Chapter 24.
Buffy pushed open the door to the apartment. She had been wandering the streets of Sunnydale for the last hour or so, struggling to make sense of what Spike had told her earlier. She had tried to convince herself that it would be ok, that everything could still work. But how could it? How could she ever trust him again? Leaving was one thing, that was bad enough, but cheating on her, that stabbed her right through the heart. It squeezed all the air from her lungs and had crushed her, so that she thought she would never breathe again. She threw her purse on the table and kicked off her shoes, choosing to sit in the comfy armchair.
Dawn emerged from her room rapidly pulling a brush through her hair.
"Faith called, she wants you to call her back. Oh and Spike called like a zillion times or something!"
The phone began to ring
"And I will put money on it that's him again. Can't get enough of you can he!" The younger girl giggled.
Buffy checked the caller display, it was Spike.
"I got a headache Dawn, I think I am just gonna sit quietly," she whispered.
"Ok, you want me to fix you some tablets?" She asked, "I am going over to Janice's for dinner, but I can grab some for you now if you like?"
Buffy shook her head, "No you go on, have fun, I'll see you later," she smiled, putting her feet up on the table and stretching her arms.
Dawn closed the door quietly and Buffy turned on the television, desperately searching for something to take her mind of the pain she was feeling right now. She flicked aimlessly through the channels but failed to find anything that inspired.
The phone began to ring again. Buffy ignored it.
She went to the kitchen, fixed herself some headache tablets and returned to her comfy chair, picking up a magazine Dawn had left in the kitchen on the way. She began to flick through the pages.
The phone rang again. A check of the caller display showed it was Spike, again!
"Jeez Spike take a hint!" She shouted as she pulled the wire from the wall and threw the phone across the room onto the couch. She sat back into her chair and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would help her.
She was awoken by a knock at the door. Buffy groaned.
"If that's you Spike just go away! I don't want to talk to you right now!" She shouted into the hallway, before returning to the living room.
The knock came again. Buffy ignored it. It came again.
"For fucks sake!" Buffy exclaimed as she stamped along the hallway, and threw the door open.
"Hello Buffy!" She said, a twisted smile on her face.
Buffy looked on horrified.
"What.what are you doing here?" She stuttered.
Dru leant forward and took hold of a piece of Buffy's hair, twirling it gently in her fingers. She leant in to her and whispered in her ear.
"You stole something from me, and I want it back?" She stood back and observed the confused blonde girl in front of her.
"I.I what? No I don't have anything of yours!" She replied, confused, and slightly disturbed by the manner of the woman in front of her.
She looked pretty much the same as she had in high school. She still had the long black hair, although it was curlier now, still had the 'over the top' make up and bizarre dress sense. She looked different though, she had a wild, unstable look in her eyes which was scaring Buffy.
"You live here with your sister do you?" She continued. "That's nice, very cosy, cosy nice family, lucky girl, lucky girl," she rambled almost incoherently. "Does your sister know you are a stealing whore, evil, evil, needs a lesson, they told me to teach you," she continued.
Buffy just stared back at the woman in front of her, shaking slightly, and thrown by her deranged manner.
It was too much of a coincidence, it all made sense now. Spike has a kid, and Dru turns up. 'How could he, not her, not her of all people,' she thought to herself. It occurred to her then that Dru was alone. Panic filled Buffy, she didn't know why, she just knew something was wrong. Then she saw it. Blood on Dru's hands.
"Where is she?" She asked, trying to disguise the fear in her voice. "Where's Molly?"
Dru span around on the spot, almost dancing, "Ah he told you. My William told you. Do you want to see, do you? See what they made me do!" She shrieked manically.
"Where is she?" Buffy repeated.
"They told me, the people in my head. Come with me I will show you!" She turned and started to walk down the stairs. Buffy slammed the door, not bothering to get her keys or pick up her cell phone. She chased down the stairs behind the insane woman.
..............
Spike stormed into the main office straight to Faith's desk.
"Faith I can't get hold of Buffy!" He said panicked.
Faith stared back at him, "Um yeah, I told you that like a half hour ago!" She said sarcastically.
Spike look unamused. "Get home, see if she is there and just not answering!" He shouted.
She looked back at him blankly.
"Go! Now!" He grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up from the chair.
"Ow!" She cried, "Jeez Spike, what's the hurry?" she complained.
"Go home and stay there, if she comes in call me! And call everyone you know, see if they have seen her," he said forcefully.
Faith looked at him, he was in a blind panic, she had never seen him in a state like this before.
"Faith she could be in danger, go home and don't let anyone in!" He stressed.
Faith grabbed her bags and ran, she ran as fast as she could. When she got home she found the apartment empty. Buffy's purse and cell on the table. She went back to the front door. There was blood on the floor, and some further down on the wall of the hallway. She ran to the phone, plugging it back in.
"Spike! Shit Spike she's not here. All her shits here but she isn't. There's blood on the floor. What the hell's going on!" She sobbed into the phone. She was shaking, she didn't remember ever being this scared.
"Right, stay put. I am sending Gunn over. Call Dawn, tell her not to go home. When he gets there you two go out and look for her. Look everywhere! Please!" He begged.
Faith sat and waited as instructed. Spike closed the office and went out on his own to search for his beloved, his wife and his princess.
.............
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked as they walked through the back streets of Sunnydale.
It had begun to rain quite heavily and her clothes were beginning to soak through.
They walked for nearly two hours. They had been walking in circles, Buffy knew this, but she had humoured the woman, not wanting to antagonize her any further. They walked past Willy's bar for the third time.
"Dru!" Buffy shouted, "Dru, Where is she? Stop playing games!"
Drusilla span around and grabbed Buffy by the throat.
"You want to see, you want to see everything! But you are bad, you steal, you stole from me, bitch!" She rambled, slapping Buffy hard around the face.
Buffy tried to pull away but Dru pulled her into the alleyway. She threw her to the floor.
"You keep saying that Dru, you keep saying I stole from you, but I haven't, I have nothing of yours!" She pleaded.
"Bitch! Bitch! You lie. You took him, my William, you took him."
Buffy pulled herself up from the floor.
"I never took him Dru!" She exclaimed. "He left me for you!" The situation was increasingly frustrating her.
Dru flew at her again, scratching at her face. Buffy put her hands up to protect herself, but Drusilla pushed her back against the wall. She pulled a gun from her jacket and placed it to Buffy's head. Buffy froze as she felt the cold metal press against her skull.
Dru backed away, still holding the gun pointing at the shaking blonde.
"You stole him. He was mine. Even when he came with me he was still here. Everywhere, everywhere I look I see you. I look at him and I see you. Smothered, smothered in you he was, always, always." She span around on the spot, waving the gun around and hitting at her head. Buffy didn't move. The rain kept falling and she was cold. She was shaking. She was crying
"Everything is Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. Then it was Molly. Always her, always you, never me. Never Dru ever!! You took him, you spoiled him. He was mine. My beautiful boy, my William. Bitch!" She span back around, waving the gun back at the terrified blonde girl.
"I.I didn't mean to, I am sorry..." She whimpered.
Dru walked towards her and swung the gun at her head, the cold metal sending Buffy tumbling to the floor as it connected with her temple. She lay on the floor of the alleyway, drenched and terrified.
.............
Gunn filled Faith in of Dru's mental state as they drove around Sunnydale. They searched everywhere she could think and had come up empty. They met Spike outside Willy's Bar. He had checked everywhere he could think and turned up nothing. This was the last place. Spike entered and walked straight to the bar.
"The usual Spike?" Willy asked as he approached the bar.
"Not tonight, have you seen Buffy?" He asked.
Willy shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno, Buffy who?"
Faith intervened before Spike could cause him physical harm.
"Buffy, my friend, short, blonde, kinda uptight, makes you make those crappy margherita's!" She snapped.
"Oh, pretty little thing, yeah she went that way earlier. I thought she was coming in here, but her friend had other ideas apparently. Guess Willy's ain't good enough for her type huh!" He snorted.
He hadn't got the words out before the three were running out the door. They rounded the corner to see Dru screaming in the alleyway, waving a gun about, and Buffy lying on the floor.
Spike went to run in but Faith held him back.
"Stop!" She cried, "She's not dead, look she's moving."
Spike stopped dead and stared Drusilla straight in the face.
"What have you done?" He shouted.
Dru began to flail her arms about again, screaming incoherently. "Always her, never me, always Buffy, Molly, Buffy, everywhere, everywhere I look, everything I touch, never me, never me." She banged herself on the head with the gun.
"What kind of person sells a lunatic a gun?" He mumbled.
"Welcome to America Spike!" Faith replied.
Buffy began to come around slightly, she tried to sit up but her head was spinning. She raised her hand to it and tried to steady herself, remembering what was happening. Blue lights appeared in her periphery vision. She could hear Faith, and Spike, and someone else.
Gunn retreated back to fill in the Sunnydale PD on the situation. Another police car pulled up blocking the other end of the alleyway. There was no escape.
"Dru! Dru put the gun down luv!" Spike pleaded.
She span around.
"No always, always her, no, no.! She screamed.
She was making no sense anymore, whirling around wildly, holding her head, waving the gun in all directions, but mostly at Buffy.
"Sir, step aside please!" An officer requested, and Spike reluctantly did.
"Ma'am, put the gun down!" He said firmly.
She didn't, she began ranting again. No one could hear what she was saying anymore, she made no sense.
She turned back, pulling Buffy from the floor.
"Evil, evil!" She screamed as she struck her around the face. Buffy couldn't move, frozen with fear and cold. The rain continued to pour down.
"Ma'am, put the gun on the floor and walk away!"
She didn't, screaming in Buffy's ear. "You, you, everywhere!!!"
Spike heard a voice on the officer's radio.
"Sir, I have a shot, repeat, I have a shot!"
"Hold fire officer," he replied
Spike decided to try again.
"Dru, Dru baby, we can work this out!" He lied. "We can go away, just you and me, go somewhere and be together!" He pleaded.
She cocked the gun and placed it at Buffy's head.
He didn't hear what happened next, all he heard was a shot. A single shot. His heart stopped.
She fell to the floor.
Buffy pushed open the door to the apartment. She had been wandering the streets of Sunnydale for the last hour or so, struggling to make sense of what Spike had told her earlier. She had tried to convince herself that it would be ok, that everything could still work. But how could it? How could she ever trust him again? Leaving was one thing, that was bad enough, but cheating on her, that stabbed her right through the heart. It squeezed all the air from her lungs and had crushed her, so that she thought she would never breathe again. She threw her purse on the table and kicked off her shoes, choosing to sit in the comfy armchair.
Dawn emerged from her room rapidly pulling a brush through her hair.
"Faith called, she wants you to call her back. Oh and Spike called like a zillion times or something!"
The phone began to ring
"And I will put money on it that's him again. Can't get enough of you can he!" The younger girl giggled.
Buffy checked the caller display, it was Spike.
"I got a headache Dawn, I think I am just gonna sit quietly," she whispered.
"Ok, you want me to fix you some tablets?" She asked, "I am going over to Janice's for dinner, but I can grab some for you now if you like?"
Buffy shook her head, "No you go on, have fun, I'll see you later," she smiled, putting her feet up on the table and stretching her arms.
Dawn closed the door quietly and Buffy turned on the television, desperately searching for something to take her mind of the pain she was feeling right now. She flicked aimlessly through the channels but failed to find anything that inspired.
The phone began to ring again. Buffy ignored it.
She went to the kitchen, fixed herself some headache tablets and returned to her comfy chair, picking up a magazine Dawn had left in the kitchen on the way. She began to flick through the pages.
The phone rang again. A check of the caller display showed it was Spike, again!
"Jeez Spike take a hint!" She shouted as she pulled the wire from the wall and threw the phone across the room onto the couch. She sat back into her chair and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would help her.
She was awoken by a knock at the door. Buffy groaned.
"If that's you Spike just go away! I don't want to talk to you right now!" She shouted into the hallway, before returning to the living room.
The knock came again. Buffy ignored it. It came again.
"For fucks sake!" Buffy exclaimed as she stamped along the hallway, and threw the door open.
"Hello Buffy!" She said, a twisted smile on her face.
Buffy looked on horrified.
"What.what are you doing here?" She stuttered.
Dru leant forward and took hold of a piece of Buffy's hair, twirling it gently in her fingers. She leant in to her and whispered in her ear.
"You stole something from me, and I want it back?" She stood back and observed the confused blonde girl in front of her.
"I.I what? No I don't have anything of yours!" She replied, confused, and slightly disturbed by the manner of the woman in front of her.
She looked pretty much the same as she had in high school. She still had the long black hair, although it was curlier now, still had the 'over the top' make up and bizarre dress sense. She looked different though, she had a wild, unstable look in her eyes which was scaring Buffy.
"You live here with your sister do you?" She continued. "That's nice, very cosy, cosy nice family, lucky girl, lucky girl," she rambled almost incoherently. "Does your sister know you are a stealing whore, evil, evil, needs a lesson, they told me to teach you," she continued.
Buffy just stared back at the woman in front of her, shaking slightly, and thrown by her deranged manner.
It was too much of a coincidence, it all made sense now. Spike has a kid, and Dru turns up. 'How could he, not her, not her of all people,' she thought to herself. It occurred to her then that Dru was alone. Panic filled Buffy, she didn't know why, she just knew something was wrong. Then she saw it. Blood on Dru's hands.
"Where is she?" She asked, trying to disguise the fear in her voice. "Where's Molly?"
Dru span around on the spot, almost dancing, "Ah he told you. My William told you. Do you want to see, do you? See what they made me do!" She shrieked manically.
"Where is she?" Buffy repeated.
"They told me, the people in my head. Come with me I will show you!" She turned and started to walk down the stairs. Buffy slammed the door, not bothering to get her keys or pick up her cell phone. She chased down the stairs behind the insane woman.
..............
Spike stormed into the main office straight to Faith's desk.
"Faith I can't get hold of Buffy!" He said panicked.
Faith stared back at him, "Um yeah, I told you that like a half hour ago!" She said sarcastically.
Spike look unamused. "Get home, see if she is there and just not answering!" He shouted.
She looked back at him blankly.
"Go! Now!" He grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up from the chair.
"Ow!" She cried, "Jeez Spike, what's the hurry?" she complained.
"Go home and stay there, if she comes in call me! And call everyone you know, see if they have seen her," he said forcefully.
Faith looked at him, he was in a blind panic, she had never seen him in a state like this before.
"Faith she could be in danger, go home and don't let anyone in!" He stressed.
Faith grabbed her bags and ran, she ran as fast as she could. When she got home she found the apartment empty. Buffy's purse and cell on the table. She went back to the front door. There was blood on the floor, and some further down on the wall of the hallway. She ran to the phone, plugging it back in.
"Spike! Shit Spike she's not here. All her shits here but she isn't. There's blood on the floor. What the hell's going on!" She sobbed into the phone. She was shaking, she didn't remember ever being this scared.
"Right, stay put. I am sending Gunn over. Call Dawn, tell her not to go home. When he gets there you two go out and look for her. Look everywhere! Please!" He begged.
Faith sat and waited as instructed. Spike closed the office and went out on his own to search for his beloved, his wife and his princess.
.............
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked as they walked through the back streets of Sunnydale.
It had begun to rain quite heavily and her clothes were beginning to soak through.
They walked for nearly two hours. They had been walking in circles, Buffy knew this, but she had humoured the woman, not wanting to antagonize her any further. They walked past Willy's bar for the third time.
"Dru!" Buffy shouted, "Dru, Where is she? Stop playing games!"
Drusilla span around and grabbed Buffy by the throat.
"You want to see, you want to see everything! But you are bad, you steal, you stole from me, bitch!" She rambled, slapping Buffy hard around the face.
Buffy tried to pull away but Dru pulled her into the alleyway. She threw her to the floor.
"You keep saying that Dru, you keep saying I stole from you, but I haven't, I have nothing of yours!" She pleaded.
"Bitch! Bitch! You lie. You took him, my William, you took him."
Buffy pulled herself up from the floor.
"I never took him Dru!" She exclaimed. "He left me for you!" The situation was increasingly frustrating her.
Dru flew at her again, scratching at her face. Buffy put her hands up to protect herself, but Drusilla pushed her back against the wall. She pulled a gun from her jacket and placed it to Buffy's head. Buffy froze as she felt the cold metal press against her skull.
Dru backed away, still holding the gun pointing at the shaking blonde.
"You stole him. He was mine. Even when he came with me he was still here. Everywhere, everywhere I look I see you. I look at him and I see you. Smothered, smothered in you he was, always, always." She span around on the spot, waving the gun around and hitting at her head. Buffy didn't move. The rain kept falling and she was cold. She was shaking. She was crying
"Everything is Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. Then it was Molly. Always her, always you, never me. Never Dru ever!! You took him, you spoiled him. He was mine. My beautiful boy, my William. Bitch!" She span back around, waving the gun back at the terrified blonde girl.
"I.I didn't mean to, I am sorry..." She whimpered.
Dru walked towards her and swung the gun at her head, the cold metal sending Buffy tumbling to the floor as it connected with her temple. She lay on the floor of the alleyway, drenched and terrified.
.............
Gunn filled Faith in of Dru's mental state as they drove around Sunnydale. They searched everywhere she could think and had come up empty. They met Spike outside Willy's Bar. He had checked everywhere he could think and turned up nothing. This was the last place. Spike entered and walked straight to the bar.
"The usual Spike?" Willy asked as he approached the bar.
"Not tonight, have you seen Buffy?" He asked.
Willy shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno, Buffy who?"
Faith intervened before Spike could cause him physical harm.
"Buffy, my friend, short, blonde, kinda uptight, makes you make those crappy margherita's!" She snapped.
"Oh, pretty little thing, yeah she went that way earlier. I thought she was coming in here, but her friend had other ideas apparently. Guess Willy's ain't good enough for her type huh!" He snorted.
He hadn't got the words out before the three were running out the door. They rounded the corner to see Dru screaming in the alleyway, waving a gun about, and Buffy lying on the floor.
Spike went to run in but Faith held him back.
"Stop!" She cried, "She's not dead, look she's moving."
Spike stopped dead and stared Drusilla straight in the face.
"What have you done?" He shouted.
Dru began to flail her arms about again, screaming incoherently. "Always her, never me, always Buffy, Molly, Buffy, everywhere, everywhere I look, everything I touch, never me, never me." She banged herself on the head with the gun.
"What kind of person sells a lunatic a gun?" He mumbled.
"Welcome to America Spike!" Faith replied.
Buffy began to come around slightly, she tried to sit up but her head was spinning. She raised her hand to it and tried to steady herself, remembering what was happening. Blue lights appeared in her periphery vision. She could hear Faith, and Spike, and someone else.
Gunn retreated back to fill in the Sunnydale PD on the situation. Another police car pulled up blocking the other end of the alleyway. There was no escape.
"Dru! Dru put the gun down luv!" Spike pleaded.
She span around.
"No always, always her, no, no.! She screamed.
She was making no sense anymore, whirling around wildly, holding her head, waving the gun in all directions, but mostly at Buffy.
"Sir, step aside please!" An officer requested, and Spike reluctantly did.
"Ma'am, put the gun down!" He said firmly.
She didn't, she began ranting again. No one could hear what she was saying anymore, she made no sense.
She turned back, pulling Buffy from the floor.
"Evil, evil!" She screamed as she struck her around the face. Buffy couldn't move, frozen with fear and cold. The rain continued to pour down.
"Ma'am, put the gun on the floor and walk away!"
She didn't, screaming in Buffy's ear. "You, you, everywhere!!!"
Spike heard a voice on the officer's radio.
"Sir, I have a shot, repeat, I have a shot!"
"Hold fire officer," he replied
Spike decided to try again.
"Dru, Dru baby, we can work this out!" He lied. "We can go away, just you and me, go somewhere and be together!" He pleaded.
She cocked the gun and placed it at Buffy's head.
He didn't hear what happened next, all he heard was a shot. A single shot. His heart stopped.
She fell to the floor.