Four Hundred Days
Part Ten
Thanks
to Marsters’ Girl for beta’ing this chapter!
Warning: this
chapter deals with issues of attempted rape.
*Okay, guess I'll start
here.* Buffy thought, as the book that
rested on her lap fell open to the middle page.
29th June 1871
Yesterday I became Mrs. William Dartmoore. The wedding was perfect. It was everything I have ever dreamt of -
and more. Everyone danced and laughed
and ate. It was truly a most joyous
occasion. We will be forever indebted
to Edward for his beautiful present. He
painted us the most perfect portrait; we shall treasure it always.
I
feel wonderful. Rested, yet excited all
at the same time. I'm sorry I didn't
write last night, but we were other wise engaged!
I...I
hadn't been prepared for such an onslaught of emotions. It was everything William had promised. Mabel had warned me of the pain, but it was
only momentary, thank the lord.
A most wonderful thing happened in the early morning. As Mabel was readying me for my wedding, she
gave me her wedding present. It was my favorite gift- second, not even to
Edward’s. She knows! I could scarcely believe it myself, but she
does. And she told me it was fine. I believe that my William has had something
to do with this transformation, for all my life I have known Mabel to be a
religious woman. Never would I have thought her to be so easily complacent with
my husband’s.... background. But,
having said that, she does care for me dearly; she has been like my mother
since mama passed, so maybe my happiness is enough for her.
William is still asleep.
Of this fact he has warned me.
The only time vampires require sleep is in the morning and towards
the afternoon; so he will be prone to taking naps. After last night, I think I would be hard pressed not to join
him!
Perhaps, I shall wake him now....
---~~~~~----
Buffy gasped, looking from
the book over to Spike, poking him hard.
"Spike!" She hissed.
"Whugh?" Spike moaned, snuggling further into the
pillow.
"Elizabeth knew
William was a vampire!" Buffy
exclaimed.
"Well, she'd be hard pressed
not to, what with the no sunlight and drinking blood thing." Spike mumbled, unconsciously echoing
Elizabeth’s statement, pulling the blankets back over his head. "Go sleep now..."
"Ugh!" Buffy groaned, sticking her tongue out at
him before turning back to the book.
She flipped further back, searching for their first meeting.
---~~~~~----
4th March 1871
I have always known that there was evil in this world. I have not been so sheltered as to think it as
far from my world as most would like to believe, but never have I been
presented with the truth of this world…
Till now.
Tonight, I was attacked...
---~~~~~----
Buffy gasped in
shock. She couldn't believe that William
had attacked Elizabeth; or that she had ever been able to forgive him. Never-mind marry him! Sure, her and Spike were okay, she answered
the voice in her head, but she was a slayer.
She'd inflicted as much pain on him as he had on her......but Elizabeth
was all human.
Buffy forced her eyes back
to the page, amazed as her words painted a story clearer than she could have
imagined...
---~~~~~----
Elizabeth smiled at Colonel and Mrs. Wilson, thanking them once more
for their hospitality. They finally
turned back to their party, leaving Elizabeth waiting for her cab with the
foot-man.
Five minutes later her ride still hadn't arrived, and the
servant shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know what’s taking them so long,
m'lady."
"Maybe they've had a problem with the horses."
"Aye, they might at that...perhaps I should..." The man glanced over at the stables.
"Of course."
Elizabeth agreed.
"Will you be all right on your own? I could-"
"I'll be fine; the house is just there. I'm enjoying the night's air at any
rate."
The elderly man smiled at her, endeared by her fresh attitude,
before departing.
Elizabeth smiled, as a cool breeze washed over her body. This was one of her most favourite times of
the day, or night depending on how you looked at it. The moon was bright in a cloudless sky. The stars were like twinkling eyes, winking at her, inviting her
to enter the garden on which they shone.
With a glance to the still un-returned carriage, Elizabeth
wandered into the garden.
To say it was beautiful didn't do it justice.
She could hear the rabble of people still inside, enjoying the
music and the free-flowing wine. She
extended an ear to see if the carriage was coming, but upon hearing nothing,
moved to explore the garden further. It
was early spring. and the flowers were almost out in full bloom.
It reminded her of her own garden, though even she would admit
that hers was not as breath-taking.
There was a large expanse of grass, surrounded by flower-beds and
encased by pink and white blossom trees.
In the back, though barely visible by moonlight, was what she knew to be
a rose covered archway, in which, her hosts had boasted, they had spent much of
their early marital life.
With a wistful smile, that she should find such happiness,
Elizabeth made her way to the gazebo.
Upon entering she slowly seated herself, happily gazing out to the
stars.
"What’s a pretty young thing like you doing out here...all
on your own?"
Elizabeth
gasped, her hand flying to her bosom in shock as she spun around. Her addresser
was shrouded in black, the moonlight didn’t touch his face giving him an even
more sinister countenance. "W-who
are you?"
"I asked you a question; would be rude not to
answer." The unknown man grabbed
her, bringing her flush against his body.
She could smell alcohol on his breath, and it made her dry heave.
"Let me go!" She squeaked, bringing her other hand up
to beat at his face.
"Don't think so, darling!" He grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully behind her.
"Get off me! I-I'll
scream!" Elizabeth opened her
mouth to do just that, when a grubby hand closed over her face. She squirmed, her legs kicking out at him,
as real panic began flooding her.
The attacker swore, pushing her down to the ground, using his
excessive body weight as an advantage; holding her there. She screamed beneath his hand. The man growled and reached inside his boot.
"If you don't shut up I'm gonna take this knife and slit
your pretty throat...won't take long...such pretty, pretty skin...would be a
shame to scar it..." He spoke barely
above a whisper, spraying her frightened face with spit as he enunciated his
words.
Tears
slipped from her tightly closed lids as she felt the tip of the knife scrape
along the exposed skin of her chest, leaving blood trails.
"You gonna behave?"
He hissed.
Elizabeth nodded furiously, her body heaving as she felt his
grubby hand stray from her mouth, over her breasts, and down her bodice;
reaching for the hem of her skirt.
"Now, is that any way to treat a lady?"
Both looked up, astonished, at the interruption. For a moment they all seemed frozen in time.
"Please, help me."
Elizabeth begged, her voice horse from fear.
The man on top of her jumped to his feet, kicking her behind
him. Elizabeth cried out in pain but
scrambled to her knees, scurrying into a corner of the gazebo.
Her savior knocked the knife from her attacker’s hands in
seconds. It clattered to the ground,
unheeded. Her attacker swung at her
savior, but somehow...and Elizabeth was not quite sure how, the speedy attack
was evaded.
One moment Elizabeth had feared for her savior’s life; the next
her attacker was bruised and barely conscious on the other side of the gazebo
floor.
"Now,
who are you?" The savior’s voice
was like ice. Hard. Painful.
Cruel.
"This is no business of yours." The man spoke, his accent more cultured than
it had appeared in the beginning of the ordeal.
Elizabeth looked up, momentarily shocked out of her fear as she
croaked his name, "Mr. Waldring?"
She'd danced with him earlier that evening, and thought him no more than
a harmless old man. A little bumbling;
but definitely kind. How wrong she had
been.
"You know him?"
The harsh voice softened, and the brightest blue eyes Elizabeth had ever
seen turned to her.
She nodded, trying to get up but was unable to do so. Her legs shook violently and she collapsed
back down to the floor.
"Here, let me help you." He moved to aid her, gently taking her arm; eager not to alarm
her.
Elizabeth smiled shakily at him, a smile he returned until her
attacker spoke up, "See, she’s a whore like all the rest, flouncing
her-"
Elizabeth gasped as her saviour hit the man again. His head smashed against the hard, wooden
floor, rendering him unconscious.
"Sorry, pet...but he was a might annoying." Her savoir explained with a small grin.
Elizabeth laughed, then crumbled down to the floor in a flood of
tears. Immediately, with no respect for
propriety, her saviour drew her into his arms, allowing her to cry on his
shoulder.
"Here now, love, its okay.
You're safe now....I won't let him hurt you...."
"MISS SUMMERS?!"
A loud, harried voice shouted, accompanied by the sound of dogs
barking. "MISS SUMMERS?!"
"Miss Summers, I presume?" Her saviour whispered to her, and Elizabeth lifted her head and
sniffed.
"Uh, yes, Elizabeth."
She whispered, timidly.
"My names William Dartmoore..." Anything he might have said was halted by
another shout from behind them.
"Ready to face the cavalry?"
Elizabeth smiled.
"Yes, I think so."
They stepped out of the gazebo, William carefully manoeuvring
her away from the still unconscious attacker, as they moved to greet the search
party.
"Elizabeth, we've been so concerned..." Mrs. Wilson exclaimed.
"William, I thought you'd left!" The Colonel added after his wife.
"I almost had, I managed to...diffuse a rather nasty
situation." William pulled the Colonel into the gazebo, explaining what
had happened in low terms.
"He saved me."
Elizabeth whispered to Mrs. Wilson, as she took her under her wing. "I was....attacked." She finally admitted.
"Oh, my poor dear.
I am so sor-"
"NO! No, it wasn't your fault. Father always said I was too head strong for my own good, I
shouldn't have-" Elizabeth had
started to cry once more.
"No, don't ever think that, love. It wasn't your fault."
William quickly reassured her, as he stepped back outside. "Barbara, why don't you take Miss
Summers inside and get her a warm drink, I'm sure she could use it."
"Of course."
Mrs. Wilson turned them to do just that, but Elizabeth's voice stopped
her.
"You'll come back?"
She asked William
He smiled at her, taking her hand for a brief moment and
squeezing gently before letting go.
"I'll be just a moment."
---~~~~~----
Never have I been so scared in my life. Never have I thought that such a thing could
happen to anyone....let alone myself. I
feel dirty and unclean and abused and sickened. No, there are not words to describe the loathing I feel. My only solace is that there is a little
good left in the world.
Even if he will never look twice at me now...now that I am
sullied.
I
am sure to be a maid forever.
---~~~~~----
The book slipped from
Buffy's fingers and crashed to the floor with a thud. Spike jolted awake, his game face present at the sudden noise.
He sat up, shocked to see
tears coursing down the slayers face.
"Pet, what
happened? Did you read something that
upset you?" He asked concerned, his
hands carefully moving over her arms in a smooth comforting gesture.
Eventually in a low
monotone, Buffy recounted the events depicted in the diary, watching Spike get
angrier as she spoke.
Finally she was done.
"You
know..." She began after moments
of silence. "Most girls’ worst
fears are like regular stuff. Demons,
spiders...whatever."
She paused to breathe in a
shaky breath, obviously distraught over the entry.
"But you know what
mine has always been?"
Spike shook his head.
"Just that-that
feeling of complete and utter helplessness. Knowing that someone is...violating
you and you can't do a t-thing to s-stop them." The tears started anew and Spike took her gently into his arms,
rocking her back and forth as she cried.
"S-she was so
s-scared and s-so helpless....and I couldn't do anything to stop him!" She
exclaimed through the tears.
"Oh,
baby....please...don't cry, love.....shhh......it's okay.....I was there,
pet.....I'll always be there...."
He crooned to her, trying to soothe her fears.
Buffy looked up at him
with bleary, red eyes. "Promise?"
She whispered.
Spike looked down at
her. Her face was puffy and streaked
with tears. Her hair surrounded her
face in disarray, having fallen out of the clips she used to hold it in place
a-top her head. She looked
beautiful. And finally, he fell over
the precipice he'd been treading for over a month. He was in love with her.
"I promise,
slayer." He whispered back to her. "I'll never leave you."
Slowly, he leant down and
kissed her.
----------------
Back in Sunnydale....
"Finally
alone..." Spike murmured, trailing
kisses down Buffy's neck, as soon as the door closed shut. "I figure we should take advantage of
this..."
"Mmm...." Buffy moaned in agreement.
"Never know when the
opportunity will arise again..."
Spike continued, manoeuvring them back to the bed.
"Yeah....STOP!"
Spike jumped at the unexpected
noise. "What? What's wrong?"
"I want a
house."
"What?" Spike asked again, his horny-fried brain
having some trouble working out where this was going; since it didn't seem to
be in the direction of the bed.
"A house...its...icky
having sex at Giles'..."
"You didn't mind
before." Spike reminded her,
leaning in to nuzzle her neck.
"Yea-no, but that was
during demon hunting time, and I want us to have a place to
ourselves." She pushed him back on
the bed, coyly crawling up him.
"Wouldn't that be nice, baby.
Our own house...together...alone..." She brushed her lips against his. "Whenever?"
"Yeah..." Spike agreed, trying to pull her down to
kiss him.
She bounced up and off the
bed, chucking him his coat. "Good,
lets go!" She scribbled a note for
Giles and moved back to the bedroom, dragging her husband.
"What? Now?
But, I was gonna get laid."
Spike whined as Buffy tugged him out of the apartment.
"No, you weren't." Buffy disagreed.
-----
"What kind of place
where you looking for?" The
salesman asked, smiling at Buffy; ignoring Spike.
"Um, I was thinking
something with a Victorian feel..."
Buffy admitted and the man, James, smiled at her, sympathetically
patting her hand.
"We're in California,
pet." Spike reminded her, wrapping
his arms around her waist as he scowled at the over familiar salesman.
"Why don't you take a
look around, while I see what I can come up with?" He suggested, wisely listening to the
vampire's 'back off' vibes.
Half an hour later they
still hadn't found anything. This was
Sunnydale’s one and only housing agent; so things weren't looking up.
"I'm gonna take a fag
break, okay, pet?" Spike murmured,
brushing his lips over hers.
"Okay." Buffy agreed absently, as she continued to
scan the numerous properties on view...none, however that she would even
consider looking at, never mind getting Spike to buy!
Buffy watched her agitated
husband with a smile on her face, amused by the way his body moved until he had
that first drag of his cigarette....when it seemed to be grounded.
She sighed, "I'm
never gonna find anything."
Then, suddenly, out of the
corner of her eye she spotted something.
She moved closer, plucking the askew card from its position.
She gazed at the picture
for a moment, a slow smile curving her lips.
"Perfect."