Days Later

35 Belgrave Square

The horse carriage arrived at the front entrance of the luxurious grandiose white stoned home.

Sticking his head out of the open window, William Pratt stared up at the beautiful home in awe. Appearing over his shoulder, Drusilla peered out the window, looking up at the home and smiled as she lowered her gaze to her new playmate. "The singing fairy voices tell me that the sunshine is caught in the daffodils."

The smile on William's face began to falter as he looked at Drusilla strangely, still very much unsure what to make of the unstable woman.

A manservant opened the carriage door. William was the first to exit the carriage followed by Drusilla.

"Welcome home, my sweet Willy," said Drusilla with a sinister smile adorned across her beautiful face.

Inside: Hall

The pair entered the grand house and stood in the center of the hall.

Mouth agape, William tossed his blue eyes around the luxurious home. A large fireplace was carved into the wall. Mounted overhead was family crest shields, which spans across the length of the large wooden wall.

Drusilla let the butler remove her heavy cape from her shoulders. She watched as William moved around the beautiful room in admiration. "Oh. Such a hungry little kitty." Drusilla approached the fledgling vampire and gently circled her arms around his chest, pulling him back against her. "Meow. You've been a starved one, haven't you, my sweet Willy?"

William kissed the inside of Drusilla's hand and faced her. "I've got you to feast on now, pet." He picked her up by her hips, twirling her around with a grin. "Is this your home?" He looked around the beautiful home again.

"Their home." Drusilla said, turning her gaze to two middle-aged corpses, slumped on the sofa, posed as if they were sitting together. "Ambassador to… something and his plump, lovely wife. Till their spirits flew away on fairy wings." Drusilla then cups her hand around William's ear. "Psst. When Angelus took them for dinner." She began to laugh.

Gawking at the corpses, William's face shifted with jealousy and a bit of curiosity. "Angelus? Who the bloody hell's Ang—?"

Lurking in the shadows from the back office room, Angelus leaned against the doorway with his fingers steepled together.

Snaking her hand over William's shoulder, Drusilla gleamed up at her sire. "Look what I made. It's called Willy." She looked at the fledgling vampire, touching his high cheek bone.

"William," corrected William.

"Where's Mother Angel?" Drusilla's eyes darted around the large home in hopes of seeing Buffy at the top of the staircase or lingering the shadows. "I want Mummy to see my William."

Dressed in a fine black and white three-piece suit. Angelus closed the lid of the gold pocket watch in his hand and tucked it back into the small pocket of the embellished velvet and silk waistcoat he wore. "She's entertainin' t'a young master of t'a house. She'll be down when she's through." He said running his fingers over the dark mustache over his upper lip as he crossed the short distance towards the new couple

"Oh. Poor Daddy." Drusilla's eyes began to tear up with great sadness.

"Ah, don't fret, Dru," Angelus smirked, tenderly touching Drusilla's cheek. "She will come down soon. Shouldn't let t'at spoil our fun here." He turned his dark eyes to William. Stepping around the fledgling vampire, Angelus checked him out. "So, instead of just feedin' off of t'is William... ye went and turned him into one of us. Another rooster in t'a henhouse."

William felt uneasy of the mixed look of threat and desire in the look Angelus was giving him.

"You're not cross with me, are you?" Drusilla childishly pouted.

"Cross?" Angelus raised a brow as he grabbed William's arm and extended it out into the ray of sunlight beaming through the closed curtains. "Do ye have any idea what it's like havin' nothin' but women as travel companions, night in and night out?"

Angrily, William yanked his sizzling hand away. "Touch me again—"

"—Don't mistake me." Angelus chuckled. "I do love t'a ladies. My own mate is a wondrous creature…"

"Mate?" William raised a brow.

"It's just lately... I've been wonderin'..." Angelus held out a fist into the beam of sunlight, "what it'd be like…" he turned his eyes to his hand, watching it sizzle, "to share t'a slaughter of innocents... wit' another man." Angelus devilishly smiles, turning his hand over so the palm is in the light now; looks admiringly at it as it smokes. "Don't t'ink t'at makes me some kind of a deviant, hmm? Do you?" Angelus' dark gaze landed back on William.

William clenched his jaw and held out his hand into the light.

Angelus laughed with amusement and affectionately slapped William on the shoulder. "Au ah! I like t'is one! Ye and me, we're gonna be t'a best of friends."

Angelus laughter died immediately sensing his mate at the top of the stairs. He stepped away from William and walked over to the staircase as Buffy descended down the stairs.

She pulled the white silk glove high up her arm and patted her impeccably styled hair, which was decorated in yellow flowers. The bottom of her ruby stain dressed trimmed with gold cream lace dragged behind her.

Nervously, William pushed the side of his messy hair out of his face in the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. There was an elegance and poise to the blonde haired woman. He suddenly felt like a beggar from the streets at the sight of his undress.

"All is well again, a ghrá (my love)?" asked Angelus, taking Buffy's hand, guiding her down the last few steps.

Buffy smiled gently at him and replied, "Quite right. Except now I'll have 'Pop Goes the Weasel' playing in my head for the rest of eternity. Who's this?" Her green eyes landed on William.

Stepping forward, William bowed his head and said, "My name is William, milady."

"William is Dru's new playmate." Angelus explained as Buffy carefully examined the new member of their growing family. "T'is is Lady Elizabeth, boy," said Angelus, with a bit of hostility in his deep voice.

"None of that, my dear." said Buffy, never removing her gaze from William. "Since we are family now, please, call me Buffy." She held out her hand for William to take.

Overwhelmed by Buffy's powerful presence, William brushed his lips over her gloved knuckles.

Smirking, Buffy retracted her hand. "And where do you hail from, Mr William?"

"Here—London, born and raised, milady—I mean, Buffy." William felt foolishly nervous in the presence of this noble woman.

Buffy turned her gaze to Drusilla standing at William's side, staring up at him with big eyes. "You found yourself a local." Buffy dropped her eyes to William's hands and recognised black ink staining them. "By the stains of ink on your fingers, I'd guess to presume that you were a writer of sorts?"

"Poet, milady."

"Oh, how splendid," smiled Buffy, glad to have another artist in her inner circle. Angelus was always sketching her, it would be nice to have someone from the literary world. "Anything I would have read? I do love poetry."

With embarrassment, William shook his head. "Nothing that you would have read, no, ma'am. I was fairly struggling at the time of my…"

"Yes, well, you must delight us with a reading of one of your poems." Buffy turned her gaze to the dark haired and bushy eyebrowed butler, Charles Carson stood stoically in the background. "Ah, yes, it's nearly time for the theatre. Carson, will you have someone bring down Mr William a cravat and a set of tails and then bring the carriage around."

"Certainly, my lady," Carson said, bowing his head then walked away.

"Theatre?" William frowned.

Buffy raised a slight brow at the fledgling vampire. "Do you not like the theatre, Mr William? I do rather enjoy it. It's good fun and it has plenty of people to eat." She caught Angelus smirking behind her.

"I once ate a chorus girl," said Drusilla frowning and picking her teeth. "She got stuck between my teeth."

William eyed Drusilla strangely and cleared his throat to address Buffy. "I do, of course. But I thought that chaos at the Old Vic only days before would steer many patrons away from the theatre."

"Apparently, not." Angelus accepted the glass of whiskey being held out to him on a silver platter by a footman.

Drusilla leaned in close to William's ear and said, "Mummy kissed a Slayer there."

"Pardon me?" William frowned and snapped his blue eyes to Buffy.

The valet appeared holding a black suit coat, a black cravat and a crisp white shirt. Without time to waste, Buffy ordered for the valet to change William quickly or they would be otherwise late and Buffy hated to be late.

Dressed in his carrick coat, Angelus placed a black top hat on his head and sighed as William was still quickly getting dressed for the evening out.

"Carson," began Buffy, turning her attention to the house butler, "I'd like a pot of tea ready for when we return."

"As you wish, my lady." The butler bowed his head and opened the front door.

The women were the first to exit the beautiful home followed by Angelus and William.

William leaned over to Angelus and whispered as he put the top hat on his head. "Does he know that we're all… vampires?"

Wearing a look of amusement, Angelus grinned, "If he doesn't, t'en he will know soon." He laughed and climbed into the closed roof buggy of the carriage.

Royal Opera House: Grand Tier Boxes: #36

It was intermission.

Angelus offered one last time for Buffy to join himself, Drusilla, and William for a bite to eat, but Buffy declined and sat back in the red velvet chair.

Her eyes lowered to her hands as her mind wandered off into nothing of importance.

Buffy felt a familiar tug in her chest. It was enough to break her from her meandering thoughts. Looking up from her hands, Buffy's expression fell with surprise. If she had breath, she would have lost it at the sight of Dracula sitting in Angelus' vacant seat beside her.

His eyes were on the empty stage.

Buffy ran her eyes over him. He appeared just as handsome as he had since the last time she saw him in France nearly a century ago. His hair was cut shorter, just above his shoulders, but it was still black and silky. His violet eyes still pierced straight through her, seducing her with just a flick of a glance.

Dracula smiled, pleased that he still had such an effect on his Childe. "I should have known that you would be here tonight. 'La serva padrona' is the show and I do remember how much you loved it the first time we saw it. Remember, Naples seventeen thirty-three?"

Sheepishly, Buffy lowered her gaze to her folded hands on her lap. "How can I forget?"

"The first time we met was at a performance." He told her as his eyes darted around her face. "One of the few things left standing after the Great Fire."

The softness in Buffy's expression disappeared with frown of annoyance. "Reminiscing our long history together will not deter me from wondering what you are doing here, Vlad. Are following me again, how desperate you're beginning to look." She dismissively ran her eyes over him.

"Time has done you well, zeița mea întunecată (my dark goddess). It's been almost a century since we've last seen one another." He said, unbothered by her haughty behaviour and twirled a piece of her blonde hair around his finger.

"Yes, and I am better for it," said she, pushing his hand away from her face. "Now, you must run along, my dear Count before my mate comes back. He has quite the temperament."

Vlad smiled. "Your filthy Irishman does not frighten me, dragul meu (my dearest). Why you waste your smiles with him is beyond whatever I can fathom."

Buffy's expression darkened, quickly remembering every single reason why she couldn't stand living under her sire's tyrannical rule for the first one hundred and twenty-three years of her eternal life. "I would have done anything to get out from under your opposing thumb. Besides, Angel gives me something that you could never."

"Pray tell, what is that?" Dracula drummed his fingers over his knee.

"Passion, sir." said Buffy looking at her sire. "He riddles me with passion." A smile tugged at her lips watching Dracula's face darken with hatred for her mate.

Dracula reached out his hand and tenderly touched Buffy's cheek with the backs of his fingers. Despite herself and her firm conviction of her general dislike of her sire, Buffy could not help herself but lean in to his touch. There was still such a power he held over her.

"He will never know you as I do, Prințesa mea întunecată (my dark Princess)." Dracula whispered, drawing Buffy closer. "He did not make you." he said, inches from her heart-shaped mouth.

Demonic growling snapped Buffy from the thrall. She withdrew herself from Dracula's touch and glared at him angrily.

Dracula sat back in the chair and turned his violet eyes to Angelus standing at the box seat entrance snarling with jealous rage. William standing behind him, also growled feeling that as a new member of this family, he must be loyal.

"Get away from her!" Angelus launched his hands and grabbed Dracula by the front of his cloak.

"Temper, temper." Dracula smirked, calmly removing Angelus' hands. "You are in a place amongst gentlemen, sir. I will make my leave." He turned to Buffy, taking her hand and brushing his lips over her knuckles. "It was good to see you again, Lady Elizabeth."

Buffy scowled at her sire and removed her hand from his. "The feeling is not mutual, Vlad."

Dracula chuckled and bowed his head. He stepped around Angelus, William, and tossed a curved smile to Drusilla.

Angelus placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

William observed the mates ever so carefully. Buffy lifted her eyes to Angelus wearing a look of uneasiness on her face.

Without uttering a word, Angelus understood her perfectly. He leaned down to press his mouth to the side of her head.

35 Belgrave Square: Master Bedroom

In the early hours of the morning, William walked down the long hallway, careful not to make a noise in fear of waking Buffy and Angelus.

For the remainder of the evening, Buffy was very quiet. It was clear that her mind was elsewhere. William was desperate to know more about the infamous vampire.

Of course, he had heard of her. The legend of Quod Spiritus Sanctus (The Beautiful Demon) lived on in the pages of English folklore. She was everything that the authors of those novels had described her as; beautiful, elegant, charming, and viciously violent.

On his journey back to his room that he shared with Drusilla, William paused mid-step hearing the soft murmurs coming from the master bedroom.

The door was cracked open.

William peeked into the grand bedroom to Buffy and Angelus sitting naked on the bed. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her wrists draped over his shoulders. Her long blonde hair was unbound and fell over her shoulders and down her back.

"I don't understand how he can still have such an affect on me." William heard Buffy say. "Even after all of these years."

Through the crack of the door, William watched through the crack of the door as Angelus brushed his mouth over the long curve of Buffy's neck. "He is yer sire," replied Angelus.

"Yes, but you are my mate." Her hands cupped Angelus' face. "My husband in a mortal life. My paramour." She tenderly touched Angelus' cheek. "My lover."

"Aye, I am all of t'ose t'ings, Buffy." His hands slid down her naked back. "T'ere will never be a time when anyone can take ye from me. In fact, I vow to ye, mo ghrá (my love), t'at I will spend t'a rest of eternity remindin' ye of my affections and my loyalty to ye."

Fascinated by their interaction, William nearly forgotten himself and suddenly felt like an intruder to this intimate moment between Buffy and Angelus.

Two demons of pure evil shared a curious bond together. One would think that they truly were very much in love. But they possessed no soul, so how could they be in love? William wondered.

William breaks out of his thoughts as he watches Buffy hug her arms tightly around Angelus' neck.

She buries her face into the crook of Angelus' neck for a moment. Buffy lifts her head sensing they were not alone. Her green eyes dart to the door, catching William peeking through the small crack opening.

William felt paralyzed with fear. The small smile shifting across her face mortifies him. William quickly pushed himself from the door and continued down the hallway in a rush.