The leader of the group snorted, "Call triple A, lady." The others chuckled and leered at her, but one boy stepped forward.
"I can help you," he offered.
Eve smiled with genuine relief. "Thank you," she sighed, "it's just through here."
Eve walked quickly towards her warehouse, knowing that the farther away from the group the boy got, the more hesitant he would become.
"Umm, my name's Kenny," the boy said conversationally as he tried to keep up with the mysterious and lovely girl he was following.
"I'm Eve," she replied without intonation.
She turned down a dead end alley, and Kenny stopped. "Where's your car?" He asked.
Eve shifted gears and walked right into his personal space. She bit her lip and smiled up at him from under her lashes. "Would you believe I don't have a car?" She asked, running a finger slowly over the waistband of his jeans.
Kenny didn't answer; he merely gaped at Eve's cleavage.
"But I do have a bed," Eve purred, "It's in there." She nodded to the nearest building, which was her warehouse.
Kenny grinned slowly. "You want me..."
"To come to my bed, yes." Eve stood on her toes to kiss the boy. "You're just so sweet, offering to help a stranger fix her car..."
Kenny was completely mesmerized. "I've never..." He blushed. "I mean, I've come close, but-"
"Come closer," Eve whispered, pulling Kenny's hips to hers by his waistband. He groaned audibly as their pelvises met, and Eve turned into the warehouse.
None of the minions were around to bother her as she led her prey into the basement.
"This is really weird," Kenny commented as Eve motioned for him to precede her into the bedroom. The canopy blocked their view of Spike, but as they descended the stairs, Kenny got a better view of what looked like a dead body on the bed. He spun around, saying, "Hey, man, I'm outta--"
Blood gurgled from his throat as Eve slashed it with the knife she had taken from Druscilla's box. He stared at his murderer in disbelief and betrayal as he began to fall.
"Oh God," Eve breathed as she caught Kenny, holding her hand over his wound. His eyes were glued to her face. "I'm so sorry, Kenny," Eve told him. She dragged him down the stairs as he struggled fruitlessly.
Eve held her victim over Spike, opening the vampire's mouth. She pressed Kenny's neck to Spike's lips, but the warm blood just flowed over the vampire's cheeks, staining the bedding.
She heard the gulp of Spike swallowing before she saw him move. He bent his head to get a better angle, but his arms did not move until he pushed the body away gently. Eve let it fall to the floor and sat next to Spike.
"Are you all right?" She asked, afraid to touch the injured vampire.
"Druscilla?" He could barely force the word out.
Eve frowned. "She got her strength back. She's out..."
Spike closed his eyes, breathing steadily through the obvious pain he was in. "Blood." He said, "I need more blood."
"I know," Eve nodded, "where can I get some?"
Spike glanced at her questioningly, then at the edge of the bed. He couldn't see the body, but he knew it was on the floor next to Eve's feet.
"No, I can't do that again, not if I don't have to," Eve protested.
Spike smiled weakly, a hand moving to cover Eve's. "You didn't have to the first time," he whispered.
Eve could barely hear him. "Okay. Spike?" His eyes had started to drift closed, but opened again at the sound of his name. "If I... bring somebody down here... Will you, you know..."
"'Course." Spike tried to push himself into a sitting position, but it quickly became obvious to both of them that he was too weak.
Eve glanced down at her bloodstained gown. "Don't worry, Spike. I'll figure something out." She stood bravely and marched out of the room.
***
Back on the street, Eve tried to clear her mind. She had killed Kenny by just not thinking about what she was doing. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her stomach. She was nauseated again, and this time there was nothing that was gonna...
"Are you okay?" A concerned voice asked from Eve's side.
Eve looked up at the aged eyes of an old man wearing a 'Veterans of America' cap. She shook her head no.
The man looked at her bloodstained hands and said slowly, "Tell me what happened. Are you hurt?"
Eve shook her head no again, buying herself time to think. "I-I live in that warehouse over there." She pointed behind her. "I don't have any money, but I didn't want my little girl to live on the streets... so we..."
"You're squatters," the man finished impatiently.
Eve nodded in the affirmative. "My daughter, she hurt herself..."
The man's eyes widened and he rushed by Eve and into the warehouse. She followed him, directing him to the bedroom where Spike waited. The moment he opened the door, Eve kicked him in the back, sending him toppling down the stairs. She had hoped for a broken neck, but the man groaned loudly when he landed.
Eve looked on in fear as he struggled to his feet. Was she strong enough to do this? Eve shook her head. She had killed vampires ten-times as tough as her before; she could murder this one old man.
On the steps she noticed the knife with which she had killed Kenny, and walked towards it. The old man followed Eve's eyes and dove for the knife, grabbing it first.
From the bed, Spike watched the proceedings through slitted eyes. He couldn't stop thinking that Eve would make a beautiful vampire.
The man brandished the knife at Eve, but his arm trembled slightly, and when he backed up a step, his attacker saw that he was limping. It looked like his leg was broken.
Eve walked down the steps toward the old man. "By the way," she said suddenly, "what's your name?" She had to know. She didn't know the name of the waitress she'd killed-- the tag on her dress said 'Debbie,' but those weren't always true. Every night she dreamed of the girl, Eve wished she had asked her name.
The old man's lips thinned into a tight line. Eve nodded, if the positions were reversed, she wouldn't divulge that information either. He seemed to relax when Eve did, and had no chance to dodge the kick to his chin. Eve leapt upon the man as he was knocked to the ground. To her surprise, he was still conscious, and raised the knife, almost impaling her.
After a brief struggle, Eve turned the old man's hands towards himself, forcing him to imbed the knife in his own chest.
She sat on his lap, trying to catch her breath, when Spike said weakly, "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."
Eve stood and hoisted the body up. This was nothing like when she killed Myrna, the other slave. The end was almost exactly the same, but everything else was incomparable. Eve didn't want to think about it. She brought the old man to Spike, and the vampire held the body while he drank the man's blood.
When Spike released the old man, Eve rolled his body onto the ground. She closed her eyes, "Please tell me that was enough," she whined.
Spike scooted up on the bed. "Not to worry, I can get the next one myself," he said, trying without success to stop staring at Eve's neck. He swung his legs over the side of the bed-- or at least, he tried to. Tried again. "Umm, something's wrong here," he scowled at his legs.
Eve had noticed his eyes on her neck, and made no move to go near him. "What's wrong?" She asked patiently, reminding herself that he could be playing with her mind.
Spike was wriggling on the bed, and it took Eve a minute to realize that he was trying to kick his legs into action. "Spike, what is it?" She was starting to worry. She put her hand on his knee to still him, and it worked. Spike went perfectly still and looked at Eve with real fear in his eyes.
A chill ran down her spine, and she knew. Even before he said, "I can't feel my legs," she knew.
Eve stood up and backed away from Spike. He saw her retreating towards the stairs, and he pleaded, "Eve, don't leave me."
She had never seen her master like this: afraid and vulnerable. She wished Druscilla were here. "I-I don't know what to do," she stammered.
Spike's face was pulled into a tight frown, and Eve could see that he was fighting not to cry. "Spike, tell me what to do," she implored him.
He breathed carefully, his control nearly gone. He didn't want to be left alone, helpless and crippled, but he couldn't stand the way Eve was looking at him. "Get out of here," he growled. When she didn't move, he screamed, "Get out of here!"
Eve turned up the stairs and ran into the hallway. She slammed the bedroom door shut and fought to keep from hyperventilating.
After nearly half an hour, Eve decided that she needed to do some research. If what Angel said was true, Buffy wouldn't hurt her. Eve headed for the high school.
***
Giles walked into his library with Buffy, Willow, and Kendra late that morning. The four of them slowed as they saw Eve sprawled out on the table in the center of the room. She was lying on her stomach with her face in a book, sleeping.
Giles approached the girl, while the others stood just behind him, looking on with curiosity.
"Who iz dis?" Kendra asked.
"Someone we forgot about," Buffy said quietly.
Eve's hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, and Giles saw what looked like a fresh burn mark on her ear. He shivered.
Giles cleared his throat. "Eve?"
The slave stirred slightly; she was used to waking up fast, but she was very tired.
"Eve?" Giles said again.
Eve's eyes snapped open, but she didn't move.
"Eve." Giles placed his hand gently on the girl's back, and she shot to her feet, whimpering loudly. "Good lord," the watcher exclaimed. "What happened to you?"
Eve did not say anything, just snapped her book closed and hopped off the table. "Nothing." Her voice was wet and broken, belying her words.
"Your ear..." Giles took off his glasses and ran the back of his sleeve across his eyes. "You need medical attention."
Eve's ensuing laugh was a little hysterical. She took a deep breath and turned to Buffy. "Is Angel gonna be okay?" She asked.
"How do you..." Buffy frowned.
Eve smiled gently. "I had to prepare him for the ritual. He asked me to find you..." Her eyes drifted to an indeterminate spot about six inches to the left of Buffy's head. "Spike overheard..." Her hand went up to the wound in her ear. She knew it was probably going to get infected, but her mind was on other things.
Willow's eyes darted to the title of Eve's book. It was Physical Rehabilitation: Assessment and Treatment. "Oh, you came here for medical help. 'Cause now that Spike and Druscilla are dead, you don't have anywhere to go?"
Eve blinked at Willow. Spike and Dru dead? Oh, of course. "I could use a little help," Eve whispered.
Willow smiled sympathetically. "I'll get the first aid kit. It's stocked a little bit better than your normal... first aid kit." She turned into the office.
Eve felt as though the whole world had changed overnight. Angel had said that the slayer and her friends now knew that Eve wasn't evil, but she never thought that they'd actually help her.
Eve pulled out a chair and sat down. She winced and stood up again. Noticing Giles's worried frown, she said, "It's just bruises and... um... nothing you can fix." The watcher's eyes darkened, and Eve was pretty sure that he knew exactly why her rear end was so sore.
Kendra crossed her arms and glared at Eve. Buffy sat on the table and relaxed. "I know you must be a little confused now," she said conciliatorily, "but at least you're free."
Eve tried to think of how she'd feel if all this was happening and she really was free. She glanced at the ground and then turned cold eyes on Buffy. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"What?" Buffy asked. "Look, I'm sorry about the cage, but you shot my friend, so I'm thinking we're even." Her brow furrowed when Eve didn't agree. "I mean, I'd say I did you a pretty big favor. You can go home now and have a normal life."
"You killed Spike and Druscilla," Eve answered without conviction.
Willow appeared with a large first aid kit, and Giles began removing the necessary ointments.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "I would have thought you'd be glad. 'Cause, the slavery thing can't have been fun."
"They weren't so bad," Eve whispered, looking away so Giles could reach her ear.
"In what way were they 'not so bad'?" Buffy asked incredulously while Kendra continued to glare at Eve. The younger slayer was getting evil vibes from Eve, but after attacking two humans in one day, she was reluctant to say anything about a girl the others seemed to trust.
Eve's eyes had taken on a faraway look at Buffy's question. After some thought, she answered, "I realize that I'm probably having Stockholm Syndrome style issues, but I kinda thought of them as my family."
"How?" Willow gaped at the small but ugly wound as Giles patched it.
"Well, Druscilla's amazing. She's like God; she sees everything. What she actually decides to tell people... it's just a game. She plays with tarot cards and palm reading, but it's not like she needs to." Eve sighed, "She's nuts, but the lady knows what's going on. And Spike really and truly loves her. Do you know what it is to earn that kind of devotion? Or from his side, to be able to give it?"
Buffy shook her head. "A demon can't love," she said it as if it were one of her core beliefs.
Eve moved to look at the blonde slayer, but Giles's hand kept her head still. "These ones love. Spike's..." She sighed in frustration. How could she describe her admiration for the vampire who would certainly kill her one day?
"A murdering fiend?" Buffy offered.
"We eat cows and pigs and fish and chickens. We don't count it as murder if it's a different species. That would mean that vampires are mostly just moving with the food chain." Eve knew this was a pointless argument, but she had to make some kind of token protest. Spike was not a murderer-- she was.
Buffy jumped off the table and walked over to the other side of Eve so they could face each other. "I can't believe you; you must be totally brainwashed. They don't just eat people. Like Spike-- he got his nickname from torturing people with railroad spikes. You call that just moving with the food chain?"
Eve smirked. She had been at the receiving end of Spike's attention enough times to make the little anecdote about the railroad spikes unnecessary. She knew her master was vicious.
Giles finished wrapping the bandage around Eve's ear. He let her head go and said, "Eve, I'd like to just take a look at your back. If you would..."
Hesitating for a moment, Eve removed her shirt. She didn't know how her back looked, but she knew how it felt. Spike had beaten her for a long time before pulling down her jeans and kneeling behind her.
By the gasps from the others in the room, Eve guessed that her back looked as nasty as it felt. "It's not bleeding, right? He doesn't usually like to leave scars..." She turned around and pulled her shirt back on. "It'll heal. Nothing you can do."
"I should have killed him slower," Buffy murmured.
***
Eve pushed the empty wheelchair into the warehouse. Druscilla was pacing in the main room, pouting nervously.
"Eve," she said breathily, "where have you been?" She grinned at the slave, and ran one cold finger down Eve's cheek. "You've been very naughty."
Eve nodded. "I'm gonna bring this to Spike. You'll probably have to carry him up the stairs." It felt strange to be telling Dru how she was going to have to take care of Spike, instead of the other way around.
The vampiress didn't answer, she just began swaying to a tune playing in her head. Eve continued to their bedroom when Druscilla started dancing.
Spike lay in Dru's bed, staring at the canopy. He didn't look up when Eve entered the room, just said quietly, "I thought you'd left."
Eve nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "The slayer and her friends think you and Dru are dead. Thought it would give you an advantage if you knew."
Now Spike looked at his slave. "You went to visit the slayer?"
Eve met his eyes. "Yes."
"You're not going to leave again," Spike said with more authority than he would have thought he could muster in that position.
"But you can't really stop me," Eve's eyes darted to the ground, where her two victims from the night before lay.
Spike ground his teeth together, but said nothing because the girl was right.
Without a lot of internal debate, Eve decided to do something very stupid. She inched toward the bed. "I got you a wheelchair. You won't be in it forever. I read a lot about vampire physiology, and about spinal cord and head injuries. I think I can get you walking again in only a few months."
Spike had looked hopeful, but his eyes darkened when Eve told him how long he'd be incapacitated. "It's not that long for someone who's gonna live forever," Eve offered. And then she did the very stupid thing. She gave a desperate vampire a little control. She sat down on the bed.
Before she could register the vampire's movement, Spike had rolled on top of her and was tightening his grip around her throat. Eve choked out, "Are you going to kill me now?" She met Spike's eyes and waited to die. She had killed out of loyalty to this vampire. If she stayed with him, she didn't doubt that someday she would be called upon to kill again. The only alternative was death.
Eve was starting to feel faint when Druscilla forcibly pulled Spike away. "Mine!" Dru stomped her foot.
Eve gasped in air reflexively while Spike politely apologized.
"Good." Druscilla smiled at the small bedroom. "Eve, make us a new home?"
"Of course," Eve choked out, rubbing her throat. She stood and went to see which of the other rooms were handicap accessible.
As she left the bedroom, she heard the strained tones of Spike's voice as he asked Dru for Eve's life.