A/N: Thank you for your patience, life has been hectic. Here is the next chapter. Thanks to Scribes1015 for the beta.

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Paths of Hate

Chapter 2

Sunnydale, California

October 28th 1999

Darla stopped and turned her nose up to the air, sifting through the various scents of the forest as she walked through the woods, tracking a group of demons, and the Slayer. Darla walked silently, her blonde hair tied back from her face. She was watchful, looking around every now and then, all her senses on high alert.

In the years since that faithful night in Galway, Darla had travelled the world. She spent decades murdering her way through Europe, killing men, woman and children until she had stumbled across a small Romany camp in southern Romania and killed their favourite son. A favourite among his clan for his strength and skill.

In revenge they conjured up the perfect punishment for her, they restored her soul. When you become a vampire the demons takes your body, but it doesn't take your soul. The soul goes wherever souls go, moves on to a better place. Your body is left for the demon, to do with it as it pleases.

She was the only vampire in the world with a soul. Doomed to spend the rest of eternity paying for her sins.

And she did.

The return of her soul left her reeling, almost catatonic. She couldn't live as a human, she could no longer live as a vampire, her soul made sure of that. She tried, oh boy did she try to live as she once had. She hunted criminals, rapist, and murderers. The men who were no better than the demons themselves.

It didn't work, and soon she found herself living in the shadows again. Feeding of rodents and other small animals, trying to state the hunger.

For almost seventy years Darla had struggled, avoiding humanity, keeping to the fringes of the world, never quiet in the light but no longer in the shadows.

Until one day a man called out for help as she happened to walk past. She turned around in time to see him fall to the floor, a vampire at his throat. She reacted without thinking, quickly intervening, pulling the other vampire away from the human.

Thinking she wanted to steal his meal the vampire snarled and attacked her. They fought, Darla was quick, but she wasn't a fighter, only her age gave her the upper hand, her added strength making her stronger then the younger vampire. She ducked a punch aimed at her face, grabbing his arm as it flew past her and using his momentum she threw him into the wall. He slammed into the brick wall and crumpled to a heap on the floor, groaning in pain. Darla had quickly rushed forward, grabbed a broken piece of wood out of the trash and plunged it into the vampire's chest.

He had screamed, crumbling to dust before her eyes. Stunned at what she had done, Darla had glanced up at the man with wide eyes. He stared back at her, just as shocked.

"What the hell was that?" he gasped out in shock. "What happened, he just disappeared, what's going on?"

Darla sighed and tried to calm him down. "It's ok," she said slowly, "he was a vampire, they turn to dust when they die."

The young man blinked. "A vampire?" he deadpanned, and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Darla nodded, slowly getting to her feet. She looked down at the stake in her hands and smiled slowly.

"Miss?" The young man asked as he scrambled to his feet, "Are you ok?"

She nodded slowly. "Never better," she said looking up and flashing him a bright smile,

She'd never thought of actually killing her fellow vampires, she had spent all this time trying to avoid her own kind, trying to return to the vampire she was pre-curse. But it wasn't going to happen. This was the hand she had been dealt, and she was going to have to deal with it one way or another. This revelation, it was like a light bulb had gone off in her head.

She stuffed the makeshift stake into the waistband of her skirt and walked out of the alley. Leaving the young man to stare after her in shock.

This was the trigger she needed to finally put aside her crippling fear of humanity and embrace it, learn to use her strength and speed as an asset against the other vampires that roamed the city. They already thought she was a freak, why not build on that? She could finally make a different in her life, maybe right some of the wrongs she had committed all those years ago. She could help protect the humans from her own kind, and save them from a fate worse than death.

For the first time since she got her soul back Darla had hope, a purpose and a future.

She wasn't even thinking like a vampire anymore.

That was thirty years ago. Since then she had been fighting on the side of good, killing demons and vampires whenever she came across them. But it wasn't until she followed the Master to Sunnydale towards the dawn of the new millennium, and met the Slayer that she truly started to change.

Before that she still kept herself distanced from the people she was trying to save, afraid of her control and what she would do if something happened. She wasn't perfect and had slipped up a few times. The bloodlust was sometimes overwhelming, and before she knew it she was feeding on the people she was trying to save. She didn't want that to happen a third time.

She was content to keep fighting alone, trying to help those who needed it. That was until she heard that the Master, the vampire that had sired her was in Sunnydale, and so was the Slayer. Darla knew she had to do something, that she couldn't let another innocent girl fall under her sire's fangs, and unleash his evil back into the world.

So she drove from New York to the small town of Sunnydale, California. She drove all night and spent the day in a cheap motel, the windows covered against the deadly sunlight. She arrived at the Hellmouth a few days later, just in time to prevent Buffy from dying in a pool of water.

Darla pulled her out of the water as Buffy's friend had rushed into the room, giving the Slayer life-saving CPR as Darla shifted nervously.

The Slayer sat up, spluttering as she coughed water onto the ground. Looking up their eyes had met and Buffy had frowned, staring at Darla in suspicion. "Who are you?" she had asked slowly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Darla had bitten her lip, she hadn't quite thought that far ahead. "I'm Darla," she said. "I came to help you. I'll tell you everything, but we don't have time now, the Master is free and he'll open the Hellmouth if we don't do something now."

Weighing up her options Buffy had nodded and led her and Xander out of the cave and back to the school.

Afterwards, as the Masters white bones lay broken and exposed in the middle of the library Buffy and her friends had turned towards her, questions in their eyes.

Taking a deep breath Darla had told them who and what, she was. The result was predictable, but she was ready for the stake Buffy aimed at her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you?" the Slayer had hissed between her teeth.

"I have a soul."

They listened with a mix of disbelief and fascination as she explained the curse, and what she had been through in the century since. "I'm trying to atone for the things I did," she whispered, close to tears, "I want to help."

"What makes you think I need your help?" Buffy asked, offended.

Darla raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you don't?" the vampire countered mockingly.

And so began a hesitant truce. Darla would help the Slayer and her friends when they needed it, and in return Buffy didn't kill her. They fought vampires and demons, and prevented the apocalypse more than once. As Darla began to fight alongside Buffy, she became more and more involved with the people she was saving. She began to care about humans again.

Now the Scoobies meant more to her then anything else, they were her friends, they could count on her to fight at their side, but more importantly she could count on them. She found herself living again after almost 400 years. It was a nice feeling.

She sighed and continued to walk through the woods, following the scent that Buffy and her friends were tracking.

(v)

The vampires bunched together, snarling angrily as they slowly backed away from Buffy and the others. Buffy stood in front, a sword and her stake in her hands. Behind her, Giles and her friends Xander, Willow, Oz and Doyle held various weapons, all of them watching the vampires closely. Waiting for them to make the first move.

They were in the woods, on the outskirts of Sunnydale. The last two weeks had seen an increase in vampire attacks and deaths. At least to the people who knew where to look. Buffy had gone patrolling every night, searching for the nest she knew was out there somewhere. She started with the maze of sewers that ran underneath the town, when that proved furtive she moved to the cemeteries, the abandoned houses and buildings, and finally to the woods.

The woods were full of caves, burrowing deep into the Rocky Mountains and cliffs that surrounded the valley Sunnydale was situated in.

It took her a while until she found the nest, they were holed up in a cave. She would have walked right past them if a shout of pain had not called her back.

Finding what she was looking for she silently crept away to tell the others. The next day, at sunset they were standing outside the caves. Ready to kick some vampire ass.

Afterwards as they trailed back down the hill towards Sunnydale. Xander, Doyle and Willow chatted while Oz walked silently beside them. Buffy and Giles lead the way. "Well that was exciting," Buffy said with a smile, "It's been a while since a nest that size has been a problem, everyone seems to avoid Sunnydale now."

"Except the very young and the very stupid," Giles added.

"And what does that make me?" Darla huffed as she stepped out in front of them, her arms crossed over her chest. She had missed the fight, and was bitterly disappointed, she could have done with a bit of violence.

"The one exception to the rule?" Giles offered quickly, after he recovered from the fright the vampire's sudden appearance had given him.

Darla laughed. "Good comeback," she admitted, causing Giles to smile ruefully.

The rest of the team laughed, and put away their weapons as Darla walked towards them. "Sorry I'm late," She said, "Being punctual was never one of my strong suits."

"What was?" Doyle asked with a cheeky grin.

Darla laughed, "I'll let you guess that one," she answered with a smile as she fell in beside Buffy and they continued to walk down the hill. The lights from the town were visible through the trees now, they would be home within minutes.

Buffy smiled at her friend, and for a few minutes Slayer and vampire chatted.

There was once a time when the Slayer worked alone, and died young. Buffy had been a Slayer for almost five years now, four of which where her friends fought at her side. Giles, Xander and Willow she had known since moving to Sunnydale, Oz joined the group a year after when he started dating Willow, but it wasn't until earlier this year that Anya and later Doyle joined the team. Their stories were almost as strange as her own.

Anya was a former Vengeance Demon, coming to town the year before, nobody remembered how she lost her powers and became human, but from what Anya told them the world her wish made was one to be remembered. Now she was dating Xander and trying to ease back into a human existence, it was an ongoing process, as her often inappropriate and frank comments revealed.

Doyle was the newest member of their core group. About a month after Graduation a young man had knocked on the door to Giles apartment, introducing himself as Allan Doyle. As he stepped over the threshold Darla had tensed, her nostrils flaring as she caught a whiff of something not quiet human. She stood up from the couch slowly, walking towards the stranger before she stood in front of him, letting her eyes run over him curiously. "You're not human." She had said slowly.

Beside her Buffy and Giles had tensed as Doyle frowned. "Now, that's not very nice," he said, his Irish accent thick. "I happen to be very much human." He paused, held up his hand and sneezed. His face shifted into a green skinned demon with small blue spines. A second later he shook his head and reverted to his human face. "On my mother's side," he finished.

"Fascinating…"Giles mused.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. "Care to explain?" she asked in a steely voice.

Doyle licked his lips nervously. "I'm half Bracken demon," he explained.

Buffy glanced at Giles, "Know them?" she asked her former Watcher.

Giles nodded. "Peaceful, very much human in their mannerisms and culture."

"Aye, thanks for that mate," Doyle muttered under his breath, causing Giles to chuckle.

Doyle explained that he was a messenger for the Powers That Be, sent to help the Slayer. "I get visions," he explained as he sat down on Giles couch and everyone crowded round him. "People in trouble mostly. Last one I got was of you," he said, tilting his head in Buffy's direction. "They want me to help you."

"I don't need your help." Buffy said, a little annoyed.

"Why?" Giles interrupted her, "The Slayer has never had this kind of help before, she has always worked alone." They could all hear the scorn in his voice, he was no longer a fan of the Watchers Councils outdated and callous methods. "Maybe it's time the rules changed."

Buffy frowned, but turned her attention back on Doyle. "Why me?" she asked.

Doyle shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I just get the who, not the how."

Buffy and Giles exchanged glances as Doyle fell silent, looking around curiously.

"The seer's for the Powers That Be are well renowned. However, I have never known of any record saying one of their seer's has ever been sent to aid a slayer," Giles said.

Doyle shrugged. "Like I said, I just get the who." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He handed it to Buffy. "I got a vision a few hours ago, of you and your friends, he jerked his head to the side, "and this room. The message is about a girl, she will be in a dark alley a few hours from now. She will be attacked by a demon – not sure what kind- you'll need to save her."

Buffy took the note carefully, staring at it in awe. Xander clapped the Irishman on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Hellmouth."

That was five months ago, since then Doyle had led them to more nests and demons then hours of research could have done before. They were finally getting somewhere, the demon population of Sunnydale had never been so low.

Some of it Buffy knew had to do with the Initiative. The Government Research Initiative was its full, important name. It was a secret government facility, buried deep under the UC Sunnydale campus. She didn't know what went on inside its walls, only what Riley, a friend, had told her after she found out he was one of the Soldiers sent out to bag and tag the demons. The demons were captured, studied and experimented on, not all of it was ethical. It was amazing what the government could get away with when the subject wasn't human.

Buffy didn't like it, and quickly squashed any notion Riley might have had of a potential relationship, telling him she only thought of him as a friend.

She thought the whole process was cruel, and against the demon's nature to make them weak. The world needed balance, good countered evil. There was meant to be demons, just as there was meant to be Slayers, and those humans who fought against them. Things always hit the fan when governments intervened, look at Atlantis- once it was a city of wonder, ruled by demons – the humans wanted it back, and now it sat rotting at the bottom of the ocean.

Riley provided them with information, and in return they had formed a truce of sorts. They didn't bother him, and he and his men didn't bother them. If they were on the same trail the Soldiers always deferred to the Slayer, the seasoned veteran.

Riley was a complication Buffy didn't need in her life right now. She wasn't even ready to start dating again, not after what happened with Scott.

The ground levelled out, the woods began to thin and grass started to grow under their feet. When they crossed the first road and started walking down the street, heading towards the centre of town and home.

As they walked Buffy found her mind again drifting as her thoughts turned inwards. To the friends she called family. Her Watcher Rupert Giles, her best friends Willow and Xander. Oz, Doyle and Anya, and the ones that had come and gone Ms Calender, Cordelia and Scott.

They were outside Buffy's house by this time, slowly they all filed into the house. Her mom was sitting on the couch watching tv. "So," she asked as Buffy sat down on the couch, and the others all crowded into the room. "What happened?"

Buffy shrugged. "Found a nest, killed them."

"I hope you were careful, Buffy." Joyce said worriedly.

"I was mom," she assured her, giving her a quick hug. "The fight was really, well… easy."

As everyone grabbed food, exchanged greetings and chatted, Doyle helped himself to a glass of scotch, pouring one for Giles as well and asking Joyce if she wanted a wine. He settled down at the table, joined in the conversation and laughed at Xander's jokes.

Then he was hit by an ear splitting vision. He yelled as he clutched at his skull, hunching over in pain.

Images flashed through his mind, a demon with a pockmarked face. Swords flashing though the air, a faceless man in a white tunic, a flash of blonde hair and yellow eyes and then Buffy.

He gave a strangled gasp as the visions stopped and the pain finally subsided. He looked up to find Willow's hand on his shoulder and everyone looking down at him in concern.

"I'm fine," he muttered before taking a sip of his drink.

"What did you see?" Giles asked quietly.

"A man, I didn't see his face. He'll be here in a few day's."

"What do I need to do?" Buffy asked.

Doyle looked up at her sadly. "You have to help him." He said.

"A demon?" asked Willow.

Doyle shook his head. "Himself."

A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope the story is getting more interesting. If you like it please review, I love knowing what you think.