(68 Years Later)
Paris, France 1857
Café
For the first time in over six decades, the Scourge of Europe walked down the streets of Paris. Clear in his mind, he remembered the beginning murderous riots of the vastly known French Revolution. He took advantage of the chaos to the fullest until he stumbled across her.
For over six decades, Angelus forced himself to never think of the dark goddess. But her beauty plagued his mind. With every woman he has lain since then, he imagined her under him giving him such pleasure. But it was not until he opened his eyes basking in the afterglow, which was short lived, he realised the woman under him was not her and he became outraged.
Angelus entered a café gathered with men and women sitting at the tables in their finest evening wear, chatting quietly amongst themselves as French poet, Charles Baudelaire stood in front of the room holding his new book, "Fleurs du mal"(Flowers of Evil)" in his hand.
"Toi qui, comme un coup de couteau,
(You who, like a knife,)
Dans mon coeur plaintif es entrée;
(My heart plaintive entry es;)
Toi qui, forte comme un troupeau
(You who, strong as herd)
De démons, vins, folle et parée,
(Demons, wine, and decked crazy,)"
The poet read aloud.
Angelus turned his head scanning the crowd when a familiar face caught his attention. It couldn't be. He frowned waiting for her to turn her head slightly into his direction.
It was her. It was the woman of his goulash nightmares. Was she still in Paris?
Angelus heard the talk amongst their clan of people, Elizabeth had travelled to Germany in 1848 when the German commoners upraised against their monarchs. She had impressed Nest; the Master of the Order of Aurelius, with her sophisticated massacre style of slaughtering simpletons. The Master wanted the promising vampire at his side to be his right hand alongside Angelus and ultimately replacing Darla.
When the news broke to the Master that Elizabeth scoffed at the offer, Hell up-roared deciding to channel all of his energies into having the noblewoman join the prestigious order. He had a worldwide search for the vampiress but she was nowhere to be found.
Angelus stared at her memorised eternal youth had been good to her.
Her eyes reached his. Angelus could not tell if she was surprised, happy, or unsettled to see him. Her beautiful face was cold holding no emotion.
Angelus moved around the chairs of people intently listening to the poet, oblivious of the cool vampire greeting.
Elizabeth turned back to the poet listening to his words intently.
Angelus turned his head to the poet taking in his words,
"J'ai prié le glaive rapide
(I have requested the quick sword)
De conquérir ma liberté,
(To conquer freedom,)
Et j'ai dit au poison perfide
(And I told the treacherous poison)
De secourir ma lâcheté.
(To rescue my cowardice.)"
Charles Baudelaire read moving his eyes around the room to each face.
Without removing his eyes from the poet listening attentively, he noticed Elizabeth's hand nearest to his resting on top of the table. Angelus slyly reached over to it and wrapped his long fingers around hers.
Elizabeth did not look away from the poet as her fingers laced through Angelus', locking them together.
Elizabeth wiped the droplet of blood in the corner of her mouth with a napkin then moved her eyes across the café to Angelus who dropped a body to the ground after he had finished feeding.
Charles Baudelaire's slain poetry guests laid scattered on the ground and across tables in pools of blood.
Angelus turned to Baudelaire who sat in the corner with Elizabeth holding a small coffee cup in his hand. "Madame, I must be on my way now." Charles stood from the table gathering his book and placed his top hat onto his head. "It has been an absolute pleasure to finally meet and dine with the infamous Pulchra Creatura and the Scourge of Europe. I hope the evening was presented kindly to you." The Frenchmen said in broken English.
Elizabeth tilted her head up to him and smiled with satisfaction, "You did well Monsieur. I did enjoy your reading this evening."
"Aye, I concur with the Lady. Tell me, is Le Vampire about any certain vampire?" Angelus crossed the room with his usual swagger smiling at the poet.
Charles nodded his head, "Perhaps it's about the most legendary of vampires in all of the lands. Perhaps it is about you." He looked at Angelus. "Or you, Mademoiselle." Charles smiled softly at Elizabeth.
"Nevertheless, you captured the beautiful darkness well." Elizabeth complimented politely.
"Je vous remercie." Charles bowed his head and stood tall moving to the door. "Au Revoir." he waved at the vampires and disappeared into the darkness.
Angelus turned from the door when it closed all the way, finally leaving him alone with Elizabeth for the first time in sixty-eight years. "I thought I'd never see ye again." Angelus broke the tense silence filling the air.
"I could say the same to you as well. Where is Darla?" Elizabeth kept a smooth cool demeanour even though, inside she was screaming and fighting every urge to jump into his arms.
Angelus stepped over a dead body reaching her. "I haven't the faintest idea. Nor do I care. Probably crawled back the Master. Ye've been a busy demon since last I saw you." He smiled darkly.
"I cannot pass a revolution, especially when the people are so dimwitted and angry which somehow makes the blood seem sweeter. It's strangely wonderful."
"Ye had the Master's interest."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Oh, that old man? I want nothing to do with him and his cult. I don't need an 'Order' to help me accomplish my evil doing's. Tell me, if the Order of Aurelius was so elite then why do they galavant in a sewer like scum?"
Angelus nodded his head with a smirk and sat down across from her. "Aye, I can acquiesce to that. How long have ye been in France?"
"Only a month. I did enjoy the Germans. They're like the American's but less moronic." The evil in her eye would have frightened the Devil. "Efficient."
"And the Count? I do not see him about?" Angelus crossed feeling his underlying hatred for the vampire creep through his skin.
Elizabeth watched him closely amused by the inner struggle of unfamiliar emotions fighting inside of him. "I haven't the faintest."
Angelus' head shot up with surprise. "Ye don't know?"
"I do not." A small snickering smile. "He might be here... or he might be there." Elizabeth shrugged. "It is of no concern to me."
Angelus eyed the vampire enjoying the sudden change feeling that perhaps all that had changed was for the better. "Would ye care for a stroll before sunrise?"
A slow smile crossed her heart-shaped lips.
Paris, France
Village Home
Pulling apart and spent from passionate hours of wild sex, Elizabeth and Angelus laid on their backs panting unneeded breaths. Dried blood stained their glistening bodies.
Angelus turned his head to look at her. "Be mine." He whispered.
"What?" Elizabeth's eyes went to his face.
"I want ye with me, Buffy. I never wish to be parted from ye from this day on. I want forever with ye."
Elizabeth stared at him processing his smooth words. "You want to be mated?" She looked at him with disbelief.
Angelus did not respond knowing she could read his thoughts just by the way he stared at her with longing.
"If we mated, it's forever. Permanent." Elizabeth said.
"I know."
"We can never part. This bond is far more powerful than anything we've ever experienced before. You do realise this, yes?"
A grin brightened his handsome face, "Aye, I do. Are ye sayin' yes then?"
"I never thought of mating myself to another." Her words were not what Angelus expected to hear. His face slowly sank, mentally beating himself for feeling any sort of hope again. Elizabeth must have read his thoughts because she turned onto side looking at him fully. "I never thought of mating myself to another." She softly repeated needing him to understand her words. "Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wished to find a Prince. Someone I could wholeheartedly give myself to. Vlad wasn't him. He was what I needed at the time but he wasn't who I wanted for eternity." Elizabeth reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. "I was a fool to have left you the first time. You were right... about everything. I want you, Angelus. Only you. Forever."
Angelus rested his forehead against hers. "Eternity isn't nearly long enough," Angelus said cupping his hand around her cheek. With a small smile, Elizabeth captured his mouth into a passionate kiss.
She broke the kiss feeling something cool on his middle finger of his right hand. "What's that?" Elizabeth asked taking his hand examine the gold ring with two hands holding a crowned heart. "It's beautiful." Her fingers gently traced over the hands to the crown overhead the heart.
Angelus rolled onto his back slipping the ring off of his finger holding it up to look at. "My people... Before I was changed, they exchanged this as a sign of devotion. It's called a Claddagh ring. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty. The heart, well, ye know..." he turned his eyes to her her.
Elizabeth watched as he slid the ring back onto his finger with the heart pointing toward him. "Why do you point the heart towards you?"
"It means ye belong to somebody. Ye belong to me now, Buffy. I'm never letting ye go again."
Her hand cupped his cheek and combed through his long hair. "I never want you to."
"We should celebrate," Angelus said with an excited smile.
"And what do we owe this celebration too?"
Angelus frowned, "Our engagement silly. Come! Come!" The Master Vampire jumped out of the bed uncaring about his nudity. He outstretched his hand for her to take.
Elizabeth girlishly laughed and took his hand letting him pull out of the comfort of the bed. She fell in his arms pressing her blood stained body against his.
"I will always shower ye with gifts, my Buffy." Angelus gestured his hand out to the bound and gagged husband and wife that lived in the home.
Angelus watched as Elizabeth turned her head to the victims. "It's wonderful." She tilted her head to the side examining the torture devices impaling their bodies and the agony shown on their exhausted faces.
"A work of art." Angelus' hands slowly slid around Elizabeth's naked waist. "You are a true artist. Absolutely masterful." Angelus felt inspired.
Elizabeth turned her head looking up at his face. "You're not too bad yourself," her hand reached back and caressed his cheek, "my Angel."
Angelus closed his eyes to her whispering voice and pressed his mouth tenderly against hers. Elizabeth broke the gentle kiss and rested her forehead against his. The couple slowly turned their heads still pressed against each other they look down at the tortured couple with a dark smile on their handsome faces.
The middle-aged women looked up at them seeing their faces through the blood stinging her eyes. She knew she was not going to survive the night. She and her husband had been bound to the wall for hours. In between their agonising torment, the couple were forced to watch the vampires passionately taint the marriage bed with their evil for hours.
She watched the couple's beautiful faces morph into some sort of demon she had never seen. She knew that somehow the Lord was punishing her for past sins. She just knew.
"My lady first," Angelus mockingly bowed his head to Elizabeth. He took her blood stained hand and kissed her knuckles.
Elizabeth smiled flashing her fangs that turned Angelus on. "Thank you." Elizabeth spun around and grabbed the woman by her shoulders and violently buried her fangs deep into her neck.
Works: "Fleurs du mal"(Flowers of Evil)" Charles Baudelaire, 1857