Drusilla opened her eyes wearily. 'What happened?' She mused. Spike lay
propped on his side watching his princess. He watched in awe as her eyes
fluttered opened. "Drusilla, princess, you're awake!" Spike cried planting
kisses all over Drusilla's face. "The stars were all foggy. They didn't
know what was wrong with you. Are you okay my sweet princess?"
"Spike." Drusilla protested against his fussing. "Spike." She repeated again pushing Spike away. She sat up, but quickly lay back down as soon as every thing started spinning around her head. "Spike, what happened?" She asked knowing the answer would confuse her, but still she wanted some idea of what had happened. "What day is it?"
"Sunday." Spike said quietly.
"What?!?" Drusilla cried trying to sit back up, only to be pushed back down by Spike.
"No, princess, it is too late. The stars say it wouldn't have worked. This slayer has friends and family. The light came from here. The horrible horrible good good light that sent the flying dove that bit you." Spike brushed the hair off of Drusilla's forehead.
"The attack?" Dru asked unenthusiastically.
"There was no attack. The minions spoke in rhymes all evening. They elected a new king."
"What?" Drusilla asked worriedly trying to sit up again.
"But he got sleepy. I helped him take a nap."
Drusilla smiled at Spike, and lay back down. 'As insane as Spike is, he always manages to take care of me. It's funny really. Sometimes I wonder if he really is crazy. Then he starts talking to his doll. But as much as I try to take care of Spike, he ends up having to take care of me. But I love normal moments like this. Oh, bloody hell. He's talking to his sodding 'sister' again. One of these days I'm gonna burn that thing. But the stars would probably tell him what I was planning to do.' Drusilla rolled her eyes, and turned to look at her lover who was now sitting at the table in the middle of the room, talking to the doll he addressed fondly as his sister.
*****
"She didn't attack. That's bad Giles, isn't it. There were no vampire attacks last night. This is so not good." Buffy paced in front of her watcher.
"Buffy, we really don't know that anything bad is going to" Giles tried to console Buffy when the library doors swung open. "Rupert, something bad is going to happen." Angel said coming into the library.
"Really." Buffy replied sarcastically. "Because only good things happen in Sunnydale."
"There have been attacks on vampires. And it wasn't you."
"I knew something was up. Told you Giles. How do you know?"
"They're attacking inside lairs. But they're not staking them."
"What are you implying, Angel?" Giles asked intrigued.
"Someone's building an army." Angel replied simply.
"Right. A vampire army. Because that would work so well." Buffy rolled her eyes. The vampire and the watcher stared at her. "What?" She asked innocently. "I'm not considering who ever this is a threat until Spike and Drusilla leave. They're a bigger threat right now."
Willow's eyes widened. "What if they're in town because of Spike and Drusilla?" Buffy looked over at her two best friends sitting at the table she had been pacing in front of.
"Huh?" Xander asked from his spot.
"What would be more powerful to a demon than a vampire with visions." Willow pointed out.
"They're not building an army to take over Sunnydale. They're building an army to capture Spike." Xander said catching on.
"Damn it. Spike." Angel said turning to run out of the library.
"Angel, where are you going? It could stop raining any minute now." Giles called after the vampire, afraid the overcast atmosphere would change.
"To get Spike." At the Scoobies' protests he elaborated. "He's still my childe. He's still family. And too damn trustworthy." Angel said continuing out the door. "I can't let him get hurt again."
The Scoobies stared at the swinging doors. "Wow." Willow muttered in awe.
"Wait. Does that mean that he's bringing the crazy freak here?" Xander asked panic filling his voice.
"Where else can we protect him, Xander?" Buffy said rolling her eyes.
"She's correct Xander. He'd be safest around both the slayer and his sire."
"He won't try to kill us, will he?" Willow added beginning to become nervous.
"Giles?" Buffy asked following her best friends' reactions.
"He can't if Angel tells him not to and uses the Right of Sire." Giles explained.
The three teens visibly exhaled the stress now gone.
*****
The stars were yelling at Spike. They were speaking in rhymes and he couldn't understand what they were saying.
"Spike?" Drusilla asked as Spike got up out of the bed. "Spike. You're weak. Lay back down, darling."
Spike walked over to Drusilla. "Miss Edith wants to take a walk. I will stay in the factory, Princess." Spike kissed Drusilla softly.
"Spike." She called after him as he walked out of the room. "Come back." She mumbled as she fell back asleep. 'This is bad. I don't like this. Why can't I move? I'm trying to move. What was in the bullet that hit me?' Realization dawned on Drusilla. 'An immobility potion. They weren't aiming at me. They wanted Spike.' She thought frantically, as she got out of the bed oblivious to the protests of her body. As crashing sounding overhead, she raced up the stairs.
The room was empty. Drusilla looked at the three piles of dust on the floor. "I guess I'm down two guards." She mused looking frantically around the room. Finally she spied her favorite minion huddled in a corner. "Delia." She said warningly as she walked up to her.
"Mistress, I'm so sorry." She said throwing herself at Drusilla's feet. "Please don't kill me. There was nothing we could do to stop him. He used the Right of Sire."
Drusilla roughly pulled Delia up. "Right of Sire?"
Delia nodded sniffling.
"Angel was here." Drusilla said in disgust. "That's who took him?"
"Yeah, then the cloak guys came back."
"Cloak guys?" Drusilla asked as her interest peaked.
"The ones who came on Thursday." Delia said simply.
Drusilla grabbed Delia's throat. "What else do you know about them?"
"Nothing. I swear." Delia panted.
"You sure?"
Delia nodded. "Good." Drusilla said as she snapped Delia's neck as brushed the dist away. "Now, time to torture and kill my sire and get my Spikey back."
*****
Buffy's head shot up from the book she was reading when the library doors swung open. "Angel, you're back." She said happily.
"And you brought Spike." Xander added.
Buffy looked at the person next to Angel. His hair was bleached blonde, and he had the palest skin Buffy had ever seen, even on a vampire. He, like Drusilla had been, was dressed entirely in black. In his arms he held a blonde doll in a white dress.
Buffy got up and walked over to Spike. "Hi." She said extending her hand. Spike took a step back and shifter into game face with a growl. "Daddy. Why did you take me to the yucky slayer. She tastes of ash."
Buffy dropped her hand and took a step back.
"Buffy, don't take it personal." Angel tried to apologize for his childe.
"It's cool, Angel." Buffy said sitting back down.
Giles, Willow and Xander eyed Spike carefully.
"Don't worry, Miss Edith." He told his doll. "Daddy said the slayer would be nice. Daddy won't let you get hurt. He wouldn't let Buffy hurt you like she did, Grandmother." Spike's face slipped back into its human façade.
"Is he talking to his doll?" Willow asked Xander curiously.
"Why does he have a doll?" Xander whispered back.
Angel walked over to Giles. "Did you find anything yet?" Giles watched Spike carefully. "No, I'm sorry Angel." Angel nodded as he watched in horror as Willow walked over to Spike.
"Hi." She said softly stopping a few feet away from him. "Who's that?" She pointed at his doll.
"This is my sister, Miss Edith." He told her sincerely.
"Oh." Willow inched closer. "How old is she?"
"Older than time. She is a princess and dances with the stars."
'What?' Willow raised her eyebrows and started to back away. 'He's crazier than I thought.'
Spike gently grabbed her arm. "Don't be scared Little Tree. I will not hurt you. I did not hurt my sister. You look so much like her." She said reaching out to caress her face.
"Spike." Angel said walking over to Spike. "What are you doing?" He asked removing his childe's hand from Willow's face. Willow stood still not able to take her eyes off the insane vampire.
"Doesn't she look like Edith?" Spike innocently asked Angel.
"Your doll?"
"My sister. Before you killed her." Spike roughly pushed Angel away and walked over towards Giles. "You're going to kill them." He stopped half way towards Giles, dropped his doll and roughly began to twirl around. "The stars scream it. The curse it will not last. Soon it will be gone. Very soon indeed and we will be a family again. Me, you and Dru. But we won't have grandmother this time. So the Little Tree will come. You will hurt the Little Tree. She will be my sister. You're going to have to kill my sister again." Spike said crazed slipping into game face.
"Spike." Angel grabbed the younger vampire roughly by the shoulders. "Stop it your scaring them." Buffy pulled out a stake, but Giles stopped her. "Let Angel handle this, Buffy. It's his childe." Buffy nodded and put the stake away.
"Vampires scare people. Bunnies do too."
"Spike!" Angel shook him.
"Daddy." Spike replied caressing Angel's face with his hand. "You look like the stars. The stars have your face." Angel knocked Spike's hand away. "Stop it, Spike."
Spike was going to say something when he felt a soft hand on his arm. He turned around slowly, slipping back into his human mask. He turned to look at Willow. "You dropped Miss Edith." Willow said simply as she handed Spike his doll.
He took it and cradled the doll in his arms. "Why don't you sit down." Willow offered leading him over to the table. "Daddy wants you to sit." Willow said pulling out a chair. Spike nodded silently and sat down next to Willow.
"What just happened?" Buffy asked Giles.
"He seems to be listening to Willow." He observed.
"He thinks she's his sister." Angel ran his hands through his hair.
"Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?" Buffy asked. The only response Buffy got was from Spike. "The stars are dancing and they all have one face. Princess is coming." He said happily.
"What does he mean by that, Angel?" Buffy asked her voice fearful. Suddenly the room began to shake.
"Princess is coming." Spike repeated clapping his hands.
"Excuse me?" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Angel?"
"Dru's coming." Angel said not taking his eyes off of Spike.
"What do you mean Dru's coming?" Giles asked getting nervous.
It was then that the doors flung open revealing a very pissed of vampiress. At the same time, twenty men dressed in cloaks burst in through the stacks.
*****
"Spike." Drusilla protested against his fussing. "Spike." She repeated again pushing Spike away. She sat up, but quickly lay back down as soon as every thing started spinning around her head. "Spike, what happened?" She asked knowing the answer would confuse her, but still she wanted some idea of what had happened. "What day is it?"
"Sunday." Spike said quietly.
"What?!?" Drusilla cried trying to sit back up, only to be pushed back down by Spike.
"No, princess, it is too late. The stars say it wouldn't have worked. This slayer has friends and family. The light came from here. The horrible horrible good good light that sent the flying dove that bit you." Spike brushed the hair off of Drusilla's forehead.
"The attack?" Dru asked unenthusiastically.
"There was no attack. The minions spoke in rhymes all evening. They elected a new king."
"What?" Drusilla asked worriedly trying to sit up again.
"But he got sleepy. I helped him take a nap."
Drusilla smiled at Spike, and lay back down. 'As insane as Spike is, he always manages to take care of me. It's funny really. Sometimes I wonder if he really is crazy. Then he starts talking to his doll. But as much as I try to take care of Spike, he ends up having to take care of me. But I love normal moments like this. Oh, bloody hell. He's talking to his sodding 'sister' again. One of these days I'm gonna burn that thing. But the stars would probably tell him what I was planning to do.' Drusilla rolled her eyes, and turned to look at her lover who was now sitting at the table in the middle of the room, talking to the doll he addressed fondly as his sister.
*****
"She didn't attack. That's bad Giles, isn't it. There were no vampire attacks last night. This is so not good." Buffy paced in front of her watcher.
"Buffy, we really don't know that anything bad is going to" Giles tried to console Buffy when the library doors swung open. "Rupert, something bad is going to happen." Angel said coming into the library.
"Really." Buffy replied sarcastically. "Because only good things happen in Sunnydale."
"There have been attacks on vampires. And it wasn't you."
"I knew something was up. Told you Giles. How do you know?"
"They're attacking inside lairs. But they're not staking them."
"What are you implying, Angel?" Giles asked intrigued.
"Someone's building an army." Angel replied simply.
"Right. A vampire army. Because that would work so well." Buffy rolled her eyes. The vampire and the watcher stared at her. "What?" She asked innocently. "I'm not considering who ever this is a threat until Spike and Drusilla leave. They're a bigger threat right now."
Willow's eyes widened. "What if they're in town because of Spike and Drusilla?" Buffy looked over at her two best friends sitting at the table she had been pacing in front of.
"Huh?" Xander asked from his spot.
"What would be more powerful to a demon than a vampire with visions." Willow pointed out.
"They're not building an army to take over Sunnydale. They're building an army to capture Spike." Xander said catching on.
"Damn it. Spike." Angel said turning to run out of the library.
"Angel, where are you going? It could stop raining any minute now." Giles called after the vampire, afraid the overcast atmosphere would change.
"To get Spike." At the Scoobies' protests he elaborated. "He's still my childe. He's still family. And too damn trustworthy." Angel said continuing out the door. "I can't let him get hurt again."
The Scoobies stared at the swinging doors. "Wow." Willow muttered in awe.
"Wait. Does that mean that he's bringing the crazy freak here?" Xander asked panic filling his voice.
"Where else can we protect him, Xander?" Buffy said rolling her eyes.
"She's correct Xander. He'd be safest around both the slayer and his sire."
"He won't try to kill us, will he?" Willow added beginning to become nervous.
"Giles?" Buffy asked following her best friends' reactions.
"He can't if Angel tells him not to and uses the Right of Sire." Giles explained.
The three teens visibly exhaled the stress now gone.
*****
The stars were yelling at Spike. They were speaking in rhymes and he couldn't understand what they were saying.
"Spike?" Drusilla asked as Spike got up out of the bed. "Spike. You're weak. Lay back down, darling."
Spike walked over to Drusilla. "Miss Edith wants to take a walk. I will stay in the factory, Princess." Spike kissed Drusilla softly.
"Spike." She called after him as he walked out of the room. "Come back." She mumbled as she fell back asleep. 'This is bad. I don't like this. Why can't I move? I'm trying to move. What was in the bullet that hit me?' Realization dawned on Drusilla. 'An immobility potion. They weren't aiming at me. They wanted Spike.' She thought frantically, as she got out of the bed oblivious to the protests of her body. As crashing sounding overhead, she raced up the stairs.
The room was empty. Drusilla looked at the three piles of dust on the floor. "I guess I'm down two guards." She mused looking frantically around the room. Finally she spied her favorite minion huddled in a corner. "Delia." She said warningly as she walked up to her.
"Mistress, I'm so sorry." She said throwing herself at Drusilla's feet. "Please don't kill me. There was nothing we could do to stop him. He used the Right of Sire."
Drusilla roughly pulled Delia up. "Right of Sire?"
Delia nodded sniffling.
"Angel was here." Drusilla said in disgust. "That's who took him?"
"Yeah, then the cloak guys came back."
"Cloak guys?" Drusilla asked as her interest peaked.
"The ones who came on Thursday." Delia said simply.
Drusilla grabbed Delia's throat. "What else do you know about them?"
"Nothing. I swear." Delia panted.
"You sure?"
Delia nodded. "Good." Drusilla said as she snapped Delia's neck as brushed the dist away. "Now, time to torture and kill my sire and get my Spikey back."
*****
Buffy's head shot up from the book she was reading when the library doors swung open. "Angel, you're back." She said happily.
"And you brought Spike." Xander added.
Buffy looked at the person next to Angel. His hair was bleached blonde, and he had the palest skin Buffy had ever seen, even on a vampire. He, like Drusilla had been, was dressed entirely in black. In his arms he held a blonde doll in a white dress.
Buffy got up and walked over to Spike. "Hi." She said extending her hand. Spike took a step back and shifter into game face with a growl. "Daddy. Why did you take me to the yucky slayer. She tastes of ash."
Buffy dropped her hand and took a step back.
"Buffy, don't take it personal." Angel tried to apologize for his childe.
"It's cool, Angel." Buffy said sitting back down.
Giles, Willow and Xander eyed Spike carefully.
"Don't worry, Miss Edith." He told his doll. "Daddy said the slayer would be nice. Daddy won't let you get hurt. He wouldn't let Buffy hurt you like she did, Grandmother." Spike's face slipped back into its human façade.
"Is he talking to his doll?" Willow asked Xander curiously.
"Why does he have a doll?" Xander whispered back.
Angel walked over to Giles. "Did you find anything yet?" Giles watched Spike carefully. "No, I'm sorry Angel." Angel nodded as he watched in horror as Willow walked over to Spike.
"Hi." She said softly stopping a few feet away from him. "Who's that?" She pointed at his doll.
"This is my sister, Miss Edith." He told her sincerely.
"Oh." Willow inched closer. "How old is she?"
"Older than time. She is a princess and dances with the stars."
'What?' Willow raised her eyebrows and started to back away. 'He's crazier than I thought.'
Spike gently grabbed her arm. "Don't be scared Little Tree. I will not hurt you. I did not hurt my sister. You look so much like her." She said reaching out to caress her face.
"Spike." Angel said walking over to Spike. "What are you doing?" He asked removing his childe's hand from Willow's face. Willow stood still not able to take her eyes off the insane vampire.
"Doesn't she look like Edith?" Spike innocently asked Angel.
"Your doll?"
"My sister. Before you killed her." Spike roughly pushed Angel away and walked over towards Giles. "You're going to kill them." He stopped half way towards Giles, dropped his doll and roughly began to twirl around. "The stars scream it. The curse it will not last. Soon it will be gone. Very soon indeed and we will be a family again. Me, you and Dru. But we won't have grandmother this time. So the Little Tree will come. You will hurt the Little Tree. She will be my sister. You're going to have to kill my sister again." Spike said crazed slipping into game face.
"Spike." Angel grabbed the younger vampire roughly by the shoulders. "Stop it your scaring them." Buffy pulled out a stake, but Giles stopped her. "Let Angel handle this, Buffy. It's his childe." Buffy nodded and put the stake away.
"Vampires scare people. Bunnies do too."
"Spike!" Angel shook him.
"Daddy." Spike replied caressing Angel's face with his hand. "You look like the stars. The stars have your face." Angel knocked Spike's hand away. "Stop it, Spike."
Spike was going to say something when he felt a soft hand on his arm. He turned around slowly, slipping back into his human mask. He turned to look at Willow. "You dropped Miss Edith." Willow said simply as she handed Spike his doll.
He took it and cradled the doll in his arms. "Why don't you sit down." Willow offered leading him over to the table. "Daddy wants you to sit." Willow said pulling out a chair. Spike nodded silently and sat down next to Willow.
"What just happened?" Buffy asked Giles.
"He seems to be listening to Willow." He observed.
"He thinks she's his sister." Angel ran his hands through his hair.
"Something bad is going to happen, isn't it?" Buffy asked. The only response Buffy got was from Spike. "The stars are dancing and they all have one face. Princess is coming." He said happily.
"What does he mean by that, Angel?" Buffy asked her voice fearful. Suddenly the room began to shake.
"Princess is coming." Spike repeated clapping his hands.
"Excuse me?" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "Angel?"
"Dru's coming." Angel said not taking his eyes off of Spike.
"What do you mean Dru's coming?" Giles asked getting nervous.
It was then that the doors flung open revealing a very pissed of vampiress. At the same time, twenty men dressed in cloaks burst in through the stacks.
*****