Chapter 24
Once they reached the hotel, Spike woke Xander up.
"Xander, get up, we're back to the hotel. Go upstairs and get some sleep."
"Okay."
Xander walked into the hotel, gave everyone a sleepy hello, and went upstairs to bed.
Angel and Spike told everyone to go to bed.
"Did you not find them?" Giles asked. He was tired, but he wanted to know if they were successful or not.
"We found them, but we're getting tired and I know you all didn't bother sleeping much, until you couldn't help yourselves, so we all want to be rested before we tell you what we found."
"Okay," Giles nodded, yawning, as he followed the crew upstairs to their rooms.
Spike and Angel locked up before turning themselves in for the morning.
Both were up by the middle of the afternoon, used to getting up around then, if not before.
Angel and Spike met on the stairway and walked down the stairs together.
The rest of the group, sitting on the couch, listening to Xander's tale of the giant 57 inch TV, they're gonna get, looked up when they came in.
Xander gave Spike a smile.
Spike almost looked at him suspiciously, then remembered he had a few more hours, 12 to be exact, before Xander could say anything ...Xander-like, to him again.
He grinned back.
"Telling them about our new tele, I see."
"Well, I figured we could get a vote on where it should go."
"Well, 'ow are we doing, then? Who's got the 'ighest bid?"
"If that means, what I think it means, then so far we only have one vote for Giles's apartment And that's G-man's vote, which he said can be taken either way."
"Hmmm...I'm leaning more toward his store now, 'cause, think about it, we hardly ever go to his home anymore. It's either the Summer's house or the store."
"Or my house."
"We've already had this conversation, Monkey Boy, and we're not taking it to your place."
Xander looked at his watch...Damn, 11 hours, 45 minutes. He sighed and continued his conversation with Spike.
"Alright, so Giles's house is scratched, you make a good point Spike."
"Thanks mate."
"Don't call me mate."
Spike chuckled as Xander ignored him and made the announcement to those in the room, both who had been listening to them before and those who had ignored them.
"Okay listen up folks, G-man's apartment is no longer in the running."
Everyone laughed, except Giles, who glared at Xander for the 'G-man' reference.
Xander only winked at Giles with a big Xander-smile on his face.
Gunn said,
"Hey, what about us? Whuz up with leaving out the LA crew? 'Specially since such a great TV is being found in our fair city?"
Spike snorted.
"Sorry LA, but your claim has been denied and cast aside. Your resident friendly 'do gooder' vamp here is nothing more than a 'Big Fluffy Puppy with bad teeth.' And what's this got to do with your dibs on the tele, you ask. Well, your 'Over Gelled Ensouled Fang Puppy' doesn't feel it would be right to take a tele from an abandoned building.
Luckily for the Sunnyhell crew, their resident friendly vamp is not such a poofy wuss. And without the extra burden of a bleedin' guilt ridden soul, that his sire has the market on, this very handsome vamp can clearly see that such a wonderful TV may be the tie that binds our lovely mixed family together."
Everyone laughed, Xander and Gunn stood up and clapped while Spike took bows. Giles and Wesley tried very hard not to burst out laughing, but Spike's speech had them laughing too hard to bother to hide.
Angel was the only one not laughing. He put his head down, on the table and groaned. He then tried to bang his head against the table.
Why me...do I really deserve being tortured this much, he silently asked the Powers That Be. There's no way I could have been this bad.
Angel then decided that it was almost time for them to get serious again. Things had to be done tonight. They had to make plans, cause tonight or tomorrow night, they were gonna hit that place.
Angel shook his head, walking to the kitchen to get blood for him and Spike. The others were still debating on where to put the TV. And the LA crew were saying how Angel wasn't always the boss of them, and they should have equal rights to it as well.
He knew better than to tell them how wrong it was, they weren't interested in hearing.
After Spike and Angel had sipped down their meal, they gathered everyone into the main room, after relocking the doors, and told them what they saw.
Angel started:
"Okay, Gunn was right. There are humans and vampires and a few other demons of unknown origin in this building. It's a warehouse/mansion restored. There are three floors. Most of the demons, vampires and non-vampires occupy the first two floors. Darla and Dru occupy the top floor. The structure also has a basement. This is where rituals are held, which we know because we happened in on one of them. Now, what we saw, and are gonna tell you is going to disturb you. We know...cause it disturbed us."
"If you can tell us without being so graphic, maybe that would be better," Giles said. He wondered, like the rest of them, what happened, but he wasn't sure they could take knowing what went on in detail.
Angel and Spike nodded. That was better, they both thought.
"Okay. To come to the point. Dru is now way beyond insane, and Darla is like Dru used to be."
"A.A..Are you certain?" Giles asked, his eyes widening in horror of the thought of two insanely evil vampiresses running out and about.
"Yeah…we're certain. We're only glad they didn't see us, or in Dru's case, feel us. Which I'm wondering, why not?"
Angel shrugged. "Might be they're even too far gone, or maybe they were just so wrapped up in what they were doing."
Spike nodded, almost shivering, just thinking about what they had witnessed.
They had silently and soundlessly watched Dru and Darla, together in madness, brutally torture and kill a young fledgling vampire. The reason was pronounced before the 'audience' of Dru's dolls. Ms. Edith didn't like him, and he had spilt her tea. That was the reason for his torture and eventually his death.
Then they had watched Darla and Dru go into the garden to dance among the stars. Swirling round and round.
When a minion came to talk to them, Darla and Dru had gotten mad at the interruption and had twisted his head off. They had then giggled like little girls, playing a joke, and went back to playing and dancing.
"Ohhhhh grand-mummy. I want to play hide and seek. Seek and hide."
"No...don't want to play that game. You always hide in the dirt. I always find you easily. Ought to hide inside...or up in a tree like a bird...or under the sink."
"Don't want to 'ide under the sink. That's where we put the body of the little boy who didn't want to play the nice game. I like to 'ide in the dirt. I want to be a nice old wriggly worm. Wriggle wriggle watch me dance. Wriggle wriggle....come dance with me grand-mummy."
Darla giggled and had joined her.
"My precious grand-daughter and mummy, let's dance the night away before the nasty sun tries to come out and make us fly away in the wind."
They had danced and danced, then had started to fight.
Then one of their minions had sent up a human victim.
The poor man had no idea that interrupting them was signing his death certificate. He just thought they were two girls.
"Hey now, pretty ladies. Why would you fight?"
"Ohhhh, can we see the
pretty blood now, grand-mummy?"
"I wanna make him run around a bit first. Tastes better that way."
"I like that taste. Not like the old man I had a long time ago. He got caught in my teeth."
"No…he won't be like that...smell him."
"Are you two okay? Maybe your drunk."
"Not drunk, what did you same
your name was?"
"Grand-mummy....no
teasing the man, we already know his name."
"Really, then what is it precious? I don't remember telling you."
Darla had walked over to the dolls and whispered to Ms. Edith,
"Watch this...this is gonna be good."
Dru had pulled the man closed, to dance with, then she had let him twirl her around. When she came back to facing him, she was in full demon form.
To his frightened look, she smiled and said,
"Your name is like all the rest....Dinner."
The man had screamed and tried to back away, but it had been no use.
He was dead, seconds later.
But they hadn't stopped then.
That was bad enough.
But then, they had started to gut the man.
Dru had kept talking about all the body parts Ms. Edith had wanted to see.
She had pulled out his stomach to look at it, and set it aside.
Then Darla had pulled out his large and small intestine, pulling them out side by side to see if they were actually long as rumored to be.
Angel and Spike had watched with shock.
Then Dru had pulled out the man's heart.
She stopped then, both girls were covered in the man's blood, organs all around them.
Dru had then started to wail.
"My Spike and my Daddy used to have this for me. Now neither of them want me. Both want that nasty old Slayer. Even when she's gone."
"Hush my darling," Darla had said, pulling Dru into her arms.
"No soul filled daddy, Evil soul filled Angelus, who I couldn't release, and no Slayer full Spike, who tried to stake my baby, are ever gonna hurt my precious girl. Understand. Grand-mummy will always protect you."
"The end is near for Grand mummy and I."
"What do you see?"
"The ground will tremble, ashes and ashes...I taste like ashes now. I'm burning I'm burning I'm burning I'm burning."
Dru ran around screaming at the top of her lungs.
First Darla giggled, thinking they were playing a new game.
Then she had a moment of sanity,
"Stop Dru...you're fine. No fire. See! Stop!!!"
Dru had stopped running. She cuddled against her Grand-mummy while Darla petted her lovingly, before pulling her hair viciously and ramming her against the wall.
A big green and yellow demon walked into the door at this time.
Darla stopped pounding on Dru.
"Look sweetheart, someone sent us desert."
Dru shook her head.
"Don't want any of that. The last one made my tummy feel all funny."
"Well...if you won't eat it...I won't eat it. Maybe we should..."
They both gave maniacal grins and giggled hysterically.
"Kill it," they both shouted advancing on it and after some time, savagely beating it into a pulp.
"Mummy..."
"Yes sweetheart?"
"I wanna see if it's insides look just like...the human's," Dru said, pointing over to the human corpse they had mutilated almost an hour ago.
"Okay," Darla had shrugged and they had set to work.
That's when Spike and Angel could stand watching them, no more.
They had wanted to get back to the car and get themselves and Xander as far away as possible. They had crept back, noting the guards and weapons, etc.
And then walked back to the car in silence, gotten in once Xander had taken down the cross barriers, and got in the car.
"Well, what should we do, then?" Giles asked them.
"Well....first and foremost, we should hit the place within the next two, three days, at the latest."
"Well need heavy battle gear...that place is no joke. They've got themselves armed to the teeth."
"True. Okay, but before that....Giles, I'm gonna need you to find me a vial."
"For what?"
"My blood...I won't jeopardize getting Buffy back. If I'm not back, or you have to stake me or something, at least you'll have my blood so you can do the ceremony."
Giles started to say something but Spike interrupted him.
"I'll get you what you need."
Angel nodded at him.
"Second, Dawn, I know you want to help. But, those two are insane, and just like Angel here wants to keep some of his blood safe, I want you to stay here as well."
"But!"
"Your staying Dawn!!!" Spike shouted.
Dawn gaped at him, and then closed her mouth and ran upstairs.
Spike closed his eyes and muttered,
"Be right back," then ran upstairs after her.
He reached her room, and heard her muffled sobs.
"Dawn."
"Leave me alone."
"Dawnie please."
"No..."
Spike walked into the room.
Dawn laid face down on the pillow and refused to look at him.
"Dawn..."
"GET.OUT."
"Not until you listen to me."
Dawn sat up, tears streaming down her face, but her expression was cold.
"Fine, say what you have to say and then get out."
Spike took a unneeded breath.
"It's like this Nibblet. I'm sorry I shouted at you."
"Well..."
"But I did it cause...I'm scared."
"Your what?"
"I'm scared. I'm scared of them. They were so...crazed. They did horrible things that I would never
have even thought of doing when I was the 'Big Bad.' And you know what scares me more than them?"
"What?"
"The thought that the two of you, you and Buffy, may not come out of this alive and well. I don't want them to hurt you. You, Buffy, the gang...And this feeling feels weird to me. I used to only be worried about myself and Dru. Then it was just myself. Then it was Buffy. Now, it's all of you guys. It's a weird feeling. I love you Nibblet. And if anything were to happen to you...."
Dawn pulled Spike into her arms as she saw the tears gathering in his eyes.
"Okay Spike. I won't go. I'll stay here, with whoever you send to guard me. I just wanted to be part of it. I wanted to help bring Buffy back."
"And you'll get your chance, but you can't do it, if you fall victim to those two."
"I'll try not to...I'll be good."
"That's my girl," Spike said, cradling her to him, and soothing her by stroking her hair.
After a few minutes, Spike stood.
"I got to go back down and finish the meeting. You coming?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."
Spike nodded and walked back down the stairs.
When Dawn joined them later, she sat down next to Spike and rested her head against his chest.
Spike smiled down at her at first, tenderness in his expression, and then he went back to paying attention to what Angel was saying.
Angel explained what he wanted them all to do, where he wanted them to be, etc. Angel then excused himself to do an errand, while Spike gave them additional sets of instructions, including, what to do if Soul Boy looses his.
When all their plans were laid out...they decided to go the next night.
So they headed off to their beds to get their sleep.
TBC…