Prague ficlet

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

Title: Stars and Stripes
Author: lilachigh
Prompt: 010 Your Town
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 481
Pairing: Spike/Dru

Although I have never lived in Prague, I really wish I had, so I hope that counts.



Title: Stars and Stripes
Author: lilachigh
Prompt: 010
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 481
Pairing: Spike/Dru


They’d fled down the steep stone steps from the castle where the blood had gushed so brilliantly, across the river by the St Charles Bridge, the statues staring blindly at them and their pursuers. Spike was practically dragging Dru by then: she’d lost a lot of blood when the mob attacked.

Sod it! Why did his Dark Princess always go over the top like that? No one would have raised an eyebrow at one of the ordinary citizens of Prague going missing. Oh no, Dru had to take the daughter of some bigwig guy who apparently objected violently to his child being their supper. Now they were being chased by a mob with torches and guns and a howling determination to kill them.

Spike managed to gain some time in the maze of streets leading up to the Old Town Square and stopped to rest for a second. He had to find and steal a car and get them out of this bloody country.

He’d loved this square, the pastel wave of pink and blue Hansel and Gretel buildings, but now he just wanted to go somewhere civilised where there were easy pickings for meals and no bloody mobs to worry about.

“Dru!” He turned in panic – she wasn’t at his side. “God, sweetheart, don’t wander away. We need to move – now!”

She waved her hand upwards, pouting. “I want to watch the clock, Spike. See Death come out of his little house, chasing the little people around and around and around – ”

“They’re Apostles, not people and it doesn’t happen after nine o’clock, pet. Come on!” He glanced apprehensively over his shoulder. There was the flicker of light, the shouts and yells that told him the mob had discovered which way they’d gone. “Look, let me carry you!”

Dru danced away from his grasp, her white, blood-stained dress fluttering in the breeze like a moth fluttering around a flame. “Make Death come out of the clock, Spike!”

He took a deep breath and smacked her hard across her beautiful face. “There isn’t any sodding Death coming out of the clock, Dru. Sorry, pet, but we need to get the hell out of Prague!”

He picked her up in his arms and began to run again. She moaned and her eyes flickered open. Above her head the midnight sky spun and she twisted her fingers in his hair and whispered, “ I can see stars, Spike, such lovely, lovely stars and stripes and lots and lots of beautiful blood.”

Spike didn’t reply. The cobble-stones grated beneath his boots as he ran, knowing what would happen if they caught his beloved. He wasn’t listening to her mutterings and so didn’t hear her say, “But we mustn’t go to the stars and stripes, oh no, they’ll hurt us and change us and burn us with nasty fire….”

Comments

[alwaysjbj.livejournal.com]

Oh...very, very nice! Very clever. And such a wonderful Dru voice... you capture her beautifully.

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

thank you. I do appreciate you reading everything so quickly.

[boy-named-susie.livejournal.com]

Love this - could be a missing scene from the show. Your Dru voice is excellent and poor Spike - trying so hard to save Dru. I really enjoy the two of them together.

And I had a friend in college that had studied abroad in Prague for a year. She just loved it - said it was the most beautiful city she'd ever been to.

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with your friend. London is my home town and I love it, but Prague is the sort of place you fall for heavily.

[scarlettlily.livejournal.com]

That was great and I love the warning you threw in there.

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[skull-theatre.livejournal.com]

Brava! Brava! Well done and both so "in-voice!" Prague is one of my most favourite places on earth - too bad they can't hang out a bit longer...visit the Bone Church. Heh!

Really nice - you keep it clipping right along and ficlets are always stronger when they twist a bit at the end like yours!

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, Prague is magic.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

That was reeeeeeally neat. The old town square is beautiful at night - Dru isn't the first tourist to get in trouble there, though... ;-)

Oh, and I like the implication that where for others death is something to fear, Dru seems to think of it as salvation...

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.

[blueanddollsome.livejournal.com]

I agree that this reads like a missing scene. Great use of setting.

[xlivvielockex.livejournal.com]

This was really fantastic. I really loved the little details that you put into it for the city. And the Spike and Dru voices were totally flawless. This could have been a missing scene. This is a really strong piece of fiction, for sure.

And I have always wanted to live in Prague too. So guilty of that. :)

[wereleopard58.livejournal.com]

This was a perfect dru/spike relationship

[bookishwench.livejournal.com]

Poor Spike had his hands full and then some, but as usual, no one quite heeds Dru's warnings. Nicely done. Any chance of my archiving this over at Charm School (http://www.herringjousting.com/cs/html)?

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

Hi glad you like the story. It is one of my favourites. Yes, archive away. Just credit me in case anyone wants to read any of my other fic on my LJ.