Title: Secrets & Lies: The Tainted Truth
Author: Kylia
Email: kylia_bug@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don't know.
Rating: Starts out PG-13 but will eventually be NC-17
Spoilers: Angel
Category: Willow/Spike
Summary: Okay, think of this as an alternate reality. Some of the events of the series will happen just as they did on the show, others won't.
Distribution: Fire & Ice, WitchFanFic, WLS, anyone else, ask, and you shall receive
Author's Notes: The fourth part to the Secrets & Lies Series.
Dedication: To Inell, don't loose that oar. To Everyone who's been emailing me about this series. I haven't forgotten, really. :)

Darla watched from the shadows as the Master sat in the darkness. She knew he was becoming impatient. Soon his irritation would cause him to do something that may not be wise. She steeled her features and she walked further into the room.

"Zachary didn't come home from the hunt last night." The Master spoke quietly, without turning, but Darla could feel his restrained rage.

"The Slayer." Darla breathed as if the thought had just occurred to her. In actuality it wasn't the Slayer who had taken Zachary from their numbers but one of their own kind.

"Zachary was strong, and he was careful, and still the Slayer takes him, as she has taken so many of my family." The Masters voice sounded weary, but Darla was not fooled.

She bit her tongue, and said nothing. The time wasn't yet right, but soon. She knew he was frustrated and wanted the girl dead, but there was still too much at stake. "Let me do it master, let me kill her for you." Darla pleaded, knowing he would deny her.

"You have a personal interest in this." He paused.

"I never have any fun." She pouted.

"I will send the three." The master ignored her.

Darla smiled to herself. "The three." She repeated. It was perfect. The master would send them, and they would fail, leaving room for her own plan.

Willow sat at the table listening to Buffy ramble on about her lack of a love life. As she listened to her friend drone on about the merits of Angel, Willow's thoughts automatically turned to Spike. She tried to keep her features interested in what Buffy was saying and not have that faraway look she knew she always got when thinking about the blond vampire.

Willow knew she should have told Buffy that Angel was a vampire. Honestly she was surprised Buffy hadn't figured it out. She was the Slayer. Shouldn't she have sensed him?

Shaking her head from internal thoughts, Willow tried to concentrate on what the Slayer was saying as she saw Xander walk up to them. She listen to his jokes, and again found her mind drifting. It wasn't until Buffy said something about leaving that Willow drew her attention back to her friends.

She watched with a touch of sadness as Xander tried to get Buffy to stay. It wasn't the same kind of sadness she had felt before. Before, she had been upset because it wasn't her he was looking at that way, now she was sad for her friend not herself.

After Buffy had left, Willow turned to Xander. "Cockroach?" She asked, motioning towards her shoe, which had a dead cockroach stuck to the sole.

Xander shrugged and took the shoe over to the bartender who would exchange the insect for a drink.

"My life sucks!" He mumbled to himself.

Spike exhaled the ring of black smoke and turned to look at his grandsire. "It won't work." He told her pointedly. She didn't believe him, he could tell.

"He will come back." Darla insisted.

Spike rolled his eyes out of her view. "Fine. I'll do it. But you're dealing with old ugly!"

Darla watched him leave and smiled to herself. She knew her plan would work. It had to. All Spike had to do was keep the Three from succeeding, and then she could suggest and alternate idea to bring the Slayer down, one that would bring her son home.

Spike watched as the Slayer pulled his sire into her house. He had to laugh. She had just invited a killer into her home, and didn't even know it. He couldn't get past the idea that the *Slayer* of all people hadn't been able to figure out that Angel was a vampire. His Red had figured it out and she had barely even met the pouf. But here he was, outside of the two-story house, where Sunnydale's vampire Slayer had just invited the Scourge of Europe. He shook his head and turned away, heading in the opposite direction. He knew he should go back home, to Dru, and see if she needed anything, but he couldn't bring himself to leave without seeing Red first.

As he approached her house he saw her light on through the French doors. After climbing up the trellis, Spike stood and watched her through the glass. He saw her look up from her computer as she sensed him. It was uncanny the way she could do that.

Willow turned around and walked to the doors. Smiling as she opened them far enough to allow him to come inside. He still couldn't believe she had invited him into her home, knowing what he was. She had even researched his history, and found out things he thought for sure would appall her. Instead she just apologized for snooping.

Two weeks ago she had found out that not only was the slayer's cryptic protector a vampire, but that he was Spike's sire. Instead of running to the slayer to tell all she knew, Willow had kept silent. Spike knew that it was difficult for her to lie to her friends, but she did it anyway.

It was then that he realized that he wasn't willing to give her up or allow anything to happen to her. He wanted to claim her, make her his, but it wasn't time yet. He still had to deal with Drusilla, and their sire.

Before he could think anymore about his plans for his beautiful redhead, she pulled him into her arms and kissed him, ever so briefly. When she pulled away, she had this beautiful smile on her face.

"I didn't think you were coming tonight." She told him.

"I was in the neighborhood." He told her. "Funny thing, there's a house not too far away. A young girl was fighting off some pretty fierce guys." His eyes sparkled in amusement as he told her the story.

"Buffy? Is she alright?" Willow asked in concern.

"Yeah, loverboy's with her." He smirked as he saw the shock on her face.

"Angel? Does she… know?"

"No, but I'm sure he won't be able to keep it a secret much longer."

Willow nodded. She knew the truth of that statement. If she hadn't already known he was a vampire, Willow would have been surprised when she saw Spike morph during one of their more… passionate moments.

His kissed her chastely on the cheek. "I have to go… Dru." He told her as he walked back towards the French doors.

Willow nodded her understanding and followed him to the balcony, locking the doors after he left. She knew that he wouldn't have even come tonight, except for his need to her. That idea sent shivers of pleasure through her body. Sighing, Willow returned to her computer and the research Giles had asked her to do.

Spike entered their lair, his eyes sweeping the room for the vampiress.

"Drusilla?" He called into the dark, searching.

"Spikey's been with the little tree again." Drusilla's lilting voice drifted through the lair.

Spike froze, momentarily, before he turned to face her. "Dru?" He asked.

"Shh, pet. It's alright." She placed a finger to her lips before spinning around wildly. "The stars, they told me that little tree was your fire goddess." She walked to him, nearly losing her balance, as she grew weak from her spins around the room.

"Dru, pet, you need to rest." Spike led her to the bed.

Drusilla leaned back, her eyes closed. "It's alright, Spikey. It's almost time. Mrs. Edith says that Little Tree will take care of you when I'm gone, and Daddy, when he becomes lost, she will bring him home." Her singsong voice spoke of things that Spike didn't understand. Finally her eyes opened, and they appeared clearer than he had seen in a long time. "Grandmother is wrong. Daddy will not come home, he is lost to us now."

"I know, luv, I know." Spike brushed a cool hand through her raven hair as she drifted off to sleep.

He was uncertain what exactly Drusilla meant most of the time, but he had learned that all became clear, in time. One thing he was positive about was that Darla's plan to bring Angelus back would fail. There may be a day when he was ready to accept what he was, soul or not, but now was not that time. Spike knew that much just from watching is Sire these past few weeks. Angel was so lost in his need for salvation that he pushed everything he was aside.

He wondered idly if Angel even knew how far he was willing to go to deny what he was. Did Darla? He didn't think so, but he had a feeling she was about to find out.

"Angel's a vampire?" Willow heard herself asking incredulously. She wasn't sure what was more ridiculous, the question or the way in which she asked it.

The hacker let her mind wander once again as Buffy continued to tell her and Xander and Giles about Angel. She was wondering if there was a way he could be a good vampire. Willow stifled a giggle at the idea. It sounded so… maudlin.

Again, Willow found herself at a loss. She knew that Angel was indeed a good… person. She knew he didn't feed from humans and hadn't in a ver, very long time. S he knew about his curse, and about what had brought it about. However, again she was faced with the reality that she couldn't share any of that with her friends, not without raising questions she was not ready to answer. So instead, she remained quiet, while Xander tried to explain to Buffy the dynamics of a Slayer and vampire relationship.

She saw the defeat in her friend's eyes, but couldn't bring herself to worry too much. Willow doubted Buffy could kill Angel, at least not until she knew, for herself that he was evil, and she would never know that, because he wasn't, at least not anymore.

Angel was frustrated. Extremely so. He had come to help the slayer, not to fall in love with her. But yet, he couldn't deny the attraction. Although he himself was as yet uncertain whether it was real, true attraction, or something stemming from his desire to find redemption.

He entered his apartment and almost immediately recognized that he was not alone. He turned to find Darla standing in his living room, wearing a school uniform. A catholic school uniform. The look was oddly… disturbing.

As she spoke, he was reminded of who he had once been, and hoped he would never be again. She was disappointed in him, he could tell. The tone of her voice, coupled with her words, brought an odd sense of shame to his undead heart.

"You're living above ground, like one of them. You and your new friend are attacking us, like on of them. Guess what, precious, you're *not* one of them." She walked to the window and pulled the shade up, careful to shield herself in the shadows. "Are you?"

Angel leapt away from the light, unable to deny what she said. "No, I'm not exactly one of you either."

Darla smiled as she walked towards the kitchen. "Is that what you tell yourself these days?" She opened the refrigerator and smiled at the bags of blood. "You're not exactly living off quiche." She walked closer to him as she spoke. "You and I both know what you hunger for, what you need. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's who we are. It's what makes eternal life worth living. You can only suppress your real nature for so long." Darla smiles as she rubbed a hand along his chest, she could feel the power in him, even in his souled state, he would be a force to be reckoned with, if he would only allow himself.

" Can feel it brewing inside of you. I hope I'm around when it explodes." Darla told him, enjoying the rage that was building in him now.

"Maybe you don't want to be." Angel spoke with barely restrained anger. He had to fight not to sigh in relief as she walked away from him, taunting him with the knowledge that the Slayer would never understand what he was, never accept him.

Some part of his 240-year-old mind recognized the truth in her words, but his need for salvation was too strong to accept it… yet.

As she watched Buffy leave the hospital, Willow had to fight the urge to stop her and tell her that all wasn't as it appeared, but she couldn't, not now. The time for coming clean was long past.

It appeared that Angel had used his invitation into Buffy's house to attack her mother, who was now in the hospital due to an injury from a 'barbecue fork'. Buffy had walked in on the attack and Angel had left. The Slayer was adamant that Angel had tried to kill her mother. Willow knew that that was not what had happened. Angel, in his current condition would never feed on a mortal. So if he didn't, someone else set him up, for their own purposes.

Willow entertained the idea that it was Spike, or Drusilla, but she knew it couldn't have been. Spike wouldn't have used such an underhanded way to get to Buffy. He would have fought her on even ground, not attacked her mother. And Drusilla was still too weak to attack anyone. That left someone else, and Willow was almost positive she knew who.

Willow was about to try and explain to Giles that she didn't think it was Angel who had attacked Mrs. Summers, when the watcher came out of the hospital room, telling them that they had to hurry. Once again, she was saved from having to speak the truth. Her world of lies was becoming more complicated every day.

When they reached Buffy, she was fighting with Darla, the vampire who had sired Angel. When they tried to tell Buffy it was Darla who had attacked her mother, the vampire fired at them with a gun. A bullet narrowly missed her. She hadn't been shot, but she had lost her grip on the ledge she was holding on, falling to the ground.

However before she could land on her ass, a pair of firm arms caught her.

"Shh, luv, quiet." The familiar British voice whispered in her ear. She stilled her movements and let Spike move her away from the danger. When they were far enough away from both Giles and Xander and the fight below, Spike stopped and looked her over.

"Are you alright, baby?" He asked, checking her over.

Willow nodded. "Fine." She kissed his lips tenderly, letting him know she was indeed all right.

A noise off to their left brought their attention, and the couple watched in fascination and horror as Angel snuck up behind Darla and thrust a stake into her heart through her back.

Willow knew that no one else in that room, save Angel himself would understand the true scope of that action. It was horrifying on a level the slayer or her watcher would never know. Spike was shocked into a kind of silence that was not common for him. Willow placed a hand on his arm.

"Are you alright?" She whispered.

"Yeah, luv, I'm fine." He grinned slightly, but the expression in his eyes was not of humor. "I 'ave to go." He kissed her again and then disappeared.

Willow walked back to where her friends expected to find her and waited.

Spike was still shaken when he returned to the lair.

"Little Tree's alright?" Drusilla asked him from the bed.

Spike nodded, Still unable to grasp what he was seen. It wasn't so much that he liked Darla, because he hadn't, or that he wouldn't have loved to dust her himself. But for a childe to stake a Sire, was… unheard of nearly, except in the most vile clans. Angelus was very family oriented, and for him to commit such an atrocity, was shocking, to say the least. It was an act that he was sure Angelus had realized the full ramifications for, but one day, he would.

"Grandmother's gone." Drusilla broke his thoughts.

"Yes, pet." Spike came and sat in the bed.

"Good, she was weak." She smiles up at Spike. "Once the Master's dead, you can take control of the Hellmouth. We can have a grand old party."

Spike chuckled. "Yes, pet, that we can."