Chapter 1

Spike sat on the ladder to the Magic Box’s upper book stacks.  Several, but not all, of the Scoobies also sat around the room listening to the Watcher give a talk on what he had learned in England about the Hell God, Glorificus.

“Glorificus is looking for her Key, as we all know,” Giles said.

“Which the monks said that they sent to the Slayer as a sister,” Faith Lehane, the Slayer, replied.  “Which I don’t have a sister.”

“But she doesn’t know that,” Giles pointed out.  “She only knows that the Key was sent to the Slayer.  If we convince her that some object is the Key, we can drop it in the Hellmouth.”

Faith grinned.  “And good-bye Glory.  She’ll follow it to Hell.”

Spike glanced at Angel.  “That could make the whole soddin’ thing unstable.  You better plan for an evac, tout de suite,” the blond vampire drawled.

Giles turned to Spike.  He couldn’t believe what a good ally the vampire had become since Willow accidently ensouled him along with Drusilla, just a few years before when she had re-ensouled Angel.  “That’s what I am hoping for.  Faith needs to die.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Giles.

“Say what now?” Spike asked in astonishment. 

Giles got an almost constipated look on his face.  “My friend Reggie and I overheard a plot to kidnap Faith.”

“By who?” Faith asked.  She clutched at her girlfriend’s hand.

“The Council, I’m afraid,” Giles replied with a frown.  “Apparently, you are not the first Slayer to die and be brought back.  It happened twice before in 1887 and again in 1890.  The two Slayers in question were actually siblings.  One was called in 1885 and the other in 1887 when the first one died and was resuscitated.  When the Council realized that they were not aging, or stopped aging, they kidnapped them both.  The Council has been holding them prisoner and studying them ever since.”

“And Faith would give them a good opportunity for another subject to study,” Angel replied.

Giles nodded.  “So, most of us must die.  Certainly, Faith and Willow since they are always together.”

“Not really though, right,” Xander asked in a confused voice.

Faith and Willow both hit Xander on the back of the head.  “No, silly.  Pretend,” Willow replied.

“Oh, Ok.  That’s all right then,” Xander grumbled while he rubbed the back of the head.

Willow turned to Giles.  “We can’t leave those poor girls with the Council any longer.  That is just wrong.”

Faith and Xander nodded in agreement.

“They’re probably loonier than Drusilla by now,” Spike said.

“I hate to agree with Spike,” Angel replied, “but he’s probably right.  Who knows what sick things they’ve done with them!”

Giles nodded.  “I agree.  Reggie and I snuck in to where they are being held.  The older sister is catatonic and the younger is screaming mad.  I do mean screaming.  The nurses have to do everything for them.”

“I don’t want to, because of, you know … “ Spike swirled his hand around at himself, “but I could break in and have one last good day.  After all, I am the Slayer of Slayers.”

“So, blow up the Hellmouth, die, and rescue and-or execute two trapped 145-year-old or so Slayers,” Faith said, leaning back in her chair.  “Sounds like a solid plan.”

After Faith and her friends left, Spike turned to Giles and Angel.  “I know just the thing to help,” he said with a smirk.

“What?”

“You’ll find out.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

THREE MONTHS LATER

Reginald Bey waited at the airport for his friend Rupert Giles.  Rupert had just lost his Slayer a few weeks before when the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, California, had blown up.  Reggie was unsure how Rupert was taking the whole business, considering that Reggie knew that Rupert had genuinely cared for the young woman.

Rupert walked towards Reggie followed by a curly haired young man with glasses.

“Don’t dilly-dally, William,” Rupert said to the young man.  “We’re on a schedule.”

“Yes, Da,” William said while he picked up his speed.  “I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry.”

Rupert sided.  “I told you.  Reggie has a tight schedule today.  We’ll have plenty of time for ambling later.

Reggie saw William roll his eyes behind his glasses.

“Yes, Da.”

“Rupert! Welcome back.”  Reggie stepped forward with his hand stretched out.  After they shook hands, Reggie turned to William.  “Who is this young fellow?”

“Reggie, this is my son William.  William, this is my friend Reginald Bey.  We will be staying with him until we figure things out.”  Giles introduced his two companions to each other.

Reggie shook William’s hand.  He turned to Rupert.  “I didn’t know you had a son.  Are you keeping secrets?”

“Neither did I,” Rupert replied.  “His mother sprang it on me.”

William rolled his eyes again.  “Don’t let Da fool ya.  The tarty stepmom decided to research his family b’fore the weddin’.  She’s the one who found me.”

“Anya isn’t tarty,” Rupert protested.

“Is so.”

Reggie grabbed Rupert’s bag, and he guided his friend and son towards the airport exit.  He decided to change the subject.

Sort of.

“Where is the lovely Anya today?” Reggie asked.

“She and her entourage went to New York shortly before the Hellmouth imploded,” Giles replied.

Reggie nodded slowly.  “I’m sorry to hear about your Slayer.”

“She sacrificed herself for her friends,” Rupert said in a sad voice.  “It’s how she wanted to go out.”

“Still, it must be hard,” Reggie said in a soft voice.

Rupert tilted his head in acknowledgement. 

Reggie glanced back at William who was trailing behind them.  “Does he know about … you know?”

“Do you mean do I know about … “ William lowered his voice to a whisper,  “ … vampires?  Yes, I do.  My mother was killed by one.”

“Oh, my word.”

The three men fell into silence as they approached Reggie’s car.  Once the luggage was stored and they were on their way, Reggie spoke again.

“I’ve been checking the records.  I have found that the elder Slayer is named Buffy Summers.  The younger Slayer is her sister Dawn Summers.  Two Slayers from the same family, called in succession, quite extraordinary,” Reggie informed Rupert.

“Could you repeat those names?” William demanded.  He gripped Reggie’s shoulder.

Reggie winced as he looked in the mirror.  William’s bright blue eyes caught his in an intense stare.  He must have gotten that color of eyes from his mom, Reggie thought.

Buffy and Dawn Summers,” Reggie repeated.

William’s brow furrowed in thought.  He released Reggie’s shoulder.  William growled under his breath before he turned to stare out the window.

“William?” Rupert asked.

William shook his head, but he didn’t turn from the window.  “I knew a Buffy and Dawn Summers, back in the day.”

“Well, it can’t be these two young ladies,” Reggie said.  “They’ve been prisoners of the Council since the 1880’s.”

William hummed a noncommittal sound.

“How hard will it be to rescue them?” Rupert asked.

Reggie glanced at Rupert.  “Not hard.  They’re drugged with the same substance that is used in the Cruciamentum and both ladies are not exactly … “

William snorted.  “Go ahead and say it, mate.  They’re both mad as hatters, ain’t they?”

“Yes, quite, thus security has grown quite lax in the past decade or so.”

Rupert gave a shark-like grin.  “Perfect.  Spike won’t have any problems then.”

Reggie’s control of the car slipped a bit.  He jerked to look at Rupert before he turned his attention back to the road.  Reggie knew that Faith’s magical friend had ensouled William the Bloody and Drusilla the Mad when she’d reensouled Angelus the Wicked. 

Not that the Council knew that.

But why would an infamous vampire be the main focus of a rescue mission?

Reggie glanced into the mirror at William.  The name was just a coincidence, wasn’t it?

‘S-Spike?” Reggie stammered.  “What is he going to do?”

“You don’t really think Faith would allow the Council to continue to keep Slayers prisoners after she knew about them, do you?” Rupert asked. 

“I f-figured she’d want to stage a rescue, not send in the Slayer of Slayers,” Reggie said in a soft voice.

“Who better to determine the state of the trapped Slayers?” Rupert asked.   “Reggie, you knew this was an option from the start.  We already know that it might be too late for them.”

Reggie sighed in defeat.  “I know that.  How will he be able to enter without anyone noticing him?”

“He’ll walk in just like us.”

Chapter 2

The next morning, Giles had an appointment with Quentin Travers, the head of the Council of Watchers.  He and his son William stopped at the front desk for visitors’ passes before going further into the Council building.

Nobody stopped them.

The Council building was in complete chaos.  People ran around frantically.  Giles tried to get answers, but everyone seemed too busy and frazzled to talk to them. 

Giles gave William a small smirk.  “You can go speak with Reggie while I speak to Quentin.”  He pointed towards the archive room.  As he marched away, he whispered, “Good luck, Spike.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“They’re in,” Willow said.  “The diversion worked.”

“I love minions,” Drusilla cooed.  “They make such pretty cannon fodder.”

“Now it’s basically up to Giles and Spike.  There’s just one more step in the plan.”  Faith didn’t look up from her book.

Angel grimaced.  “I can’t believe you’re condoning Spike killing two Slayer.”

Drusilla hummed under her breath.  In a hypnotic cadence, she said, “My lovely Spike is going to dance in the sunlight and play with burnin’ baby fishie.”  She lowered her voice to a whisper.  “Such a shiny green baby burnin’ fishie.”

The others stared at Drusilla for a few moments before they shook themselves out of the spell that Drusilla seem to weave around them.  Faith went back to her book while Willow and Angel turned their attention to Willow’s laptop screen.

“Be quiet, Drusilla,” Angel barked.

“Such a bad daddy,” Drusilla muttered.  She turned away to ignore Angel.

When the others had turned their attention back to other things, Drusilla rose, straightened her dress, and snuck out of the room.

Closing the door as quietly as possible, Drusilla laid her hand on it.  A wicked smile graced her lips.  “Poor foolish daddy.  Spike knew, but you?  You thought I was just like you.”  She noticed a pretty, young thing down the hallway.  “Time to wash all that cow blood taste out of my mouth and get a new dark prince.”

Drusilla strolled down the hallway, leaving Angel behind.

Inside the room, Willow, at long last, tapped into the security camera system at the Council building.  Willow and Angel stared into the monitor looking for a sign of Spike.

“There he is.”  Willow pointed at Spike.  He was strolling down a hallway amidst the total chaos.

Faith looked up from her book.  “Huh, looks like Dru deserted us,” she said.

Willow and Angel looked away from the computer.  Angel immediately went to the door.  He looked outside the room, and up and down the hall.

“She’s not in sight.”  Angel turned to look at Faith.  “I’ll have to go search for her.  Why would she leave without telling me?”

Faith snorted.  “Like you’ll find her if she doesn’t want to be found.”

“Well, I do happen to know all her little hidey holes,” Angel announced.

“Go on, then.  I can handle this anyway.”  Willow waved Angel away.

“Thanks.”  Angel rushed out the door.

Faith looked at Willow.  “He does realize it’s daytime right?”

“Never stopped Spike.”

“True, but he’s not an old broody stick-in-the-mud.”  Faith smirked.  She got up and closed the door that Angel had left open.  “You know, you need to stop feeling guilty about putting Spike’s soul back in him.  I have a sneaking hunch it wasn’t you.”

Willow’s forehead furrowed.  “What?”

“Why did Dru sneak off now and not anytime in the past few years?”  Faith nodded towards the screen.  “The sunshine and the baby fish.  Two separate things.  He’s going in for two Slayers that are sisters.  There’s a Key out there that is a Slayer’s sister.  Come on, coincidence?  I think not.”

Willow stared at Faith in awe.  “I don’t know if you’re right, but that’s some pretty awesome thinking.  How did you come up with it?”

“Thank you.  I just paid attention when Spike spoke to Dru.  It’s all been there for years, if you just listened.”

“Yeah, and nobody listened to Drusilla because she was crazy and we all knew it,” Willow replied.

“You betcha.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Spike ambled along seemingly ignoring the chaos around him.  In his William disguise he blended in perfectly. 

“You!  Where are you assigned?”  An older man grabbed Spike’s arm.  Then, he noticed the visitor’s pass on Spike’s jacked, and he dropped his hand.  “Oh, sorry.”

Spike looked down at the tag.  “That’s okay, mate.”

After that man hurried away, Spike pocketed the tag.  When he reached the archives wing, he slipped inside where he was greeted by Reggie.

“That’s some distracting that you and Rupert came up with,” Reggie said in lieu of a greeting.  “The whole building is in a tizzy.”

“It was the idea of the witch and Faith,” Spike replied.  “They hired this trio of gits to command the minions in wreaking havoc.”

Reggie nodded.  “Well, they’re doing a mighty fine job of it.   Now, we’re going down to the basement records room.  We’re on a mission to find any books by an authoress called Tempest Rill.  That will bring us to the same wing that the Slayers are kept prisoners in.”

“Are there cameras we need to worry about?” Spike asked.

“Yes, but I’ve developed a loop program that will show up on the monitors in exactly five minutes.”

Spike nodded.  “Let’s get a move on then.  I’m feeling peckish”

“What happens if you decide to rescue them instead?” Reggie asked.

With a shrug, Spike answered, “The Slayer and Red are watching the monitors.  Depending on what code phrase I use, will determine their response.”

“The Slayer?”  Reggie stared at Spike in confusion.  “You mean, Faith Lehane?”

“Of course, mate.  You didn’t really think she was dead, did you?  Girl’s right sneaky that way,” Spike grinned.  He waved an impatient hand at Reggie.  “Now let’s get the show on the road.”

After a quick check on the hallway, Reggie and Spike moved towards the basement records room with Reggie still pondering about the Slayer’s’ survival and Rupert’s part in the event.  Sure, Reggie knew the Council’s plan to capture the young woman, but he hadn’t realized they’d faked her death.

It wasn’t a bad plan. Reggie decided.  Travers had certainly fallen for it.

Inside the records room, Reggie directed them towards a wall.   “On the other side of that wall are the Slayers’ room.  So, when will Spike be here, William?”

Spike grinned.  “He’s already here.”  He shifted into his demonic visage.

Reggie let out a small sound of surprise.  “You were in the sun.  How?”

“Well, let’s hope the Gem of Amara doesn’t tear up my insides,” Spike drawled.

Reggie watched in astonishment while Spike forged ahead.