A Witch's Journal
Part 4: Death's Vengeance
Vengeance is Mine
November 24, 1998
Anyanka materialized at the Crawford Street Mansion and looked around for the source of the vengeful feeling that had brought her there. For a moment two yellow eyes stared at her in the dim light. Then the vampire put on her human face and turned away.
"We have a guest, and you're all dirty, naughty girls," Drusilla said as she stood hunched over her dolls.
They were lined up in front of her, covered with dust. She slapped the one on the end and it fell down.
"Clumsy," Drusilla scolded it as she picked it up.
"I got a vengeance vibe. So I came. Now I'm getting a crazy vibe. It's the dolls," Anyanka explained though Drusilla seemed to be ignoring her. She was looking closely at the doll's chipped face.
"So, did some man drive you bonkers?" Anyanka asked conversationally.
Drusilla straightened and dropped the doll.
"It's late. I've been stood up."
"I knew it!" Anyanka said with a smile.
Then she put on a sympathetic face.
"Aww, you poor thing."
Anyanka paused then got rid of the sympathetic, human face.
"What am I saying, you're a vampire, I don't need the shtick. Want to make a wish?"
Drusilla walked away and started to search for something.
"Something's rotten," Drusilla said as she overturned things and threw them around the room.
"Try the body you got stashed in the corner. Spray some Lysol on him or something."
Drusilla ripped up clothes and books. She smashed trunks and boxes, throwing them to the ground. They burst and their contents spilled out.
"She did it! She took him. Tricked him, sneaked him away!" Drusilla ranted.
Agitated, Drusilla took one of the dolls and crushed its porcelain head in her fist. Then she pulled the dead body by its feet and stomped on it.
"Stay focused, crazy lady. This guy that dumped you, let's focus on him," Anyanka said impatiently.
"I'll get the little, rag doll. She'll flop like a fish on a hook," Drusilla said viciously and punctuated the last word by slamming the dead body against the wall.
"Amateurs. You are wasting all that anger on a corpse. And you want revenge on the other woman. Typical. You're on your own - I don't do girls."
Anyanka sighed, annoyed that she came for nothing, then disappeared.
Drusilla stopped her rampaging. She looked around the empty space. Blades of sunlight cut through slits at the edges of the room. Recently kicked up dust swirled in the beams.
"On my own," Drusilla sobbed.
She slumping to the floor and buried her face in the mess of broken things.
November 26, 1998
It's finally over between me and Xander. And not the way it was over before, really finally over.
It's not like Xander and I were headed for the happily ever after. Did Xander dump Cordelia to be with me? OK, I didn't dump Oz to be with him. But Oz is not Cordelia. He is a great guy. The way he looks at me, the way he makes me feel - I don't ever want that to stop.
I'm ashamed to say I didn't come to my senses on my own. It took something really drastic to make me realize the thing with Xander had to stop. Even knowing Oz would never do that to me, I still didn't end things until he almost died. Oz thinks I'm someone worth dying for. I'm not.
Drusilla came back to town. We knew when Angel found his place all torn apart. Angel said that someone had died there.
Xander was coming by, just to talk. I stepped outside the door of my house for a second and Drusilla grabbed me.
When I woke up inside a crypt, I thought I was going to pass out again from the smell. There was a dead guy sitting against the wall. Drusilla had done things to him. Some damaged, old, porcelain dolls were in his lap. Drusilla talked to them about what to do with me. She mentioned a spike. I didn't see one but I didn't need to. I am going to have nightmares forever.
I don't know why she fixated on me. Buffy took Angel away from her but she kept saying I took 'him'. But she didn't mean Angel. She said I did something and he was lost. I told her I'd help her look. She said that you can't find him if you don't know his name. But she wouldn't tell me his name. I offered to do spells. That made her really mad.
I would have been dead or worse if Oz hadn't found me then. He risked his life for me. And there was no wolf moon - he was just Oz. Drusilla almost killed him. If Buffy and the others hadn't gotten there in time I would have lost him. I can hardly breathe when I think of that.
From now on I'm going to be the person Oz thinks I am. This thing with Xander is just confusing and it's too late and it's wrong. It can't happen any more. I'm done screwing up.
Death's Door
April 17, 2001
"Return to me."
After she finished the spell, Dawn felt dizzy. She shook it off and rushed to her mother's grave.
Dawn was out of breath when she arrived. It looked the same as when she had gotten the dirt. She fell to her knees not taking her eyes off the fresh grave.
She was feeling dizzy again so she wasn't sure - but the dirt seemed to shift. Dawn could feel the ground start to loosen underneath her, like quicksand. She scrambled away. But not too far. She waited and something rose. First it was a rounded thing then it stretched out, slim and tall like her mother. She had her shape. But Dawn couldn't tell for sure. It was covered with dirt
"Mom? Is it you? Mom? It's going to be Ok," Dawn tried to sound reassuring not doubtful.
The thing started to move. It seemed to be having trouble. When its feet wouldn't work, it made a guttural sound. It tried again and stumbled.
Without thinking Dawn reached out for her. As it grabbed her, its voice tore out roughly from a raw throat. Dawn struggled uselessly. She saw its mouth grow big, exposing sharp teeth. She screamed.
She didn't see where Buffy came from. Dawn was knocked down and away from it. Then Willow was kneeling in front of her.
"Was there a picture?" Willow asked.
Dawn didn't answer. She stared as Buffy held the thing down with help from Giles and Xander.
"Dawn did you have a picture of your Mom?" Willow tried again holding Dawn by the arm.
"What is that?" Dawn asked still staring, unable to look away.
Buffy was crying and Giles was whispering to her.
Willow took Dawn's face in her hands.
"Did you use a picture for the spell, a photo of your Mom?"
"No," Dawn finally answered.
"Tara, take her home," Buffy said.
"What are you going to do?" Dawn asked her sister.
"That's not your Mom, Dawn. It's not her. We have to go," Tara said as she pulled her away.
to be continued
