Title: Baby Doll
Author Restive Nature
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel the Series. They belong to the almighty Joss and I just play with them for my own amusement before putting them away neatly.
Spoilers: Buffy Season Three "Amends"
Summary: A teenage girl with mysterious ties to Angel helps him with his Christmas Amends.
Chapter Thirteen
Oh Daddy, My Daddy
"You- you dreamed about me?" Angel was stupefied. He’d never expected the connection between them to go so deeply. He stared at her, noticing immediately how she couldn’t even meet his eyes all of a sudden. Then he realized what she must be embarrassed bout. "How much did you-?"
"See?" her eyebrows shot up as she met his eyes. She blushed furiously. "Oh no, I didn’t see that! Just, in the alleyway, afterwards."
"Oh, okay," instantly mollified, he now felt embarrassed as well. But he was glad that the intimate moment between he and Buffy had stayed just that, between them. "I’m sorry. It’s just… that was something…"
"Private," she finished for him. "I understand."
"So," he wanted to get past this moment, "you dreamt about my return. Did you tell Dru?"
"No, she didn’t come back to me until after you’d returned," Dylan recalled softly. "She was deliriously happy about it."
*****
"Baby, you were right!" Dru sang out as she let herself into Dylan’s room. Dylan was still lying on the bed, shivering, exhausted. After the first dream, she’d woken in a cold sweat. She’d wanted to get up, try and distract herself from the dream she’d just had, but a strange power held her in place. Even as she fought against it, slumber overtook her once more. And as the night wore on, the dreams got worse. All of them were centered on Angelus. And she was powerless to stop them. But now, Dru’s voice was pulling her back from the brink. She allowed her head to loll in the Vampiress’ general direction.
"Right about what?" she croaked, her throat raw from the crying that had happened in her sleep.
"My daddy has returned," Dru was nearly bouncing off the walls she was so overjoyed.
"He’s here?" Dylan shrank back a little. "Now?"
"Oh no," Dru giggled. "He had a little errand to run. Then he’ll be back. And the fun and games will begin."
"Yeah, I can just imagine," Dylan muttered acerbically. But Dru didn’t seem to notice.
"It was so wonderful," the dark haired woman crooned. "He came home to me. All proud and strong he was and the Judge touched him. It tickled," she confided with another giggle. Dylan let her eyes drift shut. ‘Just kill me now Dru, please!’ But the Vampiress just continued to dance around the room. She opened her eyes a crack to see Dru rummaging through her clothes.
"What are you doing?" Dylan demanded softly. Dru held up one dress, then discarded it in favor of another.
"My baby must look her best when she meets her daddy," Dru explained slowly, like she was talking to a child. And that really was the way Dru saw her. So she allowed Dru to help her ready herself, even going so far as to let Dru twist her hair up to the top of her head. She felt slightly like a prisoner getting ready to face execution. Dru dragged her to the upper level of the factory. Dylan held her breath, but when they made their way to the main room, it was empty but for Spike. She let it out with a whooshing sound. She was relieved, but it was only temporary. Spike glanced up as they entered. He took in Dylan’s appearance and Dru’s demeanor quickly.
"Heard the news then?" he smirked. Dylan shakingly nodded.
"She dreamed about it," Dru crowed triumphantly. "My Baby Doll sees things so clearly."
"You dreamed about what?" Spike demanded quickly, before Dru could go off on a tangent.
"I dreamed about his return," Dylan offered quietly. She slid into a seat, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to stand much longer. At any moment the monster could return. She felt like throwing up, and might have, if it weren’t for the fact that there was nothing in her stomach. She turned away from the gobsmacked Spike.
"You know what this means, don’t you my darling?" Dru moved to Spike’s side and drew one fingertip down his healing cheek. "She sees, she knows."
"You’re sure about this Dru?" he had to be certain. His princess simply nodded. "All right then. She’s off limits to big blue."
"What do you mean?" Dylan broke in nervously. Spike scowled. He didn’t enjoy having to explain himself. He was used to being obeyed without question. But he could see that the chit was about ready to lose it. He didn’t feel like having to deal with a distraught teen and the resulting fervor it would cause for Dru.
"What it means," he drawled, "is that if Dru was right, and she always is, you’d lose whatever precognitive ability you have, if you were turned. You’re valuable to us now. So that means you sty the way you are." He held her gaze. "Got it?" She nodded slowly, but he could see that she wasn’t convinced. Unfortunately, the Judge chose that moment to come lumbering in.
"I knew it," he rumbled, an amused grin on his darkened face. He moved slowly, stiffly, into the room. It had been centuries since he was last within this realm. But his powers were slowly coming to the fore. "I knew there was a human here." He nearly spat the word human. But the three occupants of the room watched him curiously.
"Finally got bored of sittin’ on your arse then?" Spike grinned.
"I told you my powers would return," the Judge reminded him. "And they are becoming stronger. I felt this one from a distance away." He continued forward and would have reached out to Dylan, had Spike not rolled himself in the way.
"Hey!" he half-shouted, getting instant attention. "Deal’s the same on this one here. You don’t touch her."
"But she is dirty," the demon growled. He stared at the imperious features of the two that had restored him. Then it dawned on him. "You feel affection for her as well."
"And again, what of it?" Spike growled as well. He certainly wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the teen had grown on him a little. She was amusing at least. He was starting to think that the new demon was more trouble than he was worth.
The Judge simply stared at them a moment longer before seeming to accept their edict. He turned away and shuffled from the vicinity. He made his own plans as he went. Once his power was strong enough, they wouldn’t be able to stop him. He’d clear this place of all those that he deemed dirty. The girl and those two Vampires included. He’d ally himself with the new one. The one that despised humanity as much as he himself did. And then they’d set this world to burning. He grinned as he returned to his self-created sanctuary. How the world would burn.
Dylan watched the demon until she was sure he was gone, then turned to face Spike. "Thank you," she mumbled. He shrugged in reply. Dru beamed at the pair of them.
*****
"So Spike really did save you," Angel grumbled. It was hard to see, Spike having a spot of his humanity left. It was hard for him to reconcile. The Vampire had done nothing but cause trouble, for him, for Buffy, for her friends. It galled him more than a little that Dylan seemed to count him if not as a friend, then not exactly an enemy, either.
"Yeah," Dylan grinned. She could see the mental debate he was having with himself. "I got to see a different side of Spike than others did. Sure, the only reason he protected me was to further his own ends, but he did it all the same. And don’t worry, I never lost sight of that fact. Spike would only keep me around if I had some use or purpose." She could see that he looked a little relieved.
"I’m sorry," Angel shrugged. "It’s just that Spike showed up a couple weeks ago and wreaked his usual havoc."
"He did?" Dylan was shocked. "Was Dru with him?"
"No," he shook his head. "Dru left him," he tried to fight the malevolent grin, "for a chaos demon." At her puzzled look, he elaborated. "They’re very… disgustingly unattractive."
"Oh, poor Spike," Dylan breathed sympathetically. Angel glared at her, just a little. She wasn’t supposed to feel sorry for the Vampire that kept her captive. "I bet he didn’t react well."
"He kidnapped some of Buffy’s friends," Angel supplied. "Wanted one of them to do a spell to bring Dru back to him."
"Did they?"
"Never got the chance to," Angel sighed. "We got into a tight spot and after that he decided to get Dru back the old fashioned way.
"Tie her up and torture her until she liked him again?" Dylan asked dryly.
"How did you know?"
"It was one of their favorite… games," she blushed, leaving no room for assumption about what she was referring to. Angel shut his eyes. It had been a favorite game of Angelus’ and Dru’s as well.
"It’s plain sickening that you know all this," he offered angrily.
"Well, and this is no slight to you, at least Spike is constant in his affections," Dylan shrugged. And even though she hadn’t meant it to, it cut Angel a little. But, he reminded himself; he’d had no choice in his defection from Buffy.
"So that brings us up to your first time meeting me… him," Angel changed from one painful subject to another.
"Actually, not quite," Dylan disagreed. "After the Judge left, Dru went to change and Spike and I talked a while."
"What about?"
"My own plans."
*****
Dylan waited until she and Spike were alone. Dru wanted to go perfect her flawless self for the fun she knew they’d be having this evening. Spike watched her leave as well, and then turned to leave himself, but Dylan’s voice caught his attention.
"Spike," she called softly. He stopped wheeling away and turned his head back.
"What is it ducks?"
"Can I ask you a favor?" she spoke quickly, as if afraid he’d deny her for the sheer pleasure of it.
"Depends on what the favor is."
"It’s about… him."
"Who? Big Blue?" he wondered what she wanted.
"No, not him."
Spike thought a moment. "Oh, you mean Angelus?" She nodded. He turned his chair so that he was facing her fully. "What about him?"
"He won’t want me around," Dylan paused and wet her lips. "I don’t think he’ll care about any visions I have. I mean, you guys already have Dru for that."
"Pfft!" Spike growled. "I doubt Angelus cares one way or the other," he tried to bluff. But he knew the girl was right. She held his gaze. "Oh all right! Angelus’ll probably rip your throat out as soon as he sees you. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure Dru talks to him first and makes him understand. That make you feel better?"
"That’s not what I wanted Spike," she said softly.
"Then what did you want?" he ground out.
"I want you to kill me," she told him steadily. He gaped at her. "If it looks like he’s going to do anything, please kill me. I don’t care if you have to snap my neck, suck me dry whatever. Just please, don’t let him get me." She spoke with such even tones that Spike felt a shiver run down his back.
"You’re sure?" She nodded. "You do realize what Angelus’ll do to me if I were to have the audacity to take a kill away from him?"
"I know you’ll figure something out Spike," she continued with a smile. She could see him wavering.
"All right pet," he finally gave in. "If, and only if it looks like he’s about to do you, I’ll step in. As a personal favor from me to you, I’ll make it quick… and painless."
"Thank you." He nodded and hurriedly rolled away. He couldn’t let her know that he actually felt sick now at the thought of losing her.
*****
"You were that afraid of me?" Angel choked out. "You were so afraid that you asked Spike to kill you just to be safe from me."
"Not from you," she countered. "From Angelus. Tell me, was I wrong about what your reaction would have been?" He shuddered and didn’t answer, but she knew she was right. "But luckily, it didn’t work out that way." He looked into her eyes miserably.
"It was a very close call," Angel muttered. "If you hadn’t…"
"If I hadn’t what?"
Chapter Fourteen
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