The Dale

The Dale 3


~Smaltroplis StrongHold~


If anyone had ever asked Lex Luthor while sitting in his office in his castle in Smallville, what he would be doing two hundred years from 2006 he would have said he'd be dead. But fate had, had other plans for him. The first hundred years or so he had played archvillian to the Alien, to Superman. And kept in touch with the only family he had ever or would ever claim. It surprised him to learn that his favorite cousin would be as long lived as himself...without being effected by Kryptonite. He had been happy to learn that he would be alone with just Superman for company.

It had been shortly after the Mini-Ice Age that a plague hit in 2100, killing a lot of the surviving Meta-humans and people with the X-gene. Superman lived on.

In 21001 humans and demons and others began to form StrongHolds. It was the same year his cousin Lexian came to see him. Lexian showed him what he needed to build a strong Hold because Lexian had built SunnyDale on to a Hold long ago. Lexian had asked only one thing of his cousin Lex. Too became a vassal to Lexian, an ally and the Dale would return the favor. But it was because Lexian had helped form a lasting peace between Superman and Luthor...was why Lex agreed. Lexian gave Lex Luthor back his best friend.

Lex Luthor looked up from the reports on his desk as a young looking dark haired, green-eyed man walked in.

"Lex, the Pony Riders just came with a message." Said Clark Kent who was once Superman and now Lex's co-ruler. The revived Pony Express was just one of the ways to send messages, one of the most reliable ones anyway.

"Well, what does it say?"

Clark opened the message. " It's from the Dale! Lexian sends his greeting to us...listen to this! An alliance with City of Angels is being considered...that's odd aren't they controlled by the Aurelius? Anyway trade talks will begin in a few days form now. Will be sends notices to my other vassals...Be ready. Lex he underlined that three times?" Clark said questioningly.

Lex sighed sometimes he wished Lexian would speak plainly.

"It means that City of Angels may attack the Dale if the talks don't go in their favor."

"Lex the secrets of the Dale..."

"Our not our problem just yet. Lex will send the sign if things go bad. We just do as he says and be ready."

Clark frowned but knew Lexian was right. All they could do was wait.


************

The same message was also send too....


~The Cascade Hold~

~The Stargate Hold~

~The Kaiba Hold~

~The St.Louis Hold~

~The Vancouver Hold~


And to the other smaller Holes the Dale was allied with. Lexian was leaving nothing to chance.

***********


~A few days later~

Harmony paced back and forth in the Great Hall while waiting for delegation from City of Angels Hold. She sighed and looked down at the blood red colored dress that was cut low in the cleavage and high at the leg, black high heel leather bitch-boots completed the look. She had been taught how to power dress by the best.

"You really must calm down," said a soft voice to the side. Harmony looked over at the long red-haired boy that stood leaning on the wall. He was dressed in a light red almost pink school uniform. It should had clashed with his hair but for some reason didn't.

"That's easy for you to say, Kurama. You've never dealt will the Aurelius before." Harmony snapped at him.

The fox-demon sighed.

"Harm, it will be okay."

Now Harmony sighed. "I hope so, we need this...in spite of Lexian's doubts."
Kurama nodded. Harmony walked over to a window and stood in a patch of light. The windows were a hold over from Wolfram&Hart. Harmony had left that job so long ago but she didn't leave empty handed. She had come to know many of that law firms secrets.

Alarm bells sounded...

'There here...' thought Harmony.

*************


The black horse drawn carriage stopped at the massive steel gates to the walls that surround the Dale, which had the words 'Abandon all that you know, ye who enter here' in Latin on them.

"Well that encouraging," one of the occupants muttered.

"Shut up, Spike." Four other people told him.


**********


Harmony and Kurama watched as the five heavily black robed figures walled into the Great Hall.

'Showtime.' She thought.

"Welcome to the Dale." She said with a quite authority. She sensed three vampires and two humans made up this party.

"Please as a show of good faith remove your robes."

One of the vampires began to laugh softly.

"Your still trying to get me out of my clothes." Said a familiar accent, then he dropped the hood of the sun-proof robe. His different colored and styled hair that could not hide who it was from Harmony.

"Blondie Bear!" She squealed in a way that made Kurama raise an eyebrow. In all the time he had known the Mistress of the Vampires, he had never heard her squeal. Then what happened next shocked him Harmony then ran to the other vampire and hugged him. Harmony rarely showed affection like that except for close friends or family.

Spike hugged her back he had been shocked to see her, " Thought you were dust, pet." He whispered in her ear. Harmony just smiled shyly at him as she pulled away. Seeing that the others had lowered their hoods as well.

"Angel," Harmony started.

"Actually I prefer Angelus, " said the dark vampire. Harmony frowned as she asked, " You still have the soul right?"

"If I didn't you'd would be dust right now." He told her but saw the narrowing eyed look the kid in the pink uniform was giving him.

"I thought we were meeting the Warlord?" asked the third vampire. Which Harmony thought she knew just couldn't place him.

"You will he's going to meet us for dinner." She said as she motioned to the boy.

"This is Kurama the Second Captain of the Demon Guard. He will show you to your rooms so you can freshen up. Then he will escort you to the Banquet Hall for dinner."
Then she looked over to the human woman stand behind them.

"Lexian will be happy to see you," said Harmony before she started to give orders to some servants to take the party's luggage to their rooms.

The other of said party looked at Dawn who just shrugged confused.

***********


They followed Kurama though the Palace and it was one.

"Have you known Harmony long, boy. " asked Angelus in an almost mocking tone. He wonders why a teenage was given such a high command even if he was a demon. Lindsey glared at his mate wishing that sometimes Angelus wasn't allowed to speak. The boy stopped to look at them blandly.

"I'm almost more than thousand years old, please do not address me as...boy. My name is Kurama...Yoko Kurama if you must have a title."

Spike got an awed look on his face. "Cor, you were a legend I was a fledge."

If vampires could blush for embarrassment Angelus would have and tried to apologizes to Kurama who just smirked at him.

"Just try not to do it again. As a vampire you should know looking can be deceiving." He told the vampire. They continued to walk for away then Kurama stopped in front of a set of dark wooden doors.

" We're here," he said as he opened them and walked into the room followed by the others. " It's a suite with three bedrooms, a full bath and a living area. We hope you will enjoy it. The servant should have gotten the house elves to bring your luggage here. If you need any thing just call for Twiddle he his the house elf for his room."

Kurama watched as they looked around the rooms.

"I will return to escort you to dinner in and hour or so, please do make yourselves comfortable." He said.

As he left the room Kurama heard one of them exclaim "Hey, Dad they got a wet bar in here!"