Duty Or Destiny - (1) What The Future Holds
By Tasha

Story Summary: Starting with the episode "School Hard" and taking us through an alternate Season 3, this story is a response to Challenge #64 at The Bloodshedverse (www.bringonthebloodshed.com/bloodshedverse/). Angel can't close Acathla this time. Only a pregnant Slayer's blood is able to tame the beast and seal Acathla forever, but who will the father be? Will she find love, or is she just doing her duty as the Chosen One to protect the earth from darkness? Full challenge requirements will be listed at the end of the story to keep from giving away several key plot points.

Chapter Summary: This chapter starts off at what will be a part of the end of the story during a rewrite of the episode "Becoming". Once you read it, you'll understand what I mean. Please be aware that this is a major cliffhanger. It is a teaser to the story, giving you a glimpse into how some things will be at some point. Towards the end of the chapter we go back to the "present" time of the story's beginning.

Author's Note: This is a pregnancy Buffy fiction based on a prophecy that I created which I hope you will enjoy. I know its been done before by others, but I hope that you will give my story a chance to stand on its own. I am hopeful that you will find it worth your time to read. Biting and claiming will be a part of this story as well as descriptive sexual situations.

DEDICATION: This story is dedicated to Bloodshedbaby. She is the webmistress of the Bloodshedverse, and this was a challenge she posted. She is an amazing writer as well as a dedicated person who keeps everything updated daily at the web site. I talked to her about this challenge several months ago, but I didn't want to start posting until I had a different WIP completed. Now is the time I can start this, and I hope she likes it. BSB ... this one's for you!

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

"Spike!" Buffy yelled over the din of the swirling vortex in the middle of the room. Her voice shook with pain and panic. She clutched her swollen abdomen as if she was trying to keep something inside of her.

Spike dusted another minion of Angelus'. He was checking to be sure Drusilla was still unconscious when he heard Buffy's scream. He ran to her place in front of Acathla. He stepped over the crumpled form of his Sire, Angelus.

"It's trying to pull the baby from me." Buffy tried to step back from the portal. The vortex pulled stronger at her body the further away she moved. So, she stepped closer again. "It's taking me with him!"

"That wasn't part of the deal." Spike growled. "Bloody prophecies." He wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist from behind. Holding her tight against his chest, he tried moving away from the gate to Hell.

Buffy screamed as they moved. "Spike! Stop!" She openly wept in his arms. "We don't have much time." She continued to sob. So much had happened in the last few months. She didn't want to leave her friends or family, but she especially didn't want to leave Spike behind.

"I won't let it take you, damn it." Spike stepped between Buffy and the statue. "You don't deserve to go to Hell."

Angel stirred beside the couple. A sad puppy dog face stared up at Buffy and Spike. "Buffy? What's going on?" He slowly stood up halfway to face Buffy and Spike. "Where are we? Everything's all so muddled. I feel like I haven't seen you in months."

"After all that Willow got the spell to finally work when it was too late." Buffy let Spike hold her while she cried. She ignored Angel completely. The roar from the vortex grew louder as the portal opened wider. "I have to close it. It needs me." She tried to side step Spike. I'm the pregnant Slayer."

"It needs your blood, pet." Spike stopped Buffy from going around him. "It's always about blood." He thought back on the prophecy they studied for the last several months.

The word pregnant finally seeped into Angel's addled and confused mind. "Pregnant? Just what is going on? Why are you letting him touch you?" He pointed to Spike, but he yelled at Buffy.

"We're saving the world from your ever so whacked out and soulless self you ungrateful git." Spike answered in irritation. 'Think Spike. What did the prophecy say about blood?'

Angel lunged for Spike's legs from his now half crouched over position. Before he made contact, a pointy-toed boot connected with his chin. His head snapped back from the force of the blow. He fell to the floor at Spike's feet unconscious.

"That's it!" Spike exclaimed. "The blood of life within the womb will halt the beast from bursting in gloom. It needs the blood of a pregnant Slayer, not all of you."

"I'm the only one who has my blood, Spike. I don't see the diff ..." Buffy's sentence was cut off by the growl of a Master Vampire intent on his purpose just before he sunk his fangs into her neck.

Spike tried not forget the shocked look of horror and disappointment on Buffy's face when he dove for her neck. He hoped she would understand later why he did it. 'If the bloody status wants her blood, I'll give it to him.' He drank deeply of her life's essence. He wasn't sure how much blood was needed. He had to make sure he had enough to take her place but not enough to harm their child.

Acathla's portal inched across the room close to the embraced couple. Buffy cried and moaned in confusion. She felt the weakness encompass her with each pull of her blood. 'After all we've been through, why would he kill me now?' She drifted closer into unconscious. The softly spoken words from Spike's lips, now free of her neck, kept her holding onto consciousness just a little bit longer.

Spike cradled Buffy in his arms. Tears tracked down his face while he caressed his fingers through her hair. He knelt down on the floor a few feet from their previous position so that he could lay her down. He leaned down to whisper into Buffy's ear, "Tell our son that it was worth it. Let him know that I loved him enough to die for you both."

Buffy's eyes widened. She was too weakened to move, and it killed a part of her when she wasn't able to stop the press of his soft lips against hers one last time or keep him from leaving.

Spike cupped Buffy's cheek. "Please don't forget me. I love you, Buffy." He looked up in time to see the Scoobies rushing into the main room. He stood up and faced them. "Take care of her."

No one had a moment to stop Spike from turning around to face Acathla once more. He extended his arms open wide to accept his fate. Fate could be cruel sometimes, but at least Buffy would be there for their child. He'd fight to find some way to watch over them from the beyond, even if he had to bribe the devil to do it.

Acathla flashed brightly. The pulse of the sucking vortex being closed whooshed through the room and knocked Buffy completely flat to the ground. It brought the standing Scoobies to their knees.

When the room returned to normal lighting Buffy started to sob. She crawled towards Acathla with what little strength she had left. She beat on the stone surface with wounded hands. She cried out, "No," over and over again until Giles and Joyce physically moved her away from the statue.

"Easy, baby," Joyce held Buffy in her lap just like she had when Buffy was a younger child. She tried to soothe her daughter's broken heart, but she only ended up adding her own tears to Buffy's. "It will be all right. Somehow, it will be all right."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

10 Months Earlier

A dusty black Desoto roared into Sunnydale. The driver deliberately crashed into the "Welcome To Sunnydale" sign on the outskirts of town. Loud rock music blasted from the car. Even with the doors and windows closed, the steady bass beat and rhythms were heard.

With a loud and annoying squeak, the heavy driver's side door opened. The music grew even louder, breaking the silence of the somewhat peaceful night on the Hellmouth. One black boot followed another onto the asphalt. A long black leather duster stopped just shy of the driver's ankles.

He strutted away from the car door, slamming it shut behind him. His surefooted steps led a body that sauntered with confidence and power to in front of the car. He looked back and forth over his surroundings before he turned back to face the car.

This was no ordinary man. A raised forehead, accentuated cheekbones and brow ridges told the story of a creature of the night. A man doomed to walk in darkness until the day of his final death. Bleached blonde hair topped off a pale, but handsome face. His physique and stature were enough to make any woman swoon at the sight of him. He radiated allure, power, and a bad boy image that made most want to beg him to take them with him.

A low breathless rumble caressed the vampire's lips and throat. He flicked open his lighter and brought it up to the cigarette hanging from his lips. He lit the tip, inhaling the nicotine deeply. It wasn't something he needed, but it was a habit he enjoyed.

The man, still in full vampiric visage flicked the lighter closed. He took a long drag from the cigarette. The tip flared red like a beacon in the darkness. A rough British accent drifted through the air when he spoke. "Home. Sweet. Home." His mouth turned into a smirk. His firm cheekbones became more pronounced as the smirk grew. He blew out a line of smoke through his nose. It only served to make his smirk look that much more foreboding.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (2) School Harder - Part 1
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Chapter 1 gave us a glimpse into the future when Acathla is opened. At the end of the chapter we saw Spike's arrival into Sunnydale. Let's take the adventures further to the first time Buffy and Spike saw each other. Was it in the alley, or did Buffy notice Spike in the Bronze too? What were they really thinking when they first laid eyes on each other? What if Joyce was just a few seconds later than she was in canon at the end of the episode?

Author's Note: Not all dialogue is going to be exactly like the episode "School Hard" because I am tweaking it to fit the progression of this story. Also a decent portion of this chapter is going to include direct quotes from the episode. Credit to the great Joss Wheadon and his writers for their words.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

The Day Before Spike's Arrival

Buffy walked out into the daylight to meet her friends Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg.

"Snyder's got you guys makin' party favors, huh?" Xander quipped.

"His two worst students." Buffy sighed. She pointed to Sheila making out with an older guy by a car in the street. "That's what my mom sees when she looks at me. A Sheila." Buffy frowned. "If I could just tell her that I am the Slayer, I know she'd be proud of me."

Willow crossed in front of Xander to Buffy's side. "She'd also be scared out of her wits and all freaking out."

Buffy groaned. "I think that would be better than her looking at me like a failure and a disappointment all the time. I wish she could be proud of me like she used to before all this Chosen One stuff."

"It will get better, Buffy. You'll see." Willow, ever the supportive friend, encouraged Buffy to get out of her slump.

"Do you think any other Slayers had to go to high school?"

"Weren't they all taken away from their family and secluded into solid training day in and day out?" Xander questioned.

"Okay ... I'll take going to high school." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Watchers can be so stuffy."

The three of them walked away from the school to head home their separate ways.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night of Spike's arrival

"The Master is dead. Someone has to take his place." A tall and dark vampire spoke to the others in a factory like building.

"As long as the Slayer's alive, whoever takes his place will be sharing his grave." Another vampire standing near the Anointed One, a child, answered.

"Then let the soul who kills her, wear his mantle." The arrogant vampire offered up his solution. He wanted the power to be the Master of Sunnydale.

"Can you do it?" The child questioned the vampire who seemed a bit full of himself. He was tired of the Slayer being around. She killed the Master when he was supposed to rise to glory, and she destroyed his attempt to bring the Master back. She needed to pay for her actions.

"Yes," The vampire sneered. "This weekend, the night of St. Vigeous, our power shall be at its peak." He walked closer and closer to the Anointed One. "When I kill her, it'll be the greatest event since the Crucifixion. I should know," He bragged, "I was there."

Before the child could answer the boast, another voice interrupted the gathering. "You were there?" The accented voice from the shadows laughed. "Oh please! If every vampire who said he was at the Crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like bloody Woodstock."

"I oughta rip your throat out." The bragging vampire tried to intimidate the blonde haired vampire who revealed himself to the room.

"I was actually at Woodstock." The blonde vampire turned away from the rest of the demons there. He held out his hand in front of him, waving it back and forth a little, while he walked away from the group. "That was a weird gig. I fed off a flower person, and I spent the next six hours watchin' my hand move."

The offended vampire ran at the blonde from behind. Without even looking the blonde fisted a backhanded punch right to the dark vampire's face. He knocked him out cold. "So, who do you kill for fun around here?" He turned to face the child again.

"Who are you?" The child asked the blonde. Something about this vampire felt like the Master did. He felt the same thing when Angel was around. He wondered who had stepped into his presence.

"Spike," Spike said simply. "You're that anointed guy. I've read about you." One of the Anointed One's guards stepped up to Spike when he stepped too close to the child. Spike practically laughed at the vampire and walked around him. "Sounds like you've got Slayer problems. That's a bad piece of luck."

Everyone in the room stared at Spike strangely. He was cocky, but he seemed justified in some way.

"Do you know what I find works real good with Slayers? Killing them." Spike stopped in front of the Anointed One.

"Can you do it?" The child remained calm as he sat on his perch off the ground. He may look like a child, but inside he held the wisdom of ages past.

"A lot faster than nancy boy there." Spike smirked. Something called him to this town. He told himself that it was the attraction of the Hellmouth that brought him there. His desire to find Drusilla's cure was the foremost thing on his mind, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him he had another destiny to face.

"I did a couple Slayers in my time. I don't like to brag." Spike bust out into laughter after a half snort. "Who am I kidding? I love to brag! There was this one Slayer during the Boxer Rebellion, and ..."

Everyone's attention turned to the dark haired woman entering the room. The dress she wore was a style of days gone by in a mixture of white and ivory lace over satin. She walked slowly into the center of the room.

"Drusilla," Spike's face returned to his human form. His voice was soft, like a parent speaking to a child. "You shouldn't be walking around. You're weak." As much as he loved his dark princess, she was growing more on his nerves daily. At times he thought about leaving Drusilla, but in his heart he couldn't abandoned the woman he considered his savior especially since there was no other family to take care of her. 'If I find Angelus, I'm going to kick his arse for leaving her behind. Bloody wanker.'

"Look at all the people. Are these nice people?"

"We're getting' along," Spike answered Dru.

"This one has power. I could feel it from the outside. It called to me." Dru hungered to taste the power of the Anointed One. She felt the connection of him to the Aurelius clan. He was strong with the blood of what could cure her illness.

"Yeah. He's the big noise in these parts. Anointed and all that." Spike quipped. He had hoped to get settled in with the child before Drusilla appeared. He needed a safe place for her to rest while he looked for the cure she needed. Once she was cured, he'd feel better about his decision to follow his own path.

"Spike, I'm cold." Drusilla's eyes turned from an insane glint to a manipulative one.

"I got you." Spike removed his duster and wrapped it around Dru's shoulders. He never let on that he was anything but a devoted servant to Drusilla, but in his heart he needed more. He always felt that Drusilla held a part of herself back from him. He needed someone who would love all of him and give all of herself to him.

Drusilla realized that her William's attentions were waning. He'd been a good companion for her, but she knew he was destined for other things. The pixies tried to tell her that she must set him free to find the sunshine, but she refused to give him up. "I'm a princess."

"That's what you are." Spike shivered at the touch of Drusilla's razor like fingernail cutting down his face. His dark princess knew how to get his attention when she wanted it, but he also knew that she'd ignore him when it suited her. "Me and Dru," He turned, with his forehead resting against Dru's, towards everyone else. "We're moving in."

No one in the room denied or argued the point. They all stared dumbfounded and curious at the interaction between the two vampires. Anyone with sense realized that the two of them radiated power and age. The blonde was a Master Vampire, and they weren't in a rush to contradict him.

"Now," Spike stepped forward alone, "Any of you want to test who's got the biggest wrinklies round here, step on up." He waited for an answer. When none was forthcoming he addressed the Anointed One directly, "I'll do your Slayer for you, but you keep your flunkies from tryin' anything behind my back. Deal?"

The Anointed One nodded his agreement. He didn't trust this vampire, but if he could get rid of the Slayer for him he would be pleased.

"I can't see the Slayer. I can't see ..." Drusilla pressed her knuckles into her temples. She saw the Slayer for a brief moment in her mind. She was all glowing and beautiful. She was the one. She was the one the pixies told her about. 'No!' Her mind screamed. She wouldn't let her William go. So she lied, "It's dark where she is. Kill her. Kill her, Spike." Her voice edged in panic, "Kill her for me?"

"It's done, baby." Spike placed his hand over Dru's chest to hold her in place and calm her. Something wasn't right, and he knew it. Dru was never afraid of a Slayer. She always knew that he would protect her. Why was this one bothering her?

"Kill her for Princess?"

"I'll chop her into messes."

Dru teased Spike with her tongue and lips in sensuous motions. 'Give him a little teasing temptation, and he'll never leave my side.' She grinned. "You are my sweet. My little Spike."

Content that he finally had Dru calmed down enough again, Spike wrapped an arm around Dru and turned to face the child. "So, about this Slayer? Is she tough?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed. She tried to pull the brush through her hair, but she wasn't succeeding in doing anything but hurting herself. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Joyce Summers asked from the doorway of Buffy's bedroom.

"I thought I was spending my entire allowance on a nice conditioner to get rid of the tangles." Buffy dropped the brush on her bed and sat down. "It feels like all it did was make them worse."

Joyce smirked. She remembered the pains of being a teenager, even if Buffy thought she was too old too. Sometimes she longed for the days when all she had to be concerned about was school, friends, and boys. She sat down on the bed next to Buffy. She picked up the brush and started to work on the tangles one by one.

Buffy nibbled on her lower lip nervously. "Did you get the note I left on the table about Parent-Teacher Night?" She knew her mom would find out some way. She figured it was best to just tell her. If Snyder called first, or another notice came in the mail, she'd just be in more trouble for not admitting it.

"Yes, I did." Joyce brushed long strokes down the back of Buffy's hair. "It seemed awful sudden to just hear about it now." She'd known about the Parent-Teacher Night for the last 2 weeks. She kept waiting for Buffy to tell her about it. She was glad that Buffy finally did.

"I've known for a bit, but I didn't know how to tell you about it." Buffy sighed.

"Buffy, life is more than grades, homework, and not getting kicked out of school." Joyce wanted to be supportive of Buffy, but it was getting harder every day. Sometimes she wondered if Buffy knew the meaning of responsibility. "But we moved once because of you getting in trouble, and I had to start a new business, not to mention a new life in a whole new town."

"I know, Mom." Buffy turned to face her mother. "I'm trying. I really am." She frowned. "There is so much going on that I wish I could tell you about because it would make you feel better, but I can't. I don't want you to be disappointed in me anymore. I'm under so much pressure right now."

"Wait till you get a job." Joyce patted Buffy's leg, handed her back the hairbrush and left the room with a, "Sleep tight," called over her shoulder.

Buffy stood up to place the brush on her vanity. She opened up one of the drawers. Holy water, stakes and crosses filled the drawer. She looked up into the mirror with a saddened face. "I have a job."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day at the Bronze, Buffy tried to study for her French class with Willow. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mind wrapped around the text she needed to be reading. She kept getting this strange feeling that she was being watched.

Willow could tell Buffy's heart wasn't in her homework. "You just said the cow touched me from Thursday." Maybe it was the fact that Angel wasn't at the Bronze. She knew Buffy was hoping for him to show. Every time she saw the two of them together, since Buffy got back from L.A., the tension between them was intense.

Buffy buried her head in her arms on the table. "I'm never going to get this, and my mother is going to be so mad." She rested her chin on top of her hands. She felt tingles crawl up and down her back. Usually she only felt something this strong when Angel was nearby, but it didn't feel like him. She started to turn her head to look around the room when Xander blocked her view.

"I'm all alone out there. Come dance with me. You've been studying for nearly 12 minutes." Xander tempted Buffy and Willow to come dance with him. Buffy was looking awfully cute in her halter top tonight, and he wanted to see her do a dance and jiggle.

Buffy sighed. She played off her annoyance at not being able to locate the source of the tingles by being flippant. "No wonder my brain's fried. Come on." She pulled Willow out onto the dance floor with them.

Spike stepped forward out of the shadow's he'd been watching Buffy in. 'She's radiant.'

When Spike first entered the Bronze, he scanned the room for the Slayer, and his eyes fell on the golden beauty sitting with a redhead. He momentarily forgot about the Slayer's proximity as he studied the girl. Even over the multitude of scents in the club he knew the vanilla and rose mixture that tingled his nose belonged to her.

Spike felt an indescribable draw to the young woman. He found himself drawing closer and closer to her table until it hit him. This young woman was the Slayer! 'What luck.' He growled low and drew back into the shadows. He watched her trample the French lesson she was trying to grasp. He had to hold back a chuckle at her poorly worded sentence. 'Oh, how I'd love to show her just how to speak the language of love.'

Spike cursed himself for letting his thoughts wander again. He walked through the crowd surrounding the dance floor to get a better look at the Slayer. She moved with grace and agility, even in her walk. When she started to dance his breath would have been stolen from him, if he had any to steal. Her curved hips swayed back and forth with the beat of the music with a fluidity that he hadn't seen in a long time. He wanted to dance with this one, and he wanted it bad.

The music floated through the Bronze, "I hi, hi, did a stupid thing last night. I called you, a moment of weakness. No, not a moment, more like three months of weakness."

Buffy rocked back and forth to the music. The strength of the tingles increased in their intensity. Something or someone was definitely here watching her. Was Angel lurking somewhere? She scanned the crowd for Angel, but the only one she saw staring at her was a blonde bad boy dressed in black leather from head to toe. She saw something in his eyes that stirred her core and brought forth an inner heat of desire. Her gaze locked with his, and for a few moments she was dancing specifically for him. Everyone else in the room vanished except for the man with startling blue eyes in leather.

"I'm one step away from crashing to my knees. One step away from spilling my guts to you." The group "Nickel" continued to sing in the background.

Spike broke eye contact with the vixen on the dance floor. 'If only she wasn't the Slayer,' He thought to himself. He wanted to taste and tease her. He adjusted the hardening member in his pants, and he turned back to the bar to find the vampire who came with him. "Go get something to eat." He instructed him, and he waited a few minutes before stepping up near the dance floor again.

Buffy frowned when Spike walked away. She was so sure that she'd seen the same lust in his eyes that she felt. It even looked like he adjusted himself before he turned away. Why didn't he approach them to dance? 'Get a hold of yourself, Summers. You have a boyfriend, kind of.' She chastised her thoughts and tried to focus on her friends and the music again.

Spike broke into the Slayer's dance with her friends. She was letting the idiot boy touch her and dance closer to her where he wanted to be. He had to get her away from him quickly. "Where's the phone, I need to call the police. There's some big guy out there tryin' to bite someone." When the Slayer ran off to the door, he grinned and headed out behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Screams echoed in the alley along with the snarls of a vampire about to feed. Buffy pulled the vampire off the girl and threw him away from them.

The vampire grinned maniacally. This was just the person he wanted to see. If he could kill the Slayer then control of Sunnydale would be his. "Slayer."

"Slayee." Buffy advanced on the vampire. They both kicked and punched at each other, until Buffy was thrown back against the wall. She got up and kicked out again. "Get her out of here, and a stake would be nice!"

Buffy and the dark haired vampire who bragged about killing the Slayer in the factory kicked and punched their way around the alley.

Spike watched the two of them from the shadows. His cock got impossibly harder with each punch the Slayer threw and each kick she landed. She was truly poetry in motion with her fight. "Beautiful." He muttered low.

The vampire shoved Buffy to the ground after he knocked her legs out from under her. "I don't need to wait for St. Vigeous. You're mine!"

"I don't think so, mate!" Spike emerged from the shadows at a run. Without thought he tackled the other vampire to the ground. "She's mine!" He growled possessively and twisted the head right off the vampire. He brushed the dust from his hands.

Buffy looked up at the blonde stranger from her position on the ground. She accepted the cold hand that offered to help her up. This was the guy from inside the Bronze. 'He's even yummier up close. All that leather.' Her fingers ached to touch him.

Xander ran back outside with the stake. He didn't see the vampire anymore, but now there was another man in the alley with Buffy.

Spike pulled Buffy to her feet, and his hand wrapped around her forearm in a firm grip. "That was some nice fighting, luv. Bloody beautiful dance."

Buffy shivered at the coldness of his touch, the lilting sound of his voice, as well as the tingles that traversed her body at his nearness. "You're a vampire." She frowned.

"Bright one for a Slayer." Spike ginned. He cupped her cheek with one hand for a brief tender moment. "I'm afraid you'll find out exactly what I am on Saturday."

"What happens on Saturday?" Buffy didn't want to kill this one. 'Maybe he has a soul like Angel?' She thought hopefully.

Spike pulled Buffy closer to him. He leaned down near her ear and whispered, "I'm afraid that is the day I have to kill you, precious." He nipped her ear with his fangs to taste her. Then he let go of her arm and pushed her back.

Buffy stumbled only for a brief moment. "And just who is going to be killing me?" She rubbed her slowly bleeding ear lobe. It wasn't severe, but she was curious as to why he bit her ear and not her neck.

"Name's Spike, luv. Best not forget it." Spike sauntered away down the alley without a care in the world, leaving a stunned Buffy behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (3) School Harder - Part 2
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: An alternate look into Season 2's episode "School Hard" with a Spuffy twist. When did their attraction really start? Drusilla seemed so knowledgeable about Spike being covered in the Slayer later on. In Chapter 2 we saw that she realized that the Sunnydale Slayer was meant for Spike to be with, but she tried to sabotage that meeting. Spike will see Angelus again for the first time in about 80 years. What will happen on Parent-Teacher Night? Will Spike be able to resist coming earlier than Saturday to see the Slayer again?

Author's Note: Not all dialogue is going to be exactly like the episode "School Hard" because I am tweaking it to fit the progression of this story. I combined two days into one for the library scenes for example. Also a decent portion of this chapter is going to include direct quotes from the episode. Credit to the great Joss Wheadon and his writers for their words. Also a tinsy bit of blood play in this chapter.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Spike licked his lips for any trace of the precious blood he sampled from the Slayer. He knew any remnants of the alluring liquid were already gone, but he hoped that somehow he missed another droplet to be enjoyed later. Even the few small dribbles of the Slayer's life giving fire on his tongue earlier taunted him with the desire for more.

Spike flipped off the sarcophagus he was laying on. He hadn't returned to the factory yet. Instead he spent most of the night in a crypt thinking about the evening. The dawn was coming, and he needed to bring home someone for Dru to eat. So, he left his place of solitude to do his duty to Drusilla's care.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Drusilla twirled about the room in a fury. Spike wasn't back yet, and he never left her alone for this long. She knew he went out with another vampire to watch the Slayer tonight. She experienced the range of emotions Spike felt during the night, and they upset her. She was determined not to lose Spike's attentions by her side. Her "daddy" was no longer with them. Until she got Angelus back she would give Spike's just enough attention to keep him loyal and at her side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. 'Why can't I get him out of my head?' She turned over in her bed for the hundredth time. The harder she tried to sleep and forget about the blonde vampire, the more she replayed those few moments with him.

Buffy unconsciously rubbed her tender ear lobe. She never would have guessed that such an innocent place would stir up so much feeling in her. She was confused why Spike bit her ear and not her neck. Her training told her that a vampire always went for the neck ... always for the kill.

'Except for Angel,' Buffy's thoughts reminded her. Therein lay the crux of the problem. Why was she lying awake thinking about Spike? Why wasn't she moping about Angel being a no show at the Bronze?

'If Spike has a soul, maybe Angel will know about him.' Buffy's naive mind focused on Spike's non-lethal bite instead of his threat to kill her. She wanted to believe he was a good vampire. Something deep inside of her told her that she didn't want to stake the vampire.

There was no end in sight for the wandering thoughts in Buffy's head. She fell asleep a few hours before dawn, but it was a restless sleep. The coming day was going to be a rough one. She simply had no idea how rough.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike carried the drunken teen into the factory. She had a bit of meat on her bones, and she wasn't hard to look at. 'Dru should like her. Hopefully she'll forget I'm late.'

Spike walked down a corridor to the room he shared with Dru. Although Drusilla wasn't the vampire to Sire him, he still felt an emotional link with the woman who chose him and nearly drained him. He was worried that she might know what he felt tonight at the Bronze.

Spike knew that Drusilla many not choose him as her Mate, but he knew how jealous she could be. He'd seen her rip apart a woman for giving him the once over in Prague. That was when all their real troubles began.

What was it about this family and their dealings mystical beings like gypsies and witches? First Angelus abandoned them after a run in with a band of gypsies. They were never given a reason for why Angelus left them so quickly. Later a clan of witches tired to burn Dru at the stake after she killed a coven member in Prague. So now he lived without the guidance of his Sire, and he had to deal with his Sire's crazy creation on his hands.

Spike poked hid head through the door of their room. His senses were alert, and he was careful to watch out for any sharp wooden objects headed his way. "Princess?" He stepped into the room slowly with the girl. "I've brought you a nice young morsel to eat, luv."

Dru glowered at Spike from a shadowed corner of the room. She wanted to run at him with her claws to tear him to shreds for his abandonment. In a moment of sanity, she decided to go for the more emotional approach that seemed to work with Spike.

Spike heard the whimpering cry as it began in the shadows. He quickly tied the teen to a hook in the ceiling before he started his search of the room. "Princess?" He vamped out to take advantage of his supernatural senses. "My ripe wicked plum?"

The whimpers grew louder, and Dru trembled as she emerged from the darkness. "Spike?" She uttered in mock weakness. "All gone, left his princess alone." She forced her lower lip to tremble, and she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. "So alone. So cold."

'Cor, but that one is a good bloody actress,' Spike thought. When he walked into the room he felt her anger and clarity. To see her now as sniveling and looney just irked him. He hated being a pawn in someone's game. He thought he was done being considered simple after that night in the alley. He bit back a sarcastic response and went along with Drusilla's ruse. "Don't be like that sweetness. I had to make sure to find just the right morsel for you to sink your fangs into."

"My Spike brought me a tender and pretty doll?" Dru giggled in a childlike fashion. She bounced on the balls of her feet and cooed in delight. "Nummy. I get to play with her?"

"Yes, you can play with her, but you have to eat her in the end." Spike wrapped his arm around Dru's waist, and he led her over to the dangling girl. "You need your strength, pet."

"But I'm not hungry, Spike." Drusilla ran a finger down Sheila's arm. "I miss Prague."

"You nearly died in Prague. Idiotic witches. This is the place for you. The Hellmouth will restore you to all that you once were." Chanting and moaning echoed down the halls of the factory. Spike growled and slammed the door shut. "Bloody idiots. All they do all day is chant out nonsensical words."

"You should go out with them, Spike. They boy doesn't trust you. They follow him." Drusilla snuggled against Spike's arm. "You'll need his support to take away the sunshine."

Spike continued to growl deep in his throat. He never stood much on rituals or magic. He steered clear of both of them as much as possible. The whole St. Vigeous mess stunk to high heaven or the depths of hell of a disaster waiting to happen. He was never one to be patient enough to wait for the timing of moon and star alignments. When he wanted to attack, he didn't want to have to wait. "Fine, I'll go make nice with the boy and his peons. I'll make with the dancing and chanting but you," He shoved Sheila into Dru's arms, "are going to eat."

Dru giggled at Spike's disappearing back. "Good little boy." She smirked, tilted Sheila's neck to the side and set about enjoying a little snack. The pixies told her that she needed to let this one live again. She'd seen a vision of this girl standing behind the Slayer in a darkened hallway sneaking up behind her. If Spike wouldn't take care of the Slayer, maybe this one could be of some help as one of their kind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Are you sure that his name was Spike?" Giles held a large tome in his hand. He flipped through each page slowly. "Perhaps he went by another name in time's past." He'd been thumbing through tomes all afternoon after Buffy arrived to tell him about her encounter at the Bronze. He was getting frustrated at not being able to locate any information on the vampire.

"That's what he said." Buffy chopped cucumbers into slices with a curved machete. Only a few hours remained before the parents started showing up. She needed to get the vegetable trays finished. "He told me his name, said don't forget it, and that he would kill me on Saturday."

"It is most assuredly not a coincidence that this Saturday is also the Night of St. Vigeous." Giles thumbed through more pages. "I can't believe you are chopping vegetables instead of preparing for Saturday."

"I've already explained this to you, Giles." Buffy hastily hacked away at two more cucumbers. She added the slices to an already heaping tray. She looked out over the library table laden with cut up carrots, cucumbers, celery, cauliflower and broccoli. "Snyder is riding my backside, and I could get expelled if I don't pull this shindig off."

"Slayers do not usually attend public institutions." Giles lowered the book to look at Buffy. "The Council will understand if ..."

"My mother will so NOT understand, Giles," Buffy interrupted. "Snyder can't wait to tell my mother what a horrible student I am." She sighed. She wasn't going to back down. "So, unless you're willing to let me explain to my mother the real reasons why I miss classes, "pick" fights, always seem tired, and don't have time for homework then we do it my way."

Giles adjusted the glasses on his nose, raised the book to read it, and muttered something about rebellious teenagers who don't know what is good for them.

"What I don't understand is," Xander shaved the piece of wood he was holding into a nice pointy stake. "Why are we having to worry about Spike at all? Buffy could've staked him last night, but she just stood there."

Before Buffy was able to form a comment to her defense, Giles made a sound of discovery. "Oh here you are."

"There who is?" Jenny Calendar asked from where she was going over other documents in search of information on the Night of St. Vigeous.

"Our new friend Spike." Giles adjusted the book against the top of his thigh where it rested as he read through it. "He's known as William the Bloody." He scanned further down the page. "He earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes."

"That doesn't sound good." Buffy made an ick face. 'So much for the good vampire theory.' She never researched Angel's past. So, she had no idea just how much she would have found horrifying about the atrocities Angelus committed over the years.

"Well he can't be any worse than any other creature you've faced." Giles chirped in. "You did defeat the Master, you know."

"Spike is worse." The library doors flopped closed again behind Angel. His supernatural hearing picked up most of the conversation on his way to the library. "One he starts something, he doesn't stop until everything in his path is dead." He stopped a few feet in front of Buffy. 'Just like I taught him.' He tried to push that thought from his mind.

"Hm," Xander snarked sarcastically. "So he thorough, goal orientated."

Angel ignored Xander, as he was prone to do. "And he never breaks his promises. So if he said he'll kill you, he'll do it or die trying."

Buffy rested her weight back on her left leg. She twirled the machete in her hands. "He didn't exactly say I promise to kill you on Saturday."

"It sounded like a promise to me." Xander interjected. "Maybe you didn't hear him with all that bonding you two were doing?" He saw the way Buffy daydreamed when the new vampire's name was mentioned. He already had enough problems with Angel. He didn't want to add another vampire to the mix.

"Bonding?" Angel's eyes darkened. He found Spike's obsession with Dru irritating enough. He better not find out that Spike came to his town and started hitting on something else that belonged to Angel.

Buffy threw a heated look in Xander's direction. She turned back to Angel, avoiding answering the question. "We were at the Bronze yesterday. Thought you said you might show?"

Angel's lip quirked up on the left side. "You said you weren't sure if you were goin'?"

"I was being cool." Buffy rolled her eyes. Was he really that dense? "Come on. You've been dating for what, like, 200 years? You haven't learned what a girl means when she says maybe she'll show?"

No matter how many centuries he existed, Angel would never be able to figure out what women really meant with what they said. It was all so confusing to him. Why couldn't they just say what they meant directly? He tried a different tactic. "I didn't want to be there, if you weren't going to be. So, I took care of some other things."

"Oh," Buffy frowned. She wanted to throttle the big dark man. He could be so frustrating to her at times. The mixed signals he gave drove her around the bend. One moment he wanted her to be all confide in him and clingy Buffy, and the next it seemed that he avoided her.

"We do have slightly more urgent matters to discuss." Giles looked up from his book and drew everyone's attention away from Angel. "It says this Spike is only about a hundred and a half years old. He seems to be fairly well chronicled now that I've found him. I'm sure in that time you must have heard something about him Angel."

Everyone looked up when silence was the only thing that answered Giles' question. An annoyed Xander wouldn't let the chance at sarcasm pass him by. He made no attempt to hide how much he disliked Angel. "Okay, that's it. I'm putting a collar with a little bell on that guy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel rested against a wall of lockers in one of the high school's hallways. He had to get out of that library before Giles asked him questions that he really didn't want to answer. This was a nightmare in the making. He had to keep Buffy away from Spike.

Angel reached out his supernatural senses through the familial bonds in search of his Childer, specifically William who know went by the moniker of Spike. If what Buffy and Xander said was true, his past was coming back to haunt him in a big way. He hoped Giles' research didn't reveal everything about Spike's true identity before Angel could take care of the situation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike sat up in his bed, awakened from a dead sleep by a sensation he hadn't felt in many decades. "Sire," He muttered softly. He was sure that if he had a heart, it would be pounding out of his chest at the moment.

Spike slipped from the bed where Drusilla and her waiting to arise minion lay. He slid his legs back into his black denim jeans. It was still a couple hours until sunset, but he couldn't stay in bed any longer. His dream, and the thought that his Sire might be near, prompted him into action.

Spike gathered several vampires with him in the main hall. He had an idea where the Slayer would be tonight, and something told him that he'd see his Sire again too. He would have her blood tonight, one way or another. He needed to wait for the sun to set, and then he would be on his way with those minions he got to agree to go on his quest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Parents will start arriving in an hour now. The banners are in place. The lounge is comfy." Buffy was starting to feel a panic come over her. Slaying demons she could handle, her mother's disapproval she couldn't. "What am I forgetting?"

"Punch," Willow answered in the hopes of finding something for Buffy to do to get her mind off her nervousness.

"Punch! I need punch!" Buffy darted around to the other side of the table.

"My fingers are cramping," Cordelia Chase complained to anyone who would listen. "How long have I been doing this?"

"Three minutes," Xander answered while he shaved another piece of wood into a proper stake. He was exasperated with the cheerleader.

"So, can I go now? She doesn't need this many stakes." Cordelia waved her hand out over the area of the table covered with stakes.

Xander hung his head and shook it.

"I mean, if this guy Spike is as mean as you all said, it should be over pretty quickly." Cordelia blurted out without thought or care to those around her.

Buffy turned to Cordelia to stare at her. 'Is this girl for real?' Sometimes she wished that she'd let the vampires eat Cordelia. Their lives would be a lot less insulted. 'Maybe she'd give the vampire indigestion, and I wouldn't have to stake it.'

"We're still all rooting for you on Saturday, Buffy." Cordelia stared at the faces looking at her with disgust. "I'd be there myself if I didn't have a leg wax."

'Now. I must get out of here now before I kill her.' Buffy covered the trays with saran wrap. "You guys hold down the fort. I'm punchbound."

After Buffy left the library Giles grunted an "oh no."

"That's a bad sound, right?"

"I think your suggestion of running away this Saturday might have been a good one, Xander." Giles pinched his fingers together against his thumb. "Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and he's killed them both."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Parent's night was an emotional nightmare from the moment her mother walked in the door. Buffy managed to sequester her mother away with Willow on a tour of the high school in the hopes that she'd miss a confrontation with Principal Snyder.

Several hours went by, and she thought she had succeeded until Snyder caught Joyce Summers back by her daughter in the main gathering area. The two disappeared into the Principal's office for a while, and when her mother came back out she looked very unhappy.

"In the car ... now." Joyce Summers closed tightened lips to keep from saying anything in public to Buffy. She wasn't sure if she wanted to believe what Snyder said about her daughter or not. Right now she just wanted to get out of there and back home.

Buffy frowned. She headed out with her mother after a glance back to Willow. A smug Principal Snyder moved away from the females to turn off the lights in the upper part of the main hall. He felt that his duty was done for the day. If he was able to get the troublemaker Buffy Summers out of his hair, he'd be a happy man.

All at once, hell broke loose. The big window on the mid level of the sitting area burst into the building followed by growling and game faced vampires. Parents ran everywhere away from the window and flying glass.

As the glass settled on the ground a cocky Spike swaggered to the edge of the level. "What can I say?" He looked at Buffy, "I couldn't wait." He lunged for Buffy, but she sent him flying back into several other vampires by throwing a chair at him.

Buffy grabbed her mother's arm. "Follow me." She tugged her first in one direction and then another when a vampire blocked their way. She headed for another exit, but she had to turn towards a classroom when that exit was blocked as well. "Everybody this way. Come on! Come on!" She had to get as many people as safe as possible. If she wasn't worried about her mother, then she could deal with Spike.

"No one gets out, especially the girl." Spike grabbed a parent by the collar and drug the man along with him.

Giles, Jenny and Xander ran out of the library after they heard all the commotion. "What the hell?"

Buffy ran down the hall towards them. "It's Spike and his Army. Look out!" She yelled when a female vampire turned the corner headed right for them.

The trio ran back into the library and started to barricade the door up while Buffy dashed into a lab with her mother, Snyder and some other parents. Snyder and a parent barricaded the inside door of the lab with a tall filing case while two vampires beat on the door.

All of the lights went off in the building. A minion ran up to Spike who still held the teacher in his hand by the collar. "We cut the power. Nobody got out."

"And the Slayer?" Spike questioned.

"She either went that way," The minion pointed to the right, "Or that way," he pointed to the left. "I saw two others."

Spike twisted around in a circle with the man in his grasp to glare at the minion. "You don't know?" He spat out angrily.

The minion looked at Spike fearfully. This blonde vampire frightened him. His luck to remain undusty held when Spike turned his attention back to his prisoner. "I'm a veal kind of guy." Spike slapped the man on the chest. "You're too old to eat."

The man seemed to relax, but his peace only lasted a moment because Spike twisted his neck until it snapped. "But not to kill." The man's body hit the floor in a heap. "I feel better." Spike smirked devilishly at the minion who still cowered in fear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While in the library Giles sent Xander out for help, Buffy was dealing with an irate Principal Snyder and several scared parents.

"Who are those people? What do they want?"

"I didn't get a good look, but was there something wrong with their faces?" Joyce Summers questioned. There was something very odd about the whole situation.

"It's PCP. It's a gang on PCP. We have to get out of here." Snyder placed a stool under one of the windows.

"You can't go out there. They'll kill you." Buffy grabbed Snyder's arm to stop him. She knew what would happen if they opened a window to the outside.

"You don't tell me. I tell you," Snyder dictated to Buffy. He wasn't going to listen to this slip of a girl no matter who they suspected she was.

"They will kill everybody in this room if you open that window." Buffy pulled Synder off the stool. "Nobody goes out, nobody comes in until I say so. Do you hear me?" She stared him down.

"Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the one that knows how to stop them," Buffy answered in confidence and seriousness.

"Buffy, are you crazy?" Joyce grabbed Buffy's arms to stop her from leaving. "I know you've been accused of fighting and other things, but those guys are serious." She was worried about her little girl getting hurt. "You can't go out there."

"I know, Mom." Buffy tried to reassure her mother that she knew what she was doing. "That's why I'm going up there." She directed her head up towards the ceiling tiles. She broke away from her mother to put a lab stool on one of the lab counters. She hopped up and pulled herself up into the ceiling. "Don't worry, Mom."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Slayer?" Spike walked up and down the deserted and dark hallways with a purpose. He wanted to find that teasing little girl that haunted his dreams and thoughts the last day or two. The reminder of the taste of her blood called out to him to sample it again and again.

"Here, kitty, kitty," Spike singsonged as another vampire joined him in the hunt. He stopped in the middle of the hallway. "I find one of your friends first, I'm gonna suck'em dry, and use their bones to bash your head in." He knew that Slayers always had a weakness when it came to protecting others. If she wouldn't face him directly, he would find a way to bring her out of hiding.

Spike kicked one of the nearby lockers. Willow and Cordelia cowered in a utility closet near Spike's position. They practically clutched to each other with each sound that pronounced Spike was getting nearer to them. "Are you getting a word picture here?" Spike called out into the empty air. Just as he was about to kick in the utility closet door a minion got his attention.

"Spike! Listen!" Both heard the thuds and thumps of something or someone moving above them.

Spike grinned and continued his little singsong taunt, "Someone's in the ceiling." He followed the thuds around until they stopped, and he tried to focus on where she'd gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy finally made it to the library, much to the surprise of Jenny and Giles. She made sure that Giles knew where her mother was, and she told him to get them to safety. Giles argued that he should be helping her, but Buffy was adamant that her mother be safe.

Knowing that Xander went to get Angel, calmed Buffy's nerves a little bit. At least she'd have another strong fighter on her side as soon as Angel could get here. She hopped back up into the ceiling and down into the hallway to take out the vampires outside of the library door and the science lab.

Just before Buffy took out the last vampire by the lab, Sheila showed up. She followed Buffy around to the other part of the hallway. She tried to attack Buffy, but she was less than successful. Both Sheila and the vampire guarding the other science lab door were dust at Buffy's feet within seconds.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike picked up Buffy's walk through the ceiling again. He and another female vampire started spearing thin pipes through the ceiling in an attempt to direct Buffy in a certain direction. They didn't realize that Buffy had already jumped down to kill the rest of the minions around the lab.

In the middle of their hole punching, Spike turned around to see Angelus in full game face with a human in his arms at the end of the hall. "Angelus!"

"Spike!" Angel had to play his cards right, or Spike would know right away that something was off about him. He hadn't stuck around after he was cursed. Darla sent him away from them right away. He hadn't wanted to leave, but he couldn't stay around them while they killed either. So, Spike probably didn't have any idea about his soul.

"I'll be damned!" Spike threw the pole off to the side. His demon delighted in knowing that his Sire was near. He hadn't been wrong earlier in the day. He really had felt his Sire's presence. He laughed while he strutted up the hall the rest of the way to hug his Sire hard.

"I taught you to always guard your perimeter." Angel tsked a couple times to kept up with the façade. He tightened his grip around Xander's neck. "You should have someone out there."

"I did. What can I say, I'm surrounded by idiots." Spike retorted. 'I may be surrounded by idiots, but I'm not one of them.' He smelt something wrong with Angelus. For one thing he caught a faint whiff of the Slayer on him. That would have set him off enough, but he also felt something else radiate off his Sire. 'No way. It can't be.'

Angel watched Spike's every move carefully. So far it all seemed to be playing out how he'd hoped it would. He needed to lull Spike for a little bit longer before he could attack.

"What's new with you?" Spike questioned.

"Everything," Angel answered without explanation.

"Hm." Spike decided to test the waters further. "Come up against this Slayer yet?"

"She's cute." Angel played off like he didn't care about Buffy at all. "Not too bright, though. Gave the puppy-dog, "I'm all tortured" act." He laughed. "Keeps her off my back when I feed."

"People still fall for that Anne Rice routine? What a world!" Spike shook his head in curious glee. Something told him it wouldn't all just be an act right now for Angelus.

"I knew you were lying," Xander muttered with hardly a breath to spare in the chokehold that was being given to him. "Undead liar guy." His insult was flat, but he was ticked.

"Wanna bite before we kill her?" Angel turned Xander over. He held him up like a rag doll in his arms with Xander's neck bared.

"Haven't seen you in the killing fields for an age." Spike tilted his head to look at his Sire.

"I'm not much for company."

"No, you never were." Spike knew Angelus was full of it. He delighted too much in the torture and kill to just stop fighting. He would have heard if Angelus was up to old habits and tricks. He was a Master Vampire, and Master Vampires didn't just disappear without a trace even to the demon world or their Childer unless they were hiding something from them. "So why are you so scared of this Slayer?"

"Scared?"

"Yeah." Spike decided to taunt Angelus a little bit. See if he could get him to give up his secrets by making him mad. "Time was you would have taken her in a heartbeat. Now look at you." He surmised that if Angelus was still who he thought he should be, Buffy would not be alive in the Hellmouth. "I mean this ... tortured thing is an act, right?" It was time to dig the proverbial stake in further. "You're not housebroken?"

"I saw her kill the Master." Angel started to back pedal. He worried that his ruse wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. "You think you can take her alone? Be my guest. I'll just feed and run." He shook Xander a bit.

"Don't be silly." Spike held up his hands in a surrender motion. "We're old friends. We'll do it together." He looked down at the boy's neck and back up at his Sire. "Let's drink to it. Together again."

They both leaned in towards Xander's neck simultaneously. Each of them watched the other, both of them tried not to let the other see they were watching them. Right before Spike's fangs hit Xander's neck Spike pulled back and punched Angelus solidly in the face.

Angel flew back, and he almost dropped Xander. He tried to shake off the effects of the punch. His Childe was as strong as he remembered, maybe stronger.

"You think you can fool me?" Spike was enraged. Several of the minions had gathered behind him during the conversation, but his focus remained on Angelus.

Angel watched Spike head down the hall and turn back to him about halfway down. 'This isn't good.'

"You were my Sire, man! You were my ... Yoda!" Almost everything Spike knew or learned about being a vampire, he learned from Angelus. Most of the lessons were learned through pain and torture, but he finally learned them. Spike both hated and loved Angelus at the same time. He was a Master Vampire long before any vampire of his years should have been. Yet he still never earned his Sire's complete approval. Now Angelus was acting like this?

Angel shrugged his shoulders. He watched Xander stand upright next to him. He hoped that the boy didn't fall over because they were going to have to make a quick getaway. "Things change."

"Not us! Not demons! Man, I can't believe this. You Uncle Tom." Spike accused Angelus. "Do you have any idea what your leaving did to Dru? What it did to me?"

Angel shrugged. "You don't know what I've gone through, and it was better that I left." He pushed Xander out the door for his own good.

"You're leaving could never be for Dru's own good, you selfish bastard!" Spike advanced on Angelus. "She almost died because you weren't there, and now she's both sick and as looney as a duck!"

"That's not my problem, Spike." Angel met Spike halfway between their previous positions. All of the minions looked on to see what the two Master Vampires would do. "I have what I want here and a cute little feisty blonde girlfriend to boot." He needed the edge of an off balanced Spike. He succeeded with his comment. "I don't need the baggage of the crazy bird."

"The Slayer? You're dating the Slayer?" Spike's eyes widened. His demon was getting more ticked off. It wanted the Slayer for himself. "You can't have her."

"Why?" Angel threw a punch at Spike that connected with his jaw. "Do you honestly think she would give you the time of day or night?" He spun a kick to Spike's head that Spike ducked.

Further angered, Spike lashed out at his Sire. "I'm the slayer of Slayers, mate." A right hook connected with his Sire's cheek to split it and draw blood. "She's mine." A left followed it across his Sire's jaw. "Mine to kill or mine to enjoy before I kill her."

"Never!" The two vampires locked themselves in a grapple, pulling at each other's coats.

The soft, but annoyed voice, of Buffy Summers called from the side hallway to the two blustering vampires. "Are you two through with the pissing contest? Because I really thought you came here to fight me, Spike."

Spike pushed his Sire back against the exit doors. He turned to the waiting minions, "Come on people. This is not a spectator sport. Get him." He sent them off after his Sire while he stepped down the hallway to face Buffy head on.

"Do we really need weapons for this?" Buffy nodded at the pipe in Spike's hand and the axe in hers.

"I just like them," Spike answered. He ran one hand down his chest to his waist. He dipped his fingers down farther to graze over his hidden cock. He gave it a caress it really didn't need since just the sight of this Slayer, and the scent of her blood in the air, made him very hard. "They make me feel all ... manly."

Buffy grinned. 'Oh, I'll bet you are very manly,' She thought to herself.

Both of them shared a look between them. There was an electricity that both of them felt as they each tossed their weapon to the side. Whether it was the thrill of the "dance" or something else, neither was sure at the moment. They moved closer to each other.

"The last Slayer I killed ... She begged for her life." Spike advanced even closer.

Buffy, with her hands behind her back, countered his moves in a wider circle around him. She lowered her eyes to stare at him in a more determined, but sultry manner. Something about this vampire made her all hot and bothered. His voice was pure sex and sin, and something inside of her craved it.

"You don't strike me as the begging kind." Spike looked at the ground for a moment. He looked back up into her face with a look of devilish curiosity. 'Perhaps she is, but another kind of begging.' He tried to shelve that thought away. It wasn't the time to entertain those kinds of thoughts.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"No," Spike laughed. "I messed up your doilies and stuff." He was now only a couple of steps away from Buffy. "But I just got so bored."

Buffy nearly shivered at Spike's closeness. She gulped hard to avoid showing more of a reaction to his nearness than she wanted to. 'Even in his vampire face, he looks sexy.' She mentally kicked herself for the thought and berated herself for having any thoughts of that nature about Spike.

"I'll tell you what." Spike broke Buffy from her mental reverie. "As a personal favor from me to you, I'll make it quick. It won't hurt a bit."

'Oh, cocky vampire I can deal with.' Buffy grinned maniacally. "No, Spike. It's gonna hurt a lot."

Buffy and Spike exchanged blows back and forth. One jumped and the other dove. Both of them countered and connected at various points of the fight. Adrenaline was flowing through Buffy, and the borrowed blood in Spikes system was pumping away madly in a rush of energy.

That all ended when Spike's fist buried into the wall after one of his punches missed Buffy. He kicked her away from him, pulled his hand out that was now embedded in a two by four, and hit Buffy upside the head with it. He tossed the piece of wood far away after it served its purpose to him. He wanted to fight her with his fists and fangs.

Buffy moaned as her body hit the floor with a hard thud. She tried to crab crawl away from Spike, but he was on her a few moments after she hit the floor. She fought to reach her stake. On the ground, with his body over hers, her position was compromised enough to keep her from kicking him away from her after he backed her against one of the steps to the next mid-level.

Spike ground his covered erection against Buffy's covered warmth. While his hands and body kept her pinned down, he inhaled deeply. "Such a sweet smelling, Slayer." He growled low in his throat that sounded more like a reaction of his desire and not of malice. "Vanilla and ..." He took in another deep breath, "Honeysuckle."

Buffy squirmed underneath Spike. She had to get free. She couldn't ignore the thoughts he was bringing forward with the touch of his body. She tried to close her legs to hide the damp wetness that seeped into her silk panties in reaction to his hardness rubbing against her. 'No, bad thoughts. No sexy thoughts about evil vampires who want to kill you.'

Spike licked up the side of Buffy's neck. "My own sweet little honey pot." His lust filled voice turned into a snarling growl as his tongue hit the tiny scars from when the Master bit Buffy. "He tasted you." He recognized the family trace, and it disgusted him that his great git of a grand Sire sampled his Slayer.

Buffy stiffened beneath Spike. His growl sounded much angrier now, and it vibrated through every fiber of her being. She felt his anger radiate from him onto her skin, heating it. At first she didn't fathom what Spike meant, but then she realized he must have found the Master's marks. "Upset that you weren't the first to get a little taste, Spikey?" She taunted.

Spike jerked up, turned Buffy's chin to face him squarely and glared at her. "You are mine, pet. Get that through your head, real quick." He scratched clawed fingers down the side of her scarred neck in jagged cuts until they bled freely.

Buffy bit her lower lip so hard that it drew blood in her effort not to cry out in pain from the slices Spike made in her neck. She fought once again to free herself only to be stopped when his cool tongue soothed the cuts with saliva mixed in his and her blood.

Spike cut his tongue on one of his fangs before he started to lick the blood from the Slayer's neck and seal the wounds. The Master laid no claim on Buffy, and the slices along with his blood to seal them would be enough to eradicate the previous marks. His blood in her body would also be the precursor to what was now a definite part of his plan while in Sunnydale.

"Stop ... Please ..." What previously would have sounded like demands now sounded like a soft form of pleading. Buffy's body betrayed her anger and disgust at being touched by the soulless creature. His tongue was stirring places in her loins that she did not know existed, and she felt even dirtier for enjoying the foreplay between them.

"You don't really want me to do that, pet." Spike nuzzled against the side of Buffy's neck. "I can smell your desire. You want me, and I will have my one good day. One way or another." He lowered his head back to her neck with his fangs extended. Just before they pierced Buffy's skin, Spike was knocked off of Buffy to the side.

Buffy and Spike both looked up to see Joyce Summers with an axe in her hand. She'd used the flat part of it to bash Spike in the back of the head.

"Get away from my daughter." Joyce barely repressed the fury she held over seeing her daughter on the floor with that creature on top of her.

Spike shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He looked from Buffy to the other woman, and he knew by scent that this woman was related to Buffy. He figured that she was probably Buffy's mother. "Women," He growled, jumped to his feet, and dashed away into the safety of the night. A somewhat laughing, "until we meet again," was called out over his shoulder as he disappeared from sight.

Joyce looked at Buffy, "Nobody lays a hand on my little girl." They both embraced each other tightly with tears in their eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So when you gave him my neck to chew on, why didn't you clock him before he had a chance to clock you?" Xander asked Angel. They were walking together along the side of the high school.

"I told you, I couldn't make the first move. I had to see if he was buying it." Angel responded evenly.

"And if he bit me? What then?" Xander still didn't like the direction the plan of Angel's had taken.

"We would have known he bought it," Angel said with a touch of sarcastic humor and walked away.

Xander stared after Angel. He had a few more questions. Something wasn't sitting well with him. There was something Angel wasn't telling them. "What's the deal with you being Spike's Sire? What's a Sire?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the factory at the dawn, Spike buried his face into Dru's shoulder. "The Slayer with family and friends. That sure as Hell wasn't in the brochure." He tried to make it seem that he was just upset about his failure to kill the Slayer. He was feeling a lot more than that. For one thing, he'd found his Sire again only to be refused by him because of some stupid soul. 'Bloody gypsies. It had to be them since that is when he left us.' He vowed to find a way to get his Sire back.

"You'll kill her next time, Spike. Then we'll have a nice celebration." Dru was secretly happy that Spike was so upset. 'Now maybe he will give his princess her proper attention and forget all about that nasty Slayer.' She wrinkled up her nose at Spike. "I can smell her on you."

"We fought hard pet. Of course you can smell her on me." Spike growled in anger. What did she expect he would smell like after fighting his way through his wanker of a Sire and the bloody Slayer? At least she hadn't said anything about smelling Angelus on him. He wasn't ready to deal with her ranting about that.

"So how is the annoying one?"

"He doesn't want to play." Dru pouted beside Spike. She wanted the boy to play with her.

"It figures." Spike stood back up straight. There was a time of reckoning at hand. "Well, I suppose I'd better go make nice." He walked over to the Anointed One, and he dropped down to one knee.

"You failed." The boy snapped at the vampire beneath him.

"I, um ..." Spike thought for a few moments about what to say. "I offer penance." He tried not to choke on the words as he spoke.

"Penance?" One of the minions who was with Spike at the school yelled, "You should lay down your life." He growled. "Our numbers are depleted. The Feast of St. Vigeous has been ruined by your impatience!" Now that he was back amongst the company of the Anointed One, he wasn't afraid of Spike.

"I was rash, and if I had to do it all over again ..." Spike pondered it for only a couple seconds before he started to laugh. "Who am I kidding? I would do it exactly the same." He jumped up from the ground, grabbed the boy and tossed him into a nearby cage after he fought through a couple stupid vampires that challenged him briefly.

"Only I'd do this first." Spike pulled hard on the chain hooked to the cage. He raised it higher and higher into the streams of sunlight coming in from the outside of the factory with the dawning day. "From now on," He yelled, "We'll have a little less ritual, and a little more fun around here." He pulled the last few tugs necessary to send the boy into the light who burst into flames.

The task finished, Spike and Dru walked away to their room for a bit of rest and celebration.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two days after Parent-Teacher Night at the high school, Buffy lay in bed. She stared at the ceiling. It was Saturday, and the night was supposed to be the Feast of St. Vigeous. She walked through an early patrol, but nothing jumped out her in the literal or figurative sense.

"So much for the big bad of all vampire holidays." Buffy rolled her eyes at the air. "Why was Giles so worried about this? It's nothing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Down on the street below, the glowing red ember at the end of a cigarette lit the night. "I wouldn't say that it was nothing, pet." He inhaled another deep breath of the nicotine. Although it had no true value to it, he found it a relaxing habit. He crushed the cigarette under a heavy boot to put it out.

"Old bat face and the bitch Darla are gone. Angelus has a bleeding soul, and Dru is looney." Spike grinned in delight. "With the Anointed One now a memory, that leaves me to be the Master."

Spike laughed at the irony of it all. He who hated ritual and ceremony was actually stronger because of one. "The Night of St. Vigeous passed on the infusion of our line, the strongest of the vampire clans. The next time we meet, no axe wielding mother will keep you from me. I will have my prize. I will have a piece of you, or I will have you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (4) Fairytales and Lies - Part 1
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Moving along from "Inca Mummy Girl" through to "Lie to Me". Summarizing for the non-Spuffy times. Instead of Buffy and Angel moving closer towards a relationship, Buffy forced herself to try to do things with Angel to forget about the bad boy Spike. She finds herself still thinking of Spike a lot more often than she should, and she isn't thinking about killing him. She actually looked through all of Giles' books to find as much information about William and Spike that she could.

Author's Note: Not all dialogue or scenes are going to be exactly like the episodes because I am tweaking them to fit the progression of this story. Credit to the great Joss Wheadon and his writers for the quotes that I do use from the episodes. Blood play will more than likely have some part in almost every chapter from here on out. It might just be a little bit or a lot as we are moving things along with Buffy and Spike. Also, Buffy has not cut her hair as short as she did in canon. She left it as long as it was in "School Hard".

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

The weeks following the Parent-Teacher night passed in a blur of various activities for the Scoobies. Instead of growing closer, Angel and Buffy seemed to only go through the motions of an early relationship. Buffy tried to get closer to Angel, but one look at her neck, and he would withdraw further away from her. She had a feeling that there were a lot of things Angel wasn't telling them about Spike. She spent many hours hidden in the book stacks at the library searching for any information Giles had on Spike or "William the Bloody".

After Xander's failed attempt to date a foreign exchange student, who turned out to be a life force sucking Inca Mummy, Willow was determined to step up her pursuit of her childhood friend. Halloween was approaching, and she wanted to find just the right outfit to make Xander notice her.

Thinking along similar lines towards Angel, in an attempt to push all thoughts of Spike from her system, Buffy picked up an elegant costume at a place called Ethan's. The ivory gown had yellowed some over the years, but its lace was still intact over the silk main skirt and bodice with various pearl embellishments.

What Buffy failed to realize about her purchase was that it was a wedding dress crafted in England around the late 1800's. Something drew her to purchase the dress. She originally thought it would be something that Angel would enjoy seeing her in, but if she'd wanted to entice Angel with something from his era, she was about 100 years too late. Angel was turned into a vampire in the 1700's. Was her mind subconsciously being drawn to purchase something that Spike would recognize, or was Buffy just that off on her history lessons?

Buffy stood in her bedroom and tried to get ready to take the younger children of Sunnydale out trick or treating. "I swear Principal Snyder just loves to be an ass." She grumbled to herself while she fanned out the layers of lace and satin of the dress hanging from her closet door. "I still don't see how he can force us to do half of the things he does. I should punch him in the nose and be done with it. He has to be some sort of demon."

Buffy picked up the ivory accented silver combs from her dresser. They shimmered in the trickles of light from her vanity. The combs were a gift from her grandmother on her 15th birthday, the year she was called to be the Slayer. Grandma Summers told her that they were a gift from her grandmother when she turned 15.

The combs were so elegant. Buffy rubbed her fingers over the prongs. Hand carved ivory roses nestled along the width of the top of the combs. Buffy looked down at the wig on her dresser. "Nah, I'd rather go with my real hair. With my luck some kid would pull the wig off, and Grandma's combs could be lost."

Buffy pulled up the sides of her hair and looked at one side of her face and then another. She plugged her curling iron in. It was going to take her an hour just to curl her hair if she wanted it to look like the wig did.

Buffy didn't want to look like herself for one day, the Slayer. She wanted to be looked at as a lady and not some tomboy or fighter. For once she wanted to be cared for and doted on by the man she wanted in her life, even if she wasn't quite sure who that was at the moment.

'Maybe I should give up on men completely. Maybe then I could get Spike out of my head, and I wouldn't have to worry about Angel freaking out like he did the other week.' Buffy shivered at the memory of the look in Angel's eyes when he confronted her in the cemetery about their relationship. She knew she had been trying harder to get together with Angel since Spike arrived in Sunnydale, but it seemed as if Angel was pushing her away.

The anger and pain in Angel's eyes when he yelled at her in the cemetery scared her. Even in the middle of her battle with Spike, the evil vampire never looked at her like that. She wondered why Angel was so angry. Thinking back on that night, she couldn't find anything that should have upset him that much.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Are you saying you want to go on a date?" Angel inquired.

"Date? I never said date." Buffy stammered over her response.

Angel, in his superior acting way, took the whole situation tongue in cheek style. "So you just want to have coffee or something." He knew that Buffy had a bit of a crush on him. Before the episode at the school with Spike he would have even said that she was falling in love with him. Now, he wasn't so sure. She'd been acting weird lately.

"Coffee?" Buffy frowned. Why was this sounding like her conversation with Willow earlier that day?

Angel sighed. He figured the only way out of this mess was to toss it off as nothing he was seriously considering. He always wanted to come out on top, whether it was for the brush off or the seduction. "I knew this was going to happen."

"What? What do you think is happening?" Buffy wondered what Angel was assuming. All she'd done was find the bracelet on the ground and attempt to carry on a bit of conversation with him. What unspoken words was he pulling out of the air on her?

"You're 16 years old. I'm 241," Angel spoke in a very condescending tone.

"I've done the math," Buffy answered meekly. 'And Spike is a little under 150.' Her thoughts wandered briefly.

"You don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you want." Angel looked off into the distance.

Buffy started to get ticked. 'Oh so this is how he wants to play it?' She absentmindedly rubbed her neck. It tingled and itched all of a sudden. "Oh, no. I think I do. I want out of this conversation."

"Listen." Angel grabbed Buffy's arm and turned her retreating form around to face him. "If we date, you and I both know one thing's gonna lead to another." There was no way he was letting anyone walk away from him. He would have the last word, and he would be the one to end things.

"One thing already has led to another." Buffy stared up into Angel's eyes. "Don't you think it's a little late to be reading me the warning label," Buffy sighed. She wanted to scream out her frustration over the situation.

"I'm just trying to protect you. This could get out of control." Angel growled low when Buffy rubbed the barely visible lines on her neck again. "That is one reason why I won't let this go any further."

"What?" Buffy looked at him in shock. "What is one reason?"

"You touch it all the time." Angel pointed to Buffy's neck. "You let him that close to you."

"Is that what this is about? A macho contest between vampires?" Buffy was enraged. She hadn't realized that she touched her neck that often, but sometimes it tingled. "I was fighting for my life. He sunk his claws in after he saw the Master's mark. Would you rather he finished with the biting me he was about to do before he saw the scars?"

"No, of course not." Angel reached out to Buffy only to have her back away from him.

"Don't touch me, Angel." Buffy felt revulsion at the mere thought of him touching her at that moment.

Angel dropped his hands to his side. "I just can't stand that he touched you."

"So instead of showing me that you care for my safety or love me in any way, you are going to run away because some vampire scratched me in a fight?"

"It's more than that, Buffy. You don't understand about vampires and marks." Angel tossed out the remarks in anger. "He's preparing you."

"Preparing me for what? To kill me?" Buffy spat back at Angel. "You know what, I don't care." She stepped away more from Angel. "You're punishing me for something I had no control over. This just isn't worth it." She turned and ran away from the cemetery before Angel could stop her this time.

Angel threw his hands up in the air. He growled and stormed off in the opposite direction. He hoped that he found some demons on the way back to his apartment. He needed to kill something.

A small glowing red ember burned in the darkness. A rolling deep chuckle echoed in the silence. 'Trouble in paradise.' Spike pressed the cigarette butt under his boot to put it out and headed in the direction the Slayer left in. 'Good, because she is mine Angelus, not yours.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed. "Not like normal worked for me either. I swear that I should never listen to Cordelia about anything ever again." She flopped down on her bed. "I almost ended up reptile fodder because I wanted to have a normal party night like any teenager should have."

Buffy fell back on her pillow. "Stupid frat boys and their demon sacrifices." She rested her cheek against the pillow. She stared at herself in the vanity mirror across the room. "Who am I really supposed to be? Where do I fit in?"

After being drugged at a fraternity party that she went to with Cordelia, and being offered up as a sacrifice, Angel apologized for his comments. They made up a little bit, but they were still distant. She hoped that tonight's costume would help to show Angel that she wasn't just the Slayer. She could be a lady too.

A knock on her bedroom door brought Buffy out of her self-involved reverie. "Yes?"

Willow walked in shyly. Her hands were clasped in front of her over the short black leather skirt she wore. "Hello Buffy."

"Oh wow, Wills." Buffy sat up quickly. "You look fantastic." She pointed to the white sheet in Willow's hands. "What is that for?"

"I don't think I can go out dressed like this." Willow shifted from one foot to another. "This is so I can go as a ghost. It was the backup costume I purchased at the shop after you talked me into this outfit."

"Wills, you can't back out now. You are going to knock Xander's socks off with that outfit." Buffy tried to encourage her friend to help break the lack of confidence Willow had. "Xander would have to be blind not to notice you in that outfit. It's the only way you'll get his attention. I know you can do it."

"I don't know, Buffy." Willow fidgeted. "I feel naked."

"Turtlenecks, baggy sweaters, jumpers, jeans and ankle length skirts will not a Xander catch." Buffy rubbed Willow's arms in comfort. "He's kind of dumb when it comes to you. He's too blind to see what is right in front of his face." She directed Willow to sit down in the chair in front of Buffy's vanity. "Tonight we're going to give him a Willow tinted pair of glasses."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dru, I don't bloody want to go out there." Spike paced back and forth in front of Drusilla. "This is a night off for demons, remember?" He grew more frustrated with the lack of a cure for Drusilla daily. She nagged him constantly about his promise to kill the Slayer. When Dru wasn't simpering about the Slayer, she was yammering on about the return of her daddy. It was all enough to nearly drive him insane.

"Spike, the pixies tell me that a change is coming." Drusilla stood in Spike's path to keep him from pacing. She was mad over all the time Spike spent each night watching and studying the Slayer. Now when she actually wanted him to find the Slayer, he wouldn't. "She will be weak tonight. She'll never suspect my Spike until it is too late."

"Halloween is for humans, Dru." Spike zigzagged around Dru. "Demons do not hunt on Halloween, especially vampires. It's tradition."

"You never wanted to follow the traditions before." Drusilla stomped her foot to the ground like a child in a temper tantrum. "You don't want to kill her. She swims around your thoughts like little fishies. Bad fishies."

Spike grabbed Dru's upper arms and squeezed tightly. "I do what I wish, and I've never violated the Halloween tradition." He squeezed tighter until Dru yelped. "If you weren't so whacked out, you'd remember that."

"If you don't kill her, she will destroy us. The stars have painted the sky with the last moments before our final death at her hands." Although Dru's vision showed her only her own death, she wasn't going to share that tidbit with Spike.

Spike pushed Dru away from him with a hard thrust. "Enough!" He growled and stalked towards the exit from the factory. "I'll go out, but I am NOT bloody hunting tonight. I just want the hell away from you!" He slammed the door shut behind him.

Dru's eyes twinkled with delight. "You won't have to hunt." She spoke softly with a very sane clarity. "The little lamb will fall right into your arms, and you will be unable to resist the pull of her blood." She giggled and clapped. Then, she headed back to her room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy trotted down the stairs of her house to meet Xander at the door. She opened the door, standing behind it, waiting for him to see her.

"Private Harris reporting for ..." Xander's voice trailed off, and his toy gun lowered from his mock salute. "Buffy! Lady of Buffdom, Duchess of Buffonia, I am in awe." His mouth gaped open at the sight of Buffy in her Victorian style dress. "I completely renounce spandex."

Buffy lowered herself in an exaggerated curtsy. "Thank you, kind sir." She giggled playfully.

Xander bowed in return. Their attention was drawn to the shuffling at the stairs.

"Wait until you see ..." Buffy sighed and shook her head. "Casper." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Will! That's ... a fine "Boo!" you got there." Xander teased his friend in the same joyful manner that they always shared.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Buffy reopened the door. "We need to get to the school before Snyder has a fit."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several hours later, Buffy knelt down in front of her three charges. "So what did you guys get?" She shook her head in mock disgust at the toothbrushes they all showed her. "Awful. She must be stopped."

The children snickered and nodded. Buffy stood back up. "I think we have time to do the rest of this block before we need to get back." She took the youngest child's hand in hers and continued along the sidewalk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in his shop, Ethan Rayne continued the incantations he'd prepared and recited all day long. With a chaotic prayer of supplication to Janus, he finished the rites and completed his plan for chaos and revenge.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

All around Sunnydale, a costume purchased from Ethan's transformed its new owner into what they masqueraded as. Xander became a real soldier, equipped with a proper gun. Willow dropped to the ground unconscious for a moment before she awoke in a ghostly form. Buffy nearly fainted, but she righted herself on a nearby fencepost. She gazed out at everything fearfully. She wondered where her fiancé was and how she came to be in her strange location.

It didn't take Willow long to round up Xander and Buffy. Willow managed to convince them both that she could help them find safety in a nearby house, which happened to be Buffy's. Willow didn't tell the other two who's house it was though.

"Why are we here?" Buffy's English was articulately spoken. Gone were the California bits of slang she usually uttered. In its place, Buffy spoke the Queen's English with perfect clarity and form, complete with an aristocratic English accent.

"This is your house, Buffy," Willow explained. "We should be able to find weapons here."

"Weapons?" Buffy gasped and clutched her hand to her chest. "I am not accustomed to handling such matters, and please stop calling me Buffy. I don't know who she is. You may address me as Lady Elizabeth."

Willow rolled her eyes. They needed the Slayer right now not a pampered princess. "She couldn't have gone as Xena this year?" She muttered to herself.

Cordelia joined the group shortly after the three of them arrived at Buffy's house. Strangely Cordelia seemed unaffected by amnesia or costume changes. Willow decided that they needed Giles' help. She walked clear through the wall to the outside.

Lady Elizabeth, Buffy, shrieked and stuttered, "She ... She ... Oh dear Lord!" She fainted dead away just as Angel came into the house through the kitchen.

With lightning reflexes and vampire speed, Angel caught Buffy before she hit the floor. "I'm glad both of you are here." He looked up at Xander. "It's crazy out there. What happened to Buffy?" He cradled her head in his lap.

"Unhand that woman." Xander pulled back the mechanism of his weapon, readying it to fire. "State your name and your purpose."

"Are you crazy, Xander?" Angel lowered Buffy's head to the floor. He stood up to full height. He gripped the barrel of the weapon and pushed it away from pointing at him. "You know who I am."

"Actually he doesn't." Cordelia stepped up alongside Angel. "Buffy, Xander and half this town have flipped out."

"I don't understand." Angel looked down at Buffy. She was starting to stir. "Why is Buffy in that gown? Is that a wedding dress?" He thought he recognized the style and embellishments.

"It must have been her costume. She probably wore it to impress you." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "I know Xander was doing the whole five and dime soldier thing for his costume, and now he's a real military man."

"Oh dear." Lady Elizabeth, Buffy, waved her hand in front of her face. "I swear that I must be having a fit of the vapors, or maybe it's jitters before the ceremony." She looked up at Cordelia in her cat outfit, soldier Xander, and Angel. "Or perhaps not. I declare this is my worst nightmare come true."

"Let me help you, Miss." Angel bent down to help Buffy stand back up. He wrapped his hands around her tiny cinched waistline. He drank in her scent with his face pressed up next to her cheek. She smelled like Heaven.

"Take care to keep your space, Sir." Elizabeth pushed herself away from Angel. She flicked open the fan that hung from her wrist and fanned herself. "You have no right to such liberties."

"Oh please." Cordelia laughed. "Spare us the Miss innocent act. I don't care what century you think you are from, Buffy, but that is ridiculous."

"It was commonplace for such things to be said in the late 19th century, Cordelia," Angel explained. "If my guess is right her dress is dated around the late 1800's."

"I really don't care what either of you think." Elizabeth stomped her foot down in a petulant fit of anger. She turned to Xander. "I demand that you return me to the church where I am to be married to my betrothed. William will be quite upset if I am not there on time."

"Look lady, I don't know anything about a church. We have to get ourselves set up tight in here." Xander shouldered his gun by the strap. "You need to stay out of the way while we men get this place secure."

Elizabeth pouted. She flicked her fan closed quickly and slapped it against the layers of satin covering her hips in a gesture of defiance. She stomped into the kitchen and plopped down on one of the stools around the island.

Angel followed "Buffy" into the kitchen. He started to offer some comfort when he looked up at the now open door. "I don't remember leaving that open." He slowly moved towards the dark opening.

A cloaked figure jumped out at Angel. He grabbed Angel around the neck and tried to choke him first and then bite him.

Elizabeth screamed in a high pitched wail. She backed up against the sink to get away from the battle.

"Buffy, I need a stake," Angel called out to Buffy. He kicked the intruder in the gut. He followed the kick with a punch to the jaw. The two wrestled along the floor between the kitchen and dining rooms. "Now Buffy!!" He turned around in full demonic visage and growled at Buffy.

Elizabeth, who had been halfway towards Angel with a large knife, dropped the knife as soon as she saw the beast looking her way. She ran out of the house. Her only thought was to get as far away from the monster as she could. She shrieked and dodged through the neighborhood, in-between the houses to get away from the many creatures filling the streets.

"William, where are you?" Elizabeth cried out into the black night. Frightened and confused, she crouched against a wall outside a broken down church on the outskirts of one of Sunnydale's cemeteries.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why did she run off in the first place," Cordelia whined. Children and adults dressed like demons and other things ran through the Sunnydale streets. She really didn't want to be out in it. Unfortunately, they were trying to find an escaped Buffy who didn't realize she was the Slayer.

"I vamped out during the fight in the kitchen," Angel ground out annoyed. "She saw it and ran."

"Way to go big guy," Soldier Xander taunted. Something inside of him told his amnesiac mind that he didn't like the man. "Now we have to go find her instead of building our stockade."

"Buffy can handle herself. We don't have to be out here." Cordelia wanted to get back home as soon as possible and forget that this night happened.

"The real Buffy could, but not this one." Angel remembered the style of dress that Buffy wore. The combs and jewelry pieces screamed Victorian noblewoman to him. He was positive that the dress was a wedding dress to boot. "This one doesn't know the right end of a stake. She is helpless out here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you hear that?" Spike pulled back from his little band of demons to stand up straight. "Somewhere out there is the tastiest morsel you could ever sink your teeth into, and all we have to do is find her first."

The band of demons growled and squawked in approval to go get a bite to eat. Spike wanted to find the Slayer all right, but not for the reason he gave. Oh, he'd have a bite to eat, but not in the way they expected. He needed to make sure that no one else found the Slayer before he did. Only he was allowed to touch her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (5) Fairytales and Lies - Part 2
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Continuing with the infamous Halloween episode from Season 2, we pick up where chapter 4 left off. Buffy, now calling herself Lady Elizabeth, found herself at a church near one of the cemeteries during her search for her fiancé William. Angel, Cordy, Willow, and Xander get into their own scuffles while they look for Buffy. Spike and some transformed trick-or-treaters are on a mission to find Buffy first. Part 2 will take us through the end of the episode. Part 3 will pick up at the episode "Lie To Me".

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter was a long time in coming. I'm pretty nervous about it. Had a rough time of things IRL, and I had a hard time working this chapter to my satisfaction for believability. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Larry, the pirate, jumped out at Willow and Cordelia in an alleyway. Their party split up into two groups about ten minutes prior to cover more ground. Larry pushed Cordy up against the wall.

Willow tried to help. Instead of shoving Larry away, her ghostly form went right through him. She fell to the ground hard. "Ouch!" She quickly jumped back up and dusted herself off.

Cordy struggled in Larry's grasp. She screamed and kicked at the pirate. "You are so going to regret this, Mister." She choked out during the grappling session.

A blur of camouflage barreled down the alley. Xander literally rammed Larry in the gut to get him away from Cordy. Once he had Larry separated from the cat woman, Xander pummeled the pirate in the gut, chin, and cheek. He finished with a solid punch to the pirate's nose.

Angel, who arrived at the same time Xander did, helped Cordy back to her feet. "Everyone okay?"

Xander bounced on the heels of his combat boots. "That was strangely satisfying. I somehow feel vindicated."

Willow nodded. "Stupid ghost outfit. Remind me to listen to Buffy next year for Halloween."

"This better not happen again." Angel growled. He was uncomfortable with being away from Buffy in her current state. "When I find out who did this, I'm going to kill him."

"I don't think you have to worry about that." Willow informed them about her trip to get Giles and their visit to Ethan's. "I think Giles is going to do the job for you."

"Some guys have all the fun." Xander snapped his fingers in a darn motion.

"We still haven't found Buffy." Angel stomped out of the alley. "I'm not stopping until I do."

"Let's think this through," Cordy spoke up. "She thinks she is getting married." She caught up to Angel, and everyone else followed closely behind. "We haven't checked a single church yet. Wouldn't she try to find a church to locate whoever she thinks is her fiancé?"

Xander slapped his forehead. "Good thinking, Catwoman." Xander shouldered his rifle and picked up his pace to match Angel's. "Where are the churches, and do we take each one together or split up again?"

"Splitting up didn't work too well for us last time," Willow whimpered. "I vote we stay together."

"I don't care what we do. I just want to do it and get home." Cordelia looked down at her torn costume and dirtied hands. "I so need a manicure right now."

Angel rolled his eyes. He mentally counted, 'One Mississippi ... Don't kill the children. Two Mississippi ... They don't know any better. Three Mississippi ...'

Xander pulled a Sunnydale map out of his big BDU leg pocket. "Ghost lady ... you seem to know the most about this town. Where are the churches around here?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike's nostrils flared and his senses tingled. He was getting closer to the Slayer. His search led him to the doorway of a small church along the outer edge of the cemetery.

All the way around Sunnydale he focused on the smell and taste that he remembered of Buffy's blood. He knew that their previous meeting had lightly scarred her neck because he mingled blood from his own tongue with hers to seal the wound he created. That taste of her blood helped him to locate her specific blood scent amongst the others that invaded his senses.

Spike felt the draw of the Slayer's blood and scent that he followed through the streets of Sunnydale. It was more than just Slayer blood, it was the blood of the one he would claim. He'd given it a lot of thought during the time they'd been apart. Dru's prattling was getting worse and worse. Even after only the brief sharing of blood with Buffy, he wanted more in a way other than draining her. He felt like he needed her, like she was home to him.

Even his demon seemed appeased at the thought of having the Slayer be his own. Was there some part of the Slayer that was a demon as well? The demon wanted the claim as much as the man did. It was an odd compromise between the two and a strange thing for them both to agree on.

The tiny troop of transformed trick-or-treaters hovered outside of the holy building. The little demons knew a church wasn't somewhere they would like to be. They gladly took up positions outside to stand guard at Spike's order.

Spike's demon hissed within at the thought of entering the place of worship, especially on Halloween. His senses told him that the Slayer was inside. If Buffy was as weak as Peaches said, he decided it might be better to approach the woman in a casual and caring manner. Inside a church the Slayer would feel safer. 'I should probably put the demon face away in any case. That will help with the unease.'

Spike mentally put a collar on his demon and locked it into submission. He wanted his demon under control and not the other way around. Once his initial bloodlust stage was gone as a fledgling, Spike found that he could communicate on certain levels with his demon. Something told him that this was not always the case with vampires, if his true Sire was any example to go by.

Although Spike wanted to deny it, a large part of his humanity remained after his turning. He still longed for many of the things that William enjoyed as a human. He still wrote in a journal that he kept well hidden from Dru and the other minions. He spent many years learning to hide the pieces of him that his vampire family would not accept. He'd quickly learned that a certain image needed to be maintained to retain the fear and loyalty needed for a Master Vampire as well.

Spike tentatively stepped across the threshold, turned down a small hallway, and emerged into an open meeting area. He noticed the scent of fresh magic in the air, and he felt the prickling sensation of magic around him once he passed into the church. Someone wanted them to be undisturbed. He was a bit unnerved because he was unaware of who wanted to cloak his and Buffy's presence. Was Dru messing around in places she ought not to again?

Spike hated magic in general. It served its purpose, but there were always consequences for spells or loopholes that allowed danger to creep in. He almost turned back around to leave, but a small whimper reached his ears. He knew who that frightened sound belonged to, and it called out to him to find her.

Without his demon guise, Spike's eyesight was more limited. He tripped over some loose boards in the floor, fell back against a wall with a large cross on it, and jumped away as quickly as he could when he started to burn.

The soft weeping of the woman, who sat crumpled in one of the pews, turned into a gasp of shock at the noises behind her. She stood up quickly and turned to search the shadows for whatever had joined her. She'd seen some scary things tonight, and she wasn't eager to meet any more of them.

The tightening in Buffy's stomach that she'd felt since she left the house, and the seemingly familiar tingling sensation in her body, finally evened out when the stranger stepped into the church. She'd known as his presence drew closer to her position over the last hour. No matter how scared she was to be in the church alone, she knew the coming presence was the man she sought. She comforted herself with the knowledge that everything would be all right soon. "Wi ... William?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ethan laughed hard when he felt the tendrils of his protected magic snap into place. It was an extra spell he attached to Buffy's dress to keep the Slayer occupied if she found her "love" that the dress compelled her to find. It also sent him an image of the "love" that the Slayer found. "Oh this is too perfect." He sneered at Giles. He couldn't have planned the whole situation better himself. He never would have figured that the Slayer would seek out a vampire, especially the one he recognized from the image, as her fiancé.

"What are you laughing at, Ethan? I don't find any of this a bit funny." Giles punched Ethan in the jaw. He manhandled Ethan up against the wall. "You are in a lot of trouble here, Ethan. Make it easier on yourself, and tell me how to break the spell now."

"They don't make Slayers like they used to, eh Ripper?" Ethan taunted the man who used to mean everything to him. "They are quite naughty now. Might even get themselves killed with their tastes if they aren't too careful."

"Ethan, I'm tired of your games." Giles tightened his grip around Ethan's neck and squeezed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike stopped dead in his tracks. 'What the hell did that bint just call me?' He listened for the sounds of any movement coming towards him.

Elizabeth's heart fluttered. She felt him. She knew he was near, but why wasn't he answering her. "William?" She spoke out tentatively again.

Intrigued, Spike stepped into the chapel area. No one had called him that name in about over a century. The woman he saw illuminated by the moonlight looked nothing like the Slayer he'd fought in the school. Although the beauty of the Slayer when she fought was radiant, the woman before him glowed with another kind of beauty, elegance, and grace.

"Whoever you are, show yourself." Elizabeth started to get even more nervous. She fiddled with the fan in her hands. With a flick of her wrist it opened, and she fanned it rapidly in front of her face.

Spike walked further into the chapel to stand in a large beam of moonlight. He tilted his head to the side while he regarded Buffy. The gown was obviously something from his era. 'Why would the Slayer wear something like that?' He looked closer at her attire. His fingers itched to run through the curls framing her face. 'I'll be damned even more if that isn't a wedding dress.'

"Don't just stand there." Elizabeth nibbled on her lower lip in nervousness. "Please say something." She raised her fan up to her face. Only her eyes peeked over the top of the fan to look at "William". He was everything that she'd imagined her fiancé would be. He looked so regal and handsome. His cheekbones made his face seem like it was chiseled out of marble.

"What would you like me to say, pet?" Spike smirked.

'Oh for the love of God that voice,' Elizabeth thought to herself. She nearly swooned at the sound of his voice. She gathered her courage, moved closer to the man in the moonlight, and strengthened her resolve. "How about telling me why I woke up with no memories and no fiancé by my side?"

"How should I know about that?" Spike looked a bit chuffed at the Slayer's questions. "I wasn't there when you got out of bed this morning."

"Oh my!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Of course you weren't, William. That would be improper before our wedding day." She slapped Spike on the chest with her closed fan. "I meant where were you when I came back from fainting. All I saw were these strange people and creatures, with no sign of my fiancé."

"So that is a wedding dress then, pet?"

"Of course it is a wedding dress, William!" Elizabeth huffed in frustration. "What else would I wear for you on our wedding day?"

"Our wedding day," Spike choked. "Are you off your rocker, Slayer?"

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "You don't want me anymore, William? After everything else I've suffered tonight to find you, you don't want me?" She plopped down in a nearby pew in a very unladylike fashion. "And don't call me Slayer. I don't know who that is."

"Fraid you do, pet." Spike sat down on the pew next to Buffy. He pointed to her stomach. "You feeling a bit tingly in the nether regions?"

Elizabeth blushed. "William!" She grabbed her stomach. "Those are wedding day jitters, and we should not be talking about my nether regions right now."

In an uncharacteristic reaction, Spike drew both of Buffy's hands into hers. "What is your Christian name?"

"Elizabeth Evelyn Winters, but you should know that." Elizabeth stared at William in confusion. This day kept getting more bizarre. People she didn't recognize thought she knew them. Then one person she knew didn't seem to know her. "When will this nightmare end?" She buried her face in her hands and wept.

"I don't want to be your nightmare, pet." Spike lifted Buffy's chin with his fingertips. "Though I might have been a nightmare of yours at one time, I don't want that any more."

Elizabeth raised her tear stained face to look at the man she believed was her fiancé. "William, please explain this to me. Make all this confusion go away." She slid across the last bit of distance between them and buried her face in his chest. She sought the protection of his embrace to make everything right again.

"I think there are a few things you should know, including the fact that I am going to make you mine." Spike ran his fingers through the somewhat tangled curls on Elizabeth's head.

"It's all I've wanted from the moment I met you." Elizabeth sniffled and muttered into his duster. "Forgive my forwardness, but we were supposed to be married today. In my memory you've always stirred something in me that wants you and needs you."

"There's a story that I need to tell you about us before I can go through with a binding and claiming." Spike inhaled a deep unnecessary breath before he old the woman before him all about herself, demons, Slayers, and more. He told her about a binding ritual that would link them together because he believed the origins of his vampire demon and her Slayer calling were closely related.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You never should have left me, Ripper." Ethan choked out. "You don't belong with these children." He tried to sway his one time lover back to his side of the fence. "They can't give you what I can."

"The only thing you can give me is the means to break this harmful spell you've cast." Giles tried not to let Ethan's words affect him. Although he was furious with the worshipper of chaos, he wasn't entirely unfeeling when it came to Ethan. He forced himself to be strong. The only way to make Ethan break was to berate his feelings. "You are nothing to me otherwise, Ethan Rayne. You were just a stepping stone to bring me back to my proper path."

Ethan gasped in shock. His eyes turned steely and cold. "Then you can go to hell, Watcher." The word Watcher came out of Ethan's mouth with a disgusted sneer. "You'll get nothing from me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy's attention wandered away from Spike's preparations. She'd absorbed a lot of information in the last half hour. He explained to her what true century she was living in and about her calling. It all sounded so odd and far-fetched. For being her supposed enemy, William seemed to know an awful lot about Slayers that had nothing to do with fighting. She couldn't believe that he'd actually started off trying to kill her when he arrived in the town.

Originally Spike patiently waited for everything he told Elizabeth to sink into her brain. He'd even told her that the tingling sensation she felt in his presence was due to him being a vampire.

Even though Elizabeth ran away from Angel when his vampiric visage emerged, she showed no fear at the knowledge of Spike's undead state. He'd also changed faces to show her exactly all that he was. After a shriek of fear, Elizabeth calmed back down enough to trace William's ridged brow and fangs carefully.

Angel's voice sounded hard, cold, demanding and angry to Elizabeth. William's voice was comforting, patient, accepting, and nearly tender. Even when he looked like a vampire, her thoughts did not waiver from completing the ceremonies William told her about.

Spike saw Buffy's mind wandering away from the task at hand. He needed her focus to be on him and every word spoken, or action performed, during the ceremony. He was positive that his thoughts about the Slayer being part demon were factual, but he needed Elizabeth to know and accept each part of the ceremony. If he was right about the Slayer's demon, it wouldn't matter if her present mind didn't remember her past. The demon would still be there under the surface to accept or refute the ceremony. The demon would be influenced by Elizabeth's current state though, which put things more in his favor.

Elizabeth found that she felt safer with William, who she found also called himself Spike, than with Angel. A part of her told her mind that she should probably wait to do the ceremony. Most of her mind, heart and soul told her that this was what she needed to do. It said that she would be safer after doing the ceremony, safer from something that she didn't realize she should fear yet.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Spike asked Elizabeth again. His demon was chomping at the bit to emerge and take what he wanted. His former poetic side wanted to be sure he wouldn't be rejected later. He'd faced enough rejection for an unlifetime of lifetimes.

"All I could think about from the moment I found myself lost was that I had to get back to you, William." Buffy cupped Spike's cheek in the palm of her hand. She caressed the sharp angles of his cheekbone with the tip of her thumb. "I had to find you, or I thought I would die inside."

"You won't be able to change this if you ever come back to your Slayer mind again, pet." Spike reiterated while he clasped Buffy's left hand in his left hand, facing each other. "You'll be linked to me, and after the claim you will belong to me. That git of a Sire of mine will never touch you again, or I'll kill him."

"I don't care, William." Buffy tightened her hand in William's grasp. "Whatever I think as this Slayer you talk about, I don't know why she would reject you when you are all I remember. You have to have meant something to her too, and do you realize how crazy this all sounds?"

Spike chuckled. "Everything will be perfectly clear soon, luv. You'll know exactly what we are to each other." He unclasped the heavy silver rope style chain from around his neck. "This should be long enough." His necklace was the best and safest item to use as a handfasting cord for the ceremony.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Angel," Willow tried to get the dark vampire's attention with her voice. She grew increasingly frustrated at not being able to touch anything.

For the last couple hours the Scooby group searched the various churches they found. They spent a great deal of time rescuing people and subduing others. It wasted a lot of time, but they had to be careful.

Each of them, except Xander, was leery of killing one of the "demons" because it could be a costume converted human. None of them were able to figure out who the real monsters were. Even Angel's senses were all screwed up because of Ethan's spell. Humans who were turned into their demonic costumes still felt like demons to him.

Willow stepped into Angel's path a few feet in front of him. "Angel, look," She pointed at the cluster of demon's around a church.

"Hello, that can't be a good sign," Cordelia added in her two cents worth. "I wonder what they have cornered in there."

"Most of the attacks so far were chaotic." Xander observed, "Those guys there seem pretty organized towards one purpose."

Angel inhaled the night air deeply. The breeze tasted of magic. "I can't smell Buffy, but my instincts say that she's in there."

"Then we need to make a plan to get those demons away from the church." Xander pulled out a little notebook from his breast pocket. "We have four of us. That is plenty of people to create a diversion and get inside."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is going to hurt some pet, but you will heal quickly." Spike lifted Buffy's wrist to his mouth, his fangs slipped from his gums, and he slit her wrist in a thin line parallel to the bottom of her palm.

Elizabeth yelped in pain, but the pain quickly disappeared. She watched the blood bead and trickle from the cut with fascination. She found herself entranced while she watched William repeat the same actions to his own wrist.

Spike clasped just above Buffy's left wrist with his left hand. Both bleeding wrists fit snug against each other, and he wrapped the silver chain around their joined wrists and then criss-crossed over each of their hands. The words of an ancient language flowed from his fanged mouth without conscious thought.

Elizabeth gripped William's wrist tighter when hers started to ache and pulse with prickles of an icy cold nature. She nearly panicked after she looked down to find their hands glowing silver around hers and gold around William's. "William ... William ..." She tried to get William's attention.

Spike kept chanting from the depths of his being. His demon fully emerged and roared out in release. He felt like his heart was beating and being ripped from his body. Were it not for their joined hands, and the increasingly stronger grip of the Slayer, he would have fallen over.

"Will ..." Elizabeth's voice trailed off from the refined tones of the gentry to a guttural growling language that matched the one Spike continued to speak. The Slayer's eyes flashed silver with her natural green as a ring around them, and she seemed to pick up where Spike's chanting had now stopped.

Vampire and Slayer gripped each other's hands harder, digging their nails into the other one's flesh. Gold and silver light splashed together to combine into another light that crawled up their joined wrists to consume their entire bodies. The chanting grew louder, more feral, and ultimately took over both creatures in the chapel who chanted jointly again.

Buffy called out "One Body".

Spike called out "One Soul".

Simultaneously they screamed, "Whole"!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ethan Rayne laughed roughly after he told Giles how to break the spell. He'd felt the crackle of a stronger and ancient magic snap into place between the warring powers in Sunnydale. 'Ripper will never have her back as the innocent little Slayer that she might have been before tonight. I'm surprised that she bound herself to him though.'

"You have no idea what's begun, Ripper." Ethan rested on his side and clutched his ribs. "You can't stop it, and I warn you not to try. If you don't accept it, you'll lose her completely." He taunted.

Giles smashed the statue of Janus on the ground. "What are you ..." His voice faltered when he turned around to face an empty floor. He groaned.

Ethan was a bit off his rocker. Was he simply trying to put Giles off balance about which way it was, or was it more than that? When Ethan Rayne was around, no good could come of it. He was certain this was not the last he'd be seeing of Ethan in the near future. "Knowing Ethan, I must be prepared for anything."

A sinister laugh echoed around the back room. "You'll never be prepared for what's to come, Ripper. It's far beyond what I've done." The echo trailed off into nothingness once more.

"Oh dear."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow ran through the church's walls in search of Buffy. While Angel and Xander subdued the trick-or-treaters outside, Cordelia pushed against the door to get in. The door wouldn't open or budge for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was Buffy, the vampire slayer, whose eyes searched out the truth and depths of Spike's gaze. Although the spell was still in place for the moment, the ritual brought the Slayer side of her forth enough to break through the enchantment surrounding the dress. "Spike?"

Spike growled deep and low in his throat. "Slayer?" He held Buffy's wrist securely to keep her from backing away.

"What ... How ..." Buffy felt a connection to Spike. Being this close to him, she actually felt a warmth or peace surrounding her that seemed to satiate even her need to fight him. 'Why isn't my Slayer side going all stake happy on Spike?'

"I know you felt it just as much as I did, pet. You can't deny it." Spike backed Buffy up against the back of one of the pews. He pressed his body along the length of hers. The hardness of his cock was unmistakably felt by Buffy.

Buffy gasped in shock. 'Oh my god! Is that his ... Oh my!' Her hand started to tremble, but she made no move to get away from him.

"You accepted, Slayer, and now you are going to be completely mine." Spike's voice was firm, but there was no sinister hint in the tone, only determination. He jerked their joined hands to bounce Buffy's body against his and bring her lips closer.

Buffy raised her free hand to cup his cheek and caress it. She knew she surprised him with the gesture. She drew his face down to hers where her warm lips awaited his touch.

Spike ran free hand through Buffy's hair. He fingered one of the ivory combs in her hair. His lips touched Buffy's, and their kiss instantly deepened into something more passionate than either expected.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow gaped at the couple in the chapel. "Buffy, it's a spell!" She called out to her best friend. When both Spike and Buffy seemed to ignore her, she ran back through the walls of the church to get the rest of the gang.

"Angel!" Willow tugged on Angel's arm. She was surprised that she actually touched him. She noticed the little demons all seemed to be back to little children. Before she was able to say another word, she vanished.

Angel turned around in search of Willow. Instead of Willow, he saw Cordelia standing on the outside of the church still.

Xander stared blankly at Angel. "Merciful Zeus, what was that?" His gun was toy gun again, and he knew exactly who he was. "Where's Willow?"

"I don't know, but we have to get into the church." Angel ran over to the door.

"It wouldn't budge for me," Cordelia stated dryly.

"The spell is over." Angel pushed ahead of Cordy and opened the door. "Something about it must have been keeping you out of there as well as being responsible for the transformations."

Cordelia shrugged and followed Xander and Angel inside.

Angel was the first to see the embracing couple inside, and his demon came to the surface in an instant. He growled, ran at the pair, and knocked Spike forcefully away from Buffy's throat.

Buffy cried out in pain when Spike's fangs were ripped from her neck. Her hand still had the silver necklace in it, and she raised that hand to her neck to try to stop the bleeding. The necklace flashed briefly and the wound instantly sealed itself.

Spike snarled and rolled around on the ground with Angel in a battle of fists and fangs. He kneed Angel in the chest and pushed the older vampire off his body with his feet.

"Angel," Buffy called out and ran over to the vampire after he hit the wall. She turned towards the shadows, searching for Spike. She couldn't see him, but she felt his presence strongly. She knew he was still in the church.

"Where did he go?" Angel held the back of his head.

"He isn't here anymore," Buffy answered. She tucked the necklace into the top of her dress quickly before she hoped anyone noticed it.

"Are you sure? It still feels like ..."

Buffy cut Angel off, "I'm positive. He's gone." She pulled Angel up off the floor. "Let's get out of here."

Angel looked disbelievingly at Buffy. He knew his Childe was still in the building. Why was Buffy covering for Spike? He wrapped Buffy's hand onto his arm and escorted her out, despite the unmistakable growl that echoed around them.

Angel, Xander, Cordelia and Buffy walked out of the church. While the others rambled on about the events of the evening, Buffy remained quiet. She looked back once more at the church. She swore that she saw Spike leaving it, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Angel just go home," Buffy sighed. Couldn't Angel get the hint that she didn't want him around? "I'm tired, and this has not been a good day. I just want to go to bed."

"If you are sure you're all right." Angel squeezed Buffy's arm gently. "You know where I am if you need me." He stood on the porch of Buffy's house with her.

Buffy nodded and shut the door. She pressed her back against the closed door, scooted down it, and crumbled herself to the floor with her head buried in her hands.

Angel listened to Buffy crying. He wished she would let him comfort her. With a heavy step he scuffed his way along the sidewalk and left the yard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a long hot shower, Buffy laid on her side in her bed. She felt so alone. She wept softly at first and then harder. The whole night's memories were a mass of confusion in her mind. One thing was clear though. She honestly thought William, aka Spike, was her fiancé. She sought him out specifically as the only name and man she remembered at the time. Why hadn't she remembered Angel? Wasn't he more special to her than Spike?

Buffy clutched the single ivory comb in her hand that was all that remained of her grandmother's set. She'd searched all around the areas she remembered being during the night without finding its mate. She set it on her nightstand.

The romantic side of Buffy wanted to believe that Spike ended up with the missing comb. She wanted him to have kept the comb as some sort of memorabilia for the brief time they shared before her reality crashed in on them.

Buffy tried to settle herself on her back. The cold metal against her bare skin reminded her of the silver rope chain she now wore. She fingered the cool metal.

'What did Spike say?' Buffy thought about the ceremony. 'Ah yes. He was going to bind our demons together and then claim me. Since when do I have a demon?' She sighed and continued to finger the silver chain with care. 'I don't think we finished it though.'

Buffy felt like there was an invisible string between her and wherever Spike was. It was pulled more tautly in the beginning than it was now. What did it all mean? She needed to find a way to research it without Giles knowing. She figured he would freak out if he knew what happened with Spike before the others arrived.

Buffy rubbed the fingertips of her one hand over her slightly swollen lips. If she closed her eyes she could imagine the feel of Spike's lips still against hers. She reveled in the memory of the best kiss she'd ever been given. Her core heated and tingled at the thought of his body that close to hers again.

The longer she thought about Spike and the different times they'd met, fought, kissed, or argued, the more worked up she got. In frustration she bent over the side of her bed and opened her nightstand. She removed a slender silver object from the drawer in the piece of furniture. "Looks like you and me are friends again tonight."

Buffy plopped back onto her back on her bed, ran the cylindrical object down her body, and finally twisted a dial to make it vibrate when she reached her aching and extended clit. "Oh gosh," She sighed. She stroked and twisted the vibrating toy around her clit. She alternated with short plunges of the toy into her heated channel.

Buffy's back arched off the bed. She pinched a nipple between the thumb and index finger of her free hand. She was lost in the sensations the toy caused as her mind wandered through all of the favorite fantasies her virginal mind came up with. When at last her body tensed completely, it was the image of a bleached blonde vampire with searching blue eyes thrusting into her heated core that sent her over the edge.

"Spike!" Buffy called out her release. She collapsed against the bed. Her body continued to quiver in tiny spasms of aftershocks. She fought to regain her composure and breath. She beat the back of her head against her pillow. "I'm a horrible Slayer. I call out my mortal enemy's name when I orgasm."

Buffy turned onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She dropped the toy back into the nightstand drawer without even looking at it or the drawer. As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts were still centered on Spike. She smiled devilishly when sleep claimed her, and her dreams began.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

'Oh no you aren't a bad Slayer,' Spike thought from his place at the bottom of the tree that reached to Buffy's window. 'You are the perfect kind of Slayer ... My Slayer.' He listened for a few minutes more until he was sure Buffy was asleep.

Spike strolled casually away from Buffy's house. He rubbed his fingertips over the ivory carvings of the comb in his pocket. He should have thrown it to the side after he left her, but he couldn't let it go. It was all he had to remind him that Elizabeth and the Slayer were his for a while.

Spike was certain that the Slayer felt the same attraction that Elizabeth did for him or the binding ceremony between their demons wouldn't have worked. It was simply a matter of Buffy's twisted knowledge of vampires getting in the way. He was no saint, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel. He'd felt and cared for Drusilla for a close to a century.

The only problem Spike now had was feeling too much. He never did anything half way, and there was no way he could kill her now. He wanted her as his Mate, and now he knew that somewhere deep inside her, Buffy wanted that too. The initial connection was formed with the Slayer's demon as a part of the whole woman that was Buffy Summers. He'd have to figure out how to reach that part of her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel kicked open the door to his apartment. "Stupid little girl," He growled. The silver chain wrapped around Spike and Buffy's wrists when she pulled away from Spike hadn't gone unnoticed by Angel. "She is going to end up dead." Verbally he told himself that was why he was upset, but mentally he knew that he was upset because Spike seemed to be closer to Buffy than he was.

"I have to find a way to get Spike out of town." Angel mused over what he could offer Spike to get him to give up on his Slayer quest. It dawned on him that Spike's main priority always used to be Drusilla. He knew his insane Childe was in town as well, and the demon grapevine told him that Drusilla was sick. "Maybe if I offer to help him make Dru well in some way, he will leave."

Angel plopped down on his bed with a delighted but sinister smile on his face. "I don't know what exactly he started, but I'll make damn sure he doesn't finish it."

Angel assumed that what happened with Spike was the only thing keeping Angel from Buffy. It still stung that Buffy pushed him out of her house after he walked her home. "Once he's gone, Buffy won't be able to refuse me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (6) Fairytales and Lies - Part 3
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Picks up from the episode "Lie to Me" and continues through to a confrontation between Angel and Buffy at the Bronze. Spike and Buffy both witness the exchange between Angel and Drusilla at the beginning of the episode. Drusilla tries to warn Angel of what is coming, but he won't listen. Ford arrives, and he attempts to integrate himself into Buffy's life.

Author's Note: Some dialogue was taken from the episode "Lie to Me", and some of the dialogue in scenes from the episode has been rewritten to fit the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

"Come on, Mom! She's always late." A young boy kicked his feet out from where he sat on a jungle gym. The sun set a long time ago, and everything around the school park was dark.

"Are you lost?" A deceptively soft voice called from the shadows. A dark haired woman, dressed in a very old fashioned white gown stepped from the shadows slowly.

"My mom's just supposed to pick me up is all." The boy scooted under the bars to the other side of the jungle gym. It kept the jungle gym between him and the strange woman.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" The dark woman moved closer to the jungle gym.

"No, thank you." A tendril of fear grew in the boy's mind. He was always nervous when his mother showed up late, and tonight he was getting scared. He watched the woman's every movement.

The woman wrapped black painted fingernails with white tips around one of the bars of the gym. "My mummy used to sing me to sleep at night." Her head tilted to the side, and tendrils of her long black hair floated onto her cheeks. She sang a few lines of a song in a whispery monotone voice. "Run and catch. The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch."

The boy moved around the jungle gym, entranced by the movements of her hands. Her voice had a hypnotic quality to it that lured him closer.

"She had the sweetest voice." The woman closed her darkly colored eyelids as if she remembered something from days gone by. She snapped back to the present, her eyes opened, and her eyes narrowed on the boy in front of her. "What will your Mummy sing when they find your body?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to people." The boy tried to back a way a little, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot.

"Oh. Well, I'm not a person, see? So that's just ..."

Angel ran in-between Drusilla and the young child that she taunted and stalked to make a meal out of. "Run home!" He ordered to the child. He waited to be sure the boy was gone before he turned to face the stalker.

Drusilla gaped at Angel, amazed and transfixed by his presence. "My Angel!"

Angel's eyes briefly traveled down Drusilla's torso, before he forced them back up to her face. "Hello, Drusilla."

Dru sauntered closer to Angel. Her dark fingernails trailed down the white of her dress that was tinted a light blue in the moonlight. Each step she took was more deliberate in her attempt to be innocently seductive. "Do you remember the song Mummy used to sing me? Pretty."

Angel gulped. Buffy usually patrolled this area during the night. He wasn't sure if she'd already been through or not, and he really didn't want to be caught with Drusilla. "I remember." He wasn't ready to explain Drusilla to Buffy. No matter how trapped his demon felt behind the soul, he still hungered for the woman before him. Buffy would never be able to touch the part of him that Drusilla could.

"Yes, you do." A light seemed to fade in Dru's eyes.

Angel broke the spell of memories. "Drusilla, leave here." He tried to reign in the demon's needs. He wanted to use his Sire voice on her, but it wouldn't come out. Dru's Sire really didn't want her to leave. "I'm offering you that chance. Take Spike and get out."

"Or you'll hurt me?" Drusilla grinned. She knew her Angelus was still inside the body before her somewhere. 'Oh yes my lovely Angel is still in there.' She delighted in the guilty look that crossed over Angel's face.

Angel looked down. He closed his eyes and licked his lips repeatedly. 'Why am I fighting my nature? For Buffy? Because of the soul?'

"No. No, you can't. Not any more."

Angel continued to talk without looking up. He thought maybe that would make it easier to say the words he rushed to say. "If you don't leave, it'll go badly ... for all of us." He made the mistake of seeking out her face again.

"My dear boy's gone all away, hasn't he? To her."

"Who?"

"The girl. The Slayer." Dru ran her hand up Angel's chest, wrapping it in the lapels of his jacket. "Your heart stinks of her, but it won't do you any good. She's already lost to you."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dru." Angel had enough problems with Buffy without Dru trying to get to the Slayer first. He needed Spike gone, and the only way Spike would leave was if Dru did too.

Dru tutted a sound from her lips, and she stepped closer. Only a couple inches separated her face from his. "Poor little thing. She has no idea what's in store for her."

"This can't go on, Drusilla." Angel placed his hand over Dru's. The coldness of her touch would have made most people drop the hand, but to Angel it was like a warmth that no human could match. Her touch was familiar, craved, and remembered. "It's gotta end." He sighed out the last few words. His heart would have raced, if it could still beat, and his chest heaved from the unnecessary breaths he took.

"Oh, no, my pet." Drusilla lifted her face right up to Angel's lips. Her lips took a detour to his ear without touching him. "This is just the beginning."

Angel almost pulled Dru back to him when she started to walk away from him sideways. His hand started to reach out for hers as it left his chest to fall back down to her side.

Drusilla walked away without ever taking her eyes off of Angel, until she could no longer see him with her vampiric sight. She headed off in the direction of the mansion. She needed to scold Spike for trying to keep Angel's presence from her.

Angel gulped hard. He forced himself to turn, look away then walk away from the woman that he still loved with some part of his undead heart. His demon roared within at Angel's betrayal of the woman he sired.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy watched everything unfold between Angel and Drusilla from a nearby rooftop of one of the schools. The dark beauty of the woman transfixed her, but she had no idea who the woman was. The tingles at the pit of her stomach were familiar though.

Ever since the binding in the church, Buffy had honed the tingles to help tell her if Spike was near. This woman felt almost like a family member to her; like Spike, but not. She hadn't read about any Childer that Spike created in the books in Giles' collection. 'Who is she?'

Buffy's anger grew at how attached it seemed Angel was to the woman. 'After all the lectures he's been giving me lately about vampires, souls, and good versus evil? Hypocrite.' She huffed. She knew this woman was a vampire. She vowed to find out who the woman was, and why she felt similar to Spike. It was hard enough to be away from Spike. She wasn't about to let another woman stand in her way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike tossed his cigarette to the ground. He ground out the last red embers beneath his boot. He pushed off from the wall he rested against just below where Buffy was up on the roof.

Spike sensed Buffy's tumultuous mood. He could tell she wasn't pleased about what she was seeing. To tell the truth, he wasn't too pleased about it either. He'd long since given up on winning Dru's affections, but Dru and Angelus together were not a good combination.

If Drusilla suspected anything between Buffy and Spike, he had a feeling that her sharing that bit of information with Angel would not be good for him. 'Even with him all soul having, I'm sure he wouldn't like it. Stupid git wants what should be mine ... again.'

Spike waited until he felt Angel and Drusilla were far enough away from him. He then lingered long enough to be sure what direction Buffy headed off to. "Not this time, you pillock." He sneered, "Not this time." He headed off in the same direction Buffy did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rupert Giles watched Jenny Calendar walk away from him. He smiled at Buffy, who arrived shortly afterwards, and they both headed to the library. "Hello. Did we hunt last night?" He kept his voice low enough not to alarm anyone who walked around them.

"I did a couple of quick sweeps downtown," Buffy answered distantly. Her mind was elsewhere. She needed to find more of Giles' hidden books. Somewhere, she would find the information she needed to continue her search for the woman from last night and Spike's interest in her from Halloween.

"Any encounters?"

"Nothing vampirey," Buffy lied. There was no need to worry Giles about any other mysterious vampires in her life. He already watched her too closely after the whole "costume" incident. God only knew what Angel told him about that evening.

"I've been researching your friend Spike. The profile is fairly unappetizing," Giles stated matter-of-factly in true Council fashion. "I still haven't got a lead on why he's here."

"You'll figure it out." Buffy twisted her hands in front of her chest. 'I so hope he doesn't figure it all out, especially not before I do.'

"You all right?" Giles turned his head to look at Buffy. "You seem a little glum."

"I'm fine."

Giles stopped at the entrance to the library. "Why don't you take the night off?" Apart from Spike's presence things were quiet on the Hellmouth lately. He knew that Buffy needed to be able to spend time with her friends and relax. She always seemed a lot more refreshed after a night out with them.

"Okay. That'd be nice." Buffy smiled warmly. 'If Giles isn't expecting me to be out patrolling, I can spend more time looking around without a Watcher curfew to report in.'

"You could spend some time with Angel." Giles was unaware of the impact his words had on Buffy.

"I don't know." Buffy frowned. "He might have other plans. He seems busy with other things lately." She turned abruptly and walked off to class.

Giles stared after Buffy a bit bewildered. As far as he was aware, Angel was still the main male interest in her life. Although he didn't approve of the match, there were worse things than having a souled vampire watching out for her. "How odd?" He muttered out loud.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow and Buffy sat in their literature class next to each other. They passed notes back and forth with questions and answers about the woman Buffy saw last night.

Willow was worried about her friend. She lost a lot of her perkiness since Halloween. If she really thought about it, she would have realized that Buffy hadn't been the same for a couple months since Spike arrived in Sunnydale. She knew her friend was hiding something from her. Despite her best efforts Buffy wouldn't share whatever it was that was bothering her.

Buffy sighed at the end of class and entered the hallway. "I don't know if she was a vampire. I don't think so." She hated lying to her friends, but they wouldn't understand why she felt the pull from the woman to her. "They seemed pretty friendly with each other."

"Who's friendly?" Xander piped in behind Willow and Buffy.

"No one!" Buffy rolled her eyes. Xander butting his opinions into the mix was the last thing she needed right now.

"Angel and a girl," Willow tossed back to Xander.

"Do we have to be in total share mode?" Buffy huffed. She should have known that Willow wouldn't keep anything to herself. Sometimes the young genuis' attraction to Xander was annoying. It was one of the reasons Buffy hadn't shared everything about her current predicament with the redhead.

"Hey, it's me! If Angel's doing something wrong, I wanna know." Xander punctuated each word with two fingers motioning from Buffy to the ground. "'Cause it gives me a happy." Anything that put Angel in a bag light made Xander happy. Even if Buffy never looked at him like a boyfriend, he was still jealous of anyone who garnered Buffy's attention that way.

"I'm glad someone has a happy." Buffy looked up into Xander's smiling face. 'What would it take to wipe that grin right off his face?'

"Oh, you just need cheering up." Xander, Buffy and Willow walked up into a mezzanine sitting area near the window. "I know just the thing. Crazed dance party at the Bronze."

"I don't know." Buffy briefly basked in the sunshine coming through the window. She remembered Spike forcing his way into the school through this very window a couple months ago. 'You can't even tell that he was ever here.'

"Very calm dance party at the Bronze?" Xander moved his arms back and forth a little slower as he made his way to sit next to Willow on the couch. "Moping at the Bronze?" Buffy's moods frustrated him. 'If Angel makes her so depressed, why does she still try to go out with him?'

A new male voice snuck up on the group. "I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that." A slightly taller teenager walked up behind Buffy with his hands in his pockets.

Buffy twirled around to face the new addition with an ecstatic look on her face. All of her worries evaporated in that moment. "Ford?"

"Hey, Summers." Ford wrapped his arms around Buffy and hugged her tightly. He patted her back. "How you been?"

"Oh, my God! What are you doing here?" Buffy squeezed the reminder that she had a happier past before Sunnydale and slaying.

"Matriculating."

"Huh?" Buffy's mind was confused, and it didn't register exactly what Ford meant. Besides that, a little of her less than stellar high school education showed through.

"I'm finishing my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred." Ford held both of Buffy's hands in his.

"This is great!" This was the first good news Buffy had in weeks.

Xander tapped his hand on his leg. 'Sure, we can't get her to cheer up, but one look at whoever that guy is and we don't exist!' Even his thoughts grumbled out his jealousy.

"Do you think so?" Ford played off his nervousness by acting coy and shy. He had a job to do here, and he couldn't afford to screw it up. "I didn't think you'd remember me."

"Remember you? Duh!" Buffy wanted to slap Ford upside the head. She never heard anything so foolish. "We only went to school together for seven years! You were my giant fifth grade crush."

Willow looked at the pair of old friends with a smile. As long as Buffy was happy, she was happy for her. Xander, not able to stand being ignored any longer, opened his mouth, "So ... you two know each other?"

"Oh, um ... Sorry. This is Ford." Buffy motioned from Ford to Xander and Willow. "Billy Fordham, this is Xander and Willow."

"Hi," Xander ground out.

"Hey," Ford responded.

"Nice to meet you," Willow added in her perky flavorful tone.

"Ford and I went to Hemery together in L.A." Buffy and Ford sat down next to each other on a couch opposite of Xander and Willow. She tucked her skirt underneath her and crossed her legs. "And now you're here? For real?"

"Dad got the transfer and ... Boom!" Ford shrugged his shoulders. "He dragged me out of Hemery and put me here."

"So you two were sweeties in fifth grade?" Willow loved getting the gossip and dirt on Buffy's former life. She rarely talked about her early days as the Slayer or her pre-slaying life.

"Not even!" Buffy rolled her eyes and huffed at Ford. "Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth-grader," Ford teased. "Couldn't be bothered with a girl that young." He continued his taunt.

"It was terrible. I moped over you for months." Buffy pouted, "Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyl's song "I Touch Myself"." She gulped nervously and looked at her Sunnydale friends. "Of course I had no idea what it was about!"

Ford and Xander both shared a look of yeah right, and Willow stared off in the distance with a lost smile on her face.

"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Buffy quickly changed the subject. "We're going to the Bronze. It's the local club, and you have to come."

"I'd love to, but if you guys already have plans, would I be imposing?" Ford asked Willow and Xander.

"Oh, only in the literal sense," Xander's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay, then." Ford stood up to leave. "I gotta find the admissions office to make sure my transfer's in order."

Buffy stood up next to Ford. "I'll take you there, and I'll see you guys in French." She wrapped her hand on his Ford's arm.

"It's good to meet you." Ford walked with Buffy down the stairs.

Xander's fake grin disappeared the moment Buffy and Ford were out of view. "This is Ford, my bestest friend of all my friends." He rolled his eyes. "Jeez, doesn't she know any fat guys?"

Willow's eyes bulged with recognition and knowledge. "Oh, that's what that song is about?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Bronze was alive and hopping with teenagers and college-aged students. As soon as Buffy entered the main area of the club near the pool tables, she felt the music vibrate through her very being. She walked over to the pool table where Willow, Xander and Ford were playing. "Hey, you made it," She spoke to Ford.

"It wasn't hard to find."

Willow giggled. "Buffy, Ford was telling us about the ninth-grade beauty contest and the swimsuit competition." She loved having some tasty dirt on her friend that showed she was just like the rest of them.

"Oh my gosh, Ford, stop!" Buffy glared at Ford half in mocking jest and half in seriousness. "The more people you tell, the more people I have to kill." She leaned against the pool table more heavily.

"You can't touch me, Summers." Ford lined up his pool cue for the next shot. "I know all your darkest secrets."

"Care to make a small wager on that?" Xander teased. He felt vindicated that he knew at least one thing about Buffy that her former friend didn't.

"I'm gonna get a drink." Buffy placed her hand over Xander's. The testosterone levels were rising quickly, and she knew what the tone in Xander's voice meant. "Ford, try not to talk." She walked over to the bar.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So you think you know everything there is to know about Buffy?" Xander waited for his turn to shoot.

Willow gave Xander a look of warning. She was positive Buffy would be upset with Xander if he started a fight with Ford.

"I'm positive." Ford missed his shot. He pressed his fingers to his temples. He rubbed small circles on each side of his head in an attempt to alleviate the pain. "She's quite an amazing woman."

"Don't be so sure of that." Xander sunk the intended pool ball.

"She's not an amazing woman?" Ford questioned. 'What kind of friends did Buffy have in Sunnydale?' He wondered to himself. 'Probably ones that aren't planning on exchanging her life for theirs,' His mind answered him.

"Oh she's amazing all right." Xander sunk another ball swiftly. "She has many hidden talents."

"Xander," Willow warned. She turned to Ford. "We just love Buffy a lot, and we don't want to see her get hurt."

"I'd never hurt her," Ford answered a bit too quickly. 'At least I won't be the one that hurts her physically. I have to think that she would do the same thing if our situations were reversed.'

"Good then, we're all okay with everything." Willow pulled Xander up to stand next to her after he missed sending the third ball into the corner pocket. "Right, Xander?"

"Whatever, Wills." Xander stepped back for Ford to take his turn. "So long as Buffy is happy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel stood up next to the bar after Buffy approached it. He looked down at her, drink in hand. "Hey. I was hoping you'd show here tonight." He smiled warmly at her. "I wanted to see you."

"You could have seen me last night." Buffy glared at Angel. "What happened to you? I thought we were going to patrol together?"

"I decided to stay home instead," Angel lied. He rather hoped that his checkered and brutal past would not be a subject he needed to air out with Buffy. He really wasn't in the mood to explain Drusilla to her yet either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That's Angel." Willow noticed Buffy and Angel at the bar a few feet from them.

Xander powdered the tip of his pool cue. "He's Buffy's beau. Her special friend," He taunted Ford.

"He's not in school right? He looks older than her." Ford glanced back and forth from Xander to the scene at the bar.

"You're not wrong." Xander picked up all the balls from the end of the table to rack them back up for another game of pool.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What did you do last night?" Buffy questioned Angel further. She knew he was lying to her, but she was curious how far he'd take the lie.

"Nothing." Angel shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing at all? You ceased to exist?" Buffy inwardly raged. 'Of all the pompous ways to act. Does he really think I'm that stupid?'

"No, I mean I stayed in ... read." Angel looked away quickly then back at Buffy. What was she hinting at? She seemed to be fishing for information. Did she realize that he wasn't at home?

"Oh," Buffy's simple but soft response showed none of the fury that welled inside. 'How could he not know that a Slayer was near him? Some wise old vampire he is. I'm surprised he's lasted this long.'

Buffy forced herself to leave Angel's side. Angel followed right behind her. Her line of questioning made him uneasy. He needed to know why she was so curious about his activities last night.

"Didn't want that soda after all?" Ford smiled at Buffy.

"Not thirsty," Buffy felt Angel's presence behind her, but she refused to look back at him right away. It was Willow's greeting to Angel that forced her to turn around.

"Hi," Ford offered a polite greeting to the new guy. He needed to be sure of everyone involved in Buffy's life. The only way his plan would work was if he had everyone secured and away from Buffy at the right time.

"This is Ford." Buffy pointed over her shoulder at Ford. "We went to school together in Los Angeles."

"Nice to meet you." Angel stepped forward. He shook hands with Ford out of civility.

"Whoa." Ford pulled his hand back. "Cold hands."

"You're not wrong," Xander piped in from the sidelines.

Buffy glared at Xander.

"So, you're visiting Buffy?" Angel sized up the boy from head to toe. Something smelled off about him. There were various scents all over him, but something wasn't right.

"No, I'm actually here to stay." Ford and Buffy shared a familiar glance between them. "We've just moved down."

"Hey, Angel, do you wanna play?" Willow made her best effort to break some of the tension between all the males and Buffy.

Buffy's head snapped up at the tingling sensation of another presence on the fringes of proximity to her. "You know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight." She looked up at Angel and then Ford. "I'm a little hot. You wanna take a walk?"

"Um, sure. That'd be nice." Ford grinned. 'Excellent. He must not mean much to her despite Xander's efforts to tell me otherwise.'

"Okay, then," Buffy glanced at Angel and then over to Xander and Willow, "I'll see you tomorrow." She brushed past Angel quickly.

"Good night," Angel grumbled. 'What the Hell is going on here?'

"Take care," Ford tossed Angel's way as he slipped past him to follow Buffy out the door.

"Okay, once more with tension." Xander continued to powder the tip of his stick. A part of him delighted at the terse expression on Angel's face. Another part of him still felt the pain of being left out of Buffy's love life.

"He just moved here?" Angel questioned.

"Yeah, and boy does he move fast." Xander stared off into the distance.

Willow constantly shifted her weight from one foot to another while she stared at the ground. "Angel, we could still play." She looked up to find Angel no longer standing at the side of the table. "See you made him do that thing where he's gone."

Xander smirked and huffed. "Like I care if Angel stays." He readied his stick to make the break on the next game. He wished Angel and Ford would both disappear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A lone figure extinguished the cigarette he held in-between his fingertips, and he set down the empty beer bottle. He sauntered behind the two Scoobies playing pool. With a natural stealth, he disappeared into the alleyway behind the Bronze to follow Buffy and Ford from the shadows.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So that was your boyfriend?" Ford asked Buffy. The two of them walked down the alley behind the Bronze.

"No ... Uh yeah ... Maybe." Buffy sighed. What was Angel to her? "Can we lay off the tough questions?" She asked Ford for a bit of a reprieve over explaining Angel at the moment.

"Sorry." Ford shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, what else do you do for fun around here?"

A loud crash echoed into the alley from around the corner of the building. Buffy gripped Ford's shirt tightly. "My purse! I left my purse at the Bronze. Could you get it for me?" She asked in a bit of a panic. That noise sounded like a fight, and she had a good idea what kind of fight it was.

"Okay." Ford turned and started to walk back to the Bronze.

"Good. Run! Thanks." Buffy fidgeted. Once she was sure Ford was running back to the Bronze she took off around the corner.

A mixture of growls and sobbing stopped Ford's retreat. He headed back in the direction Buffy disappeared in. A crying girl ran past him before he reached the corner of the building. He slowly walked closer to investigate.

Ford ducked away from a flying trashcan. He watched Buffy kick and punch a vampire in the chest and face. 'Yes! This was just the opportunity I needed.' He edged closer to the fight. The vampire disappeared in a cloud of dust after a few more moves from Buffy. "Uh, what's going on?" He played up the innocent act.

"Um," Buffy stuttered. 'Shit! What am I going to say now?' She licked her lips. "There was a cat, and there was another cat. They fought, the cats, and then they left." She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. 'Smooth one there, Summers. You sound like a moron.'

"Oh, I thought you were slaying a vampire," Ford smiled with a frank tone.

"What? Whating a what?" Buffy's mouth opened wide. There was no way she heard him say what she thought she heard him say.

"I know, Buffy. You don't have to lie." Ford grinned at the ease with which he slipped into his well thought out speech. "I've been trying to figure out the right time to tell you. I know you're the Slayer."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Just like that, he told you?" Willow twirled the phone cord in-between her fingers.

"Just like that," Buffy answered over the phone. She sat on the island in her kitchen at home. "He found out right before I got booted from Hemery."

"Wow, it's neat." Willow tripped over whether or not she was saying the right thing to Buffy. "Isn't it neat?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Buffy smiled warmly. "I don't have to constantly worry he's going to find out my dark secret." She inwardly chuckled, 'Or at least not that dark secret.'

"I'm happy for you, Buffy. I hope this makes it easier for you this time." Willow offered her support. "If you want things to work out that is."

"I don't know." Buffy rubbed her wrist absentmindedly. "Ford is a great friend, but I'm not sure I really want a boyfriend right now. My life is kind of complicated." She whimpered softly through the burning pain in her heart and wrist. The pain reminded her of why she was lonely.

"Buffy ... Buffy, are you still there?"

Willow's voice pulled Buffy back into the realm of the present. "Yeah, I'm still here, Will." She choked on the loneliness she felt. "Sometimes I feel so lonely."

"I'm here for you, Buffy." Willow offered the support of a best friend. "I'll always support you."

"Thanks, Wills. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Buffy hung up after her friend said good-bye. "Some things you just can't help me with." She hopped off the island, returned the phone to its cradle, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Those would be the things that I'll help you with, Slayer." Spike's accented voice caressed the night from the other side of Buffy's back door. He stalked over to the tree that grew up to Buffy's window. He climbed halfway up, nestled himself against the trunk, and lit a cigarette. Tonight he would watch Buffy from his perch to make sure no one else came near her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"98 ... 99 ..." A knock at her balcony door stopped Willow mid-stroke. She walked over to the door and peeked out of the blinds. Her eyes widened in surprised. She opened the door. "Oh! Angel, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Angel leaned against the invisible barrier that kept uninvited vampires out of the homes of humans. He rested his hands on either side of the door frame.

"Oh ... Well ..." Willow backed up a couple steps away from the door. When Angel stood still, she asked him, "Well?"

"I can't. Unless you invite me, I can't come in." Angel tried to be patient and sound caring. How long had Willow been friends with Buffy? Surely she should remember the basics about vampires.

"Oh!" Willow slapped herself upside the head mentally. "Well, okay, I invite you to come in." She backed completely away from the door. She turned around, and she noticed her bra sitting on top of her bedspread. She quickly scooped it off the bed and hid it.

"If this is a bad time, I ..."

"No! I just ..." Willow stepped closer to Angel and whispered, "I'm not supposed to have boys in my room."

"I promise to behave myself." Willow's innocent attitude was endearing. He fought against letting loose the amused chuckle in his throat.

"Okay, good," Willow answered hastily.

"I guess I need help." Angel twisted the silver ring around on his finger several times.

"Help? You mean, like, on homework?" Willow's brow furrowed. "No, 'cause you're old, and you already know stuff."

"I want you to track someone down ... on the Net." Angel glanced at Willow's laptop.

Willow beamed. "Oh! Great! I'm so the Net girl." She was excited about helping Angel now.

Angel followed Willow over to the small desk next to her bed. "I just wanna find everything I can: records, affiliates ... I'm not even sure what I want to find."

"Great, what's the name?" Willow sat down.

"Billy Fordham," Angel's eyes never wavered from the screen as he spoke.

Willow froze. "Uh, Angel, if I say something you really don't want to hear, do you promise not to bite me?" She turned back around to face Angel.

"Are you gonna tell me that I'm jealous?" Angel knew he was angry over Buffy's brush off in the Bronze. He was also jealous of the look she got in her eyes when Spike's name was mentioned. Another boy in the mix would not work well with Angel's plans.

"Well, you do sometimes get that way." Willow only wanted to see Buffy happy. She hoped Angel wouldn't stand in the way of that happiness if Buffy chose Ford over him.

Angel shook his head back and forth. "You know, I never used to. Things used to be pretty simple." He lowered himself to sit on Willow's bed. "100 years ... just hanging out, feeling guilty really honed my brooding skills."

Willow typed away on her laptop while she listened to Angel. 'My gosh, he does brood doesn't he?' She thought to herself.

"Then she comes along." Angel sighed. "Yeah, I get jealous."

Willow turned around in her chair for a moment to offer her supportive friend face to Angel.

"But I know people, and my gut tells me this is a wrong guy."

"Okay." Willow faced her computer screen again and restarted her search for specifics on Ford. "But if there isn't anything weird ... Hey, that's weird." She frowned.

"What?" Angel sat up straighter behind Willow.

"I just checked the school records, and he's not in them." Willow punched in a couple more commands. "I mean, usually they transfer your grades, but he's not even registered."

Angel stood up next to Willow. He read the search page on the screen. "You said he was in school with you guys, right?"

"Let me see if I can ..." Willow was cut off by her mother's call from the hall. "Willow, are you still up?"

"Go!" Willow panicked. She pushed Angel towards the door. "Um, I'm just going to bed now, Mom!" She held the door open for Angel. "Come by tomorrow at sunset. I'll keep looking."

"Don't tell Buffy what we're doing." Angel evened his gaze on Willow. "If Buffy knows we're investigating her friend, she'll try to stop us. We have to find the truth to protect her."

"You want me to lie to her? It's Buffy!"

Angel sighed. Sometimes he wanted to strangle humans because of their ultimate sense of black and white. Why couldn't they see the gray areas? "Just don't bring it up till we know what's what."

"Okay, it's probably nothing anyways." Willow fidgeted.

"That'd be nice." Even if the words came out of his mouth, Angel refused to be satisfied with anything but the information he needed to remove Ford from Buffy's life.

Willow closed the door. She paced around her bedroom in her pink and gray bunny slippers for another 15 minutes before she was settled down enough to attempt going to bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (7) Fairytales and Lies - Part 4
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Picks up the day after the Bronze scene in the episode "Lie to Me" and continues through the end of it plus extra. Spike follows Buffy and Ford out into the night. Angel is suspicious of Buffy over her questions about the night before. He's also suspicious of Ford's presence in Buffy's life. Ford continues with his plans to sell out Buffy for immortality, but Spike isn't about to let anyone betray Buffy like that.

Author's Note: Some dialogue was taken from the episode "Lie to Me", and some of the dialogue in scenes from the episode has been rewritten to fit the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

After a nervous encounter with Willow in the morning, and an equally amusing encounter with Giles in the afternoon, Buffy and Ford left the school to catch some dinner and later tour Sunnydale. The day had flown by, and now it was well past sunset.

"And on your right, once again, the beautiful campus." Buffy and Ford strolled along in front of the high school. It was the origination point for her tour of Sunnydale, and it was where they ended up stopping the tour as well. "I think you've now seen everything there is to see in Sunnydale."

"Yeah, well it's really ..."

"Feel free to say dull." Buffy laughed.

"Okay, dull is good." Ford grinned. "Or maybe not so dull." He watched two figures race around the outside of the high school and up the stairs to the next level. "Is that more vampires?"

"It must be the weather." Buffy sighed. 'I can't get a single relaxing evening without some demon interfering.' She pulled her stake and a cross out of her jacket. She handed the cross to Ford. Ford surprised Buffy with the carefully carved stake he pulled from his pants pocket. "Stay close to me."

Ford nodded. He followed closely behind Buffy up the stairs. She stopped at the wire rack railing at the end of the walkway. "Maybe there were just passing through."

"I don't think so." Before Buffy was able to comment further, a blonde female vampire attacked her from behind. Buffy bashed her head back into the vampire's face, and she flipped the vampire over to the ground. The male vampire ran at Buffy, grabbed her arms, and flipped them both over the wire railing to the ground.

Ford pounced on the female vampire. He pushed the cross close to her face and raised his stake. "You've got one chance to live. Tell me what I wanna know, and I let you go." The vampiress panted and held her hands up in surrender.

Buffy finished dusting the male vampire. She ran back around and up the stairs to make sure Ford was all right. "Where's the other one?"

"I killed her." Ford faked a cough. "I killed her, and she just turned to dust. It was amazing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander, Willow and Angel investigated the only address she was able to locate in connection to Billy Fordham. Angel was the first to realize what the club was all about. The very idea of people worshipping vampires in such a way disgusted his very soul. He shared his opinions about the stupidity of the whole thing with Xander and Willow. Now the three of them knew that Ford was hiding something.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While the mismatched trio visited the club of vampire followers, another meeting took place at the school library. Buffy, Giles and Jenny emerged past the library doors together.

"Sorry to beep you guys in the middle of stuff, but it seemed really weird." Buffy removed her coat.

"No, you did the right thing. Absolutely," Giles chirped up quickly.

"You hated it that much?" Jenny questioned. She wished she could get Giles to lighten up a little bit. She wondered if it would kill him to cut loose once in a while.

"No, but vampires on campus could have implications. Very grave." Giles tried to cover up his uncomfortable panic over the date with Jenny.

"You could have just said something," Jenny patronized Giles.

"No, honestly, I've always been interested in monster trucks." Giles stuff his hands back into his pockets. Being a Watcher meant he needed to fit into a particular mold. If these people had only known him in his younger days, they would be quite surprised to see just how "loose" he was.

"You took him to monster trucks?" Buffy nearly fell off the table in shock. Nothing about Giles screamed take me to monster trucks.

"I thought it would be a change."

"It was a change," Giles cleared his throat, and Buffy turned her face away before she laughed.

"We could have just left."

"And miss the nitro-burning funny cars? Couldn't have that," The sarcasm dripped from Giles' lips.

Buffy derailed further arguments about Giles' date, "Okay, can we get can we get back on the vampire tip here? These guys were here with a purpose."

"Yes, and we must ascertain what that purpose is." Giles walked over to a collection of books sprawled over a couple tables in the library.

"Where's your friend?" Jenny asked curiously.

"I sent him home," Buffy answered.

"Good," Giles sat down, "The less he's involved in all this, the safer he'll be."

"He did bag a vamp his first time out." Giles removed a book from a pile in front of Buffy. "Gotta give him credit for ... that." A tintype of a woman caught Buffy's attention on top of the remaining books. She picked it up.

"Something wrong?" Jenny noticed the look in Buffy's eyes. She saw a glint of recognition and anger at the picture.

"Who's this?" She stared into the eyes of the woman she'd seen with Angel the night before.

"She's called Drusilla." Giles removed his glasses. "A sometime paramour of Spike's. She was killed by an angry mob in Prague."

"Well, they don't make angry mobs like they used to, 'cause this girl's alive." Buffy frowned. "I saw her with Angel."

"Angel?" Giles interest perked up.

"Isn't he supposed to be a good guy?" Jenny added her unwanted two cents worth to the conversation.

"Yeah, he is." Buffy gripped the picture tighter. The edges of the tintype started to bend up. 'Paramour? That better not mean what I think it means.'

"I think we need to read up on this nice lady." Jenny watched Buffy's body language shift and darken. Something was going on with the Slayer.

Giles snatched the tintype from Buffy's hand before Buffy destroyed it. He stood up and headed for his office. "Well, some of my newer volumes may be more helpful. My own research has ..." He was interrupted by the blonde female vampire from earlier in the evening knocking Giles into Buffy on her way out of his office.

Buffy and Giles hit the floor. The vampire hurdled over the railing to the second level and disappeared out the back way of the library. Jenny rushed over to help Buffy and Giles get back on their feet.

"A book!" Giles was appalled that one of his treasured volumes was now in the hands of a vampire. "It took one of my books."

"He said he killed it." Buffy's confusion over the evening's events heightened. Why was that vampire still alive? "That's the vampire Ford said he killed." Was everyone lying to her now?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the factory Spike confronted Dru about her midnight wanderings a couple nights prior. "I heard an interesting thing just now." He played it off as one of the minions keeping him informed instead of knowing first hand where she was. "Lucius tells me you went out on the hunt the other night."

"My tummy was growly and you were gone." Dru turned to face Spike, the dead bird in the cage, she was paying attention to, forgotten for the moment. "You're always gone these days, Spike."

"Being the Master of the Hellmouth requires my presence to be known." Spike covered up for himself. "So, you meet anyone interesting while you were out? Say, Angel?"

"Angel," Dru purred. "Daddy was all a flutter. He doesn't know that his sunshine has gone all away."

"Yeah." Spike kissed Dru's forehead. Either the girl was completely barmy, or she was getting on his nerves. "What might you guys have talked about then?" He circled around Dru. "Old times? Childhood pranks?"

Dru ignored Spike's attentions once more. She poked a finger at the dead bird in the cage. She was smarter and saner than everyone thought. She knew how to get under Spike's skin and annoy him. She needed the entertainment after being cooped up in the factory all the time. She needed to be healed, but she had a different purpose for being in Sunnydale now.

"It's a little off, you two so friendly like, especially with him being the enemy." Spike wanted to keep Dru and Angel as far away from each other as possible. He tried logical reasoning to get Dru to listen to him.

Dru twirled around to face Spike. She waggled a finger in his face. "No more off than you and the Slayer being all friendly." Her eyes narrowed. "I can see her Spike, all around you. She'll be the death of us. She'll be the end for your princess."

Before Spike was able to answer a male voice interrupted his train of thought. "This is so cool. I would totally live here." Ford walked into the factory as if he had no care or concern for his well-being.

"Do I have anyone on watch here?" Spike wasn't a fan of surprises. He recognized the boy's scent, and he picked up on the traces of Buffy's scent mingled in underneath. "It's called security people. Are you all asleep?" He ground out angrily. 'What is he doing here?' He sauntered closer to Ford. "Or did we finally find a restaurant that delivers?"

"I know who you are," Ford's voice was strong and confident. He stood his ground even as Spike drew closer to him.

"Yeah, I know who I am too. So what?" Spike eyed the boy up and down. 'Why would a friend of the Slayer come to me?' He asked himself.

"I've come looking for you, Spike."

"You've got a real death wish." Spike stopped his advance. Buffy would get upset if he killed her friend, but something was off about the boy. There was no scent of fear in the air. Ford smelled more excited and elated than anything else. "It's almost interesting."

The female vampire strode into the area with the Watcher's book in her hand. She was pleased with the approval from him when he opened the book to read it.

"Oh, this is great!" Spike skimmed through the old pages. Even at first glance he noticed several items of interest. Hopefully this was the book he needed to cure Drusilla. He was tired of the game he played every day to keep up the façade. "This'll be very useful."

Spike continued to skim through the book. His eyes never left the text as he continued to speak, "So how did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter." Ford looked over Spike's shoulder at the vampire who gave him the information he needed. "I've got something to offer you. I believe this is the part where you take out a watch and tell me that I've got 30 seconds to convince you not to kill me. It's traditional."

'Could this wanker be any more of a prat?' Spike slammed the book closed. "Well, I don't go much for tradition." He grabbed Ford by the ear and pinched hard.

"Wait, love." Dru put a weak hand on Spike's back.

Spike rolled his eyes. There was only one thing he cared about, and he better not hear the boy offering him that. It would be the signature on his death warrant, if Ford did. "Well?"

"Oh, come on. Say it! It's no fun if you don't say it." Ford was more excited by the moment.

"What? Oh ..." Spike huffed. This was ridiculous to him. He wanted Ford out of the factory and away from his Slayer. He reluctantly said the words the boy wanted to hear in a flat monotone voice. "You've got 30 seconds to convince me not to kill you."

"Yes! You see this is the best." Ford's dreams were finally coming to fruition. Ever since he'd heard about his illness, he was possessed with the dream of immortality. "I wanna be like you, a vampire."

"I've known you for two minutes, and I can't stand you." Spike nearly laughed. "I don't really feature you livin' forever." He turned to Dru. "Can I eat him now love?"

Dru shook her head back and forth slowly. 'This is going to be so much fun!'

"Well, feature this. I'm offering you a trade." Ford knew he had something that every vampire wanted. He had the Slayer. "You make me a vampire, and I give you the Slayer."

'You made a big mistake this time, boy.' Spike ground his teeth together. 'You picked the wrong woman as your sacrifice.' He fought back every urge to rip the boy apart limb from limb. He practically shook with all of the pent up rage that built up from the first moment Ford told him about his exchange idea.

Dru bounced in place. "My Spike isn't going to let the bad boy play with his dolly, is he?" She taunted Spike about the Slayer.

"Stuff it, Dru." Spike whirled around in a swirl of black leather. He pulled Dru behind him. "Show our guest the way out," He called over his shoulder before he disappeared deep in the factory.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel visited Buffy during the night. She pried all the information about Drusilla out of him. At least she knew why Drusilla felt familiar to her. Angel sired both Spike and Dru. Their lineage was the same.

Buffy met up with Ford the next day at school, and he invited her out again. Instead of waiting for the time he wanted her to meet him she followed Ford after school. It was no surprise to her when Ford led her right to the club Angel told her about.

Buffy was upset that her friend would betray her like that. Once she was locked into the shelter, she tried to convince Ford that what they were doing was insane. Vampires weren't good people. She called herself all types of a hypocrite because she knew how she felt for Spike.

Buffy nearly lost it when Ford told her about the tumors in his brain. She wanted to cry for the reason that drove her old friend to such lengths to "live". She wasn't able to get him to see the folly of it all. When Ford's beeper announced the sunset, she tousled with him. She finally knocked him unconscious just as the bolted door started to open.

Spike walked in with Drusilla and a few minions. The minions jumped into the fray quickly. They were hungry, and the humans here were an easy meal.

Buffy warred within herself over what to do. She didn't want to kill Spike, but she couldn't allow him to harm innocents. She noticed Drusilla standing up on the catwalk. She ran across the room, bounced off a chair, and lunged for the railing to the catwalk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy grabbed Drusilla from behind. She wrapped her arm around the vampiress' neck and forced a stake against Dru's chest. "Let' them go, Spike. All of them."

Spike laughed. "Why should I let all these lovely little meals go?" He called up to Buffy from the bottom of the stairs. "They're the ones stupid enough to think that this was anything other than their funerals." He tried to keep up his bad boy image for the sake of the minions and Dru.

Several gasps were heard, and a few of the women started to cry in the background. The "followers" huddled closer to each other when the minions let them go.

"You will let them go, or you will find your girlfriend a bit hard to sleep with since she'll only be a pile of dust." Buffy's eyes flashed with a silver fire.

Spike stepped to the side at the bottom of the staircase. "Get out of here," He roared at the humans. None of them needed to be told twice. They all ran up the stairs and out into the night. Buffy waited off to the side at the top of the stairs until everyone was gone. She was so focused on Spike that she failed to notice the minions leave as well. Only Spike, Dru, and unconscious Ford and Buffy remained in the darkened club.

Spike started to walk up each step slowly. His gaze never wandered from Buffy's. There was something about the look in her eyes that was a bit scary and out of control. "I can't let you do that, pet."

"Why?" Buffy pulled Dru against her more tightly. She squeezed her hand around Dru's neck while the stake started to press into the dress over her heart. "You love her more than me, don't you? This is all just some game to you." Her eyes glazed over in anger and jealousy.

"Spike," Dru choked out in a tearful cry. She worried that Spike would allow the Slayer to dust her. She knew his loyalties no longer lay with her best interests at heart.

"She is my family, Slayer." Spike moved within three steps from the top of the landing. "You should know that it is instinctual to care for one's family. I have to protect her."

Buffy turned her neck to Spike's full view. "Then what is this?" She snapped her head back. "I know what you tried at the church. I've read everything I could find out vampire rituals." She twisted her wrist's healed scar towards him. "Why did you bind us if you were just going to leave me the first time you had to make a choice?"

Spike gulped hard. There was moisture in the Slayer's eyes, and part of his demon snarled within his mind and body to go to his intended. "I don't choose her over you in that way, Buffy," He spoke her name to get more of her attention. "But I have to restore her health before I can let go."

"I can take care of that problem for you." Buffy shoved about 2 inches of the stake into Dru's chest. "If she's dust, there is no problem to cure."

"I'm closer every day to the cure, pet." Spike tried to explain the delay to Buffy. "I have a book now that should hold the key to what I was missing before."

"The one you stole from my Watcher?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, it has some spells, rituals and prophecies that pertain to vampires and healing as well as other things." Spike gripped the railing near the top of the stairs. "Please trust me."

The request sounded absurd coming from the lips of a vampire, but at the same time it made perfect sense. "Why should I trust you? You haven't given me any reason to yet."

"I could have killed you already, Slayer, but I haven't." Spike moved up one step higher. "I didn't have to do the binding on Halloween. I could have simply drained you dry right then and there."

Buffy had thought about that herself often enough in the last month. Her grip on the stake loosened a little. "Why didn't you?"

Dru sensed a chance to escape. She butted her head back into Buffy's face and pushed away from the Slayer.

Buffy screamed out in pain and hit the ground. Before Dru was able to turn her attack on Buffy, the dark haired vampiress' body was knocked to the ground unconscious by Spike.

Strong arms pulled Buffy up off the ground and into his embrace. "I don't know why I couldn't kill you. I needed that binding as much as you did that night." He checked out her face for any injuries. "The thought of killing you makes me sick now. I'd sooner meet the sunrise than kill you."

Buffy gazed up into Spike's eyes longingly. "I feel you all the time, and it hurts." She rubbed the torn marks on her neck from when Angel pulled Spike off her in the church.

"I know." Spike kissed Buffy's forehead. "Until the claim is complete, it will be hard on both of us."

"You feel it too?" Buffy questioned.

"Every hour of every day and night," Spike answered. He lifted her wrist to his mouth. His face shifted, and a roughened tongue licked along the slightly puckered scar from the ritual. His fangs sliced through her skin, and he drank several mouthfuls of her blood. He nearly purred from the wonderful taste of her essence.

Buffy jumped in Spike's embrace, and her free hand snaked up the back of Spike's neck. She arched against him and ground herself against his thigh. "Spike!" She needed to be as close to him as possible. She needed to feel his body against hers.

Spike ripped his fangs through his own scarred wrist. He offered it to Buffy's parted lips. "Drink a little, pet. It will help with the pain."

Buffy stared at Spike with lust and a sense of confusion. "It won't make me a vampire, will it?"

"Not this little of an amount," Spike reassured her. "It will strengthen the connection some and ease most of the pain. We've gone too long without renewing the binding."

Buffy nodded. She slowly leaned forward to wrap her lips around both sides of the wound. Sometimes the pain woke her in the middle of the night with a longing to find Spike so great that she had to force herself not to run off into the darkness.

Spike watched Buffy's lips pressed against his skin. He shifted the hardness in his pants and groaned from the warmth of her tongue and lips taking his blood within her. He longed to savor the moment forever, but he didn't want her to take too much. He wanted her just as she was: warm, sexy, inviting, and all his.

Buffy pouted when Spike's wrist moved away from her mouth. She saw the need and desire that she felt echoed in Spike's eyes, and she knew she wasn't the only one affected by the exchange.

"If we do that every couple weeks, it won't be so bad for either of us." Spike walked Buffy over towards the door. He stepped over Drusilla's unconscious form without a second thought for the vampiress.

"How will I know when to find you?" Buffy questioned. She felt Spike's presence around her often when she patrolled, but he rarely revealed where he was watching her from.

"I'll always find you." Spike caressed the back of his hand down Buffy's cheek. "I'm never far."

A moan from the bottom of the stairs reached them at the top. Buffy turned around to see Ford start to wake up. "What are you ..."

"I'll take care of it. No turning, I promise." Spike hoped Buffy realized what he was saying. Ford would die for his crimes against her, and nothing she said would stop him from seeing to that eventuality.

"You're going to kill him," Buffy said flatly.

"I don't take betrayal lightly, Slayer." Spike hoped Buffy wouldn't fight him on this. He listed off several reasons for Ford's death to be justified in his mind before the last one. "Besides, the wanker is already dying, right?"

"Yeah, he is." Buffy nodded slowly. She motioned her head towards Drusilla. "You think she's going to take your actions as anything but betrayal?"

"All she cares about is her precious daddy." Spike rolled his eyes. "Now that she knows he's here, it's only a matter of time before she runs off to him."

"Daddy? Oh you mean Angel."

"Got it in one, pet." Spike heard voices outside the door of the club. Someone was in the alley and moving quickly. "Go on. You're little troupe is coming."

Buffy nodded. With one last glance at Ford, she headed out the door and shut Spike in. The door was sealed from being opened on the inside, but she had a feeling Spike would rip his way out long before she returned later for Ford's body.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Buffy reached the alley only the ragtag band of followers remained. The minions were nowhere in sight. Willow and Xander ran to catch up with Buffy. Angel walked closer to her. His eyes traveled to the wrist Buffy clutched with her other hand.

"You guys are just in time," Buffy spoke with a false cheer.

"Are there vampires?" Willow asked meekly.

"They're contained." Buffy looked back towards the club. "They'll get out eventually, though. We should probably go. We can come back when they're gone."

"Come back for what?" Xander questioned.

Buffy turned away from her friends sadly. "For the body. Ford's body."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat at the foot of a freshly covered gravesite near dusk. She twirled the stake between her fingers like a baton twirler. She wanted to believe that Spike kept his promise to her, but she had to be sure. She refused to take a chance on Ford rising during the night to harm others.

Buffy knew she should be appalled over Spike's decision to drain Ford to death. She understood Spike's desire for vengeance. She was pretty upset about being drugged and lied to by one of her oldest friends, but was it right that Ford should die for that offense?

Buffy also realized that Ford being drained would serve a two-fold purpose for her. One, along with the blood she gave him earlier in the club, Ford would feed Spike enough to keep him from harming any innocents for a day or two. Two, Ford's death would be a lot quicker and less painful than if Spike left him alive to die from the terminal disease Ford carried.

Buffy had only Spike's promise that he would not turn her old friend. Spike seemed disgusted and angry at the idea of turning Ford into a vampire after Ford betrayed Buffy. He'd told her that he had no desire to sire a "wanker" like that, even for a minion.

Spike's vehement declaration that anyone who would betray Buffy in such a way was not worthy of living still rang through her mind. Vampire or not, Spike had definite ideas about loyalty to one's own. That was why he couldn't abandon Drusilla until she was healed as well. He felt it was his duty to finish what he promised to do for Dru.

"Another promise from him in what is starting to be a long line of what if's and future vows from Spike." Buffy sighed. She looked down at her watch. "I'll wait a couple more hours to be sure."

While Buffy stared at the name on the headstone, her mind wandered through happier memories and times that she spent with Billy Fordham over the years. From her crush on him through to his arrival in Sunnydale, each memory served as another reminder that life could change at any time.

Reality crashed in around her with a cold autumn gust of wind. This area of California rare got cold. Lately the temperature during the night dropped considerably and the days seemed cloudier and darker. Was it a portents of things to come? 'I wonder how much cloud cover is needed for vampires to come out during the day?' She made a mental note to ask Giles about that later.

About midnight, and with a sigh of relief, Buffy stood up from her place at the end of Ford's grave. She dusted the dirt off her knees and butt. She tucked her stake back into the back of her pants. "One promise down, several more to go." She looked over at a nearby mausoleum, and she spoke softly enough that only a vampire would hear her, "Thank you, Spike."

Spike stepped out of the shadows into the light of the moon. "You're welcome, Buffy." His gaze followed the disappearing form of the woman he should hate. "I keep my promises. We will be together soon." He turned around in the opposite direction and headed back to the factory. He was close to finding Dru's cure. The sooner he found it, the sooner he could end this charade with Dru.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (8) History and Portents
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Starts off with a rewritten timeline with Drusilla and Spike at the factory researching a cure for the ailing vampiress. Dalton goes on a research quest, Spike tries to keep up appearances, and the Scoobies deal with the idea that their Watcher wasn't always so stuffy. Will Angel or Spike be the one to save Buffy from Eyghon? What other realizations will Buffy come to after seeing the "demon" side of Giles?

Author's Note: Some dialogue was taken from the episode "The Dark Age" and "What's My Line - Part 1". Also some of the dialogue in scenes from the episodes has been rewritten to fit the purpose of this story. Timelines have also been adjusted so certain things happen before others. Assume that other events from the episode "The Dark Age" like the fight in the library with Phillip, the appearance of Ethan originally in the library, etc all still happened as they did in the show unless you see it changed here in the story.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Spike flipped through the worn pages of a leather bound book. 'I know the answer is in here.' He laid a couple loose manuscripts on the nightstand. Most of them made no sense to him at all.

Drusilla whimpered and bounced on the bed next to Spike. She shuffled a deck of tarot cards with fumbling fingertips. She turned the first card from the deck face up in front of her. "Naughty children."

Spike glanced sideways for a brief moment. Despite the references he used to search for Dru's cure, he never gave much credence to magic, gypsies, or fortunetellers. The cards occupied Drusilla for the moment. So, he was grateful for the break from keeping her entertained.

Drusilla carefully flipped another card over. She set it down next to the first. "The past comes back to haunt them." She cooed and giggled after she revealed a third card. "She will be marked for the kill."

"Who will, Princess?" Spike asked without looking up from the book in his lap.

"I'm not going to tell you." Dru motioned one finger back and forth. "It will make you cross, and I need your attention right now."

"If you say so, Dru." Spike slapped the book closed. The thud reverberated through the office they'd made into a bedroom. "I'm going to check on Dalton's progress."

"The little bookworm?" Drusilla frowned. "He dilly dallies. He doesn't want Princess better."

"Nonsense, pet," Spike's voice held a soothing quality to it. "The text is very old. These things take time." His cursory glance over the tome he'd left with Dalton had him puzzled as much as the bookworm. Even with his former Oxford training, the languages seemed all jumbled.

"Mummy thinks he needs more incentive." Dru gathered up her cards, slid off the bed, and stood next to Spike. She snuck her hand into the crook of his arm.

Spike, resigned that Dru was accompanying him, left their bedroom. Being the "Master" of Sunnydale had its advantages. He was given some privacy because the minions feared they'd be dusted if they intruded upon him. Likewise, no one dared to question his orders that the Slayer and her friends were off limits for snacking on.

Most of the minions, and other demons in Sunnydale, figured Spike merely wanted to kill the Slayer himself. Few knew the real reasons behind the order. Dalton was one of the few who surmised Spike's true reasons. Spike trusted the bookworm more than anyone else in the clan.

Spike liked Dalton. He reminded the Master Vampire of what he might have been like without Angelus' influence as a fledgling. Dalton shared Spike's secret love for books, languages and history. He rarely showed that side of himself to anyone, but Dalton walked into a room one day where Spike was relaxing with a book. His mind drifted down memory lane.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike lounged in an unused room of the factory. The minions tended to stay in larger groups near the main gathering area. He'd found this little nook of an office during his scavenger hunt of the factory. The little corner offered Spike privacy and a chance to relax without pretense. Dru drove him batty, the demon community bored him, and without a cure for Dru he had to avoid the Slayer except to ease the pain of separation.

Spike sighed in relief. For the last month he'd secluded himself away in the little underground nook of the factory whenever he needed peace and quiet. The minions weren't sure where he went, but they knew if the Master went down a particular hallway he wasn't to be disturbed. The main entrance wasn't noticeable to the naked eye.

Dalton groaned and panted in near exhaustion. He'd left the factory the night before, but the sun's morning rays had caught him before he was able to return. He had dove into the nearest manhole into Sunnydale's underground tunnel system. Thoroughly lost, he'd spent the whole day trying to find his way back to the factory.

Dalton felt the pull of his vampire's familial link. Although not sired by Spike, the Master Vampire had given him the protection of the Aurelian clan. Some of their blood flowed in his veins, and he felt the nearness of Spike. 'I must not be as far from the factory as I thought.' He pushed away some tree roots and squeezed through a small crack in the wall to get closer. He was surprised to see Spike sitting in a partially finished room reading a book. "Master?"

So engrossed in his book of poems, Spike failed to notice the presence of another vampire. He jumped out of the chair and fell on the floor at the sound of Dalton's voice. That was a costly mistake on his part with anyone else but Dalton. Dalton was one of the most non-violent vampire's he'd ever met. He wasn't able to prove it, but he was fairly certain that the vampire did not kill for his dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How are the translations coming along, Dalton?" Spike swaggered over to the long dining table in the middle of the main room when his mind found its way back to the present. He stood to one side of Dalton with a hand on the top of Dalton's chair.

Dru sat down at the opposite end of the table. She laid the previously flipped over cards in a pile to the left side of her.

"I'm not sure." Dalton sighed. He wished that he had more good news for the Master Vampire. Ever since he found Spike alone, the vampire had sought out a connection with him. Dalton wasn't used to anyone paying him any attention except in anger. Spike was actually interested in discussing literature and languages with him.

Spike picked up the old Latin reference book that Dalton was using to help with his translations. "Read it again," He encouraged.

Dalton read out loud the passage he'd been working on. "I'm not sure, but it could be deprimere ille bubula linter."

"Debase the beef ..." Spike searched through the book. "... Canoe?" He would have laughed if he didn't think it would hurt his image as the Master. Instead he dropped the book on the table, reared back, and punched Dalton in the face. "Why does that strike me as not right?"

Dalton groaned and sighed. He rubbed his head because it hit the chair when he was punched. He buried his nose back into the large tome in front of him with a frightened whimper.

"Spike, come dance." Drusilla cooed from her place at the end of the table.

"Give us some peace, would you? Can't you see I'm workin'?" Spike growled. He hadn't wanted her to follow him, and now she was bothering him on top of being unwanted.

Drusilla whined, and Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, kitten. It's just this manuscript. It's supposed to hold your cure, but it reads like gibberish." He slammed his fist on the table. "Even Dalton here, the big brain, can't make heads or tails of it."

Spike moved back over to Dalton. "All right, come on now. Enlighten me. What do you know?"

"Uh," Dalton started to stutter out, "Well, it looks like Latin, but its not. I'm not even sure it's a language."

"Then make it a language," Spike yelled right in Dalton's face. "Isn't that what a transcriber does?"

"Well, not exactly ..." Dalton yelped. He was lifted out of his chair and off the ground by Spike.

"I want the cure." Spike's eyes hoped Dalton understood his actions. He slammed the bookworm back into his chair after he kneed him in the gut.

"Master please understand! I'm trying." Dalton begged for leniency. The translation was giving him a headache that he didn't think vampires could get.

"I'd kill you, but then who would I have to translate the text?" Spike grabbed Dalton's hand. Several minions watched the exchange. He had to keep up the appearances of his bad boy image around the factory and in the sight of other demons. "Instead I'll start cutting off your fingers, knuckle by knuckle, each day until you get it right."

Dalton shook in fear. He wanted to believe that Spike was only putting up appearances, but the Master Vampire looked so angry and hostile to him. "But ... But I ..."

"Wait! He doesn't have the key." Dru held up one hand, and she pointed to the card on the table in front of her with the other. The image was of a cross that rested on a tomb. "One of the puzzle pieces is missing. Did someone eat it?"

Spike picked up the card and examined it. "Find out where the bloke who wrote all of this is buried. If it's here in Sunnydale take a couple of minions with you to search the tomb." He tossed the card at Dalton to catch it. "Search for a large cross or anything that resembles a code key or might be helpful."

"Yes, Master." Dalton scurried up from his seat. "It will be done." He rushed to his trunk in the sleeping area, opened the lid, and searched its contents for the right research materials. He sighed. This was going to take him a few days to sort out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While Dalton spent the next few days buried in research surrounding the burial of DuLac, the Scoobies faced the realization that Giles had a checkered past. The foolish carelessness with which Giles practiced magic as a young adult resulted in the deaths of his friends in the past and the present. Now, the demon he originally summoned with others was back to seek its revenge.

Jenny Calendar, now possessed by the demon of Eyghon stood up, rolled her shoulders and grinned. "Three down, two to go. Be seein' ya." She jumped through the window of Giles' apartment out into the courtyard.

Buffy rushed to Giles' side. "Are you all right?"

Giles, with his back against the wall, was oblivious to Buffy's question. "Jenny. Oh, God."

"Giles, how do we stop this?" Buffy wanted to shake Giles to get him to come back to her. His behavior and attitude scared her. She'd never seen him like this before.

"Oh, God," Giles continued to ramble in a panicked state. "What have I done?"

"Talk to me!" Buffy paused only a moment to breathe before she continued, "Giles you're scaring me."

Giles finally looked Buffy in the eye. "I'm sorry." The hurt and pain in his voice was unhidden.

"Don't be sorry. Be Giles." Buffy never imagined that something could affect Giles so much that he'd lose it. He was always the steadfast rock of the group, their anchor. He always dished out the wisdom of his experience and training, even if she didn't want to hear it. "Come on, we fight monsters. This is what we do."

Giles looked away. His head hung down slightly. How could he tell the girl that he looked upon as a daughter that he was a murderer? What would she think of him then?

"They show up, they scare us, I beat 'em up, and they go away." Buffy nearly growled out her frustration. "This is no different." She was frightened.

"It is different, Buffy." Giles' face appeared to have aged 5-10 years in the last two days. He felt defeated and lost.

"Why? Because you don't know how to stop it?"

"No, because I created it!" Giles grumbled in frustration and resoluteness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you find anything?" Willow looked up from the area she was researching in as Xander emerged from Giles' office.

"The most meticulous banking and phone records known to man." Xander held a picture out to Willow. "I found this too."

Willow looked down at the picture in shock. She stared into the face of their tweed wearing and reserved librarian, but he was wearing a leather jacket and holding a guitar in his hands. "This is Giles?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I was 21," Giles began, "Studying history at Oxford, and of course the occult by night. I hated it. The tedious grind of study, and the overwhelming pressure of my destiny as a Watcher."

"I dropped out, and I went to London." Giles draped his arm over the back of the couch. He continued to tell Buffy the story that led him into dark magic and fear. "I fell in with the worst crowd that would have me."

"We practiced magics." Giles sighed. "It was only small stuff, for pleasure or gain. Then, Ethan and I discovered something ... bigger."

"Eyghon," Buffy stated simply.

"Yes." Giles opened a decanter of alcohol on the table in front of him. "One of us would go into a deep sleep, and the others would summon him." He finished pouring himself a glass of liquor. "It was an extraordinary high." His face lit up for a moment from the good memories at the time. Just as quickly his face dropped into a stalwart frown. "God, we were fools."

"And you couldn't control it," Buffy stated more than questioned. She was beginning to see why Giles was so stiff about certain areas of her occult training. He truly knew the dangers of getting too close.

"One of us, Randall, he lost control." Giles' chest heaved up and down with the faster breaths he took. "Eyghon took him whole." He wanted to remain calm, but the memory of that night still haunted him. "We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him."

Buffy stared blankly at Giles. Bad voodoo and magic she was able to handle. Finding out that Giles was a part of a ritual that killed one of his friends made her shiver.

"We killed him," Giles looked into Buffy's eyes.

Buffy looked away. She held a hand to her forehead in contemplation. 'What do you say back to that?'

"We thought we were free of the demon after that, but now he's back." Giles was resolved that his fate was now sealed. He didn't want to leave Buffy without a guide, but he hoped the Council would send a replacement for him quickly after his death. "One by one, he will kill us all."

"Three down, two to go." Buffy got up off the couch. "Then, it's going after Ethan. I'd better beat it there."

"We'd better." Giles followed Buffy off the couch.

"I'd better." The only way Buffy knew to save her Watcher was to kill the demon before it got to him. If she was able to contain it before it killed Ethan, Giles might be safe. "Giles, you're barely mobile, and speed is of the serious essence here." She tried to appeal to his sense of reason.

Giles sat back down. With a quiver in his voice he spoke, "I don't know how to stop it without killing Jenny."

"I've got the guys working on it." Buffy wanted to offer Giles some hope that Jenny wouldn't have to die. "I'll, um ... try to contain it until we figure something."

"Buffy," Giles called out to Buffy who had made her way to the door. She stopped and turned around to face him. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Buffy offered a half smile of assurance to the broken man before her. She walked out of the door and into the dark night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ethan? Ethan!" Buffy stepped into Ethan Rayne's old costume shop. "Giles told me everything. Look, it's coming for you."

"And you came to protect me? I'm touched." Ethan stepped out of the shadows.

Buffy turned to face the shadowed man. Not for the first time did she wish that her "spidey" sense extended to evil humans and not just demons. "Don't worry. It's nothing personal. To protect Giles, I have to protect you."

"How does Ripper inspire such goodness?" Ethan would have found the whole situation much more amusing if he wasn't afraid for his miserable life. Chaos was one thing. Death by a demon of his past was another.

"Because he's Giles," Buffy walked towards the door. She stopped after she passed Ethan to look at him again.

"And I'm not. Still, lucky me." Ethan grinned.

"Hmmm. Lucky you." Buffy looked around the shop for any means to protect Ethan and contain Eyghon.

"Well, we can't run. Eyghon will find us." Ethan extended his arm forward at Buffy's face level. "This mark's like a homing beacon."

"It's okay. I'm not that much into running."

"Aren't we manly," Ethan sneered.

"One of us is. You're gonna hide till it's over."

"Excellent plan." Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Is there a way in through the back?" Buffy nodded her head in the direction of the back storage room.

"There's a back door. It's locked." Ethan twisted to glance into the back room. "I think it's solid."

"We'll set up there. Let's go." Buffy waited for Ethan to move.

"Oh, no, please." Ethan motioned for Buffy to lead the way as if he was doing the gentlemanly thing. He picked up a mannequin head from the counter and bashed it into the back of Buffy's head. "Ladies first."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"We have to figure out how to kill this thing, and we need to do it fast." Willow's frantic plea was as nervous as it was excited.

"Uh, hot lava," Xander offered the suggestion from his position on the other side of the table from Willow.

"That's for a heretic." Willow opened her eyes wider, and she gave Xander a look of frustration.

"Oh yeah." Xander half chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, okay." He started reading again. "Oo, oh. Bury a potato." He strained to read the fine print next to that line. "No, that's for warts. Who writes these things?" He slammed the book closed and tossed it onto the top of the pile nearest to him.

"I've got the solution right here." Cordelia beamed proudly. She sat at a separate table away from the other two with her own stack of books. "To kill a demon, cut off its head."

"Oh yeah, we'll find Miss Calendar. Then, we'll decapitate her." Xander snarked at Cordelia. "She'll be the first headless computer teacher. Do you think anybody will notice?"

"Do you know what you need besides a year's supply of acne cream?" Cordelia quipped sarcastically, "A brain."

"That's it." Xander slammed his hands down on the table, and he hopped up from his chair. "12 years of you and I'm snappin'!" He made crazy motions with his hands next to his head. "I don't care if you're a girl. I'm throwin' down. Come on!"

Cordelia stood up from her chair. She angrily waltzed over to Xander. "I've seen you in a fight, and don't think I can't take you."

"Give it your best shot." Xander threw back in Cordelia's face. The two of them stood toe to toe. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"Hey!" Willow was fed up. She'd had enough of their bickering for the night. "We don't have time for this." Her voice cracked slightly. "Our friends are in trouble. Now, we have to put our heads together and get them out of it!" She stomped her foot on the floor and angrily glared at Xander and Cordelia. "If you two aren't with me 110%, then get the hell out of my library." She forcefully gestured at the library's exit.

"We're sorry," Cordelia meekly offered an apology. 'Willow is scary when she gets mad.'

"We'll be good," Xander responded like a chastised child.

"Okay. Now, we've done the research." Willow nodded, straightened her sweater and sat back down. "We just have to figure out how to use it."

"Hey, why don't we find another dead body for the demon to jump into?" Xander perked up at having thought of a feasible idea to him.

"Yes! At the cemetery." Cordelia beamed.

Willow sighed. "Well, that won't kill the demon. It'll only give it a change of scenery." As if a light bulb just flickered inside her brain, Willow's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh!" She jumped up. "Oh, I've got it. I've got it!"

"She's good," Xander said before he and Cordelia ran out of the library after Willow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dru clapped her hands giddily. Her delight mirrored a young child, but the reason for her pleasure was anything but innocent. She danced with an invisible partner around the gathering area of the factory to music that only she heard.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive," Dru chanted. "Good little boys should never play in the devil's playground. They will get burnt."

Drusilla cooed and danced a little faster. "Little balls of sunshine shouldn't try to light up the dark." She wagged a finger back and forth in front of a minion.

"A light so bright can only burn a little while ..." Dru moved a candle centerpiece from the center of the table to the edge. She moved her hand over the lit candles. She wasn't close enough to burn her pale skin, but she felt the heat that radiated upwards from the flame. "... Before it is snuffed out for good." She quickly pinched her fingers together. The flame extinguished, she headed for her bedroom. "Goodbye, Sunshine."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wakey, wakey." Ethan hummed a jovial tune. "You're missing all the fun."

"What fun?" Buffy pulled at the ropes that connected her hands together under the flat, padded table she was laying on.

"Your initiation." Ethan sat down at a smaller table next to Buffy. Various bottles and trays contained acid, antiseptic, inks, and other paraphernalia.

"You know what? I'm not really interested in joining your club." Buffy tried to keep her wits about her. Sarcasm and witty retorts were always her friends before. They helped to keep her calmer and more focused.

"Too late, I already voted you in." Ethan worked on several preparations for the ritual he needed to perform. "I hope you're not taking this personally Buffy."

Buffy struggled some, and she moaned. The position was very uncomfortable, and her head was cocked at a weird angle. She tried to watch what Ethan was doing to guess his intent. She was clueless about what he was doing.

"I actually kind of like you. It's just that I like myself a lot more." Ethan wasn't sure if he was simply being sarcastic or partially truthful. He admired the girl's fire. Even after the events of Halloween, she was still willing to protect him to save her Watcher. "If you think of this karmically, this is really big for your soul. Taking my place with the demon, giving so that others may live."

"I'm gonna kill you. Will that blow the whole karma thing?" Buffy retorted. 'Will this guy ever shut up? I think he likes to talk to her himself speak.'

"Sweet child." Ethan grinned. Oh yes, he admired her spunk. In other circumstances, he would have enjoyed sifting through the levels of her psyche to find her darkest parts to enhance them. "Now this may sting a little, but just at first." He stood up, picked up the caustic inking substance, and leaned over Buffy's prone form. "Don't worry. That'll go away once the searing pain kicks in." He leaned in closer to Buffy's ear. "You can go ahead and scream if you like."

Buffy closed her eyes tightly. 'Spike, help me. Please ... help me!' She thought to herself as the acidic ink burned and marked her skin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike twitched again. 'The Slayer must be having an eventful patrol.' He was used to feeling the adrenaline rushes along with flashes of pain during Buffy's patrols now. At first he sought her out to be sure she was all right.

The bond Spike shared with Buffy was almost as confusing to him as it was to her. Without being fully mated, the bond lacked the strongest connections that would help him pinpoint thoughts as well as clear emotions. After a few rushes out of the factory and into the cemeteries, he learned that twinges of pain were common even on a slow night of patrol.

Spike felt another burst of pain filled adrenaline course through him. He vamped out and dropped the manuscript he was reading. Something was wrong. The Slayer wasn't simply in pain. She was afraid of whatever was hurting her.

Spike nearly knocked Drusilla to the ground in his mad dash out of the bedroom. He barely spared a glance in her direction while he continued on his way past her. He grabbed his duster, slipped it on while he moved, and disappeared into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hmm, I think I missed my calling as an artist." Ethan wiped off his hands.

"Ethan, listen to me." Buffy's voice was strained. "This is a bad idea. You're dealing with something very dangerous."

"But it will get Eyghon off my scent." Ethan rolled up his sleeve. He picked up a jar of pure acid.

Buffy gasped. How much more pain would she have to endure? She tried to work her hands free of the ropes. She started rubbing the cords against a screw on the underside of the table.

"Relax." Ethan looked down at the bottle. This was going to hurt like hell, and he didn't relish the thought of doing it. "I've finished with you." He had no choice though. It was this pain or the pain of death. "This is for me." He groaned and screamed as the acid ate away at the tattoo on his flesh.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles felt disorientated. Flashes of Eyghon and past experiences flooded through his head until he dropped to the floor with an image of Buffy in his head. "Ethan. Oh no, Ethan." He scrambled up from the floor, threw open the door, and he hoped that Ethan would be predictable enough to have gone back to his costume shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well, I hate to mutilate and run, but ..." Ethan's taunting monologue was interrupted by a shadow at the front door of his shop. An eerie green light silhouetted the form even before the demon opened the door.

Buffy stared at the opening door. A dark form moved closer into the store, and she saw the demon-like face of Jenny Calendar. She frantically worked harder to cut the ropes with the screw.

Ethan froze next to the table, and a haunting male voice escaped from Jenny's lips, "It's your time." She stopped right in front of Ethan. The demon knew his face was the one it sought, but there was something else in the air. It sniffed the air, and its gaze leveled on Buffy.

After the demon threw Ethan off to the side, Buffy and the demon fought back and forth. Buffy pushed the table at Jenny only to be pinned back against the wall after a fight between them over it.

Giles ran into the shop. "Eyghon! Take me." He looked over at Buffy who was on the ground now. "Buffy, get out of here."

"No! No!!" Buffy ran between Jenny and Giles.

The possessed computer teacher threw Buffy away from Giles with magic. She grabbed onto the back of Giles neck and threw him to the ground. "I've been waiting a long time to do this."

Suddenly another dark form burst through the shop door. Angel pulled the possessed Jenny away from Giles. He tossed her towards the wall, twisted her back around and wrapped his hands around her throat.

Willow, Cordelia and Xander followed in right behind Angel. Willow helped Giles up off the floor.

"He's killing her," Giles voice sounded like a whimper.

"No, trust me Giles." Willow held the weakened man back. "This is going to work."

Angel tightened his grip on Jenny's neck. He choked and shook her hard. Two things happened at once and suddenly. First, Angel was thrown back into the wall gasping. Secondly, Jenny was thrown to the floor without the demon that resided in her before.

Everyone watched in stunned amazement as Angel's face distorted from vampire to Eyghon to human several times. Angel's body shook as if there was a great battle going on within his flesh. He slammed back and forth from the counter to the wall as the battle waged within. Finally Eyghon appeared to release Angel's body and trickle away into nothingness.

When Angel fell to the floor face first, Buffy just stared blankly at him. Willow and Cordelia rushed to his side to help him stand up.

'He didn't come,' Buffy thought to herself. 'He said he would take care of me, but he didn't come.' She nearly cried at the feeling of abandonment that she felt over Angel saving her instead of Spike.

"Jenny?" Giles crawled next to Jenny Calendar on the floor.

"Rupert." Jenny cried and buried her head in his chest.

Angel stared up at Buffy's blank eyes. Where was she? What was she thinking about? When Willow came to him with her idea of how to get rid of Eyghon, he'd readily agreed. Now, Buffy didn't even seem happy to see him save her life.

"You knew that if the demon was in trouble it would jump into the closest dead person?" Giles croaked out. He rocked Jenny in his arms in comfort.

Angel worked his way up off the floor with Willow and Cordelia's help. "I put it in danger."

"And it jumped," Willow finished the statement.

"I've had a demon inside me for a couple hundred years." Angel stood up straight. His eyes never left Buffy's, even though she wasn't looking at him but through him. "He was just waiting for a good fight."

"Winner and still champion," Cordelia chimed in.

"I think that Ethan guy disappeared again." Xander looked around the shop for any sign of Ethan Rayne.

Buffy snapped into the present for a moment. "Darn. I really wanted to hit him until he bled."

"Well, at least it's over." Cordelia sighed. 'This is yet another reason why no one should have been in school on a Saturday. She wouldn't have been possessed if we weren't there.'

Angel visibly tensed. The Scoobies passed it off as something residual from his temporary possession. He felt the familiar signature of his family, one in particular. Spike was nearby. He scanned the shop with his eyes to locate the blonde bane of his existence. With a deviant grin, he stepped closer to Buffy and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

Spike glared at the small group from outside the old costume shop. Buffy seemed safe for now, but he vowed to find out later what happened from her. He was about to step away, but he stopped when Angel moved closer to Buffy.

Still in shock from her ordeal, Buffy wasn't aware of how close Angel was to her. She was confused, angry, and scared all at the same time. So, she naturally leaned into the comfort of the embrace offered to her without even realizing it was Angel who held her.

Spike growled deep and low. His stomped steps to the shop's door stopped when Giles and Jenny headed for the door from the inside. He backtracked to tuck himself along the side of the building and out of view.

The anger Buffy felt through her bond with Spike added to her confused state until she realized that it was Angel who held her. She pushed herself away from Angel, but she tried to brush it off with her response, "I ... I need some time ... alone." She looked briefly at Angel before she left via a back door into an alley.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Spike was certain the two adults were gone, Buffy was also absent from the shop. He followed the pull of the bond around the shop and into another alley. His gaze traveled back and forth across the alley, following Buffy while she paced.

"Why didn't you save me?" Buffy turned to face Spike.

Spike slowly inched closer to Buffy. "It felt like a normal up and down patrol to start with. Didn't know you needed saving at first."

"I tried to call out to you." Buffy's eyes filled with unshed tears. "Didn't you hear me?" She'd felt nearly as helpless as when the Master was prophesized to kill her.

"We haven't initiated and completed a full mating claim, pet." Spike rubbed his hands up Buffy's arms. Inside his demon was disgusted by the strength of Angelus' scent on Spike's intended mate.

"Why not?" Buffy snapped. The events of the day played at the forefront of her mind. If even "good" people like Giles were capable of such death and deceit, how could someone "evil" like Spike ever be expected to be "good". Was she being evil for letting Spike live? "Am I too white hat for you? Not dark enough to be worthy of your full attention?"

"Nothing of the sort, love." Spike pulled Buffy into his arms for a complete embrace. "I care for you just as you are." He slowly rocked Buffy from side to side while he spoke, "A full mating claim involves sex, and we haven't exactly had the chance to explore that avenue in complete privacy yet."

Buffy blushed in embarrassment. She looked into Spike's eyes. "Spike, how have you been feeding?" Buffy asked.

Spike stiffened. 'What does she know? If word has gotten out, I'm screwed.' He tried to hide his worry by using sarcasm. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm the Slayer. That's why." Buffy pulled away from Spike. She felt like she was going to be sick. How many innocents had she killed because she hadn't staked Spike? "I can't allow you to kill," She stated adamantly even though her heart felt like it would break if she had to perform her duty.

"I'm no brown bagger, Slayer. I'm already going without sex. I need my violence and blood." Spike's defenses and ire grew. 'She doesn't know, but I can't exactly announce it in the middle of the alley.' He huffed. "You can't kill me anyways."

"I can so," Buffy angrily retorted. She whipped a stake out of her pants. She readied herself to launch her attack.

Spike circled around Buffy. Although Buffy countered and followed the movements, Spike lunged at the opportune moment and ensnared her. He pulled Buffy back against his chest tightly and whispered in her ear, "You're mine." He sank his fangs into Buffy's shoulder, and he slowly drank a couple mouthfuls.

Buffy's muscles were taunt, and her heart raced. She wondered why the alley didn't echo the loud thumps of her heartbeat. Her hand clutched the stake tighter. Even with his fangs in her neck, she felt safer than when she was in Angel's arms.

"Imagine the feelings you had after Halloween being multiplied one hundred fold," Spike continued to whisper huskily after he'd licked the puncture marks closed. "There'd be no relief for you, ever. The pain would twist in your gut like a knife buried deep."

Buffy gasped. 'Oh my gosh. What was I thinking?' She shook with fear. "I can't allow other people to die to save myself pain." She somehow choked out the words.

"The pain would be just as bad to me if I lost you." Spike peppered little kisses down Buffy's neck and back up to her ear. "So ask yourself if I would really do something that would take you away from me." His voice was so low that only Buffy was able to hear him.

Buffy felt cold and bereft when Spike's body disappeared from behind her. She turned around, but only the shadows stared back at her.

Spike's voice drifted to her on the wind, "Think about it, pet."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two days later Spike kicked his feet up on the table in the main gathering area of the factory. He stiffened for a moment, before he tried to relax into a state of indifference. He never turned around to look at the new vampire who entered the room. "I wondered how long it would be before you paid us a visit, Peaches."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (9) Prophecies and Rituals - Part 1
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: We pick up right where the last chapter left off. Angelus entered the factory, and Spike greeted him. We follow through the meeting in the factory, Dalton finding the key, some more time spent between Spike and Buffy, and some more explanations.

Author's Note: Some dialogue was taken from the episode "What's My Line - Part 1". Also some of the dialogue in scenes from the episodes has been rewritten to fit the purpose of this story.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Spike kicked his feet up on the table in the main gathering area of the factory. He stiffened for a moment, before he tried to relax into a state of indifference. He never turned around to look at the new vampire who entered the room. "I wondered how long it would be before you paid us a visit, Peaches."

"You know how important family is to me, Spike," Angel sneered. "I had to come to see my favorite Childer."

"What a load of rot, Angelus." Spike kicked his feet off the table. "You haven't given a rat's ass about our well being since the turn of the bloody century."

Angel's eyes narrowed in anger. "Would you rather I staked you both instead of leaving?"

"Save your pathetic lies for the Slayer and her chums." Spike stood up to face Angel. "I was there for the great exodus. All you thought about was yourself and your own misery. Dru would have done anything you asked of her, even stopped hunting, if it had made you stay. You knew it too."

"You don't know how it feels ..." Angel tried to ignore any conversation that led to talk about his dark queen.

"No, I don't, and I hope I never do if having a soul means you abandon your family and those who love you." Spike spat the venomous words in Angel's face.

Angel's advance on Spike was stopped by an armful of Drusilla flying at him. "Daddy!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy casually walked through the various cemeteries on her nightly patrol rounds. Things had been pretty quiet since the Eyghon incident. Jenny and Giles still weren't speaking to each other, but Buffy thought there was something a bit off about Jenny still. Something nagged at the back of her mind about the computer teacher. Buffy shrugged it off and continued on her patrol.

Buffy stopped a few yards from a semi-lit mausoleum. The sound of metal clanging and tinging against something solid caught her attention. It seemed to be coming from the building. She crept closer to the door to have a look see.

Buffy slowly opened the door. She found a strange looking vampire chipping away at what used to be a sealed area around a coffin in the wall. She tilted her head to the side. 'What is a vampire doing being so careful about it?' She'd seen vampires loot graves before, but this vampire's actions didn't seem like looting. He was meticulous in his care of how he opened the grave.

Dalton finally made it through the outer layer of stone. He carefully searched through the items within. He beamed with delight at the cross resting up against the front of the coffin. He quickly wrapped it in a red velvet cloth to keep from burning himself on the crucifix. A couple other scrolls were scattered along the side wall, and he carefully tucked those into his inner jacket pockets.

Buffy closed the door and waited outside for whoever emerged. She crossed her arms, and she put on a very stern face. "Does "rest in peace" have no sanctity to you people?" Even though the vampire was being careful, he was still desecrating someone's resting place. That never sat well with her. "Oh, I forgot. You're not a people," she snarked.

One of Spike's more unloyal minions snuck up behind the Slayer. Dalton knew that she was the Slayer, and he wasn't foolish enough to cross his Master's orders. The other idiot though was stupid enough, and he jumped at Buffy from behind. A second minion jumped into the fray from the other side.

Buffy kicked one minion in the chest, and she elbowed the second in the head. She quickly staked the one she'd elbowed, and she was ready for the first minion before he even picked himself up off the ground. She thrust her stake into his chest. "That was too easy." She shrugged. "Two down and one to ..." She turned back around to find that the bookish vampire was nowhere in sight. "Hey, that's not fair."

Buffy inhaled deeply, and she closed her eyes. She concentrated on the sounds and scents around her. It was something Spike was helping her work on during their blood exchanges. She wasn't sure how many more lessons she'd have, since she was afraid she was going to have to stake him. Her eyes snapped open, and they flashed silver with her natural green layered as a ring around the silver. She took off in the direction Dalton left in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Miss Edith said you would return to me at the mouth of Hell." Drusilla placed multiple small kisses all over Angel's neck. She ignored that Spike was even in the room. All she thought about was that her daddy had finally come back for her.

Angelus' demon raged within while Angel removed Dru from his arms. He stepped away from her, and he shook his head back and forth. "I can't, Dru."

"You still reek of it. You were supposed to be free by now." Dru snarled. Her eyes narrowed on Angel. "My daddy would never leave his princess." She swatted a clawed hand at Angel's face. It left 3 long cuts across his cheek.

When Angel vamped and advanced on Dru, Spike stepped in-between the two vampires. "No, none of that. We came to Sunnyhell to cure Dru, not kill her."

Angel's demon was furious at Spike's challenge to his right to punish Dru for her disrespectful act. "You should know your place by now, boy. Perhaps you need a reminder."

Dru slapped her hands in delight behind Spike's back. "Daddy's still in there somewhere." She giggled.

"Maybe the fact that you've been away from us for so many decades has given me the room to grow into my own man. I don't need your guidance for anything," Spike retorted.

"You weren't a real man before you were turned, and you never will be one either." Angel laughed in Spike's face. "The years apart have made you as delusional as she is." He pointed at Drusilla.

"Why you ..." Spike was interrupted by Dalton's arrival back at the factory.

Dalton ran into the room as if the hounds of Hell chased behind him. "I found it, Master."

Spike turned around to face his faithful minion. He noted the other two minions he sent with Dalton hadn't returned with him. "Run into some trouble, Dalton?" He'd sent those minions specifically because he didn't care if he lost the two of them or not. So long as Dalton was safe, he was happy.

"Yes, Master." Dalton's eyes darted back and forth from Angelus to Spike. He knew Spike did not like Angelus, and he wondered what brought the master vampire to their lair. He was scared of the dark-haired male vampire. He fought every urge he had to run out of the room and not look back. "The Slayer was waiting for us outside the tomb."

Spike tensed momentarily. To everyone else in the room it was assumed that Spike was upset and trying to reign in his anger. The small spitfire blond who snuck her way through an upper window knew better.

Buffy tucked herself behind a stack of crated on a mid-level stairwell. She was surprised that none of the other vampires realized she was there. She was even more surprised to see Angel at the factory. When she'd followed the mousey vampire away from the crypt, she never expected to find Angel with Spike.

Spike's gaze swept the factory floor like the natural instinct of someone who was always on their guard. None of the others in the main area thought anything about it. His eyes stopped briefly on Buffy's hiding place. With a barely perceptible nod he let Buffy know that he was aware of her presence. Then, he turned his full attention back to Dalton.

Dalton held out the cross shaped item to Spike. The scrolls remained in his pocket for safe keeping while Angelus was there. He pulled back two edges of the red velvet and revealed the cross itself.

"Is this it, Dru?" Spike pulled Dru around in front of him by her waist. He felt the anger that came from Buffy, and he quickly removed his hand before she revealed herself from hiding.

Dru hovered her hands over the cross, and she closed her eyes. She swayed back and forth and hummed low. "Such power. It holds the key, my Spike."

"Good." Spike folded the cloth to completely cover the cross again. "Why don't you take that and our tome into your room? I want that cure deciphered, and I know you concentrate better in quiet," He directed at Dalton.

"You spoil him, my Spike," Dru chided.

Dalton snuck away as quickly as he could. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of any arguments between any of Aurelian vampires.

"You were the one who stole the Watcher's book?" Angel questioned.

"Yeah, though my little minion never would have made it without that Ford wanker's help." Spike's eyes flashed yellow in anger. "With friends like that, the Slayer doesn't need enemies."

"Of course you took full advantage of the boy's insane idea, didn't you?" Angel retorted.

"Did I?" Spike raised his scarred brow. "Do you really think the Slayer would have walked away from that if I wanted her dead?"

"Your lacking in the planning department." Angel laughed. "You never had the patience to follow through." He refused to entertain the possibility that Spike wanted more than just death from the Slayer. Even the passing thought caused Angel's anger to burn.

Spike's heart swelled from the waves of anger he felt directed at Angel from Buffy. "I'm smart enough to get the job done when it counts. You'd be surprised what I have accomplished in Sunnydale."

Dru giggled. "Daddy always underestimated my Spike." She said what she knew would goad Angelus' demon.

Angel's demon writhed under the surface. The insolence and attitude displayed by his Childer was disrespectful, and he wanted to punish them properly for their boldness. He forced himself to change the subject to keep from letting his demon free on the two vampires. "Let me know if there is anything I can do to make Drusilla well. I want you both out of my town."

"Oh, how sweet of you to offer, Papa," Spike's voice was laced with sarcasm. He had no intention of leaving Sunnydale, but he needed Drusilla well before he was freed from his obligation to her. "It's the least you can do. You made her this way."

"I wasn't the one who nearly got her killed by a mob in Prague." Angel seethed. Despite what Spike thought, he had kept track of Drusilla's location. He received little bits of information on their whereabouts through various demon grapevines. When he'd heard about her illness, he had to force himself to stay in Sunnydale instead of chase after her.

"No, you were the one who drove her so crazy and murderous that it caused the mob to come after her," Spike accused. "She's your responsibility, and I'm going to see to it that you accept your duty." He poked Angel in the chest.

Angel grabbed Spike by the lapels of his duster. "You are in no position to tell me what to do, Childe."

Spike knew if he didn't do something soon, Buffy was going to come out and defend him. So, Spike kneed Angel in the groin and dropped him to the ground. "I'm in the best position of all, Angelus. You are just too daft to realize it."

Angel cringed and cupped his jewels. His left eye twitched from the pain coursing through his body from his balls.

"Get out of my home, Angel." Spike pushed Dru towards her bedroom with a hand at her lower back. "We'll be in touch if we need you for the cure." He looked up over at the crates and motioned his head upwards. He hoped Buffy understood that he'd meet her outside on the outer ledges.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You followed, Dalton?" Spike snuck up behind Buffy. She'd turned to face him before he reached her though. Her senses were getting much better. He was proud of her accomplishment in that area.

"Of course I followed, Dalton." Buffy stepped closer to Spike. 'Mousey man is named Dalton. It seems to fit him.' She put a finger to Spike's lips. She leaned over the ledge and watched Angel hobble out of the factory and back towards his home. "Did you have to cripple him like that?" She softly spoke once Angel was far enough away, and she tried to hold back the chuckle that wanted to escape.

Spike nipped the finger pressed against his lips. He suckled the tip into his mouth to soothe it afterwards. "I owe him a lot more than one kick in the nuts, Slayer. Trust me, he's tortured me a lot worse than that. If vampires didn't heal quickly, I'd still be hobbling like that."

Buffy shivered. "Okay, I don't want to hear about that." She frowned. She thought back to an hour ago in the cemetery. "I dusted a couple of your minions. Dalton was pretty quick with his getaway though. I had to focus my senses like you taught me."

"Dalton knew he was to get back here no matter what." Spike shrugged. "I didn't trust the others I sent with him. It's one reason why I sent them. I figured they'd give Dalton more of a chance to escape if they encountered you out on patrol."

"I'm hoping that what he found will help you get her cure more quickly?" Buffy looked at Spike with hope and a bit of jealousy. She wanted him away from the dark-haired vampiress as soon as possible. She refused to let her name pass her lips. That vampire gave her the creeps, and she didn't like hearing the vampiress keep treating Spike as hers. Spike was Buffy's, and Buffy wanted to make sure that everyone knew that.

"That's what I'm hoping, pet." Spike watched the Slayer carefully as he attempted to gauge her current frame of mind. The moods he felt from her lately tended to run the entire spectrum from elation to despair. "We've been chasing our fangs for a while until Dru got a bit of a vision. Seems the blasted text was written in code. Even when we translated the language, it made no sense before."

Buffy moved two steps closer to Spike. She locked her gaze even with his. "I don't know how much longer I can stand you living with her. The thought of you sharing the same bed makes me angrier than I've ever been." She lowered her gaze in sadness. "Especially when I spend every night alone, without you."

"I only sleep with her in the literal sense, kitten." Spike lifted Buffy's chin with two fingers. "I haven't had sex with her since before Halloween. Heck, the last time was probably before we came to Sunnydale."

"Really?" Buffy's eyes lit up with the new joy and relief she felt.

"Why would I roll in a nest of crab grass with her when I can lie in the sweetest fields of roses with you?" Spike asked honestly. Drusilla's prattling, and intermittent infidelity, had worn Spike's nerves past the point of snapping a long time ago. He felt an obligation to Dru to find a cure for her. Then, she could take care of herself, and he'd be through doing it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(In Prague A Year Earlier)

Drusilla threw the hand mirror she was holding across the room. It smashed against the wall into a thousand tiny shards of glass. "I won't let you leave me."

Spike ducked each object that sailed from Dru's hands at him. "I am not leaving you, Dru. She was the one looking." He barely dodged a wooden table leg that would have made a very good stake if it hit him. "I didn't sodding touch her."

"She wanted what was mine," Dru growled the words at Spike.

"You were the one carrying on with that warlord friend of hers," Spike snarled. "She probably did it to make him jealous."

Dru stalked towards Spike's side of the room.

"There was no reason to tear her apart like you did," Spike scolded. Angelus always accused Spike of being crazy for inciting town riots. He'd chosen his battles more wisely in recent days because he had to care for Dru. Now Angelus' insane Childe was going to be the death of both of Angelus' Childer. "Didn't you learn not to mess with mystical ones after Angelus deserted us when he killed those gypsies. They drove him away from us. Did you want that happening to you too?"

Drusilla collapsed to the floor. She huddled herself in the corner of the room, crying out her distress. "The pixies taunt me. They tell me that you will leave me for the sun. I can't bear it, my Spike.

"I don't plan on doing any day walking any time soon, pet." Spike slowly walked over to Dru. He crouched down next to her, lifted her up into his arms and laid her down on their bed. "I like my unlife just as it is."

"Make love to me, my Spike." Dru raised tear filled eyes to gaze at Spike. She turned on all of her charms to make Spike forget his anger at her. She would not give him up without a fight.

The pair joined in various forms of rough and gentle sex all that day. It was while Spike was gone that night to find a tasty morsel for Dru to eat that the coven of witches attacked and captured Dru. He'd barely managed to rescue Dru from burning at the stake once he'd found her tortured, beaten, and mentally violated.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed sadly. "You always seem to know just what to say, Spike." She frowned.

"I don't think I'm doing too good of a job when that frown is still on your face." Spike tilted his head sideways in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Spike raised a scarred brow, and he gave her a "tell me another one" look.

"You want the cliff notes version?" Buffy huffed.

"Long or short, it doesn't matter to me, pet." Spike hugged Buffy loosely. He wanted to be able to look into her eyes while she talked. Her eyes were so expressive, and he was able to read into the depths of her soul through them.

"To start with, it's career week at school, and I'm feeling left out." Buffy nibbled on her lower lip. "I think Willow is more excited about it than Principal Snyder, and Snyder is riding my butt about it. I know my mom is hoping I'll come out of career week with good news too. Several people are recruiting for after graduation positions."

"Snyder is that short, bald guy with the big ears, right?" Spike rattled off Snyder's description to Buffy. "He always seems to wear a bit of a scowl on his face like he's sitting on a broom handle?"

Buffy laughed. "Yep, that would be him."

"Thought so." Spike smiled. He loved seeing Buffy smile. Its radiance lit up the night around her with a vibrant glow. "Your mother would be proud of your career, if you just let her know what you do."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She'd always be afraid when I left," Buffy tried to explain. "She'd always worry that something was going to kill me before I killed it."

"Her thinking that you are just a rebellious daughter with no concern for her feelings or responsibility is better?" Spike asked. "She can't be completely blind to what is happening around her in this town."

"She's never mentioned it." Buffy shrugged. "Even after Parent-Teacher night she was convinced that all the vampires belonged to some gang on PCP. How stupid is that?"

"Maybe that is what she wants you to believe because she is worried about telling you that she thinks there are vampires in Sunnydale?" Spike reasoned. "Did you ever think of that?"

"No, I never thought about it that way." Buffy snuggled closer to Spike. "She'll still think that I'm a horrible student though because Snyder is always calling her about something."

"He seems evil. I can always kill him for you?" Spike offered in jest.

"And that brings up another problem." Buffy stepped out of Spike's arms. She leaned against the outer wall with her hands behind her back. "I don't know if my, whatever you are to me, needs to meet the pointy end of my stake for snacking on Sunnydale." She sighed. "You just told me that I should be proud of my career, but that job says that you should be dead."

"Been dead for a long time, pet." Spike tried to lighten the mood.

"You know what I meant," Buffy yelled out in frustration.

Spike cringed. "Yes, pet. I know what you meant." He pulled a cigarette out of the pack in his pocket, and he flicked open his lighter to light the cigarette. He hoped that the normal din of noise in the factory at night covered the Slayer's outburst. "You need to trust me, Slayer."

"I want to trust you, Spike, but I know what you are." Buffy closed her eyes against the pain she felt. "I know what you are driven to do and what you need to survive."

"There is a lot about vampires that you don't know, pet." Spike sighed. "The Council of Wankers refuses to acknowledge anything about demons that doesn't fit into their little mold labeled evil. So, I'm positive they don't pass those tidbits on to you either."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked in curiosity. She knew that she'd picked up a book on vampires and other demons the other day at the local occult shop in Sunnydale. She hadn't had the time to read it yet, but she'd picked it up hoping to find the answers to questions that weren't covered in Giles' books. Maybe there was some truth in what Spike was saying.

"First off, vampires don't have to kill when they feed." Spike wasn't happy about having to explain any of this to Buffy, but he wasn't willing to risk losing her. He'd tell her only enough that it would ease her conscience without telling her exactly how he was feeding. "The age, training and control that a vampire has goes a long ways towards what options you have for feeding."

Buffy listened to Spike with rapt attention. She'd been anguishing over his last words to her by Ethan's shop for days. She'd hardly slept, and her body was beginning to feel the wear and strain on it.

"The Aurelius clan isn't known for their mercy, especially with Angelus as a Sire." Spike hated his memories of the beatings and torture sessions he endured from Angelus as a fledgling. "Then again I've been without my Sire's "guiding hand" for a lot of decades. That's given me a bit more freedom to be who I want to be."

"What are you trying to say, Spike?" Buffy asked with a pleading note in her tone.

"You've affected me in a way that no one else ever has, pet." Spike moved back towards Buffy. He needed to be near her. The changes he'd already made for her didn't make him less of a vampire, but they made him more than just a vampire. He slipped Buffy's hands out from behind her back and held them in his. "I have not killed anyone since Halloween, pet."

Buffy gasped in astonishment. Could what Spike was saying really be true? Had he stopped feeding from humans?

As if Spike read Buffy's thoughts he added, "I have fed, pet, but I haven't killed any innocents. I find the violence my demon craves using other means."

"But if you're still ... " Buffy was interrupted by a finger to her lips.

"Those who get bit, more than deserve the scare they get." Spike prayed to whoever would listen that Buffy would accept his explanation. "I promise the Slayer that she will never have to perform her duty on me." He slit his wrist with his fangs and offered it to Buffy.

Buffy looked from Spike's bleeding wrist, up to his eyes, and back down to his wrist again. She licked her lips. Even the Slayer inside of her wanted a taste of him. In fact, the Slayer seemed to crave his taste the most. She slowly wrapped her lips around the cut and supped the blood into her mouth. The moment the savory blood hit her tongue, she knew that Spike meant what he promised. The truth of his words was in his blood, the pact sealed the moment she accepted his offering. Without hesitation she lifted her now free hand to Spike's lips.

Spike growled deep within his throat. His fangs pierced Buffy's wrist, and he drank of her precious essence deeply. Not only was their bonding reaffirmed, but also the pact they'd sealed drew their Slayer and vampiric sides tighter together. The wash of feelings that spread between the two of them bled into their human sides as well, and they both collapsed against the wall to support their weight.

The two of them licked at the wounds on the other's wrist followed by a kiss over the sealed wound. Buffy and Spike shared the rest of the night locked in each other's embrace. Sometime during the night, they drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

As the sun drew nearer to the horizon, Spike awoke Buffy and told her that she needed to get home. Parting was harder each time they separated, and that morning seemed even more difficult to let the other one go. Buffy and Spike hugged on last time. After a passionate kiss was shared, Buffy slid down the side of the building and walked back home to get ready for school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (10) Prophecies and Rituals - Part 2
By Tasha

I'm sorry that it has been so long between updates. I actually wrote this chapter off and on for the entire month since the last update. This chapter is pivotal to the rest of the story, and I haven't been happy with the flow of it until now. I had ideas, but then I'd junk them or forget them by the time I could get to paper to write em. I hope you enjoy the LONG (nearly 9000 words) chapter. (I could have easily broken this up into a 2-3 chapters, but because of the time in between updates I put it all in one.)

Chapter Summary: This chapter starts a couple of days after the last chapter left off. We have a different kind of career week and the deciphering of the DuLac ritual. Also, Buffy has been reading through Giles' books for all the information she can find on Spike and vampiric rituals. Has Giles really not noticed? It's time for the DuLac ritual to happen, and everything goes to heck at that point. I don't want to say more and give it away. Sorry.

TWO WARNINGS: There is a character death in this chapter. Major or minor depending on what you feel about the character. There is also an attempted rape. Trust me that there is really nothing graphic about it but the intent of one character wanting to try, but he is stopped.

Author's Note: Some dialogue was taken from the episode "What's My Line - Part 1 & 2" and "Passions" (the shop keeper scene). Also some of the dialogue in scenes from the episodes has been rewritten to fit the purpose of this story. For the purpose of this story there is no Kendra. We can assume that she was killed on her way to Sunnydale. I do not know if I will bring another Slayer in later or not, but for right now there is only one Slayer that we know of.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Buffy stared at herself in her bedroom mirror. "Mom, you know how career week is so important to you?" She paused a moment. "I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I already have a really special career that no one else can take from me. That is unless it's because of the bad news, but what I'm trying to say is that ... Mom ... I'm the Vampire Slayer. The bad news is that I will probably die before I'm 18 anyways."

Buffy balled her hands into fists and pounded her temples. "That sucks, Summers. You have to do better than that." She stood up straight and tried again. "Mom, I love you very much, and I want you to be proud of me. I know how worried you are about my grades and the fights, but I've been chosen to fight the creatures of the darkness." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like she'll believe that one either."

Buffy slumped onto the edge of her bed. "No matter what I say, she is going to think I'm crazy. I am SO not wanting to go back to that place again." She picked up the piece of paper with her test results from the career fair survey. "Law enforcement?" She snorted in laughter. "At least they got that one right, sort of. I don't think they had Vampire Slayer in mind when they said law enforcement though."

Buffy collapsed onto her pillow. It was still a few hours before sunset, and her mother wasn't scheduled to be back from the gallery for another hour. She had to think of something to say to Joyce Summers before she got home.

The career fair was in full swing at Sunnydale High, and Buffy took Spike's words to heart. Her mother seemed more disappointed in her every day, and she was tired of having one of the people she loved the most think the worst of her. She hadn't asked to be the chosen one. It was forced on her. Somehow she needed to make the best of it, and if the Council didn't like her telling her mother about it, they could go screw themselves.

"I just want her to be proud of me again." Buffy said out loud.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce Summers wrapped her fingers around the doorknob to her daughter's room. She'd heard every word of Buffy's little practice speeches, and her heart broke at her daughter's last spoken words. She was stunned to have some of her suspicions confirmed, and instead of stepping into Buffy's room she backed down the hall to her own room.

Joyce, who'd returned home from the gallery early, sat down on the edge of her bed. Her hands shook slightly, but she still managed to hold onto the family portrait of Buffy, Hank and her right around Buffy's 15th birthday. The more she thought about Buffy's words, the easier it was to realize that their lives changed right around that time. 'She must have been called then.'

'I never should have listened to Hank about that institution.' Joyce's face crumbled. 'My poor baby.' Every time she'd tried in the past two years to confront Buffy about a particular stain, cut or bruise she backed out before she asked Buffy about it. Every time it became more obvious that her daughter was involved in something heavy and dangerous, she'd tried to tell herself that it was just a phase.

Parent-Teacher night at Sunnydale High that year changed all of that for Joyce Summers. The papers and police could say all they wanted about gangs on PCP, but she refused to believe it. PCP may have affected the drug users perceptions of things, but it would not have affected everyone else's perceptions of the drug user's faces. 'People died that night at the high school, and one less person would have died if that arrogant Snyder would have listened to my daughter.'

Joyce's thoughts drifted to the shop she visited a couple weeks after Parent-Teacher night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce walked cautiously into the dark shop on Main Street. She spent the last couple weeks searching through the phone book and library for any information to confirm her fears about Sunnydale and her daughter's life. Her only leads for information led her to the doorstep of an occult book and paraphernalia shop in the downtown Sunnydale district.

A balding man, covered in a white tunic, greeted Joyce upon her arrival into the shop. He spoke with a strong Romanian accent, "Welcome. How may I serve you?"

Joyce turned around to face the man. She held her hand to her chest, startled by the voice. She hadn't noticed anyone was in the shop until he came up behind her. "Yes ... um ..."

"Love potion." The man pointed at Joyce as if he was "reading" her mind. "Perhaps a voodoo doll for that unfaithful ..."

"Oh my!" Joyce interrupted him. "Nothing of the sort." She looked around the shop as if she was a frightened and caged rat that needed to escape. "This was a mistake coming here."

The man stepped in front of Joyce when she tried to run for the door. "It's all right." His accent changed to that of an American. "I didn't mean to frighten you, but I get a lot of tourists this time of year. You obviously came here for a reason. How might I help you?"

Joyce took a few moments to catch her breath and calm herself. "This is probably going to sound crazy, but I'm looking for any information on vampires including what can: kill them, hunt them, and if there is anyone that is ultimately supposed to be able to stop them.

The man regarded Joyce with a careful eye. She was too skittish to be joking around with him. "Hmm, someone who is not blind to all of Sunnydale's quirks, I see." He saw the fear in her eyes. "You need a book on vampire slaying."

"Slaying?" Joyce questioned.

"That is what we call it when a vampire is killed, especially by the Slayer." The man walked around to a bookshelf on his back wall. He selected two books from the multitude of volumes he kept there.

Joyce watched the man walk back over to her. She extended her hands to accept the books when he offered them.

"These will help to give you the bulk of the generic information there is on vampires and Slayers." The store owner explained. "A Slayer is the one girl chosen in all the world to fight the powers of darkness, but vampires are their specialty."

"Why two books with nearly the same title?" Joyce read the titles on the covers.

"Because one is Council sanctioned, and one is not."

"What is the Council?" Something about that name sounded ominous to her.

The man grew more confident of the woman's lack of knowledge. If she wasn't sure who the Council was, maybe she wouldn't read the books with the same blinders that so many humans did. "The Council is a group of men in England who are in charge of the Slayer. They have their own views on demons and vampires. They don't tell their people everything. The other book is from a more first hand, non-biased perspective. I hope that you will read both of the books before you decide what the truth really is."

"Thank you," Joyce answered. She walked up to the counter. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. The fact that you are willing to have an open mind is more payment than I would ever want." The storekeeper smiled. "I warn you though. Once you read those books, you won't be able to close your eyes to, or wish away, all the things that go bump in the night."

"My daughter is somehow involved in all of this. I have to know why." Joyce clutched the bag of books to her chest. "Thank you for all of your help."

"You're welcome. Good luck." As the man watched the woman leave his shop he wondered who she was and who her daughter was. For a moment his eyes widened in wonder. 'Nah, the Slayer's mother would know about things like that.' He pulled out a feather duster and went about cleaning his shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce pulled the books out of her nightstand. The edges of the pages were marked and warped from the abundance of use they'd seen already. She read through several passages that she highlighted about the legend of the Vampire Slayer.

"My poor baby girl. I wish I could help her." Joyce closed the books and replaced them in the nightstand drawer. She looked up at her closed door. So much of the information conflicted from one book to the other. The shopkeeper never told her which book was the Council's and which wasn't. As she read the books though, she could see how one book seemed completely biased and one way. She chose to believe the other one.

Joyce hoped the time would be right soon to talk to Buffy about her calling. Until then she would try to find the best way to support her daughter until Buffy was ready to tell her. Weary from some problems at her gallery, Joyce laid down on her pillow and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy tucked her tote bag under her arm. She headed straight for the library with a particular mission in mind. She'd even arrived on campus at least an hour before Giles' start time to be able to research more freely.

'Sometimes I wonder if they really think all blondes are stupid,' Buffy rolled her eyes over her internal musing. At times, Giles and the other Scoobies' low expectations for her intelligence played in her favor. Being able to play dumb, instead of dealing with a conversation she didn't want to have, got her out of most of those situations.

When Buffy asked her mom for an early ride to school, Joyce questioned Buffy about it. Buffy simply replied that she needed to read some books in the library that pertained to her career at the job fair.

Of course Joyce wondered why Buffy didn't check out the books and bring them home. Buffy quickly replied that the books she needed were special volumes that weren't allowed to be removed from the library.

When Buffy left her room the night before to patrol, she found her mother asleep. It was the perfect excuse not to face her mother yet about her true career. So now, as the library doors swung open and closed, she delved into another day of denial in mom land. Buffy dropped her tote on the table. From the tote she removed a faded book, a pen, and a 6x9 journal with a leather strap to hold it shut. "Time to get to work."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dalton was tired, but he felt so close to the answers his Master sought. He refused to sleep until he had the whole text deciphered. He knew the last missing pieces were on the fringes of his brain. He needed to force that knowledge into the foreground.

In the beginning Dalton spent several days straight working on the text. It was only after Spike insisted that he would have a clearer mind if he slept, did Dalton rest. Now he was afraid to rest. He feared that he'd lose the train of thought he was on before he completed the translation of the decoding.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy nibbled on the end of her pen. She alternated between chewing on the cap and tapping the end of the pen against her journal while she read. She reread one particular passage from the Council's reference book and snorted. "Well that part is full of trash. Vampires can too claim humans and not turn them into their slaves," She spoke out loud with out expecting anyone to answer her.

"You know that factual information how, Buffy?" Giles walked down the stairs from the library's second level.

'Darn it,' Buffy thought to herself, after she jumped in her seat. 'I forgot to block the back way in.' She turned around in her chair to face her Watcher. "Good morning, Giles." She said in a chipper voice.

"Good morning, Buffy. You are here rather early today." Giles left his leather attaché on top of the check out counter.

"I needed some alone time to study." Buffy tried to slide her journal into her tote, but Giles laid his hand on the book. "It's always quiet in here, except when all of us are in here."

Giles glanced down at Buffy's scribbles on the open page. "I'm proud of you for your un-precipitated interest in research, but I am a bit worried that you didn't come to me first."

"Buffy and research are usually unmixy things." Buffy wanted to brush the interested off as temporary. "I didn't want you all damage bound and serious if I only wanted to read a little bit here and there."

"You have read more than a little bit here and there." Giles narrowed his gaze on Buffy. Did she really think he was that stupid? "You haven't been meticulous enough in your perusal to return each book to its proper place. This has been going on for weeks, even months."

'Crap! Now what do I do?' Buffy sighed. "All right, I didn't want to tell you because I thought you wouldn't approve of my reasons for research."

"Since most of the books were about vampires and vampiric rituals, I'll take a guess on your subject matter."

"The reason I started to look things up probably isn't what you think. I don't know if I can explain it to you either." Buffy tugged her journal out from under Giles' hand. She wasn't ready for him to read all of it.

"Why don't we start with your comment when I came in?" Giles asked. Although he followed the Council's mandates now, he wasn't always so accepting of them. Angel had already shown him that a vampire could be different, but that was because of the soul. Right?

"Not all vampires are exactly like your diaries and Council books say, Giles." Buffy held her head high as she spoke. Her patrol last night had her completely baffled. Not all vampires were evil fiends.

"And I suppose you think that whatever vampire you are protecting is the exception to the rule?" Giles questioned. At first he thought Buffy's research revolved around Angel, but he'd noticed the separation that happened between the ensouled vampire and his Slayer. 'She can't be doing the research for Angel.'

"I don't just think, Giles, I know he is." Buffy tucked her private notes and book away. She wasn't taking a chance on Giles confiscating all of the work she'd done the last few months. "Let me tell you a story about some of those evil vampires."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Night Before)

Dalton paced nervously back and forth at the back door of the Sunnydale Memorial Hospital. He pulled out an old timepiece, attached to a gold link chain, from his vest pocket. 'She's late,' He sighed. 'Of all the times to be late.'

Buffy swung her arms freely at her sides. While out on patrol she ran across two vampires who'd cornered one of her fellow high school classmates. 'When will these people ever learn not to make themselves easy targets?' She wondered briefly.

Even though Buffy was able to dust both vampires, she hadn't been able to save the student from being attacked. The vampires were fairly young, and the bite wasn't a neat one. Instead of a vampire bite, it looked like a dog ravaged the young woman's throat. That was exactly what she told the paramedics when they arrived.

Instead of leaving the girl bleeding and fair game for any hungry vampire, Buffy waited until the EMT's arrived. She gave her statement to the police while the girl was stabilized as much as possible and loaded into the ambulance. Buffy rode in the front of the ambulance as a concerned friend of the patient.

That was how Buffy arrived at the hospital. After she made sure that the girl's family was contacted, Buffy left the ER and headed for home. She walked around to the back of the building. She never expected to run into Spike's loyal minion, Dalton.

Buffy watched the pacing vampire with avid curiosity. 'What is he doing here?' She thought to herself. 'He'd better not be robbing the blood truck like those vamps from a few weeks ago.' She hung back far enough to be able to see Dalton but hopefully not close enough to be sensed by the distracted vampire.

Dalton's posture stiffened. He turned around and searched the shadows as casually as possible. He thought he felt danger for a moment, but then it vanished. After a full 360 degree sweep of his surroundings with his eyes revealed nothing, he faced the door again and continued to wait.

A loud clunk and bang sounded from behind the closed door that signaled the locks were being disengaged. Buffy spied a young orderly or intern open the door wide with her foot.

The woman was saying something, but Buffy was too far away to hear every word. "Sorry ... late ... gathering ... delivery ... packets ... blood."

'Crap!' Buffy frowned. 'I didn't want to have to stake Spike's minion, but I can't allow vampires to steal from the blood bank.' She slowly snuck up closer to Dalton and the woman who still carried on their conversation.

"It's okay, Marie," Dalton spoke with a tired voice. "I've had a long day, or I wouldn't be so growly."

Marie smiled. "I know better than to ask what you were doing, Dalton."

Buffy stopped her advance. The woman actually knew the vampire's name? 'That wasn't how the set up was a couple weeks ago.'

"Yes, well I won't ask you how you get the bags from the waste department without them being missed," Dalton teased Marie a little.

"It's worth the risk to me," Marie stated defiantly. She handed a large cooler over to Dalton. "If there are vampires willing to take our expired blood instead of snacking on the populace, I say we firmly support it. Besides, the hospital would just throw this away. At least you get some use out of it."

"My Master and I thank you very much, Marie." Dalton smiled warmly at the woman that he and Spike saved from a bunch of demons on her way to work one day. "It isn't easy to fight our natural urges, but you know that some of us can."

Marie nodded in agreement. "I still don't know how those demons got the jump on me that night." She shook her head back and forth. "I've lived in Sunnydale all my life, and I'm not stupid enough to have blinders on. I see the wounds that come through the ER, and I'm not naïve enough to pass it off as heinous barbecue fork accidents or dog bites."

"At least we dispatched the demons before they did too much damage."

"You two had a ready meal, and I wouldn't have been able to stop you." Marie shivered in remembrance of the first time she saw Dalton and Spike in their vampiric faces. "Neither of you even took a sip from me, even though I was bleeding. You just helped me up and escorted me the rest of the way to work."

Dalton blushed. He and Spike found their violence in the hunt of those who encroached on their territory. That meant they had the challenge of various demons to fight instead of the easy prey that humans were. Dalton found that he delighted in fighting alongside Spike.

A tiny band of human friendly demons let them know when a problem arrived. Then, Spike and Dalton took care of the situation. There were a small group of humans who assisted them like Marie was. She provided them with expired human blood from the hospital to satiate their demon's need for blood. Others provided weapons or shelter from the sun if the warriors were caught out around sunrise. It was a nice little system, but Spike made them all swear not to tell anyone about their exploits. He said it needed to be kept a secret amongst them for the time being.

Dalton sighed. "Well, it is late, and I have some texts waiting for me at the factory." He hated to leave his chat with Marie because he enjoyed her company. The break from his work was welcomed, but he needed to get back to it.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get here sooner. We had another "dog" attack in the ER." Marie rolled her eyes. "So, I had to secure that girl before I could pick up the blood."

"We appreciate all you do for us, Marie."

Marie leaned over and kissed Dalton on the cheek. "And we appreciate all you and your Master do for us." She stepped back shyly. With a departing wave, she closed the back door and relocked it.

Dalton grinned. He wasn't used to attention from the female persuasion. Heck, he wasn't used to any kindly attention from anyone except Spike. He practically trotted away from the hospital with a grin firmly plastered on his face. The grin fell when he realized that he'd missed the arrival of the Slayer. 'Uh oh ... How much did she hear?'

Buffy saw the vampire stiffen and stop mid-stride. She had a lot of information that she needed to process, and she thought it would be better if she let Dalton get back to the factory instead of confronting him. She turned in the opposite direction of Dalton and headed home via a different route than she'd originally planned.

Dalton sensed the Slayer leave the area. He relaxed and slumped against the nearest tree. 'Master Spike is not going to be happy about this,' He thought to himself. Then he reasoned that unless the Slayer brought it up with his Master, he wasn't going to. Spike already had his hands full trying to placate the barely consolable Drusilla who kept screaming for Dalton to hurry up and bring her daddy to her. He hurried off towards the factory. He still had a lot of work to do that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles, who had fallen into a seat nearby Buffy while she told the story, stared at her in confusion and amazement. "You are positive that Marie was human?"

"Giles, Sp ... the one I'm checking all this out for has helped me with narrowing down vampiric and demon traces in my "spidey sense". I know she was human."

"Extraordinary." Giles set his glasses down on the table. "If anyone else had told me such a story, I would have told them they were full of it. I see no reason why you would lie to me about this."

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. Giles was not going to like the vampire that she was researching everything for and about, but at least he hadn't yelled at her repeatedly even after her story. "I appreciate you trusting me, Giles. I would have come to you sooner, but I know this goes against all that you've ever told me."

"I must admit that I am not all convinced in the vampire's purity."

Buffy interrupted Giles, "I never said he was pure, Giles. I don't doubt that he's the Big Bad, but he is also a man. He is a demon who loves the Slayer without the benefit of a cursed soul." She tossed that tidbit of information out into the air.

"Good Lord," Giles picked up his glasses and started to polish them heavily. "I had assumed it was not Angel you spoke of, but hearing you say it means that I can not deny that you have a different vampire in your life as well."

"He's promised me that he is not killing humans Giles, and I believe him." Buffy rubbed the mock turtleneck collar over Spike's marks. "I can tell if he's not telling me the whole truth." It was one of the reasons why Spike's confession behind Ethan's old costume shop bothered her. She knew there was something more to what he wasn't saying. Now, she knew it was a good thing that he was hiding even though her senses had told her that he was hiding something from her.

"Will I have a chance to meet this miracle vampire of yours?" Giles itched to get his Watcher's diary out and record the events of the day. He feared this was one entry that he would have to put in a separate place of record. The Council would not be willing to accept such a theory.

"You kind of already have, Giles. You see it's ..."

The bell rang, and the library doors whooshed open to announce Xander and Willow's arrival.

"What's up, Buffster ... G-Man?" Xander chirped in cheerily.

"I really wish you would stop calling me that." Giles gathered the books Buffy took from his collection, and he replaced his glasses on his face.

Buffy shoved her notes and journal into her tote. She quickly stood up. "Giles was just helping me with some before school studying." She turned to face Giles. "Thank you for everything, Giles."

Giles nodded. "I hope that you will come back for more studying again soon, Buffy. Never be afraid to talk to me about what you need help with."

The smile wasn't Giles usual stoic façade. The smile felt warm and reassuring. Buffy only hoped that he would still be just as supportive when he found out that she was talking about Spike.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Later that same afternoon)

Dalton closed the tome he was reading. He straightened the papers he'd written the translation on, and he carried them down the hall to Spike's chamber. "Master?" He knocked on the door lightly.

"Yes, Dalton?" Spike opened the door. He was tired, but he hoped that Dalton brought good news.

Drusilla sat on the end of the bed. She clapped with glee. "He did it, didn't he?"

Spike read the papers now in his hand. "By George, I think he's got it." He turned to face Drusilla. "It's the key to your cure, ducks, the bloody missing link. It was ..."

"Right," Dru said as she gazed off in the distance. "Right in front of us ... the whole time." She reached out for Spike's hand and placed it on a card in her lap ... the Angel card.

"Well I'll be buggered. The stupid git gets to help after all." Spike laughed. "Guess it's time to have a little chat with daddy," He sneered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Late into the night, closer to dawn of the next day)

Buffy strolled through the old industrial district on her way to see Spike. She had a few questions for him, and she hoped he could get away from the factory tonight. She was surprised to find him stalking about of the factory and past her hiding place without even a bit of notice for her presence. 'Where is he going that has him so preoccupied?' She followed him far enough behind to hopefully remain unnoticed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel groaned. He wished that whoever was at his door would go away. The sun would rise soon, and he was tired. Every attempt he made lately to get closer to Buffy was rebuffed or rebuked by the girl herself. He was getting tired of being put off, and he was sick of waiting for Spike and Drusilla to leave town.

"Come on pops, I know you are in there." Spike beat on the door of Angel's apartment again.

"Spike?" Angel growled. "What the hell are you doing here?" He shouted at the vampire on his doorstep.

Spike breezed past his Sire and into the apartment. "It seems that I have to take you up on your offer to help." It disgusted him to have to ask anything of Angelus, but Angelus owed it to Drusilla to do anything he could to make her well.

"I'm not a patient man, Spike. So, hurry up with your explanation, and get out of my home." Angel stood in the doorway of his apartment with the door open. He really didn't have neighbors, and he wasn't worried about anyone bothering him.

"Drusilla's cure requires her Sire, specifically your blood," Spike started his explanation.

"I'll do it, but you have to take her away from Sunnydale, if I do this." Angel offered his ultimatum.

"Of course I could knock you out and take it from you. Heck, I'd love to drain you bloody dry, but I'm thinking that the ritual would go more smoothly if you were a willing participant." Spike grinned. "You offered to help." He reminded his Sire.

"I don't want you two in this town any longer, Spike."

"What she does once she's cured is none of my business, Angelus." Spike got up in Angel's face. "You owe this to her, and I will collect on her debt whether you like it or not. I'm tired of dealing with the crazy bint!"

Angel growled, vamped and shoved Spike away from the door. Angelus' demon was furious at the insults Spike gave towards his favored Childe. The two of them tousled around Angel's apartment all fists and fangs, kicking and punching at each other until Spike gained the advantage and wrestled Angel down. Angel tried to break free of Spike's hold, but he found himself strangely contained.

Spike buried his head close to Angel's ear and whispered. "You will find that a lot of things have changed, Sire." He used the term as an insult. "I'm not the whelp you used to know."

Spike was pulled off of Angel from behind. He went flying into the wall opposite the door. He looked up from the floor dazed.

"I don't think you'll be doing anything else to hurt Angel, Spike." Buffy stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. "You really should learn to take no for an answer."

Spike wiped his mouth of the blood from his split lip. "Wanker never said no, pet." He evened his gaze on her. 'What is she playing at by protecting Angelus?'

Buffy winked at Spike, but she reached a hand down to help Angel up off the floor. "Are you all right, Angel?" A false concern covered her face.

Spike's demon wanted to rip Angelus away from Buffy. He breathed in and out in an attempt to calm himself down, even if he didn't need to breathe. "He made a promise, Slayer. He is bound to his Childe to keep it."

"Yeah yeah," Buffy rolled her eyes as she spoke. "I heard all of the male ego shit going on from outside the door. Do you two ever listen to yourselves?"

Angel stared at Buffy in confusion. Was she actually joking around with Spike? "Buffy?"

"I want to be there." Without looking back at Spike, Buffy took Angel's hand between both of hers. "I need to be there. Please."

The slight begging in Buffy's voice was Angel's undoing. It was the first time in months that she was seeking out his company and protection. He wasn't going to let that opportunity pass him up. "All right, Buffy. I don't mind."

"I bloody well mind." Spike was seething from the inside out. "This is private, between family."

"She is my family." Angel turned to face Spike. "I want her there."

Spike growled. He wanted to tear Angelus apart for being near the woman he called his. He fought to stay in the same spot against the wall. "Fine, but if this goes to hell, it will be your fault. I'll dump Dru on your lap faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket."

"So when is this ritual taking place?" Buffy asked.

"Tonight, after sundown. The placements will be right, and we'll be at the church down on Main and 20th." Spike's gaze flickered back and forth between Buffy and Angel.

"Fine." Buffy hoped she would be able to talk to Spike before he assumed the worst of her. She could see and feel the anger and pain that radiated off of him.

"Fine. I'll be there Spike, just after sundown," Angel echoed Buffy's earlier answer.

"Make sure that you do," Spike growled. He stood up, huffed, and strode out the door and into the night.

Buffy faked her concern. She needed to wait a couple minutes before she ran out the door to find Spike, or Angel would know something was up. "Are you sure you are okay with this?"

"If it will get those two out of our town, I'd be willing to do just about anything." Angel reached up and tucked some stray strands of Buffy's hair behind her ear. "Don't worry."

"Okay." Buffy smiled. She fought her natural instinct to be sick from Angel's touch. "I need to get home before Mom wakes up." She kissed the back of Angel's hand. "Good night, Angel."

"Good night, Buffy." As the door closed behind Buffy, it suddenly occurred to Angel that he hadn't asked Buffy why she showed up at his apartment. He opened the door to call out to her, but she was already out of sight. "Very strange."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy shrieked when she was pulled into the shadows of an alley three blocks away from Angel's apartment. She turned around in a fighting stance, but she found she was face to face with a very angry yet stunningly handsome vampire.

"What the bloody hell was going on in that apartment," Spike, in full game face, growled out every word. "You were all over him like a fledgling on a bleeding tramp."

Buffy worked one hand out from between them. She didn't say a word, but she trailed her fingertips over Spike's brow ridges. With a look of longing, love, and submission she turned her neck to display Spike's marks to him.

Spike howled and bit into Buffy's neck hard. This wasn't like the other times, gentler times. Spike fought against his demon's desire to punish Buffy for even touching his Sire. His body shook with anger and a release of the fear that he was losing his intended mate. He tasted the acceptance and love in her blood that was always there, and it helped to soothe him.

"Shhhh," Buffy soothed Spike in a low lilting voice. She ran her fingers through Spike's hair and cooed other nonsensical words into his ears. She felt the demon recede and Spike's face change back to that of his human self. "I'm here Spike. All yours, and no one else's."

Spike panted unnecessarily, and he pulled back to look into Buffy's face after he sealed the wound with his tongue. "What was that all about with the poofter, Buffy?"

"I had to make him think I wanted to go to the ritual because of my concern for him, not my concern for you." Buffy chose her words carefully. Although she loved seeing the feral side of Spike, he did scare her when he got that crazy.

"Why do you need to be there at all? Don't you trust me?" Spike snarled.

"With all that I am, Spike, but I don't trust Angel." Buffy caressed Spike's cheek. She cupped it in the palm of her hand. "I want to be there in case something goes wrong. Please, let me."

"I don't like it. Even if I say no, I know you will show up." Spike wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist. "So, I might as well say yes."

"Thank you Spike." Buffy detached one of Spike's hands from around her, and she pulled it up to her mouth. "You've had a taste. Now it is my turn." Without giving Spike a chance to slit his wrist with a fang, Buffy bit down into Spike's wrist. She sucked hard on the jagged wounds her blunt teeth created until Spike's blood started to fill her mouth.

Spike howled into the night. Buffy's blunt teeth hurt more, but it was also one of the most erotic experiences that he'd ever had. Knowing that she wanted it enough to take it herself had him nearly cumming in his pants. He bent over and re-entered her neck with his fangs, both of them drinking from each other.

The taste of each other's blood on their tongues, and the pulls of their blood into the other, sent both of them into orgasmic bliss. Spike coated the inside of his jeans with his spendings, and Buffy shook from her orgasm as her excitement coated her thighs.

Both of them collapsed against the wall. "Wow," they both said. It was a long time before either of them recovered to make their way back to their respective homes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(An hour before sundown)

Buffy walked into the library and handed the stolen tome over to Giles. About an hour before, she met Spike at the church to help him prepare it. Dalton had handed the book and cross over to her to return to her Watcher. They figured it was safer with Giles now that they'd gotten out of it what they needed.

Buffy unwrapped the cross from it's velvet casing as well. "I'm returning these to you. This is a duplicate of the cross we were looking for from the DuLac tomb as well. You can have the real one after the ritual."

Giles stared at Buffy in amazement. "The DuLac cross?" He reached out for the items gingerly. He thought he'd never see his precious tome again, and the cross was a find of unprecedented rarity. "How?"

"I got them back from some vampires. They don't need them anymore." Buffy tried to keep her answers short and vague. "Well I've got things to do and places to be." She tried to leave the library, but Giles' voice stopped her.

"We never finished our conversation about who your vampire was, Buffy." Giles looked down at the book and the cross. He read through his other books in an attempt to find out why the vampire's wanted the book and the cross. The only thing that made any sense was that one of the rituals from the stolen book was for healing sick or wounded vampires. That narrowed down his list of suspects considerably.

"Do we really need to finish that conversation now?" Buffy turned and questioned her Watcher with pleading eyes. "I really do have somewhere that I need to be. I don't want them to start without me."

Giles inhaled deeply. "It's Spike, isn't it?" The thought of Buffy being involved with a soulless Master Vampire scared him to death. If everything else Buffy told him were true, then maybe a soul wasn't the deciding factor for a vampire's path. Nonetheless, he was still very concerned for her welfare.

Buffy hung her head a moment, and then she looked up into her Watcher's eyes. "Yes, and before you say it ... Yes, I know what I'm doing. No, I'm not crazy."

"You do realize how ludicrous it sounds?" Giles asked.

"Yes, but I don't have time to explain it all to you right now. The ritual to heal Drusilla is going to happen in less than an hour, and I need to be there to protect him."

"Why would he need protection? He's a Master Vampire, Buffy."

"Angel was the key to her cure. She needs Sire's blood," Buffy explained. "I don't trust Angel not to go all damage bound on Spike. I think he suspects a few things about Spike and I."

Giles removed his glasses, and he pressed the butt of his palm against his forehead. "Will you promise to come back here after the ritual to talk more?"

"Yes, Giles. I promise." Buffy was antsy. She didn't want to be late for the ritual. Everything was a matter of timing.

"If you can, bring Spike along."

"Do you promise not to stake him?"

"Yes, for now," Giles answered. "Many pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, including the marks on your neck that I'm sure you thought I never saw. They've been there since Halloween."

Buffy reached up to cover her neck. Only tiny pink puckers remained, and she thought she'd hidden them well enough with foundation and concealer.

Giles held up his hand to forestall her to explain now. "When you return."

Buffy nodded. "Spike had Dalton put a copy of his notes in the book. He said it would help you to find out how to decode the text sooner." Before Giles could say another word, Buffy ran out of the library to the church the ritual was taking place at.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dalton walked around the altar of the church. He held the holy object needed for the ritual with disdain. It made his skin crawl to hold it, but the gloves he wore protected him from burning. "Eligor I name thee." He started the incantation for the ritual. "Bringer of wars, poisoners, pariahs, and grand obscenity."

Angel looked into Drusilla's eyes. The delighted glint in her eyes worried him. Their hands were bound together. He wrapped his arm around Dru's waist to hold them both steady while Dalton continued with the ritual and Spike looked on.

"Eligor, wretched master of decay ... Bring your black medicine," Dalton intoned the words in a strong monotone that was not like his normal voice. The power of the ritual seemed to flow through him and guide him.

"Black medicine," Dru repeated in a haze.

Buffy slid into the church. She stopped to stand next to Spike. "Sorry I'm late." She whispered. "It took me a little longer with Giles' than I expected."

"Any problems?" Spike queried. Even after the Night of St. Vigeous transferred the power of the Master to him, he still didn't like magic and rituals. 'There are still so many ways this can get bollocksed up.'

"Nope," Buffy popped her p. Since she was whispering near Spike's ear it sent a puff of warm air against his neck that made him shiver. "He wants to see us after the ritual though."

"Both of us pet?" Spike raised a curious brow at his intended.

"Yes. He knows some things, and he knows you are the one I was researching."

"Very interesting."

"Come," Dalton called out. His gloved hand lifted the DuLac cross high into the air in front of him. "Restore your most impious and murderous child."

"Murderous child," Dru repeated.

"Okay that gives me the willies." Buffy shivered next to Spike.

"The poofter won't let Drusilla hurt anyone, not with that bloody soul of his." Spike tried to reassure Buffy that Dru would be taken care of. "You won't have to worry about her. I have a feeling this ritual will bind them even more than before."

Dalton pulled a dagger out from inside the cross. "From the blood of the Sire, she is risen." He tied another band around Angel's and Dru's joined hands. "From the blood of the Sire, she shall rise again." He rammed the dagger hard into the joined hands.

Angel screamed out in pain. An ethereal red glow surrounded them. It started at their joined hands and worked its way over Drusilla's and Angel's bodies. The further down Angel's body it went the more Angel screamed as if something was being wrenched away from within.

Buffy jumped next to Spike. She gulped hard, and she tightened her hand around his so hard that her nails dug into his flesh and her own. Their hands trickled blood. "Was it supposed to do that?"

"Bloody hell if I know love. Dalton?"

A burst of energy filled the entire room. Buffy and Spike felt it pulse through them both as it passed them. The two of them collapsed against the pew in front of them, gasping for breath.

"Bloody Hell. What was that?" Spike gasped. He helped Buffy to stand back up.

Buffy looked into Spike's eyes, and they both saw that the other's eyes were glowing. A few moments after it started, it all stopped, and their eyes returned to their normal colors.

"Oh my God. What happened?" Her chest heaved breathes in and out in an attempt to calm herself.

Angelus started to laugh. His laugh got louder, darker and more sinister the longer he bellowed.

"My Angel?" Dru looked into Angel's eyes. In that moment she knew what had happened, and she squealed in delight. "My Angel!"

"Hello baby!" Angelus ripped the bands from their hands. "I'm back!" He pulled a stake from his pocket and drove it into Dalton's chest. "And I'm not going to let that little ferret send me away again."

"DALTON!" Buffy screamed. "What the hell is wrong with you Angel?" She advanced on the vampire and vampiress.

Spike pulled Buffy back with a tight grip. "That's not Angel, pet."

"What?" Buffy turned to face Spike when she asked her question.

"That's Angelus." Spike's eyes widened. The part of him that was Angelus' Childe cowered to see his Master's return. The part of him that flowed with the power of THE Master felt defiant and ready for a fight.

"Guessed it in one Willie m'boy!" Angelus jeered. "You really should read your rituals more carefully."

Drusilla bounced up and down on the altar. "Miss Edith told me you would return."

"Only Dru's sire could heal her. Did you really think that sniveling excuse for a vampire was Dru's true Sire?" Angelus laughed darkly. "Not even close, bleach boy. Come over here and beg your Master for his leniency after all your petulant remarks and actions."

Spike snorted in laughter. "Not a chance in Hell, Angelus. I'm my own Master now."

Angelus looked at the way Spike held Buffy's hand. "Now I know why you kept shunning me Buff. You found yourself a new pet vamp."

"Shut up Angel. He's ten times the man you will ever be." Buffy spat out the words in anger. She never lost watch over where Drusilla was. She didn't trust the vampiress.

Spike smiled inwardly at Buffy's defense of him and calling him a man. It warmed him to hear it, and he wasn't going to give Angelus a chance to get in-between them.

"We'll see about that." Angelus soared off the altar and landed in front of Buffy and Spike. He grabbed Buffy by the arms and pulled her away from Spike's grip. "I'll show you just what a real man can do to that fine body, Buff, and you'll never go back to him." His claws tore into Buffy's top for only a moment before Angelus was kicked and then pushed far away from Buffy.

Spike followed through with a kick to the stomach once Angelus landed on the ground. "Mine, you bastard."

Angelus hopped up. The two circled each other. Angelus darted in with a quick punch that connected with Spike's jaw and sent his head back.

Buffy picked herself up off the ground. She headed over to help Spike in the fight, but an angry Drusilla stood right in her way.

"You took my dark prince from me, but I won't let you keep him." Drusilla growled in her vampiric guise. "My prince will return to my feet and my king will rule us all."

"You are one sick ho." Buffy's heel connected with Dru's chest in the middle of it. The spike of her heel missed the vampiress' heart, but Dru was forced back towards the altar wailing.

Buffy lifted her foot to show Dru. "Wooden heels, always good in a pinch. Don't you think?" She advanced on the vampiress again, and the fight started anew. "Maybe I should start dipping them in Holy water for those times I miss the heart?"

"Pet, stop playing with her and do it!" Spike yelled from the other side of the room. He knew how dangerous his crazy companion could be. "And don't look into her eyes." He fell on his butt when one of Angelus' kicks connected with his side.

Buffy jumped on Drusilla. Her stake was out and on a downward thrust into the vampiress' heart, but she was forcibly thrown several feet into the wall instead. She hit the wall, amongst the tingling and tanging of musical chimes, and fell to the floor unconscious. Her head bled from a nasty pressure cut on the back of it.

"Buffy!!!" Spike ran at Angelus with all of his strength. His anger clouded his judgment, and he wasn't able to deflect his approach enough in time to avoid Angelus' outstretched hands. He flew through the air to hit the same wall that Buffy did. His momentum when he hit the wall knocked him senseless for a few moments.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles continued to read the tome that was returned to him, along with the duplicate cross that decoded the archaic Latin text. "Fascinating." Buffy told him that Angel was required for the ritual because he was Drusilla's Sire. Although he questioned the appropriateness of returning the vampiress to full health, he figured a non-crazy vampire was better than a crazy one. Besides, if Angel was willing to do the ritual, then what place was it of his to argue. Angel had a soul, and he wouldn't do anything to put the rest of them in danger.

"Dear Lord," Giles gaped at the text before. "He looked at the notes made by Spike's minion, and he confirmed his worst fears. "They didn't read far enough." He slapped the book closed, grabbed an axe and crossbow from the cage, and raced out of the library. "Angelus will return."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike looked up in time to see the rafters and pipes from the church organ work their way free from the wall. The force with which Angelus threw Buffy and he against the organ was too much for the old church to withstand. He only had time to cover Buffy's body with his own, and it all came down on top of them both.

The painful screams of his Childe filled Angelus' ears with sadistic delight. He pulled Dru into his arms, and they danced around the church. Angelus pulled two of the torches they'd used to light the ceremony out of the wall. With a gleeful sneer he tossed one of the torches into the draperies and the other onto the wooden pews.

Dru clapped her hands and screamed, "Pretty fire!! Dancing about the room, licking up all that is pure and turning it dark."

"Burn, baby, burn," Angelus sneered. He grabbed Drusilla's hand and pulled her out of the church before they were caught in the blaze.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Do you seriously think I would let Spike and Buffy die? No way. I hope you like this chapter and don't kill me before I can get the next chapter out.**

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (11) Escaping the Flames
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Giles races to find the church that the ritual would have taken place at. His fears of being too late are realized when he comes upon the burning church. Will Spike and Buffy make it out alive? Was Spike crippled again when he covered Buffy with his body as the organ fell? What will her friends, mother, and Watcher say if they survive and she wants to take Spike home with her?

Author's Note: Well going to the James Marsters and Friends convention helped to respark the muse. I met some wonderful people there, and some of them turned out to be people who read my fiction. I can't tell you guys how much it tickled me the first time I said that I wrote Revenge For Love and had people know what story I was talking about. You guys were great. Thank you for helping to respark my muse. This chapter is dedicated to Margaret, Margaret (yes, I meant to put in two Margaret's. They know who they are), Kim, Vicki, Holly, Rebecca, and Jessi (from the convention). Thank you all for helping to revive the muse.

Author's Note #2: Yes, I realize that I used the name Levinson in this story. He will end up being a relation to Jonathan Levinson, my favorite of the geek trio.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Giles turned the corner onto Main Street. "How many bloody churches are there in this town?" He swerved to miss a black cat crossing the road. "As if I need any more bad luck," He muttered to himself.

"Please let me be in time. Please let me be in time," Giles chanted the mantra softly to himself. He was already afraid that he was too late, and Angelus was unleashed on an unsuspecting Buffy.

"Dear Lord," Giles gasped. He stepped on the gas and then screeched to a halt in front of the realization of his fears.

Red and orange flames licked the horizon at the corner of Main and 20th Street. Smoke billowed out of the church's bell tower and into the night. Predators and scavengers of the night hovered on the fringes of the shadows, watching and waiting to see what they could glean from the carnage.

Giles clutched the doorframe tightly as he got out of the car. He pulled himself up to his full height on shaky legs. 'I hope Buffy isn't still in there,' He thought to himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Coughing and choking noises echoed off the fallen church organ pipes. The vibrations from the coughs bounced off the pipes and caused them to ring. A small blond body tried to push the heavy weight off her chest in order to breathe more easily.

To her horror, Buffy realized the dead weight on her chest was Spike's body. She tried to shake him awake, but he wouldn't respond. "Spike! Spike, please!" She yelled into his ears over the roaring of the inferno. 'I have to get us out of here before he dusts and I choke to death.' She turned her head from side to side in an attempt to find a way out of the pile they were buried under.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles watched in horror as each minute another part of the old church caved in or broke apart. The Sunnydale fire department had arrived, but they'd already given up any hope of saving the building. Still they kept their water hoses running to keep it all from burning down.

Several of Spike's minions lurked at the back of the church cemetery. They were far away enough to avoid the flames, but they were close enough to search for any sign of their Master.

Spike's minions, those who were told to wait out back until he came out from the ritual, were confused. Drusilla the Mad, as they liked to call her, had run past them before the building was completely engulfed. Instead of Spike being on her arm, they swore she was kissing Angel, the Cursed One. What would make Drusilla turn against her caretaker? Was it because of another one of her mad fits, or was it more?

The eyes of the vampires in the cemetery and Giles' eyes in the front of the church were trained on all exits. Giles prayed that his Slayer, the girl he looked upon as his surrogate daughter, made it out alive. He hoped her vampire was able to keep her safe.

"Preposterous," Giles huffed. 'A vampire keeping a Slayer safe, especially William the Bloody, is an insane thought. I knew that he couldn't be trusted. Now she is going to die because of him.' Even as his thoughts kicked him at the idea, his heart continued to pray for Buffy's safety.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Come on, baby. We can't stay here." Buffy wrapped her arm around Spike's waist. She pulled Spike's dead weight with her as she scooted along the floor. The heat of the flames was starting to push past the barrier of pipes from the organ that fell on them. So far the pipes had protected them from direct contact with the flames. Even though they were safe from the flames, she was not safe from being asphyxiated.

Spike groaned in pain. His body shifted in Buffy's arms, and the wetness of his room temperature blood coated her skin. He remained unconscious and unable to help the woman he'd protected from the brunt of the church's destruction.

Buffy reached the outer wall. Because of the weight of the church organ, the wall was made of brick and mortar instead of all wood. 'It is probably covered with wood on the outside, but that is a chance I'll have to take.' She carefully turned her body so that Spike's body would fall to the side. She cringed at the yelp of pain from his unconscious form.

Buffy reached around the debris for one of the smaller pipes. With a firm grasp she mustered as much strength that she could and slammed the pipe into the brick. Not much gave way, but the hollow pipe reverberated a higher pitched whistle that matched the note it would have previously played. She thrust the pipe against the wall several more times, and she hoped that someone would hear it or she'd break through the wall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles jumped after another piece of the roof crashed to the ground. He choked back the tears that threatened to fall. He rubbed his eyes and ears. The smoke made his eyes water, and the cacophony of noises around him seemed to cause a ringing in his ears.

"Chief!" One of the firemen yelled out to another man. "I think I hear something." Trained to listen for even the faintest sounds of survivors, he'd picked up on the clanging noises.

One of the firemen broke away from the bunch at the front. He joined the fireman who called out to him. "What do you hear, Levinson?" He tried to sift through the other noises around them and locate what the other fireman heard.

"There!" Jim Levinson hollered after he heard the noise again.

"I heard it too. I need a hose and axes over here," The Chief called out to his men. "We might have a survivor." He shook his head back and forth in amazement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy coughed. Her strength was waning. She'd already inhaled a lot of smoke, and the heat was starting to bother her too. "I'm sorry, Giles. Guess we didn't plan for everything," She spoke into the air, even though she knew Giles would never hear the apology.

Buffy rested her head on Spike's shoulder. One of her hands was still clasped in Spike's grip. She lost the battle with consciousness at last. Her last thoughts centered on the fact that at least she wasn't dying alone. She was with someone who loved her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Voices chanted, "Left ... Right ... Left ... Right ..." The wall shook four times and pieces of the mortar fell on top of Buffy and Spike's heads. Each command resulted in another blow to the wall. On the fifth swing a basketball-sized hole opened between the inside and outside.

A flashlight beam flickered over Buffy and Spike's unconscious forms. "We've got 2 in here." The light disappeared. The hole in the wall continued to get bigger until it was big enough to reach Buffy.

Two sets of hands reached into the hole. One set pulled Buffy out under her armpits, and the other set pulled Spike out the same way. There was a bit of a problem when they couldn't get Spike and Buffy's hands separated to get them out the hole one at a time. The group of men ended up pulling both unconscious bodies out at the same time instead.

Giles ran around the building in time to see Buffy removed from it. The new source of oxygen from the hole to the outside drew the flames past the fallen pipes into the former sanctuary for the Slayer and her vampire. "Buffy!" Giles yelled.

"Whoa there, Sir. You need to go back to the street." Levinson held Giles by the shoulders.

"You don't understand." Giles fought to get past the fireman. Although he didn't look like it, he was a fairly strong man. "I am responsible for her." He pointed past the fireman to Buffy.

"You know her?"

"Yes. She was ..." Giles tried to think of a good explanation for why Buffy would be at the church at night. "She was doing some research for a school project that I was helping her with. I'm the high school librarian."

"School project?" The worry etched on the older man's features was evidence that he cared for the young woman, no matter her purpose for being at the church. Jim Levinson shook his head back and forth. He knew better than to question the strange happenings around Sunnydale. His nephew Jonathan was always filling him in on what went on at the high school.

"Yes, a bit of history on the local multitude of old and new churches. There are 43 of them to be exact." Giles knew the excuse was a lame one, but it was all he could come up with on such short notice.

"I see." Jim sighed. "Please wait here. They are bringing them back here, away from the fire."

Two stretchers, carrying both unconscious forms, made its way to Giles and Jim's position. The stretcher carriers had a hard time keeping them both balanced because the pair's hands were still locked together. The stretchers wobbled and finally fell to the ground.

Giles rushed to Buffy's side. One of the firemen grabbed the joined hands. He looked up at Giles with a helpless look. "I swear they used superglue on those hands. If I pull any harder, I'm going to tear skin to get them apart."

"Maybe it would be best if ..." Giles wasn't able to finish his sentence before the latest attempt to remove Spike's hand from Buffy's pushed the vampire's game face to the fore. Still unconscious, Giles knew the vampire wasn't a threat, but his snarl was quite convincing that the hands should be left alone.

"Holy crap!" The fireman jumped back and away from everyone. "What the Hell is that?" He pointed at Spike.

The Chief caught up with his men. He looked down at Spike's face without batting an eyelash. It wasn't the first time he'd seen something like that. He noticed that the older man wasn't moving away in fear. He moved closer to Giles. "Another friend of yours?"

"Not exactly." Giles frowned. He rubbed the flat of his hand over his entire face from forehead to chin. There was no way he could explain away Spike's vampiric guise for anything other than what it was. "But he is her ..." He pondered what to call Spike. "Her boyfriend. They were meeting at the church for some research."

The Chief motioned all of the men to head back to the main part of the fire. He lowered his voice to a level that only Giles could hear. "I'd be willing to bet that you don't want me to take them to the hospital," The experience wise Chief stated.

"That would be correct." Giles exhaled in relief. It was rare that he ran into someone in Sunnydale who didn't have blinders on. Whether or not the fire chief wanted to admit what he saw, he was being reasonable to deal with. "My car is just over there." He pointed to the beaten up old compact.

"They aren't going to fit in that laying down."

"They'll have to. I don't have much other choice to ..."

Buffy coughed. The purer oxygen away from the fire had been drawn into her lungs, and she'd finally recovered enough oxygen to return to consciousness. "Oh God!" She gasped and clutched her aching chest.

"Easy, Buffy. I'm here." Giles reassured his charge.

"Giles? Spike!" Buffy tried to get up to locate the vampire. The tug at the end of her arm turned her attention to their clasped hands. She tried to crawl over to him.

"Buffy, stay still. We have to check you for injuries." Giles put a hand on Buffy's arm to restrain her.

"I'm fine. Spike is the one hurt." Buffy sniffled. She didn't know the extent of his injuries, but she was worried that he hadn't awakened yet.

"You have blood matted in your hair." Giles slowly pushed some of Buffy's hair to the side to try to examine the wound.

The fire chief set a first aid kit on the ground. He crouched down next to Giles and whispered. "I would get them out of here soon, or there are going to be a lot more questions about him." He pointed to Spike.

"Quite right." Giles turned to Buffy. "The bleeding has stopped. Do you think you can stand?"

"Yes, I'm more worried about Spike. He took the brunt of whatever Angelus and the church threw on us." Buffy caressed Spike's face tenderly. She rubbed her fingertips over his pronounced eyebrow ridges. "Why is he in game face? He wasn't when I passed out."

"They tried to break your hands apart. Spike didn't like that." Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. He leaned down to whisper closer to Buffy's ear. "He's probably stayed that way to deal with whatever pain he is currently in. The demon is able to handle more pain than the human side."

"I remember reading something about that in one of your books." Buffy nodded her head in understanding and agreement. She stood up slowly, making sure she was steady enough for the task at hand. "Grab the other end of the stretcher. I have to get him out of here. Then, you and I need to have a chat."

"I was afraid of that when I saw the church burning." Giles lifted the other end of the stretcher. "Thank you for all of your help," He directed his comments to the fire chief.

"Maybe you can explain it to me someday," The Chief spoke softly. "I'm sure it is a very interesting tale to hear."

"Perhaps." Giles wondered if it might not be a good idea to have a few allies in the law enforcement and emergency fields. His training told him that no one should know of his Slayer's calling, but they'd already broken so many Council rules. Having someone like the fire chief could be an asset to them, if used properly.

Buffy and Giles maneuvered Spike into the back seat as carefully as they could. The car wasn't made for all 3 of them, but they didn't have many choices. When Buffy and Giles were both secure in the front seat, Giles asked Buffy, "Where to?"

"Your place. I don't think Mom could handle this kind of news yet." Buffy sighed.

Giles nodded, started the car, put it into gear, and drove away from the lingering devastation the fire was causing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The minions who previously remained at the back of the church followed the small car with their eyes. "Now what?" One minion turned to another. "We shouldn't have let them take him."

"He was fully revealed, and they didn't stake him." The other minion said to the first one. "I may not be too bright, but I don't think the Slayer wanted to hurt him."

"That makes no sense at all. It's what she does."

The second minion shrugged. "I think we should head back to the factory and see what Drusilla is up to."

"Master Spike won't be happy if she is there with the Souled One."

"Which is why we are going to go keep an eye on her." The second one smiled a fangy grin. "If we have news for our Master on his return, we will be rewarded for being loyal."

"And if the Mad One has a better offer?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (12) The Consequences Of Being A Hero
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Giles, Buffy and an unconscious Spike head to Giles’ home. Giles wants to talk about what happened, but Buffy isn’t ready to think about it until Spike is safe. They come to the realization that Angel has invites into Giles’ and Buffy’s homes. Spike wakes up during that conversation, and we learn a bit more about Spike’s past. Is Spike paralyzed when he wakes up? Do Angelus and Drusilla figure that Buffy and Spike are dead and go on a killing rampage? Does Joyce realize that Buffy isn’t home yet?

Author's Note: A couple people pointed out to me that they felt the fireman letting them go wasn’t as believable as it should be. Well, I am of the frame of mind that not everyone in Sunnydale is oblivious to what is going on around them. I mean, seriously, how could EMT’s, firemen, cops, etc all be that ignorant? Maybe they are, but I’d like to think that they aren’t that stupid. I tired to point out in the chapter that the fire chief knew about the weird happenings of Sunnydale. I was also kind of foreshadowing that the fireman could come back into play as an ally later. (Just like we have Marie at the hospital that helps with blood.) I hope this helps to clear up any confusion.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

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Buffy sat silently. She hadn’t said a word since they left the church yard. Worry lines were creasing the skin on her face. Her body was turned to keep watch over the vampire in the backseat. Spike’s head was propped up against the side of the car behind Giles’ seat.

Giles chanced a glance over at Buffy. With a sigh his gaze switched to his rear view mirror. The empty area in the mirror reminded him what the creature his Slayer was besotted with was. “What happened, Buffy?” He couldn’t stay silent any longer. He needed to know if another monster was on the loose.

Buffy looked at Giles with moisture at the edges of her eyes. “Could we wait until we’re safe please?” Although she was no longer in love with Angel, the change in him after the ritual saddened her. She thought he was overbearing and presumptuous originally, but he had helped them out of some sticky situations. She didn’t want to have to dust him if he’d gone as evil as it appeared.

“All right, but it is hard to wait for answers after what I just witnessed.” Giles frowned heavily. If Angelus was on the loose again they needed to prepare for an attack, not mollycoddle an injured vampire in their midst who could have done the ritual with the intent to release Angel’s soul.

“I need to find out what’s wrong with Spike, Giles.” Buffy sniffled. “Angel tried to … and Spike shielded … Then I woke up with him covering … I just need us to be safe.”

“My flat should be perfectly,” Giles’ voice trailed off into nothingness. “Maybe not.”

“What’s wrong?” Buffy questioned.

“Angel has an invitation into my home.” Giles quickly stole a look at Buffy. “If what I suspect is true, that makes us not safe there.”

“Isn’t there any way to revoke it?” Buffy asked with a panicked voice when another thought came to her. “My mom! He has an invite into my Mom’s house too. We have to do something. She won’t know until its too …”

Buffy’s frantic babbling was interrupted by a choked and rough male voice, “Disinvite spell.”

Both voices in the front seat silenced at once. They both listened hard for anything else to be said. When silence answered them, they both wondered if the vampire had really spoken.

“Spike,” Buffy’s voice wavered. “Did you say something?” She leaned into the back seat. She squeezed their joined hands in support.

“Disinvite spell,” Spike croaked out again. His eyes were closed. His vampiric face was still to the forefront, but the accent and voice were music to Buffy’s ears.

“Those really work?” Giles asked.

“How can you be a Watcher and not know about disinvite spells?” Spike’s eyes opened to tiny slits.

“Watchers and Slayers don’t make a habit of inviting demons into their home,” Giles barked out his response automatically. “Those who had invited one in didn’t live long enough to worry about a disinvite. They were usually dead in short order.”

Spike huffed, “Bloody Know-It-All Wankers,” He muttered low. In the confined area, Giles and Buffy still heard him.

“Guys this so isn’t helping,” Buffy interjected. She really didn’t need Spike and Giles to get into a verbal insult match before they could meet on an even level. “We need to find that spell ASAP.”

“Tome of …” Spike inhaled deeply. He may not need to breathe, but the action calmed his nerves down more. It made the pain easier to bear. “Cantrell’s Demonic Rites and Protections.” He opened his eyes more fully.

Buffy mentally went over the list of books she’d read from Giles’ collection at the school. “I don’t remember that book in your collection, and I’ve searched for everything concerning vampiric rites and rituals since Halloween.” She glanced up at Giles to see his face blanched white. “Something wrong?”

“I doubt he left that one out in the open, pet.” Spike’s voice strengthened in volume. “Some nasty stuff in that one. Isn’t that right, Ripper?”

“Ripper?” Buffy’s head quickly snapped to look back and forth between the front and back seats. “That’s what Ethan Rayne and Eyghon called you, Giles.”

“Yes, it is, and it’s not a name I wish to hear again.” Giles’ grip on the steering wheel tightened. “That is not who I am now.”

“Wanker,” Spike mumbled.

“Spike, you never said that you met Giles before,” Buffy said more like a question than a comment. “And why were we all trying to figure out who Spike was if you’d already met him Giles?”

“I hadn’t met him before.” Spike tried to sit up, but his legs wouldn’t move. He thought that maybe he was pinned into the compact backseat too tightly to move. So, he didn’t try again. “News about blokes who wield mojo as strong as the Watcher did, tends to travel through the grapevine. I didn’t put two and two together until I saw that Rayne bloke in town too.”

“You know Ethan Rayne?” Any connection Spike had to Ethan Rayne was a bad omen in Giles’ mind.

“Dru and I ran into him once back in merry old England.” Spike chuckled. “He was fascinated with Dru’s gift of sight. Said that he wished he had someone like her around a decade or 2 before when he hung around with the Ripper.”

Spike continued before Buffy or Giles could interrupt him, “Rayne went on and on about how Ripper refused his true calling to chaos and went back to the Council of Wankers to be a Watcher.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, I would figure that to be you, Watcher.”

“I … I don’t have anything left from those days. It’s … It’s all gone,” Giles stammered.

“Lying is a sin, Rupert. You’re such a bad boy,” Spike chastised in a taunting voice and clucking of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “No matter how goody good you went, some things you just don’t get rid of. You probably rationalized keeping them because you might need a way to battle the demons later. I know how you lot think.”

Giles sighed. He’d arrived at the driveway near his place. He scooted the car into park, and he closed his eyes. Not only was he being caught in a lie, but it was an evil vampire that was calling him on his transgression. “Yes, I have some of them left, but I honestly don’t know exactly which book names I kept. I know that I recognized part of the title you mentioned though.”

“I’m positive you have this one, Watcher.” Spike craned his neck to look out the window to see where they were. “Your little buddy Eyghon had his ritual in there. Maybe the book was renamed, but back in the early 1900’s it was authored by Cantrell.”

“Any other secrets you’re keeping from us, Giles?” Buffy interrupted the current conversation. There were so many more sides of Giles than she originally realized. She was a little scared. Even the good guys weren’t all good.

“You’re hardly one to be calling the kettle black, Buffy.” Giles nodded his head towards the back seat. “You have your own secrets too.”

“I’m sorry, Giles.” Buffy sighed. “I shouldn’t have jumped on you. The whole black and white thing has been so bleary for a while. I’m just confused.”

“Not that this isn’t a touching moment, but could we get out of the bloody car?” Spike growled. “I’m so cramped in here that I can’t even get my legs to move. I want to get out of here and stretch. Besides, it isn’t all that safe for us to be having this chat in a publicly accessible place with Angelus on the loose.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Grumpy vampire,” She mumbled. She got out of the car and opened her door.

“As loathe as I am to admit it, Spike is right.” Giles turned the car off and opened his door. “We have a book to find and a spell to perform.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce Summers paced her bedroom floor with the lights out. Since she figured out about Buffy’s calling, she listened for her daughter’s return home through her bedroom window most nights. She never slept well before Buffy got home. It was after 3 am, and she knew Buffy hadn’t made it home yet. Usually Buffy was back by now. It was a school night, after all.

Joyce hoped that Buffy was just having a busy night and not that Joyce’s worst fears were being realized. She sat down on the end of her bed. She buried her face in her hands and wept, hoping that her little girl wasn’t dead.

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Buffy held the door open for Spike who had yet to get out of the car. “All right Mr. Pain-In-The-Ass, get out of the car. You were the one whining about it.”

Spike tried to move his legs again, but nothing happened. He growled in frustration. “I don’t know how you got me in this car, but I can’t get out.”

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Pillock.” He shook his head back and forth.

“Oy, watch it wanker.” Spike bent at the waist and extended his arms out the door. “Just come over here give me a good yank, Slayer, like a sardine out of a tin can.”

“Fine.” Buffy stomped over to Giles’ side of the car. She gripped both of Spike’s hands tightly and pulled Spike out of the back seat.

The vampire fell hard on his butt on the pavement. “I’ll get you back for that, Slayer.” Although Spike growled, it was more that his pride was hurt instead of being mad. He pressed the palms of his hands to the ground and tried to push himself up. His body partially lifted off the ground, but still his legs didn’t move.

“Come on, Spike,” Buffy tapped her fingertips on her hips where her hands were placed. “You know the most about what spell to look for. Get up. Let’s go.”

“I wish that I could oblige you, Slayer, but there seems to be a problem.” Spike’s voice quivered slightly in fear. “My mind is willing, but my legs don’t seem to be listening.”

“What did you say?” Giles questioned.

“I said that I can’t bloody move my legs, Watcher,” Spike snarled. “I can’t even feel them.”

“Oh my God, Spike!” Buffy exclaimed.

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Across Sunnydale the residents were given a reprieve from the fury that was an Angelus on the loose. Angelus had more pressing things on his mind than devouring all of the denizens of the city in one night.

After a couple quick kills, he and Drusilla ran through the night back to the factory. They rutted together in Drusilla’s bed like beasts of the field, long into the dawn of the new day.

So, for now, Sunnydale was safe.

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(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (13) Renewed
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Jenny Calendar is contacted by a very unhappy gypsy clan in the middle of the night. Spike realizes that his legs are paralyzed. Buffy talks Giles into letting Spike be carried into the house while she tries to figure out how to heal him. A disinvite spell is performed, and Giles is given enough information about what happened to appease the Watcher for now. Will Buffy find a way to heal Spike? Will Spike accept her gift, and what will she do if he refuses it?

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

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A phone rang in the middle of the night at Jenny Calendar’s apartment. A bleary eyed teacher wondered who would be calling her so late. She picked up the phone and answered with a groggy, “Hello?”

“Jana, you have failed us,” A scratchy male voice did not even bother with the pleasantries. His anger was palpable, even through the phone lines.

“Uncle?” Jenny’s eyes widened. Her uncle wouldn’t be calling her unless it was a family or clan emergency. Since she was assigned to the task of watching Angel in California, they’d severed all contact to keep from arousing the suspicions of those around her.

“I speak for the entire clan, Jana,” The elder of the gypsy’s clan stood on formality and duty, not familial connection, as the reason for his call. “Angelus has returned, and it is time for you to come home for judgment. You have failed to fulfill your duty to the clan.”

“But,” The phone clicked and the dial tone blared into her ear before Jenny was able to utter another word. She replaced the receiver in its cradle and stared at it blankly. ‘How the hell did that happen?’ She shivered. Angelus’ return meant death and destruction was about to be rained down on Sunnydale. She didn’t know which was worse … the judgment she faced back in Romania, or the hell on Earth that was about to begin with Angelus on the loose once more. Neither groups were very forgiving in nature.

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Once they’d realized that Spike was paralyzed, he was lifted off the ground, and the group headed towards Giles’ door. It was even more imperative that they get off the streets. Buffy wouldn’t be able to handle Angelus and Drusilla alone, and they needed to figure out just how bad Spike’s injuries were.

Spike felt humiliated. He was supposed to be the strong one. His demon was incensed, and his human side was ashamed that Buffy had to carry him from the car to the Watcher’s door.

Buffy bounced off the invisible barrier to Giles home. She blinked twice before she realized that she was holding Spike, and he hadn’t been invited in yet. “Giles?” She called out to the man who was already inside.

“What?” Giles turned around. “I have to be insane for going along with this, Buffy.” He shook his head back and forth. “Come in, Spike.”

With a sigh of relief, Buffy stepped past the threshold and into the main area of Giles’ home. “We already went over this, Giles. He can’t hurt you while he’s all broken.”

Spike growled. “You make me sound like a toy, Slayer. I’m still what I’ve always been.”

Giles instinctively pulled the stake from his jacket and poised himself for an attack.

“I know what you are, Spike,” Buffy rolled her eyes at two of the most important men in her life, “But your spinal cord is broken somehow. It’s the only explanation for your paralysis.”

Spike grumbled under his breath too low for even the Slayer to hear. The last time he’d felt so weak and ashamed was over 100 years ago before he was turned. He hadn’t ever expected to revisit that feeling again.

Giles relaxed a little bit. The stake slipped back into his pocket. He walked into his bathroom, and he returned to the living room with a first aid kit. “I don’t know what he’ll need, but I thought we could at least clean your wounds, Buffy.”

“He’s going to need blood, Giles, human blood.” Buffy pushed Giles aside and laid Spike on her Watcher’s couch. Her mind was already working on everything in her power that she could do to heal Spike. Her thoughts hadn’t wandered far when Giles’ voice interrupted her musings.

“Have you gone mad?” Giles exclaimed. “You are not bringing humans into my house to feed to your boyfriend! I won’t allow it!”

Buffy stood up abruptly after her arms were free of Spike’s body. “I’m not going to bring him humans!” She yelled back.

“How else do you expect him to get human blood? I’m certainly not volunteering to have my veins torn open by a monster.”

Spike’s demon growled in anger. No one should be allowed to talk to his intended that way, especially someone she obviously loved dearly. If he didn’t already know how much Buffy cared for her Watcher, he would have found a way to throw something at the man to knock him out.

“He hasn’t been feeding on humans anyways.” Buffy crossed her arms in front of her to keep herself from slapping Giles. “Or don’t you remember what I told you earlier about Dalton and the hospital.”

Spike’s ears perked up at Buffy’s words. ‘Bloody Hell. How does she know about the hospital?’ Dalton hadn’t told him anything about Buffy seeing him. “Buffy? Pet?”

Buffy turned to face Spike. The anger in her eyes melted into concern at the look on Spike’s face. “I’m sorry Spike, I wasn’t trying to snoop.” She sat down next to Spike’s legs at the end of the couch and glared up at Giles.

Giles, who now realized exactly what Buffy’s story meant and who it was about, pulled off his glasses and rubbed the lenses furiously with a cotton cloth. “I need a drink.” He turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen cupboards for a tumbler.

“Might be nice if you showed off that British hospitality and brought a suffering fellow countryman a double too,” Spike called out. He then muttered under his breath, “Pillock.” Although his pain tolerance was a lot higher than most vampires, it was getting harder to concentrate with how his body felt. The overall pain he felt was one reason why he hadn’t noticed the specific pain in his lower back. His whole body felt like it was thrown through the ringer.

Giles shouted, “Wanker,” from the kitchen, but he grabbed a second glass before he went in search of his Scotch.

Spike looked back over at Buffy. “Care to explain how you came about that little tidbit of information, pet?”

“I had to bring a girl to the hospital a little bit ago after she was attacked by some vampires.” Buffy hoped that Spike wouldn’t get mad at her. She hadn’t been trying to get into his business. “On my way home I felt a vampire by the back delivery entrance. I thought it was another group trying to steal the blood bank delivery.” She paused.

Spike nodded his head for Buffy to continue. He’d kept the means of his feeding a secret for many reasons. At the top of the list was the fact that the demon world would look at him as if he’d gone soft. He may have the Master’s power of their line coursing through him, but he wasn’t fool enough to think that others wouldn’t look at him as weak and try to take advantage of the situation.

“Before I could jump in, I saw a woman come out and call Dalton by name. I thought that was unusual. So, I listened to their conversation.” Buffy was proud of him. She didn’t look down on him. She thought that what he had been doing was a huge leap in a direction that she never thought an unsouled vampire could do.

“So, you met Marie then?”

“Yes, she was so sweet.” Buffy smiled. “Her and Dalton looked so …” Her smile turned into a pained frown. “Dalton! Oh God Dalton. He killed him!”

Spike opened his arms and drew Buffy in closer to him. He may not be able to move his legs, and the pain thrumming through his body was extreme, but that was not going to stop him from comforting the woman he loved. “Shhh, I know, pet.” He held the weeping young woman tightly to his chest and maneuvered her to lie on top of him while he held her.

Giles walked back into the living room, and he nearly dropped the two tumblers of ice and bottle of Scotch. “Dear Lord. Must you do that on my couch?”

“Sod off, Watcher,” Spike growled. He tightened his grip on Buffy because her crying grew more intense. “Angelus staked a friend of ours, and she’s just coming to terms with it.”

“Oh,” Giles felt ashamed of himself over jumping to the wrong conclusions. “My apologies, Buffy … and to you Spike.” He set a half full tumbler of Scotch on the table next to the couch. He then downed his own glass in one deep gulp. He refilled it and sat down on a nearby lounge chair.

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(A few hours later at Giles’ place)

“I don’t understand why you’re being so finicky. Buffy waved her cut wrist under the Spike’s nose even as he moved his mouth away from her wrist. “Aren’t you the one who said my blood had power? You’ve never refused before.”

“I’m a bit brassed off right now, Slayer ... paralyzed and all.” Spike grabbed Buffy’s arm tightly. He pushed it away from his, but the call of her blood still dang to his hunger. “I won’t take a chance on hurting you in desperation.”

Buffy snarled at Spike. “I’m not a fragile doll!” Her Slayer side was outraged that her partner refused her precious gift. Buffy the girl was hurt that Spike pushed her away. The sting of rejection was heavy on both parts of Buffy’s psyche.

It had taken a couple hours to convince Giles that it was safe for him to go to sleep. Buffy knew that Giles would never understand her need to offer her healing blood to Spike. They’d agreed that Buffy would contact Marie in the morning at the hospital. The disinvite spell was located and performed before Giles went to sleep.

Now, Buffy was finally alone with Spike, and he was the one causing a stir over her offer. She never expected him to react this way. They’d shared blood many times since Halloween, and each time more blood was exchanged. She’d briefly worried that she would turn into a vampire, but somehow the Slayer inside of her wasn’t worried about it. “You are mine! Mine to heal.”

Spike nearly jumped at the angry flare in Buffy’s eyes. When her eyes flashed silver, he knew he was in trouble. He tried to scoot himself up the couch more to sit up, but Buffy stilled his movements with a commanding snarl.

Buffy grabbed Spike’s chin and kept his head from moving. She locked silver eyes with flickering gold ones. The Slayer was calling to the vampire’s demon, and the older demon wanted to be sure that it had the vampire’s full attention. The Slayer’s demon, the older of the two demons, was tired of all the time that had passed. She was tired of being kept away from her intended mate, and his refusal to allow her to heal him threw her over the edge into rage.

A low rumbling growl accented every word she said, “Your joy … My joy …” Her lips caressed Spike’s ear to mimic a feeling of joy she could give him. “Your pain … my pain …” She yanked Spike’s head to the side and sank her teeth into his neck hard enough to draw blood. Her teeth transformed into smaller fangs just before they entered his skin.

Spike wasn’t able to stop himself from vamping out and burying his fangs in Buffy’s neck. His demon rejoiced at the heavenly taste, and Spike purred in contentment while he drank. Nothing was more perfect and more right than feeling Buffy’s blood mingle and flow with his own.

Words that had not been spoken since Halloween echoed around the pair now engulfed in a twisted double helix of gold and silver light. It lifted them off the couch to hover just above it. Ancient magics older than demons and humans passed from Slayer to vampire and from vampire to Slayer. The power of the Master added its intensity to the binding of the pair. The strengths of one passed on to the other, enfusing both beings with a stronger connection than before and abilities that both had yet to discover.

“One body,” Buffy’s voice sounded in the room even though her mouth was still latched onto Spike’s neck.

“One soul,” Spike’s voice joined Buffy’s, and his fangs dug deeper into Buffy’s throat.

“United,” Buffy ripped her smaller fangs from Spike’s skin. Her silver eyes sparkled with the green flecks of her natural color as they bore into Spike’s golden eyes flecked with blue. Her hips ground herself against Spike’s erection. It seemed that even if his legs weren’t working, something else was still ready and at attention for her. She felt a need to be as close to him as possible, but their clothing prevented the complete joining of their bodies.

“Whole,” Spike’s scream of release was joined by Buffy’s as they both flew over the edge into orgasm. Both of them clutched tightly to each other as their bodies shook from the power of their orgasm and the magics flowing through them.

“Stupid vampire,” Buffy muttered softly as her eyes closed.

“Bossy chit,” Spike mumbled before sleep claimed him as well.

The two supernatural beings, drained of energy from their experience, fell into unconsciousness. As the brighter light started to fade away, their bodies were lowered back to the couch. A thin mingled nimbus of gold and silver outlined their bodies for a while longer before it faded as well.

A gobsmacked Watcher clutched the railing of his stairs to the upper floor. He was rooted to the spot, unable to move to or away from what he’d just witnessed. Such an event had never been recorded before, but he knew that he’d just witnessed a pure Slayer in action.

The change in Buffy’s eyes and face did not match that of a vampire’s. So, he could only assume that some of the rumors he’d heard as a young Watcher were true … the Slayer did get her power from a demon. He didn’t know how, but Buffy had found a way to access the Slayer’s true form.

Giles would have been afraid for Buffy, but he’d seen the way that she zeroed in on Spike and called out the vampire’s demon. The Slayer wanted his demon. The magics surrounding them supported that belief.

Giles waited several minutes before he approached the pair on the couch. Both were back in full human faces, and both seemed to be out cold. He shook his head, draped a throw blanket over the two of them and walked back upstairs, unsure why he even went downstairs in the first place for.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (14) Secrets Revealed – Part 1
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: The next morning after Chapter 13. Jenny Calendar wakes up and has to decide what she will do. Will she tell Giles and Buffy about Angelus? Will she return to Romania? Joyce, after finding out that Buffy didn’t return home the entire night, gives in to her fears enough to call Rupert Giles. Spike, Buffy and Giles react to the two phone messages on Giles’ machine, and they realize a few things about the Slayer.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jenny Calendar rearranged the folded clothing in her suitcase. She knew exactly where every piece needed to go to make the most room for everything. Even modern day gypsies were used to a bit of traveling. Her last 2 years in Sunnydale had grown on her. She dared to establish deeper attachments to some people, and now her heart was paying the price.

Jenny Calendar, the techno pagan computer teacher, would be no more. Jana of the Kalderash clan would be reintroduced to the clan and the world. She had no idea how Angel lost his soul, and that lack of knowledge would make her case before the elders even worse. She worried about what would happen to her if she couldn’t prove that Angelus’ return was not due to her negligence. Her clan took family honor and duty quite seriously.

Jenny picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. She’d kept her distance from Rupert Giles since the Eyghon incident. She considered being possessed by a demon as a sign that she should reconsider her pursuit of the tweedy Watcher. She was not without her secrets, but she feared what else might be in his past. Despite all of that, she wanted to say goodbye and warn him in some way.

After four rings the answering machine kicked in. She waited for the beep before she started talking, “Hello Rupert. I really hate to leave a message like this on your machine, but I don’t think I can call you back later. You won’t be able to get a hold of me either.”

Jenny switched the receiver to her other hand and continued, “I was only here for a temporary assignment, and it seems that I’m being recalled home to Romania. Be careful, Rupert. Something terrible is coming. Don’t trust Angel. He isn’t who you think he is.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t work things out between us. Please be careful,” Jenny repeated her warning before she hung up the phone with a heavy heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A very tired Rupert Giles turned over in his sleep. The sun had already risen a few hours ago, but he was exhausted. His mind vaguely heard the phone ringing, but his body refused to awake from slumber.

Downstairs, the two supernatural beings also remained deep in their slumber. Buffy stirred a little when the phone rang, but Spike pulled her tighter to his body. So, both of them remained asleep and oblivious of the caller’s message.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(England many time zones ahead of Sunnydale, Watcher’s Council)

“Sir, we seem to have a problem.” A man dressed in a stylishly designed tweed suit hurried into the office of the head of the Watcher’s Council.

“Good evening, Higgins.” Quentin Travers’ smile was a genuine one. He liked the young operative, and he’d taken the young man under his wing for training. “What seems to be the problem?”

“We can’t locate the new Slayer, Sir,” Higgins said timidly.

“We already know Kendra’s replacement was in Italy.” Quentin sat up straighter in his chair and held the edge of the desk to pull himself forward against it.

“Annette’s Watcher reported his Slayer’s death this afternoon. She was robbed and shot by a gang last night, but she did not pass on until later today.”

“Humans killed her?” Quentin was shocked and outraged that the new Chosen One died so quickly and at the hands of humans instead of demons. Kendra lasted at least 6 months before she perished on the trip from Jamaica to Sunnydale.

“Yes, Sir. Antonio’s Watcher report was quite clear on that. Unfortunately, we are not able to locate the next girl who was called.”

“There has to be one somewhere.” Quentin frowned. He’d nearly jumped for joy at the announcement of a second Slayer being called during Buffy Summers’ brief death. He refused to think that they were only lucky that one time.

“A stronger aura resides in Sunnydale, but there is no evidence that it is from a second Slayer.” The young man twisted his hands together nervously. He’d been lucky so far to dodge the elder Watcher’s anger. “The Seers have been searching for hours already.”

“Then have them search longer.” Quentin Travers slammed his hand on the desktop. “I refuse to believe she is the only one left. We had 2, and we should still have 2!”

“Yes, Sir. We’ll keep looking.” Higgins was already backing up to make his departure as quickly as possible.

“Don’t come back until you’ve found my Slayer, Higgins.” Quentin turned his chair away from the door.

Rupert Giles’ reports on the Sunnydale Slayer displeased the Head Watcher. Buffy Summers was far too independent and free willed for his liking. Souled or not, her attachment to Angel was a disgrace to her calling as well. He preferred a more molded Slayer like the treat they’d gained when Kendra was unexpectedly called.

Travers pondered what steps he’d need to take towards Miss Summers if there was only one Slayer again. If they were only allowed to have one Slayer, he didn’t want to be stuck with Buffy Summers.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Sunnydale)

Joyce Summers woke up with a dry mouth and headache. She turned over onto her back. Her muscles ached while she attempted to stretch out from the more fetal like position she woke up in. She rubbed the back of her hands over her puffy eyes. She blinked open her eyes. The digits on the clock told her that she’d somehow managed to sleep for a few hours, but she still felt worn out.

“8 am?” Joyce practically jumped out of bed. Her stiff muscles protested every movement. She made it to Buffy’s door in record time despite the pain. She knocked and waited. After a couple minutes without an answer she knocked again and slowly opened the door.

The morning light shone through the open bedroom window. The bed was neatly made. Everything looked exactly the same as it had in the middle of the night when she last checked.

‘Maybe she went right to school from Willow’s house,’ Joyce thought to herself. It was something that had happened before. She wondered how many times the redhead covered for Buffy. She was curious to know if Buffy’s closest friends knew about her Slayer status.

Joyce closed the door and went back to her bedroom to get ready for the day. She tried to put her worries over Buffy’s absence to the side, but something niggled at the back of her mind. It wasn’t until she was putting the final touches on her breakfast that she realized it was Saturday.

“I’ve got nothing to worry about,” Joyce tried to calm herself quietly. “She’s probably still at Willow’s because she was afraid I’d wake up when she got home so late.”

Joyce nervously dialed the phone number for the Rosenberg’s and waited for an answer. “Good morning, Mrs. Rosenberg. This is Joyce Summers, Buffy’s mother.” She was more formal with the woman because she really didn’t know her all that well despite their daughters being best friends. “Buffy’s not at home at the moment, and I couldn’t remember if this was her weekend to study with Willow or not.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Summers, but Buffy isn’t here. Willow has already been down for breakfast, and she was alone. I’m sure I would have heard both of them if she was here.”

“All right. Thank you, Mrs. Rosenberg.” Joyce’s hands shook as she hung up the phone. ‘If Buffy isn’t with Willow, where could she be?’ She briefly thought about Buffy’s friend Xander Harris, but Buffy never used the excuse of being at his house before. That meant his place was one of the least likely places for her to be. She’d used the library, working on a project for Giles, as an excuse before though.

Joyce opened the address book on her desk. She rubbed the pad of her thumb over a newer entry in the book. ‘Should I call him?’ The reasons for calling or not calling Rupert Giles were pretty even in her mind. She’d wanted to wait for Buffy to tell her everything, but her fears were overriding her desire to respect her daughter’s privacy.

At the home of Rupert Giles, the phone rang for the second time within an hour. It was a highly unusual occurrence, and the answering machine clicked in to take the call.

“Mr. Giles,” Joyce’s voice started off firm, but the longer she spoke the shakier it got. “My name is Joyce Summers. I believe you know my daughter Buffy.”

“She didn’t come home last night, and she’s not at Willow Rosenberg’s house either.” Joyce paused a moment to decide what to say next. She only hoped that she was right about his association with Buffy, or the high school librarian was going to think she was crazy. “I have discovered that Buffy has some unique talents. I am also fairly certainly that you are aware of this too. If you could please call me back as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it. I just want to know if my baby girl is safe or not. We can talk more about her talents after that.”

The answering machine beeped three times and reset itself to take any future calls after Joyce hung up.

Buffy’s head stretched up and over the back of the couch. Her slowly awakening and groggy voice muttered, “Mommy?”

Spike gradually opened his eyes when he felt Buffy stir for the second time in an hour. “Pet?” He pried open one eye fully to look at her. “Whatcha looking at luv?”

Buffy alternated rubbing her eyes with one hand and covering a yawn with the other. “I thought I heard my mother’s voice.” She looked around the area. There wasn’t any sign of her mother. She was about to lay back down when she noticed the red light blinking on Giles’ answering machine.

“Where are you going?” Spike tried to rewrap his arms around Buffy’s waist, but she slid off the couch too quickly and unexpectedly for his weary reflexes to catch her.

“There are messages on Giles’ machine,” Buffy said without turning to look back at Spike.

“Don’t you think the Watcher might want to keep his messages private?” Spike sighed. His girl was on a mission now, it seemed. When that happened, everyone might as well forget about stopping her. This morning’s rebonding of their demons was the perfect example.

“Not if it was my mom.” Buffy pushed the button to listen. “I don’t know why she would call Giles. Heck, I don’t know how she would have gotten his phone number in the first place.”

“It’s called the telephone book, pet. Crazy new invention,” Spike teased.

“Shut up, Spike.” Buffy stuck her tongue out at Spike.

Spike and Buffy listened with rapt attention as Jenny Calendar both said goodbye and warned Giles about Angel. By the end of the message Buffy was trembling with anger. “She knew? How does she know? She wasn’t anywhere near the church last night. I know I never saw her.” She hit the rewind button to replay the message over again.

“Stop!” Spike called out. “She said she was going home to Romania.” He pondered the replayed message. “Well I’ll be damned.”

“You already are, Spike,” Buffy huffed haughtily. “Share with the class. What do you know that I somehow missed?”

“Think about it, pet. Who else might care if the soulful one lost it?”

“From what I read in the diaries and other books, I’d say pretty much everyone.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think this is a time to play twenty questions, Spike. Spill.”

Spike growled a bit perturbed, and a bit turned on, by Buffy’s dominance and sassy attitude. “Who would have the most to gain by him being all broody and repentant? Who might be a bit irked that their little bit of mojo no longer worked?” He paused a moment before he let his theory hang in the air. “The bloody gypsies that cursed him in the first place.”

“Oh my God. Somehow that makes sense, but I’m not sure why.”

“Romania is where the bloody poof was when he was cursed with the bloody thing. She’s one of the gypsies.” Spike growled at the memory of Angelus’ abandonment. “Her having to go back to Romania suddenly, coinciding with the Poof’s soul going poof? Way too convenient if you ask me.”

“That means she’s been lying to us for the last 2 years. Damn it!” Buffy slammed her fist on Giles’ table. A resounding crack echoed through the room. “I knew it was too far fetched for someone with her looks to be hitting on Giles. He’s too brainy for her.”

“Oy … watch it pet.” Spike’s eyes narrowed. Buffy’s comment hit a little too close to home. He knew she was lashing out at someone else, but the words still stung. “There is nothing wrong with being intelligent. Intelligence doesn’t mean unworthy of love.”

“Hmmm, have I hit a nerve sweetie?” Buffy teased, despite her ire over the situation.

“You’ll never find out what nerve if you keep that attitude up.”

“That’s not what I meant anyways.”

“Besides, the bird sounded really worried about the Watcher. That didn’t sound like the voice of someone who just used him. There was longing in that voice.”

“I suppose, but I can’t believe she lied to us like that.”

“Who lied to us, Buffy?” Giles trudged down the stairs. The shouting and furniture cracking forced him from his slumber and into wakefulness.

“Miss. Calendar.” Buffy pushed the rewind button to play the message again. “Spike thinks she is from the clan of gypsies that cursed Angel in the first place.”

Giles listened to the message. His eyes grew wide in disbelief and then sadness. He felt betrayed. “Dear Lord. Why would they send someone here to watch Angel?”

“Maybe they wanted to make sure Mr. Broody Pants was still brooding and guilt filled.” Spike shrugged from his position on the couch. “Maybe they just wanted to make sure that he was trying to atone for his past sins. I don’t know or care. What I do know is that I’d be willing to bet good dosh that she is one of them.”

Giles listened to the message yet again, but this time he let the machine cycle through to the next message.

Buffy’s head snapped around to look at the machine. “Mommy! I forgot. That’s what had me listening in the first place.”

“Oh dear.” Giles removed his glasses. He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead and the bridge of his nose. “It would seem that your mother has found out about your extra abilities and maybe your calling too.”

“I swear I hadn’t told her yet.”

“Yet?” Giles frowned.

“I needed to tell her Giles. I was tired of her looking at me with so much disappointment.” Buffy sighed. “I thought things might work out easier all around if she knew too. I was tired of hiding it from her.”

“Do you realize the danger you would have put your mother in?”

“She was in more danger with me not telling her about all the things that go bump in the night,” Buffy argued back. “Without knowing what was out there, she could have invited God knows who or what into the house and been killed.”

“They don’t just wait for an invite to your house, pet,” Spike spoke up from the couch. “There have been a few times that I caught some of the little buggers stalking out her gallery when she worked late.

“WHAT?!?” Buffy yelled.

“I took care of em. Wouldn’t let em hurt your Mum, pet.”

“And why pray tell is that, Spike?” Giles questioned.

“She is important to Buffy. The Slayer tries to protect her.” Spike looked somewhat bashful about his revelation. “Anyone that is important to her is important to me. Well, except the Poof, can’t stand him, and I never will.”

“You would willingly kill your own kind to protect a human?” Giles asked flabbergasted.

“It’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Spike pointed at Giles, but he was talking to Buffy. “Is he going a bit deaf in his old age?”

“Spike,” Buffy cautioned the vampire to keep him from taking it too far.

“Look, she’s mine.” Spike pointed at Buffy. “And what belongs to her, belongs to me.”

“That’s a very primitive way of looking at it,” Giles furiously cleaned the glasses he’d previously removed. “Although, if what I saw earlier this morning is any indication, both of your baser instincts and primitive natures are quite in sync with the other.”

Buffy shrieked, “You were watching?” She crossed her arms over her chest as if she felt naked all of a sudden.

“I hadn’t intended to, but it was hard to ignore the blinding light that you two seemed to glow with.” Giles put his glasses back on. “Nor did I miss the little pointy teeth that you seemed to acquire, Buffy.”

“Oh my God! There were teeth?” Buffy rubbed her face from forehead to chin. She was so caught up in the ritual earlier in the morning that she hadn’t even noticed the teeth.

“Very nice pearlies too,” Spike teased. “It was one of the most erotic experiences of my life. Beautiful.” He found himself having to adjust his stiffening member discreetly to keep from embarrassing himself in front of the Watcher.

Buffy touched her lips with her fingertips. She tried to remember everything that happened, but a lot of it was slightly fuzzy. Her tongue flickered over her lips, reminiscent of earlier when she’d made sure to capture every drop of Spike’s blood from her lips. “I did!” The move jogged her memory. “Spike, it was a lot more than a sip this time. I’m going to turn into a …”

“This time?” Giles said at the same time as Spike said, “I don’t think so, luv.”

Buffy rushed over to Spike and sat down next to him. “But you said before that we had to be careful.”

“I know, pet.” Spike ignored Giles’ blustering on the other side of the room. “I’m sure the Watcher can confirm that you grew your own little pearlies last night, and mainly no ridges. Your eyes were that lovely silvery color too, not gold.”

“But what does that mean?” Buffy cried softly. She cared about Spike very much, and she knew in her heart that she loved him, but becoming a vampire was her worst nightmare realized.

“Buffy …” Giles tried to get Spike and Buffy’s attention. He stepped carefully towards the couch. He knew Spike couldn’t walk, but he also didn’t want to make any moves that could be considered threatening. “There were rumors amongst some of the supernatural scholars that the original Slayer was created by using a demon or maybe even a demon herself.”

“What?” Buffy choked out the words. She would have jumped off the couch to confront Giles, but Spike held her back. He rubbed his hands up and down her back in soothing motions.

“They were rumors Buffy, nothing more.” Giles cleared his throat. “No one was ever able to prove any of it. You have to understand Slayers don’t live long enough to really research their origins. Each Slayer is so different that you have to start over every time.”

“I think the Watcher is trying to say that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing that this happened, pet. Right Rupes?”

The stricken look on Buffy’s face made Giles’ decision on his answer before the words even passed his lips, “Of course. It is an extraordinary event.”

“Go me,” Buffy said sarcastically. “Even among Slayers I get to be the freak.” She buried her head in Spike’s chest.

“You aren’t a freak, pet. You are more of a Slayer than anyone before you.” Spike tried to get her to understand. “You’ve touched something that no Slayer has ever been recorded to do before you. You are more of a pure Slayer than any of the other automated bints.”

“You really mean that, Spike?” A teary eyed Buffy gazed up into the eyes of the man and demon she loved.

“Absolutely pet. You aren’t just a Slayer. You’re THE Slayer.” Spike smiled. “I felt her call to my demon, pet. She knew who she wanted for that ritual, just as I knew at Halloween that I had to get the Slayer to accept my binding.”

Giles itched to dig out his notebook. He held back for only a couple minutes before he couldn’t hold back any longer. He raced for his desk, pulled his private (not the one he submitted to the Council) journal and started writing furiously. Much of what Spike said made sense. That alone scared Giles. Spike’s prowess at deductive reasoning was not a trait Giles expected out of a vampire, even a Master Vampire.

“Mom!” Buffy shot up off the couch. “Her message … I have to get home!” Her train of thought derailed from one subject to the next in midstream now that the moment of fear had passed her.

“Why don’t you bring her by, Buffy? I think it might be a good idea for us all to talk, especially since she seems to know something about your abilities.” Giles worried about how Joyce Summers was going to take the news about her daughter’s destiny, but what was done was done. Mrs. Summers knew something, and they needed to be sure of what.

“Thank you, Giles.” Buffy left a quick kiss on Spike’s cheek. “I’ll try to get some blood for you on the way back too.” She ran back out the door. It slammed shut behind her.

Spike shook his head back and forth. “Quite a rocket, isn’t she?” He laughed. “One minute at the depths of despair and the next high as a kite. What a nutter,” He spoke with fondness.

“Yes, well I suppose we should …”

“Going to give me the talk, Watcher?” Spike teased.

“Despite what I witnessed this morning, I’m not entirely convinced of your intentions, Spike.” Giles held up his hand to forestall any argument. “Whether I like it or not, my Slayer is connected with your demon. My question is whether or not you are going to try to use that to your advantage to turn her against her calling.”

“I haven’t killed anyone other than demons since Halloween, Watcher.” Spike let that tidbit sink in before he continued. “So ask yourself, just who’s influencing who around here? I meant what I said about protecting what is hers. S’not just my poncy side that wants to either. My demon is quite adamant about keeping her safe and happy. Do you think I would have let that bloody organ fall on me, if I wasn’t in agreement with all of myself to protect her?”

“That may be Spike, but I’m sure you can understand my reservations. This goes against …”

“Everything you’ve ever been taught. I’ve seen the brochure, Watcher.” Spike rolled his eyes. “All I’m asking for is a chance. Give me one chance to show you that a demon can change his stripes or find his way back home.”

“One chance Spike, but if you hurt her or double cross us I won’t let your binding stop me from dusting you.” Giles threat was more like that of a father caring for his daughter not a Watcher for his Slayer.

Spike nodded his agreement. “One chance is all I need.”

“If that’s settled, I think I should get a hold of Xander and Willow. Hopefully they can get over here before Mrs. Summers gets here.”

“Afraid of the Slayer’s Mum, Watcher?” Spike chuckled. “You should be. She whacked me upside the head with an axe the first time I met her.”

“Dear Lord.” Giles grumbled. “It’s going to be a long day.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (15) Secrets Revealed - Part 2

by Tasha

Chapter Summary: Buffy, Spike and Giles deal with the aftermath of the two phone calls that were received earlier in the morning. Buffy left Giles' house to get back to her house to let her Mom know she was okay. Giles and Spike had a brief chat to settle themselves about each other for now. Giles works to gather the Scoobies to his house, but a revelation from Willow has him rushing out to her house. Buffy and Joyce have a chat about current events and some past events in Los Angeles.

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

"Hello, Harris residence. If you bring em, we'll drink em," Xander's voice chirped over the phone with latent sarcasm.

"Xander, it's Rupert Giles."

"What's up, G-Man?"

Giles seethed on his end of the phone call. He hated the blasted nicknames that Xander came up with for him. "Nothing good, I'm afraid."

"What's the what?"

"I need you to come to my house for a meeting in one hour. Do you still have the address I gave to you before?"

"Sure do. I'll pick up snacks on the way. Bad meetings always lead to munchie cravings."

"That's fine. Oh, and if you happen to see Angel, don't invite him into your house for any reason."

"It's the middle of the morning, man. Last time I checked that was beddy bye time for vamps."

Giles rolled his eyes. "Thank you for that obvious statement concerning vampire sleeping habits. Not all vampires are traditionalists." He didn't look at the vampire on his couch, even though he was partially referring to him. He was beginning to wonder just how much of an exception to the general vampire rule Spike was.

"Sheesh, don't get all grumpy on me, G-Man. Chill out. What side of the bed did you get up on anyways?"

"Please just be here in an hour." Giles already wanted to cuff Xander in the back of the head. Maybe he shouldn't have invited him. Better yet, maybe he shouldn't have warned Xander about Angelus. Perhaps the unsouled vampire would enjoy a nice Xander sized snack for a treat. The moment he thought that, he chastised himself for being so heartless.

"All right man. I'll be there." Xander hung up the phone unaware of Giles' thoughts and annoyances. He stared at the phone. "He sure was grumpy today, but if the badness is Angel related I am going to have my 'I told you so' all set and ready to go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That sounded enjoyable." Spike snarked sarcastically.

"As much as having my wisdom teeth pulled out again," Giles replied. While Giles' fingers dialed another set of numbers, the semi-paralyzed vampire snickered in the background.

"You are enjoying my discomfort far too much, Spike."

"Hello?" Willow answered the phone with a shaky voice a couple seconds after Giles spoke to Spike. The caller ID said R G, and she was pretty sure that stood for Rupert Giles. Ever since her mom told her about Mrs. Summers' call, she'd been worried about Buffy. She'd been standing by the phone and contemplating calling Giles for the last hour.

"Hello, Willow."

"Hello Giles. Something's wrong with Buffy, isn't there?"

"Why do you think that?" Giles wondered what had already happened to Willow with Angelus on the loose.

"Buffy's mom called here a little while ago. She was looking for Buffy. Buffy isn't here or at her home, and now you are calling me on a Saturday."

"Buffy is doing fine right now, but I need you to be at my house in an hour for a meeting."

"Oh. Okay." Willow was confused, but she was glad Buffy was all right.

"If you see Angel before then, don't invite him in. Make sure to carry a cross with you as well."

Giles knew vampires weren't likely to travel during the day, but he wanted to do his best to keep Willow on her guard. If he didn't say something, and she was killed by Angelus on the way, he would feel terribly guilty.

"But … But he already has an invite," Willow stuttered in a panic.

"Stay there. I'll be right over to take care of it." Giles wondered why Willow invited Angel into her house. "Will your mother be at home?" He started working on what kind of excuse he could come up with for his presence.

"She's already left with my father for a conference trip. She was on her way out the door when Buffy's mom called."

"That's perfect." Giles was already gathering the book and supplies needed for the spell. "I should be there in 15 minutes with a spell to disinvite him."

"You're scaring me, Giles. You make it sound so bad."

"It is, Willow. Lock the doors and windows until I arrive."

"Okay, Giles." Willow hung up the phone on her end with a trembling hand.

On Giles' end, he bustled about to gather the rest of the ingredients he needed for the spell.

"Problem?" Spike tried to ask nonchalantly. "It sounded like Angelus had an invite into one of the Slayer's friend's houses."

"That would be correct, Spike." Giles tied off two different pouches of herbs. "At some point Willow invited Angel into her home. I feel it is best to take care of the disinvite spell right away."

"Are you going to take enough to swing by the Slayer's house on the way back?"

"Buffy needs the time with her mother. I don't want to interrupt that." Giles stowed the spell book in his satchel, in a different section from the herbs.

"Bollocks," Spike snorted. "You don't want to face her fury yet."

Giles frowned. "Be that as it may, everyone from Buffy's house will be here for the meeting. We can safely wait until afterwards to do the spell."

"Make sure the Slayer does a sweep of her house before the spell is cast."

"Why?"

"Because any vampires in the house when the spell is performed keep their access."

"How inconvenient!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "It would be mighty interesting to watch what happened otherwise."

"Do you enjoy being contrary, Spike?"

"It's all part of my charm, Watcher."

Giles didn't dignify Spike with a retort. "I should be back before the hour is up. Xander's always late anyways, but I'll leave the door unlocked for Buffy and Mrs. Summers."

"All right. I think I'll try to catch a bit of kip before I'm overrun with White Hatters."

Giles shut the door behind him with a laugh and the parting comment, "Protecting Buffy's friends and family puts you on the road to white hat hood, Spike."

"Bugger." Spike realized that there were some truths in Giles' observation. It stuck under his craw at the thought of being called a goody goody. He smirked. 'Helpful or not, they'll never take all the naughty out of the Big Bad.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Joyce couldn't decide if she was going into the gallery for a while or not. She had a couple new shipments to inventory, but she didn't want to leave the house in case Buffy got home or Giles called. 'Or if I'm wrong about Rupert Giles, the police might show up on my doorstep.' She mentally debated back and forth with herself before she reached a decision. She needed to stay home. Buffy was much more important than anything else.

Joyce called the gallery to let her employees know she was taking the day off. The employees were shocked, but they agreed to keep her informed of any problems. She hung up the phone, walked into the kitchen to retrieve her cup of coffee, and sat down on the couch in the living room to gather her thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy raced along the streets of Sunnydale between Giles' place and her house on Revello Drive. Her Slayer speed was slowed down by the number of citizens up and about that morning. She sighed in frustration and thought, 'I swear everyone decided to loiter in the streets today.' She ducked around another corner with a burst of Slayer speed when the coast was clear of observers.

Buffy rushed into the Summers' house. She pushed the door open with more force than she'd intended, and the front door bounced off the wall and back closed behind Buffy. "MOM!" She called out.

Joyce screamed, and her coffee cup went flying in the air. The noise startled her out of her quiet misery of contemplation.

Buffy caught the coffee mug mid-air. Hot coffee sloshed over the edges, but she managed to save a good portion of the coffee from spilling onto her mother. She barely managed to set the mug on the table before Joyce Summers pounced.

"Buffy!" Joyce jumped up. She wrapped her arms around Buffy tightly enough that breathing would have been an issue for a normal girl.

"I'm okay, Mommy. I'm so sorry." Buffy buried her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to wake up without you here again?" Joyce cried softly and rocked Buffy back and forth in her arms.

"I heard your message on Giles' machine." Buffy looked up at her mother with her own tears shining in her eyes. "How did you know? How long?"

"Since Parent-Teacher night." Joyce ran trembling hands down the back of Buffy's head. "I suspected something then, and I tried to figure it all out on my own."

"Why didn't you ask me, Mom?" Buffy felt a huge weight lift off her very soul.

"I was trying to wait for you to tell me." Joyce looked lovingly down at her daughter. "It broke my heart when I heard you talking about career day in your room, but I hoped you would come to me when you were ready."

"It was supposed to be a secret. Spike told me that I should tell you, but I was scared of what you would think."

"Nothing could be worse than not knowing where to call to try and find out if you were alive or dead today." Joyce mentally wondered who Spike was, but she reserved that question for another time.

"How did you figure out Giles?"

"You've brought his name up a few times as an excuse for staying after school." Joyce led Buffy over to the couch. "I hoped that I was right about him being a part of this. I know that one of the books I read said that every Slayer was assigned a Watcher from something called the Council. You are the Slayer, right?"

"Yes, I am the Slayer." Buffy smiled warmly.

"Good. Well, not good that you are out there having to fight all the time, but good that Mr. Giles won't think that I'm crazy."

"He definitely doesn't think you're crazy, but I still think he's scared to meet you."

"As he should be. He's responsible for sending you out night after night knowing that each fight could be your last." Some of Joyce's initial fear and worries over Buffy's absence that morning had passed. Now she was getting worked up for a good vent.

"Giles didn't choose me, and he does try to protect me when he can. He doesn't just stand there and give orders like some of the Watchers I've read about."

"That's a good thing dear, but it doesn't change the fact that his job is to send my daughter to her death on a daily basis."

"Mom, even if I didn't have a Watcher, the demons would still come after me." Buffy tried to help her mom understand that her calling wasn't Giles' fault. She really wanted her mom to like Giles, not hate him. "If the Council really got to choose who came next, I doubt I would have been on their list. Even Giles gets frustrated with my moods and tactics, and he's been pretty understanding overall."

"That's another thing I don't like." Joyce was on a roll now. With Buffy's Slayer status confirmed and out in the open, the floodgates to Joyce's questions and thoughts were flowing freely. "What right does that group called the Council have to dictate just what beings are worthy of living or dying? Do they even realize that some of the beings they kill are harmless?"

"Whoa there, Mom." Buffy shivered. The fiery look in her mother's eyes was a little bit scary. She wondered if it was the same look her mom gave Spike when she'd clobbered him with the axe in the back of the head. If it was, then she knew why Spike was a bit worried to meet her mom again. "I totally agree with you about the Council not being all right, but where did you find out about all of this in the first place? You seem to know an awful lot about something pretty secretive."

"There is a lot out there that the Council probably hopes their Slayers never notice or find out about." Joyce rose from the couch. At some point during the hugfest, the two women had managed to sit down. "I have something in my room that I need to get to show you."

"No!" Buffy's hand gripped Joyce's wrist tightly. "I'm not crazy. Please don't call them again." She was afraid to let her mother leave her side. Memories she'd been able to repress for 2 years threatened to resurface. Memories of a similar time when her mother and father had placated her during a similar discussion, only to leave the room and call a mental institution to have her admitted.

"Oh baby, I'd never … not again …" Joyce dropped to her knees next to the couch to comfort Buffy. "We were so wrong, and I can never apologize enough for doing that to you." She hung her head and shook it back and forth. "I hate to think that if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes that I would still be so wrong about you."

"I don't completely blame you, Mom. Vampires and demons being real does sound like something out of a crazy science fiction B movie." Buffy sighed. "I was a good kid before I burnt down the gym. I don't know why you and dad thought that all of a sudden I would go from popular cheerleader to arsonist in one week."

"Looking back on those last months in Los Angeles, I don't know how we missed all of the changes." Joyce squeezed Buffy's hand in comfort. "When we saw you with Pike we assumed that he was the reason you went into rebel mode."

A dawning realization came over Buffy. "You sent Pike away, didn't you?" She sniffled.

"Yes, honey, we did. Your father threatened to call the police if he came around anymore." Joyce was ashamed of her ignorance, but she also knew that at the time she was just trying to protect her daughter. "We caught him sneaking into the hospital to see you when he thought we weren't there."

Buffy cried, more out of relief than grief. "He didn't leave me because of my calling. A vampire didn't kill him?"

"No, your father followed him out of town to be sure that he left."

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that."

"Will you be all right for a couple minutes? I really should get those books from my bedroom." Joyce wanted to reassure her daughter that she'd be back, but she wanted to fetch the books that she'd been reading. She needed to show Buffy where her knowledge came from.

"Yeah, I'm good. Go ahead." Buffy wiped her damp cheek with the back of her hand. "After that, we really need to get to Giles' place. Some bad and good stuff has happened that all of us need to talk about."

"All right, dear." Joyce stood up. "Let me pack the books into a bag, and we can leave."

"I need to stop off to pick something up for a … well the simplest term would be boyfriend, but I need you to promise not to ask me questions about him until we get to Giles."

Joyce's hands rested on her hips, a look every bit like her daughter when standing firm on something, and raised her brow. "You honestly expect me not to ask questions after a statement like that?"

"Please, Mom," Buffy's voice held a begging note to it. "A lot of things won't make sense unless you see us together and hear the whole story at once with the gang."

"Don't think that you are always going to get away with statements like that, Buffy, but this time I'll let it go." Joyce headed up the stairs to her bedroom. 10 minutes later, the books were packed into a leather satchel, and she was ready to leave.

Buffy made sure all of the windows and doors were locked before they left. She knew Giles needed to perform the disinvite spell later, but she wasn't leaving her house wide open for even easier access. With the front door secure, the two Summers' women stepped into the sun and finally into Joyce's car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander hummed a quirky tune. The paper bag of various teenage favorite snacks was full to the brim. He knocked on the door to Giles' place. After a couple minutes without an answer, he wiggled the doorknob. He shrugged when the door opened with ease. 'He must be upstairs or something.' He walked through the main room to the breakfast nook counter.

While Xander unloaded the various munchies and sugary treats from his bag, a deep growling moan from behind him caught his attention. He slowly turned around and crept back across the room to the living room couch. The closer he got to the couch the more he could see of the creature lying on it.

The shock of seeing a full head of bleach blonde hair had Xander squealing in fright. "Spike!" He jumped back from the couch and frantically searched the room for a stake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (16) Secrets Revealed – Part 3
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Giles and Willow return to his house after the ritual to find out that they aren’t the first to arrive. Buffy and Joyce pick up some blood for Spike on the way to Giles’ place for the meeting. The Scoobies try to get through their meeting to talk about Angelus as well as Buffy and Spike’s relationship. Angelus wakes up to realize that his “Childe” isn’t quite as dusty as he wanted him to be, and he is lacking a certain power that he feels should be his.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

“Please tell me that is not a place you usually go into.” The car doors closed behind Buffy and Joyce Summers.

“From time to time I beat up Willy for information. He’s fairly harmless.” Buffy shrugged. “He’s always involved in something. Plus he always hears the good gossip from both worlds.”

“It was so dark and smelly in there.” Joyce blocked out her curious mind’s desire to figure out what was on the floor. “Are all demon bars like that one?”

“No way. Willy is just a weasely little guy. His place is one of the seedier ones in town.” Buffy shifted the large grocery bag full of blood packets and containers around in her lap. “Spike told me about these places that demons mingle around with the rest of us humans, unknown.”

“You keep talking about this Spike fellow. I can tell you are quite taken with him, but this is the first day I’ve heard his name from you.” Joyce tried to be subtle in her approach to pry information about Buffy’s new boyfriend from Buffy. She had several preconceptions of what a man named Spike was like, but she wanted to give her daughter the benefit of the doubt.

“I was keeping him a secret from everyone.” Buffy nibbled on her lower lip. “Giles only found out yesterday because I slipped up.”

“From what I read, the Council doesn’t allow their Slayers to have boyfriends, friends or even family around. Is that why Mr. Giles was mad? The boyfriend bit was too much to allow since you already have friends and live with your mother still?”

“Not exactly.” Buffy stared ahead out the front window of the car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander hummed a quirky tune. The paper bag of various teenage favorite snacks was full to the brim. He knocked on the door to Giles’ place. After a couple minutes without an answer, he wiggled the doorknob. He shrugged when the door opened with ease. ‘He must be upstairs or something.’ He walked through the main room to the breakfast nook counter.

While Xander unloaded the various munchies and sugary treats from his bag, a deep growling moan from behind him caught his attention. He slowly turned around and crept back across the room to the living room couch. The closer he got to the couch the more he could see of the creature lying on it.

The shock of seeing a full head of bleach blonde hair, had Xander squealing in fright. “Spike!” He jumped back from the couch and frantically searched the room for a stake.

“Bloody Hell, what is all that noise?” Spike’s eyes opened, and he tried to sit up. He’d barely fallen asleep and now something was waking him up. ‘The least the Watcher could do is keep the natives quiet for a little while,’ He thought to himself.

“You … You …” Xander stuttered. He finally found a stake near the answering machine. He gripped the pointed piece of wood tightly and pounced on the couch. “What did you do with Giles?”

Spike wrestled against the adrenaline laden teenager. Although his legs weren’t moving, his upper body strength more than made up for the lacking lower half. He could have easily snapped the boy’s neck in two, but he worried that Buffy might not understand that he was just trying to defend himself. Instead, he blocked several downward thrusts of the stake from piercing his chest. “I didn’t do anything with him you wanker. Get off me.”

“Not likely, Spike.” Xander continued to thrust the stake into any part of Spike’s flesh that he could reach. He didn’t even realize that the vampire hadn’t tried to stand up. His adrenaline and fear kept him reacting to what he saw as a threat to his friends and himself.

“ARGH!” Spike screamed. He’d failed to block one of Xander’s thrusts, and the stake embedded itself below his shoulder between his heart and his collarbone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles and Willow were getting out of Giles’ parked car when the scream of agony echoed through the courtyard. Giles dropped what he was carrying and ran for his front door.

Willow quickly followed behind Giles. She reached his door in time to see Giles wrenching Xander off of Spike’s writhing body. She stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move to assist in hurting the vampire or rescuing Xander.

Xander struggled against the man holding him, not knowing that it was Giles trying to rescue Spike and not another vampire. “You can kill me, but I’ll enjoy watching Buffy hunt you down from my viewpoint in heaven.”

“Xander, stop it!” Giles barked out the command angrily. “No one is trying to kill you.”

“Giles?” Xander’s struggling ceased for a moment. Then, it began anew, “Oh my God, he turned you. HELP!” He screamed.

Giles pulled his arm back and fisted a solid punch to the back of Xander’s head to knock him out. The teenager was stronger than he looked, and it was the only way that Giles could think of to keep Xander calm for the moment. He carried the unconscious boy to one of the recliner chairs and flopped him into it.

“Um, Giles …” Willow pointed at the game faced Spike on Giles’ couch. “That’s Spike.”

“I know it’s Spike.” Giles hurried over to Spike. He reached down for the stake, but he jumped back in fear at the face of a snarling and enraged vampire. “Spike, it’s Rupert Giles. I can’t take care of the stake if you don’t let me near.”

Spike panted with unnecessary breaths that weren’t helping to ease the pain of his injuries this time. His tolerance levels had been tested to the limits between the organ pipes falling on him, the fire, and now being staked so close to his heart. His demon was in an uproar, and Spike was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the pain. His mind and demon called out in desperation for the only one who could help to ease his pain. He needed her. He needed his Slayer. “SLAYER!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy screamed out in pain. She startled her mother so much that they almost ran off the road into a tree. “Oh God. Oh God.” She wrapped her arms around her chest. The heel of one palm pressed close to her shoulder near her collarbone as if trying to ease the pain of a wound she didn’t have. “Spike!”

“Buffy! What is it?” Joyce asked once she had the car back under control.

“Hurry, Mom. We have to get to Giles’ place now.” Buffy panted. “Hurry!”

Joyce took in the ashen white features on her daughter’s face, and she stepped harder on the gas. Something was terribly wrong, and she had no idea what to do about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giles paced back and forth in front of the couch. Every time he tried to get closer to Spike, the vampire only growled louder. “I can’t help you like this, Spike.”

“Why are we helping him at all?” Willow asked meekly. She was getting more confused by the moment. Giles hadn’t made any attempt to check on Xander’s well being. All he seemed to care about was Spike’s injury.

“It was to be part of the meeting, if I can ever get the stake out of him before he shifts too far and dusts himself,” Giles said angrily. Xander was Buffy’s friend, but Giles was afraid that the Slayer would be the one to rush through that door and not Buffy. He would have shot Spike with one of his tranquilizer darts if he wasn’t worried about the effect it would have on the already wounded vampire.

Tires screeched along the pavement outside Giles’ window. Car doors opened and slammed. A woman was calling out Buffy’s name, but it was obvious that Buffy wasn’t listening to anything.

Giles moved away from the couch, and he pulled Willow as far away from the couch as possible as well. He knew who was coming through the door next, and he didn’t want Willow to get caught in the crossfire.

The door to Giles’ house slammed open. The walls shook, and the door fell off the lower hinges to hang onto the wall only by the top ones.

“Spike,” A feral female voice growled out in anger and pain.

Willow stared at her friend slack jawed. Buffy’s eyes were silver laced with green and they glowed. The smaller fangs that showed when Buffy turned her head to snarl at Willow and Giles made Willow, “eep!” Willow clutched Giles’ arm tightly. If Buffy hadn’t just run in from the sun, Willow would swear that she was a vampire.

The anger coming off the Slayer was palpable. He felt it hit him in waves even across the room. He raised his hands up in a surrender motion. “He wouldn’t let me near enough to remove it.” He pointed at Spike’s writhing body on the couch. He wasn’t sure if the Slayer even understood human speech in her condition.

Buffy leapt across the room in one fluid motion. She straddled the vampire’s waist and leaned down to sniff at the stake wound.

The vampire snarled up at the Slayer. Then his snarls turned into whimpers of pain, like a wounded child telling its mother about a boo boo.

The Slayer growled out several sentences and cooed next to the vampire’s ear. She rubbed her cheek against the side of the vampire’s face in an attempt to soothe his fears.

The vampire answered the Slayer’s growled inquiry. He turned his head towards Xander’s slumped form on the recliner. When the Slayer moved to stand up and take care of the threat, the vampire gripped the Slayer’s arms.

The Slayer was upset at being kept from exacting the justice she felt was due. The movement by the vampire to keep her in place aggravated his wound further. His pain filled cry brought the Slayer’s attention back to her vampire’s wounds instead.

Giles watched the pair interact. He was amazed that Spike stopped Buffy from harming Xander. He saw that the Slayer was in full control over the shared body she had with Buffy. They needed to do some research to find out how to reach Buffy when the Slayer was this aggressive. Although he understood the Slayer’s need for revenge, he knew that it would be Buffy’s human side that could temper the Slayer’s more aggressive nature.

Joyce finally made it inside the door of Giles’ home. Buffy had jumped out of the car before Joyce had it in park, and Joyce was very rattled. It took her a while to get the car fully parked and get out. She screamed at the image of her daughter straddling what she knew was a vampire, and her daughter was sporting her own set of fangs.

“It’s all right, Mrs. Summers. He won’t hurt her.” Giles scooted along the wall as far from Buffy and Spike as he could. Willow stood frozen in her spot. Giles reached out his hand for Joyce to accept. “Please, come away from the door.”

Joyce blinked. At the moment Buffy had her face buried against the vampire’s shoulder sniffing a piece of wood that was sticking out of the vampire’s body.

The vampire howled, an eerie and blood curdling sound, as the Slayer ripped the stake from his chest. Only the Slayer’s strength, and body pinning the vampire down, kept the vampire from bucking the Slayer off him.

The Slayer buried her face into the wound and licked around the jagged edges of it. The stake disintegrated under the pressure of Slayer’s crushing fist. She tossed the bits of splinters and dust behind the couch.

“Oh my God! Buffy …” Joyce tried to move towards the couch, but Giles stopped her. He shook his head back and forth. “Don’t get in her way right now. She’s more Slayer now than human. She might not recognize you.”

The Slayer pulled the hair off the left side of her neck. She growled out a command to the vampire and continued to lathe her tongue over his wound to help with his healing much like vampire saliva would help heal a wound.

The vampire buried his face into the Slayer’s neck and pierced her throat with his fangs. He gurgled and cooed as the pleasure of the Slayer’s blood helped to over ride the pain of his body. Before the Slayer told him to stop, the vampire removed his fangs and licked the twin puncture marks to seal them. His head fell back against the cushion of the arm of the couch.

The Slayer kissed the vampire’s closed lips with a tenderness that belayed the ferocity of her earlier actions. Then, she sat up and watched as the power of her blood and saliva healed and sealed the wound. Content in the knowledge that her vampire was healing, she started to relax. Her fangs slowly receded until no one would be able to tell they ever existed.

The vampire’s face returned to his human mask, and he panted. The Slayer blood he’d received was zinging through him. His various wounds and injuries tingled and itched as the dose of blood helped to further the healing process. Spike’s eyes locked with the now green orbs of Buffy’s eyes, and he smiled.

Fully calmed down, and more in control of herself, Buffy sighed. Her muscles ached from being so tense, and her body hummed from the let down of adrenaline. She rested her hands on Spike’s chest. Her pinky grazed over the now healed over skin, and she burst into tears. Buffy laid her body on top of Spike’s and cried against his neck.

“Shhh … It’s all right, Buffy.” Spike spread his fingers through Buffy’s blond locks. “Everything’s good now, pet.”

“I felt … and then I … Oh my God, what happened to me,” Buffy babbled through her worry and questions.

“We’ll suss it out love.” Spike lifted his head slightly to look over Buffy’s shoulder. “Guess we have a lot more to look into, don’t we Rupes?”

“It would seem so, Spike.”

“That’s Spike?!?” Joyce pointed at the couch. “That’s Buffy’s Spike?”

“Why don’t you sit down, Mrs. Summers?” Giles led Joyce over to another recliner in the living room. “I’ll go make some tea. I think we are all going to need something soothing.”

“What about Xander?” Willow pointed to the unconscious brunette.

Buffy’s head snapped up off Spike’s shoulder. “He’d better not try anything like that again if he knows what’s good for him.” She knew everything that the Slayer knew, and she felt everything that she did too. She was furious at her friend for trying to harm Spike.

“Easy there, pet. He didn’t know,” Spike tried to reassure Buffy.

A part of Buffy’s mind told her that Xander probably just reacted to Spike’s presence, but she was very protective of Spike especially since he was already injured trying to save her from Angelus. “I was just so scared that I’d lose you.” With tears in her eyes she slapped Spike on the uninjured shoulder. “You have almost died on me twice in the last 2 days. You have to stop it.”

“I’ll try to do better, pet.” Spike teased. “Not like I had much choice the first time either. If the choice is my life or yours, I will choose to save yours every time. Don’t expect me not to.” He cupped her cheek lovingly.

“Buffy?” Joyce Summers tried to get her daughter’s attention. She clutched her bag of books and the grocery bag of blood against her chest. “Do … Do you still need this?”

“Oh gosh yes!” Buffy hopped up off Spike. She took the bag from her mom and lifted out several packets of blood. She handed them to Spike one at a time. They weren’t completely room temperature, but they weren’t refrigerator cold either.

“Ugh,” Spike grunted. “Easy Slayer. Wounded vampire here,” He chuckled.

“Sorry honey.” Buffy turned back to face her mom after Spike refused any more packets of the human blood she’d purchased. She hugged her mom tightly. “I love you, Mommy.”

“That’s good to hear honey because you were seriously scaring me a few minutes ago.”

“I’m sorry, Mommy. I don’t really know what happened.”

“Perhaps I can shed some light on that.” Giles arrived from the kitchen with a couple teapots full of steaming liquid on a tray with cream and sugar containers. “The Slayer and vampire demons are bonded in every sense of the word, even if they haven’t completed any other claiming yet. They can tell when the other in extreme pain or danger among other things.”

Giles placed the tray down on the living room table. He motioned for everyone to help themselves. “It’s chamomile. It will help to calm us down.”

Joyce was the first to reach for a cup. “That’s why Buffy knew Spike was hurt even when we were in the car?”

“Indeed it is.” Giles’ further explanations were interrupted by Xander’s spluttering and grumbling as he returned to consciousness.

Xander held the back of his head and groaned. He screamed at the sight of Spike still laying on the couch and Buffy now in his lap. “SPIKE!” Xander tried to find another stake, but Buffy’s body collided with his before he could move.

“Don’t even think about it, Xander.” Buffy held Xander’s hand together behind his back. Her mouth hid the small fangs that wanted to tear into Xander’s throat. She fought against the urge to do so, but she made her warning clear. “It wouldn’t be healthy for you if you ever touch him again.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jenny Calendar thumbed the pages of her journal. It was a long flight from L.A. to her final destination in Romania. She had plenty of time on her hands to go over the events of the last couple years.

‘What happened to Angel’s soul?’ Jenny pondered. Her uncle warned her that Angel needed to remain suffering. At the time she assumed it was just a means of making sure their vengeance was fully served. ‘Maybe there was a magical reason why he had to remain unhappy.’

‘So what would make Angel happy?’ Jenny turned the pages of her journal after she skimmed each page for a clue. “Buffy!” She exclaimed out loud.

Several passengers gave Jenny dirty looks. She wanted to crawl under her seat and hide.

‘Angel was happier around Buffy.’ Jenny marked a couple entries with Post-It flags to help her find them again later. ‘At least he was for a while. He didn’t seem too happy with her lately.’ Her fingertip guided her eyes over other pages, looking for any patterns or specifics on Angel’s moods.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had taken Giles another hour to get everyone back into their own seats and away from each other’s throats either figuratively or literally. Faces were red either from being near to tears, in tears, or fuming with anger. It wasn’t a good situation all around.

Spike’s strength was gaining, but he wasn’t able to move his legs. Spike did say that his feet tingled. He held Buffy in his lap. His arms were securely wrapped around the woman he loved in comfort and support for whatever she decided to do. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like some of it, but neither he nor his demon could refuse her desires. They needed her like they needed blood to survive.

Now that everyone was much calmer, and Spike’s newest wounds were on the mend, Giles was anxious to get the meeting underway. “I want to thank you all for all coming. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Xander glared across the room at Spike. It was bad enough to deal with Buffy’s infatuation with Angel. At least Angel hadn’t tried to kill Buffy. The same could not be said for Spike. His stomach churned and wanted to heave at the sight of Buffy sitting so contently on Spike’s lap.

Willow watched everything with wide eyes of fear laced with curiosity. Buffy seemed quite upset when she burst in to find Spike wounded. Why was Spike even there? Why was Mrs. Summers at the meeting and not freaking out over Spike’s vampiric face when she arrived? She tried to snap her attention back to what Giles was saying. She didn’t want to miss the answers to her questions.

Joyce gazed at the two blondes on the couch. Her daughter was enamored with the “bad boy” she was snuggled against. ‘My daughter is supposed to kill vampires, but she’s dating one?’ She wasn’t sure if she should be completely petrified or not. Depending on which book she read, having a vampire as a partner was a good or very bad thing. She hoped it was the former and not the latter.

“Before I get into everything about last night, I want to say that Slayers and vampires both have a similar form of demon that “animates” them or gives them their abilities. Until recently, I believed the Slayer portion of that statement to be a myth. After a ritual that I witnessed this morning, I know it to be true.”

Everyone in the room shared a gasp of shock over the declaration. “If I hadn’t witnessed a ritual between the two, demons for lack of a better explanation, I might still be skeptical. Their supernatural sides are mated.” Giles jotted down a couple things in his notebook. “After what I witnessed this afternoon, I believe this to be a good thing. Of course this belief is also based on a conversation that I had with Spike about his intentions.”

“How can you believe anything the blood sucking fiend says, Giles?” Xander spat the words at Giles.

“It is my choice to believe or not believe, Xander.” Giles poked his pen in Xander’s direction. “If I can have an open mind about all of this, you can at least make an effort not to be an arse.”

Xander harrumphed and glared harder at Spike and Buffy.

“If you think you’re going to stake me with your piercing glance, you’re mistaken Whelp.” Spike rolled his eyes.

Joyce pulled out the non-Council approved leather bound book from her bag. She shuffled through several marked pages in search of the familiar sounding information. When she finally found it she interrupted the conversation. “Mr. Giles?”

“Please call me Rupert, Mrs. Summers.” Giles smiled at Buffy’s mother. He was happy that she wasn’t trying to skin him alive for his part in Buffy’s nightly calling.

Joyce walked over to Giles and put the book on the table in front of him. “Thank you, Rupert. Please call me Joyce. Mrs. Summers makes me sound like my mother in law.” She shuddered. “In this book that I was given to read, it says that some Slayers find themselves more connected with their inner strength after a near death experience. Their inner strength would be linked to the demon right? Did Buffy have any near death experiences?”

“What about full death experiences?” Willow questioned.

“What?” Joyce asked in shock. “My baby died?”

“It was last year, but it didn’t last for long,” Giles tried to explain. “The Master bit her and drowned her, but Xander revived her with CPR.”

Spike growled. “Bastard.”

“Takes one to know one Fang Face,” Xander muttered.

“Where did you get this book?” Giles read the passages that Joyce pointed to. He was intrigued by the information he read. He quickly skipped ahead a few pages to read more.

“A man at the Magic Box gave it to me when I went looking for information on the Slayer.” Joyce pulled the second book out of her bag. “He said this one was Council approved, but the other one wasn’t. Based on what I’ve already seen here … I’d say that I believe the non-Council one a bit more if I hadn’t already.”

“Extraordinary.” Giles’ eyes were wide open to what the one book said different from what he was taught. Buffy was the living proof in front of him about which set of teachings was right. “This supports the theory that a Slayer’s abilities were first inherited by the demon that possessed her. When Buffy died, she crossed over the plains of existence to the next world, but when Xander revived her it pulled her back.”

“What about the fact that the Master bit her? Could that have made a difference about what traveled back with her?” Spike posed the question. “If even one drop of his blood mingled with hers when he bit her, then it could have called to her demon side, couldn’t it?”

“It is all supposition, but I think that is a possibility, Spike.” Giles twirled his pen between his fingers absentmindedly. “When Buffy came back, the realms were crossed and the Slayer demon could have come back with her soul.”

Buffy raised her hand slowly. “That scarily makes a lot of sense.” She looked at her mom and Giles sadly. “When I went to L.A. for the summer it was really bad at night. I didn’t just go out to slay at night because it was my duty. I did it because I had to.”

“Had to?” Giles adjusted his glasses.

“Yes, if I didn’t, I got all jumpy and shaky, like a drug addict in withdrawl.” Buffy hung her head a little. “I would stay out from dusk until dawn hunting almost every vampire and demon I could find.”

“Almost?” Giles flipped to a new page in his book.

“Yeah, some of them I just seemed to sense and disregard for some reason.” Buffy twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “Like I knew they weren’t a threat or something.”

“Very interesting.”

“What does that mean, Rupert?”

“Usually that is Giles speak for we’re going to have to do some research,” Willow translated the statement for Mrs. Summers.

“Oh, I see. I’m all confused right now.” Joyce sighed.

“I’m not going to sit here and listen to this garbage.” Xander stood up. “If you all want to believe this bunch of brainwashed bull crap, go ahead. If Buffy is a demon now that I saw we kill her along with her undead boyfriend because obviously something is wrong here.”

“Xander!” Xander’s name was said in shock or anger from every being in the room.

Joyce Summers was the first to move. She slapped Xander upside the back of his head and pushed him back down into the chair he vacated. “Sit your butt right there Xander Harris, or I’ll tie you there. It is narrow minds like you that run that Council and cause all of this hatred to fester.”

“Now Joyce …”

“Don’t you now Joyce me, Rupert.” Joyce pounded on the top of both books she brought. “One book tells you one thing and the other book says another. My daughter is sitting right in front of you as living proof over which book is right. Whatever you saw confirms that even more so. I’m not saying that the Council is all lies, but they have whitewashed over key facts that they didn’t like, have they not?”

“Yes, you are right about that Joyce. I’m sorry.” Giles cleared his throat. “Let’s get on with the original portion of the meeting. The greater threat to us is not in this room. We can discuss Buffy and Spike’s relationship later.”

“How about never,” Xander grumbled.

On the way back to her seat, Joyce clipped Xander in the back of the head again. She’d heard his grumbling retort.

The sun was getting closer to setting, and the Scoobies still had a lot of ground to cover before Angelus and Drusilla would be out to feast on Sunnydale’s citizens.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angelus stretched his arms out over his head in the king sized bed he awoke in. His arms came down and wrapped around the dark queen that lay next to him, his insane Childe Drusilla. He was ready to stake his claim on the town of Sunnydale and make the streets bleed red in the carnage.

Drusilla squirmed in her Sire’s arms. She cooed and giggled with delight. She felt the excitement rolling off her Sire. Today would be their day to play. All of a sudden she sat up in bed with a frown.

“What is it Drusilla?” Angelus asked his Childe. One of the things he loved about Drusilla was her gift of sight. Half the time he didn’t understand what she was saying, but he loved to watch her in the throes of the magical moment.

Drusilla’s body weaved back and forth. “My Spike has been a naughty boy. He’s taken all of the toys from the toy box, and he won’t share with Daddy anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Angelus sat up abruptly. He still felt Spike at the edges of his mind. “Damn, he should be dust.”

“He holds the match, and all the fireworks are his to command.” Dru rubbed her fingertips into her temples. “No rabbits for Daddy because William has all the magical hats locked up.”

Angelus felt something else on the outskirts of his vampiric senses. There was a stronger power roaming through the familial links. He couldn’t pinpoint it or figure out what it meant. He also felt the power of his line beyond his reach. It still centered on Spike. He raged, “The power should have been mine! That sniveling upstart should have lost it the moment a true master returned to the fold. Damn it!” His fist smashed through the wall of the factory.

Dru shied away from her irate Sire. She tried to bury herself into a little ball on the bed and rocked herself back and forth. “I’m sorry, Daddy. So sorry.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (17) It’s All About The Blood
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: The Scoobies and Spike talk about Angelus’ emergence and other things. Spike tries to explain his change of heart to Willow and Xander. Angelus fumes over not receiving the power of “The Master” once his soul was lost.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

“Drusilla and Angel were a part of a ritual last night to restore Drusilla’s health. Spike and Buffy were there as well to supervise.” Giles waited to continue his explanation until after Xander’s latest rounds of insults ceased.

Buffy was glad she was sitting on Spike’s lap. Even though he couldn’t walk, Spike already proved that his upper body strength was intact.

Joyce and Willow both noticed that Spike was only mildly upset when Xander insulted him. Spike became highly agitated over every negative remark or accusation Xander sent Buffy’s way. The increasing noise level from the shouting match had Willow and Joyce covering their ears.

“ENOUGH! Would you shut up and let Giles finish?” The Slayer screeched.

The room dropped to dead silence after Buffy’s screaming snarl ceased. Everyone stared at Buffy with open mouths. Xander thought it was one of the scariest things he’d ever seen or heard. Willow and Joyce were in shock. Giles was itching to do more research, and Spike puffed up with pride at the strength of his beloved.

“What are you guys looking at?” Buffy huffed. Her face and body relaxed again. “We need to get through this before dark. I have some vampires to hunt.” She was unaware that her eyes temporarily went silver, and her fangs made a brief appearance until she relaxed.

Spike’s mind was thrown out of his wanderings, “It isn’t a good idea for you to face them alone. We don’t know what strengths of weaknesses you’ve picked up.” He looked down at his mostly useless legs. “Dru has a very strong ability to thrall as well. It’s hard to break through.”

“You don’t think I’m strong enough to beat them?” Buffy asked. “Or are you trying to keep me from dusting Drusilla?” Her eyes narrowed and burned with jealousy.

“They’ll fight dirty, pet.” Spike spent over a century with a deranged and temperamental vampiress. He knew when it was best to just move on without answering a question because no matter how you answered, she was going to take it the wrong way. “He’s worked with you lot, and he’ll know the right things to taunt you with to throw you off balance.”

“What happened during the ritual? I take it something went wrong?” Joyce needed more answers to all her questions. The conversation kept getting steered away from what she suspected was the real danger of the moment.

“You could say that again. We didn’t have time to suss out the hows or whys, but it was big.” Spike answered Joyce’s inquiry.

“Some time during the ritual, Angel lost his soul.” Buffy shivered. She didn’t understand how it happened. She knew that Angel’s soul seemed more like a leash of guilt than anything else, but her research told her that Angelus was no whipped puppy. They were going to be in big trouble. “Angel and Drusilla plus Spike and I were all hit by some weird light during the ritual. When it was gone, so was Angel’s soul.”

“That’s what I feared would happen when I read the notes Buffy gave me before she left to meet Spike.” Giles adjusted his glasses. “You say the light hit Drusilla, Angel, Spike and you?” His brow furrowed on the last person he mentioned.

“Yeah, we had quite the pretty lil light show before all Hell broke loose.” Spike caressed his hand over the back of Buffy’s. “Kind of felt warm for a minute there too, like I was standing in the sun.”

“What about the vampire you mentioned? Dalton was his name, I believe?”

“What about him, Watcher?” Spike asked.

“Did the light go through him too?”

“No, but he was reading out the ritual chant and performing the rites. Why does it matter Giles?” Now Buffy was curious. Giles didn’t ask pointless questions about rituals. He may be longwinded about his explanations, but there was always a purpose for every question asked.

“The spell specifically calls for the ill vampire’s True Sire. It would search through any familial members nearby to find the right link.” Giles opened the book that contained the Ritual of DuLac that he’d brought into the house after a stop at the high school on the way home from Willow’s house. Since the information he needed was all on two pages facing each other, he didn’t realize that several pages that were blank in the back of the book before now had words on them.

“Dalton wasn’t a blood relation.” Spike pondered the situation. “He was a minion left by the Annoying One when I dusted the little brat.”

“You killed the Anointed One? One of your own family?” Giles was shocked. Buffy had told him the story she overheard about Spike and Dalton saving Marie, but the Anointed One was supposed to have been a great power amongst the Aurelian line. He was the one destined to take over the Master’s power on the Night Of … “Oh dear Lord. When did you kill the child?”

“He was a child?” Joyce gasped.

“He was a vampire of sorts, Mom. Trust me, bad guy who needed to be taken care of.” Buffy explained.

Giles noticed that Spike hadn’t readily jumped in with an answer. “Spike.” He scooted forward in his chair. “When did you dust the Anointed One?”

“Shortly after Dru and I arrived in town.” Spike knew that he couldn’t lie to Rupert Giles. Buffy was counting on Spike, and he knew that he had to be truthful to the Watcher to help them figure out what was going on. “The morning after the little soiree at the high school to be exact.”

“Right before the Night of St. Vigeous?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my.” Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. If what he believed was true, Angelus would have even more reason to kill them all now. “It transferred to you, didn’t it? You’re the one?”

Spike nodded his head slowly. “Didn’t ask for it, but it did. Guess it didn’t like the poofter, and I know Dru is a nutter. Never expected it to come my way. Darla always told me I was a bit too human to be a good vampire.”

“What is it Giles? What has you so wigged that I’m afraid you are going to crush your glasses into nothing?” Buffy asked.

“Spike is the master,” Giles gulped hard. “He’s the Master of the Aurelians now.”

“I thought Buffy killed the Master?” Willow was confused.

“And then smashed his bones into itsy bitsy bits later on to be sure that he was gone too,” Xander added.

Joyce had nothing to add to the conversation. She listened to every word and detail with rapt attention. Some things she remembered from one of the books about vampiric families. Other things were completely new to her. She almost wished that she had a pad of paper of her own to take notes with. She had a feeling that she was going to have a lot to remember.

“Every vampiric family line has a power center, or central figurehead who is considered the master of that clan. Generally it is the oldest vampire of the clan because he or she is usually the strongest.” Giles was having a hard time grasping why Spike, with as much power as he now had, was willing to go in league with them. “The older the family line, the stronger the family ties as well to the ancient magics that surround that clan.”

“Bat face was pretty old,” Xander chirped.

Instead of being mad, Spike laughed. “Poncy git didn’t even go by his real name anymore. He thought he was powerful enough to be known as simply The Master as if he was the Master of all vampires. Kind of like that bloody wanker in Italy who calls himself the Immortal.”

“The clan of Aurelius is one of the oldest known to the Council. So, their ties to the ancient magics of their demons is strong.” Giles looked at Spike for confirmation of that fact. “I know that many of the things I was taught are in error, but is that information correct?”

“The way the grandbitch Darla and Angelus carried on, I’d say that’s true. They always thought too highly of themselves and their place in the world. Although it used to piss Angelus right off when The Master would send out a call to his little whore Childe Darla.” Spike shrugged. “Don’t know what the chit saw in old bat face, but it had to be something good because she always went running faster than Angelus could tie her down.”

“Spike!” Buffy gasped. “My mother’s in the room!” She chastised.

Spike gulped. He remembered all too well the strength of the axe-wielding Summers’ woman. He rubbed the back of his head with his freehand. “Sorry Joyce.”

Joyce didn’t trust her voice. So, she nodded in Spike’s direction to indicate that she accepted his apology.

“Why didn’t we know you were the new master?” Giles said out loud.

“Probably because I wasn’t advertising it. Some might have known it by the aura or sense they got from me, but the only one who really knew was Dalton.” Spike shrugged. “The Slayer probably knew, but I never said it out loud.”

“I see.”

“I’m not a vampire, Giles. So, I don’t see the point of the ritual searching through me.” Buffy worried her lower lip.

“The ritual searches through the bloodline of the ill vampire’s true sire. It looks like it strengthens the bonds between the closest blood familial links present as well.” Giles scanned the page again, looked at Dalton’s notes, then read some more.

“I don’t feel any stronger links to Dru or Angelus,” Spike stated.

“I am assuming that you had not shared blood with Angelus in several decades, right?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“The closest link would be the one it latched on to.” Giles looked up from the book. “You and Buffy shared blood to bind your demons earlier, but I daresay I doubt that was the first time you’ve done that.”

“You’re right. The first time we shared was Halloween night,” Buffy spoke honestly. She wanted to figure out why the ritual touched her, and what side effects it might have.

“And how many times since?”

“Wasn’t counting Watcher, probably a dozen or so.” Spike treasured every sip of Buffy’s blood, but he didn’t count how many times they renewed the claim. He only made sure that they didn’t go too long without renewing it. “Last time was the earlier the same day as the ritual.”

“Suffice to say you both had fresh blood in your systems from the recently renewed claim when the ritual occurred.” Giles thought about everything for a couple minutes before he continued. “The Slayer demon, and the blood shared with Spike’s demon, would have forged a familial blood link between the two of you. It was probably too far removed from Angelus and Drusilla to matter to them, and Dru’s True Sire was the one needed for the ritual anyways. So, Drusilla was only going to latch onto Angelus’ link.”

“You think that the ritual strengthened Spike and Buffy’s bond because they had similar blood?” Willow asked.

“I believe it strengthened the pull of the Slayer and the vampire’s blood link, yes.”

“What’s the difference?” Joyce asked,

“Spike and Buffy seem to have two different sides. Although they have bonded their demons together, an intimate act and mating bites would be required to complete the full circle for all of their sides. It is my feeling that once that has occurred all sides of them will merge into one.” Giles searched through the non-Council approved book for any helpful information. “Usually only the intimate mating bite is needed for vampires to mate.”

“The Slayer tossed a monkey wrench into the mix.” Spike chuckled. “Even your demon likes to swim against the current, pet. I like her.” He nestled his mouth against the marks on Buffy’s neck and licked them teasingly.

Buffy teasingly snarled and nipped at the side of Spike’s neck without breaking the skin. She tongued her marks.

“And Drusilla’s true Sire?” Joyce looked away from the bestial display between her daughter and Spike.

“Master vampires, or vampires above the level of another vampire, are able to override or take over a Sire’s claim to care for a Childe or minion. It happens more with minions when a new “master” takes over a territory,” Spike explained after he unburied his face from Buffy’s neck. “So the vampire that is called another vampire’s Sire doesn’t always mean they were the ones to turn them.”

“The ritual seeks out the true Sire,” Giles picked up when it looked like Spike’s explanation was done. “Only the blood that sired her to start with was powerful enough for the ritual to use to cure her. My only guess is that the soul somehow tainted the way the spell saw Angel’s blood. So, it was removed.”

“Angelus is a master of torture, both mental and physical.” Spike decided not to mince words with the group. They needed to realize how much danger they were in. “He can take the purest of God’s creatures and turn them into an insane ranting dark deviant. He’ll enjoy it too.”

“I thought Drusilla went crazy when she was turned?”

“I’m afraid not, pet. Angelus murdered her family right in front of her then killed all of the nuns at the convent that she went to hide at. He drove her completely insane before he turned her.” Spike sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Dru’s mind retreated into the subconscious to protect itself, and it got stuck there. “She was supposed to be a nun. Angelus stole that last little gift of purity from her before he completed his torture and turned her.”

Joyce’s face was a pale white. All of the color seemed to have drained from it as she listed to Spike’s description of Angelus. “How can someone so like the devil be called an angel.”

“Probably because the wanker self-named himself once he was turned.” Spike snorted. “A lot of your elder vampires do. It’s a way to separate ourselves from what we were.”

“You mean your mother didn’t stupidly name you after a dog when you were born, Spike? You actually chose to name yourself after a dog?” Xander quipped.

“I’m sure the Watcher can tell you where I got my moniker from, Whelp, and you’d be smart to remember that.” Spike snarled. “My mother was a loving and perfect Victorian lady. I will NOT have you throwing insults at her.”

“Easy, Spike.” Buffy cupped Spike’s cheek and turned his gaze away from Xander to look at her. “He is just trying to get you going.” She leaned down to whisper next to his ear. “He’s not worth it, William.”

Spike smiled. He changed the subject. “The sun will be setting in about an hour, Watcher.” He loved holding Buffy so closely, but her safety was more important to him. “Might be a good idea to take care of that disinvite before Angelus can get in.”

Giles nodded. “Buffy, I’ll need you to come with me to make sure your house is clear of any demon before we do the spell.”

“Why?”

“Because any demon inside will keep their invite if you do the spell while they are in there,” Spike repeated what he’d told Giles earlier.

“Oh, that’s so not good.” Buffy hopped up off of Spike’s lap. She leaned down and kissed him deeply. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Joyce stood up. “Do you mind if I make more tea, Rupert?”

“Not at all Joyce. Let me show you where everything is.” Giles led Joyce into the kitchen to give her a tour. He walked back out into the living room a short while later. “If you would each try to take a book while we are gone and see if there is any mention about soul cursing or the DuLac ritual in them, it would be of great assistance.”

Xander groaned. He took a book from the top of the pile on the table then plopped his head down onto the table. He hated doing research.

Giles, Spike, Buffy and Willow all rolled their eyes at Xander.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So,” Buffy unlocked the front door of her house. She flipped on the light in the entryway. “We have to make sure the house is empty, and then we can do the spell?”

“Yes. Even though it is daylight, it would be the safest thing to do.” Giles closed and locked the door behind him. He set his satchel of herbs and books down on Buffy’s dining room table. He pulled a stake out of a pocket in his suit jacket just in case.

“Let’s sweep the basement first.” Buffy opened the door to the lower level. “Then we can lock that door, which only locks from this side, to make sure nothing doubles back on us to hide there.”

“A wise precaution.” Giles followed Buffy down the stairs.

Buffy turned on two separate lights for the basement. One lit up the right side and one lit up the left. She searched out every corner and shadow to make sure nothing was lurking. “Basement is clean. I don’t really feel any demony tinglies in the area right now.” She headed back up the stairs.

Giles locked the basement door behind him while they searched out the main floor. “You told me before that Spike helped you to hone your demon detection skills?”

“Yep, we’d play hide and seek in the cemetery on some of the slow nights. We had to make sure that no one saw us though.” Buffy headed up to the last floor with Giles right behind her. “It was pretty boring and frustrating at first, but after a while I got really good at it.”

“Did you try to use your senses on anyone other than Spike?” Giles opened the door to what appeared to be an extra bedroom. It was being used for storage at the present time.

“Of course.” Buffy opened her bedroom door. She checked out her closet and under her bed as well. “Different types of vamps or demons feel different to me. I can usually tell if they are young or old vamps too.”

“Extraordinary.” Giles closed the door to the extra bedroom after a thorough search. “I’m surprised that he helped you to hone your skills in that way.”

“Well, he’s a bit possessive.” Buffy chuckled. “He said that the only demon who got to take a bite out of me was him. So, he made sure nothing could sneak up on me.”

Giles and Buffy searched Joyce’s bedroom together. Giles hurried through the more delicate areas of the room. He felt like a peeping Tom. “That does sound like something Spike would say, straight to the point.”

“Yeah.” Buffy stepped back out into the hall. “Well it looks like we have the all clear. Let’s get this done and back to your house. I’m afraid that Xander might not be in one piece if we leave him there with Spike for too long. A vamp can only take so much harassment.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“One thing I don’t understand is how a master vampire, especially one who is the strongest in his clan, would want anything to do with a Slayer?” Willow chewed on the eraser end of her pencil.

“It doesn’t make sense, Will. That’s why it all has to be some twisted game of his.” Xander pushed the book away from him that he was reading out of.

“Shut your gob, Whelp.” Spike really didn’t like the boy. He grated on his every nerve. The boy seemed to be taking every opportunity he had to figuratively stab Spike in the back. “I can hear every whisper over there. Vampire hearing, you idiot.”

“Hey!” Willow turned around with a look of scorn. “No name calling. That’s bad.” She waved her pencil in Spike’s direction. “We were trying to have a private conversation.”

“Then take it out of my hearing range.” Spike liked the young girl that Buffy called Willow. He’d smelled the girl on Buffy before, and now he could sense a bit of untapped power in the young woman. It tickled his senses. “It’s not polite to talk about someone behind their back anyways, if you’re getting all “Miss Manners” on me.”

“That only applies to people, Spike. You aren’t a person,” Xander insulted.

“That’s it! I’ve had it!” Spike slammed the book down on the table in front of the couch he was sitting on. “Listen up, and listen good cause this is the last time I’m going to go through it. The next time there will be consequences.”

“What makes you think we’ll believe you now, when we haven’t already?” Xander bounced up out of his seat. He loved being able to rile the paralyzed vampire. The fact that Spike couldn’t run over and eat him helped give Xander a bit more false courage. He wanted to get in any possible dig or insult that he could before Buffy and Giles returned from doing the disinvite spell on Buffy’s house.

“Personally I don’t care if you believe me or not Whelp, but you are hurting the Slayer with your snide comments.” Spike growled. “What hurts the Slayer, makes me angry enough to rip your head off.”

Willow eeped. “No head ripping needed.” She pulled on Xander to sit him back down. “His head is good right where it is.”

Spike raised a brow and twisted his lips off to one side. ‘So the redhead has a bit of a crush on the idiot? Too bad he’s an idiot,’ He thought to himself.

“Let me see if I can explain it in little sentences for you. Love isn’t brains children. It’s blood; blood screaming inside you to work its will.” Spike patted his chest over his unbeating heart. “I didn’t plan any of this to happen when I came to Sunnyhell. I wanted to heal Dru, find someone to drop her off with and get as far away from her as I could.”

“Why did you come after Buffy then?” Willow asked meekly.

“I’d killed two Slayers before. There was a Slayer here, I love a challenge, and I had a reputation to maintain. Simple as that.”

“So you expect us to believe that you went from hating her to loving her just like that?” Xander scoffed.

“Never hated her. Vampires and Slayers are meant to fight. It’s what we do.” Spike shrugged his shoulders. “The moment I tasted her blood, I knew any plan I had to kill the Slayer wasn’t going to work. Even when a part of me tried to keep going, I knew I’d found something in her blood. What’s funny is that the demon recognized it first. She tasted like … Home.”

“Home?” Willow nibbled on her lower lip.

“I’ve tasted Slayer’s blood before, powerful stuff, but this was nothing like before. Buffy’s blood was like a siren’s song.” Spike’s eyes took on a dreamy like look. “Like a siren, she’s turned my life upside down. It is certainly crashing around me as well because of it like the sailing ships of old on the rocks of the reefs.”

“Wow,” Joyce tried not to interrupt before when she first stepped out of the kitchen, but Spike’s confession of love touched her heart. She carried another tray of tea and snacks into the living room. “That was beautiful, Spike … very poetic.”

The anger Spike felt dissipated in the presence of Joyce Summers. Something about her motherly ways helped to calm him and remind him of his own mother. “Thank you, Joyce.” He snatched up a couple of the cookies off the tray before Xander could and went back to reading the book he’d previously been working through. His posture clearly said that was all he was going to say to Willow and Xander. He wasn’t interested in saying anything else to them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Why?” Angelus yelled. “Why does that sniveling waste of space get to keep my power?”

Dru still whimpered on the bed. “Daddy was all wrong. His blood wasn’t pure.”

“What are you yammering about, Dru?” Angelus clutched both of Drusilla’s arms tight enough to leave fingerprint bruises on her alabaster skin.

“The soul, Daddy. It made the river’s current fork and divide away from you.” Dru loved her daddy’s passions directed at her but not his ire unless it meant the kinds of punishment she enjoyed.

“Then, it should be mine now!” Angelus pushed Drusilla away from him. He was surprised that he actually understood what the looney meant for once. “I’m the head of this line, not him!”

“It’s all tainted now by the sunshine, silver and gold. It would burn daddy from the inside out now.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Dru.” Angelus growled. ‘So much for actually understanding anything again,’ He thought to himself with a sigh of frustration. “It’s the power of our line. Aurelian power can’t harm us.”

“No more for us. It’s all different now.” Drusilla curled into a little ball.

“I don’t care what you say Dru. That boy’s dust is mine, and you won’t be able to save your precious William this time.” Angelus paced back and forth next to the bed. Sunset was nearly upon them, and he wanted out to hunt.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (18) True Faces
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Angelus storms out of the factory, and he goes on the hunt. Buffy and Giles hear a scream nearby on their way back to Giles’ house, and a confrontation with Angelus ensues. Spike goes nuts back at Giles’ place when Buffy and Giles aren’t back by sunset.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

Angelus stormed out of the factory and into the darkening night. After another vicious round of sex and violence with Drusilla to take his frustrations out on someone, he left the beaten and bruised vampiress to heal in their room. He wasn’t in the mood to coddle anyone while he hunted. He was furious at being slighted out of what he felt was his due. He vowed that he would do whatever it took to regain what should have been his in the first place … the power of his line.

Without thought Angelus ripped the heads off of several fledglings just breaking through the ground. At the moment he was bent on death on destruction. Demon or human didn’t matter to him. All who crossed his path would suffer the same fate, death.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Giles drove down the Sunnydale streets on their way from the Summers’ house back to Giles’ place. “Can you drop me by Restfield?”

Giles turned his head from watching the road to look at Buffy. “Do you think that is wise, Buffy? I am inclined to agree with Spike about searching Angelus out at this point.”

“I can’t stop patrolling, Giles.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “Even without the Angelus’ threat, this is the Hellmouth. I still have other demons and vampires to keep from snacking on the citizens.”

“And Angelus will know that. He’ll be expecting you.” Giles worried about Buffy. Her determination was admirable, but right now he’d rather have her safe. “We have a lot of planning to work on. Maybe we can find a way to return his soul before he does too much damage.”

“Don’t you think those gypsies would have done that already if it was possible?” Buffy pointed out what seemed rather obvious to her. “They wouldn’t have made Miss Calendar leave. They would have had her do the spell.”

Giles sighed. “You have a point. Perhaps it was just a bit of wishful thinking. He would still only be as restrained as before, but at least he wasn’t killing innocents with his soul.”

“Do we really know that?” Buffy asked. “We know he was drinking blood from the butcher’s here in Sunnydale, but what do we really know about what’s happened to Angel since he was cursed. All we know is what Angel’s told us. I doubt he’d admit to turning or killing anyone after his soul was in place. He’d lose credibility with us, and he knows it.”

Giles shook his head back and forth. “I am sorely longing for the days when everything was black and white in my mind. Was it all that long ago?”

Buffy patted Giles’ leg in comfort. “I’m right with you there, Giles.” She smiled. “As wiggy as this is, I wouldn’t give up what’s growing between Spike and I though to go back to that time.”

“You are accepting your new status with him much more easily than I would have thought you would.”

“I could say the same thing about you, Giles. It’s not every day that a Watcher finds out that not only is their Slayer really a demon of sorts but that she’s also bound to a master vampire.”

“You’ve always kept me on my toes, Buffy.” Giles secretly grinned. “You’ve never been a conventional Slayer. I should have expected that it would only get worse.”

Buffy laughed. “Be careful, or I might think you don’t love me anymore,” She teased.

“I love you like my own daughter, Buffy,” Giles responded. “I always will.”

“Giles, that’s so sweet. I …” Whatever Buffy was going to say was interrupted by the high-pitched piercing scream that broke the silence of the night. “Stop the car!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike’s hand fisted itself and beat on his thighs. “The sun set an hour ago. They should bloody well be back here by now.”

“Maybe it took a little longer than they thought.” Willow offered up the reason meekly.

“Is there any way to call them?” Joyce asked.

“Only if they are still at your house. Giles isn’t big on the technology.” Willow frowned. “He doesn’t even have a cell phone.”

“He’s going to get one after this if I have to strap it to his wrist.” Spike cursed under his breath. Even Joyce’s shriek of indignation at the string of curses was not able to stop them from continuing to flow out of Spike’s mouth. “I swear if she’s gone after Angelus, I’ll kill her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy ducked under a few branches, and she darted around some of the shrubbery that littered the Restfield cemetery. A third of the way in from the road she found the source of the female scream.

Angelus dropped the now lifeless body of a teenaged girl to the ground. A similarly aged boy already rested at Angelus’ feet. “When will these stupid humans realize that cemeteries after dark are not the time to visit their relatives.” He sneered at Buffy. “Then again, if they wouldn’t be so stupid you wouldn’t have much of a job to do.”

“I’m sure that you vamps would manage to still screw up my days either way.” Buffy snarked back at Angelus. She stood ready to do battle in a strong and balanced fighting stance.

“Oh, we vamps?” Angelus threw his head back with a hearty laugh. “Tell me Buff, is our dear sweet Willie boy in that same category of vamps that you’ve put me in?”

“Not even close, Angelus. He isn’t a murdering and arrogant idiot.” Buffy started to advance on Angelus.

“How naïve of you.” Angelus’ eyes narrowed on his prey.

They were both so focused on each other that neither noticed the arrival of Giles from the side of their position. When Buffy saw Giles, she wasn’t able to keep the shock from showing in her eyes. It broke the trance that seemed to be between her and Angelus.

Angelus turned around to face the older man. He grabbed Giles’ throat and dug his claws into Giles’ skin. He casually tossed Giles into a nearby memorial monument. The sound of several bones cracking as Giles’ body hit the cement was music to Angelus’ ears. “Ahh, such a sweet sound. Bet that will hurt later. If he lives long enough that is.”

Buffy ran at Angelus. She managed to avoid the intended blow to her face when Angelus turned around right before she reached him. Buffy and Angelus exchanged kicks and punches to each other’s bodies. Sometimes it seemed that Angelus made a little headway on the diminutive Slayer, but she always leapt right back into the fray and regained the ground she’d lost. After a half hour it seemed that no one was going to be the victor. Then the tides of luck changed in Angelus’ favor.

Angelus caught Buffy off guard when a moan from her Watcher drew her attention away from the battle. He used the opening to kick Buffy into a nearby tree and pin her there. He quickly buried his fangs in her neck and tried to steal her life from her.

Angelus had only managed to take a few large mouthfuls from Buffy before the Slayer within kicked into overdrive. The Slayer roared and pushed Angelus away from her with all of her combined strength. She felt another surge of power come to her through her link with Spike. Not even the pain of Angelus’ fangs ripping out of her throat mattered to the enraged Buffy. Her fangs grew, and her silver eyes flashed angrily at the master vampire.

“What the Hell?” Angelus stumbled back away from Buffy. He stared at the changes in her face, and his demon trembled. It seemed terrified over the changes it witnessed in the woman before him. His drive for survival kicked in.

Buffy watched Angelus with confusion. She couldn’t figure out why he just stopped fighting her. She was itching to continue the fight. When she licked her lips in anticipation of her next attack, she realized that her fangs had elongated. Instead of fear and revulsion at what part of her was showing, she started laughing. “What’s wrong, Angelus? Never seen a Slayer before?”

Unprepared for the Slayer’s next attack, Angelus went flying into the side of a large stone crypt. He picked himself up off the ground, darted around the side of the crypt and took off in a vampiric sprint to get away from Buffy as fast as he could. He had no idea what the hell happened to the Slayer, and he needed to know before he risked his unlife again. The last kick from the changed face Slayer was more powerful than any of the others she sent his way. He was worried that he wouldn’t have been able to beat her as she was. He was a sadistic bastard, and he always cared about protecting his own hide before anyone else’s. He wasn’t going to risk his unlife unless he knew he would win.

“Fraidy vampire!” The Slayer/Buffy chased after Angelus for a little bit. Then, she remembered that her Watcher was still unconscious where she’d fought Angelus. Her worry over Giles’ well being won out over her need for vengeance and death. She hastened back to find Giles and get him back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike beat his fists against the back of the couch. His claws shredded the cloth covering it. “Damn it!” He screamed out. He felt so helpless. The brief panic he felt through his link with the Slayer sent him into a frenzy. He’d fallen over the back of the couch in an attempt to force his legs to move. Now he sat on the floor taking his frustrations out on the piece of furniture.

“Maybe we should go look for the Buffster. If Deadboy Jr. here is going nuts, it can’t be good.” Xander looked over at Joyce and Willow.

“No,” Joyce immediately answered. “If Buffy is having a hard time, we aren’t going to be of much help.” She was unable to keep the true motherly worry off her face. Having to deal with these situations face to face was a lot different than reading about them in books. These weren’t nameless accounts of battles, Slayers, humans, and demons. This was her daughter that was involved.

“She’s right, Xander. We don’t even know where she is.” Willow wished that she had a better suggestion to offer. She was just as upset about Buffy being in trouble as she was to see Spike in such turmoil. No matter what she thought of vampires in general, Spike was clearly suffering pain and worry over Buffy’s safety. His caring for her best friend was written all over his face. Buffy’s pain was Spike’s pain, and Willow’s concern for them both could not be hidden from showing on her face.

“I hate just sitting here.” Xander didn’t approve of Spike’s involvement in their lives, but that didn’t mean that he cared for Buffy any less. They’d been friends for close to two years, and that meant a lot to him. He couldn’t ignore the pain that Spike seemed to be going through. ‘Maybe he does care for her, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a bloodsucking fiend that should be staked.’ His own jealousies flashed across his face, and he stubbornly refused to allow himself to be swayed in Spike’s favor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Still showing her Slayer face, Buffy carried Giles back to his car. She’d started to feel her fangs recede, but she needed the extra strength to help her get Giles to safety the quickest way possible. Buffy felt like the Slayer within understood her unspoken plea for help, as the Slayer merged back into the foreground until Giles was safely tucked away in his car.

Buffy slipped behind the wheel of Giles’ car. She hated driving. She wasn’t very good at it, and she was afraid to do it. Demons she could kill without fear. Navigating streets, stoplights, and road signs petrified her. “Hang on Giles.” She revved the car a little before she put it into gear. The car lurched forward in short jerks that caused Giles to moan in pain. “Sorry Giles.”

Buffy did her best to remember the way to Giles’ house. The 10 minute trip was the longest of her short life, and she hoped that she didn’t have to do it again any time soon. She ran into the house quickly. “Mom, Giles is hurt. I can’t get him to the hospital. Just getting here from the cemetery was hell.”

Joyce jumped to her feet. She knew the situation was bad if Buffy had actually driven a car. She tightly gathered her daughter into an embrace. “Oh my poor Buffy. Are you all right? Spike has been going nuts.”

“Yeah, Giles needs to get to the hospital though. He got thrown into a tombstone.” Buffy cringed at the memory of the sound of bones cracking. “I think he has some broken bones.”

“All right.” Joyce grabbed her purse off the counter. She rushed outside to the car and took off for the hospital. She didn’t want to leave without having her questions answered, but Giles needed her help more badly than Buffy.

Chaos ensued amongst the present Scoobies who tried to crowd around Buffy for their hugs. Willow and Xander babbled off all their concerns. They surrounded Buffy until the snarl of an enraged master vampire sent them scattering away from her.

As soon as Buffy entered the house, Spike nearly collapsed with relief to see her safe. He’d later feel bad that he’d barely spared a thought for the Watcher that Buffy said was injured. All he cared about was getting to his beloved. He pulled himself across the floor with his hands and arms. When he couldn’t get past Xander and Willow, the former had literally kicked Spike in the head to push him away from the trio that was when he lost it. He made sure that his presence was known vocally.

“Spike!” Buffy gathered her beloved vampire in her arms. She worried about him being on the floor, and she wondered what happened while she was gone. She had only a moment to worry before she felt Spike’s fangs in her neck.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (19) Time Passes in Recuperation
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: A week has passed since Chapter 18. We see in flashbacks (and current scenes) what happened over the last week with the Scoobies, Spike, Joyce, Angelus, and Drusilla. Someone comes looking for Spike. Are they friend or foe?

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

(Buffy’s House, early in the afternoon)

Buffy’s fingertips traced the thin raised line across her wrist. The line was parallel to the bottom of her palm. Slayer healing was pretty quick and thorough, but the line on her wrist would never completely fade. It would always be a remembrance of the wound Spike created before he bound their wrists together on Halloween.

Buffy looked across the room at the vampire in her bed. The past week was spent trying to restore Spike to 100 percent physically, among other things. Giles and Spike explained how potent Slayer blood was to vampires. The fact that it had taken a full week of regular doses of her blood before Spike was able to walk and spar showed how bad his spinal injuries were. He wasn’t completely 100 percent in all ways, but he was well on his way.

One week had passed since the bombshell of her relationship with Spike was dropped on everyone. One week faded into the past since Angel’s soul was somehow purged from his body, and Angelus was loose. One week had passed since Joyce Summers had all her worst fears confirmed, and she started to train with Buffy to protect herself. One week flew by since Jenny Calendar left the country with a phone message that led to more questions than answers. One week ... that was all it took to completely turn all of their lives upside down and force a need to find a common ground for their existence again.

~*~

(Flashback to one week ago after Buffy got back to Giles’ house)

“Spike!” Buffy gathered her beloved vampire in her arms. She worried about him being on the floor, and she wondered what happened while she was gone. She had only a moment to worry before she felt Spike’s fangs in her neck.

Spike!” Buffy screamed out his name again at the unexpected attack on her neck. It took her a couple seconds to realize that Spike wasn’t ripping through her neck to drain her dry. The vampire on top of her was growling with a mixture of whimpers in-between the harsher sounds.

The Slayer realized the cause of her vampire’s distress in the middle of Xander and Willow trying to pull Spike off of her. She growled, flashed her fangs at the teens, and sunk her fangs into Spike’s neck. Although the act of reassurance between the bonded demons seemed violent and harsh, both beings supped the blood gently from each other. Growled tones turned into soothing and cooing sounds as both reassured the other one that they were safe and loved.

Spike and Buffy broke apart from each other, both panting as if trying to catch their breath. No traces of their demon faces were present. With their human masks back in the forefront, the couple shifted into passionate kisses of a more recognizable kind to Willow and Xander.

”I told you not to fight him without me.” When Spike finally found his voice again it was layered with concern.

I don’t follow orders too well,” Buffy half teased and half felt anger at anyone telling her what to do. “Besides I didn’t go looking for him. I heard a scream on the way back here, and I acted on instinct to protect someone in trouble.”

”You scared me, pet,” Spike confessed his concern in a whisper that only Buffy heard. “It’s taken me so long to find my other half. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.” He rested is forehead against hers.

”I’m sorry Spike. I don’t plan on leaving you any time soon. I wasn’t trying to hurt you either.” Buffy cupped Spike’s cheek in her palm. “At least I doubt we’ll have any problems from Angelus for a while.”

”What makes you say that, Buffy?” Willow asked from her place across the room. After the Slayer pushed her and Xander back, they’d retreated to the other side of the room. Willow was worried for her friend, but she couldn’t fight the Slayer side of Buffy. She figured if the Slayer really didn’t like what Spike was doing, the Slayer would take care of Spike.

”The Slayer made a brief appearance during the fight,” Buffy explained. “Angelus nearly wet his pants when she showed up. He turned tail and ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the opposite direction.”

”I would have enjoyed seeing that,” Xander grumbled. His arms were crossed over the front of his chest. His temper was fuming, and he looked like he would blow up at any second. How could Buffy let such a monster so close to her? How could she even begin to trust Spike over her fellow Scoobies? Something had to be seriously wrong with her. “Too bad he didn’t take Bleach Boy with him.”

”Don’t start, Xander,” Buffy warned. “Spike isn’t going anywhere that I am not going too.”

”This could all be part of his plan with Drusilla and Angel to destroy you.” Xander sat up in his chair and flapped his arms out in frustration. “Angel tried to feed me to Spike the first night he was here. You can’t trust any of them!” He stood up in what he felt was a justified anger and defiance as he spoke. “I never believed Angel’s whole white hat story, and I refuse to believe Spike about anything. He’s tried to kill us from the first time we met him.”

”I don’t care if you believe him or not Xander.” Buffy’s voice grew louder the more upset she was. The ire of the Slayer within her was bubbling close to the surface, and Buffy fought to keep her at bay for the time being. “Don’t make me choose between you two, Xander. I can guarantee you won’t like the outcome.”

While Xander seethed, Spike lay against Buffy in awe. Never had anyone, other than his mother, chosen him over another person. He was always the one rejected or cast aside when another option was given.

~*~

Buffy was grateful for every peaceful moment they were given. Spike had more than earned his rest today after all the research he’d worked with Giles on the night before. Even if they didn’t gain any more knowledge, they’d covered a lot more bases than they could have alone. Spike’s knowledge of both demonic and older languages helped immensely with some of the more irregular tomes they were using to study. She was proud of him in more ways than one. So, she was content to watch him rest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Giles’ House, early in the afternoon)

Giles adjusted the sling his arm was cradled in. The scratchy fabric had been a part of his daily wardrobe for the last week. He’d refused the hospital’s offer to put his arm in a cast instead. It was hard enough to work with the sling. He had no desire to be completely incapacitated by a plaster cast.

~*~

(Flashback to one week ago at the hospital)

”No! Absolutely NOT!” A disgruntled Rupert Giles fought against gravity and his injuries to sit up in his hospital bed.

”Mr. Giles,” A woman in a white nurse’s uniform tutted and hoped to regain Giles’ silence by way of chastisement. “The simple fact that you’ve visited this hospital more times than a man you age should is reason enough for this course of action. You are either highly accident prone, very unlucky, or in way too dangerous of a line of work.

”Surely you are exaggerating the facts, Madame,” Giles harrumphed.

The nurse, who had calmly countered Giles’ acerbic tone until then, gave up any pretence of patience with her patient. She snapped out Giles’ medical chart from behind her back and read out loud, “3 mild concussions, 4 hairline fractures, 2 torn ligaments, 20 stitches, 3 cleanly broken bones, and more bruises and lacerations than I care to count.”

Giles sighed and lowered his gaze to the ground. ‘Bloody hospitals and their record keeping.’ It seemed that although most of Sunnydale ignored the unusual happenings around them, the incidents were well documented at the hospital.

”That is just the last year and a half. Shall I go on?”

~*~

Thankfully Giles won the overall argument. Much to the nurse’s dismay, the doctor agreed that they couldn’t force Giles into a cast. Joyce’s motherly like glare forced Giles to accept the sling and bandage wrap as an alternative though. He remembered wanting to wipe the smirk off the nurse’s face when he’d finally acquiesced to Joyce’s “order”.

Giles and Joyce spent a considerable amount of time together during the past week. When he wasn’t lost in his research concerning Angelus’ curse and Buffy and Spike’s bonds, he would join Joyce for lunch at a diner in town. He thoroughly enjoyed having another adult to talk to, someone that understood the demands of an adult life. He found himself looking forward to the daily visits, and when one day Joyce had to work through lunch he found himself feeling bereft at the loss of her company.

The evenings were spent at the Summers’ home studying, researching and training. They’d worked to convert a good potion of the basement into a pseudo training room for Buffy, Spike, and the rest of the Scoobies. Joyce was full of questions about various demons and Slayers. Now that the floodgates were open on Buffy’s status, she felt free to explore the quest for knowledge to the fullest.

Giles gobbled up all of the tidbits of knowledge that Joyce’s non-Council approved book offered. “Extraordinary, dear Lord, I had no idea, and good heavens were common phrases that he uttered whenever the book was opened for his perusal.” Thankfully Spike refrained from uttering too many “I told you so’s” and “Sodding Wankers” when Giles would become fascinated with a new fact that was hidden from him during his Watcher training.

One of the things that confused them the most was why the Slayer chose Spike. He killed at least two Slayers in his time, and he’d tried to kill Buffy at first as well. So why would this Slayer choose this vampire. What precipitated the choice. Buffy shared her story about Halloween, and how she specifically sought out Spike as her fiance. She told Giles how the Slayer inside her knew what Spike was doing and accept the bonding without reservation.

The theory that the Slayer was more at the forefront for Buffy because of her death at the hands of the Master, seemed their best reasoning in that area. Their closest solution was that Spike inherited the power of his line, the power of The Master. He was a Master Vampire in his own right, and he’d already initiated the beginning stages of a claim during the Parent-Teacher night when he destroyed the Master’s marks on Buffy’s neck. So, that could have contributed to the acceptance of both demons of each other.

Their other main concern was how to kill or reensoul Angelus before they were killed instead. Giles was in fairly regular contact with one of the witches from a coven in England. A woman named Athena had been a friend of his since before his Watcher days. They both were trying to work out a way to reensoul Angelus without having him present. So far, they were out of luck in that area. They continued to keep up their communications, and they hoped that somehow they would figure it out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Buffy’s House, late afternoon)

“I need to go get Mom at the gallery tonight,” Buffy snatched up some of the vegetables off the counter that Spike was cutting. “She has a later shipment coming in, and I don’t want her to leave there alone.”

“That’s a wise idea, pet.” Spike sliced each vegetable evenly and seemingly without effort. Though many would think that the task was beneath a Master Vampire, he found that it therapeutic for working the dexterity of his fingers back into form. It kept him occupied enough not to go completely stir crazy being stuck in the house day in and day out either. It also saved Joyce from having to do the work. His respect for her grew daily. She’d already compromised so much for Buffy and he over the last week.

~*~

(Flashback, Buffy’s house 5 days ago)

”We really appreciate this Mom.” Buffy hugged her mother. She went back to the door to help Giles get Spike into the house. Once Spike crossed the threshold, she scooped him up into her arms and carried him over to the couch in the living room. “Should I go get started on cleaning out the spare bedroom or the basement, Mom?”

”Actually, I thought he might be more comfortable a little closer to you. Your bed is certainly big enough for the two of you.” Joyce enjoyed the gobsmacked looks on the faces of the three people around her. She chuckled softly.

”Joyce, surely you don’t mean that he should ...”

”Of course, I do, Rupert,” Joyce interrupted. Her smile was a teasing one, and she loved the reactions she was getting. Giles looked appalled at the suggestion. Buffy was confused at her mother’s statement. Spike’s emotions kept jumping from confusion to joy and gratitude. “If Spike needs help, Buffy would be in the best position to do so if he was in her room.”

”That is highly irregular. You do realize what a full mating will entail? Moving Spike into Buffy’s room is like an affirmation of approval.” Giles questioned. “You are being awfully accepting of all of this after such a short time.”

”I’ve been studying about the Slayer for months, Rupert. So, I’m not as new to the situation as it seems.” Joyce turned to face her daughter. “She may only be close to 17, but she’s had to grow up and mature much faster than anyone else because of her calling. I’m not too blind that I don’t recognize that.” She smiled over at Spike as she spoke the next words, “She has a lot of responsibilities in her young life. If Spike can help with that, and help her to live longer, then I’m going to give them both the benefit of my support. I don’t want to lose my baby girl to some creature because I wasn’t willing to let go.”

“Thank you, Joyce,” Spike spoke with a shyness in his voice that was not usually heard.

”I’m not too old that I don’t remember the urges acquainted with love and passion. I do know about wanting to have privacy and sex.” Joyce grinned. “I’m sure those urges are even stronger between the two of you.”

”Dear Lord.” Giles whipped off his glasses and rubbed the lenses furiously with his shirt.

”Ewwwwww ... That is a mental image I really don’t want floating around in my head. You’re ... old.”

”Spike is about a century older than I am, Buffy,” Joyce teased. It wasn’t often that she was able to enjoy a playful joke at her daughter’s expense. She was enjoying every minute of the conversation.

”Okay, I don’t want to think about my mom having sex then, okay?” Buffy shivered. “I mean I know I got here somehow, but I don’t want to think about it. Let me live by that nice river in Egypt on that subject.”

”If you wish.” Joyce laughed and shook her head. “I tried to take care of the sunlight issues in your room already. It should be safe for Spike to stay there now.”

”Thanks, Mom. I’ll go get him settled in.” Buffy picked up Spike effortlessly and headed for the stairs.

~*~

“What time are the others getting here?” Spike snapped out of his memories and back to the present.

“I figure we’ll see them about 6 or 7ish. Xander promised sugary goodness.” Buffy chuckled. “I don’t think he likes your version of Scooby snacks.” She pointed at the vegetable tray.

“He can sod off for all I care.” Spike waved the knife at Buffy. “It’s a wonder that he doesn’t just roll the vampires over to flatten them like a sumo wrestler.”

Buffy stifled a chuckle. “He’s not that bad. It’s a security blanket thing to him. Besides, do you think I’m fat? I eat it all too.”

“You, pet, have a metabolism that is off the scales because you’re the Slayer.” Spike set the knife on the counter and kissed Buffy’s lips softly. “You’ll never be anything but perfect in my eyes no matter what.” He pulled back a little bit from her. “Well, except when you are being cranky.”

“Hey, I’m never cranky!”

Spike raised his brow, mocking her statement.

“Okay, sometimes, but you’re no saint either.” Buffy pouted.

“Of course not. I’m the Big Bad,” Spike teased.

Buffy rolled her eyes and pointed to the various trays of food around the kitchen. “Whatever you say ... Big Bad.” She darted quickly out of the kitchen and up the stairs before Spike could give chase.

“Snarky little bint,” Spike mumbled and went back to chopping.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(The Factory, near sunset)

Angelus paced back and forth at the factory where Spike and Drusilla had previously nested at. The minions were working on moving all of their belongings to a new place that Angelus found on Crawford Street, a deserted mansion. Staying at the factory for this long was dangerous enough. He didn’t want to be a sitting duck for an attack. He hoped that Spike’s injuries would hold them off long enough for him to complete the move.

‘I don’t know what she was, but I don’t want to face Buffy again until I can figure it out,’ Angelus thought to himself. His senses told him that Buffy wasn’t a vampire, but she changed into something that night in the cemetery. Was it only a week ago that he’d faced this new form? He was a bit upset with himself for dusting Dalton now. He had a feeling that the nerdy vampire would have been a lot of help towards research.

As if reading his mind, a voice drifted to his ears, “You couldn’t take the chance, my Angel.” Drusilla’s hands slid over Angelus’ shoulders and down his arms. “We wouldn’t want the naughty boy to have figured out how to put the nasty soul back in you again.” Her cheek rested against his neck as she lifted her head up to kiss his jaw. “Maybe we don’t need to find out what she is. Perhaps we should get rid of everything all at once.”

“If we destroy everything all at once, we’d be killed too. I fancy on being around for a lot longer, Dru.” Angelus shrugged off Drusilla’s touch. He was upset that Dru’s pixies weren’t telling her anything worthwhile lately. ‘This is what I kept William around for. He could understand the looney twit.’ He sighed.

As the sunset over the horizon, Angelus led all of the remaining minions and Drusilla to their new home. He tried to cover his trail the best he could, but he knew that Spike’s vampire senses wouldn’t take too long to find them. He tried to block his familial presence from the younger vampire as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Buffy’s House, shortly after sunset)

A knock at the door disturbed everyone from their planning session in the Summers’ living room. Although the disinvite spell had been done, it was agreed that Spike answered any knocks on the door after sunset if Buffy wasn’t there. The other Scoobies were waiting for Buffy and Joyce to arrive home from the gallery. Everyone knew that neither Buffy nor Joyce would have knocked.

Spike carefully opened the door, a sword in his hand behind his back. There was definitely a demon on the other side of the door, but there was a human with him. Strangely enough, the demon felt familiar to him as well. He opened the door wider after he recognized his demon friend Clem along with one of his human contacts from the Sunnydale hospital named Marie.

“Spike!” Clem shouted in happiness. “We thought you were dead!” He tried to step into the house, but he was blocked by the barrier spell that Spike told Giles about. It didn’t affect only vampires, but any demon had to have a specific invite to get in. Clem shook his head back and forth to clear it. He’d been forced back a few feet from the door, and it disorientated him.

“Sorry about that Clem. This is the Slayer’s house,” Spike offered in explanation.

“Oh,” Clem said, then his eyes widened, “OH! Wow, Spike.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.” Spike turned his gaze towards the woman with Clem. “Hello Marie.” He genuinely liked the human medical worker. Dalton and he had saved the woman’s life a while ago, and she’d happily joined their little network of eyes and ears around Sunnydale. She was even responsible for gathering the expired bags of human blood and getting them to Spike to help lessen the human death rate from vampires.

“Hello Spike.” Marie smiled warmly. “We’ve been worried about you. You disappeared for a week, and we’ve heard rumors about Drusilla and Angelus.”

“Yes, well there is quite a story that I have to ...”

“Is everything all right, Spike.” Giles walked up behind Spike. He’d been worried when he heard the reaction of the barrier spell forcing someone back, but he hadn’t heard Spike kicking up a fuss over whoever was there. He figured that it had to be someone he knew, or Spike would have called out the warning to the others in the house.

“Yeah, it’s fine, Watcher.” Spike motioned his hand out towards Marie. “This is Marie. She is the one that Buffy told you about.” He directed his hand to point at the wrinkly skinned demon standing next to Marie. “This is Clem. He is a very peaceful demon unless in his own self-defense. He’s been helping me for a while now. Marie ... Clem ... this is Rupert Giles, the Slayer’s Watcher.”

Clem offered a smile and waved at Giles meekly. Marie smiled brightly and waved as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (20) Catching Up – Part 1
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: A bit of chatter between Joyce and Buffy about why Joyce is okay with everything. Giles thinks about the progress they’ve made for translating. Marie and Clem show up with some concerns.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

(Buffy and Joyce on the way home from the Gallery)

“I can’t believe how cool you are being about this, Mom.” The two Summers’ women talked back and forth in the car from Joyce’s Gallery to the Summers’ residence. Buffy’s life seemed more complicated every day, but in some ways it couldn’t have been any better.

“You have repeatedly said that for the last week,” Joyce said with a hint of amusement and exasperation in her voice.

“Maybe because I still don’t get the reason why you are being so cool about it.” Buffy was thrilled to have her Slayer duty revealed to her mother. The Mother/Daughter relationship between them was steadily growing stronger. Buffy kept worrying about what the item could be that would finally be her mother’s breaking point of acceptance.

“But I already explained most of it once,” Joyce groaned.

“Please Mom ... just one more time,” Buffy pleaded with her mother. “I don’t want to lose you or Spike because someone goes over the edge.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Summers’ living room when Spike answered the door)

Rupert Giles lightly tossed his glasses onto the living room table. He was tired and the words blurred on the tome’s pages instead of being further deciphered. He knew his current search wouldn’t be easy, but he was frustrated at the various dead ends and inconsistencies between sources.

There were so many texts, scrolls, grimoires and tomes made over the centuries by scholars, charlatans, and eccentrics. Some sources focused on specific types of lore, traditions and rituals. Others focused more on prophecies and portents. Unfortunately a good number of the resources were from biased and subjective points of view. Sometimes he got a headache just thinking about all the time he spent sifting through biased points of view to reach the real facts.

One of the problems with texts about portents and prophecies was that many of them weren’t revealed until right before the events themselves. Not enough time was usually given to find and decipher the information to prepare for what was coming. For example, after Sunnydale survived the “Harvest” and Buffy later defeated the Master, Giles uncovered a counter portent to the Codex prophecy on Buffy’s death. It inferred that a “true Warrior of Light” would pull back the veil of death to “become what was needed” to defeat the Master from ascending.

Even with all of the new information as his disposal, Giles still felt lost and frustrated. Thankfully today seemed like a more productive day in Giles’ mind. Although there were many complications translating and deciphering their newly acquired documents, Spike had proven himself an adequate linguist. Giles admired the vampire’s retention and acquisition of knowledge over the centuries that he’d been undead. Several archaic and/or demonic tongues appeared within the same document. Some symbols and languages had no starting reference point for interpretation either. Without Spike’s help the night before, and the last few hours, they would never have uncovered so much information about the Slayer, her original purpose, and her future.

Giles underlined a sentence from the written translation of a new section and repeated it out loud, “One body. One soul. Forever united ... whole.” He looked up from the book when he heard something bounce off the barrier spell. He stood up and made his way to the entryway.

“Is everything all right, Spike?” Giles walked up behind Spike. He’d been worried when he heard the reaction of the barrier spell forcing someone back, but he hadn’t heard Spike kicking up a fuss over whoever was there. He figured that it had to be someone he knew, or Spike would have called out the warning to the others in the house.

“Yeah, it’s fine, Watcher.” Spike motioned his hand out towards Marie. “This is Marie. She is the one that Buffy told you about.” He directed his hand to point at the wrinkly skinned demon standing next to Marie. “This is Clem. He is a very peaceful demon unless in his own self-defense. He’s been helping me for a while now. Marie ... Clem ... this is Rupert Giles, the Slayer’s Watcher.”

Clem offered a smile and waved at Giles meekly. Marie smiled brightly and waved as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Buffy and Joyce in the car)

“Fine dear, if it will help.” Joyce sighed. “The fact that Slayers die so early scared me. I know that your friends try to help, but they really aren’t strong enough to be all that you need.”

“Spike told me that he thinks I’ve already lived longer because I have my friends and family to live for.” Buffy smiled. “Now that I don’t have the stress of trying to hide it from you, I’ve been much more relaxed and focused too. I’m not worried about you being disappointed.”

“That is good, but having someone as strong as Spike to fight by your side is an even bigger plus. If you trust him to protect you that is,” Joyce said it like a question, but she felt she already knew the answer.

“Of course I trust him, with my life and all those I love,” Buffy answered without reservation. “I never could have allowed him to feed from me otherwise. I knew he’d stop before taking too much. Somehow I know that if I die, it will kill him too.”

“From everything I’ve read, at least from the book I believe to be correct, a Slayer’s demon is like a vampire’s. A vampire is not solely a solitary being. A vampire lives longer in a pack of familial unity. I think that is a reason why taking a Slayer’s family and friends away from them is detrimental to a Slayer’s survival. Instead of helping their Slayers, the Council was killing them by keeping them all alone.”

“I have no doubts about how my Slayer side feels about Spike. She knows what we need.” Buffy thought about Spike’s injuries and recuperation. “She knew what had to be done to protect and heal Spike. Without my Slayer side I wouldn’t have known what to do.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “That’s a big reason why I want to find out all I can about Slayers. I need to know what I’m capable of. I know I’m not a big book girl, but I don’t want anyone to die because I didn’t know something I should have.”

“Rupert and I have talked about how attuned you and Spike have become with each other.” Joyce never took her eyes off the road as she talked. “The two of you are binding on other levels as well as the connection of your “demons”.”

Buffy glanced over at her mother with confusion evident on her face. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing bad, Buffy,” Joyce rushed to reassure her daughter. “Do you realize that you and Spike will work through tasks together and randomly complete or get what the other person needs without even saying a word?”

“We do?” Buffy questioned in shock.

“Sometimes you aren’t even on the same floor. It all looks effortless without words. Rupert considered a telepathic connection between you, but neither of you have mentioned anything beyond an Empathic bond of the other’s well being.”

“I don’t think we can hear each other’s thoughts.” Buffy thought about how much closer and connected she felt to Spike’s presence every day. “I’ve had a lot on my mind with all the changes, but I think I’d realize if someone else added their two cents worth into my thoughts as well.”

“It is something to explore the possibilities of. It could be a big help in times of trouble.” Joyce smiled. “Sometimes I ask myself how I can accept that my daughter has a vampire for a boyfriend.”

“And what is the answer?”

“I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he does not act like a monster or treat me like his lunch,” Joyce answered simply and honestly. “I’ve talked with him a lot this last week, and I find him to be a very intelligent and well cultured man. Despite his accent, I believe he came from an aristocratic family that had their own share of troubles. Sometimes his accent slips out of his roughened drawl without him realizing it. I would enjoy getting to know him more.”

“Thank you, Mom. That means a lot to me.” Buffy reached over and squeezed her mother’s hand on the steering wheel. “We’ll beat Angelus. Somehow I know we can do it together.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Summers’ residence, on the porch)

“It seems quite rude of us to leave you standing on the porch in the dark, but I’m afraid that we can’t invite you inside yet,” Giles apologized. “There is much we should discuss, but I’m afraid it would not be wise to speak about it in the open.”

“We understand, Mr. Giles,” Marie said. “The phrase “the walls have ears” has an even broader application in Sunnydale.”

“Buffy and Joyce Summers should be home shortly. Joyce had a special delivery coming in late. I’m sure you both realize how dangerous it is to be out at night in Sunnydale.” Giles continued after both of the visitors nodded, “Buffy will be happy to actually meet you, Marie. She happened to be near one of the times you met with Dalton.

“Speaking of deliveries, that’s why were here,” Marie offered a partial explanation for their presence. “Dalton missed the Tuesday and Friday pick up at the hospital. Missing one wasn’t overly unusual. Missing two was unheard of for him to do. I know my previous delivery wouldn’t have been enough to feed everyone for that long.”

Two car doors slammed. All heads turned in the direction of the driveway. Buffy quickly made it around to her mother’s side of the car. She sensed a new demon in the area, and she wanted to be sure her mother was protected. Her battle stance relaxed at the sight on the porch. Giles and Spike were safely on their side of the barrier, and the new demon appeared to have Marie in his company.

Clem briefly tensed. He too relaxed when he noticed that the Slayer no longer looked like she was on the warpath. He exhaled softly.

Buffy walked up the porch steps and held out her hand to Marie. “Hello, I’m Buffy Summers. You are Marie, right?”

“Yes.” Marie shook the offered hand. “This is Clem. He helped me to track down Spike after Dalton missed a couple deliveries.”

Buffy and Spike both frowned and sighed.

Marie, still holding Buffy’s hand, noticed the crestfallen looks on the vampire and the Slayer’s faces. “Something happened to him, didn’t it?”

Buffy looked up and Spike. Without saying a word, Spike knew that Buffy was double checking with him about trusting them. He nodded slowly. Buffy walked into the Summers’ house, reached out to take Clem’s hand as well and murmured something softly. “If your true intent is not to harm any in this house or our allies, then you may come in. If your intent is otherwise, you will be punished by the powers that protect this entry.” She took a couple more steps back, waiting for the two newcomers to follow or turn away.

Clem and Marie followed Buffy through the archway of the home without worry or reservation. They both felt the distinct tingling of magic wash over and through them. They stopped on the other side of the doorway with smiles on their faces.

Buffy let out a breath of relief when Marie and Clem were able to enter her house without a problem. She let go of their hands. “Welcome to our home.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Duty Or Destiny - (21) Catching Up – Part 2
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Marie deals with the news of Dalton’s death. Clem and Marie let Buffy and Spike know what is being said around Sunnydale. The Scoobies get an unexpected visit from the “Powers That Be” that puts a wrench in the works. The full text of the prophecy involved is revealed at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

---

(Summers’ Living Room)

Marie held her head in her hands and wept silently. Clem wrapped his arm around Marie from one side and Buffy comforted the woman from the other side. The rest of the Scoobies weren’t sure exactly how to react. Although they felt bad that Marie lost a friend, they didn’t really know Dalton.

“We’ve had some reports in from some of the folks watching the factory,” Clem continued to comfort his friend while he imparted the news they came with. “It seems that most of the vampires that were following you are now openly following Angelus.”

Spike sighed. He’d hoped to have made some progress with them, but it seemed that they were only following their leader’s orders to keep from being dusted. “I guess out little blood drive wasn’t as successful as we’d hoped.” He shared a sad glance with Buffy.

“There are a few, but they’re staying hidden as much as possible,” Clem continued. “He seemed to go on quite a rampage when he came back to the factory about a week ago. We heard that he looked mad and scared all at the same time.”

“That must have been after he fought with the Slayer,” Buffy jumped into the conversation. “He tucked his tail between his legs and ran as soon as she popped up.”

Clem looked at Buffy confused. If she was the Slayer, why was she talking about herself as if in third person.

Spike noticed the questioning look on Clem’s face, “Long story, mate. I’ll tell you later.”

Clem nodded. “Some of my clan, and others, picked up on a large amount of activity at the factory earlier. It seems that Angelus is moving somewhere, but he hadn’t told his minions either. At least he didn’t say anything where we could pick up on it from.”

“Makes sense,” Spike nodded while he talked, “He wouldn’t want to stay too long in a place I was more familiar with than he was. He’ll want to move somewhere more to his liking.”

“Why kill Dalton?” Marie interrupted with a harsh sob. Although she heard the conversation going on around her, she pretty much ignored it. The only thing she could focus on was the current pain in her heart. “He’d never hurt a fly. What threat could he have been to Angelus?” She looked up at Spike who sat in a chair diagonally across from the couch she sat on.

“Angelus never needed an excuse to kill anyone. He is a sadistic prat, plain and simple.”

Giles cleared his throat, “Be that as it may, Spike, Dalton was a threat to Angelus.” He sat back in his chair before he continued, “Dalton was the only one that Angelus knew to have knowledge of the spell that was cast. It is likely that he made the assumption that if Dalton was gone, we could not find a way to reverse it.”

“I’ve told you lot before, I’m not interested in shoving a bloody soul back in to the wanker,” Spike growled, “If I can get my hands on him, he’s dust in the wind.”

Buffy stretched her free hand across the distance to close over Spike’s. “We have to keep all of our options open, Spike. If we can get his soul reinstated, if we aren’t able to kill him right away, we could save a lot of lives.”

Spike grumbled something under his breath that no one could hear.

“He may have still been a jerk at times with his soul, but he did help us on occasion.”

“I’m here now. You don’t need him lapping around your heels, pet,” Spike countered. “If his soul was able to go on walkabout this time, what is to prevent it from drifting away again? Can we really take that chance?”

“There are some that say you don’t have a choice,” An unknown male voice entered into the previously private conversation.

Spike and Buffy both jumped up from their seats to face the intruder in the Summers’ living room. The Scoobies all reached for whatever weapon or item that was nearby to defend themselves with. Even the mild mannered Clem sat up and was ready to defend his friend Marie.

“How did you get in here?” Buffy screeched. She was worried that somehow their protections had failed.

“Calm down, Slayer. I’m not here to hurt anyone,” The ugly dressed little man said. “I come from the Powers That Be, a bit earlier than we originally intended, but I have a message for you.”

“I don’t care who sent you,” Spike grabbed the front of the man’s tacky styled shirt as he spoke, “You came through uninvited, and that makes me a right bit cranky. So, you’d better deliver your message and get out before I forget that there are ladies present that prevent me from having your guts for garters.”

"Usually it takes me a little longer to get under someone's skin enough to irritate them. You guys sure are quick on the trigger."

"Our protections are very specific, and it would not do to have them so easily tripped." Giles hoped an explanation of the guy's presence was quickly forthcoming before Spike ripped the man to shreds.

"You can't keep a messenger from the Powers that Be out of anywhere. I'm not a demon for one thing." The Messenger turned his head to face Spike. "My name is Whistler, and you in particular don't want to piss off the guys upstairs. We're already trying to figure out what the heck happened with you to make you come into the fold."

Spike's eyes narrowed but he sensed no untruths in what Whistler said. "I found my home," was all Spike offered up as an explanation to the PTB representative.

"Hmm," Whistler pondered that statement for a moment. "We'll see just how far you are willing to go to protect the others you care about instead of your own life." He shook his head to clear out whatever future vision had been imparted to him.

Spike lowered Whistler down to set his feet on the ground again. "So, why can't we just kill the bastard?" It was bad enough that he'd grown enough of a conscience to keep him on a more redemptive path. He didn't like knowing that some other higher being now wanted to tell him that he couldn't kill his git of a Sire, who truly deserved to die.

"Angel has his own destiny for the Powers That Be, even if it seems like that course is on a bit of a detour at the moment." Whistler sighed. "I can't tell you anything about that, but I can say that you will need an ensouling spell or curse and the Orb of Thesulah to help complete it."

"Just how would we go about acquiring these things?" Joyce spoke for the first time since she'd returned home from the gallery with Buffy.

"I can't tell you that," Whistler answered.

Strangely enough it was Xander's exclamation that was the loudest. "What?!? You expect us to do your dirty work, and you won't even tell us where to find the things at?" He didn't think that he'd ever like Spike, but they had been getting along much better the last couple days. It was nice to have another guy in the group. Even though Spike was older than everyone, he'd caught himself chuckling at some of Spike's more colorful remarks and insults that he thought no one else heard. Maybe they would be able to find at least some common ground. They both hated Angel with a passion. It was a start.

"Don't kill the Messenger." Whistler started backing up towards the door when Buffy advanced on his position with a stake in full view. "They tell me what I can say. Besides that is a lot more information than you had before I got here."

"Maybe the businessman at the Magic Box could help us find some of it. He was quite helpful to me with the books that I needed about vampires and demons. Perhaps he will remember me if I go back to ask him about it."

"That is a good idea, Joyce. It's a place to start at least." Giles smiled at the other adult in the group. Spike might be older than all of them, but sometimes he acted more like a child than the teenagers with his antics and tantrums. He welcomed the more mature outlook on human life that he shared with Joyce.

"Any other bombs you want to drop on us, buddy, before you twitter away back to those that sent you?" Buffy sighed.

Whistler waved his hand at one of the closed books on the living room table. The pages rapidly flipped forward until they stopped fluttering halfway through the tome. "You'll need this as well." He pointed at the book. "Without it, we're all doomed."

"Prophecy?" Spike looked at Giles for confirmation that the open book was the one he thought it was.

Giles sighed and nodded. "Prophecy."

"Ugh. Prophecies and Buffy are definitely unmixy."

With the Scoobies occupied with the book, Whistler took the opportunity to disappear.

"Ow!" Clem exclaimed. When Whistler left the pressure change popped his large floppy-eared drums. "Hey guys, he left."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Crawford Mansion)

"Everyone double and triple up in the bedrooms. That is who you will go out hunting with as well. No one goes out alone anymore."

A chorus of "Yes, Master Angelus," was heard from every corner of the room.

Drusilla danced about the main open area. Her hands caressed the walls and furniture as she moved about. She stopped in front of one wall with an evil grin on her face. "Here. Here is where he should go."

"Where who should go?" Angelus wrapped his arms around Drusilla's waist and bent to lower his head on her shoulder.

"You'll know when you see it my Angel. It will sing to you, like the seraphim who fell to Hell."

'Just great. Another riddle.' Angelus inwardly rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(Buffy's House)

"It's a mixture of Latin and French for sure. There might be another language in it too, but I'm not sure." Giles adjusted his glasses as he checked out the page further.

"That counts me out." Buffy quickly piped in. "Unless it involved cows touching, I'm afraid I'll never be able to figure it out."

Willow chuckled at Buffy's comment. She remembered their disastrous French lesson in the Bronze the night that Buffy met Spike. "Buffy and French definitely do not go well together." She continued to snicker.

"I think I remember something about that Red. Though I was quickly distracted by just how well she danced instead."

Xander shared in the laugh with Willow and Spike. He too remembered that night.

"I think that is actually two different forms of Latin, from two different eras. The flourishes of the script are like something I saw in the Oxford archives once upon a time."

"Oxford? You broke into one of the most revered institutions?" Giles was appalled that the vampire would attempt to desecrate something in such a sacred place to a scholar.

"I never said I broke into the place, Watcher." Spike loved to tease Giles from time to time. He knew that Giles kept notes about the little tidbits Spike let slip about his life. He wondered how long it would be before Rupert found out his true origins.

The two Brits sat down side by side and copied the text from the tome. They found it worked before for them to start off independently on any inscription or encryption. They would then share their thoughts and findings, comparing each translation. More often than not several key areas were identical between their copies. Then, they would work through the differences, reasons behind the differences, and find what they believed was a true translation.

There were times when Spike and Giles' translations were completely different. Heated arguments usually ensued then about who's ideas were the "wiser" or more "correct" translations. The rest of the Scoobies learned quickly not to step into those arguments.

Occasionally Willow would interject her thoughts, as she secretly copied the same inscriptions herself, but usually she didn't say anything. Her curious and intellectual nature just wanted to try to solve the puzzles that were being presented to them.

Marie and Clem left the Summers' house with the promise that they would keep their eyes and ears open for the Scoobies. They also promised to try to get more blood to the minions loyal to Spike who were hiding and biding their time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After much arguing back and forth, three days later the translation of the text Whistler pointed out to them was finally complete. It was indeed a prophecy of some sort. Spike, Buffy and Giles were already pretty sure what several parts of the prophecy meant, but there were a number of points that seemed impossible if they were deciphering them right.

The agreed upon translation of the prophecy was copied and hung above the mantle in the Summers' living room. Several other copies were kept amongst the Scoobies, but they'd framed the one in the living room to protect it.

The soul of vengeance will be lost.
The heart of light will pay the cost.
Innocence shattered, peace denied,
Old lovers rejoined, another left behind.

The One must recover to stop the other,
Forgetting the past to accept another.
Passion and pain, lost and found,
Brings them both from lonely to bound.

The beast of stone wilt be the key,
For Hell itself to open and conquer.
Mortal enemies must join and not flee,
Mingling their lives to form another,
To save the world from being plundered.

A Master of darkness and the Chosen of Light,
By joining together will win the fight.
The blood of life within the womb,
Wilt halt the beast from bursting in gloom.
For in this Child the blood of dark and light will flow.
From the binding of each other, the spark of life will grow.

What seemed to be of Heaven will now head for Hell
Back to the place where it rightfully will dwell.
Love will be lost, and love will be gained
But only the truest of love shall remain.

What must be will wither and perish
Unless they learn to love and to cherish
The dark is not always what it seems to be
It hides a bright light that only a few will see
So open your eyes and clear your mind
And you just might succeed in saving mankind

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)