by VampireVixon

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the plot or dialogue of "Crush" (or any other phrases that seem familiar). I also don't own the characters. But can you imagine if I did? Two gorgeous vampires lying in wait in my bed...Hell! Let's pretend I'm bi for a teensy sec...Four gorgeous vampires lying in wait in my bed...yum...Okay, sorry, I'm back. Joss, ME, and all the other brilliant gods we worship own it all...I just fantasize and type.

PAIRINGS: FFFF (Fanged Four Family Fun)--S/Dru, A(us)/D, S/D, S/A(us), A(us)/Dru, D/Dru and any combination of the above (that means orgies, people, so if you're not comfortable with that--well, ask yourself why not because, in all honesty, you may need a doctor).

RATING: NC17

WARNINGS: sex, BDSM, bloodplay, het, slash, femslash, some violence and course language, and character death (none of the Fanged Four die...again...don't worry)

SUMMARY: What if Harmony's fingers had slipped on her crossbow in "Crush" and her arrow hit Buffy instead of Spike? This story starts off as Spike/Dru, but will soon develop into a Fanged Four reunion piece (a completely plausible one, or so I hope).

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am open to a wide variety of pairings--it all depends on what mood I'm in. One of my all time favorites, if not my absolute favorite, is FFFF. I also firmly believe that Drusilla is the best match Spike has ever had, and will be until the glorious day when the walls between realities shift and Spike meets me. But in the mean time, I just want him to be happy. Whenever I watch "Crush"--one of my all-time favorite episodes--I always want Spike to end up with Dru. He would be so much happier! I finally decided I couldn't take it any more--I had to change the ending. The bit between the lines of *** at the beginning of this story is just the transcript of the scene from "Crush" that I'm so politely interrupting (thanks, buffyworld.com!). Feel free to skip that if you already know all the dialogue (don't be ashamed--I do, too). I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it! Thanks to all my dear Betas: G.I.A.T.W.T. (Glee, In All The Wrong Things),Cold-blooded Jelly Donut, and Tragedy Beckons for your encouragement!

DISTRIBUTION: Want. Take. Have. Just please be sure to let me know so I can have a happy!

FEEDBACK: Please is not a strong enough word! This is my first fic ever, so I need the support to keep me going. I have been an avid BtVS and AtS fanfic reader for a few years now and have always wanted to write something. Now I finally am, and I want to make sure everything is completely canonical, in character, and 100% believable (redundant, I know, but I wanted to clarify). All it takes is a quick email to vampirevixonbtvs@yahoo.com and I'll love you forever!

Chapter Four

"Fine by me," he said, letting a hint of suspicion seep into his voice.

"Good. Dru, honey, you should go out hunting. Take your time; I need to talk to your boy alone."

"No thanks, pet. Darla and I'll order room service."

"You children play nice now while Mummy's away," and with that she was out the door.

"So..." Spike attempted to start the conversation.

"Let's order first, shall we? I'm famished."

Darla was being so pleasant--she obviously wanted something, and he bet that something happened to have Angelus' stamped across its forehead. He'd hear her out (Dru would want him to), but he wasn't going to let her talk him into anything, he decided firmly.

"Well, here goes," Darla thought as she stole a glance at Spike over the top of her menu. She knew from the moment Drusilla had mentioned she wanted to retrieve her childe from Sunnydale, that Spike would have mixed feelings about bringing Angelus back. When Dru had left to get him, Darla had decided to be prepared in case he did return with her. She had planned out this conversation. Now, it was showtime.

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"The pleasure's mine, D'Hoffryn. Won't you please sit down."

"Only for you, Ms. Morgan. These new robes say wrinkle-free, but you still have to iron them for a good fifteen minutes." While D'Hoffryn spoke, they both took seats at Lilah's desk.

"Would you care for a cappuccino? My soon-to-be former secretary could bring you one."

"Thank you but I'm trying to stay low-cal. That means saying goodbye to entrails, blood larvae, and things that are foamy. Pity, isn't it?"

"How have you been, D'Hoffryn?"

"Oh, I'm just ducky. I'd ask how you are, but I know you must be doing well. I caught wind of that hex you commissioned the Cursing Department to put on Mr. Bradshaw for speaking against your idea at last Tuesday's staff meeting. What a hex! Truly inspired vengeance! Lloyd put a picture of it on his desktop."

"Thank you, D'Hoffryn."

"You know, all you need to do is actually cast the next curse yourself and I could officially invite you to join the fold. Think of it: immortality, apparating all over the world, writing the wrongs done to business women everywhere."

"It's flattering, really, but we've talked about this," she replied light-heartedly. "I'm under an extended contract to Wolfram and Hart. Far extended.

After death extended."

"Ah, well. It was worth a shot. Now, what can I do for you today?"

"Well, I have these three very important clients who need a gypsy curse removed from someone. They could use gypsy magic, but they want something more permanent. I thought that because a vengeance spell can only be removed by the vengeance demon who casts it, you would be the one I should chant up about this."

"I can send one of my girls to meet with them tomorrow. What kind of vengeance case is this? a spiteful woman whose lover left? Children abandoned or neglected by a parent? Or--"

"Actually, both of those would apply. Just please send me the best you've got--this case is crucial to the firm."

"Of course. What time did you have in mind?"

"How about seven o'clock tomorrow evening here in my office?"

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They sipped their blood from crystal glasses silently for several minutes. The room service waiter had been clever enough to leave the tray by the door, knock, and run down the hall before he became an appetizer. Spike had ordered that night's special, a twenty-two year old redhead spiced with fear, and Darla had chosen their best bottle of adulterous husband aged thirty-six years.

"I just love the flavor of guilt," she said, emptying her glass and returning it to the tray. Spike finished his as well, while Darla dabbed delicately at her mouth with a cloth napkin.

"How's yours?"

"Fine. Very Good. Can we just cut to the chase here?"

"Gladly. Listen, you were always an intelligent boy, so I don't need to talk down to you. I want Angelus back. I want Angelus back and I want your support. Normally, I'm not as stupidly sentimental as Dru, but I want my family back. You're the only one who can keep Drusilla under control, keep her happy. You're the one I can have an intelligent, coherant conversation with when Angelus and I get into one of our spats--although I suppose he and I will have fewer of those now that the Master's dead. You're the one who can balance out Angelus' ego. Besides," she smirked at him, "you're a fine piece of ass."

Spike couldn't help but smile at this--he knew that coming from her it was a high complement. Then he grew serious. "Darla, you weren't around when he came back. Y'know, after he and the slayer...he was a soddin' asshole. Bastard to me, all over Dru, *tried to end the world.*"

"Dru told me all about it, and what she spoke unclearly about, I read from Wolfram and Hart's records." Spike raised an eyebrow in question. "a Mayor Wilkins of Sunnydale apparently documented the behavior of all three of you quite well. Now that information is in the oh-so-evil hands of Wolfram and Hart--it seems he was a good client."

"Figures."

"The point is," Darla continued, "you're forgetting one other thing he was three years ago: Obsessed. he was completely obsessed with the slayer. You've never seen him obsessed before. No, don't object," she stopped him. "You've never seen him *truly* obsessed before, so you don't know how crazy it makes him. The only other time he has been truly obsessed was with Drusilla. I know you don't like to hear about it, but you need to to understand his behavior in Sunnydale. Before turning Drusilla, he used every method of mental torture he could devise. If he wouldn't have wanted to make her into one of us, I wouldn't have put it past him to want an apocalypse just so he could kill every goddamn flower she ever laid eyes on. But, even so, he still wouldn't have tried to end the world--because I was in it. This isn't me being conceited; it's true. I am the only one who can keep him sane when he gets like that--and I wasn't there in Sunnydale." Spike could hear just a touch of bitterness in her voice at the last statement.

"What you're saying makes sense--I know what slayer obsession can do to a bloke--but I don't think it was just the slayer."

"Of course it wasn't!" Spike looked surprised by this, so Darla explained, "He had been trapped, screaming under a soul for 100 years. This time he can pour--or pound--all that pent up frustration into me." A shiver of lust ran down her spine at just the thought. "But last time all he could do to release that tension was bully you and Dru. On top of that, the curse was lifted right when Angel was at his most ooey-gooey: not just banging a slayer, 'making love to her,'" Darla said the last phrase in a whiny, horrible sing-song. "My boy, trapped below the surface, must have been disgusted. When he was freed, I'm sure he just wanted to prove himself. You know how highly he always valued his reputation. He wanted every demon in Sunnydale, right down to the brainless minions, to know he was still the Scourge of Europe. What better way to prove it than being merciless toward his own family and drumming up an apocalypse? This time he won't even consider that because he won't have to prove anything. Angel's already embracing the darkness. Did Dru tell you about the lawyer buffet? Anyway, this time the four of us will rise as a family and reclaim our place in the demon world together."

"As peachy keen as that sounds, you're forgetting one vital piece of information I'm sure Dru must have mentioned: When Angelus first ditched the soul, I was happy to have him back, but when he started up with Dru and the Apocalypse Now crap, I got nervous. Struck up a deal with the slayer so I could get Dru safely out of the country and keep the world spinning on its pretty little axis. I helped beat Angelus up and then abandoned him with Dru. He'll see it as a betrayal. Like it or not, he comes back again and I'm either dust or back in the wheelchair--neither of which I particularly favor."

"First of all, think. You're not in the wheelchair now and you're not a fledgling anymore. As much as I'd like to deny it, Angelus couldn't do either of those things to you now if he tried." Spike honestly couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. The image of Angelus he had in his head was one of dominating strength. It hadn't occurred to him that now they were more evenly matched. Darla saw Spike's realization and continued. "Second of all, I don't think he'll try to hurt you." Spike gave her his patented "Are you kidding me?" stare. "I'm serious. You forget, I know him better than anyone--alive or dead. He knows how much you love Dru--used to laugh about it, actually--and, literally speaking, Drusilla is your sire, so you're expected to protect her. As for the apocalypse you tried to stop, Angelus would never have supported it if he was in his right mind, so he won't really hold that against you. He'll probably be so overjoyed to be back that he'll pin you up against a wall and say, ever so quietly," Darla deepened her voice and added just the slightest Irish lilt, "'I don't like being betrayed, boy.' He'll lean in, maybe stroke your face, 'But I'm going to let it slide this time because you helped bring me back.' Then he'll do something for dramatic effect--punch the wall, slap you, kiss you, I don't know. Next he'll whisper, purely for the purpose of intimidation, 'Only this time.'"

Her impression was so good it gave Spike goose bumps. "Woman should have her own series," he thought to himself.

"Look at the time! I need to get dressed or I'll waste away the entire night--and it looks glorious out," she said as she glanced out the window. She had requested a view and found this one quite satisfactory. She stood up, walked in front of the closet doors, and stood with her back directly in front of Spike as she opened them. She untied her robe and let it fall to the ground--giving Spike a perfect view of her naked backside. Her long, shapely legs, smooth back, and firm ass brought memories of her nude form flashing before Spike's mind's eye. He subconsciously licked his lips before forcing himself to concentrate on the conversation.

"I still think I'd be happier if it was just me and Dru." He knew Darla knew him too well to take offense; his love for Dru would always come first.

"Now hold on just a tic--"

"That's what I said."

"And there's something else her being with Angelus would help." She paused. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that you're not good with a set of manacles and a flogger--quite talented, in fact, if I recall correctly--but you love Dru too much to give her that little bit of extra pain she sometimes craves. Angelus can give her that when you just don't want to do it," she put a hand up to silence Spike's argument before it left his lips," and you're strong enough now to stop him if you think he's taking it too far." She could tell that, however reluctantly, Spike was considering her words. Darla pressed on. "Dru wouldn't be the only one who could stray to other family members." She stood and walked toward where Spike slouched in a low arm chair. She dropped to her knees between his open legs, and rested her hands on his thighs. "You could, too. And I don't just mean to Angelus' room." Spike had slept with Darla before, sure, but it had always either been as part of a family activity, when she was horny as hell, or when she really wanted something from him. She must really want his help now. "Do this for me." Darla handed him a necklace and turned around on her knees so her back was to him. He sat up, leaned forward, and gently brushed her hair to one side, revealing her long, pale neck. As he fastened the clasp, his fingers lingered slightly and he picked up the faint scent of her arousal.

She turned back around and used her hands on his thighs to creep her way up his body until she straddled his lap. "You'd still get as much time alone with Drusilla as you could ever want while I'm keeping Angelus...occupied. She leaned in to lick his ear and nibble roughly at the lobe before whispering, "And don't think I've forgotten how much you two boys enjoyed watching Dru and I together." She ran her tongue over the erogenous sire marks on his neck. "You could have it back. The four of us could have it all back." Then her tone lost its seductive bite. "I almost forgot makeup." She dismounted a slightly stunned, very intrigued Spike and walked to the bathroom. She ran a brush through her blonde locks and then quickly began applying makeup in front of the empty mirror. Spike could never get over how the girls could get it so perfect without the aid of a reflection. In the 1970s, Dru had had to do his eyeliner for him.

Darla's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Well, sweet pea, we've been talking for an awfully long time--I should say I've been talking for an awfully long time--and I want to know what you're thinking. Do you want our family back, or what?"

"A big part of me does. You made some excellent points, pet. I just need some time to mull things over."

"Mull this over: How long do you honestly think Dru will kill your food for you? How long do you think you can hold onto her if you can't hurt one lousy human? Not long. I'm sure this has already occurred to a smart boy like you." In truth, it had been the worry plaguing Spike since Drusilla had returned to him. "Don't look so sad, lover boy. The government and a pack of lawyers who warp the legal system for their own selfish ends kind of go hand in hand, doncha think?" Before her smug smile could quite reach her ears, Spike had her crushed against the wall.

"What. Do. You. Know?"

"Ooo, harder. You're hurting me."

"Darla..." he sing-songed warningly.

She smiled. "When the Initiative shut down, you must have thought you'd be stuck with that modification chip forever. But there was something you couldn't know."

"What's that?" his voice was low, dangerous.

"The Initiative had performed multiple dealings with Wolfram and Hart. Lilah says the firm has a statement outlining the exact procedure that was used to implant the chips in demons' brains. Wolfram and Hart's specialized surgeon has already used that to plan the reverse procedure for you. Wouldn't even take an hour--or damage that delectable hairline. Love the color, by the way." Spike's jaw dropped slightly at the information. "You help me, and not only do you get your family back in all our delightfully twisted glory, the chip comes out and you don't lose Dru. What do you say?"

"Count me in."

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A/N: Well, that answers the "Will Spike cooperate?" question. I know this chapter was low on smut and that I still haven't provided any of the BDSM I've been so wickedly hinting at, so I thought I'd give a recommendation for a PWP BDSM fic with members of the Fanged Four for all of you who I left jonesing for one. "The Fanged Four: A Trio of Fairytales" by Kita is a fabulously kinky pre-series story and can be found at http://www.emptymirrors.org.uk/off/fairytales.html. My favorite section is part one, which is suprising because Spike is not in that part at all. I hope you enjoyed Chapter Four and I will try to keep updates speedy. PLEASE make me proud and review. Thanks.