Nightmare

Reviewers:

Jane: Thanks! Me too. LOL


Aisling: Thank you. I'm glad you like it.

Chapter 11. Changes


A very depressed Spike was sitting up in bed for the first time since the accident. He couldn't use his legs at all.


Drusilla had brought him a victim and he really didn't feel like eating; but if he didn't she was sure to be angry, and he didn't want his princess angry with him. He didn't know why; but she got angry a lot these days. Now that she was strong again she was a spitfire.

He sighed and sank his fangs into the neck of the young man Dru had brought him. With the blood came a stronger feeling of hunger and soon he had drained the kid.


Spike felt a little nauseous staring down at the corpse and shoved it away from him in disgust.
Something was wrong in his head and he couldn't think what it was. Maybe the slayer had knocked a screw loose when she toppled that organ on him and Dru.

Drusilla watched her Spike carefully. He must not be allowed to remember the feelings he had for the little blonde slayer. Spike belonged to her and her only.


Her anger boiled up for a second when she saw the look of disgust on Spikes face after he'd fed. She watched him shove the body away and look positively sick. Maybe next time she'd just bring him some nice rats.


She smiled visciously and stepped into the room. Her anger cooled when Spike lit up upon seeing her. "Hi Dru. I ate, see?

"Yes luv. I see. You didn't like it though. Wasn't mummys' catch good enough for you?" She was gratified to see him wince.


"It was good. I just didn't..."


"I see it all around you. You don't want to kill!" She snapped. Maybe she should just let the slayer have Spike.


"But Dru..."

"The sky tells me that bad daddy is coming back to punish us both," she told him happily bouncing at the thought of Angelus. As she did she focused more energy to her thrall on Spike, making sure he wasn't paying attention. If he figured out what she was doing she would lose him.


Spike suddenly felt that all was right in the world. Dru was his princess and nothing could ever change that.


Buffy was walking through the Bronze. She was in her pajamas; but couldn't rouse herself to care.


She saw Willow sitting at a table with an organ grinders monkey. "L'hippo a pique' ses pantalones," The girl said cheerfully.


She decided to keep walking and soon came upon her mother, who turned around with a cup and saucer in her hands.


"Do you really think you're ready Buffy?"


"What?"


Joyce dropped the saucer and slowly turned and walked away while Buffy was looking at it.


Buffy walked by Willow again and looked up at the stage. There was no band. She turned around and smiled when she saw Angel.


He was standing by the pool tables. Spike was standing beside him suddenly. She looked between them; but they didn't seem to notice each other.

She started forward; but stopped when she saw identical looks of pain and terror on thier faces.


"NO!"


She tried to rush forward and grab them both; but they collapsed into ashes. She saw Drusilla standing there with a nasty smile on her face.

"Happy birthday Buffy," The lunatic vampire said soflty.


Buffy sat up in bed breathing hard. Only a dream. Her birthday was the next day. That meant that if the dream had been a slayer dream, whatever was going to happen would be the next night.


She got ready for school and left early so she could stop by Angels'. After talking to him for awhile she went to school and met up with WIllow.

They discussed her dream and the conversation she'd had with Angel. Buffy spotted Oz sitting under a tree and pointed him out to Willow.


The red head walked over to Oz slowly.


"Hi."


"Hi," He replied with a small smile.


"You guys have a gig tonight?" She asked noticing his guitar.

"No, practice. See we're moving toward this sound where we suck."

Willow smiled. "I'm sure you guys aren't that bad...."


"I'm gonna ask you out," Oz said bluntly. "I'm kinda nervous about it."


"Would it help if I told you I'm gonna say yes?"


"Yeah, that helps a lot. Tomorrow night?"


"OH! I can't!" Willow said slapping a hand to her forehead.


"Well, you're unpredictable," Oz said.


"No, it's just that it's Buffys' Birthday,and we're giving her a surprise party...." Willow brightned, "But you could come. You could be my date."


"I don't want to crash...." Oz said uncertainly.


"No, it's fine! You want to?"


"Okay."


"Okay then." Willow said. "Oh, I gotta get to class. I'll see you later."


She walked away happily, whispering "I said date!"


Buffy told Giles what had happened in her dream. He asked if she had gone to check on Angel and she assured him she had.

He tried to reassure the girl about it; but he was fairly sure he'd done a bad job of it. She got up and followed Xander off to class.


The Warehouse~


"I have your package, ma'am," a trembling vampire told Drusilla.


She smiled happily. "With the others. It wants to be near them. I can feel it!"


She was dancing around like the loon she was. Spike was watching her from his wheelchair and smiling moronically. The minions felt that he'd been knocked dumb by the slayer, and made no comment. They were fine taking orders from Drusilla.


She stopped when she saw the flowers on the backs of the chairs. "These! They're all wrong! I can't abide them!" She began to wail and rip at the flowers, losing controll for a moment.


In that moment she lost a margin of her thrall on Spike.


"Let's try something different with the flowers, then," he said, sounding almost like his normal self.


This caused Dru to snap out of her tantrum and concentrate on him. By the time the minions looked at him he was smiling again.

She concentrated on him and then her attention slid to the boxes. She very much wanted to look inside them; but knew it wasn't wise.


"Soon my love, we will have the very best party we ever had," she told Spike. "And do you know why it will be the best?" She continued without letting him respond, "Because it will be the last."


Buffys house~


"Happy birthday Buffy," her mom said as she came into the kitchen.


"Thanks mom," Buffy smiled happily.


They talked briefly about Buffy getting a liscense, and then Joyce made the floor drop from underneath her daughter when she asked if she thought she was ready and dropped her plate, smashing it.


Buffy left quickly to tell Giles what had happened. She was extremely worried. She'd really thought Spike was dead, and Drusilla. And if they were both alive and Drusilla killed both him and Angel she'd never know what happened that day.


She knew something had gone on that she was in the dark about. She also suspected that Angel knew what it was; but had never told her. She sighed. Spike had seemed so sincere. He'd had a ton of opportunities to kill her and yet he never had.


Then there was Drusilla. There was something off about what had happened and Buffy couldn't put her finger on it. The rest of the day was a sort of haze for her.

As she was leaving school Jenny Calendar came up to her and told her of a bit of trouble she had noticed. She offered to drive Buffy and the girl accepted.


When they arrived, Buffy saw the vampires loading boxes onto a truck. She quickly got into a fight with them and ended up crashing right into her birthday party.


The others watched as she took care of the vampire. Oz was amazed watching the ting turn into dust.


Buffy looked up from the pile of dust that had once been a vampire and noticed all the decorations, presents and food.


"Is this for me?" She asked Angel, who had come over to see if she was allright.

"We wanted to surprise you," he replied quietly.

She smiled up at him.


Oz was still staring at the spot where the vampire had died. "Did anyone else notive that guy turn to dust?"


Xander sighed. "Vampires are real. Willow'll fill you in." He walked off.


"Are you okay?" Asked Willow


"Actually it explains a lot!" Oz replied.


Jenny came in with one of the boxes the vampires had been taking. They opened it and were horrifed to see it was an arm. Even more so when it lunged forward and began to choke Buffy.


She tried to drag it away from herself; but it was too strong. Angel helped and they shoved it back into the case and locked it in.


Coughing Buffy remarked, "Man that thing has major grip!"


After a reasearch party, they realized what was going on. Drusilla was putting the Judge back together. Jenny siezed her opportunity to suggest that Angel be the one to take it away. Far away.


They agreed that he was the only one who could, and Buffy protested wildly. Especially when she learned he'd have to leave that night. Angel reasoned with her and she looked up at him sadly.


"But it's my birthday."

Everyone else went home, and Buffy and Angel went to the docks.


Angel gave Buffy a small box containing a claddagh ring. He told her the meanings of all the different symbols, and that if one wore it with the heart pointing inward it meant you belonged to someone.


Buffy slipped the ring on her finger as tears slid down her face.


They went to kiss each other, and were suddenly attacked. It was Drusillas minions. They wanted the box back.


Buffy was knocked into the water, and Angel dove in after her.


Half an hour later, the soggy couple arrived at Angels'. He got towels for them to dry off with. Buffy was very self consious of Angel seeing her without her shirt on; but her insisted on seeing her cut.


As they sat there, she leaned back into him, and told him how scared she was when he was going to leave.


They ended up losing themselves in each others bodies.


Later, as Buffy was sleeping, Angel awoke in pain. He stumbled outside and collapsed on the ground, screaming.


AN: "L'hippo a pique' ses pantalones" means the hippo stole his pants. Okay, I know this one wasn't the best; but I seriously wanted to get through this. I really don't like Angel and Buffy as a couple, so I tend to get bored writing it. I promise it will be a lot better when it's her and Spike. Also I will be getting back to Buffys' problem; but she's having an easier time controlling it, and I didn't see the situation getting to where she would have any problems with it.