Disclaimer: I do not own even the smallest inkling of the Buffy/Angelverse. Furthermore, the PTB in my story are different than how they are shown in the "real world" of Buffy, Angel, etc.

Chapter 13: Retrieval

"I don't know what to do Spike. It's like, every time I go to bite someone, I'm all excited, right? But then I get this urge to save them and I just don't know how to push it away. It's almost like, even as a vamp, I'm still the Slayer!" Buffy whined.

"Alright it's like I was telling Dru in 97, right before we came to Sunnyhell," Spike started. "Sometimes everything just turns to piss and you're out of your gourd, right? And then everything gets all shirty and strange and you never know how to relax the way you used to. The bottom line, Pet, is you have to relax. This is a very primal situation we are dealing with here . . .your carnal urges will win out in the end. Whichever urges those end up being."

"I know. That's the problem. This vampire thing, it's all very freeing. I don't feel as though I'm tied to doing the right thing. . .it has opened my eyes to the way I feel about you. . .It has been an incredible experience. It just doesn't feel real. I don't feel like a vampire."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be one, them. Just do me one favor, Love?"

"Anything, Spike."

"Promise me if you're out and you find and urge to save an innocent victim, you won't wind up staking me."

"It's a deal," Buffy promised, finding that, as sickeningly cutesy as the whole conversation had been, nothing had felt as natural in her entire life. "Spike, I'm kinda bored. Let's do something different tonight."

"Like what, Pet?"

"How about a movie?"

Angel stumbled into the candle lit room that he had visited in his mind so many times. Although he would never show his reverence, the dwelling place of the liaisons to the PTB always filled him with awe. The architecture was solid marble, beautiful and Hellenistic. Housed on the walls were pieces of art that would never be viewed by mankind. There were black figure vases depicting the birth of the First, painting showing the creation of the first Slayer, and, more classical mythological pieces; sculptures upon sculptures of Aphrodite, Athena, and Hestia.

Elloway stared at him from her high perch in the corner, taking on the figure of an owl. Angel reveled in the symbolism. She was the very essence of knowledge, always understanding that good was worth fighting for, but equilibrium was the most important element of human existence.

"Angel. I have been expecting you ever since I heard that your Slayer friend was a vampire. What do you expect from me today?" Elloway sang in a voice that wavered high above the normal pitches of Earth.

"Well, that is the problem. I don't know what to do about Buffy. I want you to restore her humanity. Another Slayer cannot be born from her; she has already created one from her death. Faith is in a coma"-

"Ah, you are wrong about that, Angel. The rogue Slayer has been awake for days. She, too, is on your side on this."

"Faith can't handle this, Elloway."

Angel exhaled deeply when he heard that Faith was not only awake, but on his side. After all the things that happened, all the fighting, Angel wasn't prepared for her redemption.

"I will do as you ask, Angel. The witch, however, must remain a vampire."

"Willow? That will crush Buffy"-

"That's not my concern. My concern is the balance of humanity- the equilibrium between good and evil. The witch does not play a pivotal role- not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"The vamping of The Slayer and The witch have been extraordinary events- they have changed what has been in motion for so long. Besides, Angel- I do not think it will be the witch that will cause the most problems for your Slayer."

Faith was deeply troubled. She had been by Willy's trying to squeeze out some information, but nothing doing. He wasn't even there. All the news that she had found after days of searching the usual suspects pointed to one thing: The new vamp clan was scaring the shit out of everyone. Turns out that even in her new, dead state, Buffy had staked a few vamps that she had got with their teeth in the cookie jar. Spike was safe since he was her new boy-toy, but any other vamp who tried to get a little satisfaction was really, really dead. That, at least, was good news. Faith had been prepared for cryptic, and since she wasn't exactly the "thinking man's slayer" cryptic never suited her well.

What she really needed in order to find some way around all the Buffy bullshit was that brainy little diva, Willow, but since Willow was all fangy, too. . .that posed a small problem. She couldn't find Giles, but she figured he was one of the first snacks. Vamps loved the taste of those they had been close to in life. With very few options left, she realized that pairing up with Angel was her best bet, but after all that had happened she wasn't sure he'd welcome her with open arms.

Willow was exhausted. Trying to pry some sense out of Drusilla had been nearly impossible. It was hard for most people to believe, but the pretty, brunette vamp had been even more insane than usual. She had been upset about something that freaky little doll had told her, something about a change in her Sweet William and the death of the evil. She hadn't been real specific, but willow had managed to decipher that Spike was going to change in some way and she was probably going to be finding a friendship with a big, fat splinter.

Dru was asleep, finally. For awhile, Willow had been almost afraid. Dru had seemed so irrational that she thought something was going to have to be done- sometimes its kindest to put a sick animal out of their misery.

Buffy and Spike had been out all night. That, at least, was some good news. She was so sick of their groping and cuddling- it was like they were over-sexed human teenagers. Buffy had morphed into some kind of hormonal freak and talked about Spike almost every moment she wasn't with him. The whole thing was at once sickening and surreal.

Buffy woke up on the floor of her basement. Spike had been with her, dancing the night way beside her. Now she was lying on her basement floor. The sun was streaming in through the window and nothing was happening. Ash wasn't all that was left of her. Spike was nowhere to be seen. Freaked out by all the new adjustments, Buffy warily raised her hand to her throat to feel for a pulse.

TBC