Sequel To: "Turn Around - Total Eclipse" ...still taking ideas for the series title. And this is going to be seriously confusing if you've never read the first three.
Rating: Naughtily NC-17. Not only that, but if sex between male vampires and blood and death (although there's not any death in this particular story of the series) offends you...well, you've been warned so flames will be promptly discarded. Pairing: This story it's essentially Spike/Angelus (a little bit of Aus/W implied). In future it will grow to probably every combination of W/Aus/S that I can think of.
Summary: Spike has a decision to make.
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story (except the guy who's about to die and doesn't have a name anyway) are products of my imagination. The song lyrics used come from the song "Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes.
Spoilers: Up to "Pangs" for Buffy, but before "I Will Remember You" on Angel. After that, the Buffyverse goes wacky because I want it that way.
Distribution: If I gave you permission for all of the previous stories in this series you're welcome to this one as well. If you'd like this story and you don't have the previous ones please contact me for the three prior stories because you need all of them if you'd like to archive them.
Feedback: Does anyone ever *not* want feedback? If some crazy individual is so inclined, I am not they. Please, please take the time to send me a short note to let me know what you think. I appreciate it since it takes me ages upon ages to finish anything, so it's really important for me to get feedback that pushes me to write faster.
Spike's POV for this story. Song lyrics between lines of ~~'s, emphasis in *'s.
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~~ Shortly After "Total Eclipse - Turn Around" ~~
"Soddin' Scooby wankers," I mutter under my breath. "Thought they could keep me tied to that bloody chair at the Watcher's place. Ha! Teach them that it's not *that* easy to keep a vamp captive, able to bite or no." Suddenly, I become aware of my surroundings and choose to continue my diatribe against those moronic do-gooders in my head instead of out loud. No point in making every git around me look at me like I'm crazy when I can't rip their heads off for their presumption.
The sodding chip in my head flares in warning and I wince in reaction. I can't even have violent *thoughts* now if they're directed at humans and extremely graphic in nature. For not the first time lately, I curse the imagination that had served me well as a poet in the long-lost days of my humanity. The ability to vividly imagine things had been useful over the years, but in this particular instance it was *not* welcome. What a fucking cock-up this was. Can't bite, can't fight, can't feed, can't even have a fucking violent *thought*, and I had to go and practically *beg* for the help of the soddin' Scooby Gang! I still can't believe that I had to seek aid from the group of gits that are essentially the people I hate most on this planet, save for Angel/Angelus and that poofy arse is hardly human, now is he?
It didn't take me long to realize what a mistake going to the Scooby Gang was for help. I didn't take kindly to being tied up. I don't normally...that is, unless it's being tied up in the kinky sex kind of way. And even then I'd rather be the one doing the tying instead of the one tied if at all possible. Either way, the tying that was happening wasn't anything I was happy with. So I escaped. I'd been fed, grudgingly, and it was enough so that I wasn't starving any longer. I don't know why I didn't think of getting blood from either Willie's or the butcher's before...I guess I wasn't thinking very clearly because of the whole traumatic capture by those commando wankers thing. No one thinks very well after escaping from being a guinea pig in an extremely white area under protest and then discovering that they can't eat shortly afterwards. But now that the Scoobies had fed me and I was thinking again...well, no need to hang around the gits any longer than necessary, eh?
So now, after some creative wriggling to escape the rope that had me tied to that chair, I find myself wandering the streets footloose and fancy free. Normally I'd be prowling the town for someone stupid and juicy to devour, but that's no longer an option. So what to do now? I needed to find a way to get this hunk of metal? plastic? out of my head. What was the best way of doing that? If this was a century ago, he would have turned to his Sire. Angelus was a right bastard at times, but you could never accuse him of not having ideas. He *always* had something in the works, and for any unexpected surprises, he'd have an idea for how to take care of those as well. But Peaches, the watered-down version of my Sire, wouldn't help me if I begged him. He'd proven that years ago when he chose Buffy over me. Me! His own favorite Childe! And he choose that *Bitch* over me!
Since I couldn't *force* anyone to help me, my options were severely limited. Who could I turn to? It was a problem, one I hadn't really considered before leaving the poor hospitality of the Scooby Gang. Angelus was out of the question because of the soul, minions were too stupid to be of any use and I couldn't turn anyone to make a brighter minion due to my inability to perform in the fang department. The only one I could think of who might help me was Red. The witch had tried to comfort me when I discovered my inability to bite anyone, and she seemed sympathetic enough to my problem that I was sure I could convince her to help me without threatening her. She'd been the one who'd wanted to feed me on Thanksgiving too. The others hadn't been too keen on the idea, but she finally convinced them after the attack from the Chumash Indian Spirit was over and Thanksgiving Dinner had been consumed. A right bloody picnic that was, watching everybody eat and hearing their hearts beat so close to me when I couldn't take a bite of anyone.
The witch fed me, she comforted me when I couldn't bite her in her dorm room, even offering to let me "wait a half an hour and try again." Of course, right after that she hit me over the head with a lamp, but I always did like a feisty chit. She might be just what I need...as long as I can catch her away from the rest of those gits she calls friends.
I continue wandering aimlessly along the streets of Sunnydale as I ponder where Red could be spending her holidays. She wouldn't be at the dorm, too many people there and she wants to be alone to mope over the mutt's departure and betrayal. She must be at her house. Now where did she live again? Angelus told me once. If only I could remember exactly where it was...
Finally, I look up and take note of my surroundings. I was in downtown Sunnyhell, fairly close to that magic shop where I kidnapped Red and Zapper the wonder moron a couple years ago. It's closed now of course, but it brings back fond memories. Kidnapping Red, threatening Red...mmm. Like I told her, I would bite her in a heartbeat if I could. I'd better not mention that to her when I'm trying to get her to take my chip out though. She probably wouldn't consider her turning an incentive to removing my chip, goody two- shoes that she is. I look around me attentively at the people and cross-streets to get an idea of the direction I need to go to find the residential section of town I need to visit. As I take a closer look at the people and vampires on the street, I feel a...twinge that makes me turn my head and look behind me. The person about 100 yards away across the street startles me and the words, "Fuck me!" have escaped my mouth before I even have time to think about it. Angelus is over there. What the fuck is *he* doing *here*? And how the *hell* did he lose his soul again? For he's Angel no longer, make no mistake about it. There's no way Angel would ever stalk through the streets in such a purely predatory manner. And it's not Angel playing Angelus again either because he hasn't seen me yet.
Pure panic races through my veins as my thoughts run around in a tizzy. What do I do? What do I do? Should I go up to him? Let him come to me? Throw myself on his less-than-tender mercy and hope that he's not Slayer-obsessed again this time so that he might actually give a damn about fixing me? But if the Slayer set him free again... No, it was better to just leave and find Willow like I originally planned. I didn't want to deal with the crazy bastard Buffy set free last time again. At least I made up my mind so that I didn't sound like a schoolgirl confronting her crush in my head any longer. I turned away from Angelus and prayed to whatever demonic god would listen for him to not notice me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never had a doubt in the beginning
Never a doubt
Trusted you true in the beginning
I loved you right through
On and on we laughed like kids
At all the silly things we did
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Of course, my luck lately has sucked chaos demon balls, mucus and all. So it should come as no surprise to me or anyone else that Angelus not only noticed me, but decided he needed to *talk* to me as well!
"Hello Spike," he said, "Fancy meeting you here." He finished his brief greeting with that demonic grin of his that always makes every being around him want to shag him into oblivion. I was no exception, even though I dearly wished I was. I was strong though...I'm a Master Vampire, I reminded myself. I didn't need him, didn't need to shag him. I could resist the Irish bastard's charming ways. So I responded with the only defense I had...biting sarcasm.
"Soul-boy shag the Slayer again?" I queried with a smirk.
An instant later, I was aware that that had been the wrong question to pose as Angelus had thrown me against the brick wall of the shop behind me via the hand he had firmly gripping my throat. Angelus' eyes had bled to amber and his game face was on as he hissed, "NEVER mention that bitch again in my presence boy! The slayer, that slut, could never have made both myself and Angel completely blissful after she sent us to Hell. It was Willow, my redheaded goddess, that freed me from the pesky soul. And in return for my liberation, I have made her my heart childe and you WILL show her the respect that is her due when you meet her!"
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You made me promises, promises
Knowing I'd believe
Promises, promises
You knew you'd never keep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was briefly shocked into silence. Angelus had made Red a heart childe? I couldn't believe it. Oh, I have no doubt that she was going to make an excellent childe. She had fire, passion, determination, and enough innocence as a mortal that there *had* to be a core of darkness lurking in her soul somewhere. But a heart childe? That was unexpected. Heart childer were extremely rare. They required not only an enormous amount of blood from the Sire, but the method required to produce one left the Sire oddly vulnerable in such a way that most vampires wouldn't even consider making one under any circumstances.
Most vampires that were created were minions. Easily created from a small amount of blood from their Sire's wrist; they lacked intelligence unless they were brilliant before they were turned, were so slow to rise that they were usually buried first, and had difficulty learning how to switch from the demonic visage they were "born" with to the human mask they inherited with their turning. They were extremely expendable and useful as cannon fodder to throw at just about any enemy or task a master vampire didn't want to bother with. Childer were fewer in number than minions and for good reason. A massive amount of blood via the wrist would create a fairly weak childe. Druscilla had been turned in that fashion. Alternatively, strong childer could be created by a slightly smaller amount of blood drunk from the neck of their Sire. This was how I was turned. I was the only childe Angelus ever turned that way. It's why I'm his favored childe. Childer are superior to minions in every way. Childer rise faster so they're not normally buried, are smarter than minions, have an easier time maintaining their human mask, and are powerful enough that most eventually become master vampires in their own right.
Heart childer, though, are a rarity. The strength of a newly- created vampire rests on only two things: the amount of blood given by the Sire and the proximity of the wound opened by the Sire to their heart. This strength also determined their place within the vampire hierarchy. Minions were created by blood drawn furthest from the heart and occupied the lowest place within vampiric society. Childer were stronger and occupied a middle space until they became masters in their own right. Master vampires were the top rung of vampiric society, with age determining rank among themselves. Heart childer occupied a special place within society. They were placed above childer, only slightly below Master status. Heart childer were created by blood drawn from directly over the heart of their Sire, and thus were the strongest vampires created. Sires were vulnerable in the creation of a heart childe. The wound necessary to create a heart childe made the creator vulnerable because wounds made close to the heart were extremely slow to heal. More than one vampire had perished when they tried to create a heart childe and had failed because they weren't strong enough. The benefits to creating a heart childe were enormous, however. Heart childer were extremely strong, rose within hours of their creation, and awoke with their human mask already in place (something no one newly-created vampire was capable of). They also ascended to Master status at an exceedingly rapid pace. Sometimes they were declared a Master in their own right within a year of their turning. Most childer took at least half a century, if not longer, to accomplish the same thing. The master vampire who was able to say that he had created a heart childe was one with a high status indeed.
But the fact that Angelus took the risk of creating one is what almost blew my mind. I didn't think he cared enough to risk his life to create one. And what did this mean for me and *my* status in the family now that Angelus had created someone who was higher in blood rank than I was, even if I still out ranked her in age? Not that we were much of a family, but a bloke had to worry about these things, especially now that Angelus was back and newly de-souled. I should still be senior to her, but the power that she's obtained as a heart childe means that one day and one day fairly soon by vampire- reckoning, she'll be way above me power-wise. Hell, she might even be above *Angelus* in terms of power one day, but it depends on how she chooses to use her power after she's grown fully into it. Ah well, no point worrying about it now. It's not like I have much power at all with this bloody chip in my head. Can't impress the minions and other masters without being able to torture your food you know.
Shit. Angelus just had to go and screw up all my plans, didn't he? Now who am I going to get to help me with this damn thing in my head? Who do I trust to help me now? Do I dare believe Angelus will do his duty as my Sire and take care of me? But he's made me so many promises before...promises he consistently never kept that I always believed until the moment he broke them.
Angelus has had enough of my standing there slack-jawed in open amazement apparently. He's removed his hand from my throat, grabbed me by the arm, and has begun pulling me where he wants me to go, too impatient to watch me stare at him any longer. Apparently, he wants to go in the direction of the narrow, dark alley between a bookstore and what looks to be some shop that sells leather, leather, and kinky toys *made* of leather. Looks like a nice shop, that. I'll have to come back and visit it sometime soon. I don't know what could have possibly possessed the two stores to set up shop next to each other though. It doesn't seem as if there would be many customers shopping in one that would see the other and patronize it. Oh well. What do I know? Maybe there are a lot of gits in Sunnyhell who buy leather sex toys and then pop over to the shop next door to buy a nice book on gourmet cooking. It *is* the Mouth of Hell after all.
The alley must be a shortcut to the residential section I was looking for earlier. Or maybe we're going to cut through here to get to the area around the Bronze so that Angelus can pick up something tasty for his newest childe. I can't think of any bloody other reason to go through here. It's not the cleanest, or the nicest-smelling area to be at in the world. A city might clean the streets, but they rarely bother with the back alleys.
My musings on the City of Sunnydale's sanitation procedures is abruptly cut short when Angelus suddenly stops, presses me up against the wall for the second time in two minutes, and presses his lips against mine. Actually, at that point, all thought processes are cut off entirely as all of the blood I'd been using to think rushes down to a very different head at a rapid rate. Damn Irish bastard. He always could do this to me with very little effort on his part. The feel of his lips against mine, hard, firm, demanding, yet with a hint of softness immediately throw me back in time. He's kissed me a thousand times in hundreds of different ways and yet every damn time it happens I'm immediately thrown back in time to the first time I felt his kiss, his fingers on my body, his hard length moving within me. To the night of my turning in that damp London alley more than a century ago.
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Second time around, I'm still believing
The words that you said
You said you'd always be here
And love forever still repeats in my head
You can't finish what you start
If this is love it breaks my heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enlightenment hits me. Angelus is trying to reaffirm his ties to me as my Sire by reenacting the events of my turning, or at the very least the more pleasurable aspects of it. I'm not sure how I feel about what's about to happen. Of course, I doubt I have much choice in the matter, but nevertheless I should be able to determine my own emotions under the circumstances. Should I trust him not to leave me this time? Do I *want* him to stay? Sires always tell their Childer that they'll always be there for them, but Angelus proved that to be a lie soon after he got the soul and abandoned everyone in his family for more than a century. But somehow, I can't help thinking that *this* time will be different and that *this* time he'll stay.
Oh sod this. Enough of this fucking pondering already. Ever since I was turned, I've always been an impulsive git. I'll think about the bloody implications later. Right now I just want to *feel,* and Angelus is doing a bloody marvelous job with that. His hands big, rough, and calloused from centuries of weapons practices run over my body with an unconcealed urgency that makes me moan softly. Still, I can't help trying to make at least a token protest, no matter how much I *want* this to happen or how hard I already am. "What do you think you're doing, tosser?" I ask with anger in my voice that I hope doesn't sound as feigned to Angelus as it does to me.
He laughs and that deliciously dark sound causes a shudder of desire combined with dread to rush through me. "Well boyo, I know it's been a while, but surely you haven't forgotten how this goes? I guess I'll have to remind you then."
He flips me around and suddenly my nose is two inches from the wall I'd been leaning on; only my swift vampiric reflexes and the automatic command to put my hands in front of me saving me from a bloody nose at least. "Oi!" I protest. "Watch it wanker! I happen to like my face the way it is. And watch the duster, mate. They don't make them like this anymore."
In response, he smacks me upside the head, causing my forehead to bounce against the wall as he snarls, "Show some respect for your Sire, boy! I'm trying to do something here. And if you can't shut your mouth, I will most assuredly find something for it to do."
I wondered briefly if I should take that as a threat or an invitation to insult him some more. I decide to show unusual prudence and just enjoy the sensations his big, long-fingered hands are capable of bestowing. His hands slide underneath my shirt from behind, coming up my chest until they reach my nipples. He twists them harshly and I hiss at the sharp, sudden pain that causes my cock to throb with pleasure. Yeah, I'm a twisted bastard who occasionally gets off on pain. What did you expect of a vampire, really?
His artist's fingers leave my nipples and I moan in disappointment. They then travel down to my waist and unbutton my jeans. I change my mind about the disappointment as long as my erection is freed from its torturous confines. His fingers toy with with the zipper a moment and all I can think is, `Damn Irish bastard. He always was a tease,' before he *finally* lowers the zipper and I breathe an unnecessary sigh of relief for the temporary easing of pressure.
His hands briefly and ever so lightly stroke my erection before lifting entirely away. I groan in protest. Evil tease that he is, he insists on tormenting me. His hands aren't even anywhere near the front of my body anymore and I am acutely aware of the lack of contact. One hand returns and is placed firmly on the middle of my back in silent warning. I heed the warning and remain still, drawing on the tattered remnants of my small store of patience to do so.
As if in reward, I hear the movements and rustling of his zipper, and then his pants being lowered. At last! I silently rejoice. By now I just want to be thoroughly shagged. Enough of the damn anticipation already.
It seems like Angelus is in a similar frame of mind. My duster is shoved off to the side, my black jeans shoved further down my hips, and without further ado Angelus' erection is shoved painfully inside my unlubricated hole. Even after all these years, he still manages to instantly hit that place within my body that makes my whole body vibrate in pleasure, and I moan in that exquisite combination of pleasure and pain that only Angelus is capable of doling out.
"Oh...Fuck! Angelus!" I couldn't help exclaiming as he continued to pound into me. Sod it all, but it felt so *good* and it had been so long since the last time this had happened.
"I thought that was what we were doing, boy." Angelus responded. I could just tell that he had that expression on his face that I hated. You know the one. The smugly satisfied one. It was incredibly bloody annoying to even hear it in his voice. I wasn't about to turn my head and actually *look* at him doing it. I was enjoying myself just like this, thank you very bloody much, and that meant that I wasn't about to go and ruin my fun by looking at him.
His cold hand firmly, almost cruelly, grasped my cock and began a rough counter-rhythm to his thrusts within my body. That was enough for me. I wanted the pleasure/pain I was feeling to continue to build, but I could no longer hold off the orgasm welling insistently from my balls. I came with an unconscious cry of "Sire!"
An instant or an eternity later, Angelus bit my neck as he came. The erotic combination of blood being drawn from my veins as Angelus orgasmed within my bowels threw me higher into the state of raptured bliss I was occupying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You made me promises, promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises, promises
Why do I believe?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A minute or two later, my euphoria had fallen off enough that I could think once more. Immediately, I recalled what the last coherent word to come out of my mouth was. Sire. I'd called him Sire. Bloody. Fucking. Hell. I'd just *had* to go and call him that, didn't I? Destroyed over a century of hard work becoming a master in my own right with one fucking word. Now I was right back where I started, firmly under Angelus' control. You'd think I would've learned something in a hundred years, but obviously I'm an incredibly stupid sod since I just gave him complete bloody control over my entire fucking unlife with that word. After all of those broken promises, you'd think I'd stop trusting my Sire. Yeah, well, it doesn't bloody well work that way. A Sire is the closest thing a vampire ever has to an undead parent, only the relationship is much more complicated. However, just like children of abusive or divorced parents who time and time again believe the promises their parents give them - No more drugs, I promise; No more alcohol; I promise I'll come see you tomorrow; I swear I'll never hit you again, trust me - just like that do Childer believe their Sires. It takes decades, centuries even, to learn the painful lesson that Sires don't always keep their promises, and some vampires never learn. Apparently I haven't completely learned my lesson, since I have given over my unlife to him once more.
Angelus' fangs withdraw from my vein and he leans forward until his broad forehead rests upon the nape of my neck. "Ah, my boy," he sighs, "I've greatly missed doing that." His softened member slips from my newly-stretched anal passage and he pulls away to fix his clothes. I do likewise before turning to face my Sire. No real point in denying it now. He always was a stubborn bastard. I don't bloody well feel like having a Hallmark moment though, so I don't reply to his comment. There might not be any point in denying Angelus as my Sire now, but that doesn't mean I can't be surly and unhappy about it. So instead of replying, I fixed my patented smirk on my face and lifted my scarred eyebrow in a wordless gesture that nevertheless said, `Well? What the bloody fuck do we do now?'
The nonverbal communication worked well enough for Angelus to reply, "Let's go. I need to find something tasty for your new sister."
I had nothing better to do and I'd been going to go see Red originally anyway so I nodded and said, "Lead the way mate." I shrugged my shoulders to realign the fit of my precious leather duster and followed closely as Angelus led the way out of the alley.
We wandered for a time, prowling the streets like we had long ago. Searching for the one: the person who would be perfect for whatever we were craving that evening. It felt good to stalk beside Angelus once more, even though times had changed and I couldn't even eat anyone I picked out. I watched him carefully to see just who exactly he had in mind for Red. Would it be a dead ringer (pun intended) for Xapper? Giles? Slutty? Who would serve as the first meal for Angelus' newest childe?
Finally, Angelus caught sight of someone on the street that matched whatever he was looking for. It wasn't that I could clearly see the individual who'd captured Angelus' attention. Rather, it was a change in his behavior that told me that Angelus had found his quarry. He was more intently focused and his movements became both more fluid as well as more predatory. We moved closer to Angelus' intended target and I could see why he had chosen that particular individual for Red's first meal. The bloke was almost a carbon copy of the mutt who'd broke her heart. Slight, wiry frame that implied a hidden strength; a face that was expressive enough that it was clear that the owner relied more on what he didn't say than what he did; and hair that was green this week, but was obviously dyed different hues with regularity. In short, he was perfect. It was the work of mere moments for Angelus to approach the git, flash his game face to put the spice of fear and adrenaline in the blood, and simply knock him out immediately thereafter. Sunnyhell was perfect that way - a town where the residents were so blind to their reality that knocking someone unconscious in the middle of the bloody street went completely unnoticed and unremarked. Angelus hoisted the insensible man over his shoulder as easy as you please and we went home to Red. Wouldn't want to miss her awakening after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On and on we laughed like kids
At all the silly things we did
But you can't finish what you start
If this is love it breaks my heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We made good time back to Red's place. The git was still knocked out when we got there. Angelus deposited him on the sofa, disappeared upstairs for a minute, and came back down with a couple leather belts in hand to serve as makeshift bonds. Guess not every house is like the Watcher's flat. He's got just about every restrictive type of material that one can think of. He's probably a kinky bastard in secret. It's all that tweed that makes me suspicious. What does he *need* with five pairs of handcuffs and miscellaneous lengths of rope anyway? He's neither a police officer nor a rock climber. He's a tight-arsed Watcher, he doesn't really *need* enough restraints to chain up the whole bleeding Scooby Gang with enough left over to have an S&M party.
After Angelus is finished chaining up the still senseless mutt wannabe, he heads back up the stairs. This time I follow him and he goes into Red's room. It was obvious that the decor here hadn't been changed in years. The furnishings suited someone much younger than someone of Red's not-very advanced years. It was also obvious that Red had been doing some very grown-up things in this room recently. The scent of sex hit my nostrils as soon as I hit the room. It smelled...delicious. The mingled scents of Sire and Sister were almost intoxicating combined with the faintest hint of blood and lust fulfilled.
Red had just as obviously been comfortably arranged by Angelus prior to his departure. She was carefully positioned on the bed so that anyone entering the room was immediately struck by the glory of her pale, nude form. She was bloody glorious. The external changes evoked by Angelus' blood were plain to see. Her skin had lightened from milky to nearly translucent, the red of her hair seemed to have both darkened and brightened as if each strand had been infused by the shine of the sun she would never again see, and she now possessed a distinctly ethereal, otherworldly beauty that had only been hinted at before.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You made me promises, promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises, promises
Why do I believe
All of your promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises, promises
Why do I believe?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She had been as still as death, yet, almost as if in reaction to our presence, her eyes begin to move behind her closed lids; then her eyelids to flutter. Finally, her eyes are open and her emergence into her new life has truly begun. As with every fledgling vampire, her face instinctively shifted to her vampiric form the instant she awoke to her new unlife. She was beautiful in that visage, but I can't say I was surprised. She looked bloody marvelous before she even opened her eyes. The remnants of the poet I once was whispered in my mind, `She's effulgent.' I wanted to curse, and almost did so aloud before I caught myself. Annoying bits of my former personality cropped up at the most inconvenient times and I hated it when that happened. Still, I couldn't really argue with the pronouncement. She *did* now possess a dark radiant splendor that she didn't have before, one which pulled me irresistibly closer.
Oh bloody hell. I must be half way in love with the chit if I'm describing her as effulgent. I haven't used that word in decades at least...maybe longer. Her face smooths out into the human mask all vampires with any control wear most of the time after a minute and I am astonished anew at the power she must possess as a heart childe. Most fledges can't even get out of their game face when newly risen until after their Sire shows them how to hold the camouflage that allows a vampire to move with ease through human society without hindrance. That she was able to do it without instruction and so soon after her awakening proves just how remarkable heart childer are. I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing...no matter how strong the newly-created childe is.
But she's done it, and I am sure that she will continue to surprise me as time goes on. I give a soft welcome and Angelus does likewise before he tells Willow about her new station in life and what being a heart childe means. She looks a little dazed when he's finished, but I can hardly blame her. It's a lot to take in all at once. I don't suppose the bloody bastard bothered to even so much as *ask* her before he turned her either. Angelus always has to be in control and especially loves to spring surprises on people...happy or not.
Finally, her busy brain seems to have more or less processed what she's been told and she turns her brilliant emerald gaze to me. "And just what are you doing here, Spike?" she asks. "I know you don't really get along with Angelus and I doubt he actively went looking for you, so why are you here? There's no way you could've known that Angelus would be in town and that he would turn me. Besides, aren't you supposed to be tied up at Giles' place right now?"
"What, you wouldn't believe that I just happened to see Angelus and that he told me all about the newest addition to the family in such a way that I felt positively obliged to be on hand to greet her?"
She wasn't buying it. She didn't even have to say anything to refute my hastily concocted excuse. She just looked at me and I *knew* that not only wasn't she buying it, but she was demanding that I tell her the real reason why I was here and that she was perfectly willing to wait until the end of time for me to tell her so I might as well get it over with as soon as possible to save her the bloody effort.
I couldn't resist her inquisitive emerald gaze. I caved, pillock that I am. I told her everything. About what I remembered during the time I was held captive by those wankers in army fatigues; the discovery that I was unable to bite, feed, or harm humans in any way which she was already aware of; my frustration and anger at being so handicapped; how I had found myself unreasonably angry about being tied up by the Scoobies so soon after my other stint as a captive; and finally, how and why I had decided to turn to Red for help, only to run into Angelus and discover that he had turned her. I concluded with, "And so that's it. You're turned, Angelus doesn't give a tinker's damn about me, and I'm stuck with this sodding implant for all eternity or until some human I can't even bloody defend myself against stakes me."
Willow looks at me solemnly. Personally, I'm surprised she hasn't started climbing the walls demanding to be fed yet. She has the most remarkable control and restraint of any vampire I've ever seen. Most fledglings demand to be fed immediately upon awakening because of the stress and massive amount of energy used in the conversion process. But she hasn't complained of hunger at all yet. And it's clear that her attention had been focused on me the whole time that I'd been speaking. She is absolutely dead serious as she begins to speak and her face is set in the infamous `resolve face' she does so well. "Spike, I promise that we will help you. I feel the hunger burning within me now and I cannot imagine the pain you must feel being unable to gather the sustenance you need to live, or ever defend yourself against a simple human mugger. You are part of my family and we will do everything within our power to remove, disable, or work around the repugnant chip that was so wrongfully implanted in your brain."
The chit had brass, that's for bloody certain. She hadn't even looked at Angelus before she made her little speech. I was torn between feeling sorry for her unwitting defiance of Angelus' authority and admiring her. Apparently Angelus wasn't going to disagree with her on this point. He was going to support her! He was nodding in agreement and when he finally spoke the words almost knocked me ass over teakettle in shock. "Aye childe, she has the right of it. No vampire should ever be restrained in such a manner, much less a childe of my line. We shall free you of this onerous burden so that you may stand at my side once more in all your destructive glory as my favorite childe. This I promise to you, blood of my blood, by the protection due you as Childe of Angelus."
Normally, a Sire's protection of a Childe is only invoked after a great deal of pleading on the Childe's side. Sire's protection is a powerful thing to grant a Childe, but the Sire is allowed to grant it at will. It is not automatically conferred to a newly-risen childe. Essentially, the Sire is responsible for the Childe's entire well-being until such time as the Sire formally revokes the protection in front of witnesses. It is rare for a Sire to have enough interest in their Childe to dole out such powerful protection.
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Promises Promises
Promises Promises
Promises
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I nodded gravely, accepting his protection as Sire and Willow's offer of aid. In my heart and my head I know that I shouldn't believe his promises any longer, yet I can't help myself. I will give my heart and my very being over to his care one more time. Promises, promises, why do I believe? I believe because every once in awhile, my trust in Angelus' promises is *not* misplaced. Besides, with Angelus around once more and Red a heart childe...unlife is about to get interesting.