The Mother Of New Orleans: Part 4
by Anja K
DISCLAIMER: The Buffy characters belong to God, aka Joss Weedon. The Interview With The Vampire Characters belong to Anne Rice.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first fanfic I've written in a long while, and I'm really self-concious about it. I realize it's not as good as it could be, but I did the best I could under the present circumstances.
WARNING: This fanfic contains material which might be objectionable or disturbing to some readers. Hell, it's probably disturbing to most readers!
For violence, profanity, a little bit of sex and other adult topics, this story (albeit reluctantly) is rated R.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archivist's note: Having reviewed the content, I would rate the material at PG-13, as a caution to any younger readers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to all the people who helped me finish the fic: From beta-reading to giving me quotes. Couldn't have done it without ya!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part Four
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 4
* * *
''You've been a very bad daddy.''
Drusilla talking to Angel, What's My Line p. 2
* * *
Everything was perfectly fine the next month. Aside from the occasional vampire attack from an old Angelus crony, nobody rallied at them en masse. Angelus hadn't been the friendliest vampire in town.
Claudia was drawing in the parlor when Spike ( as everyone had taken to calling him), came in. They had grown quite close, and it was something Claudia treasured; it was not the hated pupil/teacher relationship she'd had with Lestat and not the dearly beloved family bond of Louis, but a friendship unlike one she'd ever had. They hunted together very often.
'' Me and Dru are leaving.'' He said bluntly.
'' Leaving? For where?'' She tried to hide the hurt she was feeling. Spike explained.
'' London. I'll forever be grateful to you for getting rid of Angelus, but we've got to get a move on.'' Claudia heard herself talking to him, but she wasn't really participating in the conversation.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she had known all along they would leave, but she didn't care. She was angry, and rational thought had no place in her mind right now.
She stomped out of the room, slamming the 15-century former castle door that usually needed three humans to shut it so hard that it was reduced to splinters.
* * *
Claudia had already killed eight people and she didn't feel any better. Her dress was stained with their blood, but her mind was free of their screams. They would be part of the forgotten hundreds she had killed.
She was happy for Drusilla, but she was also a very possessive person, and to think she would not be able to see either of them for nobody knew how long was a horrible thought. Even when, as she entered the house an hour before daybreak, Drusilla came up to her to tell her about the latest loving thing Spike had done, which generally happened around five times a day.
'' Claudia! Me and Spikey are going away! As free as the birds... oh it will be wonderful.''
'' I'll miss you.'' Claudia said dryly. Drusilla furrowed her brows together.
'' But why?''
'' Because you and Spikey are going away and I'm not.'' She said it, the painfully obvious fact, and Drusilla struggled to understand. Claudia could not keep mad at her. She herself was intellectually superior to most of the population, but people of Drusilla's intellect got thrown into asylums or out into the streets all the time.
'' But... can't you come with us?''
'' No.'' She said it simply, quickly, and roughly and Drusilla didn't bring it up again. Her tone had been so hard that Drusilla started whimpering. She retreated into her hands and stayed there for a second, until she jerked with a spasm of pain. Claudia jumped; this little showing of physical discomfort disturbed her much more then the 32 beheadings she had done in her years as a vampire. '' Are you all right, Drusilla?''
'' Miss Edith is telling me things... bad things...'' She ran to her room, and Claudia stayed, bewildered. Then, she heard a piercing shriek. She ran the way Dru had run to see what was wrong.
When she got there, she realized what was wrong was Angelus.
* * *
Drusilla cowered in the corner. Angelus towered over her like some sort of menacing giant while she whimpered. Her memories attacked her and the shock of seeing him had her nearly paralyzed.
That was the scene Claudia saw when she ran out into the hallway. She stood there, shocked for a couple of seconds, but recovered quickly.
'' Louis! Spike!'' She cried out as Angelus lifted Drusilla up and brutally shoved her against the wall.
'' For god's sakes, Dru, hit him!'' Claudia screamed as she ran toward Angelus. Drusilla was still whimpering, still in shock. Her mind couldn't deal with something like this so quickly, and to stand up to Angelus was something she couldn't even fathom.
Claudia, on the other hand, shoved him away from Drusilla. He staggered for a bit, then got his balance back. However, before he could attack, a voice rang out.
'' You bastard!'' Spike yelled, jumping at Angelus. They wrestled on the floor for a couple of minutes, and Angelus laughed and said,
'' Finally you have grown two!''
As a response, Spike grabbed him by the ears and slammed his head repeatedly against the floor.
At that exact second, expertly played piano music rang throughout the mansion. Claudia froze.
An image of twenty years ago flashed in her mind; long, pale fingers teaching her how to skip across the ivory keys...
'' It can't be...'' She said to herself. Then, a voice she'd hoped never to hear again; laughing, a light tone.
'' You never did learn how to play this piece properly, you know.''
Her anger, a red hot wave flashing across her mind, overtook her and she raced to the parlor. The piano was indeed occupied by Lestat. '' Where is Louis? I'd like to catch up on old times with him!'' He said.
'' Leave, Lestat.''
'' And miss all the fun?'' He continued playing, and at that moment, Louis came in the house.
'' Claudia? I didn't think you knew how to play this piece....'' He trailed off as he saw their guest.
This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=5245