A/N Some of my reviewers have been curious about Willow. I will neither confirm nor deny whether I have plans for Willow. 😲!
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Absalom, a vampire of the Aurelius line nearly as old as Darla, finished examining the remains of their Master that Darla had collected and sadly shook his head. "The humans knew what they were doing, Darla. The weapons they used caused considerable damage to his bones, there's not enough left to make a resurrection ritual work."
"How did he have bones in the first place? We turn to dust when we're destroyed."
"He was the oldest vampire in existence, Darla, made by Aurelius himself and Aurelius was made by the last of the Old Ones on this plane of existence. The only one even close to him in age is Kakistos and he's only about three thousand years old and his hands and feet have become cloven with age. There's rumors that the Master may not have originally been human, but something else before being made. Rumors only since he never spoke of it. But it changes nothing, there's simply not enough to enable resurrecting him. Our Master is lost to us. Even if it hadn't taken me months to make my way here, it still changes nothing, he cannot return to us. You are now the Head of the Aurelius line, what are your plans for us?"
"Vengeance on the humans responsible. After that...we'll see."
"It's a good start." Absalom stood up. "And what have you learned about the humans responsible for his wretched demise?"
"Hunters with the Watchers Council, well trained, very experienced and they use human weapons."
"Very effectively." Absalom muttered. "Tactics, strengths, weaknesses?"
"They hunt as a pack, four of them and they have wiped out entire nests, almost every nest in Sunnydale, they even venture into the tunnels. The Hellmouth means a never ending influx of vampires but almost none survive long enough to establish nests anymore, which is why I called the members of the line to Los Angeles. There's a group of human hunters here too, but they stick to a neighborhood many miles from here. Here we can plan. We have another concern to consider."
"Yes?"
"Sunnydale also has the Slayer, but she hasn't hunted in months. She hadn't hunted in over a month when the humans destroyed the Master and the human snitch, Willy, informs me she still isn't hunting. He doesn't know why."
"Slayers only stop hunting if they're unable to hunt." Absalom looked thoughtful. "Perhaps an extreme injury taking time to heal, it would explain why the Watchers Council sent a hunter team to cover her territory. It would make it difficult to get to her, but we should keep an eye on her as well. Determine exactly why she's not hunting."
"Willy has learned where the human hunters live."
"We can't get to them in their homes and the Watchers Council would have made sure thrall is ineffective on them." Absalom warned. "But we could observe them from a distance, learn where they may be vulnerable." Absalom suggested, eyeing the humans Darla had collected, he was feeling a little hungry.
"Feel free to help yourself, Absalom." Darla invited, motioning to the humans.
"I think I will." His game face slid into place as he stalked toward the humans, who shrank in fear and pulled a young teen away from her mother and enjoyed the screams of both as he gulped her blood before tossing her remains aside.
"Oi! Save some for us!" A loud and accented voiced demanded.
"William." Darla frowned at the youngest member of the line, now that Colin, the Anointed One, had been destroyed. "Do not be rude! Absalom is your elder and you will address him with respect."
"You never could get me to bend the knee anymore than you could get Angelus to." The vampire with bleached white hair snarled at her. "And it's Spike, Darla, get it right. I earned that name."
"By torturing people with railroad spikes, yes, I am well aware, since you never shut up about it!" She snarled back.
"Spike," Drusilla drifted passed him. "Grandmother has much to mourn about, her Daddy is gone, as is Angelus. The crown weighs heavy on her head."
"You're still crazy, aren't you, Drusilla? Time hasn't helped you."
"She's sick too." Spike said angrily. "A mob in Prague caught and did something to her. I was taking her to the Hellmouth when we got your call, I hoped it would help her."
"Patience, Spike." Drusilla murmured. "The Hellmouth will lead us all to what we most desire."
"A cure for what ails you, luv?"
"Vengeance on the humans who destroyed our Master!" Darla snarled, long passed fed up with Spike.
"Yes." Drusilla smiled at a small child. "He roared so beautifully. Soon he will weep as well." She grabbed the little boy from his mother and continued to smile as both he and his mother screamed. "Such a beautiful baby." And proved her preference was for the blood of children.