/
/
/
Spike arrived at the library, finding everyone in a shaken state.
"An update from the battlefield," Spike said, oblivious to everyone's feelings, "Drusilla's gone back to Angelus, so we won't be seeing that bitch around anytime soon."
"Spike…" Willow tried to tell him before he got too far
"Before you ask, I'm gonna to be fine," Spike cut her off, "I'll get over it as long as no ones talks about her. Or mentions her name. Or anything that sounds like it."
He sat down in a chair, putting his feet up on the table.
"So, what have I missed?" Spike asked
No one wanted to say it.
"Come on, I know something's up," Spike said, "What is it? Monsters? Demons?"
He looked to Willow for information. She avoided his glance, looking to Cordelia for support. Cordelia knew what she had to do.
"You're his friend! You tell him!" she hissed, giving Oz a shove
Spike could tell by the build-up that he wasn't going to like what they had to say.
"Oh, what happened now?" Spike groaned
/
Oz told Spike about Drusilla, everything that had gone down.
"We believe she's lost her soul," Giles summed up
"Can that happen?" Spike asked
"Magic usually conducts itself in complicated ways," Giles said, "There might have been a condition in the original spell, something that would change her.
"I got a lot of questions right now. But the thing that's really bothering me is..." Spike turned to Willow, "Why were you wearing a Star of David necklace?"
"Oh, well, you know, I'm Jewish," Willow said quickly, not wanting to give the real reason
"Yeah, but it's not like you to use it as a fashion statement," Spike reminded
Willow uneasily looked at the necklace.
"Actually…Drusilla gave it to me," Willow admitted, "She said I might need it someday."
"So this whole time, she knew what was going to happen to her?" Cordelia asked
"Maybe..." Spike didn't know how to process that, "Sometimes when she sees the future, she can't avoid it, just change it a little for the better."
/
"So Stars of David work on vampires?" Xander wanted to change the subject, "I thought it was only crucifixes?"
"It's a symbol of faith," Giles said, "The faith is what repels the vampires."
"Would a menorah work?" Willow asked
"Well, some sacred items…" Giles began
"What about the stuff...Hindus think is sacred?" Willow asked, saying the first religion that came to mind
"Cows, right?" Oz asked
"Cows repel vampires?" Cordelia asked
The conversation went on like that for about ten minutes.
/
"New subject," Spike insisted, "According to Buffy, The Judge can be killed if we have something powerful enough."
"What about your napalm?" Willow suggested
"You have napalm?" Giles asked, worried
"We'll need more than that," Spike ignored Giles
Xander got up eagerly.
"I think I can help with that," he said
He began to draw a diagram on the whiteboard.
"Fort Sunnydale," Xander explained, "There's the gate, there's the armory, where the weapons are stored."
He placed the cap on his pen, and picked up a pointer.
"I still have my army know-how from Halloween," Xander continued, "I know the patrols, the access codes, everything."
He pointed to the fence.
"I can sneak in there, get something big," he informed
"And how do you plan to do that?" Cordelia asked, skeptically
"I'll need you, in something trampy," Xander replied, "And Oz. For his van."
/
The Next Day…
/
Spike was in Drusilla's apartment. He could feel that something was out of place, but couldn't see it. This time, there was no Ethan Rayne around to help him.
/
After a few minutes of searching the apartment, he found an empty bottle lying on the counter. Drusilla was usually so careful in putting away her medicine. Spike picked the bottle up, and read the label. On one side, it read 'Claritol'. On the other side, big black letters read: TERRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS. Then suddenly, a hand swooped in, and grabbed the bottle. A hand belonging to Ms. Calendar.
/
Spike woke up. For a moment, he was very confused, but then he realized what the dream was telling him.
/
Spike stepped into Ms. Calendar's classroom, acting on rage alone. He didn't care that a full classroom of students and Giles were there.
"Spike, what are you doing here?" Ms. Calendar asked
It took her a second to realize what had happened.
"Spike, before you do anything you might regr…"
Spike grabbed her by the throat, shoving her down onto the desk.
"What did you do?" Spike yelled
Giles yanked Spike away by the back of his neck.
"Should I get the principal?" a student asked
"No, I'll deal with this," Giles growled, "Everyone leave!"
/
Giles forced Spike down into a chair. Spike had never seen him so angry.
"Explain yourself!" he demanded
"I had a slayer dream," Spike massaged his neck from where Giles had tugged at it, "I don't know how, but she's involved in what happened to Drusilla!"
"Oh, Spike, even you should know not to trust slayer dreams!" Giles muttered, "It doesn't…"
"He's right," Ms. Calendar interrupted
Giles was shocked.
"Jenny, what do you mean?" he asked
Ms. Calendar closed the door.
"I've been lying to you. To all of you. My real name is Janna Kalderash," she admitted
"Of the Kalderash Clan?" Spike asked
"Yes. My people were the ones who cursed Drusilla with her soul. They sent me here to keep an eye on Drusilla, make sure this didn't happen."
"What caused it to?" Spike demanded
"From what I've read, her ensoulment was conditional on her insanity," Ms. Calendar explained
"She said her new pills were working really well," Spike said
"That might have been it."
"So what are you standing around here for?" Spike demanded, "Go resoul her!"
"It doesn't work that way. The magics have been lost for decades. We should go see my uncle Enyos. He knows more about it than I do."
/
Later that day…
/
Giles, Ms. Calendar, and Spike were at the hotel that Enyos was staying at.
"I thought you gypsy people stayed in caravans?" Spike asked
"I don't know which part of that is more offensive," Ms. Calendar sighed
She knocked on the door of her Uncle's room.
"Enyos, Spike Summers and Rupert Giles are here…" she began
The door opened all the way, revealing Enyos, dead on the floor. His throat had been slit.
"Oh!" Ms. Calendar clasped her mouth, and turned away
Spike then noticed a note on the dead man's chest, written in Drusilla's handwriting. It read:
I think we should see other people…
"She's just trying to make it harder for you, Spike," Giles attempted to console him
"Well it didn't work. If anything, she's made it easier."
Spike reached inside his coat and eagerly gripped his stake. He knew what he had to do.
/
Fort Sunnydale…
/
Oz stopped the van by the base's fence. Willow looked out the window.
"Are there always that many soldiers there?" she asked, scared
"It's not that many," Xander insisted
"But they have guns," Willow added, "Lots of them! You just want to just waltz in there?"
"They won't shoot me," Xander retorted, "Worst case scenario, I get arrested."
"Arrested for impersonating a soldier," Oz reminded
"Well do you have a better idea?" Xander asked, irritated
"Actually…yes."
Oz grabbed his backpack, and got out of the car.
"Oz, wait!" Willow urged
/
Oz leapt up onto the fence, climbing over it. Sticking to the shadows, he made his way to the armory. Once inside, he took a look around. Everything was well labeled. They all seemed so complicated, so conditional, but then Oz saw something that seemed right.
/
Oz climbed back into his van.
"What did you get?" Xander asked
Oz unzipped his backpack, and showed it to the group. Willow was equally impressed and scared. Cordelia nodded, approvingly.
"So you couldn't get the bazooka?" Xander asked, unimpressed
/
The Warehouse…
/
Angelus and Drusilla were feeding from a human they had captured outside the warehouse. It was a very enjoyable experience for them, until a bolt of electricity was fired through the victim, incinerating him.
"What the...?" Angelus asked
He turned to face the Judge, who was standing up, his arm outstretched and crackling with electricity.
"I am ready," he announced
/
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/
To be continued…