A/N: Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and had no encounters with any
vengeful spirits!
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Three~
"I saw you."
Uncomfortably, Anya ignored the voice and figured the woman wasn't talking to her.
"I saw you," the woman behind her said again. There was no mistaking that she was addressing Anya. "You were there, in the field running through the mist."
Anya turned to see the speaker who sat in the seat behind her, raven hair streaming and eyes blazing with millions of secrets.
When the woman knew she had Anya's attention, she leaned forward and whispered, "the stars warned me of you. You want to take him away from me don't you? That's why you run through the mist blindly. That's why you're a threat."
"Are you stupid or something?" Anya asked and the raven-haired woman laughed wickedly.
"I won't let you take him. I won't let you have my William no matter what lies the stars tell."
"William?" The name sounded familiar but Anya couldn't place it. "Who are you?"
"Someone who wants her happy home back. She wants her daddy and Spike back-"
"Spike?" Anya cried in surprise. Spike's real name was William, that's why she recognized it.
The woman's eyes blazed.
"Princess doesn't like interruptions. When Miss Edith speaks out of turn, I always punish her by-"
"Do you ever stop talking? How could Spike stand being with you for such a long duration of time?" Anya wondered aloud.
"No cakes for the bad demon lady!" Drusilla hissed as her eyes turned amber and her fangs elongated.
She shot out of her seat to attack Anya. But Anya shouted to the bus driver who slammed frantically on the brakes. Drusilla flew backwards in a flash of white lace and tumbled across the floor. With disgust, she stood up quickly. And if it was possible, she looked even angrier than before.
"Do you want to know what the stars told me would happen to you?" Drusilla asked sweetly with a hint of anger blemishing the sweet girl she was trying to portray.
"Now, please-"
Drusilla shot around and sliced her nails across the bus driver's neck. A couple in the back of the bus gasped and the woman sobbed. Anya cried out and using her demon powers, teleported herself to the bus driver's side. It was too late. Now Drusilla was even closer to her and stood above her menacingly. Anya knew Drusilla could kill her if she wanted to.
"You continue to stumble through the field all lost like a poor puppy dog, the kind daddy use to nail to doors. And just as you think you see something in the distance-"
Anya pushed Drusilla away from her suddenly. It caught Drusilla off guard and she tumbled backwards into the street.
"Where's Spike?" Anya demanded.
"You can't have him," Drusilla hissed.
"If you want him so badly, why did you break his heart anyway?" Anya asked her. She knew she should've gotten out of there but she had to know where Spike was.
"Reasons," Drusilla shrugged it off, "but now I want him back and what Princess wants, Princess gets."
"Princess is insane," Anya replied sharply. She ran to the back of the bus and pulled the door off of its hinges then herded the frightened couple off of the bus. As soon as the couple ran off, Anya saw Drusilla coming for her so she quickly teleported herself away.
She had to find Spike, fast.
* * * * * * * *
"I'm bored," Faith whined as she kicked a stone across the pavement.
"You're worse than Drusilla," Spike grumbled as he walked beside her.
"Come on, don't pretend you don't like me," Faith taunted and then twirled, Spike's leather duster furling around her from when she complained that she was cold.
Despite himself, Spike did like Faith. She reminded him faintly of Drusilla, his first love. Well, his first love as a vampire. But that was primarily in an annoying sort of way.
"So where are we going again and why can't we take a bus?" Faith prodded.
"We're going to a dingy club that I heard is frequented by the heartbroken, prime vengeance demon ground," Spike explained again. "And I just. I just don't want to ride a bus."
"You have a feeling about it?"
Spike shrugged and slipped a cigarette in between his lips. "I guess you could say that."
For a while they walked in silence as Spike slowly blew long streams of smoke from his lips. The streets those days were still enough for any nearby footsteps to be heard. But there weren't many footsteps. No cars passed or stood dully by the sidewalks. It took long enough to get buses back; cars would be another few years for "big" cities like New York. There wasn't even the occasional yowl or clatter from an alley cat lurking near. A few lights glittered nearby but for the most part the doors were closed, the lights dimmed, and crosses clearly displayed.
"Where were you?" Spike asked Faith suddenly.
"What do you mean?" She replied, fingers fumbling unconsciously in the pockets of Spike's duster.
"You know, during the. Final Battle."
Shrugging, Faith looked up at the smoggy sky and said, "I was busy."
"Busy? We were all a bit busy and could've used some help," Spike hissed angrily.
Faith stopped and turned quickly to Spike. He bumped into her and without thinking, grabbed her arm. Still holding her arm, he backed away from her a little as she spoke.
"You want to know what I was doing? I was stuck in some goddamn prison that didn't care that the world was ending. The law's more important than life apparently. It took a while but when I finally escaped, there wasn't much left anyway. I went to find Angel but. he was gone," Faith said softly.
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I watched Buffy. for the second time. I just."
"That's life. It sucks. Deal with it," Faith said sharply and suddenly.
Spike's grip on her arm tightened. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked up at his face. Swaying slightly, her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"What now?" She murmured.
Somewhere far off, loud voices could be heard.
Faith's hair curled lightly around her lustful eyes. Spike took an unnecessary breath and felt himself lean forward slightly. She tilted her head towards him but just as their lips brushed against each other, he turned away.
"I think I hear club music over there," he said.
Faith scowled and pulled away. "If you don't want to play." She started walking towards where the music was coming from.
Spike shook his head softly and lit yet another cigarette. He had to find Anya, fast.
* * * * * * * *
The farther Anya got from Drusilla, the more she rationalized the situation. Finally she stopped on an abandoned shop doorway to catch her breath. Settling onto the dirty ground, Anya ran shaky hands through her windswept hair.
She sorted out her thoughts and tried to make sense of it all. 'Why would Drusilla be in New York? She said she was looking for Spike. Does that mean he is here? Or maybe she's leaving for wherever he is located. Or maybe,' Anya thought with horror, 'Drusilla is here to kill me. She knew I'd be trying to find Spike so she thought she'd eliminate the threat.'
Anya didn't know very much about Drusilla. All she knew was what Xander or Spike mentioned casually every once and a while. But Anya had picked up that while Drusilla didn't possess very much sanity, she did have very developed psychic powers. It was perfectly possible that Drusilla came to New York because she knew Anya would be there. Of course, she could also be there because she knew Spike was there.
Deep heartedly, Anya wanted to believe the latter. She wanted to think that life was kittens and balloons. But even deeper down, she knew it wasn't. Anyanka had lived long enough to know that life wasn't fair. It wasn't kittens and balloons. But if she worked hard enough, it would be worth it to have even a few moments of true happiness. It would be worth it to have Spike.
But what were the risks? Getting killed by an envious and psychotic vampire?
'There is still time to go back,' Anya thought frantically. 'I'm still in New York and my apartment couldn't have been taken over by scavengers already. I couldn't go back to vengeance. I've tried this whole love thing before and I've seen the consequences. Go back now and I could just force myself to care about those women's problems, force myself to be happy.'
The distant sound of a crash brought Anya back.
She stood up, wiped her eyes, and looked ahead of her, at the world around her. She couldn't give up on this lead. If Drusilla was here, so was Spike, Anya decided, and she wouldn't give up on him.
* * * * * * * * *
TBC.
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Three~
"I saw you."
Uncomfortably, Anya ignored the voice and figured the woman wasn't talking to her.
"I saw you," the woman behind her said again. There was no mistaking that she was addressing Anya. "You were there, in the field running through the mist."
Anya turned to see the speaker who sat in the seat behind her, raven hair streaming and eyes blazing with millions of secrets.
When the woman knew she had Anya's attention, she leaned forward and whispered, "the stars warned me of you. You want to take him away from me don't you? That's why you run through the mist blindly. That's why you're a threat."
"Are you stupid or something?" Anya asked and the raven-haired woman laughed wickedly.
"I won't let you take him. I won't let you have my William no matter what lies the stars tell."
"William?" The name sounded familiar but Anya couldn't place it. "Who are you?"
"Someone who wants her happy home back. She wants her daddy and Spike back-"
"Spike?" Anya cried in surprise. Spike's real name was William, that's why she recognized it.
The woman's eyes blazed.
"Princess doesn't like interruptions. When Miss Edith speaks out of turn, I always punish her by-"
"Do you ever stop talking? How could Spike stand being with you for such a long duration of time?" Anya wondered aloud.
"No cakes for the bad demon lady!" Drusilla hissed as her eyes turned amber and her fangs elongated.
She shot out of her seat to attack Anya. But Anya shouted to the bus driver who slammed frantically on the brakes. Drusilla flew backwards in a flash of white lace and tumbled across the floor. With disgust, she stood up quickly. And if it was possible, she looked even angrier than before.
"Do you want to know what the stars told me would happen to you?" Drusilla asked sweetly with a hint of anger blemishing the sweet girl she was trying to portray.
"Now, please-"
Drusilla shot around and sliced her nails across the bus driver's neck. A couple in the back of the bus gasped and the woman sobbed. Anya cried out and using her demon powers, teleported herself to the bus driver's side. It was too late. Now Drusilla was even closer to her and stood above her menacingly. Anya knew Drusilla could kill her if she wanted to.
"You continue to stumble through the field all lost like a poor puppy dog, the kind daddy use to nail to doors. And just as you think you see something in the distance-"
Anya pushed Drusilla away from her suddenly. It caught Drusilla off guard and she tumbled backwards into the street.
"Where's Spike?" Anya demanded.
"You can't have him," Drusilla hissed.
"If you want him so badly, why did you break his heart anyway?" Anya asked her. She knew she should've gotten out of there but she had to know where Spike was.
"Reasons," Drusilla shrugged it off, "but now I want him back and what Princess wants, Princess gets."
"Princess is insane," Anya replied sharply. She ran to the back of the bus and pulled the door off of its hinges then herded the frightened couple off of the bus. As soon as the couple ran off, Anya saw Drusilla coming for her so she quickly teleported herself away.
She had to find Spike, fast.
* * * * * * * *
"I'm bored," Faith whined as she kicked a stone across the pavement.
"You're worse than Drusilla," Spike grumbled as he walked beside her.
"Come on, don't pretend you don't like me," Faith taunted and then twirled, Spike's leather duster furling around her from when she complained that she was cold.
Despite himself, Spike did like Faith. She reminded him faintly of Drusilla, his first love. Well, his first love as a vampire. But that was primarily in an annoying sort of way.
"So where are we going again and why can't we take a bus?" Faith prodded.
"We're going to a dingy club that I heard is frequented by the heartbroken, prime vengeance demon ground," Spike explained again. "And I just. I just don't want to ride a bus."
"You have a feeling about it?"
Spike shrugged and slipped a cigarette in between his lips. "I guess you could say that."
For a while they walked in silence as Spike slowly blew long streams of smoke from his lips. The streets those days were still enough for any nearby footsteps to be heard. But there weren't many footsteps. No cars passed or stood dully by the sidewalks. It took long enough to get buses back; cars would be another few years for "big" cities like New York. There wasn't even the occasional yowl or clatter from an alley cat lurking near. A few lights glittered nearby but for the most part the doors were closed, the lights dimmed, and crosses clearly displayed.
"Where were you?" Spike asked Faith suddenly.
"What do you mean?" She replied, fingers fumbling unconsciously in the pockets of Spike's duster.
"You know, during the. Final Battle."
Shrugging, Faith looked up at the smoggy sky and said, "I was busy."
"Busy? We were all a bit busy and could've used some help," Spike hissed angrily.
Faith stopped and turned quickly to Spike. He bumped into her and without thinking, grabbed her arm. Still holding her arm, he backed away from her a little as she spoke.
"You want to know what I was doing? I was stuck in some goddamn prison that didn't care that the world was ending. The law's more important than life apparently. It took a while but when I finally escaped, there wasn't much left anyway. I went to find Angel but. he was gone," Faith said softly.
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I watched Buffy. for the second time. I just."
"That's life. It sucks. Deal with it," Faith said sharply and suddenly.
Spike's grip on her arm tightened. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked up at his face. Swaying slightly, her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"What now?" She murmured.
Somewhere far off, loud voices could be heard.
Faith's hair curled lightly around her lustful eyes. Spike took an unnecessary breath and felt himself lean forward slightly. She tilted her head towards him but just as their lips brushed against each other, he turned away.
"I think I hear club music over there," he said.
Faith scowled and pulled away. "If you don't want to play." She started walking towards where the music was coming from.
Spike shook his head softly and lit yet another cigarette. He had to find Anya, fast.
* * * * * * * *
The farther Anya got from Drusilla, the more she rationalized the situation. Finally she stopped on an abandoned shop doorway to catch her breath. Settling onto the dirty ground, Anya ran shaky hands through her windswept hair.
She sorted out her thoughts and tried to make sense of it all. 'Why would Drusilla be in New York? She said she was looking for Spike. Does that mean he is here? Or maybe she's leaving for wherever he is located. Or maybe,' Anya thought with horror, 'Drusilla is here to kill me. She knew I'd be trying to find Spike so she thought she'd eliminate the threat.'
Anya didn't know very much about Drusilla. All she knew was what Xander or Spike mentioned casually every once and a while. But Anya had picked up that while Drusilla didn't possess very much sanity, she did have very developed psychic powers. It was perfectly possible that Drusilla came to New York because she knew Anya would be there. Of course, she could also be there because she knew Spike was there.
Deep heartedly, Anya wanted to believe the latter. She wanted to think that life was kittens and balloons. But even deeper down, she knew it wasn't. Anyanka had lived long enough to know that life wasn't fair. It wasn't kittens and balloons. But if she worked hard enough, it would be worth it to have even a few moments of true happiness. It would be worth it to have Spike.
But what were the risks? Getting killed by an envious and psychotic vampire?
'There is still time to go back,' Anya thought frantically. 'I'm still in New York and my apartment couldn't have been taken over by scavengers already. I couldn't go back to vengeance. I've tried this whole love thing before and I've seen the consequences. Go back now and I could just force myself to care about those women's problems, force myself to be happy.'
The distant sound of a crash brought Anya back.
She stood up, wiped her eyes, and looked ahead of her, at the world around her. She couldn't give up on this lead. If Drusilla was here, so was Spike, Anya decided, and she wouldn't give up on him.
* * * * * * * * *
TBC.