Living as Lenore: Chapter 15: 'Laying Foundations…'
Title: Living as Lenore
Author: Luna (aka Luna_del_Cielo on lj)
Fandom: Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Cast of Characters: Tara/Lenore McLeod, Fergus McLeod/Crowley, Loki/Gabriel, Anya, Castiel, Kali, Eli, Dean, Sam, Scoobies
Rating: T
Summary: Willow tried to bring Tara back…and she did. Unfortunately, she was brought back to life in 1672. Now 'Lenore' has to deal with witches, demons, pagan gods, and even angels, as she struggles to find the red-haired woman she sees in her dreams.
Pairings: Multiple pairings that will include the characters: Anya, Gabriel, Kali, Tara/Lenore, Willow - at least.
Spoilers: BTVS S6E19 ‘Seeing Red’, SPN S2E3 ‘Bloodlust’. Spoilers for Crowley's past in S6 “Weekend at Bobby’s” and Trickster/Loki's past in S5 ‘Changing Channels’
Warnings: Character death, Femslash (nothing explicit)
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I did then fewer people would have died in each of those shows :)
Read specific chapters here: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
Or all of the entire story here: Living as Lenore
Read More...
May 7, 1729
Calcutta, India
Lenore sat at the window, unblinking, as she stared over at the Hooghly River. Soft moonlight illuminated the small cresting waves and she thought it was a very peaceful sight. Yet, its presence did nothing to dispel the cyclone of grief within her.
Elspeth’s passing had been less than a month ago but Lenore was finding it incredibly difficult to make peace with the death of the woman who was such a fundamental aspect of her human life. Her daughter Elizabeth’s acceptance of Lenore did improve her spirits yet the realization that Lenore could never make contact with her family - lest she irrevocably disrupt their lives - saddened her greatly.
A warm hand came to rest on her right shoulder. “Lenore, my darling. I have a gift for you.”
Lenore glanced up in Kali’s warm eyes and shivered in spite of herself. Even after fifteen years with the Hindu goddess she was still surprised by how much she loved her. Their connection often felt destined to Lenore - at this point in her life she just could not imagine coping without the goddess. Kali had taught her so much - magic, philosophy, languages, hunting - but more so she had made Lenore remember what it was like to be loved…something she had only previously experienced with Willow.
It was because of her great love for Kali that Lenore forced a weak smile in her direction. “Kali, I am not much in the mood for gifts,” she sighed.
Kali frowned and her delicately shaped brow rose slightly. “Today is your birthday, my love. More importantly, today marks our first meeting fifteen years ago.”
Lenore lowered her eyes shamefully. She knew that Kali could not really comprehend the loss that Lenore was feeling - the Goddess of Eternal Energy understood the cruel logic of the world: that all who live must one day die. The wheel of life was relentless in its pursuit of balance in the world and it was a harsh truth to accept.
Currently, Lenore was not really accepting this harsh truth.
Kali sank to her knees before Lenore’s sitting form and gave the vampire a sweet kiss on the forehead followed by pecks on both cheeks and then a final lustful kiss on the mouth. Her hand came to cradle Lenore’s cheek and she leaned into Kali’s touch. “I know you grieve, my darling. But today is a day of celebration. Will you give that to me?”
Feeling guilty, Lenore nodded. “I’m sorry, Kali. You would think by now I would be used to death,” she shrugged slightly.
“The passing of Elspeth has been hard on you, I know. Even more so after your cousin decided not to accept your explanation. But remember the words of your daughter - she saw a light within your aura that shines of heroism and goodness. Do not prove her wrong.”
Lenore’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Kali cocked her head to the side and gave Lenore a long look. “For fifteen years we have hunted demons together in my lands. You have proven yourself to be all that your daughter said. However, since our return from Scotland you have become withdrawn. If you cannot find the strength to leave our home then how can you further do good in this world?”
Mouth agape, Lenore was at a loss for words. Her initial reaction was to bristle at Kali’s speech - after all, if she wanted to grieve for her cousin then she very well could! - but then she bit her lip as understanding began to pass through her mind. “Perhaps my daughter thinks too highly of me, Kali. I do not consider myself a hero by any means.”
Kali gave a graceful shrug and gestured out the window. “I imagine there are many out there who are thankful for your demon slayings, my love. And your life is yet young. There is much more that you can accomplish.”
Letting out an incredulous laugh, Lenore shook her head. “Kali, I am no Buffy. I don’t imagine myself to be this incredible fighter, although you are kind to say so.”
Standing up and crossing her arms, Kali gave Lenore an exasperated look. “Your lack of self-confidence is occasionally enduring but currently irritating. I assure you that no soul is ripped through the fabric of time such as you without possessing an important part to play in the world.”
Lenore frowned and defensively crossed her arms as well. The problem with ‘dating’ an ancient being was that Kali could make her feel like a child at times - just as Loki had before. “But what role? Hmm? I’ve asked you before and you’ve never answered me - you know I heard Loki’s words about my purpose ending in destruction and you agreeing. Tell me, what is it?” she asked irritably.
This was an old fight of theirs; one that would arise ever year or so. Kali feigned ignorance but Lenore knew there was something more. The goddess was not omniscient but during their moment of mental connection in Aurelius’ dungeons, Kali had seen everything her soul had experienced in both Tara and Lenore’s lifetimes. Coupled with the fact that Kali did have seer abilities, Lenore assumed she knew more than she was letting on.
Her lips pressing together in a thin line, Kali shook her head. “I have told you - I do not know. I can only assume that a fallen prophet of the Lord turned demon would be faced with dark trials. Such curses often involve such things.”
Lenore looked away from her lover and out the window. “That is not an answer.”
Through the window she saw black clouds roll in swifter than a tsunami wave as nearby lightning struck the earth with a resounding clap of thunder. Startled, Lenore looked up at Kali and saw the goddess’ hands curled into fists and anger emanating dangerously from her.
“As of today you have lived fifty-seven years yet you are still no more than a child!” she shouted. “I swear, those years with Loki made you regress to be as immature as he is!”
Jumping to her feet, Lenore glared at her lover. “Oh, of course. I’m ‘just a child’ and thou art so wise, Kali,” she huffed sarcastically. “Maybe it’s because you treat me like a child at times! Withholding information and whatnot. Maybe I would have been better off staying with Loki!”
Kali’s black eyes widened and the goddess looked stricken. With a deep breath she schooled her features and sneered slightly as she spoke in a calm voice. “Fine, go then. Go to your precious Trickster. I know that your heart misses him.”
Lenore blanched at Kali’s words - she had never brought anything like that up before. “Well, o-of course! He is -was- my best friend!” she sputtered indignantly. “And I gave him up for you.” Her heart panged; thoughts of Loki were incredibly bittersweet. She had not spoken or heard from him since he expelled Lenore from his life.
“Unfortunately it is the only part of my plan that has gone as desired!” she muttered angrily.
Pausing, Lenore gave Kali a deep look. “What do you mean by that?” she asked in a soft voice.
Kali seemed surprised, as if she had not meant to utter that line in the heat of their argument, and tried to wave it away. “It meant nothing.” She turned to leave the room but Lenore yanked her wrist and spun her around before pressing her against the wall so she couldn’t leave.
Dread was filling her chest like acid, threatening to erode everything that Lenore had based her new life on. Did Kali not love her?
“I will not ask again Kali - what did you mean by that?” she asked in a dark voice that trembled. “What was your ‘plan’?
The goddess closed her dark eyes and a single tear leaked, dripping silently over her right cheek. Kali’s clear remorse at what she was about to say only further worried Lenore. “Tell me!” Lenore urged.
“When we…connected…long ago during the time of your transformation, I saw you. I saw who you were as Tara Maclay and who you had been thus far as Lenore McLeod. I was interested in you and your uniqueness at that point. When I felt through our thin connection that you were with Loki, I decided to bide my time until a later point to come for you.”
“Why?”
Kali opened up glistening eyes to look directly at Lenore. “He…betrayed me. I wanted to make him feel the pain of betrayal as well.”
Lenore back away in shock. “So…you…used me? Used me to get back at Loki?”
Kali raised a hand to touch Lenore but the vampire jerked away. “Yes, that was my purpose initially. But after meeting you…there was something more to it. I fell in love with you, Lenore - that was not in my plan. Yet it occurred nonetheless.”
She took a shaky breath and struggled to stay calm. So Kali did love her…but her original purpose in stealing her away was to only slight Loki, to make him jealous that his lover was taking his new friend to her bosom. Lenore did not know what to think about this.
Strong hands gripped her arms and Kali’s magnetic stare forced Lenore to look up at her goddess. “My original plan to hurt Loki does not change the past fifteen years we have experienced. I love you, Lenore. That is not something that comes terribly easy to me. In my long life I have only truly loved my consort Shiva, Loki, and you. With the first two I have spent hundreds and thousands of years with - but with you it has all been experienced within the blink of an eye. In spite of that I have still come to love you. You are special to me.”
Her words lightened Lenore’s heart considerably but she suddenly felt a new round of guilt for the role she had played in hurting Loki. Yet, she did love Kali.
Lenore sighed. “It saddens me to think of your success in hurting Loki, but I forgive you…I love you, too.”
Kali gave her a soft smile and sealed their words of love with a deep kiss.
It wasn’t until much later that Lenore realized she never learned just what Loki had done to betray Kali.
March 15, 1738
Calcutta, India
The brick three story building that Lenore and Kali were approaching was quite impressive. The British presence in India had been growing rapidly since the East India Trading Company had formed their headquarters in Calcutta and the architecture of this building represented that. It was located in the bustling English-speaking part of the city and the street was swarming with humans. It was late afternoon so Lenore wore a headscarf that matched her green sari so that way the bright sunlight would not soak up too much of her energy. Kali wore a blue sari - her favorite color - and parted through the crowds easily. It was almost as if the humans understood on some level that Kali was indeed a higher being that should not be touched.
At that moment a British man, wearing khakis and a loose-fitting button down shirt, stumbled into Kali and began apologizing profusely. “Good madam, my apologies. I can be a clumsy fool at times - especially in the face of such great beauty,” he smiled.
Kali sneered and killed him by breaking his neck with a flick of her wrist. She continued walking as his corpse fell to the ground and Lenore struggled to catch up.
“Kali! What on earth are you thinking?” Lenore questioned in surprise. “How can you just kill a human on a busy street in the middle of the afternoon.”
“He displeased me,” she replied as they reached the ornate cherry wood doors of the brick building. A well-dressed man in black standing next to a gold engraved sign that said ‘Wolfram & Hart’ opened the door for them and they entered.
Lenore shook her head and frowned as their footsteps clicked over the marble floors. “Kali,” she hissed quietly, so that the dozen humans milling around couldn’t hear them. “That behavior is unacceptable. All he did was bump into you!”
Kali whirled around on her. “After almost twenty-four years you should be accustomed to my ways, darling. Besides, I saw into that man’s soul. He works for that damn East India Trading Company and is betraying his wife by keeping a mistress. Now with his death his wife will inherit a good fortune and his young son will be able to grow up without the negative influence of a distant father, thus keeping the young boy from a path of wickedness.” She raised one elitist brow. “Is that acceptable to you?”
Lenore sighed in irritation and reluctantly nodded. “Yes.” The contrasting morals of her human memory, vampiric nature, and relationship with the Goddess of Destruction were often mind-numbing at times. The multitude of greys that made up her world made her long for the days of black and white from her childhood.
Kali smiled and gave her a light kiss. “Even if you are wrong, it does not always displease me when you question me. Most are too frightened to try and I find it refreshing.” She glanced at a man approaching them who had slicked back hair and a finely tailored suit. He looked sweaty and nervous at their arrival and Kali let out a low laugh. “Of course, I do rather enjoy it when others are frightened.”
The man gave a low bow and was careful not to make eye contact with either Kali or Lenore. “Kali, great Goddess of Destruction. We are honored by your presence at our humble law firm. My name is Augustus Manners, CEO of the Calcutta branch of Wolfram and Hart. How may I be of service to your Excellency?”
Kali gave him a cold, assessing look and Lenore had to be careful not to laugh at the man’s clear fear at being in contact with a pagan goddess. “I spoke to a representative of yours - a Ms. Padma Patil. She knows what I require. I will speak to her.”
“O-of course, Goddess. But, well, you see, I am the CEO in charge here and it is customary for me to handle all of our important clients. Ms. Patil is just a low-ranking office clerk,” he struggled to explain as his sweating palms rubbed together.
Kali took a threatening step forward and caught his eye. Augustus’ mouth widened in horror under the full weight of her stare. “I find it already foul that you Westerners have desecrated my land and set up shop here. I will not further embolden you by speaking to foreigners. I require that I speak to a person of my land and I have chosen Padma Patil.” When Augustus’ pale face did nothing but just stare back at Kali she hissed, “Get her”.
Immediately Augustus backpedaled and hurriedly bowed along the way. “Of course. Whatever you desire, Goddess.”
Lenore smirked at her lover. “Was that really necessary?”
Kali tossed her a sly smile. “No, but it was fun,” she laughed darkly. “Besides, I am truly tired of these Westerners. I would be tempted to kill them all if it wasn’t for what I saw in your future as Tara - that my people would become stronger than the chains that hold them and fight peacefully for their land, and spark such revolutionary thoughts that the world will change.” She smiled in a bittersweet way. “Yes, someday it will be with it.”
“It will,” Lenore agreed as she leaned into Kali and wrapped an arm around her waist. She knew that it grieved Kali to watch silently as the British control over her people grew greater with each decade. “It is a shame that you won’t get a chance to make them pay yourself,” she added.
“How do you know I won’t?” Kali smiled secretly.
Dumbfounded, Lenore asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your memories of history textbooks stated the work of Mohandas Ghandi would spark my people’s revolution - I may very well have a hand to play in it.”
Lenore frowned. “But…” she trailed off.
“But I am not mentioned?” Kali laughed. “Darling, I doubt your textbooks will know of my work.
“Well, yes,” Lenore smiled sheepishly. “But what I was thinking was that Ghandi and other succeeded in gaining their independence from Britain. So if you know that they’ll already be successful then why would you help?”
Kali clucked her tongue and tapped Lenore’s temple with two fingers. “That is why time travel is such tricky businesses, my love.” She smiled. “The Butterfly Effect is often unpredictable. Perhaps the reason why my people are successful is because I give aid to them, all because I learned through our psychic connection what was to occur.”
“Oh.” Lenore mulled that over. “That does make sense…it’s just rather complicated.”
“Indeed. Food for though,” Kali smiled mysteriously.
“Goddess, how may I be of service to you?” a petite dark-skinned Indian woman addressed Kali. She wore a traditional sari in vivid colors of oranges and reds.
“Padma,” Kali greeted her with an endearing smile. Padma was a devotee of Kali and that was how Kali knew she could trust the woman to help her. “Do you have the items that we discussed?”
“Yes, my Goddess,” the woman bowed humbly. “Right this way.”
Padma led them to a conference room where two clay jugs sat on the polished table. They sat in cushioned chairs of red velvet and the Wolfram and Hart woman began speaking nervously.
“I retrieved the Holy Oil for you through our connections with a family of djinn in Jerusalem. They are authentic; our local sorcerers have concurred on that fact.”
“Thank you,” Kali said as she laid a warm hand over Padma’s. “You have served me well, my child. I hope that your future in this office will be brighter thanks to our connection.”
Padma blushed. “Thank you, Goddess. I do hope so, but Mr. Manners was fairly upset at being overlooked by you. However, I hope it will be enough that the Senior Partners will notice my work.”
“Indeed,” Kali smiled.
Kali had explained the background of Wolfram and Hart to Lenore the previous day. They were an inter-dimensional law firm ran by ancient demons. Branches of their office were located in each major city in the world and they specialized in all areas of darkness - from dealing with human criminals to demons and even occasionally settling the odd pagan god dispute. Besides their law work Wolfram and Hart were adept at procuring unusual objects and thus for this reason Kali had sought them out.
With the explosion of British nationals into India they were bringing Christianity with them. The density of Christians was sure, as Kali figured, to bring Angels with them. Since, as far as they knew, Castiel still wanted to kill Lenore, Kali wanted to prepare for any angelic arrivals. The Holy Oil, when poured around an angel and lit, was able to bind them - if they tried to leave the circle their human vessel would be destroyed. Kali had also showed Lenore another trick on expelling angels from an area that used human blood to draw a Enochian symbol, the ancient language of the angels.
Apparently Kali and the other pagan gods were not terribly fond of angels and had painstakingly created these traps ages ago. Nothing was more powerful than an Angel of the Lord and more than a couple pagan gods had met their final death at the hands of one. Only these tricks were capable of protecting someone from an angel.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Padma asked with the fervent glow of a true devotee ready to do anything Kali required.
“Yes,” Kali responded as she glanced at Lenore. “My companion would like to open an investment account. She is immortal - a vampire - and wishes to set up an appropriate account.”
Padma’s eyes brightened - Lenore figured that immortal bank accounts were a major bonus to the supernatural law firm. “Of course, my Goddesss!” She turned to Lenore with her a bright smile. “What are your investment interests?”
Lenore gave her a wry smile. She felt silly to be doing this - after all, she had never heard of Angel or Spike having a bank account - but Kali had talked her into it. Kali’s wealth came from her devotees and sheer power, but Lenore would need monetary wealth since she was only a vampire.
Well, a vampire and quite the powerful witch after practicing the craft for about fifty years, but it was Lenore’s decision long ago not to reveal her powers. She was already fairly well known because she was Kali’s demon lover - a true mystery for those that actually knew Kali - and she enjoyed having surprises up her sleeve in case someone tried to bring harm to her or Kali.
“I have some funds” - thanks to Kali - “that I would like to invest in Franz Ketterer of the Black Forest,” Lenore explained as she laid two heavy bags of god onto the table in front of Padma.
“Oh, okay,” Padma agreed, confusion evident on her face. “ A Mr. Franz Ketterer you said?”
“He is going to invent a unique clock this year and I want to invest in his business,” Lenore smiled. She knew that this girl likely thought her crazy for such a strange request but thanks to her (as Tara) late mother’s love of cuckoo clocks, Lenore knew a great deal about them.
“Also, I’d like to invest in the American colonies. I’m not sure what exactly at this point” - Lenore wished she knew more American history! - “so I would appreciate your firm’s assistance in finding good companies.
“The American colonies?” Padma’s nose crinkled in confusion. “But my Lady, wouldn’t you rather invest in a British company? The Americans are still a savage land,” she explained in a stage whisper.
Lenore laughed. “Yes, well, I trust things will turn out well for them,” she smiled enigmatically.
“Oh, yes,” Padma nodded several times. “Of course my Lady, I did not mean to question-”
Kali silenced her with a wave of her hand. “Fear not Padma, you have been more than accommodating to us.” Kali picked up the two jugs of oil and smiled kindly at the woman. “Thank you for taking care of our business.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lenore smiled at the woman who looked stricken with joy by Kali’s attention.
“Yes, of course my Goddess, my Lady,” Padma bowed. “I would be honored if you thought of me for your future needs at Wolfram and Hart.”
“We will be sure to do that,” Kali smiled as they walked out of the door, many pounds of gold lighter and two jugs of Holy Oil heavier.
A/N:
From me to you, this chapter is a prezzie for you!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! If you don’t celebrate Christmas then I hope you have fun on this one day of the year when everything is bloody closed, lol ;)
Reviews are a nice way to celebrate the holidays… ;)
Thanks for reading!
References:
*Wolfram & Hart is the law firm featured throughout the ‘Angel’ series. They are pretty evil but are helpful to the supernatural community so it made sense for Kali and Lenore to use them. The Senior Partners are the unseenpure demons who operate every W&H branch from another dimension. (http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Wolfram_%26_Hart)
* djinn-popular culture calls them genies and they are supernatural creatures from the middle east (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djinn)
* Ketterer invented the cuckoo clock (thank you Wikipedia for listing the inventions of every year!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Ketterer
Author: Luna (aka Luna_del_Cielo on lj)
Fandom: Supernatural/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Cast of Characters: Tara/Lenore McLeod, Fergus McLeod/Crowley, Loki/Gabriel, Anya, Castiel, Kali, Eli, Dean, Sam, Scoobies
Rating: T
Summary: Willow tried to bring Tara back…and she did. Unfortunately, she was brought back to life in 1672. Now 'Lenore' has to deal with witches, demons, pagan gods, and even angels, as she struggles to find the red-haired woman she sees in her dreams.
Pairings: Multiple pairings that will include the characters: Anya, Gabriel, Kali, Tara/Lenore, Willow - at least.
Spoilers: BTVS S6E19 ‘Seeing Red’, SPN S2E3 ‘Bloodlust’. Spoilers for Crowley's past in S6 “Weekend at Bobby’s” and Trickster/Loki's past in S5 ‘Changing Channels’
Warnings: Character death, Femslash (nothing explicit)
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I did then fewer people would have died in each of those shows :)
Read specific chapters here: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
Or all of the entire story here: Living as Lenore
Read More...
May 7, 1729
Calcutta, India
Lenore sat at the window, unblinking, as she stared over at the Hooghly River. Soft moonlight illuminated the small cresting waves and she thought it was a very peaceful sight. Yet, its presence did nothing to dispel the cyclone of grief within her.
Elspeth’s passing had been less than a month ago but Lenore was finding it incredibly difficult to make peace with the death of the woman who was such a fundamental aspect of her human life. Her daughter Elizabeth’s acceptance of Lenore did improve her spirits yet the realization that Lenore could never make contact with her family - lest she irrevocably disrupt their lives - saddened her greatly.
A warm hand came to rest on her right shoulder. “Lenore, my darling. I have a gift for you.”
Lenore glanced up in Kali’s warm eyes and shivered in spite of herself. Even after fifteen years with the Hindu goddess she was still surprised by how much she loved her. Their connection often felt destined to Lenore - at this point in her life she just could not imagine coping without the goddess. Kali had taught her so much - magic, philosophy, languages, hunting - but more so she had made Lenore remember what it was like to be loved…something she had only previously experienced with Willow.
It was because of her great love for Kali that Lenore forced a weak smile in her direction. “Kali, I am not much in the mood for gifts,” she sighed.
Kali frowned and her delicately shaped brow rose slightly. “Today is your birthday, my love. More importantly, today marks our first meeting fifteen years ago.”
Lenore lowered her eyes shamefully. She knew that Kali could not really comprehend the loss that Lenore was feeling - the Goddess of Eternal Energy understood the cruel logic of the world: that all who live must one day die. The wheel of life was relentless in its pursuit of balance in the world and it was a harsh truth to accept.
Currently, Lenore was not really accepting this harsh truth.
Kali sank to her knees before Lenore’s sitting form and gave the vampire a sweet kiss on the forehead followed by pecks on both cheeks and then a final lustful kiss on the mouth. Her hand came to cradle Lenore’s cheek and she leaned into Kali’s touch. “I know you grieve, my darling. But today is a day of celebration. Will you give that to me?”
Feeling guilty, Lenore nodded. “I’m sorry, Kali. You would think by now I would be used to death,” she shrugged slightly.
“The passing of Elspeth has been hard on you, I know. Even more so after your cousin decided not to accept your explanation. But remember the words of your daughter - she saw a light within your aura that shines of heroism and goodness. Do not prove her wrong.”
Lenore’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Kali cocked her head to the side and gave Lenore a long look. “For fifteen years we have hunted demons together in my lands. You have proven yourself to be all that your daughter said. However, since our return from Scotland you have become withdrawn. If you cannot find the strength to leave our home then how can you further do good in this world?”
Mouth agape, Lenore was at a loss for words. Her initial reaction was to bristle at Kali’s speech - after all, if she wanted to grieve for her cousin then she very well could! - but then she bit her lip as understanding began to pass through her mind. “Perhaps my daughter thinks too highly of me, Kali. I do not consider myself a hero by any means.”
Kali gave a graceful shrug and gestured out the window. “I imagine there are many out there who are thankful for your demon slayings, my love. And your life is yet young. There is much more that you can accomplish.”
Letting out an incredulous laugh, Lenore shook her head. “Kali, I am no Buffy. I don’t imagine myself to be this incredible fighter, although you are kind to say so.”
Standing up and crossing her arms, Kali gave Lenore an exasperated look. “Your lack of self-confidence is occasionally enduring but currently irritating. I assure you that no soul is ripped through the fabric of time such as you without possessing an important part to play in the world.”
Lenore frowned and defensively crossed her arms as well. The problem with ‘dating’ an ancient being was that Kali could make her feel like a child at times - just as Loki had before. “But what role? Hmm? I’ve asked you before and you’ve never answered me - you know I heard Loki’s words about my purpose ending in destruction and you agreeing. Tell me, what is it?” she asked irritably.
This was an old fight of theirs; one that would arise ever year or so. Kali feigned ignorance but Lenore knew there was something more. The goddess was not omniscient but during their moment of mental connection in Aurelius’ dungeons, Kali had seen everything her soul had experienced in both Tara and Lenore’s lifetimes. Coupled with the fact that Kali did have seer abilities, Lenore assumed she knew more than she was letting on.
Her lips pressing together in a thin line, Kali shook her head. “I have told you - I do not know. I can only assume that a fallen prophet of the Lord turned demon would be faced with dark trials. Such curses often involve such things.”
Lenore looked away from her lover and out the window. “That is not an answer.”
Through the window she saw black clouds roll in swifter than a tsunami wave as nearby lightning struck the earth with a resounding clap of thunder. Startled, Lenore looked up at Kali and saw the goddess’ hands curled into fists and anger emanating dangerously from her.
“As of today you have lived fifty-seven years yet you are still no more than a child!” she shouted. “I swear, those years with Loki made you regress to be as immature as he is!”
Jumping to her feet, Lenore glared at her lover. “Oh, of course. I’m ‘just a child’ and thou art so wise, Kali,” she huffed sarcastically. “Maybe it’s because you treat me like a child at times! Withholding information and whatnot. Maybe I would have been better off staying with Loki!”
Kali’s black eyes widened and the goddess looked stricken. With a deep breath she schooled her features and sneered slightly as she spoke in a calm voice. “Fine, go then. Go to your precious Trickster. I know that your heart misses him.”
Lenore blanched at Kali’s words - she had never brought anything like that up before. “Well, o-of course! He is -was- my best friend!” she sputtered indignantly. “And I gave him up for you.” Her heart panged; thoughts of Loki were incredibly bittersweet. She had not spoken or heard from him since he expelled Lenore from his life.
“Unfortunately it is the only part of my plan that has gone as desired!” she muttered angrily.
Pausing, Lenore gave Kali a deep look. “What do you mean by that?” she asked in a soft voice.
Kali seemed surprised, as if she had not meant to utter that line in the heat of their argument, and tried to wave it away. “It meant nothing.” She turned to leave the room but Lenore yanked her wrist and spun her around before pressing her against the wall so she couldn’t leave.
Dread was filling her chest like acid, threatening to erode everything that Lenore had based her new life on. Did Kali not love her?
“I will not ask again Kali - what did you mean by that?” she asked in a dark voice that trembled. “What was your ‘plan’?
The goddess closed her dark eyes and a single tear leaked, dripping silently over her right cheek. Kali’s clear remorse at what she was about to say only further worried Lenore. “Tell me!” Lenore urged.
“When we…connected…long ago during the time of your transformation, I saw you. I saw who you were as Tara Maclay and who you had been thus far as Lenore McLeod. I was interested in you and your uniqueness at that point. When I felt through our thin connection that you were with Loki, I decided to bide my time until a later point to come for you.”
“Why?”
Kali opened up glistening eyes to look directly at Lenore. “He…betrayed me. I wanted to make him feel the pain of betrayal as well.”
Lenore back away in shock. “So…you…used me? Used me to get back at Loki?”
Kali raised a hand to touch Lenore but the vampire jerked away. “Yes, that was my purpose initially. But after meeting you…there was something more to it. I fell in love with you, Lenore - that was not in my plan. Yet it occurred nonetheless.”
She took a shaky breath and struggled to stay calm. So Kali did love her…but her original purpose in stealing her away was to only slight Loki, to make him jealous that his lover was taking his new friend to her bosom. Lenore did not know what to think about this.
Strong hands gripped her arms and Kali’s magnetic stare forced Lenore to look up at her goddess. “My original plan to hurt Loki does not change the past fifteen years we have experienced. I love you, Lenore. That is not something that comes terribly easy to me. In my long life I have only truly loved my consort Shiva, Loki, and you. With the first two I have spent hundreds and thousands of years with - but with you it has all been experienced within the blink of an eye. In spite of that I have still come to love you. You are special to me.”
Her words lightened Lenore’s heart considerably but she suddenly felt a new round of guilt for the role she had played in hurting Loki. Yet, she did love Kali.
Lenore sighed. “It saddens me to think of your success in hurting Loki, but I forgive you…I love you, too.”
Kali gave her a soft smile and sealed their words of love with a deep kiss.
It wasn’t until much later that Lenore realized she never learned just what Loki had done to betray Kali.
March 15, 1738
Calcutta, India
The brick three story building that Lenore and Kali were approaching was quite impressive. The British presence in India had been growing rapidly since the East India Trading Company had formed their headquarters in Calcutta and the architecture of this building represented that. It was located in the bustling English-speaking part of the city and the street was swarming with humans. It was late afternoon so Lenore wore a headscarf that matched her green sari so that way the bright sunlight would not soak up too much of her energy. Kali wore a blue sari - her favorite color - and parted through the crowds easily. It was almost as if the humans understood on some level that Kali was indeed a higher being that should not be touched.
At that moment a British man, wearing khakis and a loose-fitting button down shirt, stumbled into Kali and began apologizing profusely. “Good madam, my apologies. I can be a clumsy fool at times - especially in the face of such great beauty,” he smiled.
Kali sneered and killed him by breaking his neck with a flick of her wrist. She continued walking as his corpse fell to the ground and Lenore struggled to catch up.
“Kali! What on earth are you thinking?” Lenore questioned in surprise. “How can you just kill a human on a busy street in the middle of the afternoon.”
“He displeased me,” she replied as they reached the ornate cherry wood doors of the brick building. A well-dressed man in black standing next to a gold engraved sign that said ‘Wolfram & Hart’ opened the door for them and they entered.
Lenore shook her head and frowned as their footsteps clicked over the marble floors. “Kali,” she hissed quietly, so that the dozen humans milling around couldn’t hear them. “That behavior is unacceptable. All he did was bump into you!”
Kali whirled around on her. “After almost twenty-four years you should be accustomed to my ways, darling. Besides, I saw into that man’s soul. He works for that damn East India Trading Company and is betraying his wife by keeping a mistress. Now with his death his wife will inherit a good fortune and his young son will be able to grow up without the negative influence of a distant father, thus keeping the young boy from a path of wickedness.” She raised one elitist brow. “Is that acceptable to you?”
Lenore sighed in irritation and reluctantly nodded. “Yes.” The contrasting morals of her human memory, vampiric nature, and relationship with the Goddess of Destruction were often mind-numbing at times. The multitude of greys that made up her world made her long for the days of black and white from her childhood.
Kali smiled and gave her a light kiss. “Even if you are wrong, it does not always displease me when you question me. Most are too frightened to try and I find it refreshing.” She glanced at a man approaching them who had slicked back hair and a finely tailored suit. He looked sweaty and nervous at their arrival and Kali let out a low laugh. “Of course, I do rather enjoy it when others are frightened.”
The man gave a low bow and was careful not to make eye contact with either Kali or Lenore. “Kali, great Goddess of Destruction. We are honored by your presence at our humble law firm. My name is Augustus Manners, CEO of the Calcutta branch of Wolfram and Hart. How may I be of service to your Excellency?”
Kali gave him a cold, assessing look and Lenore had to be careful not to laugh at the man’s clear fear at being in contact with a pagan goddess. “I spoke to a representative of yours - a Ms. Padma Patil. She knows what I require. I will speak to her.”
“O-of course, Goddess. But, well, you see, I am the CEO in charge here and it is customary for me to handle all of our important clients. Ms. Patil is just a low-ranking office clerk,” he struggled to explain as his sweating palms rubbed together.
Kali took a threatening step forward and caught his eye. Augustus’ mouth widened in horror under the full weight of her stare. “I find it already foul that you Westerners have desecrated my land and set up shop here. I will not further embolden you by speaking to foreigners. I require that I speak to a person of my land and I have chosen Padma Patil.” When Augustus’ pale face did nothing but just stare back at Kali she hissed, “Get her”.
Immediately Augustus backpedaled and hurriedly bowed along the way. “Of course. Whatever you desire, Goddess.”
Lenore smirked at her lover. “Was that really necessary?”
Kali tossed her a sly smile. “No, but it was fun,” she laughed darkly. “Besides, I am truly tired of these Westerners. I would be tempted to kill them all if it wasn’t for what I saw in your future as Tara - that my people would become stronger than the chains that hold them and fight peacefully for their land, and spark such revolutionary thoughts that the world will change.” She smiled in a bittersweet way. “Yes, someday it will be with it.”
“It will,” Lenore agreed as she leaned into Kali and wrapped an arm around her waist. She knew that it grieved Kali to watch silently as the British control over her people grew greater with each decade. “It is a shame that you won’t get a chance to make them pay yourself,” she added.
“How do you know I won’t?” Kali smiled secretly.
Dumbfounded, Lenore asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your memories of history textbooks stated the work of Mohandas Ghandi would spark my people’s revolution - I may very well have a hand to play in it.”
Lenore frowned. “But…” she trailed off.
“But I am not mentioned?” Kali laughed. “Darling, I doubt your textbooks will know of my work.
“Well, yes,” Lenore smiled sheepishly. “But what I was thinking was that Ghandi and other succeeded in gaining their independence from Britain. So if you know that they’ll already be successful then why would you help?”
Kali clucked her tongue and tapped Lenore’s temple with two fingers. “That is why time travel is such tricky businesses, my love.” She smiled. “The Butterfly Effect is often unpredictable. Perhaps the reason why my people are successful is because I give aid to them, all because I learned through our psychic connection what was to occur.”
“Oh.” Lenore mulled that over. “That does make sense…it’s just rather complicated.”
“Indeed. Food for though,” Kali smiled mysteriously.
“Goddess, how may I be of service to you?” a petite dark-skinned Indian woman addressed Kali. She wore a traditional sari in vivid colors of oranges and reds.
“Padma,” Kali greeted her with an endearing smile. Padma was a devotee of Kali and that was how Kali knew she could trust the woman to help her. “Do you have the items that we discussed?”
“Yes, my Goddess,” the woman bowed humbly. “Right this way.”
Padma led them to a conference room where two clay jugs sat on the polished table. They sat in cushioned chairs of red velvet and the Wolfram and Hart woman began speaking nervously.
“I retrieved the Holy Oil for you through our connections with a family of djinn in Jerusalem. They are authentic; our local sorcerers have concurred on that fact.”
“Thank you,” Kali said as she laid a warm hand over Padma’s. “You have served me well, my child. I hope that your future in this office will be brighter thanks to our connection.”
Padma blushed. “Thank you, Goddess. I do hope so, but Mr. Manners was fairly upset at being overlooked by you. However, I hope it will be enough that the Senior Partners will notice my work.”
“Indeed,” Kali smiled.
Kali had explained the background of Wolfram and Hart to Lenore the previous day. They were an inter-dimensional law firm ran by ancient demons. Branches of their office were located in each major city in the world and they specialized in all areas of darkness - from dealing with human criminals to demons and even occasionally settling the odd pagan god dispute. Besides their law work Wolfram and Hart were adept at procuring unusual objects and thus for this reason Kali had sought them out.
With the explosion of British nationals into India they were bringing Christianity with them. The density of Christians was sure, as Kali figured, to bring Angels with them. Since, as far as they knew, Castiel still wanted to kill Lenore, Kali wanted to prepare for any angelic arrivals. The Holy Oil, when poured around an angel and lit, was able to bind them - if they tried to leave the circle their human vessel would be destroyed. Kali had also showed Lenore another trick on expelling angels from an area that used human blood to draw a Enochian symbol, the ancient language of the angels.
Apparently Kali and the other pagan gods were not terribly fond of angels and had painstakingly created these traps ages ago. Nothing was more powerful than an Angel of the Lord and more than a couple pagan gods had met their final death at the hands of one. Only these tricks were capable of protecting someone from an angel.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Padma asked with the fervent glow of a true devotee ready to do anything Kali required.
“Yes,” Kali responded as she glanced at Lenore. “My companion would like to open an investment account. She is immortal - a vampire - and wishes to set up an appropriate account.”
Padma’s eyes brightened - Lenore figured that immortal bank accounts were a major bonus to the supernatural law firm. “Of course, my Goddesss!” She turned to Lenore with her a bright smile. “What are your investment interests?”
Lenore gave her a wry smile. She felt silly to be doing this - after all, she had never heard of Angel or Spike having a bank account - but Kali had talked her into it. Kali’s wealth came from her devotees and sheer power, but Lenore would need monetary wealth since she was only a vampire.
Well, a vampire and quite the powerful witch after practicing the craft for about fifty years, but it was Lenore’s decision long ago not to reveal her powers. She was already fairly well known because she was Kali’s demon lover - a true mystery for those that actually knew Kali - and she enjoyed having surprises up her sleeve in case someone tried to bring harm to her or Kali.
“I have some funds” - thanks to Kali - “that I would like to invest in Franz Ketterer of the Black Forest,” Lenore explained as she laid two heavy bags of god onto the table in front of Padma.
“Oh, okay,” Padma agreed, confusion evident on her face. “ A Mr. Franz Ketterer you said?”
“He is going to invent a unique clock this year and I want to invest in his business,” Lenore smiled. She knew that this girl likely thought her crazy for such a strange request but thanks to her (as Tara) late mother’s love of cuckoo clocks, Lenore knew a great deal about them.
“Also, I’d like to invest in the American colonies. I’m not sure what exactly at this point” - Lenore wished she knew more American history! - “so I would appreciate your firm’s assistance in finding good companies.
“The American colonies?” Padma’s nose crinkled in confusion. “But my Lady, wouldn’t you rather invest in a British company? The Americans are still a savage land,” she explained in a stage whisper.
Lenore laughed. “Yes, well, I trust things will turn out well for them,” she smiled enigmatically.
“Oh, yes,” Padma nodded several times. “Of course my Lady, I did not mean to question-”
Kali silenced her with a wave of her hand. “Fear not Padma, you have been more than accommodating to us.” Kali picked up the two jugs of oil and smiled kindly at the woman. “Thank you for taking care of our business.”
“Yes, thank you,” Lenore smiled at the woman who looked stricken with joy by Kali’s attention.
“Yes, of course my Goddess, my Lady,” Padma bowed. “I would be honored if you thought of me for your future needs at Wolfram and Hart.”
“We will be sure to do that,” Kali smiled as they walked out of the door, many pounds of gold lighter and two jugs of Holy Oil heavier.
A/N:
From me to you, this chapter is a prezzie for you!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! If you don’t celebrate Christmas then I hope you have fun on this one day of the year when everything is bloody closed, lol ;)
Reviews are a nice way to celebrate the holidays… ;)
Thanks for reading!
References:
*Wolfram & Hart is the law firm featured throughout the ‘Angel’ series. They are pretty evil but are helpful to the supernatural community so it made sense for Kali and Lenore to use them. The Senior Partners are the unseenpure demons who operate every W&H branch from another dimension. (http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Wolfram_%26_Hart)
* djinn-popular culture calls them genies and they are supernatural creatures from the middle east (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djinn)
* Ketterer invented the cuckoo clock (thank you Wikipedia for listing the inventions of every year!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Ketterer