Prologue

She stood on the sidewalk staring up at the apartment building. A cool wind rustled her hair in the early Manhatten evening. It should have cooled her body but it only made her angrier. The one who was living in that building was the cause of her rage. He had taken everything away from her when she was so young.

Everything. Her fists sat clenched on either side of her body and she slowly relaxed them. Perhaps she should give him more consideration than she was. This thought brought a bitter smile to her face as she walked toward the building.

Perhaps she should try to forgive.

***

"I won't have any part of it." Drusilla said, crossing her arms across her chest and staring defiantly into Spike's deep blue eyes. "I'm not trusting that little mortal."

Spike sighed in frustration. "She's not a mortal ducks. She's a vampire. Just like you and I are."

"But I don't like her. Spike she'll ruin our happy home, I can see it."

Spike winced as Drusilla's voice rose to a high pitched octave and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"She can help us get rid of Buffy. Think about that for a minute before you go off about her ruining our lives." Spike said. "She could bloody well help them."

Drusilla sighed and sunk into a cracked vinyl chair. "I can see something in her Spike. She's much more powerful than we are. If you do this, you could kill us both."

"How can she possibly be more powerful than us? She's barely half my age pet. Please just trust me Drusilla."

He knelt down to her level and tried to look into her eyes. Instead she diverted her gaze to a doll and picked it up off the grimy floor.

"Buffy isn't expecting us back in Sunnydale ever." Spike continued. "When we get back we could take our time to find a nice home, then make our move." He paused and looked around the darkened apartment. "Do you want to go on living in places like this?"

Drusilla did a quick survey of the room before shaking her head. "Fine Spike. Go talk to her, but be careful. Please."

He stood up and brushed off his pants. "I'll be fine." He told her before turning and walking toward the living room.

As he walked he silently scorned the apartment they were living in. Since leaving Sunnydale they had been to Brazil and back, but now their supply of money was running out and they were forced to rent a dingy apartment in downtown Manhattan. The floor had no carpet and they walked on cold cement through the whole place. When they had found it, the windows had no covers and most had no glass in the panes. The small amount of furniture that the previous owner had left were ripped and tacky. The chairs and the couch were made of vinyl or a cheap leather imitation. The tables were green plastic back yard lawn furniture and their bed was a mattress that lay on the ground.

Entering the living room, Spike glanced around quickly to find the girl sitting on the ripped couch. Stuffing spilled out around her but she hardly looked concerned.

"Hello." She said, standing up to meet him. Her voice had a faint English accent much like Spike's and he took an immediate liking to the warmth and familiarity of her voice.

Spike nodded in greeting and shook her hand quickly. It was cold and dead, just as he had expected.

She sat on the couch again as Spike took a chair across from her.

"I'm Spike." He said quickly, anxious to find out what she had to tell him.

"I'm Kora." She told him. "I understand you're the one having problems with a slayer."

He nodded without saying anything.

"Well then, I think you'll find what I have to say most interesting."

He nodded again, waiting for her to tell him what it was.

Instead she sat on the couch smiling at him. Spike cocked an eyebrow before deciding to let her sit. He could wait forever if she told him how to get rid of Buffy.

As Kora sat in silence he began to study her and what she wore. Her long leg were clad in dark blue jeans and they were crossed lightly in front of him.

Hands baring long fingers were clasped in her lap and occasionally, one rose to brush back her light brown hair. A smirk played across her lips and Spike turned his gaze from her mouth to her eyes which were a dark blue color, much like his own. Her light brown hair was straight but full and Spike began to find her suddenly attractive.

*I've been stuck in this house with Drusilla much too long.* He decided.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Spike asked, leaning forward.

"What's my payment?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Your payment?"

"Of course my payment." She shook her head, causing her hair to fall from behind her ears. "Did you think this information was free?"

"Well why the hell not?" Spike asked.

Another smile spread across her face and she began to laugh. "What I have to tell you could bloody well wipe Buffy off the face of this earth forever and you want it for free? I don't think so."

Spike frowned. "Fine, I'll pay. I'll find a way. Just tell me."

She nodded and studied him. "You're really Spike?" She asked.

"Of course I am. Who do you think I am?"

Kora leaned back on the couch and shook her head. "This is the high and mighty Spike I've been told so much about? You certainly have changed my boy. The stories I've heard about the torturous rail road spikes, they don't seem like they could be about you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Spike asked, raising himself out of the chair.

"It means that you're so whipped by that little witch back there you don't know the difference between having power and being ruled by power. She rules you. It's obvious."

"She does not rule me." Spike hissed, stalking toward the much younger vampire on the couch. He brought his face close to hers and glared at her for a moment before standing up again before walking to the window and looking out at the darkened sky. "No, she doesn't." He answered.

"Then forget the money." Kora got up and stood behind Spike. "I have a proposition for you instead."

Spike looked interested. "What's that?"

"You get rid of the witch and make me your partner. We'll get rid of Buffy together."

"No." He whirled around the face her. "No deal."

She smiled. "Fine. No deal, no information." She picked up his bag which lay beside the couch then walked for the front door. "I'll just find someone else who wants to help me . . . William." *William. She called me William. I never told her that was my name.*

"Spike, did she tell you?" Drusilla called from the bedroom. Ignoring her voice, Spike tore open the door and raced into the hall. Kora stood at the elevators, waiting for one to open.

"How did you know my name?" He asked, grabbing her shoulder and turning her toward him. "You called me William. How did you know?"

She was silent for a long time and when she spoke it was so soft Spike had to strain to hear her.

"So you don't recognize me. I didn't think you would. I tried to act younger that I am. Did it work?"

"Wh-who are you?"

"Does this remind you of anything?" She asked, holding her left hand up to his face. On her ring finger was an Irish Claddagh ring and below that, a long deep scar.

Spike struggled to breathe as he gazed at her hand. Before long he took it in his own and stared at her. "Morrigan?"

She smiled. "Nice to know you remember me."

Spike staggered to the wall and leaned heavily against it. "I can't believe it's you." He muttered, before floating into a memory.

***

He had been a vampire for nearly ten years. Spike knew he should now be thirty years old but he wasn't showing any signs of aging. He loved it.

He also loved the sudden flock of women that came his way. Before the change Spike hadn't exactly been lucky with women but there was something about being a vampire that drew them to him like flies to a dead animal. Spike laughed. That's basically what he was. A dead animal.

At that point the name Spike still hadn't come to rest on him, that was twenty years down the road. He was mostly a passive vampire. He didn't make a lot of trouble, just fed when he had to and went out and had a good time the other nights.

Angelus and Drusilla had been spending less and less time with him. Drusilla and William had yet to become involved with each other and it was over between her and Angelus. She had found a new vampire and spent much more time with him than at their home in Ireland. After siring both William and Drusilla, Angelus had decided to make their settling place his home country.

Angel himself had found someone he claimed to love. A mortal girl, a farmer's daughter. But he said he loved her all the same. They were too be married in a months time and their wedding night would be when Angel sired her and made her one of them. He always told William to be on the look out for her because they had to meet one day. His best man and his bride should know each other before the wedding. Angel had given her his Claddagh ring, because it was all he had that meant more to him than living and killing. He wore one on his left ring finger and she wore one on hers. Their sign of engagement.

Her father hadn't been happy with the upcoming wedding until he had met Angel. The vampire could be civil and he had charmed his young fiancee's father into giving them his blessing.

William always wanted to see what this wonderful young girl looked like and continued to scour the town for her after dark. Unfortunately, Angel had never told William what she looked like or her name so he had virtually nothing to go on.

One night in a local pub William sat at the bar, drunk on nearly every hard liquor they had in the place. Soon after midnight he left the building in favour of the fresh night air and had stumbled over a young girl sitting on the steps outside.

"Hello there." He mumbled, falling to the ground beside her.

She glanced up and smiled. "Hello." Her voice had a strong Irish accent and she looked surprised to hear an English accent in his voice.

"I'm from England." He explained without her asking. "That's why I sound different from you."

"Well I'm from right here and that's why I sound Irish." She told him, smiling at him.

He grinned. "I'm William."

"Morrigan." She replied, sticking her hand out.

*God she's beautiful.* He thought, then blurted out the words before thinking.

She blushed. "Thank you."

"So what are you doing sitting outside in the middle of the night?"

"My father's in there." She told him, jerking her thumb toward the pub. "He's probably too drunk to walk and I'm scared of walking home alone."

"Why is he getting drunk?" William asked.

"My wedding day is coming up and he's very nervous."

William nodded. "I see. Well, if you want I can walk you home. At least that way you'd get some sleep."

Morrigan looked up at him with hopeful blue eyes and smiled. "Would you? I'd be so thankful."

"Sure." William answered, standing up. She didn't seem to notice he was also drunk, or she did and didn't care.

"Where do you live?" He asked.

"Just outside of town." She told him. "That way." She pointed to the street at their right and they began to walk slowly in that direction.

"So who are you marrying?" He asked.

She shrugged. "You probably wouldn't know him."

William accepted this answer and they continued down the road in silence.

Soon the lights of the town were behind them and the road was thrown into almost complete darkness. William could see just fine, but Morrigan couldn't and cried out as she stumbled over something on the road. William moved forward to catch her before she fell and set her down on the ground.

"It was just a rock." He told her, then grabbed her ankle in his hands. "I don't think it's broken." He said, running his long fingers over the bones. "It might be sprained. I can feel it swelling already." His fingers moved swiftly over the ties of her shoe and pulled it off in a quick movement. He felt her body stiffen at the sudden glare of pain and he placed his hand on her arm letting her know she was fine. She felt his cold fingers through his shirt and had to restrain herself from shivering.

"Can you walk?" He asked her, wrapping an arm around her to help her up.

"I-I think so." She stammered, embarrassed by the arm around her waist. She tried to walk a few steps before the pain became too much and she collapsed to the ground.

"It hurts too much." She told him and William swept her up briskly into his arms.

"No." She struggled to get away from him. "Please I can walk."

"No you can't." He told her, carrying her down the road.

"Yes, I can. I can walk just fine. Please, just put me down."

William ignored her pleading with him and continued down the dark road with Morrigan in his arms and her shoe in one hand. She never once stopped begging him to put her back on the ground and explained to him how mad her fiance would be if he saw them.

"But I'm helping you." William told her. "Who knows what may have happened to you if I left you at that pub. You might have come down this road alone and hurt yourself. Many things could happen to a young girl like you."

He didn't stop walking, but continued to near her house as she cried at him and yelled at him from his arms. Finally he stopped walking and looked at her.

"You really think you could survive without me?"

She nodded. "We're close to my home, just put me down. Please." Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes and William placed her on the ground reluctantly. He dropped her shoe into her hand and smiled.

"It was pleasant meeting you." He said, before turning and walking away into the darkness.

"It was very nice meeting you." She replied, even though she knew he could no longer hear her. She began to limp down the road, talking to herself to keep her company.

"He's the very type of man I could fall in love with if it weren't for Angel." She said, ignoring the pain in her foot. "If Angel had never come around I would have let William take me all the way to my front door, but he's waiting there for me. I can make it on my own."

The lights from her small cottage finally reached her eyes and Morrigan nearly fainted in relief. She was hardly thirty yards from her front door when something leapt out of the bushes and grabbed her. She dropped her shoe in an effort to fight the beast that was biting at her neck but never thought to scream. Once the creature had her far enough into the forest he released her and looked down on her. She looked up to see a man with a black mask over his face. She could only see his eyes and mouth.

"All alone." He growled at her, baring long fangs.

"Please don't hurt me." She begged with him, curling up in a ball.

"I'll do whatever I please with you." He said. "A little girl like you shouldn't be walking alone in the dark." He leaned down to kiss her roughly, his lean hands entwined in her hair.

She pushed him away with all the strength she had but he just came back at her.

His hands clamped around her shoulders and she felt the same marble cold touch she had earlier that night.

"William?" She whispered reaching for the mask. It slid off his face and she screamed at what she saw before he buried his face in her neck and she felt his teeth slip into his vein.

"Please no." She murmured as she felt herself slip into unconsciousness. She lashed out at him one last time with her left hand, catching it on a sharp rock before it got to him. She could feel it rip through her soft flesh and felt the blood begin to pour down her arm to join the puddle that pumped from her neck.

As her world began to go black she heard a gasp and opened her eyes to see William staring at her ring.

"Your fiance." He paused. "Is it Angelus?"

She nodded and began to speak, blood slurring her speech. "Angel. How do you know?"

Instead of answering she watched him bite his own wrist then felt it shoved to her mouth. Without thinking she drank from his greedily then slipped into a deep sleep.

***

William stared down at the girl he had just turned into a vampire. Angel would kill him if he found out so instead he picked her up and carried her back out.

Her shoe still lay on the road and William placed her body beside that. Someone would find her before morning and if they didn't, it would be like she had never existed.

He turned and walked away, careful to keep out of sight and deep within the woods.

***

Angel found her that way later in the night, before the sun rose. He took her back to her home and tended to her until she woke up. When pressed for details about what had happened she had punched Angel and run from the house, screaming her hatred for him the whole way.

When he came home only an hour before the sun rose William looked worriedly at him.

"Angel what happened?"

The older vampire shook his head. "Someone turned Morrigan. She's one of us now, but she won't tell me who." He paused. "And I don't think she cares for me much at all anymore. She ran off. I don't know what happened to her." He sunk into a chair. "Oh William I don't think she understands what's happened to her. She's probably dead."

*Probably.* William thought.

***

Spike shook his head from where he leaned against the hard wall.

"It can't be you. I thought you were dead."

"I should be." She answered.

"But what about the accent? You certainly don't sound Irish."

Morrigan raised an eyebrow at him. "Very good observation Sherlock." She said sarcastically. "I've spent most of my life after that in England."

"And the name?"

"It's not really Kora." She told him. "I'm still Morrigan."

Spike paused to digest what she was telling him. "So why are you coming to me now? Why not go find Angel? Tell him you're still alive, I don't care."

"Because Angel has turned into a teddy bear with fangs. It's disgusting. He's even more whipped than you William, but the worst part it, it's the slayer who has him like that." She paused to grin at him. "Besides, I know you do care."

"Why would I care whether or not your bloody life was spared?"

"Because I have something to tell you that could change yours drastically." She told him, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.

Spike settled once more against the wall and sighed. "I don't know Morrigan. I killed you. I never feel remorse and at the moment I do."

She surprised him by laughing. "Don't feel bad for me William, I've led a good life. So I didn't get to marry Angel, big deal. Either way I would have been a vampire, you turned me instead of him."

"Fine, so you can help me pet. What do you want in return?"

"The deal." She insisted. "Leave Drusilla here and come back with me to Sunnydale. That's all I want in return."

Spike considered this for a moment before nodding. "You have yourself a deal. I'll tell her that I'm going shopping or something. It's not like I have much to take with me."

Morrigan nodded. "That sounds good. Meet me outside, my car's parked down the road a bit."

"Can I ask you one thing pet?"

"Of course."

"Do you think you could stop calling me William?"

***

"Dru?" He asked, opening the door to their apartment.

"In the back Spike." She called, letting him know where she saw.

*Please don't be in the bedroom.* He prayed, then walked to where the sound of her voice had come from. He found her sitting alone in the bathroom with her dolls in a circle around her. An Ouija board sat in the centre of the circle and Drusilla had her hands resting lightly on the palette.

"What are you doing ducks?" He asked, reaching his hand toward the light switch.

"Don't." She said sharply and Spike's hand stopped in mid air. "It's telling me things about her Spike." She whispered.

A single black candle sat on the floor beside Drusilla and it was the only light in the room.

"Drusilla I'm going out for a little while but I'll be back soon."

"No Spike. Wait, I want you to hear what it's telling me." She closed her eyes and he stared hard at the board.

"Nothing's happening Dru." He said, and turned to leave. "I'll be back."

"Wait." She commanded, her voice hard and low. "Watch it."

Spike sighed before he turned his gaze to the letters on the board. The palette slowly began to glide over the board under Drusilla's fingers and he watched until it swung around faster and faster.

"Who am I talking to?" Drusilla asked.

The palette stopped.

"Tell me." She demanded.

The palette swung to "no".

"Fine. Don't tell me."

It spelt out "g-o-o-d".

"Tell me what you know about Kora." She said.

It began to spell out letters as Spike watched.

"Kora bad. Not really Kora. Morrigan bad too. Spike hurt. Morrigan hurt Spike. Morrigan hurt Drusilla. Danger. Past secrets. Spike's secrets. Secrets about Morrigan and Kora." Then it stopped.

"Well?" Drusilla looked at him. "What do you say about that?"

Spike shook his head and laughed. "Kora's gone and I've never known anyone named Morrigan." He was surprised by how easily the lies came to him. "Kora left. She got mad when I said we didn't have any money to pay for her information. Don't worry ducks. We're fine."

She sighed. "But they told me."

"They told you wrong ducks."

Her shoulder slumped in dejection and Spike kissed her quickly on the cheek.

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon." He repeated before retreating to their bedroom.

Once he was there, Spike pulled a duffle bag out from the closet and began to fill it with his meager belongings. A pair of black jeans went into the bag on top of a black and a red t-shirt. Once it was filled with his things he closed the zipper and walked back into the apartment.

Drusilla still sat alone in the bathroom.

"Bye Dru." He said quietly, before opening the door and walking away.

***

Spike stepped out of the elevator and walked through the front door, his duffle bag on one arm. Morrigan had driven her car up to the door and he slid into the passenger seat while admiring it.

"Nice car." He said, his impression evident in his voice.

"Thanks. I try." She answered while pulling away from the curb.

"What is it?"

She smiled at his interest. "It's a 1962 MGA. Hard to come by, but worth it when you get one."

Spike only nodded, still staring at the car he was now riding in.

"Looking forward to getting back to Sunnydale?" Morrigan asked when he had finally stopped looking at the car.

He shrugged. "Not really. It's not exactly the most exciting town in the world. I can think of better places."

"But we'll get Buffy, so there actually is something good in returning."

"About that," Spike began, "what is it what you have on Buffy?"

She reached over without looking and popped open the glove compartment. "Take a look in there."

Spike peered inside to see a small thin vile rolling around as Morrigan turned the car. He pulled it out and turned it over in his hands, staring at the thick dark red liquid.

"Blood?" He asked.

Morrigan nodded. "The first slayer's blood. First slayer ever. Don't ask how I got it because I won't tell you, but it's powerful. One tiny sip of that can make a person appear dead for more than twenty four hours. Work this on Angel and we've got one willing slayer." She smirked. "On top of all that she has no idea who I am. I can pretend to be on her side. Complete and total trust."

Spike cast a pining and admiring look in her direction before speaking. "Amazing. How did you think of all this?"

She shrugged. "I'm not exactly stupid you know."

"So how does this get us Buffy?"

Morrigan glanced at him for a moment before turning her blue eyes back to the road and explaining her plan. "Angel will be too surprised to see me to think that I'm against him and I can get him to drink some of the blood very easily. I can go to Buffy as a good guy -- there are some good demons around you know -- and tell her that Angel's hurt, maybe dying. I can tell her some kind of lie, like the blood he's been given can kill him."

"Will it?" Spike asked.

Morrigan shook her head. "The blood won't actually kill him, just make him seem dead. Once he wakes up he'll be a little dizzy, but otherwise fine. I'll tell her that I can help him, but the ceremony requires the blood of his most loved one. Put Buffy out and we kill her. Easy."

Another look of fascination crossed Spike's face. "You just have everything planned out."

Morrigan laughed and Spike grinned at her. "As I said before, I try."

They drove down the highway in the direction of the small town Sunnydale, California.

=============================================================

Morrigan pulled up on the outskirts of the city and smiled at Spike.

"So where do you want to stay?" She asked, turning off the car and shifting until she was facing him.

"It's not like I have much of a choice." Spike said bitterly. "I don't have a whole load of money on me so I guess it's another abandoned factory for me."

Morrigan looked at him in disbelief for a moment before figuring out he was serious. She shook her head and leaned over the seat into the back of the car.

Reaching into one of her bags she pulled out a wallet. It was nearly busting it was so full of money. Spike only stared at it until she thrust it into his hands and then he finally looked up at her.

"What is this?"

"Money." She answered, starting the car again and driving into the city.

"Where do you get all this?"

"I work. Vampires can work you know. There are so many movie sets that need workers during the night and humans can't do it. A lot of vampire work like that. It's good money."

Spike tried to speak but his amazement with this girl overcame his vocal chords so he just smiled at her.

"Where do you want to stay?" She repeated, driving past the old mansion Spike and Drusilla had once been living in.

"Anywhere. Somewhere nice." He stated, still staring down at the money in his hands.

"You've got it." Morrigan replied, turning the car down a main street lit with street lamps and driving to the nearest phone booth.

"What are you doing?" Spike asked.

She pulled the phone book out from the booth and began to flip through it.

"Trying to find a nice hotel." She responded running her fingers over the numbers. "I'm afraid that's our only option." She looked up and grinned at him. "I wasn't exactly sure when we'd be able to look for an apartment. They would want us to come see it during the day and that still remains a problem to us."

Her sapphire eyes returned to the phone book then stopped on a number. "This sounds good." Morrigan began to recite the passage to Spike who still sat in the car.

"Top rooms with full bathroom and bedroom. Mini bars and movie rentals all night long. Room service twenty four hours. Four different pools, each open from six in the morning until ten o'clock at night." She glanced up at Spike. "Does that sound good?"

He nodded. "It sounds just fine."

Morrigan looked back at the phone book, then picked up the receiver and dialled the number.

"Hello, I'd like to reserve your two most expensive rooms." She began when the reception at the hotel answered. "We're not sure how long we're staying, but we'll have the money up front." She paused as the woman talked. "Yes please. When's the soonest you can have them ready?" Another pause. "I agree that it's very late at night, but we did just get in." Morrigan began to look angry as the woman continued to lecture her about the time. "Listen!" She spat out. "I realize that it's late. Four in the morning is very late or very early depending on how you look at it." Her voice was sharp and cold. "But we just got into this city, we can not control the air plane flights and we would like to get at least a little sleep before the morning. Now you will have those rooms ready when I get there or I will make them ready personally." She paused and a smile broke out across her face. "I knew you'd see it my way. Reserve them for Morrigan Brenner and Spike . . ." She looked at him for a last name. He only shrugged so she made one up. "Morrigan Brenner and Spike Miller. Thank you. Bye."

She sauntered back to the car slowly and leaned through the window.

"We have our rooms." She told him before opening the dark blue door of the car and getting in.

"When?"

"Now, if we want them. Do you want to go now?"

He nodded. "Why not? The sun'll be up in an hour or two and we might as well get settled and planned out before the next night. Is that when you're going to pay a nice little visit to Angelus?"

Morrigan nodded. "As soon as it gets dark again." She started the car then looked out the window. "It is getting light out. We should probably go."

Spike laughed suddenly and loudly and Morrigan turned to him in surprise.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Sunnydale California and the slayer are becoming a lot more appealing to me recently." He told her.

"Could that have anything to do with the fact that Sunnydale holds the slayer and it's the same slayer we're going to kill?"

He grinned. "You read my mind."

***

They pulled up outside the hotel called "Sunnydale's Finest" and Morrigan parked her car then set the alarm after they had taken out their bags.

She sighed and shook her head as they walked in. "I don't like leaving the car out here."

"Since it has no roof that would be understandable in any other city." Spike said. "But in Sunnydale the only crime is done by vampires and we hardly ever steal anything."

"Sunnydale vampires are that trustworthy?" She asked, as he held the door open for her.

"No, but they're scared of who things might belong to. You knew that we're on a hell mouth right now, right?"

She nodded. "I knew about it, I just never thought it affected vampire's lives that much."

"Oh yeah." Spike told her, walking to the front desk. "Vampires around here are scared of everything. You never know what kind of demon popped out this week and what might be something of theirs."

Morrigan placed her bags on the floor and hit the tiny bell on the desk. "It makes sense."

"May I help you?" A cheery voice asked and they both looked up to see a short blonde girl smiling at them.

"Yeah." Morrigan said. "I've got two rooms reserved. Morrigan Brenner and Spike Miller."

The girl smiled at her and punched a few buttons on the computer. "Your rooms are numbers four twenty eight and four twenty nine. Here are your keys. Enjoy your stay and if there's anything I can do for you, just call the front desk. Okay?"

Morrigan took both the keys and picked her bags up again.

"Bimbo." She muttered as they walked toward the small elevators.

"We'll kill her tomorrow night." Spike assured her stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the fourth floor.

They found their rooms quickly and opened the doors and put their things inside. Morrigan closed her door then turned to the wall where there was another door.

She placed her key in the lock and twisted it, opening it and walking into Spike's room.

"Look at this place." He said when he saw her.

The room was much bigger than the apartment he had been staying at and much nicer. The floor had a thick red carpet on it and under that was a polished hard wood floor.

"Good for spilling blood on." Morrigan said, pointing at the carpet. Spike smiled and nodded then continued around the room. He had drawn the dark red shades over the windows already so none of the morning sun spilled through. A enormous master bed with a red flowered cover sat in the middle of the first room along with the mini bar and a large television set. Spike retreated to the bathroom while Morrigan stayed in the front. She could nearly imagine the look of happiness on his face as he went through the room. The bathroom was also decorated in red with a full Jacuzzi bath and shower.

"This place is amazing." He said after inspecting all of it. "Excellent choice." Spike told her.

She smiled. "Good. Now I don't mean to be at all rude but I'm a bit tired. But I want to wake up long before dark, say around four. We have a plan to brew and a few pools to test."

Spike smiled. "Four it is. Then we'll kill than bloody slayer and maybe Angel along with her."

Morrigan waved at him before departing to her own room and closing the door. ***

Buffy swung her legs from where she sat on a table in the library. Giles was standing inside his study shuffling through books, occasionally glancing up at the slayer when she sighed impatiently.

"Just a minute more." He told her, pushing books out of the way in search of something specific.

"Giles what are you looking for?"

"A book." He replied, pausing to tug his glasses off his face and wipe them with a cloth.

"Well, I knew that much." She said in exasperation. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? I have a huge biology test that I've got to get home and not studying for."

Giles turned to her with an eyebrow raised. "You have to patrol tonight."

She nodded. "I know. That's what I meant by the whole 'not study' thing. Get it?" Buffy nodded before hopping off the table and walking out of the school. She wasn't really going to patrol all night, she was going to go see Angel. Things had recently begun to go a lot better for the two of them and Buffy feared it could end any day now. He was leaving for Los Angeles soon and she wanted to see him as often as she could before he left. Although they were still broken up in her mind they could at least talk and be friends.

She sighed. There were only two more weeks until Angel left and Buffy would hardly see him anymore. That thought brought pangs of loneliness to her heart and she tried to avoid thinking about it. The sun began to set as she hurried home and collected her things for her short patrol.

***

The receptionist lay dead across the front desk. Morrigan stood over her smiling.

"I hate girls like that." She muttered to Spike.

"Like what?" He asked.

"The dumb blondes who pretend they don't have a brain cell in their head. They're not really stupid you know, but they think if they act stupid that more men will like them." A dangerous grin crept across her face. "I wonder how much the men will like her now."

She wiped a drop of blood from her chin, then turned and walked out to her car with Spike.

***

Morrigan sat in her car beside Spike and stared up at the tall mansion that loomed over them.

"So Angel has been staying there?" She asked, cocking her head at it.

Spike nodded. "We were staying there before he got his soul back again and Buffy sent him to hell. When he got back I suppose he couldn't find another place to stay so he adopted the mansion." He paused. "Do you have the blood?"

She nodded and withdrew the vial from her jacket pocket. "It's right here. I'll offer to get him a drink and in goes a little of the blood. He'll be out cold in no time. Once he's 'dead' I'll come out and you'll have to go in and watch him until I get back. When you hear the car pull up, get out of there. We don't need Buffy seeing you before it's time."

He nodded. "Good luck."

Morrigan smiled. "Thanks William."

"Ah, the name." He reminded her.

"Sorry Spike." She opened the door and unfolded her long legs from the car. "I'll be out soon."

"Be quick." He said, then watched her walk quickly up the to the front door in the early twilight.

***

Morrigan pushed open the doors of the mansion and walked inside. It was dimly lit by small lamps on tables and it got a bit brighter as she walked down the hall.

A room to her left seemed to be occupied so she turned in that direction and peered into the room. Angel sat on the couch in front of a fire reading a book.

He flipped the pages almost soundlessly and other than that, the only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire.

"Angel?" She called out softly.

The sudden call of his name startled the vampire and the book thumped to the floor. He stood up and whirled around to stare at the door. He stared in silence at her for a few moments before walking around the couch and standing beside her. Once he was there he let his eyes slowly linger on her, remembering who she once was to him.

"Morrigan?" He asked, his eyes shining at the memories he held of her.

She nodded. "It's me Angel."

"Oh God." He whispered, before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. "I thought you were dead."

She laughed lightly. "I probably should be, but I'm so lucky that I'm not." She released him slowly. "Then, I never would have been able to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" A look of confusion passed over Angel's face. "Sorry for what?"

"For running away from you that night. I should have stayed but I was so scared at what was happening to me. You have to understand, I didn't know what was going on."

Angel nodded. "Of course I understand. Come sit with me."

Morrigan began to walk to the couch with him, then paused and smiled. "Would it be all right if I got a drink?"

"Of blood?"

She nodded. "It's been so long since I've fed."

"I have some from the butcher. Buffy brought it--" He stopped short.

"Who's Buffy?" Morrigan asked, taking the bag from him.

"She's," he paused, "a friend."

"Is it the same Buffy that's a slayer?"

"Y-yes. You know about her?"

"How could I not?" She asked. "Every vampire knows about her." "Angel, I've had my soul for about twelve years now." She told him. "I'm not like the others anymore."

"Oh." He stood up. "Would you wait here? I have something I want you to see."

She nodded as he walked out of the room and waited until she was sure he was gone. Then she slipped the vial out of her pocket and poured some of the butcher's blood into a glass. She added a few drops of the slayer's blood and shook the glass lightly. Then she poured more blood into a glass for herself and waited for Angel to come back.

"Look." He said and she turned to see him. In his arms he held a wedding dress.

Her wedding dress.

A smile crossed her face, the memories were wonderful. A small part of her still longed for what she and Angel could have had.

"It's beautiful." She said. "You had wonderful taste."

He set it down on the couch beside her.

"I poured some blood for you." She stated then pointed to the glass.

He smiled at her as he picked it up and drank quickly. As he finished the blood in the glass Morrigan felt a sudden sense of relief wash over her and she knew that the rest would go as planned.

"Why did you keep this?" She asked him.

Angel shrugged. "I don't know really. It was strange how I felt, especially since vampires weren't supposed to have feelings like that. I was so happy to get away from the whole love thing that being a vampire didn't bother me. Guess I got screwed over in that sense huh?"

"Why do you say that?"

"First I fell in love with you, then Buffy." He said. "I didn't expect it to happen either time."

"But it did." Morrigan said. "I suppose it's really not something that you can control."

He blinked twice in rapid succession then smiled unsteadily. "I guess not. But I tried."

Morrigan nodded, pretending not to notice his sudden weakness. "Why are you showing it to me?"

"I thought . . . that maybe we could," there was a long pause as Angel tried to regain his senses, then he continued, "that maybe we could be like that again

"You're serious?" Morrigan asked, her eyes wide.

Angel nodded weakly. "I missed you . . . for so long . . . I'm going away from here . . . I need someone . . . I'm leaving . . . Sunny-" He never finished the sentence and his head fell quietly to his chest. His breathing slowed then came to a complete stop and Morrigan sighed before walking over to him. She kissed his forehead, then carefully lowered his body down onto the couch, placing his hands over his chest. Then she turned and walked out of the mansion and back to her car.

"Go watch him." She commanded Spike. "If there's any sign of him possibly waking up, pour a tiny bit of this into his mouth." She handed him the blood as he stepped out of the car. "When you hear me get back with Buffy, leaving the blood under his book and get out of there. We don't need her finding out about the plan."

Spike nodded and jogged toward the mansion with the vial of slayer's blood in his hand.

Morrigan started her car and drove away in the direction of Buffy's house.

===========================================================================

Buffy was nearly at the park when a car pulled up beside her and someone jumped out. She turned around and quickly brought her fists up in front of her.

"Who are you?" She asked, not reading to take any chances.

"I don't want to fight." An English female voice spoke. "I need your help."

"My help?" Buffy asked. "Why?" Her fists still remained tensed in front of her and she backed up slowly as the person walked forward.

"My name's Morrigan. Angel's in trouble."

Buffy's fists slowly relaxed. "Angel? What's wrong with him?"

The other girl shook her head. "I don't know exactly."

"Why should I trust you?" The slayer asked, her hands in front of her again.

"If you want to save your pet you really have no other choice." Morrigan said to her. "Someone gave him the blood of the first slayer. It makes people appear dead and it slowly kills them. If we don't get it out of his system . . . well let's just say it'll eat him from the inside out and you won't have a very pleasant corpse for the funeral."

Buffy stared at the girl hard before dropping her hands and nodding. "I'll go with you. If it'll save him." She paused before getting into the car. "Can you save him?"

Morrigan nodded. "I know what to do. I'll need a very small amount of blood from his most loved one though. That's why I need you."

Buffy sighed and got into the car, playing over the worst possible situation in her mind.

***

Spike sat alone in the living room and smiled at Angel. The sound of an arriving car in the front signalled him and he placed the vial of blood carefully under Angel's book, that lay open on the floor. Then he turned and walked quickly and quietly to the back of the house and disappeared into the night to wait for Morrigan's call.

***

"I found him like this about an hour ago. It took me that long to find you." Morrigan said as they entered the room.

Buffy rushed to his side and knelt on the floor. She turned to Morrigan, her green eyes wide with fear. "He's not breathing."

"I know. It's one of the side effects. If we can get it out he'll begin to breathe again. He's still alive right now, but we need to get it out of him as soon as possible."

Buffy nodded and tore her gaze away from Angel's unmoving form.

"What should I do?"

"Just lay on the other couch." Morrigan instructed her. Spike had taken it upon himself to remove the wedding dress and Morrigan reminded herself to thank him later.

"I'll need you to drink a bit of this." She told Buffy, giving her the vial. "It'll put you out for about five minutes so you won't feel it when I cut you for the blood. I don't want to hurt you."

Buffy took the vial and swallowed a bit, wincing at the bitter taste.

"Now just relax." Morrigan instructed and waited until the slayer had fallen under the spell and her breathing had stopped.

A breath of relief and power shuddered through her body and she turned to the back door.

"Spike?" She called.

The back door opened and she caught a glimpse of Spike's platinum blonde hair and waited for him to join her in the living room.

"Is she out?" He asked, walking slowly into the room.

She nodded. "They both are. We could send them to a funeral home right now and they'd both be fitted for coffins."

"So, now what?" Spike asked, looking first at the slayer, then at the vampire.

"Since I gave Angel so little he should wake up within the next few hours. We can kill Buffy at any time."

"Kill her? I thought we were going to make her like us."

Morrigan turned to Spike, her eyes blazing with a blue fire. "Sire her? But what for? She's a slayer, she should die." She shook her head. "Just never mind. I'm going to kill her, but I'm going to tie up Angel first."

She yanked open a drawer from a desk, looking inside. A thick chain sat inside and she shrugged then pulled it out. She walked to where Angel was laying on the couch and began to clamp the shackles down on his wrists. She turned to the wall and looped the chain around the leg of a heavy oak desk. Spike tugged at it twice, then satisfied that it was strong enough dropped the chain back to the floor.

Angel groaned in his sleep as his chest began to rise and fall softly once again. Morrigan turned to smile lightly at him before she walked to stand over Buffy.

"We're killing her." She said.

"No!" Spike turned to stare at her. "We should sire her. She could be an asset to us. Don't you get it?"

"No." She said flatly.

"We could use her." He insisted. "A slayer as a vampire is a wonderful thing."

"I don't care." Morrigan retorted. "I say we should kill her. She's worthless to me, I'm leaving after this is all done. You can go back to Drusilla because I want nothing to do with you."

Spike raised his eyebrows at her. "Then if you're leaving let me sire her."

"No!" Her eyes lit up again with anger. "She's nothing to us. I'm going to kill her and leave. Angel's taking me away."

"He has his soul." Spike exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief. "How could you want that?"

"I miss him." She stated simply. "I'm killing the slayer and I'm leaving with Angel."

"Don't touch her." Spike said, stepping between Morrigan and Buffy. "I'm siring her."

"No you're not." Morrigan pushed Spike away from the couch violently and he stumbled over the chain lying on the floor. Morrigan stood over Buffy and grasped the nearly dead girl in her hands. She brought her neck up toward her and smiled greedily at it before reverting to her demon face and sliding her teeth along the slayer's neck. As she moved to sink her fangs into the vein

Spike hit her hard from behind and she hit the floor and slid toward the fire place, hitting her shoulder. A growl of protest rose in her throat and she turned to glare at the other vampire. Spike stood above Buffy, smiling at Morrigan then reached for the slayer. Morrigan got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and swung her fist back, slamming it into Spike's face.

Dropping Buffy to the floor he lunged at her, wrapping his long fingers around her neck and squeezing. Morrigan pushed his hands away from her throat and brought her knee up into his groin. Spike wheezed and doubled over giving Morrigan a chance to ram her fist into his face again.

"There's a little change since the last time you fought me Spike." She said, kicking his knees out. "I'm much stronger than I was then."

Finally the anger that she had been holding in was being released on the vampire she hated.

"You'll pay for all the dreams that you took away from me."

Another kick sent Spike flying backward. He lay curled on the floor, glancing around the room for a weapon.

"Do you know how badly I wanted to marry Angel? I wanted to be with him so badly it hurt. I knew he was a vampire Spike. I wasn't that much of an idiot. I knew and I didn't care." Her foot caught his ribs this time and he felt something crack. "I wanted to be a vampire and I had been preparing myself for that night.

But then you come along and let me hurt you big ego and you flipped." She sent her foot forward hitting his jaw and snapping his head backward. "I didn't know what was happening to me when you turned me Spike. I was so confused and I ran away from him. I lost so much these last hundred and thirty years. You don't even understand." She knelt down so her face was only a few inches from him.

"You broke my heart you sick bastard. I'm not going to let you break Angel's too."

"What do you mean by that?" Spike wheezed.

"I mean that I'm not going to let him see her as a vampire. It would kill him." She hissed. "I'll kill her and get rid of the most feared slayer and I'll tell him you did it."

"He'd never believe you." Spike retorted.

"He'll believe me. And he'll be so angry he'll hunt you down and he'll kill you."

"You mean you're letting me live?"

"Only so I can see your rival kill you later and he will kill you." Morrigan stood up and kicked him hard in the stomach once again, stopping him from getting up and stopping her.

Turning away from him she picked Buffy up off the floor and lifted her neck to her fangs. Her teeth slid easily into the vein and she began to drink from the young slayer, relishing the bitter taste of her blood.

A hit from behind took her down easily, catching her off guard. Morrigan grunted as she fell on Buffy's lifeless body and flipped over to see Spike staggering toward her. His face was covered in blood and he was holding his chest tightly.

"Bitch." He hissed through broken teeth and advanced on her. She scrambled to her feet and glared at him through her dishevelled hair.

"Don't touch me." She said coldly.

"I'll do more than touch you." He sneered before beginning to limp forward again. A leg shot out from the female vampire and his knee crumpled under the pain. He hit the ground hard and she tried to kick him again.

Spike reached out a hand and grasped her ankle in his hand. It stopped her kick but she quickly moved away, forcing him to drop her foot.

She glanced over to Angel who was slowly waking up.

"No!" She screamed suddenly, causing Spike to glance up in alarm. "Don't kill me Spike please. Stay away. Leave me out of this, it's between you and Buffy."

Angel forced his eyes open when he heard Morrigan scream and her use of Buffy's name. He saw the slayer laying unconscious on the floor and saw the blood dripping from her neck. Morrigan was kneeling on the ground, cowering from Spike. He also knelt on the ground glaring between vampire and slayer, switching his gaze from one girl to another.

Angel strained to reach them but the chains that bound his wrists held fast.

"Morrigan." He coughed through his nearly closed throat. "Morrigan get me out of these."

She tried to run to him but Spike jumped at her and knocked her away. She tried to flip him over her and he thumped to the ground as she got to her feet again.

"Keys!" She cried. "Angel where are the keys?"

He glanced around the room, looking for where they might have been left by Spike.

"I don't know Morrigan." He said. "Just try to protect yourself."

She turned away from Angel and looked at Spike. He glared at her. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth and she winked at him. A growl rose in his throat and his hands itched to plunge a stake through her.

Angel strained against the chains and tried to rip them from the desk. They creaked under the pressure but didn't break. He looked up once more to see Spike get to his feet.

"Morrigan watch out." Angel yelled, too late for a warning.

Spike slammed both fists down on her back and she collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. He flipped her over and stared angrily at her. "What are you talking about?" Morrigan cried, while forcing tears to her eyes. "Don't hurt me."

"You're dead." He threatened and reached for a table or chair leg. As he glanced away from her, Morrigan grabbed his arm in her hands and put as much pressure on the bone as she absolutely could. Spike screamed as it snapped in her grip and he rolled off her writing in agony.

Buffy groaned, her lungs beginning to take air again. Angel decided to try another approach to help Morrigan.

"Buffy!" He yelled. "Buffy, Spike's trying to kill Morrigan!"

The slayer's eyelids fluttered and eventually opened, revealing Spike screaming on the floor and Morrigan backing away in fear. She stood up and glanced at where Buffy lay, then came over to help her up.

"Spike's gone crazy. I finished the ritual on Angel and Spike just burst in here. I've only met him once before, he sired me. Now he's trying to kill us all. As I was trying to wake up Angel he grabbed you and tried to drink from you. I stopped him but I can't hold out for much longer. Please help."

"Liar!" Spike screamed from the floor. "You stupid lying bitch! Just tell the truth! Tell her the truth!"

Buffy glanced between Spike's angry face and Morrigan's fearful one before grabbed a chair and ripping off a leg.

"This is the last straw Spike." She said, walking toward him.

He shook his head at her, holding his arm to his chest. "She's lying Buffy."

"She saved Angel." Buffy smirked. "I just happen to think you're lying."

"No! I'm not lying!" Spike struggled to his feet and stood swaying in front of them.

Angel watched the drama unfold before him, unable to do anything else.

"No." Spike repeated his voice much quieter. "No."

He dropped his chin to his chest and stared at the floor before snapping his head up and startling Buffy.

"No." He said once more before plowing toward her trying to get to Morrigan. Buffy whirled around him and grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned his back on the other female in the room and glared hard at Buffy.

"Let me kill her." He hissed.

She shook her head.

Spike began to take small steps backward and Buffy raised the stake in her hand.

He was only a foot from Morrigan when Buffy propelled her arm back and threw the stake as hard as she could at Spike. He grinned at her before ducking quickly, the stake flew straight at Morrigan. It embedded itself in her heart and she stared down at it in shock.

"I got you." Spike said.

"No." Her eyes rolled wildly around in her head. "Angel. I didn't get to-" then she was gone.

"No!" Angel thrashed madly against his bonds trying to get to Morrigan, trying to get to her ashes. "You never got to what?" He screamed at her ashes. "What? Morrigan what?"

"My job here is done." Spike said, then threw the keys at Angel. He reached down to the floor where another set of keys lay and he grinned. "I guess she's not going to have much use for the car or the cash where she's going."

Buffy was concentrating on the ashes and Angel too hard to react when Spike brushed past her and walked through the front door.

Silence fell over the house. The fire still crackled, though it was nearly dead and a light wind blew the pages of Angel's book. The small vial of slayer's blood rolled toward the remains of Morrigan and hit the stake Buffy had used to kill her.

Angel broke the spell first.

"Buffy. Could you get me out of these?"

She glanced at him before really hearing him and nodded absently. She picked the keys up off the floor and placed them in the lock, releasing the vampire from the tight shackles on his wrists.

"She's dead." He said finally, after staring at where she had stood.

"I'm sorry." Buffy whispered.

"You didn't mean to."

"No, I didn't." She paused. "How did you know her?"

Angel swallowed hard, preventing tears from coming to his eyes. "My first love. My fiancee. Spike sired her before we were married. I knew although he never told me."

"I'm sorry." She repeated.

Angel didn't reply.

"I'll leave you alone."

Buffy turned from the room and walked away, her heels clicking loudly in the empty house.

The silence ruled once again for a long while as Angel stood in the dark and gazed at Morrigan's ashes.

"He did it again." He said finally. "Spike took her away from me again."

Epilogue

The true intention of Morrigan's return was never known to Angel or Buffy. Her secret plot to kill the slayer and take Angel far away was left a secret between her and Spike.

Angel thought she was really there to help him and to be with him again. Buffy thought her intentions were really to help Angel and to let him finally be at peace with what happened so long ago.

If only they had known the real Morrigan. Perhaps they wouldn't have been so forgiving.

The End