Before the Darkness

Author: Kyizi, the Diva of Darkness

Spoilers: Prophesy Girl, Becoming, Lovers Walk, Fool for Love, (Actual scenes have been taken from the transcripts) and my fic "Stepping into Darkness" (SID for short!)

Notes: A prequel to SID (better to read SID first or you'll have NO surprises left!) Think of this as what Fliq tells Willow and Cordelia during Part 18 of what they already know.

Okay, For the purposes of this fic, I need to state year. So, going by the original air dates for BtVS and AtS, I have…Season 1 BtVS = 1197, Season 2 = 1998 etc (\ AtS S1 = 2000)

I know there's a lot more I could do with this story, but I need some surprises left for the sequel! Also, this will jump around in time and place, hope it flows okay.

Dedication: This is for Sugar Bliss, HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY STEVIE-JANE!!! Fliq is NOT a Mary sue!!!! She's not based on me, but when I met Stevie it was weird to find out she was like Fliq!!! Spike said he wanted some Sugar, I simply delivered!!! ;) So this is for your 18th, Stevie, you finally get to find out what Fliq's all about!

Again, thanks to Anya for the use of the Sanctuary…go read her fic "Sanctuary" ;)

Feedback: Hmmm, let me think…uh…YES!!!

Email: kyizi@hotmail.com

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 1996

Slowly she rounded the corner, the blue mist calling to her, sweeping through her and awakening her spirit. She stood up straight, her stake forgotten as the addictive feel of the magick pulled her forwards making her body ache for more contact as it played with her senses. Her judgement clouded, she wandered towards the club only to be stopped by a Grayal demon.

"You won't get in there, little one," it drawled at her, "Not without a pass." He pulled her into another alley and led her to a narrow doorway. A small voice in her head called out to her, begging for her to think but it was brushed aside by everything else within her.

"So, little one, what are you?"

"I…excuse me?" Fliq asked, confused. She had no power, she wasn't an active Slayer, and no one should know that.

"Only creatures of the night are called by the Sanctuary, what are you? Witch? Demon?"

"Oh, I'm Wiccan." She replied, allowing the relief to sweep through her, "What is that place?" she asked as the Grayal came towards her, wand in hand.

"It is the Sanctuary, a safe haven for the creatures of the night. No violence must come to pass within its walls. It's a night spot."

"And my age doesn't matter?"

The Grayal laughed, "You're a creature of the night, little one, I doubt a little alcohol will make a difference compared to the stuff you mess with."

Fliq smiled, "True. Ow!" she grabbed her arm and looked at it, "What's this?"

"That, my dear is your magickal pass. It will stay with you and change as you do. Show this to the bouncer and you'll get in." Fliq glanced at the black pentacle on her left arm and winced once more before pulling her sleeve back up to cover it.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

She wandered through the crowd, pushing back her intuition, forcing herself to forget her Sacred Duties as she smiled at the groups of vampires and various other demons that passed her by. She had been coming to the Sanctuary for weeks and yet occasionally she still felt that ancient urge sweep through her, taunting her to kill them.

Pushing aside her inhibitions, she closed her eyes to the beat of the music, letting the sensation sweep through her as the magickal tendrils held her close. The R&B beat echoed through her and she smiled. Moving onto the dance floor, she walked towards her friends. Smiling a greeting, she fell into movement beside them.

She was glad she had persuaded them to come, their reluctance had not only been visual, it had been vocal again, and she only felt a slight twinge of guilt about the spell she had cast to change their minds. Graine giggled and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"That gorgeous guy is staring at you again!" she yelled over the music. Fliq instantly spun around, ever curious about the mysterious man that her friends insisted was constantly looking at her. Fliq, however, never saw him and to be honest, she doubted the man even existed. Shaking her head she turned back to the group and motioned that she was off to get a drink.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"Hey, watch where you're going, short stuff."

Fliq turned to glare at the vampire, "Watch it yourself, Blondie."

"Oh, bint's got guts."

Fliq narrowed her eyes further as he smirked at her. After waiting at the bar for about half an hour and then trawling back to her friends only to realize that she had forgotten her own drink, she was feeling less than patient, "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

"How about this," Spike pulled her into his embrace and whisked her onto the dance floor, "You know, short stuff, arguing is foreplay to guys like me."

"That's nice," Fliq said trying to pull away from him, "Let me go." When his grasp tightened, she elbowed him in the chest, only to be pulled in harder.

"Come on luv, I only wanna have a little fun before the big bad evil comes a-knocking."

"Well, be careful, 'cause sometimes evil knocks in the wrong place."

"Come on, Fliq, that's not nice." He growled softly.

"How…how did you know my name?" she asked tentatively.

"You'll find out soon enough, short stuff, soon enough." Spike kissed the end of her nose and let her go, disappearing into the crowd before she could say another word.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

3 MONTHS LATER

Fliq shuddered. She rubbed her hands up and down her cold arms, hoping that the friction would heat her up at least marginally. She had walked her friends home straight after their Khai Bo class and had insisted she'd be okay to walk home, but now, with a strange feeling creeping through her veins, she wasn't so sure.

She had felt this over the last few weeks, the distinct feeling that someone was following her, watching her every move. Whenever she was alone at night that same feeling arose, clawing at her, suffocating her. She took a deep breath and sighed. She would be fine, nothing was going to happen…

She fell to the ground with a thud, her wrist twisting awkwardly beneath her. Crying out in pain, she quickly rolled over and hopped to her feet, clutching the injured arm to her chest. There were four of them. Snarling at her as if they were a piece of meat.

She pulled herself into a fighting stance, but knew that her options were limited. Sure, she knew all the moves, she had training practically coming out of her ears, but she didn't have the strength. Not only was she physically exhausted from her class, but she wasn't an active Slayer. She didn't have the power to fight four demons at once. Especially not four Rhy'arak demons, they each had the strength of 5 pretty strong men and were built like tanks. She was barely taller than five foot and had the strength of a teenager…she was in trouble.

They had surrounded her. Backing into a wall, she glanced once more at them before relaxing her stance. She tilted her head to the heavens and began to cast a circle. Noting her intentions, the demon's lunged forward. Suddenly there was a flurry of action and Fliq watched from the corner of her eye as the peroxide blond began to fight off the demons.

She frowned, she didn't understand…continuing her spell she closed her eyes to the yelps of the of the bloody demons and called to the Goddess and God, begging them for help, begging them for answers…

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"Oh shit," Fliq pulled her injured arm into her chest, clutching at the wrist. The spell had left her head aching and her body weak. She had begged the Goddess for more time, time to heal and time to understand and, given her change in surroundings, she realized that her wish had been granted. She stood, brushing the dirt from her trousers, and walking from the alley. She looked down and frowned, "Cobbles? What the hell?" She quickly ran towards the main street and her breath caught in her throat, "Oh fuck."

~~~~~*****~~~~~

LONDON, ENGLAND 1879

"I say, miss, are you all right?"

"I…I'm fine."

"Are you sure this fellow isn't bothering you?" Fliq forced her gaze from the man in front of her to glance at the speaker.

"Thank you, Sir, I'm alright." Taking a good look at her attire, the man raised his eyebrows before nodding and continuing his walk. Fliq turned back to the man before her, taking in his small gold rimmed glasses, his floppy hair and his nervous manner.

"I...I'm sorry, miss, do I know you?"

Fliq laughed at his voice, "I'm sorry. No, you don't know me…not yet anyway."

He grinned nervously at her, "Your clothing is…well, it is rather strange, are you in trouble?"

"No, I'm alright. I just plan to let hair down and have a little fun before the big bad evil comes a-knocking."

The man frowned, "Oh, do be careful, Miss. Sometimes evil knocks in all the wrong places." He smiled at her, "Look at me, I…I have forgotten my manners. My name is William Goodheart and you?"

Fliq snickered, "Good…Goodheart?"

"Why yes, is something a bother, Miss?"

"Oh, no. Everything's fine." She smiled and extended her hand, "Felicity Fowler."

"It's lovely to meet you, Miss Fowler."

Fliq looked into his eyes and smiled, taking in the gentle kindness she saw reflected there, "Yes, it's lovely to meet you, too, William."

~~~~~*****~~~~~

LONDON, ENGLAND 1880

"William?" Fliq ran down the stairway, holding the edges of her dress up, hoping that she wouldn't trip. She had been wearing them for about a year and, although she did love to wear them (she was never telling her friends that!), she still managed to trip over them.

"I'm in here Felicity."

Fliq smiled at the gentle voice and wandered into the room, "What are you doing?" she asked, careful to speak properly. She wandered over to him and peered over his shoulder, gazing at the words scrawled over the page in his messy hand.

"Another poem, what do you think my dear?" He cleared his throat, "You're beauty it is radiant, the sun doth melt amongst it's gentle wings..."

"William," she spoke softly, "this isn't right…It isn't you." She crouched down so that she was looking up into his eyes, "Those gentle words you sing into my ear, where do they come from?"

William smiled and pulled her up onto his lap, "From my heart, my Felicity, always from my heart."

Fliq smiled and kissed him lightly on the nose, "Then why can't you write your poetry from the same place?"

"But the wording and the grammer…everything must be perfect, must flow from the page in a gentle breeze of creativity and elegance. Those words I sing are for you, and only you."

Fliq smiled and allowed him to pull her deeper into his embrace. A small tear slipped from her eyes as she tried to push away the thoughts of the future…the memories that showed what he would become. There was a pull at her heart as she felt the spell's end draw near. Soon she would have to leave, she would be swept into that careless future where everything was different. Where her life was without her husband.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fliq eyed the room. She hated these parties. What William saw in there people was beyond her understanding. His need to be accepted within their feeble grasp of the English upper class was a silent mystery only for him. But she came, for him she would do anything…even if that meant loosing him.

She glanced around the room and spotted her. The girl who would receive William's affections…the girl who would look after her love until that inevitable day that would suck his life away from him. Taking a deep breath she prepared to cast her spell, to weave herself from William's memories and thoughts…to insert some other woman into his life.

Looking around, she locked her eyes onto the petite form of the young brunette. The only woman she had ever heard stand up for William other than herself, the polite stranger who seemed to hate these parties as much as she did. She took another deep breath and began to chant, began to wisp away from William's mind.

Suddenly she was thrown off balance and she turned to the careless woman who had bumped into her. She gasped as the woman muttered a polite "Sorry" and watched as the unfinished spell wrapped itself around the women's aura.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"NO!" Fliq fell to the ground, her dress catching on the nearby piping.

"Felicity?"

She looked up into William's eyes and the tears began to fall. Gone were the nervous stutter, the gold rimmed glasses and the floppy hair. She had lost her love to a woman less than worthy…a lot less than worthy of his love. And here he stood. In a black leather jacket, peroxide blond hair and a cigarette in his blood covered hand.

"Come on love, lets get you changed."

Not having the energy to fight him, she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms as he carried her to his nearby home.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 1996

Fliq opened her eyes and smiled, rolling over, reaching out. Her eyes shot open as the memories flooded back. She wasn't in England anymore and she wasn't in the late 1800's either. She looked across the room and there he sat. He was leaning forward in his chair, his chin resting on his clasped hands as he gazed at her sadly.

"Why am I still alive?" she asked warily, pulling her knees into her chest, "Why didn't you just kill me."

"I couldn't kill you Felicity, I could never kill you."

"You're a vampire."

"Perceptive," he said, his eyes not leaving hers, "But I was once a man in love," He stood and walked over to her, gathering her unwilling form into his arms, "I'm still in here, luv, I'm different but I'm still here."

"What happened, William?"

"Well, for a start, I go with Spike now."

"Spike?" she pulled away and looked up at him, "You're joking right?"

"Hey, I happen to like my name, now do you want to hear or not?" she nodded and he made himself comfortable.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

LONDON, ENGLAND 1880

William sat awkwardly on the edge of the chair. There was a voice in the back of his head again. The one that screamed, *this is not right. She's not the one* but he pushed it away. How could she not be the one? She was the only person he had ever loved, "Cecily..."

"Leave me alone."

William smiled, at her, undeterred by the look on her face, "They're vulgarians. Can't you see? They're not like you and I."

"You and I?" His breath caught in his throat as she turned to face him. She was so close he could almost feel her breath as she began to speak again, "I'm going to ask you a very personal question, and I demand an honest answer. Do you understand?" William nodded quickly, a small smile on his face, ignoring the voice yelling *fool*

"Your poetry. It's, they're not written about me... Are they?" He watched her as she gazed across the room to the laughing group as they ridiculed him further. He vaguely remembered a time when someone would stop them, but he pushed it away, and stared at her.

"They're about how I feel."

"Yes, but are they about me?"

He took a deep breath and collected all his courage, "Every syllable." And there his world came crashing down. With their next words, their only real conversation, she crushed his hopes, his dreams and the shaky spell that held his memories at bay. Her face came flooding back, the touch of her lips, her gentle caress as she called his name. Her love. A love that he would never find again. And he fled into the night.

"And here I wonder...What possible catastrophe came crashing down from heaven and brought this dashing stranger...To tears?"

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 1996

"It was lucky the poof was there to finish changing me, Dru was too busy dancing about, singing that she had a childe to remember I had to feed off her too. Daddy to the rescue." Spike grumbled.

"Who?" Fliq asked and he told her. She learned more about Angelus in one night than she had in all her years of study and she learned that her one true love was William the Bloody.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SUNNYDALE, AMERICA 1997

*FIGHT* The voice yelled at her, screamed for her do listen. She swung her arm at him, but he knocked it away with ease. And then she felt nothing. Her inner voice was yelling, screaming, pounding in its unresponsive shell as he moved towards her.

His hand wove a gentle motion, twisting, turning, calling her to stop…not to think, just to stop. A vague part of her noticed him removing her jacket, letting it fall to the ground as she gasped for breath. The fear grabbed her.

*FIGHT*

"You tried." His voice echoed through the underground chamber. The Master's eerie kindness, "It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything." He leaned closer, his gentle whispering resonating through her, "You're the one that sets me free. If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that."

Buffy's eyes darted around the room furiously. The underground hell was slowly fading. She fought the darkness but it was begging her, aching for her to join it and she wondered what it would be like. No more lies, no more death, just a welcoming darkness…and he bit her.

"Oh, God! The power!" His voice echoed through her as she fell to darkness, a small part of her mind, triumphant…*Every one liked her dress*

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 1997

Fliq laughed as she swatted his arm. As they left the Sanctuary, she again pushed away that little niggling feeling that something was wrong...that something was going to happen. She glanced up at Spike...Spike, she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that.

She watched as he swaggered towards the demon taunting her and groaned. He seemed to like playing the big tough demon and she still had to live with the fact that he was a killer, she still had to live with the fact that she still loved him.

She watched as the demon backed off and Spike turned to her, a triumphant look on his face. She smiled back at him and gazed into his eyes. And then it happened, she gasped as she felt the piercing her skin. She cried out at the tingling ache that held a black stake as it was embedded into her arm. Spike stood next to her, an unanswered question falling from his lips. She would never be all right. Not any more.

She had let him back into her life. Let him be there for her. Let him love her…and now it was all being stripped away. She had been called…she did what she had to, she turned on him. The love that had followed her through time, was brought to an end.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SPIKE

He wandered through the streets. He had found her. Drusilla sat in silence as he reached the bench and sat next to her. The cool wind taunted him, he had killed her, taken her away from him. He had turned her and she would never love him again.

"I had to kill her, my Spike." Drusilla whispered in her gentle tones, "The stars were telling me the darkness was coming. She must be ready, we all must be ready." She turned to face him, "She's not your destiny Spike, she was sweet little William's…not yours. There's a fire burning for you Spike, I can taste it. All burning and tickling and magickal, and just for you." She giggled, "Two little fire's all burning bright. My daddy will be all green."

He watched her, replaying the scene over and over in his head. He hadn't even seen Dru till it was too late. All he had seen were the tears in Felicity's eyes as she straddled him, steak at the ready, knowing that she couldn't do it. Her wide eyes taunted him, they floated through him as he saw her fall onto him with the gentle, mad ramblings coming from behind her. He could never have let her die, not like that, not when he could save her, turn her. He had to do it, even if it meant loosing her, even if it meant forever.

Spike turned to Dru and reached out his hand, "Come on then, pet, lets go see about those fires of yours."

"Not mine, Spike, not yet."

~~~~~*****~~~~~

FLIQ

She shuddered. There was no air, no breath, no life. It grumbled beneath her skin, aching, screaming, writhing. The gentle hunger began to whine, echoing in her ears, taunting her. It whispered in her ears, the gentle ramblings of an newborn bloodthirst, that unwilling evil that was repressed within her.

It cried out, it yelled, it screamed within her skin and she listened. She listened because she had to, because he had let thig thing inside her, made her a part of it. The hunger welled beneath her, begging her as she sensed the musical beat of the nearby people. The gentle tumbling of rythm from their teasing hearts called to her, it preyed upon her senses, those of the vampire and the Slayer, twice the hearing, twice the torment.

She walked briskly towards the tall building, her arms wrapped around her waist. They would help her, her father would help her.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SUNNYDALE, AMERICA late 1997

"I'm naming all the stars."

Spike wheeled his chair over to her, "Can't see the stars, love. That's the ceiling. Also, it's day."

He listened to her joyful giggles, as she continued to watch the ceiling, "I can see them. But I've named them all the same name, and there's terrible confusion. I fear there may be a duel."

*The stars? Fliq? She always talks of Fliq with those bloody stars and never tells me anything. But no, this time it's about the bloody poof* he thought, trying to simmer down his anger, *See if she'll elaborate* he smiled, "Recovered, then, have we? Did you see any further? Do you know what happens to Angel?"

"Well, he moves to New York and tries to fulfill that Broadway dream. It's tough sledding, but one day he's working in the chorus when the big star twists her ankle!"

Spike turned to the doorway, the image of his sire walking into view, a cold smile on his face, "Angel."

"Still having trouble guarding your perimeter, brother. Your boys downstairs are going to wake up sore."

Spike's annoyance rumbled within him, but he refused to give his sire the satisfaction, "You don't give up, do you?"

"As long as there is injustice in this world...As long as scum like you is walking - or, well, rolling - the streets, I'll be around. Look over your shoulder. I'll be there."

Spike smirked, *Oh, I'm bad*, "Yeah, uh, Angel... Look over your shoulder." He watched in amusement as Angel turned to face the Judge. Watched as he began to shake. He grinned, *Bad to the bone*

"Hurts, doesn't it?" He asked, smirking at the shaking vampire across the room.

"Well, you know, it kind of itches a little."

*What?* He frowned as the Judge gazed at him, "Don't just stand there, burn him!"

"Gee, maybe he's broken."

*What, the poof's got himself a sense of humor now, has he?* Some part of his mind wondered. However, that definitely wasn't his main priority, "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh my..." Drusilla smiled.

"I cannot burn this one. He is clean."

Spike stared in shock, "Clean? You mean he's…"

"There is no humanity in him."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Angel smiled.

"Angel...?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm back."

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND late 1997

Fliq woke up, clutching for air...*I don't need air* she remembered. She began to rub her eyes, thinking of what had caused her to wake. What had called out to her. She opened her eyes to the stinging sensation.

*Fire* she pulled herself from her bed and stared outside. She watched with horror as they stared up at her. Smiling. The bastards were smiling. *DAD!* Suddenly she ran from the room, ran to the hallway. She couldn't hear the heartbeat, she couldn't hear his thoughts...she couldn't sense him.

She threw the door open, her eyes stinging from the smoke, her undead lungs filling with the black gas as she calmed herself with the unnecessary act of breathing. She coughed, looking around the room wildly, praying, begging, hoping...

"NO!"

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SUNNYDALE, AMERICA early 1998

He was choking her. His mind laughed, *Imagine choking something that doesn't breath* He squeezed tighter, knowing that Drusilla's subconscious would make her breath, make her react to the act. She always did. His memory flowed back to better times, torture, sex, Drusilla. He allowed her to take over her mind, knowing that it was the only way to keep her from surfacing.

"Sorry, baby. Wish there was another way." He said, catching her as she collapsed in his arms. He walked towards the door. He had lost one of the loves of his life, he refused to loose another. Stopping to glance at the fight, he watched as Angelus took the upper hand, "God, he's gonna kill her."

*Oh well* he shrugged and walked towards the car.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SOUTH AMERICA, 1998

He stood in disbelief, the smell of her warmed the air around the outdoor cafe. Spike looked at her, miserable and irritated.

"So, Sunnyhell was not our finest hour. And yes, I made a deal with the Slayer. But you were shagging Angel and bringing about an Apocalypse to end all life as we know it. So? Every couple's got their ups and downs, Love. Point being, we got through all that, it's behind us now. Isn't it?"

"I hate it here." Drusilla said, her sing song voice dancing through the night air, "Furry little animals peering at us from out of the trees, and the people all taste funny.

"Right." Spike spoke, trying to keep his cool, knowing that despite everything he said, she would know what was in his heart, "We'll pick up and move again, and we'll keep moving 'til we've found the perfect spot, and there I'll make you my queen." He held her hand and gazed into her eyes sincerely as she pulled away.

"Just tell me what you want." He pleaded, adding a silent *please*

"I want the Slayer dead, Spike."

"You're the one who keeps bringing her up! I haven't said a word about the bloody Slayer since we left California! She's on the other side of the planet, Dru! Gone from our lives forever!" His unneeded breath came in ragged bursts of anger as he spoke, all the while knowing that Buffy wasn't the Slayer Dru was referring to.

"But you're lying, I can still see her. Floating all around you. Laughing. Why don't you push her away?"

"But I did, Pet. I did it for you! And you're still punishing me, you think I don't know what's going on with you?" Spike's voice softened. Drusilla knew. He had chosen her, but only knowing that Felicity wouldn't have him…never wanted him again.

Spike closed his eyes, trying not to look at the creature standing to his right. *Bloody chaos demons. All slime and antlers* he growled to himself as the demon spoke, but he ignored it, his gaze remaining fixed on Drusilla.

"I have to find my pleasures, Spike. You taste like ashes."

*Fliq's ashes* called a voice in his head, *You destroyed her* He pushed the voice away, *NO! Dru destroyed her…for me* He silenced the voices, speaking to the woman before him, "This is my fault now?" he replied, trying to remain focused on the conversation.

There was a noise as the Chaos demon nervously began to speak, "I didn't know she was seeing someone... I should take off."

"Yeah, why don't you do that?"

"You can't blame a girl, Spike, you're all covered with her. I look at you, all I see is the Slayer."

~~~~~*****~~~~~

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND 1998

Fliq flipped over the dustbin, her hardened eyes focusing on the creatures before her. She took them out, expertly, all the while imagining the bleach blond that had ruined her life.

It was easier to hate him, easier to blame it all on his undead ass. It made the fighting easier, stopped her being taunted by the memories of their training, of their laughing, of their loving.

He had taken everything away from her. Her breath, her friends, the Sanctuary through having to avoid her friends, her whole life…her father. His loving pleas resonated through the core of her being as she was laughed at by the demon within.

He would pay. He had taken her life, she would take his…she had to, it was who she was. It was what he had made her.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

SUNNYDALE, AMERICA 1999

"A spell. For me. You're gonna do a spell for me." He looked at the young woman before him, breathing in her fear. It was intoxicating.

"Uh, what kind of spell?" Spike stared at the young girl throughout their exchange. She was a pretty little thing. *What was she doing hanging about with the Slayer?* he wondered. He watched her nervous replies as she awkwardly tried to comfort him, *reminds me a little of Fliq* he thought, instantly cursing the voice that had spoken it.

Here he was trying to force himself to forget about the stupid chit and his own inner voice was reminding him of it! He raised his head from its resting place on the girl's shoulder, "Mmm. That smell... Your neck..." He leaned closer, his demon pushing past him, "I haven't had a woman in weeks."

The girl jumped up in fright, "Whoa! No! Hold it!"

"Well, unless you count that shopkeeper." He said standing up. He tried not to smirk at her as he wondered just how far he could push the girl. How far before she let out that passion he saw in her eyes, buried behind the gentle exterior.

"Now, now, hold on! I-I'll do your spell for you, and, and, and I'll get you Drusilla back, but, but there will be no bottle-in-face, and there will be no 'having' of any kind with me. Alright?"

*Well, well, well. I'll need to keep an eye on this one. There's a fire burning in there after all*

~~~~~*****~~~~~

WATCHER'S COUNCIL 2001

Fliq gazed at them in disbelief. Having disabled their vampire detectors yet again, she was crouched in the ancient hallway of the Watcher's Council building. She heard the gentle murmuring…a key…the Slayer…Sunnydale…death.

They were all going to die. She took a deep breath, *No, they weren't going to die…she was going to America*

~~~~~*****~~~~~

THE BEGINING