Sunnydale, 2000


“So, you’re like, super old?” Harmony giggled as she drank the rum and Coke the bartender had given her.

“I’m one hundred and thirty-two years old,” Tessa answered, managing to remain calm despite how annoying the other vampire was. “I’ve only been a vampire for one hundred and twenty of those years.”

“You were…” Harmony looked up at the cracked ceiling as she tried to do the math in her head.

“Twelve when I was turned, yes,” Tessa replied, ordering another drink for herself, knowing it would alleviate the irritation she felt as she spent more time with Spike’s latest conquest. “How old were you?”

“Barely eighteen,” Harmony answered. “I’ve only been a vamp for a year and a half.”

“Well, you seem to have adjusted well,” Tessa said sadly, sipping from the cup in her hand. “I know I didn’t revel in my change for several years.”

“Why not?” Harmony asked curiously, looking at her.

“I was in denial,” Tessa said, focusing intently on the shards of ice floating at the surface of her drink. “I thought that perhaps if I was good, I would be rewarded by returning to my human self.” She quickly finished her drink, becoming angry as memories flooded her head. “Then one night, I realized that being a vampire apparently was my destiny, and I guess I decided it was time to embrace it.”

“It’s not a bad lifestyle,” Harmony replied.

“It can be. I’ve had… difficulties when it comes to being taken seriously. Minions in the past have turned on me, claiming I wasn’t ‘master material’. I’m older than most vampires around, but yet, I’m still seen as a child. Spending eternity trapped in this body has been a nightmare at times.” Tessa took out money from one of the pockets of her black pants and put it on the bar as she stood up.

“You never told me why you dislike Spike so much,” Harmony said, looking at the smaller vampire.

“He’s the reason I’m still in this world, even though I should’ve been dead and buried decades ago,” Tessa answered, upset. “I was supposed to get married and have children, just like he told me a couple of days before…”

“Before what?”

“Before I became a vampire,” Tessa said. “Before he turned me into a creature of the night.”

~~~~~~~~~~


London, 1880


“Pretty William, look at what you have done,” Drusilla said as she watched him lower his dead mother onto a chair. “Her soul lies with the angels now.”

“Like yours and mine,” William replied, looking at his mother, now paler than before from blood loss. “She will turn into one of us now, yes? I completed the procedure correctly?”

Drusilla hummed a song to herself as she began to twirl around in place. He smiled at her whimsical demeanor and took her hand in his, pulling her closer to his body. She giggled and began to dance with him, pleased when he allowed her to lead their steps.

“Shall I bury her?” he asked. “Like you buried me?” Drusilla didn’t answer, focusing more on dancing to a beat only inside her head. “Perhaps I should send for the local mortician.”

He broke away from her and walked to the front door of his childhood home.

“I wish to go look at the stars,” she replied, twirling again in the opposite direction of William.

“I will come for you once I finish finding a way to contact the doctor,” he said, watching her walk through the back door before he went upstairs to the servants’ quarters.

After asking the family’s maid to quickly go to speak with the city’s mortician about his mother, William returned to the main level of the house and looked in on his mother before walking through the house and going outside.

Drusilla was standing in the center of the garden, her back to him. He slowly approached her, grinning devilishly as he thought about how they would spend the rest of the night.

“Drusilla,” he said, getting her attention.

She looked over her shoulder at him, her vampire visage covering her face, blood on her mouth and fangs. Her amber eyes flashed at him as he quickly walked closer, noticing the small body that she was clutching. When he realized who she had bitten, his eyes widened in disbelief and shock.

“Tessa?” He took the young girl away from Drusilla, hearing her heartbeat slow down even more as death began to course through her.

“She tasted like apples,” Drusilla said, delighted. “Still warm from the sunlight.”

“You kill children?” William asked, disgusted at the thought.

“They feed my appetite,” Drusilla answered, lifting up the bottom of her skirt a little as she began spinning around in circles.

He ignored her maniacal laughter as he studied Tessa, tightening his hold on her as he realized what he should do, what he owed her.

“I have always promised you I would protect you,” he whispered, carrying her over to the bench they had sat in days earlier and stroking her hair. “I shall never break my promise to you.”

He brought his wrist to his lips and closed his eyes as he felt his face change and his fangs elongate inside his mouth. He opened his eyes and focused on an intrigued Drusilla as he cut open his wrist with one of his fangs before holding it to the dying girl’s mouth, hoping she would drink from it.

As he felt her tentatively lick at the cut, he smiled with relief, surprised when Drusilla walked to them and crouched down in front of the girl.

“Will she be my dolly?” Drusilla gently pulled on one of Tessa’s blonde curls.

“She will be ours to look after,” he replied, happy that Drusilla didn’t seem upset with him. “And Mother will look after all of us.”

“Like one happy family,” Drusilla said, clapping excitedly.

“Like a family,” William agreed, smiling.

“I cannot wait to introduce you to Angelus and Darla,” Drusilla replied. “We shall all live together, hunt together… play together.”

“Who are Angelus and Darla?” he asked, not familiar with their names.

“You will soon find out.”

~~~~~~~~~~


Sunnydale, 2000


The following night, Spike watched as the Slayer walked through the cemetery, in the direction of his crypt. He followed her slowly, stopping a few feet behind her when she knocked on his crypt’s door.

“What’s the occasion?” he asked, raising an eyebrow when she turned around quickly and looked at him. “You never knock – you always let yourself in. What prompted the change?”

“I was asked to tell you that you’re invited to a party at the Bronze on Friday night for Tara’s birthday,” Buffy said. “She seems to like having you around, although I have no idea why.”

“You were doing so well with being nice, but then you had to muck it up,” he replied, shaking his head. “Why didn’t she ask me herself? Why would she send you, of all people?”

“I had to patrol, so I guess she figured why not have me kill two birds with one stone?” she replied, shrugging.

“I’d rather it be birds than a shaggable vampire like me,” he said, smirking.

“And to that, an extreme see you later,” she said, beginning to walk away.

“Buffy,” he called out after her, surprised when she stopped walking but kept her back to him. “Tell the good witches I’ll be there.”

“And you won’t do anything to ruin the night?” she asked, looking over her shoulder and leveling him with a cold gaze.

“I like the bird – I’m not going to do anything to make the night less than enjoyable for her,” he answered, digging his cigarettes out of his duster and finding his lighter before lighting a cigarette and taking a drag from it.

“I’m holding you to that,” she said, frowning when he grinned. “What?”

“You’re holding me?” he asked, amused. “Didn’t know you wanted to touch me, Slayer.”

“Yuck,” she replied, making a disgusted face as she began to walk once again.

“Should I be wary of you on Friday, luv? If you’re going to do something inappropriate to me, I think I should know in advance,” he said, chuckling when she flipped him off. “Should I take that as a yes, then?”

“Go to hell,” she replied, loud enough for him to hear.

“Won’t go to hell unless someone stakes me,” he said, opening the door of his crypt.

“That an invitation?” She turned to see his annoyed expression before smiling and turning once again. “Night, Spike.”

He watched her go and finished his cigarette before flicking the butt away and sighing. “Too bad she won’t shag me – I’d like to live out that dream I had yesterday after I went at it with Harm.”

Harmony was crouching carefully in a nearby tree, scowling as she heard what he had said and ignoring the tears that started to form in her eyes.

“You’ll get what you deserve,” she whispered, focusing on his crypt. “She’ll make sure of that.”

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A/N Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 1! I'm happy everyone seems to like the story so far! I forgot to mention it before, but I will be changing around and omitting some of the things that happened in season 5 for purposes of moving the plot along.