Fic: "Daughter of Rosenberg..." Part X...
reg...@aol.com
"Daughter of Rosenberg..."
Summary: One year after the events of "Groom of Rosenberg" Buffy
the Rosenberg Monster and her honey have returned to ask a special
favor of their creators Rosenberg and Praetorius...While Tara faces
the
more or less Big Bad...
Disclaimer: Would Joss want his name associated with this? I think
not...But anyway all BTVS characters remain the property of Joss
Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the
Vampire Slayer series...Though his brother Mort gets nothing...
Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse,
www.geocities.com/buffyrebecca/Cicelypg.html
Part X...
McCloskey Street, east Sunnydale…
“Hey, fellas…You guys out for a good time?...” the tall brunette in
low-cut top and slacks cooed from under a streetlight…
Hmmn…Attractive yet not quite late-night hooker get-up…Andrew eyed the…
Ah…Right...As Dracula politely motioned for him to wait…
“Begone and do not trouble us again…” a hard stare at the vampiress
who frowned then blinking in realization, backed off…
“Pardon, Lord…” she begged, quaking in fear… “Just seeking my feeding…
Mercy, Great One...”
“Stop...Look at me…” he told her…She unable to break away from his
stare…Praetorius watching with not a little pleasure to see his guest
displaying his talents…Now that’s the Dracula I’ve read...
“When?...” he asked…
“A month ago…” she whispered…
“Your family?...They know of your death?...”
“I killed them…”
“No…” a kindly note… “Your demon killed them…Were any of them
raised?...”
“No…” she shook her head… “I was too young…”
“Very well…Go then and seek the Slayer…Beg her to release you to peace…
And to let your soul seek those who I assure you will still love you
now they know all…”
“Yes, Lord…” she nodded, immediately running off…
“Poor child…” Dracula sighed to Andrew… “But with her family gone,
there is no point in trying to recover her soul here…Only needless
pain for her...”
“That was very kind of you, Count…”
“I must do what little I can, Doctor…Of course, I am not as young and
appealing as I once was…” wry smile… “Her demon’s survival instinct
may overcome my command…Though I would guess her soul will fight to
release her body…”
“I’m sure Ms. Faith will attend to her… Shall we proceed?...”
“Yes…Do you think it’s quite late enough, Doctor?...”
“There will be security about, but few other personnel at this hour…
And in a small hospital like this one, in Sunnydale…The staff will be
rather used to the occasional disappearance of a corpse or organ or
two…”
Dracula eyed him...
“Quite a traffic in such things these days, I’m afraid…” Andrew
explained...
“Horrible…Though I applaud the medical advances…” Dracula shook his
head… “One wonders if even the extension of life is worth such a
horror…It was bad enough in earlier times but at least that was
confined to the occasional doctor desperately needing the chance for
study…Or the demonic fiend wishing to make sacrifice...Now…To see the
poor and nameless abused in such ways…Even killed in some cases…Traded
for money…”
“But of course…” he sighed to Andrew’s stare… “We are, after all,
about the same purpose…To restore a life at the cost of lives…And if
we are not seeking gain…” he looked back at the three hulking figures
following behind them in large overcoats and pulled-down hats… “Our
friends here certainly are…” a harsh scowl at one daring to raise his…
Its…Ghoulish face to his…
“Conceal yourself…”
The ghoul resumed downward stare, hat pulled back down…
“I know there is no other choice…” Dracula nodded to Andrew… “But
forgive me if I must regret the means…I can only hope poor Elisabete
can forgive me for sake of the ends…”
“All of these people wanted to help others after death, Count…Now, not
only will they help the living, but they will help to save two
immortal souls from destruction…” Andrew noted… “There, the entrance…”
he pointed…
“Halt…” Dracula waved the trio of hired ghouls to a stop… “Stay close
by us…And remember, if any living human is harmed, your lives are
forfeited…”
Guarded sulking looks but compliance...
Hey, we’re givin’ up “Ugly Betty” for this?...One thought, annoyed...
“Evening, doc...” the guard lounging by the physicians’ entrance
nodded to Andrew... “Called in?...”
“Pipps...Yes...My colleague, Dr. Alucard...Just observing with me...”
“Doctor...” the guard, pleasantly returning “Dr. Alucard”’s friendly
nod...
“...And some of my students...Likewise observing tonight...” Nods from
the hulking figures, one rather a bit less so...
After all, portraying a med student...Mom would be so proud...
“Busy one, doc...” Pipps shook his head... “Bad accident on I-87...”
“So I’d heard...Sad...Very sad...Well, fortunately our business is
with the living tonight...” Andrew smiled, waving his “students” in
through the entrance after Dracula...
In a manner of speaking...he thought...
***
“An...” Xander sighed...Anya grimly paying no heed to his placative
efforts as she continued to nail a board stretched across the inside
of the living room windows of their cottage on the Rosenberg estate
grounds...Boards hallway up the window length now...
“The next one...” she pointed to a pile she’d insisted on fetching
with his reluctant help...
“An...” he glumly held the board up in place... “If Buffy were coming,
all this wouldn’t even slow her down...”
“Enough to give me time to blast her green head off...” Anya hammered
steadily...
“Anya, I am not having a loaded gun in my house...” Xander said
firmly...
“I am gonna defend my child even if her father won’t...Besides...It’s
a laser...” she noted... “A gun wouldn’t stop her...Jonathan had a
couple from Warren’s old place...”
“I’m not gonna have a laser in my house either...And Buffy would
never...”
“Too late...And the Monster nearly killed you...And killed Warren
Mears...”
“A bunch of crazy people nearly killed me running away from
Buffy...And Jonathan told us Warren pulled a gun on her...”
“Fine...You don’t care about me or our child...You wanna sacrifice us
to the Monster as a love gift?...”
He eyed her...Reddening... “An, that was really low...”
“Sorry...Hey!...” she nearly fell back as he briefly let go of his
side of the unsecured board...He grabbed and caught it...
“Sorry...”
“You don’t care...I know you don’t care...” she shook her
head...Dropping hammer and running for the bathroom...
“An...OW!...” he fell back from the slammed, then locked bathroom
door...
“Anya!...You know I can take this door off in thirty seconds...”
“You want Buffy back!!...No matter how evil she is!...” a cry from
within... “You still love her!...So go redeem her!...Get her her soul
back or whatever!...The way she is now, you’ll probably look good to
her...”
“No way...I already have a reformed evil girl...” he called back...
“An, you’re being ridiculous and hormonal...”
“Am not!!...”
“Am!...And you know it...Look, I’ll put up anything you want...Boards,
bars...Whatever makes you feel safer...But you know it wouldn’t hold
Buffy back...And I don’t wanna live my life worrying something is
gonna come for us...Especially in Sunnydale where it’s quite likely
something is gonna come for us...But this crap about Buffy and me is
just that...I love you...”
“You sure don’t show it!...”
“I’m doing that right now...” he paused, waiting...
“Xander...” a slight yielding he knew well...
“Yeah?...”
“Xander...” a familiar note of real panic he knew well...As well as
the choking whisper...
“Anya!...”
“Xander!!!...” rattling at the door...Sounds of...Something...Besides
his wife...Squealing
The door flew open...Anya looking petrified...
“An!...” he hurried in...To see a terrified-looking...Oh,
yeah...Rat...Hanging onto the inside edge of the toilet...Two others,
looking equally terrified, huddling over at a corner near the
bathtub...
“My God...”
“There were...More...” she said, staring... “Lots more...They came
up, looked at me and all went right back in...Like this was the wrong
exit or something...”
As if to confirm, the hanging rat now let go and disappeared...
Hmmn...Xander eyed the remaining two and did the only thing there was
to do...Flushing firmly as three pairs of eyes watched...
Sorry...He noted to the two fear-crazed survivors...One of whom
suddenly collapsed...
Rather like a man who’d had a heart attack from sheer fear, he
thought...
“An...Lots more?...How many?...”
She spread her hands to indicate an area to cover the floor...
Whoa...
“I think we better call town pest control...And Giles...” he noted...
“And lock this door...”
Yeah...she nodded, taking his proffered hand...
“And then we head to the hospital to have you and lil’ An checked
out...” he said firmly, closing and locking the bathroom door as she
stepped out carefully, holding his hand... “And book a motel room till
we know what’s up...”
Oh, yeah...she nodded...
“But no lasers...”
Yeah...she nodded...Smiling wanly at him...
***
“Sing once again with me...Our strange duet...”
Michael Crawford’s voice issuing from a CD player...Backed by a rather
harsh, somewhat struggling one...
“...My power over you...Grows stronger yet...”
As a small rowboat bearing CD player, singer, and rowing companion
made its way down the stream in Feeder Tunnel #3 of the Sunnydale
Water Reclamation System, leading to a dropoff into Lake Sunnydale...
Nothing like having a scenic route home...Buffy thought happily...
“...And though...Though...Though...” Hey!...Buffy banged on the CD
player slightly...
“...you turn from me...”
“[...Which my Will didn’t do...] ...to glance behind...The Ph...antom
of the Op..era is here...”
Buffy, croaking a bit as she sang...
“Turn it down just a hair, eh love?...” William asked... “You never
know if kids might be hanging around in here, looking for a thrill or
a good make-out place...”
She adjusted the volume control...
“...Inside your mind...”
“He[She’s...Buffy sang]’s here...The Phantom of the
Opera...’...Whoa...Oh, oh...Woo...Oh...Oooo...”
“Buf...”
“Sor’...Oh, oh, ooooo...Oh...” she sang in softer voice, close to a
whisper... “Oh...Ooooo...Oooo!!” she screamed suddenly at a passing
rat strolling leisurely by on the lip of the tunnel wall...Who
likewise seemed a bit shocked at the encounter...Staring in paralyzed
fright a moment before skedaddling off...
“Sorry...Rat ...Grrr...” she noted apologetically, grimacing a bit...
“Me know...” grin... “More scared of me...”
“Buffy...” Will gave her a mock frown...”And I thought you used to
fish for compliments when you were Cicely...”
“T’was me due as Queenie of London so...ciety, sir...” she answered
regally, some real pride on getting ‘society’... “And you bein’ last
knight-err...guy...”
“Tis ever my duty...To speak praise of your beauty...”
“Hey!...” delightedly... “Poem...Good...”
“On a scale of one to ten...?”
“Zillion...Who fishin’ now?...”
“Touche`...” a gallant head bow...
The boat rattled against the cement wall of the tunnel on the right
side...
“Watch it there...” William cautioned... “We’re nearly at the lake
outlet...Help me spin ‘er round a bit...”
She grabbed a extra oar in the boat and began shoving off from the
tunnel wall to move the boat to the outlet opening now just a few feet
from them...The sound of water spilling over into the lake from the
opening...
“Oooo...” she sang again with the tape... “Hang on there...Here we
go...” Will called...
Their rowboat slipping down a reasonably gentle slope from the outlet
to the lake in the gathering darkness...
Wee...Buffy, carefully muting to a stifled giggle...
Not exactly white water, but a neat trip home...
“Well...” she grinned at Will’s smile... “Singing...Bad...But good for
talk...ing...Talking...” she emphasized the -ing... “...better...Heck,
not much worse than when I little human...”
“It was lovely, girl...”
She gave a narrow grin... “Soul, maybe...But you not so bad liar...”
“This from the girl who pretends to like my poetry...” he grinned
back...Rowing smoothly as they glided away from shore...
“Awh...!” she gave a mock-shocked look...“You sayin’ me not
ef...efful...”
“You can say it...” he eyed her sternly...
“Efful...gent...Effulgent...Hey?!” ...Radiantly triumphant...
“Ever effulgent, Cics...Ever...” he beamed, patting her arm...
“Careful...” she eyed him, putting on grim look... “You get seven foot
monster Slayer horny...No tellin’ what may...stuff she do...”
“After we eat and watch me role model on video...It Thursday...” she
beamed...
“Indeed it is...Say, is that lad Henry ever going to wise up and
propose to Betty?...Living a lie without your true love is no way to
raise a kid whatever Charley does...”
“Me got faith in him...He do right thing...Gotta...He look like
you...” she leaned forward to kiss him...
And Betty make great mommie...Even if no supermodel...she noted
innocently...
He gave her a sour look, rowing firmly...But...
“Well, now...If you’re coming round to my idea about adoption...” sly
grin...
“Rats...” she said...
“Well don’t be like that about it...” he began... “An adopted kid...”
“No!...Look!!...” she pointed back to the mouth of the outlet tunnel
which her position in the rowboat allowed her still a view of...
And from which now, hundreds, thousands of squealing rats were
emerging in panic...
Whoa...Will stared...
“We got trouble...” Buffy noted...
No need for Giles’ interpretation on this one...
***