The Vampire as Metaphor...Book III of the (Semi) Complete Works of
William Soames Walthrop...
PG-13
Summary: A lost work of one William Soames Walthrop (...aka Spike) as
it was delivered at one of Cicely (see my Cicelyverse notes at the
included link) Addams' house parties, shortly before Will's demise.
See the reference to it in "Drusilla" (
www.geocities.com/buffyrebecca/Cicelypg.html
)
Archived (soon) at the Buffy Rebecca verse, In Book III of the (Semi)
Complete Works of William Walthrop...(direct link will
be...www.geocities.com/buffyrebecca/ csww3.html )
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...
Contributions to the recovery of the lost works of England's third
worst poet are always welcomed...
Part VI...
Lobby of the Germania Hotel, NYC...Evening...
Peter had brought the Book down to the waiting Miss Springs and her
'cousin' Smackles...Willie eyed it rather reverently...Carefully
taking it from the young dentist/poet...
"Well?..." Elizabeth watched with Peter looking on as well behind
her...She reaching back and pulling him to her side...No need to hide
back there, Petey...A winning little smile...
"It's the Book..."
"Been in the family for generations..." she hastily noted to Mr.
Potter... "So lucky uncle Merritt got it to you, a real sad day if
it'd been lost..." Indeed...Peter politely noted...Elizabeth taking,
grabbing rather, the opportunity to take and squeeze his hand
gently...
Ummn...He stared down at the hand being squeezed... "Really,
thanks..." she beamed with all the innocence she could muster...
Yes...Well...he turned to Willie, who was carefully looking through
the pages... "If I may ask, Mr. Smackles?...Why is your family so
interested in occult legends?..."
Occult?...Willie looked at Elizabeth...He does know his
languages...Careful...His look saying...
"Just an old booka wives' tales, Peter...You know, like those Grim
Fairy Tales and all..."
"This seems a little more explicit than the Grimm brothers...And
offers rather detailed accounts of different creatures and how to..."
he paused...She and Willie eyeing him coolly as he went on...And
suddenly caught himself as they looked at him...
"Been readin' it a bit, have we?..." Willie frowned slightly...
"Just a bit...Sorry, didn't mean to intrude..."
"Not at all..." Elizabeth cut in...Another beaming smile... "It's just
a book of stories...Willie's just anxious it not get damaged...Bein'
our most precious family heirloom and all..."
Yeah...Smackles frowned again...
"I was very careful with it...Just looked at a couple of pages...But I
do apologize..."
"It's ok...Right, coz?..." she looked at Willie who stiffly
nodded...Sure...
"In fact, maybe you could translate some of it for us?...Or just me,
maybe?...Later?...On the train?...I'd like to know what's in
there...And it's a long trip..."
"I'd be happy to..."
"Well, we oughta head into dinner..." she cut off the possibility of
further questions on the Book...Taking Peter's arm with another
smile... "Willie, Peter here is a dentist and a writer..."
Yeah?...Willie looked at him dryly...
And a walking dead man too, eh?...he did not say...
***
An alleyway near the Germania...Same time...
Olive frowned as the more-or-less and relative to herself, young,
Dracula came up to her...Immaculately groomed with beaming, gracious
smile...Late for their appointed meeting to begin surveillance on the
Slayer and her companion...And, naturally...Olive sourly noted...With
a beautiful, wan-looking...Yep, thralled human...Lord, I hate seeing
women in thrall, they look like such whipped puppies...the annoyed
vampiress sighed...Men, on the other hand...Under my gentle
influence...Young woman on his arm...
"You're late, Vladimir...And I see you've brought a dinner guest?..."
"My apologies...I got a bit lost in these streets..." he began with
his trademark charming smile...Lost, I'll bet...Olive glared, saying
nothing...Then relaxed, contentedly contemplating the dart gun still
concealed in her hat and Nast's instructions to dispose of the fool
when the right time came...
"As for my dear Marie here...She is my new assistant, whom I 'hired'
at the shop where she was wasting her beauty and elegant manner away
waiting on fools...And she will be very useful to us in our watch
tonight..." he hastily noted...
"The Slayer will find no non-human in her hotel trying to spy on
her...Only dear Marie here, come to stay the night before leaving for
California, whose rather lost appearance is explained by the recent
sudden death of her father..."
"Sir...I'm not...From..." Marie murmured gently, intending to help...
"You are now, dear..." Vladimir eyed her... "Yes, Vladimir..." she
nodded... "We can simply watch over the doorways and keep a safe
distance on the train tomorrow..." he smiled at Olive...Who frowned
and looked the girl over...A pretty and pathetically genteel thing,
definitely...And no obvious-looking scarf or raised collar to
advertise a bite scar...Hmmn, no sign of a bite at all...
"Not bad...If she can get a room and keep an eye out..." she nodded
reluctantly...
"Marie, dearest..." he turned to her... "You are bowed down by grief
over the sudden death of your beloved, deceased father who'd returned
to this great city of New York to look after business interests...But
you carry on and are returning to your home in..." he paused and
looked at Olive, who shrugged...We're not sure where in California the
Slayer's going...
"Well, in California...But it is the same town the young woman I told
you of...Miss Springs... Is going to...If and when you meet her and
engage her in conversation...Just find out where she's going
first...Or speak to the young man with her...But be cautious, don't
press them for information...And do not under any circumstances allow
her to sense my hold on you, understand dear?..."
"Yes, Vladimir..."
Well, at least it isn't 'Master'...Pity, though, in a way...Heinrich
would be so pissed at the usurpation of his title, he'd probably allow
immediate termination...Olive sighed...
"And don't try to contact us out here...One of us will send another
human agent to you in the hotel before dawn...Try to make
contact...Say treat them to dinner?...And learn her destination
tonight...But if that fails, follow her and her companion to the train
station tomorrow and be on her train when she leaves...Get to know
them on the train, shower them with favors as a lonely ...But discreet
and innocent, he waged a finger...Wealthy, shy, inexperienced young
woman seeking friendly traveling companions... "
Yes...Ummn...she paused...
"I think I'll need some money...You have everything from the store
till..." she noted quietly...
"Yes...Alas, I used it to cover my recent debts of honor...Olive, if
you would?..." he turned to her...She blinking at him...Then
glaring...
"Surely Nast provides his agents with sufficient funding for his
assignments...?" he smiled... "And I have spent a great deal in coming
to join forces with him..."
"A sufficient amount for Marie to travel as a well-to-do lady?...And
generously treat the Slayer and her friend whenever the situation
allows?..."
Grumbling, she handed Marie several hundred dollars in the fairly new
greenback currency...And about fifty in gold...
"That ought to allow you to show them a good time..." she frowned...
And I'll get it all back...Outta your hide...His...She smiled at
Dracula as Marie headed off... "Not a bad scheme at all,
Vladimir...Heinrich will be tickled at our having a spy in the
Slayer's midst..."
And the Slayer's...she coldly noted within...
"Say...Where did you bite her?...I couldn't see any signs of it..."
"A gentleman never tells, my dear Olive..."
***
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