Chapter Twenty Seven: Who's Is That Shape In The Shadows?
"I ah think you two know each other," Warren said.
"We've met," Spike said, not taking his eyes off the familiar figure. "Hey Dru, how've you been?"
Drusilla walked slowly towards Spike and said, "I've been lonely, my little Spike. Our little family is all gone. Grandmummy is gone, Angelus isn't himself and you… You smell of the Slayer."
"Dru, what's this all about?" Spike asked. "What are you doing hanging out with these losers? They're so beneath you."
"We made a deal with your old girlfriend," Warren said, feeling braver now that Drusillia was there.
"You're making deals with these clowns," Spike asked. "Dru, what's going on?"
Drusillia pouted and said, "I want us to be together again, like we were before and that can't happen while the Slayer and her baby are alive." She noticed Spike's look of surprise, "I knew about the little family you and the Slayer are creating. The baby fishes told me."
"Really," Spike said. "What else have they told you."
Dru put her hands to her temples and said, "Soon the stars will align. The mouth will open and swallow all of you whole." She looked at Spike, "Come away with me. We'll go back to Prague. I'll kill for you. You can have all you want."
"Sorry," Spike said. "Prague doesn't agree with me. Things are much nicer here."
Drusillia shook her head, "You can't fool me, my William. You may think you like living with the Slayer but I know you too well. You'll soon be bored and then what will you do?" She glanced over to where Warren, Jonathan, Andrew and Sarah were making their way out of the factory. None of them wanted to be in the middle of a confrontation between two vampires. "Where are you little ones going?" She asked.
"No where," Warren stammered. "We just thought that you two might like some time alone, get reacquainted with each other."
"Sorry," Spike said. "Now I'm going home. Nice to see you Dru. Stop by next century if you can."
"You're not going anywhere," Drusillia said, rushing forward and grabbing Spike by the wrist. She let go and punched Spike on the side of the head, "Not until I crush your skull and put it back together without any memories of the Slayer or her child."
"You tried that once before, Dru, remember?" Spike said, reeling from the blow. He'd forgotten how strong she could be. "The girl we turned in Paris. You wanted her to forget her old boyfriend so you crushed her skull and tried to take her brain apart and put her back together. Remember how well that turned out?"
But Drusillia wasn't listening. She hit Spike again, driving him to the floor. Spike scrambled to his feet and hit Dru back, sending her against the wall. He ran forward and pinned her up against the wall, "Not this time," Spike said. "You're not going to win this time."
"Why not?" Dru asked. "You've been a bad little boy and Mummy has to teach you a lesson."
"Sorry pet," Spike said, grabbing her and pinning her arms behind her. "I don't need lessons anymore. I'm all grown up, happened when you left me."
Dru pulled away from him and punched him. He fell backwards and before he could react she had grabbed him by the throat and pressed her forearm against his throat, "You shouldn't have taken my daddy away," Dru hissed into his ear. Spike struggled against her but he slowly lost consciousness.
***
Spike slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was chained to the table, with Drusilla standing nearby. The humans had were nowhere in sight.
"Finally awake, are you?" Dru said. "I thought you'd never wake up." Spike groaned from the headache that she'd given him, "Oh," Dru said. "Here's something that should make your forget all about your poor little head." She reached over and took a bottle and poured its contents over Spike's chest.
It was holy water. Spike screamed as the water burned his chest, "Shhh," Dru said. "You've been naughty and now you need to be taught a lesson." She poured the last drops of holy water onto Spike, ignoring his screams of pain.
"Dru…" Spike gasped. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"Yes," Dru said, picking up a cross and placing it on Spike's forehead. "It does. I have to burn the Slayer right out of your mind." She picked up another bottle of holy water and began to drip it all over Spike's body.
Spike later wasn't sure how he survived Dru's torture. She used every device she could think of, crosses, fire, holy water, tasers, pokers and stakes that she positioned just close enough to his heart so that they wouldn't kill him but it was still torture.
"And now," Dru said. "For your final punishment." She took out a vial filled with a dark liquid.
"What?" Spike gasped.
"Shhhh," Dru said. "Drink up like a good boy." She forced Spike's mouth open and poured the liquid into his mouth.
Spike tried to spit it out but wasn't successful. He choked and gagged and finally said, "What is that?"
"Never you mind," Dru said. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Mummy has to go away now. She'll miss you but you had your chance. Anything that's happened is your fault." Then Drusillia stood up and walked out of the factory, leaving a battered and beaten Spike, still chained to the table.
The second that Dru was gone Dawn dashed out of her hiding place and ran to Spike's side, "Spike!" Dawn cried. "Spike, are you alright?"
"I been better," Spike moaned. "Get out o' here 'blet. Dru might come back."
"She won't," Dawn said, pulling on Spike's chains. "And I'm not going to leave you here. I'm not going back and telling Buffy that I left you here to die." She pulled at the chains but they didn't budge. "Where's the key?"
"Dru took it," Spike said.
Dawn looked around. Spike had thought her how to pick a lock. She just had to find something she could use. She saw a strip of metal and grabbed it. She quickly worked on the chains until Spike was free, "See," She said, unlocking the restraints. "Teaching me how to pick a lock paid off." She helped Spike off the table and tried to get him to stand but he was dead weight, literally. "Why couldn't I haven't gotten Buffy's slayer strength?" She groaned, dragging Spike along. She laid me on the floor, knelt by him and said, "Spike, I'm sorry but I can't carry you and I'm not leaving you so I have to drag you. That's the only way you're going to get home." Spike didn't answer. He was too far out of it to hear her. Dawn grabbed him under the arms and began to drag him, wincing at the sounds his broken bones made as she pulled him towards home.
Buffy leaned back against the couch and for the millionth time tried to read 'Your Pregnancy: Week by Week'. She took a sip of her tea and made a face. She had woken up and saw that Spike wasn't home so she went downstairs to make a cup of tea herself. She'd looked for the herb teas that Sarah had given her but they were all gone. She found them in the garbage can, hidden by the remains of last night's dinner. She had been furious. What was Spike thinking? She couldn't wait until he got home so that she could yell at him.
Willow and Tara came in the door, holding hands, "Hi guys," Buffy said.
"Hi," Willow said, sitting down on the couch, Tara on the chair. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Buffy said. "But I'm going to kill Spike when he comes home."
"What did he do?" Willow asked.
"Those herbal teas that Sarah gave me, he threw them all out."
"Why would he do that?" Tara asked.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "He just made some for me this morning. Why would he turn around and throw them out?"
Willow started to speak but then suddenly the door burst open and Dawn fell through the door, still dragging a battered Spike. All three girls jumped up and hurried over to them.
"Dawn, what happened?" Buffy asked.
"Drusillia," Dawn said.
"She's back," Buffy asked, panicked. "When, why?"
"I don't know," Dawn said, close to tears. "I think she's been working with Warren, Jonathan, Andrew and Sarah."
"Sarah?" Tara asked. "Buffy's midwife?"
Dawn nodded, "She's been giving Buffy these teas that have been making her sick. I couldn't hear what all was being said. I was looking in the window and.."
"What were you doing sneaking out?" Buffy asked angrily.
"I didn't want Spike to do anything stupid," Dawn protested. "He was so mad about what Sarah had been doing to you."
The realization of what Sarah had done hit Buffy, "Why would she do that?"
"I don't know," Dawn said. "But Spike…"
Buffy quickly turned her attention to her battered lover. He looked worse then when Glory had beaten him up. "Let's get him up on the couch," She said. Tara and Willow got him up and on the couch while Dawn ran upstairs for the first aid kit and then for some blood.
"Spike," Buffy said, shaking him, trying to wake him up. "Spike, can you hear me?"
Spike groaned but didn't open his eyes, "Lotte? That you? What you doin' here?"
"No, Spike," Buffy said. "It's not Charlotte. It's me, Buffy." She took his hand and froze. It was warm. She felt his forehead and chest. They were warm too. She looked at Dawn, "Dawn, what did she do to him?"
"I don't know," Dawn cried. "She chained him up and beat him. Then she made him drink this black stuff."
"What would that be?" Buffy asked Willow and Tara.
"I don't know," Willow said. "I've never heard of anything that could do this to a vampire."
"Dawn," Tara asked. "Where did Drusilla give this to Spike? Where were they?"
"The old factory," Dawn said, handing Buffy the warmed mug of blood. "Where he and Drusilla used to live."
"I'll go see if I can find it," Willow said, standing up. "You guys stay here and see if you can find anything on what Drusilla gave him." She hurried out the door.
"Dawn, make sure he drinks this," Buffy said, handing Dawn the mug of blood. "Tara, go to the magic shop and find all the books you can that might help us. I'll look through the books we have here."
Tara hurried out the door and Buffy quickly pulled down a book on vampires. "Is he going to be okay?" Dawn asked.
"Yes," Buffy said quickly. Spike would be fine. He had to be. She was not going to lose him, not the one dependable person in her life. And she was not going to let her baby grow up without a father. Her baby needed him and if she was truly honest with herself, she needed him too.
"I ah think you two know each other," Warren said.
"We've met," Spike said, not taking his eyes off the familiar figure. "Hey Dru, how've you been?"
Drusilla walked slowly towards Spike and said, "I've been lonely, my little Spike. Our little family is all gone. Grandmummy is gone, Angelus isn't himself and you… You smell of the Slayer."
"Dru, what's this all about?" Spike asked. "What are you doing hanging out with these losers? They're so beneath you."
"We made a deal with your old girlfriend," Warren said, feeling braver now that Drusillia was there.
"You're making deals with these clowns," Spike asked. "Dru, what's going on?"
Drusillia pouted and said, "I want us to be together again, like we were before and that can't happen while the Slayer and her baby are alive." She noticed Spike's look of surprise, "I knew about the little family you and the Slayer are creating. The baby fishes told me."
"Really," Spike said. "What else have they told you."
Dru put her hands to her temples and said, "Soon the stars will align. The mouth will open and swallow all of you whole." She looked at Spike, "Come away with me. We'll go back to Prague. I'll kill for you. You can have all you want."
"Sorry," Spike said. "Prague doesn't agree with me. Things are much nicer here."
Drusillia shook her head, "You can't fool me, my William. You may think you like living with the Slayer but I know you too well. You'll soon be bored and then what will you do?" She glanced over to where Warren, Jonathan, Andrew and Sarah were making their way out of the factory. None of them wanted to be in the middle of a confrontation between two vampires. "Where are you little ones going?" She asked.
"No where," Warren stammered. "We just thought that you two might like some time alone, get reacquainted with each other."
"Sorry," Spike said. "Now I'm going home. Nice to see you Dru. Stop by next century if you can."
"You're not going anywhere," Drusillia said, rushing forward and grabbing Spike by the wrist. She let go and punched Spike on the side of the head, "Not until I crush your skull and put it back together without any memories of the Slayer or her child."
"You tried that once before, Dru, remember?" Spike said, reeling from the blow. He'd forgotten how strong she could be. "The girl we turned in Paris. You wanted her to forget her old boyfriend so you crushed her skull and tried to take her brain apart and put her back together. Remember how well that turned out?"
But Drusillia wasn't listening. She hit Spike again, driving him to the floor. Spike scrambled to his feet and hit Dru back, sending her against the wall. He ran forward and pinned her up against the wall, "Not this time," Spike said. "You're not going to win this time."
"Why not?" Dru asked. "You've been a bad little boy and Mummy has to teach you a lesson."
"Sorry pet," Spike said, grabbing her and pinning her arms behind her. "I don't need lessons anymore. I'm all grown up, happened when you left me."
Dru pulled away from him and punched him. He fell backwards and before he could react she had grabbed him by the throat and pressed her forearm against his throat, "You shouldn't have taken my daddy away," Dru hissed into his ear. Spike struggled against her but he slowly lost consciousness.
***
Spike slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was chained to the table, with Drusilla standing nearby. The humans had were nowhere in sight.
"Finally awake, are you?" Dru said. "I thought you'd never wake up." Spike groaned from the headache that she'd given him, "Oh," Dru said. "Here's something that should make your forget all about your poor little head." She reached over and took a bottle and poured its contents over Spike's chest.
It was holy water. Spike screamed as the water burned his chest, "Shhh," Dru said. "You've been naughty and now you need to be taught a lesson." She poured the last drops of holy water onto Spike, ignoring his screams of pain.
"Dru…" Spike gasped. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"Yes," Dru said, picking up a cross and placing it on Spike's forehead. "It does. I have to burn the Slayer right out of your mind." She picked up another bottle of holy water and began to drip it all over Spike's body.
Spike later wasn't sure how he survived Dru's torture. She used every device she could think of, crosses, fire, holy water, tasers, pokers and stakes that she positioned just close enough to his heart so that they wouldn't kill him but it was still torture.
"And now," Dru said. "For your final punishment." She took out a vial filled with a dark liquid.
"What?" Spike gasped.
"Shhhh," Dru said. "Drink up like a good boy." She forced Spike's mouth open and poured the liquid into his mouth.
Spike tried to spit it out but wasn't successful. He choked and gagged and finally said, "What is that?"
"Never you mind," Dru said. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Mummy has to go away now. She'll miss you but you had your chance. Anything that's happened is your fault." Then Drusillia stood up and walked out of the factory, leaving a battered and beaten Spike, still chained to the table.
The second that Dru was gone Dawn dashed out of her hiding place and ran to Spike's side, "Spike!" Dawn cried. "Spike, are you alright?"
"I been better," Spike moaned. "Get out o' here 'blet. Dru might come back."
"She won't," Dawn said, pulling on Spike's chains. "And I'm not going to leave you here. I'm not going back and telling Buffy that I left you here to die." She pulled at the chains but they didn't budge. "Where's the key?"
"Dru took it," Spike said.
Dawn looked around. Spike had thought her how to pick a lock. She just had to find something she could use. She saw a strip of metal and grabbed it. She quickly worked on the chains until Spike was free, "See," She said, unlocking the restraints. "Teaching me how to pick a lock paid off." She helped Spike off the table and tried to get him to stand but he was dead weight, literally. "Why couldn't I haven't gotten Buffy's slayer strength?" She groaned, dragging Spike along. She laid me on the floor, knelt by him and said, "Spike, I'm sorry but I can't carry you and I'm not leaving you so I have to drag you. That's the only way you're going to get home." Spike didn't answer. He was too far out of it to hear her. Dawn grabbed him under the arms and began to drag him, wincing at the sounds his broken bones made as she pulled him towards home.
Buffy leaned back against the couch and for the millionth time tried to read 'Your Pregnancy: Week by Week'. She took a sip of her tea and made a face. She had woken up and saw that Spike wasn't home so she went downstairs to make a cup of tea herself. She'd looked for the herb teas that Sarah had given her but they were all gone. She found them in the garbage can, hidden by the remains of last night's dinner. She had been furious. What was Spike thinking? She couldn't wait until he got home so that she could yell at him.
Willow and Tara came in the door, holding hands, "Hi guys," Buffy said.
"Hi," Willow said, sitting down on the couch, Tara on the chair. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Buffy said. "But I'm going to kill Spike when he comes home."
"What did he do?" Willow asked.
"Those herbal teas that Sarah gave me, he threw them all out."
"Why would he do that?" Tara asked.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "He just made some for me this morning. Why would he turn around and throw them out?"
Willow started to speak but then suddenly the door burst open and Dawn fell through the door, still dragging a battered Spike. All three girls jumped up and hurried over to them.
"Dawn, what happened?" Buffy asked.
"Drusillia," Dawn said.
"She's back," Buffy asked, panicked. "When, why?"
"I don't know," Dawn said, close to tears. "I think she's been working with Warren, Jonathan, Andrew and Sarah."
"Sarah?" Tara asked. "Buffy's midwife?"
Dawn nodded, "She's been giving Buffy these teas that have been making her sick. I couldn't hear what all was being said. I was looking in the window and.."
"What were you doing sneaking out?" Buffy asked angrily.
"I didn't want Spike to do anything stupid," Dawn protested. "He was so mad about what Sarah had been doing to you."
The realization of what Sarah had done hit Buffy, "Why would she do that?"
"I don't know," Dawn said. "But Spike…"
Buffy quickly turned her attention to her battered lover. He looked worse then when Glory had beaten him up. "Let's get him up on the couch," She said. Tara and Willow got him up and on the couch while Dawn ran upstairs for the first aid kit and then for some blood.
"Spike," Buffy said, shaking him, trying to wake him up. "Spike, can you hear me?"
Spike groaned but didn't open his eyes, "Lotte? That you? What you doin' here?"
"No, Spike," Buffy said. "It's not Charlotte. It's me, Buffy." She took his hand and froze. It was warm. She felt his forehead and chest. They were warm too. She looked at Dawn, "Dawn, what did she do to him?"
"I don't know," Dawn cried. "She chained him up and beat him. Then she made him drink this black stuff."
"What would that be?" Buffy asked Willow and Tara.
"I don't know," Willow said. "I've never heard of anything that could do this to a vampire."
"Dawn," Tara asked. "Where did Drusilla give this to Spike? Where were they?"
"The old factory," Dawn said, handing Buffy the warmed mug of blood. "Where he and Drusilla used to live."
"I'll go see if I can find it," Willow said, standing up. "You guys stay here and see if you can find anything on what Drusilla gave him." She hurried out the door.
"Dawn, make sure he drinks this," Buffy said, handing Dawn the mug of blood. "Tara, go to the magic shop and find all the books you can that might help us. I'll look through the books we have here."
Tara hurried out the door and Buffy quickly pulled down a book on vampires. "Is he going to be okay?" Dawn asked.
"Yes," Buffy said quickly. Spike would be fine. He had to be. She was not going to lose him, not the one dependable person in her life. And she was not going to let her baby grow up without a father. Her baby needed him and if she was truly honest with herself, she needed him too.