2001
Sunnydale, California
It had been two years since Faith and her friends plotted and successfully restored Buffy's human soul.
In that time, Buffy had heartbreakingly severed her long-lasting relationship with Angelus as a means to save him for an inevitable battle that would no doubt occur the more she immersed herself into the Slayer's inner circle. Breaking up with Angelus proved one of the hardest things she's ever had to do in her long life.
Not long after the battle against the Mayor, Buffy and Angelus stood at a distance between the smoke from the destroyed high school and the flashing fire trucks. She watched her love turn his back to her and walk into the smoke and darkness.
For two years she hadn't seen him—not even lurking in the shadows as he used to right after she broke things off with him.
It was the second year of college for some of the remaining Scoobies still in Sunnydale.
After graduation, Cordelia parted ways with the group to try her hand in Los Angeles as an actress. Xander still kept in contact with her and secretly hoped for the day of her return, wanting a second chance—despite beginning a new relationship with a former ex-vengeance demon and a great admirer of Quod Spiritus Sanctus (The Beautiful Demon) named, Anya.
Oz and Willow had broken up. Since starting college, the once solid relationship between the pair began to crack. It finally ended after Willow caught Oz cheating with another woman—a werewolf.
Buffy had grown close to the redhead and stepped in, threatening Oz with a lifetime cruelty if he stayed. Her soul would not stop her from seeking vengeance on the man that betrayed her closest friend and ally.
It was months later, Willow introduced her new 'friend', a talented witch named Tara. Buffy knew instantly that they were closer than originally let on, only because she could smell the arousal between the pair. Buffy remained quiet about her findings and waited for Willow to reveal her new sexual discoveries when she felt ready.
Meanwhile, Faith had been using her first year of college as a ground for sexual experimentation. Finally coming to terms with her bisexuality, Buffy knew the Slayer still longed after her. The female partners Faith attended to bed looked remarkably like the vampiress. Buffy and the group pretended not to notice this, but it was blatantly obvious, Faith's affections for Buffy ran much deeper than just sexual attraction.
Guilty of somewhat egging the Slayer on with flirtatious banter, Buffy had to admit, she did like the attention. It seemed to be centuries since she's had attention riddled with sexual desires—even though every time they went to the Bronze, Buffy was relentlessly hit on by men and even women alike. But still, no one interested her, except for the one she actually wanted—Her mate, who had disappeared two years before.
Buffy's relationship with Faith had gone through the ringer but in the end, their budding friendship grew stronger and closer than ever before. The pair bickered constantly, enjoying the tossing of jabbing insults that never offended them. Buffy had proven her worth and good intentions after helping to defeat the Mayor and later Adam, a Frankenstein-like monster a top secret government agency called, the Initiative created.
After Adam and thus the Initiative was destroyed, the group relaxed during the summer long months and had been relatively quiet in the Hellmouth town. This unsettled the group. Buffy kept her ear to the ground with her connections to the Underworld. She knew something was brewing but only rumours floated around about what it could possibly be.
Buffy hated the quiet. She always had. It was only a twisted reminder that she was alone—Especially now that Angelus was gone.
Faith, Willow, and the fractured group that was left after gaining a few new members were good for company, but it wasn't the same.
UC Sunnydale: Lowell House
As the new school semester drew near, frat parties were beginning to do its routine part in amping up the student body 'school spirit' with keg games and wet t-shirt contests.
Buffy hated going to these frat parties, finding them no different than the 'parties' at Taverns where she used to have to drag her father out of. Having drunken frat boys grovel at her feet mildly annoyed her, but still, she went. Mostly because Faith and Willow kept insisting that she spend more time with the living and less time in the dank mansion she still occupied.
Begrudgingly, Buffy went and kept her patience when the frat boys brandish tried to flirt with her and desperately tried to get her drunk.
But there was one man that seemed to catch Buffy's eye as she shooed the drunk frat boys out of her way. Riley Finn was tall with bright blue eyes and short sandy light brown hair. Buffy recognised Riley as one of the military men left over from the Initiative's destruction. He had turned on his leader, Professor Maggie Walsh in order to help Faith and the other's defeat Adam and the secret government facility.
They met in passing, but Buffy never took an interest, despite his keen interest in her.
Nervously, Riley stood beside her facing the party with a disposable cup of flat beer in his hand. He kept flicking his gaze over to Buffy, unsure how to strike up a conversation with the blonde.
Buffy knew what he was doing. She could hear his heart race with nerves.
"Uh," he wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. "H-how was your summer?"
Buffy thinly smiled. "Fine."
"Avoided the sun, I see..."
Frowning, Buffy wasn't sure if that was supposed to be endearing or a flaccid insult.
Catching the look on her face, Riley began to stumble, trying to correct himself, "I-I only mean that it doesn't look like you spent anytime on the beach and instead maybe somewhere like Finland—you know, someplace without sun—and okay, I know how this sounds… but I didn't mean it to sound insulting or anything and wow, is it me or is this hole getting deeper the longer I speak?"
Buffy looked at him with a raised eyebrow of amusement, "Oh, you were just going to stop there?" She tried to ease his embarrassment with a small joke.
"Only if I have a death wish—which I apparently do since I can't get this foot outta my mouth. I'm Riley, by the way." Riley stuck out his hand and wore a large grin across his face, trying desperately to cover his nerves.
Buffy smiled at him, "Yeah, I know. We did work together to defeat G.I. Frankenstein only three months ago."
Dropping his arm to his side, Riley's face reddened with embarrassment. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to look less like a moron that he felt like. "Yeah, yeah, I knew that I…" he continued to ramble as he looked at her. He felt suddenly lost in the depths of her green eyes.
"You what?" Buffy asked, blinking out of her own daze.
"... I didn't think you noticed me." He repeated himself, then cleared his throat, breaking from the trance of her eyes. "I-I mean, you seemed pretty preoccupied."
Looking down at her hands, Buffy mindlessly twisted the silver Claddagh ring that sat on the ring-finger of her right hand. "Yeah, I was going through a lot… of changes," she lifted her eyes to his face and knew if she was alive, her cheeks probably would have reddened from slight embarrassment.
"Are you a student at UC Sunnydale with Faith and Willow? I haven't seen you in any of their classes."
"No, I'm not a student." Buffy replied simply.
Riley frowned, he had assumed that she was since Buffy hung around with the Slayer and her friends in college settings like this. How else would she know about vampires and demons? Riley suddenly wondered.
"How do you all know each other then?"
"The Hellmouth is a small world." Buffy found it somewhat surprising that Riley hadn't asked any of these questions when he began working with Faith. But also somewhat surprising that Faith or Willow lent him some information that he'd be working with a souled vampire.
To be fair, Buffy hadn't taken any interest in the college man when they first worked with each other. Her focus was set on destroying Adam and not thinking about mending her cracked dead heart that felt anguish for missing Angelus.
"The way you handled yourself against—not just Adam but all the demons that were attacking us… I've never seen a fighter like you before. How long have you been a demon hunter?"
Buffy turned her eyes about the room and saw Willow and Tara dancing near the band. Willow's eyes and wide smile were directed at Buffy, happy that she was taking a chance and talking to a man besides wallowing in the corner in heartache for Angelus.
"So, uh," Buffy quickly changed the subject, "now that you're out of the Initiative are you just a full-time student?"
Smiling as Riley ran a hand through his hair, he shifted on his feet and answered, "Uh, yeah, kinda. Willow invited me to the next 'Scooby meeting'—whatever that means. Will, uh, you be there?"
"As long as it's not daylight savings," she replied cheekily, but Riley did not catch on to her weak small joke.
Instead, he brandished a smile across his face and inched to stand a little bit closer to her. He liked this girl, more than he realised. Riley wanted to get to know her more, finding something mysteriously sexy about her.
"Are you enjoying the party?"
Buffy looked around for a moment. She was not really enjoying the party. She found the college young twenty-something's obnoxious. "Uh, I feel a little old."
For all this time he's been talking to her, Riley was trying to work up the courage to ask her out. She intimidated him. It was clear that Buffy was way out of his league. She had a sexy, cool demeanor that made her seemingly sophisticated and worldly. Riley got the impression that she's lived multiple lives many times over. There was a look in her eyes that made her seem much older than she is. Riley was approximately three years older than her. He had overheard from Willow and Faith that Buffy was either twenty or twenty-one. He failed to listen to the rest of that conversation when they said, 'twenty or twenty-one... in sixteen sixty-six when she was turned'.
Just do it. Riley encouraged himself and faced Buffy, "Buffy,"
Buffy looked at him, giving him her undivided attention.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Ask away," she knew what he was going to ask. Buffy had caught him looking at the dance floor and she could almost hear his screaming thoughts.
"Would you like to…" There was a look of sudden shock and distraction etched on Buffy's face. She was no longer listening to the former soldier.
Her jaw was somewhat slacked from the shock she felt.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy stared at the man standing in front of her with a half-dead man hanging under his arm.
The man with slicked back platinum blonde hair and high, a scar on his brow, dominant cheekbones, and bright blue eyes stared right back at Buffy with an equal amount of shock. He wore a black t-shirt, red silk open button shirt, and a long black leather duster, with a pair of black denim jeans and tattered heavy boots.
"Buffy," he said with an English accent.
"Spike." Buffy's frown deepened. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, noticing the dying man partially hanging onto Spike with an open bite mark on his neck.
Thinking quickly, Spike said, "What's it look like? I'm gettin' somethin' to eat."
"At a college frat party?" She stared at him knowingly, sensing his transparent lies. Her eyes lowered to his boots, noticing the dirt on them. Rolling her gaze back up to Spike's face, he had certainly changed since the last time they saw each other.
"I go where the people are," he retorted, somewhat hostially. "What's your excuse?"
Buffy frowned. "I don't have to answer to you," she folded her arms across her chest. "What have you been digging, Spike?"
Spike frowned, "How'd you—"
"—Your boots. What are you up to, William?" Buffy grew quickly impatient.
"It's none of your damn concern, luv. Since you're not a part of the 'Big Bad Club' anymore. It shouldn't matter what I'm doin'."
Buffy glared at the vampire, already very annoyed, remembering just why she went out of her way to lose contact with the bleach blonde vampire.
"I hear you got yourself a soul." He smugly began to grin, finding the irony of the Slayer of Slayers cursed with soul.
"Yo," Faith appeared behind Buffy, glaring at the platinum blonde haired vampire. She nodded her head towards the man. "Looks like your friend started the party a little early."
Spike looked at the Slayer and rolled his eyes over her. Buffy watched his eyebrow raise, "So, let's have a look at the Slayer." Spike eyed the Vampire Slayer with fascination for a moment and smirked, "She's got… What's the word?" His eyes fell to her breasts. "Personality."
"What are you diggin' up, Spike?" Buffy's patience wore thin.
"Well, it's a funny story—" He threw the dying boy at Buffy and Faith. He shoved Riley out of the way as he leapt over the couch taking off into a sprint.
Buffy ran after him, following him outside.
Spike whirled around and backhanded her in the face.
Buffy retaliated and threw a punch into his side then another straight into his stomach.
The vampires exchanged powerful blows which were met by quick blocks.
"Ran into Angelus in LA." Spike told the vampiress, watching her frown deepen across her face. "And they say love's a bitch," he threw a swinging right hook.
Ignoring his digs about Angelus, Buffy remained on topic. She blocked the hit and jabbed Spike into the chest, "What are you digging up, Spike?"
"The Gem of Amara is—" Spike paused, suddenly realising what he had done. "Bloody hell." Angered at himself, he missed Buffy's punch that landed straight into his nose, "Dammit." He shoved the vampiress back into Faith's arms as he took off.
Buffy stood straight and released a deep unneeded breath. Shaking her head with familiar annoyance, Buffy looked at the Slayer, Riley, Willow, and Tara hanging somewhat in the background.
"B, who the hell is that?"
"A headache. Assemble the group. Our night just got a whole lot longer," Buffy turned her head, watching Spike run into the night.
Giles' Apartment: Living Room
The Scoobies sat around the living room, staring up at Buffy half sitting on the reading desk covered in Giles' open books and pages of notes from the past demons they've recently researched.
"I'm not sure where to start." Buffy uncomfortably twisted her hands together.
Faith leaned over, resting elbows on her knees and said, "Try the beginning," she smirked.
Buffy returned a smirk with a small smile and took a deep unneeded breath and said, "Angel and I have done a lot of terrible things together." She looked up from her twisting hands to the group. "We made a family—albeit a very dysfunctional family." Buffy easily avoided Riley's hard stare of surprise. "In eighteen sixty, I became quite fond of a young woman named Drusilla. She came into our lives by chance." Buffy shrugged. "Wrong place at the wrong time trope. Like the good Catholic girl, Drusilla went to confession."
Giles removed his glasses as he listened to the story.
"Angel was already in the process of killing a priest when he met her. She revealed that she had 'the sight'—Psychic powers. Only Dru thought it was a curse from God. But I knew it was a gift. And I wanted it."
Buffy eyes moved around the room. They stared at her with complete interest wondering about this psychic girl and how she tied into Spike.
"Angel and I… we fell in love with this girl." Buffy revealed, looking off as her memories flashed in her mind. "She was pure, sweet, chaste… She would've given Mother Teresa a run for her money. Dru was destined for the nunnery. She thought I was an angel." Buffy released a small weak laugh at its irony.
Pushing herself from the desk, Buffy hugged her body with her arms as she continued her story, "We advised every mental toture under the sun—and even created some. The more unstable she became, the more we poisoned her mind. She foresaw everything that would happen to her. In her mind she had visions of how everyone in her life would die."
The room was silent.
There was an eerie coolness in the air that seemed to still the room.
"In one of her visions, she foresaw her entire family's murder—even her own murder. I couldn't stop." Buffy guiltily admitted. "I wanted to break her like how I broke the Reverend. Dru was our masterpiece. She was everything I ever wanted." She cleared her throat and looked around.
Buffy caught the look of horror on Riley's face.
Beside Riley was Anya, she stared at Buffy with total fascination. She popped the popcorn into her mouth, enthralled by the story.
"Dru begged the Reverend Mother to let her take her vows to the Order early. Angel and I tortured and slaughtered the nuns in that church in front of her. We told her it was of her own doing." Images flashed in Buffy's mind of cutting open a nun alive in front of Drusilla. Buffy took out a nuns small intestine and wrapped it around Drusilla's neck like a scarf wearing a grin of a merriment. The memory made Buffy sick to her stomach.
Buffy continued on, "The small thread of reality left in that girl was severed. She would stare up at the ceiling counting the stars. Angel wanted to keep her and I agreed. I wanted everyone to experience the 'masterpiece' we created. She was to be a relic of our brutality and ingenuity." Buffy closed her eyes, picturing herself and Angelus having passionate sex with the poor young woman.
Buffy held out her hand for the young insane woman to join them.
Amongst the mass of torn and tortured bodies, Buffy, Angelus, and Drusilla fucked in a pool of blood. Buffy and Angelus buried their fangs into Drusilla's neck taking her life. "I was very proud." She pursed her lips with guilt.
Faith exhaled a long breath and rubbed her hands together, "Well, fuck, B." She looked up at the blonde in disbelief. After everything Faith that she knew about the souled vampire, she was still surprised. "Who's Spike? You two seemed like you knew each other."
"Spike," Buffy said his name with an eye roll. "Otherwise known as William the Bloody," she looked at Giles after hearing his gasp. "By that slight gasp, I assume you've already heard of the greatest thorn in my side." Buffy lightly jokes. "Spike was a failed poet—hence the nickname."
Giles frowned with a bit of confusion as he made the realisation.
Buffy smirked, "Oh, you thought he earned the nickname, 'William the Bloody' by torturing his victims with railroad spikes?" Buffy shook her head with a small laugh. "No, his poetry was that bad. He used to follow me around, telling me my beauty was 'effulgent'. His romantic daydreaming was charming at first..."
Sitting down in the chair at the desk, Buffy crossed a leg of her knee and said, "Spike was Dru's creation. She was lonely. She wanted a playmate and I don't share." Buffy shrugged. "The four of us were a family for a long time. Until Angel and I didn't want the baggage weight anymore. We hopped on an ocean liner and travelled to America. It's been a little over a century since I last saw them. If Spike is here, it's for a reason." Buffy looked at Giles. "He said something about the Gem of Amara."
Giles burst into action and immediately went to the shelf to research a book. "The Gem of Amara. Are you sure?"
"What is that?" Willow asked, holding Tara's hand tighter, feeling that her new girlfriend was overwhelmed by everything happening.
"It's, uh, the vampire equivalent of the Holy Grail," explained Giles.
Buffy nodded. "I didn't think it was real."
"Oh, you've heard of it, Buffy?" Giles asked, looking up from the pages of the book.
Nodding, Buffy said, "It's the source of some enormous power. For a while, Vlad was obsessed with it. He dragged me across the world for something I thought was a pipe dream."
"Questing vampires combed the earth, but no one ever found anything. It was concluded that it never existed." Giles explained.
"Purely legend," Xander added.
Buffy stood from the chair and held her hands to her hips, "But my Grandchilde seems to think otherwise." She felt the room's questioning gaze. "I'm his Grandsire and Dru is his—You know what?—I'll make a family tree one of these days…"
"So we should patrol. Nip this in the ass quickly," Faith said, moving to stand near Buffy.
"That's a good idea," Riley agreed standing straight. His eyes were on Buffy, unsure what to make of her now that he found out so much about her in two hours.
Buffy nodded, "Okay," she inhaled a deep useless breath and said, "Giles, Will, Tara, Anya stay here and find out everything you can about this gem." Buffy looked at Faith and the boys, "Faith, go downtown and check the docks and the cemeteries on the East. Riley, Xander, you guys head to the Bronze, campus, warehouses... If you find anything 'dug out' looking, don't engage him. Spike is very dangerous. So call Giles. I'm gonna head to the West and check out those cemeteries. We'll meet back here. Be careful," Buffy looked at Faith as she grabbed her long black coat.
"No worries, B, I got this."
Buffy reached out, grabbing Faith by the wrist and gently pulled her closer. "Faith, Spike is a lot of things but he is dangerous. He's killed Slayers before. Just... watch your back."
Faith eyed the vampiress for a moment. A smug smile slid across the burnett's face. "You worry too much, B. It's five-by-five." The Vampire Slayer turned away and exited the apartment.
Outside: Courtyard
Watching everyone walk ahead of her, Buffy hung back a little when she saw Riley also hanging back to talk to her.
"So you're a vampire," Riley shifted uncomfortably, holding his hands into his jean pockets.
Buffy nodded, "Yeah, I am."
"And you're not evil?" He frowned, unsure how that worked. He's only ever known evil demons.
"Not currently." Buffy's small joke fell flat, told by the confused expression on Riley's face. "I have my soul and that… changes everything—especially me being with the evil."
Riley slowly nodded, "Oh, how long have you had your, uh, soul?"
"Uh, two years. I'm still getting used to it. It's been confronting… When I was evil I-I wasn't that great." Buffy meekly smiled. 'Not great' was an understatement.
Riley tried a smile, which only made him feel more awkward, "You said you were older…"
Buffy smiled bashfully. "Age is just a number, right? Even if it's undead?"
Nodding with a smile, Riley ribbed the back of his neck and said, "Buffy—"
"—Riley, we should really go." Buffy said and lowered her gaze watching Riley turn away from her and walk up the steps to catch up with Xander.
Throwing her head back, Buffy exhaled a heavy sigh and dragged her feet to the stairs.
Restfield Cemetery: Underground Crypt
It wasn't hard to find Spike at all.
Buffy followed the familiar scent to an abandoned crypt in Restfield Cemetery.
Descending down into the cave of the crypt, Buffy held her hands into her jacket pockets tossing her eyes around to see a group of vampires wearing protective gear drilling into the rock walls.
A few vampires standing around a table of blueprints looked up and stared at Buffy in shock. They immediately stood straight and bowed their heads as a sign of respect.
Despite Buffy's soul, she was still a vampire with a reputation, which earned her great respect for the lower vampires and demons around her.
From the darkness, a paled faced thinly frail woman with piercing blue eyes and long raven dark hair appeared from the shadows. She wore a long sleeveless black lace dress with a black scarf around her neck.
"I prayed to the birds that Mother Angel would come. I told Miss Edith, but she didn't believe me so." Her English accented voice was gentle and somewhat feeble. "Mummy, is that you?"
A small smile crossed Buffy's face at the side of her Childe. "It's me, my darling." She said softly, letting her forgotten native English accent slip gently back into her words before it disappeared once more.
Drusilla's smile gleamed with happiness but then a sudden look of anguish forced her smile away. She held her fingers to her temples and cried, "Ooh… It's not right!" Drusilla lifted her eyes to her Sire and said, "I can see it," she reached out her hand and pressed it to Buffy's chest. "Bright and white—spider webbing out nasty blue strings around your heart. Everyone is a lie."
Buffy frowned.
Reaching her gaze, Drusilla twinkled her fingers over Buffy's head, imitating a spider. "It tells you, you're not a bad dolly, but you are. You try to be enlightened. Spilling our secrets. Spilled, spilled, spilled our secrets like seed." Drusilla reached down to touch her dress, raising high to her thighs. "You've been very naughty, Mummy."
Spike walked out from the cave holding protective headgear under his arm. "Dru, you shouldn't be walking around, pet. You're weak." He held a hand against her back and looked at Buffy. "So you found us. Didn't take long," he mumbled under his breath.
Rolling her eyes, Buffy moved over towards the table of blueprints and eyed them, "You didn't exactly make the search difficult." Folding her arms across her chest, Buffy raised a brow and glared at Spike with impatience. "Do you not feed her anymore, Spike?"
Spike lit the dangling cigarette in his mouth. "She won't eat anythin' I give her." He watched Buffy tenderly comb her fingers through Drusilla's long dark hair. "That's your doin', I reckon."
"The Slayer is out looking for you now." Buffy stated as she examined her Childe closely. Tucking a piece of Drusilla's hair behind her ear, Buffy gave her an affectionate smile before facing Spike.
Chuckling, Spike pursed his lips. "Come all this way to warn us then? How considerate of you."
"I'm giving you an opportunity to leave, Spike. If she finds you, I can't save you."
"Can't or won't?" asked Spike, carefully eying Buffy for a moment before laughing. "Oh, I see… That's how it's gonna be, eh? Treat your family like dirt, is it?" Spike looped his thumbs through his jeans belt loops.
Buffy grew impatient with the younger vampire.
"Got your soul back and suddenly you think you're better than us. You act like you forget what you are, Lizzie. But I know. You can act all high and mighty as you want but your body count will follow you always, pet."
"Nice speech," Buffy rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Go back to whatever hell-hole you crawled out of and—"
"—Angelus sent us here," Spike revealed. He smirked at the look of hurt and surprise painted across Buffy's features. "Funny enough, it was hard tracking him down when me and Dru got there. I mean, now that he's been spending his time fuckin' another green-eyed blonde. She's a yay tall," Spike waved his hand, indicating height, "werewolf."
Buffy stared at him with wide hurt eyes. She felt as if Spike's fist burrowed into her stomach in a hard blow.
Smiling cruelly, Spike watched his Grandsire's face fall with anguish.
"'Replaceable', I think is the word he called you." Spike tapped his finger against his chin wearing a smug smile.
"Oooh," Drusilla whimpered with dismay, "Mummy and Daddy are fighting." She combed the dark hair of the Victorian porcelain doll seated on her lap. "The Queen of Cups expects a picnic! But this is not her birthday. Mother Angel is a bad example, and will have no cakes today."
Spike chuckled, "I can picture a time—not long ago where you would wipe this smug smile from my face, but," the vampire ran his blue-eyed gaze over his Grandsire, "not now. You've gone soft, Lizzie-girl. So long to that powerful wonderment that you once were and hello to this prissy poor little lost lamb."
Buffy glared angrily at Spike, using every ounce of composure she had left not to tear him into pieces. She laid a calming hand to Drusilla's cheek, which instantly quieted the insane vampire.
"Get her something to eat and then get the hell out of my town." She commanded and turned away on the heel of her boot.
Smugly smiling with triumph, Spike had been waiting a long time to get a rise of anger out of his Grandsire. Of Buffy and Angelus, Buffy did not possess patience but she was usually the most evenly tempered. Whereas, Angelus' anger flipped like a light switch.
Spike always admired Buffy, much more than Angelus. Her reputation was easy to be envious of. Spike aspired to be better than her. He wanted to be the Slayer of Slayers. He wanted her status of triumph and the ear of the Devil.
A dark smile crossed his face as his arm wrapped around Drusilla. He was going to begin his reign as the supreme vampire by finding this gem and proving to Angelus that he was worth more and much more dangerous than any demon on earth. He wanted his Grandsire's respect.
Outside
Buffy stomped out of the crypt and paused, brimming with tears, she leaned back against the mausoleum.
Slowly sliding down from the side of the mausoleum, Buffy sat on the grass and buried her face into her hands.
He's with someone else? Buffy felt overwhelmed by grief and shock. As she closed her eyes, her mind filled with explicit images of Angelus with another woman, kissing her the way she used to be kissed. Touching her the way his hands used to touch her.
He's with someone else? How long? Does he 'love' her? Is it serious? Her mind raced with questions.
Buffy felt like vomiting.
Resting her head back against the mausoleum wall, Buffy let out a breath. Her eyes were wet with tears. Her dead heart felt shattered into pieces.
Closing her eyes, Buffy buried her face into her knees and sobbed.
A black smoke suddenly appeared beside Buffy.
An arm wrapped around Buffy's shoulders and hugged her. Buffy didn't care who had appeared beside her, she took comfort in the arm wrapped around her.
The tips of the stranger's fingers touched Buffy's chin, forcing her to look up at them.
Buffy slowly opened her eyes and gasped at the familiar pair of black eyes staring back at her.
Lucifer tucked a piece of Buffy's blonde hair behind her ear. He didn't need her to say anything. He knew.
He knew it was only a matter of time that she'd find out about Angelus and this other woman he's been bedding.
With a gentle touch, Lucifer ran the pads of his fingers over her pouting heart-shaped lips.
"You knew," she said accusingly.
The Devil nodded. "I did. I knew before it happened. I knew before you were turned. I knew before you were born." He tenderly caressed the soft skin under her eye, wiping away her fallen tears. "I've always known that he would hurt you, Elizabeth. I couldn't stop it."
Buffy looked away in heartbreak. "What are you doing here?"
"In all of my years—for as long as I've been bathing in floods of tears, I've never wanted to be soaked in yours." He brushed away another fallen tear with the back of his index finger.
Buffy removed his hand from her face but did not let go. Instead, she watched their fingers move around each other then intertwine and slowly settle into an embrace.
Lifting her green eyes from their joined hands to his sinfully handsome face and softly whispering, "It's gonna be light soon."
A smirk tugged at the corner of Lucifer's mouth but he did not respond. He could see the wheels of her mind turning.
Desperately trying to close her mind and banish the images of Angelus in bed with another woman, Buffy failed to catch herself as she slowly leaned in towards Lucifer and kissed him.
They kiss softly for a moment, letting the tingling sensation of their touching lips settle for a moment. Buffy initiated the kiss between them to deepen. Running her tongue over his lips, Lucifer opened his mouth wider, accepting her tongue.
Their kiss heated and grew more passionate—overwhelmingly so until Buffy abruptly ended the kiss.
They breathed heavily and looked at one another.
Buffy swallowed and said apologetically, "Sorry, I'm seriously needy right now."
Lucifer chuckled and held a hand to her cheek, tangling his fingers into her hair. "Let me worry about your needs, Elizabeth." He held her chin with his forefinger and thumb. He gently brought her closer, covering his mouth over hers.
Buffy sunk into the kiss, wanting to desperately not think about Angelus or feel her despair of losing him. She blamed herself. It was all her fault. She ended it with him. She let him leave. She pushed him into the arms of another woman. What was I thinking?
"Shh," Lucifer said, holding a hand to her head, hearing her thoughts, "silence your mind."
Crushing her mouth to his, Buffy did as told and silenced her mind. Not wanting to think about anything—nothing.
Lucifer held her closer and evaporated them into a cloud of black smoke.
Crawford Street Mansion: Master Bedroom
The pair teleported at the mansion from the cemetery.
They sat together on the neatly made bed, their lips still locked together; passionately kissing and holding one another close.
Resting her forehead to his, Buffy opened his black fitted suit coat wider and pushed it from his shoulders. Her hands slid flat over his chest. Under her palms she could feel his shapely muscles that lied underneath the black button-down shirt.
Her hand crept up his chest and cupped around his neck, falling back into the kiss.
Her mind remained blank, not wanting to think of anything but how good his warm hands felt against her cool skin.
Lucifer removed her coat from her shoulders and shifted to flig it aside, but the coat floated into the air for a moment. With the wave of his wrist, the coat floated across the bedroom to drape itself neatly over the arm of a loveseat chair placed in the corner.
Moving his hands around her slim, lithe body, the Devil found the strings that held the skimpy article of clothing covering her front.
Untangling the string ties, Lucifer continued to kiss her. His mouth veered from her mouth and went along the line of her jaw to her neck.
Buffy let out an unneeded breath and buried her fingers through his neatly combed short black hair.
Reaching for her hand, the Dark Lord stood from the bed, taking Buffy with him. Still locked in the embrace of their arms wrapped around each other, Buffy began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt and untucked the tails from his trousers.
Growing ill with impatience, with the snap of his fingers their clothing vanished then reappeared folded neatly to the side.
His mouth seemed to be all over her body at once. Never did the Devil's lips depart from her smooth skin. Throwing her head back, Buffy gave him ample access to her neck.
Lucifer opened his eyes as he coating her skin with open wet kisses. His dark eyes lowered to the bite mark scar on the right side of her neck. With a ghostly touch, Lucifer slid the pads of his fingers over the soft bumps of the scar.
Buffy looked up at him, meeting his dark gaze.
Tenderly, he caressed the side of her face and entangled his long fingers into her long mane of blonde hair. Buffy moved to the tips of her toes and fell into step with him as he walked her backwards to the bed.
Their mouths joined in a deep ardent kiss. The feeling of their tongues gently duelling for dominance sent a thrilling shiver straight down Buffy's body.
Falling into the temptation of her desires, Buffy pressed her front into his and hugged her arms around his neck.
Lucifer's hands went down her naked back, following the line of her spine to her hips. His fingers clenched into her skin until she moaned into the kiss. Smiling sinfully, Lucifer moved his hands over the mounds of her buttocks to the backs of her thighs.
Gently, he lifted the vampiress slightly off of the floor to lie her back over the California King sized mattress.
The Devil settled between her legs and continued to kiss her thoroughly. The mushroom tip of his cock teased her wet centre. He wanted her to beg to take away her unsatisfied hurt.
Becoming impatient with an uncomfortable itch of desire, Buffy began to grind her centre over him, wanting him to desperately fill her.
Opening her eyes to his, Buffy held a hand against his bristle bearded face. Her other hand cupped the back of his neck, keeping him close to her.
Touching foreheads, Buffy stared deeply into his black eyes. Unable to break away from his gaze, Buffy began to see the tall flames of Hell flicker in the irises of his eyes. Strangely, in his black pupils, Buffy could see the prisoners in Hell scream and wave their arms into the air as the river blood and fire burnt them.
Without thought, Buffy slid her fingers over the soft skin of his eyes, fasciated for what she saw in them. Lucifer smirked, admiring the strange look lost in her eyes.
Her gaze shifted softly as if she was coming out of trance.
Her fingers moved from his eyes to touch his perfect lips.
Catching the tips of her fingers against his lips, Lucifer tenderly kissed the pads of her fingers and looked back at her face.
Lifting her head, slightly from the pillow, Buffy closed the space between their mouths and lost herself in his transcendent kisses.
Buffy let out a gasping breath when he buried himself into her cool body.
Lucifer watched in fascination as her brows gently pinched together. He imitated her as she bit her bottom lip with pleasure as he began to steadily move in and out of her body.
Her knees drew higher up his sides, inviting him for deeper access to her body.
Taking the Devil by amused surprise, Buffy rolled him onto her back and grinded herself over him, enjoying the pleasure his cock gave her. Taking his hands that were at her hips, Buffy kissed the inside of his hand and laid them over the mounds of her breasts.
Lucifer released a breath watching her throw back her head and moan in pleasure. His eyes traveled from her head and followed the invisible line from her neck, between her breasts, her stomach to their joined bodies.
Needing his intoxicating kiss, Buffy leaned forward, covering her mouth with his and kissed him deeply.
Lucifer can feel the tingles and swirls of pleasure mounting into its explosion in her body. He rolled them, placing her onto her back and hastened the rhythmic pace.
Buffy let out a crying moan as she bit into his shoulder with her blunt teeth. Reaching the rise of her euphoric climax. Crushing her mouth to his, Buffy gritted her teeth and held her lover close as the waves of exultant pleasure soaked her body.
Not far behind her, Lucifer emptied his evil seed into her dead body and buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her floral scent that delighted him.
After a few minutes of calming down from their passionate and ebullient lovemaking, Lucifer lifted his head from her neck to look at her. Feeling his heart pound in his chest, neither of them felt the need to fill the air with witty banter.
Noticing a long strand of hair across her forehead, Lucifer tenderly pushed it away. A flash of Angelus appeared in her mind, remembering every time he did the exact gesture.
Lucifer knew in that instant that Buffy was uncomfortable and 'the spell' that had happened between them vanished. He stroked her cheek, turning her attention when their eyes locked. Seemingly calming her down, the Devil leaned in slowly, careful not to spook her when their lips gently touched.
When the kiss came to its natural end, Lucifer shifted off of the blonde vampiress and laid at her side. He watched as she rolled away from him.
Holding himself close against her back, Lucifer draped an arm around her waist and buried his nose into the back of her neck.
Meanwhile, Buffy stared blankly straight ahead, slowly letting her mind refill with racing thoughts she had temporarily muted.
Hours Later
Lying slightly on her side, with a hand flat to her cheek, Buffy continued to stare blankly at the wall. She turned, looking over her shoulder to Lucifer sitting partially up against the backboard with the bedsheet partially around his naked waist.
He turned his dark gaze to her face and offered her a small smile.
Buffy tried to return his smile. The curves of her mouth twitched but the smile did not complete across her face.
Modestly keeping the bed sheet wrapped around her naked body, Buffy sat up in the bed. She could feel Lucifer's eyes on her, watching her every move with a scrutinizing concentration.
Getting up from the bed, Buffy moved across the large bedroom when she reached the armoire. Opening its door, Buffy took out a knitted white sweater then into a pair of black denim pants.
Running her fingers through her—what she could only imagine was an unruly case of bedhead. It was moments like these she wished she was human, at least so she could've seen her reflection.
Turning around, Buffy was nose to face with a hairless muscular chest.
"Oh," Buffy lifted her eyes to his strikingly handsome face. "Hi."
His mouth curved into a smile. "Hi." Lucifer's hand cupped Buffy's cheek and pushed her hair from her face.
Beginning to lower his head to meet her lips that were only inches apart, Buffy took a step back, creating a distance between them. "Samael," Buffy lifted her eyes to his face and twisted the Claddagh ring around her finger. "I'm so grateful that you came. Last night… with you… it really meant a lot to me."
"But last night is where it ends." Lucifer said with slight disappointment in his voice. He had always known this, the one that she truly wanted was not him but her mate.
"It has to." said Buffy, feeling guilty.
With his finger, the Devil twirled the ends of her blonde hair around his finger and quietly nodded.
"Samael, it's nothing that you've done. You were wonderful. You've always been so good to me. It's me." She took his hand. "I want you. Last night only proved how much I do, but, you deserve someone that wants you completely. And I—"
"—I understand." He took a step closer to her and cupped her cheek with his hand. "I've been waiting three hundred years for you. I can wait longer."
Resting his forehead to hers, they closed their eyes.
Buffy knew that everything would be so much easier if she just gave herself to the Devil. But she couldn't. There was something holding her back—and it wasn't her soul.
"You shouldn't wait for something that might not never come," she told him.
Lucifer's only reply was a small smirk.
Buffy wished that she loved Lucifer the way she loved Angelus. It would be easier, but she didn't. She had given her unbeating heart away long ago and though they are separated, she was Angelus'—Always.
Covering her mouth with an all-consuming kiss, the Devil relished the feeling of her cool tongue as it tangled with his and the way her hands felt as they pressed against his chest and slowly slid up and around his neck as Buffy sunk deeper into the kiss.
Slowly breaking the kiss much to his displeasure, Lucifer opened his eyes and took a moment to imprint her beauty into his mind. Softly stroking the soft skin under her eye, he took a step back and slid his hand that cupped her cheek to her hand to give it a squeeze.
Buffy watched as he brought her hand to his lips and brushed his mouth over her knuckles.
"Goodbye, Elizabeth."
"Goodbye." Buffy held a hand against his cheek for a moment until he took a step.
Lucifer did not remove his eyes from hers as he continued to walk backwards and disappeared into black smoke.
Buffy let out the unneeded breath she had been holding in and pushed back her blonde hair.
It was then she heard the front door of the mansion open and slam shut.
"B!"
Buffy recognised Faith's voice yelling out her name from downstairs.
Pinching the bridge of her nose suddenly very exhausted from the emotional drain, she knew Faith and whatever she was pissed off with at the moment.
Rubbing her hands over her face, Buffy crossed the large master bedroom and walked out, heading down the stairs to find Faith standing in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips and her face curved into a deep scowl.
"Yo, B, where the hell have you been?" Faith angrily asked. "You never came back to the apartment. You bailed on your own plan. What the hell happened?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Buffy released a heavy breath and fell onto the couch, burying her face into her hands.
Faith shook her head, very annoyed with the vampiress, "It better be for a good reason, B. You were supposed to come back. What if Spike and his hobag found the—"
"—I slept with Samael." Buffy suddenly revealed.
Faith frowned with confusion.
"Lucifer. I slept with Lucifer."
Faith's expression twisted with surprise. "Whoa." The Slayer paused and sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of Buffy. "Are you serious? What happened? What about Angelus? I thought you couldn't be with another—"
"—It's highly frowned upon but not completely unallowed. If caught, it's punishable by death..."
Faith raised her brows with surprise. "You're that horny, B?"
"It was more… depressed retaliation." Buffy replied and twisted the Claddagh ring on her finger.
"How was it?" Faith asked with genuine curiosity.
By the conflicted look on Buffy's face, Faith knew the answer was much better than 'outstanding'.
"Angel's been seeing someone… probably more than just 'someone'." Buffy hugged her arms around her slender body. "I ran into Spike. We traded some back and forth words and he wanted to really hurt me and… he said Angel's been seeing another woman for a while now. A werewolf… apparently."
Shaking her head unsure if she could hate Angelus anymore than Faith already had. She turned her dark eyes to the blonde and said genuinely sympathetic, "I'm sorry, B. That really sucks."
"Yeah," she rubbed her forehead, feeling the effects of an approaching migraine.
"So you let the Dark Lord take a poke, eh?"
Buffy and Faith turned their attention to the back entrance that led into the sewers to see Spike and Drusilla standing there.
Buffy immediately noticed a gaudy emerald ring on Spike's finger. He actually found it. She narrowed her gaze over her Grandchilde.
Faith jumped to her feet and looked at the platinum blonde vampire up and down for a minute.
Releasing a heavy sigh of annoyance, Buffy rose from the chair and folded her arms across her chest.
"What did it take to pry apart the great Lady Elizabeth's dimpled knees?" Spike ran a seductive hand down this chest to his pelvis flashing his fangs.
Buffy pursed her lips together, knowing that Spike was only trying to make her angry. Don't fall for it. She repeatedly told herself.
"Oh, Daddy isn't going to like this," Drusilla whimpered. "Mother Angel is playing with other dolls that she named all the same name. What terrible confusion."
Faith frowned and looked back at Buffy with raised eyebrows, "So 'crazy chick' was your doing?"
Buffy shrugged, biting the side of her cheek.
Spike walked forward, closer to the Slayer and his Grandsire. His golden eyes were fixed on the blonde vampiress. "Did Satan play the heroic-friend bit and get you to seduce him? That's a good trick."
"You're a pig, Spike." Buffy fired back.
The vampire grinned, enjoying that his digs were beginning to get to her. "I wonder what went wrong. Were you too strong? Did you bruise the Devil? Come to think of it seems like someone told me that. Who was it? Oh, yeah. Angelus." Spike creully smiled.
Faith reacted to Spike's cruelty. She threw a swift roundhouse kick into his side and punched him repeatedly into his body.
Spike does a backhand swing into Faith's head, forcing it to snap to the side. She whirled around, infuriated, and pounded a hard back handed punch into the vampire's face.
Standing in the background, Buffy rolled her eyes waiting for the fight to end.
Faith pulled the stake from her back belt and jump-kicked. Spike caught her by the ankle and tossed the Slayer away. He strolled over to her and pounded a hard punch into the side of his head.
Getting back to her feet, Faith kicks Spike hard into the chest. He staggered backwards just as Faith's stake landed into his heart.
Spike looked at the stake impaled into his chest. He ripped it out and tossed it away. "Oh, do it again. It tickles. You know, in a good way."
Faith looked up at Spike with surprise.
Punching her into the nose, Spike grinned, "The Gem of Amara." He holds up his hand, then backhands her whereupon she hits the ground again. "Official sponsor of my killing you." Spike swung his arm. Faith ducked under the punch.
Taking immediate advantage of Spike's awkward position, Faith bent over his right side and held onto him for support as she kicked up backwards, hitting him in the head with a reverse snap kick.
Dazed, Spike failed to see Faith move around, until he took a step away from his side and stomped down on the back of his right knee, causing him to collapse.
Faith grabbed Spike by the front of his shirt and launched him into the air. He lands on one side of the couch and back rolls over the coffee table to the other section set at a right angle.
Picking up the stake from the floor, Faith stomped over to Drusilla. She punched the dark haired vampire in the face. Weakly staggering back, Drusilla toppled over against the wall.
Grabbing the vampiress by her long dark hair, Faith tossed Drusilla by the couch. Drusilla fell back and held out her hands in defense.
"Dru!" Spike hollered.
Faith raises the stake again and swings down hard with it directly at Drusilla's chest, when out of nowhere an arm reaches in and stays her swing. She looks to her side and sees that it's Buffy.
"What?" Faith looked at the vampiress with confusion.
Buffy knocked the stake from Faith's hand and tossed her away.
She redirected her attention towards Spike.
Angrily, Buffy marched across the living room. Spike got back to his feet and dusted himself off.
He charged the Grandsire with full force.
A hard punch landed into Buffy's body. She easily recovered from the blow and grabbed Spike, punching him twice into the face. He broke away from her powerful punches and managed to get a kick into her side.
Pursing her lips together, Buffy grew very impatient. She grabbed Spike by the front of his shirt and twisted him around by hooking a foot around his ankle. Tightly grabbing one arm with the gem on it, she jerked the ring off and kicked Spike in the gut.
Falling to his stomach, Spike winced in pain.
Buffy's heeled boot smushed against the side of his face, pinning him against the stone ground. "You will listen to me very closely, William." She stepped harder onto his face until he grumbled. "You and Dru will go back to Los Angeles," Spike grumbled angrily, "and you will tell Angelus that if he wants something in my town, do not send the children. Come and get it himself. And then you and Dru will go away—very far away. And if I see you back in my town uninvited again, I will hang you on my wall with your Great-Grandmother. Do I make myself clear?"
"Mmhmmf," Spike mumbled.
Buffy stepped on the side of his face harder then bent down and roughly picked him by his bottom lip. "Excuse me? I didn't quite get that."
Angrily glaring at his Grandsire, Spike begrudgingly replied through gritted teeth, "Yes, Sire."
"Good boy." Buffy shoved him across the room.
Spike stumbled backwards landing at Drusilla's feet.
"Get out of my sight." Buffy ordered.
Quickly getting back onto his feet, Spike fixed the collar of his leather trench coat. He grabbed Drusilla by the elbow and ushered her quickly out of the mansion before Buffy changed her mind and she began less forgiving.
Releasing an unneeded breath, Buffy faced Faith and held out her hand to help her up. "Sorry about the shoving thing."
"Shit, B, when you're mad… you get mad."
Sitting down on the couch, Buffy inspected the ring wondering just what they should do with it now.
Giles' Apartment: Living Room
The Scooby Gang was already in the apartment when Buffy and Faith entered through the front door from the fading sunlight.
"Yo, Geeves, were back!" Faith announced and immediately fell back into a chair kicking her feet up on the desk.
Giles looked up from the books with the others when they saw Buffy step into the apartment.
Buffy wore a dazed expression, staring out her hand bathed in the glow of the setting sun, which she had not seen for three hundred and thirty-five years.
Willow immediately went to Buffy's side, eying her with worry. "What's wrong? What happened?—Did you find Spike? Are you okay?" She paused with realisation. "Hey, you-you just walked in the front door—from the street—in the day!"
Buffy looked at the redheaded witch. "Yeah."
Xander stood behind Willow with eyes dark eyes wide open. "You got an umbrella!"
Giles removed his glasses and watched in amazement as Buffy stood in the rays of sunlight. It was then he noticed the shimmering gleam of the ring around her finger. "You found the Gem of Amara."
"It was Spike. I took it from him then sent him away." She was understandably distracted only wanting to be out in the sunlight.
The group watched her open the front door and walk out onto the country yard. She stared straight up at the sky, watching the cloudless sky shift and change into strange hues of orange, red, and blue.
Willow walked out from the apartment and stood beside the blonde vampire. "How long has it been since you've seen a sunset?"
Buffy frowned and counted her age in her head. After reaching her nineties in the mid-to-late seventeen hundreds, Buffy began to forget her age. She had seen the world evolve so much in four centuries. It was strange to see the society, trends, and the people change all around her and yet, she was so far removed from it.
"Three hundred and thirty-something years, give or take."
"You got to be feeling a lot right now, Buffy. I mean this ring—it changes everything." She followed Buffy's eyes up to the sky and smiled, "The sun will be out tomorrow. I promise, it'll look exactly the same."
"Not for me," Buffy replied.
Willow frowned and looked at the blonde. "What?—Buffy, what are you talking about? Are you saying you can't wear the ring?"
Moving her gaze from the sunlight to Willow, she said, "It's not that I 'can't'. It's 'I'm not going to'."
"Buffy, do you know what this ring means? It means you can get your redemption—really get it. It's what you've been waiting for."
"No, it's not." She held up the ring in the sunlight and said, "It only looks like it. Will, the power that this thing has… No demon—especially a vampire deserves that sort of power. It's too dangerous 'cause there will be a demon that will be far worse than I ever was and if they got a hold of this," she looked at the gem, "who knows the bad that will happen."
Willow watched Buffy turn away and head back inside the apartment.
Taking off the Gem of Amara, Buffy placed it down onto the table and let out an unneeded breath.
"It's very small," Anya held her arms across her chest and looked at the ring curiously.
Faith sat up straight in the chair and said, "Yo, B, if any vamp gets their paws on this. They're gonna be unkillable."
"I know. That's why we're going to destroy it," Buffy stated. "It's the only way no one will get it." She looked over at Giles.
He nodded his head approvingly but still felt a pang of sadness for the blonde vampiress.
Faith stood up from the chair as Buffy took the ring on the desk. "I can take care of it. I saw a loose brick outside."
Together they walked outside, with the others following in tow.
Buffy smashed a brick over the ring and a green light flashed then disappeared.
"So…" Xander began, "... what do we do now?"
Faith held her hands into her pockets beside Buffy, and stared down at the brick on the ground. "Bronze?"
Buffy shrugged. "Sounds good."
The group, minus Giles began to walk up the steps of the courtyard to walk over to the nightclub.
