Spike
The car is stifling, you would think that when you die the temperature would stop bothering you, I thought that it had. Yet here in this cramped car the stuffy humidity is really starting to get to me. That and the hot clammy breath of the whelp on my arm.
So much has changed in such a short time. Mere weeks ago, despite the pain, I would have ripped his bloody head off for trying to use me as a pillow, now I don't really care. I can even feel some sympathy towards him. He has been through allot in a short time, and never really complained. He took it all in and didn't make others feel worse by trying to unload it. I'm not saying that I've had a complete about face, just that I might be starting to warm up towards the wanker.
Everybody has it bad, little bits been cutting school and crying herself to sleep at night, and I don't think Red's even moved from the computer since she left.
I still can't say her name, it hurts to much. I still can't believe all that has happened. When I found her by the road I knew that something was wrong, I just would never have even guessed at what had happened.
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I have to admit that sometimes, when I was at home alone I would wish that she were one of us. Not because I wanted her to die, the exact opposite. I wanted her to live. Human life is so fragile, one little tiny mistake and it is all over. One good day as I told her before. It's really one bad day. For everyone.
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There was something else though, she didn't feel like one of us. She felt different for sure, just not like us. I don't know if it was anything, she was very young. It just haunts me, what if she wasn't turned. Or maybe she was turned only not into one of us, maybe she is something else. Something else entirely. I would never tell them of my concerns for they are precisely that, my concerns. Mine not theirs. They have enough to worry about already.
The car hits a bump, the lump on my side stirs a little and cuddles closer. I put my arm around it trying to get more comfortable without disturbing it. Since when do I care. Since she left.
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Everything always come back to that in the end. Her. Slayer. Pet. Cutie. Nicknames, they aren't her, no she is, she is "Buffy." There I said it. For the first time since that night. Red looked back from the driver's seat and smiled momentarily at me. She knew why I said it, and how hard it had been.
I looked down at the brown head and smiled wistfully. I was so tired suddenly, no I had been tired for a while. I just hadn't felt it, I haven't slept in a long time. I think that I might be able to, then quickly decide against it.
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Dawn is asleep in the front, curled up against the door, it's sad how the worried expression is still there in sleep marring her childlike face.
The sun is starting to go down, another night. They all bleed together, it is hard to tell which is which. I think I will take a turn driving the next time we stop for some petrol. Give the witch a little brake.
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The whelp wakes up, when I feel him stirring I watch him. He looks up at me and sighs, I don't think he holds resentment against me anymore either. When we do bicker our word are hollow they don't hold the meaning that they used to.
He sits up slowly moaning slightly when his muscles cramp from his strange position. I fall back into thought until I realize what I have been doing.
I'm brooding, like the bloody pouf. I didn't even think I could brood and I've been doing it for days. Strange times I suppose, when all of this is over and done I'll be back to myself again. Killing and maiming with the best of them. When I lose the chip, they had better watch out.
Though I realize that now I couldn't hurt them anymore without my chip then I could with it. This whole situation was preposterous. I'm evil. The Big Bad. William the Bloody. Favorite childe of Angelus scourge of Europe. My name alone could make grown men wet themselves. I started laughing very loudly, I just cracked up. They were all staring at like I had grown a third head, wait second, no that doesn't matter they were all just staring at me.
I continued my voice reaching new octaves as my laugh changed into some sort of strange maniacal cackling. Then I felt a stinging pain across my face, I stopped and gulped in deep breaths of unneeded air.
"Thanks mate." After I said it everybody went back to the way they had been. All was forgiven they felt bad for me. That was a new thing, it might take awhile to get used to. No one had ever loved me. Not even Dru, I think sometimes that I was just a substitute for my pounce of a sire. When ever he was around Dru was all Daddy this, Daddy that. I didn't even exist when he was around, it hurt you know.
These new people that I was surrounded with were different, they cared. And I think that if I was in danger they would come to save me. They really care I can tell by the little things.
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I moved in and this has been the closest thing to a family that I have had in a very long time. They didn't mind my taste for strange blood mixed food, though Xander did make faces. And there where the times that we comforted each other.
We had these late night meetings, to decide what we were going to do. We didn't want to raise the Nibblet's hopes bout her big sis. Though we did have them. The money, now that was a gift. Willow was able to trace it back. Back through several names until we found out who it really did belong to.
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A man though I guess he really wasn't. Not human now that was sure, he was immortal. Vampire we suppose, bloody strange vampire at that. Lestat de Lioncourt. That is the name, that is who took her away.
We called Giles at the council and had him check. He got back to us the next day all that he could find were bloody inscriptions. Letters at that. It was all he could find. No murders, nothing. What sort of a self respecting vampire doesn't leave a trail of carnage. The only one that comes to mind is my nancy boy souled sire, and even he left a trail of rats.
They were simply messages to someone name Marius. Nothing that could help us in the least. I don't think I could of made it with just that but fortunately for me, Willow had come up with and address.
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I love Willow, when she told me I literally kissed her feet. That made her laugh, but be then I was to busy dancing around the house to hear. I will never know how she does it with only a computer and I don't really care as long as it gets done. All I could think was that we were going to find her. We were going to get Buffy back. We were going to bring her back home.
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The next thing I knew I was being gentle shaken awake. I must have drifted off, I can't believe that I would do that. More and more like Peaches, now that is something that I don't want to think.
Then I actually clued in and looked out the window. We were there, the city loomed out in front of us. The air was thick and mysterious, the perfect place for a vampire. I wonder why I've never been here before.
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Money is great. The hotel was huge, and classy. it had a mysterious air that drew me too it. They were already inside. I hadn't eaten for a while and I doubted this place would cater to my unusual tastes.
I nicked some food from the friendly neighborhood blood bank. I went by myself cause the Nibblets got some sort of problem with me taking it. I say I need it more. They just waste it on old cronies that aren't going to live more then a couple of days anyway.
So that is why I was jumping up the stairs two at a time not looking where I was going. Then I found myself on my back looking up at the dignified person in front of me.
Well I was expecting screams of horror at my bags which were currently spilled all over the ground. Maybe not a scream but at least a look. All I got was a glance and then this stranger was on his well dressed way.
That was an insult I jumped up and grabbed his arm, even if I couldn't hurt him I at least wanted him to be a little scared. he turned around to face me, and what I felt staring in to those frighteningly intelligent eyes shocked me.
He felt just like she had, that strange mix of power and humanity and well, humanness. He was the same! He cleared his throat.
"Can I help you, Sir?"
He sounded just like he looked. Beautiful though slightly more bookie then I would prefer. Put him in a room with the watcher though an look out.
"What are you?" such a strange question I suppose coming from a stranger. I almost expected the response. I felt him pulling away and I had to stop him.
"Lestat" I yelled the first thing that came to my head. "Do you..... know...... Lestat?"
He stopped turned around, and looked at me. I mean he really looked at me, he ran his eyes slowly over my body as if seeing me for the first time.
"Marius." He said clearly as way of introduction. I looked down at his outstretched hand while a million things ran through my head. He was the one Lestat had been writing to in all of those old messages. Here we were planning to scour the city in search, when someone who must know him very well just fell into our laps. I wasn't going to let him get away.
"Spike." I told him this while taking his hand in mine. It was cold as I had suspected, though unlike hers had been his was hard. It felt like icy granite against my hand.
"You have seen Lestat?" He asked this slowly, politely as if not wanting to seem to hasty. Though the slight inflection in his voice let me know that I had him. A plan had already formed in my bleached brain.
"Yes, recently." There I answered his question leaving him with still more by the vagueness of my answer. "Come, I've got a flat, we need to 'ave a chat." Short, simple, to the point. Worked like a charm. He nodded and followed me as I grabbed my bags and headed up the stairs.
We went up to the room to find answers, to find people, to find her, to find Buffy.
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