Chapter Summary: Giles is taking Buffy home while Dawn remained at the hospital with Joyce. Spike is out patrolling where he ran into Drusilla and Riley. Angel is still out there somewhere searching for Spike and Dru. Dru found some vampires who were not Sired of the Aurelius line. Will they be able to kill Buffy? Will Riley get his revenge on Spike by beating him in combat? Will Angel get it right, or will he stake the wrong vampire?

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"You've got to be kidding, Dru." Spike stared at Riley without fear. "He's just a fledgling. You ARE crazy if you think a fledgling can beat a Master Vampire who's bested two Slayers."

Drusilla clapped and cooed. "He will, my Spike, because I know something you don't."

"And what's that?" Spike's eyes never left Riley. He was still unconvinced about a fledgling being able to kill him.

"You can't kill me." Riley broke into the conversation with his words and a punch that missed Spike's face.

Spike rolled his eyes. "In case you didn't notice, you aren't all that human now." He thought about that. "Even if you were, the chip isn't working anymore." He turned around with a flying kick to Riley's gut. He was satisfied to hear the air rush from Riley's lungs and no pain in his head accompanying the hit. "Though I'm sure you already knew about that."

Riley bounced off the ground and back to his feet. "Xander paid you a visit, did he?" He laughed with glee. He threw a left then a right hook, the latter of which connected with Spike's jaw.

Spike rubbed his jaw with one hand and shoved his elbow into Riley's shoulder. "I knew the whole situation stunk of you and the Whelp in cahoots." He growled and raced at Riley with anger.

Drusilla watched the two fighting. It delighted her to see all the anger and insults flying as well as their fists. She motioned for the other vampires to stay near the crypt for now. They had another purpose to tend to; one that would be here shortly.

Buffy and Giles drove from the hospital to her house with the windows rolled down. The night was unseasonably warm. Even if that hadn't been the case, Buffy wanted to inhale the open air deeply after breathing in the sterile air of the hospital for the last 36 hours.

They had agreed to take the long way home. It allowed them to drive by several of the main cemeteries Spike usually patrolled. As they neared the Restfield cemetery, Buffy sat up straighter in her seat.

"Do you hear that?" Buffy leaned out the window to hear better. "Giles stop the car. I feel ..." He voice trailed off into the night with her sentence unfinished.

Giles stopped the car and shut off the engine. He hadn't heard anything before, and he still didn't now. He watched Buffy carefully. She was clearly listening to something in the distance. He wondered if her familial link increased her Slayer abilities. He hadn't had the time to ask her because she jumped out of the car and ran across the grounds. "Oh dear Lord," Giles exclaimed. He grabbed his keys from the ignition. He knew he couldn't match her pace, but he followed in the general direction of Buffy's exit.

Buffy followed the sounds of fighting across the graveyard. The moon was partially covered by the cloudy night. The clouds crowded in even tighter to force the moon to hide behind it. The wind kicked up with bits of twigs and leaves twirling around the tombstones. 'I don't like this one bit.'

Dru listened to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the tombstones. Everything was happening just as she'd foreseen. She waved her hand at the small group of vampires. She needed them to hide in the crypt now and prepare her last surprise.

Buffy staked a newly risen vampire on the way to her destination. She remembered this from her nightmare, and she wanted to eliminate any possible threat.

Buffy skidded to a halt several feet away from Spike and Riley. "Oh no." She uttered softly.

"Oh yes, naughty Slayer." Drusilla popped up behind Buffy with two other minions. They tossed magically enhanced ropes around Buffy's waist and arms.

Buffy struggled against Dru and the other vampires. When she'd kick one away another would take its place. "I thought the link kept you from hurting me?"

"I'm only holding you back." Drusilla giggled maniacally. "I'm not the one who's going to kill you."

Spike felt when Buffy was near, but he tried to keep his focus on Riley. He was strangely strong for a fledgling. He wondered what Dru had been feeding him.

"Finding it a bit harder than you thought it would be, Spike?" Riley taunted Spike.

Riley punched while he laughed harder. "So you think. I don't think you can kill one of your own."

"I've been killing demons for almost as long as your blasted Initiative has had me chipped." Spike snarled. He ducked underneath one of Riley's punches. "I can't choose my family, but I can certainly cut off some of the dead branches. I'll have no problem killing you, wanker." He forced the palm of his hand up against Riley's jaw, snapping it.

Riley stumbled back against a tombstone. He worked his jaw back and forth to put it in place again. "You'll pay for that."

"Bring it on, farm boy," Spike retorted. His attention was drawn away from Riley when Buffy shrieked behind him. He searched the landscape to locate her. "Dru, no!" He panicked at the sight of Buffy tied to a tree with Dru holding an axe at her throat. He momentarily forgot that the familial claim prevented Dru from issuing the killing blow.

Those moments were all that was needed for Riley to pull a capped hypodermic from his pocket, remove the cap, plunge the needle into Spike's arm, and unload the contents of the syringe into Spike's system. "Now we'll see who is the Big Bad." Riley punched Spike inbetween his shoulder blades.

Dru leaned down close to Buffy's ear. "Watch and learn, pet. This is why you leave my men alone, naughty Slayer."

Buffy watched in horror as Spike writhed in Riley's embrace. The needle still stuck out of Spike's arm, and he seemed to grow weaker by the moment. She shook her head back and forth rapidly muttering, "Not again. Please not again."

"See what happens when you try to take what is mine?" Dru cupped Buffy's chin tightly. She forced Buffy's gaze to remain on Spike while Riley punched and kicked the downed vampire.

"What do you care, Drusilla? You left Spike." Buffy spat out and cried. "You knew he'd come back here when you left him."

"I really don't want Spike anymore, but you do." Drusilla grinned. "The fairies say if I kill Spike then maybe you'll feel the pain we felt when you took Daddy away from us."

"All of this because Angel can't love you with his soul?" Buffy laughed harshly. "You really are insane. It's not my fault that Angel can't stand the sight of you when he's all soulful."

"NO!" Drusilla shrieked. "Daddy loves me. You're the one who's tainted him against me."

Giles, having finally caught up, waited for the right moment to strike. Everyone was occupied when he removed two stakes from his jacket and plunged them into two separate vampires near Drusilla. Their dust exploded into Drusilla's face.

Drusilla batted away at the dust cloud. She backhanded Giles on the back swing. "Bad Watcher." She pounced on Giles and knocked him to the ground.

Angel ran in from the side. He pulled Dru off of Giles. "Get Buffy." He yelled to Giles while he attempted to restrain Dru.

"Daddy!" Dru twisted in Angel's arms. "We have to put out the sunshine, my Angel."

Giles crawled over to the tree Buffy was tied to. He stood up. "At least I wasn't knocked out this time." He worked at the various knots of the ropes.

Two of the remaining vampires lunged for Giles. He ducked in the nick of time and rolled away from them. Angel knocked Drusilla out and dusted the other two vampires. "Someone had better tell me what is going on, and they'd better do it quickly."

Riley, who was not in game face spoke first, "Spike's chip isn't working anymore. He and Dru tried to kill Buffy." He held Spike's arms behind his back in a lock. "Toss me your stake."

"No!!" Buffy screamed. She worked at the last of the ropes to get free with Giles' help. "Spike is protecting me." She raced towards Spike, but a now conscious Dru tripped her up.

Dru threw a stake to Riley. She forced Buffy to the ground. They both watched while Riley raised his stake and plunged it down towards Spike's unbeating heart. The wind kicked up the cloud of dust into Dru and Buffy's faces.

Buffy raised tear stained cheeks to look up at the place she expected to see her lover vacated. Instead a very weakened Spike collapsed to the ground still holding a stake in his hand that he'd used to dust Riley with.

"SPIKE!" Buffy kicked Dru in the head. "Let me go!" She crawled along the ground to get to Spike's side. She cradled Spike's head in her lap, much to the shock and amazement of Angel.

Drusilla's shrill squeal reverberated through the graveyard. She charged at Buffy and Spike with her axe held high. She might not be able to kill Buffy, but she would kill Spike instead.

Buffy grabbed Spike's stake. She lobbed it at Dru without a second thought. The swoosh of Drusilla's body turning to ash was the final sound in the now silent night.

Spike sobbed in Buffy's arms. His Sire was dead, but the pain he felt wasn't for her death as much as it was for the fact that he couldn't protect the woman he loved from his Sire.

Buffy ran her fingers through Spike's hair. She tried to soothe him. "I'm sorry, Spike. I had no choice. I'm so sorry." She repeated her words over and over again. She hoped Spike would be able to forgive her one day.

Spike reached up a shaking hand to cup Buffy's face. "Don't be sorry, luv. It had to be done." His arm dropped back to the ground. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you from her."

Buffy cried along with her lover. "You did save me, Spike. Dru was trying to kill you, not me." She leaned over, caressed his cheek, and placed a soft kiss to Spike's lips. "She wanted me to suffer because Angel didn't still love her with his soul."

Giles and Angel stayed back from the couple to allow them a few moments alone. Angel wanted to interrupt, but one look at Giles' stern face told him that he'd better not butt in. This whole day had been one bizarre fiasco after another. If he didn't get some answers soon, Angel feared he would implode.

"Would someone like to tell me why Buffy is cradling Spike like he's her lover?" Angel finally broke the silence. "And maybe why his scent is all over her house, as well as Buffy's blood?"

Spike buried his face into Buffy's lap. He had no strength left within him to fight, argue or explain anything. Whatever Riley had filled him with was zapping all of his vampiric stamina and healing abilities.

Buffy looked up at Angel and then Giles. "We need to get him back to my house, Giles." She turned her attention to Angel. "Please, Angel. Help me. I promise I will explain when we get to my house." Her eyes pleaded with Angel to accept her promise as enough for now.

Angel sighed. He bent over, placed one arm under Spike's legs, and the other arm behind Spike's shoulders. "Lead the way, Buffy. I swear I'm in an episode of the Twilight Zone already. What is another few minutes of suspense?" He ground out sarcastically.

Angel followed Buffy and Giles who led the way back through the cemetery to Giles' car. They all piled in the front and back seat. Buffy insisted on sitting in the back seat with Spike. The whole ride to her house she whispered soft words of love and encouragement in the weak vampire's ears. She knew that Angel would probably be as bad to deal with as Xander was, but all she cared about right now was taking care of Spike. Angel wasn't going to be allowed to get in her way of that.

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