Two years later, I found out what I was being bathed in. The blood of virgins. It took me a thousand years to learn that I was being bathed in virgin blood and I threw a complete and utter hissy fit. I was stupid to believe for hundreds of years that I was innocent. I was stupid to believe for hundreds of years that I wasn't part of something awful. I insisted that there was a different way to bathe me in the blood of the innocent. I insisted upon animals. It took twenty more deer than it did virgins, but at least I wasn't being bathed in human blood anymore. Which brought forth the nickname 'Fawn.' The vampires of the court though that Father would be furious with me. Some of the more hateful ones believed that he would rid himself of me, that he would get rid of me whenever I showed discontent. But I was petty when we came to America because I missed my castle. But that was petty anger. The fit I threw when I found out what I was being bathed in made Angelus's massacre seem like a birthday party for father. Every single vampire that crossed me after I found out found himself or herself slayed, given their soul back, or severely punished.

So, finally, I got what I wanted and, instead of punishing me, Father threw me a ball. His little girl's first real rebellion. He threw me an entire coronation. He invited his kingdom. Every vampire he knew. He invited them all. Even James. Who arrived at the ball with the sole intent of having the king's daughter on his arm for the night. Of course, James had to swear loyalty to Father first. He swore into the court so that he became a protector. So James stuck to my side the entire night. He approached me across the floor slowly and powerfully, striding through the crowd as if they were nothing. As if it hadn't been two years since the last time I'd seen him. As if he were my life.

"Princess, I am your servant."

"Sir, it is a bad idea to even consider sinking your teeth into my neck. I know exactly what you are doing. It won't work."

"It is unfair that you are able to read thoughts, madam."

"I cannot read thoughts, sir. I can only tell your intent. And your intent is to sink those fangs into my soft, supple neck, which I do not encourage." That hurt. A spike ran through my brain and sank itself into my spine. I groaned and grasped at my head. I was only allowed to tell people, vampires, not to do things. Not what they wanted to do.

"Are you okay, princess? Do you need to step out?"

"Bad idea. I just…I just need…could you get me some wine, please?"

"One glass of wine coming right up. And then, princess, we are going to dance. I've traded my fealty for the evening with you."

And from that evening forward, we were never without one another.

"So you're telling me that you met each other twice and all of the sudden you were special soul mates?" Buffy asked skeptically.

"God no," James laughed. "She was a spoiled princess and, as much as I was attracted to her, I wanted to eat her ninety percent of the time. But I swore fealty to her father. I wanted to be part of the court. Her father understood that and, for some god awful reason, put me on protection detail for her. I went from dancing with her to being with her twenty four seven. Every minute of my time was spent with her or worrying about her. But it took a long time to love her."

"Vampires can't love," Buffy sneered. "They don't have souls."

"Souls aren't the only way to love, sweetheart," Fawn smiled. "You and Angel are soul mates. Jamesy had no soul. He had heart though. He loved with his body. He should tell you. I want to drink more because my head hurts when I think about reading minds in the past."

"Lush," James teased, nuzzling her neck.

Buffy looked over at Angel and found him chuckling. She rolled her eyes and commanded, "Talk. It will be daylight soon."

She drove me insane at the ball. I got her drink for her. I followed her around like a puppy while others talked to her and laughed with her. While she smiled fakely at them as if it were the one place in the world she wanted to be. She hated it. And I hated every time I had to let her go to dance with them. Her father spared no expense for the ball. The band was beautiful, and edible. Just before sunlight, they were fed to the court and turned. There were fountains of blood flowing, and a cake in Fawn's honor. And all the guests were sure to dote on her, to grin when they called her Fawn, and I watched her face turn sour each time they did.

Finally, when we were dancing, I leaned so close that her blood was the only scent on my mind. I leaned so close that I couldn't think of anything except for her, and I murmured, "You don't enjoy being called Fawn, princess? I thought it was a name you chose for yourself."

"It is. I prefer Fawn to the name associated with the death of innocent young women. But, sweetheart, they do not use it to honor me. They use it to laugh at me. 'Look at little Fawn. Look at the little human. Harmless, laughable.' Well, I am not a toy. I am part of this family. I am part of this court!" Her voice was light and almost singing. It was impossible to imagine her as harmful. As something to be feared. Yet I knew that she could have killed me as easily as breathing.

"What would you prefer to be called then, princess? Is there a name better for you than Fawn? More innocent for you than Fawn? Would you prefer to be called Bunny?"

"Don't patronize me. I'm hundreds of years older than you. I lived before you were even thought of!" She stomped her foot. She legitimately stomped her foot and I laughed and she hit me. She punched me in the face and stormed away, to the joy of all of the vampires around us. She stormed away to peals of laughter. And, of course, I followed her through her sprawling house. More of a castle than a house, though she'd actually lived in castles.

"Princess," I laughed, "calm down. I'm not patronizing you. I know what you can do. Besides, we should get along. I'll be your protector from now on. I swore fealty to your father. I swore to belong to you. Isn't that funny, princess? You were my first meal, and now I'll be your knight."

"Then, knight, you should learn not to irritate me," she huffed.

"Where's the fun in being near you if I can't irritate you, princess? If your father wanted you to get perfectly along with your knight, he would have given you a human. Now, you are wasting the grand ball your father provided for you, my delicious looking little thing. Has anyone ever told you how perfect you look in green?"

"Has anyone ever told you that I prefer blondes?"

"I've heard about your preferences, bunny. I know that you take men as you please. That those who wish for your father's favor line up around the block to let you take them to bed."

"Mm…well a girl deserves a little fun. Tell me that, in the past two years, you haven't found the lovely side of being immortal. No morality, no values, nobody to tell you that you're wrong. In the time I was born in, women walked in less than the prostitutes wear now. It's boring. I yearn for the time's when…." She trailed off and grasped at her face again, holding her head.

"Stop trying to tell the future, bunny." I reached out and grabbed her. I pulled her in close and held her for a second, calming her.

When she stopped whimpering, she shoved me back a few inches and informed me, "If you're going to be my knight, you mustn't touch."

"I wouldn't want to, sweetheart. Vampire-human, remember?"

"Immortal chosen princess. Remember that."

I led her back to the ball and kept her on my arm for the rest of the night. Her father sang praise of her to all that could hear, and then sang praise of her loyal knights, of her abilities, of her beauty. And, at the first pang of daylight, I walked her back upstairs, let her be tucked into bed, and then went to eat before I fell asleep too. Around one o'clock the next afternoon, I waited just outside her door. Her room was the only room in the house without blinds drawn over the window. I couldn't walk in, but I could look in the door and watch her. She was sitting in the middle of the sunlight from the window, in a simple calico gown with her hair down around her face and a book in her lap. The same book of poetry from the first night I met her.

"Fawn, princess," I called her attention to me. "Your father mentioned to me that you have your breakfast around this time. What would you like?"

"Bananas. Two. An orange. Some sausage. The maids know what I enjoy eating. Don't worry about bringing it up. You should be sleeping."

"You're awake, I'm awake, princess. Now draw the curtains so I can come in and eat with you when I get back."

"Bossy."

"Brat."