Meanwhile, on the dark side of town...
After a quick shower in the basement locker room of a deserted gym to wash the scent of another female from him, Spike returned to the warehouse via underground tunnels and sewers only to find Drusilla asleep in their bed next to the blood-drained body of a once nubile teenage girl. Tsking at his princess's penchant for messy dining, Spike dragged the body off the bed, letting it fall to the floor with a thump, then settled himself next to his long-time companion.
Although he could feel the need for sleep pulling at him, Spike also felt strangely energized. As he gazed at Drusilla, he smiled sadly at the knowledge that he no longer felt the same way for her as he had for the last century. Love was still there--although he wondered, as usual, what a demon needed with lover--but it was at a distance. Love for a memory.
Before that horrible night in Prague, the two of them had been equals, sharing their bodies, hearts and blood lust completely. But, then, things had changed. Always crazy, Drusilla had become needy, dependent. He had liked being needed. He had liked taking care of her.
So, she had let every pet he had given her starve to death- -he had never minded finding replacements. So, she had often babbled incoherently--he had listened with the ear of a lover, soothing her, holding her, loving her unconditionally.
All he had wanted was to see her restored to her former strength so that they could rule their own little corner of the world together--equals once again.
Thanks to the bitch of a Slayer, that hadn't happened. Now, he was the weak one, the dependent one. The night he had met his new lover had been his first night out of the rickety wheelchair Drusilla had found for him. Finally, he had gotten strong enough to walk for more than a few minutes at a time and had taken the opportunity to hunt...but his strength had faded faster than he thought possible.
From the experience with Drusilla, Spike knew he would only get progressively weaker, and it stuck in his craw. Where she had been sweet in her need for him, he HATED being dependent on her.
And he was coming to hate her strength.
She no longer needed him. He didn't want to need her. How soon before he hated her?
For the first time in over a century he had bedded another female. Since the early days of their relationship, when they had been testing the waters and he had shared her with Angelus, Spike had been faithful--well, during Drusilla's long illness, he had occasionally taken a human woman, simply for the physical release, but, in his mind, they didn't count.
So, what was it about this new female? It wasn't just about her blood making him strong--he needed to remember to ask her about that the next time they met--he had been attracted to her from the moment he had seen her. Everything she said, every time she glared at him or hit him, he wanted her more.
There were a dozen females in his clan alone. None of them did a thing for him. In fact, he barely tolerated them. They were fodder for the Slayer--he had never believed that any of his inherited underlings would take that bitch down. Only a few of the males were older than five years and even they were obviously turned for their ability to be good flunkies who could follow orders.
Note to self--make some smarter vampires who can think for themselves.
This female--and he didn't even know her name--made him feel things he had only felt for Drusilla. Much more than lust.
Before Drusilla's restoration, would he even have noticed this female? Or would he have killed her as an outsider and possible threat? Would he have lusted for her if Drusilla had still needed him so much?
Would he have begun falling in love with her?
*****
At nightfall, Spike awoke to find Drusilla draped across him, nibbling on his neck. Saddened at feeling nothing, not even a twinge of desire, he gently pulled away from her grasping hands.
"I'm too tired, pet."
Drusilla sat up and crossed her arms over her chest, a scowl forming on her face. "You were supposed to get strong and come back last night. Where were you?"
"With the boys. I explained this, Dru. Can't let them see how weak I am." Spike sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and idly used his foot to push at the breasts of the corpse while he hoped that Drusilla would let it rest.
No such luck. Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind and she pressed herself to his back. "Spike," she whined, "I'm all strong now. It's been so long....I'll do all the work. All you have to do is lay back and let princess take care of you."
Anger flared to life in Spike. Anger at her for wanting to take care of him. Anger at himself because he no longer wanted to make love with her. He kicked the corpse aside and stood up, pulling roughly away from Drusilla. "I can't," he said in a tight voice. "I need to feed again."
"Let me go fetch you something to eat. A lovely tender virgin or a sweet young harlot?"
"I can find my own dinner," Spike snapped.
He heard her whimper, but refused to let it bother him. Without a backwards glance, Spike stalked out of the room.
*****
Two hours later, Spike sat on a park bench watching the leaves blow down the path. He had fed on a pair of young lovers too stupid to watch where they were going, too frightened to run. The boy had tried to save his girlfriend, only to be knocked unconscious from one blow of Spike's fist. He would never wake again. Spike thought briefly about turning the pair, but then decided that, if they were walking blindly through Sunnydale Park at night, they were too stupid to be of any use as vampires. You'd think with all the strange deaths in this town, people would stop wandering around at night!
So, he sat and waited, refusing to think about for what--or whom--he was waiting. The blood, although filling, hadn't fully satisfied him. He didn't think human blood ever would again.
He needed his lover's blood. Sadly, he didn't have the energy to go find her. So, he waited...
*****
Lily thought about Willow's question for a moment. Where *did* they go from here? "I guess, we wait and let the prophecy play out."
"Yes, without a definitive date, we can't be sure of when it will happen. I would be wary around both 3:09 a.m. and p.m. Both Lily and Buffy have been awakened from dreams and Angel awakened with an odd feeling at that time," Giles added.
"It's definitely a part of all this," Buffy said. "I woke up again last night at that time."
"I didn't even think it odd that I awakened at 3:09 in the afternoon. You woke at the same time, Angel?" Lily asked.
Angel nodded. "Yesterday. Nothing today."
"What was that in the prophecy about time reversing?" Willow questioned Jenny who was glancing through her notes.
"Here it is. 'Time will reverse and the earth will tremble,'" Jenny read.
Excitement crept into Willow's voice. "3:09 a.m. and p.m. Night and day. What if that means that night will become day and vice versa?"
"It would take a spell of great magnitude," Giles began.
"It's possible," Lily finished. "There are spells to switch day into night. There are also spells to bring eternal night, but they take great sacrifices."
"You seem to know an awful lot about witchcraft," Jenny said with interest.
"I have a logical interest in the occult and an eternity to research it. Most of those kind of spells only exist in the most ancient texts. If Drusilla gets her hands on one..."
"She has the ability to cast spells--strong, deadly spells," Angel said with dread in his voice. "Before she was weakened, she usually restricted herself to turning people into bunnies then tearing their heads off...or deforming unborn babies. At that point in time, being a vampire was all new to her and she reveled in it for decades, not taking her spell-casting very seriously."
"If that's changed..." Buffy began. "How do we find out?"
"I could ask Spike if his girlfriend is planning to reverse time anytime soon," Lily volunteered with a sigh.
"We don't want to tip our hand," Angel warned.
"Then *you* go ask Drusilla. You are her sire, after all," Lily said pointedly.
"And have her rip my heart out?"
"No way. Angel isn't going anywhere near that bitch," Buffy protested. "She nearly killed him the last time..." She snuggled closer to Angel, afraid to let him face a powerful Drusilla. He slipped his arm around her, reassuring her.
"Um, actually it was Spike who nearly killed Angel," Giles explained. Buffy glowered him into silence.
"So, we can't ask Spike; we can't ask Drusilla...We wait?" Xander asked. "Lovely. Waiting for the end of the world is always such a joyful experience. Do we have to go to class while we wait?"
Willow and Cordelia both hit him on the arm. "Xander, be serious," Willow exclaimed.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, like that's going to happen!"
Giles rose to his feet, picking up the journal. "This is beginning to degenerate into a not very useful exercise in futility. Perhaps we should call it a night. Buffy, you have time for a quick..." He made a circle with his finger.
Buffy sighed and rose, stretching. "Yeah, take a spin around the graveyard and other delightful haunts and see if anything stirs."
"I'll go with you," Angel volunteered.
"Like that's something new," Xander muttered under his breath as he rose to grab his book bag. "Willow, you still gonna help me with my trig?"
"Yes. Let's go to my house. Mom made peanut butter cookies today."
"My favorite!"
Willow and Xander said their goodbyes and left the Library. Cordelia quickly followed them.
Jenny stacked up her notes and handed them to Giles. "I have thirty tests to grade before tomorrow," she said apologetically, then turned to Lily. "It was nice to meet you. I hope we can stop this. I'll try to do some research on time reversing spells."
"I have a couple books that might be of help. I'll try to retrieve them tonight. Shall we meet here tomorrow night?" Lily asked.
Everyone agreed and said their goodbyes. Buffy grabbed a bag of stakes and headed for the door. Angel hesitated, looking at Lily. Lily shook her head.
"I can't go with you. It wouldn't do for other vampires to see me with the Slayer. It's bad enough Spike already did. Hopefully, he was too out of it for it to register. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." And he followed Buffy out of the Library.
*****
Lily strolled slowly through Sunnydale, her purse with stakes on one shoulder, a small, deadly stake up one sleeve. She wasn't hunting, but, she wasn't going to let a vampire get away if one crossed her path. She probably could have gone hunting safely with Buffy and Angel, but the young lovers deserved some time alone.
Lily shook her head at the thought of Angel in love with a human...How times had changed.
Abruptly, Lily stopped, coming out of her reverie. She was in the park again! Damn it!
Her body tensed as her heightened senses told her there was a vampire nearby. Silently, she continued down the path, the feeling growing stronger at every step, until she approached a place where paths crossed. She could see a figure sitting on a bench under a dim lamp.
Their eyes met across the distance and he rose slowly to his feet, waiting for her.
All rational thought fled from Lily's mind, and she began to pick up speed until she was running. In the next instant, she flung herself into his open arms and their lips met in a hungry kiss.
As Spike's mouth slid over her face and down her jaw to her throat, Lily's hands twisted in his hair, pressing his mouth to her skin, wanting what she knew was coming-- acknowledging to herself that she had been wanting it all day. When his fangs punctured her throat, she groaned in pleasure, welcoming the surge of lust that began to spread from the juncture of her thighs throughout the rest of her body.
Spike reveled in the strength that flowed into him with her blood. After drinking a pint or so, he pulled back and swung her up into his arms. He grinned at the desire he saw in her bright eyes and gave her a quick kiss.
No need to kidnap her this time. She had come willingly and he didn't plan on letting her go.
"Where's your home, my sweet?"
A tiny pang of concern entered Lily's mind, only to be stamped to death by the overwhelming need. She mumbled directions to her motel and clung to him as he strode through the park.
When they reached the motel, Lily fumbled in her purse, trying to find the key. Frustrated, she gave up the search and twisted the door knob, breaking the lock. Spike kicked the door open, entered the room and shoved the door shut.
Setting her on her feet, he pushed her against the door, his mouth catching her's in a passionate kiss. Lily moaned and pressed herself against him, returning his kiss with a furious need. Her purse fell to the floor unheeded, spilling its contents.
With quick movements, she pulled the coat from his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor, then she began to tug his shirt tails from his pants. Her nimble fingers unbuttoned the shirt, then ran over his hard, lightly furred chest. Spike groaned as her sharp nails raked his nipples and responded by biting her ear and sucking the drops of blood that emerged from the wounds.
His hands tore her blouse open and cupped her unbound breasts, massaging the nipples with his thumbs. Lily banged her head back against the door as lust surged through her. Her hands slid down his chest to his waist. She began to unbuckle his belt.
As his mouth slid down her body to suckle one of her rock hard nipples, Lily unfastened his fly and caressed his hard staff. Spike shuddered and grabbed her hands off of him. One hand pulled her arms above her head and held her pinned to the door, while the other slid under her skirt and yanked her panties down her legs. Lily squirmed her way out of them as his fingers found their way between her legs and pressed their advantage.
With a low cry she climaxed, her legs threatening to give out and tumble her to the floor as her body spasmed. Spike let go of her hands and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. With a swift movement, he lifted her and urged her legs around his hips. Shoving her hard against the door, he impaled her.
Lily keened in agonized pleasure, then dragged his mouth to her's. Her tongue attacked his as she used her own strength to move on him, her nails digging into his shoulders. Spike groaned deep in his throat and dug his fingers into her hips, slamming her down on him.
Lily felt his fangs elongate and bite her lip. At the taste of her own blood, her fangs responded in kind and she pulled her mouth away from his lips to plunge them into his throat. Simultaneous orgasms hit them as Lily drank and they clung together, shaking with pleasure.
Pulling her fangs free, Lily let them retract and slid her legs down to the floor. As their bodies separated, Spike pulled them backwards until they tumbled onto the bed. Lily lay spent on top of him for a moment, then rolled to the side to stare at the ceiling.
As her body calmed down she waited for the self- recrimination to start...but it didn't. She didn't feel badly about this. The sex had been good--no, make that fantastic--and she didn't regret it!
Glancing over at Spike, she saw that he had dozed off. With an inelegant snort, Lily rose on shaky legs and pulled off the rest of her clothes. As she removed her shirt, the stake fell to the floor. Kicking it under the bed, she tossed the torn shirt in the trash can, then headed into the bathroom to take a shower.
Reveling in the hot water beating on her sensitized body, Lily thoroughly washed herself, gently massaging the sore spots. She was rinsing the conditioner from her hair, when the shower curtain was pulled aside.
A grinning Spike stood on the other side, totally nude, a part of him standing at attention. With a sigh and spasm of desire, Lily pulled him into the tub with her.
Expecting to be attacked, Lily was surprised when Spike cupped her face in his hands and began to kiss her with exquisite tenderness. As his hands moved down her body, his lips followed, touching lightly, sending sparks of desire through her.
Lily leaned back against the shower wall and moaned as Spike's lips and tongue teased one of her tender nipples. Her eyes fell shut and she clutched his head to her breast.
Spike slid to his knees on the slick porcelain and moved his mouth down to lick at the underside of her breasts. Erotic heat flowed through her and she whimpered. His touch was driving her crazy.
The tongue in her navel nearly sent her over the edge and she tangled her fingers into Spike's short hair, moaning and trembling.
As his mouth moved lower, he gently urged her legs apart. Lily complied and Spike rewarded her by using his tongue where she needed it the most.
Her cry of pleasure echoed in the tiny bathroom and she clutched him to her as he licked and sucked. The orgasm hit suddenly, powerfully, catching her by surprise--the tension had built up incredibly fast. As she whimpered, she realized why--it was just the first of several spasms to snap through her. Each touch of his mouth triggered a mini quake inside her and he didn't stop--he didn't need to breathe.
After an eternity, on the edge of sanity, Lily felt Spike pull away. The next thing she knew they were on the bed, wet and slippery. As he thrust inside her, she climaxed again, drenching him in her juices. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she held him to her, her entire body shaking from the final release.
*****
Awareness returned slowly. Lily opened her eyes and slowly surveyed the room. One light was on, shaded by Spike's shirt. She was lying on top of the messy bed covers, still damp from the shower. When she was able to turn her head she saw that Spike lay beside her watching her, his head propped up on his hand.
"Umm, that was nice," he said, idly running one finger over her collarbone and throat. Lily swallowed, her mouth dry. They were incredible together...and that suddenly frightened the shit out of her.
"This was a big mistake," Lily mumbled as she tried to get off the bed.
"Don't say that!" Spike sat up, jerking her towards him to shake her. His blazing eyes bored into her and, for a moment, Lily thought she saw fear as well. She quickly dismissed that thought and pushed at his chest. "You're mine."
"You don't know anything about me!" she cried.
"Then tell me." He stopped shaking her and pulled her into his arms, leaning back against the padded headboard. Too exhausted, both physically and emotionally, to try to pull away, she rested her head on his chest. She couldn't tell him anything important. "What's your name?"
A bark of hysterical laughter escaped her lips. Together they had shared the two most passionate nights she had experienced in several centuries and she had never told him her name. "Lily," she whispered.
"Lily," he repeated, drawing out the syllables. "The flower of death. It suits you." Suddenly, he moved her off of him and climbed off the bed. He began to put on his clothes. "Come on, let's hunt. All this exercise has left me ravenous."
Dressed in his jeans, he sauntered towards the door where his coat had fallen. He reached down and when he turned to face Lily, he held a handful of stakes that had fallen from her purse...and his demon had taken over.
"Why in Hell's name are you carrying a bag full of stakes?" he growled at her.
Lily scrambled off the bed as he stalked her. As she backed into a wall, he flung the stakes aside and grabbed her, his clawed fingers digging into her upper arms. He shook her hard, banging her head against the wall. Lily moaned in pain.
"You tried to stake one of my boys once, me twice, and you carry a bag full of stakes! What the fuck are you?" he demanded.
Desperately, Lily tried to stay strong, ignoring the part of her that wanted to beg his forgiveness, and tried to think of some rational excuse besides the truth.
Suddenly, the door to her motel room opened.
"Lily, do you know the lock is broken..." Angel said as he walked into her room.
Startled, Spike spun around and flung Lily onto the bed, before advancing on his sire. "Angel. Suddenly, I'm not surprised." He was about to grab the equally startled Angel, when a still naked Lily flung herself between the two, facing the furious Spike.
"Angel, go," she ordered. "I'll be fine.
"No you won't, luv," Spike said in a deadly silky tone. He grabbed her by the throat and flung her back on the bed. "Now, stay out of the way while I eviscerate an Angel for you."
Before Lily could scramble off the bed again, both males grabbed each other in a flurry of claws and teeth. In desperation, she ran across the room to her suitcase and flipped it open. Removing an object, she turned towards the battling, growling vampires and shoved it against Spike's naked back.
As the large gold cross burned into his flesh, Spike howled in pain and released Angel. When Spike dropped to his knees, Lily pulled the cross away and gestured for Angel to leave. Reluctantly, ducking his head away from the sight of the cross, he followed her silent order, pulling the door shut behind him.
Lily dropped to her knees next to Spike. In obvious pain, he turned to look at her and flinched back at the sight of the cross still in her hand. Lily flung it under the bed and tried to embrace him. He jerked away from her in shock.
"How did you hold onto that unholy thing?" he asked, baffled and angry. Spike grabbed her hands and turned them palm up. There were no marks. "What are you?" he whispered.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Lily moaned. "Please let me you look at your back. I couldn't let you kill him. I couldn't let him kill you."
Spike rejected her reaching hands and rose to his feet. He put his shirt on, hissing at the pain in his back, then grabbed his boots.
"Don't leave me," she begged from her supplicant position on the floor.
Spike glared down at her as he finished dressing. "How do you know that traitor?" he demanded.
Lily dropped her eyes, unable to answer.
"I should kill you. When I saw you with that little bitch, the Slayer, I came up with all these questions to ask you the next time I saw you. But, the next time I saw you, all I wanted to do was fuck you. I should have remembered," he castigated himself.
Slowly, Lily wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she could sink into the floor. His accusing words stung. She hadn't prepared herself for them.
"So, how do you know the Slayer?"
Lily just shook her bent head. As quickly as a striking serpent, Spike dug his fingers into her hair and jerked her to her feet. Lily shrieked in pain and tried to pry his fingers away. His other hand grabbed her by the throat and he forced her to look at him.
"What are you?" he demanded again, the ferocity in his voice truly terrifying her.
"A vampire," she stammered.
"A vampire who can hold a cross without burning. A vampire whose face never changes when she feeds!" he scoffed. "No vampire I have ever heard of." He pulled harder on her hair, forcing her to her tip toes. "Do you have a soul like the traitor?" Before she could attempt an answer, he continued. "But, even he cannot touch a cross, and the change comes over him, as we all just saw. So, I'll ask one last time. WHAT ARE YOU?"
Tears clouded her vision and Lily choked back a sob. She was afraid, very afraid--but more of losing their fledgling relationship or of losing her life?
"You're frightened. You should be," he threatened.
As Spike bared his fangs, Lily knew this time he would drain her. Desperate to stop him, she broke her silence. "I was a Slayer," she whispered shakily.
She had shocked him, that was clear from the look on his face. He morphed back to his human facade and let her go. Lily staggered backwards, then hugged herself tightly.
Spike stared at her, stunned by her announcement, then grabbed his coat and strode out of the motel room, banging the door shut behind him.
In slow motion, Lily reached blindly for clean clothes, dressing on automatic. She was no longer safe here. After dressing, she packed her suitcases, stuffing her clothes in willy nilly. The last thing she did was reach under the bed for the cross, then she closed her suitcases and carried her possessions out to her twenty-five year old, red mustang convertible. Throwing the bags and her jacket on the back seat, she slid behind the wheel, started the engine and headed down the street.
Lily had no idea where she was going. She couldn't leave Sunnydale. She was obviously destined to be here. But, the motel wasn't safe. For some unknown reason Spike had let her live, but he could easily recover his senses and return to kill her.
Another motel was out of the question--Spike could easily find her. Even if she knew where Angel lived, she wouldn't be safe there. Unlike a human's dwelling, a vampire didn't need permission to enter the home of another vampire. Where could she go?
Finally, she stopped at a pay phone and flipped through the phone book. She would only be safe at a human's.
A glance at her watch showed her that it was just after midnight. Hoping her hopefully soon to be host was still awake, Lily returned to the car and headed across town.
End Chapter 6