Spike was somewhere in Sunnydale forest. He didn't recognize it, but he knew he wasn't far from town. He collapsed onto the ground and stared up at the dim stars. Too early for real stars. Too late for any life to be moving around the forest. The night life yet to awaken. There was only silence around him. Silence, trees, and stars.

He laid like that until every last star lit up the sky with all the light it could shine. Then, she was there. He closed his eyes and wished her away. He wished her scent didn't wash over him and awaken memories too good to forget. Why did she come back here? Everything was good. Everything was right. Angel would be gone soon and finally he and Buffy could be together.

"It always comes back to earth and worms," she said. She seemed to be expecting him to speak, but he was busy trying to ignore her.

She walked closer until the toes of her shoes were an inch from his platinum blond curls. "You want me to leave. Leave you to the sunshine. Leave you to your cage. You think this is what you want. What your heart wants. Your heart is dead, Spike. It doesn't want. Only you can know what you want."

Drusilla knelt down and laid Spike's head on her thighs. She ran her fingertips through his hair. He knew she was watching the stars now. She'd be content to sit this way until the sun came up and then some.

He sighed. He couldn't think straight. Not with her here. How could he possibly know what he wanted with her touching him like that? Like she still loved him. How could she still love him? She left him. She said he wasn't vampire enough for her and she was right. The chip was gone from his head, but he still couldn't kill. He wasn't a vampire anymore. He was something else.

Drusilla started to sing softly. "Oh, dear, what can the matter be? Dear, dear, what can the matter be?"

Spike recognized the tune and he hummed along. "Oh, dear, what can the matter be? Johnny's so long at the fair."

"He promised to buy me a trinket to please me," Spike sang back. "And then for a kiss, oh, he vowed he would tease me."

"He promised to bring me a bunch of blue ribbons to tie up my bonny brown hair."

Spike sat up and turned around to grab a handful of that brown hair. He held her close as he kissed her. Overwhelmed by nostalgia, her scent, her voice, and the beauty of the stars, he couldn't resist.


Angel stood hidden behind a tree down wind from the pair. The emotion didn't show on his face, but he felt a lot underneath. Most dominant was the drive to protect Buffy.

Trees raced by as he ran back to Sunnydale. The city appeared before him in no time and he raced to the residential district. He paused when he reached Revello drive. What would he say to her? What would she believe? He had no proof Drusilla was back in town and no proof that Spike was occupying himself with her tongue somewhere deep in the forest.

He stared down at the asphalt like it owed him money until he heard a blatant cough behind him.

Angel was surprised as he turned around to see Willow and Tara standing behind him.

"Willow! I didn't see you there."

"I noticed," she said. "You were a little busy watching ants cross the road."

Angel huffed a short laugh. "I was looking for Buffy."

"I hope you weren't expecting to find her down there," she joked. Angel didn't so much as smirk and she felt a bit awkward suddenly. "She's at home. We're all meeting up for movie night. Your welcome to join," Willow offered. Tara smiled and nodded her agreement.

"I'd rather not. Just tell Buffy I was looking for."

"No problem, but what do you need her for? Is it Spike?" Tara felt Willow's worry and wrapped a gentle hand around her upper arm.

Angel looked over his shoulder like he expected to find someone watching them. "I just need to talk to her. Tonight if possible."

Willow nodded. "Well, I'll let her know." She looked around for whatever distracted Angel and when she looked back he was gone. "It's creepy when he does that."

"Uber creepy," Tara agreed.


Spike had no idea what came over him. He threw himself to his feet and stormed away from Drusilla. This wasn't what he wanted. He was different now. He'd changed. He was trying to be a better man. For her. Everything for her. She deserved everything.

Drusilla followed behind him. "You're a killer, Spike. You born for it. Your blood screams for the kill."

"Back off, Dru," he growled over his shoulder, refusing to stop.

"Don't resist it, dear boy." She caught up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't resist me."

He caught her hand and whirled around only to push her away. "You don't know me anymore, Drusilla. I'm not the naive fledgling you couldn't care for and I'm not the murderous beast Angelus turned me into. I can be better than that. I can be a good man."

Drusilla laughed. "But your not a man, Spike." She placed a hand over his heart. "There's no thump thump thump. Only death and hunger lives within you."

His jaw clenched. "You're wrong." He turned around and continued to march back to Sunnydale.

Drusilla followed behind and continued to plead with him. "We can be a family again. You'll be restored to your glory as glimmering knight."

Spike said nothing.

She whined pitifully. "You were always mine, William. Forever in my heart. Your salvation. Remember, Willy?" He said nothing and she whimpered as though he'd hit her. "Remember Prague?" she whispered.

He stopped and turned to see her wringing her hands and staring at the ground. "I remember."

"You were my salvation." She looked at him. "I need you, William. Need you to take the empty away before it consumes the universe. It has teeth and it devours." He eyes were pleading and she looked truly terrified.

Spike caught her hands in his own. He brought them to his lips and kissed each delicate finger. "I'm so sorry, Dru. I wish I could be that for you again. I wish I could save you."

Drusilla collapsed onto the ground with a pained sob. She fell unconscious and the last remaining piece of the vampire he once was cried out for her. He gathered her in his arms and carried her into the city.


Angel waited in Buffy's back yard, watching the door. If Willow gave Buffy his message like he'd asked, she would come looking for him here.

Twenty minutes after Willow and Tara arrived, Xander and Anya knocked at the door. Ten minutes after that, Buffy stepped onto the back porch. She scanned the trees for Angel. He stepped out of the shadows with her name on his lips.

"What is it?" she asked. She looked worried. She had every reason to be worried.

Angel sighed. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, but Drusilla is in town."

Buffy nodded. "That would explain the train. It pulled into town a few nights ago and everyone on it was dead. Completely drained of blood."

"That's not all."

"There's always more." She looked tired. Angel felt bad for ruining her movie night with bad news. All he ever wanted for her was happiness and a normal life. The life she deserved. Yet here he was destroying the only night free of vampires she'd had in a long time. He wanted to tell her that was it and walk away. "Angel, what's wrong?"

The concerned Buffy face did it every time. "Spike. He's with Drusilla. I saw them in the forest-"

There heads snapped to the trees behind Angel as Spike came panting out of the shadows, holding Drusilla in his arms.

"I know what this looks like and I don't know what Angel told you," Spike said pleading. "but please Buffy she needs help. I didn't know where else to take her."

Buffy was momentarily shocked. "I- Why? Why would I help her?"

Spike shook his head. "You don't have any reason to, but I'm asking you to do this as a favor. For me."

Buffy thought it over quickly and then nodded. She didn't have a good reason not to trust Spike and there would be time to question him later.

She opened the back door and Spike carried Drusilla inside. He took her upstairs and laid her down in Buffy's bed. Angel followed right behind him and Buffy behind him.

"What happened?" Angel asked, sire mode activated.

"We were talking. I told her I couldn't be with her. That I was different now and I couldn't be what she wanted. She just bloody collapsed! I don't know what happened."

Angel placed a hand on her head almost as if he were checking her temperature. "Did she say anything?"

"I don't know exactly. It's hard to remember all the nonsense she spouts, but the gist of it was, she's dying of loneliness. She feels like it's killin' her." Spike looked at her sadly. She'd always been animated in sleep. She mumbled and smiled as she dreamed. Now she was still, just like before when she was dying after their trip to Prague.

"And you still said no?"

"It's not my job to take care of her anymore, Angel! I can't give her what she needs!"

"What's going on in here?" Xander asked as he ran into the room with Willow behind him. "Is that-" He froze and pointed at the figure on the bed. "Is that Drusilla?"

"Uh..." Willow said. She put her hands on Xander's shoulders and steered him away. "This looks like a family matter. We'll just go make popcorn." Xander's mouth was still hanging open as he let Willow pull him away.

Angel stared at Drusilla thoughtfully and finally seemed to come to a conclusion. "I know somewhere I can take her. There's an asylum that specializes in demons. They might be able to help. At the very least they can care for her."

"An asylum..." Spike couldn't decide how he felt about Drusilla locked away in a white room with no window. Ask him fifty years ago and he would have torn out your throat and laughed as he walked away from your bleeding corpse, but now... "Do you think she would be safe there?"

"I'll make sure it's a good place. We can visit her from time to time. Make sure she's happy and taken care of."

Buffy said nothing through all of this. There was so much to take in. Drusilla had returned to Sunnydale and Spike had refused to rejoin her. Now Spike and Angel were talking about sending her to an asylum. Did they really make those for vampires?

"Maybe that's for the best," Spike said, a part of him not believing his own words.

"I'll take her back to LA with me and make arrangements for her at the asylum."

"What will you tell her?"

"I don't know, but I'm not giving her a choice."


AN: Folk song is Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?