Babysitting Miss Edith - part 3
Drusilla sat by the fire staring into the flames. Her face was emotionless and she wrung her hands as she whispered things to herself. Spike watched her out of the corner of his eye whilst finishing a business agreement on the phone. He watched as she averted her eyes from the fire and began to fidget with the hem of her dress, humming a lullaby to no-one in particular.
"Sorry, mate, but I'm gonna have to go ...... right ......see you then? ...... 'kay, bye."
He returned the cell phone to the pocket in his jacket and hung the jacket over the chair.
"Miss Edith's gone all quiet."
"No voices, love?"
"All hushed up."
The blonde vampire scanned the room for the china-doll, it had gone. No sign of Miss Edith anywhere.
"Where's Miss Edith got to?"
"All gone."
"Where?"
"On holiday." Spike frowned. Dru never went anywhere without her doll, and the voices were a permanent part of her mind. "On holiday with Kitten."
"You've left Miss Edith at Xander's flat."
She looked at him and nodded gently, "I'm all alone."
"I'm here, Dru."
"The silence hurts my head."
It was times like these, that Spike was reminded just how psychotic his Sire really was. Miss Edith was Dru's best form of communication with those she knew. Without the doll, she was quiet unless the air began to 'sing'.
"Shall I ask Harris to bring her over?"
"Miss Edith likes Kitten. He says she can play at his house if it pleases her."
Spike smiled and sat beside her,
"And does it please her?"
"Kitten brings nice things to watch and games to play. Miss Edith likes to play."
He hugged her,
"But don't you play with him, Dru. You'll hurt him, y'hear?"
He tapped her nose gently, and was just about to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. Rolling his eyes he called,
"Whatever you're selling, I don't want any so sod-off!"
Xander's voice called back,
"Miss Edith got bored of Hannibal and Scream."
Spike opened the door, the human stood there with Miss Edith in one arm and a huge bottle of blood in the other. He handed the doll to Drusilla as she ran up to him and gave Spike the bottle.
"I would've saved it for her, but it's too big to fit in my refridgerator."
"Where did you get all the blood from?"
"When Angel left, he forgot to cancel his 'account' with the local slaughter house. I just picked up where he left off."
"It was fresh, right?"
"Will, I'm not gonna poison her."
"Hey, guys."
Buffy walked into the Magic Box, her little sister carrying the food shopping. Xander smiled at them both,
"Hey Dawn, Buff'."
Exhausted, the youngest of the Summers women dumped the grocery bags on the table and sat down next to Willow,
"Hi."
Seeing Giles shelving magic books in the back-room, the Slayer took leave of her friends and went to make enquiries. Dawn immediately lowered her voice,
"Xan, you *have* to tell her. Does Giles know?"
".... no, not yet."
"Dawn's right, Xander, the longer you wait to tell Buffy, the worse her reaction'll get."
"I guess I could tell Giles ...... then ask him the best way to tell the Buffster."
"What about the Buffster?"
The trio jumped as Buffy popped her head around the door. Willow blushed guiltily, Dawn began to fidget and Xander looked at Buffy like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.
"What?!"
"Hey, it's really not that big a deal."
"Yes it *is*."
"Okay, yes it is, but w--"
"And you expect me to turn a blind eye while you harbour a psychopathic killer in your home?!"
"...... uh - yes?"
"Well I won't. By no stretch of the imagination is this 'not that big a deal'."
"Um ...... if you keep quiet I *promise* never to call you 'Big G' or 'G-man' or ... 'Rupert the Big G-man--"
"You've never called me that."
"Well ...... I'm promising in advance."
"Xander, I really don't th--" Willow, Xander and Dawn sat there looking at him hopefully. Dawn especially. "Oh alright. I won't say a word, but you had better come up with a way of telling her without getting yourself killed."
"Buffy would kill me?"
Giles sighed wearily,
"No, but Spike will if she hurts Drusilla."
"Hey Dru!"
Dawn skipped happily into Xander's front room where the vampiress sat pouting on the sofa. Xander frowned,
"Dru, baby, what's wrong?" She gave him her you-know-exactly-what's-wrong look. He sighed, "I had to leave you. I couldn't risk bringing the nasty lady near you again. She might have seen you."
Dawn sat next to Dru,
"Nasty lady?"
Harris nodded,
"Buffy."
"Oh I can *so* relate to that. - Hey, look."
Xander followed Dawn's gaze to where Dru sat holding Miss Edith in one hand, and another china-doll in the other.
The red-head smiled,
"Dru, meet Isabelle. I figured you'd like to play with her aswell as Miss edith."
The vampire smiled at Dawn,
"Miss Edith likes you. She likes Isabelle." She turned to Xander, "Can we have tea-party?"
"Fine by me, but no physical violence, Dru."
Xander sat in the kitchen. He wasn't happy.
"Dawn? ....... Dru? ...... Oh come on, girls! Please?"
The two women peered around the door frame, looked at eachother and giggled in unison. He sighed wearily,
"I've had enough of this game now."
Dawn smirked,
"Who said it was a game?"
Xander frowned. Half-way through their tea-party, Drusilla got bored. She wanted to play a new game with Dawn. He had watched while they conspired in the corner then Dru vamped-out and pinned him to a chair while Dawn tied him up. The vampiress had been proud of her. They were knots to be admired - Xander didn't quite agree since those knots were holding him to the chair and he couldn't get up.
"Oh please, Dru, baby, let me go."
She tutted and shook her head, "Mummy says stay still. Naughty Kitten."
"Dawn, honey, sweetie, dar--"
"Nuh-uh. No way, Xan."
"Hey, who's gonna protect you two if something happens?"
That made them think - for a split second. Then they left him and went to watch ER. Not something he thought Dru would enjoy, but she was glued to the screen. He grew increasingly worried as they started to talk about men. Dawn, being her typical self, was quite innocently talking about the cute guys she knew at school. Dru was, well, not going as far as she could have done, but she went far none-the-less.
"This one time, in the dinner queue, I saw this *really* cute guy and his friend told my friend that he liked me and then he asked me out and I was s--"
"Dawn, youre speaking too fast."
"I met a lovely boy once - he couldn't get his eyes off me..."
Dawn blinked, the vampire was half day(night)dreaming and half talking to her. She was staring at her fingers. With a small frown of confusion, Dawn turned to Xander - still tied to the chair. He glanced at Dru and mouthed,
"Off - her - fingers."
Glancing at Dru's long fingernails, Dawn blinked then mouthed back,
"You - mean - she?" She made gouging gestures with her fingers and Xander nodded.
"Ewww, gross!"
Drusilla sat by the fire staring into the flames. Her face was emotionless and she wrung her hands as she whispered things to herself. Spike watched her out of the corner of his eye whilst finishing a business agreement on the phone. He watched as she averted her eyes from the fire and began to fidget with the hem of her dress, humming a lullaby to no-one in particular.
"Sorry, mate, but I'm gonna have to go ...... right ......see you then? ...... 'kay, bye."
He returned the cell phone to the pocket in his jacket and hung the jacket over the chair.
"Miss Edith's gone all quiet."
"No voices, love?"
"All hushed up."
The blonde vampire scanned the room for the china-doll, it had gone. No sign of Miss Edith anywhere.
"Where's Miss Edith got to?"
"All gone."
"Where?"
"On holiday." Spike frowned. Dru never went anywhere without her doll, and the voices were a permanent part of her mind. "On holiday with Kitten."
"You've left Miss Edith at Xander's flat."
She looked at him and nodded gently, "I'm all alone."
"I'm here, Dru."
"The silence hurts my head."
It was times like these, that Spike was reminded just how psychotic his Sire really was. Miss Edith was Dru's best form of communication with those she knew. Without the doll, she was quiet unless the air began to 'sing'.
"Shall I ask Harris to bring her over?"
"Miss Edith likes Kitten. He says she can play at his house if it pleases her."
Spike smiled and sat beside her,
"And does it please her?"
"Kitten brings nice things to watch and games to play. Miss Edith likes to play."
He hugged her,
"But don't you play with him, Dru. You'll hurt him, y'hear?"
He tapped her nose gently, and was just about to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. Rolling his eyes he called,
"Whatever you're selling, I don't want any so sod-off!"
Xander's voice called back,
"Miss Edith got bored of Hannibal and Scream."
Spike opened the door, the human stood there with Miss Edith in one arm and a huge bottle of blood in the other. He handed the doll to Drusilla as she ran up to him and gave Spike the bottle.
"I would've saved it for her, but it's too big to fit in my refridgerator."
"Where did you get all the blood from?"
"When Angel left, he forgot to cancel his 'account' with the local slaughter house. I just picked up where he left off."
"It was fresh, right?"
"Will, I'm not gonna poison her."
"Hey, guys."
Buffy walked into the Magic Box, her little sister carrying the food shopping. Xander smiled at them both,
"Hey Dawn, Buff'."
Exhausted, the youngest of the Summers women dumped the grocery bags on the table and sat down next to Willow,
"Hi."
Seeing Giles shelving magic books in the back-room, the Slayer took leave of her friends and went to make enquiries. Dawn immediately lowered her voice,
"Xan, you *have* to tell her. Does Giles know?"
".... no, not yet."
"Dawn's right, Xander, the longer you wait to tell Buffy, the worse her reaction'll get."
"I guess I could tell Giles ...... then ask him the best way to tell the Buffster."
"What about the Buffster?"
The trio jumped as Buffy popped her head around the door. Willow blushed guiltily, Dawn began to fidget and Xander looked at Buffy like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.
"What?!"
"Hey, it's really not that big a deal."
"Yes it *is*."
"Okay, yes it is, but w--"
"And you expect me to turn a blind eye while you harbour a psychopathic killer in your home?!"
"...... uh - yes?"
"Well I won't. By no stretch of the imagination is this 'not that big a deal'."
"Um ...... if you keep quiet I *promise* never to call you 'Big G' or 'G-man' or ... 'Rupert the Big G-man--"
"You've never called me that."
"Well ...... I'm promising in advance."
"Xander, I really don't th--" Willow, Xander and Dawn sat there looking at him hopefully. Dawn especially. "Oh alright. I won't say a word, but you had better come up with a way of telling her without getting yourself killed."
"Buffy would kill me?"
Giles sighed wearily,
"No, but Spike will if she hurts Drusilla."
"Hey Dru!"
Dawn skipped happily into Xander's front room where the vampiress sat pouting on the sofa. Xander frowned,
"Dru, baby, what's wrong?" She gave him her you-know-exactly-what's-wrong look. He sighed, "I had to leave you. I couldn't risk bringing the nasty lady near you again. She might have seen you."
Dawn sat next to Dru,
"Nasty lady?"
Harris nodded,
"Buffy."
"Oh I can *so* relate to that. - Hey, look."
Xander followed Dawn's gaze to where Dru sat holding Miss Edith in one hand, and another china-doll in the other.
The red-head smiled,
"Dru, meet Isabelle. I figured you'd like to play with her aswell as Miss edith."
The vampire smiled at Dawn,
"Miss Edith likes you. She likes Isabelle." She turned to Xander, "Can we have tea-party?"
"Fine by me, but no physical violence, Dru."
Xander sat in the kitchen. He wasn't happy.
"Dawn? ....... Dru? ...... Oh come on, girls! Please?"
The two women peered around the door frame, looked at eachother and giggled in unison. He sighed wearily,
"I've had enough of this game now."
Dawn smirked,
"Who said it was a game?"
Xander frowned. Half-way through their tea-party, Drusilla got bored. She wanted to play a new game with Dawn. He had watched while they conspired in the corner then Dru vamped-out and pinned him to a chair while Dawn tied him up. The vampiress had been proud of her. They were knots to be admired - Xander didn't quite agree since those knots were holding him to the chair and he couldn't get up.
"Oh please, Dru, baby, let me go."
She tutted and shook her head, "Mummy says stay still. Naughty Kitten."
"Dawn, honey, sweetie, dar--"
"Nuh-uh. No way, Xan."
"Hey, who's gonna protect you two if something happens?"
That made them think - for a split second. Then they left him and went to watch ER. Not something he thought Dru would enjoy, but she was glued to the screen. He grew increasingly worried as they started to talk about men. Dawn, being her typical self, was quite innocently talking about the cute guys she knew at school. Dru was, well, not going as far as she could have done, but she went far none-the-less.
"This one time, in the dinner queue, I saw this *really* cute guy and his friend told my friend that he liked me and then he asked me out and I was s--"
"Dawn, youre speaking too fast."
"I met a lovely boy once - he couldn't get his eyes off me..."
Dawn blinked, the vampire was half day(night)dreaming and half talking to her. She was staring at her fingers. With a small frown of confusion, Dawn turned to Xander - still tied to the chair. He glanced at Dru and mouthed,
"Off - her - fingers."
Glancing at Dru's long fingernails, Dawn blinked then mouthed back,
"You - mean - she?" She made gouging gestures with her fingers and Xander nodded.
"Ewww, gross!"
