"Could I speak with you Rupert," Van Helsing asked as they headed down the hallway.

"Certainly," said Giles.

"Please come to my room and have a cup of tea and we can talk."

Giles followed Van Helsing to his room. There were two easy chairs set in front of a small fireplace. Giles felt good to be back in England where things were more civilized, even in another world. An electric kettle was sitting on a table along with a teapot and two cups. It seems that Van Helsing had planned for a guest. Giles wondered if he was expecting Katherine. Not that it was any of his business. Perhaps Buffy was right and he needed to get a life. Of course the last person he had thought about having a life with had been killed by Angelus. Giles sat across from Van Helsing and watched as he poured the tea.

"What's on your mind, Johann?" Giles asked.

"It's hard to speak about, Rupert. I don't really know how to begin. I wanted to pick your brain about being a watcher," Van Helsing said.

"I certainly have some interesting stories to tell, but do you think this is really the time?"

"There's something I haven't told Katherine yet." Van Helsing stood up and began to pace back and forth.

"Yes," Giles took a sip of his tea, it was English Breakfast."I'm afraid the vampires are returning."

"I thought you said that this Dr. Strange's spell destroyed all the vampires?"

"That's what we thought, however there were apparently factors that were not considered. The fact that Dr. Strange's brother had been turned and frozen cryogenically, the fact that the spell doesn't destroy vampires over a certain age, and so forth. There is a man in our world known as the Daywalker. His mother was bitten when she wa pregnant with him. Somehow he survived and he has some of the powers of the vampires. He has been hunting and he has found plenty to hunt. I have not told Katherine because she is not ready to fact this challenge. "

"You want her to be the slayer. Does she have the skills?"

"It is not what I want, it is what is needed. Besides if the vampires find out about her, they will be after her. They will hound her as they hounded her mother. I have to prepare her for the struggle. She has powers I can't explain to you, that come from being who she is. Her mother was pursued by vampires all her life and was finally killed by one. She chose to have herself cremated rather then face the possibility of turning," with this Van Helsing sat back down and gulped from his own cup.

"I wish I knew how to advise you, but this is not something I have had to deal with," Giles put a hand on Van Helsing's shoulder in encouragement.

"I understand, I suppose I just needed a little moral support. There's no

Watcher's council here as there is in your world. The only other person I have to confide in is Doctor Strange and he is rather too busy being the Sorcerer Supreme."

"I would like to meet this Doctor Strange. He sounds like a fascinating person."

"You could say that. Don't you have such a protector in your world?"

"Not that I know of. You know this may be a good test for Katherine. You can see how she reacts when confronting Spike and Drusilla. Perhaps I could ask Buffy to speak with her."

"You think that Buffy could help?"

"I am no expert, but although Katherine is a bit older then Buffy, I would think that their similar experiences might help them bond and discuss things they wouldn't discuss with you or I."

Van Helsing looked thoughtful at this. He took a more careful sip of his tea and stared into the fire. Giles got the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling. He had seen the way the Buffy looked at Katherine back in the Underground. There was something unusual about the woman, and Buffy had sensed it. Giles didn't think that either of these new acquaintances were evil, and they had seen Katherine in the sun, so she couldn't be a vampire, could she? Could vampires in this world stand sun light for a short time. That had been the case in the book Dracula, but wouldn't Van Helsing have mentioned that fact right away.

His curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "Tell me about the vampires here, Johann. You said they might be coming back. Forewarned is forearmed if we happen to run into any locals."

"I don't know where to start. What can vampires do in your world. Apparently there is a television program about you here, but I never watch television," Van Helsing seemed to be avoiding the question.

"Vampires in our world are demons without souls. They must feed on human blood, but they can live on animal if they have to. They burn in the sunlight and if you stake them, they disintegrate. They also burn from holy objects. There very strong and fast. If they drain a human to death, the human automatically comes back as a vampire unless you stake them. They have to be invited in to a dwelling. They don't have reflections. Those are the basics. Now please share."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we wait until the morning so I won't have to repeat the explanation for Buffy. Besides, I'm quite tired."

"It seems you are not in the mood to be fully honest with me. I shall wait until the morning. Thank you for the tea, it was quite good. Sleep well."

Giles took one last swig of tea and then hurried out the door. When he got to his room, he looked at the empty closet and realized, that while Buffy had a chance to go shopping for clothes, he hadn't. He'd have to wear the same thing tomorrow. Ah well, it wasn't like he had a reason to look nice. He undressed and went to bed.

****************************

Drusilla had convinced Spike to take her out for some fun. He figured they must have proved their intention to follow the rules sufficiently. It had been some time since either of them had been in London, but Spike knew that the local vampires wouldn't tolerate attention being brought on the community by outsiders. The official Slayer might still be in Sunnydale, but the Watcher's council had other pokers in the fire and they were based in London after all. He was just as tired of the Underground as Dru, however so they went bar-hopping.

The first place they visited was a Pub that had been in the same location for at least two hundred years. The Drum and Whistle had seen Spike, Dru, Angelus, and Darla quite a few nights in the past. Spike hoped that it wouldn't make Drusilla feel to nostalgic, hopefully it had changed a bit since the last time they were there. As soon as they stepped inside, Spike realized that it had changed quite a bit more then he would have thought. Although it had been some time since he had last visited this place, it was totally unrecognizable. What had been a dank and dingy dive with dark wood beams and smoky walls, had been transformed to a place full of light wood and clean white paint.

A live band was playing Celtic music on a small stage in the back. Spike looked at Dru and saw that she was entranced by the lead singer, a young woman with her hair dyed green. Dru led him to a table near to the band, the only table left open, by some strange chance.

"I'll go get us some drinks, so we fit in," Spike said as he pulled out her chair for her.

"I'll stay here and watch the music flow," Dru had a dreamy lilt in her voice. "The colors are so pretty."

"Right, you do that, Dru."

Spike made his way up to the bar, winding through clapping dancing patrons. The bartender was also clapping his hands to the music, but when Spike came up he smiled all business.

"What will ya have?" he asked.

"A Guiness and a glass of red wine," Spike replied.

The bar tender nodded and pulled a glass of Guiness from the tap, "Is this your first time here? I haven't seen you before."

"I was here quite some time ago, place seems different these days. How long have you had live music?"

"As long as we've been here."

Spike took the beer and the wine and headed back to the table. Dru was still staring intently at the girl who was singing. Spike set the glass in front of her and turned his chair towards the stage so he could watch as well.

"What do you find so fascinating," he asked after a few moments.

"You can see the colors when she sings. Can't you see the colors, Spike?" Dru asked.

"I don't think so, what colors are you talking about?"

"Blues and greens, happy colors. She can change the colors in the room. It's wonderful," with those words Dru stood up and started to spin in place throwing out her arms.

The other patrons closest to the stage laughed and clapped as she danced her way onto the floor. The singer didn't seem to notice, but kept on belting out the lyrics with a strange smile on her face. When the song was done the band decided it was time to take a break and headed to a back room for a break. Dru waited for a moment, and then started to follow them.

Spike jumped up and grabbed her arm, "What are you doing," he growled.

"I need to talk to her. Don't try to stop me," Dru pulled her arm out of Spike's grasp and ran towards the back room.

Spike sighed and followed her. The Band were sitting in the small green room drinking beer and talking about the gig. The singer looked up as Dru came in and blanched. The lead guitar, a brawny six footer, saw the look on her face and stood up to tower over Dru.

"No fans allowed back stage, Miss, please go back to your table," he put a hand on her shoulder to turn her around.

Dru broke his arm with one snap and pushed him to the ground where he sat holding his arm. The other band members jumped up and tried to run from the room, but Spike knocked two of their heads together and Dru broke the neck of the third. So much for keeping a low profile.

The singer looked at all this in shock, "What do you want from me? Don't hurt me, I didn't do anything. Who are you people?"

Dru went up to her and started stroking her hair, "Don't worry, little one," she crooned, "no one's going to hurt you. You're very special, you know that don't you. You can send the colors dancing with your words."

"What colors, what do you mean? I'm just a singer."

"Emotions, when you sing you project them on your audience, I can feel it, it's wonderful," she pulled the girl's chin up gently, "now you're going to go out there and make them angry for me."

As Dru looked into her eyes, a blank look filled them and the girl stood up. She stepped over the members of her band lying dead or unconscious on the floor and walked back out to the stage as if in a trance. She started to sing a wordless song and suddenly everyone in the pub stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her. Dru stepped behind her to watch developments and Spike followed. For a moment the room was filled just with the song, and then one of the men closest to the stage turned around and punched his table-mate in the jaw. It was as if a dam had broken in a matter of second the entire pub was a sea of punching and kicking fights.

Dru clapped her hands in delight and started to sing along with the girl, making up her own strange lyrics to match the wordless song. Spike just leaned back against a wall and watched the carnage in bemused amusement. Within a few minutes the entire room was either unconscious or lying on the floor moaning.

Spike went up behind Dru and said, "Dru, this was quite entertaining, I have to admit, but we'd best get out of here before the Yard shows up."

"I suppose you're right, but we're taking her with us," Dru grabbed the singer, "I want to play with her some more."

"Very well, let's go out the back way."

Pulling the dazed young woman along behind her Dru went through the back room and out the back door to a dark alley. Spike took one last look at the wave of destruction and violence the singer had caused and followed them. As they headed down the alley towards the street a shadow loomed out of the deeper darkness. It was a rather short man in evening dress.

"Welcome, young ones, to Londinium. This is my city, and I fear you have broken my rules," the man's eyes seemed to glow red in the shadows.

It was the first vampire they had seen in London, and he was very old and very obviously pissed.

"Bloody Hell," Spike swore.