Disclaimers: Angelus, Darla, Drusilla, Spike, and the Master aren't my characters. I'm not the brilliant Joss Whedon, and if I were I wouldn't have to write fanfic. These characters belong to him, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Productions, Fox Entertainment, and all those people in high places who make oodles and oodles of money. Unlike me, who is in no way finacially benefitting from this work, its just for entertainment purposes. Any characters not of the Jossverse are mine, take them and you shall know my wrath, or maybe you could just ask to borrow them.

Please review, reviews keep me writing, so no review, no new chapters, if cookie bribery is neccessary, I will resort to it. Feel free to reproduce this story, enter it in contests, add it to your fan fiction database of joy, whatever, just ask me first I'm real acommodating like that.

Okay this is historical fic, and I'm trying my best to keep it all in era and stuff, but please don't flame me out over the details, it's not like this is my job. If on the other hand I mess up the BtVS mythos then by all means flame away. This story has traditional Dru/Spike and Darla/Angelus pairings, it also refrences Angelus/Dru and both gentlemen possibly having their way with another lady of darkness, apparently Angleus and Spike are big man-whores. This story will have some risque sex scenes (come on like Dru and Spike were all cuddles and puppies), some language may be a bit on the adult, in other words if you are easily offended, under 16, or have a heart condition, you may not want to read this. Don't say you haven't been warned. And to those of you who just rubbed your hands together and Muahahahed like the evil dork villians over the thought of nudity, harsh language, violence and sex, I salute you! 'nuff said, enjoy.

Ekaterinburg, Russia, November 1897

Winter came quickly and harshly to this area. They had come here because they had nowhere better to be. She was there, they had sought her out, looking to form an alliance, rekindle the bond between the Aurelians and Ivanoffs. A bond severed too long ago for most members of either clan to remember what caused the rift in the first place.

Darla, Angelus, Drusilla and Spike were in a sense defying their own lineage by seeing her. The Master was half the world away in Virginia, so he would never find out that his pride and joy were betraying him. They had no choice. The Ivanoffs were wiping out their newest children. Every night 4 would rise, by sunrise 3 would be dead, the last usually driven to suicide by sunlight. They couldn't stand much more of this. It had been the same since they left England, in Warsaw, Vienna, Munich, Prague, Kiev, Budapest, the list went on and on, all the same events, all the same destruction. Europe wasn't their territory anymore, but they would still put up a hell of a fight to reclaim it. They knew the only way to take back the power was to find the leader of the Ivanoffs, Maruscia.

Maruscia was called the 'mother of all vampires.' It was not known if this was the truth, but there was a lack of evidence to the contrary. She had outlived millions of her kind. In the beginning, there was only one clan of vampires, her clan, what later became known as the Ivanoffs, a name she took after the incident. All except Spike had dealt with her before. He had only heard of her. Still, the stories were enough for him to know that she was not to be messed with, but was to be reveared. The best they could deduce she became somewhere near 3000 years ago. She had turned the Master near 1000 years ago; at that time he was much better looking than he was at the present. Spike could only imagine what a 3000 year old vampire would look like if that's what a 1000 years did.

They had been forced out of Moscow, not only by the Ivaoffs, but because Drusilla had rampaged the foundling hospital. Orphanages were her favorites, and she liked to steal the few dollies she could find in them. This time though, she had almost been caught. It was too close a call according to Darla and Angelus, they needed to find protection. They knew Maruscia could offer that, in addition she was the head of the Ivanoffs and with her they could offer treaty or maybe kill her.

They trudged through the streets of Ekaterinburg. It was the favorite town of many of the Tsarinas, and one of the few tolerable places in Russia for the winter. Maruscia rarely left this area, she loved her Eastern Europe, and saw no reason to leave. She had connections to the royal family, and although revolution was on the lips of many, she knew it was a while off, as she had seen so many. In the mean time she had settled in her estate house and lived the life of a high society woman. She claimed to be a widower who had fallen into a fortune when her husband died in a terrible accident in Siberia. Humans were stupid, they fell for everything. The four couldn't enter her city without her knowing it, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they showed up at her doorstep. She knew they were smart enough not to make attempts on her unlife, and so had no fear, she was untouchable.

Darla and Angelus found the accomodations, as they usually did. The elderly couple was an easy target, once they had been missing a few days, Darla sent a note to each of the neighbors introducing them as the niece, nephew and spouses of the former inhabitants, who had since headed to the Grecian coast for the winter. It silenced all questions, they dumped the bodies the day after into the near frozen river. The bodies wouldn't show up until the thaw, months away.

Spike and Drusilla were too wrapped up in themselves to care about where they spent their days. Angelus and Darla, had finally gotten used to his ridiculous new name, but they had insisted that while in Russia he dress like a proper wealthy man, or their cover could be blown. He agreed, and behaved begrudgingly. Hunting was difficult in winter here, few people were out after dark, so the only times they had acess to flesh was if they dined out, attended a party or the opera. But there were plenty of these events to keep them well in blood.

Dusk had just fallen, when the doorbell rang. Darla was a princess and had turned the butler and maid so they would be well taken care of during their stay. When they were done here she would stake them, it was her way. The four of them were in the sitting room preparing for a party at some high ranking officials home when the butler announced a visitor. They told him to escort the visitor to them. A bolt of excitement went through the room, in hopes that this was like room service, dinner walking right thorugh the front door.

None of them wanted to go out that evening. Drusilla had been throwing tantrums for two days, some nonsense about Miss Edith being naughty and needing punishment. She was in one of her moods. Spike hadn't wanted to go out; he wanted to stay back and play with his sweet Dru behind closed doors. Angelus had joked to Darla that the only one who seemed to be getting punished was Spike, and that if it got any louder he would have some punishing to do himself. Darla and Angelus had also wanted an evening in, giving them time to ransack the wardrobes and screw in every room, it was a ritual of theirs. Made the place feel like home.

They were chatting and drinking vodka when the guest entered the room. They hadn't noticed.

"Well, if it isn't the magnificent four of Aurelius. Tell me, how is my dear Aurelius, and how does he feel about you being here?"

It was Maruscia, Darla recognized the voice before setting eyes on her. They all turned to look at her. She was standing there, dressed from head to toe in blood red velvet, a corset squeezing her perfect body closer to perfection. her breasts near popping out of the top of her dress, her waist so small it seemed she could tip over. She wore a high necked cape made of mink, as well as leather gloves. Mink cuffs also adorned her dress and her hair was piled on top of her head with a few plumes held in place with rhinestone clips. She was ravishingly gorgeous, and the height of European fashion. Both Spike and Angelus gasped when they saw her. Darla got up to greet her.

"Maruscia, what a pleasure. We were going to call on you, but have been so busy with all the parties we seem to have lost track of ourselves." Darla was patronizing her. "Please come in and join us. We wanted to see you. Please pardon the house, the prior residents were a bit aged and their tastes seem to stray as of recent." Darla pulled out a chair so she could join them in front of the large fireplace they had gathered in front of. Darla was always the hostess, the queen bee, the head of the household, no matter what Angelus said to the contrary.

Spike turned to Angelus, "Bloody hell, that's her? I thought after 3,000..."

"That after 3,000 years I would start to look like your dear Master?" Maruscia interrupted him. "See thats what is so wonderful about being me, I will never age. I will never change, I have taken certain measures to ensure this. Once a month I bath in virgins blood."

"That works?" Spike asked in disbelief.

"No, but it makes me feel young, and they say aging is all in the mind. Truth be told, I am more purely vampire than any other, the purer your line the less you age. Aurelius became tainted at some point before his pretty little Darla was sired. Probably accidentally ate a vengeance demon, they really shouldn't parade around looking like humans. You should see Kakistos, 200 years old and he has cloven hooves. I blame it on his mother, but not everyone can choose so perfect a lineage as my Aurelius." Maruscia spoke as she traced Spike's cheekbones with one of her long fingernails.

Spike was completely enthralled, Drusilla started hitting him to get back his attention.

"I see you've kept the seer with you Angelus, has she been as useful as you had hoped?"

"Of course she has." Angelus rose and kissed her hand, and nodded at her.

"Dollies inside dollies, going on forever. Viscera and glass eyes, boxes full of trouble, but the stars are not happy, they shall cry when we open it." Drusilla started to ramble, getting up and twirling around the room. "She makes the stars weep for their mummy, for they shall dance no more." Drusilla touched Maruscia's arm and began to laugh maniacly, then her face changed emotions on a beat "Daddy, I do not like the dollies to be trapped, Miss Edith wants her tea party but her friends are stuck inside each other, make them stop!" Spike had gotten up and grabbed her.

"Dru! Dru! We have company, Miss Edith and her little friends and their sodding tea can wait. Now sit down and be a good girl."

"Daddy will punish us so, we are up far past our bed time and sleep will escape us." Drusilla was shaking her head back and forth like a contemptuous child. "I will see that grandmother has her supper and then go to bed, for my sleep is what keeps the stars from falling down one by one into my tea."

"Shut up Drusilla, right this instant! Spike take her to her room, she will not stop this blather, and we have business to take care of here. You can stay with her, we don't need you here." Darla was mad, and embarassed.

"Well, isn't that fine and dandy? I'm not a pawn, you can't bloody well tell me what to do." Spike was putting on airs, he did not want to seem foolish in front of Maruscia.

Drusilla leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Miss Edith wants to bounce on the bed and roll in front of the fire, naughty little boys are what she wants to play with tonight..." She pulled back and gave him the look.

"Right, then, I will take Drusilla, to bed. Make sure none of the baddies get her. I better get her off then, to bed you know, right. It was a pleasure meeting you Maruscia, I hope this will not be our last meeting." Spike knew when to turn on the charm, he took her hand in his and kissed it while rubbing his thumb into her palm.

"Yes, I am sure it will not be, for pretty faces should always keep each other company." She smiled at him, for a moment he felt the world fall away.

Drusilla and Spike headed for the staircase to go up to their room. Maruscia grabbed Dru's arm, and pulled her to her, pressing Dru's back into her chest, wrapping an arm across her neck, and whispering into her ear, "Sssstars fall when I wish them to, all your sleeping will save nothing. Souls are gifts from mummies, but lashings are all the father brings." She whirled Dru around to stare her straight in the eye, Drusilla screamed and passed out. Spike picked her up and carried her up the stairs.