Chapter 3: Calling All Angels
Spike caught his first glimpse of trouble when Drusilla barred him from entering the bathroom. “‘Tisn’t right for you to see me naked. We’re not married.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Dru,” he explained patiently, “we were together for over a hundred years. ‘ve seen all there is to see.”
She shook her head stubbornly, and he sighed. The vampire had seen her like this before when Dru got some idea into her head-it had been the same with the Judge. No matter how bad an idea he’d thought it, Spike had known she would not be denied. “Fine. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Spike slumped against the wall outside the bathroom, listening to the sound of Dru’s voice intermixed with water. He wanted to be in there with her, watching her, touching her again. Spike was hungry for the feel of her body against his, even though he knew it wouldn’t be the same now that she was human.
He wanted to show her what it could be like, especially if Dru let him turn her.
Oh, Spike was going to wait, of course. Wait until her moments of lucidity stretched out into hours if not days. She’d never be quite right, not with her visions, but if he waited long enough it would be better for her.
They would have to leave Sunnydale right after. There was no way the Slayer would let them stay around, but it didn’t matter. With Dru at his side, there would be no problem going back on a people-diet. They could hunt together, and as long as she did the killing, Spike would have no problem feeding. They could go down to South America. Or maybe it was time to try Europe again. After all, with Drusilla sane, she might be relied upon not to bring an angry mob down on them.
Spike was startled out of his reverie by the sound of the bathroom door opening. “How do I look?”
He was taken aback by how shy Drusilla sounded-almost virginal, in fact. That was impossible, as he well knew. Dru had liked sex as much as he had. She had, in fact, been more into kink than he was, and that was saying something.
She was wearing one of Joyce’s nightgowns, one of those voluminous styles with lots of material. And not the see-through kind either. “You look right nice, pet,” Spike said, knowing that was always the correct response.
“Will you-will you stay with me tonight, Spike?” Drusilla asked, her voice hesitant. “Would it be wrong?”
“Wrong, luv?” Spike replied, taking her hand in his and stroking her cheek with his other. “You know I love you. How could it be wrong?”
She looked away shyly. “But a man and woman aren’t supposed to stay together before they’re married. I remember that.”
This was the Drusilla that his poet’s heart had fallen in love with. Drusilla, for all her deviousness, for all her insanity, had been just as complex as a vampire as was Spike. She had been erotic and shy and assertive all at once.
And although he loved this side of her, Spike could feel the Drusilla he’d known rapidly slipping away. He knew the stories, knew what she had been before Angelus had gotten to her. As her sanity returned, so would her innocence.
While there had been nothing Spike liked doing quite so much as corrupting the innocent, it was different when it was Dru. Different when you knew and loved the person.
Different when you understood that you were damning them to everything they had hated.
“I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” he promised, somehow not finding it difficult to say to her, to Drusilla. She had needed him to be a monster, and so he had become her monster. If she needed him to be a gentleman, Spike could do that too.
He was a man of many aspects after all.
Spike led Drusilla into the guest room Joyce had set aside for them, not noticing that Buffy stood watching them from the doorway of her room.
~~~~~
“It’s totally wiggy, Giles,” Buffy said, pacing across from where he sat on the couch. “I mean, it’s like Spike is a completely different person when he’s with her.”
Giles pulled off his glasses and started polishing them. In between Buffy’s explanation of Drusilla being human again, and the sparse information they had on how it had happened, his Slayer had been constantly talking about Spike. Giles was beginning to wonder if he shouldn’t be worried.
“Yes, well, Spike was with Drusilla for over a century,” the Watcher pointed out reasonably. “And we know he took care of her when she was ill.”
Buffy shook her head. “I know, but you didn’t see them, Giles. It was-weird.” She shook her head. “Spike was actually being considerate.”
Giles sighed. “And Drusilla? How was she acting?”
Buffy frowned and sat. “Crazy one minute and sane the next. She was still sleeping when I left this morning, but I think that’s only because Mom convinced Spike to give her some Benadryl. Apparently, Drusilla didn’t sleep at all the night before that. Nightmares or something.”
Giles pushed his glasses back on and leaned back against the couch cushions. “I see. It appears she’s feeling the weight of her crimes then.”
The Slayer nodded. “That’s what it seems like, Giles. I don’t know. I almost feel sorry for her. I know what she’s done, but-If you saw her…”
“I do understand, Buffy,” Giles replied. “For all the damage she caused as a vampire, Drusilla was Angelus’ greatest crime. I believe he told you as much when she first came to town.” At Buffy’s nod, he continued. “She was a victim, first and foremost, and now it seems she is a victim again. Whatever-whomever-brought her back must be a powerful force, Buffy. We must find out if they present any danger to us as soon as possible.”
“Drusilla is really freaked about seeing Angel again,” Buffy replied reluctantly. “I pretty much promised I wouldn’t call him.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Giles returned. “While it’s possible that Angel does not know the identity of this enemy, I think we must find out for sure.”
She sighed. “I’ll call him this afternoon, then, when it’s more likely he’s awake. Maybe I can convince him to stay in L.A.” The Slayer made a face. “Not that I think it’s likely.”
Giles raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do about Spike?”
“I don’t know,” Buffy huffed. “I mean, I can’t just kick him out, not when he’s taking care of Drusilla. I know I certainly don’t want to get stuck with her, and Mom’s pretty set on helping. So I guess they’re both going to be staying until we can figure something else out.”
Giles cleared his throat. “Do you think that’s wise, Buffy? Keeping Drusilla and Spike both in the house with who-knows-what after her? Or at least having brought her back?” He hesitated, and then offered, “Perhaps if Angel does want to take her off your hands, that might be best. Drusilla is, after all, his responsibility.”
Buffy considered, and then shook her head. “You didn’t see her when Angel is mentioned, Giles. Maybe if she agreed to go with him willingly, but I honestly don’t think she will.”
“Think about it at least,” Giles urged. “If Angel insists upon coming to Sunnydale, perhaps we can work on something then. You know he wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Yeah, I do,” Buffy muttered. “But the question is, does she?”
~~~~~
She had slept, Spike thought with relief when he finally woke sometime around noon. Slept with no nightmares to wake her and him both. With a gentle hand, he brushed her dark hair away from her face.
His princess had always been beautiful, but no more so than when she slept. And now, with the faint blush of life bringing roses back to her cheeks, she was gorgeous.
And innocent. Innocent as a new bride.
Spike sat up and scrubbed his hands over his face. Bloody hell, what was he supposed to do now? He’d take care of her if she let him, would stay by her side until the very stars fell out of the sky, but he feared that she would resist. After all, he was a demon, and very happy as such, thank you very much.
Drusilla, on the other hand, was a woman-barely more than a girl-and innocent. If he turned her-could he turn her? He’d be no better than Angelus if he did, and yet-
And yet then she would love him again.
He needed a smoke, but Spike didn’t kid himself that it would be possible inside the house. Joyce wouldn’t stand for it. It would be hours yet before it was safe enough for him to go outside and have a fag.
He needed time to think, time to make a decision, figure out what he was going to do.
Just a little time was all Spike needed. Too bad he wasn’t going to get it.
~~~~~
Buffy braced herself to dial the number Willow had given her for Angel. It seemed odd to her that Willow of all people would stay in touch with Cordelia, but it was a good thing. Otherwise, the Slayer wouldn’t have known that Angel’s headquarters had shifted to Cordelia’s apartment for the time being.
She really didn’t want to talk to Angel, but Giles was right. There was only so much they could do for Drusilla, and he deserved to know that someone had changed her into human to get to him. Knowing what she did, it didn’t surprise Buffy when Cordelia answered the phone. “Hey, Cordelia, it’s Buffy.”
The voice on the other end did not sound all that happy to hear from her. “Buffy. Hi. What’s up?”
“Is Angel around?” the Slayer asked. “I had an interesting visitor yesterday, and I’d like to talk to him about it.”
“I guess.” Buffy could just catch her muttering, “Now Angel’s going to be broody for weeks.” Then she heard Cordelia calling loudly for Angel, and another minute passed before her ex-boyfriend’s voice came over the line.
“Buffy?”
“Hey, Angel,” Buffy said, squashing the faintly guilty feelings she had for telling Angel about Drusilla without letting Spike know. Convincing herself that it didn’t matter and that it was for the best. Trying to forget the look of abject terror on Drusilla’s face when Angel’s name came up.
“Is something wrong?” Angel asked. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Buffy was quick to assure him. “It’s just-Drusilla showed up the other day.”
There was a long pause. “Is she giving you problems?”
“No, but I think she was meant to give you some,” Buffy replied. “Look, Angel, Drusilla’s human now. She says the people who did this to her are human, a man and a woman, and we managed to decipher that they’re lawyers of some kind. Ring a bell?”
“Wolfram and Hart,” Angel growled. “Buffy, I’m not sure you can trust her, not until we know for sure what her game is.”
Buffy sighed. “I don’t think there is a game, Angel. She seems pretty-I don’t know. Harmless, I guess. Spike’s been taking care of her.”
“Spike?” Angel’s tone was sharp. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Buffy. He might-” The vampire paused. “I’m coming up.”
“That’s not necessary,” Buffy replied half-heartedly. “She got pretty freaked out when your name was mentioned.”
“Still, I don’t think Spike can be trusted with her, and she’s my responsibility.” Buffy could very nearly hear the mantle of guilt fall on his shoulders. “I’ll start driving as soon as the sun goes down.”
Buffy knew from his tone that Angel would not be dissuaded. “Fine, Angel. I’ll see you tonight then.”
“And don’t tell Spike I’m coming,” Angel ordered. “It’s better if he’s not prepared.”
Buffy was about to ask him why when she heard the click of the receiver and knew he’d hung up. “Angel’s coming,” she told Giles unnecessarily.
“So I hear.” Giles looked at her with worried eyes. “Will you be alright?”
Buffy shook her head. “Of course I’ll be fine, Giles. I’m-well, I’m not over him, but I think I’ve finally accepted things.” She pulled a face. “Although it would have been a lot nicer if I could have met him with Riley at my side.”
~~~~~
“You’ve got to eat, luv,” Spike urged. “Just a bit.”
Drusilla shook her head. “He’s coming,” she moaned. “Daddy’s coming, and he’s going to be so angry.”
Spike stared at her in consternation. She’d been lucid when she woke up-lucid enough to have a real conversation with him. They had lain on the bed and talked about the last year or so. Dru had known about the chip by whatever means, but Spike had told her about the Initiative and Adam. She’d been coherent enough to tell him how she had been killed-a vampire consort had staked her in a fit of pique.
Drusilla had even managed to explain her escape from the lawyers, and she described the older man with whom she’d hitched a ride to Sunnydale. “Just knew I had to get to you, my Spike.”
Spike had lain on his side, stroking her face. “You ever wish we could go back to the way things used to be?” he asked. “Just the two of us, cuttin’ a bloody swathe through whatever country we’re in.”
Drusilla frowned. “It’s not nice to hurt people, my Spike.”
“No, don’t suppose it is,” Spike acknowledged. “Was a time you didn’t care about ‘nice,’ though.”
She sighed. “But I do now.” Drusilla stared at him. “I hurt you,” she murmured. “Ripped your heart out and made you bleed.”
Spike glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable with her expression. Dru had looked upon him in love, lust, anger, even disdain. But never had she looked as though she cared. As though she pitied him. “‘m alright, Dru,” he muttered.
“No, you’re not,” she replied softly. Drusilla laid a hand on his chest. “Your heart is still not your own, my poor boy, though you hardly know it yet.”
Spike frowned. “My heart’s yours, Dru. ‘ve told you that again and again.”
She shook her head. “Not anymore,” she corrected him, her eyes gentle. “But it’s alright. You’re still my brave knight.”
“‘d do anythin’ for you, luv,” he said fervently. “Anythin’. I can-I could make you like me. We’d be together forever that way.”
“You’re not mine anymore, pet,” Drusilla replied. “Wish you were. My own sweet William.”
She hadn’t called him that in years, not since he’d begun going by Spike. He frowned, trying to figure out what her sudden change in address meant, but Drusilla had stiffened, her dark eyes going wide in fright. “He’s coming.”
“Who’s coming, luv?” Spike immediately asked, trusting in her uncanny knack for knowing things. Just because she wasn’t quite as insane as she had been didn’t mean she didn’t still have visions. “Tell me.”
“Daddy’s coming,” she whispered. “Oh, he’s so mad. Be careful, my Spike. He’ll hurt you if he can.”
“Angel’s not goin’ to touch either one of us,” Spike replied fiercely.
That had been the last bit of sense he’d been able to get out of her. Drusilla had been beside herself for the rest of the morning and the afternoon, growing more and more agitated as the hours passed. Spike was anxiously awaiting the Slayer’s return. She had promised not to call Angel, at least not for a while.
Buffy had seen what the mere mention of Angel’s name had done to Dru. Even if she had called the vampire, surely she would have let him know.
Spike frowned, remembering that this was the Slayer they were talking about. It wasn’t as though Buffy were considerate of him or his feelings. If she had called Angel, and if he was coming-as Dru insisted-there was no way he’d be able to carry out his plan for turning her. There was no way Angel would even leave him alone with Dru.
Spike knew this just as he knew Angel would understand what he was planning. After all, it wasn’t as though Angelus wouldn’t have done the same thing under similar circumstances, except he would probably torture Dru all over again.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered, thinking furiously. “Look, Dru, you think you could come with me? We’ll have to be quick an’ quiet, but we can get away before Angel gets here. I promise, I won’t let him hurt you.”
Drusilla seemed to consider this for a moment, giving Spike a flash of hope. If he could just calm her down, make her realize that things were going to be fine, she might yet be sane enough to turn tonight. It would have to be done before Angel found them, and Spike would need to get them out of town immediately after.
There was transportation to arrange, as well as a secure location to find. His crypt would do for now, but then he’d need to find another place to actually turn Dru. It wouldn’t do to let the Slayer or anyone else find them.
Spike glanced out the door, noting that the last light was beginning to fade from the sky. Angel would be setting out soon, if he hadn’t already, and Spike needed to be quick.
He had no desire whatsoever to see Peaches again, especially after their last meeting.