Willow and Buffy walked into the backyard as Willow told her friend and Sire about her time with Paul. Floating in the water, Buffy listened as Willow told her of the proposed bargain Paul had agreed to. 

“He wants Damon out, gone, preferably dead. Paul’s willing to let Angelus become a partner in the expansions, of course, and you drank to that, but before anything else happens, he wants more information. I didn’t tell him anything, naturally, and he didn’t ask about our plans for the future. I think he thought the way most master vamps do,” Willow continued as she allowed the water to caress her naked skin. 

“That childer, no matter how trusted, don’t know everything that their Sire’s have planned. Plus, despite my powers, he views me as a fledgling.”

Buffy laughed, enjoying the friendship between them as much as knowing that Willow would always follow her. “You are, Willow. Then again, so am I. But I doubt anyone could beat us, no matter how new we are. Don’t you just love breaking the rules?” 

Willow laughed with her friend and let the silence flow over them before asking what she really wanted to know. “About Drusilla…” 

Buffy looked at her childe sharply. “No, Willow, don’t even go there. I accepted Dru’s oath of allegiance and her gift of Hank. I drank her blood and allowed her to drink mine. She’s now as much my childe as she is Angelus’, as you are mine.” 

Willow nodded though she was far from pleased. But fledgling vampire or not, she knew when not to upset her Sire. It must have been one of those inherited behaviors. “Okay, I understand. But about her and Spike…” 

To that Buffy shrugged. “I have no idea. I do know that they resumed their relationship, but I have no idea what that means as it involves you.” 

Willow just nodded again, not liking the turn her unlife had taken. She wasn’t jealous of Spike’s relationship with Drusilla, she wasn’t. Really she wasn’t. Willow refused to believe that she was still infected with such human emotions. Then again, being soulless didn’t mean being emotionless. All she had to do was look at her new family to see that. 

A slight stirring in her blood made Willow look up even when Buffy purred and continued to drift in the pools current. Angelus stood by the edge, looking down at his lover. Without opening her eyes Buffy held out her hand, silently beckoning him to join her. He wore only a pair of low riding pants, which he quickly stripped off, walking down the four steps with a sensual grace that captured Willow’s attention. 

He drifted more than walked to where Buffy floated, once reaching her not touching. Instead he swirled the water around her equally naked body, watching the whirls surround her and her breath hitch in anticipation. Buffy hadn’t yet opened her eyes, and now she unerringly reached out to take Angelus’ hand, guiding it to her core. 

Without question he impaled her with his finger, teasing just one inside before adding a second. Thumb flicked over clit as he added a third, his other hand moving her to the ledge for better purchase. Mouth crushing mouth, tongues dueling, faces morphing, fangs scraping, and blood welling. As quickly as he started, Angelus stopped, removing his hand, pulling slightly away from her swollen mouth. 

Buffy finally opened her eyes, golden bright in the faint moon light and looked at him. Slow, sensual, the smile that transformed her face was animal like graceful. Her tongue came out to lick the droplet of blood that clung to her lip and she watched as his gaze shifted.

“Yours,” Willow heard her say though it was soft, clearly meant for him only, “Always yours.” 

Too fast for Willow to adequately follow, Angelus gathered her in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, and thrust into her. She had never seen anything like what was going on before her and wondered, absentmindedly, if she should leave them to their privacy. Not a bad idea, she decided as their movements became faster and blurred even more before her very eyes, the water in the pool sloshing the cement. 

As Willow climbed out of the pool, water clinging to her naked body, she looked up to see Spike watching her. He was completely focused on her, ignoring the couple in the pool as their shouts of completion echoed around them. Looking back once more, still trying to figure out how they had moved faster than she could see, Willow walked to her (former?) lover. 

“Spike,” she said as she stepped into the long thin robe he held out for her. 

“Are you going back?” 

Straight and to the point, Willow thought as they walked into the back conservatory. The robe clung to Willow and she had to wonder why he had even bothered with such a flimsy covering. Still, he was there and Drusilla was not. 

“Not…yet.” Willow paused, sinking gracefully into a chair. “Do you want me to?” 

Spike let out a bark of laughter. “Willow, what I want is of no consequence. I am not the Master here, I am merely the favored chide and while I’m enjoying that status, I have no real say in things. If you remember, I didn’t want you going in the first place.”

He leaned forward but refrained from touching her. “The question now is: do YOU want to go back?” 

“Yes,” Willow answered honestly. “And no,” she continued before he could say anything and just as honestly. “I enjoy Paul, he’s fun and witty and we get along perfectly. But,” She said as she stood to restlessly move about the glassed in room, “He’s not you.”

Whirling around to face him, Willow pointed an accusatory finger and stated, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know. I didn’t love you, I cared a great deal for you but that was all. The sex was beyond fantastic and I even enjoyed your company.” 

His face was a mask but Willow knew him well enough so she softened, walking back to his side. Dropping to her knees, she cupped the side of his face as continued, “I wanted you by my side even when Buffy turned me. I found that despite the total lack of my soul I still wanted you, needed you. At first I chalked it up to familiarity or sexual need. Some things don’t change with the disappearance of the body’s most basic conscience, though; despite the loss of that conscience, I still wanted you. And now…now that…I still want you, William, I still need you.” 

She laughed a bit when he hadn’t said anything. “Does that make at least a little sense?” 

Slowly Spike moved to take her hand in his, bringing her to his lap and kissing her slowly. “Yes, it makes perfect sense. I love Drusilla; I always have, I always will. But I need you, too Willow. I wasn’t expecting it, hell; I wasn’t expecting any of it. But even though I will always want Drusilla, she’s my obsession much like Buffy is Angelus’…I want you as well.” 

Willow returned his kiss, wondering at the softness, the sweetness found there. “Aren’t we a screwed up pair.” 

“Naturally, our lives have always had a certain soapish quality to them. What makes you think that’d change?” He smiled at her as she chuckled. “I missed you, Willow. But I can still smell Paul on you. I know you want him, and I don’t exactly blame you for that. But maybe…maybe we could work…” 

“Work something out? Maybe. I don’t mind sharing and I’ve always known how you felt about Drusilla, since way back when we first met. Never have I been under any delusions as to my place in your life. But I don’t want to lose you, Spike.” 

“Good,” he said and kissed her again, allowing his hands to wander over her familiar curves.
~~~~~~~~~~
Giles looked at the guest list once more, double checking what he knew with what Angelus had told him with what his research had either confirmed or disproved. Drusilla floated in, humming to herself though it seemed more of a song than any sign of craziness on her part. 

Great, only a couple of days and he was already learning to decipher her moods. 

“The silly seer is coming; she knows where he is, wants to know where he is…” Drusilla wandered over to Giles, dropping lightly onto his lap and looked over the list Giles had been reading. 

“My sweet Spike is with the wicked witch, he wants her.” She smiled conspiracy at Giles and whispered though they were the only ones in the room, “But he wants me more.” 

“Ah, okay, then,” Giles said really hoping not to get involved with their love lives. The whole thought was just too disturbing. “Right, so you’re here because…?” 

“I wanted to play. But you’re working and I’m not supposed to bother anyone when they’re working. So I came to help.” Dru slid off his lap and settled herself on the floor by his feet, looking up at him expectantly. 

It wasn’t that she wasn’t beautiful, Giles mused as he watched her somewhat suspiciously, it was just that he had no interest in her whatsoever. It may have had something to do with the fact that she had manipulated him so many years ago – he did tend to hold a grudge – or maybe because she was already involved in some weird triangle he wanted no part of. 

No, he thought, as she grinned up at him like a child and patiently waited him to include her in his work, it was just simple disinterest. He wasn’t interested in her and, thankfully, she wasn’t in him. Though it could be fun, he had other things to do and wasn’t interested in taking the time to explore something that wasn’t really there. 

“Right, then, I’m planning a party with a mad woman.” Shrugging Giles finished, “There are crazier things I’ve done over the years, but I’m hard pressed to think of one.” 

Giles stared at the vampiress on the floor once again. He was actually considering taking her advice? He must be as crazy as she. Still, Drusilla had been around longer than he, despite being crazy as a loon, so she might know some things. 

“Okay, here’s the list as it stands. The most important – for one reason or another – are at the top; Paul, his favored childe Saffir, and Damon being the ones that matter most out of that list. Anyone else we should add?” 

“Hmm, no,” Drusilla said as she looked over the list. “Damon will most likely bring guards with him; he doesn’t like our family much. Plus he’ll have one or two allies there who will watch his back despite his unpopularity.” 

“What I don’t understand is how he’s still alive when no one really likes him.” It was something that had been bothering Giles for some time; how a vampire as obviously unpopular and disliked as Damon had managed to survive all these years more or less intact. 

Sparkling eyes met his and Giles could see the intelligence behind them. “Not many want to be the one to go up against that kind of tradition. Vampires aren’t really one for following rules, but they do hold certain things sacred. Damon is a direct descendant of Aurelius, he’s strong and feared. In theory. In practice, most let him live because his death will serve no real purpose. Usually that’s not a problem, vampires enjoy mindless killing as much as they enjoy complicated coups, but in this case, it is a problem.” 

Giles nodded, understanding what she was saying. “Because despite their hatred, vamps outside the Clan don’t want to take on all of Aurelius. Kill one member and the others are honor bound to take revenge. Which is why Angelus had the right to kill him; same clan, therefore there would be no outside involvement or retribution.” 

Drusilla nodded happily at him and they went back to the guest list.
***********
“Who is she?” Cordelia asked of the woman in the photo she held in her hands as she waited for Riley to patch together a makeshift radio. 

“My wife,” Came the short answer, obviously meant to dissuade her from asking anything else. It didn’t work but then he didn’t know Cordelia Chase. 

“She’s very beautiful, looks…happy.” 

“Yeah…” He trailed off and looked up at her. Something in her eyes stopped him. “But you knew that already, didn’t you?” 

“Smart, too. No wonder Buffy had a thing for you.” 

“Not a big enough thing,” Riley replied, going back to his task. 

“No, but that’s because she had already given her heart away. But that’s another story for a different time and a friendlier crowd. And maybe an unbiased storyteller. What was her name?” 

Riley didn’t have to ask who she meant despite the abrupt change of subject, it was obvious. “Sam.” 

“She is happy you know.” Cordelia said and replaced the picture. “But I hear heaven is that kind of place.” 

Riley’s hands shook but still he said nothing. Cordelia shrugged; sometimes they wanted to talk, sometimes they didn’t. Either way it was fine with her, there were only so many heartbreaking stories a person could handle, you know? She walked back to the only other seat in the room and watched him tinkering with the electronic parts.

So much of her life had been spent using what humans would term archaic tools; swords and knives, battle axes and magick. But they were the only truly effective means against what they fought. Radios were helpful if and when they worked, guns ran out of bullets and weren’t effective on any number of demons, and a good magickal electrical charge took care of a lot of things. 

“Just for the record, they aren’t going to plan anything over a radio or phone line. Not their style. For one, too modern, for another, too easily traceable.”

“This isn’t for them.” Riley said, holding up the finished but hobbled together radio. “This is for us.” 

“Us? Oh, no, no, no…I usually don’t like ‘us.’ In fact, ‘us’ usually gets me in trouble.  I’m more the ‘I’ person, as in I’ll stay here while you get yourself tortured and killed. I’ll hide from the bad guys while you seek them out; I’m not walking into the vampires den.” Hadn’t he been listening to her at all? 

“All this is is a simple recon: go in, scope out the place, see what’s what and who’s who and leave.” 

“You really haven’t been listening, have you? Hello! We go in there we die. It’s that simple. There is no sneaking in and out, I GUARANTEE you that there are at least a dozen magickal wards around the place, not to mention that they’ll know the minute a human walks into their midst.” 

“I can be sneaky,” Riley insisted before realizing what he said. “What I mean is that I am highly trained at slipping in, scouting out the area, and leaving before I’m discovered. They’ll never know we were there.” 

Cordelia stood up and laughed. That was all she could do, laugh in the face of danger. Oh, God, they were both going to die. “No, see, no. One, it’s called smell; look it up, Riley, it’s one of the five senses. Vampires have a very heightened sense of smell and no matter what you do; they’ll know you were there. Two it’s called not being stupid. We don’t know where they are, all we have in a not very reliable tip from a snitch I trust less than Willy and Merle – which is saying a lot, believe me.” 

Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were glowing a faint gold as she went on, oblivious to that small fact. “A party to celebrate something, yes and while that’s all well and good, for all we know it’s to celebrate our capture and eventual demise. With the ritual flaying and obligatory torture. Don’t you know anything about the demons you hunt?” 

Riley stood his mask firmly in place and faced off against the half demon before him. “We have to know what we’re up against. We have to know if Buffy’s alive or dead…or undead for that matter. We have to know what their plans are and we have to know sooner rather than later.” 

Cordelia threw up her hands in disgust. “NO! It’s so not happening. No one, and I repeat no one, is going in there. It’s beyond stupid!” 

“Have you a better idea?” Riley asked, changing tactics. 

Well, no. not really, but Cordelia wasn’t about to admit that. Her better idea was to head back to Russia as quickly as possible and hope that no one knew of her arrival in America. “We wait until their little soirée is over then see what we can find out. Hearing it from a demon higher up than whoever your guys beat up is always more reliable. Besides, it may not get us killed this way.” 

Riley looked at her, weighing her words with this empty hollow feeling he had had since Sam died. Maybe she was right, maybe she had a point. Another two day couldn’t hurt them, could it?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy walked down the stairs, following Angelus with her eyes as he moved as graceful as a cat across the floor. Drusilla had done her hair and makeup, insisting that ‘mummy’ look her best while Willow looked on, highly amused; the two had come to some kind of weird understanding Buffy didn’t think she wanted to know about. The dress was a floor length waterfall of silk, clinging in all the right places, flowing in so many more. She showed just enough cleavage to satisfy her yet not enough to make Angelus angry – he tended to not like it when anyone else looked at her. 

The red was deep, dark, crimson in its color, small straps were all that held the material on her. Her heels were tall bringing her, she knew from experience that sent a shiver through her even now, to just the right height for Angelus’ cock to thrust into her. Buffy had practiced walking in them for hours the other night so she wouldn’t fall and make a fool of herself. 

She watched as Angelus turned, casting an appreciative eye over her body, smile forming as she walked to him, swaying her hips just enough to make the silk flow around her. He held out his hand, drawing her near, placing a soft kiss on her lips while his hand moved over her nearly bare back. 

“Stunning as always, my love,” he murmured against her lips. 

“I knew you’d like it.” Buffy replied, rubbing her pelvis against his hardening cock and licking his lips. 

He deepened the kiss, drawing from her responses that she had never given to another, letting his hands wander, molding the fine fabric against her soft skin. Reluctantly he pulled away, lowering her leg from around his waist as he did so. 

“Our guests will be here soon, love.” 

“So? It’s not like they aren’t going to start their own orgies within the hour.” 

Laughing, Angelus pulled her back to him, kissing her fiercely. “Yes, but none of them get you. Not a glimpse, not even a scent, if I could help it.” A bit unreasonable, true, considering the fact that Buffy only had to look at him to want him, but a demon could have his fantasies, couldn’t he?

Trailing a hand over his face, Buffy gripped his chin hard, forcing him to look at her. “The first person to as much as look at you strangely dies.”

Laughing again, Angelus nodded. “And you think the first one to look at you won’t? You are mine, love. Mine and no one else’s.”

Buffy kissed him hungrily in answer. “Yours as you are mine.”
~~~~~~~~
Drusilla wandered into the basement shortly before the guests began to arrive. She was excited at the prospect of a party; they were always so much fun. Angelus always gave the best, the best food, the best wine, the best toys. She couldn’t have been happier. And Buffy, her new mummy, was going to be shown off this evening and the world was never going to be the same. 

She glided across the floor to Dawn, her bright shinning star. Lifting the poor girls’ head, Drusilla brushed the stringy hair off her face. After tonight she’d move the child from the dark basement to her rooms, clean her up a bit and have tea with her and all Drusilla’s dolls. 

“So pretty, so young. Don’t worry, my sweet, Mummy will take good care of you. I’ve got lots of fun games we can play, so many things to do. And you’re going to be the center of it all, the center of the world.” 

Laughing at the girl’s befuddled look, Drusilla gently released her head, smoothing a hand over her cheek and wandered over to their other guests. Lilah was conscious only some of the time, her body over taxed and undernourished, and Faith had been beaten – more mentally than physically because her responses were just so very entertaining– just yesterday. Neither welcomed a visit but Drusilla only wanted to look; she smiled brightly at Faith’s dark yet silent glare and swept out of the room 

Spike was waiting for her at the head of the steps, looking very dapper if she did say so herself. Maybe she could talk him into growing his hair again, she so loved running her fingers through it. 

“Ready, pet?” 

“Yes, my Spike, ready for the world.”
***********
Saffir looked around at the mansion Angelus and his mate called home. 

Nice place, airy, big but not overly so. Which surprised her as Saffir, while she had never actually met him, had always heard the vampire preferred large and expensive dwellings. While this was it, she half expected something more along the lines of the Tsar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. 

Still, the décor was first class, dark and expensive with splashes of vibrant colors that contrasted and added nicely without being overbearing. Large windows that were un-curtained allowed the stars to shine into the rooms, adding an openness that Saffir had to appreciate. Clean and, most importantly, protected from the outside world by guards and magicks. Had to appreciate that kind of attention to detail. 

She spotted him immediately. And wanted him. 

Tall, distinguished, foreboding. Everything a vampire could hope to be. His eyes swept the room, cataloguing those guests that were there and those who weren’t. He sipped from a tall flute, absently nodding over the vintage and saying something to the minion who served him. He had the kind of look that screamed danger without being overt about it and was all the more formidable for that. 

A trio of women wandered up to him, a stately brunette, a willow-thin woman with jet black hair, both emitting a kind of power that most vampires could only hope for, and a petite blonde who looked like she should still be in school. 

This notion was immediately dispelled when Saffir focused on the blonde, sensing the sheer power radiating off her, and the cruel twist in her eyes as those green orbs scanned the room. Young she may look, but the blonde was definitely someone Saffir wanted on her side. The trio laughed with the man, vampire, she knew they were all vampires, and left, the blonde placing a lingering hand on his arm, murmuring something to him with a smile before she walked back out of the room. 

Taking a proffered glass of wine, Saffir wandered closer to the vampire, wondering who he was and what function he planned on fulfilling this fine evening. And how she could get him into her bed. 

Damon was going to be in attendance, but Saffir held no doubts that her dubious association with him was soon to come to an end. Something for which she could only be grateful. The sooner that pathetic excuse for a demon died his final death, the happier she’d be. 

Before she had made it more than a dozen steps in his direction, Saffir felt her Sire’s hand on her arm. Turning, she smiled at him, bowing slightly out of respect though that was usually not required between them. After being together for a few hundred years there was more to their relationship than Sire/Childe; a friendship had developed between the two very nontraditional vampires. 

Here, however, it was best to stick with traditions. At least until the full dynamics of the situation were revealed. Vampire and slayer as Joined Mates was about as bucking tradition as one could get, though everyone here didn’t yet realize the times…they were a changing. 

“Sire,” Saffir said, forcing her attention away from her as yet unidentified vampire and Paul’s attention away from his inner musings.

“Saffir, beautiful as always. You do not disappoint, my dear.” Paul smiled at his long favored childe. If it were possible he would have said there was a soft spot in him for the vampiress. “Damon not yet arrived?” 

“No, he said he had business to attend first and would follow me shortly.” 

“Planning to attack Angelus tonight?” Paul was incredulous; what kind of fool was the other vampire? Never mind, he already knew the answer to that. “Here, on Angelus’ home ground and with all these to witness?” 

“You mean for someone who doesn’t play fair to do so in the midst of everyone? Yes, I thought that as well. My only guess is that he hired either extra bodyguards…or he hired thugs. Can’t decide and he’s stopped leaving a paper trail in the apartments since your meeting with Angelus.” 

Paul shook his head, disbelievingly. “Idiot; he deserves whatever he gets.” Then a truly evil smirk crossed his features. “Naturally, I’ll have to warn Angelus. As my partner, he’s required to know…” 

“Don’t you love a double cross that isn’t really one?” Saffir asked, turning back to look for the man who caught her attention.

“Rules are often malleable, Saffir, I taught you that long ago.” Then, sweeping a kiss over her cheek, Paul walked off leaving her to ponder what the night held.
~~~~~~~~~~
Willow watched for several long moments as Paul talked with a striking woman clad in a deep blue dress. Shrugging away the small piece of jealously that wormed its way through her and reminding herself that they had no relationship outside of very enjoyable sex, she turned to wander the room. And spotted Spike and Drusilla. Damn it, now that really hurt.

Again, though, she could deal. But that didn’t make anything any better. 

Still she could tolerate the other vampiress, Drusilla had proved surprisingly…accepting of Spike’s relationship with her. Willow still didn’t understand that, but she went with it, for now at least. One would have thought that with the absence of so much and the additional gains as a vampire, that pesky things such as relationships would be easier. 

Boy was that ever a myth. 

An arm slipped around her waist, pulling Willow from her thoughts. “Paul, enjoying yourself?” 

Paul smiled, genuinely pleased – and surprised to find himself so – to see her. It was strange, but Paul wasn’t one to ignore such things. Nuzzling her neck, finding himself for the first time in his unlife wanting to taste someone…to taste her, Paul said, “I’m finding this to be a suddenly immensely enjoyable party. You?” 

Unconsciously leaning into him, tilting her head more to allow his lips more access, Willow couldn’t help the smile. “It has its good points, can’t deny that.” 

“So when does this big announcement take place? I prefer not to have an audience for our more carnal acts.” 

Willow caught herself sighing as his lips left her throat. “Not everyone is here yet; Angelus wants to make sure notice is served to everyone all at once. Plus we have yet to spot Damon; and Angelus really wants a go at him.” 

Smirking as he led her to the dance floor – one had to admire a house in this day and age that had an actual ballroom – Paul said, “Speaking of, there’s a rumor going around that he’s planning something tonight. It’s just come to my attention, but I thought Angelus should know.”

Willow tilted her head back to look at him as he swept her around the floor. “Planning what?” 

“Don’t know exactly, but he’s a fool so it could be anything. Or it could be nothing, just added protection for the festivities this evening.” 

Willow nodded and searched the room for her family. Spotting Giles, she excused herself from Paul and went to inform him of this new information.
~~~~~~~~
Giles looked around one last time before heading to inform Angelus that almost everyone had arrived. The other vampire was talking with a small group on the far side of the room, a mixture of vampires, demons, and humans. It was an interesting sight, Angelus rarely associated with humans, but Giles knew these were anything but typical. 

Buffy was floating through the crowd, careful not to reveal who or what she was though the questions were asked nonstop. Giles had proposed this small subterfuge with the intent on having their announcement come as that much more of a shock to all. True, Angelus’ scent was all over her, that couldn’t be helped, but it was well known that Angelus indulged in his pastimes with abandon. 

No one knew of Buffy or not what she looked like. Everyone knew of the slayer and knew of her powers; many knew of her relationship with Angel. But only a select few knew of her change in status. 

Giles was just walking over to Angelus when Willow stopped him. 

“Paul has just informed me that Damon is up to something. He was unsure what that something was, but felt we needed to know.” 

Giles nodded, walking again to where Angelus stood. “It’s best to start things, then, don’t you agree?”
***********
There were at least fifteen master vampires in attendance this evening from all over the globe. 

Buffy watched them as them as they watched her. Whispering behind her back as though she couldn’t hear them. Foolish, foolish vampires, they had no idea what was about to happen. One or two almost recognized her, though Buffy found that hard to believe; she usually killed all vampires who crossed her path.  

But they said nothing, merely tracked her movements through the crowd, warily watching her as she sipped from her glass and listened to the conversations around her. They weren’t masters who recognized her, fledglings at best, followers of the strongest. They must have been smarter than the average vamp in Sunnydale as they had yet to open their mouths, blurting out the news that the slayer was in their midst and she had been turned. 

Her muscles cramped, telling her that danger was near but Buffy chalked that up to residual slayer sense. Still, it could come in handy in the future that was for sure. 

There was a small part of her that wanted to find Angelus, stay by his side and have him protect her from those before her. But she viciously fought that feeling, again chalking it up to residual slayer senses. 

There were other whispers, too, these on who she was, what she was doing here. The new face everyone wanted to know just in case; in many ways vampire society was entirely too political for its own good. Buffy knew her scent was mingled irrevocably with Angelus’ they had exchanged too much blood, had had sex too many times for it to ever be otherwise. 

Some said she was the proverbial flavor of the month, a transient lover while he rebuilt his power base. Others said she was his childe, the new favored for the new millennium. They could never guess the truth for it had never before been done. Buffy smiled at a few of the women gossiping in a corner shooting her downright hostile looks. If they had bothered to breathe deeper, they’d have realized that Angelus’ scent wasn’t just on her, but an integral part of her. 

Walking back into antechamber of the ballroom, Buffy looked at her lover, watched him as he made nice – for Angelus at least – with the group he was with. Watched as he, too, forced himself not to turn fully in her direction; he merely acknowledge her out of the corner of his eye though Buffy caught his emotions fully across their Joining Link. 

He, too, struggled not to stare at her, take her hand and lead her into their rooms, tasting her skin, drinking from her lips. Not to sink his fangs into her neck reaffirming his brand. Not to roar in pleasure as she pierced the brand on his neck, drinking deeply from him as well. 

Whoa, stop it Buffy, thoughts like that lead to…everything good. But not here. At least not tonight or, Buffy amended as she wandered around the room, watching others watch her and Angelus, not before their little soirée was over. 

“He’s back, so what? It’s not like anything will change.” Someone said as Buffy walked by, smirking as she did so. 

“Wasn’t he some kind of warrior? I really thought I heard how he was in…India, maybe, helping the good win the war.” His companion replied, taking a long sip from her drink. 

“Yes, I heard that as well; I wonder how he came back. Last I heard he had a soul.” 

“Still,” she all but purred, licking her lips as her eyes trailed over the other guests to linger on Angelus, “If he’s back, then that has to mean something. And I’d love another go at him, all that muscle and look at those hands. He definitely knows how to please a lover.”

Buffy forced herself to remain in her human guise, to keep walking around the woman – who wouldn’t survive the night if she had any say in it – and continue on her way. What was it she had wished for? To find and torture all Angelus’ past lovers. Well, it looked like the unsuspecting woman in the entirely too tight leopard dress – really, didn’t she have any sense of decorum? – was about to be her first victim. 

On and on it went, no matter where she walked, human or demon, the conversations were the same. The tone was respective – Angelus always demanded respect – but inquisitive. Everyone knew of his reputation, no one doubted him or his viciousness, but that wasn’t the point of the current conversations. 

Their point was: What was going to happen now? Or, more importantly, what was or was not going to change? 

Everything, Buffy wanted to say, everything was about to change. 

She spotted Giles walking up to Angelus; no doubt the festivities were about to begin. Buffy picked up another glass of blood red wine – which was literally blood mixed with red wine – and went to find Willow. She hadn’t looked far when she spotted her black haired childe walking swiftly towards her. 

“Buffy…Sire…” It still took a little for Willow to call her longtime friend by her proper title. But she tried, especially when in the presence of so many vampires. Not because Willow feared those that crowded into her house but because, at the moment, they wanted no one to know just how much power the few inhabitants possessed. 

Willow lowered her voice and, as subtly as possible, moved Buffy to a relatively empty corner of the room. “Damon is…up to something. There’s a toss up as to whether it’s protection or aggression, but we’re not taking any chances. Giles went to warn Angelus and I came to find you. Time to get this show on the road.” 

Buffy nodded as they walked back to the main ballroom. Damon be damned, he had no idea who he was dealing with…but he was about to find out.
~~~~~~~~~
Spike snickered as he watched the show around him, crushing out his cigarette. 

There were quite a few Master vampires in attendance, each trying to one up the other. It was all very amusing, them trying to brag to others who had done about as much in their long lives as the ones currently bragging. But the funniest part of it all, at least to him, was that they hadn’t done nearly as much as Angelus in his few centuries. 

Drusilla floated around the room, laughing at those who thought they knew her, knew what was to come. She listened and chatted, revealing nothing to those who asked. 

“Sill, silly, my Sire will never tell,” she said as Spike walked up to her. “It’s all a great surprise.” 

Spike watched both his lover and his Sire’s mate. It was his responsibility to do so, even though Buffy could more than take care of herself. She wandered from room to room, listening to conversations, watching, waiting. He saw several vampires attempt to follow her, but she merely turned in their direction and stared. Whatever they saw in her eyes stayed them in their tracks. 

Smirking again as Drusilla avoided the advances of Master Ra who had delusions of godhood, his gaze locked with Angelus’. It was time, then. Gathering Dru, he made his way to the raised stage of the ballroom, taking his place with Giles and Willow. Buffy sat off to the side, waiting her turn.
***********
The makeshift stage was just that though it didn’t look its part. 

The platform was raised about six feet off the floor, giving enough height to the night’s speakers without seeming overly pretentious. That would come later. The stage itself was sturdy enough to withstand an onslaught but it, too, was decorated in the colors of the room; nothing half assed for Angelus. Two chairs adorned the stage, shadowed in the brightly lit room even though most had supernatural vision and could easily make out the woman sitting in one. 

Off to the side stood Spike, Giles, Willow and Drusilla, all watching the crowd as they gathered around, waiting for the evening to begin. There were a few hostile looks aimed at Spike, obviously his reputation had not been forgotten in the short time he had been back in the fold. Giles and Willow received speculative looks, as though they were known but not from where. 

However, the main talk was about Buffy and why she was sitting in what was obviously meant to be a throne. 

Spike had done his job and had done it well. The demon community knew of Angelus’ return, knew that he was back and that he intended to regain all of his power. When he was around things were never dull or boring and there were quite a few here who remembered those days and wanted to return to them. 

Of the master vamps here, almost all were either neutral in their feelings for or tolerated Angelus (friendly was not the correct word) and would listen to his words with the appropriate measure of respect. Most would follow him willingly; some would follow because they wanted that power. None would see it last for Angelus had no intention of sharing outside his family. 

Angelus walked onto the stage, suddenly, his stare enough to quiet the hushed voices. Buffy stood the second he appeared and went to his side, not saying a word. Together they looked out at the gathered demons allowing their presence, together, to be studied. 

Their wedding bands, the marks adorning each of their necks, branding them mated. There were few here who understood exactly what that meant, the ritual having not been preformed in centuries, though all but the newest made knew the significance of such a mark. Buffy’s expensive gown and the ropes of jewels decorating her coiffed hair, the lithe grace as she walked the few steps to Angelus’ side, the predatory gleam in her bright green eyes. 

Angelus as he took Buffy’s hand, bringing it to his mouth, a matching smirk on his face. There was something in his eyes that no one else could make out, something that only Buffy could see and she smiled back at him. Her face, however, gave nothing away and the enthralled crowd moved back a pace in disappointment. 

“For millennium we have been hunted,” Angelus began, turning back to the assemblage and letting Buffy’s hand go though they still stood closely together.

“Our time on this earth has been spent in the darkness, hiding, concealing our presence from those who walk in the daylight. We live in filth and squalor, feeding off those we can find. Some of us are better off than others and that is the way it should be. Masters rule over childer, over minions. Fighting between our clans is as old as those clans themselves. 

“We have not been truly united in over two thousand years, allowing petty differences to drive our kind further into the realm of myths and legends. The humans have forgotten what it is they fear, thinking themselves safe from that which goes bump in the night. Telling their children that as long as they believe it then those creatures of the night cannot hurt them. 

They fight amongst themselves, fighting for domination over a world they do not understand and have little hope of understanding. They hate each other, for one reason or another, wanting to subjugate all, rule everything, but still they live in ignorance. Ignorance of what truly stalks their young, of those who threaten them, of those who have the true power of this world. 

“There are those who fight the darkness those whose sole purpose, whose destiny it is to stand between us and the world. Slayers are the most formidable enemy for the light; they stalk us as we stalk them, hunting us through the night as we try to live our lives. Nevertheless, their lives are fleeting, snuffed out in the space between heartbeats. One falls, another is called. Learning their mistakes sometimes fatally while we have centuries to refine ours. 

“Yet that is all about to change. A new era is approaching, one where we shall be the rulers of this world as we once were. One where warriors of the light will fear us will hide from us. The first stages of that have already begun; the highest leaders for the light have been captured, turned or killed.” 

Angelus stopped at that, letting his words sink into his audience collective conscious. They were hanging onto to every word he uttered, each wondering if it could possibly be true what he said. Many have spoken of such a resurgence of vampiric power, but few had the strength to bring it about. 

Angelus’ reputation alone guaranteed that most of those masters present would seriously listen to his words. His next words guaranteed everyone would consider his proposal. 

Someone in the middle of the crowd shouted, “What of the Slayers, Angelus, have you the both of them?” 

Buffy walked a step forward, sweeping her gaze over the crowd that had gathered, her smile chilling and evil, unnerving all those present. “What do you know of the slayers?” 

“That there are two, one in each of the major camps. Something went wrong in the Watcher’s Council and two were called.” 

Her smile still in place Buffy inclined her head. “There were two. One is currently chained in our basement.” 

“And the other?” The more the man opened his mouth the more he guaranteed his own dusting. 

“Stands before you.” 

For one long moment, the crowd was quiet the silence echoing around them in deafening clarity. Every eye in the place was firmly on Buffy, staring at her with a mixture of shock, hatred, and interest. Several had a speculative gleam in their eyes, calculating the next step in whatever plan they may have had.
Buffy, for her part, merely stood there, standing straight and proud, hair gleaming, eyes sparkling, and power coming off her in waves. Angelus again stepped next to her, running a finger over the mark adorning the right side of her neck. 

“I have taken Buffy, the strongest slayer in history, as my Joined Mate, as my equal.” He said, voice echoing throughout the room. 

He allowed the pandemonium free reign for several moments before stopping it. His first true test; could he control those before him? Yes, as they all quieted within seconds of his roar. They knew a Master when they heard one, even the Masters acknowledging his prowess. 

“Who among you do not believe me?” He asked, for he knew that there were always those who doubted. 

Several either brave or foolish or both strode forward. Not masters in their own right, but strong, powerful, old. Angelus acknowledged them with a nod before taking a small but telling step backwards. This was Buffy’s fight. 

Buffy leapt forward, flipping through the air to land in front of them. In the seconds it took for her to execute her leap, the rest of the group backed away, forming a loose circle around the combatants. While it was true that an aged vampire could be as strong as Buffy and, indeed, Angelus was one of the few who could conceivably take her down, her speed, agility, strength, were unmatched. 

The five vamps and one Grukilop Demon – strong, smart, and virtually indestructible except for two small holes in their armored body – were quickly dispatched. Granted, the vampires were the first to go, she had fought too many of them for it to take long, their dust floating about Buffy and the Grukilop as they danced around each other. But the demon really didn’t stand a chance. 

Besides the classical reading Buffy had been doing, she had also brushed up on her demonology. That was Giles’ contribution and Angelus had been more than happy to allow the former watcher that time with his former charge. His theory was simple; Buffy needed to know everything she could for the future he intended them to have. 

Which was just as well as she had never fought a Grukilop Demon before tonight. If she hadn’t read about them just last week, Buffy would never have known that the small hole in the back of its knees was their only vulnerable area. 

In the end it didn’t matter if the group believed her the Slayer or an incredibly strong and powerful vampire, they accepted her. Accepted her and Angelus’ Union and the fact that, together, they were the most powerful vampires in the world. 

Slowly turning in a circle, her eyes scanning the crowd before her, Buffy leapt back on the stage to stand beside her mate. Within seconds chants had erupted, “ANGELUS AND BUFFY” echoing over the room, floating down the wine cellar stairs to the ears of the captives. The spell ‘protecting’ them from any outside guests only blocked their presence to anyone else; it did nothing to block anyone else from them. 

Catching her in a fierce embrace, Angelus attacked her mouth running his hand down her neck to again bring the crowd’s attention to the fact that they were Joined, that they had gone through the Union Ritual and there was nothing that could ever separate them. Eyes sparkling gold and brown, Angelus pulled back to again face the crowd. 

Paul stood off to the side, Saffir next to him. Her gaze had transferred itself from the stage to him at Buffy’s announcement and had virtually ignored the mostly one-sided fight between Buffy and her would be detractors. She was not mad, surprised, obviously she, like everyone else present, hadn’t expected such an announcement. Her eyes ticked from her Sire to Damon who had arrived just prior to Angelus speech then back to Paul. 

“So that’s,” she said as voices erupted, calling out questions and congratulations and demands, “What your big secret was. I admit; I never would have suspected it. Actually, I wasn’t aware that it was even possible.” 

Paul laughed as they moved closer to the stage, “I couldn’t tell you, I was under oath to keep her existence a secret until Angelus announced it.” With serious eyes, he turned to his most favored childe. 

“Are you with me, Saffir? Will you stand by my side as I join Angelus? If you do not wish to,” he continued before she could agree or not, “I understand. I won’t stop you, you are strong enough to be Master in your own right, and I will allow you seven days to relocate before I’m forced to hunt you down.” 

Saffir was quiet for a moment as the chaos around her and the shouts of Angelus and Buffy’s name, calmed. “I stand by your side, Paul. Not because you are my Sire, not only because of that at least. But because it seems as if Angelus and his Mate can actually pull this off; and I so miss the old days. Life here has grown boring and dull.” 

Paul smiled a genuine and pleased expression on his handsome face. Saffir raised a hand and traced the strong lines of his cheekbone, pressing her lips to his to seal their agreement. Their relationship was no longer as passionate as it had been. Time had dulled their desire for one another and had changed the Sire/Childe roles into one of friendship, trust, acceptance. 

Before anyone else could say or do anything else, Paul walked to the front of the crowd, bowing on one knee, Saffir next to him. “I, Paul Francis Claude Stewart of the Clan Dalriada, do so pledge my allegiance and blood oath to you, Angelus and Buffy of the Clan Aurelius.” 

Saffir echoed his words, “I, Saffir Adenydd late of the de Chaworth Family of Kidwelly Castle of Wales, Childe of Paul Francis Claude Stewart of the Clan Dalriada, do so pledge my allegiance and blood oath to you, Angelus and Buffy of the Clan Aurelius.” 

That was when Damon understood all too well what was happening. He swaggered forward, stopping just behind Paul and Saffir as the sliced open their wrists and let a few drops of blood fall onto the floor. Later Angelus and Buffy would have a small taste of their blood to seal the oath, but for now, the symbolism was enough. 

Taking a small dagger he laughed, the scars on his face standing out in his fury. 

“Traitor!” He screamed and lowered the knife into Saffir.

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