DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters are the property of Paramount
Studios, Inc. and Viacom. Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters belong to Fox
Studios. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and is copyright
(c) 2000 by Djinn. This story is Rated PG-13.
Natural Enemies
by Djinn
Once
upon a time there was a beautiful young girl,
A
girl sweet and pure, and gifted with the sight,
But
the day came when a fallen angel looked down on her in desire,
And
so this unstained rose became an evil thing,
Insane
and dark and wickedly skilled,
And
she roamed the world with the angel of the blackened soul,
And
with his wicked consort, the golden one,
And
where they went, evil followed,
But
the girl grew tired of being alone,
So
she made another in their image,
A
boy so beautiful it made the heavens weep to lose him,
And
this boy became known as the Bloody One,
And
when one day the dark Angel vanished,
And
the golden one left them all alone,
The
girl and the boy clung to each other,
And
in a world gone mad, they were the only safe harbor the other would know.
"The
embellishments in this tale get in the way of the facts. Are all the watcher's diaries like this
one?" Spock turned the page of the
old tome in disgust.
"Not
all of them, but remember, some of these were written in the 19th
Century. The writers back then tended to
be more flowery." Christine reached
into the carton and pulled out some more books.
They were a gift from Peter Wyndam-Pryce, the young watcher that had
helped them rescue Kirk and Uhura from the master vampire Drusilla. He was now reassigned to Earth, and had taken
it upon himself to outfit his new friends with as much information as he could
find on Drusilla. He was an unlikely
ally, being a hereditary watcher and very traditional, but he had proven
himself a steadfast friend. Christine
saw a note sticking from one of the books and pulled it out. It was from Peter. She read it aloud.
"Slayer." She could imagine the way he would say it, as
if it were an honorific. "I have
been transferred to Earth as you predicted, and am now working in the Council
of Watchers' headquarters. I can't
imagine how much trouble I am going to get in for sending you these books, but
hopefully you will have them back to me before the Council notices that they
have gone missing. I decided it would be
more conspicuous to scan the volumes than to just parcel them off to you. So, when you get a chance and are near Earth,
do ring me up, and I'll come round to collect them. In the meantime, I would suggest you take
some time to study the relevant passages.
There's quite a lot of literature thanks to many watchers, one Rupert
Giles in particular. Well, I must get
these off to you. Good luck and I hope
you avoid meeting Drusilla until you have had time to prepare. Perhaps she'll run into a nasty ion storm and
save us all a lot of trouble. I remain,
etc. Peter Wyndam-Pryce."
"An
old-fashioned man," Spock observed.
"Yes. The kind that I would normally despise. But on him, somehow, it's okay." She put the note back in the book. Another sheet of paper sticking out of the
pages caught her eye. "There's
more, Spock."
He
moved around to read over her shoulder.
This note was hurriedly scripted, as if written at the last minute. "Just found out some additional
information. It seems that after
Drusilla left the Moon, she did not take off directly for uncharted space. She doubled back to Earth, or so it
appears. We have an eyewitness account
from some English lads who claim to have seen a woman matching her description
beam down to a soccer game, collect a man from the stands, and beam back up
with him. No one is completely sure who the
man is, but according to the witnesses he was of medium height, slight but fit
build, and youthfully handsome with white-blond hair. I wish I had more information to give
you. P.W-P."
Spock
moved back to the table and picked up the book he had discarded. "'A boy so beautiful it made the heavens
weep to lose him. And this boy became
known as the Bloody One.' Do you suppose
that this is the man she took with her?"
Christine
nodded. "It's possible, I
suppose. But who is he?"
Spock
nodded at the volumes. "I imagine
that once we have gone through these texts, we will find that out."
Christine
sighed loudly, as she reached for the closest one. Grabbing a data padd to make notes on, she
found a comfortable seat, opened the book and began to read. She could tell that Spock watched her for a
moment before he selected another book and took that and the one he already
held to the end of the table to begin work.
***********************
A
cry of frustration filled the cloaked ship.
The
young man looked up at the dark-haired woman, scowling slightly. "I don't know what you're whining about,
Dru. It's not like you've spent the last
several centuries pining over me, now is it?
I mean you left me for a chaos demon.
As if my wanting to save your life was a bloody crime."
Drusilla
was pacing agitatedly. "You made a
deal with a slayer. You went against
Daddy when he was at his most powerful.
When he could have ended the world."
"Yeah,
well, I like the world. It has people
and lots of other yummy stuff."
"That's not the worst of it, Spike. You almost killed me for love of that
slayer."
He
shrugged. "I've done far worse
since then. You really don't want to
know."
"You've
gone soft," she observed mockingly.
"Gone
soft? You try living with a chip in your
head and tell me if you stay on your game."
"Not
just a chip." She laid her hand on
his chest. "A soul, too."
He
turned away, his face surly with irritation.
"Yeah, look at all the good that's done me."
She
grasped his hands, brought them up to her lips.
"Don't be cross, love. I've
missed you so."
"Oh,
sure you have. First the demon, then you
picked up with a firespawn. You tried to
get that swaggering do-gooder, Angel, back.
You had a moment when you spared a thought for me and then you were
right back in the game, weren't you?"
"Well,
you did threaten to kill me, Spike."
"So? You're going to hold a grudge over something
like that?"
She
shrugged.
"Then
you founded an entire dynasty of your own, all the men eventually becoming your
playthings, the last ones I remember being Anticles and his tiresome get
Markosius. You think I don't know what
you've been up to? You should've just
left me at the football match, Dru.
Because I'm not likely to forget that you walked away from me, and it
doesn't look like you're going to be any better at forgiving me for the things
I've done." He pulled away from her
and flipped on the vidscreen, ordering up the 1999 season of Manchester United.
"You
can't possibly intend to sit through every game?"
"Watch
me, princess." With an annoyed
grimace, he turned away from her and sprawled in the chair in front of the
vidscreen.
She
stared at him angrily for a moment, then her expression turned mournful. "Spike.
You loved me once. You loved me
more than anything. Please, I want that
back. I want _you_ back. The others...the others were never
enough. They were never you."
When
he did not respond, she walked back to the bridge. If she had turned around, she would have seen
him watching her, a longing expression on his face.
***********************
"William
the Bloody." Christine lifted her
gaze from the book she was reading as Spock announced the young man's
identity. "Get of Drusilla,
although this book notes that other experts claim he is descended from one
Angelus. But they agree that he is
William the Bloody, more commonly known as Spike, for his vicious tactic of
killing with railroad spikes."
"It
can't be Spike." Christine went
back to her book.
Spock
waited for her to explain. The silence
grew until finally she looked up at him.
"He was killed. A long time
ago."
"How
do you know this?"
Christine
sighed in frustration. "It's
something we're taught. The major
bloodlines. His died out before I was
born. But since he was linked to
Drusilla, we studied him too. He was
killed."
"By
whom?" Spock asked doggedly.
"By
Buffy. She killed him several years
after she first encountered him. It's in
all the records. Spike is dead."
Spock
nodded. "Then who is this young
man?"
"How
should I know!" she snapped.
"I'm just one slayer, not the entire Watcher's library. Ask Peter if you don't believe me." Throwing the book and the padd she had been
working with down on the carpet, she leapt out of the chair and made for the
door.
Spock
caught her before she reached it; his hands clenched her tight shoulders. "Christine, what is wrong? Perhaps there is an error in the records and
this Spike is alive? Or perhaps he is in
fact dead and Drusilla collected someone else.
Why does it matter so much?"
She
let her shoulders relax. "God,
Spock, I'm sorry. I'm just so sick of
this. I never thought I'd be back here,
studying these damn books, trying to figure out what to expect from the next
evil thing to come down the pike. I'm
retired, damn it! That should mean
something."
He
pulled her away from the door and palmed off the light. At her surprised look, he explained, "We
have done enough studying for tonight."
His hands were gentle as he maneuvered her into his bedroom. His lips however, were not, as he used their
passion for each other to at least temporarily erase her frustration.
***********************
Christine
woke slowly. Spock lay pressed against
her, his arms wrapped around her, still asleep.
This was still so new for them, this gentle yet intense passion that
they had found with each other.
Christine worried that her temper, so long repressed, would chase him
away. Yet he was steadfast in his
support. He had never wavered once he
discovered what she was. And he had
easily slipped into her life and her bed.
She was not quite sure how it had happened, he had done it so smoothly
and effortlessly.
*Good
morning.*
This
too was new. This ability to communicate mind-to-mind. Christine found it exhilarating. And frightening too. She had never known this level of intimacy
with anyone. She had never thought she would
want to.
She
turned in Spock's arms, reaching her lips up to his for a gentle kiss. *Good morning.*
His
eyes were full of humor as he caressed her face. *You are happy.*
*Yes. You make me happy.* She smiled as his pleasure at her words
traveled down their mental accord.
*As
you bring me great satisfaction.* His
fingers melded them even closer. He let
her feel the intense emotion he was experiencing but barely showing.
*Satisfaction?* She let the humor she felt cascade over
him. *Such a typically Vulcan
response.* She kissed him slowly,
gently. *I know I've been difficult
lately. I'm sorry.*
*These
have not been easy times for you, Christine.
You had created a persona and were living that life. To have to take back a life you had left
behind has been jarring for you. But to
hide what you truly are could not have been easy either.*
She
nodded. *I wouldn't have made it through
this without you.*
*Nor
would this ship have made it through this without you.* He pressed her down on the bed.
She
smiled. *We'll be late.*
*No. We will not.*
He kissed her deeply.
She
surrendered to the sensations the combination of his touches and the emotion
she felt from him were causing; secure in the knowledge that he would not let
them be late, even if he had to time it to the millisecond.
***********************
Kevin
Silver looked at the young man standing in front of him. "I'm disappointed in you, Peter."
"Sir?"
"You
didn't tell me of the possible Drusilla sighting? I had to find it out from the duty logs. Sloppy, boy.
Very sloppy."
Wyndam-Pryce
nodded quickly. "I'm very sorry,
sir. I assumed someone else would tell
you. I'm still feeling my way here. I guess I didn't think you would be
interested."
"Oh,
I'm interested. If it has to do with
Christine Chapel in any way, then I am very interested."
"I'm
not sure I understand, sir."
"She's
trouble, Peter. Always has been. But I'm counting on her to track down
Drusilla for us. We really don't want
Starfleet involved in this any more than necessary. Chapel has somehow gained the loyalty of the
command crew of that starship she serves on.
A crew that will cover up for her if necessary. And with a master vampire loose in space,
we're going to need that kind of loyalty.
Yes, my boy, I'm afraid that Chapel is our only hope to stop Drusilla
before she cuts a bloody swath through inhabited space."
Peter
nodded. He'd come to that conclusion
some time ago.
*************************
Uhura
turned from the screen. "You can
see that she's been a busy little monster."
Christine
looked at the others at the table. Spock
with his normal thoughtful expression.
Kirk and McCoy clearly holding back anger. And not a little bit of fear. She looked back at the map that Uhura had compiled. "I can't believe you did all this?"
"You
thought I would let her just make her way through our Federation? That bitch is psycho." Uhura's look dared her audience to argue with
her. When no one did, she began to give
the details of the path she had drawn on the map. "Upsilon Minor, two people killed, three
missing. Eridani Eight, five people
dead, two missing. Cana Ceti Two, three
dead, one missing, and a bloodbank broken into."
Spock
looked at Christine. She shrugged,
"Maybe they're stocking up for a long dry spell?"
Uhura
continued. "Centauri, two dead, two
missing. Rigel, one dead, no
missing. Here's where it gets weird;
yesterday, a Federation ship sighted an unidentified vessel drifting in space
near the Pollux system. No life signs
but transporter signatures were detected.
A Kaldori vessel was seen near it, then it fled the scene."
"Kaldori?" McCoy looked aghast. "What the hell are they doing out of
their system? I thought the quarantine
was in effect?"
Uhura
nodded. "It is. These were clearly in violation because the
Federation ship took off after them.
They escaped back to their system.
When the patrol ship returned to where they had left the damaged vessel,
it was gone. The descriptions of the
ship matched the shuttle Drusilla was preparing on the Moon."
Kirk
scowled as he looked at his communications officer. "You think she had a run in with the
Kaldori?"
"Yes. I analyzed the patterns of beam-ins and -outs
that the Federation ship was monitoring.
It matches a standard raid pattern.
The Federation ship decided they didn't steal anyone because there were
no life signs in the transporter readings.
But in this case, there wouldn't be."
Spock
looked up thoughtfully. "You think
they stole some of the vampires?"
"Well,
it's what they do, isn't it? Steal
unsuspecting travelers?"
McCoy
corrected her. "Unsuspecting *male*
travelers."
Christine
smiled grimly. "Drusilla would have
no way to expect that. The Kaldori are
strong and fast and they are used to conducting lightening raids, wasting no
time. I doubt that she could get them to
stand still long enough to mesmerize them."
Spock
nodded, "With the number of transport signatures monitored, they could
easily have stolen eight or nine males."
Christine
felt a chill at the fate of these males.
As with many populations, the Kaldori had destroyed their world and
their future through war. Several
violent planetary conflicts had left the ground and the males sterile. The females could give birth but only when
healthy seed from genetically compatible donors was used. Donors that the Kaldori tricked, kidnapped, and
otherwise enticed to their world. Only a
few of these males proved viable and they had to undergo painful and often
deadly modifications to allow them to mate with the females. The Federation had put a stop to the Kaldori
habit of luring travelers in, but some were still kidnapped on these
raids. Most of these males did not prove
viable, and found themselves in the Kaldori mines digging for dotrinium, the
only export the planet had. It was a
harsh life, but only slightly shorter than one spent servicing the monstrous
Kaldori females. Kaldor was a planet
that evoked nightmares for nearly all males.
Even male vampires, Christine guessed.
The Kaldori would test for biological compatibility on their ship. Those proving to be fertile and a match would
be sent to special underground pens for surgery. Those unsuitable would be beamed directly to
the mines. In neither case, would the
creatures see the sunlight. A mixed
blessing for the vampires. Christine was
not sure which were the bigger monsters, the vampires or the Kaldori.
Uhura
continued. "So the question is now,
where did Drusilla go? I'm going to keep
an eye out for her, but until she stops to eat again it's going to be tough to
locate her…"
"Not
so tough, duckie." The familiar
voice sounded just seconds after the intruder alert began alarming. They all whirled unbelieving.
Kirk
was the first to react. "How in the
hell…"
"Time
to strengthen those wards," Drusilla said cryptically, as she gave him a
sly smile. "And reset your shields,
while you're at it, love. Luckily, I
won't need to come back". She
pulled a communicator out, "As we planned boys. Three to beam up."
Christine
was moving, even as Drusilla began to dematerialize. The sight of Spock and McCoy disappearing
stopped her dead. She heard Kirk echo
her cry, "Spock!"
Uhura
was closer to McCoy when the transporter began.
Seemingly without thought she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around
him.
"Ny!" Christine's cry was anguished, as she watched
the three of them disappear.
Drusilla's
mocking "Ta-ta" seemed to linger long after she too had vanished.
***********************
For
a stunned second neither Kirk nor Christine could move. Then he was off running, with her close
behind. The turbolift dumped them onto
the bridge only minutes after Drusilla had disappeared.
Kirk's
voice was harsh. "Find that ship,
Chekov."
"It
is found, sir."
Christine
spun to look at the screen. Drusilla's
shuttle was right in front of them.
Kirk
hit the comm on his chair.
"Transporter room? There is
a shuttle dead ahead. Three crewmembers
are aboard. Lock on to their life signs and beam them out of there!"
There
was a long pause, then the transporter technician came back with, "Can't
get a lock, sir. Their shields are modulating and I can't get through
them."
Kirk
sank slowly into his chair. "Why
haven't they left?"
"Because
I need your help." Drusilla
appeared on the screen. Her three
prisoners stood behind her restrained by female vampires but otherwise
unharmed.
"Our
help?" Kirk was incredulous.
"Yes. I think you know why, don't you,
Slayer?"
"The
Kaldori took someone that you want back."
She paused for effect.
"Wouldn't be Spike, now would it?"
Drusilla
looked startled for a moment, then smiled benignly at her. "Marcus always said you were a smart
one, Christine. Yes, they took Spike.
And I want him back." She motioned
to someone off the screen. "Now, if
you want your friends back, I suggest you follow me."
"Follow
you to Kaldor?" Kirk was clearly
not in favor.
"'Afraid
so, my dear Captain." She gave a
mad laugh and looked at some distant point.
"We're coming, darling."
Twirling she looked up at them, eyes narrowed as she prepared to cut the
connection. "Last one there's a
rotten egg." Her laughter rang over
the bridge as the screen flipped to an exterior shot. The shuttle pulled away.
Sulu
looked back at Kirk. "Follow that
ship?"
Kirk
nodded grimly. "And make it
snappy."
Turning
back to his console, Sulu agreed, "Aye-aye, sir."
***********************
Drusilla
turned and surveyed her prisoners.
"Take them away," she told the guards. She walked back toward the control chairs but
spun around when a desperate voice called out.
"Wait!" Uhura struggled in the grips of the vampire
guards. "I need to speak to you
privately."
Drusilla
nodded and watched as Uhura walked toward her.
"What is it, dearie?"
Uhura
leaned in and whispered, "I noticed that you have an all new crew. I'm betting that they don't know the first thing
about running this shuttle."
Drusilla
cocked her head and scowled. She leaned
in closer. "You're right, they
don't. But they get rather cranky if you
mention that fact." She leaned back
and smiled innocently at her henchwomen.
"Maybe
I can help you?"
"Help
me?"
"With
the ship. You can't just waltz into
Kaldori space you know. There will be
challenges to get past, and that's after you evade the Federation
blockade."
"This
ship has a cloak," Drusilla said smugly.
"The
Drusilla
ran her hand down Uhura's cheek.
"You are so like a doll I had.
I called her Miss Oleander. She
was dark and dangerous like you. You
would make an extraordinary vampire."
Uhura
pulled her face away. "You need my
help."
"Ducks,
I'd be a fool to take it. You'd sabotage
this ship in a moment if you could."
She watched as McCoy and Uhura exchanged a glance. "Or maybe you wouldn't."
She
grabbed Uhura's arm and led her none too gently to the helm. "All right, then. Steer this thing. And don't run us into a planet or I'll kill
your boyfriend. Or maybe I'll do
worse. Do you get the idea?"
Uhura
nodded helplessly as Drusilla walked over to McCoy. He tried to look away from her intense gaze,
but her eyes held him captive. "Be
in me. Be in my eyes." Within seconds he was hers.
"He'll
stay that way now until I release him."
She moved over to Spock.
"But this one. He has some
sort of tie to the slayer. Something
stronger than my power." Her hand
tousled Spock's hair then she grabbed it and pulled his face down to hers. "I'd like to break that tie, but
unfortunately for me, I need you alive.
You are my hostage for her good behavior."
Spock
pulled away, managing to maintain his dignity as he did so.
She
nodded to the other vampires. "Take
him to the room we prepared. Make sure
he is well shackled." They pulled
Spock out of the room.
Drusilla
walked back to Uhura, stood behind her and clapped her hands gleefully. "All right then. See if you can't get a little more speed out
of this thing, won't you? All this talk
of love has made me lonely for my Spike."
Wondering
what she had gotten herself into, Uhura managed to urge the little shuttle to
go faster.
Drusilla
wandered to the main viewport and stood with her hand resting on the
screen. She whispered, "I'm coming,
Spike. I'm coming."
***********************
Christine
couldn't stand it anymore. She started
to pace the back of the bridge. Kirk's
voice finally called her back to his side.
"I'm
worried about them too, Chris. But
there's nothing we can do."
"That's
just it. There _is_ nothing we can do
from here. Their ship is cloaked. They'll get through the blockade. We never will. Drusilla knew she needed my help. But she needs me on that ship. I have to convince her."
He
nodded. "Try." He looked over to the ensign at
communications. "Open a
channel."
"Channel
open, sir."
He
nodded to Christine, who took a deep breath.
"
A
moment later, Uhura's voice answered back.
Everyone on the bridge looked up in surprise.
Christine
swallowed her relief, "Drusilla, this is not going to work. We need a better plan. You can't take this ship with you into
Kaldori space. You need my help. Beam me over."
They
heard Drusilla's voice order Uhura to give her visual contact. The vampire seemed very small and frail. Christine realized that Drusilla too had
realized she needed a new plan.
"What
new plan do you have in mind, Slayer?"
"You
need to beam me over. I can help you
from there. Together we can get your
friend out."
Drusilla
laughed merrily. "And then, when
we're done, we can have a tea party. Oh,
Christine, how gullible do you think I am?"
"You
have Spock. I can't do anything while
you have him." Christine watched as
Drusilla thought this over.
The
vampire walked over to the computer. She
hit a switch, "Computer, transfer all major controls of this shuttle to my
voice authority only."
"Affirmative."
She
walked back to the screen, stared at Christine for a long time. "I don't trust you." She walked slowly around her small bridge,
muttering to herself. Then she looked up
suddenly. She laughed evilly as she
walked over to McCoy. "You are a
doctor are you not?"
McCoy
answered woodenly, "I am."
"Then
tell me, Doctor. In your medical
opinion, would a Vulcan be biologically compatible with the Kaldori?"
McCoy
considered the question for a moment.
"No."
Christine
felt her heart fall at his answer. No,
not Spock.
Drusilla
looked at Christine. "You're
right. We need a new plan. And here it is. You will wait here. Look busy, I don't want you attracting any
undue attention. I will go and drop off
a little present for the Kaldori. Your
lover will be taken to where Spike is.
He will help us find him. Once he
is there, I will return for you, Slayer.
With the Vulcan down on the planet with Spike, I know that I will be
able to trust you to help me find them."
Christine
felt helpless anger envelope her.
"No, Drusilla, this is a terrible plan. This is not the way to get this done."
Drusilla
clucked her tongue at her. "On the
contrary, dearie. The fact that you
object so strenuously tells me that it is exactly the way to get this
done." She reached over to cut the
connection and the screen went black.
Kirk's
voice was gentle, "What should we do?"
She
shook her head. "What can we
do? We wait."
***********************
"Is
he ready?" Drusilla stood over
Spock. He lay restrained on a small
diagnostic table, his shirt open to expose his chest and abdomen. His vampire handler nodded and moved
away. Drusilla laid her hand on his
stomach and purred, "Any idea where to put the beacons?"
Spock
replied evenly, "They will probe me for compatibility. There is doubtless nowhere on my person that
will be safe. Moreover, you must put
them close to the surface so I can extract the one for Spike and place it under
his skin. I would suggest midway down
the torso. If challenged, I will say
they are devices that prevent severe allergic reactions."
Drusilla
leaned over him, studied his face. "You're taking this awfully well,
Vulcan. Why are you being so
helpful?"
"There
is no logic in being difficult. You will
kill my shipmates if I do not assist you."
"Yes,
I will." She gave him a sly
smile. "I may kill them even if you
_do_ assist me."
"I
am well aware of that. But my best
chance is to help you."
She
nodded and inserted the beacons. Then
she jumped away as green blood began to well up in the entry site. Her expression was clearly one of disgust.
He
looked at her in disbelief. "You
are a creature of the night, a feared monster from ages past. And you are
afraid of a little green blood?"
"Who
said I was afraid?" She glared at
him as she moved slowly back to him, picking up the dermal regenerator and
healing the entry site. She backed away
from him. "Let him up."
One
of the vampires undid the cuffs. Refastening his shirt, Spock eased himself off
the table. His guards immediately
restrained him and led him to the bridge.
Drusilla explained as they walked.
"The
beacons won't begin to transmit until they receive a signal from us. We don't want them giving their presence away
too soon before we get there. Do you
think you'll recognize Spike from what I've told you?"
"Yes,
I believe that I will know him.
White-blond hair, blue eyes, cocky mannerisms. He is a vampire but one that cannot harm
anyone because of a behavior modification chip in his brain."
"Yes,
but knowing my Spike that won't stop him from giving the guards a hard
time. Luckily, we heal fast. Find him, tag him, and then wait for us. That's all that's necessary, Vulcan. Do you understand?"
"Completely."
Drusilla
made her way to Uhura at the controls.
"How long until we're there?"
Uhura
checked her readouts. "Twenty
minutes."
"Good." She clapped her hands like a child. "This is my best plan ever."
***********************
Spock
stood in the feeding chamber of the cave looking for Spike. Drusilla had launched his escape pod into
space, and the Kaldori had picked him up several hours later. He had given them the story that his ship
had been destroyed. Truthfully, they had
been far more interested in him than in his reason for being in their space. They had run some rather humiliating tests
that had confirmed his biological incompatibility, a fact for which he felt
immensely relieved after seeing them up close.
He had had some tense moments when he thought they might remove the
beacons, but at the end they had left them in, and Spock had been beamed
directly underground. He had been on Kaldor less than three hours but he was
already feeling the effects of the mine.
Dotrinium vapor coupled with the odor of very ripe miners left him
feeling slightly nauseous. He decided to
forego food and started a circuit of the dimly lit dining chamber trying to
locate the blond vampire.
He
found Spike at the second to the last table.
The vampire looked up at him with hostile eyes.
"You
got a problem with me?"
"You
are Spike." Spock moved
closer. "Drusilla sent me. My name is Spock. May I sit?"
Spike
nodded. The vampire sitting across from
him snarled when Spike motioned for him to leave. Spike's face transformed into the demon
face. "Shove off." The other vampire left.
Spock
sat down, fascinated with finally seeing this horrific transfiguration up
close. He was almost disappointed when
Spike's face reverted to normal.
"Sorry. He's touchy since he's the last of the group."
"How
many of you were taken?"
Spike
shrugged, "Eight, counting me. Now
we're down to the two of us. The others
got hungry and went for the prisoners.
Guards didn't take too kindly to losing workers. In case you were wondering what they do with those
swords they're wearing, they use them to whack off heads. Bad luck for us vampires, eh? Don't waste time with condolences,
though. Can't say I liked the
buggers. Dru could really have done
better, if you ask me." He reached
into his pocket and pulled out a package of paper-wrapped cylinders. He stuck one in his mouth and grabbed one of
the candles off the table to light the end.
Spock
was surprised to see smoke come from the vampire's mouth and nose.
Spike
noticed his reaction. "Hard to believe,
yeah? Had to come all the way out here
to get a decent smoke. Just bloody
great. I can tell you that staring at
those big uglies"--he nodded at the closest Kaldori--"is not worth
the pleasure. Those blighters make Fyarl
Demons look graceful. Ugh." He took another puff and leaned back into his
chair. "So, what's the plan?"
"Drusilla
has given me a homing beacon. I have one
for you, as well, hidden for now. Once
the ship comes in range, they will activate a signal that will start ours
transmitting. Then I presume Drusilla
and Christine will attempt to rescue us."
"Who's
Christine?"
Spock
decided to tell Spike the truth about Christine and how Drusilla had captured
him for use as a hostage for the slayer's cooperation. "I imagine Christine is beaming over
even now."
Spike
seemed impressed, "Shagging a slayer, huh?
You don't look the type. But then
there's no telling what they'll fall for."
He looked smug for a moment.
"Why, I knew another humorless fellow that did real well with them.
Dunno why they insist on falling for the
dour ones." He stubbed out the
cigarette on the stone table. "So,
okay. We need some privacy for the
beacons, right? Well, lucky for you, our
mealtime is over and the work shift has begun.
Follow me, we should be able to find an isolated deposit."
He
got up and Spock followed suit. Spike
started to walk away then turned back to Spock, "And if you happen to see
any rat-like creatures running around, try to catch one and kill it for me. I'm a bit peckish."
"You
cannot kill it yourself?"
"Can't
harm a living thing. Not any living
thing. Not even these bloody
Kaldori. But I can enjoy things that are
already dead, so if you could help me out, I'd be obliged." He gave Spock a sarcastically forced smile
and headed out, the Vulcan trailing him down the corridor.
***********************
They
had been waiting too long, Christine thought.
Something must have gone wrong.
She sat at Spock's science station, scanning the surrounding space
desperately. The incoming hail made her
jump.
"Drusilla
to
Kirk's
voice was steady, "
Drusilla
appeared on screen. "Your Vulcan is
now down on the planet. It's time for
your part in this little drama, Slayer."
Christine
rose, "I'm ready."
Kirk
interrupted. "Drusilla, you're
going to need some weapons. Brute
strength won't be enough this time.
Christine is bringing them over with her."
"I
have weapons here, Kirk. And I don't
plan to arm a slayer with your little fire guns. So get rid of anything you are carrying,
Christine. That includes stakes."
"I
can't fight the Kaldori unarmed, Drusilla."
"I
wouldn't ask you to, precious. I have
plenty of knives for you to use. Just no
swords or anything else that could be turned on me."
Christine
decided not to mention that, according to the old lore, one Slayer--Buffy, if
she remembered correctly--had actually cut off a vampire's head using only a
tiny utility knife. How much better
would a dagger work? she thought grimly.
She handed the phasers back to Kirk.
She didn't have any stakes with her, had figured that the vampires could
easily screen out wood in the beaming process.
The little packet of holy water in her pocket would hopefully make it
through since the transporters were used to water being an integral part of the
human body. What she would do with such
a small amount of the stuff was beyond her, but it made her feel better to have
at least a little of her arsenal with her.
"I'm ready."
She
saw Drusilla nod to someone, Uhura, she hoped.
Then she felt the familiar dissolve of the transporter. Seconds later, she was on the bridge of the
shuttle. Uhura gave her a relieved
smile.
"Welcome
to my little home." Drusilla was
relaxed in the command chair, her vampires around her and to the side guarding
McCoy who was sitting expressionlessly at an auxiliary command post. She looked over at Uhura. "Let's go then, my sweet."
"Aye-aye,"
Uhura responded out of habit. She turned
to the controls and the ship's walls distorted for a moment as the cloak
settled into place. "Best speed to
Kaldor."
Drusilla
smiled at Christine. "Isn't she
wonderfully useful? I really think that
I may have to keep her when this is all over."
Over
my dead body, Christine thought but didn't say.
"Let's just focus on getting our men off the planet, shall
we?"
"By
all means, Slayer. By all
means."
***********************
Spock stopped work to wipe
away the sweat that was dripping into his eyes.
He looked over at the vampire, who did not look affected at all. Blow followed powerful blow of the pickax, as
Spike cleared a channel to the dotrinium.
Fresh vapor escaped into the small chamber, and Spock struggled against
the sick feeling that the gas provoked in him.
A Kaldori guard had decided
to stand just outside the entrance to their chamber. Every now and then, he looked in on
them. They had been waiting for over an
hour for him to lose interest and move on.
Spock lifted his ax and began
to clear the mineral vein in front of him.
More gas was expulsed. "How
do you stand it?" he asked Spike quietly.
"Stand what?"
"The smell of the
vapor. Does it not bother you?"
"Oh, that. It's like this; I don't have to breathe if I
don't want to. And the only time I want
to is when I'm smoking. I don't even
notice the smell."
"So you do not have a
sense of smell?"
"Sure I do. Just different, more a sense than actually
smelling things. Like right now I can
tell your blood is different than a human's, because it just feels different. I can tell that there is fire around. I can smell fear and despair from the other
miners. But it's not like smelling a
flower or a pint of stout or a woman.
Sometimes I miss that."
"You have been a vampire
a long time. Yet you seem different from
the others that I have met."
"Just my sparkling
personality." He turned to see
Spock's eyebrows rising skeptically.
"Okay, maybe not." He
thought for a moment as he traded his pickax for a more precise
instrument. He began to chip away at the
deposit. "I think it may be that
I've never stopped having fun. Nothing I
like better than a good fight, or a good shag.
Even after several hundred years, I've never once not wanted to get up
in the morning, or the evening anyway."
"You were never
sad?"
"Oh I don't mean
that. I was despondent when Dru left
me." At Spock's look of confusion,
he tried to explain. "You know slayer
lore?" At Spock's nod, he
continued. "Back in the late 1990's
Buffy was fighting an ex-lover called Angelus.
He wanted to free this demon that would swallow the world. Dru was all over the plan. I had a problem with it though because
frankly I like the world. Didn't see the
point of living in a world with just demons.
Anyway, I basically offered the slayer Angelus in exchange for her
letting Dru and me get away. And it
worked, slayer sent Angelus to hell with the demon, I took Dru and left. But Dru never forgave me. Left me as soon as she could for a chaos
demon. Have you ever seen one of those
fellas?" When Spock shook his head,
he continued. "Well, they're not
pretty, I can tell you that. Lots of
mucus."
"Did you try to get her
back?" Spock found himself drawn
into the vampire's story despite his desire to stay objective.
"Of course I did. Hey, give me a hand with this?" He put down his tool and started to pull the
piece of dotrinium out of the wall.
Spock put his ax down and grabbed the other side. They both pulled and the chunk began to
move. Spike continued. "But does she give me the time of
day? No, sir. Keeps saying I had gone soft. And this was before they put this bloody chip
in my head. And long before I got my
so--"
Whatever he'd been about to
say was forgotten as the chunk pulled completely free, and they carried it
together to a small sled in the corridor.
Setting it down, they moved back to work in the room. Spock frowned. "So you were not expecting to be taken
by Drusilla."
"You can say that again,
chum. Surprised the hell out of me. Not that I wasn't glad to see her, mind
you. You've seen her, right? She's a beauty...my black beauty. Always has been, always will be. But I didn't let on. You know how it is. I wanted her to suffer like I had when she
didn't want me."
Spock gave his piece several
strong blows until the sides were all exposed.
He changed to the smaller instrument.
"But you still love her?"
"You don't forget your
first love, you know? I mean we've had
our differences. I even tried to kill
her once. But that doesn't change how I
feel. I'd walk through broken glass for
her."
"Or dig dotrinium?"
Spike looked over and punched
Spock in the arm. "You're all
right, Spock. Strong, smart, and funny.
And you don't talk too much. I like that
in a partner-in-crime." Spike began
to whistle a catchy tune, and soon Spock found himself wondering what it would
sound like on a Vulcan harp.
***********************
Poor Spock, Christine thought
as she watched Kaldor come into view.
Trapped on that hell with Drusilla's monstrous consort. How was he standing it?
Uhura sat next to her, making
small course corrections every now and then.
She was also doing something with the communications module that
Christine couldn't figure out at first.
She seemed to be working with recordings of Drusilla's voice. Uhura was extracting some of the words and
placing them in new sequences. Suddenly,
Christine understood. Oh clever, clever
girl, she commended silently. Uhura
looked up at her and Christine realized that she probably needed more samples
of Drusilla's voice.
Christine swiveled in her
chair and faced Drusilla. "So how
is this going to work, exactly?"
Drusilla seemed to be very
far away. She finally turned to
Christine. "We go down there. We find our lovers. We take them back."
"And the Kaldori that
try to stop us?"
The vampire looked at her
quizzically. "It will be the last
thing they ever try to do, of course."
She went back to her musings, her look becoming distracted again.
"Is something bothering
you?"
Drusilla sighed
dramatically. "Slayer, you're
beginning to get on my nerves."
"You just seem a bit
pensive, that's all. Somehow I don't
think it is the prospect of the rescue that has you upset. We are going to be fighting side by side. Don't you think you can tell me?"
Drusilla laughed loudly,
"Oh, that's too precious. You want
me to confide in you?"
Christine straightened
angrily. "No, Drusilla, I really
_don't_ want you to. But we can't afford
any distractions on the surface. So what
the hell is the matter with you?"
Drusilla rose angrily and
began to pace. She finally stopped in
front of Christine. "You're in love
with the pointy-eared one, yes?"
Well, she hadn't exactly told
Spock that yet, Christine thought, but yes, she was. She nodded.
"What if he didn't
return your affections? How would you
handle it?"
Christine laughed
bitterly. "He didn't return my
affections for years. I finally gave up
hoping that he ever would."
"But what if now that
you have those feelings from him, he suddenly stopped, didn't want to be around
you anymore?"
This was a tougher
question. Christine tried to envision
what it would feel like to lose Spock's love after experiencing the days and
nights she had spent with him. Her
expression must have become utterly stricken because the vampire leaned in.
"Yes. That is what I mean. You understand." Drusilla walked away.
"You mean Spike doesn't
love you anymore?"
Drusilla sank back into her
chair. Her expression was bleak. "So it would seem. I tried everything, but he just ignored me or
told me to leave him alone. I can rescue
him now, but I can't ever get him back."
"You don't know that,
" Christine comforted, then wondered what the hell she was doing. Something about the fragile woman's face was
just so pathetic. "I mean, maybe
he's just playing hard to get?"
Drusilla brightened. "You mean paying me back?" She thought about that for a moment then
kicked her feet out in front of her and laughed merrily. "Yes, you are right. He's just trying to make me think he doesn't
love me. Oh, you are a smart one,
Christine."
"From nurse to slayer to
relationship counselor," Uhura muttered.
***********************
The guard had finally moved
off. Spike checked the corridor. "It's clear."
Spock selected a sharp tool
and carefully dug one of the beacons out of his abdomen. He looked up to see Spock watching the blood
with a shocked look.
"It's green. That's disgusting."
Spock cocked an eyebrow at
him. "You call this
disgusting? I would think you hardly
have room to criticize. You drink
blood."
"Hey, I drink red blood.
That stuff you're seeping is enough to put a bloke off his feed for a
year." Spike tore a long strip from
his undershirt. He ripped a small piece
off and handed it to Spock. "Use
this to stop the bleeding." Once
Spock had complied, Spike wrapped the longer piece around Spock's waist,
holding the other piece in place.
Spock nodded his thanks then
handed Spike the beacon. "It is
self implanting. Just hold it against
your skin."
Spike looked dubious. "You know, I haven't had the best luck
with chips and such. Maybe I could just
pin it to my shirt?"
"The guards could find
it that way. Or it could become
damaged. If you are unwilling to do it,
I will implant it for you."
"You calling me a
ponce?" Spike jammed the beacon
against his stomach; it immediately disappeared under the skin leaving behind a
small hole that began to heal at once.
"Fascinating."
"Yeah, one of the fringe
benefits of being a vampire. Not that
I'd know about most of the others these days." Spike picked up his axe again and began to
work.
"Ah, yes, the
chip." Spock too returned to trying
to extract his dotrinium chunk.
"You say it like it's
nothing, man. Well, this stupid piece of
circuitry changed my life. I used to
think it was a curse. Then I got all zen
about it."
"I do not
understand."
"Well, you know, sort of
an everything happens for a reason kind of thing. One day I woke up and instead of being mad
that I couldn't kill humans anymore, I realized I was looking forward to taking
out some real bad guys. Guess helping
the slayer rubbed off on me or something.
I left most of the demons I came across alone. I mean, they were just trying to make a
living, same as anyone. But the real big
bads. Those I went after. And it was fun. Never knowing if a fight was going to be your
last. I worked alone mostly too. Oh sure, I helped out the slayer. Got kind of fond of the little tart and her
pack. Well, some of them, anyway. But I had my own gig too, you know."
Spock nodded, although he was
not entirely certain what Spike was talking about. "Why do the books say that you
died?"
"Oh, that. Well, the Watchers…you know them?" When Spock nodded, the vampire continued,
"After some time, they got it in their heads to take me out. Couldn't believe I'd turned over a new leaf,
I guess. I think one of the demons I was
after gave them my name. Suddenly,
everywhere I turned there was some bookish guy with a pretentious accent
waiting for me with a crossbow or a stake or a sword. Got old real fast. Buffy got the idea to officially 'kill'
me. She did me all up with dark hair and
a beard and clothes that screamed loser, and I went underground, so to speak,
for a while. She let it out that my chip
had malfunctioned and she'd had to kill me.
It worked too. I continued
fighting the bad guys only looking a lot less cool. Once enough time had passed, I went back to
my old look. But I've kept a low profile
ever since. Secret identity kind of
thing."
"So you are good?"
Spike grabbed at his
heart. "There's no need to insult
me. Just when I thought we were getting
along great." He laughed out loud. "Yeah, I guess I'm good."
They were quiet for a while
as they worked. Some minutes later,
Spock said, "My people used to be savage.
Now we are not. But there is
always the beast in us. We keep it
hidden, but it is there. There are times
it comes out. We cannot stop it, no
matter how logical or meditative we are."
Spike gave him an approving
grin, "Then you can relate."
"Yes. I can."
He started to pick at the wall then turned back to Spike. "If you could have your chip removed,
would you?"
The vampire put down his ax
and gave Spock a penetrating look.
Lighting up a cigarette from the torch in the chamber, he mused,
"That's an interesting question.
I'm at peace now. But I can
remember what it felt like to run wild, to be free to act any way I wanted to. I loved being a monster." He took a deep puff, blew out smoke. "I don't know what I would do if I had
that back. I guess I'd probably kill
people. That's what vampires do. Even with the chip, if it hadn't caused me so
much pain, I'd have kept on doing it."
"There was a time that I
reverted to the savagery that was ancient Vulcan." At Spike's questioning look, Spock pursed his
lips. "I liked it." When Spike nodded in understanding, he
continued, "Interesting. I have
never told anyone that."
"No? Well, that's why we make such a good
team." He offered Spock one of his
cigarettes. "In this corner, Spock
of Vulcan and William the Bloody. Look
out, universe!"
"Exaggerated but
possibly true, nonetheless." Spock
replied, feeling the vampire's optimism rubbing off on him. He tentatively reached out for one of the
strange sticks, then walked to the torch to light it.
"Go gently, or you'll
choke on the smoke," Spike suggested.
Spock managed to get the
cigarette lit and after a few coughing fits got the hang of the
inhale-wait-exhale rhythm. He looked
over at Spike.
"A bloody excellent
team, that's what!" Spike grinned
at him.
They smoked in silence for a
while, until Spock asked, "Can you show me how you get it to come out your
nose?"
Spike laughed. "Sure.
And after that I'll teach you how to blow smoke rings."
***********************
"You go first,"
Christine said skeptically.
Drusilla gave her a look of
amused forbearance and held the beacon up to the skin of her stomach. It burrowed into her skin. The small hole left behind began to heal
seconds later. "Your turn."
"Right." Christine held the transmitter to her
skin. There was a moment of pain then
nothing as the beacon's anaesthetic went to work. She was bleeding rather strongly. She saw Drusilla's nostrils widen as the
vampire stared almost mesmerized at the sight.
Just when I was starting to almost like you, Christine thought, you
remind me what you really are. She gave
the vampire her most determined look.
"You go all vamp-face on me, and I swear I'll kill you right
now."
"I'm just glad it's
red." Drusilla laughed and the
tension was broken. "Temper,
temper. Here let me fix that up for
you." She reached for the
regenerator, but Christine got there first.
"I'll do it myself,
thanks." She held the small device
over the entry wound and watched as the hole completely disappeared. "Okay, then. Let's do it."
Drusilla led her to another
small room where she had supplies stockpiled.
Breaking into one of the cartons, Drusilla brought out a leather
box. Inside was a collection of very lethal
looking knives. "Take your pick,
Slayer."
Christine chose three
long-bladed daggers. Drusilla dug deeper
into the box and found some arm and leg sheaths. They both strapped them on, then the vampire
selected some small knives to put in hers.
She studied Christine a moment then handed her two more knives and a
double wrist sheath. At Christine's look
of surprise, she retorted, "Well, I didn't bring you all the way out here
to have you die halfway through the adventure for lack of weapons. We've wasted enough time, let's go."
Christine followed her back
to the bridge. Uhura turned as they
entered.
"Ready to initiate
homing beacon at your command."
Drusilla beamed at her. "Do it."
Uhura bent over the console
for a second, then a pinging sound rang out over the monitors. "That's it. Two beacons received." She studied the readings for a moment.
"They are definitely in two different people now."
Drusilla's ecstatic laughter
filled the room. She twirled in
happiness, then grabbed Christine to include her in the euphoria.
For a moment, Christine
allowed herself to be pulled along by the other woman, spinning wildly as she
had not done since she was a child.
No! She wrenched away. This has to stop. She's a monster. She looked at Drusilla. The vampire gave her a hurt look then walked
over to Uhura. "Can you beam them
out of there?"
Uhura tried several settings
for the transporter then sat back in resignation. "No.
As we expected, the dotrinium seems to be interfering."
Christine walked up to stand
next to Drusilla. "Then how do we
get in?"
Uhura brought up a schematic
of the caverns. She pointed to a large
chamber. "This appears to be some
sort of common area. The dotrinium
content is much lower here. I'm
relatively sure I can get you in here."
If it was possible, Drusilla
went whiter than her normally blanched complexion. "Relatively sure?"
Uhura looked up at the other
women. "This isn't my
specialty. I know I could get you to the
surface with no problem. But then you'd have
too far to go. This is your best
bet. And you'll have to return to this
room for me to get you out. Comms will
be intermittent at best anywhere but that chamber. I'll be monitoring your progress but without
command of the transporters I won't be able to beam you out. You will have to do that, Drusilla. Unless you want to transfer control of the
transporters to me for the duration?"
Drusilla laughed. "Not likely, little one. What reason would the slayer have to help me
rescue Spike, if she wasn't dependent on me to get us back?" Uhura slumped back disappointed. Drusilla patted her shoulder. "Oh, don't be sad, ducks. It was a good attempt."
She motioned for Christine to
precede her to the center of the room.
The other vampires watched them both intently.
"I'd prefer to take you
with me," Drusilla told them.
"But I need you up here to guard the prisoners." She took a quick last glance around the
bridge. "Computer, energize."
***********************
Seconds after the vampire and
Christine disappeared, Uhura hit a button on her console. Drusilla's voice, scratchy as if with
interference, rang out.
"Computer. Transfer all
major controls back to the shuttle."
"Specify."
Uhura saw the vampires begin
to move toward her. She hit another
button and Drusilla's voice rang out again.
"To Uhura."
"Affirmative."
Uhura spoke frantically as
the first vampire growled and reached for her.
"Computer, execute program Uhura314. Now!"
The vampires all disappeared. She
stood up shakily. She had not been sure
this plan would work. At first, Drusilla
had said little to her and watched her constantly. But over time the vampire had become more and
more bored and had loosened up. Talking
more and giving her the chance to lay the groundwork for the plan. She looked over at McCoy. He had not moved at all through the whole
operation. Walking to him, she grabbed
his shoulders. "Len, wake up."
Nothing. She shook him but there was no response. "Leonard McCoy, this is for your own
good." She slapped him hard across
the face. No effect. She raised her hand to hit him again, and his
own reached out and stopped her.
"Is that the way you say
hello to the man that loves you?"
She hugged him happily, then
filled him on what was happening.
He groaned as he rose from
the chair, muscles screaming from lack of use.
"So, where are the vampires?"
Uhura gave him an evil
smile. "I beamed them into
space."
McCoy checked the
viewscreen. There was only empty
darkness in front of them. "Where
are they?"
"Not that part of
space. I'm afraid my calculations were a
bit off. I sent them to the sunny side
of the planet."
He gave her a conspiratorial
smile, "You need to work on your math, my dear. As a physician, I feel compelled to remind
you that I am in the business of saving not taking lives."
"But they're dead
already."
"Well then, problem
solved." He hugged her close. Then they both turned to the monitors where
four lights were coming closer together.
"What can we do for them?"
"Nothing," Uhura
replied in frustration. "That
dotrinium is interfering with our ability to beam them out of the smaller
chambers. And it's playing havoc with
the sensors. I have no idea which light
is whose down there."
"I hate to just sit
here."
She grinned at him. "Then don't. I'll stay here and monitor their
progress. You scour this vessel for
anything at all that could be used as a weapon against them. I want Christine and Spock to have the best
advantage we can give them when they get back."
McCoy nodded and left the
room to forage. He didn't hear Uhura
whisper as she turned back to the confusion on the screen, "If they get
back."
***********************
Christine and Drusilla
materialized between two tables in what appeared to be the dining hall. The room was empty except for some prisoners
cooking in the kitchen off to the side.
The smell of food combined with dotrinium vapor made Christine feel
sick.
Drusilla pulled Christine
into the shadows as a guard appeared in the corridor. He did a quick check on those preparing the
food, then turned to go back to the miners.
The vampire stepped in front of him.
What the hell is she doing?
Christine thought furiously.
Drusilla seemed to shrink in
on herself, every inch a frail and helpless human female. "Please, sir?"
Now I know why she's lasted
all these years, Christine realized. The
guard was actually falling for her act.
"How did you get down
here?" The Kaldori's hand was on
his sword, but he hadn't drawn it yet.
He looked Drusilla up and down, then released his grip on his sword as
he dismissed her as a threat.
"I'm lost," her
voice became soothing. "I'm so
lost." Her eyes bored into his
until his mouth went slack and he stood motionless.
Damn, she's good, Christine
thought.
Drusilla stood very close to
the guard. "I've lost some
people. A Vulcan with pointy ears and a
human with very light hair. Do you know
where they are?"
The guard seemed to struggle
against her control for a moment, but he quieted as she stroked the side of his
face. Finally he spoke. "They are in the tenth chamber from this
room."
"Thank you, my
sweet." Her other hand stroked the
opposite cheek. Suddenly she tightened
her grasp and twisted. The guard fell to
the ground, his neck broken.
"Did you have to do that?"
Christine asked as she helped Drusilla drag the body into a shadowy
recess. "We could have used
him!"
"No, he was fighting my
control. He would have sounded the
alarm." There was not a tinge of
remorse in the vampire's voice. She
peeked around the corner into the corridor, pulled back abruptly as a
contingent of Kaldori came striding past.
"The corridor is full of guards."
"Well, now what? We don't exactly blend in here. We can't just stride down the hall?"
Drusilla gave Christine a
satisfied smile. "If we can't get
to them, they'll just have to come to us."
When Christine looked puzzled, she tapped the slayer's forehead none too
gently. "Use that mental connection
you have with the Vulcan, girl. Do I
have to think of everything?"
Christine mentally kicked
herself. She had completely forgotten
that she could call to him that way. Was
the ability that new, she wondered, or would she never get used to relying on
someone other than just herself? She
hoped that their proximity was enough to facilitate this. She'd never tried it from so far away before.
*Spock?*
***********************
Spock stopped mid swing, his
ax trembling as he felt Christine's mind voice call to him.
Spike looked over. "Something wrong with you?"
"They are here,"
Spock said, as he also sent back a message to her * Christine.*
He felt her relief come coursing back to him. *We are both here.*
Her mind voice was strong,
*Hold on for instructions.*
*Understood.* Spock turned his attention back to Spike, who
was bouncing around him, peppering him with questions.
"What do you mean
they're here? Can you hear them? Where are they? Why don't they just beam us out? I thought that's what this stupid beacon
thing is for?"
"Hush," Spock said
firmly, as he tried to sense Christine's thoughts.
Spike scowled at him. "I'll thank you not to take that tone
with me. I thought we were mates?"
Spock looked genuinely
startled. "If I have given you the
impression that I was interested in you romantically, then I must
apologize."
"Huh?" Spike started to laugh. "No, mates is a word for you know,
buddies, compadres, comrades-in-arms."
His smile turned to a glare.
"Hey, did you think I was a poof?
I can't believe that! Not that I
have a problem with that, if that's how you swing, you know. I just like birds, okay?"
Again, Spock had no idea what
Spike was talking about but he decided to simply agree. "Okay."
"All right then. So how do you know that they are here?"
"I can speak
mind-to-mind with Christine. She is with
Drusilla."
"Good for them. What are we supposed to do?" He stopped talking as Spock's face took on
the far away expression he had displayed when the slayer first contacted him. "Bloody weird, is what I say."
*Spock?*
*Christine. What should we do?*
*We are in the dining
room. We are too conspicuous to come
down to you. Can you try to make your
way to us? We will help you if you run into
trouble, but you need to make it as far as you can on your own.*
*Stand by.* Spock turned to the vampire. "We have to go to them. They are in the dining area."
Spike looked over at the
sled. It was nearly full. "If we get these last two pieces in, we
can push this to the storage area. Then
it’s a hop, skip, and a jump to where they are."
Spock nodded agreement and
explained the task to Christine. He and
Spike turned their attention to the dotrinium, working double time to get the
last few chunks out so that they could fill the sled. Finally they were done.
*We are ready.*
*Be careful.*
He and Spike carried the
dotrinium out to the sled and began to push the heavy load down the
corridor. Either of them could have done
it alone, but they pretended to strain as they moved the sled slowly past the
other chambers. They stopped at the
storage room. Down the hall they could
see the entrance to the dining room.
The Kaldori at the door to
the storage area cuffed Spock roughly.
"Get back to work."
They started to unload the
sled, watching as more guards filled the corridor. Finally there was a moment when most of the
Kaldori were elsewhere. Spock looked
over at Spike, who nodded understanding immediately. He got up to move, but the guard grabbed hold
of his shoulder. Spike's arm swung back
in an instinctive reaction, and he immediately clutched his head in pain as the
chip took control.
Spock reached over and
despite the massive Kaldori shoulder muscles found the right spot. The guard crumpled.
Spike stood amazed. "Handy, that. Think you could teach me?"
"Later." Spock said
as several other guards came rushing down the corridor. "Run!" He and Spike took off for the dining
area. But before they covered half the
distance, more guards rushed into the corridor from that end, effectively
blocking their way. Several of the
guards unsheathed their swords.
"Now what?" Spike
asked a bit desperately.
***********************
"Aaaiiieeee!" Drusilla's scream of fury echoed through the
corridor. She swung the sword she had
taken from the dead guard. The head of
the nearest Kaldori went flying. Two
others turned toward her.
Christine saw another guard
emerge from the shadows behind them. His
sword was drawn as he advanced toward the unsuspecting vampire.
"Dru!" Spike yelled
out in warning. "Behind you."
Before Drusilla could turn,
Christine had drawn one of her daggers and launched it at the guard. It caught him in the throat. He fell to his knees, clutching at the knife. Then he fell over silently.
His sword dropped at the
vampire's feet. She picked it up, turned
and looked at Christine with a speculative glance. Making her mind up suddenly, she tossed the
sword to Christine. "Here. Just don't use it on me." Shaking her head, as if not believing her own
actions, Drusilla flung herself into battle with the next guard.
Christine spared a moment to
see Spock pick up the sword still in the sheath of the guard lying on the
ground near them. He pushed Spike behind
him to keep him safe from the advancing Kaldori coming down the opposite end of
the corridor.
I hope we know what we're
doing, Christine thought wildly, as she raised her sword in time to parry a
blow from a nearby guard. Her other hand
had already pulled out a dagger, which she thrust into his chest. The guard grunted twice then went down.
*Christine!* She whirled in
time to see a dagger flying toward her chest.
She had no time to move, but another dagger flew through the air,
knocking the first one off course. Christine
looked over at Drusilla, who shot her a feral grin before going after the
thrower of the knife.
Motion near Spock caught
Christine's eyes. It was Spike, and he
was moving the half-loaded sled of dotrinium.
He pushed it past Spock then upended it between them and the Kaldori. The pile wasn't high enough to block them
completely but it was making it tough for them to advance with any kind of
ease. Spike and Spock rushed down the
corridor toward the dining area.
A handful of guards stood
between them and the women. Christine
saw a guard lunge for Spike and witnessed Spock in an unusually vicious move
grab the Kaldori and snap his neck.
"Thanks,
mate!" Spike pointed to Christine,
who was facing three guards. "You
might want to help your girl, eh?"
Spock advanced from behind,
taking out one of the guards before he knew what hit him.
Christine made short work of
the other two, using the dagger to stab one in the heart, and nearly beheading
the other with the sword. She turned to
check on Drusilla.
The vampire was playing with
the last guard. There was no other word
for it. Like a cat with a mouse, she
would slap him down then let him rise and nearly get away before knocking him
down again. Christine felt vaguely
sickened, even given her dislike of the Kaldori. "Finish it," she yelled. "We don't have much time before
reinforcements arrive."
Drusilla turned, her face in
full vamp mode. She snarled at the
slayer. "I'll be done here when I
say I'm done."
"Dru. Baby."
Spike moved closer to the woman.
"Let's go then? You got what
you came for right. You came for
me?"
She turned to him, her face
reverting back, a lost look in her eyes.
"Spike?"
"Yeah, baby, it's
me. Let's go, okay?"
She nodded and looked down at
the guard. He was reaching for something
in his pocket. Her foot connected with
his head and there was a loud snapping sound.
He fell to the ground, permanently stilled.
"Nice," Christine
observed dryly.
Drusilla reached into the
Kaldori's pocket, drew out a small hand weapon, held it up for the rest to
see. "He could have taken us all
out with this." She pointed it in
Spock and Christine's direction. "Now
it will just be used on you two."
Christine felt her mind
freeze as she stared down at the weapon.
She frantically tried to come up with a plan, felt Spock's mind in the
background of her own trying to do the same.
*It's no use,* she thought to him desperately, *I don't think we're
going to get out of this one alive.* She
felt her body tensing for the blast of the gun.
Instead she heard Spike's voice.
"Oh, for god sake's,
love, use that brain of yours."
When Drusilla looked at him in confusion, he continued. "We could use these two with us. That crew you picked up is useless, these
two, once you make them like us, will be far more reliable. And you've gotta love the irony of turning a
Slayer." When she began to smile,
Spike continued, "No need to kill them now, Dru." He reached over and gently took the gun from
her and stuffed it into his own pocket.
"Let's get out of here."
Christine felt her muscles
relax and was afraid for a moment that she wouldn't be able to stand. Spike had just given them the chance they
needed. And she believed, and she could
tell Spock did too, that somehow the vampire knew exactly what he had
done.
As the four of them hurried
to the dining area and found their places, Drusilla touched her communicator
and firmly said, "Shuttle, four to beam up."
***********************
Uhura watched as the four
points of light moved quickly to the large chamber. "I need you," she yelled to
McCoy. When Drusilla's voice came over
the comms, she pushed the buttons to activate transport. She analyzed the readings in the buffer,
McCoy looking over her shoulder.
"This is definitely Vulcan," she pointed to part of the string
of code, "And this looks substantially different from the other two."
"I agree. Do it."
Uhura made some adjustments
and the transporter whined, leaving a surprised Spock and Christine in its
wake.
"What the…?" Christine looked over at her friend and broke
into a broad grin. "You, Nyota
Cambugi Uhura are my hero!" She
walked to the other woman and gave her a big hug. She was shocked when Spock pushed both her
and McCoy out of the way. "What is
wrong with you?"
"Get him back."
Uhura looked up at him
uncomprehendingly. "Who?"
Spock's normally stoic face
was rife with irritation.
"Spike. Release him from the
buffer. Now."
She looked at him
helplessly. "I don't think I
can. How do you tell them apart?"
He moved to look at the
readings and Uhura hurriedly vacated the chair.
Slowly he tuned the data, finally settling on the reading he
wanted. "The chip. The chip sets him apart." He moved to beam Spike into the shuttle.
Christine's hand on his
stopped him. "Spock, what's got
into you? He's a vampire."
"Yes, he is, but he is
one that I have grown"--Spock stopped to choose his words
carefully--"fond of." He
pushed the button.
"Okay, then, now we can
all get out of here…" Spike's voice trailed off as he took in the four
humans staring at him. He looked around
for Drusilla. "Where is she? What the hell have you done with Dru?"
Spock moved forward. "There is much to talk about."
***********************
As a flabbergasted Christine
looked on, Spock led Spike off the bridge and to the medical room.
"She's not dead, is
she?" the vampire asked angrily.
"No. She is in the transporter buffer."
"And why is she in
there?" He reached into his pocket,
pulled out the little weapon. Suddenly
he turned it on Spock. "Don't make me fire, owwwww bollocks!" The vampire dropped the gun and fell to the
floor in pain.
Spock picked up the gun and
moved it out of the way. "Spike,
you don't want to hurt me."
"The hell I don't. That's my girl you've got in there. And I want her back."
"Yes, that is what I
want to talk to you about." Spock
reached for a medical instrument, "But first I need to scan your brain,
see exactly what this chip is doing to you."
"You can do that? Cool."
Spike hopped onto one of the diagnostic tables, and sat still as Spock
began to scan his brain.
Spock worked for a few
moments, then turned the machine off.
Spike relaxed and reached
into his pocket, drawing out his package of cigarettes. He pulled one out then offered the pack to
Spock.
"I do not think that
Christine would approve of this habit."
Spike leaned forward. "Christine isn't here, mate." As the Vulcan pulled a cigarette out, Spike
winked. "We'll need something to
light it."
Spock picked up an instrument
and reset it. He lit his own cigarette,
then handed the instrument to Spike.
Spike handed it back. "So what do we have to talk about?"
"Your future. Yours and Drusilla's."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean to offer you a
choice. A choice for how you want to
live in the future. Do you want to be
good or to be savage?"
Spike pointed to his head,
"Not much choice, friend. But I
appreciate the sentiment."
"What if we could remove
the chip?"
Spike looked up in
shock. "Remove the chip? Nobody has been able to."
"What if we could? There are planets in this galaxy that are
inhospitable to humans but that you and Dru could live on. You would have to get used to feeding on
blood of different colors." Spock
lifted an eyebrow at the vampire.
"Real funny." Spike's face became serious. "You'd do that, put us down there and
just strand us there? Sporting of you
and all, but not that smart an idea in my opinion."
"There is another
option." Spock took another long
drag off the cigarette then blew a perfect ring toward the ceiling.
"Hey, good one! So what's this other option?"
"We give Drusilla a chip
too. And perhaps some work on her mental
state. I would have to have Dr. McCoy
check her out to see if we could do that, but from my initial scans of you I
believe we could at least create a chip for her."
Spike looked skeptical,
"So you put the chip in her, then what?"
"Then we observe her for
a while to make sure it works, that it does not cause additional
problems."
"And then you just let
us go?"
"That would be my
recommendation to my captain, yes."
Spike hopped off the bed,
stubbed out his cigarette on the covering.
The smell of melting plastic filled the room. "I need some time to think about
this."
"Yes, I anticipated
that."
"What the hell is that
smell?" McCoy came barreling into
the small medical room.
Christine was not far behind
him. "What are you doing,
Spock?"
He took another deep drag
then dropped the cigarette on the floor and stamped it out. "Quitting."
Christine gave him a
disbelieving expression. "What's
come over you?"
"Just some late life
rebellion. I believe I am over it
now." He turned to McCoy, "I
would like you to run some scans on Spike's chip to see if it is possible for
you to replicate a copy to be put in Drusilla."
McCoy looked at him
astounded. "I'm a doctor not a
machinist, Spock." He smiled over
at Spike, who had laughed out loud at his comment. "At last, an appreciative audience. Figures you're just visiting." He grabbed the scanner. "Just relax, young man, and let's see
what's up there."
"I like him," Spike
told Spock.
"Yes, well, there is no
accounting for taste." He joined
Christine at the door. "Let me know
when you have come to your decision."
***********************
"I don't understand,
Spock." Christine paced ahead of
him as they made their way to the bridge.
He rushed to catch her,
grabbed her arm so that she spun around into his arms. "Christine. Do you not trust me?"
"I used to. But the Spock I trusted doesn't sit around
bonding with vampires. And what was that
thing you had in your mouth?"
"I was smoking. And perhaps you do not know me as well as you
think. Just as you do not really know
Spike."
"And you do?"
"I think so, yes. Time will tell." He pulled her chin up so that he could find
her lips with his own, effortlessly switched from words to thoughts. *I had no doubt that you would come for me.*
She kissed him back,
reluctantly at first, then more energetically. *You are trying to distract me.*
*Is it working?* His mind voice was rich with tender humor.
*Yes. You son of a bitch.*
*Leave my mother out of this,
Christine.* Spock pulled her
closer. *I know that you have been
trained to see vampires as bad. But
perhaps there are varying degrees of bad?*
He felt her disagreement, *I
thought that about Drusilla, but every time I started to trust her, she did
something else to remind me that she is a demon, pure and simple.*
*But she is not a demon, pure
and simple, if she could do something to make you think she was not. Or perhaps being a demon is not as
straightforwardly evil a thing as you want to think?*
He could tell he had reached
her, that she was considering his position.
He let her go and grabbed her
hand for a moment as he led her to the bridge.
"Shall we go see where Lieutenant Uhura has decided to take us
now?"
Christine laughed as she let
his hand drop. "Who knows what kind
of monster we've created there."
"Indeed," he said,
as he looked at her fondly.
*******************
The shuttle had just cleared
the Federation blockade. They were
waiting until they were safely away before hailing the Enterprise. Uhura had offered to give up the helm to Spock
but he had refused.
"You appear to be
enjoying yourself far too much for me to deny you."
She laughed as she turned
back to the viewscreen. "Why thank
you, Mr. Spock. You're an officer and a
gentleman."
"And a bad boy,
too," Christine chimed in. She and
Uhura laughed, and Spock's stern glance only set them off more.
"Enterprise to
Shuttle."
They all snapped to
attention. Uhura hit the comm
switch. "Shuttle here."
Spock interrupted,
"Enterprise, how did you know we were here?"
Kirk's voice came over the
line. "We've been watching for
anything and everything. Are you aware
that there are three beacons going off somewhere in your ship?"
Spock exchanged a sheepish
look with Christine. "We will
attend to those immediately, Captain.
Thank you for the information."
"I take it everything is
okay?" Kirk's voice was curious and
just a bit wary.
Spock surmised that the
captain would be running scans to make sure his friends were coming back alive
and not undead. "Yes, sir. But there is a bit of a complication. I will explain it to you when we get there,
which should be in approximately three point two hours."
"We'll be expecting you
then. The shuttle bay is ready. Kirk out."
Spock looked over at
Christine who had already extracted her beacon.
She handed him the tool and he soon had his out as well. He hailed the medical room. "Spock to Dr. McCoy."
"McCoy here," the
doctor answered cheerfully. Whistling
could be heard in the background.
"Doctor. Please be sure to remove Spike's
transmitter. It is located…"
"I know where it is
located, Spock. I was just about to take
it out when you interrupted me. Now, if
there isn't anything else?"
"No, Doctor."
"Then McCoy"--they
heard another voice in the background, then chuckles from both men--"and
Spike out."
"Speaking of creating a
monster." Christine laughed.
***********************
An hour later, McCoy came
onto the bridge. He looked over at
Spock, "He wants to talk to you."
Spock rose immediately and
found Spike in the medical room smoking another cigarette. The vampire offered Spock another one, but
this time he refused with a gentle look.
Spock noticed that McCoy had set the vampire up with a petrie dish to
stub out the cigarettes. Spike saw him
glance at the makeshift ashtray and said, "He told me not to wreck any
more furniture."
Spock moved to stand across
from Spike. "I take it you have
made your decision?"
"Yeah. But it wasn't easy." The vampire waved the cigarette at him as he
talked. "I mean, to go back to
being the way I was...that is so tempting.
To be afraid of nothing and nobody.
Able to do some damage again."
He got a wistful look. "Able
to drink blood that's not reheated. Oh
yeah, that would be great."
Spock prompted,
"But?"
"But, well, I sort of
left something out when I told you my story.
It has to do with a soul."
"A soul?"
Spike nodded. "Bigger pain than the chip ever was, as
it turns out. But I'm stuck with
it. And I guess I've gotten used to this
being good gig...sort of like it, in fact.
So yeah, I'd like the chance to roam the galaxy with Dru. That is
assuming she will forgive me for this. I
remember how angry she was with me the last time I made a deal with the white
hats and this is going to be a good sight worse in her book."
"She may never forgive
you. What will you do then?"
"Same as I did before, I
guess. Go on without her."
Spock nodded his
approval. "We will be at the
Enterprise shortly. We need to do this
quickly so that she can get acclimated to her new state before you two move
on."
"Do you really think
that your captain will just turn us loose?
From what Dru said she gave him a pretty hard time."
"Yes, she did, but I
believe that I can persuade him, provided there are no problems with the
chip."
"Well then, let's do
it. You'll need me to help you subdue
her. And I think you'll find that the
good doctor made up a knock out drug based on my specifications." He smiled in satisfaction when Spock held up
the hypospray. "So let's get to it,
eh." Now that he had made up his
mind, Spike seemed in a hurry to get the whole thing over with.
Spock nodded and they walked
together to the bridge, stood near the small transporter pads. He turned to the others. "Christine, we may need your help. Dr. McCoy, please stand by." He waited until Christine came to stand at
his side. "Lieutenant Uhura, you
can let Drusilla out of the buffer."
Drusilla appeared in front of
Spike. She threw herself into his arms,
"Spike, love, I thought I'd never get you back."
He rubbed her back, all the
while kissing her passionately.
"Shh, baby. Shhh, Dru. You know I love you, right?"
"I wasn't sure. You were so mad at me."
He stroked her hair off her
face. "Yeah baby, just like you
were mad at me. But we're done being
angry with each other, yes?"
She smiled up at him. "Forever and always, my
darling." She stiffened as she felt
Spock push the hypospray against her neck.
"What are you doing?"
She was out before she could say anything else.
Spike caught her, picked her
up and carried her back to the lab. He
eased her down on the bed. "Forever
and always, Dru."
The others followed, leaving
Uhura at the controls.
McCoy went to the counter and
picked up a small device. "Took the
liberty of making this while we were waiting.
It's just like yours, Spike.
Pretty remarkable technology for the 20th century."
"Military."
McCoy looked at the chip with
disgust. "Figures." He saw that Christine had already gathered
the instruments he would need. "Just
like old times, Chris."
She didn't smile as she
handed him the first tool. "Not
quite, Len."
The operation took virtually
no time. "Should work just like
yours." McCoy said with
satisfaction.
"Except for that whole
insanity bit," Christine interjected.
She ignored the glare that Spike shot her.
McCoy reached for another
instrument. "Well, let's just see
if we can do something about that."
He worked for some time, not even noticing when Christine left. Finally, he turned off the instrument and
looked at Spike. His expression was
grim. "I'm sorry, son."
Spock watched as the good
humor that had filled the vampire throughout the procedure deserted him.
"There's nothing you can
do?"
McCoy shook his head
sadly. "It's not a chemical
imbalance. Maybe, in time, with lots of
therapy…"
Spike stroked her face.
"No, Doc. She's just this
way." He stiffened his
shoulders. "But that's all right. It's not like I ever knew her when she wasn't
crazy. I mean I fell in love with her
and maybe I wouldn't if she were sane."
McCoy just smiled grimly and
began to clear up the instruments. He
shot a glance at Spock. Shook his head
helplessly.
As he went to help Uhura and
Christine with docking, Spock tried to ignore the sound of Spike crooning to
Drusilla.
"Forever and always,
Dru. Forever and always." It seemed to echo down the corridor.
***********************
Once the little ship was
safely inside the shuttle bay, Spock and Christine moved Drusilla to a holding
facility in the brig. Spike assured them
that the forcefields would keep her inside the chamber.
"I know from experience,
and those were only 20th century forcefields."
Spike refused to leave
Drusilla's side, waiting for her to wake up.
Christine and Spock stood outside with several hyposprays.
"So what if this works,
Spock? What do you propose doing with
them?"
"If all goes as planned,
I will recommend that they be allowed to take their ship and go."
She looked at him
aghast. "You can't be
serious!"
His expression did not change
as he watched the vampires. "I
am."
"They're vampires,
Spock. Why can't you get that through
your thick Vulcan head?"
"You sound like Doctor
McCoy, Christine. They are vampires that
cannot harm anyone. Moreover, Spike has
no desire to harm anyone. I believe that
changes the equation."
She sighed
long-sufferingly. "This isn't going
to end well, Spock. I can feel it in my
bones."
He did not look at her. "Then let us hope your bones are
wrong."
They were saved from
degenerating into a real fight by Drusilla's waking movements. Spike rubbed her arms, murmuring to her. She stretched languorously, then stiffened as
she remembered what happened.
"You! You betrayed me."
"No, Dru. It's not what you think. I had to do it. For us, baby.
For you and me. Forever and
always, remember."
"You had to do
what?" She rubbed her face. "Ohhh, my head feels funny. What did you do to me?"
Spike looked out at
Christine. She handed the hypo to Spock
and dropped the force field.
"Drusilla. It's going to be all right." She braced herself for the expected attack.
The vampire did not
disappoint her. She practically flew at
the slayer, screaming at the top of her lungs in anger. Before she even got close, her screams turned
to shrieks of pain. She fell to the
floor, curling into a small bundle as the chip spread searing agony through her
head. Spike rushed to her, motioning for
Christine to leave.
"Well, we know it
works," she whispered to Spock.
"How could you,"
Drusilla moaned. She hit Spike's hands
away from her. "How could you? I would have searched the entire universe for
the means to get that chip out of your head.
And now you let them put one in me?
Why?" She whimpered into the
floor. He reached to comfort her and
again her hands hit out at her. She sat
up, "What's this? I can hurt
you?" She gave him an evil smile,
then aimed a furious punch at his head.
He ducked. She went for him
again, her screams becoming louder, her words more and more incoherent.
Spike looked over at Spock a
little desperately. "Now would be a
good time, chum!"
Spock handed the hypospray
back to Christine who worked her way around to Drusilla's back. Just as the woman had her hands around
Spike's neck, Christine pushed the hypo against her neck and let the drugs rush
into her veins. Drusilla jerked once
then dropped nervelessly into Spike's waiting arms. He set her gently on the bench and rubbed his
neck gingerly.
Christine took in his
dejected look. "It's going to be
hours before she wakes again. Why don't
you take a break?" She ignored
Spock's look of approval, as she said, "C'mon, I'll give you a tour of the
ship."
"Not really in the
mood." Spike looked back at the now
sleeping Drusilla.
"There is nothing you
can do here. Come, I will teach you the
nerve pinch." Spock's tone was
gentle.
Spike perked up
noticeably. "That would be right
handy, given my situation. You really
think you could teach me?"
Spock motioned the vampire
out of brig. "We cannot determine
that without further study."
The vampire turned to
Christine. "Can't say anything the
easy way, can he? Sounds like a watcher
sometimes."
"Bite your tongue,"
she ordered. But even she was beginning
to get caught up in Spike's infectious energy.
"I'd rather bite yours,
slayer." He gave her a lascivious
look, then, at Spock's disapproving glare, he protested, "Hey she's a
good-looking woman but it's not like I'd try to take her away from you, mate."
Spock astounded Christine by
saying, "It is not like you could."
***********************
Two hours later, Christine
walked into the gym expecting to see just Spock and Spike but there was a small
crowd on the mats. She pushed herself
through until she could see what was going on.
Lying on the ground were about half a dozen men. Several were just waking up; the others were
all in what looked like peaceful slumber.
As she watched, another crewman walked up to Spike and said, "I'm
game."
Spock positioned him so he
was facing the vampire, then turned to Spike.
"You must learn to do this from all directions."
Spike grinned at him and
reached for the man's neck. He slumped
immediately. Spock caught him and
dragged him to where the other volunteers were lying.
Spike saw her standing
there. "Hey, Christine! You wanna give this a shot?"
"Not on your
life." She looked around, "How
in the hell did you get all these helpers?"
Spock lifted up a small
pad. "I have a number of rations
saved up. They are an effective
inducement."
"You're bribing them in
other words?"
Spike looked at her in
annoyance, "Yeah, that's what he said.
She's a sticky one, mate." He looked around. "Okay, who's next?" Several hands went up and Spike picked one at
random. This went on for several more
rounds until Spock was satisfied that the vampire had the technique down. They waited for all the stunned crewmen to
wake up, then walked back to Drusilla's chamber.
Spock looked at Spike with
approval. "You are the first human
that I have been able to teach this to."
"No, I'm the first
vampire you've taught this to. You
shouldn't think of me as human in this instance."
He shouldn't think of you as
human in any instance, Christine thought grimly, as she trailed along behind
them.
***********************
Drusilla was just waking up
when they got back. She glared at Spike
as he entered the room. "Don't
touch me, you!" She sat swaying slowly from side to side, singing a song
so low that none of them could make out the tune. Every time Spike approached her, she hissed
at him like a cat and said, "Get away from me."
He looked at Christine and
Spock. "Better give us some time
alone. We can work this out. I know it."
They left him. For the next day, he spent every moment with
Drusilla, trying to console her, trying to get through to her. McCoy, Spock, and Christine took turns
stopping in to see how he was progressing.
Each time it seemed the same. But
late in the evening, while she was working out in the gym with stakes and a
punching bag, Christine got a frantic hail from the brig.
"You've got to
come. She's better!" Christine found herself smiling at the
vampire's obvious joy. She hailed Spock
but he was already on his way. She met
him in the corridor.
"Stakes,
Christine?"
She looked down at the ones
stuck in the pockets of the loose pants she exercised in. "I was working out." At his nod of understanding, she continued,
"From the sound of Spike's voice, I won't need these with either of
them."
"So it would seem."
He gave her one of his rare half-smiles as they entered the brig. Drusilla was sitting quietly in Spike's
arms. He was speaking to her softly,
tenderly smoothing her hair off her face.
He really loves her,
Christine realized. Maybe this will all
work out for him.
Spock dropped the barrier and
they approached the couple.
"She's not happy about
what's happened, but she can live with it," Spike told them. "We're going to be together now. The way it should be."
"No!" The horrible
cry that came from Drusilla startled them all, she launched herself again at
Christine, apparently ignoring the pain she was obviously feeling.
Without thinking, Christine
had the stake out and ready when Drusilla crashed against her. At the last minute she tried to pull it back,
causing the stake to not quite penetrate the heart.
The vampire stared at her and
a look of peace crossed her face.
"Slayer and vampire, caught in the moment of conflict." She turned her head to look at Spike. "This, my love, this is the way it
should be."
To Christine's horror, she
felt Drusilla push into the stake, forcing it the final few inches. She turned to dust immediately.
"Dru," Spike's wail
was the most tragic thing Christine had ever heard.
"I didn't mean…"
She looked desperately at Spock, his eyes held no censure, just immense
sadness. "I didn't mean
to." She walked to Spike, he looked
at her with hatred for a moment, then he broke down. Tears streamed down his face. He looked so lost that Christine took him in
her arms and rocked him, all the while repeating, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
***********************
Hours later, Spock found the
vampire on the observation deck. He was
staring out into space. Spock joined
him, standing next to him and studying the star pattern, wondering what Spike
was seeing.
"I have talked to the
captain. He agreed that you should be
allowed to go. He expresses his sympathy
for your loss."
Spike laughed bitterly,
"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's real sad to see her gone."
There was nothing to say to
that, so Spock asked, "Where will you go?"
The vampire shrugged as if it
didn't matter, as if it would never matter again. "Dunno."
"You will be safer
now. The nerve pinch should serve you
well. I have also added a small cache of
neural paralyzers to your ship. They can
only stun, not kill, so you should be able to fire them."
Spike turned to look at him
then. "Why are you doing this? Who appointed you my champion?"
Spock returned his gaze. "I find that I cannot explain it
logically. But I see myself in you. I see my situation in yours. I see Vulcans in vampires. I resonate with your predicament in ways I
never expected to." He floundered
for words. "As I said, it is not
logical."
"That's why you gave me
a choice."
"There was no
choice."
Spike looked at him
confused. "What do you mean there
was no choice? I was there,
remember? You gave me the choice, I
chose to be good."
"Yes. I told you there
was a choice. But there was not. I knew that as soon as I scanned your
brain. The chip has been in place too
long. It is part of your cerebral cortex
now. To remove it would kill you. There was no choice."
Spike looked stricken. "Why?"
"Because I wanted you to
choose to be good. I didn't want you to
be good just because of some chip in your brain. I wanted you to turn away from the beast that
is within you of your own accord."
"You wanted me to be
like you?"
Spock nodded silently. Then turned to the vampire. "I have caused you great harm. I can never make amends for this."
Spike put his hand on Spock's
shoulder. "No. It's nobody's fault. Drusilla could never live this way. She was the perfect monster, because she was
lost to reason, to sanity. I loved her,
and I will love her till the day I go up in a puff of dust. But I was a fool to think she could live like
this." He let his arm drop. "And, in a way, I'm glad you lied to
me. I'm glad I thought I had a choice. Because now I know. I know which way I choose to be. And I wouldn't know that without
you." He pulled out a pack of
cigarettes.
"You cannot smoke those
onboard."
"Says you and what
army?" The vampire laughed
recklessly as he lit one up.
"C'mon, walk me to my ship?"
As they entered the shuttle
bay, both were surprised to see McCoy and Christine waiting for them. He was supervising some crewman loading
medical supplies onto the shuttle, and she held a wrapped package in her hands.
"I was worried about
your blood supply. I'm giving you some
that is freeze dried. That way, if your
refrigeration goes out…" McCoy trailed
off uncomfortably. "God, son, I'm
so damned sorry. This is not the way it
was supposed to turn out." He shook
the hand that Spike extended and then hurried out of the bay.
Spike turned to Christine.
"I thought you would
want this...to remember her."
He looked at her in surprise,
then unwrapped the present. It was a
small portrait of Drusilla, obviously rendered by a loving hand. "How did you find this? I painted this centuries ago. It was lost."
"It still is. There was a small picture of the original in
one of the Watchers' books. I had the
computer blow it up and restore it to some semblance of its original
state. It was the least I could
do." She looked away, embarrassed
and more than a little guilty.
"For a slayer, you're
all right, you know that?" He
pulled her to him and gave her a quick kiss.
"Now get out of here, you two.
Don't you have some shagging to do?"
Christine looked at Spock in
confusion.
"I will explain
later," he assured her.
"Live long and prosper,
Spike." Spock saluted him in the
Vulcan tradition.
"Don't have much choice
on the first, but I'll do my best on the second." Spike held up his index and middle finger in
a 'v', "Peace, kiddies." Then
he disappeared into his ship.
As the shuttle's doors
closed, Spock and Christine retreated to the safety of the observation deck to
watch as the bay doors opened and the little ship powered out.
"That was kind of
you."
"He's not so bad, for a
vampire." She could see his amusement. "Besides, I feel incredibly guilty about
Drusilla."
He urged her out of the room,
his hand on the small of her back.
"Why? She wanted you to do
it. It was the way she lived, and the way
she died. Yours was the hand she chose
to carry her death. I understand
that. And Spike does too. Now you must accept it."
As they made their way to his
quarters, she was thoughtful. Once
inside, she dialed up the comm system to place a subspace call. When Spock gave her a curious look, she
smiled at him with a trace of the old evil smile. "One more thing I have to do."
"Silver here."
She could see Peter
Wyndam-Pryce standing in the background.
"Kevin. Oh hello, Peter, so
you're on Earth now? Look I don't have
much time, just wanted to report in. Our
mutual concern is no longer a problem."
Silver gave a grunt of
satisfaction, "Then she's taken care of?"
"She is. And the other rumor, the one about her long
lost boyfriend. No truth to it. He died a long time ago."
"So who was it?"
She shrugged, "Just
another vampire. You know how it
is. When you've met one vampire, you've
met them all. Chapel out."
She turned to bury herself in
Spock's arms. "You know I don't
mean that. Not anymore."
"Of course I do. Spike changed us all, I think."
She grinned at him,
"Some of us more than others. Now,
tell me what this shagging is."
He pulled her close. "I'm afraid I can't describe
it." His lips found hers, and as he
kissed her she heard his voice in her mind.
*It is something you have to experience for yourself.*
FIN