Dawn
Though Dawn and Amanda had gone to visit Clark at school on Friday, they hadn't really had the full experience. So they were going to shadow Clark in his classes until it was safe for them to return to Sunnydale. In the meantime, Nyx and Spike decided they wanted to examine the school, and make sure it was safe for their little girls.
"Spike, Nyx, come on! I mean, just because the Bringers came by two nights ago doesn't mean that we're going to be in any danger at school. It's daytime. Other than you & Dru, I don't see any chance of there being creatures of the night in Kansas during a school day." Dawn said, exasperated.
"Luv, we just need to make sure you're safe. Besides, big sis thinks the kidnappers are human. Which means they can fully come to school in Kansas during the day. Once Nyx and I are certain the school is safe, we'll leave you to Clark. Well, Nyx will, she and Dru fancy a shopping trip. I fully intend to loiter about all day," Spike said, a mischevous grin on his face.
"SPIKE! NO WAY! NO FREAKING WAY!" Dawn shrieked.
"Dawn," Mrs. Kent said, putting herhand on the girls shoulder, speaking in a motherly tone, "I know you want to blend in, but from what I understand, you're lucky Spike's letting you out at all. Why don't you just make the best of it." There was something about a mother's logic that made Dawn automatically agree. Maybe it was being without a mother so long. She wasn't eager to go back to Sunnydale. The Kents were growing on her, and she began to remember what it was like to have a 'normal' family. She missed that, so much sometimes that it ached.
"Okay. let's head off to school then," Dawn said. as she and Amanda followed Clark and their 'bodyguards' to the van they had rented.
Nyx
"What is school like?" Nyx asked curiously as she assisted Dru into the van. "I never went, just kinda picked stuff up as I went along. Or got someone to teach me, so it was never you have to learn, *now*. It was because I wanted to, and it was usually by myself." The van started as they all got settled, and Nyx leaned over and closed the door. "So, what's it like?" She fixed the human teenagers with an inquisitive stare.
Clark/Dawn
"Well, it kinda sucks, but when you're away for a while, you kinda miss it. It's good to see your friends everyday, if you have them, and it can feel really good to get out of the house, sometimes. But sometimes, it just bites. THis is fun, though, 'cause we don't hafta take quizzes or tests or do assignments, just sit there and try to learn." Clark and Amanda just looked at Dawn. They'd never heard it described quite like that, but it fit.
"Yeah, and it sucks when there are bullies, and you know you could beat them up, but you can't 'cause then your secret would be outta the bag." Amanda said.
"Totally," Clark agreed. With a sigh, everyone got out of the van. Clark took Dawn and Amanda to the office to get guest passes for the week, while Nyx and Spike cased the joint.
"Dru, will you stay her, and be a good girl, or do we have to bring you in with us?' Spike asked.
"I've never seen a real school. Are they different than when I was a little girl?" With that, Spike helped her out of the building. Better she explore with them, than wander around by herself.
"So what about you, pet," Spike asked Nyx, "Ever been inside a school before?"
Nyx
"Nuh huh. Well, there was this one time in Greece, but it wasn't like this at all." Nyx's head turned rapidly, eyes wide as she took in the sights. She could hear whispers and she grinned slightly. "We got admirers, bleached wonder."
"Why did you havta pick that up?" Spike sighed as he restrained Dru gently from running away and eating the teenagers that crowded around them.
"Aw, they're so cute." Nyx walked away from Spike and over to a group of teenagers regarding her and Spike curiously. "Hey, name's Nyx. You could come over and talk, we don't bite. Well, not allowed to anyways. Any good shops around here?"
"Well, not really." A girl with red hair replied.
"Pity. Ah well. Them's the breaks. Wasn't really expecting gucci or armani out here. Catch ya later." Nyx nodded to them and walked back over to Spike.
"We better check out this place, and then you and Dru can go shopping." Dru whirled in circles and sang quietly as the two conversed.
"My charms should protect the girls, at least until we can get here and kick some major ass. They'll be good, William. I'll just set up some minor protective spells, and me and Dru will go. We'll go shopping, hey sweetie?" Nyx called out to Dru, who nodded. Nyx put her hands together and chanted quietly, before releasing the magick into the air, where it whirled around the school and then settled into the ground. "Right. All set. I'll wait for Dawnie, and we'll say goodbye and then me and Dru are outta here!"
Dawn/Clark
Dawn walked through the halls of Smallville High holding Clark's hand. She hoped that Amanda didn't feel too left out. As Clark was getting some books from his locker, two pretty girls approached them.
"Hey Clark. So, who are your friends?" The blonde asked.
"Oh, hey Chloe. This is my girlfriend Dawn, and her friend Amanda. They're visiting from California, and they were informed that they only way they could get off school was if they pulled in a shadow-visit here." They went trough introductions, and Dawn smiled at the girls.
"So, you're Chloe and Lana? Clark's told us so much about you, we're looking forward to getting to know you."
Lana Lang had to feel slightly jealous at how close Dawn seemed to be with Clark. Although there had never been an actual relationship between them, Lana knew that she had always had a special place in Clark's heart. Dawn, too, felt threatened by the dark-haired girl. For her whole life, well, the parts that were real, she had always been second choice among guys. Pulling Lana aside, she decided to have a small heart-to-heart.
"Lana, listen-- I know that you and Clark have a....past. And I know that he still cares about you. I really like Clark, and I want to date him, but if it's going to be unfortable for you, I'll back off. Guys can be really oblivious to stuff like that." Lana hesitated before answering.
"No, it's all right. I'll always care for Clark, and he me, but every time we've tried at romance, it's failed miserably. He's not exactly the easiest guy in the world to trust at times."
"I hear that," Dawn giggled.
"Hey, are you guys talking about me?"
"Nah, lana's just letting me in on all of your deepest darkest most embarrassing secrets." With a laugh, everybody headed off to class."
Before long, it was time for lunch. As the group (Dawn, Amanda, Clark, Chloe, Lana, and Pete) were all sitting around, Dawn noticed Spike lurking in the corner watching them. Apparently, so did Chloe.
"Who's the blonde dude watching us eat?" She asked, the 'reporter' in her surfacing. "The guy looks like he has a minor Billy Idol obsession. Dawn laughed and nearly choked on her chocolate milk.
"That's just Spike. He's watching us." Waving him over, she contiued, noticing that people found it bizarre that there was somebody spying on the California girls. "You see, there was some freaky crazy stuff going on in Sunnydale, and that's why we were sent away. My sister got all protecty when somebody started kidnapping 16-year-old brunettes. Apparently Amanda and I were next on the list." Dawn decided to give them the true story, without telling them the WHOLE story. She hadn't lied, exactly.
"Whaddya want, Nibblet?" Spike asked as he joined the group.
"Oh, they just wanted to meet you. You've met pete, and this is Chloe and Lana."
"Okay, so, bleached AND British? Are sure you didn't kidnap Billy Idol?"
"Hey! That bugger stole his look from me, I kid you not."
"How old are you then?"
"A hundred and fifty-three, how old are you?"
"Oooooooookay. Clark, have I ever told you that you have the weirdest friends on the face of the planet?"
"And some not," Amanda said to Dawn, giggling.
"Ooooookay," Chloe said again. "Why do I feel like I should be putting all of your pictures up on the 'Wall of Weird'?"
"Oooh," Amanda said, "You have a wall of weird stuff? You should meet Drusilla."
"Agreed," said Dawn, "Dude, we should take her to Sunnydale for a week, she'd be weirded up to high heaven!"
"Not only that, she'd probably get all weirded out."
"Yeah, she'd definitely have a minor wiggins," Dawn agreed.
"Okay," pete butted in, "First of all, you all talk like you're on crack. Secondly, there has never been anything too weird for Chloe. That girl was BORN a reporter."
"Yeah," Lana said, "I mean, even in dating. Come on Chloe, you have never gone out with a guy who didn't turn out to be some insane weirdo."
"Hey!" Clark protested, "I resent that remark."
"You mean you resemble that remark," Chloe said, laughing. Their gigglefest was broken up by the bell, signifying the time to return to class.
"Hey platelets, you want that I should follow, or continue skulking?"
"It's history next," Dawn said, "you should come along and correct all of the teacher's assumptions," Dawn giggled.
So he did.
Dru
Dru danced happily in the sunlight. After 200+ years of darkness only, it was amazing for her to be in the sun.
"I want pretty new things, kitty. Can I get some?"
Nyx
"Of course! Spike, can we go? My bike is, grr, back at the house. Dammit." Nyx frowned. Then she grinned slyly. "Or was. Mother?" She looked up into the sky and mewed softly. An answering growl and her bike appeared in fromt of her. She looked around, and smiled. No one had noticed, or if they had, they were firmly telling themselves it hadn't happened. This was almost as good as Sunnydale at ignoring obviously impossible things. "Well, Dru, shall we go riding?" She patted the seat of the motorcycle and hopped onto it, kickstarting the motor into a throaty purr.
Dru
Dru revelled at the feel of a strong engine between he legs and her arms wrapped around a warm body. She didn't often get to spend time with a warm body, and it was intoxicating. The whole town was intoxicating. The stars had wept on this town, the heavens had bled there, and the meteor rocks had posioned it. That made the town both beautiful and hideous at the same time.
Finally, after a short ride (Nyx didn't really seem to mind speed limits), they found themselves back at the Talon, that coffeehouse that they had visited before. Looking around, Dru spied what she was looking for.
"Oh look, Nyxie, there's a dress shop, let's go in!"
Nyx
"Whatever my princess wishes." Nyx smiled and helped Dru off the bike. After a few precautionary spells over the vehicle, Nyx led Dru over to the shop. Nyx stepped in first. "Hello?" The shop was quite small, with lots of different styles presented in it. Racks of clothes ran down the store and Dru soon was happily pawing through them. No one answered Nyx, so she shrugged and started looking herself. "No one here, pet. But we better pay anyways."
Dru
"It's quite different from the dress shops in London when I was a girl, don't you think? If I had worn something like this, my Mummy would have whipped me, and Father would have locked me in the closet until I'd said one undred Hail Marys." Dru said as she picked up a beautiful dark purple prom dress that looked perfect on her. What he father wouldn't have liked was the low cleavage, and the fact that it bared all her arms, and it didn't even come with a knit shawl. but it didn't matter what her father though, since Angelus had eaten him over 200 years ago.
"Would Bastet approve?" Dru asked as she came out in the dress.
Nyx
"Sweetie, as long as it suits you and you like it, Bastet would always approve," Nyx replied absently, then sighed as she drew a long white cotton dress out of the rack. It was made of Egyptian cotton, and putting her face down to it, she was transported home. As she held it up against herself, she was struck by deja vu. It looked like the dresses of *her* Egypt. "Would you like to see me as I appeared first, Dru pet? When I first walked on two legs, and the sun was hot and the gods walked with their people..." Nyx trailed off wistfully, and then ducked into the changing room. She wriggled out of her clothes and slipped the dress on over her head, the long cool folds falling gracefully around her legs. A whisper of magick, and her hair was plaited into a million braids, each weighted with a golden bead and her eyes outlined with kohl. Her skin darkened down to her originial coulouring. It was easier to be white in this world, but she always liked walking in the skin of her worshippers. Not that they remembered anymore. Soon, she stepped out and let Dru see her.
Dru
Though Dru had no need for breath, she felt herslef gasp and the striking beauty in fron of her. Nyx looked like the goddess she was.
"Oh Goddess, so pretty my kitty! The new world should fall at your feet as the old world once
did." Dru insited. While Nyx was in the dressing room, she had collected quite a few dresses that resembled the dress she had worn as a young woman in England. She had always been modest, and covered herself up, because she was to become a nun.
"Boots are soo much simpler no, without all of the hooks. I don't need my boothook anymore. I remember, though, before when I still needed to breathe, my corset would make me cry. Maid always pulled the laces so tight, I could hardly move. Did you have to wear corsets, kitty?"
Nyx
"Never ever! Though, once I did, just for a joke. I nearly died, the thing was so blasted tight." Nyx grabbed a few things out of the racks that suited her persona of the moment, black leather, lace and satins. "I'm so buying this dress. See anything that strikes your fancy, Dru pet?"
"Welcome to my shop, may I help you?" Nyx swiveled at the sound of a woman's voice, and smiled at the serenely smiling blonde woman who stood behind the counter. "My name's Selena. I haven't seen you around Smallville, are you just passing through?"
"Sorta. We're staying with the Kents, up at their farm and stuff. It's a nice place you got here."
"Well, it keeps a roof over my head. I make the dresses myself usually, though I do stock some brandname lines."
"Name's Nyx." Nyx smiled at the calm woman. She had 'mother' radiating from her in visible waves. Safe and comforting, she made Nyx want to snuggle up to her and be told it would all be alright, even if it wasn't going to be.
"Well, I may be human, and the two of you look it, but you're not, are you?" Nyx frowned warily. She knew what they were? "I'm a bit of a witch, not very powerful but enough so that I can tell what you are."
Dru
Dru looked up. "Pretty witch," she said, "Have you read the Codex?"
"The Pergamum Codex?" The woman asked, "About the Master?"
"Yes, and the Chronicles?"
"Yes, I've read those too. Why, are you mentioned in them?" Dru held out a delicate hand.
"Hello, milady, I'm Drusilla." The woman gasped.
Nyx
"Don't worry, she won't eat you. You may have heard of me, if you've read them. Though the Master called me somthing quite uncomplimentary. Mainly cos I called him an ugly, whining bastard who needed to get laid something chronic. Thank the Eternal Mother, he's dusted. I'm Bastet's daughter, name of the moment is Nyx. Then it was..." Nyx frowned and tapped her fingers against the wall. "Arabella. Posing as a fine Spanish lady from Castille. Bruja, don't fear us." Nyx grinned at the slowly blinking witch.
"Yes, I've heard of you. My mother talked of you and your siblings. She met the one called Priss, in Europe when she was young."
"Oh, my girl, Priss! Sabre's here too, speakig of the Irish infatuated tom, there he is!" SAbre ducked in the door of the shop, bells ringing faintly to annouce his entrance.
"Nyx, you coulda told me you were leaving." Sabre looked irritated. "And then Mother just vanished your bike. It was very unsettling, me girl. Don't do it again, ye hear me?"
"Sabre..." Selena looked from one cat to the other wonder on her face.
"Oh, now don't ye broing back memories?" Sabre smiloed nostagically. "Remember the singing and dancing when we first stood on two legs and walked among Bastet's worshippers?"
"Oh, and the pretty boys and girls, so fine, and longing to be touched by the children of the gods..." The cats lost themselves in memories for a moment.
Dru
"Oh, it sounds lovely!" Dru sang. Looking around, she suddenly saw a beautiful dress. It was Victorian style, white, with pink trimmings, big and full, with a skirt to go over hoops. Dru's eyes widened, and she danced over to it.
"This, this is my dress! I wore this dress to my coming out ball when I was sixteen. This was before I was called to the order, and father was looking to find me a match. Oh, I must put it on. Kitty, make my hair curl, please, it ringlets down my back? That's how it was then." Once Nyx had said the words, Drusilla took the dress into the changing room. She took some hairpins and pinned her hair up the way she wore it on her 16th birthday: pulled back, with several dark ringlets flowing down her back. She put on the hoop skirt, and the dress, and a lovely string of pearls she had spotted.
"Oh, I wish I had a reflection," Dru sighed. "Du I look all right?"
Nyx/Sabre
Nyx swallowed hard, lump suddenly in her throat and tears shining in her eyes. Sabre looked the same. Dru looked like she might have looked if she had never met Angelus, never had to go down into the darkness. "You look, perfect, sweetie. We should show Spike. He'd love it, I bet you. Me and you both would shine up the town."
"I have some men's clothes as well..." Selena led Sabre into the back of her shop, clucking to herself as she held things up against Sabre and then put them back down. Soon, Sabre had an armful of clothing and Selena pushed him into the changing room. "Put those on." Sabre rolled his eyes but did it as Nyx and Dru settled themselves, watching the door expectantly.
Sabre stepped out again, black moleskin trousers defining his legs, cream cravat elegantly tucked into the fron of his waistcoat. All in all, he looked the very picture of a gentleman from Dru's time, except for his unruly hair and his slight scowl.
"Come here, bro," Nyx ordered, whipping a cream ribbon into existence and tying his hair back into a que expertly. Dru clapped her hands in delight.
Dru
Suddenly, Dru got that look. "The stars whisper, of a book. Big brown leather binding, with a sun on the cover. Is it here?"
Selena looked at her with surprise. "Yes, I have that book, it has some very useful spells. Would you like to look at it?"
"Yes, page 213- there is a spell there for the babies, Nyx, so we can sense them if there's any trouble." The kindly witch got the book and opened it to the page Dru specified. There was a spell, alright, that would be perfect for their situation. A drop of blood from each of the girls, mingled with the blood of Nyx, Spike, and Dru, would allow the three to sense whenever the girls were afraid, or in danger. Changing the subject as only Dru could, she smiled as Selena.
"I need gloves."
Nyx
"You got it, Sabby?" Nyx quickly memorised the spell.
"Don't call me Sabby, ye minx. And of course I have. So, Drusilla, needing gloves ye be. I'm sure Selena has some around." Sabre quirked an eyebrow at the witch, who nodded and ducked behind the counter, soon coming up with a pair of white gloves. "Shall we be going then? How much for the clothes, witch?"
"Um, let me see..." Selena came around and checked the price tags before going to her cashier machine and rapidly adding up the prices. "That will be $1000, thanks."
Nyx rustled around in her clothes to get her wallet. "Here." She pulled out a wad of bills and pressed it into the witch's hands. Selena's eyes widened as she realised just about every one of them were $100 bills. Nyx was quickly getting dressed while Selena gaped.
"I can't accept this, there must be two thousand dollars, or more here!"
"You can, and you will. You made Dru happy, and that makes me happy. Happy Nyx means big cash bonuses as a thank you. Few things say gratitude then big piles of folding cash nowadays."
"I could kill someone for ye, but that doesn't make as big an impact as it used too," Sabre quipped. Selena blushed.
"No, not really needing anyone killed, thanks." Selena tried to put about half the money back in Nyx's hands, but the cat refused to take it.
"Keep it. You've helped us immensely. That spell will help us so much. you have no idea. I don't need to set up a spell of protection for you, because I can feel your enchantments around your shop. Quite strong. Money is the only way I can thank you, so don't embarrass me by returning it. I said, keep it!" Nyx backed out the door laughing, dragging Sabre and Dru with her. Sabre had changed, but Dru was still wearing her pretty dress.
Dru
"Let's go check on the babies. We should go to history class, those books have it all wrong," Dru giggled. Thanking Selena again, they headed back to the school, walking, because Dru wanted to see how many people noticed her in her pretty dress. "A bonnet would complete my dress, but in these times, I guess they're not needed," Dru looked down at her dress. "I just wish I could se myself in the mirror," Dru pouted.
Nyx/Sabre
"We could be doing something about that for ye, couldn't we Niss me girl?" Sabre asked Nyx.
"What's the use of magick if you can't use it when you want to?" Nyx laughed. "Distract the plebs for me then." Sabre grinned as she tossed him het bike keys and he ran back to where they had left it outside Selena's shop. Soon, Sabre came roaring down the street, whooping rebel yells and doing wheelies. A police car soon pulled out and followed him, siren wailing. While everyone's eyes were on the high speed comic chase, Nyx spun a mirror illusion of Dru in her dress for the vampiress to see how she looked.
Dru
Dru clapped her hands in sheer delight. "Oh! I look just like I did on my 16th year, at my coming-out party!" Watching Sabre make a fool out of himself she laughed. "Let us leave him, we are needed at the school, my dear kitty."
Nyx/Sabre
"He does look rather silly, doesn't he?" Nyx shared a grin with Dru, before putting her fingers up to her mouth and emitting a high pitched whistle. "Sabre! Get your ass over here!" Sabre roared up, and gunned the motor a few times, looking very pleased with himself. The police car soon came up. "Go on, git! Trouble with the coppers is not what we need. Take 'em up outta town and lose the buggers!" Sabre sletched a salute and slewed out of the parking spot with much squealing of tyres and spitting of gravel. "We're going to the school!" Sabre raised his hand to show he had heard.
"Come and catch me, ye sorry excuses for men! Ah, stuff it up yer arse, ye-" Sabre's litany of insults faded out as he raced out of town, trailing police cars with their sirens wailing.
"He hasn't had so much fun for ages. C'mon, Dru, let's go." Nyx took Dru's arm and they started off down the street.
Dru
Dru walked happily up to Smallville High. She and Nyx followed their noses to where Spike. Drusilla looked through the window in the door and saw him at the back of a classroom. Without bothering to knock, they just barged in.
"Excuse me, kind sir. May we join this class. I missed my William dearly, and decided to come see what school is like here." Before the teacher could respond, Drusilla flounced into the room, her hoop skirt twirling about her as she spun around.
Nyx
"Don't mind her. Now, what are ya studying? Ooh, Ancient Egypt and here I am as a visual aid." Nyx made a stately curtesy, the beads on her hair chiming together softly. "And such a lovely gorgeous sexy one at that!" The class laughed and the teacher stared. "Egypt is my country...been a while since I've been there though. The sun is hot, the sand is everywhere and the people babble in a million tongues. Spices and gold, jewels and the Nile glinting clamly to one side while the sacred ibis and crocodiles sun themselves." Nyx clapped her hands in delight as she remembered, then frowned. "Though they seem to have made a fantastic job of stuffing it up lately. And the ibis flee and the crocodiles merely wait, while the sacred cats run wild and skittish through the streets. Hiya, Spike." She waved at Spike. "Hiya Dawn, Clark, Amanda. Have I embarrassed you enough yet?"
Dru
Dru smiled as she saw Amanda & Clark & Dawn squirm.
"Have you studied England yet? William and I hail from there. London is so beautiful at times. Dark and brooding, full of sin and deciet. You'd all love it there."
Nyx
"England was delicous!" Nys spun in a circle, laughing softly. "There was fun to be had then and there. "And you've never heard someone whine as hard as the ghost of Anne Boleyn. I mean really. You're dead, girl, get over it!"
Dru
"Oh, Anna! My Grandmum, who then became my child, she wqould tell me of Anne Bolyn. Knew her personally, Darla did." Drusilla grinned, and then felt absolutely evil, slipping into her game face for just a split second, long enough to bare her fangs, and then slipping fast. So quickly that sdomebody who had never before seen a vampire might not even notice.
Nyx
Nyx laughed in the back of her throat. Dru was being naughty. Oh, but this was fun. Spike was looking about ready to growl, and the poor little teenagers looked so very, very embarassed. "Ne'er did meet Darla. Dru and Will be more my type, hey princess?" Nyx made her way up to Dru and sat down in an empty seat.
Dru, Clark and Dawn With a pout, Dru sat down. Finally, to Dawn's delight, the bell rang. As the students picked up their books and headed out into the hallway, Dawn pulled her three 'guardians' aside.
"Are you three TRYING to embarass. I must be the only person in the world two have two vampires and a cat follow her to school and correct the history teacher. Nyx, by the way, you look awesome."
"Yes, pet, you do look smashing," Spike said. "And Dru, you look a picture. When you walked into the room, I thought for sure I had gone back in time."
"My William, why did I ever leave you?" Dru asked. "Will you escort us to the next class?" Dru asked.
"Actually," Clark said, "My last class of the day is a study hall, so we're free to go home if you want."
Nyx
"I didn't correct him...that much." Nyx sniffed. "But we'd havta find Sabre first. He kinda...well, it's hard to explain. Dru wanted to see herself, so I spun a little illusion so she could, but in order to do that, I needed a deistratcion. Sabre was the distraction. He headed out of town on my bike, doing wheelies and yelling nasty stuff to that plice. How many cars do ya reckon followed him, Dru pet?"
Dru and Dawn
"Oh, I don't like cars. I miss carriages. And horses. They were so much better," Dru decided. Suddenly she put her hands up next to her face. "Oh listening! Everything in my head is singing!"
"Did my Pet have a vision?" Spike asked, without even noticing that he had called Dru 'Pet' again.
"Someone new is coming!" She announced.
"Who?" Dawn asked.
"I don't know," Dru asnwered, and didn't say another word. After a few moments, they all headed back to Clark's house. Apparently they were drawing to much attention to themselves.