Soon afterwards the foursome split up. Lily was the first to leave and made her way back to her motel. She had a lot to think about.
Giles decided to spend some quality time researching Lily's background--he wasn't sure he totally trusted her.
Angel and Buffy walked leisurely hand in hand towards Buffy's house. On her front porch they kissed until her mom started flashing the porch light at them. With a laugh and a shrug, Buffy went inside and Angel began his solitary walk home.
*****
The weekend passed quickly. Buffy had agreed to spend it in L.A. with her dad, so she didn't have a chance to tell Willow or Xander about Lily. She planned to go over to Willow's on Sunday evening when she returned, but her mom had so obviously missed her that Buffy stayed in and watched old movies as her mom grilled her about every little thing she had done with her dad. Finally, her mom went to bed and Buffy had a chance to think about what to do about Lily. Not coming up with any easy solution, she too went to bed.
*****
Buffy woke with a start, catching the scream before it escaped her lips. It was still dark out and a glance at her digital alarm clock showed her that it was 3:09 a.m. The nightmare had come to her again, more vividly this time, and she remembered she hadn't mentioned it to Giles. The mystery woman was definitely Lily. She had been in a cage suspended above the floor. There had been someone else with her, cradled in her arms. A slender female--Buffy hadn't seen her face.
Most of all, Buffy had felt a sense of terrified futility...and pain. She just didn't know whose.
*****
Buffy arrived at school only a few minutes before the last bell rang, feeling like someone was tap dancing in her head. She wore sunglasses to block out the bright light that was piercing her brain and trudged dejectedly to her locker. Willow was waiting for her looking way too chipper and perky.
"Hi!" Willow chimed. Buffy groaned. "Did you have a hard weekend?" Willow asked, growing concerned.
"You could say that." Buffy opened her locker on the third try and took out her notebook. "I met someone."
"A guy someone?" Willow's squeak lacerated Buffy's already strained senses.
"No. Why would I be excited about a guy? I have Angel."
"True. So, who was this female person? Did she keep you up all night?"
The bell rang and the two girls headed to French class. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw Xander slipping out of a utility closet looking around furtively. WHAT? Distracted, Buffy forgot what Willow had said and had to ask her to repeat it.
"Oh, no, I had a nightmare; couldn't get back to sleep."
"One of those nightmares?" Willow asked, the worry staining her voice. She hated those nightmares. They led to icky things happening.
Buffy replied with a sigh, "Yeah. It was all really vague, but this new person was in it. Her name's Lily. You'll probably get to meet her tonight if you're still meeting Oz at the Bronze."
Willow blushed at the thought of Oz. "Well, he did say it wouldn't be the same without me there."
The two girls slipped into their seats just as their teacher began taking roll and weren't able to continue their conversation until lunch.
Xander joined them in the cafeteria line and they found an out of the way table. Buffy pushed her gray meat substitute around on her plate for a minute, then took off her sunglasses to rub her eyes.
"Okay. I met this woman on Friday. I don't particularly like her or trust her. Angel says she's on our side..."
Xander interrupted, "And you tend to believe everything dead boy says."
Buffy glared at him and continued, "She's a former Slayer...and a vampire." Both her friends gawked at her.
*****
Xander and Willow were still exclaiming over the news after a very quick lunch and trip to the Library. Giles was sitting at a table surrounded by books so that only the top of his head was visible. He looked up as they came in, then gestured for them to join him.
"I assume Buffy has filled you in," he said as he handed Willow the photograph of Lily.
"Wow, she's pretty." Willow passed the photo to Xander, whose eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He made gasping noises until Willow punched him on the arm and took the picture away from him.
"She's not that pretty." Buffy was glowering again. She took the photo from Willow and slapped it face down on the table. "She's....old."
"Not in that picture." Xander had finally found his tongue. "Buffy told us she doesn't kill, humans that is."
"That's what she says. So, far I cannot find any statements to the contrary. She's quite a legend amongst the vampires." Giles would have rambled out the whole story again if Buffy hadn't interrupted him with a well placed "Hmph."
"So, she's a Slayer Vampire or a Vampire Vampire Slayer or...something. I don't care if there are less vampires for me to slay; I just don't know if we can trust her. I had a nightmare," Buffy said hesitantly.
"Oh right, you never did tell me the details," said Willow, "Did it have Lily in it?"
"You had a nightmare and didn't tell me?" Buffy could tell Giles was about to start scolding endlessly, so she quickly filled them in on the details of her nightmare.
Buffy finished up with, "I just felt like there might be a prophecy involved. But, the nightmare is definitely getting clearer each time I have it."
"Well, this calls for some research. I can't think of anything off hand that is supposed to happen in the next few days." Giles started going through a book and Buffy was glad to hear the bell signaling the end of lunch.
"We gotta book..." Xander gave Buffy a relieved look.
"I'll see you all at the end of classes. See if you can find Cordelia; she seems to have a knack for finding the right answer," Giles replied, not looking up.
*****
Even with Cordelia, who grumbled the whole way there, but then threw herself enthusiastically into the project--much to Buffy's surprise--and had only two arguments with Xander-- much to Willow's surprise--the afternoon of research did not produce any results. Buffy promised to try to have the nightmare again and Giles told her to place a tape recorder next to her bed so she could record her impressions on waking.
After saying goodbye to her friends and promising to meet them at eight o'clock at the Bronze, Buffy headed home.
*****
After a quick dinner and a mumbled goodbye to her bill- paying mother, Buffy headed out again, this time towards the Bronze. As she cut through the park, she heard the sounds of fighting over by the swing set and, drawing a stake from her bag, headed silently in the direction of the noise.
*****
Lily had an uneventful weekend. She stayed in and read and watched television, thinking about what she had gotten herself into. Monday night she was supposed to meet the Slayer's friends at the Bronze. What the Hell was she doing meeting innocent mortals? Her mortal life had ended three centuries before; she had her sacred duty. Shouldn't that be enough? Why did she suddenly need more?..... Why was she suddenly lonely?
The answer wasn't one she liked to think about. When she became a vampire, she cut herself off from humans. She had servants, but no friends. And she deliberately kept herself away from vampires--the better to trap and kill them. She was caught between two worlds.
When Lily had been alive, after she had been found by the Watchers, she had devoted herself to two things: slaying vampires and her husband. Raised to believe that a woman obeyed her husband's every wish, was his helpmate, his possession, she cut herself off from her family and childhood friends and did her duty. At the time, she had not regretted her choice. She came to love John deeply...and she gradually came to the realization that, even though he was a man, he was alone as well. His duty revolved around her. After a time, they were truly one.
John's death had diminished her. Lily went mad because he literally was her life. There were no children, no family, no close friends. They were included at court and in society, but used the opportunities to hunt vampires, not make friends.
Over the long centuries, Lily grew accustomed to being alone...but lonely? One never grew accustomed to that.
*****
Monday evening at dusk, Lily left the motel dressed for hunting in black jeans, a red crop top and black leather jacket. She needed to feed before her meeting with the young ones.
At this time of night, the large city park tended to harbor drug dealers and other elements of Sunnydale's underworld...as well as the occasional vampire. Watching from the shadows of a huge oak tree as a drug dealer sold crack to a little boy who couldn't be more than fourteen years old, Lily picked her target. When the child left, Lily strolled out of the shadows and over to the pusher. He looked startled for an instance, then an avaricious look came over his face as he eyed the expensive gold hoops dangling from her ears.
"What can I do you for?"
Lily sniffed once. She could smell the drugs in his pockets, but didn't think he had any in his system. She had learned long ago that drinking from an addict could be dangerous. "I need something to alleviate my hunger," Lily said, smiling sensuously.
"Hey baby, I got all kinds of stuff for 'hunger'."
Lily leaned in closer to him. "I bet you've never sold this before." Before he could react, she was on him, dragging him to the ground, her mouth buried in his neck. He tasted of sweat and grime, but the exquisite richness of blood overwhelmed those other tastes.
Lily drank quickly, not wanting to be caught in the act. She left the pusher alive but unconscious. Like most of her human victims, he would only vaguely remember what had happened to him. Maybe if she preyed on him enough times, he would stop coming to the park to sell drugs to little kids.
Suddenly there was applause from somewhere off to her left and Lily jerked to her feet, retracting her fangs and preparing to flee. Out of the shadows strolled a male vampire, very handsome with bleached blonde hair. There was an air of authority about him, as well as, strangely enough, a hint of weakness.
"Well done, and you left him alive...for me?" He spoke in a heavy British accent. "New in town, luv? You're supposed to check in with the local talent," he chided.
"Would that be you?" Lily quipped, hoping she could get out of this situation without revealing herself and cursing herself for not bringing a stake.
Something passed across his face at her question, but then the bravado returned. "Yup. I'm Spike, the Vampire King of Sunnydale."
"King, are we?" Lily was amused despite herself. She remembered a Spike--sired by Angelus. In her guilt, Lily had kept track of the damage done by Angelus until his disappearance early in this century. "Aren't you a little young to be a king?"
Spike's grin disappeared and he quickly closed the distance between them. He grabbed her arm before she could back away. The pressure quickly began to hurt. "I don't like new people in my town, not unless they're made by me and mine." There was a warning tone to his voice that really pissed Lily off.
"Let me go." Glaciers could have formed in her voice.
Lily thought he was about to release her when a voice came from out of the darkness--a feminine voice, though high and light, almost like a girl's.
"Daddy, where are you?" Then a giggle.
Spike groaned and shook his head. "Great."
"You shouldn't go out without me, Spikey luv; you're weak."
Suddenly, at great speed, the female was beside them, yanking Lily's arm out of Spike's hand.
"And you shouldn't be touching any other lady!"
The next thing Lily knew she was flat on her back rubbing her jaw where the female vampire had punched her. Who the Hell was this?
Lily sat up slowly, eyeing the female who was wrapping herself around Spike. She wore a long black dress in the empire style with long gloves and definitely looked out of place in Southern California, even at night. Spike was trying to disentangle himself from her grasping arms.
"You don't need to follow me around. I can find my own dinner without your help." His words were harsh but Lily could see that Spike was pushing the female away because he did need her and hated needing anyone.
"'But, Spike, you're weak," the female protested. He glared at her in exasperation and pushed her away.
Lily rose to her feet, brushing the dust off her jeans. "Nice punch. Would you like to see mine?"
With Slayer and vampire strength, Lily sent the other female flying ten feet with an uppercut to the chin. Spike was clearly stunned as he looked from one female to the other, then he grinned.
"It's been a long time since two females have fought over me. I like it."
Lily couldn't help herself, she grinned back at him, but the other female, who had risen to her feet, was clearly hurt. She whimpered--once--and disappeared as swiftly as she had arrived.
"Dru, luv, come back. I was just joking...," Spike called after her, then muttered under his breath, "Greatttt. She'll probably make little Spike voodoo dolls and stick pins in all my important parts."
"Do you always treat your lovers like shit?" Lily asked, actually interested in his behavior. Spike looked at her and a predatory look came over his face.
"Do you want to apply for the position and find out?"
"Nah." Lily shook her head.
The smile left Spike's face. "Then maybe I should just kill you. Can't have you around to remind Dru of why she's mad at me."
"She's mad at you because you're cruel. She's right to be concerned. You're incredibly weak; I can tell."
"Who the devil are you?" Spike began to sway and put his hand to his head.
"Just another vampire in Hell." Lily was amazed as she watched his condition deteriorate before his eyes. She could stake him in an instant and he wouldn't be able to fight her off. If only she had a stake. She wondered what had happened to him to make him so weak.
"Gotta sit." He made it to a nearby bench and collapsed. Lily looked around for something to use as a stake; the opportunity was too good to pass up. Finally she decided to just rip his head off--messier, but just as effective.
Lily walked over to the bench and reached down for him, but before she could grasp his head, Spike grabbed her arm and jerked her onto his lap with the last of his strength. Before, she could move, his fangs were in her throat.
Lily lay in Spike's arms stunned for a moment. A rush of lust hit her only to be replaced by rending pain as the blood began to pump out of her into his mouth. Fury lashed her and she managed to rip herself free from Spike's fangs, scrambling off his lap to land hard on the ground. They stared at each other for a moment, then Spike licked his lips and his face shifted back to human.
"Now, why did you go and do that?" he asked, petulantly.
Lily raised a trembling hand to her neck and felt the blood leaking out of the two holes. He hadn't drunk much, but he had been the first since Angelus, and her fury grew. How much of her fury could be attributed to the fact that, for an instant, she had wanted him more than she had wanted a male in nearly two centuries, was a question best left for another time.
Warily, Lily stood up, never taking her eyes off of Spike, who remained sitting on the bench. To her surprise, he appeared to have shaken off his earlier weakness in record time from the infusion of her blood. The predatory look had returned to his eyes. If Lily could have blushed, she would have been bright red under his gaze.
"Come back here." His voice, low and husky, sent another wave of longing through her. What the Hell was wrong with her? He was a demon!
"So you can finish me off? Do I look stupid?"
Spike's eyes traveled slowly over her, taking in her aggressive stance--hands on hips, legs slightly spread, ready for a fight--and chuckled low in his throat. "Luv, you are amazing. Do you know how long I've been looking for a female with moxie?"
"Probably since the term 'moxie' went out of style," Lily sent the cut back, causing another peal of laughter to explode from him. God, he was infuriating. Lily stamped her foot and Spike jumped to his feet, striding over to her, obviously one hundred percent better.
Deciding that flight was the better part of valor, Lily spun and took off running, only to be tackled before getting fifty feet. Spike easily flipped her onto her back and pinned her hands down before she could claw at his face. Crouched over her, one leg pinning her legs to the ground, he grinned down at her fury and bent again to her throat.
Lily knew she should be frightened. Rarely did a male get the upper hand over her, and she could sense how dangerous this one was, especially now that he seemed no longer weakened, but all she felt was anticipation. When his lips touched her throat, she jerked. When his tongue licked the drying blood from the wounds, she moaned. When he nipped delicately on her ear, she arched her body to his.
A thought lanced through her dazed mind. She would lose herself to this male as she had lost herself to Angelus. They were two of a kind--too dangerous. With that thought came fear and she found the strength to free her hands and push Spike off of her.
Jumping to her feet before he could react, Lily kicked him in the face, sending him flying. As Spike got to his feet, she could see his demonic visage had returned and he growled in anger and frustration. It was obvious he still wanted her. Whether he wanted to fuck her or kill her, Lily didn't know and didn't want to find out.
As he stalked her, Lily backed up to some woody brush and reaching behind her managed to break off a branch. It wasn't much of a stake, but it would have to do. Keeping it behind her, she charged Spike and at the last second raised the make-shift stake. Faster than she could react, he caught her wrist, stopping the stake's advance and forcing her to drop it. Lily punched him, then swept her leg out, catching him behind the knees and knocking him down. She aimed another kick to his head, but Spike grabbed her foot and jerked her down on top of him.
Lily lashed out with her long-nailed hand and caught him across the cheek before he had the opportunity to roll them and pin her hands beneath her.
Spike crouched above her, hands on her shoulders, forcing her flat on her back. Another grin crossed his face as he bent once more to her throat. With the last of Lily's strength, her leg kicked up, her knee catching him in the groin, sending him reeling off of her.
"Ouch, that must have hurt," a sarcastic voice said.
Lily scrambled to her feet and searched for the source of the voice. Buffy stepped out of the shadows, stake in hand. She grinned at the sight of Spike rolling on the ground clutching himself and walked over to Lily, offering her the stake.
"You want to finish him or should I?" Buffy asked, casually.
Suddenly, both of them felt it, the niggling in their brain that meant vampires...a lot more.
"I think he can wait. Let's get out of here." Lily took Buffy's arm and hurried her in the one direction there were no vampires.
*****
Eight vampires found their leader kneeling on the ground staring across the park in confusion. Only the closest heard his murmur. "What in Hell is she doing with the Slayer?"
End Chapter 3