Chapter 12

Cassandra rolled her head around, the throbbing from her temples reverberating through her body. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as her forehead pressed against the floor, the cold tiles a welcome contrast to her sweating body.

"Does that feel sweet, deary?" Drusilla cooed as she hovered over Cass' body.

Soft fingertips caressed Cassandra's cheek lovingly. The cool skin felt soothing against her heated face. Cassandra pulled her head away roughly. "Don't touch me," she rasped out softly.

"There's no need to be nasty," Dru murmured, her hand coming back to her chest as if burned.

"Go to Hell."

A hard kick in the side answered her.

"Be nice or I'll let Daddy have his fun," She learnt down closer so she could whisper into her hear, "he likes sweet girls. He makes them cry in the most beautiful way."

Cassandra almost sobbed in pain as she tried to move away from the mad vampire.

"Good to see you're awake again, Cass, I was almost starting to worry about you," Angelus' voice sounded from the entryway. Cass lifted her head to find him leaning against the doorframe, his typical sadistic smirk smeared across his handsome face.

"Yes, I'm sure you were shaking with fear," Cass spat out in reply.

He chuckled as he strolled over, "that's what I like about you Summers' women, little spitfires!" With unhuman speed, Angelus was at her side, lifting her in the air and slamming her into the nearby wall. He grinned as she crumbled to the ground in a heap. In a second, he was at her side, lifting and pinning her to the cold stone wall with his heavy body. "I love a challenge," he murmured into her eye as he ground his body into her, "watching the fight in a girl as I pin her down, feel her hands beat at my chest in defiance, her scent of fear and adrenaline is enough to finish me on the spot. Lucky for you, I have more restraint to make it last." She felt him harden against her as he spoke.

With a choking sob, Cass tried to push the vampire away. Her attempts caused a mocking laugh to tickle the hair around her ear, causing her to wiggle more. He grunted in response, wrapping his hand tightly around his arm. Cass heard Drusilla giggle before the pressure in her arm lead to a loud crack that echoed through the room. She screamed as she hit the ground, the sharp pain causing tears to run down her face. Cass folded into herself as she heard Angelus take in a deep breath through his nostrils, followed by a lusty chuckle.

"You're not exactly the Summers' girl I was hoping for," he went to his knees, grabbing Cassandra's arms, causing her to scream as he squeezed her newly broken bones, and pulled her towards him, pinning her again. Angelus put his face close to hers and brought a free hand to stroke her skin. His fingers were surprisingly soft as he gazed at her, making the touch seem morbidly romantic. "You're as beautiful as your sister, in your own way, dark where she is light, haunting where she is sunshine. Although, unfortunately for you, you are much more breakable." He squeezed her arm again, provoking an ear piercing scream from Cassandra.

He smiled down as more tears streamed from her eyes, bending his head to lick a single moist line as it ran down her neck. Cass felt him harden again and stiffen as he rested his mouth against her jugular.

"Please," Cass whimpered, the words escaping her in desperation.

His head snapped up, his lips stretching into evil grin, his human smile seeming fanglike in appearance, "I had hoped you'd beg for it." He growled, moving his body away, still pinning her with one hand, as his other travelled to his belt.

Cassandra felt her body freeze in fear, no no no no no.

A screech reverberated from across the room, before a swirl of dark fabric swallowed Angelus, taking him across the room. Cassandra backed up in fright, cradling her broken arm to her chest as she tried to put as much distance as possible between herself and the brawling vampires.

Drusilla swung the older vamp away, putting herself between Angel and Cass, before running forward with a shriek. Angelus managed to duck between her clawed attacks, staying a second ahead of her swipes. She dragged him by the neck, driving him into the ground. Angelus rolled from beneath her, jumping up with speed too quick for Cassandra's eyes. He reached out and grabbed Dru by the arms, pinning her and, throwing her across the room as he backed up in a defensive pose, "What the fuck, Dru?" He growled.

"Mustn't touch, Daddy!" She pleaded, "She stays pure, she stays alive. She cannot play! The Old Ones will punish you if you tarnish their toy, Daddy." She begun to wail. "They'll take you away from me, just as we became a family again."

Angelus heaved his chest as he looked between the two women, confusion written across his face. After a moment, he straightened, and smiled at Dru, taking her into her arms in a mock form of comfort. "There, there, Dru, I know you were only trying to help." He sighed with disappointment as he stepped away from her, looking down at Cass. "Such a shame, I had such wonderful plans for you." His disappointment was quickly whipped away with a bright smile, "Doesn't mean we can't have some fun."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small dagger. Before being able to take a step toward her, a new, familiar, voice stopped him.

"The Watcher has woken up."

Angelus' attention snapped to the newcomer, briefly forgetting the shaking girl in front of him. "Well this just keeps getting better. I was afraid they knocked him out for good." He smiled at Cass, squatting down to be able to caress her face. "We'll have to finish this later, I have a previous engagement, you understand. Try not to miss me too much." His hand cupped her chin in threatening affection before swiftly turning and striding away. Drusilla glided after him in a dreamy fashion, humming contently as she left the room.

Forgetting she was not alone, Cass begun to sob, curling into a ball and making a lame attempt to protect her broken body. The squeak of wheels surprised her as she had failed to notice the newcomer's approach through her tears. She sat up, bringing her knees close to her chest, her fear wrapping around her as quickly as her arms. Her eyes were wide as Spike stared at her, the same cold expression that he directed at her since she had arrived in the mansion six hours ago.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a barely heard whisper.

She frowned at him, "Are you kidding?" She asked in a quiet, but harsh, tone. "Look at me!"

He flinched, "Right, stupid question. Look, I'm not tryin' to be a git, is anything serious broken?"

She stared at him in suspicion before giving a small jerking shake of her head, "just my arm. And some heavy bruises," she finished after a second of consideration. "Help me," She begged, reaching for him with a shaking hand, "please".

He looked at her regretfully, "there's too many of them. We'd never make it out."

She hung her head and sobbed.

The chair started to move away slow, "I'll think of something," she heard him murmur before wheeling out of the room.

Spike squeezed his eyes shut to try and block out the screams of the librarian. It didn't really bother him, not in the way it should, but it made it bloody hard to figure out a plan.

He had to get Cass out of this house. He had to get her out now. It would only be so long before Angelus decided to have his fun. Drusilla wouldn't keep him at bay forever, and the older vampire knew many ways to get his pleasure while still keeping the girl 'pure'. His racing mind stilled for a bit to consider Dru's behaviour. It had been odd, even for her, but her words had the weight of prophecy. He'd spent enough centuries around her to know the difference. Spike wracked his brain trying to find meaning from Dru's action before a notably ear piercing scream came from the room that the Watcher was being held in. He brought his attention back to the matter at hand, Dru's weirdness will have to wait for another time.

Wheeling past the room, he peeked in and saw blood running down the Watcher's face. He silently hoped for the man's strength. The longer he kept Angelus busy, the safer Cass would be. They couldn't kill him, he just had to hold their attention long enough for Spike to make his move. Which would have to be soon.

Spike discreetly made his way out of the mansion, ignoring the looks of the minions he passed. They wouldn't question him, and they were too subservient to go running to Angelus, even if they thought to do so. Minions weren't exactly known for their independent thought. He wheeled down the street, until he came across an intersection. Turning left, he moved up an alley way, and quickly hopped out of his chair. Opening a nearby dumpster, he hid the chair and looked over his shoulder as he kept moving.

Thinking quickly, he started moving towards the Summers' home. He was crossing through the local park, keeping his eye out for any nosey cronies, when he noticed red and blue flashing lights going off around the bend. Curious, he hurried his step in time to see the Slayer raising her hands with a police officer's gun in her face.

Spike smirked as he sauntered over, the copper's voice being drowned out with the savouring of irony he was experiencing at the sight of the Slayer being in trouble with the law. Her face was trained on the cop, shock edged across it, that she didn't see the vampire approach until he had kicked the gun out of the man's hands. He quickly kicked the human in the face, with a second kick to the shin, before grabbing him and slamming him onto the car hood.

Spinning, knowing better than to leave his back exposed to a Slayer, even a stunned Slayer, Spike faced the young woman. Her slack jawed mouth caused another grin to appear, "Hello, cutie."

Spike took a step forward, trying to figure out what to say. His plan up until now had been to find the Slayer. He didn't have much of a clue what to do after he found her. Before he could open his mouth, his head was snapped back by two swift punches to the face. Spike grunted, grabbing her by the shoulders to hold her still. Deflecting him, Buffy brough her left knee up into his stomach, forcing the breath he didn't need to come out in a huff.

"Now, you hold on a second!" He grunted. He shoved her away, putting space between them.

Not moving her eyes off the vampire, Buffy reached into her jacket, pulling out a wicked looking steak. Spike jumped back further, putting his hands in the air, the universal symbol for surrender, "Hey! White flag here. I quit."

"Let me clear this up for you. We're mortal enemies. We don't get time-outs."

Her superior attitude was like nails on a chalk board, but he gritted his teeth and kept his arms up, "You want to go around, pet, I'll have a gay old time of it. You want to stop Angel, you want your sister back... we're gonna have to play this a bit differently."

She didn't lower her stake, but the tightening around her eyes gave away her concern. He knew his girl, he had watched her, learned her moves and knew what made her tick. The Slayer loved her sister, he knew her stomach would be in knots with worry, knowing what Angelus could do to her. Much more than what he could do to the Watcher… But that didn't stop her from keeping the stake raised high.. Smart girl.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your ex, pet. I'm talking about putting him in the bloody ground."

The Slayer laughed, tossing her hair back so it highlighted the features he adored in her sister, "This has gotta be the lamest trick," she lowered her stake in annoyance, "you guys have ever thought up."

"He's got your Watcher. Right now, he's probably torturing him," His eyes lowered, "your sister too. It's honestly only luck that he hasn't killed her. Probably only survived until now because he's distracted by your old man."

The stake in her hand creaked with the pressure she put on it while tightening her fist, "What do you want?" She demanded through clenched teeth.

"I told you. I want to stop Angel." He hesitated, worried about the reaction he'd receive before continuing, "We have to get Cass out of there." Spike smiled, snickering slightly, "I want to save the world."

Buffy's eyes tightened, and he knew she didn't believe him. It couldn't blame her; he wouldn't believe him either. "Okay. You do remember that you're a vampire, right?"

"We like to talk big." He splayed a hand on his chest, indicating himself, "Vampires do. 'I'm going to destroy the world.'" He looked down at the officer, listing to the faint pulse and feeling a twinge of hunger. Being so close to the Slayer, with her blood pumping and all her pheromones leaking. It was enough to make a man salivate. "That's just tough guy talk." He moved over to the car slowly, noticing a small packet peaking from the top of the coppers pocket, "Strutting around with your friends over a pint of blood." He jumped onto the hood and pulled the cigarette pack from the man's uniform, "The truth is, I like this world. You've got dog racing, Manchester United," He pulled out a cigarette, and dropped the packet back onto the officer's body, not bothering to look at the unconscious man, "And you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here." He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag, his cheekbones highlighted by the inhalation, "But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real," he exhaled the smoke, "passion for destruction." He took another drag as he looked at Buffy intently. "Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Picadilly. Farewell, Leicester Bloody Square. You know what I'm saying?"

She nodded slowly, "Okay, fine. You're not down with Angel. Why would you ever come to me?"

Spike stood up form the car, taking another drag of his cigarette and looking down at his shoes. He knew what he wanted to say, what he couldn't say, that she was the only one who would want to rescue Cass as much as him. The only one who risk as much as him to help her. So instead he said, "I want Dru back. I want it like it was before he came back. The way she acts around him..."

"You're pathetic." She gritted out between sealed teeth.

Instincts took over, and he punched her in the face. She socked him one back without hesitation. In those moments, Spike's human nature came through, telling him she was right. He was pathetic. He spent his whole unlife running after a woman who barely wanted to be chased. He could have something more, so much more..

"I lost a friend tonight!" Buffy yelled, brining his attention back to her.

Spike defended himself weakly, "I wasn't in on that raiding party."

"And I may lose more! The whole earth may be sucked into Hell, and you want my help 'cause your girlfriend's a big ho? Well, let me take this opportunity to not care." She stepped up to his face and glared at him, "and what about my sister? Is this the moment when you pretend to care about her again while its convenient?"

"I can't fight them both alone, and neither can you!" It kept every inch of his will to not hit her for her catty little comment. He held back, knowing she was right, knowing how it must look to her but not finding the drive to defend himself. The choice was taken away from him when she hit him in the jaw, giving enough force to bowl him over.

He straightened, rubbing his jaw and checking for blood.

"I hate you," She spat.

"And I'm all you've got."

Their attention was taken away from an intense staring contest by the police officer beginning to stir on the car. Buffy disconnected their gaze with a sigh, "All right. Talk."

"I'm just gonna kill this guy," Spike said, turning to the copper.

Buffy cleared her throat loudly, causing him to look back her with genuine confusion. Her incredulous look gave him pause with realisation, "Oh, right."

She raised her eyebrows in disgust, "Let's get inside."

They started moving towards the Summers' house as the police office moved, reaching for his head, groaning as he checked for injuries.

The walk to her home had been tense, with the natural born enemies rarely taking their eyes off each other. She chose not to question why he knew the route to her home so naturally, already having a strong idea.

Buffy was so focused on Spike; she almost didn't notice the green jeep haphazardly pull into a driveway.

"Buffy?!" The woman called; her voice edged with panic. Spike edged into the dark yard, instinct calling him away from the centre of attention in this conflict. The younger Summers' looked at her mother in concern before eyeing the vampire again.

Joyce sprung from the car, "Where have you been?" she slammed the door closed, "Are you okay? Where is your sister?" She ran over to the blond girl, grabbing her arm, "police were here! I've been looking for you!"

"Mom, let's, let's go inside, and I can explain."

Spotting Spike, taking in his leather clothes and mature expression, her anxiety rose further, her voice tinged with hysteria, "Who is this man?" she turned to him, "Who are you?" not waiting for a response, she turned back to Buffy, "Are you okay? Where is your sister?!"

"Mom! I'm-I'm okay. Cass is-she's," Buffy's voice broke a bit, worn down with her own worry and unable to find a reasonable answer.

Joyce rushed ahead, her panic in tight control of her, "Buffy, terrible things have happened. What were you doing?"

Spike finally clued onto what was happening, why mums was so out of the loop and scoffed, "What, your mum doesn't know?"

The young blond turned to glare at him, while her mother addressed him intently, "Know what?"

Buffy hesitantly turned back to her mother, "That I'm, uh... in a band. A-a rock band with Spike here."

He almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous she sounded, but played along, "Right. She plays the, the triangle."

"Drums."

"Drums, yeah. She's, uh, hell on the old skins, you know."

"Hmm." Joyce's eyes narrowed, clearly unimpressed with the lie, "And, uh, what do you do?"

"Well, I sing," Spike added, surprising himself with a semi-truthful answer, not that they would know he could hold a tune.

Pushing the conversation forward, Buffy butted in before her mother could ask any further questions, "You know what? Why don't we go inside, and, and we can talk about this?"

Buffy and Spike moved towards the door, ready to rush the conversation aside for more dire matters. Joyce ignored their urgency and hesitated, "I'm, I'm not sure how I feel about this."

With a quick turn, Buffy faced her mother, and saw a vampire rushing up to the porch, her mother directly in its way. She jumped to action, with Spike moving simultaneously. Joyce turned to see what took their attention and screamed at the man running towards her, her eyes riveted on his vampiric face. She stared wide eyed as her daughter swung into action, grabbing the man by the shoulders and spinning him to face Spike, who hit the stranger with a number of punches to the face while Buffy reached into her jacket pocket for a stake. With a heavy blow, Spike sent the stranger staggering away from him and closer to Buffy, who thrust the stake into his chest, causing him to explode into ash. Spike looked over to the Summers' mum to find her staring in shock in the place the vampire had been, speechless, and on the edge of crying.

He turned back to Buffy, "One of Angel's boys."

"Yeah, probably watching me. Or you."

"Yeah. He won't get a chance to tattle on us now."

Joyce finally stepped forward, stammering, "Buffy... what... is going on?"

Buffy exchanged a look with Spike after looking at her mother. He knew from that look that they'd be in the house for a while. A mother couldn't take this type of secret lightly. Not when two of her daughters could be in danger. Not when one already was.

"Mom... I'm a Vampire Slayer."

Spike watched Joyce, saw her blink in shock, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head in incredulity. He knew when he first heard of a Slayer, he hadn't known what to think, and he'd been a vampire. It would be no where near as easy for Joyce. He inhaled, calming his impatience and tried to push the memory of Cass, curled up in a ball, and sobbing over her broken arm, away from the forefront of his mind. He would save her. He would.

Spike sat awkwardly in the loungeroom, eavesdropping on the phone conversation the Slayer was having with her pals. It took every inch of determination to not run in there and scream at her to hurry up. He had to tame his beast if he wanted her help. He knew that, but it didn't make it easy. Sighing as he adjusted in the wicker chair he was resting in, he tried to ignore the older woman who had been flicking curious, and nervous, glances his way.

He could hear the Slayer update her mates on the plan as he scanned the house, surprising how normal it looked. Most Slayers didn't usually have the homestyle life, more action and brutality. He could barely see Cass living here, let along the Slayer. Way too normal for the life they led.

Spike noticed Joyce studying him before she finally spoke up, "Have we met?"

"Um," he started awkwardly, "you hit me with an ax one time. Remember?" he mimicked holding an axe, "Uh, 'get the hell away from my daughter.'" He lowered his arms with a sudden graceless drop.

"Oh," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "So, do you, uh, live here in town?"

Spike almost audibly rolled his eyes before Buffy came stomping back into the room, causing the two occupants to stand up with her entry.

"I-is Willow all right?"

"Yeah. She's fine" She replied brusquely, before turning to Spike, "All right, talk. What's the deal?"

"Simple. You let me and Dru skip town, I help you kill Angel and rescue Cass."

"Rescue Cass? What do you mean?" Joyce asked, her voice rising with hysteria again, "What does this have to do with Angel? Wasn't he your boyfriend? Why does he have Cass?" The questions came out rapidly, with a shaken voice.

Buffy shot an impatient look towards her mother, addressing Spike again, "Forget about Drusilla. She doesn't walk."

"There's no deal without Dru."

Spike could see the fire in the Slayer's eyes, counting the betrayals he was leveling at her and her sister, "She killed Kendra."

He was shocked at the statement. Dru had been frail for so long, it was easy to forget she had fight in her, "Dru bagged a Slayer?" He chuckled, forgetting himself, "She didn't tell me!" He smiled at Joyce, proud of his girl and wanting to show her off, "Hey, good for her!" He turned to Buffy, with the look on her face quickly wiping the smile off his, "Though not from your perspective, I suppose."

"I can't believe I invited you into my house," Buffy spat with disgust.

Joyce let out a deep breath, "So you didn't kill that girl."

"Of course not!" Buffy replied with indignation.

"Did she explode like that man out there?"

"She was a Slayer, Mom."

"Like what you are." Buffy replied with a thin lipped smile and a nod.

Spike almost growled with impatience at the delays, "Look." He grabbed Buffy's arm and dragged her away, "This deal works for me one way. Full stop. Me and Dru for Angel and Cass."

Joyce almost looked like she was going to cry, "Honey, a-are you sure you're a Vampire Slayer? What has happened to Cass, please, Buffy, you have to tell me." She almost choked out a sob with her begging.

"I'll take her out of the country," Spike interrupted, keeping Buffy concentrating on the problem at hand. "You'll never hear from us again, I bloody well hope." He ignored that nagging voice at the back of his head that told him he'd never be able to stay away from Sunnydale for as long as Cass lived here.

Buffy narrowed her eyes, as if being able to read the vampires thoughts. She sent a quick distressed look to her mother before agreeing, "Fine. Get back to the mansion. Make sure Cass and Giles are all right."

Spiralling, Joyce spluttered, "I-I mean, have you tried not being a Slayer?"

They looked at her with impatience and incredulity. "Mom!"

Spike just sighed, rolling his eyes. The woman was crumbling, and this was not the time to be dealing with it. Bigger things were at stake, much bigger things.

Buffy swallowed and addressed Spike, "Be ready to back me up when I make my move."

He nodded and moved towards the door.

"If Giles dies, if Cass.." She broke off as Spike whipped around to face her, his face thunderous.

"If something happens to Cass, I'll kill 'im myself, whether you're there or not," he growled out, his severity giving her pause. She nodded at him in understanding.

He stared at her with an intensity before whirling his coat around himself and leave the house.

Spike stood for a second at the door, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He could hear the conversation as it continued after he left.

"Buffy, you have to tell me what's happened to Cass, please, where is she?"

"It'll be okay, mum, I'll fix this."

Spike squeezed his eyes shut and moved away from the house. He couldn't think about what was going to happen to Cass, he just had to get Dru away from Angelus. He'd figure out everything else after that.

Cass sobbed at the sound of Giles' screams. They were coming so frequently now; each sound was like a stab into her heart. Her one and only half-hearted attempt at a rescue had ended pathetically, with a solid punch to her temple from Angelus. The next hour of torture left her more useless than she ever been in her life. The pain from the dagger cuts Angelus caused her continued trembling, with tears and snot running down her face. She could still feel the vibrations of his throaty chuckles as Angelus had licked the blood from her body, humiliating her in as many ways as he could in such a short time. Cass could remember the sharp shame she felt when Angelus left her to continue his torture of Giles. That shame tore her apart with each scream that came from the Librarian's mouth.

She tried to move, wiggling the ropes to ease some of the cramping that was coming through her calves and biceps. She moved in vain, not able to find a way to be comfortable. Cassandra had never felt so much pain in her life, but that was nothing compared to the fear she felt. It was crushing her, knowing she'd die in this house. A part of her knew Buffy would try and save her, but a bigger part didn't want her to try and fail. To die would be one thing, being the reason her sister died, that was a different type of pain.

Her musing was cut short by the sound of wheels on the tiles outside her room. Looking up, she saw Spike staring at her through the blur of her tears. He nodded at her faintly before rolling into the room that held Giles. Her brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered their last conversation. She hesitantly felt hope blossom in her chest as she choked out another sob.

Spike felt his body shake at the sight of Cass tied up on the ground. The bloody cuts covering her body indicated he'd be too late to stop any further torture. But at least she was alive... for now.

He nodded at her, not being able to tell her the plan without risking its reveal. He wanted to stay, leap from the chair, wrap her in his arms and make sure something like this could never happen again. He steeled himself and wheeled away. He hoped she'd understand his subtle message but knew he couldn't do more, for now.

Moving down the hall, Spike slowed as he neared the outside of the Watcher's room. He smiled as he heard the man call Angelus a pillock but wheeled himself in before someone could fulfill Angelus' request for a chainsaw. "Now, now, let's not lose our temper."

"Keep out of it, sit 'n' spin," Angelus snapped.

"Look, you cut him up, you'll never get your answers."

"Since when did you become so levelheaded?" Angelus demanded, swinging his attention to the blonde vampire.

Spike kept his cool, "Right about the time you became so pig-headed. You have your way with him, you'll never get to destroy the world. And I don't fancy spending the next month trying to get librarian out of the carpet. There are other ways."

"Enlighten me," Angelus demanded condescendingly.

"Hmm," he twisted his head to the side, "Drusilla? Sweetheart?"

She wandered into the room as if hadn't been called, her face as distracted as ever. Spike pulled her attention to him, "Do you want to play a game?" She put an arm around his shoulder as they turned to look at Angelus.

Spike watched as Drusilla worked her mojo on the Watcher. He never understood how it worked, how she could mesmerise people like this. Not just humans, but weak willed demons too. It was a marvellous gift. He often wondered the potential her gift would have in the hands of a sane person.

Dru moved closer to the human, moving her body close to his, seducing him with whatever form he wanted the most. He tried to find his jealousy, but he couldn't. It was as if after months of watching her fawn over Angelus, he had nothing left. Either that, or his attention was too fully consumed by the girl in the other room.

Angelus straightened, bringing Spike's attention back to the scene at the back of the room, and found Dru kissing the Liberian passionately.

"Blood. Of course," the taller vampire muttered, "The blood on my hands must be my own. I am the key that will open up the door. My blood. My life," he hesitated for a moment as he absorbed the information. "Okay. Kill him." He turned to leave the room.

Thinking quickly, Spike countered, "Uh, but what if he's lying?"

"Yeah. Good point. Alright, don't kill him." He leaned down to Spike's level, "You know, I kinda like having you watch my back. It's kinda like old times." He chuckled sadistically, causing Spike to clench his jaw as memories flooded back to him. He could live a thousand lifetimes and still carry the scars from Angelus' 'old times'.

A smacking noise brought their attention back to Drusilla and the Watcher. They were still gripped in their enthusiastic embrace.

"Uh, Drusilla..." Spike drawled, semi amused with Dru's dedication. She ignored him, continuing with her eager interaction.

"Honey..." Angelus tried.

"We are finished here, ducks."

Drusilla stopped suddenly, and looked back at them shyly, "Sorry." She grinned wickedly, "I was in the moment."

Spike had his eyes on the Watcher as realisation dawned on him. The look on his face would have almost made Spike feel guilty, if he was capable of such an emotion.

While he couldn't comprehend the range of human emotions Giles was experiencing, he did feel a tightening in his chest knowing the count down for stopping Angelus had sped up.

Sitting in his wheelchair, slightly behind Angelus and Drusilla as they stood to either side of Acathla, Spike scanned the room, impatiently waiting for his moment. Minions ringed the room, poised to take any on surprise attacks during the ritual. He checked the sun and knew the Slayer would be cutting it tight. If he had a heartbeat, it would have been racing.

Anglus stepped up to the statue and begin the ritual, "Acathla... Mundatus sum... pro te necavi. Sanguinem meum... pro te effundam..." he slowly moved towards Acathla, his eyes intense, "me dignum... esse demonstrem."

"Now, Acathla..." Angelus held out his hand, which Drusilla placed a knife, "You will be free." He winced as he sliced his hand but didn't move his eyes off the statue. He dropped the knife, forgotten as it left his palm, his attention entirely on the task at hand. "And so, will we all."

Spike noticed from the side of his vision, a small figure approaching with stealth. He didn't react as he saw Buffy raise a sword, leveling it at the vampire's neck with a single swing, decapitating the minion. The ash crumbled to the floor as Dru and Angelus jerked their attention to the noise.

Buffy stared at Angelus, heat flooding through her eyes, "Hello, lover."

"I don't have time for you." He replied dispassionately.

"You don't have a lot of time left."

"Coming on kind of strong, don't you think? You're playing some deep odds here. Do you really think you can take us all on?"

'No. I don't."

Taking his cue, Spike stood up from his wheelchair, determination flooding his whole body. He whipped the metal bar from the hiding place on his chair, and swung it into the back of Angelus head, causing him to cry out in pain and hit the floor hard. Spike didn't see Drusilla turn her attention to him, too busy continuing to slam the heavy weapon onto the ancient vampire's head. "Painful, isn't it?"

Going in for another swing, the down motion was blocked by Drusilla's frantic attack as she jumped on Spike's back. They fell to the floor, wrestling over the weapon. Drusilla fought with teeth and nails, her panic turning her savage. With a shove from Spike, they separated on the floor, and stood, moving into defensive positions. "I don't want to hurt you, baby," Spike murmured.

Without response, she grabbed him by the throat and shoved him into the wall behind him. He effortlessly slapped her arm aside, and punched her in the face, "Doesn't mean I won't."

Drusilla hissed as she recoiled, bringing her hand up to swipe across Spikes cheek, leaving four long lines across his face. The blood dripped down as Spike caught the Watcher and the Welp limping out of the mansion in his peripheral. What about Cass?! Dru caught him with a right hook as he was distracted, forcing him to the ground.

As he was laying there, he saw Angelus wake up, and move towards Acathla. Turning his head, he saw the Slayer engaged in combat. There'd be no stopping the tall vampire, not this time.

Buffy staked her last minion as Angelus grabbed Acathla's sword with his bloody hand. Shielding his face from the intense light that burst from the statue, Spike knew it was too late. The world was over, he just had to get as far away from here as he could, so he could live as long as possible before the end came.

Dru turned from him, and gazed at Angelus and Acathla with an adoring smile, "Oh... Here he comes."

Taking his advantage, Spike came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her throat, choking her and cutting off the blood supply to her brain. Dru begun to slump in his arms, succumbing to unconsciousness. "Sorry, baby. Wish there was another way."

He lifted her in his arms and started to move towards the back exit of the mansion. He turned his head and saw Buffy fighting Angelus with swords, obviously struggling to hold her own.

"God, he's gonna kill her," he muttered to himself. He stilled for a moment and looked at the unconscious vampire in his arms. Knowing this was his moment to escape with the woman he loved, he hesitated, his mind fixated on the other Summers' girl still trapped in the house.

With a deep growl, he ran to the garage, and unceremoniously chucked Dru in the back seat. For good measure, and to save himself time, he took a shirt, and wound it around her neck, keeping her unconscious for an indefinite amount of time. He raced back into the house and turning a corner he found one of the surviving minions moving towards Cass' unprotected body. Without missing a beat, he picked up a broken piece of coffee table and flung it into the vampires back and through his heart.

Dropping to the ground, he tore at the ropes keeping Cassandra trapped. She turned frantically, fear in her eyes until she saw who held her. With a harsh outtake of breath, she flung her arms around his neck, "thank you, thank you, thank you," she muttered over and over between sobs.

He gripped to her as tightly as she held him, "'S okay, but we gotta get you outta here. Now"

She looked up, "Buffy?" He looked away, grabbing her and moving her towards the front entry. As they moved through the house, Cass turned her head and saw Buffy, weapon-less, and knocked to the ground, Angelus standing over her with a sword pointing towards her face.

"No" she strangled out, her beaten body unable to muster a scream. She tried to squirm out of Spike's grip, and run to her sister, but found no strength, "please, no!"

Spike turned to look towards the Slayer's direction and cursed, "I can't help her, I have to get you out of here." She continued to fight his grip, but he easily moved her towards the front of the house.

They took a step out of the door and almost run right into Xander. He looked at the pair with fear filled eyes. The boy had no weapons, no way of beating the vamp, but he didn't run. Spike almost felt a bit of respect rising in his chest. It quickly evaporate when the boy opened his mouth, "let go of her! You're not taking her, you fanged freak!"

Spike scoffed and moved to push him out of the way. "Spike, stop, please! You have to help my sister, please," Cass sobbed out. He stilled, the desperation in her voice freezing him. She turned in his arms, and put her hands on his face, "Please Spike, please don't leave her like this, I can't lose her. Please."

He only hesitated for a moment longer before growling in frustration. He pushed Cass into the arms of the Welp and stepped back into the house, "You get her out of here!"

The boy, confused about what just happened, just nodded dumbly, grabbing Cass and moving her away from the mansion. She struggled weakly, protesting that she would not leave without Buffy. Spike felt relieved when he heard the boy mention getting her to the hospital. Knowing the girl was in safe hands, Spike ran back into the house, knowing it was pointless and too late, but not being able to let Cass down again. Moving through the atrium, he skidded to a halt as he saw Angelus tightly wrapping Buffy in an embrace.

"Oh, Buffy... God." Both Spike and Buffy stilled. Surely it was a trap. But as he watched he saw the Slayer hesitantly wrap her arms around the vampire. "I... I feel like I haven't seen you in months."

Buffy closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath, savouring the moment. Spike heard the low grumbling coming from Acathla and wanted to interrupt their ill-timed reunion, but he couldn't make himself move. The romantic in him made him still.

"Oh, my God, everything's so muddled. I..." Spike heard Angel mutter, because he was sure now this was Angel, not his former teacher/torturer, Angelus. "Oh..." he begun to kiss her neck, "Oh, Buffy..."

The Slayer cried and hugged him tighter, but soon noticed what Spike was seeing. Acathla was opening his mouth, ready to swallow the world whole. She stepped back from her lover and looked into his face.

Angel was confused, "What's happening?"

"Shh. Don't worry about it." She replied softly, brushing his lips and then cheek with her finger. She kissed him, softly at first and then with passion. "I love you."

"I love you." He whispered back, as she continued to stroke his face softly.

"Close your eyes."

He obeyed, trusting her wholeheartedly. Spike watched, as tears running down her face, the Slayer kissed Angel softly, stepped back, drawing her sword, and thrust it into the man's chest.

Angel gasped, his eyes shotting open, and stared at her. He lifted his arm imploringly in her direction, "Buffy..." Within seconds, the vortex sucked the vampire inside and snapped shut.

Keeping his car in the shadows, hoping for extra sun protection, Spike followed Buffy as she went home, packed a bag, and boarded a bus. As much as he resented her for leaving Cassandra unprotected, he couldn't blame her after what happened in the mansion. It did mean he had to change his plans. Looking down at Drusilla, her unconscious body still covering the back seat, he considered the unthinkable. With a deep sigh, he begun the drive down to the shipyards.

A/N:

So! almost a year to the date since my last post. I have got to apologize. like most people in the world, the last year for me has been absolutely horrible. has not given me much of a drive to write. but i have often promised this will not be abandoned, and my plan is still to see it finished!

Some chapter notes:

First, i hate the whole rape trope that often happens to women in movies/tv/books. so over used, but unfortunately, a girl being in angelus care? its something that would come up so its not something i could avoid entirely.

second, i obviously skipped so much from this episode, but as this is from the perspective of cass/spike, things had to get cut. i am hoping all you buffy fans could fill in the blanks yourself.

third, this is the end of part one! part two is going to be completely different from season three. its not going to follow the same storyline. i'll be putting together the outline of how that will go soon (i already have a strong idea, and theres been hints in this story already) and will hopefully start writing the next chapter next week (no promises, i know, i suck).

I hope you enjoyed this and thank you for sticking by me with my terrible updating habits. please review, they make me so happy during this miserable year, and please follow and favourite.

thanks everyone!