A heartfelt recommendation
Mar. 16th, 2006 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterSome of you may have noticed that there are 260 comments on my last post. 240 of these are me and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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.)
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.)
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-17 02:34 pm (UTC)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...”
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-17 02:46 pm (UTC)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.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-17 03:05 pm (UTC)“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.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-17 03:14 pm (UTC)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.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-18 11:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-18 02:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-18 02:53 pm (UTC)