Fanged Four Ficlet: Waiting

[girlpire]

Title: Waiting
Author: girlpire
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Angelus/Darla, William/Drusilla
Disclaimer: This story is based on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" series, with which I am not affiliated in any way. Joss Whedon is my master, etc.
Distribution: Please no. kthnxbye. :)
Summary: Trust vs. Loyalty: One of the big differences between Angelus and William is the way in which they love.
Warnings: angsty!William
Author's Notes: I started writing this at work a couple of weeks ago and stopped halfway through and made it into a drabble instead. But I read it again today and thought it might be worth posting anyway, if only to my own journal.



Waiting

*

They’d been feeding together, one on either side of a plump, red-haired prostitute, when a large group of men with crossbows cornered them in the alley. A little thrill went down William’s spine at the prospect of a good fight - even against overwhelming odds – but Angelus simply wasn’t in the mood. So when the men inquired after a blonde she-devil and her insane dark-haired cousin, Angelus gave them up without batting an eye.

“You’ll find them both,” he said, “at 416 Huntington Court. And if ye hurry, ye may catch them before they brutally cannibalize another innocent child.” As the hunters rushed off, apparently convinced that the two women were a greater threat than the two men, Angelus turned back to William and said evenly, “Finish your supper, lad. We need to be leaving town soon.” But William had dropped the unconscious body to the ground and was staring at Angelus, too shocked to move.

The young vampire was still consumed with anger and grief when the two of them arrived unaccompanied in Venice nearly two weeks later. Between long bouts of silence, he ranted at Angelus. “How could you?” he demanded. “How could you just betray them that way? Your own sire! And... and Drusilla...” He could hardly say her name without his voice breaking. “Crossbows, Angelus! A whole bloody army of men and no warning at all! And the two of us buggering off to Italy as though we didn’t even care. As though – as though we didn’t even love them anymore!”

Angelus just rolled his eyes and suggested they try hunting at the ballet that night, or perhaps go for a drink at a gentleman’s club, or – or perhaps William would prefer it if they went back to London to sacrifice their own skins for the sake of two bitches who’d have gladly turned them over first if they’d had the opportunity? After which William sank into another long stretch of mournful silence and composed some very bad poetry in secret.

“By the way,” Angelus added as an afterthought, “we’re demons, Will. We don’t love them. Remember?”

After spending three terribly lonely weeks in Venice, William reached his boiling point. “I’m going back!” he announced one night. “Don’t try and stop me!”

Angelus heaved an exasperated sigh. “You’ll only get yourself killed, lad,” he replied. “And honestly, what’s the point of that?”

“But they could be hurt!”

“Aye, or dust,” Angelus said calmly. “But what good could ye be to them now? Either they lived or they didn’t, and if they didn’t there’s no use pining after them, and if they did then we’re sure to see them again eventually. Being only a year old as ye are, maybe it hasn't truly sunk in yet, but it’s not exactly as if we’re running out of time. May as well enjoy ourselves.”

“You heartless bastard!”

“Better to be heartless and live than to have a heart and die for it,” Angelus said. “Ye can take my word on that one, boyo.”

“Your word means exactly shite to me, Angelus! I can’t believe we’re actually talking about this. I’m going. And if you ever cared – even just a tiny amount – for either of them, then you’d bloody well come too!”

Angelus was already frustrated beyond his usual tolerance level with the boy, but this last bit finally made him lose his temper. He grabbed William by the shoulders and thrust him hard against the wall of their hotel room, his eyes barely inches from William’s own, noses almost touching. “Maybe,” he growled, “caring for them – even just a tiny amount – means trusting them to handle their own arses when they need to, and believing that they’ll turn back up when they’re good and damn well ready! Maybe,” he spat, “just a tiny amount of care means knowing that ye don’t have to hover about and protect them all the time!” He banged William against the wall again. “MAYBE, caring for Darla means - it means that-” Angelus suddenly faltered and went silent, swallowing back whatever it was he was going to say. He closed his eyes, took a deep, controlled breath and slowly released his grip on William. “Not that I do care,” he said quietly, turning away, “but if I did, I wouldn’t be so quick to convince myself they needed me at all.” He went and sat down in a chair. “If I cared for them,” he said, “I would simply wait.”

So they waited.

They waited for three months in Venice. William lashed out and moped by turns while Angelus, aside from that one small outburst, went on being infuriatingly unconcerned. As time wore on, he seemed to enjoy himself more and more. He became much more careless with his kills, created large disturbances wherever he went, and left obvious vampiric signs behind him. William nearly became angry the second time his antics made the front page of a popular Venetian newspaper, but found he couldn’t make himself care that much. Let the authorities come for them; nothing mattered anymore without his dark goddess at his side. He was furious that Angelus managed to have so much fun, but he let his anger simmer quietly and didn’t even acknowledge his grandsire when, grinning, Angelus shoved a third newspaper under his nose. The headline nicknamed the older vampire “The Venetian Blood Artist.”

William developed an interest in torturing large, dark-haired men whenever Angelus went off on one of his sprees.

Near the beginning of the fourth month, Angelus took William with him to a convent. “Did ye know our Dru was preparing to become a nun?” he asked him. “I put a stop to that nonsense, of course. Would've been a waste of a tight cunt, eh lad?” William still wasn’t able to talk about her, but during the ensuing massacre, he disappeared with a thin brunette novice for quite some time, and Angelus found him later, clutching her dead body to his chest and weeping bitterly.

Three days after the convent escapade was published in the paper, the two vampires bumped into their missing women in front of their hotel just before sunrise. William dropped to his knees at Drusilla’s feet in shock and wrapped his arms around her ruffled skirt. “Oh god! Oh god, Drusilla, my love, I thought I’d lost you!” he cried against her thighs.

She giggled softly and put her hand in his hair. “Hello, Willie,” she said. Then she turned her face toward Angelus and grinned. “Hello Daddy.”

“Princess,” Angelus greeted her with a small smile, as though they’d only just seen each other that morning.

“You’ve been a very naughty boy,” Drusilla scolded him, still petting William’s hair. “Grandmummy will spank you for it.”

“Aye, that she will,” he said, turning his smile toward Darla. The blonde looked impeccable as always, a tiny smile playing at her lips as well. “I look forward to it.”

“She’s talked of nothing else for weeks,” added Dru.

Darla shook her head slowly at Angelus, looking somewhat amused. “The Venetian Blood Artist?” she said. “Really, Angelus. That’s the best you could do?”

“Short notice,” Angelus replied, chuckling. “Given another month or so, I could have been the Great Venetian Blood Artist.” He tilted his head. “Speaking of months, Darla, it took ye long enough to find us. You’re a wee bit late, are ye not?”

Smugly, Darla replied, “You’re still here.”

The big vampire cleared his throat. “So I am,” he conceded. Then he said, “Why don’t we go inside, then? Ye can tell us what took ye so long – nearly drove the boy to insanity, by the way, and do ye know how difficult it would be to explain two mad cousins? – and then if you’d like, ye can go on and do what you’ve been talking about for so many weeks.” He politely offered her his arm.

She accepted it gracefully, careful to step around William where he was still kneeling with his face buried in Drusilla’s skirts. “I think we’ll have the spanking first,” Darla said, “and story time later. It’s been much too long since I’ve had you under my hand, dear boy, and never more deserved than now.” She smiled fondly at him. “The story isn’t very interesting anyway.”

*
END

Comments

[lilithbint.livejournal.com]

oohh lovely.
Loved the little crack in Angelus' armour.

[girlpire.livejournal.com]

thanks. :D

[toiffag.livejournal.com]

Hehehe...
I *love* you!!
Love the spanking parts lol!!! But then again, I already told you that Darla Mistress of All rules for me!! :D

great work, loved will torturing dark haired men, that really cracked me up ;)

[girlpire.livejournal.com]

darla rules everyone! :D thanks.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Terrific fun! thanks.

[girlpire.livejournal.com]

thank you. :)

[incasink.livejournal.com]

Interesting ficlet, liked the summation of the differences in them.

After which William sank into another long stretch of mournful silence and composed some very bad poetry in secret.

*snicker* burn.

[girlpire.livejournal.com]

thanks, inc. i still can't decide if i would rather be loved like angelus loves or like william does. i think william would really start to get on my nerves being all clingy and protective, but you wouldn't be able to count on angelus for anything.

in william's bad poetry, he compared drusilla to a bird, a wedge of cheese, and the still-beating heart of a fat comatose vampire victim. and the moon.

[lokapala.livejournal.com]

That was wonderful.
World is in a desperate need of more Fanged Four fics, so you're doing good work here =)

“we’re demons, Will. We don’t love them. Remember?”
Of course, Angelus, we believe you, sure.

[girlpire.livejournal.com]

thanks. :D i like writing the fanged four. i didn't realize how much i liked them until i wrote "five times angelus got down on his knees." since then, i haven't really been able to stop, although most of my stories haven't quite made it to my livejournal yet.

Of course, Angelus, we believe you, sure.
heh heh. he's such a sap. :D