A/N Sorry it's taking me so long to update. I've got A LOT going on right now. But I have been slowly working on my website with ALL my fanfiction on it, including stories that aren't on here. I've added a forum where you leave feedback about individual stories and there's a guestbook. I've made graphics for almost every story on there. Please go check it out. www. freewebs. com / buffylfanfiction (Just get rid of the spaces.)

Buffy and Angelus were walking by the guest room when they heard growling coming from inside. Angelus chuckled. “Looks like your play thing is awake.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Order the butler to pull someone off the street for him.” Buffy opened the door to the room and saw Giles bound and gagged on the floor. He was thrashing violently and growling into his gag. His face was rigid and his eyes were yellow. Buffy smiled and kneeled down. “Welcome to our world.” She grabbed his neck and easily hauled Giles to his feet, holding him off the floor. “We’ll get you a human as soon as we can, but for right now, while your brain is still feral and new, I’m going to drill this into your head.” She tossed him onto the bed. “You’re here for one purpose and one only: To be our guide. You’re going to map out the Watcher’s Council’s headquarters in the most vivid detail. You’re going to tell us where they would harbor a Slayer. You’re going to tell us the best route to get in there. You’re going to tell us the best way to smuggle that Slayer out. If you do anything funny, I will make you regret ever crossing Angelus and I. You are our guide. Nothing more. Nothing less. You will not be our friend. You will not be our confidante. You will be our guide to the Council. Afterwards, we will let you go. But you are never to contact us again. If we see you, we will kill you. You are our guide. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Angelus walked. “Are you getting speechy for him?” Buffy smiled at Angelus. “You know how much that turns me on and you made me miss it.”

“I’ll make it up to you later.” Buffy turned back to Giles and grabbed his face viciously. Her nails dug into his cheek and drew blood. “Did you understand everything I said to you?” Giles nodded as best he could, still growling from a newborn’s hunger. “Good.” She tossed him on the bed again and walked out, Angelus following her. Buffy sat down on one of the lavish chairs and looked at Angelus. “A fledgling’s mind is like a sponge when they are first turned. If you tell them they are nothing, than they will be nothing. If you tell them they are yours forever, they will be devoted to you forever.”

“Did you play with my mind?”

“No. You pledged your love and loyalty to me before I turned you.”

Angelus kissed Buffy’s knuckles. “And it’s even more powerful this day than it was that night.”

Buffy smiled and kissed Angelus passionately. “I could not fathom a world without you, my love.”

“You’ve lived without me for a week.” He pointed out.

“And I cannot remember anything but despair and a longing to end my existence and take down Amerie with me.”

The butler walked in dragging a struggling human with him. The woman he held in his arms had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was an olive color. She was quite beautiful. Buffy thought it was a waste of beauty, but Giles was hungry and this was the only fresh human they had at the moment.

“Take her to the guest bedroom.” Buffy instructed. The butler dragged her off towards the room.

“Shame.” Angelus said. “She was beautiful. Someone’s going to miss her.”

“Yes. Next time we’ll have to make sure that the butler picks a hobo or something of that sort. We don’t need the police breathing down our necks.”

There was a scream from the other room and then it was cut short. The butler came out with a horrified look on his face. Angelus chuckled. “You work for the Immortal, but that makes you squeamish?”

The butler shrugged. “If there’s nothing else….”

“Actually,” Buffy said. “I’m sure the Watcher needs clothing. Lock him in that room until you can bring him out clean and decent. Tell him to take a shower.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The butler quickly told Giles to shower and then he locked the door to the guest bedroom and dashed off to the nearest clothing store.

Buffy knew that he would put the clothing on the Immortal’s account and the Immortal wouldn’t think anything of it. In fact, Buffy knew he wouldn’t even notice. The Immortal’s wealth was immeasurable. He had more money than all of the richest people in the world had combined and then you could probably multiply that by one thousand and still not have the amount the Immortal was worth. That’s why Buffy kept him as a friend. He had the power and the wealth to take out his enemies without anyone batting an eye until it was too late.

Angelus stood up and poured Buffy a glass of blood. “Thank you.” Buffy said offhandedly.

“What’s on your mind, Bethy?”

“Oh….” Buffy stood up and walked to the windows. London was beautiful at night. “I was just thinking about Amerie.”

“And?”

“Well, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be wise to have the Immortal hire some people to steal her away from the Council and bring her to us.”

“Why?”

“What do you think?” She turned to look at him. “Would it be more shocking and dramatic if we were to capture her? Or would it be more shocking and dramatic if someone else was to capture her and bring her to us?”

Angelus pondered that for a long moment. “Well, either way, she’s going to be shocked that we’re alive and not dead at her hands.” He shrugged. “I think it would be more fun for us to capture her ourselves. But we should hire some people to go in with us.”

“The more people we have in there, the better the chances are of us getting caught. If we go in, it’s to be just you and me and maybe one other person.”

“The Watcher?”

“My thinking exactly. Who better to lead us to the Slayer? Neither one of us is good at listening to directions.”

Angelus chuckled. “No, we aren’t. All right, we’ll make the Watcher come with us.”

Buffy giggled with delight. “We can even go home sooner than expected!” She stood up. “We’ll take her tonight! We can have fun with her throughout tomorrow and take her home tomorrow night where the real fun can begin.”

Angelus smiled at Buffy’s sudden bought of happiness. “Whatever you wish, Bethy. The world is yours for the taking if you like it.”

Buffy smiled happily. “Oh, that butler needs to hurry up.”

Giles was dressed in a dark green sweater and black pants with a pair of men’s dress boots on. He sat in one of the chairs facing the two that Buffy and Angelus sat in. Now that he had fed, he was feeling and looking much better. He didn’t need his glasses any longer, so he had gotten rid of them. “I’ve been wrong this entire time.” He said.

“About what?” Buffy asked, always the more civilized one.

“I am Giles. But I’m also a demon.”

“Yes. It’s always worked that way.”

“I’ve thought that a demon was just a demon and that they only hosted the memories from the previous owner of the body. But I was wrong. I’m still Giles…. Only, I’m free from the constraints of a conscious and free from the restraints of society.”

“That’s not entirely true.” Angelus said.

“Why not?”

“You still have to conform to some of the restraints of society. It’s easier that way.”

“Easier?”

“Well, if the police were to catch on to you…. There’s no telling what would happen. You have to cover your trail.”

“Or turn it into an art form as Angelus and I have.” Buffy said.

“Art form?” Giles asked.

“Play it up. Scare more people.” Angelus said. “Don’t just kill a family. Arrange them so they’re just laying there in their beds like they’re asleep.”

“One would think you would be more for brutality.”

“No. Well,” Angelus chuckled. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s fun to let yourself go and kill just for the sake of killing and making a mess. But we prefer to decorate our kills.”

“This is the reason we are feared among the humans.” Buffy said. “And the demons. They know the things we are capable of. They know we do not care if they are friend or foe. We will not hesitate to take a life if the owner of that life has crossed us.”

“It’s like the Code of Hammurabi.”

“‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ That sort of thing?” Giles asked.

“Exactly. Only, when we turn the tables on them, we make the ‘eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ part literal. The punishment will be drawn out and merciless. It’s the only way to keep people in fear of you and to keep them from trying anything.”

“And Amerie?”

“Will suffer losses more than just an eye and a tooth.” Buffy growled. “She knows not the hell we will rain down upon her.”

Giles chuckled. “She knows not that you’re even alive.”

“Remember, fledgling. You belong to us now. We made you and we will break you if you cross us. You were blind once before, we can make it so again.”

Giles nodded. “Very well.” He crossed one leg over another. “I can get you into the Council’s headquarters and I can take you to the dormitories where the Slayer will most likely be kept. I’ll have to perform a spell to cover our entrance. They have wards over the building to warn them of any demonic disturbance.”

“How long will that take?” Buffy asked.

“A few seconds. It’s only a few words.”

“Good.”

“After that, it’s just a matter of getting through the maze and then getting back out with your stolen Slayer.”

“We’ll take her out the window.” Angelus said with a casual shrug.

“Yes, if you fancy having your legs broken.”

Buffy laughed. “We’re not human. Angelus and I can step from a ten story building without being hurt.”

Giles blinked and then chuckled. “Forgive me, I’m still new.”

“It’s quite all right.”

“So, do we have a plan then?” Angelus asked. Buffy and Giles nodded. “Good. I’ll let the butler know to get the car ready.”

---

Buffy and Angelus followed Giles through the maze that was the Watcher’s Council headquarters. Giles’ spell had worked and the mystical detectors hadn’t gone off. The Watchers were all in bed. Dawn was in about three hours, so no one would be rising yet. If there was someone, Buffy just planned to break their neck before they could sound any alarms.

Giles paused and then looked at Buffy and Angelus. “She’s near.” Buffy said. All vampires could feel when a Slayer was nearby, but some just didn’t know what that feeling was and how to use it to their advantage. Now, Buffy and Angelus took the lead and followed that sensation in the pit of their stomach until they knew that Amerie was behind the door on their right.

“There’s someone else in there with her.” Angelus growled.

“Then we kill them.” Buffy wrapped a hand around the doorknob and twisted. The lock broke and the door swung open. The room was pitch black, but the three vampires could see. Amerie lay sleeping on one of the full sized beds in the room. Another woman was asleep in the other. The breaking lock hadn’t woken them, so Angelus went to the sleeping woman and snapped her neck while Buffy walked calmly to Amerie’s bed. The breaking neck actually snapped Amerie awake and she sat up in bed.

Her eyes went wide when she saw the familiar blonde hair and petite form. “No. You’re dead! You’re not real! Gerry, wake up! Gerry!”

Angelus walked over and smiled. “Oh, was that Gerry?” He pointed to the other bed where Gerry’s neck was at an odd angle. “We warned you not to get close to anyone. You knew this would happen.”

“I killed you. No. You’re figments of my imagination!” Amerie jumped out of bed and shook Gerry. “Wake up. I need you. You need to help me get rid of them.”

Buffy grabbed Amerie’s shoulders and spun her around. “Gerry got off easy. After the hell you’ve put me through, this is only the beginning.” Buffy stabbed the needle of the syringe in Amerie’s neck and pushed the plunger down. Within seconds, Amerie’s legs gave out as the drug took effect and knocked her unconscious.

Angelus grabbed Amerie up on his shoulder and went to the balcony doors. “That’s convenient.”

Buffy nodded as she kicked open the doors. She jumped down first followed by Angelus and then Giles last. They rushed off towards the limo waiting for them a block away and sped back to the Immortal’s flat. Buffy could hardly contain herself from torturing Amerie on the seemingly longer drive back to the flat. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that the Slayer was passed out. She probably wouldn’t come around until later on in the day.

Angelus saw Buffy’s pout and laughed at her. “Oh, Bethy! We’ll have our fun with her soon enough.”

When they got to the flat, the butler was waiting for them. He informed them that the plane was fueled and ready to go at the Immortal’s insistence. The Immortal thought that Buffy and Angelus would enjoy torturing Amerie in the comfort of their own dungeon. Buffy knew that, in truth, the Immortal didn’t want any blood stains in his flat or questioning neighbors poking around once the screaming began. To tell the truth, Buffy didn’t want that either. The flat was beautiful and everything in it was old. Some of it even older than herself.

The butler had everything packed and ready to go. He loaded it into the limo’s trunk and instructed the driver to take them to the airport where the jet was waiting. A footman would be there waiting to load the bags on the plane. Chains were provided to hold Amerie in the back of the plane.

Soon, the three vampires were on their way back to Italy. Giles sat in one of the seats across the aisle from Buffy and Angelus. He looked over at them. “What are you planning to do with me?”

Buffy looked over at Giles. “What?”

“Well, one would think you wouldn’t want me around. You two have what you wanted of me. Why would you take me back to Italy?”

“Maybe you amuse us. Why? Did you have plans for your life?”

“Well, before…. I just wanted to be with a woman I loved and have children and be a good Watcher. Seeing as how I failed to save the woman I loved and I failed my Slayer, my life really had no purpose.”

“And you think we gave you one?” Angelus asked, laughing.

“No. I believe you changed me for one reason, to acquire your Slayer without hassle, and then you were going to dispatch of me.”

Buffy chuckled and looked at Angelus. “I didn’t think we were that transparent.” Angelus just shrugged. Buffy looked back at Giles. “Well, that was the plan.”

“So, what now?”

“Don’t get me wrong. We’re not creating a little vampire family or anything. But you might be useful to have around.”

“Would you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“Teach me to be like you. You’ve survived this long for a reason. Most vampires don’t make it out of their century…. Or even their decade. Special few make it as long as you have. Maybe if I learn to be a vampire like the two of you, I’ll find some way to make it on my own. A purpose in life, if you will.”

Buffy laughed. “A purpose?”

“Yes. What’s so funny about that?”

“Your purpose for everything is blood. You drink blood. You take life. You’re a vampire. You’re a killer. That is your purpose.”

“Besides that. One cannot strive through life only for nourishment. Not when you have the ability to expand yourself as you two have.”

Buffy laughed even harder. When she finally composed herself, she looked at Giles calmly, her icy blue eyes still shining. “It all boils down to the blood. To the kill. You do not become rich without blood on your hands. You do not become powerful without blood on your hands. We all, meaning us vampires, live because of the blood. Not only does it nourish us, but it provides us with further wealth and further power. Without blood vampires would be nothing. Without blood, Angelus and I would be nothing. Do you understand?”

“So you’re saying that I cannot be anything without my victims.”

“Think of them as…. Your fans. Without fans, celebrities would be nothing…. Have nothing.”

“Without victims, vampires would be nothing and have nothing.”

“Exactly.”

“So, until I learn to kill and take from them their wealth and power, I can have no ambitions of my own.”

“Yes. And until then, you are bound to us. That is the mistake of fledglings and their sires. That is the reason most vampires do not make it out of their own century. Most sires create a fledgling because they are lonely and at the time, the person they have changed seemed like someone they could share their immortal life with. That is truly the rarest thing in the universe: Perfect compatibility. Perfect immortal love. But often is the case that after only a couple of years together, they can’t stand each other and the fledgling and the sire are left to fend for themselves. The sire does not care to have patience with the fledgling to teach them the skills they should know. And it’s not always the sire’s fault. Maybe his sire did not teach him or the sire before did not pass on the proper knowledge. So many vampires get created and are left to their own devices. They have no clue how to properly function. Some of them get cocky and think they can go against a Slayer and win. As a former Watcher, I’m sure you’ve seen that case time and again.”

“Of course.”

“So you see why I’ve only ever made Angelus? The process of creating a proper vampire does not end with the simple exchange of blood. It is months, years, decades even, of training.”

“Has Angelus ever made any other vampires here? Back in my world he made quite a few.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Only in his youth did he make a couple. They didn’t last long.”

“Mainly because you killed them.” Angelus shot at her.

“They wouldn’t have survived anyway. That boy…. James, I believe his name was…. He was too cocky for his own good. He left a trail wherever we went and marked his victims so everyone, including the humans, knew where we were and who we were. The stake through his heart was what he deserved.”

“Are you not afraid that he will double cross you as you did Darla?” Giles asked.

Angelus looked over sharply at Giles. “I’ll put a stake through my own heart before I ever double cross her. Do not question my loyalty again.”

“Angelus was loyal to me even when he was human. We’ve been together for 245 years. I learned everything I needed from my sire. She didn’t have anything useful to show me anymore. Everything else I was learning on my own. When Angelus came along, I had found in him what I was missing with Darla. That is why I double crossed her. I did not need her.”

“And you need Angelus?”

“Like humans need oxygen.”

“And Angelus needs you?”

“She is my oxygen.” Angelus said, reaching out and taking Buffy’s hand. “She is the blood I drink to survive. Without her, I would be nothing.”

“Would it serve me any to find a mate of my own?”

Buffy shrugged. “Like I said: Immortal love is the rarest jewel in the universe. If you should find it, then you should seize it. But do not go looking for it. If you look for it, you will never find it.”

“What if I never find it?”

“Then you never find it. You can take your pleasure in a number of others to while away the years.”

Giles nodded and looked out the window at the growing light of dawn as he contemplated what everything his sires had said to him and what it meant for him.