Brave New World

TITLE: Brave New World (1/?)

AUTHOR: Kimberly Colbary & Chazzman

DISCLAIMER: We do not own any of the characters in this story. They all belong to Joss and the WB network. Please don't sue. We have nothing anyway. Spoilers: All of Third season up to the Wish and the movie.

RATED: NC-17

WARNING: Contains some rape and smut and nasty language. Anyone bothered by these issues or under the age in their area DO NOT READ.

SUMMERY: B/M, B/S. Alternative "The Wish" universe where Giles was not able to change the world back and Buffy wasn't just killed by the Master. Plus Evil-Willow is still around. And Spike is waiting in the wings.

Authors note: OK I admit it. I'm crazy I just love stories where Buffy is a vamp and where she is with Spike. Call me nuts all you want. I think it makes for an interesting twist.

FEEDBACK: Is welcome at kimberlyc28@hotmail.com or kim_borianiaz@hotmail.com or charles.parise@airliquide.com . This is our first real story so please be kind. If you want to criticize, fine but NO FLAMES please. Can't wait to read it.

Brave New World

Chapter 1

When the arrow flew towards the Master's heart, only his lightning fast reflexes saved him. He grabbed Xander and pulled him in front to block the arrow. The Master looked up and saw her. It was the Slayer. The one he had heard about. She was strong and beautiful, and while he was filled with rage at her attack upon his factory, today of all days, he was also filled with a terrible lust and desire to have her. He knew in that second that he had to have her. As the fighting broke out, his only goal was to catch her and possess her.He watched as many of his minions fell to both the Slayer and those humans who had escaped. He did not worry though, for he knew that He would win this fight. Finally, she seemed to notice him. They fought their way towards each other. The Master was for a moment pleased to see the pathetic Angelus fall whilst trying to protect her, but then he saw Xander fall to the Slayer, and this made him very angry. Finally, the two opponents came face to face. Buffy hit the Master and he her. They fought back and forth, for quite a while. The rest of the battle was over, what few humans who had survived were long gone. The remaining vampires watched in awe as the Slayer and the Master fought. No one dared to interfere. Then, the Master struck Buffy hard across the face, she stumbled backwards over debris and was distracted for a moment. In that moment, he was on her, biting her, and draining her just enough for her to loose consciousness.

The fight, for now, was over.

The Master was certain that the Slayer, when turned, would make a great replacement for the lost Xander. He turned to Willow, who was draining one of the White hats. "Willow, my dear, bring her to my room. She will awake to a whole New World tomorrow, and you will have a sister to share everything with. The rest of you, clean this place up." Turning, he headed back to the Bronze. Willow soon followed carrying an unconscious Buffy.

Buffy awoke, as Willow threw her on the bed. She moaned and opened her eyes. The blood loss had left her too weak to fight. The Master sat by her head and looked down at her. Buffy attempted to back away, only to find Willow sitting on her other side preventing her from moving away. She was terrified that they were going to turn her. Death she could handle. It was an occupational hazard as far as Slaying went and she had expected it to come when the Master had bitten her. But now here she was, still alive.

"You are a pretty thing," said the Master as he moved some stray hairs from her face. Buffy flinched at his touch. The Master and Willow laughed at her reaction. **Oh Please God!** Buffy silently prayed. **Don't let them turn me. I don't give a damn if the want to torture me. I'm the Slayer. I can take anything, but that. Please, Help me!**

"What's you name Slayer?" he asked her.

"Buffy" she answered without really knowing why.

"And your age child," asks the Master

"Eighteen," she replied softly, her voice weak.

The Master rose to his feet, crossed the room, and grabbed several pieces of wire from a table. Returning to the bed, he handed the wire to Willow. Buffy began to trash about, trying to struggle, to fight, but her arms and legs felt like lead weights were on them. Swiftly, Willow tied Buffy's hands and feet with the wire, lashing her body spread-eagle to the bed.

"No, NO!" She started to yell. "You fuckin' Bastards. Aargh!" she cried out as Willow pulled the wire tight enough that it sliced into her skin. Buffy glared at the two of them, pulling at the bonds and panting from her exertions. "You ugly fucks had better kill me now, because I'm not gonna stop until I kill all of you!"

"Oooooohh! Scary!" Willow said sarcastically as the Master thrust a filthy rag into Buffy's mouth and tied it around her head. Willow stood up, looked at Buffy and, with a grin, turned to ask the Master, "Are you going to have some fun with 'IT' first?"

"You know me. I like them young," said the Master smiling at Willow. "Although, she is almost too old. But the fact that she is a Slayer adds such an interesting spice to the moment, don't you think?"

Willow pouted, "You didn't take me, when I was brought to you. You turned me first. And then later I had Xander to play with. But you haven't played with me since."

"A mistake I plan on rectifying soon, My Dear," he said pulling her to him and kissing her, deeply.

"Can I...play with her too?" Willow asked staring devotedly into his eyes.

He looked down at the wide open eyes of Buffy and said, "How can I refuse such a request? Hum? Slayer? You don't mind do you? No? Good."

Slowly, Buffy began to realize they meant to rape her, and she started to feel sick. **They're trying to break me, but I won't give in,** she thought. **I'm the Slayer. I'm tough. I can take it. It means nothing.** Over and over she began to repeat that in her head. Like a mantra, trying to prepare herself for the horror that was about to occur, not wanting to show any response to them. However, she was unable to prevent a single tear from escaping and sliding down her cheek. Seeing this, the Master laughed.

"Ah your tears make you even more appealing to me," he said as he slid onto the bed. He leaned over Buffy and licked the tear off her face. She flinched away.

"You know Buffy, do you mind if I mind if I call you Buffy, I have not had a living woman in a quite a while." He looked at Buffy who was still struggling against the wires that bound her to the bed, her skin torn and bleeding. Willow had moved to lap at the tiny rivulets of blood from her wrists. The cold tongue on her flesh made her breakout in goose bumps, it was so disgusting and creepy feeling. The Master continued, "Yes, I think I would like to start again. With you." Willow and the Master began to strip her clothing off of her. Feeling her clothing being torn from her body, some of the barriers in her mind began to crumble, and Buffy began to cry like she had the day that her parents were murdered. She had never cried after that day. Until now.

Finally, when they had finished stripping her naked, the Master looked her over and admired her body as Willow moved to undress him. When he was naked, he climbed on top of the Slayer and began to suck on her right breast. Willow quickly stripped herself before joining the two on the bed. She began to suck on Buffy's left breast, but unlike the Master she began to bite, letting her fangs pierce the skin and draw blood. Buffy grunted in pain, trying to pull away.

"Gently, gently at first, My Dear," the Master chided. "It is more fun when they are first forced to enjoy it. Her guilt and shame over her body's response will sweeten her blood. Be assured there is not much else more you can do that will fill her with as much self-loathing as receiving pleasure during one's own rape."

In her mind, Buffy was screaming, **...nononononononono! Oh God, help me! Please, oh please, ohplease, ohplease. Nonononoooo. Get away from me! No, God, please help me! Stop this. Don't touch me. Don't, please don't, don't...**

The Master moved to position himself to enter her. He was pleasantly surprised when he hit a barrier. "Saving yourself for me Slayer," he leered, and then he thrust himself into her.

Taking her innocence.

Willow leaned next to Buffy's ear as the Master raped her. "How does it feel Slayer? Still think your going to kill us? Hmmm? You're gonna save the world from us right? Poor little delusional Slayer. Doesn't look to good for you. Nope."

As Willow and the Master continued to defile her, Buffy felt as if she was becoming detached from her body. She knew she was not dying, although she wish with all her being that she was experiencing a heart attack. They would periodically bite into her to take a small drink and weaken her further. When the Master had finished with her, Buffy thought it was over and they would kill her now. But then Willow climbed on and mounted her with a strap-on dildo. With sadistic delight, she continued Buffy's rape for what seemed like hours, staring into the Slayer's eyes and watching the fire and defiance in them slowly dim and die out.

When Willow was finished with her, the Master moved again to bite into Buffy's neck. This time, however, he drank from her until she was at the point of death. He then bit his own wrist and forced the blood down Buffy's throat. When she finally passed out, the Master rose from her body and looked at Willow.

"Ah, there's nothing like the power of a Slayer's blood to invigorate you. Did you enjoy that, Willow?" he asked.

Willow smiled and moved to rub her body up against that of the Master's, 'Oh yes indeed, Master. Thank you." Then she frowned, "But I missed hearing her screams. I like it when they scream. Xander used to like it too. I miss him, Master." She sighed and rubbed her face on the Master's chest, looking at the ground.

"I know and I'm sorry. Is there something I can do to make you feel better? Humm?" he asked, tilting her face up to look at him an evil smile lit up Willow's face as she spoke, "Well, you did say something about rectifying a certain situation." Then in a little girl's voice she continued, "And I don't like to sleep alone. There's all sorts of monsters out there that might like to eat a little girl."

The Master chuckled as he said, "Yes, and you're one of them."

"You know me. I like them young," Willow replied with a shrug and a smile.

The Master gave a louder laugh at hearing his own statement from earlier given a new twist.

"Come then, let us retire to your room. I don't wish to disturb your new sister as she joins the family."

"She did seem rather quite towards the end, there," Willow pondered aloud. "I wonder what she was thinking about. I wish I could listen in to their final thoughts. That would be just so delicious."

The Master said nothing as he led Willow from the room. For the next night, he was certain that where once there had been an enemy, a new and powerful minion would be born.

This Slayer was his. Now and forever more.

Chapter 2

The following night, Buffy slowly awoke. Detecting voices not too far away she did not move, pretending to still be asleep, while straining to discern what they were saying and who they were.

"Willow, I want you to watch her carefully." It was the Master. "She was a Slayer, and they don't always turn right. If she is as I hope, you will have gained a powerful new sister to play in the night with, and I, a wonderfully, powerful new disciple. But sometimes, quite rarely, a few of them continue to behave as if they were still Slayers and try to kill their Sires. It's as if they had somehow managed to keep their souls. If she should turn out to be one of these, well.... I think it would then be quite enjoyable for you to see her suffer for what she did to Xander, perhaps a replacement for Puppy."

Buffy shuddered involuntarily. Listening to the Master, she realized that while she now felt very different from what she had been, she did not feel as if she were a part of these vampires. Indeed she still felt all the hatred and disgusted she had ever had for them. The possibility that she was still en-souled shocked her. She had never heard that such a thing might be possible. It had never been mentioned in any of the Watcher Diaries that she had read, and, most certainly Merrick had never mentioned such an event occurring in the past. She realized that was probably because any Slayer in the past who had been vamped would never have been listened to let alone been trusted to be telling the truth.

Assuming they ever even got back to their Watcher. One thing was for certain; she did not want to experience whatever it was that the Master planned to do to her should he discover that she had kept her soul.

For the moment, Buffy decided, she would play along and bide her time. She would play the evil sycophant to the Master, acting like the fawning and obedient little minion that he wanted her to be.

For the time being.

But now she had to eat.

She had been feeling a terrifyingly, powerful urge to eat from the minute she had awoken, but had been stifling it whilst she planned. But her hunger pains grew worse the longer she lay there. It was almost a physical pain. It reached the point that she involuntarily let out a faint growl.

The Master's keen hearing picked up her growl, and he smiled cruelly. "Ah! Awake at last. And hungry, no doubt. Willow my dear, bring up one of our guests for dinner." With a sullen glare at the former Slayer, Willow left the room, whilst the Master moved over towards Buffy.

Buffy opened her eyes to find herself naked and still tied to the bed with wire. Forcing down the surge of panic that she felt start to well up inside of her, she instead concentrated on acting hungry and confused, as she had seen other fledglings act. Since she was starving and still disoriented, there was not really much acting to do. She felt her Vampiric face rise to the surface and slid her tongue across her teeth. **Fangs! Oh God, I have fangs!**

"Hello, my Childe, did you sleep well?" asked the Master as he crossed the room and sat on the bed. Knowing that she could not give him a smart-mouth quip, as she would have liked to, Buffy was frozen by indecision about what exactly to say. She stared at him in silence, her fear making her mind blank.

Misinterpreting Buffy's silence as insolence, the Master angrily slapped her hard across her face, splitting Buffy's lip. Mistaking his slap to mean that he knew her secret already, Buffy began to loose control of her panic and frantically tried to move away from him. As she struggled, the wire cut into her still bound wrists. The sharp pain brought enough clarity to her confused mind for her to hear the Master say, "When I ask you a question, Childe, you will answer me. Is that understood?"

Buffy stopped her frantic struggles and in a small, terrified voice whispered, "Yes." Relief swept through her making her body go limp. Then he struck her again.

"Yes, what?" he asked harshly.

"Yes...Master," she replied meekly, lowering her eyes.

The Master laughed and then stroked her face, "That is correct. You are to always address me as 'Master' or 'Sire'. It will help you remember your position here. Under Me. I am your Sire and Master and you will obey me in all things. At all times."

"Yes, Sire," Buffy quickly replied.

Willow returned with a teenage girl in tow. The girl's hands and feet bound with duct tape and a gag in her mouth. "Here," she said as she casually tossed the girl across Buffy's lap as if she were nothing more than rag doll.

To one part of Buffy, to the young girl whom she had once been, the idea that she was going to feed off of this girl made her want to scream in rage and despair. To another part of her, the new Demon part, the desire for the blood that she could heard pulsing through the terrified girl's vein's exacerbated the already overwhelming hunger that she felt. Finally it was the Slayer part of herself who took control. The part that could look at her situation without emotions to cloud her judgement; the part which knew that if she did not feed on this girl . . . did not pass this first test of the Master's, then she would have no hope of escaping. Or of surviving.

Trying to scream through the gag in her mouth, the girl looked in desperation at Buffy but saw no hope for rescue from her. The Master and Willow watched Buffy for her reaction. Cocking her head to the right, she looked up at them questioningly.

"Master, may I?" she softly asked.

With a smile, the Master nodded, "You may, my Childe." He then waved to Willow to untie Buffy's hands so she could feed.

Buffy bent over the girl, all the while silently praying to God for forgiveness for what she was about to do. As quickly as possible, she sank her teeth into the girl's neck and began to feed. The feeling was overpowering. She knew at that moment, that even if she had been left alone with this girl, she would not have been able to stop herself from feeding. The girl died quickly as Buffy finished draining her body. Her hunger sated for the moment, Buffy concentrated on remaining calm. Suddenly, she was startled to feel her face shift as it changed back into her normal human visage. Buffy looked up to see the Master smiling at her.

"Very impressive," he said looking towards Willow and rubbing his hands with glee. "You see? Such rapid control over her appearance so quickly. If her cunning and intelligence are unaffected by the transition, she will truly be a wonderful new addition to our family."

"Oh yes, very nice," Willow said with a cold toneless voice. Glancing past the Master, Buffy saw the redheaded Vamp looking at her, but with an almost expressionless face. Buffy had the feeling that she looked vaguely familiar but it passed when the Master addressed her.

"Get yourself dressed. I will introduce you to the rest of your new family here."

He intended to keep an eye on Buffy for a very long time. He would not truly trust her until she had proven herself to him. But before she could be allowed the freedom to do even that he would have to break her to ensure she did not get any ideas about rising above her station. He had not existed for this long without learning to take pre-emptive action against those who might seek to unseat him as their supreme ruler. The now ex-Slayer was currently weak from her transition to vampire, but that would change, in time. She would gain her strength back and eventually might become even stronger than she had been as a Slayer. He planned to keep her on a tight leash and keep her weak for a while. Until he felt more certain of her loyalty towards him. Until he had properly trained her.

He left Buffy alone with the expressionless, redheaded vamp. "Who are you?" she asked. Willow tossed her the clothing she had brought earlier onto the bed and walk over to stand as close to Buffy as possible, without actually touching her.

"My name, as the Master has already mentioned a number of times by now, is Willow. Are you stupid or just hard of hearing," she spat out at Buffy. Willow grabbed Buffy's chin and glared directly into her eyes. "I don't like you. You killed my mate. Do you remember him? He was the striking one in the black leather jacket." Willow released Buffy's chin and backed off, all the while continuing to look at Buffy in pure hatred. "If the Master did not desire you as his Pet I would rip your heart out with my hands," she hissed in tightly controlled fury. "Hurry up and get dressed! The Master is wait. Though what he sees in you is beyond me." With a snort of contempt, she left the room.

As Buffy hastily dressed, she cast about in her mind to come up with a plan to keep the Master and Willow from discovering her secret. **The simplest way,** she thought to herself, **is to pretend to be crazy. That way, if I make any mistakes, they can be blamed on me being psycho-girl. No one ever questions the crazy ones, and I know just how to do it.**

Chapter 3

As Buffy finished dressing she caught sight of the body of a little girl, perhaps not even 7 years old, which she had failed to noticed before. At first the sight saddened her, but then she noticed the doll still clenched in the child's arms. **Perfect, ** she thought to herself, **I could use that.** She walked over to the child and bent over to get the doll just as Willow re-entered the room.

"What are you doing?" she growled seeing Buffy bent over the dead little girl in the corner.

**ShowTime!** thought Buffy as she slowly straighten and turned.

"She needs me," said Buffy, smiling as she faced Willow.

"Who" asks Willow as she steps closer threateningly.

"Mary," replied Buffy while holding the doll close to her chest. "She needs someone to care for her. I want to take her hunting." Buffy hoped that her words would sound as crazy to Willow as she thought they were to herself. She smiled at Willow then quickly lowered her eyes as if in subservience, but in reality, she was afraid that Willow would see the truth in her eyes.

"Whatever," said Willow in contempt and disgust at the rapid display of servitude that Buffy was showing. Normally, a minion with this attitude would have pleased her. But in this girl . . . the Slayer who had managed to kill her beloved Xander, such groveling only filled her with rage that someone so weak could have destroyed someone as strong as her Xander had been.

"Come," she ordered curtly, "the Master awaits."

Willow led the way towards the Master without even a backwards glance to see if Buffy was following. Buffy followed, her hopes rising both in her plan and in her ability to pull it off. Clutching the doll to her chest and silently saying prayer of thanks, she moved forward to face the Master, and hoped he would be deceived as well.

Willow led Buffy to the Master's throne room. She strode with confidence and ease right up to the Master, ignoring the other vampires who were present.

"Master. There seems to be something wrong with your new toy."

Before the Master could ask Willow to explain further, Buffy slowly strolled into the room. Hugging the doll, she gazes around the room. She cocked her head, as if she was listening to someone. "Your right Mary," she said to the doll, "everything is so very beautiful here." Stepping into the room, she looks up at the Master for a moment before again lowering her head in the same subservient gesture that she had done to Willow, earlier. "Master, will Mary and I be allowed to go out hunting?" She began to softly sing to the doll.

As the Master looked on at Buffy's antics, he groaned inside. **Great, just what I need,** he thought sarcastically, **another Druscilla.** Despite her flair for creating terror and bloodshed, the Master considered Druscilla's continual ramblings to be enough to drive the sanest vampire crazy. But at least Drucilla kept Spike occupied, though the Master was still puzzled as to why he had remained devoted to that insane vampiress for so long, it wasn't as if she were even his sire. He knew that with Spike's ruthlessness and intelligence he could easily be the head of a huge vampire kingdom. **Possibly one even rivaling my own,** he thought, **so it is probably just as well that Spike is distracted by having to care for Dru.**

"How disappointing," he murmured.

He stood and called over to Buffy, "Childe, come forth."

At first Buffy froze in panic. However, when she saw the Master start to become angry she rushed over to his side. Only to find herself on her butt after being struck by the Master. Stifling her desire to strike back, she whimpered and cowered at his feet in order to stay consistent with the crazy character she was posing as.

With an angry glare, the Master coldly told her, "When I give you an order, you will obey without hesitation. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master," Buffy cried out, trying to sound as frightened as possible whilst in reality she was livid with anger.

"Good," the Master smiled evilly at her. "Sit," he then ordered while pointing to an empty spot on the floor by his feet.

Obediently, Buffy quickly moved to the spot and sat down. She was about to continue her charade of playing with the doll, when she was startled by the feel of the Master placing his hand on her head. The Master chuckled as he felt her jump and the he began to stroke and play with her hair. Ignoring the thought that he was treating her like a pet dog, Buffy settled back and began to enjoy the sensations stirring within her from his stroking of her hair. She found herself leaning into the Master's caress, much to his delight. Surprising both herself and the Master, Buffy suddenly started purring with a low throaty rumble.

**How the hell am I doing that?** she thought to herself. **Why am I doing that? Why does his touch feel so good to me? I hate him. I should feel disgust at his touch, but instead I'm feeling so good . . . Oh, God! It's making me horny. What is going on with me?** The only plausible explanation that she could come up with was that the demon now inside of her was responding to the touch of its Sire.

Suddenly, she sensed the approach of someone or something that brought a tingle of familiarity to her mind. Buffy sat stiffly upright and ceased purring. The Master chuckled again at her response. He pulled Buffy up into his lap and then turned her chin to face him.

"I have had a surprise brought here for you, childe," he said with a wicked grin. Three vampires entered the room, two of them dragging the unconscious body of a human. Buffy could not make out who it was, but she braced herself as her thoughts gave rise to a horrid possibility. She knew this was going to be another test.

"Master, we have brought the one you asked for," the vampire in the lead said as it knelt before the Master and bowed his head. When the other two vampires dragged the human into view, Buffy could finally see who it was.

It was her Watcher. It was Merrick.

****

Buffy knew why they had brought him. It was a test. She had managed to pass this test the first time, but it had been a stranger then and she had been starving for blood, having been a newly risen vampire. But now the test would be harder, because now she was not starving, and yet, she would, no doubt, still be expected to feed on this man whom she knew from her past. This man, who had been the closest person to her for every day of the last 5 years, ever since her parents had been murdered by vampires. Who had trained her in her duties as a Slayer.

She realized the Master was watching for her reaction. That he would be wondering if she did not react properly to Merrick's presence. She worried about what would happen to herself if she did not show the correct response. He watched as Buffy lips slowly formed an evil grin.

"Is that for me, Master?" Buffy asked with as much awe and wonder as if she had just been presented with a diamond necklace.

"I thought you might enjoy a little treat," he told her. Knowing that Merrick would be killed no matter what she did, Buffy frantically cast about in her mind for any idea on what she could do to avoid having to do the deed herself. If this was to be her treat, she would rather have the punishment.

Willow, who had been watching from the back of the room, slowly strolled forward to press herself close to the Master. She growled at Buffy who, in turn, growled back.

"Now, now girls," admonished the Master, "there will be no fighting in public over me. That should be kept in private. In any case, Childe, you had best respect your elders," he said looking pointedly at Buffy. "You are too young to be challenging anyone." Pulling Buffy closer to his chest, he turned towards Willow, "What is it, My Dear?" he asked as he began stroking Buffy's hair, again.

"Bored now," she pouted to him, "No Puppy to play with, and Xander is gone." She reached out and started to play with Buffy's hair as well. Annoyed at her touch, Buffy tried tilting her head to pull her hair away from Willow's hand. Willow paid no attention and continued toying with Buffy's hair. "Wanna play a game?" she said. She leaned against the Master in order to whisper into his ear, low but loud enough that Buffy could still hear her. "How about we chain her up in his cell, and then she will have to convince him to unchain her, before she can eat him. Maybe even pretend to still be his little Slayer," Willow finished with a sneer at Buffy and a yank on her hair. Buffy let out another low growl, a plan of her own forming in her mind.

"How delightfully deceptive," the Master complimented Willow. She smiled and continued to wind Buffy's hair in her fingers. "Throw the Watcher into the cell," he ordered the two vampire's holding Merrick.

He was about to dismiss the rest of the vampires, when Buffy let out a snarl, jerked her head around and bit into Willow's hand. Willow screamed in pain, yanked her hand away and took a step back in shock at having been attacked. Once she recovered from her shock, she would have attacked Buffy had the Master not been there.

The Master was enraged. He grabbed Buffy around her throat, stood up and threw her to the floor. "Enough!" he shouted. When Willow stalked forward, intent on tearing into Buffy, he lashed out at her, striking her face with the back of his hand. Willow froze in shock again, stunned that the Master would hit Her. Then she noticed his face and saw his rage. She took a step back.

"Leave" he told her, and then addressing the remaining vampires he shouted, "Everyone Out!" Every vampire fled the room as rapidly as they could; any and all desire to see what punishment the Master would inflict on Buffy, was stifled by the fear of being near him when he was this angry.

When the last vampire had left the room, the Master turned to glare down at Buffy. She was staring at him with eyes wide with fear, no longer having trouble faking it. She knew she was in serious trouble now. She had bit Willow intentionally, hoping that the "treat" of letting her feed on Merrick would be withdrawn and given to someone else. But now Buffy was terrified that she had made a mistake, that she had overstepped her limits by too much, and that she might not survive her coming punishment.

"I'm sorry, Master!" she screamed and groveled on the floor as the Master approached her. Saying nothing, he drew his leg back and kicked her in the chest. Flying across the floor, Buffy let out a scream of agony as she felt several of her ribs break. The Master glared down at her, and Buffy could feel the waves of rage flowing from him. Lying on the floor, she curled into a fetal position in pain and terror. The Master reached down and grabbed her by her hair. Pulling her to her feet, he proceeded to drag her along after him through the deserted hallways to his personal chambers. Upon entering his chambers, he threw Buffy to the floor once again.

"What did you think you were doing?" her yelled while kicking her in her back.

"I'm sorry, Master," she sobbed in fear. "She was hurting me."

"Rise up and strip," he snarled at her. Buffy scrambled to obey, fighting to stifle the pain radiating from her chest. Knowing she had no choice but to obey. She had never known as much fear as she was currently experiencing. It was a humbling new experience. In all her time as a Slayer, she had always fought with absolute confidence against any demon that she had encountered. She would, on occasion, experienced a sensation of some stomach churning tension, but only in anticipation of a big fight. Until now, however, she had never really known just how horrible fear could be. How powerfully it could affect her. Incapacitating her by freezing her thoughts and making her feel weak and helpless. She could only obey the orders that she was given and pray that she would survive.

Grabbing a whip from a trunk in the corner, the Master watched as she removed the last of her clothes and stood trembling before him. "Against the wall," he ordered in a soft, low voice. Buffy turned around and placed her hands against the wall. She whimpered in anticipation of the coming pain.

The first lash struck down the center of her back, and she let out a shriek of pain. But she did not move from her position.

"You will remain silent," the Master said simply before raising his arm to administer the next lash. Buffy clenched her teeth, desperately trying not to enrage him any further.

The Master proceeded to slowly whip Buffy, pausing between each lash to allow the pain to sink in. After she has received over two dozen lashes without a cry, he began to speak to her. He punctuated every sentence with another lash from the whip.

"Childe, you will learn respect and obedience to me."

* CRACK *

"You will respect and obey any and all whom that I tell you to."

* CRACK *

"You are never to fight against any punishment that you are given."

* CRACK *

"You are nothing but a fledgling."

* CRACK *

"No, you are less than a fledgling."

* CRACK *

"You were a Slayer."

* CRACK *

"You lived by killing our kind."

* CRACK *

"For that you should suffer for all eternity."

* CRACK *

"As a Vampire, you have nothing to contribute, to make amends for your crimes against Us."

* CRACK *

"You are nothing now but a disappointing, weakness."

* CRACK *

"So, until I can find a use for you, you are a toy to my minions and myself."

* CRACK *

"You will suffer, and enjoy it."

* CRACK *

"Is that understood, Childe?" he asked as he lowered the whip.

"Yes, Master!" Buffy cried out, her searing physical agony being matched by her screams of despair in her mind. As the Master's words sank in, she realized that she had made a huge mistake. Vampires enjoyed tormenting the weak and were careful to avoid offending the strong. By playing a lunatic, she had inadvertently given a green light to be the focus of attention for the pack to torment, rather than be ignored, as she had expected. And it was too late to do anything to change it. Any change in her behavior now would surely give away her deception to the Master. No she would have to continue to play the fool, and pray that they didn't break her before she could escape or get her revenge.

The Master looked at his handy work. Buffy's back was raw with welts and cuts from the whip. It had been a while since he had indulged himself with a whipping session and he was quite pleased with the results. In fact, he was extremely aroused by it.

"On the bed. On you hands and knees. Facing the wall," he said simply. Buffy quickly moved into position as instructed, biting her lower lip to keep from whimpering from the pain in her back. She heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and then felt the Master step into position behind her.

Without preamble, the Master rammed his cock forcefully into her. Her recently virginal passage still dry and tight, Buffy cried out in pain at the sudden invasion. Ignoring her outburst, the Master continued to thrust into her, his hands clamping down on her waist, rubbing at the freshly torn skin on her back, sending even more waves of pain coursing though her body. As her body adjusted, and the constant pain began to dull, Buffy felt her vagina finally begin to moisten in defense against the Master's punishing thrusts inside of her. Before he finished, he pulled out of her and moved around the bed until he was in front of Buffy's face. Without a word, he grabbed her by her hair and began to pump his cock into her mouth and throat. Buffy could taste her own blood, as she started to lick and suck on it. Her mind had shutdown, numb from the pain and despair and shock over her situation. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, he climaxed inside her mouth and forced her to swallow his cold seed. As he stepped away from her, Buffy bowed her head in exhaustion, pain and humiliation, but remained on her hands and knees.

"Much better," he said with a chuckle. "You may rest for a while, now Childe," he said as he left Buffy in the room alone. Buffy collapsed into tears until she finally dropped off into a healing sleep.

*****

Waking sometime later, to the feel of someone once again playing with her hair, Buffy slowly opened her eyes to see the Master sitting by her head. She tried to quickly move away, but found herself in too much pain to move in any fashion except very slowly. She lowered her eyes from the Master's and softly queried, "What does my Sire request of me?"

Pleased with her response, the Master smiled and only said, "It is time. You must be dressed, properly." He pointed her to a pile of clothing on a table. They were the same clothes that she had been wearing when she arrived in Sunnydale just a few days ago, although it now seemed like ages. She began to dress, not daring to question why he wanted her in them.

"What are we going to do now, Master?" she asked when she had finished dressing.

"You are going to see an old friend," he replied with a smile.

Buffy froze as she recalled Merrick. **Oh God, No!** she thought. After all that she had endured, and they were still going to make her kill him. She cursed her stupidity at thinking that would have gotten her off the hook. All it had done was get her a severe whipping.

"What is wrong, Childe?" the Master asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Don't you want to say 'Hello' to your old Watcher?"

Realizing she had been caught, Buffy played dumb. "W- Watcher?" she asked while trying to look confused. "Yes, your Watcher. Whom you are going to eat, or is there something wrong with that?" he said as he grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards him. With a bewildered look on her face, Buffy stared back into the Master's eyes and asked with a slight whine to her voice, "But- But what about Mary?"

With a sigh the Master released her chin. **She must be mad** he thought to himself. To Buffy he replies, "Do not worry about your doll, Childe, she is fine. You will have her back when I am satisfied that you have learned proper respect for your betters."

"Yes, Master," Buffy replied softly, her head bowed to hide the slight smile that had formed on her lips. She realized that the Master did indeed think that she was touched. **It may be a stupid plan, but I sure as hell am going to try to pull it off** she thought to herself.

In a surprising move, the Master picked Buffy up off of her feet and began to carry her draped across both of his arms. Buffy was startled, but bit her lip to keep from admitting the pain that was coursing through her, due to his arm pressing into her back. She knew it was supposed to be an honor for the Master to carry her thusly, and she didn't need any more punishment if she were to complain.

Finally, they reach a room that Buffy had been to once before. Where she had met the strange vampire Angel, who had told her that he had been waiting for her to come to Sunnydale. And now, lying there, where Angel had once been, was the unconscious form of Merrick.

The Master carried Buffy into the cell. "Do you remember the plan?" he asked as he chained her up to the wall.

"Yes, Master," she softly replied. "I am to pretend to still be his Slayer and get him to release me before I kill him."

"Very good. If you do well, I may go easier on you the next time. I have always thought that the end of a relationship should be a private matter, and since this one is about to end in the most permanent manner possible, you will be left alone here until sundown. No one will come here during the day. Oh and do watch out for the sun coming through that window. We wouldn't want you becoming a pile of dust now, would we?" The Master exited the cell and locked the door. After placing the cell key on a hook on the far wall, he then placed the key for Buffy's chains on a conveniently positioned table near the cell. Within easy reach of its occupant

"Remember Childe, the longer you play, the more fun it is." And with that last piece of advice, the Master left Buffy alone with Merrick.

With a horrible feeling of despair and dread, Buffy stared over at Merrick wishing he would stay asleep but sensing him beginning to stir to consciousness. **What am I going to do? ** she thought to herself. She slumped down against the wall and began, once more, to cry.

And, as the new day's sun began to rise, Merrick woke up.

Chapter 4

Merrick slowly stirred to consciousness and let out a groan. He raised his hands to his head and let out a hiss of pain when he touched a gash on the side of his head. He pulled his hand away and look at his fingers. Not seeing any blood, he guessed that he must have been unconscious for several hours. **Was I mugged?** he thought to himself. He then began to look around and wondered where he was. **A jail?** he thought when he saw the bars. **Why would I be in a jail cell? I didn't do anything wrong. I was attacked. I was...** he froze as he caught sight of the shape of someone huddled in a corner. He struggled to sit up, gasping at the sharp stabs of pain from the right side of his ribs and his back. As the pain eased, he looked across the cell at the figure again.

"He-, Hello? Excuse me, Miss?" he asked as gently as possible.

Slowly, the woman lowered her hands and raised her head to look at him.

"Buffy," Merrick gasped. "Dear God child, are you OK? What are you doing here?" Pausing as he looked around, he added, "For that matter, where is 'here'?" Merrick rose unsteadily to his feet and started to walk over to Buffy, but he stopped as she raised a hand to wave him off. "What happen, child?" his voice almost a whisper.

"The Master," she replied, her voice quivering. Merrick paused as the memories began to come back. Sunnydale. They were in Sunnydale. **Oh God, the prophecy.**

Merrick had been out of town, while Buffy and his assistant had remained in Cleveland, searching through various ancient texts for prophecies. Buffy had been bored, hating "book worming duty" as she called it, and she tended to take her frustration out on Wesley. When a call for the Slayer had come in from Sunnydale, Wesley had sent her off immediately. Merrick had been so angry when he had learned that the fool had passed *that* message on to his Slayer. He knew that Wesley Wyndham-Price had been confused by his tirade, but he hadn't cared because Buffy was going to Sunnydale. And Merrick knew that should she go there, it would be inevitable that she would learn about the Master, and would go to face him.

He moved again towards Buffy. "We have to get you out of here, Buffy. Before he kills you."

"It's too late," Buffy murmured.

"No. No it's not too late. We just have to get you out of those manacles." He squatted down in front of her, and reached for her hands.

"Don't," she cried out in alarm, startling him as she pulled away. She was frightened of what his reaction would be when he discovered her secret. Backing away from him, she whimpered as her injured back rubbed against the stone behind her.

"Buffy, what is wrong? Please, let me help." He could see she was in a tremendous pain, and his concern for her made him press on in spite of her reluctance to allow him to touch her. He rose up. "Can you stand, child?" As he bent over to help her up, a small crucifix tumbled out from under his shirt. The cross swung onto her brow, touching her just below the hairline, and burned her. Buffy flinched back away from the cross and hissed in pain. Her vampire face emerged as she lost control of herself.

Marrick jerked away in surprise and shock. He stared in horror at Buffy's features, "My God. They turned you." His voice was barely a whisper.

"I told you it was to late," she sobbed and then fell back against the wall, her head in her hands, sobbing in despair. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Merrick stumbled backwards in shock until he was against the far wall, then slid down to the floor. He sat there and simply stared at her. In spite of his shock, his mind was racing, as memories began to rise connections were suddenly made.

**She didn't attack me,** he thought. **She's actually ashamed of being a vampire. She cares about what I think of her. How can she...?** Suddenly he remembered a brief conversation he had had once with Carter Ramsey, the Records librarian at the Watcher's Council House. The old man had been talking about some records he had come across that indicated the possibility of a turned Slayer continuing to fight against the vampires. The entry had not provided much information, apparently she had been staked shortly afterwards while fighting the vampire master who had turned her. While the account raised questions, it was generally dismissed as mistaken information that had been given to the scribe who had written the entry down. Especially since the idea that someone would have made such an entry falsely was unthinkable. **But if it were true...** Merrick's eyes widen in amazement, **Buffy might still have her soul!**

Slowly, he began to arrive at some conclusions and not all of them were pleasant. In fact, when contemplating what he had been told by Rupert Giles, Merrick was beginning to have a nasty feeling that he had really messed things up. **No. That's too light a term for what I've done. I've betrayed the world. Not to mention Buffy.** He rose back to his feet, removed the crucifix from around his neck, and dropped it to the floor. Buffy looked up in confusion at the sound of the cross hitting the floor, and was even more surprised when Merrick stepped over towards her and then squatted down in front of her.

"Merrick," Buffy queried, "why aren't you trying to stake me. I'm a monster now. A vampire. Just like those you taught me to kill. But you're not. Why?"

"Why aren't you trying to feed on me?" he asked, tossing her own question back at her. "For that matter, why do they have you in chains here with me?"

Buffy grimaced and then said, "I'm supposed to be duping you into releasing me by pretending to still be alive. The Master left the key over on that table. It's just a god damn game to those bastards."

"But not to you, right? You still value life, don't you? You don't want to kill me, do you child?" he said looking straight into her eyes.

"Don't," she said sharply hold up her hand.

"Merrick, could you please not call me that anymore? I know you've called me that since I was 13, I've always liked it before. Made me feel close to you, like I was your daughter. Especially after my parents were . . . But, he calls me that now . . . and I don't really like the sound of it much, anymore." "It's O.K. It really isn't correct anymore, anyway," he said soothingly. "You're a grown woman-"

"I'm a fucking, walking corpse, Merrick," she interrupted harshly. "A vampire. I've got a demon in me that is screaming for your blood. I can smell it. No, Merrick, I don't *want* to kill you. I don't want to hurt any human. Even Wesley" she added with a slight grin. Then she looked down, "but I'm still a monster."

"The hell you are," Merrick said firmly. She looked back up at him, surprised at the sound of anger in his voice. He grabbed the key from the table, then moved back in front of her and unlocked the manacles. "You are a miracle, Buffy Summers. You have somehow managed to keep your soul. As a former slayer, you might have become something that . . . that might have overwhelmed the world and destroyed humanity. Yes, I know things have been looking pretty grim and dark for the world for the past few years. But we haven't lost yet. Even as a vampire, you can still fight the darkness if you still care. Because so long as there are people who care, there is still hope for the world."

"I may still have my soul, Merrick," Buffy remarked. "But I'm not the same person I was. I'm not the slayer anymore . . . my strength is gone . . . I . . . I'm weak. And I don't think I'm going to be much use . . . At first, when I realized that I was different, that I still had my soul . . . I had some idea that maybe I could get revenge . . . but now. . . I . . . I never thought I could ever be as frighten as I have been over the last few days. I thought . . . Oh God, I was so stupid . . . I thought that if I pretended to be crazy, they would lose interest in me, they wouldn't think I was worth any attention. But I was so wrong. The Master seems to be personally offended that I am not Buffy the Super-Vamp, and as for Willow . . . I killed her mate before I got caught . . . she wants revenge. Merrick, I don't think I can make it."

"Of course you will make it," said Merrick. "You will just have to give it time. You're a new vampire, it is only to be expected that you would not be at full strength. You've kept your head. Hidden what you are from them. Yes, you have suffered greatly, child, and I can in no way express my sorrow for what has happened to you or what will happen. But you must continue."

"I can't Merrick," Buffy started to sob again.

"Don't you understand why they stuck you in here? They expect me to kill you. It's a test for me. He's raped me, killed me, vamped me, beaten me. Now he wants me to kill you. My former Watcher. The most important person in the world to me. I can't do that." "Yes you can. You can do it because I was dead the minute I was captured. You can do it because if you don't, then most certainly one of them will. And if my death can have some meaning by helping save you, then I freely, willingly give my life to you. Finally, you can do it because. . .," he paused, reluctant to tell her anything that would cause her more pain, but she deserved to know the truth before he died. "Because, I think that I am responsible for the world being in as much trouble as it is, and therefore I am also responsible for your being a vampire."

"Ego much Merrick," Buffy said with a harsh, bitter chuckle. "I was the idiot who decided to go face the Master on my own. I was the fool who rushed into battle despite the warnings from Jeeves."

"Jeeves?" asked Merrick.

"The local watcher's council rep here. Nervous Brit, kept going on about a demon who made wishes come true, said he was supposed to have been my Watcher," scoffed Buffy.

"Giles," corrected Merrick absentmindedly, "and he may have been right. I'm afraid I owe him an apology that I will never be able to give him. And no, Buffy, I am not being egotistical. Rupert Giles said that he had received information that you were supposed to be here in Sunnydale-"

"-and that the world was better, yadda, yadda, yadda," interrupted Buffy. " I know. I heard the fairy tale. I didn't believe it then. I don't now."

"You should. It is entirely possible that he was correct, Buffy," he countered.

Buffy stared at the set look on his face. "Your serious."

Merrick sighed. "I have always tried to be faithful in my duty to you, as your Watcher. But because I loved you as if you were my own daughter, I fear that I have been duped into betraying everything I swore to protect."

Merrick began to tell her how, years ago he had begun receiving information from a mysterious woman, who claimed to see visions of the future. At first he had been suspicious of her, but her information had always turned out to be useful and accurate. The woman had led him to Buffy when she was 13 and had told him that she would become a slayer. Trusting her warnings, he had kept a careful watch on Buffy, and so he was nearby when the vampires attacked. Her parents were killed immediately, but she had managed to hold off the two vampires long enough so that Merrick could shoot each of them with a crossbow. He could see right then, the great potential she had as a future Slayer. He had used his influence on the council to make arrangements for him to become her guardian and had begun training her. At 15, she became the Slayer. When she achieved first victory just weeks later, destroying Lothos and his clan, he had been so proud of her. But then the woman had returned, and what she had brought him this time filled him with doubt and worry for the first time in a long time. All due to one book.

The Pergamon Codex.

It had been lost for decades, maybe even centuries. But she had found it, brought it to him, and shown him *The Prophecy *. It had been unusually straightforward. The Master would rise and he would kill the Slayer. Merrick had been horrified. He refused to accept that Buffy might be taken from him so soon. Then the woman suggested a way to avoid it. Keep the Slayer out of Sunnydale and away from the Master. And then she had left again, and he had never seen her since. He justified it as part of his duty to protect Buffy. He also rationalized that since there were vampires everywhere he could be excused for taking the Slayer to another city, after all, the people she defended in that city were just as important as the people in Sunnydale. At least this way she could still continue to fight. And the world had so needed a trained and experienced Slayer these last two years. Suddenly, it seemed that demons were popping up everywhere. And so, for the last 3 years, he had succeeded in avoiding the prophecy by keeping Buffy away from Sunnydale.

Buffy didn't know what to think. She was stunned by the confession, yet at the same time she was touched by his desire to protect her. Then a nasty question formed in her mind, "So what you're saying is, that the world would have been better if I had died 2 years ago."

"No," he said quickly, and then added, "I'm not certain anymore about whether you would have died. Maybe something was changed in the Codex and I didn't catch it. I am now only certain that I should have been more suspicious of that woman and her motives. Especially now, after hearing Giles' story. Because you see that woman's name was 'Anya'. And I have a sick feeling in my heart that she was really this 'Anyanka' whom Giles was talking about. I'm sorry, Buffy, but I now think that I have betrayed you, by betraying the world that you were fighting to save." Buffy and Merrick sat in silence as each pondered the possibilities of the question 'What if?' and wondered about how the world might have been different.

After a while, Merrick rouse himself and said, "Buffy, promise me you will never give up. I know you are suffering terribly right now, and this is last thing you want to hear from me now, but you must continue the fight. There are so many demons on the loose now, and the world desperately needs your help. Yes, there is another Slayer now, but I think you've been given this chance to help her by a miracle of God. And miracles seem to be in short supply these days."

Buffy nodded her head. "I'll try," she told him, recognizing the truth in his words.

Merrick moved towards her, "Now I think it's time. We wouldn't want them to get any ideas about you if they were to come in and see me still alive."

Buffy nodded and stood to embrace him. "I love you, Merrick," she whispered softly in to his ear. "I'll never forget you. You were the best Watcher a Slayer could have ever had."

"I love you to, Buffy," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her to hug her for the first and last time. "You were the greatest thing in the world to have ever happened to me. It was a privilege and an honor to be your Watcher. I have always been so very proud of you, my dear. But now it's time to say 'Good Bye'." He turned his head upwards, exposing his neck to her.

"Good Bye," she whispered, fighting to keep from bursting into more tears, wanting to give him as much dignity as possible in these finale moments. Her face morphed as she allowed the demon to rise to the surface. Then, pulling him as tightly to her body as she could, she leaned forward and sank her teeth into his neck.

She fed as quickly as she could, wanting to make it as painless to him as she possibly could. Soon she sensed him lapse into unconsciousness. A few minutes later, she felt his heart slow and then stop. Gently she lowered his body to the floor, positioning him as if he were simply resting briefly against the wall. "I'll make them pay, Merrick," she said as she looked at his body. "I swear it."

She sat back down on the cell's floor, again, and closed her eyes, not wanting to look anymore. Praying for the escape of sleep. After a while, she slipped into a dreamless slumber.

*****

She awoke to the sound of the Master and Willow opening the cell door. "Well done, childe," he said to her before turning to Willow, "I told you she could do it. These Watcher's are all such trusting fool's where their Slayer's are concerned. It must have been 'child's play' for her," he paused to smile at his pun. It took Buffy a moment to realize he had been talking about Merrick unchaining her, and stifled her desired to shoot back an insolent remark. **No. I'm not going to let Merrick's sacrifice be in vain,** she thought as she smiled up at the Master. "He was very surprised, Master," she said sweetly. **Well, that was true anyway.**

"I'm certain he was, Childe," he said smiling at her again. "But now that you have had your fun, Willow is still most upset about your behavior towards her earlier. In spite of my assurances that I have punished you enough to teach you proper respect, she is still unhappy." He moved behind Willow and wrapped his arms around her. Willow was smirking at Buffy, "You see, childe, she is such a hands on person that, unless she has done it herself, she just can't be satisfied that every little detail has been taken care of. And I can never refuse my favorite, childe."

"Now remember, Willow," he said turning her to look into her eyes, "I don't want to see any permanent damage."

"Yes, Master," she replied demurely.

"Very well. I will be back tomorrow for you, childe," he said to Buffy. "Have fun,' he then said to Willow as he left.

Buffy stared in fear at Willow. **I can do this,** she thought to herself, **I will survive. It's only pain. I can cry and scream but I will not break for these, bastards.**

Willow slowly turned towards Buffy and drew out a box of matches. She shook it and smiled at the sound of the matches rattling inside. She continued to smile as she slowly strolled over to Buffy, until she was directly in front of her. She held up a single match and looked at it. Buffy felt a shiver coarse through her as she looked at the match as well.

"Puppy used to bark for me when I would play with him," she said in a wistful tone of voice. Then she looked back at Buffy, "Let's see what you can do."

With single flick of her nail, Willow lit the match.

Chapter 5

Six months had passed.

Six months of hiding her secret, enduring horrendous degradation and pain, all the while pretending to be insane. At least she thought she was pretending.

She was beginning to worry about the various personas that would flit about in her mind. At first they had been simply a means of distancing herself from the daily horrors that she had to endure, but as time went by and they each became more distinctive and separate. In the same way that the Barbie dolls she had once played with as a child had been given names, she gave each one of her personalities their own identifying name. Only these names were not as pleasant or happy as those had been.

The primary persona that she exhibited for all to see was 'Little Lunatic' Buffy, who would hold conversations for hours with 'Mary'. Then there was 'Victim' Buffy, who did little in the outside world except allow herself to be beaten, but inside Buffy's mind she was essential in keeping the demon and slayer instincts from rising up and fighting back whenever Willow was allowed to torture her. Allowing her demon some freedom had been necessary for the creation of 'Slut-Vamp' Buffy; who, to the outside world, delighted in being the Master's sexual plaything and striving to please him or whom ever he would pass her to, while on the inside she was seething with rage and disgust. Finally, there was 'Secret Agent' Buffy who never was seen by the outside world but was always watching from the inside, patiently plotting and waiting.

It was the 'Slut-Vamp' personality that had, of late, begun to worry Buffy the most. She had begun to feel that 'Slut-Vamp' was starting to enjoy herself entirely too much the past few weeks. Buffy knew that a good portion of her sexual behavior was from her demon's desire to please its sire. At first, she had pushed her sexuality solely to avoid being whipped or tortured by Willow, to whom the Master would frequently hand her if he were otherwise occupied. But to Buffy's dismay she found herself welcoming the sexual attentions of the Master or one his underlings, coming on to them as if she was a bitch in heat and performing in bed with them as if she were a high-price call girl. The Master had even commented on how "maybe she wasn't such a waste" after one session where she had worked very hard to please him. Even with Willow, she found herself having the occasional hot sex fantasy. Although these fantasies mostly involved 'Slut-Vamp' Buffy tying up Willow and whipping her, it was still disturbing to her that she was dreaming about it at all.

Willow. Never had Buffy imagined that she could ever hate anyone as much as she hated that bitch. For first week after Merrick's death, Buffy was given to Willow every night after the Master had enjoyed her pleasures. Willow, having been given strict instructions, went about devising tortures that would not permanently mark or disfigure the Master's new toy. She would use leather belts, cat-o-nine tails, bull whips, holy water, matches, needles, electricity... She'd had over two years of experience with torturing Puppy so she knew what would last and what would fade on a vampire. The only item the Master had specifically forbidden her from using was a crucifix. He had been enraged when he discovered the mark on Buffy's brow from Merrick's crucifix.

+++++ (The Day after Merrick's Death) +++++

"What is this?" said the Master grabbing Buffy's chin and tilting her head.

Buffy had just been given a shower to clean her hair and body of the blood from Willow's cruel torments. Her hair was wet and slicked back against her head. And the Master was looking intently at her brow.

"WILLOW!" he bellowed down the corridor. Before 10 seconds had passed, the red-haired vampiress stood in the Master's doorway.

"Yes, Master?" she inquired tentatively.

"Willow," said the Master in an tightly controlled tone of voice, "did I not tell you that you were not to use crucifixes on her unless I so instructed?"

"You did, my Lord," she looking directly at him.

"Well then, could you explain what this mark is doing on her brow?!" he demanded angrily.

"No, Master, I can not," she looked at Buffy's brow and frowned. "Did she say I caused it?"

"No," he looked at Buffy. "Well, Childe, who defiled your face with a crucifix?"

Buffy had just been through 8 hours of the most horrendous torture and torment she had ever experienced. All from Willow. And here was a chance to strike back. But at this moment she was terrified about to being caught in a lie. "M-Master, it was not her, it was Merrick, my-my former Watcher. He had one in his pocket, when I attacked him he tried to get away from me, and hit me on my forehead with it. I'm sorry. . ."

"Yes, yes," said the Master waving her to silence. "My apologies Willow. I should have known better than to think you would have defied me. It was hidden in all that hair of hers. Damn! Now it will be weeks before that mark is gone."

"Actually, Master, there maybe another way," Willow offered. "A simple modification of the healing spell you had me researching for Druscilla. It should fix that mark within 24 hours. It will only require a small amount of your blood."

"Excellent then. Begin the preparations immediately." He turned to Buffy, "Now as for that hair... Sit there, Childe." Buffy moved to a chair as the Master rummaged through a drawer. When he turned towards her with a pair of long scissors in his hand, her eyes went wide.

"Master . . . please, not my hair," visions began to fill Buffy's head. Memories of watching WWII movies with her dad where certain women in France would have their hair chopped off by members of the resistance as a sign that they were collaborators with the Nazi occupation force. It was a mark of shame, like a scarlet letter. The Master silenced her with a glance and began to cut at her hair.

She sat in silence as the Master proceeded to cut off her long hair. She knew it was futile but inside she wanted to protest some more. It was at this moment that 'Victim' Buffy emerged and took control. She would do whatever was necessary to avoid punishment, and so what if her hair was gone. It wasn't as if she would be looking in anymore mirrors. **Shit, I haven't given a damn about what I looked like in years, why should I care now?** she wondered. But inside, the remaining vestiges of what had once been Buffy Anne Summers cried at watching every clump of her hair that fell into her lap or on the floor. She felt as if she herself was being trimmed away with every snip of the scissors, and that she was being replaced with someone new.Someone she didn't want to be, but had no choice. And as the Master finished, she came to the realization that it was true. She had become somebody else. Now and forever Buffy Anne Summers, beloved daughter and Slayer was dead.

Long live . . . who?

+++++ +++++

Every day, Buffy was presented with a minimal amount of blood in a bowl. The Master would set the bowl on the floor, and she was expected to wait for him to give permission before feeding. Most days, the Master would wave his hand and allow her to feed immediately. On some days though, he would withhold permission for her to feed for up to an hour. One lengthy punishment session was enough to teach Buffy to hold her demon back from grabbing the bowl.

Sometimes, the Master would pet her head and tell her he was pleased with her, and to her shame she could not stop her demon from purring its pleasure at his display of affection.

In her mind, she knew that the Master was training her to view him as the source for everything she needed. He began to have Willow meet out any punishment that he deemed necessary whereas he would only provide the 'treats'. He was the source of her food and pleasure and if her response pleased him she was rewarded. What frightened her wasn't the knowledge that she was being trained to perform like an animal, but rather, the idea that when the time came for her to stop behaving like a trained dog, she might not be able to.

She had been given a tiny room where she was instructed to stay "when she was not needed", and the Master had personally handed Mary back to her, with the warning that should Buffy behave badly, Mary would be taken away. Buffy pretended to be concerned, making promises to obey, begging him not to take Mary from her. In order to add a new twist to 'Little Lunatic" Buffy's personality, she would only treat Mary as if she was real. When she was given other dolls, Buffy would say that she hated dolls. If the person referred to Mary as a doll, Buffy would look blankly at them as if she did not understand. This simplified matters for Buffy as she occasionally had a hard enough time maintaining a two-way conversation with Mary, she did not want to have to work on a multiple conversation with three or more dolls.

In spite of everything, she was secretly pleased that her deception had been successful. She knew that in her current weakened condition, there was no possible way that she could have fought Willow, let alone the Master. Frequently, it was only her "Victim" Buffy persona who would keep the demon inside of her from lashing out at Willow. She was, however, growing tired of waiting and watching. She silently prayed every night for the opportunity to get her revenge, and wondered at the same time whether God would even listen to her, now that she was a demon.

Then one day her prayers were answered, although, at first, she had no way of knowing it.

*****

Someone was coming.

She had overheard whispered comments regarding 'Him'. She wondered about all the contradictory comments about him. He was, by all accounts, a vampire who cared nothing for authority figures in the vampire world except himself, and yet he had gone to LA for the Master to establish control over the various vampire gangs which had sprung up. It was talked about how viscous and powerful he was, and yet he apparently had chosen a weak, Vampiress for a mate and whom he had treated as gently as a kitten. However, she had wasted away, and it was rumored that he was going to make a request of the Master for a new mate, possible even Willow, as payment for the job he had done in LA.

The Master was agitated and concerned. He had no desire to lose Willow and yet, at the same time, he could hardly refuse such a request in light of what had been done for him in exchange. He therefore had been quicker to anger lately and Buffy had been the one to suffer for it, enduring extensive whipping sessions from both the Master and Willow. Then, the day before the guest was to arrive, she was shocked when the Master brought TWO bowls of blood for her to feed on. He re-enforced to her that she was to obey him at all times and never question his orders. He then commented to Willow, about wanting her cleaned up for the party tomorrow. Later that night, she was even more surprised when she was brought another two bowls of blood and a group of Vampiresses under the direction of Willow, came and took her measurements.

The following evening, the same group of Vampiresses brought her another two bowls of blood, then marched her to the showers and bathed her. Next, they did her hair and manicured her nails, before marching her naked to Willow's room.

She was then dressed in a very old-fashion style full-body dress. The dress was made from dark blue velvet, and had intricate silver beaded designs. It was gorgeous, and for the first time in months she was slightly depressed that she was no longer able to see herself in a mirror. When they had finished with her, she was ordered to sit in a chair and wait. She was startled when Mary was handed to her dressed in a matching outfit. As she waited, she watched as Willow was dressed and primped by the Vampiresses in a shimmering green silk gown. It was a shock to see her in something other than her normal leather pants and bustier but Buffy had to admit that she looked stunning.

When they were finished, the group of Vampiresses left to go make their own preparations, and Willow ordered Buffy to follow her to the Master's chambers. The Master was still wearing black leather, but his outfit seemed to gleam with polish. He looked up from a book he was reading as Willow entered his chambers.

"Willow, My Dear, you look absolutely ravishing," he declared. "Truly you are fit to be the consort of only a Great Vampire."

Willow smiled with pleasure at his compliment and said, "Thank you, My Lord. I seek only to please you." He then turned to inspect Buffy.

"Yes. Very good, Child. You will do very nicely," he murmured as he rose and circled her.

"Yes," murmured Willow, "I know what you mean. Even I wouldn't mind playing nicely with her for a little while. She looks so edible." Willow moved up to press herself against Buffy's right side, leaned forward, took Buffy's earlobe into her mouth and gently sucked on it for a minute. Buffy closed her eyes with a moan, reveling in the erotic sensation of having her earlobe sucked on, even if it was by Willow. She groaned in bitter disappointment when Willow stopped and backed away for the Master.

"Now listen to me very closely," he said in a firm cold voice, while grabbing her chin in his hand and looking into her eyes. "The vampire who is coming here tonight is very important to me. You will not do anything to embarrass me in front of him or I will teach you that what Willow has done to you in the past is nothing compared to what I can do. And Mary will end up in the furnace."

"Yes, Master," Buffy replied, her eyes round with fear. "I'll be good. Please don't hurt Mary. She'll be good too."

For the next hour, Buffy sat and was ignored as the Master and Willow discussed a number of different items; from the operations of the factory at which Buffy had been captured, to the need for more humans to be shipped in from outside of Sunnydale. Finally, a knock at the door, and a vampire announced that the Master's Guest had finally arrived. Taking Willow's hand, the Master proceeded to the main room where they were awaited. Buffy followed close behind them.

Conversations quieted when they entered the main room, and all eyes were on them as they proceeded across the floor to the Master's throne. It had been positioned on the stage with another ornate chair near-by and at a slight angle to it. A small table with two crystal goblets sat between the two chairs. The Master sat down on his customary throne whilst Willow stood on his left-hand side and slightly to the rear. Buffy was instructed to sit to the right of the Master's feet so she knelt into position, her back ramrod straight, the Master resting his hand on her head.

Buffy was very nervous and felt as if she was ready to jump through the roof. The last time she had been in this type of position was when Merrick had been brought in.

A murmuring commotion began by the door, and all turned to observe the vampire entering the Bronze. Buffy watched as the crowd parted to admit him.

Dressed in a black leather jacket, her first thought was that he looked like a punk rocker, and with his bleached blond hair and sharp angular features he looked very much like that '80's singer, Billy Idol. But he was far sexier looking and Buffy knew that if she had had a pulse, it would have been racing a-mile-a-minute. 'Slut-Vamp' wanted to come out and play, and she had to clamp down hard to keep from letting her out. Something important was going down here tonight, and 'Secret Agent' Buffy was on full alert, watching everything. As he drew closer to the Master's throne, Buffy felt sure that had she been alive, she would have been panting. She made a mental note to keep her mouth tightly shut, so she wouldn't be seen drooling like an idiot. She was startled when the Master arose to greet him as he ascended to the stage.

Stretching out his hand in greeting, the Master finally spoke, "Welcome back from LA, Spike."

Chapter 6

Spike had never been the sort of vampire who was known for being patient. He was brash, impulsive and headstrong. He was a dare devil, known for taking risks that other vampires would never think of attempting, just to say that he "had the biggest pair of wrinklies on the block." The only thing that he would never risk was his Drusilla. Unfortunately, Dru had taken her own risks and had nearly been killed by an angry mob in Prague. He had rescued her from them, but she had been injured. Slowly, she had been getting progressively sicker and unable to eat. Spike had frantically tried to find a cure and had finally come to the Hellmouth and made a deal with the Master.

Spike would go to LA and gain control of all the vampire gangs for the Master. In return, the Master would see about finding a cure for Dru. Only it hadn't worked out that way. They had gone to LA almost a year ago, and Dru had seemed to be stabilizing, or at least not declining as quickly as she had been. Spike had quickly established a base of operations in an extremely posh mansion in Beverly Hills and began establishing his control over the city. He took control of several gangs within the first month, either by intimidation or direct killing of the head vamp, and continued in this fashion, slowly building a network of control. Then disaster struck.

All had been going well until six months ago, when Drusilla had suddenly collapsed. She began sobbing and wailing that "Daddy" was gone and all was lost. Later, after Spike had carried her to their bed and when she had finally stopped weeping, Spike tried to talk to her.

"Come on then, Luv," he said sitting next to her on the bed. "Talk to me. What happened?"

"Spike?" her voice was barely a moan.

"Yes Baby, what did you see?"

"I saw Daddy, Spike. He was in a fight. But he wasn't strong anymore. The Master had him locked up. Just like my birdies. But he got out of his cage and was being a 'Bad' Daddy. He went to hurt the Master. But the dark boy got him instead. And he went poof. And he's gone now." Drusilla began to softly cry again.

"Baby, I'm so very sorry," Spike said while stroked her hair. He then leaned over to gently kiss her. "But there's nothing we can do now. We're almost done with this bloody town, and then we'll get your cure and then we'll get out of this rotten country."

"... cure, Daddy's ..." Dru whispered. It was so soft that he almost didn't hear.

"What was that, Luv?" Spike asked leaning in put his ear near her lips.

"No more cure, Daddy's gone," she murmured. Spike felt a wave of cold sweep through him. As a vampire, he had never been scared before, but for the first time in over two centuries, he was afraid. In a barely controlled voice, he asked, "What do you mean 'No More Cure' Dru?"

"Only the Sire,

can rekindle the fire.

Just one to provide,

what is needed inside.

No more Daddy. No more cure. Too late, to wait.

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."

Spike was beginning to feel his world start to crumble around him. **No cure.** Her words seem to echo in his mind. Dru's visions were never wrong, just difficult to interpret. Most of the time. They were very easy to interpret after it was too late. And this vision seemed extremely easy to interpret. He grabbed the telephone and called the Bronze but there was no answer. He ran out to the main hall, grabbed the first two vamps he came across and ordered them to get to Sunnydale as fast a possible. They were to find out what had happened and to call him back in LA.

Two hours of pacing later, he received the call he had been dreading. Angelus was indeed dead. A Slayer had set him free and together they had attacked the Master at the grand opening of his new "Blood Draining Factory." Angelus had been slain during the battle by Xander, who in turn had been slain by the Slayer before the Master had finally stopped her.

Spike allowed himself to rage for an hour. He destroyed everything in the living room, the dining room, the game room and the kitchen. He was about to set fire to the library, when he remembered that Dru was sleeping in the master bedroom and that if he set the house on fire, he would have to disturb her. The thought of disturbing Dru from her rest hit him like a bucket of ice water. He ran to the bedroom and was relieved to find her still asleep. Closing the door, he slowly walked back to view to destruction he had wrought on the house.

Slowly, tentatively his minions emerged from where they had fled to escape his wrath. Spike stared blankly at the floor for a few minutes before speaking. "Dalton?"

The terrified bookworm vampire cautiously stepped forward, "Ye-Yes, my Lord."

"Do any of those books of yours mention any details about Dru's condition being painful," Spike voice was very low and steady.

Dalton nervously swallowed, "Uh- Uhm . . . I believe I remember some mention of pain, yes, but-but there are ways to alleviate it-"

"Get on it," Spike interrupted. "Whatever you need. Whoever you need. You will have it." Spike looked up at the rest of the vampires standing around, "Is that understood by everybody? Whenever Dalton tells you to get something, you jump to it, immediately."

"Yes, Spike," they all chorus to him.

Dalton hesitantly stepped closer to Spike to whisper to him, "Wha-What about the cure? Willow said that she-"

"There is no more cure," Spike hissed in a pain filled voice to a startled Dalton. He raised his head to look directly into Dalton's eyes, "Dru is going to die, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. But I won't have her suffering."

Tearing himself from Spike's hypnotic blue eyes, Dalton backed away, "I-I-I'll get a list together. Immediately." He fled to the library, shuddering from the memory of the emptiness and despair he had glimpsed in Spike's eyes.

A month later, Drusilla was gone.

*****

Every Vampire in the mansion was on alert. They lived in fear of what Spike would do when Drusilla died. When it did happen, Spike again surprised them all by not exploding in a rage. Instead he sat in the room for a whole day staring at the ashes that remained behind after Dru had passed. When evening came, he stood up, picked up his jacket, retrieved his car keys and walked out of the room. Closing the door behind him, he found Dalton waiting, fidgeting in the hallway.

"Seal it," Spike said, and then he walked away.

*****

**Founding a goddamn bloody bureaucracy, ** Spike had thought disgustedly. He had wanted to leave when Dru had died. **Fuck the Master and his wonderful 'New World'** he had said to himself. But for some reason he couldn't leave. So he had continued with the original job. Take control of LA. And when he had completed that, the Master had sent a message requesting Spike to remain in LA for a while longer and organize a Vampire Council that would manage the city in the Master's name. A few months ago, such a request would have been enough to make him go out and paint the town red with blood, after telling the Master to 'sod-off'. But now it no longer seemed important what he did and the emptiness inside prevented him from getting worked up enough to even complain. So he proceeded on to perform the latest request with a silent resigned acceptance.

Although he was ruthless in his enforcement, striking down all who dared oppose the orders on how things were to run, Spike no longer felt any joy from the violence, no lust for the kill, only a great emptiness inside. Even his thirst for blood was gone. He fed only to sustain himself, and frequently found himself not even bothering to kill his victims. It wasn't that he had anything against killing them, it was just that he saw no point anymore. Without Dru, it just wasn't fun, and, lately, Spike would feel full after feeding on smaller amounts of blood these days.

After raiding a blood bank one evening, he found himself giving up the 'Hunt' entirely. He began spending his time watching humans. In larger cities like LA, humans still went out at night. Even though there had been an increase in the number of people killed at night, the general population was still for the most part unaware of the growing threat. Only in smaller cities like Sunnydale were curfews imposed in an attempt to deal with the high nighttime mortality rates. Spike had gone out one night with the idea to massacre a dozen or so human lovers, feeling that since his love was gone, no one else should enjoy it either. But as he watched various couples, he found himself feeling nothing about them. No rage, no jealousy, no hate, no hunger. The only thing he felt was a longing for the emptiness inside him to be gone. He began to watch them in malls, restaurants, theaters, clubs and even stadiums. However, as he watched the humans go on about with their lives, he noted that he occasionally was being watched, although he never could quiet catch a look at who it was.

Then one evening, when Spike had gone to a baseball game to watch the people around him, a poorly dressed, little man casually strolled up, plopped himself down in the seat beside Spike, and said, "Hello, Spike. Good game?"

Spike turned to stare at small man beside him who had begun eating a hot dog and drinking a beer.

"It's a bloody ridiculous game. I suggest you leave now," Spike said in a flat steady tone.

"Or what? You'll kill me," a grin cross his face, "Oh my! Horrors. A vampire." He gave a chuckle, "You know I said the same thing to your sire several years ago? When I first met him. Name's Whistler by the way," he said, before he took another swig of his beer.

"Yeah well he's dust now, and I don't care who you are, go away."

"I know. There was a screw-up somewhere. He was supposed to help the Slayer stop the Master," Whistler took another bite of his hot-dog.

Spike stared at Whistler as he chewed, "And I should I care because...?"

"Are you looking forward to a future of starvation, Spike?"

"What are you on about?"

"Do you have any idea just how long the humans are going to last if the current growth of vampires continues?" Whistler asked.

"Don't know and don't care."

"Well if we neglected other factors, and based on an exponential growth rate of vampires and an overfeeding on the human population, we're thinking that in about 23.3 years, the human race is gonna be extinct. Soon after that, there is going to be a lot of vampires running about making Calista Flockhart and Kate Moss look like the poster children for over-eaters anonymous."

"Other factors?"

"Oh all sorts of possibilities and permutations. Here's one to think about. Vampires are becoming more prevalent everyday. Soon enough, every human will know the truth and then they will start fighting back in fear. Fear makes 'em stupid. Soon they are pushing the buttons to eliminate their largest cities that have become chock-full-o-vamps. Enough of these bombs go off, and we're into a wonderful nuclear winter, not to mention the atomic fallout. That scenario is expected as a possibility in about 10 years."

With a blank face, Spike looked at Whistler but said nothing.

"OK. Fine. So your not interested in joining a 'Save the Humans' campaign, how about we try something a little more up to your demon alley," he leaned forward to look directly into Spike's eyes. "How about a little pay back at the Master for betraying your deal on the cure for Drusilla."

Whistler never saw Spike move his hand, but it was suddenly wrapped tightly around his throat. "What?" Spike said through clenched teeth and with a growl that almost muffled the question. Whistler simply continued to stare into Spike's eyes even though they had changed from his normal piercing blue to a fierce yellow. He did not try to struggle, he knew it would be of no use. He was treading on extremely dangerous ground and the wrong word would get him killed in a instant. After a minute, Spike relaxed his grip from around Whistler's throat but kept the claws that had extended from his fingers rested there.

"Willow had the cure two weeks after you came to LA. He knew it."

*****

Spike was on his way back to Sunnydale.

It had been five weeks since he had met Whistler. Five weeks of planning, plotting and making preparations. He could hardly believe it himself. The old Spike of six months ago would have hopped into his car and gone after the Master that very night. **And probably would have gotten my arse staked as well,** he thought to himself. He had instead talk with Whistler for the remainder of the night. And then he had gone back to the house, and said nothing.

With the forces that he had put together here in LA, he could have easily organized a mass assault on the Master's stronghold in Sunnydale, but that would of lacked the personal touch, in as much that he wanted to personally shove the stake through a certain demon's heart. Additionally, he was certain that in spite of the fear that his underlings held for him, were he to say anything about organizing an attack on the Master, and the he would know about it within an hour, and then there was the possibility that his prey would escape. And Spike had no desire to become involved in a vengeance pursuit that could last for decades or centuries. No, he wanted vengeance soon and with certainty. And to go up against the Master, by himself required a trickery and subtlety he had never before exhibited.

He had first started a rumor by one day mentioning off-hand that he had lived for too long with Drusilla constantly at his side and that he felt he the need for someone to fill her place. Then a few days later, while discussing the qualities and attributes of various vampiresses, he had mentioned how a certain redheaded vampiresses in the Master's clan had caught his eye. Soon enough, he was making preparations for his return to Sunnydale, and he knew the rumors were already there, festering away and waiting for him.

He knew the Master was attempting to figure out a way of keeping Spike from making a request for Willow. Spike had performed a huge service for the Master and as the original requested item for the service was no longer available, Spike's anticipated request could not be ignored. If He did, he would risk losing the support of his followers. It was one thing to punish somebody who had failed, but Spike had not failed.

And now, as he approached the city of limits, he caught sight of a vandalized sign saying 'Welcome to Sunnyhell'. His lips turned up into a tight little smile, the first one to have crossed his face in six months. And so, while humming to the tune of "Anarchy in the UK," Spike returned to Sunnydale on his way to meet the Master.

*****

Spike strode into the Bronze and up to the stage where the Master was seated. Spike saw a number of vampire masters amongst the crowd and realized that this was more than just a display of appreciation for Spike for a 'Job Well Done.

"Welcome back from LA, Spike," said the Master as he stretched out his hand in greeting.

"Thank you," Spike replied as he extended his hand. His voice was low and clear, "Master, LA is now under the command of the Order of Aurelius." Playing the Loyal Lackey, Spike had purposely said the Order's name rather than just the Master's. The Master smiled, pleased with the emphasis on who was controlling what, before the packed room.

"Wonderful. Wonderful. Spike you have performed a grand service for me. I am very impressed by the reports I have heard. And I was so very sorry to hear about Drusilla. I know how much she meant to you." Spike did not say a word. He simply gave a half nod and kept his eyes on the Master the whole time.

"Very well," the Master continued, "sit and have a drink with me first. There are so many things I wish to discuss with you." Spike and the Master sat and Willow moved to pour blood in the two crystal goblets.

The rest of the vampires began to mingle and talk amongst themselves. The Master raised his goblet and to Spike said, "Today LA. Tomorrow the World." Spike again said nothing, only nodding his head slightly and raising his goblet in a return gesture to the Master's toast. Taking a sip from his goblet, the Master smiled and said, "Ah. Fresh from my factory. Yes now that LA is under control we can begin expanding operations. Till now we have been operating the machine only sporadically, testing, making modifications, and gearing up for an 'expansion'. And now that we have ensured there will be plenty of raw material available for us when we have drained this town dry we should be ready to do so in a month."

As the Master continued to talk about his plans for the future, Spike listened with only half and ear to what he was saying. Mostly he was observing the behavior of the two vampiresses on the stage with the Master.

Willow, the red-haired vampiress, he had met before when he first came to Sunnydale. She had oozed of sexuality and strength and had an unquenchable desire for murder and mayhem. Just his type of vamp in fact. But she had belonged to Xander then, and he had not really been interested, because of his concern over the state of Dru's health. Now, as he studied her and watched as she served the Master and him, and occasionally mentioned a small point for the Master to elaborate upon, he was slowly able to perceive the malicious, greedy and deviously intelligent demoness that resided there inside of her.

The blonde vampiress on the floor was another matter. She was dressed in a dark blue velvet gown with a subtle silver beaded design. She had a doll in her arms that wore a similar dress. **The Master's 'Toy',** he thought to himself. He had heard the accounts about the insane former slayer and how she, like Dru, talked to dolls. The fact that the gown was some thing similar to what Dru used to wear was not lost on him. He knew the Master must have purposely ordered this arrangement to throw him off balance, but the girl looked nothing like Dru. Dru had been quite tall, whereas this girl was tiny in comparison. Where Dru had long raven hair, this waif had a closely cropped blonde hair cut. The list went on and on. Still he could sense something about her that kept drawing his attention. It wasn't because she was beautiful. Spike had had thousands of beautiful women during the years, as either a sexual partner or a meal, and sometimes as both. Something about the way she behaved was nagging at him.

He knew she was fascinated by him. He had caught her eyes several times staring at him. She would always avert them and look elsewhere as soon as she realized he had caught her looking at him, but as soon as he returned his attention to the Master, she was watching him again. Once he had winked at her, and her eyes had opened wide, before she could look away. He was sure she would have blushed if she could have at that moment. She was an intriguing little chit and perhaps after he was finished with his business here he would take her with him. After all, the Master wouldn't be around then and neither would his little sidekick bitch, Willow.

He returned to listening to the Master, contemplating how best to press his request for Willow as a part of a suitable reward for his efforts and compensation for his losses. Willow was now an unattached vampiress and the Master could command her to submit to Spike. He intended to take Willow away and then dominate her by torture. He would get a full confession from her about the Master knowing that she had the cure, and then doing nothing to helping Dru while there was still time. After he exposed the Master's deal breaking before all, Spike would challenge the Master as leader of the Order of Aurelius, to single combat, as would be his right after such a betrayal. Lastly, Spike would then proceed to torture Willow for a very long, long time.

He knew the Master would like to try to weasel out of having to give up Willow to Spike, but there was nothing, that Spike could think of, that would not leave the Master looking like a very poor leader if he refused. **Especially in front of all these buggers. Tut. Tut. Very bad show...and all that rot,** he thought to himself.

*****

The Master had called for attention again and all had quieted to hear his announcement.

"My Friends..." he began and Spike's mind began to immediately wander.

**I wonder if the old blow-hard was as long winded when he was alive,** thought Spike idly.

"...long policy of ruling alone..."

Hell they're probably too stupid to realize what they're getting' into. Pretending to be interested in something that...Holy Shit!** bits of random information suddenly coalesced in his mind to present him with a conclusion startling enough to make him sit up a bit straighter in his chair.

"...which is why..."

Spike's eyes shot over to the blonde vampiress on the floor. She glanced away as soon as she noticed his eyes on her again, but it was too late. **She's bloody fakin' it,** he thought to himself. **All this time she's been here, pullin' the wool over their eyes. Nobody knows, including the Master and Willow,** "...decided to take a Queen to rule by my side as we bring about the domination of the world by vampires in the 21st century."

**Say what?** Spike rapidly shifted his attention back to the Master who was extending his arm.

"And because of her intelligence, beauty and devotion to me, I have decided that Willow will be my Queen." Willow step forward to clasp the Master's hand and face the applauding crowd.

**Shit**

Spike was able to retain the presence to clap politely when the Master turned to beam at him. Spike knew he had been outmaneuvered, and would have to rethink his approach toward revenge. Still, as he sat there he knew that while he may have lost this round, he had something that the Master did not. He had knowledge of a potential Ace-In-The-Hole. He looked again at the blonde vampiress, and, for the first time that night, she met and held his gaze.

**Oh yes.** Spike thought. **Things are gonna get very interesting around here.**

To Be Continued

kendra's Main buffy Page
Parts 7-9