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 Two – Join Or Die*****
Buffy and Xander were out that night and walking towards the cemetery. Once they were inside they found patches of dried blood on the headstone where Esme had been earlier. But, neither of them could’ve known it was Esme’s blood that had been spilled earlier in the evening.
‘Must’ve been another unfortunate victim. Damn those vampires!’ Buffy said, kicking the head stone.
**********
It was almost the next morning when Esme awoke to find herself lying on a hospital stretcher. She realised that she was being wheeled down the corridor by doctors, nurses, and paramedics. One of the paramedics was telling the doctor what condition she was in when they found her.
‘After an anonymous call, we found her in the cemetery at midnight, she’s been shot several times and run through by some kind of spear. We couldn’t find a heartbeat…but she moved a bit, must mean the equipment needs replacing.’
Esme’s view of the nurses became a blur, and then she blacked out again.
**********
At school the next day Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Oz were walking down the corridor. Buffy was saying how boring her class was and how glad she was that it was Friday, the others agreed.
Then they all headed home their separate ways. Buffy decided to walk for a change, as it was a nice sunny day. Not that she had much choice, she failed her driving test again, didn’t have a car anyway and her mom refused to giver her a ride. [God I hate being a pedestrian.]
**********
Esme finally woke again in a hospital bed, she had bandages wrapped round her chest, her arms and her stomach and she had an oxygen mask over her face. There was no sign of breath in it.
‘Oh, perhaps the mask is broken, I’ll get you another one right away, can’t have you not breathing now can we.’ The nurse said with a smile, but Esme just stared at her. ‘It’s such a lovely day outside you know…’ the nurse went on.
‘Day?’ Esme whispered. She hadn’t realised what time it was…afternoon, the sun was at its highest and warmest. She eyed the window cautiously, and seeing that the blind was closed she sighed with relief.
‘…I think I’ll just open the blinds before I go.’ The nurse pulled open the blind and let the sunlight stream in. Esme started screaming and wriggling, she pulled the tubes and wires off of herself and tried to get up.
‘No, miss…’ said the nurse, trying to push her back on the bed, without success.
‘Close the blind!’ Esme yelled. ‘Close it!’ The nurse didn’t seem to understand and just stood there, shocked at the girl’s outburst. Esme pushed the nurse roughly away from her and pulled a sheet over herself. The nurse screamed in the struggle as she was pushed over, she hit the floor roughly and was knocked unconscious; now in a panic Esme tripped backwards and straight through the open window.
She fell one floor and landed in a bush. She crawled to her feet and was beginning to smoke in the sun. She was in pain. The sun burnt her skin, she felt like a roast chicken. She ran desperately across the hospital grounds and into the middle of the road, causing many drivers to swerve dangerously to avoid her. Then she saw a 4x4 with blackened windows slowing down in the traffic; she ran to it and ripped the door open.
‘Get out of the car!’ She yelled, not caring how rude she was.
‘What?’ Said the driver. [Who is this crazy bitch? And, why the hell is she on fire?]
‘Get out of the car! Now!’ Then she pulled him out by his shirt and threw him across the road; he rolled on to the sidewalk and landed with a crack, he could just be heard screaming ‘My leg…’ as Esme pulled her smoking body into the driving seat.
Cordelia’s car came to a sudden stop as his body flew past her window. [What the…?]
Esme slammed the door of the 4x4 and drove off. Cordelia followed her quickly, using her car phone to call Buffy’s house. Many other drivers blew their horns at the two crazy drivers. ‘Women drivers!’ Someone called, Cordelia gave him the finger.
‘Buffy? I’ve just seen something really weird…it was a girl in a sheet, smoking…I mean, smoke was coming off of her…she just threw this guy out of his car, she probably broke him…Where is she heading? Oh god! Straight down your street!’
Buffy ran out of her front door as the 4x4 came to a stop on her front lawn, Esme jumped out, covered in her sheet and ran through Buffy’s open front door. Cordelia stopped also and ran after Buffy, into the house. Esme pulled all of the curtains shut and collapsed on the sofa. Buffy ran over and pulled off the sheet, ready to beat up whoever or whatever it was.
‘Esme?’ She said; Esme was barely recognisable. Her skin was black, like a char grilled person.
**********
In Buffy’s kitchen Cordelia poured a cold drink while Buffy provided wet rags to cool Esme’s skin down while she told them what had happened.
‘He wanted to marry me.’
‘Marry you?’ Asked Buffy.
‘Yeah, so I’d be one of his brethren…they tried to make me drink something to get rid of my soul…then he could drink my blood as well as yours on the day of reckoning…he’d be really powerful.’
‘I can’t believe he has his soul back…again.’ Said Cordelia, giving Esme the drink. ‘Doesn’t the guy ever quit.’
‘He doesn’t mean to get it back all the time, it just happens.’ Said Buffy defensively.
‘Whatever.’ Said Cordelia.
‘So he left you to die out there?’ Asked Buffy, as she gently wiped Esme’s skin with the cool rags. She noticed that the burns weren’t too serious, after she wiped away the black charcoal Esme looked the same as she always did. Except she looked a little scared this time. [She always seemed so fearless. But I guess when you’ve been almost burnt alive…well, dead, technically…]
‘No, not to die, I think he was just testing me. Hoping I’d have no choice but to join him. That I’d run back to the warehouse because it was closer, and I’d be weak enough and stupid enough to drink whatever was in that vial.’
‘Well, looks like it didn’t work huh. One good thing is that he didn’t steal your amulet, so you’ve got control over yourself…that’s a good thing right?’
‘Yeah, Buffy? I’ve been meaning to tell you exactly how much control I have over myself.’
‘What?’
‘Well, I still change on full moons, and I don’t just change unexpectedly anymore…but, I can control my changes. So if I wanted to, I could change now.’
‘Well don’t!’ Said Cordelia. ‘I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Anyway, you’re hurt.’ She corrected herself. ‘Not that I care or anything.’ Both Buffy and Esme smiled at Cordelia. [She’s changed so much.] Buffy thought. [But I guess the dreaded Queen C still rears her ugly head once in a while.]
‘So, who else knows about this?’
‘Only me, I discovered it one day, by myself, and I kept practising it. I never told Eve or Eli though. It’s only since I got the amulet back again, and I’m returning to full strength.’
‘Wait, you mean you’re not at full strength yet?’ Buffy sounded a little shocked after what she’d witnessed Esme do since they’d met, but Esme just shook her head. ‘Ok, so, when you become…you know…can you still keep control? Like, not just attack anyone, but specific people.’
‘Yes, I can.’
‘You know, this gives me a plan, a really good one that just might work.’
‘Oh great, another plan. I hope it doesn’t involve sliding down muddy pipes to our doom.’ Said Cordelia, remembering their little sewer excursion.
**********
That night, Esme ran through the graveyard, Dru, Ether and Angelus watched her from behind a large tomb. For someone who had been burnt she looked surprisingly healthy, but as a vampire she healed quickly…she was even happier when the burns hadn’t left scars, like most of her other wounds did.
Buffy was chasing Esme through the head stones, then Esme tripped, she rolled onto her back and stared up at Buffy. She winked at Buffy to signal that she should speak.
‘I know what you are! I know you don’t have a soul, you’re just like Angelus! Evil, sadistic and twisted…’
‘Yeah, and there’s nothing you can do about it!’ Esme tripped her up; Buffy fell flat on her back, but pulled herself to her feet quickly.
‘You can never stop me, you don’t have a silver stake do you? DO YOU?’ She hit Buffy again; Buffy fell backwards onto a headstone.
‘Maybe not now, but I can get one!’
‘I’ll drink your blood first slayer!’ She lifted her up and turned her round, she vamped out and bent down to Buffy’s neck. Angelus, Ether and Dru rushed forward at that moment to stop her.
‘No!’ They yelled in unison.
‘I need her blood for myself, for the day of reckoning, you can’t have her now!’ Angelus said.
‘Oh can’t I. Just who is gonna stop me?’ Said Esme angrily.
‘We are!’ Yelled Ether. The three of them vamped out and lunged at Esme, she let go of Buffy who ran from the cemetery, then she watched from the gates. Buffy worried for a moment if Esme could take them all on after what she had been through earlier that day. She didn’t have to wonder for long as Esme managed to beat off the other three. Then Angelus commanded a cease-fire.
‘Stop!’ He yelled. ‘She may be useful to us if she has no soul, do you have one Esmerelda?’
‘Does it look like it?’ She snapped; he didn’t answer, instead he just waited for a yes or no. ‘No, I don’t.’ She lied.
‘I don’t trust her.’ Said Dru.
‘Why, because I’m competition?’ Esme lifted Dru off the ground by her neck and stared at her.
‘How did you lose your soul? You smashed my little drink.’ Dru said, glaring at Esme but avoiding her shining green eyes.
‘I made a mistake, slept with that idiot boy…you know the one, he follows the slayer around like a lap-dog.’ As much as it hurt her to say things like that about Xander, she new she had to keep up her act and provide a good excuse for the sudden soulless ness…
Angelus eased Dru out of Esmerelda’s grip and took Esmerelda into his arms, kissing her passionately. ‘Good girl.’ He said soothingly. ‘You’ll do just fine.’ Esme felt slightly sick at kissing her old lover again, but she was just glad he couldn’t sense that she’d lied about not having a soul.
Behind the gate Buffy smiled to herself. She wasn’t worried about Angel and Esme getting too friendly, she knew that for now Angel was bad and that Esme felt nothing for him. It wasn’t like last time with Faith… [Why do I care anyway…it’s not like its my business anymore…] She thought.
**********
‘You did what!’ Yelled Xander in the library, after hearing Buffy’s plan. ‘You just sent her to her death.’
‘She can look after herself, we’ve got it all planned out. So relax.’
‘I don’t like it Buffy, I don’t like it one bit. Giles, tell her.’
‘Hhhmm? Oh, well…it is quite a-a s-sensible plan I suppose.’ Xander rolled his eyes and Buffy grinned broadly.
‘Relax.’ She said.
**********
At Angelus’ mansion, Esme and Angelus were the only ones home; Ether and Dru were out hunting. Esme wandered over to the front window and sat on the window seat. She stretched across the length of the window seat with one knee raised and the other leg swinging from side to side. She began to sing an old Gaelic song. It was one she used to sing when they were children together. Angel began to have another memory.
“A sunny day in Ireland, Esme was about fifteen, Angel was twenty one. They were running through a field together, he was chasing her and she was calling to him ‘Can’t catch me! Can’t catch me!’ Then she disappeared into a forest; all he could hear was her singing the same Gaelic song. He finally caught up with her in a clearing, by a waterfall. They lay down together on the soft grass, and he took her in his arms and kissed her.
‘Do you see the sunshine Esme?’ He asked, pointing up through the canopy of trees. She nodded and smiled. ‘It will be sunshine for us everyday, when we’re together, always.’ He promised her sincerely.
‘When will we be together?’
‘Soon enough, if you promise to marry me and be mine always.’
‘Oh Angel, of course I will.’ He kissed her again she kissed him back happily. When they parted he took a ring out of his pocket. It was a silver Claddagh ring, similar to Buffy’s. Tentatively he placed the ring on her wedding finger.”
He opened his eyes from his daydream, not wanting to see anymore. He noticed that Esme was still singing her siren song at the window, bathed in moonlight. He stood up and strode out of the room.
‘Stop singing that damn song!’ He yelled as he passed her. She turned to the window and smiled proudly. It was exactly the reaction she had wanted.
**********
It was morning again and Buffy and the gang were at school early, in the library. Xander had been worrying about Esme and Buffy had been reassuring him that she’d be fine. They asked Giles if there was any way to know how long Angel will be without his soul.
‘Well, it can depend on how many reminders of his former life he has around him. The more he has, the less time he’ll be without his soul, hopefully Esme will be a strong enough reminder.’
‘But of what?’ Buffy asked. ‘The life he had with us or the life he had with her.’
**********
At the mansion that night, only Angelus and Esme were there again. Dru and Ether were at the factory, attending to business. Angelus and Esme sat in front of a lit fire as he told her about the wedding.
‘It’ll be a short ceremony, no frills, we’ll get right to the point.’ He grabbed her arms, rolled her onto her back and pressed his body down on hers. ‘Straight to the good stuff.’
‘Oh good, I’ve never been married before. I’ve come pretty close though, remember.’ Angelus paused for a moment.
‘I’ve forgotten all about the past, it means nothing to me, I have better things to think about now.’ He vamped out and began to kiss her neck, growling as he did it. ‘Only the future counts, the past means nothing.’ He said again as he stopped kissing her.
‘Well, maybe this does.’ She grabbed his face and kissed him passionately, but forcefully; then she pulled back and laughed. The sound of her laughter brought back another memory.
He had just kissed a whore in a brothel, she pulled back, laughed merrily and danced away. He turned to the door and saw Esmerelda standing there; her eyes were red with tears. She turned and ran out. ‘Esmerelda!’ He called and ran after her. He caught up with her in the alley outside; he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She refused to look him in the eyes, she was disgusted.
‘Leave me alone Angelus!’
‘No, I need to explain to you, why I’m here.’
‘I know why you’re here! You can’t wait until our wedding night; you can’t wait two more weeks.’
‘I would but it’s just…’ She wouldn’t let him finish his plea.
‘I’ve waited too; I know how hard it is...’ She trailed off, her anger dying.
‘I can’t help it, I love you so much, and seeing you everyday drives me insane. You know I just want to be with you.’
‘Then you can be.’ She whispered, finally looking into his eyes. He smiled, kissed her and pushed her against the wall; then he began to undo the front of her dress.
‘Stop it!’ He said, pulling out of Esme’s arms and getting to his feet. ‘Stop making me remember the past.’
‘I’m not, you’re doing it all by yourself Angel.’ She stood also and walked towards him.
‘Don’t call me that, I’m not him anymore, I’m Angelus. Angel is dead!’
‘He’s only dead because of Dru and Ether; he still lives inside of you!’
‘You’re lying, this is what I am, and it’s what I’ve always been.’
‘Stop hiding behind your image, grow up and be the man you were meant to be. Be the man I remember, Angel.’
‘I can’t!’ He yelled and headed for the door. Then Buffy stepped out in front of him.
‘Oh, I think you can.’ She said.
‘How did you get in here?’ Angel demanded.
‘I made a hole in the wall; you’d better get it repaired tomorrow.’ She said.
‘Or I could just go straight through it now, and get away from you two.’ He went to push past her, and then he heard Dru’s voice behind him.
‘No one goes anywhere.’ She said. ‘We’ve got a wedding ceremony to perform.’
‘Yeah, and then the wedding feast to follow.’ Said Ether, appearing behind her. ‘I suggest you stay as you’re the groom, Angelus.’ He added.
Then, through the same hole as Buffy; Oz, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Eve, Eli and Giles burst in; and behind Dru and Ether, several vampires began to appear.
‘So, it’s a stand off your after is it?’ Said Buffy. ‘I think we can take ‘em.’
Everyone began to fight. Giles and Xander were caught in fistfights with two male vampires. Willow and Cordelia were both taking on a female vampire; Cordelia resorted to jumping on its back, then Willow proceeded to hit it with a cross. The vampire threw Cordelia off of her back in a rage; Cordelia went flying through the air and knocked into a vampire that was just about to stab Xander. Xander stood up, and looked round to see what had saved him.
‘Thanks Cordy, I owe you one.’ Then he continued to fight.
Oz was busily wrestling a vampire to the ground, and then the vampire managed to get on top of him. Eli used his newly found hand-wizardry skills to send a stake flying into the air and through the vampires back. Seconds later Oz was covered in ash.
Buffy was fighting Ether, and she was winning, despite his size advantage. Esme and Druscilla were going one on one. Angelus could only stand and watch as he kept having flashes of everyone in the room.
Xander as a brave soldier, saving Buffy, Cordelia and him from tiny demons at Halloween.
Willow helping him to protect Buffy from Ford.
Giles facing Ethan and the demons of his past.
Cordelia trying hard to be helpful, and almost managing it.
Eli as a young man, smiling over at Esme and him at the altar.
Eve, dressed as a bridesmaid, holding the bouquet for Esme on the wedding day.
Esme in the woods the day he had remembered the previous night.
Then lastly, Buffy. He remembered kissing her for the first time in her room and accidentally vamping out.
Then he began to feel strange and realised that his soul was returning. He noticed that everyone was now outnumbered by evil vampires. Cordelia was unconscious from her fall and Willow was by her side, being held by a male vampire. Oz and Giles had been backed into a corner by three other vampires. Xander was being held by a large and muscular male vampire while Eve and Eli were being held down by several vampires. Eli’s hands were tied so that he couldn’t cast any spells, and Dru was holding Buffy by the neck. Only Esme and Angel were standing freely.
‘Now we can feed.’ Said Dru. ‘Angelus, you can grow strong, if you feed on this.’ She thrust Buffy forward.
‘No.’ Said Angel. ‘I won’t be feeding on anyone, not now, not ever.’
‘No! It can’t be! You have your soul back! It’s too soon, Ether; you told me we’d have time! If we don’t do it now, it’ll all go wrong, I can feel it. What if the sun comes up at midnight, what’ll we do then?’ Dru yelled crazily.
‘I…I thought we would, how was I supposed to know…’ He stuttered.
‘Forget it, just kill them. Kill them all!’ She screamed.
‘Esme, now!’ Buffy yelled.
Esme who was standing alone by the window nodded; then she closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly she began to change into a werewolf. Fur slowly replaced skin, and her back arched as all four of her limbs hit the gound. He head changed shape smoothly revealing a sleek muzzle and giant teeth within a snapping jaw. Her eyes glowed a brighter green than usual, and her sharp claws raked the stone in front of the window. She was a beautiful, yet frightening creature; she breathed fiercely and drooled everywhere. [Eugh…I drool!] She thought.
‘Oh my…’ Said Giles, giving a voice to everyone’s thoughts, although most of them wouldn’t have worded it so politely.
Esme began to growl; then she leapt at the vampires that held Eve and Eli down. They ran in fright. Eve and Eli stood up. Eli waved his right hand in the direction of the fireplace; the fire roared setting the nearby vampires alight, they ran screaming from the mansion. This left Oz and Giles free to move.
Buffy pulled Dru by the arm and flipped her over; then she kicked her across the floor. Dru stood up again and Buffy lunged at her, crossbow in hand. Esme was battling with three vampires at once, intent on ripping their throats out.
Eventually the only evil vampires left in the room were Dru and Ether. The others had either been killed, or mauled seriously and fled. Willow and Oz pulled the unconscious Cordelia to her feet, Giles and Xander moved over to where Angel, Eve and Eli where standing.
Ether looked panicked; desperately he grabbed Giles by the collar and pulled him away from the others.
‘Nobody move, or tweed guy gets it!’ He yelled. Eve stepped forward, holding a stake.
‘You touch him and I’ll kill you. In fact, you’re touching him now.’ She threw the stake at him and dusted him, Giles fell to his knees by the group and Eve pulled him to his feet. He smiled at her to thank her, then turned his attention back to Buffy and Dru.
Buffy advanced on Dru with her crossbow. Dru stepped back afraid of Buffy, and found herself touching warm fur. She turned to face Esme’s wolf form and screamed. Then, before her eyes, Esme morphed into a ‘human’ again, within a second. Dru stared at her in amazement, then turned to Buffy.
Before she could speak Buffy shot her in the chest with the crossbow, Dru exploded in a cloud of black ash. Everyone sighed with relief.
‘Buffy…’ Angel began stepping towards her, intent on sweeping her into a hug but she dodged his arms.
‘Not.’ She said quietly. ‘Angel, I know you never really wanted to hurt us, but...’
She didn’t need to finish, he understood how hard it was for her to see him like this…and so often in these past few months. He smiled weakly and took a step back.
‘I’m sorry.’ He whispered. At that moment Cordelia awoke.
‘Huh?’ She said. Then she saw the amount of ash that covered the floor. ‘What happened?’ Xander pulled her up off of the floor carefully.
‘Oh, we won.’ He looked hopefully at Buffy and the others. ‘Now do we party?’
‘Oh I think we deserve it.’ Buffy said. They headed for the Bronze to party.
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