Sisters of Quiet Mercy had been a staple in Riverdale for years. It was the clear home for all the wayward souls who sought redemption and a perfect life pleasing to God. Drusilla Keeble was one of those wayward souls. She had arrived in Riverdale as a young girl from England with desperation as her only company. Now 15 years after her arrival, she was a devoted nun living a life wholly pleasing to God.
She had been a 15 year old Runaway from a working class neighborhood in London. Arriving in Riverdale, Drusilla had stood on the bridge over Sweetwater River ready to take her own life by jumping into the river itself. She'd been talked down by a nun named Jenny Wilkinson. It had made all the local news events that day. The girl was rescued and brought to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy where she was permitted to stay for as long as she wanted. It wasn't long before Drusilla had been accepted by the community as a beloved member. She'd even taken it unto herself to study to become a nun in her own right.
Sister Jenny had been quite proud of how far that the sweet little girl who called her “mum” had come. She'd stood by with tears of pride in her eyes when Drusilla had taken her vows. Pride was technically a sin, but Sister Jenny was so happy that Drusilla had not died that day but had been such a shining example with a life dedicated purely to God. After morning prayers, Drusilla had stood to her feet and humbly approached Sister Jenny. “I heard that it's between you and Sister Agnes to succeed as Mother Superior!” Drusilla was smiling but keeping restrained excitement. Mother Superior was going to retire soon and someone had to take over.
Sister Jenny winked at Drusilla. “Whatever the will of God is, let it be so.” She whispered softly.
Drusilla left her “mum” there to do her own morning prayers. She held her hands in folded prayer in front of her chest as she walked. She wore the modest black and white of a nun's habit as she exited the chapel. She crossed herself properly as all good girls did as she started the walk toward her room within the Cloister.
The secret ballot for all the nuns at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy would be taking place in three days. Perhaps it wasn't very Christian to try and discover for whom the sisters were going to vote. Drusilla couldn't help it. She just had to know! She considered herself Sister Jenny's unofficial campaign manager. Instead of going into her own room, Drusilla headed toward the room of another young nun. This one was younger than Drusilla herself. Surely the girls could have a healthy talk in private.
Sister Anna Elizabeth was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes that anyone could have ever seen. She was a novice nun not having taken the vows as of yet. She often sought Drusilla's counsel in various matters all unto her own. The two were friendly. Drusilla had nothing against the girl and the girl was fond of Drusilla. They had had some debates in regard to theology on occasion but there had been nothing malevolent detected on behalf of either girl.
Drusilla had gone to see Anna but the girl was nowhere to be found. Drusilla had entered the room and found nothing showing that Anna had even been in her room. After a short search, Drusilla had left Anna's room and made her way to the library to do some reading.
~*~
Drusilla had spent the better part of the evening doing some research in regard to the election of Mother Superior. A terrifying scream tore through the entire nunnery. The commotion was coming from the direction of Anna's room. Everyone came running to see Anna laying dead in the middle of her room with the word HARLOT written over her head in blood. Anna had been murdered right there in a house of God.
It was time to call the Riverdale police department. It was murder most foul and it needed to be solved as soon as possible.
Drusilla was convinced that Spike had lost all his bloody marbles. Trying to stop her from feeding was absolutely mad. She should have expected this knowing how close he was to the Slayer. The thought repulsed her. That little blonde thought she was suitable to take Darla's place? HA! She would be nothing more than another corpse in the ground when Drusilla finally had her chance with Miss Buffy Summers. That was a matter for another time. Survival was what was the order of business now.
Drusilla was in full pursuit. She had caught wind of the delicious smell of the ginger witch’s blood. Witches were such a marvelous treat for vampires when they were caught. She was determined to flay Willow alive and feast like a queen. There was a small problem, however, she didn’t know this city that they had been brought to, well at least not from this particular time period anyway. That didn’t matter. She was in full hunter mode. She would adapt as all predators did. Her eyes were as red as blood and her face was fully monstrous. Someone was going to die.
Of course Spike knew that look of hers better than anyone. They had left countless bodies torn to bits once during a feeding frenzy in New Zealand. Drusilla thought Kiwis were absolutely delicious. There was really no surprise as she watched as her precious William snatched up the Slayer’s little witchy friend. Did he actually think that hiding her from a predatory vampire in the midst of a hunt would save Willow? William had lost all his own senses now that he was so besotted with the Slayer. It was going to take more work than she anticipated to get him thinking right again.
Only he could possibly have managed to keep Drusilla from ripping apart the ginger witch. “William! My Darling! Why are you keeping that silly girl away from me?” She screamed with her loudest voice. She was getting more dangerous the longer it took to sate her hunger. Her eyes widened when she saw the bloody meat that had been tossed to her as if she was a tigress in the zoo. Perhaps she was in a sense? Was that an outlandish idea? She was an apex predator after all.
She snatched up the bloody meat and dashed into a concrete stairwell that led to the backdoor of this restaurant. The raw meat complete with blood as if it had just been slaughtered smelled damn good to her. She stopped her shouting long enough to finish this bloody meat in her hands. Cow’s blood wasn’t too different from human, so it would do…for now.
She was licking the blood from her fingers much the way she lioness would lick her paws after a hunt that was exceptionally bloody. She climbed up the steps and made her way back toward where she heard Spike still trying to appease her. His feeble attempt at trying to persuade her that his actions were all almost cute. Maybe, just maybe he was telling the truth after all.
“Yes Yes William. I am satisfied for now.” She was not too happy that he kept her from putting down the little ginger witch. Unless they listened to her and what the Man in the Moon was trying to tell them through her, they were all about to be stuck here forever.
Lilah Morgan was such a petulant child. Drusilla wanted nothing to do with her if she could help it. The deranged vampire had her moments of clarity even though they were few and far between. When one mentioned the destruction of Slayers, that spoke to her clearer than anything ever could. Drusilla delighted in enchanted blood. It was absolutely…delicious.
Drusilla had been given an elaborate hotel suite that had been paid for by Wolfram & Hart. She had been called upon many times to take part in the schemes of the Senior Partners. This Slayerfest was a collaboration with them and their new associate. Drusilla hadn't met this Hiram Lodge yet, but she already knew she would. The moon told her so.
Her arrival at the arena for Slayerfest had been in grand fashion. She stepped out of the limousine running a finely manicured right index finger over the corner of her blood stained lips. Lilah had tried to redeem herself in Drusilla's eyes by providing her with a "fresh supply" on the ride over. She was grinning wickedly as she exited the limousine. She paid no attention to any of the sycophants that were milling about here and there. She had already killed a Slayer in the past, so that made her a favorite to kill as many as possible in this particular event. She didn't follow anyone's rules. Drusilla was always above them.
She had been told by one little sweet girl that she needed to go in a particular direction. The exact wording of the morsel hadn't even registered with Drusilla. She waved off the child as she walked along another path in this arena. There was something there that was calling to her…or was it someone? Drusilla canted her head to the side. She could hear the moon calling to her.
Men and women passed her by giving her a wide berth. The grip of lunacy was etched across her porcelain features. With each footstep deeper within the sanctum of where the Prey was being housed, this Apex Predator could hear the heartbeat of the one she was hunting. It was an instinct she had kept improving over the decades. Two hundred years of practice listening to the man in the moon as he told her to do naughty things had made her one of the most dangerous monsters out there. She kept moving and stopping at each door.
Nostrils flared by each door. The first door made her take a second smell. Her facial features twisted in repugnant indignation as she loathed what she was smelling. "DOG!" She hissed. She did so hate werewolves. There was yelling between the dog and another little creature. Drusilla said nothing as they were yelling things. Someone was missing in their little group. Drusilla pondered it for a moment. The man in the moon interrupted her thoughts. This was not where she was supposed to stop. She had to go on with her hunt.
This was against the rules. She knew it, but she didn't care. Once she reached the spot, the door actually was bathed in moonlight that only Drusilla could see. The vampire's malevolent grin widened. The handle of the door fit perfectly in her hand. Everything was absolutely perfect.
The door opened slowly. Drusilla stepped in slowly. Her eyes sparkled with fiendish glee. "Well what have we here?" She clapped her hands together and skipped around like a girl. "It's a Slayer's best little witchy girl friend! It's soooo good to see you!"
The damaged mind of the insane vampire was swept up in a torrent of wicked delights. Willow Rosenburg of all people was right here and helpless at Drusilla's whims. This actually had her so excited that she had overlooked how annoyed she'd been at Lilah for being such a mother hen. It was all worth it to get to this point! "Oh HAPPY DAY!" Drusilla squealed in sinister delight.
She could not believe it! After having toted her around in quite an undignified manner, Spike had left her by herself. A perfect brow quirked upward as she was coming out of her latest fugue. Spike had wandered off again. Drusilla was not happy. He was always going off in search of the Slayer. Was she even here? By the way he'd wandered off, Drusilla had surmised that he was off looking for her. Her mind grew agitated at how Spike had proclaimed that others were hunting her down in order to kill her. If her life was being threatened, she couldn't just be left vulnerable and open like that. What was he thinking?
She could have honed in on the scent of the human blood or that bloody shampoo the little girl often used. She started to roll her fingers together and looked around. The madness that had often been consuming her mind for so long left no place for mercy or desire to be kind or gentle to anyone. There was someone else here. She could feel it. This person had the most powerful magic essence she'd ever encountered in her long and tormented life. Spike wanted to find Buffy. Drusilla wanted to know how and why they had all been pulled here. She wandered off from where Spike had left her. She wasn't finding answers this way.
Drusilla had often listened to what the Moon told her. This place unnerved her. She could not hear the moon anymore. Her head canted to the left as if she was trying her best to hear the moon. Nothing was coming. The world was still. This was not their world. This was powerful witchcraft. If she could meet the one who was powerful enough to generate this entire world, then perhaps she could get rid of all these tottering fools once and for all.
Drusilla's goal was always to bring her "family" back together again. Anyone who stood in that way would be obliterated from the face of the earth with extreme prejudice. She had been the happiest when the four of them were terrorizing Europe. Her sweet William had been such a precious gem so long ago. Daddy had that unfortunate incident with Gypsies and grew a conscience. That was when everything started to go to pieces. She missed it all and she wanted it back.
Drusilla was now a considerable distance away from where Spike had left her. She was using her own second sight to try and follow where the point of origin for the magic was. If anyone was yelling for her, she didn't hear them. She was off in her own little world once more. She was very cool and collected at times when she had a specific focus. Right now she was hyperfixated on this magic that seemed to hold this world together.
She had lost the distant look in her eye when she was lost to her madness. Her look right now was that of a hunter. She would not hesitate to attack anyone who tried to stop her. She didn't get direction from the moon, so she did the next best thing. The more she focused on the magic she became, the more deadly her gaze was. There was something else to consider about Drusilla. She was hungry. Some would call her a ripper but she wasn't. She knew some rippers in her life and slept with most of them. Rippers were always repentant. Drusilla never was.
Drusilla wanted something dead and she didn't care what it was. Her rage was reaching a virulent crescendo. May God have pity on anyone who crossed her.
Rome was lovely, but Drusilla had some place to be. Drusilla had been seen in Rome of course, but it was time to move along. Surely Angel would know she was back now
The diabolically insane British Vampire had been turned over 200 years prior because of the cruel nature of one vampire that the others called Liam. She had been nearly saintlike before she’d been corrupted and now with every day she existed it reminded everyone how Angel had once been a foul beast that terrorized the innocent.
Perfect. Drusilla never had given up hope that her little family could be restored some day. IT was her greatest wish. While she was in Rome, the Moon spoke to her again and told her it was time to go to Los Angeles. She had to go home to Los Angeles. She didn’t usually climb aboard an airplane for these trips. She had to admit though that travel by air was far better than any nonsense in the old days below the deck of a ship with all the hideous rats. Eating rats was absolutely hideous. She much rather preferred a handsome Sailor or two. William always found that disgusting when they traveled together. It was a pity, really.
The plane landed at night, so that was a good thing. Drusilla tried to be as circumspect as possible. Not everyone knew she was alive… or undead as the case may be. She was a vampire again. She knew that for sure. The trail of dead bodies she left in Rome was evident of that. She knew that somehow the word would get back to Angel about her. It always did. She had to find the Beautiful Evil that the Moon told her would be in Los Angeles. Leaving Rome was not fun. Going to Los Angeles to meet this ancient evil was going to be a blast. Drusilla had not had a good partner for some time now. Maybe this new partner would want to kill just as much as she did…?
Dru disembarked the plane, blending in with the passengers as best she could. She was insane, yes, but she was still cunning. She had charmed one of the pilots out of his hat just before she ripped his throat out as he sat in the cockpit. She was hungry after all and needed just a little bite! She did her best to slide out through the crowd to avoid detection. Everyone was fairly exhausted so they would generally ignore anything too overly exciting, or at least that was what she hoped.
Drusilla had gotten to the terminal when she heard a flight attendant scream. They found the pilot that she’d murdered. Oh Daddy was going to be so cross with her…. If Angel was here, then she assumed that the pilot’s throatless corpse would catch his attention. She actually giggled like a schoolgirl as she weaved in and out of the masses of humanity at this airport that was an international hub. All the lovely people here were just a smorgasbord for a vicious vampire who was not only malevolent, but hungry.
Maybe she’d leave a few more bodies around just to make things more interesting. There was a dark evil out there that was giving Drusilla far more power than she ever had before. Once she found this Beautiful Evil that the Moon told her about, then the world was going to go to hell. It was going to be simply glorious. Oh the blood that was going to flow and Angel couldn’t do anything to stop it!
Drusilla was so focused on Spike, nothing else mattered to her at the moment. This whole unusual situation wasn't causing her a second glance at all. She had no idea how she got here and didn't particularly care either. All that mattered was that she was there and so was Spike. In her own way, she loved him and she always would. Blast that Slayer and all that she had put them through! Naturally Dru didn't see where she'd done anything wrong herself. She was as pure as the driven snow.
Her blood red lips parted in a rather malevolent smile. It never would occur to Drusilla's twisted mind that Spike could be playing her for a fool. His explanation of being the victim of a Witch's potion wasn't too outrageous to believe. She was taking a bit too long to ponder things when Spike took things into his own hands.
"Can you hear all the people running towards us? We don't know who they are pet... We don't know if they are food, or if they are a whole bunch of Slayers out to do you harm- So we have to bloody move!"
Drusilla didn't offer any resistance as Spike pretty much tossed her over his shoulder and took off with her. She had a wicked grin on her face as she thought about all the naughty things they'd done over the years. It felt absolutely brilliant when he was actually taking charge like this again. Dru missed him being around. Her life was dull at times because he wasn't around so much anymore.
The sprinkler going off on them actually made Drusilla giggle. In her warped mind this was too much of a fun game. Spike was cursing under his breath and she was giddy. The only thing that would make this even better was finding some poor bloody fool to be the main course in a meal for the vampire pair that had blazed a trail across Asia and the South Pacific in the early 20th Century. She always loved New South Wales.
When he tossed her away from him, she actually giggled louder. When he turned her face toward him, she was a bit surprised he'd done this in all truth. He was apologetic and kissed her forehead. Spike was being loving and somewhat gentle with her which actually surprised her. "Just look at you being so thoughtful and tender." She mentioned with a slight hint of sarcasm. She managed to brush herself off just a little and wring out the tail of her shirt from being overly drenched from the sprinkler. She reached her right hand to gently cup his cheek. "William, my darling, if you drop me like that again, I'll pull your lungs out through your nostrils." She smiled at him pleasantly but yet with the cold seriousness of her displeasure. She took several steps away from Spike but stayed close enough to him.
She inhaled then exhaled ready to speak to him once more. By that time he was glaring over the hedge looking for Angel. "This place is filled with magic. I can't say who's causing it or why, but there is magic here…everywhere." Drusilla had her own second sight when she was human that had only improved with time. She'd actually hypnotized a Slayer before fairly recently and it left her with a feeling of power. "The Slayer and her silly little fools are just as lost as we are, I'm sure. But Daddy is likely to know a lot more than he's telling." She slid over beside Spike and laid a head on his shoulder. "Now, where has he gone?" She whispered.
Despite the fact Angel was so pure and good now, Drusilla did care about him in her own way. He had been responsible for the personal hell she'd been in for nearly two hundred years. It was an odd thing, but then again, Drusilla was an odd bird herself.
She was the personification of the storm. The lithe British vampire looked as though if a good wind came along, it would completely blow her away. That was, of course, very deceptive. She was one of the most callous vampires to ever walk the earth. Her outer appearance was gentle and even attractive. Once she was close enough to her Prey, she turned into a maelstrom of emotions, violence and blood. Drusilla Keeble was a vampire to be feared.
Her reputation had brought her to the attention of the Slayers over the years. She was often in the company of Spike especially after Angel was cursed with the return of his soul. It was a bloody mess when she lost Angel. It only made her hate the Slayers even more. Those little brats had been enough to ruin her fun far too often over the years. She'd actually been there when Spike killed one during the Boxer Rebellion. It was simply marvelous . She'd even played with the mind of one girl not all that long ago. Kendra was such a lovely girl…
Drusilla had been contacted by Lilah Morgan of Wolfram and Hart again about something called Slayerfest. The notion was ghastly at first until Lilah explained it to her more fully. She was going to be able to hunt down as many as she wanted and rip them to shreds. Her vermillion lips were curled up into a sadistic grin that would make the blood run cold of any Mortal. Drusilla was absolutely delighted at the notion of being set free to eviscerate the Slayers in the most brutal way possible. One Slayer in particular had garnered her attention; Buffy Summers.
Buffy was supposed to be the greatest Slayer of a generation. She'd taken down quite a few vampires which made for quite a reputation on her part. But what had gotten under Drusilla's skin was that Buffy had taken up with Angel. Drusilla didn't like anyone who kept Daddy being good. In her mind's eye, she could imagine the most vile torments she'd learned from her travels with Buffy in the middle of them. "Can you guarantee that Buffy Summers will be there Lilah Dear?" She asked of the lawyer from Wolfram and Hart.
Lilah knew Drusilla well enough to know when she was more than tempted to comply with any sort of request made of her. Dangle enough bait out there for Drusilla and she'd be in hook line and sinker. "Buffy Summers is on our list of Slayers to participate." Lilah spoke again to the vampire trying to reel her in even more. "We are anticipating Angel to be a problem. Do you think you could help us on that front as well?"
She mentioned Angel and Drusilla's eyes glistened with fiendish glee. "Oh Lilah, you're just a gem aren't you?" Angel coming to the rescue of his favorite Slayer? She had dreams of ripping Buffy to shreds while Angel watched helplessly. She'd not forgotten just how brutal that Angel was at one time. She had made it her life's goal to be even better than Angel had been in his past over 100 years ago. Cruelty and brutality were effective tools in a vampire's repertoire, especially if that vampire was Drusilla Keeble.
"So Drusilla. Are you going to be there?" Lilah already knew the answer even before Drusilla gave it. The files on Drusilla at Wolfram and Hart were quite extensive. She'd already been there to "re-sire" Darla. Now an opportunity to eliminate Buffy Summers was on the table.
Drusilla gave the only answer she could. "Naturally my dear Ms Morgan. You can tell your client that the situation is well in hand." The storm was brewing and soon would strike. When it cleared, the Slayers would be as extinct as the dinosaurs. Drusilla actually started to giggle.
The silence was exceptionally bitter. She never liked the quiet. There was always whispers coming from everywhere. Even the cat in the window or the dog digging in the dirt spoke to her. She heard them speak to her. Everything had a voice to Drusilla. She would often relish the sounds as their cacophony resonated all around her. There was order in the sound of only one voice. Glorious chaos erupted in the presence of multiple voices. That was the way Drusilla liked it.
She'd been here for far too long. Walking in the streets during the night where all could see, turned to running in the shadows during the day. There were no voices. She didn't even hear the moon talking to her like she always did. The silence was making her quite angry. There was nothing to eat, which made Drusilla cranky. "Ollie, Ollie all's in freee…" Her voice danced from sanguine lips that craved the chance to be covered in the delicious taste of blood once more. "STOP HIDING FROM ME!" She stood screaming outside in a grove of trees. "STOP HIDING FROM MEEEE!"
Terror reached its tendrils from deep inside the gaping chasm where her soul had been to clench what remained of her heart. Drusilla's only reaction to the devastation of silence was to run. Her feet continued to pound the ground as she ran with no particular method to her madness. She couldn't remember how long it had been since this all started. Had it been 100 years? Or was it just simply a day since this torment began?
Finally there were voices! She could hear the sounds just ahead. Glorious sounds once again filled her ears! Since vampires were dead, there were never any heartbeats to be heard. Heartbeats meant that fresh blood was pumping into a mortal heart! Her pace quickened toward the sound. She was going to pluck that human heart from someone's chest like a ripe tomato from the vine. In her mind's eye she could see herself burying her fangs into it. She could feel that precious blood wash over her tongue and down her gullet again. OH she was so HUNGRY!
A thing such as a door wouldn't stop her. Drusilla was heading toward the sounds that she had not heard in far too long. She raced into this building that looked something like a private school. Maybe there were sweet children here. That could be the source of the heartbeats she heard, right?
One more door push and there were voices. Drusilla heard one in particular she picked up on first. "Spike?" What on earth was he doing here? Where was here anyway? She could hear more than one voice now, but they were on the other side of the door. There was only one way to get those answers. Drusilla pushed the door open.
She opened the door while walking through it at the same time. "What have we here? Someone forgot to invite me to the family reunion?" She slid up closer to Spike. "Aww Spike. At least you should be happy to see me, I'm sure." Granted they hadn't been together in quite some time, Dru would always have a certain affection for Spike. She loved him but yet in the same breath she could smash his face into the wall without flinching.
"Oh I see why you're here." Dru wrinkled her cute little nose at Angel. The one vampire who had in a sense created her during his bloody rampages through England stood there as though he was a perfect … angel. "What's the matter? Did the Slayer get cross with both of you for not getting her coffee order correct? Hm?" A wicked grin etched across the insane vampire's porcelain features. "You both are besotted with a little twit you know?" She spoke in a slight sing song tone that she was certain would agitate the both of them.
