Lily was awakened by cool lips running over her shoulder and back. Shivering with pleasure, she rolled over and opened her eyes. Spike smiled at her and they kissed tenderly.
"Good evening, luv."
"Good evening, William."
He gave her a disgruntled look. "You're going to call me that for the rest of eternity, aren't you."
"Uh huh." Lily grinned and gave him a smacking kiss, then scrambled off the bed, reaching for her clothes.
Spike sighed and watched her dress. "Can't we stay here, luv?"
"I wish," she replied truthfully. "But, we need to settle things."
Nodding slowly, Spike rose and grabbed his own clothes, pulling them on. "We haven't really talked about the future," he began hesitantly.
"I know...but the future is endless. There are a lot of things that need to be decided now."
"Drusilla," he said softly.
"Yes, Drusilla."
Both fully dressed, Lily took Spike's hand and led him out of the motel room.
*****
Buffy sat in the Library, picking at her hamburger. She had wandered through the day, half asleep, her mind completely on Angel and Drusilla. When Willow asked her how she had done on her math test, Buffy had looked at her like she was an alien. She had taken a math test?
Training had been pathetic. Giles had knocked her on her ass half a dozen times before he had given up and sent her out to run laps.
Her friends were all chatting and eating. Jenny and Giles were in his office doing God knew what.
"So, what are we going to do about Drusilla?" Cordelia finally asked.
Buffy stared at her. All the Slayerettes were looking at her expectantly. "Why is it up to me? I've had no say in much of anything recently."
"What do you want to do?" Willow qualified.
Shrugging her shoulders, Buffy sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, I know she should die. She's a vampire. She's evil. She tried to destroy the world or reverse time or whatever. She kidnapped you and hurt you and tortured Angel."
"Sounds like staking time to me," Xander quipped. All three girls glowered at him. "Right, be serious Xander," he muttered and stuffed a handful of fries in his mouth.
"Angel doesn't want me to kill her," Buffy said softly.
"He feels sorry for her," Willow explained. "So does Lily."
Buffy sighed and took a gulp of cola. "I'm the Slayer. I'm supposed to stake vampires," she muttered. "Why won't anyone let me do my duty?"
*****
Angel awoke to the sound of soft sobs. Disoriented, he raised his head from soft breasts and blinked his eyes. Slowly his memories returned and he levered himself onto his knees.
Drusilla was crying in her sleep.
He remembered her soothing him as he cried, then he must have fallen asleep. Shaking his fuzzy head, Angel climbed over her and staggered into the kitchen to eat. Once his hunger was satisfied, he pulled on some clothes and sat down on the end of the bed.
"Drusilla," he called softly. She whimpered and stirred. "Wake up, Dru."
Her eyes fluttered and she blinked rapidly. "Angel?" she asked, confused. "Where are we?"
"In my apartment, remember?"
She pulled on the handcuff, her brows furrowing in puzzlement. "Was I a bad girl?"
"I couldn't let you leave, Dru." Reaching for the key, he unhooked the cuff from the headboard, then handed Drusilla a pair of black shorts and tennis shoes. They were Buffy's. She had left them behind after changing for a date. He had washed the shorts, but had forgotten to give them back.
Drusilla dressed slowly, her limbs trembling. She was very weak and couldn't seem to be able to stop quivering. After her third attempt to tie her shoes, Angel did it for her, then helped her to her feet.
He was impressed that she stayed upright. Leading her into the kitchen, he gave her two more bags of blood to drink, then sat her on the couch and began to brush her hair.
"I remember you doing this," she murmured. "Do you, my Angel?"
"Yes, Dru," he replied patiently, gently working through the snarls in her curly hair. She began to purr contentedly.
When all the knots were out of her hair, Angel set the brush aside and stood, pulling Drusilla with him.
She looked up and frowned. "Are you taking me to be punished?"
Angel debated over his answer for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
"Okay."
Locking the other end of the handcuff around his wrist, he led Drusilla out of his apartment.
*****
Hand in hand, Lily and Spike strolled through the park. It was a beautiful, cool Spring evening, the shining moon just past crescent.
Both were hungry, but neither knew how to broach the subject.
As they turned down the path that came out of the park across from the high school, a vampire female--one of his fledglings--stumbled out of the bushes.
"Master, we've been so worried. When you and Lady Drusilla didn't return..." Her voice died off at the sight of Lily. "Um..."
Spike pounced, dragging the female back into the bushes. Sighing and hoping he'd leave her some, Lily followed.
A few moments later, the lovers emerged, brushing leaves and dust from their clothes and blood from their mouths. They both looked at each other.
"Well, it's a new way for me to kill vampires," Lily conceded. "I don't really think you'd approve of my previous method."
Sliding his arm around Lily's waist, Spike gave her a look, then guided her down the path. "And what was that, luv?"
"I'd lure them to bed and fuck them till I could stake them," she replied, grinning.
Spike laughed and hugged her close. "If you *really* want to..."
Lily interrupted him, "No, no, I think it's time for me to retire."
"No more slaying?" he asked, suddenly serious.
Lily leaned her head against his shoulder. "No more hunting vampires except for food. It's probably something I should have realized a couple of centuries ago."
A troubled look crossed Spike's face. "I just killed one of my fledglings." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "And not for need, like before, to combine vampire blood with Buffy's. Why did I kill that female?"
"I don't know, William," Lily admitted.
"Something's changing inside me...it has been for over a week. The desire to kill...to kill humans...it's there, but not as intense. Vampire blood is equally filling...and somehow satisfying."
Gently Lily hugged him, laying her head on his shoulder and nuzzling his neck. "I'm hoping that Giles can help us find the answer. I've noticed the change in you."
"It's why you call me William?"
Nodding, she answered, "I don't think the demon is in as much control anymore."
"I think you're right."
*****
Buffy was pacing. She'd been pacing for nearly thirty minutes and was driving everyone crazy. Giles and Jenny had emerged briefly from the office, but her pacing had sent them scurrying back inside to sanity.
"Stop that," Cordelia yelled from the head of the table where she was trying to do her nails.
"Where are they?" Buffy demanded. "It's been dark for nearly forty minutes.
"Maybe she killed him," Xander said, very unhelpfully.
Buffy rounded on him, leaning down and yelling into his face. "Shut up! Nothing has happened to Angel. Maybe she died or something or fainted or is being pathetic."
She resumed her pacing.
Willow looked up from her computer, where she was trying to catch up on her homework, and added her two bits. "Lily and Spike aren't here either. You don't seem too concerned about them."
"Oh, I can guess what they're doing," Buffy said, making a face.
"Maybe Angel and Drusilla are doing the same thing," Xander muttered, then ducked the book Buffy threw at him.
"You're such a dweeb, Harris," Cordelia said, her eyes narrowing.
*****
Angel led Drusilla through the halls of Sunnydale High towards the Library.
"I don't like it here," she mumbled. "Will Spike be here?"
"Yes."
"Is he mad at me?"
"I don't know, Dru. You'll have to wait and find out."
"Don't like waiting," she pouted.
Sighing, Angel pushed open the Library door and tugged her through. Buffy ran to him, but stopped a few feet away.
"I've been so worried. Are you okay?" she asked, alternating between concerned looks for Angel and glares for Drusilla.
Angel nodded solemnly while Drusilla tried to spin around, her eyes flitting from object to object to person to person. They stopped on Willow.
"The little virgin," she said.
Startled and dragged from her history paper, Willow looked up and paled.
"You're not a vampire," Drusilla said in a clear, angry voice.
"Um, no," Willow admitted.
Drusilla crumpled and Angel was forced to lift her into his arms, an awkward task since they were chained together. Drusilla began to sob, burying her face in his chest. "Everyone's turned away from me."
Lily and Spike stepped into the Library behind Angel and his weeping burden.
"Oh, goody," Spike said sarcastically. "Tears."
Lily frowned at him and guided him around Angel, Drusilla and Buffy. Giles and Jenny stepped out of the office to see what the noise was about and froze.
"Um, well, I suppose we should try to resolve some things," Lily began.
Giles was the first to move, gesturing for everyone to come to the table. "Yes, um, resolution..."
Buffy slid to the left to stop Spike from coming farther into the room. "I don't want you here." She waved a pencil in his face. "You make me want to see if it's possible to stake a vamp with a pencil."
"Buffy," Lily protested, grabbing the pencil.
"Hey." She glared at Lily, then looked back at Spike who was beginning to smirk. "Lily, he's your responsibility. He does anything, I stake you both."
Lily rolled her eyes, grabbed Spike's arm and dragged him around Buffy.
"Slayer, you're so cute when you're steamed," Spike quipped as he passed her.
Lily practically shoved Spike into a chair at the opposite end of the table from Cordelia, then sat next to Willow.
"How are you doing, Willow?"
"Fine." She nodded at Lily, but kept her eyes on Spike. "My parents want to hire a bodyguard for me, but we compromised on them picking me up from wherever I am at the end of each night." The girl sighed. "Too bad I can't tell them I already have the best bodyguard I possibly could."
"I'm surprised they let you out of their sight at all."
"I had to beg them," Willow admitted. "Hello, Spike."
"Hello, Willow," he replied evenly.
Drusilla had stopped weeping again and Angel carefully set her on the floor. She swayed against him and whimpered. "I want to go home."
"That's not an option," Buffy said, then frowned at the hard look Angel gave her. With a huff, she turned and walked to the table, sitting next to Spike. Pulling a stake out of her waistband, she made a show of laying it on the table.
Giles approached Angel a little apprehensively. "Perhaps you should put her...someplace, um, maybe the cage?"
Angel nodded and guided Drusilla over to the cage, but decided not to leave her alone with a bunch of deadly weapons. Snagging a chair, he lowered Drusilla onto it, then unchained his wrist and hooked the free end of the handcuff around the metal grill of the cage.
As he started to walk towards the table, Drusilla reached out, trying to stop him. "Don't leave me," she moaned pathetically.
Forcing himself to ignore her, Angel joined the others at the table, sitting down heavily next to Buffy. She reached for one of his hands and squeezed it gently.
Giles and Jenny sat down next to Willow and across from Xander and everyone was uncomfortably quiet for a moment.
Spike broke the silence. "How is she?" he softly asked Angel.
"She's very weak and in a lot of pain, although that doesn't seem to bother her very much. Most of the time she seems to be reverting to a childlike state," Angel answered in an empty voice.
"Angel," Willow said, in a voice that made him look at her. "Don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. I mean it."
Everyone stared at the strong tone of Willow's voice.
"Willow, I can't help it," Angel answered, his voice full of pain.
"She's not your problem, Angel. Not your burden," Spike began.
Lily grabbed his hand, pleased that he was defending Angel, but a little worried about where Spike might be going with this.
"I've taken care of her for one hundred years. I figure I can continue to do that for a couple more." He pulled his hand from Lily's.
"No," she cried. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself like that. She's not your responsibility either."
Spike turned his head and gave her a sad look. "Dru can't take care of herself. She couldn't even when she was well. She can't drive. She has no concept of the dangers out there. She doesn't know where to find blood when killing is out of the question. Hell, half the time she forgets the sun will kill her."
"And I made her," Angel said in an empty voice. "So, I should take care of her."
"Look, we're all forgetting a few things here, like, who made the decision that she gets to live?" Buffy interjected.
Both male vampires stared at her and she hunched her shoulders.
"Hey, she's dying anyway..."
"No," Angel said.
"You'll have to stake me first," Spike said.
Buffy gave him a look that told him that would not be a problem.
Giles cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Buffy."
Spike snorted. "You're the Watcher, mate, this is not a surprise."
"We cannot just let her leave," Giles explained, trying to remain calm and rational. "She tried to destroy the world. If she was human, she would be arrested, tried and punished. Well, she's not human and we have no judge or jury, only an executioner. It may be harsh, but that is the way it has been for several millennia."
"She's no danger to anyone anymore," Spike protested.
"We don't know that for certain. Someone would have to be responsible for her."
"I said I'd do that."
Giles gave him a hard look. "And why would we give her to you, her former partner in crime, so to speak? You are only here under some kind of perilous truce. You are as evil as she is, perhaps more so, since her insanity may be partially behind her behavior and crimes."
Lily took exception to that. "Giles, he's not evil."
The Watcher gave her a contemptuous look. "Lust is one thing, Miss St. James, but you, a Slayer, have fallen in love with a demon. I have refrained from commenting on this so that we could focus on saving the world, but now...?"
Lily smacked her hand on the table and glowered. "You are not my Watcher and I am dead. I am responsible only to myself and God." Her eyes flashed angrily.
Spike slid his arm around her shoulders, gently caressing her arm. "Luv, thank you for defending me, but he is right."
"No, not anymore. I don't know why, but something *is* different about you," she insisted.
Buffy sighed and slowly nodded. "I hate to agree on this, but even I noticed some stuff. Like, you know, helping me, helping Angel, letting Willow go. You didn't have to do any of that."
"Buffy," Jenny began. "What are you saying?"
The Slayer shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why, but I don't think Spike's quite as bad as he used to be."
Giles shook his head. "Vampires are demons, Buffy, you know this. Demons are evil."
"Unless they have souls," Cordelia chimed in as she blew on her fingernails.
"True," Giles conceded. "But that appears to be an extremely rare occurrence. In most vampires, the demon is in control and the soul is lost."
"Maybe it's not lost," Lily said softly. "Maybe it's just buried underneath the demon."
Spike began to shake his head. "No, no, I don't have a soul. Wouldn't I know if I had a soul?"
"Yes," Angel said. "With a demon and a soul inside you there is a constant battle for control. You can sense that struggle."
"There's no struggle inside of me. I"m sorry, Lily."
Lily's shoulders slumped. "And, there's no demon in me. I don't know what is happening to you, but if it's not your soul taking control..." She shook her head, confused and saddened. She had been hoping that was the scenario.
The door to the Library opened and a figure stepped inside. "Maybe I can give you some answers."
Everybody spun around to stare at the person standing in the doorway.
Standing in the doorway was the little scholar, his human face even more sad and pathetic than his demonic one.
"Dalton?" Spike cried, jumping to his feet. Lily yanked him back into his chair as Dalton cringed.
"Vampire?" Giles asked Buffy who nodded.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked aggressively.
"Um, I followed Angelus," Dalton began, looking at Angel, "when he took the mistress to his apartment, then followed them here. I've been listening to your discussion."
"I think it's time we post guards in the hallway," Xander said.
"I noticed you did a quick disappearing act when things went bad last night," Spike snapped at the other vampire.
"Um, self-preservation?" He stepped farther into the Library.
"Dalton, have you come to free me?" Drusilla trilled.
"Um, maybe."
Lily gestured for him to come closer. "You're in no danger here, Dalton. If you have any explanations as to the change in Spike, I'm eager to hear them."
Buffy threw her hands up in the air in disgust and kicked a chair out for the new arrival. "This place is becoming vamp central," she muttered.
Hesitantly Dalton sat in the proffered chair, edging as far away from Buffy as he could. Unfortunately, that brought him close to Spike who seemed to frighten him just as much.
"Did you turn this guy?" Angel asked Spike, a little baffled.
"Are you kidding? Nah, he just showed up one night."
"I've been a vampire for several hundred years," Dalton said meekly. "It wasn't exactly my choice, but I've discovered that my talents are useful."
"What talents," Jenny asked, curious.
"Before I was turned, I was a scholar--Latin, Greek--and a librarian."
Jenny failed to keep a straight face and giggled. Giles scowled at her. "Yes, well, just what do you know about Spike?" Giles asked.
"Over the centuries I have continued to research and naturally one of my main interests has been vampires. When Spike asked me to research Slayers turned into vampires, my initial search resulted in only minimal information." As Dalton talked, comfortable in his choice of subject matter, all hesitancy disappeared from his voice and appearance.
He continued, "The basics are, of course, that Slayers don't lose their souls and cannot be hurt by holy objects. They can be killed in the conventional ways, but do not turn to dust."
"I know all this," Spike said impatiently.
Dalton nodded. "After it was apparent that you were involved with this Slayer, I continued to research. Then I overheard that her blood was making you strong, although for only short periods of time. Armed with that information, I began to research a Slayer's blood. We all know that a human Slayer's blood is more potent than a regular human's..."
"So, we can suppose that a Slayer turned vampire's blood is even stronger, yes, I know that too," Spike interrupted with a growl.
Dalton cleared his throat, but didn't back down. "Two days ago, I came across an interesting research paper and several essays that suggested that a vampire who regularly drank a Slayer's blood, whether human or vampire, would gradually begin to change. The blood, infused with a characteristic unique to Slayers, is absorbed into the body differently from human blood, and vampire blood for that matter."
"I've drunk from several Slayers in the past two hundred years and I've never been affected in any way."
"Maybe not noticeably, because, and I'm assuming here, you drank from them only once in killing them, correct?" Spike nodded and Dalton continued. "The Slayer essence, as one scholar labeled it, remains in the vampire. One infusion, two, three, or four may not have any noticeable effect, but daily?"
"What is it doing to me?" Spike demanded.
"Suppressing the demon." Everyone stared at the scholar.
"I know it sounds bizarre, but I have noticed a difference in you, Spike."
Lily's mind whirled with possibilities and she reached for Spike's hand. His was trembling and she gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"This is impossible," Spike muttered.
"It makes sense, William," Lily said, excited. She turned to the scholar. "What will happen if he continues to drink from me?"
"The demon will continue to lose its control of the host as more of the Slayer essence is ingested. Although experiments were never carried very far, scholars supposed that eventually the demon would lose its hold entirely, although I doubt it can ever be exorcised."
"It's the only thing keeping this body alive," Spike protested.
"Precisely."
"If the demon is no longer in control, yet he doesn't have a soul, what *is* in control?" Willow asked, taking the next logical step.
"The Slayer essence, which is basically the pure aspect of her soul. In the vampire ingesting it, this essence takes the place of a soul. Spike's personality will use it, mold it until it becomes him."
Spike just shook his head, disbelieving, but Lily began to smile. "This is wonderful."
"This is insane," Spike snorted.
Ignoring him, Lily asked Dalton another question. "So, eventually, what will happen? What will he be like?"
"Um, like you, I'd guess. He'd need blood to survive and sunlight would kill him, but the demon's need for destruction, the demon's hate and blood lust would be suppressed to the point that they hardly existed."
"Impossible," Spike denied.
"Oh, just look at yourself," Buffy snapped. "You've been turning into a Boy Scout for days."
Spike glared at the Slayer.
"This is very interesting," Giles said. "What are your sources?"
As Dalton began to rattle off the names of several books and scholars, Lily turned to Spike. Smiling, she kissed his frowning lips.
"I don't want to be good," he whined.
"Eventually, you won't want to be bad," she countered gently. "William, this is the brass ring. We can truly be happy together. No need to kill, no need to destroy. That was always going to be difficult for me to accept, no matter my love for you."
Spike sighed and rested his forehead against hers. Finally, he murmured, "Well, if it makes you happy..."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Lily gave him a kiss full of joy and love.
"Well, aren't they the happy couple," Xander quipped. "What about devil chick?"
Dalton and Giles looked up from where they were writing a list of sources. Both realized they were being much more chummy than they should be and quickly returned to their respective seats.
"Um, yes, Drusilla," Dalton began. "She is dying again, yes?" Everyone nodded. "May I suggest that you let her die in peace?"
"Oh, just forget that she tried to destroy the world, etc.?" Buffy replied sarcastically.
"Her punishment will be her death in a few years, quite possibly less," he continued. "Look at her, please."
Slowly Buffy turned and saw Drusilla sitting Indian style on the chair, twisting her hair with her free hand. She was singing a child's lullaby to herself.
"She's insane and, I'm guessing, rendered basically powerless," Dalton said.
"We're not going to kill her," Angel said. "But, she needs to be cared for."
"I will care for her," the scholar said in a strong voice. "I have a home in San Francisco. The doors have strong locks. I can keep her protected and locked away. I'll tend to her needs, see that she eats and rests and has her dolls and toys, whatever she wants, except her freedom."
Spike's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"I have never belonged to any particular vampire clan. I have gone where my talents have been useful or kept to myself. No one has ever really needed me...except for Drusilla. She...likes me."
"My home is in San Francisco as well," Lily said, then turned to Spike. "If you come with me, you can visit her, make sure her remaining days are comfortable and content."
"I can't just abandon her," Spike admitted.
"And, this way, you wouldn't be. She would be near, but not in my home, which, I'm sorry William, I could not handle."
He nodded, then turned to Angel. "What do you think?"
"Do you trust this guy?" Angel asked and Spike nodded. "Alright. San Francisco isn't that far away for a visit."
Buffy sighed. "So, the wacko lives?"
Giles sighed, too. "I've given up all pretense that this situation is going to end the way it should with a Slayer in the room. We're almost outnumbered by vampires and there's no slaying going on. I'm definitely not mentioning this in my Watcher Diary..."
Jenny grinned and rubbed his shoulder. "You're adaptive, Rupert. It's one of the things I love about you."
Giles blushed and rubbed his nose.
End Chapter 23