The Kindred in a Strange Land

I don't own Buffy the Vampre Slayer or Vampire: the Masquerade

This comes for reading a lot of VTM fanfiction of late. While I've heard of VTM before I've never played it. I had to do a lot of reseach before writing this so if I get anything wrong please let me know (but be nice about it please).

1

The night was cool and about as tranquil as it ever got on an early autumn evening in London. Which is to say not very at all. It still amazed William how the electric lighting and social conventions of modern times allowed the humans to stay out far longer into the night than they did when he was a boy. Though, he had to admit that it made hunting so much easier. He watched his love with a small smile as she weaved through the throng of humans humming an unidentified tune.

William Pratt of the clan Toreador was Embraced more than a hundred years ago and the world had changed so much since then. For instance, his love Dru, clan Malkavian, was now seen by most to be at the worst, high. It was nice to see her so free to be herself and not have the threat of being seen as too mad. The smile dropped off his face as he remembered how Dru became a Malkavian instead of a Toreador as all rights she should be. It was all his fault, it has taken eighty years for him to finally admit it, even if it was only to himself. But love had blinded him to the dangers. When he first saw Drusilla he'd fallen in love that very instance. She was even more beautiful than Cecily to whom his poems had led to him being Embraced.

They'd talked and soon the love was mutual, and he'd found himself revealing things that he had by no right to share. He found himself breaking the Masquerade and telling her everything about himself and the Kindred. In hindsight that could only have ended one way and really he was lucky, it could have turned out so much worse. It hadn't take long for the Prince of London to find out what he'd done and they were brought before him.

Flashback

He was being held tightly by the two beasts of a man, which by their unkempt appearance had to be Gangrels, while Drusilla was held by another woman, she was mercifully unconscious. William continued to stare her until a clearing of a throat drew his attention away to see that Heinrich Nest, Prince of the city had arrived and was staring at him, barely concealed fury in his eyes.

'William Pratt, you have broken the Masquerade, what do you have to say?'

William swallowed as it suddenly hit him where he was, the severity of what he'd done and what he now faced. He had broken the Masquerade but it had felt so natural, so right to tell her that he'd never even stopped to think about it. He met Heinrich's eyes.

'I love her, I am going to Embrace her,' he said with all the confidence he could muster, which wasn't that much. I was hard to stand up to a Ventrue, especially one with as much power as Nest and a Prince to top it off with. Nest's face seemed to go blank even his eyes showed nothing. He stared at William for several seconds before turn his head towards the Kindred gathered to the side of the room.

'Elgar!' he snapped, and the Primogen of the Toreador stepped forward. 'Have you approved the Embrace of the human?'

Elgar looked at Drusilla then sent a glare at William before finally returning his gaze to Nest.

'No, my prince I have not,' he said his voice wavering in barely contained rage. Heinrich 's eyes turned back to William.

'Well, Mr Pratt, we have a problem. Maybe I should solve this right now,'

With a wrench in his heart, William realised where this was heading.

'No, please, my Prince, don't kill her, please I'll do anything, please don't,' he knew he was babbling but he couldn't help it, he couldn't lose her, not this way. Heinrich raised an eyebrow at him.

'You know this can end only one of two ways.'

'Then Embrace her, please anything I'll do anything, just please don't, I can't…' he trailed off unable to articulate any further. Heinrich stared at him for several minutes. Before muttering to himself that William could just about hear

'Heaven save me from the obsessions of the Toreador.' One of the Gangrels holding him let out a snort at this.

'Very well, she will be Embraced. But know this she will be your responsibility to look after until you both die. Do you understand?' William nodded his relief clouded any warnings of the way Heinrich phrased his decree.

'Yes, thank you,' Heinrich grin was that of a shark.

'Don't thank me yet. Liam!' A shadow detached it's self from the wall and enter the light. It was a man with a dangerous air to him.

'Yes, my Prince?'

'You will Embrace this human,' Nest said pointing at Drusilla. Liam looked at Drusilla and grinned.

'Yes, yes. A good one, Liam will do this, yes he will. A good one it is.' Liam approached Drusilla, before he stopped and looked at William who was just realising the true horror of what was happening.

'Don't worry it will all work out,' he said with surprising clarity for what must be a member of the Malkavian clan. 'Remember, the dale of the sun rises in the west,' before biting down on Drusilla, and William watched in horror as his beautiful one was lost to the madness of the Malkavian clan.

End Flashback

In some ways he had been right it had worked out much better than it could have. Yes, the Drusilla he'd known was lost to him but there were times that she seemed to shine through the madness that held her, and in those moments he had her back even if it was only for a brief time. But it was enough to keep him from giving up hope. It wasn't as if he could get away from it anyway. Like Nest said Dru was his responsibility that he will never be able to give up even if he wanted to.

Though he would never admit it, and despite how much he despised the Ventrue for what he'd done, it was a good punishment. The Masquerade was upheld, he still had his love and he will never make that mistake again. Though sometimes he couldn't help wondering if it would have been better if she'd been a Nosfueratu. At least then they could still have truly talked to each other.

By now Dru had danced her way into Hyde Park and twirling and looking up and the full moon. She looked down and smiled at him. He felt his breath hitch in his throat, it truly felt as if Drusilla was looking at him in that moment, then in was gone and Dru giggled.

'Spiky, come dance with me.' William smiled indulgently while his heart ached at the glimpse of his old love, and went to take her hand as she spun away. Before he could catch up to her there was a burst of wind and a swirling vortex seemed to open up behind her.

'Spike!' she cried out as he fell backwards and disappeared. William barely thought about the dangers as he leapt forward and he to disappeared. The vortex stayed there for a few more minutes before it to disappeared leaving no sign of the two kindred that had once been there.

So basically has anyone else notice how well Dru fits Malkavian? I mean she mad but has deep insight and foresight. That's the plot bunny that started this.

The we have Spike who just seemed to fit with Toreador just as well. Odd huh?

So anyway what do you think? Please review.

SSG