June 1st, 2023-England
The Rose and Shield Inn was designed to look like an Olde English pub. What the owners hadn't counted on was actually attracting the Olde English-vampires. The retro-tavern had become the hottest hangout for vampires in all of England outside London.
It was just after sundown, and the place had really started jumping. Vampires of all ages were milling about, mingling, flirting, and plotting their next kill. The all too human bartender cringed beneath the hungry leers of a few newly made vampires.
"Hey, pretty lady. How's about you give me a bite to eat?" The massive werewolf chained to the door growled and the cowed vampires scattered back into the main room.
In the main room, around a large round oak table, a group of vampires were well on their way to getting incredibly soused on blood and ale. They finished singing an old drinking song, and laughing uproariously, ordered another round.
Just then, the door opened, and a tall, red headed vampire ducked in. He looked around the tavern and made a beeline for the table in the middle. "Spike!"
"Marius! How long has it been, old chap?"
"Oh, at least seventy years. Where have you been keeping yourself?"
"Well, I was slumming in the States for a while. I've only been back for about ten years, and I'm catching up." He indicated the many mugs on the table with a sweeping hand gesture.
"Looks like it," the other vampire said, raising his eyebrows. "So, where's Dru? I know Seirene's been dying to see her again."
A hush fell over the room. "She's not here," Spike gritted through his teeth.
"Well, where the Hell is she? She can't be that far, you two were always attached at the hip."
"She's not here. I don't know where she is," Spike hissed, and every vampire in the bar started to back away.
"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" The redhead leaned closer."I know you wouldn't go anywhere without your princess…and my sweetcakes wanted to talk to her…" He trailed off as Spike grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him halfway across the table.
"I told you…" - he broke a chair with his free hand- "I don't know…"-he grabbed the leg off the broken chair- "…where she is!" On the last word, he plunged the chair leg into the prone vampire's body and it exploded into ashes. Turning around, Spike looked over the quiet crowd. "Well, don't just stand there, people. We've got an avenging vampire mate to track down before she tracks me down!"
"Spike!"
"What?"
"You've got a phone call."
"A phone call?" he repeated incredulously.
The bartender nodded nervously and held out the phone. The whole bar sighed with relief and returned to its previous merriment when he took the call.
* * *
June 7th, 2023-Sunnydale, California
"Wow, I still can't believe he's gone sometimes." Buffy said, drying her eyes with the borrowed handkerchief.
Willow smiled kindly at her and dried a few of her own tears. "Yeah," she said quietly. "It gets really hard sometimes around the anniversary."
"He was always there, you know? In the library, with all the answers. He was my Watcher. No offense, Willow, you're a great Watcher, but you know what I mean."
"I do. Don't forget, he trained me too."
"I know." The two walked in comfortable silence for a while and then Willow spoke up.
"You know who I was thinking about the other day?"
"No, who?"
"Spike and Drusilla." Willow shrugged and pushed some of her short red hair back"I wonder where they are now."
"I wonder if they are now. From the look of it, Drusilla wasn't too pleased with Spike. He's probably dust by now."
"That's a pleasant thought." Both of them giggled.
"What are you two laughing at?"
"What? Oh, nothing." Buffy ducked under Angel's arm and affectionately squeezed him. The vampire was unchanged (duh!) except for the gray streaks he had put in his hair in a feeble attempt to imitate the aging process. Still, it didn't stop the rumors about Buffy's "younger" lover. Not that anyone was surprised. At forty-two, Buffy was still lean and vibrant, her years of training making for a young middle age.
"No, come on, Buffy, tell me."
Willow took pity on Angel. "We were just wondering what Spike and Drusilla might be up to."
"If I know them, they're probably off slaughtering an orphanage right now."
"Ya think? We thought Dru might have staked Spike." Buffy winked playfully at Angel.
"As pleasant as that thought is, I don't think so. We might have, but I don't think the world has seen the last of Spike and Dru."
* * *
June 2nd, 2023-France
White hands floated languidly upwards and sank back down again.A sigh filled the small cell.
The room had once been bare and parsimonious, the perfect place for a woman to contemplate her commitment to God. Now the room was filled with silk hangings and lace dresses. At the very center, surrounded by her dolls, a thin, bone white figure was talking in a teasing tone to one of them.
"Miss Spike has been bad and gets no cakes." The doll in question was different than the other dolls. Its curly blond hair had been cut raggedly short and it was wrapped in black.
"'e 'urt my Angel and 'as to be punished." She whimpered. "What's that Miss Edith?" She turned to the other doll. "I know you miss 'im, but 'e 'as been a very bad girl and is paying the price."
"Drusilla!"
She looked up at the younger vamp who had just stuck his head in the door.
"What is it, Jordan?"
The other vampire opened the door wide and stepped inside."We're leaving now. All of the others are outside already."
"Miss Edith says we're staying here."
"Suit yourself." He shrugged and left the room.
Outside the ruins, a female vampire was waiting by a loaded down van."Where is she?" she asked in an exasperated tone, tugging idly on one of her piercings.
"She says she's staying. I don't know, though, I feel like we shouldn't just leave her.."
"Look, Jordan, I'm tired of hanging out here! It's not even a convent, it's the ruins of a convent. It's too creepy even for a vampire! I think we're all way past the whole Drusilla is a crazy goddess vampire stage, don't you?"
"I just don't know, Vanessa. I mean, we'd be dead if it weren't for her."
"We're dead because of her, Jordan."
"I didn't mean that. I meant, just…you know what I meant."
"Yeah, I know what you meant. If you want to stay behind and pray the rosary with a bunch of dead nuns, suit yourself."
"No, no, I'm coming."
Drusilla watched from the window as the van pulled off."What's that Miss Edith?" Her slender hands went to the sides of her head."Oh, that's very interesting…c'mon, dearies, we're going on an adventure."
* * *
June 7th, 2023-Sunnydale, California-7:45 p.m.
Buffy looked away from the window as the car pulled out of the cemetery.
"So how's Marina doing?"
"Not too bad. Her parents dragged her off to Connecticut for the summer."
"Isn't that kind of risky?"
"Yeah, but what can I do? I can't go 'Hey, your daughter has to stay here with her computer teacher and save the world from vampires' Anyway, ever since she staked Gabriel, the minions have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. So, I've put Angel and Mark on minion alert and am hopingfor the best."
"Mark? You think he can handle that?" Buffy asked, scrunching up her nose.
"If you can handle your girlfriend being the Slayer… And as much as I disagree with the military, ROTC really keeps their guys in shape. Of course, if push comes to shove, I've always got your trump card."
"Willow! Buffy may be in good shape, but she's not in that kind of shape."
"Says who, Angel? It wasn't me who landed on his butt the last time I goaded you into a fight. Sure, Will, anything major comes up, I've got your back."
Angel only rolled his eyes and concentrated on the road ahead of him."What time were we supposed to meet Xander again, Willow?"
"Nine. That should give us just enough time to swing by and pick up Oz and Harriet."
Buffy and Angel both suppressed smiles.
"What?"
"I can't believe you named your daughter Harriet, Will.Didn't you ever watch reruns of that old TV show?"
"Look, I named her after Harriet the Spy. That was my favorite book when I was little."
"I'm just teasing you. Oh, and tell Harriet to cool it with Steven. I thought Cordelia was gonna scratch her eyes out last time."
"It's her problem if she can't handle our kids having a thing. I think it's really sweet."
"Sweet, yeah. And I'm sure Cordelia can get Harriet a vice-president's spot in her Daddy's company just like she did Xander."
"He's actually really good at it," Willow piped up in defense of her longtime friend.
"I believe you, Will, millions wouldn't."
* * *
June 6th, 2023-Sunnydale, California
Spike walked back into his old hangout. Almost immediately, a very familiar looking man nervously ran out form behind a red curtain.
"So, you've spruced the place up a bit."
"Well, after Dad left it to me…"
"Dad? I know Willy didn't have any kids, and I killed him."
"Well, it was touch and go in the emergency room for a while, but he finally pulled through."
"Amazing. And the only thing more amazing than that is that he found someone who would give him a shag." Another face popped around the corner, bearing the unmistakable imprint of the former snitch."Two, even."
"Yeah, well, Mom was a saint. What brings you here?"
"Unh, unh, unh. You're the one who called me."
"I almost forgot that." His face fell, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, I know I told you that the old Slayer had died, but actually it was her Watcher, and it was two years ago." He paused and held his breath.
"Oh, I see. So instead of going to the Slayer's funeral, I get the pleasure of not going to the Watcher's funeral. Well, that's just a whole bundle of fun. I'm so glad I traveled halfway acrossthe world to not see that."
"I'm real sorry, Spike, it's just that we got some wrong informationand there were some missed connections and you know, how things get confused…"
"Moronity seems to run in the family."He dropped onto one of the bar stools."So is there any reason for me to be here? Other than dredging up bad memories and endangering my undead arse?"
* * *
June 7th, 2023-Sunnydale, California-8:15 p.m.
"Hey, is that who I think it is? No, it can't be." Buffy shook her head.
"What, Aunt Buffy? Who did you see?"Harriet leaned forward into the front seat.
"Oh, I just mistook someone for someone else. So, are you looking forward to seeing Steven again?"
A grin lit up the eighteen-year-old's face."Oh, yeah! I've been e-mailing him like crazy from college, but it'll be good to see him face to face."Harriet scrunched up her forehead."He has the nicest hands."
"Uh-oh, Will, better watch out."
"Why, Buffy?" Willow looked up from her seat in the back. Oz was sitting next to her, and she was absentmindedly running her hand through his bright green hair.
"Harriet's got herself a hand fascination here. We all know what that means."
"Oh, well, I totally approve. Steven's great, which is amazing, considering his parents."
"I approve as long as Xander doesn't call me wolf-boy."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Oz, he'll be too busy making cracks about your hair."
* * *
In the evening twilight, a tall slender figure ambled along the edge of the highway, humming to herself.
"Got to find meself a bite to eat and place to rest my weary 'ead." She giggled maniacally. "An' then the fun will begin."
* * *
Airport-9 p.m., June 8th,2023
"Xander!"
"Willow!"
The two rushed into each other's arms and hugged for a long moment. The rest of the group hung back, except for Harriet and Steven who exchanged a short, sweet kiss under Cordelia's disapproving stare.
"Buffy, Angel, Willow. Hey,' she said in a low tight voice."It's so nice to see you guys," she said finally, relenting. A large smile took over her face.
"Buffster!"
"Xander, please. Breathing is a good thing! You're squeezing a bit harder than you used to."
"Cordy's been making me work out. Having a fat husband isn't good for her image, apparently."
"Hey, I figure I shouldn't be the one doing all the upkeep in the family. How's the Watching going, Willow?" Cordelia snapped open her ubiquitous compact and took in her reflection.
"Good, although my Slayer's out of town right now. And don't worry, you look great." They exchanged hugs.
"Thanks to my plastic surgeon."At Willow's look of horror, she shook her head and replied,"Don't worry, Willow, the extent of my fight against the hand of time has been limited to hair dye and concealer." I'm too afraid of needles to go under the knife."
"Hey Dead-boy, Wol-what the hell did you do to your hair? The airport's not going to appreciate you stealing their shrubbery."
"Very funny." Oz and Buffy shared an 'I told you so' look.
The happy group was still exchanging greetings when Buffy winced and swayed against Angel.
"What's the matter?" he murmured into her hair.
"I just got a really big 'hello, vampire' feeling. There. That woman over there." She pointed at a petite brown-haired woman who was walking across the lobby.When Angel moved towards the woman, she placed her hand on his arm, and said,"Not here."
Seconds later, screams rang out as the vampiress collared an older woman and started to feed."A little show-off, isn't she? Ok, maybe here." She ran up to the vampire and pulled the hysterical woman away from her.
"Slayer."
"Well, I feel left out. You know who I am, and I haven't a clue who your sorry ass might be."
"Seirene." She sniffed."Old Slayer."
Buffy sniffed too."Vampire. Rude vampire."
"I don't have any quarrel with you, Slayer."
"Me neither, outside that old mortal enemies one."
Seirene growled and swung at Buffy. Buffy ducked, and sent a roundhouse kick at her head. It connected and the vampire hit the ground hard.
"I don't have time for this! I have to find Spike."With that, the vampire jumped up and ran for the exit.
By this time, Buffy's whole group of friends had made their way over to her. She grinned at them."Told you I could still hold my own. But seriously, it looks like we might be in for some trouble. If that chick was telling the truth, Spike's back in town." She took a deep breath. "You know when I said I had mistaken someone for someone else? Well, I thought I saw Drusilla, and if Spike's in town, that's entirely possible."
The entire group turned to Willow. She gulped, gripped Oz's hand and spoke."Ok. I know you guys are gonna hate me, but…research party…my house."
"Cool, research party," Steven piped up.
Xander shook his head in mock disgust. "You are not my son."
* * *
Warehouse: June 8th,2023, 9:15 p.m.
Spike burst into the abandoned warehouse and several vampires looked up in surprise.
"All right, does anyone remember me around here, or did the Slayer get all my old pals?"
"Spike!"
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you…"
"Jason. I used to be one of your minions. Remember, you smashed my head into a fire alarm once."
"Oh, yeah. So what's been going on?"
"Well, I'm sure you've heard that Drusilla's back in town."
"What?!" He grabbed the other vampire by the neck and lifted him up.
"Okay, I guess you hadn't heard that." He managed to squeak out.
"Does anyone know where she is?" The din of the warehouse faded as he remembered the last time he'd seen his princess.
"Spike?"
"Shut up, I'm trying to have a flashback here."
* * *
May 20th, 1998-Somewhere outside Sunnydale
The vintage car swerved wildly in and out of its lane as the two vampires absconded within it. Spike held Drusilla close to him, crushing her still body into his side."I'm sorry, pet, it's just that you're mine and Angelus was being such a bloody wanker. When you wake up we'll have a good laugh over this…oh, who am I kidding? I'll be lucky if you ever speak to me again. Damn it!"
At his exclamation, Drusilla stirred."Spike? Where are we, Spike?" Her face clouded as memories rushed back to her."Where's Angel? What did you do to my Angel?"
"Dru, I'm sick of this 'my Angel'. I'm the one who took care of you after your Angel deserted you! I'm the one who rescued you from the mob, not Angel. Me, Dru! Spike. Not Angel!"
"Shut up!" Dru threw herself up against the other side of the car, getting as far away from Spike as possible."You lied to me. And who took care of you? Hmmm? Who brought you treats, and dressed you? You said you'd kill her for me Spike. Chop her into messes. And you would dance with me…" She went blank and started humming."My Angel. My poor, poor Angel. He's all gone now. Your fault."
"Pet.." Spike pulled the car off the road and reached for her.
"No!" She slapped his hand forcefully and clawed at his arm."Don't touch me." She fumbled for the door handle behind her and opened the door, halfway falling out in her haste. She hit the ground running, rapidly disappearing into the early evening.
Spike awkwardly clambered across the seat and took off after her. He was too far behind her and she disappeared into the woods." Dru! Come on, pet, this isn't funny. Come back to your Spike. Dammit, Dru, come on." He searched for her until it was almost sunrise and then went to his car to spend the day.
* * *
June 8th, 2023-Willow's house, 10 p.m.
"Ok, I've found her. Seirene, right?" Buffy nodded."That's what I thought. Apparently, she's a little bit younger than Spike, about five years or so. She's been linked with another vampire, some guy named Marius. He's positively ancient, about four hundred years, give or take a few decades."
"Wait a minute." The group turned to look at Xander."Before we go any further, let's just clear something up. Angel, did you sire this vampire?"
"No, of course not."
"All right then, let's continue."
"Although, I might have sired her sire."
"Angel, sweetie, is there any vampire you're not related to?" Buffy's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Hey, in those days, if you hung out in the Master's court , you saw a lot of action."
"Uh-huh. In other words, Dead-boy here was the town whore."
"As amusing as this is…" Willow looked up from her computer keyboard."The Watcher database tells me that Marius just got staked a few days ago. Care to guess by who?"
"Uh…I don't know…maybe…Spike?"
"Yeah, and this is pretty bad. It'd be like if you had staked Spike and Drusilla came after you."
"Except this one's not insane and doesn't have any weird hang-ups about Angel." Buffy and Willow looked in surprise at Cordelia."Hey, I did pay attention once in a while."
"So, I'm guessing that she's swearing eternal vengeance on Spike or something like that."
"Exactly like that, Buffy."
"So why don't we just let the two big bad beasties take care of each other?"
"Yeah, and then the winner will just leave the Hellmouth alone. No interest in the Hellmouth among the vampires. None at all."
"Ok, ok, I see your point. So we wait to see who wins and dust them."
"Aren't we forgetting about the Drusilla factor?" Angel put in.
"Yeah. Is she still p-o'ed at Spike or would she try to help?"
"Drusilla's kind of the wacky factor. I say we just keep on our guard."
"Ok, Buffy. Our task now is to speed up the confrontation between Spike and Seirene. Angel, you go underground and try to find out where both of them are hiding out. Xander and Oz, you scout out a nice deserted place for them to fight. Buffy, go beat up some vamps and try to figure out where Drusilla is. Cordelia-uh, go look in the stacks for anything else you can dig up on Seirene."
"What about us, Mom?"
"Why don't you and Steven go to the Bronze and see if you can pick up any gossip there. Oh, and don't forget to take a couple stakes with you."
"I won't, Mom. See ya."
* * *
Abandoned warehouse-Midnight, June 9th,2023
"Umm, Spike? Are you done with your flashback?" Jason shook Spike's shoulder tentatively.
"What? Oh, yeah."
"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news again, but apparently another old friend of yours is in town. Someone named Seirene?"
"Shit. This just isn't my day."
"It could be. Amber just told me she's keeping house at the old Catholic church outside town."
"Hey, you're not half bad. I'm sorry about that whole smashing your head thing. Oh, and the strangling bit just now."
"That's ok. Good luck." He watched as the wiry vampire left the building. "Was that good?"
Angel walked out of the shadows."That was really good. Of course, you had incentive."Bringing the crossbow down to his side, he started to walk off.
"Angelus, why'd you have me do that?"
"Sorry, I don't go by that name anymore," he said and walked out the door.
* * *
Mansion-11:30 p.m. June 8th.2023
Drusilla walked through the hallway of the abandoned mansion, running her fingers along the walls on either side. Eventually, her steps brought her to the courtyard, where she looked sadly at the broken statue for a moment."This is where my Angel died. And then they brought 'im back…" She settled herself daintily on the floor."I was dressed in red." She fingered the embroidered red roses on her boned gray top, then smoothed her hands over her black silk skirt.
Her eyelids flicked as images rushed through her head, leaving her weak. < A trap. And all our old playmates holding the key. > She rose and quickly turned her steps towards the bait.
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