CHAPTER THREE

Dru spun, hands overhead in her appropriated garden, pretending she was showering in moonlight. She was happy for the first time in a long time. She was slowly but surely beating the Slayer. Her kitten told her how the naughty sliver of golden light was so worried about him, how tired he was, how haggard but he didn't care. The only thing that concerned him was making sure Dru was well cared for. He pampered her.

Yet, Dru did fear for him. How much more could she take before she accidently killed him and had no choice but to turn him? She was having too much fun with him as he was. She liked hearing his heartbeat, licking the sweat off his warm body, feeling his pulse beating against her lips as she pressed them to his neck.

She would have to make a decision soon, give him back to himself or turn him, or put him in the earth for good. That would make the Slayer cry as she should for what she had done to Dru. Dru shut her eyes, smoothing her hands down over her hips and the silk dress she wore. Her kitten was with the Slayer doing something that made Dru weep for her demonic cousins, but she knew he would come for her later. She had told him where to meet her. Content that her kitten couldn't bear to be away from her Drusilla headed to the theater.

* * *

Xander thought Buffy would never let him go. He hated keeping Drusilla waiting. When he got to the Dobama Theater on Coventry Road, Xander knew something was wrong. A strong metallic scent hung in the air. Xander had been around the stuff Buffy was involved in long enough to know blood when he smelled it. He hated going inside. The mere thought of what Dru was doing made his skin crawl. He saw the advertisement for "Night Kitchen: Loud Americans: a Punk Saga" and wondered what made Dru want to come here. A bloom of jealousy opened when he remembered how Spike had liked punk.

Dru was dancing with the lead guitarist when he got inside. Everyone else was dead. Well, the guitarist was dead, too, but Dru didn't seem to care. Xander's legs shook as he went to the stage. "Dru, baby, what did you do?"

She dropped the corpse, whirling to see him. Her eyes gleamed gold and the ridges of her face looked alive with blood from the red gel lights overhead. "My kitten is here. Does he want to play?"

Xander jumped up on stage and took her sticky hands. "Dru...this is wrong."

"Hush, bad kitten." She stamped a foot at him then waved her fingers like a flamenco dancer in front of his eyes. She drew him closer with their motion until all he could see was the blueness of her eyes. She was so beautiful. How could he stay mad at her? "You love only me," she whispered.

"I do." He pulled her toward the back door. "You can't stay here, Dru. The Slayers are all over Coventry. They'll find this...find you. I should get you home."

"Only if you stay with me."

And he did so, willingly, lovingly, regretting when morning came and he had to go back to the apartment complex. Willow was waiting for him and suddenly he was very nervous. She took his hand and smiled.

"We're having a meeting," she said. "We're going to be late."

"Story of my life," he said, trying to bring his usual flippancy into play and failing.

Willow just smiled even more softly and led him into Giles' apartment instead of the basement 'meeting hall', which was his second hint something was wrong. Xander rued trusting his oldest friend. He saw all the eyes on him, questioning, almost accusing. Xander knew he was in trouble when all the junior Slayers had been excluded and he was left facing only family and Faith who might qualify at this point. He tried to summon up his usual goofy smile but it had deserted him.

"Have a seat please, Xander," Giles said.

The young man sank onto the couch hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"That's what we were about to ask you," Dawn said. "You're not yourself lately."

"Just a little overworked is all," Xander said hurriedly.

Buffy shook her head. "I know overworked, Xander. I wrote the book. This is something different."

"You look sick," Willow said, sitting next to him. She patted his thigh.

"I'm fine, just been working hard." Xander's mind churned. Did they know something or were they just concerned?

"Maybe you're working too hard," Faith said.

"Are you saying I can't cut it?" Xander jumped to his feet.

"No one is saying that. You've done an admirable job with your new position," Giles said.

"Good because I'm a better Watcher than she'll ever be a Slayer." Xander jerked a thumb at Faith whose face darkened. Buffy stepped in front of her just enough to warn her not to go after him.

Willow pulled Xander back down. "That's uncalled for, Xander. We're all worried about you."

"Yeah, you look like death warmed over," Dawn said, "All you do is sleep all day and we could really use your help with the research thing. I know you work until the wee hours of the night but we all do. So what's with the major overreaction?"

"That's all this is about, Xander. We're worried," Willow said, rubbing his hand.

"If something's wrong, Xander, you know you can tell us. We're family and we can help," Buffy said.

"Why can't things in this 'family'," he snarled that word, "ever be happy? We always assume the worse. I'm fine. I'm happy. So what if I'm a little tired."

"You fall asleep in meetings and you are in danger of falling down on the job," Giles said.

"So much for me doing an admirable job," Xander snapped and Giles' eyes hardened.

"You are but we know you, Xander. We know something's changed." Willow's brow furrowed as her massaging fingers kicked the cuff of his sleeve up revealing a large bruise on his wrist. "Xander, what is this?"

He snatched his arm away. "Bruised it putting up a new keg on the tap."

"Did the keg have something sharp on it? That looked like a puncture," Willow persisted.

"It's just a bruise, Will. We all have them," he replied.

Buffy took his arm. "Then you won't mind us taking care of it for you."

Xander tried to pull away but Buffy's grip was too strong. "You're bruising me right now, Buff."

She ignored that and peeled his shirt sleeve down. "Xander, this is a bite mark!"

He tried not to see the horror in her eyes, in the faces of his other friends. "No, it's not."

Buffy tried to pull his sleeve up to examine his elbow. He knew she'd know exactly where to look for vampire bites. He managed to get to his feet, startling her enough that he wrenched free of her grasp. It lasted about three seconds before she and Faith had him pinned to the wall.

"What is this? You guys turning on me?" He hoped to shame them into stopping. He had to protect his Dru.

Giles did the honors, tugging down Xander's collar, revealing the bite marks on both sides of his neck. "Who is it, Xander?"

"I can't tell you. She'll never forgive me."

"Is he under a thrall? Like Buffy was with Dracula?" Dawn asked.

"Or did you find a suck shop like Riley?" Buffy's lips were pulled into a thin line.

"It's not like that." Fury colored Xander's face. He knew they'd never understand.

"Until we know, I say we chain him up," Faith suggested.

Giles nodded. "Regrettably, I must concur."

Xander fought but Buffy held fast. "No!"

"Xander, this can not continue. She will kill you. Have a look in the mirror," Giles demanded. "You are a pale shade of yourself. You mostly likely need a transfusion at this point. It would explain the paleness, your exhaustion. Willow, I know at least one of you ladies are taking iron pills. Please give some to Xander once we have him situated."

"No one's situating anything." Xander struggled but he had no prayer of fighting off Buffy and Faith and even if he did, Willow's magic would stop him cold. He cursed his normalness.

"Xander, we'll break her hold over you," Buffy promised him. "Speaking from first hand experience, you'll feel a lot better once we do."

"I feel great. Dru and I are in love," he snapped then his eyes widened realizing he had just blown it.

Buffy's lip curled on one side. "Dru? That would explain everything."