“They’re not trying to destroy the world.” 

“Gee, ya think?” Came the sarcastic reply from the frantically pacing woman. 

“So if they’re not going to destroy it, they’re just…going to take over the demon community?” 

“Do I look like a fucking mind reader to you?”

Cordelia snapped at her companion as she continued her worried pacing. Her head was pounding to the beat of her feet, the blood thundering through her veins, her mind racing a mile a minute the thoughts in no discernable order. Was it any wonder she had a massive headache? 

“I have to contact Wesley,” she said eventually, not caring if Riley heard her or cared. 

It had been too long since she had last checked in and Cordelia knew that her friends were worried. She was terrified that when she finally did speak with her friend that she’d find someone else had been lost to them. She knew that Wesley was still alive; she had maintained her soul-link with him since she left their camp in Russia. He was worried and weary, but he was alive.

It was everyone else that she worried about. 

But in the…eight days, God it had only been eight days since she had had that mind wrenching vision. Eight days since she and Riley had driven to the Santa Monica Pier and saw all those demons. All those demons who were…worshipping Buffy and Angel. Angelus. Whatever. 

Eight days since she had seen Giles and Willow and Spike and Drusilla standing there, looking smug, superior, and not remotely like the soul-having fighting for good beings she knew three of the four to be. Eight days since Cordelia Chase realized that every single assumption she had ever had about a soulless Angelus and a vampire Buffy was entirely, completely, absolutely and in all other ways…WRONG. 

Those two were being WORSHIPPED! There was just something entirely wrong with that picture, but Cordelia shoved it aside in favor of the more important matter. The more important matter being that Riley was wrong, dead (oh, Lord, what a word to use) wrong. Angelus and Buffy weren’t out to conquer the demon community. 

They were going to rule the world. 

Fuck, now that she had that thought, completely and not squashed under a forceful little voice in her head that said if it wasn’t fully formed then it couldn’t be true, Cordelia didn’t know what to do. It was one thing to subconsciously think it, it was quite another to know it for a fact. 

Being the…king sounded too tame, too insipid a word for this, god and goddess seemed more on par with what she had witnessed. But whatever the word, king or god, those demons believed Angelus and Buffy to be the next messiah, to lead them from the sewers and lairs and into the streets, ruling the land as they once had, so very long ago. They might not even realize it, those screaming out to their new leaders, but Cordelia was sure (now that is) that only ruling the world was going to satisfy the vamps. 

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Cordelia ignored the dirt and filth in which she sat and steadied her breathing. Deep breaths as Lorne had taught her so long ago when they first realized that her return trip from being a higher being had yielded another, different power than she previously had. 

At the thought of her long dead friend, Cordelia lost her concentration; she still missed the green skinned demon, his jokes and soothing council. He had been killed during the first days of the battles, before Buffy and Angel had joined forces only to separate them on opposite ends of the world, before they had reunited in one passion filled night that had caused Cordelia no end of jealously even as she realized that whatever she had with Angel was nothing compared with what he had…still had with Buffy. 

Damn it, this wasn’t helping matters. The past was the past and it did nothing and no one any good to bring it up again. 

So again Cordelia evened out her breathing, she focused on the bond she shared with Wesley, following the string that connected them. Searching for his soul through the morass of souls populating the world. There he was, asleep, exhausted. Loath to wake him Cordelia did so anyway, knowing that there was no other way. 

“Wesley, wake up, buddy, we have some problems.” Hmm, Cordelia thought as she heard her words and saw Wes start awake. Maybe she should have thought of different wording there. 

“Cordelia?” 

He voice echoed around her head, confused, relived, tired, oh, so tired. He watched her image as it floated in front of him, shimmering in a golden aura that blotted out her the details of her location. 

“Where are you? Are you alright? What happened?” He fired off the questions as quickly as he could; wanting to ask her everything before – if – she got disconnected. 

“Relax Wes, I’m fine. Well, physically at least. How’s everyone there?” She asked, hoping to stall for a bit before her bombshell. 

“As well as can be expected, we’ve managed to maintain position but only just; it seems as if everyone is aware that Angel and Buffy are no longer in control.”

And that was her opening if ever she heard one. “Ah, yes, well now they really know.” She didn’t give her old friend time to react to that before she bulldozed on. “They’re vamps, Wes. Well of course you already knew about Angel, but yeah, he’s Angelus now. And Buffy?”

She nodded once, grim faced, “Turned. But it gets worse…and I wouldn’t believe that myself except I saw it with my own two eyes. And some binoculars because there was no way I was getting any closer. Giles and Willow are vamps, too, Spike seems to have switched sides, AGAIN, and Drusilla is…back. Oh, and did I mention that they started conquering the local demons, getting them all riled up?” 

At his stunned pale look Cordelia sighed. “Maybe I should have told you to sit first, yes?” 

Wes nodded, but it didn’t seem as if he was aware of that motion. “Turned? They’re all turned? And, and, and…Giles, too?” 

He went on a bit more, muttering about it as if it were still his first year in Sunnydale. Obviously he was stuck on that one point. Cordelia, sympathetic yet impatient, finally snapped, “Wes!” 

He jerked his head up, a glazed, stunned look in his eye. 

“Did you hear the rest? That bit about them and world conquering?”

“Oh, yes, yes, Cordelia, but…what?” Shaking his head the former watcher tried again. “Yes, you believe that Angel…Angelus and Buffy are going to try taking over the world? What makes you believe this?”

“Please. I admit that I was wrong at first and didn’t realize the true extent of what could happen, but believe me; I’ve had my eyes opened. They’re out for revenge against the world they gave up their lives, and each other, for again and again. They’re not looking for something simple and easy; this is long term, wide range.” 

Yes, Wesley admitted, he could see how the soulless, conscious–free state of his friends could induce them for revenge of this magnitude. Hey had devoted their lives, given up everything and just about everyone for their beliefs. And now, when the world was so fractured, when the battles had ranged far and wide and spilled into the general conscious, it was the perfect time to implement that plan. 

“What’s happened so far?” 

Cordelia took a deep breath and related what they’d learned in the eight days since the four day crusade waged by Buffy and Angelus, up to and including the worshipping, near idolization of the two. 

“Oh,” was Wesley’s only response to that, “I see.” Well then, he said in a brisk voice, standing and Cordelia had to tilt her head to follow a man only she could see and hear. “Thank you for the warning, Cordelia. Are you coming back, or staying there?” 

Expecting as much, or as soon as the shock wore off, Cordelia nodded to her friend. “Here, I can’t leave, you know that. But I wanted to warn you, wanted you to be prepared for them should things…not go as planned.” 

Wesley nodded again, “Be careful, Cordy.” 

She disappeared as innocuously as she had appeared and only then did Wesley realize that he had forgotten to tell her of Connor and the boy’s dreams. Damn. Well it was too late now and they had other things to worry about. Namely the fact that more bad news, especially this kind, just wasn’t going to sit well with the rest of his group. 

Cordelia stood up, looking at Riley as the former commando stared in fascination at her. He seemed shocked and not a little disconcerted. Too bad, he’d have to get over whatever feelings he had about her one sided conversation with her friend. 

“What about the curse?” He suddenly blurted, as if just remembering such a thing were possibly. “Can’t you return Angel’s, and everyone else’s soul that way?” 

Slowly nodding, the former higher being sighed sadly. “Technically, yes. With the right herbs and a few Orbs, it’s possible. But…it’s been months, and I doubt that in that time they’ve been living off pig’s blood. Plus, only Willow and Giles had enough power to really pull it off though I’m sure Wes has a copy. It’s been so long and from what little I know about…” 

She was going to say from what little she knew about Angel’s first return as Angelus, from the difficulty he had had readjusting to the here and now though there was his stint in hell to consider. Still, she knew enough to know that the First Evil wanted him gone and it was only through Buffy’s intervention and some timely snow from the Powers that he had made it this far at all. But Cordelia caught herself, it wasn’t even her business let alone Riley’s. 

“I don’t want to put my friends, the souled people I knew and respected, through remembering what they did.” 

Riley looked at her funny but refrained from comment. Instead they went back to trying to figure out how they were going to stop Buffy and Angelus from turning Earth into a devil’s playground.
**********
Willow stood at the railing overlooking the patrons that swarmed the club below her. 

Angelus and Buffy’s control over the demon population had caused a massive increase in those willing to venture into the night and once word spread of Paul’s Blood Oath to them, The Infinity’s popularity had doubled. Good for business, bad for Willow – in the past few days she had barely seen her lover. 

The beat of the music flooded through her, causing her stolen blood to race with want, longing, the need to move. But she held herself perfectly still, watching. 

Watching the few humans in the club – they had no idea that the world they insisted on living in, the world that accepted them only on its outer most fringes, had changed. They would never be accepted now; they would be subjects under this new rule her family was planning. At best, they’d be allowed to live with maybe some small option of being turned one day. 

And the others, those whom she tracked through the bar and dance areas, would never again see the light of day. 

She felt him before she saw him and wondered, briefly, about that. But then his lips were on her neck, his hands wandering over her bare arms. 

“Enjoying yourself, Willow?” 

Arching her neck to allow him further access, Willow purred in answer. “You know you have a couple of humans in here…ah, yes, right there, Paul.” 

His large hands roamed over her scarcely covered body, under the blood red tank top to pinch her erect nipples, smoothing down her flat stomach to dip into the waistband of her short skirt. Her skin was creamy, nearly translucent, and Paul couldn’t resist tracing the blue veins with his tongue. Later, once he’d taken care of his remaining business, he planned on exploring her body much more thoroughly. 

“There are always humans here, Willow, they think that if they meet enough vamps then one will take a liking to them and turn them. Usually, but not always, they end up being human slaves or food. Things rarely turn out how anyone wants them to; humans are no exception.” 

Hiking up her skirt Paul slipped a long finger into her, tracing her mound with his other fingers, teasing. With his other hand he unbuckled his belt, undid his pants, letting them ride low on his hips. Bending her slightly over the railing and entering her in one thrust, Paul set a quick pace, pounding into her fiercely. 

Feeling his face shift, he nuzzled her neck, licking her dead pulse point. His fingers pinched her clit, hard, before sinking his fangs into her neck, drawing deeply from her body.

Arching into him, meeting his thrusting beat for beat, Willow stiffened as her orgasm streamed through her and she stifled, just, Paul’s name the moment his fangs penetrated her neck. Clenching her inner muscles around him, she felt his own climax erupt the moment her blood hit his tongue. 

Her legs wanted to give out and Willow so wanted to sink to the floor, bringing Paul with her, just to feel his weight on her, his presence by her, but instead she steadied herself against the railing, breathing in great gulps of unneeded air as her system leveled out. 

“Missed you, too, baby,” she murmured, turning in his arms for a heated kiss, running her hands over his arms and back. 

“I have to get back, there are about twenty beings waiting to meet me. Now I know that I haven’t been neglecting my business that much, but considering the line waiting for me, you’d think I was gone for a month.” 

Willow smoothed the scowl from his handsome face, rubbing his full lower lip with her thumb. “It’s the Blood Oath; everyone wants to be part of this now that someone else started it. Plus, they know where you are and you have a reputation of being at least a little reasonable: you won’t kill them outright. Angelus doesn’t enjoy that reputation and Buffy…? The number of demons and vamps willing to go within twenty feet of this slayer, former or not, is slim at best.” 

Letting his hands roam over her soft flesh, Paul smiled at her description. “I don’t think I’m going to like being the one with the reasonable reputation. I’ll have to work on changing that. Think staking a couple of vamps for no apparent reason will help with that?” 

Laughing with him but shaking her head, no, Willow sucked at his lower lip, nicking it just enough for a few drops of blood to well there. Running her tongue over it, she added, “Go back to work, I have some people to check out.” 

“The humans?” 

“They’re not just any humans, lover; they’re part of the Army.” She pulled him to her side by the railing and pointed to the two to which she was referring. “I don’t know who the other three are, but I know those two, personally.” 

The wicked gleam in her eye tipped him off. “Cordelia and Riley? They had the nerve to actually walk in here? Stupid, ballsy, but stupid.” 

“And that describes them both, perfectly. Cordy always had more guts than brains, and Riley never listened to common sense even when it was staring him in the face. Or punching him in it; but that’s only Riley down there with some of his unit. I recognize Graham, but no Cordy. Seems she does have more brains than guts today.” 

“Going to follow them?” Paul asked, thinking that that wasn’t such a good idea, letting her go; one of the minions would do. 

“Yeah, but I want to tell Angelus and Buffy first.” 

“Send a couple of minions instead; stay with me tonight, see what they report back, then we’ll go inform Buffy and Angelus. I doubt it’s possible, but just on the slight off chance that they actually have something/someone capable of capturing you I’d rather explain the loss of two minions that no one even remembers the names of rather than you.” 

Willow nodded, still tracking them through the crowd. “Okay, that makes sense. Whom do you suggest? I want to give them their instructions personally, any fuck up and they won’t have to worry about Riley or Cordy finding them, I’ll deal with them.” 

Paul pulled her closer for a brief kiss as her eyes flashed gold then black, before leading her down the hall in search of the vamps he had in mind.
~~~~~~~~~~
Riley looked around the room, gyrating bodies were everywhere and it was amazing he could hear Graham through their comm. unit at all with the decibel level of the music. 

His eyes ticked from vamp to vamp, noting there were a few humans here, but dismissing them quickly in his search for a familiar face. Or strategic information, either, at this point was useful. They, or rather he, had decided that they needed all the information they could garner and since this club seemed to pop up more than once in casual eavesdropping, it seemed as good as any place to start. 

Cordelia had adamantly refused to come, insisting that nothing good could come of it and going to Angelus and Buffy was tantamount to suicide. Then again, she had said the same thing about waiting for the two vamps to find them, so it was really a toss up. 

This was a simple mission: listen to everything and hope that there was something useful in the conversations they were recording. Then again, all anyone could talk about anymore was the fact that Buffy and Angelus had taken over the LA demon community and were planning on doing the same to the world. 

If Cordelia could be believed, and she was the only remaining human in America who knew those involved, they weren’t stopping there. But he hadn’t told anyone else of her theory, one thing at a time; no need to start a mass panic among the remaining members of the army, plenty of time for that later. 

And if it were possible maybe, just maybe they could stop them before it went that far. 

Riley looked around again, thinking that he was being watched. His eyes drifted up to a balcony, searching the emptiness for…something. 

He saw, briefly, a tall man laughing with a shorter dark headed woman. Vamps, no doubt, Riley couldn’t see a human being allowed up there, but he had no idea who they were. Maybe just a random thing? Experience told him no, but Riley honestly had no idea who they could be and why they’d want to follow his movements. 

They hadn’t heard anything about the owner of this club, so maybe it was someone he’d had a run in with when he was a member of the Initiative? Again, that was doubtful, but Riley had no other idea. 

An hour later, he admitted defeat and hoped that another member of his team had had better luck in finding out something. Regrouping a block from the entrance, they walked back to their headquarters, taking back roads and looping around at least twice. 

But they still couldn’t lose the two minions Willow and Paul had sent to follow them.
**********
“What a pain in the ass,” Buffy mumbled to herself as she read through yet another letter that had been delivered. By messenger of course, the demon community wasn’t really into the whole United States postal system. 

Looking through stacks of paper, papyri, and foolscap that cluttered the desk in front of her Buffy continued her conversation with herself in the empty library. “Why am I doing this? Do I care that some demon promises my mate concubines? And when I figure out where that address went in all this mess, I will kill him.” 

Buffy growled deep in her chest, face shifting at the thought. Obviously whoever had sent that missive had no idea what the words ‘Joined Mate’ or ‘Union Ritual’ meant. When she found him, her, whatever, they’d be more than sorry, they’d be a thousand pieces scattered across the planet. 

“Why are they writing, anyway? Can’t they just come in person; a letter of introduction isn’t going to help.” She looked once more at the stack of unread papers before her and asked no one in particular, “Do I care about any of this? No, not at all. And why the hell do I have to go through these letters? Why am I doing this to myself? Because…I have no reason.” 

Pushing back her chair Buffy stood, stretched the kinks out of her shoulders and writing hand and went in search of her mate. She’d worry about whom to make take over the whole correspondence thing later, right now she and Angelus needed to have a little talk. 

They had decided to split the responsibilities, mainly between she and Angelus but Giles, Willow, Drusilla, and Spike each had their duties as well. Though Drusilla seemed to only take care of Dawn and Spike decided he wanted to be the muscle in the family, somehow everything worked. Except now Giles was leaving. 

No, not leaving, Buffy reminded herself, he was securing their interests elsewhere. Smiling as she crossed the moon drenched marbled hallway in long determined strides, Buffy wondered at Giles’ continued ability to surprise her, to make her laugh when she wanted to mope. He was off to the Hellmouth and they did need someone there that was for certain; it had been left unprotected for too long as it was. 

Buffy found Angelus where he always seemed to be anymore, sitting at his massive oak desk, scowl firmly in place, in the back study. In the two weeks since they had ‘taken over’ the demon community they had spent less time together and more time doing ridiculous networking, meeting with representatives, and generally being – and Buffy shuddered at the word – politicians. 

The closer she got to the room the more the mark on her neck throbbed. Grinning in anticipation, knowing that if her mark throbbed in proximity then his would as well, Buffy threw open the doors and stalked to his desk. He had been up too late most days, trying to bring everything and everyone together, only coming to bed exhausted to fall into a deep sleep for a few hours before starting the whole business again. 

He rarely went hunting anymore, usually having Spike bring him back someone to eat. 

Oh, sure, he gathered her close, holding her while they both slept and their sex life wasn’t totally gone, but their long days of making love, of hunting throughout the night were gone. Buffy was about to get that back. 

Angelus was alone, which was just as well as what Buffy had planned wasn’t for some flunky to see. And as predicted, he was scowling at the papers before him. They had both known that once they started their plan that things would change but Buffy’d be damned if she let it change their lives this much. 

Walking up to him, Buffy ignored both the papers and the scowl and pulled his wheeled chair backwards. Spinning the chair to face her, she tilted it back just enough for them to be eye to eye. 

He looked up at her, his own mark throbbing at her nearness. Watched her as she rested her hand on the leather covered arms of his chair and looked at him. 

“Are we taking over the world?” 

Cocking an eyebrow at the question and wondering where it came from, Angelus nodded, “Yes.” 

“Both the demon and human communities?” 

“Yes.” 

“And we’re doing this together, are we not?” 

“Yes.” Where was she going with this? 

“So,” Buffy said, moving closer, allowing her unneeded breath to caress his ear, her tongue darting out to swirl around the outer shell. “Then I guess the question becomes, do you still want me?” 

That surprised him and his face, usually so closed off when it came to revealing his emotions, showed it. “More than anything in the universe, love. What make you ask these questions?” 

“You’ve spent the last weeks holed up in here, meeting and reading and doing who knows what and,” she concluded, straddling his lap and feeling his erection through both their pants, “I’m here to stop that.” 

Ah, now it all made sense. He was feeling the same, so why was it any surprise that Buffy was feeling it as well? Neglected wasn’t right, it was more like withdrawal. They had spent so much time together, Joined as Mates, feeding, sleeping, making love…and yet these past few weeks had been spent organizing their endeavor. They spent less time together and more time actually working. No wonder Spike never wanted to be master over something like this. For one he hadn’t the patience to follow through and for another, it seriously cut into pleasurable activities. 

Settling his hands against her hips Angelus smiled as she kissed the raised skin on the side of his neck, biting it with her blunt teeth, causing him to moan in need and thrust against her. “This whole doing work in separate rooms? That stops now.” 

Angelus resisted reminding Buffy that she had originally shared the library with Giles and that she had wanted it that way because he helped her with the mounds of letters they received. And that before she went with Paul for a couple of days Willow and she had talked while going through the mail, comparing letters and generally laughing over the stupid requests that came in. 

“And this staying up until all hours of the morning and coming to bed to sleep? Yeah, that stops as well; I’m tired of sleeping in that huge bed when we could be doing much more pleasurable things. Or even our new play room, haven’t really had time to break that in properly, you know.” 

“I know, love, but-” 

Her mouth on his cut him off before he got much farther. “Now let’s try this again. Angelus, love, repeat after me. ‘I, Angelus, will not spend all night and half the day away from my mate. I will not neglect my mate; I will not become so wrapped up in conquering the world that I forget my mate.’” 

Angelus smirked, “That has a lot to do with you, love, feeling neglected, are you?” He kissed her lightly, running his lips down to her mark and sucking there for a moment before continuing. “I never meant for that to happen, Buffy, you know that right?” She nodded when he looked into her eyes and he finished. “Good, you are the most important person in my life, and I will never forget that.” 

Buffy smiled, reassured though she wasn’t really worried that he’d leave or forget about her so much as that he’d get so caught up in dominating the world that he wouldn’t have time for her. That wasn’t something Buffy planned on letting happen. 

“You haven’t said the words.” 

Cradling her head in his hands, Angelus repeated the vow before capturing her lips in a searing kiss, letting her know with words as well as deed that he meant everything he ever said to her. 

Resting her forehead against his, Buffy smiled. “Good, now let’s go hunting, it’s been ages since we’ve been out together and I miss that. Plus I’m hungry.” 

She slid off his lap, smiling again at his moan of frustration, and held out her hand.
~~~~~~~~~~
They walked slowly down the brightly lit street, watching clubbers arrive and leave, arm in arm, looking for all the world like a couple out for a moonlight walk. 

“You have no idea how boring it’s been, going out with Willow or Giles most nights. Sure, they’re good and it’s fun to watch them but it’s just not the same. Drusilla even came along one night. Now that,” Buffy said as she spotted a club, music pulsing out onto the street, “Was an experience. Though I have to admit, she’s an interesting hunter. Must be that ‘I’m crazy and fragile’ look she does so well. Draws them in like moths to a flame.” 

Angelus led her into the club, ahead of the long line of humans waiting for entrance and protesting loudly their preferential treatment. The bouncer, unbeknownst to them, was a vamp and, naturally, knew Angelus and Buffy. They got in with no problem. 

“She was one of my masterpieces,” Angelus admitted as they walked to the dance floor, “Her mind was broken and I molded it into what I wished it to be; she was, for a time, a wonderful student.” 

A path seemed to clear for them as they moved together, sensuous and erotic in their movements. The crowd couldn’t help but stare at the couple as they moved to the beat of the DJ, awed and jealous, wanting either or both of them yet noticing how they only had eyes for each other. 

Sinuous grace, as Buffy molded her body to her mate, fingers tracing the lines of his face, hands sliding down his chest to rest on his hips, holding him close. Protective and envious, predatory as Angelus hooked one of her slim muscular legs over his hip, pressing his erection into her as his strong hands held her almost tenderly. 

Lips inches away, eyes locked, her tongue licking the full lower lip of her mate in promise, in desire. The growl that escaped him, too low for anyone to hear over the music, that said of his want and need. 

The room was full of humans, hot blood pumping through oversexed bodies, the perfect playground for their next meal. But for now they chose to indulge in themselves, plans were forgotten, conquests, requests, pleas, promises, everything remotely related to the outside world was forgotten in each other’s arms. 

Angelus slowly backed Buffy up, off the dance floor and against a wall, uncaring of the bouncers or the crowd, the lights that flashed over them every once in a while meant nothing as his lips attacked hers and his hands roamed her bare skin. She had changed into a short skirt before they left, knowing that whenever they hunted together their night was filled with sex; the release went so well with their meals. 

Unbuttoning his pants, Angelus pulled Buffy up and wrapped her legs around his waist, plunging into her quickly. Their coupling was quick, the scent of blood and sex in the air too much for anything else. Fangs slid into their marks, completing their mating just as the long kiss afterwards did. 

Setting her back on her feet, Angelus smoothed a lock of hair back from her face, cupping her cheek as she rubbed against his palm. “Ready to eat now, my love? You’re right, it’s been entirely too long since we’ve done this together.” 

Taking his hand, Buffy led him back to the dance floor in search of their meal.
**********
“So this is the Hellmouth, huh?” 

Giles looked around the mostly ruined city. It really hadn’t changed all that much, now that he thought about it. Sure, lack of buildings gave it a certain barren look, but there were still vamps and demons out in full force, their population diminished as it was, and the occasional human stupid enough to wander the streets alone. 

Home sweet home. 

“This is Sunnydale, yes, such as it is.” 

He finally answered, as he rounded the car to stand next to Saffir. She had agreed to accompany him to Sunnydale as his consort, an amenable agreement to both of them and to Angelus, Buffy, and Paul as well. The chance to be the consort of the ruler of the Hellmouth was also a great incentive, and Giles was under no illusion that she had followed him out of any sort of love for him. They didn’t have that kind of a relationship. 

“Will you look at that? The high school is still standing. Or a portion of it is. I thought we had destroyed it again.” 

Saffir looked to where he was pointing, following his line of sight over hills and rubble to the burnt out tower adorning a semi-flat piece of land. Turning to her lover she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and laughed. 

“Why would you destroy the high school building? Enemy headquarters?” 

“No.” 

“Yours and they destroyed it?” 

Shaking his head Giles laughed, “No.” 

“So why would you destroy the high school?” 

Smirking at her question Giles said, “It sits over the Hellmouth.” 

“They built the high school overtop the Hellmouth?” Still laughing she turned back to the sight. “That’s just…that’s just…amazing. I really can’t think of another word for that. And I can’t believe humans are stupid enough to do such a thing.” 

Giles smiled, slipping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close for a fierce kiss. “This is the second time they’ve done so.” At her incredulous look he laughed and told her the story of the first equally unlucky high school building as they wandered down streets and through remnants of neighborhoods. 

“This town really is the epitome of hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, isn’t it? It’s a wonder no one outside the town realized anything was amiss before the battles.” At his look Saffir stopped, staring up at him. “Uh, another story?” 

Giles nodded, looking around him, trying to get his bearings. If he was right then the Bronze was nearby and should be, despite the wars, filled with oversexed teenagers too stupid to know that they shouldn’t be out of their houses after dark. Or, for that matter, shouldn’t be in this town anymore. 

“Come on, I’ll tell you the brief version on the way. There’s a club around here that’s always filled no matter what’s going on or how many times it’s trashed.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The Bronze was as filled to capacity as the rapidly dwindling population of Sunnydale would allow it to be. 

Music throbbed through the rooms, drawing young and old alike to the one place left in the town that sat atop the opening to hell where life could be found. The music promised life and a way to forget the past, the present and the future but everyone knew, consciously or not, that it was all a lie, that nothing could erase the death and destruction that were a constant reminder. 

No one knew why they stayed, maybe some slim hope that their town could be rebuilt, maybe some hope that once the rumored wars ceased things could return to the way they were, the way everyone remembered they were at least. 

But that was a slim hope and one that was about to be dashed altogether. 

Rupert Giles walked confidently into the Bronze, ignoring the bouncer and looking for all the world like a king gracing his subjects with his presence, his lovely queen on his arm. He paused several feet in the doorway, letting his gaze travel over the fifty or so patrons attempting to pretend.

There were only a few vampires in the club, most having left town several months previously in a vain and futile attempt to work for Wolfram & Hart. That army, one way or another, was no longer and the few demons present in town were the stragglers. 

He waited as everyone stared at him, waited as the humans looked away, refusing to meet his gaze, waited as the vampires recognized a master and lowered their eyes out of respect of one more powerful than they. Waited as one vamp refused to look down and walked up to him instead. 

“This is my town, buddy, we don’t take well to strangers.” The vampire, standing slightly over six feet, with dirty hair and foul breath looked Giles in the eye, bluster to the fore. 

“I don’t think so,” Giles said, not backing down from the threat of one measly vamp. He could have taken him while he was human let alone now. “See, this is actually my town, has been for a number of years. I really don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” he continued when the vamp showed no signs of cowering. 

“I am Rupert Giles, watcher, childe of Buffy of the Clan Aurelius, Mate to Angelus of the Clan Aurelius. I presume everyone here knows of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer? And her Joined Mate, Angelus, the Scourge of Europe?” 

The vamps that had previously lowered their eyes in deference to Giles were drawing closer at his speech. Curiosity captured them at first but his words were what held their attention. 

Tall, ugly, and smelly snorted in an explosion of fetid breath but Giles still didn’t flinch though the smell was horrendous. “The slayer? She’s a vamp? Never heard of that before. And isn’t Angelus one of the white hats now?” 

“I told you they were stupid,” Giles said to Saffir who had been watching with a smirk on her face. “Not only do they lack manners but they lack information, as well. Too bad Willie’s not here anymore, he’d have been among the first to hear about the new rulers.”

Turning back to the soon to be dusted vamp, Giles finished. “One,” he said, capturing his opponent’s hand, “You need to keep up on the latest news. Two,” here he broke three fingers in rapid succession. “You need to respect your betters. And three,” Giles bent his wrist backwards, the snap echoing in the room. “You need to respect me.” 

Whipping out a stake with speed and efficiency that Buffy would have admired, Giles rammed the pointed wood through the vampire’s heart and ignored the dust that floated around him. 

“Now then, any other questions?” 

No one had any and Giles nodded, turning to the closest remaining vampire. “The plan in simple, find all the remaining demons in Sunnydale and have them meet me in front of the remains of the high school two hours before sunrise. Any questions?” 

Shaking his head, no, the vamp scampered away. 

Turning back to Saffir who still work a smirk, he clasped her hand, bringing it to his lips and smiling at her. “Hungry? There’s bound to be someone here to your taste.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Thirty minutes before sunrise Giles and Saffir were entering the old Crawford Street mansion that Angel once used. 

It was in serious disrepair but for the moment that was of no concern to them. It was still furnished, albeit dusty, and held everything they required. There was plenty of time for cleaning, later, for now all the couple needed was a place to sleep the daylight hours away. 

Or most of them, the mansion had access to the sewers and Giles fully intended to make use of that access after he slept. 

“Not a bad speech there, Giles, very impressive.” Saffir smiled at her lover as her stripped the covers off the mattress, looking at the fully made bed beneath it. Shaking his head at the sight and wondering just who had kept up such a thing, though they often used the remote dwelling for storage, Giles began to undress. 

“Seemed appropriate, if you ask me. And I didn’t hear any complaints.” 

“No, of course not, you dusted the two who did complain.” 

“Yeah,” He said, smirking at the memory, “I know. Now then first thing we begin construction on our new mansion…” 

“I’ve seen the plans,” Saffir said, cutting him off as she stalked him around the foot of the bed, letting her naked body sway. “What you’re planning isn’t really considered a mansion; I think the proper definition is ‘palace’.” 

“Whatever works,” Giles shrugged as her cool hands led him to the few steps to their bed. Her lips found his, tongue slipping inside the cool cavern to duel with his. As she drew him onto the bed under her, Saffir’s last thought was that when she agreed to follow Paul into the Blood Oath she didn’t think it’d take her this far. 

But she had no complaints, none whatsoever.
**********
Spike watched as his Sire worked on Lilah. 

There was nothing left to the woman now, her clothing had been stripped away, Buffy’s portrait standing in stark contrast on her emancipated body. She had been washed – thoroughly – and fed, so the stench coming off her was severely lessened, but Spike could still smell the despair and fear coming off her in waves. And something else though Spike couldn’t quite place it but it had to have something to do with Angelus and his lessons. 

Then again, Angelus had been remiss in his reeducation of her these last weeks, so focused on his new position so Lilah was bound to forget some of her previous lessons. 

Smirking as he lit a cigarette and listened as Angelus cajoled another response from suddenly eager to please Lilah, Spike thought that whatever Buffy had said and done last night, had worked wonders. He knew Buffy was feeling the strain as well, so used to having Angelus undivided attention for the whole of the day and night, Spike was actually amazed that it had taken so long for her to do something about it. 

But whatever she had done, his Sire was back and in full force.

Turning his attention from Lilah who, by now, had no dignity and no self-esteem whatsoever and was willing to do just about anything Angelus told her to do, Spike focused on Faith. The slayer – the one and only at this point – had been unusually quiet the past weeks, barely saying a word to anyone except when directly asked. And even then she answered the question as it was posed, no sarcastic comebacks, no jibs, nothing that wasn’t related to what had been asked of her. 

There was something going on there and Spike was determined to figure it out. 

What he couldn’t understand was why no on else had picked up on it. They knew Faith way better than he did, had worked with her both before and after her stint on the dark side, and yet they ignored her as she did them. And maybe that was it, Spike thought now as he narrowed his eyes on the slayer, watching her as she surreptitiously watched everything around her. 

They knew her; her, the woman, Faith. They thought, rightfully so, that she was broken. That she was never strong enough in the first place to handle the responsibility placed upon her shoulders. And they’d be right. Still, there was something there that sparkled with life and resistance. 

And Spike wanted to be the one to break that. 

Crushing the cigarette out Spike turned to the doorway as Buffy walked through. Angelus was murmuring to Lilah now, coaxing a reply out of her with the promise of food but didn’t turn when his mate entered though he certainly sensed her. 

Buffy walked up to Spike, and for a few moments they watched the master in silence. Unconsciously licking her lips in pleasure as she watched her mate mold Lilah into a mindless slave, Buffy resisted the urge to jump him and interrupt his work. Now that he was back she wanted nothing to interfere with that. 

“Getting some pointers, Spike?” She asked her former lover, her tone condescending despite the odd relationship they had developed these last months since her transformation. 

“Studying, actually,” he said, catching her tone but wisely choosing to ignore it. Some things weren’t worth arguing over and with his Sire’s mate – as with his Sire – those things were just about anything they said or did. 

The way he said it, the tone, told Buffy two things: one that he wasn’t the brash vampire he had been when they were lovers and even later when they had fought together. She was sure that it wasn’t that he had learned or changed – if a hundred years hadn’t done so then a few years with a soul wouldn’t – so much as he honestly feared Angelus and she.

Good that was as it should be. 

And second, that he wasn’t just watching Angelus, he was watching something else. Or someone else. Interesting as the only other occupant currently in their wine cellar was Faith. 

Damon had been staked to the center of the front yard the day before Giles and Saffir had left for Sunnydale. He had slowly burned, almost as if the sun had known of his treachery and deceit and had taken its time engulfing him in flames. His feet, smashed and mangled as they were, were the first to go, followed by his legs, which were broken in several places each and painstakingly straightened to be crucified to the ground. 

Up his torso, bloodied and bruised as it was and missing several key organs that were soon to be quite useless anyway to the burning vampire. His fingers, also broken, wrists, up his spread arms, again broken, until the flames on his torso reached his chest, partially caved in, and joined together, surrounding his neck and finally his face, turning the whole of the vampire known as Damon into a pile of scorched ash that marked the yard. 

He had screamed for mercy the entire time. 

The family had watched from the front room, eating popcorn (Spike’s idea, he said this was the post-show and they needed entertainment food) and sipping wine; they all agreed that this was a fitting end, long overdue, to the vampire. It also served as a lesson to any who tried to oppose them and one that wasn’t going to be forgotten anytime soon as they had invited several of the more well known vampires in the Los Angeles area to witness Damon’s humiliating final death. 

“Studying?” Buffy asked, coming back to their present conversation. “Studying what? Or, should I say, whom?” 

Jerking his chin in Faith’s direction Spike pulled out another cigarette, lighting it as he told her of his suspicions. “There’s something in her, the slayer, that isn’t as broken as we all thought.” 

Buffy nodded, already having suspected this. She had been, after all, the slayer for a good number of years and knew what went on inside a slayer’s mind. She had never figure out Faith or her motivations, but Buffy knew that the essence of her, that part called SLAYER, was still there, fighting. 

“I want time to study her, figure out why. I suspect it’s the slayer portion of Faith that’s still alive and fighting and I want to see what that gives us, where that leads.” Turning to her he asked, “Can I have her? I won’t kill her,” Spike hastily added seeing the objection on Buffy’s face. “I know that isn’t in our plans, I’ll keep her alive, not a problem. But I want to break her, see if I can. See if it’s possible to break the slayer, the human host already is, after all.” 

He paused, taking a drag on his cigarette, “Or see if I can retrain the slayer.” 

Buffy looked at her once sister slayer, examining her from top to bottom, staring into her eyes for long minutes as she contemplated Spike’s request. 

It was true that they had largely ignored Faith for a while now, focusing more on their plans and new opponents rather than on their old friends and prisoners. But Buffy, too, had noticed that the slayer had somehow retained a stronghold inside the weak human vessel. Had grown to encompass all of Faith while the girl that was ‘Faith’ had all but disappeared. 

“What do you plan on doing to her?” 

“Nothing…at first. I told you, I want to see what’s there, what I have to work with. And then? What do you think,” Spike asked, suddenly having a wonderful idea, “Of having a controlled Slayer on a leash? She’d make a nice assassin.”

Buffy turned from her perusal of the woman hanging on the wall, a feral smile on her face and a predatory gleam in her eye. Her small pink tongue came out to lick her lips, once, before running around her human teeth in obvious pleasure. 

“Permission granted, Spike. See what she has.” 

They shared a sneer at the ideas that were running around both their heads, knowing that whatever the outcome, it was going to be an interesting journey to get there. 

“Love?” Angelus called, interrupting their sadistic moment. 

Buffy turned her attention to her mate completely forgetting, for the moment, Spike and his wonderfully twisted plan. She walked over to him, hips swaying in invitation as her lover’s eyes followed the movement, passion shinning through. Reaching his side she couldn’t stop her hand from wandering down his back to caress his ass through the leather pants he always wore when ‘entertaining’ in the wine cellar. 

“Now, be a good slave and say hello to your mistress.” He directed the woman hanging limp and naked in front of him. His arms were folded over his chest, stance straight and commanding, eyes stern, everything about him screamed to be obeyed. 

Raising eyes that were dead, Lilah obediently said to Buffy, “Hello, mistress.” 

Cocking an eyebrow, Buffy nodded back, obviously pleasing Lilah for she smiled gratefully and lowered her eyes again. Turning to Angelus she smiled at him, “Nice, baby, very nice. But how good is she?” 

Angelus laughed low in his chest, knowing what his lover was after. “Not that far yet, love, we’re only in about stage two. Obedience must be learned first before anything else.” Directing his attention back to Lilah, he asked, “Who are you?” 

“I am slave.” 

“To whom do you belong?” 

Eyes still lowered and voice devoid of all emotion, the answer still bespoke of utter devotion, “Master and Mistress.” 

“What is your purpose, slave?” 

“Whatever my Master and Mistress desire of me, it shall be done.” 

Angelus poured another glass of water for Lilah, allowing her to drink her fill through the straw. When she was done he fed her some bread, cheese, and fruit, then allowed her to drink again. Rewards and punishment, it was a wonderful system. Today she had done well so was permitted to eat and drink; she’d be bathed again later in lavender scented water, her chains padded so as to not rub her wrists and ankles rawer than they were. 

Tomorrow was another story entirely. 

Depending on his mood and Lilah’s responses, food, bath, and water could be transitory luxuries. But that was part of the whole process, that rewards system he so loved. Lilah would learn soon enough that even when he was in a foul mood there were certain things she’d do that would make her life so much easier. 

Satisfied with his progress for the day, Angelus turned his back on his new slave and took Buffy’s hand, bringing the palm to his lips and caressing the sensitive skin there. “Ready, my love?” 

“Always, Angelus, always,” Buffy replied with a smile that was caught between lustful and gentle as he led her out of the basement and to their rooms, already engrossed in each other. 

Spike shook his head at the retreating couple. Still, them completely immersed in each other was better than them both being in shitty moods which had been the norm the past two weeks. Anything was better than both of them growling at everything and everyone because they hadn’t spent enough time shagging each other’s brains out. 

Looking one last time at Faith, that calculating gleam still in her eyes, Spike crushed out his cigarette, leaving the cleanup for the minions who were responsible for Lilah’s bath, and went in search of his own mate. 

He’d start on Faith tomorrow.

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