The Vampire as Metaphor...from the (Semi) Complete Works of William Soames Walthrop...
PG 13
Summary: A lost work of one William Soames Walthrop (...aka Spike) as it was delivered at one of Cicely Addams' house parties, shortly before Will's demise. See the reference to it in "Drusilla"...
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...
Contributions to the recovery of the lost works of England's third worst poet are always welcomed...
Part XVII…
"Well...Hallo there, laddie." Detective Harris with a rather jovial air...His somewhat less jovial Ana in traveling dress of tan skirt, brown jacket, white blouse and hat at his side as they paused in the dining car to greet Dr. Potter and his new bride...Elisabeth a bit torn between a certain preoccupation about Willie's efforts to monitor the lovely Miss DeRussell and a certain growing annoyance with her groom...Perhaps an unfounded and unfair one, but all the more troubling for that.
He didn't seem that anxious to get to their berth…And rather a bit too attentive to that pale wan "society" gal. Though hardly a Vanderbilt, boyo. Never heard of the DeRussells meself…Not that I have me nose in the Society pages every Sunday.
Geesh…
I mean...Honeymoon? And last night, krikes? He'd been just…
Well…Repressing smile.
C'mon…A Slayer's entitled to a little happiness, eh? And it's a kindness to send him off to the Great Beyond with a few fireworks, right?
Not that I take any pleasure in having to throw anyone to the Undead. But heck, he might not even…
And whatever happens, he's made it clear he's in this for the coin, right? So…
Though a new perturbation in the appearance of that bothersome dick, er detective...Yet definitely bothersome and his equally bothersome, if apparently by her clear reluctance to be engaging the Potters, equally bothered…
Er…? What in fact was she? Relationship and moral decorum -wise? Hmmn…
Nah, no demon about her…Or him.
But there's something up here…This fellar is tailing us. Maybe on the City of NY's nickel thinkin' us suspicious…Maybe someone else's?
"Detective Harris..." Peter rose to politely greet the couple, bowing slightly to Miss Ana… "How nice to find you here."
"A lil' vaca, doc. Off to see Chicago and some sights westward..." Harris noted. "You know my Miss Ana, Ana Jenkins of NYC to do it properly...And about times, she says." Smile to a somewhat perturbed to serious annoyance, Ana.
Right, advertise we're not hitched yet.
Oh...So...Elisabeth, satisfied gaze.
The respectable's on the other foot, eh...Miss...Miss Jenkins.
Mrs. Dr. Peter Potter here…
Nice…
"Heya. Good to see you again." she nodded pleasantly.
Ana, slightest of embarrassed frowns…
"We're engaged and gettin' hitched, in Chicago." she hastily explained.
"Oh, so this is a honeymoon trip." Potter smiled. "Congratulations."
"Yeah, welcome to the club...Soon..." Elisabeth, coy smile to Ana's grim stare.
We'd better be...Quick glance to Harris.
No way am I going home to New York without a new last name…
"Well, why don't you join us?" Potter suggested.
Join…? Elisabeth blinked.
…
"So…?" Olive eyed Vladimir as he entered the car where she'd awaited the news of the fate of the Slayer's pitifully human associate. Marie having passed her blankly as she waited, clearly under orders to return to her berth and remember nothing of the recent tragic events.
Really, it's totally the fault of their brutal social hierarchy, descended from the degeneracy of European aristocracy that the fellow was exposed to such danger. We do what we must, we don't go generally putting the working man in harm's way to spare the Queen/Slayer. Though of course that poor girl is also a victim of the current social order. These effete Watchers sitting on their bottoms sending out some poor schnook and a poor girl to do their battles for them whilst they sit in comfort in their clubs and libraries, spinning out a game they love to play. Quite content to maintain the balance… No thought for the suffering or the condemned…
And who should know this better than me? Olivia Evelyn Giles, dedicated revolutionary and briefly Watcher to the last Slayer but one. The one Watcher who'd sought, demanded, the Council use its abilities to start saving the tormented victims of Demonity, rather than treating them as if they were responsible for their condemnation.
Abandoned, betrayed, by that Council as too dangerous a radical to be allowed to influence my poor Slayer.
And more determined than ever to see the old order overthrown…Though perhaps to a different benefit than my human counterpart had wished.
"I'm afraid Mr. Smackles has met with a terrible accident while attempting to cross cars. I'm off to inform the first conductor or porter I can find." Sincerely regretful expression on face.
"Well, that should help…Though the Slayer won't ever believe her Watcher perished in an accident." Olive nodded. Coy smile… "Your agent seemed rather in shock at the end of her little romance…" then hard stare. "Are you quite sure the little fellow is dead?"
"I saw him torn apart by the train's wheels as he fell, poor man. But I believe it was quick. As for poor Marie, she'll remember only that he left her at her berth, offering to find some letters of her father's in her baggage while checking his own. And no reason to make her suffer, at least with regards to said romance, Olive…"
"I should never suggest it. Well, you should be off to alert the proper authorities…You have your ticket receipt? We shouldn't want him to think you're a stowaway or vagabond." Pleasant smile.
"Certainly." Vladimir, calmly.
Stowaway? Vagabond? The reigning head of the House Dracule?
Not to mention I paid (your) good money for my ticket.
Bitch.
Still a potentially valuable ally…Even an essential one…But…
Bitch.
"If you'll pardon me, dear Olive." He bowed. "I'm sure you'd like to check that alls well up ahead."
"Why, Vladimir?" soothing tone. "I would never doubt you. You're much too afraid of Heinrich to risk protecting a Watcher, despite your concerns about his plans. Let me accompany you, I can lend some shock and sorrow to your tale of ghastly woe."
"My concerns remain Olive." He noted, calmly. "And given you haven't tried to engage me to the death, I shall hope you take them seriously, whatever your devotion to Nast."
"That should be very much in your thoughts, Vladimir. However large the Dracule ego. And since you were kind enough to trust me with your concerns, I will go so far as to say, I am considering the consequences and have not yet reached a final decision." She smiled blandly at him.
"Of course that may only mean I am waiting till we complete our mission and you end your usefulness…" shrug.
"I'll take that chance…" slight bow. "Which should make you realize just how serious I regard this matter. But for now, we should hurry, if you do wish to come along." He urged, moving to the car door.
"Indeed…They may be able to recover the remains for decent burial. We owe the poor man that much."
…
A grim Elisabeth regarding the unwanted guests and her new husband as the four sat at table…
Really? First night out together, apart from our rushed wedding night, and you want to spend it with these two? She eyed Potter as he chatted with Harris about the various aspects of working the NYC docks.
Harris displaying a slight enthusiasm at having an interested audience, had launched into a tale of some Irishmen smuggled into the harbor aboard a freighter during the great war. Poor fellows lured in by crimpers who baited them with tales of fine wages at work in a North eager for replacement workers during wartime, with no other intent than to sign them up as new recruits for the Army and steal their recruitment bounties as well as their passage fares and whatever little else they'd managed to bring…
Shocking, Potter noted… "Did you manage to save them?"
"We caught the bas…fellows…Pardon, ladies." Harris nodded to the said ladies, Ana frowning at him.
Mind the ps, Mr. H.
"And the men…They went home?" Potter asked.
"Nah, we sent them off to the recruiters. They'd no money to go home, that was gone and they needed something to keep them. At least they got their fair bonus and pay. And the Army needed men, so…"
"And many of them got a bullet through the guts." Potter eyed him.
"Yep. That's life, friend." Harris nodded.
"Shockin'…Real terrible. Peter?" Elisabeth cut in. "It's high time we hit the hay. You didn't get much sleep last night."
He stared at her…A slightest of smiles on her lips.
"With all the ruckus and having to leave early…" she concluded. Slight glance to Ana…
At least we're legal, gal.
"Hope you folks won't mind…" she offered.
"Sure." Harris rose, bowing slightly. "A good night to ye."
"We aren't waiting for Mr. Smackles' return." Peter asked her.
"Willie'll be fine. He was sure to be headed right off to bed after he'd seen to our friend Marie." Shrug.
Whoa! Collective groan as a whistle blew and the train suddenly slowed, clearly braking hard.
"Hold tight, ladies!" Harris commanded, holding onto his and Ana's chair. "Emergency stop…" he noted to Potter who'd put an arm out to hold Elisabeth in her seat.
Startled at the tenseness and strength he felt across the chest of that little slender body…
"Don't be afraid…These stops happen…Probably a cow or something on the track…" he told her, soothingly.
She eyeing him, a hardness that almost made him pull back, replaced by a gentle stare…
"Thanks, I'm ok." She smiled, a bit wanly. But immediately a tense glance about…
Harris on his feet immediately as the train stopped…Several porters and staff helping stunned passengers in their seats or back onto their feet.
"Everyone ok? I'm Police." He scanned the car. Ok, all seem in tolerable shape, the staff helping with a few cuts and bruises. "What's the cause?" he eyed a porter at the dining car door…The porter shaking head. The detective offering his badge on his lapel… "Find out, will ya? And tell the conductor I'm Police."
"Yes, sir." The porter nodded and headed out.
"You don't it's serious?" Potter addressed the detective who shrugged.
"Best to find out asap, you never know. But probably…"
A conductor appeared at the door waving to him…
"Excuse, folks…Looks like it might be a police matter." Harris nodded to the conductor.
"Alex…" Ana, worriedly. Elisabeth, guarded stare…
"Just gonna help out…" Harris told Ana. "It's fine, I'm sure." He headed for the conductor.
Potter rising…
"Pete? Where you going?" Elisabeth rising with him, arm on his. "The dick'll handle things."
"I just want to see…I do have some medical training." He noted.
"Hey, Potter!" Harris had turned. "You'd better come on up, they may need a doc."
"Coming." Peter called…Elisabeth holding him. "Elisabeth? I have to go."
"You're only a dentist, Peter…" nervously.
"I might be all they have…" he shook head, gently removing her hand.
"Ok, I'm coming too." She insisted.
Harris with the conductor… Any idea of who?...he asked.
"The gent and lady just said he saw a guy fall, trying to cross the cars…That's all I know now." The conductor shrugged. "Folks, it's all right, just an accident. We'll be underway soon." He called to the collective group of passengers.
"Anyone hurt?" one fellow called.
Ana hurriedly following after Elisabeth and Potter…
"We're checking on that…Someone may have fallen off the train. Doctor?" the conductor addressed Peter. "We may need you."
"Hey…" Harris turning to the group coming up. "You ladies had best wait…"
"Petey's not a full doc and I got nursing training." Elisabeth noted calmly. "It's an accident, right? Someone hurt? We best hurry."
"Right, fine. Ana?" Harris eyed her.
Ana frowning sternly…Are you kidding?
"Right, fine…Lets go." He sighed. "Lead the way, fella." He addressed the conductor.