A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I got for the last chapter and I hope everyone likes this one. I'm thinking of changing this story to an R rating, tell me what you think.
The Way We Were
Chapter 2
"Where shall we go, Madam?" Will asked, trying to keep the nervous tone from his voice as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and their pace quickened down the cobblestone road onto the main street.
Darla ignored his question and instead looked skyward, her eyes fixing on the pale yellow moon that was a day from full. "How many hours until sun up, Will?" she asked, her eyes tearing away from the sun to glance at the fledgling's confused face, "And don't look at the clock or you won't be eating tonight either." She cautioned as she saw his eyes wander towards a clock above the window of a shop.
"Damn" Will swore quietly, his eyes traveling towards the sky. It looked dark, how the hell could he tell what time it was, and they were in London, there was always a clock. "Um…" he said and felt Darla's nails dig into his arm, "Um…6 hours?"
Darla rolled her eyes and tugged him into an alley near a bar. "Are you asking me or telling me, boy?"
Will gulped and said, "Telling you Madam. It's six hours until sun up"
Darla laughed, it sounded like sliver bells in the dry winter air, "You can almost feign confidence" she told him, pushing him against the cool brick wall of the alley, her face half hidden in shadow, "But you're wrong boy, it's only seven, there's ten hours until we get cooked alive. Want to stay out all night or make it quick?" she said breathily as she pressed her slim body against his.
Will gasp, forgetting for a second he didn't need to breathe. Darla was molding her body against his, she'd never been so close…he struggled to make his brain work and recall the question she'd just asked him. "All night" he panted.
Darla raised an eyebrow, "Wrong answer" she whispered in his ear, leaning close and nibbling his earlobe gently. "If we stayed out all night then Dru wouldn't get something to eat. I'm sure your sister would be displeased to know you'd rather she went without food just so you could…" she sighed and nibbled his neck, "Fuck me in an alleyway"
"No" Will said immediately and then shook his head, "I mean, yes…I mean, I don't want Drusilla to go hungry, not at all."
Darla wrapped an arm around his shoulder and drug a nail across his cheek, drawing a deep rivulet of blood in its wake, licking it up and then cocking her head as if she was listening for something, "So you'd rather feed your little Dru than have me take you in an alley?" she asked with a cruel smile, "That must have been quite a decision for you, I'm sure I'd been your first" she raised an eyebrow, "Am I right, or wrong, fledgling?"
Will blushed and looked at the ground before meeting Darla's gaze again, "Yes Madam" he said quietly, hating her for embarrassing him and hating himself even more for being so young and naive in his mortal life and having to pay for it now.
Darla watched his expression with an amused looked on her face and then pressed the subject, "So which will it be; food for Dru or the alley with me?"
Will frowned, thinking it over and then asked, "Is there a right answer to this question?" he shifted on his feet and then added, "Madam."
"No" Darla answered honestly, "And that's your first lesson, when I ask you a question you answer me with what you think, because most of the time assertiveness is much more important than the actual answer" she told him, pulling away from him and walking out of the alley, snapping her fingers behind her for him to follow.
Will gulped and nodded, rushing to keep up with her, surprised when she passed the bar without even a sideways glace at it and kept walking along the cobblestone, heading towards the cemetery.
"You're going to get our meal tonight, boy" she told him, walking into a mausoleum and sitting on a stone sarcophagus, arranging her skirts primly and crossing her legs, "You'll find people walking around the cemetery laying flowers on graves and such, you'll find a family and convince them to follow you here. If you lay a hand on them you'll be punished. You need to use your wit to convince them to come here; not a small family either, at least two children. You have…" Darla considered a moment, "You have a half hour, go"
Will opened his mouth to ask a question and then snapped it shut and nodded, "Yes Madam" he said and walked out into the night again, wondering how he was going to get an entire family to come with him. He'd never even gotten one person alone before, how could he get a family? And what would Darla do if he didn't?
Will stumbled along the graves and fixed his eyes on a middle aged woman and her three small children weeping by a grave about ten yards from him. Will smiled and walked up to them, trying to formulate a plan in his mind as to what he'd say. He cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice you're here alone."
The woman nodded and wiped her eyes, looking up at him with apprehension, "Yes?" she asked.
"Well, it's not very safe for a woman and children to be out a night alone in London" Will said, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably, "If you would like, I could walk you home." He offered.
The woman smiled thinly at him and nodded, rising to her feet and cradling a small child of barely one on her arms while the other two clung to her skirts and looked up at William with solemn eyes.
Will nodded his head and put his arm out to her, happy when she took it, as he started to lead her back from the direction he came, towards the mausoleum satisfied with himself that this kill would be so easy. Darla would be pleased, and maybe now that he'd shown her he was capable, he'd be aloud to hunt on his own.
"We live back the other way" the woman old him, trying to pull out of his grasp. He stayed silent and tightened his arm around her, almost dragging her to the mausoleum. "No, let go of me!" the woman screamed, pulling her shoe off and smacking him on the head with it.
The sharp heel gouged into his forehead and he howled; his vampire visage sliding forth as he turned on her, she hit him again and ran away when he fell to his knees, stunned. He saw stars, and he wasn't looking skyward. Blood dripped into his eyes as he struggled to his feet again and looked around. He was running out of time and now he had no one to eat, or bring back to Darla.
"Damn it" Will swore again, struggling into the street and grabbing the first woman he saw roughly by the hair and dragging her back toward the cemetery, he didn't care if he only had one now, at least he was bringing someone.
The girl suddenly whirled on him and kicked him. Will ducked out of the way and got a firm hand on her as he reached the door of the mausoleum. "I've got one, Madam" he called and then there was a flurry of activity and he was shoved roughly, his head cracked against the stone wall of the mausoleum and he collapsed to the cool stone ground. He could hear Darla yelling at him, and didn't know why, but before he could process her words, he passed out.
Darla looked up; annoyed at how long it'd taken him when she heard Will walk into the mausoleum. Her mouth fell open in surprise when she saw clearly the girl he'd had in his grip. It was the slayer! Darla growled and jumped to her feet as the girl did a roundhouse kick and caught Will square in the jaw, dropping him like a pile of bricks.
Darla launched herself at the slayer, knocking them both to the floor. She tried to pin the girl but got flipped over the other way when she stole a glance at the bleeding fledgling. The slayer had Darla's hands pinned under her and the stake was nearing her chest. Darla shoved the slayer violently and winced as the stake drove into her shoulder, missing her heart by only inches.
Darla was on her feet in moments and grabbed the slayer by the hair, smacking her face into the stone wall, hearing the bones crack. The slayer spun around and grabbed Darla's face, gouging the skin and snapping her neck back. Darla didn't allow herself the luxury of being disoriented. She instead snapped the girl's neck in a minute of blind fury and threw her to the floor. The girl was still breathing, but barely so, but Darla knew she would live and she wanted her to. Darla knelt down beside the almost dead slayer and smiled, grabbing her by the collar and dragging her out into the cool night of the cemetery where her watcher would be sure to see her. Darla was sure the broken neck would send the girl's watcher a pretty strong message.
Darla walked back into the mausoleum and grabbed Will be the collar of his shirt, dragging him from the mausoleum and dumping him on the grass. "Get up" she snapped, kicking him in the ribs.
He groaned and rolled over, opening his eyes slowly.
"I said, get up" she repeated, pulling him to his feet, watching as he swayed but stayed put. "I didn't get a family, Madam" he slurred, his eyes looking glazed over.
"Yes, William, I know." Darla told him irritably, "Go home, I'll get dinner and meet you." She said, glaring as he hesitated, "I said go!" she yelled, standing at straight as a steel rod as she watched him drag himself down the road.
Darla swore under her breath the entire time she walked home, snapping the necks of three villagers in her path and dragging their broken bodies with her. Darla struggled to the two story 18th century manor they lived in. Darla drug the bodies to the door step and opened the door, using all her strength to not collapse right there.
"Darla!" Angelus exclaimed, rushing to the door, "What happened? I could only get incoherent babbling for the boy. What happened? Are you okay?" he asked, taking her hand and leading her to the fainting couch.
Darla sat down numbly and pointed toward the door, "Bring in the bodies, the blood will start to cool soon" she told him, glancing down in distaste at the stake sticking out of her shoulder. She grimaced and pulled it out, tossing it aside, and laying back, pressing a hand to the wound to try and slow the bleeding.
"Our genius boy found a slayer to feed on" Darla remarked sarcastically, "She attacked and I had to fight her off, I broke her neck, but she got in a few good rounds at me as well" Darla summarized, gingerly touching the side of her face where the slayer had gouged it. Her face was swollen and a deep rivulet of blood was pouring from her ear down her jaw line. Her blue eyes looked tired and angry, but Angelus could see the deeply masked pain there as well.
"A slayer!" Drusilla exclaimed walking into the room, "Oh, Grandmum took a beating, Oh! The stars are cursing us, we need to leave here. The slayer will catch us like rabbits in a snare!" she said looking afraid.
"We'll be okay, love" Will reassured her, touching his forehead and wincing, his gashes were already staring to heal, but they still throbbed with a dull ache. Darla, he saw, looked much wore than him and he felt a pang of guilt for bringing the slayer in the first place. "My apologizes, Madam" he said, averting his eyes from her abused face.
Darla sneered at him, "William, feed and then go to bed. Now" she said in a steely voice.
Will nodded and quickly took a body from the pile, a man looking not much older than himself, and sunk his teeth into the broken neck, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, enjoying the tangy taste of blood.
Drusilla followed him and grabbed the second body; an elderly woman and looked beseechingly at Darla, her eyes asking permission to drink.
Darla nodded and closed her eyes, "Angelus, you need to eat too" she told him, deciding she wouldn't begrudge him of it. She was hurt and losing strength, so he needed to at least keep up his to protect the childer.
He hesitated, "You need your strength, you'll heal faster if you eat" he told her, dragging the other body, that of a man, to the couch where she sat.
Darla gritted her teeth and refused, ignoring the thick heady scent of blood in the air, "No, Angelus, I'm fine. You need to drink, so stop arguing, childe"
Angelus nodded and dipped his head into the neck, drinking while Darla stood up stiffly, "I'm going to bed, if anyone wakes me before next nightfall, I'll snap their necks like dry kindling."
Dru finished draining the body she was drinking from and let it fall to the floor, standing up and starting after Darla, "I'll come to bed too" she said softly and turned to Will, "Coming, poppet?"
"Drusilla, tonight's not one to play" Angelus warned, "Just leave her alone and sleep in William's bed, you're not staying with us."
Dru looked off into t distance and then nodded, "Okay" she said walking for the stairs.
William started to rise and follow her, but Angelus stopped him, "Boy, get back here and take care of these corpses, they'll start to rot if we leave them till morning" Angelus finished the last of the blood in his corpse and let it fall carelessly, watching as Will drug them out back before clapping him on the back and heading for the stairs.
When he reached the bedroom he saw Darla curled into a ball, blood soaking her while nightgown; She moaned and rolled over to face Angelus, her eyes were heavily lidded and her mouth was partially open, "Angelus" she said in a gasp, "Come here my darling boy"
Angelus finished undressing and crawled into bed, pulling Darla into his arms and cradling her.
Darla snuggled up next to him and then grimaced at her shoulder and frowned, "I'm bleeding all over the bed" she said with a slight tone of impatience with herself, "The bedclothes will be ruined."
"Shh" Angelus replied kissing her forehead lightly, "The boy can wash them, don't think on that now. "Here" he said offering his wrist to her.
She smiled wanly at him and fastened her lips to the pale skin, her demon face showing through as she drank from him. Tears pooled in her eyes, she could feel the strength in his blood, she could feel how it was already starting to heal her inside out and she was grateful. Darla let go of his wrist and then licked it feebly for a second before tucking her head into his chest and starting to cry softly, tears streaming down her face and mingling with the blood on her lips.
She fell asleep like that; her face a combination of tears and blood with Angelus rubbing her back softly and kissing her.
A/N: In the next chapter the Slayer's watcher attacks them and Drusilla gets a vision. Don't forget to review!
