Tanya Potter: Dracula will find out from Spike more of the reasons for his resistance. He does realize that he has his work cut out for him trying to seduce an enemy and having it be Spike makes it much harder. Can't tell you how soon that will be at this point I'm afraid. I'm never sure how much time I'll stay with each group.

Housaholic32: Spike isn' t a saint and is tempted by many things. You know having him taste the blood was a near thing when I wrote it. Glad you weren't disappointed in him. I can't promise that you will won't be disappointed in him in the future.

TeeDee: He has to be good to keep getting so many lovers. ;-) The question is whether he will keep using tricks or try something new.

mychemicalromancefreak29: Thank you, I'm glad you have enjoyed the story so far. As for Spangel at the end...I can't promise anything in that regards yet. I have three different ideas for the ending in mind and haven't chosen one yet.

Karone Evertree: I wanted to see more Angel/Spike on the show too. I'm excited to hear about the season 6 comics though. The writer says there will be slighly less sexual tension than in LOTR. ;-) I hope you got the job. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

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Carey tossed the bottle of pills carelessly into the glove compartment and leaned back into her seat waiting for them to work their magic on her. She knew Jane was nearby frightened out of her head about the recent events but made no move get up forcing the other girl to climb into the passenger seat.

"Wh–what was that? He--he just--I can't..."

Without opening her eyes Carey nodded, "Sarah will be fine and once she meets his standards he'll reverse it."

"And...and if she doesn't?" Her friend didn't reply and she had her answer. "How can we work with someone like him? How can you train with him? ...He must be really hard to please." Jane whispered even though they were alone.

"Hard to please, hell yes. How do you work with him? Just do what he says and don't complain. As for me training with him let me make this clear," she finally looked at Jane, "I went to him. I did not walk into the big scary watchers' clutches blindly. I knew about his rep for years and wanted him to be my teacher."

"Why?"

Carey sighed returning to her relaxed posture. "Because he's one of the best and that was what I wanted to be too."

The other girl felt that there was more to it but let it pass. She let a lot of things pass these days, like the pills. Not that Jane had issues with Carey's beliefs in being a slayer. She didn't, not where it counted. This watcher though was an unknown and dangerous element to her.

As if her thoughts had taken on a life of their own the car door resounded the tapping of the knuckles as a rigid Michelle alerted them to his arrival. Carey nodded standing as if she were merely going off to run a simple errand. A sluggish Jane followed in her wake casting a worried glance at the other slayers who stared back blankly.

"We need to find the vampire and his allies before they ruin everything. Did you secure a tracer?" The question was given to all present though Carey and Jane had not been part of the last battle.

"Yes sir, on the boy."

"Where are they headed?"

"They appear to be taking the train, sir." Carey supplied. "I have their movements on the lab top."

"You have the routes?" Roger asked harshly, bearing down on her as if preparing to act for her failure.

"Yes, I sent them to you while you were...occupied." She betrayed no fear and Jane began to wonder if Carey was aware of the trouble she could be in. That it could happen to her just as it had to Sarah. Did she even care?

"Good to see someone is up to the task. No one should have to pick up the slack for others, still it seems we have little choice. Not if we want it done right."

The "compliment" wasn't really directed at Carey and she knew it. She was just used as an example to point out what he viewed as the others lacking. If or when she failed to yield results she knew such words would be directed at her too. Not that it mattered much, she wasn't a slayer to get a pat on the back. That was Summers concerns not hers.

"Sir?" Alison asked uncertain what he was implying. There had to be something beyond a simple insult. There usually was with him.

"We wouldn't be playing games anymore, I want that vampire, the traitor, and his demon friends yesterday. Find them and capture them or..." Turning he met Carey's glance. "...it might be time for you to truly prove what the best training in the Watcher's Council is worth."

She nodded comprehending more than the rest and trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. For now he'd stick with the Elite squad to keep everything orderly and by the book. If they failed again he would risk the secret that he kept from the council. Then the shit would really hit the fan for all of them.

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Unnaturally azure eyes regarded the pair speaking quietly among themselves. If she wanted to Illyria could have heard the conversation. The truth was that the words mattered little to her a creature of action and force. Especially when she did not speak them. She found most creatures wasted the breath they were given to clutter air with unneeded idiotic chatter. It was the human comparison to insects buzzing about her ears though she considered the latter to have far more intelligent discussions.

No, what held her interest was not what was said it was the body movements that had a language of it's own. The fallen king seemed to be collapsing from with in, his body tight, arms crossed, head bowed as if defeated. His muscles would loosen when the boy spoke, the face would relax and his form would soften. Family relations of humans had been confusing to follow. Angel though a half breed acted much like a human. Not as emotional as Spike but still swayed by them.

In her day this loyalty, and fondness for one's scion was foolish at best. The child was to be created as a heir, the next in line, a way to enforce your rule. You trained them, sent them off to survive on their own, and if all else failed you eat your young. That was the manner in which she understood the relationship. This...tenderness was foreign.

From Fred's remaining memories she could recall a time when Connor had acted his role in nature's scheme by challenging his father. That anger was gone now replaced by an awkwardness that Illyria found ill suited for a warrior. And yet the weakness of the Burkle shell made her feel a absurd yearning. Strange. Distrubing. Unwanted. Unneeded.

Next to the god king was the slayer viewing the compartment from outside. The woman had not had anything to say to the old one since their talk of mating. Illyria could sense the interest the woman had not only in her but also the two they were watching. The concerns of Angel and his heir were not hers and Illyria had questions of her own.

"The man who commands the slayers is Wesley's father." She stated, knowing it to be true but nonetheless needing to have it confirmed.

"Yeah and he has a mad on for us." Faith remarked distractedly.

"I have questions that I will have answered when we met again."

"Say what?" The young woman snapped out of her idle phone flipping. "Uh in case it escaped your notice blue bird we're running FROM the psycho not TO him."

"I know of what I speak." A slight irritation colored her words, as if Faith questioning her deeply offended. Most likely it did. "No matter where we go he will follow to achieve his goals."

"You just met the dude, how can you be so sure?"

Illyria paused thoughtfully before replying softly, "It is what I believe Wesley would have done."

"Yeah." Slipping the cell phone back into her pocket Faith finally gave the demon her full attention. "Look, don't know the guy myself but I can't see him having a heart to heart. Dude's got a scary vibe to him."

"He is a man that will brook no excuses, suffer no fools and destroy obstacles to take what he desires. It is good to know that this world does not only breed mewling drones, slow witted leaders, and untrained masses."

"You saying that ol' Rog impresses you?" Faith asked with a raised eyebrow. It didn't shock her that much that a demon would like seeing another monster at work. That was how they threw down, right? Okay, she could see the beauty in the hits of her opponent too. Still it was more than unnerving that Illyria seemed almost proud to see these qualities. How the hell could Angel trust this chick in his friend's dead body? Not that the big guy had the best of judgement he did trust her after all.

"Hardly. One can not be impressed with the twitching of lowly forms. It will not aid him against a god as I could snap his bones with the slightest twist of the shell's fingers. I merely find it pleasing that a challenger is at least worthy in one sense though he is far beneath my notice in all others." Without a warning Illyria turned her heels on the spot and walked off. It appeared that neither Faith nor the family held her interest any longer.

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"--Saw most of the movies. I can't believe he's real." Connor mused looking thoughtful bring a smile to the face of the man that had so little to lift his spirits these days. He could see Darla in his son, little glimpses that appeared when he least expected it. Spike used to say that he didn't see much of Angel in Connor.

"Good looking kid you got." Spike had said solemnly.

"Thanks." He had replied bursting with fatherly pride and a slight ego push that he figured Spike hadn't noticed. The bleached blond had and of course had to ruin the moment.

"Lucky he favors Darla otherwise he wouldn't be able to see a ruddy thing with that massive forehead blocking his sight." The younger vampire shot back with that shit-eating smirk he hated so much.

Angel knew he was good looking, Spike had certainly thought so that night...which he was not going to think about. He wasn't. Because that was something that wouldn't end well.

...He did see Darla in Connor and that made him happy to know that part of her lived on through their child. With him she had found something that she had never known, love, hope and with any luck: peace. Angel wished he could find some measure of peace. The cursed didn't deserved it though especially not him. Not after he failed so many and caused so much destruction.

"DAD!"

"What?" Angel blinked finding two familiar blue eyes that were equally as annoyed as his mother's had been when she was at wit's end with him.

"You're doing it again?"

"Doing what again?" He questioned honestly confused.

"Brooding." Connor replied unconsciously mimicking his father's no nonsense stance. His mouth thinned, his arms crossed tightly, and the deadly glare. The vampire would have smirked at it if he wasn't already peeved at the remark.

"I wasn't brooding," he denied, "I don't brood."

"Yeah and Spike doesn't water down your brandy after drinking half of it."

"How do you know he does that?" Angel asked suspiciously.

The youth's eyes briefly widen a second before he changed tactics. "Missing the point dad, I was talking to you and you didn't hear what I said."

"Oh...sorry. I was just thinking." He chose to ignore the muttered "brooding" even though they both knew he could hear it. "What's on your mind?"

"It wasn't anything serious, I just can't believe there's really a Count Dracula. I mean that stuff they tell about him is fake, at least with most vampires and I figured it meant he was too."

"Yeah, most of the crap they tell about us--like that coffin thing they got from him--now there are all these stereotypes running around." His son's lip twitched as if to contain something and Angel caught the gleam of mirth in them. "Fine, make fun of your old man."

"Sorry it's just the idea of vampires getting offended by stereotypes is kinda funny. I didn't think you'd care." The boy shrugged at his father.

"Well we do! You should hear how Spike--"The smile slid off Angel's face just fast as it had appeared. Connor narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly pondering his father. "How much Dracula pissed him off with that book." He finished lamely.

"Did you have a history with him, fighting through the years and trying to kill each other?"

It took Angel a full minute to realize that Connor had meant Dracula and not Spike. "Uh, not really. We only met once, at Worfram and Hart. He was a client." Seeing the disappointment he tried to make up for it, "We did fight though, he turned into a wolf and tried to kill Fred."

Spike had played a part in getting Dracula to release her but he wouldn't mention that. The little bastard had riled up the Count enough to start the damn fight in the first place. Okay, so he had killed the girl, he didn't know that she was under the other vampire's protection and he WAS cursed. And yeah Spike was sort of right about it kind of being his fault for starting the feud. Not that it was important.

Apparently his son saw that he was withholding a little information. Too much of Darla was in the kid for his own good. "Spike has some history with him. Which he claims is my fault--"

"How?"

"It's complex. You know that gypsy girl?"

Connor nodded eyes lit with renewed interest and brow furrowed in confusion how it could relate to Spike.

"She belonged to this tribe that after I was given a soul Darla, Drusilla and Spike killed. Most of them I guess, but they were protected by the Count. He came after the girls and Spike tried to protect them." The words sounded as bitter as they felt in his mouth.

"Spike fought him all these years for something you started?"

"I didn't start--they killed the tribe not--the point is that they got a past rivalry. Which means that Spike is probably sitting in a dank cell being tortured with the rank, nine tails and maybe flaying. Wonder if he'd do it himself after all these years, the Count does have a reputation for it." Who knew what horrors were in stored for Spike at the hands of an enemy that wanted nothing more that to stake him. Angel felt worried just thinking about how the Count was likely to impale the smaller vampire.