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By SunnyD.

CHAPTER 1 'MY LIFE'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what was needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

1880

I stare out into the cool London night and I can’t help but feel alone for the first time in over 50 years. I don’t know what brought this sort of feeling on but I do know that I feel alone. But why am I to complain? I wanted to have eternal life. When Angelus offered it to me, I couldn’t help but want to take it. My mother had just died and my father was in the company of too many whores to care about me. I was emotionally broken, so to speak. So of course when Angelus came to me, I felt alone and lost. He was offering me company and what I thought was love. And so that night…I became what I am…a vampire.

In my early years of this life, Angelus treated me like a queen or some sort of princess. He bought me beautiful dresses and if he didn’t have enough money, he would take one off of an upper class woman. Of course, there was Darla…she has mixed feelings for me, I suppose. She seems to think I still have part of my soul with me. I guess I could. Sometimes I think I do. She and Angelus are always up for torturing the victims for long hours at a time. Me…I’m quick and try to get the job done quickly. Can’t stand torture that much.

I don’t think I love Angelus…I don’t know if vampires can love. Can they? I am never told. I see some sort of deep connection between Angelus and Darla. I don’t think its love though. It’s just passion and lust.

There is also Druscilla who Angelus sired 30 years after he did me. I am not fond of her at all. Why you may ask? She is always the jealous one. Whenever Angelus is around me she goes out of her way to get his attention away from me and towards her. And it works of course. She’s a loon that one. Always talking of the stars and fairies and how they whisper to her. I can’t stand it and neither can Darla. Tonight she went on and on about how the stars were sending her a new playmate. I don’t believe anything she says half of the time.

They have all gone out hunting tonight. I am not in the mood to hunt. I have no reason why. They shall be back in a while I guess. Angelus will be drunk out of his mind as usual and will begin hoard me with intoxicated affection that always makes me squirm. Darla and Dru will be to tired and full of blood to do or say anything and only want to lay down and sleep the day away.

Sadly ladies and gentleman this is my life…hopefully nothing else will happen.

________________________________________]

CHAPTER 2 'TONIGHT'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

The young blonde vampire continued to stare out the window mindlessly as she waited for her other companions to arrive back at their mansion. It was a cold February night and even though her body temperature was already cold from being dead, tonight it seemed as though she was colder and the warm fire across the room wasn’t really having much affect on her.

Buffy had this creeping feeling inside her that was gnawing away at her. It’s nothing, she thought to herself, as she stared out into the frosty night, it is probably only my stomach.

It was then that two lazy arms wrapped around her waist, slight startling Buffy. She should’ve known he was there. She wasn’t focusing though, her mind was centered on the feeling her body that made her feel ill.

"You’re back." She stated simply, not turning to look at her sire, just continuing to stare out the slightly frosted window that looked out on to the cobblestone streets of London.

"And you missed all the fun and bloodshed tonight." He chuckled deeply into her ear, letting his icy breath roll down her neck. Buffy shuddered at the stench of his breath; as usual it smelled of ale and several other types of wine.

He always wanted her when he was drunk. With Darla it was always after they had fed, Buffy could always see the passion in their eyes after a good feeding. With Dru it was more like affection you would show for a small child. Dru worshipped the ground he walked on.

"I wasn’t in the mood." Buffy told him as she shrugged away from his grasp and made her way towards the fireplace.

Angelus furrowed his eyebrows at his childe and sauntered over towards her. "What is wrong with you?"

"I don’t feel like it tonight." She whispered; her eyes glued towards the blazing fire, ashamed to find that the flames did not warm her face. "I don’t like it when you’re this way."

Angelus growled with frustration at her. "You know…sometimes I wonder why I ever made you! Because it seems to me that somewhere in that body of yours that you still harbor a soul!"

Buffy’s eyes flashed with anger when she finally turned to look at her sire. "I cannot believe that you-"

"Now, now dear sister. Don’t fight with Daddy." Dru purred from the doorway, interrupting the couple, a gleeful smile on her face. "He’s all lonely tonight. Grandmother wouldn’t touch him."

Buffy only shook her head at the crazed female vampire and quickly snapped her head back towards the roaring fire.

"Don’t worry Dru dear," He told her, walking over towards her and wrapped his arm possessively around her waist. Dru let out a mew of joy and began to nuzzle the side of his face like a small kitten. "She’s just angry because she missed all the action."

"Yes…" Dru giggled with delight, running a finger down Angelus’s face, "my new playmate is lovely. He has pretty eyes like the ocean. I want to swim in them."

A confused look sprung to Buffy’s face and turned to look at the pair. "What’s is she talking about?"

Angelus smirked, looking over at his blonde childe and then moved his attention back over to Dru and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Dru made a new little friend tonight and by tomorrow night he’ll be one of us."

"What?" Buffy gasped, her soft hazel eyes were wide with surprise. "Sh-she did what? Wh-what happened."

"Oh Buffy sweetie, don’t looked so surprised lover." Angelus snickered at the blonde who had nothing but daggers in her eyes for him. "Don’t worry, Dru did not force the boy. He was emotionally unbalanced."

"My poor little ocean had his heart stepped on by a nasty girl." Dru huffed and leaned her head on Angelus’s shoulder while his arm remained possessively around her waist. "But mummy is going to take care of ‘im now. No more nasty girl."

~*~

Buffy pulled her black shawl tightly around her as the four of them made their way through the tombstone’s in the London cemetery. After hearing the news of Dru making herself a childe, she wasn’t able to sleep the whole day.

Reluctantly she turned to look at Darla who was walking in step beside her while Angelus and Dru were walking ahead of them.

"I can feel that this one is going to be trouble." Darla spoke; her eyes focused on Angelus’s back as they continued to make their way through the vacant cemetery.

"Oh." Buffy slightly nodded her head. Obviously, Darla wasn’t too pleased about this whole situation. But Buffy didn’t know what to make of it. She wasn’t there when it happened and she sort of wished she had been. She didn’t like not knowing things.

Suddenly both of the blonde vampires stopped dead in their tracks when they finally reached the tombstone marked with the new fledgling’s name. Buffy slightly smiled as she read the name on the stone, William, she thought in her head pleasantly, what a gentle name.

"It’s almost time…" Dru giggled as she began to jump up and down excitedly, "my lovely pet is coming to me. He shall wake soon."

~*~

Blue eyes flew open quickly. The young man darted his eyes around at his surroundings. Everything was cramped and tight. He didn’t like it. Where was he? What happened? Suddenly, flashes of the night before ran through his mind. He remembered the woman sucking the life out of him and then the…blood.

"Oh God." He gasped as he finally realized where he was and began to panic. Letting out small cries of pain and fright. The young man began to claw everything in the coffin, trying to get out. He felt immense hunger rise to the pit of his stomach when blood began to seep through the skin of his knuckles.

Frustrated with himself, William began to scream at the top of his lungs.

____________________________________

CHAPTER 3 'RISING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

William let out a painful cry as continued to tear at the coffin interior. He had to get out of there. He was trapped and the blood that was pouring from his hands was causing his stomach to rumble uncontrollably. Salty tears began to stream down his face as he tried to force his way out of the wooden box that he was kept in. Suddenly, the young man was relieved when he found the cover to the coffin. A new adrenaline running through him, William began to pound vigorously on the wood. The wood began to crack and break as William’s pounding became harder. Masses of dirt and soil began to pour through the hole that he was making.

The young man let out another cry of frustration as clawed his way through the dirt and soil.

~*~

Buffy watched as Dru began to spin around in circles. She was like a happy child that was receiving a present. The blonde vampire then turned her eyes towards her sire that was watching Dru with wide fascinated eyes. Darla stood next to him and couldn’t stop glaring at him but he was too infatuated with Dru to see how is own sire was looking at him.

An icy wind swept by the foursome as they continued to hover over the tombstone. Buffy wondered how this fledging would react to his new lifestyle. Did he know what he was in for?

Buffy was soon brought out of her thoughts though as Dru kneeled down beside the grave and smiled at it. "Come on my little one." She cooed softly, running her hand gently along the freshly placed soil. "Mummy is here."

The raven-haired vampire jumped back in surprise though when a pale hand shot up through the soil. Dru cried out with joy as the hand grasped onto the earth desperately.

Buffy watched in amazement as she watched the new fledging try to crawl out of the earth. She wondered what it was like to crawl out of your own grave. The panic you must feel when you wake up in your own coffin under ground. The female vampire was never buried after Angelus made her. All she remembered was waking up in Angelus’s bed, full of hunger and desire for human blood.

Buffy slightly jumped back as clods of dirt and soil began to fly everywhere as William continued to climb out of the earth. Finally she saw his head come out of the ground. He seemed to be gasping for breath, even though he really didn’t need it, but the look on his face was just pure shock and horror. She watched as painful tears fell down his face, mixing in with the dirt that covered his perfectly arched cheeks. As she continued to watch the vampire crawl out of his grave, Buffy could hear the faint laughing of Dru and Angelus.

"My pretty ocean has risen." Dru giggled evilly as William’s whole body was not finally out of the grave. His legs were drawn up into his chest, while his arms were wrapped around his legs.

Angelus chuckled at his crazed childe, running a hand down her long black hair, "why don’t you go say hello then Dru?"

Dru nodded happily as she slowly made her way towards William’s side. "Hello my little William." She cooed softly. The frightened fledgling snapped his head towards Dru, his eyes widened when he finally recognized her.

"What have you done to me?" He asked her hoarsely. Buffy couldn’t help but stare at those bright blue eyes of his. They were powerful and bright. They were entrancing her.

"Oh don’t worry my lovely…" She purred softly, reaching out to touch him but he slightly flinched away from her, "mummy is going to take care of you now. No need to worry."

Darla shook her head as she watched the newly risen vampire flinch away from his sire. "Look at what you’ve done now, Angelus." She hissed at her childe who looked at her with anger. "He will not survive, he seems to human. We will be forced to carry his weight now. I knew this was a bad idea. I say we stake him now before he gives us trouble."

"No!" Angelus barked at her, his face slipping into his vampire visage. "He stays. Whatever Dru wants, Dru gets!"

Before Darla could respond though, a loud shrilling cry interrupted them. All of them snapped their heads towards young William who was staring at Angelus with fearful eyes. "YOU ARE THE DEVIL!" He screamed as he pointed towards Angelus’s vampire mask. "What are you! What are you!"

Angelus let out a fierce growl as he stalked over towards the young vampire and lifted him off the ground by his collar but William continued to struggle in his grasp.

"Let me go! Let me go!" He cried, more tears falling from his eyes as he stared at Angelus’s yellow ones.

Angelus’s growled once more before he cocked his fist back and smacked William hard across the jaw, sending him into unconsciousness.

Dru ran over to her childe’s side and shook her head at him and then turned to look at her sire. "Bad Daddy. Scaring my baby like that." She smiled at him with amusement. "Now he is sleeping again. My poor little ocean."

Angelus’s shook his head as his human face returned and smirked at Dru, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "Do not worry Dru…I know something that will make you all better. How about we all go out hunting tonight?" He then lowered his lips towards her ear and whispered quietly, "I promise double the bloodshed than last night."

Dru giggled with delight but then her face became serious as she remembered her little William. "What about my ocean? He will be all alone."

Angelus looked her reassuringly and nodded towards his other childe who was still staring at William with amazement. "Buff, will take care of him till we get back." Buffy tore her gaze away from William and back at her sire and Dru. "Won’t you lover?" Buffy nodded in response and then turned back towards William. "Good, and make sure you clean him up." He ordered to her before he spun on his heels with Dru and then wrapped his arm around Darla’s waist pulling her towards him as the three of them made their way out of the cemetery.

~*~

William let out a painful groan as his blue eyes began to flutter open. He was surprised to find himself lying on a soft bed, thick red drapes surrounding it. He could hear the faint crackling of a fire going. William felt immensely cold and somewhat frightened. He remembered what had happened in the graveyard and that made him even more scared. What had happened to him?

The new fledgling let out a small gasp though when he felt a hot cloth being placed against his forehead. He looked over next to him and saw a golden angel sitting next to him. She was beautiful. He opened his mouth as if he was trying to say something but he couldn’t manage to get any words out.

"Are you okay?" She asked him quietly, wiping the dirt off of his face.

"I-I am o-okay." He stuttered slightly, looking at her in wonder. "W-who a-are you?"

"My name is Buffy." She told him quietly, removing the cloth away from his face and placed it back in a bowel of water and then took it out and then put it back on his forehead to wipe the dirt away.

William slightly smiled at the angel; "I am –"

"I know who you are…William." She whispered to him silently and he saw that worry that was in his eyes earlier set in again.

"Yes but what am I?" He asked as he sat up in the bed and then lowered his gaze towards the sheets of the bed. "W-what did that w-woman or t-thing do to me?"

Buffy sighed as she ran her hand through his hair. "She made you a…" The blonde sighed as she wondered how he was going to react but he would have to find out sooner or later, "vampire."

__________________________________________

CHAPTER 4 'LEARNING'

was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

William’s eyes went wide as he heard her words. A look of horror set upon his gentle face. "I-I am a what?" He choked. The rumbling and the feeling of emptiness in his stomach that he had been experiencing ever since he had woken up in his coffin were getting worse and it was driving him mad.

Buffy let out a long sigh as she took the cloth away and placed it back in the bowel once again, letting it absorb more water. After a while she took it out, taking his hands in hers, she began to clean the dirt from the wounds on his knuckles. She could feel her hunger and desire for blood coming forth for the first time in several days. It was understandable though; she hadn’t fed in almost 2 days. Shaking it off she finally looked William in the eyes. She did not like affect they had on her.

"A vampire." She said once again, her eyes drifting away from his and back at his damaged hands which would fully heal in a couple of hours due to his vampire status. Slowly, she moved her eyes back up towards his face once again and could see the shocked and confused look he was giving her.

"We are creatures of the night that thrive on the blood of the living. Forced to live for eternity without aging…without growing old." Buffy sighed once again as she waited for him to say something but he just continued to stare at her with that shocked look on his face. "Last night…Druscilla made you into what you are now. She’s your maker, you’re sire."

William let a sharp breath out as he gripped the silk sheets tightly in his palms, shaking his head side to side. His dark blonde curls waving in front of his face with disbelief. "No. No. No. No!" He muttered to himself, tears falling down his face once again. "I can’t be this…monster…this demon that lives on blood. I can’t kill humans!" William's head shot in her direction, his blue eyes giving her a pleading look. "I have a family! I have to take care of my mother, she’s ill. She’ll die without me!"

"Shh…" Buffy soothed as she pulled the new fledgling into her arms, placing his head on her shoulder.

His tears poured out from his eyes and onto her shoulder, running along her pale skin with ease. She knew what it was like. The pain and confusion he was feeling. After Angelus had made her she realized the weight of the choice she had made. It was like a heavy weight had been placed on her shoulders and all she wanted to do was give up. She didn’t want to kill humans but eventually she learned to live with it. She killed now… she did it without worrying if it was wrong or not, it was her nature and she had to do it to survive. Lately though she had been avoiding her true nature and it had caused her immense hunger that was hard to ignore. She would have to go out and eat eventually.

Buffy was pulled out of her thoughts though when she heard William’s crying calm down and felt the flow of his tears along her collar bone stop.

"Are you okay?" She whispered to him quietly, pulling his head gently away from her shoulder and looked softly into his eyes. He shyly nodded his head and began to wipe away the tears that were still on his cheeks.

William let out an unneeded breath as he looked at her once again. "How did it happen to you? How did you become what you are?"

Buffy sighed as she moved away from the bed and towards the bowel that sat at the bed’s side, rinsing it out. After a long moment of silence, she finally spoke to him. "Back when I was human, I went by the name Elizabeth Summers. I use to read books constantly. I was never allowed to attend school so that’s where I obtained my knowledge. I learned about History, Geography, Mathematics and Literature. My father disapproved of it and I received several whippings for it."

Buffy slightly flinched at the memory of her father and touched her back softly where there were several long scars along her skin. The blonde vampire sighed as she sat down next to William, politely he moved over so that she would be able to have more room on the bed.

"When I was around the age of 20 my mother began to grow ill and frail, and several months later she died." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke of her mother but easily shook it off and continued. "That’s when things turned around. That is when my father turned to prostitutes and other women for comfort. Spending majority of his time in their beds instead of at home with me."

"It was on my 21st birthday that Angelus came to me." Buffy shut her eyes as the memory went through her mind. "I was walking home from a small gathering and I saw him. I do not know how it happened but for some reason I followed him. I met him in a nearby alley and that’s where he spoke to me for the first time. Somehow, he knew that I was unhappy with the world and my life. He knew about my father and of my mother. He told me that he could take it all away. All the pain and suffering so that I could have what I wanted." Buffy finally opened her eyes and turned to look at William who was listening to her closely. He was deeply intrigued by her.

"I was mesmerized by him. He knew everything about me. How I felt and what I wanted." She let out an unneeded sigh and continued on with her story, "I had been promised things before…everyone of them broken by the person who made them. But the way he said things to me. The way he looked when he said them. I knew he wouldn’t break a promise to me. So, I accepted his offer and that’s when he…" Buffy trailed off as she placed her head in her hands. William watched as she removed her head away from her palms.

There she was in her true face, yellow eyes, fangs and all. She quietly waited for him to gasp and run away in fright but he didn’t. All he did was stare at her with curiosity and integument. Tilting his head to the side he reached his hand out and slowly ran the tips of his fingers along the ridges of her forehead. He slightly smiled as he ran one of his fingers slowly down her lips and along her sharp fangs. After a while of exploring her features, he reluctantly pulled his hands away and then looked into her now hazel eyes.

"Is this what my face looks like too?" He asked her gently.

"Yes…" She whispered. "If you think it about really hard, your face will shift and change into what mine looks like."

William nodded his head as he shut his eyes and began to think about it. The ridges, the eyes, and the fangs. Slowly but surely, his face shifted into his vampire one. After a while he opened his now yellow eyes.

"Did it work?"

Buffy smiled gently as she took his hands in hers and placed them gently on his face. William’s hand wandered as he discovered his demon face. Slowly, his fangs and ridges faded away and he was left with his human face and a deep rumbling sound in his stomach.

Buffy slightly giggled as she heard his stomach call out and took his hand once more, guiding him off of the bed. "Come on…let’s get you something to eat."

William nodded as he followed Buffy out of the room and out of the mansion, out in the cold streets of London. Slowly, they walked through the streets, falling in step with each other. Several couples did a double take as they saw the attractive couple walk by them.

Eventually they made it to a nearby alley where the normal human eye could barely see anything because it was so dark but to the vampire one, you could see everything perfectly. Buffy took William by the shoulders and pushed him deeper into the shadows, stopping when he finally bumped into the wall.

"Stay here." She told him softly as she turned on her heels and quickly ran out of the alley.

~*~

The man smiled to himself as he strolled along the cobblestone streets of London. He was heading home from his accounting firm. He had spent the day barking at his employees and even made them stay 4 hours longer than they were supposed to. What fools! He thought to himself, silently chuckling. It was good to be the boss.

He was passing by the alley near his flat when a young woman bumped into him. "Oh I am so sorry sir." She apologized to him, bending down to pick her coin purse up off the street but he quickly did it for her.

"It is alright." He smiled at her. She was a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair that cascaded freely down her shoulders and down her emerald dress that fit snug against the upper part of her body, accenting her breast. Her face was pale but had had an ageless beauty to it. Her hazel eyes shown at him and he couldn’t help but feel enraptured by them.

"Oh, no it is not alright. You see, my poor dog has run away from me and I think he ran into that there alley." The woman told him as her face softened and had the look of total helplessness. "But, oh sir, I am too afraid to go in there all alone for I have no male escort with me. Would be ever so kind as to assist me?"

The man smiled as he took his arm in hers and patted her on the hand. "Don’t worry, miss. I will help you." He said before they headed inside the dark alley.

~*~

William let out another unneeded breath as he waited for Buffy. He didn’t feel afraid of what he was around her. He didn’t feel like his life was over. He just hoped that the other demons he had met in the graveyard earlier tonight would treat him the same way that she had.

He suddenly was brought out of his thoughts though when he heard her voice and another man’s.

"Oh, sir, I just don’t know what happened!" Buffy told him with worry in her voice as she continued to lead them through the darkness. "I was walking him along and then he just ran away from me."

"Don’t worry miss." The man reassured her, patting her on the arm kindly. "We will find him." He then felt the woman’s arm leave his as he continued to walk down the alley but stopped when he finally reached a dead end. "I am sorry miss but…"

As the man turned around he gasped at what he saw. There was the beautiful woman standing two inches away from him but she didn’t look beautiful anymore, she looked like a monster.

"Oh God!" He gasped as Buffy grabbed him by the throat and shoved him up against the wall, pinning him.

Buffy looked over her shoulder at William who she could now see watching her with amazement. She slightly giggled at him, "come here William." She beckoned him over gently with her other hand. Slowly William emerged from the shadows and shyly walked over towards her.

"What do we do now?" He asked her curiously, darting his eyes between Buffy and the now unconscious male who had fainted just after Buffy shoved him up against the wall.

Buffy said nothing as she brought forth her vampire face and lowered her fangs towards his neck and began to drink his blood. William watched with keen interest as Buffy literally sucked the life out of the unsuspecting man. Now knowing what to do; William also brought forth his vampire mask and just like Buffy slowly leaned in towards the other side of the man’s neck…

________________________________________

CHAPTER 5 'FIGHTING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

Buffy watched silently as William continued to drink from one of their several victims of the night. The new fledgling had gotten use to his new lifestyle. Buffy felt somewhat relieved that he wasn’t as frightened as he was in the beginning. It was a good thing.

The blonde vampire thought back long ago during her first few days as a vampire. She acted the same way he did. She first fell afraid and then easily adjusted to her knew role in the dark world. But thankfully she had Angelus to teach her the ways of the vampire realm. From the way Dru was acting, Buffy doubted that William would be able to survive as long without some guidance.

Anger began to fill the ‘woman’ as she thought about Dru. How dare she make her own childe and then have nothing do with him!

As Buffy watched William, a bright smile began to play on her lips. Even though he was a creature of the night, he seemed to retain some sort of childlike innocence as he drank from the woman’s neck. Suddenly, a loud thump echoed throughout the alley as he dropped her to the ground.

"You’re learning fast." She stated simply to him as he shifted back into his human façade and wiped the blood that was trickling down his chin.

William slightly smirked as he walked back towards her, running his hand through his dark blonde hair. "You taught me well."

"Thank you." Buffy acknowledged and she knew that if she were human that she would blush at that smirk he was sending her way.

"So where should we go next?" He asked gently but with a young child’s zealous enthusiasm.

Looking back up at the sky, Buffy could lightly see the sun’s ray creeping out beneath the clouds and sighed. "It is becoming sunrise…we should head back to the mansion."

William nodded silently as he took her arm in his and walked out of the alley together and on their way back to the mansion. There were several minutes of silence before William decided to speak.

"This Angel fellow…do you love him?" He asked shyly, almost regretting asking it. He shouldn’t be asking her such questions; it was rude and not like him.

"Angelus." She corrected him, not making eye contact with him but kept her eyes on the cobblestone streets.

"What?"

"His name is Angelus…not Angel." She corrected once again, slight glancing over at him and then back on the streets. "I tried calling him Angel awhile back. He got angry with me when I did that." She looked over at him and stared seriously into his eyes. "Don’t call him that…he thinks it is too human."

"Ok…" William nodded shyly and understandingly, "but do you…fancy him…you know…love him?"

Buffy began to smile at his nervousness but it faded away and instead she let out a heavy sigh. "He’s my sire. The one that made me. I have a bond with him by blood; I have a deep connection with him that will last for my entire existence. I don’t think it is love…you see…vampires…we can’t love." She said with a touch of sadness.

Of course she couldn’t prove that vampires couldn’t love. But for the last 50 years she hadn’t seen any sort of love or compassion come from the three vampires she resided with. In her vampire family there were only feelings of lust, pain, anger and loneliness. She hadn’t ever experience love.

"How do you know?" He asked quietly, slightly slowing his walking pace, looking at her with extreme curiosity. "There can be a possibility, you know."

"Maybe…" she quieted as she also slowed down her pace, falling in step with him once again. Her bright emerald dress, swerving from side to side as took each step. Her shoes tapping against the stone on the streets. "You’ll understand eventually."

"Yeah…" he sighed as he downcast his head, feeling the cool winter wind creeps up his back and along his neck.

~*~

Angelus fumed as he sat impatiently by the fire, the seething light from the flames reflecting off of his raging expression. It was near sunlight and she hadn’t returned yet. What made him even angrier was that she was out there with the new one. William, Angelus thought his name was but couldn’t seem to remember it. She had been complaining that she wasn’t in the mood to hunt and now that this new fledgling appeared she was so eager to feed. Angelus began to growl as he thought of the new fledgling and his childe together.

"Daddy don’t be mad." Dru cooed softly as she came up behind Angelus and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him lightly on the temple.

"She’s out with him Dru." Angelus huffed as his fingers dug into the soft material of the chair that he was sitting in.

"Sister is only taking care of him for me." Dru giggled with excitement, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "My baby was only hungry and she wanted to feed him." She whispered sensually into his ear, running her hand gently down his chest and stomach. "But don’t worry Daddy, you’ll always have me."

Angelus shrugged roughly out of her grasp and continued to stare angrily into the fire. "Some fledgling won’t take my woman." He growled into the fire but the light was soon blocked off of his face as Dru stood in front of him. "Dru…"

"Shh…" Dru soothed, sitting down on his lap gently, "I will make you better." She whispered, running her nail down his cheek, drawing blood. Dru chuckled as she saw the crimson blood flow gently down his face. "See, already helping." She said before licking the blood off of his face. Angelus smirked as moved his lips closer to hers but they interrupted by the sound of the large mansion doors shutting. Both of the vampires turned their heads sharply towards the doors to see a laughing Buffy and William enter the room.

"Well, look who decided to show up finally." Angelus sneered as he bolted out of the chair, sending Dru to the floor.

"Angelus…" Buffy breathed in fright when she saw him. William furrowed his eyebrows together as he saw the look on her face.

Angelus shook his head as he turned his gaze away from Buffy and towards William who slightly flinched when he saw the older vampire look at him. The brunette vampire slightly chuckled as he sauntered over towards William.

"So this is William. Didn’t get a good look at him in the graveyard. Too covered in dirt to know what he looked like." Angelus smirked as he began to circle the young blonde vampire that felt slightly nervous with Angelus’s gaze. "I give him 5 years…10 max. It will be interesting though. Can’t wait to see what happens." He grinned impishly and looked over his shoulder at Dru. "Dru, why don’t you take our new little friend to bed."

"Oh…that would be wonderful Daddy." She chirped as she skipped childishly over to William who felt slightly scared and intrigued by her presence. He figured it was that sire relationship that Buffy was talking about. "Come now my ocean." She beckoned taking him by the hand and led him towards her bedroom.

When he finally heard the sound of Dru’s door closing, Angelus snapped his head towards Buffy and threw daggers at her through his eyes. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Buffy cocked her head to the side and slightly grinned at him, knowing why he looked so angry. "Yeah…I did actually. He learns quickly."

Angelus shook his head as he moved his way towards her, standing at least two inches from her. "You can’t grow attached Elizabeth." He hissed, causing Buffy to flinch at the tone that he used her real name.

"Who said I was!" She barked right back, getting up in his face. The flames from the fire, dancing off of her face, making her face seem menacing and irritated.

"You aren’t now but you will eventually." He told her firmly, running his hand down her arm gently and then gripped it tightly, and if she were human he would have cut off her circulation. "He isn’t yours to keep Buff!"

Buffy let her true face come forward as she flung Angelus off of her, sending him flying into another wall. Letting a primal growl rise from her throat Buffy turned on her heels and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.

_____________________________________

CHAPTER 6 'BRUISING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

William sighed as he felt Druscilla rise from the bed and made over to his side and kiss him sweetly on the cheek.

"Mummy, will be right back my little ocean, she must visit her Daddy." Dru cooed silently, running her hand over his hair and then slipped quietly out of the room.

William opened his eyes and groaned as he began to toss and turn in bed. He knew it was going to take some time for him to get use to sleeping throughout the day time instead of the night time, which is what he was more accustomed to.

This whole new situation was different and he was beginning to like it though. Well…not most of it. For one thing, he did not like Angelus. Or he did not like the feeling that he was getting from him, especially last night when he and Dru and Darla had left he and Buffy alone in the main room. He was sure that he heard someone smashing into a wall. William just hoped that it was not Buffy who was getting thrown into the wall.

He liked Buffy…or should he call her Elizabeth? Which one would be more appropriate? Elizabeth was a beautiful name in his eyes but Buffy had that spark or something exciting. He liked it. Elizabeth was her human name and now she was a vampire named Buffy.

William began to wonder on what was going to happen tonight. Would he go out with Angelus and the rest of the group, or would he go out with Buffy again like last night? If he had to pick, he would prefer to go out with Buffy. She seemed gentler and kinder than the rest of the other vampires that he resided with. Angelus looked violent and seemed to have a short temper. Darla, he didn’t know what to think about her because he hadn’t really gotten to know her all too well. Dru, she seemed a bit crazed and it sort of startled him. The names she called him were a bit strange and confusing. He went along with it though because she was a bit psychotic.

Last night, as soon as they had slipped into their room after Angelus had ordered them to, Dru tried to become very intimate with him. Too much for William’s taste and he had to shrug her off. She just smiled at him and began to whisper about fairies and trains, then kissed him sweetly on the lips before retiring to the bed that they shared. That also had a negative affect on William also, he had never slept in the same bed with a woman before. So after she had lay down, he just stood there staring at it and became very nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to another. Eventually he did climb into bed with the vampire woman and was not surprised to find himself not being able to fall asleep.

And now that Dru had left the bed, William still could not fall asleep. He then began to feel several deep rumblings in his stomach and he felt the desire for fresh blood rise in him. God, what a feeling it was! It was different from human hunger; this type of hunger hit you to the core. It was hard to concentrate on anything else but that deep aching feeling in your gut.

William then sat up in bed when he heard the door to the bedroom shut close. Thinking it was Dru; William quickly lay back down and shut his eyes. Hoping that she would just assume that he was asleep.

William’s eyes shut tighter when he felt her presence draw closer to his side. As he did this, William could here a soft chuckling coming towards him. His whole body tensed and he slightly curled up into a ball. But then suddenly felt more relaxed when a soft hand ran through his hair and heard her sweet voice call out to him. "I’m not Dru…so you can stop pretending like you’re asleep." Buffy joked as she continued to run her hand through his hair softly. She loved the way his soft locks curled in her fingers.

William sighed defeated as he opened up his eyes and stared up at her, letting a smile break out on to his lips. "Hello."

"Good morning…" She chirped and then furrowed her eyebrows as she began to think. "Or maybe it is good afternoon. I am not sure. Have not really looked outside today and I do not plan to either."

William grinned with delight as he moved over on the bed so that she could have more room to climb in. "Where is Dru?" He asked gently after a long moment of silence.

"She’s with Angelus…in his room." She sighed sadly; playing with the cloth of her deep purple dress that just brought out the softness of her skin.

William’s eyes widened as he realized what she was talking about and let his mouth form into a large ‘o’ shape. He then nervously darted his eyes towards her, a shy look on his face. "I had the notion that you and him..."

Buffy sighed as she continued to play with her dress and then eventually drew her eyes to look into his. "We use to be like that…in a way. Even before Dru was sired, he preferred Darla than me and then once Dru was made, he began juggling the three of us. He treated me like a princess. Showering me with gifts that no suitor could ever give me. But still…I do not have all of him because he belongs to two other women." She let out a long unnecessary breath as she lightly touched her right arm, rubbing it gently. "Besides…lately…we get into more fights than anything else." She winced, moving her eyes away from William and back on her dress.

"Did he hurt you?" William asked quietly but had a firm and concerned tone in his voice. He seemed worried about her.

Buffy let out a slight whimpering noise as she remembered Angelus’s grip on her last night. She was sure she wouldn’t have any bruising from his death like grip, come to find out that when she arose this afternoon that on both of her arms she had deep purple spots that almost matched the color of her dress.

"Not…really…" She whispered, darting her eyes towards him and then back at her dress. "I’ll be okay."

"Let me see…" William said as he situated himself on the bed so that he was positioned right in front of her. Taking one of her arms in his hand, he gently rolled her sleeve up to where the bruise was and almost gasped when he saw it. He had never seen such a deep bruising before. It was a mixture of a deep royal purple and a midnight black. The young fledgling quickly reminded himself not to try to make Angelus angry from now on.

"How could he do this to you?" William breathed to himself quietly; his eyes remain on the dark bruise that decorated one of her arms. Gently he rolled up the other sleeve where another bruise had been planted, in the same condition as the other one.

"I will be alright…" Buffy said as she slightly squirmed under the intense gaze that he was giving her arms. "I threw him into the wall, so we are even."

William smirked at this comment and was glad that it was not her who got thrown into the wall. Still, Angelus had no right to hurt her like this. Slowly, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her both of her arms.

"My mum use to do that when I got ‘urt." He told her as his voice slightly slipped into a low accent that made Buffy smile. "She said kissing it would make it feel better."

"I hope so." Buffy grinned as she removed her arms from his hands and gently pulled the sleeves of her dress back down. She then got up off the bed and made her way to the heavily draped window on the other side of the room and gingerly looked out side to find a dark and frosty looking London. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah." William chuckled as he also removed himself from the bed and stood beside her by the window. Realizing what she was suggesting at, William perked up one of his eyebrows and looked at her confused. "What about the others?"

"It doesn’t matter." She said as she took his hand in hers and led him out into the night.

~*~

Buffy grinned as she and William dropped their latest victim to the ground with a thud.

"You feel better?" William asked her as he swept his hand through his dark blonde hair, walking out of the dark alley with her. Making sure not to be seen by the London people.

"A bit." She grinned slyly, rubbing her arms, London’s icy temperature getting to her. "Just a bit cold."

"I know." William nodded as they passed a large man with a gigantic wool coat draped over his shoulders. The young fledgling smirked as he came up with an idea. Buffy saw the look in his eyes and touched him gently on the shoulder.

"No William." She told him gently, sending him a pleading look. "You are not ready to handle someone like him yet."

"Come now Buffy." He begged with a softened look on his perfectly arched features. Buffy just sighed as she nodded her head. "Thank you." He praised, kissing her lightly on the cheek before striding down the street towards the man.

The blonde female vampire was surprised to watch that the man actually went into the alley with William. Cautiously, Buffy followed them and stood at the front of the alley, just incase anything went wrong.

Suddenly, a frantic cry erupted throughout the alley and a panicked look set on Buffy’s face when she recognized that cry. "William!"

___________________________________________

CHAPTER 7 'MENDING'

A sharp pain shot through William’s spine as the man shoved him up against the wall, a tight grip locking onto his throat as the man looked wickedly at the new fledgling. William tried to yell for his companion but failed to do so as the man tightened his grip on William’s throat.

"Please…" William managed to cough out as the man just held him to the wall, grinning like a mad man. Obviously, he had done this before.

"Give me your money, mate!" The man barked in a rough accent, his breath blowing in William’s face. It smelled strongly of cheap alcohol.

The young fledgling finally now realized as he stood in front of this man, how huge and big he was. He must have been almost 7 feet tall and had very broad shoulders with bulging arms to go along with them. His face was a square shape and was mostly decorated with scars giving him a sort of ruggedness about him. His eyes were a pure black but had a yellowish tint in them that you could barely see.

William opened his mouth as he was trying to say something but from the man’s death like grip he wasn’t able to. The man noticed this and loosened his hold barely on William, but just enough for him able to speak.

"Give me your money mate!" The man yelled again, his face inching closer to William’s. Who didn’t look petrified at all but seemed amused by this man’s actions.

"Sorry, I don’t have any money, mate!" William mocked him in a rough tone that caused the anger to rise in the thief’s in body. "So if you just let me go, I will be on my way now…"

The man growled as he plucked William from the wall and twisted his arm roughly behind his back. The fledgling cried out in immense pain as he heard the bones in his arm crack. And before he knew it, a jagged knife was placed against his throat temptingly.

"I think you’re lying." He hissed into William’s throat, digging it slightly into his skin. A few drops of crimson blood dripping down the blonde vampire’s neck.

"Not lying." He chuckled deeply, his vampire visage coming forward. William growled as he dug his fangs into the man’s hand passionately.

The thief bellowed in pain as he removed his body from William’s and clutched his hand tightly. William smirked and breathed a sigh of relief as he shook off his vampire visage and back into his human while staring at the thief.

When the large man had stopped hanging onto his hand, he shot his eyes toward William and without another word he stalked over towards the fledgling and punched him hard across the jaw. Sending him towards the ground with a thud, William becoming unconscious in a second of hitting the ground.

The thief laughed with triumph as he stared down at the ‘man’ down on the ground. He was about to give him the final blow when he noticed a young voice call out and quickening footsteps coming up from behind him. Snapping his head towards the sound, the thief grinned like a fool as he saw the beautiful young woman run towards him.

"William!" She gasped when she saw her companion on the floor and the large man standing next to him.

"Come to join the fun little girl?" The thief asked Buffy as his eyes searched her body appreciatively. The man licked his lips with greed, fancying the way she looked. She appeared so virginal, the way her hair pooled down her shoulders in massive curls, resting on her breast. The dress she was wearing was a dark purple color that made her seem soft and delicate.

Buffy’s face-hardened as she stared at the human. The way he was looking at her sent a creeping feeling up her spine. She knew William shouldn’t have gone into the alley with this man but he did not listen to her. Suddenly, a soft groaning noise came from the young fledgling’s mouth as he rose from his unconscious state.

William’s eyebrows furrowed as he saw Buffy standing there with an angry look on her face but she wasn’t staring at him but at the man who had attacked him.

"Buffy?" He groaned confused, rubbing the side of his head, which was throbbing. As soon as he had spoken, Buffy snapped her head towards him and gave him a compassionate look and then sharply looked up at the thief once again who also had turned his head towards William.

That’s all Buffy needed before she shifted into her vampire visage and dealt a hard blow against the man’s face, casting him backwards. Before he got a chance to fight back she started to backhand roughly across his scarred face, and finally slamming him hard up against the wall with immense force.

The man let out frustrated groans as he tried to remove himself from her grasp but wasn’t able to do so. The female vampire growled as she kneed him roughly in the gut and then slugged him once more on the jaw, causing him to slip into unconsciousness. Buffy smirked as she dug her fangs into the man’s jugular and began to drain his life away slowly. A few minutes later, as soon as she was satisfied, Buffy dropped his lifeless body to the ground and then turned back to William who looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern, slipping back into her human mask.

"I will be alright." He nodded his head slowly. He let out a wheezing cough as she helped him off of the alley’s ground. "My arm…I think he…" He trailed off as he gripped his arm, wishing the pain and throbbing that was coursing through it now would stop.

"Come now…we should head back." She told him softly, leading him back to the mansion.

~*~

William let out a hiss of agony as Buffy tried to pop his arm back into place. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" He wheezed, grasping tightly onto his silk bed sheets, while she was straddled his hips, so that he wouldn’t try to run away, which he attempted to do minutes earlier but she easily caught him and drug him over to the bed.

"Angelus…" She whispered, popping the last bone back into place as best as she could. When she heard a whimper of pain come from his throat, she gently began to massage the limb gently so the pain would be bearable. Her mouth broke out into a smile when she heard a soft purring sound now coming from his chest.

"I should ‘ave listened to you." He told her, the soft purring still coming from his chest but he didn’t realize it.

"I know…" She smirked at him, wanting to giggle at the sound he was making. "You’re young. You don’t know how to handle yourself yet."

"I know." He sighed, relaxing back onto the bed and closed his eyes. "Do you think…maybe…you could…teach me?" He asked shyly, his eyes remaining closed. "Just in case for next time. I know Dru, Darla or Angelus would not teach me. Would you?"

Buffy grinned with madness as she leaned down and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "Yes, I will."

William smiled when he felt her roll off of him and sat next to him on the bed and picked up the book that was sitting next to her and began to read to him.

_________________________________________

CHAPTER 8 'SPARRING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

"Come on William! You can do better than that?" Buffy taunted as she and William traded blows in the mansion’s basement. Buffy let a smirk appear on her thin lips as she blocked another of William’s punches. They had been coming down here frequently for the past couple of days while everyone else was asleep in their beds. Somehow though, no one had noticed yet.

No one had noticed how William continued to grow stronger and stronger day by day. Buffy noticed though, well of course, she was the one who was teaching him how to defend himself properly. But when they all went out to hunt every night, you could see how he carried himself differently. His stride had seemed to radiate confidence. A sort of poise that he didn’t seem to possess while he was human. It brought a smile to the blonde vampire’s lips when she thought of what he was becoming.

Buffy was brought out of her thoughts though when she felt a swift fist connect with her jaw, causing her to stagger backwards. Shaking her head, she snapped her eyes towards William who was grinning at her. His bright blue eyes were shining with excitement, and anticipation.

"How about that?" He asked with a soft purr, his grin widening at her.

Buffy let out a silent huff as stalked over towards the young fledgling and began to attack him ruthlessly. The older vampire was surprised that he was able to block some of her punches and was able to throw some of his own.

"God you’re getting good." Buffy breathed heavily as they continued to spar with one another. "You learn quickly."

"Thank you for noticing." He smirked at her with some type of affection, dodging another one of her quick jabs that was directed at his face. "You’re a good teacher."

"Thanks." She breathed, as she dealt a swift kick to his midsection, sending him onto the floor with ease. Quickly as he had been thrown down though William was back on his feet within seconds.

As soon as he had pulled himself up off the ground, William charged Buffy, knocking them both to the ground. Once they were down on the ground, William straddled her hips and pinned her arms to both of the sides of her head. She was stuck.

"I win." He smirked at her with grace. There were very few times that he won their sparring matches.

"Yes, you have." Buffy giggled as she felt his grip around her wrists loosen but still remained on top of her. Her giggling ceased though when she realized their intimate position and knew if she were human that she would be blushing. A bright smile broke out onto her face at the intensity of his gaze. She was comforted by the looks he sent her way every once and awhile. He seemed so gentle and passionate with her.

A broad grimace also broke out onto William’s face when he saw the bright smile appear on her face. A smile that was directed at him even. They had this type of bond between them; he didn’t know what to call it. Was it friendship or something else?

Without even thinking, he brought one of his hands towards her face, resting it lightly against her cheek. Buffy let out a heavy sigh when she felt his soft hand lay against her cold skin. She let her eyes flutter close and then a look of peace settle on to her face.

"It is almost sunrise." William whispered huskily, looking amorously into her eyes. He didn’t want to leave this place or her but if they didn’t leave, everyone else would probably get suspicious of them. Both of them didn’t want Angelus to get angry. God knows what he would do.

Buffy’s eyes fluttered open abruptly when she heard the sound of his smooth voice. "Yes. We should back upstairs." She breathed heavily as she and William removed them selves from the icy floor.

Buffy shook her head as she started to make her way towards the stairs but was stopped when she felt his hand latch onto her wrist. Instantaneously, Buffy turned around to face him and suddenly felt like blushing once again. His eyes were that deep blue color that she liked looking at.

"Thanks for the dance." He purred softly, as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it lightly.

"You think were dancing?" She asked slightly giggling with amusement.

"S’all we’ve ever done." He grinned, before planting another kiss on her hand and then made his way up the stairs.

~*~

Angelus growled with frustration as he rolled about in his bed. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. He didn’t know what was wrong but something was. It plagued his mind. It frustrated him. He would find out though. For now he would just have lay here and let it bother him.

"Daddy…what is the matter?" Dru cooed softly as she wrapped her arms around his torso, nuzzling the side of his neck gently.

"Something isn’t right Dru." He hissed in between his teeth with venom.

"Oh Daddy, don’t be cross. You taste like ashes when you are cross." She whispered to him softly, running her slender fingers down the sides of his face. "Would you like me to tell you a pretty little poem?"

Angelus furrowed his eyebrows at her with confusion. "What are you talking about Dru?"

"Sometimes…I see my little ocean write sweet notes when he thinks I am asleep. I read them once and they made my tummy rumble. I was hungry." She giggled like a small child. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm at the thought of her little ocean. "The stars whisper to me about him. My William."

Angelus roared with rage as he jerked himself away from her grasp and bolted out of the bed rapidly. "I will have no more talk about him Dru. No more!" He barked with venom, his vampire visage coming forward. Suddenly, he was filled with a deep pit of hunger.

"Oh look Daddy, you are cross once more." She pouted, slipping easily away from the soft cushion of the four poster bed and over to where her red silk dress had been discarded. "You should sleep with Grandmummy tonight." She whispered slipping on her dress and then made her way out the door and towards her own room.

Angelus picked up a book that was lying next to him on a table and chucked it angrily against the wall. "That fledgling will be the undoing of me!"

____________________________________________

CHAPTER 9 'HUNTING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

William let out a haggard groan as he attempted to stay asleep. It had only been a few hours since he had finished sparring with Buffy and he hadn’t been able to fall asleep. He was getting stronger though. He could feel this new type strength and power course through out his whole body. She had taught him well. No one could see his new strength though, and did they even care?

For one, Darla, she was never around. Even though she and Angelus were involved, she was never around him or anyone else. And when she was around, there was always a furious look in her eyes towards Angelus. William didn’t know what to make of her yet. He wasn’t surprised that if one of these days she just left.

And then there was Dru, William thought by now he would be infatuated with her. Following her everywhere she went, responding to her every beckon and call. For some reason though, he wasn’t. Instead, she was infatuated with Angelus. She was never far from his side. Wherever Angelus was, so was she. To tell the truth, William was a bit alarmed by her. Sometimes during the day, William would wake up to her incessant ramblings. He didn’t comprehend what she was saying but he did not want to know.

Finally, there was Angelus, he was…what was it called again…oh yes, that is right, a poofter. He guessed is how you would call ‘im. William objected to the way he treated Buffy. She just seemed like an object to him. She was just someone to juggle between Darla and Dru. It was not right.

For the past couple of days, whenever he had the chance, Angelus would send the most gruesome looks William’s way. Every time that had happened, William just wanted to take the older vampire on. Show him what he was made of. But of course, reality set in and William remembered that Angelus was more experienced in the art of combat. And a couple of days sparring with Buffy weren’t going to help William beat Angelus into a bloody pulp.

William continued to toss and turn until he felt a pair of rough, cold hands graze his highly accented cheekbones. A soft purr sounded out through the room; it was gentle and dangerous at the same time.

"Come now, my sweet little William. It is time for us to feast." Dru soothed into her childe’s ear, running a slender finger down the contours of his face. "Daddy promises a large banquet tonight, and all the kings and queens are invited."

William’s bright eyes flew open when he heard the sound of her childlike voice in his ear. He felt tired and jaded. He didn’t know if he would be able to survive tonight without collapsing under exhaustion.

Dru saw the worn look on features and let out a sigh and then rolled her eyes. "Now, now my ocean, we mustn’t be late. Daddy and Grandmummy do not accept tardiness." She lightly wagged her finger in his face and nuzzled the side of his face with affection. "Sister Elizabeth was late once. Daddy was not happy. He said she was a bad puppy. There was so much screaming."

"Bloody poofter." William grumbled as he turned over in the soft cushion, his back facing his sire.

"Bad puppy!" Dru growled slightly as she swatted his arm. "Do not be angry with Daddy." Her gaze then softened and ran her hand slowly down the side of his face. "Now my sweet one, we must leave, come now!" She pouted as she took his hand in hers and began to tug at it but he wouldn’t budge.

"I do not feel like going Druscilla." He whispered deeply as he wrenched his hand from hers and pulled the bed sheets tightly around his lean frame. "Leave me be."

Dru giggled as she threw herself on top of him and squeezed him tightly, "Do not jest with me William…now come." She begged as she removed herself from on top of him and then tried to tug at his hand again but he did not budge.

"No." He said once again, removing his hand from hers.

Just as Dru was about to say something else to William but she was stopped when another presence entered the room. Dru snapped her head towards the figure and slightly frowned at her.

"Hello sister." Dru smirked as jumped off the bed and walked slowly over to Buffy who stood with her arms crossed over chest. "My sweet little William does not feel like our feast tonight." She then whirled her head over in William’s direction and shook her finger at him. "He’s being a grouchy puppy. Bad William."

Buffy shook her head at Druscilla, "Go on Dru, I will talk with him." She reassured the raven-haired vampiress who just giggled with delight and skipped out of the room, Buffy shutting the large door behind her.

A small smile appeared on the blonde vampire’s ruby lips as she swayed over towards the bed and crawled in next to her new friend. When she lay down next to him, William sniffed the air and then chuckled with amusement.

"How did you make her go away?" He chuckled in a low-pitched tone before turning to face her. His bright blue eyes shown as he looked at her.

"You just have not learned properly yet." She told him pointedly, "You get use to her after a while."

William let out a slight huff as he pulled the blood red sheets tighter to him; "she wouldn’t stop talking about Angelus. About to make my ears bleed."

Buffy giggled as she lay down fully on the bed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yes, I know what you are talking about. Feel the same way about that myself." She told him quietly while she began to play with the material of his shirt.

It was the same one that he had worn when he crawled out of his own grave. It wasn’t as dirty as it had been but it still had that earthy smell to it. There was also a long trail of blood down the front of it. Buffy smirked as she traced the line with her gentle fingers.

"I don’t see why he worships her so?" He stated as his eyes watched her fingers travel down his chest and stomach, then back up again. Through the slightest touch, William began to feel a tad bit nervous but soon relaxed into it. "I am not jealous by it but…I just don’t understand."

Buffy sighed as she snuggled deeper into his shoulder, continuing to trace down the bloodline, "that’s how it has always been. He has never been this deeply affectionate with Dru before, I must tell you that. Usually he wants me after drinking tons of ale at the local pub. With Darla it is after they are full of blood and lust. And Dru…she is just like a child to him. There have been few moments of passion between them in the last 20 years but now there have been more than ever."

"Oh…" William sighed as he slightly closed his eyes. "I tell you, we have to start sparring earlier in the day because I am having the hardest time staying awake." He mumbled as he felt himself begin to drift off and then snapped out of it.

"I know." Buffy mumbled as she felt her eyes drooping but also shook her head in order to stay awake. "Now why do you not want to come out hunting tonight?"

"I don’t want to." He replied simply as his eyes began to flutter open and close. He didn’t know if vampires could be sleepy but all he knew right now is that it was hard for him to stay awake. "Too tired and I am not really in the mood to have Angelus send sharp looks at me the whole night."

"Please…" Buffy whispered soothingly into his ear, making William’s stomach do strange motions. "I promise that if you come, we can train earlier."

William chuckled as he looked down on the woman who was leaning on his shoulder and grinned. He then cupped her cheek and suddenly placed a soft kiss against her temple before removing himself from the bed. Buffy chortled with pure excitement as she bounced off the bed and out the door.

~*~

Darla growled with impatience as she, Dru and Angelus made their way through the icy London streets. "I am bored, shall we retire now?" She asked with annoyance, moving her hard gaze over towards Angelus who had his arm wrapped tightly around Dru’s waist and his other arm linked with hers.

"Here in a minute, Darla. We must wait for the boy and Buffy, they are still feeding." Angelus told her but had slight venom in his voice when he spoke of his childe and Dru’s.

"Forget them! It is almost daylight." Darla huffed impatiently, gripping tighter to Angelus’s arm. "We shall not become ashes because of their carelessness." She tried to reason with him, stopping in her tracks, pulling on his arm when she did, causing both he and Dru halt in mid-step.

Dru pouted as she nuzzled Angelus’s shoulder, trying to obtain his attention. "Daddy, I am full of exhaust and weary. I do not feel like waiting for my little ocean. He will return home soon enough with Sister."

"We may leave when we know where they are!" Angelus raged at them before turning on his heels and stalking off into the opposite direction that they had come, bumping into several people as he passed them by.

As he stalked down the street, Angelus heard a pair of laughter come from a nearby alley. Recognizing it was his childe and the boy, the elder vampire sauntered into the alley to find Buffy and William dropping their latest victims towards the ground. "Where have you two been!" Buffy and William gasped with alarm as Angelus’s booming voice called out to them.

"We have been feeding Angelus." Buffy told him softly, shaking off her vampire mask and wiping the crimson trail of blood away from her chin. "William and I are very hungry tonight."

"Well the rest of us are ready to retire. It is time to go. We don’t want to turn into dust." He growled with an irate tone.

"We are still hungry and we’re going to stay out longer." William smirked at the brunette vampire that only snarled at him.

Angelus cocked his head to the side as he observed Buffy. She only nodded her head with agreement at her blonde companion and then turned back to Angelus, her face seemed firm and assured of her decision.

A slight hiss escaped Angelus’s mouth as he looked between the two blonde vampires, "fine but be back before sunrise!" He barked before storming out of the alley.

As soon as the elder vampire was gone from sight, William turned towards Buffy and smiled. "He did not seemed to blissful did he?"

"No, but it is alright." She reassured him, linking their arms together. "A bit more bloodshed before we turn in William?" She grinned at him as they slipped out of the alley.

"Yes, I think so." He nodded his head as they made their way through the cobblestone streets but he halted immediately as a shock look covered over his face when he saw HER figure walk trough the small crowds. William furrowed his eyebrows as he whispered her name. "Cecily?"

________________________________________________

CHAPTER 10 'REUNITING'

I was stained with a roll,
in a day not my own.
And as you walked into my life,
you showed what needed to be shown.
And I always knew what was right,
just didn't know that I might,
Peel away and choose to see was such
different sight

~ Vanessa Carlton ~

~*~

The young woman laughed with glee as the gay melody floated through out the room. It had been a wonderful night; there was beautiful music, joyful dancing and elegant conversation. This party could not have gotten any better.

The young woman was brought out of her musings when there was a slight tap on her shoulder. Wiping her body around, she wasn’t surprised to see one of her many admirers standing there with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Dear Cecily, would you do the please of accompanying me for one dance?" Henry Austen asked her politely; extending his arm but she just giggled, covering her mouth with her white-gloved hand.

"Oh no thank you Henry, I do not dance well." She continued to laugh at the thought of her dancing.

The young man just shook his head amusingly at her, "now, now Cecily, I think you would float like an angel on the ballroom floor." He commented, taking her hand in his.

Cecily blushed at his loving words. Henry had a way with them and she admired that. Unlike William…ugh, she did not want to think about him. Thank goodness she had gotten rid of that boy.

"Your words are sweet Henry." She whispered softly, letting go of his hand and took a step back from him, "but it is getting late and I must retire. But thank you ever so much for the offer." She nodded to him but before he could say anything else she turned around and headed out of the estate and into the nightly streets of London.

She did not feel comfortable walking around at night alone. God forbid a lady of her stature should have a male companion with her. Pickpockets and thieves have become more and more abundant lately. Some of them had their throats ripped out and their blood drained or so she had heard.

Cecily pulled her shawl closer to her body as she quickened her pace down the street, but stopped when she felt a creeping feeling up her spine. It felt familiar and powerful. The power that pulled her caused Cecily to turn around.

"Oh my Lord." She gasped as she saw William standing there, alive.

~*~

Buffy furrowed her eyebrows as she heard the name leave William’s mouth. "Cecily?" She whispered to him in a questioningly and then looked in William’s direction to see a young beautiful girl standing there, staring at him with disbelief.

The female suddenly remembered what he had told her about this young woman. Buffy now understood the hurt and vengeful look that was embedded deeply into his dark blue orbs. She now knew.

Touching his shoulder lightly she looked over at Cecily who was continuing to stand there across the street, looking dumbfounded. "What are you going to do about ‘er?" Buffy asked him sincerely, running her hand down the length of his arm, towards his hand, intertwining their fingers together.

"She hurt me. She made me this." William whispered hoarsely, giving her hand a slight squeeze and then finally turned his gaze from his former love towards his vampire teacher and confidant. Buffy could see the rage that was building up inside him and placed a tender hand on his cheek. William let out a deep sigh as he felt her hand come in contact with his skin.

"Don’t be too long okay? It will be sunrise in a few hours." She told him gently, as she ran her hand down his cheek. "We do not want Angelus to go into one of his fits again when he discovers that we have been out all night." She giggled and then gently brushed her lips against his. This stunned them both for a minute while they both just stared at each other. Eventually though Buffy shook her head and nodded towards the nearby party. "I will be in there." She told him before walking off and leaving him to do his business.

William watched her go as a slight smile appeared on his face. She was a remarkable person…vampire and she had kissed him. Quickly though, he snapped his head back over towards his former love. He could feel his demon visage begging to be released and to rip the woman apart for what she had done to him. Shaking it off, William continued to stare at her, his eyes finally locking with hers.

~*~

Cecily didn’t know what was happening, but his eyes…they spoke to her in so many ways. They beckoned her to him. She had never looked at William’s eyes like this before but now that she did, she couldn’t pull away.

"William?" She whispered quietly to herself before he turned on his feet and headed into the alley behind him. She didn’t know how it happened, but for some reason her feet began to follow him into the alley. As soon as she entered the dark alley, Cecily brought her hand towards her nose. It seemed like death amongst the shadows. Too dark to see your own hand if you stuck it up in front of your face. The young woman began to walk until she reached a high wall that extended several feet above her head, the only light coming from the ghostly moon above her. That’s when she heard his voice.

"Hello Cecily," the vampire purred with twisted amusement as he hid from her in the darkness. He chuckled as she whipped her body around in circles, trying to look for him in the shadows. An alarmed look passed over the woman’s face as she searched for him but it was useless.

"Where are you?" She whispered with a slight stammer in her voice. Her eyes still searching for him, having no luck. The smell in the dank alley was getting worse. She couldn’t stand it and she wondered how he could, if it was really him. How was he alive? "Come out."

William smirked as he shook his head, "not your dog anymore, pet, I’ll come out when I please." He told her in a deep rumbling accent. Feeling his anger for her course through out his body.

"You come back to tell me more of your poetry William?" She said in a snotty attitude, her face mimicking pure annoyance towards the vampire in the shadows. She didn’t know if it was really him but even if it wasn’t she still felt a negative feeling towards him. "I told you before William, you’re beneath me."

Cecily was surprised when she heard a deep chuckle out from the shadows.

"That may be luv, but I didn’t come here for poetry." He told her as he finally emerged from the darkness and towards her. The eerie glow from the moonlight bouncing off of his figure. A dark chill ran up Cecily’s spine when she saw him.

She could tell from the sound his voice that the sweet and shy tone he had once before was gone from his speech, and replaced a dark and confident one. He seemed taller to her, and leaner. His spectacles had disappeared from his face, and his dark curly hair was swept away from his brow, giving her a clear view of the bright blue orbs that were his eyes. Once again as she stared into them, she felt as if she was in a trance.

"What…are you here for then?" She asked him dazed, still trapped in the color of his eyes.

"I have a surprise for you. Want to show you what I have become." He smirked as continued to walk towards her, backing the young woman into a nearby wall. She was trapped, there was no where to run. The amusing part of this whole ordeal was that, she had no idea what was going on.

Cecily sighed with frustration as she finally snapped out of his gaze. She only stared at him with utter aggravation. "Go home William." She huffed as she tried to get her feet to start walking but it wasn’t working. He was doing something to her.

"No thanks." He grinned at her impishly, running his hands down the sides of her arms, "kind of like it here."

Cecily let out a short huff as she tried to wrench herself from his touch but he just tightened his grip on her when she did. "Let go of me William!"

"It always has to be about you doesn’t it?" He asked with venom, tilting his head to the side. "No one else matters but Cecily because everyone else in the world doesn’t live up to her stature. She couldn’t see what was right in front of her!"

Cecily let out a slight whimper at the tone of his voice, "William please." She begged now a look of fright set on to her face. She thought that would make him let her go but it didn’t work because he continued on ranting.

"You broke my heart that night. I felt like you had ripped me in two and then copped me into little pieces! I thought my life was over," he then smirked as he thought the irony of what he had said. "And it was in one way or another…so I just wanted to thank you…"

"F-for what?" The young woman stuttered as she looked up at the man in front of her that was holding her tightly.

"For making me into this." He hissed as he demon surged forward and growled at her deeply. "You like?" He chuckled deeply as his golden eyes sparkled with anger.

"Oh God!" Cecily gasped as she now tried to struggle away from him but his strength was no match for hers. She let out several small cries of help as she placed her hands on his chest and attempted to push him away but wasn’t able to.

"Don’t look so alarmed, luv, this is what you did. This was your fault!" He told her, looking down at her jugular with immense hunger. He had never felt like this before, he had never felt so primal and vengeful in his whole life. It felt unfamiliar to him but when he saw her, the urge and passion for blood hit his stomach hard. His stomach felt empty and heavy and his heart felt rage and a deep undying pain. He loosened his grip as he thought of that night that his life had been taken away from him, he watched it play over and over in his mind.

The moment of thinking was all Cecily needed to break away from the vampire’s grasp. Fear was now settling uncomfortably into her body as she began to run out of the alley but began to subside as she saw the dimly lit streets of London ahead of her.

"Oh no you don’t." William huffed as he shoved Cecily into the wall opposite her.

"I am sorry William! I am so sorry!" She begged and pleaded as small tears began to stream down her face. He cocked his head to the side, as if he was trying to see if her apologizes were true and that if she was truly sorry.

William let out another growl as he shoved her up against the wall once more. His golden eyes flashed with a look of rage. "Lies." He hisses softly between his teeth. "You don’t know what you have done to me!"

"I am sorry William, I truly am!" She continued to beg, the tears now pooling down her face like a waterfall. Her usually pale cheeks were now a deep crimson color from her tears; her beautiful eyes that he had loved to look at when he was human were now wide with fear.

"Too late." He spat before shoving his sharp veins into her jugular, letting the bloodlust take over him completely. Cecily let out cries of help as she felt William draining the blood from her body, feeling her life easily slip away from her.

~*~

Buffy sighed as she continued to dance with this Henry fellow she had met as soon as she had entered the mansion. He was polite and elegant but he wasn’t…she didn’t know how to describe it. If she were human she would have taken keen interest in him but now that she was a vampire, he seemed to bore her.

"Do I bore you Elizabeth?" Henry smiled at her as they waltzed along the ballroom floor. She was a wonderful dancer and had a timeless beauty that he had not seen before, he thought to himself as he looked at her. Although, Cecily was beautiful herself, this woman Elizabeth was mysterious at the same time. He liked it.

Buffy giggled, as she finally looked Henry in the eyes for the first time since they had approached the ballroom floor. "Oh no Henry. I am just thinking. You do not bore me." She lied but she didn’t want to hurt this mortal’s feelings.

Silently she worried about William, he had been taking a long time and she was starting to worry about him. It was eating at her. She had to see if he was all right.

"I am sorry Henry," Buffy began to apologize as she pulled away from his gentle hold on her, "I must go." And with that she turned on her heels and ran out of the mansion.

Henry curiously watched the beautiful woman run out of the mansion and out into the streets. And then letting the curiosity consume him, he quickly followed her.

~*~

William let out a pleasured moan as she continued to feed off of his former love. As soon as her blood had entered his body, William felt the burden of her rejection of him several nights ago had been put to rest. His attention was suddenly pulled away from his victim when he heard someone approaching. Whirling his head around, William saw Buffy coming towards him. Immediately he let his demon mask fade away and replaced it with his human one.

"Buffy? What’s wrong?" He asked with concern, the rage that he had been feeling soon dying away when he saw her. "Are you okay?"

Buffy let out a sigh of relief when she that he was all right and the dead body of Cecily hanging limply in his arms. "I am alright, I was just worried about you. Thought something went wrong." She replied with concern, watching him lean the body up against the wall softly and then turned towards her.

"I am sorry that I worried you." He said sincerely as he ran his hand down her cheek softly then down her arm. "Didn’t mean to."

"I know." She smiled genuinely feeling a slight tingling sensation as his hand stroked her arm gently. She suddenly remembered what she had done before she had taken off into the party. She kissed him. Buffy didn’t know why she did it but she just did. But what she did know was that she liked it. The tingling feeling was now growing in the pit of her stomach and she was having a hard time concentrating on anything but that.

William tilted his head to the side as he watched his companion have an inner war within herself. He wondered what she was thinking. The young vampire then moved his eyes away from her face and towards his hand which was holding hers gently. She had the smallest hands he had ever seen and somehow they seemed to fit perfecting within his. Furrowing his eyebrows he brought the hand towards his face.

Buffy slightly giggled as she saw him open her hand up and traced his own fingers down hers. "Having fun?" She laughed at him, watching him study her hand.

"You have the smallest hands." He stated as he placed his own hand against hers. "So delicate…so gentle."

Buffy let out a heavy sigh as she moved the hand that William was studying and placed it delicately against his face. Her hazel eyes fluttered close and then leaned forward and planted her lips softly on his.

"MONSTERS!" Buffy and William rapidly pulled away from each other when they heard the frantic cry sound out through the streets. There standing at them with a look of pure horror on his features was Henry. "You killed her! You monsters!" He continued to shout as several other men from the party joined up behind him looking at Cecily’s body with sorrow and then at the pair of vampires with fear.

"Oh God." Buffy gasped as she took William’s hand in hers and grasped it tightly. Soon a mob of men had gathered up behind Henry, several of then holding torches in their hands. They were trapped.

"Kill them!" Several of the men shouted at the pair, holding their torches high in the air, ready to strike at any moment.

Buffy quickly snapped her head towards William’s, she looked and felt afraid for the first time in years. "What are we going to do? They’ll kill us."

William’s eyes widened as he stared at her, "I don’t know." He told her, his voice shaky with dismay.

___________________________________________

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