A heartfelt recommendation

[winter]

Some of you may have noticed that there are 260 comments on my last post. 240 of these are me and fyrie talking about a single story. She fed it to me by spoonfuls, killing me softly just as I was trying to work, or sleep, or just get the vampires out of my head by any means possible.

What Remains - Jossverse and Tanz der Vampire. After LA goes boom, Spike comes back to the last two vampires he knows who might take him in.

If I had to put a label on this, it'd probably be Hurt/Comfort. After the Angel finale, Spike is broken to pieces, and it's up to von Krolock, with Herbert's help, to put him back together. But gods, this is so sweet and heart-breaking, and there's one scene (which I won't spoil) that killed me dead.

Even if all you know about Tanz is that I blather about it a lot, go read it - all you need to know is that von Krolock is Herbert's dad, and that he's a sorcerer and occasional seer. All else speaks for itself.

(She's not finished with the first chronological fic in this series, but it will explain a lot if you read the two she posted previously - Until the Moon is Abed, slash and het Herbert/Spike, von Krolock/Dru, and then Unwritten Words, where pre-Buffy Season 2 Spike asks for advice on helping Dru.)

Comments

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

Oh my... *adds to reading list*

[winter]

This one scene, with blood and comfort and the sheer connection between the three - gaah.

I think you might like it :>

[arabwel.livejournal.com]

Ï am sure I will....... rigth now my brain is so blergjhed, tho, that reading anything is not a good idea. would miss too much...

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

This is the point I wish I had a webcam on you when you read that scene for the first time ;)

[winter]

It consisted of a lot of covert hyperventilating, mostly. Bloody open-space office, you know. But gah, I have such a predilection for emotional connections, and ownership, and I've never hidden my blood kink or the hand kink, so with the additional visuals supplied by my overactive imagination, I was lucky not to have fallen off the chair.

That, by the way, would have taken some explaining. I'm afraid it would have been classified as reading porn on company time after all ;)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

*twirls some* I feel so productive! :D

Also, have found out something - No one had got around to telling Buffy that Spike was alive again. No one on their end did it and Spike only found out after he de-spooked and then, kind of doesn't ever say if he got around to it. I'm assuming it never got brought up, judging on the Immortal episode. So, Buffy doesn't know.

Have you any idea how happy this makes me? :D

[winter]

Hm, and Andrew wouldn't have brought it up to Buffy at any point? But yeah, still. One guilt trip from hell, coming up :D

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Spike told Andrew he'd do it in the episode where Andrew finds out Spike's alive (and promptly tackles him, hugs him, squees and exclaims "He's like Gandalf the White, only more beautiful! He lives, Frodo!") and since he gets limbs lopped off in said episode, I think it slipped his mind...

[winter]

Yeah, true. I forgot that Spike said that. I assume Dawn refuses to come home, Buffy arrives to collect her and gets the surprise of her life? :>

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

Read and enjoyed :-)
Especially good to see the protective streak in both vampires towards Spike.
CCA

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

And also the tenderness between all three, now I come to think of it.
I didn't watch Angel for long enough to know about the Illyria storyline, so I hadn't come across her before. But I notice that she stands sort of disjointed from the three vampires, despite the efforts on the part of Spike and Von Krolock to make her feel welcome.
Nice to see Von Krolock playing the firm father with his son at the end too!
CCA

*jumps comments*

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Leaving Dawn sleeping, Spike stepped out into the hall, unsurprised to find von Krolock standing there, gazing quietly into the open room and the figure tucked up in the large bed.

“I know what you’re thinking,” the younger vampire said, pulling the door closed behind him.

The Graf’s dark eyes drifted to his face. “That is doubtful, William,” he murmured, his expression as unfathomable as always. “She has great fortitude, if she travelled this far to find you.”

Crossing his arms defensively over his chest, Spike clenched his jaw. “Kid’s like a sister to me,” he said, looking down at his feet, then up at von Krolock. “Shouldn’t be dragged back into the dark with the likes of us.”

Von Krolock lifted a hand the tilt Spike’s chin up, his lips curving minutely. “Unless I am sorely mistaken,” he murmured. “She came here on your invitation. You ensured she would have indication enough to capture her interest and came, she did.”

The muscles in Spike’s cheek twitched “Didn’t realise she would work it out on her own.” he mumbled. “Just wanted her to know I wasn’t dead. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“You knew she would try to find you, William.”

Reluctantly, the younger vampire nodded in agreement. “Just wanted to see her,” he muttered, lowering his eyes. “Didn’t even think that she’d have grown up...” Blue eyes rose to von Krolock. “She’s my Bit. Don’t want to see her hurt.”

“And you believe we will harm her?”

Spike shrugged, trying to ignore the long-nailed thumb that was idly caressing his cheek. “Not deliberately, I s’pose,” he mumbled. “She’s been through a hell of a lot, that girl. Doesn’t need more.”

Von Krolock gazed down at him pensively. “I suspect she and Herbert could become friends,” he murmured, his eyes dark, deep, drawing Spike’s, holding them, searching him. “But it is not Herbert’s closeness to her that you fear, is it?”

Re: *jumps comments*

[winter]

Ohohohoho! :D

VK's being great with that one. But does it mean you skipped the glomping and introductions through fade to black?

Re: *jumps comments*

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Actually, got bored of the fluff and this scene just begged to be written ;) VK had to be the one to instigate the confrontation, because otherwise he knew Spike would repress and be grumpy ;)

Re: *jumps comments*

[winter]

Definitely not complaining here ;) And is it me, or is VK using his sex appeal to distract Spike just a bit?

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Seated by the bed, fingertips idly stroking his chin, von Krolock was watching over the vampire still slumbering in his seldom-used bed. Four centuries of nocturnal life meant he had not adjusted to slumbering at night as readily as William had.

Admittedly, he had snuffed out William’s energy as one would snuff out a candle the previous night so his on-going fatigue was no surprise.
With his other hand, he made a brief gesture with his fingertips.

Moments later, William’s pale eyes flickered open slowly, squinting drowsily at the unfamiliar canopy above him. He shifted slightly, blinking, then -as if drawn by an invisible cord - his face turned towards von Krolock.

Von Krolock said nothing, but inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Those pale blue eyes watched him for several minutes, rife with emotions, then William rolled onto his side and sat up. Traces of dry blood still clung to his bare shoulder and throat, one hand rising to touch the healed bite.

Lowering his eyes, the young vampire’s hand sank away from his neck. “Good morning, sir,” he said quietly.

Extending a hand, von Krolock curled his fingers in an unmistakable beckoning gesture. His eyes were half-closed as he watched the young vampire rise, crossing the half-dozen paces between the bed and the chair.

Returning his palm to rest on the arm, he continued to gaze impassively up at the young vampire.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Wrapping his thin arms across his torso, fingers sinking into the flesh above his hips, William’s eyes darted away, then back several times. He looked as if he wished to speak, but the words stilled in his throat.

Tapping the tip of his forefinger upon the arm of his chair, von Krolock arched a brow coolly.

Shuffling his feet, apparently choosing to ignore his current nudity, William took a faltering step closer, then sank down onto his knees in front of the Graf, bowing his head passively.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” he mumbled towards von Krolock’s boots. “Should have known better by now.” His eyes flicked up, but von Krolock’s features remained impassive. “Shouldn’t have doubted you.”

Von Krolock continued to gaze at him for a moment, then rose. He was unsurprised to see the youngster flinch slightly, swaying back to sit on his heels. With the point of one nail, he lifted William’s chin, forcing the boy to look up at him. Raising his brows, he tilted his head in unspoken inquiry.

Immediately, William straightened his back, returning to his original posture.

With a subtle nod, von Krolock withdrew his hand.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Circling the kneeling vampire, von Krolock’s expression did not change. His hands folded behind his back, he passed before William’s face several times, and could see the boy had stopped watching or waiting for any mercy, meekly gazing at the floor.

With a measured tread, von Krolock came to a halt behind the youngster. Subtly, barely visible to the naked eye, William’s shoulders tensed, but he did not move, nor look around, even when von Krolock laid a hand upon his head. He did nothing more than briefly tremble.

Unseen, von Krolock allowed himself a small, affectionate smile.

Stooping, he placed a kiss atop William’s tousled hair, his hand slipping to rest on the boy’s shoulder. Underneath his palm, he felt William’s chest rise, heard the whisper of a longing sigh.

Oh, he needed affection, this one.

Withdrawal of what had been promised would break the boy if he held it away from him for much longer.

Sinking to his knees behind the youngster, his own knees straddling the boy’s calves, he drew his hand down. Nothing more than two fingertips. Shoulder to hip. And as he did so, he leaned closer, until his chest pressed to William’s back, his lips close to William’s ear, until he could feel the boy quiver against him.

Slipping his hand over William’s hip, he caressed the flat, trembling belly, inhaled the delightful ambrosia of the youngster’s fear, longing, desire, affection and hopeful confusion, allowed his lips to ghost along the tip of William’s earlobe.

“You are forgiven,” he murmured.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

“Really? A spoon?”

A female voice laughed. “You use what you got.”

“I... I am having trouble imagining the logistics of such a weapon...”

Again, the young woman laughed. “You can stab anything with anything if you use the right force,” she said. “That’s what Buffy told me. And I think it was a pretty big spoon as well.”

Even from the hall, the mood of the couple who were talking in the room was not quite enough to shake Spike out of the daze he found himself in. Wandering into the living room, he had crossed the floor, flopped into a seat and had a staring match with the ceiling before he realised that he had been spoken to.

Blinking, he looked towards the couch. Dawn was sprawled comfortably at one end, her besocked feet resting on Herbert’s lap, while he idly tweaked at her toes. Both of them, however, were notably staring at the new arrival.

“Wha?”

Herbert’s brows arched, his lips twitching. “You’ve been sitting watching that spot on the ceiling for ten minutes, cheri,” he said. “Either you’ve finally found father’s wine cellar or you have been busy.”

To Spike’s mortal embarrassment, he felt colour flaring in his cheeks. “Had a bit of a tiff with your dad,” he mumbled, suddenly very intently interested in his knees.

“You... and my father...?” With a groan, Herbert let his head fall back, covering his face with his hands. “I thought he would be in a good mood since he has some new volumes for the library, but if he has argued...”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Bad?” Herbert tilted his head to look at the girl. “You remember that apocalypse your sister stopped?”

“Which one?”

Herbert rolled his eyes. “Pick one,” he said. “Any one of those has to be better than father when he’s in a foul mood.”

“You might assume to much, Herbert.”

In front of the fireplace, where there had been flickering shadows, there was abruptly a silhouette, sharpening and slowly turning, von Krolock’s dark eyes gazing down at his son.

“That was cool!”

Inclining his head to smile politely at the young woman sitting on the couch close to his son, von Krolock’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. “I trust you slept well, Miss Summers.”

Returning his smile with a broad grin, Dawn nodded. “Yeah, until creepy here,” She poked at Herbert’s shoulder with one foot, receiving a swat for her effort. “Decided to sneak in and try to eat me this morning.”

If the Graf wasn’t in a bad mood, he did a good impression of it as his gaze moved to his son, skewering the younger vampire.

“What is this, Herbert?” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous.

“She’s joking, father!” Herbert hastily pushed the girl’s foot off his lap, looking from his father to Spike. The younger vampire grimaced and nodded. Wide-eyed, Herbert looked back at his father’s thunderous face. “Testing one another’s defences! That kind of thing.”

Clearly startled, Dawn looked from one face to another. “I... I was just kidding,” she said, starting to rise. “I threatened to shoot him and cut his head off if that makes it any better...”

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Von Krolock tore his gaze from Herbert and looked towards her. Like a cloud that had passed in front of the sun, his ire faded. Lifting a hand to his breast, he bowed his head. “Forgive my temper, Miss Summers,” he murmured. “I would deplore to see anything untoward happen to you.”

Blinking, Dawn stared at him, apparently caught as off-guard by his anger as his good nature, then shrugged. “It’s okay,” she replied. “He knows I can kick his ass anyway.”

“I protest!”

“Protest away, goldielocks,” Dawn replied, throwing an amused look down at him. “You know it’s true.”

Spike, however, had been watching the Graf’s face from the moment he had first appeared, could see the brief softening about his eyes. Looking away, the youngest of the vampires twisted the end of his shirt.

He knew he should tell Dawn to go, to head home, back to Slayer-central or where ever it was they were living now. He should never have invited her. He should never have let her know he was still alive.

And yet...

And yet, he knew von Krolock was honourable.

A blood-sucking fiend with a penchant for young women, but still, honourable.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

The Graf’s words, however, drew his eyes back to the Graf and the beautiful young woman that his little Niblet had grown into.

“Do you intend to depart today?” von Krolock was murmuring.

For a moment, she looked back at him, then down at Spike. “I should get back,” she said hesitantly. “Buffy’ll worry.” One side of her mouth tugged up weakly. “And I stole her favourite car.”

“All the more reason to stay away,” Herbert observed, leaning forward on his knees, looking up at them. “Let her temper cool a little.”

“You could hang around for a bit, Nibs,” Spike heard himself say, pushing himself onto his feet. He saw the Graf’s fingers twitch slightly, couldn’t be sure if the words were his or borrowed, but knew he meant them either way. “Been a while since I’ve seen you, innit?”

The smile that lit her face brought a smile to his lips too. “Yay!” she exclaimed, diving passed von Krolock to throw herself into his arms again. “Didn’t want to go back right away anyway. Italy sucks.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Herbert drawled. “It has its merits.”

Dawn, her arm still around Spike’s waist, looked at him in disbelief. “Like what?”

The golden-haired vampire grinned. “Well, when last I was there, a certain man who was quite a charmer.”

“Ah, yes,” his father agreed mildly. “And as I recall, to my advantage, he rejected your advances.” Ignoring the indignation on his son’s face, he gazed at Dawn. Around her shoulders, Spike’s arm tensed, but the young vampire smiled. If von Krolock noticed, he made no indication of it. “So you will remain, Miss Summers?”

“You don’t mind?”

Von Krolock offered her a hand. Giving him a bemused, amused look, she placed her fingers against his, grinning when he lifted it to his lips politely.

“We always welcome such captivating guests,” he murmured. “And after the company of William and Herbert, I would be grateful for the company of someone of the gentler sex.”

Herbert, who had been nibbling on the edge of one of the biscuits he had probably found for Dawn, inhaled sharply and started coughing.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

“What are you? Twelve?” Dawn demanded around a laugh.

Thumping his chest, blinking watery eyes, Herbert cleared his throat. “Sorry.” he said. “But you? Gentle?”

“S’true, that,” Spike added ruefully, his chin resting on her shoulder. “Never met a woman yet who couldn’t rip your heart out, chuck it in a blender and serve it back to you as a smoothie.”

“Says you with your arms all around me, Spike,” Dawn observed, poking Spike in the belly. “You trying to insult me so I go or d’you want me to stay so I can threaten Herbie some more?”

Looking passed the woman in his arms to the vampire standing by the fireplace, Spike chewed his lip. Von Krolock was gazing at the flames, his hands folded before him, but he glanced at Spike through his lashes without turning, without moving.

Slowly, the Graf’s chin lowered in a nod.

Trust me.

The words were burnt into his consciousness, inescapable, impossible to ignore.

“Stay,” he whispered, hugging her tightly against him.

Returning his embrace, she smiled at him. “You got it.” she said, dropping her head to rest on his shoulder. “I’m all yours.”

By the light of the flickering flames, it almost looked like von Krolock smiled.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Excellent stuff. Thanks for the rec.

[winter]

Always happy to oblige :) BTW, she wrote more just now: http://fwibble.livejournal.com/16248.html

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Shall read that later.