Author's Notes: Wow. More feedback. Thank you all for the feedback, yes, even you Buffy Fan. Thank you for the shining example of what feedback isn't. By the way, there's a little button next to the 'A' one. It's called a Caps Lock. Try pressing it. It'll make you look like less of a moron than you already do. I will not remove 'any' feedback. I asked for it, and I'll accept it. The good and the bad. However, if people insist on showing their ass in public, I'm damn sure going to call them on it. To wit: If Joss had a bad season (That's 20 + episodes) then obviously he didn't know what he was doing. Do try and be consistent in your rants Buffy Fan.
Dru is still a pain in the ass for me to write. She is also becoming much more a part of this story that I had originally planned. This thing seems to be taking a life of its own.
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"Slayer! No!" Spike jumped forward and plowed into Buffy even as she was starting her leap towards Drusilla.
Buffy kicked out and sent Spike flying and then rolled back and came to her feet quickly. "Back on her side already Spike?!" She was somewhere between growling and shouting, and her eyes were wide.
"Xander, what have you done?" came from the sidelines. Several people winced at hearing the pain in Anya's voice.
"She turned him and I'm going to dust her ass!" Buffy yelled and started towards the pair again.
Xander just stood there with a sad smile on his face.
"He's not a Vampire Pet." Came Spike's firm voice from where he lay.
"What!?" This came from at least five different voices.
"I said, 'e's not a bloody Vampire. She didn't turn him." Spike slowly climbed to his feet a look of pain evident upon his face.
"Then how do you explain THAT!" Buffy shrieked, pointing at Xander.
Before he could answer her, Anya walked quietly up to Xander and Drusilla. Slowly she reached out as if to touch him, but she stopped just shy of actually doing so. "You... She... Do you know what you've done?" Anya asked, looking back and forth at their faces. Searching them. At Xander's terse nod, she winced and stepped back away from the couple.
"Would somebody please tell me just what the hell is going on so I know who to stake?" Buffy asked in a loud voice.
"Yes, well..." Giles started to say, but dropped off due to the glare he received from Buffy.
"She's Claimed him pet." Even the SiTs could hear the capital 'C' in the word as Spike said it.
Buffy didn't back down, and her gaze never left that of Xander and Drusilla as she literally growled. "And that means exactly what?"
"It means I'm still human. Sorta. And you can't kill Dru." Xander stepped a little bit forward and placed himself firmly between Buffy and Drusilla. "Unless you want to kill me too."
Buffy's hands fell down to her sides, confusion evident on her face. She sounded like a little girl as she looked at him and in a small voice asked: "Xander... What... what have you done?"
*________*________*___________*
There were three distinct groups as they stood awkwardly in the cemeteries parking lot:
The Sit's were in one group talking quietly among themselves and wondering just what new weirdness would happen next. Xander had been a piece of solidness to them and having him involved in the weird was weirding them out.
Buffy, Spike, Giles and Anya were the second group, standing and facing the third group: Xander and Drusilla.
"Okay, let me try and get this straight." Buffy started as Xander opened the trunk to his car and started offloading some of his equipment. "You went off down to LA without saying anything to anyone, got some weapons and special ammo, got bit by fruit-loop here in some weird ass ritual thingee and now you're back and acting as if everything is alright?"
"No Buffy, everything is not alright." Xander sighed and straightened up. He slowly turned around and faced his friends. *If they still friends after this though...* Drusilla stood right next to him as he stared at them for a moment.
"If you would get down off of your cross once in a while, you'd realize that things haven't been 'right' for a long time." At their shocked looks he continued ruthlessly. "I've heard you almost since the beginning bitch and moan about how you didn't choose this, it chose you. Well I chose this fight. I have always been there for you and everyone else."
"Sometimes even when you didn't know he was" Dru muttered quietly, but they heard it anyway. Spike glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but he mostly kept an eye on Buffy.
"That's besides the point Dru." Xander shook his head angrily, sighed again, and then leaned back up against the rear of the car. "The whole time I've been helping, you've all been running me down, trying to get me to stop helping."
"That's because you're..."
"Because I'm 'Normal', Buffy?" Xander interrupted her. "I'm not normal. I haven't been for quite a while. I've been possessed twice and I still am some." At their astonished looks he continued. "I've been possessed by a Soldier thanks to Ethan. You think it all went away after the spell disappeared?" Xander laughed a bitter laugh. "If that had been true then you never would have got that missile launcher you used on the Judge, Buff."
It was a bittersweet thing to watch Giles and Buffy's faces react to that bit of news. "Remember who came up with the explosives for Grad? Yea, you had the idea but who just 'happened' to know how to make those field expedient bombs? It sure as hell wasn't Angel!" At Giles' thoughtful nod he smiled a bit. "Who was right there with you leading the other students Buffy?"
"Then there was the Hyena possession. I was the Alpha. It was really strong in me. Hell, I was holding my own against a Slayer wasn't I?" At Buffys almost fearful nod he smiled a little wider. "How do you think I've survived getting beat on this long?" At their blank looks he turned towards Spike for the first time that night. "Yo, Deadboy jr., what're the odds of a 'normal' human surviving a blow from a Troll hammer?
Spike sputtered and then looked at Xander a little closer. "The Whelp actually got hit by the Troll and survived that?" He turned and looked at Buffy in surprise as he asked her.
"Twice actually." Everyone turned and looked at Anya. "What? He got hit twice with the hammer. Then Olaf broke his arm." At their continued stares she huffed. "What? I was there, remember?
"Oh. Yea."
"Bloody hell!" Spike turned back towards Buffy and just looked at her.
"What?" At his lack of a comment she put her hands on her hips and glared at him "What?!" But all Spike would do is just look at her.
"You two done yet?" Xander's voice brought them back to the present. As they looked back at him he grimaced a little. "I'm not normal Buffy. And I can't leave before the battles over. I won't leave. You're also completely with the wacked if you think that the Dawnster would let you push her away."
At Buffy's shocked look he stopped smiling at all. "I overheard your plans to push me and Dawn out Buffy. Not going to happen."
Buffy started to sputter and Xander wiped his face with one of his hands. Dru leaned up against him in quiet support and Spike, noticing this, stiffened a little. He was past Dru, really he was.
"It's okay kitten" was said quietly, and Xander relaxed just a little even as everyone else stiffened.
Giles cleared his throat in the sudden silence and everyone turned towards him. "I... I take it that Drusilla Claimed you while you were down in Los Angeles, then?"
Xander laughed mirthlessly for a moment. "Yea, but I didn't start out for it to be that way."
"What's with all this 'Claiming' thing anyways? You said she didn't turn him right? You're not a Vampire." This last was said directly at Xander, a statement, not a question.
I originally went down to La-La Land for two things." Xander finally gave up leaning against the car and did a small jump backwards in order to actually sit on it. Dru immediately followed him much to Buffy, Spikes and Anya's frowns.
Like I said, two things: I needed decent weapons if I was going to be able to use Soldier-guy to his best."
"You talk as if he was a separate part of you." Giles interrupted.
"He kinda is G-man. I'll try and explain as I go. Anyways, Soldier-guy and Hyena-boy are in me, but not 'me' if you know what I mean. I can use them, they help me, but it's a multiple personality kinda thing. They're other Me's." Xander shook his head. It kinda hurt trying to explain to others something he hadn't really expressed to himself in words before. "After I got the weapons I ended up going to see Deadboy. I had 'borrowed' Willow's soul disk. I was going to have him turn me and then give my soul back right afterwards"
You could have heard a pin drop after Xander made this announcement. Even Spike was at a total loss for words for a change.
"B..B..But.. Xander... You... you hate Vampires." Was all Buffy could manage to say.
"It no longer mattered Buffy." Xander said quietly. "We're loosing, in case you didn't notice. I figured that that was the only way that I could gain the strength I needed in order to help."
Tears started to flow down Buffy's face as she realized just what her friend had been willing to sacrifice.
"Didn't work though, seems that Captain Hairgel didn't want to risk upsetting Buffy."
Buffy winced, hearing the contempt that Xander still had for her ex, even as Spike grinned at the comment.
"Shhh, kitten, it's okay. If Not-daddy had turned you, Mummy wouldn't be here." Dru crooned soothingly as she stroked his cheek.
Seeing the impending explosion on the faces of Buffy, Anya and Spike, Giles quickly changed the subject. "About the 'Claiming'..." He trailed off looking at Xander and Drusilla expectantly.
"I used the old ways, I did." Dru said smugly, with a wide smile on her face. "Kitten is mine now. I couldn't turn him. It would shut off his spark. And the Dark-Dragon would be all hurtful and angry, she would. Now kitten has power and I have my kitten. We are tied we are."
"Okay, I think I speak for all of us when I say: Huh?"
*_______*__________*___________*
Spike sighed as Giles started to fumble through an explanation. Finally getting fed up with the ex-Watcher's rambling he interrupted him.
"Look Pet, it's this way. A Master vampire can claim a human. It's not like turning someone, it's more... personal. It also 'as a bit of risk. The human gains some nifty benefits and so does the vampire, but it has to be consensual. They both have to want it."
"What kind of 'benefits'?" Buffy asked quietly.
"Well, the Welp here'll be faster, tougher, stronger. His senses'll be better, 'course with him being Hyena-boy as well, it might not be much of a boost. He'll also heal faster. He'll also live a lot longer too... provided any of us live past the end of the bloody week that is."
"What does she get out of this?" Buffy asked. Her voice was low and kind of neutral.
"You mean besides the Xander snuggles?" Anya commented snarkily. At everyone's shocked expressions she continued bitterly: "It's almost a Vampire version of being married you know."
Spike just looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. His and Xander's gaze caught for just a moment and an unspoken communication seemed to take place. *Yep. That's Anya.*
"She receives immunity to sunlight for one thing." Giles stated slowly. "Crosses will also be less effective as well."
"She also gets to enjoy a mean garlic pizza." Xander quipped from his seat. "The down side of it is that if she dies, so do I. If I die, so does she."
Buffy's mouth dropped as she realized the implications of such a statement. "But... Why... Why would you ... her..."
"My fault."
Buffy almost didn't recognize the voice as belonging to Xander. "What?"
"It's my fault." Xander repeated louder. "Remember the love spell I had Amy cast way back when?" At Buffy's embarrassed nod he continued. "Well, it wore off for everybody... except Drusilla."
"You bloody little bastard." Spike straightened up and looked pissed.
"Enough Spikey!" Drusilla voice whipped out and everyone stared at her in shock. She'd been so quiet for the most part that they'd almost forgotten who, and more importantly, what she was. "It wasn't the kitten's fault. He was hurting and he wanted to hurt the one who'd hurt him.." She leaned forward and glared into Spike's face. "Nothing you 'aven't done a time or two."
Spike backed off in confusion. His face dropped more than a little as his soul made itself known to him yet again. Drusilla was right and he knew it. *Cecily.*
*_______*__________*_____________*
Buffy was exhausted from the conversation and she just knew that it was going to get worse when they got home to Willow and Dawn. *Damn, my head hurts. Will is going to freak worse than me...* "SIGH." "Now what do we do?" The plaintive tone in her voice was clear for all to hear.
"Now? Now we go back to your house and I have this same talk with Willow and Dawn."
"I just knew you were going to say that. Faith to huh?." Buffy watched as Xander stiffened at mention of the other Slayer's name. *Huh?*
"Yea, Faith..."
"Kitten, I'm concerned I am."
What's wrong Dru?" Xander asked in a soothing tone of voice.
"I'm worried about what the real Slayer will 'ave to say about me Claiming you.
Buffy had over heard the quiet conversation and stalked over to directly in front of the pair. "What do you mean, the 'real' Slayer? I am the real Slayer."
Dru looked at her with an expression of pity plain on her face. "Not you, the Dark-Dragon. She's the real Slayer. You're just 'a' Slayer."
"I...I...I'm a what!?" Buffy sputtered in outrage.
Dru turned to face Xander and continued in a stage whisper. "Fluffy-taffy 'asn't been 'the' Slayer since kitten breathed for her." She beamed at Xander for a moment before turning back to face Buffy.
Spike and Anya could just stand there and stare at the scene that was unfolding in front of them and Xander could see Giles wince at Drusilla's words.
At Buffy's dumbfounded look Dru frowned and then continued. "Xander brought Fluffy back from the dark road in the Master's tunnels. That made her a not-Slayer-Slayer. I was a bad girl and killed the No-fun-Slayer and then the Dark-Dragon-Slayer came and is the real Slayer... Didn't the Watcher-Owl ever tell you?"
All eyes turned towards a very embarrassed figure.
"Giles!"
*______*__________*___________*
Aww, another cliff hanger. "Bad QSK, bad, bad...."