Standing the Test of Time

Author: Erin-Starlight

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters nor am I making money off this. This is just for fun.

Summary: When captured in the aftermath of a battle Spike finds himself at the mercy of his old rival--Count Dracula. Will he be saved before it’s too late or will he be lulled into something even more dangerous than the Counts’ wrath?

Warning: This is slash. It will have some Spike/Dracula and Spike/Angel in it. This is a challenge I took up to do a Dracula slash fic with the guys. I'm not usually a slash writer but I did it for this challenge, where I had to set in up some in my last fic.

Authors Note: This story takes place after my one shot “William Restored.”

Spoilers: For the Peter David IDW comics Spike vs. Dracula 1-5.

Despite the last few days being busy Faith felt that hardly anything actually got done. The only new tidbit that she had gleamed was the confirmation that Dracula did buy Spike. She tried not to think too hard on what she had to do to get that information though. They needed to act fast to find Spike even if it brought her own inner demons to the surface in the process. Still...

Damn it Wes...

Still she had a job to do and she planned to do it well. The problem was the red tape that was preventing her from taking Angel and the others to Romania. The Watchers Council was not as helpful as she had hoped. Giles had claimed that the new Council would be more efficient than it’s predecessor. Faith had yet to be impressed with how they treated this crisis.

The girls she was currently with were either to busy to lend a hand or wanted nothing to do with helping vampires. Faith could’t even ask for the assistance of one of the other units that she worked well with due to their involvement in South America. Carey in particular drove her batty as she learned that the girl had a serious hate for B and her vampire exboyfriends. From what other girls had said there had been a huge blow up between Buffy and Carey. Egos were bruised as they clashed with one another. Carey referred to it as "Ms. Summers ‘tude for thinking she’s better than everyone else."

Faith herself knew all too well how Buffy would sometimes unintentionally act as if she was the only one that could handle a situation in the past. With someone like Carey it was a disaster waiting to happen. Another sore point had been that the head slayer had what many of the younger slayers had seen as a hypercriticalness. Here was their leader who slept with not one but two vampires, one that it was rumored had been soulless at the time. Carey had taken any chance she had lately to use her new favored phrase of "Slutty the vampire layer" whenever B was mentioned. Faith had given up on trying to set the girl straight knowing that Carey barely respected her anyway.

With all the work she was doing Faith was constantly bothered by her dream. What did it mean? As much as she tried to figure it out nothing seemed to sound right. The Watchers were all too eager to help saying nothing of value. It made her wonder how Wesley could have done things, not that pansy Wes but the rough unshaven one that had her on edge. He would have known what to do for Angel, Spike, her and the Council. The guy always had an answer for everything.

Robin called her daily to recap the events from each others’ fronts. They had agreed to put them on hold and focus on the job for now. Never being "on hold" with a guy Faith worried what that actually meant. Were they politely breaking up? Could they see other people until they got back together? On TV she had once seen a couple go "on a break" that lasted less than a day and the guy couldn’t even keep his pants on then. Robin had always been straight with her on what he meant so he had to be now, right?

"I have to tell you something Faith, it important that you listen."

Her mind raced with the usual guy excuses he could come up with: met someone else, can be friends, not working out, did you really think you’re my type?

"Things are getting bad around here--very bad. Giles is refusing to budge on his stance not to send slayers to Romania."

"Huh--wait what?" She hadn’t expected that at all. "Is this because of Angel--"

"Not everything is about him." Robin answered tiredly. "The treaty is in a fragile stage at the moment where any intruders a.k.a. slayers coming over would be treated as an act of war between the Council and the Count. Rupert doesn’t want to risk things since we don’t know the extent of Draculas’ power. Apparently he’s made a lot of powerful allies over the years."

"What kind of buddies does he have? What kind of firepower are we talking about? Because I'm thinking that--"

"Faith." His voice is calm as ever but she knows he wants to make the point clearer. "We’re talking about nations here, people that would be seriously freaked about teams of powerful women, not the kind of trouble we want to be facing."

"Always threatened by strong women...hell I know some guys find that a turn on." She joked weakly.

"Know I do," Robin teased back. "There is another problem however...the Council is spilt on this issue. Hell they’ve been arguing for awhile but things are starting to get out of hand. If it gets worse...Rupert might not be in charge much longer the way things are going."

"What are you talking about? Giles is the man, he’s got the most skills and has been in charge since we got the new slayers!"

"That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been challenged by others. And he’s not the one with the most experience." Robin corrected hastily. "There are members from the old Council still about that weren’t in the explosion. And believe me saying that their not happy with the way things are being run is an understatement! They have been underhandedly taking control of situations and trying to get slayers to see their way of thinking.

"The best outcome at this point? It looks like a spilt Council taking slayers to their sides. At worse, the old Council taking over and getting rid of the new ways. Whatever happens it doesn’t look too good."

"Damn." Flopping heavily onto her bed Faith tried to think of something that might help. "What about B and the others? They wouldn’t let this happen, right? What does this mean for Angel? I can’t keep him here forever." She didn’t bring up Spike knowing that Robin would fill in that blank himself.

"They are on some mission where it’s likely they’re not to be back for months. H.D.P." Heavy Demon Populations were especially hard to weed out taking longer due to the innocent demons and humans that were hard to get out of the conflict. "They might not know the damage being done since it was ordered that they retain radio silence until the mission is complete. As for your situation..."

"What?" Her stomach already in knots turn unpleasantly.

"It’s one of the few things the Council has agreed on. The vampire--Angel should not be allowed to leave."

"What shit is that?" Faith exploded leaping to her feet again.

"If he does go after Spike without help his connect to you and the Council could make things worse. That was what Rupert said by the way. The other side doesn’t want any vampires escaping."

"Let me guess, they want to introduce Angel to a nice friendly long piece of wood." Faith paused frowning at her choice of words. "Huh, didn't that sound really suggestive..."

"Well, no they don’t seem to want to kill Angel." Faith could almost see him shrugging at the idea. "There is some interest of course, for the curse I guess, but they want him to be locked up."

Something was seriously wrong with that statement and she just knew it was going to bite her in the ass soon.

"Faith, I know you want to help him--them. You can’t baby, if you go against them, BOTH of them then your be--"

"A rogue slayer." She finished smiling bitterly at the irony.

The truth was that she had no idea what she could do. Maybe Giles was right about not causing waves when the treaty was underway. Another part of her though thought about Illyria and how help had been refused then. What if Illyrias’ army had been active? It would have been disastrous. The slayers numbers would be no match for the demons and their chance to keeping the portal closed would have been lost because Giles refused Angel. That was how Angel saw it and Faith couldn’t help seeing it that way either.

But it wasn’t exactly the same thing, was it? This time not acting would keep the armies from raining down on them. It would not however save Spike.

In their cell the trio were getting restless to the point when even Illyria complained about their idleness. Angel, though not healed yet, did not take the news well. He was quite vocal on the faults of the Council and took out his frustrations on the wall leaving a hole in it.

"Just tell them that we’re not connected to the damn Council and let us go! If these people know anything about my track record with them then they’ll know that I’m not exactly Rupert Giles’ drinking buddy!"

"Yeah, maybe not but you banged his slayer." Faith replied easily not caring if she was being crude. If she was going to be forced to see both sides so should he.

Angel laughed harshly and opened his mouth to make biting retort. She didn't give him the chance.

"Look Angel, I’m really sorry about this man. I just...I want to do the right thing but it isn’t always clear. I figure that this way makes the most sense, you know? It’s not like this is forever and after this treaty crap is done with maybe I can--"

"No." Angel shot back forcefully. "I appreciate all you’ve done for us Faith. I really do. I can't ask more of you. You’ve made a life for yourself now, you have things that you never had before. A place where you belong. A purpose. I don’t want you to throw that all away for me."

"I only have it because of you." She threw back stubbornly.

He met her steady gaze and shared an all too brief grin. "You’ve come along way."

She chuckled ducking her head away from him view. "Ahh, don’t go mushy on me now, it ruins the whole cool dark creature of the night image."

"You think so? I’ve been told it’s pretty hot."

From the corner Connor snorted in reply. She half expected Angel give the kid the stink eye for smarting off. The affectional look he bestowed instead stunned her.

"I do not understand why we must linger in this dilapidated structure much longer. I dislike the confinement of these walls." She glowered at the room then preceded to stare at Faith in confusion. "You are the leader here, the choice is yours to make yet you obey the commands of weaklings. Why? The strong should govern."

"Slayers don’t work like that Blue, I use to think they did..." She had honestly believed it had been their right has the chosen ones to do what they pleased until it got out of control. The Council provided the type regulation that she and many slayers needed.

"I can comprehend, Wesley explained the concept to me. Watchers are your guides much like my Qwa’ha Xahn. I do not believe they should not make commands in battle, that right was given to you when you received your power. I could fathom if this was because of your better slayer. She rules over you because she defeated you for dominance, did she not?" Illyrias’ head tilted quizzically awaiting an answer missing the much quicker responses Wesley and her Spike would give her. Perhaps these beings were truly slower than she gave them credit for.

The other three didn’t know how to reply, Connor because he had no idea what they were talking about, Angel didn’t want to ruffle feathers and Faith herself didn’t know for sure how to answer.

"B...it wasn’t like that, she was the slayer before me, well after another girl but she’s done it longer." She shrugged, it was the simplest way to phrase it and she didn’t think Illyria would get the other stuff.

"Her reign was over when she died, that was the way Wesley explained it. One is chosen and when she is killed the role goes onto another to take. You did not die in battle while she has, it is you who the new warriors power springs from not her. You should be in rightful command, her resurrection was not natural for your kind. The interference of the order of things should have ended the line. Regardless she is the usurper who has stolen your kingdom from you."

That was a different theory from the ones she had heard, it was suppose to be B that was in charge not her. Faith doubted anyone would care enough to listen to her that way. It wasn’t like she even wanted the job in the first place.

"Look, we can take after ourselves Faith. You don’t have to do choose to do anything, we’re--we being Connor and me--not asking you to do that." The vampire murmured reclining back onto the cot.

If she didn’t have to choose then why did Faith feel like she was being torn in two different directions? Who was she supposed to be? The good reformed slayer that obeyed the rules that would ignored her friends or the rogue slayer that could once again cause havoc for the Council?