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

[winter]

Feed me once you get something substantial? :)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Naturally :D And oh, it's fun! She's all grown up and 18, heading towards 19, and legal and driving and everything. Plus, she's lost the teen-brat-ness which made her irritating :)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

When she had heard the name was on Giles’s delivery list, she’d known it was a job she was going to do, even if she didn’t wait for her sister’s permission. School was out, she had already graduated and if Buffy was going to tell her to get a job, she could say she already had one.

And the better car.

Tearing around a hairpin bend, she floored the accelerator, speeding onwards back into the shadow of the forests that seemed to go on forever in this neck of some weird country with ‘ania’ in the name.

Somewhere in the west, she knew the sun was starting to sink. Even now, she could tell by the faint shades of pink that were starting to appear across the clouds. With a laugh, she shook her head at that thought. She really had been hanging out with Slayers for way too long.

It certainly gave her an excuse for the speed she was racing through the landscape at, the roof of the convertible down, and the wind shrieking around her as she sped along roads that seemed way too narrow.

From what she’d heard about this area, it was a place of the big and ugly badness, most of them with teeth and fangs, but what worried her more was that if she didn’t get the delivery to the guy - blood-free and in one piece - then Giles would rip her a new one. And that was before Buffy found out her cool little convertible had been stolen and raced off to eastern Europe.

Demons could attack, for all she cared, as long as they didn’t get between her and the delivery she was trying to make.

[winter]

Mwahahaha. On a tangent, have you read Snow Crash? Because Dawn is totally channelling Hiro Protagonist here :D

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Never even heard of it. I hope that's not a bad thing ;)

[winter]

Not at all. But... oh damn, I don't have an e-text. Check it out sometime, just the first few pages. Hiro's a katana-toting pizza deliverer who'll do anything to deliver his 'za within 30 minutes of the order. Because if he doesn't, the customer is legally allowed to shoot him, take all his money and have the pizza for free. The perks of ordering from Mafia Pizza, you know.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Hee! Sounds like the kind of thing that would amuse me far too much :D


Snippet:

Even if they did attack, she had an axe tossed in the passenger seat, several stakes, a modified pistol with silver bullets, the elaborate embossed knuckle-dusters Faith had sent her as a birthday present, not to mention the protection spells that Willow had woven around her as snugly as a sock on a foot.

And underneath it all, there was a nervous flutter in her belly as she remembered the letter she had hastily shoved in the glove-compartment to take as proof, in case she had to check that this... Graf-guy was who she suspected.

Asking Buffy had been a big no-no.

Saying anything about what happened in the Hellmouth that day was.

Sometimes, she had walked into the house and found Buffy just sitting, looking out the window, interlacing her fingers in a patch of sunlight, but she had never asked and Buffy had never said.

While it was their big triumph, leading to an army of Slayers and knocking Hell right on its ass, she knew neither of them were going to forget that it hadn’t been easy and that people had died.

If it was just some twisted vampire’s idea of a sick joke, then she was going to be pissed and she had her collection of vampire-whacking gadgets to show just how pissed off a Vampire Slayer’s non-Slaying baby sister could be.

While she didn’t have the additional strength and healing that Slayers did, she had spent too many years on the sidelines watching and figuring out new tricks. She had helped designing new weapons, kinds that could be worn as part of every-day clothing until they weren’t, and she never went anywhere without them.

Her hair whipping against her cheeks, she pushed it back from her face and squinted through the trees. According to the map and some not-very-helpful locals, the house she was looking for was meant to be around here somewhere.

[winter]

Okay :D Now all I want to know is whether Spike's getting glomped :D

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking about sending Herbie out to meet her ;)

How VK first sees Dawn:

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

“Damn it,” she muttered, glancing towards the sky, which was growing darker by the instant, the first stars appearing.

Not that she was afraid of the dark, but getting stuck in a strange forest in the middle of nowhere with no signal on her cell phone was definitely not a good thing, even by normal-people standards.

And then, there it was, as if it had been hidden there all the time; lights shining through windows between the trees.

Anyone else would have been relieved, but Dawn felt an uneasy prickle run down her spine. She’d seen Willow’s masking spells before, seen the unmasking and the way it had just appeared was in no way a good thing.

Still, it wasn’t like she had any choice right now.

Following the winding road, she wasn’t entirely surprised when broad, metal gates swung open without so much as an inquiry about her identity. There wasn’t even any security around the walls. That usually meant either incredibly dumb home owners or people who used security that couldn’t be seen.

Under the tyres the gravel rattled and crackled as she neared the front doors of what looked like a pretty damn cool house. It was old, but looked like it had been looked after too.

Climbing out the car, she grabbed the parcel of Giles’s crazy-expensive books in their box. Tucking it under one arm, she adjusted the dagger in the sheath on her back, straightened her crucifix, checked her one-shot crossbow on her wrist wasn’t showing and smoothed her wind-swept hair.

Satisfied that she looked as professional as she could, she strode towards the front door, but before she even lifted her hand to ring the bell, the door swung open.

“Oh, great!” she groaned at the sight of the empty hall. Knowing hesitant behaviour would only make her look like an extra in some tacky horror film, she exhaled a frustrated breath and strode into the building.

Coming to a halt in the middle of a grand hallway, she looked around, but couldn’t see anyone about.

“Okay, I’m going to bow to the pressure of the cliche here,” she called out loudly, turning in a circle. “Is there anyone there? No? Okay. Well, I’ll just take your crazily-priced books and leave then, okay?”

[winter]

:D

Okay, does he materialise in front of her or spare her feelings and appear behind her so that she can (he thinks) squeal and stumble right into his arms? ;)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Dawn really has spent too long hanging out with a) a gazillion Slayers and b) Spike. Turns out, he used to do the sneaking up on her thing, so Dawn knows better than to expect normal behaviour from any vaguely supernatural people ;D

[winter]

Still, I think the only person to seriously hit on her was the singing demon from Once More With Feeling, who was really too weird to do anything but weird her out. Being courted should be a new experience for her :>

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

She did have one boyfriend very briefly and then Buffy staked him ;) She's just kind of boggling over the fact that she's not having the parcel snatched from her and getting kicked out th door.

[winter]

I'm just wondering how Spike'll react to it all. Apart from headdesking, of course :D Not like he can threaten von Krolock to leave his surrogate little sister alone...

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Not that he'd necessarily want to - he'd like to have the Niblet around forever :D




“That will not be necessary,” a quiet, deep voice spoke from somewhere on the upper landing at the top of the stairs. He had an accent, but it wasn’t all that strong compared to some of the people she had met earlier.

Looking up at the shadows, the Slayer’s sister grinned. “Good,” she said, though she shifted her weight slightly. Damned Slayers were a bad influence. “Giles would go all English on me if I told him I didn’t deliver them.”

“Ah, so, you are the agent from the Watcher’s Council?” Anyone else would have jumped when the speaker emerged from the darkness just to her left, instead of the shadows above the stairs.

“That’s me,” Dawn turned as if she had expected him all along. “Dawn Summers, delivery girl and agent.”

With a hand on her hip, her stance casual, she looked him up and down. Older guy with long hair? Didn’t see that often. Looked like the rich guys in the old films Buffy used to watch, some kind of gentlemen. Most noticeably, he was taller than she was. That didn’t happen often enough anymore, since she’d hit six feet.

Inclining his head, the man’s lips curled in a welcoming smile “I am the Graf von Krolock,” he murmured. “I expect you are fatigued after your journey, Miss. Are you hungry or in need of refreshment?”

Dawn’s brows rose. “Huh,” she said. It wasn’t often that she was offered anything in her role as the go-for girl. Withdrawing the parcel from under her arm, she held it out to him. “I’m good.” She hesitated, then added, “I could do with something to drink.”

Von Krolock took the bundle from her reverently and she felt his fingertips brush against hers. They were icy-cold, drawing her eyes for a moment, then she looked back up to find his dark eyes on her face.

“Would you accept accommodation also?” he murmured. “I fear it is too late to continue your journey tonight.”

Dawn eyed him suspiciously. “You do know that delivery comes with the guarantee that the delivery-girl doesn’t get eaten, sacrificed, barbecued, shish-kebobed, toasted, exsanguinated or anything gross or death-causing, right?”

He laughed softly, such a simple amused sound that Dawn only stared more. “Have no fear,” he said. “I have no desire to make an enemy of the Watchers Council.”

[winter]

Heh. She's hooked already :D

As for Spike, I was more thinking of being protective of Niblet's innocence, so to speak ;) He seems the type to have atavistic big-brother instincts.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

That's probably true, but he'll only do it when she's not around, because oh, she would kick his puny ass if she knew he'd been going overprotective on her :D

[winter]

Evem without her around, what's he going to do? Except maybe mumble at Krolock to please not break her heart too badly ;)

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Beg, crawl and utterly debase himself probably :D

And gah! Dawn is too easy. Von krolock is being so smart and so tall and she's like "he's undead, but dude!"

[winter]

I don't blame her in the least. Tall, intelligent, well-mannered and considerate - hell, he could bite me anytime. Oh, and rich, too.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

He offered her his arm, which she took after a moment of hesitation. This time, his brows rose slightly. “Such tools are impractical under long sleeves,” he observed.

“Yeah, figured that out too late,” Dawn muttered, blushing.

Von Krolock granted her a brief smile. “I have no doubt you would improvise with great skill, were it required,” he murmured. Dawn was torn between glaring at him and giggling. Giggling? The hell?

“Are you doing some weird vampire mojo on me?” she demanded.

The Graf - whatever the hell that was - gazed at her. “Do you think I am?”

Dawn gave him a look. “If I say yes, you could be making me say that and if I say no, same thing,” she said. “That’s why I asked.”


(she's determined to smartmouth her way through the situation :D)

[winter]

Knowing the old(er) guy, he'll just find that curious and charming. Heh, she's doomed :D

*commences countdown to Spike's appearance or Dawn bringing up the letter*

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Guess where VK is leading her ;) And guess where Herbert and William are hanging out...

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Dawn gave him a look. “If I say yes, you could be making me say that and if I say no, same thing,” she said. “That’s why I asked.”

“And you are only a delivery girl?” Directing her down a hallway with a nod, the Graf’s eyes never seemed to leave her face, which made her feel kind of squirmy but not in a totally bad way. “I find that difficult to believe.”

“Just a regular girl. Not a slayer or witch or superhero,” Dawn replied airily, looking around at the paintings lining the walls. “No biggie.”

“I remain unconvinced,” Von Krolock’s voice sounded like a purr, rolling over her senses and sending a tingle racing down her spine. No! Bad Dawnie! No messing about with the clients! Rule two! And undead clients at that! Rule one!

Deliberately eyeing the paintings to avoid looking back into those dark eyes, Dawn cleared her throat. “So... uh... you’re Mister von Krolock, right?”

“That is correct,” he agreed softly.

“The only one?” She looked around at him, and promptly lost the mental path she had been aiming for. “Uh... I... uh... I mean, you don’t have brothers or anything like that? Any other ones with that name?”

Von Krolock laughed softly. “Unless you speak of my son,” he murmured, “I am, indeed, the only one.”

“Huh.” Reaching into her coat pocket, Dawn pulled out the letter she had received, a little crumpled and bent, but still legible. “So, is this your notepaper, then?”

For a moment, the man - vampire, Dawn, vampire - went still, staring at the sheet, then looked at her, as if seeing her with new eyes. “It is,” he said, leading her onwards down the hall. “May I know where you found it?”

“Didn’t find it,” Dawn replied evenly, watching him now as intently as he had watched her. “It was sent to me. Not the Watchers Council. Me. From here.”

“Indeed,” von Krolock said quietly, pausing by a pair of double-doors. He loosed his arm from hers, his eyes on her face again, focussed, but not staring, definitely not staring.

Unsettled but unwilling to show it, Dawn lifted her chin and gazed right back at him.

“Indeed,” he repeated thoughtfully. Turning away from her, he laid his hands against the broad handles, gazing down at them. “Who do you think might have sent a missive to you?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Dawn replied.

Von Krolock raised his head, but didn’t look around. “Perhaps,” he murmured, then pushed the doors open and stepped into the biggest living room Dawn had ever seen in her life.

Following him, unconsciously reaching down to touch the cross at her throat, she saw two other figures already in the room, one of whom was sprawled on the floor in front of the fireplace, reading. The other was draped in a chair, also bearing a book, but his was not opened.

“Herbert, William,” von Krolock’s murmur was unnecessary, she noticed. As soon as she had stepped into the room, both of them had shifted, a subtle indication that they were both aware of a mortal in the vicinity. “We have a guest.”

The vampire that was lying on the floor seemed to go rigid and she saw its head turn sharply, silhouetted against the fire for a moment, shaggy hair falling around its face. A male, she decided. Not too big. She could take it down easily.

“Bloody hell!”

Or not.

On his feet, the vampire was staring at her as wildly as she was staring at him.

“Spike...?”

“Holy shit! Nibbles!”

In the thirty seconds that followed, she wasn’t sure which of them moved first or which of them moved fastest, only that they crashed into each other hard enough to knock the wind out of her and to tip them both onto the floor.