Once Upon a Midnight Dreary by D.M. Evans

Connor woke up after a fitful night's sleep. As silly as it was, he wished he had asked Faith to spend another night. He knew he had no right to do so. He barely knew her and she had a job to do and that wasn't babysitting him. Still, he had felt better when she was with him, safer somehow.

The worst part of it was he found himself thinking about her constantly. He never had Tracy on his mind this much, even when they first started going out. He kept telling himself it was just the crazy situation he was in. His parents weren't coming back. Dad had called to say his sister had had a bad skiing accident. Connor was horrified to hear it. She'd be okay eventually but she had broken both an arm and a leg and was in the hospital. Dad offered to fly down to be with him, even though Wolfram and Hart assured his dad that things were well in hand.

Connor knew his mom would be a basketcase. She was the worrying type. As much as he wanted his mom to put her arms around him and tell him everything would be okay, he knew she'd never leave his sister behind, even if the weather cleared enough for travel. He knew his sisters and his mom would need Dad there so he told his father that he was all right. He had a place to stay and Mr. Gunn was handling the police. The fact he wasn't already in jail gave Connor some hope. Faith's presence had helped in that respect, too.

The fact that she was there when he needed her the most, that's why she was in his thoughts so much. His life was a wreck. It was natural that he'd cling to the first friendly face he saw. That didn't explain the way he turned into a babbling idiot around her or how he couldn't suppress the urge to show off and impress her as if convinced physical displays of prowess were what she wanted.

It didn't explain why he could recall every detail about her to mind without trying. Faith wasn't gorgeous and he wasn't sure if he really loved her husky voice or if it merely made him nervous. He liked the way her hair glistened and how her dark eyes could mete out discipline with a glance. She was older and crass. His parents would hate her, forbid him to see a girl like that. He knew she was the girl who liked a guy for his fast car or in his case, his Norton motorcycle. He didn't care. She turned him on and he hated it. Him thinking with his dick was what got his friends murdered. He shouldn't be thinking about sex at all.

But he was. He wanted to know what Faith's hard body would feel like pressed up against his. He only known her a day and at any other time, he'd excuse it as being a normal teenaged boy. He shouldn't be thinking about screwing, not with his friends not even cold in the ground yet. Connor couldn't help himself..

Connor headed outside. He needed to find something to take his mind off of it. He hailed a cab and headed back for his college. He needed to get his bike anyhow. Maybe a long ride would clear his head.

*
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Faith asked, leaning in Angel's office doorway. "It's almost dawn."

Angel looked up at her from where he sat at his desk. "It's early for you to be up."

"Kinda screwed my internal clock by going to bed so early last night." Faith shrugged. "So, did anyone bug the kid's place last night?"

"I didn't go-" He saw her frown. "How did you know that's where I went?"

"Guessed." Faith surveyed the riot of holiday cheer trying to find a place to sit then gave up. "I guess I should ask why you didn't want me to know but Buffy says you have this need to protect your friends, to shield them even when you know damn well we don't need it. I'm trusting her to know you pretty well. I suppose given that mind fuck Orpheus gave us, I know you better than even she does so it sounds reasonable to me."

Angel slumped in his chair. "I trust you, Faith. You don't have to worry about that. There are just some things I have to do myself then I always find myself in a situation where everyone's mad because they think I don't trust them with whatever it is."

"I'm not mad." Faith stretched until her shoulders popped. "I just want you to know you can always ask me for help, no matter what it is."

Angel smiled faintly. "Thanks, Faith. And it was quiet there last night."

"That's good to know," Spike said, sauntering in. "Because it wasn't here."

"I thought you were out all night," Angel said.

Faith turned, saw what Spike had dangling from his hand and asked, "Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?"

"What?" Angel stood up to get a better look then went sober.

"I found her on my pillow," Spike said.

"Was anything else touched?" Angel came out from behind the desk.

"I don't know. I only gave it a quick once over then came to show you this." Spike headed out into the hallway, going for his room.

"What's so special about a doll that's got you two in a twist?" Faith asked, following.

"That's Miss Edith," Angel said, bringing up the rear. "She's Dru's special doll."

"Special how?"

"Dru thinks her bloody dolls are alive, or at least she treats them like they are," Spike said, going up the steps two at a time. "She feeds them, talks to them, punishes them when they're bad. She wouldn't just leave Miss Edith behind."

"She knew you'd take care of her," Angel said. "After all, you gave Miss Edith to her."

Spike nodded. "This time of year, too. It was a 'forgive me' gift."

"What you'd do?" Faith asked as Spike opened the door to his suite.

"It was his first Christmas as a vampire, hadn't really been one for long, and he was being a real jackass," Angel said, as they fanned out looking for other signs of Dru.

"Look who's talking. You were such a wanker Darla routinely whipped your ass out on the street," Spike said, carefully setting Miss Edith down.

"So what did you do?" Faith persisted.

"I was catting around and Dru got all weepy and vicious," Spike said.

"Darla made me talk to him to straighten it out since she was tired of listening to Dru's histrionics," Angel said.

"And I came up with perfect peace offering," Spike said.

"A doll?" Faith asked, incredulously.

"No, a family of carolers. I sent them to our house, seeing them out there spreading all that bloody good cheer. To hell with figgy pudding, give me a nice bit of veal any time."

"Does he mean kids?" Faith asked with a look of disgust and Angel nodded.

"Darla ate Daddy, Peaches got Mom and I had older sister. We left Dru the tenderest morsel, a little girl. She was carrying the ruddy doll. Dru threw the kid aside and clung to that doll ever since." Spike sat on his couch and lit up. "I don't see that she touched anything else."

"So why leave you the doll?" Faith asked.

"I think it's her way of saying, 'remember Christmases past.'" Spike blew smoke rings. "She wants me back."

"I think she wants us both back," Angel countered. "I know she's been playing to you but I have this feeling-like she's watching me."

Spike scowled. "I'm sick to death of sharing with you."

Angel smiled wickedly. "No, I'm sharing with you. You're always second choice."

Spike's eyes flashed blue fire. "More like they get bored with your wide ass and moved on to something better."

"If you two are going to get into another pissing contest, I'm leaving," Faith warned.

"That's okay, luv. I'm heading for bed, unless you care to join me." He smirked at her.

"You have your doll to cuddle up to," Faith shot back, heading for the door. "Sleep good, Spike."

"Yeah, that's just fucking great."

Faith and Angel both left him muttering. She looked over at the vampire, "All of this could really be an attempt to woo one or both of you back?"

Angel nodded. "You don't even want to know the things I did to woo Darla back whenever we had one of our tremendous break ups."

Faith shuddered. "B's already told me some of the things you did to woo her when you were Angelus again."

Angel's face took on a sad cast. "Angelus does have a certain over the top flare for the macabre. Dru is capable of atrocities, Faith. I taught her and Spike well."

"More so than these other kids she might be looking for, the son who's gonna cause you trouble? We haven't found any clues about him yet," Faith reminded him.

"I know and yes. Most of the vampires I sired, I didn't keep around long. Most of my sons were no longer interesting after a few months.¾ Dru was special and when she made but couldn't train Spike, I did it. I did it too well, so maybe it was just as well I didn't keep most of my sons around." Angel grimaced. "Spike was every bit as vicious as Angelus. We had our own special styles, very different but still equal in ferociousness."

"Yeah and now it's coming back to bite you in the ass," Faith said then sighed. "I know how that is."

Angel nodded. "I know. I'm glad it was you they sent to help, Faith. You're the one who understands the total freedom of just giving in. You know how good it felt to just give over to the Mayor, knowing there was almost no one strong enough to stop you from doing whatever the hell you want. And you know what it's like to have to restrain yourself from giving back into it again."

Faith shuddered again but this time truly feeling the internal chill. "Yeah and I could do without the reminder."

"Sorry, but my point is, Dru will make it very seductive for me and Spike. It's better we have someone where who understands that and can help us resist," Angel said softly.

Faith hip bumped him. "I'll sure as hell try."

*
Dru missed Miss Edith but she knew her Spike would take care of the girl. It was lonely in bed without her, though. Dru had barely made it home in time. She had never gotten the chance to sneak in to see Little Brother. Angel had kept too good a vigil. She waited for him to leave but he didn't until the sun was nearly up.

Still, now she knew two things for certain. Daddy knew Little Brother was in danger and probably suspected she was involved. And she knew now where Little Brother was living since Daddy had led her right to him.

Content with that, Dru snuggled down, planning on ways to get in to see her brother. She wanted time to toy with him and she meant to have it.

Part Six