| Timely Salvation by Michelle |
| "Angelus? What's going on?" Xander watched as a woman joined the brunette vampire. She had blond hair that was pulled up into a hairstyle too complicated for even Buffy to have tried. Her ivory gown had an extremely low neckline, which drew his attention, and a tiny waistline that expanded out to wide hips. It was decorated with lace and pearls and all sorts of stuff too girly for Xander to know. What bothered him the most was that she looked familiar. He stared at her, trying to figure out where he had seen her before. Then it clicked in his head - he had seen her the first night he met Buffy, in the crypt, and then later, in the Bronze, after Buffy found out Angel was a vampire. "Darla," he breathed. "T'would seem me young friend here knows us," Angelus said. He put his arm around Darla, pulling her close. "Ye dinna happen ta know him, do ye?" She cocked her head, studying Xander as he had studied her. "I don't recall ever seeing him before; he's American. I prefer my men European, especially after the war." Darla pouted mockingly. "What's the matter, having your own country isn't enough?" Angelus chuckled. "He says I hurt his loved ones an' knows what we are." Her lips curved up into a wicked smile. "Shall we hurt him, then?" Xander held his cross higher. "Don't come near me, or I swear I'll shove this cross straight through your heart and out the other side." "My, my. Look at his eyes, Angelus, " Darla said. "All that rage and fury. He's dying to kill us, even if it costs him his own miserable life." Angelus nodded. "Tell me, m'lad, just who did we hurt ta cause such passion?" "One of my best friends in the world, and if I kill you now you'll never get the chance to do it." Both vampires blinked. "Excuse me?" Darla said flatly. Xander just glowered at them, knowing he had already said too much. <I really need to start paying more attention to all those Bond movies>, he thought. Smirking, Angelus recovered first. "Do we have a gypsy on our hands, then? One who can see the future? Tell me, boy, what do ye see fer me?" Xander smiled cockily. "Soul-racking torment and eternal suffering." The brunette vampire scoffed. "An' I thought ye knew what we were." "Come, darling," Darla said, pulling on Angelus's arm. "Let's be done with him and be gone. The night grows old." The male immortal just shook her off. "No. This one intrigues me." "Angelus, kill him and be done with it. We'll find you another plaything." Very slowly, Angelus turned to face his sire. A calm deadliness settled over him. "He'll do just fine." Darla was becoming quite impatient. "I command you to leave here at once." "Oh, so you're commandin' me? I dinna think you're one ta be makin' demands after France." "Please, you made it out in one piece," she said. "Don't be so petty." He growled. "Y'left me to die at the hands of those villagers while ye escaped with nary a scratch. I'm entitled to havin' a grievance." "If you're going to act like this I'll leave without you again," she warned. "Fine. Ye're free ta do whateva ye like." Darla narrowed her eyes. "You know where to find me when you come to your senses." With that, she walked out of the alley the way she entered it. Angelus watched as she walked off. Then he turned his attention back to Xander, who had been inching his way out of the alley so he wouldn't attract the vampires' attention. "Now then, where were we, m'boy?" �I believe you were about to let me go,� Xander said. The vampire laughed. �I dinna think so. We were discussin� yer knowledge of the future. So, what am I ta do, besides hurt yer loved ones?� Deciding to err on the side of caution for once, the mortal remained silent and tried to once again back out of the alley. Angelus growled. �I wouldna do that,� he warned �I just want to go home,� Xander repeated, holding his cross higher, if possible. �I know, I heard ye the first time. But I�ve been cravin� intelligent conversation with anotha man. Darla . . . well, if ye know who she is, then ye know there�s only killing and feeding on her mind.� He chuckled. �That, and mating.� Xander kept inching away. �That�s all very touching. Why don�t you take her suggestion and find a different plaything? Intelligence and I don�t go together very well.� Angelus made a tsk-ing noise in his throat and started to circle his prey. �Ye shouldna say that about yerself. Ye remind me of meself when I was a lad, an� I�ve always been blessed with intelligence.� �I�m going to try really hard to pretend you did not just say that,� Xander said. The vampire ignored him, instead cornering the boy against the wall. �Ye�ve got a lot of potential, m�boy. All you�re needin� is the right teacher.� Xander watched as Angelus�s face morphed into his true demon visage. A feeling of utter dispair settled in his stomach. He didn�t have a slayer�s strength to fight the vampire off, a witch�s power to protect himself, or the smarts to think of something else. Angelus, however, didn�t seem to notice the mortal�s despair and carelessly knocked the offending cross away. �You willna be needin� that after I�m done with you,� he growled. And with that, the vampire sank his fangs into Xander�s neck. |
| LONDON, ENGLAND 1785 |
| Somewhere, in a quiet corner of oblivion, the three fates paused in their work. The click of the Crone�s scissors as they snapped shut rang in the air, while the Mother let go of the yarn and the Virgin�s spinning wheel slowed to a stop. The three looked at each other, briefly confused about the sudden change. The Crone moved first, gently setting her scissors down. The Virgin stood and moved near her two sisters by the table. Each reached out and took a piece of string into their hands. For a brief moment, Time itself stood still as the fates unraveled 214 years of existance. People were reborn and unborn again in lightening fast speed, so fast that it was as if they never lived at all. When they unraveled the last piece of yarn, the Virigin sat back down at her spinning wheel, the Mother picked up the yarn, and the Crone picked up her scissors. They began to weave, measure, and cut life once again, from the year 1785 Part 6 Xander woke to a hunger unlike anything he had ever known. It wasn�t hard for him to determine that he was no longer in the alley. Or that he was no longer human. A part of him had always wondered what a vampire went through when it rose from the grave, right before Buffy staked it. Was their pain, confusion, knowledge or wonder? Did the vampire feel anything, or did it experience vast nothingness? Now he knew the answers to those questions. He seemed to be feeling and experiencing everything at the same time. Nothing in his life, none of his training as a Slayerette, could have prepared him. There was wonder, as he was the same but completely different. All of his memories and knowledge was still there, but none of the guilt, pain, depression, or anxiety. His anger still existed, but along with it was now a sense of power and control over any given situation. There was knowledge, but he didn�t think that was normal. Because of all the research he had been forced to do by Giles, he had a basic understanding of what was going on with his body. That was probably why he wasn�t confused. <Well, that�s not entirely true,> he thought. He wasn�t confused by his new vampire status, but being a vampire confused him. He didn�t really feel any different from his mortal self except for the power, confidence, and lack of mortal fallibility. Yet he knew he was different, that his soul was gone and a demon was in its place. After a moment he decided he really didn�t give a damn. And then there was the pain. The hunger he had been aware of the second he regained consciousness *hurt*. It crawled into his gut and multiplied, until no part of his body was free from it. Its edges were sharp, digging into his mind, throat, eyes, stomach, and beyond. Every nerve ending throbbed with hunger, demanding sustenance. He wondered if the hunger would ever be sated. With a cautious hand, Xander felt the ridges on his face. They felt odd to him, especially since he could not see them. Sharp fangs pricked his fingers, spilling drops of blood that he greedily swallowed. He noted with detachment that it didn�t bother him. A door slamming shut caused the newly made vampire to jump. The noise brought his attention away from himself and towards his surroundings. Sitting up, he saw he was in a bedroom, one that was richly furnished. Silky burgundy sheets were under him; the bed itself had four posters, with a burgundy canopy. An elaborate stone fireplace across from the bed warmed the room. Two plush cream chairs sat by a stone table in front of tightly drawn black curtains. The carpet, which looked Persian, had tones of burgundy mixed with cream. All in all, Xander had never before found himself in such a room. �What do you mean, he�s one of us?� came an unfeminine screech to his ears. It was so loud and high that it hurt his sensitive hearing. He knew at once that it came from Darla, and smiled evilly at the knowledge that she was not pleased. �Dinna play daft, Darla, it doesna become ye.� Angelus was not pleased either, for Xander could now hear him. Before, the male vampire had been keeping the conversation at very low levels. What should have also pleased Xander now made him angry at Darla for making Angelus upset. <Huh.> �How could you?� she cried. �He�s, he�s �� �He�s goin� ta make a fine vampire, with the proper trainin�,� Angelus growled. �In fact, he�ll do yer precious Master proud. I don� see how ye could object ta that.� Darla also growled. �He�s a mere boy, Angelus. Despite his knowledge of what we are, he�s week and brash and will be dead before the week is out.� �I made him; he�ll be me responsibility. He willna fail.� �You�re right � he is your responsibility. I want nothing to do with him!� Xander could hear furniture and other objects being slammed. �Fine! Go runnin� back ta yer Master with yer tail between yer legs! I�ll no� stop ye.� The door slammed again, leaving Xander and Angelus in the house together. The newly made part of Xander�s nature bristled at the slight against Angelus. The part that held his memories quivered in fear that the vicious vampire would take his frustration out on Xander. He didn�t like either emotion. In the end he decided to hold his head high and be silent when Angelus entered the room. The stormy expression on the older vampire�s face melted into amusement when he saw that Xander was awake. �I didna think ye would eva wake up,� Angelus said, leaning against the doorframe. �Did ye hear all that?� He motioned with his head towards the room that he had just come from. Xander nodded slightly, believing silence was better than words. �Ah, no matter,� Angelus dismissed with a wave of his hand. �She�ll forget sooner or later. Right now, we have more pressin� matters to discuss. Are ye hungry, boy?� Amber eyes flashed as Xander growled in affirmation. �Then let us go. You�ll be more talkative once we�ve gotten a meal into ye.� Walking forward, the Irishman took hold of Xander�s arm. �But first, ye�ll be needin� to look . . . decent enough for human company,� he added, sarcasm dripping from his smirking lips. That last comment motivated Xander to speak. �What�s wrong with my clothes?� he asked defensively. As hard as he thought it would be, he found he could easily talk with fangs. �Nothin�, although I�ll profess I�ve neva seen trousers like yers before. I was referrin� ta yer face, no� yer clothes. Ye�ll scare away yer food before ye can eat it.� For the second time that night Xander felt the ridges on his face with his hand. Before Angelus could explain what to do, Xander closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the planes and structure of his face shift and smooth out, causing sensations he could never hope to explain. Angelus�s eyebrows rose and his smirk grew wider. �No� even a day old an� ye�re learnin� control. Darla will be eatin� her words soon enough.� Shaking his head, he put his arm around Xander�s shoulders and led the young vampire to the door. �Come, m�boy; �tis time ye were learnin� other skills.� next back |
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