Quietly, Spike and his companions wandered through Griffith Park, enjoying the creeping fog. The thrill of simply feeling the bark of a tree under his hand, or the sound of a twig snapping beneath him, seemed to send the English vampire into a sense of pleasure after several months of being utterly unable to feel the world around him. Slowly his nose flared as he picked up a rather familiar coppery scent, fresh blood. Quickly, he contacted the other three leading them through the fog towards the huddled figure kneeling over the dead body of a man.
Slowly, the figure lifted her head, her lips, a healthy scarlet, curling back as she hissed protectively over her meal at Spike, before sniffing the air realizing the others were behind him. At this realization the stranger's head lowered and her body dropped into the submissive position, her voice soft and humble, with a slight accent to it, "I did not know I was within a Coven's territory. I thought the last Coven was destroyed over 50 years ago..." at this two lone tears made their way down her cheeks from her eyes, which in and of themselves were a strange sight, seeming to be made of liquid gold encased in ice, though they were hard to see as she was careful to keep her head down, never once meeting anyone's eyes.
"No worries, Love," Spike smirked softly, his accent gently piercing his words, "and there's no covens round here."
Slowly the stranger lifted her head to look him in the eye, it was clear she had to be rather old to think in such terms. "I see," she whispered softly, her nose twitching and flaring softly at the light breeze which blew past him carrying the others' scent on it. "Mortal companions, Monsieur? They are under your protection I assume," something about her voice seemed almost childlike, despite her appearing to be in her early twenties, and carried a light French accent, even to her English words.
Again, that same cocky smile crossed the blonds face, "You could say that," he chuckled softly as Fred, Gunn, and Lorne came through the fog around him, the humans armed, the demon's eyes locked on the girl. "Where do you come from love?" he asked gently.
"Originally or currently, Monsieur?" a small playful smirk on her own lips, her eyes darting between his companions like a trapped animal.
Slowly, Spike strolled over to a nearby bench to sit, crossing his legs with a smile while the other three stood in place much less trusting of the strange woman. "Whichever you feel like sharing I suppose," he said casually, staring intently at the woman.
She cocked her head slightly, staring at the blond before parting her lips again, "I was born and sired in New Orleans," she started, wiping her mouth gently with a stained and tattered handkerchief with the letters L.d.L. stitched on the corner. "Raised there and in Paris. More recently, well in the past fifty years, I've resided in California."
Slowly, he crossed one leg over the other, peering at the stranger who had perched herself on the corpse, "and how is it you've found yourself to be here?" he asked, leaning back some.
"Random wanderings mostly," she said, seeming to relax around the stranger. "Why all the questions, Monsieur?"
There was something vaguely familiar about her, but what Spike couldn't quite tell. "Just making sure we don't have to kill you," he chuckled. "Come we'll get you cleaned up, maybe a warm place to stay for the day?"
"It'd be damned hard to kill me child..." she said softly, with a small smile gracing her face. "A place that isn't the earth itself would be nice." Slowly, she rose to her feet, staring down at her skirt stained with grass. At the site, she frowned reaching down to tear the skirt, making it barely concealed her underwear, with no mind paid to the others around her.
Spike raised his brows looking over her marble white legs, "Hm? Oh, well I would hardly consider Wolfram & Hart as part of the earth," He and Gunn both chuckled at this. Fred hung back a bit shyly, while Lorne kept his eyes transfixed on her, trying to get a read of her.
The woman smirked devilishly, "Good. Really wish the bastard'd spared my coffin, three in a lifetime is two too many...." She cast another glance at Spike's companions before nodding, "Lead away, Monsieur."
Spike couldn't help but frown upon hearing her comment, 'Coffins? Geez, this girl's really livin' in the past...' he thought, shaking his head before looking at her again. "This is Gunn, Lorne and Fred," he motioned to each of his companions, "and I'm Spike." He flashed her another quick grin, the moonlight catching his face.
The raven haired woman nodded gently to each, murmuring a soft 'bonjour', "And I am Selene..." her voice barely a whisper as she clung to her handkerchief.
The pack slid threw the darkened streets of downtown LA silently, keeping to the shadows. When they happened to near another vampire, or other such creature, that secretly wandered the streets, the creature would quickly double back to avoid them.
"Almost there," Spike said glancing upwards, "and looks like we're just in time too," he laughed at the paling sky, signaling the coming dawn.
The paler the sky got, the more the stranger at the center of the group began to fidget, clutching her crucifix, murmuring ancient prayers. Her hood up to shield her face from any passers-by, least anyone she might have ever known see her, and let word slip to those who would destroy her.
Spike on the other hand couldn't quit glancing back at the jumpy woman, "Don't worry, Love, you'll be safe where we're goin'." He frowned some though, unsure what was causing her anxieties, as he pushed open the door to enter the building which housed the law firm of Wolfram & Hart.
Slowly, she moved closer to the blond, something about his mere presence awakening long dead memories she'd kept buried through this hellish ordeal. His cocky attitude, his eyes, his hair, everything about him screamed to her ancient instincts. As she parted her lips to speak her voice almost seemed a whisper, her eyes glossed as if entranced by Spike, "I trust you...."
He gave the woman a slight smile as the group boarded the elevator, he chatted idly with the others, with her staying close to him, as if she were a frightened child, while they ascended to the upper floors of the building. Slowly her murmurings began to sound like lyrics to rather old rock songs by a supposed vampire band, her eyes drifting shut slowly, "A nice soft coffin."
Lorne's yellow eyes trained on the girl as she mumbled her song, his eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, but he glanced away before she could notice. He had to talk to Angel.
Spike bobbed his head some to the girl's words, and soon he was humming with her, "Good song," he murmured. "Shame how it all ended, eh?" He asked glancing at the woman.
She however was whimpering by now, clutching both the cross and the handkerchief fast in her hand, her eyes transfixed on the blond figure before nodding, "Yea, a real shame...." She muttered.
Spike grinned some as the elevator stopped and the others stepped out, he guided her out then chuckled to himself. "And that one with the black curls? She was a sweet lil' number, hm?" He shot her a grin, then rolled his eyes as he watched Angel stroll out of his office, "Ugh, what a prat," he sighed, "Come on, guess it's time to introduce you."
Silently, Selene followed him, her head down, red streaks cutting a path across her dust covered face, collecting on what remained of her skirt, her dark red panties rather visible by now.
He took her gently by the elbow, and steered her over in front of Angel, who was currently talking to Lorne, "Look what I found."
A brown gaze shifted from the green demon before him, his brow creased some as he glanced at the girl. "Take her to my office," Angel said as he looked at Spike, who looked back and muttered something but lead her away.
Her gold eyes widened a bit before she began to struggle in Spike's grasp, "W-we have to get into our coffins, Father, we must!"
He blinked some, a bit put back by being called father, but pulled her along. The blinds were up and the brilliant morning sunlight shone through, filling the room with it's warm glow. He loved the feel of it on his face. After a hundred and twenty years of darkness it felt like a wondrous new thing. "We don't do coffins round here, Love, too cliché, besides beds really are much more comfortable," he started before being drowned out with a blood curdling scream.
At the feeling of the warmth on the raven haired woman's skin, she jerked wildly to escape, terror etched on her beautiful face.
"Woah! Easy there, Love!" He locked his arms around the woman, holding her tight. "Easy! Look, you're not burning. Remember you trust me? So trust me!" He pulled her down to the floor to try and calm her.
The commotion drawing a crowd in the doorway, Angel in the center of the mass watching them with wide eyes. Selene seemed unaware of the gathering crowd, more interested in whimpering and burying her face against Spike's chest, sobbing uncontrollably and pleading, "I don't want to die Father, please. I've been a good girl. I know I shouldn't have gone with him, but I had to to survive...." she sobbed, her breath coming in great shudders.
Spike's gaze darted around some, this was starting to make him uncomfortable, but he gently stroked the girl's hair, murmuring soft words in her ear. A sudden, vivid flashback of doing just that with Buffy rushed into his mind, and his stomach lurched some with the feeling of loss he still suffered. "It's okay... You can trust me..." he whispered into her ear softly placing a small kiss to her forehead. Softly, she murmured unintelligent, before her movements stopped all together, her breaths evening out, her muscles going utterly slack, the exhausted woman-child finally fast asleep in his arms. "Err... " he looked up at Angel in the doorway and shrugged some. "Where should we put her?"
"Find somewhere, Spike," Angel said turning to go.
Spike sighed, lifting her into his arms as he stood and moved out towards the elevator, she was going in Angel's bed whether he liked it or not.
The woman snuggled into his chest with a contented sigh whispering sleepily, ".....Father." Spike sighed some and held her closer so he didn't drop her. "Sorry Love, I'm no-body's father..." He frowned as the elevator ascended and he found his way to Angel's apartment, where he deposited her into the bed and moved out to settle in front of the TV while she slept in the other room.
Selene whimpered faintly shifting around before spreading out to cover 90% of the bed and settling into a deep sleep, gently clutching her hankie and crucifix in one hand, her other arm wrapped around a pillow as if it were a stuffed animal, looking utterly natural and at peace.