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| The Beginning by Incognito32 Page 1 |
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| I own nothing except Ernst and Victoria, sadly. Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, 21st Century Fox and all the others own the copyright to anything Buffy and Angel-related. However, if Mr. Whedon would like to give Spike to me, I would grudgingly accept. Yum! This is set in England in the 1800s, so the only spoiler I can offer is that Spike, Angelus and Dru are vampires. Yeah. Major spoilage ahoy. The Beginning by Incognito32 Do you believe in true love? Soul mates? That if two people are so much in love that they will be reincarnated over and over until you finally find a situation that will allow you to be happy? I believe it. I have to; otherwise I'd be hopeless. Helpless. Just drifting, with no purpose, no light at the end of the tunnel. Because if I didn't, I'd have no hope of ever seeing him again. And that doesn't bear thinking about. Literature is filled with situations like that, isn't it? Romeo and Juliet, Dracula and Elisebeta, Cleopatra and Brutus. Such a romantic notion. And such potential for heartbreaking endings and satisfied audiences. Come to think of it, do any star-crossed-soul-mate stories end happily? Mine definitely didn't. Not so far, anyway. But I have a feeling that this isn't the end of the story. Not by a long way. No. This is just the beginning. London, 1863 Lady Victoria Burnsley walked down the cobbled streets of London, stopping occasionally to admire a dress in a shop window or converse with a friend. She turned round a corner and into a side street where her favorite shop was hidden away from the uneducated eyes of the everyday bargain hunter. She opened the door to the sound of the shop bell signalling the entrance of a potential customer, and went inside. "Ah, Lady Victoria. Haven't seen you since… ooh, must be at least 28 hours ago!" A friendly, though somewhat mocking tone drifted through the stalls of the bookshop. The owner of both the voice and the shop walked into view. "Ernst, darling, I'd like to say what a pleasure it is to see you again after our brief time apart, but we both know I would be lying. "Ernst, a short, balding man in his late forties, laughed. "I'd be careful with that sharp tongue of yours, if I was you. It might turn on you one day and rip you to shreds!" He cautioned good-naturedly in his soft Irish accent. "Well, it's a piece of good fortune for you that you're not me. And you know as well as I do that if I were to suddenly stop making my witty little remarks that you would miss them." Ernst chuckled. "Oh you know me too well, my Lady." Victoria frowned. "Oh, I do wish you'd stop calling me that. I detest it. Just because I was born to a wealthy family I'm not allowed to be a person! I'm just some object to be bought and sold to my father!" From Ernst's look, she added; "Oh, I know. It's not a particularly original melodrama, but it'll suffice until my one true love is revealed to be unreachable. A girl's got to have a hobby!" "But you have your friends, surely?" Ernst interrupted, raising his eyebrows. But instead of cheering her up, this just made her sad again. She gazed distantly at a row of books. "You know, I sometimes wonder if they really care for me at all. I think that they just latch onto me in the hopes that some of my family's social standing will rub off on them. I wish it would. I wish that they would just take it all and leave me alone." She glanced at Ernst, and then turned away with a look of mild disgust on her face. "Oh, don't pity me, Ernst. I hate that most of all. I don't want pity. Now when I turn back, I want to see a look of utter contempt and… perhaps a sneer. Yes, a sneer would do nicely." Ernst raised an eyebrow, and then quickly placed the requested sneer on his weather beaten face. Victoria turned around, and gave him a dazzling smile. She gave him a quick hug then turned on her heel and strode off through the stacks, calling back; "If you have your heart set on pitying me, then let it be for the sole fact that you are probably my best and closest friend. Eugh!" She shuddered deliberately, causing Ernst to shake his head. "It'll rip you to shreds, I tell you!" He called back. Hours later, Victoria collected her books from the table in front of her and started walking out of the shop. She was about to walk out of the door when a man stepped out in front of her. He was tall, and dressed in fine clothes. He had light brown hair, almost blond, and ice blue eyes. He had an ageless face. He could have been twenty or fifty; it would make no difference. He reached out to touch her arm with hands as delicate as a dancer's and a strange warm spread through her. "Lady Victoria? Lady Victoria Burnsley?" His voice was soft and had a cockney twinge to it. She did not know this man and yet she knew instinctively that he posed no threat. "Yes?" she whispered. He smiled; his eyes twinkled with some joke that only he knew. "My name is William. Could you be so kind as to follow me? I must speak with you." Without waiting for an answer, he took her hand in his and escorted her to a table at the back of the shop. She watched his movements; he moved with a grace and fluidity that only performers and predators possess and he pulled out a chair without it so much as scraping on the wooden floor. He had chosen a deserted spot in the mythology section, and as she watched, he chose a musty tome from the shelf. He set it down softly in front of her, and she looked at the cover, then back to his sombre eyes. "Vampire?" Ernst wandered through the stacks later that night. The shop had long since closed and all was dark. Suddenly, the bell signalling the entrance of a customer sounded, breaking the silence. Ernst turned sharply to stare at the perfectly still door. He strode over to the door and put the deadbolt in its latch. “Damn kids.” A figure stepped out of the shadows. It wore dark clothes and had hair that was black against the moonlight shining through the front window, and mean, glittering eyes. It, now revealed to be male, wore a lopsided grin that was neither warm nor friendly. His eyes were cold and hard, and they looked empty and devoid of any expression. "Well, hello there. And would you be the proprietor of this fine establishment?" He gestured to the shop. "Yes, I am. And this fine establishment is closed. So if you'll just tell me your business here and be on your way, now." Ernst drew himself up, raising his chin and looking him dead in the eye. The stranger just continued to smile. "I was lookin' for William, me little brother. I saw him before, with a girl. I heard he was here. Lady Victoria something, was it?" "What business do you have with Victoria?" Ernst stepped forward, out of the shadows. He smiled innocently, showing off his fangs in the moonlight. His yellow eyes glinted with menace, and his ridged forehead creased further in a mock frown. The stranger's smile had vanished and his eyes were now tiny slits. "What's a' matter, lad? Did I offend you in some way? You were so talkative before! Mind you, you seem more like the 'one facial expression' type to me, anyway." The stranger's vampiric visage slid onto his face. Ernst remained smiling. "Or two. So, you're one of us. Makes sense. So clichéd. Makes sense." He mused. "What's your name, boy? And what do you want with Victoria?" He snapped, coming down from his cloud in the blink of an eye. After an uncertain pause, the stranger replied; "It's not Victoria I want. It's William. I've been watching him. He'd make a fine vampire." "And I suppose he's not your little brother, either." Ernst tutted. "All these lies." "Just don't let him find out I was here." The man snapped. Ernst moved, and before the stranger knew anything, he was lifted from the floor and then slammed against a rather uncomfortable brick wall. The stranger noted with the frantic observation of an animal cornered that the hand that was not crushing his throat elegantly sported, on the index finger, a simple golden band with a green and slightly glowing stone set firm in its heart. Realization dawned hand in hand with terror as he realized who Ernst was. "That sounded like an order, boy. And if this association is going to work, I'll be the one giving out the orders. Understand?" He squeezed on his neck, closing the windpipe, to emphasize the point. "And I wouldn't dream of telling William you were here. Wouldn't want to be a party pooper and spoil the surprise, now would I?" He let the man fall to the floor and lazily backed off. "Alright boy. I'm bored with you now. And seeing as though I have to work days, I have to sleep sometime. So tell me your name and get out or I'll make your head implode." The man grinned, again lopsidedly, and started for the door. "It's Angelus." He called over his shoulder, and was gone, swallowed whole by the immense dark outside. Ernst's features were once again in place on the vampire's face, and he raised one eyebrow. "Damn kids." He turned and went to bed. Although the sky was dark, and the wet cobbles of Engrant Street reflected that darkness, inside Lady Victoria's new house it was light and warm. William was drawn to it like a moth to a flame and ultimately, its demise. He knocked politely on the white door, which was answered almost instantly. A dishevelled looking Victoria greeted him, informing him that she was just making some 'midnight tea' and that he was more than welcome to join her. She had just moved far away from her parent’s residence and their watchful regulation, much to the horror of her shallow friends. Which was just as well, since she had, under William’s influence, travelled to the Hellmouth. That night, they fell asleep in Victoria's living room, lounged against each other and wrapped in an eiderdown quilt. Angelus viewed the scene through a lattice window, taking in the closeness of the chosen two with amusement. He saw that the link that was once a fragile thread had grown and blossomed, as they grew closer. They were no longer just Watcher and Slayer. In the months (and demons) that had passed he had watched while they fought together, laughed together and wept together. Angelus was much mistaken if he didn't believe that they were actually in love! Oh, it was too, too funny. To his limited sense of humour, anyway. Even if neither one would ever admit it, he would be easier to break if he had something to lose besides his soul. Still, Angelus could tell a fighter a mile off and he'd be damned (no pun intended) if William wouldn't resist for all he was worth. Suddenly, Victoria's eyes snapped open and Angelus had to stoop to avoid being seen by her. She nudged William awake, hissing; "Something's wrong. I feel something." "Hmph? What? What's wrong?" William forced his eyes open. "Someone… Something's here. I can feel it." "Where?" He was now fully awake. "When I tell you, you can't look. Element of surprise, and all that. Understand?" William nodded. "Over to your left…the window above the fireplace. It moved from right in front of us. See that window over there?" Another nod. "Have you…did you get the stakes like I told you to?" Victoria pulled one out from beneath her. "There's another one in the first desk drawer to your left, and another down the side of the armchair behind us. There are also two in the kitchen, and one under a pillow on my bed. The rest are all just stashed around the house. I remember hiding 15 overall." William gave her a warm smile. "Alright. You get up, acting sleepily still, and go out to them. I'll follow you out in 15 seconds exactly and watch your back." She gave him a small smile and stretched her arms, yawning. She shuffled groggily out into the kitchen, grabbing a stake on the way. Angelus was not watching her, however. He had positioned himself so that he had a perfect view of William's sleeping face. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, and he was so peaceful and relaxed. He could have killed Victoria when she got up for nearly disturbing William. In fact, he was so hypnotized by the sleeping boy that he didn't even notice Victoria creeping up to him until he felt a stake being pressed into his back. "Y'know, you should be careful, running around with sharp objects!" He chided as he turned around. |
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