The Calendar Post: Age of Unreason extract
Aug. 3rd, 2009 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightHi again. Back from my weekend away but still keeping LJ-ing to a minimum due to problem with hands. I hope everyone who went to Writercon had a good time. Shall be interested to read about it, even if I don't comment much.
Anyway, here is the August calendar post, which isn't new fic this time, unfortunately. Instead, since this month's picture from my![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sueworld2003 fan art calendar was originally created for Age of Unreason, I'm re-posting to this LJ the chapter with which it belongs. It seemed appropriate.
Age of Unreason Book 1, Part 65
Setting: Somewhere in the Cotswolds, post a very apocalyse-y apocalypse, prior to which some not very pleasant things had happened to Spike, leaving him with no memory of his life pre-the unpleasantness.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None in this part
In the end, the humans made a good meal of it. Apart from the rabbit, which didn't go far among such a large number, they had supplies with them – Xander said they'd raided Tesco's, though Spike didn't know what that was – and there was plenty of food to go round.
Spike left them to it. He felt out of place, and the rescued woman's two small children wouldn't stop pointing at him and giggling, while the Slayers threw him covert glances, some of them quite hostile.
In the end, he took a plate of food and a glass of water and went in search of Mr Giles.
He'd never been anywhere else inside the Refuge so he had to find Mr Giles by scent alone. He wandered through old, dark rooms all hung with portraits, up a grand oak staircase and along a deeply carpeted corridor to a room which, when he opened the door, smelt of blood and sickness.
The injured Slayer lay in a small white bed with Mr Giles sitting in a chair at her side. He was holding one of her hands in his and chanting under his breath. He looked tired and his forehead was beaded with sweat.
"I brought you dinner," Spike said tentatively. Mr Giles looked up and gave him a brief smile.
"Thank you, Spike," he said. "Put it down there," and he gestured towards a small side table.
The Slayer's eyes were shut. She was pale under her tan skin and Spike could smell death in the room. He could smell her blood too, and his empty belly growled painfully.
"There's not much I can do for her except ease her passing," Mr Giles said. He was picking at the bits of meat with his fork. "Is everything all right?"
Spike nodded. He told Mr Giles about the burial place.
"It's nice there," he said. "Peaceful."
"Good." Mr Giles continued to eat but he never let go of the unconscious Slayer's hand.
Spike looked round the room. It appeared clean and well-cared for, as if its previous occupant had only just left.
"Marion looked after this place well as chatelaine, didn't she?" Mr Giles said. "We'll have to see if we can do the same."
"What will happen?" It was only when he asked the question that Spike realised he'd been worrying about it all the time.
Mr Giles sighed. "My dear boy, I wish I knew. The future is dark – very dark, that's certain." He tried to smile. "We'll settle in first then we'll make plans."
Spike's belly rumbled again. He folded his arms across it, embarrassed.
"Are you very hungry?" Mr Giles asked, and Spike had to nod.
"I'll go hunting," he offered and turned towards the door.
"No." Mr Giles's voice was emphatic. "You'll get very slim pickings inside the Refuge boundary, Spike, and I won't have you going outside until you can defend yourself."
"I can," Spike began. He felt quite indignant, but Mr Giles shook his head.
"You fight like an animal – a desperate animal trapped in a cage. I understand why that is, Spike, but it isn't enough. You have to learn to fight like a man." He smiled again to take the sting out of his words. "Buffy will teach you."
"Buffy will teach him what?" Buffy was standing in the open door. She looked a little better now she'd eaten, Spike thought. "God, Giles, this place is a warren."
"Plenty of room for everyone," Mr Giles said, mildly. "All mod-cons – well, what were mod cons in the 1930s anyway. Take your pick of the rooms, Buffy, and tell the others to do the same."
Buffy came further into the room. Her eyes were fixed on the Slayer in the bed.
"How is she?"
"She's dying," Mr Giles told her. "I'm afraid it won't be long now – and in the meantime, Spike here is hungry. I'd feed him myself again but I fear twice in one day would be too much for me."
"You fed him?" Buffy was staring at Mr Giles now. "With your blood?"
Mr Giles rolled his eyes. "We can hardly go down the road to the butcher's, can we? Yes, I fed him with my blood. He's under my protection, Buffy. I told you."
Buffy shook her head. "This is just – freaky."
Suddenly, the dying Slayer drew her breath in very sharply. There was a long silence while they waited for her to breathe again. She didn't.
After a moment, Mr Giles let go of her hand. "She's gone," he said, quietly.
Buffy was hugging herself. The pinched look was back on her face.
"That's two."
Mr Giles smiled tiredly. He pulled the sheet up to cover the dead girl's face. "And somewhere in the world there are two new Slayers, even as we speak. Life goes on, Buffy."
Buffy was looking at Spike now. "It's weird," she said, musingly. "Vampires and Slayers – they're like mortal enemies, yet they reproduce in the same way – well, kind of. At least, for there to be a new Slayer or a new vampire, someone has to die first."
"Very true," Mr Giles agreed. Somehow, it seemed to Spike he was waiting for Buffy to make some kind of decision, though what about, Spike had no idea.
Buffy's eyes were still on Spike. "I heard what Giles said. It's too dangerous to go outside this place until we're better prepared. You need blood, Spike, and I know animal blood's not gonna be enough for you. I'll feed you. In fact, we all will. We'll take it in turns."
Spike found his mouth was watering just at the thought. He swallowed uneasily.
"I can't," he protested. "I don't think the others like me."
"Tough." Buffy shrugged. "They're gonna have to get used to it." She was staring at him hard. "You came back from the dead. I don't know what that means, Spike, but I know it means something. You're our vampire for better or worse."
Anyway, here is the August calendar post, which isn't new fic this time, unfortunately. Instead, since this month's picture from my
sueworld2003 fan art calendar was originally created for Age of Unreason, I'm re-posting to this LJ the chapter with which it belongs. It seemed appropriate.Age of Unreason Book 1, Part 65
Setting: Somewhere in the Cotswolds, post a very apocalyse-y apocalypse, prior to which some not very pleasant things had happened to Spike, leaving him with no memory of his life pre-the unpleasantness.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None in this part
In the end, the humans made a good meal of it. Apart from the rabbit, which didn't go far among such a large number, they had supplies with them – Xander said they'd raided Tesco's, though Spike didn't know what that was – and there was plenty of food to go round.
Spike left them to it. He felt out of place, and the rescued woman's two small children wouldn't stop pointing at him and giggling, while the Slayers threw him covert glances, some of them quite hostile.
In the end, he took a plate of food and a glass of water and went in search of Mr Giles.
He'd never been anywhere else inside the Refuge so he had to find Mr Giles by scent alone. He wandered through old, dark rooms all hung with portraits, up a grand oak staircase and along a deeply carpeted corridor to a room which, when he opened the door, smelt of blood and sickness.
The injured Slayer lay in a small white bed with Mr Giles sitting in a chair at her side. He was holding one of her hands in his and chanting under his breath. He looked tired and his forehead was beaded with sweat.
"I brought you dinner," Spike said tentatively. Mr Giles looked up and gave him a brief smile.
"Thank you, Spike," he said. "Put it down there," and he gestured towards a small side table.
The Slayer's eyes were shut. She was pale under her tan skin and Spike could smell death in the room. He could smell her blood too, and his empty belly growled painfully.
"There's not much I can do for her except ease her passing," Mr Giles said. He was picking at the bits of meat with his fork. "Is everything all right?"
Spike nodded. He told Mr Giles about the burial place.
"It's nice there," he said. "Peaceful."
"Good." Mr Giles continued to eat but he never let go of the unconscious Slayer's hand.
Spike looked round the room. It appeared clean and well-cared for, as if its previous occupant had only just left.
"Marion looked after this place well as chatelaine, didn't she?" Mr Giles said. "We'll have to see if we can do the same."
"What will happen?" It was only when he asked the question that Spike realised he'd been worrying about it all the time.
Mr Giles sighed. "My dear boy, I wish I knew. The future is dark – very dark, that's certain." He tried to smile. "We'll settle in first then we'll make plans."
Spike's belly rumbled again. He folded his arms across it, embarrassed.
"Are you very hungry?" Mr Giles asked, and Spike had to nod.
"I'll go hunting," he offered and turned towards the door.
"No." Mr Giles's voice was emphatic. "You'll get very slim pickings inside the Refuge boundary, Spike, and I won't have you going outside until you can defend yourself."
"I can," Spike began. He felt quite indignant, but Mr Giles shook his head.
"You fight like an animal – a desperate animal trapped in a cage. I understand why that is, Spike, but it isn't enough. You have to learn to fight like a man." He smiled again to take the sting out of his words. "Buffy will teach you."
"Buffy will teach him what?" Buffy was standing in the open door. She looked a little better now she'd eaten, Spike thought. "God, Giles, this place is a warren."
"Plenty of room for everyone," Mr Giles said, mildly. "All mod-cons – well, what were mod cons in the 1930s anyway. Take your pick of the rooms, Buffy, and tell the others to do the same."
Buffy came further into the room. Her eyes were fixed on the Slayer in the bed.
"How is she?"
"She's dying," Mr Giles told her. "I'm afraid it won't be long now – and in the meantime, Spike here is hungry. I'd feed him myself again but I fear twice in one day would be too much for me."
"You fed him?" Buffy was staring at Mr Giles now. "With your blood?"
Mr Giles rolled his eyes. "We can hardly go down the road to the butcher's, can we? Yes, I fed him with my blood. He's under my protection, Buffy. I told you."
Buffy shook her head. "This is just – freaky."
Suddenly, the dying Slayer drew her breath in very sharply. There was a long silence while they waited for her to breathe again. She didn't.
After a moment, Mr Giles let go of her hand. "She's gone," he said, quietly.
Buffy was hugging herself. The pinched look was back on her face.
"That's two."
Mr Giles smiled tiredly. He pulled the sheet up to cover the dead girl's face. "And somewhere in the world there are two new Slayers, even as we speak. Life goes on, Buffy."
Buffy was looking at Spike now. "It's weird," she said, musingly. "Vampires and Slayers – they're like mortal enemies, yet they reproduce in the same way – well, kind of. At least, for there to be a new Slayer or a new vampire, someone has to die first."
"Very true," Mr Giles agreed. Somehow, it seemed to Spike he was waiting for Buffy to make some kind of decision, though what about, Spike had no idea.
Buffy's eyes were still on Spike. "I heard what Giles said. It's too dangerous to go outside this place until we're better prepared. You need blood, Spike, and I know animal blood's not gonna be enough for you. I'll feed you. In fact, we all will. We'll take it in turns."
Spike found his mouth was watering just at the thought. He swallowed uneasily.
"I can't," he protested. "I don't think the others like me."
"Tough." Buffy shrugged. "They're gonna have to get used to it." She was staring at him hard. "You came back from the dead. I don't know what that means, Spike, but I know it means something. You're our vampire for better or worse."