In Effigy

DISTRIBUTION: Loft, only. All others ask.
DISCLAIMERS: Joss, they're yours. Even the burn in the carpet. Also, lyrics by Tori Amos
NOTES: Oh, David. You really shouldn't have taunted me with the leather pants, you just shouldn't have. I told you I'd burn them in effigy. Keep on keeping on and I'll burn you next. ::happy smile:: And don't forget the shovel.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing's gonna stop me from floating
Nothing's gonna stop me from floating
Nothing's gonna stop me from floating...
~Father Lucifer, Tori Amos

"Daddy...My daddy's not here this evening..." Druscilla snapped her attention to the cracked porcelain face of the doll across from her. "Spike will be so upset."

In a moment her eyes sharpened as she focused in on the visage of the small one. "Miss Edith!" she raged in dainty audacity. "Don't you say such things. My Spike loves daddy as I do. We always love him and we always will."

"Drink your tea, or it shall get cold and then the biscuits won't be as nice." The figure in black slumped slightly from her position in the chair. "We haven't any cream tonight, Spike says we needn't any, but my love doesn't like to take tea with me...Well, no, Daddy doesn't take tea either."

Suddenly, the vampire sprung up and slapped the doll onto the floor. "You should not say such things, Miss Edith." Druscilla shook with an inner rage. "You should not say such things!!" With surprising quickness, she sunk back down into her chair, falling into herself.

"Even then, he would not take tea with me." She looked up with a bit of indignation to where her doll once sat. "But that was not him. That was...something else. Something that...loved the Slayer. Daddy would never love the Slayer. Daddy would eat her heart."

"Because he toys with her, of course," she replied to the doll's musings. "He returns to me with triumph in his eyes. You don't see it because you are young and need to go to sleep early."

Druscilla's hands flew to her ears covering them even as she squeezed her eyes shut against the outside. "No, no I shant listen to you. It's not true, it's not-fine," she responded, calmly placing her hands on the arms of the chair and rising. Walking over to the fallen doll, she looked down at it, hands on her hips.

"I will heed you now, but remember. If you are wrong, and you are maligning my Daddy, you will be beat. Is that understood?"

Apparently it was.

Father Lucifer you never looked so sane
you always did prefer the drizzle to the rain
tell me that you're still in love with that milkmaid
how's your lizzies, how's you jesus christ been hanging?
~Father Lucifer, Tori Amos

She's searching through the closet. I knew she would. I knew she would believe me, even though she doesn't want to. She never wants to believe anything that I say, but I only say it because she won't. She won't see it, she won't believe it, she won't admit it's even a thought in her head. She never will. So, I say it.

I say it and I'm hurt. I'm burnt. She tears out my hair, rips my beautiful dresses, pokes out my eyes, cracks my skull-all I do is help her. Keep her safe from harm. Any harm. All types. What that I could keep her away from her fucked up 'daddy'. At least Spike loves her and would never hurt her. That bastard only uses her when it's convenient for him, which is fine, but she doesn't know it, so it's not fine. She thinks he loves her. She thinks he's faithful. She thinks it's going to be like it was. Well Dru, it never was like it was. Not even when it was.

He wants to fuck the Slayer so bad, and it's so obvious too. So go ahead. Smell his clothes, Dru. Tell me what you pick up. His arousal? Well, sure. They're his clothes. That's okay, now isn't it. Sure, sure.

What else do you smell, Dru?

The outside, yes that's good too. But there's something else, isn't there? Someone else's arousal. Well, yes, yours too. But someone else's. Come on, Dru, you can recognize it if you try. Who is it like?

That's it. You got it. And I didn't even have to tell you. Yes, yes, all of them. The silk, the velvet, the leather pants, bring them all out. One big pile. That's right. Now, be a good girl and go fetch the matches.

That's a good girl.