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Living Vengeance by Ariel Dawn
 
Unmet Expectations
 
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Disclaimer: The Characters of BTVS and ATS are the property of Joss Whedon and various other people/entities. I am only using them for fun and entertainment only. This is the sad reality that hits me when I wake up from my naked Spike filled dreams.

Author’s note: Thanks again to the fab Bloodytearsoflife who beta’d and came up with the chapter title when I’d seriously had drawn a blank.
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Chapter 7: Unmet Expectations

Buffy settled down into her first class cabin unsure of her own feelings. Somewhere on this train, Spike was probably sneaking aboard. She had done what Anyanka had suggested, it hadn’t worked. But she hadn’t really expected it to either.

Annette hadn’t noticed the change of dress. Or just refused to mention it. One of these days she was going to have to explain to Annette exactly what she was. She just hoped that it could be done with a minimal amount of screaming and fainting.

Buffy tugged at her high lace collar. It was scratching against her bite marks. His bite marks. It wasn’t making love or any of that romantic stuff that you read about in novels. In truth she likened it to rutting like animals. But that’s what they were right? Demons driven to passion. She wanted it to be so much more than that though.

“Madame? Have you ever been to Rome?” asked Annette, getting out her darning.

Buffy shook her head. No she had not been to Rome. She supposed she should have been in the course of her few years as a Vengeance Demon, but she had not. More interested in stalking her William than doing Vengeance. Not that she hadn’t given D’Hoffryn his quota for each month.

Vengeance was turning out to be a sad thing to live on.

As the train started to move, and Paris seemed to glide away to reveal early morning French countryside, Buffy tried to make sense of what her life had become. It all came back to the fact that she had been a Slayer. Cursing the day that Giles had told her and her parents for what she was destined, seemed to bring her out of her depression a little. Well, that, and Spike’s appearance at the door to her compartment.

“Posh, pet,” were his opening words. Spike tossed his bag down on the vacant seat in front of Annette and took an appreciative leer at Buffy, seated against the window.

“This is a private cabin, monsieur,” said Annette angrily, standing up. “Madame does not wish to be disturbed by the likes of you!”

Spike started to chuckle at the fiery nature of this little one who was defending her mistress so resolutely.

“I have disturbed Madame a great deal already today, nibblet. And I’ll go right on disturbing Madame,” said Spike with a smirk.

“Annette...” said Buffy in a warning to her maid.

“Madame Erixel! This...ruffian is disturbing you!” protested Annette again.

“No, Annette, he is not. Annette, I’d like you to meet Mr. William,” said Buffy with a smile on her face.

“Oh!” the girl’s face lit up at last putting a face to the name that captured her mistress’ attentions. “I most humbly beg your pardon then Monsieur William. It is truly a pleasure to meet you.” With a small curtsey, Annette took up her darning again and sat down as if nothing was amiss.

Buffy suppressed a laugh, allowing the tiniest of smiles to grace her lips for the briefest of moments.

“Well, pet, did you not ask to see me on the train?” asked Spike.

“I did. I had not anticipated it so early in the journey.”

“I don’t fancy sitting in the cold luggage car when I could be sitting in the lap of luxury, or doing other things in said lap.”

Buffy blushed.

“You are more than welcome to share my compartment with Annette and I, William. However, I must say that should the conductor come and ask for your ticket, you are going to be left without any help from me.”

Spike sat down beside Buffy, and put his legs up on the facing seat. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been left to my own devices where Angelus is concerned, pet. Poncy bugger.”

Buffy nodded. “And where is your Grandsire Spike?”

“I don’t rightly know. On this train, somewhere. Probably defiling a nun or some such thing. Wanker.”

“Because you would never defile a nun...”

Spike looked at her aghast. “I bloody well would not. I’m evil pet, not sadistic. How many nuns have you killed then?”

Buffy stole a brief glance at Annette who was happily darning socks.

“Oh is that how it is then? The little one doesn’t know what you are?”

“Oh I know what Madame Erixel is monsieur. She is a Vengeance Demon, like Madame Anyanka and you are a Vampire.”

“Since when did you come to that conclusion?” asked an astounded Buffy.

Annette gave Buffy a coy smile. “Since you took me from the orphanage.”

“Well you should have told me! I’ve been avoiding teleporting in front of you for ages!”

Annette laughed.

“I like you, Bit,” said Spike, “Got an evil streak in you. So what’s the total nun deaths then, just curious...”

“A lady does not reveal her body count, Spike,” protested Buffy.

“And who told you that?” asked the vampire with a leer.

“Anyanka.”

“The great Anyanka has been giving you tips on the way ladies behave? That’s rich.”

“Anyanka is a great lady,” said Buffy defending her friend.

“I heard she was a peasant!”

“I don’t believe you, William, how can you judge? You certainly don’t live life like you did when you were human. Hiding in luggage cars? Like a common tramp?”

Spike’s brow darkened. “Got to be careful how and when I touch my money, pet, the poof and the whore like to spend money like there is no tomorrow. You and I know different though, don’t we?”

Buffy nodded, suddenly far too aware of the fact that his lips were only inches from hers and that if she dared, she could kiss him. Her reverie was interrupted though, by the sound of a body, thumping up against the compartment door. The three occupants of the compartment turned to look at the source of the thump.

The conductor was slowly sliding down the glass, blood trickling from his nose and mouth, the blood painting a brilliant trail of red down the glass, puddling on the floor. As the unfortunate man slid to the floor, Buffy found herself looking at the conductor’s murderer. Angelus was looking directly at them.

Buffy was up in an instant. “Annette, stand up!” ordered Buffy.

The confused little girl stood, clutching her darning to her chest.

“Madame?” she whispered in a scared voice.

Buffy grabbed Annette’s hand and twisted so that the child was looking at her and not Angelus. “I’m sending you somewhere. Don’t be frightened. Don’t move from that room. Do you understand?”

Annette nodded, then gasped in shock as Buffy opened a portal and pushed Annette through it.

“That’s the Slayer I know and love, then,” came Angelus’ accented voice. “Saving the wee ones and then facing me yourself. It’s touching really. I’ve missed you Slayer.”

“Not a Slayer anymore Angelus,” quipped the former Slayer. “From what I hear, the real Slayer is some girl in Russia.”

“Oh not for me, lass,” cooed the Master Vampire.

“Oh isn’t that touching?” replied Buffy sarcastically. “What do you want, Angelus? There’s no one for you to eat here...”

“Oh not now is there? You sent the tasty morsel away. There’s still you though. I wonder what one of Arashamahar’s beauties taste like?”

“You won’t be finding out Angelus,” said Buffy at once. “Ever.”

Angelus raised a hand to his chest. “Oh, that cuts me to the quick Elizabeth. After all these years, my Slayer doesn’t appreciate my attention.”

“I was never your Slayer Angelus,” said Buffy, crossing her arms.

Angelus ignored her comment. “And what does wee William think of all this? You knew her when you were a human didn’t you? What do you think of her now that she’s a demon? Not quite so pure and virginal is she? Does it bother you that I had her first boy?”

Spike gritted his teeth but said nothing, he was already accustomed to Angelus’ taunting by now.

“You never had me, Angelus. And you know it,” Buffy snapped back at him.

Angelus stepped forward towards the former Slayer. “Your pretty little mouth tells lies, Elizabeth. Your body knows different.” His eyes travelled up and down her body and for once Buffy was glad the dress she was wearing was English designed and not French, her cleavage contained by the high collar of her Victoria travelling dress.

Buffy couldn’t help it anymore, she started to laugh. “What a joke!” she spat. “Given the fact that this whole taunting session is for the benefit of Spike, I do not believe that you would seriously continue with this whole charade! You have not had me, I do not lie, and Spike here knows that I am not lying, Angelus.”

“And how does he know?” whispered Angelus.

And evil smile crept over Buffy’s face. As much fun as it would be to tell Angelus that she had had known Spike carnally, the ramifications for Spike would be horrendous. She didn’t want to imagine the beating Spike would get from his Grandsire.

“He knows Angelus, because William knows me better than any other vampire risen,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

She saw Spike relax, and casually sit down next to the window in Annette‘s seat. The blind was drawn on that side and the sun coming from the other side of the train. She had no fears of his bursting in to flame.

“I hope you eating the conductor didn’t have any effect on the speed of the train, I really do want to get to Rome...” Buffy added nonchalantly.

“Found the frog defiling some young lass in the loo...”

“And you just had to have what he was having...” Buffy rolled her eyes in disgust. “I wonder how Darla puts up with all your philandering? Oh wait that’s right, she’s in Rome with the Immortal.”

“My whore of a Sire, she’s a special one isn’t she William? She wouldn’t mind if I took the whole Russian ballet to bed with me as long as I returned to her when she called. Just like she wouldn’t mind if I took a pretty Vengeance Demon to bed with me on this train...”

“Oh, ewww. I’ve not heard a more vile proposition since... well ever, actually. I’m sure you can find more easily coerced ladies on this train, Angelus. This lady is not.”

Spike laughed.

There was a commotion in the hallway, some passengers had discovered the bodies of the conductor and the girl. There was a knock on her door just as it swung open.

“Madame, there is a dangerous criminal on the train, and a body outside your door,” said the voice of another conductor, this one toting a gun.

“Oh yes, conductor, I know, for this man,” Buffy pointed at Angelus, “He is the murderer!”

Buffy smiled sickly sweet at the master vampire. The conductor raised his gun at Angelus.

“Monsieur, you are under arrest!”

Angelus rolled his eyes.

“You are starting to get on my nerves,” said Angelus to Buffy.

“Yes, that maybe, however if he shoots you, it will still hurt. Besides, won’t it be more thrilling to have a captive audience elsewhere? I expect that after a while our conversation would have revolved around the same topics. Please, Monsieur Conductor, take him away. He is greatly disturbing the journey my brother and I are taking on your train.”

Spike perked up when Buffy said that he was her brother.

“Your brother?” asked Angelus.

“Come with me Monsieur,” motioned the conductor.

Angelus followed, no wanting a large whole shot through him, or his fancy clothes wrecked.

“Your brother?” asked Spike once Angelus was safely out of the hearing range, and the shots and screaming rang out through the corridors of the train.

“It popped into my head,” she shrugged.

“How long do you think you will stay in Rome?” he asked, picking at a stray thread on his shirt.

“I don’t know, it depends on where Anyanka will want me next. What about you? After you rescue Drusilla and Darla from the evil clutches of the Immortal, where will you go?”

“Is up to Angelus and Darla really.”

Buffy nodded. “Why do you stay with them, if they treat you so badly?”

Spike exhaled. “They are family pet, I belong with them.”

“I wish you didn’t belong with them at all.”

“We’ve had this conversation pet.”

“I know.”

There was a pause in the cabin. Each demon refused to look at the other. At that moment, the train lurched, sending the unprepared demon sprawling on top of Spike. There was a silence that filled the cabin as Buffy unavoidably caught his blue eyes and gave him an apologetic look. His arms felt so good around her. Putting her hands out to steady herself, she accidentally brushed his manhood. She blushed, but then went white as he stiffened around her, and not in a good way. Spike lifted her prone form off of his body and set her down up on the seat that he had once occupied, resuming a standing position in the middle of the cabin himself.

“Well I’d best find out what the wanker’s gotten himself into, no doubt the git is full of bloody holes. We’ll have to hide in some farm house whilst he heals up.”

“Spike...” Buffy started only to be interrupted.

“Best go and find your little maid then, the bit’s probably out of her mind.”

“Annette!” Buffy stood up and was about to open a portal when she realised something. “You won’t be here when I return will you?”

“No,” he answered quietly.

Buffy nodded. “I will see you around though, no doubt.”

“No doubt.”

“If you ever need...”

“I know just who to call for, pet. Makes me feel right powerful, knowin’ I have a bloody Vengeance Demon who’ll come runnin’ if ever I need her,” he said, cocking his eye brow up implying innuendo.

Buffy smiled. “It’s true,” she whispered. Buffy turned and opened a portal where she had before and slipped in, casting a longing look at William before it closed.
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Buffy entered her lair to find Annette curled up on her bed, which had been made. The little brunette was just so cute sleeping in the soft covers that Buffy had to stop a moment and gaze at the scene.

“Madame?” said Annette sleepily. “Is it time to go back to the train?”

Buffy nodded and held out her hand for the little girl to hold. Annette scooted off the bed and held on tight to Buffy’s hand.

“Will I get to see Monsieur William again?” asked Annette.

“Someday Annette, someday.”
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tbc...




 
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