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Chapter 40

“Dalton, this is my friend Rupert Giles. He is to be treated with the utmost respect. Please show him the books you’ve collected.” William ordered the minion as the group stepped into the factory.

Angel snorted in disbelief. These people were insane! There was no way that the minion would leave the Watcher alone. He’d be drained in minutes. ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish,’ his demon whispered from inside, all the while looking for a way to break out of his prison.

William walked purposefully towards the room he knew held his dying sire. He knew that the others would follow. He wasn’t surprised to find Spike walking beside him rather than Joan. He knew his girl. She was giving him space.

Joan slipped her hand into Buffy’s. She wasn’t sure if it was to offer her younger self support or because she needed the support herself. Buffy seemed to be a lot less insecure than she did.

Drusilla scared her. Not the vampire, but the female that William/Spike had loved for over a hundred years. What sort of hold did she still have over him? What if she said or did something that made William or Spike change his mind and leave her? She couldn’t lose him now.

She knew with absolute certainty that William needed to do this. She trusted him. But then he wasn’t the problem…she was. Drusilla.

Buffy wondered what had Joan so freaked that she was left with the possibility of having her hand broken. ‘Who the hell is this Drusilla anyway?’ she mused.

“You’re not mine anymore, are you Sweet William,” Drusilla’s voice floated over them all, her words more statement than question.

Surprisingly, in a voice filled with compassion, understanding and a certain amount of innocence, she continued, “Have you come to send me back to my family? The pixies told me, but I was afraid to believe them.”

“Do you want to go back, Princess?” William asked, curious.

“Oh, yes. Please. Daddy killed them and then he killed me. We should already be together, but Daddy wanted me to stay with him, and then he went away. Now that you have your sunshine, princess is all alone. Just the pixies whispering, always whispering, and Miss Edith are with me now. I’m tired, dark knight. Help me get home?” Drusilla whispered.

Angel stepped forward. “Daddy’s here Dru. Let me help you get better, sweetheart.”

Ignoring Angel completely, Drusilla continued to address William. “Miss Edith has told me things that I have to share first.” She was desperate to hold on to her clarity this once. She could feel the voices calling her off to play. She knew that what Miss Edith had told her was important, so she fought the desire to follow the entreaties from the ones that lived in her head. ‘Not this time, my pets,’ she silently told her inner voices.

Turning to Xander, she offered him a soft smile. “The best will come from what you fear is the worst. Trust yourself and follow your path. Soon, you will be an unknowing instrument, rest assured that you will shoulder no blame. You will always be needed.”

Turning to face the young redhead across the room, Drusilla offered her some advice, “Little red witch must learn control early.”

“B-but I’m not a witch,” Willow stuttered nervously.

“You will be, little one. A powerful one too. You can choose to help or harm, choose wisely. Learn control,” Drusilla warned her before turning once again to Spike, “Sunshine is what you were looking for, my knight. She’s effulgent.”

“Enough of this. Dru, you need to rest. It’s alright childe, Daddy’s here. I’ll look after you now,” Angel spoke softly as he moved closer to his ailing childe.

She shrank away from him, his presence clearly agitating her. “No,” she hissed.

Angel pressed forward and Drusilla pressed herself further into the bed, whimpering and pulling weakly at the chains that held her in place.

Xander bravely stepped in front of Angel, stake drawn. “She doesn’t want you near her, dead boy.”

Angel snarled and backhanded him before anyone could move. Event’s seemed to move in slow motion. Xander lifted off the floor, twisting midair with the force of the blow. The youth landed face down on the bed where the vampiress lay and a cloud of dust billowed out from under him.

The room seemed to freeze in shocked silence until Angel stepped forward menacingly.

“You will die. Nobody touches my family but me,” Angel snarled at the shocked boy.

Spike got to Xander before Angel had a chance. Dragging the terrified youth off the bed, Spike pushed Xander behind him. “You’ll be goin’ through me, Angelus.”

Llwethyn stepped up to his side, joining the blond vampire. Wolfie positioned himself on his other side.

“He killed Dru,” Angel growled. His eyes flickered gold as his demon fought to gain control. “He deserves to die.”

“You killed Dru, you bloody hypocritical poofter. Twice. This time the whelp just happened to be the instrument you used.” William joined the throng. “Dru warned him and told him he wasn’t to blame.”

Xander sagged in relief. He hadn’t made the connection between what the vampiress had said and what had just happened. The feeling of shock and overwhelming guilt faded.

Angel’s demon finally gained control.

“You can’t save ‘em all, boy,” Angelus sneered at the younger vampire, ignoring the older one completely.

Laughter rang out behind him, causing the furious vampire to spin to see just who it was that dared to find amusement at his expense.

“Actually, yes he can.” Joan laughed. “Let’s not forget that William can incapacitate you by just going into game face. In case you missed it, Angelus, you’ve got two slayers, a trained watcher, a sasquatch, an elf, a master vampire and a pure vampire to face. Ya might wanna rethink the threats, big boy,” Joan explained the facts of life to him, her contempt clear in her voice.

Moving faster than anyone anticipated, Angelus grabbed Buffy around the throat and pulled her protectively in front of him.

Spike roared in outrage but was prevented from acting as both Llwethyn and Wolfie held him back.

“Move and I’ll snap her neck,” Angel warned them all.

Buffy twisted in his arms and faced him without an shred of fear. “Did you forget I’m the Slayer?” she asked innocently.

Angel sneered and narrowed his eyes, then widened them comically as he felt the point of the stake pressing into his chest. Moving slowly, he released his grip on the grim faced girl and stepped back.

“Thanks.” Buffy gifted him with a brilliant smile and then thrust her stake home. “I needed the extra room.”

Angel’s dust drifted to the ground unnoticed as Spike swept Buffy into his arms.





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