Title:
Those Taken for Granted
Author: Raihne
([email protected])
Fandom: BTVS/ Vampire Hunter D
Pairing(s): Spike/Xander, D/ Ray Gensay,
(maybe S/X/D, or S/X/D/R in the future)
Summery: The latest Big Bad botches an attempt
to open the Hellmouth and sends the Scoobies and a not so pleased
vampire to another dimension. One with a lot more surprises than
they need.
Disclaimer: I cry to the wind if only if only
Warnings: I am not sure yet, probably sex and
violence, and all sorts of the usual stuff.
Feedback brightens even the most dark and drab of days. Please C&C
//Another apocalypse another day.// Spike thought as
he ripped through the throng of minions around him. The watcher'd sent
puppy boy over to the crypt an hour or so previous spoutin' stuff about
vamps and evil lawyers, Angel and new Hellmouths and the end of the
world. After a snarky 'Ah pet, ya had me at 'ello', that earned a full
facial blush and equally snarky come back from the boy, Spike had
jumped at the chance for a good fight.
After tearing off the head of the nearest vamp, he
scanned the battle quickly taking it all in. The witches were chanting
the mojo to close the circle of light that was opening in the ground
not two feet from where the vamps were dog piling. . . //Bloody Hell//
Harris. The watcher and slayer were going after the necromancer who'd
started the whole mess. None of them had noticed the boy's trouble.
Spike watched the boy get slammed into a heavy metal
rail, six feet above and a bit left of the portal, and flip over it
painfully. The vamp almost winced as Xander slammed even more painfully
on the concrete below it. The old warehouse was falling apart around
them. "Slayer! Get a move on!"
"Shut up Spike! This is not as easy as it looks!"
She grunted as the necromancer slammed his staff into her stomach and
kicked out, just missing her face.
The blond shot a quick glance around for his sire,
who was chasing after a man in a buisness suit who was holding the orb
that was aiming the portal to Hell. He was taking a step toward them
when a creaking sound caused him to pause and look back. The rail
Xander'd been thrown over was coming loose, and the kid was
still below it, fighting another vamp away from the witches and
favoring his right side. "Harris!"
Xander looked at Spike and then above him but it was
too late, one end of the heavy bar gave way and it swung down, hitting
his injurred side and knocking him into the portal. The human clung
tightly to the bar, face covered in pain and sweat, and stared out at
Willow, "Keep going!"
"But Xan. . ."
He grit his teeth, "Close it!"
"No!"
Xander clenched his jaw and looked over at Buffy and
Giles, both were still fighting and hadn't noticed the witches
hesitation. He looked for Angel, but the vamp had just grabbed hold of
the lawyer's suit coat. Finally desperate eyes found Spike, "Tell her!
If she doesn't close it now. . ."
Spike tensed, his face determined, "Gotta be another
way pet."
The chocolate whiskey eyes hardened and Xander let
go of the bar.
"No!" Only vampiric speed let Spike get there in
time.
"Damn it Spike! You can't pull me up. This thing's
got me already. Close it!"
"Not lettin' you go."
"Fuck! Now is not the time to start giving a damn
fangless!"
Spike glarred and pulled, all of the muscles of his
body straining to beat the pull of the fledging Hellmouth.
Three things happened all at once. Angel pulled the
lawyer backward and the orb he'd been holding hit the cement and
shattered. The necromancer shreiked and his staff splintered and
snapped. Giles swore and tackled Buffy, trying to push her out of the
nearby door.
The vampire had just enough time to think, //not
good// before the ground opened up and swallowed them all.
//'Not a problem' he said. 'Just your average wanna
be' he said. . .// Angel could almost hear Spike whining. Unfortunately
it seemed his child was no where to be found. The tall dark vampire
stood and began to pace in the confines of the one bit of shade they'd
managed to find before dark. The ruins of an old castle. It had been
pure luck that they'd found them in time. It was also lucky that Buffy
hadn't realized what the stains on the walls were. No doubt this had
been the home of a master at one point.
"Angel please calm down. I cannot concentrate with
you pacing over us like that." Giles sighed and tried to polish his
glasses, he quickly found out that not one inch of his clothing was
clean enough for the task, between the demon ichor, ash, and the mud
they'd fallen in upon arriving in this new place.
Willow poked her head into the ruined room and
blinked owlishly at Buffy crouched in the corner and Angel staring at
Giles. "Oh thank the Goddess! It's you right? You're you? Because I
reeeeeally don't want anymore surprises today. Please be you."
Angel let forth an involuntary yelp Willow threw her
arms around him and tried to squeeze him to another death. Tara stepped
in behind her and offered a small smile before turning to Giles.
"H-have you seen Spike? O-or Xand-der?"
That got their attention, "We thought Xander ended
up with you!"
"Do you think he and Spike fell together? He isn't
alone out there is he? Oh Goddess what if he's alone out there?" Willow
was close to panicking.
"Don't w-worry." Tara offered softly, "S-s-spike
w-was holding on t-t-to him. Th-they must be tog-gether."
The red head nodded and gave a small sigh, "Maybe
they're looking for a way home."
Giles nodded and looked at the darkening sky. "And I
suggest we do the same. Perhaps there is a counsel in this dimension,
it certainly doesn't look like Hell."
Angel nodded, "Lindsey dropped the orb when I
grabbed him, that was what kept the portal pointed at Hell. Without it,
we could be anywhere."
"Oh!" Willow bounced, "Are we in the world without
shrimp? Xander told me. . . Oh."
Buffy caught on and nodded, getting to her feat,"We
need to look for Xander."
"And Spike." The vampire said softly. "And Lindsey
if at all possible. He could still cause problems."
"We can look for them and search for
assistance." Giles assured them, "What weapons do we have left?"
Buffy held up her lucky stake, "It's all I was
carrying in the first place."
"Tara and I have our backpacks." Willow smiled,
"There are stakes and spell components. . ."
"No!" Angel and Giles both yelled at once then
turned to one another in amused irony.
The watcher shook his head, "We do not know this
dimensions base elements, and so any spell for Earth could have
disasterous consequences here."
"But, then all I have is three stakes." her voice
sounded small.
Angel nodded, "I have a broadsword."
"And I have a bow with a few arrows." Giles sighed.
"We shouldn't travel at night when we don't know this world, there
could be creatures out there that we are very unequipped to deal with."
Buffy looked at her watcher with a frown, "Well some
of us don't do well with Sunlight Giles." She moved closer to Angel as
if to protect him from even the thought of the sun.
"Get me out if this pile of rubble and maybe I can
help ya."
Spike and Xander landed with a loud thud. They lay
on the red clay ground for a moment before Spike lifted his head a bit,
"Well? Gerroff will ya?"
Xander groaned, "I don't think I can move."
"Oh fer the luv a. . ." Spike shoved hard and the
human rolled onto the ground and stared up at the purplish blue sky.
"Are you hurt?"
Xander touched his side and winced, "Bruised ribs,
maybe cracked. They aren't broken or anything."
"Lemme look." Spike lifted Xander's shirt and
wrinkled his nose at the angry bruise that spanned the boy's entire
side. "Not good. Need ta bind this."
"I don't have anything on me, do you?"
Spike searched around in his duster pockets and came
up with an old wad of bandages, covered in dirt and dry blood.
"Uh. . ."
"Trophy from some kill or other." He shrugged and
stepped forward.
"Uh. . ." Xander tried his luck at speaking again.
"No. Nuh Uh. I am not letting you put that on me!"
"'S jus' a bit dirty. Yer gonna need something."
"My shirt?" He asked hopefully.
"No, would have ta tie it together an the knots
would dig inta you."
"It's filthy. I'll get some kind of disease and die!"
"S'not bad."
Xander closed his eyes and sighed, then took the
dirty wad of cloth. "If I catch some horrible disease I'm blaming you."
He promised as he bound his ribs tightly over his A shirt.
"Should take that off first."
"I am not putting this next to my bare skin." He
slipped the overshirt back on and looked around.
"Fair enough."
"So where are we? This doesn't look like Hell. Are
we in the land of perpetual Tuesdays or something?"
"Don't think so." Spike blinked a couple times to
clear his vision, finally shifting to game face and blinking.
//Better.// "Good on me we landed in the shade."
"I wonder where the others are? Did they get out of
the circle in time?"
"Dunno I was a bit busy mate."
The deep chocolate eyes flashed and Xander faced off
with the vamp in anger, "You should have let me fall! The portal had to
be closed! Now because of me everyone is probably stuck here!"
"Don't get yer knicker's in a twist. The watcher
will think a somethin'."
"He shouldn't have to! He and Buffy and Willow and
Tara and You should all be safe in OUR WORLD!"
"Oh Spike! Thank you fer savin' my worthless hide! I
am so greatfull that you cared enough to try to help me." Spike hinted
in a frustrated voice.
"You want me to thank you?! Oh no way fangless this
is all your fault!"
"My. . . I saved yer arse!"
"I was trying to save yours you jerk!"
Spike blinked, taken aback for a moment, "Wha. . ."
A quick movement in his peripheral vision had Xander
slamming himself into Spike, "Watch out!" He knocked him to the
ground.
"That is a vampire, you would do well to step
aside."
Xander stared at the cloaked man with really
reeeeeally long hair and gave him a patronising look, "Duh. Of course
Spike's a vampire, notice the facial ridges and glowing yellow eyes.
Oh! You think I'm stupid. Right."
The tall man stood back, sword still drawn but
looked confused. "Ray?"
Xander looked at Spike who shrugged and made a
'crazy' sign pointing to his head. "Um. . . no. Me Xander, You. . ."
". . ."
"Right, . . . well I'll just take my vampire and
we'll. . ."
"Stop."
Xander made a face and turned around again. "Look
I'm sorry we kinda fell in on you like that, but we need to find our
freinds and no offense but you're seriously weirding me out."
"My name is D."
"Tha's nice mate." Spike grabbed Xander's arm, "Come
on then pet." He didn't like the way that man was looking at Xander.
"I'm a vampire hunter."
Xander instantly moved in front of Spike and started
to back up. "Well now we really need to be going." Yes Spike was an
annoying mooching leech, but he was Xander's . . . sudo-friend! "Nice
to meet you, you won't be offended if I don't say it's been a pleasure
right? Okay, well, see ya."
A slim hand caught Xander's collar and he made a
high pitched Eeping sound and began to thrash around.
"Harris!"
"Spike! He's a slayer damn it! Run!"
"Let 'im go. Tha's my human there."
"Spike!"
"Shut UP Nummy."
D looked from one to the other and dropped the human
who instantly scurried back to the cocky blond he'd shown up with.
//What is going on? It's Ray Gensay. I know that smell, that heartbeat,
that magic resonance. But. . . Whether he is or isn't Gensay, that
vampire has done something to him. He must be powerful to hold the boy
in thrall and still allow him the apperance of free will.// D noticed
them trying to sneak away. "Stop."
The two froze and looked back sheepishly.
"Stay here for the night. In the morning I will help
you find your freinds."
"Holy combustible roommates Bat man! I don't think
so."
D blinked at the strange boy "I can scout during the
day and bring them back here."
"Oh." The boy looked unsure. "Hold that thought." He
took the vampire by the arms and pulled him into the shadows. The
Dhampyre let his hearing peak and listened for any signs of danger from
the blond. It was only an added bonus that he could hear their whole
conversation.
"He's a guy version of a slayer. Maybe he can find
them."
"I don't trust 'im Hirris. 'e's not tellin' us
somethin' an' 'e's watchin' ya like 'e's gonna take a bite 'r
somethin'."
"What else can we do? What if we try to leave and he
stakes you? I just got used to having you around."
"Not like I'd let 'im kill me."
"Spike. . ."
"Listen pet, you feel like we c'n trust 'im, then we
stay, but 'e doesn't feel like a slayer an' 'e smells like a demon. No
way 'm lettin' me guard down fer th' sake o' good faith."
"Deal."
D could hear the smile in the young human's voice
and the affection in the vampires. He couldn't understand how they
could claim one another as freinds but it seemed that that was exactly
what they'd done. As they returned he watched the blond closely while
Ra . . . , Xander, approached him, before turning his visible
attention to the human.
"Uh. . . deal?" was all the boy said.
The Dhampyre took the outstretched hand and glanced
up to meet glarring, storm blue eyes.
Ignoring the funny ache in his stomach at the
visible connection between his two guests, D continued to ready camp
for nightfall. He watched the vampire say something and get slapped by
the human before the boy began to laugh. //Ray, but not Ray. Perhaps
this human was another dimension's version of the mutant? //That would
explain the clothing and the accented speach. Could I have been granted
another chance?//
He took his bedroll over to the human and offered it
to him. D and the blond vampire would not get ill with the cold of the
night, but a human could. "Here. Get some sleep now."
"Uh. . . thanks." The human smiled a bit and then
blushed at D's curious stare. "Could you, ya know, maybe not look at me
like that?"
"You are pleasant to look at."
That caused an even deeper blush from the boy, "And
soooooo not available. My girlfreind . . . well she probably wouldn't
object if she got included, but she's not here and please tell me that
I haven't been thinking out loud. . . I'm gonna go wait for the ground
to swallow me now okay?"
//Girlfreind? Then these two are not. . .// D
blinked at the long stream of babble, but was broken from sorting
through the words by a loud exclaimation.
"Spike! What are you doing?"
"Sleeping."
"This is MY bed."
"'s the only one Harris, you still got yer kit on so
stop being a cover hog an' share."
"Oh no. Evil Undead. I am not sleeping with you."
"But I'm cooooooooold." The blond whined.
D could tell the moment the boy gave up. He let out
a long suffering sigh and lifted the edge of the top blanket. "It's
only a one person. . . eep! Spike!"
"Made fer one innit? Means we gotta keep close ta
cover both."
The human snickered, "You're a closet cuddle bug!"
"Oi! Am not!"
"Admit it! You're a big bad teddy bear."
"Close yer gob an' go ta sleep." The vampire
ordered.
The human nodded a bit and yawned, he eyes finally
giving in to the weight of their lids.
After the other's breath hade become deep and even.
D watched the blond snuggle deeper, his whole body wrapped around the
boy and his eyes staring at D, daring himto coe any closer. When D
didn't move the vampire bent closer to the boy and breathed, "Night
Nummy."
It was a disturbingly tender decree. The dhampyre
waited until he was fairly sure that the blond was sleeping as well,
and then he slipped into the early hours of the morning, to do a bit
more hunting while there was still darkness to welcome his prey. The
traps he'd set would keep the two travelers safe. And he couldn't sleep
so near the boy who seemed so familiar.
They all spun toward the voice and pulled their
weapons, "Show yourself!" Angel demanded.
A ghostly pale figure detanched itself from the
shadows, not a mean feet since the guy had white hair with a shock of
red in his bangs, and grey and white clothes on. "Don't worry,
why would I hurt my ticket outta this place?"
Angel shivered, the skinny man reminded him of
William. Not Spike, but William the Bloody. He had the same crewl calm
and feeling of barely supressed violence. "You look able to walk,
there's no door locking you here."
"With two witches and a warlock in your group I
would think you'd know that magic doesn't need doors."
Giles blushed, he hadn't been called a warlock since
he joined the counsel, not by anyone but Ethan at least.
"Why are you here anyway?" Buffy demanded, "Maybe
you're supposed to be trapped."
"I was fighting the master of this castle, Count
Lee. He tried to pop my skull like a grape." The ghostly man shrugged,
"When the Count and his castle were distroyed I got pulled into the
never along with the castle while it got purged. When it came back
there was a spell over it, no one who had been inside during the
purging could escape."
"No one, so there were others." Giles noticed.
"Minor demons."
"Where are they now?"
The pale one shrugged, "A guy's gotta eat."
Buffy made a face and Willow looked unsure, Tara
looked sick, but Giles and Angel both nodded. They had lived through
enough to understand necessity.
Willow raised her hand tentatively, "But if you're
trapped here, how can we get you out?"
"The curse is, "None who reside here now may step
through the castle barriers." He grinned, "Don't say anything about
being carried out does it."
~tbc~
I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this out. The story does not want
to be written. I've struggled the whole way through it but I figured
that I should post it anyway, even though I don't care for it, you have
waited so long. I will try to make it better as it goes.
-Rai