Purple Skies
They found the Hyperion virtually deserted when they arrived that night, and it was no wonder why. It was nearly two thirty in the morning; and while the city certainly buzzed with action, the staff of its salvation couldn’t afford to run while the gas tank was on empty.
“They really must trust you,” Zack commented, coming down the stairs. “Leaving you with Angel’s digs alone?”
The vampire glanced up. “’m not alone. Got you an’ your merry band, don’ I?” His eyes dropped to a hastily scribbled letter from Cordelia that welcomed him to all the blood in the fridge (apparently she had restocked) and that she wouldn’t expect money back…this time. He chuckled in spite of himself and poured a glass of crimson goodness. “Though I guess trustin’ you wouldn’t be in the best interest, either.”
Wright sighed his exasperation and ran his hands through his hair. “Look, would you have told you? Especially with…with what you know about what happened to us?”
“I wouldn’t hurt your Bits, Zangy.”
“Yeah, I know that. Now.” He shook his head and sank with exhaustion into one of the plush couches in the foyer. “So, you helped them?”
Spike snickered and took a deep swig of blood. They had eluded the formality of explanation in the alley of his motel room for a reason. The child needed sleep, it was getting later than any of them reckoned was appropriate, and Nikki had tossed in the strains of her own fatigue. There had been very little exchanged on the way back—mostly by Rosie, who was very childishly trying to prove that she wasn’t sleepy. She sat curled in her father’s lap, asking the vampire various questions pertaining to who he was and, more importantly, his past. Some of what she asked was so above and beyond the telling signs of her biological age that he had to stop and remind herself that she had yet to blossom into adulthood. Other questions, however, bordered on adorably ridiculous.
Though he would never admit that.
“On the way to Caritas,” he replied, hoisting himself onto the counter. “Cordy got snagged by one of her wonder-visions. Took us to some ruddy alley where your girlies were battlin’ a big nasty.” He stopped and shook his head with a slight chuckle. “Nikki’s a bloody pistol.”
Wright nodded. “Yes, she really is.”
“Who is she?” The vampire took another long sip of his blood, head cocked to the side curiously. “’m guessin’ she’s not your—”
“No!” The widening of the other man’s eyes in fervent protest was so extreme that it nearly stood as comical. “Good God no. Nikki’s…well, she’s my sister-in-law. After Amber…after that happened, I needed someone to watch Rosie. She learned everything I learned…she’s been with me from the beginning.”
Spike arched a brow. “You let her tag along?”
“I wasn’t about to let my daughter out of my sight. Not after what had happened.”
“Bit looks like she can take care of herself.” He chuckled again. “Even ‘f she is a tiny person. How old is she?”
“She’ll be nine soon.”
Spike nodded thoughtfully. “Older than I thought. She’s small for her age.”
Wright offered a poignant smile. “Takes after her mother in that.” He sighed and leaned back. “Rosie’s been through more than her fair share. I know she doesn’t deserve a lot of what I’ve made her do or learn. Some of what she does, she’s picked up along the way. Other stuff, Nikki or I have taught her. Made her learn…in case something happened to one of us.”
“No wonder she’s so bloody mature for her age.”
“Oh, she’s always been like that. She’s always…known things. It used to scare the piss outta me.” Zack shook his head ruefully. “Now I can’t…she…she’s very gifted. More so than I reckon even I’ve credited. She’s…she knows when things happen. Always has.”
There was a long pause.
“Bit’s a seer? ‘S that what you’re sayin’?”
Zack shrugged. “If you wanna call it that, I guess. I’m not sure how Cordy handles it, but Rosie…it’s not so much seeing things as knowing things. On the few nights that we’re actually together, she’ll be talking about something she saw or read or something to that effect…and stop suddenly to tell me that the phone’s about to ring or a glass is going to fall…little things like that.”
The vampire was silent for a long minute. “All right…li’l creepy.”
“You’re telling me. Amber and I used to not know what to do with her. Once she started talking…it was like an adult trapped in a child’s body.” He shook his head wanly. “She knows too much for being as old as she is.”
“She how you knew Darla was here?”
The question was unneeded; silence spoke for all just as well. Wright glanced off dazedly, and nodded to the best of his ability. “Yeah,” he said. “We were in Vegas…well, we were leaving Vegas. There was some…” He trailed off with a frown. “I don’t know the technical jargon for demons, but this one liked lights. It liked lights in a way that should be illegal in forty-seven states. And you know Vegas….”
Spike snickered.
“Well, we were leaving and…Rosie just…sort’ve blanked. And she said, very calmly, that Darla was in Los Angeles. Just like that. ‘Daddy, Darla’s in Los Angeles.’” He exhaled deeply. “I’m not even sure if she knows who Darla is, really. She’ll say things like that all the time. ‘Frank bought a new car,’ ‘Paullina got her hair done today,’ ‘Darla’s in Los Angeles.’ I’m sure there’s a reason for everything, but…I…I follow leads. Real, firm leads. I’ve already fucked Rosie’s life up enough to drag her into it any further. After Amber…after she was murdered, I shutdown. I turned all my attention to finding Darla and just…lost myself. Rosie’s probably the only reason I maintained…anything.” Wright sighed longingly, squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t even know if I’m the type of person that Amber would love anymore.”
The vampire shrugged. “You’ve dedicated yourself to somethin’ you believe in.”
“For the right reasons?”
There was a long beat at that. Spike shifted slightly and reached for his cigarettes, ignoring the unspoken implication that there was no smoking in the Hyperion. He lit up and inhaled appreciatively, brow furrowed in consideration. “Way I see it,” he said, “there’s no ‘right reason’ for anythin’. Why should it matter why you’re doin’ somethin’ so long as you’re doin’ it?”
“So says the vampire.”
“Yeh, so says the bloody vampire. I might never get why I started ‘avin’ all these soddin’ touchy feelies. An’ ‘f I get…when I get Buffy back, she might never know why, either. Rupert an’ the soddin’ brigade of white hats’ll never understand why I’m here.” He shook his head and tapped the end of the fag lightly. “Don’ see why it matters. I don’ have the wirin’ to do the right thing. The fact that ‘m makin’ an honest effort at it should be more than enough.”
Zack snickered. “Yeah. Enough for you. I’m supposed to be above it. I guess that went away at some point.”
“You fancy a spot of violence, Zangy. There’s nothin’ wrong with that.”
“There is when I neglect my daughter.” There was a long beat of silence as he gazed off in thought. “Nikki’s great, don’t get me wrong. She’s been with me from the beginning…wanted to learn everything I learned. Wanted to…she loved her sister, and she…despite all the changes she’s gone through, she’s still so much like Amber sometimes that I can’t breathe. And Rosie…I never wanted to become one of those parents who can’t look at their child because it reminds them of someone they lost. Rosie, though…she’s like her mother incarnate. People say that she has my eyes, but I don’t see it. I can’t see myself anywhere on her. All I see is…”
“I get that, mate.”
“I just…can’t stop. I’ve dragged Rosie this far and she’s a hell of a sport about it. She’s never complained. Never…really, never been any trouble at all. Even when she was really little.” He sighed and shook his head again. “But she deserves more than this.”
Spike cocked his head to the side, indulging another puff on his cigarette. “You ever reckon maybe she was made for it?” he suggested gently. “Sure seems like you were, whether or not you wanna admit it.”
“What? You mean like a Slayer?”
“No. God, I hope not. With ugly beasties out there who spend their lives huntin’ an’ killin’ Slayers? Creatures like—”
“You?”
The vampire snorted inarticulately, but nodded all the same. “Yeh. Once upon a time. Never fancied I’d ever change. Slayers are a nasty business, Zangy. They live, they fight a while, then some muck like me comes an’ ends it all for ‘em. I’ve seen the end of two…can’t say I’m sorry, ‘cause really, I’m not. Not like I oughta be, anyway.” Spike paused meaningfully and glanced upward. “’F I never know another Slayer again, it’ll be too bloody soon. Your Bit…I’d never hope that for her.” He glanced up. “Means more of the same for you.”
Zack shrugged. “Always has. What I do…I’m too deep in to stop…even for her.”
There was a pause. “Many ways to raise a kid, way I figure it. I’ve been all over the world, mate. Ruined my fair share of happy homes an’ the like. Done things I…I wish I could regret.” He sighed. “Don’ know ‘f that means anythin’…wishin’ I could regret it.”
“I think it means you do, on a level. You regret not regretting, and therefore regret.”
Spike smiled wanly. “You a philosopher, now, or jus’ specialize in therapy for the undead?”
“You’re beyond therapy.”
The vampire chuckled and raised his bloodglass at that. “’ll drink to that.” He finished off his makeshift supper and wiped his mouth. “Bit’s got potential,” he murmured a minute later. “Real potential.”
“We made sure of that. In my line of work, I wasn’t going to let her be in the face in danger every day and not know how to defend herself.” Zack sighed longingly. “Amber wouldn’t have wanted this for her.”
Spike arched a brow. “Even ‘f it had been the other way around?”
“Especially if it had been the other way around. She would’ve…she would’ve been above it.”
“I don’ see how what you’re doin’ is below it.”
“And again, we’re back to the ‘you wouldn’t.’”
“Yeh. I wouldn’t. Jus’ ‘cause I’m a vamp doesn’ mean everythin’ I say an’ think’s immediately an’ completely buggered.” He shook his head, billowing out a pillar of smoke. “You’ve jus’ met the worse of us.”
Zack’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t realize there was a ‘best’.”
“See? That’s what ‘m talkin’ about.”
“Spike, you’re the first vampire I’ve met who has any earthly ambitions that aren’t one hundred percent selfish.” He held up a hand. “And I’m still trying to figure you out.”
The Cockney gestured broadly to himself. “Not much to figure out, mate.”
“Yes, there is.” The conviction behind the hunter’s tone caused the vampire to stop and consider him, realizing what was being offered. That blessed leeway that had previously been denied. That acceptance. That want of trust, even if they hadn’t made it that far. The previous sentiment that had been determined just the night before that they could never be friends questioned by the man himself. With a self-conscious chuckle, Wright glanced down, studying the contours of his hands. “You’re a strange guy. I don’t want to believe anything that you say and I don’t want to…you’re a vampire. You’re the reason my life’s the way it is. Not you per se, but…your kind. I’ve hated vampires for so long. Not demons, vampires. For what you are. For what you do, or have done. And now you’re all with the noble ‘save the woman you love’ crusade.”
“’S not a crime to not hate me, Zangy.”
“I feel like it should be.”
Spike sighed. “Well, I feel like I should rightly be staked for what I’ve turned myself into. For startin’ to feel again. For lovin’ her like I do. An’ ‘s not jus’ her. When I saw your kid in the alley bein’ attacked by that big nasty, I…I felt for her. An’ tha’s not right. Not from where I’m standin’. I’m not s’posed to feel. Not for humanly types, not for younglin’s, an’ certainly not for Slayers.”
Wright nodded as though he understood, but the vampire didn’t see how that was possible. “Well,” he decided after a minute. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you do.”
There was a brief pause at that, and the peroxide blonde smiled. “Yeh,” he agreed. “Me, too.”
Their eyes met at that, and they exchanged a concise, however heartfelt grin of mutuality. After so much pain, there was a limit on how much a person could offer. Spike knew this all too well, and would not take it lightly. He didn’t know if this was in his benefit or not. If it was for Buffy or to ease the pain of a man he should feel no obligation to, but did anyway.
At some point, it had ceased to matter.
It wasn’t the most nutritional breakfast in the world, but there were some sacrifices every parent must make. Especially a parent living on Zack Wright’s income. The past few years had seen a tradition of fine dining at whatever local fast food chain was available, and because of the readily low prices (not to mention quality) everyone in his crowd was more than accustomed to McDonalds.
He had left the Hyperion before sunrise alongside Spike, who was too ancy to wait the duration of another day without making the first leap into Wolfram and Hart. They had taken the back alleys in case the sun decided to show up early for any reason, and Wright had spotted the vampire one Egg McMuffin that he demanded compensation on whenever they saw each other again. Spike had chuckled, waved his farewell, and disappeared before he could call him on it.
When he arrived back at the hotel, Nikki and Rosie were awake. That did not surprise him. Over the years, they had all adapted to the radical hours that a vampire hunter obliged in nature.
They ate in companionable silence, occasionally commenting on something marking notes in the obscure nature. All else besides, Nikki was still on the side of uncomfortable when it came to their newfound association with a vampire. She asked him half a dozen times if he knew what he was doing. What he was getting himself into, and wasn’t satisfied even when the child vouched her confidence.
“Spike’s a good guy,” Rosie supplied, munching on a hashbrown. She didn’t say anything more, but it was enough to convince her father once and for all. If the years had taught him anything, it was that his daughter’s senses ranged beyond impeccable. Her unspoken blessing solidified all remaining doubts.
It didn’t surprise him when Nikki failed to bend that easily. After Amber’s death, she had retreated within herself almost more than he had. Her bloodlust was nearly as pure, if not as refined. She hated all things of a subhuman nature, and nothing short of God’s decree would alter her perception.
The first few years, Zack had questioned the wisdom of dragging her along with him. It was dangerous enough having a daughter that he refused to leave in the care of his parents. His parents whom had never supported his marriage, and Amber’s weren’t any better. Despite their palpable love for their grandchild, he would rather have cut off his ear than leave her for what could be years at a time.
Nikki’s presence, while at times problematic, had served to solve the issue surrounding what to do with his daughter when he was out on business. Following some nameless lead. The young woman could never have filled Amber’s shoes—not as a partner nor as a mother to Rosie, and she had never tried. But she was good for them. And she had learned the tools of the trade with more enthusiasm than he ever could have wagered.
“I still don’t see why he won’t just kill everyone once he gets there and have it over with,” she mused.
Wright quirked a brow, chewing thoughtfully. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Is it really? Please tell me how.”
“These aren’t run of the mill vamps, Nick.”
“Yeah, and neither is he, right? He’s one of them.”
Zack frowned. “Not anymore.”
“God, would you listen to yourself? You’ve turned into one of…” She shook her head with a heavy sigh, poking erratically at her food. “You were gone for…what? A day? Two days? What happened? What could have possibly happened that—”
“I’ve gotten to know him. All of them. They’re good people.”
“Vampires aren’t people, Zack.”
“Spike’s the only vamp in this lot.”
“All the same.”
“You said yourself that he helped you the other night when he didn’t have to.”
Her eyes narrowed skeptically. “And that…what? Makes it all right? Atones for all the other people he’s killed? Jesus Christ, what’s happened to you? They brainwash you? Put you under some crazy empathy spell? Make it so—”
“Daddy’s right,” Rosie volunteered softly. “This one’s different from the others.”
Nikki’s gaze didn’t falter. If anything, she furrowed with deeper disgust. “And you’ve dragged your daughter into it, too.”
“Dragged her into…? I haven’t even seen her all week! I’ve been tearing this town apart looking for Darla…and you two. Spike was a lucky break.”
“And you’re just gonna let him walk after all this is over?”
At that, Wright was quieted. He had nothing to say.
“Oh my God, you are, aren’t you?”
“Calm down.”
“I will not calm down! This…this is crazy! You, being…” Nikki threw her arms into the air, jumping to her feet in full display of her discontent. “He’s one of them, Zack. He’s killed people just like Amber. And you’re gonna let him get away with it.”
“And what do you know about vamps, Nick? They kill because they like it. Because they don’t feel. Because the kill to them is more important than everything else.” He shook his head in disgust. “You know what I taught you. You think this is any fun for me? I know what he is. I know what he’s done. I’ve fucking memorized every kill documented in history, and it makes my insides turn to think of everything that didn’t make the books. But what I’ve seen of him these past couple days defies everything I’ve ever read up on him. On vampires. He’s in love with this chick.”
“That shouldn’t matter!”
“Well, it does!”
Rosie’s eyes went wide. It had been a long while since she saw them fight like this. “Daddy…”
Neither heard her, or registered the comment enough to turn. They were both on their feet now—shooting each other virtually identical looks that measured the same thing as far as reasonability.
“You’ve lost it,” Nikki decided. “This guy’s not you, Zack.”
“I fucking know it.”
“And this girl, whoever she is, isn’t Amber. Saving her’s not going to bring Amber back.”
“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve a chance to live. That doesn’t mean we can fucking leave her there in the hands of the things that did to us what they’ll do to her.”
Nikki’s eyes blazed with anger. There was no talking her out of it. No stepping back. “This isn’t about her at all!” she screamed. “Not to you! It never was! You look at your new best friend, all you see is yourself. Amber’s dead, Zack. She’s fucking dead and if you let yourself turn into one of them, you might as well have killed her yourself.”
A very long, very cold silence swept through the lobby of Hyperion. An arctic storm behind Wright’s eyes—cutting and piercing as though he was gazing upon a stranger. His fists clenched tightly as though trying to prevent himself from throttling her. From hitting her. From doing anything.
It was the wail at first—the piercing scream of a child before Rosie fled from the room. That shook him out of his stupor. With the dying whimper of his daughter tickling the air, shivers sprouting up and down his arms, he knew no other truth. The impact of purified rage too strong to see any other means of understanding. “Get…” he said slowly. “Get out of my sight, Nikki. Now.”
The girl stood resolute for a few seconds before her emotions got the better of her. Before he could blink at the tears threatening to burst, she had turned and raced for the stairs.
Zack closed his eyes and hissed out a long, overdrawn breath, hands going instinctually to his head to ward off an impending headache. He pivoted without thought and returned to the table where the lingering smell of processed food still haunted the lobby. He was too forgone within himself to notice the hint of an audience.
“Wow,” Cordelia said from the entrance, still slightly wide-eyed. “I take it that I really missed something.”
At that, he sighed once more and glanced up with a hint of a smile on his face. “Morning, Cordy.”
She returned the smile and walked in slowly. “You wanna talk about it?”
“Not particularly.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “Well, I’ll let it slide, then. For now! ‘Cause, buddy, I totally need details later.” A pause. “Hey, was that the girl that—”
“You and the others helped the other night? Yeah.”
“Okay. I really missed something then.”
“I’ll fill you in later.” Zack glanced up, smiling gently. “So…how was your night?”
Lindsey froze over his work when the door to his office opened. He knew who it was without awaiting confirmation. Without needing anything to support the contrary. And everything he had been working toward fell flat without a glance at the repercussions. They hadn’t even bothered to inform him that an untamed—not to mention unapproved—vampire was in the building.
Things were getting worse by the minute.
“What can I say?” Spike said in manner of greeting, leaning against the doorway. He was grinning as though his words were highly significant. “Couldn’t wait.”
To be continued in Chapter Twenty-One: The False Prophet…