Prologue
William the Bloody lived for only two things; fighting, and his beloved Willomina.
William was born early in the sixteenth century, in England. He left when he was young, craving excitement and wanting to make a name for himself. He had been born the fourth son of a nobleman, and as everyone knows, the fourth son of a nobleman has no prospects except as a soldier or a priest. William was absolutely *not* going to become a priest, and thought that fighting to further some other noble's cause was stupid. He traveled extensively, looking for the perfect place to make a name and a position of power for himself. He found what he was looking for in eastern Romania. William fought there, and won himself the title of Duke. For a while he was content, but he soon came to realize that something was missing. He decided that he was restless because he had no new challenges. William decided to go back to England for a while, to think of a new challenge for himself, and to rub his newfound status in his older brother's faces. Not ten minutes after he got into England, his life was changed forever.
He saw her from the carriage he was riding in. Her fiery red hair glowed in the sunlight. Her luminous green eyes seemed to pierce his very heart. William was totally smitten. He smiled to himself as the carriage passed her. He had found his new challenge.
Part 1
Willomina, wonderful precious Mina, had a smile that could light up the room and soften even the most hardened of hearts; and when the slightest hint of sadness crossed her lovely face the very sky wept for her.
*******
The first thing William did upon reaching his childhood home was to question his brothers about the redheaded vision he had seen. He quickly learned from his second eldest brother Wesley that his vision's name was Willomina and that she was the daughter of a minor nobleman who had fallen on hard times. Wesley knew this because he had tried to court the girl, only to be told by her father that she would not be married to any man without a title and lands of his own.
William was ecstatic, there weren't many unattached noblemen with lands. It meant that he had a much better chance. He decided to postpone meeting with the rest of his family. He wanted to meet the beautiful girl who had caught his eye and captured his heart. He quickly left his family's estates and went to introduce himself to *his* Willomina.
William decided to present himself to her father first. William intended to have this girl, and the best way to get her would be to follow the formalities so that her father would have no cause for protest. Upon reaching the her family's estate, he politely introduced himself to the girl's father and discussed the possibility of courting his only daughter. The man agreed quite easily upon learning that William was a duke. He called in a servant to lead William to the garden where Willomina was.
She was even more breathtaking close up. Her long auburn tresses framed her heart shaped face perfectly, drawing attention to her deep green eyes. < A man could drown in those eyes. > thought William. He noted, in passing that she was wearing an emerald green dress which only brought out the color of her eyes more. He introduced himself and they made small talk. She had, he noticed, a lovely voice, and that her hands fluttered nervously as they talked. He also noted that she had a brain, something that seemed to be lacking in most women he had known. It was a trait which further endeared her to him.
He kept their first meeting in a lighthearted tone. He wanted her to have a chance to get used to him and to feel comfortable around him before he began to truly court her. After the first few minutes, he could tell that it was the right choice. While she was pleasant and polite, it was obvious that she was also extremely shy. Moving to matters of the heart quickly would have only scared her off, and the last thing William ever wanted to do was to scare this delicate creature.
After a half an hour of conversation and a tour of the garden, William took his leave of her. He did not want to go, but he also didn't want to overwhelm her with his company all at once. So he left, hoping that she felt the same connection to him that he felt for her. When he had first come to her, he thought that she would be his. Now, after actually meeting her, he *knew* that he must have her, that she was the only woman for him, that she was the only woman he could ever love.
********
As the days passed, William was a regular visitor at Willomina's family estate. He came by to visit her every day and his visits were progressive longer. After about a week, William began bringing his beloved Mina flowers and small gifts, finally commencing the courtship rituals after she had grown comfortable in his presence. Not a day passed when he did not bring her some token of his affection.
William could not imagine a day going by without seeing her sweet smile and hearing her enchanting voice. What had begun as an infatuation brought on by a fleeting glimpse from a carriage, had turned into a deep all encompassing love that William would not, *could not* lose.
*******
After a month of courtship, William broached the subject of marriage. He spoke first with her father, formally asking permission to seek her hand. Her father readily agreed, having come to like William quite well.
William proposed to Mina during a moonlit picnic in her favorite garden. His heart swelled as she looked into his face and replied with a teary eyed "Yes." William could not imagine finding anything ever that could make him as happy as that one little word, not even if he had a thousand lifetimes to look.
Part 2
Though she was the epitome of innocence, her every movement exuded a sensual grace unsurpassed by any. Her slightest gesture could and did make William tremble with longing.
*******
After Mina had said yes, the wedding plans were quickly made. William had already been in England too long. He needed to get back to his own estates in Romania but he had no intention of going anywhere without his precious Mina.
The wedding was a small affair, held only three weeks after the proposal. Only family was in attendance as William and Willomina exchanged their vows, only two months after their first meeting.
*******
Immediately after the wedding, the newlyweds were in a carriage on their way to Romania. Normally William found the journey tedious and boring, but on this trip he saw everything in a new light. His bride made everything seem interesting and new, and she seemed to be fascinated by everything. Their days were spent in conversation and in watching the countryside as they passed it by. At night, they stayed at inns along the route. Every night they would have supper in the common room and then they would go upstairs and spend the majority of the night making sweet passionate love to eachother.
********
When they finally reached William's estate, Willomina quickly endeared herself to everyone living there. No one had ever expected their duke to ever find love, all knew of his warlike nature, and the fact that the woman he had found happiness with was such a tender kind soul was even more of a shock. But Mina was kind to even the lowliest sharecroppers and her gentle nature soon made all who met her love her and want to protect her.
********
Every moment since he had first seen her was ecstasy. William was in heaven. He lost his thirst for fighting. All he wanted to do was worship and adore his beautiful wife. And that's what he did, until war broke out.
********
While he did not want to go. William had a responsibility to protect his people and most especially to protect his precious Mina. So he went reluctantly off to war, taking most of his able bodied people with him to fight, leaving only a few of the older men, some of the younger boys and several priests to protect the women and children who were left behind.
The fighting was fierce, but in the end William and his men were triumphant and they hurried home to their loved ones, only to find that while they were away tragedy had struck close to their hearts.
An enemy soldier, knowing that they were about to be defeated, had shot an arrow into a window in William's castle. The arrow bore a note telling of William's death. Willomina, having read the note, threw herself off a parapet in despair.
********
When William reached home, the first thing he did was to look for Mina. He wanted her to know that he was all right and that they had won. What he found was a sight far more horrific than any he had seen on a battlefield. The twisted and broken body of his beloved was lying on the floor of the small chapel in the castle. William went slightly mad then. And the priests that he had left to help guard and protect his Mina pushed him further into madness, telling him that since she had taken her own life that her soul would be in agony forever.
It was when the priest told William that she had damned herself to Hell that William broke completely. The thought of his precious Mina, the embodiment of kindness and innocence, in Hell, pushed him over the edge. William drew his sword and ran the priest through. He carved out the man's heart and ate it raw for daring to suggest such a horror, then he drank the priest's blood out of the gaping wound. As he did, he felt a presence invade him and with it, the presence brought strength, power, and time.
Dropping the priest's body, William knelt down on the floor and gathered his beloved Willomina into his arms, whispering to her broken body that he would find her again, and that they would be together always.
Part 3
Sunnydale, Present.
"Master, the stars are singing for you. I've done what you've asked. I'm waiting for your return. And together we can dance in the moonlight forever." Drucilla sang out the window of her room in the Sunnydale Institution for the Insane.
********
"But you'll be gone for months!"
"I know, baby, but if I can sell this place, we'll have enough for a big wedding and a nice honeymoon" Oz replied. After his band broke up, Oz had gotten a job in real estate to support himself and to save money for he and Willow's upcoming marriage and consequent life together. Willow was working her way through college as a tutor for slow children and had no money to spare, and neither one of their respective sets of parents were able or willing to finance a marriage.
"But we don't need a big wedding, and we don't need to go away for our honeymoon to be nice. I think we could have a wonderful honeymoon right here. All we would have to do is go back to your apartment, lock the doors and turn off the phone for a week. I couldn't imagine a better honeymoon."
"Baby, you deserve a nice wedding, and we both deserve a honeymoon somewhere where people aren't going to bother us. Besides, it'll also give us enough money to put a down payment on a house of our own."
"But I'll miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, but it'll only be for a few weeks, and I'll write or call every day. Anyway, I'm kind of curious about this guy that wants to buy that creepy mansion. And why he couldn't just fly over and look at the thing himself. Aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. But if it came down to a choice between satisfying my curiosity or being with you, I'd rather be with you."
"I have to do this, baby."
"I know. And I understand, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be thrilled to death at you leaving for almost a month. And it doesn't mean that I'm not going to pretend that I don't miss you and that letters and phone calls make up for you not being here."
"I feel that way too."
Changing the tone of the discussion slightly before she got too depressed at the thought of not being able to hold her fiancee for nearly a month, Willow said, "Didn't the agency already send someone else though?"
"Yeah, they sent a woman named Drucilla Renfield."
"What happened? Didn't this guy like her attitude or something?"
"Well, all the guys at work said that she had a nervous breakdown. And I heard that the guy shipped her back here because she totally lost it. She's in the Sunnydale sanitarium now, so I guess it's true."
"She went nuts? That's not good. What if it's that guy's fault? What if he drives you nuts too? I really don't want to get married in an insane asylum. Buffy would never go to a wedding in a mental institute, and the pictures would come out terrible. And it would ruin the honeymoon. You can't go! I won't let you go off to visit some guy in Romania and let him drive you nuts! It would just be bad! And-"
Oz let her go on for a while before cutting her off. He knew that if he didn't stop her sooner or later that she would keep going on like this for hours imagining more and more weird, off the wall ideas until she was stopped. He loved to watch her do it, and the things she came up with were always strange and interesting, but he didn't want her to get too worked up about this. After all, it was only for a month and Oz really wasn't worried about being driven insane. "Baby, I'm not going to go nuts. I somehow doubt that this guy drove anyone nuts. Drucilla was probably losing it anyway, and the trip to an unfamiliar place most likely just sped up the process. And this guy does have a name. Referring to him as ‘this guy’ is just going to confuse me later on. Lets use his name from now on. After all, if I make the sale, he's going to be a neighbor."
Willow listened to Oz seriously. He was right. She was just being silly.
And being silly just made her want to kick herself. After all, she was
supposed to be the smart, sensible, level headed one. < It must be pre-prewedding
jitters. > "You're right Oz. Just letting my mind run away with me. And you will
make the sale, so we had better get used to using this guy's name. There's
just one little problem with that."
"What's that, Baby?"
"You never told me his name."
"Really? I could have sworn I mentioned it. Oh well, his name is William
Dracul. Oh, and you'll like this. Apparently he's some sort of nobleman.
A duke, I think."
"Wow! My fiancee hanging out with nobility! That's so cool! Does he
live in a castle? And if he's a duke, why does he want to live here? I
mean, he must know that we don't have castles and noble type stuff here."
"Maybe he's sick of noble type stuff. I don't know weather he lives
in a castle or not. And I'm not hanging out with him, I'm just going to
try and sell him a house."
"You aren't going to try. You are going to be successful. I have nothing
but total confidence in you."
"Thanks baby. I need to go get packed."
"O.k. you go get packed. I need to get to school anyway. I'll see you
before you go, right?"
"Of course. Who do you think is driving me to the airport?"
Willow smiled at him and stole a quick kiss as she walked out the door.
*******
"I love you."
"I love you too. I'll call and write every day. Promise."
"Be careful."
"I will." With that Oz turned and boarded the plane. He was off to Romania
where his life would take a remarkably different turn.
Part 4
They had danced in the moonlight to music that only they could hear.
William would give anything to dance with her again, to hold her in his
arms as the moon lovingly caressed her features and the stars shone in
her eyes.
********
DIARY OF OSWALD HARKER
Romania is odd. I feel as though I've stepped off the plane and into
another world. There is definitely an olde worlde feel to this place. It's
as if nothing has progressed in the past two hundred years or so. There
is some technology; phones, electricity, cars, stuff like that, but the
buildings and the people seem to be from antiquity. It's strange. Willow
would love it here. The architecture alone would keep her riveted for weeks.
I miss her already.
The duke left me a message at the airport, telling me that his driver
had become sick and would be unable to meet me. He arranged a bus ticket
for the large part of the journey to his home and let me know that he would
have another driver pick me up at the end of the bus trip. He also informed
me that since his home and the surrounding villages were so small and off
the beaten path, they did not have phone lines so if I had any calls to
make I should do it before I left the airport. I made two calls. One to
the office which took a while because I had to explain to about four different
people why all business would be done by mail, and one to Willow which
was cut short because the bus was leaving in a few minutes. I told her
about the lack of phone situation and she told me that she was going to
stay with her friend Buffy while I was gone. Then it was time to leave
and we barely got a chance to say our 'I love yous' before I had to get
on the bus.
I'm really not happy that Willow is staying with Buffy. Don't get me
wrong, Buffy is a nice girl in her own way, but she's spoiled and pampered.
She lives in the lap of luxury and doesn't really have to do much of anything
except look pretty and act polite when her parents have a party. They have
hordes of servants so she doesn't have to do anything, and I honestly don't
think that anyone has ever said no to any whim Buffy has ever had. I can't
offer Willow that kind of lifestyle, so I don't want her to get too used
to having it, but there's not really much I can say or do about it. Buffy
and Willow have been friends for what seems like forever and I am glad
that Willow isn't alone so I can't say no. Besides Willow is a grown woman
so I can't dictate her actions anyway and I know that she's sensible and
won't let Buffy's lifestyle get to her. That doesn't mean I have to like
it though.
Back to the here and now; the bus ride over was really weird. Everything
was fine until someone asked me where I was going. I told them and everyone
seemed to back as far away from me as possible. It was odd. No one tried
to speak to me again until it was time for me to get off. As I was getting
out of the bus an old woman came up to me and told me to beware of the
devil and pressed a crucifix into my hands. Strange.
The duke's driver was waiting for me at the crossroads. He didn't say
a word to me, just put my luggage in the trunk and motioned for me to get
in the back-seat. Throughout the entire trip he didn't utter a single syllable.
The only noise was from wolves howling at the moon. The trip was a fairly
short one, only about twenty minutes before we pulled up in front of a
huge gothic castle. When we got there the driver pulled my bags out of
the trunk and motioned for me to enter the front door, still never saying
a word. I guess he just isn't a talkative guy.
Anyway, I got to the door, which swung open by itself, and this old
guy (and I mean really old. I would be surprised if this guy was on this
side of one hundred) came down the stairs and invited me in. The way he
phrased the invitation was strange. He said "Welcome, I invite you to enter
my home of your own free will." As if I didn't choose to come of my own
free will anyway. Like I said, strange. Then the wolves started howling
and he started going on about the children of the night and what sweet
music they made. I'm thinking that this guy is *really* senile.
He offered me a late supper, which I accepted because I hadn't eaten
since the plane ride and airline food sucks. There was a very large supper
waiting for me, but oddly the duke ate nothing. And he served red wine,
but didn't get a glass for himself. I asked him about it and he said "I
never drink ... wine." The whole thing just seemed a little off.
I noticed a portrait of a young man in armor and commented on the familial
resemblance. He started telling me the history of the guy in the painting
like he was there for the whole thing. Actually this guy looks old enough
that him being there could have been a distinct possibility. He was going
on about the guy in the painting being the last line of defense or something
and I snorted. The next thing I knew, the duke had a sword to my throat.
This was not the way to get a sale, and I promptly apologized for giving
offense. It's a good thing I did too, this guy looked ready to kill me.
And who would have thought that a guy this old could even lift a sword,
let alone draw it from somewhere unseen and have it at my neck before I
even saw him move. For an old man, this guy is *fast*.
After I gave my apology, he seemed slightly mollified and led me to
the room that I would be staying in. He told me that the castle was very
old and there were a lot of bad memories and spirits here. He said that
I could feel free to wander around but not to go into any rooms with locked
doors for fear of stirring up the spirits. I'm cut off from civilization
and trapped in an ancient castle with a senile old man who believes in
ghosts and is willing to stab people who insult his ancestors. No wonder
Drucilla went nuts. I only hope that I don't do the same.
Part 5
The first thing William did after taking her back to his estate was
to give her a garden. She grew dozens of different types of flowers in
it and the flowers never seemed to wither or fade... until the day of her
death. That day, all of her flowers died, as if they didn't have the will
to go on without her.
*******
FROM THE DIARY OF WILLOW ROSENBURG
I just officially moved in with Buffy. I think it'll be good for me.
It will give me a chance to get used to living with someone. I've been
living alone for the past three years and it will give me time to adjust
before the wedding. From the few minutes of conversation I had with Oz,
it sounded like he wasn't happy at all about it though. And I really don't
like making him unhappy but if he would think about it, he would see that
it's a smart thing to do. It saves money because I won't have to worry
about paying for an apartment, and it saves me a lot of hassle because
I have school, work, and a wedding to plan. It really helps that I don't
have to worry about things like housecleaning and grocery shopping. And
Buffy is helping me plan the wedding so it's convenient to be in the same
place. I still feel bad though. I don't want Oz to be unhappy and I don't
want him worrying about this when he's under so much pressure to make this
sale. Of course, he's putting most of the pressure on himself. He wants
to succeed so badly, to make things nice for us. Things would be nice for
us anyway. Just being together would make things very nice indeed for us,
but he's got this outdated idea of a 'family provider' stuck in his head,
even though we have no intention of having a family anytime soon. But there
seems to be nothing I can say to dissuade him. And it is incredibly sweet
in a male chauvinistic way. He's always sweet though.
I miss him already. And I'm not even going to get to hear his voice
for nearly a month. Sigh. I'm not liking this no phone thing. What kind
of person has no phone. It's the twentieth century. Everyone has a phone.
And what if Oz gets hurt or sick. He won't be able to call someone for
help. This is not good! I don't like this at all! But there doesn't seem
to be anything I can do about it. And Oz is a big boy. He can take care
of himself. But I worry. That seems to be a big part of my mental makeup,
worrying.
That's it! Enough bad thoughts! Everything is going to be fine. Oz will
be home soon. Nothing bad will happen. And now I have to stop writing because
Buffy and I are going to go pick out the wedding invitations. We won't
be able to get them done yet because we can't set a date until Oz gets
home, but at least we'll have a pretty good idea of what we're going to
order.
*******
DRACUL'S CASTLE
There really isn't a reason for me to stay for three weeks. Drucilla
got most of the paperwork laid out. There's really not much to do but sign
the papers and mail the check. But I can't say anything to Dracul about
it because he seems so lonely and sad. And I would feel like a real heel
if I just left this lonely old guy here all alone when he expects me to
stay so long. Besides the return tickets are already paid for and dated.
We got about half of the initial paperwork done today. It wasn't that
hard. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that we had to change Drucilla's
name to mine, we wouldn't have had to do it at all.
Now on to the weirdness of the day. A couple weird things happened.
First of all, my picture of Willow is missing. I probably just misplaced
it, but that's not something that I would usually misplace. I hope it shows
up. Second, this morning, strangeness abounded. Dracul showed up in my
room, I so wasn't expecting him and the door did one of those silent opening
things, I turned my head when I heard his voice in my ear and accidentally
cut myself shaving. Then my mirror broke apparently for no good reason,
and Dracul took the razor out of my hand and started shaving me. That was
freaky. After last night I really didn't want him anywhere near my neck,
especially with a blade. And then he caught sight of the crucifix that
the old lady on the bus gave me. I decided to start wearing it, not because
I'm afraid of the devil or of evil spirits haunting the castle, but because
it's really neat looking. But Dracul was freaking out. He went on and on
about not putting my faith in such foolish idols. After a while he calmed
down and told my that since I was in a different country that I shouldn't
expect my ways to be the same as their ways. I can accept cultural differences,
but still the way he was going on was just wigging me out. Then he seemed
to glide out of the room like he was on tracks or something and then the
door did that shutting on it's own thing that doors around here seem to
like to do.
There's a lot of weird stuff going on around here. I don't think we're
in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Part 6
One night, shortly after he brought her back to his estate, she decided
to hide from him. He chased her throughout the castle, her laughter floating
through the air. When he did catch up to her in one of the spare rooms,
he nearly fell over himself. She was indeed a vision, her hair in disarray,
her cheeks flushed and her eyes dancing with laughter. He took her passionately
then and there. It was one of William's favorite memories. Of course, all
memories of his beloved Mina were favorite memories, but this one even
more so. He could still hear her laughter echoing through the dead halls
of his castle.
*******
DRACUL'S CASTLE
Oz woke up and managed to shake off most of the weirdness from the previous
days. He searched for a while for a mirror so that he could shave, but
finding none he decided to go without shaving. He figured that looking
a bit scruffy was much better than trying to deal with the duke with half
of his face sliced up.
He went downstairs to the room that Dracul had set up as an office.
The duke was already there, reading a newspaper form America. He looked
up as Oz walked in and said, "I trust you had a pleasant sleep." He folded
up his newspaper and tossed it on the desk, where Oz picked it up and looked
at it and then him questioningly. The duke answered his unspoken question,
"I have it and several others sent over. Since I'm going to be living in
your land, I wish to be advised of current affairs and also I do not wish
to be seen as a stranger there, so they help me to know the proper ways
of speech. I have been master here for many years, and would rather remain
master, at least of myself. I do not wish for people to see me as an outsider
and think less of me for it."
"Oh, well.... I don't think you'll have too much trouble."
"I thank you for your kind words, my friend. Come, let us begin the
work."
Oz and the duke worked for about an hour or so before Oz brought out
the pictures. He had gone to the mansion and taken quite a few photographs
so that the duke would have some idea of what he was paying for. "The mansion
is quite old, and to be honest rather gloomy."
"I am glad that it is old. I have never lived in a new house and would
not feel comfortable without the feeling of ages of use around me. And
as for gloom, my young friend, gloom is no stranger to me, and I rather
suspect that no matter how gloomy the house is, it will not be nearly as
gloomy as my current abode. I believe that it is impossible for *any* domicile
to be as gloomy as this one."
"Yeah, this place is kinda..." Oz left the sentence unfinished because
he didn't want to upset Dracul again. < God only knows where he’s got
swords stashed in this place. And if I keep pissing him off, he probably
will run me through. > "A lovely place," said Dracul as he was looking through the photographs.
Suddenly, he froze. Oz looked at him curiously as he started shaking slightly.
Oz was worried that the old guy had a heart attack or something.
The duke began speaking softly, "Do you believe in fate? The luckiest
man who walks on this earth is one who finds-true love." The duke's intense
blue eyes met Oz's hazel ones as he looked over the duke's shoulder to
see what had put him in this odd frame of mind.
"Oh, you found Willow! I thought I'd lost her." The duke was staring
at Oz's picture of Willow as if he was afraid to look away even for a moment.
"She's my fiancee. We'll be married when I get home. Her picture must have
gotten mixed up with the others.
At the word 'married' the duke's head shot up and he glared at Oz for
a second. He then calmed himself and handed the picture to Oz. "I'm sure
you will be very happy," he forced himself to say. "Now, lets continue
with our work."
Part 7
They would sit on the battlements for hours, cuddling and looking at
the stars. She would point out the different constellations to him, and
he would name the stars for her. Of course, all the stars were named Mina.
*******
SUNNYDALE
Buffy's mother is throwing a party tonight, and Buffy is insisting that
I go. I really don't want to. These things always make me feel uncomfortable
and awkward. I never know what to say to these people. And this time it's
going to be even worse. Buffy is insisting that I wear some of her clothes.
I despise Buffy's clothing. Every time she forces me into something of
hers, I always feel half naked. But she wants me to "Make the guys swoon
while you still can, after all you'll be totally off limits soon and where's
the fun in that?" Of course, right after that she starts in about how lucky
I am to be engaged and how jealous she is since she hasn't even gotten
one proposal yet. She doesn't seem to think that it could be because she's
dating three guys heavily and some more on the side but she seems to think
that tonight all three of her steady guys are going to propose. And for
all I know, they probably will. Buffy has always had a way with guys. They
seem to fall over themselves to please her. I wonder what she's going to
do if she gets these proposals tonight. After all, she can't marry all
three of them, although knowing Buffy, she'd find a way. That would make
the honeymoon *very* interesting.
*******
ROMANIA
"Congratulations. You, sir, are now the owner of the largest private
home in Sunnydale."
"I thank you, my young friend. And now, it would please me greatly if
you would write to your firm and to any loved ones and say that you will
be staying here for a months time."
"Do you really want me to stay so long?"
"I will take no refusals."
"Might I ask why?"
"I wish to learn more of your manner of speaking, as well as your customs.
I do not wish to look a fool in my new home.
"Very well."
*******
SUNNYDALE
The party was going full swing and Buffy and Willow were hanging out
in a secluded corner where they could see all the guests arriving. Suddenly,
a tall, dark haired tanned man came in, wearing jeans and a big hat. Willow
leaned over to Buffy and asked in a low voice so that no one would overhear,
"What is that?"
"That, Willow, is a Texan. A real honest to goodness Texan. He's even
got a horse. His name is Xander Harris and I think he's going to propose
tonight."
"What makes you think that?"
"Willow, I *know* how to work guys. Watch this." And with that, Buffy
left Willow and flounced over to Xander. She started rubbing up against
him and Willow could hear her asking "Please, let me touch it? It's so
big." < What is she doing?!?! There are people around! She must be nuts!
The hair dye must have finally seeped into her brain. I have to stop her
before she does something to embarras herself and everyone else. > Willow relaxed against the wall as she watched the Texan pull Buffy
down onto the couch with a serious expression on his face. He took off
his had and set it down on the couch beside them and then he began to speak
in a serious voice as the door opened and another guest came in. He was
a tall pale man with dark hair and eyes, and he was wearing a blue silk
shirt, a black leather jacket and a serious expression on his face. At
least until Buffy jumped up, totally disregarding Xander and bounced over
to him.
"Angel!" She squealed. She threw her arms around him and his expression
changed to one of pure joy for a second, then he overbalanced and both
he and Buffy tumbled to the floor. Buffy bounced back up and helped Angel
up. He was limping slightly and she helped him over to the couch where
she had left Xander. The two men greeted eachother cordially enough, although
there was an undertone of hostility. After all, they were both dating the
same woman. Angel sat down and he and Xander began to talk to Buffy as
the door opened and another guest came in.
The newest arrival had light brown hair and a thoughtful expression
on his face. Buffy jumped up again and squealed "Owen!" as she went to
greet him. The others followed after her as she went, pausing only for
Angel to retrieve Xander's hat from under him and apologize for crushing
it. The three males surrounded Buffy and all started talking to her and
trying to distract her from the other two.
Willow watched as Buffy entertained her admirers, feeling a slight pang
of jealousy. Suddenly a feeling of being watched came over her. She looked
around to see if anyone was looking at her, but could see no one paying
her any mind. Then the shadows seemed to engulf her and she felt an overwhelming
sense of love and promise sweep over her.
*******
After the duke got the letters he requested from Oz, he began avoiding
him. Oz, left to himself began to wander around the castle. < There's
something very strange going on around here. Why did the duke want me to
stay here to help him if he was just going to avoid me? I think he's got
some sort of ulterior motive, but what? >
Oz walked back to his rooms and looked out the window, contemplating
the moon and missing Willow, when he heard a noise from below him. He looked
down and saw the duke climbing down the castle wall. < Oh my God! That’s
a sheer drop! How does he do that?!?! He can’t be human! What is he????
> Oz fled from his room in a panic. He ran through the castle, ending
up in a place he had never been before. He found a door, not quite closed
properly and forced it open. The room looked to be a woman's bedroom. There
was a dressing table and quite a few brushes and bottles on it. He opened
one and the smell of lavender floated out. < Why would the duke have
lavender- > The door flew open and Dracul swooped in. He pulled the three women
off of Oz and yelled at them.
"I told you not to touch him! He's mine!"
The one with the red highlights spoke up. "It's not fair! We just want
to love him and kiss him. You always spoil our fun. But what would you
know of love? You've never loved."
"I too know of love, Anya. Did I not love the three of you? I promise
that you may kiss him to your hearts delight as soon as I am finished with
him, but for now, he is to remain untouched."
The other two girls spoke up. "Are we to have nothing tonight?"
"Faith, Cordelia, of course you shall have something tonight. Do I not
always provide for you?"
Dracul then opened the bag that he had brought with him. Oz's vision
was obscured so all he saw was a flash of pink as the three women crowed
around Dracul and began to feed. The noise that came from whatever the
duke was holding was frightening. It could have been the squeal of a piglet
or it could have been the cry of a half smothered baby. Either way, Oz
screamed in horror and fainted dead away.
Part 8
ROMANIA
The duke ignores me as his gypsies toil night and day. They are all
digging up dirt and boxing it up. Why? I have no clue, but they do it.
I have been trying to persuade one of them to send a letter for me, because
the duke is allowing me no contact with the outside world. They just ignore
me though, or laugh derisively. They seem to be fiercely loyal to Dracul.
I wonder if they would be so loyal if they knew what he really is. But
between the language barrier and the fact that I don't know what that monster
is myself prevents me from telling them.
I'm afraid that I signed my own death warrant. I wrote those damn letters
for the duke and now no one will be looking for me for another month. Plenty
of time for him to kill me, dispose of my body and think of a good story
to tell people. This is not good.
But even worse, he's going to be going to Sunnydale. I helped that monster
to get a home in my town. He'll be walking the streets there, probably
killing people I know. Oh God! Willow! He could hurt Willow. The way he
was looking at her picture.... No! I won't let him get to my Willow! I've
got to figure out a way to stop him.
How?
First I'm going to find out what's going on with those boxes of dirt.
Maybe that's a way to stop him.
*******
SUNNYDALE
Dearest Willow,
The duke has asked me to stay here for an extra month. He wants me to
teach him about American customs and language and stuff. When I get back
we can start planning the wedding.
I love you,
Willow was sitting out on the patio of the Summer's home, reading and
rereading the letter that had arrived this morning. < There's got to
be something wrong. This letter is so cold. So unOz-like. I wish- > Willow
was pulled out of her thoughts by an ecstatic shout from inside the house.
Willow looked up as Buffy came running out of the house.
"I love him! I love him!" Buffy caught sight of Willow and raced over
to her.
"I love him and I've said yes!"
"Let me guess, the Texan with the big knife?"
"Nope. Xander is sweet and cute, but he has no ambition."
"Um...The serious guy with the leather jacket?"
"No. Angel is a doll, but he lives in a mental institute."
"He lives in a mental institute?"
"Well, he runs the place. He's like the youngest guy ever to run his
own nuthouse, but just because he runs it doesn't mean I want to live there.
Besides, it's right by that creepy old mansion."
"So that just leaves number three, unless there's another guy running
around that you haven't told me about."
"Nope. No other guys. I love Owen and I'm going to marry him. Just think,
soon I'll be Mrs. Buffy Holmwood, married to the only child of the owner
of a successful chain of hotels. And it's cool, 'cuz Owen wants to write
books so we don't have to think about things like money and stuff while
he writes. You'll be my maid of honor, right?"
Willow's attention had drifted to the letter she had received from Oz
while Buffy was going on about that Owen guy and she had only heard with
half an ear what Buffy had asked. "Oh... Of course Buffy."
"Willow! This is the most important day of my life we're talking about
and you don't even seem to care."
"I'm sorry Buffy, of course I care. And I'm really really excited for
you. It's just I got this letter from Oz today, and I'm so worried about
him. The letter hardly says anything at all and it's just so cold. It's
not like him at all."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure everything is okay. Maybe he was just distracted
or something when he wrote it. With work and stuff, you know how it is
with guys. Everything will be fine and before you know it he'll be back
and then I'll get married and you'll get married and we'll all live happily
ever after."
Willow smiled at Buffy. Then it started to rain and the two women jumped
up and danced in the rain.
*******
ROMANIA
Oz crept through the corridors, looking for the duke and trying to find
out what was going on with the boxes of dirt. He came to a chapel in the
lowest level of the castle, where the gypsies were working away. He snuck
inside the chapel just as the sun set. An old coffin opened and the duke
emerged.
< Oh my God! > Part 9
ROMANIA
< HE SLEEPS IN A COFFIN!!!! THIS IS VERY BAD!!!!! > The blow didn't seem to do any damage to the duke whatsoever. In fact,
the only indication the duke gave that he was even aware of it was when
he turned his completely undamaged head to glare at Oz.
The duke grabbed Oz by the throat and dragged him up into a tower where
the three female vampires were awakening. He threw Oz against the wall
and barked orders to his females that Oz was to be kept alive and not turned,
but so long as he lived that they could play with him to their hearts content.
He then told the women that he would be leaving that night and that they
were to behave while he was gone.
< No! He can't be leaving tonight! I have to get out of here. Have
to stop him! Have to protect Willow! > were the only thoughts on Oz's mind
as the three female vampires closed in on him.
********
"Fifty boxes of dirt? Why the hell is someone FedExing fifty boxes of
dirt?" The pilot asked the head of the ground crew.
"Damned if I know," the ground crew man responded. "It was sent by some
eastern European guy though. Maybe he doesn't trust American dirt."
"Oh well, lets just get this loaded up so that I can get out of here."
*******
Sunnydale,
"Master! I am waiting for you! I have been your loyal servant! Come
Master, and make me your servant for eternity!" Drucilla Renfield's crazed
yelling could be heard all over the compound as Dr. Angel Seward recorded
his thoughts about his patient.
"Drucilla Renfield. A bright young woman who took a business trip and
went completely insane. I've never seen anything like this. I think I'll
have to create a new class of lunatic for her. But there is method in her
madness. What she raves about makes sense, in a senseless psychotic sort
of way. If only I could figure her out, then I could make my entire career
on just her case alone. I'm going to go talk to her again."
Angel shut off the tape recorder and headed down the hall to the small
room which held Drucilla. She was sitting on the floor with a plate in
her hands as he walked in her room.
"Your girlfriend turned you down, didn't she?" Drucilla asked with a
smile on her face.
"My personal life interests you?" Angel asked more to avoid answering
the question than to hear her response.
"ALL life interests me." Drucilla waved the plate under Angel's nose
and offered "Canape?"
Angel took a look at the plate and gave a slight shudder of revulsion
at the sight of the insects writhing around on the plate. "Your diet is
disgusting Drucilla."
Drucilla picked a small fly off the plate, stared at it for a second
and ate it. "It's all perfectly nutritious doctor. Perfectly healthy. And
it all adds to my life."
"A fly gives you life?"
"Yes."
Angel looked at the plate again. There were several spiders in the mass
of insects. "What about spiders? After all, spiders eat the flies."
"Yes. And then I absorb the life of the spider and the fly. I must have
lives!"
Angel was starting to get it. He was elated. It was a breakthrough just
waiting to happen. "What about um.... birds?"
"Oh yes! Birds would add tremendously to life."
"Or a kitten?" Angel asked excitedly.
"Oh a kitten! Something I could play with and feed and love. No one
would deny me a kitten!"
"Or what about a great big cat?"
"A full grown cat? I must have a cat! My salvation depends on it!"
Angel jumped up. "Your salvation?"
"I must have lives for the master! If I do his work here, he will make
me immortal!"
"How?"
Drucilla didn't say a thing. She just lunged for his throat. It took
four orderlies to pry her away.
********
The Old Mansion.
The sun had just passed below the horizon, giving the town over to darkness
as the delivery company finished unloading fifty large boxes and stacking
them in the mansion. The delivery men hurried away, none of them wanting
to stay in that creepy place after dark. As soon as the door shut behind
the last delivery man, one of the boxes burst open to reveal a lean man
looking no more than twenty-five years old with dark brown hair, a perfectly
sculpted face and icy blue eyes that were lit up with anticipation. <
I have come for you, my love. >
Part 10
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
It was after midnight when Willow walked into Buffy's room. Willow had
just awoken from a very odd dream about a castle and a blue eyed man that
Willow knew that she had never seen in real life, and she had gone into
Buffy's room in the hopes that Buffy would be awake and she could talk
about her dream. When she got there, she found the lights off and the bed
empty, as well as the french doors open wide.
Willow became very worried very quickly. She knew that Buffy had no
plans to go out tonight, and that there would be no reason for her to leave
her doors open. She also knew that Buffy had a history of sleepwalking.
Starting to really freak out, Willow rushed out the door to search for
her friend.
As she rushed through the gardens, Willow began to hear a low moaning
as well as what could have been a growl. Willow turned a corner and found....
********
OUTSIDE THE SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
William had been wandering the streets of late night Sunnydale, looking
for a good meal and, more importantly, some sort of sign or clue of where
the elusive redhead whom he believed-no whom he *knew*- was his beloved
Mina.
He had stopped in front of a very large house. He could hear several
very distinct heartbeats from inside and he knew that he would have no
trouble luring a meal out of the house, but the same could be said of any
of the houses he had passed along the way. The reason he had stopped in
front of this house was because of a scent. A very familiar and longed
for scent. It was the smell of vanilla with a hint of lavender. A scent
that he could never forget and would always connect with his precious Mina.
He shifted into the form of a wolf, trying to get a clearer smell. There
was no doubt about it, it was indeed her scent. He had been looking for
a sign, and he could not think of a clearer sign than this without actually
seeing her in the flesh.
He reached out with his mind to call her out, to bring her close so
that he could know for certain that it was her. As he was making contact
with her mind, he realized that he was hungry. Very hungry. He quickly
changed the direction of his mental call, calling some other girl in the
house, because he did not want to feed from her. He wanted to leave her
completely untouched until he had confirmed that she was his beloved and
then he would take her and they would be together for eternity, as it should
have been.
The woman that came out of the house was a small blonde. He lured her
out into garden, as far away from the house as possible. He tended to be
noisy while feeding in wolf form, and his victims were just as loud, if
not louder. He didn't want to wake *her* if it was really her. The blonde
woman followed docilely and laid down on a bench when he stopped moving.
She was still entranced and didn't seem to care when William shifted forms
again and, in a form that seemed to be a mixture of man and wolf, leaned
over her and sank his fangs deeply into her neck. As her blood filled him
she began to moan loudly, a sound that seemed to be a mixture of pain and
pleasure. He began to growl low in his throat as she started writhing against
him. Suddenly, a noise from behind them caught his attention and he looked
up to see....
********
Willow was frozen in horror. There was some *thing* looming over Buffy.
She gasped and the thing's eyes caught her own. When it's gaze met hers,
the thing seemed to become as frozen as she was. And then.....
*******
William caught her eye. If this wasn't his Mina, then it was a damn
good copy. And she was staring at him, horrified. NO! He wouldn't *couldn't*
have her afraid, most especially not of him. He reached out with his mind
as he nearly growled "No. Do not see me. Forget." and then, in the blink
of an eye, he was away....
*******
Willow was frozen for a second as she came upon Buffy, lying on a bench
moaning, obviously in the grips of a terrible nightmare. She had an odd
feeling that she was missing something but she shook it off and rushed
to Buffy's side and waking her up, she started to lead Buffy back to the
house as Buffy started to moan about horrible red eyes.
*******
William, hiding in the shadows, watched her every movement as she led
her friend back into the house. < Soon, my love. Very soon. > Part 11
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
Willow was exhausted and worried. She had spent the rest of the night
trying to calm Buffy down as she kept going on about red eyes and 'tasting
his blood'. As for who 'he' was and why Buffy seemed to think that she
had tasted his blood, Willow had no idea. Willow was feeling rather helpless,
there didn't seem to be anything that she could do for Buffy. She had talked
to Buffy's parents about what had happened and they promised that they
would try to take care of it. But still, Willow felt like she had to do
something. So she decided to make sure that Buffy would sleep the next
night.
She got dressed and hurried out of the house, intent on finding any
and everything that might help Buffy sleep better and be undisturbed by
nightmares.
********
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
Contrary to popular belief, sunlight is not the bane of vampires that
folklore suggests. It is true that sunlight is painful to the creatures
and their powers are greatly weakened during the sunlight hours, but if
care is taken to avoid the worst of sun's rays there is no reason that
a vampire cannot move freely outside during the daylight hours. And luckily
(or due to a little nudge in the weather fronts on William's part) the
sky was cloudy and overcast, allowing him complete freedom of movement.
Heavy feeding, right before his journey and afterward, had restored
to William the outward appearance of youth and vitality, as he had known
it would. And today he had a strong wish to appear young. For today, after
centuries of waiting, he would at last, if the fates were kind, once again
stand face to face with his beloved Willomina.
The day was fairly cloudy for Southern California but even if the weather
had been perfectly clear, Willow would have given little thought to her
immediate surroundings. Thus it was that for several hours she had no idea
that she was being followed.
The visitor to America who followed Willow through the streets of Sunnydale
without her knowledge was dressed casually in a pair of black jeans, a
red silk shirt and a pair of ray-bans. To move like this, freely though
the unfamiliar streets of a new modern city was a new experience for William,
but today he gave the experience only peripheral attention. His focused
desire was to approach this particular young woman openly by daylight and
in a civilized manner.
A thousand wild hopes, incoherent and fantastic, raced through his heart.
Hopes based on a woman's face seen only in a photograph, and then once
more-seen only very briefly and at night and by sheer chance-but then,
could there be, really, truly, any such thing as sheer chance in the fates
of star-crossed men and women?
There she went, crossing the main street.... With an effortlessness
born of centuries of experience, the hunter stalked his quarry through
the small city.
At last, having maneuvered himself into an easily viewable position
across the street from her, he murmured, almost inaudibly: "My love....see
me now."
Part 12
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
As Willow exited the store her eyes caught for a second on a man standing
across the street from her. She paused involuntarily for a moment, taking
in his casual stance and his face which, while half covered with the sunglasses,
seemed achingly familiar. She stared at him for only a moment before shaking
herself out of her silent reverie and continuing on her way. She got only
a few steps before she bumped into a man walking in the other direction.
Willow managed to hold on to most of her packages, but a small bottle of
perfume that she had gotten as an engagement present for Buffy slipped
out of the top of one of her bags. The man she bumped into managed to swoop
down and catch it before it hit the sidewalk and shattered.
As William straightened his dead heart lurched in his chest. It was
her. It had to be her. There was no way possible that it couldn't be her.
Every detail was the same, her lustrous fiery hair, her shy yet inquisitive
luminous green eyes, her unique scent of lavender and vanilla, everything
was right. He had to fight the impulse to grab her right off the street
and carry her away with him.
As he handed her the bottle, he took off his sunglasses and Willow was
greeted with the icy blue eyes that had been haunting her dreams. They
seemed to be staring into her very soul, awakening things that Willow could
put no name to, feelings and flashes of memories that she knew she had
not lived or felt. Trying to escape the flood of sensations that the man
with the blue eyes invoked in her, she quickly retrieved the perfume, muttered
a quick thanks and rushed away.
A half block up the street Willow's breath caught in her throat as she
saw the blue-eyed man standing before her again, leaning casually against
a wall looking as if he had been there all day. She turned again and began
to retrace her footsteps. She looked up and saw him standing in front of
the shop, in exactly the same position he had been in when she first fled
from him. < That's not possible. No one can move that fast. I must just
be seeing things. Hallucinating because of Oz worry and lack of sleep.
That's the only reasonable explanation. > Squaring her shoulders, Willow
took in a deep breath and began to walk past the blue-eyed man fully expecting
him to not even notice, let alone care. How wrong she was.
As she walked past William easily fell in step beside her, not saying
anything, merely relishing in her existence and wondering how long she
would pretend not to notice him. He didn't have long to wait.
It took exactly three steps for Willow to realize that the blue-eyed
man wasn't just walking in the same direction that she was. It took her
another five steps to decide what to do about it. The first two steps were
spent in a contemplation of what would happen if she just went with things
and let this mysterious stranger lead her wherever he wanted. The next
two steps were guilt laden for betraying Oz, even if it was only for a
second and only in a fantasy. The last step was for deciding what course
of action to take.
Willow stopped abruptly and the blue-eyed man stopped, not a half second
after she did. His actions only confirmed her suspicions that he *was*
following her.
William waited anxiously for her reaction to him. He schooled his features,
showing nothing of his anticipation and anxiety, outwardly he looked as
if nothing could faze him. Inside, he was a nervous wreck.
Willow turned to the blue-eyed man and said, "You know, stalking is
against the law. And on top of that, it's sick and perverted. Get a life."
And then she turned and walked away.
William stared slackjawed at her retreating form. Of all possible reactions
that she could have ever had, that had to have been the most unexpected.
As she rounded the corner William managed to scrape his jaw off the sidewalk
and race after her.
< You are not going to escape me that easily, my love! I’ve waited
too long and come too far to let you disappear on me now! > Part 13
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
Willow turned another corner and there *he* was again. She froze in
her tracks as he started walking towards her. She couldn't seem to make
her feet move, no matter how much she wanted to turn and run. She tried
to avert her eyes, in the hopes that if she didn't see him, he wouldn't
be there. But her body didn't seem to want to listen to her. All she could
do was watch transfixed by the blue-eyed man's approach. He stopped only
a few scant feet from her, and just stood silent for a moment.
William managed to stop himself a few steps from her, the fact that
he even could stop spoke volumes for his self control, his instincts were
insisting that he grab her and never let her go. < No! I'm going to
do this right! _She_ will choose to be with me. I won't force this on her.
Besides, I've already taken care of the competition. Now all I have to
do is get her to talk to me. >
Willow watched the blue-eyed man watching her, and a part of her silently
cursed the space between them. The rest of her screamed at the cursing
part to shut up, and tried to convince the cursing part that this guy was
probably some evil stalker guy and that no matter how hot he was, she loved
and wanted only Oz. The cursing part of Willow's brain completely ignored
the rest of her and continued to whine about not getting to touch the blue-eyed
man.
He broke the silence first.
"I seem to have offended you somehow?" He asked, deliberately making
it into a question for her to answer. He wanted to hear her voice again.
He was also stalling for time to think of a plausible excuse for his 'stalking'.
Granted, he was stalking her, but that wasn't something she needed to know.
And the excuse needed to be something that would open her up to him allow
him to really talk to her some more, because he couldn't let her walk away
now. < Aha! Got it! That'll be perfect! >
"Of-offended?!?!" she spluttered indignantly. < Where does this guy
get oof? He’s stalking me and he wonders why I’m offended?!?! > 'I'm terribly sorry," William took a small step back as he spoke, trying
to get her to calm down a bit. "I didn't mean to frighten you, it's just
I'm a stranger here and quite lost. You looked like you knew where you
were going, so I was simply trying to ask for directions."
Willow wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole in that moment.
< I can’t believe I was so rude! The poor guy is out wandering around
lost and not only do I not help him, I threaten to call the cops
on him! I’m an evil terrible person! > "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean
to be rude! There's no justifiable excuse for my behavior."
< Damn! Took her too far the other way! I didn't want her groveling.
I just wanted her to talk to me. But.... that is exactly how my Mina would
have reacted! > The last thought swelled the hope in his heart even more.
He hastened to reassure her, "It's perfectly all right. In this day and
age, it's not wise to trust strangers on sight. It's completely understandable."
"Well, there's a difference between caution and rudeness, and I was
really rude. I'm sorry. I'd be happy to give you directions. Where were
you wanting to go?"
"I was told that there is an exquisite botanical garden around here
someplace. Do you know where it is?" < There, no one who wants to willingly
go look at flowers could possibly be a threat. Now she won’t be scared
and she’ll talk to me. > "Yes, I know where it is, but it's kind of hard to find. Maybe I should
just show you where it is." < He can’t possibly be some evil stalker
guy if he just wants to go to the gardens. How could I have been so wrong?
And so mean? > "That's a very kind offer, thank you. But I am afraid that I can't go
anywhere with you."
"Why not?" < Oh! I must have really hurt his feelings a lot! I feel
terrible about it. >
"Because I refuse to go anywhere without knowing the name of my guide."
"Oh. I'm Willow." She stuck her hand out to shake his as she introduced
herself.
< Willow!!!! There is no possible way this could be coincidence!
It IS her!! >
"William." he replied as he took her hand and brought it to his lips.
"Well, shall we be off?" Willow asked as she fought the blush rising
in her cheeks from his gesture.
"Yes." William replied as they began walking, her hand still caught
in his.
Part 14
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
They walked hand in hand, silently, for what seemed like hours but was
in reality only a few short minutes. William was quietly lost in the memories
of the past and in the elation of finding his beloved again. Willow was
silently lost in unexplained feelings that floated though her head, emotions
and sensations that were completely new yet somehow totally familiar. She
didn't understand these feelings at all, but she didn't want to lose them.
They felt like home.
All too soon they came to the entrance to the botanical gardens. Neither
one of them wanted to let go. They just stood, staring at the entrance.
After nearly a minute, Willow broke the silence.
"Well, here we are. I hope you enjoy the gardens, and I'm sorry I was
so rude earlier."
"Think nothing of it," William replied. "I don't suppose you'd care
to accompany me? I would so like to speak more with someone who's lived
in the area for a while."
Willow's mind raced with a thousand excuses as to why she shouldn't
go with him, but before she said anything, she took another look into his
face.
William was doing his best to look lonely and forlorn. He knew his Mina,
in any incarnation would never want anyone to be sad and it would get her
to stay with him, even if only for the afternoon. And that was all the
time he would need.
How could she possibly say no? He looked like a lost little puppy dog.
She took one look into his pleading blue eyes and gave in.
"Sure. Why not? It's been ages since I've been in here."
As she answered William's face lit up with an incredibly large smile.
Willow had to forcibly stop herself from throwing herself into his arms
then and there. His smile was so very familiar and so loving. It was practically
impossible to resist.
William took her arm as they walked through the garden. They looked
like a completely normal couple in love, which they were although not in
any way normal.
William began his courtship much as he did the first time around hundreds
of years ago. He kept things light, not intimidating her in any way. Allowing
her to reacquaint herself with him, all the while keeping only the slightest
pressure on her mind to draw out long forgotten memories.
William kept the conversation mostly on her, not wanting to have to
make up lies about himself. He didn't want to lie to her, so he sidestepped
most of her questions about him and the ones he did answer were with only
the most rudimentary facts. He told her that he had been born in England,
that he had once been married and that his wife had died tragically soon
after the wedding and that he still missed her. After that, Willow didn't
ask him any personal questions, not wishing to bring up painful memories.
So he found that the conversation wasn't difficult to steer. He listened
in fascination as she told him about her job tutoring slow children and
her life at college and her worries about her friend Buffy. They spent
hours talking, mostly about Willow's life but not once in the entire time
that they talked had Oz been mentioned. William was elated. She was already
forgetting the little man. He was so much closer to having her for eternity.
It was already dark before either of them noticed the time. William
offered to escort Willow home and she accepted with no qualms. She felt
like she had known him forever.
He left her on Buffy's doorstep with a kiss on the cheek and a request
of dinner the next night to continue their conversation. Willow accepted
without hesitation.
After bidding eachother a good night, Willow went inside. William watched
her go and stood outside for a few minutes more before turning to go and
plan an evening that his beloved would never forget.
Part 15
SUNNYDALE
Again, he stood outside the home that contained his beloved. He had
to fight the urge to call her out to him. The need to claim her and keep
her forever was almost overpowering. But he resisted. He was going to achieve
his goals the right way and ensure that his beloved would willingly choose
to remain with him for eternity.Yet he remained outside the house, his
love only a few scant feet away. It was a form of the sweetest torment
he could devise.
But no matter how much he wanted to go to her, William was not in front
of the large white house for his long lost wife. The house contained something
else of interest to him tonight. It contained his next meal.
After William had confirmed that his beloved Willow was in the house,
he had some second thoughts about continuing to feed from the blonde girl.
In the end, he decided to keep feeding from her. From the way Willow had
spoken of her earlier, William could tell that she considered the blonde
girl a friend. And he wanted to give his love her friend for eternity.
His mind set and his course clear, William called to Buffy.
***************
ROMANIA
It's been a few weeks since the Duke left me here in the care, and I
use that term loosely, of his devil women. They keep me drained of blood
to the point that escape is all but impossible. I am far too weak to make
it anywhere even close to civilization, even if I could muster up the strength
to get down the stairs and out of the castle, assuming that I could get
away from these vile creatures that are holding me hostage.
But none of that matters. The only thing that matters to me at this
point is saving my precious Willow from that monster.
I have a plan. It is a stupid plan and will probably end in my death,
but I have no choice. Not when that *thing* is roaming around my hometown
and sniffing after *my* fiancee.
When the sun comes up, these creatures that masquerade as women will
go to sleep. And I will take a nice headlong dive out the window. If I
am incredibly lucky, I'll land in the river and the current will take me
off to civilization and a one way ticket back to my Willow. If I'm unlucky,
then I'll land on the rocks and smash my head open and die a gruesome horrible
death. If I'm only moderately lucky, I'll land in the river but I'll end
up being too weak to keep my head above water and I'll drown. Needless
to say, I'm hoping to be very VERY lucky.
The sun is coming up. Time to go.
************
SUNNYDALE
Willow gawked. She tried not to, or at least to not be obvious about
it but was unable to help herself. William, true to his word, arrived at
the Summer's residence promptly at seven. He then escorted her into a limousine
which whisked them off to the classiest restaurant in Sunnydale. It was
a place she and Oz could not even afford to breathe the air in. They were
greeted at the door by the maitre'de who led them into a private room lit
only by the soft glow of candlelight. The atmosphere left Willow feeling
more than slightly out of her depth. And yet, beneath it all was the underlying
feeling of familiarity.
Over supper, William told her about the harsh beauty of his land and
of how for a short time that harshness had been tempered by the sweetness
of one beautiful soul. As he spoke, he was all the time aware of Willow's
feeling of overwhelmedness and how she clung to that little part of her
that said all was familiar and nothing less than she deserved. It was exactly
the reaction he was looking for. As he told her of his home, he was pleased
to see the wistful longing look in her eyes. It was homesickness.
After they had finished dining, a sad and haunting melody began to play.
William rose and offered his hand to Willow. She was powerless to do anything
but fall into his arms and they danced for what seemed like eternity.
Part 16
SUNNYDALE
William, though loathe to do so, released his beloved from his gentle
embrace and watched her return to the house. After sharing a last look
from the doorway, Willow went inside. Willow shut the door behind her and
leaned against with a sigh, a small sappy grin playing about her lips.
William made sure that his precious Willow had gotten in safely before
he turned and practically bounced his way back to the limousine. As the
driver took him back to his estate, he replayed the evening in his mind.
The candlelight playing off her hair, the way she moved so effortlessly
in his arms as they danced, the chaste kiss that she had allowed him to
steal on the drive home; everything was going perfectly.
*************
Willow hummed to herself as she walked towards the room she shared with
Buffy, her mind still hearing the music she'd danced to with William. Without
realizing it, her feet executed a few dance steps. She entered the room
and threw herself onto her bed with a happy sigh, visions of William's
handsome face in the moonlight playing across her mind.
Buffy looked up from the magazine she'd been reading. "Rough night?"
she teased.
"Oh, hush you!" Willow replied and threw a pillow at her. "I had a lovely
evening. Wonderful food, beautiful music...." her voice trailed off as
the feeling of being held in William's arms and the sounds of the music
rushed back to her.
"Cute guy....." Buffy interjected into Willow's musings.
"Yes, well," Willow blushed lightly under Buffy's knowing gaze. "He
is handsome but that's not why I was with him. He's a really nice guy and
he's new to the area and he seemed kind of lonely." Willow said, feeling
like she had to justify her actions, "That's why I went with him tonight.
And that's why I'm going with him to the open air concert in the park tomorrow
night as well. He just wants a friend."
Instead of replying, Buffy gave an unlady-like snort and turned back
to her magazine.
Willow turned to her friend, intending to further justify her actions.
The words died in her throat. When she finally took a good look at Buffy
it pushed all thoughts of justification and even of William (though those
thoughts were loathe to go) out of her head. Buffy was much paler than
usual, almost white, and there were deep dark circles under her eyes.
"Buffy, you don't look so good. Are you feeling all right?" Willow asked,
concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine, Willow. Never better." Buffy answered. The tone of her voice
indicated that the subject was closed.
"Oh, okay." Willow replied, vowing to herself to speak with Angel about
Buffy's health in the morning.
**************
THE NEXT MORNING
"Angel, you're a doctor. You are supposed to know if people are healthy
or not. I'm not asking you to give her a full physical or anything. I'm
just asking you to look at her. And then I'm asking you to tell her to
go to a real doctor."
"Willow--" Angel attempted to interject.
"Not that you aren't a real doctor. I didn't mean it like that. I just
meant that you're a psychiatrist and not a physician so you're not really
the person most likely to be able to help her. Well, not that you can't
help her, more like she's not going to want you to help her because she'll
think that we think there's something wrong with her mind and I'm sure
there's nothing wrong with her mind."
"Willow--" Angel tried again.
"But you did have to go to med school so I'm sure she'll listen to you
if you tell her that she's not looking well and she should see a doctor-another
doctor that is-and get herself checked out. But if I try and tell her she
won't listen to me at all. In fact, she denies that there is anything wrong
in the first place and that's just not good. Denial is always a bad thing
and what if she's denying because it's something serious and she's really
ill?" Willow was getting inordinately frustrated. She had been trying to
persuade Angel to come and take a look at Buffy all morning and he was
just sitting there like a lump. "And what if she's too sick to plan her
wedding? That's not a good thing... Wedding! Right! Bad! Not a good thing
to bring up. I'm so sorry about that Angel. I didn't mean to bum you out
or anything. I mean, I know you were dating Buffy and you really care about
her and if you care about her you should do this for her! What if she's
dying or something? I can't believe you're just *sitting* there while she
could be *dying* just because she turned you down. What kind of husband
would you make if you can't get up and do this for her over one little
refused proposal?"
"Willow!" Angel finally shouted. "Yes, I care for Buffy and yes I will
take a look at her and yes I will even suggest that she see another doctor
if I think the situation calls for it. Now *please* take a breath before
you pass out."
**************
PART 17
*******
He used to serenade her. Not well, he'd be the first to admit but
when he did
********
SUNNYDALE
"Buffy, you don't look so good. Maybe you should rest. You can have
your
"Don't be ridiculous! I feel fine! In fact, I feel better than fine.
And I
"I DO NOT HAVE A DATE!!" Willow said with rather too much emphasis.
"I am
"You know, if you're going to be snippy, maybe you should just leave.
Go get
Feeling frustrated and rather put-upon herself, Willow turned and
left the
As she walked down the hall, Willow heard Angel ask if Buffy was
feeling all
*********
MANSION
William smiled into the darkness of his new home. All the preparations
had
He chuckled as he thought of how easy it had been. [Ah. The wonders
of modern
********
SUNNYDALE
"Owen, I'm worried about her. She says she feel fine but she is
exceeding
"Are you sure this isn't some sort of ploy to keep her, Angel? Making
up some
"No! I'm seriously worried about her health. And if you pulled your
head out
Owen was taken aback by the vehement tone in Angel's voice. "So,
what do you
"I want to call an old professor of mine. He's a master in diseases
of the
"Make the call."
*********
ROMANIA
*SPLASH*
********
next
DIARY OF OSWALD HARKER
THE NEXT DAY
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
DIARY OF WILLOW ROSENBURG
DRACUL'S CASTLE
THE SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DIARY OF OZ HARKER
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
Oz
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DRACUL'S CASTLE
The Sunnydale Institution for the Insane
ABOUT 20 MINUTES EARLIER
THE NEXT DAY
Four blocks later.....
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
LATER THE SAME NIGHT
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DIARY OF OZ HARKER
THE NEXT NIGHT
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
LATER THE SAME NIGHT
THE SUNNYDALE INSTITUTION FOR THE INSANE
her eyes would go all soft and wide and a little teary and when
he finished
she would applaud him and give him one of her sweet kisses that
made his
insides all warm and squishy. So he sang for her. Often.
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
Later that afternoon
dress fitted later." Willow said, looking extremely concerned.
want this done. The sooner it gets done, the sooner I get to have
my
wedding." Buffy replied, extremely pale and looking washed out
against the
layers of white silk that were currently draped around her form.
"Besides,
don't you have some shopping to do? Honestly Willow, you have a
date tonight
AND a wedding of your own that you need to be shopping for. You
can't just
leave it all to the last minute! And speaking of your date, what
are you
planning on wearing on your date with the rich, hot foreign guy
anyway?"
merely trying to help a nice lonely guy get acclimated to California
before
he gets totally bowled over by some headstrong blonde or some valley
girl
scares the life out of him. And as for planning my wedding, I seem
to be
missing a vital component. Or had you forgotten? Oz-Groom. Oz-Gone.
*Groom-Gone*. See where I'm going with this?"
ready for your *date* or something." Buffy replied in a much put-upon
tone as
one of the dressmakers poked her in the side with a pin.
room, not giving the last comment the dignity of a response. As
she left the
room, she passed Angel who had come to check on Buffy in the hopes
of
stopping Willow from babbling at him. (Not that he really minded
Willow. He
thought she was pretty cute and it was sweet the way she cared
for her friend
and all but if she kept up the continuous worried babble, one day
she might
forget to breathe and actually do herself some harm.)
right and if she was getting enough sun.
Around the same time
been made, everything was in readiness and it was just a matter
of a few
hours wait before his date with his beloved. And it would be perfect.
technology. What I could have done with cell phones way back when!
Not to
mention cars. Can't wait to see what these mortals think up next.
And my
sweet Willowmina and I will be around to see it all. Eternity is
about to
become *exquisite*]
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
pale and she was acting kind of strangely. She said she was having
bad dreams
and that she could hear mice in the attic." Angel and Owen were
having a deep
discussion about the health of the woman they loved.
sort of psyco-babble so that we have to postpone the wedding and
you can
spend more time with her?" Owen replied suspiciously.
of your ass long enough to look at her, you'd be worried too!"
suggest?"
blood and would have a much better chance of diagnosing her than
I would. He
could probably figure it out just by looking at her, which is a
good thing
since she *refuses* to see a doctor other than me and she won't
even let me
take a blood sample. Owen, I honestly think this is the best thing
we can do
in the present circumstances. Besides, Rupert Van Helsing is the
most
persuasive man I have ever met. If he can't get her to agree to
getting
checked out, no one can."