Chapter 8 – Clarity
Buffy was amazed at the gentleman Spike was. He held her hand, opened doors for her, and helped her into the Jeep. Her date with her mortal enemy was turning out to be the perfect date. It appeared Spike had also resigned to the fact that they would have to fulfill the prophecy. What amazed her is that he was not being his usual snarky self. She expected him to kick, fight, and insult her …even suggest in vitro fertilization. His kindness and apparent adoration through her for a loop, but when she looked in his eyes all she could see was honesty.
One thing was clear. Everything she had learned about soulless vamps was wrong.
From now on Buffy would form her own opinions based on her own experience. Vampires did have choices in their unlives, and if they chose the wrong path in their unlife…well they would meet the slayer.
If they could change, she would give them a chance to take the path of redemption.
If that vamp was a certain peroxide blond menace, she may even give him her heart.
As she looked out the window lost in thought, Spike took the opportunity too look over and adore his Slayer. ‘His Slayer,’ that sounded nice to Spike. She was his equal in strength and desire; he had known she would be a challenge as an enemy since he had first laid eyes on her at the Bronze.
The prophecy had stripped each of them of their natural hate for each other, forcing them to work with each other.
It also forced them to realize they were a perfect mate for the other.
Spike could not be more grateful that he realized this before any magic became involved. It was obvious something had to happen, after all vampires cannot procreate. He did not want magic playing with their emotions, to rip the few moments of love away once the spell had ended.
He had already lost Dru; what he felt for Buffy was beyond anything he ever felt for Dru. If his sunshine were to leave him, he would have to walk out to meet the dawn. He could not handle the pain of losing another love.
Spike would be damned if Angelus would step in and get all soulful to take her back. He made sure that Angelus would not even ruin tonight. Tonight would be perfect. The Scoobies would all be safe in Joyce’s house, where there was no invite. Buffy would be safe with him, away from the Hellmouth for the night, in a private place where Angelus had no invite.
Breaking the silence, Buffy finally spoke.
“Spike, where are we going?”
“Buffy, I wanted to take you somewhere safe; away from everything for the evening. I have a friend with a private estate a few miles south from here. It is very lovely, right on the ocean. I hope you are hungry; his staff will prepare us an elegant meal we can enjoy under the stars. As long as you think that is proper, luv.”
“It sounds lovely Spike.”
“The estate has a grand ballroom, with a private band. I hope you’ll be up for some dancing.”
Buffy looked up at Spike, with awe and adoration shining through her eyes. The evening was getting better and better, and they had not even arrived yet. Next to her was the real William. Not Spike, the big bad persona he put on for the world, but the essence of who he really was. The essence of someone she was fast falling for.
Reaching across to grasp his hand, she affirmed his plans for the night.
“I would love to dance with you, William.”
~~~~
Drusilla awoke in on a big beautiful bed. The bed was a four-poster, with beautiful white lace linens, and an oversized white down comforter. Her head rested on the many overstuffed pillows at the top of the bed. She ached quite a bit still, but her vampire healing had kicked in already. Mostly, she felt safe and peaceful, for the first time in centuries.
She was still too weak to move from the bed, which was fine by her. The dark haired vampiress did not want to move from her comfortable spot. Her newfound sanity told her not to ruin a good thing, besides she would need the time to finish formulating her wish. She was evil and sane, not such a good thing for Angelus!
~~~~
Angelus had awoken in a bedroom on the other side of the mansion. He turned over to see the small blond vampire next to him. She had been quite the screamer, which drove him nuts. Well, that turned out to be something else to put on the list of things duct tape fixed! He just needed to carry this little role of tape around; it was like having a set of chains at his disposal.
He had his fill of the minion last night; she really was not impressive but did the job. He got up and quickly grabbed the vamp up by her hair. The minion looked relieved; she thought she was going to be released from this lunatic.
Angelus, not one to pass up the opportunity for sadistic pleasure, teased the minion.
“So are your ready to go hunt for the night my precious?”
The vampiress nodded her head up and down, as she could not speak with the duct tape still stuck on her mouth.
“I asked you to speak! Do not disrespect me. Now tell me again, are you ready to go hunt?”
She made a few high-pitched noises, in an attempt to pacify the monster in front of her. It was no use; she winced in anticipation of Angelus’ fist coming to her face. Instead, all she felt was the soft caress of his hand.
Angelus saw the confused look in her eye. He was having so much fun toying with the worthless excuse for a bedmate.
“Forgive me, I’m so rude. I left this tape over your mouth. Of course you can’t respond!”
He reached over as if he was going to gently remove the tape. Instead, he grabbed her head and swiftly twisted it off her body. As the dust sprayed everywhere, he departed the room.
“Stupid bitch, speaking of, I think its time to see if Dru is going to be cooperative today.”
Angelus confidently strode over to the other side of the mansion.
“Dru you can’t trick me. Closing off the childe/sire bond is just going to make your punishment worse! Come on Dru, be a good girl for your daddy.”
He walked into the room he had left the master vampiress in only to find it empty. He was furious! The Powers That Be were humiliating him, head of the Aurelian clan. He let out a roar that echoed beyond the mansion.
In the corner, he noticed Miss Edith. Well that bitch wanted to play. That fucking Anyanka must have taken Dru. Well then, Dru was going to pay. He took precious Miss Edith tore her to shreds.
“Fucking doll, never liked it anyway. No more tea for Miss Edith!”
Angelus threw the tattered remains of the doll in the air then quickly turned and made his way back through the mansion to formulate a plan.
It was time to get back to his original plan. Acathla.
Chapter 9 – Attractions
This was what every girl wanted, treated like a queen.
Fucked up thing about it, Spike was her knight in shining armor, her king. How they got from hating and loathing each other to being smitten with each other was beyond her comprehension. Buffy was fine with that. At this point, she only wanted one thing.
Supper! She was starving, and certainly could not be attentive to her vampire date if she was too weak.
She was awestruck when they arrived to the estate. The place was almost a palace, with gates to keep beasties out. Spike spoke into the speaker to announce their arrival and received the required invitation. Once inside, they drove up the long winding road to the estate. Instead of an expanse of a lush deep lawn, beautiful floral gardens occupied the space on either side of the driveway. She could hear classical music floating through the air.
Spike pulled the Jeep up and allowed the estate’s staff to assist them out of the vehicle. He slowly took Buffy’s hand and led her through the gardens into a beautiful patio area overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
She gasped at the lovely sight before her. Candles were everywhere it looked like a sanctuary. A table was set in the middle, with luxurious, richly colored linens. Several candles were on the table, lighting it up magically as the light reflected off the fine crystal on the table.
Buffy looked up at Spike into his eyes.
“You did this all to be with me?”
“Luv, you deserve it. You have worked hard, put others before you. In return, taken away from you are the ones you love, either on their terms or on the powers terms. Never yours now that you are willing to do what needs done to protect the ones left that you hold dear. Your strength, ‘Cor Buffy, it’s what I admire and respect about you.” He turned around and whispered, “I respect you too much, and I can’t kill you anymore. It’s what brings me closer to you, makes me want to be a better man.”
Buffy stepped up behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and softly spoke.
“You’re different from the others, different from Angel.”
Spike tensed up when he heard his grandsire’s name. Buffy just held him tighter.
“Spike, you have power that radiates off of you. Your demon is powerful; the slayer in me knows it. William is powerful too. I cannot help but respect and watch in awe how you have been able to take two powerful beings within you and blend them into who you are now. Neither William nor the Demon controls you. That makes you different from the others, free to choose your path.”
Spike felt ashamed. Here his golden goddess was offering him praise, respect but he still did not feel worthy of it.
“I’m still evil though.”
“I used to think vampires = evil = kill. You proved me wrong, Spike. So many humans out there have just one entity inside them to master, and they still do evil deeds. I’m the slayer, but I’m not all goody two shoes as you may think.”
Spike turned around and looked into Buffy’s eyes.
“So you’re willing to compromise your self with the Big Bad to save the world?”
“No Spike, I’m willing to compromise myself to be with the Big Bad for as long as I’m in this world.”
“Are you feeling alright luv? You don’t belong in the dark with me, you belong in the light.” Spike looked up and snickered, “Dru used to tease me and say that sunshine was dancing all around me, but I didn’t know what she meant. I always assumed she could see my death. Never did I think she meant that I would fall for a …”
Of course, just on time the estate director walked onto the patio. Spike was not sure if he felt relieved or disappointed that he did not spill all of his feelings to Buffy.
“Master Spike, I see you have arrived with your beautiful girl. Come; take your seats so we can serve you dinner!”
“Luv, looks like we’ll have to wait to finish our little talk, no sense in ruining a very well prepared meal by letting it get cold.
He gently removed her hands from around his waist and escorted her over to the table. The director went to pull out Buffy’s chair, but Spike stopped him. The vampire wanted to show the slayer romance, so he wanted to be the one to pull out her chair. After she sat down, he kneeled down next to her and placed a gentle kiss on her hand. He looked up to her eyes, and spoke.
“Buffy, we’ve just thrown each other crumbs of hope in the last few minutes. I couldn’t stand it if we moved forward and you swept them away.”
Buffy went to speak, but Spike stopped her.
“Shh, luv. Just wanted you to understand where I stand with this. Now you think about it over dinner and dancing.”
Spike moved away, and took his place at the table just as the estate staff brought out the food for the evening. The blonde couple remained quiet through their dinner, occasionally locking eyes. There was not one thought of their prior loves, but they could feel the nervous energy in the air between them. ‘Would tonight be the night,’ Buffy thought.
~~~~
“Finally you’re awake! I could have been having mad sex next to you, and you wouldn’t have known it!”
Drusilla just looked at the vengeance demon, wondering ‘Am I sane again, because compared to this woman, I am.’
“I’m surprised at the shock on your face. You cannot fool me missy, I heard all about your exploits with men and women! We can chat all about that later. If you didn’t realize it, I am Anyanka, who you should be so grateful to for saving your ass from Angelus!”
“That I am.” Dru wearily replied.
“You can also call me Anya. Now how would you like him punished? Oh, we could turn him into a weak hobbit, with warts on his penis!”
Anya tried to prod Drusilla on, hoping that the vampiress would come up with a fate cruel enough for Angelus. The vampiress still seemed to be a little weak physically, but the power that emanated from her was strong.
Drusilla rose up and sat along the side of the bed. In all those years as an insane lunatic, she still dressed in the frilly gowns from the old days. Perchance, this was her opportunity to change her destiny and others.
“Anya, the kind of wish I’d like to make on Angelus cannot be so simple. Punished right where he will hurt the most, his soul. First, though, I would like to do something about the garments I have worn for so long. It is hard to be stealthy and evil when I am dressed like a historical figure.”
Anya knew that would be the moment to change them both forever. Luckily, for her, she already knew her part in the plan, thanks to D’Hoffryn. She rubbed the crystal in her pocket and chanted a few words under her breath.
A light flashed to reveal a new Drusilla. Her garments now were a pair of black leather pants, leather stiletto boots, and a nice red satin top. She did not look Goth; rather she looked like she stepped out of Vogue. It gave her a new air of confidence about her.
She then noticed a mirror across the room and for the first time in centuries saw her reflection. Dru walked up to it and examined the mirror in awe. Gently she touched the beautiful amulet around her neck. To her surprise when she tried to vamp, she still could.
Anyanka knew explanations were in order before Dru questioned her sanity.
“Dru, it seems like D’Hoffryn has been impressed with you for a long time now. Bringing you here, he saw your power and has seen the thoughts in your mind. Your family is not what it was, and now we would like you as part of ours. Of course, it was not right to take away your vampire strengths but we vengeance girls have to look our best when we wear our human faces. That is why you have your reflection. You’ll also find that you can walk in sunlight for short periods of time.”
“I’m still evil, I feel it.”
“Duh, Dru that’s why D’Hoffryn loves you so much! He has never made a hybrid vengeance demon before. I feel your power.”
“As I feel yours, it is pulling towards mine.”
“Dru, you have the brains though. You have the ability to methodically plan elaborate vengeance schemes. Most of us girls, we hear the wish and we act. Granted, I’m known for being very good about the wished I grant.”
Anyanka walked close to Drusilla and wrapped her arms around her. She raised her lips to Dru’s ear, and whispered, “Together, the vengeance delivered by us will be renown throughout the demon world.”
Dru’s body immediately responded to Anyanka’s ministrations. She purred, and pulled Anyanka closer to her. This felt so right, as partners with each other, 100% they could execute so much evil. Besides, it would be nice to be in a partnership where she could take another to bed without upsetting her partner. Dru grinned wickedly as she moved her arms over Anyanka’s body, tracing her tongue over Anya’s lips.
Anyanka looked at Dru, and the deal was sealed. She had swayed the vampiress over to her side now, and there would be no going back to the Aurelius family.
Dru pulled away and looked up at Anyanka.
“Let me tell you how I want Angelus to pay.”
Chapter 10 – Departures
Angelus felt the sudden loss of family sweep over him. It was odd because he didn’t feel that Drusilla had died; only that he no longer had a link to her. It was different than when she had closed off the familiar link earlier, now there was just no link to try. That suited him just fine, the bitch had already betrayed him and she deserved to no longer be an Aurelian.
Sick and tired of the petty torture sessions he had occupied himself with, Angelus was more determined than ever to wreak havoc on the world with Acathla. He was mildly concerned that his errant grand childe and the slayer might be plotting away to stop him.
Angelus just shrugged off the thought and went to gather his minions.
“Don’t keep me waiting. Last one in here will be dusted.” Angelus’ voice echoed through the mansion.
Angelus paced around the room, occasionally glancing at the gigantic statue in the center of the gathering.
As the last vamp entered the room, Angelus beckoned the minion to his side. The minion had no choice but to obey and meet his dusty destiny. Not in the mood to waste time, he ripped the minion’s head off with one clean twist. Immediately, all the vamps in the room understood the seriousness of the gathering. Rarely, if ever, did Angelus miss an opportunity to prolong and make a show out of torture.
“Now that were all here, listen up. Tomorrow night will be the night.”
Angelus grabbed the closest minion.
“You look like you have brains, here take this information and find out what I need to do to get this thing open. You have until morning, or your dust.”
Angelus then grabbed another minion.
“If he can’t get it done, you will meet the same fate as him. As for the rest of you, you’re on guard duty. No one that is not from our family and certainly not my errant childer is to penetrate the walls of this mansion. Am I clear?”
Angelus noticed a fledgling off to the side that had not acknowledged him. Another opportunity to make reinforce what happens to disobedient vamps.
“Boy, did you not hear my question?”
“I did master.”
“Yet you disobeyed me. Are you prepared to accept the consequences?”
“Yes master.”
“Good.”
Angelus grabbed the minion and chained him up against the wall. He took his dagger and slit the throat of the vamp. As the blood flowed, the minions’ bloodlust took control as he began to converge on the doomed vamp.
Angelus walked away, enjoying the screams of pain. No doubt, he would be dust by morning. Confident his leadership had been firmly reinforced, he made his way out to hunt for the night.
~~~~
The silence at the dinner table was broken when Spike fell to the ground in tears. Buffy panicked. Quickly, she rushed to his side and held him in her arms.
“Spike, what’s wrong? Are you ok? Are you hurt?”
“Dru.”
“ ’Splainy?”
Spike was so distraught; he could barely choke out his reply.
“Dru. She’s gone, I can’t feel her anymore.”
“How? How do you know?” Buffy whispered.
“Vamps can feel their family, luv. Especially sires and childer; they can sense each others proximity, and can sense when they are gone.”
“Oh.”
Buffy was unsure if she should be jealous of his emotional state over his ex vamp ho or if she should feel relieved. She just knew Spike was sad, and she wanted to help him.
Spike looked up at Buffy. He realized that loving Buffy would mean feeling this pain again someday. Was he willing to risk the pain? Could his heart take it? He felt Dru was no longer apart of him, but it didn’t seem like she was ashes. Regardless, his demon hurt. After over 100 years of having the comfort of the childe/sire connection it was gone.
Buffy gently wiped his tears off of his cheeks, and held his head to her chest. She rubbed his back as he cried. Her own tears were slowly falling down her own cheeks. She couldn’t take away his pain, but she could offer her love and comfort.
Each of them was experiencing the tender, raw emotional sides of each other. It wasn’t magic, it wasn’t an act.
It was real. In that moment both decided that risking their hearts to each other was worth it.
“Suppose you wouldn’t mind if we skipped the dancing luv, ‘m a bit drained.”
“Of course, do you want to go inside and just sit in front of the fire?”
“That would be perfect luv, help me relax and gather my bearings.”
The blond pair rose up from the ground; with their hands linked they walked into the estate home.
From the shadows, two figures had silently observed the happenings.
“They make a great couple Anya; the pixies told me so when I met William. Destined for each other, true love shouldn’t have been held apart because they were born a few decades apart.”
“They’ll have great orgasms together. Vampire stamina, let me just say yummy.”
“They would have such beautiful children together; it’s a shame that nature won’t allow it.”
“Dru, don’t be silly. You’ll learn soon enough, us vengeance demons make things happen to defy nature. Speaking of vengeance, you mentioned before we teleported here that you were ready to share your wish for Angelus. Now would be a good time.”
“Indeed, you’re right Anya.”
“They won’t notice us or sense us, so let’s take a seat over by the ocean cliff. I just love cloaking spells!”
The pair wandered over to the grassy spot overlooking the ocean. They sat down with their legs crossed, with their eyes focused on the ocean in front of them.
“My wish for Angelus isn’t simple, but it is effective. I’ll explain why after I make my wish, fair enough?”
“Enough with explanations just make the wish Dru!”
Anya rolled her eyes. She knew Dru was brilliant but, she was anxious to get the vengeance underway.
“I wish for Angelus to have his soul permanently restored when he awakes tomorrow evening, he must live with the consequences of his actions with Acathla and that Buffy will be carrying the child of William.”
Anya rubbed her necklace, and stroked Dru’s hand.
“Wish granted.”
Dru looked over at Anya, and softly spoke.
“It touched my heart when I found poor William broken in the alley that night. His heart stomped upon by an evil human. It was cruel to let him go on thinking so lowly of himself, that he was beneath society’s rules. Besides, what the pixies told me, I wanted to give him a chance to show his strength. I only knew then that he was fated for the sunshine, but I could help him become strong. So I gifted him with eternal life.”
Dru paused for a moment. She laughed to herself how ironic it was that the forces of good and evil worked with each other sometimes rather than against each other.
“Anyhow, as for the reason for the wish, Angelus enjoys pain but Angel suffers in his torment of his soul. The suffering at the hands of his own soul is the only way that he could ever feel the torture as he inflicted on so many others. Let the bastard bath in it.”
Anya was amazed that the formerly crazed vampiress could so clearly come up with such strong reasoning for serving up the vengeance as she wished.
“Brilliant Dru, go on.”
“Angel, he loves sunshine. He does not know his soul is permanent, so he must suffer knowing the woman he loves the most; he can never have again. To add a little salt to his wound, he now has to suffer knowing his love belongs to William forever more. Buffy and William will always be linked together because of their child. Angel will feel inclined to protect the child, and his conscious will prevent him from challenging William for the Slayer’s love.”
Anya just stared with her mouth open, dumbfounded at the complexity behind the wish.
“See Anya, this is why we make a good team. I can hear out our damsels in distress and give them guidance in how they phrase their wishes. Can we teleport out of here now? I’m sure they will find comfort with each other tonight, yet I don’t feel inclined to eavesdrop on their rest of their evening.”
With a flash, the two vengeance demons were gone.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for all the awesome reviews!!!! Thanks to Meli for being a good beta.