by Mace

Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and Dru sat at their usual table in the Bronze. The Bronze was the only place Oz and Willow could get away from the crowds because everyone in the Bronze knew what kind of losers they really were. Dru had long since dropped the gothic dress and wore normal-people clothes. Everyone wondered about the vampiress because though she had been seen around town, it was never with the Slayer-Crew until Buffy had come back earlier that summer.

Xander and Buffy walked in together, much to the surprise of the Slayer Co. Dru was smiling.

"I take it you two have made amends," Dru said.

Everyone in the Bronze knew that Buffy, Xander, and Willow had been friends, that Xander and Cordy had gone out together, and that they had stopped being friends sometime before (so they thought) Buffy had gotten back.

"Yeah, I saved him from one of our friends," Buffy said.

"Oh?" Dru asked.

"Hey," Xander said to Oz.

"Hey yourself," Oz said with his usual Oz-ness.

"Hey, Will," Xander said.

"Hi," she replied.

"Um, hi, Drusilla," Xander said cautiously.

Dru just laughed until she couldn't laugh anymore. "Just, Dru, now, Alexander. Okay?"

Buffy elbowed Xander in the ribs.

"Oh, um, Cordy," Xander said.

She looked up almost hopefully.

"You wanna dance?" he asked hesitantly.

Cordy nearly fell into his arms. He escorted her onto the dance floor, mesmerized by her smell, her looks, her movements.

"That boy's got it bad," Oz commented. "You wanna dance, Will?"

"Sure," she said. "It's about time you asked."

Buffy sat down with Dru and took a sip of Willow's drink. Buffy sighed, forgetting for a second that Dru was with her.

"He used to wear a ring like that. You never told me what it meant," Dru said, indicating the Claddagh ring on Buffy's hand. No need and saying who 'he' was.

"It's a Claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart represents . . . love. You wear the heart toward you, and it means you belong to someone. He gave it to me for my birthday," Buffy said sadly.

"He didn't take it off, after he changed, you know. The heart always faced him. . . ."

"Do you miss him . . . Spike I mean?" Buffy asked, changing the subject.

Dru sighed. "No, I don't. You don't miss Angelus, do you?" Dru asked.

"I guess not. Sorry. I was just wondering. What were you like, you know, before you were changed?" Buffy asked.

"Simple, I didn't know much of anything, really. <> My mother convinced me that my clairvoyant abilities were evil. I didn't know any better. My uncle knew better, but I wasn't convinced," Dru admitted. "We moved a lot. We were gypsies. People thought we were thieves, and they hated us. That's one of the reasons I spent a lot of time in the churches. I didn't want God to hate me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. What about you? What were you before you were a Slayer?"

"I was a snob. I didn't care about anything past what I looked like in the morning or if I had worn an outfit before. I never had any real friends, not like I have now. Cordelia said it best, I could be in a crowd of people and be totally alone. When I started caring about important stuff, after I found out I was a Slayer, my friends abandoned me. My boyfriend at the time went to the dance with my best-friend.

"The vampires burned down the gym, and I got blamed for it. My friends told the police I did it. Then there was Pike. I thought I liked him, but he was just different, and the novelty wore off. He was more interested in the fact that I was the Slayer more than anything else. I haven't seen him since I left L.A. Willow and Xander were the first real friends I ever had," Buffy said.

<> Dru thought.

"I was always strong, even as a kid. I first started noticing my slaying abilities when cheerleading suddenly got easy. When I used to have to train for hours a day, I was getting by with just going to practice. And, aside from being distracted, I was even better than I had been in the past," Buffy continued.

"You had it kinda harsh, didn't you?" Dru asked.

"Yeah, all my parents' friends ignored them, my friends were the same, my parents were always arguing, and it took all my mother had to keep the police from charging me with arson," Buffy said, smirking.

"I really like your mom. She doesn't treat me any different than anyone else," Dru said.

"She likes you. She says you're good for me because I can stay in some nights. And you can cook," Buffy said.

"I can also quilt, but I haven't done that in a long time," Dru said.

"I love quilts. I have one my grandmother made, but I don't keep it on my bed. I got blood on it once," Buffy admitted sadly. "One of the hazards of being a Slayer."

Cordelia and Xander came over and sat down. Xander pulled Cordy's chair out for her. Dru and Buffy smiled at each other knowingly. Cordelia was flushed with happiness.

"Thanks, Buffy," Cordy whispered so only Slayer and vampire hearing could pick it up.

Do you want to read part five? Go here.

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