"You're not leaving?"

"This is what she would have wanted. It's what I want. I don't really like you. Suppose I never will. But this is important, what's happening here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine. The fight's comin', Angel. We both feel it... and it's gonna be a hell of a lot bigger than Illyria. Things are gonna get ugly. That's where I live."

-Spike to Angel

Chapter 17

The stars were dancing again, weaving in and out. Away from her reach. Things in the universe were changing and all she could see were small glimpses into what could be. Not like before, everything dancing around her and easily within her grasp. She'd seen, always, but not anymore. Miss Edith had been gone for a long time and now her Willy was gone too. Moving closer and closer to the sun. Little flakes drifting to the ground, gray and horrible. Not her knight, not her Willy.

"Not yours. Never yours." Miss Edith? Oh the changing stars hurt so much, too bright. Too bright!

"Look at me Dru." The words were soft, familiar. Echoing in her mind until the stars and the moons quieted. Dru made her way to her bed, footsteps light and scared. She stopped not a foot away, Miss Edith sitting peacefully in its center. The lips didn't move, they never moved but she could hear her. Could almost see what was trapped behind the changing stars.

"He was never yours. Not your knight."

"No he is mine. I kissed him and he's mine, my Willy and my daddy and you're not here Miss Edith. Only blackness and I hate it. I want to go under the water again, please with crumpets."

"No crumpets. No tea. You have to wake up Dru. The fairytale is over."

"But Daddy just came home!"

"No Dru." The voice was infinitely kind but painful, like echoes within echoes. Like the whispers of the moons. Dru covered her ears and screamed.

"Buffy!" It was a chorus, one that engulfed her the moment she stepped into the school library. Followed, closely, by a vertical dog pile. She struggled and laughed until tears fell from her eyes and, thus, allowed to escape. She was still gasping for breath when they started shooting questions her way. Where had she been? What happened to her? Who did she turn into? She'd answered, to the best of her ability. They'd made the trip to her home in soft, contemplative, silence. Hands clasped tightly together, their thoughts weighing heavy on them both but together all the same. Lending each other strength, just as she'd always known they would. Even in that other life.

He'd walked her to her door and, for a wild moment, Buffy wondered if he'd ask to come inside. He reached out, hands closing with measured strength, blue eyes searching. There was something there, beyond those ocean depths that remained unreadable to her. Something he seemed reluctant to find. She allowed herself to open to him, allowed every feeling, every hope and fear, every dream. Allowed him to see that in every vision of her present and future he was there, at her side. The other Buffy had seen it; she'd known even when she hadn't wanted to admit it even to herself. She'd been too scared. Even knowing that Spike would never do what Angel and the others had done, when she knew he'd never leave her side she couldn't believe it. If she had she would have had to face the possibility of losing him forever, to death or worse. And after, when she'd been ripped out of Heaven, that possibility had been even more terrifying.

But that had been another life. She wasn't scared. She knew that a hundred years, a thousand would never be enough time with him, but she'd take even a minute, a second, of Spike than none at all. He saw it and seemed all the more confused because of it.

"Who are you Slayer?" It should have been corny, she'd heard those same lines in a dozen movies, but they hadn't been. Somehow they had seemed brand new to her. She'd smiled at him, impossible not to, and she raised herself onto her tiptoes. She kissed him, not like their previous kisses. This one had been short and sweet, her lips molding gently against his own.

"Yours Spike. That's who I am. Yours." And she'd gone inside. Hadn't given him time to move, time to assimilate. She knew him, knew how he worked. He'd need some time, enough to understand what she said and enough time to come to terms with what it meant. She'd showered, changed and curled under her covers to think, to consider. She remembered, vaguely, what it was to be Elizabeth. Remembered that, had things gone different, she would have been with William, with Spike. How could that have been? She didn't know, maybe never would, but she didn't mention any of that to her friends. It was one thing to keep secrets and another to relinquish all rights to privacy.

Things would be happening soon, she knew that, and the thing that scared her the most was that most of those things would be happening to Spike. He'd get hurt and she hoped, only, that she could stop it.

Yours she said. What was he? A bloody idiot that's what. He'd gone bonkers. He'd left Dru unprotected, gone against Angelus. Invited upon himself a world of pain and, yet, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He didn't know what this was, between them, but he knew one thing: She'd tied herself to him somehow. Made herself important but why? Why damn it all?

Yours she said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world; Slayer and Vamp. As if them being together was a possibility, that there was a chance that it could last. A large part of him wanted to deny it, to fight it, to get away from here or, at least, away from her. Then he remembered the look in her eyes as she had looked up at him. Never, not in all his life, had anyone looked at him with such unguarded eyes. He refused to think about it. He had to get back to Dru. Dru made sense, always had, and he loved her. Easy, simple, Dru; Someone who he could happily torture and maim people with.

Buffy's face slipped into his thoughts along with a distinctly painful sensation in his gut. With a deep, though unnecessary, breath he forced his thoughts to the scenery. Nice night, the air crisp and cool. Looming headstones, a few statues here or there, Angelus launching at him from the shadows.

Spike blinked, didn't react in time. Angelus slammed into him with all his considerable power, the rage coming off of him in waves. Spike hit the ground hard, but was back on his feet before Angelus could so much as take a step. Spike chuckled, couldn't help it. The Poof hit like a girl. Angelus growled, "What do you think you're doing Spike?"

Spike took a moment to look at the older vamp. His clothes were just short of tattered, stupid git ran. Probably a good thing meant those demons had lived. He was feeling grateful today, surprisingly he didn't mind. Glancing around dramatically, and with a flick of his coat, he spread his hands outward.

"Taking in the scenery mate, you should try it sometime."

"Don't you dare start that shit again." The Irish brogue was back, hmm Poof must be pissed.

"Refresh my memory."

Angelus roared reaching him in a blink and hauling him back against a tree.

"You took the Slayer."

Spike didn't allow himself to react with anything more than his most charming smile, "Well duh."

"Why?"

"Don't know." That was the truth, complete and unvarnished. Angelus pushed him harder against the tree; he could feel the trunk straining under the pressure.

"What were you thinking?"

What had he been thinking? That it was wrong, that what Angelus had had in mind was beyond cruel, that he couldn't stand to see Buffy the way Dru was now. He'd been doing nothing but thinking for over a year now, since he'd met the damned-able chit. That was his problem. Blinking down at his elder he smiled, teeth bright against the darkness.

"You know what? I've been thinkin' too much." With one hand he broke Angelus hold, pushing him away and freeing himself from the circle of Angelus arms. "Not my style, thinking." He leapt forward, delivering a devastating right hook to Angelus's face. Blood splattered against the ground, the prick always bled like a geyser when his nose broke.

"Follow the blood, always known that. Wanna know what my blood's saying 'Angel'?" He delivered a swift kick to Angel's stomach, followed by an elbow to the spine. Angel went down with a grunt, not having believed Spike would attack him. Not like this. Didn't know that for years beyond mention Spike had been practicing, fighting, against the best for one reason and one reason only: To repay Angel for every beating and humiliation that had been visited upon him at the formers hands. Spike walked languidly back to the tree, considered for a moment before reaching up and tearing a small branch from the tree he'd been held against only a few moments before.

"Bloods telling me one thing mate." Without another word Spike hurled the branch through Angels back, pinning him face-down against the ground. Angel howled in pain, right arm twitching as if to grab at the branch embedded into his left shoulder. Dropping down onto one knee Spike smiled, approvingly, at his work.

"Now I'm going to leave you here to think about what you've done." Angel glared up at him, "You won't leave me like this." He managed to ground out through gritted teeth. Spike laughed, "Course I will mate. Hell, I might get myself some popcorn and watch. Blood Angelus gotta follow the blood. Blood says that no one messes with my girl." The last words were spoken with such conviction that Spike, himself, almost seemed surprised. With a quick hop he was back on his feet, strolling away as Angel raged at him.

"Sorry mate. Things to do, people to see." He called back in response to the screams and yells echoing in the quiet night.

"Word came from the Alocer." Giles voice filled the library as Buffy and co came in after classes. He turned towards them, pile of books held tightly in his arms.

"What's up?" She asked as she grabbed half the pile into her own arms. The others spread out around them, weaving around tables and chairs picking up stray books other students had been to lazy to put back.

"They have informed me that Ethan Rayne, the man who cast the spell, has left Sunnyvale. Also to assure you that neither they, nor the Selinofoto, had any casualties last night."

"Good. Hey, wait, how'd they find me anyway?" Her brows furrowed and Giles almost chuckled but managed, just barely, to hold to decorum.

"It seems one of the Patnja was sent to deliver a missive to you. He saw, and heard no doubt, what was happening. Apparently the little fellow set out and gathered your, hm, allies. The Patnja, as you well know, are very resourceful. Once you were located the rest came to your aid."

"Talk about bringing in the cavalry." Xander commented as he placed a pile of books on top of the ones still in Giles arms.

"Demon horde to the rescue!" Jesse offered, holding a hand out that was promptly high-fived by Amy.

"But what was the missive about?" Willow queried as Oz placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Probably asking for help. People like that can never seem to do things on their own."

"Ouch Cordy, besides their demons."

"Like that makes such a difference Xander."

"Cut-him some slack Jesse, you know the man's only got two working brain cells." Willow chuckled and mock-glared as Xander flicked Oz off.

Buffy rolled her eyes but lost the war against her twitching lips. Giles looked severely down on them, an effect greatly dampened by Jenny chuckling at his side.

"Actually Cordelia is correct."

"Wait you mean I'm right?"

"Yes. Apparently they're having some sort of problem and have asked that you come and aid them as soon as possible. It was hinted that the force they took to aid you last night may have seriously hampered their ability to defend their home."

They were all moving, like a well-oiled machine, to their places. Buffy grinned "All right guys, let's get to work."

"Dru."

"Drusilla!?"

The silence was unnerving. Spike didn't like it. He took a few cautionary steps forward.

"You shouldn't have come back." Dru's voice wafted out of the darkness and, then, he was being lifted up into the air. Before he could react Angelus, had to be Angelus, pulled him down and over his knee. There was a sickening crack before Spikes world went black.