DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in my stories (Buffy, Angel, Spike, etc) belong to me. They were the brainchild of Joss Whedon, and belong to Mutant Enemy, WB, UPN, and whoever else. These were just written for fun, I'm not trying to take anybody's ideas! Oh! And I'd like to say that this story takes place before Darla gets pregnant (obvously), even though I love Connor. Plus, Tara's not dead (heck, she's not in the story, who cares), and Will hasn't gone all hell-bent (maybe later). Please enjoy!
�Can you believe it?� Buffy Summers asked conversationally to the vampire. �First Angel leaves, then Riley!� With a right jab and a left-handed uppercut she began beating her frustrations out on the demon.
�How could I let them go?� She pinned the vamp to a crypt wall and paused for an answer. When she didn�t receive one she continued. �Is it the Slayer thing, or do I just have bad luck with guys? Oh, I know!� Buffy exclaimed as she staked the bewildered vampire. �I�m cursed!� she declared to the falling dust.
�Boy troubles?� a feminine voice called from the shadows. A petite blonde vampiress stepped into view. Her arms and face showed the remnants of healing burns.
�What happened to your face?� Buffy pointed out moodily.
The girl touched a scar. �Oh, this? I�ve been having a little boy trouble myself.� Smiling sweetly, she slowly reverted into her game face. �Think Angel will be upset when I repay his fire with a little gift of my own?�
The Slayer appeared thoughtful, her face suddenly brightening. �Hey, didn�t Angel kill you? Yeah, he did. You�re Darla, his sire, right?� She twirled the stake in her hand. �What are you gonna get him?�
Darla grinned, showing her fangs. �I�m going to batter up his precious little Slayer. Then I�m going to kill her.� the vampire attacked.
At first the two seemed evenly matched, but as the battle wore on, Buffy began to tire. More and more of Darla�s hits met home, until a vicious roundhouse kick sent Buffy flying into the mausoleum wall. She slowly crumbled to the ground, feeling as though every bone in her body was broken.
Creeping in closer, Darla came forward for the kill, but before she could sink in her teeth, Buffy managed to shove her silver cross into the demon�s eye. Darla ran off, screaming in pain, and leaving an unconscious Buffy behind.
�Giles, look! She�s waking up!� Dawn ran over to Buffy�s hospital bed, just as the Slayer�s eyes fluttered open. She winced as pain shot through her entire body.
�Okay,� she groaned. �What�s broken?�
Looking down sympathetically Giles replied. �Collar-bone, right arm, right hand, and four ribs.�
Dawn interrupted. �Plus you�ve got a black eye and a huge bump on your head.� she explained matter-of-factly.
�Giles, can you get me a phone?� Buffy asked. �I need to call Angel.�
"Whatever for?"
"I gotta ask him why Darla's alive, why she's in Sunnydale, and what the hell did he do to her to make her so pissed off!"
Angel woke up to the relentless ringing of the telephone. Somehow, he managed to find his way to the cordless, and answered.
"Hello?" his groggy voice asked.
"Angel."
"Buffy!" he was immediately awake. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
Her sarcastic tone was enough of an answer. "Oh, I'm just peachy!" she answered sarcastically. "I'm lying here in my hospital bed, all battered and bruised, and having a great 'ol time! So I'm sitting here and wondering what did you do to Darla to make her want to kill me?"
"Oh, shit."
"Oh shit indeed! Arg!" Buffy yelled, exasperated. "The doctors are making me rest." she softened her angry tone. "I need to know what's going on."
"Okay, I'll leave for Sunnydale tonight. Bye Buff."
"Bye Angel."
Hanging up the phone Angel rummaged around for a suitcase. This is bad, he thought to himself.
Darla sat in front of the mirror, fingering her throbbing eye. "Dammit! Why can't you just have a reflection when you really need one?!!" In a rage she slammed her fist into the glass, which fell tinkling to the floor in thousands of pieces.
I need to calm down, the vampiress thought as she absentmindly licked the blood from her hand. AS the taste of blood entered her mouth, an idea entered her mind. Grinning widely the demon took off for a quick midnight kill.
"Gi-iles!" Buffy whined. "I can't take it anymore! Let me go home, please!"
Giles glanced up from the book he was reading. "Buffy, you've only been in the hospital for two days-half the time you were unconscious- and already you're complaining." Seeing Buffy revert to the puppy-dog face, her Watcher crumbled.
"Fine," he rose from his chair. "You finish your dinner and I'll sign you out." He halted at the doorway. "On one condition: you never, ever use that face again!"
Buffy perked up immediately and began shoveling the chewy hospital food into the garbage. There's no place like home!
By covering her eye with make-up, Darla felt almost presentable. After spending fifteen minutes wandering the streets she found herself in front of the bronze.
So many memories. Bad memories. I wouldn't be in this mess if angel hadn't staked me, she thought bitterly as she walked through the door.
Scanning the crowd Darla smiled. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be a total waste. As long as she was in Sunnyhell she might as well have a bit of a family reunion!
Spike sat by himself in a dark corner of the Bronze, smoking a cigarette. He was so wrapped up in his Slayer thoughts that he didn't notice Darla sneaking up from behind.
This is too easy , Darla thought as she crept up to whisper in Spike's ear.
"William, those things are gonna kill you!"
Spike froze. He hadn't heard that. Darla had died. Angel had dusted her. He sniffed the air. Shit. If his heightened senses told him it smelled like Darla, than it had to be her.
As he slowly turned around his mind was racing. How the hell was she gonna get out of this?"
Seeing Spike turn around, Darla smiled and took a seat. "Good. I was beginning to think that you hadn't heard me!"
Desperately wanting to leave, Spike tried to make an excuse. "Gee darlin," he drawled. "I'd love to sit and chat, but I'm getting hungry, so I'm gonna head home."
"Let me come with you." Darla insisted on following Spike out of the club. "We can find ourselves a couple of juicy victims!" Scanning the crowd outside of the Bronze she zoned in on a girl walking alone through an alleyway. "That one, she's the Slayer's friend. Let's kill her!"
Before Spike could react Darla had grabbed the redheaded girl, who remarkable resembled Willow, and sunk in her razor sharp teeth. Before the girl could be completely drained Spike pulled Darla away.
"You can't do this!"
Darla glared at him through golden eyes. "And why not?!"
"Ummm....." Spike struggled to think of an explanation. "Because she's not the Slayer's friend?"
Whirling around, Darla slapped the bleached vamp. "You're going soft!" she hissed. She smiled as Spike put on his game face. "At least you don't have a soul. I can't sense one." The vampiress frowned. "But you won't kill." Realization dawned on her face. "You've become buddies with the Slayer!" This set her off, and in a rage she began beating on Spike. When he tried to kick back she grabbed his foot and flipped him onto his back.
Smiling evilly, Darla grabbed a stick from the ground and glided over to Spike. Kneeling down she straddled his stomach, pinning his arms so that he couldn't move. The demon fingered the branch. "To kill, or not to kill. that is the question. Before Spike could protest Darla had plunged the wood deep into his chest. He screamed in agony.
Getting up Darla spoke. "You're lucky I don't murder family. I missed your heart on purpose. Now get out of my sight, traitor!!"
Spike struggled slowly to his feet and staggered off towards Buffy's house. They had to get rid of Darla, and fast!
Giles was in the kitchen making a pot of tea while Dawn made Buffy comfortable on the couch. She was just about to sit down herself when she heard a pounding on the door.
"I'll get it!" she called to Giles as she walked to the door. When she opened it a black and white figure in a duster fell in.
"Spike!" Dawn cried out in alarm, immediately followed by a call for Giles.
Giles knelt down beside the vampire. "Dear God, what happened?"
Spike groaned. "The bitch found me, and when she realized that I couldn't kill- WHAM! I've got a stake in me chest before I can even bloody well blink!" he gasped as he tried to sit up. "She even broke some ribs! Man I hate Darla!!"
"Join the club." Buffy called from the couch. "You might want to take that stick out. I'm guessing that it's not fun."
"Good idea." Spike agreed, but as he attempted to remove it, pain shot through his entire arm. "Bloody Hell!!" he yelped. "She broke my arm, I can't get it out."
"Let me try." Giles volunteered, but he too couldn't remove it.
"Man, Darla must have stuck it in pretty deep." Dawn concluded. "Oh, who's Darla?"Spike involuntarily shivered. "She's my great grand-mum."
Dawn's face was completely blank.
"Well, you see, Darla sired Angelus, who made Druscilla. That makes Darla Angel's mom, and Dru's grand-mum. since Dry turned me she's my mom, making angel me granddad and Darla me great grand-mum. Understand?"
"Yup, but it's the weirdest family tree I've ever heard of!" Pausing, Dawn glanced out the still open door. "So who sired Darla?"
Glancing at Buffy Spike answered. "The Master, but he's dead. Buffy dusted him."
"So you guys are having a family reunion?"
Giles looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Giving him a strange look Dawn continued. "It means exactly what it says; family reunion. Spike's in here, Angel just pulled into the driveway, and two girls who look a lot like Darla and Druscilla are walking down the street."
"How do you know what Darla and Dru look like?" Buffy demanded.
Dawn smiled sheepishly. "Giles left some Watcher guides out on a table in the Magic Box. I looked at the pictures."
"Oh."
Spike, who had been staring outside, spoke up. "You better tell Angel to get inside. The girls are closing in, fast!"
After turning off the ignition, Angel reached into the backseat for his suitcase. he was just closing the car door when he heard Dawn.
"Angel!" she called from the safety of the doorway. "Get inside, quick!"
Glancing behind in his sprint for the door Angel spotted the female vampires. This only made him run faster.
When he walked through the door, the scene he saw almost made him laugh. There was something about Spike lying on the floor with a stake in his chest that just seemed hilarious to Angel.
"What happened to you?" he asked, mock concern on his face.
"I'll tell ya as soon as ya bloody well pull it out!" Spike replied. You live with a guy for a couple of centuries and you can tell when he's being sincere.
Angel smiled. He knew full well Spike saw through the charade. Kneeling down he quickly yanked the stake out.
BLOODY HELL!!!" Spike yelled in pain. "What are you,. some kind of medieval physician?!!"
"Naw, more like Civil War. Now what happened?"
Gently feeling the whole in his chest Spike replied. "Your bitch found me, battered me up."
"Darla"
"Yah, duh." Spike rolled his eyes. "Now, don't you have a story to tell us?"
Taking off his glasses Giles rubbed his eyes, a sure sign of an oncoming headache. "Let me get this straight. A law firm brought Darla back as a mortal. They found Rosella who turned her?"
"Hey!" Spike interrupted from his chair. "Does that make Darla my sister?"
Nodding Angel continued the tale. "They went on a killing spree, murdering almost everything that stood between them and complete control over LA. Luckily, while they tried to recruit an army, they got caught in a fire and almost burned alive.
Gazing at the figure sitting beside her, Buffy could tell Angel wasn�t telling the complete truth. Something in his eyes was giving him away. She slowly stood up, already healing. Gotta love the Slayer healing process!She thought happily to herself before turning back to the problem at hand.
"Angel, I need to see you upstairs. Spike, let Giles bandage you up. you'll be staying with us until the girls are gone." Spike tried to protest. "No buts. Dawn will make you and Angel beds in the basement, anyone can get into your crypt." she began making her way towards the stairs. "Then we sleep."
"Yes ma'am!" Dawn saluted as everyone went about their assigned tasks.
Slowly Buffy lowered herself onto her bed. Angel propped some pillows behind her back to make her more comfortable. He took a seat at the end of the bed.
"So, what do you want to talk about?"
Buffy looked at him pointedly. "The truth. What are you holding back?"
Suddenly the floor seemed very interesting to Angel. "A lot."
"Why?"
"It's personal."
Buffy gave him a Look. "If we're going to beat these guys we need to know everything." her face softened. "Besides, you can talk to me. You always could."
Even though he didn't need to, Angel took a deep breath. "Ok. Wolfram and Hart, the law firm, have been trying for months to have Angelus resurface. Bringing Darla back almost worked." Seeing the look of complete horror on Buffy's face made Angel struggle to continue. "God it was awful. She used magic to enter my dreams, tempting the demon with memories. After awhile she came to me for real, she needed my help. Darla was dying. I couldn't just stand by and watch it happen. I tried to save her, but Wolfram and Hart found us. They brought Rosella with them. Dru turned her. After that I lost it. I purposely locked them in a room with a dozen lawyers." Angel shuddered. "Only two made it out alive. Not long after that there was this episode with a ring. It had some sort of mystical powers, and Darla wanted it, badly. Unfortunately for her, I had it. One night she came to get the ring, but...." he struggled to find the words. ".....but it wasn't all she came looking for...." Looking out the window he continued. "You see, the only companion Darla had was Dru, who, being crazy, can get a little hard to live with. So Darla came looking for Angelus. He gained control and I couldn't stop him." Pausing, Angel snuck a glance at Buffy, whose face was expressionless. "I woke up and found him trying to regain complete control. Luckily, I pushed him back. When Darla discovered that her childe wasn't in charge she left."
"You slept with her." Angel sadly nodded his head. "Then how come you still have your soul?"
Angel gazed Buffy in the eye. "Darla never made me happy. I couldn't truly love her without a soul, so there was no happiness."
The statement almost made Buffy smile, but instead she switched to a concerned face. "This shouldn't have happened. Didn't you go to Cordelia and the guys for help?"
I didn't want them around to get killed, so I fired them."
"Now that was stupid."
"Maybe...." Angel appeared thoughtful. "....but look at what Darla did to get back at me. She came all the way to Sunnydale, and almost killed you!"
"Okay, smart idea." Buffy sent the vampire a mock angry stare. "But she didn't almost kill me, just put me in the hospital." she smiled. "Besides, in a few days I'll be able to kick your butt, so you'd better be careful mister!"
Yawning and smiling at the same time Angel glanced at the clock. "The sun's gonna be up soon, I better head downstairs."
Buffy grinned. "Yup, where, for the next twelve hours, you'll be forced to listen to Spike's blow by blow description of every single episode of Passions!"
Angel groaned. "Please, stake me now! Goodnight."
"Night."
Buffy shifted positions, snuggling deeper into the blankets. Glancing at the clock she groaned. 7:16 PM. With a sigh she left the warmth of her bed. Making her way downstairs she found Dawn and Spike in front of the TV, Giles was reading the newspaper.
Following her nose Buffy found herself in the kitchen. Angel was standing over the stove. Sitting down at the table she yawned. "What's for breakfast?" she asked, laying her head on her arms.
"Don't you mean what's for supper?" Angel teased. "Pancakes." he said, turning back to the food.
Buffy immediately perked up. "With blueberries?" she asked hopefully.
"Yuck!" Dawn sat down beside Buffy. "I hate blueberries!"
"You've never even tried them!" the Slayer glared at her sister accusingly.
Dawn crossed her arms. "I have too!"
"Have not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!
"Whoa girls! Settle down!" Angel carried two plates to the table. "I can still remember how you like your pancakes. I haven't been gone that long!"
Watching the sisters dig into their respective plates Angel felt his stomach growl. Self-consciously he leaned towards Buffy. "Um, Buff, do you have any, you know."
Before she could answer Spike stood up. "Follow me!" Glancing at Buffy, Angel got up to follow.
"What can I say?" the Slayer answered the look. "He's practically been living here. He's starting to act like he owns the place." she added under her breath.
Grinning, Angel followed Spike down to the basement.
Spike opened the fridge door and poured out two glasses, handing one to Angel. As the two drank they eyed each other. Spike was the first to speak.
"How come you still have soul, mate?"
Angel spat out a mouthful of blood. "How did you know?"
"Puh-leez." Spike rolled his eyes. "I had to live with you for how long? I can practically read your mind!"
"True." Angel sat his cup down and stared off into space. "How can I feel so attached to her?"
Spike became serious. "It's almost funny. After all they put you through-cheating, lying, leaving you for dead- you still can't really live without them." He glanced at Angel. "Is it different for you? I mean, you already killed Darla."
"I guess sit is different. With a soul I can realize that Darla damned me, which is enough to make me not care whether she dies or not. But, what really made me care was that either I killed her, or she killed Buffy."
"So it was a matter of past or present; good or evil."
"Yeah, I guess it was. Now you've got to make that decision."
Spike froze. "What?" she demanded.
Angel spoke deliberately. He did not want to make Spike angry. It wasn't pretty. "What would you choose? Would you kill Dru, or would you let her kill Buffy?"
Suddenly the floor seemed very important to Spike. "I couldn't make that decision." he whispered. "Besides," he said, raising his voice. "The Slayer can take care of herself!"
"You're right. But what if it was Dawn?"
Spike felt as if he had been slapped. He grabbed Angel's shirt by the collar. "Don't even say that!" he growled. "No one is going to hurt the 'lil Bit!"
Gently prying himself free from Spike's death grip, Angel attempted to calm him down. "You're right. With you ready to protect Dawn nothing's going to happen to her." He smiled as he turned around to rummage through his suitcase for a shirt, since Spike had ripped the one he had been wearing. "I'm beginning to think that you're not all that evil!"
"Hey!" Unable to think of a comeback, Spike decided to change the subject. "Wear the blue one. you need a little color in your un-life." Catching Angel's questioning glare he defended himself. "What?! If you don't want me to go through your stuff, don't leave me alone with it!"
Grinning, Angel pulled on the blue shirt. There were some things about Spike that you just hated to love!
The next two days passed by without incident. Unless you count Spike walking in on Buffy while she was having a shower. Unfortunately for the vampire the Slayer was completely healed, and took him into the basement to use as a punching bag. Luckily for Spike, Angel managed to convince her that the bleached vamp was needed in the oncoming fight.
That night Buffy, Angel and Spike began their search. With Dawn safe at Xander's apartment, the only thought on their minds was the kill. Laden down with stakes and crossbows, plus Buffy with her cross, the three began the hunt by patrolling one of Sunnydale's many graveyards.
Everyone was silent. Spike was bored. Yawning loudly he sat on a tombstone.
"Shh!" Buffy hissed.
This only pushed Spike into talking louder. "Why do we have to be so quiet? They're not dumb you know. In fact, they've probably been following us ever since we got here!"
"Is my Spikey becoming a Seer?"
It may not have been possible, but Angel could have sworn that Spike went two shades paler. Turning around Spike smiled icily. "'Fraid not Dru; just a good guesser."
"William, I can see," Rosella took a step towards her childe, staring him in the eye. "You've been naughty. You've been playing with the Slayer when you should have been playing with me. Miss Edith says you're very bad." The crazy vampiress began to pout.
"Dru, stick the lip back in before you trip over it." Darla stepped out of the shadows. "We're not here to play games; we're here to kill them!"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Puh-leaze!" How many times have I heard that one before? Obviously, it never happened." She began tapping her foot as she checked her watch. "Now are you gonna attack already, cuz I've got other places to be."
Moving in closer Darla frowned as she eyed the Slayer. "Didn't I kill you?"
Before Buffy could retort, Angel had taken the challenge. "Oh, that's a really good one, considering it's coming from somebody who's been killed three times." Taking a stake out of his jacket Angel put on his game face. "Are you willing to make it a fourth?"
Grinning, Darla also reverted into her vampiric visage. "Let's see you try!"
The battle had only been going on for about fifteen minutes, and already Buffy was tiring out. Rosella wasn't as fragile as she looked, and the Slayer had only recently healed, which sapped up a lot of her strength.
Seeing an opportunity, Rosella knocked the stake from the Slayer's hand, grabbed her head, showed her neck, and sunk in her sharp teeth.
Spike, who had been watching from the sidelines, torn between his choices, was pushed into action. Snatching the fallen stake he rammed it through his sire's back.
A tear rolled down hi cheek. "Sorry Dru."
The vampiress shrugged her shoulders and pointed to her head. "I saw it." she concluded before bursting into dust.
Screaming at the demise of her only companion, Darla landed a ferocious kick in Angel's stomach before abandoning the fight and sprinting off into the darkness.
Spike, who was helping Buffy up, saw it all. "What are you waiting for?!" he yelled. "Get after her!!"
With a determined nod Angel bolted after his sire.
She wasn't too hard to follow, not only was there the sound of her noisy retreat, but Angel could smell her. And she was close.
Making his way down an alley outside of the Bronze, Angel could see her silhouetted against a streetlight.
"So, you want to finish it where it should have ended five years ago." he said as he backed her into a corner.
Darla sneered. "You wouldn't!"
Fingering the stake Angel answered. "I did it before, I can do it again." In one fluid motion he arced the stake towards his target, but at the last possible second, Darla grabbed his hand. Using the momentum he had gained she shoved the wood into his stomach. In return Angel slumped to the ground.
Circling around her prey, Darla started throwing a tantrum.
"How could you do this?! You murder your own kind, and protect the one that is sworn to destroy us. Even worse! You love the one sworn to destroy us! But then, you did kill your own sire, so I'm guessing that you're capable of pretty much anything! I should kill you." she stated, fully vamping out. Looking Angel in the eye she continued. "But I can't." she continued her pacing. "I made you. We spent two hundred glorious years terrorizing Europe and the East. I loved you Angelus, but I guess none of that matters to you!" Glancing down at her victim, Darla discovered that he wasn't there.
"It's Angel," a voice whispered from behind her. Using the surprise he had gained, he plunged a stake into his sire's heart. "And I never loved you."
Accepting her fate a single tear fell down Darla's cheek as she slowly crumbled into dust.
Yanking the bloodied stake out of his stomach, Angel set off towards Buffy's house.
Everyone in the house was asleep, except for the two vampires in the basement. To both of their surprise, they found themselves having a heart to heart.
"I don't know how we did it." Spike mused. "How did we kill half of our family?"
Angel was silent for a moment. "Well, it was basically what I told you earlier; I thought about all of the people that they killed, and those that they would have. That, plus I was really pissed that they almost Killed you and Buffy."
"Aw, that's sweet!" Spike smiled mischievously. "Angel's getting protective over little 'ol me. He must really love me!"
"Shut-up William." Angel growled, keeping a straight face.
Spike clambered out of his chair. "Oooh, are ya gonna make me - Liam?!" he prodded.
"Hey!" Angel exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. "I'm gonna get you for that!" he ran after Spike.
Laughing, Spike took off. "You're gonna have to catch me f-ooof!!" his sentence was cut off by Angel's flying tackle, which sent both of them flying over the couch and crashing into a lamp.
The door to the basement flew open. Buffy and Dawn came running down the stairs. "What's going on?" Buffy asked, eyeing the lamp.
Both vampires grinned sheepishly. "Uh, we were playin' tag?" Spike suggested.
"Yeah," Angel agreed. "Spike decided the lamp should be 'It'!"
Buffy shook her head at the obvious cover-up. "Whatever. Good-night!" she called as she closed the door.
Spike had been watching Angel ever since the second the Slayer had appeared. By the way he was still staring at the closed door told Spike that something was up.
"You're still in love with her, aren't ya mate?"
"Angel nodded.
"What are ya gonna do about it?"
"I don't know."
So, how was it? Please, I need feedback. I don't care if it's incredibly bad. If the story sucked, tell me. For anybody who has actually managed to finish the entire thing, and is taking the time to read this, if you want a sequel (of a sort) please, say so. That'll give me a reason to actually finish it! Anyway, feedback. Please!
