Dirty Sunshine
Chapter 3
When Drusilla came out of her drug induced slumber she noticed that there was light all around her and for one terrifying moment thought she was on the sun until she opened her eyes fully and realized she was in a cell, her previous night's capture coming back to her.
She sat up slowly and looked around, her eyes used to darkness slowly adjusting to the harsh iridescent light flooding her cell and everyone other one that she could see.
Dru stood up and brushed off her skirt with as much dignity as she could muster being a creature in a cage…a lab specimen. She picked up Miss Edith and sat in the corner waiting for something to happen. Surely her William would come soon to get her; he must have noticed her absence and realized something was wrong.
Dru's stomach grumbled and she was pleasantly surprised to see a bag of blood drop from the ceiling of her cell, landing a few feet from her with a plop. Dru picked it up hungrily, pushing aside her disdain for drinking her meal out of a bag. As her fangs tore the plastic easily and the ruby red liquid filled her mouth she knew something was wrong with it, it was drugged. Drusilla didn't like to be drugged much, she didn't know what was happening around her then, she didn't like the loss of control, or the fact that someone was torturing her beside her beloved Sire or Grandsire.
Dru drank only enough blood to stop her stomach from rumbling and set it aside, resolving that that was the last meal she'd take from them…who ever these people were. She's find her own food. This place was infested with humans, it's shan't be too hard to get a decent meal.
"What do they want Miss Edith?" she asked her doll, petting down the blonde hair confidently, Drusilla listened to her doll and nodded, "No, I won't tell them anything, I know Miss Edith, we will find a way out of here, maybe even before Will comes to rescue us"
Drusilla looked up as she saw someone approaching her cell, it was the boy with hair the color of dirty sunshine. Dru sat stiffly and locked her eyes with his, waiting to see what he'd do.
The boy clicked a button on the side of her cell that acted as an intercom; an instant later Drusilla heard his voice being filtered into her cell. "Hello, Drusilla" he said calmly.
Her face remained impassive as she replied calmly, "We I get out of here William and I will rip your throat out and bathe in your blood"
The boy didn't even flinch he just ignored the comment and continued talking, "I see you didn't eat all of your dinner, if you're hungry then drink up, you won't get another meal until tomorrow night"
Drusilla didn't answer at first before saying, "I won't drink spiked blood…spike, spike, spike, where is my Spike?"
Riley raised an eyebrow, "You know hostile 17?" he asked and then nodded, "Of course you would, all of you travel in packs"
Drusilla smiled, letting her fangs slip over her lips as she did so with out vamping out the rest of her face, she had incredible control of her evil gift and used it well, to her advantage. "Clever boy" she replied, "But you have a lot to learn, Riley"
He flinched at the sound of his name and Drusilla smiled even wider, letting her fangs slip back into her gums and looking serenely at him, "Yes duckling, I know your name. I know everything about you, the stars speak to me, they tell me your secrets"
"Then tell me about myself, duckling" he replied, imitating her with the last part, with a boyish grin of his own, his eyes challenging her, it was obvious he didn't believe her. He'd heard of the crazy vampire with the haunted eyes before, and while he wasn't allowed to converse with the hostels' he couldn't help but be intrigued by her.
Drusilla fixed her eyes on his, "Your name is Riley Finn, you were born in Iowa, on a farm, you wish you were there now. Your nickname is farm boy and it makes you cross to be called that. The blonde slayer dumped you and broke your little heart, and you're afraid…afraid this place….the Initiative is holding secrets that even you can't comprehend. You live by the book, never break rules and when others do it scares you, you want things to be simple but they aren't." Drusilla smiled tauntingly at him, "Silly boy, the world isn't as it seems"
Riley's mouth dropped open at her dead on description of him, it blew him away, it was as if she's looked into his soul, "Well, I know a lot about you too" he said, trying to cover up his obvious surprise, "I k-know your name is Drusilla and you're insane" he glared at her, "Dangerous and insane"
Drusilla feigned surprise and then mimicked his surprised stutter, "You k-know all that about little ole me?" she asked, nibbling on her lower lip contemplatively, "You're an amusing boy with sunshine in your hair" she told him, but I'm bored of you now, go away and come visit me later" she said yawning boredly.
"You can't tell me what to do" Riley replied indignantly.
Drusilla shrugged, "I'm a princess, William told me so, and I can do anything I like"
Riley was about to fire back with a biting comment when he heard his name being called sharply behind him.
"Finn!"
He whirled around and came face to face with Professor Walsh's unsmiling eyes. "Professor Walsh" he exclaimed straitening up.
Raising an eyebrow Walsh looked him up and down and then barked, "At ease Agent Finn. What are you doing talking to a hostile without permission?"
"I just thought that we could learn more about vampires by speaking to them, learning their traits" he explained sheepishly.
"Oh? And what have you learned that's important enough to go above your rank and interact with the hostile with out permission?" Professor Wash asked critically.
"Well…" Riley trailed off, casting a sidelong glance at Drusilla before answering, "Her name's Drusilla and she knows hostile 17"
"Is that it, Finn?"
"No, she, um, has…she's very sarcastic and clever" he finished lamely.
"Get back to your post Finn, and don't make me speak to you about interacting with hostels again" Walsh told him sharply, "Also, confiscate the doll, hostels aren't allowed to keep their possessions, or have you forgotten all the rules now?"
"No ma'am" Riley answered quickly, "It was just a lapse in judgment, I won't let it happen again" he replied quickly.
"See to it that you don't" Walsh snapped before walking away.
Riley let out a sigh of relief when Wash had gone and leaned against the glass containment cell, noticing that the vampiress with regarding him with interest.
"Give me your doll" he snapped through the intercom, "Slide it to the door"
Drusilla ignored him and said, "You know I have powers" she glanced down at her doll, "Miss Edith told me so and she wonders why you didn't tell your Sire about them"
"She's not my Sire, she's my superior, theirs a difference" he muttered and then said quietly, "I don't know, I just…I don't know. She doesn't need to know" he replied wondering why in the world he'd acted the way he had and even more why he was still talking with the vampire.
"I'm going to open your cell to get your doll, I need to know that you're not going to try to escape" Riley told her, "Give me your word"
"The word of a vampire means something to you?" Dru questioned, combing her fingers through Miss Edith's hair, "You know I'd just as soon kill you as speak to you"
Riley sighed and opened the cell door, very much taking his life in his hands, not knowing if the vampiress would try to rush him as she had the night before, but to his surprise she stayed sitting, cooing to her doll, not even looking up at him.
Riley closed the door behind him and walked over to her slowly as if approaching at skittish animal. He sat down slowly next to her and reached for her doll.
Drusilla pulled it away and uttered a low guttural growl at him, "No, Miss Edith doesn't like you much, she's cross with you for trying to take her from her mummy" Dru told him.
"It's Walsh's orders" Riley replied, "Just give me your doll"
"She has a name" Dru replied
"Okay, fine. Can I have Miss Edith?" Riley asked, "Now, before Walsh comes back and sees me in the cell with you"
Drusilla shook her head, "No, no, no" she said softly, and cradled Miss Edith in her arms singing softly to her, "Jump and catch, jump and catch, the lamb is caught in the blackberry patch"
"Drusilla" Riley said softly and before he had a second to think he reached out to touch her hand which was fluttering at her side anxiously. To his surprise Dru's small fingers curled around his gently and her hand lay still in his.
Dru's eyes met Riley's again and she smiled faintly, "Pretty boy" she whispered as her eyes filled with tears, "My William was pretty once too, he was kind and good, but he's gone now, he won't hurt me now, not even just a little bit" she said softly wiping her eyes and setting Miss Edith aside as she untangled her hand from Riley's and set them in her lap primly.
Her words didn't make sense to him, but they were poetry and her voice haunting, and Riley found that all he wanted at that moment was to dry he tears. How could she be a vampire? A bloodthirsty animal? This perfect thing, she was like an angel, how could she be anything less of one?
"I need to leave" Riley said, standing up and stumbling a bit, "You can keep Miss Edith, but hide her if someone walks by or Walsh'll be furious with me" he said hurriedly punching in the code on the key pad and slipping out of the cell, shutting it behind him and rushing back to his post in the Initiative control room.
Forrest looked up as Riley entered with a bemused grin on his face, "What happened to you, Finn?" he asked, "Did you get back together with Buffy?"
Riley shook his head, surprised, "No, why?"
"Because you look all dopey and lovesick" Forrest replied with a chuckle, "Something must have happed to you, Iowa" he said with a grin.
Riley paled, the horrifying realization crossing him, he'd enjoyed talking to the vampiress, and he was wishing he was still with her now. Riley shook his head forcefully as if to clear his thoughts from it. "Less talk Forrest, let's get to work" he said gruffly as he suited up for patrol, the fallen angel's name still floating about in his head like exquisite agony.
A/N: Please review!
