Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 30 Mar 2004 19:19:07 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: djinn@djinnslair.com (Djinn) TITLE: The Lost Years: Chaos (Slayer Series) AUTHOR: Djinn CONTACT: djinn@djinnslair.com http://www.djinnslair.com SERIES: TOS RATING: PG-13 CODES: Ch, K, U, Others PART: 4/7 SUMMARY: The seventh in the Lost Years series. Christine sighed in relief as she trudged up the steps of her apartment building. Rounds had been exhausting, and they'd had an emergency that had taken most of the night to treat. She'd been tired already from watching Silver's slayers take on David's vampires. She still felt guilty for not helping, but it had been more important to protect Emma. She was not entirely sure Silver would. At least she'd brought those extra stakes. She looked out into the night--morning really. The sun was nearly up. She hadn't meant to get home this late, had intended to be in before dark and back out again, staking out Emma's house with Jim. But when she'd been held up, he'd gone on ahead. She'd planned to join him hours ago. When had she stopped worrying about him walking around in the dark alone? Was it because he was getting stronger with the magic? Or was it something else? He seemed stronger to her. Physically stronger. Nothing obvious--although she knew he was working out at the gym. But something deeper. It could be just the confidence that magic gave him. He was more comfortable in her frenzied supernatural world and that showed. But what if it was something else? What if Anacost's blood was making him stronger somehow? As far as she knew, no one had ever survived a near-turning the way he had. It might make him stronger. Might explain why he seemed to navigate in the dark as well as she did. Even Spock had occasionally tripped when they patrolled. But Jim never did. She shook her head at her own strange musings. Jim was in good shape, had always been strong and competitive, and prided himself on being a hunter. Anacost's blood might flow inside him, but it hadn't changed him. Except for the rare meat. She made a face. She preferred hers to not bleed when she ate it. She unlocked her door, was immediately hit by an intensely sweet smell. A huge bouquet of white flowers waited for her on the dining room table. "Hello, darling. How was your day?" She whirled as David turned on the lamp by her chair. They both blinked in the sudden light. "How the hell did you get in here?" "Edna. Charming woman." He laughed. "I told her I was a cousin of William's. We do favor each other a bit. And who over here can tell English accents apart?" "I'm going to kill her. Unless you already did it?" "Kill such a helpful creature? Never. She seemed quite taken with me. Told me confidentially that she just doesn't understand how someone like you attracts such nice young men." Christine bristled. "Jim is older than I am. For that matter, you all are." He shrugged. "It's never too late to moisturize, dear." He smiled. It was a mocking smile. "Here I thought you liked my looks." "I do. Very much." He laughed. "And aren't you the vain one?" She sat down. "David. What are you doing here?" "The time for these charming get-togethers is running out." He leaned forward. "I miss you." "Right." He laughed. "I do. I miss being Thompson. I know I drove you nuts, but I enjoyed those interactions." She smiled. Those innocent conversations seemed so far away now. And they'd been far from innocent. "Do you ever stop trying to screw with my mind?" He leaned back with a smile. "Does Emma?" "That's not what I asked." He slowly stood up, held his hand out when she tensed. "I didn't come here to spin your head. I came here for truth. And to make you an offer." "An offer?" He nodded. "You've made me an offer enough times. The one where I give up my evil plan and come work with you and Jim. You'll be gone. And I don't know that Jim and I would really get on." "Then go to Los Angeles. Work with Spike. And Angel." He laughed. "Have you ever met Angel? Good lord, the man's an utter bore." He laughed again, this time more softly, as if to himself. "Gives dour a new meaning." "But he fights the good fight." She thought her voice was annoyingly upbeat...and too tentative. She tried again. "And you'd like Spike. He's a lot of fun." "Oh, yes. I imagine you think so." His grin was leering. "I didn't mean you'd like him that way." She thought of the kiss he'd blown Jim the night before. "Although, maybe you might?" He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to L.A., Christine." "Fine. Be that way." She stood as he took another step toward her. "My offer's very simple. I turn you, and you come away with me. And I'll leave Emma and the others alone. We'll fight them your way." He took another step forward. One more and he'd be out of minimum safe distance. She held up her hand, he stopped. "Let you turn me?" He nodded. "I can't do that." "Why not?" His voice was seductive. She was surprised to realize it had little effect on her anymore. She backed up a step. "Because it's not in my nature anymore to want that." "Bravo." Suddenly he moved, coming at her faster than she expected, grabbing her by the arms, his face morphing into the monster--into the vampire. "And what is my nature, Christine? What do I want?" She knocked his arms away and kicked out, but he had already jumped back. His face changed back to human. "At the end of the day, love, I'm a vampire. You'd be wise to remember that." He stood up. "I'm making you a simple offer. Your life or Emma's. Which will it be?" She smiled. "I think it'll be yours." "Then it's Emma's. Don't say you couldn't have stopped this." "David, why is Emma so important to you? Have you ever stopped to think about that?" He turned around. The glee in his expression took her aback. "That's right. I haven't told you the truth yet." He smiled. It was a cutting expression. "The truth?" "About why Emma matters." "I know why she matters. She matters because you loved her and you hate her for still being a watcher." He paced away from her. "Did your beloved Jim tell you that I was brought into the watcher fold by my uncle?" She nodded. "He does tell you everything, doesn't he?" He smiled, this time the expression held a note of wistfulness. "Honesty. It's rare." He looked down. "I'm afraid I wasn't totally honest with him. I neglected to mention just who my uncle is." He looked up at her, his eyes holding her. "Can you guess?" "No. David." He laughed. "Yes, my mother's maiden name was Silver. Dear old Uncle Kevin. Did Emma forget to mention that to you?" Christine looked down. "Another lie." He moved closer to her. "How many before you stop trusting her?" Christine backed away. "I think I'll just start telling myself that everything I hear from everyone is a lie. How's that?" "Whatever works. Did you know that Kevin's in love with Emma? She's never sussed it out as far as I can tell. But he is mad for her. I've known it forever." He smiled. "Emma was a powerful ally against him. It hurt him to have her leading the opposition with me. It hurt him even worse to know she was in my bed, not his." He smiled. "I never loved her." "I don't believe you." "Oh, believe it. I'd do anything to hurt Kevin." He laughed. "Why do you think I look out for you? He hates you. He hates you more than any slayer he's ever known. If I didn't think killing Emma would hurt him even more, I'd turn you now just to see his face when he realizes his slayer nemesis has joined the opposing team." "David. No. I don't believe any of this. You do care. About Emma, about me. Laura." "Don't bring her up. She's dead and nothing will change that." "But you still feel something when you think about her." He took a step toward her. "I do. I feel rage. She should never have been brought in. They should have left her alone, called but untrained. She could have led a normal life." "It doesn't work that way." Christine thought of Sachiko Nogura. "There's no safe place if you're the slayer." He laughed. "Do you think I've been asleep the whole time I've been here? You think I don't know that Silver and quite a few others are looking for exactly that? The safe place. What's it called? Oh yes, Kirsu." He leaned in. "I heard rumors all through my watcher years. The place of the dead slayers." He took another step toward her. "Tell me, darling. Have you died already? Have you been there?" She reached back, brought the phaser out. "Won't work. Not on me. Not on my body armor. What now, Christine?" He took the last few steps, pushed up against her. He didn't even try to stop her as she brought the weapon up. She pushed it in close on his neck, fired and dragged it along his skin. "Ouch!" He jumped away. "What in hell were trying to do?" "Behead you." She moved forward, studied the cut. It was barely past the first few layers of skin. "It would have taken a while. Perhaps you could hold still and let me try again?" He began to laugh. She put the phaser away. "Buffy used a utility knife once. That had to take some time." "You're not Buffy." She stalked toward him. "No. I'm not. I'm more like Faith. You want to see my darkness, David?" "Yes, I would like to see it." He pulled out his own phaser. She was moving before he had finished the motion, her leg going up, kicking out, knocking the phaser against the wall and down the hall. "We're even." She felt an unnatural focus take over. Let this be the end. Let them fight here and leave the others out of it. She smiled, knew it was a feral expression. "Let's finish this the old way." He backed up. "I think not." He moved toward the door. "When we meet again, we'll be enemies." "Newsflash, David. We've always been enemies. The fact that I like you doesn't change that." He nodded, smiled at her. "You've come a long way since we met. I'm proud of you." "I hope you still say that when I'm killing you." His smile turned darker. "I imagine the fact that you're getting stronger and stronger is driving Kevin nuts." He laughed, turned to the door. "Sleep well, love. Don't think of me, stealing into your bedroom, leaning down..." He shot her a look. "I want you to think over my offer. I give you till tomorrow night." "My answer won't change." "Perhaps not." He stared at her. "I do like you. I do care. Even if you hadn't worked so well for my plans, I'd have still liked you." "That makes me feel very special. Now get out, you're not welcome." He opened the door. "It doesn't work that way, darling. But Jim should be able to track down the spell that uninvites a vampire. It might not work though in this case; I was invited in by the owner, after all." "Get out." "I'm going." He walked through the door, no evidence of any hurry in his stride. She pulled out her communicator, buzzed Jim. He answered immediately. "Kirk here." "Jim?" Her voice must have been shakier than she realized. "Chris. What's wrong?" "He was here. David. In my place." "You invited him in?" "No. My monstrous landlady did." "I'm on my way now. There's nothing going on here. And the sun's almost up." "I'll meet you. Can I stay at your place?" "You don't even have to ask." There was a long silence. "Do you?" She laughed. "I'll wear a big cross so you'll know I'm not a vampire." "Okay." She knew that neither of them was joking. She went into her bedroom, grabbed her gaudiest cross and put it on. It hung low, made a small rubbing sound as it moved against the other necklace--the invisible necklace. She touched the necklace, felt for Laura's ring. "Which David do I believe in?" If Laura had any answers, she wasn't telling them to Christine. She closed her eyes. The twists in the various tales she'd been told were making her dizzy. She felt like sitting out the next few rounds--only if she did, Emma would die. That was the one thing she knew David meant. He would kill her friend. She pulled off her uniform, changed into something comfortable and put the uniform into the refresher. She put a clean one in a bag for the morning and threw in the other things she'd need. Going back into the main room, she grabbed her crossbow and more stakes, then picked up the flowers and carried them downstairs. She pounded on Rhatigan's door. "Oh, it's you," the landlady said. She did not look happy at being woken so early in the morning. "I suppose you're just getting in? The hours you keep, I'm surprised they don't drum you out of the fleet." Christine stifled a yawn. Woman had a small point. Fortunately, it was the weekend. She could sleep in...just not in her own bed. She thrust the bouquet at Rhatigan. "Here. These are from William's cousin. For being so nice to him." She didn't try to moderate the dislike in her voice. The woman actually simpered. "Flowers for me? He seemed like such a nice boy." Christine decided not to tell her it was a funeral bouquet. Let her house smell like a mortuary if it made her happy--it would certainly give Christine a chuckle. "In the future, Mrs. Rhatigan, I'd appreciate it if you didn't enter my apartment without notice." "It's my building." "There are still rules." The woman smiled, smugly. "Your lease is up soon." "I'm shipping out soon too. I won't be around much longer to bother you." "Oh, if you can't sign for another year, then you won't be around at all. I don't rent month-to-month." She smiled sweetly. "I'll need sixty days notice or I'm keeping the damage deposit." She shut the door in Christine's face. Hard. Resisting the urge to kick the door in just on general principles, Christine hefted her bags and hurried out into the night. It felt infinitely safer than her apartment did. ----------------------- Kirk forced himself to slow down. Chris was fine. She hadn't been hurt. At least, she hadn't sounded like she'd been hurt. He started walking faster again, then slowed as he saw her round the corner. He waited for her, pushing the violin case back and taking her bag from her. She smiled as he did it. He shook his head--they both knew she was stronger. "Humor me," he said. "Let me play the gentleman." Her eyes softened; he could see her visibly relax. "You are the gentleman. It's a good deal of your charm." "Then there's my good looks and sparkling wit." "Not to mention your ability to accessorize." She touched the violin case. "How is our baby?" "Charged and ready to go. All we need is our vampire." She looked down. "You okay?" He reached out and touched her cross, lifting it and letting it sit on the exposed skin of her throat. "No sizzle." She moved closer. "No. No sizzle." "You don't mind if I just check," he said as he pushed her shirt back a bit, inspecting her neck. "All clear." She nodded, but there was no humor in her eyes. She looked exhausted. "Let's go home." "Okay." She walked next to him, seemingly lost in thought. Finally, she looked over at him. "No action at Emma's tonight?" "Nope. Maybe the slayers were resting up." "It won't be up to them, Jim." "No?" "No. It will be up to us." She seemed determined, even a bit angry. "What happened tonight?" "I woke up?" When he frowned, she sighed. "David is Silver's nephew." "My god. The uncle that put him into this life. That's why he's after Emma. Silver's in love with her." She turned to look at him. "Why does everyone seem to know that but me? And Emma." He smiled. "Silver came to see me today." He saw her face and hurried to say, "I was going to tell you all about it during our long and boring stakeout. But you never showed, remember?" She nodded, appeared mollified. "What did he want?" "For me to keep you out of this. He's afraid that you'll get Emma killed." "He may be right. David offered me a choice. My life for Emma's." She took a deep breath. "I'm supposed to be thinking over whether I want to be turned." She looked over at him quickly. "I don't have to think about it. But it means he'll go after her--soon. We have to be outside her house well before dark tonight. I don't think he's going to wait." He smiled softly. "She doesn't have a landlady to let him in. Doesn't the council own the house?" Chris nodded. "It won't matter. He'll find a way. He always does." "So do you. You always find a way to win." She turned to him, a surprised look on her face. "That should be my line to you. You're the one who always wins. Not me." He shook his head. "I think you underestimate yourself." He thought of Nogura's suggestion. "Have you ever wanted to be CMO?" "CMO of what? A garbage scow?" She laughed, then saw his expression. "Of the Enterprise? You're kidding, right?" He shook his head. She frowned. "Why would I be CMO? I'm not ready for that." "Because Nogura would like you to lead the search for Kirsu. Aboard the Enterprise." She stopped walking. "Is this a joke?" He shook his head. "He thinks you can find it. He seems less convinced that you can deliver it." "What changed his mind?" Kirk smiled. "Maybe not a what but a who. I think Lori has been working on him. Trying to make him back off. She wants it too." "True." She sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I'd never heard of Kirsu." "I know." He nodded to the doorman as the man hit the switch to open the door for them long before they reached it. "Thanks, John." Chris smiled at him. Kirk noticed that she got a warm smile and a nod back. John smiled at him too. "Have a nice morning, Admiral." Kirk realized his doorman had begun to take the screwy hours he kept for granted. It had been a long time since John had looked at all surprised at his comings and goings. "You too." The elevator was waiting for them and they rode it up in silence. His apartment was warm and welcoming. "No more smell. Except incense. Smells nice." She smiled at him. "I've been trying to practice at Weasel's instead of here. Let him live with the reek." She laughed, set her weapons by the door and took her bag from him, carrying it to the couch. He moved it to the bedroom. "You take the bed." She stood at the doorway. "We've shared the bed in the past." He smiled. "Then why'd you take the couch?" "So you'd move my bag into the bedroom. Gallant to the end. If we share, you could hold me. It'd be nice to be held." "I'll hold you in the living room. Safer, I think." She laughed. "Isn't the living room where we did that spell?" She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. And loudly. He gulped. "Maybe the bathroom? No special memories there." "Give us time." Her expression was one notch down from seductive, and he knew she could ratchet it up instantly if she wanted to. "Chris." "Jim." She didn't move out of the doorway, not even when he walked up to her. He stopped, sighed as he looked at her. "No games, Chris." She moved instantly. He walked past her and sat down on the couch. She moved to the window and stared out. "This isn't a game to me. Not what we have. It's real and honest and I'm not playing with that." She turned to look at him. "I want you. I know you want me and that you think you shouldn't have me. I don't fully agree with your reasoning, but I respect your decision. Mostly." She smiled when he laughed softly. "Come here." He held out his hand. She walked to the couch, sank down next to him. "I can't hide what I want from you. I won't hide it. Not when we're alone." She cuddled in next to him, her arms around him. "Okay. You don't have to." He leaned his head back. "I'm tired." "Me too," she said, moving even closer and putting her head on his chest. "So you think David will make his move tonight?" He looked out at the window, the sky was light, dawn had come and gone and they'd missed it. But he'd felt it. Like he had every morning since he'd been bitten. A strange new awareness. He'd never told Chris that. He'd never told anyone that. Hell, until this moment, he'd refused to even admit it to himself. "Chris?" He looked down at her. She was fast asleep. He reached over her, pulled the throw down from the back of the couch and covered her up. She made a low sound, moved in sleep. He leaned down, kissed her forehead, laid his hand over hers where it rested on his chest. She stirred, looked up at him sleepily. She smiled, such a sweet smile. He reached over and stroked her cheek. "Go back to sleep." She moaned, a short, soft sound. An unbearably sexy sound. Their eyes met. Hers were so sleepy. He wondered if his were as lost as he felt. If they showed any of the longing that filled him. For a moment her expression became sad. She smiled gently. "A gentleman to the bitter end," she whispered, shaking her head slightly. Then she lay her head back down and closed her eyes. She was asleep again quickly. He watched her for a long time before sleep came for him. End part 4 of 7 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Thu Apr 01 00:31:48 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n26.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.82]) by tanager (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1b8UKs6t23NZFmQ0 for ; Wed, 31 Mar 2004 21:28:15 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13352-1080797294-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah