DISCLAIMER: All Characters are the property of Joss Whedon and the WB.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an 'Angel'/'Charmed' crossover. One of the things I always found interesting about 'Buffy', was that the title character was least interesting person on the show. The vampires always appealed to me more, specifically the little 'family' of Darla, Angelus, Drusilla and Spike. Because despite their inhumanity, there was something very humane in the way they lived together and looked out for one another.
This story is called, 'Drusilla's Re-awakening'. She is the only one out of the four, that has not had a chance to either have her soul re-stored to her, or become human, as Darla was briefly on 'Angel'. But both are about to happen to Drusilla. She will cease to be a vampire, under the oddest of circumstances, not thanks to an encounter with one of the Charmed Ones.
But, much like Darla, the road to re-storing Drusilla's humanity, will be wrought with problems, past guilt for her sins and....strange new powers that Angel, Wesley and Leo, the Whitelighter, will help her come to grips with.
Drusilla's 're-birth, will be kept a secret from Spike, at his ex-lover's request. Drusilla is determined to live a good, human life, and will feel that Spike will keep her from having that. That and she is still quite hurt over his rejection towards her in favor of Buffy.
But Spike always wants the 'unattainable'. And a human, sane Drusilla, is who he will desire. But, as with anything in the magical world, it won't be easy. For there will be another player in this drama, one that could ruin Drusilla's hopes and dreams, with his very charm. His human name is Cole Turner, ex-husband of one of the Charmed witches, Phoebe Haliwell. But in the demonic world, he goes by the name Belthazor. And while 'Charmed' fans may remember that Cole was vanquished, he lives on in this story as a continued thorn in the side of the Charmed Ones.
Also, Leo and Piper are still married, for storyline purposes.
****
San Francisco
Drusilla sighed, as she sat in the darkness. A waitress brought her a drink, and Drusilla barely made eye contact with her, as the woman turned and walked away. She didn't really drink anyway, and only ordered food and liquids just for show, in public places such as this.
Not that this place was bad, P3. It was the cutest nightclub she had been to yet in this area. But she was not here for the atmosphere, though she saw plenty of people she would love to feed on.
Drusilla's eyes zeroed in on the VIP area, where the Charmed Ones sat. They were pretty, although all she saw around them, was black smoke. They had seen a lot of pain and death in their time, not that any of that mattered to her.
Drusilla opened up the Coach purse she had stolen off of a young girl last night, after she had killed her. She then pulled out a flier. It read: KILL A CHARMED ONE CONTEST.
Drusilla sighed again. There had been a time, when she and Spike would've done this sort of thing together. He would've loved this! The idea of killing one of the witches over there...all one had to do was kill one! Not all three! Whoever decreased the 'power of three' to 'two will do', would be awarded powers that made one invulnerable to most modes of death. Drusilla checked the list. Yes, staking was on it!
There had been a small fee to enter, of course. Drusilla had killed a man in an under car garage, that had been driving a ferrari. After, she had thrown his body in his own trunk, and had taken his wallet. She found the subsequent funds so she could enter the contest. All she had to do was wait. Drusilla figured she would grab one of them when they were alone in the parking lot. Hopefully, they would not leave together.
One of them stood up. Drusilla peered at the woman. Her aura had changed from black smoke to a sort of white light. She took comfort in that. Maybe that meant that this one was the weaker of the three. The one that could see the future.
Drusilla licked her lips. In a way, she should feel a kinship with anyone that was a seer, even if she was a witch. For she had the same gift, though, when she was alive, it had driven her half mad....
The witch turned and walked up the stairs. She was leaving! Finally, she would drain the witch, take her body to the appointed place...where was the place again?
Drusilla decided not to waste time looking at the flier. She had to hurry if she was going to catch the witch! The one surrounded by the bright light...
****
Phoebe and Piper Haliwell, watched as the vampire stood up and followed their sister, Paige, out of P3. Piper looked at Phoebe.
'Are you sure that's her?' she asked. Phoebe nodded.
'She was the one in my vision...the one that killed Jason.' she said, her voice quavering. Piper put a hand over Phoebe's.
'Honey, we are going to get her. Believe me. That's why we're doing this, okay? Now, lets hurry before she ambushes Paige.' Piper said.
Phoebe stood up and blindly followed Piper out of the club. All she could see was Jason, and how he had looked, the last time she had seen him.
It killed her that she had had her vision of his attack, too late to stop it! Why? Why had this happened? Why had she been too late to stop him from being slain in that undercar garage?! Why hadn't she been able to protect him?!
There was no going back. Not for her or Jason. And the vampire that killed her beloved, would lose her life on this night as well.
Piper and Phoebe stepped outside of the club.
****
Drusilla slipped into the alley, as she watched the witch walk to her car. There was no else around. Now was the time!
Drusilla changed into her 'vamp face' and leaped onto the witch! Paige Matthews had been expecting the attack, but she had forgotten about vampire speed, and orbed as Drusilla's fangs sank into her neck.
'Paige!' Piper screamed, as she tried to aim for Drusilla to blow her up! But she knew she would hit Paige as well! God, how had they gotten here too late?!
Phoebe clenched her fists together! Paige had to be alright! She had orbed away with the vampire, but her and Piper could see that their baby sister had clearly been bitten! What would this mean for Paige?
Thunder began to clap loudly! Piper looked over at Phoebe.
'Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence!' she cried out. 'Leo!' she screamed.
Leo, Piper's husband and the three sisters Whitelighter, orbed to them. He looked around.
'What happened? Where is Paige?'
'We don't know! We got out here too late! Can you sense Paige?' Phoebe asked desperately. A hard rain began to fall.
Leo began to shake his head.
'No...and I don't know why...unless...'
'Don't say that!' Piper cried out. 'Paige is still human! We've just got to find her!'
Something on the ground caught Phoebe's eye. She bent down to pick it up. It was the vampire's purse, and a piece of paper. She looked at it.
'Guys...look at this!'
Piper pulled Phoebe back towards the P3 entrance, so they would not get rained on. Leo took the paper from Phoebe.
'Someone is gunning for the three of you.'
'Oh so what else is new?!' Piper snapped. 'Who cares how that vampire found us, we have to find...'
Suddenly, lightening struck one of the cars in the parking lot! Paige and the vampire came crashing down onto the top of it! Paige lay still, while the vampire bounced off of the roof and onto the ground!
Phoebe, Piper and Leo ran to Paige, who lay unconscious on top off the roof.
'Leo!' Piper yelled, and Leo put his hands on Paige to heal her. A bright blue light radiated throughout her body. Her eyes slowly opened, and Leo pulled her up and off of the roof of the now smashed in car.
'What happened?' Paige asked groggily. Piper looked to see how badly the vampire had bitten Paige. Meanwhile, Phoebe looked around for the vampire.
'Piper! The stake! She's over there!'
Piper pulled a stake out of the inside of her leather jacket, then turned back to Paige. She had to bites, but they didn't look deep at all. Leo put his hands over the bites and healed them.
Phoebe walked carefully towards the front of the damaged vehicle. The vampire was beginning to stand up. Her face looked human.
Phoebe yelled out, and threw the stake towards Drusilla's heart! Drusilla turned, gasped, then orbed away, just as the stake passed through her! She then orbed back and looked down at herself.
'Where am I? What's happened to me...' was all Drusilla got out, before slipping into a dead faint, and falling onto the wet pavement.
****
L.A. Wolfram&Hart- Two Days Later
Angel rubbed his eyes tiredly, as Wesley droned on about some meeting they had today, between two demonic factions. He had thought he had been doing a good job at pretending to listen, but it was not until Wesley snapped his fingers in front of his face, that he realized that his friend had been on to him.
'Angel, you've been out of it for days now. What is it?' Wesley asked, his face filled with concern.
Angel looked around. His office door was closed. He then looked up at Wesley.
'I haven't been sleeping a lot.' he admitted.
Wesley set down a file folder he had been carrying and sat on the edge of Angel's desk.
'Okay...what's going on here?'
Angel rubbed his temples.
'Believe it or not, I've been dreaming about Drusilla lately.'
Wesley raised an eyebrow. Drusilla? She was Spike's former lover and sired by Angel's demonic persona, Angelus. He knew that Drusilla's very being, was a sin that tortured his boss's soul, every now and then. But what was done was done. Angel was not the man that had driven a poor young girl insane, killed her whole family, then, on the day she was to take her vows to enter a convent, made her into a vampire.
'Angel, I wish you'd stop these guilt trips that arise every so often. Though I don't understand why you'd be thinking of her at all.'
Angel leaned forward, he shook his head.
'The last time I had dreams like this...that were so vivid and odd...it was when we found out that this firm had brought Darla back to life.'
Wesley said nothing. What happened to Darla, the woman that sired Angel, and the mother of his son, Connor, was another tragedy that haunted Angel for the rest of his days. Her pregnancy and subsequent suicide to give birth to Connor, turned out to be just the beginning of a nightmare. But Angel and Connor soon found a way to co-exist peacefully, even if they were not close. Angel was good at accepting the way things were or had to be. He had lived enough lifetimes to be able to do so.
'Drusilla is not Darla.' Wesley said gently.
Angel stood up.
'I know...I just...I've lived long enough to trust my instincts. Something is different...'
'Tell me about the dreams.' Wesley urged.
Angel walked away from the desk and looked out of the window. He said nothing for the longest moment, causing Wesley to wonder if maybe Angel had changed his mind about sharing. Then he spoke.
'The dreams keep alternating. I mean, I keep going back to when Drusilla was human, and I tortured her...killing her family and wearing her down...then...then the dreams become strange...she's still human but magical in some way.'
Wesley squinted at his back.
'Magical?'
Angel turned back around.
'Just forget I said anything, okay? I don't know what the hell I'm going on about. I must be just tired.'
'Yes, maybe.'
'But what, Wesley? You don't think so?'
'I've known you long enough to trust your instincts as well, Angel. I don't think you'd be dreaming of Drusilla unless she was about to re-enter your life again in some way. Just like Darla did.'
'Yeah, but you see, that's what's been keeping me awake. The part about Drusilla being human.'
Wesley stood up off of the corner of the desk.
'Well when you say 'magical', what do you mean by that?' he asked.
*****
Leo and Phoebe orbed into the offices of Wolfram & Hart. In fact, they orbed in in front of Harmony. Harmony, didn't let the sparkling blue light, faze her at all.
'Welcome to Wolfram&Hart! Who are you here to see?' she asked, her tone sunny.
Phoebe smiled at her.
'Can you give us just a second?' she asked. Harmony nodded, then took out a nail file. Phoebe looked at Leo.
'Leo, I don't know about this.'
'I've worked with Angel before. He's a good man.'
'He's a vampire.' Phoebe reminded him. 'And he's in the Book Of Shadows.'
'As Angelus! Phoebe, listen to me: I've spoken with the Elders...they know of Drusilla's history...we need his help with her or we could lose her to dark magic forever.'
'Well what are we supposed to do with her? Make her a fourth Charmed One?' Phoebe asked sarcastically.
'Phoebe, she can't be anything until we get her through this phase. She hasn't been human in well over a hundred years. Every despicable act that she's ever partook in, is running through her mind. Not to mention that she was not only a vampire, but an insane one at that.'
'And I'm sorry for her, but she killed Jason.'
'Uh, excuse me?' Harmony chirped. Leo smiled at her. Phoebe glanced over.
'Did you say Drusilla?' she asked, wondering if they were talking about that Morticia Addams looking bitch, that Spike used to go out with!
'We need to see Angel.' Leo said patiently, ignoring her question. Harmony smiled back at him, thinking about how cute and clean cut he was. She pressed the speaker on the intercom.
****
'You said you saw bright light around Drusilla? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean she's magical.' Wesley pointed out.
'At the very least it means she's back. I don't know what it is, Wesley, but I'm thinking maybe she killed that Dean guy in the garage.' Angel theorized.
'You know, maybe you should run your theories by Spike. Both of you knew Drusilla better than anyone...maybe he can find out if she is back or not. I mean, if you're going to let him work here, then he should really earn his keep.'
Angel rolled his eyes.
'It's worth it to me to pay Spike to keep out of trouble. And as for Drusilla....if it comes to a point where she has to be killed, better I do it than him. Whatever his feelings are for Buffy, I know Drusilla will always hold some kind of claim to his heart. I don't think he could do it.'
'Angel?'
Angel and Wesley turned towards the intercom.
'Yes, Harmony?'
'There's a Whitelighter and a Witch here to see you. Can I take the rest of the afternoon off?'
'No! Send them in...I guess.' Angel said, looking questioningly at Wesley.
'Maybe it's that Whitelighter we've dealt with before...the one that's helped us out before...what was his name again?'
'Leo.' Angel said, feeling more uneasy than curious. Something in his gut told him that his dreams about Drusilla, and this visit, were one in the same. He would've held his breath, if he was able to breathe!
The door opened, and Leo and Phoebe walked in. Harmony had not shown them in, and Angel strongly suspected that she had taken off anyway. He would make sure her pay was docked, if that was the case!
Angel's eyes met Phoebe's. Phoebe's eyes sparkled as she met his. Good God! This 'Angel' didn't look as surly as he had in the Book of Shadows. That and his hair was shorter. That and he was also kind of gorgeous.
Angel, for his part, recognized the Witch as Phoebe Haliwell. He read her advice column, 'Ask Phoebe', all of the time. She was a witch, hey?
Angel walked up to Leo and shook his hand.
'Leo, what brings you by?' he asked, looking from him to Phoebe. Wesley walked up behind Angel.
'Angel, it's good to see you again. This is Phoebe Haliwell. Phoebe, this is Angel, and...and....I'm sorry, I forgot your name?' Leo asked.
Wesley nodded slightly.
'It's Wesley Wyndham-Price. Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but Ms. Haliwell here is a Charmed One, is she not?'
Angel looked back at Wesley with surprise. He then looked at Phoebe. He had heard of the Charmed Ones, of course, but had never seen them. He had no reason to, since he had had his soul for the past 80 something years. He never had any run ins with the powerful witches.
'Yes, I am.' Phoebe smiled at Wesley, before her eyes returned to Angel's. She hadn't met a man that she had felt such an instant attraction to, since her ex, Cole Turner, and he had been a demon. Great! From demon to vampire!
'And, one of you can freeze time, another can move things with their mind and the last one can see the future...am I correct?' Wesley continued to press, somewhat in awe.
Phoebe raised her hand slightly.
'Guilty as charged. I am the one that sees the future...though our powers have progressed somewhat. I mean I am also an enpath....'
Phoebe stopped talking. She had recently learned to control her enpath ability, but for some reason, her guard had dropped with Angel, and she could feel his attraction to her. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and looked at Leo. He looked at her with concern.
'Are you alright?' he asked.
'Just a little flushed. The orbing was a bit much.' she said, knowing it was a bit lame.
But Angel reached out and touched her arm.
'It's alright. We'll get you a chair.' he said, pulling up a nearby chair and helping Phoebe into it. He then let go of her quickly. It was strange how strong his feelings were for this woman, who he has just laid eyes on. Yet, something about her, had brought him to her column, morning after morning.
Wesley continued to babble on.
'Did you not lose a sister witch though? Some years back?'
'Yes, but there was another.' Leo answered for Phoebe. 'Uh, Angel, we really need to talk.'
'It's okay. Wesley can be trusted.' Angel said firmly. Leo nodded.
'Okay, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to get it out here. You may have heard about the murder of a newspaper mogul, a few nights ago?'
Angel crossed his arms and glanced at Wesley.
'Yes, Jason Dean.' Angel said. He then glanced down at Phoebe, who began to look even paler. He kept an eye on her, while listening to Leo.
'Yes, well, Phoebe got a vision of his murderer. It was a woman vampire. One named Drusilla.'
Angel and Wesley looked at one another. Leo noted this.
'You don't seem surprised?'
'I had my suspicions, but nothing concrete. I'm assuming you need my help in killing her?' Angel asked.
But Phoebe stood up.
'No. We tried that and something happened.'
There was a silence. Wesley eyed Angel. Maybe his boss's dreams had been prophetic! Leo began talking.
'She bit one of Phoebe's sisters. Her name is Paige and she is part Whitelighter, and has the ability to move things with her mind by calling to them. When Drusilla bit her, a sudden storm came out of nowhere, and the two of them disappeared.'
Angel could feel Wesley's eyes on him. He spoke.
'The long and short of it is, somehow Dru is human again, isn't she?' he whispered thickly.
Phoebe tilted her head in surprise and looked at Leo. She then spoke.
'Oh, she's more than human. She sucked enough of Paige's blood...she is no longer a vampire, she does have a soul and she also has the same powers that Paige has... Paige is alright and her own powers are still in tact, but...'
'Good Lord!' Wesley cried out. 'Well, can't you perform a spell to remove Drusilla's powers?'
Leo shook his head.
'I spoke with the Elders on this. Drusilla is related to the Charmed Ones in some way...her place in the Haliwell history is incomplete because...'
'Because I killed her entire family.' Angel said quietly. Phoebe closed her eyes. She could feel his guilt.
'Looking into this, we now suspect that Drusilla may not have been the natural born child of the people she knew as her parents. The point is this: she is staying with the Charmed Ones, at their home and is having a hard time dealing with her new humanity. I thought that someone who had been through this before...'
'Take me to her.' Angel said. Wesley raised a brow and interrupted.
'Leo, you're saying that you can't undo her powers because she may actually have a right to them?'
'That storm that caused Drusilla and Paige to appear, happened at the exact moment that Paige was bitten by her. And I don't think it was just a coincidence.'
Leo then addressed Angel.
'If it becomes known in the demonic community that there is another Charmed One, every effort will be made to turn her to dark magic. Drusilla can not only orb, and move things with her mind, but she still has the ability to see the future, and also now has the potential to heal. If that kind of power gets into the wrong hands....'
'We need to make sure she gets the support she needs to do good with her new gifts.' Angel murmured. Drusilla could be saved...she would not end up like Darla, not if he had anything to say about it!
'Phoebe, her sisters, and I want to help her learn her new craft. I was thinking that with the death of Cordelia Chase, you don't have a seer, someone that could help you continue the good work you do here, Angel. The two of you have a connection. I think she could be invaluable to you. But we all have to get her over this hump.'
Wesley pulled Angel back a bit, smiling at Leo and Phoebe.
'He is right. I think you should go to her.'
Angel smiled softly at him.
'Yes, I was just thinking that too. I guess I'm more than a bit curious to see what a 'sane' Drusilla will be like.'
Angel turned away from Wesley. He looked at Phoebe, who did not look as positive as her Whitelighter. He made a mental note to find out why that was later.
'Take me to her.' Angel repeated. Phoebe reached for his hand and he took it. They both held on to Leo as they orbed from the office.
****
Meanwhile, Harmony felt a someone tug on her hair!
'Ouch!' she hissed, then turned to see who had been so damned rude! She looked into the face of her former lover, Spike, who was grinning at her.
'Eavesdropping, luv? Why don't you just listen in on the intercom?'
'Shut up, Spike! And Angel caught me doing that once before, so I figured this way would be easier.'
'Oh, well...' Spike answered, not really interested as to why Harmony was spying on Angel. He had totaled another car, while in search of a former employee from this firm, that Angel had sent him to find. The employee had failed the daily blood test and could be linked to five murders from last night. Spike didn't find him.
He reached for Angel's door, but Harmony called out in a sing song voice.
'He's not in. I think he orbed out with the Whitelighter. But Wesley is around.'
Spike turned to look at Harmony. She wanted to tell him something so badly, but was being coy about the whole matter! He began walking towards her.
'Whitelighter? What the bloody hell was a Whitelighter doing here?'
Harmony shrugged.
'He came with a witch. That pretty one that does the advice column?'
'Uh, no, Harm, I don't read newspapers! Now what's going on here?'
Harmony pretended to be nonchalant.
'I don't know...though I did overhear the Witch and the Whitelighter use the name 'Drusilla'. When I tried to ask them about it, they both clammed up and went into Angel's office....Spike...Spike!' Harmony yelled, as Spike turned and walked away from her. He then threw open the door to Angel's office, knocking down Wesley, who had just been about to open it, back onto the floor!
Spike reached for Wesley's collar and pulled him up.
'I don't mean to be uncivilized, mate, but you really need to tell me what took place in this office, NOW!' he snapped.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an 'Angel'/'Charmed' crossover. One of the things I always found interesting about 'Buffy', was that the title character was least interesting person on the show. The vampires always appealed to me more, specifically the little 'family' of Darla, Angelus, Drusilla and Spike. Because despite their inhumanity, there was something very humane in the way they lived together and looked out for one another.
This story is called, 'Drusilla's Re-awakening'. She is the only one out of the four, that has not had a chance to either have her soul re-stored to her, or become human, as Darla was briefly on 'Angel'. But both are about to happen to Drusilla. She will cease to be a vampire, under the oddest of circumstances, not thanks to an encounter with one of the Charmed Ones.
But, much like Darla, the road to re-storing Drusilla's humanity, will be wrought with problems, past guilt for her sins and....strange new powers that Angel, Wesley and Leo, the Whitelighter, will help her come to grips with.
Drusilla's 're-birth, will be kept a secret from Spike, at his ex-lover's request. Drusilla is determined to live a good, human life, and will feel that Spike will keep her from having that. That and she is still quite hurt over his rejection towards her in favor of Buffy.
But Spike always wants the 'unattainable'. And a human, sane Drusilla, is who he will desire. But, as with anything in the magical world, it won't be easy. For there will be another player in this drama, one that could ruin Drusilla's hopes and dreams, with his very charm. His human name is Cole Turner, ex-husband of one of the Charmed witches, Phoebe Haliwell. But in the demonic world, he goes by the name Belthazor. And while 'Charmed' fans may remember that Cole was vanquished, he lives on in this story as a continued thorn in the side of the Charmed Ones.
Also, Leo and Piper are still married, for storyline purposes.
****
San Francisco
Drusilla sighed, as she sat in the darkness. A waitress brought her a drink, and Drusilla barely made eye contact with her, as the woman turned and walked away. She didn't really drink anyway, and only ordered food and liquids just for show, in public places such as this.
Not that this place was bad, P3. It was the cutest nightclub she had been to yet in this area. But she was not here for the atmosphere, though she saw plenty of people she would love to feed on.
Drusilla's eyes zeroed in on the VIP area, where the Charmed Ones sat. They were pretty, although all she saw around them, was black smoke. They had seen a lot of pain and death in their time, not that any of that mattered to her.
Drusilla opened up the Coach purse she had stolen off of a young girl last night, after she had killed her. She then pulled out a flier. It read: KILL A CHARMED ONE CONTEST.
Drusilla sighed again. There had been a time, when she and Spike would've done this sort of thing together. He would've loved this! The idea of killing one of the witches over there...all one had to do was kill one! Not all three! Whoever decreased the 'power of three' to 'two will do', would be awarded powers that made one invulnerable to most modes of death. Drusilla checked the list. Yes, staking was on it!
There had been a small fee to enter, of course. Drusilla had killed a man in an under car garage, that had been driving a ferrari. After, she had thrown his body in his own trunk, and had taken his wallet. She found the subsequent funds so she could enter the contest. All she had to do was wait. Drusilla figured she would grab one of them when they were alone in the parking lot. Hopefully, they would not leave together.
One of them stood up. Drusilla peered at the woman. Her aura had changed from black smoke to a sort of white light. She took comfort in that. Maybe that meant that this one was the weaker of the three. The one that could see the future.
Drusilla licked her lips. In a way, she should feel a kinship with anyone that was a seer, even if she was a witch. For she had the same gift, though, when she was alive, it had driven her half mad....
The witch turned and walked up the stairs. She was leaving! Finally, she would drain the witch, take her body to the appointed place...where was the place again?
Drusilla decided not to waste time looking at the flier. She had to hurry if she was going to catch the witch! The one surrounded by the bright light...
****
Phoebe and Piper Haliwell, watched as the vampire stood up and followed their sister, Paige, out of P3. Piper looked at Phoebe.
'Are you sure that's her?' she asked. Phoebe nodded.
'She was the one in my vision...the one that killed Jason.' she said, her voice quavering. Piper put a hand over Phoebe's.
'Honey, we are going to get her. Believe me. That's why we're doing this, okay? Now, lets hurry before she ambushes Paige.' Piper said.
Phoebe stood up and blindly followed Piper out of the club. All she could see was Jason, and how he had looked, the last time she had seen him.
It killed her that she had had her vision of his attack, too late to stop it! Why? Why had this happened? Why had she been too late to stop him from being slain in that undercar garage?! Why hadn't she been able to protect him?!
There was no going back. Not for her or Jason. And the vampire that killed her beloved, would lose her life on this night as well.
Piper and Phoebe stepped outside of the club.
****
Drusilla slipped into the alley, as she watched the witch walk to her car. There was no else around. Now was the time!
Drusilla changed into her 'vamp face' and leaped onto the witch! Paige Matthews had been expecting the attack, but she had forgotten about vampire speed, and orbed as Drusilla's fangs sank into her neck.
'Paige!' Piper screamed, as she tried to aim for Drusilla to blow her up! But she knew she would hit Paige as well! God, how had they gotten here too late?!
Phoebe clenched her fists together! Paige had to be alright! She had orbed away with the vampire, but her and Piper could see that their baby sister had clearly been bitten! What would this mean for Paige?
Thunder began to clap loudly! Piper looked over at Phoebe.
'Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence!' she cried out. 'Leo!' she screamed.
Leo, Piper's husband and the three sisters Whitelighter, orbed to them. He looked around.
'What happened? Where is Paige?'
'We don't know! We got out here too late! Can you sense Paige?' Phoebe asked desperately. A hard rain began to fall.
Leo began to shake his head.
'No...and I don't know why...unless...'
'Don't say that!' Piper cried out. 'Paige is still human! We've just got to find her!'
Something on the ground caught Phoebe's eye. She bent down to pick it up. It was the vampire's purse, and a piece of paper. She looked at it.
'Guys...look at this!'
Piper pulled Phoebe back towards the P3 entrance, so they would not get rained on. Leo took the paper from Phoebe.
'Someone is gunning for the three of you.'
'Oh so what else is new?!' Piper snapped. 'Who cares how that vampire found us, we have to find...'
Suddenly, lightening struck one of the cars in the parking lot! Paige and the vampire came crashing down onto the top of it! Paige lay still, while the vampire bounced off of the roof and onto the ground!
Phoebe, Piper and Leo ran to Paige, who lay unconscious on top off the roof.
'Leo!' Piper yelled, and Leo put his hands on Paige to heal her. A bright blue light radiated throughout her body. Her eyes slowly opened, and Leo pulled her up and off of the roof of the now smashed in car.
'What happened?' Paige asked groggily. Piper looked to see how badly the vampire had bitten Paige. Meanwhile, Phoebe looked around for the vampire.
'Piper! The stake! She's over there!'
Piper pulled a stake out of the inside of her leather jacket, then turned back to Paige. She had to bites, but they didn't look deep at all. Leo put his hands over the bites and healed them.
Phoebe walked carefully towards the front of the damaged vehicle. The vampire was beginning to stand up. Her face looked human.
Phoebe yelled out, and threw the stake towards Drusilla's heart! Drusilla turned, gasped, then orbed away, just as the stake passed through her! She then orbed back and looked down at herself.
'Where am I? What's happened to me...' was all Drusilla got out, before slipping into a dead faint, and falling onto the wet pavement.
****
L.A. Wolfram&Hart- Two Days Later
Angel rubbed his eyes tiredly, as Wesley droned on about some meeting they had today, between two demonic factions. He had thought he had been doing a good job at pretending to listen, but it was not until Wesley snapped his fingers in front of his face, that he realized that his friend had been on to him.
'Angel, you've been out of it for days now. What is it?' Wesley asked, his face filled with concern.
Angel looked around. His office door was closed. He then looked up at Wesley.
'I haven't been sleeping a lot.' he admitted.
Wesley set down a file folder he had been carrying and sat on the edge of Angel's desk.
'Okay...what's going on here?'
Angel rubbed his temples.
'Believe it or not, I've been dreaming about Drusilla lately.'
Wesley raised an eyebrow. Drusilla? She was Spike's former lover and sired by Angel's demonic persona, Angelus. He knew that Drusilla's very being, was a sin that tortured his boss's soul, every now and then. But what was done was done. Angel was not the man that had driven a poor young girl insane, killed her whole family, then, on the day she was to take her vows to enter a convent, made her into a vampire.
'Angel, I wish you'd stop these guilt trips that arise every so often. Though I don't understand why you'd be thinking of her at all.'
Angel leaned forward, he shook his head.
'The last time I had dreams like this...that were so vivid and odd...it was when we found out that this firm had brought Darla back to life.'
Wesley said nothing. What happened to Darla, the woman that sired Angel, and the mother of his son, Connor, was another tragedy that haunted Angel for the rest of his days. Her pregnancy and subsequent suicide to give birth to Connor, turned out to be just the beginning of a nightmare. But Angel and Connor soon found a way to co-exist peacefully, even if they were not close. Angel was good at accepting the way things were or had to be. He had lived enough lifetimes to be able to do so.
'Drusilla is not Darla.' Wesley said gently.
Angel stood up.
'I know...I just...I've lived long enough to trust my instincts. Something is different...'
'Tell me about the dreams.' Wesley urged.
Angel walked away from the desk and looked out of the window. He said nothing for the longest moment, causing Wesley to wonder if maybe Angel had changed his mind about sharing. Then he spoke.
'The dreams keep alternating. I mean, I keep going back to when Drusilla was human, and I tortured her...killing her family and wearing her down...then...then the dreams become strange...she's still human but magical in some way.'
Wesley squinted at his back.
'Magical?'
Angel turned back around.
'Just forget I said anything, okay? I don't know what the hell I'm going on about. I must be just tired.'
'Yes, maybe.'
'But what, Wesley? You don't think so?'
'I've known you long enough to trust your instincts as well, Angel. I don't think you'd be dreaming of Drusilla unless she was about to re-enter your life again in some way. Just like Darla did.'
'Yeah, but you see, that's what's been keeping me awake. The part about Drusilla being human.'
Wesley stood up off of the corner of the desk.
'Well when you say 'magical', what do you mean by that?' he asked.
*****
Leo and Phoebe orbed into the offices of Wolfram & Hart. In fact, they orbed in in front of Harmony. Harmony, didn't let the sparkling blue light, faze her at all.
'Welcome to Wolfram&Hart! Who are you here to see?' she asked, her tone sunny.
Phoebe smiled at her.
'Can you give us just a second?' she asked. Harmony nodded, then took out a nail file. Phoebe looked at Leo.
'Leo, I don't know about this.'
'I've worked with Angel before. He's a good man.'
'He's a vampire.' Phoebe reminded him. 'And he's in the Book Of Shadows.'
'As Angelus! Phoebe, listen to me: I've spoken with the Elders...they know of Drusilla's history...we need his help with her or we could lose her to dark magic forever.'
'Well what are we supposed to do with her? Make her a fourth Charmed One?' Phoebe asked sarcastically.
'Phoebe, she can't be anything until we get her through this phase. She hasn't been human in well over a hundred years. Every despicable act that she's ever partook in, is running through her mind. Not to mention that she was not only a vampire, but an insane one at that.'
'And I'm sorry for her, but she killed Jason.'
'Uh, excuse me?' Harmony chirped. Leo smiled at her. Phoebe glanced over.
'Did you say Drusilla?' she asked, wondering if they were talking about that Morticia Addams looking bitch, that Spike used to go out with!
'We need to see Angel.' Leo said patiently, ignoring her question. Harmony smiled back at him, thinking about how cute and clean cut he was. She pressed the speaker on the intercom.
****
'You said you saw bright light around Drusilla? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean she's magical.' Wesley pointed out.
'At the very least it means she's back. I don't know what it is, Wesley, but I'm thinking maybe she killed that Dean guy in the garage.' Angel theorized.
'You know, maybe you should run your theories by Spike. Both of you knew Drusilla better than anyone...maybe he can find out if she is back or not. I mean, if you're going to let him work here, then he should really earn his keep.'
Angel rolled his eyes.
'It's worth it to me to pay Spike to keep out of trouble. And as for Drusilla....if it comes to a point where she has to be killed, better I do it than him. Whatever his feelings are for Buffy, I know Drusilla will always hold some kind of claim to his heart. I don't think he could do it.'
'Angel?'
Angel and Wesley turned towards the intercom.
'Yes, Harmony?'
'There's a Whitelighter and a Witch here to see you. Can I take the rest of the afternoon off?'
'No! Send them in...I guess.' Angel said, looking questioningly at Wesley.
'Maybe it's that Whitelighter we've dealt with before...the one that's helped us out before...what was his name again?'
'Leo.' Angel said, feeling more uneasy than curious. Something in his gut told him that his dreams about Drusilla, and this visit, were one in the same. He would've held his breath, if he was able to breathe!
The door opened, and Leo and Phoebe walked in. Harmony had not shown them in, and Angel strongly suspected that she had taken off anyway. He would make sure her pay was docked, if that was the case!
Angel's eyes met Phoebe's. Phoebe's eyes sparkled as she met his. Good God! This 'Angel' didn't look as surly as he had in the Book of Shadows. That and his hair was shorter. That and he was also kind of gorgeous.
Angel, for his part, recognized the Witch as Phoebe Haliwell. He read her advice column, 'Ask Phoebe', all of the time. She was a witch, hey?
Angel walked up to Leo and shook his hand.
'Leo, what brings you by?' he asked, looking from him to Phoebe. Wesley walked up behind Angel.
'Angel, it's good to see you again. This is Phoebe Haliwell. Phoebe, this is Angel, and...and....I'm sorry, I forgot your name?' Leo asked.
Wesley nodded slightly.
'It's Wesley Wyndham-Price. Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but Ms. Haliwell here is a Charmed One, is she not?'
Angel looked back at Wesley with surprise. He then looked at Phoebe. He had heard of the Charmed Ones, of course, but had never seen them. He had no reason to, since he had had his soul for the past 80 something years. He never had any run ins with the powerful witches.
'Yes, I am.' Phoebe smiled at Wesley, before her eyes returned to Angel's. She hadn't met a man that she had felt such an instant attraction to, since her ex, Cole Turner, and he had been a demon. Great! From demon to vampire!
'And, one of you can freeze time, another can move things with their mind and the last one can see the future...am I correct?' Wesley continued to press, somewhat in awe.
Phoebe raised her hand slightly.
'Guilty as charged. I am the one that sees the future...though our powers have progressed somewhat. I mean I am also an enpath....'
Phoebe stopped talking. She had recently learned to control her enpath ability, but for some reason, her guard had dropped with Angel, and she could feel his attraction to her. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and looked at Leo. He looked at her with concern.
'Are you alright?' he asked.
'Just a little flushed. The orbing was a bit much.' she said, knowing it was a bit lame.
But Angel reached out and touched her arm.
'It's alright. We'll get you a chair.' he said, pulling up a nearby chair and helping Phoebe into it. He then let go of her quickly. It was strange how strong his feelings were for this woman, who he has just laid eyes on. Yet, something about her, had brought him to her column, morning after morning.
Wesley continued to babble on.
'Did you not lose a sister witch though? Some years back?'
'Yes, but there was another.' Leo answered for Phoebe. 'Uh, Angel, we really need to talk.'
'It's okay. Wesley can be trusted.' Angel said firmly. Leo nodded.
'Okay, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to get it out here. You may have heard about the murder of a newspaper mogul, a few nights ago?'
Angel crossed his arms and glanced at Wesley.
'Yes, Jason Dean.' Angel said. He then glanced down at Phoebe, who began to look even paler. He kept an eye on her, while listening to Leo.
'Yes, well, Phoebe got a vision of his murderer. It was a woman vampire. One named Drusilla.'
Angel and Wesley looked at one another. Leo noted this.
'You don't seem surprised?'
'I had my suspicions, but nothing concrete. I'm assuming you need my help in killing her?' Angel asked.
But Phoebe stood up.
'No. We tried that and something happened.'
There was a silence. Wesley eyed Angel. Maybe his boss's dreams had been prophetic! Leo began talking.
'She bit one of Phoebe's sisters. Her name is Paige and she is part Whitelighter, and has the ability to move things with her mind by calling to them. When Drusilla bit her, a sudden storm came out of nowhere, and the two of them disappeared.'
Angel could feel Wesley's eyes on him. He spoke.
'The long and short of it is, somehow Dru is human again, isn't she?' he whispered thickly.
Phoebe tilted her head in surprise and looked at Leo. She then spoke.
'Oh, she's more than human. She sucked enough of Paige's blood...she is no longer a vampire, she does have a soul and she also has the same powers that Paige has... Paige is alright and her own powers are still in tact, but...'
'Good Lord!' Wesley cried out. 'Well, can't you perform a spell to remove Drusilla's powers?'
Leo shook his head.
'I spoke with the Elders on this. Drusilla is related to the Charmed Ones in some way...her place in the Haliwell history is incomplete because...'
'Because I killed her entire family.' Angel said quietly. Phoebe closed her eyes. She could feel his guilt.
'Looking into this, we now suspect that Drusilla may not have been the natural born child of the people she knew as her parents. The point is this: she is staying with the Charmed Ones, at their home and is having a hard time dealing with her new humanity. I thought that someone who had been through this before...'
'Take me to her.' Angel said. Wesley raised a brow and interrupted.
'Leo, you're saying that you can't undo her powers because she may actually have a right to them?'
'That storm that caused Drusilla and Paige to appear, happened at the exact moment that Paige was bitten by her. And I don't think it was just a coincidence.'
Leo then addressed Angel.
'If it becomes known in the demonic community that there is another Charmed One, every effort will be made to turn her to dark magic. Drusilla can not only orb, and move things with her mind, but she still has the ability to see the future, and also now has the potential to heal. If that kind of power gets into the wrong hands....'
'We need to make sure she gets the support she needs to do good with her new gifts.' Angel murmured. Drusilla could be saved...she would not end up like Darla, not if he had anything to say about it!
'Phoebe, her sisters, and I want to help her learn her new craft. I was thinking that with the death of Cordelia Chase, you don't have a seer, someone that could help you continue the good work you do here, Angel. The two of you have a connection. I think she could be invaluable to you. But we all have to get her over this hump.'
Wesley pulled Angel back a bit, smiling at Leo and Phoebe.
'He is right. I think you should go to her.'
Angel smiled softly at him.
'Yes, I was just thinking that too. I guess I'm more than a bit curious to see what a 'sane' Drusilla will be like.'
Angel turned away from Wesley. He looked at Phoebe, who did not look as positive as her Whitelighter. He made a mental note to find out why that was later.
'Take me to her.' Angel repeated. Phoebe reached for his hand and he took it. They both held on to Leo as they orbed from the office.
****
Meanwhile, Harmony felt a someone tug on her hair!
'Ouch!' she hissed, then turned to see who had been so damned rude! She looked into the face of her former lover, Spike, who was grinning at her.
'Eavesdropping, luv? Why don't you just listen in on the intercom?'
'Shut up, Spike! And Angel caught me doing that once before, so I figured this way would be easier.'
'Oh, well...' Spike answered, not really interested as to why Harmony was spying on Angel. He had totaled another car, while in search of a former employee from this firm, that Angel had sent him to find. The employee had failed the daily blood test and could be linked to five murders from last night. Spike didn't find him.
He reached for Angel's door, but Harmony called out in a sing song voice.
'He's not in. I think he orbed out with the Whitelighter. But Wesley is around.'
Spike turned to look at Harmony. She wanted to tell him something so badly, but was being coy about the whole matter! He began walking towards her.
'Whitelighter? What the bloody hell was a Whitelighter doing here?'
Harmony shrugged.
'He came with a witch. That pretty one that does the advice column?'
'Uh, no, Harm, I don't read newspapers! Now what's going on here?'
Harmony pretended to be nonchalant.
'I don't know...though I did overhear the Witch and the Whitelighter use the name 'Drusilla'. When I tried to ask them about it, they both clammed up and went into Angel's office....Spike...Spike!' Harmony yelled, as Spike turned and walked away from her. He then threw open the door to Angel's office, knocking down Wesley, who had just been about to open it, back onto the floor!
Spike reached for Wesley's collar and pulled him up.
'I don't mean to be uncivilized, mate, but you really need to tell me what took place in this office, NOW!' he snapped.