Lily and Buffy ran for a couple blocks, finally slowing down when they reached a street with some traffic on it. They continued to walk towards the Bronze.
"So, you met Spike," Buffy said conversationally.
"Yes."
"Damn, I was really hoping he was dead," Buffy mumbled.
"Why would you expect him to be dead?"
"He and his girlfriend were caught in a fire a couple of weeks ago. I thought it might have killed them both," Buffy explained.
Lily shook her head and rubbed her neck absently. The wounds were gone. "If her name's Dru, she's alive too. There is something wrong with him...a weakness about him. Vampires who barely survive a second death are often like this, and it just gets worse."
"Yeah, Drusilla was like that until that night." Buffy was clearly uncomfortable with what she was saying, but continued. "They did some kind of ritual using Angel to restore her strength."
"Oh, yes, I've read about that ritual--night of the full moon, sire's blood and all--Angelus is lucky to be alive; the ritual is supposed to kill him."
"It would have if we hadn't stopped it. Did Drusilla look weak?"
"No."
"Damn." Buffy changed the subject. "Why were you fighting with Spike? I mean, do you go out and hunt every night?"
"That's two different questions." Lily made a sighing noise, no actual air escaping, which weirded Buffy out for a second.
"You know, a lot of the vampires around here still breathe, or fake that they breathe. Even Angel does sometimes."
"Not breathing is a hard habit to break. I haven't taken a breath in so long, I don't even know if I can. Anyway, back to your questions. I wasn't hunting, well not for vampires at least."
Buffy interrupted, "Euuu, I don't want to know."
Lily did that sighing thing again. "Spike found me. We had a discussion. I punched Drusilla."
"Cool!"
"And Spike and I had a disagreement over certain fundamental issues, so I decided to beat the crap out of him," Lily finished.
"Yeah, he pushes my buttons, too. So, did you tell him you were a Slayer?"
"No. That's my secret weapon."
They stopped under a streetlight, waiting for the traffic to clear before crossing the street and Buffy looked up at Lily.
"Did you know there is dried blood all over your neck?"
Lily's hand went up to her neck and brushed at the dried flecks. "Spike bit me. I understand why; he's very weak."
"I don't get it."
"A vampire's blood is richer, more potent than a human's. He only took a little. I was surprised he recovered so quickly." Lily thought about it for a minute and an answer came to her. "Wait a minute. A Slayer's blood is also more potent than a normal human's. If I have a combination, it might make my blood doubly so."
"That's not good. Spike's not stupid--creepy, but not stupid- -he'll figure it out and come after you."
"Then to see if my theory is correct we'd better ask a vampire who has bitten me," Lily replied.
"And the nearest one would be...?"
Lily pointed across the street to the entrance of the Bronze where a dark figure stood, hands in jacket pockets, lurking.
When she recognized him, Buffy responded with sarcasm. "Natch, could my day get any worse? Just how close were you to my boyfriend?"
Lily smiled at Buffy's jealousy. "Child, do you really want to know the answer to that question?"
Buffy began to pout. "This is so not fair and don't call me 'child'. How many more ex-girlfriends are going to come out of the woodwork and why do they all have to be icky vampires?"
"I wasn't his girlfriend. It meant nothing. We just tried to kill each other," Lily said lightly.
They crossed the street and joined Angel who looked a little uncomfortable seeing them chatting. Buffy immediately hit him on the arm.
"We are sooo going to talk."
Angel looked sheepish for a minute, then his eyes darkened and he reached for Lily's neck, gently wiping at the remaining flecks of blood. "Who bit you?"
"Spike," Lily answered. "One of your proteges."
"So, the fire didn't kill him."
"Neither of them," Buffy chimed in, "Let's go inside and rehash it all."
Angel paid for all of them and they walked into the club, looking for Xander and Willow. Buffy spotted them sitting at an out of the way table and the trio wended their way through the crowd to them. Buffy introduced everyone and after they sat down, filled Xander and Willow in on Spike and Drusilla.
After mentioning that Spike had bitten Lily, Buffy turned to Angel. "So, why don't you tell us what her blood tastes like?" she asked sweetly.
At Willow's gasp, Angel sank down farther in his chair, then glowered at Lily. She gave him an innocent smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"Vampires bite each other?" Willow squeaked. "Why?"
"Two reasons primarily. The first, for added strength--a vampire's blood is much more potent than a human's. The second, during sex," Lily said matter-of-factly. The girl turned nearly as red as her hair.
"Oh."
Lily continued, "Obviously weak, Spike fed off me instinctively, but he only got about an ounce. He recovered way too quickly."
"Slayer blood," Angel said, "You have Slayer blood as well as vampire blood; combined, the taste...it's incredible. It's also very powerful. When I bit you, I was young. I didn't know why it tasted differently. Spike's not young. He may not realize you're a Slayer, but he'll figure out it was your blood that helped him recover so quickly. This fix won't last for very long. He'll need more."
There was silence for a moment, then Lily spoke up, changing the subject. "Something drew me here..."
"Yeah, the Hellmouth, it attracts all kinds of supernatural evildoers," Xander interjected.
"But, I'm not evil. I may be supernatural, but I don't have a demon inside me."
"Yeah, how did you avoid that by the way?" Xander asked.
"I don't know. I have never met or heard of another Slayer turned--although, I'm sure that there have been others. I have the strength and power of a vampire, I need blood to survive, and the sun will kill me. I've always believed that a wooden stake through the heart will do the trick as well, along with decapitation, fire, and the various others way to destroy vampires. On the other hand, my face doesn't change--I grow fangs--but otherwise, nothing. I also have no problems with holy relics or churches. A cross will not hurt me. It has long been my belief that God created Slayers to destroy vampires and other demons. If a Slayer was to become a true vampire, that would defeat the purpose. So, I'm something in the middle--a hybrid."
Of the three teens, Willow was the first to move on from that lesson. "So, something drew you here, but not the Hellmouth. Buffy thinks a prophecy is about to come true. Did you tell her about your nightmare, Buffy?"
"Not yet." Buffy stared down at her hands for a minute, then looked at Lily. "You were in my nightmare, in a cage, with someone else, a female someone else. Spike and Drusilla were there...and Angel. There was pain and fear. I've had it twice now. I keep seeing more each time."
"Hmm, a cage? Interesting...."
*****
The group continued discussing the dream for a while and possible meanings until Lily began to feel like the children wanted to be alone. A band--lead guitar played by a boy Willow apparently liked--took the stage and they all obviously wanted to dance, even Angelus. Lily excused herself, telling Buffy she would return to the club the next night, to see if anyone had found anything new or if Buffy had the dream again.
Lily left the Bronze and walked slowly down the street towards her motel. It was a cool night, but she didn't feel it- -one of the benefits of being a vampire. Her thoughts drifted to the current Slayer. Buffy seemed so young, so flighty. Lily had known a few other Slayers in her time; most of them had been very dull--their whole existences focused around slaying. She had been like that herself.
Buffy seemed different. She had friends, even a vampire for a boyfriend--long dead Watchers must be spinning in their graves over that one. She liked to dance and make jokes...she got jealous. Buffy had a life. Maybe it was time Lily found one as well.
Glancing around her, Lily saw that she had reached her motel. She walked into her room and straight to the shower--the fight with Spike had left her feeling dirty and very disturbed.
*****
Buffy and Angel danced to the whole set played by Oz's band, unable to keep their hands off each other. At the end of the set, when Willow went over to talk to Oz and Xander headed for the espresso bar, Buffy and Angel slipped out of the Bronze and began the slow walk home.
Buffy shattered the silence. "So, did you taste her blood during sex?"
Angel groaned and stopped walking. "Do we have to discuss this? It happened two hundred years ago."
"But she's here. Unlike Darla, who's dead, and Drusilla, who's a bad guy, Lily's one of the good guys...and she's here."
"I have a very long past, Buffy. There were a lot of women. Some of them are vampires and may show up here; I can't do anything to prevent that."
Buffy turned to look at Angel, confused at the emotions inside her. "I don't care about them....I...I don't really care about Lily. It's just...she's here and she's a Slayer...and she'll live forever."
Angel took Buffy's hands and gently pulled her against him. "She's not you." He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "When I was with Lily, I was a totally different person. I was a demon. I used women. I had indiscriminate sex with women. I destroyed women. Do you believe I'm not that person any more?"
"Yes." Buffy knew in her heart that Angel was not that person. He loved her; she had to trust that love.
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
The couple started walking again, Angel's arm around Buffy's shoulder, holding her against his side.
Suddenly, Buffy's voice interrupted the peaceful silence again. "Sex with how many women?"
Angel looked down at her, saw that she was grinning at him, and began to laugh.
*****
Buffy woke with a muffled scream, her heart pounding from the fear she had felt in her nightmare. Flinging her arm out, she grabbed the recorder off the bedside table, hit record and began to talk into it.
"Nightmare again, 3:09 a.m. That's weird; I think that was the time I woke up last time. Anyway, I saw more. Drusilla was...," Buffy swallowed hard, "torturing Angel. Spike was just standing there, watching her, then he went over to the cage. Lily and the other woman were still in it--I still couldn't make her out. Spike reached into the cage and took Lily's hand! Drusilla screamed, I think in anger....that's when I woke up." She turned off the recorder. "Shit."
Flopping back onto her back, Buffy wondered at the images. Why would Spike take Lily's hand?
*****
Lily woke with a start, sitting up amongst the tangled sheets. The images of her dream replayed themselves in her head as she glanced frantically around the room, calming only when she realized she was alone. From the tiny amount of light shining dimly around the corners of the heavy blanket she had hung over the curtains, she realized it was still day and a glance at her watch confirmed it. 3:09 in the afternoon.
With a sigh Lily lay back down, trying to forget the dream-- the most erotic dream of her long life.
Vampires did not dream and, as a vampire, Lily did not have normal dreams, but she continued to have a Slayer's prophetic dreams. As she was no longer the active Slayer, these dreams were rare, but always came true. This one had been the worst she had ever had.
Spike had played a prominent part.
Lily's hand went up to her lips as she remembered his dream kisses, his dream touches, his...dreamy body.
It was only a matter of time--she and Spike would make love...and her world would change.
*****
In a deserted warehouse on the bad side of Sunnydale, a lone figure sat on an elaborately carved chair, watching the muted sun warming patches of dust on the floor twenty feet away. The chair was in the shadows--no sun would ever touch it. He missed the sun, but twenty feet away was about as close to it as he felt comfortable.
Spike was hungry. Right before dawn, he had fed on a transient, the rich blood laced with alcohol. Tipsy, Spike had slept for several hours, wrapped in his consort's strong arms. Drusilla had wanted to make love--she had wanted to make love every night since her restoration. At first Spike genuinely had been too weak. Now, he no longer wanted her. Her strength next to his weakness irritated him. He did not like her being so powerful. Spike had always told her he wanted her to be a queen--now he wanted his dependent little princess back. But, he couldn't tell her that. She was still mad as a hatter after all.
He had awakened an hour earlier with a start. There was a hunger deep inside him that he knew wouldn't be satisfied with human blood. A glance at the bedside clock showed 3:09 p.m. Strange, he rarely awakened before dusk.
Too restless to return to sleep and worried he would awaken Drusilla if he remained in the bed, Spike left the disgustingly lacy bedroom and found himself in the large space the clan used for meetings and parties.
An hour passed as he sat on the chair he had once referred to as his throne. He was weakening again. For a brief time, he had felt restored, but now his body was slowing down, his thoughts were growing fuzzy. Logic told him it was the female's blood that had made him feel strong, but he had fed on enough vampires in his day to know that normal vampire blood would not have made him feel that good. So, what was it about her blood?
And, where could he get some more?
*****
In a dark, basement room, hidden safely from the sun, Angel jerked awake with a feeling of dread. Something was going to happen. A prophecy was going to come true; if only they could discover which one!
What had awakened him at 3:09 p.m.? He wasn't hungry. He couldn't dream. It was just....something was wrong, or, more accurately, would be wrong. Damn! This was so vague!
Shaking off his desire to return to sleep with the sun high in the sky, Angel rose and dressed quickly.
Slamming the door to his apartment behind him, he hurried for the hidden tunnel that led to the basement of Sunnydale High. He had to see Buffy.
*****
Buffy had just finished recounting her latest nightmare to Giles when Angel appeared from the stacks. Skirting places where the sun fell onto the floor, he strode over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"You're okay," he said, worried. "I had this feeling..."
"I'm fine." Buffy returned his hug, but broke it as Giles cleared his throat.
"What kind of feeling?" Giles asked.
They sat down at a table in the shadows, away from the late afternoon sun. Angel kept Buffy's hand in his, afraid to let her go as he tried to explain what he was feeling.
"Dread. Pain. It's all mixed up, but I know Buffy is involved. So is Lily."
Buffy filled him in on the details of the past night's dream. "It was weird. I woke up at 3:09 in the morning. I think that was the time I woke up the first time I had the nightmare."
"And I awoke at 3:09 in the afternoon," Angel said.
Giles rubbed his nose as he pondered that coincidence. "Well, it's a good guess that something is going to happen at one of those times, or both." He sighed. "I'm not having any luck finding a prophecy that matches. I've been researching Ms. St. James on the belief that it must be centered around her, but so far, nothing. I even have Jenny asking for help from her computer friends, but nothing has turned up."
"I think it has something to do with Spike," Buffy added. "I got this really weird feeling when he took her hand. There's something between them."
"Really?" Giles asked in surprise. "You said that she was beating him up. That doesn't sound very romantic."
Buffy just looked at Giles, then grinned at Angel. He smiled back, both of them remembering their first meeting.
Giles got flustered. "Well, yes, um, research."
As Giles rose to find a book, any book, Buffy's clear laughter filled the library.
*****
Across town Lily paced her motel room, waiting impatiently for the sun to set. Finally her internal clock told her it was safe to leave, so she tugged her leather jacket on over twenty-year old jeans, faded white in places, and a white tank top, and hurried from the room. She needed to find Buffy and see if the girl had experienced any more nightmares.
And she really should warn them about her own dream. But, how could she put into words what she feared was going to happen?
Lost in thought, Lily wasn't paying attention to where her long strides were taking her. Suddenly, she was in the park, surrounded by trees. What was she doing here? The Bronze was in the other direction.
Lily began to get a really bad feeling. Something had drawn her here, to the scene of her battle with Spike. Maybe it was only her subconscious--bad subconscious, she scolded--but if it was something else...
Suddenly three male vampires dropped out of the trees and began to advance on her. Lily looked around wildly, then raised her fists.
*****
When night fell, Drusilla found Spike sitting on his throne, staring at nothing.
"Spike? What are you doing out here, luv?" Drusilla sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "When did you wake up, baby? I missed you." She kissed his cheek, then grazed his ear with her teeth.
As gently as he could, Spike urged her off his lap so that he could stand. The hunger was still there, low in his belly, and he was determined to find a way to sate it before dawn came. He just had to get rid of Dru. "I'm going hunting, Dru. I have to build up my strength," he explained before she could complain. He ran his hand over her hair, then gave her a quick kiss on her forehead.
"But, you're so weak. If something happens to you...What if the Slayer finds you?" Drusilla protested.
Her protests actually made sense. Spike had been growing slowly weaker since he had awakened. "I'll take some of the boys to guard my back." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Everything will be fine. I'll go find a nice young virgin to eat."
Drusilla tried to pull him into her arms. "Let me go with you."
"No." Spike saw the pout forming and tried to appease her. "It's a male thing. I have to recover on my own--prove that I can still hunt. Can't show weakness in front of the boys."
Drusilla finally relented. "All right. You go get strong." A lusty gleam came into her eyes. "Then you come back to princess and we'll have a grand old time." With a peal of laughter, she turned and flounced back to their bedroom.
Relieved, Spike called for three of his strongest and dumbest male vampires and they headed towards the park. Somehow he knew *she* would be there.
*****
Ninety seconds after the first one touched her, Lily had the three vampires flat on their backs. This time she had come prepared. Pulling a stake from the sleeve of her jacket, she aimed it at one of the vampires who were rising slowly to their feet.
Before she could send the stake flying into the vampire's heart, her hand was grabbed and she was spun around. Spike. And he was pissed.
"You would stake your own kind?" Spike hissed through his fangs.
Lily glared defiantly into his hard, demonic eyes. "Let me go!"
Spike did, but before she could move, he backhanded her across the face, sending her falling to her knees. The other three vampires were on her immediately. Her struggles against them were futile as they managed to tie her hands behind her back and truss her feet. A gag was shoved in her mouth and she was hoisted over the shoulder of the biggest vampire.
If Lily had any breath, it would have been knocked out of her as the vampire carrying her broke into a loping run. Before she knew it, they entered a sewer outlet. They continued hurrying through the passages for what must have been nearly a mile before they came to a set of chambers. The vampire carrying her dumped her unceremoniously on the floor and slammed the door behind him.
Lily rolled onto her side and looked up. Spike stood above her, holding a battery-operated lantern. He set it on a table, then crouched beside her to remove her gag. His face was back to normal, and...he was gorgeous.
Lily mentally shook herself. She had to be ready for anything. His face--gorgeous as it might be--was a distraction she couldn't afford.
"What do you want with me?" Lily demanded strongly. She mustn't show any fear.
"What do you think?" he replied, grinning and running his eyes down the bound length of her body.
"What would your girlfriend think?" Lily asked sharply. Spike's grin turned into a frown.
"Let's not mention her." He bent and untied Lily's feet then pulled her into a standing position. Lily noticed--in a distracting sort of way--that he was only a few inches taller than her. As Spike tried to gaze into her eyes, Lily looked away, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. His hands were still on her waist and were sliding up under the jacket, sending tingles through her.
"Are you going to untie my hands?" Lily asked, the sharpness in her voice stilling his hands for the moment.
"I don't think so," Spike replied in a silky voice. Lily wondered how long it would take her to break the ropes...and if she would have the opportunity.
As Spike drew her closer to his body, Lily thought about kneeing him in the groin again, but discarded the notion on hearing the other vampires out in the corridor. She wouldn't be able to get away this time, especially bound. She would have to play this out and pray she survived.
One of Spike's hands slid out from under her jacket and grasped the back of her neck, turning her head so that she was looking at him. Lily glared defiantly at him, wishing she felt as brave as she knew she looked.
As he leaned down to nip her ear delicately, he whispered, "Why did you try to kill Stanley? You easily could have gotten away."
Spike's tongue licked behind her ear and a shiver ran through her. NO! She wouldn't let herself feel this way. Not again. Not after what Angelus had done to her.
Spike's hands tightened on her, pulling her closer, and she could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach.
And the worst part was...she had planned all along to stake Angelus--the passion had been an added attraction. What she felt for Spike was so much stronger...and only the most deeply buried remnant of Slayer in her wanted him dead.
Spike's lips moved down to her throat and she felt his fangs scratch her. Longing swept through her, she moaned, and his fangs sank through the skin.
The fangs in Lily's neck hurt, but not like before. This time Spike wasn't forcing the blood out of her in quick spurts; he was drawing it out of her slowly. The pain was replaced by pleasure. She had never known it could feel like this. Heat swept through her normally cold body and Lily was unable to suppress the moan that issued from her lips. Desire hit hard and she collapsed against him, her eyes falling shut.
When Spike suddenly withdrew his fangs, Lily moaned again, this time in regret. His lips moved up her throat and captured her mouth in a deep kiss. Helpless against her traitorous body, Lily responded hungrily. It had been so long since she had enjoyed a man.
His hands pulled the tank top from the waistband of her jeans and quickly slid up between their bodies to cup her breasts. When his thumbs ran across her nipples, Lily felt a rush of lust so powerful her knees nearly buckled.
Rational thought fled and need took over.
Spike tumbled them both onto a mattress in the corner of the room. Lily fell hard on her bound hands, but he quickly rolled her onto her side. His hand tangled in her hair to drag her mouth back to his and they kissed passionately.
Again his hands slid under her shirt to fondle her breasts. Then he shoved the shirt up and his head bent to one of her hard nipples. All Lily could do was moan as he suckled at first one breast and then the other, nipping and kissing, until she was hotter than she had been since she had been alive.
When Spike sat up, Lily opened her mouth to protest, but shut it as he began to pull off her clothes--boots, socks, jeans, underwear, all went flying across the room. With her hands bound, he had to stop there, but he seemed in no hurry to untie her.
Spike stood up to remove his own clothes and Lily ran her eyes appreciatively over his pale, muscular, nude body. Gorgeous didn't describe it.
Finally Lily found her tongue. "Are you going to untie me?"
Spike knelt back down beside her and rolled her gently onto her back. "No."
Their eyes met. The minor discomfort from lying on her bound hands faded under the darkness of his eyes.
"Okay." And it was. Lily wanted him so much, she didn't care.
When Spike lay back down beside her, Lily's mouth met his openly. She squirmed in desire as his hands began to caress her thighs, slowly parting them. As one hand slipped between her legs to cup her, she began to tremble. The trembling became shaking as his fingers caressed her, then slipped inside.
Lily's head fell back onto the mattress as she whimpered and Spike took the opportunity to slide down her body. When his mouth joined his busy fingers, Lily cried out and spasmed into orgasm.
She started babbling, wanting him inside her, but Spike persisted, licking and kissing her into another, even more intense orgasm. Lily moaned, whimpered, begged as the tremors racked her body. Just as she was beginning to relax, Spike knelt between her thighs and slid his hands beneath her buttocks to lift her so that she was sitting lightly on his knees. With vampire strength he held her, then lowered her onto his erection.
Lily's head fell back and her eyes fell shut. She was supported only by his hands and his erection, totally in his control. He moved her as he wished, groaning as he built the pleasure in both of them. As he thrust into her, he kneaded her buttocks and pressed her against him, every movement eliciting a moan from Lily.
After what seemed like an eternity, Spike's mouth found her throat and he slammed her down upon him. As he bit, Lily came again, screaming in a mixture of pain and pleasure. With all her strength, Lily flung herself against him and her fangs bit into his shoulder.
The richest blood she had ever tasted flowed across her lips and she reveled in it, too far gone to realize that the touch of her fangs had caused Spike to climax.
Slowly they collapsed, their bodies still connected, their blood still flowing into each other, although at a more gentle rate.
Finally, Spike pulled away and flopped down on his back. Lily tried to turn onto her side, but didn't have the energy.
Slowly, Lily calmed down. Her heart stopped pounding; her body stopped throbbing. Slowly the emotions drained away and the thoughts returned.
She'd done it again! And, worse this time. This time...she had drunk his blood. She had never done that before; never tasted a vampire's blood since being turned, which she honestly could not remember. She could see how it could become addictive. Since her rebirth as a vampire, she had never felt so alive...and she hated herself for allowing herself to sink that low.
"Fuck," she whispered, growing furious at herself.
"Again, so soon?" Spike questioned, sarcasm dripping from the words. Lily glared at him as he rolled onto his side and propped his head up, to better allow his eyes to roam over her body. The tank top had fallen back down and he slowly pushed it up over her breasts. "Maybe again, so soon," he murmured.
Lily's eyes widened in surprise and flew down his body, taking in the truth of his words. As her body flickered to life again under his hungry eyes, Lily groaned in frustration. It was just a dead vehicle. Why wouldn't it obey her very alive mind?
Suddenly, Spike flipped her onto her stomach and untied her hands. Lily quickly pushed herself up onto her knees, facing him. As there was no necessary blood in her extremities to have been cut off, she didn't suffer numbness or pain--another of the few benefits of being a vampire.
Spike kissed the knee nearest his mouth, then propped himself up on his arm, so that they were face to face.
"So, are you going to fight me?"
Lily sighed. "Why do you want me?"
Spike grinned and used his head to gesture at her body, winking suggestively.
"I don't want you," Lily said firmly, unfortunately, not believing a word of it herself.
"And I have the bite marks to prove it, luv," Spike replied, leering at her.
Lily's hand went automatically up to the wounds in her neck. "You have my blood. That's what you really wanted, isn't it?"
"At first."
Spike reached for her hand and pulled her down on top of him. Lily thought about fighting him--well, for a split second, if that long--then gave in to her overwhelming desires and covered his mouth with her's. Spike's hands slid the jacket down her arms and then stripped her of her tank top, flinging both articles of clothing to the end of the mattress.
As Lily pressed her now nude body down on top of his, she wondered briefly what the Hell she had gotten herself into. Spike's questing fingers quickly sent any thought out of her head.
*****
In the Library, a full-scale research party was well into its fourth hour. Pizza and pop had fortified them--well, except for Angel, who had slipped out briefly for some blood. Although he had eaten nearly a whole pizza by himself, Xander somehow was managing to cram ho-hos into his mouth while flipping through two books simultaneously.
Cordelia sat across from him, staring at him, her nose wrinkling in horror, momentarily distracted from the ancient text she was carefully working her way through. Willow and Jenny were on two of the computers, surfing the net for any helpful information.
Giles was dragging more ancient tomes out of his private collection, while Buffy stared avidly into a book full of tantric magic positions. As her head turned sideways in an attempt to make sense of the picture of a man and woman in the most bizarre sexual position she had ever seen and never would have imagined possible, Giles saw what she was reading and grabbed the book away from her. He turned bright red.
"Well, hmm, yes, hmm, research you know," he mumbled.
Buffy rolled her eyes at him.
Jenny turned from her computer and glanced over at them. "Did you find something?"
Giles cleared his throat, rubbed his nose, and in a dignified manner fled into his office.
"Something for later," Buffy replied, grinning. Was that position really possible? Would Angel like to try it? Buffy giggled at her naughty thoughts, then looked longingly at Angel who was coming down the stairs from the stacks. She made a mental note to find that book again, then walked over to him.
"I think I found a possibility," Angel announced to the room. Giles emerged from his office, composed once more, and everyone gathered at the long table. Angel walked over to stand at the head of the table, next to Buffy and Jenny, and set down a small, dusty book.
"This is the journal of Nikolas Parapovich, a Watcher in the 1880s. The Slayer he was assigned to train was killed by Spike in 1886 and Parapovich dedicated the rest of his life to finding a way to stop him."
"Why didn't he try to kill Spike or send the next Slayer to do the job?" Cordelia asked.
"He did send the next Slayer up against Spike, even though he wasn't her Watcher. She died too."
"After that Parapovich was cast out of our organization for interference with another Watcher's duties and charge. Vendettas against particular vampires aren't allowed; they tend to end very messily," Giles added.
"Right," Angel continued. "So, he took to following Spike, trying to find a way to destroy him. He knew he didn't have the strength or ability to do the job himself. He chronicled everything he found in this journal. When Buffy mentioned that Spike was playing a prominent part in her dreams, I began to wonder if the prophecy might be about him."
"And!?" Buffy demanded. She hated when he dropped little hints and didn't just come out with it.
Angel grinned at his girlfriend and opened the book to a bookmarked page. "There's a rather vague prophecy in here which Parapovich writes that he translated from Romanian. I don't know if his translation is accurate. Parapovich mentions the original source only as a fourteenth century prayer book written at a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains. Apparently he was working from a copy in Romanian. Well, this is what it says."
"'And in the years before the new millennium, a great power will arise in the light of day, at the edge of the world. Dark goddesses will battle and the innocent will weep. Time will reverse and the Earth shall tremble. A red flower and a white flower will intertwine. Nectar will flow and one will sustain the other. Resolution will become an ear of grain, but its loyalty will waiver and it will turn to flower.'" Angel closed the book.
"Let me speak for all of us here--huh?" Xander quipped.
"Well, it's vague, but certain interpretations may be applied," Giles said. "May I?" he asked Angel, reaching for the book. Angel handed it to him and Giles opened it to study the relevant passage. "Amazing. I never knew this existed. We have his Watcher journals, of course, but this...May I ask how you came to have it?"
Angel winced. "It's been at the bottom of one of my trunks for over a hundred years, since Parapovich...died." He sent a helpless look to Giles and shrugged, not really wanting to continue. Giles got the hint.
"Oh. Well, yes. It's in excellent condition," Giles attempted to cover his discomfort at the implications of Angel's words. "The prophecy. Well, the original was written in the fourteenth century and was probably in Greek or perhaps Latin. Angel is correct, without the original text we can not assume that the translation is entirely accurate. But, if we start with the belief that it is accurate, or close, we can presume that the new millennium is the one we are currently approaching. It doesn't say how many years, but the number three, as a holy number, is often used in prophecy, and we are three years away from the true millennium."
"I'm not a rocket scientist, but doesn't 2000 minus 1998 equal two?" Xander asked.
"The true millennium begins on January 1, 2001," Giles explained patiently. "It's a common misunderstanding. Let's see....the light of day."
"The sun," Willow interjected. "Thus, Sunnydale." She smiled, pleased at being able to help.
Buffy gave Willow a puzzled look. "But, it says at the end of the world."
"Actually, the 'edge' of the world," Giles corrected.
"End, edge."
Cordelia chimed in. "This was the edge of the world for people back then. They believed there was an edge. See, history does pay off." She preened, then glared at Xander, daring him to make a snide comment. In fake awe, he handed her a ho-ho which she took with a slight blush.
"Yes, you're probably quite right. Sunnydale, California. Giles voice fell to a murmur. "I certainly thought it was the edge of the world."
"I heard that!" Buffy said, glowering at him.
"'A great power' could be Drusilla, if she has fully recovered," Jenny contributed.
Angel winced at the memory. "She has; she certainly took enough from me. But, not enough to become all powerful." He paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "Dru is insane, but incredibly clever. She always had a talent for magic--I always suspected that she had fairy blood in her."
"Fairies are real?" Willow asked in delight at the thought.
Angel smiled at her. "Sure, why not. After all, vampires are real. Anyway, she's been building her mystical strength for over a century. While she was weak it lay dormant, mostly coming out in psychic ability--predictions. Now she has the power to make her predictions come true."
Giles looked up from the book as he grasped onto a thought. "The other night you called Lily a 'dark goddess'. Why?"
Angel looked startled. "It's what she's always been called. The vampire who kills her own. All the books, the legends, the whispered tales, refer to her that way. It's so common, I didn't even think of it when I read this prophecy!"
"So, she must be one and if Drusilla's so powerful, we can bet she's another one," Buffy said. "Hopefully there are only two."
"'The innocent will weep'. That could be anyone or everyone," Giles mused. "The next parts are much harder to decipher. 'Time will reverse and the Earth shall tremble.'"
"Can Drusilla turn back time?" Jenny asked.
"I don't know. I don't know if that's possible," Angel replied.
"Well, let's leave that for the moment," Giles continued. "I don't know what the red flower is, but the white flower might be Lily. 'Nectar will flow and one will sustain the other'; that will take some time to understand. 'Resolution will become an ear of grain, but its loyalty will waiver and it will turn to flower.' Truly baffling."
"I can start researching grain," Willow said, trying to be helpful.
"I think it must be symbolic. Let me look into it. It's nearly eight o'clock; weren't you supposed to meet Lily?" Giles rose to return to his office. Angel gestured that he could keep the book.
"Yeah, we better book if we're going to make it by eight o'clock," Buffy said while grabbing her book bag, which, not surprisingly, was full of stakes, not books.
The teenagers started to pack their bags and put on jackets. Jenny handed Willow's bag to her. "I'll help Giles. You go have fun." Willow smiled gratefully and followed her friends out of the Library.
*****
Surprisingly, Cordelia went with the gang to the Bronze. She hadn't gotten to meet Lily the night before and was intrigued by a Slayer turned vampire. To be honest, she wanted to see if Lily was everything Xander had raved about during their morning tryst in the utility closet.
When Xander began to look as if he wanted to hold her hand, Cordelia slipped up to walk on Angel's other side and tried half-heartedly to compete with Buffy for Angel's attention.
The Bronze was only half full as it was both early and a school night. They easily found a large booth and grabbed a couple extra chairs, then sat down to wait, chatting about the prophecy and weirdness in general.
Half past eight came and went with no sign of Lily and Angel began to drum his fingers nervously on the table. "This doesn't look good," he proclaimed.
"You really haven't been with a woman for a while, have you?" Xander said in a mocking tone of voice. "A half hour late is nothing!"
Buffy shook her head in disagreement. "No, Angel's right. Even after fighting Spike last night, she was still only ten minutes late to meet you guys."
"Maybe Spike went after her," Willow vocalized Angel's fear. "You know, for her blood."
"Spike is a lot smarter than he looks," Angel agreed, the worry showing in his voice. "He will have put two and two together. If he has her..."
Buffy took charge. "Okay, here's the plan. We don't know where Lily's staying, so Xander, Willow, you go back to the Library and check all the motels, hotels etc. Cordelia, you stay here in case Lily shows up."
"And I'll recognize her how?"
"Oh, right. Okay, new plan. You go with Willow; Xander you stay here."
"Ooh, good plan, Buffster!" Xander proclaimed. Under the table, Cordelia kicked him in the shin with her pointy shoe. Luckily, everyone was looking at Buffy so he managed to hide his pain and began to plot revenge.
"Angel and I will begin to search," Buffy continued. "You've got my beeper number; call if you find anything and we'll meet back at the Library at ten o'clock. Any later than that and my mother will have the police out looking for me." Buffy wrapped up her plan and grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair.
The gang split up, each to their appointed tasks.
*****
Ninety minutes later, Buffy and Angel met in the hall outside the Library. Neither had found anything, although Buffy had dusted three totally clueless vampires and Angel had knocked Willie the Snitch around some, barely restraining himself from seriously injuring the smaller man. He took out a lot of his pent up anger at Willie for turning him over to Spike, but still learned nothing useful.
Inside the Library, the results were a little more positive. While Giles and Jenny had continued to research the prophecy, Willow and Cordelia had found five motels with a woman who matched Lily's description. After giving the information to Angel, who agreed to go check the motels before dawn, Cordelia offered Willow a ride home, which she accepted. Buffy beeped Xander to let him know that the search by the teenage contingent was over for the night and found out that Lily hadn't shown at the Bronze. After saying their goodbyes, Angel walked Buffy home.
"You're really worried, aren't you?" Buffy asked Angel.
"Yes," Angel admitted. "I know Spike. He knows there's something different about Lily's blood."
"You think she's dead?" Buffy asked carefully, hesitant to bring up what she had been thinking all evening.
Angel's answer surprised her. "No. As I said, Spike isn't stupid. Her blood isn't a cure--it's medicine. He needs her alive to get more doses."
"Last night he saw me with her. I didn't try to kill her--didn't even think to fake it. He's probably pretty confused."
"We'll find her," Angel said with more confidence than he felt. He slipped his arm around Buffy's waist, pulling her gently against his side, as they walked the rest of the way to her home in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
With a brief kiss goodbye, Angel slipped into the dark night to begin his search anew.
End Chapter 4