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fandomcorner) wrote2007-06-12 07:01 pm
fandomcorner) wrote2007-06-12 07:01 pm
Fic: Tainted By Death (1/2) (Spike/Buffy)
Title: Tainted by Death
Author: Hils
Rating: R
Pairings: S/D, S/B, D/Aus
Summary: My twisted take on Season 2. Buffy is a vampire and Angel is doing what he does in LA only in Sunnydale with the help of Giles and the Scoobies.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of these characters. If I did, I'd be very rich.
Please note I wrote this fic in March 20001 when I was very new to writing. It has not had a beta
As another dusk settled upon Sunnydale, Buffy awoke and glanced around her rather dank surroundings. It had been several months since she had been turned and she was enjoying her experiences as a vampire, current living conditions aside. Her Sire was dead now, the Master had been killed by Angel and Xander shortly after he had killed her. A small part of her mourned his death; there was so much she could have learned from him. But that time was past, there was much to be planned for the future. She currently served the Anointed One, sat at his right hand was closer to the truth. After the Master had died, he had been keen to have the former Slayer as his second in command. Her strength and agility from life had been carried over into death and were useful assets in the vampire colony. Both she and the Anointed One were feared for their power and she liked that. Currently they were reduced to living in an abandoned factory at the edge of town. It wasn't exactly a five-star hotel, but it served its purpose. Things would change soon enough.
Preparations were currently underway for the Night of Saint Vigeous. Their power would be at its peak and then would be the time for them to establish themselves as the new rulers of Sunnydale. Buffy was aware that after she had been killed, a new Slayer had been called but as of yet, she hadn't made an appearance in town. When she eventually showed up, Buffy was ready, what better way for a Slayer to die than at the hands of a vampire who used to be one.
The Anointed one had set up a kind of court in the main area of the factory. He sat on a large chair, which served as his throne and Buffy sat on a stool at his side. A few vampire minions gathered in front of them as they planned for the upcoming ritual. One of the vampires stood before them, fear and respect in his voice.
"As long as Angel continues to work with the Watcher, we will all join the Master in death. He's powerful, and his friends make him stronger still."
Buffy rolled her eyes; she had loved Angel when she had been alive. Now she despised him for what he was, a vampire with a soul. It was pathetic. She stood up and circled the cowering vampire.
"I will deal with Angel soon enough, the Night will see a great many things, including his death. When the time is right, I will strike him with a force he can't even imagine."
One of the bolder vampires stepped forward.
"Why wait until the ritual? The longer Angel is alive, the more of us he will kill," he walked past Buffy and stood in front of the throne. "Let me kill him for you. It will be the greatest event since the Crucifixion…and I should know, I was there."
"You were there?" a laugh emanated from the doorway. "Oh please, if every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock."
All eyes fell upon the vampire who had walked in and was now making his way forward. Buffy looked at him appraisingly. He had bleach blonde hair, tight black T-shirt, red shirt on top of that and a long leather coat. A cigarette hung from his lips as if he'd been born with it there and there was fire burning in his eyes. She instantly liked him; he sort of reminded her of herself.
The vampire who was being addressed growled. "I ought to rip your throat out."
The blonde vampire merely smirked and carried on walking forward.
"I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. Fed off a flower person and spent six hours watching my hand move."
The other vampire rushed him from behind. Without even looking, the blonde raised a fist, smashing him in the face and knocking him down and out. Buffy smiled, this guy was strong, and a good fighter at that. Not to mention that he was the first vampire she'd met since she'd turned who was actually not bad looking. She glided over to him, fascinated.
"Hello cutie," he said. "And who might you be?"
"Buffy." she replied simply.
"And who are you?" called the Anointed one from his throne. He had watched Buffy with the new and arrival and could sense her attraction to him. This time was too important to let his second-in-command's hormones run away with her. He needed her to destroy Angel.
"Spike," said the vampire, turning to face the young child. "You're that Anointed guy. I read about you."
Buffy listened to him talk; his accent was British. She wondered where he'd picked up his name from. One or two images were going through her mind and she made a mental note to ask him later. Suddenly Spike turned his head, his face morphing back into his human features. Buffy followed his gaze and her eyes came to rest on a dark haired girl stood in the doorway. She guessed she was a vampire, although she looked paler than most.
"Drusilla," he said softly, walking to her side. "You shouldn't be walking around; you're weak."
Buffy saw nothing but adoration in his eyes and she swore under her breath. Typical that the one interesting guy that she meets is blatantly in love with someone else. Still, there was plenty of fun to be had with or without Spike.
"Look at all the people," Drusilla cooed. "Are these nice people?"
"We're getting along." Spike replied, shooting a quick glance at Buffy. Drusilla took a few tentative steps towards the Anointed One's throne.
"This one has power," she said to Spike. "I can feel it from the outside."
"Yeah. He's the big noise in these parts; Anointed, and all that."
Drusilla suddenly got a distant look in her eyes. She addressed the Anointed One as if he was the child he had been in life.
"Do you like daisies? I plant them, but they always die. Everything I put in the ground withers and dies."
The child vampire looked confused and Buffy rolled her eyes. She was getting the distinct impression that this girl was a little on the crazy side. This wasn't what they needed right now. Drusilla's gaze suddenly fell upon Buffy and she moved over to stand in front of her.
"This one here stinks of death. She has killed many."
Spike suddenly looked interested again and walked over to stand next to Drusilla.
"What's that, pet?"
"I used to be a Slayer." said Buffy matter-of-factly.
This caught Spike by surprise, but he also seemed impressed.
"Really?" he asked, almost delighted. "I've never met a Slayer before, well, apart from the two I killed, that is. But I've never met a Slayer who became a vampire."
"Well you have now." Replied Buffy, playing it cool. So Spike had killed two Slayers, she'd have dismissed it as lies if she'd heard it from anyone else, but from what she'd seen so far, she was pretty sure he was telling the truth. That put him up another notch in her opinion.
"You and me'll have to have a talk sometime." Spike grinned and Buffy couldn't help but smile back.
"Spike," said Drusilla softly. "I'm cold."
Instantly the smile left his face and was replaced with concern as he pulled his coat off, draping it over her shoulders and holding her close to him.
"I got you." he whispered soothingly. Drusilla reached up and ran her finger down his cheek, her long fingernail slicing through his skin and drawing blood. Buffy unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of the small crimson drop running down his almost white face. As if she had read Buffy's thought, Drusilla leaned up and licked the blood from Spike's cheek causing him to sigh with pleasure. They moved in as though they were about to kiss but turned their heads away at the last moment so that they were facing the Anointed One.
"Me and Dru, we're moving in." said Spike as though the issue couldn't be questioned. Buffy glanced back at their leader, wondering how he'd react. He may have the body of a child, but he was still powerful and Buffy had no doubt he could kill Spike where he stood if he chose to. The boy merely nodded.
"That settles it then," grinned Spike, clapping his hands together. "I'll get us settled in and then I'll bring you something to eat, baby." He was addressing Dru now, and she merely smiled as he took her arm and lead her downstairs. When they were gone, Buffy reclaimed her seat at the Anointed One's side.
"What do you think?" she asked, already suspecting what the answer would be.
"I don't trust him," the boy replied. "He's reckless and is in danger of ruining the ritual if he acts too soon. Watch him closely. He can do what he likes when we've established ourselves, but not until then. Remember, if you see Angel, he is not to be harmed. It must wait until Saturday. "
Although the child could sense Buffy's attraction to Spike, there was no one else he trusted enough to make sure nothing went awry. Buffy nodded at his request and tried to will away the pleasure she was feeling at the thought of spending time alone with Spike. After a few minutes the blonde vampire emerged from below.
"Buffy will go hunting with you," said the boy, his tone indicating that this was an instruction and not a suggestion. "She'll show you the best feeding areas in town."
Spike knew that the boy didn't trust him and that Buffy wasn't tagging along to keep him company. She could see in his eyes that he knew the truth although his voice betrayed nothing.
"Alright then, pet, let's move out. I don't like to keep Dru waiting for her supper."
Buffy would have ripped the throat out of any other man who had dared to call her pet, but it seemed to flow so naturally off Spike's tongue that she let it slide. Soon they were out in the cool night air and heading towards the center of town. Buffy loved to hunt; it was one of the many characteristics, which she had carried over from life into death. When she was alive, she had hunted vampires and now it was humans she hunted. She found the hunt itself almost as exhilarating as the kill, requiring her to use all her predatory skills.
"That's quite an interesting little set-up your boy's got going there," observed Spike as they walked. "Was he the one who sired you?" He knew that it would take a vampire of great power and strength to sire a Slayer. Buffy rolled her eyes at the mere idea of it. The Anointed One was powerful but even he was no match for the Slayer.
"I was sired by The Master." she replied with an air of haughtiness in her voice. Spike raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah? I heard of him, heard he was pretty powerful."
Although Spike had never met The Master, he knew his blood flowed in his veins, mixed with that of several others. Someone had tried to give him the details of his lineage once, but that sort of stuff bored him. As long as he was out having fun, he didn't really care about the rest of that crap.
"He was the most powerful vampire to walk this earth," replied Buffy, annoyed by the lack of respect in his tone. She was used to any mention of her sire being met with awe. Then she sighed. "He's dead now."
This did capture Spike's attention. He'd heard that something big had gone down in Sunnydale recently, but he'd never imagined that someone had actually managed to kill The Master. Clearly Buffy hadn't done it, so who could it have possibly been?
"Who?" was all he asked.
"Me." a male voice replied
The two vampires looked up and found themselves facing a third. Angel. Spike's look of annoyance quickly turned to recognition mixed with delight.
"Angelus! I'll be damned!"
Angel continued to look grim.
"I heard you were in town Spike, you still hanging around with Dru?"
Spike's smile fell a little. "Yeah, things changed once you left. She's not the same as she was."
Angel nodded. "I think we've all changed."
"Not me, mate, I'm still the same old Spike."
Angel sighed loudly. "I didn't expect anything less."
Before Spike had time to react, Angel whipped out a stake and plunged it towards his chest. Spike barely had time to deflect the blow. Knocking the stake to one side, he punched Angel, sending him staggering back. Buffy watched for a moment before recalling the Anointed One's words. She grabbed Spike and pulled him back as he lunged at Angel again. Spike whirled round and pushed her off of him.
"Stay out of this," he hissed. "This isn't your fight."
Buffy immediately grabbed him again. "It's too soon, you can't hurt him yet. It's not time."
Spike immediately slipped into his demonic visage. "You think I give a toss about you and your bloody ritual? This is personal so stay the hell out of it."
Angel used the distraction to lunge again, this time at Buffy. He punched her hard, knocking her to the ground and stunning her momentarily. Spike growled.
"What the hell happened to you? You were my Sire, my Yoda. We're demons, we don't change!" Beneath the anger there was the smallest hint of hurt and betrayal and Angel sensed that.
"It's complicated." he said quietly.
"Complicated my arse, you've just turned bloody soft. I always knew you were a poofter and I guess you're proving it now," He took a deep breath and heard Buffy climbing to her feet behind him. He ignored her for the moment. "I know we've been through a lot together, Angelus, but if you think I'm going to let the fact that you just tried to kill me slip by, then you're very much mistaken."
Angel didn't move. "Spike, leave here. I'm offering you that chance. Take Dru and get out."
Spike snorted. "Not bloody likely, I just got here. What are you going to do anyway? Kill me?"
"If I have to."
"Not if I kill you first." Without giving Angel the chance to respond, Spike hurled himself at the vampire, knocking him to the floor, straddling him and raining punches down on him.
"You bastard!" he yelled, not letting up on his punches but not making a move to kill him either. Eventually he picked up the stake, which Angel had dropped and raised it over his head for the kill. Buffy immediately kicked the stake from his hand and pulled the blonde to his feet.
"That's enough!" she said with a cold calmness. "You've done your damage and if you kill him now, you'll have ruined everything. Save your fight for another time."
Spike glanced down and saw that Angel was now unconscious, his face more of a bloody pulp than any actual recognisable features. That, at least, was satisfying, although he probably would have felt better if he'd killed him. Still, as Buffy said, there would be another time. He shrugged and slid his human features back into place.
"Alright, pet, I'll play it your way for now. But when the time comes for me to kill him, I don't want you or your flunkies interfering."
Buffy nodded and they continued their walk into town in silence. After a few minutes, they arrived in Hammersmith Park, one of the prime feeding areas for vampires. There were rumours spread amongst the humans that the park was haunted, and the main people who went there now were kids who were trying to prove their courage. Sure enough, there was a group of about ten or so crowded around a bench, drinking and laughing. Buffy and Spike allowed their true faces to show, the bloodlust overcoming them both.
"I don't know about you," grinned Buffy. "But all that talking and violence has made me hungry."
Spike allowed himself to smile although he could still feel the rage from the fight with Angelus boiling inside him. He'd feel better after a good kill, no doubt.
"Me too, pet. Don't kill them all though, I need to take something back for Dru."
Buffy's eyes darted back to the group.
"There's plenty to go around." she replied, and with that, she ran forward and drained a boy before the rest of the group even knew what was happening. She laughed as they screamed and ran in all different directions, desperate to escape. Fear only made them taste better. When she and Spike had drunk their fill, Spike punched and knocked out a girl to take back with them.
"I hope Dru likes take-out," grinned Buffy as Spike hoisted the girl's limp body over his shoulder. "I prefer dining out myself."
Spike couldn't help but laugh. Despite all that stuff with Angelus earlier, this former Slayer was a lot like him.
"You know, pet," he began as they walked. "You don't strike me as being the sort of girl who goes in for all that ritual crap. Why do you let that kid tell you what to do?"
Buffy shrugged. It was true that she was at her happiest when she was out killing and generally causing mayhem. It was just the way that there was a natural hierarchy in the vampire community. The Master had been at the top until he had died and now that role fell to the child. She did things his way purely because that was how it was meant to be.
"Things will be different soon," she said. "After the Night of St. Vigeous, it will be a bit less ritual and a bit more fun. I'm looking forward to that day."
They walked in silence for a few minutes until Buffy could no longer contain her intrigue.
"What's the story with you and Angel? Seems like you two have a bit of a history."
Spike flinched, the memories of Angelus' betrayal still gnawing at him. He pushed it to one side.
"Well, he was going by the name of Angelus the last time I saw him, and that was nearly 100 years ago. There was a group of us that used to travel together. Me, Dru, Angelus and Darla."
"Hmm, I met Darla. Angel killed her."
Spike stopped and turned to face her.
"What? He killed his own Sire?" He felt his temper flare. He'd never been one for rules and conventions but there were some things that you just didn't do; killing your Sire was one of those things. What the hell was he thinking? "Alright, pet, you obviously know more than you're letting on. What's with Angelus? Why is he attacking vampires all of a sudden?"
Buffy stared at Spike for a moment. "You don't know, do you? Angel has a soul."
Spike had prepared himself for many reasons for Angelus' behaviour but this hadn't been one of them. He had a soul, a disgusting soul. This changed everything.
"How?" was all he asked.
Buffy sighed, remembering how much the Slayer had loved him, it was sick. "He said something about being cursed by gypsies."
Spike laughed. "Yeah, those gypsies always did know how to do it with gusto. Well, this is bloody marvellous. We've got the scourge of Europe working for the enemy."
"Not for much longer. He'll die soon enough, along with the rest of this town."
They arrived back at the factory and stepped through the door to find themselves facing the Anointed One and all of his minions. Buffy looked confused, he never gathered them all together like this unless there was something serious. She walked over and took her seat next to the throne.
"What is it?" she asked. The child kept his eyes on Spike, who had unloaded the unconscious girl and dumped her body on the floor. He could sense something wasn't right. Drusilla came up and took his arm.
"Is that for me?" she cooed, gesturing at the girl.
"Dru, pet, what's going on?"
The Anointed One stood, answering both Buffy and Spike. "You were told not to harm Angel, yet I hear that he was attacked tonight and has since gone into hiding. The night of St. Vigeous is ruined."
Buffy frowned. The only way he could have known all this was if he'd had her followed. Evidently the boy no longer trusted her.
Spike walked over to the throne and knelt down, looking up at the boy.
"I…uh…offer penance."
"You failed us," snapped one of the minions. "You should lay down your life."
Spike lowered his head a fraction. "I was rash, and if I had to do it all over again…" He began to laugh and stood up. "Who am I kidding?! If I had to do it again, I'd have done it exactly the same, only I would have done this first."
He grabbed the boy and walked over to a cage in the middle of the room, punching out one of the minions who tried to stop him. Buffy jumped to her feet more out of surprise than of the desire to protect the boy. Spike threw the child inside and hoisted him halfway towards an open window where the first rays of dawn were now flooding in.
"From now on we're going to have a little less ritual…" He pulled the chain once more and the cage swung into the direct sunlight. The child screamed, a high-pitched agonised cry, and then disintegrated. "…and a little more fun around here."
Buffy watched with fascination as Spike swaggered back over to Dru, scooping up the human girl with one arm and wrapping the other around his lover. As the two walked downstairs, Buffy sat back down. Thing were going to get very interesting around here.
* * *
For Buffy, the weeks that followed the death of the Anointed One were fairly quiet. Little had been seen of Angel since their attack on him, which had left them with more or less free reign of the town. They'd run into Giles and his white-hats a couple of times but they weren't stupid enough to try anything without Angel there to back them up. Buffy was enjoying her new life. She was free to hunt and kill wherever and whenever she wanted and for the first time since she'd been sired, she didn't have to worry about rituals and chanting. The first couple of weeks in particular had been fun. She'd gone hunting every night with Spike and shown him all around town, the best places to hunt. It had been good.
Lately though, Spike had been out less and less, only leaving the factory when he needed to feed or to bring something back for Dru. He'd managed to get hold of some sort of ancient scroll, which apparently had something to do with restoring Dru back to full health. Buffy wasn't actually sure what was wrong with her anyway, Spike had mentioned something about a mob in Prague but had been reluctant to go into any details. So now Buffy was reduced to hunting alone, she didn't mind, but it wasn't as fun. She enjoyed hearing Spike's stories about the places he'd been and the people he'd killed, but she'd barely heard two words from him in the last few days and she knew better than to push him.
Finally, after almost a week, she returned home to find him waiting for her. She was immediately struck by the fact that he looked tired. He obviously hadn't been sleeping and his face was a little thinner, indicating that he hadn't been eating either.
"You look like hell." she observed as she walked into her room and found him sitting on the bed.
"Thanks, pet," he smiled. "This isn't a social call, though. I need a favour."
"Shoot." she replied, sitting down next to him.
"Well, it turns out that scroll we dug up is in some sort of code. I need this cross thing from the Du Lac crypt on the other side of town. I'd send the boys but you know what idiots they are, if Angel or his cronies turn up they'd hightail it straight out of there."
"Consider it done." she immediately replied. Whilst having her run of the town was fun, Buffy found that without Spike to keep her company, she got a little bored. At least this task would keep her amused for a short while and if she had a run in with Angel then all the better. He couldn't stay hidden forever, eventually his poor little soul would force him to come out of hiding and start helping people again. Buffy intended to be waiting for him when he made his move.
"I'll go out as soon as the sun sets tomorrow." she added, knowing that the sooner he cured Dru, the sooner he'd be back to his old self. Spike nodded and stood up, without further comment he turned and left. As soon as he'd gone, Buffy climbed into bed and closed her eyes, as she drifted off to sleep, she wondered how different things would be once Dru was restored.
******
True to her word, as soon as the sun set the next evening, Buffy made her way to the Du Lac crypt. She soon found what she was looking for, a cross, wrapped in velvet and sealed in the tomb with the last member of the Du Lac family. Clutching her prize, she turned to leave and found herself facing Angel. She smiled.
"I was hoping I'd run into you. I guess you've heard that things have changed over in our neck of the woods. Speaking of necks, I must remember to pick up a bite to eat on the way home. I've had such a wide choice since Spike kicked the crap out of you," she lowered her voice as though she were telling him a secret. "You can't even tell he did it anymore." Then she giggled. "I bet it was killing you; knowing that your pretty face was all messed up."
"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Angel asked wearily.
"Just looking for a few trinkets," she replied. "You know, I just can't seem to find anything that goes with this outfit."
Angel's face had that sorrowful, brooding expression which made her feel sick to the pit of her stomach.
"I don't know why you feel sorry for me," she snapped. "You should know better than anyone how alive becoming a vampire makes you feel. I mean, come on, it's not as though I had much of a life before this anyway. I was stuck in a destiny I couldn't escape and I was living a life I didn't want. For the first time I'm actually free."
"Free to take innocent lives." Angel replied sadly.
Buffy scoffed. "And what's a few of their lives compared to the hundreds that I've saved? Do you think any of those worthless humans ever actually thanked me for saving them? No, they just carried on with their meaningless little lives and soon forgot about the whole thing. I don't think I owe humanity a thing, do you?"
For once, Angel was at a loss for words. He'd known that Buffy had always struggled to accept her fate as the Slayer, but hearing the demon speak the raw truth made him realise just how hard it must have been for her.
"That doesn't make it right." he eventually said.
Buffy just laughed and pushed her way past him.
"Stay out of my way, Angel, or I'll finish the job that Spike did."
When Angel made no move to stop her, she headed back to the factory; stopping only to feed from a teenage boy who had made the fatal mistake of thinking she was human and tried to come on to her.
******
"Special delivery!" she called as she walked into the main room of the factory. It was unoccupied, save for Spike, Dru, and Dalton, who was the resident scribe. Buffy handed the cross to Spike who immediately passed it to Dalton.
"Get on with it!" he barked, sending the smaller vampire scurrying away in fear.
When he'd gone, Spike moved over to Dru and pulled her into his arms, capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss.
"It won't be long now, ducks," he smiled. "Once you're strong again, the Streets of Sunnyhell will run red with blood."
Dru giggled, running her fingers through Spike's hair. "My naughty, wicked, little Spike, what games there will be."
Buffy glowered throughout this entire interaction. What Spike saw in a total head case like Dru she would never know. Dru glanced up at Buffy, and as if she knew what she was thinking. She pulled Spike back to her and kissed him hungrily. Dru's eyes never left Buffy's while she did this and immediately Buffy saw what the dark vampiress was doing. She was marking Spike as her own, a 'keep your hands off' gesture.
Buffy scowled as the two vampires parted and almost as an afterthought Spike remembered she was still there. He turned to face her while Dru continued to caress his cheek, a small smile on her lips as she continued to keep her eyes on Buffy.
"Any problems?" Spike asked.
Aside from the fact that you're with her when you could be with me? she thought, then she shrugged.
"Ran into Angel."
Both Spike and Dru looked interested at this.
"You saw my Angel?" Dru asked dreamily, finally removing her hand from Spike's cheek. Her whole tone of voice reminded Buffy of a girl suffering from a teenage crush.
"Dru," said Spike exasperatedly. "He's not your Angel anymore, he's our enemy now."
He turned back to Buffy.
"Did you kill him?"
She shook her head. "Thought I'd save that little job for you."
Spike grinned. "Now that will be fun."
After a moment of relishing in the thought of killing Angel, Spike became aware of a dull ache gnawing at his stomach. Thinking about it he couldn't actually remember the last time he'd eaten properly. When he went out, he always made sure he got something for Dru, but he was so preoccupied by looking for the cure, that more often than not he forgot about himself.
"Do you want to go and get someone to eat, pet?" he asked Buffy.
"Sure." she smiled.
As soon as the word had left her mouth, Dru began to whimper and Spike immediately turned his attention back to her. She slumped into his arms; her whole body weak and he scooped her up as though she were a small child. Cradling her in his arms and holding her close to him, she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"Don't leave me." she whispered.
"I'm not going anywhere, baby." he replied softly before carrying her towards the bedroom. "Let's put you to bed, you need your rest."
When they were out of sight, Buffy rolled her eyes. She was beginning to wonder how much of Dru's 'weakness' was actually genuine. It seemed to get worse just when it suited her and Spike was so blinded by love that he couldn't even see it. She sighed. It looked like it was going to be another night of eating alone.
******
"I don't bloody believe it!" exclaimed Spike as he looked at the sheets of paper in his hand.
"What?" asked Buffy as she peered over his shoulder. Spike was holding full details of the ritual, which would restore Dru back to full health.
"Well, it's a good job you didn't kill Angel last night, it seems we need his blood for the cure."
Buffy looked amused by this, irony had a way of rearing its head at the strangest of times "You're kidding!"
Spike grinned. "And the best part is: we cure Dru and it's 'bye bye, Angel.'"
It just kept getting better. "It'll kill him?" she smiled. Spike nodded.
"Let me get him for you," Buffy asked excitedly. "I promise I won't hurt him…much."
"Alright, pet, but don't rough him up too much, remember, we need him alive for the ritual." He disappeared into the bedroom for a minute and returned with a small box, which he handed to Buffy. She opened it to find a syringe filled with a bright green substance.
"What's this?" She asked.
"Enough sedative to knock out a herd of elephants. When you've finished having your fun, stick him with that and he won't cause you any more problems."
Buffy nodded and headed for the door. "Get everything you need ready, I won't be long."
Without looking back, she ran out into the night and headed straight for Angel's apartment. Tonight he would pay for betraying their kind.
******
Buffy was surprised to find Angel's apartment unlocked, either he was expecting someone, or he was getting really slack with his security. Stepping inside, she took a moment to look around; it hadn't changed at all. The same minimalist decor. From what she'd gathered from Spike, Angel was the complete opposite of Angelus who liked everything to be lavish and beautiful.
She was disturbed from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned. It was Angel.
"Hello, lover." she said chirpily.
He looked at her nervously, almost as if he knew why she was here. "What do you want, Buffy?"
"Well, it seems that you weren't entirely honest with me when I was alive. Tell me, is it true what you did to Dru? Did you really turn her into the nutty head case that we all know and…well…know?"
The look of pain and sorrow in Angel's eyes gave her her answer. Buffy laughed.
"That's brilliant!" she exclaimed with delight. "I never would have thought you had it in you."
She took a step closer to him and whispered in his ear. "You can be like that again you know."
Angel gasped and pushed her away. "What are you saying?"
"Come on, Angel, why do you fight who you are, what you are. You're a killer, soul or no soul. You should accept that. You could join us, me, Spike, Dru. We could do anything, go anywhere, kill anyone."
"Buffy, you know I can't."
She sighed loudly. "Well, it was worth a try. I guess we go for plan 'B' then."
With lightening speed, she was at his side and quickly stuck the syringe in his neck, pressing the plunger down fully. Angel barely had time to react before he slumped unconscious to the floor.
Buffy stared at his still form for a couple of minutes, making sure the drugs had done their job effectively. When he didn't move, she looked around the apartment. No phone. She looked back down at Angel and wondered if she'd be able to carry him alone, probably not. It was his size rather than his weight that was the problem.
She had an idea. Rolling him onto his back, she went through his pockets until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the mobile phone she quickly punched in the number.
"Spike? It's Buffy. I'm at Angel's, send the boys over will you?"
******
Buffy sighed as Angel's screams resounded throughout the building. Dru had been at it for hours now, insisting that she be left alone to 'play'. Spike had agreed of course, not wanting to deny his beloved anything, but Buffy was now getting the impression that Spike wasn't happy with the decision. For the last hour he'd been pacing up and down, smoking cigarette after cigarette. It was beginning to make Buffy dizzy.
"Spike, will you sit down? You're making my head spin."
Spike merely growled at her and continued to pace, flinching every time he heard Angel scream. Ok, time for a different approach.
"Look, just relax. The sun is nearly down and in a couple of hours Angel will be dead, Dru will be restored and we can do whatever we want."
Bingo. Spike pulled out a chair and dropped down into it. Buffy walked up behind him and began to massage his shoulders; she'd always been good at it, even when she was alive. Spike let out a small murmur of pleasure as she kneaded the tension out of his muscles. After a few minutes she stopped.
"Better?"
Spike opened his eyes and looked at her. "Bloody hell, pet, where did you learn how to do that?"
Buffy shrugged before glancing up at the window. The sun was down.
"Time for church." she said quietly. Spike looked up and nodded before getting to his feet. He disappeared into the bedroom and emerged a few minutes later with his arm around Dru. Two minions followed, carrying Angel, or at least what was left of him. His shirt had been removed and his entire upper body was a mass of cuts, bruises and burns. Dru certainly knew what she was doing when it came to torture.
Spike stopped in front of her.
"We'll be back as soon as the ritual is complete, then the real fun will start. Keep an eye on things here while we're gone."
Buffy nodded. Dru said nothing, merely rested her head on Spike's shoulder. As Buffy took one last look at Angel, she sighed with the knowledge that once he was gone she'd be free from the final tie to her human life. It felt good. Part of her was annoyed that she was going to miss seeing his death, but Spike had insisted that someone stay in case the idiot librarian and the others somehow came looking for Angel. As the doors closed, Buffy took on Spike's role. She began to pace.
******
Something was wrong. They had been gone for over 24 hours and Buffy had heard no word. She couldn't go and look for them because she didn't know where they were. For the first time since she'd been turned, she felt useless. Letting out a cry of frustration, she punched one of the chairs, shattering it.
Moments later, she heard the main doors open and she looked up. When she saw who it was, she jumped to her feet in shock. It was Dru, fully restored and well, carrying an unconscious Spike in her arms. His white-blonde hair was the only thing that enabled Buffy to identify him. His clothes were burned and torn and his face was covered in soot.
"What the hell happened?" she demanded.
Dru ignored her and carried Spike into the bedroom, placing him gently on the bed. She sat at his side whimpering softly.
"I said 'what happened'?" repeated Buffy, who had followed them. Finally Dru turned to face her, her vampiric visage in place.
"My Spike made me all better." she said with a smile.
Buffy lost it. Grabbing Dru by the throat she pinned her against the wall.
"Who did this to him?" she ground out.
"My Angel's friends came and rescued him, they left us to feed the fire."
"Well, you seem to be alright." Buffy spat, releasing her grip on Dru. The dark-haired vampiress began to laugh.
"The poor little Slayer is in love with my Spike. Naughty girl, trying to take what's not yours."
Suddenly they heard the door open again.
"Well, this is nice, a little drab for my liking but I can learn to deal." a male voice called. Buffy and Dru went to investigate.
"Hello, lover." said Angel, who stood in the middle of the room taking in his surroundings. Buffy shook; numb with rage.
"I can't believe you were actually stupid enough to come here." she finally managed to say.
Angel shrugged. "I was in this part of town and I couldn't not stop by and say howdy. How are you anyway, Buff?"
"Buff? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Angel?" breathed Dru in awe. He grinned.
"Yeah, baby, I'm back."
Author: Hils
Rating: R
Pairings: S/D, S/B, D/Aus
Summary: My twisted take on Season 2. Buffy is a vampire and Angel is doing what he does in LA only in Sunnydale with the help of Giles and the Scoobies.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of these characters. If I did, I'd be very rich.
Please note I wrote this fic in March 20001 when I was very new to writing. It has not had a beta
As another dusk settled upon Sunnydale, Buffy awoke and glanced around her rather dank surroundings. It had been several months since she had been turned and she was enjoying her experiences as a vampire, current living conditions aside. Her Sire was dead now, the Master had been killed by Angel and Xander shortly after he had killed her. A small part of her mourned his death; there was so much she could have learned from him. But that time was past, there was much to be planned for the future. She currently served the Anointed One, sat at his right hand was closer to the truth. After the Master had died, he had been keen to have the former Slayer as his second in command. Her strength and agility from life had been carried over into death and were useful assets in the vampire colony. Both she and the Anointed One were feared for their power and she liked that. Currently they were reduced to living in an abandoned factory at the edge of town. It wasn't exactly a five-star hotel, but it served its purpose. Things would change soon enough.
Preparations were currently underway for the Night of Saint Vigeous. Their power would be at its peak and then would be the time for them to establish themselves as the new rulers of Sunnydale. Buffy was aware that after she had been killed, a new Slayer had been called but as of yet, she hadn't made an appearance in town. When she eventually showed up, Buffy was ready, what better way for a Slayer to die than at the hands of a vampire who used to be one.
The Anointed one had set up a kind of court in the main area of the factory. He sat on a large chair, which served as his throne and Buffy sat on a stool at his side. A few vampire minions gathered in front of them as they planned for the upcoming ritual. One of the vampires stood before them, fear and respect in his voice.
"As long as Angel continues to work with the Watcher, we will all join the Master in death. He's powerful, and his friends make him stronger still."
Buffy rolled her eyes; she had loved Angel when she had been alive. Now she despised him for what he was, a vampire with a soul. It was pathetic. She stood up and circled the cowering vampire.
"I will deal with Angel soon enough, the Night will see a great many things, including his death. When the time is right, I will strike him with a force he can't even imagine."
One of the bolder vampires stepped forward.
"Why wait until the ritual? The longer Angel is alive, the more of us he will kill," he walked past Buffy and stood in front of the throne. "Let me kill him for you. It will be the greatest event since the Crucifixion…and I should know, I was there."
"You were there?" a laugh emanated from the doorway. "Oh please, if every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock."
All eyes fell upon the vampire who had walked in and was now making his way forward. Buffy looked at him appraisingly. He had bleach blonde hair, tight black T-shirt, red shirt on top of that and a long leather coat. A cigarette hung from his lips as if he'd been born with it there and there was fire burning in his eyes. She instantly liked him; he sort of reminded her of herself.
The vampire who was being addressed growled. "I ought to rip your throat out."
The blonde vampire merely smirked and carried on walking forward.
"I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. Fed off a flower person and spent six hours watching my hand move."
The other vampire rushed him from behind. Without even looking, the blonde raised a fist, smashing him in the face and knocking him down and out. Buffy smiled, this guy was strong, and a good fighter at that. Not to mention that he was the first vampire she'd met since she'd turned who was actually not bad looking. She glided over to him, fascinated.
"Hello cutie," he said. "And who might you be?"
"Buffy." she replied simply.
"And who are you?" called the Anointed one from his throne. He had watched Buffy with the new and arrival and could sense her attraction to him. This time was too important to let his second-in-command's hormones run away with her. He needed her to destroy Angel.
"Spike," said the vampire, turning to face the young child. "You're that Anointed guy. I read about you."
Buffy listened to him talk; his accent was British. She wondered where he'd picked up his name from. One or two images were going through her mind and she made a mental note to ask him later. Suddenly Spike turned his head, his face morphing back into his human features. Buffy followed his gaze and her eyes came to rest on a dark haired girl stood in the doorway. She guessed she was a vampire, although she looked paler than most.
"Drusilla," he said softly, walking to her side. "You shouldn't be walking around; you're weak."
Buffy saw nothing but adoration in his eyes and she swore under her breath. Typical that the one interesting guy that she meets is blatantly in love with someone else. Still, there was plenty of fun to be had with or without Spike.
"Look at all the people," Drusilla cooed. "Are these nice people?"
"We're getting along." Spike replied, shooting a quick glance at Buffy. Drusilla took a few tentative steps towards the Anointed One's throne.
"This one has power," she said to Spike. "I can feel it from the outside."
"Yeah. He's the big noise in these parts; Anointed, and all that."
Drusilla suddenly got a distant look in her eyes. She addressed the Anointed One as if he was the child he had been in life.
"Do you like daisies? I plant them, but they always die. Everything I put in the ground withers and dies."
The child vampire looked confused and Buffy rolled her eyes. She was getting the distinct impression that this girl was a little on the crazy side. This wasn't what they needed right now. Drusilla's gaze suddenly fell upon Buffy and she moved over to stand in front of her.
"This one here stinks of death. She has killed many."
Spike suddenly looked interested again and walked over to stand next to Drusilla.
"What's that, pet?"
"I used to be a Slayer." said Buffy matter-of-factly.
This caught Spike by surprise, but he also seemed impressed.
"Really?" he asked, almost delighted. "I've never met a Slayer before, well, apart from the two I killed, that is. But I've never met a Slayer who became a vampire."
"Well you have now." Replied Buffy, playing it cool. So Spike had killed two Slayers, she'd have dismissed it as lies if she'd heard it from anyone else, but from what she'd seen so far, she was pretty sure he was telling the truth. That put him up another notch in her opinion.
"You and me'll have to have a talk sometime." Spike grinned and Buffy couldn't help but smile back.
"Spike," said Drusilla softly. "I'm cold."
Instantly the smile left his face and was replaced with concern as he pulled his coat off, draping it over her shoulders and holding her close to him.
"I got you." he whispered soothingly. Drusilla reached up and ran her finger down his cheek, her long fingernail slicing through his skin and drawing blood. Buffy unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of the small crimson drop running down his almost white face. As if she had read Buffy's thought, Drusilla leaned up and licked the blood from Spike's cheek causing him to sigh with pleasure. They moved in as though they were about to kiss but turned their heads away at the last moment so that they were facing the Anointed One.
"Me and Dru, we're moving in." said Spike as though the issue couldn't be questioned. Buffy glanced back at their leader, wondering how he'd react. He may have the body of a child, but he was still powerful and Buffy had no doubt he could kill Spike where he stood if he chose to. The boy merely nodded.
"That settles it then," grinned Spike, clapping his hands together. "I'll get us settled in and then I'll bring you something to eat, baby." He was addressing Dru now, and she merely smiled as he took her arm and lead her downstairs. When they were gone, Buffy reclaimed her seat at the Anointed One's side.
"What do you think?" she asked, already suspecting what the answer would be.
"I don't trust him," the boy replied. "He's reckless and is in danger of ruining the ritual if he acts too soon. Watch him closely. He can do what he likes when we've established ourselves, but not until then. Remember, if you see Angel, he is not to be harmed. It must wait until Saturday. "
Although the child could sense Buffy's attraction to Spike, there was no one else he trusted enough to make sure nothing went awry. Buffy nodded at his request and tried to will away the pleasure she was feeling at the thought of spending time alone with Spike. After a few minutes the blonde vampire emerged from below.
"Buffy will go hunting with you," said the boy, his tone indicating that this was an instruction and not a suggestion. "She'll show you the best feeding areas in town."
Spike knew that the boy didn't trust him and that Buffy wasn't tagging along to keep him company. She could see in his eyes that he knew the truth although his voice betrayed nothing.
"Alright then, pet, let's move out. I don't like to keep Dru waiting for her supper."
Buffy would have ripped the throat out of any other man who had dared to call her pet, but it seemed to flow so naturally off Spike's tongue that she let it slide. Soon they were out in the cool night air and heading towards the center of town. Buffy loved to hunt; it was one of the many characteristics, which she had carried over from life into death. When she was alive, she had hunted vampires and now it was humans she hunted. She found the hunt itself almost as exhilarating as the kill, requiring her to use all her predatory skills.
"That's quite an interesting little set-up your boy's got going there," observed Spike as they walked. "Was he the one who sired you?" He knew that it would take a vampire of great power and strength to sire a Slayer. Buffy rolled her eyes at the mere idea of it. The Anointed One was powerful but even he was no match for the Slayer.
"I was sired by The Master." she replied with an air of haughtiness in her voice. Spike raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah? I heard of him, heard he was pretty powerful."
Although Spike had never met The Master, he knew his blood flowed in his veins, mixed with that of several others. Someone had tried to give him the details of his lineage once, but that sort of stuff bored him. As long as he was out having fun, he didn't really care about the rest of that crap.
"He was the most powerful vampire to walk this earth," replied Buffy, annoyed by the lack of respect in his tone. She was used to any mention of her sire being met with awe. Then she sighed. "He's dead now."
This did capture Spike's attention. He'd heard that something big had gone down in Sunnydale recently, but he'd never imagined that someone had actually managed to kill The Master. Clearly Buffy hadn't done it, so who could it have possibly been?
"Who?" was all he asked.
"Me." a male voice replied
The two vampires looked up and found themselves facing a third. Angel. Spike's look of annoyance quickly turned to recognition mixed with delight.
"Angelus! I'll be damned!"
Angel continued to look grim.
"I heard you were in town Spike, you still hanging around with Dru?"
Spike's smile fell a little. "Yeah, things changed once you left. She's not the same as she was."
Angel nodded. "I think we've all changed."
"Not me, mate, I'm still the same old Spike."
Angel sighed loudly. "I didn't expect anything less."
Before Spike had time to react, Angel whipped out a stake and plunged it towards his chest. Spike barely had time to deflect the blow. Knocking the stake to one side, he punched Angel, sending him staggering back. Buffy watched for a moment before recalling the Anointed One's words. She grabbed Spike and pulled him back as he lunged at Angel again. Spike whirled round and pushed her off of him.
"Stay out of this," he hissed. "This isn't your fight."
Buffy immediately grabbed him again. "It's too soon, you can't hurt him yet. It's not time."
Spike immediately slipped into his demonic visage. "You think I give a toss about you and your bloody ritual? This is personal so stay the hell out of it."
Angel used the distraction to lunge again, this time at Buffy. He punched her hard, knocking her to the ground and stunning her momentarily. Spike growled.
"What the hell happened to you? You were my Sire, my Yoda. We're demons, we don't change!" Beneath the anger there was the smallest hint of hurt and betrayal and Angel sensed that.
"It's complicated." he said quietly.
"Complicated my arse, you've just turned bloody soft. I always knew you were a poofter and I guess you're proving it now," He took a deep breath and heard Buffy climbing to her feet behind him. He ignored her for the moment. "I know we've been through a lot together, Angelus, but if you think I'm going to let the fact that you just tried to kill me slip by, then you're very much mistaken."
Angel didn't move. "Spike, leave here. I'm offering you that chance. Take Dru and get out."
Spike snorted. "Not bloody likely, I just got here. What are you going to do anyway? Kill me?"
"If I have to."
"Not if I kill you first." Without giving Angel the chance to respond, Spike hurled himself at the vampire, knocking him to the floor, straddling him and raining punches down on him.
"You bastard!" he yelled, not letting up on his punches but not making a move to kill him either. Eventually he picked up the stake, which Angel had dropped and raised it over his head for the kill. Buffy immediately kicked the stake from his hand and pulled the blonde to his feet.
"That's enough!" she said with a cold calmness. "You've done your damage and if you kill him now, you'll have ruined everything. Save your fight for another time."
Spike glanced down and saw that Angel was now unconscious, his face more of a bloody pulp than any actual recognisable features. That, at least, was satisfying, although he probably would have felt better if he'd killed him. Still, as Buffy said, there would be another time. He shrugged and slid his human features back into place.
"Alright, pet, I'll play it your way for now. But when the time comes for me to kill him, I don't want you or your flunkies interfering."
Buffy nodded and they continued their walk into town in silence. After a few minutes, they arrived in Hammersmith Park, one of the prime feeding areas for vampires. There were rumours spread amongst the humans that the park was haunted, and the main people who went there now were kids who were trying to prove their courage. Sure enough, there was a group of about ten or so crowded around a bench, drinking and laughing. Buffy and Spike allowed their true faces to show, the bloodlust overcoming them both.
"I don't know about you," grinned Buffy. "But all that talking and violence has made me hungry."
Spike allowed himself to smile although he could still feel the rage from the fight with Angelus boiling inside him. He'd feel better after a good kill, no doubt.
"Me too, pet. Don't kill them all though, I need to take something back for Dru."
Buffy's eyes darted back to the group.
"There's plenty to go around." she replied, and with that, she ran forward and drained a boy before the rest of the group even knew what was happening. She laughed as they screamed and ran in all different directions, desperate to escape. Fear only made them taste better. When she and Spike had drunk their fill, Spike punched and knocked out a girl to take back with them.
"I hope Dru likes take-out," grinned Buffy as Spike hoisted the girl's limp body over his shoulder. "I prefer dining out myself."
Spike couldn't help but laugh. Despite all that stuff with Angelus earlier, this former Slayer was a lot like him.
"You know, pet," he began as they walked. "You don't strike me as being the sort of girl who goes in for all that ritual crap. Why do you let that kid tell you what to do?"
Buffy shrugged. It was true that she was at her happiest when she was out killing and generally causing mayhem. It was just the way that there was a natural hierarchy in the vampire community. The Master had been at the top until he had died and now that role fell to the child. She did things his way purely because that was how it was meant to be.
"Things will be different soon," she said. "After the Night of St. Vigeous, it will be a bit less ritual and a bit more fun. I'm looking forward to that day."
They walked in silence for a few minutes until Buffy could no longer contain her intrigue.
"What's the story with you and Angel? Seems like you two have a bit of a history."
Spike flinched, the memories of Angelus' betrayal still gnawing at him. He pushed it to one side.
"Well, he was going by the name of Angelus the last time I saw him, and that was nearly 100 years ago. There was a group of us that used to travel together. Me, Dru, Angelus and Darla."
"Hmm, I met Darla. Angel killed her."
Spike stopped and turned to face her.
"What? He killed his own Sire?" He felt his temper flare. He'd never been one for rules and conventions but there were some things that you just didn't do; killing your Sire was one of those things. What the hell was he thinking? "Alright, pet, you obviously know more than you're letting on. What's with Angelus? Why is he attacking vampires all of a sudden?"
Buffy stared at Spike for a moment. "You don't know, do you? Angel has a soul."
Spike had prepared himself for many reasons for Angelus' behaviour but this hadn't been one of them. He had a soul, a disgusting soul. This changed everything.
"How?" was all he asked.
Buffy sighed, remembering how much the Slayer had loved him, it was sick. "He said something about being cursed by gypsies."
Spike laughed. "Yeah, those gypsies always did know how to do it with gusto. Well, this is bloody marvellous. We've got the scourge of Europe working for the enemy."
"Not for much longer. He'll die soon enough, along with the rest of this town."
They arrived back at the factory and stepped through the door to find themselves facing the Anointed One and all of his minions. Buffy looked confused, he never gathered them all together like this unless there was something serious. She walked over and took her seat next to the throne.
"What is it?" she asked. The child kept his eyes on Spike, who had unloaded the unconscious girl and dumped her body on the floor. He could sense something wasn't right. Drusilla came up and took his arm.
"Is that for me?" she cooed, gesturing at the girl.
"Dru, pet, what's going on?"
The Anointed One stood, answering both Buffy and Spike. "You were told not to harm Angel, yet I hear that he was attacked tonight and has since gone into hiding. The night of St. Vigeous is ruined."
Buffy frowned. The only way he could have known all this was if he'd had her followed. Evidently the boy no longer trusted her.
Spike walked over to the throne and knelt down, looking up at the boy.
"I…uh…offer penance."
"You failed us," snapped one of the minions. "You should lay down your life."
Spike lowered his head a fraction. "I was rash, and if I had to do it all over again…" He began to laugh and stood up. "Who am I kidding?! If I had to do it again, I'd have done it exactly the same, only I would have done this first."
He grabbed the boy and walked over to a cage in the middle of the room, punching out one of the minions who tried to stop him. Buffy jumped to her feet more out of surprise than of the desire to protect the boy. Spike threw the child inside and hoisted him halfway towards an open window where the first rays of dawn were now flooding in.
"From now on we're going to have a little less ritual…" He pulled the chain once more and the cage swung into the direct sunlight. The child screamed, a high-pitched agonised cry, and then disintegrated. "…and a little more fun around here."
Buffy watched with fascination as Spike swaggered back over to Dru, scooping up the human girl with one arm and wrapping the other around his lover. As the two walked downstairs, Buffy sat back down. Thing were going to get very interesting around here.
* * *
For Buffy, the weeks that followed the death of the Anointed One were fairly quiet. Little had been seen of Angel since their attack on him, which had left them with more or less free reign of the town. They'd run into Giles and his white-hats a couple of times but they weren't stupid enough to try anything without Angel there to back them up. Buffy was enjoying her new life. She was free to hunt and kill wherever and whenever she wanted and for the first time since she'd been sired, she didn't have to worry about rituals and chanting. The first couple of weeks in particular had been fun. She'd gone hunting every night with Spike and shown him all around town, the best places to hunt. It had been good.
Lately though, Spike had been out less and less, only leaving the factory when he needed to feed or to bring something back for Dru. He'd managed to get hold of some sort of ancient scroll, which apparently had something to do with restoring Dru back to full health. Buffy wasn't actually sure what was wrong with her anyway, Spike had mentioned something about a mob in Prague but had been reluctant to go into any details. So now Buffy was reduced to hunting alone, she didn't mind, but it wasn't as fun. She enjoyed hearing Spike's stories about the places he'd been and the people he'd killed, but she'd barely heard two words from him in the last few days and she knew better than to push him.
Finally, after almost a week, she returned home to find him waiting for her. She was immediately struck by the fact that he looked tired. He obviously hadn't been sleeping and his face was a little thinner, indicating that he hadn't been eating either.
"You look like hell." she observed as she walked into her room and found him sitting on the bed.
"Thanks, pet," he smiled. "This isn't a social call, though. I need a favour."
"Shoot." she replied, sitting down next to him.
"Well, it turns out that scroll we dug up is in some sort of code. I need this cross thing from the Du Lac crypt on the other side of town. I'd send the boys but you know what idiots they are, if Angel or his cronies turn up they'd hightail it straight out of there."
"Consider it done." she immediately replied. Whilst having her run of the town was fun, Buffy found that without Spike to keep her company, she got a little bored. At least this task would keep her amused for a short while and if she had a run in with Angel then all the better. He couldn't stay hidden forever, eventually his poor little soul would force him to come out of hiding and start helping people again. Buffy intended to be waiting for him when he made his move.
"I'll go out as soon as the sun sets tomorrow." she added, knowing that the sooner he cured Dru, the sooner he'd be back to his old self. Spike nodded and stood up, without further comment he turned and left. As soon as he'd gone, Buffy climbed into bed and closed her eyes, as she drifted off to sleep, she wondered how different things would be once Dru was restored.
******
True to her word, as soon as the sun set the next evening, Buffy made her way to the Du Lac crypt. She soon found what she was looking for, a cross, wrapped in velvet and sealed in the tomb with the last member of the Du Lac family. Clutching her prize, she turned to leave and found herself facing Angel. She smiled.
"I was hoping I'd run into you. I guess you've heard that things have changed over in our neck of the woods. Speaking of necks, I must remember to pick up a bite to eat on the way home. I've had such a wide choice since Spike kicked the crap out of you," she lowered her voice as though she were telling him a secret. "You can't even tell he did it anymore." Then she giggled. "I bet it was killing you; knowing that your pretty face was all messed up."
"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Angel asked wearily.
"Just looking for a few trinkets," she replied. "You know, I just can't seem to find anything that goes with this outfit."
Angel's face had that sorrowful, brooding expression which made her feel sick to the pit of her stomach.
"I don't know why you feel sorry for me," she snapped. "You should know better than anyone how alive becoming a vampire makes you feel. I mean, come on, it's not as though I had much of a life before this anyway. I was stuck in a destiny I couldn't escape and I was living a life I didn't want. For the first time I'm actually free."
"Free to take innocent lives." Angel replied sadly.
Buffy scoffed. "And what's a few of their lives compared to the hundreds that I've saved? Do you think any of those worthless humans ever actually thanked me for saving them? No, they just carried on with their meaningless little lives and soon forgot about the whole thing. I don't think I owe humanity a thing, do you?"
For once, Angel was at a loss for words. He'd known that Buffy had always struggled to accept her fate as the Slayer, but hearing the demon speak the raw truth made him realise just how hard it must have been for her.
"That doesn't make it right." he eventually said.
Buffy just laughed and pushed her way past him.
"Stay out of my way, Angel, or I'll finish the job that Spike did."
When Angel made no move to stop her, she headed back to the factory; stopping only to feed from a teenage boy who had made the fatal mistake of thinking she was human and tried to come on to her.
******
"Special delivery!" she called as she walked into the main room of the factory. It was unoccupied, save for Spike, Dru, and Dalton, who was the resident scribe. Buffy handed the cross to Spike who immediately passed it to Dalton.
"Get on with it!" he barked, sending the smaller vampire scurrying away in fear.
When he'd gone, Spike moved over to Dru and pulled her into his arms, capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss.
"It won't be long now, ducks," he smiled. "Once you're strong again, the Streets of Sunnyhell will run red with blood."
Dru giggled, running her fingers through Spike's hair. "My naughty, wicked, little Spike, what games there will be."
Buffy glowered throughout this entire interaction. What Spike saw in a total head case like Dru she would never know. Dru glanced up at Buffy, and as if she knew what she was thinking. She pulled Spike back to her and kissed him hungrily. Dru's eyes never left Buffy's while she did this and immediately Buffy saw what the dark vampiress was doing. She was marking Spike as her own, a 'keep your hands off' gesture.
Buffy scowled as the two vampires parted and almost as an afterthought Spike remembered she was still there. He turned to face her while Dru continued to caress his cheek, a small smile on her lips as she continued to keep her eyes on Buffy.
"Any problems?" Spike asked.
Aside from the fact that you're with her when you could be with me? she thought, then she shrugged.
"Ran into Angel."
Both Spike and Dru looked interested at this.
"You saw my Angel?" Dru asked dreamily, finally removing her hand from Spike's cheek. Her whole tone of voice reminded Buffy of a girl suffering from a teenage crush.
"Dru," said Spike exasperatedly. "He's not your Angel anymore, he's our enemy now."
He turned back to Buffy.
"Did you kill him?"
She shook her head. "Thought I'd save that little job for you."
Spike grinned. "Now that will be fun."
After a moment of relishing in the thought of killing Angel, Spike became aware of a dull ache gnawing at his stomach. Thinking about it he couldn't actually remember the last time he'd eaten properly. When he went out, he always made sure he got something for Dru, but he was so preoccupied by looking for the cure, that more often than not he forgot about himself.
"Do you want to go and get someone to eat, pet?" he asked Buffy.
"Sure." she smiled.
As soon as the word had left her mouth, Dru began to whimper and Spike immediately turned his attention back to her. She slumped into his arms; her whole body weak and he scooped her up as though she were a small child. Cradling her in his arms and holding her close to him, she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"Don't leave me." she whispered.
"I'm not going anywhere, baby." he replied softly before carrying her towards the bedroom. "Let's put you to bed, you need your rest."
When they were out of sight, Buffy rolled her eyes. She was beginning to wonder how much of Dru's 'weakness' was actually genuine. It seemed to get worse just when it suited her and Spike was so blinded by love that he couldn't even see it. She sighed. It looked like it was going to be another night of eating alone.
******
"I don't bloody believe it!" exclaimed Spike as he looked at the sheets of paper in his hand.
"What?" asked Buffy as she peered over his shoulder. Spike was holding full details of the ritual, which would restore Dru back to full health.
"Well, it's a good job you didn't kill Angel last night, it seems we need his blood for the cure."
Buffy looked amused by this, irony had a way of rearing its head at the strangest of times "You're kidding!"
Spike grinned. "And the best part is: we cure Dru and it's 'bye bye, Angel.'"
It just kept getting better. "It'll kill him?" she smiled. Spike nodded.
"Let me get him for you," Buffy asked excitedly. "I promise I won't hurt him…much."
"Alright, pet, but don't rough him up too much, remember, we need him alive for the ritual." He disappeared into the bedroom for a minute and returned with a small box, which he handed to Buffy. She opened it to find a syringe filled with a bright green substance.
"What's this?" She asked.
"Enough sedative to knock out a herd of elephants. When you've finished having your fun, stick him with that and he won't cause you any more problems."
Buffy nodded and headed for the door. "Get everything you need ready, I won't be long."
Without looking back, she ran out into the night and headed straight for Angel's apartment. Tonight he would pay for betraying their kind.
******
Buffy was surprised to find Angel's apartment unlocked, either he was expecting someone, or he was getting really slack with his security. Stepping inside, she took a moment to look around; it hadn't changed at all. The same minimalist decor. From what she'd gathered from Spike, Angel was the complete opposite of Angelus who liked everything to be lavish and beautiful.
She was disturbed from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned. It was Angel.
"Hello, lover." she said chirpily.
He looked at her nervously, almost as if he knew why she was here. "What do you want, Buffy?"
"Well, it seems that you weren't entirely honest with me when I was alive. Tell me, is it true what you did to Dru? Did you really turn her into the nutty head case that we all know and…well…know?"
The look of pain and sorrow in Angel's eyes gave her her answer. Buffy laughed.
"That's brilliant!" she exclaimed with delight. "I never would have thought you had it in you."
She took a step closer to him and whispered in his ear. "You can be like that again you know."
Angel gasped and pushed her away. "What are you saying?"
"Come on, Angel, why do you fight who you are, what you are. You're a killer, soul or no soul. You should accept that. You could join us, me, Spike, Dru. We could do anything, go anywhere, kill anyone."
"Buffy, you know I can't."
She sighed loudly. "Well, it was worth a try. I guess we go for plan 'B' then."
With lightening speed, she was at his side and quickly stuck the syringe in his neck, pressing the plunger down fully. Angel barely had time to react before he slumped unconscious to the floor.
Buffy stared at his still form for a couple of minutes, making sure the drugs had done their job effectively. When he didn't move, she looked around the apartment. No phone. She looked back down at Angel and wondered if she'd be able to carry him alone, probably not. It was his size rather than his weight that was the problem.
She had an idea. Rolling him onto his back, she went through his pockets until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the mobile phone she quickly punched in the number.
"Spike? It's Buffy. I'm at Angel's, send the boys over will you?"
******
Buffy sighed as Angel's screams resounded throughout the building. Dru had been at it for hours now, insisting that she be left alone to 'play'. Spike had agreed of course, not wanting to deny his beloved anything, but Buffy was now getting the impression that Spike wasn't happy with the decision. For the last hour he'd been pacing up and down, smoking cigarette after cigarette. It was beginning to make Buffy dizzy.
"Spike, will you sit down? You're making my head spin."
Spike merely growled at her and continued to pace, flinching every time he heard Angel scream. Ok, time for a different approach.
"Look, just relax. The sun is nearly down and in a couple of hours Angel will be dead, Dru will be restored and we can do whatever we want."
Bingo. Spike pulled out a chair and dropped down into it. Buffy walked up behind him and began to massage his shoulders; she'd always been good at it, even when she was alive. Spike let out a small murmur of pleasure as she kneaded the tension out of his muscles. After a few minutes she stopped.
"Better?"
Spike opened his eyes and looked at her. "Bloody hell, pet, where did you learn how to do that?"
Buffy shrugged before glancing up at the window. The sun was down.
"Time for church." she said quietly. Spike looked up and nodded before getting to his feet. He disappeared into the bedroom and emerged a few minutes later with his arm around Dru. Two minions followed, carrying Angel, or at least what was left of him. His shirt had been removed and his entire upper body was a mass of cuts, bruises and burns. Dru certainly knew what she was doing when it came to torture.
Spike stopped in front of her.
"We'll be back as soon as the ritual is complete, then the real fun will start. Keep an eye on things here while we're gone."
Buffy nodded. Dru said nothing, merely rested her head on Spike's shoulder. As Buffy took one last look at Angel, she sighed with the knowledge that once he was gone she'd be free from the final tie to her human life. It felt good. Part of her was annoyed that she was going to miss seeing his death, but Spike had insisted that someone stay in case the idiot librarian and the others somehow came looking for Angel. As the doors closed, Buffy took on Spike's role. She began to pace.
******
Something was wrong. They had been gone for over 24 hours and Buffy had heard no word. She couldn't go and look for them because she didn't know where they were. For the first time since she'd been turned, she felt useless. Letting out a cry of frustration, she punched one of the chairs, shattering it.
Moments later, she heard the main doors open and she looked up. When she saw who it was, she jumped to her feet in shock. It was Dru, fully restored and well, carrying an unconscious Spike in her arms. His white-blonde hair was the only thing that enabled Buffy to identify him. His clothes were burned and torn and his face was covered in soot.
"What the hell happened?" she demanded.
Dru ignored her and carried Spike into the bedroom, placing him gently on the bed. She sat at his side whimpering softly.
"I said 'what happened'?" repeated Buffy, who had followed them. Finally Dru turned to face her, her vampiric visage in place.
"My Spike made me all better." she said with a smile.
Buffy lost it. Grabbing Dru by the throat she pinned her against the wall.
"Who did this to him?" she ground out.
"My Angel's friends came and rescued him, they left us to feed the fire."
"Well, you seem to be alright." Buffy spat, releasing her grip on Dru. The dark-haired vampiress began to laugh.
"The poor little Slayer is in love with my Spike. Naughty girl, trying to take what's not yours."
Suddenly they heard the door open again.
"Well, this is nice, a little drab for my liking but I can learn to deal." a male voice called. Buffy and Dru went to investigate.
"Hello, lover." said Angel, who stood in the middle of the room taking in his surroundings. Buffy shook; numb with rage.
"I can't believe you were actually stupid enough to come here." she finally managed to say.
Angel shrugged. "I was in this part of town and I couldn't not stop by and say howdy. How are you anyway, Buff?"
"Buff? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Angel?" breathed Dru in awe. He grinned.
"Yeah, baby, I'm back."