Chapter Twenty: Prophesised

Buffy stretched and yawned, leaning against the kitchen island as her mother made her breakfast. She stared at the paper, reading about the grisly murder of the mayor and the girl who had been arrested for it. She knew the real story all too well and didn't want to think about Faith, stuck in jail on her own. By all rights it should have been Buffy locked up in there – she was the one who had landed the killing blow.

Joyce smiled at her as she passed over the bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice. Buffy smiled back, fingering the paper as she started to eat her Cheerios.

'You okay, honey? You seem a little…distracted.'

'It's Faith.' Buffy said, pushing the Cheerios around the bowl, entranced by the way they bobbed on the surface of the milk.

'How was she doing when you saw her yesterday?' Joyce asked.

'I guess she was okay. But that might be a front. She's always so tough and cocky and deep down, I know she's terrified.' I know someone else like that. Buffy thought, frowning at her cereal. Wonder why Mom didn't give me Wheetos. Chocolate goodness. Have to remind her to get some next time she goes grocery shopping.

Joyce nodded. 'There's not a lot you can do honey. I mean, it could be you in there.'

'I know.' Buffy sighed, pushing the plate away from her. Joyce frowned at the unfinished meal but decided not to say anything. Buffy had enough problems without an over protective mother nagging her.

'Just show her you are there for her. Support her as best you can. I know she'll appreciate it.' Buffy stood up and smiled at her mother.

'I guess I'd better get to school. I said I'd look in on Spike on the way there. Make sure he's kept out of trouble.' Joyce nodded, running the tap to do the washing up.

'Don't be late home!' She called as the front door opened and then slammed. Joyce flinched at the sound and then started to hum to herself as she carried on washing the dishes.

The mansion was quiet as she snuck inside and she frowned. Although Spike had gotten into the habit of sleeping during the day, like most vampires, he was always up around half seven, when she looked in on him before school. But this time, there was no sign of him and panic gripped her, like a stone sinking to the bottom of her stomach.

'Spike?' She called out, stepping forward into the house, her hand moving to grip the stake in the back of her waistband. 'Angel?'

She moved deeper into the house, frowning at the lack of response. The only option was that both of them were in a deep sleep, although she knew Spike was a light sleeper. She crept up the stairs, looking around, on guard. As she reached the landed, she moved towards Angel's room and frowned as she found it empty. The frown turned into a scowl as she looked into Spike's room and also found it devoid of anything, except a parcel the size of a shoebox on the bed. She cocked her head to the side and walked towards it, her stake still firmly encased in her hand.

Gingerly, Buffy reached down, touching the box. It didn't jump, or bite like she usually expected and she opened it. The lid lifted off easily and she moved backwards as she saw the contents of the box. A doll, made of porcelain, with straight blond hair and a ribbon covering her eyes. But the most chilling thing about it was the tiny shard of wood, piercing the area of the chest where the heart usually resided.

The chilling terror in Buffy's gut intensified and she backed away from the macabre present and turned, running from the room, and the mansion. She didn't stop until she reached the school and burst into the library, the stake held so tightly in her hand she was bleeding.

The gang looked up, her sudden arrival a shock. Oz had joined them shortly before, and even he displayed a frown at the Slayer's obvious distress.

'Drusilla. I think she's back in town.' Buffy said, panting slightly, but the panic in her voice evident. Giles moved towards her.

'How do you know?'

'I swung by the mansion. Like I usually do. Only Angel and Spike are both gone and there was this creepy doll in Spike's room. Blonde, blindfolded and with a stake through the heart. Not the sort of things that fills me with sunshine.' The blonde dropped the stake, raising her hand and hissing at the shallow cuts on her hand.

'How did you do that?' Willow asked, standing up and moving towards her friend.

'Just kept a good hold on my stake. Bit too much force.' Buffy shook her hand and looked up at Giles. 'We've got to find them. Drusilla must have done something, but we need to find Spike.'

Giles looked over at Wesley, guilt etched on his face. Buffy caught it and frowned.

'What? What do you know? Have you found something?'

Wesley stood up. 'We have found a prophecy relating to the calling of the Valkyrie. We knew David was planning on resurrecting his clan, but that isn't the main problem.'

'We found a passage in the codex, Buffy. One that indicates that Spike becoming a vampire was predestined. And through him the oldest and truest form of demon will return to this world.'

Buffy froze. 'So in other words, Buffy's boyfriend gets screwed again?' She shook her head. 'I'm not doing this again. Isn't dying and killing one boyfriend and seeing my friends get hurt enough? Why do I keep having to jump through all these hoops? Why is it always the ones I love that get hurt, or turn evil?' She stopped and raised a hand. 'Know what? I don't care. We find Spike, now. Drusilla is back in town and god knows what she is doing with him.'

The first thing he felt when he awoke was an overwhelming ache in his jaw. Angelus had hit him, hard, and the area was throbbing like there was no tomorrow. Spike opened his eyes and found wherever he was to be dark. He vamped out, his eyes adjusting to the light and then struggled to sit up. His shirt was gone and his hands were bound behind his back, tightly, with what felt like tape, but the strength in his body failed him as he tried to rip it.

The demon inside him screamed at the betrayal by his Sire, and he bit down a roar of indignity. He hadn't fed yet and he instinctively knew it was daylight outside. The lack of food was causing his usual tight control over the demon to slip and he shut his eyes, slipping back into his human mask in an effort to calm himself down. Now wasn't a good time to lose control of himself; he needed to get out of here and find Buffy.

His eyes snapped open once more. Buffy. She was out there. She always swung by the mansion in the morning. What if Angelus went back to wait for her, or Drusilla? What if she was already dead?

Spike renewed his struggles against his bonds, growling as the tape bit into his wrists. After a few moments of struggling, he stopped, thinking for a way out. Placing his feet on the floor firmly, he pushed his back against the wall and wormed his way into a standing position. As he leant against the wall, trying to regain some strength, he caught himself against a sharp piece of rock, ripping into his arm. Blood trickled down his skin and an idea formed in his head. He stepped to the side, so the shard of rock was pressing against the tape. He slowly drew his arms up and down, and the tape ripped, freeing his wrists.

He rubbed them gingerly for a second and then looked around, struggling not vamp out. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus and as the light gradually changed, he saw he was in a small cell, with brick walls. A door was opposite from where he woke up, but no window was evident, and from the looks of it, he may well have been underground.

A noise alerted him and he retreated to the shadows. Someone was approaching the door. He reached out with his senses and felt the familiar pull of his Sire. Two others accompanied him and he froze, a defensive stance taking over his body.

It seemed like forever until the door opened and light poured into the room. Spike squinted, covering his eyes. Angelus walked into first, a sadistic grin plastered across his face. Spike lunged for him, but the older vampire was faster and Spike snarled as he grabbed him around the throat, pushing him back against the wall. The piece of brick Spike had freed himself on ripped through his back and he cried out, his demon coming to the fore as Angel held him off the ground.

'There's three of us here, boy and nothing you can do will stop us. You're just a fledgling.'

'He doesn't look to have much control over it, does he?' A male stepped forward and Spike got a good look at him. It was David and he inwardly cursed. That was what Drusilla had meant by "the barbarian".

'He's only a baby. Such power in him, but he doesn't know how to use it.' Drusilla cooed, stepping closer to the blonde. She reached up and ran a finger down his face, staring at him. 'He'll make a fine prince, won't he daddy?'

'I must say, this is remarkable. When Drusilla came to me with the idea of releasing Angelus once more, I didn't realise the potential it could have.'

'Dru's a remarkable woman.' Angelus smirked. 'And her talent for destruction is almost unrivalled.'

David smiled. 'Yes, well, as soon as I'm done with him, you'll have someone else to mould into your own form.'

Spike struggled against the older demons grip and Angel pulled him away from the wall and then pushed him roughly against it once more. The rock punctured his skin again and he cried out again.

'You are aware you're wounding him.' David asked, spotting the blood flowing freely down the vampires back.

Angelus shrugged. 'He'll heal. Give him some blood and he'll be fine for your ritual.'

'We still have time I suppose. The new moon isn't for another four days. And after the Valkyrie are called, we have 24 hours in which the wake of their power allows the ritual.'

'What about the sunshine?' Drusilla said suddenly, her eyes still fixed on Spike. 'She'll want him back.'

'Yes, what about the slayer?' David frowned. 'I don't want her mucking up the works. And it seems to me that she's very good at getting in the way.'

'She's probably already found Drusilla's present. She'll work herself up into a lather about it, but by the time she figures out where we are, it'll be too late. But if you want, I can always keep her occupied.'

Spike's eyes widened and his human mask slipped over his vampire features. Angelus looked up at him, a cruel grin twisting his lips.

'I don't think Spike likes the idea of that, do you boy?' He dropped the blonde roughly and the vampire fell to the ground in a heap. Angelus crouched down beside him. 'Don't worry, I'll wait for you to become a proper member of the family, before the big show goes down.'

Spike looked up at his Sire in silence, the pain in his back preventing him from moving and the smell of blood permeating the air. Drusilla giggled as Angelus stood back up and the three vampires left the room. Spike was alone in the dark once more.

'Willy hasn't heard anything about Drusilla, nothing about David and the mansion is still deserted.' Buffy threw herself into a chair. 'He could be dead for all I know.'

Giles placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Don't worry, Buffy. I'm sure Spike is fine wherever he is. That boy has an incredible talent of surviving.'

Xander nodded. 'Hey, remember when he died? He's like you, Buff. Hard to keep down.'

Buffy looked sadly at her friend and Willow smiled reassuringly at her. 'We'll find him Buffy. We just need to keep looking.'

'I don't understand why Angel has disappeared as well.' Buffy said. 'I know Drusilla is mad, and strong but she couldn't take both of them. Could she?'

Giles shrugged. 'She may not have been alone.'

'What if she is working with that David guy?' Oz said, with his usual stoic tone of voice. Buffy looked at him and then to Giles, panic searing her expression. Giles cocked his head slowly, removing his glasses and cleaning them.

'There is a slight possibility of that.' He admitted and Buffy thrust her head into her hands.

'I can't do this again. I can't deal with Spike going all Angelus on us.' She stood up as the library doors swung open and Angel walked in.

'Now, now, Buffy…why do you need Spike going all Angelus, when you can have the real thing?' He grinned as the Scoobies jumped up from the table and backed away. Buffy stood her ground as Giles moved to stand beside her. 'Of course, I'm sure Spike's going to make a great bad guy, you know, if he survives, but then I'm not bothered either way. If you want, I could kill him for you. He's always been a pain in the ass, and if it makes your life easier…wait, no…you can kill him. If he doesn't kill you first.'

Buffy swallowed hard. 'How…'

'How did I lose my soul?' Angelus chuckled. 'That Drusilla, she really is a brilliant girl. Masterminded this whole thing. Well, that bit anyway. Ever heard of the Dagger of Duibhne?'

'The dagger that cures all…' Giles murmured.

'Turns out, the curse can be cured. It was an affliction. I'm so over it.' He grinned looked at Buffy directly. 'You won't be killing me again, lover. And I suspect that Spike is going to be in one hell of a mood when he wakes up. His demon's going to be pure and very, very hungry. Ever seen as demon that has always been buried, restricted?' He smiled cruelly. 'You're in for an awakening.'

Wesley suddenly appeared from the office and before Buffy could shout at him, Angelus had him by the throat. The Watcher dropped the book his was carrying, and dangled in the air, choking as Angelus vamped out.

'Carry on looking for him, Buffy, and I will kill your friends. But don't worry, I'm sure he'll come looking for you, soon enough.'

He dropped Wesley and the watcher hit the floor with a dull thump and curled up into a ball. Angelus looked down at him, a smile on his face as the Watcher cowered in front of him. 'Gotta say, the Watcher's Council just ain't what it used to be.' He turned and stalked out of the room, his coat flowing behind him. Buffy picked up a long sharp knife from the table and threw it, watching as it hit the door directly as it swung shut on Angelus' retreating form.

The room sat in silence for a moment, watching as Wesley got to his feet, gingerly rubbing his throat and retrieving the book he had dropped. He looked to Buffy.

'Am I to assume that was Angelus, the vampire with which you had trouble last year?'

Buffy looked at him for a moment, cold contemplation in her eyes. 'Yeah, that's him. Only this time, I'm not going to hesitate. If he has hurt Spike in any way, I will kill him.'

'This sheds some light on the situation.' Giles said. 'He made it sound as if Spike is going to simply lose his soul, not like we thought – that he was going to become pure vampire.'

'What does that mean?' Xander asked, returning to his seat.

'Didn't it say something about a host?' Willow asked. Giles nodded.

Wesley thought for a moment. 'This David, he is the last of his clan yes?'

The group nodded collectively, except Buffy, whose eyes remained fixed on the door. Wesley frowned. 'Maybe he is the host. It said the oldest soul will be transformed and will give birth to the darkest evil.' He frowned. 'Something about this seems so familiar.'

'Maybe cause you read it a few times already?' Xander provided and received a scathing look from the younger Watcher. Giles looked at Buffy, who had not moved. He approached her as Wesley headed back into the office.

'Maybe you should go home and rest.'

'I don't need to rest.' She stated; her voice like icicles. 'I need to find Spike.'

'And we will.' He started to speak again but Buffy turned and cut him off.

'I am not doing this again Giles. We haven't got any time. If they have him now, it means the ritual is close. Find out what it is, find out where they are and we'll get him back.' Tears shone in her eyes and she looked at Giles steadily. 'I am not killing him. It will kill me and I can't.' She looked down and then turned towards the door. 'He means too much to me, Giles.'

She walked out of the library, the others watching her leave, the terror of the situation weighing all too heavily on everyone's shoulders.