Global Disclaimer: All BtVS characters belong to FOX and the marvelous Mr. Joss Whedon. This story is for entertainment purposes only. The author intends neither profit nor defamation herein. This is just for fun and frolic, folks.

Feedback: If reviewing on the site is not your style, you can also drop me a line at my email center geekwitch@1witch.com. Anything letting me know other people are reading what I write is greatly appreciated.

A/N: This is an installment in my "Bloody Marvelous" series. You may want to read the others before reading this one but it is not entirely necessary. Also, the first chapter has a bit of a "just for fun" crossover with dankind33's story "DracAdder." It can be found here

Spoilers: Any episode pertaining to the fanged foursome's history is fair game. Other than that, nothing.

Global Summary: Darla, Spike and Drusilla tangle with the Master of their order while visiting Southern California in 1931.

Chapter Summary: Darla, Spike and Drusilla are having a night out at the talkies.
 
 

Chapter 1 - The Talkies

London 1931:

Darla scoffed at the idea of actually sitting through a film about him. "Really, now. We all know him. It's absolutely shameful. First, he lets that man write a book about him. It was bad enough when only the watchers were interested. That book made every man, woman and child of literate abilities in all of Britain able to defend themselves. Now, we have to watch it on film?" She rolled her eyes and spoke with a terribly fake accent. "I am Dracula." She sighed. "Seriously, he was a bore enough in person."

Drusilla laughed and leaned over Spike, sitting between the two women, to tease Darla. "You liked him well enough until he flew away. Him and his awful magic tricks." Changing her own mood by her direction of thought, Drusilla shuddered. "All the howling wolves, they make my blood freeze."

Spike pulled her back over so she was firmly in her own seat. "You're alright, ducks. Just enjoy the talkie and try to remember it's not him." He smiled. "Bastard owes me eleven pounds, what kind of prince skips out on a gambling debt?"

Darla smiled, too. "At least I wasn't the only one annoyed when he left."

The crowd grew quiet as the electric lights, all brand new and the height of Art Deco fashion, dimmed. The burgundy velvet curtain noisily pulled back from the screen, all eyes turning there. The music started as the opening credits came on the screen. The sound of human hearts, speeding in growing apprehension, boomed loud in the vampires' ears.

The crowd may have been frightened by the opening strains of the music but Darla was decidedly not. She spoke again. "Swan Lake? The ballet? They used Swan Lake. It has nothing to do with vampires. Couldn't they write something original, at least?"

Spike sighed loudly and glared at her. "Please, Darla. Shush."

She glared back, noticing all the attention she was drawing. She slumped back in her seat. "Fine, but I won't like it."

After the film ended, the still swooning crowd made its way outside, oblivious to the three real vampires walking among them, somewhat hungry after the tease the film had made toward feeding. Snippets of conversations could be heard over the general din of a milling mass of people. The vampires moved close together, searching.

"I've never been so frightened in all my life." An older woman spoke to her friends.
A very proper gentleman added a note of skepticism in reply to her fear.

"Can you even imagine such a thing? Bless me, I'm so glad vampires aren't real." They wouldn't do, every one of them entirely too old to eat. The vampires moved on.

Another gentleman, well dressed but looking out of place in his own suit, spoke. "Wha...wha...what a scary film!" Perhaps they would do?

"Oh please." Said the man's companion. "I've seen scarier things left on chairs where Baldric has been sat." No. Perhaps not. The second man's grating voice nearly drove the vampires toward more pleasant pastures. Anyone who sounded that acidic must taste horrible. But still, killing him might be considered a mercy. Darla started to move toward the pair.

Drusilla grabbed her, stopping her progress. "Not them. I see other things for them, wicked things." Drusilla put her hands over Darla's eyes. "He will never see himself again, not after tonight is done with him."

Darla pulled Drusilla's hands away none too gently. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry. If you don't think they are the right choice, would you care to enlighten me about who would be?" Drusilla pointed at a couple, just heading away from the crowd. The three vampires followed.

Hunger sated, the three waited at the pre-arranged location where Dalton was to meet them with their new motorcar. As usual, since the car tended to malfunction, he was late. Darla, also as usual, was angry with him. "Can he ever be on time? Scratch that. Name one thing he's ever done just as we asked him. Nigel did everything better."

Spike answered. "Yes, well, Nigel is gone, isn't he? You had to have a servant around. He's the best we could find just then. All the others came to a dusty end within a week. Get over it, Darla. It's been thirty three years." He tried to run a hand through his hair, forgetting it was shorter now.

Drusilla spoke quietly, interrupting the nightly argument about Dalton. "Her eyes. The way the moon shone in them."

"What?" Darla asked. "Whose eyes?"

"Mina." Drusilla said with a small smile. "They spoke to me. I could hear her crying."

Spike laughed and put one arm around Drusilla. "Of course you could. She was acting, Dru. That was a film, not real life. Remember when we talked about plays and how they aren't really happening?"

"I remember, Spike." She said. "I didn't mean it that way. It was her, the actress. Stars glittered around her head. I want to see the stars, my sweet."

Darla spoke as Dalton arrived with their motorcar. "The big movie stars all live in America. I've been wanting to see the Americas."
 
 
 

Chapter 2 - At Sea

Atlantic Ocean 1931:

Traveling time bothered her the most. True, she always felt alone, watching Drusilla and Spike happily spend their time together, but travel hit her by far the worst. Darla sat in her cabin, alone all day, thinking of Angelus. She remembered how he took her back into the world of man and showed her all the beautiful things she had been missing by living underground. Seeing the world just wasn't the same without the one who had presented it to her with new eyes.

They say vampires can't feel remorse. Surely, though, they remain capable of regret. Many days she wished she could simply go back those thirty-three years and help him instead of throwing him out of their home that fateful night in Romania. Fate had even given her the chance to right that error a scant two years after it occurred when Angelus tried to return to them while they were in China. But, still angry with him and disappointed about his soulful state, she had made the mistake of forcing him away again. They had not seen him since. Regret, and an overwhelming loneliness, ate away at her slowly.

After the third day at sea, she left her cabin for the first time other than to feed. She made her way to the deck, searching through the crowd for a familiar face. None appeared. When the whistle blew that announced dinner would be served, she checked the dining hall. Again she was alone; none of her traveling companions waited at their table. She reasoned that Spike and Drusilla must still be in bed.

Unable to find the two lovers among the passengers on deck or in the dining room, and unwilling to go to their room to interrupt them by looking for company yet again, she did the one thing she always told herself she would never do again. Shamefully, she went to Dalton's cabin in search of companionship. She would spend the time with her one guilty secret, a creature she loathed. At least she wouldn't be alone.

The ocean offered a final resting place from which the bodies would never be recovered. With a week remaining to be spent on the ocean, Drusilla suggested they make a game of it. All four vampires stood on deck near midnight, the other three listening to Drusilla merrily ramble. The goal of her game was to make a panic on board without arousing any suspicion upon themselves.

She grew excited while explaining. "By the end, we could leave one man to greet the port authority in New York." Drusilla tried to replicate the famous maniacal laugh from the film they saw. Oddly enough, it sounded natural for her to do so. Then, she frowned suddenly. "That poor, misunderstood Renfield."

Darla laughed, leaning over the railing a bit to look at the water rushing around the ship. "Of course she would feel sorry for the insane one."

Spike flashed Darla a look that even curbed her savage tongue before attempting to console Drusilla. "Remember, Dru. There really is no such person. Renfield was just a character in that silly book. The real Dracula has never even seen England." He smiled at her. "As for the game..."

A breeze kicked up. Darla turned to acknowledge their servant, who had been standing patiently to one side for some time. "Dalton, go below and get my coat." When he walked away she spoke again. "You know how I feel about drawing attention. No game."

Spike laughed. "Oh, come off it. You never minded the attention. That was Angelus' rule. He's gone."

Darla visibly bristled at the mention of her former love. "I am well aware that he's gone. Thank you." Her eyes flashed yellow. "It's my rule now. I said no game. You should remember not to question me."

The ship dropped anchor in New York in the early evening, much to the delight of the four vampires. The game having been called off, the number off passengers departing was only a dozen shy of the number that had boarded. Happy people waiting on the dock greeted arriving relatives and friends with great fervor and noise. Moving through the wave of people, the family of three headed for the car park. Several small children ran past, knocking into Spike and causing him to drop his hat. He bent to pick it up. "Couldn't we have waited until the crowd died down to disembark?"

Darla pulled her wrap closer around her shoulders, stretching to see if Dalton were visible with the car he had been sent to retrieve from the ship's hold. "No, I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible."

Dalton pulled the motorcar to a stop only a few meters away from them. Drusilla pulled on Spike's arm to lead him toward the car. "The stars are so close, Spike. I can smell their perfume."

Chapter 3 - California

Doves perched in the trees overhead, their coos drifting over the night air, as the four vampires stood gazing at the Pacific Ocean. Spike's nervousness as Drusilla danced near the edge of the cliff face was palpable. He attempted to stop her several times but she evaded his grasp to continue spinning. She finally stopped when Darla coughed for no apparent reason.

Drusilla smiled. "We are so close. Can we find her tonight? The stars have stopped speaking to me because they have all run away to hide in her eyes." She paused, holding Miss Edith out to look at the water. "This ocean looks just like the other except that the moon is in the wrong place. I wonder how she finds her way home from here when the sun drives her away."

Darla sighed and moved to get back in the motorcar. "Yes, Dru. It's lovely. Get in the car. We should go find someplace to stay before it gets too late." Drusilla followed obediently.

Dalton, getting behind the driver's wheel, turned around to ask Darla, "Where do you want me to stop to find a place?"

Darla answered with a question to Dru. "This was your idea. Where do the stars live?"

Drusilla answered, "The city of the angels. Los Angeles."

Spike, getting into the front of the car next to Dalton, barked with laughter. "Angeles? Oh, that is rich. We go ten thousand miles away and still can't escape..."

Darla stopped him with a look and commanded, "Hush." She turned away. "Just drive, Dalton."

The old days had been so much simpler. She and Angelus would find a house they wanted, kill the occupants, and move in. Very rarely were any questions raised as to where the former occupants had gone in such a hurry. The twentieth century began and the world changed.

Now, they actually had to pay for their home wherever they went because newspapers and that god-awful contraption called radio would announce their presence to the entire city if they just took what they wanted directly. Luckily, Spike had shown quite an aptitude for grand theft, making the money easy to obtain. But still, looking at a flat with the intention of paying a human to allow her to stay there got to her.

They found a three bedroom flat near enough to downtown Los Angeles but far enough away the smell of blossoms from the orange groves could still reach their noses. A "For Rent" hung sign clearly displayed in front. The manager of the apartments stormed about angrily at having been awoken in the middle of the night until Spike relented and gave the man twenty dollars for his time, pushing the burr of annoyance further into Darla's skin.

By midnight, the apartment was theirs. As soon as the landlord went back to his own flat for the remainder of the night, decidedly less grumpy for the extra cash greasing his palm, they quickly moved their things from the motorcar. With only a suitcase each to move in, the furnished apartment still looked barren.

A little before one in the morning, the vampires left their new home to go hunting.

Dalton pulled the car up in front of what looked to be a rather happening nightspot. Since it was close to closing time, people streamed out of the building, bursts of Jazz, played live inside, making it past the bodies as they pushed through the doors. The smell of smoke, actually visible in the air, accompanied the growing throng outside as patrons made their way home for the night. Some went in cars they probably had no business driving after a night out. Others filed into the line of waiting taxicabs, willing to pay the exorbitant fees to make it home.

Here and there, a face popped out as one to be recognized. Drusilla barely contained herself at seeing all the stars. As it was, she bounced in her seat, causing Darla to cast looks at her, which Drusilla completely ignored. "As any as the night sky. Look at them, all glittering. Can I have one?"

Darla answered, "Maybe we should stick to anonymous dinner guests for now. We don't want to draw attention before you find this one you're after."

Drusilla's eyes widened in shock. "No. We can't eat her. That's not why we're here."

Spike turned to look at the two of them from the front seat. "Alright, then. I'll bite. Why can't we eat her? If that's not why we came here, what is the reason? Hmm?"

Drusilla's face became a mask of quiet sadness for a moment before you softly answered, "Tragic, she is. Like a queen who will never find her throne and will know only pain. I see the flames coming for her but she is better than that."

Darla laughed. "Don't tell me you dragged us all the way here to save her from something. Dru, we don't save the cattle; we eat them."

Drusilla was too busy looking at the figure emerging through the door to pay Darla any mind whatsoever. "Shhh. Look." The girl who had been plaguing Drusilla's visions stepped through the crowd, headed for a taxi. She stumbled on the way. When the cab pulled away, the vampires followed.
 
 
 

Chapter 4 - Helen

The moment the cab pulled away from the nightclub, Drusilla felt something amiss. She leaned forward in her seat so her head was between Spike's and Dalton's, attempting to obtain a better view of the taxicab heading along the road in front of their own motorcar. "She fell asleep like Snow White. The carriage takes her to unknown places. Mystery."

Darla leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "What is she prattling on about now?"

Spike looked closer at the cab. "She's right. Can't see her in the back window anymore. She must be laying down." He turned his face to Dru. "What's happened to her?"

She giggled. "Shhh. It's a surprise, Spike. Don't ruin it for Grand Mummy."

That got Darla's attention. She pulled Drusilla back against the back seat so she could see her. "What has this to do with me? You know very well I don't like surprises."

Drusilla's face contorted in confusion. "But you will already be surprised. I can't help that." Darla merely glared until Drusilla continued. "We shall see an old friend of yours, Grand Mummy."

The taxicab continued moving along the road for over two hours with the vampires trailing behind it. The city disappeared behind them quickly to be replaced by large groves of fragrant trees. On the drive through the country, Darla grew agitated. "If it goes for another fifteen minutes, I want you to turn this car around, Dalton. We need to get home before sunrise, after all." No sooner was that statement out of her mouth than the taxicab in front of them began to slow.

Not too far past a sign announcing their arrival in someplace called Sunnydale, a name that made all four of them wince at the implications, the taxicab pulled up to a building. Dalton stopped a ways away, so they would not be detected too soon. The cab driver got out, opened the back door and pulled the unconscious form of Helen over his shoulder.

When he carried her toward the door to the building, he glanced back to make certain nobody was watching. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice the car parked just down the street in the shadows. "Well, doesn't this look bloody right suspicious." Spike asked, "This what you saw, pet? Maybe they're going to burn the place down with her in it? She get on the wrong side of someone important?"

Drusilla furrowed her brow. "No. The flames come much later. But only if this path diverges. Now, all I see is red, flowing over her shoulder."

Darla opened the door and stepped out into the night, the others following her example dutifully save for Dalton, who knew he should wait with the car unless invited. "I thought you said we couldn't eat her. Really, Dru. Even you normally make more sense to me than tonight."

Drusilla said as her feet hit the pavement, "Not us. Him."

Spike asked, "The surprise reunion?"

She frowned. "He thinks it's funny. Just like Daddy would."

Darla's hopes soared at the mention of her childe. "Angelus? Is that whom we will meet tonight?" She envisioned a new killing spree, her partner back at her side where he belonged. If he meant to kill the girl, perhaps the soul that had plagued him last time they had met would no longer pose a problem.

Darla's hopes did not last long for Drusilla shook her head. "Not my Daddy, no. Family, yes."

Darla's patience ran out. "Then who?" She snapped.

"Shhh. Don't rush so." Drusilla giggled. "Remember, it's a surprise."

Helen regained consciousness the moment the smell hit her. Was that blood? She put a hand to her pounding head, assuming she must have fallen on her way out of the club. She found no wound, the pounding the result of one to many Harvey Wallbanger's drunk before last call.

Daring to open her eyes against the fear of bright light, she found relative darkness. She lay on a divan, candles lit on the table next to it. She could hear voices but could not make out what they said through the fog over her mind. Maybe one of her friends had decided she was too drunk to make it home alone and had brought her along with them. If she could just remember who had been there, she thought. She called out hopefully. "Gary?" There was no answer. She tried again. "Bramwell?" Again, there was no answer but the voices in the distance stopped. She could hear footsteps.

A strange man appeared in the doorway. "Come with me."

She would have protested but found herself suddenly unable to speak. Was that terror? She played it on screen but never really knew it before. Was this how it felt? Against all arguments that rallied through her brain, she rose and followed the stranger out the door.

When they arrived at their destination, she took one look at the being she had been brought to meet and let out an ear piercing shriek.

Darla led Spike and Drusilla into the building. She stopped having just crossed the threshold; no barrier kept them out. "Who lives here that we have an open invitation, Dru?" Drusilla just smiled.

Spike cocked his head to one side. "I smell blood." Then, they heard the scream.
 
 
 

Chapter 5 - Old Friends

When the scream finally stopped coming from Helen's mouth, only because she had run out of air, she thought for just a split second that she might faint. Some reserve of self control, so far untapped but coming out to play just in time for that precise moment, kept her on her feet. She faced the monster standing before her with all the bravado she could possibly muster on such short notice. Monster was the only thing she could think to call him for surely none of God's creatures would have a face such as his. With his crinkled brow, turned up nose, pointed ears and elongated teeth, he looked like a cross between a man and a bat. It should have made her instantly wise to his true nature considering the subject matter of her most recent film but the mind has a funny way of denying what it doesn't want to know. She took a deep breath to replace all the air she had displaced while screaming before she attempted to speak The words never had the chance to emerge.

The creature stepped towards her, stilling the sound just as it reached the end of her tongue. He reached out a hand to play with one of the short curls in her blonde hair, styled in vogue for the day but completely mussed by the night's activities. His voice held a not of amusement not evident in his stern face. "I'm so glad you accepted my invitation, my dear. I have been looking forward to this." He had the air of a cultured man, rich and used to having his own way. Culture, however, could help her.

She found her voice. "Invitation? Last thing I knew, I was just leaving the nightclub. I woke up wherever here is." She tried to hope the creature was half as genteel as he led her to believe and decided to take the risk of pressing further. "Perhaps you should inform your driver that he made a mistake. Taking a girl somewhere while she's unconscious could be construed as kidnapping." She took a few steps backwards, away from him, weaving a bit as if to illustrate her point that she felt he had taken advantage of her weakened state. Watching his face for a few seconds after she spoke, she thought he might actually let her go willingly. She couldn't have been more wrong.

He laughed as if he had never heard anything more preposterous than the sound of her voice, this small girl standing up to him despite the obvious odds against her. He started to move towards her again, closing the space she had opened, but stopped before reaching her. He turned his head in a response to some noise unheard by the others around him.

One of the servant's, the one who had brought Helen from the other room, looked puzzled. "Do you hear something, Master? Should I go investigate?"

The one called Master turned around to face the doorway just as a beautiful blonde woman entered, grinning wide. "Did you miss me Daddy?"

Darla had sensed him before she saw him, an ability shared by most vampires in regards to theirs sire or children. It started as a familiar tingle at the base of her neck and grew in intensity until it pulled her to move faster, to find him. She had broken into a run part way on their trek to find from whence the scream had come, leaving Spike to follow in her path alongside a bemused looking Drusilla.

Spike felt something in the air as well, something strange, and knew Drusilla's smile meant Darla's surprise was imminent. All vampires can sense power. Spike sensed a presence that made even him afraid, something that very rarely happened since he had come to an uneasy truce with Angelus fifty years previously. He smirked thinking about how Darla had run ahead of them; the girl always was a sucker for a powerful male.

Still the sight that greeted him when he and Drusilla reached the doorway managed to catch him off his guard. There stood Darla, the matriarch of their little family, in an embrace with a strange vampire, an embrace the likes of which they had never seen her bestow on anyone save her beloved Angelus. Spike stood still in shock.

Drusilla, however, could not stand still. Her eyes glimmered with the happiness she felt at the sight of her goal, so near as to be able to touch her within a few steps. Helen backed away, the same look in her eyes as the one that had drawn Drusilla to her in the first place. She backed away until the wall hit her back, putting a stop to her flight. Drusilla walked to her slowly, swaying giddily with each step. She reached out a skeletal hand toward her prize.
 
 
 

Chapter 6 - Whatever He Wants

Darla's voice cut through the air, halting Drusilla's hand scant inches from her prize. "You should remember to ask before you touch things that belong to your elders, Dru. The Master strictly enforces the rules of hierarchy and breaches of etiquette make him very angry." Darla led Drusilla away from the frightened girl and went to stand near the Master.

Spike, as always, jumped to Drusilla's defense. "Hey. Wait just a minute, Darla. She's the bloody reason we crossed the ocean to begin with. Dru's idea and all that, don't you remember?"

"Things change." Came the curt reply. "Didn't you hear who this is? He's the Master. He gets whatever he wants, even if it inconveniences your little girlfriend."

The Master laughed and pulled Darla's hair back until her head could go no further without becoming detached violently from her neck. "Whatever I want? Someone has changed her tune since the last time we met. I remember you purposefully leaving with that arrogant young upstart. What's the matter, dear? He didn't deliver to you all the beautiful things he promised?"

Darla actually looked scared. Spike couldn't recall ever having seen her look quite this way. Usually, her anger and ingrained haughtiness over rode any occasion that would otherwise call for a show of fear. Then again, Darla had always been the eldest vampire around in the time that he had known her. In the presence of her Sire, she positively quaked like a frightened child.

Spike had never felt a reason nor even any inclination to defend her until then but ever since Angelus left them, he felt responsible for both women instead of just Drusilla, his Victorian upbringing showing at the oddest times. When it came right down to it, they were a family. He had to try something. Bracing himself for the inevitable retaliation that could lead to the fight of his life, he spoke. "Funny story, that one is. Poor sod picked himself the worst dinner in all of Romania. Came out of it with a soul, cursed and all. Judging by the way you spoke of Angelus, I gather you would have found it most entertaining."

The Masters face twitched until he could no longer hold in the laughter. He let it out in a loud bark, releasing Darla's hair so suddenly that she almost fell forward from how she had pulled against his hold. He turned to Spike. "A soul? Really? You're right. That is funny. I knew that impetuous fool wouldn't last."

Spike thought to himself, 'Impetuous? Angelus, the man of many rules? When had he ever done anything impetuous?' His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the hurt look on Darla's face and heard another belt of laughter, creepy coming out of a face like the Master's. He wondered why the demon face didn't leave, perhaps the old vampire was so ancient he could no longer pass for human, such stories existed.

The Master spoke to Darla. "My dear, you know it's true. Your taste in choosing a consort left something to be desired." He considered Spike for a  moment, at which scrutiny Spike was wise enough to lower his eyes. "Maybe your taste has improved. At least this one shows the proper respect when reminded unlike that other one."

Darla scoffed. "Spike? He's not my consort. Drusilla turned him for some unfathomable reason."

The Master seemingly remembered Drusilla was there and stared at her where she stood staring at Helen. The girl had finally lost her nerve and given in to the inclination to faint. Drusilla looked down at the slumped girl, smiling. He said, "And this must be Drusilla. What a lovely creature."

She spoke quietly, "What will you do with my prize? The moon cries at her loss already."

The Master stood beside her staring down at the girl. "I have been alone for too long. She is to be Darla's replacement."

Darla asked. "Replacement? Heinrich, you've been alone all this time? Where was Luke?"

He snarled at her in response. "You lost the right to use my name the moment you left with that boy! You will address me as Master or suffer the same fate as any other minion." He paused for effect. "Luke stayed by my side all these years where he belonged. It just isn't the same as having you there. You threw centuries away for a passing fling." He looked back at Helen, lying on the ground. "I dare say she won't do the same."

Spike decided to interject something to cut the heavy tension. "We should be on our way if we want to make it home before morning, ladies. We'll just leave the girl here and be going, then. Dalton should still be waiting with the car."

"Nonsense." The Master said. "You are welcome to stay here for the day. I'll send someone to bring your servant inside. It would be very improper to send family away when they have only just arrived."
 
 
 

Chapter 7 - Interlude by Day

Helen woke to find complete darkness around her, the strange sounds normally dismissed with a little light instead amplified by the surrounding gloom. She felt around herself just enough to ascertain that she lay on the same sofa where she had awoken earlier. Her mind worked overtime trying to answer its own questions.

Who was this monster who help her captive? What did he intend to do to her? What kind of creatures were these? She didn't know who those three who arrived were but expected their arrival had been merely a delay to whatever fate awaited her.

She debated whether to wait and see what was in store or try to find a way out. Action won.

"I can't believe he actually lives this way on purpose. Darla always said she and Angelus had made some lifestyle changes from the average vampire but this is astounding." Spike fussed at the area that was to be their bed for the day. "The mines we got stuck in at Yorkshire were more posh than this hovel."

"Can't you feel it, Spike?" Drusilla asked, smiling. "The very earth hums with power here. Put your ear to the ground and listen; a hundred trains running all at once. Power." She followed her own instructions and knelt to place the side of her head against the ground. "So near. So very powerful. He wants to let it free then keep it like a dog."

"Let what free?" Spike asked, concerned about a creature like the Master having any more power than he already possessed and coming over with a desire to run.

Drusilla stood back up, brushing the dirt off her hands. "He wants to open hell to lord over it as king and make her his queen."

Darla lay in her bed alone, savoring the feel of being so close to her Sire again. The joy was only slightly marred by his initial rejection. He would come around. Why had she ever left? True, Angelus had been beautiful and had given her a whole new world in which to play and hunt but Heinrich had proved right in having said it would never last.

Maybe she had made a mistake when she had left almost two centuries before. Angelus had been foolish and paid by being cursed with the return of his damned soul. Heinrich would never have made that same mistake. What would it take to convince him to take her back instead of turning that pitiful human girl? She would do whatever was necessary.

Finding the door took an eternity. Or, at least it seemed like an eternity. Of course, she found the door locked. This wouldn't be as easy as she hoped. She felt through the tangled mess her hair had become, hoping to find a hair pin. Maybe that little trick her magician friend taught her would come in handy.

She talked to herself, hoping to calm her nerves enough to make this work. "Well, Helen, here goes nothing."

He tried to convince her not to do it but Drusilla could not be swayed once an idea had taken purchase in her fragile mind. Pushing her only caused her pain and distress, things he never wished on her. So, they crept together toward the room that housed the lone heartbeat in the building because Spike would rather help her and take some of the crime himself than let the full strength of the Master's anger come down upon her alone.

They found the door to the little room easily, the sound of her frantic heartbeat drawing them like a lighthouse bringing sailors to shore. Drusilla stopped in front of the door, listening. "Thump, thump, thump. She sounds like dancing."

"Lovely, pet. What have you got I can use to pick this lock?" Spike never needed the item for just then a clicking sound preceded the creak of the door being opened by the person on the inside.

Helen smiled triumphantly when she hears the decided click that meant she had successfully circumnavigated the lock on the door. Opening the door slowly in case of guards, it took a few seconds before her eyes adjusted to the light. Seeing the two waiting outside for her caused her heart to drop into her stomach.

The Master walked briskly toward the room where his captive was being held, Darla treading obediently behind him. She had come to his room begging for him to take her back into his home. He naturally agreed with a few minor stipulations. Darla would be permitted back into his kingdom but not as his queen to rule at his side. She would be no better than any of his other minions. Surprisingly, the once headstrong girl had quickly said she would consider that option.

The door was already open when they arrived, bringing a frown to the Master's face. He listened and could find signs of neither a heartbeat nor breathing. Instead, he heard a happy humming coming from within the room.

Darla heard the familiar humming and rushed past Heinrich into the room. Helen was gone. In her place, Spike sat lazily on the couch while Drusilla leaned against the arm humming her favorite tune.
 
 
 

Chapter 8 - And Then there Were Two

The roar the Master let fly at seeing his two descendents calmly resting in the place where his latest acquisition should be instead could be heard for over two miles into the groves around Sunnydale. All the other vampires in the building, minions and guests for his proposed hell mouth opening alike, came running to see just what had caused such a ruckus.

Dalton stood back as far from the door as possible while still maintaining a clear line of sight on what was happening inside. He didn't want any of the blame to mistakenly fall on his head, especially since he knew that look of Darla's well for it often preceded his being kicked to next Sunday and back. He watched as Darla moved closer to Drusilla and Spike in that walk of hers that spoke so eloquently of imminent death. What could they have done?

He suddenly had the notion that not all of them would be leaving together. He just hoped he made it out intact. He'd seen the aftermath of Darla's anger before. Having Darla around had its perks at times but was a fright most others. He could live without. At least he had his books.

Darla smiled thinly at her family, hoping against all hope they had not done what it appeared they had. She spoke deliberately, every word clipped. "I have a question for you two and I expect an answer. Where is the girl?"

Drusilla clapped her hands merrily. "Oh, Grand Mummy! It was so exciting. The miners can all go home now. The canary left her cage before the gas came."

Darla sighed at Drusilla's gleeful babbling and looked to Spike for clarification. "I should have said I expected a clear answer. Spike, what did she do with the girl?"

Spike stood up from the sofa and looked down at Darla. "Hey, now. No jumping to conclusions. She didn't do a thing with the bird, not that she didn't have plans, mind you." He laughed nervously. "Thing is, the girl had already freed herself by the time we got here."

Darla didn't waver. "Why don't I believe you? You're just trying to protect your hide like always."

Spike smiled at her while the other vampires all waited in silence to see what would happen. "That I am but you should still consider the possibility that I might be telling the truth. If you look I bet you'd find that lock was picked open from the inside, not the outside. What can I say? That bird had some brass."

Darla could see by the look on Spike's face that he spoke the truth. That fact really ticked her off. "Then explain to me why the two of you were in here when we arrived. You may not have liberated the girl but the intent was still the same. Give me one reason why your heart shouldn't be ripped out for your betrayal."

Spike smirked at Darla and evidenced a note of laughter in his voice when he answered. "Because you were headed here with the same intent. Can't have Daddy back if he gets a new girl, can you?"

Several of the uninvolved but still curious vampires wisely left the area at a run as the growl started in the Master's chest, including Dalton. He headed for his room to get his things. He had a feeling he'd be driving come nightfall.

The Master threw back his head as the growl became a bellow. "I will not tolerate such insolence in my home!" His head came back down so yellow eyes could train on Darla. "Do something with your children. Choose punishment wisely or you leave at sunset."

Darla knew it for no empty threat and began two sides to an argument in her head. On the one side, she had not seen nor heard from her Sire in almost two centuries. Spike, Drusilla, and even the irritating Dalton, felt more like family than he did to her now. Then again, she had felt so alone ever since Angelus left for the second time that night in China and the lure of her Sire's all consuming power called her. How long would he treat her as his servant before allowing her to retake her rightful place at his side? Surely his punishment of her would be short. "When sunset comes, you two go on without me."

Drusilla walked to Spike and put her hand on his shoulder. "The party's over now, Spike. We go away with the moon."

Spike took Drusilla's hand and kissed it, walking her toward the door. "Three little Indian boys walking to the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two."
 

For now. Keep your eyes peeled for the continuation after I do the other stories I've promised. - Deathtramp.