Fic: The First 5/?
Series: The Prophecy of 6
Author: DarkChilde
Email: princess220@alltel.net
Rating: Overall for series is a hard R.
Summary: A prophecy takes the Scoobies to New York City where their lives will change forever.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. Joss and others own it all. No profit is made. I do own several original characters in this story. They are from my, as yet unpublished, trilogy, Eternal.
Spoiler Warnings: Anything through the season 6 episode, with Xander's wedding, is fair game. I don't think I have any blatant spoilers, but you never know what might pop up. This is actually set in what would be season 8.
Distribution: List archives can have it. If anyone else wants it just let me know. I haven't turned anyone down yet.
Feedback: Yes please. I live for it.
Author's Notes: Okay first of all I have to thank my faithful beta Heather. Not that she'll ever see that, but oh well. Next, there are some things that you should probably know about this story. If this works out it will be the
first part in a 6 part series. It's a cross-over with a trilogy of novels that I have written, but haven't found a publisher for yet. Given that no one on these lists is likely to have read them, I have tried to make everything very clear, but here are some basics. Alexei, a 300+ vampire controls the city of New York. He also has a human consort, Katharine. The vampires here are quite similar to Buffy vampires, but with a whole different culture. If anyone wants to know more about the novels, I'm always
happy to talk about them. Spike knows Alexei, because he was master in New York when Spike and Drusilla were there in the 70's. Everything else should be explained in the fic.
The gang returned to their hotel. Most of them settling in for the night to sleep. Angel and Spike weren't ready to sleep yet and had both stayed up. Angel had taken up residence in a corner reading. Spike was watching television, but obviously bored. They had been there for a little more than an hour when one of the bedroom doors opened and Xander emerged.
"Couldn't sleep." He yawned and stretched as he walked out of the room. He had replaced the formal clothes of the evening with a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt. He walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Spike. "Anything worth watching?"
"Nah, just infomercials. Want to go down and play a game of pool?" Spike was hopeful. He was bored, and Xander was a halfway decent pool player.
"Sure." The two of them left the room. "Remind me to thank Cordy for actually finding a hotel that had the activity center open 24 hours a day."
"Yeah, glad she thought of it." They made their way through the maze of hallways to a small activity center with a couple of pool tables and ping pong.
They had played a few games without saying anything important. They chatted about the city and the work that Xander had left in Sunnydale. Spike was racking the balls up for another game when Xander turned the conversation to a more serious topic. "It's later, Spike."
"What?" Xander had this rather obnoxious habit of throwing him completely off track.
"You said we could talk later about what the whole claiming thing meant, and as you put off answering me, I've got more questions for you too. They were talking about bonded pairs tonight and Alexei and Nicholas referred to the humans with them as their bondmates. They said that the other vampire was Marie's mate. I want to know what's the difference between them and what's different between bonded pairs and any other person that a vampire claims." Xander babbled his way through the questions. He just hoped that Spike would actually answer him this time.
Spike took a moment arranging things before he allowed himself to answer Xander's question. "It's all really complicated, and enough of it isn't really done by vamps that aren't like Alexei that I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but I'll try. Okay, let's start with the basic concept of a claim. I told you that it means that a vampire owns someone else. That's really the idea, it's a way of marking someone else as yours. Mostly it's a matter of being under the vamps protection. The physical claim is usually a visible bite. A single bite can be all that there is to a claim. There's a stronger bond if the vampire takes blood from the one he has claimed on a regular basis. In your case, I issued a verbal claim. I haven't tasted your blood, and chances are, I never will, but you are still under my protection."
"Okay, I get that, so what's the difference between that and what Alexei and the girl are?"
This is where the ritual stuff starts to come in. To be a bondmate to a vampire is to have shared blood with them. Usually bondmates are both vampires, they share blood on a fairly regular basis and there is usually some amount of ceremony involved as well. The term also usually implies that they are lovers. It's very rare but occasionally a vampire will make a bondmate out of a human companion. It's like the claim only involves the human also taking blood from the vampire. The rituals can get fairly esoteric and from what I understand the effects of the bond, vary greatly depending on the ceremony used. The thing between Marie and her mate is much the same. It's just that they've been together longer, their bond is deeper, their marriage also gives them the upgrade in terms." Spike had tried to make that as succinct and academic as he could. He actually knew a little more of the ceremonies involved, but hoped that Xander wouldn't question him further.
"So, I guess that means that whatever else happens, we'll just be back-up for this fight. I mean, none of us are bonded or whatever, and that's what Alexei's prophecy says." Xander sounds both a little disappointed and relieved.
"Things could always change, but yes as things stand now, none of us could be the prophesied warriors." Spike was careful to keep his voice flat and dry. It wasn't as if he had never thought of bonding to one of these people he considered his own. He had, but he didn't believe any of them would allow it, and he wouldn't risk their rejection.
"Oh really, and who do you think of this group, that might change for?" Xander was curious now. It was clear in Spike's words that he believed there was potential for pairs in their group.
"Angel and the princess for one. They're already tied up together by the powers. Her visions tie her to him almost as surely as the bond. Besides, he's in love with her." This answer was matter of fact.
Xander just stared for a moment, when he found his voice it was still full of disbelief, shock. "Angel is in love with Cordelia. Since when?"
Spike laughed. "How would I know? Not like I've been there to see it. He is though. Just watch them sometime."
"Ooookay. So what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Is it possible that you could become bonded to one of us, that you could be part of the prophecy?" Xander sounded impatient. Wasn't the question obvious.
"Oh. I really rather doubt it." Spike answered in that same dry flat tone he had used earlier.
"Why not? Don't you want to? Are we not good enough for you or something?" Spike looked away. He really didn't want to deal with this. "Come on, Spike. Surely there's one of us that wouldn't be that bad to tie yourself to." Xander continued his merciless questioning.
Spike had to fight for the control, not to answer that question truthfully. Oh yes, there was someone he would tie himself to in an instant. He had toyed with the idea of bonding to one of these humans for some time now. They all had their merits and in his way, he loved them all, they were his family. In reality though, there were only two that he could actually see himself bonded to, Willow and Xander. He loved them for their beauty, their fidelity, and their strength. Spike had never seen two humans who were as lovely as they were, and he had seen more than he cared to think about. Willow was all soft curves and delicate beauty with her porcelain skin and fiery red hair. Xander was a complete contrast to her. Tall and strong, all long lean lines with skin that held the sun even in the depths of winter and that beautiful chocolate hair and eyes. They were perfect. That was just surface attraction though, what really drew him was who they were. They were the most faithful friends he had ever known. They would stand by Buffy to the end of the world. He didn't believe that they would do the same for him, he hadn't earned that kind of treatment yet, but they would do it for each other and a few people who had entered their circle. And they were strong. They had survived what had killed slayers and sent watchers running for shelter, and they had done it without the benefit of special abilities for many years, Xander still did. Willow was simply not an option for the bond. She had ceased to be the moment she tied herself, body and soul to Tara. He couldn't begrudge them that. There was love in it's purest form between the two of them, they deserved their happiness. Their bond would never allow the intrusion of his own. Xander was a bit more complex. There were no other ties that prevented the bond. There was a long history of distrust, not really of Spike, though that too was present, but of the world in general. The bonds were built on trust, and Spike wasn't sure that Xander could trust in that way. Then there was the matter of their relationship. In the last couple of years they had become friends, good friends, but Spike was certain that was all the further that Xander ever wanted the relationship to go. Sex wasn't necessary to the bond, but a certain amount of intimacy was. It was something difficult to achieve under the best of circumstances, and these would not be. Humans had so many hang-ups about gender and affection. They would stand in the way every bit as much as Xander's, and if he was honest his own, trust issues.
"Uhmm, Spike? You want to come back to me, here?" Xander gently pulled Spike from his thoughts.
"Sorry, pet. I was just...thinking." Spike slipped into silence again, speaking just before Xander questioned him. "It's not a matter of whether I want to. I don't actually think that any of you would be willing, besides it's an exchange of blood. I don't know if it would even work when I can't bite."
"Oh. I hadn't thought about that." Xander yawned, the kind of deep yawn that only happens when you're really tired.
"I think, you should get some sleep. Come on, lets go back."
"I'm not sleepy." Xander spoke through another thick yawn.
"Sure you're not, but we ought to get back up there anyway." Spike started out the door, trusting that Xander would follow. He did.
They went quickly and quietly up the stairs and back to their rooms. Spike hoped that this would be the end of Xander's questions, but knew that realistically it would not. Despite Xander's protests, he went immediately into one of the small bedrooms and collapsed, still dressed on one of the beds. Spike turned out the light and whispered as he left the room, "Goodnight, Xan."
Series: The Prophecy of 6
Author: DarkChilde
Email: princess220@alltel.net
Rating: Overall for series is a hard R.
Summary: A prophecy takes the Scoobies to New York City where their lives will change forever.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. Joss and others own it all. No profit is made. I do own several original characters in this story. They are from my, as yet unpublished, trilogy, Eternal.
Spoiler Warnings: Anything through the season 6 episode, with Xander's wedding, is fair game. I don't think I have any blatant spoilers, but you never know what might pop up. This is actually set in what would be season 8.
Distribution: List archives can have it. If anyone else wants it just let me know. I haven't turned anyone down yet.
Feedback: Yes please. I live for it.
Author's Notes: Okay first of all I have to thank my faithful beta Heather. Not that she'll ever see that, but oh well. Next, there are some things that you should probably know about this story. If this works out it will be the
first part in a 6 part series. It's a cross-over with a trilogy of novels that I have written, but haven't found a publisher for yet. Given that no one on these lists is likely to have read them, I have tried to make everything very clear, but here are some basics. Alexei, a 300+ vampire controls the city of New York. He also has a human consort, Katharine. The vampires here are quite similar to Buffy vampires, but with a whole different culture. If anyone wants to know more about the novels, I'm always
happy to talk about them. Spike knows Alexei, because he was master in New York when Spike and Drusilla were there in the 70's. Everything else should be explained in the fic.
The gang returned to their hotel. Most of them settling in for the night to sleep. Angel and Spike weren't ready to sleep yet and had both stayed up. Angel had taken up residence in a corner reading. Spike was watching television, but obviously bored. They had been there for a little more than an hour when one of the bedroom doors opened and Xander emerged.
"Couldn't sleep." He yawned and stretched as he walked out of the room. He had replaced the formal clothes of the evening with a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt. He walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Spike. "Anything worth watching?"
"Nah, just infomercials. Want to go down and play a game of pool?" Spike was hopeful. He was bored, and Xander was a halfway decent pool player.
"Sure." The two of them left the room. "Remind me to thank Cordy for actually finding a hotel that had the activity center open 24 hours a day."
"Yeah, glad she thought of it." They made their way through the maze of hallways to a small activity center with a couple of pool tables and ping pong.
They had played a few games without saying anything important. They chatted about the city and the work that Xander had left in Sunnydale. Spike was racking the balls up for another game when Xander turned the conversation to a more serious topic. "It's later, Spike."
"What?" Xander had this rather obnoxious habit of throwing him completely off track.
"You said we could talk later about what the whole claiming thing meant, and as you put off answering me, I've got more questions for you too. They were talking about bonded pairs tonight and Alexei and Nicholas referred to the humans with them as their bondmates. They said that the other vampire was Marie's mate. I want to know what's the difference between them and what's different between bonded pairs and any other person that a vampire claims." Xander babbled his way through the questions. He just hoped that Spike would actually answer him this time.
Spike took a moment arranging things before he allowed himself to answer Xander's question. "It's all really complicated, and enough of it isn't really done by vamps that aren't like Alexei that I'm not sure how much I can tell you, but I'll try. Okay, let's start with the basic concept of a claim. I told you that it means that a vampire owns someone else. That's really the idea, it's a way of marking someone else as yours. Mostly it's a matter of being under the vamps protection. The physical claim is usually a visible bite. A single bite can be all that there is to a claim. There's a stronger bond if the vampire takes blood from the one he has claimed on a regular basis. In your case, I issued a verbal claim. I haven't tasted your blood, and chances are, I never will, but you are still under my protection."
"Okay, I get that, so what's the difference between that and what Alexei and the girl are?"
This is where the ritual stuff starts to come in. To be a bondmate to a vampire is to have shared blood with them. Usually bondmates are both vampires, they share blood on a fairly regular basis and there is usually some amount of ceremony involved as well. The term also usually implies that they are lovers. It's very rare but occasionally a vampire will make a bondmate out of a human companion. It's like the claim only involves the human also taking blood from the vampire. The rituals can get fairly esoteric and from what I understand the effects of the bond, vary greatly depending on the ceremony used. The thing between Marie and her mate is much the same. It's just that they've been together longer, their bond is deeper, their marriage also gives them the upgrade in terms." Spike had tried to make that as succinct and academic as he could. He actually knew a little more of the ceremonies involved, but hoped that Xander wouldn't question him further.
"So, I guess that means that whatever else happens, we'll just be back-up for this fight. I mean, none of us are bonded or whatever, and that's what Alexei's prophecy says." Xander sounds both a little disappointed and relieved.
"Things could always change, but yes as things stand now, none of us could be the prophesied warriors." Spike was careful to keep his voice flat and dry. It wasn't as if he had never thought of bonding to one of these people he considered his own. He had, but he didn't believe any of them would allow it, and he wouldn't risk their rejection.
"Oh really, and who do you think of this group, that might change for?" Xander was curious now. It was clear in Spike's words that he believed there was potential for pairs in their group.
"Angel and the princess for one. They're already tied up together by the powers. Her visions tie her to him almost as surely as the bond. Besides, he's in love with her." This answer was matter of fact.
Xander just stared for a moment, when he found his voice it was still full of disbelief, shock. "Angel is in love with Cordelia. Since when?"
Spike laughed. "How would I know? Not like I've been there to see it. He is though. Just watch them sometime."
"Ooookay. So what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Is it possible that you could become bonded to one of us, that you could be part of the prophecy?" Xander sounded impatient. Wasn't the question obvious.
"Oh. I really rather doubt it." Spike answered in that same dry flat tone he had used earlier.
"Why not? Don't you want to? Are we not good enough for you or something?" Spike looked away. He really didn't want to deal with this. "Come on, Spike. Surely there's one of us that wouldn't be that bad to tie yourself to." Xander continued his merciless questioning.
Spike had to fight for the control, not to answer that question truthfully. Oh yes, there was someone he would tie himself to in an instant. He had toyed with the idea of bonding to one of these humans for some time now. They all had their merits and in his way, he loved them all, they were his family. In reality though, there were only two that he could actually see himself bonded to, Willow and Xander. He loved them for their beauty, their fidelity, and their strength. Spike had never seen two humans who were as lovely as they were, and he had seen more than he cared to think about. Willow was all soft curves and delicate beauty with her porcelain skin and fiery red hair. Xander was a complete contrast to her. Tall and strong, all long lean lines with skin that held the sun even in the depths of winter and that beautiful chocolate hair and eyes. They were perfect. That was just surface attraction though, what really drew him was who they were. They were the most faithful friends he had ever known. They would stand by Buffy to the end of the world. He didn't believe that they would do the same for him, he hadn't earned that kind of treatment yet, but they would do it for each other and a few people who had entered their circle. And they were strong. They had survived what had killed slayers and sent watchers running for shelter, and they had done it without the benefit of special abilities for many years, Xander still did. Willow was simply not an option for the bond. She had ceased to be the moment she tied herself, body and soul to Tara. He couldn't begrudge them that. There was love in it's purest form between the two of them, they deserved their happiness. Their bond would never allow the intrusion of his own. Xander was a bit more complex. There were no other ties that prevented the bond. There was a long history of distrust, not really of Spike, though that too was present, but of the world in general. The bonds were built on trust, and Spike wasn't sure that Xander could trust in that way. Then there was the matter of their relationship. In the last couple of years they had become friends, good friends, but Spike was certain that was all the further that Xander ever wanted the relationship to go. Sex wasn't necessary to the bond, but a certain amount of intimacy was. It was something difficult to achieve under the best of circumstances, and these would not be. Humans had so many hang-ups about gender and affection. They would stand in the way every bit as much as Xander's, and if he was honest his own, trust issues.
"Uhmm, Spike? You want to come back to me, here?" Xander gently pulled Spike from his thoughts.
"Sorry, pet. I was just...thinking." Spike slipped into silence again, speaking just before Xander questioned him. "It's not a matter of whether I want to. I don't actually think that any of you would be willing, besides it's an exchange of blood. I don't know if it would even work when I can't bite."
"Oh. I hadn't thought about that." Xander yawned, the kind of deep yawn that only happens when you're really tired.
"I think, you should get some sleep. Come on, lets go back."
"I'm not sleepy." Xander spoke through another thick yawn.
"Sure you're not, but we ought to get back up there anyway." Spike started out the door, trusting that Xander would follow. He did.
They went quickly and quietly up the stairs and back to their rooms. Spike hoped that this would be the end of Xander's questions, but knew that realistically it would not. Despite Xander's protests, he went immediately into one of the small bedrooms and collapsed, still dressed on one of the beds. Spike turned out the light and whispered as he left the room, "Goodnight, Xan."