St. Petersburg 1901

January...

When they returned, Spike collapsed on his stone slab feeling more than happy to bypass another audience with the Master. He was so exhausted he didn't bother removing his coat or tugging the flimsy sheet over him. Instead, he simply sprawled face down against the cold surface and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of a full stomach and waiting for blackness to overcome him. Unfortunately, his roommate had other ideas.

Angelus paced rapidly up and down in the narrow space between their respective beds. Spike did his best to ignore him, trying to focus on the warm, borrowed blood currently flowing through his veins and the faint whoosh of the flickering torches as the customary draft blew through the tunnels. Naturally, Angelus started muttering softly to himself and put an end to Spike's last shred of patience.

"Angelus," Spike mumbled, his face pressed into the cold slab beneath him, while his eyes remained firmly closed, "if this is payback for earlier don't you think you're punishing yourself too?"

Angelus' pacing stopped, for which Spike was momentarily grateful, until the bastard spoke.

"What?"

"The pacing, the muttering, the fidgeting," Spike explained. "I couldn't sleep before, but after the day and night we've had, I really could use a good kip right now. I'd think you'd be the same. So why aren't you under that blanket of yours dreaming of screaming virgins and gentlemen with their hearts ripped out?"

"I'm wondering if the Master is going to tell us what he's up to tomorrow or not. I'm starting to think maybe we should have just left tonight," Angelus explained, his voice gradually lowering so it seemed he was thinking aloud rather than actually answering Spike.

Spike sighed. Still refusing to give up on the promise of sleep, he kept his eyes closed and remained motionless as he answered.

"Well, that's good to know, but probably a thought you should have considered earlier, such as when we were hacking away at a rock wall. I believe I mentioned something along the lines of leaving then, but you wanted to stick around to find out what the git was up to. You know it's only going to nag at you until you find out, so there's really no point questioning your decision now, is there? We're back here. All we have to do is sleep and when we wake up, we go see the Master and he tells us what's going on."

Another long pause before Angelus answered. His tone sounded thoughtful and surprised.

"You make a fair point. You're—making sense?"

"Look, mate, I honestly couldn't give a toss either way what we do, but I'm just too tired right now to pick a fight or throw this sudden doubt in your face. So what do you say you lie down and catch a few winks before we suss out Batface's scheme tomorrow, eh? Tell you what, I'll even keep my trap shut while you boys measure up. No sarcastic commentary, no jokes, no throwing your little competition in each other's faces. Sound good?"

"You expect me to believe that?" Angelus asked with a little snort.

Spike groaned loudly and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

"Just stop bloody pacing and let one of us catch some kip."

There was blessed silence for a full minute before he heard Angelus shuffling around again. When things went quiet, this time for much longer, Spike realized Angelus had finally lain down. He almost couldn't believe it, but decided not to question this unexpected good luck. Instead, he sighed contentedly and finally slipped into slumber.

***

A scream tore Angelus from sleep. The sudden noise made him jump and he shot into a sitting position, whacking his head against the stone roof in the process. Stunned, he eased back onto his elbows and rubbed his aching head when another scream ripped through the chamber. At first, he wondered if the Master was having someone punished, but the noise was close by and a quick glance to his left revealed that it was Spike who was screaming.

"Spike, what the hell—" Angelus exclaimed, when another scream tore from the young vamp's throat, drowning out Angelus' voice.

"Spike!" Angelus shouted, but got no response.

He swung his legs out sideways and onto the ground and leaned over, watching as Spike began thrashing about on the ledge, his arms waving madly and his legs kicking as though he were being attacked. His eyes were squeezed shut and it dawned on Angelus that he was still asleep.

"Spike!" Angelus called again, trying to wake him up, but it was no good.

If the noises Spike was making weren't waking him up, Angelus' shouting wasn't going to help. Angelus was at a complete loss as to what was happening. He'd never seen Spike act like this before. Another blood-curdling scream emerged from the terrified vamp and Angelus felt a chill run through him, which was an odd sensation for a vampire. He'd heard people scream like that before, usually because he was making them scream, but hearing that noise come from Spike, a vampire, in his sleep, was—to put it mildly—unsettling.

"Spike!" Angelus tried again then jerked his head around when the door swung inward suddenly.

Drusilla stood there, dressed in a flowing white nightdress. She looked ethereal, her dark hair spilling in waves down her shoulders. She spared a glance at Angelus, meeting his questioning face before her eyes found Spike. She glided over to him and tilted her head, watching him writhe about in apparent agony.

"Dru, what the hell is—?"

"Shh." She cut him off, a finger held to her lips before she leaned down to Spike and placed a hand firmly to his shoulder, pressing him down against the ledge as she perched on the edge.

Angelus watched, baffled, as she brought her other hand to Spike's right cheek, stroking it as she whispered softly to him in a soothing voice.

"Spike. Wake up my boy. Spike, open your eyes. Look at me. Spike."

Spike's screams died down and he whimpered, his eyes still shut tight as he trembled and jerked beneath her hold. She continued to whisper to him, urging him to look at her. His eyes shot open and he gasped loudly, making Angelus jump a little. Spike stared ahead blindly, his eyes wide and terrified as he continued to gasp as though struggling for air.

"Spike, look at me. Look in my eyes," Dru whispered, holding his face in both her hands and forcing him to look at her.

Slowly, Spike focused on her and she smiled. Holding two fingers up between them she waved them back and forth until his eyes followed their movement and then directed them toward her own.

"Look in my eyes, sweet Prince. See me. Be in me."

Angelus watched, fascinated, as Dru lulled Spike. He watched the young vamp's eyes glaze over as they stared into hers. His body gradually ceased its trembling and he became completely still, the rise and fall of his chest halting so that he wasn't even breathing any longer. Dru kept her eyes locked with his, never once blinking. They stared at each other in silence.

Angelus couldn't tear his eyes off them. A million questions ran through his mind but he could barely process any of them. He had seen Dru do this before. Thrall was one of her talents, and while most vampires learned how to entice humans to them, as he often did with charm and a dangerous allure, she could go much further, completely taking them over. Dru made them see things, anything she wanted. She could even turn them into willing slaves, overriding their survival instincts and making them submit to her without a struggle. He had never seen her use her talents on another vampire, however, let alone Spike.

After a time, she smiled and pulled Spike closer to her, holding his head against her chest as she began to sway, rocking him gently. Spike's arms came up and wrapped themselves around her waist as she continued to rock him like a baby. She turned her head to see Angelus watching them and smiled reassuringly.

"It's all right now. Little nasties got into my boy's head and made him hurt. They were searching for the spark, but it's not time yet. Not nearly time."

"Dru, what…?" Angelus didn't even know where to begin seeking an explanation.

"Shh," she replied. "It's fine now. Everything is darkness and silence again. My Dark Knight," she cooed, stroking Spike's hair and lowering her head down to him, letting her eyes drift closed, a secret smile playing across her mouth.

Angelus leaned back against the cold stone wall and observed them. His suspicions about Spike were back in full force again, momentarily overcoming any curiosity about the Master's plans for them. He wondered if this was the first time Dru had done this to Spike. She seemed perfectly calm, knowing what needed to be done. The lack of a minion at their door suggested that the others either hadn't heard Spike or hadn't cared. Dru must have sensed something was wrong.

But what was it? What was wrong with him? What could have frightened him—hurt him that much? How long has she been—?

Angelus broke off that train of thought. He made a note to keep a closer eye on Spike from now on.

***

Spike did his best to avoid meeting his grandsire's eyes on their way to an audience with the Master. Angelus had been watching him since Dru had left their chamber earlier. Spike wasn't sure what had happened. He'd found himself wrapped in her embrace as she gently rocked him, but couldn't remember how or why they were like that. When he'd opened his mouth to ask, Dru had pressed a hand to his lips, silencing him. She gave him a knowing grin and told him to rest. Her eyes had flicked to Angelus and she grinned again before telling them goodnight and floating out of the chamber, leaving the door open in her wake. Angelus had been eying him warily ever since, but Spike preferred not to ask him why.

The women were already seated next to the Master when Spike and Angelus arrived. Dru waved to him and Spike gave her a curt nod before he faced the Master. Angelus took his place one step ahead of Spike, finally focusing on the Master instead of his grandchilde. The Master brought his hands together in front of him, his elbows resting on the arms of his hideous throne.

"I suppose you want to know what I have planned?" he asked, his attention on Angelus.

Angelus merely nodded. The Master sighed then gestured for a female minion to approach. She had a book in her hands, and much like Andrei had acted with the box containing Spike's ring, she knelt before the Master offering the book to him with her head bowed. The book itself was worn looking and Spike could smell the leather covering from where he stood. It had no title that he could see, but some sort of symbol was etched into the cover. Spike couldn't see it clearly enough to identify it. The Master reverently took the book and the minion went back to her corner.

"This," the Master began as he opened the book, "is something I have spent years searching for. It's an old text that tells one everything one needs to know about opening the gateway to what lies beneath." The Master stopped on a certain page and stroked it delicately, his eyes glowing as he grinned down at it.

"What lies beneath?" Angelus questioned.

"Evil," the Master answered, his red eyes zeroing in on Angelus. "The greatest evil ever known, the first undiluted evil."

"So you're talking about hell," Angelus stated, his eyes flicking to the book then back to the Master.

"In a manner of speaking," the Master answered, his eyes returning to the page in front of him. "Many dimensions could be called Hell. It's not something that can be defined. But if this gateway were opened, yes, it would be like Hell. All the demons of the earth, the oldest and most feared creations ever to spring from that original source of evil, would spill forth and reign terror, bloodshed, and destruction like no apocalypse ever before prophesied."

"And you want to open this gateway," Angelus said, his eyes sparkling. "Now that's a plan I could fall in line with."

"I had a feeling you would, but it's not that simple."

Angelus' face fell and he frowned. "What do you mean?"

Spike rolled his eyes. If it were easy to open up Hell, they'd already be burning in it. Obviously the chances of opening this gateway were minimal at best, and that was without taking into account the Chosen Ones fighting on the side of good. When you brought the Slayer into account it was no wonder the Master was happy to have Spike around. The old vampire probably decided Spike's track record with Slayers would come in handy on this venture.

"Aside from the intricate ritual involved, first we need to find the Gateway, otherwise known as the Hellmouth. There's no point learning how to open something if you don't know where it is. I heard a rumor that there's one here in St. Petersburg, buried beneath the city."

"Which explains why you've burrowed your way down here and why you're enlarging the tunnels."

The Master nodded. "I'm close. I've had them working night and day to break through to the cavern that lies beyond that wall. The Hellmouth will be there. As soon as we've uncovered it, I intend to open it and bring unending chaos to this miserable world."

Spike glanced back and forth between Angelus and the Master. They were both grinning gleefully at the prospect of Hell on Earth. Spike wasn't so sure he liked this idea. What benefit was there in opening up Hell? If you believed in that sort of thing, they were all destined to end up there anyway once they dusted, being the monsters they were. What was the rush? He didn't fancy burning in eternal hellfire and suffering unimaginable tortures just because the two dolts before him were a sadistic pair of idiots, blind to the fact that they were living in this world.

Spike refrained from mentioning this to his elders. They were caught up in the Master's vision and he knew better than to draw attention to himself right now, particularly if it was only to put a dampener on their plans. Maybe later he could suggest it to the others in passing conversation. Spike could drop a few hints asking how they would feed if the humans were burnt to a crisp and nudge them away from the whole idea that way. It was a slim hope, but he preferred that thought to defying the Master's wishes when Angelus was so obviously on board with his plan.

"How much longer until you break through?" Angelus asked, eagerly.

"A few days at the most. I have my followers working day and night, as you experienced yourself."

Angelus narrowed his eyes at the Master, but it didn't wipe the smile off his face.

"So we wait a few days and once we gain access to the chamber we work on the ritual," Angelus said, folding his arms and standing tall.

"Unless you want to assist in the excavation," the Master suggested, leaning back into his throne again, the book resting casually on his lap, though he kept one possessive hand over it. "You put a decent dent in the wall when you both worked on it."

Spike quickly looked at Angelus. He didn't fancy any more time digging himself into exhaustion and he really disliked the idea of working in close quarters with Angelus for so long. With weapons in hand, they were guaranteed to end up trying to kill each other. He was relieved when Angelus smirked and shook his head.

"I don't think so. True enough, we're stronger than your followers but I'm no lackey. I can wait. If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that patience pays off. Makes the victory that much sweeter after all the anticipation."

And the bastard means every damn word too, Spike thought.

"Suit yourself," the Master said, sighing. "We'll wait. In the meantime, make yourself useful. Those workers could use a good feed to stay strong. Go with Dimitri and his group. You can control the food run. Bring back some tasty ones. We need enough to keep them and ourselves fed until the tunnel is complete, and I don't want to waste time hunting when we can store food here. I have perfectly good cells going to waste."

A food run, Spike thought, isn't that just bloody brilliant?

***

It took three days to break through to the hidden chamber. Angelus, Spike, Darla and Dru had spent that time keeping the Master happy, bringing him prisoners and listening to his speeches about bringing destruction to the Earth and wiping out the vermin plaguing its surface. Vermin that were food for vampires: vampires that would starve without them, but who was Spike to point out the flaw in the big man's plan?

When the news came that they were about to break through, the Master left the main chamber for the first time since they'd arrived. The five Aurelians stood behind the vampires hammering at the wall, the stone cracking, crumbling, and falling, a small hole forming before their eyes. The Master was getting more eager with each piece of the wall that crumbled away. When the hole was the size of a man's head, the Master ordered the vampires to stop working and stepped forward, intending to get his first look at his prize.

"At last," the Master said, moving forward, his thin lips spread around his fangs in a wide grin. "At last I shall benefit from all this planning, all this work."

He reached the wall, placed both hands against the cold stone surface and leaned his head towards the gap, looking in. Spike and the others waited, watching him. The Master remained motionless and the seconds ticked by. They exchanged curious glances with each other, their attention snapping back to the Clan leader when he moved away from the wall and his prize. He turned to face them, his smile gone and his usually grim expression in place. Angelus asked the question on all their lips.

"Well?"

The Master stood rigidly, his firm expression never fading.

"I can't see it," he answered simply.

Spike blinked. Things in the chamber had grown so quiet you could hear the dripping of distant sewer water, even without advanced hearing. Spike glanced sideways at Angelus who seemed to be weighing his words carefully and struggling to maintain a serious expression. Spike bet it wasn't easy for him to withhold some scathing remark. Eventually, after folding and unfolding his arms and placing his hands on his hips only to remove them several times, Angelus found his voice.

"Pardon?"

The Master grimaced. "I can't see it," he repeated, slowly.

"What do you mean? You said it would be in there. What's on the other side of that wall?" Angelus demanded, growing irritated.

Spike had to hold in a sigh. They'd spent all this time bending to the Master's wishes and hovering at his feet for nothing. He'd known staying here had been a bad idea from the start. They should have just left after his initiation to the Clan or better yet, never have come here at all.

"Open it up," the Master ordered his minions, ignoring Angelus' question.

"What's in there?" Angelus asked again.

The Master simply turned his back to face the working vampires as they enlarged the gap in the rock. Spike cast a sideways glance at Angelus. His grandsire was glaring at the Master's back, a muscle in his jaw ticking. The two vamps worked away at making the gap bigger, and the Aurelians could only watch as the room beyond was revealed to them. Eventually the exhausted minions moved aside. Angelus was the first to enter the newly exposed chamber. Spike and the others approached slowly. Casting a quick look about the room, Spike returned his gaze to his peeved off grandsire.

"Empty," Angelus said, spreading his arms out as he faced them again, glaring at old Batface. "We've been wasting our time for nothing. Nothing's here! There's not even treasure or ruins or—anything!"

"Things are not always as they appear, Angelus," the Master said cryptically, moving past the dark haired vamp and further into the room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angelus snapped.

"I'll have one of my followers do some digging, and have a few others conduct further research. It could be that the entrance has been buried over the years. For all we know, we could be standing on top of our goal right now," the Master said.

All eyes turned to the dusty floor beneath their feet and the ever present dripping sound in the distance echoed in their ears as they fell silent, contemplating that thought. A minute later, Angelus scoffed, breaking their reverie.

"'Possible.' Somehow I think the all powerful evil you described would have a more noticeable presence. Don't you think we'd feel it if the Hellmouth were underneath us?"

"In this rotten world, who's to say how sensitive we would be to a higher form of evil anymore? The world is in chaos, and living so long amongst humans may have weakened our senses. Consorting with vermin," the Master spat, disdainfully.

"I doubt you've done that much consorting," Angelus mumbled under his breath, but Spike was standing nearby and caught it. Aloud, Angelus continued to voice his displeasure. "And what if it really isn't here? What if you've spent your time in this rat hole for nothing, hmm? What then?"

"If that should be the case—there are other locations. I know of several supposed Hellmouths in America," the Master replied, placing his hands behind his back as he regarded them.

"Is that so?" Angelus asked, bitterly.

The Master stared back at his family members with his glowing red eyes, then turned and walked back through the gap in the wall.

"We need more prisoners. Our food stocks are running low. I have business to attend to. Make yourselves useful," he called back over his shoulder as he exited the chamber and disappeared through the tunnels, his minions following.

Spike and the others stared after him until a low growl caught their attention and they turned to see Angelus in another of his black moods, his eyebrows almost meeting in the middle as he scowled and bared his teeth.

"Make yourselves useful," he muttered. "He's the one who's been wasting everybody's time with this scheme. I've had it. I won't be his delivery boy any longer!"

"So what then? We leave?" Spike asked, hoping that finally they could go back to the old days of just the four of them touring the world above ground, far away from the stinking sewers and damp tunnels of a miserable, freezing city like St. Petersburg.

"We do. We leave tonight. He can go hungry waiting for us to return. I'm not going to be dragged halfway across the world in search of another rumor." Angelus continued his tirade.

Spike grinned, happily. It was about bloody time Angelus saw sense. He rubbed his hands together, looking forward to a nice hotel room where he could share a bed with Dru again and put some much needed space between him and his miserable grandsire. They had been this close to staking each other.

"Well all right then. Let's go. No point dilly-dallying now, is there? He expects his grub and the sooner we get out of this frost-bitten cesspool the better," Spike said, grabbing Drusilla around the waist and spinning for the gap in the wall, ready to lead their way to freedom.

"Wait just a minute!" Darla broke in.

Spike's spirits sank. He recognized that tone in her voice. The one that said 'I'm the one in charge here and I say what's going to happen.' Out of the four of them, Darla was the least likely to give up on her precious sire's grand plan. Spike looked at Angelus' pissed off expression as he folded his arms and glared at Darla. Spike sensed a fight coming on. He sighed and turned back to the scene; his arms wrapped around Dru's waist as he stood behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. One slender arm snaked up and wrapped about his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair.

"You would give up on the chance to bring about Hell on Earth so easily? What happened to your ambition?" Darla asked.

"I would rather put it to use on something that's not a wild goose chase," Angelus snapped. "You're a fool if you think he'll find what he's after. All he has is a tatty book and a few rumors that are as reliable as Chinese whispers. Don't you want to go back to a more comfortable life? Come see more of the world with me, Darla. You don't belong down here with him."

Angelus lowered his voice, reaching for Darla's hand. Darla snatched her hand back and slapped him hard across the face. Angelus' head whipped to the side and Spike saw red streaks forming on his cheek. Angelus wiped at his injured cheek and glared at Darla out of the corner of his eye. Darla stalked off into the tunnels.

"I belong at my Master's side and so do you," she said as she vanished around a bend in the tunnel.

Spike and Dru watched her leave. Raising his scarred eyebrow, Spike met Angelus' gaze.

"So now wha—?" Spike started.

"We leave tonight!" Angelus snapped, sweeping past them and setting off after his sire.

Spike and Dru remained in the chamber, now alone.

Life as an Aurelian, Spike thought with another sigh.