I Don't Need You: 1882
He ran. Could you blame him? You try being chased by six Caitiffs when you're only two years old and see if you stop running. He had been running for two hours now and he had been panting for unneeded air for the last twenty minutes of it. He was so ashamed. The Caitiffs weren't panting. They weren't even breathing. He was so weak, vampires don't breathe. His sire had told him that enough times and yet, he still couldn't stop himself.
He didn't know why they were chasing him, but whatever the reason they didn't look like they were going to stop until they caught him. So it didn't seem like a good idea to stop running until forced to by either them, or the sunlight.
What had he done to annoy them? He wondered. He had just been hunting with some minions because Angelus didn't want to go out. He had promised. Oh God he had promised to be home by two o'clock, well before sunrise so his sire wouldn't have to worry. And if he wasn't mistaken, which he wished he was, Big Ben had just struck four. This did not look good.
He stumbled and was on the floor in seconds. They surrounded him and growled at the fledgling on the floor. William didn't move. Maybe if he played dead they would leave him alone. He couldn't fight them; they were at least ten and had staked all the minions he had been with. He didn't stand a chance. Closing his eyes he wished Angelus was there to save him.
Angelus was pacing the lounge and stealing quick glances at the clock. It was ten past two. William had promised to be back by two. Promised. He growled and resumed pacing. Darla and Dru were watching him intently.
Drusilla was coddling Miss Edith in her arms and hushing her gently. Darla was watching he childe with interest. "Angelus?" she waited for him to look at her before continuing. "Do stop pacing so, you are making me rather dizzy." He continued and she sighed. "You are worried about the boy aren't you?" When he didn't reply she growled and stood abruptly. "No more!" she spoke directly to him and stamped her foot in a miniature temper tantrum.
"Oh Miss Edith do be quiet. You shall disturb the birds and they shall fly away. We wouldn't want that would we?" Drusilla watched her Sire pace again and giggled like the schoolgirl that she was in her head. "It's not going to be quiet much longer though..." she whispered and curled her legs beneath her on the sofa.
"Angelus, enough. I am sick of you coddling that boy of yours. You're as bad as Drusilla with her dolls. You show him too much attention and he is not worthy of it. I am surprised he has lasted a year, if it were not for you being so caring," She spat the word, "He would be out of our hair."
Darla was surprised when she turned to find that Angelus was gone. Drusilla was giggling and whispering in Miss Edith's porcelain ear. She made a frustrated sigh and stormed off to her room, angry at her childe's reaction to the truth. Next time she would have to try harder and make sure the runt was disposed of.
William bit back a cry as the Caitiff kicked him in the stomach, winding him of unneeded air again. He had tried threatening, pleading, begging but nothing had worked, and the Caitiffs were determined to break him. He gasped as one of them pulled his head back by his hair.
"Well aren't you just so sweet?" he whispered in his ear. "Tell us how old you are boy." He pulled William's hair tighter and his neck was aching with the effort of keeping it there.
William grimaced as the Caitiff caressed his face gently. "T...two..." he sobbed and whimpered when his face was pushed into the dirt beneath him.
"Aw, isn't that sweet?"
"He's just a baby."
"Cootchie coo." One of them kneeled beside him and tickled his chin, making him curl up to avoid the unwanted contact. "Aw, the baby doesn't want to play." The Caitiff laughed and kicked him once again.
"We should teach baby a lesson. A lesson he wont forget." William shuddered and curled up tighter. Now sobbing hysterically he was the most scared he had ever been in his life or unlife. He knew what the Caitiffs were going to do, Angelus had told him how jealous they were of bloodline vampires who had Sires to care for them and they did all they could to make Childe unwanted by their Sires, even if it meant raping them.
He cried into the dirt beneath him as he felt their hands on his back making their way down to his trousers. Amidst their scrabbling and laughing he listened for the faint hope that his sire would be looking for him. In the distance he heard a faint howl, like that of a dogs, but longer and sounding more desperate.
He tried to lift his head from the floor, but was pushed back into the dirt by one of the Caitiffs who also held down his arms and legs. He could feel one of the Caitiffs laugh and press against his back; he shuddered and whimpered at what he felt pressed against the small of his back. Wriggling slightly he winced as one of his attackers pulled at his trousers and growled in his ear. "Bet you're still pure as the day you were born."
Sobbing into the dirt, William managed to lift his head a few inches from the floor and wail loudly into the night. A few of the Caitiffs laughed but two looked slightly scared and loosened their grip a little. William wriggled and wailed again hoping to get a reply. The two from before immediately released him and backed away.
"What do you think you're doing?" the one on top of William growled. "We're not even started. Hold him still while I taste his sweet arse."
There was another howl sounding nearer this time and one of the two who had released William was actually shaking. "Tyler we should leave."
"What?"
"His Sire is coming. He's calling for his Sire and his Sire's calling back. If we don't leave soon..."
"Calm down. Whoever sired the baby can't be anything special. There's six of us and one of them, and I want them to see their precious baby after I'm finished with him." The one called Tyler now had his trousers round ankles and was actually purring into William's neck. William shuddered and tried to move away from the erection he could feel digging into his back.
There was another howl and the shaking Caitiff ran off away from William and his companions. William gave a feeble whine into the cold night air before collapsing back into the dirt sobbing. The Caitiff called Tyler was laughing and thrusting against his back now while trying to rip off the trousers that still covered the whimpering childe. The other five were holding him down and tasting some of the blood they had scratched out of his skin.
Angelus is coming. William reminded himself. He's coming and he's going to stop them. He'll stake them for hurting me and nothing bad is going to happen. He'll get here before they can do anything. He will. He has too. He promised he would protect me. A grim realisation dawned on William as the Caitiff undid his belt and pulled down his ruined trousers. He's not coming. I broke a promise. I swore I'd be back by two and this is my punishment. He's not coming.
William whimpered and tried to bury himself in the ground when he realised this. The Caitiffs were going to rape him, Angelus wasn't going to save him and he'd be abandoned. Alone. That was the scariest thing in the world to the young vampire. Being completely alone. He tried to curl away when Tyler pressed himself close to his arse and hissed in his ear. "This is more then what you deserve, baby." He growled. William tensed and tried not to think about what was coming next. He waited for the inevitable pain that was about to break him...when it didn't.
He opened his eyes and was shocked at what he saw. Tyler was being held in the air by his throat and was kicking at his captor. He followed the hand up the arm and let out a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. Angelus. His sire had come. He had stopped them. He glanced around and saw none of the other Caitiffs, nothing else there but dust. Pulling his trousers back up he hissed slightly when he caught the fabric on a new wound on his stomach.
Angelus glanced at his childe when he heard him hiss. Gripping the Caitiff tighter he turned and checked his childe over. Grabbing the railroad spike he had found earlier he pinned Tyler to the wall through his arm and made sure that the vampire wouldn't be going anywhere. He went over to where his childe was still sitting on the floor and crouched down next to him. The boy was shaking.
"Will?" he asked. When he got no response, he took off the long coat he was wearing and threw it over his boy's shoulders. It was too big and hung off of him, but it had stopped him shaking and got his attention. "Are you okay my boy? Did they hurt you badly?"
William shook his head slowly and avoided looking into his sire's eyes. He was in so much trouble. Not only had he been out late and broken a promise, he had spoiled Angelus' evening and made him come out to save him. "I...I'm sorry Sire." He rushed. "I didn't mean to disobey you. It was an accident. The Caitiffs chased me and I didn't want them to follow me back home so I ran and..."
"Will hush." Angelus wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him closer until William was almost on his lap. "It's okay childe. Calm down. It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong." He sighed when William buried his face beneath his chin and began nuzzling into his chest. "Caitiffs pick on young childe because they are jealous. It's my fault; I should never have let you go out with only three minions. I'm sorry my boy. I'll never let anything harm you again. I promise you that." Angelus lifted his boy's chin and wiped at the tears still on his cheeks. "Now let's go home."
William nodded and allowed Angelus to help him up. He looked up and found himself looking at Tyler who was growling and trying to loosen the spike in his arm unsuccessfully. "You really are a baby." He hissed. "Having to get your daddy to come and save you. You're pathetic. Baby." William watched as the dust crumbled to the floor and his Sire caught the railroad spike before it could touch the floor. Angelus handed it to him and held his waist tighter before scooping the boy into his arms and carrying him home, William still held the spike close to his heart.
Amy watched from the rooftops as Angelus carried his baby home.
He ran. Could you blame him? You try being chased by six Caitiffs when you're only two years old and see if you stop running. He had been running for two hours now and he had been panting for unneeded air for the last twenty minutes of it. He was so ashamed. The Caitiffs weren't panting. They weren't even breathing. He was so weak, vampires don't breathe. His sire had told him that enough times and yet, he still couldn't stop himself.
He didn't know why they were chasing him, but whatever the reason they didn't look like they were going to stop until they caught him. So it didn't seem like a good idea to stop running until forced to by either them, or the sunlight.
What had he done to annoy them? He wondered. He had just been hunting with some minions because Angelus didn't want to go out. He had promised. Oh God he had promised to be home by two o'clock, well before sunrise so his sire wouldn't have to worry. And if he wasn't mistaken, which he wished he was, Big Ben had just struck four. This did not look good.
He stumbled and was on the floor in seconds. They surrounded him and growled at the fledgling on the floor. William didn't move. Maybe if he played dead they would leave him alone. He couldn't fight them; they were at least ten and had staked all the minions he had been with. He didn't stand a chance. Closing his eyes he wished Angelus was there to save him.
Angelus was pacing the lounge and stealing quick glances at the clock. It was ten past two. William had promised to be back by two. Promised. He growled and resumed pacing. Darla and Dru were watching him intently.
Drusilla was coddling Miss Edith in her arms and hushing her gently. Darla was watching he childe with interest. "Angelus?" she waited for him to look at her before continuing. "Do stop pacing so, you are making me rather dizzy." He continued and she sighed. "You are worried about the boy aren't you?" When he didn't reply she growled and stood abruptly. "No more!" she spoke directly to him and stamped her foot in a miniature temper tantrum.
"Oh Miss Edith do be quiet. You shall disturb the birds and they shall fly away. We wouldn't want that would we?" Drusilla watched her Sire pace again and giggled like the schoolgirl that she was in her head. "It's not going to be quiet much longer though..." she whispered and curled her legs beneath her on the sofa.
"Angelus, enough. I am sick of you coddling that boy of yours. You're as bad as Drusilla with her dolls. You show him too much attention and he is not worthy of it. I am surprised he has lasted a year, if it were not for you being so caring," She spat the word, "He would be out of our hair."
Darla was surprised when she turned to find that Angelus was gone. Drusilla was giggling and whispering in Miss Edith's porcelain ear. She made a frustrated sigh and stormed off to her room, angry at her childe's reaction to the truth. Next time she would have to try harder and make sure the runt was disposed of.
William bit back a cry as the Caitiff kicked him in the stomach, winding him of unneeded air again. He had tried threatening, pleading, begging but nothing had worked, and the Caitiffs were determined to break him. He gasped as one of them pulled his head back by his hair.
"Well aren't you just so sweet?" he whispered in his ear. "Tell us how old you are boy." He pulled William's hair tighter and his neck was aching with the effort of keeping it there.
William grimaced as the Caitiff caressed his face gently. "T...two..." he sobbed and whimpered when his face was pushed into the dirt beneath him.
"Aw, isn't that sweet?"
"He's just a baby."
"Cootchie coo." One of them kneeled beside him and tickled his chin, making him curl up to avoid the unwanted contact. "Aw, the baby doesn't want to play." The Caitiff laughed and kicked him once again.
"We should teach baby a lesson. A lesson he wont forget." William shuddered and curled up tighter. Now sobbing hysterically he was the most scared he had ever been in his life or unlife. He knew what the Caitiffs were going to do, Angelus had told him how jealous they were of bloodline vampires who had Sires to care for them and they did all they could to make Childe unwanted by their Sires, even if it meant raping them.
He cried into the dirt beneath him as he felt their hands on his back making their way down to his trousers. Amidst their scrabbling and laughing he listened for the faint hope that his sire would be looking for him. In the distance he heard a faint howl, like that of a dogs, but longer and sounding more desperate.
He tried to lift his head from the floor, but was pushed back into the dirt by one of the Caitiffs who also held down his arms and legs. He could feel one of the Caitiffs laugh and press against his back; he shuddered and whimpered at what he felt pressed against the small of his back. Wriggling slightly he winced as one of his attackers pulled at his trousers and growled in his ear. "Bet you're still pure as the day you were born."
Sobbing into the dirt, William managed to lift his head a few inches from the floor and wail loudly into the night. A few of the Caitiffs laughed but two looked slightly scared and loosened their grip a little. William wriggled and wailed again hoping to get a reply. The two from before immediately released him and backed away.
"What do you think you're doing?" the one on top of William growled. "We're not even started. Hold him still while I taste his sweet arse."
There was another howl sounding nearer this time and one of the two who had released William was actually shaking. "Tyler we should leave."
"What?"
"His Sire is coming. He's calling for his Sire and his Sire's calling back. If we don't leave soon..."
"Calm down. Whoever sired the baby can't be anything special. There's six of us and one of them, and I want them to see their precious baby after I'm finished with him." The one called Tyler now had his trousers round ankles and was actually purring into William's neck. William shuddered and tried to move away from the erection he could feel digging into his back.
There was another howl and the shaking Caitiff ran off away from William and his companions. William gave a feeble whine into the cold night air before collapsing back into the dirt sobbing. The Caitiff called Tyler was laughing and thrusting against his back now while trying to rip off the trousers that still covered the whimpering childe. The other five were holding him down and tasting some of the blood they had scratched out of his skin.
Angelus is coming. William reminded himself. He's coming and he's going to stop them. He'll stake them for hurting me and nothing bad is going to happen. He'll get here before they can do anything. He will. He has too. He promised he would protect me. A grim realisation dawned on William as the Caitiff undid his belt and pulled down his ruined trousers. He's not coming. I broke a promise. I swore I'd be back by two and this is my punishment. He's not coming.
William whimpered and tried to bury himself in the ground when he realised this. The Caitiffs were going to rape him, Angelus wasn't going to save him and he'd be abandoned. Alone. That was the scariest thing in the world to the young vampire. Being completely alone. He tried to curl away when Tyler pressed himself close to his arse and hissed in his ear. "This is more then what you deserve, baby." He growled. William tensed and tried not to think about what was coming next. He waited for the inevitable pain that was about to break him...when it didn't.
He opened his eyes and was shocked at what he saw. Tyler was being held in the air by his throat and was kicking at his captor. He followed the hand up the arm and let out a sigh of relief when he saw who it was. Angelus. His sire had come. He had stopped them. He glanced around and saw none of the other Caitiffs, nothing else there but dust. Pulling his trousers back up he hissed slightly when he caught the fabric on a new wound on his stomach.
Angelus glanced at his childe when he heard him hiss. Gripping the Caitiff tighter he turned and checked his childe over. Grabbing the railroad spike he had found earlier he pinned Tyler to the wall through his arm and made sure that the vampire wouldn't be going anywhere. He went over to where his childe was still sitting on the floor and crouched down next to him. The boy was shaking.
"Will?" he asked. When he got no response, he took off the long coat he was wearing and threw it over his boy's shoulders. It was too big and hung off of him, but it had stopped him shaking and got his attention. "Are you okay my boy? Did they hurt you badly?"
William shook his head slowly and avoided looking into his sire's eyes. He was in so much trouble. Not only had he been out late and broken a promise, he had spoiled Angelus' evening and made him come out to save him. "I...I'm sorry Sire." He rushed. "I didn't mean to disobey you. It was an accident. The Caitiffs chased me and I didn't want them to follow me back home so I ran and..."
"Will hush." Angelus wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him closer until William was almost on his lap. "It's okay childe. Calm down. It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong." He sighed when William buried his face beneath his chin and began nuzzling into his chest. "Caitiffs pick on young childe because they are jealous. It's my fault; I should never have let you go out with only three minions. I'm sorry my boy. I'll never let anything harm you again. I promise you that." Angelus lifted his boy's chin and wiped at the tears still on his cheeks. "Now let's go home."
William nodded and allowed Angelus to help him up. He looked up and found himself looking at Tyler who was growling and trying to loosen the spike in his arm unsuccessfully. "You really are a baby." He hissed. "Having to get your daddy to come and save you. You're pathetic. Baby." William watched as the dust crumbled to the floor and his Sire caught the railroad spike before it could touch the floor. Angelus handed it to him and held his waist tighter before scooping the boy into his arms and carrying him home, William still held the spike close to his heart.
Amy watched from the rooftops as Angelus carried his baby home.