Amara: Part 8
by Barbie Taylor
William the Bloody or Spike, as he was more commonly known, sat in an antique wooden chair in a darkened room in the back corner of the house he now shared with Drusilla and the new demon they had adopted.

He had already been out roaming the back alleys of Sunnydale. The teenagers that lurked down there were never as filling as those who hung out at the Bronze or the ones walking the streets but he had to remember that Buffy didn't know that he and Dru were back and the last thing he wanted was to run into her. She had been mad enough the last time he had seen her and he hadn't even been with Dru then.

Spike knew that Buffy had a vendetta against Dru after she had killed Kendra. If she saw Dru now, that would be the end of everything and he couldn't have that now, could he. He was still unsure about the demon Drusilla had conned him into resurrecting but he would talk to her about that later.

At that very moment, Drusilla entered the room. She was wearing a medieval style peacock blue satin gown and her hair was all done up in ribbons.

"Do you like it Love?" She asked in her thick English accent.

"Now where did you get that? It looks like something from the seventeenth century." "That's the best part. The old man who used to own the house, the one we killed, he used to design and make medieval costumes and weaponry for plays and stage shows." She replied, happily.

"Well that explains a lot. I suppose you could do with some new clothes." That wasn't what she'd meant.

"Just you wait Spikey. We'll get the weapons out later when we're on our own. Imagine the fun we'll have. I've always loved torture." Spike had to smile. He always loved it when Dru played games.

Amara ran as fast as possible after Angel. He was almost halfway down the street when she finally caught up to him.

He turned on her, in full vamp face. Although it scared her when he was like that, she wouldn't back away. She could tell that this action alone put him partly off guard.

"Why?" He asked, sounding defeated.

"Who knows why we do these things?" She replied

"I mean, Angel, I held a grudge for a long time. You broke my heart when you turned bad." "How can you even blame me for that?" He asked

"I didn't know what would happen. I had no idea of the life that a vampire leads. I was a child and I had no one to teach me. Perhaps I should have shown better judgement but after you left I was a mess.

For the first time in my life I had no one and I hated you for that." Amara felt her knees give way. The pavement flew towards her and before she had time to stop herself, she was on her knees, sobbing.

Blood was smeared all down her cheeks and the front of her clothes was saturated

Angel bent towards her and as he ran his hand down the bare skin of her arm, he remembered the first time he had touched her. Even now, so many centuries later, hers was still the coldest skin he had ever felt; it was colder than death

She looked up at him and within a second of staring into her big dark eyes, he had forgiven her.

As she walked home that night, a feeling of guilt was weighing Amara down. Her thoughts were filled with memories of Angel and Anastasia; of the wrong she had done to others and of the unspeakable acts she had committed.

Though as she walked through her front door, the weight seemed to lift from her altogether. She looked around in the darkness. Lifting her hand, she lit every candle in the room with her magick; hundreds of wicks came to life throughout the room

Amara gazed at the paintings that hung on the walls. She remembered the artists who'd painted them and the smell of the wet paint that had once been on the canvas. On her dressing table she saw her jewellery box. It was big and the outside was covered in polished gems. Inside it lay a thick silver bracelet

Tears filled her eyes as she lifted it to the light. It had been a gift from Angel, that he had given her on the night that he had sent her off to England

After running her fingers over the cold, smooth surface for a while, she slowly placed it back against the purple velvet that lined the box and closed the lid

When she reached her bed, she produced an antique lighter from her pocket and lit the tall slender black candle that sat by the bed head. The wick lit instantly and a tall blue flame shot towards the ceiling. The candle was magick. It had been given to her by an old sorcerer that she had met in an English castle in the middle ages.

Slowly she undressed by the blue flame.

When she next sat, dressed in her silk pyjamas, she slid her hand under her pillow and brought out a picture. She opened the silver frame that held it and slowly ran her fingers over the face of the person in the black and white photo

It was Angel, though not as he appeared now; he was much younger in the picture. His hair was longer and styled in the fashion of the day. He was dressed in a rather expensive-looking suit and tie. He had been mortal then

She smiled to herself as thoughts of Buffy entered her head. Angel was so much different now. Only his eyes and lopsided smile remained the same

And as she placed it gently back under her pillow, she thought of all that they had been through together.

The Bronze was packed with people. The Dingoes Ate My Baby were just finishing up a set and Willow was patiently waiting at a table with Xander and Cordelia

Cordelia was dressed impeccably, as usual. Tonight, it was black slacks and a dark pink almost red shirt. From across the table, Willow could also see she had had a hand in dressing Xander as well.

His usual uniform of baggy pants and a flannel shirt had been abandoned for a more Angel-like style of dress.

Buffy sat next to Cordelia. She hadn't seen Angel or Amara since they had left the library the previous evening and honestly, she was worried.

As usual, at that very moment, Angel stepped out of the darkness.

Buffy's heart seemed to race a million miles an hour as a feeling of relief to see that he was all right swept over her.

In the blink of an eye, Amara was at Angel's side, looking absolutely stunning. Perhaps even a rival for Cordy, Buffy thought.

Amara was wearing a black knee-length skirt and a shiny silver fitted shirt. Her hair was piled on top of her head and a large butterfly clip was holding it in place

In the light of the Bronze, Amara's pale white skin seemed to reflect off Angel's and they both looked like a pair of storybook characters that came along to help the story's heroine.

Angel came over, and still unsure of his popularity amongst the group, waited until Buffy invited him to sit.

Once seated, Amara slid delicately onto the stool on the other side of him

As Willow leaned forward and tried to make small talk, Oz walked up to the table and slid onto a chair between her and Amara.

When the next band started, Xander and Cordelia got up and went to the dance floor. They looked so sweet together that night, almost like they were meant to be together; even though she was like the princess of the school and he was the pauper.

At this thought, Buffy smiled warmly from her seat at the table.

Angel leaned over and whispered something in Amara's ear. She smiled and nodded and before Buffy had a chance to argue, Angel had her wrapped up in his arms on the dance floor.

The music was soft and slow. It gave off a warm, homely feeling and Buffy smiled as Angel held her close, like he had in the beginning, when they'd first met.

Back at the table, Oz leaned over and asked Willow if she'd like to join Buffy, Angel, Xander and Cordy on the dance floor but she declined.

Unfazed, Oz got up and lead Amara to the dance floor instead.

The band changed their tune to something a little more up-beat and the three couples lost themselves in a crowd of swinging bodies.

The music from the Bronze could be heard all the way down the street and as she approached the door, Anastasia prepared herself for the worst. It had been twenty-five years since she had set foot outside her tomb, let alone a club. Who knew what had changed since then.

The club was dimly lit and Anastasia had a hard time finding her two companions, who were seated at a table in the back corner of the club.

Drusilla was dressed like a teenager. She had her hair done in a messy twist and instead of her trademark fur collared coat and blood red satin and velvet wardrobe, she had on a black mini skirt and a lemon-coloured blouse

Spike had also traded in his usual attire for something a bit more modern. He was dressed in blue baggy jeans and a jumper that was at least two sizes too big for him

Anastasia seemed to be the icing on the cake when she joined them.

She was decked out in a gold Japanese dress with silver embroidery and her hair too, was done in a strange twist

In the smoke filled haze that filled the club, the trio could easily have passed for teenagers or high school seniors, like Buffy and her friends.

Oz checked the table to make sure Willow wasn't looking too left out and he was pleased to find that she was talking to a girl she knew from school.

Amara came over from her place on the floor and told Buffy and Angel that Anastasia was in the club, which was a mystery, but all the same, she could sense that she was there.

Immediately, Buffy got into Slayer mode and she, Angel and Amara prepared to do a sweep of the venue.

Cordelia was somewhat annoyed when she was tapped on the shoulder, but when she turned and saw Amara standing behind her also looking rather annoyed, Cordelia instantly calmed.

"Anastasia is here. Buffy, Angel and I are going to see if we can track her down. You stay here and keep an eye out. If you see or hear of any trouble, then you can come out and get us." Xander was peeved that he couldn't be part of the action but when he turned and saw Cordelia smiling her cheeky smile, his heart melted and he was actually happy that he was allowed to stay and get smootchie.

Outside, the night air was freezing. Buffy knew she should have worn something a little warmer, her singlet top and jeans just wasn't keeping out the wind as she felt a shudder run through her

Angel, almost as if he felt it too, gave her his long duster. She excepted it thankfully with a smile

She could smell his scent on the lining of the knee-length jacket and it was almost as if she were wrapped in his arms again.

Amara was only a few feet ahead of the others when she first saw Anastasia. She was standing with William and Drusilla and their casual conversation suggested to Amara that they had been waiting for her all along. She carefully approached the trio, not knowing where others may be hiding.

Almost as if Amara had arrived on time, Anastasia looked up, spotted her and smiled.

"We've been waiting for you." She said.

At once the alley filled with vampires. Amara knew she was helpless.

Seconds later, Angel and Buffy rounded the corner. Angel was first to spot Amara lying on the ground. He ran up to her and rolled her fragile body over onto her back. A thick wooden stake protruded from her heart

Buffy ran up and knelt beside a weeping Angel and his wounded Amara.

"What's happened?" Buffy asked, confused Weakly, Amara explained that she had been ambushed by a group of Anastasia's henchmen. They had been the ones who had stabbed her.

"You need to pull it out." She said, swallowing hard.

Angel could barely keep from shaking as he wrapped his hands around the stake and pulled.

Amara gasped and then rolled to one side, closing her eyes in pain.

"Is she...dead?" Buffy asked, afraid that Angel may erupt with anger at the answer to her enquiry.

"No, but we have to get her to a bed and some blood to revive her, or she will be." A sudden shudder ran through Amara's body. She rolled onto her other side and right before their eyes, her form changed from that of a human to that of a wolf

The wolf got to its feet and stood at Angel's heel, as if waiting for a command. At this time the others joined Buffy and Angel and looking in confusion, watched as the wolf took off down the alley at Angel's instruction.


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