The Tainted Truth

Kylia

Series: Secrets & Lies Series
Email: Kylia
Disclsimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don’t know.
Rating: Starts out PG-13 but will eventually be NC-17
Spoilers: Angel
Category: Willow/Spike
Distribution: Fire & Ice, WitchFanFic, WLS, WBS, anyone else, ask, and you shall receive
Author's Notes: The fourth part to the Secrets & Lies Series.
Dedication: To Inell, don’t loose that oar. To Everyone who’s been emailing me
about this series. I haven’t forgotten, really. :)

Summary: Okay, think of this as an alternate reality. Some of the events of the series will happen just as they did on the show, others won’t.

Darla watched from the shadows as the Master sat in the darkness. She knew he was becoming impatient. Soon his irritation would cause him to do something that may not be wise. She steeled her features and she walked further into the room.

"Zachary didn’t come home from the hunt last night." The Master spoke quietly, without turning, but Darla could feel his restrained rage.

"The Slayer." Darla breathed as if the thought had just occurred to her. In actuality it wasn’t the Slayer who had taken Zachary from their numbers but one of their own kind.

"Zachary was strong, and he was careful, and still the Slayer takes him, as she has taken so many of my family." The Masters voice sounded weary, but Darla was not fooled.

She bit her tongue, and said nothing. The time wasn’t yet right, but soon. She knew he was frustrated and wanted the girl dead, but there was still too much at stake. "Let me do it master, let me kill her for you." Darla pleaded, knowing he would deny her.

"You have a personal interest in this." He paused.

"I never have any fun." She pouted.

"I will send the three." The master ignored her.

Darla smiled to herself. "The three." She repeated. It was perfect. The master would send them, and they would fail, leaving room for her own plan.

****

Willow sat at the table listening to Buffy ramble on about her lack of a love life. As she listened to her friend drone on about the merits of Angel, Willow’s thoughts automatically turned to Spike. She tried to keep her features interested in what Buffy was saying and not have that faraway look she knew she always got when thinking about the blond vampire.

Willow knew she should have told Buffy that Angel was a vampire. Honestly she was surprised Buffy hadn’t figured it out. She was the Slayer. Shouldn’t she have sensed him?

Shaking her head from internal thoughts, Willow tried to concentrate on what the Slayer was saying as she saw Xander walk up to them. She listen to his jokes, and again found her mind drifting. It wasn’t until Buffy said something about leaving that Willow drew her attention back to her friends.

She watched with a touch of sadness as Xander tried to get Buffy to stay. It wasn’t the same kind of sadness she had felt before. Before, she had been upset because it wasn’t her he was looking at that way, now she was sad for her friend not herself.

After Buffy had left, Willow turned to Xander. "Cockroach?" She asked, motioning towards her shoe, which had a dead cockroach stuck to the sole.

Xander shrugged and took the shoe over to the bartender who would exchange the insect for a drink.

"My life sucks!" He mumbled to himself.

****

Spike exhaled the ring of black smoke and turned to look at his grandsire. "It won’t work." He told her pointedly. She didn’t believe him, he could tell.

"He will come back." Darla insisted.

Spike rolled his eyes out of her view. "Fine. I’ll do it. But you’re dealing with old ugly!"

Darla watched him leave and smiled to herself. She knew her plan would work. It had to. All Spike had to do was keep the Three from succeeding, and then she could suggest and alternate idea to bring the Slayer done, one that would bring her son home.

*****

Spike watched as the Slayer pulled his sire into her house. He had to laugh. She had just invited a killer into her home, and didn’t even know it. He couldn’t get past the idea that the *Slayer* of all people hadn’t been able to figure out that Angel was a vampire. His Red had figured it out and she had barely even met the pouf. But here he was, outside of the two-story house, where Sunnydale’s vampire Slayer had just invited the Scourge of Europe. He shook his head and turned away, heading in the opposite direction. He knew he should go back home, to Dru, and see if she needed anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave without seeing Red first.

As he approached her house he saw her light on through the French doors. After climbing up the trellis, Spike stood and watched her through the glass. He saw her look up from her computer as she sensed him. It was uncanny the way she could do that.

Willow turned around and walked to the doors. Smiling as she opened them far enough to allow him to come inside. He still couldn’t believe she had invited him into her home, knowing what he was. She had even researched his history, and found out things he thought for sure would appall her. Instead she just apologized for snooping.

Two weeks ago she had found out that not only was the slayer’s cryptic protector a vampire, but that he was Spike’s sire. Instead of running to the slayer to tell all she knew, Willow had kept silent. Spike knew that it was difficult for her to lie to her friends, but she did it anyway.

It was then that he realized that he wasn’t willing to give her up or allow anything to happen to her. He wanted to claim her, make her his, but it wasn’t time yet. He still had to deal with Drusilla, and their sire.

Before he could think anymore about his plans for his beautiful redhead, she pulled him into her arms and kissed him, ever so briefly. When she pulled away, she had this beautiful smile on her face.

"I didn’t think you were coming tonight." She told him.

"I was in the neighborhood." He told her. "Funny thing, there’s a house not too far away. A young girl was fighting off some pretty fierce guys." His eyes sparkled in amusement as he told her the story.

"Buffy? Is she alright?" Willow asked in concern.

"Yeah, loverboy’s with her." He smirked as he saw the shock on her face.

"Angel? Does she… know?"

"No, but I’m sure he won’t be able to keep it a secret much longer."

Willow nodded. She knew the truth of that statement. If she hadn’t already known he was a vampire, Willow would have been surprised when she saw Spike morph during one of their more… passionate moments.

His kissed her chastely on the cheek. "I have to go… Dru." He told her as he walked back towards the French doors.

Willow nodded her understanding and followed him to the balcony, locking the doors after he left. She knew that he wouldn’t have even come tonight, except for his need to her. That idea sent shivers of pleasure through her body. Sighing, Willow returned to her computer and the research Giles had asked her to do.