~~~~~~~~~

Alexandra

~~~~~~~~~

  I couldn't help but grin at Xander over dinner.  He looked a lot like I imagine I'd looked three years ago.  Which of course made sense seeing as hot damn, he's me as a he!   

Just then he was shoveling food into his mouth and quickly alternating his awed gaze from Tom to Goldberry and back as they told him of the Old Forest.  I wasn't paying attention to their words, but the slightly musical sounds of they're conversation was soothing.  

I nibbled on a few ripe red berries and listened quietly for a few moments until I heard a soft thump from outside the window.  I looked to Tom, worried, but he continued speaking of the quirks inherent in navigating the Withywindle.  His eyes, though, looking back at me, were untroubled.  A night noise then, the wind or a squirrel.  I trusted in Tom's mysterious power enough to feel safe even with my back to the open window.  

Suddenly, inexplicably restless, I rose from my seat unheeded and slipped out of the candle-light and laughter into the night.  Barefoot, I made my way off the porch and onto the stone-lined path that led down the hill. I looked around in the moonlight but saw nothing that could have caused the earlier noise.  Shrugging, I started to wander.  

As always, my feet led me down the hill to the river, sparkling in the starlight.  Just below the cheery little waterfall was a small pool that I always seemed drawn to.  I stood on the bank of the river, watching the night sky reflect on the water's surface for a few minutes before stepping into it.  I did not bother tying the skirt of my gown up as I went.  Very rarely did I ever leave the water in dry clothing no matter was effort I made.  Tom always laughed heartily when I returned soaked to the bone.  He'd even made up a little song about it.  Goldberry always looked at me with a fond smile, but a strange look in her eye that reminded me that she was not as she seemed.  The River Daughter had given me that same look the day my eyes changed.  

I waded out into the chill water to my knees and started to wander down-stream a bit.  I smiled at the feeling of sand and smooth rocks between my toes and my skirts swirling about my legs.  This was a beautiful world.  Everything about it just begged to be in a Kinkaid painting.  I stopped walking and wriggled my feet down into the sediments underwater until they were covered and looked up at the sky.  

As always, I marveled at the incredibly clear vista of twinkling lights.  It was beautiful, unmarred by pollution or ambient light.  I closed my eyes and stood there, basking in the amazing cleanliness that was Middle Earth.   

I was soon interrupted by a wave of tingling goosebumps that started in my legs underwater and traveled up my body to my head.  Behind my eyelids I was shown an image of small pale feet dangling in water.  It vanished quickly but something in it pushed on an instinct.  

I turned to face upstream and opened my eyes.  There on a fair-sized rock that protruded from the muddy bank, sat Spike, small feet dangling off the edge into the water.  She wore her mangled black duster as always but beneath that she wore a loose red peasant shirt tucked into a pair of dark brown buckskin leggings. These were rolled up to her knees and her heavy buckskin boots sat on the rock beside her.  The vampire's honey-colored curls fell loose to just below shoulder-length, the ends still holding the end of their former bleach-job.  She looked gorgeous, as usual.  One thing I'd learned about this place was that most immortals tended toward the way-friggin'-beautiful.  Spike, an immigrant of the most extreme sense, was no exception.  

As I studied her, I realized that she was staring back with the oddest expression in her bright blue eyes.  I found myself grinning suddenly.  "Hey Spikey!"  I chirped and sloshed over to her.  "When did you get back?  Where'd you go this time?  Did you see any orcs?  Were they yucky?  Did you make them dead?  Did you bring me anything?  Is it a book this time?  Or a hat?  Or the dried entrails of your enemies?  Cuz' I think I'll pass on the entrail prezzies..."  She grinned at me in her Spikey way and waited for me to gasp for breath before speaking.  

"Sorry love, no entrails.  I promise to bring'm next time.  You'll have to settle for a pretty new axe."  I blinked at her.  An axe?  Why would I need an axe...Tom handles all my wood-gathering and self-defense needs.  "As to the other questions?  I'll answer'm later when your new boyfriend gets lost."  She suddenly looked and sounded pissed.  

"He's not my boyfriend and why'm I defending myself to you?  I can have a boyfriend if I want to!"  I insisted.  Sure, I had no intention of ever getting into another romantic entanglement after losing Cord.  I'd lost so much, I had trouble letting myself care for even Tom and Goldberry these days.  If you love something then its bound to get torn from you.  I knew it was a pansy-ish way of living, but I'd been brave enough these past five years.  First, with helping Blake fight the good and ultimately pointless fight, and second, trying to survive in a surreal new dimension accompanied by a soulless demon and a couple immortals. 

  My defiance had an interesting effect on Spikey.  Instead of rolling her eyes and smirking at me as she usually would do in this situation, she attacked.  She jumped up from her rock, snarling and had my wrist in her iron grip before I could process that she'd moved.  "Spike!  What the hell is wrong with you?!"  I demanded to know as she dragged me from the water and around the hillside to the small cabin Tom and she had built the year before.   

It was a small one room structure built into the hillside.  It often reminded me of a hobbit hole, with three walls and its roof all made of the hillside.  The outer wall was made of sturdy woodwork as were the inner walls.  Inside was a single hearth and a thick shelf cut into the wall served as a bed for Spike when she came home ever winter from her travels.  She had always hated sleeping in the cabin with Tom, Goldberry, and I.  She said that we made her fangs itch.   

When we reached "Spike's Hole" as she'd snickeringly dubbed it, she shoved the small door open and pushed me forcefully inside.  I stumbled in the dark and fell over a crate of dried fruit that I'd put into storage there not a week before.  Spike slammed the door shut, blocking out all light and I was forced try to get my bearings in pitch darkness.   

I had to admit that I was a bit scared.  As familiar as Spike and I had grown over the years, first out of necessity, then out of a need for something of our old lives, I never forgot what she was.  She was evil.  No soul, no morals.  If she decided that she wanted to make a meal out of me that moment, there'd be no stopping her.  Tom might come to my aid, but even after reading of him on Normal Earth and living with him in Middle Earth, I still had no concept of what the ageless being was capable of.

  So, a bit freaked and bruised, I found myself huddled in the dark against the far wall, listening frantically for some indication of where the irrational undead one was lurking.  "Spike?"  I heard a rustling and a creaking noise from my right where the bed was and shivered.  "Spike, I don't know what the hell crawled up your ass but you're really starting to piss me off!"  I growled at her.  There was no answer beyond the continued rustling, cloth noises.  I slowly climbed to my feet, considering trying for the door.  

I took a cautious step forward, my wet skirts were stuck to my legs and made a noise when I moved.  I winced, holding my breath, listening for another sound from psycho-vamp.  The hole was silent. 

  "AAAHHH!"  I couldn't restrain the shriek when a cold hand clutched my arm tightly.  I tried not to hyperventilate as I tried to jerk free of Spike's grip.  "God, Spike this is soooo not funny anymore!  Leggo!"  I smacked at her hand but she held tight.  After a second I could make out the sound of her sadistic little giggle.  "Oh you are soooo dust!"  I swung out at where the sound was coming from and squeaked as that wrist was caught in another iron grip.   

"Shush, love."  She commanded, her voice suddenly cheerful.  "As nummy as your fear may smell, it's not quite necessary."   

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be completely casual when psycho-bitch vampires freak out at me and shove me around in the dark?" I snapped at her, not liking how shrill my voice was.  I felt her move closer and a hand released my wrist to curl around my waist.  "Ally..."  She sing-songed, pressing close, her face nuzzling into my neck.  I shuddered.  "Change your clothes, love...you're shivering."  A tongue flicked over my jugular followed by nipping teeth that made me jump.

  "Fine, let go of me and I'll go back up to the house."  I commanded, fully intending to go have a nice safe coronary while hiding behind Goldberry's skirts.  Spike clucked her tongue at that.  

"Nice try, pet."  She placed a chaste kiss on the spot on my neck that she'd been molesting and stepped back.  "There're some of my old leathers on the bed.  Put'em on, then we'll be off...we'll be in Bree by dawn if we cut through the Barrows and move real quick."  I blinked at the dark blob that her voice emanated from.  

"Are you insane?"  I asked calmly.  "You want me to go with you?"  I shook my head.  "I've told you a thousand times, Spike.  I'm not going out there.  I don't want to meet any of your new pals and I don't want to get involved with any of your crazy plots.  I'm going to wait right here for the hobbits, send Xander off with them, then I'm going to spend the rest of my life as a hermit.  Thats the plan and I'm not changing it no matter how many times you give me a hickey."  I scowled.  "Thanks, by the way.  How'm I going to explain this to the others?  I was out in the woods and Old Man Willow got a bit randy?"   

"Tell'm you were snoggin' a sexy vampiress."  Her dry voice suggested.  "Make sure that 'Xander' hears too, don't want the git gettin' any ideas."  She stepped back into my personal space bubble again and wound her arms around my waist.  I felt her head settle on my shoulder.  "C'mon now, love.  I'm tired of bein' alone out there.  No one gets my jokes and everyone smells bad."  I snorted at her wheedling, standing impassively as she held tight.  "Please?"  Her voice was suddenly small and pleading.  "I'll...I'll take you anywhere you want to go!  I could show you Rivendell(from a safe distance, bloody elves) or the Rohan!  We could go find the Argonath and doodle on their faces..."  I couldn't help but smile a little at that thought.  She sounded so lonely that I found myself hugging her back just a little bit.  

"I...Spike, you know how I feel about this.  Its not safe out there...Especially not now with Sauron back in Mordor staring at everyone with his big dumb eye."  I sighed.  "I don't even like you going out there where Tom can't protect you."  She tensed and jerked back from me.

  "Tom?!"  She snarled.  "I don't need some ponce in boots to protect me!  Everyone here's a bunch of soddin' light-weights!"  I could practically feel the anger and frustration pouring off her.   

"Spike..."  I started, but there was another snarl and she was at the door, flinging it open and slamming it behind her.  "Gah...real smooth, Xan, just keep pissing off the homicidal maniacs..."  I sighed and started to follow but tripped on the crate again and fell on my face.

~~~~~~

Xander

~~~~~~

  I'd just decided that I should ask for a bed before I fell asleep at the table when the door slammed open.  I jumped a mile, of course, but Tom and Goldberry merely turned welcoming smiles on the newcomer.  I was given the impression of brown leather and a nice body as the newcomer charged Tom in a very "I'm a vampire, Grr!" kind of way.   

"You!  This is all your bloody fault!"  A somewhat watered down British accent growled.  Tom merely smiled and offered the newcomer a chair.   

"Have a seat, Willamina, my friend, and tell us what disturbs you."  He said in a lilting voice.  Goldberry was bustling about again, her movements more graceful that any bustle I'd seen before.  I turned my attention back to "Willamina" as she was settled in a chair with a look that said she'd rather be pacing.   

I almost choked when I got a good look at her.  She was gorgeous despite the sour expression on her face.  She had a fine-boned, pointed face that was pure white with full lips and disturbingly familiar sharp blue eyes that never deigned to acknowledge my presence.  She sure as hell didn't look prim enough to be a "Willamina".   

"What disturbs me?  I'll tell you what disturbs me!  You've brain-washed the bint!"  She raged, pointing wildly back the way she came.  "You're makin' her hide here with you when she should be with me!"  I was assuming that she was raging about Ally, the strange girl that'd been giving me a crash course in Middle-Earth Living this past day.  The expression on this new chick's face and her vehement tone made one thing very clear.  I grinned to myself.  How many guys got to get mixed up in one, let alone two lesbian couples in there lives?  "What're you grinnin' at, lackbrain?!"  The woman snarled, suddenly leaning over the table to get in my face.  I put my hands up and backed my chair up a bit.

"Nothing!  Just thought of a funny joke..."  I said, rather lamely.  She didn't seem to hear my reply, her attention on Goldberry as she settled a steaming cup of tea before the other woman.

"She has a lot of fear to work through, Mina.  We have only given her a safe place to do so."  Goldberry said.  "She will not be forced into the world.  She must confront it on her own time."  Mina suddenly seemed to deflate.  She slumped to the table and rested her head on the table top. 

"She doesn't have time to waste."  She said after a moment, her voice unbearably sad.  "She's a soddin' mortal.  She'll be dead an' dust and then I'll have no one."  I twitched uncomfortably in this obviously private moment. Fortunately, before I could nervously crack a horrible joke that'd get me killed, the door opened and Ally stomped inside and ignored us all until she disappeared into the other room.  Mina hissed and leapt to her feet and stormed out into the night. 

  "So...uh...is this a bad time to ask where I'm sleeping?"  I asked Tom.  He simply laughed, Jolly guy that he is.