Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer and related characters are owned by Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy. I can only take credit for the new main characters I have created and various other vampire minions which may wander into my stories. I created them, so they are mine. Don't sue as this is just pure fanfic.
*****Chapter One – Time To Wake Up*****
She woke up screaming. She could here the hissing of TV static, and the slow ticking of a clock, followed by a rustling sound as a bag of popcorn fell off of her legs. She gradually realised where she was. Xanders room, he had been lying peacefully next to her on the bed but he was now awake, staring at her with a mixture of concern and fear on his face.
‘Es, what’s up? Are you okay?’
‘No, I mean, yes…fine.’ She avoided looking into his eyes. ‘I have to get out of here before the sun comes up. Before he could ask her to stay she grabbed her jacket and left.
She ran into the night, heading for Angel’s mansion, maybe he’d have some answers for her about the dream. [Wait, that’s stupid…what would he know anyway?] She decided to go to the cemetery instead.
She sat on a gravestone and tried to calm down, then she noticed somebody ahead of her. A figure sitting by a nearby grave. She walked carefully towards it.
Ether sensed her approach and waited until she was close before he started his act.
‘Hello?’ She asked, touching his shoulder.
‘Get away from me!’ He yelled.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…’ She withdrew her hand and stepped back.
‘Oh yeah, right. So what are you gonna do now, kill me?’
‘Er…why would I do that?’ She asked carefully.
‘Because I have a soul and you don’t!’ He suddenly looked ashamed of what he’d said. Esme smiled widely at him.
‘You have a soul too?’ She asked. [God I’m good] He thought, and smiled weakly to say yes. ‘Well, so do I!’ He smiled widely and took her in a crushing hug.
‘I thought I was the only one!’ He practically wept with joy. [Oh yeah, the tears are really gonna work on this one.]
‘No, you’re not…but why were you afraid of me?’
‘I thought you would want to kill me…like the others do.’ He couldn’t stifle his smile any longer and so turned away from her to hide it. [I need an Oscar for this!]
‘It’s okay.’ She said, touching his shoulder again. ‘I won’t hurt you, but you’d better move along because the sun’s coming up soon. We’ll get roasted.’
‘Oh, but I’d love to talk to you about your life with a soul and how you got it…please, come back with me…I know a safe place…please?’ Esme took one last look back towards Xander’s house and sighed. He seemed like a decent guy, had a soul, and if he tried anything she was sure she was strong enough to take him…even though he was big.
‘Okay, lead the way.’
He proceeded to lead her towards an abandoned factory while he listened in sympathy to her dream.
**********
In the library the next day Xander told Oz what happened.
‘She just disappeared, didn’t even want to talk about it. I don’t know what to do.’
‘Well, don’t ask me…I haven’t got a clue. Now, if it was werewolf stuff, that’d be different.’ He smiled, trying to cheer Xander up. The attempt failed when yet another miserable face walked into the library. Buffy.
‘Hey Buff, what’s up?’ Oz asked.
‘Oh, I haven’t seen Angel since we defeated Spike…he’s missed so many patrols and meetings…I think he’s avoiding me. Either that or something’s happened… I’m worried. I think maybe I’ll go and look for him tonight. Xander? Will you patrol with me?’
‘Sure…I doubt I’ll be seeing Esme tonight.’ He sighed and exchanged falsely bright smiles with Buffy, while Oz rolled his eyes.
**********
In the cemetery Buffy dusted the last of the three vampires she had been fighting, and then turned to pull the last one away from Xander. She grabbed him by his collar and lifted him off of the ground. Xander crawled out of the way as Buffy threw the vampire on the ground. She held him down with her foot on his throat and prepared to stake him. The vampire removed his game face and raised a hand in defence.
‘Stop!’ Buffy pulled back the stake, she was tired, it was a long night…what did this guy want? ‘I’ve got a message from Angelus.’ He proclaimed.
‘Angel?’ She asked, totally bewildered. ‘You mean he’s…’
‘Yes. He’s one of us now, permanently.’
The vampire’s lack of tact made Buffy angry. ‘Screw your message!’ She yelled and thrust the stake into his heart, dusting him.
‘Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to shoot the messenger?’ Xander said, but Buffy only glared at him.
**********
At the factory Esme was wondering why Ether had only been interested in her story. They had talked all day, hiding out from the sun, but he never told her how he had his soul returned. Soon the reason became clear as she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. Angelus stepped out of the shadows, as Esme turned around she sensed straight away that he’d changed. Dru being by his side was pretty obvious too.
‘Oh, the crossbreed.’ She said, wandering around Esme, not too close though.
‘Dru.’ Esme said politely, but through gritted teeth. [That’s it; I’ll never trust a strange man in a graveyard again.] She thought. [Well, there’s only one way out of this…the hard way.]
She tried to escape by attacking Angelus and Dru and almost succeeded, but was held down by ten other vampires that barged into the factory. They eventually managed to restrain her in chains. Then they left the room. [Great, just great.] Esme sighed and began checking her chains, to see how strong they really were.
**********
Buffy and Xander headed back to the library and told Giles what had happened; they asked him how Angel could have his soul back. Cordelia came down the stacks with a book and, ignoring the surprised looks she received from Buffy and Xander she told them what she had found.
‘Well, I’ve been making Giles teach me how to help…and here I am, so, I looked up about rituals and stuff and found this one. It’s really simple to rid Angel of his soul. All you have to do is mix the blood of those who want him back, with two human sacrifices.’ She flipped the pages, skipping details. ‘Yada, yada, yada…then they toss in some casting stones and recite a Latin prayer…then make him drink the blood.’ She snapped the book shut and smiled proudly. ‘The effects are only temporary, unless he becomes powerful on the day of reckoning, then it becomes permanent.’
Buffy and xander looked at each other, and then at Giles. Giles just shrugged. ‘She’s right.’ He said.
‘I so am. Now, lets get started shall we?’ Cordelia decided to take charge, even though she had no idea what she was doing.
**********
In the factory, Ether and Dru had the same book and were leafing through it when Angelus decided to tell Esme his plan, and why he wanted her there.
‘You see Esme, we’re going to pick up where we left all those years ago. We’re going to get married.’
‘In your dreams.’
‘No. In your nightmares.’ He leant close to her, wearing his game face. He ran a hand down the side of her neck and leaned in closer to smell it. He growled contentedly and kissed her neck gently in the place where he’d bitten here all those years ago. ‘Brings back memories doesn’t it.’ His face shifted to human again when she next spoke.
‘Why do you want to marry me now, after all this time. You don’t even love me.’ She shrugged him away from her neck.
‘Oh but I do.’ He gave her an innocent expression, but she saw right through it.
‘You don’t! You said you did when we were getting married, but then you turned me into this…this…thing!’ She wriggled against the wall in her chains, they rattled and Ether and Dru looked up from the book for a moment.
‘I only did it because I loved you, how could I have lived on all these years knowing that you were dead?’
‘Like you care! I know you don’t love me, even before our wedding day, you were always in those whorehouses with your so-called friends! That’s how you met that slut Darla!’ He slapped her face then smiled at her, his temper cooling again almost instantly.
‘Tell me the real reason why you want to marry me.’ She demanded. He pressed his entire body against her, she guessed he was trying to charm her or evoke memories of their passionate past. He ran a finger down the side of her face aiming to continue tracing the line down her entire body. She twisted slightly before he reached her chest.
‘Why do you question me? I’m offering you the chance to rule the world with me, after the day of reckoning. You’ll have all the power in the world, why do you…’
‘Just tell me the truth!’ She pulled her arm out of her chains and hit him in the face. He fell backwards, then got to his feet holding his jaw and laughing.
‘I see your strength is something that hasn’t escaped you after all theses years.’
‘Yeah, and it never will.’
‘That’s what I’m hoping, at least until our wedding day my sweet, innocent Esmerelda. You see truth is, your right, I don’t love you. But, I need you. To be powerful enough to rule the world after the day of reckoning I must drink the blood of the slayer, and one of my own kind. As our dearly departed Spike had intended’ Behind him Dru gave a slight whimper at the mention of her lovers name.
‘Oh not that thing again.’ Esme pulled an exasperated face. ‘But I still don’t see why you need me.’
‘Well, I’m not likely to kill Dru am I, or Ether for that matter. They’ve been good to me since I’ve returned. Besides, your great strength will be useful to me. As one of my brethren, I’ll drink your blood too…then I’ll be the strongest vampire in the world, and you my dear, will be dead…and as I recall you were very…’ he chose his words carefully ‘…limber. Think of the fun we could have on our honeymoon, before I kill you. Now be a good girl and drink Dru’s little cocktail will you.’
‘Oh really? You’ll have to catch me first!’
She pulled out of the rest of her chains, grabbed Angel and threw him across the room, he hit Dru and they both fell out of the door. She heard the small vial smash, and knew that whatever was in it would probably take a while to make again. Ether had side stepped the tumbling demons and now went after Esme; she ducked and knocked him over with a floor sweep. Then she somersaulted across him and out of the window.
She ran in the direction of the cemetery hoping that Buffy would be there; she wasn’t. [It’s dark. It’s late. Theres vampires everywhere. Where the hell is she?] She turned around, planning on leaving the cemetery but instead she found herself surrounded by a horde of vampires; she was left with no way to turn.
One of them pulled out a gun and another pulled out a spear. The one with the spear ran her through, pushing the spear through her stomach. She collapsed onto a nearby headstone. [Oh, De ja vu.] She thought as her world grew darker, she could still hear the sound of gunshots and laughter surrounding her.
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