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18

Buffy, Xander, and Willow were coming out of the complex when Angel arrived with the body of one of the new slayers nestled in his arms. The look in his eyes was one of pure disappointment and a tiny bit of heartbreak. The girls frowned, wondering what could have happened.
“Sally!” Willow ran up to the vampire who held the girl’s lifeless body. This was definitely of the unexpected. Sally was one of her favorites. It broke her heart to see her so lifeless like this. Normally the girl was full of life, babbling to her movie stars and their love affairs, and how someday she would meet them all. A tear fell as Willow remembered those plans of crowds and red carpets. Sally had been one of the sweetest girls she had met so far. It pained her to see the girl so broken and lifeless…like a doll.
“What happened?” Buffy asked, spotting the puncture wounds on the girl’s neck, her own eyes bright with tears.
“Looks like dead boy here got to her,” Xander snorted. He had never liked Angel, and he never will. He wasn’t about to hide that fact from anyone. “Got a little hungry did ya?”
“I didn’t do this,” Angel looked at Buffy, his eyes pleading for her not to hate him anymore then she already did for what he was about to say. “It was Spike.”
Buffy’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Angel, trying to push back the hate that flared up instantly at the accusation. How dare he…how dare he stand there and accuse Spike, a permanently souled vampire, of attacking one of her girls! It was unthinkable and she wasn’t about to let him get away with it. Her eyes were cold and her voice was like ice. “What did you say?”
Angel closed his eyes for a second, trying to hold on to his sanity. He had known that Buffy wouldn’t believe him, heck he hadn’t believed it either. He had seen the changes in Spike himself. The warm tenderness in his eyes, the unwillingness to kill…it hadn’t been his imagination. Buffy’s love had changed his childe into a good man; but all his protests couldn’t change what he had seen with his own eyes. After all this time…even with a soul and Buffy’s love…Spike was back to his old games once again. “Buffy…I’m sorry, but I saw him with my own eyes. It was Spike. He bit Sally…and he enjoyed it.”
Buffy closed her eyes as she turned her back on Angel and the seemingly slayer in his arms. She knew that he wanted some kind of reaction from her, but what reaction could she give with her soul crying out in so much pain? No. No this could not be happening. Spike…he…he couldn’t have done what Angel was accusing him of…not unless…
“Well, I for one say we go do some staking. I always thought the guy was dangerous, this just proves me right,” Xander rubbed his hands together, the thought of finally dusting the blonde wonder, causing waves of joy to sweep through him.
“Xander…,” Willow warned, watching Buffy’s expression change from disbelief to outrage.
“I’ll go get the stakes and Willow here will get Paige to take a look at Sally. Angel will go with me and Buffy….”
“No!” That one simple word cut off more of Xander’s preparations for staking Spike. Both Xander and Angel looked at her as if she had gone around the bend a couple of times, but that wasn’t the case at all. She wasn’t crazy…she was just in love and she knew for a fact that Spike was no killer…at least not anymore. “No one will be staking Spike. Do you hear me?”
Angel and Xander both looked at Buffy as if she was speaking a language that they didn’t understand. One of her slayers had gotten attacked, and she didn’t want to stake him? There had to be a way to reason with her. Angel pushed Xander aside, thinking that the young man wasn’t impartial enough to suggest staking Spike. This had to be approached gently.
“Buffy, listen,” Angel’s voice softened, knowing how she must be feeling at that moment. Staking Spike was really the last thing he wanted to do, but there really was no other choice. His childe was evil again and must be destroyed.
“No! You listen. The both of you!” She glared at Xander and her former lover. “For one, Sally is still alive. I’m surprised that Angel didn’t hear her heartbeat. Second…if Spike did do this…he probably didn’t have a choice. Drusilla probably had put some kind of hex on him. Spike would never willingly go back to that lifestyle! I know he wouldn’t!”
“Well…I’m not so sure about that Buff. The guy was jonsing to get back to normal after that chip was put in. What makes you think that being back with his ex hadn’t made him see the light of day?”
“I have to agree with Xander here. Spike’s been with Dru for over a century. Compared to that…you have nothing. What makes you think that your love is enough to stop him? Believe me, sometimes the soul isn’t enough.”
No, no no! Not listening! Spike’s love for her was strong enough to keep him with her! After all they’ve been through, it had to be! She wouldn’t accept no other option! She turned on the two males, one her ex lover, the other her best friend. It was time to set the record straight for the both of them. She was not going to stake Spike. No matter what they said.
“You know what, Xander? You know absolutely nothing about Spike! Not the real Spike that I have gotten to know over that last year in Sunnydale! When it came down to loyalty…he was the only one that had faith in me. Yes, William The Bloody had returned! William, the bloody awful poet! So just shut up on the stake Spike, yay front!
“And you!” She whirled on Angel, ignoring the warm tearful gleam that he got in his eyes whenever he looked at her. “You are so jealous of Spike, you can’t even see straight! You would do anything to get him out of my life! You’re not going to talk me into staking the one man that had ever truly understood me! Now, all of you get Sally inside while I go see Giles! I’m warning you, anymore talk of staking Spike,” She vamped, her yellow eyes glowing angrily at her friends. “You’ll have to deal with his childe. Do I make myself clear?”
Willow and the two men were stunned by the outburst and resulting vamping out of the slayer. All they could do was silently nod, not knowing how else to respond. It was obvious that Buffy meant business and wasn’t to be argued with.
Xander waited until the vampire/slayer was well out of earshot before speaking again. “I don’t think she’s thinking straight, right now. She’s letting her emotions rule her,” Xander sighed as Angel slid the injured slayer into his arms.
“She wouldn’t be Buffy if she didn’t,” Angel looked in the direction Buffy took off in. He had to admit that her harsh words had stung. Sure, there had been a time when he would have done anything to tear Spike and Buffy apart, but those days were past. He knew that Buffy wasn’t his destiny. As for Spike…the thought of staking his childe brought Angel great sadness as well. Damn, this was all Drusilla’s fault! Why did she have to arrive in Cleveland of all places? Why did she have to take Spike? It just didn’t make any kind of sense to him. He was going to have to set things right somehow. He was going to find Dru and make sure that she was dust by sunrise! She was going to pay greatly for what she did to Spike and Buffy!
Angel left Xander and Willow standing on the steps of slayer central, staring after him in comprehension. Never before had they seen Angel so angry. They didn’t know where he was going, or what the result would be. They just knew that they had to get their charge inside before her condition worsened.
“He seemed mad,” Willow bit her lip, following Xander inside.
“The love of your life basically calls you on every jealous thought you may have had, wouldn’t you be?” Xander shrugged, heading for the infirmary, Willow still close behind and concerned for her friend and her two vampire men.
~*~
Angel was on his way to find Dru. He was determined to make sure that she would never bother his family again. As far as he was concern, tonight was to be her last. He could no longer afford her any compassion. She was now a liability and a dangerous one. She took Spike from the people he loved, and for that, she was going to pay.
“Angel,” Cordelia stepped into his path, her arms crossed and lips pressed in determination. She was there was on a mission. Stop Angel from doing something insanely stupid. If he went after Drusilla now, it would ruin everything. She couldn’t let that happen.
“Out of my way Cordy,” Angel growled. There was no way that he was going to let the powers stop him from doing what he should have done a long time ago. He didn’t care what plans they may have intact for the crazed vampiress.
“Angel, please…don’t get involved in this. It’ll only lead to badness. Trust me on this.”
“Get out of my way Cordelia! I’m done listening to those bastards! They’ve taken away everything I’ve ever cared about. I refuse to stand by and watch them do the same to Buffy.”
“Hey!” Cordy exclaimed in indignation as Angel attempted to push past her. “If you care anything about either Spike or Buffy, you’ll listen!” She pushed against him, refusing to let him go any further. “This is not your fight. Staking Dru…it’s something Spike is going to have to do himself. You can’t do it for him!”
Angel laughed. Cordy, god love her, didn’t know Spike. She wasn’t aware of the power Dru had over him. They had been together for so long…there was no way that the younger vampire would be able to do what needed to be done…not even for his childe…the woman he claimed to love. “You don’t know Spike, Cordy! You don’t know how Drusilla affects him! He’ll forget all he has with Buffy! She won’t matter to him anymore!
“Even if he does return to Buffy…he won’t be able to bring himself to stake Dru! She’ll always have a hold on him! Buffy will end up heartbroken. Dru will always be a shadow over their relationship, unless I stake her tonight!”
“God! Ye of little faith! Spike is so over that psycho! He’s been over her for a good long time!”
“You didn’t see them tonight. It was like she never left him!”
Cordy sighed, tired of arguing with her former boss/ex-potential lover. “Angel. Just trust me. Don’t go after Dru. It’ll just lead to a lot of pain for you, Spike…and Buffy. If Spike dies…she’ll never recover.”
“I’m not going after Spike!” Angel growled in frustration. Why wasn’t she listening to him? Why was she insisting on protecting Drusilla?
“No, you’re not going after Spike, but in going after Dru…it’ll result in his death. Spike is in a precarious position right now, Angel. One tip of the boat…”
Angel frowned, now more confused then he ever was. What was she talking about? What did she mean about precarious positions and tipping boats? None of this made sense…then again…nothing the powers were involved in ever did.
“Listen, I can’t tell you what I know…at least not all of it. What I can tell you is that things aren’t as they seem. Just sit tight. Ok?”
Angel’s shoulders sagged in resignation. He didn’t like trusting the powers, but he did trust Cordelia and if she said sit tight…well that was what he was going to do. “Ok. Fine. I won’t do anything tonight; but this better be over with soon Cordy, or I’ll have no choice.”
She just smiled in relief as she faded into the atmosphere, feeling as if she had single handedly diverted an apocalypse.
Angel watched her go before heading back to the complex, cursing beautiful spirit guides that thought they knew everything.
~*~
“Ms. Edith, Spike was a good boy tonight and shall have plenty of cake and cookies,” Drusilla twirled around the room, gracefully avoiding any furniture in her path.
Spike just stared at her, wondering why he had wasted a century with the loony bint. Looking at her now…he couldn’t believe how strongly he had once felt for her. He probably should have let that mob in Prague have her. It would have saved him a world of trouble if he had. He closed his eyes and turned away from the strange scene and began to think of Buffy and all he wanted to do with her. He wanted to take her back to California and make love on the beach, in the sun. He wanted to take her to a nocturnal ball and show her how the undead could be just as elegant as the living. He wanted to share eternity with her and no one else. Dru was his dark princess. He had once worshipped the ground she walked on; but now Dru’s place in his heart was gone. She had killed any leftover affection he had ever held for her the moment she knocked him unconscious and took him away from Buffy and the life they could have had together; but he wasn’t going to be away for too much longer. Dru will be dust by the next sunset and he’ll be back in Buffy’s arms, never to leave again





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