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Name: Charity a.k.a. BOB1
E-mail: charibob@aol.com
Title: I'd Wait Forever For You, Luckily I'm a Patient Man.
I'm just going to send it as Forever though, the long title is Ash's fault.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns all. Oh, and whoever owns "Bram Stoker's
Dracula" owns it. Whoever it is, isn't me.
Summary: this is based loosely on the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula"
Spoilers: none
Rating: PG-13 .
Feedback: Please Please feed the BOB
Authors note: I've taken liberty with the timelines, locations, and the vamp
rules just to make this go the way I want it too. If you don't like it, tough
luck. I'm using vamp rules from the Dracula movie instead of from BtVS
('cuz the Dracula vamps get cooler powers.)
Dedication: To my lovely bobs.
<>indicates thought
Prologue
William the Bloody lived for only two things; fighting, and his beloved Willomina.
William was born early in the sixteenth century, in England. He left when he
was young, craving excitement and wanting to make a name for himself. He had
been born the fourth son of a nobleman, and as everyone knows, the fourth son
of a nobleman has no prospects except as a soldier or a priest. William was
absolutely *not* going to become a priest, and thought that fighting to further
some other noble's cause was stupid. He traveled extensively, looking for the
perfect place to make a name and a position of power for himself. He found what
he was looking for in eastern Romania. William fought there, and won himself
the title of Duke. For a while he was content, but he soon came to realize that
something was missing. He decided that he was restless because he had no new
challenges. William decided to go back to England for a while, to think of a
new challenge for himself, and to rub his newfound status in his older brother's
faces. Not ten minutes after he got into England, his life was changed forever.
He saw her from the carriage he was riding in. Her fiery red hair glowed in
the sunlight. Her luminous green eyes seemed to pierce his very heart. William
was totally smitten. He smiled to himself as the carriage passed her. He had
found his new challenge.
Part 1
Willomina, wonderful precious Mina, had a smile that could light up the room
and soften even the most hardened of hearts; and when the slightest hint of
sadness crossed her lovely face the very sky wept for her.
*******
The first thing William did upon reaching his childhood home was to question
his brothers about the redheaded vision he had seen. He quickly learned from
his second eldest brother Wesley that his vision's name was Willomina and that
she was the daughter of a minor nobleman who had fallen on hard times. Wesley
knew this because he had tried to court the girl, only to be told by her father
that she would not be married to any man without a title and lands of his own.
William was ecstatic, there weren't many unattached noblemen with lands. It
meant that he had a much better chance. He decided to postpone meeting with
the rest of his family. He wanted to meet the beautiful girl who had caught
his eye and captured his heart. He quickly left his family's estates and went
to introduce himself to *his* Willomina.
William decided to present himself to her father first. William intended to
have this girl, and the best way to get her would be to follow the formalities
so that her father would have no cause for protest. Upon reaching the her family's
estate, he politely introduced himself to the girl's father and discussed the
possibility of courting his only daughter. The man agreed quite easily upon
learning that William was a duke. He called in a servant to lead William to
the garden where Willomina was.
She was even more breathtaking close up. Her long auburn tresses framed her
heart shaped face perfectly, drawing attention to her deep green eyes. <
A man could drown in those eyes. > thought William. He noted, in passing
that she was wearing an emerald green dress which only brought out the color
of her eyes more. He introduced himself and they made small talk. She had, he
noticed, a lovely voice, and that her hands fluttered nervously as they talked.
He also noted that she had a brain, something that seemed to be lacking in most
women he had known. It was a trait which further endeared her to him.
He kept their first meeting in a lighthearted tone. He wanted her to have a
chance to get used to him and to feel comfortable around him before he began
to truly court her. After the first few minutes, he could tell that it was the
right choice. While she was pleasant and polite, it was obvious that she was
also extremely shy. Moving to matters of the heart quickly would have only scared
her off, and the last thing William ever wanted to do was to scare this delicate
creature.
After a half an hour of conversation and a tour of the garden, William took
his leave of her. He did not want to go, but he also didn't want to overwhelm
her with his company all at once. So he left, hoping that she felt the same
connection to him that he felt for her. When he had first come to her, he thought
that she would be his. Now, after actually meeting her, he *knew* that he must
have her, that she was the only woman for him, that she was the only woman he
could ever love.
********
As the days passed, William was a regular visitor at Willomina's family estate.
He came by to visit her every day and his visits were progressive longer. After
about a week, William began bringing his beloved Mina flowers and small gifts,
finally commencing the courtship rituals after she had grown comfortable in
his presence. Not a day passed when he did not bring her some token of his affection.
William could not imagine a day going by without seeing her sweet smile and
hearing her enchanting voice. What had begun as an infatuation brought on by
a fleeting glimpse from a carriage, had turned into a deep all encompassing
love that William would not, *could not* lose.
*******
After a month of courtship, William broached the subject of marriage. He spoke
first with her father, formally asking permission to seek her hand. Her father
readily agreed, having come to like William quite well.
William proposed to Mina during a moonlit picnic in her favorite garden. His
heart swelled as she looked into his face and replied with a teary eyed "Yes."
William could not imagine finding anything ever that could make him as happy
as that one little word, not even if he had a thousand lifetimes to look.
Part 2
Though she was the epitome of innocence, her every movement exuded a sensual
grace unsurpassed by any. Her slightest gesture could and did make William tremble
with longing.
*******
After Mina had said yes, the wedding plans were quickly made. William had already
been in England too long. He needed to get back to his own estates in Romania
but he had no intention of going anywhere without his precious Mina.
The wedding was a small affair, held only three weeks after the proposal. Only
family was in attendance as William and Willomina exchanged their vows, only
two months after their first meeting.
*******
Immediately after the wedding, the newlyweds were in a carriage on their way
to Romania. Normally William found the journey tedious and boring, but on this
trip he saw everything in a new light. His bride made everything seem interesting
and new, and she seemed to be fascinated by everything. Their days were spent
in conversation and in watching the countryside as they passed it by. At night,
they stayed at inns along the route. Every night they would have supper in the
common room and then they would go upstairs and spend the majority of the night
making sweet passionate love to eachother.
********
When they finally reached William's estate, Willomina quickly endeared herself
to everyone living there. No one had ever expected their duke to ever find love,
all knew of his warlike nature, and the fact that the woman he had found happiness
with was such a tender kind soul was even more of a shock. But Mina was kind
to even the lowliest sharecroppers and her gentle nature soon made all who met
her love her and want to protect her.
********
Every moment since he had first seen her was ecstasy. William was in heaven.
He lost his thirst for fighting. All he wanted to do was worship and adore his
beautiful wife. And that's what he did, until war broke out.
********
While he did not want to go. William had a responsibility to protect his people
and most especially to protect his precious Mina. So he went reluctantly off
to war, taking most of his able bodied people with him to fight, leaving only
a few of the older men, some of the younger boys and several priests to protect
the women and children who were left behind.
The fighting was fierce, but in the end William and his men were triumphant
and they hurried home to their loved ones, only to find that while they were
away tragedy had struck close to their hearts.
An enemy soldier, knowing that they were about to be defeated, had shot an arrow
into a window in William's castle. The arrow bore a note telling of William's
death. Willomina, having read the note, threw herself off a parapet in despair.
********
When William reached home, the first thing he did was to look for Mina. He wanted
her to know that he was all right and that they had won. What he found was a
sight far more horrific than any he had seen on a battlefield. The twisted and
broken body of his beloved was lying on the floor of the small chapel in the
castle. William went slightly mad then. And the priests that he had left to
help guard and protect his Mina pushed him further into madness, telling him
that since she had taken her own life that her soul would be in agony forever.
It was when the priest told William that she had damned herself to Hell that
William broke completely. The thought of his precious Mina, the embodiment of
kindness and innocence, in Hell, pushed him over the edge. William drew his
sword and ran the priest through. He carved out the man's heart and ate it raw
for daring to suggest such a horror, then he drank the priest's blood out of
the gaping wound. As he did, he felt a presence invade him and with it, the
presence brought strength, power, and time.
Dropping the priest's body, William knelt down on the floor and gathered his
beloved Willomina into his arms, whispering to her broken body that he would
find her again, and that they would be together always.
Part 3
Sunnydale, Present.
"Master, the stars are singing for you. I've done what you've asked. I'm waiting
for your return. And together we can dance in the moonlight forever." Drucilla
sang out the window of her room in the Sunnydale Institution for the Insane.
********
"But you'll be gone for months!"
"I know, baby, but if I can sell this place, we'll have enough for a big wedding
and a nice honeymoon" Oz replied. After his band broke up, Oz had gotten a job
in real estate to support himself and to save money for he and Willow's upcoming
marriage and consequent life together. Willow was working her way through college
as a tutor for slow children and had no money to spare, and neither one of their
respective sets of parents were able or willing to finance a marriage.
"But we don't need a big wedding, and we don't need to go away for our honeymoon
to be nice. I think we could have a wonderful honeymoon right here. All we would
have to do is go back to your apartment, lock the doors and turn off the phone
for a week. I couldn't imagine a better honeymoon."
"Baby, you deserve a nice wedding, and we both deserve a honeymoon somewhere
where people aren't going to bother us. Besides, it'll also give us enough money
to put a down payment on a house of our own."
"But I'll miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, but it'll only be for a few weeks, and I'll write or call
every day. Anyway, I'm kind of curious about this guy that wants to buy that
creepy mansion. And why he couldn't just fly over and look at the thing himself.
Aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. But if it came down to a choice between satisfying my curiosity
or being with you, I'd rather be with you."
"I have to do this, baby."
"I know. And I understand, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be thrilled
to death at you leaving for almost a month. And it doesn't mean that I'm not
going to pretend that I don't miss you and that letters and phone calls make
up for you not being here."
"I feel that way too."
Changing the tone of the discussion slightly before she got too depressed at
the thought of not being able to hold her fiancee for nearly a month, Willow
said, "Didn't the agency already send someone else though?"
"Yeah, they sent a woman named Drucilla Renfield."
"What happened? Didn't this guy like her attitude or something?"
"Well, all the guys at work said that she had a nervous breakdown. And I heard
that the guy shipped her back here because she totally lost it. She's in the
Sunnydale sanitarium now, so I guess it's true."
"She went nuts? That's not good. What if it's that guy's fault? What if he drives
you nuts too? I really don't want to get married in an insane asylum. Buffy
would never go to a wedding in a mental institute, and the pictures would come
out terrible. And it would ruin the honeymoon. You can't go! I won't let you
go off to visit some guy in Romania and let him drive you nuts! It would just
be bad! And-"
Oz let her go on for a while before cutting her off. He knew that if he didn't
stop her sooner or later that she would keep going on like this for hours imagining
more and more weird, off the wall ideas until she was stopped. He loved to watch
her do it, and the things she came up with were always strange and interesting,
but he didn't want her to get too worked up about this. After all, it was only
for a month and Oz really wasn't worried about being driven insane. "Baby, I'm
not going to go nuts. I somehow doubt that this guy drove anyone nuts. Drucilla
was probably losing it anyway, and the trip to an unfamiliar place most likely
just sped up the process. And this guy does have a name. Referring to him as
‘this guy’ is just going to confuse me later on. Lets use his name from now
on. After all, if I make the sale, he's going to be a neighbor."
Willow listened to Oz seriously. He was right. She was just being silly. And
being silly just made her want to kick herself. After all, she was supposed
to be the smart, sensible, level headed one. < It must be pre-prewedding
jitters. >
"You're right Oz. Just letting my mind run away with me. And you will make the
sale, so we had better get used to using this guy's name. There's just one little
problem with that."
"What's that, Baby?"
"You never told me his name."
"Really? I could have sworn I mentioned it. Oh well, his name is William Dracul.
Oh, and you'll like this. Apparently he's some sort of nobleman. A duke, I think."
"Wow! My fiancee hanging out with nobility! That's so cool! Does he live in
a castle? And if he's a duke, why does he want to live here? I mean, he must
know that we don't have castles and noble type stuff here."
"Maybe he's sick of noble type stuff. I don't know weather he lives in a castle
or not. And I'm not hanging out with him, I'm just going to try and sell him
a house."
"You aren't going to try. You are going to be successful. I have nothing but
total confidence in you."
"Thanks baby. I need to go get packed."
"O.k. you go get packed. I need to get to school anyway. I'll see you before
you go, right?"
"Of course. Who do you think is driving me to the airport?"
Willow smiled at him and stole a quick kiss as she walked out the door.
*******
"I love you."
"I love you too. I'll call and write every day. Promise."
"Be careful."
"I will." With that Oz turned and boarded the plane. He was off to Romania where
his life would take a remarkably different turn.
Part 4
They had danced in the moonlight to music that only they could hear. William
would give anything to dance with her again, to hold her in his arms as the
moon lovingly caressed her features and the stars shone in her eyes.
********
DIARY OF OSWALD HARKER
Romania is odd. I feel as though I've stepped off the plane and into another
world. There is definitely an olde worlde feel to this place. It's as if nothing
has progressed in the past two hundred years or so. There is some technology;
phones, electricity, cars, stuff like that, but the buildings and the people
seem to be from antiquity. It's strange. Willow would love it here. The architecture
alone would keep her riveted for weeks. I miss her already.
The duke left me a message at the airport, telling me that his driver had become
sick and would be unable to meet me. He arranged a bus ticket for the large
part of the journey to his home and let me know that he would have another driver
pick me up at the end of the bus trip. He also informed me that since his home
and the surrounding villages were so small and off the beaten path, they did
not have phone lines so if I had any calls to make I should do it before I left
the airport. I made two calls. One to the office which took a while because
I had to explain to about four different people why all business would be done
by mail, and one to Willow which was cut short because the bus was leaving in
a few minutes. I told her about the lack of phone situation and she told me
that she was going to stay with her friend Buffy while I was gone. Then it was
time to leave and we barely got a chance to say our 'I love yous' before I had
to get on the bus.
I'm really not happy that Willow is staying with Buffy. Don't get me wrong,
Buffy is a nice girl in her own way, but she's spoiled and pampered. She lives
in the lap of luxury and doesn't really have to do much of anything except look
pretty and act polite when her parents have a party. They have hordes of servants
so she doesn't have to do anything, and I honestly don't think that anyone has
ever said no to any whim Buffy has ever had. I can't offer Willow that kind
of lifestyle, so I don't want her to get too used to having it, but there's
not really much I can say or do about it. Buffy and Willow have been friends
for what seems like forever and I am glad that Willow isn't alone so I can't
say no. Besides Willow is a grown woman so I can't dictate her actions anyway
and I know that she's sensible and won't let Buffy's lifestyle get to her. That
doesn't mean I have to like it though.
Back to the here and now; the bus ride over was really weird. Everything was
fine until someone asked me where I was going. I told them and everyone seemed
to back as far away from me as possible. It was odd. No one tried to speak to
me again until it was time for me to get off. As I was getting out of the bus
an old woman came up to me and told me to beware of the devil and pressed a
crucifix into my hands. Strange.
The duke's driver was waiting for me at the crossroads. He didn't say a word
to me, just put my luggage in the trunk and motioned for me to get in the back-seat.
Throughout the entire trip he didn't utter a single syllable. The only noise
was from wolves howling at the moon. The trip was a fairly short one, only about
twenty minutes before we pulled up in front of a huge gothic castle. When we
got there the driver pulled my bags out of the trunk and motioned for me to
enter the front door, still never saying a word. I guess he just isn't a talkative
guy.
Anyway, I got to the door, which swung open by itself, and this old guy (and
I mean really old. I would be surprised if this guy was on this side of one
hundred) came down the stairs and invited me in. The way he phrased the invitation
was strange. He said "Welcome, I invite you to enter my home of your own free
will." As if I didn't choose to come of my own free will anyway. Like I said,
strange. Then the wolves started howling and he started going on about the children
of the night and what sweet music they made. I'm thinking that this guy is *really*
senile.
He offered me a late supper, which I accepted because I hadn't eaten since the
plane ride and airline food sucks. There was a very large supper waiting for
me, but oddly the duke ate nothing. And he served red wine, but didn't get a
glass for himself. I asked him about it and he said "I never drink ... wine."
The whole thing just seemed a little off.
I noticed a portrait of a young man in armor and commented on the familial resemblance.
He started telling me the history of the guy in the painting like he was there
for the whole thing. Actually this guy looks old enough that him being there
could have been a distinct possibility. He was going on about the guy in the
painting being the last line of defense or something and I snorted. The next
thing I knew, the duke had a sword to my throat. This was not the way to get
a sale, and I promptly apologized for giving offense. It's a good thing I did
too, this guy looked ready to kill me. And who would have thought that a guy
this old could even lift a sword, let alone draw it from somewhere unseen and
have it at my neck before I even saw him move. For an old man, this guy is *fast*.
After I gave my apology, he seemed slightly mollified and led me to the room
that I would be staying in. He told me that the castle was very old and there
were a lot of bad memories and spirits here. He said that I could feel free
to wander around but not to go into any rooms with locked doors for fear of
stirring up the spirits. I'm cut off from civilization and trapped in an ancient
castle with a senile old man who believes in ghosts and is willing to stab people
who insult his ancestors. No wonder Drucilla went nuts. I only hope that I don't
do the same.
Part 5
The first thing William did after taking her back to his estate was to give
her a garden. She grew dozens of different types of flowers in it and the flowers
never seemed to wither or fade... until the day of her death. That day, all
of her flowers died, as if they didn't have the will to go on without her.
*******
FROM THE DIARY OF WILLOW ROSENBURG
I just officially moved in with Buffy. I think it'll be good for me. It will
give me a chance to get used to living with someone. I've been living alone
for the past three years and it will give me time to adjust before the wedding.
From the few minutes of conversation I had with Oz, it sounded like he wasn't
happy at all about it though. And I really don't like making him unhappy but
if he would think about it, he would see that it's a smart thing to do. It saves
money because I won't have to worry about paying for an apartment, and it saves
me a lot of hassle because I have school, work, and a wedding to plan. It really
helps that I don't have to worry about things like housecleaning and grocery
shopping. And Buffy is helping me plan the wedding so it's convenient to be
in the same place. I still feel bad though. I don't want Oz to be unhappy and
I don't want him worrying about this when he's under so much pressure to make
this sale. Of course, he's putting most of the pressure on himself. He wants
to succeed so badly, to make things nice for us. Things would be nice for us
anyway. Just being together would make things very nice indeed for us, but he's
got this outdated idea of a 'family provider' stuck in his head, even though
we have no intention of having a family anytime soon. But there seems to be
nothing I can say to dissuade him. And it is incredibly sweet in a male chauvinistic
way. He's always sweet though.
I miss him already. And I'm not even going to get to hear his voice for nearly
a month. Sigh. I'm not liking this no phone thing. What kind of person has no
phone. It's the twentieth century. Everyone has a phone. And what if Oz gets
hurt or sick. He won't be able to call someone for help. This is not good! I
don't like this at all! But there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about
it. And Oz is a big boy. He can take care of himself. But I worry. That seems
to be a big part of my mental makeup, worrying.
That's it! Enough bad thoughts! Everything is going to be fine. Oz will be home
soon. Nothing bad will happen. And now I have to stop writing because Buffy
and I are going to go pick out the wedding invitations. We won't be able to
get them done yet because we can't set a date until Oz gets home, but at least
we'll have a pretty good idea of what we're going to order.
*******
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DIARY OF OSWALD HARKER
There really isn't a reason for me to stay for three weeks. Drucilla got most
of the paperwork laid out. There's really not much to do but sign the papers
and mail the check. But I can't say anything to Dracul about it because he seems
so lonely and sad. And I would feel like a real heel if I just left this lonely
old guy here all alone when he expects me to stay so long. Besides the return
tickets are already paid for and dated.
We got about half of the initial paperwork done today. It wasn't that hard.
In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that we had to change Drucilla's name to
mine, we wouldn't have had to do it at all.
Now on to the weirdness of the day. A couple weird things happened. First of
all, my picture of Willow is missing. I probably just misplaced it, but that's
not something that I would usually misplace. I hope it shows up. Second, this
morning, strangeness abounded. Dracul showed up in my room, I so wasn't expecting
him and the door did one of those silent opening things, I turned my head when
I heard his voice in my ear and accidentally cut myself shaving. Then my mirror
broke apparently for no good reason, and Dracul took the razor out of my hand
and started shaving me. That was freaky. After last night I really didn't want
him anywhere near my neck, especially with a blade. And then he caught sight
of the crucifix that the old lady on the bus gave me. I decided to start wearing
it, not because I'm afraid of the devil or of evil spirits haunting the castle,
but because it's really neat looking. But Dracul was freaking out. He went on
and on about not putting my faith in such foolish idols. After a while he calmed
down and told my that since I was in a different country that I shouldn't expect
my ways to be the same as their ways. I can accept cultural differences, but
still the way he was going on was just wigging me out. Then he seemed to glide
out of the room like he was on tracks or something and then the door did that
shutting on it's own thing that doors around here seem to like to do.
There's a lot of weird stuff going on around here. I don't think we're in Kansas
anymore, Toto.
Part 6
One night, shortly after he brought her back to his estate, she decided to hide
from him. He chased her throughout the castle, her laughter floating through
the air. When he did catch up to her in one of the spare rooms, he nearly fell
over himself. She was indeed a vision, her hair in disarray, her cheeks flushed
and her eyes dancing with laughter. He took her passionately then and there.
It was one of William's favorite memories. Of course, all memories of his beloved
Mina were favorite memories, but this one even more so. He could still hear
her laughter echoing through the dead halls of his castle.
*******
DRACUL'S CASTLE
THE NEXT DAY
Oz woke up and managed to shake off most of the weirdness from the previous
days. He searched for a while for a mirror so that he could shave, but finding
none he decided to go without shaving. He figured that looking a bit scruffy
was much better than trying to deal with the duke with half of his face sliced
up.
He went downstairs to the room that Dracul had set up as an office. The duke
was already there, reading a newspaper form America. He looked up as Oz walked
in and said, "I trust you had a pleasant sleep." He folded up his newspaper
and tossed it on the desk, where Oz picked it up and looked at it and then him
questioningly. The duke answered his unspoken question, "I have it and several
others sent over. Since I'm going to be living in your land, I wish to be advised
of current affairs and also I do not wish to be seen as a stranger there, so
they help me to know the proper ways of speech. I have been master here for
many years, and would rather remain master, at least of myself. I do not wish
for people to see me as an outsider and think less of me for it."
"Oh, well.... I don't think you'll have too much trouble."
"I thank you for your kind words, my friend. Come, let us begin the work."
Oz and the duke worked for about an hour or so before Oz brought out the pictures.
He had gone to the mansion and taken quite a few photographs so that the duke
would have some idea of what he was paying for. "The mansion is quite old, and
to be honest rather gloomy."
"I am glad that it is old. I have never lived in a new house and would not feel
comfortable without the feeling of ages of use around me. And as for gloom,
my young friend, gloom is no stranger to me, and I rather suspect that no matter
how gloomy the house is, it will not be nearly as gloomy as my current abode.
I believe that it is impossible for *any* domicile to be as gloomy as this one."
"Yeah, this place is kinda..." Oz left the sentence unfinished because he didn't
want to upset Dracul again. < God only knows where he’s got swords stashed
in this place. And if I keep pissing him off, he probably will run me
through. >
"A lovely place," said Dracul as he was looking through the photographs. Suddenly,
he froze. Oz looked at him curiously as he started shaking slightly. Oz was
worried that the old guy had a heart attack or something.
The duke began speaking softly, "Do you believe in fate? The luckiest man who
walks on this earth is one who finds-true love." The duke's intense blue eyes
met Oz's hazel ones as he looked over the duke's shoulder to see what had put
him in this odd frame of mind.
"Oh, you found Willow! I thought I'd lost her." The duke was staring at Oz's
picture of Willow as if he was afraid to look away even for a moment. "She's
my fiancee. We'll be married when I get home. Her picture must have gotten mixed
up with the others.
At the word 'married' the duke's head shot up and he glared at Oz for a second.
He then calmed himself and handed the picture to Oz. "I'm sure you will be very
happy," he forced himself to say. "Now, lets continue with our work."
Part 7
They would sit on the battlements for hours, cuddling and looking at the stars.
She would point out the different constellations to him, and he would name the
stars for her. Of course, all the stars were named Mina.
*******
SUNNYDALE
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
DIARY OF WILLOW ROSENBURG
Buffy's mother is throwing a party tonight, and Buffy is insisting that I go.
I really don't want to. These things always make me feel uncomfortable and awkward.
I never know what to say to these people. And this time it's going to be even
worse. Buffy is insisting that I wear some of her clothes. I despise Buffy's
clothing. Every time she forces me into something of hers, I always feel half
naked. But she wants me to "Make the guys swoon while you still can, after all
you'll be totally off limits soon and where's the fun in that?" Of course, right
after that she starts in about how lucky I am to be engaged and how jealous
she is since she hasn't even gotten one proposal yet. She doesn't seem to think
that it could be because she's dating three guys heavily and some more on the
side but she seems to think that tonight all three of her steady guys are going
to propose. And for all I know, they probably will. Buffy has always had a way
with guys. They seem to fall over themselves to please her. I wonder what she's
going to do if she gets these proposals tonight. After all, she can't marry
all three of them, although knowing Buffy, she'd find a way. That would make
the honeymoon *very* interesting.
*******
ROMANIA
DRACUL'S CASTLE
"Congratulations. You, sir, are now the owner of the largest private home in
Sunnydale."
"I thank you, my young friend. And now, it would please me greatly if you would
write to your firm and to any loved ones and say that you will be staying here
for a months time."
"Do you really want me to stay so long?"
"I will take no refusals."
"Might I ask why?"
"I wish to learn more of your manner of speaking, as well as your customs. I
do not wish to look a fool in my new home.
"Very well."
*******
SUNNYDALE
THE SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
The party was going full swing and Buffy and Willow were hanging out in a secluded
corner where they could see all the guests arriving. Suddenly, a tall, dark
haired tanned man came in, wearing jeans and a big hat. Willow leaned over to
Buffy and asked in a low voice so that no one would overhear, "What is that?"
"That, Willow, is a Texan. A real honest to goodness Texan. He's even got a
horse. His name is Xander Harris and I think he's going to propose tonight."
"What makes you think that?"
"Willow, I *know* how to work guys. Watch this." And with that, Buffy left Willow
and flounced over to Xander. She started rubbing up against him and Willow could
hear her asking "Please, let me touch it? It's so big." < What is she doing?!?!
There are people around! She must be nuts! The hair dye must have finally seeped
into her brain. I have to stop her before she does something to embarras herself
and everyone else. >
Willow relaxed against the wall as she watched the Texan pull Buffy down onto
the couch with a serious expression on his face. He took off his had and set
it down on the couch beside them and then he began to speak in a serious voice
as the door opened and another guest came in. He was a tall pale man with dark
hair and eyes, and he was wearing a blue silk shirt, a black leather jacket
and a serious expression on his face. At least until Buffy jumped up, totally
disregarding Xander and bounced over to him.
"Angel!" She squealed. She threw her arms around him and his expression changed
to one of pure joy for a second, then he overbalanced and both he and Buffy
tumbled to the floor. Buffy bounced back up and helped Angel up. He was limping
slightly and she helped him over to the couch where she had left Xander. The
two men greeted eachother cordially enough, although there was an undertone
of hostility. After all, they were both dating the same woman. Angel sat down
and he and Xander began to talk to Buffy as the door opened and another guest
came in.
The newest arrival had light brown hair and a thoughtful expression on his face.
Buffy jumped up again and squealed "Owen!" as she went to greet him. The others
followed after her as she went, pausing only for Angel to retrieve Xander's
hat from under him and apologize for crushing it. The three males surrounded
Buffy and all started talking to her and trying to distract her from the other
two.
Willow watched as Buffy entertained her admirers, feeling a slight pang of jealousy.
Suddenly a feeling of being watched came over her. She looked around to see
if anyone was looking at her, but could see no one paying her any mind. Then
the shadows seemed to engulf her and she felt an overwhelming sense of love
and promise sweep over her.
*******
After the duke got the letters he requested from Oz, he began avoiding him.
Oz, left to himself began to wander around the castle. < There's something
very strange going on around here. Why did the duke want me to stay here to
help him if he was just going to avoid me? I think he's got some sort of ulterior
motive, but what? >
Oz walked back to his rooms and looked out the window, contemplating the moon
and missing Willow, when he heard a noise from below him. He looked down and
saw the duke climbing down the castle wall. < Oh my God! That’s a sheer drop!
How does he do that?!?! He can’t be human! What is he???? >
Oz fled from his room in a panic. He ran through the castle, ending up in a
place he had never been before. He found a door, not quite closed properly and
forced it open. The room looked to be a woman's bedroom. There was a dressing
table and quite a few brushes and bottles on it. He opened one and the smell
of lavender floated out. < Why would the duke have lavender- >
The door flew open and Dracul swooped in. He pulled the three women off of Oz
and yelled at them.
"I told you not to touch him! He's mine!"
The one with the red highlights spoke up. "It's not fair! We just want to love
him and kiss him. You always spoil our fun. But what would you know of love?
You've never loved."
"I too know of love, Anya. Did I not love the three of you? I promise that you
may kiss him to your hearts delight as soon as I am finished with him, but for
now, he is to remain untouched."
The other two girls spoke up. "Are we to have nothing tonight?"
"Faith, Cordelia, of course you shall have something tonight. Do I not always
provide for you?"
Dracul then opened the bag that he had brought with him. Oz's vision was obscured
so all he saw was a flash of pink as the three women crowed around Dracul and
began to feed. The noise that came from whatever the duke was holding was frightening.
It could have been the squeal of a piglet or it could have been the cry of a
half smothered baby. Either way, Oz screamed in horror and fainted dead away.
Part 8
ROMANIA
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DIARY OF OZ HARKER
The duke ignores me as his gypsies toil night and day. They are all digging
up dirt and boxing it up. Why? I have no clue, but they do it. I have been trying
to persuade one of them to send a letter for me, because the duke is allowing
me no contact with the outside world. They just ignore me though, or laugh derisively.
They seem to be fiercely loyal to Dracul. I wonder if they would be so loyal
if they knew what he really is. But between the language barrier and the fact
that I don't know what that monster is myself prevents me from telling them.
I'm afraid that I signed my own death warrant. I wrote those damn letters for
the duke and now no one will be looking for me for another month. Plenty of
time for him to kill me, dispose of my body and think of a good story to tell
people. This is not good.
But even worse, he's going to be going to Sunnydale. I helped that monster to
get a home in my town. He'll be walking the streets there, probably killing
people I know. Oh God! Willow! He could hurt Willow. The way he was looking
at her picture.... No! I won't let him get to my Willow! I've got to figure
out a way to stop him.
How?
First I'm going to find out what's going on with those boxes of dirt. Maybe
that's a way to stop him.
*******
SUNNYDALE
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
Dearest Willow,
The duke has asked me to stay here for an extra month. He wants me to teach
him about American customs and language and stuff. When I get back we can start
planning the wedding.
I love you,
Oz
Willow was sitting out on the patio of the Summer's home, reading and rereading
the letter that had arrived this morning. < There's got to be something wrong.
This letter is so cold. So unOz-like. I wish- > Willow was pulled out of
her thoughts by an ecstatic shout from inside the house. Willow looked up as
Buffy came running out of the house.
"I love him! I love him!" Buffy caught sight of Willow and raced over to her.
"I love him and I've said yes!"
"Let me guess, the Texan with the big knife?"
"Nope. Xander is sweet and cute, but he has no ambition."
"Um...The serious guy with the leather jacket?"
"No. Angel is a doll, but he lives in a mental institute."
"He lives in a mental institute?"
"Well, he runs the place. He's like the youngest guy ever to run his own nuthouse,
but just because he runs it doesn't mean I want to live there. Besides, it's
right by that creepy old mansion."
"So that just leaves number three, unless there's another guy running around
that you haven't told me about."
"Nope. No other guys. I love Owen and I'm going to marry him. Just think, soon
I'll be Mrs. Buffy Holmwood, married to the only child of the owner of a successful
chain of hotels. And it's cool, 'cuz Owen wants to write books so we don't have
to think about things like money and stuff while he writes. You'll be my maid
of honor, right?"
Willow's attention had drifted to the letter she had received from Oz while
Buffy was going on about that Owen guy and she had only heard with half an ear
what Buffy had asked. "Oh... Of course Buffy."
"Willow! This is the most important day of my life we're talking about and you
don't even seem to care."
"I'm sorry Buffy, of course I care. And I'm really really excited for you. It's
just I got this letter from Oz today, and I'm so worried about him. The letter
hardly says anything at all and it's just so cold. It's not like him at all."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure everything is okay. Maybe he was just distracted or something
when he wrote it. With work and stuff, you know how it is with guys. Everything
will be fine and before you know it he'll be back and then I'll get married
and you'll get married and we'll all live happily ever after."
Willow smiled at Buffy. Then it started to rain and the two women jumped up
and danced in the rain.
*******
ROMANIA
DRACUL'S CASTLE
Oz crept through the corridors, looking for the duke and trying to find out
what was going on with the boxes of dirt. He came to a chapel in the lowest
level of the castle, where the gypsies were working away. He snuck inside the
chapel just as the sun set. An old coffin opened and the duke emerged.
< Oh my God! >
Part 9
ROMANIA
DRACUL'S CASTLE
< HE SLEEPS IN A COFFIN!!!! THIS IS VERY BAD!!!!! >
The blow didn't seem to do any damage to the duke whatsoever. In fact, the only
indication the duke gave that he was even aware of it was when he turned his
completely undamaged head to glare at Oz.
The duke grabbed Oz by the throat and dragged him up into a tower where the
three female vampires were awakening. He threw Oz against the wall and barked
orders to his females that Oz was to be kept alive and not turned, but so long
as he lived that they could play with him to their hearts content. He then told
the women that he would be leaving that night and that they were to behave while
he was gone.
< No! He can't be leaving tonight! I have to get out of here. Have to stop
him! Have to protect Willow! > were the only thoughts on Oz's mind as the
three female vampires closed in on him.
********
"Fifty boxes of dirt? Why the hell is someone FedExing fifty boxes of dirt?"
The pilot asked the head of the ground crew.
"Damned if I know," the ground crew man responded. "It was sent by some eastern
European guy though. Maybe he doesn't trust American dirt."
"Oh well, lets just get this loaded up so that I can get out of here."
*******
Sunnydale,
The Sunnydale Institution for the Insane
"Master! I am waiting for you! I have been your loyal servant! Come Master,
and make me your servant for eternity!" Drucilla Renfield's crazed yelling could
be heard all over the compound as Dr. Angel Seward recorded his thoughts about
his patient.
"Drucilla Renfield. A bright young woman who took a business trip and went completely
insane. I've never seen anything like this. I think I'll have to create a new
class of lunatic for her. But there is method in her madness. What she raves
about makes sense, in a senseless psychotic sort of way. If only I could figure
her out, then I could make my entire career on just her case alone. I'm going
to go talk to her again."
Angel shut off the tape recorder and headed down the hall to the small room
which held Drucilla. She was sitting on the floor with a plate in her hands
as he walked in her room.
"Your girlfriend turned you down, didn't she?" Drucilla asked with a smile on
her face.
"My personal life interests you?" Angel asked more to avoid answering the question
than to hear her response.
"ALL life interests me." Drucilla waved the plate under Angel's nose and offered
"Canape?"
Angel took a look at the plate and gave a slight shudder of revulsion at the
sight of the insects writhing around on the plate. "Your diet is disgusting
Drucilla."
Drucilla picked a small fly off the plate, stared at it for a second and ate
it. "It's all perfectly nutritious doctor. Perfectly healthy. And it all adds
to my life."
"A fly gives you life?"
"Yes."
Angel looked at the plate again. There were several spiders in the mass of insects.
"What about spiders? After all, spiders eat the flies."
"Yes. And then I absorb the life of the spider and the fly. I must have lives!"
Angel was starting to get it. He was elated. It was a breakthrough just waiting
to happen. "What about um.... birds?"
"Oh yes! Birds would add tremendously to life."
"Or a kitten?" Angel asked excitedly.
"Oh a kitten! Something I could play with and feed and love. No one would deny
me a kitten!"
"Or what about a great big cat?"
"A full grown cat? I must have a cat! My salvation depends on it!"
Angel jumped up. "Your salvation?"
"I must have lives for the master! If I do his work here, he will make me immortal!"
"How?"
Drucilla didn't say a thing. She just lunged for his throat. It took four orderlies
to pry her away.
********
The Old Mansion.
The sun had just passed below the horizon, giving the town over to darkness
as the delivery company finished unloading fifty large boxes and stacking them
in the mansion. The delivery men hurried away, none of them wanting to stay
in that creepy place after dark. As soon as the door shut behind the last delivery
man, one of the boxes burst open to reveal a lean man looking no more than twenty-five
years old with dark brown hair, a perfectly sculpted face and icy blue eyes
that were lit up with anticipation. < I have come for you, my love. >
Part 10
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
It was after midnight when
Willow walked into Buffy's room. Willow had just awoken from a very odd dream
about a castle and a blue eyed man that Willow knew that she had never seen in
real life, and she had gone into Buffy's room in the hopes that Buffy would be
awake and she could talk about her dream. When she got there, she found the
lights off and the bed empty, as well as the french doors open wide.
Willow became very worried very quickly. She knew that Buffy had no
plans to go out tonight, and that there would be no reason for her to leave her
doors open. She also knew that Buffy had a history of sleepwalking. Starting to
really freak out, Willow rushed out the door to search for her friend.
As
she rushed through the gardens, Willow began to hear a low moaning as well as
what could have been a growl. Willow turned a corner and
found....
********
OUTSIDE THE SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
ABOUT 20
MINUTES EARLIER
William had been wandering the streets of late night
Sunnydale, looking for a good meal and, more importantly, some sort of sign or
clue of where the elusive redhead whom he believed-no whom he *knew*- was his
beloved Mina.
He had stopped in front of a very large house. He could
hear several very distinct heartbeats from inside and he knew that he would have
no trouble luring a meal out of the house, but the same could be said of any of
the houses he had passed along the way. The reason he had stopped in front of
this house was because of a scent. A very familiar and longed for scent. It was
the smell of vanilla with a hint of lavender. A scent that he could never forget
and would always connect with his precious Mina. He shifted into the form of a
wolf, trying to get a clearer smell. There was no doubt about it, it was indeed
her scent. He had been looking for a sign, and he could not think of a clearer
sign than this without actually seeing her in the flesh.
He reached out
with his mind to call her out, to bring her close so that he could know for
certain that it was her. As he was making contact with her mind, he realized
that he was hungry. Very hungry. He quickly changed the direction of his mental
call, calling some other girl in the house, because he did not want to feed from
her. He wanted to leave her completely untouched until he had confirmed that she
was his beloved and then he would take her and they would be together for
eternity, as it should have been.
The woman that came out of the house
was a small blonde. He lured her out into garden, as far away from the house as
possible. He tended to be noisy while feeding in wolf form, and his victims were
just as loud, if not louder. He didn't want to wake *her* if it was really her.
The blonde woman followed docilely and laid down on a bench when he stopped
moving. She was still entranced and didn't seem to care when William shifted
forms again and, in a form that seemed to be a mixture of man and wolf, leaned
over her and sank his fangs deeply into her neck. As her blood filled him she
began to moan loudly, a sound that seemed to be a mixture of pain and pleasure.
He began to growl low in his throat as she started writhing against him.
Suddenly, a noise from behind them caught his attention and he looked up to
see....
********
Willow was frozen in horror. There was some
*thing* looming over Buffy. She gasped and the thing's eyes caught her own. When
it's gaze met hers, the thing seemed to become as frozen as she was. And
then.....
*******
William caught her eye. If this wasn't his Mina,
then it was a damn good copy. And she was staring at him, horrified. NO! He
wouldn't *couldn't* have her afraid, most especially not of him. He reached out
with his mind as he nearly growled "No. Do not see me. Forget." and then, in the
blink of an eye, he was away....
*******
Willow was frozen for a
second as she came upon Buffy, lying on a bench moaning, obviously in the grips
of a terrible nightmare. She had an odd feeling that she was missing something
but she shook it off and rushed to Buffy's side and waking her up, she started
to lead Buffy back to the house as Buffy started to moan about horrible red
eyes.
*******
William, hiding in the shadows, watched her every
movement as she led her friend back into the house. < Soon, my love. Very
soon. >
Part 11
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
THE
NEXT DAY
Willow was exhausted and worried. She had spent the rest of the
night trying to calm Buffy down as she kept going on about red eyes and 'tasting
his blood'. As for who 'he' was and why Buffy seemed to think that she had
tasted his blood, Willow had no idea. Willow was feeling rather helpless, there
didn't seem to be anything that she could do for Buffy. She had talked to
Buffy's parents about what had happened and they promised that they would try to
take care of it. But still, Willow felt like she had to do something. So she
decided to make sure that Buffy would sleep the next night.
She got
dressed and hurried out of the house, intent on finding any and everything that
might help Buffy sleep better and be undisturbed by nightmares.
********
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
Contrary to popular
belief, sunlight is not the bane of vampires that folklore suggests. It is true
that sunlight is painful to the creatures and their powers are greatly weakened
during the sunlight hours, but if care is taken to avoid the worst of sun's rays
there is no reason that a vampire cannot move freely outside during the daylight
hours. And luckily (or due to a little nudge in the weather fronts on William's
part) the sky was cloudy and overcast, allowing him complete freedom of
movement.
Heavy feeding, right before his journey and afterward, had
restored to William the outward appearance of youth and vitality, as he had
known it would. And today he had a strong wish to appear young. For today, after
centuries of waiting, he would at last, if the fates were kind, once again stand
face to face with his beloved Willomina.
The day was fairly cloudy for
Southern California but even if the weather had been perfectly clear, Willow
would have given little thought to her immediate surroundings. Thus it was that
for several hours she had no idea that she was being followed.
The
visitor to America who followed Willow through the streets of Sunnydale without
her knowledge was dressed casually in a pair of black jeans, a red silk shirt
and a pair of ray-bans. To move like this, freely though the unfamiliar streets
of a new modern city was a new experience for William, but today he gave the
experience only peripheral attention. His focused desire was to approach this
particular young woman openly by daylight and in a civilized manner.
A
thousand wild hopes, incoherent and fantastic, raced through his heart. Hopes
based on a woman's face seen only in a photograph, and then once more-seen only
very briefly and at night and by sheer chance-but then, could there be, really,
truly, any such thing as sheer chance in the fates of star-crossed men and
women?
There she went, crossing the main street.... With an
effortlessness born of centuries of experience, the hunter stalked his quarry
through the small city.
At last, having maneuvered himself into an easily
viewable position across the street from her, he murmured, almost inaudibly: "My
love....see me now."
Part 12
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
As Willow exited the store her
eyes caught for a second on a man standing across the street from her. She
paused involuntarily for a moment, taking in his casual stance and his face
which, while half covered with the sunglasses, seemed achingly familiar. She
stared at him for only a moment before shaking herself out of her silent reverie
and continuing on her way. She got only a few steps before she bumped into a man
walking in the other direction. Willow managed to hold on to most of her
packages, but a small bottle of perfume that she had gotten as an engagement
present for Buffy slipped out of the top of one of her bags. The man she bumped
into managed to swoop down and catch it before it hit the sidewalk and
shattered.
As William straightened his dead heart lurched in his chest.
It was her. It had to be her. There was no way possible that it couldn't be her.
Every detail was the same, her lustrous fiery hair, her shy yet inquisitive
luminous green eyes, her unique scent of lavender and vanilla, everything was
right. He had to fight the impulse to grab her right off the street and carry
her away with him.
As he handed her the bottle, he took off his
sunglasses and Willow was greeted with the icy blue eyes that had been haunting
her dreams. They seemed to be staring into her very soul, awakening things that
Willow could put no name to, feelings and flashes of memories that she knew she
had not lived or felt. Trying to escape the flood of sensations that the man
with the blue eyes invoked in her, she quickly retrieved the perfume, muttered a
quick thanks and rushed away.
A half block up the street Willow's breath
caught in her throat as she saw the blue-eyed man standing before her again,
leaning casually against a wall looking as if he had been there all day. She
turned again and began to retrace her footsteps. She looked up and saw him
standing in front of the shop, in exactly the same position he had been in when
she first fled from him. < That's not possible. No one can move that fast. I
must just be seeing things. Hallucinating because of Oz worry and lack of sleep.
That's the only reasonable explanation. > Squaring her shoulders, Willow took
in a deep breath and began to walk past the blue-eyed man fully expecting him to
not even notice, let alone care. How wrong she was.
As she walked past
William easily fell in step beside her, not saying anything, merely relishing in
her existence and wondering how long she would pretend not to notice him. He
didn't have long to wait.
It took exactly three steps for Willow to
realize that the blue-eyed man wasn't just walking in the same direction that
she was. It took her another five steps to decide what to do about it. The first
two steps were spent in a contemplation of what would happen if she just went
with things and let this mysterious stranger lead her wherever he wanted. The
next two steps were guilt laden for betraying Oz, even if it was only for a
second and only in a fantasy. The last step was for deciding what course of
action to take.
Willow stopped abruptly and the blue-eyed man stopped,
not a half second after she did. His actions only confirmed her suspicions that
he *was* following her.
William waited anxiously for her reaction to
him. He schooled his features, showing nothing of his anticipation and anxiety,
outwardly he looked as if nothing could faze him. Inside, he was a nervous
wreck.
Willow turned to the blue-eyed man and said, "You know, stalking
is against the law. And on top of that, it's sick and perverted. Get a life."
And then she turned and walked away.
William stared slackjawed at her
retreating form. Of all possible reactions that she could have ever had, that
had to have been the most unexpected. As she rounded the corner William managed
to scrape his jaw off the sidewalk and race after her.
< You are not
going to escape me that easily, my love! I’ve waited too long and come too far
to let you disappear on me now! >
Part 13
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
Four blocks
later.....
Willow turned another corner and there *he* was again. She
froze in her tracks as he started walking towards her. She couldn't seem to make
her feet move, no matter how much she wanted to turn and run. She tried to avert
her eyes, in the hopes that if she didn't see him, he wouldn't be there. But her
body didn't seem to want to listen to her. All she could do was watch transfixed
by the blue-eyed man's approach. He stopped only a few scant feet from her, and
just stood silent for a moment.
William managed to stop himself a few
steps from her, the fact that he even could stop spoke volumes for his self
control, his instincts were insisting that he grab her and never let her go.
< No! I'm going to do this right! _She_ will choose to be with me. I won't
force this on her. Besides, I've already taken care of the competition. Now all
I have to do is get her to talk to me. >
Willow watched the blue-eyed
man watching her, and a part of her silently cursed the space between them. The
rest of her screamed at the cursing part to shut up, and tried to convince the
cursing part that this guy was probably some evil stalker guy and that no matter
how hot he was, she loved and wanted only Oz. The cursing part of Willow's brain
completely ignored the rest of her and continued to whine about not getting to
touch the blue-eyed man.
He broke the silence first.
"I seem to
have offended you somehow?" He asked, deliberately making it into a question for
her to answer. He wanted to hear her voice again. He was also stalling for time
to think of a plausible excuse for his 'stalking'. Granted, he was stalking her,
but that wasn't something she needed to know. And the excuse needed to be
something that would open her up to him allow him to really talk to her some
more, because he couldn't let her walk away now. < Aha! Got it! That'll be
perfect! >
"Of-offended?!?!" she spluttered indignantly. < Where
does this guy get oof? He’s stalking me and he wonders why I’m offended?!?! >
'I'm terribly sorry," William took a small step back
as he spoke, trying to get her to calm down a bit. "I didn't mean to frighten
you, it's just I'm a stranger here and quite lost. You looked like you knew
where you were going, so I was simply trying to ask for
directions."
Willow wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole in
that moment. < I can’t believe I was so rude! The poor guy is out wandering
around lost and not only do I not help him, I threaten to call the cops
on him! I’m an evil terrible person! > "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be
rude! There's no justifiable excuse for my behavior."
< Damn! Took her
too far the other way! I didn't want her groveling. I just wanted her to talk to
me. But.... that is exactly how my Mina would have reacted! > The last
thought swelled the hope in his heart even more. He hastened to reassure her,
"It's perfectly all right. In this day and age, it's not wise to trust strangers
on sight. It's completely understandable."
"Well, there's a difference
between caution and rudeness, and I was really rude. I'm sorry. I'd be happy to
give you directions. Where were you wanting to go?"
"I was told that there is an exquisite botanical garden around here someplace.
Do you know where it is?" < There, no one who wants to willingly go look
at flowers could possibly be a threat. Now she won’t be scared and she’ll talk
to me. >
"Yes, I know where it is, but it's
kind of hard to find. Maybe I should just show you where it is." < He can’t
possibly be some evil stalker guy if he just wants to go to the gardens. How
could I have been so wrong? And so mean? >
"That's a very kind offer, thank you. But I am afraid that I
can't go anywhere with you."
"Why not?" < Oh! I must have really hurt
his feelings a lot! I feel terrible about it. >
"Because I refuse to
go anywhere without knowing the name of my guide."
"Oh. I'm Willow." She
stuck her hand out to shake his as she introduced herself.
<
Willow!!!! There is no possible way this could be coincidence! It IS her!!
>
"William." he replied as he took her hand and brought it to his
lips.
"Well, shall we be off?" Willow asked as she fought the blush
rising in her cheeks from his gesture.
"Yes." William replied as they
began walking, her hand still caught in his.
Part 14
THE STREETS OF SUNNYDALE
They walked hand in hand, silently, for
what seemed like hours but was in reality only a few short minutes. William was
quietly lost in the memories of the past and in the elation of finding his
beloved again. Willow was silently lost in unexplained feelings that floated
though her head, emotions and sensations that were completely new yet somehow
totally familiar. She didn't understand these feelings at all, but she didn't
want to lose them. They felt like home.
All too soon they came to the
entrance to the botanical gardens. Neither one of them wanted to let go. They
just stood, staring at the entrance. After nearly a minute, Willow broke the
silence.
"Well, here we are. I hope you enjoy the gardens, and I'm sorry
I was so rude earlier."
"Think nothing of it," William replied. "I don't
suppose you'd care to accompany me? I would so like to speak more with someone
who's lived in the area for a while."
Willow's mind raced with a thousand
excuses as to why she shouldn't go with him, but before she said anything, she
took another look into his face.
William was doing his best to look
lonely and forlorn. He knew his Mina, in any incarnation would never want anyone
to be sad and it would get her to stay with him, even if only for the afternoon.
And that was all the time he would need.
How could she possibly say no?
He looked like a lost little puppy dog. She took one look into his pleading blue
eyes and gave in.
"Sure. Why not? It's been ages since I've been in
here."
As she answered William's face lit up with an incredibly large
smile. Willow had to forcibly stop herself from throwing herself into his arms
then and there. His smile was so very familiar and so loving. It was practically
impossible to resist.
William took her arm as they walked through the
garden. They looked like a completely normal couple in love, which they were
although not in any way normal.
William began his courtship much as he
did the first time around hundreds of years ago. He kept things light, not
intimidating her in any way. Allowing her to reacquaint herself with him, all
the while keeping only the slightest pressure on her mind to draw out long
forgotten memories.
William kept the conversation mostly on her, not
wanting to have to make up lies about himself. He didn't want to lie to her, so
he sidestepped most of her questions about him and the ones he did answer were
with only the most rudimentary facts. He told her that he had been born in
England, that he had once been married and that his wife had died tragically
soon after the wedding and that he still missed her. After that, Willow didn't
ask him any personal questions, not wishing to bring up painful memories. So he
found that the conversation wasn't difficult to steer. He listened in
fascination as she told him about her job tutoring slow children and her life at
college and her worries about her friend Buffy. They spent hours talking, mostly
about Willow's life but not once in the entire time that they talked had Oz been
mentioned. William was elated. She was already forgetting the little man. He was
so much closer to having her for eternity.
It was already dark before
either of them noticed the time. William offered to escort Willow home and she
accepted with no qualms. She felt like she had known him forever.
He
left her on Buffy's doorstep with a kiss on the cheek and a request of dinner
the next night to continue their conversation. Willow accepted without
hesitation.
After bidding eachother a good night, Willow went inside.
William watched her go and stood outside for a few minutes more before turning
to go and plan an evening that his beloved would never forget.
Part 15
SUNNYDALE
SUMMER'S RESIDENCE
LATER THE SAME
NIGHT
Again, he stood outside the home that contained his beloved. He had
to fight the urge to call her out to him. The need to claim her and keep her
forever was almost overpowering. But he resisted. He was going to achieve his
goals the right way and ensure that his beloved would willingly choose to remain
with him for eternity.Yet he remained outside the house, his love only a few
scant feet away. It was a form of the sweetest torment he could
devise.
But no matter how much he wanted to go to her, William was not in
front of the large white house for his long lost wife. The house contained
something else of interest to him tonight. It contained his next
meal.
After William had confirmed that his beloved Willow was in the
house, he had some second thoughts about continuing to feed from the blonde
girl. In the end, he decided to keep feeding from her. From the way Willow had
spoken of her earlier, William could tell that she considered the blonde girl a
friend. And he wanted to give his love her friend for eternity.
His mind
set and his course clear, William called to
Buffy.
***************
ROMANIA
DRACUL'S CASTLE
DIARY OF OZ
HARKER
It's been a few weeks since the Duke left me here in the care, and
I use that term loosely, of his devil women. They keep me drained of blood to
the point that escape is all but impossible. I am far too weak to make it
anywhere even close to civilization, even if I could muster up the strength to
get down the stairs and out of the castle, assuming that I could get away from
these vile creatures that are holding me hostage.
But none of that
matters. The only thing that matters to me at this point is saving my precious
Willow from that monster.
I have a plan. It is a stupid plan and will
probably end in my death, but I have no choice. Not when that *thing* is roaming
around my hometown and sniffing after *my* fiancee.
When the sun comes
up, these creatures that masquerade as women will go to sleep. And I will take a
nice headlong dive out the window. If I am incredibly lucky, I'll land in the
river and the current will take me off to civilization and a one way ticket back
to my Willow. If I'm unlucky, then I'll land on the rocks and smash my head open
and die a gruesome horrible death. If I'm only moderately lucky, I'll land in
the river but I'll end up being too weak to keep my head above water and I'll
drown. Needless to say, I'm hoping to be very VERY lucky.
The sun is
coming up. Time to go.
************
SUNNYDALE
THE NEXT
NIGHT
Willow gawked. She tried not to, or at least to not be obvious
about it but was unable to help herself. William, true to his word, arrived at
the Summer's residence promptly at seven. He then escorted her into a limousine
which whisked them off to the classiest restaurant in Sunnydale. It was a place
she and Oz could not even afford to breathe the air in. They were greeted at the
door by the maitre'de who led them into a private room lit only by the soft glow
of candlelight. The atmosphere left Willow feeling more than slightly out of her
depth. And yet, beneath it all was the underlying feeling of familiarity.
Over supper, William told her about the harsh beauty of his land and of
how for a short time that harshness had been tempered by the sweetness of one
beautiful soul. As he spoke, he was all the time aware of Willow's feeling of
overwhelmedness and how she clung to that little part of her that said all was
familiar and nothing less than she deserved. It was exactly the reaction he was
looking for. As he told her of his home, he was pleased to see the wistful
longing look in her eyes. It was homesickness.
After they had finished
dining, a sad and haunting melody began to play. William rose and offered his
hand to Willow. She was powerless to do anything but fall into his arms and they
danced for what seemed like eternity.
