SPOILERS: Up to and including "The Prom" ep of season three, but minus "Lovers Walk". Bascially, Buffy and Angel are broken up and he's preparing to leave but Spike and Dru are still together.
RATING: PG 13.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in the story except for Kora/Morrigan. The rest belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and co.
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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.
"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."
"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.