Chapter Six

"It's wrong! It's all wrong!" Drusilla shrieked to anyone who would listen.

Spike sighed and rolled up behind her. He was still in the god forsaken wheelchair. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. "What's all wrong, Pet?"

"She was supposed to let Daddy out!"

Spike winced, the high pitch of Dru's shrieks hurt his head. "Who was, Luv?"

"The slayer. It's all wrong. He's become a white knight and now our family won't be together." Dru's shrieking had turned into pouting.

Spike slid his thumb over her trembling lower lip. "Come now, Luv. We do alright without Angelus. Let's forget all this slayer nonsense and go somewhere nice. Maybe Spain? You liked Spain."

A smile lit Drusilla's face. "The matadors are feisty and they make such pretty music when I drink them down."

"That they do, Pet. So what you say? We can catch a cargo tonight."

"I want to crack the dolly," Dru pouted. "It's mine and you said I could."

Spike growled. He still didn't have any idea what Drusilla was prattling on about dolls and cracking them, but he knew it required staying in Sunnydale, something he wasn't particularly happy about. He'd prefer to spend some time in Spain, five or six years and there would be a new, less difficult slayer.

"You're not going to break your promise, are you?" Her big blue eyes plead with him. Her lip trembled and she looked like the fragile, innocent girl she had once been.

Spike sighed. His fingers danced through her dark hair and along the edge of her collarbone. "No, Luv. I'm not going to break my promise. We can stay until you get your dolly. We're leaving after that though."

And Drusilla smiled.

He wasn't surprised to find her in a playground. She was sitting on the merry-go-round singing to herself. Her eyes lit up and she leapt to her feet when she saw him.

"Daddy!"

Angel grabbed her wrists, holding him away from her. A pout instantly formed on her mouth.

"You're not Daddy at all. Daddy's all gone, gone away to the broken doll."

"Hello, Dru," Angel sighed.

A smile curved Drusilla's lips. She swayed closer to Angel. "Have you come to talk about the Slayer's secret?"

"I'm offering you a chance to leave, Drusilla. Take Spike and get out of here. Go to Spain or Rome, anywhere as far from here as you can get. Leave and don't come back."

Drusilla giggled. "Oooo is Daddy upset? If I'm very naughty will you punish me? With whips and chains?"

Angel growled. He pushed Dru away from him hard enough that she stumbled. "Take Spike and leave Sunnydale before I get angry at you for hurting the things I love and decide to retaliate against the things you love."

Drusilla's face crumbled. Her lower lip quivered and she made a high pitched keening sound. "You wouldn't! My Spike, he's broken now and couldn't defend himself."

"Do I look like I care? Easier prey that way."

The keening noise got more frantic and her hands fluttered around her face, ending up in her hair, pulling at great clumps of it. She sank to her knees and then folded over herself. Angel crouched down next to her. He tucked a strand of hair behind Drusilla's ear.

"You've got two days. If you're not gone by then I start playing with Spike and trust me when I say that won't end well." He stood up, turned on his heel and left Dru in the park.

True to his word, two days later Angel checked the warehouse he knew Spike and Dru were staying in. There was a dead bird, a forgotten doll and a lot of dust, but no sign of Dru or Spike.

Sixteen days later a cargo ship from Sunnydale turned up in Spain, every single one of the crew members had been completely drained of blood, except for the Captain who'd gone missing.

Buffy tried to ignore the whispers that followed her down the hall. She was seven months pregnant and it was obvious regardless of how she tried to hide it. On the upside, all of Angel's books had been right. She felt good, almost like herself…if herself had swallowed a basketball.

She stopped in front of her locker, put her books inside and started toward the library. Willow caught up with her. The red head glared sourly at another girl who was whispering about Buffy being pregnant.

"Ooo I'd like to hex her. Sew her mouth shut or something," Willow grumbled.

Buffy smiled at her best friend. "I appreciate the thought, Will, but they don't realize-I mean its okay."

Willow made a face. She was still disgusted with the entire high school and the gossip mill that generated various rumors about Buffy's pregnancy. "If they knew…"

"No! I don't want them to know. I'd rather them have rumors and speculations to talk about than the truth. The truth would hurt a lot more," Buffy said as she sat down at the library table.

Willow nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. Besides, the sewing the mouth shut thing is kind of beyond me. I'm not really magic girl unless it's with a computer."

"You can be magic girl and be a computer geek," Jenny said as she walked in the library. She looked like she was about to pop. "I'm proof positive. I wanted to wait until Angel was here, but I can't. I think I've found a way to remove the happiness clause from his curse."

Buffy gripped the arm of the chair with enough force to break it. She blushed and toed the broken arm underneath the chair. She cleared her throat. "Uhm…that'd be good so Angel didn't have to worry…and-and me. Uhm…not that we'd-because look at me. I'm the redundant example of lesson learned." She blew a breath out, ruffling her bangs. "Wow."

"Maybe you should call him, or stop by…let him know," Willow suggested.

Buffy nodded.

"I'm available to perform the spell almost any evening. I'll go by the Magic Box tonight and get the things I need," Jenny said as she started out of the library. "And tell Rupert that I stopped by."

Buffy stood up and then sat back down abruptly. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she croaked.

"Oh…oh," Willow worried and glanced around the library. She snatched up a waste basket and shoved it between Buffy's feet. Buffy held her head in her hands for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking up. She smiled at Willow.

"I'm okay, thanks though."

"That's what best friends are for," Willow reminded her.

"And on that note, I'm gonna go tell Angel what Ms. Calender found out. I'm sure he'll want to do the spell soon just because it'd be nice not to worry about this stuff."

Willow nodded. "I'll walk you part way. I need to get home and start on my trig homework."

"She's sure?" Angel asked, getting up from the couch to pace his small apartment. He could walk from one end to the other in less than sixty seconds.

Buffy shrugged. "She sounded pretty sure and I don't think she'd tell us unless she was sure."

Angel nodded. "You're right. She wouldn't. I mean she's been looking for a spell for months now. She'd keep it to herself unless she was positive it was the right one." He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather then Buffy.

"Absolutely. And you know, just because we get the curse fixed doesn't mean we have to…or you know, anything. I mean I'm not in…it'll…things don't have to change," Buffy rambled.

Angel stopped pacing and walked to her, pulling her into his embrace. "Nothing has to change, Buffy. It'll just be nice to have the curse fixed so that I don't have to worry about my soul. There are a lot of times when I'm just holding you that I have to make sure I'm not too happy. You have no idea what your touch, your smile or laugh do to me." He touched the tip of her nose. "Buffy Summers, you are perfect happiness in the form of a girl as far as I'm concerned."

She kissed the base of his throat and then tilted her head up to look at him. "So you want me to call Ms. Calender and let her know we'd like to do the spell as soon as possible?"

Angel nodded. "I think so."

"Think so?" Buffy arched an eyebrow at him. "We can wait a little while if you'd rather."

He shook his head. "No. I don't want to wait. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of losing my soul becomes."

Buffy sighed, unraveling herself from his arms. "I'll go to Giles' and talk to him. Chances are Ms. Calender will show up there anyway. You need some time to brood about all this, understandable because you're one with the brood." She started toward the door and Angel caught her wrist.

"Buffy, don't be angry."

She turned and smiled at him. "I'm not angry, really. You do need time to think about everything and I'll be there if you need me."

"Promise you won't patrol without me?" He worried about her patrolling on her own now.

She raised her hand and held up two fingers. "Slayer's honor. I'll be a good little shut in tonight."

"See if Ms. Calender is available to do the spell tomorrow night."

"That'll be enough brood time?" Buffy teased.

Angel grinned at her and kissed her forehead. "That'll be enough brood time. Be careful going to Giles. I'd walk you but…" he gestured to the finger of sunlight that came through the heavy drapes on the doors.

"Excuses, excuses…such a slacker boyfriend," she teased and tiptoed for one more kiss. "Its daylight, I'll be fine. Giles will probably drive me home since he's been in uber protective mode since I started getting a belly."

"Nothing wrong with protective," Angel said as he shooed her outside.