| TITLE: Knightsfall (3/?) SERIES: Nobility AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue E-MAIL: [email protected] DISCLAIMER: Joss owns everyone you know from TV, and I am NOT Joss... Gabriella is mine, as are some peripheral characters, and other characters belong to themselves, seeing as they are real people. RATING: NC-17, eventually. PAIRINGS: Dawn/Spike; W/A (mentioned); Anya/Ben (mentioned). DISTRIBUTION: ask, take, have... FEEDBACK: gets you a dedi... DEDICATIONS: for Mystra, for letting me run all of this by her first... also for Di and Nat, for making me think about this whole pairing... the CO, just cuz we rock!!! And to:Angel, Whitewolf Alpha, and anyone else who's sent feedback... It is much appreciated!!! NOTES: Takes place 6 yrs from now, in New Orleans. The Hellmouth has been closed for a while, and pretty much everyone has left Sunnyhell. * *= emphasis. &*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&* The black-haired vampire sat angrily on the bed in the girl's small room, wearing only a white towel wrapped snugly about his hips. He'd *heard* the girl say that she was going to burn his clothes, but he hadn't for an instant believed that she'd *meant* it! Or, he hadn't until he'd gotten out of the shower to find his things... gone! Ar first, he'd figured she'd taken them to wash, but... he could smell them, even from here; the stench that he'd worn for so very long was now wafting away on the slight breeze that came through the barely cracked window. He wasn't sure of just what she expected him to wear, but he'd be damned if he was going to parade around all day in just a small square of terry-cloth... especially since he'd heard the little chit talking to another woman out in the hall a few minutes earlier! And that was another thing! He had no idea of exactly where he was. Oh, sure, he knew that he was in New Orleans, he remembered *that* much, but... had she *really* been pointing a *gun* at him? Had she *shot* him? He didn't think so, mostly because he didn't feel any recently-healed tender spots when he moved, but still... And why had she even had a gun in the first place? She was just a *child*; she had no business being out after dark, much less carrying *weapons*! He ignored the voice in the back of his head that was telling him that the body he'd woken up next to had been anything but child-like, and he growled as the bedroom door opened and the girl he'd just been thinking about walked in. His growl died away quickly, however, as he just... stared at her in despair. Dawn smiled at the vampire's growling, and stepped into her bedroom with a small pile of Giles' things for Spike to wear. It was fortunate, she thought, that the two were near enough in size for them to fit passably well. Her smile faded, though, as she saw the look of sad horror on his face, and she sighed to herself. "Hey," she said, as if she'd just run into him in the street after leaving him only moments earlier, "I brought you some clothes to wear until we can get you some of your own..." She rolled her eyes when he didn't respond, and placed the jeans and blue button-down shirt in his lap. "What are you thinking, Spike?" she asked, curious as to whether he'd tell her. He stared at the girl, almost unable to look away. She was taller, of course, and less blonde... a bit more solidly built, too, but... he could see the resemblance, and it was throwing him. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before, and as he forced himself to look down at the clothes she'd brought him, he realized... he had to get out of there! He wouldn't be able to take it, being near someone who reminded him so much of... No. "Uh, nothing, pet," he stammered slightly, realizing she was waiting for an answer, "Just, uh... wondering why you actually burned my clothes, is all..." He was still looking at the blue shirt in his lap, so he missed the disappointed expression on her face. "Oh," she said, in a small voice, "They were... *gross*. I don't think they'd have come clean if I'd soaked them in bleach for a *week*!" She sighed then, and stood, knowing that he *still* wasn't looking at her. "I... I'll let you get dressed, then..." she murmured as she left the room, closing the door behind her. She walked slowly down the hall, still thinking about how lost he'd looked, and turned in to the kitchen when she heard her stepmother humming softly. "He doesn't trust me," she said softly to Gabriella's back. "I need him to trust me, and he *doesn't*! I mean, how am I supposed to bring him back; fix what's *broken*, if he doesn't *trust* me?" "You knew it wasn't going to be easy, child," the dark-haired woman reminded her, "It's going to take some time to break through those walls he's built around himself..." Dawn sighed deeply, and moved to stand beside the woman at the stove. "I know..." she said quietly, "But... he's not acting like *Spike*! I burned his clothes, and he didn't even act like he was *mad*, but I know he was... I could *feel* it." She shook her head slowly, her brow crinkling in consternation. "It's just like it was in Sunnydale. Whenever I was near him, I could tell how he was feeling, and I still can. He's angry, and he's hurt, and OK, not really about the clothes, but..." She was speaking more to herself than to the older woman, so she completely missed Gabriella's swiftly in-drawn breath. "But he won't talk about it. And I don't know how to make him better, Gab..." Gabriella was resisting the urge to scream at the Gods. It had been one thing for them to ask the girl to bind herself to a friend, but it was something else entirely for them to attach her to a vampire she'd already had a connection with... and if Dawn had been able to sense his emotions all those years earlier, then that was exactly what the Gods had done! They had taken an already existing bond and forced it even tighter, and she suddenly wished that she'd listened to Rupert when he'd expressed his initial concerns over the situation. "I... I can't help ya, child," she finally said, keeping her voice steady through sheer force of will. "If he's meant to trust ya, he will, and until then... Until then, ya can only do as ya already are. Be there for him; let him know ya care. If anything's gonna work, that should..." She sighed in relief as the girl turned away. "Thanks, Gab," Dawn said, crossing to the kitchen's back door. She stepped out onto the back porch and sighed into the slight breeze as she sat down on the top step. Gabriella was keeping something from her. She knew it. Any time the woman said 'ya' instead of 'you'... when her 'going to'-s became 'gonna'-s... she was hiding something. She didn't have any idea of what that something might be, but... she was going to find out; it just might take a while, and in the meantime... In the meantime, she had a border-line suicidal vampire to deal with. She sighed again and stood before going down the porch steps and walking around the house to her slightly open window. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * He stared down at the clothes in his lap, barely hearing what the girl said, and by the time it occurred to him to thank her for at least bring him *something* to wear, she was already long gone. Ah, well, he figured, she'd owed him the clothes anyway, seeing as she'd gone and set fire to the ones he'd arrived in. He was glad, suddenly, that he'd traded his duster for a few fifths of bourbon a good six months earlier, because if she'd burned *that*, he might have actually said something, and... He didn't want to make her angry. He snorted at himself then. What did it matter if he made her mad at him? It wasn't as if she cared about him, after all. In fact, she must hate him more than anything else in the world. And why shouldn't she, he asked himself; after all, he'd let her sister die! It couldn't matter to her, any more than it did to him, that he'd *tried* to save the Slayer... tried so hard, he'd thought his head would explode! No, she must have taken him in out of some desire to *see*. To see if he cared, felt any remorse. Well, he *did*. It was almost funny, he thought, that his true anguish hadn't struck until after that bitch Kim had come to him in Chicago. He didn't know what he'd been thinking. Maybe it was because she was a Slayer as well... maybe that was why he'd gotten involved with her. She'd known about the chip, and she'd *said* that she was impressed with the work he was doing for the Powers, and... she'd seduced him. Not that he'd made it terribly hard for her, but... he'd been so alone, and so *lonely*! And she'd *seemed* like a reasonably good sort. He growled at himself, his long fingers plucking at the collar of the shirt he was holding. That should have tipped him off, he supposed... that she'd appeared to be worthwhile. He hadn't understood, at first, that it wasn't really *him* she'd wanted, or at least... not 'Spike, Warrior for the Powers'. No, she'd wanted a different Spike. She'd wanted the Spike who'd fallen hard for Buffy Summers, the longest-lived, most-successful Slayer ever, and she'd wanted *all* of him! She'd taken it badly when she'd realized that he would never be entirely hers, and she'd left, cursing him loudly. And that was when it had all started to fall apart. Every time he'd closed his eyes, he saw it again... Buffy, being attacked by humans; himself, helpless and twitching madly on the ground, clutching his head and moaning while he watched them... no, he wouldn't think about it just then. But it was all he'd been able to see, and... only the liquor helped. At first, a few shots was enough to let him sleep, but a few quickly became many, and many became a bottle; then two; then... well. And he still couldn't function. He could feel it, the loneliness, and anger, and guilt, and despair... it lived within him; was a *part* of him, now... and he couldn't face it. He stood slowly, his face blank, and dropped the towel from around his waist as he began pulling on the clothes Dawn had brought him. His eyes darted quickly to the clock, and he almost sighed as he calculated how many hours there were until sunset. It would be hard, he knew, but somehow he'd manage to live with his thoughts, until he could go out and get himself a bottle. He had just sat back down when he heard the soft voice coming from the other side of the window. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * She hadn't intended to watch him dress. She'd had no thought in her mind of standing, slack-jawed, and staring in amazement at his lithely muscled body as he pulled the towel away and pulled the jeans over his nakedness, but... she'd done it, and while a part of her was mortified, the rest of her was *glad*. She'd always known that he was beautiful in a purely masculine way, but... she'd never allowed herself to wonder at what he'd always kept hidden beneath his signature black and red, and she realized that it was just as well... After all, the reality would doubtless have put the fantasy to shame. She closed her eyes tightly as he buttoned the shirt she'd given him, and forced her mind back to rational thought. Just because she was able to appreciate the view she'd gotten, that didn't mean that anything had changed. He was still pining after her dead sister, and... She wasn't interested. He was still a vampire, and whatever slight attraction she might be feeling not withstanding, she wasn't ready to leap into yet another meaningless fling. And that's all it would be, she told herself, and shook off the thoughts that were suddenly plaguing her. Besides, she hadn't been lying, not even to herself, when she'd told Giles that she wasn't in love with the formerly blond vamp. Finally, she opened her eyes again, relieved to see him sitting once more on the bed, fully clothed this time, and she cleared her throat slightly. "Spike--" she said softly, through the small opening at the bottom of the window, "I'm going out, OK?" She grinned slightly when he jumped in surprise; apparently the sounds in the neighborhood had masked her presence from him, and she was glad... after all, it wouldn't do for him to know she'd been watching him. His eyes flew to the girl he could just barely make out through the break at the bottom of the window shades, and for a moment he wondered how long she'd been standing there, but he put the question from his mind after less than a second's consideration. She was just a kid; there was no reason to think that she'd been there for more than a moment. "What?" he demanded, telling himself that it *wasn't* panic he was feeling at the thought of her leaving him. "Where are you going?" Dawn sighed to herself and pressed her face closer to the screen, meeting his eyes through the window. "I'm going to get you some clothes, Spike," she explained, her eyes raking quickly over his sitting body, "Unless you want to keep wearing Giles' things?" She chuckled slightly at his exaggerated look of horror, and smiled. "Besides, we don't actually keep blood in the house, so unless you're planning to go on a diet, I've got to get you some... groceries..." She waited for his nod of acceptance, and when it came, she relaxed a bit. She wouldn't have been able to go if she'd known it would distress him, but... she didn't think Giles would be any happier about Spike wearing his clothes than the vampire was. "Cool." she finally said, "So could you hand me my wallet?" Spike glanced quickly towards the bureau she was gesturing at, and rose from the bed, crossing to it. He found the slim black leather billfold on top of a pile of papers, and carried it to the window, unfastening the screen as he passed it to her. "So..." he said, as she took it from him, "You gonna be long, pet?" He would never admit it, but he was already feeling antsy at the thought of her going out, even if it *was* daylight. The girl smiled, her eyes sparkling slightly at his concern. "Just long enough to clothe and feed you, Spike," she announced clearly, "Call it a couple hours. But Gabriella's home, so at least you'll have someone to talk to..." She turned away then, slipping her wallet into her back pocket, and climbed the steps to the kitchen door. "Going out, Gab," she called through the screen, "Don't let Spike hide in my room all day, OK?" She waited until the woman answered in the affirmative, and jumped down from the porch, swiftly rounding the house and heading off down the street. She was reasonably sure that she'd be able to find the perfect clothes for the vampire at Gargoyle, and she giggled then, wondering if the proprietors knew that they had the perfect one-stop shop for clothing the undead. Of course, she reminded herself, New Orleans being what it was, they probably *did*. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Rupert Giles sighed unhappily as he reorganized the top shelf in the small voodoo shop he owned in partnership with a few of Gabriella's other followers. His wife had been right; he *hadn't* been fair to Dawn. He wasn't sure of why he hadn't realized it himself, but he supposed that denial was somewhat blinding. He'd known, deep inside, that Buffy was gone, and perhaps a part of him had missed the unique Watcher/ Slayer relationship they'd had. Maybe that was why he'd been so supportive of his 'daughter's' decision to fight the creatures of darkness. Of course, Dawn limited herself to vampires, and could count a few of the more benevolent New Orleans demons among her closest friends, but. He supposed that it could have been worse. She had a support system, of sorts, in him and Gabriella, and while *most* of her friends, the human ones at least, had no idea of what she did late at night, some of them did, and even tried to help her from time to time. And it was time that he started doing the same. Not patrolling with her, of course, but... Making sure that she had every advantage in whatever endeavor she was engaged in. And at the moment, that meant putting Spike back together. He sighed then, and reached for the phone. He didn't really *want* to do this, but if it would help Dawn... He dialed the number he very rarely used, and smiled slightly at the voice he heard when the other end of the line was picked up. "Hello, yourself, Anya, and No, I don't need any pickled rhinoceros penis today, even if it *is* on special!" He yanked the phone away from his ear when her delighted squeal threatened to burst his eardrum. "So... how's Ben?" he asked, when the woman had finally calmed down a bit, "And the kids?" He'd been a bit surprised, at first, when the former vengeance demon had broken with Xander shortly after Buffy's demise, but he couldn't really blame her. The Hellmouth was closed, permanently, but for some reason the boy had wanted to stay in Sunnydale, regardless of the fact that everyone else was moving on. And somehow it hadn't surprised him even slightly when the girl had taken up with the God who had masqueraded as a Doctor for a while. He'd been a touch concerned about the fact that Ben shared a body with his psychotic sister, but both Anya and the young man had assured him that Glory wouldn't be reappearing anytime soon, or even ever, so... he was happy for them, and had become only happier when their twins had arrived just over a year earlier. "Yes, well," he finally broke into her rambling monologue about little Lizzie's latest fever, and Ben Junior's latest tooth, "I'm glad you're all well, but is Willow about?" He rolled his eyes as the ex-demon kept talking. "Please, Anya. It's important! No, I promise you, I'll call to talk with you later... yes, and Dawn will, too, all right?" He grinned in amusement as he waited for the redheaded witch to come to the phone. "Willow," he said when he heard her voice, "Tell him we've *found* him... Or at least, *Dawn* has... No... No, I wouldn't say he's all right, not at all... Well, it's a bit of a story, and... Yes. I think that would be best... All right, I'll be at home by then, so... No, it'll be fine. Yes, I'm sure... OK... Yes." He smiled slightly then, his flagging spirits lifted by her words. "I... I miss you all, too. Maybe we'll get out to LA sometime this year. Yes, that *would* be nice. All right, I'm leaving now, so... Tell him I'll be waiting for his call... Yes, of course..." His smile grew enormously, and he laughed out loud for a moment. "Gods, I would have *paid* to see that! Really, I would have!... Yes, all right; goodbye, Willow..." He would have liked to talk to the girl longer, but apparently there was a big demand for pickled rhino penis in LA, because the shop the two girls owned had sounded swamped. Oh, well, at least the little redhead had lightened his mood, even if it *wouldn't* last. He poked his head into the stock-room at the back of the shop, and smiled. "I'm going home, Diego," he announced quietly, not wanting to break the man's concentration, "Tomas will be back in a few minutes, so I'll see you all next week." He turned and strolled through the shop, the smile still firmly fixed on his face as he stepped into the bright afternoon sunlight and started for home. He wasn't sure how soon Willow would be able to pass his message on to her mate, but he wanted to be home by the time he called... He hurried to the next intersection and flagged down a cab. Usually he would have walked, but... Angel could be calling any time. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gabriella sighed softly when her knock at Dawn's door went unanswered yet again. "You know," she finally said, loudly, "Dawny's going to kick your ass if you don't come out of there soon..." She sighed again when she still got no response. "Well, I could make you some coffee... or tea?" Spike groaned slightly, wondering if the woman was ever going to just leave him alone. He didn't want to be social; didn't want to chat with some chit the Watcher'd somehow managed to talk into shagging. He just wanted to be by himself... maybe try to sleep, for what little good it might do him, at least until Dawn got back from wherever it was she'd gone. Oh, sure, she'd said she wanted to get him some new clothes, but he didn't believe the girl would be rushing back any time soon. Why should she? He sat up suddenly, growling when he heard the woman's muttering as she finally walked away from his door. "Hey!" he almost yelled, "I'm not *afraid* to come out... I just don't *want* to!" The dark-haired woman smiled slyly to herself, glad that she'd guessed right. "Oh, I think you *are* afraid, Spike... If you weren't, you'd have been out of that room over an hour ago!" She stepped into the kitchen, ignoring his protests, and set the tea kettle on the stove, lighting the gas flame with a match. She smiled again when she heard him behind her, and turned. "So..." she began, only to stop, all colour draining from her face, as she got her first look at him. "You got any cocoa?" the vampire asked curiously, not noticing her shock as he glanced around the kitchen, "And maybe some of those little marshmallows?" He pulled a chair out from the table and looked at the woman who was staring at him. "Problem, pet? You look like you've seen a ghost." Gabriella shook her head slightly, trying desperately to gather her thoughts. "Yes..." she began, before backing up mentally, "Or no... No, I don't have a problem, and yes, I have cocoa... and marshmallows..." She frowned slightly and began rummaging through the cabinets, finding both after a few minutes of searching. "Sorry," she said, staring at him once again, "I thought ya'd be... different, I guess." She pulled her eyes away from him and began fluttering about, preparing the cocoa. "I'd best make a bit extra," she said, mostly to herself, "Dawny's gonna want some when she gets home..." She hoped the girl got back soon... she had to tell her what Spike's problem *really* was. She was afraid of what the girl might do, but if Dawn was going to fulfill her promise to the God, she needed to know about what the voudoun sight revealed to her when she looked at the vampire. Spike watched, brow furrowed, as the woman moved about nervously. He could feel the anxiety and fear rolling off of her in waves, but strangely enough, it wasn't directed towards him. No, whatever was bothering her, it wasn't the fact that he was a vampire. It was odd, granted, but he decided that it didn't much matter, and he sat back in his chair, trying to make conversation... anything to make the time go more quickly. He just hoped, as he watched the woman pouring milk into a saucepan, that Dawn would be back sooner, rather than later. How long did it take to buy some clothes, anyway? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dawn stepped wearily from the store on Royal street, laden down with more bags than she remembered buying things to fill. But she was satisfied with her purchases, so she really couldn't complain too much, although she was glad she'd taken care of the feeding part before the clothing. She was also glad of the styrofoam cooler she'd managed to finagle out of the blood-broker... after all, she wouldn't want Spike's food to spoil before she could get it home to him, and the clothes shopping had taken a bit longer than she'd expected. She'd almost gone the safe route, and bought things like what she remembered him wearing when she'd been younger, but the wide assortment of truly stunning items had made her re-think that notion, and she'd ended up buying him things that she thought would look just... great on him. OK, she wasn't entirely sure of how he'd react, but she was for damned sure going to make him try everything on, and if he didn't like what she'd gotten him? Well, tough! If she was going to be seen with him, he was at least going to look like someone she *would* be seen with! Besides, the items she'd selected were still sort of similar to his old style; just a bit more... lush. And he'd look fantastic in the silks and velvets, she just *knew* it... not to mention the leather! Her only real concern was that the boots might not fit, but there was no way she was going to let him wear the ratty old pair of Nikes he'd had on when she'd found him... not with his new wardrobe, anyway. Well, she decided, as she began lugging the bags down the street, if the boots didn't fit, they'd just exchange them. She turned towards the street angrily when she heard the male voice offering to 'ride her home', and a smile replaced her glower as she caught sight of the one who'd been calling. "Eddie!" she greeted him, "How's it?" The cab driver smiled at the blonde girl, and he laughed. "Same old, same old... need a ride, little miss?" He grinned even wider, gesturing at her bags. "Didn't think you were much for shopping, Dawn..." he said, as he got out of his cab, ignoring the honking horns of the cars lined up behind him. He ignored her protests as he took the shopping bags and cooler from her and placed them in the back seat. "Come on, girl," he said, amused, "Let's get you home." Dawn giggled softly, and climbed into the passenger seat. "Thanks, Eddie," she said gratefully, "I didn't intend to buy so *much*, but..." she shrugged and relaxed against the seat. Eddie laughed slightly. "Well, if anyone deserves a little spree every once in a while, it's *you*, Dawn... Mirabel still remembers you in her prayers, you know." The girl blushed bright red, uncomfortable with the reminder. "I was just..." "Doing your job; I know. You *still* saved my life, though, so if my wife wants to say a little prayer for you every now and again, well..." He paused then, and changed the subject, seeing how antsy she was getting. "So what all did you buy? Some frilly little dresses?" He grinned, knowing from the logo on the bags that if she *had* bought any dresses, they were most likely very, *very* little, and not at *all* frilly. Dawn grinned, glad he wasn't still trying to thank her... after all, free cab rides were thanks enough-- and then some-- to *her* way of thinking. "No, actually," she said happily, glancing into the back seat, "I was shopping for a friend..." "And did you find one?" Eddie teased. Dawn laughed, playing along. "Yes, and very reasonably priced, too... No, really," she continued, still chuckling slightly, "I ran into an old friend who's fallen on some hard times, so... shopping." The cab driver deliberately didn't say anything about how good of a friend it must be for her to have dropped the kind of cash he knew she must have. "So, what's his name?" he asked softly, hoping the girl wasn't being taken in by some bastard's hard-luck story. The blonde rolled her eyes, amused by his thinly veiled protective impulse. "His name is... William," she said slowly, "But don't worry, Eddie. He really *is* an old friend, and... he's been missing for a while." She sighed then, staring down at her hands in her lap. "He... he loved my sister, and he just sort of... fell apart after she died..." Eddie sighed himself, and reached out, patting her gently on the shoulder. She'd told him a bit about her older sister, and she sounded like she'd been a remarkable girl. And he doubted that the man who had loved her would show up planning to take advantage *this* Summers girl, so... "Sorry, Dawn, I just needed to ask." He pulled up in front of her house and helped her with her bags, smiling when her normal sunny personality reasserted itself. "Well, you take care, now," he called to her, as he walked down the steps. "You, too, Eddie..." she replied, waving as he drove away, "You, too." End-- pt 3 |