Disclaimer: don't own them, Joss does

The Lady crossed her legs and tapped her fingers on the table as the Order's members argued on and on about something she couldn't care less about. Finally she rolled her eyes and managed to hiss out, "Enough! This is how we've made it? The Order of Aurileous has truly sunken as low as this?" The room was silent, except for the Master, her Master.

"And why, my dear, would you think that?" He cocked his head to the side and took her hand in his own, leading her form to rest in his lap.

The Lady purred as she sat, draping her arm over his shoulders as she told him why. "This used to be an Order with purpose, with meaning. We don't simply let people join because they wish it. Our lines are slipping, it's true. We used to band together, agree on territorial lines, destroy our enemies. What should our efforts be wasted on?" She glared at the court of their Order. "This was supposed to be the best of the best. The head of the Scourge of Europe along with some of his best is with us. I, the only surviving member of the gypsies that used to reside in the lower district, until we were cleaned out by you. By your hand," she turned her head back to the Master, "I was saved, I was made into my true self… you must have had your reasons. Do you not believe I truly know what is best for the Order?" She squirmed in his lap before she rose from it.

"My dear childe," The Master grinned, "You are alive for certain reasons, it's true. And there are old ways we have neglected thus far in our proceedings. Enough with the talk of the borders of clans. We shall get down to business. What are we to do with this Slayer. I hear, Angelous, that she has willingly joined your clan… is this so?"

Spike shot his head up at the mention of the Slayer. Lucky he'd healed fairly quickly. Most of the blood was days old, at any rate. True, he knew she'd had family, even she herself was unaware of. And he knew how superstitious the Lady was. If she had an infatuation with the Slayer, things could get dangerous.

Angelous gulped nervously, "Aye, that we do. She's a feisty little thing. Brought our boy, Spike here back from a certain death, if truths are to be told."

Drusilla giggled as she stood from the table. She started to sway as she began her nonsensical ramblings, "Oh, sweet! Time is ripe for the world to be ours. Pretty little flowers all dead in the church halls. Swimming in my head… swimming, swimming, swimming." She laughed, grabbing Spike's hands and lifting him to his feet to dance with her, "Don't you hear it, my Willy? Sweet little church bells, and the fire crackling in her ears?" Spike pulled away from Dru as she continued. "And still they swim… oh, yes! The fish swim up the sea to the barnyard. Nasty little rays of sunshine ruin their play." She pouts as the Master looks at her, clearly he is not amused. Dru steps up onto the table, giggling in her childish glee, "Miss Edith hears the whispers… the moon will shine and the roses bloom! The grace will bow before them!" She claps her hands together. Angelous and several members of the court rise to pull Dru off of the table, the Lady reaches her first. They all sat back down. But the Lady didn't pull Dru off the table, instead she pushed herself up and spoke to Dru calmly. "What does Miss Edith tell us?" She whispered in the woman's ear, sliding her arm around the other woman's waist, pulling her close. Dru held a finger to her mouth, "Promise not to tell?" The Lady brought a gentle hand to Dru's face, "Never, sweets." Dru grinned up at the Lady. "My Willy's been a naughty boy. But she'll be ours when we wish it. And my William will return to my arms. You'll have what you crave… and the stars will sing to us as we dance naked through the rain!" Dru's face turned back to one of innocence, "Doesn't that sound like fun?" The Lady brought her hand down to rest on Dru's neck. "Of course it does… just the rain and us, no binding… will the star's listen to us if we sing them lullabies? Will they burn up and hide 'til we ask them to play?" She murmured. Dru looked back at her, joy written all over her face, "They will… and the king's cup will have his feast… with sunshine for desert!" The Lady laughed along with Dru at this, sending shivers down the members of the Order's spines.

The Lady climbed off the table and went to the Master, straddling over him as he sat beneath her. "The world is ours for the taking, ducks… are you going to let me grab it?" The Master nodded, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her as close to him as possible, but somehow she slid away. "That will be all." She dismissed them.

Angelous was a bundle of nerves. The Lady's behavior, while erotic in some cases, had chilled him to the bone. But she handled Drusilla well, they didn't usually bring her to the ceremonies, so she had done very well, indeed. Spike, he could be a problem, though. Angelous knew that Spike could cause some difficulties if the Lady tried to do Buffy any harm. He knocked on the door and was instructed to wait for the Lady to return. He was sitting as she walked into the room. "Angelous," She purred, still in her veil and dress from the meeting of the Order, "I trust you received my notice, or else, you wouldn't be sitting in that seat."

Angelous took a deep breath before he started to talk, "My Lady, if you be wishin' to take the Slayer away from the fold… our boy, Spike, has become rather attached to the lil' miss. It might not be the best of things to transpire."

"Bloody well better hope not!" She chuckled, "I have no wish to rid us of this Spike. Not uneasy on the eyes, he is." She glanced him up and down, "Neither are you, lamb." She returned to her business-like conduct, "I will be at your fold by three tomorrow. No need in tryin' for a bother of testin' who it is at the door. You'll not recognize me, without a bleedin' doubt. But I'll integrate myself into your fold… and I promise I'll try to play nice." If he could have seen her face, he'd've seen the smirk that crossed it. "That's it, lamb." He rose and bowed hastily, leaving the room. The Master immerged from the corner.

"This Slayer, you're so fond of. And this Spike… what do you wish to gain from all this?" He rested his hand on her shoulder. She tore off her veil and pushed him against the wall… "A new toy… or two…" She grinned wickedly as he pulled her lips to crash down on his own.

Angelous knew that the Lady should already have been there. But how was he supposed to know who she was? He'd never really noticed how many people he'd gathered in his little group. He paced back and forth in his office, but stopped when he heard the door squeak. He turned to face it, but all that was there was an opened door. He closed it, and turned around to see a girl right behind him.

The Lady kept herself from smirking at him and instead opened her eyes wide, "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to be a bother."

Angel stared down at the girl who stood before him. Yet another new face to him. But he was certain he would have noticed a girl with blue eyes as big and round as saucers before. She just stared up at him, waiting for him to say something. Her black hair was piled up on her head, and blood red lips stuck out on her pale face. The whole 'innocent' act wasn't really all that good. But she wasn't dressed too fancy. Not in the dresses Darla or Dru would wear. More like something suitable to fight in. "Not to be begin' your pardon, but may I just have an answer as to who exactly the lil' lady inside that rather… revealing get-up is? Not that it isn't a very convincin' act you're pullin' but I'd like to find out."

The Lady finally let herself smirk and relaxed a bit. "Oh, so you're the one doing the wondering, eh, Angelous?" Angel gasped in realization. "Oh, don't get all prim and proper, we were off to such a nice start." She pouted at him. "Are you at least going to show me around?"

"Aye." He answered her, mouth still hanging a little in shock. He had expected the Lady to be more… gypsy like, but she wasn't. "So, how exactly are you plannin' to do what you're intendin'?"

"Very simply… I'm here… and I'm not leaving until I get what I want." She smiled slightly, reaching up for his chin. "Don't worry about how, kitten. All you have to know is that I'm the new girl around here. When you address me, you'll call me Aida, is that right?" Angel nodded as she grinned even farther. "Good boy."

Spike had only started training an hour ago, and he was seriously pissed off. He was sparring with Gunn, who was breathing deeply and was drenched in sweat. He grasped his staff tightly as he swung it at Gunn's head, who barely blocked it, before swinging it back around to knock the man's feet clear from underneath him. Gunn groaned as he got back up.

Buffy was sparring with Willow, and looked over to see Spike as Gunn fell to the ground. Spike hadn't said anything to anyone since his return. It unnerved her a bit. True he'd only been back for two days… but he'd changed so much that it scared her a bit. She saw Gunn getting up and ran over to him and helped him get back on his feet. "Thanks." Gunn told her.

"No problem." Buffy assured him, "Maybe I should take frustrated guy over here… I'm sure Willow wouldn't mind a trade-off." Gunn smiled his appreciation to Buffy. Buffy picked up the staff that Gunn had dropped. "So what's up?" Buffy asked him as they began their spar. "You're all bad moody." Spike ignored her as he swung his staff at her, only to have her block it and retaliate with a sharp rap on his shin. "I mean, you don't talk anymore. And nobody knows what the hell happened to you." Spike's strikes suddenly came at her a bit harder. He swung at her left side, then quickly shifted the blow to her right. Buffy spun so that the blow struck only air. "Wow, you've sure softened up since our last fight." Spike clenched his jaw striking at her head then to the high left, then the high left again followed by a blow to her lower left and a sharp jab at her stomach. Buffy doubled over, his swings were of increasing strength, and she hadn't expected the jab. Spike didn't seem to notice, he brought his staff down over her head as she slammed her own to block it. She followed the move with a kick to his chest and elbowed him in the face. She spun around to backhand him, but he grabbed her arm and used her force to send her into the ground. Buffy felt the breath knocked out of her as she slammed into the floor. She twisted her legs over her head and pushed herself back up. Spike didn't wait for her to regain her balance before slapping her harshly across the back with his staff. Buffy stumbled as he swung it around to hit her in the face. The blow never reached its intended mark as a small pale hand caught it in the air. Spike looked up to see who had caught his staff, breathing heavily. His eyes met a pair as blue as his own under raised eyebrows.

"Blowing off a bit of steam, are we?" The girl asked him. Spike looked away and threw the staff to the ground. The girl turned her attention to Buffy, "And you'd be the Slayer, I'm willing to wager." Buffy rested her hands on her hips.

"And you are…" Buffy stared at her blankly.

"She's Aida." Angel supplied. Buffy hadn't even noticed he was there, her attentions devoted to the woman next to him.

"Oh… is that supposed to clear things up for me?" Buffy asked before she left them.

Aida turned to face Angelous, "I like her… she's very… what's the word? Oh, yes, important." She grinned, "I think I can find my way around, ducky… just tell me where to knock off me boots and I'll be on me way."

Drusilla could smell it, someone new had come to make things better. Someone with power that would outlast the others. Miss Edith told her stories about this one. She'd make the world scream for mercy and drink its blood in relish. Dru straightened out her dress before going over to Miss Edith, "Now, now, Miss Edith, don't be afraid… Mummy wants you to tell her where she can find the one who will make the light dark again. Come now, don't be shy." Dru ran her hand down a young girl's face. The girl was bound and gagged. Dru slipped the gag off of her and waited for her answer. The girl bowed her head and Dru searched her eyes. "We want to know." She whispered angrily. The girl was still silent and Dru growled at her. The girl looked down as Dru's hand contacted her face. Dru then grabbed the girl's chin and shoved it up, "Tell us." She barked, her voice shaking. She let the girl's head fall back once more before she slapped her. She slapped her harder and harder until she lapsed out of consciousness. Dru stood and looked at the other girls in the cage, who were looking at the fallen for of the girl on the floor. "Miss Edith has been a bad example." She informed them before walking out of the room.

Spike grabbed the glass off of the table and downed it in a gulp. Buffy stood behind him, waiting for him to notice her. Spike slammed the glass down and turned to face her. "What the hell's the matter with you?" She demanded. Spike glared at her, she rolled her eyes, "Oh, yeah, 'cause that really tells me what I want to know." Spike's glare was actually starting to get to her, "So, you going to answer me? Or not?"

Spike turned away, "Go away." He whispered, his voice hoarse from not being used. "Just go away."

"No." Buffy told him sternly, "Can't make me."

Spike's hand clenched around the once again filled glass. "Bloody well can at that."

"What happened to you?" Buffy asked him, grabbing his arm. Spike threw the glass at the wall and spun to face her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her into a bookcase.

"You better bloody well leave me alone." He threatened her, his voice dripping in venomous hatred.

"Or what?" Buffy asked, "What happened, Spike?"

Spike growled as he slammed his hand into the frame of the case right by her head, "Why don't you go ask your boyfriend, Angelous?" He swirled around, and then he was gone.

Aida looked around her, she had a feeling she would like it here. She'd already begun to make her way here. Not even a full day and she was already trusted by some of the key members.

Spike couldn't believe he was standing outside her room. What, was he going to make nice and apologize? He took a breath and knocked on the door. He heard rustlings and when the door opened he was surprised to find, not Buffy, but the new girl, in her undergarments.

Aida couldn't believe her luck. Her day just kept getting better and better. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Um… I'm afraid I have the wrong room, sorry." He turned but felt a hand on his arm. He looked back at her to see a friendly smile on her face.

"Why don't you come in and I can try to help you?" Aida looked right at him, and didn't miss his blush when he realized what exactly she wasn't wearing. She opened the door a bit wider and headed into her room. Spike followed her and was surprised at what he found inside.

Dru climbed off the bed and rose cooing, "Look what our dear has brought us! Pretty William, have you come to stay? She knows all sorts of horrible games. And look what she brought me!" Dru glided over to him and held out the little stuffed bear before clutching it tightly to her. It didn't take him long to figure out that Drusilla was also in her under things.

"Didn't mean to interrupt anything, pet." He told the new girl.

"Not a problem," She walked over to Dru and snaked her arm around her waist, pulling her in and mumbling, "Isn't that right, sweets?" Drusilla giggled. She turned her head to Spike.

"Does my little Spike want to join our games?" She asked, eyes wide, completely ignoring the woman kissing up her neck and nibbling on her ear.

Spike gulped, "Won't…" The woman looked up from the woman in her arms.

"Aida." She supplied.

"Won't Aida mind, then?" He finished. Drusilla turned her pleading eyes to Aida.

"We don't mind one bit." Aida told him, cocking her head to the side and walking over to him. "In fact, I like that even better." She grinned as she grabbed his hand and led him back to the bed, Dru following her example. Spike sat and watched as Dru giggled, sitting own on the bed and crawling on top of Aida.

"I'm a princess." She told the woman, the smile never fading from her lips as Aida captured them with her own before turning her attentions to Spike.

Spike's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he moaned. When he regained focus, he looked at the two women who shared the bed with him…