care. Her significant other was home.

“How was Timbuktu? Learn any ... interesting things?” she asked.

Oz smiled and kissed his girlfriend before answering her. “It was hot. As it tends to be. Other than that, we played a few gigs, met a few friends, and basically hung out. Nothing I don’t do here.”

“Except, not in America!” Willow said, wrapping her arms around him.

“So, wanna go to Giles’ and check in for Slayer stuff? Or,” Willow said, “You wanna go back to my place?”

Oz smiled. “Huh. It’s been awhile since I’ve been there. Did you change anything?”

“Only in the bedroom.” Willow said, and the two walked off.”

***********************************************

Xander yawned and stood up, glaring at the clock, which had decided to go off on him and wake him at such an early time on a Friday. Thankfully for him, Cordy hadn’t woken up yet, which was good, cuz ‘Queen C’ liked her beauty-rest.

Grumbling, he stood to make himself some coffee and get the mail. Once those two things had been done, he sat down, and proceeded to shuffle through the letters.

‘Bill, bill, ‘Have you found God?’, bill, ooh!’ he thought, grabbing at a letter which read, ‘To Cordy from Sister Harmony’.

“Guess Harm’s coming back to town. Wait till Buffy gets a hold of her! And I so have to get her to make me some of her Vodka Twister for old time’s sake!” he said to no one as he set the letter aside.

‘Okay, where was I? Oh yes, bill, late notice, magazine, Army ... ARMY?’

And there it was, addressed to him, Specialist Fourth Unit Harris. He gulped as he opened the letter. He thought that the draft was over.

He read the letter, then reread it again, and then, finished off his coffee in one gulp and headed out the door, leaving the letter, open, on the table.

A half-hour later, Cordy woke up and moved out to the smell of coffee. She noticed the letters sitting on the table, but paid particular attention to the one laying open on top of the pile.

‘The United States Army

Attn: Specialist Fourth Unit Alexander LaVelle Harris

It is at this time in which we, the United States Government, would like to congratulate you on your efforts in the Vietnam War.

And, it is in this time of need that we wish to re-instate you as an officer in the US Army.

This is not a draft notice, however, should you come back to the Army, your pay would be raised 25%, and your rank would increase to Sergeant.

Please contact General Brams by October 1st if you wish to accept this offer. The first training camp will be located in Willowway, Oregon, and will begin some time in December.

General C. Williams.’

*********************************

“So, you think that they’ll be okay?” Buffy asked, snuggling down under the covers farther, laying content next to Spike.

“I’m sure, pet. Dru’s never let me down, and your sister has a good head on her shoulders.” Spike smiled. “Just like you.”

Buffy stretched and yawned. “Is life always going to be this good?”

Spike smiled and brushed back a lock of her hair. “I hope so ducks. I hope so.”

“Will you make me pancakes?”

“Do you mind if I put blood in the batter?”

Buffy turned around and faced Spike. “You’re sick.”

“I know.”

Buffy smiled. “You’re bad.”

“I’m a very bad man.”

Pause. “And you will make me pancakes.”

****************************************

Darla could not believe it! Everything had fallen to pieces! Spike was getting roomy with the Slayer, all of her minions had left, and Dru had taken off with the Slayer’s sister to parts unknown.

“This sucks!” she screamed, kicking out and making a large indent in the wall.

She growled and flipped into game face, sinking her teeth into the small human girl who had been trembling at her feet. She was soon dead.

Darla regained her calm after eating. She smiled a very evil smile. “You think you can do this to me, William?” she asked, looking out the window into the dark streets of New York. “You’re not old enough to contain your demon yet. You just wait and see how long it is before you’re biting off her neck.”

She turned around and held up a vial in her hand, which started to glow. “Especially with this.”

*************************************

The train arrived in Boston just before 7 in the morning. Dawn stepped off, and started to roust Drusilla. She smiled. Just as she expected ... cold and cloudy. Drusilla would be just fine.

“Come on, Dru.” she said. “The train isn’t stopping for long.”

Drusilla opened her eyes and stood up, gathering her things quickly as both girls got off the train.

About thirty seconds before the doors shut, Drusilla cried out, “No! I left Ms. Edith!”

Before Dawn could stop her, Drusilla ran back onto the train, searching for her doll.

Dawn followed.

The doors slid shut with the two girls inside, and it started to move.

Towards Ohio.

Hey, don't get bummed, dude. Just because Kamikaze Vampire is finished, doesn't mean we aren't done playing with the characters yet. The sequel and the roleplay interlude are coming shortly, so stay here, get high with your friends, and have a groovy day!

And don't forget! YOU can also write in the Kamikaze-verse! Just let either Allison or I know that you wish to participate, and we'll let you know the "rules" of the 'verse!