-'Master of Puppets.'-

Pairings: Vampire B/A/Dru, implied vamp B/X and Dru/X. Hints of F/X possibly eventually.

A/N: 5th in the "Ecstasy of Gold" series. Master of Puppets is pulling your strings, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams. Be warned, this part is very dark.

A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.

A/N 3: Sorry about the wait, but I'm getting married on August 7th causing chaos and anarchy to run rampant over the past month. And while I've worked on this story, as well as others, I haven't really been able to focus on writing and reviewing. Sorry. But because of the fact that someone left me a little email reminding me that I had finished this part and I'll be on my honeymoon soon, thereby decreasing the amount of time I can spend on this to zero, heres the next part.

Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy, Angel, or Metallica.

Timeframe: S2 AU. Hell on Earth.

Dedicated to the ones you can't save, and to the ones you can.

The demon formerly known as the vampire slayer lay in a pit of her own sweat. The red silken bed lay still in the middle of the room, dividing its occupants. The lieutenants in charge of security and the armies of Alcatha stood at attention on side of the bed in nervous silence. On the other side, the Master vampire of the West Coast growled menacingly. The vampires dared not look Angelus in the eyes. None tensed a muscle nor moved in fear of the swift retaliation.

Angelus snarled and looked down upon the labored breathing of his childe speaking only three words. "Who did this?"

One of his lieutenants opened his mouth to speak "Th-"

Angelus suddenly appeared infront of his lieutenant and in a flash of motion held him high against the wall be the neck. "Was it you? Did you hurt her? NO-ONE hurts her!"

The vampire grasped his sire's arm and struggled for air. "N-no, my sire, I- ."

Angelus snarled and whispered into his ear. "Then speak quickly my childe, for time does not bode well for you."

"The troops, my sire. They hear rumors, whispers that it was one of the demon lords."

Angelus smirked and squeezed harder. "The demons follow Alcatha. Alcatha has chosen ME as its champion."

The vampire interrupted, fearing for his life. "They do not believe that a vampire should be the champion of the demons. That we are weak. Tainted blood."

"And what do these 'demon lords' call themselves?"

"The Scourge, my sire."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"A demonstration..."

Angelus smiled and turned back to face his other lieutenants all of which still wisely kept their gazes forward and away from their master. "A demonstration, you say."

The lieutenant gasped and pulled on Angelus' hand. "Yes, to show all of the demons that you are the vessel of Alcatha. That you are the one to lead the demons across the earth. Kill the leaders of the Scourge and show your true power."

Angelus smiled and looked into his eyes. "And who are the leaders of the so called 'Scourge?'"

The lieutenant felt the bones in his neck at the breaking point. "I-I don't know."

The master vampire slowly regarded the being at his mercy. Suddenly the younger vampire dropped to the floor. Angelus pursed his lips and nodded. "Fair enough."

The vampire wheezed and got to his knees. "Thank you sire."

Angelus smiled and leaned down to help him up. "What was your name again?"

The vampire smiled and nodded. "James, master."

"Think nothing of it James."

Angelus smirked as he watched the dust from James settle down to the floor. He put the stake back him his pocket and turned to face the rest of his lieutenants that were still standing at attention. "Find out who the Scourge is. I want their heads NOW!"

The vampires nodded in unison and started walking out of the room. Angelus rested his hand upon one of his minions and smiled. "Jonathon. I need you to do something for me."

"But I can understand that. It didn't show what he wanted at all."

A snort snuck out from the darkness of the cell as the vampire danced back and forth recounting her story.

"Daddy had a vision."

The other occupant of the room, a worn rag doll with its black hair in curls, looked past Drusilla's head as she relayed the events.

"Oh yes I know, his visions aren't as fun as yours and mine." The vampiress pouted and shook her head. "Naughty Buffy. Daddy saw the naughty Buffy in a swirl of light and fire. And now..." Drusilla giggled and twirled around dancing and smiling. "Now the naughty Buffy is gone. Locked away in her dreams. Gone for all the world to see and hear. Gone for Daddy to play with."

She cooed and hugged the doll. "He was so upset. I don't see why. The naughty Buffy is bad. Bad for Daddy, bad for us, bad for the little elves that take my shoes."

The black haired doll sat limply in her arms as the insane vampire coddled her Miss Edith. "Oh yes Miss Edith I know how to make it better, but..." She huffed in disappointment and frowned. "Why do you say such foul things now Miss Edith. I swear you wont get any tea and cookies if you insist on saying such bad words."

Drusilla smiled and continued talking for several minutes about all of the glorious things of the day until a small voice creaked out of the darkness.

"Hey Drusilla?"

The black haired vampire cocked her head to the side. It wasn't like to puppy to back unless she was playing with him. He usually kept very quiet while she ranted about her latest conversations with Miss Edith. Everyone else usually walked away, it was nice to have a captive audience once in a while. She knelt down with a concerned look on her face and held her face close to the iron bars. The young man inside the cell sighed and looked deep into the vampire's cold dark eyes.

"How do you know that you're crazy?"

Drusilla smiled and fought the urge to reach inside and pinch the poor boy's check. "Why does the puppy say such things, you're almost as bad as Miss Edith." The vampire smiled and held up her doll. "Isn't that right?"

After several seconds of silence Drusilla frowned and turned back to her captive. "I guess she's being shy right now, she doesn't really like to talk to strangers."

A small smile almost escaped Xander's lips as he realized the futility in the conversation. "Thanks Dru. Now I don't feel as bad."

Dru returned his smile. "Do you know what Miss Edith says?"

The last human alive for miles, save for the 'cows' that were being used to feed the undead armies sighed. "I believe the last thing was either 'when hell is full, the dead shall walk the earth' or 'there's no such thing as too much ketchup.'"

"She says that I should leave you here."

Xander's head immediately shot up to face the vampire. The word 'no' almost escaped his lips, but he forced the scream back down his throat into the dark pit of his stomach.

Drusilla smiled and faced the doll, stroking its hair. "She says that it could be good for you. That you deserve to be alone for alllll of your sins."

She turned to him in a blank stare and for an instant sounded almost lucid. "I don't know what could have happened to make Miss Edith so mad at the puppy. But I know what she is planning for you..."

Xander shook his head and curled back up into a ball in the corner of his cell, preferring to remain the saner of the two beings in the room by taking himself out of the conversation.

Drusilla frowned and placed a hand on her chest. "Oh, did I say something wrong puppy?"

The human felt the familiar twinge in her voice and paled. Drusilla smiled as she felt the rag doll whisper into her ear. "You hear her don't you?"

Xander froze as the cold words crept up upon him from across the room.

"Miss Edith says that you can hear them now. You can hear their thoughts and fears."

A single bead of sweat ran down the young boy's forehead as he slowly began to whisper. "Get out."

"All of them. The Last shall be First and the First shall be Last. All in- between, above, and below. They dance around in bright colored corsets. Making the earth shiny and new."

Xander felt his voice getting a little louder as the vampire continued to rant. "Get out."

Drusilla smiled and caressed the face of the dark haired rag doll. "They cannot see it as we see it and that is why they talk to us. They want us to listen about the trees and sand, about how we-"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

The vampire turned up to see a yellow eyed Xander Harris inches from the iron bars of the cell door, straining against the chains tearing into his wrists and ankles. "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!!!"

The door to the room burst open with several minions rushing into the room. As they began to subdue the prisoner, one of Angelus' aides walked over to the vampiress.

"Mistress Drusilla."

The young vampire had heard rumors about the insane female master vampire. She was the topic of jokes and many idle conversations among the ranks. The insane childe of Angelus. The only dark stain on the great Master's history not counting the curse. Some had wished to merely kill the wench and be done with it, but harming any of Angelus' childes was an extremely dangerous offence punishable by death. Which was why he was sent. 'Reprimanding' the prisoner was simply an added bonus.

The male vampire straitened himself and did his best to sound forceful. "Master Angelus has called for you."

Drusilla smiled and sauntered over to the young minion. "Yes, Daddy wants to see if I've been a naughty little girl hasn't he? He wants to know what I know, what Miss Edith knows. Yes. Daddy would want to see us."
Angelus stood at the window of the mansion on the hill, overlooking the gathering army of demons and vampires. The cool night breeze flowed into the room, gently caressing the dark black curtains. Overall the hordes of darkness had come to pledge allegiance to Alcatha and its champion. The one that would lead the undead across the world of man and unleash the wrath of the demon Alcatha. Some came only to pledge their lives to Alcatha. Most came to pledge to Angelus himself. What the fools didn't realize was that they were one and the same.

A voice from the door interrupted his musings.

"Master Angelus."

The master vampire snarled and turned around. "What?"

The young minion had the intelligence to realize that he should have knocked before coming into the room. "You-"

"Oh hush now, pretty boy, Daddy was just being a little grumpy."

Angelus smirked as he saw Drusilla saunter around the minion, gently brushing her hand against the side of his face. The vampiress pouted and turned the minion's face to look at her. She pinched his cheek and sighed. "Oh he's so cute when he's scared."

Angelus was not amused. "Drusilla..."

She turned and smiled brightly at Angelus. "Can I give him to the puppy? It's been so long since the puppy had a treat."

The master vampire of the west coast growled and stared his childe in the eyes. Forcing her to keep her ramblings to herself for the time being. He spoke to the minion. "You may leave us now."

Jonathan decided to take his master's advice and leave.

"Dru. Tell me what you know."

Drusilla's expression became scared as she felt the demons Alcatha's power flow through her sire. "Daddy. I don't-"

The candlelight in the room flickered slowly as the slowly breezing wind came to a halt. Drusilla resembled a deer in headlights as her sire slowly walked towards her. "I know that you know something. Dru."

The female vampire smiled nervously and started to back away, her instinct for self-preservation winning out over her compulsion to talk. A small amount of heat emanated from Angelus as he walked closer to his frightened childe.

"Alcatha must have done this for a reason. Tell me what it is."
Ed stood back in silence and watched as his mistress walked out of Angelus' bedroom and down the hall. Her feet barely touching the floor, she floated across the ground, while the rest of the vampires trudged upon the dirt and dust of the mansion. There had been screaming. He had heard it down the corridor and came running to his mistress' defense only to find that she was in Master Angelus' private room. That had been only seconds before Drusilla walked out of the room smiling broadly.

Ed was a childe that truly and deeply loved his sire. He watched her at all possible times. He followed her around the mansion, staying in the shadows, watching from afar. But he always knew that she could tell the he was there. He dared say that he might know her better than Master Spike did when he was still around. But as the Mistress of Angelus walked by him without so much of a glance, he knew that it wasn't his sire.

Ed growled in confusion and sadness as he slinked back into the shadows. The mute vampire would find what was wrong with his Mistress.