DISCLAIMER: All belong to Joss Whedon, I just added the fairies!
NOTES: Thanks to all who review! I am very happy you like it ….lots more to come!
Also …I'm sorry if there are some mistakes that slip by me repeatedly. I may have mentioned before …I am not a native speaker. So SORRY!
A touch of frost
For a moment the only thing that could be heard was the wind rattling on windows, smashing into the mansion like a giant hand - pushing and shoving. Its howl was a sound that made goose bumps rise down her arms and back. It sounded like something alive, like a giant beast circling the house.
"Wind should not sound like that, it should not be able to do these kinds of things…" Buffy thought. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to hold her ground. Still, the impulse to extend her hand and touch Spike's arm was almost irresistible. Not out of fear, but for reassurance. He had dealt with this before.
The air was heavy around them, not just from the scent of the flowers, but now also with the weight of an electric current ….lightning ready to strike at an inkling's notice. For a moment everything froze, there was no sound, no movement as though they were in the eye of the storm. And then …just like that, it stopped. The wind died down as though someone had turned an invisible switch. Iolanthe had not moved, she still stood tall and statuesque with her hands on her hips, a satisfied smile on her lips.
"If I could, I would strike you down where you stand." Selena said, her voice suddenly cool and toneless. "But I am bound by the laws of hospitality, just like you. I am a guest in your house, whether I like it or not."
Buffy released a breath she had not realised she had been holding. The muscles of her shoulders relaxed as she saw Iolanthe´s bodyguards stop in their tracks. She had been ready for combat, she noticed. Without thinking her body had already assumed a fighting stance; hands balled to fists, secure footing. She caught a glimpse of Siobhan re- sheathing black talons….they slid back into her fingers like the claws of a cat until only the tips of them remained. No black nail-polish after all, she thought, filing the fact away just in case …
Iolanthe´s smile broadened and she signalled for her bodyguards to relax with a wave of hand which made her gold rings glitter in the light.
"How nice of you to remember….princess." she made the word sound obscene.
"I will ask you once again, to release my captain."
"And I will tell you again, cousin, he does not wish to leave this place." Iolanthe answered Selena in the same cool and courteous tone the fairy princess was now choosing. Selena´s face was empty like a doll's, her stormy grey eyes seemingly the only thing alive in her features. "Very well. I bid you farewell lady Iolanthe the golden one, my aunt's daughter, sun-kissed of the high court of fairy, lady of the dawn and morning dew. Rest assured my father will hear of your conduct tonight, swan- princess." Selena said, dropping into a courtly curtsy.
Iolanthe let her hands slide from her hips, straightening her back and holding her head high.
" Farewell to you, princess Selena Amoret Indajaan, stormborn of the high court of fairy, lady of the dusk and twilight, keeper of the shadows, my uncle's only daughter. I wish you safe passage, your ladyship." In her attire, Iolanthe should have looked ridiculous, curtsying even lower than her cousin, but she managed to pull the movement off with grace and dignity.
The exchange was something ceremonial, Buffy could tell. Words that had to be said, even if they were both hell-bent on tearing each other apart. Then something happened, that made the Slayer stumble back until she almost bumped into Spike, who stood transfixed by the spectacle, as though it had turned him into stone. The glamour dropped, not just Selena had been holding back, toning her appearance down to seem more human. Seeing them both gleam in all their power, basked in iridescent, unnatural light that seemed to flow out of them and between them, was more than breathtaking. It was a blinding sight. Iolanthe´s skin glowed from within like a golden pulse, her eyes burning circles of scintillating gold, her hair bright and shimmering like sunrays on water. Then the pulsing and glowing died down, just like the wind before, and the world shifted back into focus.
Without a word or even looking at her, Liath held his hand out to Selena, turning to leave. The princess shot another withering look at her cousin, before she let herself be lead away.
"However ..Since you are here, would you like me to supply you with the things your captain came for, before he decided to stay…. indefinitely?" Iolanthe´s voice was smooth as silk. Buffy could see Siobhan's eyes widen as the banshee's gaze wandered between her mistress and her foe. For the space of a heartbeat, Selena seemed to freeze mid-step, but she caught her footing. When she answered her cousin, the fairy did not even turn around and her voice was cold. "There is nothing I would take from your hands, in this world or the other."
Iolanthe chuckled, throwing back her shining hair again. It was Liath who turned to look back at her over his shoulder and with the mocking imitation of a flirtatious smile, he blew her a kiss with his free hand. Iolanthe´s flawless features turned to stone just as the icy gust of wind reached her, covering some of the vines and her golden skin with a touch of frost.
"C'mon, pet, " Buffy could hear Spike whisper to her, touching her elbow. " Better get out of here."
Nobody spoke all through the limo-ride back to Trollock´s humble abode. Selena leaned back into the leather upholstery, arms crossed, and a drawn-back expression on her face. Liath put an arm around her, looking out the window with a stony expression.
Back at the mansion Selena stormed through the door in a whirl of taffeta skirts, carelessly pulling the diamond choker from her neck and flinging it onto the couch before she let herself fall down next to it.
"I made it worse." She hissed, raking her fingers through her multi-coloured hair, effectively ruining her coiffure.
Buffy exchanged glances with Spike, who pursed his lips in dismay. She didn't need to be a mind reader to guess that he did not like how things were going. Not that she needed to read the news that they were in trouble on his face.
"We need a plan …" Len said, is low voice almost a growl.
"Check the surroundings, make sure nobody followed us here." Liath told him and Len followed the order with a curt nod.
Siobhan lay down on the couch. Buffy could not have been more surprised if the banshee had sprouted wings. She put her head on Selena´s lap like a tired child or a cat looking for affection and the fairy began to absently stroke Siobhan's silvery hair.
"I told him not to go …and he defied me. He went behind my back even though I pleaded with him time and again. He promised to heed my order and then he stole himself away in the dead of night, like a thief." She said to no one in particular, but her voice had a strangled note to it.
Liath pursed his lips, shaking his head.
"You know him. Protecting you was more than a duty to him, more than a calling ….it had became a purpose of its own. Of course he would do this, his honour demanded it …"
"His honour….." the fairy looked up at him, spitting the words out as though she tasted something sour on her tongue. "I lost one man to honour already, I will not loose another!"
"And I will not loose a friend!" he returned and for the first time in a long while, the lord of snow sounded angry.
Selena stared at him for a moment, the turned her eyes to the slayer.
" He left me a note, did I tell you ….thousands of life-times of service and confidence…and all leaves me with is a letter, like he needed to explain his actions, like I would not guess…"
She said, laughing bitterly.
" What did it say?" Buffy asked, uttering the words before she could stop herself. It was none of her business really, but ….still she felt like she needed to know.
"Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind
That from the nunnery of thy chaste breast and quiet mind,
To war and arms I fly.
True; a new mistress now I chase:
The first foe in the field.
And with a stronger faith embrace
A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet, this inconsistency is such
As thou too shalt adore;
I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honour more…"
"To Lucasta …on going to the wars, by Richard Lovelace" Spike whispered. Buffy turned to look at him. She should have known he knew all about poetry.
"Yes." Selena returned tonelessly.
Spike nodded, gnawing on his lip. He looked as though he was pondering something, but his eyes were all for the fairy.
"Good one too, but not what I would have chosen for a last good- bye." It did not sound disrespectful in the least and yet, for a moment Buffy could not help but worry about the reaction his words might provoke in Selena. She had revealed a very personal detail to them, something she surely had to feel very sore about. But Selena just looked up, searching the vampire's face as though she suddenly saw something that had not been there before.
"What would you have chosen?" she asked, her voice so soft, so fragile it was barely audible….the sound of a soft breeze rustling through leaves nearly unheard. Spike pursed his lips, trying hard to ignore the Slayer's inquisitive gaze, returning Selena´s searching look.
"Thou art my life, my love, my heart, the very eyes of me
And hast command of every part
To live and die for thee."
"To Anthea…" Liath pitched in from where he was leaning against the doorframe. His smooth voice cut through the silence, releasing the tension. " …who may command him anything." The lord of snow threw Buffy a significant look with a challenging smile. For a moment Buffy thought her heart was beating so hard against her ribs that everybody would hear it and it was hard to swallow.
"Richard Herrick." Selena said, nodding. "Beautiful…."
" Right …" Spike ground out, looking at his boots. "Excuse me, need some air." He said sombrely, leaving the room. He did not even look at Buffy as he passed her by.
Selena followed it all with narrowed, storm filled eyes.
Buffy watched his retreating back, then turned back to look at the fairies with a look that was supposed to cover her confusion and growing anger.
" Go…" Selena said simply, " You know you should …go to him." She rose from the couch with the same liquid grace that seemed to be inherent to everything she did. " I will change into something more fitting a rescue ….and then we will make plans. But you should stop wasting time."
It took Buffy a while to find him, and when she did he was standing in a remote corner of the garden. His back was turned to her as he was looking up at the moon.
"That was for me…wasn't it?" Buffy asked, trying to control her voice, trying so hard to make it sound even. She wasn't succeeding, even she could hear it. She could hear her voice shaking. "That was for my benefit? Did you really think a few words scrawled on a piece of paper would make up for ….you leaving?"
"Thought about it." Spike answered quietly, looking at her over his shoulder. She was so beautiful, just standing there in a pool of moonlight. He remembered all too vividly the first time he had laid eyes on her that one night at the Bronze. He had come to hunt her, to gloat and goad; a predator stalking his prey. He had killed slayers and it had made his blood sing, their taste, the rush of power. He had thought he had the answers to everything this tiny slip of a blonde could throw at him. He had not been ready for her. He had been a fool.
It felt like a life-time ago, but Spike knew that it would be something he'd never forget….like it was yesterday. Her dancing, laughing ….in the spotlight, so vibrant, so strong, so …
She had that certain something, a fragile quality that he could not put into words and yet, she had so much strength in her. Bit by bit, fight by fight, whether it had been a battle of limbs, wits or words - she had intoxicated him with her determination until he had craved her presence, the challenge she presented. Had he ever managed to defeat her, he would have mourned her loss. He had never had an enemy quite like her before …or an ally.
And now, this sharp-tongued, lethal, unyielding foe- the slayer- had become the only thing that mattered….the only thing he wanted. But most, he wanted her to be happy ….no matter what …even if her happiness was without him. She deserved nothing less.
Buffy shook her head, the movement made her pony-tail swing.
"You cannot leave!" she said, looking him as though the sheer power of her will could make him turn towards her. And he did.
"Right, cause you're not ready for me not to be there, I remember that conversation, pet."
He tried to make it sound casual, but there was a note of defeat in his voice. He gave a dry chuckle and for a moment it sounded as though he was mocking himself.
Oh god, no….no, no, no, no, no, she thought. Not now, not yet …she was not ready …she was not ready yet. She bit her lip, casting her eyes downward. She very much felt like yelling at him.
After all he had done, after all that had happened…..
He was the only reason she had come on this rescue trip, not to loose him, only to realize right then and there that it might not be Selena who would keep her from ever seeing Spike again, but she herself would accomplish that task….It might be her fault after all.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready for you not to be here…" Buffy whispered.
