The Path That Wasn't Taken [For seewhatmightbe]

[a_pretty_fire]

The night was black as coal. The same colour as her heart. The same colour as a tongue that had been corrupted by filthy little lies. Usually, Drusilla would have relished that. But things were different now.

She and her new doll had been together for a week, feasting and dancing and drinking in the moonlight. Full of potential, she was. For goodness or for wickedness, depending on who found her first.

For Drusilla, the path was as clear as the blade of a knife. She had found Alice first. She would fashion her sweet little girl into the vampire that she deserved to be.

Angelus had sculpted her. Now it was time for his little girl to make a masterpiece of her own.

"Alice?" she murmured, slipping silently into her companion's hotel room, "Are you dreaming?"

What are you dreaming of, my dear? Are you seeing the future I'm going to build for you?

Comments

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"We do," Alice agreed. She loved shopping a little too much. And everything she had was just getting ruined slowly.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

Drusilla didn't like or dislike shopping. As long as she had an ample supply of pretty dresses, she didn't care where they came from. It was fun to play with the shop keepers, though. They squirmed ever so much.

"Shall we?" she asked, "It'll be my treat."

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Alice couldn't help but beam. "I think we shall."

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"And jewellry," added Drusilla, rising gratefully and smoothing out her skirts. "Rubies and emeralds and sapphires like stars."

She imagined them dancing down the street with a ring on each finger, shining in the light of the street lamps.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"Shining so lovely," Alice chimed in. Oh, it did appeal.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Then why are we waiting?" exclaimed Drusilla, laughing and smiling and acting, for all the world, as if Alice was the one who'd kept them indoors. The story had been important, yes, but it had been told and it was time to move on to other things.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

It was a whim, and Alice could certainly adapt to those. "I haven't the slightest idea," she returned, matching the giggle and devil-may-care attitude with her own.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

That was how Drusilla lived. From whim to whim. She was caught up in the idea of shopping for dresses and made no attempt to untangle herself.

"Come along, Alice," she said, tugging at her hand.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

Alice followed obligingly, never being one to make a fuss. "I think I should like a pretty pink," she declared musingly.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Not red?" Drusilla asked, with genuine curiosity in her bright blue eyes. That was her colour of choice. Red for blood, black for the night and, sometimes, white. White because they didn't realise that she was no longer innocent.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"Oh, red would be lovely, too. Pink can just be so charming." Much for the same reasons as Drusilla's enjoying white, really.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Whatever you want, my little princess," said Drusilla absently. As she led the way down the stairs and into the dark street, she wondered which shop to choose. They'd be closed, of course. They were always closed at this time of night. That didn't matter.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

Should someone attempt to make it matter, it's a certainty that they would regret it. But Alice was surprisingly new to the take-what-you-want game, and glad she had someone to follow. "It's a bit foggy tonight," she murmured.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

Drusilla wasn't a natural teacher. She tended to drift through life without waiting to see if her pupil was following. But if Alice was quick a lot, she'd learn an awful lot from her.

"Misty," she corrected, "For mystery."

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"That is a more poetic way of seeing it," Alice agreed thoughtfully. "Makes it sound -- thrilling, rather."

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm not a poet," said Drusilla, tossing her head and giving Alice an indulgent smile. "I just have good eyes."

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

"I should say," Alice murmured. She looked at her feet for a moment. "I should like to dance, a bit," she sighed.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Then dance," Drusilla chided, "No one will stop you."

She'd snap their necks if they tried, wrapping them up in bows and blood and giving them to the crows for Christmas.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

Doing things as soon as she thought of them was still a bit new for Alice, and she couldn't help but skip and twirl a bit upon the encouragement, beaming.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"Good girl. That's my princess."

Drusilla words were soft and warm. She murmured to make sure that Alice didn't stop and she smiled because it was a beautiful sight indeed.

[seewhatmightbe.livejournal.com]

Still twirling, she tipped her head to Drusilla and asked, "Do you feel like dancing as well?" It was so much fun, after all.

[a-pretty-fire.livejournal.com]

"I'm always dancing," she said, though she usually did it on the inside. In response to Alice's entreaties, Drusilla pirouetted gracefully.