Notes: This will start from AtS series 5 'Destiny' episode and carry on from there so there will be spoilers for various episodes. However this is going to go AU from the beginning. Inspired by a FG challenge but totally deviating from the original suggestion.

Summary: Drusilla renounces her claim as sire to Spike. Master vampires from all over the country arrive to vie for the right to claim him. The AtS gang and Wolfram & Hart have to deal with the fallout and Angel has to deal with his conflicting feelings. Spike has to come to terms with himself, his relationship with Drusilla and what he wants to do with his future.

Angel had opened his door to see what the commotion was so Spike touched him too, then grabbed Angel's mug of blood off him and drank it revelling in the sensation of thick warm blood flowing down him throat.

Gunn walked over and Spike could not stop himself hugging him. The sound of phones going crazy behind him barely registered until they all stopped.

Angel was staring behind Spike mouth half open, whatever scathing comment he had intended to utter frozen on his tongue. Fred and Wesley stood at the doorway of Wesley's office where they had been working.

Spike turned around to see a dozen vampires standing in the foyer surrounding a young female vampire. They were all in game face and the air of controlled menace was thick in the room.

Angel stepped forward with a frown as Harmony bustled forward to greet the newcomers.

"Good morning welcome to Wolfram and Hart do you have an appointment?" she chirped.

The female vampire ignored Harmony and everyone else focused entirely on Angel and Spike.

"William the Bloody childe of Drusilla and Angelus childe of Darla?" she questioned.

"Who wants to know?" Spike replied absently scratching the side of his neck.

"I am Vanessa representative of the council of elders and I bear a message from Drusilla, heir to the order of Aurelius." She replied addressing Spike.

Angel bristled at her tone and stepped closer, instantly the twelve male vampires growled and closed in around them. Spike stepped next to Angel with a look of challenge on his face.

"Enough!" the woman demanded before things got out of hand. The whiplash command in her voice stilled all the vampires in the room including Angel and Spike.

"Angelus sire killer and William lore breaker do you wish this to be done out here in front of all these people?" she asked imperiously.

"Just say what you have come to say and get out and the name is Angel." Angel snarled causing everyone to stare at him in surprise the tone was so hard.

Vanessa's eyes flashed yellow then she calmed her face becoming an expressionless mask.

"Then let 'Angelus' and all here attend, Drusilla recognised heir to the order of Aurelius, in accordance with the rites and traditions of the elders, does hereby renounce her claim as sire to William the Bloody." She intoned.

As she finished Spike gasped and sank to one knee clutching at the side of his neck, which was bleeding freely.

"Spike you're bleeding and corporeal!" Fred exclaimed and rushed over to him.

Angel stared in horror at Spike and turned back to Vanessa "what is going on?" he demanded before stiffening suddenly.

Spike let out a moan of despair "Dru..."

Vanessa looked down at the distraught vampire with what might have been a degree of compassion then she continued.

"Drusilla has chosen final death as is her right as seer of Aurelius to choose the time of her own passing. Despite healing from the burns inflicted on her..." Vanessa glared at Angel "Drusilla ceased feeding approximately a month ago."

"Why?" Spike pleaded.

Vanessa hesitated looking around at the curious onlookers that had crowded into the foyer.

A brief expression of pain had crossed Angel's features at Vanessa's mention of Drusilla's injuries but he quickly composed himself and stepped back from his office doorway.

"Let's finish this in my office" he gestured to Vanessa.

Vanessa inclined her head in agreement. Four of the vampires entered the office first scanning the interior before bowing to Vanessa.

Vanessa entered followed by the rest of her retainers. Fred and Gunn helped Spike to his feet and guided him into the office also leaving Wesley to shut the door behind them all.

Vanessa stared pointedly at Wesley and the others.

"They stay." Angel said firmly. Vanessa made no comment but her expression conveyed her displeasure.

Angel smiled coldly at her and sat down at his desk.

Vanessa waited for Fred to tend Spike's neck and seated herself on the chair opposite Angel's desk.

When Fred was satisfied that Spike's wound had stopped bleeding she sat next to him holding his hand. Spike had been unnaturally quiet during her ministrations and did not look up from the floor.

"Drusilla returned to Europe after her encounter with her sire" Vanessa sneered on the last word. "She recovered from her injuries and even managed a degree of lucidity making her visions of some value to the council. Whilst nobody was a skilled as William in deciphering some of her wilder utterances..." Vanessa looked directly at Spike who looked up briefly.

Vanessa's gaze softened, "we grieve for your loss William the Bloody. Drusilla was aware of your recent demise on the hellmouth and that precipitated the series of visions that led her to this decision."

It was obvious from Spike's dazed expression that he was barely taking in what Vanessa was saying to him.

Angel's increasingly dour expression revealed his understanding clearly. Wesley and Gunn were listening eagerly to Vanessa fascinated by this insight into vampire society they had never encountered.

"What visions?" Angel snapped out.

"She would tell us little that made sense" Vanessa furrowed her brow delicately "she talked of thorns and the loss of her dark knight and daddy to the dragon. Whatever else she saw she chose not to reveal to us. She started to feed again two weeks ago but only to set these events in motion."

"How could Drusilla be the heir to the order of Aurelius?" Wesley could not contain himself.

"You are impertinent human." Vanessa stared at Wesley "But if Angelus has not seen fit to explain, I will since he has insisted on your presence."

"Darla was heir to Aurelius and would have ascended to position of Master however Angelus ensured that would not happen when he chose a slayer over his own sire." Distaste dripped from Vanessa's voice. "Her subsequent return as the childe of Drusilla confused the lineage but there were very few options when the only other powerful vampires left of the order had souls."

Angel shifted uneasily as Vanessa retold the story of Darla's dusting at his hands but Spike did not react, it was no secret that Spike hated Darla even more than he hated Angel.

"Drusilla herself realised she was not capable of being head of the order and the council reluctantly agreed to disband it." Vanessa looked directly at Angel "the order of Aurelius is no more all power and authority it held have been handed over to the council."

Angel closed his eyes briefly at Vanessa's announcement.

Vanessa snapped her fingers and one of her vampires handed her the case he was carrying.

"Drusilla decided that walking into the sun was the only way to change the visions she saw." Vanessa stood and went over to Spike "She was tired William and ready to rest. She said Miss Edith thought it was time."

Vanessa withdrew a battered doll out of the case and gave it to Spike.

Spike let out of short bark of laughter "Her bloody dolls, think she loved them more than anything else, certainly talked to them more." But he held onto the doll brushing the wrinkles out of its dress.

"What did you mean about Drusilla renouncing her claim to Spike and why was he bleeding?" Fred piped up.

Vanessa rolled her eyes "I suppose we should be grateful that you have chosen not to talk about council business Angelus, along with your decision not to go against the elders in your city."

Angel frowned at Vanessa, "it means that Spike has no sire, Drusilla's blood claim is gone."

"Wouldn't that have happened anyway when she... was gone?" Fred hesitated.

"No, normally the blood link remains, it was Drusilla's blood that animated Spike's corpse and allowed the demon to possess it. The demons are bound by the blood link to obey their sire until they are master vampires themselves." Angel explained.

"Fascinating..." Wesley's watcher instincts were aroused now and his fingers twitched as if he was reaching for a pen. "And the dissolution of the order of Aurelius, what does that mean to Angel and Spike?"

"Nothing." Angel responded bluntly.

"Perhaps not to you Angelus" Vanessa corrected him "you chose your exile from the order when you allowed the Master and your sire to be sent to their final deaths. But by renouncing her claim before final death Drusilla has made it possible for William to accept another claim and be part of another order."

Angel's eyes narrowed "why would any order wish to claim Spike?"

Vanessa laughed "a master vampire of William's power? He showed his devotion to his sire for a hundred years even when he became a master in his own right; he is a killer of slayers and has proven to be a formidable fighter. Even with his soul his blood line would be of immense value to any order."

Vanessa knelt in front of Spike "William the Bloody my family would like to be the first to offer for you. The claim would be made by the master of our order Reynard and you would be warrior champion of our clan."

Angel snarled and jumped to his feet sending his chair spinning into the wall. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed in frustration.

Spike stared at Vanessa blankly and did not respond his hands still clasping the doll tightly.

"I think Spike is a bit overwhelmed by everything that has happened." Fred volunteered hesitantly.

"Of course," Vanessa nodded "we will leave you to mourn your sire William. I will return soon to discuss matters further with you. Drusilla also asked that you be given this." Vanessa handed Spike a thick sheaf of paper before standing and offering a similar bundle to Angel.

Her retinue surrounded her once again and she swept out of the office without another glance at the occupants.

There was silence for a moment then everyone started speaking at once.

"Everyone shut up!" Angel roared. "Thank you" he addressed the stunned silence "I know you will all have lots of questions but now is not the time, I need you all to leave now."

Under the force of Angel's gaze everyone but Spike quickly left the room. Angel moved out from his desk and walked over to Spike.

Spike carefully placed Miss Edith on the sofa before standing to face Angel.

Blank eyed they stared at each other and then without further warning Spike's fist connected with Angel's face.

Angel retaliated with a swing into Spike's stomach and it was all on. Fists and feet flying they fought in complete silence, Spike with tears streaming and Angel grim faced and brooding.

Harmony stuck her head around the corner of the door and ducked back quickly when a chair flew through the air towards her.

Cracks began to appear in Angel's façade and flashes of grief began to show on his face but this seemed to fuel Spike's rage and he began yelling at Angel.

"Don't try and pretend you are mourning her you bastard! It's your fault she was in that situation in the first place. You fucking set her alight and now she's gone! You always have to take away what's mine you bastard!"

Spike struck Angel hard, breaking his nose. Angel growled and using his larger bulk and strength he pinned Spike against the wall.

"She was my childe Spike, mine. Don't you pretend your grief is better than mine; I did what I had to do. You were supposed to look after her she trusted you." Angel snarled.

"But she loved you; she loved her daddy more than me." Spike broke Angel's hold on his throat with a two handed uppercut to the jaw.

Panting for unneeded breath they glared at each other.

"It always comes back to that, your jealousy of me, doesn't it?" Angel ground out.

"It was never about you until you made it about you, she was my destiny and you took her from me!" Spike whirled around, grabbed the doll and Dru's letter and strode out of the office.

TBC...

Next time: Spike explains a few things about vampire society to Wesley, Eve and Lindsay's plans for Angel and Spike continue, master vampires begin to turn up and start to upset everybody's plans.